#heres to hoping it was just a bad batch of tests

[iovesia]

✧ ˚ ༘ ⋆ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍' 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄.

slasher!john wick⠀x⠀fem!reader.

𝒔𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔. when you and your friends get stuck in the middle of rural texas, you decide to knock on death's door for help.

—⠀੭୧⠀warnings⠀· ˚ ༘⠀70s & slasher au. horror themes. naive!reader. use of marijuana. size kink. john has a southern accent. age gap (20s/40s). murder. gore. no happy ending. manhandling. 2.5k words.

𝒙𝒐𝒙𝒐, 𝒋𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒆 ִֶָ 𓂃 ⊹ i wanted to save this for my upcoming event for october (a themed kinktober el oh el!), but here's just a small au that's been conjuring up in my head for the last few days — hope you enjoy ♡ !!

#. keanu reeves masterlist. | main masterlist. | request rules.

"SHIT!" Your boyfriend, Matt yelps, nearly dropping the blunt from his lips as the sound of metal crashing fills your ears. A thick smoke began rising from the hood of the car, and soon enough the rest of you joined in on Matt’s irate attitude. 

“Babe, pull over!”

Matt lets out a few curse words under his breath, as he follows your instruction and pulls the Chevy van to the side of the road. The five of you scurry out the vehicle, exposing yourselves to the Texan sun and heatwave. 

Matt runs a hand through his feathered black hair while walking over to the front of the old, blue van. Popping the hood, he’s met with another batch of hot smoke, making him exclaim in disgust. 

“Matt, you jerk! You just totaled my car,” Trin scoffs, fanning herself with her hand in a desperate attempt to cool down. The rest of the group, consisting of you, Matt, and your two other friends, stand on the rocky terrain on the side of the road, letting out exasperated groans. 

“Relax, Trin,” Matt sneers defensively, taking another puff of his blunt. He examines the inside of the hood, his eyes squinting as he rubs the back of his neck. “Shit.. I think we popped.. or lost a valve or something.”

“We?” Trin raises her brow. The pair began bickering amongst each other, pointing fingers and only testing your patience. With their yelling and the sun beaming down on your skin, you prayed your migraine would kill you.

“Would you two just stop?” You sigh, pulling your shades over your head. “The car’s busted, doesn’t matter why. What do we do now?”

“Wait for help, I guess,” your friend, Shane shrugs, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend, Mary-Ann. Silence was casted among the group as you and your friends tried to think of a plan. Granted, the group was more Matt’s friends than yours— but what was his was yours, as Matt liked to pretend.

Your eyes trailed the scenery around you. The dead trees bordering the road, only a few desolate run down buildings nearby. The gas station, standing a few hundred feet, was falling apart at the seams. The shattered windows and creaking of the hanging “WE’RE CLOSED” sign was enough to crush your little hope. After a few agonising minutes, your eyes settle on a small house in the distance. You smile as you rise up, pointing to it and alerting the group.

“Guys!” You call out hopefully. “Let’s go ask them, maybe they can call us a toll or something.”

Shane furrows his brows, grimacing as he snicker. “You’re gonna go all the way to that shack? No, let’s wait here. Someone’s gonna come by soon.”

“Oh, c’mon,” your arms flap to your side, your head turns to glance at both ends of the road. “There’s not gonna be anyone driving here for who knows how long— it’s not gonna hurt to ask.” 

“I dunno, girlie,” Mary-Ann purses her glossy lips, her voice monotone with a twinge of her Californian accent laced in. She scratches her bell bottom jean covered leg with her other foot as she turns her head to the house. “Maybe Shane’s right, I’m getting super bad vibes from that house.”

“Everything gives you bad vibes, you hippie,” Trin mocks, wiping the sweat from her forehead, shooting daggers with her eyes at the blonde. The two girls start trading insults, and the familiar ache in your head starts crawling back.

“Ok, well.. you losers can stay here,” Matt finally interjects with useful commentary, handing his half smoked blunt to Trin. “My girl and I will go and actually be useful,” Matt walks over to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as the pair of you walk through the field. 

AS THE TWO OF YOU APPROACHED THE HOUSE, Mary-Ann’s words rang in your ears. The cream coloured paint on the walls was faded or peeling off like a tangerine, the porch was dusty and cluttered with random items. The patio swing squeaked as the wind forced its swing, the copper shade of the metal would make you think this house was abandoned. 

“Maybe blondie back there was right,” Matt jokes, nudging your shoulder playfully, only affirming your thoughts. 

The closer you got, the colder the chills down your spine got. You pause in front of the stairs, leading up to a mesh screen door, barely exposing the inside of the seedy home. Your boyfriend’s hand leaves your arm as he takes initiative, walking up the creaky, old stairs. You cross your arms over your chest, watching as he knocks a couple times.

No answer.

He knocks again.

No answer.

“What now?” You ask with a scrunched face, softly slapping at the mosquito on your arm. Matt glances over to the swinging seats, and notices the half built fence that led somewhere behind the home. “Let’s just go back to the road—”

“Let’s check the backyard,” Matt ignores your comment, jumping down from the porch, the heels of his boots squishing into the damp grass as he heads for the back. You call his name repeatedly and he only waves his hand as his figure disappears behind the fence. 

“Are you kidding me?” You mutter to yourself, as you sit down on the porch stairs, resting your chin on your knees. Minutes that feel like hours go by as you wait for your boyfriend to come back, and he’s still gone. The sun was going to set soon, and you’d rather get back to your friends before it got dark. Worry boils in your chest, and you chew on your nails anxiously waiting.

Suddenly, the mesh door bursts open, slamming against the nearby wall and making you yelp. You jump up, head whipping in the direction of the door and your eyes widen at the sight. An older, brawny man stands in the door frame.

His jeans were splattered with dust and a dark fluid, and his white wife-beater shirt was almost see through from the sweat trailing down his muscles. His coal, black eyes piercing into your doe eyes as he scans your figure, his eyes focused on your exposed legs. You swallow awkwardly, pulling the hem of your red, booty shorts down in an effort to cover more of your skin. You felt naked under his intense stare. 

“Hi!” Your voice cracks as you smile, trying to appear friendly. The man’s face is unreadable as he leans against the door frame, eyeing you carefully. “Um.. sorry to bother you, sir. But, uh, my friends and I need some help. Our car broke down, and I was wondering if I could borrow your landline?” 

The black haired man just stares at you, his stare occasionally darting down to your smooth legs before back to your face. He breathes deeply and tilts his head to the side, gesturing to his home.

“Yeah.. I got a phone you can use,” he spoke curtly with a slight southern drawl, before disappearing inside. You quickly follow the older man, skipping up the stairs as you gently pull the door open. 

Instantly, you’re met with a putrid smell of meat. The humid stench feels worse than the outside, but you try to keep your grimace to yourself as you glance around the room. The entrance was cluttered with old frames, the walls had holes and scratches as if someone had clawed their nails off them. 

“In here,” his baritone voice calls out to you and you follow it, leading yourself into the living room. Equally cluttered, if not more. The shabby, grey walls sucked any life out of the room and you tread cautiously to the older man who was sitting at a large dining room table. 

His calloused hand brushed against yours when he handed you the landline. You smile politely before turning around as you dial the number for an automobile service. You hummed quietly to yourself while the landline rang next to your ear, not even noticing the older man standing right behind you, looking right down on you. 

“Damn,” you hissed before putting the landline back. You turn around and jump again, your face immediately bumping against the man’s torso. “S-Sorry.. Didn’t know you were standing.. so close,” you mumble, your face flushing.

“Jumpy little thing, aren’t you?” The raven haired man wets his lips, picking up a dish towel from the table. “What’s your name, darlin’?” 

You say your name softly, as heat blooms in your face. You can’t help but focus on his figure, the glistening of his biceps and the movement of his large hands as he wipes them with a towel makes your throat go dry. 

“I’m John. You said your friend's car’s stuck somewhere, or what?” His baritone voice snaps you out of your ogling and you nod distractedly.

“Yeah.. yeah— it’s the chevy van out there. Dunno if you can see it,” you turn your head and point through the half broken window to the small car in the distance. John hums.

“Popped a tire?”

“No, it’s the hood. I think we, like.. lost a valve or something,” you say with air quotes, still focused on trying to see your friends.

“Pretty girl like you don’t have a boyfriend that could find it for you?” John teases, raising a brow as he catches a glimpse of the van. Your eyes widen at the compliment, and you clear your throat, a small smile etching onto your face.

“No.. I.. I don’t.”

“Don’t have a boyfriend, or don’t have one that could find it for you?” 

Your eyes meet again and you let out a soft chuckle when John’s brow quirks up, a matching smile on his lips. You scratch the back of your neck and take a breath.

“N-No, I mean I have a boyfriend,” you correct yourself awkwardly, “he just.. can’t find it.” 

“Bet there’s a lotta things that he can’t find,” John snorts under his breath and the innuendo goes straight over your head. 

There’s a painful silence casted upon the room, and you shift your weight to your other leg as you stand there, gazing out the window. You furrow your brows in confusion when you realise you can’t see your friends by the van anymore. 

The older man sighs and glances around the room. “I could take a look at it if you want. Just gotta go get my things,” he gestures behind him with his thumb and quickly turns to walk away. He’s gone before you could say anything, and you’re left alone in the room.

The sun shone through the crack glass of the windows, illuminating the dust particles floating through the air. Inspecting the antique living room, you analyse the framed pictures closer, even daring to pick up one of them. The cobwebs on the glass frame made you cringe as you gently brushed it away.

It was a picture of a family, all men standing in a line, all looked astonishingly similar to John. John stood in the middle, with two younger men on each side. He was holding a large butcher knife, and the entire family wore white aprons, stained with blood. The hanging pig in the background made you queasy. Perhaps it’s his brothers.. or his sons? You thought, slightly intrigued, and disturbed.

A muted cry, abruptly muffled by a low droning noise, broke your thoughts, immediately calling your attention outside the living room. Curious and naive as you were, you set the frame down. Your sandals slap against the wooden floor as you crept out the living room, and towards the door where the sound came from.

The door was unlike the others— covered in a strange fur, and chains on the handle, and slowly squeaked open, almost urging you to investigate further. The droning noise gets louder, and sounds of shackles and screaming fill your ears and strike fear in your heart.

“(Y/N), help!”

Colour drains from your face, and against your better judgement, you slam the mysterious door open at your boyfriend’s desperate call of your name. The door revealed a staircase, with sunlight barely shining on the first step as it leads to darkness.

You tiptoe cautiously down the stairs, the sounds of horror growing louder and louder as it echoes through the dim, damp basement. Water leaks from the pipes above, small sounds of the water pattering only makes the hair on your neck stand up as you edge closer to the sounds. Stopping right in front of another door, a dark liquid begins to pour out from the bottom, and your jaw drops.

“M-Matt?” You call out, lower lip wobbling.

The lively roaring of the chainsaw abruptly stops.

Thud.

A blood curdling scream escapes your lips when the door is slammed open and your boyfriends body slumps to the floor. His feathered black hair, now matteted with his own blood as his baby brown eyes rolled to the back of his head. Matt’s denim jacket was torn to shreds, along with his matching denim jeans— the blood poured endlessly out of his massacred body, washing over the entire floor and staining the bottom of your shoes.

“Oh.. Oh my god!” You shrill, a trembling hand hovering over your mouth and your eyes fill with tears. Horror and nausea wash over you in waves, as bile boils in your throat. You cower backwards, practically tripping over yourself as you hurry to get away from the source of this terror. 

The chainsaw wielding maniac turns to face you, and reveals himself to be one of the boys in the picture. The same sick smile on his face as he pulls the chain of the weapon, the thunderous howl of the chainsaw coming back to life. 

Suddenly a pair of muscular arms wrap around your waist, lifting your frail frame off the ground and you let out a terrified shriek. Kicking and screaming, your feet meet the ground and your back is pressed tightly against a toned chest. Lips brush against your ear, and the eerie words invited goosebumps on your skin.

“It’s awfully rude to snoop, darlin’”

You let out another painful scream as you realise it’s John— John and his deranged family responsible for this massacre of Matt. His calloused hands roam your torso, groping at your skin and holding you firmly against his sweaty chest. 

“Theodore…” John’s voice is low as he scolds his apprentice, who stands in front of you two, his cherub face doused in the blood and tears of your boyfriend, a twisted grin etched on his lips. “You’re scarin’ our guest.”

The younger man just laughs maniacally, dropping his weapon to the ground, and the loud thud of the chainsaw makes you whimper. You squirm helplessly in John’s grip, but your attempts to escape were fruitless. “Let me go! Let me go, you psychos!” Your voice is hoarse and your face flooded with tears.

“Aw, I don’t think so, darlin’,” John’s beard scratches against your cheek, his constricting grip on you nearly crushes your lungs. 

“I think we’re gonna keep you a little longer— show you that real southern hospitality.”

Your screams and cries for help are drowned out by the two madmen’s deranged laughter and taunts.

໒꒰ྀིྀི ੭ ˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ꒱ྀི੭ — taglist : @desoolate @hamburgerslippers @alwaysinblck @emosludge @nwheregirl @beansricejc @sughcashsaiki @namjoons-crabssss @scream-queen-25 @slutforsoldierboy @hamburgerslippers @redhotelroom. @hqmmett @ilovedilfs4ever

let me know if you wish to be added/removed♡

#dark.josie #keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves imagine #john wick x reader #john wick imagine #john wick x you #john wick #slasher!au #texas chainsaw massacre

[webslinger-holland]

The Sergeant's Senator | Chapter 4

Summary: The Senator has spent the last couple weeks locked inside, but now wants nothing more than to go outside. The others need to find a way to get her outside without being spotted or recognized.

Warning: mention of the shooter, vial of blood is alluded to, characters have slight anxiety, mutual pining, suggestive talk, weaponry mentioned (not used)

Pairing: Hunter x Fem!Reader Senator

Type: Short Series

Word Count: 5.4k

Series Masterlist

The day following the attack was spent talking to The Coruscant Security Force. They had come to the apartment to investigate the destruction, opening a brand new case file against the shooter. While some officers were snapping photographs of the scene, the other ones were questioning the people who witnessed the attack.

In the meantime, Crosshair made sure to keep a close eye out the window with his sniper in hand. His eyes scanned the city skyline thoroughly. By the couches, Senator Rayna and Hunter gave their statements to an officer. The man took notes on a pad of paper.

"And where you able to get a good look at the shooter? Maybe what they were wearing," the officer suggested.

"No, we didn't get a good look. It was quite dark out and we went in the best position to look at them," Hunter explained. Even with his heightened senses, Hunter wasn't able to get a great look before he fired his shot.

Just then, Tech came to approach the small group. He held his data pad in one hand and a small vial of blood in the other. He passed the vial to the officer.

"This might be of some assistance to you," Tech told the officer. "It was found on the rooftop where the shooter was located. That is their blood."

The officer went to open his mouth to question how he managed to get a sample of the shooter's blood, but the technical clone beat him to talking by saying:

"You should be able to run a DNA diagnosis test to pinpoint who it is exactly. Then you can release a warrant for his arrest," Tech explained to the officer as if he didn't know how to do his job. He typed away at his data pad.

The senator was forced to stuff her lips into her mouth in hopes of stifling a small laugh. She glanced up at the sergeant who gave her a shrug and a look that said: "That's Tech for you."

"R-Right. We'll get right on that and get back to you once the results are in," the officer stammered over his words. "We should have this place cleaned up in a few days. I presume you have a place to stay?"

"She does," Hunter interjected before Y/n could speak for herself. He left it at that, not wishing to disclose where the senator was staying just in case unwanted ears were listening.

The officer gave a firm nod of the head, showing them appreciation for their willingness to answer their questions. "Thank you for your time."

Over the next couple weeks, Senator Rayna was fully immersed in her work back at the office. Her schedule consisted of attending meetings, writing her speech, and sitting in on what was happening at the senate. All the while, the Bad Batch escorted her to every function. They kept a close eye on her while being fully aware of the dangers that could accompany them.

It had been many weeks since the attack at the high-rise, which was now the longest amount of time between attacks. Something was not right. His suspicious grew with each passing day. That only made him want to take extra precautions when accompanying the senator out.

"I don't like it," Hunter grumbled more to himself. He paced back and forth across the office.

The senator spared him a quick glance before returning her attention to the papers in front of her. "Stop pacing," Senator Rayna spoke from behind her paper.

"It's been weeks and nothing. We haven't heard a thing from this guy," Hunter complained. He raised his hand to gesture out the window.

"Well, I am most certainly thankful for that. You're not the one who's a target here," Senator Rayna stated. He slumped down into a chair facing her desk. He fidgeted with his fingers nervously; his eyes darting around the room.

"He's gonna strike. I just know it," Hunter claimed.

"Hunter," Y/n spoke softly. "I think you're a little paranoid."

"And you're not?" Hunter inquired, glancing at her.

"Not anymore," Y/n confessed with a soft smile on her face. He stared directly at her with a hint of intrigue in his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I have you," Y/n explained. She felt herself getting lost in those dark brown eyes of his. She quickly snapped out of it and redirected her gaze away from him. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "A-And your brothers looking out for me," Y/n added.

The senator pretended to go back to her work, but she was secretly thinking about the sergeant in front of her. She tried so hard to push those thoughts away, knowing that it wasn't right to be pining after and crushing over her sergeant who was assigned to protect her. It wasn't like he could reciprocate the feelings; he was a clone after all and they were programmed to not meddle in those matters.

Despite the looks, Hunter wasn't void of all emotions. In fact, as of recently, Hunter discovered that he was shifting towards having a more domesticated heart. His thoughts wandered back to his friend named Cut who was a deserter clone settled on Saleucami. He had gone so far as to marry a Twi'lek named Suu and have two children together.

The difference between Hunter and Cut were their priorities in life. While Cut found purpose in providing for his family, Hunter was still a soldier for the Republic and served in the war. Now, Hunter envied the life Cut made for himself and wished that someday after the war, he'd be able to seek the same kind of life for himself.

However, despite this optimist approach that the war would end, there was still a matter at hand. Once the war ended, Hunter may be free to chose a life for himself, but Y/n would not be. She'd still be a senator, sitting through meetings and making grand speeches. She herself would be working hard to make the galaxy a better place. That was something that Hunter would never be able to pull her away from. It was her purpose.

Which was why, for the past few months, Hunter tried to distance himself from the senator emotionally. He still needed to be in close proximity to her in order to keep her safe, but he simply wouldn't allow himself to become too attached. One day, they'd have to go their separate ways and that would be the end of it.

This was a tricky task for him. His head screamed to stop, but his heart pleaded to try. Once the senator returned to her apartment after it was fully restored, Hunter found it incredibly difficult to stay away from his bed aboard the Marauder. His once undisturbed bed now smelled so strongly of lavender that it drove his senses wild.

More often than not, Hunter came to discover how she was constantly invading his senses. Whether the senator wore a particularly flattering dress or gingerly touched his arm, it drove him wild. He tried wearing his helmet more, igniting the feature that blocked out those senses for his own sake.

But right now, sitting in her company, Hunter wasn't wearing his helmet. He stared at her longingly, admiring the way a few baby hairs fell around her face. He also seemed to catch the soft pink tone on her cheeks, but she quickly shielded her face from him behind a piece of paper. The gentle flutter of her heartbeat did not go unnoticed either.

Just then, the door to the office slid open to reveal the other four members of the squad. They had just come back from grabbing lunch in the cafeteria downstairs. They figured, given the quietness over the past couple weeks, that they could afford sneaking down for quick bite to eat. But that had been an hour ago.

"Took you long enough," Hunter huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly unamused by their prolonged absence.

"That's because Wrecker kept going back for more food," Echo scoffed.

"It never ends," Wrecker exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. He came around the side of the chair. "They let you take as much food as you want. I haven't been this full in a long time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Y/n smiled at him.

"So," Wrecker clasped his hands together rather loudly. "What's on the docket for today?"

"Nothing," Tech and Y/n replied simultaneously.

"Her schedule is empty," Tech spoke. His nose was buried deep into his data pad.

"No meetings? No speeches?" Wrecker questioned. He seemed rather confused as he felt there was almost always something the senator had to do. But it was only two hours past noon.

"Not really," Y/n shrugged her shoulders. "I initially planned to spend the whole day finishing writing my speech, but now, I'd like to do something else."

"What did you have in mind?" Hunter inquired curiously.

When the senator saw all eyes on her, she felt her nerves go uneasy. She twiddled with the pen in her hands, thinking about what she was about to say. She didn't know if it was such a good idea after all.

"I-I'd like to go out," Y/n confessed timidly.

The room remained silent for a moment. The senator glanced between each of the clones in attempts to read their expressions and predict who was going to speak up first. Sure enough, the sarge was the first one to speak for his brothers. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Out?" Hunter clarified.

"Your speech is in two days," Tech pointed out.

"Shouldn't you prioritize that?" Echo questioned.

"I haven't been able to properly go outside for weeks," Y/n ignored them. She threw her hands up in defeat, resting against the back of her chair. "The most fresh air I get is going between here and my place."

"Do you really think it's a good idea to go out in public? With everything going on?" Echo chimed in.

"Not to mention the fact that you have easily one of the most recognizable faces on Coruscant," Tech pointed out.

"I'd wear a disguise," Y/n replied.

"Really? A disguise," Hunter held back a laugh.

"Believe it or not: I do own civvy clothes," Y/n reassured them.

"I'd pay to see that," Wrecker laughed. He rather forcefully nudged Crosshair who was standing right beside him, but he just shook his head in annoyance.

Trying to ignore his brother's comment, Hunter found himself leaning forward in the seat. He came up with a hypothetical situation. "Say we do go out, what would you even want to do?" Hunter asked her.

"Anything," Y/n sighed. "Just get me out of this office."

For a moment, Hunter contemplated the choice to leave. He averted his gaze to ponder some more. He found feel his brothers gazing at him expectingly, which made him realize just how much they too wanted to get out. The risk was almost too high given that she had a massive target painted on her back.

Sensing how he was leaning more towards a negative response, the senator quickly rose to her feet and rounded the side of her desk. She knelt down on the floor right beside his chair. She placed a hand on his forearm which drew his attention towards it. Her eyes were pleading, begging for a little freedom.

"Twenty credits says he caves," Crosshair said discreetly to his twin standing right beside him.

Before Tech was able to accept the challenge, Wrecker spoke up quietly. "You're on."

To which Tech rolled his eyes. He went back to his data pad.

