#WEEK 10

[weekly-watchdogs]

Commander peepers going back to the skullship after wander forced him to go to hot topic and he also brought some kuromi merch and wearing some of it and hater is like wtf happened to him

#10 wowee! 10th week of watchdogs shenanigans

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

The Start of Something New

Summer of Bad Batch 2024 | Week 10 | Prompt: "Just when were you planning on telling us that?"

Summary: This was the start of something completely new for Tech, and Hunter couldn’t be happier for him. POV: Hunter Rating: G (Word Count: 2971)

Read on Ao3

Notes: Yes, this is another Tech Lives story! The first part of the story takes place pre-"Tipping Point" (episode 14 of season 2); the second part of the story takes place post-epilogue/post-my other Tech Lives work. ( @domino-twinss This isn't exactly a chapter 2 for Lost and Found, but it kinda works as an unofficial follow up?)

Hunter leaned back, resting his elbows on the garden wall in Shep’s backyard, and closed his eyes briefly, welcoming the slight breeze that played across his face. He had just returned from a long but productive day helping move supplies to rebuild more of the homes damaged in the tidal wave. Tech had apparently finished his task of restoring power to the dozen or so homes that had been completed, for he had already been sitting at the table looking at his datapad when Hunter had arrived. Wrecker and Omega, who had both spent the day down at the docks, should be coming back any minute…

Hunter heard the telltale sound of running footsteps, and smiled as his brother and sister burst through the gate. Omega greeted him with a happy grin and a wave, but it was to Tech that she directed her first statement.

“Lyana says the reason why you came in late last night was because you asked Phee to go out on a boat with you,” she declared, her face bright with curiosity as she rested one hand on Tech’s forearm and slightly shook it in her excitement.

“When were you going to tell us you spent time with Phee?” Wrecker asked in barely concealed delight.

Hunter, his brows raised in mild surprise at this revelation, awaited the answer. He had assumed Tech had been on the Marauder completing one of his many research projects yesterday evening; he would never have guessed his brother had actually gone out with Phee.

Tech, who had remained completely unperturbed by Omega's enthusiasm, now glanced up from his datapad, looking slightly puzzled by Wrecker's question. “I wasn’t planning on saying anything," he replied. 

Omega and Wrecker both visibly wilted in disappointment at this answer, and Hunter had to bite back a laugh. Omega quickly recovered, though, and eagerly patted Tech’s arm again.

“Well, since we know about it… Come on, tell us! How did it go? How did you decide on taking a boat out at night?" 

Tech shrugged. "Phee mentioned she is interested in sea creatures, and many of the species found near this island have bioluminescent traits that are especially well observed at night, even with a full moon. I concluded she might enjoy some time on the water to see them.”

“You spent the entire time talking about the creatures and bioluminescence, didn’t you?” Hunter cut in drily.

“Most of the time, yes. What else were we supposed to talk about? At any rate, Phee is already remarkably well versed in marine science, and she was quite interested in learning more about the aiwhas on Kamino. I was more than happy to oblige.”

“I still can’t believe you weren’t going to tell us about it,” Wrecker protested.

“We’ve all spent time with Phee before, you know,” Tech stated, as if that fully explained his lack of disclosure.

“Yeah, but not on a date!”

 “This was not a date. It was simply a friendly outing.”

Wrecker groaned in frustration, but Omega piped up again. “Well, we’d still like to hear about them!”

At Omega’s plea, Tech sighed and capitulated. “Very well, if it’s so important to all of you…”

“Good, you’re all back!” Shep called from the doorway. “Oh, Tech, Phee told Lyana and me how much she enjoyed last night.”

“That is… gratifying to hear,” Tech said steadily, seemingly ignoring Omega’s giggle, though Hunter got the distinct impression that, in this particular situation at least, the more solemn Tech appeared, the more embarrassed he was actually feeling. 

“Dinner is about ready,” Shep continued gamely, “just a few more minutes.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Omega offered, moving toward their host.

“Well, if you want, you can help Lyana get the plates,” Shep smiled.

“I’ll come with you,” Wrecker instantly volunteered.

As the others trooped into the house, Tech silently put down his datapad and stood to follow them, turning back when Hunter spoke.

“Are you going to invite Phee to join you on more friendly outings?” Hunter asked, careful to keep any hint of amusement out of his voice.

“I intend to, yes,” Tech replied without hesitation, before his expression shifted; and while Tech often wore thoughtful expressions, Hunter had never before seen this particular brand of introspection on his brother’s face – it was almost as if Tech, for the first time since he had learned to speak, was grappling for the right words to express his thoughts. “She… is an exceptional woman,” he finally finished, a touch awkwardly though clearly sincere.

And as Tech made his way toward the door to join the others in the house, Hunter smiled.

This was the start of something completely new for Tech, and Hunter couldn’t be happier for him.

*******

Hunter, glancing out the cabin window, saw that Tech had returned from his visit with Phee and had taken up position standing by the low wall that separated the property from the long stretch of rocky soil leading out to the beach some distance away.

Gesturing to Batcher that she should stay where she was, curled up comfortably by the table, Hunter stepped outside to join his brother. It was perfect weather, a light breeze was stirring the air, and Omega would have been enraptured by the scenery of the sunset if she were here; but Tech had already pulled out his datapad and was taking notes. Hunter smiled a bit – despite time, aging, and critical life experiences, some things never changed, and Tech’s curiosity combined with his need to always keep his mind and hands busy were among those things that remained constant.

Any concerns Hunter may have had about Tech being able to adjust to life on Pabu with brothers who had changed so much in the intervening years had been short lived. The impossible had happened – the entire family was reunited – and the growth and life-altering changes they had each experienced in the past decade or so only served to enhance their immense gratitude for the chance they had to all be together again. Tech had offered to continue helping Omega and Echo with decryption and other coding tasks for their rebel missions, but only in a remote capacity; he sympathized with the Rebellion’s cause, of course, but he wanted to stay on Pabu. And while Phee had said nothing aloud upon hearing of this decision, none of the brothers had missed the fact that her stays on Pabu had progressively lengthened over the past year.

