#hunter x femalejedi!reader

[hugmekenobi]

Next Steps

A Bad Batch Post S2 Oneshot

Gif by @im-no-jedi

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: Although your return to the Batch has made things better, there are still elements of your past you have to face...

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, made-up timeline and what I imagine what Echo will be doing, limited use of y/n, swearing, my views on mindsets, referenced 'dead' characters and nightmares, mentions/descriptions of torture, detailed scar descriptions, angst, light fluff, nickname 'sweetheart', some emotional hurt/comfort, body and general worship, Hunter being dominant but a consent king, hint of a praise kink, Smut (non-explicit descriptions of making out/kissing, grinding, edging, fingering, oral (f) receiving, overstimulation, handjob, unprotected p in v- not in reality please), reader described as strong and powerful, smart and beautiful, Force-communication and more of my general interpretation of how the Force feels/works

Masterlist for S1 and S2

Word Count: 12.8K

Rating: 18+

Author's note: Once again, a massive thank you to @burningfieldof-clover for helping me when I got stuck and who I am very grateful to have as a friend! Dropping this before S3 graces our screens and I hope you all enjoy!

Chibbier

Echo waited in the forest clearing as the Marauder touched down. “I got your message. It sounded urgent, is everything alright?” Echo asked as soon as the door to the Marauder opened revealing his two brothers.

“Everything is fine, Echo.” Hunter said.

“More than fine.” Wrecker emphasised.

“But we agreed we weren’t to meet until (Y/N) was back with us so unless you’ve found her…” He trailed off as he saw the smile tugging at Wrecker’s mouth and Hunter in particular seemed more at ease than he’d been in the recent months. “Wait a second, you mean-”

“Hey stranger.” You said with a grin as you came into view and stood between Hunter and Wrecker. You laughed as Echo’s expression changed from stunned to happy then to relief in quick succession. You jogged down the steps and embraced him tightly. “Long time no see.”

“I’ll say.” Echo replied with a smile as he mirrored your actions. “You had me worried.”

“Worried?” You queried. It sounded like he had a specific worry in mind rather than the general worries that had plagued the rest of you for months.

“Last news of you I’d heard had me getting ready to tell the boys to launch a rescue mission.” Echo said as he parted from you. “But lucky for us, they found you before I needed to share that.”

If you weren’t so happy to see him, you could’ve punched him. You weren’t far away enough from the other two and you knew Echo’s words wouldn’t go unheard, especially by the clone with enhanced senses. You hadn’t gotten around to sharing that part of your time alone and you weren’t sure that you wanted to either.

Hunter hadn’t forgotten that there was something about your past that you weren’t telling him. He’d noticed small shifts and changes in your behaviour since you’d been back. It was things like you made sure to keep your top layer on at all times and if you had to take it off, you would always go to the refresher regardless of it you were alone or not which was something you never used to do. You hadn’t communicated with either him or Wrecker in the silent way you were able to do where they’d hear your voice in their head which was something you did regularly in the past. You were also more emotionally and physically distant, the latter happening at night in particular and ordinarily it wouldn’t bother him, but he knew the cause was rooted in something you’d gone through. But every time he tried to broach the issue, you refused to talk about whatever it was that was causing it, and it pained him that he could do nothing but watch the negative impact it continued to have on you.

“What’s going on with, Omega? Any new leads?” You asked Echo instead, ignoring Hunter’s hand that now rested on your upper arm.

“(Y/N)-”

“Not now, Hunter. Please.”

Hunter released a quiet and resigned sigh. He wanted to help you if he could, but he also knew he had to wait until you were ready. It was just getting harder to do that.

Echo glanced between the two of you. “I said something I shouldn’t have, didn’t I?”

You shook your head. “Don’t worry about it. Just fill us in.”

Echo’s eyes darted to Hunter who only nodded. He took a breath and waited for Wrecker to join the three of you. “Nothing new. Imperial security on Hemlock is tight and any breakthrough just results in more cryptic information.”

“Yeah, we’ve had much of the same.” You agreed irritably.

Echo nodded before he faced Hunter. “I know we said that we’d come together once we had (Y/N) back with us, but I think it’s better if I stay doing what I’m doing. Rex and I are going to meet and try to pool together what we’ve gathered. We can tell you what we find and send you to follow up on other sources since we can’t cover everything ourselves and you can also keep searching on your own.”