"Please sarge," Y/n urged. Her other hand went up to trace his fingers gently, coaxing him to watch her intently. She drew small shapes on his palm. Her eyes flickered up to him. "Just for a little while?"

Finally, Hunter began to withdraw his hand away from her in a slow manner. He flexed his hand once or twice to get rid of the feeling of her fingers having just graced him. He refused to look at her.

"Fine," Hunter sighed heavily.

A bright smile grew across her lips. She thought about throwing her arms around him for an embrace, but she figured that she may be overstepping if she did so. Instead, Y/n stood to her feet from her spot. She could barely contain her excitement.

In the background, Wrecker and Tech went to place their twenty credits into Crosshair's expecting hand. Both of them looking rather solemn, but the third was rather pleased with his new change. He pocketed the credits into a pouch.

Before Y/n was able to turn away, Hunter reached out to grab her wrist. The excitement was quickly disappeared from her face. Now she wondered if he'd changed his mind. She went to look down at him, fearful of what he was about to say.

Under his fingers, Hunter felt her pulse growing faster on her wrist and he could hear the thumping of her heart. He wasn't sure if it was anxiety or excitement coming from her. But he spoke to her to get his point across.

"But if we are doing this, you are gonna do things my way," Hunter's sulky voice ordered. His eyes flickered up to meet hers in a stern glare. "You got that?"

"Yes sir," Y/n gulped.

Upon hearing this, Hunter instinctively tightened his grip on her wrist without realizing it. It drew a small gasp out of her lips which only spurred him on more. Now satisfied with her answer, Hunter began to release his grip on her. He gestured to the side as if to encourage her to keep moving.

As the senator walked away, Hunter redirected his line of attention to his band of brothers standing on the sidelines. He had already come up with a plan to execute this outing.

"Go back to the Marauder," Hunter spoke to the muscles of the group. "We are going to need the old crate."

A few minutes later, Wrecker had returned to the office carrying a massive crate in his hands. He brought it to the center of the room and dropped it on the floor, which resulted in a loud thump. Opening the lid of the crate, Tech began digging through the various items within it. He was searching for something in particular.

Without glancing up, Tech grabbed something black and handed it to Hunter. He strode across the room towards the senator, offering the odd black material to her. She furrowed her eyebrows upon further inspection.

"What is this?" Y/n inquired. She gingerly took hold of the material.

"We call them blacks," Hunter stated.

"And what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Take off your clothes," Hunter explained. Her eyes snapped up to his face, showing the evident look of surprise in her eyes. He finished what he was saying: "And put these on."

Silently, Senator Rayna nodded her head understandingly. She went towards the restroom on the other side of the room, stepping inside and closing the door behind her for privacy.

With Hunter's eyes still locked on the door, Crosshair approached his side. His eyes followed the line of his brother's. He adjusted the toothpick in the corner of his mouth.

"Didn't take you for the flirting type," Crosshair noted. His voice sounded like it was poison in the brother's ear; like it was laced with ill intent.

"I'm not," Hunter spoke firmly without taking his eyes off the door. "Just telling her what to do."

"You're a horrible liar," Crosshair scoffed with a shake of the head. He proceeded to turn away from him and return to his other brothers side by the crate.

Just a moment later, the door creaked open ever so slightly, but it successfully drew the attention of all the clones. They looked up to watch the young senator emerge from the private space. Their eyebrows shot up in slight surprise once she finally stepped into their view.

The blacks were designed to fit any body shape, which meant that the material naturally looked small before one put it on. It was truly a "one size fits all" type of clothing. And boy, did it show.

It fit her body like a black glove. The black material hugged her figure so tightly that it showed every single curve of her body. While to some, it may look incredibly uncomfortable, it was actually one of the softest materials available in the galaxy. It was lightweight, versatile, and rather cheap. Every soldier for the Republic wore blacks under their armor.

Breaking the silence, Wrecker let out a wolf whistle which only brought a swift nudge in the side from Echo. She avoided their gazes expertly, keeping her eyes on the ground. She shuffled across the small stretch, bringing her arms to cross against her chest.

"I-It feels odd wearing just this," Y/n said honestly.

"You'll get used to it," Hunter reassured her, feeling a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Found it!" Tech exclaimed from behind them. The rest of them redirected their attention towards him.

Finally, Tech retrieved a single piece of black armor from the crate. It was a clone chest piece. He held it up for further examination. However, Senator Rayna only furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion once again. She had no idea what he was doing with a piece of armor.

"This will do nicely," Tech stated with a nod. He rounded the side of the crate to offer the chest piece to the senator.

But she initially didn't take it from him, which meant he'd need to explain his motives to her.

"I have taken the liberty of riffling through our old armor crate. Given your physique, I have selected one of Echo's old chest pieces." Tech pushed the chest plate into her hands.

"You want to me put this on?" Y/n questioned.

"That's the plan," Hunter interjected.

"So I look like a clone?"

"So you have protection," Hunter corrected. He raised a single finger to emphasis his words. "Along with a disguise."

"I won't fit in this," Y/n exclaimed. She tried holding up the chest plate to look at it closer, but it was incredibly heavy.

"Which is why I provided you with Echo's piece. He's the smallest," Tech stated as a matter of factly.

"Hey," Echo chimed in, taking offense.

Before the senator was able to protest, Hunter had already taken the chest plate out of her hands and was fitting it over her head. She slipped her arms through the holes on the side. He moved the piece of armor around until it was comfortable resting on her chest.

In the meantime, Tech and Echo began to bring the other pieces over for assembly. They handed each piece to the sergeant who knew exactly where they went on the body. The senator was beginning to feel the armor's weight as the pauldrons were attached to her shoulders.

"It feels quite heavy," Y/n realized.

"That is because it is katarn-class armor, which is much more stronger and more resilient than your typical plastoid clone armor. It will weight approximately 45 pounds once put together," Tech explained as he fitted a spare piece to her side.

"Is this really necessary?" Y/n wondered. She raised her arms upwards as the belt was attached across her waist.

"Provided that this may save your life by deflecting a blaster shot, then yes, I would say it's necessary." Tech shrugged.

"Hunter," Echo redirected. He quickly tossed him another piece from the crate, which he caught without looking.

While distracted by Tech's rambling, she didn't even notice the hands that grabbed her hips and directed her body to turn. She shuffled on her feet until she was fully facing the sergeant. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, getting on his knees in front of her.

For some unknown reason, Y/n felt something ignite within the pit of her stomach at the sight of him on his knees in front of her. She felt his fingers encircle around her ankle, silently encouraging her to lift it up. He fitted the thigh gauntlet through her foot, sliding it up the long length of her leg.

His fingers brushed against the inside of her thigh, which pulled the smallest gasp out of her. The sergeant couldn't contain the sly smirk from tugging at the corners of his lips. He felt her eyes burning into the top of his head, documenting his every move. He secured the piece as tightly as possible before glancing up at her.

She could have sworn she saw his eyes darken.

"Don't give me that look," Y/n begged quietly. She tore her gaze away from the sergeant's captivating eyes in hopes of hiding her blush. She tried to balance on one foot.

"What look?" Hunter teased.

"You know what I am talking about," Y/n insisted with a playful roll of the eyes. He chuckled deeply to himself.

Now moving, Tech shifted in his stance beside her which resulted in her loosing her balance slightly. She stumbled to the side, but she placed her hand on the sergeant's shoulder for better balance. Her hand was desperately close to his neck; so much close that she felt the strands of hair tickling her fingers.

For the time being, Hunter needed to push those feelings down once again. He fought the desire to feel her fingers threaded through his hair and tugging at his locks. He felt a slight flutter in the pit of his stomach, feeling the blood flow shifting south.

A heavy lump in his throat was forming as one of her fingers delicately brushed against the side of his neck where his pulse would be.

Through distractions, Hunter focused on finishing the task at hand. He secured one of the knee pads before moving onto fitting the boot onto her foot. After this, he began working on the other leg, helping her get into each respectable piece until she started to look like a clone trooper.

Upon completion, Hunter began to rise to his feet. He let out a small groan when he felt his knees popping, but he ignored the aching pain. He stood at his full height, towering over her. He held up the final piece into view.

"I'm not wearing that," Y/n stated with the most unamused look on her face.

"It's a codpiece," Hunter explained.

"I know what it is. I am not putting it on," Y/n said with a shake of the head.

"You won't pass as a clone if you're not wearing it," Hunter argued. This wasn’t convincing enough for her. "It would look even weirder if you weren't wearing it."

"He's right," Tech's unwanted opinion came out of nowhere.

"Fine," Y/n grumbled in slight defeat. She stopped him before he could go down on his knees again. She took the codpiece out of his grasp. "But I'll put it on myself."

"As you wish," Hunter gave up easily with hands raised in defense.

Fitting the final piece, Y/n put her hands out to show off her new black clone armor She looked at each of the clones for their thoughts about how she appeared. She most certainly could pass for a clone with the exception of the missing helmet.

"Woah! You look just like us," Wrecker exclaimed with a broad smile on his face.

"That's kinda the point," Crosshair mumbled beside him.

"Not without this," Echo jumped in. He tossed a spare helmet over to her, which she caught awkwardly. She surveyed the helmet, staring down where the eyepiece was.

"Who's helmet is this? Another one of Echo's pieces?" Y/n wondered.

"It's actually one of my old ones," Hunter confessed. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh," Y/n nodded. She now saw the resemblance between his old and new helmet. "I see."

Stepping forward, Hunter took the helmet out of her hands. He turned the helmet around and raised it above her head. He lowered it onto her until her face disappeared behind it. He kept his hands on the sides.

"This okay?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah," Y/n's voice came through the modulator. He slowly removed his hands from the helmet, but her gaze remained on him. "Thanks," Y/n spoke softly.

Putting distance between them, Hunter went back to his brothers' side. He rifled through the craft one final time, looking for an old holster for a blaster. He pulled out a regular black one before handing it over to Tech.

"This is the final piece," Tech explained to her. He fitted the belt around her waist so that the holster fell over the side of her thigh.

"A holster?" Y/n questioned.

"For your blaster," Tech said while briefly glancing up at her.

"I don't carry a blaster," Y/n informed him.

"It's just for today. It's all for looks. You won't have to use it," Hunter chimed in. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Next, Tech took one of his own spare blasters out of his backpack. He handed the weapon to her for which she held for a second. She examined the weapon carefully, rotating it. She slid it right into the holster at her side, bringing the disguise to completion.

Upon leaving the main building, the Bad Batch began walking down the street and blended into the crowd of citizens. They made sure to keep their eyes open, realizing that an unexpected attack could occur at any given time. Not only was the senator a target, there was also a high chance that the other members that become recognizable targets for the unknown shooter.

Walking through the crowd, Y/n quickly came to realize how little passing people were looking at them. They still got the occasional glances from some, but that was obviously because of their unique clone features.

The senator and sergeant were currently walking a few steps ahead of the small squad. They picked up their own conversation.

"It's weird being unrecognizable to people in public," Y/n whispered to the sergeant striding beside her. She remembered what she was wearing though.

"Clones are everywhere," Hunter explained to her. "We all look the same so people don't need to look twice at something they've already seen."

"Well, not all of you look the same." Though she was wearing a helmet, he was able to hear the smile in her voice.

"Which is often a downside," Hunter stated. "Because then, people look."

"I'm sorry," Y/n spoke with true sincerity in her tone.

"We didn't ask to be made," Hunter replied. "But our differences...we see them as a bit of a perk. Even though they make us outcasts."

The small group had just managed to round the corner of the street, heading in one direction. The others didn't seem the least bit interested in the conversation. Instead, they focused their attention on their surroundings for added precaution.

"What's it like to have heightened senses? I imagine a place as busy as Coruscant is hard to endure," Y/n took note.

"I've...grown accustomed to it," Hunter hinted. It wasn't just Coruscant that he had grown attuned to.

"I'm sure you'll be glad once it's behind you," Y/n breathed a long sigh.

For a moment, Hunter contemplated her choice of words carefully. While she had redirected her attention back towards the sidewalk in front of her, he found himself staring at her profile.

"Have you ever thought about it?" Hunter inquired.

She glanced up at him. "About what?"

"Leaving this place?" He gestured to the grand skyscrapers.

"Well, this is my home. I was born here and I grew up here. I rarely leave unless for business matters." She seemed to shrug her shoulders. "It's a bit like Kamino for you."

The sergeant remained silent.

"Kamino is your home, is it not?" Y/n pressed. She now peered up at him with curious eyes.

"That's where they made us, trained us." Hunter agreed. His voice grew solemn as he spoke truthfully. "But it's not much like a real home. We spend more time on our ship than we do back there."

"If you did settle down--after the war, where would you go?" Y/n shifted the direction of the conversation in attempts of making it more lighthearted. She waited for his answer patiently.

"Never really thought about it," Hunter shrugged. "Never imagined a life outside the war."

"I'm sure it'll end soon," Senator Rayna often spoke with optimism. "For me, if I were to leave the planet, I'd want to go somewhere quiet."

Hunter released a small chuckle at this. "Coruscant too busy for you?"

"Always moving," Y/n insisted upon it. She watched her foot be placed in front of the other. The two of them grew silent for a moment. That was until she spoke up again: "Maybe there'd be a beach."

"You want to live on a beach?" Hunter wondered.

"I've never been to the beach," Senator Rayna corrected him. She spoke with such a dreamy voice as if she was envisioning it now. "I'd just like to relax in the silence and listen to the waves crashing."

"That does sound nice," the sergeant agreed with a small nod of the head.

"You think it's silly."

"I think it's good to have dreams," Hunter altered.

In that exact moment, Hunter felt her arm brush against his own, which made him realize how close they were walking together. They both lowered their gazes to the ground. They seemed to enjoy the silence between them because it wasn't awkward at all.

Unbeknownst to them, the others had been watching their exchange with curious eyes. However, they weren't really able to hear the conversation clearly. They only heard the senator laughing a few times at something he'd said. All this to say that they looked at one another with the same look on their faces. A face that read: "There is something going on between them."

"I'll take you to the beach one day," Hunter offered quietly.

Her head snapped up to look directly at him. "You would?"

The sergeant nodded his head silently in agreement. He promised her: "Just the two of us."

"I'd like that," Y/n confessed sheepishly.

As the two of them walked alongside each other, their shoulders would occasionally brush together. Barely any words were further exchanged between the two, which resulted in a tender silence falling over them. They each felt this giddy bubbly feeling in the pits of their stomachs.

Ever so gently, Hunter felt the back of his hand graze against hers. This happened a handful of other times as they toured the streets of the city. He tried to see her reaction when it happened through the corner of his eye, but she never pulled away from him.

After a while, Hunter gathered the smallest amount of courage to tease the back of her hand with his pinky finger. He was testing the waters, half expecting it to go rather poorly for him. But he once again found that she remained silent and didn't withdraw from him.

Slowly, Hunter curled that single finger to hook around her own. He held it as gently as possible in fear of breaking it. He waited with a sharp breath held in his chest. But she never pulled away.

Feeling contact only ignited a burning flame in the pit of her stomach, resulting in the heat rising to her face. Her heart began to flutter like a hummingbird's wings and her smile only grew wider under her helmet. She wanted nothing more than to link the rest of their fingers together until they were properly holding hands, but she knew she wouldn't be able to.

For now, Y/n would have to be content with this. And she truly was.

By the time evening had come, Senator Rayna was safely back at her own place. She worked on the finishing touches of her speech, changing a few things to her liking. A sound knock came from her bedroom door and she invited them in without thought.

Naturally, Echo had pushed the door open in a silent manner. He was the only one on duty for tonight, which meant he was stationed at her door for the next couple hours. He held a small pile of papers with his good hand.

"These came for you," Echo explained. He stole a quick glance at the paper on the top.

"Bring 'em over," Y/n encouraged with a wave of her hand. He strode across the room, setting the stack of papers down on the desk beside her speech.

"I'll leave you to it," Echo dismissed himself. He knew that she was close to finishing her speech and would prefer to work alone. He walked back to the entrance of her room, shutting the door behind him. His hand lingered on the handle as he tried to process what he had seen on the top of the pile.

Now alone in the room, Y/n's eyes had shifted to the small stack on her right side. The paper on the top of the pile had red ink that indicated where it came from and it's utmost importance. It was an application form which came from the Coruscant Guard.

The Coruscant Guard had sent this to inform her of available troopers in their rank. This was something that they were unable to offer her a couple weeks ago when she really needed the escort. Now, things had changed.

The only thing she'd need to do was fill out the application for a new escort. The Coruscant Guard would take the time to process her application, eventually sending a new set of guards to accompany her like they had beforehand.

An issue arose with this. If the senator were to receive new guards, that meant her current escort would be transferred. They'd return to the front lines, heading back to the war. She contemplated her next step.

At first, Senator Rayna thought about the small squad that had grown on her the past couple weeks. She figured that they'd probably prefer to return to the war effort. They were much too gifted to be stuck escorting her around the city. Their skills had so much value, guaranteeing success in the war. They'd want her to fill out the application. They could go back to all the action; that's what they liked.

For some unknown reason, Senator Rayna's mindset began to shift into a more selfish one. She told herself how she'd never felt more safe than when this squad was beside her, remembering how the last two guards had been killed protecting her. And she thoroughly enjoyed their company...one more than the rest.

Taking the application in her hands, Y/n made a final decision. She tossed the piece of paper into the drawer of her desk. Without this, the Coruscant Guard wouldn't send a new escort to her aid and the Bad Batch would remain with her in the meantime. This is what she wanted.

CHAPTER FIVE HERE

Taglist:

@justhavingsomefun1 @totally-not-your-babe @jedipoodoo @gyllord @roam-rs @totallyunidentified @redheadgirl @mrcaptainrex @whore-of-many-hot-men @graciexmarvel @qweenrogerina @arcsimper5 @queenofspades6 @cadihyo @jediknightjana @elthoughtzos @lokigirlszendaya

This felt like a longer chapter but I did take out one scene where Hunter helps her take off the armor (lot of sexual tension there). Let me know if I should still post the now deleted scene!

#the bad batch #star wars #the clone wars #clone trooper hunter #tbb hunter #tbb hunter x reader #tbb hunter x you #tbb hunter x y/n #tbb hunter x senator #crosshair #echo #tech #wrecker #the marauder ship #tbb hunter series #tbb hunter fluff #tbb hunter angst #tbb hunter x fem!reader senator

[anoray]

Okay, not to be obsessed with the final episodes of The Bad Batch, but there are some thoughts that keep nagging at my brain about the debate over "who is CX-2" and I must spew them forth.

I totally get why some people don't like it when SW characters come back from the dead and I agree it should never be done frivolously. That said, I'm scratching my head about the opinion that Tech should not be CX-2 and he should stay dead because his character arc was perfectly wrapped up with his sacrifice to save his Batch family. To this I say: Really? How so?

I could understand and agree with this take if Tech had always held back in dangerous situations and he never wanted to risk himself until he finally stepped up in that moment to save the others--but I recently rewatched all the TBB episodes (as well as the initial arc from TCW), and this has never, ever been the case. Tech is almost always the one literally out there with his ass hanging in the wind or directly in the line of fire while his mind and fingers race to bring the power online, or download the vital data, etc., so the others can move forward. Notable examples include the Zillo beast episode in which Tech went all by himself to get the power online even when they all knew something horrible had killed the former crew, and in the mining episode, Tech dove in immediately to help Omega when she fell into the abyss. In other words, Tech has always been the opposite of a coward or one to step back to save himself.

So I really don't get what in the heck it supposedly changed or wrapped up for Tech's character arc when he executed Plan 99 to save his squad. I see ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Just like his sacrifice did absolutely nothing to save Omega from the Empire in the end. Is that really a worthy death for one of the Batch? Not in my book.

So what would be an impactful and meaningful character arc for Tech? Well, I'm 99.9% sure that what would be hardest for him to be subjected to (and hopefully endure in the end) is losing what makes him feel unique and special: aka his BRILLIANT MIND. And what more horrible, awful way for Tech to be tested and grow as a character than to have his beautiful mind hijacked by the Empire to further their own tyranny even as they pit him against his loved ones and everything they stand for.

I'm not saying Tech has to be revealed as CX-2, but so far it makes the most emotional and narrative sense based on all the breadcrumbs the writers are tossing at us along the way. Of course, CX-2 could be Cody and Tech is still in a vat on Tantiss while Hemlock experiments on taking over his mind to turn him into a CX as well. But the TBB series is about, well, the Batch, not Rex and Cody. Ergo, a Cody reveal wouldn't gut the Batch to their emotional core the way a Tech reveal would, so right now my money is still on Tech. It could be that Cody is being saved for something else up Filoni's sleeve.

Either way, if Tech's gifted mind has been sabotaged by the Empire, this seems like an actual character arc rather than having him die via a sacrifice that he would have made without hesitation going all the way back to Season 1. To quote Chopper: BLAH BLAH BLAH. In contrast, not only is a hijacked Tech deeply affected, it also generates significant emotional collateral damage to the Batch. Tech and all of his family/squad would have to struggle to deal with the consequences, such as whether or not he can even be saved and how much of the damage to his mind is permanent.

If Tech is alive and the Empire has done something like this to him, it is certainly possible the remaining episodes will not fully answer whether or not Tech is salvageable. After all, the SW writers had no problems with having Ezra Bridger and Thrawn vanish for years before we found out what happened, but I very much hope they won't leave us with this kind of cliffhanger again!

Anyway, my whole point is that the possibility that Tech is alive does not necessarily equate "ugh here we go again, no one in SW stays dead." A narrative choice by the writers to bring Tech back does not automatically erase deep and lasting consequences for either Tech or the rest of the Batch. Death is not the only way for characters to grow, and it seems to be used way more than it should be for this purpose in my humble opinion. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how the story concludes in the finale and whether the onscreen hints about Tech's possible not-dead state were simply red herrings.

As far as other character arcs go for the finale, all Omega has ever wanted from the very first show is to be part of her Batch brothers, to belong. So the most difficult test for her would be that the squad is finally reunited, but now she must leave them. It seems quite possible that her interactions with the Force sensitive children on Tantiss will make it clear that none of them will ever be remotely safe unless they find the few Jedi who are helping such children in the aftermath of the Purge. No doubt Ventriss would come back into play if this is the ending for Omega. In a happier ending, the Batch would go with Omega to continue to help rescue Force sensitive kids from the likes of Cad Bane, while Rex and Echo most likely continue helping clones.

