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wild-karrde · 1 year

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In Command - Part 11

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A/N: As always, thank you to the wonderful @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading this for me!

Chapter Rating: T

Warnings: language

Word Count: 7.3k words

Blaster bolts whizzed by her ears, and the smell of burning flesh and death filled her nostrils. Screams of the dying echoed around her as she raced through the forest. The vines and brambles tore at her clothes and her long hair stuck to her neck and face.

They were coming.

A branch near her head exploded from a plasma bolt intended for her. The splintering wood sliced her cheek and cut open her shoulder to her collarbone. She tasted blood and sweat and was choking on smoke and fumes, but still she ran. Suddenly, she heard blaster fire to her right. Looking over, she saw the clone with the Jaig eyes on his helmet running next to her, turning to fire backwards with his twin DC-17 pistols.

“Keep running!” he shouted, his voice buzzing through his helmet’s modulator. She nodded and ignited her lightsaber, deflecting blasts behind her as they ran.

The forest suddenly opened up in front of her, and she skidded to a halt, her foot stopping mere centimeters from the the edge of a cliff, sending a few pebbles tumbling into the abyss. She leaned out, frantically searching for a ledge to scramble to, but all she could see was the darkness with tendrils of fog reaching upwards from the depths, beckoning her.

She was trapped.

She turned just in time to see the clone burst through the brush, his blue and white armor covered in mud with one blaster hole in his pauldron that hung over his left shoulder.

“There’s nowhere else to go!” she panted. “What do we do?”

He holstered his pistols, reaching out towards her with his gloved hand. “We jump.”

She felt a strange calm come over her. “Who are you?” she asked as she let her fingers slip into his without hesitation.

“Ready?” he asked, ignoring the question.

She nodded.

“Together.”

They leapt into the fog below.

Senna sat bolt upright in bed panting as sweat trickled down her brow, and she gasped wildly, digging her fingers into the sheets. The soft morning light was beginning to illuminate the room from the single window, and she could already see some flecks of dust fluttering in the rays that trickled in through the curtain. Even in the quiet room, it felt as though her stomach was in her throat, and she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of falling. Her hand flew to the other side of the bed only to find it empty. The divot where Rex had slept had gone cold.

Fuck.

She swallowed hard, trying to slow her breathing, which was still coming in deep, frantic gulps. For some reason, it was harder to calm herself in the moment. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the clone trooper and the way his hand had felt in hers or the sudden drop or just the continued terror that came with her repeated nightmare. Her hands trembled as she pushed her hair back out of her face, closing her eyes and trying to inhale through her nose to hold for a moment before releasing out of her mouth. It felt as if she were choking on repressed sobs, and she could feel her pulse hammering in her ears, seemingly impossible to slow no matter what she tried, only deepening her frustration.

I am one with the Force.

The door of the room hissing open made her jump, and her eyes snapped back open, finding Rex’s brown ones in the dim lighting. He’d clearly been trying to keep quiet in case she was still asleep, clutching a bag in one hand and balancing two cups in the other.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake-” The apology died on his lips, and his sheepish grin evaporated as he took her in, his eyes drifting to where her hands were tightly gripping the blankets and then back up to her face before she could shift her expression to something more neutral. “Senna,” he said softly, quickly setting the bag and cups down on the desk before making his way to her side of the bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress.

Tears leapt into her eyes as Rex’s warm hands found hers and enveloped them. Senna swallowed hard again, but her breathing still wouldn’t slow, and a sob finally escaped her. Rex’s hands flew to her face, cradling it, and she clasped his wrists as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Breathe with me Senna. You can do this. Deep breath.” He inhaled, and she mirrored him, some of the tears finally breaking free from the corners of her eyes. “Hold,” Rex commanded. She met his gaze, his irises glowing and warm in the early morning light as he stared at her before allowing his eyelids to flutter closed. “Let it out,” he whispered, and together, they exhaled, long and slow.

“Atta girl. Again.”

They repeated the breathing cycle again and again, with Rex’s thumbs swiping over Senna’s cheeks as he whispered quiet encouragement. The warmth of his hands against her face felt like safety, and the way he said her name felt like home in a way she couldn’t explain. She could feel his breath against her lips, and it took everything in her not to lean in and kiss him, to let herself fall into him. It terrified her as much as soothed her, but the trembling eventually subsided, and she loosened her grip on his wrists, releasing them and folding her hands in her lap. Rex sat back, watching her carefully.

“Nightmare again?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, her mind racing still.

That’s too far. Too close. Don’t let it happen again.

“Been a bit since you’ve had one of those. That one seemed worse.” Rex’s quiet voice snapped her back to the moment.

She shrugged, brushing her hair out of her face. “About the same. Just couldn’t calm down for some reason this time. It just felt… more real. I-I can’t explain it.”

Rex chewed his lip. “You don’t have to. Not if you’re not ready.”

“Thanks.” She could see a shadow of something in his eyes, a pain at her not trusting him enough to let him in.

That’s not it. Kriff, I’m muddling this up. All of it. Because of my own issues.

She reached forward, resting her hand on his forearm. “It’s just… it’s hard to talk about. To relive those moments. And talking about them just reminds me of everything that I’ve lost. That we’ve all lost. How everything is different now and the life that I once pictured is gone forever.”

“You’re still grieving that.”

“Yes. Exactly.” She gave him a small smile. “And still trying to figure out what the new way forward looks like.”

Something she couldn’t identify flickered in his gaze, and she could see a muscle in his cheek twitch, as though there was something else he wanted to say but couldn’t find the words. She waited patiently, giving him time, but he shook his head after a few seconds. “I went down and got some breakfast. A few pastries and some caf.”

Senna blinked as he stood hurriedly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Rex? Something wrong?”

He turned, still seemingly floundering words. “No. Nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”

“I snore?” she teased, finally feeling like she’d regained some of her footing.

He chuckled at that, and some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders. “Like a rancor.”

Whatever had existed briefly in the moment seemed to have passed, and she was curious. There was a slight tug in her chest too, one that she pushed away as hard as she could. Rex met her eyes, and she quickly turned her mouth up in a smirk to hide the whirlwind still churning within her.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you,” she retorted, throwing a pillow at him.

Rex caught it with a grin that made her heart flutter before he tossed it back at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

Senna watched as he walked over to the desk, bending over it to open the bag and rummage inside. She could see the way the muscles in his shoulders moved through the tan shirt he was wearing, the way he shifted his weight to one foot, all of it tiny little things that summed to make up the man in front of her, the one who could pull her from her waking nightmares and calm her, the one she trusted with her life.

The one that made her question every plan she’d ever made.

He turned and glanced over his shoulder at her, and she ducked her head, pretending to work on disentangling herself from the sheets.

Kriff. Get it together.

She stood, pulling the blankets back to resemble a somewhat-made bed before she straightened her clothes, smoothing some of the wrinkles from the shirt she’d slept in. His eyes were still on her, and she suddenly felt very self-conscious about her appearance.

As if he hasn’t seen you in a worse state.

But you weren’t in love with him then.

She inhaled sharply at the unbidden thought.

Absolutely fucking not.

“You alright?”

Her eyes snapped to meet his. He was chewing a pastry he’d taken from the bag, something flaky and warm. There were crumbs around his mouth, and one of his eyebrows was slightly raised as he watched her. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth as he waited for her response, and her eyes were drawn to the scar on his chin.

“Senna?” he asked again.

She shook her head. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. What’s in the bag?” The smell was just beginning to waft to her, and she took in the notes of warm butter and cinnamon. Her mouth watered as he held the bag out to her.

“Just whatever pastries they had at the kiosk downstairs. The caf’s weak. Sorry.”

Senna shrugged, taking a bite and basking in the flaky warmth of what appeared to be a cinnamon bun of some sort. “I just may require multiple cups. This is pretty good by the way. Thanks for getting it.”

“Figured we’d have a better time listening in on a full stomach.”

She grinned through her mouthful. “I respect that line of thinking.” Pulling one of the chairs from the corner of the room, she dragged it towards the desk, slipping a pair of headphones around her neck as she tinkered with the comm node. “What’s first on the docket today?”

Rex grimaced as he sat down next to her, handing her one of the cups of caf. “Don’t be mad, but I listened to the first few sessions to let you sleep in a bit.”

She raised an eyebrow at him before glancing at the chrono on her datapad. She’d slept through three sessions. Pulling one headphone to her ear, she could clearly hear the background audio of a room of people, moving amongst one another and speaking in somewhat hushed tones.

Karking hells.

“You got it turned on yourself?” she asked.

“Paid attention to what you were doing yesterday. Probably was a lot more luck than anything that I got it working.”

“Oh.” She felt some heat in her cheeks.

Rex was speaking quickly, clearly worried she was about to tear into him. “It wasn’t anything we hadn’t already heard before. A lot of what the planet has to offer in terms of natural resources, which we already knew. They took a mid-morning break about half an hour ago, and that’s when I ran down for breakfast. Figured you’d definitely want to be up for this one though,” he stated as he consulted the notes he’d taken the day before on her datapad. “Interplanetary resource management.”

Senna nodded, ignoring the warm feeling in her stomach. “Sounds promising.”

And I did need the sleep. Fitful as it was.

Rex’s shoulders dropped, clearly relieved that she wasn’t going to rake him over the coals for excluding her. “Agreed. Might even hear some details about what’s planned on Ilum.”

Senna shuddered. She could feel Rex watching her again, but she kept her eyes focused forward on the comm equipment as the audio crackled to life.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

They listened to the sounds of a room full of people, presumably the Imperial Admiralty and their aides, mingling with one another prior to the session.

They’ve probably got good caf, Senna thought bitterly as she sipped at the weak liquid in her cup. This might as well be hot bantha piss.

A call to order echoed over the feed, and the murmur of the crowd fell silent as the attendees found their seats.

“You think they’re broadcasting holo feeds as well?” Rex whispered.

Senna huffed. “Probably, but those are a hell of a lot harder to tap into, especially on short notice. I could have pulled it off if I had another week.”

Rex nodded, but said nothing further as the main speaker, an admiral with a name Senna didn’t recognize, kicked off the session.

“Esteemed officers of the Galactic Empire, I come before you today with a proposal that shall play an integral part in leading us into a new age of military dominance. As we all know, there are those that would wish to destroy the Empire and all that it has accomplished, but with the resources from my proposal today, I outline how we shall develop the greatest superweapon our galaxy has ever seen, one that will restore peace and order and ensure the security of the Empire for millennia to come. In this effort, Lothal will play a large part, but there are other planets that will also be required to donate their resources in order to ensure this project’s success.”

Rex and Senna glanced at one another, the unspoken understanding passing between them.

This is what we’d hoped for. Information about the superweapon.

The speaker continued with his presentation, listing the various resources Lothal had to offer and what those resources could be used for in terms of manufacturing. It was all more information Senna and Rex had already garnered from their work the first few months on Lothal, but Senna still frantically typed notes into her datapad, keeping her mind focused on the task at hand and only pausing to confirm the occasional detail with Rex. Her concentration seemed to make her less aware of Rex’s close proximity to her, and at the moment, she was desperate to not think about that. After half an hour, the lecture turned to the volume of production required for the project.

