Alternate Start (ARCHIVE)

Chapter Sixty One: Idle Chatter

((Later in the chapter, Kaar goes onto a holonet show with a... less than kind host.))

"So are you and your General... y'know..." Hunter started, and Droidbait set down his caf.

"Yes. I'm with my General, hence why you saw me go into his room. We don't really care about the rules here." Droidbait answered gruffly.

"If you ask me, that's an easy way to get decomissioned." Crosshair said from where he was sitting on the counter.

"Shut up before I fold you like the lawn chair you are." Hevy snapped. He and Crosshair had repeatedly gotten into it over the last twenty four hours. They'd gotten into fist fights once or twice until Guilttrip threatened to tranquilize them.

Sparkler just set his cup of caf down. He was getting sick of this. "Crosshair, outside. I need to talk to you."

He closed the door as they got into the hallway. "Cross, look, I get it. You don't want to let them hurt any of you, but I need you to calm down."

Crosshair sucked in a deep breath. Sparkler knew that the kid's social skills were lacking, since most regular brothers usually took to pushing him around. He didn't build muscle like everyone else, he was nearly as pale as Kamino's walls. He'd developed a sort of "I'll hate you first" type of defense mechanism.

It pained him to see Arla's vod'ika doing this to himself. He wasn't as close to Crosshair as she was, but he was close enough to understand him. To be let in, even a bit.

"I think if you let him," He said, ruffling Crosshair's white curls, "You and Droidbait could be friends, Cross'ika. You need to take that leap now, becaue he won't. If Arla were here, she'd be saying the same thing."

"I know..." Crosshair muttered, chewing anxiously on the toothpick between his teeth. Sparkler could recognize the nervous habit for what it was.

"C'mon kih'vod. Feel like starting over with Domino?"

"I— I—... M-Maybe?" Crosshair ran a hand through his white hair, finally dropping his walls of sarcasm and hostility. His toothpick was making an indent in his bottom lip from the angle it was being held at. "Vod, can I just— just go hide for a little while? Until I'm calm?"

Sparkler nodded, lightly nudging Crosshair in the direction of the hangar. The sniper readily took the presented opportunity, and Sparkler headed back into the room.

"Sorry all, I needed to talk to Crosshair." Sparkler plopped down into a chair as Hevy scoffed.

"Good, couldn't take anymore of his rudeness."

Sparkler leveled Hevy with a look. "Hevy, he has his reasons. Most regular clones didn't treat him well on Kamino. I'm an exception. It doesn't excuse what's been said, I know, but he's willing to try and make amends if you let him."

For a moment, Sparkler thought that none of Crosshair's brothers would back him up on this, but thankfully, Wrecker spoke up. "He means well. He just wants to protect us. He'll be better when he warms up to you."

Domino Squad seemed at least partially satisfied with that answer.

They moved onto more important topics.

—
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"OH LITTLE GODS THE BABY HAS A KNIFE, DIN GET BEHIND ME!"

"I'm not a baby!" Desnuri snarled at Boba.

"Boba, apologize to Desnuri." Tehyfa said, crossing her arms.

"But look at her Tehyfa! She's a baby!"

They'd been at this for almost an hour. Boba's vode were no help, either dying of laughter or recording the spectacle.

"Desnuri, put down the knife! Don't make me get Echo or call Master Drarii! And Boba, don't make me go get your buir!"

"Boba started it!"

"I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it!"

—
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—

Kaar wasn't sure why he had agreed to the interview. It started off fine, regular questions. What's the Order like? What's it like on the front lines? What's the world like as a force sensitive?

But then it got... weird.

"So, I'm curious Kaar,"

He had repeatedly told the host not to call him by first name.

"After restrictions were lifted, many Jedi came out as having partners. Do you have a lady waiting at home on Coruscant?"

"Well," Kaar started, determined to get through this despite the discomfort in his voice, "Yes. My mate is a very sweet man. I don't feel comfortable disclosing his name, so I won't."

"Oh." Kaar could hear the displeasure in his voice. You didn't need to be a Jedi to realize that he had a problem with two men being together.

"There have been rumors that you and the Mand'alor are involved, since you have the same last name. Is that true?"

"What?" Kaar jolted, then hurriedly said, "No! Gods, no. And technically Sunna isn't my last name. It's my earned name. Kaar is my given name, only to be used by those close to me. Sunna is the name I earned, practically my very soul and rightful title. But what I suppose is closest to my last name is my clan name, Sal." He ran a claw through his hair and chuckled, "But no, I am not involved with the Mand'alor. He's got his own romantic interest."

Frankly, Kaar didn't want to remember this man's name. He continued with his lines of questioning on who Kaar could be seeing, until Kaar finally snapped and politely told him to drop it. Kaar couldn't stand people like that.

Waking up the next morning, curled up with Droidbait, Kaar discovered that the host had received swathes of backlash overnight. It was satisfying, in a very unjedi-like way. Civilians were losing it over how Kaar had been treated, especially calling out the rude homophobic undertones the host had been using.

Kaar simply turned off his datapad with a small smirk, nuzzling his face back into Droidbait's neck.

•—END OF CHAPTER—•

Short, but we're getting something MAJOR next chapter