I think Hunter will definitely have to choose to confront the Empire head on in a way he has always resisted to protect his squad. After all, Echo left the Batch to join Rex because he got tired of waiting for Hunter to come around to doing more to fight for their clone brothers, as well as others being hurt by the Empire. I only hope this doesn't cost Hunter his life, but if it does, THIS would be a sacrificial death that completes the character's arc.

Meanwhile, Crosshair's redemption arc is well under way and he continues to be one of the most interesting characters in the series. The best part of Season 3 for me has been Crosshair rejoining the Batch and I very much hope his curmudgeonly efforts to be a better person won't be the cause of his demise.

As for Wrecker, he has grown as a character over the series and no longer is just Mr. Boom Boom. He's showed a lot of street smarts dealing with the likes of Fennec in that Space Florida episode and he seems to look more before he leaps into the fray with his fists and weapons...although I do like the fact that Wrecker still enjoys opening up a can of whoop ass more than anything :)

Okay, so 3 more episodes to go and we'll see how much of what actually happens blows my essay today about Tech and the finale out of the water.

#the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #tech #yes more theories and speculations #please don't kill off another blorbo star wars #was a new hope just a blip on the sw timeline

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (11)

Chapter Eleven: Metamorphosis

Gif by @dreamswithghosts

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: A final mission from Cid sees you encountering something that you never would've expected.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, very light angst and feelings/protectiveness, Hemlock making an appearance

Word Count: 3.6K

Author's notes: Very much just sticking to the episode, with a couple little extra scene details but it'll be a more chill read for sure! Hope you still enjoy! Excited to begin work on Ch12 and please do let me know on this post if there is a preference cause sometimes I need a little creative help lol

With you all having caught up on some sleep, it was time to get in touch with Cid and her reaction came as no surprise to any of you.

“Not sure what’s got you all twisted up in knots.”

“We were stranded on that planet, Cid. We needed you, and you left us.” Omega said hotly.

“You’re fine now, aren’t you? And you got your ship back.”

“Yeah, with no help from you.” Wrecker complained.

“Do you wanna mope or make money? Because I got a tip on a downed ship, which means cargo ripe for the taking. I’ll even give you 30% of the cut.”

You scoffed at the way she acted like she was giving you all a gift.

“That is our standard percentage.” Tech pointed out.

“All right. This one time, let’s say 35%.”

Wrecker thought that sounded okay but one glance at the rest of you told you that a better offer was expected.

“Okay, 40.” Cid said but again was met with hard stares. “Fine, 50% as a token of my goodwill, that you seem to have forgotten.” She added pointedly.

“Goodwill?” You repeated with a roll of your eyes.

Cid didn’t pay that any attention. “I’m sending you the intel now. Don’t come back unless you scavenge something valuable.”

“What makes you think we’d come back at all?” Hunter countered.

“Don’t test me, Bandana. Just get it done.” Cid snapped before she signed off.

Tech examined the intel on the datapad, “Severing ties with Cid could be problematic, considering what she knows about us. Perhaps we choose a diplomatic solution and complete this one last mission for her.” He suggested.

Hunter sat down and took the datapad from his brother. “Cid only sent coordinates. No ship transponder code or indication of what caused it to crash.”

“Limited intel. There’s a surprise.” You muttered as you stood beside Hunter’s seat.

“How hard could scavenging cargo be?” Omega offered.

“Omega, don’t ever lose that optimism.” You said affectionately before you heard a heavy breath leave Hunter’s lips and there it was again, that exhausted sigh. You placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

--

Omega gasped from her room as the ship left hyperspace and entered the atmosphere, “There’s a village here.

“That would explain how the wreckage was reported so quickly.” Tech said in reply from his seat in front of the hall control panel. “The crashed vessel appears mostly intact. The cargo aboard should be in fair enough condition to transport.”

--

The ship landed and fully kitted up, you all left the ship, and searched for the vessel.

It didn’t take long to find.

“What kinda ship is this?” Wrecker asked as he studied the wreckage.

“Don’t know. No hull markings.” Hunter responded.

You shone your torch across it. Whatever had caused this ship to crash, it had made it crash hard. There were no signs of life and there was debris scattered all around the main crash site.

“Based on the severity of the impact and the lack of communication signals, the crew aboard most likely perished.” Tech said as he stared at his datapad.

Omega had climbed up to access the door. “We don’t know for sure. They could be trapped inside. Come on.”

“All this time with us, how has she kept this up?” You pondered as you made to follow her up.

“Couldn’t tell you.” Hunter agreed, a smile in his voice. He knew the rest of you had been hardened by war and had seen the very worst of people and it had left its mark. You all could find that hope when you really needed to, you wouldn’t have made it this far otherwise, but it didn’t come as easily as it used to, and he worried that that would start to show in Omega, but he was yet to see that. If she could keep that type of outlook and strength within her, then they’d have done something right.

--

The door whirred open, and Hunter and Omega shone their lights into the dark corridor, but it seemed to be clear.

Hunter led the way in.

--

The more you walked through the ship, the more uncomfortable you got. It was eerily silent and empty, yet you felt like you were just waiting for something to jump out from any number of the dark corners, leaving you with the sensation that you were intruding.

“Where is everyone?” Omega breathed.

Wrecker’s foot nudged something on the ground. “Oh, check it out.” He gasped eagerly as he picked it up. “High-volt electrostaff.”

You barely registered what he said, you were too busy examining the markings on the wall.

Tech followed your trail of light with his own. “Something unfortunate happened here.”

“Whatever did this wasn’t human.” You added.

“I will get the power restored and check data logs on the bridge.” Tech said.

“By yourself?” Omega whispered nervously.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that one, Tech.” You agreed.

“Your concern is not warranted. I will be fine.” Tech said dismissively.

“Famous last words of anyone whose wandered off into a creepy, dark space.” You muttered but your concern was obvious.

Tech simply shrugged. “I will rejoin you all momentarily.”

With a sigh, you split up and the four of you continued your exploration whilst Tech went to the bridge.

--

What the rest of you next discovered as you carried on exploring the ship was not what you were expecting. Your torch light shone on what appeared to be some sort of tank and you immediately noticed the abrupt change of temperature.

“Why is it so cold in here?” Wrecker asked.

“It’s some kind of lab.” Hunter deduced as he led the way around the room.

“This medical equipment is Kaminoan.” Omega said, her breath coming out as smoke.

“Huh. So, what’s it doing here?” Wrecker asked.

Omega looked down at a broken piece of equipment. “It’s their cloning technology but this configuration is different than anything I saw in Tipoca City.”

Hunter clicked his comm. “Tech, find anything on the bridge?”

--

“Not yet. Still rerouting the reserve power. Stand by. The grid should be restored momentarily.” Tech was then distracted by a loud clatter. He followed the sound to what he thought was the source which was a broken droid that was repeatedly saying ‘danger.’ “What happened? What attacked this ship?” He asked it but it simply stuttered ‘danger’ again powered down. It was then he heard the sound of something clanking above him again and he knew he needed to find his way back to the rest of you.

--

Wrecker examined and touched a gloopy like substance next to a section of scratched on the walls. He grunted in disgust. “These are reinforced walls. What were they keeping in here?”

There was a faint creaking sound echoing throughout the room and the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. “I don’t know, but it’s still on board.”

The sound of water dripping and something chittering about you all started to grow louder and it was then you caught sight of a creature you’d never seen before hanging upside down from the ceiling, saliva dripping form it’s jaws but there was also an electric spark coming from its mouth which reminded you of something, but you couldn’t remember what.

“Hunter, what is that?” Omega whispered.

“Back away slowly.” Hunter ordered quietly. He kept a protective arm out in front of Omega as he did so.

You all did as he said but suddenly a pipe burst and you all instinctively turned to look at it but when your attention went back to where the creature had been, you were horrified to see that it had jumped down from the ceiling and was now stalking towards you all.

You made to step out, but Hunter’s hand caught your wrist.

“You’re not going to try and connect with this.”

“Hunter-”

“This isn’t something that’s up for debate. It’s an order. You’re not going near it.” He said firmly as he pulled out his blaster.

“Hunter, this isn’t going to help.” You hissed as you reluctantly did as he said and drew your blaster.

“This thing destroyed this ship. I’m not taking any chances here.”

Wrecker attempted to stab it with the electrostaff but the creature simply snatched and swallowed it.

You, Hunter, and Wrecker let out a series of shots as the creature screeched and made to lunge for you. There wasn’t a fatal hit but luckily your actions seemed to be off putting enough as it retreated back up to the ceiling.

The four of you stayed on guard but it was then that the power came back on so at least that made seeing this thing an easier task.

Any relief at having actual light was short lived for a rattle behind you saw you all turn to see the animal again only this time it didn’t hesitate to charge at you all.

You- thanks to your Force abilities- were able to dive over it and Hunter reacted quickly enough to grab Omega and jump out of the way. Wrecker unfortunately got knocked to the side.

The four of you sent a round of blaster fire down the corridor after the creature but it was too fast and too slinky for any shot to find a weak point and it turned around the corridor out of sight.

“Tech, we’ve got a problem. Get off the ship. Now!” Hunter urged into his comm.

--

Tech was already running as he replied, “I suspect this is some type of research vessel.”

--

“We know!” You said as the four of you ran through the corridors whilst keeping an eye out for any sign of the creature.

“And whatever they were researching just got loose.” Omega added.

“And it’s headed your way.” Hunter informed him.

--

You all rounded the corner to be met with an incredibly bizarre sight: the creature appeared to be feeding off the electricity coming from one of the power outlets on the ship and the creature itself seemed to be using it as a way to… grow?

“Does that thing look different to you?” Wrecker asked nervously.

It did but again, something about this animal was striking some degree of familiarity in you and you were infuriated that you couldn’t think of how or why that was the case.

Tech had appeared on the opposite side of the corridor, but he came to an abrupt halt as he witnessed what this animal was doing. He was not deterred by the fact that now its attention was on him, in fact he liked that it gave him a brief moment to study it. “Fascinating.” He murmured to himself as he watched the electrical energy be absorbed by the animal.

The four of you weren’t prepared to let the creature get closer to him. You opened fire once more to distract it.

“Take cover.” Tech ordered you all as he pointed his blaster to one of the power outlets.

Wrecker picked up Omega and turned to shield her body with his own whilst Hunter did the same with you, minus the picking up part.

Tech fired the shot.

The explosion created a hole in the ship which gave the creature the chance to slip away.

You all followed it out but lost sight of it in the woods.

Tech lowered his visor and saw the fading heat signature of the animal. “The creature appears to be headed in the direction of the village.”

“We’re the ones who let it out. We have to neutralize it before it hurts anyone.” Hunter said.

“How? Our blasters our useless on it.” Wrecker countered.

“Given the fact that the crew was most likely eaten by the creature, I doubt it is currently hungry-” Tech said nonchalantly.

“It ate the crew?” Omega interrupted, backing into you with fear.

You laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “How is that helping, Tech?” You scolded.

“It ate the crew.” Omega repeated breathlessly.

“Just stop.” You advised as you saw Tech getting ready to say something else.

“Access the lab files and find out what species we’re dealing with and how to stop it.” Hunter directed Tech.

“Mmm, I can help.” Omega offered, finding her courage again. “I know my way around Kaminoan tech.”

“Go.” Hunter said. “You two, with me.” Hunter ordered you and Wrecker and the three of you set off for the ship.

--

“Hunter, if we can’t take care of this thing before it hurts anyone, you need to let me at least try my way.” You said as you got into the co-pilot’s seat whilst he got the ship in the air.

“I know.” Hunter agreed. He regretted not letting you do it earlier, he’d let emotion be the ruling judgement in the heat of the moment. Balancing both his professional and personal relationship with you was something he was still finessing.

“See anything?” Wrecker called from the gun turret as he scanned the woods below.

You looked at the scopes. “Zero, two, five.”

Wrecker saw it then. It was moving fast. His shots couldn’t make a hit and it disappeared from view.

“Did you get it?” Hunter asked.

“No.” Wrecker grunted.

--

Tech had managed to infiltrate the lab’s files. “Look at this.” He said to Omega as he examined the information on his datapad. “These appear to be designs using the creature’s genetic material for modified armour plating. That must be why it was unaffected by our blaster fire.”

“Then how do we stop it?” Omega asked.

“Uncertain.” Tech unplugged and moved on to the next panel. “However, this confirms that the species feeds on energy, which propels its rapid growth.”

“You mean it’ll get even bigger?!”

Tech’s eyes widened as he stared at the information on the screen. “Yes. Much bigger.”

--

Your jaw dropped as you watched out the window as the ship past over the woods. The creature had reached a power plant and had drastically transformed and then it hit you. “Hey, I recognise it now!” You hadn’t been there the day Coruscant was attacked but you had seen the holonet reports and the images were pretty memorable.

“You recognise it?” Hunter repeated, stunned.

“I wasn’t there and I’m blanking on what it’s called but it attacked Coruscant a few years ago.” It was then that Tech’s voice came through the comms and confirmed what you were saying.

“Hunter, the creature is the same species that attacked Coruscant during the war. You must not let it get near the power grid or it will increase exponentially in size.”

Yeah, you were pretty clued into that now. “We were a bit late on that one, Tech.” You responded as the creature spotted your ship and let out a roar.

Hunter took evasive action but not before the creature’s tail collided with the side of the ship.

“Still want me to drop you off?” Hunter glanced at you as he righted the ship.

You grimaced. “Uh maybe not right now.” The animal was too aggressive now, too scared and felt to threatened. There would be no room for you to work your way into forming any kind of bond with it. If it really came down to it, you would go but it didn’t need to happen right away yet.

Hunter was quietly relieved although he knew that if things got too out of hand, you would be the only option they had left.

--

The best strategy you guys had come up with to protect the village was being the source of distraction. Wrecker continuously opened fire on it but it was having no effect.

“Stop it before it gets any larger.” Hunter said to Wrecker.

“I’m trying!” Wrecker shouted back.

You took a deep breath. “Hunter, you gotta put me in there.” It was the only other option you had.

Hunter’s jaw clenched but he nodded.

You moved towards the door but just as Hunter got the ship in position, the alarms went off. “We’ve got ships on our tail.” He swerved the ship out the way as they opened fire.

You stumbled backwards. “Where’d they come from?” You said as you righted yourself and Gonky before you went back to the cockpit. There was no chance of you getting down to the animal now.

“Hold on.” Hunter signalled as he kicked the ship into high gear.

“Tech, Omega, you’ve got Imperial inbound. Get out of there.” You said urgently into you comm.

--

Omega picked up her comm as she heard your voice. “On our way.” She replied before she looked to Tech who showed no signs of hustle as he stared at his datapad. “Tech, let’s go.”

“Not yet. I am not finished transferring all of the data.”

An explosion sounded outside, and the ship shook with the impact of it and the power went out.

“Come on.” Omega implored before she started to run.

Tech followed her but their way off the ship was tricky as it was starting to fall apart. The explosions continued to surround them. They managed to vacate it but not before a series of ships passed overhead and fired down at the wreckage.

Tech grabbed Omega and took cover from the resulting large explosion behind a larger piece of debris as the ship got completely destroyed.

--

You were too busy avoiding the other Imperial ships to see what exactly had been done to the creature, all you caught sight of was the power plant exploding. “They’re not killing it. They’re taking it.” You murmured as you saw the now unconscious creature being taken up into another Imperial ship. What could the Empire possibly want with something like that?

“Let’s not be next.” Hunter said, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“Hunter, they’re going to take that village.” You said quietly, unhappily, as you caught sight of some ships taking up position in front of the houses, but you knew that there was nothing you could do. You were outnumbered and Tech and Omega needed you guys to get them out.

“We can’t help them.” Hunter said regretfully. He wished they could, but they’d be no good to anyone if they were dead and if they didn’t get out of here soon, that’s how they would wind up and Tech and Omega needed out of there too.

--

Tech and Omega paused for breath and Tech tapped into his comm. “Hunter, we’re clear of the vessel and heading to the landing zone.”

“Copy that.” Hunter acknowledged and he got the ship in position. He didn’t let it land though, there were too many ships on their tail to do that. The best he could do was slow it down and open the main doors.

Tech leaped onto the stairs and grabbed Omega’s hand as she jumped up after him to get her secure. The two of them made their way into the ship and sat, with Tech making sure Omega’s safety support was down first before he did his own.

Hunter got the ship out of there and sent it into hyperspace.

--

“The crashed vessel was part of the Imperial cloning operation.” Tech informed the rest of you as he sat in front of one of the control panels in the ship corridor.

“The Empire cloned the Zillo Beast?” You echoed as you stood behind Tech’s chair and studied the information on the screen.

“Yes and no.” Tech responded. “The directive came straight from the Supreme Chancellor before he became Emperor.”

“What’s he want with it?” Wrecker asked.

“The creature’s genetic material has the potential to be weaponized in the hands of the right scientist.”

“Where were they taking the creature?” Hunter asked his brother.

“Unknown. The ship did not have a destination logged. Hunter, there is far more to this than we realised. From what I have gathered, I suspect the Empire did not destroy the cities on Kamino to end cloning.”

“They wanted to control it.” You said softly but there was a hint of anger in your voice.

“Indeed.” Tech said in agreement.

Hunter set off towards the cockpit but paused hallway and turned back to face Tech. “Send the data to Echo and Rex. See what they can find out.”

--

Daro

“Doctor. The creature has been recovered and is now safely secured below.”

“Good. And our other guest?”

“The shuttle is arriving now.”

The doctor set off towards the landing platform with a squad of troopers. “Did any of the villagers see the Zillo?” He asked the leader.

“Several. The locals have been detained and will be dealt with. However, one vessel escaped our assault. It was a military class shuttle.”

“Find out who it was.”

“Yes sir.”

The doctor watched on ahead as the shuttle landed. “Hello, Prime Minister.” He greeted the Kaminoan as he came off the ship. “Apologies. Former Prime Minister.”

“Why have I been brought here?”

“The cooperation of you chief scientist has not been forthcoming. Nale Se’s defiance is problematic.”

“It must be frustrating to have your resources but lack the expertise to achieve your goal. And if you fail to convince her, it won’t be long before you are in a cell like me.”

The doctor was not intimidated. “I fear you misunderstand your situation here. If you know of a way to persuade the scientist, now would be the time to mention it.”

“Indeed. In exchange for my freedom.”

“I’m listening.”

“There is a particular clone you must locate. A young girl. She is the key to controlling Nala Se.”

“How very interesting.” The doctor invited him to follow him inside. “It seems we have much to discuss.”

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @starwarsnerd111

#the bad batch #the bad batch season 2 #the bad batch s2 #hunter x reader #hunter x fem!reader #hunter x female!reader #hunter x femalejedi!reader #sergeant hunter #sergeant hunter x reader #hunter tbb #hunter the bad batch #the bad batch hunter x you #hunter x y/n #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch fanfiction #fluff #angst #star wars #friends to lovers

[gunilslaugh]

Hi!! Could I request something where the boys react to their s/o doing some acts of service for them out of the blue? I don't know how to explain it, but I had the idea of making food for gunil and then being like "I know you've been working hard on your gains. It has 30g protein" or like for jooyeon where they both ordered food and they sacrifice some of their meat or carb for the vegetables bc they know Joo doesn't like veg very much. I hope this made sense 😭😭

Hello, don't worry it made sense :)

All members [ ∆ - ∆ ]

Summary: Xdinary Heroes reaction to you doing acts of service for them.

WC:~1.7k

Warning:grammar

photo not mine credits to owner.

Gunil

Finally, you have gotten the recipe right. The freshly baked protein cookies sat warm on the cooking tray. Gunil mentioned how he was craving sweets, but due to his diet for muscle building he stayed away from them. You decided that you would bake him cookies that he could eat without worrying about his diet. You transferred the cookies from the tray to a container for fresh keeping. 

Gunil and you had just finished dinner and you went to fetch the container of cookies. 

“I have a surprise for you,” you told him, holding the container behind your back. 

“What is it?” he asked excitedly, clasping his hands together. 

“Protein cookies!” you announced, taking the container of cookies out from behind your back and shaking it a bit. “You said you were craving sweets but didn’t want to ruin your diet, so I made cookies that fit your diet,” you informed. Gunil’s heart melted. What did he do to deserve you?

“Here.” You took the lid off of the container holding it out to Gunil. Gunil took a cookie and took a bite. The flavor melted on his tongue. 

“Y/n these are so good,” he raved. “Thank you so much,” he pulls you into a hug. 

“I’m glad because the first two batches weren’t so good,” you laughed looking at the counter where the bad test batches sat. Looking at the bad batches only makes Gunil appreciate you more. Thinking about all the effort you put in just because he one offly mentioned he was craving something sweet. At the moment his heart is filled with nothing but love for you.

Jungsu

“Ugh I can’t find anything with all these files all over the place,” Jungsu complained. 

“How come you don’t organize the files?” you questioned. Jungsu came over and rested his head on your shoulder tiredly. 

“I’ve been meaning to, but I’ve been really busy lately and when I actually have time to do it I’d rather spend that time resting. Looking at the mess of files is overwhelming too, it makes me not want to do it,” Jungsu explained. It was understandable, organizing things can be quite tolling. You brought your hand up to his head and stroked your fingers through his hair to help him relax. Jungsu’s eyes fall closed and you feel him relax against you. 

“How about you take a nap?” you suggest.

“I want to spend time with you,” he said, but the tiredness in voice couldn’t be ignored. 

“I’ll be here when you wake up,” you assured him. 

“Ok, wake me up in thirty minutes,” he tells you.

“Ok, I will,” you answered. You tucked Jungsu into bed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Once he had fallen asleep you set a timer on your phone for thirty minutes. Then make your way over to his computer and put in the password. You got to work sorting through and organizing all of his files. You had just finished organizing the files when the timer went off. The timer woke up Jungsu. He sat up and saw you sitting at his computer. 

“What are you doing?” he rasped out.

“Come look,” you told him, getting up from the chair. Jungsu came over and saw all the files now neatly organized on his computer.

“You organized it all?” He looked at you in disbelief. 

“I wanted to make it easier for you,” you told him, feeling slightly bashful.

“Thank you so much. Seriously, you're a lifesaver.” A part of him feels like he could cry. He was so touched by your actions. 

Gaon/Jiseok

Xdinary Heroes were working hard preparing for their upcoming comeback. Which meant that Jiseok was often skipping meals, much to your discontent. It obviously isn’t healthy for him to skip meals, so you packed a lunch and headed over to the JYPE building. After arriving you went to the studio you knew Jiseok was working at. You knock on the door and you hear a “Come in.” from the other side. You twisted the knob and entered the room.