“In order to produce the amount of durasteel and other resources we need from this planet, we will have to create new jobs on the order of millions. We shall have to bring in labor from other systems in order to accomplish this, and once complete, the Lothal of the future will be very different from the world we know today. We shall establish production facilities across the planet that will be able to not only refine and produce the materials we need for construction from Lothal’s resources, but will also be responsible for construction of various components of this new superweapon.” He began listing figures of resources needed, and Senna let out a low whistle. Rex turned to look at her, and she pulled one earphone off to speak with him.

“Rex, the volumes he’s talking about…this is immense. And at the rate that they’ll go about this, the planet’s environment and biosphere will never recover. They’re talking about rendering Lothal nearly uninhabitable with the amount of resources they’ll be taking from the planet and the amount of waste products that will be coming out of those plants. They’re going to completely obliterate the ecosystem here.”

Rex’s gaze hardened. “Surely they can’t do that.” His voice was gruff, but she could still hear the waver of his certainty in the statement.

Senna looked into his eyes, chewing her lip. “Why not? Who’s going to stop them? From day one, Palpatine has stated one of his main goals is strengthening the Empire’s military, no matter the cost. I imagine this is a worthwhile sacrifice in his eyes. A means to an end. You know as well as I do that he’s done worse to gain less.”

Rex sat back, crossing his arms. Senna knew he was thinking about Kamino, about Kashyyk, about the countless other worlds the Empire had damaged, discarded, or destroyed in the first year of its existence alone. There was little doubt there would be more, and an Outer Rim world like Lothal was hardly a blip on Coruscant’s radar. Anyone that spoke out would be easy enough to silence. That is, if anyone cared enough or was brave enough to speak up in the first place.

The muscle in Rex’s jaw was flexing as his brows furrowed in thought. After a few moments, he slipped his headphones off and stood. “I need to report this to Senator Organa. I’ll be right back.”

Senna nodded absently as he grabbed his commlink and disappeared into the refresher so he wouldn’t disturb her. Slipping the earphone back over her ear, she listened as the admiral continued.

“…but not all of the resources we need can be taken from Lothal alone. My proposal includes the largest interplanetary mining operation the galaxy has ever known in which Lothal will play a crucial part. We shall have to coordinate operations in such a way that all of the resources we could possibly need will be available in a timely fashion and at our disposal for this weapon’s construction. One of the largest contributing planets outside of Lothal will be the ice world of Ilum.”

Senna’s heart stuttered in her chest. She couldn’t breathe again.

Focus. Take notes. This is important.

—

Rex had just completed his briefing with the senator and clicked off the call when he heard a crash from the room outside.

Senna.

Hand already reaching for the blaster on his hip, he bolted through the door back into the room.

Senna was still sitting in her chair, but her entire body was slumped forward and shaking. The cup of caf he’d handed her earlier was dribbling down the wall of the room. Quickly, he reholstered his weapon and moved to kneel at her side.

“Senna, what is it? What happened?” he asked, reaching for her.

She shoved his hands away, standing hurriedly and flinging the headphones down. Her breathing was coming in short gasps much in the same way it had when he’d found her this morning. He could see she was angry, and tears were glistening in her eyes.

“It’s over,” she muttered. “They’re on a break.”

“Senna.”

She continued pacing, ignoring him and muttering to herself. Rex slowly stood, rooted to the spot and unsure what to do as she ran her hands over her hair, trying to smooth down the flyaways that had come loose. Aside from Empire Day, he didn’t think he’d ever seen her this upset.

“They’re going to harvest the kyber crystals from Ilum. All of them,” she said, her voice shaking with rage. “They’re going to destroy it too. They don’t care.”

“Why? What good does that much kyber do?” he asked, trying to understand as quickly as he could. The only use he’d known of was in a Jedi’s lightsaber, and considering the fact that the Empire had waged a campaign to murder all of the Jedi, Rex found himself confused as to why they’d need more in such a large quantity, particularly since Senna so clearly had some idea of the significance.

“Kyber crystal is able to store and amplify energy. That’s its use in a lightsaber, it channels the energy into the blade. This principle could be applied to any weapon if you think about it. To harvest the entire planet’s worth…I can’t even imagine what kind of weapon they’re building. And to desecrate the entire planet…so much will be lost.” Her voice broke, and she cleared her throat as a vein throbbed in her temple.

He realized that she was grieving, but it was different this time; Senna was grieving the loss of the Jedi holy site and the kyber tradition that had lived on in the Jedi Order. She was losing one more piece of the faith and traditions that had defined most of her life, and while he’d never understood all of the various ways that the Jedi connected to and used the Force, he understood loss, and that Senna was feeling that now. He tried to close the distance again, but she stepped away from him.

She’s never pulled away before.

She was looking at him as he floundered for the right thing to say. “We will stop this, Senna.” He knew the words rang hollow. He could see how little they reassured her in the way her shoulders slumped.

She stood quietly for a few seconds before turning on her heel and grabbing her jacket. “I need some air.”

“I’ll go with-”

“No. Sessions resume in fifteen minutes. Someone needs to be listening, and I’m in no condition to do it. Besides, you had no problem doing it without me this morning.”

Her words stung, but Rex held his tongue as she disappeared out the door, leaving him alone in the room. He sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face.

—

Senna pulled the hood of her jacket up as she blindly stormed out the front doors of the inn and onto the busy street. She made a quick left, following the flow of foot traffic as she tried to calm her mind. There was a slight chill in the early afternoon air, and it felt as though it was biting in her lungs as she took deep gulps of air.

One more thing lost to the Empire. All they do is take. It’ll never be enough. They’ve killed everyone I’ve loved.

Tears stung her eyes.

And now there’s him.

She’d wanted to go to Rex, to lean on him as she’d become so accustomed to doing, but as he’d reached for her with that look on his face, she’d felt startlingly vulnerable, like an exposed nerve about to be touched with a hot iron.

I couldn’t be in the room with him then. Not with everything that was happening.

It had felt different from the night where he’d saved her from Fisk. That night, she’d felt more sure of herself, like she still had balance, but the news of Ilum had sent her reeling. She hadn’t expected it, whether that was due to her own ignorance or denial, and it had knocked her off of her axis and into an uncontrollable spiral. Then Rex had stepped towards her, and in that moment, she wasn’t sure what would happen next if she’d allowed him to hold her.

And that had terrified her more than anything.

So she’d run. Well, not run, but put space in between them, hastily throwing her barriers back up to insulate herself as she had for the last year. It wasn’t fair to him, and she could see that she’d hurt him.

The parting shot was uncalled for.

But she knew it had been a desperate attempt to stop whatever was happening between them right then.

Still. Need to apologize when I get back. Especially since I left him with a mess to clean up.

A sharp, familiar scent wafted into her nostrils, and she inhaled deeply. It was comforting to her, something to cling to. She finally stopped walking, taking another deep breath in.

Caf. Good caf too by the smell of it.

Senna turned slowly to get her bearings. She’d wandered into a large square that appeared to be in the early stages of being decorated for an event. There were stalls setting up and strings of lights being hung by workers. A few shouts and laughter carried through the air, and for a moment, she watched a small group that were trying to untangle a string of lights that had become wadded up at some point. The joyful outburst seemed to contrast so sharply with her own internal struggle, and it gave her pause.

They’re just going about their day while my galaxy is crumbling. They have no idea of the grief I feel. Completely unaware.

And maybe that’s one of the reasons we’re here, doing this. So that they never know what it’s like to lose your home and your family to the Empire. So they never know this feeling of hopelessness and loss.

One of the young men split off from the group, and her eyes followed him as he made his way to a booth that appeared to be selling steaming cups.

That seems promising.

Senna moved to the booth, already feeling warmer on the inside. She purchased two cups of caf, inhaling the bitter scent that wafted off the drinks, carried by the wisps of steam.

You can do this. You can work with him. Maybe just keep taking breaks. Taking walks. Keep space between you when you need to. Tell him you need to think. Because you do.

The festival being prepared around her seemed to present a promising distraction, one that she would gladly take advantage of in a few rotations.

Her mind was still a whirlwind as her feet carried her back to the inn, but she pressed on until she was standing outside of the door to their room. With her hands too full to dig out the keycard, she raised a knuckle to rap the door, trying to not slosh any of the caf down her arm. But before she could knock, the door sprung open, and she came face-to-face with Rex. He had his jacket halfway on, and his eyes widened when he saw her standing out in the hall.

“I was just coming to find you,” he said.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. No. You… you’ve just been gone a while. And I was starting to worry. You didn’t take your commlink.”

She smiled sheepishly. “Well, I’m back. And I have good caf. Or at least better caf.”

He nodded, standing aside and letting her pass. She noted a certain rigidity to him that hadn’t been there this morning. She set the cups on the desk, shrugging out of her jacket.

Fix this. It’s not his fault. None of it is. Not how you’re reacting to him. Not the Ilum news. None of it.

“I owe you another apology. Seems I’m racking a lot of those up lately.”

He leaned against the wall with one shoulder, arms crossed. “You’ve got a lot going on. A lot to process.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t give me excuses. I… I just needed time to process.”

“I understand.” His tone didn’t match his words. It was clear she’d hurt him. He was more withdrawn. Senna felt as though she was struggling to say the right thing, and she was beginning to wonder if she could anymore.

Maybe he’s finally tired of your shit. Tired of putting up with you.

“Whether you understand or not, what I said to you as I left was wrong. It was a cheap shot because I was hurting,” she tried again.

“I understand.”

“Stop saying that.”

“But I do.”

“And it doesn’t make my reaction acceptable.” She huffed a sigh. “You’re going through the same thing I am.”

“It’s different.”

“Yes, I know it is. But still… it’s a lot, Rex.”

“It is. But I’ll be alright. And if space is what you need, then you take as many walks as you need to. Whatever is needed. This is going to be a long week. It may be frustrating. It may be painful. When it gets to be too much, do what you need to do. I’ll do the rest. Understood?”

Senna watched him for a moment. He was definitely more distant, and maybe that was for the best, but it still twisted something inside her chest. However, she kept her face neutral, and after a few moments, nodded.

“Alright.”

—

The next few days passed in much the same way. Rex would typically wake first, retrieving breakfast while Senna set up the comm device, then they would sit together, listening intently and taking notes on the various panels. They sat close, but not too close. They touched each other, but only to get the other’s attention. They took turns ordering room service or retrieving food from nearby vendors, comparing notes. They’d sleep in the same bed each night, but never press against one another.

And at least once a day, Senna would take a walk.

Rex would never stop her, always seeming to know when it was coming and already handing her the jacket she’d brought with her before the headphones were completely pulled off of her head. He’d take her datapad from her, continuing where she left off with notes. He’d never ask where she was going or how long she’d be gone, seeming to know that she was working through something, although she hadn’t said what.

If she was honest, she wasn’t sure what she’d tell him even if he asked. So many things clouded her mind.

They weren’t getting enough information to justify them being there, to make the risk worth it. The Ilum news on the first day had been something, but in her mind, it wasn’t enough. Every day seemed to weigh heavier on her as she combed the notes on her datapad before bed, highlighting things that would be worth passing along and archiving things they already knew while Rex snored softly, his back turned towards her.

