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tup-ika-5385 · 5 days

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Knockout Ch. 17

Chapter Summary:

Commander Fox, Dogma, and the others meet with an important contact, and Jesse has an important meeting with the General.

Fic Summary:

Six months after the trials of Umbara, Tup and Dogma are growing into themselves as well-established members of the 501st. Tup's been training more with Fives and Jesse, set on an ARC trooper promotion, and even Dogma has found a place in medical, where his intense focus and organization are both needed and appreciated.

While practicing for his medic exams, Dogma find some worrying abnormalities in Tup's numbers, making some worrying discoveries. As Tup's condition worsens, help comes from unlikely sources as Dogma, Kix, Fives, and Hardcase fight to discover the truth and save their brother.

A Sequel to the fic "A Series of Hard Knocks," focusing on Tup and Dogma as they discover a nefarious plot. Can be read as a stand-alone!

Chapter 17: Plums

Seven hours of sleep in the Corrie medbay felt downright heavenly after the week Dogma has had. He’d stirred faintly at one point when Rex pulled the thin sheet back over him during the night before falling back asleep for another couple hours. As Dogma rubbed at tired eyes, he mentally applauded the Captain for his patience even as he berated himself for sleeping as long as he had. With the chips still out in the open, they didn’t have time to rest.

At least he wasn’t the only one, Dogma thought as he glanced around the medbay to find Fives and Warthog still asleep on their own medbeds, even if their IV’s had been removed by now. Hardcase and Tup had apparently joined him in the portion of the medbay filled with cots rather than medical beds, which Dogma hadn’t stopped to notice when he’d been stumbling to any available flat surface, running on barely two hours of sleep, but it did make him wonder what the setup said about the Guard. He’d always figured that the troopers stationed next door to General Stores got the best gear, but maybe that wasn’t actually the case, if their medbay was any indication. Even from here, he could spot several pieces of machinery that were badly in need of an upgrade.

Pushing that thought aside for now, Dogma glanced around the medbay, wondering if anything in particular had woken him up when he caught sight of Captain Rex and Commander Fox whispering harshly in the corner. As he was watching, he caught the words “Too risky,” and “Get caught,” and Dogma’s stomach tightened in a bundle of nerves– that couldn’t be good.

Before he could work up the courage to ask what they were talking about, Captain Rex raised his voice. “And why not? My men had their chips taken out, and you’re getting yours removed. Why shouldn’t I? If anything, your chip is the bigger risk, with how closely you work with the Senate.”

Fox sighed exasperatedly before explaining, “You work closely with General Skywalker, who meets regularly with the Chancellor, and half the senate would know if you told him about a new scar you got from “slipping in the fresher.” And I don’t have to be the one to tell you that you can’t lie for kriff, vod.”

At that, Fox sent him an unimpressed look, prompting a splutter of denial from Rex that only proved his point the longer he continued. Finally, Captain Rex sighed, accepting the other’s point. “Fine… What about you? Wouldn’t the Senators notice something?”

Fox snorted in dry humor. “They’d have to acknowledge my existence first. Besides, no helmets off in the Rotunda. It’s one of the first rules our shinies learn in the Guard. I’ll be fine.”

Fox’s CMO, Stitch, chose that moment to step in from where he’d been standing nearby checking a monitor. He shot the Commander a look of skepticism. “I still don’t like it. How are you sure these chips even exist? Seems too convenient, and you’re still technically on concussion protocol, Commander. I’d like to avoid mucking around in there any more than necessary.”

Shoulders tensing slightly under the medic’s sharp eye, Fox treaded lightly as he went through his explanation, wary of the Stitch’s temper. “I’ve seen the evidence, and while I’d like a bit more proof before I went under the knife, I refuse to let anyone else take that risk instead of me. Besides, if someone tries to send an order throughout the Guard, I’d be the most likely point-of-contact, and I can’t allow that. And I’m only on concussion protocol for another three hours.”

“Four.” Stitch countered with narrowed eyes, gaze trapping Fox for a long moment before he finally relented with a sigh. “... I still don’t like it.” He said, with one last distrustful glance towards Rex before leaving to prepare the medbay’s small surgical suite for Fox’s procedure.

It was as Stitch walked away that Rex’s gaze found Dogma’s, smiling when he saw that he was awake. “Dogma, sleep well?”

Dogma nodded, sitting up with a groan. “Yes sir.” Seven hours of sleep had definitely made a difference, and Dogma’s stomach gurgling made him quickly realize that he hadn’t eaten since thirdmeal back with the 104th. Thankfully, Commander Fox seemed to take pity on him, getting the attention of the junior medic from the night before– Crash, asking him to grab a couple ration bars for the troopers that were waking up.

That was another little piece of info that Dogma’s brain grabbed onto. Whenever they weren’t on campaign, the Jedi Generals did their best to provide their troopers with real food to supplement the ration bars they ate on campaigns. Another piece of evidence suggesting that the rumors about the Guard living in the lap of luxury might be just that– rumors.

But Dogma was never one to refuse necessary calories, so he gave the other medic a nod of thanks before sitting up to eat. Once he’d finished, he noticed Crash hovering nearby, fidgeting with a medscanner looking unsure of himself. “Do you need something?” He asked, glancing towards the other expectantly.

Crash hesitated for a moment before turning towards Dogma at the question, and Dogma couldn’t help the way his eyes were drawn to the rather large scar encompassing most of the shiny medic’s right arm, and the way his hand seemed to stay in a permanently flexed position even as he used it to stabilize the medscanner he was holding. He refocused on the other’s face, however, when Crash spoke up.

“You’re the medic for your squad, right? You would’ve been treating them since the surgery Stitch keeps speaking about?” He asked, jaw set determinedly despite the hesitance in his tone.

Dogma’s gaze shuttered somewhat as he corrected him, “I’m only a junior medic– Kix, he was our squad medic…”

“Oh…” Crash winced, hesitating for a moment as an awkward silence enveloped them for a long moment before he finally continued speaking with a hesitant smile. “I’m a junior medic too. My name’s Crash, formerly from the 41st division before I got stationed here. Your name was Dogma, right?”

Dogma nodded, unsure where this conversation was heading. His confusion only increased when Crash spoke again, voice surprisingly professional. “I was wondering if you happened to keep track of recovery parameters, risk factors, precautions, or any other information that we should be aware of before Commander Fox undergoes the surgery. If you have any scans or biofeedback samples we could look at, that would greatly increase our efficiency with providing post-op care for the Commander.”

