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the-hexfiles · 7 months

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A Village Romance (Hunter x F!OC) Ch 1: Strangers

Chapter Rating: 16+ for one suggestive comment made towards the end, and the overall tone further chapters may have -- If I choose to write further chapters.

Content: Fluffy intro to what I will hope to be a friends to lovers romance. Teacher OC because we all know Hunter would love a partner good with kids. First person narrative cause I'm lazy lol.

Wordcount: ~1580 because I haven't written in months and I need to ease back into it.

A/N: Hi friends, I've been gone a while but decided to jump back into ff. I want to start working on other creative pieces but I have Clone Brainrot so ff it is I guess. I haven't been writing at all so if it sucks, I know.

Song: Down by the Water by Abigail Lapell

The first night Hunter and I spent together, we were strangers.

Heavy storm clouds had swallowed the sun hours ago, and the draft through the schoolhouse in town sent chills through all of my students. By the time all of my students were gone, the rain had begun and my speeder bike was already soaked. The air got colder and the wind picked up the further I made it up the mountain. It was drizzling, the raindrops turning to ice on the leaf litter and my jacket. The wind ripped through the trees, shaking the limbs directly above me, and howling through the greenhouse. The windows on the greenhouse were frosting over, the tarp covering my firewood thrashed, and my potted crops tipped in the garden, splattering mud everywhere. I rushed to secure everything.

I was kneeling in the mud, trying to salvage one of my plants when I heard a branch snap on the edge of the clearing that made up my yard. I paused and looked around, but didn’t see anything. I scooped up the plant and brought it to the greenhouse. I didn’t see the faint shadow cross the windows inside, or the door. As I came around the corner to walk inside I almost walked directly into someone, which is horrifying when you live alone on the side of a mountain. He was broad-shouldered, half a skull painted on his helmet, and a full head taller than me. He had also startled me so badly, I’d apparently dropped my plant, since he was standing there holding it with mud splashed on his armor. “Sorry,” we said simultaneously. And we stood there for a moment, in the rain, staring at one another. Like morons. A little girl’s voice called from the other side of the cabin, “Hunter?” Little footsteps ran closer until they reached the doorway, “Hunter did you – oh. Hello!” I looked at the little blonde and smiled, then back at who I then knew was Hunter: “Can I have my plant back?” I asked, pointing to my sad little potted crop in his hands. “Oh, yes,” he said, handing it back to me. I walked into the greenhouse and tried to quickly stabilize the crop so I could gather the remaining plants outside. “You’re the pretty teacher! The one in town! Miss Tala!” The little girl said excitedly. “Omega!” Hunter scolded her. I looked up at them with some surprise, “And you’re my…stalkers?” I said with a raise of my eyebrows, half joking. I did recognize them from the market square. Some whispers had gone around of some clones that settled on Pabu and were working with a couple of traders. “N-no! We’ve been working for Mr Tanaka, he told us who you were,” I could hear the embarrassment in Hunter’s voice. Omega looked up at him, giving him a knowing smirk. “We were just passing through when we came across your cabin.” “You wouldn’t happen to know where to find these, would you?” Omega showed me her data pad, a familiar sight on the screen: Storm mushrooms. “There are some that pop up nearby, but you’re running out of time. Come help me with this, and we can go.” I nodded towards the door. Omega helped me carry the last of my crops inside while Hunter secured the tarp over the wood. Hunter walked over to us as we locked up the greenhouse. “We didn’t properly introduce ourselves, I’m Hunter, that’s Omega.” He held out his hand towards me. I took it, “Tala.”

We walked single file down a game trail towards a set of downed trees, whose trunks were sparkling with the bright blue mushrooms. I took out my knife and sliced off a small one, cutting it into three pieces. I popped one piece into my mouth and handed Omega and Hunter the other two. “Why are these considered dangerous?” Omega asked, snacking on the piece I handed her. The three of us started slicing away mushrooms and tucking them into Omega’s satchels. “Inexperienced foragers underestimating how fast the weather changes up here,” I replied. “A few have died in the past or gotten very close to it. Now most people who hire foragers usually have shelters and cabins near sites so there’s a safe place to weather the storm after harvest. I didn’t know Mr Tanaka had a cabin this far up.” I looked at the two of them, and to find them looking at me a little dumbfounded. Hunter and Omega looked at each other, “We’re staying in town,” Hunter said. The drizzle turned to rain, a few snowflakes fluttered down with it and Omega was doing her best not to shiver. “Well, lucky for you I know a place,” I said, quickly slicing away at the mushrooms.The wind almost ripped my back door off its hinges when I opened it. The three of us shuffled inside as the first inch of snow started to cover the ground. I pointed Omega to the refresher to start getting out of her wet clothes, and Hunter towards the fireplace to stoke up the fire I’d prepared, while I ran upstairs to find clothes. He was looking at some photos on the mantel when I came downstairs with clothes for him and Omega. I set her clothes outside of the bathroom door, and walked over to him. His helmet sat on the kitchen counter, and his scarf had ended up bundled around Omega’s head on the hike home. The fire was still low, casting a soft light over his features. I had seen him before, multiple times, but I’d never really got to appreciate him. His wide shoulders made his waist criminally small. His bandana, and thus his hair, was slightly disheveled, and he looked tired. In the forest, I’d missed an opportunity to watch him work with the knife he carried, but I watched as they rested on his hips and moved to pick up different photographs. Not wanting to get caught ogling, I walked up and handed him the dry clothes. He looked down at them, a frown briefly flashing across his features. “Your husband going to be okay with me borrowing these?” I snorted, then upon realizing I snorted, I laughed, “Sorry. That’s probably one of the many reasons I don’t have a husband. What made you think that?” “These are a man’s and you got them from upstairs,” he gave a short laugh of relief. “It’s not an unreasonable assumption.” “Those are my brother-in-laws, and no he won’t mind.”

Omega stepped out of the refresher, bundled up in a set of my pajamas, looking clean and quite content. She settled under some blankets in a chair by the fire, while Hunter and I split off into different refreshers to clean up and warm up ourselves. When I came down the stairs, Omega was curled up in Hunter’s lap asleep on the couch, and he had his head tilted back with his eyes closed. His bandana was off letting his wet curls flop wherever they pleased. The fire crackled, warm light flickering across their faces as they dozed, faces so relaxed and peaceful. I sat in my armchair and admired the pair for a moment; until Hunter’s eyes opened and immediately found mine. They were a warm gray in the firelight, and very tired. “We left you some room over here,” he whispered. “We’ll be warmer together.” “I don’t sleep with strangers,” I said as I grabbed my book off of the end table. When I looked back up at him, his cheeks were flushed and he averted his gaze. “Right. Sorry that was forward of me.” “It’s nothing against you–” I said, moving my head into his line of sight to get his attention. “No, I understand,” he said, still looking away. “I don’t really sleep much anyways, strangers or no strangers.” He looked at me again from the corner of his eye and gave me a half-hearted smile. Snuggling into the couch he wished me a quiet goodnight, leaned his head back, and fell asleep.Omega stirred early, while the end of the storm was blowing through. Hunter awoke to the smell of breakfast. Well, more accurately, to Omega burning half the breakfast and the two of us giggling about it. Maybe my staring should have told the both of us at the time that I was at least attracted to him. But he was too busy smiling at Omega’s tragic attempt to make eggs to notice my ogling. He looked so warm to the touch, standing there half-asleep in wrinkled sleepwear, smoothing Omega’s unruly curls while she made another attempt to cook breakfast. I stopped staring and joined them, and eventually the three of us had something edible. The rest of the morning was spent playing card games together. By the afternoon the storm had passed, and they were dressed to leave. Omega gave me a hug before she bounded down the front steps of my cabin, leaving Hunter and I alone for a moment on the porch. He held out his hand, “Thanks for all your help.” I took it, “Anytime. See you around town then?”

He gave it a short shake and nodded his head with a soft “yeah” as he turned to leave. Before he reached the last step I said his name, making him turn back to me. “Don’t be a stranger,” I said. And a hint of color came to his cheeks.

#bad batch fanfic #tbb x reader #bad batch hunter x reader #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch x reader #tbb x oc #the bad batch x oc #the bad batch hunter

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wenalena · 2 years

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YEEEES ! I finally finished it ! I have trying a new color palette for the ambiance. That was hard, but very cool ! I hope you enjoyed it !! ♥

(And happy Bad Batch eve ~)

#Tech #Techxreader #Tech x you #the bad batch x you #tbb x reader #The bad batch x reader #The bad batch x oc #The bad batch #tech bad batch #canon x reader #I'm glad to have finished it TuT #The bad batch fanart #Sw #Star wars fanart

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skellymom · 9 months

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"Vagabonds"

Ongoing OC x Hunter/Bad Batch Fanfic Series

Introduction: "Chaos On Coruscant"

And Chapter 1: "Weight of the Galaxy" (posted 8/14/2023/reuploaded 1/2/24)

ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ.

