#the bad batch s1

[hugmekenobi]

A Series of Firsts

A Bad Batch S1 Prequel Oneshot: 'First Time Sharing a Bunk'

Gif by @imalovernotahater

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: The first you and Hunter share his bunk sees to the blurring of that professional and friendship boundary even more but neither of you want to admit that yet

Warnings: Swearing, awkward Hunter and reader, mentions of previous near-death experience (drowning), teasing brothers, plenty of internal conflicts, light fluff

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

<Previous Prequel Oneshot

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 2.3K

Rating: 18+ (a catch all for all my works)

Author's Note: So, I'm clearly not capable of just writing one solitary first moment cause the family dynamics are too good but the general point still stands! It's the last one! I've had a lot of fun writing these little oneshots and I hope you enjoy reading this final one that wraps things up! Thank you for all the kind words and support!

The others were all asleep but you and Hunter had taken some time to stay up and just be in one another’s company and sort through reports and monitor the ship. There was nothing but comfortable silence between you but eventually, the toll of the many consecutive missions you’d been on began to show. 

“I’m going to turn in.” Hunter told you as he caught your stifled yawn and got to his feet. 

You smiled at him. “Sleep well.” You did what you could to settle yourself into the chair that had become your place of rest since you joined them all those months ago.

He paused at the cockpit entry way and turned back to face you. “That can’t be very comfortable?” He generally gestured to the seat you were in. 

“After a while, you get used to the permanent stiffness in the neck and upper back. Plus, I gotta pay my dues as the new guy.” You kidded lightly. “I know we’re limited on space, it’s really not too bad.” You promised him more sincerely.

“Well, you’ve been here for a long time now, it’s about time you had somewhere better.”  

“Do you have a secret bed I don’t know about? Cause if you’ve been keeping that from me as I’ve spent my nights here, I’m going to be pissed.” You said with a grin. 

Hunter matched your smile before he turned more serious again. “No, but...” Was he really about to do this? He’d been thinking about it for so long but now it was a lot more nerve-wracking than he anticipated it being.

“Then how would you suggest I get a more comfortable night’s sleep?

“We-well- we can- we can…” Hunter trailed off and rubbed the side of his neck. Shit, he was making a mess of this. 

You tilted your head and regarded him curiously. “We can… what?” 

“Wecansharemine.” He said the words far too quickly but he hoped you heard him because he wasn’t sure if he could say them again.

You blinked in surprise. Surely you’d misheard that? But no, if the faint pleasurable buzzing in your veins was any indication, you’d heard him just fine.

Taking your delay as you forming the most polite way to reject the offer, Hunter’s next series of incomplete sentences left him in a frantic single breath. “Or not- You don’t have to- I was just thinking- I’m not forcing-” 

“Yes.” You whispered before you had the time to second-guess it. You could be an adult about this. It was all practical. Yes, practical. Practical, practical, practical. You repeated that word internally to yourself to keep you steady.

“Yes?” Hunter repeated and he hoped he didn’t sound as excited as he felt. 

“Yeah. I’d be an idiot to refuse that sort of offer. Cause, you know, avoiding injury and all that.” You added hastily so he didn’t think your acceptance had anything to do with sharing with him- although of course it definitely did- before you moved down the cockpit. You paused as you reached his bunk. 

“Right.” Hunter said with a slightly strained laugh as he joined you. He really had to stop his thoughts from reaching their different conclusions. 

“Do you-um-have a side you prefer?” You asked awkwardly. 

Hunter started to remove his armour. “No, you can pick.” 

You situated yourself on the side closest to the wall and made sure to keep your back turned because seeing him in his blacks would cause a reaction that enhanced senses were bound to pick up on. 

–

As Hunter slid in beside you, he realised he’d made a critical error. This was a truly terrible idea.  You were too close. He could so easily slip his arm over your waist and tug you against his chest and hold you, he could so easily lose himself in the scent of your hair, the softness of your skin. Fuck, how was he suppsed to be normal about this? How was he supposed to do this every night and keep his feelings to himself?

“You okay?” You asked as you sensed his restlessness which made you feel slightly better because it meant you weren’t alone in that regard. While you knew it had to be because he was putting himself in a more intimate position than he expected, it unfortunately meant more to you and you just internally prayed that he wasn’t going to rescind the offer- you couldn't bear that potential outcome. 

“I’m fine.” Hunter cleared his throat and forced himself to relax but keep a respectful distance away from you. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” You murmured as you closed your eyes and willed your pounding heart to calm down. 

–

Hunter roused in the night to realise his treacherous body had moved nearer to you in the course of the evening and his arm was coiled around your waist and, although it pained him to do so, he figured you wouldn’t be too fond of that position but as he went to move it, you simply placed your hand on top of his and kept his arm right where it was. Hunter- assuming this was the subconscious act of your sleeping body- tensed to see if it was an accident or if you would move away but you didn’t and instead you relaxed further against him and you didn’t let his arm go. 

Well, he was secretly delighted by this and sure as hell wasn’t about to wake you up to change it. It felt too natural to hold you like this. 

–

You’d realised your current position around the same time that Hunter did but where you’d expected to feel embarrassed or awkward, instead you had never felt so relaxed. It felt too normal to be in his embrace. Which was why when you felt him go to remove himself, you’d acted more on an instinctual thought rather than an intelligent one and kept his arm where it was and shuffled back against his chest as a silent indication that you were fine with what he was doing. When you felt him settle once more, a comfortable warmth spread through your veins that had nothing to do with the covers that were over your bodies and it was as terrifying a feeling as it was a comforting one. 