He finished, shifting from awkward shiny to experienced professional with a speed that honestly made Dogma’s head spin. He found himself nodding in agreement before he caught himself, remembering the sensitivity of the information in-question. “I’ll have to ask the Captain first, and see if Fives can help with ensuring data security.”

Crash didn’t look impressed at that response. “Last I checked, Commander Fox was the one holding the datapad, not your Captain, but sure, if you need his approval first, let’s go ask him.” He said, and that was all the warning Dogma received before a hand pulled him up with surprising strength and they were heading over to the Captain and the Commander. Somehow, Dogma got the feeling that Crash was getting that information one way or another, and not even Captain Rex could stop him.

_________________________

The surgery itself took little time, and Commander Fox was waking up right around the time that Fives, Warthog, and the rest of them had started waking up, each eating their own ration bar before getting ready to move out. From the brief explanation Captain Rex and Commander Fox had given them, it sounded like Commander Fox had a contact in the lower levels that they were planning on meeting to pass on the information about the chips without alerting the wrong people.

He wasn’t sure what would happen after that, but maybe they’d finally get to touch base with the rest of the 501st after that. They were technically on shore leave right now, but it would still be good to see them, although a large part of him still dreaded seeing Jesse’s reaction when they returned without Kix…

Even as Dogma struggled with that thought, he couldn’t help but be relieved by the steady presence of his vode around him, especially Captain Rex. Back when it had been just him, Tup, and Hardcase, Dogma hadn’t been sure where to turn for help, with everyone struggling in their own way.

But now Fives was doing better, and he could actually hold a conversation without getting distracted midway through, and even Tup seemed more even-keeled now that he’d gotten a full eight hours of sleep, and the part of Dogma that wanted nothing more than to hang onto his superior officers’ every word (the part that had earned him his name, for better or worse), felt safe in the knowledge that Captain Rex had their backs once again.

This feeling buoyed him even as they flew back down to their ship before using it to hop across a dozen speeder lanes and take another terminal to the lower levels. They went all the way down to the parts where the air was stale with waste more than speeder fumes and where Captain Rex and Commander Fox donned ponchos and replaced plastoid helmets with durasteel, and Captain Rex even removed his pauldron before exiting the ship, leaving the rest of them to wait while the others grabbed their contact.

Dogma wasn’t sure what to think when Commander Fox reappeared nearly two hours later, dragging a scruffy-looking Kiffar behind him, the latter practically attempting to force-feed him some sort of fruit. When the officers removed their disguises, Dogma could practically see the headache blooming behind Rex’s eyes.

“I’m telling you, you’ve gotta try these plums! Bolla just shipped them in from Nal Hutta, and let me tell you, as far as fruit grown in bog-swamp water, you won’t find anything better this side of the Mid-rim.”

“This is Bolla, the smuggler? Wanted on twenty charges of racketeering and breaking into, not out of, the Coruscant Detention Center?”

“That’s the one! He’s actually a pirate, though, not a smuggler, and those racketeering charges were never proven.”

Fox gave him a look, teeth gritted in annoyance as he conceded the point. “Fine, pirate. But he’s got to be the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.”

“But you have heard of him–”

Dogma shared a bewildered look with Tup at the conversation going on around them, and just as Fives started eyeing the aforementioned plums speculatively, Captain Rex interrupted with an impatient look on his face.

“Sir, I– could you please– we have urgent matters to attend to.” Having removed the poncho, Rex was back to his usual straightlaced appearance, and Dogma’s eyes only widened further when the Kiffar was quick to follow suit, sitting down in the proffered chair and watching them all with an almost eerie calmness surrounding him.

“General,” Commander Fox started, and Dogma did a double take because that was a General?!? He fought down the instinctive urge to salute even as the debrief continued and the General’s face grew more serious as the discovery of the chips was revealed, along with everything else they’d learned since then.

Following the other’s explanation of their journey with half-an-ear, Dogma wasn’t paying attention when flashing eyes turned to him.

“You are different–” The general, Quinlan apparently, stated all of a sudden, turning his unnervingly sharp gaze towards Dogma before turning to look at all of them. “All of you are. Except Captain Blondie over here. You still give me the creeps, no offense.”

“None… taken, sir?” Rex responded slowly, confused.

“It’s the chips!” Fives exclaimed, all eyes snapping to him as he explained. “Rex’s the only one who hasn’t had his removed. You can sense them, sir?” He asked, intrigued.

“Huh, apparently.” General Vos hummed, looking curious himself before continuing. “That, more than anything, tells me that I need to get this information back to the Temple, and quickly. You have copies, right?”

“Yessir. One in a secure location, the copies on this datapad, and one more for you to take back to the temple.” Captain Rex confirmed, only to be shot down immediately.

“Oh, I can’t take it to the temple. I’ve got some pretty serious work going on down here. Can’t be seen taking a trip all the way up there. Even meeting with you was a risk.”

“Serious work… buying plums?” Commander Fox looked skeptical even as he sighed, seeming to agree with the statement.

“I can have someone meet you a couple levels down from the temple, but you can’t go there in this,” He said, using one hand to rap at the durasteel siding of their smuggler’s vessel. “Any other Republic vessel would be too risky.”

Fox snorted, “What are we supposed to do then? Walk?”

The General had the audacity to wink. “I’m sure you’ll think of something. Now, I’ve gotta go. Intergalactic produce awaits!” He said, and then he was off, leaving behind a squad of confused troopers and a satchell of plums.

The room was quiet for a long moment before a hand reached towards the satchell with intent.

“Fives, don’t eat those.”

“What? He said they’re the best plums this side of the Mid-rim!” Fives exclaimed, and Rex shook his head before turning to speak with Fox. Apparently they had a trek on their hands. _____________________________

Relaxing comfortably on his bunk, Jesse let out a sigh of contentment. It wasn’t often he had the time to sit and relax, or watch a holovid like he was doing now. Sure, he’d rather be at 79’s with Hardcase and Kix, but they hadn’t returned with Rex quite yet, so Jesse was taking advantage of the rare opportunity for alone time– at least, until the General walked into the barracks.

“Jesse! How are the troops?” General Skywalker asked. He always liked to stop in at the barracks during shore leave at least once, when he wasn’t spending time with Padme or making a token appearance at the temple. It was nice to see them away from the battlefield every once in a while, after all.

“Good, sir. I think most of the boys headed down to 79’s for some R&R.” Jesse responded, giving the General a grin.

General Skywalker returned the smile with one of his own. “Good, they deserve a break after our last campaign. What are you doing staying behind?”

