#howzer imagine

[sashketter]

There’s no way “the cavalry” in the finale is just the Bad Batch. No way Phee Genoa would stand idly by while Tech’s sister is captive. No way Riyo Chuchi would stand for Hemlock’s treatment of clones. No way Howzer hasn’t reached out to the Syndullas, after the sacrifices he made for them. And no fucking way Rex isn’t leading the charge, blasters blazing. And yet, for some reason, I feel like they’re not gonna be there when the Batch finally faces Tantiss.

[zeb-z]

Absolutely love that every clone still working with the Empire that Crosshair has a mission with all go AWOL immediately after interacting with him. It draws him unwanted attention from the Admiral because it looks like he’s the key in the other clones getting radicalized and leaving to fight against the Empire instead of for them, but really it’s just because Crosshair doesn’t hesitate when they do to follow a clearly despicable order, clarifying that the Empire really isn’t the Republic they all fought for and that it isn’t peace they’re maintaining.

He’s not some rebel or otherwise, he just makes such shitty decisions that the other clones are like oh yeah the Empire is fucked up im out. That’s so fucking funny to me, actually.

[scumtumbl]

first meeting

[saggitary]

The Bad Batch Spoilers

-

-

During the Storming of Tantis (that’s what I’m going to call what I hope happens) if we don’t see each of the clone troopers carrying out one of the force sensitive kids in their arms, I will personally sue.

[writing-positivelyexisting]

Imagine with me for a second...

imagine with me for a second... in a perfect galaxy where the clones were given their freedom after winning the war... that you and your favorite clone husband... with your child or children... retelling old stories from the days of war and the little munchkin asks "would you do it again?" he leans down and picks up his kid who asked, setting them on his knee and with the softest smile, "yes... for you..." then his eyes travel to you and points, "and for you."

i know there's probably fan fiction of this particular prompt already, so if anyone could mention it in the comments or tags that would be lovely.

[corrieguards]

Ok but in light of this post about clones being introduced to "normal things"...

Somebody give Howzer a hairdryer.

Please.

[thefact0rygirl]

That gif of Grogu and Mando is probably at the space Taco Bell you talked about months back. Captain Howzer is sponsored by them while he lives in full retirement with Rex where they enjoy Baja blasts all day.

omg yes!!! grogu begging to his dad to let him order at the drive-thru because he thinks it's the coolest thing ever. they get the captain howzer deluxe box with extra hot sauce 🥲

[fanfoolishness]

I like to imagine that in the future, people remember the clones. After Palpatine falls for good on Exegol, imagine an explosion of freedom and knowledge in those days after the final defeat: imagine archaeologists and scholars plumbing the depths of Imperial and First Order records, trying to figure out what had happened so it could never happen again. And through it all they find the clones’ story woven into everything, until a new field emerges of Clone Studies, a loose alliance of military history buffs and research biologists and anthropologists and ethicists.

They catalogue the Kaminoans’ research; they review the clone memorials on Coruscant, on Zeffo, monuments as large as a massive wall or as small as a quiet statue, from people throughout the galaxy who were grateful for what they did. They study the great tragedy and betrayal of the chip, finally understanding the scope of Palpatine’s plans and bringing them out into the open, sharing the truth that the clones never chose to betray the Jedi Order and Republic they had served faithfully. They study old war vids and oral histories from people of long-lived species or whose grandparents remembered the clones; they build, memory by memory, a sense of the culture, the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the loyalty. They collect vids of battle songs and in-jokes and an interior language shared among them, springing up over the years.

They find and list their names, self-chosen or given by their brothers: Rex, Fives, Howzer, Echo, Tup, Gregor, Wolffe, Cody, Boil, Waxer, Cut. They study the clones whose differences defined them and knit them into a family whose ties could not be broken, Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, Omega. They study the discarded who nevertheless still had value - 99, Emerie, the clones who were culled in infancy for being wrong. There are specialists who devote their entire branch of study to the only male unaltered clone and his infamous exploits throughout the galaxy, so alike his father’s. They study the years of the clone rebellion, a fight that paved the way for the next wave of fighters and the next after them.

The clones are gone. That is undisputed. Their kind came for a little while, and then vanished, burning brightly; their tale was a tragedy, but one unique in all its seeming sameness. There are conferences and holovids and books. There are debates and research firing up young scholars about a time only their great-grandparents can remember.

In the future, after all the clones are gone, there are still stories.

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

Just thinking about Howzer saying "I will not abandon my squad. They are good men. I have to try to get through to them."

Just thinking about how deep this must have hit Hunter for him to stop and hesitate, looking back at Howzer -

- and then Hunter does leave with his squad, but I also think he senses Crosshair's attention being on them as he turns back to look -

- and I just keep thinking about how conflicted Hunter must have been all season long, but I imagine the inner conflict reaches a peak here.

Because he is abandoning a member of his squad. He hasn't been able to get through to Crosshair - granted, the last time they met wasn't exactly conducive to deep conversation anyway, but Crosshair, the brother Hunter remembers, was a good man.