“Y/n you didn’t tell me you were coming,” Jiseok said surprised. He was still excited to see you though. 

“It’s not a surprise if I tell you,” you told him playfully. “ I brought you lunch, cause I know you’ve been skipping it,” you halfway scolded him. Jiseok looks down sheepishly, feeling like he had been caught. You placed the bag of food down on the desk and began to pull out the food. Lastly you handed him a pair of utensils. “Eat,” you ordered him. Jiseok took the utensils from your outreached hands and began to eat the food. 

“Thank you,” he says with his mouth still half-full. 

“You’re welcome,” you tell him, placing a hand on the back of his head to ruffle his hair affectionately. Jiseok feels taken care of and he loves it. He loves you and how you look out for him. The fact that you take time out of your day just to make sure that he eats warms his heart. It makes him feel special and lucky. Lucky that he has a person who cares for him so much and special that he gets to be a person that you care about. O.de/Seungmin

It was a relaxing, staying-in evening with Seungmin. You two were in his room watching a show together on his laptop. The two of you took a break from watching the show so Seungmin could go pick you both up some dinner. You were in the bathroom when you noticed how dirty the mirror had gotten. Now you know why there was a recent lack of mirror selfies from Seungmin. It made you chuckle a little bit, but you decided that you would clean the mirror for him as a favor, so that he could get back to taking his mirror selfies that he loves so much. You got to work cleaning the mirror, scrubbing it clean from all of the dirty spots. 

“Y/n where are you?” Seungmin called out for you. You were so caught up in cleaning you didn’t even hear him get back. 

“In here!” you hollered from the bathroom as you finished wiping down the mirror. It was now spotless. Free from any spots are fingerprints. Upon entering the bathroom Seungmin was quick to take note of the rag in your hand. Then he looked at the mirror, noticing that it was clean. 

“You cleaned the mirror?” He approached the mirror to get a better look at its clean state. 

“Yep, now you can get back to taking your mirror selfies. Villains can thank me later,” you played. 

“Well I’ll thank you now.” Seungmin presses a kiss to the side of your temple. Seungmin insisted on taking some mirror selfies with you to show his appreciation. He feels blessed to have someone like you.

Junhan/Hyeongjun

Hyeongjun was feeling a little nervous about an upcoming fanmeet that Xdinary Heroes were having soon. You wanted to help him feel less nervous about it. 

On the morning of the fanmeet you brewed Hyeongjun a cup of chamomile tea. You brought it to him in bed. 

“Here, chamomile tea, it’s good for easing nerves,” you carefully handed him the steaming cup. Hyeongjun already felt touched by you being kind enough early just to make him tea. Little did he know you had other things planned to help him fight off the nerves about today. Unfortunately you were unable to attend today’s fanmeet due to having to work, but you weren’t gonna let that stop you from helping Hyeongjun. The night before you stayed up writing encouraging sticky notes and placing them throughout Hyeongjun’s things for him to find. After Hyeongjun got ready and left it didn’t take long for him to find the first sticky note. You placed it on his water bottle. He found it as he took it out to take a sip on the car ride to the fanmeet. “You got this!”, it read. It instantly brought a smile to his face. He found the second note after they arrived. It was in the bag he keeps his guitar picks in. It read, “Villains already adore you, so don’t be nervous :).” It made Hyeonjun chuckle and he did feel his nerves subside. The final note was stuck to his guitar. “I’m proud of you every single day. You’re so talented and amazing. I know you’ll do great today. I love you <3,” the note read. It was just what Hyeongjun needed to hear before going out. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve you, but knows that he’s never letting you go.

Jooyeon

Jooyeon and vegetables were not friends. Anytime he sees them he gets this disgusted, disapproving look on his face. You often had to reach accommodations with him about it  when it came to cooking meals. You understand his dislikement towards vegetables, but it does worry you that sometimes he eats less, not enough, just to avoid eating vegetables. 

Tonight you and Jooyeon were out on a date at a restaurant. Jooyeon hand picked the vegetables out of his food like he always did. Looking at the amount of food left on his dish made you frown. First you tried to reason with him about at least having a few bites of the vegetables. He whined and complained like a little kid about it, but you were still able to get him to put a few back on his plate. You were still worried about him eating enough though, so you gathered some of the meat from your own plate and put it onto his dish. Jooyeon looked up at you curiously.

“Just because you don’t like vegetables doesn’t mean you should undereat,” you told him. Jooyeon’s heart fluttered. You truly do care about him so much. You even sacrifice some of your own food to make sure that he’s healthy. 

“Thank you,” he says with eyes lit up. You could tell how sincerely he meant the two simple words. He ate the meat you gave him happily. He told you that it tasted better because you gave it to him. He tries to think about things he can do for you to return the favor. He knows that you’re constantly looking out for him and he couldn’t be more lucky than to have you.

#xdinary heroes #xdh #xdh imagines #xdh x reader #xdinary heroes imagines #xdinary heroes x reader #xh gunil #xh jungsu #xh gaon #xh jiseok #xh o.de #xh ode #xh seungmin #xh junhan #xh hyeongjun #xh jooyeon #gunil x reader #jungsu x reader #gaon x reader #jiseok x reader #o.de x reader #oh seungmin x reader #seungmin x reader #junhan x reader #han hyeongjun x reader #hyeongjun x reader #jooyeon x reader #goo gunil #koo gunil #gunil

[half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk]

Louk’s Bad Batch rewatch pt 5 (pt 2 hehe)

The first ep of tbb is so long so here’s part 2 of episode oneeee

Bad Batch 1x01 (part 2)

TINY BABY CLONES

Hunter playing with his knife 💕

Wrecker and Crosshair crying at the new armoury 😭

Hunter!! Listen to your little/big sister/daughter!!

“Change takes getting used to” ~ Hunter but it reminds me of Tech in the cave, I keep jumping ahead Louk SLOW DOWN

Omega with her lil nervous hands 🥹🤲

Crosshair listen here you little shit (said with love)

Nala Se and her helicopter parenting sheesh

Hunter: *gives orders* Wrecker: *runs off* Hunter: 🖐️ “covertly”

“Easy Wrecker, your programmings kicking in” ~ Tech the comedian

Hunter: “children???? civilians????” Crosshair: ‘so anyway I started blasting’

Crosshair’s dramatic sigh beats all of Echo’s so far actually

nvm I’m jumping ahead now idc SAW GERRERA IM COMING FOR YOU PERSONALLY 👀

“Adapt and survive or die with the past” ~ Saw, still love that line tho

Crosshair does not flinch when Hunter fires his blaster right next to his head, the complete trust even in the middle of an argument

Tech just casually dropping the biggest plot point of the episode and literally said ‘bro it’s so obvious’ while they’re all like 🤯

like: ‘Omega is an enhanced clone’ ‘haha funny’ ‘I literally dna tested her ???’

“What is all this stuff Azi?” illegal

Hunter’s box with name on it with his spare bandanas and the picture !!! who took it vote pls

Omega holding Azi’s hand 🥹

the boys in their blacks 💕💕💕

every time I hear “good soldiers follow orders” another piece of my heart shatters I swear

“It’s not your fault, you can’t help it” ~ OMEGA MADE CROSSHAIR SMILE 😭😭😭😭😭 HIS FACE SOFTENED AND HE SMILED IM SCREAMING CRYING THROWING MYSELF INTO ORBIT

when the shock trooper hits Hunter, Echo bends down to check him 🥹

LEAVE CROSSHAIR ALONE

the last thing Crosshair heard before they fried his brain was Hunter saying “we stay together” what if I cried forever ???

Omega copying Hunter 🥹💕

Tech covers his own mouth when Wrecker talks too loud 🥹

“Where’s the girl” Hunter: “girl? Idk what you’re talking about” Echo: I will literally murder you all

pull the lever kronk

I love how they show they don’t always kill people.. like the regs groan a little lmao

Omega knows Crosshair is coming before Hunter does !! she turns and looks at the door and says they don’t have to go far to find him…..y’all tell me how she knew he was there before Hunter …..

Crosshair calls Hunter “sergeant” 😭😭

Crosshair shoots Wrecker in the same spot he got short earlier 😠bro give my mans a break!!

Nala Se! thanks for the override girlie

Omega has perfect aim !!! It’s all about tuning out distractions

I don’t even want to think about how Crosshair feels watching them fly away without him 🥲 he looks more sad that angry to me idk

Omega distracting Wrecker while he’s being treated 💕💕

Wrecker: “it’ll take more than a blaster shot to take me down!” Echo: bruh 😑

“We know a guy” YAYAYAYAY

Omega in the front seat like 🤩

and that’s part 2 of ep 1 done my friends!!!

I hope you enjoyed it !! Episode 2 up next 💕

#louk’s bad batch rewatch #star wars #omega bad batch #omega tbb #tbb omega #the bad batch hunter #tbb hunter #hunter tbb #hunter the bad batch #bad batch hunter #wrecker tbb #tbb wrecker #wrecker bad batch #bad batch crosshair #crosshair tbb #tbb crosshair #crosshair the bad batch #tech bad batch #bad batch tech #tbb tech #tech the bad batch #bad batch echo #echo tbb #tbb echo #clone trooper echo #arc trooper echo #sergeant hunter #crosshair bad batch #hunter bad batch #the bad batch

[mother-mommy]

TBB 03x09 SPOILERS

(Also a warning, I'm just expressing my frustration with this episode here so if you enjoyed it and are wouldn't want to have your fun spoiled with negativity, feel free to skip this rant. Now if you're also bitter about it like I am, welcome, you're not alone lol but to the point)

They brought Ventress back for THIS? Really?

They spat on a satisfying, emotional conclusion for the character's arc and journey, only to make her play teacher, be ooc, fight yet Another tentacle monster of the season and then fly away immediately after, cause they just needed someone to conveniently Force-test The Main Character Syndrome Personified, while also being well liked enough to generate hype from being in the trailer. Wow.

And they didn't even pick the more logical route of explaining her suddenly rising from the dead with the already established, famous for creating the Undead, Nightsister magic since she was buried in a lake on Dathomir?? Pfft who cares right, let's do a "Somehow Palpatine returned" all over again and make it sound like she's a cat and has 9 lives lol

As a Ventress fan, and a person who read and liked the Dark Disciple, but also a Bad Batch fan (at least a fan of the concept💀), to me this episode played out in one of the worst ways it possibly could've and I'm pretty disappointed but I guess not surprised. I only wish they wouldn't have tried to give us a false hope that it wouldn't mess with the established canon when they had to know well it would in fact just be another pointless retcon.

#tbb spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #tbb season 3 #bad batch spoilers #asajj ventress #tbb negative #tbb critical

[twinsunstars]

Thoughts on The Bad Batch Episode 3 - Shadows of Tantiss- A Discussion Post

This episode was full of action, worry, and hope, and Omega and Crosshair really nailed it. Let's look back on the last episode of the premiere!

(SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE PREMIERE EPISODES YET!)

Right at the beginning of the episode when Crosshair is led out with the other clones as part of his daily routine, we see a mysterious masked soldier standing in the back, the same one from the trailer. We all think it's Tech, and I feel like it is likely him. The masked soldier enters a room and is not seen again for the whole episode. I was hoping to see him appear in the same episode again, but I wonder when he will in the later episodes.

Omega's blood sample is retrieved again, and Emerie is told to go test the blood samples instead of Nala Se. With Nala Se not being able to destroy Omega's sample, she tells Omega to escape and how. Omega has finally found her source of hope.

The Emperor arrives, as he comes to check the progress of Project Necromancer. It was nice to hear Ian McDiarmid reprise his role again. This name was mentioned in The Mandalorian, and likely in this series, we can figure out more about this project.

I also keep thinking about Mark Omega, that one project Jyn had mentioned in Rogue One. Is is related to Omega in any way?

Omega pushing the mouse droid away was so funny.

Omega takes the datapad and immediately heads to Crosshair, telling him about her escape plan she's figuring out as she goes. Crosshair is still done with life, but he's down for escaping. He gets the guards' attention, going full Wrecker on them after Omega opens his cell door. Crosshair hands Omega a blaster, the two set to escape.

Omega leads Crosshair to the room with the lucra hounds, planning to use Batcher's former cell to escape, opening the door that leads to outside. Emerie finds Omega and Crosshair here after finding Omega missing in her cell before anyone else did, trying to get Omega to reason with her and stay. Crosshair stuns Emerie again, the two running out.

Hemlock eventually finds out Omega and Crosshair have escaped after Palpatine leaves, immediately wanting to find them. Meanwhile, the clock ticks as Omega's blood sample rotates around, as it is a matter of time before her sample gets tested.

Omega and Crosshair run through the jungle, encountering danger at every move. They eventually find the crashed shuttle, getting it to operate.

Being met by soldiers, Crosshair isn't ready to give up. His hand keeps on shaking, but that doesn't stop him. Omega had said earlier, "Your hand's getting worse, isn't it?" Does she know what's wrong with his hand?

He asks Omega if she knows what Plan 72 is, as she tells Crosshair that Tech had her memorize all of their plans. He replies with a smirk, "Of course he did." He does know Tech is gone right? Omega told him right?

I loved when Omega just said "Hello" when a soldier caught her, and Batcher came to her rescue. She eventually takes Batcher onto the ship, taking her with them.

Omega was ultimate girlboss in this episode, her shooting and fighting skills were amazing. She's getting so big 😭

(I bet Crosshair was proud of her inside)

Omega had whistled to get Batcher's attention and get her on the ship before they escape the planet, and it reminded me of how Hunter whistled to get his brothers' attention in season 1. I bet she learned that from him.

Omega's blood sample is tested, and Emerie discovers it is a positive result. She takes the results to Hemlock, who calls off the pursuit to get Crosshair and Omega, allowing them to jump into hyperspace. They need Omega alive for the project, and they're going to get her back.

I wonder what Emerie's thinking here, and I wonder if the masked soldier we saw at the beginning will be tasked to help find Omega and Crosshair. Considering Cad Bane and Fennec Shand are featured in the trailer, I wonder if they are hired by the Empire again to find Omega. I hope Fennec helps protect her though like she was in season 1 when hired by Nala Se. Where will Crosshair and Omega go? Hopefully they find contact with Hunter and Wrecker soon. Episode 4 could not come any sooner.

#star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch spoilers #the bad batch season 3 spoilers #the bad batch omega #the bad batch crosshair #emerie karr #royce hemlock #emperor palpatine #tbb #the bad batch series #the bad batch tech #nala se #project necromancer

[littlespacereader]

hii there i dont rly know how this works so i hope im doing it right >-<

can i perhaps req little!crosshair hcs and how the batch would accommodate him and help him? they would be the best big brothers to him ik!!! ^^ if also omega could be included too not as a cg but i think she'd be so sweet about it n the best sister :o

GET OUT OF HERE!! Don’t actually because this is such a cute idea!!! Before I read this I always saw Crosshair as more of a CG but THEN this request had my brain short circuit with ideas!! I absolutely love a Little who doesn’t want to regress but is loved and accepted by those around them that they start to regress without realizing it! And that’s definitely Crosshair! I decided not just to write a general Headcannons for him but him as a Little throughout the first seasons to the current season. So we see Little Crosshair before the empire, during and after. This is LONG, I think I got a little carried away!😅😅

(I will keep updating this every Wednesday so that it’s up to date with the show. If you’re reading this right now it is updated to Season 3 ep 11 - Point of No Return)

Without further ado, please enjoy Little! Crosshair Headcannons with the Bad Batch as Caregivers & Omega as a Little sibling! Thank you for the request and feel free to leave another if anything from this inspires you! 😄

Little! Crosshair🎯Headcannons / Storyline 🤍 (SFW)

Tags/ TW - BAD BATCH SPOILERS, mentions of clone wars & bad batch typical violence (shooting/death), classification au, accidents, cuddles, self doubt/hatred

Background on the Republic and on Regressors in the Clone Wars era:

Just like every citizen, every clone of the republic must be tested for their Classification and have it on their file. They get it right after they’ve finished all their training and their ready to be shipped out into battle. As much as the Kaminoans would like for all of the clone to be Neutrals, they have no control over it. They just hide all notes about it and tell the republic all their clones are neutrals. But the clones know otherwise. Though most of the clones are Neutrals, there are the few exceptions. It’s rare to get a Caregiver Clone, but even rarer to find a Little Clone.

The Bad Batch have been and continue to be anything but normal. So when it comes for them to get classified, the results don’t come to much of a shock. Each one test right after the other, then waits in their shared room for everyone to come back and say their results.

Hunter is the first to test and his comes back as a Caregiver. Then Tech is up and is tested as a Caregiver as well. The two are shocked at first, never expecting their classification to come to any use. Then Wrecker test and his comes back as a Little with the age of a big kid (7-9). That…wasn’t much of a shock to the team. What is a bit shock to the team is Crosshair’s classification.

Little Crosshair before the Empire & Omega :

Crosshair is the last one to test mostly because he’s the youngest. He expects, no, he knows he’s a neutral. So when he’s told otherwise he loses it. He demands the droid test him again, then again, then again. But it’s the same result every time. He’s a Little with the age of a little kid (4-6).

He starts to panic. Before he sees his brother he takes time for himself to try and calm down but he can’t. He has this stern tough guy persona to himself. What if his brothers see him differently? What if they think he’s not as capable? What will happen when he regresses? No! No, he’s never going to regress. That is not happening.

After a moment of pulling himself together and cooling his emotions, he leaves and head back to his room with the rest of the squad. Wreck is eager to hear his classification but Crosshair just shrugs him off saying he’s a neutral. Tech and Hunter share a look but don’t say anything.

Crosshair can feel it bubbling inside, almost scratching at the back of his brain to regress but he fights it. Wrecker always regresses after a long mission. Something inside of Crosshair always yearns for him to do the same with him.

Crosshair keeps his classification well hidden. No one questions Crosshair on his Neutral classification and he doesn’t regress…that is before their latest mission goes south.

Crosshair gets hurt, badly hurts. A broken leg and possibly a concussion. He hits the ground HARD. His leg hurts and his head is pounding. Wrecker picks him up and carries him back to the ship with the others. Once they’re all safe in the Marauder, Hunter and Tech realize Crosshair regressed.

Wrecker doesn’t understand what’s happening and questions it. “Why’s he acting like that?” “Because he’s regressed” Tech explains plainly. “But he’s a neutral.” Wrecker adds, but Hunter shakes his head, “He never has been. Isn’t that right Crosshair?” Crosshair just looks away as tears start to fall from his eyes.

They start to take care of him while he’s injured and regressed. The more they do, the more Crosshair realizes his regression isn’t such a bad thing after all, So the crew of the Marauder start to learn a few new things about their newly regressed squad member.

For one, Hunter is Crosshair’s favorite person. When he isn’t around Crosshair he begins to panic and look for him. It’s an unspoken truth with the Batch that when Crosshair regresses he’s always hanging around Hunter. “Hunter?” “Over here little sniper.”

Hates cutsie nicknames. Really only accepts Little sniper, Cross, and very rarely little one.

He’s a very quiet Little as opposed to Wrecker who is a very loud energetic Little.

Though he is very quiet, he does have a voice when it comes to something he doesn’t like. He is extremely stubborn. (More below on this)

Wrecker loves to take the lead and guide Crosshair to play along with their crazy games. He’s an older headspace than him so he loves to be big brother.

Whenever Crosshair is upset, Wrecker will bring him Lula to make him. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, it does make him better.

Crosshair is super cuddly when he’s regressed. But you can’t force him, he just walks over to either Hunter or Tech while they’re relaxing in their bunk, doesn’t say a word, and just snuggled up beside them.

Tech loves to read to him, it always seems to relax him and sometimes it makes him fall asleep with all the knowledge.

Crosshair throws tantrums often. He is a fussy Little. When something doesn’t go his way, he doesn’t want to do something, or something wasn’t what he wanted he will throw a huge tantrum.

He also fights most if not all of Hunter & Tech’s rules. They’re getting a bit tired of his constant rebellion to their rules but nonetheless their as patient as they can be with him, knowing he’s probably lashing out because he needs some attention and is too shy to ask for it.

In and out of his regression his brothers love and respect him. They don’t look down at him for being a Regressor and they certainly don’t underestimate him.

No toothpicks when Crosshair is regressed, as it’s too dangerous. Instead the Batch find him an alternative in the way of chewable necklaces and teethers. Pacifiers are labeled too babyish by Crosshair so the alternatives make him feel a lot better.

When Echo joins the team, Crosshair doesn’t regress for a while around him. Nervous of the new Caregiver on the ship, though he’d never admit it.

When he does eventually regress, Echo is extremely kind to Crosshair. Whenever he get fussy or is on the verge of a tantrum, Echo seems to have the magic touch or the magic saying that starts to settle him down. “Why don’t we go look at the stars outside?” “I don’t want to!” “Oh, well I guess I’ll just go out by myself and look at the starts. *sigh* I’ll just be so lonely.” He leaves the ship to look at the stars and find Crosshair beside him a minute later.

After their mission with the Jedi during order 66, they meet Omega. And at the same time as meeting Omega, Crosshair begins to have terrible headaches. Usually when he has a headache it turns into him regressing but this one is doing the opposite. Plus now with Omega, he can’t help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy for her.

They learn that Omega is a part of their squad. But not only that, she’s also a Little same headspace as Wrecker.

Crosshair fights with the team against being on the opposite side of the Empire. Deep down he just wants things to be the same as they were before.

When they are captured again, Crosshair hold his head in pain. Whatever was going on, Omega seemed to sense it. She takes a seat by him and takes his hand in his. “I know this isn’t your fault.” Maybe this isn’t his fault. Before he’s decided whether he was going to ask her about it or just roll his eyes, the Empire goes to take him away.

“Ct-9904 you’re coming with us.” Hunter is the first to stand up and block them from taking Crosshair but he is punched in the stomach. Crosshair is dragged out of his cell, casting one last worrying look to his squad.

Little Crosshair during the Empire (Season 1)

The Empire begins experimenting on him to keep him as their “good soldier.” In doing so his regression starts to fade away for him for the time being. He doesn’t feel the usual pull to regress like he did before.

His brothers leaving him behind doesn’t hit him at first. But when the realization and loneliness hit him, it’s like a train. Late at night in their old barracks, Crosshair lays awake in his bed. He longs for Hunter, Tech or even Echo to come and comfort him. But now as the Empire’s perfect soldier, he forced himself to push it down.

(The Reunion s1 ep 8) When he gets injured by the cruiser engine and is medically evaluated off the planet he involuntarily regresses for the first time since joining the empire. Something happens with him getting burns to the side of his head. It makes his chip or his motives to stay with the Empire wavier.