–

The following morning and night came around and neither of you ever explicitly mentioned the incident now but neither of you made to change your ways either. 

–

Although it was a while ago now, that first night had you both silently realising that being together in that way saw to it that you both slept the best you ever had so that had been a pattern that had continued for a long time but you two had always been careful to wake up before the others did so as to avoid the comments if they witnessed your new arrangement. And you’d been doing a good job until one morning where you were both rather lax in your awareness of the time that had passed. 

“It’s disgusting.”

“Crosshair, that’s a bit harsh…” 

“Come on, Echo, that’s a sickening sight.”

“They look good together. I think it’s sweet. Just let Hunter be happy, Crosshair.” 

“Of course you do, Wrecker, but you won’t think it’s sweet when they wake up and the mindless deflecting starts. And for the record, Hunter is the only one stopping himself from being happy by being the clueless idiot he is, I have nothing to do with that.” 

“Okay, fine, but what if this was what they needed to do to finally admit things?” 

“We’re not that lucky, Wrecker. Tech, what is the probability of that?”

“Well, Echo, the exact calculation would take some time to explain but in short, it is highly unlikely.”  

You wearily opened your eyes to glance over Hunter’s shoulder to see four pairs of eyes staring down at you both and it was then you had the horrifying realisation that you’d slept in and you were still nestled into Hunter’s chest as his arm was wrapped around you to keep you close whilst his head rested atop yours. With a muffled noise of horror that woke Hunter up to the situation, you scrambled over Hunter’s body and dashed into the refresher to give you time to compose yourself. 

“Sleep well, Sarge?” Wrecker said cheerily but with a brotherly jabbing lilt. 

“You all have to know how creepy that was, right?” Hunter asked tiredly as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed and reminded himself not to take your reaction too personally. Besides, this next debate was going to require all his patience and focus. 

“So, how long has that been going on?” Echo asked with a small but leading grin. 

“She couldn’t keep sleeping in that chair.” Hunter immediately said defensively and without really answering the question. They didn’t need to be privy to that information. 

“That’s the reason you’re running with?” Crosshair said with a snicker.

“It’s the only reason there is.” 

“Oh, okay, so since we’re all in the business of sharing our bunks now, can I offer her mine next? .” Crosshair challenged, smirking as he saw the glare Hunter sent his way. 

“She would likely refuse the offer given it would be Hunter’s company that drew her to accept the arrangement.” Tech stated. 

“I know that, Tech.” Crosshair rolled his eyes. 

“Or it’s really only because I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable any longer.” Hunter offered as a pathetic alternative. 

“Do you not think it more likely that you made the suggestion to get closer to her and you found yourself enjoying it? You were looking remarkably content together.” Tech theorised. 

“Tech...” Hunter shook his head in annoyance. 

“You’ve already kissed her, this-” 

“Kissed her?” Hunter furrowed his brow at Crosshair’s words. That was something he’d definitely remember and there hadn’t been- then he realised what Crosshair was actually talking about.  “You mean the time where I had to help her breath because she almost drowned? Are you kidding me?!" Hunter stared at his brother with an incredulous raise of his eyebrows. 

“Semantics.” Crosshair shrugged.

Hunter could only shake his head. 

“You were clearly hiding it from us, why do you think that was?” Echo took his turn next with a mildly pointed stare. 

“Look, you all know now so that’s the last we’ll talk about it.” Hunter said firmly just as you came out the refresher and squeezed through the crowd of them, avoiding eye-contact as you did so. Hunter took his chance to escape the scrutinising gazes of his brothers and went to the refresher next.

“It would appear that their stubborness and refusal to see what is so obviously in front of them is getting worse- not better- as their affections grow.” Tech observed once you were both out of earshot. 

“I don’t know how much more of it I can take.” Crosshair muttered irritably. “Why don’t we just-”

“We’re not doing the fake kidnapping idea.” Echo interrupted. 

Crosshair let out an aggrieved huff of air.

“They’ll get there eventually.” Wrecker said optimistically. 

–

It had been a couple of months since your new arrangement with Hunter had become the new normal but now you weren’t sure if it was going to last because you’d finally reached a decision- you were no longer going to live a lie anymore.  

You had to tell them today. You were all taking refuge for an overdue break so if it wasn’t received well, you would have a place to make a temporary living space. Plus, things with Hunter were getting too familiar and it was all feeling too good and it wasn’t right to keep lying to him, to any of them really. This squad had become your family now and it wasn’t fair to keep them in the dark. You’d been selfish for long enough. 

You took a deep breath. “Hey guys, could I talk to you about something?”

They all gathered around the main walkway of the ship and waited expectantly. 

You ran a hand through your hair to ground you. “I-” A persistent chiming noise from the cockpit cut you off. 

“I’ll be right back.” Hunter said apologetically before he left to go answer the call. 

“This isn’t going to ruin our time off is it?” Crosshair asked as he chewed on a toothpick and observed the way you agitatedly shifted on your feet. 

Honestly, the answer to that was debatable. As you heard Hunter return, you opened your mouth to just finally get it over with but his voice sounded first. 

“Unfortunately, we’re gonna have to wait for that time off.” Hunter said grimly as he came back.

“What’s going on?” Echo asked.

“There’s a Jedi leading an attack on a planet a few systems away who needs our help.” 

You inhaled sharply. “Which one?” You inquired, hoping you didn’t sound as nervous as you felt but if it was a name you were too familiar with, you were screwed. And it wasn’t like you could think of a legitimate way to get out of going with them either. 