(Credit: Cool moving star dividers by @4ngelic-wh1spers )

BACKGROUND: The following story takes place in the Bad Batch Star Wars Universe, and I tried to keep within the timeline of Season 1-2 before the Batch Left Ord Mantell for Mount Tantiss. The OC characters of my invention are Maadienne “Mad Momma” Dax and her genderfluid Teen named Love. Mad is an older single mom.

Mad and Love also are coded as belonging to something similar to the American Nomad population in the US. Think Nomadland, off-griders, bikers, Slab City transients, hobos, tramps, hippies, punks, carnies, faire circuit vendors, survivalists, societal dropouts, etc. And they intersect with other nomadic groups coded as similar to the Roma (Romani), Travelers/Tinkers (Irish), Romanichal (British/UK). All of these people in this story universe refer to themselves as “The Star People”.

WARNINGS: Shades of neurodivergence, mention of deep sorrow/depression/hurt/lost love/relationship breakups/estranged parents/heavy mental baggage/ugly crying. There are hints of the beginning stages of fascism and xenophobia. Some mention of erections, arousal, sexual/sensual feelings, flirting. Lots of swearing (Star Wars swears mixed with Earth swears). Fictional prejudicial slurs. Poverty, class struggle, slavery, war, child abduction, politics, very amorphous mention of genocide, animal cruelty living conditions (brief), animal death (postmortem) and both of these are redeemed.

Original art of my OC: Maadiene "Mad Momma" Dax. Sorry the quality isn't great. My phone camera lens is cracked. But, you get the idea on what she looks like. Maybe at some point I will do more character sketches of LOVE, Tiggy, etc.

FYI-We WILL get to Hunter! But first I need to introduce my OC’s!!!

Introduction: "Chaos On Coruscant"

The outer streets of Coruscant started to show their seediness and poverty the longer Mad and Love walked away from the bustling city center. They had just picked up a considerable payment of credits after dropping off two young orphans to a well-heeled couple living within the upscale high rises of the capital. They had the help of clearances, chain codes and disguises. Both wearing a bland headscarf veil and shift dress over their clothes and skin tattoos. Mad’s face was uncovered and Love’s full coverage. To anyone who passed on the street, they were two household nannies taking care of their rich owners’ children.

The orphans, Edda and Oddo, were refugees from a distant Outer Rim planet that the Empire had newly “colonized” for resources. The people of that planet fought and lost control of their sovereignty. Many lives were lost in the battle. So many refugees and newly orphaned children were begging to flee the planet to avoid becoming slaves of the Empire. Mad and Love saw an opportunity to take whomever they could away from that situation and bring them here to a better life. They hated the Empire. Before that The Republic. Before that…whatever governing forces that had killed, enslaved, or pushed their people out among the stars. Homeless Nomaadi that nobody wanted. Dirty marked “Caitiff” scum. Now the Empire was doing this to other “outsiders” all over the galaxy.

When Mad and Love dropped off the children, the stipulation was it had to be at the back servant’s entrance. The couple wouldn’t let it be any other way. Even though Mads contacts were secure, and this job was very low on the risk scale, there was no room for compromise. The couple didn’t come out expressly and say anything prejudicial about Nomaadi delivering the children. But it was heavily implied through the thin veneer of niceness as they opened the door to welcome the children. Mad and Love were instructed to wait at the threshold, to hug Edda and Oddo and say a hurried goodbye. The siblings protested tearfully, but gave in. Mad caught a fleeting look at the large opulent apartment, meeting the eyes of the servant at attention on the other side of the room. The husband, giving them a brusque “thank you” while handing over the bag of credits, shut the door in their faces. Standing in the servant’s hallway, Mad and Love looked at each other in sad silence. The siblings had travelled with them on the Beldame several weeks before. Bonded with them. The children didn’t care who Mad and Love were. They were so grateful to be safe and have someone in their life that cared.

The credits helped smooth the sting…a little. The encounter was so jarring and surreal, but par for the course. Mad and Love couldn’t eat or survive without steady revenue coming in. The couple who paid for the lives of these children paid handsomely. To them it was just a drop in the bucket, easing their guilty conscience. Taking in homeless orphans as their own children…while not using any of their privilege to stand against the Empire seemed like a glaring example of blind privilege. Love was neutral on the subject, looking at the glass as half full. The children have good homes now. Mad saw the glass as leaky with a huge crack in it. The damned thing didn’t work well and was fundamentally broken.

Their ship, the Dread Beldame, was parked on the outskirts of the capital city to keep a low profile. That meant a lot of walking, but it kept the Coruscant Police off their backs. Getting the hell off the planet relatively undetected was the goal now.

The narrow streets led to a small public square complete with an open-air second-rate vendor market. Tourists visiting the Capital, locals, and Neuvo riche citizens of the city center visited these spots due to lower prices on goods. The awful smell of the exotic meat vendor wafted up into Mad and Love’s noses. The smell of a hundred naturally and genetically designed animals housed together in a small space.

Mad ignored the smell and kept a brisk pace. However, was surprised by a familiar voice and warm Nomaadi greeting.

“Auntie?”

Mad Stopping in her tracks and looked past the front counter into the shadows towards the back of the stall. A familiar face slowly stepped out. Mad thought she was looking at a ghost.

Nephew Sil, covered in dirt and slaughter offal, underweight and wearing a slave collar sadly smiled at her. She hadn’t seen him since he was a boy, when he was abducted from his family. Now Sil was a teen. The Nomaadi chest tattoo a clear identifier. Her experience was that many Nomaadi children were stolen. The authorities didn’t care to help the families to find them, so they were easy pickings by slavers and traffickers.

Love, totally unaware of Sil, followed the scent and was shocked by the scene at the meat vendor’s chopping block. A small live puppy was held aloft shrieking and scruffed by the butcher who was barking at any possible patrons in the crowd.

“Loth Wolf-Vornskr hybrid! Tender delicacy. Butchered fresh right here. Last one goes to the highest bidder!!!”

In his other hand was a very large meat cleaver.

Love was mortified to witness this. As their eyes looked past the puppy, cages upon cages of trapped animals came into view. Small wire cages stacked up high holding dirty tortured souls stuffed into small spaces. And beyond that, a bigger reinforced pen holding a large bellowing beast hiding in the shadows. The smell of animal shit, fear, blood, death, and pain hit Love in the gut and assaulted their senses. Patrons rushed forward with their money to bid on the last small life in the butcher’s hand. Love was knocked aside and bounced from one patron to the other before being shoved down onto the hard pavement. The obscene display of crude materialistic greed while being trampled was too much for Love. And concern for the pup brought anger out of them, vibrating the very air within the space.

Mad called out to Sil, “Come with us!”

“I can’t” and winced as he touched the shock collar. It was electronically locked, live and would not allow him to leave the market stand. Sil was the meat butcher’s property and locked in, just like all the animals stuffed in the cages around them.

Mad unbuttoned the top of her blouse to reach for the credits stowed in the security pocket of her binder. The high neck fell open to reveal her own circular Nomaadi chest tattoo. She could attempt to buy Sil back from the Butcher and help locate his parents. The job’s payment would allow this luxury and still have enough for them to live on until the next job. Before Mad could pull out any credits, she could feel every hair on her body stand on end. Sil could feel it too. Mad knew exactly where it was coming from.

“LOVE! NOOO!!!”

Mad suddenly turned to see Love levitating 10 ft above Coruscant street. The patrons facing the butcher never saw what was coming, but he had a front row view. The butcher froze and his eyes went wide. Mad could feel the raw emotion and power pulse from Love’s body. They were gonna blow, and Mad couldn’t do a damned thing about it.

The puppy and the animals in the surrounding cages fell silent.

All. At. Once.

What happened next to Mads recollection was in slow motion. A silent Force scream emanated from Love’s mouth. It shorted out EVERYTHING within that city block. All the technology, transportation, everything…and the locks on all the cages within the meat stall. Everything was at a standstill for 5 seconds. Love still levitating above the street, the butcher standing in the same position, the vendors at a standstill.

Then things sped up.

And… THE SHIT HIT THE FAN!

The animals, sensing freedom, burst from their cages in a frenzied wild blur. Screams could be heard from patrons slowly realizing what was happening as animals escaped beneath their feet, swooped near their faces, leaped on or past them. Love still levitating as people and animals ran pell-mell through the square. Nobody cared to notice a skinny veil-shrouded teenager floating above them. The butcher let loose a litany of curse words and pointed the meat cleaver in Love’s direction…while still holding onto the puppy.

Love reached out with the Force and snatched the puppy from the Butcher’s grasp. He turned 3 shades of red and chucked the meat cleaver at Love. They cradled the puppy and force deflected the cleaver. It fell ineffectually against the pavement below. Love was still levitating at 10ft and giving a calm intense death stare to the Butcher. He foamed at the mouth in a rage, stooped down and yanked a laser rifle out from under the counter, swinging it around to aim right between Love’s eyes.

Love, unfazed, didn’t move from his aim. Mad almost shit her pants in fear. It was all too much. They were going to get caught, and Love’s luck was going to run out. Today was the day she would see her offspring’s brains all over the streets of Coruscant.

