#captain keeli

@summer-of-clones Week 4 Alt Prompt: Sibling Comfort

I Wanna Learn How to Fire That Pistol

Captain Keeli had faced battle droids, artillery fire, and impossible odds.

None of those experiences had prepared him for the nervous anticipation twisting in his stomach as he guided his speeder bike through the sleeping streets of Laci’s hometown.

He had replayed their first meeting more times than he cared to admit.

The bright-eyed human woman who had caught him and Skip raiding a hospital loading dock.

The way she had confronted armed strangers without a second thought.

The bump on the back of her head.

The sharp wit.

The impossible blue eyes.

And that final demand.

I wanna learn how to fire that pistol.

Keeli had agreed immediately.

He would have agreed to almost anything she asked.

The eastern horizon was just beginning to brighten when he turned into the alley behind the hospital.

She was waiting in the shadows, leaning against the wall with one boot braced behind her.

For a moment, Keeli simply stared.

Her hair was down this time, still damp from a recent shower. Soft blonde waves brushed just past her shoulders, catching the first hints of morning light.

She wore faded green cargo pants tucked into worn brown leather boots and a bright red shirt that left a narrow strip of skin visible above the waistband. A weathered jacket hung open, and a wide-brimmed hat sat at a jaunty angle on her head.

A knife and a water bottle hung from her belt.

She looked practical, adventurous, and devastatingly beautiful.

Keeli’s pulse quickened.

Kriff.

The woman was going to be the end of him.

The moment she spotted him, her face lit up.

She hurried over before he had even fully shut down the bike.

“Wow! Is this one of those speeder bikes I’ve seen on the holonet? This is so cool!”

She circled the bike, firing questions faster than a B1 battle droid could chatter.

“How fast does it go?”

“How far can it travel?”

“How does it stay above the ground?”

“Can anyone learn to drive one?”

Keeli laughed helplessly.

She was talking so fast he had no chance of answering.

Then, to his complete astonishment, she climbed onto the back seat as though she had done it a hundred times.

“Let’s go!”

Keeli turned, trying not to smile too broadly.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”

She blinked innocently.

“You haven’t told me where we’re going.”

He tilted his head.

“And you still haven’t told me your name.”

A blush spread across her cheeks.

Keeli had not realized a human could become even prettier.

“Oh.” She tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear. “Sorry. I’m Lacinda Cornell, but my friends call me Laci.”

She lifted two slim poles tied together with line.

“We’re going to an old military training camp. It’s been abandoned for years. There are rifle ranges, obstacle courses, and a little creek.”

She smiled brightly.

“I thought after the blaster lesson I could teach you how to catch fish.”

Keeli stared at her for a heartbeat.

This woman had planned an entire outing.

For him.

His chest tightened unexpectedly.

“Well, Laci,” he said, savoring her nickname, “I’d be honored.”

The abandoned training camp sat nestled in the foothills beyond the city.

Weathered structures stood silent beneath towering trees, nature slowly reclaiming the grounds.

Laci proved to be a quick study.

After a few instructions on stance and grip, she hit the center of the target.

Then she turned to him with a grin so radiant it nearly stole his breath.

“I did it!”

Keeli chuckled.

“You certainly did.”

She examined the DC-17 in her hands.

“It’s much easier than the rifles we use for hunting.”

She looked up.

“There’s hardly any recoil.”

Keeli took the blaster back, his fingers brushing hers.

The contact was brief.

Far too brief.

They spent the rest of the morning exploring the camp.

Laci showed him obstacle courses and old training grounds, peppering him with questions about the Republic, the war, and life among the stars.

Keeli answered as best he could, though he found himself watching her more than the scenery.

Everything about her fascinated him.

Her intelligence.

Her humor.

Her fearless curiosity.

The way she seemed equally excited by blasters, speeders, and stories of distant planets.

By midday, they made their way to the creek.

Laci crouched near the bank, baited the hooks, and cast her line with practiced ease.

Keeli attempted to imitate her.

His first cast landed in a bush.

His second nearly hooked his own sleeve.

Laci laughed so hard she had to sit down.

“You command troops in battle, Captain, but this defeats you?”

Keeli shook his head.

“I’m beginning to suspect this was all a plot to embarrass me.”

She flashed him a wicked grin.

“Maybe.”

Eventually, with her patient guidance, he managed a respectable cast.

Laci caught two fish.

She cleaned them expertly, gathered wild herbs along the creek bank, and cooked a simple meal over a small fire.

Keeli watched in amazement.

“You carry fishing gear and cooking supplies in your pack?”

She shrugged.

“Always be prepared.”

He accepted the roasted fish and took a bite.

It was delicious.

She sat cross-legged across from him, sunlight filtering through the trees and catching in her golden hair.

For a moment, Keeli forgot there was a war.

Forgot there were wounded men depending on him.

Forgot the uncertainty of tomorrow.

There was only Laci.

When they finished eating, they stretched out beside the creek.

The water murmured softly over smooth stones.

Laci lay on her back, hat tipped over her eyes.

“Tell me something,” she said.

“What?”

She turned her head to look at him.

“What made you decide to become a soldier?”

Keeli was quiet for a moment.

