Tumgik
#Tech and Imperial!Jedi
cjorgens2022 · 8 months
Text
Imperial!Tech
I’ve been inspired by two particular Imperial!Tech Fics, one is Wwheeljack’s Imperial Tech (includes In the Name of Science) and Aelfwynn’s Observations and Analysis in the Galactic Empire Imperial Tech!
in the show canon, Tech is stoic and calm, but when his chip activates in my Imperial!Tech AU his stoicness would be much colder, he wouldn’t be above critiquing Hunter in particular for not following orders on both Kaller and Onderon, even using the warning of informing the Kaminoans AND Tarkin about his leadership, and the fact this Imperial Tech will calmly and coldly question Hunter on his reliability as not just a brother, but a leader!
Tech would become even more dedicated to science, now that my Tech is part of the empire, he’ll do any and all experiments that align with the Empire, he will be very willing to lure in Jedi and Clone alike for his experiments and perhaps *recondition* them to see the benefits of The Empire! His full rank would be known as Scientist Imperial Commander CT-9902! My Imperial!Tech Fic reaches across the post clone wars era, into the imperial era, throughout the Galactic Civil War, into the New Republic Age and into the time of the sequels!
5 notes · View notes
fanfoolishness · 1 month
Text
I like to imagine that in the future, people remember the clones. After Palpatine falls for good on Exegol, imagine an explosion of freedom and knowledge in those days after the final defeat: imagine archaeologists and scholars plumbing the depths of Imperial and First Order records, trying to figure out what had happened so it could never happen again. And through it all they find the clones’ story woven into everything, until a new field emerges of Clone Studies, a loose alliance of military history buffs and research biologists and anthropologists and ethicists.
They catalogue the Kaminoans’ research; they review the clone memorials on Coruscant, on Zeffo, monuments as large as a massive wall or as small as a quiet statue, from people throughout the galaxy who were grateful for what they did. They study the great tragedy and betrayal of the chip, finally understanding the scope of Palpatine’s plans and bringing them out into the open, sharing the truth that the clones never chose to betray the Jedi Order and Republic they had served faithfully. They study old war vids and oral histories from people of long-lived species or whose grandparents remembered the clones; they build, memory by memory, a sense of the culture, the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the loyalty. They collect vids of battle songs and in-jokes and an interior language shared among them, springing up over the years.
They find and list their names, self-chosen or given by their brothers: Rex, Fives, Howzer, Echo, Tup, Gregor, Wolffe, Cody, Boil, Waxer, Cut. They study the clones whose differences defined them and knit them into a family whose ties could not be broken, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, Omega. They study the discarded who nevertheless still had value - 99, Emerie, the clones who were culled in infancy for being wrong. There are specialists who devote their entire branch of study to the only male unaltered clone and his infamous exploits throughout the galaxy, so alike his father’s. They study the years of the clone rebellion, a fight that paved the way for the next wave of fighters and the next after them.
The clones are gone. That is undisputed. Their kind came for a little while, and then vanished, burning brightly; their tale was a tragedy, but one unique in all its seeming sameness. There are conferences and holovids and books. There are debates and research firing up young scholars about a time only their great-grandparents can remember.
In the future, after all the clones are gone, there are still stories.
494 notes · View notes
havoc-7 · 21 days
Text
I wasn’t a die-hard Tech Lives believer (more of a “I HOPE Tech Lives” believer) but the end of the show has me grieving hard all over again, so here’s my little ode to Tech based on things I’ve noticed about him from rewatching the show:
Tech LOVES his brothers, and he genuinely misses Crosshair. When he has his heart to heart with Omega in the ipsium cavern, the way that he mentions Crosshair—even though that wasn’t even really what they were discussing—shows how often Crosshair is on his mind, so much so that he can’t really talk about people leaving and changing without bringing him up. When they get the Plan 88 from Crosshair, Tech is vocal and insistent about doing whatever they can to bring Crosshair back—because “he is still our brother.”
Tech is incredibly moral. Not that he’s any more moral than I think generally TBB is, but he’s not afraid to speak up when he sees something that he disagrees with fundamentally. “The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me.” “There’s a fundamental different between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice.” Even in just the first episode, we see how firm his opinions are, based on what he believes: that people are people, that HIS BROTHERS are people, that they deserve better, that there is such a thing as right and wrong.
Tech may be practical, but that doesn’t make him any less crazy than his brothers—in fact, I would argue he is one of the more unhinged members of the bad batch. His plans and ideas see everything factually, factoring in risk not as an emotional factor but as a numerical one. He knows their skills, and what they are capable of, and he pushes them to those capabilities, even if the resulting strategy is absolutely insane. The best part is, as insane as he may be, his brothers trust him, because, as Tech himself said, he is seldom wrong.
Tech has a beautiful sense of wonder and awe for the world around him. How many times do we see him go wide-eyed as he encounters something that absolutely fascinates him—even if that thing is a Zillo beast that just ate an entire Imperial crew.
Tech is INSANE. Not unhinged, like I said earlier, but skill-wise, ability-wise, he is an absolute powerhouse. I will forever be grateful to the writers of TBB who gave us a techy, intelligent character who is not your average scrawny computer guy that we get in action movies. You have to have a lot of guts to be the guy in your squad who turns your back on the fight to bend over a computer and hack into a file or break an encryption or alter the programming—already a delicate operation, but with the added risk of getting shot with your back turned. He frickin wields double blasters so that he can shoot more clankers more efficiently (if that’s not practical Tech, I don’t know what is). He DOESN’T WEAR LEG ARMOR SO THAT HE CAN CARRY HIS TOOLS WITH HIM INTO THE FIELD. In “Faster,” we see his hand inching towards his blaster, ready to defend and protect the second it’s necessary—and you know he would’ve beaten anyone to the draw. He fought a group of Imperial troopers!!! With a broken leg!!!!!
Tech was amazing, and I hate that he’s dead, that we never got to see him grow old, that he never saw Crosshair again. But WHAT A LIFE HE LIVED.
228 notes · View notes
fellthemarvelous · 1 month
Text
Without hope, we have nothing.
(Spoilers and speculation included a bit further down)
This is actually a post about the Bad Batch and not Star Wars Rebels, but this bit is important so...
Try not to cry when you remember that Tech is the one who taught Hera Syndulla how to mask her ship's signature, a move that made her a massive threat to the Empire and a move that she often used to her advantage. She was such a threat to the Empire that they wanted to capture her alive so they could make an example of her for her years of defiance.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
And then also try not to cry when you remember that when Hera was taken prisoner by the Empire, Kanan Jarrus sacrificed his life to free her and save the future of the Rebellion. Try not to cry when you think about the fact that Kanan Jarrus aka Caleb Dume was the Jedi padawan the Bad Batch protected (except for Crosshair) from the Empire during Order 66 by claiming Hunter killed him.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Hunter, Tech, Wrecker and Echo lied to the Empire to protect a Jedi.
And Tech taught Hera how to evade the Empire when the Bad Batch helped her family (Chopper included) escape Ryloth after being accused of treason.
Clone Force 99's actions had a direct outcome on the success of the Rebellion. They refused to commit treason against the Republic and all they did was commit treason against the Empire. They were strong enough to resist the effects of the inhibitor chip (Crosshair and Wrecker for awhile), outright ignored Order 66 (Hunter and Tech), or were tortured and turned partially into a machine against his will by the Techno Union and used as a weapon against the Republic who, upon rescue, immediately jumped back into Separatist territory and fucked their asses up (Echo). Luckily, with the help of Rex, they got their chips removed after Wrecker tried to kill all of them.
Everything under the cut is pure speculation. I'm having a galaxy brain moment, I just have no idea if it's pointing me in the right direction or not lol.
If you disagree with me, I don't need you to rudely tell me why.
After his time on Tantiss, Crosshair can now identify with Echo more than anyone else in the Bad Batch (and Tech if CX-2 is Tech).
When they went to rescue Echo, Crosshair is the one who snidely told Captain Rex that he would have left Echo behind too.
Which is exactly what happened to Crosshair when the Empire turned him into a weapon against his own brothers. He had no choice because the Empire attached him to a machine and amped up the effect of his inhibitor chip so he could not disobey orders.
Rex told Cody "I think Echo is still alive" and Cody told him that was impossible. Anakin accompanied him on this rescue mission with The Bad Batch (we know Cody would have too if he hadn't been injured).
I think that if Tech is CX-2, Crosshair already knows or highly suspects it. He's terrified of Tantiss. I think we're going to have a parallel moment of Crosshair possibly saying the same thing, knowing that he could never leave a brother behind again after what he went through, especially if CX-2 is Tech. (I also wouldn't be surprised if Omega suspected something after her trip back to Tantiss with CX-2.)
We never saw Echo's body after the explosion. Instead we got this image. An empty helmet and a droid arm.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Crosshair defected from the Empire when he witnessed the Empire tell him that Mayday was only a clone and not worth giving medical attention to. Those actions resulted in the death of Mayday and that's when Crosshair chose to shoot an Imperial officer between the eyes (similar to Dogma's execution of General Krell in many ways).
If Tech is CX-2, that is the second Bad Batcher the Empire has turned into an enemy against his brothers.
This is the last we saw of Tech.
Tumblr media
Hemlock was fucking lying when he said that Tech's glasses were all they recovered. Why the hell would he have found Tech's glasses and not Tech? All we see below him are clouds. And this is the last bit of Tech we see. That gun is in the shot with his glasses for a reason.
Tumblr media
I feel like this is going to parallel Echo's rescue from Skako Minor. Tech and Echo are both highly intelligent huge ass nerds (remember that the battle plans being used against the Republic were written by both Rex and Echo, and Cody acknowledged that Rex was one of their best strategists in the GAR) who always ended up working best together.
Part of me wonders if we are heading into a show centered on the clone troopers in a post Order 66 world going up against the Empire as they try to rescue more of their brothers. Enough to become a problem for the Empire.
Part of me also wonders if the inclusion of Force sensitive children in the Bad Batch means Rex will need to call Ahsoka into the fray. Wolffe has only appeared once so he hasn't even switched sides, let alone even started blocking Ahsoka's messages to Rex yet. During the Clone Wars she had to save Force sensitive children from Darth Sidious. During the Rebellion, the saved more Force sensitive children from Darth Sidious. It makes me wonder if she is also going to save Force sensitive children from this too? I might be reaching a bit too much here, but it could be a possibility! She seems to always show up when Force sensitive children need to be rescued from Darth Sidious.
No matter what ending we get for the Bad Batch, I know it's going to leave us with hope for the future because the message in Star Wars has always shown us that hope will always be stronger than fear.
A simple act of kindness can fill a galaxy with hope.
Without hope, we have nothing.
These episodes are all relevant to Echo's journey. The Domino Squad was referred to as a bad batch and Echo was the one who seemed to struggle the most with orders that conflicted with doing what needed to be done. He is the one who memorized the regulations manual after all. And now the Bad Batch are on a similar journey because they have never trusted regs before, but now it seems they might have to trust the regs to come to help them the way they helped Rex and Echo before the war ended. The way they helped Gregor after the war ended.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but that's a fanfic I can always write!! I don't want to get into who I think is going to die or survive, but I have my suspicions there too and I'm already in too much pain to keep going.
144 notes · View notes
bberry005 · 9 days
Text
one day, long after the fight against the empire is over and they're building the new republic, someone is going to come across files on all the top secret imperial projects.
one day some analyst is going to open a heavily encrypted file called "mount tantiss" and learn that palpatine could've ruled over them forever. they will read that little sentence at the bottom of the report that says "facility decomissioned. funding redistributed to project stardust"
one day, omega will learn they uncovered the files on what mount tantiss really was. she'll smile to herself because everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard the projects in this facility were stopped "for unknown reasons", but she'll know it was her, a handful of other children, and a brave group of clones who stood up and fought and destroyed mount tantiss from the inside. she'll know that the only reason they're not facing an immortal emporer and an army of cx troopers right now is because of her people, a people that even in the new republic are constantly brushed under the rug and despised despite all good they've done. but for all that injustice, something in her is healed after truly knowing that it was HER people who stopped palpatine from ruling the galaxy forever. it doesn't end all that her people have suffered at the hands of the galaxy, but it's a start.
and on that day, hera will smile at her because she knows too, because how couldn't she? her and omega are basically sisters by now. rex will place a hand on omega's shoulder and tell her that she did good. she'll seek out emerie and tell her that they did it, that all of that research really is gone, that everything hemlock and nala se did to them was really, truly destroyed. she'll brush her fingers over tech's glasses and whisper that they made it.
she'll call her family on pabu and tell them and some forgotten weight will finally be lifted. they have confirmation now that hemlock didn't win. they're well and truly at ease now, a worry they've subconsiously felt for so long finally gone.
the day is a quiet day of celebration for a small group of people in the grand scheme of the galaxy, because no matter what happens next, they know that they made it. who cares if we, the people who watch star wars, know that project necromancer succeeds in the end? it doesn't matter. just the sheer relief that all of these characters felt knowing that they actually did it outweighs all of that. the few remaining clones in the galaxy know that they really are free. no more wars, no more experiments, no more constantly looking over their shoulders wondering if someone has come to take them back to a lab or kill them in cold blood for what they did to the jedi.
they know and they are finally free and that is enough. maybe no one else will remember the squad that destroyed mount tantiss, but they certainly will. there's even a holiday for it on pabu, celebrated for decades after anyone still remembers what it means.
because on the day tantiss was destroyed, for the first time ever, the clones really are free. and THAT means more than anything.
126 notes · View notes
Text
Y’all I cracked the code I’ve discovered the true meaning behind Cody’s new armor
Grey is the color of mourning. We see the Wolffe Pack change to grey after the devastating loss of almost the entire battalion.
In season one of bad batch, Tech tells Rex that he is listed as KIA in imperial files. This means that season two Cody thinks Rex is dead.
Cody’s armor is grey bc he’s mourning Rex and maybe subconsciously the Jedi too
Tumblr media Tumblr media
1K notes · View notes
momojedi · 7 months
Text
— as beautiful as the day i lost you pairing. echo x gn! jedi reader
Tumblr media
**
type. oneshot, fluff note. watched the bad batch arc with my dad and he came to appreciate echo as much as I do so I wanted to write a lil about him <3 warnings. really fluffy, mentions of order 66 taglist. @patapouille (open for more)
star wars masterlist
Tumblr media
“Don’t shoot!” The clone stands still and carefully holds up his hands, dropping the blaster gun as a peace offering. “We’re not going to hurt you, I promise.” He motions his two companions to follow his lead and lower their weapons.