“Signal wasn’t great so I couldn’t hear a clear name, but her padawan will meet us and give us the lay of the situation.” Hunter answered. 

“Why us?” Crosshair asked. 

“Most forces have been rerouted to the capital to help there, we’re the closest group to this fight.” Hunter explained. 

“And we’re better than any reinforcements of regs!” Wrecker stated proudly. 

“What’s the plan, Hunter?” Tech asked as he fired up the ship. 

“I can go after you.” Hunter offered first of all since he knew you were leading up to something before the interruption. 

You gave a dismissive shake of your head. “It can wait.” There’d be time after this mission. You would make it happen.

“Where are we heading?” Echo asked. 

“We’re going to Kaller.” Hunter announced.

Tagging a few who might be interested: @thegreymarveljedi, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @youreababboon, @dreamsight73, @ooostarwarsfandom501st,

[paperfrog1987]

Tech (as drawn by my 10 year old brother who can draw much better than me)

[snotbuggle]

I drew this one last night but I just saw that zealfruity did this half a week ago here so check that out too

[vaderxvibes]

Some appreciation for this absolute unit of a man -

Wrecker!

Edit Masterlist

[saltyseaturtle]

Mount Tantiss x Narkina 5

The Bad Batch x Andor

[magicandmundane]

Something something Clone Force 99 breaking binders in every season finale

[letoscrawls]

You should draw hunter bad batch eating ice cream or something. He deserves a treat

incredibly based suggestion thank you anon

he's eating stracciatella because it's my favorite flavor and even though i haven't seen the show past s1, hunter seems the type to need ice cream straight from the gelateria container (which hits so much different)

[movietimegirl]

Lesson: Never swim in a Florida lake. Meditate instead.

[riyo-soka]

Why tf were the dog and Crosshair consistently better at sensing incoming danger than the guy who was literally engineered in a lab to sense incoming danger. You’re telling me that when a brainwashed assassin ordered to capture Omega was literally in the same room as him, Hunter “overprotective father figure” badbatch couldn’t pick up on that but their new dog did?

[miss-musings]

"The Bad Batch" Timeline: Explained

I've had some interesting conversations with folks on Twitter over the last few weeks about the timeline of "The Bad Batch" show: How much time passes between any given episodes? How old is Omega during S1 or S3? etc.

The short answer is that the entire show takes place over 18-24 months*

(*NOTE: All timeline discussion excludes the TBB epilogue at the end of episode 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived.")

EDIT: I’m also calculating time based on Earth weeks/months/years. I recognize that time in the Star Wars universe likely varies from planet to planet, so I just want to clarify we’re going off IRL time calculations: 7 days to a week, ~30 days to a month, 12 months to a year. I’m also not referring to any external sources (except Wookieepedia, but that’s more to confirm the timeline than create it), so I don’t care what some guidebook says. I’m going based on what happens in the show itself.

Wookieepedia lists Hemlock's death as 18 BBY, so 12-24 months pass between 1.01 "Aftermath" in 19 BBY and Hemlock's death in the series finale.

However, the two biggest and clearest indications of how much time passes during the show is Mayday's comments in 2.12 "The Outpost" and Omega's tally marks in 3.01 "Confined."

In 2.12, Mayday says he's been posted on Barton IV for over a year, and based on his comments, he wasn't posted on Barton IV until after The Clone Wars ended. So, it's been at least a year -- but probably more like 14-15 months because Mayday says "over a year" -- since the events of 1.01 "Aftermath."

Then after the time-jump during 3.01, Omega has about 5.5 months of tally marks. Rounding up from when Crosshair was arrested and taken to Tantiss, about 6 months have passed since 2.12.

So, between those two indicators, at least 18 months have passed between 1.01 "Aftermath" and the end of 3.01 "Confined." But, realistically, it's probably been more like 20-21 months.

Then, the rest of S3 takes place over a pretty compressed timeframe, as no more than a few days seem to pass between episodes. I'll get into this more later, but I'm guessing that the end of 3.01 "Confined" to the big showdown on Tantiss in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" takes place over the course of 1-2 months.

Again, it's confirmed that 18-24 months pass between the series premiere and the series finale.

But, my best guess is that the entire show takes place over 22-23 months based on in-universe clues.

THE SEASON 1 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

Overall, I'm guessing that Season 1 takes place over the course of 4-6 months. I think this is much shorter than some people think, but it makes sense to me based on context clues.

1.01 "Aftermath" takes place over the course of a few days, and then 1.02 "Cut & Run" to 1.06 "Decommissioned" all seem to take place in a very compressed timeframe. No more than a day or two seems to pass between episodes, and no more than a day or two passes within each episode.

So, I'm thinking the end of 1.06 takes place about a month after 1.01.

Then we get our first notable time-jump between 1.06 and 1.07.

1.07 "Battle Scars" opens with the Bad Batch having done at least 10 more jobs for Cid since we last saw them in 1.06. (FYI: this is based on Omega and Wrecker's order of 20 cartons of Mantell Mix).

However Cid talks about the Corellia job like it wasn't too long ago, and if we average 2-3 days per job (which seems realistic based on what we see in the show), then about a month has passed between 1.06 and 1.07.

So, at the beginning of 1.07, I'm saying about two months have passed since 1.01 "Aftermath."

Then 1.08 "Reunion" and 1.09 "Bounty Lost" take place immediately after 1.07.

Skipping over 1.10, we get another notable time-jump between 1.09 "Bounty Lost" and 1.11 "Devil's Deal." The biggest indicator is Crosshair's recovery from his injuries on Bracca.