“I was created to be one.”

Laci’s expression softened.

“That doesn’t mean you had to be a good one.”

Keeli looked away, unexpectedly moved.

No one had ever put it that way before.

He turned back to her.

“And what about you? Why medicine?”

She smiled faintly.

“Because when people are hurt, I want to help.”

Keeli studied her in the dappled sunlight.

Kind.

Brave.

Resourceful.

Beautiful.

And utterly sincere.

It struck him then with startling clarity.

He was falling in love.

Later, as they packed their things and prepared to leave, Keeli glanced at her and shook his head in wonder.

“It’s strange.”

“What is?”

He helped her onto the speeder.

“I had to travel halfway across the galaxy to find the girl of my dreams.”

For once, Laci was speechless.

A rosy blush spread across her cheeks.

Then she smiled—a soft, luminous smile that Keeli knew he would remember for the rest of his life.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned close.

“Then it’s a good thing you got lost.”

Keeli laughed, kicked the speeder to life, and carried them back toward the city.

Neither of them knew how little time they would have together.

Neither of them knew how profoundly they would change one another.

Mermay 2026 day 9: pearl

Clone trooper of the day: Captain Keeli

I WANNA LEARN HOW TO FIRE THAT PISTOL

Captain Keeli X OC Reader

Warnings: Corny flirting; yesterday was my first attempt at writing anything other than investigative reports at work. Please be kind.

That first night I met her my heart was in my mouth as soon as I saw her. Her eyes were the color of the most glorious blue sky on a warm sunny day. Her hair was light and wavy, some of the strands lighter than others. Most of it was pulled back and tied behind her head but a few strands fell playfully across her face. Of course the first time I saw her she was lying in the concrete floor; having fallen backwards and banged her head against a metal doorframe when my medic pulled his blaster on her. We weren’t quite sure if she was alive or dead at first. Then she opened those eyes and I fell right into them.

After she gave us some much needed medical supplies; some fluids and bandages, she reminded me I owed her a lesson firing the blaster. She said hunting was a family tradition and my “gun” looked interesting and wanted to learn how to fire it. I was all for a second meeting. I told her she just needed to name the time and place and I’d be there. So now I was on my way to meet her. I could feel my palms sweating right through my gloves.

I pulled up on my speeder bike in the alley behind the hospital she worked at. It was early morning, the sun was just rising. There in the shadows she was standing with her shoulders and one foot against the wall. Her hair was down. It was just past her shoulders and still a bit wet. Gods she was pretty. She was wearing faded green baggy trousers that came up to her hips with large pockets by her knees. The trousers were tucked into worn brown leather boots that laced up about half to her knees. She had on a bright red top that didn’t quite reach the top of the trousers. It had a small hole right at the neckline. On her belt she had what looked like a small knife and maybe a water bottle. Her jacket was faded brown and worn. Her hat was wide brimmed with the brim rolled up a bit on the sides. Kriff! She was gorgeous.

She immediately dashed over to me. “Wow! Is this one of those speeder bikes I’ve seen on the holoweb? This is so cool!” She circled around the bike twice, firing off questions at the speed of light. She never stopped talking long enough for me to answer any of her questions about the speeder bike. “How fast does it go? How far can it go? How does it go above the ground without any wheels?” All I could do is laugh about her exuberance. Next thing I knew she had hopped on behind me and blurted out “Let’s go!”

“Whoa, whoa whoa! You haven’t even told me where we are going or how to get there. You haven’t even told me your name yet for that matter.”

I turned to her and could see a slight blush across her cheeks. Could she possibly be any prettier? “Oh I’m sorry” she drawled. “I’m Lacinda Cornell, but my friends call be Laci. We”ll be going to an old military camp that’s been closed for about 50 years. It has rifle ranges, hills for repelling and old obstacle courses that the troops used to train on. It even has a little creek that runs through it. That’s what these are for.” She holds up two thin poles with sting on them, “I thought I could teach you how to catch some fish.” And with that a huge bright smile lite up her face. I responded, “Well Laci, I can call you Laci, right?” She nodded and flashed a sideways grin, “give me the coordinates to this camp and let’s get on our way.”

That day turned out to be one of the best days of my life so far. Turns out Laci was a natural with the DC17. She thought it would be a little big and bulky but she said it had no “kick” like their guns do so it was easy to shoot. I wasn’t quite as good at fishing, but Laci caught a couple and she found some herbs and cooked us up a nice meal with the supplies she had packed in her backpack. This girl was not only pretty but she’s also pretty kriffing resourceful. It’s karking crazy that I had to go almost all the way across the Galaxy to find the girl of my dreams.

What do you think? Can you draw Laci?

Keeli falls hard and fast, and it's adorable. The way he thinks about how she looks shows just how smitten he is. Very cute!! That note about the guns on Laci's world having more kickback than the blasters is interesting, makes me wonder if this is a world with less technological advancements than the rest of the galaxy. Thanks for sharing!

Unfortunately, I am sorry to say I closed the offer last night. Otherwise, outside of a call for ocs or an art trade, I don't draw oc requests. Thanks for understanding. Hopefully you'll get lucky and see the next post!