Warriors in Red Armor

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Star Wars: The Clone Wars or any related titles, characters, plots, settings, etc. These rights are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Dave Filoni, the Walt Disney Company, and their various publishers and distributors. I own only the original elements of this story, the writing and publishing of which earn me no money.

Chapter Two

Hound II

79's was loud, dim, and crowded. There were so many people packed into the building that the air inside felt thick and hard to breathe. Any conversationalists had to shout if they wanted the other party to hear them. The main illumination in the room came from accent lighting, flashing spotlights, and the occasional glowing cybernetic.

It was chaos, and Hound loved every second of it.

He had always been a fan of crowds, of feeling the press of civilization. He and Grizzer were similar in that sense: they both thrived in situations that offered plenty of information to take in.

When the three Coruscant Guard troopers had arrived at 79's, they fell into their traditional pattern. First, Thire had tried a cheesy pick-up line on a beautiful Mirialan female just inside the doors. She had given him a pity-filled smile and turned him down. Thire had been unaffected. His pick-up lines had a 0% success rate, but he kept trying.

Next, Thorn had stopped by the bar on the way in. He ordered a Corellian whisky, light on the ice, and ignored Hound's protests that they would get the first round together in a few minutes. Thorn sipped at his drink as they walked to the Coruscant Guard's standard booth.

The Corrie Guard booth wasn't reserved - as if 79's would allow something like that - but no one else ever sat there. That was one of the benefits of always being planetside with a regular presence in 79's. No trooper from another battalion would ever try to sit at their booth, not without an express invitation.

Before he did anything else, Hound got Thorn and Thire stowed at the booth. The former was drinking while the latter focused on thinking up a new pick-up line. Hound then left to get drinks for the party. This was his favorite part: getting to meet people.

With the warmth of amusement filling him at the antics of his vode and the civvies on the dance floor, Hound made his slow, weaving way to the bar. There, he chatted with brothers and civilians alike while he waited for the drinks he had ordered. Thorn wanted another Corellian whisky on the rocks, Thire requested a hyperdrive, and Hound decided on a surly sarlacc.

As the bartender placed the second drink in front of him, Hound glanced at the people around him. To his right were a Bith and a Sullustan in some kind of embrace. Deciding he didn't want to learn any more, Hound turned to his left side instead. There, he found a pale woman sipping frantically at a cup of what he was sure was a blue bantha.

"Hey, no rush!" he called over the pounding music. "They aren't going to run out of booze."

She smiled wanly at him. "Are you sure? Everyone here is drinking like the bar is closing and they want to be hospitalized by the time it happens."

"Lighten up, Ark!" a pretty girl on the stranger's other side called. She slung an arm around her friend's neck, and Hound caught a whiff of Corellian whisky from her glass. "One night out isn't gonna kill you!"

"It might," the pale woman sulked, taking another swig of her blue bantha.

"Another whiskey, handsome," the louder one said to the bartender, adding a wink that made the infamously slow-moving man pick up the pace.

The wheels in Hound's mind were spinning. The two women might end up being an excellent match for Thorn and Thire. His vode had expressed interest in finding hookups for the night. Who better for a loud trooper and a quiet one than a loud woman and a quiet one?

"Hey, how about I buy this round and both of you help me carry these drinks back to my friends?" Hound asked.

The louder of the two grinned at him. "Two hands, three drinks, and a crowded dance floor? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. It's our civic duty to make sure no one slips in spilled alcohol." The quiet woman simply shrugged, which Hound took as an agreement.

When the bartender came to drop off Thire's hyperdrive, Hound ordered another round for the women. He directed the quieter one to carry her own drink and the hyperdrive while he carried Thorn's Corellian whisky and the surly sarlacc.

"Don't trust me to carry two drinks?" the other woman asked with a faux pout.

Hound smiled and shook his head. "I might need you to clear a path and you seem like you can command attention."

With that, she laughed and struck a dramatic pose that made at least two troopers in the area stare. "Follow me!"

True to Hound's expectations, she led them across the dance floor with ease. When they reached the other side, she paused while Hound took the lead to the Coruscant Guard's booth. When they arrived, the other troopers immediately caught sight of Hound's guests. Thorn glanced away and took another sip of his drink while Thire's entire face lit up with interest.

