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moonstrider9904 · 3 months

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Serenno

Chapter 2 of Moonwalker: The Flame

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Summary: As Sarah keeps trying to avoid Hunter and the others, a mission on Serenno brings notions into the air that will move the squad forward and makes Hunter aware of feelings brewing between Sarah and Tech.

Tags/Warnings: Mature. Allusions to polyamory. Angst, canon-typical violence, description of wounds.

Word count: 7.7k

Songs: Nocturne

A/N: This chapter is well over a year late and it makes me so happy to finally post this baby. I hope y'all enjoy some angst.

The sound of the training bolt echoing around the walls of the landing bay faded as Sarah stood still, remaining in firing position with her hereditary rifle in her hands. On rare times when she was alone, she’d sneak off and train with it in the landing bay, the one place she could be alone under the condition she never used live fire.

She figured she could make that shot a tad more perfect and, gazing down the scope and aiming directly at the tiny reflector disk she’d stuck to one of the walls, she fired again. The training bolt hit it better than it had last time, and the bolt bounced once, twice, and then a third time before finally hitting the ground.

When it did, the unwanted memory of the first time she saw Crosshair doing that invaded her mind—the audible smirk in his voice, the way her knees shook at how good he was with his rifle, the way she smiled at his cockiness and at how he was obviously pleased to have finally impressed her.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah lowered the Firepuncher and returned to the present. She walked over to the barrel she’d placed a few feet to her right where the holo image of Tech’s calculations rested. It seemed she’d finally gotten the angles right, but it was only a calculation made for three disks. For some reason, Sarah never saw herself using as many disks as Crosshair would, not by a long shot.

Then, in an abrupt rapture of the silence that surrounded her, her comm began to beep.

“Come in,” she answered, hesitant.

“Sarah, you are needed at the cantina,” Tech’s voice came from the other end.

“Why?”

A brief rustling came from the comm, a sign that it was being shifted from possession, and then Wrecker’s voice came in.

“We need you to convince Hunter to do something,” he said, his tone somewhat shy.

“What makes you think I can do that?” Sarah rolled her eyes as she reached for the holo-image and began to pack her things up. “I’m on my way, but I can’t promise anything.”

“If you coerce him, he just might do it,” Tech answered. “I predict he will be left vulnerable against your big eyes.”

“And your hips,” Wrecker cut in. “Maybe do that thing where you squeeze your arms at the sides of your chest and it makes your tits—”

“Please tell me Omega can’t hear you,” Sarah interrupted.

“She cannot,” Tech confirmed. “Are you on your way here?”

“You want me to manipulate him?” Sarah couldn’t help but chuckle. “Damn. Stay put, I’m heading there.”

“Interacting with you should be enough to lighten his tension,” Tech replied. “All of ours, frankly.”

Sarah sighed and cut the comm connection, heading straight for the cantina. When she arrived, she noticed Tech, Wrecker, and Echo huddled around a table with Cid. Of all of them, Cid was the first one to lay eyes on Sarah, directing at her a dim smile.

“Hardly see ya around here anymore, Strider,” Cid said.

“Sorry,” Sarah answered, her tone gentle and sincere towards Cid, who’d never once questioned Sarah for how she felt. “What’s going on here?”

“Dark and broody doesn’t want to go on the next mission I’ve arranged for ya,” Cid answered.

Sarah was mad at Hunter and that wouldn’t change for a long time, but she also knew him enough to know that whenever he didn’t want to go somewhere, he had a good reason for it. She figured convincing him of anything would be more difficult than swaying hips and batting her eyelashes at him, that was, if she didn’t agree with him for the first time in months.

“Where to?” Sarah asked.

Tech looked at her, solemn. “Serenno.”

Sarah scoffed, the disbelief knocking on her as well as the dismal memories that name invoked of the war and every person Dooku somehow managed to torment in its duration.

“Yeah, even I can see why he doesn’t want to go,” Sarah said.

“Which is saying a lot,” Cid muttered. “But the loot you can get from this mission will be enough to set you for life, and I’m not even exaggeratin’. We all agree you guys should go for it, all we have to do is convince bandana.”

“Convince me of what?” Hunter’s voice drew everyone’s attention onto him. Much as he had the currents against him most of the time, Hunter was still their leader, and the way his presence commanded dominance and respect made Sarah’s heart squeeze briefly.

But she managed to hustle through the feeling when Hunter’s gaze landed on her, partly upset at her, partly begging her to speak to him.

“I take it they’ve told you about Serenno,” Hunter told Sarah.

“They have,” she said.

“And are you going to try to convince me?” He asked.

Sarah sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead. “I don’t know. I hate the idea of Serenno, but if pulling this mission off will make us safer in a way, then I think we should do it.”

“We won’t be safe if we put ourselves in the way of the Empire after staying off their radar for so long, and I’m not willing to—”

“That’s the problem, you’re not willing to do many things you should do,” Sarah bit back.

The group fell silent with all eyes either on Hunter or on Sarah, each member expressing their own form of disdain from the argument. Finally, Cid cut through the tension by clearing her throat and looked at Hunter with understanding eyes.

“You’re never too late to want to protect your squad,” Cid told him. “And I care about you guys too even if it’s mushy to admit it, but hear me out. The loot from just one of those containers could help you buy your freedom. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“We’re already free,” Hunter told her, secure.

“Then you’re not payin’ attention,” Cid said. “The way the Empire was on Raxus, Ryloth, soon they’re gonna be here, and that means no more work for me, and no more work for you. You’re gonna have to move eventually and unless you start pullin’ off heists like this one, I won’t be able to help ya when that time comes.”

Sarah looked at the hologram projection of Castle Serenno and the freighters spotted around it, her thoughts swarming across many different fronts. It wasn’t long before she felt gazes on her and she looked up once more at everyone expecting an answer from her, as though anything she said would define their course of action.

As if what I want even mattered.

Sarah gave a soft sigh. “She’s right. With the way the Empire’s spreading, pretty soon we won’t be able to live like this, and we need to prepare.”

“We need to do more,” Echo told her.

“Perhaps,” Sarah looked at him. “But whether we like it or not, we’ll want to have some resources on our hands before we can even decide on what ‘doing more’ actually means for us.”

“We’re not in the position to do more. We’re fugitives, all of us,” Hunter said. “And the moment the Empire spots us, all the running away, all the hiding from planet to planet returns. I’d rather not be constantly running.”

“All the more reason for you to do this now, bandana,” Cid persuaded. “If you wanna go to a distant planet and live in peace, this is the way to start it. Think of it as buyin’ your ticket there.”

Sarah watched as Hunter turned his gaze towards Omega, who was sitting by herself at the bar reviewing study material Tech had given her. Watching him, Sarah felt her chest aching, a heartache that was uncomfortably common whenever she was around Hunter. She thought back to what she wanted to do when the war ended, and how she’d lost sight of it. She thought of how attractive the idea still sounded, to live on a far-off planet, forage for food, live in peace, forget about weapons and sorrow and loss and fear.

But after being torn from Crosshair and suffering Hunter’s betrayal, Sarah had stopped believing that was possible.

Hunter then looked back at the group and gave a short nod. “Alright. We’ll do it. We’ll ship out at first daylight.”

Around her, everyone seemed victorious and celebrated the fact that they’d go on the mission after all, but Sarah couldn’t feel that same resolve. Her heart sank; she knew that, despite having been asked to, Hunter hadn’t made his decision because of her.

The group scattered to make their preparations for the mission, and as Sarah made her way towards her room, she felt Hunter reaching out for her wrist, stopping her before she could get away from him. She hadn’t repelled him immediately like she normally would have, but Hunter wouldn’t get his hopes up too much because of it.

“I…” Hunter sighed. “I wanted to make sure this was okay with you.”

Sarah sighed. “Better late than never, I suppose.”

“Sarah—”

“I don’t care if we go to Serenno so long as we all return alive,” she said. “That’s how I feel about every mission now.”

“But you don’t deserve to feel like that,” he said.

Sarah scoffed at him and curved her lips in a smile riddled with disbelief. She then turned to look at Omega, who still sat at the bar, oblivious to most of the tensions that the adults in her family held between them.

“Ultimately, you decided because of her,” Sarah said softly.

“Yes,” said Hunter.

Sarah landed her gaze on Hunter again. “I envy her.”

Every glimpse of hope Hunter felt vanished from his eyes.

“You decided thinking of what was best for her,” Sarah added. “You made this decision because it’s what’s best for her. And ultimately, you will do for her what you wouldn’t do for me.”

“It isn’t like that—”

Sarah yanked her wrist from his grip. “I’m glad to know that’s where we stand.”

She walked off to her bunk room without looking back and resolved not to speak another word to him until it was absolutely necessary.

On the quiet flight to Serenno, Sarah sat in front of the Marauder’s left holopanel with her arms crossed, utterly silent. Opposite from her was Hunter in front of the other holopanel, his back turned on her as he scanned a planetary map for worlds that hadn’t yet been touched by the Empire, and probably wouldn’t be.

While it had been just the two of them avoiding each other in a ship that didn’t give either much freedom to escape, Echo soon walked into that section of the ship, his gaze heavy, yet somehow pleased that he’d caught Sarah and Hunter in the same place. Sarah knew her best friend well enough to know when something was on his mind, and this was clearly one of those occasions when Echo looked like he wanted to speak up. Sarah met his gaze, raising her eyebrows softly, prompting him to speak.

Hunter, who had felt Echo coming in, turned around to see why he’d taken so long to begin speaking. Once Echo had both of their attentions on him, he gave a sigh.

“Maybe we ought to talk about why we’re on this mission,” Echo lowered his voice. “And what we’ll do with the payment.”

“Hide,” Hunter replied.

“With the galaxy in its current state, you really think it’s sensible to take off and hide?” Echo said. “With the amount of people in need around the galaxy?”

“We can’t risk ourselves for everyone the rest of our lives,” Hunter added, “and living in constant war isn’t the life that kid deserves.”

“You should know, Echo,” Sarah spoke up, her gaze darting into Hunter. “He wouldn’t risk himself for his brother even if being oppressed by the Empire isn’t the life he deserves.”

Hunter looked at Sarah, his patience finally wearing off. “You want to talk about something?”

“No,” she replied, cynical. “I’m just taking every chance to remind you why we are the way we are.”

“Well, this isn’t the time to do that,” Hunter told her.

Sarah sighed and looked over at Echo. “When we get to Serenno, I’m finding a cliff to snipe from. I have the range.”

“No, I’ll need you with me,” Hunter told her.

“Wow, you’ve decided that already too,” she remarked with fake shock, shifting into a more regular tone afterwards. “Hunter, we’re stepping into Count Fucking Dooku’s home planet, and it’s laden with Imperials. The less blind we can walk in, the better, and you need an eye in the sky for that.”

“We have to stay as together as possible,” Hunter explained. “Two of us alone on different fronts will leave two members vulnerable, and we can’t risk that. Besides, we already have a shooter.”

Sarah scoffed. “Really?”

“What?” Hunter asked.

“You’re going with that?” She was practically mocking him.

“Going with what, Sarah?” Hunter asked again, exasperated at her.

Sarah stood up from her chair and in no time she stood in front of him, looking up with angry, hurt eyes. “She’s a child and therefore she shouldn’t be our shooter.”

“Lower your voice,” Hunter said through gritted teeth.