I hesitate. After the past couple weeks of running from the Empire and having friends turn to foes amidst battle when Order 66 was declared, I’ve lost all ability to trust anyone, especially clone troopers. The warm and friendly gaze replaced by that sudden hatred in their eyes is still a vivid memory on my mind, ever since that fateful day.
But if this really isn’t some evil scheme led by an imperial commander and if that trooper really is telling the truth then perhaps finally letting my guard down might not be as bad of an idea as it seems. After all, I feel no evil sensation, no malice in the force but rather … a familiar one.
I frown. Despite being like no troopers I have ever met before with their dark armour and their unique looks, something about them felt warm and inviting, like coming home from a hard mission back into the arms of a loved one.
I shake my head and lower the lightsaber I’ve been gripping so tightly, my knuckles now slowly turning white. “Who are you?”
The trooper - their leader I suspect - takes a hold of his helmet and pulls it off in a swift motion, dark hair falling over his shoulders. His face is halfway covered in a tattoo and he looks at me in a calm yet strict demeanour. “The name’s Hunter. We,” he gestures towards the two other men, one impossibly huge towering over the other two with a skull on his helmet and the other slender with grey armour, a pair of piercing eyes glaring at me through the goggles of his helmet, “are the Bad Batch.”
The Bad Batch, eh? I narrow my eyes thoughtfully as I dimly remember Captain Rex mentioning them before when Master Skywalker stopped at the Jedi Temple for a debriefing and updates on the current war situation. My face darkens as the clone captain of the 501st crosses my mind. Had he executed Order 66 as well? Was Master Skywalker even … still alive?
The ghost of a smile lingers on my lips as the chaotic battalion comes to my mind. I had worked with them more than once in the past, mostly involving their ARC trooper duo Fives and Echo, the latter of whom I’d developed very close relationship with, dare I say romantic even. Despite being forbidden and likely resulting in my banishment and his execution if it would’ve ever come to light, we grew incredibly fond of each other, stealing kisses and loving glances whenever we had the chance to. However, after Echo’s death in the Citadel, I refused to work with the 501st any longer when the mere memories of him proved to be too painful for me to handle properly.
I shake my head, no, this isn’t the time to mourn. “Tech, tell them it’s safe too come out.” Hunter’s voice catches my attention as the grey clone nods and walks to the back of the cantina, presumably to comm whoever else they are hiding. Then, Hunter turns back to me, crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s your name, anyway?” I eye him for a second before introducing myself. “How come you’re not killing me? Isn’t that kind of what all clones do now?” Hunter winces at that. “We got our chips removed recently so… don’t worry, we shouldn’t be a threat to you.”
“Hunter! Is everything okay?” A small voice squeals, catching me off guard as I turn to its source. Through the back doors of the cantina, a small girl runs towards him, barely noticing me. I raise a brow at that before glancing at the other person trailing behind her. Like the other three men in the room, the person - who I assume to be another clone - is covered in dark armour, a white ‘99’ imprinted on the plate of his helmet. One of his arms is replaced by a scomp, likely proving useful to slice into things.
When the clone takes notice of me, he freezes. I hum quietly, remembering one of my Jedi contacts’ words shortly after the Purge was declared; maybe he’s scared the Jedi might take revenge on him?
Unsure on how I should put him at ease, I smile slightly and clip the hilt of my saber to my belt before raising my hands. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.” I hold back a slight scoff at those words. ‘After all it should be us who should be scared of you,’ I think.
The clone still doesn’t budge, seemingly staring at me from under his helmet before finally raising his arms to push it off his head and revealing —
I’d recognise that familiar tingle in the force among millions. For a second, the world seems to stop as Echo’s warm eyes meet mine. It’s only the noisy clattering of his helmet meeting the ground that rips me out of my trance and I immediately feel my eyes well up with tears.
“Echo?” I croak, almost in a whisper. Despite my internal struggle, my body refuses to move. But I don’t have to because before I know it, Echo has already rushed over to me and scooped me into a tight hug. Suddenly, I feel the tears spilling as I bury my face in his chest plate, gripping him desperately as if he’d disappear any second if I were to let him go. “I - I thought you were — ” My words are interrupted by a broken sob.
Gently shushing me, Echo pulls away before cradling my face in both his hand and the tip of his scomp. “It’s okay, everything’s okay, mesh’la.” His voice is steady but I can’t help but notice the light tremble in his words as he pulls my forehead against his. Unable to properly use my words right now, I just nod quickly.
“Look at you,” he mumbles breathlessly, a small chuckle laced with disbelief escaping him, “you’re as beautiful as the day I lost you.”
Without a second thought I pull him into a deep kiss which he happily indulges in, knowing fully well that I won’t ever let him go again.
208 notes · View notes
starrylothcat · 1 year
Text
Sparks
Hunter x Fem!Jedi Reader One-Shot
Summary: You and Hunter realize your long-hidden feelings for one another. Warnings: Wee bit of angst, kissing/making out, slight suggestiveness. This is my first fic! Excuse any formatting or grammatical errors...I haven't stretched my writing fingers in a long time. I also have no idea how Tumblr formatting works, haha. I needed some fluff after that finale. This one got away from me...3,000 words. Please leave your thoughts and enjoy!
@wanderer-six tagged as requested! :)
Tumblr media
The bonfire was now huge, burning fast and bright, much to Wrecker and Omega’s delight. Sparks flew in to the clear night air, illuminating the figures sitting around it. 
Clone Force 99 and you had just finished a tiring mission and were taking the night to decompress on a desolate, forested planet. The bonfire was actually your idea, a memory you had stored deep in your subconscious from when you were a very young Jedi Padawan. After a tough training or difficult mission, your Master would often start a fire while you meditated and reflected. The heat and cackling from the flames helped calm you, oddly enough. It was something that you continued to do, even as a Jedi General during the war. It was something that burned bright in the darkness. Something that you were all now desperate for in this new Imperial galaxy.  
You didn’t speak much of your past as a Jedi at first. It was too painful, too fresh. But as you spent more time with Clone Force 99, you became more comfortable sharing small snippets on occasion, much to the excitement of Omega who hung on to every word. Echo would also sometimes add his own stories from his old squad, which would then inspire Wrecker to tell stories (sometimes embellished ones) of their missions, reminiscing on battles won. It was nice to connect again, to have those who understood you, as you were now all outcasts. Chewed up by the war and tossed to the side, now struggling to find your place in the galaxy.
Somewhat recently after Order 66, they rescued you from bounty hunters who had suspicions you were a Jedi. You tried to keep it a secret, but Hunter found you out with his heightened senses. You warily came clean to them, telling them the truth. 
You were only supposed to stay with them for a short time, only until you found a new place to hide. Hunter was wary with having a Jedi on board, especially since they already had a target on their back. But a short time turned longer. You were helpful on missions and were careful to never expose yourself as a Jedi. Omega became particularly attached to you, and Hunter saw how much Omega was benefiting from a woman on board. You also became close with them, especially Hunter. You both connected over the baggage of being a leader, and what it meant to fail as one as well. Other feelings began to blossom, that neither you or Hunter knew how to act on, or even if you should. You found yourself talking to him late in to the night, discussing next mission plans or plans from the past. But you both always left those conversations wishing you had said more. 
Tech had just carefully landed the ship on the empty, forested planet in the only clearing he could find. It was Hunter's idea to do inventory, seeing when you would need to do a supply run next. You casually mentioned the bonfire memory as you were all rummaging through gear and supplies, as this planet reminded you of that distant memory.
Omega’s eyes widened and asked, “Can we do that tonight? That sounds fun!” while looking excitedly between you and Hunter, who was sitting down and cleaning his knife. He chuckled, a low chuckle that made butterflies swirl in your stomach. Something you’ve realized has been happening more often. But you pushed that thought aside, for now. 
“Sure, kid. This planet is empty enough. I don’t think it will attract too much attention.” Tech adjusted his goggles and looked up from his datapad. “I do not see any settlements on this planet. There is no current need for worry.” He said before becoming absorbed once more in his research.
Wrecker, with much glee, shot up from begrudgingly organizing his gear, and announced, “Fire, I like this idea! This is boring anyway. Let’s take a break and go gather some wood!” He turned to look at Hunter for approval, who shrugged and nodded. “Omega, let’s go!” Wrecker hurriedly threw the rest of his unorganized gear on his bunk. Omega grinned, also happy to get away from inventory, and began after Wrecker down the ramp of the Marauder. She stopped at the top of the ramp and looked back. “Thank you!” She beamed at both you and Hunter, and skittered after Wrecker. 
Hunter had put his knife away and was now leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, gazing at you. You felt your heart beat quicken when you matched his stare.  “You’ve done it now.” He teased as he watched Wrecker and Omega run toward the tree line. You shrugged with a small smile as you stood up from putting the last piece of equipment back in your gear pack. “Well, I have to admit, I need a break too. Let’s just hope they don’t burn the whole planet down.”
Hunter released a low chuckle again and you felt heat rise up your neck. “With Wrecker involved, I’m not too sure.” Echo quipped from the pilot seat, where he was researching where they could get supplies before the next mission. “Given the current wind speeds and our distance from the trees, it would be difficult to start a blaze that big.” Tech called from under a piece of machinery he was now working on. “But I have to agree with Echo. With Wrecker involved, statistically the odds are higher.”
You gave a small laugh, which made Hunter’s heart involuntarily quicken. It was your laugh that he often thought of deep in the night, when he was having trouble sleeping. The way your shoulders moved when you chuckled, the way your eyes glinted when you smiled. How sometimes he’d find himself almost getting out of his bunk to wake you up and take you in his arms, telling you how he feels as his lips meet yours….
A sudden crash snapped him out of his thoughts, setting his senses haywire. You heard the sound too, and you looked at each other and ran down the ramp to see what the commotion was, hands on your blasters. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Wrecker standing with Omega at the tree line, who were both excitedly picking up branches from a dead tree Wrecker had just knocked over. Hunter ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t help but always be on high alert, especially with Omega. He could see relief in your eyes as well, once you realized it was nothing to be concerned about. You lightly touched his arm, asking “You okay?” “Yeah…” he breathed. “I’m not used to…calm.” You nodded, understanding.
“I guess we better enjoy it while it lasts.”
Your lips ghosted a smile, realizing you were still touching Hunter’s arm. You moved your hand, suddenly embarrassed. Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Echo coming down the ramp to see what the commotion was. He also needed a break, and was interested in this fire idea. “Yeah, you’ve really done it now, _____.” Echo teased as you all looked at the growing pile of logs and branches that Omega and Wrecker had collected. “Hey, don’t just stand there, come and help us!” Wrecker called as he balanced more giant branches in his arms. You gave Hunter a look and continued down the ramp to help.
The sun was getting low, and Wrecker was adding the last log to a massive pile he and Omega collected. You were collecting small sticks and brush for kindling. Wrecker put down the last one, wiping sweat from his face. “Phew! Do you think this is enough?” He huffed. “If you are trying to light a fire big enough for the entire Galaxy to see, then yes.” Tech said casually as he came down the ship’s ramp, also now having his interest piqued. “Oh, it’ll be a massive fire, I can’t wait!” Wrecker exclaimed as he winked at Omega. 
“So now what? I’ve never made a fire before. Hunter, can you teach me?” Omega asked, looking up at Hunter with large, pleading eyes. Hunter looked at her softly. “Yeah, sure kid.” He glanced at you and then put his hand on Omega’s shoulder, leading her toward the log pile. 
As Hunter and Omega began to make a space for the fire, you and Echo were maneuvering some of the bigger logs for everyone to have a seat once the fire was going. Since this planet was desolate, you used the Force to move some of the larger logs. Hunter noticed out of the corner of his eye, always secretly impressed with your graceful power. It was rare when you used it, and it captivated him. 
“What’s next Hunter? Hunter?” Hunter snapped out of his thoughts and Omega was looking at him, curiously. “You were staring again.” She said quietly. “I don’t know what you mean, Omega.” He lightly scolded, trying to change the subject.
She gave a small smirk. “You sometimes stare at _____.” Hunter cleared his throat. “And I see her stare at you sometimes, too.” She said matter-of-factly, looking back at the pile of kindling they had placed for the eventual fire. “I think she likes you.” Before he could respond, you had suddenly appeared behind them. “How’s it going?” You asked. Hunter bristled, hoping you hadn’t just heard their conversation, not even realizing you were approaching. “It’s uh…going well. I’m just about to teach Omega how to actually light the fire.” 
“I have something embarrassing to admit.” You said sheepishly. “I actually don’t know how to start a fire, either. My Master just always used his lightsaber.” You laughed and Omega smiled. 
“Mind if I watch?” You sat down next to Hunter, eager to learn as much as Omega was. Or maybe you were just eager to be close to Hunter. His senses were suddenly overwhelmed with your scent, another thing he was noticing lately. His stomach felt like it was on fire. Get a grip, Hunter. he thought. He snapped himself out of thinking about you once again, and continued with his lesson. “Im going to start with the hard way first. Say you’re stranded without gear. This is important to learn.” He took a small stick to use as a spindle and a small flat piece of wood. “This takes awhile and is a pain, but this is the most basic way to start a spark.” He began to spin the spindle between his hands quickly in to a divot he had made on the flat piece of wood on the ground, held steady by his foot. Omega watched intensely, soaking up every word and action. You saw a small gleam of sweat form at his brow, and watched the concentration in his eyes. Your heart fluttered again, suddenly imagining his sweaty brow and intense look above you in a moment of passion. The smell of smoke brought you back to reality, before your imagination went further. Hunter had made a small ember that was smoking. He carefully moved it to the kindling and gently blew on it to start a small flame.
“Woaaah, let me try!” Omega gasped excitedly and went to work the same way Hunter did on a new piece of flat wood. You watched as he patiently moved her hands to the correct position, gently correcting her when appropriate. For a dark and broody Sergeant, you recognized his moments of softness. Moments that he also sometimes shared with you, which you knew were special, especially coming from someone as guarded as him.
After trial and error, and some frustration, Omega finally got her own spark. “I did it!” She yelled. Hunter smiled.
“Good work, kid. You might just be a natural. Now, carefully put it in the kindling.”