He’d been more distant since the first day as well, and that bothered her too. She knew she was erratic from his perspective. A month ago, she’d been annoyed that he’d been withdrawn, and then she’d been relieved when he’d come back around. She’d leaned on him heavily in the aftermath of the evening with Fisk, and she wondered if that had been her error. She’d allowed her walls to come down, to think of what it might be like to have Rex as a more permanent fixture in her life. And maybe allowing those thoughts in had been her undoing, and that’s why she’d pushed him away again, even though every cell in her body was screaming at her to fall into his arms.

That life has never been a possibility for me. Not when I was a Jedi. Not now. I can’t walk away. I can’t go live on a farm with him and turn my back on this fight.

And I can’t let it get so far that it hurts him. Although I may have already failed there.

She was fairly certain he reciprocated at least some of what she felt, although half of the time she was certain she was imagining it and just hoping for some sort of justification for her feelings. But there was just a warmth when he looked at her and a familiarity that drew her in and made her feel safe, one that he didn’t seem to reserve for anyone else. Granted, she hadn’t seen him interact with other people that he would consider close, but she thought she saw some of the same glimmer when he talked about Ahsoka or Anakin or Echo.

Maybe that’s all it is. That he just ranks me with them. Which is good. It’s nice.

But you’re still in love with him.

On her nightly walks, she wondered if love was really the right way to frame it. Of course she’d loved people throughout her life. Her master, her friends at the temple, Anakin, who she thought of as a younger brother. But this was different. This was a type of love that she wasn’t sure she’d ever experienced. She’d had the odd crush here or there and had even kissed another padawan once in the temple garden to see what all the fuss was about. It had been silly and she’d felt nothing in that moment, not so much as a flutter of her heart or a flush in her cheeks, and she’d thought that was the end of it. There had been others that she’d turned to for comfort after the end of the war, but even those that she’d felt something for, those that she’d slept with and thought that she perhaps loved somehow still felt less intimate than the most tame moments she shared with Rex.

But if you allow yourself this and you’re wrong, you’ll lose everything. Him. The rebellion. The chance to make a difference, to have it all have been worth something.

It isn’t worth that.

Senna’s mind seemingly ran through the same train of thought every time she set foot outside. She kept trying to find a way forward, and ultimately, came to the conclusion each time that the risk wasn’t worth the reward. There was of course, the possibility that everything worked out, but she was too afraid of the failure to consider that option, the one where she and Rex stay together and continue fighting, the option where they’re more than just partners.

Each time she went out, she found herself drawn back to where the festival was being set up. She wasn’t certain if it was just because it was easy to find without getting lost, but her feet seemed to always carry her down the main avenue to the square, and with every passing day, it grew more and more beautiful. On the second day, streamers and lights were strung, and on the third, there were even more vendors, setting up displays for their various wares. On this walk, Senna stopped to buy some sweets to share with Rex in the room and a blue sundress that caught her eye in one of the shops. As she strode back towards the hotel, she considered how their time was dwindling and how frustrated she felt with their lack of a groundbreaking discovery.

We only have tomorrow and the day after. And then it’ll be back to our dwelling, waiting for an Imperial to slip and divulge something useful. Or maybe they’ll pull us entirely since we can’t seem to find anything else.

The thought turned her stomach. She wasn’t ready to leave yet, and while a large part of that was the mission and her desire to glean as much information as possible, the other part was that she wasn’t ready to part from Rex. Once they left Lothal, there was no guarantee she’d see him again, no more adventuring that would allow her to continue to try and determine the best path forward. Fate would take it from there, and she was certain she’d never see him again.

Maybe it would be for the best.

A glint of metal in a rubbish bin caught her eye, and she paused. An old datapad was poking out of a dumpster, and suddenly an idea formed in her head.

That wouldn’t be traceable back to me. I could contact him. Set up a meet. Something covert. He wouldn’t have to know it’s me. Might be time to squeeze him. And since we’re far from home, he has no reason to suspect I’d be here.

Her brain was already formulating a new plan as she plucked the discarded datapad from the bin. A quick examination proved that it was still functional. In fact, she could see nothing wrong with it beyond the fact that it was an older model.

Someone just probably got a new shiny toy. Oh well, their gain is mine as well.

Tucking it into her hip holster where her own datapad normally sat, she continued making her way back towards the inn, smiling to herself.

Rex is going to hate this. But he’ll forgive me.

I hope.

—

“Absolutely not.”

Rex was seething as Senna sat on the bed, a smirk curling her lip and a playful glint in her eye. He’d missed this side of her the last few days, but that didn’t make him any less uneasy about what she was proposing.

She can’t be serious. She can’t.

“Hear me out before you start making a ruling,” she said, raising her hands in what he assumed was supposed to be a calming motion. It wasn’t doing anything to quell his frustration, but that didn’t stop her from pressing forward. “I’m not suggesting I go on another date with Fisk. I’m thinking of something more covert where he doesn’t know it’s me.”

“Why you in the first place? Why shouldn’t I go?”

“Because you can’t lie at all, and I know how to push his buttons.”

“Why meet him at all? We’re gathering intel. We have information to feed back.”

“It’s not enough, Rex. Plus, we have an opportunity here. He’s out of his element. He has no reason to suspect we’re here. And he’s going to be twitchy with all of the top brass around. We have a chance to catch him completely off guard.”

Rex sighed, sitting down and facing her. “Go on then. Lay it out for me. I’m hoping you at least have a plan.”

“Of course I do,” she replied with mock hurt. He watched as she reached for her hip, pulling a datapad he didn’t recognize from the holster there.

“Where the hell did you get that?”

“Someone’s trash. It doesn’t matter. It can’t be traced back to me.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “You have got to stop going through people’s garbage, Senna.”

“Technically, it was sitting on top of the bin, so I didn’t have to go through anything,” she countered without looking up from the datapad.

Rex rolled his eyes, but she ignored him, continuing on. “So if we know anything about Fisk, it’s that he’s a big talker, and I think if his career as an Imperial were on the line, he’d be even more talkative. What if we could use all of his protocol breaches to blackmail him? Not checking disks back in when he’s supposed to, losing classified information that he was careless with, flaunting rules and regulations and threatening to assault women. Any one of those would be enough to get him a court martial and knock him down a few ranks. So I say we set up a meeting outside of the conference. Some place public like the market at the edge of the city. I’d go disguised, and we could threaten to expose him if he doesn’t tell us about the weapon. I think he whines about bureaucracy, but his position in the Empire gives him the recognition and power he desperately craves. If we were to threaten it, I think there’s not much he wouldn’t do to save his own skin. And with the kind of security breach threat he poses, there’s no way he’s not facing demotion if not loss of his clearance and expulsion and prison time if it all came to light.”

Rex chewed the inside of his cheek, running through how it would work in his mind. He believed she was right in her assessment of Fisk, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. “I still think I could be the one to meet with him. I’m bigger, more intimidating.”

“You’re the better shot, and I’d need coverage and eyes to help make sure I don’t get caught in a trap,” she countered. “You’re more tactical and can get me out of a jam should one arise.”

“There can’t be any jams, Senna. Not with everything on the line.”

She shrugged. “Better to plan for all contingencies. And like I said, I’ll be disguised. Plus, you don’t have that much height on me.”

He bit back a chuckle, nodding somberly instead. “I still don’t like it. When would this happen?”

“I think day after tomorrow would be best. Last day of the conference, and judging by the schedule, it’ll be a lighter day, so he won’t be missed as much. And then we head back home the following morning. Easy.”

“It’s never easy,” Rex muttered. In fact, he felt most uneasy about all of this. In contrast, Senna appeared completely and infuriatingly relaxed, punching away on the new datapad, but her eyes briefly flicked up to meet his. He could see hopefulness there, hope that he’d let her do this.

Rex couldn’t deny that he shared her frustration with the lack of new information they’d gathered. He couldn’t count it as a total loss of course, but he’d hoped to find something big, something that would perhaps warrant more work, more investigation.

More time with Senna.

He could see her growing discouraged with every passing day. She needed a win, but he wasn’t sure if this was the best way to get it. Rubbing at the scruff on his jaw, he studied her carefully.

You trust her. You have to believe that she’s learned from the last encounter with him. You have to understand that she doesn’t need your protection, no matter how much you want to keep her safe.

Rex sighed. “Alright. Set up the meet for the day after tomorrow. We can always no-show if we need to.”

Senna smirked, punching a few buttons on the datapad. “Done.”

“What did you say?”

“Something along the lines of ‘We know you’re the largest security threat on Lothal and if you don’t come meet me, I’ll tell your superiors and let them teach you about proper protocol.’” She tossed the datapad aside. “And now we wait.”

“And now we wait,” he repeated, picking at a cuticle. The silence dragged on between them for a few moments before Senna sighed, tapping her fingers on her knee.

“You think the market is the best location?”

“Hm?”

“For the meet. Do you think the market is best?”

Rex had been studying maps of the city during the week, and he did like the local market for the meet. It was large, public, and there were plenty of rooftops he could use as vantage points. “Yeah, I think that’s the way to go. Plenty of outs if needed. Make sure he understands he’s to come alone.”

She nodded, chewing at a fingernail.

“You think he’ll take the bait?” Rex finally asked.

A soft chime of the datapad answered his question. A wicked grin spread across Senna’s face as she leaned over and read the message. “Oh, he’s mad, and definitely wants to meet up. She punched a few more buttons in response. “That settles it then. I’m meeting him the day after tomorrow. I’ll have to come up with a disguise or something, but that shouldn’t be too hard.”

Rex nodded, picking at a piece of lint on his pants. He still didn’t like it.

Senna pushed herself to her feet. “Alright. I’m going to take a shower then before heading to bed.” She patted him on the shoulder as she passed, and he caught her hand. Senna stopped, looking down at him.

“I… I just need you to be careful with this,” Rex said softly. “I’m still not comfortable with it. Please be careful.”

She smiled down at him, squeezing his hand back. “Always am, Rex.”

He returned her smile half-heartedly, releasing her. The ‘fresher door hissed shut behind her, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

Did I just make a mistake?

Did I give in because it was the right thing to do, or because it’s her?

The shower water hissed on behind the door, and Rex sighed, eyeing the bag of candy she’d placed on the desk next to him. It was some sort of toffee that seemed to be Lothal specialty, something she’d noted he favored early on. It was hard to find, yet she always seemed to come up with a bag of it when he least expected it. Popping one of the sweets into his cheek, he leaned back in the chair, interlacing his fingers behind his head and letting his vision drift to some distant point.

Am I ever going to be able to tell her how I feel?

And will she feel the same?

Tag List: @seriowan @partoftheeternalsoul @rosmariner @misogirl828 @ellichonkasaurusrex @zoeykallus @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @staycalmandhugaclone @redheadgirl @fordo-kixed-rex @wizardofrozz @ariadnes-red-thread @extrahotpixels @justanothersadperson93 @leftealeaf @meekaielmyerhs99 @kaminocasey @echos-girlfriend @lucyysthings @obihiddlenox @merkitty49 @littlemissmanga @clonecyaree @baba-fett @sleepingsun501 @rexxdjarin @samspenandsword @babygirlrex0504 @ladytano420 @fxlsealarm @runforrestr @rain-on-kamino @ladykatakuri @ladykagewaki @arctrooper69 @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall

#karrde writes #in command #star wars #the clone wars #tcw #captain rex #captain rex x oc #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x original female character #OC Senna Aven #slow burn #romance #angst #yearning

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the-little-moment · 29 days

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Part Seven

Words: 2,500

Warnings: None

Summary: Senna thinks she and Crosshair should spend some recreational time together. He is not a man of varied interests.