The Butcher pulled the trigger…which did absolutely nothing as Love’s scream had shorted out his weapon. He was thwarted once again from dispatching this teenage menace, and absolutely lost his composure, chucking the weapon at Love.

They calmly Force pushed the weapon aside, keeping the death stare. Having nothing left to assault Love with, the Butcher leapt onto the counter and launched himself up towards them…

…and was immediately taken out by the large animal held captive in the shadows of the meat vendor’s stall. There was an explosion of metal, wood, and small animals…that hadn’t escaped from the first rush to freedom. The Behemoth ran past Love and caused total mayhem to the remaining people in the square. More blood curdling screams mixed with angry animal cries.

Love calmly turned on a dime and floated airily away from the scene, pulling off the veil and gracefully dropping it to the ground below. Their Nomaadi tattoo in full rebellious glory to all of Coruscant. Love’s facial expression calm as ever, still cradling the puppy.

It was a total sight to behold. Mad was beside herself watching Love float away from the scene. And then yanked almost off her feet as Nephew Sil ran past and grabbed her hand. He ripped the now inactive slave collar from his neck and threw it aside. Behind them a cab and several speeder bikes fell from the sky and exploded on the pavement, they had shorted out as well.

“We gotta go, go, go! Run Auntie Mad!!! Where’s the ship???” Running high on adrenaline he dragged Mad out of the square into the narrow streets for cover. They tripped over scurrying marmots. And, Mad had to pull a small, flighted escapee from her hair as they tried to catch up to Love.

“Love, come down outtya head! Or we are gonna lose ours!!!” Sil let go of Mad and ran ahead. He took a huge running leap and yanked on Love’s leg, pulling them out of levitation mode. It was like he was trying to catch a balloon. Love landed on two feet with a proud smile.

They signed “Hello” warmly and presented the puppy proudly.

“You CRAZY!” Syl shook his head “Causing big trouble.”

They were interrupted by a bedraggled Spice Head grabbing both teens by the back of their shirts. “Catiff scum! You should be worth some credits!!!”

Mad had enough of everything that had gone to total shit today. Anger welling up, she would have shot him on the spot had her blaster not shorted out. Instead, she ran full tilt into the assailant, knocking him to the ground. From there, proceeded to grab handfuls of hair and repeatedly pound his head into the pavement accentuating each screaming curse:

“KEEP. YOUR. HANDS. OFF. MY. KIDS. YOU. KRIFFING. BANTHA. FUCKER!!!

He started bleeding, lost consciousness, and stopped moving. He was still breathing, though. That was a plus. Mad’s view cleared and could feel Sil and Love pulling her off the man.

“Mommommom!” Loves voice echoing inside Mad’s head.

“Auntie, stop! Please get up!!!” Sil’s voice outside her head.

Looking up, more Spice Heads were watching the scene unfold, shrinking back into the shadows. Fear on their faces.

“See this? Keep your hands off us and your mouths shut! We were never here!!!”

Mad gathered herself, stood up and firmly barked, “Get your asses in gear, the Dame’s this way!” Sil and Love, clearly shaken, followed behind.

She gave murderous glances to the onlookers, who cowered as Mad, Sil, and Love passed. One threw the Eye of Protection sign, showing the fear Outsiders had of The Bad Fate believed (wrongly) spread by the Nomaadi. Mad sometimes wished she could really curse these people to silence so her family could escape safely. Every excursion was dangerous to her people. Snitches were a constant hazard.

From there, they ran several blocks to the outer port where the ship sat waiting.

The Beldame with its mismatched junky exterior looked so welcoming. The sensors picked up Mad and Love’s proximity and opened the gangplank. All three ran in and found their seats. The Dame automatically closed its gangplank and Mad got them out of there quickly. Two local precinct police speeders appeared in hot pursuit firing handheld blasters at the ship. The speeders could only follow so far before falling behind…but not before shorting out the Dame’s antiquated deflector shield.

While the Dame exited Coruscant’s planetary atmosphere, Mad brought up the coordinates for Ord Mantell, scrambled their jump signature, and punched the ship into hyperspace.

You could cut the silence inside the ship with a vibroknife. Both teens unsure if Mad was still…MAD.

Both were seated behind her. The light of stars coursing past casting shadows down Mads back. It was an uncomfortable 15 minutes before she swung the chair around and met Love with an intensely serious stare. Only Love heard Mad’s voice in their head.

“Dank Ferrick, Love…what the hell was that back there!”

Sil sat watching a silently animated display of physical movements while both Love and Mad argued back and forth inside their heads at each other. It was like watching manic mime comedy. He knew they both could communicate like this. Just never seen an argument between the two since he disappeared years ago. He could only guess what the row was about.

“I couldn’t help it. Everything about that place was so horrible. All those animals living and dying like that. The people trampling me. And… I miss Edda and Oddo. I’m sad we let them go.”

“We needed the money. We were broke, Love. Can’t keep everyone we ferry across the galaxy. What you did in the town square…it was over the top. You blew our cover. Our contacts that we worked so hard for won’t help us now. We will NEVER be able to go back to Coruscant again!”

“Good, that place is fucking POODOO!!!”

“But we had allies there, Love. Without allies we can’t do any business there. We just lost a good steady income. The Outer Rim only pays us enough to scrape by. And now we might have eyes actively looking for us! You don’t really understand how dangerous everything is now for us…YOU…especially since the Jedi were murdered, do you???”

Silence. Surprised face.

“DO YOU??? We already have shit rain down on us normally. Things are getting worse out there with the new Empire.”

Silence. Angry face.

“And what the hell was that…thing you did? It shorted everything out! That’s new, Love. You need to control whatever the hell that is. What did you do?”

Silence. Offended face.

Mad sighed. “I’m sorry I upset you. I’m sorry I yelled. It scared me. The thought of losing you scares me. I love you”.

Silence. Neutral face.

“Ok…” Exasperated sigh. “I… We’ll talk later. “

More silence. Still neutral faced, Love starts to levitate and zone out. Swaddles the puppy tighter.

Mad knows she overreacted again. The rebellious Love was something she wasn’t prepared for. No idea on how to control these powerful urges. A Jedi might be able to help if there were any left. But then, the Jedi were problematic and antiquated. Had they not been, Love would have been a Padawan long ago…and probably deceased now. With a heavy, tired sigh Mad turns finally to address Sil.

“I missed you so much Nephew. I’m sorry for the drama.”

Sil immediately got up and hugged Mad. She grabbed him in embrace and squeezed hard.

“It’s been so long. Your parents will be happy to know you’re safe.”

Sil was quiet. Then Mad heard soft sobbing and felt his body shake. She kept quiet and just held on until he wanted to be let go. Love, dropping their angst, floated over and placed a hand onto his back and slowly rubbed in circles.

He eventually let go and stood up. Both Mad and Love spoke at the same time: Mad verbally and Love signing in Basic, “In your own time. I’ll be here. I love you.”

Sil wiped his eyes. “I’m hungry, Auntie”. He was so thin. Clearly, he was underfed while gone. Probably starved to be kept in line, in addition to the shocks he received. An outline of rough scar tissue from the slave collar worn into his neck stood out. It was a very sobering thing for both Love and Mad to consider.

“Let’s see what we can rustle up, huh?” Mad got up and made a beeline for the ‘Dame’s tiny galley kitchen.

“I missed you too Couz.” Love signed. “Can you hold Tiggy for me while I help mom?”

Sil nodded and took the puppy from Love. “Hello, Tigglet” he whispered while settling into the pilot’s chair to watch the stars and Purrgils float past.

Thanks for your patience. Hunter makes his entrance in this next chapter!

Chapter 1-"Weight of the Galaxy"

Back at Ord Mantell, Mad knocked back the Spotchka to steady her nerves. While leaning on the bar of Cid’s Parlor with head in hand, she contemplated the huge clusterfuck that transpired on Coruscant.

They were so kriffing lucky! Especially finding Sil like that and getting him freed. Being able to keep all the credits from their last job without having to haggle for his freedom. The animals and exploding vehicles provided diversion. The Butcher was being scraped off the concrete, so he wasn’t talking. The Spice Heads might present a problem…if anyone cared to listen to a bunch of Tweakers. The only reason they were pursued and lacked a shield was due to the Coruscant Police suspecting those running away from the scene and fleeing the planet were to blame for the crime of…property damage.

The authorities and media didn’t give a Womp Rats ass about the dead butcher, his sketchy meat market front, or the slaves he ran through it. They feigned some concern about the injured citizens of the downed vehicles and those maimed by the market escapees. The News Holos were calling the incident “eco terrorism” by a small band of indigents who set the animals free. Fortunately, a well-known Enviro Group stepped up and claimed responsibility, inspiring its many supporters to clog the streets around the Capitol building in open protest. The Butchers Trade Org, Pro Meat Groups and rando hooligans looking to profit and cause havoc clashed against them. This brought out the Coruscant Guard to try to bring order to the chaos. The upper crust of Coruscant railed against the inconvenience to their day and clutched their pearls. Total mayhem and a convenient smokescreen.