She gently moved it to the already growing flame and looked at Hunter for approval. “There you go, you did it. That was all you.” Omega beamed and said  “Now it’s _____’s turn.” She jumped up and brushed dust and dirt off her knees, and began to walk away. “Wait, where are you going?” Hunter asked. Omega turned and called,  “I want to tell the others the fire is almost ready!” She gave Hunter a look and ran back to the Marauder where the rest of the boys had gone to rest, before Hunter and you could respond. 
It was suddenly quiet, only the gentle crackling of the small fire was to be heard. 
“I guess it’s my turn to try, huh?” You said softly, realizing it was just you and Hunter for a moment. The sun was almost set, and the small fire was casting a soft glow on the both of you. “You don’t have to-“ he began but you stopped him.
“No, I want to! What good am I to the team if I can’t even start a fire? I need to impress my Sergeant." You smirked playfully. "Also, I can’t let a kid get the best of me.” You teased as you began to spin the stick between your hands.
“You bring other skills to the team, you don’t have to worry about fire making.” He stated. “Leave that to Omega and I.” He smiled, looking at you. “Also, you don’t need to impress me. You already do that.” Suddenly, you felt shy. Hunter glanced away from you, embarrassed about what he just said, wrestling with his feelings, wondering if he had said too much. 
“Thank you, Hunter. I don’t think I’ve ever expressed how grateful I am to you, and to your brothers, for taking me in.” Hunter looked at you. “You don’t need to thank me. But I’m glad you’re here. Part of this team.” He murmured, turning away from you and looking at the fire. “Me too.” You acted before you could think, gently placing your hand on his shoulder, closing the distance between you, forgetting all about the fire lesson. Hunter stiffened a little while facing you, feeling your hand on his unarmored shoulder. The touch he often thought about late in to the night. The touch he wondered if he’d ever feel. If he even deserved it. 
Once again, you felt heat climb up your neck to your face and you began to remove your hand, but before you could, Hunter brought his other hand and placed it on top of yours. Your feelings for Hunter exploded in your chest, realizing how handsome he looked in the soft light, his brown eyes shining in the dark, wondering what you should do next as you felt the heat from his hand encapsulate yours. You were taught no attachments, but that had no meaning anymore. Was this just desperation for something that used to be taboo? You tried to read his face, as he gazed intensely at you. Hunter moved closer to you, “____...I want to tell you something…”
Your intimate moment was suddenly cut short by voices as Wrecker, Tech, Omega, and Echo emerged from the falling darkness toward you. Your hand left Hunter’s shoulder and you practically leapt away from him, startled by the intrusion. You caught a small look of disappointment on his face. “Aww yeah, it’s fire time!” Wrecker bellowed as he held a huge armful of sticks and logs. “Let’s get this going!” You were still sitting near Hunter, and Echo gave you and Hunter a sly look as he sat down on a log near the still small fire, carrying ration bars. You were suddenly distracted by the giant roar as the fire grew due to Wrecker and Omega gleefully adding more and more wood to the fire, blissfully unaware they interrupted…something. Tech tried to explain the optimal way to place logs to get the most efficient fire, but his remarks were ignored and Omega and Wrecked piled more in to the blaze, and he soon gave up.
The heat blazed and sparks flew in to the air, the wood cracking and popping. The fire was massive, and Omega had never seen anything like it and was in awe. You saw Hunter out of the corner of your eye as he stared in to the flames, his face unreadable. You all enjoyed the light and intense warmth the large blaze gave, sitting in silence for a bit. You desperately wanted to be alone with Hunter again, as you listened to Wrecker tell another taller than life tale, with an annoyed Tech trying to interject the facts. Your memory was brought back to you and your Master, quietly enjoying the fire and reflecting on your day’s mission. After Wrecker finished his story, Omega turned to you, waiting for another glimpse in to your past. She understood it was hard for you to talk about, but was hopeful to hear something from before the Galaxy she currently knew. “Omega,” Hunter warned. “____ might not want to discuss it.” He gave you a soft look. The look almost melted your heart. You wanted to desperately take his face in your hands and continue what had started before. 
“It’s okay, Hunter. I have a story.”
You told Omega of your first solo mission as a Jedi Knight. You had  infiltrated a pirate base. It wasn’t too exciting, but to Omega it was the most amazing story she’d ever heard. Echo passed out the ration bars as you told your story. After you were done, you nibbled on your bar as you stared in to the flames. There was a comfortable silence as everyone ate, enjoying the small bit of calm before you were all off again on another mission.
After awhile, the fire began to dim and there was no more wood to add. Omega let out a yawn, satisfied with her first bonfire. “We should do this more often.” She proclaimed as another yawn overtook her. “Yeah kid, we can.” Hunter whispered. Wrecker had already fallen asleep, laying over a log in an uncomfortable position, snoring away. Tech nudged Wrecker, also ready to go back to the ship to sleep. One by one, they went back to the ship, leaving you, Hunter, and Echo. Echo then stood up, bidding you both a good night. “I’ll leave you two to it, then.” He raised an eyebrow and then he was gone before you either of you could respond.
Once again, you were alone with Hunter and the slowly burning fire. He looked at you, the fire reflecting in his eyes. 
He never thought he’d be grappling with feelings like this. Especially for someone like you. But you cared about him. Worried about him and his brothers, something he’d never experienced before. It was new, and frankly, it scared him. He’d never admit it out loud, but that was the truth. But here he was, with you within arms reach again, staring at him and waiting for what might come next. You looked beautiful, ethereal in the glow of the now small fire. “Hunter…” you whispered as you maneuvered closer to him, like you were before earlier in the night. Your hand was close to his on the log you were both sitting on. You couldn’t wait any longer, the tension between you was about to snap. “You wanted to tell me something earlier?”
He stared intensely at you, trying to find the words to say.
“____, I…I wanted to tell you…I care about you.” His voice was deep, almost inaudible. You fully took his hand, looking right in to his eyes. He was suddenly overwhelmed, waiting for your response. “Hunter, I care about you too.” The second he heard you whisper those words, he boldly closed the distance, acting purely on instinct, pressing his lips against yours in a soft, quick kiss. He pulled back slightly, hoping he didn’t mess this all up. 
“____, tell me to stop and I will.” Hunter’s voice was husky and deep. Almost a whisper. It sent shivers down your spine. “Never.” You murmured as you brought a hand to his face, gently cradling his head. Relief washed over you, happy you finally revealed how you felt. He closed his eyes and leaned in to your touch, sighing a deep sigh. You moved your hand from his cheek and gripped his collar, needing more. You pulled him back to your lips for a more passionate kiss. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders as the tension between you dissipated, flying in to the sky with the embers from the fire.
It was his turn to bring his hands to your face, cradling your head gently as he deepened the kiss, your heart feeling like it was about to explode out of your chest. The sensation of your lips moving on his was almost overwhelming. His hands were strong, yet gentle as they maneuvered down to your hips, leaving a trail of fire down your body. You both pulled away again, panting slightly, looking in each other’s eyes. All the unsaid words, all the silent looks, were now completely understood by both of you. 
Your hand that was on his collar moved to the back of his head, threading your fingers through his long, soft locks while your other hand gripped his shoulder. You whispered his name as he pulled you in impossibly close for another kiss, getting drunk on your scent, your body. 
His tongue slowly made his way in to your mouth, which pulled a groan from deep in your chest. Your reactions spurred him on, his hands on your waist ghosting underneath your tunic, his gloved hands moving over your bare skin making the butterflies in your stomach explode. You desperately wanted those gloves off, to feel his skin on yours. After what felt like an eternity, you parted for air once again.  The fire had now died down quite a bit, leaving you both in almost total darkness. You were illuminated by the stars, the only sound being your shallow breaths. You both wanted so much more, but now wasn’t the time. Hunter nuzzled his face in to your neck, and moved one of his hands from your hips to grasp yours, which had fallen to your side. “I’m yours, if you’ll have me.” He whispered against your neck, his heart thudding against yours. “Yes, Hunter.” You whispered back, squeezing his hand. He moved his head from your neck and brought you against his chest in an embrace, his chin leaning on your head. You both gazed at the glowing embers of what used to be the giant fire, wondering what comes next. But at least for now, you were at peace.
Tumblr media
479 notes · View notes
lornaka · 4 months
Text
Some TBB s3 trailer reactions/thoughts
If you follow me on twitter/IG you probably saw these already
First of all, FEBRUARY 21???? SO SOON. I'M NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE WHEN IT ENDS AAAA
Secondly, CROSSHAIR. They kept Crosshair's old armor, even as they had to lose and repurpose and probably sell parts of their own kits while surviving.. they kept his armor intact NOBODY TOUCH ME.
As I thought, it seems Hunter and co will reunite with Omega and Cross in the premiere. This isn't surprising bc I couldn't imagine Omega being in captivity for long, she is the central kid character and has to be in the thick of all their adventures.
Re: Tech. I know in my heart that Tech is alive but tbh I'm one of the few people who doesn't want the brainwashed Imperial Tech plotline bc it feels redundant at this point, we already had Echo and Cross as victim of experiments/brainwashing.
Mostly I'm just tired of seeing clone characters getting stripped of their agency to a ridiculous degree when it's not necessary for their character development at all, at some point it starts to feel like angst for angst's sake bad fanfiction style. I just want to see him being his capable self, not another victim in distress.. Combined with how a portion of this fandom has a tendency to infantilize him, I'm feeling some level of trepidation if Imp!Tech is indeed where this is going. But I ofc will take any scenario where he is alive > any scenario where he is dead. The family must be complete :< So while I have my reservations, I'm totally open to seeing whatever they have cooked up and reserve all judgement until I get to experience the story as it's told. I'm just cautious about this particular possibility bc I keep seeing fandom folk clamouring for it. As for THAT character cameo... God I so wish this means that godawful book was yeeted from the canon once and for all. This is a Dark Disciple hater household, sorry to those who liked it for whatever reason. I have nothing against Vos as his own character, but Ventress didn't deserve an ending THAT shitty so please keep her away from that bullshit.. please.. I'm so happy to see her again ;_; and I'm so happy that the big cameo wasn't Ahsoka lmao I would've thrown something. Anyway aGHHH I'm overflowing with emotion rn I love that show sm!! *cracks knuckles* opens up a folder of wips from almost a year ago titled "Crosshugs"
UPD. So apparently DD is still canon. So let me get this right.. TBB s3 is supposedly aligned with DD being kept canon.. but DD takes place before order 66?? Does it mean that Asajj faked her death to get the jedi to leave her alone lmao literally being "the reports of my death were greatly exaggerated". I get it girl I would've faked my death too to get out of a toxic relationship.
92 notes · View notes
zoeykallus · 9 months
Text
Master List/Stuff I Wrote Part 6
Tumblr media
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
_________
Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)
_________
Tumblr media
MAUL
Maul x Fem!Reader - Damsel In Distress
The Bad Batch
The Bad Batch/Rex/Wolffe/Gregor/Howzer x Reader HCs - Proud Family Moment
The Bad Batch/Cody x Reader HCs - The Flinch
The Bad Batch x Afab!Reader HCs - Struggling With PMDD
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Your Social Media
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Abandonment Issues
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Accidental Proposal
The Bad Batch x DominantFem!Reader HCs - Who's In Control?
The Bad Batch x Reader - Burnout
The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs - Clumsy
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Enemies To Lovers
The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs - When I See You Dance With Another
The Dad Batch x Offspring!Reader HCs
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - A Restorative Hug
The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs - Husband And Daddy?
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Sleepy Mix-Ups
The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs - The Sparring Partner
TBB x Gender-neutral Reader (Extended) HCs – Lost Something? Part 1 Of 5 Hunter
TBB x Gender-neutral Reader (Extended) HCs – Lost Something? Part 2/3/4/5
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - Crocheted With Love
The Bad Batch x Reader HCs - That Little Bite
HUNTER
Hunter x Jedi Fem! Reader One-shot - Perceptions And Senses
Hunter x Fem!Reader One-Shot - The Savior
Imperial Hunter x Fem!Reader One-Shot - Little Smuggler
Hunter x Fem!Reader - One-Shot - Love And Lotion
Hunter x Jedi/Reader - One-Shot - The Things We Do For Love
The Bad Batch/ Mayday/Rex x Fem!Reader Prompts – Confessions
Part 2/7 - Hunter
CROSSHAIR
Crosshair x Fem!Reader One-Shot - The Unexpected Gentleness
Crosshair x Fem!Reader One-shot (Smut)
Crosshair x Fem!Reader One-shot - Don't Let Go Of Me
The Bad Batch/ Mayday/Rex x Reader Prompts – Confessions
Part 3/7 - Crosshair
WRECKER
Dom!Wrecker x SubFem!Reader One-shot - My Naughty Little Girl
TECH
Tech x Reader One-Shot - Loving Care
Tech x Fem!Reader One-Shot - Close And Real
Tech x Fem!Reader One-shot - AFTER THE FALL
Tech x Fem!Reader Smut One-Shot (Pollen Trope)
Tech x Fem!Reader One-shot - The Teacher
Tech x Fem!Reader – One-Shot – Distractions The Bad Batch/ Mayday/Rex x Reader Prompts – Confessions
Part 1/7 - Tech
ECHO
Echo x Fem!Reader One-Shot - Without Words
The Bad Batch/ Mayday/Rex x Reader Prompts – Confessions
REX
Rex x F!Reader One-Shot - My Love
CLONES
Crosshair x Afab!Reader x Mayday One-Shot - Keeping You Warm On A Cold Night (NO CLONECEST)
Hound x GN!Reader – One-Shot – Grizzer On The Loose
Rex/Fives/Hardcase/Echo/Jesse/Heavy/Kix x FTM Trans Jedi!Reader HCs - Who You Really Are
Wolffe/Rex/Jesse x Reader HCs - How They Fall In Love With You
174 notes · View notes
nahoney22 · 1 year
Note
Hey, not sure if requests are still open, it’s ok if not, but I had an thought: which of the Bad Batch members are big spoons, and which are little spoons?
Big Spoons, Little Spoons
All Bad Batch Boys X GN!Reader
Tumblr media
warnings: none, just fluffy goodness. Not proofread. Established relationships, gender neutral reader.
authors note: sorry for the wait @peregrine-the-jedi ♥️ I think I should post some fluff after that last angsty request.
