Chapter Text
The Universe had a sense of humor and it hated him. The wars were out there, far beyond the glittering city-planet of Coruscant. Fox occasionally looked up at the lanes of traffic and wondered if his brothers were able to use their skills to full effect. He did everything he could to avoid looking at the Jedi Temple. He would do his job and protect those ungrateful kriffers, but he would never be a Weapon for them again. If he had any choice in the matter.
Fox shuddered at the memory of being pressed into service for any Jedi close enough to identify him. Part of him wished he was like most of his Clone Brothers. However, the manufactured Living Waters had activated that weird quirk of Mandalorians who had vowed to the Creed. Since Jango Fett had become a Living Weapon because of that process, so every Clone had that potential.
Most Clones who could transform into Living Weapons were out fighting Droids alongside Jedi. That hadn’t worked out so well for Fox. Jedi thought they wanted a non-lethal weapon, but all of their constructs to hold their energy focusing crystal were forms of improved blasters or weaponized plasma cutters. But a staff with a stun cap would not win a war. Not that it stopped the Jedi from making demands when their fancy constructs broke.
Fox shook his head clear of those memories and focused on the fight before him. “Caster! Jols! Left flank!” A gang of terrorists had ambushed Senator Dante of Netone on a survey of the Kettransis Port. Fox and his six man escort held their position while waiting for backup. The gunships were eight minutes out. An eternity in a blaster fight.
“Looks like you flushed them out for me,” a man called from above. “I’ll take it from here, Senator.” The man danced around the blaster fire into melee range of the terrorists. The Jedi’s construct was some sort of gauntlet.
Beside him, Itha groaned. Fox agreed but would not show his contempt. “Focus fire on the left. Vos has the right’s attention.” One of the many wildcards in the Jedi Order. If the Jedi would actually coordinate their investigations with the Coruscant Guard, perhaps Fox wouldn’t hate them half as much. “Jols, what’s the retreat options?” If they could get the Senator out while terrorists were distracted, Fox would leave the Jedi to handle the rest.
“Not good, Commander,” Jols answered between rapid fire of his repeating heavy blaster. “Another ship dropped and it’s not ours.”
“Power cells are running low, Commander!” Caster provided.
Fox did the mental calculations and they did not add up. Their own reinforcements were late. He sent out the distress signal to all Coruscant Guards. This had just been a token mission for Fox to stretch his legs. Now the war had come to them. Fox scowled, glad no one could see under his helmet. The only other Living Weapon in this squad was Jols. A stun staff and a holdout blaster was not going to make much of a difference in this situation. Both of them would immediately transform to give their Brothers a chance.
“Commander!” Itha shouted. A bad sign to show that much distress. “Vos is down.” Down was not quite the right word. Jedi Vos still dodged the blaster fire, but his gauntlet was fried. Almost as soon as Fox understood the situation the Jedi jumped back into their pocket of cover. The storage containers had taken a beating.
“Well,” Vos casually removed his gauntlet, as if this was a normal conversation. “Stubborn group.” Vos grimaced as flexed his right hand. “So… what’s taking your backup so long?”
“Shot down,” Fox forced out. “The Kettransis Port is under lockdown. A comms wide jam is in place to prevent these terrorists from calling in more help. Commander Jedan is cordoning off all gates and assembling the Guard. Last transmission before the blackout said ten minutes.” Fox rattled off the report easily, trusting his Commanders to handle the broader situation while Fox focused on protecting the Senator. “We’re low on powercells. The left flank has heavy artillery. And there is another ship’s worth of terrorists working their way towards our six. Sir.” He ground out the honorific.
“I still need to find out how they got in.” Vos peeked above a storage crate.
“The drop ship is of Netone origin. These shipping containers can be here for weeks without moving. Without doing a proper investigation, I suggest they smuggled themselves in by legal shipping routes.” Fox had read so many reports of smugglers reconfiguring ships and containers.
“I didn’t ask you.”
“Then don’t speculate when in the middle of battle, sir.” Fox dismissed the Jedi. “Jols, which side would you take?”
Jols halted the repeating heavy gun and ducked behind the barrier. He took a moment to study the field. “Caster and I would have the best luck with the right flank. Jedi Vos caused enough chaos that I think we could open that path.”
Caster didn’t even need to look back. “If that’s what Jols sees, then I’m game.” Caster had the best aim of the squad. He would need it with the holdout blaster.
“Thought all the Living Weapons went to the Frontlines.” Vos said. The cold considering tone bothered Fox.
The Coruscant Guard Marshal Commander stepped between Vos and Jols. “Not all Living Weapons are suitable for the Frontlines. Sir.” He bit out. Fox knew what was coming and he would not force Jols into that position.
“Look Commander, this is not the situation I imagined dying in.” Vos ejected the kyber container from the broken gauntlet. “But that was my last construct. Clones should never have been made. That they continue the unnatural ability to turn into Living Weapons makes it worse. But if I’m going to get us out of this, I’m going to need a Weapon. So unless you have another construct laying around, I’m out of ideas.”