His injuries brings him back to when he first regressed with his squad. Except now he was surrounded by medical droids. He freaks out but is only restrained more by the droids until they finish the proper treatment to the burns on the side of his head. He has an accident while they treat him, something that has only happen on extremely few occasions. The embarrassment eats away at him.

Once treated he is sent to his barracks to heal. This time everything feels different. He cries as he sit in his bed all alone. He longs for Hunter, or Tech, or Echo, or even Wrecker to make him feel better.

(War-Mantle s1 ep14 & Return to Kamino s1 ep15) When Hunter is captured by the empire, Crosshair makes it a point to be in charge of his arrest. While he acts sassy on the outside, Hunter sees right through it all. When Crosshair confronts Hunter in his cell Hunter asks him about it, “Crosshair…when was the last time you-.” “I DON’T! Not anymore.”

(Kamino Lost s1 ep16) Capturing Hunter was the biggest part of his plan. Why? So the rest of the squad could come and get him. With everyone back together he offers them to join the empire once more. But again, they refuse. Crosshair lashes out. Hunter and Crosshair fight which results in Hunter taking down Crosshair.

During their escape out of Kamino, Omega and Crosshair have a chance to chat. She really just wants to connect and be an older sister to him, being a Little herself. But he scoffs her off, choosing to self isolate himself rather than make friends with Omega. There’s also something inside of him that feels a bit of jealousy when he sees Omega around the others, especially Hunter.

Crosshair save Omega from drowning. He looks around at the guns surrounding him. He wasn’t going to shoot Omega, he was saving her life! But he’s done too much damage and that shows in the way Wrecker, Tech and Echo look at him.

They offer him a choice to join them again, no questions asked. There’s something deep down inside of Crosshair that’s screaming at him to join his squad again. But his stubborn need to be a good solider wins over and once again his squad leaves him. As they fly away he can’t help but let a few tears fall.

Little Crosshair during the Empire (Season 2)

The Empire left him on that platform in the ruins of Kamino for thirty two rotations, left to starve.

By this time back with Empire he is starting to notice more and more clone question the Empire’s intentions. The first of whom that really gets Crosshairs attention is Commander Cody.

It’s like a breath of fresh air to work with Cody. But even he could see that a good soldier like Cody is even questioning the Empire’s intentions. This starts to have Crosshair thinking about the Empire’s intentions for him.

After Cody disappears, Crosshair continues to work for the Empire but his treatment gets worse and worse. The stormtroopers disrespect his abilities, he eats alone and is isolated from everything expect work.

At night Crosshair stays awake, curled in a ball crying. His regression is becoming a big issue for him. He can’t stop feeling the pull to fully regress but with how the Empire is treating clones he scared he’ll be disregarded if he did.

(The Outpost s2 ep 12) Everything changes when he’s assigned to the Outpost. There he meet another clone named Mayday who reminds him so much of Hunter. It brings that Little feeling deep down inside. It doesn’t help that Mayday is also a Caregiver and can sense that Crosshair isn’t the neutral he says he is.

When they go out to retrieve the items stolen by raiders they come to find that all their hard work has led them to just retrieve new armor for the stormtroopers that plan on replacing them.

During the battle to get the supplies back, Mayday pushes Crosshair out of the way, saving his life but injuring himself. Though he insists on Crosshair leaving him, Crosshair doesn’t abandon him there. Instead he helps him go back to the Outpost.

There were moments spent huddled next to one another as the snow blew back and forth. As injured as Mayday was, he always tried to comfort Crosshair who regressed on and off because of his worrying about Mayday. “It’s okay Crosshair, we’ll make it. Just stay close to me. I’ve got you.”

Crosshair takes his arm and wrap his around his shoulders for support. Both to support Mayday as he walks and for the comfort of keeping him close.

Eventually they do make it back to the base. Crosshair lays Mayday down for a minute as the Lieutenant comes over to the two. He begs him to get a medic for Mayday, tears falling down his face. But the Lieutenant mocks Crosshair, saying how weak and expendable the clones are and how angry he is that they came back empty handed. When Crosshair looks to Mayday, he’s passed away.

Crosshair losses it. Everything he felt about the Empire fades away. He realizes the mistake his made and more than anything wants to be back with his squad. But he’s stuck here, with the Empire. He begin to cry, holding onto Mayday hand as the Lieutenant turns away.

There’s only one way out and that’s the option he goes for. He takes his gun and shoot the man. There’s a sense of relief that washes over him. But that relief immediately turns to exhaustion. He crumbles to the ground as storm troopers run over and passes out.

When Crosshair awakes he’s taken prisoner by Hemlock and Emerie. They inform him that they’re going to use him to capture Omega. It’s with this knowledge Crosshair sets out to do one last good deed to redeem a bit of his old self.

He breaks out and goes to the communications board where he sends out an encrypted message to the Bad Batch, “Plan 88. You have to hide. They’re after…..”

The last part of the message doesn’t go through. Gas fills the room and Crosshair collapses. Hemlock walks through the gas as it doesn’t affect him. He tells Crosshair of the mistake he’s made and how he’ll pay for it. A single tear falls from Crosshair’s eye before he passes out.

His punishment is being thrown into a cell, forced to be subject to different test both of his defective qualities and his Little classification.

When Omega is captured, she find Crosshair strapped to a table unconscious. At least the two Littles of the Batch are reunited.

Little Crosshair is back with the Batch (Season 3)

Crosshair has lost hope of ever escaping Tantiss. He has his usual schedule of trying to train him to be some brain washed assassin (doesn’t work on him), then he’s experimented on and then thrown into his cell. Most nights he’s alone, left to cry. But soon, Omega starts to visit him.

At first he tries to steer her away from him. Saying mean things so she’ll leave him alone and escape herself. He feels in some twisted way he deserve this punishment. But unlike everyone who he’s felt abandoned him, Omega never gives up on him. She visits him every night.

Some nights he’s regressed, others he’s not. Omega stays with him through and throughout. She loves his little side, though it’s mostly just him crying and holding her hand through the cell door. The small comfort is needed.

They break out! Omega takes the lead getting them out of the prison while Crosshair mans the guns. He feels comfortable not making the decisions and instead letting his sister do it for them. Though nowadays his shooting isn’t as good as it used to be thanks to all the experiments to him.

Once free they crash land, steal a ship and travel to meet Hunter and Wrecker. The whole adventure brings Crosshair very close to Omega who looks after him like Wrecker used to. He now protects her at all cost.

When they land, Omega is first to run and hug Hunter and Wrecker. The happy reunion is ruined by Crosshair as he also steps down off the ship. Too much betrayal has caused their relationship to splinter. It makes his heart sink

(The Return Season 3 ep 5) Back with the Batch and back to somewhat safe place. Crosshair tries to find his place back in the group again. But he knows Wrecker and Hunter don’t trust him at all. So he isolated himself from the group, looking to instead fix his shaking hand. The only one who’s close to him is still Omega. She urges him to talk to Hunter who has given him the cold shoulder.

When Echo arrives they realize they need to go to an imperial base to help unlock a datapad from Tantiss and free the clones. The only issue, this isn’t just any imperial base, this is The Outpost.

Wrecker is kind enough to give him his old armor back. He steps inside the Marauder and changes. Looking in the mirror he sees a hint of his old self again. The hope makes his heart stop for a second.

Walking outside brings back all the memories of Mayday, something that wrenches his heart.

He lashes out at Hunter throughout their entire time at the Outpost. It brings back old memories of when Crosshair would deny regressing, throw a tantrum, eventually break down and regress with Hunter.

The only thing is, Hunter is not being as kind as he used to be. Crosshair hasn’t exactly been kind to him and the rest of the Batch. So it’s all expected.

There’s small insults thrown here and there between Hunter and Crosshair. All with Omega and Echo trying to get the two to talk to one another, knowing that’s how it would fix everything between them.

When they enter the Outpost, the team works on the datapad while Crosshair slips away, looking through the outpost, remembering the last time he was there.

Out of the corner of his eye he spot a group of clone helmets and in the middle sits Mayday’s helmet. He immediately goes over and fixes the helmets, putting Maydays in the middle to honor him. A stray tear falls from his eye as he stares at the helmet. He quickly wipes it away, unaware Hunter had been watching him.

But slowly but surely Crosshair and Hunter get on each other nerves to the point of having an all out argument with one another. Hunter questions Crosshair’s loyalty to the squad and Crosshair just lashes out, saying things only to hurt Hunter.

Their argument is interrupted by a giant monster! (Of course) During the mission to get rid of this giant monster, Crosshair and Hunter work together for the first time in forever. Crosshair saves Hunter’s life by merely getting eaten himself.

After that they just sit in the snow, breathing heavy next to one another. They look over and silently there’s a difference in the air. All the anger all the heartache is gone. What’s left is what they were before, brothers, Caregiver and Little.

They walk back to the squad. Wrecker runs over and hugs the two together in a group hug like he used to do. Echo smiles at Omega saying “See? They always work it out. And this time Hunter’s not bleeding from one of Crosshair’s tantrums. I’d say it’s a win win.”

Once they start packing up to leave, Hunter and Crosshair get a moment to talk to one another. “Hunter, I…I thought I knew what I was getting into with the Empire. I thought I was being a good soldier.” Tears threaten to spill from his eyes. It’s all too much. Now that he’s in Hunter and the squad’s good side. He feels the need to regress once more.

Hunter steps up, walking over to Crosshair, “Nobody really understood what was happening back then.”

“I’ve done thing, I’ve made mistakes.” The tears that threatened to spill start falling as soon as he turns and looks at Hunter.

Hunter decides to clear the space between them. He brings Crosshair close and wrap him in a hug, something he hasn’t had in forever, “I have regrets too, Crosshair. All we can do is keep trying to be better. And who knows? There just might be hope for us yet. It’s okay my little sniper. You’re home now.”

Crosshair just cries and cries into Hunter’s shoulder. So much being built up over time that just finally being let out. After a moment Crosshair lifts his head and Hunter wipes the remaining tears away. “I already told the squad, tonight you and I are going to spend some quality time together. Sound good?” Crosshair nods, taking his hand and being led onto the ship.

The night feels like a dream to Crosshair. He’s finally able to fully regress and feel safe doing so. He cuddles close to Hunter and never leaves his side. With him, his old chewable necklace that getting pretty worn out.

(Infiltration s3 ep 6) Things remain pretty peaceful until a call from Rex comes through. The Batch are brought to give anymore information about Tantiss to Rex.

Crosshair meets Howzer again, who rightly so, doesn’t like him. Hunter sticking up for him brings a sense of warmth and happiness to him. His brothers truly accept him again.

But seeing the Assassin clone has Crosshair’s heart stop all together. This is bad, really bad. He fears not only for his own safety but mostly for his sister safety who the Empire desperately wants. After everything the two have been through together Crosshair couldn’t be without his big sister.

(Extraction s3 ep7) Running away from the assassin is a daunting task. This clone is good and Crosshair’s shaking hand isn’t helping. He still is useful but not as good as he hoped to be.

Once outside Crosshair check up on Omega, “you good?” “Un-huh.” “Got your crossbow?” “Yup.” “Sure you can carry those supplies?” “Yes.” “Stay close. It’s easy to get lost in this terrain.” Omega smiles but rolls her eyes, “You’re as bad as Hunter.” “Oh, I’m much worse.”

As they journey through the forest to get to the pick up location with Echo, Crosshair can sense the clone assassin is close. He turns to go alone, hoping to draw the assassin away from Omega.

The assassin seems almost mad at Crosshair for not being one of the assassins like himself. As the fight goes on, Crosshair is starting to slip up. The assassin hold his underwater and he struggles to breathe. But thankfully the rest of the team gets there to save Crosshair before he drowns or worse, falls down the giant water fall like the assassin did.

Hunter and Omega rush over as Crosshair coughs up water. Both the Caregiver and the Little are worried about him.

Finally they are about to be picked up when an old clone commander Wolffe tries to stop them. But after Rex’s speech, he has a change of heart. Crosshair notices how more clones, like Cody are beginning to question the order like all of them.

Once saved by Echo and heading to Padu, Wrecker and Omega begin to regress and play around the ship. And despite it all, Crosshair joins them, letting the worries of the missions and what happen tonight.

(Bad Territory s3 ep8) Hunter and Omega worry about Crosshair’s shaking hand. He tried to hide it from all the Caregivers and even Omega but everyone begins to notice it.

So while away on a mission Hunter instruct Omega to have Crosshair check it out. Sadly though it isn’t a medical issue. It’s because of the severe anxiety and PTSD he has since Tantiss.

Despite being against it at first, Crosshair follows Omega along and listens to his older sister as she teaches him how to meditate. At first he thinks it stupid and is about to walk away but she takes his hand in his.

With a deep breath he closes his eyes and focuses. And without him noticing, his hand stops shaking.

(The Harbinger s3 ep 9) Crosshair and Hunter work as the ultimate Dad team duo against Ventress who the don’t trust or want Omega to be around.

They work extremely well together. Despite getting their butts handed to them by Ventress they both see that their main priority is to keep Omega safe. That to them is what matters most.

In the end, Ventress warns them about Padu, saying it’s not safe. While it shouldn’t bother Crosshair, it eats away at him all night. Maybe they should leave? Maybe they should hide? He wakes Hunter up and explains his worries. “No use in staying up all night worry Cross, here. I’ll protect you and Omega tonight.”

It seems Crosshair was beat to Hunter’s bed by Omega who’s cuddle against his side. Old Crosshair would’ve been jealous. But now? Now he feels happy to have both of them around. He snuggles with the two. Happy to be protected by Hunter and happy to protect Omega.

(Point of No Return, s3 ep11) While Crosshair hasn’t been on Padu for as long as the others, he feels a bit sad to see it go. He sticks with Hunter, helping to load supplies onto the ship before the take off.

Just as they’re making their last trip BOOM! The Marauder, their home, explodes. Hunter, Omega and Crosshair run to the docks to find an unconscious and injured Wrecker. Crosshairs heart stops seeing his brother so injured.

But they’ve got bigger issues. They look to the skies and see an Imperial cruiser entering the airspace. He subconsciously goes closer to Omega, knowing that they’re here for her.

The three take off, trying to figure out a plan. Hunter suggests Crosshair stay with Omega while he finds a ship for them. Crosshair happily agrees, afraid of being away from Omega. The two run away, hiding with Wrecker’s unconscious body as AZ works on him.

Crosshair can see it in Omega’s eyes and on her face. She’s guilty. The people of the planet are being hurt and she feels as though she is to blame for it all. Crosshair wishes he could say something to reassure her it’s not her fault but he doesn’t say anything.

They watch as Hunter’s plan fails. He falls into the ocean. Crosshair grabs a view finder frantically and searches the ocean. His heart doesn’t start pumping again until he sees Hunter’s head pop up from the water. “He’s okay.” He says both to Omega and to himself.

Back inside Omega stops Crosshair and tells him she’s going to surrender herself. Crosshair is immediately against it, insisting they stick to Hunter’s plan. But Omega has made up her mind. She doesn’t want to see another suffer because of her.

Her plan is simple, hide a tracker on her and have Crosshair shoot a tracker on the ship. That way they can track her to Tantiss and they’ll be able to save the other clones, Crosshair is not confident on the mission. He doesn’t agree with it but Omega made her mind up. She’s doing it.

So when Omega surrenders herself they find her tracker, leaving it up to Crosshair to be the one to put the tracker on the ship.

Storm troopers are everywhere. With only seconds to shoot the tracker he’s attacked by troopers. He stops them and then takes his position again, but this time the ship is taking off.

He shoots and…he misses. The tracker lands in the ocean and the ship takes off with Omega with no way of tracking her at all.

Crosshair just watches the ship leave, in shock and in anguish. Tears fall from his face under his helmet as the ship gets small and small before disappearing from view. He failed them, he failed her.

How will be ever face Hunter and Wrecker who don’t know? How will be able to live with himself?

#age regression #age regressor #agere little #agere #little space #sfw age regression #agere post #sfw littlespace #age regression blog #the bad batch #star wars bad batch #bad batch season 3 #bad batch spoilers #little!crosshair #agere bad batch #age regression writing #age regression community #sfw age regressor #age regression fic #star wars tbb #star wars fic #crosshair bad batch #age regression sfw #agere fandom #agere headcanons #agere positivity #fandom agere #agere blog #agere community #bad batch

[missfrieden]

Tech as a father Chapter 44

Happy Bad Batch Eve my fellow clone simps.

Also adding, if you guys ever encounter a (?) behind a word, it just means I was not sure about how it is written or if the context was used right. Or I simply forgot to check it again and make sure. Even with my old trusty google translate, it can get messed up. And no, I will not be using an AI to spell and grammar check.

Masterlist

Chapter 44: Testing Hunter’s patience

Tech carefully made his way to the machines, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the progress of the reconstruction. His mind was working in overdrive, trying to find ways to subtly prolong their efforts without arousing suspicion. With Orion snuggled securely in the carrier on his chest, he knew he had to be extra cautious.

As he approached one of the machines, Tech discreetly made a few adjustments, ensuring it would work just a bit slower than its optimal speed. It was a delicate balance between slowing things down enough to extend their time here and not causing any noticeable disruptions. Tech couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for manipulating the situation, again, but he knew the importance of spending more time with Amanda and Orion. He wanted to cherish every moment they had together, even if it meant bending the rules just a bit. With his modifications in place, Tech continued to keep a close eye on the progress, ready to make any necessary adjustments if things started to look too suspicious.

Hunter stepped in to the Havoc Marauder, not entirely surprised to see the parents sitting on the floor, and yet it seems they forget that this should be quiet the secret and should be discreet. “Tech, why exactly is one of the machines suddenly a tad bit slower?” Tech glanced up at Hunter, his hands carefully washing Orion in the baby bathtub. He had hoped his subtle adjustment to the machine's speed would go unnoticed, but it seemed Hunter had picked up on it, of course he would it makes a slightly diffrent sound. "Well," Tech began, choosing his words carefully. "I noticed that the machines were running at maximum efficiency, and I was concerned that it might lead to early wear and tear. Slowing them down just a bit should ensure they last longer and reduce the risk of breakdowns."

Tech was known for his meticulous attention to detail, and this explanation seemed reasonable enough to deflect suspicion. He hoped it would be enough to satisfy Hunter's curiosity and allow him to continue spending precious time with Amanda and Orion. “It makes sense, count yourself lucky, but not again.” Hunter sighs and leaves them to play happy family in secret.

Amanda quickly scooted closer to Tech. “Sure just because of the wear and tear?” She asks amused and with a raised eyebrow. Tech turned his attention back to Amanda, their faces now close. He spoke in a hushed tone, aware of the sensitive nature of their situation. "No, it's not just about wear and tear," he admitted. "I slowed it down to buy us a bit more time, more time for us to be together." His gaze softened as he looked at Amanda, his love for her evident in his eyes. “I actually did it twice as of now.” Tech knew they had to be cautious, especially with the Kaminoans growing suspicious, but he couldn't help but prioritize those stolen moments with Amanda and Orion.

Amanda's laughter was a soft, melodic sound that filled the compact space of the Havoc Marauder. She couldn't help but be amused by Tech's ingenuity. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his in a quick, tender kiss. "You never cease to amaze me," she whispered against his lips. Tech smiled, feeling a warmth spread through him at her words. "Well, I do try to keep you guessing," he replied, his voice laced with a hint of playfulness. Amanda chuckled softly, her fingers gently tracing the contours of his face. "Your exceptional mind is truly something," she said with a fondness that only deepened her affection for him. "But remember, we have to be careful. The Kaminoans are watching."

Tech nodded, the seriousness returning to his expression. He knew the risks they faced and the need to tread carefully. "I won't forget that," he assured her. "We'll continue to be cautious, for Orion's sake." Amanda leaned in for another kiss, their lips meeting in a soft, lingering embrace. It was a silent promise between them, a commitment to protect their secret and cherish the stolen moments they could steal away from the watchful eyes of Kamino.

As the kiss between Tech and Amanda deepened, they momentarily forgot about their surroundings. However, Orion's growing fussiness quickly brought them back to reality. The infant, seated securely in the baby bathtub held by Tech, began to show his impatience by splashing the water with his tiny hands. Tech broke the kiss and chuckled, looking down at Orion. "Looks like someone wants attention," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. He gently cooed at Orion, trying to soothe him. "Alright, little trooper, we're almost done here." Amanda smiled, understanding that parenting, even in secret, required constant attention. "I'll finish up with his bath while you get him a clean diaper and some clothes," she offered. Tech nodded appreciatively and leaves to gather the belongings.

Amanda continued to bathe Orion, speaking softly to him as she gently washed his delicate skin. Her heart swelled with love for their son, and she cherished these moments they stole away from the complexities of their lives on Kamino. Amanda carefully lifted Orion from the baby bathtub, wrapping a soft towel around the squirming infant. "I'll be quick," Tech said as he headed to the improvised changing table, where everything was neatly organized for Orion's care. As he got distracted just watching them. But Tech couldn't help but pause again and admire the heart-warming scene before him. Amanda, while waiting for him, was showering Orion with kisses all over. The baby responded with joyous cooing, babbling, and gurgling sounds, clearly enjoying the affection lavished upon him by his mother.

Tech's heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of love and contentment as he watched the precious interaction between Amanda and Orion. He quickly activated the camera on his goggles to capture this precious moment, silently vowing to keep it as a cherished memory. Amanda continued to dote on Orion, smiling at her son's delightful responses. She couldn't help but express her love and adoration through kisses, knowing that every stolen moment with him was a precious gift. She whispered lovingly to Orion, her words filled with both tenderness and sadness, "I need to give you enough kisses to last until I can see you again, my sweet boy." She continued to pepper him with affectionate kisses, savouring every precious moment with her son, even as her heart ached at the thought of their inevitable separation.

Tech couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow as he watched Amanda and Orion together. He knew that their time together was limited, and the uncertainty of when they would meet again weighed heavily on both of them. But for now, they cherished these stolen moments, knowing that their love would bridge any distance that separated them.

Tech quietly and efficiently emptied the portable bathtub, knowing that Amanda wanted to make the most of her time with Orion, leaving the diaper and onesie by her side. He carefully stored it away, making sure it was ready for their next use. Tech wanted to give Amanda all the time she needed with their son, knowing that these moments were precious to both of them. As he finished tidying up, Tech couldn't help but steal glances at Amanda and Orion, capturing these moments in his memory. He longed for the day when they could be together as a family without the constant threat of discovery. Until then, they would cherish every stolen moment.