Hunter knew Tech and Phee had become extremely close ever since Tech’s return – the spark of mutual interest that had existed early on between them had quickly grown into a flame – and the two of them spending the entire day together had become the norm; but as he stood next to his brother now, Hunter could tell something was different, something had changed today - and Hunter couldn't be more thrilled.

“So, when were you going to tell us?” he prodded.

Tech looked at him, eyebrows slightly raised, but couldn’t keep a small smile from playing on his lips: he knew Hunter knew exactly what had happened. “Tonight,” he replied levelly, “when Omega contacts us. She always includes Echo in her transmissions, and that way we can tell the whole family at once. At least, that was the plan,” he finished wryly. 

“Do you have a date set yet?”

“If Omega and Echo can come by month’s end, we will wait for them; if not, it may be sooner. Phee and I want to be married before we begin any travels.”

Hunter was careful to keep his expression and his voice steady, even as his heart now sank. “So you won’t be staying on Pabu?”

Sometimes Hunter wondered if Tech had somehow developed enhanced senses of his own; based on the glance Tech gave him now, Hunter thought the other must have somehow sensed his dismay. “This is still our home, Hunter. Phee says she was already considering retiring for some time before I returned, and you know she hasn’t set off on any acquisition operations for months now. But the news of what the Empire did to the refugees on Ghirtin II really shook her. She says it’s high time a liberator of ancient wonders became a liberator of modern people. She wants to do more to help those displaced by the war, and I want to help her.”

Hunter nodded and even managed a smile. He had known the moment he had witnessed Tech’s face light up upon first seeing Phee again that his brother was as devoted to her as he was to his siblings, and devotion such as Tech’s knew no bounds. And Hunter had been thrilled both for his genius, quirky brother and the strong-willed, witty woman who had always been such a loyal friend to the entire family; he had known they would make each other immensely happy, and Hunter, who had only ever wanted all his family to be safe and happy, couldn’t wish for more.

But…

“What is it, Hunter?” Tech asked almost gently.

Hunter sighed. “I’m happy for you, Tech," he said sincerely. "I know you and Phee will take care of each other – and really, the two of you combined will be unstoppable. It’s just…" taking a breath to give himself time to gather his thoughts, he continued, "It’s been almost a year, but it still feels like we just got you back. I don’t…” he trailed off, feeling that it would be far too selfish and shameful for him to say aloud I don’t want to let you go again.  

It was moments like these that made him realize he had never, ever fully released the grief and shame of his failure as a leader, as a brother, as he had watched Tech fall out of sight on Eriadu. Even now, after finally and unexpectedly being reunited, and with so much good happening in their lives in spite of the stranglehold the Empire had on the galaxy, Hunter still felt the pang of regret of all the years missed, all the time Tech had spent lost and alone, working so hard on his own to regain his lost memories and discover where he belonged…

Hunter couldn’t look at his brother, and blinked rapidly to will away the tears.

He felt Tech place a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I know,” Tech said in a voice that prompted Hunter to look at him despite the threat of tears; and in the long moments of silence that followed, the look in Tech’s eyes said it all: he not only knew exactly what Hunter felt, he understood – and he wished Hunter would finally forgive himself for circumstances that had been outside any of their control.

“We’ll be here on Pabu far more often than we will be away, though,” Tech now continued matter-of-factly. “Besides, compared to any trouble Phee and I may find ourselves in, we all are in significantly greater peril whenever we allow Wrecker or Crosshair to man the boats during fishing expeditions.”

Hunter snorted – this observation was unfortunately all too accurate – and Tech gave a small smile.

“Well, just let me promise you what I promised Omega: if you or Phee ever need us, we’ll be there,” Hunter said.

Tech nodded. “It is, perhaps, obvious; but if you ever are in need of anything, you only need ask,” he replied.

Grinning now, Hunter slipped his arm over Tech’s shoulders, with Tech soon following suit so that they stood arm in arm, side by side, brothers as they always had been and always would be, come what may.

The sun’s last rays were now slipping beneath the horizon, but there was still enough light in the minutes before twilight that both brothers could clearly see Crosshair and Wrecker now coming up the path to the cabin. Hunter and Tech turned to greet them, and Wrecker waved as he drew closer, before abruptly stopping and dropping the package he was carrying, a wide smile stretching across his face as he looked at Tech.

“Don’t tell me, you and Phee are getting married!” he exclaimed.

Sure hope Tech and Phee weren’t planning on keeping this quiet, because with how loud Wrecker is, the entire island knows about it now, Hunter thought with amusement. 

Tech, as usual, was unflustered as he replied, “Well, since you clearly already know about it, there's not much point in me telling you.”

Crosshair’s initial look of surprise at the revelation now turned into a smirk. “Did you ask Phee, or did she have to ask you?”

Instantly intuiting that an overly detailed explanation was forthcoming as an answer, Hunter settled in for the inevitable as Tech replied: “Well, we came to what might be termed a mutual understanding regarding our status as partners some time ago; but last week I came to the conclusion that it was time for me to issue Phee a formal request for her agreement to our eventual commitment to each other as spouses, and I completed that objective today."

"Tech, you can just call it a proposal, we all know what that is," Hunter muttered. 

"Wait, you were planning this for a week?" Wrecker said. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Yeah, we would have helped," Crosshair added. 

"That is precisely why I didn't tell you," Tech said candidly, earning outraged squawks from the other two and a chuckle from Hunter. 

"She said yes, so I guess you did it right even without our help, Tech," Hunter said, clapping his brother on the back. 