The rest of this fic can be found in my Masterlist here, or on Ao3 here.

Through the Heart

There were three firing ranges within the massive training complex on the Imperial Army Base on Coruscant. Two were for standard training with blasters such as the ubiquitous DC-17 pistol and the DC-15 carbine. The other range was used only by specialists like Crosshair. The sniper had brought Senna today to “his” range, equipped with distant moving targets and various other accessories for the type of grueling practice the most skilled snipers in the galaxy required. Clone troopers were fully trained before they ever set foot off Kamino, and Senna doubted the other men in this room, with its high grey ceilings and long row of partitioned lanes, would ever be able to lose their skills if they tried, but practice was still a part of daily life for almost every clone and natborn soldier on base. Many were here now, filling the air with the ringing echoes of blasterfire.

The doctor took a deep breath and exhaled, letting the world shrink to the center of the target. She squeezed the trigger. Another bullseye.

Senna turned to Crosshair, cocking her ear-muffed head as the sniper lifted an eyebrow. “You were saying, Commander?”

The toothpick between his lips lifted as he smirked back at her. “You still need the practice. Show me with the other hand.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not a perfect, ambidextrous specimen like you. We’ll just have to hope I don’t lose this one.” She actually wasn’t bad with her left hand, but not good enough to make an ass of herself in front of him. Senna shuddered at the thought. Everyone thought Crosshair’s greatest skill was marksmanship, but she knew it was actually his ability to save up little things like that to needle you with at unexpected times for the rest of your life.

He hadn’t been the one to teach her to shoot. Senna had learned from an instructor on Kamino when Crosshair had still been a cadet. Her steady, surgeon’s hands had given her an unexpected edge in an area she’d never had a reason to explore.

“Bet you couldn’t make it with this.” Her attention was drawn back as the sniper lifted the Firepuncher rifle he’d been using since losing his modified one on Kamino.”

“Cross, when would I ever need to use that?”

“You said you wanted to spend time together.”

“Pretty sure I also said you needed to expand your interests.” She eyed the rifle. “It’s almost as tall as I am!”

“Scared?”

Senna favored Crosshair with her most unimpressed glare. “Next time, I get to pick the activity.” She sighed resignedly, waving her hand towards him. “Alright, show me.”

Life had been…a lot lately, for both of them. Senna had thought a break might help, so they’d scheduled to meet on her free afternoon to try to blow off some steam. Strangely, the new, restrictive regime still allowed the clone troopers shore leave and other small “luxuries” that seemed far too humane considering most of its policies, but Senna wasn’t going to bring that up in any staff meetings. No one had commented on her continued association with the commando, despite their unrelated positions. She knew her previous relationship with his batch was part of her record, so there didn’t seem any point in hiding it, although their meetings now were always colored by the tension of mistrust in their surroundings.

Senna knew herself and she knew Crosshair, and she also knew that if something didn’t give soon, someone was going to snap. So she’d let him decide what they would do today. I really should have seen this coming.

Crosshair didn’t need the extra practice, especially not at the level Senna could perform at, and part of her wondered if he wasn’t enjoying showing off for her a bit. As if she hadn’t seen him do far more impressive things during the few training sessions she’d been able to watch when he and his brothers were younger. Senna had been there the day they had graduated, up in the observation deck as the Batch took their final test. They’d done incredible things that day. It was almost beautiful, the way the four brothers anticipated each other's every move, like some intricate dance, or it would have been if Senna hadn’t been all too aware that they would be leaving her, out to face real enemies that would kill them without a second thought. They had passed, of course, and she had tried not to cry because they were all so happy that she had been there to watch them do it.

Today, she and Crosshair had already gone through stationary targets, then the movers that the clones used for practice. Nothing she could do with a blaster measured up to the skill of a trooper, and none of these targets shot back, but Senna didn’t think she was half bad for a non combatant. On the other hand, the only blaster she’d been trained to use was a DC-17 pistol.

The tall clone took her deece and placed the rifle in her hands. It was lighter than she’d expected, but still awkwardly long. Senna smirked a little as she hefted it. “I know you’re only letting me touch this one because it’s not your baby.”

Crosshair scoffed, but didn’t disagree. “It gets the job done.” He settled into a stance behind her, arms around her shoulders as he covered her hands with his. He corrected her grip, then her feet with careful nudges, his chestplate lightly pressed against her back.

Senna felt like she was in a cheesy holo flick. Had he ever watched any of those? “Cross,” she breathed in warning, glancing around the other lanes through the transparisteel partitions. The closest trooper was only a few lanes away, but he was on his stomach, training with the same rifle that Senna now held. His laser sharp focus on his target made it unlikely that he was paying any attention at all to them.

“We’re fine,” Crosshair said.

The doctor sighed for what felt like the dozenth time in the past hour.

Crosshair guided her through the shot, perfect as always, and Senna was begrudgingly grateful for the support of his body as the recoil knocked her back with a grunt, while also overly aware of his heart beating faintly against her shoulder blade, right over the tattoo he’d placed there a lifetime ago. Kriff, Senna. Concentrate.

“Try it by yourself now.”

Senna couldn’t get the balance right, shot after shot going wide. She growled in frustration. “I’m not exactly built for this.”

“You’re not exactly built at all.” Crosshair leaned out of the way as she pretended to whack him with the Puncher. “They’re not going to let you back in here if you don’t follow safety regs,” he smirked.

The doctor rolled her eyes. “Oh no.”

“Here.” Crosshair stepped back to her side, extending his arm, fist clenched, and gestured for her to use it as a rest.

Senna laid the barrel of the rifle against his armor, squinting down the scope to line up with the target. This time she was dead center. “Ha!” She lowered her shoulder and smiled up at the sniper, triumphant.

The look on his usually sarcastic face caught her by surprise. “Cross?”

Crosshair finally lowered his arm, taking the rifle back from her. “You look—”

“Ridiculous, I know,” the doctor grumbled. The large earmuffs that fit just in front of her braids probably weren’t helping.

“That’s…not what I was going to say.”

“Oh.”

He was looking at her so strangely that, for an excruciating second, Senna thought she saw something in his eyes that spoke of more than what they’d always had. Something that edged too far from the safety of their already dangerous love. And, even more painful, she realized she might want it too.

Crosshair rolled over in his bed for the dozenth time with a quiet groan. He felt like he was going insane. All that time he’d spent alone on that platform on Kamino, with the rain pouring down until he was surprised it hadn’t washed the black from his armor. Then a few short weeks of relief in the medbay with Senna, and now back to this empty room. There was someone on the other side of the wall, another officer, but he didn’t know them, didn’t want to.

He didn’t really know anyone here except Senna, and technically Bern, more than in passing. She was all the way on the other side of the base with the rest of the natborn staff. He thought about the doctor for a minute, remembering the way she’d looked holding his rifle and the way he’d felt when she’d hit the target dead on. She would understand. Maybe she couldn’t sleep either.

He could go see her. That was a terrible idea. Crosshair sighed deeply and rolled onto his back in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Sleep, you miserable bastard. He pulled his pillow out from under his head and pushed it down on his face, contemplating smothering himself into unconsciousness. Fucking pathetic.

Before he could second guess himself again, Crosshair threw the pillow aside and swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling on his boots. Troopers weren’t supposed to be out at this time of night, but he was a commander now. If someone did stop him, he’d think of some excuse.

Crosshair had never expected to make commander, mostly because that would mean leaving his squad. It was a simple fact of life that, no matter how much they competed in every facet of their relationship, Hunter was the squad leader. Crosshair had never had a problem with that, never questioned his brother in any real way until his chip had been activated. He knew the only reason he was an officer now was because the others were gone.

At the time, he’d been proud of the fact that he’d been chosen to lead a squad of natborns, useless as they may have been. That was certainly never something he’d expected. It hadn’t been as satisfying as he was sure ordering four regs around would have been but, still, they hadn’t been grown in tubes and, for once, he knew that was what made him superior. How could any naturally born human measure up to the years of training he’d been through? To them, his enhancements were something impressive, not the shame the regs had always made them out to be.

Oh-One had thought he was better than Crosshair, but he had been wrong. Even now, Crosshair wasn’t sorry for killing the man. Mutiny was mutiny and he hadn’t known many people he’d wanted to shoot more than the cocky recruit. But then…

The natborn had known that executing the “insurgents” was wrong. Because he hadn’t had a karking chip in his head telling him what to do. And Crosshair had killed him for it. Not just for that but, had he really deserved to die? Protocol dictated that the trooper should have been brought back to Coruscant for a court-martial, but even then Crosshair had felt his grip over his squad was tenuous. There was no guarantee the new Empire would side with a clone over a natborn. He’d needed to make an example of the man in order to maintain control. It wasn’t what Hunter would have done. No, Hunter inspired respect in a way Crosshair couldn’t imitate, even if he’d wanted to. And Senna, well, that didn’t bear thinking about. Senna could never find out that he’d watched while those people had burned alive. When he closed his eyes at night, he could still hear them screaming, could hear her screaming as she begged him to stop.

The closer he’d gotten to the doctor’s quarters, the less certain he’d felt. Crosshair stood in front of Senna’s door, willing himself to ring the chime. Nothing happened. He waited another few seconds before laughing to himself under his breath. What had he expected? Maybe he should walk down another hall to knock on Rampart’s door while he was at it. I’m sorry, Vice Admiral, but I can’t sleep. Maybe he’d get lucky and the shock would kill the son of a bitch.

He’d taken three steps down the hall when the door opened and he turned to see Senna blinking sleep from her eyes. She was wearing a loose, blue shirt, so large that it almost covered the grey shorts underneath, her hair hanging down in a long braid. "Cross?” She squinted at him, voice soft. “It's so late. Are you okay?"

This had been a bad idea. “Yes, I—it’s not important. Sorry for waking you.”

“It’s not important, but you knocked on my door at thirteen hundred? Come in and tell me what’s wrong.”

When the door had closed behind him, Senna looked up in concern. The only light came from the dim, orange glow of the door panel, but he could see her perfectly. She seemed very small dressed like that, barefoot. Crosshair drew a deep breath. “I just…haven’t been able to sleep. For a while.”

“I can give you some medication?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go. I shouldn’t have—”

“Cross. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Crosshair didn’t want to tell her about the nightmares or how his guilt and the emptiness of the room haunted him every night. He didn’t want to tell her how badly he wanted to be near another person, how he felt less real in that room by himself.

“It’s too quiet.”

Senna looked down at her feet, shoulders slumping. “I know.” She did. The lack of his brothers was like an awful hole in her life. Every little thing brought them to her mind, but none of it made sense anymore without them. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for him, having spent every day of his life with them, every night listening to them breathe in the dark. “I’d have you stay here tonight, but…” It wasn’t safe, and they both knew it.

“I know. I need to get back.”

Senna nodded and they looked at each other for a moment before he turned to go.

“Cross.”

Her arms came up around him as he turned back and Crosshair fought the urge to bury his face in Senna’s shoulder like he might have as a kid. Like he had in those awful dreams on Kamino that had nevertheless been his only source of peace. He swallowed past the lump in his throat as he returned her hug.