“You talk a lot about this not being the life she deserves, and I agree,” Sarah obliged, talking in a lower tone. “Then why are we still bringing her along when we already have a marksman?”

“I get it, you’re the one with the rifle—”

“I don’t mean me,” Sarah growled as a low rumble could be heard around her.

Eerie silence fell on the ship, and soon, the rumbling around Sarah ceased. She took a breath, centering herself; she didn’t want the ship being thrown out of hyperspace because of her.

“The rifle isn’t mine,” she continued, hushed. “I won’t bother you by saying his name out loud, but we both know he should be here, and he could be if you hadn’t been so selfish.”

“Sarah—”

“You could have stunned him. We could have dragged him back onto the Marauder and figured it out, but instead, you’ve let a child replace him as your marksman,” Sarah finished. “You let her replace him.”

“I think it’ll be better for all of us if we focus on the bigger picture for once,” Echo cut in, stepping between the heated pair, turning to Hunter. “Our lives are like this because of Omega. Getting her out of Kamino was the right choice, and now we have to think about how we can do more against the Empire.”

Echo then turned to Sarah, his best friend, whose frown softened when she looked at him. Though Echo wouldn’t always condone the amount of direct hits she was capable of launching at Hunter whenever they fought, he sympathized with her. She’d lost Fives and it had nearly destroyed her—he knew that only from what she told him. He hadn’t been there with her when it happened. And since then, she’d lost her way of life, she was unable to return to her home planet because of the risk of being spotted in the one place she’d be expected to hide in by the Empire, and she’d lost Crosshair, the only one who came close to being the love of her life after Fives.

“Getting Crosshair out of Kamino would have been the right choice as well,” Echo’s tone softened at her. “But that isn’t how it turned out, and as much as it hurts you, there is an entire galaxy outside of him. You can’t let your anger keep you from doing the right thing, Sarah. I know you, and I know you’re bigger and better than that.”

As Sarah looked at Echo, she thought of the amount of times he’d hinted at wanting to do more. It then dawned on her that she had a very clear image of what life would be like after the war, and now, she had no clue. She didn’t know what she wanted, and she couldn’t see any sort of future while Echo seemed to know clearly what his calling was. After Kamino, she figured her life would be drifting through the galaxy, returning to Ord Mantell every so often, and she then realized she wanted anything other than that. What her heart truly yearned for wasn’t possible, and now she had to find something she’d be able to live with.

But at that moment, as she felt the emotions bubbling inside her too much for her to conceal them, all she wanted to do was hide. All Sarah wanted to do was run into the arms of someone who could keep her safe, someone who could protect her, who’d care for her while she cried and mourned everything she had to mourn.

This isn’t freedom.

Before her eyes could fill with tears, she took a step back and breathed in deeply, forcing herself to be stoic a few more seconds. She spoke in a whisper, unable to trust in her own voice, “I’ll be at the cockpit.”

She missed her Y-Wing more than anything at that moment; at least she’d be alone and bothering nobody. Instead, her feet carried her to the cockpit behind the pilot’s chair where Tech was sitting. He didn’t remove his gaze from his datapad while the autopilot was engaged there in the middle of hyperspace, but Sarah knew he was aware of his presence. And with Wrecker asleep in the chair next to him, it felt like enough privacy for her.

Sarah rested her chin on top of the back of the seat and let her body sulk down, lips pouting to silence her sobs as her eyes finally filled with tears. Whether Tech realized she was crying or not didn’t matter to her, in fact, the less questions she had to answer, the better.

But soon, Tech’s hand reached across his body to the left side of the chair where one of Sarah’s hands rested and gently pressed his fingers over hers.

She finally began to silently weep.

Staring into the ruined cities of Serenno would fill any bypasser with dread and drain them of all hope they could feel. The sight of ashen buildings and the eerie silence that emanated from the city forced one into staring at it, much like Sarah had caught herself unable to tear her gaze away.

How many innocent people had perished? And for what?

“Sarah?”

A tiny hand nudged the side of Sarah’s arm and managed to bring her attention back to her team, her gaze now falling on the young girl who’d brought her back to reality. Sarah managed a soft smile at Omega; whatever else was happening, Omega’s big brown eyes would always be enough to remind her there was still light in the universe even in the face of something so dire. After all, Omega wasn’t to blame for the galaxy, for Crosshair, for Hunter’s choices—that much would always be clear to her. If there was anything that pained Sarah, it was that Omega still had to be in battle, even if it was usually the kid herself who refused not being there.

After Omega returned Sarah’s smile with a sad one, Sarah looked up at the squad. “Sorry. Got distracted.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame ya,” Wrecker said lowly, his frown audible through the modulators of his helmet. “It looks like hell’s ruins down there.”

“We’re splitting up,” Hunter said similarly.

She looked over at him, remembering what he’d said on the ship. “Right.”

Before heading off with Hunter, Sarah walked over to Tech and met his gaze—it was one of the many times she was grateful that his helmet didn’t cover his eyes with a pitch-black visor, but rather left them visible. Those brown eyes of his had become a source of comfort whenever all she wanted to do was disappear.

She had to acknowledge how fond she was growing of those goggled brown eyes.

“Take care, will you?” Sarah spoke softly.

“You as well,” Tech responded and powered up the holopad in his hands, ready to set out in the direction his part of the squad would take.

On the spot, Sarah turned around trying to acknowledge Hunter. But she found that, for once, he wasn’t already looking at her. Instead, Hunter seemed to be looking over in Tech’s direction, his gaze lingering on the team’s engineer for a while before he looked back at Sarah briefly before turning around and leading the way down into the forest.

Sarah braced for the awkwardness of being left alone with him.

Radio silence. That was the course of action after things, as usual, went sideways for Clone Force 99.

Sarah had heard the last transmissions Tech had sent of how they’d been trapped in the cargo container, how their escape was uncertain, how they’d been in a crash-landing. Thinking about it all made her feel cold, with her marks feeling like swirly trails of ice on her skin. A part of her regretted having listened to Hunter and staying with him throughout the mission, now accompanied by Wrecker; and though Omega and Echo were in the same situation, much as she worried about them, she couldn’t help it when Tech was at the top of her worries. She had one of her gut feelings about him, and it wasn’t a particularly good one—if it weren’t such a foolish idea and she didn’t risk her transmission being intercepted, she’d be dialing Tech’s frequency on the spot to check on him.

Sarah was never good at losing touch with those she cared for—it was why she hated splitting up in the first place. And now it was only worse—the mission had gone from going mildly according to plan to having derailed completely, and now, Sarah, Hunter, and Wrecker were scurrying around the ruined streets of the city on Serenno hoping not to be spotted on every corner they turned. The sun was going down and the ruins got darker by the minute. Pretty soon, it would become difficult to see anything.

The trio stopped at the sound of whirring gunship engines approaching. As quickly as they could, they hid under whatever large piece of rubble they could find and waited it out, until the sound of the ships flying over them became louder and then faded once more. That had been the third time they’d had to pause to hide from air forces, and at that point, it was clear that the Empire wasn’t going to rule out the possibility of them being in the city. On the contrary, they were onto them and they knew it.

A modulated sigh came from Hunter as he glanced through his helmet’s visor over at Wrecker and Sarah. He then got down on one knee with his hand brushing the ground only to look up at his two teammates again. “They’re less than one klick away.”

“And we might need more than two blasters and one rifle to hold them off?” Sarah asked.

“It’s a whole platoon, so my answer would be yes,” Hunter said as he got back up. “Wrecker, spot anything we could use?”

Wrecker had begun laughing with excitement when Hunter stopped talking. He then pointed his large hand out eastward saying, “That. That right there. That’s what I want!”

Just as Sarah pulled the scope of the Firepuncher rifle to get a better look at what Wrecker was pointing at, the large clone ran off in a childlike manner. She finally got a better look at the Separatist tanks piled over rubble and debris and understood why Wrecker had been so cheerful about spotting them.

“Do they even work?” Sarah questioned.

“Oh, I’ll handle that!” Wrecker lunged himself into the first tank he reached.

“I’ll stay with him,” Hunter told Sarah. “Can you pick them off from above?”

“I was hoping you’d ask,” she nodded before turning around and heading for the nearest cliff. After the climb, she had a perfect view of the platoon that was headed their way, and she quickly managed to spot Wrecker and Hunter messing with the tanks, most likely hoping to get one of them to function. She knew that if they didn’t succeed, their bright plan would be a total failure, meaning that was her cue to begin sniping the army of imperial clones.

One by one, with the Firepuncher set to stun, Sarah took down the clones from the front lines to the rear, managing to buy Hunter and Wrecker at least some more time while they figured out what they were doing on their front. It wasn’t long before Wrecker got hold of not one of the tanks, but its cannon. Even being at the top of a cliff sniping, Sarah could hear Wrecker’s laughter booming, preceding the first of the cannon blasts.

And then chaos reigned over the scene. Wrecker steadily advanced, his laughter filling the gaps between the blasts from his new favorite toy—he even made Sarah smile. She would have loved to sit back and watch him, as he clearly wouldn’t need her help anymore, but that was when she heard clone chatter coming up from behind her.

Sarah didn’t have enough time to react. If she had, she probably would have been able to dodge the blaster bolt headed towards her, and in a sloppy attempt to move out of its way, it wound up hitting her on the shin. She cried out as the laser burned through the surface of her skin, the pain searing through her leg as she tried not to fall to the ground. She hooked the rifle onto her back and unholstered her hand blaster instead to stun the first troopers to emerge from the darkness.

“Sarah!” Hunter cried out from below invaded with worry after hearing her cry in pain.

Sarah registered the sound of his voice and the sound of the marching that approached, and she realized her blaster efforts wouldn’t be enough. Too many of them were heading her way, and the same could be said for the troopers down there. They were outnumbered and one marksman down; Sarah wouldn’t be much help in a wounded state. With the amount of troopers cornering her, Sarah looked over her shoulder and realized there was only one way out of that one.

She leapt off the cliff, bending the Force around her hoping to lessen the impact of her fall. While not fatal, the pain from the blast on her thigh worsened when she hit ground level, and it was enough to knock her down with her back against the floor. There, she could process the vibrations of the army through the earth: the platoon in the east, the fraction of it on the cliff, with another pack of reinforcements heading in from the north, not far behind the cliff Sarah had just fallen from.

If they didn’t act fast, they’d be done for.

All Sarah wanted to do was lie on the ground and see the stars plastered on the night sky, but as she did that, she found a couple of rocky vertices on the cliffs that surrounded the area. From that angle, she spotted one she could blast away with her own rifle on the cliff next to her, but for the other one, she’d need Wrecker’s help. They couldn’t take all of those troopers just the three of them, but they could easily stop them from coming with a couple of carefully placed blasts.

“Wrecker,” Sarah spoke into her comm. “See that large spike on the cliff towards the east?”

“Yeah,” Wrecker answered.

“I need you to shoot it,” she said.

“Negative,” Hunter entered the comms. “Where are you, anyway? I can’t see you.”

“I’m safe from whatever debris may fall, if that’s what worries you. I have a plan,” Sarah told him. “Wrecker’s going to take that cliff down, I’ll handle the other one close to me.”

“We don’t know if that’s really going to work,” Hunter debated.

“Will you two stop fighting for once?!” Wrecker boomed into the comm. “Sarah, tell me when.”