Before Hunter could form a reply, the sound of branches snapping grabbed his attention.

The blaster bolt that immediately followed the noise, skimmed the armour on your upper arm.

You all reacted quickly and took cover behind the trees.

The onslaught of fire was being directed towards you and would only occasionally be aimed to your fellow clones as a way to keep them from advancing towards the source. Evidently you were the main target here.

“Hunter!” You shouted over the sound of blaster fire. When he pressed his back against the tree trunk and his helmet looked over to you, you called on the Force and dragged the assailant out from their spot, and a well-aimed shot from Hunter saw to it that the blaster was rendered useless. You kept that link with your ally to Force-push them into another tree, and they crumbled to the floor.

All of you lowered your blaster for the moment. You needed to find out why they were here, killing them immediately wouldn’t get you very far.

You stepped out from behind your tree and observed the bounty hunter carefully. Throughout the firefight, you’d felt yourself being pulled towards them, but you couldn’t work out why and that urge hadn’t gone away.

Stiff and unsteady movements had you readying your blaster again but as the hunter got to their feet and caught your eye, you understood why that feeling was there.

Your heart stopped and you stayed rooted to the spot as you saw the blade ignite from the hilt they were holding. The ground around them illuminated in a pale blue haze and you understood what was calling you to the hunter now. Your feet suddenly began moving of their own accord.

The other three all shared a collective bewildered look at what was unfolding in front of them.

Hunter collected his shock quickly and raised his hand to order the others to halt their fire as you fully stepped out to into the clearing.

The bounty hunter charged for you, but the attack posed little threat to you. Whoever this was had no idea how to use an elegant weapon like this and their grip was heavy and clumsy. It wouldn’t take much for you to disarm them.

You ducked under their reckless and uncoordinated swing, grabbed their wrist, and bent it back until the weapon fell from their grasp. You landed a hard kick to their chest, and they stumbled back. The hood fell loose- now exposing a feminine face- but she wasn’t a bounty hunter you recognised. You didn’t have much time to dwell on that since she grabbed a small knife from her boot and jabbed it towards your stomach. You parried away her strikes before you grew tired of dragging this altercation out. Landing a strong punch to her jaw, you used her dazed disposition to Force-pull her face down to the forest floor and waved the others forward.

Hunter and Wrecker pressed their knees into her back and brought her arms around to firmly hold them behind her.

You paid little attention to what they were doing. You hesitantly walked over to the weapon left discarded on the ground.

“Who hired you?” Hunter demanded as he held her down.

“Fuck off.” She snarled as she fought against their grip, but they were too strong, and she was in a much weaker position than she’d been in ten minutes ago.

Echo merely bent down to reach into her jacket pocket and pulled out the tracking fob and bounty puck. Your holographic image confirming what they’d all suspected.

Upon seeing that, Hunter found himself pushing his knee deeper into her spine, paying little attention to her groans of protest.

“Where did you get this?” You questioned softly, more to yourself than anything. You kept your back turned to her as you knelt down and studied the familiar design on the hilt. You couldn’t pick it up, not yet. You knew what you would feel if you did, and you weren’t sure if you were ready for that.

“What?” The bounty hunter snapped as she went for another attempt to wriggle free, but the two clones kept her tight to the forest floor.

You stiffened your posture as you turned on your heels and strode over to her. You lowered your mask, found your voice, and crouched down to her eye level. “Where did you get the lightsaber?” You pointed back to where the weapon still lay abandoned.

“I’m not telling you a thing, Jedi brat.” She spat.

At her words, Hunter twisted her arm harder, ignoring her pained cry.

You signalled to Hunter to ease up and you stood tall once more and indicated to them both to get her on her feet.

Once they did so, you pressed your blaster against her stomach and brought your lips close to her ear- your voice a quiet but lethal whisper. “You know who I am and what I’ve done to people to get what I want. Do you want to be next?” At her harsh gulp, you kept pushing. “I can’t imagine what that’ll do for your reputation in your community... then again, maybe I can… shall we find out?” You knew you’d done enough as you sensed her flicker of fear. You took a step back and looked at her with a firm glare.