Echo
Tumblr media
Pre-citadel Echo would definitely strike me as someone who would love to be a big spoon, feeling protective and strong as you slept in his arms.
But after, I think he would be neither or big or little spoon. I think him and his other half would lay facing each other, entwined in each others embrace. That way he feels protective with just a hint of vulnerability. It’s not a surprise that Echo sometimes has nightmares which gives you the notion of holding him close, kissing his skin delicately as you help him through it.
He’s a little hesitant with cuddling at first because of his prosthetics but he eases into this type of affection rather quickly. Especially if it’s with someone like you.
Wrecker
Tumblr media
Big softie here is always typically the big spoon with his other half. There isn’t many people his size who could easily spoon him and so he settles with being the big spoon. He enjoys it however, holding you close and resting his chin atop of your head as you both lay and watch a holomovie together.
However, you can tell he’s just itching to be the little spoon sometimes and that’s okay!
After a rough mission you would find him in his bunk facing away from everyone and just trying to relax which gives you the perfect chance to scoot in behind him, wrapping your arms around him. You nestle into his back, and feel him take your hand, kissing it softly.
If he ever feels like he’s going to roll back and crush you, he moves carefully and brings you atop of him, letting you sleep across his chest. He’s probably the best to cuddle.
Hunter
Tumblr media
Hunter likes being the big spoon. He loves nestling his face into the back of his other half’s neck, embracing your scent and lets all the worries of war fade away. He does worry about his senses at first but finds it incredible relaxing, especially when he can hold his hands to your chest and feel your heartbeat.
He feels strong, masculine and protective being the big spoon and knows he can easily sprint into action if need be without disturbing you.
If you ever offer for him to be the little spoon he laughs at the idea and shakes his head, though does wonder what it would be like. But for the moment, he likes to be the big spoon so he can keep an eye on you and simultaneously everyone/thing around him.
Tech
Tumblr media
Little. Spoon.
I feel like Tech would opt to be a little spoon for a countless amounts of reasons after research but the one that comes to my head is that he loves the feeling of someone hugging him whilst he can fiddle about with his data pad and keep working.
He makes sure he’s somewhat cuddling you too wether it be having your legs entwined or having your arm around his upper half of his torso so he can lean down and easily kiss your arms and hands.
But, when it’s time to wind down, he makes no fuss of setting his device down and turning around to face you, keeping you flushed to his chest as he dozes off with his head perched ontop of yours - snoring away gently.
Crosshair
Tumblr media
Pre-Imperial Crosshair is adamant that he would never, ever, be the little spoon. To be fair, it’s a surprise he’s willing to cuddle anyway as he isn’t exactly one for touching. But with you, he makes an exception.
He’d go ‘is this it?’ the first time you suggested him to cuddle you from behind, earning him and eyeroll and a playful jab. He’d much rather be doing something else but, he saw how happy and content it made you.
After a few more times, he eased into it and would frown when you don’t lay a particular way so he can’t spoon you which just lifts your heart. Meanie pants is a softie really.
But once he’s rescued from the Empire, he goes back to his reclusive self. However, does not shy away this time from being the little spoon. He needs that comfort.
Tumblr media
Masterlist
Tags: @nunanuggets @andyoufollowyourheart @littlefeatherr r @kaitou2417 @eyecandyeoz @captxin-rex @cwarssimp @jesseeka @ashotofspotchka @oohyesplease @megafrost4 @theroguesully @mustluvecho @ladykatakuri @jambolska-grozdova @arctrooper69 @padawancat97 7 @rain-on-kamino @either-madness-or-brilliance @staycalmandhugaclone @ko-neko-san @echos-girlfriend @fiveshelmet @dangraccoon @plushymiku-blog @chrissywakingup @kixs-husband @pb-jellybeans @tech-aficionado @grizabellasolo @therealnekomari @tech-depression-inventory @brynhildrmimi @greaser-wolf @tinyreadersmur @agenteliix @kaminocasey @marvel-starwars-nerd @ladytano420 @imalovernotahater @s1st3r @by-the-primes @the-bad-batch-baroness @crystal076 @blustalker @the-good-shittt @ladyzirkonia
376 notes · View notes
cjorgens2022 · 5 months
Text
Imperial Tech
I am anticipating the 7th chapter of Aelfwynn’s Imperial Tech’s Observations and Analysis in the Galactic Empire. That alongside with Wwheeljack’s In The Name of Science is my inspiration to create and design my own Imperial!Tech who is calm, collected, stoic, businesslike, logically harsh, dutiful, confident, reasonable to an unnerving degree, sharp, persuasive, cold, practical, firm, determined, calculated, stern and brutally honest
1 note · View note
weixuldo · 1 year
Text
Allow me// ch 3
Vader x Reader
Tumblr media
a/n: ngl i don’t really have a plan for this fic, but i love writing it so imma just see where it goes!! ty for reading :)
Vader hates suiting up
warnings: depiction of injury, body insecurity, cursing, anxiety
______________________
Vader reveled in the cooling water of his bacta tank; the only place he felt any sense of relief for his aching body.
Though it had been nearly two decades since his accident on Mustafar, the pain never truly subsided, especially since his suit was intentionally never upgraded.
The suit was uncomfortable and would harshly rub against his scarred skin, there was basically no breathing room- so he would often become overheated, also the heavy weight of the boots and armor took a heavy toll on his spine (which had to be surgically reinforced).
He never really got used to his suit but over the years he learned how to deal with it better; he learned how to ignore his pain by focusing on his work, spending as minimal time in the monstrosity as he could, and taking frequent bacta soaks. 
He often used the high tech machinery of his personal ward to assist him with tasks of bathing, suiting up, and his oxygen treatments. But every once in a while he would require human assistance, that’s where Vanee (Vader’s personal assistant-of sorts) would come in. 
Vanee was once an imperial inspector stationed at Vader’s Castle on Mustafar, but spent too much time near the exposed lava and the fumes drove him to madness.
His mania manifested differently than most who succumbed to the gasses of Mustafar; in his case he became obsessively devoted to Lord Vader, he proved himself a loyal servant and trusted ally. 
Other than Palpatine, Vanee was the only other human who had seen Vader out of his suit and lived to tell the tale (not that he would dare discuss his master’s true form with unworthy onlookers). 
Back in the tank, Vader’s oxygen system dealt him a healthy dose of air before he motioned for the tank to be drained; it was time to get back to work.
The dark room was only lit by the light coming from his bacta tube and a few blinking green lights on the walls. His muscles tensed as the cool air hit his skin while the water drained. 
Soon the tube was lowered and he was left dripping over the lit platform. His harness that suspended him began to rub since it was now holding all of his weight; a feeling he had unfortunately gotten used to. 
Though he had gone through this routine for decades, he still couldn’t help but feel a little insecure of his body being on display in the middle of this large room.
If he weren’t a force user, he would be completely helpless; suspended with no limbs and a ruined respiratory system, he was scarred and burned beyond recognition… he was pathetic.
He hated to dwell on the past, but sometimes he couldn’t help the memories that came flooding back. 
How was he once a renowned Jedi?
At one point, people followed him because they respected him, not because they feared him.
His body was once healthy and he didn’t need any assistance, not even with his prosthetic arm…if anything that arm was enhanced by the technology. 
But now that same technology was his burden. He was trapped in the very suit that kept him alive.
He would die in that suit.
He left his thoughts when the machines around him began to dry him off. They worked diligently to prep him for his suit.
He may have added a few tasks that he wanted them to do that the emperor didn’t originally intend for. Before they would attach his robotic limbs, he liked them to gently apply cooling slaves to the areas around his ports; that’s where the friction hurt the most. 
Though today, the machines were pressing a little too hard which caused the Sith Lord to groan in pain. He shut his eyes and made a note that he would need to check them later, before allowing the machines to proceed with his limbs.
First, his arms were applied, the pressure of the limbs securing made him wince, though it was nothing he couldn't handle. 
Next were the legs; the platform rose and began to attach. Everything felt fine until they began to twist too tightly which caused him to release a pained shout.
He used the force to reverse the machine’s progress and loosen the legs to where they needed to be.
He had the machine lower him to the ground and he clawed at his stumps. The tightening made the metal around his ports bend slightly and they began to ache; he wasn’t going to be able to finish getting ready this way if the machines kept malfunctioning. 
Begrudgingly he called for Vanee through the force as he propped himself up using his secured arms, this was humiliating…
The large sliding doors opened and hurried the cloaked man. Vanee rushed to his master's side and knelt before him. 
“What may I help you with, my Lord?” Vanee asked, casting his gaze down out of respect for the Sith.
“I require assistance to finish getting into my suit, the mechanics are not operating correctly today.”
Vanee nodded and helped Vader to his feet; he cringed as his weight shifted onto the metallic legs. He limped towards the bench on the opposite side of the room and sat with a grunt.
Vanee hurried around collecting the Sith’s garments and soon Vader was dressed. He headed towards the door with a slight limp, but before he reached the exit an odd sensation waved over him.
The feeling was warm and comforting, a feeling he had not felt in many years; it was the feeling he used to get when she was near. 
It was probably nothing though, just a random trick of the force; surely it wasn’t because you happened to be walking past the door on the other side… that would be ridiculous-
“Shall I ask for the mechanics department to send an inspector, My Lord?” The hooded man asked as Vader snapped back into reality. 
“That will not be necessary, I have someone in mind that I want to work on it.”  Vader said before he promptly left the room. 
_____________________
In the weeks since your last encounter with Lord Vader, you had carried on in your tasks, trying to keep your delusional daydreams at ease; of course you were crazy to even have a shred of interest in the man, but something in you just couldn’t help it. 
You wouldn’t say you necessarily had a crush on him… but you got butterflies when you’d spot him, you would take the long route to your destination if you thought you may get a glimpse of him on the way, you would mention him in passing conversation with other workers just to hear his name. 
….ok
Maybe you did have a little crush on him.
But, you knew it was insane. He was a tyrant, a dictator… a murderer.
You knew some of the appeal was the danger and the risk of liking him , but it was also because he was the first human to be remotely kind to you… but you couldn’t seem to stop your infatuation.
You didn’t know much about the suited man, except for his status and power in the empire. You often tried to imagine what he looked like under the mask; was he handsome? Did he look old? 
What color were his eyes? We’re they the traditional Sith yellow? Or were they brown? Maybe Green? Or Blue? 
What color was his hair? Was it cut short or long?
You liked to imagine him as a handsome man who aged well, you knew he had to be pretty built just based on his stature alone.
You liked to imagine how his muscles looked… were they bulky? Were they more defined? 
You pondered those thoughts as you walked down the long corridor to your posted station for the day, some of the x-wings needed some work and you were the only available mechanic at the moment. 
As usual, you took the longer route that passed by the Sith Lord’s chambers; each time you walked by you got butterflies. The fact that at any moment he could be in that room, only a few feet from you, gave you goosebumps.
As you passed, you remembered back to the night that he had killed those troopers; you were scared for your life that night. His heavy footsteps and patterned breathing still echoed through your ears. 
Once you got further down the hall you heard a door behind you swish open; you wanted to look back, but something told you to keep moving.
You continued on until you heard the oh so familiar respirator. 
It was him.
You secretly smiled to yourself, you knew it was him whom you sensed. Throughout this time you had been getting better and better at detecting his presence. 
“Halt” his booming voice exclaimed. 
You stopped in your tracks, maybe you were too obvious with your feelings. Either way, it wasn’t a good idea to keep him waiting so you turned to face him. 
The dark figure came towards you with a strong gait, though he seemed to be limping slightly. 
You bowed, “My Lord”.
“Just the person I was looking for” he stated, towering over you. 
He was searching for you? Was this it? Was he going to tell you how inappropriate your thoughts had been? Was he going to dismiss you? Or was he going to kill you? 
Fuck! Even now your thoughts betrayed you. 
“How may I be of assistance?” You asked, making contact with his dark lenses. 
“I require your services on some of the machines in my ward, you shall accompany me” he said, turning on his heel back towards the room he came from. 
You knew his word overrid that of your boss, but you would be punished if you didn’t attend your post… Vader didn’t seem like one to give excused absences to management thought and it's not like you could just ask him to let your boss know where you were… he was the Sith Lord, after all ....
Either way, your priority was to fulfill the Sith's wishes.
The room was dark and once you were inside he quickly slid the massive door shut with a simple wave of his hand. Was it bad that his action excited you?
Stop.
If you were worried about him sensing your feelings earlier, how about now?! You needed to get it together
The lights in the room started to gradually light up and he led you towards a platform in the middle of the room. Surrounding the pad were maintenance and fine motor droids, these were often used to assemble intricate machinery. Maybe the Sith tinkered in his free time. 
You took a quick survey of the rest of the room; most of it looked pretty normal, except for the medical droids in the corner. What was that for? 
“These machines have been malfunctioning, I need them to be tuned back to their personalized settings.” Vader spoke before heading back towards the exit. 
Wait, how were you supposed to know what the settings were? And you were not about to be killed over a mistake you didn’t even have instructions for.
“My Lord, wait!” You exclaimed, before you could think of a more formal way of asking for his presence.
“What is the issue?” He asked with a strong tone.
You were petrified, but the demanding tone sent a shock right down to your core. 
“I am not sure I will be able to fix these machines if I do not know their purpose. If the droid is intended for mechanical repairs it will require different attention if it is for repetitive assembly.” You explained lightly. 
The Sith Lord stood for a moment, all you could hear was the whirs of his breathing and your own rapid heartbeat. 
Suddenly he addressed you, “the information we discuss does not leave this room”.
“Of course, My Lord” you confirmed.
“I use these machines to suit up” 
What exactly did he mean by that?
“They help dress you?” you asked.
He sighed annoyedly and you were afraid he was growing impatient with you. 
“I’m sorry, My Lord, I do not unders-”
“Many years ago I was injured in battle and these machines assist me when I must dawn my suit”
Oh.
“I’m sorry”
“Pay no heed to my plights” 
He sounded almost apologetic…
“May I ask the specific issues the machines were making?” 
Your heartbeat quickened with every second he took to answer back; you had already asked so many questions, surely his patience was wearing thin.
He sighed once more, bending towards you and resting a weighted glove on your shoulder. 
“Officer, I can sense your fear”
Your wide eyes blinked back nervous tears, “I-I.. My apologies”
“I do not wish to strike fear into you, my dear. I would like you to relax”
You nodded as he stood back to his normal height. Though you could not see his face, you could feel the presence of a small smile, surely gracing it.