Jesse shifted, glancing around the mostly empty barracks from where he was seated on his bunk, watching a holovid that Kix had recommended to him. “I, uh, I was waiting for the Captain to get back with Kix and Hardcase. Figured we’d head out together once they got back, but it’s been about four hours now, and I still haven’t heard from them.”

“I was actually looking for Rex myself. Was going to invite him to my meeting with the Chancellor– I know he’s usually too busy for those, with supply requisitions or after-action reports, but it doesn’t hurt to check.” General Skywalker shrugged, unbothered, before his eyes sparked with realization.

“You’re not doing anything right now, right? How would you like to come? Chancellor Palpatine is always asking about how the 501st is doing, and I’m sure he’d love the opportunity to meet another one of my troopers.”

Jesse hesitated– politics wasn’t really his thing. But he’d been seeing the writing on the wall for a long time, and with ARC training on the horizon, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get some extra practice interacting with natborns– especially the Chancellor of the entire Republic. That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it didn’t take much thought for him to agree.

“I’d be honored, sir!”

“Great! Suit up, and we’ll fly over. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to meet you.” General Skywalker grinned, patting Jesse on the shoulder, and soon they were heading towards the Senate Dome together.

_________________

AO3 Link:

#clone trooper dogma #clone trooper tup #commander fox #captain rex #quinlan vos #clone medic crash #clone medic stitch #clone trooper jesse #arc trooper fives #anakin skywalker #my fics #my stuff #swtcw fic #swtcw fanfic #knockout fic #hard knocks 'verse #chips arc #reblogging from my main

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tup-ika-5385 · 8 days

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I was just looking at my claw-clip on my desk and my mind went “ding!” XD

#forbidden hair clip #tup art #clone trooper tup #fives don’t even ask #tup has had a Day #arc trooper fives

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tup-ika-5385 · 12 days

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#literally wrote a fic about tup befriending a tooka a while back #the tooka also Chose dogma at some point but he’ll try to deny it lol

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tup-ika-5385 · 12 days

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another repaint, this time of tup because i don’t show him enough love :’)

#it’s tup!!!#clone trooper tup #tup art #Umbara 😭

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tup-ika-5385 · 14 days

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Needed to share this thought because I’ve been laughing for too long. Imagine Tup meeting someone and introducing himself only for them to say, “Is tup short for Tupperware?”.

Lol, no but-

"Hi," Tup says awkwardly as he greets the group of people in the art club, mentally cursing Fives for making him do this, "I'm Tup. Thanks for inviting me."

The three people, roughly his age, peer at him. Before the young man says, his voice hushed, "Is...is Tup short for Tupperware?"

His friend rolls her eyes and smacks him across the back of the head, "There's no way his mother named him Tupperware, you dunce."

The third member of the trio presses her hand over her eyes, "You're both dunces. He's a clone, he doesn't have a mom."

Tup, meanwhile, stares at them in blanket disbelief. On one hand, he can tell them the truth. His name is Tup, just Tup.

On the other hand, he's been spending far too much time with men like Fives and Hardcase.

So he smiles, "My name is Tupperware, actually. My brothers named me. I much prefer Tup, though."

And then he's pinned with three pairs of sympathetic eyes, "Oh, you poor thing." The first woman says solemnly.

"I knew a man named Tortilla," the man chimes in, "ruined his life, it did."

The last person in the group, however, just sighs heavily and casts her gaze upwards, as though praying for patience.

#pffft 😂#I love this #clone trooper tup #tup is a menace

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tup-ika-5385 · 21 days

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Knockout Ch. 16

Chapter Summary:

The crew discusses where to go from here, and Rex contemplates his troopers experiences.

Chapter 16: Next Steps

Earlier:

“This goes to the highest levels of the Republic– only a few outside Kamino have the authority to use the chips. W-We can’t just tell anyone… We need to take this to the Chancellor–!!” Fives declared, drawing himself up, despite the way the world still spun at the edges.

Now:

Fives’ statement rang through the air for a solid three seconds before Commander Fox’s voice cut through the silence with a tone that bypassed skepticism and went straight to disdain.

“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” The Commander’s voice was dry as he raised an eyebrow, immediately shooting down the suggestion.

Fives blinked, first confused then outraged. “What?!”

Fox gave him a dubious look. “You just said that this goes to the highest levels of the Republic, and your first idea... is to go to the highest level of the Republic? To one of the few people in authority who likely have the ability to control these chips? Even assuming he’ll take the time out of his busy day to listen to a group of clones?” His voice turned sardonic at that part before continuing.

“I’m still not fully convinced that they exist– and it’ll be tough to convince anyone in authority to do anything about it.” After all, he knew how hard it was to get anything approved by the Senate after being

Fives spluttered. “He’d listen to us! General Skywalker talks about him all the time! And Rex– Rex, doesn’t he invite you to their meetings all the time?”

Rex shrugged. “Technically, it’s the General that invites me. I went once, and got the sense that I wasn’t welcome,” He said, unable to describe how he’d felt at their introduction, remembering the sickeningly polite look, the painfully tight handshake, and the smile he’d been given that– for just a moment– had looked like skin stretching over a corpse’s face, chilling him to his very core.

He hadn’t been able to shake off the intense discomfort he’d felt with any following invitations, and it hadn’t been that difficult to refuse, although that hadn’t stopped Skywalker from asking. By the look on Commander Fox’s face, he’d felt the same thing.

Rex shuddered slightly. Politicians.

“I won’t argue the General’s choice of friends, but politicians give me the creeps, so I usually decline. We could bring the Jedi Council in on it, maybe?” Rex finished, glancing back at Fives, who looked less angry now, still deep in thought, and definitely still recovering from his run-in with the Seppie’s knockout gas.

Fox gave a disagreeing grumble, about to respond when Fives swayed again where he was standing. He’d stood up earlier to emphasize his point, and Rex couldn’t help the pang of concern in his chest at the ARC trooper’s unsteady movements.

Rex found himself glancing instinctively to Hardcase’s left, where Kix normally stood, only for a wave of grief to threaten to drown him when he found it empty. Kix wasn’t dead, not yet– or so he hoped– but he’d lost so many brothers over the years, and he despaired over the idea of that list getting any longer than it was already.

But Kix wasn’t their only medic, not anymore, and it wasn’t long before Dogma spoke up with both nervousness and determination, asking, “Commander, would it be possible to continue this conversation after a trip to medical? I scanned Fives and Warthog after they woke up, but the portable kit isn’t the best, and I’d feel better having another medic check them as well.” Especially given that they’d all undergone major surgery barely 24 hours ago, and it looked like Tup and Hardcase were flagging again too.