A new thought had obviously struck Crosshair, for he now frowned a little. "Wasn't Phee talking a few weeks ago about wanting to help transport refugees or something?"

"That is correct," Tech nodded. "I'll be going with her."

"So, you won't be living here anymore?" Wrecker asked, looking rather crestfallen now. 

"We will, we'll only be traveling occasionally."

"Oh, well that's alright then," Wrecker smiled, lightly knocking against Tech's shoulder. 

Crosshair couldn't hide the flash of sadness in his eyes upon hearing that Tech would be leaving, even if only for a short while; but his smile was genuine. "Good man, Tech," he said; and Hunter knew that, while any separation would be painful, Crosshair would fully support his brother in this decision. 

"You're going to tell Omega and Echo tonight, right?" Wrecker asked eagerly. 

"Yes," Tech said, adding wryly, "though at this point, if Phee and I didn't tell them, you probably would." 

"We should head in now to get all that put away before she contacts us," Hunter interjected, nodding at the large package of supplies Wrecker had dropped; and the brothers moved to act on Hunter's suggestion. 

They had put away the supplies and just settled in to await the transmission when a brisk knock sounded on the door and Phee let herself in. One look at the brothers, and Phee shook her head ruefully. 

"They all know already, don't they?" she addressed Tech. 

"Yes, though I myself did not tell them," Tech answered. 

"I should have known they'd figure it out themselves," she said, settling down next to Tech and sharing a quick kiss with him before grinning cheekily at Crosshair's usual grunt of mock disgust at the display. Tech took her hand in his, as had long since become his custom; and she squeezed his hand affectionately in return as she continued, "We just waiting on the rebels now?"

"As usual," Crosshair nodded. 

"Do you want to share your news first, before Omega catches us up on her end?" Hunter queried.

Ever since Omega had joined the Rebellion, Phee had joined in on every transmission whenever she happened to be on Pabu, and was well aware of the typical flow of these conversations. Now, she glanced at Tech before shaking her head. "Nah, let Omega go first. No need to break tradition."

"Any minute now..." Wrecker said. 

At that moment, the communications array beeped to indicate an incoming transmission, and Wrecker lunged forward to accept the message. Omega's image, with her bright smile and uplifted expression, blossomed into view before them; surprisingly, Echo appeared directly beside her, rather than coming in as a separate transmission. 

"Hi!” Omega greeted them before excitedly continuing, “Guess what? Echo and I have been assigned to the same mission! Can you believe..."

Omega's eyes had been roving over her audience; now, her gaze falling on Tech and Phee, she abruptly paused, eyes widening, before she let loose an ecstatic high pitched squeal. 

"You two are finally getting married??!?"

The surprised silence that followed was quickly broken by Wrecker bursting into a hearty guffaw, and Hunter couldn't help chuckling at the sight of Phee's stunned face. Tech, of course, remained composed as ever, though his lips curved up into a smile. 

"How could you tell?" Crosshair, clearly holding back a laugh, asked Omega. 

"I don't know," Omega replied, waving her hands helplessly at them as if this would help explain the unexplainable, "it's just obvious!"

"Good thing we didn't try to elope," Phee joked.

Tech just shook his head resignedly before saying, "If these three" - gesturing to Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair - "figured it out, I'm not surprised Omega did as well."

"Congratulations," Echo put in, nodding cordially at the pair. This was all he managed to say, however, before Omega erupted with more questions. 

"How did Tech propose? Or did you ask him, Phee? When is the wedding? It'll be on Pabu, right? Can you wait for us to come? Will you be getting your own house now?" 

And as Tech and Phee began explaining all their plans, Hunter, quietly basking in the celebratory atmosphere, sat back and smiled. 

This was the start of something new for Tech and Phee, and Hunter couldn’t be happier for them. 

@summer-of-bad-batch

[atla-animal-of-the-week]

Week 10

how atla animal of the week works

reblogs appreciated so more can vote!

[lifblogs]

We're a Family

Week 10 Prompt: Hugs Alt. Prompt: "Just when were you planning on telling us that?" @summer-of-bad-batch Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 3004 Summary: Crosshair tries to find closure over Tech's death. Author's Note: I can't take all the credit for this fic since one of the main ideas for it comes from @fea-warriorheart, specifically involving grieving and Tech's recordings. READ ON AO3

The darkness of the Marauder weighed on Omega, and it had drawn her from sleep to waking leaving her thinking she was in a cell again. But then she recognized the lights that were still on, recognized her family’s soft sounds as they slept. Restlessness took her as it usually did this time of the night, and she knew tossing and turning was useless.

Suddenly she had the sense that someone was watching her, and she thought she caught a glint of familiar brown eyes in the dark.

“Crosshair, are you awake?” Omega whispered.

“No. Are you?”

Omega covered her mouth to hold in her giggle.

It quickly subsided as she saw shifting in the dark, Crosshair getting out of his rack. He came over to hers, and she sat up.

“I need to talk to you,” he said. He tilted his head towards the cockpit, and the entrance to the ship. “Outside.”

Omega nodded, and got out from under her blanket, following him into the balmy night air.

He leaned against the ship once they were outside, and it looked like he had acquired a toothpick.

Omega crossed her arms as she waited for him to speak, an almost-cool wind caressing her and playing with her hair. Still, it remained a warmer night on Pabu than usual.

“I… I need to see where it happened,” Crosshair said, rough whisper of a voice almost too quiet for Omega to hear. He wasn’t looking at her. “I need to see where… where he… where…”

Omega caught on, and her chest filled with terror and hurt and shock and loss, and—

She dragged in a ragged breath, turning from Crosshair. She covered her face with a hand, the other fisting in her pajamas.

“It’s too dangerous,” Omega eventually said. “That’s what Hunter would say.”

