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Healer's Heart

Replacements

Master list

Hunter walked to the back of the ship, ration case in his hand. Ever since they fled Saleucami, the Bad Batch had been in hyperspace. Echo had repaired the damaged parts of the ship, but they were still in dire need of a place to land. The Sergeant reached his destination by the gunner's mount. Althea and Omega leaned against an upturned Gonky. Omega was reading something on a datapad and Althea was drawing in her journal. The two of them shifted against the droid, earning a light chuckle from Hunter.

"Well, that doesn't look comfortable," He said. "For any of you."

"We're fine." Omega said sweetly.

Hunter reached into the box and took out two ration sticks. "Here. Chow time."

Each girl reached up and took one. Althea slid back down onto Gonky and stared at her journal. She looked distant, as if she was lost in her mind.

Wrecker jumped down from the gunner's mount. "Ah, finally!" He grabbed a ration bar and ate the whole thing in one bite. "Hit me again."

Hunter closed the box. "That's all for now. Rations are low."

Wrecker let out a groan, earning the attention of Omega. She looked down at her bar before reaching it up to him. "You can have mine."

Wrecker grinned and reached for it, but Hunter pushed him back. "Hey, Omega doesn't even have a place to sleep." He said quietly. "You wanna take her food too?"

Wrecker's face dropped. "Oh. Uh...No." He turned to Omega. "No, thanks. You keep it."

"Okay." Omega sat back down, munching on her food as she read.

"I guess I'm not used to having a little kid around here." Wrecked mumbled.

Hunter looked back at the girls. "Well, none of us are, but she's not complaining." He often wondered if he was even doing the right thing with Althea, but now there were two.

The lights flickered, causing Hunter to frown. "Echo, lights cut out again. I thought you said you fixed it."

The ARC fiddled with something in the cockpit. "Yeah, add it to the list."

Hunter could hear Echo complain about the lack of Tech's help, but the Sergeant knew his younger brother was working on something to do with their chips. After Crosshair, they couldn't be too careful.

Even the thought of Crosshair made Hunter want to clench his fists. How could he betray them, their squad, for some empire?

The Sergeant was ripped from his thoughts as the Marauder jolted. Out the window, Hunter could see the blue swirls of hyperspace change into the black void of space. He ran into the cockpit, grabbing Tech's chair for support. "Getting thrown out of hyperspace. I'd say that's pretty critical, Tech."

Tech flipped a few switches. "It's not affecting life support. We're fine."

"Are you kidding me?" Hunter scoffed.

"The power capacitor's blown." Said Echo. "We need to land immediately."

Althea gripped the wall for support. "Get ready for your first crash, kid."

Omega's eyes widened. "Crash?"

Hunter sat behind Echo, gripping the edge of his seat. "Girls, strap in."

Wrecker put the safety bar over Omega and Althea before sitting between them and strapping himself in.

The ship rumbled as Echo and Tech struggled to land. "I can't see anything!" The ARC groaned.

"Hold on!" Hunter ordered, his fingers digging into his seat. Gonky slid across the floor, stopped at the seat by Hunter.

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" Wrecker panicked. "We're gonna–" He stopped when he saw Omega's frightened expression. "Be fine. We're gonna be fine." He faked a smile, but the damage was already done. Althea resisted the urge to facepalm as she gripped the safety bar.

The ship crashed into the surface of the moon, jolting everyone around. Wrecker shouted in pain when he hit his head on the bar with a sharp clang!

When the ship finally stopped, Hunter stood and picked up Gonky. "Everybody alright?" He asked.

Wrecker panted, Althea gave a weak thumbs up, and Omega opened her eyes. "Is it over?" She asked.

Hunter released a breath he hadn't realized he was a holding. They were alive.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"The storm's getting worse." Echo said from the console. "It's knocking out our comms."

"I mean, who would we contact anyway?" Althea asked. Her arms were folded as she spoke and her tone was soft. Hunter knew something was wrong with her, but now wasn't the time to ask.

"I suspect one of our capacitors sustained damage during our firefight with the regs." Said Tech. "We won't be able to take off without replacing it. Inventory analysis indicates we have one spare on board."

Omega grunted as she moved a large case. "Is it in here?" She asked as it thudded on the floor.