Assuming at least a month for him to recover and be stationed on Ryloth with Rampart & co., that means at least three months have passed between 1.01 "Aftermath" and 1.11 "Devil's Deal."

Even though we don't have any firm timeline, I don't think more than 2 months passed between 1.09 and 1.11, because everyone on Ryloth talks like it hasn't been that long since the Clone Wars ended.

Anyway, then 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth" takes place immediately after 1.11.

Now, we know that 1.14-1.16 all take place over the course of a few days. So that just leaves us with how much time passes between 1.12 "Rescue on Ryloth" and 1.14 "War-Mantle."

Given that Rampart gave Crosshair permission to hunt down his brothers at the end of 1.12, I'm going to assume he wasn't looking for them that long. Rampart never complains that Crosshair's manhunt is wasting time, or that it's taking so long that they should abandon the effort. Plus, they were also busy decommissioning Tipoca City and the other Kaminoan facilities, so I imagine that took some time.

So, maybe 3-5 weeks (or another month) in all.

To recap, we have:

A month from 1.01 to 1.06

A month between 1.06 and 1.07

A month from 1.07 to 1.12

A month from 1.12 to 1.16

Overall, 4 months for sure, but 5-6 months seems a good estimate.

This would also account for how much time passes during the Bracca and Ryloth arcs, and gives more wiggle room on how long Crosshair's recovery process was. Maybe it took him two months to recover from Bracca and be assigned to Ryloth. Or maybe Crosshair was searching for his brothers for more than a month after Ryloth. Who knows?

EDIT/ADDITION: 4-6 months also seems to be a reasonable amount of time for the Empire to establish the Daro base with commandos like Gregor and Scorch, and then recruit, supply and train all the TK troopers we see in 1.14 "War-Mantle."

But, overall, I'm estimating the events of 1.16 "Kamino Lost" take place 5-6 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

THE SEASON 2 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

I'll tell you now: early Season 2 is where a lot of my guesses go out the window, because we get far fewer clues as to how much time passes between episodes.

Let's start with the time-jump between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2.

Based on Rampart and Crosshair's conversation in 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," Crosshair was stranded on Kamino for a month.

Given that he didn't have any food or water on him when his brothers left him on the platform, he must've been emaciated and dehydrated AF, even if he found some way to collect rainwater and/or catch fish. And Rampart said he needed to be "medically cleared" for active duty.

At least two months seems a good estimate. One month for Crosshair to be stranded; another month for him to recover. It's possible it was longer, though, I admit.

So, at the beginning of 2.03 "The Solitary Clone," we're at least 7 months removed from 1.01 "Aftermath."

Now, I actually think 2.03 takes place before 2.01/2.02. Story for another time, but it boils down to:

1) The creators would want to kick off Season 2 with a Bad Batch-centric episode not a Crosshair-centric episode, even if Crosshair’s episode takes place first chronologically; and

2) Rampart learns the Bad Batch is alive in 2.02, but never has Crosshair arrested or monitored as a potential spy or anything -- this only makes sense if Rampart finds out TBB is alive after Crosshair is cleared for duty and has proven his loyalty.

But, ultimately it doesn't matter:

Based on Mayday's comments in 2.12 "The Outpost," early Season 2 has to cover at least 7 more months. That means that months are passing between episodes in early S2.

In 2.12, Mayday says he's been stationed at the Outpost for over a year, and that he wasn't stationed there until after the war ended. So, assuming at least a month after the war for him to be reassigned, and then 13 months for him to be on Barton IV ... 2.12 has to take place at least 14 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

So, ultimately, I think 2.01/2.02 might take place 3-4 months after the Fall of Kamino in 1.16 "Kamino Lost." It would allow enough time for the Bad Batch to get new clothes, repaint their old armor, and for Omega to start all of her studies while the Bad Batch continues to do jobs for Cid.

Then we probably have another month between 2.02 "Ruins of War" and 2.04 "Faster." Then another month to 2.05 "Entombed." And then another month to 2.06 "Tribe." And then another month to the beginning of 2.07 “The Clone Conspiracy.”

Because of how compressed the back-half of Season 2 is, I think 2.07/2.08 takes place about 13 months after the war ends in 1.01 "Aftermath" and, thus, about 7-8 months after the Fall of Kamino in 1.16 "Kamino Lost."

Now, once we get to 2.07, that's when the timeline starts compressing again based on in-universe clues.

We know 2.08 "Truth and Consequences" takes place almost immediately after 2.07. So, no more than a week seems to pass between the beginning of 2.07 and the end of 2.08.

Then, 2.09 "The Crossing" takes place a few days after 2.08, as Omega is still adjusting to Echo's absence. Then 2.10 "Retrieval" is immediately after 2.09, and 2.11 "Metamorphosis" takes place maybe a day after 2.10.

So, from the beginning of 2.07 to the end of 2.11, maybe two weeks have passed in-universe.

Then, at the beginning of 2.13 "Pabu," Cid remarks that it's been 20 rotations since she last talked to the Bad Batch in 2.11.

From 2.13 to 2.14, I'm guessing 1-2 weeks have passed based on how much of Pabu has been rebuilt since the sea surge and other context clues (like Shep and Hunter's conversation about the Bad Batch staying on Pabu).

Now, we're not exactly sure where 2.12 "The Outpost" falls in the S2 timeline. I'm guessing it's simultaneous with 2.13 "Pabu" for thematic and dramatic reasons, but we see all our various plot threads align in 2.14 "Tipping Point." Everything Echo, Crosshair and Hunter & co. do happens within 2-3 days.