“Yes, My Lord”
“It would also be favorable if you lessened on the formalities”
Was he being serious?
Ever since the empire was established it was drilled into everyone’s heads that they were to be cordial to any one who held office or rank in the galactic empire. Was he trying to trick you?
But if you didn't do what he said, wouldn’t you also be disobeying-
“Stop overthinking” he said, though it didn’t have a demanding tone, it sound more like a gentle ask.
He stepped closer to you and your muscle memory kicked in; you quickly bowed before him. Once you realized what you had done you began to apologize, “I’m so sorry, My L-”
A gloved hand tilted your chin to the dark figure above you and he pulled you to your feet.
Your heart raced and embarrassingly….you felt your core pulsing too. 
“What is your name?” 
“F-F/N L/N, or just y/n” you answered shyly.
“y/n, that is an exquisite name. May I call you that?” he asked, a gloved hand still brushing over your chin. 
You nodded and he caressed your cheek before withdrawing his hand. 
“y/n, I give you my word, I will not harm you.” he explained, “I have observed you officer and have taken an interest in you and your work” 
You stood there in bewilderment, all this time you thought he was after you for the thing with their troopers or that he was trying to trick you into a false sense of security, but to be here with him, especially after all of the comforting words he exchanged… you couldn't help the butterflies taking flight in your stomach. 
“Now, may we return to the task at hand?” 
“Yes, My L-”
He slightly turned his helmet and you retracted your statement remembering what he asked earlier; it was just force of habit.
_______________________________________
The maintenance took a few hours, but for another technician it would have taken a day; you may not be much, but you were talented in your craft. 
Vader left the room to you after about an hour, but not before reminding you to keep the information discussed private (most likely referring to the fact he needed assistance- how would the galaxy react if the most feared sith was disabled in a way).
The walk back to your room was completely silent, you used so much brain power that you couldn't even muster the energy to overthink the situation; all you could think about was showering and going to bed. 
Once you settled into bed, sleep washed over you and soon you were in the deep embrace of slumber; dreams filled with an all too familiar dark figure. 
***
a/n: i’m actually falling waaaay back in love with original series vader… like i never left but i’m just really fucking invested rn 😩😩… i hope you guys are enjoying the story!!
taglist: @vadersassistant @sxoulohvn @khaleesihavilliard @kashasenpai @darling-murdock @beautifulbearpolice @salvatoresister1 @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @blueninjablade3 @jujuba096 @missmannequin @jellydodger @mirastark @wyvernthekriger @duckyhowls @monada43 @lauriidoesstuff @vienettacream
230 notes · View notes
hugmekenobi · 7 months
Text
S2: The Bad Batch (13)
Chapter Thirteen: Pabu
Tumblr media
Gif by @im-no-jedi
Hunter x femaleJedi!reader
Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.
Chapter Summary: The life on the run from Cid isn't working out and so Phee offers to bring you all to her home away from home.
Masterlist for S1
<Previous Chapter
Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)
Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, very minor moments of unwanted advances, mild injury description, mentions of food and drinks, instances of innuendo, SMUT (non-explicit descriptions of kissing and making out, light biting/marking, light bondage, oral (m & f receiving), brief f. masturbation, fingering, unprotected P n V (be safe in reality please), grinding, multiple Os with hints at overstimulation, Hunter talks you through it, a flash of cum eating), mild angsty thoughts but lots of fluff and feelings too, reader do be scheming, and my usual points of going slightly off-plot and the Force doing what I need it to
Word Count: 8.8K
Author's notes: Two panic attacks and two academic essays later lol, I finally have this chapter! I am so sorry it has been such a long wait but I hope you all enjoy!
Tumblr media
You were feeling more like yourself. You still didn’t know what had set you off, and it did remain a lingering thought in the back of your mind, but it wasn’t having a negative impact on you anymore. A fact you were grateful for because doing this mission with Phee required you all to be focused.
You had been briefed by her before heading into the bar, with Tech remaining as your getaway driver. Omega would make the deal alongside Phee whilst the rest of you split up and took inconspicuous spots around the space.
You drowned out the general chatter from the bar patrons and ignored the gentle thrum of the music as you stayed on guard whilst you went to your positions and waited. Hunter sat by one of the card tables, you had taken up home by the bar and Wrecker sat amongst another group at another table. Phee and Omega were at the top booth and sitting across from Phee’s contact- Crowder- who had two of his men on either of him as well as scattered throughout the bar.
You pretended to nurse a drink as you played your part. One downside of your spot however meant you were having to wave away those that believed they had a chance with you. One such person was now stood directly in front of you.
“Not interested.” You replied coolly before he had a chance to speak. Much to your surprise, he just shrugged and walked away. You doubted that would be a common theme, but you’d take it, nonetheless.
--
The meeting between Phee and Crowder seemed to be going okay but you knew nothing was certain in these situations. You were also having to balance keeping an eye on them and still seeing off those that still approached you and it was time to do that again as another man stood in front of you.
“Come here often?”
You just sighed and shook your head and looked past him.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.” He waved a hand in front of your face.
“Look, I’m really not-” You stopped abruptly as you saw Hunter stand and throw his blade in the direction of Phee- it looked like his target had been the Kouhun bug- and stand up tall. You were glad you were still sitting down because- had you been standing- you were sure that you would’ve just melted to the floor after seeing him do that and you had to fight to keep your jaw from dropping open. Gathering yourself, you got ready to act since it looked like your services were going to be required after all since Crowder’s men were on their feet with their guns drawn in the directions of Hunter and Phee.
“I’ll be taking the artifact now. You should’ve brought more muscle than that, Phee.” Crowder sneered.
A deep chuckle got his attention, and it was then he saw another man stand up tall from one of the tables. He towered over his men.
“She did.” Wrecker said as he cracked his neck.
You patted the newest arrival on the shoulder. “Yeah, this is the part where you might want to head on out.” You whispered to the now taken aback man beside you. You pulled out your blaster and stepped away from the bar and focused your stare on the enemy ahead of you.
“Now it’s getting interesting.” Phee said.
Wrecker made the first move and the club descended into chaos. Customers ran out screaming whilst the rest of you dealt with Crowder’s men and took cover from their blaster fire.
You flipped a table and crouched behind it and spoke urgently into your comm, “Tech, we need a pickup.”
“On my way.”
Crowder’s reinforcements had arrived and there wasn’t much more the rest of you could do. You had the credits and the artifact Phee wanted, there was no sense in staying.
“I think it’s time to go!” Omega called from her position.
“Wrecker!” Hunter signalled to his brother as they both threw a smoke bomb to give you all adequate cover to leave.
Tech arrived with the Marauder just as you all exited the club and with a few defensive rounds of blaster fire, you were able to safely get on the ship and get outta there.
--
“You have to stop doing things like that in public.” You murmured as you walked beside him into the cockpit.
“Hmm?” He glanced at you.
“The thing with the knife. The thing were you just look so damn competent and capable.”
“You mean my job?” Hunter teased.
You shot him a look. “Well, you need to stop doing your job like that. Because every time you do, I get distracted by thoughts I should not be having on missions like that.” You sighed irritably leaned back against the wall and crossed your arms.
“Yeah?” Hunter tilted his head and smirked at you. He looked down the hallway to see Phee, Wrecker and Omega still talking and a look back at Tech told him his brother was not paying either of you any attention. He took a step closer to you and crowded you further into the wall. He brought his lips to your neck and gently traced your skin as he whispered, “It’s not just you, believe me…” He trailed off and planted a series of soft kisses against your neck and jaw.
You allowed yourself to enjoy it for a moment before you affectionately pushed him away from you. “That’s not helping.”
“Do I wanna know?” Phee asked. She had entered the cockpit just as you had created the distance between you and Hunter.
Hunter cleared his throat, and you just shook your head and you both focused on regaining your composure.
You stayed where you were as Phee took the seat next to you and Hunter situated himself on the one just behind Tech that faced one of the other control panels.
“Now that was a fun mission.” Omega said gleefully as she and Wrecker remained down in the main part of the ship.
“You got that right.” Wrecker said with a chuckle.
Phee peered back at the young girl before she addressed the rest of you. “You know, Omega was pretty impressive back there.”
“Her training’s paying off.” Hunter said as he turned his seat to answer.
“Oh, I know she’s got the whole soldier-thing down. But don’t you think she should learn some other skills?”
“What other skills?” Tech asked as he too now turned to face Phee.
“Omega spends all her time with you four. She needs friends. Ones her own age and who don’t share her genetic profile.”
“We never had such a thing. I do not see the issue.” Tech said dismissively.
“No kidding.” Phee said with a small, exasperated smile. She looked at you. “You get what I’m talking about, right? You had your own life before these guys.”
You didn’t really know how to answer that. Your upbringing hadn’t been that different from theirs but even you had to concede that she had a point on that one. It wasn’t exactly the most typical environment to grow up in so it probably wouldn’t hurt if Omega could experience a different side of life that wasn’t always about when the next dangerous mission was going to be. Before you could answer, Tech spoke again.
“We’re receiving a transmission. It is from Cid.”
You shared a mildly concerned look with Hunter. It had to happen sooner or later. She wouldn’t let you guys get off that easily.
Hunter stood up. “Let’s hear it.”
Wrecker and Omega joined the rest of you to hear the message.
Tech patched the message through, and Cid’s holographic image filled the cockpit.
“So, it’s been 20 rotations and no word. You better be dead because your absence has cost me a few scores. Remember our mutually beneficial arrangements, and how well we know one another; if you know what I mean. You’d do well not assume I am just threatening you boys.” The transmission ended.
A beat of silence past before Phee filled it. “You didn’t mention you cut ties with Cid.”
“Our mutually beneficial arrangement wasn’t so beneficial, mutually.” Hunter said sheepishly.
“Figured that out, did you?” Phee sprawled back in her chair. “I’ve known Cid a long time. She’s a useful ally, but not someone you want to cross. Do you have a plan?”
“You’re looking at it.” Hunter said.
You could tell he was mildly embarrassed at not being to offer anything more. You knew he didn’t like the aimless nature of what you all were doing right now. You squeezed his hand in reassurance.
“In that case, you all are coming with me.” Phee stated.
Hunter angled himself to face you as he sought your input.
You shrugged. We can’t keep doing what we’re doing, and you know that. If Phee is offering a place for us to go, there’s no harm in taking it. At least for a little while.
Phee watched you and Hunter do that thing again. She figured now was good a moment to put her plan into action whilst the two of you were focused on each other. “You guys ever get sick of their silent communication style?”
“Nah, she does it with all of us.” Wrecker said absent-mindedly, not realising his mistake until he’d finished speaking and saw all sets of eyes on him. “Um, I mean…”
“With all of you, huh?” Phee said curiously, angling her face to yours. You didn’t conceal your wince quick enough. That definitely confirmed that what she’d seen between you and Omega on Nal Hutta was the same thing that occurred between you and Hunter. “What does he mean by that?”
“Nothing.” You said defensively, crossing your arms as you stood on guard.
“Not an option for an answer. I’ve noticed this thing you got going on for a while. I won’t back down on this anymore.”
“Phee…” Hunter cautioned.
“Come on, Bandana. If I’m to take you to a place I keep close to my chest, I should be told about this. Haven’t we established some trust here? (Y/N), I promise I won’t tell, whatever it is?”
You glanced to Hunter who shrugged. “It’s not my secret to tell. If you want to, you can.”
Your eyes flickered over to the others who all- along with an apologetic smile from Wrecker- nodded in agreement with Hunter. You inhaled slowly. She had been helping you all out when she didn’t have to. You could do this for her. You focused on keeping the nerves out your voice as you spoke. “I’m a Jedi, Phee. What you’ve so keenly observed is me talking to the others without speaking out loud. They’re hearing my voice in their head.”
Phee’s jaw dropped. In all her travels, she’d only ever had the luxury of learning about your kind. She’d never been fortunate enough to meet one and she’d never have guessed you’d be the person to finally let her achieve that. “A Jedi?” She repeated in a hushed tone. “You mean you survived?”
You shifted on your feet awkwardly. “I mean sure, technically I did, but I left the Jedi Order long before the purge and this lot didn’t find out until after so my survival story is a bit different. Don’t really think it counts as one to be quite honest.” You added quietly, more to yourself than anyone else.
Hunter cleared his throat at you in gentle reprimand.
Phee nodded and didn’t want to press you for further information. She gathered your past would be a sensitive area, so she moved on. “So, what does one have to do to get in on that level of communication?” She asked eagerly.
You rolled your eyes. “Well, liking the person is a start.” You teased light-heartedly as you saw her frown. “That and time spent together helps strengthen the bond I need for it.”
“And where am I at in the process?”
“I’ll let you know.” You said nonchalantly.
Phee let out a grumbled sigh, but she accepted this. “I meant what I said, your secret is safe with me.”
You did find yourself believing her.
“Alright then, with that business taken care of, let’s get going!” Phee said cheerily as she walked over to Tech. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Head to these coordinates, brown eyes.”
Tech, taken aback by the placement of her hand, did as she requested.
--
“Welcome to Pabu, my home away from home.” Phee said happily as she led the way off the ship. “It’s a hidden sanctuary of sorts.”
When Phee had offered to take you all with her, this was the last type of place you expected to end up at. The island was serene and beautiful. The sun was warm and shone brightly, highlighting the greens of the plants and the blues of the ocean. You were immediately filled with a sense of calm as you stepped down the stairs.
Phee gestured to the large building ahead. “That’s the Archium. It’s where the artifact will be stored. It holds treasures from all over the galaxy.”
“My analysis indicates that this so-called artifact you recovered is of very little to no monetary value.” Tech informed from his datapad.
“Treasure can mean many things.” Phee countered. “Most of the villagers on Pabu are refugees. Many of the items I recover are remnants of their cultures, and that’s worth preserving.”
You realised how poorly you’d judged Phee. There was far more to her than you’d realised. You opened your mouth. “Phee, I’m-”
Phee just shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s like I told you in the beginning, I am a liberator-”
“Liberator of ancient wonders.”
You all turned in the direction of the new voice to see a cheery looking man walking over with a young girl you assumed to be his daughter. You watched as he walked over and embraced Phee.
“About time you showed your face around here.”
“Miss me, Shep?” Phee asked with a smile as she stepped back.