Tech's memory flashed back to that pivotal moment when Orion had come into the world, and he had been there to tend to Amanda and their new born son. He remembered the overwhelming rush of emotions he had felt at the time, the mix of joy, relief, and love. It was a memory etched into his mind. Seeing Amanda now, holding Orion close to her skin, brought back that flood of emotions. He couldn't help but feel a pang of longing for those early days, even though they had been fraught with danger and uncertainty. Seeing how Amanda has moved Orion, now only clad in a diaper in her tunic, does something to him. How she experiences skin to skin again since months.

As he watched them, Tech was reminded of the incredible strength and resilience that Amanda possessed, as both a Jedi and a mother. She had managed to protect their secret and care for Orion under the most challenging circumstances. Tech quietly approached, not wanting to disturb their moment but needing to be close. He placed a gentle hand on Amanda's shoulder, a wordless gesture of support and love. In this stolen moment, they were a family, and nothing else mattered.

After a moment Tech sits down before Amanda, watching her bond so easily with Orion. And the same feeling like before rushes through him again. “Amanda? Will you marry me?” He blurts out before he was even able to logically think about his question, but he knows this is what he wants, no matter the distance.

Amanda blinked in surprise at Tech's sudden question. The tranquil moment they were sharing with Orion nestled in her tunic had been so peaceful quickly dozing off not aware or interested how important this moment is for his parents and tries to latch on Amanda’s breast in a sleepy haze. Tech’s proposal took her off guard. She looked into Tech's eyes, searching for sincerity, and then her lips curled into a soft smile.

"Tech," she began, her voice filled with warmth, "you know I love you, and I love Orion. I've loved you since the moment I met you. But marriage... it's something I never thought I'd consider, especially given the circumstances. But now, here, with our son, and in this fleeting moment of peace, it feels right. Yes, I'll marry you." With those words, they sealed their commitment to each other, a promise made in the quiet of their hearts, a testament to their love against all odds. Orion, still sleepily trying to get something to eat, mostly out of instinct, seemed to sense the significance of the moment as he bites down with a gurgle and a yawn. As Amanda and Tech shared their sweet kiss, little did they know that Wrecker had overheard their heartfelt exchange. His eyes gleamed with joy, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Ha! I knew it!" Wrecker exclaimed, unable to contain himself any longer. "Tech's getting married! This calls for a celebration!" Wrecker's jubilant outburst, while slightly embarrassing, couldn't dampen the joyous moment shared between Tech and Amanda. It was a promise of a future filled with love and happiness, a future they would build together as a family. Tech sighs and turns to look at his brother. “Could you be excited a bit quieter?”

Tech's reminder brought Wrecker back to reality. He immediately realized the importance of keeping their secret intact, especially given Amanda's status as a Jedi. He nodded enthusiastically but still couldn't help himself from grinning. "Right, right, Tech. Lips sealed!" Wrecker said, though his enthusiasm was now masked by a more subdued expression. Tech and Amanda shared a knowing look, understanding the delicate balance they had to maintain between their personal happiness and the Jedi Order's rules and expectations. Their secret remained safe for now, known only to the members of the Bad Batch.

“You think we can ever be alone? Just you and me? With Orion?” Amanda's question hung in the air, filled with a mixture of longing and uncertainty. Tech glanced at her, his expression equally conflicted. "I hope so," he replied softly, reaching out to gently stroke Orion's soft curls. "We'll find a way, Amanda. No matter what, we'll make it work." Their determination to protect their secret and be together, even in the face of challenges, was evident in their eyes as they leaned in for another kiss, cherishing these stolen moments of happiness.

“You two got to be kidding me?!” Hunter's stern voice cut through the tender moment, and Tech and Amanda reluctantly pulled away from each other. Amanda's expression turned serious, and Tech looked sheepishly trying to look serious, mindful of the situation. "We're aware," Tech replied to Hunter. "We've been cautious. We know the Kaminoans are suspicious."

Crosshair, always the blunt one, added, "If they find out the truth, they won't just take the kid. They'll come after you, too, Amanda." Amanda nodded solemnly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I know, but I can't just abandon them. The Jedi are my responsibility, and Tech and Orion..."

Hunter interrupted, his voice firm, "We're not saying you should abandon them, but we need to be smarter about how we handle this. Tech, you have to be careful, too. Don't let your guard down." Tech nodded, acutely aware that their secret was a delicate balance they had to maintain. "We'll be cautious. It's just... It's not easy." Wrecker chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, well, this is the Bad Batch. Nothing's ever easy." Despite the seriousness of their conversation, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Amanda's lips. "You're right about that," she agreed.

“So what do you say Hunter do we have your blessing?” Tech looks up at Hunter. Who first looks confused down at his brother. “Mandalorian traditions now?” Tech nods and pushes his goggles up. “Exactly, it is official when the leader of a clan gives their blessing, according to the costums of multiple clans.” Hunter pinches his nose and sighs. For someone as intelligent and thrives on logic, Tech acts rather illogical. “And? What do you say Hunter?” Tech asks again. “Yeah, what is it leader?” Echo nudges Hunter. “Okay, I know what ever I say it will happen, with or without my blessing!” “So you tell them no? Like that ever stopped them, and that little ass kicker there is the proof.” Crosshair raises an eyebrow with an amused tiny grin. “Yeah Hunter! Just think, if you say no there is another Orion joining soon maybe?” Wrecker grins widely motioning to Amanda and Tech sitting still on the floor. And Orion still trying to get something to eat from Amanda.

Hunter sighs and shakes his head rubbing over his face. A motion that only can be described as an older brother who has been overruled by all four of his younger ones, unless maybe Echo, in something he should not even have a say in. “Okay, okay! I give my blessing but please, by the maker be more vigilan.! An no more babies for now!” “You getting soft old man?” Crosshair sarcastically asks. “Maybe” Hunter smiles. Just seeing how happy all are, is worth it. Just Orion who gets fussy because he is hungry seems not so happy at the moment.

Chapter 45

Reblogs are very welcome and I am open for feedback, as english is not my first language, so maybe my sentences may be weird sometimes, or I write a word wrong even with google, or I use a wrong word for an item.

Tag: @spectacular-skywalker @aalizazareth @neyswxrld @clonethirstingisreal @sleepycreativewriter @moonwreckd

How will I survive knowing tomorrow is the third last episode? So many questions and no answeres. Instead I have even more questions? I am a grown woman, nearing my 30s. Why am I so obssesed and invested in it? I know why, but... well no but. I am just a fangril, clone simp whatever. Can't believe it is over soon. My doc will have a fun one with me again when I gush about my favorited (presumed) dead clone again.

okay rambling done, sorry.

#the bad batch #tbb #tbb tech #clone force 99 #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #bad batch tech #daddy tech #tech as a dad #tech as a father #tech x oc #tech and orion #the dad batch #the uncle batch #uncle hunter #hunter being the exhausted older brother #no worry hunter i feel you even as a sandwich kid #star wars oc #star wars #star wars clone wars #star wars the clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars fanfiction #clones with babies #tech fanfiction #tech fanfic #tech fluff

[mandos-mind-trick]

Here’s To The Future (Let Me Forget The Past) - Part 1: Aftermath

Summary: The war’s over. That should be cause for celebration, except the wrong side won. Things begin to change quickly, and it doesn't take long for Midnight to realize something’s not right among the clone army. She should be glad the war is over, but the threat of her losing her boys is all too real. She did swear she would do everything she could to keep them from being separated when the war ended.

She’s not going to give up on that promise. Even if it kills her.

Pairing: The Bad Batch x reader (no clonecest)

Warnings: Order 66 and the aftermath of it, inhibitor chips, The Empire and its shady methods, smut, fingering, P in V sex, Wrecker’s size kink, violence, injuries, Crosshair.

A/N: Well, here it is. Sooner than I expected, but this is more of a test run. I might delay the next parts a bit depending on how this one does. Grab your tissues folks cause this is a rough one. They’ll be rough for a while then...you’ll see. Takes place during Episode 1 of Season 1. Also, I gave Midnight a last name that will only show up in this part mostly for plot. It’ll make sense as you read. 

Also I am still looking for a beta reader for this one, so if you’re interested...

Definitely suggest reading at least a couple parts of the one-shot series before this one for the relationships to make sense. 

Next > | SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

Midnight stares down at her hands as she sits on her bed in the Marauder. They’re shaking, fingers trembling. She’s still in her armor, sweaty and dirty from their last mission. 

It had not gone like she had thought it would. Then again, she could have never guessed what had happened would be reality. 

“Hunter!” Midnight stops, hearing blaster fire behind them. She turns, finding the regs firing on General Billaba. Midnight stares in disbelief. Just moments before they had been defending her, and now they were...trying to kill her. “What-” 

A sturdy hand on her shoulder. Hunter’s behind her, all of them watching in shock and horror. 

“What are they doing?” Echo asks, his own voice thick with disbelief. 

Midnight screws her eyes closed, trying to block out the final anguished cries of the General. In her comms there’s no normal chatter of the battlefield, the relayed messages from the control centers. There’s only one thing relaying on a loop: 

‘Execute Order 66.’ 

Things had not gotten better since then. They’d split up, Tech and Echo going to find the reg Captain to try and figure out what was going on. Hunter and Crosshair had gone after General Billaba’s padawan, and she had been left with Wrecker to try and stall the regs from following. 

They were more rude than usual. 

Midnight had returned straight to her bunk. Something was very wrong, but she can’t figure out what. The regs had been acting strangely, and even Crosshair seemed more standoffish than usual. She just hopes they can get more information on Kamino. 

She’s drawn from her thoughts when her door slides open, Hunter standing there. He steps inside, closing the door behind him. He looks tired. She knows he’s as impacted by this as she is. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, sitting next to her on the bed. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since they’d been in a similar position. 

“Do you want an honest answer?” She asks, leaning her head back against the wall as she stares up at him. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He says. 

Midnight sighs. “Why? Why would they go from defending her one minute to killing her the next?” 

“I don’t know.” Hunter takes her hand, squeezing it. “We’ll figure it out.” 

“Do you think it’s true?” She asks, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Is the war going to be over soon?” 

“It’s possible.” He says slowly. “We’ll figure that out too. I’m not going to let them separate us that easily.” 

We may not have much of a choice. She won’t say it out loud. 

***

Midnight can’t help the nerves twisting her stomach into knots as they exit the Marauder. Kamino seems like an entirely different place. There’s a tenseness in the air she can’t place. She tries to make herself as small as possible as she walks in the middle of the squad. 

“Shock troopers?” Hunter says as a group of troopers pass them with familiar red and white armor. “What’s the Coruscant Guard doing here?” 

“Level five lockdown remains in effect. Security teams, report to the command center.” A voice says over the PA system. 

“This isn’t a drill.” Tech says. 

“Aw man! What did we miss now?” Wrecker complains. 

“The end of the war.” An approaching shock trooper says. 

“Say again, Trooper.” Hunter says. 

“General Grievous was defeated on Utapau.” The trooper says, stopping to speak to Hunter. “The Separatist leadership has collapsed. The war is over.” 

“Just like I said.” Tech says. 

“It is just like you said.” Wrecker gasps. 

Midnight swallows thickly as two troopers pass carrying a stretcher. She doesn’t need to hear the clank of a lightsaber falling to know it’s a Jedi. She had never met the Jedi stationed on Kamino since their visits were so few and far between, and she usually avoided more populated areas. 

The shock trooper bends down, picking up the lightsaber. He turns back to Hunter. “Is there a problem?” 

“No problem.” Hunter says. “We’ll just head to our barracks then.” 

“Best hurry.” The trooper says. “There’s a mandatory general assembly at 1500.” 

Midnight sticks close between them as they make their way towards the barracks, taking up her usual spot between them. They pass many clones on their way, but none of them even bother to glance at them. It’s strange, as usually someone would make a comment, or give a nasty look. Midnight almost misses the rude exchanges compared to this new attitude. 

“It’s not just the clones on Kaller.” Hunter says. “All the regs are acting strange.” 

“Let’s test that theory,” Tech says, stepping in front of one of the approaching clones. “Excuse me, trooper, what division are you from?” 

The clone shoves him to the side with his shoulder. “Step aside.” 

“Well, they seem the same to me.” Tech says. 

Midnight keeps her head down as they make their way to the barracks. The regs had turned their backs on the Jedi so easily. Who’s to say they wouldn’t do the same to civilians? She knows her boys would never let anything happen to her. They’d fight all of Kamino if they had to, but she’d rather not take that risk. 

“Good to be back.” Wrecker says as they step into the barracks. 

“The smell’s getting worse.” Echo says. 

Midnight feels a weight coming off her shoulders, glad to be in her home away from home, so to speak. She sniffs the air, her nose wrinkling a bit. “Are you sure there’s not a dead animal in here?” 

Crosshair pushes his way past Echo and Hunter, heading for his bunk. 

Midnight heads for her hammock, settling into it with a sigh. She scratches at her scalp, half a nervous habit, and half because it was horribly itchy. She desperately wants a shower, but she knows they don’t have time. She’ll have to attend the general assembly as well. The few civilians employed on Kamino would be required to be there, especially if it was something related to the end of the war. 

The end of the war. 

As much as she hated the fighting, the constant stress, the constant danger, she feared the end of the war almost more. She doesn't know what’s going to happen now. What’s going to happen to the millions of clones? What’s going to happen to her? She had made a promise to herself that she would figure something out. She wouldn’t let her boys be taken from her. She’s not going to let them be separated. But how? With the regs acting strangely, she knows it’s going to be difficult. 

“Eleven more successful missions.” Wrecker says. “Like there was any doubt.” 

“Kaller wasn’t a win.” Echo says. 

“Says who?” Wrecker asks, sitting on his bunk. “We completed our objective.” 

“Not every objective.” Crosshair says. “Hunter let that Jedi kid escape. Or do you want to keep lying to us?” 

Midnight stiffens a bit. Crosshair had been acting strangely since Kaller, since the order had been given. Was he being affected in the same way the regs were? Why weren’t the others then? 

Hunter rises from his seat, walking over to the window. Midnight stares at him, watching the others in the reflection. “I don’t like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective.” 

“An order is an order.” Crosshair says, stepping closer to Hunter. 

“Since when?” Hunter turns to face him. 

Midnight sits up, glancing between the two. She knows getting between them in a fight is dangerous, but the last thing she wants is any of them fighting. 

“None of this makes sense.” Echo says. “Those clones served alongside General Billaba for years. How could they turn on her like that?” 

“Because of the regs programming.” Tech says from his work desk, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

“What programming?” Hunter asks, turning his gaze from Crosshair. 

“It’s been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question.” Tech explains. 

“Ha!” Wrecker exclaims, hitting Crosshair’s shoulder with Lula. “We sure don’t.” He wraps an arm around the obviously annoyed clone. 

“Obviously, we are different.” Tech continues. “They manipulated preexisting aberrations in our DNA, resulting in your brute strength, Crosshair's sharpshooting skills, Hunter’s enhanced senses, and my exceptional mind. My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming. Though I can’t be 100% certain of it.” He glances at Crosshair. 

“What about Echo?” Hunter asks. “He was a reg before he joined us.” 

“Yeah, if all the regs were programmed, why didn’t I react like the others?” Echo asks. 

“The damage you sustained on Skako Minor most likely wiped out all of your preset behavioral modifications.” Tech says. “You are more machine than man...percentagewise, at least.” 

“Lucky me.” Echo sighs. 

“All personnel report to the staging area for a briefing on the state of the Republic.” The voice says over the PA system.

“This is one meeting I don’t want to miss.” Hunter says. He offers a hand to her, helping her out of the hammock. He squeezes it gently, obviously having sensed her turmoil, and her anxiety with Crosshair’s unusual behavior. 

She squeezes it back, offering him a small smile before they make their way out of the barracks, Midnight not missing the icy stare from Crosshair. Midnight wants to keep her hold on Hunter’s hand as they walk to the staging area, but she knows that’s not possible. That was an issue they did not need to add to the ever growing list. 

“See you when it’s over?” Hunter says, turning to her as they reach the staging area. 

Midnight nods. “I’ll be here.” 

***

“In order to ensure the security and continuing stability...the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society.” 

“I don’t believe it.” 

Midnight glances to the side at one of the other civilians. She can see her boys from where she’s standing behind them on one of the raised platforms with the other civilians. 

“What do we do now?” Another asks. 

“We’re getting out of here.” The first that had spoken says. “Since the Republic is no more, our contracts are void. We’re getting on the next ship out of here.” 

The cheering of the clones can be heard from her position. 

“For all we know, we’ll wind up as nothing more than slaves to this new Empire if we stay.” Another civilian says. “I suggest getting out of here while you still can.” 

Midnight watches them leave, before looking back down at the rows of clones. This was getting more and more difficult. 

***

“Galactic Empire?” Echo says as they make their way back towards their barracks. “We’re soldiers of the Republic.” 

“Republic, Empire...What’s the difference?” Crosshair says. 

“The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me.” Tech says. 

Hunter stops, holding up a hand. “Lads, we’ve got company.” 

They all turn around, Midnight surprised to see a...child? 

“Hello.” She says, waving at them. 

“What’s that?” Wrecker asks, bending down to look at her closer. 

“Adolescent human female. Origins...uncertain.” Tech says, getting a closer look too. 

Midnight can’t help but roll her eyes. 

“My name’s Omega. I was wondering when you guys would come back.” She says with a smile. 

“You know who we are?” Hunter asks, stepping closer to her. 

“Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair,” She nods at each clone. “And Midnight. You’re Clone Force 99.” 

“What are you doing on Kamino, kid?” Hunter asks. 

“Her job, of course.” A smooth voice says. They all straighten up, looking up at the Kaminoan approaching them. “She is my medical assistant. One with a curious mind that causes her to wander. Come, Omega. There is work to do.” 

Omega gives them a smile before following the Kaminoan down the hallway. She turns and gives them a wave before they turn a corner. 

“This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Hunter says. 

“I think it’s kind of sweet.” Midnight says, smiling. They all turn to her, giving her a look. “What? You have a fan.” 

***

Midnight stands in the shower, letting the water flow over her head. She’s glad to be in a real shower. Though Tech had updated the one on the Marauder, it never left her feeling quite as clean as the showers on Kamino. Something about the fresh water, and the pressure, made her feel so much better. 

She leans her hands against the wall, letting the water flow down her back. She doesn’t hear the door open, nor does she hear the approaching footsteps. She jumps slightly when hands slide up her sides. The touch is soft, almost hesitant. 

Midnight smiles softly, staying still. “Hi, Wrecker.” 

His hands find her breasts, big hands closing around them. “Hi, mesh’la.” He hums, pressing slightly closer to her. 

He’s naked, his erection pressing against her lower back as he folds himself over her, his face pressing into her neck. She braces her hands on the wall, arching against him as his fingers pluck at her nipples. 

“Missed you.” He murmurs, lips trailing over her neck. 

“I’ve been gone five minutes.” She gasps, one of his hands sliding down her stomach. 

“No,” He hums in her ear, a thick finger sliding through her slick folds. “I’ve missed this.” 

She moans, her head falling back to expose more of her neck to him. He takes advantage of it as he eases one of his fingers into her. She flutters around the intrusion, eyes rolling back as he picks up a slow pace, gently stretching her. 

“Kriff, Wrecker.” She moans, lifting onto her toes as he presses a second finger into her. 

“I’m not even inside you yet and you’re already moaning like that?” He says, wrapping his free arm around her to hold her up. 

“Feel so good, Wrecker.” She moans, rocking her hips in time with his movements. 

Kriff, she really needs this. More than she thought she had. 

She nearly cums as he slips a third finger into her, the stretch almost painful. Her fingers tense against the wall, hips trying to pull away from him but he holds her still. 

“That’s it.” He breathes, easing all three fingers into her. “You can take it.” 

She whines, pushing away from the wall to press her back against his chest. The change in position sinks his fingers further into her, her head dropping back against his shoulder. 

“You gonna cum?” He asks, deep voice rumbling against her back. 

She nods, unable to find words. She squeezes around his fingers, dropping a hand to brush once, twice over her clit before she’s cumming. She trembles in his hold, squeezing his fingers as he stills, letting her ride out her high for a moment. She can still feel him, thick and hard against her back. 

“Ready for me?” He murmurs, kissing her shoulder. 

She nods, easing his fingers out of her. He pushes her forward, pressing her against the wall of the shower once more. She hears the familiar pop of a cap opening, glad he remembered to bring some lube. He places a hand on her hip, holding her still as he presses the thick head of his cock against her. 

She relaxes, pushing her hips out more as he slowly eases inside of her. She gasps at the stretch, never quite prepared for it. He holds onto her, rocking his hips in slow bursts to work his way inside of her. 

She curses, head dropping as he stretches her open. “Wrecker!” She gasps as he snaps his hips just a bit harder, sinking halfway into her. “So big! Kriff, too big!” 

“Kriff, mesh’la.” He breathes, forehead pressing against her shoulder. He groans, sinking in as far as he can. “You can take it.” 

She whimpers, both of them stilling as he gives her a moment to adjust. Her legs are shaking already, heavy breaths echoing in the fresher. The others can probably hear them...will hear them. She’ll apologize later. Right now she doesn’t care. 

Wrecker begins moving, slowly rocking his hips. The painful stretch has eased, morphing into pleasure for her. They’ve had plenty of time to practice, plenty of time to work out the best method. He knew what was safe, and what not to do. He had learned quickly, though much of it had been trial and error. Maker bless Tech for having to help with the...errors. 

Wrecker picks up the pace, his movements still slow and careful. He’s careful with his strength, knowing he could easily break her. He doesn't want to, though, so he keeps it slow and easy. It’s more than enough for her, his thick cock hitting places deep inside her, and rubbing against all the right places. 

She shifts her hands against the wall, pressing back to meet his thrusts. Her legs are tired of standing, shaking partly out of pleasure and partly from exhaustion. Her hand drops to his on her hip, squeezing it. “Wait.”

He stops and she pulls away, turning around. She puts her hands on his shoulders, jumping up. He catches her easily, taking a step forward to press her back against the shower wall. He holds her with one arm, using the other to press into her once more. It’s easier this time, her body already adjusted to his size. 

He slips his hands under her thighs, holding her up as he thrusts into her. Her arms wrap around his thick shoulders, face pressing against his skin. She curses, every word she can think of as the angle forces him right against that spot inside her. She won’t last long, and she knows he won’t either. 

“Wrecker!” She squeals, her whole body shaking as she’s thrown into her orgasm suddenly. 