“It was the client I did the job for.” She muttered begrudgingly. She wasn’t about to be maimed or die for a job that wasn’t paying all that much in the first place. She’d worked too hard to be seen as a contender, she couldn’t lose that now.

“And who was that?” Hunter asked again, his voice steely.

“Some shop owner.” She replied irritably.

“A name.” You insisted.

“I can’t remember.”

You puffed out an exasperated sigh and took a half step forward.

“Kedrin! His name was Kedrin!” She revealed fretfully.

You saw the shared look between Hunter and Wrecker. “That name mean something to you?”

Wrecker nodded. “He was the one that told us to go to Christophsis to find you.”

The name meant nothing to you upon initially hearing it but evidently you were involved somehow. You ran the information over in your head. Shop owner… Kedrin… Christophsis… it was starting to make sense in your head and that would mean… Your breath caught in your throat as it hit you. You hadn’t even known his name and you’d taken his only family away from him.

“Why set the bounty on her?” Echo asked coolly, keeping his blaster focused on her.

“Not really supposed to ask.” She grunted. “He just mentioned a dead brother.” She saw the flash of something in your eyes… it looked like regret. “Oh… you killed him.”

You glared at her. You hadn’t had time to fill Echo in yet and this was not how you wanted to go about it.

Echo’s eyes darted from her to you. “What is she talking about?”

“Echo…” You started but a cruel laugh from the bounty hunter interrupted you.

“Oh, she’s achieved quite the reputation. Can’t go far in the Outer Rim without coming across someone who had dealings with her.”

Echo angled his head to face you, but you wouldn’t meet his gaze. As hard as you were trying to hide it, you looked… ashamed?

“Back off.” Wrecker growled at the hunter as he saw your mask of composure slip for a moment.

“What’s the matter, Jedi? Suddenly the killing and torture got too much for you? If they were all as weak as you, no wonder they’re all gone.” She taunted mercilessly.

“Shut up.” Hunter snarled as he saw the way your fists clenched as you worked on keeping your distress at bay.

But you knew it was a pointless venture. Despite her current predicament, that bounty hunter arrogance was in full flow now that she’d discovered your weakness, and she wasn’t about to stop. Her stare was filled with malice, but you wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of turning away. Your shoulders heaved as you worked on keeping your breathing even and controlled.  

The bounty hunter addressed the clones now. "I didn’t get much guidance from my client aside from ‘kill her’ so ever since I picked up that bounty, I've been trying to think of the most chaotic way to take her out. She's obviously felt enough emotional turmoil that an easy death would be a mercy. Jedi don't deserve the luxury. I like to play with my food before I kill it."

“And how’s that worked out for you?” You retorted though your conviction was weak as her words found their mark and her sneer told you she was completely unbothered about her current situation now. Your only plan involved letting her overconfidence be her own undoing.

“Nice try.” She mocked. “For a moment I believed your threats but now that I’m really looking at you, I know you don’t have it in you to kill me anymore. You’ve gone soft and you’re pathetic I can see it in your eyes- you’re haunted by what you’ve done, Jedi.”

Your jaw clenched and you could feel those emotions you’d worked so hard to control start to rise to the surface.

“I’m getting outta here and I fully intend to finish what the Empire started-”

Hunter’s fatal shot to her chest silenced her and she flopped to the ground.

“Looks like you have something you need to deal with first.” Echo advised Hunter as he destroyed the puck and tracking fob for good measure before he holstered his blaster. He faced you. “I still don’t know what happened whilst you were on your own, but your past is your own, I won’t hold anything against you, we’re still okay.” He reassured you.

You barely managed a nod of acknowledgement as her words were still replaying in your mind, but you wouldn’t let it show. Instead, you took out your vibroblade and cut a section of her clothing. You stayed silent as you took the piece of fabric and wrapped the lightsaber in it. You knew it was a lame gesture- especially since you immediately felt that rush of connection as you lifted it- but it provided you with a false sense of security that you would rather have because the second you made unrestrained contact with it, you knew you wouldn’t be able to resist or turn your back on it again. You held the hilt tightly before you waved farewell to Echo and made for the ship.