“You’ve got some competition.” Wrecker taunted Tech.
You bit back the laugh that threatened to leave you face at the bewildered expression on Tech’s face at Wrecker’s words.
“Auntie Phee!”
Phee knelt down and hugged the young girl.
“What’d you bring this time?” She asked eagerly.
Phee showed her the artifact.
“Looks like one of a kind.”
“Good eye.” Phee complimented.
“That’s not all you brought, I see.” Shep said as he examined the group behind her.
“This is Shep Hazard, Mayor of Pabu, and his daughter, Lyana.” Phee introduced them both as they walked over to you all. “Shep, Lyana, meet, Omega, Hunter, (Y/N), Wrecker and Tech.”
Shep went up to each of you one by one to welcome you.
Lyana walked up shyly to Omega. “Phee’s never brought any friends here before.”
“Never? Not even Cid?”
“Nope.” Phee answered.
“So why bring us?” You asked her.
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”
“She must really like you.” Lyana muttered to Omega.
“Alright. That’s enough out of you.” Phee scolded affectionately.
“Then it’s settled. You’ll join us for dinner.” Shep declared.
“There’s no saying no to Shep’s famous feast. Lots of food, drink and general merrymaking. You two’ll probably hate it.” Phee kidded at you and Tech.
“You’re not helping your case.” You reminded her with a roll of your eyes, but a smile graced your lips.
Phee raised her hands before she half-turned to Shep. “Lead the way, Shep. I’ll catch up.”
You all made to follow Shep, but you couldn’t help but notice Tech linger to look back at Phee and it warmed your heart. You just wished he would clue into the part of his brilliant brain that would realise he and Phee had potential.
“Leave them alone.” Hunter whispered as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder to turn your gaze away and focus on walking behind Shep.
How are you not more invested in this?
“It’s not that I’m not invested but I know my brother, and this is something he needs to take at a very slow pace.”
You conceded the point with a nod. “You’re so good.” You knew he was right. You focused instead on taking in your new surroundings.
--
The more you got to see of Pabu as you walked, the more you loved it. Everything was so pretty and letting Omega run ahead with Lyana felt completely safe, there wasn’t a threat to be found. It felt natural to be here.
“Upper Pabu is the oldest part of the island.” Shep informed you all as you paused to take in the magnificent view of the island and its crystal-clear blue waters. “As we’ve grown over the years, we’ve expanded the wall into Lower Pabu.”
You leaned over the wall to take it all in.
“Hi, Shep!”
“Hi, Mr Eenta. How are Sari and Micha?” Shep replied warmly to the old man that had approached them.
Mr Eenta let out a cheery high-pitched laugh. “They’re doing good. Thanks for asking, Shep. I see we got some newcomers here too. Although we haven’t had some quite as lovely as you join our community in a long time.” He added with a kind smile in your direction.
You smiled in thanks at the man and elbowed Hunter playfully. “Gotta up your game, I might just run off with him.”
“Ha ha.” Hunter replied drily as he drew you into his side and pressed a soft kiss to your hairline.
Mr Eenta laughed at your words. “I best be off but welcome to the island! Feel free to stop by anytime!”
“Nice to see you!” Shep waved him goodbye.
“Uh, do you know everyone here?” Wrecker asked Shep.
“Of course. We’re all like family. Now, if you’ll continue to follow me, I can show you were you and (Y/N) will be staying.” Shep said to Hunter. “I have a place for the rest of you too and Omega can go to either house, but I gather it would be best to show that to you after dinner?”
“Staying?” Hunter repeated.
Shep paused for a moment. “Well, I imagine you two’ll want some privacy before dinner tonight. There’s plenty of time. Unless I’ve read things wrong, or you want to stay as a group-”
“You have read things correctly.” Tech said without looking up from his datapad.
“Tech-” Hunter started.
“Yes, please, take them somewhere far away from us.” Wrecker said in an exaggerated manner.
You punched his arm.
Shep paid little attention to the teasing insinuations. He remembered what it was like to be young and in love. “We’ll pass my home on the way anyway so you can see Omega get settled and join us in an hour or so?”
You and Hunter glanced at one another before Hunter nodded his agreement and you both walked beside Shep trying not to look too eager or walk too quickly.
--
You didn’t remember much about the place you were staying. All that really registered with you was the discarded pieces of armour and weapons by the door and the short route from the doorway to the bedroom. From what you did recall; it was very cosy and homey, but right now your focus was on the fact you were sat across Hunter’s lap at the edge of the bed. Your kisses were slow and deep, there was no residing worry of being interrupted or needing to be rushed and the two of you were perfectly content with not rushing things, both too intoxicated by the feeling of your lips on each other’s skin and the noises leaving your mouths.
“I want to call this in.” You panted against his lips as your fingers traced the red scarf.
Hunter groaned as he felt you grind against him. “But I-”
“I want to call this in.” You repeated seductively as you lifted it over his head and pulled back to look into his eyes. “Please.” You murmured as you pressed delicate kisses along his jaw.
“Let me see you come undone first.” He rasped as his fingers twisted in your clothing to keep him grounded.
You were confused for a moment.
“Just like this.” He emphasised as he took a hold of your hips and moved you against him once more, relishing the soft sigh that left your throat. “Do this for me and then you can have your way.” He negotiated with a kiss behind your ear.
You nodded before you placed the scarf on the bed and threaded your fingers in his hair. Your lips met his once more and as you moved your hips with more purpose, your kisses grew more desperate as each of you swallowed the moans that left your lips at the sensations happening right now. With his help, you were able to find the angle that had your breathing and heartbeat quickening and your grip on his shoulders tightened, your fingers coiled in his clothing.
“Hunter-” You said through a gasp as that familiar feeling started to rise in your body.
“Let it happen.” He encouraged as he kissed you again and gently bit down on your lip.
You finished with a groan and your head fell into the crook of his shoulder as you caught your breath.
“Did so well for me.” Hunter whispered as he stroked your back.
You sucked a small mark in his neck as you got your bearings back. You sat up properly and maintained eye contact with his as you let your hand trail down his chest. Your hand found the edges of his shirt.
Hunter lifted his arms up and let you pull the item of clothing over his head. He then reached for your top layer and delicately pulled it off you.
That process continued until you were both out of your clothes and lying on the double bed. It certainly made a change to the bunk on the Marauder, there was room to move without feeling constricted and it was far more comfortable too.
You stopped kissing him for a moment and instead focused your ministrations on the skin of neck, your teeth scraping slightly against his skin, whilst you reached beside you and brought the scarf into view. You looked down at Hunter who- amidst the rough breaths that left his throat- nodded his consent. You moved off his lap and sat back on your heels and motioned for him to sit up.
Hunter did as you requested, and he felt you bring his wrists behind his back, and he felt the soft fabric against his skin. He tested the knot and found it to be secure enough that he had no chance of getting out unaided, but it was not uncomfortable.
You pushed him back down and straddled his lap again. “Okay?” You asked as you stroked a finger down his tattooed cheek. “You just tell me when to stop.”
Hunter was enraptured by the sight of you above him and so could only manage to nod once more.
You smiled lovingly down at him before you kissed him once more, this time more teasing, leaving him chasing your lips as you parted from him too soon.
You kissed your way down his chest, paying attention to every nick and scar that was on his skin. You loved every part of him every time.
You delighted in every gruff and depraved moan that left his lips. How you loved it when he got the chance to switch off like this.
And you could take your time.
As your mouth wrapped around him, his fingers had a deathlike grip on the sheets since that was the only thing he could do with his hands behind his back like this.
Fuck, you were good. You knew just what to do to drive him crazy. You took him so well every time. The slight hum of pleasure told him he’d voiced that last thought outload. His head pressed even further into the pillows.
The sounds he was making were so divine, you just couldn’t help yourself.
Upon hearing the small moan from you, he risked glancing down and regretted it immediately. Your hand was between your legs and a noise that was scarcely recognisable- it sounded like a wrecked whimper- left his mouth.
You paused what you were doing upon hearing him. You bit your lip as you saw the ruined expression on his face. You removed your hand and held your fingers up to his mouth but when he lifted his head, you drew them away at the last second and put them in your mouth and groaned alluringly. You didn’t give him long to cope with that before you went back to him.
He released a pained breath at the sight. He needed to touch you. To taste you. To feel you. It had been too long, and he wasn’t about to let it be over like this. “St- stop.” He managed to get out.
You did as he requested and angled your eyes up to him.
Hunter very nearly lost it at the sight of you tidying up your mouth and the playful smirk that graced your face. “Untie me.” He said as his chest heaved.
You crawled your way back up and kept your eyes focused on him. You gave him enough room to get vertical enough for you to reach behind him and undo the knot.
He rolled so that you were beneath him now and he kissed you passionately whilst his hand slid down your body.
Your eyes fluttered closed and your hips bucked into his touch and a quiet groan fell from your lips as his fingers curled and pleasure shot through your core.
He noticed you were holding back. It was something you were both used to. Fear of being suddenly interrupted or accidentally overheard was a constant in moments like this but that wasn’t the case here. Here, you could let go. And fuck did he want you to let go. “I want to hear you.” He uttered against your lips as he started to move down your body, leaving bruises on your neck as he did so. “Let me hear you, sweetheart.” He all but begged as he sped his fingers up.
That was all the permission you needed. An unrestricted moan left your lips as your body tingled and you let the waves of pleasure wash through your body.
Hunter worked you through it and once you had come back down, he left a path of kisses down your body, biting and sucking as he went, to do what he’d been wanting to since the possibility of being alone had become an option. He kept a steady grip of your hips as they jolted under his touch.
He didn’t need to rush this. He would get to take you apart in the way he always dreamed of. He could take his time. Learn knew things about your body he hadn’t had the pleasure of discovering yet, life on the road with missions every other day made these occasions a far more hurried event than either of you would’ve like. But here, he didn’t have that worry and if he wasn’t addicted to you before, he most definitely was now. The noises you were making were beautiful and it had been too long since he’d had you like this, and he was reminded of how much he missed it. He moaned appreciatively at the feeling of your hands tangling in his hair as he took what he wanted from you.
Your limbs felt limp and heavy, and your breathing was laboured but you didn’t want to be done yet. “Hunter, I need you.”
“One more. Give me one more.” He breathed against you before he continued with what he’d previously been doing.
“I can’t. Just-”
“Yes, you can, sweetheart.” He urged as he focused on the spot that he knew would get you there again.
A hoarse cry left your throat as he sent you over the edge once more. You were pretty sure there were stars dancing across the ceiling right now.
Hunter let you catch your breath and just revelled in the sight of your dishevelled state. His lips traced your stomach as he worked his way back up to you.
You clawed at his back to bring him down closer to you. Fuck, he was gorgeous. His eyes were dark, and his bandana was slightly askew. “I need you.” You whispered again as you cradled the side of his jaw.
He was now all too happy to oblige.
Your hands tightly intertwined- with the backs of yours being pushed into the pillow by your head- as he moved into you, both of your breaths hitching at the sensation.
Every time you were reminded of how perfectly you fit together both here and out there. Everything just felt so right.
Hunter paused for a moment, and he lifted a hand to brush a small strand also to give himself a chance to breath.
You knew he’d held back long enough. You pressed your lips into his palm before you placed a featherlight kiss to his lips. “Come with me.” You murmured against his mouth.
Hunter nodded and started to move again, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer and judging by the way he could feel you tightening around him, you weren’t either.
It wasn’t long before a broken cry left your mouth, and it was the sight of you catching the necklace you’d gifted him in his teeth that finished him. He released a gutteral groan as he collapsed on top of you and breathed a relaxed sigh as you weaved your fingers through his hair. “I love you.” He uttered quietly into your neck. “Always.”
“I love you too.” You replied tenderly. “Always.”
He reluctantly pulled out and laid down next to you and wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close. There was still time before you needed to go to Shep’s so the peace and quiet could be enjoyed a little while longer.
After a few minutes of you both just taking the time to stay close to each other and regroup, you huffed out a short breath at the realisation there was still the dinner to attend to.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can barely feel my legs lying here. How am I supposed to get up and shower and then walk back up some of that hill?”
Hunter let out a low chuckle. “Whilst I take that as a compliment, I’m sure your Jedi training had you overcoming worst challenges that this.”
You heaved a sigh and turned on your back and sent an affectionate glare in his direction. “Yes, but that doesn’t stop things from feeling so far away right now.”
Hunter merely hummed and pressed a quick kiss to your lips before moving down your body.
You propped yourself up on your elbows. “What are you doing?”
“Cleaning up.” He crooned as he settled between your thighs once more.
Your head fell back against the pillows. “You heard me- heard me say shower, right?” You protested as he left tender nips to the inside of your thighs.
“You said that you can’t move to go shower.” He countered as he slowly moved his lips towards the apex of your thighs. “I’m solving half the problem.”
“This- this won’t help me stand up.” You attempted to sound strong, but you were not about to stop him.
“I know. I’m solving the other half of the problem first.”
--
Now properly freshened up and decent once again, you and Hunter arrived at Shep’s home to see the others happily socialising and enjoying their time.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Phee greeted with a knowing grin as you both walked in.
You simply smiled and turned your attention to Shep instead. “The place is great, Shep, thank you. Do you need any help?” You asked as he emerged from his house.
“No, we’re almost ready. Just make yourselves at home!”
You and Hunter joined the others in taking in the breath-taking view, but that sight was interrupted by the chittering of a monkey-like creature that had scaled down one of the poles.
One jumped on your shoulder before more joined and a small group of them gathered by the table.
Omega knelt down to get a closer look at them.
“They’re called moon-yos.” Lyana explained. “The elders say they’ve lived here since before Pabu was inhabited.” She welcomed one of them onto her back.
Omega chuckled happily as that same one moved from Lyana onto her shoulder.
You watched on fondly. Everything here was so carefree and easy. You couldn’t remember the last time she’d really been allowed to be a kid like this.
“I have not heard her laugh like that in some time.” Tech observed.
As soon as he’d said that you started to think about how long it had been and the very fact you couldn’t remember told it had been far too long. As Omega and Lyana followed the moon-yos over to the wall by the gate, you and Hunter approached Shep as he brought a dish out for the table.
“Phee said the villagers here are refugees.” Hunter said.
“Many, yes.” Shep replied. “Pabu has been a safe haven for those forced to flee their homes during the war and others after.”