“I don’t… I can’t move on,” Crosshair admitted. “To me he just… disappeared. He was never dead to me. I was in that mountain, thinking he was alive, because I told him to run and hide. And then in all that… darkness… I find out my brother’s been dead for weeks, and now for months. But he never died to me, do you understand that, Omega? He’s not dead for me. I keep expecting to see him, keep expecting to have someone else there annoying the kark out of me. And he’s not there.”

Omega came forward, and took his hand, not sure who she was doing it for.

“So much happened so quickly,” she said. “I’m not sure I’ve been able to move on either.”

“Then let’s do it. Let’s go to Eriadu. Please, I need to see. I need to know.”

Omega shook her head, pulling at his hand insistently. “You do not want to see that. I did, and now my dreams keep picturing it, keep showing me how high the fall was, and it hurts. It hurts because I wonder if he was afraid, if he wished he could say goodbye, if there was something he had badly wanted to do and had to let go of. And did it hurt, when he—”

Crosshair pulled her close then, arms wrapping around her, and her sobs were muffled against him.

“I’m… I’m sorry I brought it up,” he said.

“No. You had to. Someone has to.”

She curled her fingers in his tunic, trying to breathe rather than sob.

Eventually she pulled back, wiping at her face.

“Let’s do it,” she said.

“What?”

“Let’s go to Eriadu.”

“Are you sure we should be meeting up with a pirate?” Crosshair asked.

Omega was grinning, almost bouncing with excitement. The sun shone, agreeing with her cheery mood.

“She’s not just a pirate. She’s my friend. And she was Tech’s friend.”

At his name Crosshair stopped speaking, letting Omega drag him to the meeting place by the caves on the beach. Batcher bounded ahead of them, barking in delight, and chasing birds that dropped to the sand to scavenge and perhaps enjoy a delicious meal.

They were near the caves when Batcher bounded towards someone, a half-eaten fish in her mouth.

Crosshair put on his best skeptical look, not a fan of Omega being friends with a pirate, and headed over.

Omega rushed ahead of him, and hugged Phee just as she was accepting the “present” from Batcher.

Crosshair dragged his feet, partially to observe. The thin, dark-skinned woman seemed genuine in her excitement at seeing Batcher and Omega, her smiles reaching her mirthful brown eyes.

“Phee, there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Omega said as he stepped over to them. She came back over, holding onto his right arm. “This is Crosshair.”

“You’re Phee?” he asked, knowing he probably sounded judgemental or disinterested. Either would do.

Omega whacked his side. “Don’t be rude.”

He gave her a tired look, and she threw her hands up in defeat.

Then she turned to Phee, grinning, “Sorry about him.”

Phee deposited Batcher’s present on the ground when the panting lurca hound wasn’t looking.

“No worries. I expected… this.” She gestured at him.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Tech told me all about your sparkling personality.”

Crosshair almost huffed a laugh at that, but then grief hit him so hard he could barely breathe. Tech was gone for all of them. He stepped back slightly.

“So why are we meeting here?” she asked, looking around. “And what exactly are we discussing? You weren’t very forthcoming, Omega.”

“Sorry, uh… about that—”

“We want to go to Eriadu,” Crosshair stated, not having time for cold feet, or worry at how certain words struck him deep. “I need to see where he died.”

Phee sighed, and sat on the rocks. She picked up a shell and tossed it into the blue waves.

“No, you don’t.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t need to see that,” Phee said. “I went, and… it broke my heart.”

Crosshair didn’t want to admit to his pain, but it was dragging at him, urging him. This wasn’t real! Tech wasn’t dead! He couldn’t be. He just couldn’t be. How was he dead? The last time Crosshair had seen him had been that platform on Kamino, and it just wasn’t fair. Why Tech? Why someone so brilliant, and brave? Perhaps those were the reasons for it, for a sacrifice that felt empty and hollow, like the hole in Crosshair’s chest, in his life. His emotions couldn’t comprehend that he was really gone. He couldn’t be.

He came forward, raising his voice, hardening it, “I need to see. I need to know. He’s not even dead to me. For all I know he could come walking down to us right now. I never saw him die, and he died while I was…” His hand shook, and he grasped it. “It’s just. Not. Real. Not to me. That's why I need to go.”

Phee pulled Omega close, wrapping a hand about her wrist, and something stung Crosshair in the chest, and it sizzled with electricity.

Jealousy? Protectiveness?

She let her go after rubbing her back in a consoling manner, and Omega reached out to Crosshair. He almost backed away, right foot lifting, toes digging in the sand, but then he held his ground.

The sun seemed to burn, the brightness too much. For a moment Crosshair didn’t completely understand where he was, what he was feeling, what was happening.

Focus.

He pretended he was aiming at a target, finding it with his eye. In his distress he picked the hilt of Phee’s sword, saw it glinting in the light, watched as it moved as she shifted and breathed.

He felt too exposed down here, and he looked up. Maybe Omega would say he was being paranoid if they weren’t in anyone else’s company. But he felt watched, felt like someone’s prey. Maybe he was. Maybe the coming pain was stalking him.

Seeing Eriadu would hurt. He knew that. Of course he knew that. It would be like seeing Mayday’s helmet. But he had to do it. He just had to.

“You don’t have to go back there,” Crosshair eventually said to Phee. “We just need to borrow your ship.”

She crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands. “Uh huh. So what makes you think I’d let you have my ship for free?”

Crosshair paused. “Omega said—”

Omega wilted under Phee’s suddenly tough gaze.

“Sorry?” she offered. “I didn’t know who else we could go to.”

“Why not Hunter?” Phee asked. “I’m sure he’d listen to the both of you, want to hear you out.”

Crosshair shook his head. “He’s done with that. He was there, he doesn’t know what… what it’s been like.”

“Then why don’t you tell him?”

Crosshair crossed his arms. “You know, I wasn’t expecting to be told to work on my communication skills from a pirate.”