Then, based on Echo's comments, we know 2.15 "The Summit" takes place two days after the Bad Batch's conversation at the end of 2.14 "Tipping Point." And then 2.16 "Plan 99" takes place immediately after 2.15.

So, while I can't speculate much on early S2, I can tell you that 2.07-2.16 spans about two months.

To recap:

2 months between 1.16 "Kamino Lost" and 2.03 "The Solitary Clone"

Several months between 2.01/2.02 and 2.07

A week during 2.07 and 2.08

A few days between 2.08 and 2.09

Another week during 2.09 to 2.11

Three weeks between 2.11 and 2.13

Two weeks between 2.13 and 2.14

A week during 2.14 to 2.16

But, overall, I'm estimating the events of 2.16 "Plan 99" take place 15-16 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

THE SEASON 3 TIMELINE BREAKDOWN

Unlike the previous two seasons, Season 3 is very compressed. Outside of the time-jump within 3.01 "Confined," the entire season takes place over the course of 5-6 weeks. Not months. Weeks.

Now, again, I actually think 3.02 "Paths Unknown" takes place during the five-month time-jump within 3.01. But that doesn't really matter.

As we see from Omega's tally marks, the end of 3.01 takes place about 5.5 months after 2.16 "Plan 99." So, we have our between-seasons time-jump spelled out for us this time.

This means the end of 3.01 "Confined" takes place 21-22 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

Skipping over 3.02, episode 3.03 "Shadows of Tantiss" seems to take place within a few days of the end of 3.01. We see that Omega is still being monitored closely after her outburst in the lurca kennels; and Hemlock told Nala Se in 3.01 that the Emperor would be arriving soon to check on their progress, which he does in 3.03. Heck, maybe 3.03 takes place the day after 3.01, but I’ll give a little wiggle room and say it’s been a few days.

Then, we know that the beginning of 3.03 to the end of 3.05 all takes place in a very short amount of time. Maybe a week.

3.04 "A Different Approach" takes place immediately after 3.03, and no more than a day or two passes between the end of 3.04 and the beginning of 3.05 "The Return."

So, from the end of 3.01 to the end of 3.05, two weeks have passed at most.

The gap between 3.05 and 3.06 is the only span of time in S3 we don't have any solid indicators about. It clearly wasn't too long, as Howzer talks about Crosshair escaping Tantiss like it happened fairly recently. Overall, I'd guess it's been maybe a week or two since Crosshair and Omega escaped Tantiss.

Then, 3.07 takes place immediately after 3.06.

Excluding 3.10 "Identity Crisis," we know that 3.08-3.11 all take place within a short amount of time. No more than 2-3 days seem to pass between episodes, and no more than 2-3 days passes within each episode. In total, I'd say these three episodes take place over the course of two weeks.

Thus, I'm guessing 4-5 weeks, or about a month, passes from the end of 3.01 "Confined" to the beginning of 3.11 "Point of No Return."

Then, we know the timeline between 3.11 and 3.15 is very short because all the episodes take place almost immediately after each other. The only exception is between 3.12 and 3.13, when maybe 12-24 hours passes based on Omega's movements in the Vault and her brothers' plans to infiltrate the orbital station.

You can round up and say a week, but that almost seems generous to me. Maybe a work week. Like the Empire invaded Pabu Monday night and Omega & co. were back on Pabu Friday morning.

Overall, I think the beginning of 3.11 "Point of No Return" to the end of 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" spans 3-5 days.

To recap:

5.5 months from the end of 2.16 "Plan 99" to the end of 3.01 "Confined"

A week from the end of 3.01 to the end of 3.05

A week between 3.05 and 3.06

Three weeks during 3.06 to 3.11

A week during 3.11 to 3.15

Again, outside of the time-jump within 3.01, the entirety of Season 3 takes place over 1-2 months if we're looking at the larger post-"Aftermath" timeframe.

Overall, I'm estimating the showdown on Tantiss and Hemlock's death in 3.15 "The Cavalry Has Arrived" takes place about 22-23 months after 1.01 "Aftermath."

We know it's not more than 24 months after the war ends, because Wookieepedia would list Hemlock's death in 17 BBY instead of 18 BBY. So no more than 24 calendar months can pass between "The Bad Batch" series premiere and series finale.

But, accounting for things that happen within the show, 22-23 months seems about right. Like, it's been almost two calendar years, but not quite.

So, to give a real-world example, if Palpatine gave his "Revenge of the Sith" speech to reorganize the Republic into the Galactic Empire on Jan. 1, 2022, then the big showdown on Tantiss takes place in October or November 2023.

That means:

If Omega was 12 years old when her brothers met her on Kamino, she was 13-14 during the showdown on Tantiss.

After his inhibitor chip activated, Crosshair was separated from his brothers for more than 18 months before finally reconciling with them in 3.05 "The Return."

The Bad Batch worked for Cid for over a year, and she still betrayed them.

Phee and Tech's ~situationship~ might've lasted half-a-year between their first meeting in 2.01 "Spoils of War" and his death in 2.16 "Plan 99."

Howzer and his men from Ryloth were in prison for almost a year before Echo & co. broke them out in 2.14 "Tipping Point."

When Crosshair sent the Plan 88 message, the Bad Batch hadn't seen or heard from him in ~10 months (since the Fall of Kamino).

Omega only got to spend 15-16 months with Tech before his death in 2.16 “Plan 99.” 😭

Crosshair hadn't seen his brothers for over a year between the Fall of Kamino and escaping Tantiss with Omega.