Silence was all she got for a response as everyone watched her. "What?" She asked.

"That's Crosshair's weapon kit." Althea said slowly. She gripped her arms tighter, biting her lip.

Wrecker let out a groan. "Fine. I'll say it. I kinda miss him."

"He shot you, remember?" Echo asked.

Wrecker laughed and rolled his shoulder. "Ha! I sure do. That hurt!"

"It's worth noting the possibility that Crosshair's actions were influenced by his inhibitor chip." Tech said.

"It can do that?" Echo's question was directed at Omega.

The blonde nodded. "That's what it was designed to do."

"So, it wasn't Crosshair's fault?" Wrecker asked, a bit of hope in his voice.

Tech adjusted his goggles. "Well..."

Hunter stopped him. "Look, debating this won't fix the ship. Right now, we need to find that capacitor and get off this rock." He walked away into the cockpit, ending the conversation.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

As Echo and Tech tried to fix the ship, Althea sat in the cockpit. She pressed her vibro blade against her fingers, feeling the rapid jittering of the knife. Omega came up next to her, sitting down and playing with an air filtration mask.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing really." Althea said. She sheathed her knife in the strap on her thigh.

Omega looked at her, furrowing her brow. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Only that the entire galaxy has changed and Crosshair's gone. Not to mention the general feeling that anything that could go wrong would. But Althea didn't say that. Instead she turned to the girl and forced a smile. "No, nothing's wrong."

Omega hummed in thought before turning back to the mask. She turned it on and off, pressing it to her mouth.

Wrecker groaned from the other room. "Ow! Ow."

"What's wrong with you?" Hunter asked.

Wrecker clutched his head. "I must've hit my head in the crash. Ow."

Althea stood and walked over to him. "Sit down." She ordered.

Wrecker did as she said. The demo man learned a long time ago not to question Althea's orders, since she was usually right. The medic looked at the spot Wrecker was clutching.

"Hmm." She hummed. "Doesn't seem to be anything major. It'll probably just bruise."

Just then, Echo and Tech walked in the ship from outside. "The capacitor's in place," Said Tech as he took off his mask. "But other systems are now failing."

"Something's causing damage to the exterior hull." Echo added, taking off his mask.

"You wanna narrow that down?" Hunter asked. As if answering him, the lights flickered and the ship hummed as it shut down. A heavy thudding echoed across the ship.

Omega gasped and stood up on her chair. "Look!"

Everyone ran into the cockpit. "What?" Althea asked. "What is it?"

"Some kind of creature, about this big, with a long tail." Omega opened her arms as she spoke, demonstrating the size of the creature. "It ran off with the part."

Tech moved to the controls. "She's right. The capacitor's gone."

"And that was our last one." Said Echo.

"The creature was most likely an Ordo Moon Dragon." Tech explained. "A species that feeds on raw energy. It was probably drawn to the capacitor's electric charge."

"Well, that would've been good to know before hand, Tech." Echo snarked.

Hunter looked around, a plan already forming in his head. "You two get those other systems online." He said to Echo and Tech. "Thea, stay here and tend to Wrecker. I'll go after the dragon and get our part back."

Althea rolled her eyes. "Pfft. Yeah, I'm coming with you. I can't do anything for Wrecker anyway, and you'll get yourself killed doing something stupid." She grabbed her blaster and a mask.

Hunter, like Wrecker, knew there was no talking her out of it. "Fine, just don't make me regret it."

"Do I ever?" She retorted.

"Yes."

Wrecker tried to convince Hunter that he could go too. "I'm fine. I–" He groaned and clutched his head.

"You're staying." Hunter ordered.

"I'll go with you." Omega volunteered.

Hunter checked his knife. "No, that could be dangerous."

"I'm part of this squad now too, right?" Omega's sounded as if puppy dog eyes had a voice. Hunter turned to her, glancing at Echo and Tech. The former shrugged.

"Alright, kid." Hunter said. "Just stay close."

Omega grinned as she put her mask on. She ran to the ramp and waited for Hunter and Althea. The medic shrugged at the Sergeant before putting her own mask on and walking to Omega. Hunter looked at Tech and Echo one last time, silently asking what to do before stepping outside.