Hunter nodded absentmindedly at Echo’s words whilst his gaze was fixed on you. He knew seeing that lightsaber might bring back some memories, but the intensity of your reaction told him there was more to it than simply remembering that period of your life. He pulled himself out of his thoughts and reached his hand out to Echo. “Be safe, Echo. We’ll be in touch once we’ve dealt with this.”

“You too.” Echo replied, meeting Hunter’s hand in a firm handshake before they parted, and he watched Hunter head back to the Marauder.

“See you later, Echo.” Wrecker said warmly as he lightly slapped his brother’s shoulder before he followed Hunter to the ship.

--

“What’s so special about this lightsaber?” Wrecker asked as the ship entered hyperspace.

Hunter leaned against the entrance to the cockpit, arms crossed as he studied you. Your eyes hadn’t left the weapon sitting in your lap.

“It’s mine.” You said quietly.

Hunter immediately straightened up. “It’s yours?” He repeated.

“Yup.” You cleared your throat and brought your eyes up to face the two clones. “I figured it would’ve been destroyed in Order 66. Guess not.” You said with a resigned sigh.

“Woah! Talk about lucky!” Wrecker said excitedly but you didn’t seem to match his enthusiasm. “This is good news, isn’t it?” He asked, tilting his head at you.

“I don’t know what kind of news it is, Wrecker.” You said honestly.

“What’s your hold up?” Hunter asked curiously.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty handy weapon to have and if it belongs to you, isn’t it better that it’s back with you?” Wrecker followed up.

“It’s difficult to explain.” You deflected.

“Try us.” Hunter encouraged gently.

You shot him a look, hoping he would drop it but the look in his eyes told you that he was not for dissuading. You released a short breath. “It would be like taking back a section of my life I was ready to leave behind. That I had left behind… for years.”

“And you don’t know if you’re ready to reconnect with that part of you yet?” Hunter guessed.

You shrugged in complacent agreement. “Making the choice to leave the Jedi Order was already difficult and leaving my lightsaber…. well, that was hard enough the first time and now that I have it back… I don’t know.” You ran a hand over your face. “It’s just complicated.” You got to your feet and carefully put the lightsaber on a shelf in the cockpit.

Wrecker slapped his hands against his thighs. “Well, I always think things look less complicated after a good sleep, what do ya say? We all could use some rest before we sort out this Kedrin guy.”

Sleep didn’t provide you with much respite these days, but you hummed out a quiet laugh and shared a brief smile with Hunter. “Sounds like a good idea, Wrecker.”

--

Hunter jolted awake, panic setting in as he reached for you only to find that you weren’t there, and he had a horrible feeling that he hadn’t woken up yet. But no, he could hear Wrecker’s faint snores, so he had to be awake, and he knew he was back with you, it wasn’t a trick. There would be a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why you weren’t lying next to him right now.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. You were here, you’d been here for a while now. He’d found you; you were okay. It wasn’t like before. You were probably just in the cockpit. Yes, that’s where you had to be.

When he felt himself calm down, he got to his feet and noiselessly made his way there but paused in the entryway as he saw you reading one of Tech’s old datapads, top layer still on, feet tucked up beneath you as you sat in the pilot’s seat. He thought he’d gathered them all. “Where’d you find that?” He rasped; his voice still thick with sleep.

You jumped in your chair as you heard him. You had been utterly absorbed in what you were reading, you hadn’t sensed him approach. You looked up to see Hunter standing in the doorway to the cockpit. “Tucked behind the medkit. I forgot how much Tech truly recorded.” You said in fond remembrance although there was an overall sense of sorrow in your voice. You flashed him the title of the current report you were reading. “Remember that mission on Ryloth?”

“You and Wrecker got separated from the rest of us and decided to blow up the target from the inside and escape through the garbage chute if I remember correctly?”

“Right.” You said with a soft chuckle.

“Pretty sure that was the mission that made you a fully-fledged member of our squad, Wrecker couldn’t stop raving about you after that. I was almost jealous.” Hunter managed to joke.

You gave him a small grin at that before you turned off the datapad and properly took him in. “Guess you couldn’t sleep either?” You asked in a hushed voice as Hunter stepped further into the cockpit.

Hunter merely shook his head and sat across from you.

“Nightmares?” You figured as you delicately put the datapad back and sat in your seat once more.