“Now!” Sarah cried out.

The next thing she heard was another cannon blast being fired, and she saw the ray of light rising up to the cliff she’d told Wrecker to fire at. When it hit, the rocky cliff exploded into hundreds of rocks and boulders and began making its way downward onto the platoon that cornered Wrecker and Hunter. It was Sarah’s turn after that, and with the strength she had, she pulled through the burning on her shin and stood up, aiming the Firepuncher at the weak point on her own cliff. She set the rifle to kill, figuring the blast would be stronger that way, and focused the crosshair on the medium rock that seemed to hold the cliff in place. Sarah breathed out, steadying herself, and when even the pain of her blast wound disappeared she fired the rifle.

The blast hit exactly where she had intended to, and she sent the cliff collapsing down on the army that had tracked her down, but it created a lot more rubble than she had intended at first—rubble that was now crashing down on her. Quickly as she could, Sarah ran for cover, but she wouldn’t get far in her current state. When the debris nearly hit her, she raised her hands and used the Force to shield herself from any of the rocks, levitating them away from her.

Eventually, the debris stopped falling and it settled around her. Sarah waved her hands in front of her, coughing up all the dirt that had made its way into her lungs.

“Sarah?” Hunter inquired through the comms. “Sarah, come in!”

Sarah finished coughing and pulled her comm up near her lips as she examined the pile of rubble she’d just created, her heart sinking.

“I’m here, I’m alive,” she said. “Though I’m afraid I just created a wall between us, quite literally.”

“Stay put, I’ll go and get you,” Hunter said.

“No,” Sarah replied. “I’m injured and I’m only going to slow you down. You and Wrecker get to the ship, I’ll rendezvous after that.”

“Sarah, no—”

“Hunter!” She raised her voice, caring little for who or what would hear her. “I am telling you this because it’s the best option. For once in your life, listen to what I want and do as I say.”

Silence filled the comms for a moment until she heard him sigh.

“Alright, Wrecker and I will get to the Marauder. But we might need to go radio silent again,” Hunter agreed.

“You know how to find me,” Sarah replied, her tone much softer. She turned her comm off, knowing it would be safer not to use it anymore, and she turned around on her spot to find that she was at the edge of the forest.

Sarah took a few paces and kneeled on the ground, her fingers digging into the soil beneath her. Like she’d done many times before at that point in her life, Sarah began to absorb the life Force of the planet, and slowly, she felt the wound on her shin beginning to close and the pain easing off from her. She let out a long exhale, finally able to release the tension she’d been feeling until that moment, and even her mind cleared.

Now thinking straight and with her hands still pressed to the ground, there was something Sarah could feel through the earth. It was someone close to her, someone dear to her, but he was slower. Weakened. Vulnerable.

Tech.

She knew better than to not pay any mind to it, and if she could feel him that clearly, he couldn’t have been that far from her. If he was injured too, she’d have to hurry. Through the earth, Sarah focused on him until she was able to know exactly where he was. With that clear, Sarah prepped the rifle in front of her and set off running in his direction.

No troopers or traps were found as she ran through the forest, and though it felt like she’d been running for ages, it finally wasn’t long before she heard the sound of blasters and speeder bikes. She could still feel Tech’s presence—as long as she could feel him there, everything would be alright—and when she felt she was close enough to still remain hidden, she stopped and aimed the rifle.

Through the scope, she could see Tech. He was standing, but his posture was slightly hunched over. It wasn’t until she saw him moving that he noticed he was limping, and he pulled his blaster out to stun a trooper before hiding behind the trunk of a tree. Sarah then located the troopers that were cornering, and without thinking about it, she aimed the Firepuncher at one of them and fired.

She didn’t bother changing it back to stun.

When the trooper fell, she fired at another one. The last one that crept up on Tech did so a tad too quickly, but Sarah saw through the scope that Tech fired his blaster at the trooper, stunning him to the ground. After that, Tech wobbled and fell down to the ground himself.

“Tech!” Sarah cried and pulled the rifle down and ran the remaining distance between her and him. When she reached him, she collapsed to the ground next to him and took him in his arms, and even in the darkness of the forest, she saw his brown eyes glistening with the faint light as he looked at her.

“Sarah…” Tech sighed. “I am hurt.”

She then looked at his leg and noticed the swelling and the unnatural angle it had. She felt her blood going cold at the sight of his broken leg, but more than that, her heart broke for him. She’d never fathomed the idea of Tech being hurt before, and it felt wrong, like it should never even be a possibility.

“Tech…” Sarah whimpered, her hand reaching for the cheek of his helmet. “Let’s get you out of here. Where are Echo and Omega?”

“Over the cliff,” Tech grunted in pain after speaking the words. “Omega went to the chest and Echo followed her.”

“And where is the chest?”

“Over the cliff,” Tech repeated. “At a very inconvenient precipice, might I add.”

“I could help with that,” a third, unfamiliar voice filled the area.

Sarah didn’t hesitate to react. She pulled the rifle and aimed it at the stranger, but she kept herself from pulling the trigger when she saw it wasn’t a soldier or anyone who even looked Imperial. It was an old man, a friendly-looking one, at that, who raised his hands above his head when she aimed the Firepuncher at him.

“Sarah, he’s a friend,” Tech told her.

“Ah,” said the old man. “So this is the famous Sarah.”

She lowered the rifle, releasing any tension she held. “Who are you?”

“Romar Adell, at your service,” the man lowered his hands. “Don’t worry, I mean you no harm.”

Sarah lowered the rifle, humbled by the fact that Tech had mentioned her in the short time they’d been apart. “Can you help me get him up?”

Romar paced towards her and secured Tech’s left side while she took the right, and together they helped him up to standing.

“I told you that you wouldn’t get too far in your current state,” Romar told Tech. “Now stay here, Ace.”

Sarah’s features softened and she looked at Tech. “Ace?”

Tech locked eyes with her, and beneath his goggles, his gaze softened at her as well. The tenderness in her voice was undeniable, as was the vulnerability in the word she’d spoken.

“A coincidence,” Tech told her.

“Excuse me?” Romar inquired.

“Someone we care about used to call her that,” Tech explained.

Before Sarah could allow herself to feel any more emotion, the loud roaring of engines filled the area around the forest. What was alarming about that was that it was not the sound of the Marauder. Sarah recognized it as the sound of V-Wings.

“There’s a speeder bike and a cable we can use to get your friends out of the chest,” Romar looked at Sarah.

“Why don’t I give some cover, and you can get them out?” She said.

“I don’t mean to disrespect you,” Romar hesitated, “but how are you going to cover us against fighter ships?”

Sarah held the Firepuncher up. “Target practice.” She then looked over at Tech. “You stay here, I don’t want your leg getting any more hurt than it already is.”

“I suppose telling you it cannot get much worse will not change your mind?” Tech asked her.

“Stay here,” Sarah reaffirmed, and with a look over at Romar, she gestured it was time to follow through with their improvised plan.

The two ran nearer to the cliff where the trees cleared out; Romar attached the long cable coiled at the edge to the lonely speeder bike and got on it, putting its thruster in reverse at max speed. While Sarah felt hopeful she’d see Echo and Omega again soon and safe, she locked her sights on the first of the V-Wings that approached at a daunting speed.

Keeping track of the fighter ship seemed more difficult to do through the Firepuncher’s scope, and steady as she was, Sarah fired and missed up to three bolts.

Focus, she told herself. Planting her feet more firmly on the ground, Sarah inhaled deeply and looked down the scope once more. Much to her fortune, that first V-Wing seemed to be approaching her directly, making it easier for her to aim at the ship’s cockpit. Before giving it the chance to move anymore, Sarah pulled the rifle’s trigger, sending the bolt straight through the middle of the cockpit.

The ship spiraled out of control and crashed on the ground in flames, and upon impact, Sarah felt the icy cold sensation returning to her marks. Though unpleasant, she paid no mind to it at the moment. She couldn’t when there were another two V-Wings threatening her and her family.

Just as Sarah was aiming for the next ship, she heard the familiar whirring of the Marauder approaching. The modified Omicron-class attack shuttle rarely looked so beautiful as it did at that moment, and it quickly outmaneuvered the V-Wings enough to give the rear turret a clear shot, sending the second one crashing down.

Only one remained.

“We need to go now,” Hunter said through comms. “Can you take the other one down while we make an approach?”

Sarah pulled the comm near her lips. “I sure hope so. Make your move.”

Being so focused on the last V-Wing, Sarah hardly even noticed when Echo and Omega emerged safely from the cliff. They grouped behind her and waited for the Marauder to approach as well as for Tech to emerge from the forest aided by Romar, and now that they were all together, there was only one priority left. The Marauder made the approach and its platform opened, revealing Wrecker.

“Sarah?” Hunter spoke through the comms again, audibly worried.

“Hang on…” Sarah whispered, aiming for the ship.

It was moving directly towards the Marauder. At that angle, she wouldn’t have a clear shot like she did with the first one, and it was too close a call to mess it up. She’d have better odds of taking it down if she aimed for the engines. She calculated the speed at which it moved, angled herself, and when the time was right, Sarah fired the rifle and the blue bolt flew through the air until it impacted the ship’s engine, and it spiraled down crashing into the war chest below, and a heap of rubble, smoke, and flames fell down to the lower levels of the forest.

“Nice shot,” Hunter said.

Sarah put the rifle away and turned around as Echo and Omega climbed onto the Marauder. Sarah supported Tech as he tried to stand, and the two faced Romar, realizing it was time to say goodbye.

“Thank you for helping him,” Sarah told him with a slight bow of her head.

“Don’t mention it,” Romar answered. “You’ve got some skill and decent firepower despite that just being a rifle. Do me a favor and make it count.”

The words resonated with Sarah, and for a moment, she thought back to what Echo was saying about doing more. Seeing that Romar lived on Serenno, she figured he of all people had cause to hate the Empire, to be tired of tyranny and destruction. She thought of her own reasons to hate the Empire, and with resolve, she nodded.

“I will,” she said.

Romar then looked at Tech. “Take care, Ace. Or I’ll ask her to take care of you.”

“Don’t worry,” Sarah smiled. “He’ll be safe on my watch.”

Romar nodded at her and Tech, and finally, it was time for them to go. Echo and Wrecker held their arms out to help Tech onto the ship, and once he was safely in, Sarah jumped in. As the Marauder took off, Sarah managed one more salute at Romar before the ship’s platform closed, and wishing him well, they were now on course to leave Serenno.

Sarah rested the Firepuncher rifle on the wall after locking its safety pin, and quickly, she ran over to one of the passenger seats in the cockpit where Tech was sitting and getting his leg examined by Echo. She kneeled on the durasteel floor and reached for his hand, giving him a gentle squeeze with her fingers.

“I’m here,” Sarah told him.

Tech grunted in pain, but he managed a smile. “You know, seeing you emerge from the forest like that, I figure that’s what other clone captains and commanders would feel when seeing their Jedi general amidst battle… before the end of the war, at least.”

Sarah grinned. “Yeah, well, you could never hurt me.”

The slightest hint of a smile appeared on Tech’s lips before he groaned in pain, squeezing Sarah’s hand even harder.

“This will just last a bit,” Echo reassured.