Fox was out of ideas, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Their position was going to be overrun before the reinforcements arrived. Letting a Senator get killed went against everything Fox had pledged to when taking command of the Coruscant Guard. Letting his brothers get killed because of his reluctance wounded his heart even more. “Jols, we’ll get you a distraction. Jedi Vos…. When you’re ready.”
“What?” Vos looked back, golden tattoos scrunched up in confusion.
With increasing clarity and disgust, Fox accepted his lot in life. “You’ve never Wielded a Living Weapon?”
“No! Why would I want to do that! I just told you it is a horrible practice.”
“And yet here we are.” Fox groused. “Give me your kyber and don’t drop me.” The squad remained focused on their targets. The Senator’s eyes were wide. With terror or shock, Fox didn’t care. It was common knowledge for anyone who wanted to research that CC- 1010 was a Living Weapon. He wore the damn badge on his armor.
Vos offered the kyber container in an open hand. Fox released a heavy sigh and snatched it. “Itha!” Fox called before tossing the Trooper his rifle. Fox wouldn’t need it in a few seconds. He removed the green kyber and threw the container back at the Jedi. That was also useless to him. Fox closed his eyes and braced himself for the burn of accepting a kyber. With a simple thought, the transformation flared into life.
In both a blink of an eye and an agonizing eternity, Fox assumed the shape of a stun staff. The constant fire of the kyber strangely felt less intense than he remembered. Next he felt the sensation of falling and the painful helplessness in stopping it.
***
Quinlan had seen Clone Living Weapons transform countless times, but never this close. The Force felt impossibly strong for that brief moment as matter altered shape. The Clone Commander in white and red armor just blinked into the shape of a stun staff with the green kyber pulsing near the hand grips. Then the staff began to lean and fall. Quinlan was not fast enough to stop the stun globe from hitting the container wall.
**Rude!**
He jerked his hand back.
One of the Clones pushed Quinlan aside and grabbed the staff before it hit the ground. “Sorry, sir.” That was obviously not meant for Quinlan. That Clone straightened and presented the stun staff to Quinlan. “This is Commander Fox. A living being, not an inanimate object. Don’t drop him. Sir.” The forced honorific clearly contained their dislike.
Already regretting his decision, Quinlan accepted the stun staff. A static buzz filled his head. He wanted to itched out his ears to silence it. **It won’t go away, Vos. We have a job to do, so get on with it.**
“Right.” Quinlan tried to focus. “You couldn’t have something with a blade?”
**I’m a Clone! I can’t control my Weapon. Now get out there and do something!**
“I wonder if I can…” Quinlan took a moment to study the positions of the terrorists. If the two Clones were going to take the right, that left the left and rear as the most dangerous.
**Vos! Before anyone else gets killed. That’s the only reason I agreed to this.**
“Are you always this demanding?” Quinlan asked conversationally. At least one Clone didn’t silence his helmet fast enough to mute his snicker. He got a glare from an unseen presence in the back of his mind. The static got worse, almost too painful. “I take that as a yes.” Quinlan Force jumped over the container and twisted to avoid the following blaster fire. Landing in the middle of the group of terrorists surrounding the large gun, Quinlan grinned. “Looks like fun. Mind if I join?”
Staffs weren’t his weapon of choice, but Quinlan knew how to make the most of it. He snapped out the staff, jabbing a surprised terrorist with a stun strike. It caused a flare in the electrostatic charged globe and jolted the man into unconsciousness. “Oh.. That’s different.”
**Will you keep going! Of course a Living Weapon is going to be stronger than a standard one.**
Quinlan started to move. His Force enhanced speed and the strength of the stun staff cut down most of the group. “I could use something shorter.” In the close quarters combat the staff was getting too long. The buzz strained against Quinlan’s ability to concentrate. A stun baton fit his hand. He slammed into the gut of the next attacker. “I can work with this.” It still wasn’t his favorite, but the situation made it useful.
He now charged towards the group the other Clones had headed for. He only saw one Guard. That other one called Jols was the sleek hold-out blaster that the Trooper used with the skill of a sniper. “Not what I expected.”
**Vos! There are four getting away!**
Quinlan did change direction. “Don’t you have a ranged form?” The screeching static in his head caused him to stumble. It eased off enough to allow Quinlan to dart for the escapees. “What if I throw you? That’s not dropping you.”
**Do I look like a ranged weapon?** The irritating buzz continued unrelentingly but did not distract Quinlan from stunning his targets. **Blade incoming on your right.** A sharp crack of static matched the thud of a blade against a metal baton that blazed on the edge with the static charge for stunning. A side-handled baton with the capabilities of a stun baton.
Grinning, Quinlan went to work taking down those running away. The hooking of the protruding handle let him pull the men off balance and strike them out cold. He blocked several blaster shots with the high powered shock bar when surprised. Continued to focus on dodging them as he felt the stab of pain in Fox’s presence. By the time he returned to the Guards and Senator, the reinforcements had taken out the last group threatening the Senator.