“Trying to insult me, sniper?”

He sighed, looking around.

He thought he spotted something, a glint of sun against armor, but it passed behind a rock.

Crosshair changed how he was standing, Phee on one side, the direction they had come from on the other.

“Are you sure no one else knows we were meeting here?” Crosshair asked Omega.

“It’s just us.”

Batcher came over, offering Omega a stick, which she threw for her. Batcher bounded away down the beach, racing along beside the waves.

“So, are we getting your ship for a trip to Eriadu, or not?”

Phee stood. “Hmm. Not.”

“Good girl.”

Crosshair turned, seeing Batcher had given Hunter the stick. What was he doing here?

Crosshair faced him, and Hunter crossed his arms, Batcher nipping and tugging at the stick he still held. “Eriadu, huh?” he asked. “Just when were you planning on telling us that?”

“I wasn’t,” Crosshair said.

“So you were just going to leave, let me, and Wrecker, think you were missing?” Hunter asked. “And Omega, you know better than this. The Empire is—”

“Searching for me, I know.” She kicked the sand, refusing to look at Hunter. 

Guilt pulled at Crosshair, and he stepped forward. “Look, it’s my fault,” he said. “It was my idea.”

“Oh, I know it was because it’s stupid.”

“How did you even know we were here?” Crosshair asked.

Phee came over now, Hunter nodding to her. Phee took Omega’s wrist again, showing the comm she’d secretly activated earlier. Omega, a bit sullen, pulled out of her grip, switching her comm off.

“We’re not your enemies,” Hunter said.

“Then get out of my way,” Crosshair hissed.

“Why?” Hunter eventually asked, dropping the stick, Batcher pawing at it, giving a slight whine.

“What?”

“Why do you want to go?”

“Hunter, don’t be mad at him,” Omega pleaded. “He just wanted to know. He wanted closure about… about Tech. He never got that. He wasn’t there.”

Hunter’s stance relaxed, but wasn’t fully pulled down by grief.

“I think I can give you closure,” he admitted. “Come on.” And then he nodded at Phee. “Thanks for alerting me.”

“Anytime. Omega, stay out of trouble.”

“As if you stay out of trouble.”

“I only get into the fun kind of trouble.”

Crosshair noticed Batcher wasn’t following as they headed back up the beach, and he whistled for her.

He petted her smooth head as he walked, wondering what Hunter thought could possibly give him closure from a loss so tragic it felt like he’d had vital organs cut out of him, and with each breath he was bleeding out.

By the time he was back at the Marauder he was panting a little, and definitely sweating. Sometimes Crosshair wasn’t sure if he could get used to Pabu, but it was better than going on missions.

Hunter directed him to one of the seats before the ship’s central computers.

“Sit.”

He did, raising an eyebrow, which was interrogatory enough for Hunter.

He sat next to him, and Crosshair realized he wasn’t that upset by his nearness.

Hunter pulled up files, fingers not moving as fast as Tech’s would have.

“I pulled the data from the recorder on Tech’s goggles, put all the files into the computer. Wrecker and I have been sorting and organizing them, but there’s so much. We’re not even close to finished. But um, here…”

Hunter pulled up a recording, and Crosshair was stunned to see his younger self. All of them were younger.

“Tech, what are you doing?” cadet Wrecker asked.

The view shifted slightly, like Tech was adjusting the recorder.

“I’m recording us.”

“Erm, why?” Wrecker asked.

Crosshair was in the back, chewing on a toothpick, a habit he had only recently picked up at that time.

“It’s fun!”

Crosshair flicked his toothpick at him, and Tech laughed.

Crosshair found himself laughing a little too.

Hunter opened another file.

Tech was flying, and Crosshair saw a beach and a jungle through the viewport. Then he heard, “Why is Omega hanging off the side of the ship?”

“It is an unscheduled study break.”

Omega laughed at that, and she came in between Crosshair and Hunter. She leaned against Crosshair. He laughed too.

“Were you really hanging off the side of the ship?” he asked.

“It wasn’t like it was my fault,” Omega said. “There were giant crabs.”

“Yes, that explains everything,” he said, tone flat and deadpan.

Oh, there was so much he had missed.

He leaned into her, even as it had him leaning closer to Hunter.

Another file was brought up.

Crosshair was surprised to see himself with his light gray hair, and almost wanted Hunter to change it, but he decided to stay strong.

The cockpit of the Marauder was dark. Crosshair sat next to the pilot’s seat, trying to keep a wound on his arm from bleeding.

“Are you all right?”

Tech’s voice, asking him if he was okay, caring about him.

Crosshair put an elbow on the console, leaning in, and resting his face in his hand. He didn’t know if it was to hide his tears, or if he was just too shocked.

“Didn’t I tell you if you asked me again I’d use your goggles for target practice?”

Crosshair, Hunter, and Omega all gave weak laughs at that that could have been half-sobs, laughter awash with tears.

“Yes, and I know you’re lying.”

Crosshair put his foot down from where it had been resting on the chair, tightened the bandage on his arm like it was some kind of sign of strength, and leaned in. “You want to bet?”

“No, because last time I bet against you you completely cleaned me out.”

Blood seeped from the bandage, trickling down Crosshair’s arm.

Crosshair almost grinned at hearing Tech’s weary, annoyed sigh at him.

He pushed Crosshair back, and started helping him with his arm.

As he pressed gauze to it, hard, Tech said, “When will you learn that we care about you?”

“What’s there to care about?”

Crosshair felt those words deep in his bones, especially now. He was scarred, unable to fire a blaster with precision.

He was nothing now.

Just a tortured remnant of the man he had been in this recording.

Tech placed his other hand on Crosshair, a soothing gesture.

“Plenty,” he answered.

And somehow he thought maybe someday he could believe him.