Omega and Crosshair only spent about 7 months together during the show (5.5 on Tantiss and 1.5 after their escape), and most of that was off-screen. 🙁

Apparently, more time passed between S1 and S2 than during S3 (excluding the time jump and epilogue). Seriously. From the end of 3.01 to the final showdown on Tantiss, the Bad Batch had a very insane and stressful 5-6 weeks. They all looked like they could use a nap in that final group shot under the tree, and I don't blame them!

All the clones (except Omega) aged 3-4 biological years over the course of the show. So, if Hunter & co. were biologically 22 when they met Omega on Kamino, they'd be around 25-26 when they finally settle down on Pabu.

Not sure how this will help people, but I wanted to share it because I've been thinking about how insane this show's timeline — how loosey-goosey it is in some places while being super-rigid in others.

So, enjoy!

[creatureesque]

i know that the fandom is in shambles rn but i just started the show so...... also happy may 4th!!!

[hugmekenobi]

A Series of Firsts

A Bad Batch S1 Prequel Oneshot: 'First Scheme'

Gif by @imalovernotahater

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: The rest of the Batch begin their quest to make you and Hunter admit what's developing between you

Warnings: No use of (Y/N), swearing, mildly suggestive thoughts, awkward Hunter and reader, brief angst, minor lies/deceit, making up tools and ship happenings, scheming brothers

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

<Previous Prequel Oneshot

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3K

Rating: 18+ (a catch all for all my works)

Author's Note: Alright, I'm back! Thank you all for your patience and I hope there's still an interest in these little stories! Happy reading!

“Nice work back there.” Hunter said kindly as you boarded the ship last. 

“Thanks, you too.” You said briefly but politely before you walked down the corridor of the ship as it got in the air. 

Hunter watched you go with a heavy heart and he couldn’t help the questions that your actions brought. You were keeping him more at arms-length these days and it was a pretty big change compared to how things used to be between you but it would appear that he couldn’t expect anything more since the way you behaved with him now was entirely different from how you were with his brothers. Where you seemed to enjoy being around the rest of them and building some semblance of friendship, you seemed to avoid him any chance that you could. And that was fine, healthy even, he needed reasons to keep down and get over whatever deeper feelings he may or may not have for you. But, he still wondered about what he’d done to upset you so much recently. 

Even though part of you longed to be by his side again, you forced yourself to stay away from Hunter. You had to keep away from him these days. It was the only solution you could think of but it was still proving to be rather ineffective. Your thoughts always came back to him whether you wanted them to or not. Your internal appreciation blurred the line between professional admiration or something more and you couldn’t have that. You were in a permanent state of confusion when it came to him and what you might be feeling and in turn what that meant for your own ingrained philosophy. So, you’d resorted to distance instead but you were yet to see the benefits of this.

An alarm blaring brought you back to the present moment and the shrieking noise was then swiftly followed by a nauseating swaying of the ship. 

“Tech, what’s going on?!” You yelled. 

“System glitch and I’ve lost control of the steering. You need to get the ‘4.4 spanner gauge needle.’ That’s the only tool that can reach the mechanism!” Tech called back to you as he fought to keep the ship level.

“The what?!” You shouted over the strained whirring of the engine and screeching alarms as you braced your hand against the wall to keep your balance as the ship moved all over the place. You’d never heard of such a tool.

“I’m not going to waste time by repeating myself!” 

“Tech, that cannot be a real-”

“If you should like the ship to explode, by all means debate with me but I’m telling you that that’s the part we need!” Tech insisted.  

You ground out a sigh but did as he said. 

You unsteadily entered the small supply closet and began scouring the shelves for the part he was searching for but you were having no success. 

“Crosshair, any chance you can help me find this thing?” You called out. 

“Busy.” Crosshair answered shortly as he casually cleaned his rifle, unbothered by the rolling ship from his passenger seat. 

“Echo?” You tried someone else. 

“Helping Tech!” 

“Wrecker?” 

“I can’t fit in there with you, but Hunter’s free!” Wrecker said by way of reply with a nudging elbow to his brother’s shoulder.

You resisted the urge to sprint out the space. Great, that had been the one you had been hoping to avoid having in here. 

Hunter shot Wrecker a suspicious look but went to the closet anyway. 

He was barely over the threshold when he felt a shove in his back followed by a particularly violent lurch of the ship all of which sent him totally off-balance and then saw him- to his horror- crashing into you. 

You half-turned with your questions as to where something like this could be but you never got the words out. Before you knew it, you were flat on your back with a strong body tightly pressed on top of you. You blinked a couple of times to make sure what was happening was a real moment and not one from your dreams but there was no mistaking any of this and your breath caught in your throat as you drank in the image above you: Hunter’s face was inches from yours, his lips were inches from yours- you could feel his breath on your skin, his body was a secure blanket and you had a passing thought surrounding the idea of getting rather used to that sensation. Your breath stuttered as those warm brown eyes looked deep into yours as he held himself above you. Stop staring, stop staring, stop staring. You commanded yourself with little success. 

Hunter was mortified. He couldn’t believe this was how he’d ended up.  Get up, get up, get up. He willed himself internally but your legs had parted for him to accommodate the fall so he was perfectly placed between them and he couldn’t bring himself to leave as his mind whirred with various thoughts in an inappropriate panic. He braced his hands on either side of your head to lift himself slightly but that was as close as he got to rising.

Suppressing the urge to brush the loose strands of his hair that came just past his bandana, you whispered nervously instead, “Should- uh- we get up?” 

“Yes- um- d- definitely.” As Hunter scrambled up and held a hand out to you to bring you to your feet, both of you launched into a series of simultaneous, and awkwardly frantic apologies. 