And yet... Hunter has to look out for the other four members of his squad, too. He can't abandon them, either. As he told Omega earlier, "Being strategic means knowing your limitations." And he can't risk everyone else, all the other good people on his squad, in a mad attempt to blast through endless Imperial resources and kidnap an angry brother who has given precious little indication that he wants to return to the squad anyway.

I do think Hunter is angry at himself, and at Crosshair; but mostly I think he is hurt, and confused, and uncertain, and trying to weigh the risks and figure out how best to protect the family - including Crosshair.

And I think Hunter spends a lot of time up until Crosshair returns trying to figure out how he could have gotten through to him.

And it just breaks my heart 💔

[smolbean-17]

Thinking that Echo and Emerie meeting is setting up a larger story to be told in some sort of spin-off. That way if they do go the Rex and his clone rebellion route, they can have a primary female character (among all the male clones) involved who can add a lot to the story. Can you imagine how amazing Rex, Echo, Emerie, Gregor, and Howzer will be? In their search for Wolffe and Cody?? With some cameos of the remaining Batch (whoever that may be🫠) and Ahsoka? I really think this is going to be the next clone story!

[commanderfoxdeservesbetter]

So Far Away: Part 1

Okay I keep reading the fics where Fox is named Dar’Vod after the Fives incident

And it keeps running in my head but imagine:

Rex, in the heat of his anger, calls Fox dar’vod and that’s the last he’s ever spoken to Fox when he’s alive

Their friendship is ruined and Rex, despite regretting the words, doesn’t try to fix the relationship and Fox throws himself into his work to avoid Cody’s prying of what happened

Well, the empire rises and Fox dies by Vader’s hand and Rex survives - guilt-filled - because Fives was right and he doesn’t know if that meant Fox was under the chip when he killed Fives or not and he never got to make amends and figure out the truth (and Rex knows it’s his fault and it’s just another burden added on that he’ll have to carry)

What I’m saying is: Fox stuck in a limbo, unable to march on because being named Dar’Vod means he is unwelcomed

And all the Vod’e - those who have died or are dying - pass him as they go to the Vod’e

Most All have tried to free him, tried to redact the title

Cody, most of all when he died, stated that the title was never meant to be given and Fox should be able to March on and yet when a barrier separates him from his vod’ika, he screams

Even Fives tried coming back to remove the title - talking with Fox for hours about he never blamed Fox for his death but still Fox cannot march on

It’s only when Boba (who died an unfortunate death by Vader earlier than he was meant to and knew a bit more of traditional Mando culture than his clone brothers) tells them only the person who gave Fox the title can remove it

And so the Vod’e wait

They wait and watch as more Vod join them

Echo (which was a cheerful reunion for the Domino squad)

Hunter (who got shot protecting Omega)

Omega (who took it upon herself to off herself to prevent the Empire using her - first thing she did was punch Boba for leaving her behind before learning of his unfortunate death which still makes her mad but not as much)

Howzer

Thire (the last of the Corries to have died but he gave a hell of a fight)

Bacara and Neyo

More and more and it dwindles to only four clones left

Gregor comes first, cackling and the 212th rejoice his return

Wolffe follows and he gets his Wolffepack back

Rex is stubborn though

He clings to life like it’s all he has, searching for the last clone because he refuses to leave a brother behind

Ahsoka helps him where she can, pointing him in directions that she can vaguely feel Kix but she has her own battles

And Rex searches

And he remembers

And regrets

And says his remembrances

He always includes Fox in his remembrance because while he was young in the war, time has brought a new perspective to their life and he knows that Fox was young too

Young and under the thumb of Palpatine

And so he searches and remembers and regrets

[sevendeadlyheadcanons]

The Seven Deadly Sins when they give hugs

Idk what this is i can’t lie

Meliodas

-Firm hugger. Very tight squeeze

-Hugs his friends if he knows they need it “Bring it in big guy”

-Will hug in public but loves to proper snuggle in private

-If someone he doesn’t know hugs him he’ll just stand there pokerfaced

-He’s very warm being a demon with fire abilities so he’s nice to lay on

-Always initiates group hugs between all the sins

-Only gropes when other people are around as a territorial thing. When he’s alone he will go all soppy.

Diane

-SHE IS SO CUDDLY

-Publicly, privately she is not afraid to snuggle!!!

-She hugs everyone while greeting them. She also loves to kiss everyone on the cheeks platonically.

-When she is big she likes to put smaller people on her neck or shoulder and let them koala onto her, or hold them to her face so they can cup it.

-She also loves holding people in her big hands

-When she’s small she loves to still use her giant strength to pick people up and twirl them.

-She hugs King a lot because he’s so small and smells so fruity

Ban

-Not a hugger in public but in private?