Crosshair was crying silently as Hunter found another file. “Oh, this one is good,” he commented, all choked up.

Crosshair heard a little sob from Omega, and he started rubbing her back.

The view showed a cave with a pool before them, a waterfall plashing into it like a hidden song. The cave glowed blue, lighting up the water, the droplets glistening like jewels. It was so beautiful it broke Crosshair’s heart.

“Everything is changing, and you don’t even care,” Omega accused.

Crosshair glanced at her, and she was holding onto Hunter too, burying her head against his arm. He stroked her hair. Seeing that, it made things feel more normal than they had in a long time. Contentment made a home in the hole in his chest, even as it left room for plenty more, for a yawning darkness that still pulsed inside him like a dark poison.

“It is a fundamental part of life,” Tech answered.

“Echo left. Why doesn’t that bother you?”

“I am aware that you miss him, but we have to adapt and move on. That is what soldiers do.”

“We’re more than that. We’re a family. Aren’t we?”

Tech paused. “Well, uh, yes. Yes, of course we are.”

We are, Crosshair found himself mouthing.

And here his family was, missing this wonderful man, no longer whole anymore, but different, changed.

“Then why don’t you act like it?”

Tech sighed. “Echo chose a different path, as did Crosshair.”

Shame colored his cheeks, but he kept watching, needing to hear Tech’s words from this moment.

“I have to respect their decision. Even though it can be difficult to understand, we must carry on.”

Somehow it felt like Tech was speaking to him, telling him of his own loss.

“I may process moments and thoughts differently”—(he sure did)—”but it does not mean that I feel any less than you.”

Screaming and coughing filled the cavern as Wrecker and Hunter fell from the waterfall.

Crosshair couldn’t stop laughing, including when Tech said, “See? That wasn’t so bad.” Knowing him, it was pretty bad.

“No, no, we’re watching another one,” Hunter said, as Crosshair laughed at seeing them soaked and angry.

Crosshair put his hand on Hunter’s, and he could barely see from the tears in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Crosshair choked out. “I… I’ve seen… what I needed to see.”

He cried then, and Hunter and Omega pulled him into a hug, crying with him. Maybe it took a few moments, or more than that, but Crosshair tentatively held them like they held him.

We’re a family. Aren’t we?

Tech was gone. No more words to be spoken or flying to be done, but he lived in his recordings, lived in them, lived in their hearts, and in the bond they had with each other.

Yes, of course we are.

[waywardsou2]

Summer of Bad Batch Week 10

Prompt: Hugs

Tech might be gone, but he lives on in his sibling. In Omega

And sometimes she just wishes she could hug him one last time

[indigofyrebird]

Fresh Ink

word count: 1,035

rated G

for the @summer-of-bad-batch prompt "just when were you planning on telling us that?"

The tightly knit batch of brothers sat together over dinner. Wrecker and Hunter and Crosshair and Tech. Wrecker sat on the outside acting as protection from any bullies that might prod at them. Tech was the smallest, large eyes behind even larger goggles. He sat on the inside. Tech was the smallest and Wrecker was the biggest. Biggest in stature with a loud booming voice. Yesterday, one of the reg cadets had tried to steal a bran muffin straight off Crosshair's tray, and Wrecker had stood up, flexing his large biceps, looming over the thief until he backed down. Next to Tech, Crosshair was the smallest. A skinny boy, his legs had begun to grow longer recently, and he was taller than his littlest brother now. Hunter was somewhere in the middle. Hunter, who had started growing his hair out and had somehow gotten away with it, so far. 

They had graduated from Advanced last week and had been given their own ship. Tech had, of course received top marks in flight and had immediately claimed the ship as his own. He would be their pilot, it was his ship. None of his brothers argued with him, happy to let him take charge in that area. 

He had flown it twice now, and the total exhilaration he had felt behind the controls had been unmatched. After flying it for the first time, Hunter had had to order him to bed. He was so excited after that he had paced their small barracks, string of words going a mile a minute. Even after lying in bed, he stared wide eyed at the bunk above him. His heart felt like it was going to come out of his chest with the excitement of it. 

"Tech." Hunter said from the top bunk. "I can hear you thinking. Go. To. Sleep." 

"I am sorry, Hunter, but I cannot shut off my brain that easily. I want to fly it again. It was amazing, wasn't it? Did you see how it responded to the slightest pull? She is a beautiful ship. Don't you think? I have chosen a name for her. The Marauder. The Havoc Marauder. She will take us to so many new places. She will broaden our world." 

Hunter sighed. "It is a nice ship."

"Hunter, nice does not even begin to describe it. She is a modified Omicron class attack shuttle. The finest I have ever flown. Well, the only one I have ever flown...but most definitely the finest."

"Goodnight, Tech."

"Goodnight, Hunter." When Tech finally fell asleep, he dreamed of flying. 

****

Their very first mission had been a success. Tech had expertly piloted their escape, his skills already becoming fine-tuned. After a scheduled medical examination, he had taken a detour before dinner. His brothers didn't question him, but they had all noticed his delay. 

Crosshair watched him closely the rest of the night, attempting to figure out what he had been up to. 

Dinner had been the same. Same food, same bullies. Tonight, one of their main antagonists had grabbed for Tech's goggles. The regs all knew about their recent acquisition and were obviously jealous. "Heard you got your own ship, Four Eyes." He pulled the strap holding his goggles in place, snapping it against Tech's head while they stood in line for food. Crosshair stepped in front of Tech with a snarl, his lips open, showing teeth. Hunter attempted to lower his voice to a raspy gravel. "Kriff off." Wrecker was the deciding vote, his size and intense stare causing the smaller cadet to back down. 

"Whatever. No one cares about your stupid ship anyway." 

Tech rubbed the back of his head where the strap had stung. 