Fives put up a token protest but allowed Dogma to usher him and the others towards the Corrie’s medbay when Commander Fox directed them there, Commander Thire trailing behind. He’d been pretty quiet for their discussion, and Dogma got the sense that he was more of a thoughtful vod, likely a much-needed sounding-board for Commander Fox in their shared roles. This was his first time meeting any of the Coruscant Guard, but he could already tell that the Guard had a lot on their plate– even Captain Rex didn’t have that many datapads on his desk.

As they made their way to medbay, Dogma’s limbs grew heavy and his head felt numb with tiredness. The still-healing incision on his forehead stung, and he took a moment to wonder the last time he’d slept. He might have dozed off between surgeries with Tup, back on the Protector, and he’d managed a short nap back with Clone Force 99, but he’d barely had a chance to stop and breathe since Tup’s chip started acting up, and he could feel the weight of everything now.

Thankfully, the Corrie’s medics were good at their jobs, and he’d only been standing in medbay for a few moments before one of them dragged him over to a cot in the corner, sensing his tiredness, ordering him to lay down before covering him with a thin sheet.

Everything would be alright now– Captain Rex had the watch, and Dogma could see the Captain’s concerned expression as he helped Fives into a recovery bed and checked in on Tup and Hardcase. With that thought, Dogma finally let down his guard and let himself relax. He’d barely laid his head on the pillow before everything faded to black.

——————————————

Watching Hardcase drift off to sleep, Rex let out a weary sigh. He’d only gotten a brief summary of the finer points of their ordeal, and Rex already felt like he was in need of a nap. Or a drink. How had everything gone wrong so fast?

A bittersweet smile came to his face as he walked over to check on Tup, who had fallen asleep on a cot near Dogma within seconds of laying down. They had come so close to losing him— so close to losing all of them, really. He was still reeling internally from their tale.

Absently, he reached up to pluck the glasses off of Tup’s slack face and place them on the table next to him— they actually suited him pretty well, now that Rex thought of it. Dogma had briefly mentioned some other side effects of the chips activation, but it was a relief to see the steady rise of the vod’ika’s chest as he slept.

His troopers had been through a lot, Rex thought to himself. And even though part of him screamed to know more about what had happened this past week, the part of him that knew his men’s limits knew to let them rest, at least for a little while. It was the least he could do.

Meanwhile, he busied himself with reviewing the datapad that Hardcase had handed him containing the information about the chips, along with a brief note from Commander Wolffe detailing his recovery from his own chip’s activation, and the information regarding the ship that had taken Kix. Even though he’d heard that Commander Wolffe had tried to kill Tup when his chip was activated, it was an entirely different story to see the holo-recording of the commander attempting to tear his way through medbay to attack a brother. Even back on Kamino, the other Commander had been the same overprotective shabuir he was today, and laying a hand on any of his vode was completely antithetical to who he was as a person.

If Fox hadn’t already used a security protocol forbidding contact with anyone outside the room, and if Wolffe wasn’t currently engaged in a black ops mission halfway across the galaxy, Rex would’ve considered giving his ori’vod a call, just to get a better idea of what the kriff was happening.

And… there was something else in the data that didn’t quite make sense, either to himself or to Hardcase when he’d been compiling the information. By all estimations, they had escaped the Kaminoans without alerting them to their survival, but somehow the Separatists had gotten enough information about them to stage an attack on their shuttle mid-hyperspace jump, even when they had used a complex algorithm to disguise their movements— an algorithm that could make it so that even most pilots didn’t know their own jump coordinates, depending on the level of security a mission required. It was an algorithm he’d helped Echo polish to perfection back before the other trooper had died, and if the Separatists had cracked it, who knew what else they had discovered. As it was, the lightning-fast attack on their base shuttle suggested a new strategist on the Separatist front, if not a new, highly complex algorithm of their own.

Rex let out another weary sigh before finally taking a seat on the flimsy chair near Fives’ medical bed, preparing to take the watch. A younger medic named Crash had stopped by a little while ago to check in on the ARC, hooking him up to an IV that would speed the recovery process from the knockout gas he’d been subjected to. Rex had only been sitting for a couple minutes when Commander Fox came to stand at his side, mirroring their discussion earlier that day, which felt so long ago right now.

“How are your men doing?” Fox asked, keeping his voice quiet, so as not to disturb the sleeping troopers.

“Exhausted,” Rex remarked. “I would be surprised if any of them has gotten more than five consecutive hours of sleep in the past tenday.”

He looked back over at his troopers, reassured by their quiet breathing— or snoring, in Hardcase’s case. Glancing back at Fox, he asked curiously, “ I know you didn’t want to tell the Jedi, but I really think we need to tell someone. We can’t just remove the chips all on our own.” Even if they had the medical personnel and supplies available, it would take months, if not a year to remove every last chip in the GAR, and doing so without alerting, anyone would be impossible. Rex was not a medic, but he knew that much.

Fox sighed before sitting down next to him with a weary huff. “And which Jedi would you plan on telling? Skywalker? If you’re planning to keep this from the chancellor, that’s a kriff way of doing it.”

Rex scowled in frustration, but he couldn’t bring himself to disagree. “Kenobi, then?”

“Not due for shore leave for the next three months. I doubt any of us wants to wait that long. And we can’t just waltz in there and demand an audience with the Jedi council— I’m no expert, but I know the Senate has been poking around the Jedi’s affairs even more lately. The quickest way to get this information out in the open would be to discuss it in a private council session.”

As much as Rex wanted to, he couldn’t bring himself to disagree. “Well, what’s your idea then? Seeing how you’ve already thought my every suggestion half to death,” he grumbled.

Fox smirked, amused despite everything. “I know a guy. Would’ve called him in sooner, but he’s on a covert op down in lower levels and not available by comms. When your troopers wake up, we’ll rendezvous with him. He should be able to get this information to the right people.”

Rex raised in eyebrow, “And who is this mysterious contact?”

Fox’s tired eyes crinkled in a mix of annoyance and amused exasperation— a look Rex remembered back when they were cadets and Wolffe and Cody had gotten in trouble for roughhousing hard enough to knock over a supply shelf, and their whole squad had to spend the next hour cleaning it up.

Who did Fox know that would inspire the same expression?

“His name is Quinlan Vos, and he’s a pain in the shebs, but a good investigator— he’ll be able to get us what we need.”