“I prefer calling them recaps.” Hunter muttered dully as he sat across from you.

You reached for his knee and squeezed it comfortingly. “Do you want to talk more about them?”

Hunter shook his head. “You know and lived it all too and being here with you helps anyway. What about you?”

“Just a lot weighing on my mind.” You said airily as you brought your hand back to your lap.

Hunter made a small noise of quiet understanding. He hadn’t been expecting much more by way of a response from you.

“I don’t know how he does it.” You whispered in sad envy as you jutted your chin over to where Wrecker was sleeping soundly.

Hunter followed your gaze and sighed. “It’s the only way he can switch off. Especially in the early months, he struggled with remembering everything.”

“Yeah, any form of healing from all this won’t be easy.” You said with a heavy breath.

“Wrecker might be able to sleep better than we can, but he keeps a blaster by him and has his hand on it at all times. I don’t think he ever wants to be caught off guard again.” Hunter replied solemnly. “Moving on won’t ever be simple.”

You dipped your head in agreement and leaned back in your chair.

The minutes ticked by and the two of you sat in comfortable silence for a while before Hunter cleared his throat. “I’m going to be selfish for a moment, okay?”

You tilted your head at him and adjusted your posture to give him your full attention. “Okay…”

Hunter took another breath, his throat bobbing before he spoke, “You can’t leave me to wake up alone like that.”

It hit you immediately. Fuck, you’d been an idiot, of course you couldn’t do that. If he’d done that to you, you would lose your shit. How could you have been so stupid? “Hunter-”

“I had one night too many of waking up to a cold and empty space and worrying about where you were and what was happening to you. I can’t go through it again, I won’t. Not anymore.”

You’d been so wrapped up in your own head, you hadn’t even considered what that would do to him, but you should’ve known better, especially because your reaction would be exactly like his. You quietly stood up and closed the short gap between you to straddle his lap.

He accommodated you in an instant and his eyes fluttered shut as you gently stroked your fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry.” You soothed as you placed delicate kisses to his face whilst you moved your hands to rub up and down his chest, his sleep clothes warm and soft beneath your palms.

Hunter caught your wrists and tenderly caressed the scars left there as a result of what you’d endured in Cid’s parlour. “I barely lived through it once and I won’t do it ever again. I don’t care what time it is, if you’re up and struggling with something you wake me up with you. I’d rather that than wake up without you and have that pain and panic set it again. Promise me… please.” He begged, brushing some strands of hair back behind your ear as his eyes looked deep into yours.

You nuzzled into his neck and placed a gentle kiss on his pulse point. “I promise.” Your lips traced his jaw. “And you promise too.”

“I promise.” Hunter agreed and he tucked his fingers under your chin and brought your lips to his.

You had wanted to keep it short and sweet, but you soon found yourself physically incapable. One gentle nip from him on your bottom lip and you were done for. The kiss soon turned hungry and desperate. The two of you were consumed by a passion you’d had no outlet for yet, and you were getting completely lost in the moment. Your hands threaded themselves in his hair and you pressed yourself against him as he deepened the kiss and squeezed your hips to get you to subtly grind against him which were instructions you were only too happy to follow.

It was all over though when you felt his hands start to reach the bottom of your shirt and brush against your bare skin. Instinctively, you flinched away, and you crashed back to reality. You knew what marks you were concealing, and what he would feel if he lifted your shirt, and it wasn’t something he should have to see. “I- I can’t.” You panted against his lips. Your body yearned for him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to go any further, not yet. Everything was still too fresh, and you couldn’t, no matter how much you wanted to.

Even though his body burned for you, he’d never push you into this, but he wanted to share the burden of whatever it was that was tormenting you. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you?” Hunter murmured breathlessly as he glanced up at you.

You swallowed thickly. “I want to but-” You released a low, shaky breath. “It’s- it’s hard to talk about.”

Hunter stroked your cheek. “Well, when you’re ready, I’ll be right there.”

You pressed your lips into his palm.

“Come on, let’s try to get some rest. We’ll arrive at Nelvaan in a few hours.” He kissed your forehead before you got to your feet and the two of you made your way back to your bunk.

