Tattoos - ScreamHoney - Star Wars (2024)

Chapter 1: Tattoos

Chapter Text

“Cody you would not believe the osik we found out about the Guard.”

A headache just walked onto the bridge of the Negotiator, and that headache’s name was Rex. Cody loved him to death, but, little gods, everywhere he walked there was some sort of chaos following.

Cody sighed.

“Is it the kind of osik I need to be involved in as a Marshall Commander or as Fox’ ori’vod?”

There was spluttering from behind the headache and Cody realized his vod’ika had brought his vod’ike and if the 501^st didn’t know Fox was his batcher, they sure did now.

It was probably too early to want a drink.

“Probably both, ori’vod. The Guard apparently have a dark net social sharing site.”

Something must be wrong with Cody’s ears.

“Me’ven?”

“It’s called GuardNet, and apparently it works like Spwitter and GalTok? Maybe a bit of Sentagram mixed in, but basically it’s just the Guard pretending to be real vode and sharing vids with each other.”

Cody would not sigh loudly at Hardcase and his, frankly, incorrect and unflattering view of the Coruscant Guard.

It would help no one.

“Have you looked at anything there? Or did you just find it?”

The whole bridge crew was doing an admirable job of pretending to do theirs, but Cody knew they were listening to everything they were saying.

Nothing as interesting as GAR Gossip unfolding before your eyes, after all. (Cody did not blame them; hyperspace travel could be very boring.)

“We came straight to you, ori’vod. Figured you’d want to be there for anything we uncovered.”

Cody did sigh this time.

“Rex. Vod’ika. I’m not off shift for at least six more hours.”

“Yeah but you have a holoprojector right there?”

Cody was not going to pinch between his eyes and wish that Fives would be launched into the vacuum of space.

He wasn’t.

This was Torrent, though, and Cody already knew that arguing with them is just a trial in futility so he might as well give them what they want.

“Fine. Connect the datapad, let’s see what’s going on with GuardNet.”

It only took Echo a few minutes to hook everything up, and by that time both Generals and the 501^st’s Jetii Commander had joined them and Cody was hoping it was nothing so he could leave the bridge to Kenobi and go get a large kriffing drink of the rotgut that he wasn’t supposed to know Engineering was brewing.

Force knows he wasn’t that lucky.

The pad automatically cued the vids because that was how Social Media seemed to function theses days, and no one stopped it as a Corrie was suddenly on screen.

Perfectly kitted out, the only thing differing them from any other Corrie was an ARC kama (kriff Cody didn’t even know the Guard HAD those) and they were clearly not paying any attention to the vod doing the recording.

“I cannot stop any of you from comparing tattoos from the comfort of the barracks. But for the love of Commander Fox. Do NOT do it in a cleaning closet in the Senate Dome.”

The vod sounded exasperated and Cody could recognize the vod expression of shame from the two the ARC was scolding. Probably shinies. Not that Guard shinies looked any different from the veteran Guard.

“I didn’t think Corries were allowed to get tattoos?”

“Did they just swear to Commander Fox??”

The screen cut, clearly purposefully, to a few more shots of the same vod continuously telling Corries off for comparing tattoos.

And what a word choice that was, comparing? Wouldn’t it just be showing off?

After about six different talking downs in various parts of Coruscant, the next part was clearly in a dark vode space, probably the barracks, and the vod doing all of the scolding was walking in front of the cam into the room.

“Hey, ori’vod, how often do you get asked to compare tattoos?”

The voice came from behind the cam, and there was spluttering heard from around the room, like several vode were choking.

The ARC did a full body sigh that Cody absolutely related to right now, before turning to look at the holocam with the deadest face Cody had ever seen a vod convey with a bucket.

“More times that you can count, Flex. More times than you can count.”

The vid cut off with the beginning of a loud cackle that Cody remembered fondly from Kamino.

“Well that didn’t seem so bad. Just Corries being Corries.” Oh Dogma. You poor fool.

“Uhhh, except for the part where they were comparing tattoos? Why would you compare tattoos? Why not just show them off?” Thank you, Fives, for being so observant.

“I think it might be a euphemism for sex, actually.”

Both Jetii Generals choked at Jesse’s blasé reasoning that Cody was inclined to agree with.

“Why couldn’t they just be comparing weapons like everyone else in the GAR?”

Cody whipped around, when did Wooley get here?

Crowded around the holotable were more vode than they started with and Cody just sighed. He couldn’t control this circus anymore than the General could.

Which was to say, not at all.

He didn’t even get a chance to explain Vode culture to his General, or tell his Ghosts off for being so nosy, when the next holovid started due to autoplay.

“I will trade you anything you want if you can get Captain Lex to compare tats with you.”

“Copaani mirshmure’cye, vod? The Captain will absolutely make me do suicides, if their riduur doesn’t get to me first!”

The vid then zoomed in on the ARC from the first vid in the back of the hall, clearly staring at the two vode like they were going to commit a murder.

Apparently, whoever posted the vid thought they were funny and used old static to fade out.

No one had a chance to even think about making a comment before the next holovid already started.

“Why did no one warn me that shinies ask questions with no fear? How was I supposed to know that they don’t know what asking to see tats means? Isn’t that covered in orientation? With The Rules? How do I answer that?”

A Corrie was pacing a small room, possibly an office, gesturing widely with each question they had. Good to know that the Guard was the same when it came to shinies.

Cody could just hear both Dogma and Wooley’s noises of complaint, considering they both asked a lot of rude questions when they were shinies…he’s not surprised.

“Definitely talking about sex.”

The whole room heard the smack Kix delivered to Jesse’s head. Being the riduur to the CMO does NOT protect you from them, apparently.

“Oh, vod. Just do what I do and pull up Commander Fox’ speech on the GuardNet.”

The agitated Corrie stopped suddenly, whipping around to look at another Corrie that was also in full kit, but cleaning their blaster.

“The Commander’s speech is on the GuardNet?”

“Yeah? Captain Lex had Flex record it and save it at the time and when Codex and the other slicers made the GuardNet they had them post it and pin it to the Commanders Being Commanders page?”

The vid ended with the first Corrie tackling the second and just about smothering them into the hard duracrete of the small office.

Before another holovid could play, Cody snatched up the pad and managed to figure out how to navigate to the page mentioned in that vid.

The name sounded promising considering Cody never seemed to hear from his kih’vod anymore.

As soon as he clicked on the group a large photo of the four Guard Commanders took up the view of the holoprojector. And several vode on the bridge started choking at the photo.

Fox was the only one standing like a Corrie, parade rest and staring at the holocam like he was actually being paid to.

One of the other Commanders was hanging upside down from something outside the screen, holding the arm and the leg of another Commander doing their best to look like they were flying using a jetpack.

And the last one was using their legs to cling to Fox’ middle, set perpendicular to the ground, hand over their bucket like they were a natborn covering their eyes, looking off into the distance.

It looked like something Torrent would do.

Cody just took a minute to breathe, ignoring the gasping laughs and choking from behind him and scrolled down to the first holovid he could find and starting it. The autoplay would take care of everything else.

Corrie red lettering filled the screen.

Things to Know About Your Commanders

-Thorn knows

-Stone also knows

-Thire never knows

-Fox is probably the one to find it out in the first place

“How do you know I jumped from level 5471 to 5389, Commander?! No one was there?”

“You what?!”

Several laughing voices combined into one like something off of a natborn scary holo, and one sigh that Cody would recognize anywhere.

“There are cams everywhere, vod’ika, be more careful next time and head over to Hex for a full work up.”

The first Corrie grumbled and started walking off screen, they traveled just past the one recording close enough that the mumbled words were clearly heard.

“Not much Hex can do anyway, Hound and Apex haven’t come back from the rings yet.”

The vid changed to more lettering but not before Cody started to wonder what the kriff THAT meant.

-They cope

Focusing in on all four commanders laying on the floor and staring up at the ceiling in a small stacked two bunk room. They barely fit, several of them tucking in weird positions to do so.

The lighting was too dim to see any of them clearly but the point got across.

“If I have to tell Senator Dralg one more time that THAT is not in my purview I think I might just desert.”

Agreeing grunts from around the room.

“The next senator to try and feel up Klicks is getting my boot in their shebs, I don’t give a kriff if I get decommissioned.”

“Don’t worry vod, Klicks is permanently assigned to the prison after the last time.”

“Karking natborns.”

“Karking natborns.”

All four of them raise their arms and tap their vambraces together as they all repeat the phrase but Cody’s brain just stopped working.

Feel up? Does that mean what he thinks it means?

“Ugh. Speaking of, I have to go see Senator Teeeee tonight.” Cody’s kih’vod grumbled, rubbing his bare face with his hands like he used to do when he was frustrated as a cadet.

There were sympathetic murmurs around the room.

“You want me to whip up a vod pile for when you get back?” the vod from behind the cam spoke, the same one from the first vid about comparing tattoos.

Fox made a negative sound, the commander directly to his left giggled.

“Nah, Fox has Vos for his aftercare now.” The giggling spread and Fox half-heartedly smacked the commander that spoke.

“Don’t be jealous that I found the one natborn that can kriff like a vod and kept him.”

Full blown laughter this time.

“Well at least Vos has a medpack on hand if Teeeee hurts you as badly as he did last time.”

Fox shrugged.

“Better me than a shiny.”

“Oya.” The commanders tapped their vambraces again and the ARC holding the cam cleared their throat.

“Sorry Commanders, your ten is up.”

Groans around the room.

“Well thanks for listening, ceiling.”

“A vod amongst vode, for sure.”

“The only one we can talk to anymore.”

“And natborns pay other natborns to listen to them. Who needs that when you have the Command Bunks’ Ceiling?”

The commanders all started heaving themselves to their feet, grumbling and snapping each other back into their gear, even if they didn’t fully remove it, the vid fading slowly.

Cody was still trying to process everything that happened in that scene.

-Vos is Fox’

-They’re basically riduur

-don’t worry about it

A tall Kiffar with a golden stripe across their nose and dreaded locs that hung below their shoulders was suddenly on the holoscreen.

Their appearance caused all of the jetii to make noises of surprise.

“Uhh…can I help you, sir?”

“Yeah, Foxy just came back from a Senator Call right? I need to see him.” His voice was firm even if his words sounded playful, the vod at the desk didn’t seem to know what to do with that.

“Sorry, sir, but Commander Fox is unavailable until tomorrow at-”

“Oh you must be a shiny, Toxic finally training up someone so he can sleep?”

“Sir?”

Another vod appeared from behind the desk, the door into the back sliding shut slowly, like the mechanism was broken.

“Vos.”

“Toxic.”

“What are you doing to my shiny?”

“I just need to see Foxy, Toxic.”

“Did you arrange that with the commander before he left?”

“Yes, it should be on his schedule. Probably something like, Meeting with the Menace. Maybe Nuisance. Possibly Malignant Growth.”

The poor shiny looked so lost despite being bucketed, and with each added word General Skywalker choked harder and harder until Rex had to pound on his back to get the poor man to breathe again.

“…reason for living today?”

The Kiffar’s face hardened suddenly and leaned in to the older vode, somehow more serious than he was before.

“When did he edit that in?”

“Five minutes ago.”

“Kriff. Where is he?”

“Medbay.”

“Got it. Nice to meet you, shiny.”

The vid followed Vos until he was no longer visible, running down the long hallway with the slowly closing door, then it flipped back to the shiny and Toxic.

“Sir?”

“That’s Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. If he ever comes in asking for Fox, double check the Commander’s schedule for a weirdly named meeting and then let him in. Even if the Commander isn’t expecting him, he manages to keep Fox going. If there is a meeting tell him where Commander Fox is, if there isn’t then just let him look.”

“Sir.”

The older vod sighed before giving the shiny a keldabe.

“You’re doing just fine, Nox.”

Another black out screen, Cody was now squeezing his fists so tightly that he wouldn’t be surprised to find marks from his finger nails later.

-I would die for Commander Fox

“Welcome to the Coruscant Guard.”

Fox was up on slightly raised platform, no bucket, upper armor placed off to the side, upper blacks rolled down to his waist.

His appearance made Cody want to hurl.

A scar from the top of his forehead cutting through his right eye, causing the once amber eye to look faded, and continued down to his neck. His left ear was missing, the hair no longer growing on that side, two symmetrical cuts on either corner of his mouth, a piece of his lower lip was so scarred you could barely see the lip.

Multiple lacerations around his neck like someone tried to garrote him, a massive burn scar on his left side, shoulder to hip, several healed blaster burns on his torso, and his right hand was missing three fingers.

Cody’s kih’vod looked like literal osik.

He could practically hear the breath punched out of every vode watching the vid. And the whines of sorrow from the General and the little commander making a symphony of sorrow that Cody had to fight not to add to.

“I am sorry that you got posted here. I am sorry that this is not the battleground that you were promised. I am sorry that sooner or later you will end up looking like me. And I am sorry that your vode will start believing that you aren’t real vode because you aren’t fighting the real fight.

“Our fight is different. But it is still a fight, just not one you’ve been trained for. But that’s for a different time. For now, I just want you to know that these,” he gestured to his body, his scars, “are not scars. They are not something to be ashamed of, even if you’ll get them from something you feel is shameful.

“They are not a reminder of those horrible things, they are not proof that you are meatdroid, that you are worthless, that they can do anything they want to you and get away with it.

“I used to think that, I would hide them, I would keep my kit on all the time, you’d never see me without my bucket. But that gives them power. These aren’t scars, they are tattoos and they tell a story of my survival. They are proof that there was someone that couldn’t kill me and it made me brave.

“You will get your own tattoos. Not ones done with ink like our vode in the GAR, but ones made with pain, fear, shame, depression, some by others, some by your own hand.” Fox flipped his arms so the underside of his forearms were visible, methodical evenly placed scars similar to a ladder tracked from wrist to inner elbow on both sides.

“More proof. More evidence that you are stronger, that you have purpose, that you are alive and still living. This is what you have to look forward to on Coruscant and I wish I could save you from it. But all I can offer you is the platitude that I will always be here for you. For any and everything. Any time of day or night, for a shoulder to cry on, an accomplice to plot with, a commander to take the lead, a friend to hold your hand.

“I am here for you. The Guard is here for you. We will get through this and we will come out of the other side stronger and better for it. Welcome to the Coruscant Guard. We stand.”

-We would die for Commander Fox

The vid faded out into a holo with several Corries dressed similarly to how Fox was in the last vid, their torsos a story of pain just like his was, their faces ranging from covered in scar tissue to barely a scratch.

Every vod was saluting at the holocam, looking serious.

The holo faded out.

The bridge was silent.

Cody didn’t know what to do.

He didn’t have a chance to figure it out either.

Damn autoplay.

“I think it started with hate kriffing.”

“What?”

“Fox and Quinlan. I think they started with hate kriffing.”

“Oh yeah, like in a “make hate to me” kind of way, right?”

“Stone. That is the best thing you have ever said to me in your life.”

“Wasn’t it because Fox threw him in the drunk tank?”

“Then Quinlan kept dropping off criminals like a demented tooka.”

“Hate kriffing to friends to lovers pipeline. Here for it.”

“I think they skipped the friends part.”

“Need me a freak like that.”

“Don’t Skywalker and Amidala give you eyes like that, Thorn?”

“Pretty sure that’s because they’re using me in place of the vod they actually want.”

“Nah. I think you mean in addition to.”

“Hmmmm. Captain Rex is a handsome vod. Very chaos inclined. I dig it.”

“Really? A foursome with a vod and two natborns? Is that safe?”

“As safe as it can get with a natborn.”

“Luckily Quinlan would sooner take himself out than hurt Fox, right?”

“I think any natborn that gets into a relationship with a Corrie should automatically be on the safe list. If they just wanna kriff they’re normally pretty honest about it.”

“Or they’re senators and tell you to do it regardless of what you want.”

A “hear, hear” went around the room before fading out.

Cody looked over to see General Skywalker and Rex both flushed different dark shades of red, impressive considering vode complexion.

Fives slowly reached for the datapad to turn it off, karking autoplay, but the next vid started and he stopped when the Corrie on the screen mentioned Echo’s name.

“I don’t think they know it’s you every time, vod’ika.”

“They always ask if it is, and Echo seems to think it’s me.”

“Still can’t believe you have the hots for the Chaos Twins from the 501^st.”

“It’s better than being Apex and crushing on Commander Ponds?”

“No.”

“Come on, ori’vod, Apex already has a riduur and they’re both thirsting after Commander Ponds. Me having a thing for Fives and Echo isn’t that bad considering.”

“No, it’s worse.”

Fox and Commander Thorn walked into the room with the other two Corries, both ARCs with signifying kamas.

“Commander Thorn wants to get with General Skywalker, Senator Amidala, and Captain Rex. Nothing is worse than that.”

Fox turned to Commander Thorn with the galaxy’s most unimpressed face and Cody would have grinned to see it if he wasn’t still reeling from what was happening to his vod’ika on Coruscant.

Commander Thorn started spluttering.

“Shame.”

“You are literally kriffing the Kiffar equivalent of a trash tooka, you have nothing to stand on.”

“Technically, more times than not, he’s the one kriffing me.”

A different flavor of silence both on the bridge and in the vid.

“Vod, why?”

“Didn’t want you to have any misconceptions. And I like it.”

“Really? After what the senators-”

“What I choose to do with Quinlan and what I’m forced to do with others are not related. I enjoy everything Quinlan and I get up to, and I enjoyed being kriffed by him.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

“That being said. You are right, Flex, nothing is worse than Thorn and his kriffed up desires, so please, go after the dini’la ARCs from the 501^st. I’m sure they know how to please a vod.”

This time Cody got to the pad in time to stop the GuardNet from autoplaying another one and silence once more wrapped around everyone in the bridge.

General Skywalker and Rex were both still bright red and not looking at each other, Echo and Fives were doing the weird mental link thing they did while have a conversation solely with their eyebrows, Commander Tano looked sick, General Kenobi not that far behind her, and the rest of the vode had various faces of concern.

Well.

Time to be the Marshall Commander and figure out what the kriff to do with all that information.

“Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Rex. There is definitely a lot to be uncovered here. I’ll have SpecOps on it as soon as I can.”

The speech Fox gave was still playing in his head on repeat, his words, his appearance, his conviction.

Fox was wasted on Coruscant.

And apparently abused too.

Cody would be a terrible ori’vod if he let this continue. He’d be a terrible Commander if he didn’t do anything about this.

And Cody was neither.

“Why does the Commander have the same ‘I’m going to be a menace, legally’ face that Captain Rex does?”

Dogma was always good at asking the right questions.

--

“Hey, Foxy! Finally got a bite on the GuardNet!”

Fox raised his eyebrow at Quinlan’s entrance into his dingy little office, his jetii waving a pad in the air like it had the answers to winning the war.

“I wasn’t aware we were fishing on the GuardNet?”

“Maybe you weren’t. But as soon as Thire gave me access I was curating a good stream of vids to watch as an introduction to the Guard.”

Quinlan came over and shifted Fox out of the way so he could sit down in the uncomfortable chair and pulled Fox down on top of him.

It was his favorite way to work if he had the option, but he so rarely could sit down and do datawork as it was so he wasn’t going to complain about a little manhandling.

“For the shinies?” Fox barely even glanced away from his work while Quinlan kept acting like the tooka that caught the mousedroid.

“No, for whenever the GAR eventually managed to find the GuardNet.”

That drew Fox to a pause.

For what?

“What?”

“Come on, Foxy, you have to know that the GAR troopers love sticking their nose in things that aren’t their business. They were going to find the GuardNet no matter what. I just made it so that they’d see the vids I wanted them to see in the order I wanted them to see them in.”

Fox turned around in the chair, straddling Quinlan’s lap and leaning in for a keldabe, looking into warm brown eyes and seeing nothing but protectiveness and vindictive glee.

He sighed.

Of course, his cyare would do this.

Quinlan hated everything that happened to Fox and his Corries, hated that he couldn’t do anything about it except be there afterward. Of course he would try and bring it to the other battalions and hope something would come of it.

“And what did you make them see?”

Fox leaned in closer, his lips lightly brushing against Quinlan’s with every word and enjoyed the adoration that slipped across the Kiffar’s face.

“Everything.” Quinlan breathed out against his lips before claiming them for himself, dragging Fox into a deep kiss.

Closing his eyes, Fox just enjoyed the ministrations, enjoyed not being the one giving orders or making plans this time around, just enjoyed his cyare and his ability to take Fox out of his mind.

The GAR discovering the GuardNet and all that implied was a later problem.

Right now, Fox was in the lap of better things to be concerned with.

Much better things.

Chapter 2: Bedroom Ceiling

Chapter Text

“First thing you need to know about being a Corrie. There is no God, there is no Force, there is no ultimate power.” A Corrie paced the front of a large room filled to the brim with freshly painted Coruscant Guard Troopers.

The Corrie looked intimidating, their kama fluttering around their legs and their voice a decibel lower than any vode voice.

Suddenly a Corrie with a massif sitting by their feet pulled a cord that showed up out of no where and a curtain fell revealing a large holo of Commander Fox in full gear.

“There is only Commander Fox.”

A chorus of awe shook the recording speakers.

“If you must swear, you swear to Commander Fox. If you need to pray, you pray to Commander Fox. If something is going wrong, you call upon Commander Fox to show you what to do. If you have to thank a deity for something going right, thank Commander Fox. The fronties have the jetii and the force and whatever gods they discover, Corries have Commander Fox.”

Cheering erupts in the room and the holocam pans to the open door, the exact same vod depicted in the holo still staring into the room.

The holocam zooms in on the bucket of the vod in perfect timing to catch him placing his face into his palm and shaking his head.

“Thank Commander Fox he already knew we did this before now.”

--

“I think it would be good for moral.”

“I am not letting you take a vid of how many push-ups I can do, Quinlan.”

Thorn was privy to the best show in the entirety of the Guard right now; Fox arguing with his jetii who wants him to do something thirst trappy.

“Come on, babe, the shinies idolize you. It’d make their day to have an actual number to push for!”

The real pity was that Thorn could tell it was almost working. Fox looked mighty conflicted.

Easiest way to get him to cave. Bring up the shinies and how much the entirety of the Guard admires him, even if he thinks they shouldn’t.

“Maybe just record his daily training, Vos. Less of a challenge but easier for him to agree to.” Thorn threw in his two credits, stifling a chuckle at the glee that danced across the Kiffar’s face and the dread that spread across Fox’.

“Stay out of it, Thorn.”

“No! Tell us more!”

Of course Thire chose the exact moment that the two idiots in love were fighting over Thorn to walk in the door.

He took a single look at what was happening, said nothing, turned around, and left.

And honestly.

Thorn respects it.

“Maybe he should do it only in his blacks? Zipped down to show off them tiddies.”

Was Thorn a horrible enabler that thinks his friend should be more secure in his attractiveness? Yes. Did he also think the shinies would absolutely gobble a vid like that up? Oh, most certainly.

The bright flush on Fox’ face and the besotted look on Vos’ was just an added bonus for him.

--

A black screen.

“So Foxy said no to doing a recording of his daily training for the Net because he hates fun and thinks he’s boring. So, Thorn and I are going to record him secretly for the fun of it and see how mad he gets when he finds us doing it.”

“Shouldn’t we try and not get caught?”

“You want to try and hide from Fox? The vod the Guard swears to because he’s all-seeing and all-knowing and better than any other god?”

“Point.”

Slowly light filtered into the cam, swaying from side to side like the person holding it is walking while recording.

A sudden stop and a small dilapidated gym came into view, a few rundown pieces of equipment strewn about, and soft mats that were held together with tape and glue.

A vod was in the middle of the mats, wearing only their blacks and bending over, hands touching the floor while their legs remained locked straight.

The cam zoomed in as the vod slowly started to pull themselves up, slowly working different muscle groups visibly as they did.

When they were full upright the cam zoomed in on the face and revealed the scarred visage of one Commander Fox, his eyes closed as he visibly took deep even breaths.

He started tapping his foot rhythmically, keeping time for a few moments, before his body followed the rhythm of the tapping and stretched carefully, pushing his arms out, lowering his core, flexing his thighs, tensing and untensing his glutes.

“Mmngh.”

“Down, boy.”

“Have you seen him?? What the Commander Fox am I supposed to do?”

A beat.

“I can’t believe you just used your own lover’s name as a swear.”