“Sorry, Sen.”

She shook her head against his chest. “Come by the bay tomorrow and I’ll give you something to help you sleep.” The doctor released him and squeezed his hand.

Walking back down the halls to his quarters, Crosshair felt like he was leaving behind a warm light to climb back down into darkness. Back in his bunk, he sighed, frustrated by his weakness as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to feel her again.

Taglist: @freesia-writes @just-here-with-my-thoughts @clonethirstingisreal @bad-batch-lurker @kybercrystals94 @lightwise

#star wars the bad batch #clone force 99 #the bad batch fanfiction #star wars oc #tbb crosshair #dr divehdi #the little moment writes #the bad batch #only what burns you back

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notgonnaedit · 5 days

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Bad Batch OC

Name: Althea Aaun

Role: Team medic

Age: 16

Hair color: Black

Eye color: yellow

Homeworld: Elstar

~~~~~~~~~~~

Althea joined the team when Separatists droids attacked her home and the Bad Batch was sent to help. Her family ran an apothecary, making her knowledgeable in medicine.

Her armor is grey and yellow, with a sundelion growing through a skull on her pauldron. She doesn't have a helmet, but she wears a yellow cloth over her mouth and nose. Her main weapons of choice are a DC-17 blaster pistol, and a vibro blade. It's larger than Hunter's but smaller than Wrecker's and is strapped to her thigh

~~~~~

Relationship with the Batch

Wrecker: The two of them get along really well, but Althea sometimes acts more mature than him. He sees her as a sister.

Tech: At first, the two didn't see eye to eye. Tech thought she was just a primitive villager, but Althea quickly proved him wrong and the two a close friends. He sees her as a little sister.

Crosshair: He felt very similar to Tech, but he changed his mind when he witnessed Althea's bravery in battle and her determination to do what was right. He sees her as a little sister, one that gets annoying sometimes.

Hunter: He was the first (besides Wrecker) to really take her in. At first, he saw just another civilian to protect, but as time went on, Althea proved to be brave and more than capable. Now, Hunter trusts her to run missions, but he still worries about her and wishes she never had to fight in the war. He sees her as something more meaningful than a little sister, but he doesn't know what.

Echo: The two of them get along really well. They're the only two members who lost people to the war, giving them something to bond over. Since Althea is a medic, she checks on Echo alot. She reminds Echo of Ahsoka, and sees her as an equal.

Omega: She absolutely adores Althea and sees her as a big sister. Since they both have medical training, they trade secrets and tips. Omega especially loves learning about Althea's skills with herbs

Links to the Healer's Family series

Book 1: Healer's Hands

Book 2: The Bad Batch: Healer's Heart

#the bad batch #bad batch #tbb #art #oc #fanfiction #hunter tbb #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb omega #tbb crosshair #tbb echo

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feltpool · 1 year

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DC-17M

This is Wrecker’s gun. The DC-17M interchangeable weapon system used by clone commandos and not used by any other Batch member in any episode aired so far.

But this was brought to my attention earlier today by one of the guys in my local 1:6 scale collectors group when they asked the group if this was a weapon we’d ever seen Hunter use, because he couldn’t remember seeing that and wanted a second opinion.

Hunter’s recently released Hot Toys action figure comes with a DC-17M

So why does it? So far we’ve only seen him use his knife or the DC-17 blaster pistols

The pics below are screenshots from an unboxing video for Hunter’s recently released figure showing the weapons the figure comes supplied with.

Also included are one whole and one half thermal detonator/droid popper/whatever ball and his vibroblade.

Which means the figure then has this message on the back of the box (supplied by the 1:6 guys) that warns of Hunter having small balls.

#tbb #hunter #hot toys #dc-17m

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reader6898 · 5 months

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OC Friday

OC Amilyn

Amilyn is a newly appointed senator in the republic. She joins the senate almost a year into the war

She is from a planet like Naboo (it's a made up planet and it doesn't have a name)

Amilyn is a huge advocate for the clones

She is friends with Padme and she sees Bail as a father figure

She is kinda shy and quiet but won't back down from a fight . She also likes to keep to herself

Amilyn's weapon of choice is a DC-17 blaster pistol

Amilyn is also friends with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Both of them helped liberate her planet from the separatists

OC Amilyn x Cody

Cody and Amilyn meet when someone keeps sending her death threats

Cody is appointed as her personal bodyguard

secret romance

They want to be together but they are also bound by their duty

Sort of a slow burn

Amilyn always finds something that amazes Cody

Cody will do anything to protect Amilyn

Tagging: @wings-and-beskar @sinfulsalutations @techs-stitches @523rdrebel @sev-on-kamino @anxiouspineapple99 @starrylothcat @wizardofrozz @multi-fan-dom-madness @dystopicjumpsuit @moonlightwarriorqueen

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grailfinders · 11 months

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Grailfinders #25: Edward Teach

today on Grailfinders, we’re building Blackbeard, a.k.a. Edward Teach! maybe he can… teach us a few things about throwing our weight around, eh?

no don’t go I swear that was the one teach pun I’m making today.

teach is a Fighter to become so flexible he’s practically a different character in each event he’s in, but he’s also a Pirate because… duh, a Rogue to pick up some nasty-er tricks, and an Alchemist to mix in some of his own explosives instead of relying on Drake this build.

check out his breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: Boudicca Boudicca, 619!

Ancestry & Background

eddy is of course Human, giving him a boost in any two abilities, like Constitution and Charisma. that being said, teach’s early years are shrouded in mystery, so there’s nothing saying he’s not a Half-Orc, right? yeah, I’m sure it’s fine. that gives you low-light vision to help see below deck, and you can pick some more ancestry feats, like Orc Ferocity. with this, you can use your reaction once a day to stay at one HP when you’d get knocked out, though you still get wounded. boom, that’s your guts right off the bat.

at level five, you become a Wavetouched Paragon, letting you swim freely, always a great option to have for mutinies.

at level nine, you become a Hardy Traveler, increasing your bulk limits and increasing your travel speed. teach is weirdly ripped for an otaku.

at level 13 your Incredible Ferocity increases your orc ferocity to once an hour instead of once a day. eddy is kind of frustrating, in that his guts stacks don’t disappear over time, making him just a bit more annoying to deal with.

if you’re good at timing you can even use one guts and then immediately put another back on, creating the legendary double guts. in pathfinder, you can do this thanks to your level 17 ability Rampaging Ferocity. now when you use your orc ferocity you can attack a nearby creature. if you knock them out, you get another use of orc ferocity for free. it’s a little annoying to pull off, but that’s true in FGO too.

as for blackbeard’s blackground, he is, of course, a Sailor. with this background, you get a boost in Strength and Constitution, and are trained in Athletics for your sea legs as well as Sailing Lore, and you are an Underwater Marauder. that means you aren’t flat-footed in water, and your melee weapons aren’t hindered either!

Class Levels

1. as previously mentioned, teach is a Fighter, and while you’re not really a skill monkey, you still get plenty to start off. you’re trained in will saves, your class dc, advanced weapons, all armors, acrobatics, intimidation, and deception immediately, as well as thievery, medicine, nature, and survival as your intelligence improves. you’re also an expert in perception, fortitude and reflex saves, and unarmed attacks, as well as simple and martial weapons.

okay, now the fun part! your key ability is strength, and you get another ability boost in strength, dexterity, constitution, and charisma. you can make attacks of opportunity when an opponent moves, makes a ranged attack, or tries to manipulate something.

speaking of ranged attacks, you can make a point-blank shot as your first action in a turn. this either removes the volley trait from your weapon, or gives you a damage boost when hitting nearby enemies. as a side note, we’re not really bothering with pistols this build. you certainly can, but crossbows are less of a pain in terms of needed training, plus they work much better in water.

one last thing, you can use shield block as a reaction, if you ever use a shield. I guess stealing one might be in character this time?

2. at level two, a fighter can make a Rebounding Toss. with this, you can spend two actions to throw something at somebody, which then bounces and hits someone else if the first hits. it counts as two attacks, but it won’t mess with your attack penalty until after the maneuver. if I’ve learned anything from Donkey Kong, those barrels you toss around can definitely hit two people in one go.

you also pick up Group Coercion, helping you intimidate your entire crew in one go so they’ll do what you say. sure, right now it only works on two people, but you can only have two other people in a party anyway, so it’s fine, probably. it’ll help you scare entire ships later though.

speaking of ships, you’re a Pirate now! That gives you expertise in Sailing Lore, or “sailore”, as I like to call it, and you can ignore difficult terrain caused by a ship’s movement. You can also make a Boarding Assault by spending two actions to either stride twice or swing on a rope up to the same amount of distance. If this movement causes you to enter or leave a boat, you can also make an attack that deals extra damage!

3. At level three your Bravery gives you expertise against Will saves, and your successes are always critical. What’s more, your frightened conditions always start at one less than normal.

You have appeared in several events now where you just happened to know exactly what the theme would be, so I assume you are a Prescient Planner. With this, you can spend a minute to rummage in your backpack and retroactively purchase a piece of adventuring gear. Sadly it cannot be a treasure, so you’ll have to carry your figures around the hard way.

You also gain expertise in Intimidation this level. With this, you can coerce up to four people at a time by showing them your doujin collection. That isn’t quite “intimidating”, but it certainly is demoralizing.

4. Don’t worry, this build won’t be entirely about throwing boxes at people. You can now take a Parting Shot if you have a loaded crossbow on hand, allowing you to step and shoot your target at the same time, making them flat-footed against your attack.

You are also a Rope Runner, so we can speed through your piracy and pick up more archetypes. It also gives you a climbing speed to use on ships’ riggings, and it’s easier to climb and balance on ropes in general. You’re also not flat-footed against attacks while climbing or balancing on ropes, which is very useful while fighting pirates.

Finally, you can turn your crewmates into Broadside Buckos. Now you can name five crewmates each day- if an enemy is next to you and two other buckos, they are flat-footed against your attacks. Pirates are often starting enemies in most RPGs, so ganging up on your foes is simply good business.

5. Use this Ability Boost to improve your Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence and Charisma. Yes, we do need intelligence for this build. Blackbeard seems to figure out singularities faster than Ritsuka does at times.

He also has Fighter Weapon Mastery, improving your skill with a class of weaponry by one step- expert to master for unarmed, simple, and martial weapons, and trained to expert with advanced weapons. We haven’t included this increase in the character sheet, as depending on your game setting, you may find picking bows, bombs, or firearms to be more useful. You also gain the critical specialization effect of that weapon group. Bombs have a larger radius of damage, bows can immobilize creatures by pinning them to the ground, and firearms can stun enemies that fail a fortitude saving throw.

You are also an expert at Thievery now. While I’m sure you’ve put together a fine crew, sometimes you simply need to do the pirating yourself.

6. At level six you can enter a Ricochet Stance as an action. Now, any thrown weapons you throw at an enemy can bounce back to your hand if you’re close enough to the target. Blackbeard’s animations are clearly more reminiscent of someone just throwing whatever they can find, but it’s a lot easier to find things that come back to you.

You can also make Cutting Flattery, allowing you to coerce creatures without reducing their attitude towards you. When you think about it, being complimented by Blackbeard is something of an insult in itself, isn’t it?