He holds her closely, thrusting a couple more times before he reaches his own, spilling into her with a groan. He keeps his hold on her for a few moments, face pressed against her neck. 

She’s going to be sore later. 

He eases her back onto her feet, holding her steady as they both quickly clean up before leaving the fresher. Midnight walks out fully dressed, not trusting the barracks like she did the ship. Virtually anyone could walk in at any point if the door wasn’t locked. 

It usually isn’t, not until they were getting ready to go to bed. Despite the darkness outside the window, she knows it’s not nearly that time yet. 

“We’re heading to the mess hall.” Hunter says as Wrecker puts his armor back on. “You coming?” He asks her. 

She debates it for a second. She had eaten with them in the mess hall only twice, and both times had not been pleasant experiences. With the change in the regs, she’s not entirely sure she wants to risk it a third time. “No, I’ll stay here.” She finally answers. 

“We’ll bring you something.” He says, leaning down to kiss her before they take their leave. 

Midnight debates locking the door once she’s alone. 

***

Midnight moves as fast as she dares without drawing attention to herself. She hates navigating the halls of Tipoca City herself, but she was not about to let that stop her. The regs she passes hardly give her more than a glance. She missed the sneers, the inappropriate comments. At least that had felt normal. 

“Where is he?” She almost skids to a stop in front of the others. 

“He’s probably fine.” Hunter says, rolling his eyes. 

“You left him in there alone?” She asks in disbelief before walking right in through the doors.

“Ha! Told you he’s alive!” Wrecker shouts as they make their way to the second bed where Echo is sitting. “You owe me two credits.” 

Midnight rolls her eyes, moving to Echo’s side. “How are you?” 

“CT-1409’s condition is stable.” The AZI droid says, floating up to the others. “But I have some distressing news for the rest of you. According to your test results, you all appear to be genetically defective clones. I will leave you to process the shock of this revelation.” 

“I’m fine.” Echo says, squeezing her hand for a moment. “But we’ve got a problem.” 

“Not really. We’re more deviant than we are defective.” Tech says. 

“Not that.” Echo shakes his head. “Admiral Tarkin’s here. He’s the one evaluating the clones.” 

“The same Tarkin from the Citadel rescue when you, uh...” Tech pauses. “How should I put this?” 

“Blew up?” Wrecker offers. 

“And turned into that.” Crosshair says. 

Echo sighs. “Yes. And he’s not a big supporter of clones.” 

“We’ll soon find out.” Hunter says. “We’ve been summoned by the prime minister.” 

“Guess he didn’t find that mess hall fight amusing. But I sure did!” Wrecker says. 

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Hunter says. 

They begin to walk out of the medical bay, but a voice stops them. “Wait!” Omega calls, following them. “The fight was my fault. I’m going too.” 

“Not happening.” Hunter says. “We’ll handle this.” 

“But I-” 

“Listen, kid,” Hunter says, turning around to face her. “Our squad’s nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance. Got it?” 

Midnight takes up her usual place walking in the middle of them as they make their way down the hallway. “She likes you.” 

Hunter glances at her over his shoulder. “What?” 

“The kid, Omega. She likes you.” Midnight repeats. “She’s probably lonely.” 

Midnight can’t help but feel for the kid. She knew what it was like, being alone, not having many friends. With how the regs acted, she can’t blame the girl for not wanting to befriend them. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” One of the passing shock troopers stops them. “The training facility is that way.” He points in the opposite direction they were going. 

“Training facility?” Hunter asks. 

“For a battle simulation.” The trooper says. “Admiral Tarkin has requested to see more of your squad in action.” 

“Then we are not being reprimanded?” Tech asks. 

“No, you’re being tested.” The trooper answers. “Now go gear up.” His gaze drops to Midnight. “Except you, civilian.” 

Hunter steps slightly in front of her, staring down the reg. “She’s part of this squad.” 

“Admiral Tarkin requested to see only clones in action. Not civilians.” 

In a way, Midnight is glad. She’s not sure she can handle the training facility built for clones. She’d never used it. The little combat training she’d received had been on a different course, meant for civilians who weren’t going head on into combat. Most of her combat training had happened in the field. 

She knows this isn’t good, though. Tarkin only wanting the clones meant one thing. Her time with her boys is about to be cut short. 

***

Midnight hasn’t been able to sit still since she got back to the barracks. She’s alone again, the normally slightly cramped space feeling too big without the others. She’s not sure why she’s nervous. They’d spent most of their lives training in that facility, and they’d fought in hundreds of real battles. It’s not that she doesn’t trust them. 

She doesn’t trust Admiral Tarkin not to try something. 

She can feel a headache starting to blossom. She’s tired, in desperate need of sleep, but she knows she won’t be getting any. Not for a while. 

“They used live rounds? On us?” Wrecker says, barreling in through the door angrily. 

Midnight’s head snaps up, looking at them with wide eyes. “They did what?” 

“We were there, Wrecker. We know.” Tech says.

“I tried to warn you about Tarkin.” Echo says, stepping closer to Wrecker. 

Midnight moves closer, spotting the blaster mark on Wrecker’s chestplate. 

“Who’s that Imperial snake think he is?” Wrecker yells angrily. 

“Stow it, already. You got shot. It happens all the time.” Crosshair says. 

Midnight frowns. She had been right in her worries. 

“There’s a fundamental difference between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice.” Tech says. 

“Exactly!” Wrecker says. “We’re not dummy droids.” 

“That much we agree on.” 

All of them spin around at the voice in the doorway. Tarkin is standing there, flanked by two shock troopers. They all stand at attention, Midnight shooting Hunter a glance as she stands across from him. 

“That was quite an impressive display.” Tarkin says as he makes his way into their barracks. 

“Didn’t have much choice.” Hunter says. 

“Our new empire may have methods which seem a bit unorthodox,” Tarkin says, taking in each of the clones. “But so does this squadron. Both certainly have their merits.” He takes the most time studying Wrecker. “Nala Se speaks quite highly of her five enhanced clones. She claims you’re more capable than an army.” 

“You have a mission for us, sir?” Hunter asks. 

“Indeed.” He turns back to Hunter. “We have tracked a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with.” 

“What sort of insurgents?” Echo asks. 

“Separatist forces intent on keeping the galaxy at war. If you neutralize this grave threat, you will be looked upon most favorably as I assess the needs of the Imperial Army. The five of you will be leaving immediately.” He turns to her. “You, Miss Mylark, will not be going.” 

Midnight tries not to flinch at the use of her real name. It’s been so long since she’s heard it. She straightens herself even more as Tarkin runs his gaze over her. 

“You will be staying here.” He says to her. “I’d like you in my office tomorrow at 0900 hours sharp.” 

She swallows the lump in her throat, nodding. “Yes, sir.” 

He stares at her for another moment before he takes his leave. 

Midnight deflates as soon as he’s out of sight, moving to sit on the workbench. 

“A mission without Midnight?” Wrecker asks, turning to look down at her. 

“I don’t like this.” Hunter says. 

“You’re telling me.” She says, rubbing her forehead. “I have to be alone in a room with him tomorrow.” 

“What could he possibly want to talk about?” Echo asks. 

“There’s a lot he could talk about.” Midnight says, trying to stave off the looming fear beginning to bubble under the surface. They all turn to look at her. “Contract negotiations, a new job offer, termination, imprisonment.” Midnight scoffs. “Technically since the Republic’s gone, my contract is void. I shouldn’t even still be here.” 

“Night-” Hunter starts but Midnight cuts him off. 

“No, I knew this was going to happen.” She starts pacing, unable to stay still anymore. “No matter who won, I knew something like this was going to be the outcome. I’m a civilian. I’m not even a qualified civilian. That’s why I was put on this squad in the first place.” 

“We’re perfectly capable without her.” Crosshair says contemptuously.  

“Cross-” 

“He’s right.” Midnight cuts Hunter off again. “How long were you together before me? I add nothing to this squad but another blaster. I’ve been thinking about this for weeks. I thought up plan after plan for how this was going to work, and now here we are and...I can’t even think about what to do.” She can feel her resolve quickly crumbling. 

Arms wrap around her, pulling her against a firm chest. “We’ll worry about this when we get back.” Hunter says. He pulls away, his hand cupping her face. “Try to stall as much as you can. We’re not going to let them separate us.” 

Midnight wants to believe him. She really does. 

***

Sleeping in the barracks alone is strange. Rarely she’s alone in the bunks, usually when they were eating. At least then she knew they would return soon. Now she’s truly alone. There were no promises they were coming back. She wouldn’t put it past Tarkin to send them on a suicide mission. Of course, suicide missions were their specialty. 

She doesn’t get much sleep, too nervous from being alone, and too nervous about her meeting. What could Tarkin possibly want to see her about? It could be any number of things. She spends most of the night thinking over all of those things. 

She dresses in her armor in the morning, unsure of how she should dress otherwise. Civilian clothes probably wouldn’t be appropriate, and she felt safe in her armor. As uncomfortable as it is, it feels like a safety blanket. 

The doors hiss open, Midnight stepping back in surprise to see two shock troopers waiting for her. How long had they been there? Had they been there all night, making sure she wouldn’t try to escape? 

“We’re here to escort you to Admiral Tarkin.” One of them says. 

“Lead the way.” She says, following them through the halls. 

She steps through the door at 0900 sharp, just as Tarkin had ordered. His office is plain and white, as most of Kamino is. It’s raining as usual, the dark clouds doing nothing to help her feel better. 

“Miss Mylark, take a seat.” He says, motioning to the chairs across his desk. 

Midnight hides her disdain at the use of her real name, taking a seat. 

“You joined the Grand Army of the Republic a year ago, correct?” 

Has it been a year already? “Yes, sir.” She answers. 

“You were placed with Clone Force 99 at the special request of Clone Marshal Commander CC-2224 almost nine months ago.” 

Cody. She hadn’t even thought about Cody in all of this. “Correct, sir.” She says, waiting for where he’s going with this.

“Your achievements are impressive, Miss Mylark. Your survival alone speaks of your talent in battle. But, as you are a civilian, your contract is no longer valid.” 

Midnight stays quiet as he pauses, unsure of where this is going. 

“I am putting together an initiative to conscript non-clone soldiers into the Imperial Army. You could be a great asset to the Empire. I am offering you a job under this new initiative.” 

Midnight stares at him for a moment, taking in his words. She had thought he might offer her a new contract under the Empire. It was one of the many scenarios she’d played through her head last night. Actually hearing it though, made it all too real. If she accepted, she’d likely be staying here. Even then, though, the chances of her seeing her boys again was slim. 

“If I refuse?” She asks, mostly out of curiosity.

He grins at her maliciously, and she almost regrets asking. “I thought you might need a bit of persuasion.” He stands from his seat, turning to face the window. “You are aware that fraternization was a criminal offense under the Republic, yes?” 

Midnight’s mouth goes dry. Her stomach feels as if it's dropped through her chair and straight into the ocean below. “S-Sir?” 

“That is a belief the Empire intends to uphold as well.” He turns around to face her. “Miss Mylark, I received a rather distressing report about your...relations with your former squad.” 

“I-I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir.” Midnight says, trying to keep her heart from pounding right out of her chest. 

He sets a datapad down in front of her and she picks it up, skimming through the report. It’s very descriptive, relaying details only someone who was there would know. Her stomach twists painfully as she reaches the bottom, reading the signature multiple times in disbelief. 

Crosshair. 

Midnight swallows the lump in her throat, steeling herself using the anger bubbling in her. She has to be smart about this. It’s not just about her anymore. “You would believe the word of a clone over me?” 

“This clone, yes. He has proven himself very loyal to the Empire, compared to the others in Clone Force 99.” Tarkin takes a seat once more, the doors sliding open as the two shock troopers enter. “You are running out of options, Miss Mylark. If you refuse this kind offer I am extending for you, you will be placed under arrest, along with the members of Clone Force 99. You will be tried and charged with fraternization among other offenses and placed in prison, and the clones will be decommissioned.” 

Midnight sets the datapad on the desk, cursing the obvious shake of her hands. “You’re blackmailing me?” 

“This is not the Republic anymore, Miss Mylark.” He leans in closer to her. “The Empire is not opposed to using...extreme measures when necessary.” He smiles at her again. “So, Miss Mylark. What is your decision?” 

****

Midnight’s hands are shaking as she walks through the halls. She feels a bit like she had after her first battle. She’s waiting on the shock and the panic to set in, the paralysis as she’d sat there among the destroyed battle droids. Only, there’s no Hunter to bring her back, to place a gentle hand on her shoulder and whisper that it’s okay, that it’s over. No Hunter to remind her she’s still alive, she made it out the other side. 

Her mind is racing, her shoulder knocking painfully against a passing trooper, but she doesn’t care. 

Had she made the right decision? 

She hadn’t had much of a choice. She’d been backed into a corner. She wasn’t going to put the others through that. She had no guarantee Tarkin wouldn’t use it against them anyway. They all outranked her. He could use that to twist the story. Crosshair had proven he would side with the Empire. He could be molded to tell a different story. 

She had just proven she could be too. 

She needs to contact Hunter, but she’s not sure she can. If Crosshair had betrayed her, had he betrayed the others as well? She can’t risk it. She’d have to wait for their return, hope she could have just a minute with them, something. She needs to warn them. She needs to do something. 

The barracks are almost bare when she returns. 

She stares around in shock for a moment, thinking maybe she walked into the wrong one in her confusion, but no, there was the 99 on the wall of Hunter’s bunk. There was her stuff, piled in a corner. It looked so...clean. Even the smell was slowly disappearing. Midnight rifles through her stuff, glad she kept most of her belongings on the Marauder. 

Something is happening. Something had happened with the mission. She has to find out what happened, but she’s not sure how. Too many questions would raise too much attention. She can’t risk that. Not right now. Maybe she should wait for them at the landing bay. If she could get to them first she could warn them. 

“Not with your boys?” A mocking voice says behind her as she passes the training facility. 

She stops, turning around to face the group of troopers. “Excuse me?” She blinks at him, choosing for once not to ignore the rude remarks of a reg. 

He smirks, the others in the group chuckling. “Heard your boys are locked up in the brig. Figured you’d be in there with them, civvy.” 

Midnight smirks, stepping closer. Perfect. At least now she knows where they are. “Why? Jealous that they got to stare at me while all you had to look at was a hundred exact copies of yourself?” 

She turns on her heel, making her way back down the hallway, leaving the seething clones behind her. It wasn’t smart, making enemies at this point, but with the plan that was beginning to form in her head, it wouldn’t matter. They wouldn’t be spending much time around regs after this. 

***

“This is stupid.” Midnight breathes to herself as she walks down the hallway, fully armored. No one paid her much mind, as it wasn’t that unusual of a sight. “This is so stupid.” 

She gets into the lift, taking a big breath in. There’s going to be hundreds of guards down there. Hundreds of guards and one of her. She lets out the breath she’d been holding as the lift begins to slow. She’d fought in almost hundreds of battles at this point. She’d gone up against impossible odds time and time again and she’d survived each and every one. 

She’d gone up against General Grievous with nothing but a blaster and a knife. Was this any different than that? 

The lift doors open, Midnight stepping out. There’s shockingly fewer guards than she’d expected, most of them marching the hallways as troopers always seemed to do, even during the war. She waits for the current group to pass before heading towards the brig. She doesn’t know where they’re being held, but seeing as there weren’t many prisoners, they shouldn’t be that hard to find. 

She peeks around a corner, spotting two shock troopers standing outside a door. That had to be them. She takes a deep breath, pulling her blaster out of its holster. She can do this. She can do this for her boys. 

She marches towards the troopers, gaining their attention. 

“You’re not allowed down here.” One of them says. “We have strict orders to-” 

She doesn’t let him finish, stunning both of them quickly. She didn’t have it in her to actually shoot them. If Tech was right, they didn’t know what they were doing. They weren’t in control of themselves. She grabs one of their blasters, opening the door. 

She stuns the other three troopers inside, stepping in. Wrecker, Tech, Hunter, and Echo are standing behind the energy shield with the girl, Omega. “Hello, boys.” She says, stepping up to the controls. 

“Midnight!” Wrecker cheers excitedly. “Boy am I glad to see you!” 

She pulls the switch in the middle, releasing them. “Where’s Crosshair.” 

“They took him somewhere.” Hunter says, him and Tech grabbing the reg’s blasters. “We need to find out where. Let’s move.” 

Hunter takes the lead, sneaking through the halls. She’s thankful for the few guards, and Hunter’s enhanced senses. 

“We’re not going to get very far without our gear.” Tech sighs as they pause at a corner. 

“It’s not in the barracks.” Midnight says. “They cleared those out.” 

“They started moving all your things to the hangar.” Omega says. Midnight blinks, wondering how she knew that. “Your gear might be there too.” 

Hunter looks down at her and Midnight can tell for a moment he’s questioning it, but they didn’t have much of a choice. “This way.” He says, leading them down the hallway.

Tech gets them through the doors, crates full of their gear stacked in front of the Marauder. Midnight is glad most of her belongings are on the ship as she stands guard. 

“All right, boys, suit up. Let’s make this quick.” Hunter says, beginning to armor himself. “Tech, power up the ship with Midnight. The rest of us will go after Crosshair.” 

“What?” Midnight protests. “I’m going with you.” 

“No.” Hunter says, the command clear in his voice. “You stay here with Omega. Help Tech get the ship started.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not putting you at risk anymore. You’ve done enough for us.” 

Midnight wants to argue, but she can see it in his gaze. She’s too close to this. They had no idea what they would find when they reached Crosshair. He’s trying to protect her. 

“I don’t think we’ll have to go far.” Omega says as the bay doors open, a squad of troopers entering. 

They all duck behind the crates, Midnight holding her breath. They were so close. Midnight grips her blaster tighter, the steps to the Marauder just two feet away. 

“Is that...Crosshair?” Wrecker asks, peeking over the crates. 

Midnight sits up on her knees, peeking over the crate as well. Her breath catches in her throat, the familiar form of Crosshair standing at the other end of the bay. “No.” She whispers, fingers beginning to tremble around the blaster. 

Hunter stands, moving to the aisle between the crates. 

“Best stand down, Sergeant.” Crosshair says. “Make it easy on yourself.” 

“Have you lost your mind?” Hunter growls out. 

“We should have killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders.” 

“I did what I thought was right.” Hunter argues. 

“You never could see the bigger picture. Now surrender.” Crosshair threatens. 

Wrecker pulls his helmet all the way down, Echo adjusting his grip on his blaster. Midnight grips hers tighter, not wanting to have to shoot at Crosshair. 

This isn’t Crosshair. 

She knows Crosshair. They all did. He was a prick, but he had been just as willing to go against orders, to bend rules as the others. This...This is someone else entirely. 

“Is that an order?” Hunter asks. 

“I guess it is.” Crosshair smirks. 

“Well, I guess I’m disobeying that one too.” 

Thunder rumbles from the open bay door, the sound loud in the tense silence of the hangar. Midnight takes a shaky breath, and for a moment she wishes she had just gotten on the ship. At least she wouldn’t have had to see this. 

Hunter ducks as Crosshair takes the first shot, diving behind a crate as the other troopers begin shooting. Midnight, Echo, and Wrecker begin returning fire, two of the troopers throwing smoke grenades. 

“Tech, we gotta move, now!” Hunter says through the comms. 

“I’m working on it.” Tech says. 

“Wrecker, clear the smoke on three. Midnight, get onto the ship and help Tech.” Hunter orders. 

“You got it, boss.” Wrecker says. 

Midnight ducks behind the crate, staring at the steps up to the Marauder. They’re only two feet away. She can make that. She’s run from worse things in her lifetime. She’s run in more tense situations than this. 

“Omega, stay low.” Hunter says. “One...two...” 

“Three!” Wrecker says, moving to the isle with the tops of a couple crates. 

Midnight uses him for cover and a distraction, darting up the steps to the Marauder. 

She almost makes it. 

She’s right at the top of the steps when pain burns through her leg. It gives out under her, and she collapses to the floor of the ship with a cry. Shots spark around the interior of the ship and she drags herself out of sight. She lays on the floor of the ship for a moment, the metal thrumming to life as Tech gets the engines started. 

She needs to move, she needs to get to the cockpit. Tears blur her vision as she pulls herself to stand. 

Crosshair. 

He had turned against them so easily. He had betrayed them in so many ways. She knows it’s not him. The Empire had done something to him. He had been off since Kaller, more than just his normal prickly attitude. She hadn’t thought it would lead to this though. 

She limps, more like half drags, herself to the cockpit, collapsing into one of the seats. She’s been shot before. She’d been shot badly before. She’d been able to hide it, at least until her enhanced squad had noticed. It shouldn’t hurt this bad. 

She knows it’s not just the fact she’d been shot. 

It was who had shot her. 

She squeezes her eyes closed, the ship rumbling as Hunter shouts for Tech to take off. Midnight holds onto the seat, the Marauder speeding through the atmosphere and away from Kamino. 

Tears slide down her cheeks, squeezed out from the corners of her eyes. She can hear Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker in the back. This hadn’t been part of her plan. This hadn’t been part of any of her plans, any of the many scenarios she’d played through her head. 

She had promised. She had promised herself and she had promised them she wouldn’t let anything separate them. She wouldn’t let anything take them from her no matter what.

She’d already failed. 

Taglist: 

@amyroswell, @dangraccoon, @hunnythebee​, @lokigirlszendaya, @kriffingmeshla, @storm-breaker7

#star wars #star wars fic #the bad batch #the bad batch fic #the bad batch x reader #hunter x reader #wrecker x reader #crosshair x reader #tech x reader #echo x reader

[fairybinie]

shortcake // k.th

wc: 991 genre: fluff warnings: taehyun calling you short 💔

taglist: @iyeonjuni @soobnny @taeyun @yyx2 @odxrilove @ifwtyun @luvrbin @iuwon @moondust-zia @jakekgs @soobintoyou @ijhyo @cherr-y-eji @peachy-yabbay @ameliesaysshoo @mondayisrain @enhacolor @cherrybeomgyu @wccycc @hyukabean @strawberri-uyu @hyuntaena @feyregels @boba-beom @loverhyunn @ericyjun @hotboyyeonjun @ashxxkook @bibinnieposts

a/n: red tyun on the brain lately 🥴 also happy 500 i love you all <3

…

taehyun was usually quite a collected person. he tried to tolerate any plans someone made with him even if it didn’t fit his description of a perfect day.

you wish this was one of those instances.