“I can’t believe you aren’t getting horny watching my lover stretch his kriffing muscles!”

“I can’t believe the two of you are this bad at hiding.”

A yelp and the screen goes dark.

--

“You gotta tell me, vod, what is it about Skywalker and Amidala that does it for you?”

“They could kill me with their pinky.”

Stone sucked in a breath, preparing himself for the lecture Thire was about to give Thorn about not thirsting for dangerous sentients.

“Same thing with Captain Rex, I think. The vod could absolutely put me on my shebs and I’d probably thank him.”

“Thorn, ori’vod, you are the second most skilled vod in the Guard. Why on earth do you think a frontie captain would be able to drop you?” Flex questioned, carefully applying red paint to Lex’ vambrace while said ARC Commander stared listlessly at the ceiling.

“Fox is his ori’vod, what makes you think he can’t drop me? Besides, he trained the Chaos Twins you’re thirsty for. You can’t tell me their competence doesn’t get you going.”

Stone watched Flex’ face flush and Lex cover their eyes with their bare hand, muttering to the ceiling about not wanting to know what gets their kih’vod going.

Poor Lex.

Forever surrounded by horny sex crazed vod when they have a riduur and don’t understand sexual attraction.

“The real question is how Lex dealt with three of their four batchers being allosexuals when they’re the acest vod you’ll ever meet.” Hound asked, stealing Flex’ paint and touching up Grizzer’s working harness.

“Trial and error, vod. Trial and error.” Lex spoke forlornly to the ceiling again, Stone was positive that they wished Cantina was here, but she was out on patrol and Lex was stuck here with the horny brigade.

“Also, have you seen the three of them? Arguably I have the hottest crushes in this room.”

“I think you forgot I was here, Thorn.” Vos piped up from under the bed Lex was laying on, causing most of them to jump slightly.

They absolutely forgot he was there.

“Kriff. You’re right. I arguably have the second hottest crushes in the room.”

A chorus of agreements echoed the small space and Stone smiled as even Lex joined in.

Noticing his attention, Lex locked eyes with him and deadpanned.

“I’m ace, not blind.”

Flex and Thorn immediately started laughing and Vos preened like having the hottest vod in the Guard and GAR was the lifetime achievement it sounded like. (It was.)

--

A pan around a small bunk room revealed more Corries than should feasibly fit, a massif, and a jetii laying under a bunk, all in various states of undress and painting white armor.

“I’m just saying. The Force can making sex fantastic! Having a partner that can use it would be amazing! Especially with two other partners and being the strongest jetii recorded yet! A good time!” Commander Thorn, bare-faced and showing off his own collection of scars, slightly more faded than Commander Fox’, sounded slightly buzzed as he continued his rant to the benefits of a Force-sensitive partner.

“How do you even know that? Skywalker and Amidala only make eyes at you? You haven’t bang-banged yet.” Another bare-faced Corrie, this one bald with burn scars covering most of their head, hiccupped as they spoke.

“Shut the kriff up, Stone! And Fox told me so, nyeh.” Commander Thorn stuck his tongue out but then went cross-eyed trying to stare at it.

There were several choking and coughing sounds from the room.

“He did?!” The jetii from under the bed shot up, slamming their head into the underside of the bunk but rolling through it like it didn’t happen. Their eyes were wide, cheeks lightly flushed, and they were staring at Commander Thorn like he had the secrets to life.

Commander Thorn took a second to blink a few times at the jetii, now revealed to be one Quinlan Vos, before cursing under his breath.

“Kriff. I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“Fox talks to you about sex?” The vod laying on the bunk that Vos just came out from under spoke with confusion, in their hand was a clear bottle with barely any amber liquid left in it.

“Pfft. I’m like the only one he can talk about sex with. Everyone else looks up to him too much or is too ace to appreciate it.” Thorn scoffed, making grabby hands for the bottle the ARC captain was holding.

Lex looked at the bottle, back at Thorn, over to the vod sitting by their bed looking flushed and uneven, back at the bottle, shrugged, and drank the rest of the liquid.

“Noooo! Lex!! That was the last of it!”

“Good. You have a shift in two hours, plenty of time to sober up.”

“You have shift in an hour!”

“And I can hold my liquor better than you.”

“You just didn’t want me to share with Flex!”

Lex slammed the bottle on the floor, looking at Thorn with bright eyes and a rather terrifying grin on their face.

“Were you the one to teach them to take shots like that? Commander?”

Thorn gulped and looked away.

“How can you sound that intimidating?” He whined.

“Pssssh. I practice, you di’kute. Now did you teach Flex to take shots like that? Tell them they had to be done that way? No hands, mouth only?”

More whining, Stone looking like Life Day had come to the vode, Vos still looking starry eyed about his lover thinking he was fantastic at sex, and Stone laughing at the lot of them.

“It’s the best way to seduce anyone! Guaranteed! Come on! Don’t you want Flex happy with the Chaos Twins?”

“Guaran-gauranteed my-my shebs. I did that atttt 79sss and they didn’t even-didn’t even look at meeeeeee!” Flex started uncharacteristically wailing, Lex went over to comfort them (barely tripping on their way) glaring at Thorn as they did, Stone and Vos made vaguely sympathetic sounds, and Thorn deflated.

“Commander Fox it. There goes my plan for you to get those vode in bunk.”

Right as he spoke the door slid open, Commander Fox’ distinctive markings and another vod with Corrie red paint and a kama looking in on the chaos.

Commander Fox sighed.

“I knew you were involved with the Guard using my name as a curse.” He sighed as the ARC behind him giggled, waving to Lex who waved enthusiastically back, looking much happier than at the beginning of the vid.

“FOXY!! YOU THINK I’M GOOD AT SEX!”

Vos tackled Commander Fox into the hallway and whoever was holding the cam finally broke and started laughing as the vid cut out to the commander’s curses and the rest of the room’s laughter.

--

“What do you think would happen if the GAR ever find out about GuardNet?”

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“Nothing would happen. We’ve seen, we’ve felt, how little the GAR care for us Guard. Why would them finding out about the GuardNet change anything?”

“Hex, vod, come on.”

“I’m serious, Prost. You have some faith because your batchers still kind of talk to you, but my whole batch is here and in charge of SOMEthing or SOMEone. We’re officers. We get the worst of it.”

“Cyar’ika, you don’t even leave the bay if you can help it.”

Hex slammed his hands down on an empty biobed, the sound echoing in the medbay and causing Hetic to actually look up from the leg he was cobbling together.

Looking over at his two riduur he made a confused sound in the back of his throat. Hex looked so so angry and Prost looked so so sad.

He didn’t like it when they were like this.

“I see everything that happens to our vode, Prost. Everything. Whether that’s at the hands of a natborn or our GAR so-called vode…They. Wouldn’t. Care.”

Hex turned from them both, wrapping one of his hands tightly around a vibroblade hidden in his boot and the other clutching his shoulder tightly, the one Prost and Hetic had worked tirelessly to make for him after the Incident.

“They might.”

Hetic hasn’t heard Prost speak that quietly since he was a shiny.

In the name of Commander Fox, he might not be able to talk but he could stop this.

He set aside the leg, making the same concerned vocalizations he always did to get the attention of his riduur’e.

It worked as intended.

Hex and Prost were both looking right at him, concern echoing in every part of their bodies.

Commander Fox, he loved them.

He flashed his hands out in sign, the servos of his left arm whirring nosily because he’s put off recalibrating them.

Judging by the humor in Hex and Prost’s faces, he made a funny face at the noise.

But it did what he wanted it to.

They were calmer now, not as much hurt and sadness whipping around the room anymore.

Hetic extended his arms, gesturing for both of them, and sighed happily when they both took his invitation and wrapped them all up in a hug.

Prost gave the best hugs.

Hex was second best simply because he never squeezed as hard with his natural arm as he did with his prosthetic.

Pity.

“You’re right, Hetic. Sorry, cyare. I just…I want to believe the best of the GAR, because it gives us something to hope for. If they find out…if they care…then maybe they’ll do something about it.

“There’s so many more of them than there are the Guard. Than senators even. If they did something about it…you wouldn’t have to see our vode like this anymore. It’s not healthy for you. To only see vode that are sick, injured…violated...”

Hetic buried his nose into Hex’ neck and made soothing noises at the cry of despair that escaped his mouth. Prost copied his action and Hex had a nice good break down about it.

It was a long time coming anyway.

Hex wasn’t much for displays of his affection, didn’t like it when others were privy to what he deemed private, but it was telling that he only ever cried like this in front of the two of them or his batch.

And Hetic and Prost would be there to patch him back up.

--

“Oh my Commander Fox. He’s sleeping!”

“Shhhhh.”

The cam panned through a small understocked medbay. Two biobeds were pressed up against each other, a Corrie vod wearing the medic aliik sleeping quietly sprawled across them both.

Another Corrie vod had the sleeping’s head in their lap, combing their hands through tangled curls and murmuring intelligible words with every twitch or movement.

On the floor next to the two biobeds was a third Corrie, this one with their bucket on, magnifiers in front of their visor, fiddling with a prosthetic leg in their lap.

The floor Corrie looked up at the cam and despite being bucketed, anyone could see the irritation written in the lines of their body.

“We just got him to sleep, Thorn, what the Commander Fox do you want?” The awake Corrie on the bed hissed at the first vod to speak.

“Just trying to place everyone. Foxy got a priority comm that had some pretty…weird info on it.” Thorn spoke quieter, coming far enough into the medbay to get a decent shot of the sleeping medic, the left side of their face an amalgamation of different types of scars that spread from the top of the forehead, curled around to the ear and hinge of the jaw, and trailed into their blacks.

“Weird how?” The vod on the floor made an accompanying sound of confusion and the holo shook slightly at the movement of its holder.

“Something something, several GAR battalions are coming to the Guard, something something, discovered what was going on, something something, Commander Cody is scheming something something, Captain Rex will be dirtside in two rotations.”

A scoff from the Corrie on the floor.

“Of course that’s the only thing you have actual concrete intel on.”

The vid jostled again.

“I am a simple vod with simple wants and needs.”

“Liar.” The voice rasped from the medic, rolling over in the other’s lap and glaring right at the camera.

“Commander Fox it. I didn’t mean to wake you, Hex.”

“Doesn’t matter. Should be ready for anything. With that many GAR on planet.” The medic tried to leverage themselves up but the vod whose lap they were occupying pushed them back down. “Prost let me up.”

“No. You need to sleep. Hetic and I aren’t fully trained medics but we can handle the bay for the next hour or two. You need to sleep, cyar’ika.”

The medic’s face turned bright red and the holo started backing up.

The vod on the floor, Hetic, started a wheezing sort of laugh and the cam ducked out of the bay and shut off to the sound of the medic yelling at their cyare with clear embarrassment.

--

“Did you know that Commander Ponds and the 91^st are dirtside?”

“I did.”

“How?! I just found out!”

“Apex and Rush haven’t started gushing about it.”

“That would do it.” Thire hated to admit it, but all the other Coruscant Guard Commanders had more ways to information gather than he could imagine. But then he was part of the Diplomatic Team, he rarely had anything to do with information gather.

Quinlan had been giving him tips though!

“I have never seen a vod turn red quite that fast.”

“Yeah? Rush or Apex?”

Stone laughed.

“Commander Ponds.”

Thire joined in.

He’s never gotten the chance to meet the ori’vod of Commander Fox, but from what he’s heard (secondhand from Apex, Rush, Fox, and Quinlan) it wouldn’t take much to fluster that vod. As badass as he is, Commander Ponds is apparently a bit blind when it comes to how others see him.

Kind of like Commander Fox.

“You think it runs in the batch?”

“Hmm?”

Stone was completely enraptured in the oddity that was the GAR apparently storming the planet. There were thousands of fronties just…roaming around, taking issue with any sentient that approached a Corrie, and being weirdly…coddling to any they could find.

It was strange.

Thire completely understood Stone’s fixation with it.

“Not realizing how others think of you. Commander Fox is absolutely awful at it. And I’ve heard Commander Ponds isn’t any better, mostly from Apex and Rush. I know it’s only two out of five but that’s still more than most.”

“That’s a good point, vod’ika, but Wolffe is overly aware of what others think of him at any given moment, Bly purposefully gets them to TELL him what they think, and Cody just plain doesn’t give an osik.”

Thire stared at Stone.

When did he meet the rest of Commander Fox’ batch?! And why wasn’t Thire invited?!

“All second or third-hand information there, vod’ika. Mostly straight from Fox’ mouth.”

That made sense.

“I wonder what the fronties are doing here, though.”

“Mmm. According to Vos it was an elaborate plot for him to use his access to the GuardNet to curate their experience for when they discovered the existence of it.”

Stone watched as a member of Wolffe’s pack practically tackled one of the younger Corries and nuzzled them into the ground with little growls.

Now there’s a squad that takes their names a bit far…

Wait.

“Me’ven?!”

“Mmm. Fox sent out a memo. It’s probably on your comm, you only just got back from escorting High General Yoda, right?”

Thire nodded vigorously while frantically scrolling through his comm to find this memo.

Quinlan had something like that planned and he didn’t tell anyone? Commander Fox? Thorn? Stone? THIRE???

“Don’t get too upset, vod’ika. Apparently Vos was keeping it from everyone. Didn’t want any of us to get our hopes up.”

“Hopes up for what? The fronties are just going to coddle us for a tenday then take off and forget this ever happened.” Thire grumbled under his breath as he finally found the memo.

Oh.

Commander Fox absolutely warned them that this may happen.

Next time he’s on assignment he’s going to read his comms, natborn preferences be Commander Foxed. He’d rather know about osik like this beforehand.

A sound of pain echoed in his bucket and Thire looked up, concerned that something had happened to Stone in the brief time it took him to look at his comms.

Nope.

The sound was none other than the two Chaos Twins that Flex was completely enamored with.

Commander Fox his life.

“Can we help you?”

Please say no. Please say no.

“You really think that low of us, vod? That’d we’d do nothing about the vids we saw on the GuardNet? That we’d just leave without doing something?” Their buckets were on, but Thire was pretty sure that was Fives that just spoke (if listening to Flex’ rants made him remember anything).

Thire just made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, unsure exactly how he was supposed to approach the situation.

How did one interact with fronties one of your close friends was obsessed with?

--

“I would like everyone to know that I am doing this under duress and I would rather be anywhere but here.”

“Come on, don’t be like that, Thire! Just think of yourself as a matchmaker!”

“I did NOT give you permission to drop my title, Fives!”

The vod with a goatee and an aurebesh five on his temple was smiling widely, one arm hooked around the shoulders of a vod with the markings of Commander Thire.

On the commander’s other side was a clean shaven vod with the same color paint as Fives and a mischievous grin, his arm also thrown over the shoulders of Commander Thire.

“Pretty sure we don’t have to address our matchmaker by their title, vod. Especially with your connection to our future cyare.” Echo’s voice dropped an octave with his last sentence.

Commander Thire lifted his bucket to the sky and started to mumble the Corrie Guard Prayer that any Corrie could recite at the drop of a bucket.

“Commander Fox give me the serenity to accept that which I cannot change, the courage to change what can, the wisdom to know the difference between the two, and the strength to not punch someone that keeps TOUCHING me.” Commander Thire finished by growling, glancing between the two vode who’s eyes got progressively wider as he spoke.

“Little Gods, you actually treat Commander Fox as a deity…”

“I am not surprised in the least honestly. Did you see the GuardNet vid of him dropping General Vos in seconds? A vod that can drop a jetii actively using the Force that fast deserves to be deified.” Echo spoke solemnly and Fives nodded along, his hand cupping his chin as he did.

“If I wasn’t absolutely mad for our Corrie, I’d absolutely give that vod a go.”

“Fives…Commander Fox wouldn’t even look at you twice.”

“Good thing I don’t care anyway, Echo.” Fives spoke pointedly before turning his attention to Commander Thire, his smirk right back in place. “Speaking of Corries with sparkling wit…his Name is Flex, right?”

Commander Thire sighed audibly enough to be picked up on the microphone and nodded shallowly, giving his attention back to the holorecorder.

“Flex. I am tagging you in this vid. And letting you know that Echo and Fives of the 501^st Battalion, Torrent Squadron, would like to meet you face to face…to discuss something I really don’t want the details of.”

“Oh come on, Thire. It’s not that bad.” Fives’ smirk widened and he wiggled his eyebrows in the direction of the cam.

Echo just smiled, eyes closing as he started flashing his hands through extremely dirty phrases in Vode Sign.

Commander Thire noticed, squeaked (he actually squeaked what the kriff), and immediately started trying to push Echo’s hands down.

The cam jostled, fell, and went black.

--

Muffled rustling, muted squeaking, the sounds of something thumping against something else, someone shushing someone else, and quiet giggling on a black screen.

Color flooded in slowly and a familiar small bunk room came into focus. The room looked like it did in all the other holos it featured in, only this time there was a distinct figure lying on the floor, alone this time.

“Sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong in a past life.” Commander Fox spoke, face pointed straight up at the ceiling and his hands folded across his hips.

“I had to have done something truly horrible to get stuck with all the osik I’ve had to put up with. I’m not even talking about the obvious, the touchy senators, the uncaring public, the strain between us and the GAR, blackout missions, the lack of supplies, or the malicious indifference.

“No, that I can handle well enough. Nothing I wasn’t halfway expecting when I got to this skughole. But I must have like lead a genocide or blew up a planet or erased an entire culture from existence to be stuck with the absolute pain that is bored Coruscant Guards.

“Thorn replaced all the alarms in Headquarters with graphic moans, either his own or something he recorded. I wouldn’t put it past him for them to be mine or Quinlan’s. Hound let all the massiff puppies out to run free because we could all ‘use a good cuddle’.

“Quinlan helped Thire rewire the tipline to give explicit instructions on how to shove your foot up your shebs. Stone corralled prisoners into a, frankly beautiful, rendition of some Nabooian Opera Performance for the GuardNet and then Apex and Rush got their squad to recreate it, badly, with random things ‘donated’ to the Guard.

“Hex put up a ‘Busy getting Kriffed, Die Somewhere Else’ sign on the medbay doors…actually I think Hetic put that one up…it’s always the quiet ones. And Cantina. CANTINA!” Fox threw his arms into the air, exasperation dripping from every pore.

“Cantina somehow managed to convince their riduur that they needed to have an actual natborn kriffing wedding and their squad HELPED! It was beautiful, but kriff we did not have the time, resources, or the karks to give to make that work.

“Frankly I’m impressed she powered through all of that.”

A deep sigh echoed through the small room, louder than the muffled giggles from next to the holorecorder.

“Well thanks for listening, Commander Bunkroom Ceiling. You’re the only one I can really talk to like this…what the kriff?? THORN?!”

A scream.

Black out.

Chapter 3: Make Hate to Me

Chapter Text

“Hello one and all to the newly named G-Net because Guard and GAR both start with G and we’re not that creative with names. If you don’t already know, my name is Fives and I am a 501^st ARC with Torrent Squadron.

“It was recently brought to our attention that the Guard has been mistreated, through some hilarious vids that may or may not be horrible coping mechanisms. And we reacted promptly as decided by Marshall Commander Cody.

“The Guard are now evenly split between the Negotiator and the Resolute, somehow…I’m not a logistics vod I have no idea how that happened. But! The point is that me, Echo, and probably several other Torrents or Ghosts are going to post a series of vids on how to care for Corries! You’re welcome!”

The vod in the holo waved with a bright shining grin on their face, even as in the background several blue painted vode were in a vicious firefight with two red painted vode.

The holo faded to black as a loud scream and a smallish explosion lit up the cam.

--

An opening sequence started scrolling with yellow words on a capture of space, a few stars twinkling as the words moved.

The Story Thus Far

Captain Rex of the 501^st Attack Battalion discovered the existence of the GuardNet while deep in the bowels of the darknet and brought it to the attention of Marshall Commander Cody of the 7^th Sky Corps.

Through the viewing of several holovids, it was discovered that the Guard were being mistreated by not only the GAR (through some misunderstandings of our own) but also the natborns they were tasked with protecting.

This would not stand.

Within a few rotations, Commander Cody and Captain Rex, with the assistance of their battalions and Generals, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, plotted and executed a plan to rescue the Guard.

The Coruscant Guard was understandably confused and hostile during this momentous event, but they were still successfully corralled and shuttled off to the Negotiator and the Resolute.

But what does the GAR really know about the Guard? What can we do to help with their integration into our forces as the High Generals do an audit of the Republic? How can we assist them with battle fatigue and general skittishness around vode they don’t know?

Let’s find out.

The words finished crawling, and the holorecorder panned down into the bridge of a Venator class starship, a vod in 501^st blue with a medic aliik on their left spaulder and the most intricate cut known to vod-kind was staring into the cam with the deadest look in their eyes.

“Alright Kix! What have we learned about the Corries?”

“Fives this is stupid.”

“Noooooo, this is to help all the vode! We’re pioneers into Corrie Care and Maintenance!”

Kix pointed right at the cam, and presumably Fives’ face.

“That right there is the stupidest sentence ever spoken.”

The medic made an abrupt about face and started walking out of the bridge, intelligible muttering escaping him as he left. The cam rushed to follow after, jerking from side to side.

“Come on, Kix! You’re the CMO! You have to have some insight into proper Corrie Care beyond the usual ‘don’t do anything dini’la and you’ll be fine’ kark that you lecture the 501^st with!”

Kix’ shoulders rose, clearly preparing for something (knowing medics, everyone knows it was about to be a rant about safety and privacy and how all vode have a death wish or similar) when he fell forward and slammed into the ground.

A pause.

The cam moved over from the fallen medic to the thing that tripped him.

A boot.

A boot currently being worn by a vod.

A Corrie vod.

Currently half inside one of the lower wall vents, their boots the only thing visible.

The holo cam jerked down as the holder tried to look into said vent, the closer the cam got the louder a soft snuffling sound was heard.

“Oh my Force. I think this Corrie is sleeping in the vents!”

Kix was immediately pushing the cam aside to do a brief one over of the vod, taking care not to actually touch them while he brought out a scanner to double check what his eyes told him.

“You want to know about Corries, Fives?”

“Uhhhh…yes?”

“They have the worst kriffing ability to fall asleep absolutely karking anywhere…and if you try to move them they react with violence.”

“…how much violence?”

Kix looked right into the cam.

“One of them broke Coric’s collarbone when he thought that he Corrie was injured and reacted accordingly.” Kix looked back at the quietly sleeping Corries. “Touching a sleeping Guard, even if it’s with good intentions, is a one-way ticket to medical, and not in a fun way.”

“Is there a fun way?”

“According to Jesse there is.”

Fives laughed loud enough to wake the Corrie, a thump of plastoid meeting metal and a voice with very colorful cursing followed the end of the vid.

--

“Commander Fox.”

“CMO Kix.”

Jesse couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face as his riduur stared down one of the most reticent vode he has ever had the pleasure of meeting.

He wasn’t a huge fan of Fives’ and Echo’s project, even if Jesse thought it was amazing and was helping.

“How may I help you?”

Kix made the same face the rest of the 501^st and 212^th make every time a Corrie uses that phrase, a disgusted sneer. It wasn’t right for these vode to result to subservience like that. Even if they were military and as beholden to the chain of command as the GAR was. This kind left an icky feeling pouring down Jesse’s back.

It was awful.

“Your CMO is on the Negotiator with you, isn’t he?”

Commander Fox tilted his bucket in the universal shift of a vode question.

“Yes?”

“I need to speak with him. As quickly as possible if you can.”

“Why? Is something wrong with one of the Corries you have hostage? Flex??” The Commander was clearly agitated about the kidnapping of the Guard, but it was for their own good, honestly.

But osik if it didn’t say something about how they were treated that they immediately jump to the worst possible option.

Kix softened minutely as Commander Cody’s markings became visible as he tried to physically reassure his vod’ika (and wasn’t that a trip?), Commander Fox barely showing that it did anything to help.

“No no, everything is fine…ish. I just need to know how to wake Corries without them breaking a bone of the vod doing the waking.”

Instantly Commander Fox’ metaphorical hackles lowered and his parade rest took on a more restful sort of slump, as restful as Corries could get, anyway.

These vod are so uptight…they need some…loosening up…some of them from some of Jesse’s vod’ike. He smirked. Fives and Echo were still trying to chase down the vod they found on the GuardNet that had apparently been doing the Corrie version of flirting with them for MONTHS.