This kind of luck is what Nomaadi Maami Dall would call “A Gift from The Force”.

“But make NO mistake, the Force is Fickle. It won’t last for long. Get out of yer own head, or it will be your end!” Could hear her Elder preach the message like she was sitting right next to Mad at the bar. She sorely missed Maami Dall…and Paapi Dall, Brothers, Sisters, Aunties, Uncles, Couzins, Friends of The Nomaadi Star People. The whole Community. It had been so long since they could all safely come together for Reunion. Fond memories of feasts, Hand Fastings, Parting Ceremonies, musicians in drum circles around large bonfires, people singing and dancing all night, helping to repair transports during the day and restore supplies for travel, children playing, community coming together to share news, information, trade, settling disputes, healing family rifts, making love, birthing babies, and just safely relaxing from the nomadic lifestyle for a while.

Oh Maker…the nostalgia HURT. Being transient was The Way. Everyone had a different journey. Paths diverging, converging constantly. Nomaadi were encouraged to leave, live their own truth, and be independent. Plus, their survival depended on it. Too many of them in the same place for a long period of time made the community sitting ducks. This is why they would occasionally meet for Reunion by word of mouth and never permanently settled anywhere.

Mads’ thoughts shifted back to their luck…this time. How long before it ran out? Love started as a quiet introspective child. Their use of the Force started early. It always manifested itself as gentle, non-threatening, defensive and never offensive.

Mad also deeply regretted the show of temper. She really hoped to not permanently injure or kill the Spice Head. He was stupidly dangerous and a victim of a fucked-up system that kept so many down on Coruscant. Hell, the universe. All the people on the bottom fighting for the scraps that the powerful occasionally threw at them. She sighed…when was it ever going to kriffing change?

Mad’s only plan for tonight was ordering several more drinks to help forget the rising worry in her mind: After the wholesale slaughter of the Jedi and those showing Force abilities, how was she going to keep her powerful and now rebellious child safe?

At the other end of the bar slumped Hunter, attempting to drink himself into oblivion. He was at the start of his journey tonight several drinks in.

His brothers and sister were back at the Marauder. Tech and Echo had mechanical Maintenace to do. Wrecker planned to take Omega for Mantell Mix and browse the Traders Market. Hunter didn’t feel any of it, except guilty for turning Omega down when she begged him to come along. He couldn’t get the vision of Crosshair out of his head, standing alone on the platform of Kamino as they left the planet. Oh, and he felt guilty for that too. Sad as well, and some frustration that his brother wasn’t touched by the plea of brotherhood offered by most of The Batch. He very briefly considered having Wrecker drag Cross back inside the ship, refusing to leave without him, or stunning the sniper to do so. It would have not changed Crosshairs mind in the long run. Stubborn brainwashed sibling. Hunter still loved him.

All the while the remains of his home…no, his family’s home lay in the Kaminoan sea smoldering. The remains of which The Batch narrowly escaped from. Almost resigned to a watery grave. What happened to all the future unborn and young clones he had seen at the facility the day the Empire took power? Were they safe? Even alive? All The Regs brainwashed by the chip. All the Jedi murdered by them. Did Caleb Dume ever make it to safety? If so, was he scarred for life after seeing his master gunned down on Kaller, then having the Clones turn on him too? It was all too much. He felt small and overwhelmingly powerless. Like absolute miserable shit. The only thing he could do was drown his emotions in whatever Cid’s bar was serving.

Sometime later, after draining his drink, Hunter’s senses tingled. Sitting up and rubbing his face, he caught a scent. His nose found the source down the opposite end of the bar. She looked and smelled intriguing, and was staring intently into an empty glass.

“Hey”, Hunter addressed Cid and nodded down the bar, “Who’s she?”

The Trandoshan rolled her eyes, “Why? Ya looking for a world of hurt, Bandana? “Cause that’s all you’re gonna get with that one.”

“No seriously, what’s her name?”

“She comes here to drink alone. The last idiot who didn’t respect her space left a permanent stain on my carpeting. That Momma has zero patience for Bantha shit”

“Momma???”

“Yeah, she’s got a kid. The dad split. Just the two of them now. And she’s protective of her kiddo. They’re ‘Nomaadi”, so they tend to keep to themselves.”

“Nomaadi?”

Cid sighed and rolled her eyes again gesturing wildly, “Nomaadi! Travs! They wander the galaxy with no known homeworld. Come on, Bandana, you never heard of ‘em? Met ‘em??? Her people are scattered all over the place. You must have had to move them along while you were working for the Republic? The Republic considered Nomaadi trash, so they got pushed out. And they just keep on moving around the galaxy. This new Empire absolutely hates them.”

Hunter let that sink in while staring down the bar. Cid contemplated these two sad saps sitting at either end.

“She reminds me of someone I know. Got the weight of the whole galaxy on her shoulders.” Hunter’s gaze immediately snapped up to meet Cid’s eyes. She held his gaze for a long, uncomfortable moment hands on hips.

“Her name is Mad.” Cid finally answered as she turned and walked away.

Mad. Was her name Mad for angry or crazy? He couldn’t tell, but he wanted to find out. She was a welcome distraction from the things he wanted to stop thinking about tonight.

Mad’s inner stream of consciousness was abruptly interrupted by Cid. “Find any amazing revelations in the bottom of that glass? You’re here to drink, not meditate.”

Immediately she looked up to meet the bright green eyes of the Trandoshan. Cid’s first language usually was heavy sardonic sarcasm tinged with menace, but Mad saw a bit more in her demeanor. A tiny bit of empathy shining through…before the sarcasm blocked it out again.

“Dark and Broody at the end of the bar wants to buy ya a drink if you’re interested.”

Cid pointed towards a very handsome man with a red bandanna and face tattoo staring up the bar at them. He raised his hand in a brief two finger wave and cheesy half smile. An attempt of levity with some drunken smolder.

Heavy sigh and groan from Mad. “No creepers, Cid. Remember last time?”

Cid leaned in against the bar. Her voice finding some softness, “He’s ok. Done some jobs for me. Got a kid of his own, no partner. Kinda lonely. You both look like you need a drink and time out of your own heads. Whaddya say?”

Another sigh from Mad. What did Mad really have to do tonight? The next job wasn’t until tomorrow afternoon. And Love was back at the Beldame with Sil fiddling with the shield generator. The puppy was probably tearing up and crapping all over the ship. Maker, what was she gonna come back to? Mad didn’t want to deal with any of it tonight. Luckly, Sil seemed somewhat responsible enough, and Love rarely if ever left the Beldame without Mad at their side. Both teens had dragged Mad down the gangplank in the direction of the bar. “Go have a drink!” they chimed in unison “We got this!” as they ran into the ship. Oblivious young'uns, dear Maker, now she had two…three with the four-legged pot roast they just “adopted.”

“Fuck it. You’re right. Can’t turn down free Spotchka.”

Cid winked and turned away to grab a glass. Mad straightened up, looked down the bar, and gave her best devil may care smirk. She then gracefully signed “thank you” in Basic Sign Language to Dark and Broody.

Cid plunked down the Spotchka. Mad tipped it back with abandon, enjoying the feel of the drink on her tongue. The pleasant burn. The warmth of it down the hatch…

“HELLO.”

Mad choked and spit the drink right onto Cid.

“Smooth move, Bandana”, disgusted and slightly pissed Cid retreats to wipe herself down. Dark and Broody had suddenly and stealthily materialized in the seat next to Mad.

The pleasant burn is now a fire in Mad’s nose and throat. Spotchka ran down her chin and onto the bar. “Are you trying to Kriffing kill me!” in between coughs. Anger rising. What the fuck, this guy! Dark and Broody looks embarrassed and concerned. She briefly considers punching him in the face.

“Sorry…I should have given you more warning” he replies while offering several napkins. Mad grabbed some from his hand holding them to her mouth.

Cough subsiding, nose still burning, Mad takes in the visage of Hunter: Head of amazing thick black hair, trim body, muscular, deep brown eyes that she could get lost in… She shakes her head and his smokey, sexy voice slides into her ears, “You ok? Anything I can do?”

Mad’s expression was ambiguous while trying to calm down. She sits staring intensely at Hunter. He noticed the depth of her eyes: flecks of yellow mingled with green. While her surface demeanor gave little away, Hunter’s senses pick up anger, confusion…and a slight glimmer of attraction. She looked like she might attack and eat him alive. The prospect seemed exciting. His eyes dropped and scrutinized her chest tattoo for the first time.

“My eyes are up here, Stud” she growls. He notices her noticing him looking at her chest and immediately becomes embarrassed. His expression shows it, as his eyes widen and immediately shoot back up to her face. “Just looking at your tattoo. Honest” he raises both hands in surrender.

“You always this smooth with the ladies?”

“Little off my game tonight. Can I try again?” Hunter gives Mad a sly smile.

Cid sidles back up to the bar, “Drinking only, no maiming…and NO sex in the bathroom. If ya wanna do that, then leave my bar!” Hands on her hips, looks across the room and suddenly shouts, “SHUT UP, YOU TWO, and mind yer own business!”