-He will be the little spoon but not if you ask him to. Only if you “coincidentally fall into that position” while hugging. He won’t admit he likes it either

-He loves having his hair stroked or stroking other people’s hair

-He hugs Meliodas all the time when drunk but coincidentally forgets it when he sobers up.

-If you run up to him and hug him he’ll probably pat your head or back

-Before Elaine was revived he would hug a pillow and pretend it was her

King

-Denies being a hugger but he LOVES THEM

-He’s very awkward and doesn’t know what to do if he’s being hugged. Like where does he put his hands?

-It also depends on how close he is to the person hugging him. If he knows them very well he’s very confident on what to do but if he’s not well acquainted with them he’ll be apprehensive

-Imagining Diane forcing him to hug Howzer. The most awkward bro hug ever.

-He is very soft and warm and his clothes always smell very fresh.

-May revert to old man form and repel whoever is hugging him.

Gowther

-Pre getting his memories and emotions he’s very uncomfortable to cuddle. He doesn’t know when to let go and can’t naturally figure out what to do with himself

-He will pat your head and go “pat pat” and simply wrap his arms around you in a way that either is too light to be a good hug or too firm that you nearly die from lack of oxygen

-When he does get his emotions back though he is SUCH A HUGGER

-He’s not particularly comfy to lay on and snuggle but that look on his face makes it worth enduring

-He will hug EVERYONE if he is feeling excited!!! A little ball of energy

-He still doesn’t quite understand the appropriate times to hug someone and the intensity it should be so he’ll just be like “HAI BAN GOOD MORNING :3” and rugby tackle him into a cuddle thinking it was a normal human greeting

Merlin

-Doesn’t necessarily hate hugging just doesn’t do it frequently

-She hugs more out of comfort more than simply because she can

-If she needs comforting she’ll stand outside Meliodas and Elizabeth’s room in the doorframe like the “mum i just threw up” meme and wait for Elizabeth to initiate the hug

-She does privately like a good hug. Sometimes she’ll get somebody (probably Escanor) to come into her lab and let her sit in his lap while she does her research “for science”

-Probably conjures up a tamed demonic beast to cuddle on the down low so that nobody sees her vulnerable

Escanor

-Once again an awkward man. He doesn’t quite know what to do with himself

-Although he is less awkward than King because hugging is a human custom he grew up with whereas King just sort of found out it was a thing one day

-He does love cuddling but he has to be close to the people/person doing it otherwise he gets quite flustered

-Definitely cuddles a pillow at night to help him fall asleep

-Probably very touch starved.

Elizabeth

-Loves cuddling other girls. With boys it feels awkward to her but girls? Just feels natural

-She doesn’t even flinch when Meliodas gropes her mid hug anymore because she just expects it, although she hates it and wishes she could have just one moment of intimacy with him which doesn’t get sexual

-She does like to hug Gowther too though. She just finds him very sweet once he got his emotions back and sees him like a little boy.

-She’s very motherly towards her friends and as soon as she sees them struggling she cuddles them and gets the whatever they need

-Hugs are just very natural to her (because unlike everyone else she has Bartra and was loved as a child oop-)

Elaine

-Doesn’t quite understand the human hype of cuddling

-Thinks it’s something between family and lovers and that’s all

-When someone else cuddles her that’s not Ban or King she gets confused but will put a hand on their back and comfort them anyway

-She does love hugging animals though. She’ll hug Hawk and Oslow a lot and will pick up random cats she sees in the streets (much to the cats dismay)

-She loves hugging Ban because he’s so much larger than her and she loves being Engulfed by Large Man

I hope you guys are having a great day 💙

[vodika-vibes]

Hi love, I already have a second request. Hehehe.

Anyhew.... Howzer, opal and summer please. Thank you. Love oo

Summer Love

Summary: An early morning at the beach reminds you of just how much you love Howzer.

Pairing: Captain Howzer x F!Reader

Word Count: 646

Prompt: Opal - Faithful Love

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni

A/N: I hope you like this! I wanted to write Howzer, hence three stories today.

You wake to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. You release a groan and roll onto your side, intent to bury your face in Howzer’s chest and get some more sleep.

Only, as you roll over, you touch nothing by cool sheets.

Blearily you crack open your eyes and peer at his side of the bed. No Howzer. You drop your face into your pillow with a quiet huff, and then roll onto your back and kick the blankets off. 

You drag yourself out of bed, pausing only long enough to pull the shirt the Howzer was wearing the day before over your thin tank top, and then  you push open the bedroom door and, blindly, walk through the house.

He’s not in the kitchen. Or the living room. 

And you yawn widely as you slide open the glass door that leads to the back deck. And there he is, sitting at the table, sipping some caf, and chatting to your neighbor.

The moment you step onto the desk, the conversation stops and Howzer turns his gaze towards you, an adoring smile on his face, “Good morning, cyare.”

“Mor-” a wide yawn cracks your face, “-ning.”

He stands and pulls you into a hug, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, “Did I wake you?”