“Sure. Let me comm Hex…he might be busy though.”

“I understand. Your situation is…unique…and I can imagine your CMO is adjusting.” Kix responded with his softer ‘soothing a shiny’ tone, and Commander Fox clocked it and get him a dead bucket stare.

“No. I mean, now that he’s been harassed out of the medbay by Cody’s medics, his riduur’e are taking advantage and probably have him halfway to incoherent by now. Not that he thinks anyone knows that.”

Kix froze.

Jesse started cackling immediately.

Force, he had no idea Commander Fox was even remotely like this. But since discovering that Commander Cody was his older batcher and Captain Rex was his younger adopted batcher? Makes absolute sense.

Commander Fox left the view of the holorecorder and Commander Cody was left looking to the ceiling like the Corrie Commanders do their bunkroom ceiling. It might be contagious.

Jesse listened to some muffled talking from the Negotiator, a tinny recorded moan that was…impressively loud, and excused himself from the cam, laughing too hard into his hand to be completely appropriate in front of a Commander.

Kix remained frozen and looking straight ahead, his eyes glazed over like he wasn’t processing external stimuli. Normally his riduur only got like that after Jesse had him in their bunk for an hour or more.

It was impressive.

Commander Fox slid back into the view, as unflappable as ever, bucket still in place over his head, but with the air of a vod that is completely over life and ready to release the helm to someone else.

“Hex is busy.”

“Yeah, vod, we heard.” Jesse snickered when it was clear that his riduur was broken for the time being.

He really wished he could see Commander Fox’ face right now because his body language was shouting sonnets about how very much he did not want to be here.

“Generally speaking, as not a CMO but a Commander, don’t touch them, and step out of range when they start rousing. Is that all?” Commander Fox asked Commander Cody who just nodded, his red ears showing his embarrassment at whatever happened on the call with the Guard CMO.

Commander Cody didn’t even dismiss them, he just turned off the holo.

Jesse sighed and started moving Kix towards their bunk. The man was definitely not going to be working while his brain restarts, and he is absolutely going to take advantage.

--

“So, learned firsthand, first rule in Caring for Your Corrie, wake them from a distance or be prepared to dodge, they wake up swinging.” Echo’s face was the only thing visible on the holo, looking off to the side as a crash and a yelp sounded.

“Second rule, like other vode they get under-stimulated and find something to entertain themselves rather quickly. Unlike other vode this generally involves illicit fight rings, elaborate pranks disguised as violence, shenanigans on par with Torrent or-”

Echo is cut off by a vod with a familiar Corrie paint job and a medic aliik on their left shoulder, the bucket is notably missing.

For a Corrie, their face was remarkably clear of scars except for a collection of different types that traced a line from the left temple, down to the hinge of their jaw, and trailing down the side of their neck into their blacks. They were clean shaven with a mess of dark curls flopping around their neck and hiding the scars there from view with every step.

The cam followed the vod as they stomped towards a group of Corrie red vode tossing a helmet like it was some demented form of catch.

“Oi! Give me back my bucket!”

Echo’s wide-eyed stare was suddenly in full view again and he had a mix of awe and terror printed across his face.

“They call it Medic Baiting…and CMO is their favorite because their eldest batcher is the Corrie ARC Captain and they trained all their siblings as if they were also ARCs.”

The holo shook and turned as another voice chimed in with the angry medic, several layers more cheerful than the medic.

“Yeah, cyare! Throw them around like dolls!”

A sharp lothwolf whistle followed as well as the sound of plastoid smacking into itself.

“You gotta show them shabuir’e that you are the top of the food chain, cyar’ika!”

There was a scream and a giggle and Echo is seen poking on his comm as he keeps glancing between his comm and the scene of vode dini’la going on just a few feet from him.

“So, Medic Baiting apparently involves doing something that would annoy a medic enough for them to chase you down. And apparently besides the CMO the only other medics the Corries have are CMO Hex’ riduur’e who are said to NOT be formally trained medics.”

“Do NOT! HETIC!”

Echo managed to swing the holocam back around to catch a Corrie holding a hobbled together full left arm prosthetic swiftly being chased by the Corrie medic who was now down an arm.

“STOP TAKING MY ARM WHEN YOU WANT MY ATTENTION!”

“But…cyare…how else are we supposed to get those focused eyes on us when you’re on a warpath.” The cheering vod from earlier came flying out of nowhere, their arms wrapping around the shoulder and neck of the angry medic, nuzzling into the bare skin there.

The medic flushed bright red and stopped in their tracks, the Corrie with the prosthetic carefully walking up to the left side of the captured vod and pressing lips to their cheek with a raspy chuckle.

The medic let out a strangled sound that couldn’t be fully defined as a word but it certainly had a lot of feeling in it.

A slight pan of the cam showed a gaggle of Corries in various states of holodrama swooning at the sight, one of them full out fainting into the arms of another. They were all fully armored (including buckets) but bore scuffs and marks, no doubt from the scuffle with the ARC trained medic.

“Ooooh! Kiss him again Hetic!” “Get it, Chief!” “Ooh if that isn’t a vode sandwich I’d love to be included in.” “With Chief Hex? You’d be lucky to even touch his skin!” “I love seeing his hair…stealing his bucket and the ensuing beat down is always worth it…” “AND! We get some practice in with an ARC-ish trained trooper! Win-win!”

The cam turned again, catching the vod holding the prosthetic in the midst of kissing the medic full on the mouth, the vod backpack licking up the medic’s neck with a mischievous glint in their eyes, before landing on Echo’s wide-eyed face once more.

“And the vode involved in medic baiting believe that CMO Hex and his riduur’e, Prost and Hetic, are the best couple in the galaxy and will absolutely use it as a way to rile them up. Apparently, Hex doesn’t like PDA all that much but his riduur’e like to stake their claim whenever they get the chance.” A groan echoed in the room and Echo’s face started to flush.

“Amendment to the second part of Caring for your Corrie, they have no shame and will absolutely kriff wherever they are if the mood strikes! OI! NOT IN THE HANGER YOU KRIFFING HEATHENS!!”

A chorus of boos before the screen shuts off.

--

“Ori’vod.”

“Os’ika.” Rex scrunched his face at the odd term of endearment, and Anakin absolutely filed that away for something to ask his captain about later…maybe while Commander Thorn was present…with Padmé on the comm…

There’s an idea on how to spend the night cycle.

He’d be tired as kriff for the morning cycle but kark if it wasn’t the best idea he’d had in a rotation or two.

It was still hard to believe that the Commander had clocked him and Padmé checking him out; Anakin was positive they were as subtle about it as they were their marriage. The Commander was probably just as observant as Rex was, that’s all.

“Ori’vod, gedet’ye.”

Anakin immediately started recording on his comm.

There were several things Padmé found attractive about all three of them (him, Rex, and Commander Thorn) and their grasp on different languages was up there with their sheer ability to get things done.

She’d appreciate the chance to listen to Rex speaking Mando’a for sure. (Anakin sure as kriff was.)

“I’m not a mind-reader, os’ika, you need to put your requests into words if you want me to heed them.”

Anakin can absolutely believe that that vod is the one that managed to capture Vos’ undivided attention and then kept it. No one who can be that much of a bastard wasn’t interesting to that dumpster pile of a Kiffar.

“How do we get your Corries to stop Medic Baiting…and kriffing in public places?” Rex pleaded, actually pleaded, and Anakin took a bite out of his prosthetic hand to stop an embarrassing noise from escaping him.

Kriff.

Rex sounded good like that. It wasn’t fair!

Commander Fox stayed unaffected (which had to be due to the Force because HOW??), simply staring down the holo with no guesses as to what the kriff was going on behind his eyes. The bucket helped with that, but Anakin doubted that he’d be able to tell what that vod was thinking even with use of the Force.

He was that good.

Rex, on the other hand, looked like he was at the end of his line and was seconds away from finding a way through the holo to get his hands on Commander Fox and physically shake the answers out of him.

Anakin would pay so many credits to actually see that happen.

His Captain was a force to be reckoned with when it came to hand-to-hand, and he was always so against showing off…

“The only way to get them to stop Medic Baiting is to remove he medics. Or the fans.”

A strangled sound of rage came from Rex and Anakin bit his lip to muffle the groan of want that he could feel working its way up.

“Fans?!”

“Yes. You have all three medics on your vessel, not that they would let you separate them, and the squads of fans of the medics followed you. One or the other should be removed to stop Medic Baiting.”

“Is that how you did it on Coruscant?” “Why do medics have fans?”

Anakin’s voice overlapped Rex’ and they both looked at each other at their questions. (Anakin’s was completely valid, why do medics have fans?? They’re objectively evil??) Their eyes locked and Anakin got to watch as Rex’ face slowly turned a stunning red.

He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t smirk at the sight.

(Imagine that? Captain Rex, turning red because Anakin just locked eyes with him? Wild. He was so glad he was recording this for Padmé (Commander Thorn might also enjoy it…it’s good reason to start up a conversation too…maybe see how truthful he was being on the GuardNet…))

Commander Fox cleared his throat and Rex whipped his head back around to focus on his ori’vod, his face still that delightful flush.

“The only time Medic Baiting didn’t occur was during work hours or if the medic fans were too busy to partake…and we were always busy. Hex has reported more cases of Medic Baiting in the days he’s been on the Resolute than he did in three months on Coruscant.

“And, General Skywalker, several vode in the Guard find joy in the relationship CMO Hex has with his riduur’e, and we’ll take what joy we can, wherever we can, whenever we can. Hex is a reticent bastard with anyone not his batchers so you can imagine the joy troopers felt when he was being sappy with his riduur’e.”

Anakin was no longer thinking about his prospects for convincing Commander Thorn and Rex to join him and Padmé, now he was thinking about the Slave Quarters of Mos Espa. The delight that could be found there after a slave wedding, even if it wasn’t legally binding and the depur would kill them if they discovered the marriage.

It was eerily similar to what Commander Fox was describing.

Finding joy where it could be, to give yourself that little boost in hope to get through another day of hopelessness, another night, a single hour.

This was everything to the children of Ar-Amu.

Everything.

“As for the kriffing in public places, when you figure that one out let me know.”

A shout came from somewhere unseen on the holo and Anakin watched as Commander Fox physically lightened at the sound, and Vos came in the shot out of nowhere.

Now.

Anakin didn’t have a problem with Quinlan Vos, not really, but he was the exact opposite to Obi-Wan and nothing like what he was raised to think of the Jedi and it really through Anakin off.

The Kiffar was wrapped around Commander Fox as tightly as he could be, his chin coming to rest on the Commander’s left shoulder, looking into the holorecorder with his signature kark-eating grin.

Shabuir’e.

“Small Growth.”

“Terrible Influence.”

Vos barked a laugh.

“You can do better than that, Ani, come on…that was just bad…”

Anakin made a face at the nickname, but that was just the kind of thing that happened with one Quinlan Vos.

“I’ll try to think of something better to call you when we’re not constantly tripping over Corries having sex in weird, public places.”

Rex’ face was back to being bright red, even as he looked at Anakin with furrowed brows.

Now that he thought about it, did he ever tell his Captain that he grew-up with Quinlan Vos? That he was his Jedi equivalent of an uncle?

Anakin doesn’t think he did.

Quinlan laughed at his complaint, like he always did.

“Take it as a compliment, Ani. Corries only ever do that when they feel safe, like they did in the hidden parts of the Coruscant Guard Barracks.”

That…that tracked actually. That was also how it was in the Slave Quarters of Mos Espa. Take whatever time you could with whatever safety you could find.

Kriff.

Anakin was going to have to talk his Officers through Slave culture and how this wasn’t something they should stop. They want the Guard to feel safe on the Resolute.

And Vos, the raging asshole, smiled and cuddled his partner (?), opened his mouth over the Commander’s neck, gave a cheery kriffing wink, and ended the call.

Kriffer.

--

“Something else to note about your Corries.” 501^st Troopers Dogma and Tup were shown on holo, both surrounded by shelled up Guards, nodding and taking notes on their comms like their lives depended on it.

One of the Corries separated from the group, gestured for the two shinies to watch them, and did a motion with their legs and hips that co*cked one hip out and brought all eyes to their shelled shebs.

The vod repeated the motion, alternating sides, their hips swaying almost hypnotically as they did.

Slowly the cam panned to the side, Echo and Fives standing there only wearing their lower armor, staring at the vod moving their hips, their jaws hanging open.

“They have weaponized dancing. And they are willing to teach ANYone that asks.”

The cam slowly moved from the frozen 501^st ARCs back to the Corrie, their arms now thrown up in the air as they move their hips slowly in circles, sometimes dropping their core and clenching their thighs.

Some of the other Corries from the group are corralling Dogma and Tup into practicing the movement, helpful hands laying on shelled hips to get the proper motion going. A few of them even pairing up to show how the dance would look with vode pressing together.

Dogma and Tup’s faces were notably redder than earlier, but their faces still serious as they moved along with the Corries.

“The one showing off is Flex. Apparently they’re the ones who discovered that moving your hips a little more while you walk can get natborns to lose track of their thoughts and what they were doing. Now I don’t want to know WHY they needed to learn how to do that, but I’m going to laugh at Echo and Fives while they teach the rest of the 501^st.”

The cam showed an unrepentant Lieutenant Jesse before turning back to the show, Echo and Fives edging closer and closer to Flex, who is still moving with exaggeration to teach the 501^st shinies.

A choking sound came from behind the cam as a familiar medic walked across the bay they were in, marching right up to the still dancing Corrie and joining in, their hips moving in the exact same motions.

Cheers sounded and echoed in the bay as Flex turned to rest their arms on Kix’ shoulders, hands trailing down the back of the medic’s blacks. Kix’ face was bare and he leaned in, almost like he was about to kiss Flex through their bucket and then several things happened at once.

Jesse let out an interesting sounding groan, Fives and Echo rushed into view of the holo, shuffled Kix out of the way and took his place and made a vode sandwich with Flex as the filling.

Louder cheers.

Kix was smirking and Jesse’s low voice could be heard on the edge of the vid even as it focused on Echo and Fives putting their hands any and everywhere on Flex’ body, the Corrie continuing to dance like nothing happened.

“That absolutely did not awaken something in me. It didn’t. I am a one vod only vod. I do NOT want to find Kix and me a Corrie to cuddle up to. I don’t.

“This is all Fives and Echo’s faults. They talked me into all this ‘Caring for Your Corrie’ banthakark.I know them now. I know things about them I didn’t know. Why are they all vod-nip? Why are they all competent badasses but at the same time absolute baby?

“Who decided this was okay? Which Kaminiise shabuir’e looked at the Guard-to-be’s and decided ‘Ah, yes. I can fit so much attractiveness in these units’ and then went with it. I want a refund. Someone go back and make the Guard not have an osik’la posting so they didn’t have to be rescued so I didn’t have to KNOW this.”

Hands showed up on the holo, blocking the view but not the even louder cheering or something muffling Jesse’s words.

The holo went dark.

Chapter 4: Hallelujah (I'm Not Dead)

Chapter Text

“For some reason we were convinced to make a companion set of vids to the ones started up by the 501^st’s ARC Troopers Fives and Echo.” A vode spoke, the holo was dark as they kept speaking. “They were only able to record their Corrie Care and Maintenance vids for the vode that were on the Resolute and they figured there’d be some different osik happening on the Negotiator.”

The cam was turned and a bald vod with a goatee and a vod with a regulation cut and a handlebar mustache were shown. They were both in 212^th gold and looking exhausted with life.

“For those of you who don’t know, I’m Waxer, Lieutenant of the 212^th and this is Boil, one of our ARF leaders.” The bald vod spoke, gesturing to his companion.

A loud crash and a shout echoed on the speakers and both troopers flinched.

“Now we’ve seen the vids the 501^st are posting to the GNet and we can tell you that not all Corries are like that.” Boil ran an armored hand down his face as he then gestured the holocam to turn and more shouts, grunts, and groans made it to the speaker.

“Some of them are just kriffing diniise.”

An ARC wearing familiar Corrie red was brought onto the screen, surrounded by several golden painted vode, tossing every one that came at them onto their shebs in seconds.

One 212^th trooper tried to come up from behind them and the Corrie didn’t even falter as they dropped and swept their leg under the assailant and laid them out flat.

“That’s ARC Captain Lex of the Coruscant Guard. They challenged every vode within hearing distance to try and drop them. This has been going on for an hour. Three troopers have been sent to medical with broken bones, fourteen of them have had the wind knocked out of them hard enough that they had to be dragged out of the fray.

“Another twelve have concussions, and nine are so karking besotted they won’t move from their viewing platforms. Cantina, the Captain’s riduur, said they do this for fun or when they’re bored to keep up their training…make sure it’s applicable to many different fighting styles.

“I want a refund. Give us the shenanigan causing and horny Guard vode. They would be easier to handle than this kriffing lot.”

The vid continued on with Boil and Waxer making passing comments about the amount of skill needed for that move, and please don’t try it without ARC training or ARC trained vode nearby, vod’ike.

Finally, it was just Lex, standing amidst a pile of downed vode.

Their chest was moving up and down slowly, no doubt taking deep breaths, when Commanders Cody and Fox walked in, General Kenobi not far behind.

“Oh kriff.”

Commander Cody looked properly baffled, his General not far behind, but Commander Fox just put his bucket into his hands and sighed loud enough to be picked up by the holorecoder.

“Commanders. General.”

“Really, Lex? Really?”

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Commander.”

A stifled snort could be heard from the side of the cam, a muffled shh following it.

Another ARC Corrie came walking in, their kama swishing about their legs as they took in the carnage but didn’t falter and headed straight to Captain Lex.

“Control your riduur, please, Cantina. How many did you send to the medbay?” Commander Fox sounded like he had dealt with this before and both Commander Cody and General Kenobi looked at the vod with surprise.

“I don’t know what you’re implying, Commander.” The ARC replied, their cadence the exact same as their riduur.

Commander Fox sighed loudly again.

Cantina just bought Lex in for a keldabe and a brisk high five.

More snickers and a few swooning noises from the side that the holo couldn’t catch and Commander Fox’ head snapped up at the sound. The holo caught an audible gulp.

“That’s it. I’m making Rex transfer Hex and his leeches back over here. I don’t get paid enough to deal with this alone.”

“Vod’ika…you don’t get paid.”

The holo faded out to the image of Commander Fox’ patented Disappointed in You Bucket Stare™.

--

“I don’t think we should keep hopping the Guard medics back and forth every time something happens with the CMO’s batcher.” Obi-wan sighed at Anakin and his pouting about the decision to have the Corrie medics transferred back to the Negotiator.

“Anakin, please. You just delight in watching the Guard vode participate in Medic Baiting.”

Obi-wan knew his padawan very well. Medic Baiting, as it was described in the holo, was exactly the kind of chaos that Anakin delighted in.

And it was also, possibly, a tool to distract his brother from his Captain and the Guard Commander him and his wife had been drooling over.

(He distantly wondered if his padawan’s attraction to blond vode was because of Obi-wan’s distant brief fling with Satine? Anakin wasn’t there for it but he’d certainly heard about it. Blond? Mando’ade? Vicious in their own right? Pretty similar.

If Obi-wan ignored the cultural genocide his ex was perpetuating on her planet…which he did for this comparison.)

“Maybe! Maybe, also, I enjoy seeing some vode who desperately need to unwind, unwind a bit?” Anakin had the same look on his face he got as a youngling when he wasn’t sure if his sentence made as much sense in Basic as it would have in Huttese.

Obi-wan ignored how it made his heart yearn for simpler times.

The war was a tax on the Jedi, but they benefited from the existence of the vode and their devotion to the order. Their men were loyal and loving and it filled the Force, which keeps growing darker and darker, with their light.

Cody coughed from his right and Obi-wan smiled.

There were few vode that could fill the room quite as well as the Marshall Commander of the 212^th could, in Obi-wan’s opinion.

“General Skywalker, I’m not the one asking, and neither is the General.” Cody spoke softly, his eyes flitting over to Commander Fox and Obi-wan once again found himself marveling at the difference in his commander when it came to his kih’vod.

Commander Fox’ didn’t even flinch at the attention.

Anakin turned his attention to the Coruscant Guard Marshall Commander, who simply lifted his bucket in a challenge. Effectively staring Anakin down through holo.

(That was a skill many in the Council sorely wished they could have. That was for sure.)

Silence.

Then Anakin started fidgeting, alternating between trying to keep eye-contact with Commander Fox and looking away at the heaviness of the gaze.

Obi-wan could relate.

Anakin thought it was bad over holo.

He had never once in his life met a man that could be so intimidating while naked with Quinlan Vos wrapped around them like a limpet.

It was inspiring.

And terrifying.

“General Skywalker. I insist on the matter. CMO Hex, Corporal Prost, and Sergeant Hetic are rather needed.”

Even Commander Fox’ voice remained steady.

Amazing.

(Obi-wan tried not to think too long on if this was something Commander Fox was always capable of or if it was something he had to develop while on Coruscant. He found he’d rather never know.)

However, nothing was truly as powerful as Anakin’s dislike of being told what to do (with his own men, which he now considered the medics, no doubt).

Obi-wan watched, resigned, as Anakin puffed up and glared at Commander Fox.

“Why? So, they can control your men for you?”

There it was.

He sighed.

Time to play mediator.

Obi-wan didn’t even get the chance to open his mouth.

“No, sir. So, they can do a much-needed inspection of the troopers held captive by the 212^th’s prosthetics.”

What?

“What?” Even Anakin’s voice sounded small in light of that little bit of information.

Commander Fox glanced over at Cody before speaking, never taking his bucket face from the direction of his rapidly paling batcher.

“Several troopers in the Guard have prosthetics to keep them within operational standards. These prosthetics were designed, built, and implemented by Hex, Prost, and Hetic. They are the only ones who can tell if everything is working as intended…including my own.”

Obi-wan listened as Cody choked on air, reaching back to settle his hand on his Commander’s back, trying to offer him what little comfort he could in light of that bomb.

“Your-your own?” Anakin sounded meeker, and if Obi-wan was capable of more than making sure his…Cody didn’t fall apart he would be incredibly concerned at his brash padawan sounding like that.

“Yes, General. My own.”

Commander Fox turned back to the holo, staring Anakin down once more, and Obi-wan knew without a doubt that his brother would not be winning this one.

“I’ll have Fly bring them over as soon as someone can find them. I’m…I apologize, Commander, for forcing you to reveal more than you should have. I was being childish and that was…that was cruel. I’m sorry.”

Obi-wan could feel the shock echo in Commander Fox’ force signature, but all he could feel was proud. Anakin had been doing immensely better since the Guard came on board, “kidnapped” or not.

There could only be good things from this.

--

“Explain to me right now what in the Force you lot were thinking when you decided to cobble together your own prosthetics and attach them to your vode?! Have you no thoughts in your heads!” The holo opened immediately to the image of a gold 212^th trooper with a medic aliik shouting at three Corries, diligently sorting through supplies.

The one with a match medic aliik was the only one that answered, their tone even and blasé.

“We were thinking that it was better than sending good vode to get decommissioned because they lost their usefulness. We were thinking that if we could get them back up, get them back working, they would be safe from that fate.

“I did my research on attaching prosthetics, Prost and Hetic got their Names for their fervent researching on them and how to make them function. Hetic has gotten to the point that he implanted his own cybernetic lung before he would start doing it for other vode.

“We were as safe as we could be. What more do you want?”

The 212^th medic was quiet, their face withdrawn.

“Hex, vod, why didn’t you ask any of us? You trained half the CMO’s in the GAR, any one of us would have gladly helped.”

“Sorry if I didn’t think that would be the case, Risk, after the GAR collectively turned their backs on us when the first trooper got arrested for drunken and disorderly.” Hex scoffed, turning back to sorting through his collection of what looked like scavenged parts.

Risk knelt down, putting their gauntlet on Hex’ spaulder and the Guard medic froze at the touch, the other two Corries’ heads whipping to look at the hand.

“Then we did you a grave disservice, CMO Hex. Even with how the troopers acted you should have felt like you could lean on us. Tell me how I can help.”

All three Corries were now bucket staring at the 212^th medic who didn’t flinch at the attention, just kept looking at the three red-clad vode like it was the most important thing in the galaxy right now.