Bolo and Ketch stop laughing and solemnly return to their game of Djarik.

“Mad, I need Dark and Broody here in working condition for my next job. So go easy on him. He’s harmless. Bandana, quit being such a laser brain. You guys are stinkin’ up the joint with your buffoonery” she nods to Hunter, then Mad “and your angst.”

Both Hunter and Mad, taken aback by Cid’s scolding, soften and relax.

“Cid’s right. I really am harmless…and a laser brain. My name is Hunter.”

He extends his hand to shake. Mad continues to stare into Hunter’s deep brown eyes for several beats before extending her own and taking his hand. As her fingers slide into his grasp, there is an intense warm wave that passes between them both that ends in a tingle. Hunter and Mad’s body hair stands on end as the tingle runs up one arm, crosses their hearts and runs down the other arm.

Hunter, trying to maintain his cool, gives a lopsided attempt at a smoldery smile while still holding Mads gaze. Mad was never prepared for this sensory experience and immediately inhaled while her pupils dilate, and her face slightly flushes. Hunter can hear her heart skip a beat, then pick up to a frenetic pace. He smells perspiration as it begins to form upon her skin. He also smells a faint hint of arousal.

“Mad…” She’s thrown off by what just happened and quickly pulls away. She’s used to whatever crawls into the bar trying to daftly impress, threaten, cajole, talk down to, manhandle, or manipulate her. He’s self-depreciating, disarming, and a bit goofy…while smoking hot. She’s confused and warming up to this Hunter guy. But the walls are still up. The urge to bust him in the chops has left her mind.

“Wooo. That was…intense!” Mad’s feral demeanor fell away to shit eating grin and head tilt. She fans herself with her hand. That sensation was amazing! What the hell did HE do?

Hunter chuckled. “Uh, yeeaaah…” Casually crosses his legs to hide a semi erection. That sensation was amazing! What the hell did SHE do?

“That happen often?”

“Nope. You’re the first.”

“Shush…flattery will get you everywhere” Mad leaned in closer to Hunter, still not breaking intense eye contact. She was falling into the pool of those warm brown eyes. Basking in them. Hoping not to drown.

“I can only hope,” he counters. His heart flutters first, then he feels a second flutter between his crossed legs. Physically he feels amazing. Mentally, he feels like an idiot.

Cid, leaning against the back of the bar, rolls her eyes. “Can I get you love birds to move the party to The Oasis? I can’t handle the melodrama. Give ya a bottle of free Spotchka to get lost.”

“The Oasis?” Hunter said suddenly. He was very confused. To the best of his knowledge, Cid never mentioned it.

“It’s a secret little hideaway. She doesn’t let just anyone use it.” Mad winked at Cid then gave Hunter a conspiratorial grin.

Cid wrinkled her nose and shot Hunter a nasty look, “I never let your Batch in on it…except for Tiny. Your ship smells like poodoo. If you trash my Oasis, you’ll owe me FOREVER!” She followed this up by pointing her long bony Trandoshan claw at him.

Yep, that did it: Totally killed Hunters erection.

Cid plunked down a full bottle on the bar. Mad grabbed it as she got up from her bar stool. “Care to join me for Spotchka under the stars…Hunky?”

Two loud and very offended scoffs from across the room, “How come we don’t’ get free bottles?”

“SHUT IT!” from Cid “Or you both are gonna get a bottle each…upside your heads!!!”

Hunter could only answer with a smile and nod, grateful he could now get to his feet without embarrassment from a certain bodily function. He followed Mad to Cid’s office and through a hidden doorway.

“Don’t trash my Oasis! I MEAN IT!!!” came Cid’s shrill threat from the other room.

Mad grabbed Hunters hand and led him through several dark winding stairways, many doorways, purposeful twists and turns that confused the sense of direction. The last door opened to a rooftop area…

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hesthermay · 17 days

Text

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 (𝐏𝐓 𝟓)

PAIRING: sergeant hunter x fem!oc reader

SUMMARY: the next mission for the bad batch causes some reflection on miri and echo’s parts, and a long overdue conversation is had. hunter and miri finally divulge their true feelings for one another.

WORD COUNT: 4.2k

RATINGS + WARNINGS: general audiences, mature themes, some angst, fluffy ending. female oc, jedi oc, use of she/her, canon typical violence, found family trope. the bad batch time period, follows the timeline of the show.

NOTES: told you i had more on the way. here it is! i wrote the ending for this chapter when i wrote like part 3 but it kept getting pushed bad but HERE WE ARE. enjoy it, take it in, i again have one more on the way

STAR WARS MASTERLIST THE GREAT FIGHT MASTERLIST

Regret had begun to settle in the pit of Miri’s stomach as she sensed the presence of someone just as they rounded the corner into Cid’s bar, narrowly avoiding the shot from Omega’s bow.

Regret, for she was the one that okayed the decision. Now she was beginning to wonder what could have possibly compelled her to do such a thing, she could practically hear Obi-Wan in her ear nagging about how this was a bad idea as Omega called out an apology to the patron before pulling the bright purple string back once again. The bow was neat, she would give her that; a weapon commonly used by the Zygerrians but one the girl had procured herself on their mission, she would need to learn to use it sooner rather than later.

Times are different, she thought to herself as she shooed Obi-Wan away. And I’m not you, she snarked, letting her focus land on Omega once again.

“Steady,” Echo urged as he stood crouched behind her, the one taking point in this lesson. He was an ARC Trooper before he ended up in their Bad Batch, and he had earned that title for a reason so Miri felt it was only fitting and the others soon agreed. “Arms level…and keep your eye on the target.”

Miri couldn’t help but glare slightly at the two regulars that never seemed to do anything but sit in Cid’s bar and spend whatever money they scraped up when they weren’t there. Their cheering and heckling was less than helpful, but alas, she knew when the time came for Omega to really use that bow she would not have the luxury of a quiet background. But, despite their noise her shot landed on the target and she gave Hunter a silent smirk in spite of them.

But when she was ordered to go again, her excitement shifted to childlike defiance. “But I’ve already hit the target three times,” she argued, looking up at her brother.

“Out of twelve,” he countered bluntly but not harshly. Her boys were all rough around the edges, but they were never mean. “That’s luck, Omega, not skill.”

She looked over at Miri for help, but the woman held her hands up. “Hey, don’t look at me,” she grinned, shaking her head slightly. “I spent years doing the same thing, over and over, every single day just to become a Padawan. It’s part of the gig, kid.”

Omega sighed, knowing they were right and she wasn’t going to get out of it. Her first shot was clumsy and rushed and echoed by more heckling. She groaned in frustration as one of them cackled and collected their bet as Echo leaned down to speak with her again. Her next shot was slower, but still missed as she lacked the strength and control needed for the weapon. It wasn’t her fault, though, out of all of them she was the only one who wasn’t trained from the time they could walk to operate weaponry.

Still, Wrecker leaned forward to whisper, “not exactly a natural, is she?” While Hunter only cocked his head in response, Miri shoved an elbow into his side.

“Cut her some slack; different starting lines, remember?” She whispered as she thought of, for the millionth time it seemed, little Ani joining the Order after everyone else in their age group and becoming a prodigy before their eyes. Her old life plagued her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to keep them at bay, but more often than not a whisper of Obi-wan would break through, a flash of a young Anakin appeared, or her Master, and everything there was to him, would come to her whether she needed it or not.

Miri was broken out of her thoughts by Cid hitting Wrecker as well, his outburst causing all attention to shift to them. “Okay, playtime’s over. We need to talk.” She harshly shooed the other patrons out of the bar, much to her appreciation, before turning back to the group. “I assume you lot know what a tactical droid is? They were the op—” she was cut off by Tech shooting forward from the back of their group, launching into his own explanation of what a tactical droid was.

It hardly phased them anymore, as Tech couldn’t sit still when someone else explained something he most likely knew far better, but Cid held her hands up in protest. “Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba,” she rattled to shut him up. “This is my briefing, Goggles.” Miri chuckled to herself as she shoved Wrecker from where he was perched before pressing some buttons on the computer base. The purpose of this briefing, another mission Cid wanted them to pull so she could collect.

“We haven’t decided if we’re gonna work for you or not,” Hunter responded after sharing a look with Miri and the rest of the boys. It was true, they hadn’t decided; there were factors of the job that were conflicting to their morals and values, to the standards they had held themselves to their whole lives, but keeping Omega safe was their top priority at the moment and that backed them into a corner with few options.

“Allow me to decide for you,” Cid offered. “You’re in! I’m talking a mutually beneficial arrangement,” she continued, trying to persuade them and Miri had a suspicion that she had a valid point. “You make money, I make money, and I watch your back,” she pointed at them. “With the heat on you, it’s the best option you’ve got.”

The corner they were backed into offered few options indeed, but one of them sounded better than all the others and Cid served it up on a dingy platter. They had no choice but to accept it.