Rex couldn’t argue with that, so he gave Fox a short nod before turning back to his sleeping troopers, refusing to let any more of them fall out of his grasp.

—————————————

AO3 Link:

#knockout fic #hard knocks ‘verse #clone trooper tup #arc trooper fives #commander fox #captain rex #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper hardcase #clone medic crash #crash is a newer oc of mine!#my fics #my stuff #swtcw fanfic #swtcw fic #chips arc #everybody lives nobody dies au #reblogging from my main

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tup-ika-5385 · 22 days

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“Days 22 & 23: Yust'yaim and Be'chaaj'taabir - Camp and “Journey, travel afar, sometimes death”.

Had a lot of fun with this Happy AU idea!! The boys of the 501st becoming Mandos and sticking together as they clean up the Republic on their own time, and now camping before the next hunt. The ARCs of the bunch kept their shoulder pads and original patterns, Rex has his old patterns too, while Tup and Dogma enjoy brand new armor!!

I shaved Tup’s hair, and of COURSE Fives is the kind of guy to like burnt marshmallows?? Buddy better stop annoying his twin though, else he’s gonna get soup in the face..“

Close-ups below!:

#clone trooper tup #tup art #very cool armor!#they got their chips removed and are all definitely alive

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tup-ika-5385 · 24 days

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Tup is excited about giving Fives a new haircut

by kaijurave

#clone trooper tup #arc trooper fives #clone trooper hardcase #tup art

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tup-ika-5385 · 24 days

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For the star wars anniversary request thing, how about either Tup or Dogma as cadets?

Duo of itty bitties!

Now I have a lot of emotions about Tup and Dogma and their stories again. I am on the floor in pain.

#clone trooper dogma #clone trooper tup #i love them so much 🥺💙#tup art

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tup-ika-5385 · 25 days

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Knockout: Ch. 15

Chapter Summary:

It took Warthog another thirty minutes to wake up, nearly colliding with the bedframe when he jerked upwards in a panic, still only half-conscious. Dogma kept a steadying hand on his shoulder (like he’d seen Kix do so many times before) until the pilot had managed to get a grip on his surroundings.

“W-What happened?” He groaned, rubbing at his eyes blearily as he struggled into a half-sitting position.

Fives and Warthog wake up, and the crew finally manages to rendezvous with Rex.

Chapter 15: Awake

“W-What happened?” He groaned, rubbing at his eyes blearily as he struggled into a half-sitting position.

“What do you remember?” Dogma’s brow furrowed even as he checked Warthog’s eyes for uneven dilation. Thankfully, his pupils seemed good, although it took the pilot another minute to focus his eyes and respond to the question.

“We… we were attacked by a Separatist shuttle. I was in the cockpit, and I turned because I heard a blast from the airlock, and… I’m not sure.” Warthog finally responded, making a concerted effort to keep his eyes open, and Dogma found himself grateful that he’d stopped trying to sit up.

Nodding in agreement at Warthog’s summary– being oriented to his surroundings was another good sign– Dogma began to fill in the gaps in the story.

“We were boarded. It was a covert attack shuttle, equipped with a small tractor beam, and typically holding between three and four squads of Commando Droids. You and Fives got hit with a knockout gas of some kind. We hid everyone in the smuggler’s hold until they left. I’ve been monitoring you and Fives for recovery.”

Warthog groaned, sighing in relief at the update. He opened his eyes again, the fogginess in his gaze starting to fade as he glanced back at Dogma quizzically like he was trying to solve a puzzle. “Anyone else injured? No offense, but I’m a little surprised to see you taking point with a senior medic on-board.”

Here, Dogma hesitated, pushing past the tightness in his chest and the choked feeling in his throat before continuing. “Kix… he knew the droids wouldn’t believe the ship was empty, especially not after we fired on them, and he knew what they were looking for. Once we’d all hidden in the smuggler’s hold, he… closed the door and surrendered himself. I-I don’t– the last thing we heard was a stun-bolt before they carried him back to their shuttle.” Dogma’s voice wavered, and he swallowed hard against the urge to start crying again.

Warthog let out a slow breath, exhaling as he took in the information. “Kriff.”

Dogma gave another hitched breath before responding with a thready agreement. “Yeah…”

Sure, he’d shed a few tears with Hardcase and Tup earlier, but it wasn’t his batchmate that had been taken (and he pushed down the guilty relief he felt at that thought). He was their only medic right now, and he couldn’t afford to stop and grieve, not right now.

He could never compare to Kix’s calm reliability in a crisis, but he’d try his best to care for their vode in his stead. So after taking another moment to steady himself as much as he could in a situation like this, he ran Warthog through a couple assessments to make sure he was recovering from the drug in his system.

Hardcase stopped by a little bit later, still a little red around the eyes and quieter than he should have been, but he’d kept the ship running well enough while Warthog had been out. After another 30 minutes, Dogma felt satisfied enough with Warthog’s recovery to let him make their next hyperspace jump, after Hardcase had double-checked his calculations.

There was still a faint hyperspace trail from the other ship’s departure that he didn’t stop Hardcase from taking note of, but given its trajectory towards some of the most heavily-trafficked Separatist hyperlanes, Dogma didn’t hold out much hope for getting Kix back anytime soon.

Tup, meanwhile, had been doing his best to make sure the blast shield would hold up after the beating it had taken during the attack. The repairs themselves didn’t take too long, and after that, he found himself tidying up the ship, finding Kix’s discarded blaster and trauma kit under a bulkhead, and doing whatever else he could to occupy himself. He’d taken off Fives’ helmet earlier, but he’d put it back on a little while ago. If Dogma suspected that he was using its cover to better hide his tears, he didn’t call him out on it.

They’d only been in hyperspace for another hour when Fives’ breathing changed. He swallowed reflexively a few times, eyelids fluttering, and Dogma had about two seconds warning before Fives rolled over on his side and promptly lost his rations in the durasteel waste bin.

He’d always been a bit of a lightweight, Dogma thought to himself wearily.

He repeated the same conversation he’d had with Warthog, checking his pupils and finding them responding slower than he’d like. Another sign that the ARC was still drugged up to his eyeballs, and probably fighting to stay awake.

“W-Where’s Kix?” Fives mumbled, words slurring together as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Dogma swallowed hard, but forced himself to respond. Fives deserved to know. “He– Kix let himself get captured so they’d stop looking for us. We got a general lock on their coordinates, but…” He trailed off, waiting anxiously for Fives’ response.