“It is customary to provide painkillers before making any limb adjustments,” Tech began. “Although, given the urgency of this fracture and the need to provide treatment, I would understand the lack of reason behind waiting for painkillers to set in, though I certainly wouldn’t complain. After all, it’s not as if I have not waited long enough already. Several hours have already passed since the incident.”

“You should have given him the painkillers first,” Wrecker nudged Echo.

“Leave him alone,” Sarah defended. “I think the infodumping as a pain management technique is adorable.”

“You think droids are adorable,” Wrecker pouted.

Echo, Tech, and Wrecker continued to bicker, and all the while, Sarah realized she hadn’t let go of Tech’s hand. There was no problem. She found that she didn’t want to let go of his hand anyway.

Sarah did, however, notice a set of eyes looking at her hand in Tech’s, and rather than focusing on flying the Marauder, they were laden with sorrow and with jealousy. Then, Hunter finally looked Sarah in the eyes. She maintained eye contact with him before finally averting her gaze and gave Tech’s hand one last squeeze before getting up.

“I’ll look around the ship and see what we can use to stabilize that let,” Sarah said. She then walked away from the cockpit and made her way towards the back of the ship, where Omega was sitting with her trooper doll in her hands. Her big eyes looked at Sarah, and the usual warmth of her smile made Sarah realize how cold her marks still felt.

“That was some really good shooting, Sarah,” Omega said. “I…”

Omega looked over at the Firepuncher resting on the wall, and then she looked at Sarah again. “I think Crosshair would say the same too.”

The hole in Sarah’s chest deepened at the mention of his name as multiple thoughts swarmed through her mind. Crosshair, Tech, Tech’s injury, the fact that Sarah had just ended the lives of multiple troopers. Still, the sight of Omega smiling at her eased some of that. If a child as pure and kind as Omega could still look upon Sarah and smile, she maybe didn’t have anything to feel terrible about.

Eventually, Sarah found it in herself to chuckle. “Nah, Crosshair would be teasing the hell out of me. It’s his way of showing love.”

“Well, then…” Omega continued. “We should find him and tell him about today. See how he reacts.”

Sarah looked straight at Omega. She refused to use the child to convince Hunter to go after Crosshair again—she wouldn’t open that can of worms again. However, after Kamino, Sarah hadn’t really thought of seeing Crosshair again.

It had really felt like the end at one point.

“We should,” Sarah agreed.

Omega smiled and put her doll aside. “Can I help out with Tech?”

“You sure you want to do that?” Sarah asked her. “It’s not going to be a pretty sight.”

“I know, but I can handle it,” Omega replied. “I was in the medical wing before we met, remember?”

Yet another reminder that hit Sarah like a training bolt. Sometimes, all she wanted to do was think of Omega as a child, not as anything else.

Sarah gave as cheerful a smile as she could manage. “Right.”

Omega jumped off her chair and went to look for a couple of steel rods she knew happened to be lying about the ship, and with excitement, ran off to the cockpit to aid Tech. Sarah stood in the empty midsection of the Marauder thinking about what would come next.

But, for now at least, Tech needed her with him. She’d have more than enough time to begin her own quest when they returned to Ord Mantell.

Thank you for reading! Please reblog to support me!

Taglist: @nunanuggets @rexandechosandwich @redheadgirl @coffeyorky @arctrooper69 @wildmoonflower @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @stardust9905

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Next Chapter ->

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anxiouspineapple99 · 5 months

Note

Ohhhh baybe from the kiss prompt:

“a kiss against the shoulder after waking up beside each other”

With Avery and tech 💕🥹💕

Starry babe! Please enjoy this gift on Turkey Day! Thank you for the ask! I always love talking about these two lol. Prompt will be in blue.

A/N: been a while since I’ve been able to write so I hope you all enjoy this! Just a little snacky drabble for you today!

Pairing: Tech x Jedi!OC Avery Leto

Rating: M ish. Nothing explicit but suggestive themes. Minors shoo!

Wordcount: 422

Warnings: Fluff, softness, kisses, boobies mentionedXD

Summary: Tech wakes up next to Avery and sweet softness ensues.

Suggested Listening:

He’s risen before the sun. Not an uncommon occurrence for him. However the soft form sleeping next to him is a little more unusual, though not unwelcomed as their time alone is scarce. Tech squints in the dim light that trickles in through the transparisteel window of the room. Avery’s back is to him, blurry as he’s not donned his goggles yet. However he doesn’t rush, the haze of unfocused eyes softens her even more.

He trails his fingers from the mound of her hip, elegantly draped with their shared blanket, up to her mess of curls splayed across her pillow and his. Her breathing is slow and steady as her lashes flutter as if dancing through a dream.

He presses his nose to the curve behind her ear, breathing her in. She always smells divinely sweet, like fruit or candy. It makes pressing soft kisses to every exposed inch of her nearly irresistible. But he waits, not wanting to wake her yet.

His fingers ghost back down to her shoulders. The pads tracing the outline of her scapula, pausing over the scar, pale and rough in contrast to the rest of her softness. He traces the tattoo between her shoulder blades, still blurred in eyesight but is dedicated to his mind’s eye as clearly as the skies of Naboo.

She shifts as the light peeking through the curtains kisses her face. His hands continue their exploration. He knows her well now and yet he never grows tired of venturing out over the soft hills and crevices of her body. His eyes flutter shut as he brushes his nose along the same line he traced with his fingers. A smile creeps to his lips as she shivers at his touch, humming as she stirs awake.

Tech presses a gentle kiss to her shoulder, soft yet firm. His favorite morning greeting for her.

“G’mornin’ Tech,” she drawls sleepily, scooting closer to him.

“Good morning darling.”

“Been up long?”

“Long enough to appreciate how lovely you look while you sleep peacefully.”

She huffs a breathy laugh as she rubs the sleep from her eyes and reaches her other hand behind her to card her fingers through his hair. He chuckles and begins tracing the curve of her breasts, kissing along her shoulder and up her neck. Her soft whines, the only encouragement he needs to proceed with the body worshiping he’d begun the night before. Waking before the sun when he is next to her is becoming his favorite way of starting the day.

Sgetti sauce list: @secondaryrealm @sev-on-kamino @dystopicjumpsuit @mooncommlink @moonlightwarriorqueen @sunshinesdaydream @starrylothcat @starqueensside @mandos-mind-trick @multi-fan-dom-madness @808tsuika @msmeredithrose @trixie2023 @wolffegirlsunite @mythical-illustrator @wings-and-beskar @wizardofrozz @ladyzirkonia @eyeluvmusic21 @523rdrebel @idontgetanysleep @clonemedickix @isthereanechoinhere96 @littlemissmanga @sinfulsalutations @the-bad-batch-baroness @freesia-writes @dickarchivist @eclec-tech @dreamie411 @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @cw80831

#star wars #anxiouspineapple99 writes #drabble #tbb tech x oc #tbb tech drabble #you asked #and the pineapple answered #oc: avery leto #tbb tech x fem!oc #jedi oc #jedi healer oc

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techs-assistant · 11 months

Photo

A little smooch break :) a finished sketch commission for a user on twitter :3

#tbb tech #tbb Tech x oc #tbb #star wars #tech tbb

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imabeautifulbutterfly · 7 months

Text

Let Me Take Care of You

Summary: Amber is injured; Tech just wants to look after you.

A/N: Hello Lovelies,

I wrote this for @eclec-tech since she was a little under the weather. It just a quick blurb. Enjoy love.

Love oo.

Warnings: Domestic fluff, cute, injury mentioned, I think that's it. If I miss anything let me know.

AO3 Link | OS & MS Master List | Main Master List

“Amber, I told you to stop using your arm” Tech mumbled from his seat as he focused on his datapad.

“I’m not using my arm” she mumbled.

“If you’re not using your arm, then why are you whining in pain.”

“That’s just your imagination.”

“Mmhmm”

He placed the datapad down, and stood, shifting to stand behind Amber, he took the jar out of her hand turning it, as he tilted his head at her, “What were you wanting, cyar’ika?”

She let out a deep sigh, “I wanted to make myself a sandwich.”

“Then you tell me what you want, and I’ll make it” he placed a kiss on her temple as he shifted towards the conservator pulling out various items. “Want some tea as well?”

“Please” Amber sat there watching as Tech moved around the kitchen, making her a snack as a smile donned his lips, her head was propped on her right hand, as her left arm was in a sling. She couldn’t help but feel loved and taken care of.

Ever since she injured her left arm, Tech had been doting on her since they came back from the doctors. He wouldn’t let her open any doors, made sure to have dinner ready, and breakfast the next day. Even brushing her hair after their shower together, which he had logically and charmingly stated was for her safety only, he’d been gentle doing his best not to pull too hard.

He walked over placing the sandwich which had been cubed and cut in front of her, each cubed piece had a toothpick pierced through to keep it together, making it easier for her to pick up and eat. She couldn’t help but smirk at the display before her.

“You really do take care of me, don’t you”

“Anything for you, cyar’ika” he placed another kiss on her temple as he took the seat beside her grabbing his datapad focusing on his work again.

She leaned into his side as she chewed another piece of the sandwich, “You’re the best, love.”

“I know” he smirked as he focused on the article he was reading.

She just shook her head as she took another cubed piece.

“You know why I’m the best, don’t you?”

“Because you read and study all the time?”

“Nope” he turned to look at her, smiling as his eyes locked on to hers, “I’m the best, because of you. Now, all you need to do is let me take care of you while your arm is healing. You worry me when you’re injured, so please allow me to take care of you. It’s my way of showing my love for you.”

She smiled as she placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling into his neck, “Alright, love. I promise - - the next inju…” he cleared his throat, “the next time I need something, I’ll ask you for help. Deal?”

“Yes, cyar’ika.”

“You know this goes both ways you know.”

“Yes, cyar’ika. If I need your help the next time I’m injured and you’re well, I will ask you to assist me.”

“Deal” she placed a kiss on his lips, promising to always be there to help each other.

AO3 Link | OS & MS Master List | Main Master List

Tag List:

@liadamerondjarin @badbatch-simp24 @spicymcnuggies @lady-ren@firstofficerwiggles @darkangel4121 @discofern @kavecika@monako-jinn-stories @ladykatakuri @avathebestx @theroguesully @furyhellfire66 @carodealmeida @ciramaris @sprout-fics @twinkofthedink @dindjarin-mandalorian

#tech x oc #the bad batch tech #tech x reader #tbb tech #bad batch tech #tech #the bad batch tech x oc #bad batch tech x oc #tbb tech x oc

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cloned-eyes · 1 year

Text

Imma not sit here and pretend that the whole reason i made this blog is because of Tech and this scene were he is literally about to get eating by the Zillo beast and just stands there mesmerized because hes a fucking nerd and I wanted to give him a space deity gf ever since

#the bad batch #star wars tbb #tbb tech #star wars oc #star wars fanart #tbb tech x oc #tbb fanart #space oc #sw fanart #art #my art #eyesdraws #the chokehold this idea had me in for the last weeks i swear to god

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501st104th212th99s · 1 month

Text

I am once again appealing to the fandom in help of finding a fic. This time it’s a Tech x oc/reader one. I’m pretty certain the nickname for the OC is Dot as she’s a journalist back on coruscant. She originally meets Tech undercover while trying to find out what the clones really feel about the war. They meet get together and complete a few missions together. The chancellor puts out a hit list on journalists and tech thinks she’s dead as her name is on the list of deceased. However they meet on ord mantell when passing through a market and reunite. Hunter also hooks up with her friend a twilek. I’ve been searching for days and have had no luck and my pregnancy mind is making me go crazy so any help would be much appreciated. Much love 👌🏻

#the bad batch #tbb tech #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tech x reader #tbb tech x oc #bad batch fanfic

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nerys-vost · 4 months

Text

Tech: I have feelings for you. Nerys: Why? What's wrong with you? Are you sure you're okay?