Hex took a visible breath, his shell moving with him, before he started to nod slowly.

“We need to disinfect these parts in case one of the vode need a replacement, and we need to weed out the parts that have visible rust or any signs of decay. I don’t need to tell you that inputting a suboptimal part would be futile.”

Risk’s eyes went half-lidded and they look entirely unimpressed.

“Yes, I remember your lectures well, Hex. I didn’t memorize them like Kix did, but I remember enough of them.”

Something about that statement meant something to the two other Corries because their shells visibly perked up at the news.

“CMO Kix of the 501^st memorized Hex’ lectures?” Prost asked, signing subtly enough to Hetic that the holo couldn’t pick them up.

Risk scoffed as he started sorting through parts next to a stiffly moving Hex.

“I’m shocked your riduur hasn’t told you about his stint as one of the medic trainers on Kamino. Half the trainees, at least, had a crush on him a parsec wide, but no one would dare approach him because Kix was always right there…taking up his attention.”

Hex turned his bucket away from the three, trying to look busy no doubt, but he managed to pick up and put down the same part four times.

Prost actually took his bucket off, his half cybernetic jaw working up and down while looking at Hex with the widest eyes anyone has seen on a Corrie. Some of his hair was loosely braided around the crown of his head with the rest hanging lower than his shoulders, curls a haphazard mess.

Risk took an audible breath at the sight but made no other indication that he acknowledged the move by the Guard.

“CMO Kix had a crush on you, cyare?” Prost’s voice was almost reverent and Hex looked away from the stare coming from his riduur, only to end up looking right at Hetic’s now bare face.

This time Risk wasn’t able to disguise the shock and concern on their face nor stop the whimper of distress from escaping them.

Luckily the Corries ignored them.

Hetic had a massive scar covering the entirety of the left side of his face, continuing down into his blacks, interrupted only by overlapping scars wrapped around his throat. There was no hair on the left side of his head, but the right side was long and distinctly curly, curtaining his face but still tucked into his blacks to not show under his bucket.

The scars around his neck were deep enough that I was clear it was a miracle he survived whatever it was that caused them. No wonder he didn’t speak, he probably couldn’t.

His mismatched eyes, one deep brown like all vode, the left a dusky pale like that of Commander Fox’, were locking onto Hex’ visor, wide and pleading.

“No. I don’t want to talk about it.” Hex turned away and the two just followed, getting into Hex’ face every chance they got.

Risk kept working, head down and smile visible as the two Corries kept riling up their riduur, who finally got tired of it, whipped off his own bucket and flung it at them.

The holo faded.

--

“Risk.”

“Kix.”

“…vod, why?”

Waxer was not shamelessly listening in on the 212^th CMO’s comm with the 501^st. He wasn’t. He wasn’t even curious about the vid that had been posted to the GNet the last rotation, the holo that had an obscene amount of views and hadn’t even been up for a full rotation yet.

He wasn’t.

(He was.)

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kix. I’m not a mind reader.”

Waxer stuck his hand in his mouth to muffle his voice, he didn’t want to get kicked out of the medbay and miss all this juicy gossip. Better that Risk did not find him laughing at the CMO copying Commander Fox.

Better for everyone…

There was a sigh through the tinny speakers of the medbay holotable before Kix started to speak again.

“Someone recorded what happened yesterday and posted it to the GNet. You told all the vode that I had a crush on CMO Hex and was possessive enough that I warned others off. Why would you do that?”

“Well I didn’t know I was being recorded, now did I?” Risk huffed. “Besides, half the medics in the GAR know that, it wasn’t a secret.”

“Other troopers didn’t know. Jesse didn’t know. My karking General didn’t know.”

A pause.

Waxer could hear Risk inhaling, about to unleash a famous Medic Talking To™ (not as scary as CMO Kix’ could be, but he gave it a good shot) when Kix continued.

“…Hex didn’t know.”

He could practically see Risk deflating. The vod was a nicer medic, he didn’t like the idea of doing harm, physical or mental, and he clearly didn’t think about the fact that Kix wasn’t as open with his crush to his crush.

(If he still had a crush at all…)

“Kix, ori’vod, I’m relatively sure Hex absolutely knew.”

Waxer blinked slowly.

Ori’vod? They were batchers???

“Calling me that is not going to make me forget what you did, Risk.”

“You adopted me, Kix, you did this to yourself.”

“I regret everything that lead me to do that.”

“Sure, ori’vod, sure. Besides…despite where the holo ended, Hex didn’t seem upset about the fact that you had a crush on him, if he really didn’t know, he was just shoving off his nosy riduur’e.” Risk huffed, squeaking sounds coming from his curtained off space.

Waxer grinned.

This was good.

He couldn’t wait to tell Boil.

“Yeah, his riduur’e, Risk. And Jesse…my riduur.” Kix sounded put out.

“So you both have riduur’e? So what? It was just a crush. Is Jesse giving you osik? I’ll set him straight.” Risk let out an almost menacing sounding growl, and Waxer had to bite his hand again.

Somehow, they ended up with the CMO that was sixty percent scary and forty percent adorable. Probably the Commander’s luck…

The silence persisted a bit longer and Waxer could feel his jaw dropping and his eyes widening at the implication.

Risk was apparently on the same page.

“…orrrr it’s still a crush?”

Risk sounded like every vod’ike Waxer had ever run across with an ori’vod they just discovered something scandalous or juicy about.

Kriff this was getting really good.

“I don’t know, Risk. I tried not to think about him too much after he was taken from the trainer pool and assigned to Coruscant. I was a younger trainee and he was the only vod trainer…It was natural to have a crush like that before we deployed, right?”

“Don’t ask me, ori’vod, I don’t understand that osik to this day. Besides, he was on the Resolute for a tenday right? Plenty of time to see if the crush is still going?”

A tinny groan.

Waxer was definitely having the time of his life here.

“I didn’t even know he had riduur’e until Commander Fox told me that they take every opportunity to kriff his brains out!”

“You sound a bit jealous there, ori’vod, pretty sure that crush is still going strong?” There was a weird collection of sounds coming from Risk’s curtained off area, and Waxer was mildly certain he didn’t want to know what was going on in there.

“I don’t know! Maybe I just need to get him out of my system? Finally lay to rest all the cadet fantasies I had…but Jesse has been talking about finding us a Corrie partner…kriff I don’t know what to do…”

“Way I see it, you have a few options. Kriff him, find out it was just a crush, go back to your riduur. Kriff him, realize you are massively in love with him, go back to your riduur and discuss it like adults. Have an orgy with your riduur, Hex, and his riduur’e.”

“Ugh…is it bad that most of those sound appealing?”

“Tell you what, Kix. I’ll chat with Hex, Captain Lex, and Commander Fox, maybe involve Apex if I need to, to figure out this whole…idle Corrie dini’la that’s going on, and send Hex and his riduur’e back to the Resolute so you can figure it out. While I do that, talk with Jesse. Communication is key.”

“Why do you know so much about relationships? You don’t have or want one!”

“Doesn’t mean I’m unobservant, and unfortunately surrounded by or’diniise who are in one.”

Waxer couldn’t hold back his chuckle at that and froze when silence descended on the medbay.

Kriff him in half he was so karked.

--

“Okay, okay. In your own words, what happened that day on Coruscant?” a b’vod voice came through the holo, decidedly not from the vod the cam was focused on, one bare faced Commander Fox.

He looked decidedly unhappy, glaring at the holocam (or the vod behind it) with his one good eye.

“What day? There were a lot of days I was on Coruscant.” Commander Fox’ voice was gravelly and rough, he cleared his throat after he finished speaking.

“When Commander Cody, Captain Rex, the 212^th, and the 501^st came to the planet.”

“You mean when they kidnapped all of the Guard? Even going as far as finding our hidden medbay and barracks and checking off a demented list to make sure they got everyone? Going into private senatorial meetings and grabbing the troopers on duty? Sneaking into the prisons, telling the natborn guards that they had it from there and took the vode with them? That day?” His voice was marginally less coarse but not by much.

The vod behind the cam gave a nervous chuckle followed by an audible gulp.

“So, you were kidnapped that day?”

“Well I was definitely taken against my will, which is the definition of kidnapping, so yes.” Somehow Commander Fox’ glare got harsher, slowly crossing his arms across his chest.

The holo flinched at the movement but caught a minute smirk on the Commander’s heavily scarred lips.

“Did-did you think at all that it might be a rescue?” The vod continued bravely despite the wobble in his voice and brief stutter.

“Rescue from what? Our stations? Our duties? Our assignment? We were doing what every other vod was doing. What we were created to do.” Commander Fox’ voice didn’t change as he spoke, but the cam kept jostling.

“But you weren’t!” the vod exclaimed, Commander Fox jerking back at the loud sound and reaching for his blaster holster, that was noticeably empty.

“I apologize for my outburst, Commander. But you weren’t doing what every other vod was doing. No where in the GAR are there natborns doing…doing that to any vode. Not a single battalion looks like the Corries do, have that many scars, call them tattoos…laugh in the face of the terrible ways they got them.

“You were being-being assaulted, abused, exploited, disparaged, and oppressed. You weren’t doing your duty or assignment or what you were created for or any of that banthaosik. You were being used. Every definition of the word. And that’s not okay. So we took you.”

Silence.

Commander Fox’ eye was wide, mouth slightly open, and his arms clenched tight to his torso like he was protecting himself from the b’vod lashing out.

Heavy breathing echoed in the speakers of the came and Commander Fox looked away from it and the vod holding it.

“I know that.” He spoke quietly.

The other vod made a light questioning sound, Commander Fox cleared his throat again and spoke clearer.

“I know that the Guard was being abused…that it wasn’t normal what we were going through, I figured that out years ago. But what were we supposed to do about it? We’re clones. We’re aren’t considered sentient.

“We don’t even know what’s happening on Coruscant right now, how the civilians are reacting to the disappearance of the Guard. And several senators, several bad senators know exactly the battalions that took us. How do you think they’re going to react to that?

“We’ve been gone for three or four tenday already. It’ll be much better for everyone the sooner you all get over this savior complex and let us go back. There is no rescue, there is no saving the Guard. We are product and the Republic owns us.”

A track of tears was trailing down Commander Fox’ cheek from his one good eye, the came zoomed in on his face, the helplessness written in every shadow, and slowly faded out.

--

“So. How goes your campaign, Mace?”

“Oh don’t ‘how goes your campaign’ me, you hooligan. You dropped a pile of osik on my step and promptly yote yourself into space. You and that padawan of yours had the easiest part in this whole mess.”

Obi-wan did not smile unrepented at the Master of the Jedi Order.

He didn’t.

And no one could prove otherwise.

Cody was busy comforting his kih’vod, and Captain Rex was busy trying to coral his ARCs during the hand over of the medics (Obi-wan was positive it wasn’t working well). The rest of the vode were probably hunting for a Corrie to cuddle after the most recent vid posted to the GNet.

The thought of which evened out Obi-wan’s face as he spoke to his friend, who graciously took over the campaign of clearing out the Senate of every demagolka that ever laid a hand on the Guard.

(Commander Ponds had found the original Accords from the Ruusan Reformation and a little-known detail that the Jedi were still to be peacekeepers for the Republic, and that included acting as a judicial force if senators were found to be abusing their posts.

That vod was a godsend and Obi-wan was the only one unsurprised when Mace smacked a huge kiss on his Commander’s lips when the vod found that little detail.

He had seen it coming, Mace was absolutely gone for his Commander, but Anakin had gasped and almost fainted like one of the actresses on the holodramas he pretends he doesn’t watch.

It was funny.)

“How is Commander Ponds doing after the latest vid on the GNet?”

Mace sighed.

“As well as can be expected when his kih’vod was brutalized like that. When the vod he remembered from Kamino changed so drastically. The holos Apex and Rush have been sending him have been raising his spirits.”

Obi-wan sighed.

Of course those two were the first Corries to get their hands on unregulated comms so they could flirt with their Commander crush.

They were the two most bull-headed vode Obi-wan had ever met and he knew Fives and Echo.

“At least you don’t have to deal with the live reactions to how the Corries are, Mace. I swear all the vode in the 212^th and 501^st are going crazy with their drive to comfort them, and the Corries are baffled by this abrupt change.”

“True. And I can just shirk my problems off to Knights that have irked me recently. Not that any of them are taking offense to it, one of them even thanked my afterwards. Their Commander’s kih’vod is a Guard.”

“That seems to be the tale of the month, Mace.”

“Either way, I called to let you know that we’re still in the thick of it here, but Yoda is thinking about sending me and the Tranquility to offer a third Venator for the Guard to lay waste on to see if it’ll even out the craziness we’re seeing on the GNet.”

“Wonderful. I’m sure Apex and Rush will enjoy seeing Commander Ponds in person after flirting with him over holo.”

Mace laughed loudly and Obi-wan smirked.

Yes, it would be quite enjoyable for Mace to join them out here in the stars. Not only would another Jedi Master be welcome in keeping Obi-wan’s own emotions relegated, but there could never be enough GAR vod to cuddle the Corries.

Obi-wan couldn’t wait.

Chapter 5: Coming in Hot

Chapter Text

When it first happened, Quinlan didn’t even connect it to his fishing on the GuardNet.

It was sudden and fast and he was on undercover assignment in the lower levels, and whoever it was was fast and efficient and Quinlan came back not even half a cycle later to the entirety of the Guard being gone.

Completely gone.

He couldn’t feel them on the planet anywhere, and he reached out for his bond with Fox and it was a piddling thing. Not the bright luminescent rope he’d been used to.

Quinlan was furious.

It had been a long time since he was in danger of Falling, a long time since he needed something beyond the ties he knew he had, to Aayla, to Obi-wan, to Anakin…to Fox.

But there was no time for him to Fall.

He had to find his ankai’a and his vode, and whoever took them.

(Fox would obviously want some revenge, considering he was likely drugged to be taken off planet with no sign of him, and Quinlan would happily deliver.)

Quinlan paid little attention to the chaos the Senate Rotunda was descending into. It served them right, for all they did to the Guard and got away with. (Legally. Got away with, legally. Because once Quinlan found out, they never really got away.)

He was headed straight for Fox’ office, already removing one of his gloves to get a proper reading of everything, no matter how much it would suck for him.

(There was so much pain, fear, anger, hurt, Darkness, preset with the Guard that it would be impossible not to get echoes…he was prepared for that though. Anything to find his celo.)

To Quinlan’s surprise, he only had to touch the door leading into the Guard Commanders’ Office to find the perpetrators.

Kriffing Obi-wan.

Quinlan was in those Force-damned vids, his friend (his brother) should have known to kriffing contact him.

Well.

Obi-wan was going to be in for a surprise when Quinlan showed up on his ship unannounced.

Regardless of why all of the Guard was gone and not on planet, Quinlan refused to be that far from Fox, especially not when he was in Command of the Guard.

(Fox never truly relaxed when he was Commanding Officer, when he had to protect his vod’ike and troopers from any and everything. But when Thorn, Thire, and Stone had the watch, Quinlan could generally convince Fox to give up control for a little while. Get the man out of his own head for some fun.

It was the least Quinlan could do considering everything they have to put up with. Some good sex for Fox, pastries for Thorn, some gossip for Thire, soft things for Stone, good Kaf for the other officers, decent medical supplies for Hex, Prost, and Hetic, weapons for Lex and Tina, holos of Fives and Echo for Flex, wires and other gizmos for Codex, a new challenge for Apex and Rush…they were easy things for Quinlan to get, and they made life a little better for the Guard.)

Quinlan would do anything for the Guard at this point.

Even chase them across the kriffing Galaxy.

Obi-wan didn’t even have the decency to give Fox or any of the other commanders a comm so Quinlan could let them know they were in good hands and that he was on his way.

It would have soothed them a little to know that Obi-wan was someone Quinlan trusted, more so that he trusted the man with Fox.

But Obi-wan could suffer the Guard’s paranoia while Quinlan hunted them down. It was what the dumbass deserved after not asking for Quinlan’s opinion on kidnapping the Guard.

--

“What you are about to see is a clip taken directly from Commander Thire’s bucket cam and shows off the ‘Vos is Fox’’ rule on Things to Know about Your Commanders vid.”

A pause.

“Uhhh. This is a warning for vode that are young or don’t want to see some graphic sex? Do I call them sex acts? Uhh, either way, it gets…handsy…look away vod’ike.”

The black screen opens to a bridge of a Venator.

Included in view are Commanders Cody and Fox, General Kenobi, several bridge vode, and a fuming Guard ARC Captain.

It should be noted that all of them look incredibly tense, even under the full shell both Corries were wearing.

“Kote. Its been a week. Why the kriff are we here? And stop telling me it’s for our own safety or whatever osik you’ve been spewing.” A growl came from Lex after Commander Fox finished speaking and the cam shifted a bit.

Commander Cody had the worst innocent-looking face on imaginable.

This time Commander Fox growled.

General Kenobi had his hands raised, slowly walking to put himself between both Commanders when a red light started flashing followed by klaxon alarms.

Commander Fox and Lex both stiffened and started looking around at the 212^th vode that are now scattering to their stations. The cam whipped around the room, barely focusing on a single vod before moving on and finally focusing back on Fox and Lex.

“What is going on?”

“Intruder alarm.”

Both Corries stiffened, their hands going to their blasters and looking at the door to the bridge like an enemy was going to burst through it at any minute.

Cody and Kenobi both moved to the view screen of one of the hangers and tried to see if they could find the vessel the intruder came in on.

The vid seemed to speed up, a time stamp in the top right corner showing ten minutes had passed, before it slowed back down to regular speed.

Fox and Lex were still tense and ready for a fight, even as Cody and Kenobi seemed to have relaxed.

Muffled clanging came from the holo and the cam jolted up to focus on one of the vents in the ceiling, blasters held by red plastoid coming barely into view as well.

The vent grate was kicked out with violent force, a shadow dropped down from it, threw two projectiles at Cody and Kenobi and leaped right for Commander Fox…who didn’t shoot for some reason.

The holo followed the figure as it slowly came into focus, long brown locs and iridescent gold shining in the bridge lights making the figure recognizable as one Quinlan Vos.

He was wrapped around Commander Fox in an instant, hands holding his bucket and giving the vod a keldabe, low voice hardly audible over the holo recording.

“Oh, thank Commander Fox, Quinlan is here.” The voice came in loud and clear as the Kiffar pulled off Fox’ helmet, handed it to Lex, and pulled the Corrie Commander in for a kiss.

The holo zoomed in until only Quinlan and Fox were visible in the frame, the two with closed eyes sinking into each other.

Fox opened his mouth and a muffled moan echoed on the holo as Quinlan took the opportunity to slip his tongue in, hands roving down the fully shelled commander to land firmly on his shebs.

One of Quinlan’s gloved hands continued down to Fox’ thigh and pulled. Commander Fox got the memo and raised his leg over Quinlan’s hip, a louder moan sounding clear as Fox molded himself into the Kiffar.

Slowly the holo zoomed back out, moving to the side to take in the expressions of shock on Cody and Kenobi’s face, both watching the spectacle with wide eyes.

Lex rolled their bucket in the shelled vode version of rolling their eyes, looking directly into the holo like they were tired of this osik, still holding onto Fox’ bucket like it was the most important thing in the room.

The holo refocused on Commander Fox and Quinlan as the Corrie slid his hands into Quinlan’s locs and pulled. Quinlan moaned this time as Fox let out a breathless sigh, pushing closer and closer to the natborn, like he could sink into the other’s skin.

A wistful sigh came in just as clearly as the voice from earlier.

Then Kenobi ruined it by clearing his throat.

Fox and Quinlan separated slowly, their foreheads staying pressed together, their eyes opening to look into the other’s.

It was disgustingly sweet.

Kenobi cleared his throat again, but it didn’t seem to register to the two as Quinlan slid his had to the side to whisper into Fox’ ear. The holo zoomed in on the Kiffar’s lips and subtitles appeared on the bottom of the screen.

“I am going to tell Obi-wan off for this, then I’m going to take you somewhere private, deshell you nice and slow, and then I’m going to make you forget everything except for my name.”

The holo zoomed out just in time to catch Commander Fox’ full body shudder and breathless moan.

Already the vid was fading out, but not before turning to catch Lex with their bucket tucked in their hands, Fox’ tucked under their arm.

“Need me a freak like that.” The voice sounded faded as the holo finally went black.

Rolling subtitles filled the view, similar to another GNet vid.

Commander Fox and Quinlan Vos

The Commander fished Jedi Shadow Vos out of the lower levels and they have been more or less inseparable since. Commanders Thire, Stone, and Thorn mentioned that they weren’t always cordial with each other but they tended to orbit the other anyway.

After a few months of dancing around whatever it was they had, Commander Thorn caught them having sex in a fresher and the Guard has been finding them getting intimate all over Coruscant since then.

At some point Vos became the unofficial Jedi General for the Guard and they will all feel more comfortable with unknown natborns if he was in the room with them. They also developed what Vos calls a Force Bond, and will get antsy if they can’t find each other. Or if they didn’t know what the other was doing.

When the Coruscant Guard was rescued, no one told Vos what was going on and he came back from an undercover mission to the Guard being gone. He was understandably upset, and has been getting back at the 212^th and 501^st in subtle yet very kriffing annoying ways.

There’s an entire subset of vids available on the GNet for any vode who is now also invested in this dini’la relationship. All of them are tagged under #Vox and anything with graphic sexual content is tagged with #Vox Smut.

Happy hunting.

--

A dark screen with bright white lettering taking up as much space as possible but still be legible. “Different Places We’ve Caught #Vox Kriffing So Far” contributed by Various.

A Supply Closet on a Venator

The cam is moving down a Venator hallway, turning to the left and right at regular intervals, soft humming coming through the speakers.

A thump and a groan.

The holo freezes.

“Hello?” a vod speaks, the unmistakable sound of a blaster being charged to fire as they do.

The sound repeats, this time with a breathless “yes!” accompanying it. A sound of a blaster being put back into standby mode, and groan of frustration, and the cam turns to the left.

A small door that leads to a supply closet.

A hand comes into views and moves right under where the cam is located, clearly a helmcam and the vod is covering their own eyes but not the camera.

“Okay I’m coming in for security reasons! I’m not looking!” the vod voices but doesn’t wait for an acknowledgement, keying the door to slide open.

The holo is slightly blurry but adjusts quickly.

Commander Fox is pushed up against one of the walls, cleaning supplies a mess under him, his entire body completely bare, armor stacked up behind Quinlan Vos, who is holding the Commander against the wall.

The cam zooms slightly on the Commander, his scars barely visible, and the leg visible as it clings to Vos’ hip is a prosthetic from mid-thigh down. His head is thrown back against the wall, moans still pouring out of his mouth as Vos mouths at his neck, his brown eyes staring right at the cam.

Vos thrusts forward and the cam moves slightly to take in more of the scene, Vos still wearing his robes but his leggings bunched down around his feet.

“Ah!” Commander Fox shouts, his hand periodically gripping at Vos’ shoulder, prosthetic fingers making small sounds as he does.

Vos thrusts again, staring right at the camera, even as he uses his body (and his robes) to hide the Commander’s most private parts.

“Ngh! Quin-Quinlan!” Commander Fox moans, his mouth staying open and panting as Vos keeps thrusting into his partner.

The vod is slowly backing out of the closet.

“Sor-sorry for interrupting. I’ll just-just be-bye.”

The door slid shut on a particularly loud groan and a breathless “there!”

The cam starts moving away very quickly.

The Chancellor’s Desk

“This is going to get so many views on the GuardNet that I’m going to be instantly famous.” A vod muttered to their cam, a smile wide on their face young-ish before they slip on their bucket and turn the cam around.

“Many of you don’t know me, I’m just a shiny. But my name is Poison, and Toxic is training me up to be his back-up so he can sleep. And I’m going to show you something great.”

Poison talked lowly, quickly moving the cam as they headed into the Senate Rotunda, walking with purpose. Their hands stayed firmly wrapped around the cam as they went, a brief tightening visible whenever a natborn was seen on holo.

Slowly the crowds thinned, and less and less natborns were passing by until the hallways and lifts were all but empty.

The holo got to an ornate hallway when Poison started talking lowly again.

“There’s a Senate Session today to discuss some controversial bills. It’s going to suck for us later but right now there some blessed peace…not to mention the Chancellor is going to be busy until the session is done and it’s currently scheduled for three hours.”