The surface of the moon was grey and dusty, not unlike the floor of the Marauder. It was dark, night if you could call it that. Large rocks and parts of the moon jutted out, making it seem like strange figures were watching the three that trekked it's lands. Hunter kneeled down and sifted a handful of dirt in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Omega asked.

"Tracking." Hunter stood and continued on. Althea smiled to herself as she watched Omega run the dirt through her fingers in the same manner Hunter did.

"Could I learn to track like you?" The blonde asked.

"Well, it's an enhanced skill." Hunter explained. "Wrecker and Tech, we each have one."

"And Crosshair." Omega added.

Hunter set his jaw as Althea knit her brow. It was no secret among them that neither of them wanted to talk about the missing sniper.

"You shouldn't be angry at him." The young clone said as she trailed behind the two. "He can't help it."

Hunter let out a sigh. "I'm angry at myself. We don't leave our own behind."

Omega grabbed his arm. "Then we'll find a way to get him back... somehow."

Hunter nodded to the girl, a small smile under his mask.

Althea didn't realize that was how Hunter felt. It made her feel inadequate. There was Hunter, upset he couldn't save Crosshair while Althea was angry for how he betrayed them. The sniper wanting to execute civilians was something the medic couldn't get out of her head. If the Batch hadn't taken her in, she would have been one of those refugees. A person Crosshair was so willing to kill.

But with the sniper gone, something felt missing. Althea hadn't felt like that since her brother died, another thing on her mind. The image of her little brother lying dead on the floor of the Separatist ship still haunted her. After visiting Cut and Suu, Althea hadn't realized how much she missed her family. It was almost identical. Mom, dad, older sister, little brother. But the difference between them and the medic was they got a happy ending. Althea would never see her family again. She didn't even get to bury them.

The medic felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, guilt. She shouldn't feel this way when she had a home with the Bad Batch. All her needs were met, yet she still felt a lingering pain. All she wanted was to tell someone about this gnawing inside of her, but she worried they would think she was ungrateful. Maybe she could talk to Echo. He might know what she was feeling.

•°•°•°•°•°•

The trio continued to follow the dragon, mainly Hunter. A quiet beeping earned the attention of the Sergeant. Just ahead of them was the capacitor, blinking in the darkness.

"See it?" He asked shining the flashlight on it.

Althea and Omega nodded. Hunter moved forward. "Wait here."

He walked stealthily to the part. He was about to grab it when the dragon jumped out, roaring in cold defiance. It lunged at Hunter, tackling him to the ground before grabbing the part and escaping.

"It's getting away!" Omega said. But they had bigger problems. Hunter clutched his throat, coughing.

Althea's eyes widened as she saw his mask had been knocked off. "Hunter, your mask!"

The Sergeant collapsed to the ground, still clutching his throat. Althea scanned the ground. "Omega, where's his mask?!"

The girl came running over with the device, placing it over Hunter's mouth and nose. Althea didn't relax until she heard his breathing again. She heard a scuffling noise and looked up to see the dragon slipping into a burrow. She looked down and saw Hunter's blaster, his hand gripping it limply.

Omega shook Hunter. "Hunter, wake up! Wake up!" When that didn't work she took his comm. "Echo, Wrecker, Tech, come in! We need help!" No response, the storm was still jamming their comms.

Althea turned to her. "Omega, I have a plan. But I'm gonna need you to listen to my exact instructions, okay?"

The girl nodded, eyes wide with fear.

Althea took Hunter's blaster and flashlight from his hands. "We're going after the dragon and the part. It's dangerous to go alone, so we need to stick together." She handed her the blaster.

Omega looked at it. "Me? But I can't–"

Althea's eyes flashed. "Omega, it doesn't matter what you can or can't do. We need to get that part in order to leave, okay?"

Omega took the blaster and light, staring at them. Althea rested her hand on girl's shoulder. "Omega, you can do this."

The girl took a deep breath. "Okay. I can do this." She stood and walked to the burrow, clicking on the light as she slid in. Althea followed soon after, looking back at Hunter one last time.

Althea shuddered a breath. She wanted nothing more to take off her claustrophobic mask, to breath freely. It was really ironic how it was the only reason she could breath. The tunnels were narrow, making the medic feel even more confined. The two girls navigated the dirt corridors until they found the part.