“That was ….”
**Hold out your hand and prepare to let go.** Fox ordered, interrupting anything Quinlan had thought to say.
“Is there a correct way?” Quinlan asked. In response the static in his head grew intolerable. The baton turn back into a stun staff and Quinlan let go. The sudden silence in his mind disoriented him more than expected.
The sound of many Clones shouting “Commander!” reached him. Quinlan snapped his hand out and grabbed the Commander’s armor before the Clone could fall. The intense anger in the Force made Quinlan back away the moment the Guards took control of the unconscious Commander. Still he lingered. Fox had his kyber after all.
A Clone broke from the group. He had that badge of a Living Weapon on his shoulder. “This belongs to you, sir.” Held out his hand with the green crystal resting in his palm.
Gingerly taking it back, fully expecting some backlash, Quinlan eyed the scene of the many Guards taking the Commander back on a stretcher. “What happened?”
“Ask Commander Fox. Later.” The Guard turned sharply and walked away.
***
Two days.
It had been two days since the incident at the Kettransis Port and Fox was still itching at the burn under his skin. Sitting in the Command Office did not help distract him. The man walking into his office made everything worse. “What do you want, Jedi Vos.” The Universe absolutely hated him.
“You wear your helmet even in here?” Vos eyed the office.
“What do you want, Jedi Vos.” Fox repeated with steel entering his voice. He had to at least use polite words even if he wanted to flay the man alive.
“Why did you faint after the fight?” Vos was uncharacteristically direct.
Fox muted his helmet’s speakers and released a growl of irritation. Took another breath before responding, “That is none of your business.”
“I think it is.” Vos leaned over the desk, trying to peer into the helmet’s visor. What the Jedi felt in the Force was only for the Jedi to know. “It would be rude to ignore a partner’s injuries.”
“We are not partners. Get that straight right now.” Fox refused to give into the impulse to stand. This was his office and the Jedi invaded. And he did not want to get into a brawl with a Jedi. No one in the Guard blamed Fox for passing out. Every Living Weapon had moments when the battle had been too much to handle. That was what training was for. Fox had ignored that part of his training. Nor had he ever changed beyond a staff and a baton. The side-handled baton had been new. Nor had he ever changed that often in a battle. Most Jedi were done with him the moment the static hurt their heads or they realized they had the least glamorous weapon of the lot.
“Alright. But why did you pass out?”
“Why do you care.” Fox grumbled.
“If for some reason I get stuck in a situation like that, I don’t want to be the one responsible for the Clone passing out.”
“You’ve made it clear you don’t think Clones should even exist, so excuse me for thinking you actually care about a Living Weapon’s wellbeing.”
Vos cocked an eyebrow. “So that’s why you wouldn’t let that hold-out blaster be my partner.”
“Jols.” Fox said loudly and firmly. “His name is Jols. I won’t let any of my men be your damn partner for that exact reason.” His eyes track a Guard hovering at the office door. “Not now, Spoke. Not unless you are escorting Jedi Vos out of the building.” Spoke saluted and turned away, making sure the door was closed. “Listen to me carefully, Vos. I don’t have a Jedi partner. No Guard will have a Jedi partner forced on them. What I did was to save my men and the Senator. My skin still feels like it burns because of that kyber. So be glad the static shock to your brain disappeared the moment you let go.”
“You…. Wait… you know about the static?”
“I’m busy, Vos. You can talk to the other Jedi who forced the same situation. I will do my job. That is all I have to say on the matter.”
Quinlan Vos drew back. He pursed his lips in thought. “You controlled the level of static. It spiked with your irritation and when you changed design.”
“Not exactly.” Fox rolled his shoulders. He should have known better than to let Vos continue the conversation. “Why are you really here, Vos?” He was tired of this Jedi.
“I wasn’t sure if I had done something to hurt you.” Vos actually sounded apologetic. “So I don’t think Clones should have been made, but that doesn’t mean I want you to be hurt. I’m not that cruel. I felt it… the blaster shots…”
“If I tell you, will you finally leave me alone?” Fox asked. He didn’t bother to disguise the exhaustion in his voice. The Jedi nodded and waited. “I don’t have a Jedi partner. I don’t change designs. That was… a lot.. that is not part of my standard training.”
“Wait… you mean I made you change designs?” Vos leaned in curious. “How?”
“You said you’d leave.” Fox finally stood and stormed around his desk. Grabbing Vos by the arm and shoulder to frogmarch him out. “I’m done with this conversation. It won’t happen again.”
The Jedi dug his heels in just before they reached the door. “Alright. Alright..” Vos slipped his way out of Fox’s hold as if the vice grip was nothing. “So long as I didn’t cause the problem.”
“You are the problem. Get out.” Fox opened the door and shoved the Jedi out. If Vos was that curious, then he could find a Clone Living Weapon that actually wanted a partner.