“I know you’re in, I just told you you’re in,” she sassed before turning to Omega. “And you, you’re releasing too soon because of those weak noodle arms,” her large hands wiggled the girls little arms in emphasis before she took the bow and, advising her to build up her strength, landed three shots in the middle of the target.

Miri knew Cid had it in her, couldn’t do what she did or be who she was if she didn’t, but it left the others more than a little stunned. The sizzling marks on the wall stared right back at Omega as she looked from them to her bow and back, a new determination settling in her bones.

-: ✧

The retrieval of the tactical droid head had been, as almost all things were nowadays, rockier than anticipated. Details were left out, unexpected competition appeared, and Omega found herself in quite a scary situation, though they all made it out alive. Still, on the way back to Cid’s Miri couldn’t help but replay some of the events that stuck with her, because for whatever reason this mission had been different.

The way there was a trace of something familiar around the girls that showed up at the factory. Rafa and Trace, two sisters running jobs to make in the galaxy they all shared, a common occurrence. It wasn’t necessarily them, she had never seen them before, but it was something in the air that lingered ever so slightly, a disturbance in the Force around them that was akin to something she had held close at one point.

Who had they been around, and had they known it was a Jedi? Had they known she was one?

Or the way Wrecker had gone unresponsive for a bit. Odd, and they hadn’t gotten an explanation afterwards, which was even more odd. All that time had passed, all those things had happened to them and he was nowhere to be found? Ignoring their calls? Something had happened to him, Miri knew it, but she was still figuring out what it was.

And the way that Omega had gotten stuck so easily on the belt. Everything was happening so fast, so much was going on that she had been on her own and when she had become trapped Miri couldn’t help but feel so incredibly stupid. She was a little girl, and she could have suffered the unforgiving fate of discarded mechanics and damaged parts, and it was their fault she was there to begin with. Fear, a monster stronger than most, and guilt, an anchor only pulling you down, sat heavy in her chest as she once again contemplated pulling her saber out.

Oh, how the stakes seemed so much higher when her girl was involved. It was almost a warning, a wakeup call that she was falling out of balance and when the scales tipped they never went the right way.

Then there was how she had felt seeing the battle droids again. They were made to swarm, and that was exactly what she had seen them do almost every battle during the war. It had felt like an eternity, now that she was thinking back on it; the Clone Wars had taken so much from so many throughout the entire galaxy, and it had taken just as much from the Jedi. Politics had skewed their way of life even if they wouldn’t admit it, and the war conflicts had taken the forefront of all training and duties. Young Jedi stepping out on their own for the first time only to be thrown into travesty. Padawans, children, raised to fight in a war and knowing nothing else.

The Clone Wars had shaped her more than she had wanted, more than she had seen until then, because for just a second her throat closed up and her nerves buzzed at the sight of them all blending together, following an order they weren’t programmed to question.

But then there was the way she felt when Rafa had called them out on not knowing where the information they were collecting was even going, and the way it almost worsened when Hunter shot back that they were paid to retrieve and deliver, not ask questions.

That was not who they were. That…was not who she wanted them to be. They had never been like others, and now they were even more different. They wouldn’t let the Empire strong arm them into following them, into giving up. Rafa hadn’t believed her when she said it, and her shoulders hung low as she remembered how she had shook her head as she turned away from her and her words that came up short.

She felt good about giving the girls the intel, however. It didn’t make things easier for them, but it was the right thing to do. All this time, she had been thinking of them fighting the great fight, but everyone was fighting it. Whatever the great fight meant varied from person to person, but everyone was in it now, and Rafa and Trace were fighting it on the right side. Of course Cid wouldn’t be too happy about them returning empty handed, but the worlds would keep spinning and she would live to gripe another day.

Miri could tell that what Rafa and Trace were doing had stuck with Echo as he sat in silence as well; he had never wanted to do jobs like these, had never felt right about shifting his focus from fighting for the cause. Noble as ever, her one remaining domino, only ever wanted to do what was right, what was good, what he felt he was supposed to do; and she knew she couldn’t fault him for it for it was in his very genetics. But everything was so much bigger now. So much harder. They often couldn’t afford the luxury of not facing the consequences for being heroes any longer, couldn’t rely on ‘all means necessary’ when they weren’t the ones given the means.

They had all walked away from Order 66 and the fall of the Republic, but had no choice but to walk away different than before. Miri had been struggling with it the entire time, going from living under the thumb of the Order to the thumb of the Empire, shifting the parameters of what was allowed and what wasn’t.

Her head felt as if it were swimming in her thoughts when Hunter’s deep voice shattered the harsh push and pull of the tides with just a few words. “What’s got you lot so quiet?” When she looked up at him, something holy in a galaxy full of blasphemy, his eyes shifted between her and Echo.

For a moment it felt like they were waiting to see if the other would answer first, but after a few beats Echo’s voice filtered throughout the ship. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Doing what?” Hunter questioned taking a few steps forward to the seat nearest Miri.

“This, Hunter,” he stressed, brows furrowed tightly. “These jobs for Cid, her clients, they’re bad news. We knew how dangerous the intel on that droid head could be and we were just going to let her hand it over to anybody. That’s not what we do.”

“Echo—”

“Those girls are running jobs, same as us, but they’re actually trying to make a difference. What are we doing?”

“We’re keeping Omega safe,” Miri interjected, finally speaking up as the attention of everyone else shifted to them. “We’re trying to keep ourselves safe. What good are we fighting the Empire if we’re dead? Captured? Because I know they’d kill me as soon as they got me, and I’m sure they’d think up something pleasant for rogue clones,” her brows raised and Echo didn’t respond. She wasn’t angry with him, but if she had to do the work to find the answers then so did he.

“The age of the Jedi Order has come to an end. The war is over,” she shook her head, “and the Republic has fallen. The very things we were all meant for are no longer paths we can take, and while it will never be easy, Echo, I fear we may not have all the time to mourn the loss of it.” She looked to the others as she spoke now, her words meant for all of them. She had spent time reflecting, shuffling through the files in her mind to compile the thoughts because when faced with the question of what do we do, they needed an answer. “What we can do, what we must do, is trust in ourselves and trust in the Force; we have little choice in taking what we have all been through and coming out different from who we once were. So we better make it count, yes?”

Wrecker was the first to say anything, cheering at her words as they sparked the motivation she had been reaching for, but her eyes found themselves on Echo once again. His face said he knew she was right, but he didn’t like it. She hoped hers said that she knew, and that she just needed him to hold out for her. For Omega. For them all.

When she rose from her seat, feet carrying her towards the bunks as they all carried on, she paused as she passed the man still stuck to his seat. His expression was stoney, as if he was guarding what he was thinking from them. He didn’t look at her until she began speaking, his face pointed up at her now with a look of not knowing where to go next. “Nothing lasts forever, Echo,” she offered, voice soft as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He needn’t be lost, because what the Force willed would be so, and he wouldn't be alone for any of it. “This Empire will fall. One day.”

-: ✧

She had been right about Cid, she had all but chewed them a new one though she hadn’t cut them loose. They didn;t see anybody else doing her business for her so perhaps she needed them just a bit more than she let on when she moaned and groaned and complained. Yes, the worlds would continue spinning and they would work for her another day.

But Miri didn’t know if she could go another day keeping what she had for Hunter a secret. The love, the admiration, all of it could no longer stay hidden away, much like Echo’s frustration, and the glaring fact that things were different and so were they. And so, as they all made their way out of Cid’s parlor one behind the other, she wiped her palms on her pant legs and took a few deep breaths. She was at the back of their group, which gave her an extra moment to think things through, run through the list of pros and cons, and create a plan of action. This was one of those situations where Obi-Wan and Anakin would offer very differing advice, one would say to sit back and seek counsel and the other would say it’s now or never. You’ll never know if you don’t try, something she’d said to Anakin herself at one point.

“I have to tell you something,” Miri rushed out before Hunter could get any closer to the ship, her friend's voice echoing softly in her ears as her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground. The others had already boarded, and she knew that privacy was hard to come by and this needed to happen then and there.

He stopped in his tracks, looking over his shoulder at her before taking in how serious she was and turning around fully. “Everything okay?” That was one of the great things about Hunter, he never hesitated to listen to them.

In her chest her heart beat faster than she would have liked, nerves causing her stomach to churn, and she knew he was aware of all of this though fighting it was futile. He’d learn to use his skills to read her like a holofile long ago. Instead, she pushed through, knowing what she wanted to say but not really how she was going to say it. “I meant what I said earlier, about things being different now. About us being different now,” she gave him a pointed look to which he furrowed his brows.

After a pause she continued on, knowing if she stopped it would be harder to keep going. “The Order was flawed. No matter how hard you try, no being is perfect. Total enlightenment doesn’t necessarily mean total perfection, and that’s a hard truth I think a lot of Jedi did not want to face. With balance, comes turbulence; that’s what my master used to say. It is up to oneself to maintain their balance, to make the choice. With—with you,” she faltered slightly, shy under his gaze all of the sudden. “I could see how it would have its appeal, the Dark Side; to go to lengths that great and—and grave for someone you love. But…” she shook her head, beginning to move her hands about as she spoke. He knew this as a sign of passion in her, and it was evident in the way her words began spewing out of her. “But it’s up to me to keep that away, to keep myself on the path of Light.”