“I’m sorry-”

“No, I’m sorry-”

“The ship tilted and I wasn’t-”

“No, I should’ve been more careful turning-”

“You didn’t expect me to crash-”

“You didn’t do it deliberately. And I should’ve waited until-” 

“No, you were expecting help and I-”

“We can just settle this by saying that neither of us is at fault.” You realised with a mildly embarrassed laugh at how ridiculous the two of you were being over this. 

That sounded perfect. “Okay, so we’re in agreement then, everything is fine?” Hunter asked through a stressed breath. 

“Yeah, we’re all good.” You nodded but then you realised something else. “Um…” You then simply darted your gaze down to where Hunter still had a grip of your hand.

Hunter dropped your hand, although the act left him with the immediate desire to hold it again but he forced himself to ignore it. He cleared his throat awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “So, uh, you’re looking for something?” 

“Yup. A ‘4.4 spanner gauge needle’ supposedly. I couldn’t see it anywhere and no matter what Tech says, I really don’t think such a thing exists.” 

“I haven’t heard of it either or at the very least, we definitely don’t have that if it does.” Hunter confirmed. “We can just get outta here.” He went to open the door but after pressing the control panel, he was met with no movement. 

“Hunter-”

“One minute.” He replied shortly. The lack of response from the control pad was making him rather anxious because being trapped in here would be the last thing either of you needed. 

“Hunter, did the ship just suddenly stabilise?” You voiced your observation aloud. 

Hunter stopped trying to open the door and realised that you were right and everything suddenly clicked. “Those idiots.” He muttered to himself. 

“They trapped us in here?” You figured and your heart thundered in your chest with the implications of what that all meant. They hadn’t exactly been shy about letting them know their thoughts on your situation with Hunter but their words always brought a false hope that you were forced to downplay and ignore. Plus, you couldn’t have those feelings and you had been getting better about pushing them down- this situation was going to make it rather difficult to get past them. 

Hunter picked up on that reaction from you and a brief hint of sadness stirred within his chest. Of course you wouldn't want to be trapped in a tight space with him. He pulled out his comm link. “If any of you are around to help with this door, get in gear and get us out.” 

“The ship de-stabilising then recovering as abruptly as it did seemed to short out the door circuit. It’s a simple repair, no need to panic.” Tech fibbed smoothly into his comm as he merely tapped through his datapad. 

“Those two things have no correlation.” You snapped into your comm. 

“The door is stuck, yet the ship is secure. What would you call it?” Came the smarmy reply. 

You heaved an irritated sigh. “Tech-”

“We should be able to repair it, it just might take a few minutes.” Echo’s voice came through next.

You didn’t need to have enhanced senses to figure out that every word out of their mouths was bullshit. 

“Get the door open, now.” Hunter ordered firmly. 

“What?” 

“Wrecker, you heard me-”

“Sorry- cutting out- can’t hear-”

It was obvious to both of you that the static in between each word was a self-made sound. 

“Wrecker-” Hunter hissed into the comm but then there was only the sound of the comm clicking off entirely.

–

“Don’t worry guys! You won’t be trapped for long! We’re on it!” Wrecker shouted towards the door in keeping with the plan. 

“Oh yeah, we’re on it.” Crosshair drawled as all of them sat on their bunks and busied themselves with anything but ‘repairing’ the door. 

“The four of us are soldiers of the Republic and have faced battalions of battle droids with no help, no weapons but our blasters, but this was the best we could come up with?” Echo couldn’t help but comment as he was hit with just how simple this strategy was. 

“You rejected my ideas.” Crosshair pointed out with a brotherly glare. 

“Yes, because ‘let me just shoot at them until one of them admits it’ is not a real plan.” Tech replied frankly. 

“This is never going to work.” Echo grumbled. 

“This was your idea!” Wrecker reminded him. 

“Well, now I think we could’ve done a little more.” Echo gestured to Crosshair. “There has to be a happy medium between shooting at them and just locking them in a supply closet.” 

“I don’t think it’s a bad start. What else could they spend their time doing in there? They’ll have to talk eventually.” Wrecker assumed heartily. 

“I think you’re underestimating how irrationally stubborn they both are.” Tech countered. “We may be waiting a while.” 

–

It had to have been going on close to an hour of just the two of you sitting beside each other in the cramped space in a suffocating, uncomfortable silence. 

“I’m sorry you’re trapped in here with me. I’m sure you’d much rather be with any of my brothers.” Hunter broke the silence. 

“Wait, what do you mean?” You queried with a furrowed brow.

“I know you’re not . Whatever problem you have with me, I’d be happy to fix-”

“No, I don’t have a problem with you.” You corrected quickly.

Hunter looked at you expectantly. 

You were left debating the best way to answer without giving too much away. “I- well- I like you fine.” You rushed to cover up any deeper and unintentional admissions. “You just make me nervous, that’s all.” 

“Oh.” Despite himself, Hunter couldn’t prevent the flurry of hope your words brought. 

“I don’t know how to handle being around someone who can pick up on my every reaction. So, I thought limiting my time around you was the best way to go.” 

And the hope was quashed. Right, of course that was why. He’d be foolish to think anything different. “I can’t exactly help it.” 

Shit, I’m explaining this terribly. You thought to yourself. “No, I know. I don’t mean it like that. I’m not blaming you or- ugh- what I mean is-” You were struggling. 

“Yes?” 