#incorrect bad batch quotes #incorrect tbb quotes #incorrect tbb #incorrect star wars quotes #incorrect the bad batch #tbb oc #bad batch oc #star wars oc #my oc #nerys vost #tbb tech #tbb tech x oc #canon x oc

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thecoffeelorian · 1 month

Text

Presenting, At Long Last...Lyn!!

(As I'm editing the most recent chapter of "The Past Is Another Land", here's a little preview for the chapter that comes afterward.

In other words, I'm presenting my OC Lyn Innsur to you all in a special POV edition, and I hope she makes a good impression! Thank you so much! :D :D )

No Pressure Tags:: @apocalyp-tech-a @theosb0rnway @talesfrommedinastation @littlefeatherr and anyone else interested in more Tech x OC content! 😎

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I can already hear them. Two loud sets of feet tramping through the underbrush, one larger than the other, and their voices sound both annoyed and confused.

No, not just that—they sound like a pair of nervous babysitters, if not also a bit more.

Still, I can only guess what’s bothering them at this moment, though it might certainly have a lot to do with the girl and her friend who just came through this part. Especially considering that, at least for most of these, they’re wearing a certain combination of family colors.

If anything, they’re certainly not scared to be seen in public with one another.

This is probably why I waste no time moving in their direction, even as my hiking companion has to stand still for a minute before allowing himself to turn and walk upon a different trajectory. We’re going in the same direction regardless, so I don’t think I should have ANY trouble speaking to any of the others if the problem here is exactly what I think it is.

Not when I have firsthand knowledge of what DOES happen to young girls who suddenly don’t make it back home.

This is why I’m not afraid to meet them out here upon this very path, my head upright and my lekku at rest. I know for a fact that they have no reason to fear me, so in return, I can only hope that they don’t give me any reasons to be afraid of them.

Or…that’s my main thought, until I see the largest of the bunch crash through a few trees first.

#random status update #star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #original character #my oc #lyn innsur #original female character #original twi'lek character #original autistic character #tbb tech x oc #wip wednesday #actually autistic #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker

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purplefangirl42 · 1 year

Text

Plant Yourself in My Heart

Summary: While doing research at the Jedi Temple, Tech meets someone that makes him realize that he is not alone in his passion for knowledge.

Pairing: Tech/Jedi! OC (Anaj Rotz)

Warnings/Tags: First Meetings, Plant Related Adventures, Mentions of a Bar Fight

A/N: This is the Star Wars half of my follower celebration, which was voted to be the Tech/OC piece by my lovely followers. This takes place within the same fic verse as all the rest of my Star Wars fics, sometime after chapter 8 of Bad Timing. Thank you to @juniper-sunny for beta-reading! Divider by @djarrex.

AO3 Link

“You would think the holonet would have more information on things you should avoid,” Tech grumbled as he scrolled through the limited results his datapad had given him. “It is essential for people to know these things.”

“Most people probably just stay away from the jungle,” Hunter offered, twirling his knife in a circle.

“Can’t say I’m too fond of them myself,” Crosshair said, not looking up from his rifle cleaning project. “Hard to get a good vantage point with all the vines hanging in the way.”

“Especially when you’re hanging from them!” Wrecker shouted from the back of the Marauder.

Crosshair shot a glare towards his larger brother before focusing on his rifle again. Tech threw his datapad onto the co-pilot set in disgust before turning to the control panel in front of him. They were nearly to Coruscant after spending many hours in hyperspace. He needed to get access to a place that would have information on the plant life he was researching. Surely there would be somewhere on Coruscant that would hold the knowledge, or at least someone that could point him in the right direction.

Just as they exited hyperspace, the indicator light on the control panel lit up, telling them they had a message. Tech pressed the button to acknowledge it, starting a hologram of Commander Cody. Hunter sheathed his knife and walked to the front of the cockpit.

“What can we do for you, Commander?” he asked.

“I was calling to let you know that your mission details have been finalized and to see what your ETA was.”

“We have just arrived in the space above Coruscant,” Tech said. “We will begin our landing as soon as we are given clearance.”

“I guess I’ll see you when you arrive then,” Cody said. “See you soon boys.”

The transmission cut off and was replaced by the call for landing clearance from one of the towers near the military port. Tech entered the correct code and then followed the directions he was given to an open hangar. Once the landing cycle was complete, he shut everything down and gathered his datapad off the seat, placing it back in its correct location in his pack.

“Maybe Cody can tell you where to look for that information you need,” Hunter suggested. “We aren’t supposed to leave for our mission until tomorrow, so I’m sure you’ll have time to find it.”

Tech made a humming sound and adjusted his goggles.

“It’s not likely that Cody would know where to find it, but I’ll ask anyway.”

The four of them descended the ramp from the ship and made their way across the hangar. Cody would be waiting for them in the briefing room he had sent his transmission from. When they arrived, they found not only Cody waiting for them, but also General Kenobi.

“Gentlemen,” the Jedi said in greeting. “It’s been a while.

“General,” Hunter said, bowing his head respectfully. “Always a pleasure.”

“Speak for yourself,” Tech heard Crosshair mutter quietly behind him.

Tech glanced over his shoulder, giving Crosshair a warning look. Ever since their mission with General Orim and their chance encounter with her afterwards, Crosshair had been sour towards General Kenobi. He hadn’t offered any explanation other than “I don’t have a good feeling about him”. Tech had a feeling it had to do with how upset Lena had seemed in the hallway that day. She seemed to be the main thing on his brother’s mind as of late.

Crosshair being smitten was unexpected, and his bitterness towards Kenobi even more so.

Tech shook his head in annoyance and focused his attention back on Cody and Kenobi. They were talking to Hunter about the mission they had just completed.

“You won’t be leaving for your next mission until the day after tomorrow. I trust you got the mission brief I sent you?” Cody asked.

Teche grabbed his datapad and held it up, indicating that he had the information.

“There are a few things that will require some research before we depart,” he said. “I understand there is some flora that would be best to avoid, but I could not find sufficient information on it on the holonet.”

Kenobi rubbed his hand over his beard, as if he was thinking deeply about what Tech had said. “There is a rather extensive research division into plantlife at the Jedi temple that may have the information you require,” he said. “I can grant you access to the Temple so you can consult with them.”

Tech was surprised and excited by the General’s offer. Having access to the vast stores of knowledge within the Jedi temple was something that he longed for. There were things compiled there that not even the greatest academies in the galaxy had access to.

“I would greatly appreciate it, General.”

“I will give Cody the clearance codes and have him pass them along to you,” Kenobi said. “I will leave you gentlemen to the rest of your briefing.”

With a final goodbye to the Commander, General Kenobi left the briefing room. Cody turned his full attention to the men before him.

“Since Tech already has the mission brief, I’ll only summarize and add the things that have been added since it was issued. Then, you are free to go until your departure time. Hopefully, you’ll be able to have some fun while you’re here on Coruscant.”

Tech knew that he would enjoy himself at the Temple and he had no doubts his brothers would take the time to visit 79’s for some drinks.

Later in the afternoon, Tech was ready to head for the Jedi temple. Cody had given him the necessary clearance codes and had made a list of things that he intended to research. As he exited the cockpit and headed for the ramp, Wrecker called out his name.

“Where you goin’? Aren’t you gonna come to 79’s with us?” he asked.

“First of all, it’s the middle of the afternoon. A bit early to be going to a bar. Secondly, as much as I’d love to spend time dragging you back home after you’ve had entirely too much to drink, I have more important things to do.”

“Like what?”

“He’s got research to do, remember?” Hunter cut in.

“Boring!” Wrecker shouted before returning to lifting their helpless GNK droid onto his arm.

Tech rolled his eyes and descended the ramp, Hunter following close behind. Crosshair stood outside, leaning against the side of the Marauder.

“Off on your plant mission?” he asked.

“Unless you would like to be digested by an unknown plant rather than just hanging from one like last time, it is vital that I know what we’re getting into.”

“It’s not my fault I fell into the vines,” Crosshair said, pointing his toothpick at Tech. “The tree branch already wasn’t stable before the herd of whatevers stampeded by.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Cross,” Hunter said before patting Tech on the shoulder. “Enjoy yourself, but don’t get buried too deep. We might need you later.”

“Do try to keep Wrecker from getting into another drinking match with any regs. I know he can drink a lot, but he can still get hungover.”

Hunter let out a soft laugh and shrugged.

“I’ll try my best, but you know what he’s like.”

Tech shook his head as he thought of the mess that he would likely have to deal with in the morning. He walked away from his brothers in the direction of the speeder bikes at the edge of the hangar, stopping when he heard Crosshair call his name. He looked up and saw him walking towards him, looking over his shoulder at Hunter as if to see if he could hear him or not.

“If you see Lena…” he started.

“If I happened to run into a specific Jedi in a giant building full of them, I will be sure to tell her you said hello. The chances of that happening are low, but I will keep it in mind.”

Crosshair scowled at him for a few seconds before turning around and heading back to the Marauder.

He could at least say thank you.

Tech climbed on the speeder bike and started in the direction of the temple, following the instructions he was given to the hangar when he arrived. He proved his clearance codes and flew into an empty spot. As he turned off the bike, his attention was grabbed by the presence of a person he knew across the room.

Apparently the cosmic forces of the universe are aiming to prove me wrong.

Despite only knowing her for a short time, he would recognize the long, orange, striped lekku of Lena’s padawan, Keebo, anywhere. He crossed the hangar in her direction, calling out her name as he approached. She turned at the sound of his voice and gave him a wide smile.

“Tech? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“General Kenobi gave me permission to come speak with the members of the research division about plant life from a planet we are heading to.”

“Oh! I can take you to where you need to go!” she said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Tech and Keebo walked together down the hall, passing many Jedi. Some of them gave him strange looks as he passed, while others simply smiled or bowed their heads in greeting. Keebo talked to him as they walked, asking after the well-being of his brothers and if they had been on any interesting missions lately.

Tech was pleased that someone actually wanted to talk to him for longer than a minute and listened to him when he spoke. Keebo had been kind to him before, but it was still nice to experience. He could understand why the 394th valued their Jedi COs.

Eventually, they came to a door that consisted mostly of a frosted window. He could see quite a bit of light coming through, which led him to believe they had reached a greenhouse of sorts. Keebo turned to look at him, gesturing toward the door.

“This is where most of the plant study happens. I’m not sure who’s around right now, as things have been a little mixed up with the war, but I’m sure whoever is here would be happy to help you.”

“Thank you, Commander.”

Keebo gave him another wide smile and turned to walk away.

“It was good to see you, Tech!”

Tech turned to face the door, but suddenly remembered his other mission. He quickly turned around again and called out to Keebo. She paused, giving him a questioning head tilt.

“When you see your master, could you pass along a message?”

Keebo smirked at him in response.

“Let me guess, Crosshair says hello?”