“I,” she breathed out, “I could never think of straying, because I truly do believe in the Force, in the light, in the balance. But perhaps the reason I never quite fit the mold of the Order is because I believe in something outside of what was traditional? Something venturing away from what we had become and closer to what a Jedi used to be? Should be?” She questioned, face going red slightly as she took a few steps closer. “I—I still feel like a Jedi, and I still feel like a good one, but I also feel like…” she panted, face dropping as she let go of whatever held her back. “I feel like I’m in love with you.”

Tears had begun to line her eyes, and her voice had the slightest tremble despite holding her head so high. “I feel like you are synonymous with the light that is in everything, that you are the freshest breath of air when I have been suffocating,” her words were thick with emotion, face scrunching up as she pushed through, “that I could not possibly keep the balance if I went another rotation without telling you that you are everything, Hunter. If it had come down to it, I would have walked away from it,” she admitted, looking him in his eyes. Unabashedly, she declared the magnitude of her love for him without a shadow of guilt present, lighter than ever as tears fell from her eyes.

“The Order, the Jedi, everything. I would have left,” she whispered the last word, shaking her head. “And that is how I know I love you so deeply in my bones, in the purest and most selfish way; because they are all I have ever known, and that is all that I have ever been, but you are everything, Hunter,” she sobbed, closing the gap between them a little more. Her chest heaved with every heavy breath, vision blurry as everything poured from her as if a dam had broken and the flood was free, and she reached out for him.

That was all it took for Hunter to snap out of his daze and put his body in motion. His hand met hers, gloved fingers wrapping around gloved fingers before he pulled her into him once again. He had struggled so long with these feelings, the weight of them and how much it had been drilled into him that he did not get to have them. The urge to push them down was ever present yet wholly unsuccessful every time. He had caved, ever so slightly, and been almost crushed by the loss of her. To know, to hear, that she had felt the same things reassured him that it had not been for nothing.

“Miri,” he whispered, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice. “You are unshakable, cyare, and I have known that from the very beginning. I had no choice but to love you, Miri,” he admitted, hands holding her just a little more desperately. “No matter how much I believe I don’t deserve to, I haven’t gone a day without loving you.” Hunter’s admission was quieter than Miri’s, but it held just as much weight as hers did. His emotions, that he kept so well locked away, had gotten the better of him and he had bore his heart in the midst of the great fight for a life they could just live. Scary, that was, but among the list of regrets he had, telling the only woman he had ever loved what she meant to him was not there.

He repeated her name, hands going to her shoulders so he could look at her. Her eyes were glassy and red rimmed, and her cheeks were tear stained under his palms as he moved to hold her gently. “I will not lose you again, I promise you that, and you will not lose me. I—” he cut himself off, signing deeply before, too, shaking off whatever was holding him back. “I will give you and Omega the lives you deserve.”

Hunter’s resolve, always unyielding, was intense as he gazed at her. The truth, evident on his face, in his heart, and in his Force signature, lifted a weight she didn’t know how to live without. She loved him, and he loved her. Before her mind could register the thought, her body reacted to the impulse, and her hands shot up to grasp at his face as well; pulling him down into a kiss that was long overdue and much anticipated.

His lips moved against hers in a silent confession of love and longing, one hand going to the back of her head while the other slid down to her lower back. They couldn’t get any closer, bodies pressed against one other closely as their relationship forever changed. Neither one of them knew what they were doing, treading uncharted waters to be together; but it did not matter in the slightest because they had fought the great fight to find one another, and they weren’t going to let go any time soon.

Nothing could have been strong enough to break them apart, not even oxygen, had ot not been so imperative. The burn in Miri’s lungs had reluctantly pulled her lips off of his, panting as she looked up at him in a daze. “Hunter,” she breathed out his name, a song she would forever sing, and his eyes softened impossibly more.

“You know they’re watching?” He questioned, a small smirk on his face as he brushed a finger gently over her cheek.

And peeking out from the entrance to the ship, the four other members of CF99 certainly were watching. They had not cared for the trouble they may get in, with Hunter or Miri, for this moment had been a long time coming. The Jedi didn’t even need to look over, for she had felt them the entire time, but she did give him a quiet laugh. “Yeah,” she nodded, more fondly than anything, and leaned forward to peck his lips once again. “What are we gonna do with them, huh?”

all works on this blog belong to hesthermay.tumblr.com: do not copy, repost onto other sites, or claim my contents as your own.

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av-ixkast · 2 years

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Fan fic writers please please PLEASE tell me youre going to use techs new nickname, Ace. I love it.

#tbb s2 #the bad batch #the bad batch x oc #the bad batch x reader #tech x reader #Filoni you broke my bois leg but thank you for this

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queenofspades6 · 5 months

Text

Imagine Omega and the others escaped Tantiss’base, while the boys are trying to go save her 😭😭😭

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totally-not-your-babe · 9 months

Text

Too Much Love Will Kill You Vol.1 Chapter 2

Summary: The boys taking the injured bounty hunter back to the Marauder to take care of her.

word count: 1134

Author's note: I know it took me long to update and I'm so sorry for that. Also I really hope I didn't make the boys OOC.

P. S.: There will be longer chapters later.

MASTERLIST

3rd person POV

By the time they got back to the Marauder the woman was unconscious. She lost too much blood, which Tech did not forget to repeat several times, and probably had concussion.

"That's a nasty cut for sure" rasped the sniper when Tech cut the woman's shirt around the injury.

"Could be worse" said Tech without looking up, trying to clean the wound. "It seems to have missed the vital organs. As soon as I can stop the bleeding, I just need to stitch it up, add some bacta gel and hook up an IV. She should be fine" he mumbled, and his brothers couldn't decide if he was talking to them or himself. "…in a rotation or two."

"Two rotations?" Hunter looked wide-eyed at his brother. He hadn't changed his mind about helping Hel, but he wasn't at all sure they could stay on Coruscant for two rotations without being given some mission that would require them to leave the planet. And they couldn't possibly take the unconscious bounty hunter with them.

“She lost a lot of blood and until she wakes up, I can't be sure she doesn't have a concussion. So yes, two rotations” he answered applying bacta on her already stitched up injury. His little brother worked fast Hunter had to give him that.

After Tech get the IV done, they didn’t know what to do. All four of them just stood next to Hunter’s bunk where the woman, Hel, was lying. Her fiery red hair was sticking to her forehead with sweat from the fight, her light pink skin looking even paler than before. Her wiry body was covered in blood, some was hers some her opponents. They couldn’t help but stare at her, they felt like cadets again not much more than a year ago when they first saw a woman who wasn’t one of the long-necks or General Shaak Ti. Hel was undoubtedly a beautiful woman, radiating danger and confidence, deadly as they could see with their own eyes, still beautiful. But it wasn't just her dark, almost black eyes, pale pink skin, mischievous smile that captured their attention. Hunter had felt it in the bar, but he just couldn't point his finger on what it was that attracted him to her.

“When will she wake up?” Wrecker’s deep voice broke the silence.

“Hard to say, maybe faster than we would expect” Tech replied while tapping away on his datapad. “That’s interesting…”

“Want to share it with the class?” asked Crosshair on a sarcastic tone, chewing on a toothpick.

“Just running some tests on her blood. It seems like she is a half breed, one human parent and a… zeltron. Zeltron’s have incredible metabolism, also a second liver which more than helpful if you want to consume a lot of alcohol… Oh…”

“Do we have to pull everything out of you with pliers?” Crosshair was losing what little patience he had left. Tech just rolled his eyes behind his goggles and continued reading without a word to his brother.

“They all produced potent pheromones. I don’t know in her case how strong those can be, given she is only half zeltron, but if we consider that Hunter almost lost his head when she got to the bar…”

“I did not!” protested the Sargent which made Crosshair snicker and Wrecker chuckle. “I didn’t!” he repeated louder but he couldn’t help getting all flustered, the sniper would even bet that Hunter was blushing.

“I said almost.” and Tech considered the matter closed. “All in all, and based on the biological data of her species, she should recover quickly.”

“So, she will wake up soon!” Wrecker looked more than delighted by these news.

“She might, yes. But still, she…”

“Should we restrain her?” came the question from the sniper and all three of his brothers looked at him with a shocked expression on their faces.

“What? Why?” Wrecker was shouting, then looked at Hel and continued a bit quieter, not like he could wake her. “Why would we do that?”

“She is a bounty hunter” he pointed out. “It could be a trap or something.”

“And which plan includes almost dying?” Hunter asked folding his arms in front of his chest.

“Almost all of ours?” Crosshair shot back and Hunter let out a sigh.

“He has a point.” Tech interjected watching the woman in front of him, as if she was about to launch herself at him at any moment. “I mean… You saw her. She is…competent… I mean, really good at killing.”

“We are not restraining anyone.” said Hunter after thinking for a while. “If she attacks us, we will deal with her. I don’t think she would be any real danger in her condition.”