You knew you had to spell it out as bluntly as you could manage but still not give too much away. “You make me nervous because I like you and you’re a good friend and I’m not used to that. I like being around you but I got nervous because you might be able to tell. And I didn’t want to confuse you or anything so I felt like I had to get a handle on myself first for some stupid reason and I guess I was overcompensating to cover it.” You said apologetically. 

A certain word stung more than he wished it would but Hunter hummed his acceptance of that before he said more light-heartedly. “So, you do like me then?”

A huff of laughter escaped your lips. “Yes.” You said with a friendly roll of your eyes. “You’re a great leader and brother. It’s impossible to not like you.” 

“Great leader, huh? You think so?” 

“Oh, now you’re just fishing.” You teased but then you paused as you sensed the deeper insecurity that came from him. “Hunter?”

Way to ruin a nice moment, Hunter. He chastised himself internally before he said to you, “Sorry, it’s just something I worry about sometimes. I didn’t mean to put that on you.” Hunter said in embarrassment. He’d crossed a line with that. You had such a calming effect on him that he found himself wanting to talk to you about the things that were on his mind that he usually felt like he had to keep contained but he really should’ve kept his mouth shut. 

You were quick to reassure him. “No, no, don't worry about it.” The fact that he trusted you enough to say something like that to you made your heart flutter and you didn’t take it for granted. “I knew it from pretty much the second I met you that you were a different type of squad leader. You don’t ask anything of any of us that you wouldn’t do yourself. You listen and you show that you care. You don’t see that all the time from people in positions of command.” You said quietly but with total sincerity. “It makes you unique and not in the way you were designed to be. You’re a great leader, Hunter, and I like that about you a lot.” 

Dammit, the hope was back. “Thank you.” Hunter murmured. 

“You’re welcome.” You replied back just as softly. 

Hunter waited for a beat before he said his piece. “You weren’t the only one that knew something straight away. I’d never seen anyone like you before, you were incredible to watch. I offered you a spot here all those months ago because of how easily you worked with us. I don’t think you could be any more of a right fit. You take us as we are and that means a lot. You’re one of us.” 

Guilt coiled in your gut. How could you be one of them when they didn’t even know you but you ignored it for now. Something bigger was building in the tight space between the two of you that demanded your attention more. You angled yourself to face him properly. “You think so?” 

“I know it.” He confirmed and he placed his hand on top of yours before he could stop himself. 

You didn’t mind his touch and you suddenly found yourself flitting your gaze between his comforting brown eyes and his mouth. Your mind wandered back to what his body had felt like and heat spread through your body. There was something you could only describe as desire rushing through your veins as you found yourself wanting to feel his touch everywhere. You couldn’t do this, could you? There had to be a dark side to this, to what you were experiencing but you couldn’t sense it but that was all you’d been taught. And yet despite your uncertain thoughts, you weren’t stopping, you kept inching closer to him. 

Hunter mirrored your movement and a different kind of nervous tension coursed through his body. If he was smart, he would stop this before it went too far, but he wasn’t feeling particularly smart right now. Not when he was a few seconds away from doing something he’d only ever allowed himself to dream about. 

Just before your lips were about to meet the door opened and you’d never moved so fast in your life. 

“Assholes.” You muttered reasonably affectionately to the group as you shoved through them to get free.

“That’s an interesting way to say thank you.” Crosshair remarked wryly to your back.

“Well?” Echo asked once you were out of earshot.

“ ‘Well’ what? What the hell were you all playing at?” Hunter asked irritably as he got to his feet. 

“We merely felt it appropriate to give you two a space to impart some honest feelings to one another.” Tech said breezily. 

Hunter placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. Of course that’s what all this was for. “You wasted your time because, as I have told all of you before, there isn’t anything there.” He said as an unconvincing response. 

“We kept you in there for an hour!” Wrecker blurted out in annoyance. “And nothing?” 

“Talk about hopeless.” Crosshair said with a roll of his eyes. 

“Shut up.” Hunter grumbled. “Nothing was ever going to happen because- and I don’t know how many times I have to say it- neither of us feel that way for each other.” 

That simply received a collective look of exasperated disbelief from the rest of his brothers. 

“Hunter, she feels the same way that you do. If you just-” 

“Don’t start with that, Echo.” Hunter interrupted sharply before he too moved away from them. 

–

“Is it possible we made it worse?” Echo wondered as he studied the way you and Hunter could barely look each other in the eye. 

“Unlikely. I believe this reaction to be a result of the confinement of close quarters. They may not have acknowledged anything but something must have happened for them to be behaving in this way.” Tech theorised. “We’ll simply have to keep going to determine the best way for them to vocalise everything.”

“So, we’re not done?” Wrecker asked excitedly as they all watched you and Hunter awkwardly dance around each other in the cockpit. 

“Oh, we’re just getting started.” Crosshair confirmed as he placed a fresh toothpick in his mouth. “How soon before we can do my idea?” 

Next Prequel Oneshot>

Tagging a few who might be interested: @thegreymarveljedi, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @youreababboon, @dreamsight73, @ooostarwarsfandom501st

[inumbrapugnabimus-maybe]

umm

this show has me in a chokehold at the moment guys

[clone-trooper-cheese]

I was rewatching TBB season 1 and I made this meme from the first episode

[melymigo]

It's been a great journey.

See the complete series of Star Wars: The Bad Batch only on Disney plus.

[magicandmundane]

Hunter: Fuck it. Let’s go back to Kamino and adopt that kid.

Wrecker, Tech, and Echo: Adopt—? Yeah okay, we’ve done weirder shit.

Crosshair: With all due respect, which is none at this point, what the fuck is wrong with you