A set of grand double doors came into view as Poison spoke, their pace slowing as they approached the hideous things.

“Commander Fox and Vos told me to put them down as having a meeting with the Chancellor right now, but I am one of the vode that knows how long the session is supposed to last so I know they aren’t doing that.

“I’m mildly sure they’re doing something innocuous in here, or they had me put the meeting down to confuse me, but I wanted to check anyway. It might be something fun!”

Poison’s voice got quieter as they approached the doors, before cutting off completely when they go to them.

They carefully opened one of the doors and slid the cam into the hole, immediately noises started to assault the speakers.

Commander Fox was bent over an overly large, unnecessarily ornate desk, completely bare from what the holo could see. His one good eye was blown wide and his bad eye was staring hazily right into the cam.

Quinlan Vos was behind him, thrusting with even rhythm, speeding up with every moan and slowing down with every swallowed sound. Commander Fox’ was jerking forward with the force of the thrusts, mouth open wide.

Poison let out a light giggle.

“Even better than just shenanigans.”

The holo zoomed in, taking out all of the unneeded input of the gaudy office and focusing entirely on the two going at it on the Chancellor’s desk.

One of Vos’ darker hands slid up Commander’ Fox’ back and slid into unruly silver streaked curls, grasping suddenly and pulling the vod back by his hair.

“Ugh! Yes! Harder!”

Another giggle.

“Force you’re so stunning, Foxy. So good for me, just taking everything I can give you. Right here on the Chancellor’s desk. Beautiful.” A harder thrust, Commander Fox’ head was thrown back and a drawn out moan escaped him.

“Kriff, did you just come, Fox?” Vos’ voice was incredulous and Commander Fox stuttered out an affirmative, shaking as the Jetii kept going.

“Kark. You think you can do it again? You feel so good wrapped around me, practically milking me for my own org*sm. I want to feel you feeling good when I finally come in you. Can you do that for me, ankai’a?”

“Mmmmnn. Yess. Yes! Quinlan!”

“Good verd.”

Commander Fox’ eyes slammed open, his mouth gaped and a breathless sound escaped him, his hand shooting back to grab onto Vos’ hip, arching his back to do so.

The cam slowly slid back out of the room and caught the door closing silently.

“Well I didn’t mean to record that much…” Poison sounded put out as they started making their way back the way they came.

“Commander Thorn will probably appreciate it though.”

Medbay

“I swear to Commander Fox and every other unholy creature I can think of, if you two came up with a fake emergency so you could kriff in the medbay I am going to flay you alive!” Hex was immediately recognizable, his face a myriad of negative emotions as they toggled open the medbay door.

The cam turned from the medic and focused on the only occupied biobed currently in the bay.

Commander Fox was laying still, Quinlan Vos under him, hands wrapped around the commander’s waist over the sheets, looking at Hex unimpressed.

The Corrie Commander looked to be in an unrestful sleep, eyes scrunched close, a furrow between his brows as he tossed his head and let out a small groan.

Slowly the holo panned back to Hex, who looked no less murderous. The medic’s glare hardened as he started towards the biobed, the came followed him.

“Just a nightmare, Hex. I’m working on it.” Vos’ voice was low and rough and the holo focused on his sweaty face before turning back to the disbelieving medic.

“Sure, General.” Hex’ voice was deadpan and he whipped the sheet off the two.

(In Front of CMO Hex)

Both were mostly clothed, but the holo zoomed in on their bare lower halves, Vos clearly penetrating Commander Fox.

The holo panned back to the Jetii, who grinned mischievously and thrust from his hips, Commander Fox letting out a long moan at the motion.

His eyes snapped open, hands flinging back to grab onto Vos’ neck and he ground down into the motions as the Jetii kept moving, staring unflinchingly at Hex as he did so.

The vid continued, panning from Vos and the Commander on the biobed to Hex periodically.

Everyone stayed in their places until Fox let out a high pitched sound and shook as he ejacul*ted onto himself. The holo zoomed in on Hex’ brow twitching.

But then Commander Fox seemed to settle, cuddling back into Vos with a quiet sigh and dropping off into battlefield sleep.

“I hate the fact that you use sex as a sleeping pill.” Hex hissed, throwing a ripped piece of sheet at the natborn as he stalked off, the cam following him.

“You can’t blame me for it working, Hex!”

On the Bridge of the Negotiator

The vid opened on the bridge of a Venator during night cycle, General Kenobi was pacing near the helm, muttering under his breath.

On the Captain’s chair near him was Commander Fox sitting on the lap of Quinlan Vos, wrapped up in his b’Jetii robes, eyes closed and breathing slowly. His face was bare, and Vos was threading his (bare) fingers through the silvery curly hair of the Commander, a small frown on his face.

Kenobi kept talking and the holo focused in on the other two, catching subtle movements and puffs of breaths escaping Fox’ mouth.

The vid sped up and zoomed in on Commander Fox’ face as it reddened slowly over the vid. It slowed down to normal speed right as General Kenobi turned to ask Vos a question.

Kenobi froze.

The holo zoomed in on Kenobi’s face and his voice sounded scandalized.

“You said Commander Fox was in a lot of pain and being on your lap helped!”

Vos smirked.

“It does. It’s a very special kind of injection that helps with Foxy’s pain.” His voice was deep, and his breath stuttered just once as he spoke.

Kenobi’s face scrunched up like he smelt something particularly horrible.

“You’re disgusting, Quinlan. Did Commander Fox agree to this? Is he even away?”

Vos’ mouth opened to respond when the holo focused on the Commander and his face as his eyes opened and his good one locked onto Kenobi, who faltered at the stare.

“Quinlan always makes sure to get consent before he does anything with me. He likes to see how much he can get away with, and I like to test my will…power.” Fox’ voice hitched at a particularly visible jolt, and the cam zoomed far out to catch the expressions on the other vode on the bridge.

Most of them were none the wiser to what was going on with the Jetiise and the Commander, but one or two had flushed cheeks and kept glancing from their stations to the captain’s chair and back.

The vid focused back in on the three, Fox was still staring down Kenobi, but Vos tucked his head into Fox’ neck and was mouthing at the bare skin there.

Kenobi sighed and brought his hand up to cradle his forehead as he shook his head in exasperation.

“Whatever. Next time please remember to NOT do this on the bridge.”

“Next time? Obi-wan, you sly man. Are you saying you want to watch us sometime?”

Commander Fox’ breath hitched again, and his stare changed slightly as Kenobi’s face burnt bright red, almost the same color as his hair.

“What?! No! Quinlan!”

The vid faded out to dark to the sound of Vos’ hysterical laughter.

In a Vode Pile

Slowly the vid was uncovered, zoomed in on a vod as they slept. Eyes were closed, breath was deep, and small noises of contentment escaped every now and then.

The holo turned to a bare ceiling, then slowly over to the other side, where two lumps under a sheet were moving methodically.

A shake of the cam then the holo focused on the two as slowly it seemed to inch closer to the shapes, a low voice getting louder and louder the closer it got.

Then the words became clearer.

“Mmmm. So good for me, Quinlan. So good at taking care of me, of making sure I’m okay, loving me. You’ve done so much for me since we met, and your co*ck is so thick.”

A muffled groan followed by a low whine and the sheet shifted, revealing a naked Commander Fox on top of an equally naked Quinlan Vos. The Kiffar’s hands were held over his head and Fox’ were placed deliberately on firm pecs.

“Kriff, Fox, you’re so kriffing hot.” The Jetii moved his arms, like he was going to grab at the Commander and the vod stopped moving.

“Uh uh. You know the rules, Quinlan.”

“Ngh, kriff. I know, sorry.” Vos straightened back out, his arms more firmly over his head, looking back up at Commander Fox with a slight tilt of his lips.

“Mmm ori’jate, ner prudii.” The Commander breathed out, leaning down to lightly kiss Vos’ lips, smirking at the low groan that escaped the Jetii after that bit of Mando’a.

“Nnnn. Not fair, celo.”

“I don’t play fair, ner cabur.” Fox moved back up, arching his back as he moved his hips just so, Vos grunting at the movement.

The vid panned down, catching the sheet collecting at Commander Fox’ shebs and not really covering anything. His deece was saluting and bobbing with each shift of his hips, Vos’ co*ck clearly seen every time Fox lifted himself with his hands still firmly on the Kiffar’s pecs.

It stayed there for quite a bit, just watching the movement.

“I love the way your co*ck fills me, Quinlan. The way you are always ready to help me get out of my head, but just as eager to do whatever I tell you, whenever I tell it to you. You must know how arousing that is, how hot you get me.” Commander Fox’ voice was low and gravelly, and his eye stayed locked to Vos’ half-lidded brown ones and the cam panned back up.

“I love the way you protect me, ner cabur, protect my vod’ike, the way you always have a plan, ner prudii, the way you can do things to help us that we couldn’t.” A grunt and Commander Fox threw his head back and the cam followed the line of his throat when a low groan followed.

The cam jerked to Vos’ face as he stared at Commander Fox, his face one filled with rapture and eyes sparkling. Fox quickly locked eyes with him and smiled softly. Not like the one he challenges others with, but in a careful loving way.

“Celo…”

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum, ner cyare.”

A jerk of the cam and it turned, slowly scooting back towards the vod that first appeared on the holo, a low voice speaking as everything faded.

“I don’t think I was supposed to witness that…”

--

“Did you see the new vid on GNet staring us, ankai’a?” Quinlan questioned Fox, looking over to his lover laying on their bed in the room they acquired on the Negotiator.

His Commander was completely naked, enjoying a lazy morning for once while Obi-wan was trying to figure out what to do with him now that he was on the Venator. Fox turned to look at him with his bright amber eye and Quinlan couldn’t stop himself from leaning over and kissing him.

Lazily he ran his tongue around the inside of Fox’ mouth, enjoying the small sounds, and backing away slowly with a lick to those wonderfully textured lips.

Fox blinked at him slowly with a lazy smile.

Quinlan cupped his love’s cheek and slowly stroked his thumb across his cheekbones, and Fox melted into him.

Force, what did Quinlan do to deserve a man like Fox?

“A holovid?”

Oh, right.

“Mmm. Lovingly titled “Different Places We’ve Caught #Vox Kriffing So Far”. Pretty sure Thorn posted it even though it said Various and Anonymous.” Quinlan placed a kiss onto Fox’ other cheek and then licked it.

Fox laughed and Quinlan thanked every deity he could name (including the man in his bed) that he was the one sharing this time with this amazing being.

“Any honorable mentions?” Fox’ voice was light, giving away the fact that he really didn’t care that they were recorded kriffing that many times on holocam.

“Someone got us in the vode pile last month.”

Fox blinked.

“The one before we were kidnapped?”

“That’s the one.”

His Commander’s lips stretched into a soft smile, moving closer to Quinlan so he could tuck in against his chest, humming under his breath as he did.

“The one when you told me you loved me for the first time?” His voice was low, but Quinlan heard the shyness in his voice and smiled, carding his fingers through his favorite curls.

“And the time you told me you loved me for the first time.” Quinlan whispered into Fox’ ear before trailing his lips across his scarred cheeks to Fox’ beautiful lips.

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum.”

“Tarii foh keel.”

Quinlan was the luckiest man in the Galaxy.

Chapter 6: Planet Zero

Chapter Text

Padmé was decidedly irked.

Not about the whole missing Coruscant Guard situation like the rest of her colleagues; no she had a heads-up before THAT happened (and she managed to let Bail, Rio, and Mon before kark really hit the fan).

No.

Padmé couldn’t really care less about that whole situation.

Good for the Guard.

No.

What Padmé was irked about was that she was the one with being tasked with overseeing the return of the Guard, personally by the Chancellor.

Why this was considered to be a Senator’s purview stunk of corruption and she was, frankly, more than tired of it.

She was supposed to take a vacation, Force damn it all, she was going to take a leave of absence for a few tenday and join her husband in space and in (hopefully) finally seducing Captain Rex and Commander Thorn into their bed. And relationship.

Kriff it all.

“With all due respect, Chancellor, I don’t see how this falls under the responsibilities of the Senate, let alone needing oversight by a Senator.”

Padmé stared down her mentor, in his gaudy ornate office, in his gaudy ornate clothes, and dared him to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why she had to handle this.

If this was any other situation, one that had blindsided her, and if the Guard were actually missing or kidnapped, she’d be reacting very differently. As it is, she knows exactly where the Coruscant Guard are, and she knows exactly what they were being rescued from.

(She did her best, kriff did she do her best, to cover for the poor vode, to notice which of the assholes in the Senate were the most likely to take advantage and head them off, but she was one senator of thousands. Even with Bail, Rio, and Mon on her side they were a barely a drop of water in a lake. Helpful but overly useless.)

The Chancellor gave her his usual “there’s nothing I can do” smile that meant he was full of kark and she returned it with the same amount of respect he was showing her.

It seems the animosity between them has not lessened since she married Anakin. Pity. He was such a dear mentor once upon a time.

“The Coruscant Security Force and the Senate Guard have been, regrettably, leaning hard on the Coruscant Guard and are therefore at a standstill on how to move forward. You were particularly close to the Guard, I’m sure you have some ideas as to where they could have gone, my dear.” Another one of his “grandfatherly” smiles that she no longer buys.

“I have no idea what you are implying, Chancellor. I am the Senator for Naboo, not a security force officer. I know less about the matter than the Security Force does, I’m sure.”

Padmé was absolutely going to get out of this. She was going to wiggle her way out of it like a sandworm in a dune if it was the last thing she managed to do on Coruscant before her vacation. She had a date with her husband and future boyfriends, dammit.

(Commander Thorn was an absolute darling and always smiled at her when she managed to catch him without his helmet, even if that happened to be after something horrid had happened to him. He was so bright and smiley, much like Anakin was before this wretched war.

And Captain Rex was so respectful and loyal to Anakin, had taken on more than he ever had to to make sure Anakin lived. To make sure that Anakin had someone to guide him and love him while she was stuck on Coruscant and he was out in the black.

Kriff if Padmé wasn’t jealous of all the time Anakin was getting with the both of them right now. She wanted to be out there too! She wanted to get to know the men behind the masks, the men they are more than the men they showed the galaxy.)

“You had vacation plans, I know, my dear. I am so sorry to give you this duty when you were about to take a much needed break, but you understand that we need the Coruscant Guard returned to us as soon as possible, don’t you?”

Was he questioning her dedication to the Republic? It didn’t sound like he was but his tone spoke more than his words did.

Padmé raised her brow at him.

Fine.

He wanted to give her this…assignment? Wanted her to do something that wasn’t required of Senators? Was beyond her purview? Fine.

Malicious compliance it is.

“Of course, Chancellor. I might need to request some additional help and supplies to aid me with my search, if you are okay with that?”

“My dear, are you planning to go out and search for the Coruscant Guard yourself?”

“You are tasking me with overseeing the search, I would be a poor overseer indeed if I didn’t go out and search on my own. I have more experience in such things than the oversight of an entire force. The CSF and the Senate Guard can continue their work around here, and I will start chasing down leads from…outside Coruscant.”

Padmé smiled.

It was her politician smile, one she denied she had when asked by any of her family, all her smiles were genuine. But she developed this one especially for colleagues that she wished would drop dead. Pity it was being turned to the Chancellor but Padmé was beyond exhausted with his negligence.

Let him think she was still on his side, that Padmé was still the little girl Queen who called for no confidence in Chancellor Valorum.

“Of course, my dear. You will receive whatever help you need, just please bring our troopers back, we need them here.”

Padmé didn’t narrow her eyes at the Chancellor, but it was a close thing. She grew up in politics, she can recognize double speak when she hears it, and Palpatine wasn’t even trying to hide it.

Sloppy.

No matter.

She was going to get the vacation she wanted, but she was going to be paid for it.

Padmé was going to see her husband, Captain Rex, and Commander Thorn, and not leave Anakin’s bed for at least two cycles before she hunts down Commander Fox to question him on the Chancellor’s shady dealings.

This was certainly going to be a hunt for something, but not the Coruscant Guard like Palpatine thinks, rather evidence of his wrongdoings so he can get one of her friends to call for a No Confidence in him.

Turnabout is fair play, after all. And this is a democracy.

Her smile as she left the office was genial, but on the inside she was smirking.

Padmé was going to have so much fun.

--

“I’m not sure if I’m doing this right but we finally have access to the GNet and I need every vode to know how dini’la this senator is.”

The holo opened up to Commander Ponds, uncomfortably close to the cam, eyes wide and flitting from side to side with impressive speed.

Then it flipped around and one Senator Padmé Amidala was shown in her full glory, resplendent in full Senate dress and ordering around natborns like she was paid to.

Every time one of the natborns glared at a vod, tried to approach a vod, or even just looked at a vod, Amidala was up in their face and telling them that she asked them to do the task for a reason.

“Honestly, Commander Ponds. I don’t know how the Coruscant Guard got anything done with so many individuals who need their hands held through simple tasks.” Her voice was light and friendly and she tossed a discrete wink at the holo before turning back to the natborns scurrying around like insects.

“I’m…not sure, senator. Commander Fox never complained to us in the batch chat.” Commander Ponds spoke hesitantly, the cam approaching the senator with slow even steps.

Amidala lit up at the mention.

“Oh? Batch chat? What is that? Do you know Commander Fox?” She looked honestly delighted. The few vode in the wide frame looked just as confused as Commander Ponds sounded.

“Uhh, yes, senator. A Batch is like natborn siblings, I believe. Commander Fox is my littlest…brother…”

Sparkles suddenly appeared around Amidala’s face as her expression brightened considerably, (clearly edited in before posted).

“Oh that’s amazing! Commander Fox was such an incredible trooper, the things he could get done by just walking into a room was awe-inspiring, you know? I didn’t realize he had brothers…of course I know you call each other vode and that that is sibling in Mando’a, but I thought it was more like how I’m Nabooian and so are the people of Naboo.

“Only you all don’t have a planet, something I’ve been trying to fix but the Senate keeps blocking every proposal I put forth. But never mind that! Commander Fox’ older brother! It’s a delight to meet you!”

Amidala fully turned to the holo, completely ignoring the confused vode and glaring natborns loading up a fancy looking ship.

“Um…same to you? Senator?”

She huffed lightly waving off Commander Ponds’ words.

“Oh you may drop the formalities, Commander. With how many times your little brother has personally saved me from assassins, kidnappers, and boring senators, we’re basically family ourselves!” Amidala’s smile was wide, and her eyes glinted with nothing but genuine emotion.

“I’m sorry, sen-I mean…Amidala?”

“Or Padmé.”

“I-I couldn’t-I-I-”

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Commander, I was just offering an alternative. Whatever suits you best is perfectly fine.”

“Thank you…Padmé…um…but Fox never…he never mentioned you?”

She huffed.

Before anyone could get worked up about upsetting a senator, Amidala continued.

“I’m honestly not surprised. With how much extra work the Chancellor and various Senators put on the Commander’s shoulders, I’m shocked he had time to contact you at all. Least of all to talk about the senator from Naboo that liked to talk his ear off. Oh.” Amidala placed her fingers delicately over her mouth and looked apologetically to the cam.

“I’m so sorry, Commander Ponds, that was so insensitive of me…I’m generally more put together than that, but the Chancellor’s assignment has me all bothered and normally Commander Fox, Thorn, Captain Lex, or Lieutenant Cantina are around for me to rant to…”

Commander Ponds made a confused noise that echoed in the speakers of the holo.

“I’m not sure what you’re apologizing for…Padmé…but I didn’t realize you were that close to the Guard?”

Amidala’s eyes fluttered and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Commander Ponds, I apologize if this is rude or too forward, but…when was the last time you physically saw Commander Fox?”

Noises of confusion and offense echoed around in similar voices but Amidala stayed looking right at Commander Ponds…and the cam.

“…the last time would have been before Geonosis, senator.” Commander Ponds’ tone was notably cooler and Amidala made a hurt sound in response.

“…then you will be surprised when we finally find the Guard, Commander. You see, the Guard is the most ever changing force in the Grand Army of the Republic, as delightful as they all are.”

“I don’t understand, senator.”

“Mmm. You wouldn’t. I’m sorry, this must have been an incredibly different conversation for you as it has been for me. I doubt you’re around many senators, let alone, what did you call them? Natborns? We are an odd lot, but I find that the vode are just like any other society different from my own. Interesting and beautiful in ways I am unfamiliar with.

“I am excited for you to see your younger brother again, Commander. I’m just not looking forward to the meeting itself. Something I’m sure you’ll understand when the time comes. Maybe to prepare yourself you should look at some of the older vids on the GNet?”

The vode all froze.

“You know about the GNet, senator?”

Amidala gave the cam a dry look.

“I know for a fact Anakin and I aren’t as subtle as he thinks we are. How do you think I know about it?”

A sound of amusem*nt sounded from all sides and Amidala was back to smiling.

“Anyway, I wouldn’t say I’m close to the Guard, but I am one of the few senators honored with being on their Safe list. Something else I wish you never had to learn about.” A sad smile before the senator was stalking off, right after a natborn that had carelessly tossed a crate into the ship and said crate bounced and crashed.

The cam turned back to Commander Ponds’ wide eyes.

“What the kriff, vode?”

--

Thorn was decidedly unsure how to feel about how things have been going.

On one hand, no on Corscant anymore, yay. On the other, kidnapped by the GAR and being held for an indefinite amount of time with no reasoning as to why they were taken besides their “safety”…like they had ever cared before.

So.

Thorn was doing what he did best, being friendly.

But the GAR vode never changed their story, it was “righting a wrong” this, and “fixing something that should have never happened” that. The sentiment was nice but Thorn wasn’t a di’kut and he learned how osik really worked while on Coruscant.

If you want something, you take it. If you have enough money you won’t even get jail time for doing it.

So obviously, the GAR wanted the Guard, so they took them.

Question was, what did they want the Guard for?

They haven’t been assigned any duties, haven’t been taken to anyone’s bunk, haven’t been told where to stay or what to do, just taken onto their ships, traded around like collectables and never told what they needed to do to earn their keep or anything.

How did that work?

Thorn tended to ponder this nonsense in a hidden training room that has seen better days. It reminded him of Fox’ favorite place back in the Guard barracks, and because Fox was there when he wasn’t on duty, Thorn tended to also be there.

Fox was his best friend, followed by Thire and Stone, and (shockingly) Quinlan. Though Thire was much closer to the jetii than Thorn was, he still considered them to be friends. Hard not to be after the fourth time he found them kriffing in places they probably shouldn’t.

(He’s still trying to figure out how they got away with kriffing on the Chancellor’s kriffing desk. Not that Thorn would ever have a chance to do that now considering they were captives and Thorn was very much unattached.

He isn’t much for sex outside of relationships, as much as he enjoys it. With everything that happens (happened?) on Coruscant, it was hard for him to have sex without a prior relationship or feelings.

Because if a senator wants something they take it.)

And Thorn knew how much it was weighing on his friend, his brother, that Fox didn’t know what the GAR had taken them for. By now a senator would have already had what they wanted and tossed them out, but they’ve got nothing.

So, Thorn has been trying to figure it out, even if all the vode on the Resolute were sticking to their stories of it being for the Guard’s well-being or some osik.

Plus, he has no duties! Therefore, he’s in his shabby little training room, laying on the mats, bare-faced for once, and staring at the slightly damaged ceiling and thinking about why he and his Corries are here.

Which is why he didn’t see the door open, or who came through it, but he did hear something clatter to the ground.

Thorn whipped his head at the door, and standing there, fully shelled minus bucket, now on the floor, was the vod he had been especially avoiding.

Captain Rex.

See, Thorn knows the 501^st and the 212^th have seen the GuardNet vids, knows they made their own piggyback version called the GNet which archived all the content from the GuardNet. He knows what he said on most of those vids too.

Skywalker and Amidala made eyes at him a lot, not nearly as much as they made eyes at each other, but it was pretty even with how often they made eyes at Captain Rex. And Thorn was relatively flattered, especially because that was all they did.

No snide comments from Amidala, no requests to join her in her office or her suites, no mentions of how nicely he fills out his armor but wouldn’t he feel more comfortable out of it? Just appreciative glances and flushed faces.

And they were safe for Thorn to desire.