Finally, you gain the Rogue Dedication, granting you Dubious Knowledge- whenever you would fail to recall knowledge, you instead learn two facts- one true, one false. You also become trained in two skills, such as Stealth and Performance, and you can make a Surprise Attack at the start of combat. If you rolled deception or stealth for initiative, creatures acting after you are flat-footed. It’s not quite a sneak attack yet, but it is quite helpful.

7. At level seven, you become a Battlefield Surveyor, making you a master of perception and giving you an additional bonus to initiative when using perception. As an average human on the battlefield of gods, it is never a bad idea to be ready to make a run for it.

Alternatively, you can use your Intimidating Prowess to try and prevent a fight from happening at all. When you demoralize or coerce creatures using your brawn, you get a +1 bonus to the check, and ignore any penalty from not sharing a language. Speaking of intimidation, we’re also increasing your proficiency in that this level.

If a fight does break out, you at least have your Weapon Specialization to comfort you, helping you deal extra damage with weapons the more proficient you are with them.

8. If you’d rather use a real weapon than a random barrel, you may want to check out the Mobile Shot Stance. While in this stance, your ranged attacks don’t trigger attacks, and you can even use your own attacks of opportunity with ranged weapons.

You’re also enough of a pirate to make a Battle Cry when you begin battle, demoralizing one foe on the battle field for free.

Finally, you gain access to a rogue feature, Strong Arm, increasing the range of your thrown weapons by ten feet. It is likely your DM won’t be particularly generous with your range when it comes to throwing large objects around, so this will force the issue in your favor.

9. At level nine, your Combat Flexibility allows you to swap between an 8th level and lower fighter class feat at the start of each adventuring day. I would suggest a feat like Disorienting Opening, or Shatter Defenses, something that capitalizes on your ability to weaken enemies through intimidation and surprise. Of course, you are free to choose as you go, so there’s nothing wrong with just picking the most advantageous option for any day.

You also become a Juggernaut, making you a master against Fortitude saving throws, while also increasing your critical success chance. Similarly, you are a master in Thievery as well.

10. At level 10, your new Ability Boosts improve your Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma.

Thanks to your additional power, as well as your… eclectic taste in pastimes, you are a Fearsome Brute, giving you a bonus to damage against frightened creatures equal to triple their frightened score. Improvised weapons come with an accuracy penalty, so making sure they all hit as hard as possible is always a good idea.

You also have Steady Balance, giving you even greater sea-legs. Now you always succeed critically when balancing, and you’re not flat-footed while balancing on any terrain. You can even use acrobatics instead of your reflex saving throw to grab ledges.

And great news, you are finally a Sneak Attacker, letting you make 1d6 damage sneak attacks which don’t go up as you level. That last part is rather disappointing, but any damage is good damage right now.

11. At level 11, your Armor Expertise will help you not die even when you’re only dressed in a pirate coat. You’ve Fighter Expertise as well.

You’re also charismatic enough to become a Hireling Manager, so you can fill up your pirate crew with some seaworthy scallywags.

Speaking of sailing, we’ll also take this opportunity to increase your Sailing Lore some more. No matter how maligned you are by the fanbase, no one can deny you’re a pirate.

12. At level 12 your Incredible Ricochet doesn’t help you hit multiple targets, but it does make followup attacks easier, allowing you to ignore concealment and cover. Again, improvised weapons are inaccurate, so you should try and make this as easy on yourself as possible.

You’re also Too Angry to Die. While this isn’t a guts-type effect on its own, it does make you a lot scarier- you can demoralize an enemy as a reaction when you come up from 0 HP.

One last thing- we’re finally getting you some bombs by making you an Alchemist! With this Archetype, you’re now trained in Crafting and Alchemical Bombs, as well as the Alchemist Class DC. You also gain Alchemical Crafting and four free 1st level formulas. Again, you are free to pick your own bombs, but to stay in character I would suggest picking bombs that do sonic or fire damage.

13. Now that we have Crafting, we have to get it up to speed quickly. At least while we’re working on it you become a Weapon Legend, increasing your proficiency with all weapon types. You’re now an expert in most advanced weapons, a master in simple and martial weapons (as well as advanced weapons in your chosen group), and a legend with simple and martial weapons in your group

14. At level 14 you become a Stance Savant, allowing you to enter a stance immediately upon rolling initiative. The whole point of being a rider is to be fast, after all.

You also become Slippery Prey, having gotten a little too used to being tied up and keelhauled by other servants.

Finally, you become a Quick Bomber, allowing you to draw and throw bombs in a single action to further blend your fighting styles together. but maybe don’t ricochet that one back to you. pro tip.

15. At level 15 you get yet another Ability Boost in Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma. tbh I’m not wild with how many boosts you get in one shot it makes it hard to talk about why we’re getting them all.

at least talking about Evasion is easier. you’re a master with Reflex saves, and they’re critical successes more often. obviously you’re good with saves against fireballs, casters already do half damage to you.

you can also force people to beat a Terrified Retreat. if you crit succeed against someone you’re demoralizing and they’re weaker than you, they have to flee for 1 round.

you also get Greater Weapon Specialization and Improved Flexibility, as a boost in Acrobatics. nothing new, but doing existing things better is never bad. the former makes you deal even more damage with weapons you’re good with, and the latter gives you a second feat each day, this one up to level 14.

16. at level 16 your Resounding Bravery makes you even hardier- when you critically succeed on a will save, you get a +1 bonus to saves and some extra temporary HP for 1 minute. you also finally get a thievery-based skill feat with Concealing Legerdemain, letting you use it to conceal small objects on your person when someone’s searching you.

finally, you can use Quick Alchemy as an action, turning some reagents into a short-lived alchemical item that lasts for one round. given how long bombs normally last, that time limit isn’t a big deal.

17. at level 17 your Armor Mastery does exactly what you’d think it would, and you’re also a legend in Intimidation now. With this, you can now intimidate up to 25 creatures at once with group coercion!

18. once you hit level 18, you can make Savage Criticals twice as often as you now crit on 19s with weapons you’re legendary with.

you can also Scare to Death weaker creatures, frightening them more effectively than regular intimidation, and possibly killing them outright if several dice land in your favor. It almost certainly won’t do much against the lion king, but it’ll keep your crew in line.

finally, you can make an enemy Walk the Plank by demoralizing them. if you succeed, not only do you intimidate them but you can make them move in whatever way you want. you can’t directly force them into harm… unless you critically succeed on the check. this takes two actions to do, and then they’re immune for 24 hours.

19. you can now pick up a Prescient Consumable when you retroactively buy stuff. just be careful what you consume, you don’t need Altera after you. again.

now you are a master in Thievery, and you become a Versatile Legend, increasing your skill with all weapons once more as well as your Class DC. now you can get big crits even with your random thrown objects!

20. with your final level, bump up your Strength, Constitution, Wisdom, and Charisma. with this level, you gain the Ultimate Flexibility, giving you a third feat, which can be up to 18th level. you can also use your lower level feats to meet prerequisites for higher level ones, and you can retrain your feats over the course of an hour instead of each day.

you can also Quick Unlock, picking open a treasure chest in one action instead of two.finally,

you can make a Dazzling Display by putting firecrackers in your beard, making intimidation checks against everyone within 30’ of you- if you dropped an enemy the turn before, you get a bonus to the checks too.

Pros & Cons

Pros

you don’t die that often, being able to avoid death through your guts on an annoyingly short cooldown, with the additional ability to avoid being wounded so dying happens even less than you’d think with all your near-death circumstances.

you’re also great at breaking through enemy defenses, using bombs to deal damage without direct hits, ricocheting shots to avoid cover, and of course making enemies flat-footed to weaken their AC and deal extra damage to them. you’re a little greedy when it comes to most of these debuffs, but it’s still good!

you focus on using random stuff around you, so it’s hard to disarm you. pathfinder focuses on using your terrain a lot more, so use that to your advantage!

Cons

improvised weapons come with a weakness that regular weapons don’t. and all your stuff works with regular weapons anyway, so… why throw barrels? there’s literally no reason to do it since literally every other weapon you could use will do it better.

your Wisdom isn’t good, so if you’re in a fair fight you’re probably going last, which isn’t fun. wisdom’s also what you need to see enemies at all, so… good luck against the hentai defense squad.

we didn’t get your ship, which is kind of the whole point of your you. teach is a rider after all, but for some reason a bunch of wood is harder to make than another living creature. sorry about that, but… you’re a pirate. steal one.

#fgo #fate grand order #pathfinder #pf2e #Edward Teach #Blackbeard

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einsteinsugly · 8 months

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Steven Hyde's Tentative List of Favorite Bands/Artists...

1. Led Zeppelin

2. The Rolling Stones

3. Nirvana

4. Eric Clapton

5. The Who

6. Jimi Hendrix

7. Blue Oyster Cult

8. Bob Dylan

9. Pink Floyd

10. AC/DC

11. Bruce Springsteen (he has a fucking field day when Reagan misunderstands "Born in the USA")

12. Santana

13. Grateful Dead

14. The Ramones

15. Steely Dan (when he's in a good mood)

16. John Lennon/The Beatles (their later stuff)

17. The Allman Brothers Band

18. Black Sabbath

19. Jethro Tull (would be kind of a phase, tbh)

20. Aerosmith

21. Queen

22. The Sex Pistols (also would be kind of a phase, tbh)

23. Guns N Roses

24. The Doors

25. Lynyrd Skynyrd

26. Soundgarden

27. Smashing Pumpkins

28. Stone Temple Pilots

29. Red Hot Chili Peppers

30. Queens of the Stone Age (way down the line)

31. The Black Keys (same as above)

32. Lenny Kravitz

33. Elton John (blame Jackie)

34. James Taylor (same as above)

35. The occasional Bob Marley.

36. The occasional Sinatra.

37. ...Jackie gets him to appreciate Adele.

Note: I tried.

#that 70s show #that 90s show #steven hyde #jackie and hyde #jackie burkhart #my essays #teh music #he can buy all the t shirts i'm jealous

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missshezz · 1 year

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Title: Experience

Warnings: None Apply

Rating: All ages

Word Count: 1025

Tags: pre-clone wars movie, Rex and company are sent to help reader, war, death, angst, drama, loyalty, clone protocol

Summary: Rex teaches you a lesson about experience and respect

You spot the battle droid from the corner of your eye. Even with the Force flowing through your veins, you cannot deflect the blaster bolt.

It hits the trooper next to you in the upper part of his chest.

He goes down without a sound.

His pain is a ripple in the Force.

You can do nothing to help ease it, though.

Not with that battle droid rapid firing at you and the clone in command of this small regiment.

His designation number is CT-7567.

If he has an actual name, you don’t know it.

There hadn’t been time for formal introductions. The captain and his men arrived as you found yourself surrounded by a horde of battle droids.

Death seemed imminent.

Something you accepted.

As all Jedi did.

“Sir, watch out!”

You turn to see one of the super battle droid’s advancing towards you, arms raised, intent clear.

You use the Force to throw the droid into the others coming your way.

“Tinnies advancing on the left!” CT-7567 shoots a droid in the head with one of the DC-17 blaster pistols he’s holding. “Deploy droid poppers!”

Immediately, a dozen balls flew into the air.

All arcing in one synchronized motion before dropping in front of the droids.