“Not really,” You press your face against his chest and inhale deeply, enjoying the scent of Howzer mixed when the subtle scent of salt water, “Did you go swimming this morning?”

“It felt more enjoyable than running.” He kisses your forehead once more, and then guides you over to the table and presses his mug into your hands. “You remember Irma?”

You peer at the other woman, her smile looks slightly strained, though you can’t possibly imagine why. “Yes, you told us about the seafood restaurant last night. We enjoyed it a lot.”

Her smile becomes a little more strained, “Well, that’s good.” Her gaze cuts towards Howzer, “but we were having a conversation that you interrupted.”

Howzer’s genial smile fades slightly, “She’s always welcome to join any conversation that I’m a part of.”

Ah.

She has a crush on your Howzer. You can’t blame her, your Howzer is gorgeous, after all.

He’s also completely faithful to you, and you to him.

Your gaze slides across the woman, and you smile gently, “We’re actually about to start breakfast-” 

Her face flushes a deep shade of red, “Well then, I’d better go.” She blurts as she stands suddenly, and flees from the deck.

Howzer glances at you, “You hate eating this early.” He says with a slow smile on his face.

“She doesn’t know that.” You reply with a light smile.

“Jealous, cyar’ika?” Howzer lightly tugs you onto his lap, his arms sliding securely around your waist as you bury your face in his neck.

You laugh softly, “Not even a little.” 

“Good.” He lightly pushes you back so he can catch your lips in the gentlest kiss, “Because I would choose you over anyone.”

“Anyone?”

“Anyone.”

“Hm…good.” You lightly play with the hair at the base of his head, “Because I would choose you over anyone too.”

His eyes sparkle with mischief, “Even Rex?”

“Rex who?” You reply with a teasing smile.

“Hm, good answer.” He catches your lips in a deep kiss, “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

“I don’t think that’s possible. I have a lot of love.” Howzer murmurs against your lips.

“And it’s all mine, lucky me.” You brush your thumb against the scar on his cheek, “Would you like me to make waffles for breakfast?”

“I would love that.” He replies as he stands with you in his arms, “And then we can go to that aquarium we saw the other day.”

“Sounds like a perfect day to me.” You say with a warm smile, as he carries you back into the house.

[clownery-and-fuckery]

I want to write a small fic where Crosshair and Howzer have a bitch fight while everyone else just kinda. has to watch. because Rex isn't there to stop Howzer (and Echo doesn't want to).

Like, imagine it

Howzer: "You're a dirty traitor. You killed most of my BROTHERS. and you parade yourself around like you're—"

Crosshair, on his fifth bowl of Fireball's spicy shit: "babe, I don't remember Ryloth."

Howzer:

Crosshair:

Howzer: "You what?"

Crosshair: "I do not recall Ryloth. Shit, I don't even care to try."

Everyone else:

Howzer:

Hunter: "Should we... do something?"

Fireball: "And miss the show?? Fuck no, dude."

Nemec: [recording]

Wrecker starts a betting pool. no one wins either, they just kinda. get tired and leave each other alone after a while. nemec pats howzer on the back for a solid attempt. it will happen again.

[lifblogs]

Alive

@summer-of-bad-batch Week 12 Alt. Prompt: Radio Silence Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 2025 Summary: After Eriadu, Echo leaves messages on Tech's comm channel, feeling like he's talking to his brother again. READ ON AO3

“Hey… Tech,” Echo said into the comm. “It’s been a few rotations since… well, you know.”

He looked around, suddenly feeling ridiculous now that his voice was coming out of him. Night had swiftly fallen, and the lights of the landing pad he currently sat on, legs dangling over the side, were all that lit it. A ship was there—one of Rex’s ships.

Echo… missed the Marauder, but he knew he could help more from here. And… after so much loss, he couldn’t… well, he couldn’t handle it at all. It was like his foundation he’d built with his new family had been ripped right out from under him, and he couldn’t stay, not without anything to stand on.

Hunter’s face had been carved with pained, but he had said he knew Echo had to do this, and also mentioned he could do more work to search for Omega, for Tantiss, than he could if they stayed together.

Wrecker had hugged him so tightly he had worried an implant was going to embed deeper into him, or the controls on his legs would shatter.

Wrecker wasn’t angry, like Hunter was to some degree. He was sad. They all were.

It was more than that though.

The massive hole in Echo’s chest that he’d worked on filling and healing with his family, now made it so any reminders of them was too much. Hunter was too much. Wrecker was too much. Because around them it was easy to see who wasn’t there.

With Rex and Howzer and the boys, there was none of that, really. Though, every time he looked at Rex he thought of Fives.

No Fives.

Now no Tech, and no… no Omega.

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you,” he went on, “but… Omega was taken. By—by Hemlock. I know that’s not what you want to hear, maybe I shouldn’t even be telling you since we failed to find Tantiss, and save Crosshair, but…

“I don’t know what to do, Tech,” he went on, voice rough, tight. Tears welled in his eyes, and he let them, let his world blur around him.