Captain Rex most of all considering Thorn had only met the vod twice in person, most of his knowledge came from Fox’ rants about the little os’ika his batch adopted without his input. (Thorn is fluent in Fox, he knows his friend, brother, loves Rex as much, possibly more, than his batch.)

But then Thorn found out that the 501^st and the 212^th had seen the GuardNet vids, the ones were Thorn is very open about his thirst for the two natborns and the 501^st Captain. (It was for the Guard only, okay?! And they’d all heard variations of his competence kink in person what was a vid or forty? He never thought the GAR would see them!)

Then Thorn started to make sure he was never in the same room as Captain Rex or General Skywalker if he could help it.

Bad enough that they know he likes them (has a crush on them? Wants them to pound the noise out of his head and vice versa? Same thing, right?), but he doesn’t have to be in the same room as them knowing they know he likes them.

And now Captain Rex has found his hiding spot.

And Thorn isn’t wearing his KRIFFING BUCKET!

“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t realize any of the Corries found this place yet.” Captain Rex spoke haltingly, leaning down slowly to grab his dropped bucket (what made the clattering sound in the first place probably) but keeping his eyes locked to Thorn’s as he did.

Thorn is a Guard Commander, he has seen some osik, okay? So, it absolutely did NOT make him blush like a cadet touching their deece for the first time.

It didn’t!

“Were we not supposed to?” Luckily Thorn was a master at hiding his emotions, bucketed or bucket less, and even though his face was BETRAYING HIM by heating up, his voice stayed level.

“Oh! No, it’s perfectly fine, it’s just…this is a more run down training room and we have nicer, bigger ones on other levels so no one uses this one…I like to come here to train alone and think.” He rose as slowly as he leaned down, eyes not straying from Thorn’s even as he walked in far enough for the door to swish close behind him.

Ah.

So maybe this is the part where Thorn finds out that it wasn’t so safe to crush on Captain Rex. (He didn’t lie in those vids. He was pretty sure Captain Rex could take him out with a pinky and if it was a mutually involved situation Thorn would let him…this was not a mutually involved situation.)

Thorn made the wise choice to stay silent.

Different from the personality he’s put on for the 501^st thus far, but friendliness is for intel, silence is better for safety.

He also never took his eyes off the threat.

He watched Captain Rex hesitantly walk over to where Thorn was still sprawled out; he should sit up, be in a position easier to defend, but he couldn’t…he was frozen watching the Captain come closer.

Captain Rex sat down gingerly next to him, a few hand spans away, set his bucket on his opposite side and looked down at Thorn’s (still) bare face.

They sat there in silence for a while.

Thorn was waiting for Captain Rex to do something (something that would make him unsafe, something that would tell Thorn he was a di’kut for constantly wanting when it was safer to not), and the Captain was just looking over Thorn’s face.

His scarred face.

He wasn’t really ashamed, but Thorn had nothing on the Captain’s looks, or even Skywalker or Amidala’s (boy they were smoking), and that embarrassed him a bit.

Thorn was just about to get up, put his bucket on and make a hasty retreat before Captain Rex could do something to crush the only hope he had left, when the vod moved his hand slightly towards Thorn’s face.

He didn’t even flinch. (Like he learned not to.) Just watched the hand come closer to his scarred cheek and waited for the pain or unpleasantness.

Neither happened.

Captain Rex stopped, frowned, his brows furrowing, before he moved his hand back to its spot, away from Thorn.

(What the kriff?)

“Sorry. I acted without thinking. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I just haven’t seen your bare face in person before and got a bit carried away.”

What?

“Me’ven?”

Captain Rex visibly crumples and Thorn had no idea what he did to cause that.

“You looked scared. That I was going to touch you. Ni ceta. I didn’t mean to.”

That-what?

“You’re…sorry for…almost touching me? What the kriff? Are you even real?”

Captain Rex chuckled lowly, his voice ringing in Thorn’s ears and by Commander Fox no one’s voice should sound that kriffing good.

His face was definitely getting hotter.

“As real as you are, Commander.” His smile was so much prettier in person. Oh kriff, Thorn was truly kriffing kriffed.

“I did not mean to say that out loud.”

“It’s okay, I’m going to take it as a compliment.” Rex’ smile was wide and Thorn could practically feel his heart trying to jump out of his chest at the sight.

The vod was so kriffing stunning.

Thorn said nothing, just stared at the resplendent face of one Captain Rex, which was probably awkward but he didn’t know what to say to that. When was the last time Thorn didn’t know what to say?

“I’ve heard you were getting friendly with the 501^st, asking a lot of questions about why we rescued the Guard? Anything I can clear up for you?”

Thorn scoffed.

“Yeah. You all keep using that word, rescue, why? You can just say you took us, we understand the concept perfectly fine.”

“Concept?”

Thorn stared blankly at the Captain. It couldn’t be the blond, that couldn’t be why Captain Rex thought he was dumb, because he was also blond.

“If you want something, you take it. Everyone knows that.”

Captain Rex looked like he had gotten smacked in the face, his eyes were wide and he was gaping at Thorn like the thought had never crossed his mind.

“All we want to know is why you took us. What you want? Clearly you wanted the Guard, but what for? No duties have been assigned to us, no one has been taken back to bunk or quarters, no one has tasked us with heavy lifting. So why did you take us?”

Thorn watched as each word seemed to hit the Captain different and after he quieted the other blond honestly looked like he was about to punch someone. For once it didn’t even seem like it was Thorn he wanted to punch.

“First of all, no one on this ship will EVER ask you to their bunk without discussing it with you beforehand, and if they don’t you can tell me about it and I’ll fix their kriffing faces for them. Secondly, we did NOT take you. We rescued you. Full stop. No additions, no expectations, nothing like what those demagolka senators would do.

“The GuardNet vids just opened our eyes to how you were being treated, to the haran the Corries were being put through that NO ONE knew about. Our Generals agreed that it couldn’t continue, so we went to Coruscant, unscheduled, and we rescued you.

“The only reason we’re keeping you all on the ship is for your safety, and because you lot are the most mandokarla utreekov’e ever and would go back to Coruscant for something di’kutla like your duty. The Corries no longer have any responsibility for the demagolka senators, and if they try to take you back then we’ll respond with force.”

Captain Rex smiled again, but this time it looked remarkably like the one that graces Fox’ face whenever he comes up with a fantastic payback for a senator that he can get away with. Bloodthirsty and confident.

Kriff.

“I…I’m not sure how willing any of us are to believe that…even Fox will have some doubts…it’s not, it’s not how we’ve experienced things.”

And Thorn was still on his back while talking to this vod that is the epitome of every dirty thought he’s ever had in his life. How is this fair??

Captain Rex’ smile softened and his brown eyes practically glistened as he looked at Thorn like he was someone amazing, someone precious.

Hello blush, my old friend.

“That’s fair. Any time you have doubts about your rescue, you’re more than welcome to come to me and I’ll tell you again.”

Thorn nodded, untrusting of his own voice, and they sat in companionable silence for a bit more.

But Thorn wouldn’t be Thorn if he didn’t throw a grenade in places he wasn’t supposed to, and this vod already apologized for almost touching him so he was probably more than safe.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind a hands on demonstration of how well you remember what Fox taught you when you were a cadet.” Thorn smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at the Captain suggestively.

Captain Rex does turn a fetching color of red when flirted with. Noted.

--

“Despite what certain vode might think, I am posting this purely because of the non-believers and I know you all worry.” Commander Thorn’s voice came through the holo shockingly clear even as it focused on a bare faced Captain Rex, only in his lower armor and blacks, his cheeks a light pink.

The cam turned and Commander Thorn was bare faced as well, his long blond curls framing his face nicely even as they tumbled over his shoulders and out of view of the holo.

Commander Thorn had a wide smirk on his face as he shifted to stand right next to Captain Rex, their faces the only thing in the cam viewfinder. Despite his faded scars, he looked softer standing so close to the Captain of the 501^st.

With a wink at the cam, and without any pomp, Commander Thorn leaned over and placed his lips firmly over the high cheekbones of Captain Rex with a soft “muah” sound.

The Captain’s face was now red, but his eyes stayed on Commander Thorn’s, soft and gushy and gross, before he copied the action. Smiling as the Corrie made spluttering sounds in response.

A dark hand reached out for the cam, covering the view as a distinctly high squeak was hear before the holo went black.

Chapter 7: Novocaine

Chapter Text

“Alright, vod’ike, raise your hand if you know why we’re here.” Fox spoke lowly in the darkened bunk room the Guard had been given aboard the Negotiator.

Several red clad hands raised in the air while others just looked confused, most of the Guard connected via stolen comm were raising their hands.

“Good enough. We’re doing an officer wide sitrep based off of the limited information we’ve collected the past few tendays of being captive on these Venators. Thorn?”

He watched as Thorn pushed his way to the front of the vode on the holocomm, looking smug and proud of himself. Fox did not want to know why he had that look, he really didn’t.

“I had an interesting and informative conversation with Captain Rex the other day-” several of his officers boo-ed, and Lex catcalled, “oi! Not like that, you sheb’se!”

Fox sighed.

It had been too long since his battalion had seen each other in a group like this and shenanigans were bound to happen. Everything would have been much better if he could have gotten them all in one space to get their energy out before the debrief but Fox wasn’t about to ask for things from their captors…even if they were vode.

“Thorn…please.”

Thorn cleared his throat, no doubt about to be as dramatic as he can get away with, and kriff did Fox wish he could have had Quinlan here with him.

But no.

His Jetii is off playing distraction so the 212^th don’t realize the majority of the Guard officers on ship were missing. (Fox was relatively sure that Flex had taken on that job on the Resolute and was likely roping in their 501^st cyare’se to help them…he should probably ask Lex if Flex had taken the plunge and asked to share a bunk with them or not…)

So, Fox was here with all his idiots, minus the one he really wanted, and trying to get a sitrep.

“Without the theatrics, please, Thorn. We don’t know how much time we’ll have.”

Thorn huffed.

“You never let me have any fun, Fox.”

Fox just glared at his second, hoping he got the picture that he was done and Thorn was on thin kriffing ice.

Thorn grumbled a bit before he continued.

“ANYWAY, I talked with Captain Rex and apparently all the osik about rescuing us is true. The 212^th and 501^st found the GuardNet, decided they didn’t like what we were implying in our vids, and convinced their Jetii to come save us…and they don’t expect anything for it or from us, they’re just keeping us out here while they wait for things to settle on Coruscant…” Thorn trailed off, his brows furrowing as he no doubt realized just what Fox did about all that.

“Despite good intentions, that’s not sustainable. They can’t just keep the Guard on their ships indefinitely while waiting to see what happens. Do they even have a plan? Something to do to stop the senators and the natborns from mistreating us? Or are they just going to give us some reprieve and then return us to haran?”

Thorn sat back, staring down at his lap and the rest of his officers did the same, except Hex and Lex who were glaring right back at him. No doubt upset at the idea, but Fox didn’t like it either. He wanted to be off Coruscant forever, just like his vode, but it simply wasn’t feasible.

“Maybe…maybe we should bring that up to the Generals?” Thire asked, his voice light and impossibly hopeful.

Force, Fox wished he had that.

Hope.

Quinlan and protecting his vod’ike were all that could move him anymore. Coruscant was haran and there was no escape, not while he still drew breath, anyway.

Hex put a hand on Fox’ shoulder and he took a deep breath, drawing in as much comfort as he could from his CMO, before he had to get back to his duties of crushing his b’vod’ike hope.

“Thire…”

“It could work, alor. Thorn wants to kriff Skywalker, anyway, it’d be a good time to ask while he’s trying to get into those tight leggings.”

The room dissolved into snickers and Fox sighed. It was just like the ARC Captain to lighten the mood by throwing someone’s sexual proclivities under the speeder.

“Hey! I’m a classy vod, Lex!”

“Since when?” Lex deadpanned back and Thorn’s over the top gasp caused actual laughs to echo in the room and over the speakers and Fox didn’t hold back his smile.

Kriff but he loved his vode.

“Besides…Quinlan is supposed to be pretty close to General Kenobi, right? Maybe he can bring up the logistics issues with the General.” Thire piped in again, much more confident now that his first idea wasn’t completely shut down.

It went against every fiber of Fox’ being to let any of them do this, ask something like this of a natborn, but he wasn’t a hypocrite. And he trusted and loved Quinlan. Why couldn’t Thorn do the same with a different Jetii?

Fox sighed.

“It wouldn’t hurt…anyone else have info to share?”

“The fronties are surprisingly soft.” Lex’ voice was low, like they were trying to hide the information from others who could overhear and Fox wasn’t even surprised.

“You told them all to come at you and then dropped them all one by one…some of them two by three…of course you think they’re soft.”

Hex’ head snapped to his batcher and glared.

Fox never told him why he had him, Prost, and Hetic brought over…now he knows.

“Lex?!”

“What?! I was bored! And I wanted to know how they could stack up to me knowing that there is probably going to be an attack at some point to get Republic Property back!” Lex threw their hands in the air, glaring right back at the CMO and Fox’ voice hitched.

Silence descended in the room and Fox knew everyone was staring at him.

He knew that shiny was recording him, he knew it, and he still said all of that osik and cried on holo…Fox was just glad most of the Guard’s comms and datapads were confiscated.

“I saw that vid, vod. How are you doing?” Stone asked quietly from the comm, shoving Thorn over so he could get a proper look at all of them. Hex’ head snapped to Stone at his words and Fox closed his eyes and sighed.

So much for keeping that from his CMO.

“What vid? What’s he talking about, Fox?” Hex was up and looking him over before he even finished and Fox didn’t resist the movement of his body. This was how Hex handled his anxiety, that was all.

“A 212^th shiny was messing around with their new GNet and wanted to pretend to be a holo-reporter. He asked me ‘what happened that day on Coruscant’ and it got a bit emotional. I’m not physically hurt…mostly embarrassed now.” Lex snorted and Fox glared at them.

It was their fault Hex was all worked up now. After this meeting he was going to have to hunt down the other Guard medics on board and have them work the stress out of his vod if they can.

If they can’t, Fox found the 212^th’s still and he can get the anxiety out of his CMO one way or the other. One was just easier for him to do, tossing him at his riduur’e, than getting him well and truly smashed and honest.

“What did he say that got you emotional?” Thorn asked, concern lacing every word and Fox took a deep breath, ignoring Hex’ mumbling about him messing up his readings.

“He told me that the Guard was being used, that that wasn’t okay, so the GAR took us. And I told him I knew that…that it didn’t matter because the Republic owned us.” Fox looked down at his hands, ignoring Hex’ admonishments and waited for his vode to make their regular noises of denial.

They didn’t.

The silence that descended into the room was uncomfortable and Fox regretted bringing the mood down, again, but he had to stay realistic.

All of this was just temporary. They don’t get to stay with their GAR vode, treated like they matter, treated with care, they were headed right back to senator’s demands and the haran that came with it, whether they liked it or not.

“…so, did any of you know that Apex and Rush got their hands on an unregulated comm?” Lex’ voice broke the silence and Fox looked right at them and their stupid unrepentant grin, even with the hurt dancing in their eyes.

Hex sighed, a universal sign of ori’vode everywhere that shenanigans were afoot and they had no plan of being apart of it.

“Lex, how?”

Lex shrugged, ignoring their kih’vod and staring directly at Fox with a LOUD question in their eyes.

Fox nodded.

Didn’t even regret it when the hurt turned into unholy glee. He may have just unleashed Lex on the Negotiator’s crew, but they needed some more information. Lex doing their best to find it and using all avenue’s available, including their b’kih’vod unregulated com? So be it.

“No idea, but they’ve been sending vids to Commander Ponds every single cycle. If I didn’t know better I’d think they were sexting.”

Thorn choked over the holo and Fox had to laugh again, loud and bright and borderline hysterical, because what else could he do?

Kriff he wanted Quinlan.

--

“I miss Officers’ Nights.”

“Quinlan you were hardly ever at Officers’ Nights.” Commander Fox sighed from his location wrapped up in Quinlan Vos’ arms, still in his shell, leaning back against the b’Jetii chest.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t miss them…” CMO Hex sighed from the side of the room, looking straight at the holo like he knew the vod holding it was recording them.

“What are Officers’ Nights?” Commander Cody spoke from the other side of the room, his bucket less head a stark difference from the helmeted ones of the Corries on the frame.

“It’s when Guard Officers would gather to give an informal debrief about their week and let the others know of any potential problems…sometimes there’s confiscated booze involved.”

There was a gasp from somewhere in the room, and Commander Fox slammed his helmeted head into Vos’ chest hard enough for the Kiffar to let out a pained gasp.

“You mean the Guard can drink??”

“You saw the same vids that I did, vod! Of course they can drink!”

The room devolved into chaos and CMO Hex shifted closer to Commander Fox, every inch of his body radiating wariness as his bucket jerked around the room.

“Hmmm…Maybe Ghost should do something like that…it can only serve to make us feel closer together if we drink together.” Kenobi stroked his beard, looking up at the ceiling of the room like he was debating life’s mysteries and not like he was just debating drinking with his officers.

“Some of them already drink together.” Was muttered close to whichever vod was recording and Commander Cody’s head snapped in their direction immediately causing a small squeak to sound shortly after.

Commander Fox sighed, looking for all intents and purposes like a vod completely done with life and refusing to engage anymore.

“It wasn’t nearly as fun as you’re thinking it is. It was just a way for us to unwind after the normal osik we had to deal with and still be doing our jobs.” Commander Fox’ voice sounded so dead, and Vos seemed to pick up on it because he squeezed the Corrie tighter and rubbed his chin against Fox’ plastoid bucket.

The Corrie Commander visibly tightened his hold on the arms wrapped around his waist and seemed to lean into the squeeze.

“You all are so certain that you rescued us, but do you even know what you took us from?” CMO Hex spoke quietly, bucket faced down at his hands fiddling with some spare parts, neither of his medic partners anywhere to be seen.

“From things you shouldn’t have been subject to in the first place.”

Hex sighed.

“Sure. But you also took us from the vode we formed bonds with, took us from the rest of our battalion, separated us and then told us nothing. It was being taken from one haran to one with a different flavor.”

Silence.

“How?”

CMO Hex looked right at the speaker, their face pale as the medic refused to back down or take back their statement.

“I’m not like most vode. I was deployed to Coruscant after the rest of my batch got their deployment because the Kaminiise had me as a medic trainer for the first six months of the war. Those six months were the only time in my entire life I was separated from my batch for any length of time and I showed up to a mess.

“I took over the medbay, I had to forcefully sedate my ori’vod so they would let their three-day old, still bleeding wounds heal, and I had to count my b’kih’vode bones to make sure they were all there before I stitched them back up.

“That was a week straight of tooka-naps and eating when I had a chance and drinking while performing surgery, and I was still expected to keep up the general responsibilities of a Battalion CMO with half the supplies.

“But at the end of it I was still glad to be there because I could see all my batchers in one room, count them, see them breathe, make sure they still lived, and sleep knowing they would be there when I woke up.

“How exactly do you think the past few tendays have been for me? Fettered between venators like a prized bantha, having to choose between my ori’vod and my kih’vode and which ones needed me more? Which ones I needed to see more? No comm to contact the ones I couldn’t put my hands on. I don’t know how Flex and Codex are doing over on the Resolute right now and when I’m there I don’t know how Lex and Apex are doing over here.

“Do you have any idea the stress I’ve been under? And I don’t even have to keep anyone’s guts on their insides with my hands while stressing, so I shouldn’t be stressing as much, but having nothing to do is making it all worse!”

Hex threw his hands in the air, hands gripping the pieces of tech tightly enough that he didn’t fling them anywhere while he did so. His shoulders were jerking up and down and Commander Fox made a strained sound beneath his bucket but Vos held on tight.

From out of nowhere two Corries were suddenly on the holo, practically on top of Hex as they did their best to smother him under their shelled bulk.

Prost and Hetic.

One was murmuring too low for the cam to pick up and the other was running their hands up and down the medic, clearly trying to find any crack in the armor to get bare skin to bare skin.

An audible gulp and the cam listed to the side.

General Kenobi came into view and he looked stricken. His wide eyes locked on the set of riduur’e and a hand covering his mouth.

Several 212^th vode looked similar.

Then a light came to the General’s eyes, a glint familiar to everyone in the 212^th, and, judging by his face, one familiar to the Kiffar Jetii.

“We’re supposed to be meeting up with the Tranquility soon…There are several uninhabited planets in this sector that have appropriate atmospheric conditions…We could land the Venators. We shouldn’t be separating the Guard from their support.”

“This is why you should have called me before you made off with they Guard, Obie. I could have told you that they wouldn’t handle being separated well.” Vos huffed, squeezing the Commander in his lap like a child would their tooka plush.

Kenobi looked annoyed at his…friend?

“Well you never told me how close you were to the Guard, Quin.”

“Quin?” Commander Fox’ voice was the smallest it has ever sounded, but it also sounded lighter than it had ever sounded. He turned back to look at his…partner? And Vos, hand to the Force, blushed.

“We were crechemates. We couldn’t pronounce each other’s names very well when we were young, so we shortened them.”

“…that’s so copikla…”

Vos let out an indignant squawk and the vid faded out to light laughter and a few awkward chuckles.

--

“You do not have to get me drunk, Fox. Just ask me what you want to know.” Hex was not trying to get out of socializing with his Commander…he was trying to get out of an interrogation by his Commander, who was arguably the best Corrie at interrogating.

Fox just scoffed and kept pouring from his filched 212^th gutrot.

“You practically bit off the heads of everyone in that room, vod, I’m pretty sure you need to get you drunk, regardless of my questions, because your riduur’e are too busy to kriff the noise out of your head.”

Hex glared.

How dare Fox be incredibly correct about what was going on in Hex’ head right now. He shouldn’t be able to do that that was Hex’ job.

“Come on, Hex. Quinlan had a point, we haven’t had an Officers’ Night in a while and that’s the only time you let yourself unwind outside of your bunk with your riduur’e.”

Fox passed him a shot and, because he was just that kind of spiteful, stared Hex down as he downed his own and poured another.

Well, at least Hex wasn’t going to be the only one getting smashed.

“Do you even have anyone watching the door?” Hex glanced over at the unlocked entry way while he slowly picked up his shot.

“Who do you take me for? Lex is out there with Cantina right now.”

“Lex is?”

“Who else could I trust with the Guard Marshall Commander and Chief Medical Officer?” Fox glanced pointedly to Hex’ shot and he just resigned himself to his ori’vod carrying his drunk sheb’se back to the Guard bunks later.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

Hex drunk considerably less than other Corries by virtue of being the only formally trained medic they had. (That wasn’t always the case. Hex remembers all of his fellow Corrie medics…and what happened to them…)

He threw back the shot and held the filched cup out for another one.

He and Fox took their second shots together, but it took their third before Hex decided to loosen up a little, and lean against the same wall as his commander.

They were still shelled up. For now.

“You only ever do this with just the two of us when you’re worried about me.” Hex muttered, carefully not looking at Fox as he did.

“Don’t do things like yelling at fronties like that and maybe I wouldn’t worry about you.” Fox snapped back and took another shot.

“…I’m stressed.” Hex looked down at his next drink and shot it back quickly, hoping to get drunk faster so he didn’t have to remember this conversation.

He went to refill his shot but Fox stopped him and forced Hex to look him in the eye when he spoke, his working eye unfairly soft. (His bad eye always shot him up with guilt…if he was only faster…)

“I know, vod, that’s why we’re here. I’m sorry you had to become the only medic of the Guard, and I’m sorry for everything a medic of your caliber has had to experience as our CMO, and I’m sorry that the only way you can relax anymore is if you’re smashed out of your mind or kriffed until you pass out.

“You don’t deserve that and I’m sorry I had to ask you to take it all on. But thank you, vod. Thank you for stepping up and being the mandokarla medic we all know you are. If this is what I can do to show my appreciation, steal some fronties’ less than stellar gutrot and get you smashed, then so be it. Anything I can.”

Hex was not tearing up.

And if he was it was because he had already had four shots, Commander Fox it.

“Fox…Commander…Everything I did, I did because I emulate you, and Lex. You two are the real marvels here, the real mandokarla vode. I just followed your examples…and honestly if you wanted to repay me, you could start by staying out of the medbay.”

Fox laughed and Hex smiled to himself at being the one to make his commander laugh like that, they were so rare.