Streaks of blue strike the droids, frying their circuits, and powering them off for good.

Your reprieve is short-lived, however.

For every one droid that falls, twenty replace them.

“Captain!” you hear. “Clankers advancing on the right!”

“Get ready!” CT-7567 orders. “Give ‘em everything we got!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

Soon as the droids are within range, they let loose a barrage of blaster fire. The pings as bolts slam into the thick metal covering the battle droids remind you of the steel drums you heard while on a mission with your former master.

They, too, sounded of death.

Droids fall but are quickly replaced by more.

They’re just bodies Separatists send out to die for their cause.

Programmable, dependable, expendable, and above all else, replaceable.

It’s not lost on you how the same thing is being done by the Republic.

Only, they’re sending out an army of cloned humans instead of droids.

Living, thinking, feeling, and killable sentient beings.

You find it utterly abhorrent.

War, your master once told you, is never a solution and is never justified.

“It doesn’t matter who wins to those dead,” he said. “They are the ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.”

You’re determined to see as few dead as possible.

You’re a guardian of peace and not a soldier, after all.

Or you weren’t until now.

“Captain.” You stop to deflect blaster bolts with your lightsaber. “Have your men pull back to that outcropping of rocks. We can make a stand there while waiting for reinforcements to arrive!”

“Yes, Commander!”

His address stuns you.

You’re not a commander.

You’re barely a Jedi Knight.

Your promotion, in fact, came right before you were deployed to this inhospitable planet.

You don’t correct the captain, though.

There’s no time for it.

Not with a horde heading in your direction.

And what a swarm it is, you realize, stomach churning with dread.

Battle droids.

Super battle droids.

Droidekas.

Spider droids.

Hailfires.

All coming right at you.

The reality of the situation is clear.

There are no fighter tanks to combat those hailfires.

No AT-RTs to mow down the battle droids.

It’s just you and a rapidly diminishing squadron of men.

Clones are not like droids.

Their numbers aren’t infinite.

It took time to grow new clones.

Train them.

Prepare them for battle.

Time you do not have.

You and these men are going to die.

Not before you take as many droids with you as you can.

A hailstorm of blaster fire erupts.

Bodies fall around you.

Each life extinguished is like a candle blown out by a strong breeze.

Leaving you cold, cold, cold.

You’re a Jedi, however, and don’t allow your grief to consume you.

You let it pass into the Force.

“Sir, look!” CT-7567 points to the sky. “Reinforcements are on the way!”

A sigh of relief escapes you as Republic gunships break through the barrage of laser blasts, bringing desperately needed backup, and much needed air support.

The battle you feared lost turns into a Republic victory a short time later.

There’s no celebrating for you, however.

There’s injured and dead soldiers to attend too.

You move to a clone leaning heavily on a pile of rocks. He tries to straighten as you approach but you shake your head.

“We do not need such formalities.”

“Sir?”

“You’re injured.” You slide an arm around his waist. “I think we can forego protocol until after you receive medical attention.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Twyla, please, Trooper.”

“I’m Jesse.” A pained grunt escapes him. “Sir.”

You go to correct him but the arrival of CT-6116, Kix you heard the medic called, puts an end to the subject. You turn Jesse over to the medic and go to help the others in need of medical attention. CT-7567 materializes at your side after you help the last injured trooper into the waiting transport.

“Commander? Your transport is waiting.”

“I’m not a commander.” You turn to the captain. “I’m a Jedi. A newly knighted one, in fact.”

“In my books, sir, experience outranks everything.”

“Please, just Twyla.” You walk with him towards the waiting gunship. “And you and your men definitely outrank me, Captain.”

“It’s Rex.” You think you detect a hint of humor in his tone but can’t be sure. “Commander.”

You accept the address despite feeling you haven’t earned it.

Something tells you that you will before this conflict is over.

If we don’t end this war, and soon, it will end the Republic and everything it stands for.

Something as a Jedi you cannot allow to happen.

Still, you find yourself wishing there was another way to bring about a resolution.

If only to stop more lives from being sacrificed.

Enough were lost here this day.

Men you swear to see honored for their sacrifice.

“Let’s take our leave…” You look at the captain. Committing his image to memory. Just in case you never see him again. “Rex.”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #saw fanfic #rex x you #rex x reader #generic star wars name #captain rex #ct 7567 #clone trooper jesse #reader is a Jedi #you as a Jedi #Scorp writes fan fiction #2nd person pov #gifs #flashing gif #star wars the clone wars

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justicegundam82 · 4 months

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Hello! I'm back with one of my conversion ideas for Pathfinder 1E, and this time, I'm converting one of my favorite 2E monsters - the Rust Hag from the AP "Blood Lords". To be more exact, the Rust Hag was statted in "Graveclaw", the second issue of that particular adventure path.

I've tried to be as faithful as posssible to the original while at the same time make it as balanced as possible, but I will admit I'm kinda new at this. So, if anyone wants to make suggwstions or corrections, they are welcome to.

With that said, I hope you like this retro-conversion! ^^

RUST HAG

This vile crone’s skin is the color of rusty metal, with wild white hair and filthy, torn rags for clothing. Her face is deformed into a sadistic smile, and she wields a pair of deadly-looking handguns.

RUST HAG CR 8

XP 4’800

CE Medium Monstrous Humanoid

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16

DEFENSE

AC 22 (+6 Dex, +6 natural), touch 16, flat-footed 16; +4 dodge vs. firearms

hp 95 (10d10+40)

Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +10

ATTACK

Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 claws +13 (1d6+3 plus rusting touch)

Ranged mwk pistol +15 / +10 (1d8 / x4) and mwk pistol +15 (1d8 / x4)

Special Attacks rusting touch

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th, concentration +12)

At will – Alter self, fabricate bullets, jury-rig, longshot

3/day – Acid arrow, named bullet

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 22, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 14

Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 29

Feats Deadly Aim, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) (B), Great Fortitude, Gunsmithing (B), Point-Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Two-Weapon Fighting

Skills Climb +11, Craft (firearms) +15, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Perception +16, Survival +16, Swim +11

Languages Aklo, Common, Giant, Terran

Special Qualities dodge bullets, greater wielding, hagshot

ECOLOGY

Environment any urban

Organization solitary or coven (3 hags of any type)

Treasure standard plus two masterwork handguns with 20 bullets

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Dodge Bullets (Ex): A rust hag gains a +4 dodge bonus to her Armor Class against any attack with firearms.

Greater Wielding (Ex): Firearms wielded by a rust hag are considered light weapons for the purposes of the Two-Weapon Fighting feat and to determine penalties for two-weapon fighting.

Hagshot (Ex): Any firearm wielded by a rust hag never misfires. It is also considered as having the ghost touch weapon ability for the purpose of hitting and damaging incorporeal creatures.

Rusting Touch (Sup): A rust hag’s touch quickly corrodes metal. If a rust hag hits with a claw attack, a single metallic object that the target is wearing or wielding takes 2d6 points of damage, ignoring its hardness. This damage is not halved as usual for attacking objects.A successful Reflex saving throw (DC 17) avoids damage, but an unattended object is not allowed a saving throw against this ability. Against a ferrous creature, this ability instead deals 2d6 points of extra damage per successful attack, with no saving throw allowed. Objects made of starmetals like adamantine or orichalcum are immune to this ability. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Rust hags are an unusual breed of hag with a knack for technology and firearms. They dwell in slums, abandoned factories and other places of urban decay, where they hide out amongst the dregs of society, corrupting or preying on them as their whims dictate. A rust hag mocks the convinction that towns and cities are symbols of civilization and offer greater safety to their people, and seeks to undo these delusions by inciting violence, plunging a seemingly peaceful quarter in bloody riots, or by forcing city dwellers out of the buildings that they wrongfully see as a defense against chaos and savagery. Many rust hags set themselves up as leaders of violent street gangs, using their skills with firearms to command awe and obedience from their underlings. Other rust hags are solitary, concocting plans to drive city dwellers away and turn a once-flourishing town into a dismal ruin.

A rust hag is particularly tall and brawny for hag standards, easily standing more than 6 feet tall and weighing just a little below 200 pounds.

When a rust hag joins a coven, the coven adds discharge, foster hatred and protection against technology to its spell-like abilities.

#pathfinder #conversion #first edition #rust #hag

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jedi-princess-kestis · 2 months

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Shadows of the Force

Chapter 2

Warnings: star wars warfare, language, injury

Summery: things start to heat up during the mission, and a new discovery is made.

Word Count: 3.2K

"Not our primary target." Shadow said as she leaned against a tree along the treeline they were hiding in.

"It's an outpost. Should we take it?" Rex spoke up behind her. He looked around, trying to see if there was a way around it.

"Probably easier than going around. All right, what are your orders?" Hunter turned to face Rex, looking at the Captain and Lieutenant. "We pick them off from the tree line one-by-one?" He asked, pointing to a few different droids.

Rex looked over at Shadow before turning back to look at Hunter. Even with his helmet on you could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "Actually, I was thinking we'd take a page from your book."

"Rush them head-on." Scarlett spoke up from behind Hunter. She smiled before putting her helmet on. She likes taking the fight to them for once.

"Ha, I like your style." Hunter chuckled before drawing his blasters from their holsters on his hips. They jumped from the treeline, firing and shooting down droids as they yelled. Shadow pulled out her WESTAR-34 and DC-17 blasters. Her WESTAR-34 was Mandalorian made, a sleek looking blaster pistol, silver in color. They ran around the droids, blaster them, Hunter using his knife to cut them down. They raced inside the tower and went up, her back pressed to Hunter's as they stood back to back on the lift. She saw Scarlett standing back to back with Crosshair, both their rifles in hand. Scarlett had an Assault Rifle, Mandalorian made, used by protectors on their home world. She could feel Hunter breathing, could feel his heart beating through his ribs. She took a deep breath as the lift came to a halt and droids were all around them.

"Blast em!" The droid yelled closest to her and she shot off it's head. "Nice shot." Hunter said as he threw his knife into another droid. Soon all the droids in the tower were down, Wrecker throwing a fit that the fight was already over.

"Easy big guy. We'll find you more droids to crush." She said, patting his large arm, making him smile. The large clone pulled her into a hug, making her gasp for air as she laughed.

"Oh I like you!" He said in his loud booming voice. She pulled free and smiled, patting his chest before turning to face Rex and Hunter. She pulled her helmet off and tucked it under her arm as she watched Tech get to work.

"Not bad. For a reg." Hunter said, punching Rex in the arm. Rex gave him a half smile before turning to the large window behind him and looking out to a huge building in the trees.

"All right, there it is. The Cyber Center." he said pointing at it. The others gathered around him and looked out. Shadow cursed under her breath and shook her head.

"Oh that's gonna be fun." She said as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Scarlett bumped her shoulder to Shadow's before going to sit with Tech to work on the computers.

"It looks like the Cyber Center itself has minimal guards, about 30 droids. Oh…" Scarlett's voice trailed off as she looked at the computers. She looked over at Tech and he nodded his head, showing he saw what she was seeing.

"What's up?" Shadow asked, sensing her sister's rising concern. She leaned over her shoulder to look at the holomap to see what she was seeing.

"Wait. Wait! I got a massive signal coming in." Tech said his voice filled with concern. He tapped away at his Holopad, trying to figure out how big of an attack was coming their way.