Tech felt his eyes widen. He cleared his throat before speaking again.

“How did you know what I was going to say?”

“Lucky guess. I’ll pass along the message,” she said. “I hope you find what you’re looking for in there!”

Tech watched as she walked away, her long lekku swaying behind her. He wondered if she had read his mind and known what he was going to say or if his brother’s infatuation with her master was just that obvious. It must be if Tech had noticed it himself. He shook his head and moved to swipe his hand across the entry pad.

As soon as the door opened, Tech was hit by a blast of warm air. He stepped into the room, allowing the door to slide closed behind him. He found himself in a small entry, which held a few desks with chairs placed haphazardly around them. Datapads and plant pots were scattered over the surfaces of the desks.

Would think Jedi scholars would be a bit more organized.

Tech walked further into the room, his eyes scanning the immediate area for any people that could offer him assistance. He saw another door, this one transparent as the windowed walls around it. The room beyond was a riot of colors and foliage. He crossed the space to open the door, wondering if there was someone in the main greenhouse. As soon as he entered, he heard someone shout.

“Close the door!”

Tech rushed to follow the instructions, stepping through and closing it. Just as he did, a small furry creature appeared in front of him. The top of its head was just below his knees, and it was covered in brown fur. Big black eyes stared up at him as the large ears above them twitched nervously. The creature squeaked at him and flicked its fluffy tail.

“Hello there little one,” Tech said, remaining very still so as to not spook the creature.

With the creature focused on him, it didn’t see the person sneaking up behind it with a net. A woman with dark skin and a head full of braids appeared from the nearby row of plants and scooped up the creature before it could escape again.

“Aha! Got you!” she exclaimed.

The creature squeaked loudly as it thrashed about in the net. The woman that had caught it smiled triumphantly and nodded at Tech.

“Thank you for distracting it so I could capture it.”

“My pleasure,” Tech replied.

“I caught the Bogling!” she yelled to someone else further down the row of plants.

“Oh, thank the Force,” a second feminine voice said. “I was afraid it would eat something it shouldn’t.”

A second woman appeared from behind the plants, a tall Nautolan with purple skin and yellow markings. Some of her long head tendrils were twisted together in front of her, held together with braided bands of red, green, and white that matched a larger one resting above her forehead. As Tech scanned her form with his eyes, his gaze drifted to her feet, which were bare.

“Hello,” she said, causing his gaze to lift back to her face. “I wasn’t aware I had another visitor.”

“I’ll leave you two to your business,” the other woman said. “Sorry about the Bogling. I’ll be sure to talk to Master Cordova about it.”

“See you later, Cere!” the Nautolan woman called after her departing companion.

Once the door closed behind the woman named Cere, she turned to look at him again. Her large dark blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled at him. She extended her hand to him for him to shake, but Tech didn’t return the gesture. She simply shrugged and lowered her hand.

“Welcome to my sanctuary,” she said. “I’m afraid you came in a rare moment of chaos. My name is Anaj. What can I help you with, trooper?”

“My name is Tech. I was given permission by General Kenobi to make use of your vast knowledge of plant life from different planets.”

“What were you hoping to learn about?” she asked.

Tech pulled out his datapad and tapped on the screen. He brought up his previous search results that hadn’t gotten him very far before handing it to Anaj. She took a quick look at the screen before handing it back to him.

“I know exactly what plant you are looking for. They can be quite dangerous and are known for eating unsuspecting victims if they get too close.”

“That is exactly what my squad hopes to avoid. I thought that if I was able to thoroughly research them and the surrounding flora, I could be more prepared.”

“Wise choice,” she said. “I’m afraid that I won’t have much more information for you on the plant itself as they are very difficult to study as they are so dangerous. But I can help you learn what to avoid.”

“That would be sufficient.”

Anaj gestured for him to leave the greenhouse and return to the office space. Once they were back in the cluttered room, she grabbed one of her multitude of datapads and began scrolling through its contents. Once she found what she was looking for, she handed it to him to look at.

“This is what the roots look like. They are usually exposed and rest on the surface of the ground. You would be wise to avoid touching them, as that would alert the plant to your presence.”

“Much like certain vines on Umbara and Felucia,” Tech said as he scanned the information she had shown him.

“Precisely. It is possible the plants could be related,” Anaj said. “From what we’ve gathered, it seems that the plant is not native to some of the planets it has been found on. We think that some spores had been transported from other planets and taken root.”

Tech looked up from the datapad and met her gaze. While her smile remained, he could hear an annoyed tone in her voice.

“I imagine that is not a good thing?”

“The invasion of non-native plant life is never a good thing, no matter the planet. It leads to so many local species dying out as they compete for resources with the invaders. Not to mention the effect it has on animals that come across it…”

Tech watched Anaj’s face as she animatedly talked about the dangers of invasive species, both flora and fauna. The way her nose scrunched up in annoyance as she spoke of the irresponsible actions of the ones that transported the invaders made the corner of his mouth tick up in a half smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m rambling,” Anaj said, stopping mid tirade.

“That’s quite alright. You seem to care a great deal for life of all forms.”

The smile she had before returned to her face and she nodded.

“Yes, I do. I have a strong connection to all kinds of life, sentient or not. The Force flows through it all.”

“I’m afraid my experience with the force is limited,” Tech said. Until very recently, the only Jedi I knew personally were General Kenobi and General Shaak Ti.”

Anaj placed her hand on her chest and sighed softly.

“Shaak Ti was my master,” she said. “I don’t get a chance to see her often with her placement on Kamino.”

“She is well respected by everyone on Kamino, I assure you,” Tech said. “She has always been kind to us. Something that you have in common, I see.”

Anaj looked down, a shy giggle escaping her. Tech could see her cheeks darken to a deep shade of purple as she blushed. He felt a light flutter in his stomach at the sight, which he didn’t understand.

“Do you have any more information that could be useful?” he asked, trying to avoid thinking about the strange feeling.

“I can send you pictures of the plant life that can usually be found in the areas the dangerous ones grow. They like dark shady areas with a lot of tree cover, so those would be your first sign that you may come across them.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Anaj sent him the information, pointing at his screen to a small message that accompanied it.

“I included my comm frequency. If you have any questions about anything plant or animal related that you can’t find on the holonet, you can call me.”

“I will be sure to make use of that should the need arise.”

Tech stood from his seat and returned his datapad to its home in his pack.

“Thank you for your assistance, Master Jedi.”

Anaj stuck out her hand again for him to shake. This time Tech reciprocated and gently shook her hand.

“It was nice to meet you, Tech. I hope I see you again some time.”

Tech released her hand and left the room after bidding her farewell. He followed the path he had previously traveled with Keebo until he reached the hangar. Only once he arrived beside his speeder bike did he realize that he had been hoping to visit the library as well while he was in the temple.

Perhaps I can ask Cody to get me permission to use the library another time. It would make sense for me to have access to knowledge that could help us on our missions.

Tech filed that thought away, making a mental note to ask the Commander next time he saw him. He climbed on his bike and flew out of the hangar, heading back to where the Marauder was parked. The sky overhead had turned dark, the city around him full of bright lights. Tech had no doubt that his brothers would be gone when he returned, so he would have the ship to himself.

As he descended towards the hangar bay, he could see no lights coming from the Marauder and the ramp wasn’t extended, which confirmed his suspicions. Just as he landed, his wrist comm beeped, indicating that someone wanted to speak with him.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Can you swing by 79’s?” Hunter’s voice said from his wrist. “We need a pickup.”

Tech lowered the screen on his helmet to check the time.

“It’s still early. What could have happened so soon?”

“Crosshair…”Hunter started.

Tech sighed, interrupting his brother before he could say anything else.

“Say no more. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Tech hung up on Hunter and climbed off the bike. He made his way over to a bigger speeder that could hold all of his brothers.

“Typical,” he muttered as he took off.

Leave it to Crosshair to start a fight less than an hour into the evening.

Soon enough, he arrived outside the bar to find his brothers waiting for him. Wrecker was holding Crosshair steady as the man in question held a wad of napkins to his bleeding nose.

“What did you do now?” Tech asked.

Crosshair’s response was muffled by the napkins, prompting Tech to turn to Hunter for a clearer answer.

“A reg said something rather crude about a short Jedi with a long braid. Crosshair felt it was his duty to get in said reg’s face. When he was told that ‘he had less chance than an ice cube on Mustafar’ when it came to having a shot with someone like her, Crosshair took it personally.”

Tech saw Hunter give Crosshair a look that was half disappointment and half pity. They all knew the reg was right, but no one wanted to say it.

“Just take us back to the ship,” Hunter said tiredly.

Tech did as he was told, bringing them all home. As he flew he thought about the Jedi he had met. Before, he hadn’t truly understood why Crosshair had been so besotted with Lena, having never experienced something like that himself. As he pictured Anaj’s smile and the way she had talked so passionately about the thing she cared about, he felt like he could possibly understand.

Even though he hadn’t been around to hear the reg speak the words that had riled Crosshair up so badly, Tech could still hear them in his head. They screamed at him loud and clear.

You would never have a shot with someone like her.

A/N: Give this a like, comment, and reblog and let me know what you think!

Tags: @monako-jinn-stories

#tbb tech #tech #tech x jedi oc #tbb tech x jedi oc #tech x oc #tbb tech x oc #fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #star wars #star wars: the clone wars #star wars:the bad batch #the bad batch #tbb #original characters #50 follower celebration

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moonstrider9904 · 2 months

Text

Old Friends

Chapter 3 of Moonwalker: The Flame

{series masterlist} {next chapter} {previous chapter}

{crossposted to Wattpad} {crossposted to AO3}

Summary: Sarah makes contact with someone from her past in an attempt to track down Crosshair. Meanwhile, conflict emerges between her and Hunter due to her closeness to Tech.

Tags/Warnings: Mature. Allusions to polyamory. Angst, mentions of injury (bone fractures) and medical stuff, not graphic.

Word count: 5k

Songs: dirtmouth

Crosshair

The siren whirred with a dull latency in the background. The darkness around him broke with only the faintest of lights, and then he saw the faces. His brothers, all looking at him with remorse. His little sister, disappointed at what he’d become. The nebulous eyes framed by blue swirls and a crescent moon, the only pair that still had any hope in him.

The visual of his family—if he could still refer to them as such—faded when his eyes finally opened and he took in the dark gray walls that confined him into his room. When he realized he wasn’t on Kamino with them, Crosshair felt a hollow sensation in his chest and he ran his hand over his face to try and rub away whatever exhaustion he still felt.

Another day.

He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of his bunk, his back hunched as he rested his elbows on his knees. The alarm that woke him up wouldn’t stop—it wouldn’t for another minute or so. It never helped that it was the same siren as the ones in Tipoca City that had no other purpose but to ring during the sinking of the cloning facilities, alerting what was so painfully obvious during those eternal moments. That pointlessness had lingered with Crosshair every day when he woke up and prepared himself for another day of physical rehabilitation, but it faded from him that morning when he remembered he’d finally been cleared for duty.

He could finally call himself a soldier again. He could finally do something with his life instead of lingering in the past.

Against his will, the thought of Sarah’s unnaturally starry and colorful eyes returned to his mind. Crosshair repressed the thought as if he could do it with his bare hands, his upper lip curling into a grimace, baring his teeth. He loathed the memory of Hunter stunning her when they both knew she expected something different from them. Crosshair could only imagine the state she’d gone into when she woke up and didn’t see him there. Mercifully—or at least, he told himself that—he didn’t get to see that aftermath.