“Enough of this somber osik. Give me the real reasons why you’re stressed. I know it’s not just being away from half your batch at any given time.” Fox continued to chuckle, pouring them both another shot.

Hex took both his and Fox’ before he was willing to answer that question, and he would answer it because Fox was his commander but he was also Hex’ friend. General Kenobi wasn’t wrong, they were each other’s safety net.

Fox just watched him take both shots with mild amusem*nt.

“You know I was a medic trainer before I was deployed, right?”

“Yes?” Fox raised his brow, questioning Hex’ memory because he literally just yelled about it to a bunch of fronties and a natborn General not a cycle ago. Hex rolled his eyes with his whole head.

“I mean besides the first six months of the war. I was a trainer for a total of two years, I completed my modules early and excelled enough that the Kaminiise and other natborn medic trainers gave me their vode time because they didn’t want to do it.”

Fox’ eyebrows rose and he looked impressed.

(How the kriff did Hex manage to impress Commander Kriffing Fox, who was a deity to the Guard, by virtue of being too good at his job?)

“I did not, but that explains a bit about you.”

“Does it?”

Fox smirked at him and instead of smacking it off, Hex took another shot…and pouted when Fox hid the bottle behind his back. He was almost to the point of being black out drunk Commander Fox it all! (Hah!)

“And what does that have to do with your stress?”

“I trained both CMO Risk and CMO…Kix.”

“Why did you say his name like that?”

“Like what? I didn’t say Kix’ name like anything!”

Commander Fox gave Hex his patented Disappointed in You sans Bucket Stare™.

“Vod, I didn’t even specify who I was talking about. You’re drunker than you think.”

Hex stared down at his empty cup, then back up at Commander Fox…the 212^th gutrot had more of a subtle kick in the pants to it than Hex was used to. The Guard gutrot got you three sheets to the wind in a couple of shots…he’s had like…six?

“I…I…Kix was…he was possessive of my time, when I was a trainer. All the other trainee’s knew it, even Risk. They would look at me from afar and then stop immediately when Kix glared at them…he wasn’t subtle…with his interest…” Hex could feel his cheeks heating up, it was awful. And if asked he would absolutely blame it on the booze.

Fox hummed, and started taking off his shell, looking pointedly at Hex’.

Fair.

They shuffled out of their armor, stacked as neatly as they could as the alcohol really started to kick in, then Fox leant back against the wall again and held his arm open for Hex.

He didn’t hesitate.

Hex cuddled right up to Fox’ side and sighed as he could hear the steady beating of his commander’s heart through his ribcage.

“So the fact that you’re in close proximity with a vod that had an obvious crush on you before the war is stressing you out?”

“Not…not exactly…”

Fox hummed again and leaned his head against the wall, lifting his hand with the prosthetic fingers to start playing with Hex’ hair while he gave him time to think.

Well.

Really Hex was trying to work up the gett’se to tell Fox what the real problem was. One his riduur’e have been trying to get him to acknowledge since Risk told them about Kix’ crush.

“It’s more…I knew how he felt then, when we’d been through similar things, when we were similar vode, but now…now that I’ve been on Coruscant and he’s been out in the black doing…doing Commander Fox knows what,” Hex ignored Fox’ annoyance at him using the commander’s name as a deity, it was habit at this point honestly, and kept going, “I don’t…I don’t know where we stand anymore. Not really.”

Fox hummed again.

“You liked him back on Kamino, didn’t you?”

Never beating around the bush, this vod.

Hex sighed.

“His regard was…it was something…and if I wasn’t his trainer…something…something could have happened. I’m. I’m beyond happy with Prost and Hetic, they complete me in ways I never would have thought possible, but sometimes…especially now that I see him semi-regularly…I wonder…”

Fox was quiet and Hex just listened to the slightly raised heartbeat of his inebriated commander.

Then the besom started to laugh.

It wasn’t like the earlier laugh, this one was loud and unrestrained and practically a cackle and Hex could hear clattering from outside the door. Likely either Lex or Tina falling in shock at the sound. (His bet was on Lex…they were a surprisingly easy vod to surprise.)

Hex raised his head off of Fox’ shoulder to glare at him, but it was functionally useless considering the man’s eyes were closed with mirth, tears leaking from his good one.

“It’s not funny, shebs’palon.” Hex hissed at his commander and Fox tried valiantly to quiet himself, Hex could see the effort, but it didn’t work.

So, he stole the stolen bottle of gutrot and took a swig. Kriff being cognizant for this osik. Hex was going to completely block it out of his mind like those horrid blackout missions.

That seemed to get Fox to calm down.

But Hex managed a swig anyway and he was positive he was going to get drunk enough to forget this conversation.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Hex, I swear. Just the situation.”

“The situation isn’t funny either…” Hex muttered as he folded back into Fox’ open arms, still relaxing at hearing his commander’s heartbeat.

“Hex, vod, you are the least hesitant vod I know when it comes to what you want, and I mean that in the best way. Why haven’t you just propositioned Kix? See if you can kriff him out of your system?”

“Fox! He has a riduur!”

Fox raised a singular eyebrow like the secret god he was.

“So? Very few vode are monogamous like that, and you don’t know that Kix is one of that few either if you don’t ask. I’m shocked you haven’t already. Like I said, least hesitant vod I know.”

Hex…really hadn’t thought of it like that…Oh Commander Fox he was a di’kut. He was putting so much emphasis on how Kix had looked and acted around him before the war that he wasn’t paying attention to the important things.

Like how Hex wasn’t Kix’ trainer anymore.

Hex didn’t have any sort of authority over Kix anymore. And Prost and Hetic were both very enthusiastic about Hex, at the very least, kriffing Kix. For his own good, they had told him. And that they were more than willing to open their relationship to fronty vode.

Oh my Commander Fox, they were spelling it out for him this whole kriffing time.

“I am going to have so much fun on this uninhabited island the fronties are taking us to.” Hex smirked, thinking about all the ways he was going to try and exhaust Kix (and maybe his riduur).

Oh he was looking forward to it now.

“There’s my CMO.” Fox smirked and then settled more fully, completely prepared for the drunk sleep that they both knew was coming.

Well there weren’t much better ways than this for Hex to spend his nights…yet.

Chapter 8: High Risk No Reward

Chapter Text

“Hello again, GNet. We are still unsuccessful in pinning down our Corrie, if you care, despite being able to dance with them, like in that vid Jesse recorded.” Fives’ face was front in center in the holo, his partner in crime notably absent.

He continued speaking, the holo bouncing a bit as the scenery behind the vod moved.

“But we’re back with some more Caring for your Corrie vids as we’re on our way to meet up with the Tranquility and General Windu’s 91^st Battalion on some no name uninhabited planet out in the middle of where ever the kriff we are.

“I know you all have been seeing…a lot from the GNet since our slicers managed to piece together how the Corries did it, and I get it, vode, I really do. The osik the Corries have had to deal with, it’s a lot. But that’s why I wanted to make these vids to begin with!

“The more we know about the Corries, the easier it is to interact with them and the better we can help them when something inevitably hits the fan!”

Fives smiled widely at the cam right as he passed through a set of doors that caused a loud clamor to echo in the speakers.

“Anyway. This vid is dedicated to something I know every vod will want to know.” The cam started to swing around and a rushed view of a mess hall was seen before the holo focused on a particular table of Corrie Red vode surrounded by Torrent Royal Blue.

Fives approached the group, which was where half the noise seemed to be coming from, and slotted himself into the table as another question was asked.

Subtitles appeared on the screen as a vod shouted out the question.

“Weirdest place you had to fetch a sleeping vod from?”

One of the Corries groaned and gestured to the Corrie next to them, not paying any attention to the noise around them, focused on a datapad that was painted Corrie Red.

“Where was the last place you fell asleep, Codex?”

The vod looked up. Their bucket was slightly modified with binocs and several different magnifying implements, and then they tilted it to the side like a confused tooka.

Several coos were picked up by the cam and Fives shushed some of the louder Torrents.

“…here?”

Choked laughing and the first Corrie shook their bucket.

“No, vod, back on Coruscant. We had to dig you out of somewhere strange, I remember that, but not exactly where.”

“Oh.”

The group quieted as they waited for the Corrie to respond, the first vod scooting closer and rubbing their hand up and down the side of the Tooka Corrie.

“Oh! Senator Etacks drainage system. They were…accused of being a spy and we needed…surveillance? I was down there for four days and fell asleep. You came and got me shortly after that…I think.”

The first Corrie nodded, like they were remembering everything that happened now that the other laid it all out for them.

“Your boot got stuck in an overflow pipe and you kicked it clean off and caused the house to flood with sewage.”

“…it was annoying…”

The Torrent crowd dissolved into laughter and Fives’ took the opportunity to speak to his cam while the noise was high enough that no one else could catch it.

“Apparently the Corries don’t realize that the GAR is absolutely flabbergasted by the weird osik they had to do on Coruscant, and will answer any question honestly. According to Lexicon over there,” the holo jerked in the direction of the first Corrie, “they take it as a challenge. And you’ll never meet a Corrie that doesn’t take on a challenge with single minded determination. Their words, not mine.”

“You broke a pipe in half because it was annoying?” one of the Torrent vode laughed, eyes lit up like it was the best thing he’d ever heard.

Codex looked down at their lap and nodded slowly, Lexicon wrapping their arm around their shoulders and still rubbing their hand up and down the other’s side.

“Lex could have done it better. Without flooding the Senator’s abode. I was just tired.”

“Vod, that is the most amazing thing I have ever heard in my life. You’re kandosii’la.”

“Oi, back down, vod. They’re probably spoken for.”

“You don’t know that!”

“Neither do you!”

“Shabuir!”

A tussle broke out on the edge of the gathered Torrents, but Fives didn’t move the cam from where it was focused on the pair of Corries.

They both had their buckets turned to the fight.

Fives’ cleared his throat and both of them turned back to the cam, Codex actually straightened up and reached his hands up to his helmet only for Lexicon to push them back down.

A sound of annoyance escaped the Corrie and the other Guard just rolled their bucket.

“You know the rules, Codex.”

“But it’s Fives? Flex likes him.”

The cam lifted slightly and wiggled a bit.

“Doesn’t matter. The Commander has rules for a reason. You like rules, why do you want to break this one?”

“I want to talk to Fives face to face. Flex likes him.” Codex emphasized the last part, their voice dropping a register as they looked at their fellow Guard.

Lexicon sighed.

“Fives isn’t the only one here, Codex.”

“But the he’s the only one that really matters, Con. Flex likes him.”

Indignant noises came from the rest of the Torrent vode, but Fives was already speaking before any of them could get truly in a tizzy. (The still scuffling pair notwithstanding.)

“What rules?”

Lexicon glanced over to Fives but ignored him, turning back to give their focus to Codex, who kept trying to lift their hands up to remove their bucket, for some reason?

“The Commander’s Rules on How to Stay Safe.” Codex answered, turning to Fives and batting away Lexicon’s hands that were trying to hold their own down.

Several Torrent vode paused at that.

“You need to keep your bucket on to stay safe?”

“Awww…you’re in vode space, vod, it’s always safe for a vod to de-shell here.”

Lexicon turned to the last trooper that spoke and their glare was heated enough that it could be felt through their bucket and the holo. The trooper flinched but didn’t back down.

“A Corrie is never safe.” They hissed.

Noises of sadness and outrage where sounding around, and Lexicon started to visibly bristle, Codex still trying to wriggle out of their grasp.

A few other Corrie Red vode started to come over, all in the eerie similar paint that the GAR was used to, hurrying the more visibly upset Lexicon got.

With fluidity a Jetii would envy, they circled around the two and kept the concerned Torrent troopers away while Lexicon stood and started dragging Codex away.

“Con! I want. To. Talk. To. Fives! Flex. Likes. Him!”

The holo followed the escaping Corries and picked up Fives muttering under his breath.

“Things to do list: figure out why Codex wants to talk to me…and Echo? Uncover Flex’ current hiding spot. Kriff that’s a lot to do for two things.”

The holo faded and a new scene popped up, with a group of Corries in a smaller room than the mess hall, quiet breathing coming through the holo speakers as it zoomed in on the Corries with some bars interrupting the view.

“Codex, I know you want to talk to Fives and Echo, but you can’t deshell in front of them.”

“I was not! I just wanted to take my bucket off!”

The vod called Codex was mostly deshelled now, only in their blacks and noticeably skinnier than the other vode in the room, also deshelled.

Their hair was pulled back in a loose bun, strands falling into their mismatched eyes as they glared up at the first vod that spoke.

“You know why you of all vode can’t do that.”

“This is not fair, Con! Lex said that those were Coruscant Rules! We are not on Coruscant! They should not apply!” Codex stomped their foot and crossed their arms, blue and brown eyes glaring at the other Corrie, likely Lexicon.

“Cod’ika…” Lexicon reached out like they were going to hug the other vod but Codex flinched back.

“No! I do not want to be touched right now! Why are you changing the rules, Con?! This is not fair! Lex said you would not do that to me!”

Lexicon’s face remained impassive but their eyes were bright with hurt as Codex started to tear up, biting their lip and looking away.

“I’m not, Cod’ika…it’s just…I know Flex likes those vode, that they learned about them while they were on Triple Zero, but a room full of Torrent vode is not being in just a room with Flex’ crushes. It isn’t safe.”

“None of them talk about decommissioning, it is like it does not even happen out here, and…their Captain has blond hair…if that is okay…why not this.” Codex gestured to their face and looked back at their vod.

A notably clearer voice made a punched out sound, but the cam zoomed in on the Corries as they continued like they didn’t hear it.

“We don’t know that for sure, Codex, gedet’ye.”

“They all deshell when they are not on shift! Every single one of them! They have actual tattoos and dyed hair and some of them have lighter color eyes and they are still here! I just want to talk to Fives and Echo…Flex really likes them, Con…please.”

Lexicon pursed their lips, drawing attention to a series of small scars that followed the bottom lip down their chin and neck and into their blacks, almost like a beard. A few of the other Corries shuffled closer to the two, soothing noises and small vocalizations barely making it to the recorder as they got closer.

Codex glared at them and they stopped moving, turning back to Lexicon with wide tooka eyes…somehow more effective with the two tone colors.

“Maybe…maybe we can approach them for you…ask them to meet you, us, in a more controlled setting. Not our bunks…but maybe a smaller conference room? One of those unused ones we keep seeing?”

Folded like wet flimsy.

Codex visibly brightened at the concession and lunged to wrap their arms around Lexicon, emphasizing the size difference between the two. Lexicon let a small smile spread across their scarred lips as they wrapped their arms around the smaller vod and lifted.

A small squeak escaped and the rest of the Corries piled in.

The holo faded as clattering echoed.

The next scene was back in the mess, another squad of Corries but this time surrounded by Ghost vode.

“So we were told you Corries don’t remove your buckets for safety reasons. How hard is that to maintain? You must want a break from the HUD every now and then right?”

One of the Corries turned to look at the Torrent vod with Commander Fox’ patented Disappointed in You Bucket Stare™. The vod, Lieutenant Waxer based on previous vids, just smirked irritatingly and waited.

“Obviously. But disobeying Commander Fox’ rules is never advised.” The low cadence of the voice marked the Corrie as Captain Lex, but the holo panned down to catch sight of the kama before snapping back up to their face, just to confirm.

“Yeah we saw that vid. That was you, right? Captain Lex? The one who said that the Corries have Commander Fox?” another Ghost trooper, with longer than regulation hair, visibly the shiny ARC Wooley, asked excitedly.

Lex merely nodded.

“What’s it like working with a vod as kandosii’la as Commander Fox?”

To the shock of surrounding Ghost troopers, and some of the Corries, Lex took their helmet off, and made sure to look Wooley right in the eyes before they spoke.

The cam zoomed in on their face. Slightly longer than regulation curls, bright blue eyes, and surgical scars as far as the eye could see graced their face. The smirk only brought out those features and all of Ghost leaned in to listen as Lex started to speak.

“Vod’ika. I mean this with every ounce of honesty in my body, but Fox is just another vod.”

Wooley, half of Ghost, and a few of the Corries gasped loudly enough to crackle in the speakers and Lex laughed at them.

“Hound and I turned Fox into a deity to give the Corries someone to look to for guidance. Not to mention, Fox will always have the best interests of the Guard in his mind as he plots his way around the galaxy, no doubt about that. But he has wants, needs, and problems just like every other vod.

“He’s just better about hiding it. And he does enough dini’la things in front of Guard Corries that he might as well be a deity. Especially the osik we caught on cam. That is golden.”

Silence except for the distant chattering of the other vode in the mess that weren’t involved with this crazy conversation.

“…you got it on cam?” Waxer asked, clearly plotting something by the way his eyes were flitting from vod to vod.

Lex snorted.

“You have the backlog from the GuardNet, right? Just look for the #CommanderFoxIt tag.”

“Done. Now…what’s the fastest you’ve ever taken down a vod?”

Lex look unimpressed.

“You watched me do it. Probably a second.”

A whimper sounded from somewhere in the back of the crowd and Lex’ face flattened like their voice.

“Really not interested, vode. I happily have a singular riduur and I do NOT do sex. Ever.”

“How come there’s so little about your vod’ika on the GuardNet?” A blond Ghost vod asked, their datapad in their hands and scrolling through it while they asked.

Lex raised a singular eyebrow.

“Which one?”

The blond looked up.

“Oh right. You’re the ori’vod for your batch. Your youngest then? Codex?”

Something happened during that sentence and Lex completely switched into a different vod. A snarl ripped out of their mouth and across their face and they slammed their hands on the table to lunge at the blond causing the Ghost troopers to scatter.

“Why the Commander Fox do you know their Name?”

“It-uh, it was mentioned? At some point? Are we-are we not supposed to?”

“No!” Lex growled and one of the other Corries placed their hand on one of Lex’ shoulders, bodily pulling them back from lunging at the talkative Ghost.

“Lex. Udesii. They’re vode, not natborns, or Kaminiise.” This vod had a higher voice but spoke softly, even as Lex turned around and hissed at them.

“Do NOT, Lex.” The Corrie got right back in the ARC Captain’s face, their own kama swishing around their legs as they did.

The holo panned around the area, all of the Ghosts and Corries were watching the stare down, the blond Ghost getting paler and paler as they realized they had stepped on a landmine there.

A tense silence.

Then the Corrie grabbed Lex by the vambrace, tucked the Captain’s bucket under their other arm and stalked off, ignoring the growling vod they were pulling behind them.

The holo and all the other vode watched them go.

Collectively, the Ghosts turned to the leftover Corries.

One of them let out the biggest full body sigh, lifted their helmet off of their heads and shook out shockingly long jet black hair. Only one scar stretched from just under their chin, straight down their neck and into their blacks.

“The Captain has been protecting Codex their whole life, vod. You have to understand that you stepped in osik there that you really shouldn’t have.”

“I was just interested in how they managed to code the GuardNet in the first place…I was one of the slicers that helped make the GNet and it was really impressive what they did originally…They’re just never mentioned in the vids.”

The Corrie blinked at the blond Ghost slowly, before nodding once.

“My name is Crypt, she/her. I’m one of Captain Lex’ formal ARCs.”

“Chrys. 212^th Ghost slicer…why is Captain Lex so protective of their youngest?”

Crypt sighed.

“You saw Cap’s eyes? Blue? Their littlest batcher has one light brown eye and one blue eye…the Kaminiise were fascinated that something like that could happen in their products and did a lot of tests on Codex. More so than on Lex who has the only other genetic deviation in that batch. As soon as they got their buckets Lex wouldn’t let Codex take it off. They would rather take the heat for being imperfect than Codex.”

A few of the other Corries took their buckets off as well, varying hair lengths and facial scars, very few with any facial hair, and one with a bright green cybernetic eye.

“That makes sense…I’ll be sure to apologize the next time I see them.” Chrys spoke quietly, looking back down at his datapad.

“See that you do.” Crypt nodded, before she smiled at the rest of them. “Sorry that you had to see our second pull her riduur out of here.”

Waxer visibly blanched.

“That was Cantina?!”

The vid faded out.

--

“Fox. I am kidnapping you from your kidnappers to do some shenanigans because I’m bored and I miss the GuardNet.” Quinlan spoke quietly into Fox’ ear as he wrapped his arms around Fox’ waist and pulled him out of the room.

Fox was not amused.

He was trying to figure things out with the GAR still, trying to see if maybe it was safe. Safe for the Guard to let loose like they did back in their hidden barracks on Coruscant.

There was no time for shenanigans.

“Quinlan…I really can’t.”

Quinlan licked the shell of Fox’ ear and he, despite his denials later, squeaked at the feeling and went slack in his lover’s grip.

“I wasn’t asking, ankai’a. This is for your own good. You’ve been practically despondent any time we’re not actively kriffing or right after. It’s not like you and you have Hex and Lex and Apex worried.”

“Apex is too busy sexting Ponds to be worried.” Fox grumbled under his breath but didn’t struggle as Quinlan shifted him around so he could walk easier.

“And Lex is busy trying to figure out why Chrys is curious about Codex and Hex is plotting his romantic slash sexy meet up with CMO Kix and his riduur when we finally land, I know. But Foxy, babe, I know they’re worried deep down beyond all that.”

Fox sighed and relaxed against Quinlan’s body, humming slightly as his Jetii tucked his hands into Fox’ blacks, making small circles with soft leather against his cool skin.

“I just want to make sure it’s safe.”

“Would you feel better if I told you I felt nothing but protectiveness and worry emanating from the 212^th and their Generals?”

“…no…I need to know for sure, Quinlan. And I’m not Force sensitive, I can’t feel what you do.”

“Mmmm. Only when it counts. But that’s fair. What about my word? If I swear to you to the Force and your own Name that you and your vode are safe here?”

Fox’ breath hitched.

There was no way that Quinlan felt that confident, that he’d swear on Fox’ Name that there was nothing to fear here, far from where they’re used to and the haran that grew accustomed to.

“Would you?”

“Fox, celo, I swear to you on the Force, and your Name that no harm will come to you or your Guard vode while you are with the 212^th and the 501^st.” Quinlan’s voice was solemn, even as he managed to work his hands into Fox’ lower blacks and cup his shebs.

Shabuir.

“Yeah…yeah I can accept that.” Fox settled in, prepared for wherever Quinlan was going to take him for whatever shenanigans he had in mind.

It was probably their bunk, and shenanigans were probably sex, but Fox was more than happy with that.

The best thing to come out of this whole kidnapping osik is that Quinlan has managed to have Fox incoherent more often than he was coherent. Funny, how much higher his sex drive was when he wasn’t being run into the ground to fix senator’s mistakes or be their toy for the evening.

(Funny, how much higher his sex drive was when the only sex he was having is the kind he craved and wanted from the man he craved and wanted it from.)

To Fox’ surprise, Quinlan was carrying him to the Negotiator’s mess. The osi’kovid didn’t even bother taking his hands out of Fox’ blacks when they got there, just walked in like he owned the place.

(Fox would never to Quinlan to his face how kriffing hot that was. Quinlan gave no osik and took no osik and did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, regardless of consequences. It was so different from Fox that he couldn’t help but find it attractive.)

Quinlan carried him over to a table filled with Corries and several Ghosts, all surprisingly bare faced, and set him down, gave him a kiss on the bucket and walked off to get them food.

Fox just blinked after his Jetii.

Then Crypt knocked into him from the side.

Crypt whose long hair was proudly displayed along with their singular facial scar.

“Felt like taking off your bucket, vode?”

Fox watched placidly as several of his Corries flushed at the question, but Crypt just gave him one of her pretty smiles and flashed a hand sign for safety.

He echoed it.

The rest of the Guard in the vicinity deflated and Fox joined them in being bare faced, taking off his own bucket and placing it between his feet. Never lose a potential weapon if you don’t have to, after all.

One or two of the Ghosts gave an appreciative whistle that Fox didn’t respond to, just staring blandly back.

“So…Commander…how’d you bag a Jetii no one knew about?” one of them asked and Fox raised a brow in their direction. Someone discovered that Corries have no filter and take questions from vode to be challenges, it seems.

Fox was not excluded from this.

“Found him in the trash levels and then he wouldn’t leave me alone. Decided to kriff him to see if that would make him back off but somehow it just made it worse and now we’re effectively attached at the brain.”

One of the Ghosts choked.