"A whole platoon of droids is headed this way." Shadow said, looking back over at Rex and Hunter. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the desk behind her. She waited for one of the boys to come up with a plan.

"Someone's noticed our handiwork back at the crash site." Hunter said, a bit of pride in his voice. He then looked at Shadow and she smiled.

"Yeah. They noticed how much you guys destroyed their droids. Doesn't feel like they were happy about that." She joked to him before turning to Rex.

"Make sure you keep an eye on those incoming Separatist forces. I want to know when they reach this outpost." Rex said to Tech as he picked up his helmet off the desk where he placed it. He nodded to the group, and they grabbed their helmets and got their blasters ready.

"You got it, Cap!" Tech said his voice was clear. He turned to Scarlett, handing her a Holopad. "This way you can keep track of it as well." She took the Holopad and tucked it into her chest pack with a pat. Tech nodded in approval at this.

"Careful, or Tech will soon feel his mind Is not the smartest in the group." Crosshair said as he winked at Scarlett, giving his brother a teasing glance. Scarlett laughed before patting him on the chest.

"You should be worried about if I make you look like the second best shooter in the group." She teased. She watched as he rolled the toothpick in his lips before giving her a playful glare. Shadow watched them as they teased each other. She has never seen her sister like this before, never seen her…. Flirt.

"We'll grab some speeder bikes and flank them from the back." She heard Hunter say to Rex, pulling her from her train of thought. Rex nodded before telling them to move out. She went to grab her helmet when she felt a hand on her arm.

"You alright? You seem a bit… distracted." Hunter said standing beside her. She looked into his dark caramel eyes and felt her heart flutter. She nodded her head and made sure she had her blasters.

"Yes I'm fine. I was watching my sister with Crosshair… I swear she was… flirting with him." She said before pulling her helmet on. She saw Hunter raise an eyebrow before looking over at his brother strapping his rifle to his back. He nodded his head, the few loose short hairs that got free from his bandana bouncing against his forehead. She found it herself wishing she could run her hands through his long black hair. The thought surprised her, she never felt this way towards a clone. She always saw them as men, never as just soldiers, but she never felt herself drawn towards a clone before.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. He never talks this much to people outside of our squad." He agreed with her. Everyone got on the lift and went back down to ground level, going around to the back to get the speeder bikes. They would have to double up to all make it on the bikes.

"Shadow, you go with Hunter, Jesse with me, Scarlett with Crosshair, you two are my eyes in the sky, Tech with Wrecker. Let's move." Rex told them as he jumped into a speeder bike behind Jesse and took off. Shadow gave a small salute to her twin before getting on the speeder bike. She watched as Scarlett held onto Crosshair as they took off for the nearby hill to snipe from. She looked over to Hunter and smiled under her helmet.

"Come on Dark and Broody, let's go!" She exclaimed as she started up the bike. She heard him laugh and felt him sit himself behind her, his hands going around her waist. She shivered at the feeling, his hands flat against her armored stomach. His chest was pressed to her back as she took off after Rex, Jesse, Tech and Wrecker. The sensors in her helmet lighting up on the screen, showing her the life forms around her plus the droids around the Cyber Center. Thankfully the Clones were the only life forms around.

"Shadow, Hunter, Tech, Wrecker. Head up to that hill behind the Center. Make a diversion to draw out as many droids as you can. Jesse and I will go towards the front and pick off ones we can to give you a clear shot to the front door." Rex's voice filled her helmet as it came over the coms. She watched as Jesse drove to the right, going towards the tree line near the front doors. She turned left and went up the hill, following Tech as he drove around the crystal like trees. They kept going till they reached the top of a hill behind the Center and turned off their bikes. Shadow turned off her bike and felt Hunter shift behind her. His hands slowly moved from her belly where his hands had been holding on down to her hips and then slowly to her back before his touch was gone. She held her breath as her senses went into overload with the light touches. She could practically hear him smiling under his helmet as she tried to keep her body from reacting.

"You good there Ver'alor?" His voice sounded a bit smug, like he was smirking as he spoke. She hated how smug he sounded. Like he was proud of himself for pulling a reaction from her body.

"I'm fine, Ruus'alor." Shadow answered, emphasizing his rank at the end, addressing him by rank like he did her in Mando'a. She heard him chuckle under his helmet and she was thankful he couldn't see her blush. She turned her attention towards Tech and Wrecker who were looking around at a huge pile of rock. She got off the speeder and pulled up a display on the holoscreen on her visor and looked around to see if the others were in place.

"Is everyone in position?" Rex's voice once again filled her comms.

"Affirmative." Hunter spoke up, pulling out his blasters. Shadow pulled out hers as well and got ready for whatever Wrecker had planned.

"Affirmative." Scarlett's voice then filled her ears. She turned her head and looked to the east, seeing a small glimpse of her sister and Crosshair on the far hill, above Rex and Jesse. She looked over at Tech as his Holopad started to beep.

"Cap, you wanted to know when those Separatist forces breached the outpost." He spoke up looking down at the Holopad. She looked over his shoulder and saw a huge group of droids making their way to the outpost.

"Well, they're getting there just about now." Scarlett finished for him. She looked down at the Holopad and then at Crosshair who was laying down in his belly, lined up with his rifle. He turned to face her and gave her a nod.

"Looks like the fun is about to begin." He said before turning back to look through his scoop once more. Scarlett smiled under her helmet and drew her rifle, getting down onto the ground beside him.

"Then let's party." She said with a smirk. They waited till Wrecker started a rock slide down the hill, taking out some droids as it went. The two snipers started picking off droids at the front door and tower as Jesse and Rex took out more from the ground level. She turned her gun and saw her twin sliding down the hill behind the rocks with the other clones, firing their blasters at clankers as they went.

Shadow soon reached the bottom of the hill, she charged the door with the others covering Tech as he pulled out his Holopad to start opening the door.

"Hmm. This is a delicate operation." Tech hummed to himself as he tapped away on his Holopad.

Wrecker walked up to the doors and slammed his body against it, busting it open. "Boom! You take too long." He said to Tech as he looked down at his brother. You could hear the smile on his face as he spoke. Shadow shook her head and followed the others inside, blasting more droids on their way. Hunter took out his knife and started cutting down droids. Shadow felt her legs grow weak as she watched him spin and weave around the droids, cutting them down, his muscles on full display even through his armor. She shook her head as she saw a droid come up behind him so she grabbed her knife and threw it over his shoulder, hitting the droid between the eyes. Hunter turned to look at her over his shoulder and she nodded her head at him.

"Nice aim." He said, praising her before they took off for the computer room. They covered Hunter and Wrecker pulled open the doors, taking out the remaining droids in the room.

"Alright we're in." Hunter said, looking around the room making sure it was clear. "Tech, get to work on these computers. We'll go get the regs."

Shadow followed Hunter and Wrecker to the main doors where Rex and Jesse were still fighting droids and Crosshair and Scarlett were picking them off from the hill.

"What the…" One droid said before being blown up.

"Hey, where did you come from…" Another said before Hunter's knife cut him down. Wrecker went trigger happy and cut the others down till no more were around.

"What took you so long, Wrecker?" Rex joked as Jesse and him walked up to the main doors.

"Hey, this is a "delicate operation." Wrecker said, making fun of what Tech had said earlier. Shadow rolled her eyes under her helmet and looked out over the treeline. She heard the sound of tanks long before the others did. Well maybe not Hunter. She saw him perk up a bit and look out towards the trees as well. She knew he heard the same thing she did.

"Better get in there, Cap." His thick smokey voice filled her ears as they made a path for Rex to get past them. "We'll hold them off till Tech and Rex find what they are looking for." He said once Rex ran to find Tech. Shadow nodded and looked at Jesse, who was making sure his blaster was fully loaded. She pulled out her WESTAR-34 and DC-17, twirling them around her fingers. She then aimed her blasters at the on coming tanks and droids.

"Alright boys. Keep up!" She called out as she took off running, jumping into the ledge of the Cyber Center and pulling herself up so she had the higher ground. She started blasting the droids as they fell from their tanks, picking them off one by one. She saw blaster bolts coming down from the hill to her right and she knew Crosshair and Scarlett were taking out as many as they could as well. Hunter started cutting down droids with his knife and Jesse and Wrecker stood back to back, rapidly firing their blasters into the oncoming army. She threw her own knife into a droid that got too close to Jesse and he pulled it free once it fell, letting it sink back into another droid before throwing it back up to her. She caught it and threw it once more, hitting a droid that came up behind Hunter. She jumped down from the ledge and raced towards him and pulled the knife free from the droid, standing with her back to his.

"Having fun yet?" She yelled over the blaster fire around them. She heard him laugh before shooting down another droid. She felt a blaster bolt hit her shoulder plate, thankfully the Beskar armor saving her from real damage. It still hurt though and she knew she have a bruise for sure.

"You alright?!" Hunter asked, his voice laced with worry as he looked at the burn mark from the bolt on her shoulder plate.

"Just perfect." She hissed as she moved her arm to throw her knife once more.

Hunter places his finger to the side of his helmet and turned on his comms "Crosshair, we're gonna need a lift."

"Not gonna be a problem." She heard the tall silver haired sniper say. She was really growing tired of all these droids and their non stop firing. "I'm really getting over this now!" She yelled in frustration as she shot down five more droids. She growled as her arm started to swell in her armor. Hunter races back into the center to get Tech and Rex as they were starting to get out numbered. After a few minutes the three clones raced out of the Cyber Center and fired on more droids. Crosshair and Scarlett flew in on a transport.

"Need a ride?" Scarlett yelled as she shot down a droid.

"You're timing is perfect as always, dear Sister." Shadow cheered as they raced to get into the transport. Crosshair gunned it and took off once they were all in. She sat down on the floor and let out a deep breath as she put her blasters away. She winced in pain as her shoulder was throbbing. She unclipped her shoulder plate and slid it off her arm.

"You okay there?" Hunter asked, sitting down beside her. He reached up and slowly pulled away the fabric of her shirt to look at the bruising on her shoulder. He cringed and gave her a sympathetic look. "That looks nasty. I don't think it broke anything and thankfully it didn't go through the armor… but you'll be sore for a few days for sure." He softly put the sleeve of her shirt down again. She nodded her head and sighed as she leaned her head back against the seat behind her. She felt him pay her knee before he got up to make sure the others were fine.

"That number, Cap, what did it mean?" She heard Tech say from the seat over. She turned her head so she could hear them better and so she could see them a bit more.

"CT-1409... that was Echo's number." Rex answered with a far away look in his eyes. He looked like he had seen a ghost. "He's alive." Was all he said before he looked back towards the Cyber Center once more before it disappointed behind the mountains. She could feel his pain and confusion rolling off of him in waves. She knew the clones lost their brothers by the thousands at a time. She knew how hard it was to lose family, but she had no idea what it was like on his end. To lose so many brothers, so many of his flesh and blood for a war they never had to be in. At least she had a choice about joining the war, they didn't. And now… now one of his own brothers could very well be a prison of war. Shadow looked over at Rex and placed a hand on his knee.

"Verd ori'shya beskar'gam. He is of your blood…. And it's time for your Vod to come home." Shadow told him, making a vow to him in her own way. One she would soon not break by any means.

Masterlist

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