"Huh. Well, that was easy." Althea muttered. But as she was about to grab the part the dragon lept our and roared. Althea unsheathed her knife, pushing Omega against the wall. The blonde held the flashlight and blaster out, her hands shaking.

"What are you waiting for?" Althea whisper yelled. "Take the shot!"

But she didn't. Omega looked at the dragon, then turned off the light. The creature was less hostile now. Omega turned the light back on, and the dragon followed it's light. The blonde moved out from behind Althea, and tossed the flashlight to the creature. She then grabbed the part as the dragon grabbed the light.

Althea watched in amazement as the dragon guzzled down the energy. The spots on it's back glowing with a pulse. Faintly, she heard someone yelling.

"Althea! Omega!"

The medic realized that Hunter had woken up and was probably worried out of his mind. She nudged Omega, who nodded. They began their climb back to the surface.

"We're coming!" Althea shouted up.

When they reached the entrance, Hunter lifted the two girls out. He gripped Omega's shoulder with one hand and the back of Althea's head with the other. "Are you okay? What were you thinking going down there?"

"The mission was to retrieve the part, wasn't it?" Althea asked.

"We tracked the dragon, like you did." Omega added. She handed him his blaster.

Hunter let go of them, taking his pistol. "Is that my blaster?"

"Don't worry." Omega said with a smile. "I didn't have to use it."

Althea pointed to the capacitor in the blonde's hand. "We got the part."

Hunter looked down at the two of them, a mix of surprise and something else Althea couldn't identify.

"Let's get back to the ship." The Sergeant said.

•°•°•°•°•°•

Hunter couldn't believe the girls went after the dragon. Now they were safely aboard the ship, waiting as Tech prepared to leave. The Sergeant would never forget the feeling of waking up alone on that moon. The panic set in as soon as he remembered what happened, and when he realized that the girls were gone.

But he would also never forget how when they came back, how surprised he was. They had managed to get the part, all on their own. Hunter had felt a swell of pride as he looked at them. Realizing Althea's leadership and Omega's intuition when they recalled the story to him. He would be lying if he said they didn't worry him, but they were still very capable.

Hunter lifted his arm as Omega ran past him into a seat, Althea in the one across from her. "Tech, get us outta here."

"Gladly." Tech flew the ship away from the moon. "Systems are up and running."

"Yeah, took you long enough." Wrecker said as he walked into the cockpit.

"And where have you been?" Echo asked.

Ignoring him, Wrecker squatted down in front of Omega. "Hey, kid. Come with me. Cover your eyes." He held out his hand for her to take, leading her into the back of the ship.

Curious to what Wrecker was up to, Hunter followed.

"Okay." Wrecker said. "Open 'em." He chuckled as he pushed back a curtain on the gunner's mount. Inside were several lights with a soft glow, a curtain on the window, and padding on the metal bars. Omega climbed inside, looking around.

"It's your own room." Wrecked explained. "Well, what do you think? I thought this place could feel more like a home."

The others had joined them, smiling as Omega beamed. "It's perfect. Thank you, Wrecker."

The demo man stammered. "Oh, uh. It was nothing."

Omega took Lula and hugged it tightly, sliding down against the wall. "I never had my own room before."

Hunter smiled at her. "Well, you're a part of this squad now too." He looked over at Althea and saw she was smiling too.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Crosshair sat on his bunk, his pack and rifle by his feet. The barracks were clean and the beds were neat. The sniper had often griped about the messes his brothers and sister made, but he never thought he'd miss it. It felt wrong, watching his new squad settle down in the bunks they once had. Only the art on Hunter's bunk and the mathematic doodles on Tech's remained. But even those felt out of place in the clean room.

Crosshair's eyes stayed on the ground. They caught a glimpse of color in the grey room. A single petal, most likely from one of Althea's flowers she pressed. It was the only remaining thing in the room that belonged to the Bad Batch.

A troop walked through the room, crushing the petal under his foot.

Crosshair felt a cold feeling settle over him. His squad, the ones who always had his back no matter what, his ride or die, were gone.

They left him behind.

#tbb #bad batch #star wars #the bad batch #oc #fanfiction #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb crosshair #tbb omega #clone force 99 #star wars the bad batch #tbb echo #tbb wrecker

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