Chapter Text
Your first day on Seelos went about as bad as it possibly could have gone. Your ship’s landing gear malfunctioned upon entering atmosphere, forcing you to set it down much too far away from the proper landing site. Then, the desert crawler that the Institute secured for your stay was nearly cannibalized by Jawas. And, finally, a joopa the size of a small Imperial warship burst from the ground and tried to make a meal out of you and your new home.
You would have let him do it.
Fortunately, (or perhaps unfortunately) a blaster cannon shot hit the worm, nearly knocking it completely onto its side. Nearly. The creature swung its massive head towards the source of the attack: an old Clone Wars era AT-TE walker. The joopa let out a vengeful bellow.
You could barely make out a figure sitting at the cannon’s controls. Whoever they were, your savior fired another shot. The joopa, surprisingly agile, dodged the attack and dove right back into the ground with the ease of diving into water. It disappeared, leaving you with a half-eaten sand crawler and a tenuous grasp on your own sanity.
***
“What in the bloody hells are you doin’ out here?”
It was a Human man. He had a cybernetic eye, white muttonchops, and one of the fiercest scowls you ever saw. He had been at the TE’s controls, you assumed, but climbed out for the purposes of lecturing you, apparently. He crossed his arms – muscular, for a man who looked to be in his 50’s, decked out in vestiges of ancient grey armor – and waited imperiously for your answer.
You replied in the form of a slack jaw.
“You’re scarin’ her, Wolffe!” admonished another man. He must have been Grumpy’s brother; although this one had both his amber eyes and flashed you a disarming, toothy grin. “S’okay, civilian! Republic business, an’ all that!”
‘Wolffe’ rolled his… eye. Finally, the man at the cannon hopped off his perch. Wait. Triplets…? Then it hit you: clones. Yes, that ancient armor – you could remember seeing a shinier version it as a kid in those propaganda holos about the Grand Army of the Republic: here to protect Our Freedom.
“You alright, ma’am?” asked the clone who shot the joopa. Bald, but with a bushy white beard and eyes you somehow knew you could trust. “Big Bongo really made a mess of your crawler.”
Big… Bongo…?
“You must smell good!” piped up the grinner, letting out a slightly manic yet wholly endearing little giggle. “He doesn’t surface for just any ol’ piece of bait!”
The clone at the cannon gave you an encouraging smile. “Name’s Rex,” he introduced. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of his companions. “That’s Wolffe and Gregor.”
Face burning with embarrassment, you told them your name and thanked them for their rescue. Rex chuckled. “It’s certainly been awhile since the three of us have ‘rescued’ somebody,” he reflected. “Now, let’s get you off that crawler; I don’t think it’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.”
With a grumble, Wolffe went back to his controls and brought the TE closer. When they were close enough, Rex leaned over their makeshift base’s railing and offered a large, sturdy hand. You took it, yours so much smaller in his calloused grip. You yelped in surprise as your feet left the metal ground. Rex lifted you with ease, impressive biceps flexing. He grabbed you under your arms and hoisted you up and over.
“Careful!” he warned goodnaturedly when you collided with his solid chest. His warm laugh rumbled into you and made your face burn even hotter.
***
Inside the safety of the AT-TE, you told them your story: You had PhD in xenobiology from the Coruscanti Institute of Science. You were sent, alone, to study joopa for a year and also determine if it were possible to set up permanent colonies (that weren’t comprised of outlaws and bounty hunters) on Seelos.
Wolffe shook his head in disbelief. “Damned idiots sent a kid off on ‘er own to get eaten by joopa?” he grumbled; at least this time his grumpiness wasn’t directed at you.
“Well, Doc, you can stay with us,” Rex offered. “Plenty of room on the TE.”
You opened your mouth to object, but the old clone waved a dismissive hand. “We insist,” he said. “Otherwise, you’ll be a snack for the joopa.”
“Or captured by outlaws,” chimed in Gregor. His eyes twinkled. “Though, I think I speak for all of us when I say it’d be pleasure to rescue a pretty lady ag–OW!” Gregor whined pitifully when Wolffe smacked him on the shoulder in reproach. You could have sworn Wolffe looked embarrassed.
You smiled shyly yourself. “Then, I-I’ll need to contact the Institute and tell them what happened,” you said. “Let them know that, uh… my living situation’s changed. At least, for now. I promise I’ll be out of your way as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about it, Doc,” replied Rex. He smirked. “You’ll be doing me a favor: it’ll be nice to talk to somebody other than these two wet droids.”
Wolffe snorted, though there was no venom in his voice. “Who’re you callin’ ‘wet droid,’ bad batcher?” he retorted, trying not to smile. “Fine way to speak to a superior officer.”
“Court-martial me, then, Commander.”
Rex gave you a conspiratorial wink.
***
The AT-TE was not the smoothest ride. Its six giant feet jerked and groaned with every heavy ‘step.’ It felt like it might collapse any moment, though it never did. Had you not spent months at sea on Scarif for your Master’s thesis studying blixus mating rituals, the heaving motions of the walker would have made you lose your lunch down its durasteel hull.
You stood at the walker’s bow, looking out over the vast desert. The brightness of the cracked ground was near blinding when combined with the sun’s potent rays. The pale blue sky held no clouds. Gregor had given you his scopes, which you used to search the horizon.
“We’re coming up on a hotspot!” the commando exclaimed at your side, vibrating with excitement. “You should spot one any second, Doc!”
Gregor was right. You saw a breach: a spray of disturbed rock blown meters into the baking air. “I see one!” you shouted. “Near the mountain!”
“Turn ‘er around, Wolffe!” barked Rex.
The sudden swing of the walker made you lose your footing. With an undignified yawp of alarm, you fell… only for Gregor to catch you before you hit the hard floor. “Easy, now,” he laughed. His breath was elevated, pupils wide from the excitement of the chase. “Better sit this one out, Doc. We’ll take it from here, yeah?”
You were nearly disappointed when his warm, steadying hands fell away from your back.
***
They were an impressive team. Rex gave the orders from his spot at the cannon. Wolffe handled the TE’s controls. And Gregor stood at the bow, shocking the casting line to bring the worm to the surface. You watched their practiced ease and wondered: How long had they been here? How many years had they survived on this harsh planet, just the three of them?
“Get ready, Doc!” Rex shouted, shaking you from your thoughts. “We’ve nearly got ‘im!”
From the controls, Wolffe howled in triumph. It seemed even he could get caught up in the excitement. Gregor gave another powerful jab of his electro-staff, exposed skin glistening with sweat and the formidable muscles of his back flexing. The line screamed with electricity, and you heard a vast bellow of rage from beneath the earth.
The creature emerged.