“I feel so lost,” he admitted. “I… I remember when I first saw you. You were the first person I’d seen since… Anyway, I was scared. I was, but when I saw you, seeing you knew exactly what you were doing to save me, I wasn’t scared anymore. I didn’t even know you yet, and I trusted you. You were so human, so real. It was like… It was like…” Echo found himself at a loss for words, not sure how to describe what it had felt to see a human again, to see someone saving him, not torturing him, not using him, but saving him.

“Well, imagine being afraid, more afraid than you’ve ever been, and then seeing human eyes, eyes you almost recognize. I felt… home. You did that for me, Tech. And when you unhooked me, when you carried me… I decided if I ever got through that—and of course I did because I had you—that I would carry you too.

“Maybe not in a real sense—unless it was needed—but in a sense that I’d be there for you.”

Tears fell, throat so tight he barely got his next words out: “That I’d save you.”

Silence seemed to swallow him, even amongst the night noises of the creatures in the jungle.

“And I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”

Echo switched off the comm, and placed it against his forehead, hunching in on himself, sobbing.

He didn’t know how long he was out there—maybe hours—but that was how Rex found him.

He didn’t say anything, just put a hand on his shoulder, and it was enough.

“Hey, Tech,” Echo said from the cockpit of one of Rex’s ships. He wasn’t exactly flying it given the one hand situation, but he was keeping an eye on things while everyone else rested. The comm chanel was still live, but as usual there was nothing on the other end. Radio silence. Still— “Sorry it’s bee awhile,” he said. “Been pretty busy, looking for Tantiss, for Omega. I miss her.”

He sighed. “I miss you. I wish you could come home to us, you know? I knew what Plan Ninety-Nine was. Hunter had briefed me on it, but I never thought…”

His words cut off, a million thoughts clouding the space in his head. There was a fierce ache in his chest, and fear, betrayal, greater than he’d ever known, was trying to rip him apart.

He was a traitor to his friend, his family, because…

“Sometimes I hate you for it,” he finally got out, words tight, crawling out of the barbed wire in his chest, the electric frisson that had tried to keep it locked in tight.

And now that the words had been said, they hurt.

Echo nearly choked on a gasp, and he put his hand to his chest, curled in a fist. He hunched in over it, shaking, tears falling freely down his face, sobs catching in his chest, a pained growl leaving him.

“You left us,” he said. “You left us. What are we supposed to do with that? You made sure we didn’t all die, but… you didn’t put yourself into those calculations. You died. Did you even care? Did you think you mattered, or was it just us? We cared about you too, you know! We cared about— We still do.

“Omega got hurt,” he went on. “We all did. And then… well, without you… Hemlock took her. I know—I know I already told you that, but you weren’t there. You weren’t there, Tech! What am I supposed to do now? You were the first person I saw. The first person! And now…”

Echo sighed. “Whatever.” He switched off the comm.

“Tech, you’re never gonna believe this,” Echo said, grinning wide, the hole in his chest smaller for once, filled in with brilliant light. He was tweaking the energy crossbow he was planning on giving to Omega as soon as he saw her. “Omega’s back. She escaped, and guess who was with her? Crosshair. I know! She really did it. She saved herself. She saved him.

“I haven’t seen her yet, but Hunter did warn me she looks a bit older. I know that when I do see her I’ll think about the time I missed with her, and I know it’ll hurt, but it’s okay because she’s back. She’s safe now.

“Crosshair’s safe now,” he added. “Heard he’s as thorny as ever.” Echo grinned thinking of it, and thinking of Crosshair’s grudging acceptance of Echo which had turned into a bond with trust, that trust stronger with all the hard edges. “But she did it, Tech. She finished your mission! I know there’s still the Empire, that Tantiss is still out there, and Hemlock is, but I just thought I’d let you know. For once in almost six months, I’m finally happy. And I think… I think you would be too.”

Echo couldn’t sleep, as usual, and he was lying around in his rack, Gregor snoring beneath him.

With a deep sigh, he pulled out his comlink, dialing it to the frequency that never responded, and never would again.

“Hi, Tech. It’s me. Echo.” His words seemed too loud, and he rolled out of his rack, landing neatly on the deck.

He made his way over to the lounge that was on this massive ship, and sat back in the booth by the table. Only the ship’s hum met him now, the lights dim.

“I don’t know why I’m still doing this,” he admitted. “I know you’re… you’re gone. But I have so much to tell you, so much to say. It’s still weird not having you here. I always turn around thinking I’ll see you, I find my eyes searching every room I enter, and sometimes when I haven’t slept for days I imagine I see you out of the corner of my eye, coming to tell me some crazy fact. And I’d listen. Oh, I’d listen. What I wouldn’t give to have you telling me about some animal or language right about now. You could tell me about the history of the comlink and I’d listen. I’d listen to you talk about the galaxy, about other life-forms, about what you ate for breakfast. About everything.”

Echo had to pause, all choked up.