“Don’t want me not to say I-told-you-so if she will be at our throats as soon as she wakes up.” Crosshair throw his toothpick to the ground and with one last unreadable glance at the woman he walked towards the cockpit.

As soon as Hunter opened his mouth to try and dispel Tech’s doubts about her slitting their throats in their sleep, their comms started beeping.

Hel’s POV

I woke up with which I thought was the worst headache of my life. My head was pounding and spinning, I felt like I was hit by a speeder that didn’t even try to slow down before slammed at me with full force. It took me more than a minute or two before the memories slowly came back. The bar and the bounty that didn’t show up, Hunter and his brothers, the trandoshan and his friends, Noelhas and his crew… I was bleeding and then…

Where am I? I tried to sit up as fast as I could but the pain that pierced my side made me take more cautious approach. I held my breath as I slowly sat up and looked around. I was on a ship that wasn’t mine that was fore sure, the low rumbling and vibration suggested that we were flying. But where? Why? I carefully stood up and tried to suppress every sound that tried to escape from the pain. I felt... Weird something was off but I wasn't vigilant enough to figure out what it was. I came to the conclusion that it was just the blood loss and my pounding head playing tricks on me.

I went in search of my hosts but not before I looked for something I could use as a weapon if necessary. Under one of the four bunks laid a not-so-well-hidden vibro-blade, I bent down suppressing a moan of pain and took the blade into my left hand. I was almost fully upright when I heard the unmistakable sound of a rifle being cocked.

“I told them we should have restrained you.”

tags: @techs-stitches @lokigirlszendaya @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff

Please tell me is you want to be tagged!

#too much love will kill you #tbb wrecker #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #the bad batch fanfiction #the bad batch x oc #the bad batch hunter #the bad batch tech #the bad batch crosshair #the bad batch wrecker #the bad batch fic #star wars fic

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dangraccoon · 8 months

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Oyuba’din - Chapter 27: Focus

Summary: As the Batch struggles with the loss of one of their own, Hunter tracks something the others can't see.

Warnings: discussion of major character death, grief, mention of torture and near death experiences

Author’s Note: Hope y'all don't hate me right now 😅 btw there’s going to be an epilogue 🤘

3 4?! chapters remain

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“‘How many time’s she’s’ what?” Hunter asked.

Sinya shook her head rapidly. “I said too much, I can’t-”

Hunter moved in close. “Tell us…now,” he growled.

The intimidation sunk into the twi’lek, and she appeared to become more uncomfortable by the second. She swallowed, her fingers fidgeting.

“How many times she’s died.”

“She- that’s not possible,” Echo muttered, eyes wide.

“It’s a curse,” Sinya shrugged. “It happened when she was young. She doesn’t like to-”

“Unless she was resuscitated, it would have been impossible for her to have died,” Tech interjected.

Crosshair shook his head. “But that blaster shot she took before she was assigned to us; she couldn’t have survived that, right?”

“I mean, she’s here, isn’t she?” Sinya replied. “Obi Wan told me about that one. It was pretty rough.”

“You can say that again; that shot knocked her out of the frontlines for six weeks,” Echo scowled.

“We’re still not sure what she lost that time,” she hummed, mouth pulling into a tight line. “She won’t go through the list with me, not that she’s added anything to it recently anyway.”

“Jainey loses stuff, too? I lose stuff all the time,” Wrecker chuckled nervously, earning a sharp look from Hunter.

“She doesn’t lose objects like that. She loses memories. Obi Wan told me that the first one she lost was of her first love.”

Tech cleared his throat. “Her-”

“That isn’t something I’ll tell you,” Sinya interrupted, her words forming a sharp edge. “That story is hers to tell if she wants.”

Wrecker shifted his weight between his feet, eyes trained at the floor. “What if she- will she forget us?”

“Wrecker-” Tech’s voice came, vague irritation along with it.

“I don’t know,” Sinya answered, the corners of her mouth coming up in a reassuring smile. “But I don’t think she could forget you boys if she tried.”

Wrecker nodded, a small grin matching hers.

The rest of the recording included Sinya saying her goodbyes and a brief squabble over taking watches.

“So it’s true then; she has to come back. She’s cursed to come back,” Crosshair rasped, his voice still shaky, as he combed Jaine’s hair away from her face, her head in his lap. “She has to come back.”

“Cuir’ika,” Tech said, his voice low. “We cannot begin to understand how this supposed curse works, or if it exists at all.”

“She has to come back,” Crosshair repeated, making it clear that he wasn’t listening to his twin any longer.

Tech sighed, pulling himself to his feet. Camp had been made here at the bank of the river, despite Tech pointing out that it was not an ideal place to set up, even for a short period of time. But there was no moving his brother.

Tech walked the short distance to the small shelter Hunter and Wrecker set up.

“Still won’t budge?” Hunter asked, already knowing the answer.

Tech gave a small nod. “His vitals show no sign of deterioration, even if he seems to be in shock.”

Hunter hummed an acknowledgment.

“Have Echo and Wrecker had any luck finding a signal?”

Hunter sighed. “Last he checked in, he was trying to find a tall tree to climb. We managed to get a partial message through to Cody, but it wasn’t much.”

Tech nodded. For the first time since- well, ever in his life, everything seemed still. The numerous sounds that always surrounded him, constantly pulling him in and whipping his brain into a faster pace, seemed to be somewhat quieter now. He could still hear them if he listened; the rush of the water flowing down the river, the leaves rustling as the wind shook their branches, Crosshair’s quiet, reassuring mantra.

“You look tired,” Hunter noted, having watched Tech’s eyes close as he concentrated on what he could hear. “You should rest.”

“I have the most training in field medical aid out of the rest of us,” Tech replied. “I should be alert if anything were to happen.”

“Tech-”

“I am fine, Hunter,” Tech asserted as he began to tap rapidly at his data pad.

Hunter sighed heavily. “Tech, don’t you think it’s time you stopped lying to me?”

“I am not-” Tech began, but was cut off by the tired incredulous look on Hunter’s face.

“We’ve never…lost one of our own,” Hunter lamented, his eyes focusing on Crosshair by the riverbank. “Years of testing and training and torture, hundreds of missions, too many close calls, but we made it through it all. But now…”

Tech watched as Hunter’s eyes squeezed closed, noticed the way his jaw and fists clenched, saw his shoulders slump almost imperceptibly, heard his breaths quicken. He always had to see the details- all of the details. He put it together in his head; it had been a long time since he had seen these tiny clues on his eldest brother. Hunter was scared- terrified, really.

“Sol’ika,” Tech whispered, knowing it would be loud enough for his brother to hear. “This is not your fault.”

Before Hunter could begin to respond, a small ping sounded from his vambrace, followed by a shout from Wrecker, not far away.

“It’s Cody,” he said, standing up.

“Sergeant,” Cody greeted, the sound of blaster fire and explosions in the background. “Heard you boys are out on Damussa, but you said this was urgent?”

“Yes, sir,” Hunter uttered. His heart had dropped into his boots and his mouth felt drier than the sands of Tatooine. “Commander, Is the General available? This message concerns both of you.”

“We’re a bit busy,” Cody hummed, his head snapping towards some sound that barely came through the static. “Can this possibly wait?”

“Commander, it’s-”

Another explosion sounded through the comm, followed by a crash and a loud grunt.

“Hello dear,” Obi Wan’s voice dripped like honey. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“Sergeant Hunter, you’ve got your window now. Make it quick.”

Hunter tried to steady his breath. “General Kenobi, sir. It’s J-...I regret to inform you that Lieutenant Vale-”

The words choked in his throat, the air in his lungs seemed to turn to lead.

Through the static of the signal, the blaster fire, the bombs, Hunter could make out Kenobi’s faint voice. “Jainera?”

The line continued with simply the background noise of war.

“Thank you for informing us, Hunter,” Obi Wan finally answered, his voice a schooled calm, but lacking its usual character. “We are less remote and will have better luck getting a message through to Sinya on Coruscant. Stay safe, Sergeant.”

With that, the line cut, and Hunter sank back down onto the log he’d been occupying before, praying to gods he couldn’t believe in for…someone- anyone to guide him through this.

Starlight, a quiet voice hummed in his ears, causing his whole body to tense up. His hair stood on end as his eyes darted around.

“Hunter?” Tech questioned, but his voice seemed distant.

Relax, the voice called again.

Hunter scowled as he stood up, eyes searching the area. He couldn’t see anyone - or anything - that could be calling to him like this. He was vaguely aware of Tech vying for his attention, asking if he was okay or what he was hearing, but right now he could hear a threat and he needed to gather information.

I’m no threat, Starlight.

Hunter just about growled, somewhat startling Tech.

“Hunter,” he repeated, placing his hand on his brother’s shoulder, following his line of sight towards Crosshair and Jaine.

“There,” Hunter breathed, slowly approaching the riverbank. The unshakable focus in his expression and the way his stance adjusted reminded Tech of a predator stalking some prey, and not for the first time.

Thanks for reading! - River

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