“i can’t believe you dragged me here just to make a stupid cake,” the walking strawberry mumbled for the nth time tonight. it was almost robotic, like every five minutes he has to find something to complain about.

your eyes roll to the back of your head as you grab another ingredient to put into the cart. sprinkles, a very essential need.

“it’s not stupid! don’t be grumpy tiny boy,” you remind him, pushing the cart to the next aisle as he followed loosely next to you. though he’d rather do anything else, he does find some amusement seeing you attempt to steer the contraction on wheels that’s practically as big as you.

choosing to ignore the last statement he continues on. “we’re literally in a grocery store y/n,” taehyun points out, not missing the chance to gesture around to the fruits on display. “if you wanted a cake so bad we could just buy one. why go through all this trouble?”

he’s got a point. but it would kill you to admit that he was right yet again. plus, who doesn’t enjoy baking cakes?

you supply a fresh batch of strawberries into the cart, laying a hand on the handle and the other onto your hip.

“and where’s the fun in that, hmm? baking is fun, you had fun with me last time.” you attempt to persuade him, hoping that the recollection could bring him on your good side again. your first time at baking was with cookies, and it was when you were going to meet taehyun’s friends for the first time. he offered to help you, and it’s one of your fondest memories.

“right, it was during the day though,” taehyun side tracks watching you organize everything that was starting to clash to each other in the cart. “we’re well near ten o clock y/n.”

“so? are you saying you’d rather go back to studying for a test you don’t wanna take, or would you rather occupy your night baking a delicious cake.”

you finally got him.

you sneak around the cart so you’re standing face to face with your best friend. “it’s gonna be strawberry, your favorite. it’ll match with your hair too.”

you grab the end of his sweater that was hanging around his hand all paw like and begin to rock both the sweater and his hand back and forth. he’s looking down at you with slight disgust, almost like he’s trying not to give in.

“plus, more memories together,” a sly smile forms as your eyes rest onto his.

taehyun squints his eyes as his mouth hangs half open, questioning your motives. but if he really had to choose between studying and preparing a cake to treat himself to, he’s gonna choose the ladder.

he sighs in defeat as he gestures a hand to continue forward. “fine, what else do we need then.”

you can’t help but let out a squeal in excitement as you begin to cheerily head to the next aisle, taehyun taking over pushing the cart.

“last thing is flour, oh- it’s right there!”

taehyun watches you rush over to the bags of flour stacked onto each shelf, only the ones on the top are left over. he relaxes onto the cart as he’s ready for what’s about to happen. he watches with a smile.

you attempt to look around to see if there’s any other bag on a lower shelf, but no luck. of course the last few batches have to be on the highest shelf. where you have no chance of reaching.

you’re not the smallest of people, you’re just a little below the average height. but next to taehyun, it’s like you’re an ant. which makes no sense to you because even taehyun himself is the shortest within his friend group. he’s still a tall guy, it just baffles your mind sometimes.

how does that work?

you didn’t even realize you were reaching onto the shelf like a toddler trying to grab cookies on a no touch zone. fully on your tippy toes, not missing the chance to jump higher to yank that bag off the shelf.

you defeatedly stop in your place as there’s only one last thing to do, and it’s the one you dreaded the most. ask your snarky best friend to reach it for you.

embarrassing.

heading to look his way, there he is, leaning against the cart with the biggest smirk plastered on his face. he begins to head towards your direction, standing side by side with you. he looks up to the desired object and looks back down at you.

“something you want me to get for you y/n?” you swear you saw a twinkle of revenge in the boy’s eyes and you hated it.

you bite your tongue as you close your eyes and breathe in to contain your annoyance. gotta play nice.

“just grab it.”

and so he does, still letting out a slight chuckle while doing so. although taehyun has to tippy toe a little as well to reach, he’s far more successful than you had been because now the bag of flour is secured. your dignity and pride, however, isn’t.

back at the register you watch your items get scanned by the cashier as you see the price slowly go up with each ingredient.

“we’re not going to talk about that by the way.” you mumble with your arms crossed.

taehyun swipes his card on the machine as he looks at you while putting his card back into his wallet. a small smile on his face, his dimples not going unnoticed. you two begin to grab the bags and head out into the cool brisk of the night.

“whatever you want, shortcake.”

…

guys if you think about it taehyun is actually a menace i strongly believe he would do this and it makes me so mad.

#🪐 — taehyun! #🐇 — fairybinie! #kflixnet #ficscafe #k-radio! #taehyun imagines #txt imagines #txt #tomorrow x together #taehyun fluff #taehyun #taehyun drabbles #taehyun scenarios #txt drabbles #txt scenarios #taehyun x reader #txt x reader #txt oneshots #taehyun oneshot #txt fics #taehyun fics #fluff #kpop

[shuttershocky]

Does the passage of time ever depress you?

You know what depressed me? Being in college with half my department branding me as an undesirable graduate because of my poor grades and trying to boot me out. I was in and out of the admin office managing an appeal every time they kicked me. I was being told things like to be on my guard because I was being watched for the smallest mistake and professors that helped me would get in trouble. It was bad enough that someone raised ethical concerns about how they were treating me.

So one day I thought I'd rather just kill myself than explain to my parents that 5 years of tuition fees went down the drain because I took a course I was warned in high school that I couldn't do. I walked from my department to the road where I knew trucks drove fast and kept nearly hitting me wherever I crossed.

I waited for a truck, stepped out on to the road, then jumped back on to the sidewalk when this seething hatred for my department and academia surged through my thoughts and I realized if I died here then they'd finally get rid of me, but if I walked back and miraculously passed the hell semester they designed, then I'd be in their faces for one more year.

The truck flew past me, so close and so fast that the wind slapped my face. It didn't even bother to slow down when it saw a student on the road.

So I went back, and with the sheer power of venomous, unending spite (and some luck), I passed all my classes while doing both my thesis (I owe my adviser my life for her being so understanding, and my thesis was a truly cool project that sent me all over the place) and my part time job for a nearby indie game dev.

During my graduation, the Dean of Engineering (who I also owe my life to) asked the crowd to raise hands if they were graduating in 4 years. Then she asked for 5. Then 6. Then 7+, with the last batch laughing nervously while raising their hands. Then the Dean said to raise those hands with pride, because even if it took awhile and even if the grades weren't perfect, graduation is graduation. You did it. You're getting that degree.

And thats when it really hit me, you know? At the end of the day, I won. A bit unfortunate that none of my professors attended my graduation, because I really was hoping they'd see me get my degree. I wanted them to see that I wouldn't be there if I didn't learn to despise my department the way it despised me.

Does the passage of time depress me? Sometimes I feel nostalgic. My elementary school is gone now, and my high school is nearly unrecognizable after renovations. I've had difficulties keeping in touch with some friends who I still feel much fondness for, and I wish I had been there during some milestones of their lives. But the passage of time itself? No.

What depressed me was being told that I was undesirable. What depressed me was being told that I was being watched for the smallest mistakes. What depressed me was seeing the years of fluking my way through scholarships and other things meant for genuinely gifted kids and not good test-takers (I was good at memorization) finally catch up to me when my ambitions exceeded my abilities.

Now I'm a working adult with a completely different job using skills I got from the various part time jobs and internships I took over my college years rather than anything I actually learned from my classes. Having a daily grind sucks, and so does things like needing to buy food and pay taxes and all other necessities that shrink your salary, but it doesn't depress me.

Every time I feel down or tired, I recall the time I fucking won and this wide, hateful, bitter smile splits my face in two. I'm still here to enjoy the years go by, seething in my trauma, but still here.

Let me just add that I don't like recommending spite as a motivation. Hatred is exhausting and soul-sucking in a way that nothing else is like, and I'm the sort of person that prefers to find even a little joy in whatever I'm currently doing. I feel like if you push yourself forward through spite, you hollow yourself out and become unable to fully enjoy the good that you find.

I can't however, say that spite isn't real damn effective.

It sure worked for me.

#tw suicide mention

[thatwildnya]

commission time!

thank you @thicity-dicity for that sweet succulent cash money i hope you enjoy the first batch!

general pre-relationship headcanons

Heartslabyul edition

Riddle

this poor boy doesn’t realize his feelings until someone points it out

he’s so confused why he can’t stay mad at you

you keep breaking rules but he feels bad doing anything more than a slap on the wrist

thinks you put a curse on him

then Cater is like “maybe u r feeling sexual attraction?”

suddenly everything clicks

he starts screaming and is having a mini breakdown sir please calm down you’re scaring the hedgehogs

if you listen closely you can hear chenya falling from a tree

drew up a hypothesis and puts it to the test dear doitsu just confess you tiny horny teen

his confession is simple, asks you out for dinner and confesses with a bouquet of roses he grew and tended himself

he has an adorable blush and can’t look you in the eyes it’s so cute

when you accept he gets this huge grin on his face and gives your hand a kiss

if you give him a kiss on the cheek he’ll jerk away in surprise sputtering nonsense but he’s still got that adorable grin

will hide his face if you point it out, telling you it’s not true

kiss him on the mouth and he’s out for the count

spends the rest of the night in a daze and barely registers anything

will hold your hand for the rest of the night but only if you initiate

Trey

realizes his feelings fairly quickly but isn’t in a hurry to confess

he’s only 18 there’s no rush for him to find the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with

definitely one to test out the waters before confessing

flirts with you so much he’s bent on making you blush

instead of waiting for you to come to him for help he seeks you out

likes to show off for you (and of course teases you when he’s successful)

Purposely makes the kitchen warmer so he has an excuse to take off his shirt while he bakes OwO

feeds you sweets so much you’ll gain weight if you’re not careful

not that he’ll mind, he finds chubby people attractive he gets this weird urge to feed and spoil them with sweets whenever he sees them

confesses with, surprise surprise, a cake!

when you accept he hugs you and gives your forehead a smooch

glues himself to your side a week

good luck getting away he wants to make sure everyone understands you’re his

Cater

this man takes for fucking ever to finally accept his feelings

you won’t realize his feelings unless you squint

he’s either seeking you out or avoiding you like the plague

please see a therapist you depressed f♢ckboy

spends hours at a time scrolling through your socials if you post a lot

drags you out to visit trendy restaurants and stores

gets pouty if you ignore him

confesses on accident

you’re taking pictures and when he’s editing them you overhear him say ‘ugh I’m down so bad.”

upon realizing what he said he goes

and tries to play it cool he totally planned this what are you talking about

this was the best image i could find through my laptop pls don't come for my ass

his face is red? it’s just a bit hot in here *insert nervous laughter*

you’re inside in the air conditioning. you become concerned.

gives you a suffocating hug when you accept and will pick up and twirl you around if you he can

he’s got a goofy grin and slight blush he looks so cute right now

smack his phone away if he tries to pull a ‘must blog this moment’

don’t worry his case is really sturdy you won’t break it

Ace

this asshat bullies and teases you like a child when he likes someone no questions asked

says the stupidest things to get your attention

‘you think beastmen have to deal with fleas?’ ‘ace you fuckhead it’s 1 in the morning go the fuck to sleep’

drags you to his club so he can show off

Jamil and Floyd see right through him and make it their mission to embarrass him instead

well Floyd is the one who’s mostly being an ass Jamil just gets dragged into his schemes bc he’s there

Ace better be careful if he gets too obvious and takes too long to confess Floyd will get bored and straight up out him

when he flirts it's 50/50 he either succeeds with flying colors or it turns into a dumpster fire

same goes for if you flirt back, he either plays it cool or becomes a stuttering mess and tries to escape

learned the hard way not to flirt during club time Floyd threw a basketball at his head and ended up with a bump that lasted a week

someone please put the bipolar man child in time out for that

if you’re lucky he’ll buy you a gift when he confesses

it’s cheap chocolates that were on clearance he doesn’t get much allowance cut him some slack okay

accept and he lets out a victory shout

he’s glued to your side from then on for at least a month have fun dealing his jackassery

ate half the chocolate he got for you this is what you signed up for

Deuce

like Riddle someone probably needs to spell it out for him

it’s his mom that enlightens him

look he’s always gushing about you to her she sees right through him

whenever he sees you he comes up to you asking if you need help with anything

offers to carry your stuff for you or help you with any chores you have

takes you on a magical circle wheel ride weeeeee

please go watch him during his club practice and track meets you can practically see a tail wagging behind him

Jack helps him show off like a true bro would it’s part of the bro code okay

follows mama’s advice like the good boy he is and buys you flowers and chocolates for the confession

he wrote a speech but he keeps stuttering and at some point yells ‘fuck it’ and in the heat of the moment grabs your face and kisses you

please please please kiss him back he will be in an intense happy daze for the rest of the day and follow you like a lovesick puppy

he’s flustered for a month after you two become an item and is in disbelief you accepted please do your best to make him feel loved

~~bonus~~

Ace made a bet with Floyd and Jamil that if he could make a basket he would confess. he did not come close to making it. if you listen closely you can hear his senpai's making fun of him to this day.

#nya's writing #gn!reader #heartslabyul hcs #heartslaybul x reader #riddle x reader #trey x reader #cater x reader #ace x reader #deuce x reader #twst hcs #twst headcanons #twst romantic headcanons #twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #romantic twst

[dragonrider9905]

99s, Meet Your Buir

The Days We Can't Get Back: Chapter 1

Summery: A series of one-shots about our favorite enhanced clones growing up on Kamino with 99 as their buir. They get into shenanigans together, hurt together and comfort each other because at the end of a day--especially a bad one--family is family and they will always be there for you. Being raised on Kamino is tough, but being raised as an enhanced clone is tougher.

Being strangers in a sea of brothers can be difficult, till you remember you're not alone.

99 meets the Batch

Warnings: mentions of experimentation

Notes: I originally made this series for AmberOwl24 on Ao3 @eclec-tech here on Tumblr! She suggested a cadet story and this is what came of it! Thanks for all the encouragement to write, my friend!

I'm hoping that reposting it here, going over what I previously wrote, will get my writers cap back on and inspire more words and content. Hope you enjoy! Reblogs and comments welcome.

99 shuffled along the hallways of Kamino to Nala Se’s secret lab. Being a lab scraper had some pluses . . . you knew about the inner secrets of Kamino and could go places that many didn’t have access to or even knew of its existence. How did 99 end up being a lab scraper? He was a defect. A defective clone; aging abnormally fast with gnarled muscles that didn’t move with grace and ease. 99 lacked in a lot of things: height, grace and ease (as was aforementioned), moverability in general, strength, prowess, weapon capability, stamina . . . as was said. Many things.

But what 99 lacked in, he made up for with his enormous heart. No one in Tipoca City–Kamino–or the entire Kamino system for that matter could match 99’s compassion, his understanding, his wisdom and foresight. His burning love for his brothers and desire for heroism. No clone could reach the heights he would go for those he loved or swim the depths to save another from the mind. Because 99 knew pain, knew death, he treasured life and saw things more clearly than any. 

But, because of his physical defects, 99 was confined to being tested in a lab and maintenance work. It was only by some miracle he was still around. Everyone on Kamino knew that ‘defects’ and ‘unwanted’ clones were decommissioned. How 99 escaped that fate, no one knew. Perhaps the Force was watching over him . . . keeping him safe for a very special destiny. Not all heroes' lives are noticed. Some live in the quiet halls of an unknown place and aren’t known until eons have passed. Some are made heroes through the small things, the light of hope they inflame when all is lost by a single word or action. The care they give when others are hurt. The selfless gift of themselves for a greater cause. Such was the kind of man 99 was.

When he reached there, 99 approached the tall Kaminoan scientist. 

“You called for me, Mistress Nala Se.”

“Yes,” her even voice echoed in the empty lab, “I have an additional job for you. One, you must not speak of others. It is a secret experiment which we cannot allow to be set free until it is ready.”

“Are you sure you would like me? Perhaps someone more capable. . .”

“There is no one more capable for the job which you are being given. You are barely noticed on Kamino–” 99 couldn’t help but to look to the floor at that “--and seeing how you are with the other clone cadets has proven you the best probable candidate.��� 

99 looked up. He had no idea what cadets had to do with anything but then he saw four shining test tubes behind Nala Se, each holding a little baby inside. He felt excitement starting to stir. Perhaps, just perhaps, he was being given something important? Something that would make the difference to someone?

“These will be your charges.” 

99 gasped and reached his hand out to touch the glass.

“You are to see to their needs and help keep them. I have my own I need to watch over.”

From the distance, 99 could hear the giggles of a little girl. Right. Poor Omega. That girl all alone down here. Perhaps now that she has brothers, maybe she won’t grow up alone after all. I hope so for her sake.

“I would be honored, Mistress!”  99 couldn’t keep the excitement from his voice. 

“Come, I will show you the clones.”

Nala Se and 99 approached the tanks. “This one is 9901. He has enhanced senses. He will be able to pick up on electromagnetic frequencies on an entire planet.”

99 smiled at the abnormally small clone inside and waved a hand at the child squirming inside. “Hello there.” Then he turned worriedly to Nala Se. “Won’t the storms on Kamino have a bad effect on him?” 

“If his defect was efficiently produced, then he will learn to deal with it.”

Innerly, 99 scowled. This precious child was a baby human! He deserved to be loved and cared for! Not treated coldly and with disdain if he ‘didn’t turn out how they wanted’. It hurt to think this child might be in danger because he couldn’t handle the powers given to him. 99 made a silent vow to make sure to protect this little guy. He looked . . . a little fragile; he turned to face 99 and his gray eyes went wide, like he was calling out for help. 99 guessed the storm outside was affecting him somewhat. He just hoped the little guy wasn’t in pain, just confused about what he was feeling. Ironically, this child was the ori’vod. 99 knew that, so he had to make sure he grew up strong, like a leader. 

They moved on to tank 2 where an abnormally large baby was being developed inside. “This one is 9902. He has been given strength to rival a Rancor.” This child was asleep but squirmed around happily. He must have been dreaming because of the smile on his face. 99 couldn’t help but to smile wider. “Hello there lil’ tooka.” 9902 responded to the nickname and bounced a little with laughter in his sleep. 

Tank 3 showed another smaller clone–not as small as the first–but leaner and somehow even more fragile looking. Or perhaps they all look fragile to me because of how small they are. And I get to take care of them?! His eyes looked like they held a light and curiosity, taking in everything around him. He looked calm and content. “This is 9903. He has enhanced intelligence and fast paced learning. If he was formed correctly, he will be adept as well as learned.” There it is again. 99 thought sadly. Don’t worry, child. You are loved.

Lastly, the fourth tank showed a rather cranky baby with a scowl on his face. His eyes seemed to squint as if the dim light hurt him. “Lastly, 9904 has enhanced eyesight. It should rival that of many air predators.” 

99 stepped back, taking in the sight of his four ad’ike. He was only just introduced to them but he already felt a deep love for each and every one of them. He couldn’t wait to hold them, help them, teach them, and watch them grow. He would have to give them names of course because he refused to call them by their numbers. Somehow, maybe he could get them to meet Omega and she wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. A burning desire to protect these little ones overrode his entire being. 

“Hello ner ad’ike. I’m 99–your buir.” 

#99 #star wars the clone wars #the bad batch #clone 99 #99 is an awesome dad/buir #tbb omega #tbb crosshair #tbb wrecker #tbb hunter #tbb tech #sw tbb #clone force 99 #cadets #cadet days #cadet stories #angst and feels #angst and fluff

[kaijusplotch]

Started writing the separated bad batch fic....

And shit young Cody is a doll and I love him. Alpha does too.

Story bit under cut

Cody didn't bother knocking on Alpha-17’s door, instead walking into his office with a datapad in hand and sitting down at the free chair across from him at the desk.

Alpha simply raised an eyebrow and sighed, putting his stylus down, folding his hands on his desk at the young Commander.

“Can I help you, Kote?”

“I assume you know that I'm losing my Captain.”

Alpha nodded. “Commander-sorry General Skywalker has his own battalion now, so I would imagine he would take Rex.”

“Exactly.” Cody said, putting his data pad on the desk. “And I need an ARC to replace him too. Not that I could ever replace my little brother.”

“No one could replace Blondie. I suppose you are here for suggestions on who would fit well from the last graduates who are waiting to be assigned.” Alpha picked up another datapad and moved to open the list as he spoke.

“Actually, I already have my ARC picked out. But there is a small problem,” Cody smiled charmingly at his former Commander.

Alpha’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he took a deep breath through his nose. “You have been taking lessons from Kenobi. What is it?”

“He hasn't technically graduated, and technically not cleared for active duty from the Kaminoans. EC-9902.” Cody pushed his pad toward the man who was the closest thing to a father. “And maybe I've been taking some finer lessons from General Kenobi on negotiations.”

“Don't let him charm you. He's a menace.” Alpha took the pad and read over the report Cody had written himself. “You and your personnel reports. You realize that he hasn't even been cleared by Nala Se for active duty. Not to mention his status as an EC means he potentially has detriments that haven't been discovered yet in his testing.”

“That's not my concern. He's skilled. Not just as a spotter. His academic tests are off the charts, not to mention his skills as a pilot and shooter.”

“His physical prowess, though, is above average at best, acceptable at its worst.” Alpha countered.

“For an ARC trooper. But he is still well above average and into exemplary performance in his training sims.” Cody argued, still smirking.

“I take my words about Kenobi back. You are a menace. I can't just approve him without informing Nala Se. The 99s are her special projects that she is desperate to keep on Kamino for fine tuning.”

“He's the one I want, Buir. I have a feeling about him.”

Alpha narrowed his eyes. “A feeling? What? You're a Jedi now?”

“No, but General Kenobi has helped me trust my gut. Something you honed in all of us, Alpha.” Cody leaned forward. “And I have a feeling that EC-9902 and the other 99s may have a bigger part to play. I know I can't take them all, but they need to be in the field.”

Alpha sighed and pushed the data pad back to him. “I already was going to put him into the graduating class, and I can bring up his potential and your interest to Nala Se. She has the final word. Don’t get your hopes up.” he warned.

Cody simply beamed and nodded. “I won’t. I know you’ll pull through for me.” He stood up and walked to the “I leave in three rotations. I’d like to have him on the shuttle with me to get to know him.”

“Menace. I'll have news in two rotations. You’ll have an ARC either way.” Alpha-17 watched as his oldest son; the man who took over Command of the 212th, beamed at him.

“Thanks, Buir. I’ll see you for late meal.” Cody waved and left his office, smiling to himself as he looked down at the datapad, showing a bright eyed, goggled clone. EC-9902 would make a perfect edition to the 212th, he knew it.

#star wars clone wars #the bad batch #fanfiction #commander cody #Alpha-17