He didn’t know why he kept doing this to himself, kept tearing at his open wound instead of letting it heal.

But if it healed would he forget? Would he forget all the wonders that had made Tech such an amazing life-form? Would he forget his smile, his startled laugh when he actually found a joke funny, the sound of his voice, the way he spoke, his eyes? Would he forget it all?

Echo knew that wasn’t quite how it worked, and yet he kept doing this, kept letting himself bleed.

He had half a mind to let himself bleed until the Empire was nothing but dust.

“I’m sorry.”

He switched the comm off, and let the silence invade all the dark spaces in his mind, let it play with the nightmares.

Echo leaned back, looking up at the deck above him, not taking in any of the details, not even the color.

Everything was drab, and gray, and dark. Cold, and silent. So cold, like when he had been nothing but a tool for the Separatists.

Echo didn’t welcome it, but it was there. Without Tech, it crept in every day, and maybe would until Echo was gone too.

“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Echo said, “but the Empire found Pabu. I wasn’t there. I’m actually on my way to pick up the others now, but I thought you should know. Phee is safe. But Omega—she gave herself up to save everyone.

“I’d be proud if… if it didn’t hurt so much. I know you’d be proud. In a way, I think she learned it from you—sacrifice. You meant so much to her, to me, to everyone. So I thought I’d let you know, we’re heading to Tantiss. We’re destroying that place, and we will not stop until Omega is free, until the clones are free. I just wish you could stand by my side after we win.

“Hell, sorry for all the bravado. I’m… scared. I could always tell you when I was afraid. I think sometimes you’d find it silly, but then you’d realize it wasn’t silly to me, that it was real. And talking to you about it—it was like you unhooking me from that machine all over again, saving me.

“I’d save you if I could. I would have. But now all I can do is save her.”

Echo swallowed hard, looking out at the blue-white of hyperspace streaking past.

“Tech… thank you.”

Echo switched the comm off, telling himself this was the last time. If he could save Omega—and he would—he’d let his wound heal. Maybe finally it could heal.

Echo had abandoned his armor, his comm, feeling like he was losing part of himself for this, giving himself up to save Omega, so he never got the message that came through as he landed at Tantiss. He would know, would learn who this was, would even have help from him as he turned on the other CXs, but he never heard the high, frightened voice that said, “Echo, it’s me. It’s Tech. I don’t know how, but… I’m alive.”

And with the Marauder in ruins, no one else in Clone Force 99 heard that voice. If they had Crosshair wouldn’t have been so afraid, wouldn’t have thought Clone Force 99 had died, after all; Wrecker wouldn’t have lied, wouldn’t have pushed himself too hard; Hunter wouldn’t have been ready to give up all he was for his little girl, would have known he wasn’t alone. They would have been a family in that tense moment in the jungle, and would have known that Clone Force 99 was very. Much. Alive.

[rinixo]

here we are, now

Howzer/Jedi!Reader | 2.4k | Rated E | smut, afab reader, inexperienced reader, PIV sex, obsessive thoughts, pining, yearning, Howzer calls Reader 'kid'

Your masters had often warned that your enthusiasm would one day lead you into treacherous situations. They weren't wrong, but the danger you faced now was likely beyond anything they had imagined.

read on ao3

Your masters had often warned that your enthusiasm would one day lead you into treacherous situations. They weren't wrong, but the danger you faced now was likely beyond anything they had imagined.

Rain lashed against the walls of the abandoned house where you and Clone Captain Howzer had taken refuge. The mission had gone disastrously off course.

As a Jedi, you were accustomed to working with clone troopers, but this was your first solo command without a senior knight. It was also the first time you had been sent out with just one other person, instead of a small squad.

The war had created desperate situations, and this mission was no exception. While the situation on Ryloth was not as treacherous as other fronts, it still provided its fair share of battle opportunities. You and Howzer were tasked with extracting assets from a separatist holdout, one of many popping up across the planet’s surface. Nervous but eager to prove yourself, you had been selected to lead the mission, with the seasoned captain deferring to your leadership with grace. Everything had been going smoothly until a few hours ago when a moment of reckless action led you straight into a droid ambush.

Deflecting blaster fire with your saber, you watched as Howzer tried to break through their defenses. All seemed manageable until a clever droid launched a grenade towards your position. Howzer heroically threw himself in front of you, blocking the grenade with his armored body. To your horror, he rolled away, and you braced for the explosion, only to see the grenade release a puff of green-tinged smoke instead.

Chalking the dud grenade up to luck, you nonetheless were forced to flee before more reinforcements arrived. With the storm preventing extraction, you decided to spend the night here and attempt the mission again at first light.

Howzer sat across from you, slowly removing his armor. You noticed how he winced, and his murmur of "I’m okay. Just sore," did little to ease your concern.