“And you’re not worried the Empire will show up?” You asked.
“Why would they? We’re a remote island with limited resources. But if they do, we’ll manage.”
You and Hunter both glanced over to where Omega was playing with one of the moon-yos.
Shep noticed this and placed a hand on both of your shoulders. “Some come to Pabu looking for a clean slate. A chance to start over. As a parent, you couldn’t ask for a better place to raise a child.”
You were pretty sure you didn’t do a great job at concealing the taken aback expression on your face. You had clocked Hunter’s paternal instinct right from when he’d first met Omega, but hearing Shep put you in that same category with him was something that had never really occurred to you.
Shep gave you both a supportive smile before he made his way back inside.
Before either of you could speak, Omega came over.
“(Y/N)! Can you come do that thing you do with the moon-yos?” Omega grabbed your hand and started to drag you over to the troupe of creatures.
“If you can think of a believable reason why they’re suddenly even friendlier than usual.” You said with a raise of your eyebrows.
“You’re gifted at bonding with animals.” She replied simply. “Please?”
“Okay, okay.” You said with a laugh, and you let her pull you over. You took notice of the fact that you were not worried about pretences here, even a reason as broad as the one Omega was providing felt secure enough.
Hunter watched you go and felt Phee approach his side.
“Something to think about, isn’t it?”
“You’re suggesting we all stay on Pabu permanently?”
They both followed the sounds of laughter to see you now with two moon-yos on your shoulders and the others were crawling all over Lyana and Omega.
“Omega seems to like it here and this is the most relaxed I’ve seen your girl. A little stability might do you all some good.”
You half turned and caught Hunter’s gaze. You left the girls to it and walked over to him.
“You made some friends.” Phee said with a nod to the animals on your back.
“Wasn’t that hard.” You said with a grin as you internally told on of them to go onto Hunter’s shoulder. You chuckled at the sight.
Hunter let the creature crawl over him for a few seconds before he passed it back to you. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
You nodded before you scratched each on the side of their faces. Okay, go back to the kids. You let them jump down and they ran back over to Lyana and Omega.
The two of you went back over to the wall where you wouldn’t be overheard by the others.
You leaned your head against Hunter’s shoulder and breathed in the clean sea air and admired the stunning view over the wall. Pabu was growing on you rather rapidly.
“Can we have this?” Hunter said quietly to you. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being here. He wasn’t used to feeling so calm, so at peace. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were people out there who were continuing the fight like Echo and Rex. Was feeling this way allowed? Was having a place to leave the chaos of the galaxy behind on the cards for him? For all of you?
You lifted your head to face him. You understood what he meant. Feeling this content was a foreign concept but it didn’t need to be. “You have been looking after this family for a long time. You’ve done so much for the galaxy already and our circumstances have changed ever since Omega became a part of our lives. I think the chance to create something, to have a place to come back to that is safe and offers the chance to settle down is perfectly okay.”
Hunter got ready to reply but was interrupted by Shep’s voice.
“Food’s ready!” Shep announced as he brought the final dish out.
You and Hunter turned to see the others moving to the table and you bit back the laugh that threatened to appear at the fact that Wrecker seemed to be the most excited out of everyone. We can talk more about this later, for now, let’s just enjoy tonight. You took his hand and you both made your way to the table.
--
Phee had not been exaggerating about Shep’s dining experience. The drinks continued to flow, and you had eaten so much food you could barely sit up straight which is why you were grateful for the man next to you who let you slouch against him whilst he kept an innocent hand on your thigh.
“You have your own boat?” Omega asked excitedly.
“Uh-huh. You wanna take it out and watch the sunset?” Lyana offered.
“Really?” Omega gasped.
“That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?” Phee said with a look at you and Hunter.
“Can I go?” Omega asked Hunter eagerly.
Hunter glanced down at you to see you nod before he looked back to Omega. “Have fun.” He granted his permission sincerely and was happy to see her go somewhere looking so thrilled.
Oh, my goodness, you smiled.
“I smile all the time.” He protested down at you.
“No, you smile with your mouth. It rarely reaches your eyes because there’s too much worry behind them. That, was a proper smile.” You said with a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. A groan from beside you got your attention and you saw Wrecker rubbing his stomach. “What’s with you?”
“I’m full. I am never full.”
“Feels good right.” You said with an understanding nod as you were now able to sit back up.
“I will note the date and time to commemorate such a momentous occasion.” Tech added as he brought out his datapad.
You huffed out a laugh at Tech’s antics and at the look on Wrecker’s face as he got distracted by a platter that Shep had just brought out.
“Hope you saved room for dessert.” Shep said as he lifted the lid to unveil a platter of delicious looking fruit.
“I love this place!” Wrecker yelled happily.
--
“It’s almost time.” Phee said.
“For what?” Tech asked without turning his sight away from the screen in front of him.
“See for yourself.” Phee stood and beckoned for him to follow her over to the wall.
Tech looked over the wall but saw nothing different. “I am not seeing anything.”
Phee rested a hand on his arm. “Just wait. It’ll be worth it.”
Tech did as she said and watched as the sun went down and all the lights surrounding the island lit up the homes all at once.
“Pretty spectacular, right?” Phee said.
Tech found himself not wholly understanding the significance, but he also didn’t want to anger or disappoint her in his reaction either. “I suppose that is one way to quantify it.”
“You’re scheming.” Hunter whispered into your temple as he saw the way you were studying the pair.
You made no move to deny it. “What if I just…” You trailed off and mimed using the Force to make Phee fall into him.
“No.”
“But-”
“No.” Hunter repeated again with a loving kiss to the crown of your head.
“Do you remember what they did to us? We were locked in a storage closest for 3 hours one time!”
“Yes, but Tech is Tech. He’ll get there on his own… eventually.”
“What are you two talking about?” Wrecker asked as he finished the last piece of fruit.
You just pointed over to Tech and Phee.
“Ooohhh right. Yeah, we won’t be much help. He’s just gotta use that brain of his to figure it out.”
“Men are hopeless.” You muttered with a sigh before you stood up and wandered over to where you animal friends were.
--
You weren’t there for very long before you started to sense their unease but to your eyes nothing was wrong. You let them run off but before you could raise any sort of alarm, you noticed the look on Hunter’s face as he braced his hands against the wall. “What’s wrong?” You asked as you jogged over to where he, Phee and Tech were now standing.
“Something’s coming. We need to-” He didn’t get to finish his thought for an aggressive rumble ran underneath the island, leaving you all unsteady on your feet.  Luckily, it didn’t last long but he was sure that wouldn’t be the last one. He reached for his comm. “Omega, come in. Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine. We’re headed back to shore now.” Came her reply.
“Everyone alright?” Shep shouted down to the rest of the island.
“Well, that was different.” Wrecker commented as he got to his feet.
“Uh, a small tremor. It’s nothing to worry about. Part of island life.” Shep explained.
“I don’t think it’s over yet.” Hunter warned and sure enough another, more violent tremor occurred, leaving cracks in some of the buildings. “That was not a small tremor.”
 “No, it was not.” Shep said fretfully.
Tech analysed his datapad. “Hunter, I believe this island is at risk for a significant sea surge.”
“How much risk?” He asked.
“Highly probable to imminent.”
“We haven’t had a sea surge in more than three decades. If we were at risk, the early warning system would’ve activated. And-” Shep was cut off by the blaring of a siren.
“And I take it that’s the system?” You asked with a grimace.
Tech took the macrobinoculars that Shep passed him. “The water has already begun receding.” Tech stated as he stared through the lenses. “We must evacuate all of Lower Pabu.”
You caught Hunter’s arm in a panic. “Hunter, Lyana and Omega-”
“I know. I’ll grab our ship and get them. You five, move everyone in town to higher ground.” Hunter ordered.
You nodded before you all parted and got to work.
--
It was mayhem.
Everyone was screaming and stampeding to get to higher ground which meant they were paying little attention to the safety of those around them.
“Knock on every door. Check every home.” Shep told the four of you before you split up.
--
Tech and Phee had ensured their area was clear and they were now making for the higher ground, but the crowds were overwhelming, it wasn’t going to work this way.
“There are too many trying to get through at once. They will not make it before the surge hits. We must use additional means to get them over the wall.” Tech said hurriedly.
“We can deploy the rescue ladders.” Phee replied.
“Where?”
“They line the top of each wall.” She pointed up to where she was talking about, and they both ran to get closer to the side of the wall.
Tech aimed his grappling hook and once he felt it catch, he signalled to Phee to come closer to him. “Hang on!” He took a secure hold of her waist and scaled the wall.
“You take those ladders. I’ll handle these.” Phee directed.
Tech tried to release the ladders, but they wouldn’t budge. “The mechanisms are rusted through. We will need to manually unfurl them.”
Phee was able to use her blade to get her ladder free. “This way!” She called down to the people below.
Tech was also able to launch his and he and Phee kept an eye on them as they climbed to safety.
--
The siren continued to bellow around the island, a daunting reminder of how little time was left. You rounded the corner to see Mr. Eenta just sitting outside his house. “Wrecker, Shep! Over here!” You ran over to the old man. You kneeled next to his chair and spoke as calmly as you could manage. “Hey, Mr. Eenta, remember me?”
“Hmm? Oh yes, you’re the lovely lady who Shep brought over. Can I get you something?”
“Maybe later, but we gotta get out of here first.” You stepped aside to let Wrecker pick him up.
“Huh? Why? What’s going on?”
“Everything will be fine, Mr. Eenta.” Shep reassured him as the four of you set off for the high ground.
--
Your pace faltered behind Shep and Wrecker as you were sure the house you just passed had someone crying in it. You worked your way back and as you peered through the window; you caught side of a young Rodian child, she had to be not much older than six, frozen to the spot in the corner of the room and it looked like some kind of dresser or shelf had fallen in front of the door. You looked ahead to see that the other three were too far ahead to call back and they had Mr. Eenta so you needed them to be safe. The siren sounded again but you couldn’t move. You had time… you had to have time. “Hold on, I’m going to get you out of there.” You called through the window before you made your way to the door.
You tried kicking it down and barging into it, but it would not budge. Fuck it. You called on the Force and you were able to successfully push the door open.
You stepped over the shelf and other loose belongings and carefully made your way over to her. You took a knee in front of her. You knew if you appeared nervous or panicked then you weren’t going to get anywhere. “Hi there, little one. My name is (Y/N), do you have someone looking after you?”
She gave you nothing. She just stood there shaking as the siren continued to blare.
“Okay, it’s okay.” You cleared your throat and tried again. “Do you have a father? A mother?” You were sure you saw her head perk up slightly at that word.
“Mother?” You double checked and saw her nod again. “Okay, that’s good.” You reached your hand out to her. “How about we go find her? I can help you. Does that sound alright?”
You breathed deeply as she cautiously took your hand. “There we go. Let’s get outta here, alright?” You helped her over the debris and once you cleared the house, you picked her up and started running.
--
You could hear the wave now. You reached the bottom of the ladder and altered her position, so she was now on your back. “Hold on.” You scaled the ladder quickly and handed her over to someone waiting at the top, the sound of the wave getting closer by the second and you could feel the cold spray nipping at your heels. You were halfway over the wall when you felt part of the wave crash into your back, toppling you over the rest of the way.
You laid on the grounded, winded, before you felt a light tapping on your shoulder. You opened your eyes to see the kid staring worriedly at you.
“I’m good.” You panted as she peered at you. You straightened up and got some more air into your lungs and took her hand once more. “Let’s go fine your mother.”
--
You squeezed the young girl’s hand. “Hey kid, I think we’ve found her.” You jutted your head over in the direction of the distressed female Rodian anxiously scanning the crowds of people. Your suspicions were proved correct by the delighted squeal the child emitted at the sight. “On you go.” You nudged her gently in front of you and kept a careful eye on her as she ran up to her mother.  When you saw her get picked up and held tightly, you knew your job here was done. As the young girl pointed at you, you waved goodbye, but you saw that her mother was walking over to you, so you stayed where you were.
“I went out for a few seconds but then the tremors happened, and I got caught up in the crowd- I tried to work my way back but- but there were too many people, and I couldn’t! I wasn’t sure- oh I thought I’d never see her again!” She cried tearfully as she buried her face into her daughter’s neck as she held her close.
You rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re both safe now. That’s all that matters.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
You nodded your head in acknowledgement before you got to work on finding your own family.
--
“Wrecker, where’s (Y/N)?” Hunter asked urgently as he noticed everyone was there but you.
Wrecker looked around him. “She was right behind us when Shep and I knew everything was all clear.”
“She was with you as you got to safety?”
“Well- um- I can’t exactly remember.” Wrecker stammered.
“She probably just got caught up in the crowd.” Shep offered as he placed Lyana back down.
“Yeah, she’s going to be fine.” Phee added.
Their words didn’t mean much. He needed to know that you were fine. “We need to-”
“Turn around and breathe.”
A deep sigh of relief left his lungs as he heard your voice. “You’re okay?” Hunter asked as he turned to face you.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you all okay?” You addressed the wider group who all nodded and parted to give you some privacy.
“Where were you?” Hunter asked.
“You’re not the only one who can save a kid every now and then.” You said brightly as you hugged Omega before she went off to join the others.
“You’re wet.” Hunter noticed as he embraced you.
“Gee, save that for later, sir.” You kidded.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“The wave caught some of my back, but I’m fine.” You explained.
Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Exactly how close did you come to getting smashed off the walls of Pabu?”
“Best not think about it.” You said airily before you regrouped with the others.
--
The sunrise did little to lighten the spirits of Pabu’s civilians. They’d lost their homes, the best you could do was offer your sympathies and supplies to people.
“I’m sorry, Shep.” You said kindly as you came to stand next to him and Hunter as they both stared at the destruction below.
“We got everyone out in time. That’s what’s important.” Shep responded.
“Based on my estimations, it will take several rotations to rebuild the damage sustained in Lower Pabu.” Tech revealed as he and Phee joined the three of you.
“Yes.” Shep said with a dejected sigh. “Property was destroyed but my people are resilient. We’ll band together and rebuild.”
“I was thinking.” Hunter began hesitantly. “We could stay and help out with things.”
“I had the same idea.” Tech concurred.
“Did you now?” Phee teased.
You threaded an arm around Hunter’s waist and subtly nudged him as you saw the smile Tech offered Phee at her words. He merely squeezed your side in acknowledgement.