Crosshair got up hoping he’d get a mission assigned to him at last. Anything at that point would be better than staying stuck on that facility doing everything all over again for one more day.

Sarah

"Hold still, Tech," Echo crooned.

The small room at the back of Cid’s cantina felt crowded with the four of them. Tech lay on a bunk improvised as a medical bed while Echo sat next to him glued to a datapad, his back turned on a larger computer screen he and Wrecker had managed to bring in from the Marauder to make it easier to look out for Tech’s wounds. Sarah sat at the side of the room, the back of her chair pressed to the wall in an attempt to not interfere with anything Echo had to do—all that mattered was Tech’s recovery. And lastly, AZI-3, the medical droid Sarah had met back during the war when Fives was still alive, hovered around Tech scanning the fractured leg, seemingly to no avail. Any time AZI would hover near Echo, Sarah would linger her gaze on her best friend as she tried to decipher what was going on in the former ARC trooper’s mind.

Sarah could see it. The seriousness in his eyes, the way he wouldn't remove them from the datapad. She could even hear it in Echo's voice, low and stern, with only an occasional tremble that gave away how Echo truly felt whenever he had to perform a checkup on Tech's broken leg. Sarah could wonder to herself what it felt like for Echo to the point where his tough exterior would break.

Was it perhaps that he was nervous since it was usually Tech performing the medical checkups? Or did the nerves stem from the fact that Tech was Echo's best friend, and seeing a best friend with such a wound would be distressing for anyone? Or did the x-ray machines and needles and computers beeping with vitals put Echo on edge due to his past in Skako Minor? Perhaps being on the opposite side of all of that would be reassuring, but Sarah would understand it if it was too much for Echo.

"I can take it from here," Sarah quietly told Echo.

Echo's hard brown eyes softened and he finally looked at her instead of the datapad. "No, it's fine. We're almost done. How's the imaging coming, AZI?"

The tiny medical droid hovered over towards Echo once more and wired his right servo to Echo's datapad. "I would describe this x-ray image as mediocre at best."

Echo sighed. "We're going to need to run another scan. Tech, you have to stop moving around."

Tech's head fell on the pillow behind him as he looked absently at the ceiling through goggled eyes. "See what it is like to deal with a difficult patient?"

"See what it's like to be a difficult patient?" Echo replied.

"Patients are difficult because they're in pain," Sarah cut in. "AZI, can we give Tech more painkillers?"

"He already has consumed the daily recommended amount," AZI answered her. "A higher dose would result in symptoms such as drowsiness, fatigue, and accelerated heart rate."

"I do not need more painkillers," Tech said. "It is to be expected that a fracture such as this one would involve higher levels of pain, but I will live."

"No kidding," Echo looked at Sarah. "You should have seen the size of the crate that fell on him."

"I don't even want to imagine it," Sarah suppressed a grimace. "Would it help if I held Tech's leg during the scan?"

"I suppose," Echo set the datapad down while typing into a computer to reprogram the x-ray scan. "Needless to say, Tech, if Sarah holds you, it'll hurt."

"Do what you must," Tech answered. "I understand the importance of medical necessity over comfort."

Sarah moved closer to Tech and looked at AZI for confirmation on when to take hold above Tech's knee and below his ankle. The medical droid then made eye contact with Sarah and gave her a little nod, and Sarah held Tech with as much of a blend of firm and gentle of a touch as she could muster. Upon her touch, Tech flinched in pain and his hand flew over to Sarah's wrist, squeezing her wrist as he tried to manifest the pain on any other part of his body that wasn't his broken leg. Sarah was half expecting Tech to try and get her hand off him, but instead, he held onto her, and all she could do was look at his brown eyes underneath his goggles to try and distract herself from the gut-twisting feeling of seeing him in pain.

"There you go," Echo spoke with a lighter tone when AZI's scanner reached Tech's ankle, a sigh of relief noticeable at the end of his words.

Sarah took a quick look as AZI hovered over to Echo to try and make the imaging visible on the computer, and then she looked back at Tech, who hadn't let go of her wrist yet.

"You did good," Sarah told him, removing her hand from over Tech's knee to help with the pain, but her free hand went to hold the one Tech already had on her.

Tech let out a heavy sigh. "Perhaps... I could try more sympathy towards Wrecker the next time I perform a checkup on him."

Sarah smiled at him. "I'm proud of you for that."

“Well, it looks a lot better than last time,” Echo spoke up and got Tech and Sarah’s attention.

With Sarah’s help, Tech sat up on the bunk and adjusted his goggles to look at the x-ray imaging of his fractured leg.

“My initial estimate of healing time can be reduced by 40% after this observation,” Tech said. “This is good news.”

“Still, no missions for you,” Echo set the datapad down next to him. “I hope you don’t get bored.”

“Boredom will not be a problem for me,” Tech answered. “There are still plenty of calculations I would like to do in order to modify the Ace Auror, plus a couple more improvements for the Marauder.”

“What about that prosthetic hand you had for me?” Echo raised a brow at Tech.

“Even with the 40% reduction in time it will take for my leg to heal, I will have time for all three,” Tech answered confidently. “Though I would need the supplies here.”

“Wrecker and I will get your things before the day’s over,” Sarah told him.

Tech looked at Sarah and smiled discreetly at her, and while still holding her hand, he gave it a light squeeze. Sarah smiled back at him, oblivious to the fact that Echo was looking at them both, his gaze first lingering on the pair smiling at them only to then hover at their hands holding near Sarah’s thighs. Echo gave a soft exhale and found himself smiling softly—it was nice not to see Sarah in pain over a broken heart for a change.

The silence was broken by Wrecker’s booming laughter traveling through the walls, most likely coming from the saloon itself. The much fainter sound of Omega’s laughter followed it, and soon, Wrecker’s laughter turned into a cheer. Sarah figured they could be playing a game of Dejarik to merit such excitement. Maybe Omega had sided with Wrecker and because of her help he’d finally managed to beat Hunter in a match. Sarah would have liked to see that.

Steps then approached the makeshift med bay, and soon, Hunter appeared to fill the empty door frame. His eyes quickly scanned the entirety of the room, and unsurprisingly, he too landed his gaze on Sarah and Tech holding hands. For that moment, Hunter was able to master his own facial expressions and hid his dismay perfectly from the others, but Sarah was still able to feel the pang in his chest, a result of the oath he’d made to her in the kyber crystal caves of Jedha on what had felt like an eternity before that moment.

She should have known none of that would fade.

Hunter averted his gaze from Sarah and Tech and he looked at Echo. “We’ve been assigned a new mission. If you’re all done here, we should go now. Except for you, Tech.”

“How far will you be?” Tech asked him, casually letting go of Sarah’s hand. “If you are in need of technical assistance and are in range, I could perhaps help from here.”

“There won’t be a need for that,” Hunter leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms. “It’s a simple pick-up and transport of goods.”

“Goods?” Echo raised a brow.

“Weapons,” Hunter clarified. “Just like we did on Ryloth, but here’s hoping we can avoid the whole run-in with the Empire.”

“Let’s hope so,” Echo agreed.

Sarah looked at Tech again. “I’ll make sure to get what you need from the Marauder before they leave.”

“They?” Hunter couldn’t help but question. “You’re coming too.”

“And who’s going to stay with Tech?” Sarah asked in return. “Cid’s hardly the nursing type.”

“AZI is a medical droid, he’ll manage,” Hunter said.

Sarah got up from her chair. “Well, we don’t have to discuss this now. I’ll go get what he needs. Maybe Rigel can help me bring it over.”

Without another word, Sarah left the room and walked down the dark hallway with her intentions of sitting the mission out unchanged. She waved casually at Wrecker and Omega as she walked through the saloon and made her way out into the streets towards the landing bay where the Marauder and the Auror were. When she walked into the landing bay, Sarah’s droid Rigel greeted her with the excitement of a mastiff pup, rolling around her as fast as he could with his servos. Seeing Rigel never failed to lift Sarah’s mood.

“Get a crate ready, will you, buddy?” Sarah told Rigel. “We’re going to take some things back to the saloon.”

Will do! Rigel beeped and got to looking for a crate.

Sarah got into the Marauder and began to round up the supplies Tech would need to work on Echo’s new prosthetic hand while the ship was away. The materials weren’t heavy or difficult to carry, but there were certainly many of them. Sarah had heard Tech talking about the project so many times that she already knew everything she had to get to him, and she was confident she wouldn’t miss anything he’d need.

As Sarah was getting all of the supplies and going back and forth to put them into Rigel’s crate, the squad gradually began to arrive. The first ones were Echo and Wrecker, and they were shortly followed by Hunter and Omega. With her usual excitement for a mission, Omega pranced onto the Marauder, and at a much more normal pace, Hunter would be the last one on the ship, walking up to the platform just as Sarah was approaching the bottom with the last of Tech’s things. Without making much acknowledgement towards Hunter, Sarah walked past him and put the items in the crate, patting the top of Rigel’s silhouette.

“We’re all set, Rigel,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“So you really aren’t coming?” Hunter asked her.

Sarah froze in her tracks—she’d expected Hunter to get on the ship without acknowledging her. She turned around and looked at him only to find him slowly approaching her, armored up and hugging his helmet to his body with his left arm.

“I meant it,” Sarah said. “I’m staying with Tech.”

Hunter sighed. “Alright. I’m not blind, and I’m not stupid either. What’s going on between you two?”

Sarah chuckled. “Am I right to assume you didn’t question Tech this way?”

Hunter’s features hardened ever so slightly. “Well, I’m not mad at him. He’s not the one betraying me with a family member.”

“It’s not betrayal if there’s nothing between us anymore, Hunter,” Sarah looked him straight in the eyes. “You forfeit whatever relationship we had the moment you stunned me instead of Crosshair. Some betrayal you talk about; how do you think I felt when I woke up and realized what you’d done?”

“We’ve been over that again and again,” Hunter said, trying his best to remain calm and to not raise his voice out of respect to Sarah and to avoid being heard by the others on the ship. “What I would rather talk about now is how you just chose to forget about us, about what we had.”

For once, Sarah remained speechless, and she wouldn’t deny that there was still a part of her that wanted to hear him out.

“I mean, do you really not think that our relationship is not worth fighting for?” Hunter continued. “That it’s not worth saving? I know you’re hurting. I know I am responsible for a lot of that hurt, but I have apologized to you over and over. It has been months since Kamino and you still haven’t budged, Sarah. I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

Sarah looked at the ground. “If I’m honest, Hunter, I don’t know what else I want you to do either. I don’t know if I want you to do anything else.”

Hunter sighed, giving a brief shake to his head. “Can you at least promise me that you’re not with Tech just to spite me?”

Sarah looked Hunter in the eyes again, anger and resolve flashing in her nebulous gaze. “Tech has been there for me. He has known exactly how to deal with me every time I’ve needed him, even the times I haven’t known how to say what I feel, what I need from him, from anyone. He has shown me compassion. He has shown me understanding, and I love him for that. So you can rest easy. What I feel for Tech is nothing if it’s not real.”