Though you had been stationed on Ryloth for several cycles, you had worked with Howzer only a handful of times before this mission. You knew he had been assigned as your second in command on purpose - he was known for his ability to get jobs done without any major fanfare. You felt guilty for mucking up what should have been another routine mission, knowing you could expect chastisement from your elders back at the temple.

A hiss made you look up. You had an uncanny gift for sensing others' emotions more acutely than most Jedi. Clones of higher rank, like Howzer, were harder to read, but you had been feeling waves of discomfort and tension from him since settling down. Had he sustained an injury you hadn’t seen?

“I know some healing arts,” you offered amicably. “Perhaps I can offer some relief—”

“No,” Howzer interrupted, his bluntness making you blink.

Your heart sank, fearing he was irritated with you. Throughout your life, you had been told you could be too much, too present, too helpful. ‘Stop hovering,’ they said. ‘Stop trying to fix problems before they even happen.’ But how could you? You felt everything so deeply - people’s anxiety, their fears and their excitement. Helping was second nature to you, and unfortunately so was the tunnel vision that came along with it.

This mission had been a test of your ability to show restraint and patience, to gauge your aptitude to lead squads on your own without needing someone else to check you. Instead, it had been a textbook example of how spectacularly you could get things to go sideways. All is as the Force wills it, you had been told time and time again. All you could think is why the Force insisted on making things so hard for you in particular.

Hours later, after a small meal, the rain continued to roar heavily. You had been lying in the darkness for what felt like an eternity, unable to fall asleep. The oppressive emotions emanating from the man across the room were overwhelming. Discomfort and tension had morphed into intense heat and strain, mingled with a pain that was impossible for you to ignore.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you tried to meditate on the sound of the rain to distract your senses. The whirlwind of feeling emanating from Howzer was overpowering, however, and you let out a defeated groan. Resting was not an option.

You rose from the bed and approached the clone. Howzer hadn’t lain down; he was hunched over on the edge of his cot, his arms dangling loosely over his thighs.

“You’ve gotten worse,” you said, clearing your throat. He glanced up, concern etched on his face. “I can sense it.”

“My apologies, commander —” he began, but you raised a hand to stop him.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me. It’s my fault you’re in this situation. I made a mistake, and you paid the price.”

“It’s my job, ma’am. My duty.”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. Clones and their damned built-in sense of self-sacrifice. All too willing to give life and limb, hardly thinking about themselves when it came to the safety of others.

“Please, let me try to help you, Howzer,” you asked again. “If not for yourself, then for the mission?”

He swallowed roughly. “With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t think this is something you can help with.”

“Don’t be so sure,” you replied with a half-smile. Howzer sighed, closed his eyes, and nodded reluctantly.

Closing your eyes, you knelt in front of Howzer and gently placed your hand on his shoulder. You reached out with the Force, pressing softly against the barrier of his consciousness. What was usually a strong wall of resistance had worn down over time, and with a gentle nudge, you slipped through.

Instantly, you were bombarded with raw emotions. You felt the anxious flutter of his pulse as if it were your own. You struggled to navigate the turbulent sea of sensations coursing through Howzer—expectation, dread, passion—all barely restrained by a fraying thread.

For a fleeting moment, Howzer’s essence became yours, and you gasped as you uncovered the source of his turmoil. Desire surged through his veins, colored dark green like the smoke from the grenade. It pulsed - no, throbbed, igniting his synapses like wildfire. Stillness was agony, the brush of your hand on his shoulder like a salve.

You opened your eyes, pulling away. Howzer was tense, coiled tightly like a snake ready to strike. A bead of sweat trickled from his brow, his pupils dilated and dark in the dim light.

“The grenade,” you said softly. “It did this?”

“Yes,” Howzer replied shortly. A knot of concern coiled in your stomach.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologized again. “I-I’ve never encountered a toxin like this. I don’t know how to help you.”

Howzer breathed out roughly through his nose. “Didn’t think so. It’s an enhanced libidinous agent. They’re meant to be thrown into air vents, gas out whole rooms. And I took a whole one straight to the face.”

“You’ve seen these before?” You queried, and he nodded. A million questions were begging to be asked, but you resisted and kept to the most pertinent ones.

“Do you know how to make it stop?”

“Usually you can just wait it out,” Howzer mumbled. “But, uh - it’s…very hard to ignore.”

You thought for a moment, piecing things together. Your experiences with sex were limited to the lewd holonovels your fellows had snuck in and distributed amongst each other like contraband, and the occasional burst of feeling from people thinking loudly about their own escapades. A poor substitute, you knew, but it would have to do.

“If we have sex, will that help?” You offered.

Howzer choked at your blunt suggestion, eyes widening in shock.

You folded your hands neatly in your lap, patiently waiting for his response. All the while, you could still feel the emotions rolling off his body. He was making a very pointed effort not to stare at your chest, or thighs, or stars forbid your lips. You were suddenly self-conscious in a way you had never felt before.

“We couldn’t - do you even understand what you’re saying?” Howzer asked, incredulity coloring his words.