“That is, if you don’t mind us sticking around for a while.” You added as you looked to Shep.
Shep chuckled softly. “You would be most welcome.”
The group of you set back towards the crowds of people and, for once in your life, you had a good feeling about this.
Next Chapter>
Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @starwarsnerd111, @skellymom
132 notes · View notes
cryptids-and-muses · 1 year
Text
I watched return of the jedi for the first time in 4 years and here are my thoughts:
I know the line between sci-fi and fantasy is already super blurry but Star Wars truly feels like a fantasy movie. It’s in the costumes, the worldbuilding, the vibe, the odd encounters, palpatine’s entire character. And while there is futuristic tech the world of Star Wars doesn’t feel particularly Futuristic™️, if that makes sense.
There’s this one imperial officer Bacar interacts with at the start of the movie who acts his ASS off. Seriously give this man an Oscar. The fear!! The subtly!! The little gulp he does before facing Vadar!!! The palpable terror at the idea of the emperor coming there!!! This dude single handedly sets up palpatine as a threat
PRACTICAL SETS!!! All the practical sets!!! There’s so many sequences, especially in jabba’s palace but they’re throughout, where the characters casually interact with the world around them, and it’s such a small detail but it means so much to me. They really feel like they’re part of the world. My favorites were the Hall of Horrors C-3PO walks through in Jabba’s palace and Luke interacting with his x-wing on dagoba
It’s not all this great though, the green screen to the sarlack pit was awful. I found it endearing.
Also I love how there’s so much this movie doesn’t explain to you. There’s this weird robot spider thing in Jabba’s palace that we see when R2 and C-3PO walk in!!! What does it do!!! There’s a guy who’s super upset when Luke kills that monster!!! Who is he!!! And a bunch of other weird little things that just aren’t elaborated on. On top of that there’s just all these strange aliens just chilling, living their lives, some of which I don’t think we see again. It all comes together to make the world feel so much bigger than what we see.
I’d heard the analysis that Luke wears black in return of the Jedi to allude to a possible fall to the dark side, but that analysis hadn’t really clicked for me until this watch through. Like dude’s introduction was him force choking someone
Honestly like has this kind of subdued confidence this whole movie and I love it. He knows he’s good but doesn’t need to flaunt it.
Like his grin when he says “you should have bargained jabba. It’s the last mistake you’ll ever make” I love it
Luke is actually really subdued this entire movie, which tracks with all the internal conflict he’s dealing with. The biggest displays of emotion we see from him are when he’s reuniting with friends or when he goes OFF on Vadar at the end for threatening leia
Chewbacca and Han’s reunion 😭, they care so much about each other, chewy pets his head
In general everyone is so happy to see each other in this movie, every time someone shows up after being separated everyone is so excited to see them. There’s so many hugs. You can really tell they care about each other.
Due to some of the framing, I don’t think leia slaughtering Jabba was part of the plan. I think she just saw an opportunity and took it. Girlboss.
I noticed Luke’s fighting style with his lightsaber is much tougher around the edges, it’s less elegant, which tracks with him having much less official training with it. I like it
Yoda trying to use dying as a way to avoid Luke’s questions. Iconic.
Yoda’s choked out dying words of “there is another skywalker” become so much funnier when you remember he becomes a force ghost. The man could just peacefully pass then come back 10 minutes later and continue the conversation, he doesn’t need to try this hard to get the words out. Then again that would take some of the drama out of it.
Han is just so great in this movie, he’s got a reputation for being this suave sarcastic outlaw, which to be fair he kind of was in new hope, but here he’s just so sweet. He’s the one telling Luke to be more optimistic! When lando gets his promotion to general he doesn’t tell him about his own, and looks genuinely bashful when it’s brought up in front of the group! He goes to check on leia after she talks with Luke! He gives lando the falcon because he knows it’ll help him even though the ship means so much to him and is scared of it getting destroyed! When he thinks leia has feelings for Luke he offers to step aside and not get in the way! This man cares about his friends!
Speaking of that moment with leia after Luke leaves, that’s the one moment we see him being a dick, he lashes out with “but you could tell Luke? Is that who you could tell?!” But then immediately apologizes and comforts her when she asks for it. He loves leia so much and it’s so obvious the entire time
My man thought he was in this love triangle and was doing his best, and was fully prepared to step aside and let leia be happy with Luke. And the face journey he goes on when leia tells him luke is her brother. It’s gold. It’s that math meme but even better.
For the mission to endor, Luke and leia are both in these camo space ponchos and helmets but apparently Han’s outfit was to iconic to change because he just puts on a camo trench coat over his usual outfit
The first speeder chase through the woods of endor struck me as much more low key then it would have been if it was made today. This isn’t a bad thing, but I know if it was made today it would have been much more dramatic, a set piece
When leia goes missing Han, Luke, and chewy immediately peel off from the group to go find her. Good friends but you are LEADING THE MISSION
Leia meeting the ewok is a fun sequence and it’s funny how she just rolls with it. She does not question it, just accepts this little guy is here now and starts following him. It’s funny to contrast this with when Luke, Han, and chewy rescued her in a new hope and she fought every step of the way
In general the Ewoks are such a strange and whimsical inclusion. Like this is part 3 in a space opera and a huge chunk of it has these little furry dudes who live and fight like the lost boys from Peter Pan that we’ve literally never seen before. It’s weird
Luke is so delighted by the Ewoks, from his little smile when the first surround them to trying to hide his laughter at them thinking C-3PO is a god
Also we should not ignore how hilarious his idea to scare the Ewoks into listening was. And the man knew it too, you could tell from his smile. The little shit.
The storytelling sequence!!! I love it!! I love how C-3PO uses the sound effects! I love how everyone is huddled together! I love how we the audience can tell what’s being said from context clues even if we don’t understand all the words!!
Luke peacing out like “it’s time to angst😔”
I do think the bridge scene between luke and leia could have been done a bit better but it wasn’t bad, just a bit flat for the gravity of what was being revealed. Leia and Han are great though
I love luke and vadar’s back and forths even if they can get repetitive
The writers really used “search your feelings” or “your feelings betray you” as shortcuts to avoid hard writing huh
The emperor was such a little gremlin, he did nothing but talk about how luke was going to fall to him, how he knew everything was gonna happen and it’s all according to his plan, he really didn’t do anything but talk shit until the very end with the force lightning
To be fair, Vadar didn’t do anything until the force lightning either
Neither of these points are complaints, palpatine is supposed to be a shadowy scheming villain that others do the dirty work for and the really pull it off. And vadar’s passivity in this movie I think demonstrates the conflict he’s feeling. Despite his words about how he must do his emperor’s will, he’s not really doing that right now, is he? He’s not really defying orders either but something is different
Something I noticed!!! When Han’s team first make it in to the back door, off in the corner as they go inside we see a storm trooper adjusting his armor and taking his position again. One of the rebels stole the storm troopers armor and took their place. This doesn’t lead up to anything but it’s SUCH a cool detail
The true hero’s of this movie are the Ewoks, palpatine had Han’s team captured and the air fleet on the ropes before the Ewoks stepped in and saved Han and co. Palpatine would probably have won if it weren’t for them. It’s great.
I really love luke so much, he’s just so compassionate. For his friends, for his father, for everyone. This is the trait that makes him a hero. It’s literally what palpatine tried to use to turn him, the anger he’d feel at watching his friends die because he loves them so much
“No, you’re wrong. I am a Jedi, like my father before me” not gonna lie, this was kinda hot. It’s that quiet confidence I was talking about earlier. Also the way he nods towards vadar when he mentions his father
“….so be it, Jedi” THIS!!!! THIS!!!! I love this so much!! Because the entire movie palpatine has been talking about how Luke is going to fall to him, how it’s inevitable, how Luke is foolish to think otherwise. But this moment right here, is him acknowledging he’s wrong. He won’t be able to turn Luke, he failed. Luke truly is a Jedi and even palpatine cannot away him. It’s so fucking good
When vadar lifts up palpatine to stop him, we get a reaction shot for Luke who just looks so confused. Appropriate reaction.
As luke is dragging vadar to his ship we see imperial officers and storm troopers running around to try and escape and I just want to know what the fuck was going through their heads when they saw Luke and vadar
I know the falcon surviving doesn’t make sense but it makes me happy
Something important I realized towards the end: AT NO POINT IN THIS MOVIE DID ANYONE TELL HAN VADAR WAS LUKE’S DAD
CHEWY AND LANDO WEREN’T TOLD EITHER FOR THAT MATTER
THEY DON’T KNOW
Presumably they were told later but holy fuck why is no one talking about this.
Again….those reunions, hugs all around, everyone is so happy and relieved and I love it
I know it doesn’t end here, which makes be kinda sad, because this is such a beautiful and hopeful ending
All in all, with all the Star Wars fatigue and what Disney has been doing, this really reminded me what I love about Star Wars. I felt like I could appreciate the movie a lot more on this watch through and had a wonderful time
201 notes · View notes
celestial-specter · 4 months
Text
Here I am again, for more in-depth analysis of The Bad Batch!!
Here you go, @skellymom :))
Aftermath’s battle simulation: How one scene reintroduces us to Clone Force 99, and possibly foreshadows later events in the series.
(Part 2)
As the simulation begins, Hunter orders Crosshair to ‘take the towers.’ Crosshair is thus the first to split off from the rest of the group, quickly climbing one of the towers. As I discussed in part 1, the higher levels in this scene represent the empire. To explain this idea further in reference to the towers themselves, in literature, towers have been used to represent strength, success, and power - all things which Crosshair personally craves. With all this in mind, this movement provides an early indication of Crosshair’s upcoming departure to climb the ranks of the empire. The climb itself is treacherous with no equipment, but Crosshair manages it with ease, quickly reaching the top level - just as he manages to rise to the level of Commander of his new imperial squad.
Tumblr media
Once in position, Crosshair makes quick work of shooting and disabling the four towers. I have thought through several interpretations of what these four towers could represent, but my two personal favorites are:
The towers are a representation of Crosshair’s relationships with his four brothers; his disabling attack on each tower shows the severance of his ties to each brother.
The towers have a much more literal meaning, representing the four members of his own imperial squad that Crosshair later kills on this same training ground.
Meanwhile, at Hunter’s order, the rest of the squad push further into the training ground, leaving Crosshair behind on the tower.
When the battle seems to be taking ‘too long,’ Wrecker charges in alone to take down the droids, unconcerned about the danger to himself. Tech does briefly reach out to stop him, but then does not seem to be worried for his brother either, rolling his eyes as he watches from behind the barrier. While we do not see the reactions of the others during this moment, I assume they also were largely passive towards Wrecker’s antics. To me, this carefree attitude is similar in tone to the first few episodes of the series, in which the batch remain largely unaware of the danger they are in from the empire, and Wrecker begins exhibiting symptoms of his inhibitor chip activating. They remain unaware of this huge risk until the episode Battle Scars, in which Rex reveals the truth about the chips.
The composition of the shot in which Wrecker asks Tarkin for more droids to battle is also interesting - Wrecker is naturally larger than the rest of his squad due to his strength-based enhancements, and most shots we see of him are composed to enhance his size (e.g. placing him beside much smaller characters such as Omega). As far as I am aware, this is the only shot we have seen which purposely makes Wrecker look physically small - the height from which Tarkin is viewing him at does most of the work, but this is furthered by none of his brothers being beside him for comparison.
Tarkin himself is not a man of physically imposing stature - this is made obvious when the audience sees him beside the Kaminoans. So, the framing of this shot, with Tarkin appearing to be much bigger than Wrecker, makes the usually giant clone appear almost… doll like.
This shot, as seen below, could be interpreted simply as Tarkin looking down on all clones, viewing them as unworthy of service in the new empire. While I agree this is definitely relevant, I believe it is only a piece of a larger problem. Even in the time of the Republic, many nat-born officers viewed clones simply as cannon-fodder - as in, they were created and thus, expected, to die for their army. But, as we saw in The Clone Wars, many Jedi formed close bonds with their clone battalions, and were instrumental in the clones forming their own identities outside of their lives as soldiers.
Now, with the Jedi order destroyed, imperial officers such as Tarkin, and later Hemlock, are free to treat clones as they wish; simply as toys to be played with for their own entertainment, and to be discarded as soon as they are no longer useful.
Tumblr media
When Tarkin then orders the use of live rounds, Wrecker encounters a force even stronger than himself, which the audience can see takes him by surprise. This definitively foreshadows the activation of Wrecker’s inhibitor chip - as the ‘muscle’ of the team, it is likely rare he ever encountered an opponent he couldn’t fight off before, and yet both here, and on Bracca, he was caught off guard and suffered as a result.
When Wrecker is shot by the droid in his right shoulder and flung to the ground, it is Tech who puts himself at risk to move from behind the barrier and drag Wrecker out of danger. This mirrors how he is the first member of the squad and the most at risk of physical harm when Wrecker’s chip first activates. Interestingly, Wrecker is shot in the exact same place that Crosshair later shoots him in during their standoff in the hangar. As Wrecker would be viewed by many as the heart of the squad, having him end up injured in both of these scenarios is a good way to highlight that these moments are strong emotional turning points for the batch and their story.
Seeing that his brothers are now in active danger, Crosshair begins to shoot the new droids firing live rounds, still in his position atop the tower. When the droids then turn their attention on him, the shots they fire damage the tower Crosshair is standing upon. He abandons his post, hanging precariously over the edge of the tower for a moment before sliding down to the ground level. These moments could reference Crosshair realization that the empire does not care about any of the clones, leading to his decision to shoot Lieutenant Nolan, thus abandoning his imperial service and falling back to the very same low societal level that he began with, and that his brothers still occupy.
Once back on the ground, Crosshair returns to Echo and Hunter, but they immediately must move behind a barrier to avoid being shot. Pinned down, Crosshair’s sarcastic commentary during this moment shows he is beginning to lose faith in their ability to complete the simulation successfully. Echo comments that their training blasters are useless against the new droids- each member of the team is already aware of this fact, yet Echo being the one to vocalize it shows he likely accepts new information faster than the rest of his brothers (a notable progression in Echo’s character development since his first appearance in The Clone Wars). As such, Echo is the first member of the team to recognize the breadth and power of the new empire, and the consequences it will have for the clones. He is also the first to begin actively fighting against it by joining Rex’s clone rebellion.
49 notes · View notes