Fives’ breath hitched, and he squeezed his eyes shut for another long moment, and Dogma started to worry that he’d throw up again. Instead, the ARC trooper let out a slow breath and opened clear eyes, giving his hand a tight squeeze, quietly thanking Dogma for telling him. It made Dogma wonder just how many vode he’d had to lose before it’d got that easy to keep marching on.

Of course, he took that statement back a couple hours later after finding the fresher locked with near-silent sobs just barely audible through the durasteel door. They didn’t talk about it a lot, but Fives was pretty high up-there in the command structure of the 501st, and after Umbara, there’d been an emotional distance he’d kept from the rest of them, with only a few exceptions. He’d gotten better at reaching out within their little group, to Jesse, Kix, Tup even. But with Kix gone and Tup still recovering, well…

Dogma ignored the redness around the ARC’s eyes and the hoarseness of his voice. He kept giving Fives space even as the ARC mumbled disjointed responses to his check-ins, still very obviously under the influence.

If he’d been a better medic– like Kix, his subconscious supplied – he would’ve stopped Fives from pacing around the ship with a desperate look in his eyes, but Dogma could relate all-too-well with the desire to do something, anything, other than stare at the ceiling and grieve.

So he kept a close eye on him– making sure Warthog and Fives hydrated and that everyone ate something, keeping one eye on the chrono as they slowly, painstakingly made their approach to Coruscant.

It took Rex another half-hour to finally make his way to the landing pad Fives had landed at. Definitely one of the more disreputable Rex had seen to-date, and he couldn’t help the chill that ran down his spine at the eerie silence as he and Fox landed the small troop transport. There was only one other ship on the landing pad, but Rex’s trepidation turned to relief as he recognized 501st blue making its way down the landing pad, and he couldn’t stop himself from approaching the ship’s ramp faster than strictly necessary.

“R-Rex,” Fives stuttered, shoulders loosening in relief at the Captain’s appearance, but he flinched wildly at the footsteps following him, nearly raising his blaster at Commander Fox before Rex gave him the stand-down sign.

Rex stepped closer, now on the ship’s ramp where he could see the rest of the crew. He carefully placed a steady hand on Fives’ blaster hand, noticing that it was shaking. “Easy, Fives. This is Commander Fox, he’s here to help.”

Thankfully, that reassurance gave Fives what he needed to holster his hand-blaster. Rex gave him a long look before asking, “Report, Fives?”

“Can’t– not, not here. ‘S not safe. Too risky.” Fives stammered, a wild look in his eyes, pupils blown wide. Something was definitely wrong.

When Fives stumbled, Rex came alongside him and wrapped a supportive arm around his torso, eyes bright with concern. “Alright– alright, Fives. Steady, vod.”

Rex glanced around the group, scanning the others for injuries. Why hadn’t Kix stepped in yet– usually he’d be ordering Fives to sit down before he fell down, one hand resting reassuringly on an injured brother’s shoulder until they looked a little more stable. Sure, Dogma was there, giving the ARC a slightly exasperated look as he helped Rex finally settle him back onto a crate near them, but still–

“Where’s Kix?” Rex asked, and his heart dropped into his stomach when the entire group gave a collective flinch and Tup’s breath hitched with the beginnings of tears. Why did his men look like they were half a tic from falling apart?

Fives’ condition spoke for itself, and now that he was looking, Tup’s hair was more than a little disheveled, and the corrective lenses were definitely new; even Hardcase and Dogma were a little worse for the wear. All of them were still sporting a small bacta patch on their foreheads, including Warthog, and while the pilot wasn’t nearly as bad-off as Fives, Rex could easily spot the signs of a trooper in desperate need of a nap.

He opened his mouth to ask again what the kriff happened, but as his eyes scanned Fives again, seeing the agitation and honest-to-kriff fear in the ARC’s eyes, he relented, if only for now.

Rex glanced back at Fox, grateful that the Commander had thought to bring something larger than a speeder. “Is there somewhere secure we can talk?”

Commander Fox gave a long exhale– should’ve known better than to get bored on his only day off this rotation– before nodding and gesturing towards the transport. “My office, let’s go.”

————————————

“Is this plant made out of flimsi?” Fives asked as he prodded at a pathetic-looking succulent sitting on the corner of Fox’s desk. The ARC was still slurring his words a little, and Rex suspected that his filter was still missing, but he was, as always, the observant shabuir.

“No.” Fox growled. He was very proud of his little succulent; Force knows it was hard enough to keep anything alive on Coruscant. Most of his collection hadn’t lasted longer than a couple weeks, but this one had kept hanging on.

“–One of the leaves says ‘Made in Corellia.’”

Dogma took a sharp intake of breath while Tup elbowed Fives in the shoulder, none too discreetly, trying and failing to get him to stop unintentionally antagonizing the Commander. Warthog hid his own laugh in a cough, fooling absolutely nobody.

Fox’s jaw set in anger and one of his eyelids twitched.

“Thire—!!!“

Commander Thire snickered, looking absolutely unapologetic as he addressed the others. “Got tired of him crying each time they died— it was scaring the shinies.”

Fox held his gaze for a long moment before letting out a long sigh. “ –And you’ve been letting me water it all this time.” He grumbled unintelligibly, sending Thire a death glare before finally turning back to the datapad Dogma had given him.

Scrolling through the data they’d collected, it didn’t take long for Fox’s mood to drop, breath catching in his throat and stomach turning to ice as he read through file after file of evidence.

“Is this real?” He demanded, looking to Captain Rex, who still had yet to learn the information on the datapad, outside of Fives’ earlier rambling.

“Is what real?” Rex countered, peering over Fox’s shoulder.

Hardcase was the one who answered– he’d never been one for giving reports, but with Fives still mesmerized by the fake plant on Fox’s desk, the responsibility fell on him.

“Control chips, implanted by the Kaminoans in every single clone– at least, from what we could find. Tech, a trooper from Clone Force 99, helped us decrypt the data, and Corporal Boost from the 104th and Fives found that list, with nearly 100 contingency orders that can make us do whatever they say. And we think the Separatists know about them.”

“What?!” Rex exclaimed, while Commander Fox’s expression went dark.