Sarah could once again feel the pang in Hunter’s chest when she’d said the words even she hadn’t expected herself to say. Hearing Sarah say she loved Tech was a painful truth for Hunter, but it was a truth that needed to be spoken. They needed to be true in what they said to each other if Hunter and Sarah wanted their relationship to survive, in whatever shape it was meant to be. Sarah then gave a brief sigh and looked over at Rigel.

“Let’s go,” Sarah told the droid, but before walking off with him, she stopped herself. She looked back at Hunter with words bubbling in her chest, though she was uncertain of what she’d say to him. Ultimately, she settled for one of the safest things she could tell him. “Good luck, and keep them safe.”

“I will,” Hunter replied. “It’s all I ever try to do. You know that. Or at least, you should know that.”

Sarah looked at Hunter with a blend of disbelief and remorse. A part of her knew that it was true—a part of her had known that all along, even after Kamino, though it had been more difficult to see that truth at the time, and easier to ignore.

She wouldn’t admit it, though. I’ve been hurt too. I was only trying to keep everyone safe and together too, she thought to herself.

With that, Hunter turned around and got on the Marauder. The platform’s hydraulics hissed as it closed, and a whirlwind engulfed Sarah as the ship took off, and she remained there as she watched the Marauder depart, getting smaller and smaller as it flew away until she eventually couldn’t see nor hear it anymore.

Should we go to the cantina, boss? Rigel bleeped at Sarah.

Sarah was still looking up at the starry night sky, her mind slowly drifting back to the more pressing matters at hand.

“No…” She said slowly, her head tilting back down to the ground level. “No, let me do something first.”

She figured now was as good a time as any, away from the cantina, away from the team. Sarah walked over to the crate and found among the items the spare long-range comms transmitter she’d left on the ship, now in her hands. She stood in front of Rigel holding it up, and the droid understood he had to open up the compartment at the top of his head where she could attach it to.

“Thanks, boy,” Sarah told him as she secured the transmitter. Once it was in place, Sarah dialed the frequency she had spent the previous days memorizing, preparing for that moment, an idea that had been planted in her brain by Omega when they were returning from Serenno.

Before making the call, one last step was necessary. Sarah needed to mask the signal’s origin to prevent anyone from tracing her back to Ord Mantell. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him—quite the opposite. But her and her squad’s location was too delicate a matter, and anyone could intercept and trace transmissions those days. So when that was done, Sarah dialed the transmission and waited, hoping he would pick up.

After a few seconds that felt like entire minutes, he finally picked up, and the first thing she heard when she saw his image in the hologram was his familiar, cheerful laughter.

“Well, well, well. My favorite renegade pirate turned fugitive returns!”

Sarah chuckled softly. “Hi, Hondo.”

“My dear Sarah,” Hondo opened his arms as though he would hug her through the hologram. “Too long has passed since I last heard of you.”

“You didn’t think I was dead, did you?” She raised a brow.

“You?!” Hondo laughed heartily. “You can take an army on your own, Sarah. I never thought that for a second. So, what is it you are reaching out for? You have not called and chatted for well over a year now.”

“I’m sorry about that, Hondo,” Sarah’s features softened as she took in that fact. Hondo had looked after her and considered her one of his own after Fives’ death, and she felt awful that she’d essentially repaid him by ghosting. “Things became too complicated after the war.”

“The clones you ran around with turned on you?” Hondo asked with a serious tone now draped over his voice as opposed to his usual carefree demeanor.

“No,” she replied. “Well, one of them… He’s actually why I’m calling you now.”

“I’m listening,” Hondo said.

“One of these clones became an Imperial,” Sarah explained. “He claims it’s what he’s meant for, but I want to break him out.”

Hondo chuckled nervously. “I do not think I can ask my men to raid the Empire for one soldier, Sarah, even with you by our side. Pirates are already under the Empire’s watch.”

“It’s not what I want to ask you,” Sarah reassured. “I just want to locate him, maybe even find a way to track his whereabouts. I’ve been trying to look, but between my mercenary missions and my current team, I need some help in that department. You move around the galaxy more than I do, at least, you did back before the war ended.”

“I still get about now,” Hondo told her. “Not as much, but we make do. Especially around the Outer Rim, but if you’re looking for an Imperial clone, there isn’t much chance he’ll be out here in these lawless planets unless it’s to colonize.”

“He’s not a random soldier, he’s a commander,” Sarah told him. “He leads an elite squad, and I know for a fact he’s been on colonization assignments before.”

Hondo sighed. “You can give me a description and a CT number if you want, and I’d be more than happy to keep an eye out. I’ll spread the word among my comrades and have them let me know if they see him. But it’s a big galaxy. I cannot promise you good odds on this one, kiddo.”

Sarah softly shook her head. “Any odds are better than no odds. This trooper, he’s worth it. And he’s been away from home for far too long.”

She reached out to the long range transmitter and attached the small drive she’d been concealing in one of her pockets, the drive that contained all the information Hondo would need to help her track Crosshair down. The CT number, the tattoo, armor color, the armor details of his squad, his admiral, his rank, everything. Shortly, Hondo received the information, as she could see by a different pirate handing it to him on a datapad.

“You came prepared,” Hondo chuckled as he looked at the datapad.

Sarah chuckled. “Well, we get right down to business, don’t we?”

“We sure do, and I cannot see where you are sending this information from,” Hondo commented. “Very well done.”

“Too much is at stake,” Sarah replied. “We gotta lay low in times like these.”

“Yeah, speaking of…” Hondo said. “You mentioned you’re a mercenary now?”

“Yes,” Sarah answered.

“And you do not work alone,” Hondo inferred.

“My team,” she replied. “And we do report to someone.”

“Anyone I know?” Hondo asked.

Sarah hesitated, but she figured she’d tell him. “She goes by the name Cid.”

Hondo’s features hardened. “Oh… I see.”

“What?”

Hondo briefly shook his head. “Be careful, Sarah. When it’s all about the credits, it’s easy to throw someone under the ship.”

Sarah looked at Hondo as she felt her marks turning icy. She didn’t want to believe the words he was saying. Cid had looked out for them. She’d looked out for Sarah, whether it was with a drink or a roof over her head.

“You don’t have to worry, but I appreciate it,” Sarah told him.

Hondo’s expression didn’t change, and though he was usually talkative, he remained quiet.

“Speaking of credits,” Sarah spoke up. “What’s this favor gonna cost?”

“I won’t ask for payment,” Hondo said, “not from you. Just promise me that if things go south, you’ll come home.”

Home… that was a word Sarah had never thought of in a long time. Her home planet, Jedha, was too obvious of a hiding place for her, and the Empire would find her in the blink of an eye if she stepped foot there. Going to her real home was not an option. And yet, she’d never brought herself to think of Ord Mantell as a home. The concept of home mattered too much to hand it off to a seedy hiding place between missions.

“I can do that,” Sarah nodded.

“Should I send any updates your way using this frequency?” Hondo asked her.

“Yeah,” Sarah said.

“Well then… we will keep in touch,” Hondo crossed his fist over his chest and gave Sarah a brief smile.

“We will,” Sarah hesitated. “Hondo?”

Hondo was about to reach his own hologram projector to close the call, but when he made eye contact with Sarah again, she knew she had his attention.

She was afraid to ask, but she had to. “Anything I need to know about Cid?”

Hondo sighed. “You’ve made it this far with her and you’re in one piece. I assume you’re on her good side and that you have nothing to worry about… but watch your back. It can’t hurt.”

Sarah was afraid of that answer. “Thanks.”

“Call me if you need anything else,” Hondo said, and with that, he cut the connection, and Sarah was left in the landing bay with no one but Rigel, thinking about what Hondo had just said.

She tried to find comfort in the fact that she’d set things into movement regarding Crosshair. She hoped—and prayed—that her and the pirates’ efforts would bloom into something. Maybe the squad had agreed to leave Crosshair to his own devices in terms of his decision, but Sarah knew it was the wrong decision for him and for everyone else.

They’ll find him Rigel beeped softly.

Sarah smiled at the little droid. “Thanks. I really hope so.”

She and Rigel remained there a little while longer before she finally removed the transmitter from Rigel’s chassis and led the way back to the saloon, though not without Hondo’s words lingering with her. He’d warned her, but he’d also told her that if she, and by extension, her squad, had made it this far safely with Cid, they didn’t have to worry.

For once, Sarah would choose to be optimistic, and she’d have faith in Cid and what she’d demonstrated over the months.

The saloon was quiet and empty at that hour of the night. Cid was nowhere to be seen, she’d probably already retired for the night. Sarah walked across the saloon to the back hallways with Rigel and the crate following close behind her, and when they arrived at the room they’d turned into a med bay, Sarah softened at the sight of Tech sleeping soundly.

“Greetings again, Sarah and Rigel,” AZI spoke quietly. “As you can see, Tech is asleep.”

“Good,” Sarah said. “Let’s let him rest. Rigel, you can just leave the crate here.”

You bet! Rigel carefully set the crate down and positioned himself near one of the walls.

While Rigel did that, Sarah walked around the bunk and put herself at the level of Tech’s shoulders, watching him as he slept. His chest rose and fell with ease, the pace deep and steady. Oblivious, Sarah reached her hand out and gently stroked Tech’s shoulder and felt the soft fabric he wore—at least she’d convinced him not to sleep in his armor anymore unless it was necessary. He deserved to be comfortable.

Tech looked peaceful as he slept and, undeniably, beautiful. He’d removed the goggles in order to sleep, and Sarah took in the rare sight of him without them. A soft smile appeared on her lips, and she would have wanted to stroke his hair or his cheek, but she didn’t want to wake him.

“Sarah?” AZI broke the silence.

“Yes?” She asked him.

The little medical droid hovered closer to her. “I found something among my memory backups that I wanted to give you.”

AZI opened a compartment in his chassis and handed Sarah a small drive for her to take and examine.

“It is a recording from a couple of years ago,” AZI said, his voice somber, even for a droid. “The recording is of CT-5555 before things turned… serious.”

Sarah looked at AZI with disbelief. “Fives?”

“Yes,” AZI confirmed. “Not Five. Fives.”

Sarah’s gaze softened as she looked at the drive in her hands again. She hadn’t heard Fives’ voice in so long, or seen the mischievous gleam of his eyes, listened to ideas so bright only he could have them. She missed his laughter and the way he’d look at her, and she missed the way he could balance his fighting spirit with an unfathomable kindness.

Her heart ached as memories of Fives flooded her whole being.

“Would you like to watch it?” AZI asked her.

Sarah stifled a sob. “I would love to, but…” she trailed off. “Echo. He’ll want to watch this too. I’ll wait for him to return.”

AZI nodded. “I believe that is a very noble decision.”

Sarah smiled at AZI. “Thank you for saving this, AZI. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“I am at your service,” AZI answered. “I can remain with Tech while you get some rest.”

“I can stay awake for a little while longer,” Sarah said. “But I might take you up on that in a few hours.”

“Of course,” AZI nodded again and hovered away from the room.

Sarah took the chair she had been sitting on before and pulled it up next to Rigel so that the two of them could keep Tech company in the meantime. Sarah leaned on Rigel, who enjoyed the proximity, and in the silence, Sarah kept looking at the drive AZI had given her. It was tempting to play it, but Echo was as close to Fives as she was—closer, actually. They were brothers.

Sarah gave the drive to Rigel for safekeeping and remained in the silence with her own thoughts.

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