"Hey, guys this is…" Hound paused, realizing with a guilty pang that he had never gotten their names. "... blue bantha and Corellian whisky. These are my fellow troopers, Thorn and Thire."

The louder woman slid into the booth with a laugh, offering Thorn her hand to shake. "Corellian whisky, also known as Kai. Blue bantha is my friend Ark."

"Ark?" Thire asked, standing so that the quiet, pale woman could sit on the inside of the booth. Hound noticed with interest that Thire was watching Ark closely. He would have bet every credit he owned that Thire would have gone for the bubbly Kai instead.

"Yeah, it's a nickname?" Kai explained, mouth quirking up at one corner. "Her real one is too long for easy use."

"What is your full name, Ark?" Thire murmured. Hound could only just hear him over the music, but he was silently begging his brother not to use one of his pickup lines on the poor woman.

"Arkularia," Ark answered with a grimace. "I know it's a lot."

"I think it's beautiful," Thire said fervently.

Ark's pale cheeks reddened and she gave a single nod in thanks.

Hound's amused look was echoed by those of Thorn and Kai. Thorn, of course, took the chance to egg his brother on.

"What's wrong, Thire? Run out of your famous pick-up lines?"

"Pick-up lines?" Kai asked, sounding intrigued.

Ark's cheeks reddened further. "Do they work often?"

"Ehh…" Thire hedged.

"Never," Hound chimed in.

Thorn took another gulp of whiskey. "Not on the sane ones."

Kai winked at Thorn as she loudly said, "I think Ark wants to hear one of those pick-up lines, Thire. Do you have one for her?"

Thire looked at Ark for direction, but she only lifted a pale brow. Defeated, Thire took a deep breath and put on his cockiest smile. Hound counted Thire as a friend and that smile still made him want to hit the man in the face. "Hey, Ark, I've got a problem. I lost my comlink frequency. Could I have yours?"

The group dissolved into laughter and the proverbial ice between the two groups seemed thoroughly broken.

"So, Corellian whisky, huh?" Thorn asked Kai, who grinned. "You have good taste."

"Back at you," Kai said, inclining her glass to connect lightly with Thorn's. "I don't know how they get away with selling this vintage so cheap here."

Thorn's eyes sharpened and Hound fought back a smirk. The alcohol prices at 79's had been a source of much discussion from Thorn over the years, and Hound was glad his brother had finally found someone to share that interest with. Especially since Hound wouldn't have to be part of the conversation.

"Well, I have to go," Hound said, tipping back the last of his surly sarlacc.

"Wait, what?" Kai asked. The sentiment was backed up by the expression on Thorn's face. Thire and Ark paid exactly no attention to his announcement, their interest clearly captured by each other.

Hound shrugged. "I have to report for an early morning shift in a few hours. I need to rest up if I'm going to make a good impression on the good people of Coruscant."

Thorn frowned. "What are you talking about? Earlier today, you told the commander that you would be fine to stay out late."

Hound pressed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Why, Thorn! Would I ever be so irresponsible?"

"Always," Thorn said dryly.

"I can't hear you over the music!" Hound shouted, too loud even in the din that was 79's. "See you tomorrow!"

He left before Thorn had a chance to deliver a retort, but he noted with more than a little glee that neither Thire nor Ark had noticed him leaving.

Ark I

Thire was charming, there was no doubt about it. He had spent the past two hours asking questions about Ark and actually listening to her answers, as if her every word was fascinating. Most men saw her as an easy way to get to the talkative and flirtatious Kai - at least, if they didn't know anything about who Ark was - but Thire's attention seemed fixed on quiet Ark.

"So, what do you do here on Coruscant?" he asked.

Ark relaxed a fraction. Bars and clubs weren't exactly her scene, but her work? She could talk about that all day.

"Kai and I work as part of an information securities team."

"That sounds… really cool, actually," Thire said, admiration in his voice.

Ark felt an odd urge to preen under the half-compliment before her better sense kicked in and she quashed the temptation. "It pays the bills," she said instead, giving a casual sort of shrug.

"What kind of information securities are we talking about here?" he asked, encouraging her to go on.