Dogma spoke up, remembering a little of what he’d heard from the 104th’s CMO and Fives’ initial explanation. “They’re implanted during a tubie’s gestational period, in the prefrontal cortex, which can affect someone’s mood, personality– everything that separates us from droids. Commander Wolffe’s was activated by the Kaminoans; they’d sent him after us, but we were able to remove it, and he’s back to being himself again. They can be removed– all of ours are out. Tup’s chip… activated on its own. It’s how we learned about them in the first place… We tricked the Kaminoans into thinking we’d been… dealt with, and we were able to get off Kamino without alerting them after that, but it’s…” He trailed off, looking back to Hardcase, who continued the disjointed debrief.

“After we’d left the 104th, we were attacked by a Separatist attack shuttle, with somewhere between three and four squads of Commando droids– still no idea how they tracked us, even if they knew our initial hyperlane vector, but they… they got the drop on us. Fives and Warthog were hit with a knockout gas, and Kix told us to hide in the smuggler’s hold, and–” He swallowed hard, fighting against the tears that threatened to emerge yet again. “We didn’t realize what he had planned until he’d shut the hold, and he was still outside.”

Hardcase clenched his fists, hating the way his left arm trembled at the movement– wishing he’d been strong enough to stop them from taking Kix– that Kix hadn’t felt like he needed to protect him from a fate he’d gladly accept.

Hardcase blinked in surprise when a shoulder bumped against his own, relaxing slightly when he saw it was Tup, and Dogma right next to him, giving him a look of solidarity. He took a slow breath, just a little steadier than his last one, and showed Rex the file containing the coordinates they’d been attacked at, the attack shuttle’s signature, and anything else he’d been able to gather at the time. According to Warthog, their hyperspace jumps had been calculated by a complex algorithm, one he’d picked up in ARC training, and if the Separatists knew about that, and the chips, who knew what else they’d picked up.

All of it, taken together, pointed towards a traitor in the Republic.

This was when Fives interjected, feeling more and more like himself as the debrief continued. “T-This goes to the highest levels of the Republic– only a few outside Kamino with the authority to use the chips. W-We can’t just tell anyone. We need to take this to the Chancellor–!!” Fives declared, drawing himself up, despite the way the world still spun at the edges.

Kix had sacrificed himself for their vode, and it was up to them to make sure that sacrifice was worth it.

————————————

AO3 Link:

#hard knocks ‘verse #knockout fic #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper tup #arc trooper fives #clone trooper hardcase #clone trooper warthog #captain rex #commander fox #loopy fives #my fics #my stuff #swtcw fic #swtcw fanfic #slight emeto warning #not super graphic though #reblogging from my main

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tup-ika-5385 · 25 days

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Meowpril Fools

— ☕️ Ko-fi | 🧡Commissions

#arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper tup #tup’s living his best life as a tooka #tup art #dogma would like it if people stopped touching him pls #fives just wants some tooka love #and then there’s echo

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tup-ika-5385 · 1 month

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ME AGAIN i love your tup so much, dude. thank you for blessing us with him -moss

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ Well, Lord Moss, you shall now be the Gate for Artist Tup to enter the large World of the Holonet ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Go on, boi, ask us if we’ve seen your pencil

#clone trooper tup #tup art

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tup-ika-5385 · 1 month

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cYN YOUR DOGMA STUFF HAS BROKEN ME. i have lost all ability to be a functional human being your art lives in my head rent free and im happy that way. so beautiful

Funnily enough, I’m much more of a Fives person but here is a little doodle for y’all Dogma stans:

Rex is just tired because he can’t have a single conversation with anyone without chaos happening at anytime

#clone trooper tup #tup art #clone trooper dogma #arc trooper fives

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tup-ika-5385 · 1 month

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Your art is GORGEOUS and I love your Tup so much he’s so cute.

Well anon, you're in luck! I have this fresh bread batch straight out the oven and ready to serve :))

Ok ok, on a serious note, I just happened to be drawing these for a friend online and it's perfect for me to share them now ahah!

#clone trooper tup #tup art #I love the way his hair was done in this one

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tup-ika-5385 · 1 month

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Fives and Tup

What happened to Tup is one of the saddest stories in TCW. So naturally I wanted to dive in to it a bit! The dynamic between Fives and Tup is also really heartbreaking, and it showcases a lot of Fives’ quirks and tendencies for physical expression.

I will cover some of what happened in the inhibitor chip arc, so be forewarned.

At first, Fives is rough with Tup, as he usually is when messing with his brothers

but he keeps an eye on Tup throughout the next battle.

Fives reacts to Tup aiming his blaster

and tries to prevent it from happening

but of course, he’s too late (notice how Fives is the only trooper to DROP EVERYTHING in the middle of the battle to restrain Tup).

Despite Tup executing a Jedi in cold-blood, Fives isn’t frustrated like Rex or flummoxed like Kix - he’s terrified for his brother.

Keep reading

#arc trooper fives #clone trooper tup #fives is a good bro #oh 🥺😭#I have so many feelings about the chips arc if that wasn’t already obvious

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tup-ika-5385 · 2 months

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Doing another one of these cause once again I’m curious as to what others think.

#I personally headcanon that tup’s the oldest in their batch but got treated like the youngest #meanwhile dogma has middle child vibes #clone trooper tup #clone trooper dogma

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tup-ika-5385 · 2 months

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Knockout Chapter 13: Crimson

Chapter Summary:

The shuttle is attacked and Dogma has to make a hard decision. Lots of angst this chapter (I apologize in advance).

Chapter 13: Crimson

When Fives went down, Dogma knew they were in trouble. It was all he could do to shove his own helmet on in time, before the room was clouded in smoke. Vaguely, he heard coughing as Warthog, their group’s next heaviest hitter, went down a moment later.

Neither of them had been wearing their helmets, but thankfully, Kix, Hardcase, and Tup had all managed to put theirs on in time for the filters to kick in. For a moment that stretched on, he locked eyes with Tup— their two most superior officers had just been knocked out— before taking action and running up the stairs towards the pair of them. By then, the gas canister had already run dry, but he was beyond-relieved to see that Fives was still breathing, they both were, but as Tup gave a cry of “Commandos!” he knew they wouldn’t be getting out of this fight unscathed.

Flashing a quick status update sign to Kix, Dogma looked up just in time to see Hardcase shoot a round of blaster bullets through the hole in the airlock before Tup slammed a hand down on the blast door control, putting another barrier between themselves and the droids. Just before they closed, Dogma caught a glimpse of dark grey durasteel, and his heart went into his throat.

He’d never seen a weapon like that— capable of blasting straight through an airlock, even if it the element of surprise only lasted so long, the clankers had used it with brutal efficiency this time around. The kind of efficiency that spoke of a tactical droid— or something worse.