Two of his Corries high fived and exchanged swift hand signs about a bet and collecting what they’re due that Fox ignored. If he pretended the bets didn’t exist then he didn’t have to deal with them.

“Fives and Echo showed me the vid where you said Vos is normally the one kriffing you…that how it happened the first time?”

Fox smirked on the inside but smiled genially on the outside.

Time to mess with some fronties.

“That is how I was most used to doing it at the time, yes.”

The same Ghost choked again. Someone needs to get that vod into some OpSec training, they were terrible at hiding what they’re feeling.

“I am not shocked at all that you were getting some that early in the war, the vid made it seem like the two of you happened pretty soon after deployment.”

“My first time was three days after my deployment.” Crypt spoke nonchalantly, taking some heat from Fox, not that he needed it.

“Mine was two.” Coffin added, sitting next to his batcher with his regular glare on his face, daring the Ghosts to make anything of it.

“I got a whole tenday before mine.” Crook chimed in, Crypt and Coffin both ruffling his hair as he smiled at them.

(Crypt and Coffin took one look at that eight year old and decided he was their responsibility and managed to keep the senator’s off of him for the longest than any other shiny.)

Fox watched as it slowly dawned on the 212^th troopers that they were not talking about the same kind of sex. A few of them looked very confused, including Sergeant Boil, while Lieutenant Waxer looked absolutely horrified. That vod got it.

Before any other Guard could pipe in, or Waxer could put a stop to it, Quinlan showed back up with a whole cart of food that he distributed to every Guard at the table, mentioning each of them by name as he did so.

Fox’ smile softend.

Kriff did he love that man.

“Anyway. I was on Coruscant for three hours before mine.” Fox spoke nonchalantly, enjoying the taste of the rations that the 212^th seemed to get on a regular basis.

Lieutenant Waxer let out a pained sound and Quinlan looked at Fox confused before sitting next to him and digging in to his own food.

“We’re not talking about the same thing, are we?” the blond Ghost asked, voice quiet and eyes wide.

Well, Quinlan did want to start shenanigans.

“Sex, right?”

The table was quiet except for the sounds of the Corries enjoying food that didn’t taste like a desert and with the same texture.

Quinlan was quiet, even as his hand wrapped around Fox’ waist. He knew exactly what they were talking about, and while he appreciated their dark humor about it all, he still wasn’t a fan of thinking about it happening.

To any of the Guard.

Especially not after he became Fox’ go to for after care.

“Consensual sex.” Lieutenant Waxer specified, voice and face just as pained as they were earlier when he realized what Fox and the Corries were joking about.

A few of his Guard actually paused at that clarification, brows furrowing and looking between each other like none of them had the answer to that.

“No.” Fox answered for them, continuing to eat even as the table’s silence took on an angrier flavor.

Nothing they could do about it now.

They had already taken the Guard off of Coruscant. That was more than Fox could do.

He definitely wanted to get up to some shenanigans with Quinlan now. Anything to forget about how badly he failed so many of his vod’ike.

Anything.

Chapter 9: Bad Decisions

Chapter Text

A blank holo with a white title of “The Negotiator is Haunted. I have Proof.”.

An old screen of static flashed and a holo opened up to a dark long hallway from a Venator, the cam moving from side to side in standard patrol protocol.

The voice of the vod was low but you could still make out their words as they spoke under their breath.

“It’s okay. The Negotiator is not haunted, you know it’s not haunted, and General Kenobi personally assured you that it’s not haunted. It’s fine. You can go on a patrol without your squad. They wanted to get to know the Corries and it’s your turn…it’s only fair…they’ll take the next ones-”

They cut themselves off as a high pitched cackle echoed in the tight hallway and the holo froze, the trooper’s breathing not even heard in the silence after the sound.

After a minute or two a deep gulp of air was heard and the holo started to inch forward slowly, carefully looking from side to side as they started their patrol back up.

Not even a second after their breathing had evened out, the cackle sounded again, louder and higher.

The cam started to go faster a low mantra echoing in the speakers.

“It’s just your imagination, the Negotiator is not haunted. The General said so. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not haunted. The Negotiator is not ha-”

A louder cackle cut off the low voice, and the holo pitched forward and slammed into durasteel, the loud clanking of plastoid meeting durasteel echoing after the laugh.

The vod curled up and clutched their vambrace comm. Shaking fingers coated in gold paint came into view and tapped at something on the comm, breath coming in sharp spurts and gasps.

“Vod’ika? Me’vaar ti gar?”

“Gaa’tayl, ni chaabarnyc, Rip…” the vod spoke weakly, their voice shaking as they answered the vod on the comm.

“We’ll be right there, Tare! Hang on!! Vode, k’olar!”

The vid sped up until a half a squad of vode showed up on it, a single wail sounding before it went black.

Another frame of old static and the holo reformed into a new location.

It was a kitchen, and there was a vod clearly seen as they slowly put dirty plates, mugs, and trays into a large commercial grade dish sonic, whistling happily as they did.

Whoever was whistling was quiet, a low humming but nothing else coming from that close to the cam, the holo shifting down every now and then to swinging gold shelled legs before moving back to the vod loading the dish sonic.

The vid sped up, the stack on the counter never ending as the sonic started to get more and more full, the vod filling it looking more and more concerned as the time flew by.

It went back to regular speed in time for the vod with the cam to speak up.

“Are you okay, vod?”

“Yeah…it’s just weird. I swore there was only enough dishes to barely fill the sonic but now it looks like there are too many to fit.”

“It’s probably the ghost.”

“Tare, vod, there is not a ghost on the Negotiator.”

“You saw my helm vid too, Catch. I wasn’t hallucinating that.”

“Yeah, well I think if there was a ghost they’d have better things to do than make more dishes appear for me to do.” Catch looked away from the stack of dishes on the counter, the holo looking over to the side of the room at the same time.

When it turned back, the stack of dishes were gone.

Tare let out a shocked squawk and Catch jerked up, looking first to their vod then to the counter, jumping into the air at the lack of dishes.

“What the kriff?”

Catch looked all over the counter, pushing at it and the wall behind it, looking underneath the cabinets and in the sink.

A small whimper and Catch was suddenly right there next to Tare, making soothing sounds and reaching out for a hug.

The holo blacked out briefly as Tare accepted the hug, when the two separated and the cam was aimed back at the empty counter there were now twice as many dishes as there were the first time.

“Oh my Force, we might actually be haunted.” Catch spoke with a wobble, staying right next to Tare in the holo and refusing to move.

While the cam was focused on the stack, several of the plates started to float, both vode let out a scream and ran out of the room.

Another scene of static.

The next holo opened to the Negotiator mess hall, several vode gathered around a table with one or two in Corrie red popping up in the sea of 212^th gold.

“I’m telling you! The Negotiator is haunted! You’ve all seen my helm vids! I wasn’t making it up! I wasn’t hallucinating either! We’re haunted!”

Chuckles sounded throughout the space and a few of the gold troopers leaned over and knocked their bracers against the upset vod.

“Come on, Tare. General Kenobi himself told us that the Negotiator isn’t haunted. There has to be some other reason why you caught all that osik on cam. And it’s NOT a ghost.”

A huff sounded from right next to the cam, and it jerked to the side to glare at one of the floor vents on the other side of the room.

And was in perfect position to catch the vent grate wiggle.

Tare let out a strangled sound, catching the attention of the vode around them. The Corries straightening and looking in the same direction, all making contemplative hums as they notice the same thing Tare did before turning back to their food.

The cam flitted from vod to vod and a strangled enraged shriek sounded out.

Now everyone was looking at the vod with visible concern.

“Tare, vod’ika, it’s okay…there’s nothing to be afraid of.” One of the gold troopers next to the cam spoke soothingly, their hand swinging out to pat the distressed vod, but the holo stayed focused on the shaking vent cover.

“The Corries saw it too! I’m not dini’la! The Negotiator is haunted!” they screeched at the table, one of their gold greaves showing up as they pointed at the red clad vode.

All of the Corries didn’t even glance up, just kept eating, their faces placid and relaxed, even as the vent cover kept rattling.

Another enraged shriek, but before any of the other vode could try again at calming the trooper to calm down a loud screeching cackle echoed in the mess.

Abruptly all movement in the mess halted.

Except for the Corries who kept eating.

“That’s it! The Negotiator isn’t haunted! The Corries are!” The holo jerked up and gold hands started flitting in and out of the view as the vod got themselves well and truly worked up.

“They saw the vids, they say what I just saw, everyone heard that just now! They aren’t responding because they’re used to it! We rescued the Corries and brought their ghosts with us!”

The vod kept shouting even as several gold clad troopers sighed and moved to calm them down, the holo jerking from side to side.

Right before it cut out, a handful of Corries were caught on screen with devilish grins and mischievous eyes.

--

“I didn’t even think about the fact that being on the Negotiator would bring about a whole new host of vode to torment. Thanks, Quinlan, I really needed that.” Fox smiled to himself as he shimmied out of the vent he was hiding in.

Quinlan was barely muffling his chuckles as he helped, his own actions in causing that poor shiny to snap no doubt at the forefront of his mind.

The Force was a useful tool in convincing non-sensitives that they were haunted.

“You’re just excited that the poor shiny is more and more convinced the ship is haunted the more you mess with them. The Guard figured you out after a few weeks. This poor kid is going to be scared out of his wits for months.”

Fox rolled his eyes and Quinlan copped a feel while helping him onto the floor.

He copped his own when he turned to wrap his arms over Quinlan’s shoulders, smiling as he kissed the grin off of his Jetii. Fox enjoyed kissing Quinlan, especially when they weren’t expected anywhere and could take their time.

But he had a point to make.

Fox pulled back, smiling at Quinlan’s whine when the movement caused him to dislodge his tongue from Fox’ mouth, and stared right into beautiful brown eyes before speaking.

“One of my Corries is going to let him in on the joke, cyare, don’t worry about it. The vod’ika will be fine, and will likely keep up the ruse that they think the Guard is haunted just to kriff with their squad, who didn’t believe them.”

Quinlan kissed his cheek a few times before leaving his lips there, speaking against Fox’ skin just to enjoy the shudders that raced through him at the feeling, probably.

“Is that what happened with the Guard?”

“’lek.”

“And they just let you keep scaring shinies?”

Fox sighed, moving away far enough to lock eyes with Quinlan again.

“Quinlan. They were just happy that I was interested in doing something outside of protecting my vode and badly coping with what was happening to us on Coruscant. Even the shinies, when they found out I was the one kriffing with them.”

Quinlan smiled sadly and raised one of Fox’ armored forearms to his lips, placing feather-light kisses he couldn’t even enjoy to the plastoid over the scars he had memorized.

The only scars on Fox’ body that he put there with his own hand.

“You are strong, celo. Strong and capable and resistant and so damn brave that it’s hard to believe you exist some days. This only made you stronger, and you made your survival an inspiration to those who look up to you. It’s no wonder the Guard refers to you as their deity.”

Fox felt his face flush.

Stupid kriffing Jetii, he had no right to make Fox blush like this. Especially not for something as simple as not dying.

As if sensing his denial, Quinlan knocked their heads together, still securely holding Fox’ forearm, his eyes glistening.

“You don’t have to agree with me, ankai’a. I know the rest of the Guard does, and that gives us majority.”

Quinlan’s stupid smirk was just asking to be kissed off of his face, so Fox did.

They stayed in that maintenance hallway for a while, kissing and holding and hugging before Quinlan started to giggle too hard for them to continue.

Fox sighed and pulled away, staring up at his Kiffar with raised brows and waiting for the man to tell him what exactly was funny enough to distract him from kissing Fox.

(Not that they didn’t kiss plenty, but Fox greatly enjoyed right now in particular because he just had a bit of fun and was relaxed in a way that he doesn’t normally get without a good kriffing.)

“Nothing, love, just thought of a fun idea for our next bout of shenanigans. This time you get to get the entirety of the 212^th and your Guard get to help with this one.” Quinlan’s smirk was so kriffing sexy and he just kissed Fox’ cheek again before moving his hand to grab Fox’ and pull him out of the maintenance hallway.

Oh well, there would be other times to kiss.

Shenanigans were exceedingly rare for Fox to enjoy.

--

“Okay, but you all don’t actually think that Commander Fox is a deity, right? Like it’s a joke or something that the whole Guard is in on?”

“Didn’t Captain Lex say that they and Hound turned Commander Fox into a deity on purpose? Surely the whole Guard knows that and don’t actually think he’s all seeing or all knowing, right?”

Once more the holo was in the Negotiator mess, a table of several Corries once again surrounded by the gold clad vode of Ghost. This time most of the Guard weren’t wearing their buckets, but they did have them firmly grasped with their feet underneath the table.

One of the Corrie’s eyes narrowed, shifting the scars by their eyes as they glared at the two vode who had just questioned them.

“Commander Fox is better than any deity in existence because he actually exists and is there for us no matter what.”

“Plus he is all seeing and all knowing.”

The Corries played off of each other, and they all collectively stared at the offending troopers with the (now normal to see) Guard Dead Stare™.

One of the Ghosts scoffed.

“There’s no way Commander Fox is all seeing or all knowing. He’s still just a vod, Captain Lex said so.”

“Only because you can’t handle the idea of someone finding out about your banned supplies black market, Corporal Spector.”

The table froze at the voice, the holo slowly panning to the side to see the vod in question, bare faced and looking bored, staring right at the Ghost that had just spoke.

Said Ghost was frozen, several of their squad mates doing the same, eyes wide as they also turned slowly to look at the Corrie Commander.

“You-there’s no way you can know that!” the vod, Spector, shouted, pointing dramatically at Commander Fox as Quinlan Vos slowly sauntered up the the Guard’s side.

As the Commander raised a singular brow, and the Jetii curled a possessive arm around the Corrie’s waist and snickered, he spoke, very clearly, “can’t I?”

The holo flitted back to the Ghost and caught them opening and closing their mouth like they couldn’t believe what was happening. A glint appeared in their eye, gaping face transforming into a confident one, tilting their head slightly back like they had a winning sabbac hand.

“You only know that because you had your Jetii read my mind. Everyone knows they can do that. You’re not really all seeing or all knowing.”

Vos scoffed, the holo just barely picking up the muttered, “that’s not how the Force works”, before Commander Fox responded.

“Yeah? Your riduur in the 91^st thinks differently. And unlike you, they’ve had more than a single conversation with their Jetii and knows how the Force works.”

The whole mess quieted, several of the gold clad vod now staring at Spector with varying emotions flitting on their faces. Shock, awe, glee, surprise, manic joy, and anger to name a few.

“Her name is Clout isn’t it? How is she doing with her change to medic track after her last engagement? Does she enjoy it more than being a heavy gunner?”

Each word that came out of Commander Fox’ mouth seemed to physically strike Spector in the chest as he faltered and more 212^th vode around him got closer, curiosity rife amongst them.

The holo panned back to Commander Fox and his Jetii in time to catch them sharing a sappy smile before the Corrie made a few hand signs at the seated Guard before turning back around and exiting the mess with less aplomb that he arrived with.

“Kriff, I believe in Commander Fox now. Someone teach me the prayers. With a vod like that watching over me I don’t think I could possibly be safer.” One of the Ghosts settled between the Corries and looked between them.

The cam shook a little.

“Vod’ika really?”

“Well I’m not going to ask him to join me in bunk and having him as my deity is the next best option. In fact, you should join me, ori’vod. I saw you adjusting your codpiece.”

The voice right next to the cam speakers choked before approaching the table, all of the Corries practically beaming at the vod before they started speaking.

The holo faded out to a sharp, “Commander Fox knows all and sees all, never think he doesn’t know what osik you’ve been up to because you’d be wrong.”

--

“Sergeant Hound. I heard you were one of the vode that turned Commander Fox into a deity for the Guard. How did you do it?”

Grizzer’s head snapping up was more of a clue for Hound that someone was approaching him than the voice was, considering they were talking into his bad ear.

(Both of his ears were bad ears, he couldn’t hear osik but he was good a reading lips (when he had to) and his vode always signed when they talked. But kriff if these fronties were osik at it.

It was supposed to be standard to sign while you talk! It wasn’t just a Guard thing, it couldn’t be! It just made sense!)

“What?”

Hound was looking right at the trooper, who wasn’t wearing any identifying armor and just their blacks, which was still a novelty. The only thing Hound knew for sure was that they weren’t a Corrie so probably a 212^th trooper, if not a Ghost.

“Turning Commander Fox into a deity, how did you do it?” The vod repeated, shorter and slower, which Hound appreciated.

He frowned anyway.

Hound didn’t turn Fox into a deity. He was already halfway there when Lex approached him with their idea to give the vod’ike something to look towards when in the midst of haran.

And he told the trooper that.

They frowned.

“How could he have been halfway there?” the trooper got closer to Hound and Grizzer growled like a good girl, he could feel her vibrations.

The vod took a step back and Hound chuckled while he skritched at Grizzer’s spine, giving her some positive reinforcement for taking her job seriously. She lolled her tongue out and made happy noises as he did.

What a good girl.

“When you witness some of the osik that Commander Fox managed on a daily basis, it’s easy to put him up on a pedestal. And when you’re trying to give your vod’ike some kind of higher power to look to, that pedestal makes it fifty times easier.”

Hound kept scratching Grizzer, smiling while he spoke as she turned over so he could get at her belly and some of the dry scales there. She was due to start shedding soon. She was going to get all the scratches she could.

The trooper tried to approach again, making some sort of vocal sound that Hound couldn’t hear but could see their throat moving. But Grizzer started growling again, the vod immediately stopping and backing back up, hands up in surrender.

“Diryci, Grizzer. They don’t want to hurt me…probably.”

Hurt flashed across the trooper’s face followed shortly by sadness then resignation and settled on resolution.

Hound idly wondered what they had resolved in their head.

“Nu draar, vod. I was just curious about how Commander Fox became a deity, even your medic, sorry CMO, uses his name as a swear. It’s awe inspiring. Was trying to see if I could do the same to Commander Cody.”

The trooper stayed where he was, even if Hound had already ordered Grizzer to stand down, and he appreciated that a little bit more than he expected.

“Tion gar gai, verd?”

“Ni Trapper, he/him. Gar?”

Hound laughed.

“You already know who I am, Trapper. You’re the one who approached me about making Fox a deity. Lex and I were the ones who did that, and I already know the 212^th knows that. I am clearly not Lex and they did Name me in that vid.”

Trapper got a little closer, slowly pressing their hand out for Grizzer to sniff as they did. Hound approved.

“Yeah, but I don’t know you. In fact no one has been able to chat with you since you got on the Negotiator. We just keep seeing you, or your big as kriff massiff, out of the corner of our eyes. Kind of like the ghost Tare is positive we have now.”

Hound laughed again, appreciating the smile it caused to grace Trapper’s face. The vod was very handsome when he smiled.

“There’s no ghost, Trapper.”

“That’s what we’ve been telling Tare, but he has holo proof and he’s not letting it go.” Trapper shook his head as they sat next to Grizzer on the floor, giving her his own skritches after she approved of his smell.

(Hound appreciated beyond believe that Trapper didn’t try to get any closer to him. Appreciated that he was focusing on Grizzer and letting the massiff be between them as they chatted. It made Hound infinitely more comfortable.

A part of his brain that sounds remarkably like Commander Fox said that Trapper was doing that on purpose so that Hound would feel safe around him. Whether that was as innocuous as it sounded or part of a larger play remained to be seen.

But Hound would stay positive. That was the kind of vod he was, after all. And Trapper did look very nice when he smiled.)

“No, I don’t think you understand. There’s no ghost, Trapper. It’s Commander Fox having some fun.” Hound chuckled as he spoke.

It was fantastic when his vod’ike told him about Fox picking up his habit of kriffing with the new troopers, even after they were kidnapped. It meant that Hound’s commander was getting comfortable and that this new space they’ve been forced into just might be safe for them.

“Me’ven??” Trapper’s head snapped up to look at Hound, jaw dropped and shining brown eyes wide, eyebrows raised high.

Hound laughed.

“Yeah he did it to shinies on Coruscant whenever he felt up to it. Fox is really good at getting into places and moving fast. He had half the battalion convinced we were haunted before he had his Jetii to help him out. Then Crypt caught him in the vents and it all went down chute from there.”

Hound let Trapper process that, watching the vod absent-mindedly pet Grizzer while he stared at her without seeing her.

He could relate.

Finding out it was just Fox made Hound incredibly relieved, and then learning it was the Commander’s way of blowing off steam made the weeks of paranoia worth it.

Anything to get the light back into his eyes after Hound had to watch it slowly get smothered on Coruscant.

Marshall Commander Fox was absolutely wasted on the Guard and Hound will die on that moon.

“When he felt up to it?”

Hound sighed.

Why did all the fronties sound so concerned about Guard phrasing? How much of the GuardNet hit differently with them than it did the Corries?

“Did you see the vid with Fox’ speech about scars and tattoos?” Trapper nodded. “You saw his forearms?” A slower nod. “He was depressed. The only way he felt like he was in control was to methodically scar himself. He could control his pain, he couldn’t control the senators. A little light-hearted scaring isn’t going to phase the Guard if it means we can hear the Commander laugh while it happens.”

They sat in silence and Hound watched Trappers face as he categorized everything Hound had just told him.

He was taking a big risk in even talking about it to a frontie.

The Commander was private but he wasn’t ashamed of what he did to survive, none of the Guard were, but that didn’t mean any of them liked thinking or talking about it.

A few emotions flitted across Trappers face before it settled on determination. For what, Hound couldn’t say, but it was somehow more attractive than his smile.

(Was Hound experiencing what the fronties were but in reverse? He’s gone through years of deployment and enough trauma to put him off attraction and romance forever but here he is…getting attracted to a Commander Foxed frontie.)

“Then it’s good that he feels safe doing it on the Negotiator. I’m glad more of the Guard are getting comfortable showing us their faces. Your scars tell a story that we don’t know the details of, but we do know its kandosii.”

Hound scoffed.

Before Trapper could question him he ripped off his own bucket.

Let the vod see how kandosii Hound’s scars are.

Trapper fell silent, eyes roving across Hound’s face like it was a puzzle he wanted to put together. No doubt he could see the large hand-sized scars on either side of his head, covering where his ears used to be and large portions of his cheeks.

His hair was styled in a Mohawk simply to make him look slightly more put together considering no hair grew on the scarred parts of his head. A scar cut through the left side of his mouth, deep enough that Hound couldn’t fully close his mouth anymore and he was missing the few teeth that should have been visible by the cut.

It wasn’t the worst anyone in the Guard looked. Not by a long shot. Hound’s eyes were left remarkably alone, and he didn’t have any of the small scars the “favored” vode of the senators got, but his scars gave him disabilities that should have had him decommissioned.

If it weren’t for Commander Fox and Captain Lex’ quick thinking it would have happened too.

Luckily, massiff handlers weren’t expected to interact with the public often and they were able to keep him in the hidden medbay long enough to be functional.

It didn’t stop the senators that happened to like their vode more battle scarred, but it did save Hound from some of the worst perpetrators.

Doesn’t mean Hound didn’t wish it had never happened to begin with.

He’d never regret saving his vod’ike but he certainly regretted that he couldn’t save them anymore after it happened.

“…kandosii’la.” Trapper breathed out, his eyes shining, and Hound felt the few parts of his cheeks that were still capable of it heating up.

Hound threw his hands out and started signing along with his voice, now that he wasn’t hiding his deformities.

“Don’t say that. None of what happened to me was stunning.”

Trapper got a hard look in his eyes that Hound recognized from Lex and Cantina trying to beat some self-worth into Fox whenever they could, his own hands flying out and signing almost as fluidly as Hound did.

“No, but you surviving and making it here is. Especially considering that you kept the most important part of you, you.”

Hound was not going to cry in front of a frontie about this, not when it was something that his own troopers have been trying to get him to understand for months since it happened.

Grizzer whined lightly, shifting to put her massive head on Hound’s lap and he curled around her, letting his shoulders hitch slightly as the tears started despite what he wanted.

Then there was a warm hand over his neck, just as bare as the part of Hound it was touching, and he sighed at the feeling.

It was so kriffing nice.

Trapper was so kriffing nice.

And as much as Hound hated to, and Commander Fox did he really hate to, he was going to have to approach his ori’vode on how to court someone into his bunk.

Kriff, Apex was never going to let him live this down.