For the first time in their conversation, Ark hesitated. Ransom always emphasized how important it was to keep a low profile, but this was Thire. Goofy, pick-up line-using Thire couldn't be anyone of enough importance to get them in trouble.

"Well, we specialize in data recovery," she told him. "Lately, we've been branching out into a new service. Businesses hire us to test security measures and report our findings."

"That's awesome!" Thire enthused, and Ark was relieved to see no hint of deeper understanding or curiosity in his dark eyes. "Do you have, like, a team name?"

"It- It's not exactly a team," she clarified, hoping he wasn't going to get condescending. "It's a business. A thriving one, actually. We're called Red Squad."

Thire frowned and Ark tensed. Would he recognize the name? Instead, he gave a broad grin after a moment had passed. "What a coincidence! We're a red squad!"

"Oh, is red your unit's chosen color?" Ark asked politely.

"Yep, Coruscant Guard crimson," he bragged. "Planetary landing squads will try to make it sound like they have the only important job in the GAR, but keeping Coruscant safe is a lot of work."

"You're permanently stationed on Coruscant?" Ark double-checked, trying to hide the surprise she was feeling. It didn't matter - he saw through her attempt to be subtle.

"You weren't expecting me to be around for very long," Thire summarized. His face went polite and distant rather than being warm and friendly like it had been through their previous conversation.

"Not exactly," she admitted, feeling guilty that her thought process had been almost exactly what he expected. "I mean... I know a lot of troopers have to rotate on and off of Coruscant. Is it nice to stay in one place?"

Thire's eyes thawed slightly. "It is, but sometimes I wish I had the chance to see more places. Actively do more good, you know?"

"I think you do plenty of good here," Ark encouraged softly. She wanted to show him that she wasn't some heartless snob who looked down on the troopers who defended her home. "The war may seem far away from Coruscant, but it's only because you and your brothers work so hard to keep us all safe. Thank you for that."

"Listen, Ark…" Thire said gently, but she had trouble hearing him. Instead, loud cheering from Kai and laughter from Thorn stole her attention as they watched someone on the dance floor.

"I don't believe it - a perfect 30!" Kai shouted while Thorn pounded the table with his fist and roared with laughter.

The idea of seemingly stoic Thorn laughing so hard with cheerful Kai brought a smile to Ark's face, but the sentiment was not shared by Thire. Instead, the trooper scowled across the booth.

"Vod, do you mind?" he asked sharply.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," Thorn apologized, waving a hand in Thire's direction.

"Anyway, is it okay if I comm you sometime?" Thire asked, refocusing on Ark. "I'd like to spend time with you somewhere that I can actually hear you."

"Not much to hear, most days," Ark said with a soft smile.

"Still," Thire pressed. "Would that be okay with you?"

Thire smiled at her, the expression lighting up his handsome face, and Ark paused. The evening had been perfect so far, but how would their next encounter go? She worked hard to cultivate the image of a quiet woman whose most interesting traits were tied to her job. Still, Ark had secrets that couldn't come to light, especially around a trooper of the Coruscant Guard. Plus, Thire was a good-looking, charismatic man with skills and interests far exceeding those he needed for his job. He would figure her out - it would only be a matter of time. She should give a polite refusal and keep the memory of this night a perfect one.

Ark opened her mouth, ready to turn him down, but the open nervousness on Thire's face made her pause. She could not reject him. She wasn't strong enough to choose a quick end to their time together.

Instead, she smiled and nodded, fighting a wave of disappointment in herself. She was willing to wring every drop of happiness from their acquaintanceship before the inevitable end. It was dangerous behavior from a woman whose safety relied on secrecy, but she was hopeful that it would be worth it.

Author's Note - This story isn't entirely written from Hound's perspective. He just really likes to talk! I promise, the next chapter will feature other narrators, and will introduce the rest of the characters we're missing. Per request, the chapters will feature individual warnings about potential triggers. If I miss one, please feel free to let me know! And yes, some of the drink names in this chapter were taken directly from Oga's Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

Thank you to those who have favorited or subscribed to this story so far! Special thanks to those who took the time to comment on last week's chapter: KarajeJinsta, Sued13, and shadowcat802, you are all amazing!

Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave some feedback if you have a minute. Have a wonderful day, and I'll see you next week!