As soon as the blast doors had shut, Kix had vaulted up the stairs to join Dogma and the unconscious troopers. He looked between Dogma and the ship’s entrance for barely a moment before giving a sharp nod and hefting Fives into a medic’s carry. “Smuggler’s hatch. Let’s go. Switch to helmet comms only.”

Dogma nodded, lifting Warthog and turning to follow Kix. They heard another clang come from the airlock, but thankfully the door stayed in one piece this time. Maybe that weapon had been a one-off?

Hardcase and Tup had taken up defensive positions in the main area of the ship, but despite the ship formerly belonging to a smuggler, any cover was flimsy and far-between. Hardcase seemed to agree, and if Dogma squinted, he could see the heavy-gunner’s shoulders shaking in exertion from the strain of holding his weapon. “I could see at least a squad of Commandos through the door. What kind of attack shuttle were they in?”

Kix glanced through the cockpit, telling him, and Hardcase swore. “Those ones hold between three and four squads of Commando droids!”

Practically a squad each, Dogma noted faintly, feeling his breathing pick up as he looked between the four of them. Kix and Hardcase were veteran troopers, and Tup and Dogma were no slackers, but Tup’s vision was kriffed and his balance was still a little off, and Hardcase was struggling just with holding his blaster right now— there’s no way he’d be able to go up against the Commando droids and survive unscathed, even if the droids seemed to want them alive for reasons that only made Dogma go cold.

Kix seemed to come to the same conclusion— he and Hardcase were now technically Commanding Officers, although Hardcase tended to defer to his batchmate rather than subject himself to the medic’s wrath. All this to explain Hardcase’s quick agreement when Kix nodded resolutely to himself before ordering, “Everyone into the smuggler’s hatch! Hurry!”

Dogma had already entered the hallway again by the time that Tup slipped inside the cramped space, managing to avoid stepping on Fives and Warhog, and Dogma and Hardcase were quick to join them. Mind racing, a sense of dread rose in Dogma’s chest. They couldn’t all survive an encounter like this— he knew that— but the droids had to know that someone was on the ship, especially after they’d blasted at them through the door, so hiding was only a holding measure at-best. Dogma didn’t know what Kix had planned but—

The door to the smuggler’s hatch slid shut with a whirring click, the senior medic still outside, and Dogma knew with a terrible certainty what Kix had in mind.

Hardcase seemed to come to a similar conclusion, trying to push past Dogma in the already-cramped space to reach for the door controls. “Kix! Kix, what are you doing?! You can’t take them all!”

Kix’s voice came through their comms, tone resolute. “The Seppies are looking for a trooper with their chip removed— so I’ll give them a trooper with his chip removed. I’ll be alright, ‘Case. They want us alive, after all, and they’d never be convinced that—“

Hardcase roared, “I don’t care about that! Get in here— o-or let me out and we’ll take ‘em together! Dogma, the panel’s right behind you, lemme out!”

Dogma hesitated, but Kix was right. There was no way they were all getting out of here unscathed, and if Hardcase went out, he’d be taken too– they all would, if the Seppies found their hiding place, and hearing another clang by the airlock as the Commando droids got closer and closer to breaking through, he knew he couldn’t risk it.

Throat dry, Dogma spoke. “I-I can’t do that.” His voice broke from the tension, but with Warthog and Fives down, Tup still recovering, and Kix– Dogma couldn’t do this alone. Hardcase needed his batchmate, but Dogma needed Hardcase. Even if that meant stopping him from going to his batchmate, his closest brother, when lives were on the line.

Hardcase jerked back in shock before his desperation turned sharp with angry denial. “Yes, you kriffing can! Just move so I can reach the controls, a-and I–”

The ship shuddered and Kix’s voice came over the comms again. “They’ve broken through! ‘Case, I know you want to help me, but your vode need you, and they need you here. I– I’ll be alright.” He repeated again, and Dogma shut his eyes under the cover of his helmet, hearing the minute tremble in Kix’s words.

“–Kix…” Hardcase stilled for a moment, voice thick with tears, and behind him, Dogma could see Tup’s shoulders trembling. Then the blasterfire started, and Hardcase’s earlier efforts to get to his batchmate returned full-force. Dogma could only count himself grateful that the smuggler’s hatch was soundproof (suspiciously so), but he didn’t want to test that against the other trooper if he started banging on the side-panels in his desperation to get out.

So Dogma held him back, arms wrapping around the heavy gunner tightly in a restraining hold, even when the other’s harsh yelling turned to pleas.

“Kix! Kriff, no– please, lemme out! I-I need to get– Dogma! Dogma, let me go!” Hardcase begged, sobbing under the cover of his helmet, but Dogma just clung to him tighter, gut clenched in guilt, but this is what Kix had chosen– the least he could do was keep his batcher safe.

“I’m sorry, vod.” Kix spoke softly before they heard the sound of a stun bolt, followed by a dull thud as Kix fell to the ground.

Hardcase’s legs crumpled underneath him, still clutching Dogma and trembling, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. Dogma waited with baited breath for nearly five minutes before he finally poked his head out, finding the blast doors closed.

The droids were gone… and so was Kix.

______________________________

AO3 Link:

Author's Notes: Originally this chapter and the previous one were going to be a single chapter, but I split it up so I'd actually get something posted instead of waiting another week, which is why this one’s a little shorter than usual). Probably the closest I've come to crying while writing my own fics, oof. I would apologize for the angst, but like I said, I've literally had this planned for months now. In writing this AU, I've tried my best to mirror canon in the best ways, while still very clearly making it its own thing, and this chapter was a big part of that. I'm not going to give spoilers, but if it's not in the tags, then it's not going to happen, so hopefully that helps just a little bit. One of my other fics, though, does have a brief snippet from this AU featuring what would happen at the very end, so if you're the kind of person who wants to skip to the end of a book before reading the rest, it's Ch. 7 of my fic "Bedrest is for the Weak." This chapter makes at least three cliffhangers in a row, oof, and yes this is still an "Everyone lives, nobody dies" AU, but that doesn't mean we can't have maximum angst before that, lol. Thanks for reading!

#screaming crying throwing up #clone trooper dogma #clone trooper hardcase #clone trooper kix #my fics #my stuff #angst #major angst #everybody lives nobody dies au #swtcw fic #swtcw fanfic #swtcw au #clone trooper tup #arc trooper fives #yes the title is from the crimson corsair #finally realized I could use my chapter titles as foreshadowing and I'm having a great time #*says while sobbing*#knockout fic #hard knocks 'verse

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