After dinner, he lounged quietly in his bunk. He caught Crosshair's eyes on him several times, and he pretended to ignore him, scrolling through his datapad. When it was time for bed, he changed in the 'fresher instead of in their barracks as they usually did. Crosshair noticed right away and cornered him. "What is going on? I know you're hiding something." Hunter and Wrecker turned to watch. 

"It's nothing, leave me alone, Cross." Tech folded his arms over his chest. 

"No." Their sniper said. "Come on, give it up, Tech. You can tell us."

"Yeah, you can tell us!" Wrecker joined in. 

Hunter stood. He was torn between curiosity and defending his littlest brother. Curiosity won. "Ok, Tech, what's up? That's an order." He used his Sergeant voice. 

Tech looked up at his brothers, his expression behind his large goggles distressed. He set down his datapad and lifted his top slowly. "I just love her so much..." he trailed off. 

His brothers stared at his bare chest. On his left pectoral muscle, above his heart was inked the words H A V I C  M A R A D E R. His skin around the fresh tattoo was red. 

"Just when were you planning on telling us? Hmm?" Crosshair asked.

"That..that's not how you spell..." Hunter's mouth fell open. 

"I KNOW!" Tech shouted, pulling his top back down quickly. He threw himself onto his bunk, face burrowing into his pillow. 

Wrecker wanted to sit by him but Hunter tapped his shoulder, nodding his head in the opposite direction. "Let's give him a minute," he said. 

****

Weeks had passed, and one day, Crosshair brought back a small kit from another successful mission. Opening it on the work bench, he began taking the tools out, laying them beside the case. His brothers crowded around to see what it was. Crosshair picked up what looked like a miniature blaster. "It's a tattoo gun," he said. It came with one color ink: black. 

"So I can fix that" he indicated Tech's chest. 

When he was finished, the tattoo looked good. He had been able to fix the spelling and had added a little outline of a heart at the end of the words. 

Tech admired it in the mirror. "Thank you, Crosshair. It looks very good." 

Hunter cleared his throat. "How much ink is in that thing?" He ran his fingers over the left side of his face. "I was thinking maybe you could do one on me..."

For the @summer-of-bad-batch prompt "just when were you planning on telling us that?"

I'm sorry for the weird font. I copy/pasted from ao3 and this is how it comes out. I am not skilled enough to fix it without screwing it up!

[jherbert10media]

Justin during pregame warm-ups before the game against DET at SoFi Stadium (Nov 12, 2023)

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PROPAGANDA

KATHERINA MINOLA (THE TAMING OF THE SHREW) (CW: Domestic Abuse)

1.) We had to read this for English my senior year. I got so mad at the way she’s treated. She’s the titular “shrew” of the play. She has to be married off before her younger sister can get married, because that makes sense.

Then the most dogshit man imaginable comes along, and everybody thinks they’re perfect. He literally gaslights her and denies her food and water.

Fuck Petruchio and Katherine Minola deserved better!

2.) Literally the whole play is about how she is so awful that the main guy needs to change her entire personality, which he does as a challenge not because he likes her, and then proceeds to her abuse her for the rest of the play. Yet, he is portrayed as the hero, not a villain and she is shown to have “improved” at the end. People will say, oh it’s open to interpretation, it can be played different ways, it’s satire, but i don’t find abuse funny and there is a distinct lack of commentary in the play to count as satire imo. Taming of the Shrew is a tragedy not a comedy, I will die on this hill. Kate deserves better!

3.) The title isn’t joking, ya’ll. She literally gets broken like a rebellious feral animal and it’s treated as a happy ending.

CORDELIA CHASE (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL THE SERIES) (CW: Pregnancy)

1.) (downs an entire bottle of vodka and slams it back on the table) SO. CORDY. Cordy started off as a supporting character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the start she was your typical high school mean girl character, but as the show went on we got to see more depth to her character: her insecurities, her courage, her capacity for incredible acts of kindness. Then after the third season she moved into the show’s spin off, Angel, where from the beginning she was basically the show’s secondary protagonist. Her and Angel were the two mainstays of the show’s main cast, she gets the most episodes centered on her out of all the characters aside from Angel (and yes, I’ve checked), and we really got to see her grow from a very shallow and self-centered and kind of mean person to a true hero who was prepared to give up any chance at a normal life to fight the good fight while still never losing the basic core of her character. There were some… questionable moments like the episode where she gets mystically pregnant with demon babies and things got a bit iffy like halfway through season 3 where the writers seemed to run out of ideas for what to do with her outside of sticking her in this romance drama/love triangle situation with the main character but overall, pretty good stuff right? THEN SEASON 4 HAPPENED. In season 4 she gets stripped of literally all agency and spends pretty much the entire season possessed by an evil higher power, and while possessed she sleeps with Angel’s teenage son (who BY THE WAY she had helped raise as a baby before he got speed-grown-up into a teenager it was a whole thing don’t worry about it) and gets pregnant with like. the physical manifestation of the higher power that’s possessing her. it’s about as bad and stupid as it sounds and also is like the third time cordy’s got mystically pregnant in this show and like the fourth mystical pregnancy storyline overall (you will be hearing more on that note in other submissions I’m so sorry). after giving birth she goes into a coma, in which she remains for the rest of season 4 and the first half of season 5. SPEAKING OF WHICH DON’T THINK SEASON 5 IS GETTING OFF SCOT FREE HERE. yeah so in season 5 the show just FULLY starts trying to erase cordy’s existence. she gets mentioned ONCE in the first episode and then never again until halfway through the season where she wakes up, helps out Angel for a bit and encourages him in his fight against evil, and then goes quietly into that good night and dies so it can be all sad and tragic. I’d call it the worst fridging of all time but even THAT feels generous because the whole point of fridging is killing off a female character so a man can be sad, and after Cordy dies basically no one’s even sad about it because the show immediately goes back to pretending she never existed. she is not mentioned ONCE in the two episodes after she dies. in the whole stretch of time between her death and the end of the season she gets mentioned exactly four times. again, I counted. anyway the fun twist to all of this is that all of this happened because the actress who played cordy got pregnant before season 4 and joss whedon was so pissed off about this affecting his plans for the show that he decided to completely fuck over her character and then fire her and write her out of the show. so cordy’s a victim of both writing AND real life misogyny!! good times!!

