Chapter Text
99 was decanted exactly like every other Jango Fett clone. He had black hair, brown eyes, a drive to serve the Republic, and a deep, mental connection that linked all the clones together. While the first few things and his physical appearance changed rather quickly due to a flaw in his genetic coding, 99 never lost access to the web of light binding him to the others. It was a constant source of comfort to him that he would always be able to hear and feel them.
When he was still the same physical age as the other clones, 99 would play with them, relying on the bond in games of hide-and-seek as an advantage, using it to win arguments, trusting what it told him no matter what. But as his mind got older, he began to question it. There was a mysterious force to the bond, as if something was in control. 99 knew it was not one of his fellow clones, as they were all equals.
So, 99 stopped relying on the bond as much, turning his time that was not spent cleaning into an investigation of the connection the rest of the clones took for granted. He was not sure why he was so sure that it could not be fully trusted. But even the little ones who were decanted only a week ago thought it was weird that only clones were part of their bond.
While 99 liked to call it an ‘investigation,’ his search was more akin to writing a biography of the Fett clones. He found the innerworkings of the bond to be less simple than he had originally assumed, as he had never been part of a squad, so when he spoke to a group of CCs, it surprised him to hear that they had their own little bond, which 99 compared to the comm frequency he shared with the other maintenance staff. Apparently, squads of troopers that trained together often had private bonds where they shared more of themselves, and it helped their coordination in combat simulations.
Another thing 99 learned was that it was not a completely open channel, and that the bond was nothing like the bug hive minds he had read about. Every individual clone could choose how open they were to feeling the bond, or how much they were projecting into it. So, some clones mentally wore their hearts on their sleeves, while others hid from the bond entirely. 99 had met a few of those that, like him, tended to avoid the bond, though they tended to have very different reasons. (One felt like darkness, another like tears. I wish I could do more for them, but neither of them want help.)
As 99 was cleaning the bunking area for some of the most recent generation, which were a good three years younger than the CCs, he found a new piece of information. It came to him in the form of being ran over by the mentally loudest clone he had ever met. However, as 99 clutched his head, the cadet quickly explained that it was not exactly his fault that he was so loud.
“It’s really all CT-26-1409's fault, I just can’t tune him out, and he can’t tune me down, so I just forget, is all.”
The cadet ran away, holding something that he had grabbed from his bunk, leaving 99 with questions, but no one to answer them. It was disappointing to lose a lead after having just found it, but 99 had plenty of work to keep him busy while he searched for answers. Which is why he was so surprised when he found that he recognized the designation of a cadet he found after hours in the archives.
CT-26-1409 seemed almost like the opposite of his squadmate. He was focused, not running at top speed, and quiet, both mentally and physically. 99 found himself doubting whether he had remembered the number correctly when the cadet in front of him winced, control over his presence in the bond slipping. 99 reached out with his own bond presence, curious.
As it turned out, CT-26-1409 was just as loud as his squadmate when he was not shielding his mind. And, it seemed that there were always two voices, two sets of feelings. However, only one of the presences was coming from Ct-26-1409. The other was coming from a vaguely familiar cadet somewhere else in Tipoca City, though it felt like he was right there with 99. Intrigued, 99 offered the cadet a deal; being let off with only a warning for being out past curfew in exchange for explaining his strange connection to the other cadet, known as CT-27-5555.
It seemed that there was a third type of channel in the bond, that occurred between two clones from the same generation, seemingly at random. The two clones would always be linked, unable to hide what they felt or thought from the other. As far as CT-26-1409 could tell, it started from the moment they were decanted, or maybe before. He also insisted that just because they were tangled with each other did not mean that they were close.
99 chose not to call him out on the obvious lie, instead escorting the cadet to his rooms and adding the new information to his research notes.
Time went on, and the bond gained an official title from the CCs: The brotherbond. 99 knew for a fact that they were not exactly sure of what a brother was, but he did know, and he thought it fit. They were all built from the same stuff, the same ‘parent,’ but they were all completely unique, ranging from differences such as 99’s age to CT-782's unwillingness to share burdens.
Eventually, 99 made up his mind about the brotherbond. It was a force for good, that kept them connected, and let them hold each other through the rain. It was warm, and light, and even when the cold darkness crept in from a brother that was hurting, or doubting, the bond was what let them help that brother. They were not alone, they were a group.
And because the Kaminoans could not access the bond, they could have names. Names, not numbers, though 99 did not mind his. It brought him joy to call his little brothers Cody, Fox, Fives, and Hevy, words full of love and purpose, instead of a string of numbers that could easily have been assigned to someone else.
The brotherbond was theirs, the clones, and no one else's. 99 was proud of the community and structure his brothers had built, and he would guard it with his life. It was what made them brothers instead of clones, a family instead of a swarm. They had variety, with twins, as Fives and CT-27-1409 were now called, and squads, as well as mentors and friends. The bond was the glue to all of their messes. 99 just hoped that they could keep it when war came.