You nodded. “Yes.” It wasn’t a lie, per se. You just hoped that with his mind as impacted as it was, the fact that you were a virgin and had never so much as kissed anyone before would go unnoticed.

“You’re a Jedi,” he said weakly, running out of ways to give you an out.

“The code forbids attachment, not sex,” you said with nervous amusement.

Howzer swallows roughly, staring up at the ceiling. His hands clench and unclench, and after a moment he looks back down at where you’re sat and nods shortly before leaning back in invitation.

You climb into his lap carefully, feeling the heat of his skin through his blacks. He’s tense, and as you settle down you try to project as much calmness and ease as you can.

“Is this ok?” You ask quietly, and hear him take a sharp inhale. You take his arms tightening around you as a ‘yes’. Leaning forward, you let out a soft hum as he unexpectedly presses his flushed face against your neck. You hear him inhale deeply, the hesitancy in his grip loosening as he drinks in the scent of your arousal. “Sweet” he says quietly, mouthing roughly against the arch of your throat.

The way Howzer touches you feels strange to your inexperienced mind. His hands slide under your top, rough palms massaging your breasts. He kisses just under your ear, making your head droop to the side to give him more access.

You can feel him, hot and hard in his lap. Nervous anticipation floods you to your core, and you shift experimentally. A choked moan from the man currently nipping at your exposed shoulder confirms that it was the right move.

Feeling braver, and trying to pretend you know what you’re doing, you move one hand down from his shoulder, you slip it under his drawers. He chokes again as you stroke him to his full length, tip leaking what feels like endless thin liquid.

With what feels like practiced ease, Howzer slips your leggings down your waist to pool around one ankle. Readjusting you in his lap, he lines himself up with your cunt. Not once does he take his eyes off your face, gaze intense and burning.

The pressure of penetration surprises you. “Oh!” You say softly as Howzer spreads your thighs further apart.

“There we go,” he mutters lowly, more to himself than to you. “Just like that- fuck -“ His head falls back, eyes closed as your soft heat engulfs him fully. His cock pulses strong enough for you to feel it, his abdomen twitching, and you realized that he had just cum from that first instance of penetration.

“Oh, fuck,” he groans again, and with his hands on your hips begins moving you back and forth, up and down. His cock was still hard as iron inside of you, and you grasped his biceps to steady yourself against his desperate pace.

Curious, you reach out with the force again, slipping easily into the wild bramble of his thoughts. It’s impossible to parse out any one singular feeling, his lust-addled brain focused on chasing its relief through your body. It’s starting to feel good for you too, and with one particularly harsh thrust, you mewl. There’s something bright building in you, centered where Howzer is rocking into you.

The sounds you make snap Howzer’s gaze back to your face. He moves one hand to grasp your chin, holding your head still so that he can slot his mouth over yours. With his touch, you are gifted with flashes of thought, and emotion - the way you move effortlessly through battle, the way the light catches the myriad of colors in your irises -

You had never noticed, but he had been noticing you for a while now. Always seeking you out, wondering if you’ve come back from your missions unscathed. The mention of your name makes his chest tighten. He’s spent many a night in his bunk thinking about the plush softness of your lips, your hands, your cunt-

Howzer is infatuated with you, you realize as you begin to cum. His earlier tense refusal wasn’t due to irritation but dread - dread at the thought of finally being able to have you but never truly have you. He despairs at the thought of this being the only time he’ll ever be able to feel you against him, be inside of you.

It’s pure, unadulterated yearning, and it makes you shudder. Your clothes have come completely off at this point, and Howzer moves to lay you down on the cot, not once leaving the tight heat of your cunt.

“Perfect,” he moans into your shoulder, one of your thighs hoisted under a strong forearm. “I knew you’d be, my perfect girl -“

More flashes, memories of him watching you train. Hiding a smile as tales of your latest mishaps are passed around the barracks. He loves your eagerness and your determination. He knows you are capable of great things - if only he was allowed to get you on your own, there’s so much he could show you…

You gulp air, pressed down against the mattress as Howzer ruts into you. You’ve unintentionally made a bridge between your two consciousnesses, the lines between you quickly blurring away until you can’t tell where his mind ends and yours begins. He pours his obsession into you with every rock of his hips.

Pushing on his shoulders, you make him lift up off you. He looks down at you, eyes hooded. You can see yourself in his gaze - bare, slick with sweat and other fluids, lips swollen. Howzer mutters your name before lowering his mouth to kiss the side of your jaw. His pace slows, arms wrapping around you in an embrace. Rolling to the side, he hugs you close to his body, one of your legs thrown over his hip as he continues to chase his release.

“You’re gonna kill me, kid,” he murmurs, pressing open-mouthed kisses along your chin. Your eyes flutter shut, allowing yourself to be drowned in the sea of his affection.

Would the two of you regret this in the morning? Perhaps, but as you reached up to tangle your hands in his hair, you pushed those thoughts aside to let yourself be present in the moment. All is as the Force wills it.