2.) OH SO MANY THINGS they menaced by giving her terrible hair cuts, making her seem like she’d get together with the guy she loves (and who loves her back) but instead she was killed and when she was brought back, she got possessed by an evil entity who used her body to give birth to itself. afterwards she was in a long coma and died. her character was so throughoutly assassinated

3.) She got demonically pregnant TWICE - there was this real sense of a womb/ability to get pregnant as like, a place for evil to get in. She got positioned as femme fatale and evil mother. The actress basically got fired for being pregnant, and when she agreed to come back for a single final episode she specifically said they could do anything but kill off the character. Guess what happened

[happywebdesign]

MullenLowe

[mega-aulover]

Week 10 of 2024

Didn't do that well that great this week

For An Everlarked Ever After I wrote : 1,255

For Bitter Rivals I wrote:  369

How about you guys?

[justinherbertobsessed]

I just hope he knows that he’s never the biggest issue with this team 💔

[vrisreziweekly]

Week 10 (again): Drops this at your feet and scurries away

[obiscribbles]

Week 10 - June 4th, 2023 'Turn' (E) - The Wombats Spotify / YouTube

He lost a few too many games of sabacc. Decided it was best to withdraw while he still had some clothing. Though whether he escaped Quinlan’s tortuous game with any dignity is another story. XD Enjoy!

View a week early on my Patreon!

[waywardsou2]

Summer of Bad Batch Week 10

Prompt: "Just when were you planning on telling us that?"

Word Count: 600+

Tags: Lyana/Omega, shipping, fluff, big brother Crosshair

Crosshair watched as Omega walked through Pabu

Hand in hand with Lyana.

The two of them were talking, giggling occasionally and sometimes walking in comfortable silence sneaking glances at each other when the other could see.

But Crosshair could see everything on his perch. He was like a hawk, hiding in a tree waiting to strike. Although strike might have been to vicious of a word for what he was waiting for. Maybe confront instead.

See he had no knowledge of how relationships worked outside of the one he had with his brothers. But he knew there was something going on between Omega and Lyana. And don’t get him wrong he was happy for them. He thought, considering all that Omega had been through, that this display of normalcy was good for her. He just wanted to know that she knew what was going on. Though he knew that she did.

As they continued to walk together they found a spot to rest and stopped to chat for a while. As the sun began to set the two of them seemed to be saying good bye until Omega took Lyana into a hug and then gave her a small peck on her cheek.

Just like Crosshair had suspected, there was something going on between the two of them. He let a small smirk climb its way onto his face as he watch them part. He was glad Omega had found someone to care for.

But you would never see him show it, and if anyone found out he would deny it instantly.

Crosshair climbed down from his perch and weaved his way through the building to intercept Omega on her way home. He seamlessly slipped out of a side street and fell into step with Omega.

She didn’t stop as she turned to smile at him. He cheeks a little flush.

“So, when were you planning on telling us about that?”

Omega looked a little surprised, but it didn’t last long. She knew Crosshair was always hovering, always watching. He knew everything that happened in their family. As if he was in multiple places all at once.

“I don’t know, it’s not really anything yet. We haven’t talked about it”

“That’s fine, you don’t gotta tell the others until your ready kid”

Omega looked at her feet as she walked an smiled

“I used to love watching Tech and Phee together, they seemed to make each other really happy. I always wanted to have what the had” her smiled faded a bit talking about Tech, Phee had often been off on more missions since she heard what happened. Omega missed her, but she understood.

She was the first one to know what went on between the two of them. Tech eventually telling her on his own. Much to her surprise.

And what she had with Lyana felt the same. It was nice. She just didn’t know what it was

“Yeah…the two of them were good together. Tech seemed happier” Crosshair sighed

He missed his brother, very much. And so much on Pabu reminded him of Tech, though he didn’t always understand why. He wanted to move on and think of something else so he put his handless arm on Omega’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manor.

“Either way kid, take your time with her. I can tell you two are like two rats in a swamp” he chuffed light heartedly

She mock glared at him in response and the two of them walked in comfortable silence all the way back to their house in lower Pabu.

Acting like neither of them knew anything about Omega and Lyana’s shared moment.

[sarahsmi13s]

|| week 10 poll!! ||

alright let's do this!

only three options this week and these were the top three from the last poll!

[pepbutler]

🔆Thursday Check-in🔆

Developing this Content Analysis assignment has been strenuous and complicated. I have some specific questions on subheadings that you could potentially apply to your assignment too.

Introduction

How can I refine the subheadings under Introduction to make them more engaging and informative?

Background on Content Strategy

Are there any additional subheadings you recommend adding under Background on Content Strategy?

Content Analysis

Dr. P, what are your thoughts on how the depth of analysis should look for Cat Influencers and Their Content?

Any suggestions for improving the subheadings related to Audience Analysis?

Context Analysis

I'd appreciate your input on refining the Research Question and Method for better alignment with the project's goals.

My research question is “How do different types of content and posting frequencies impact audience engagement over a 5 week period?”

Are there any subheadings missing under Context Analysis that you believe would enhance the overall structure?

Data and Data Analysis

How can I improve the presentation of Data and Content Analysis to make it more accessible other than graphs and visual aids?

Are there any specific subheadings you recommend adding or modifying under Data and Data Analysis?

Conclusions

Any advice on refining the subheadings under Conclusions for greater impact?

Feedback on these questions would be incredibly useful! 📚 @npfannen