--

“Y- you’re supposed- supposed to be dead!” Kedrin exclaimed fearfully as he cowered behind the main counter upon seeing you standing in the doorway of his shop, the two clones on either side of your shoulders.

“You should’ve sprung for a better bounty hunter then.” You countered as you walked towards the store owner. “I have some questions for you.”

“No, I’m not dealing with any of you ever again!” Kedrin reached underneath the counter and pulled out a blaster and pointed it at you.

You stopped your advance and raised your hands in surrender. “Kedrin, I just need to talk to you.”

“Fuck you! You don’t get to use my name and talk to me like what you did to me was nothing!”

You internally cringed at the memory of what you’d put him through.

“Did you even know he was my brother?!” He shouted in anger. “Did you even care, you heartless bitch?!”

Hunter tensed beside you.

You lightly grazed his hand with your own to tell him it was fine but at the same time shame coiled in your gut. You lowered your mask and kept your voice low and composed. “Kedrin-”

“Stop using my fucking name, you never bothered with it before!” He then turned his rage to the clone that stood closest to you. “And you! I still have the scar from you!” He yelled at the clone on your right, the blaster in his hand still quivering as he aimed it between the three of you.

Hunter stood unwavering beside you and said nothing.

You saw how unsteady his grip on his blaster was. “You’re not a killer, Kedrin. It’s why you sent the bounty hunter after me in the first place.” You said as an attempt to talk him down but the Force around him was in complete chaos, the only emotion that had any kind of control was his anger and that was dangerous. You knew the kind of pain and wrath the loss of a loved one could unleash, and it was why you’d never wanted to put anyone through it in the first place but now you were seeing the impact of your mistake firsthand.

“You killed my brother you fucking bitch!”

You sensed him getting ready to pull the trigger. “Kedrin-” You ducked as the blaster bolt came straight for your head. You channelled the Force and took the blaster from his hand whilst Hunter and Wrecker used that distraction to advance and subdue him. They shoved his head and torso down to press against the countertop.

“Do you want one to match?” Hunter threatened as he reached for his vibroblade and held the sharp point just above Kedrin’s unmarked hand as he and Wrecker held him down.

“Hunter, it’s okay.” You said, pulling him back from that line the two of you had agreed to keep each other from as you saw the way his grip strengthened and the wince of pain Kedrin couldn’t conceal.

Kedrin kept looking for a way out of their hold but was proving futile. “She murdered my brother.” He whimpered as he continued some half-hearted attempts to free himself.

“You’re right. I did.” You approached him and crouched to meet his eyeline. “And it was a mistake that I’m plagued by to this day. All I can do is say that I’m sorry. I know you’d love nothing more than to kill me too, it would probably feel great but please, please Kedrin, don’t do this. It won’t end well for you.” You begged. When his resistance finally ceased, you turned your attention to Hunter.

“Give us a minute.” You said to Hunter, resting a hand on the top of his shoulder.

“But-” Hunter got ready to argue.

“Hunter.” You interrupted firmly and fixed him with a stern stare.

Recognising that tone and look in your eyes, Hunter released a disgruntled but compliant sigh and nodded to Wrecker to let him go. He holstered his blaster and sheathed his vibroblade before leading the way out.

As you heard the door shut, you stepped back from the counter to give Kedrin some space. “You have no reason to trust me, but I promise that I’m not going to hurt you, that’s not why I’m here.”

“You’re- you’re not here to kill me for the bounty hunter?” Kedrin asked warily.  

You shook your head. “There was a time where that’s what precisely I would do and I wouldn’t even hesitate, but you’re not the person I’m supposed to be hurting and neither was your brother. I know nothing I say will bring you comfort but I am not here to kill you. I only want to talk.” You said sincerely as you put your weapons to the ground and faced him calmly.

Kedrin massaged his right shoulder- which had been on the receiving end of a particularly harsh grip from the clone you referred to as ‘Hunter’- and narrowed his eyes at you. “What is it exactly that you want to talk about?”

“This.” You placed the lightsaber on the counter and unwrapped it. “Where’d you get it?”

Kedrin wasn’t buying that that was all you wanted to know about, you had to be here for revenge. “How do I know you won’t do some magic thing like you did last time?”

You released an irritated sigh. “Because if I was going to do that, I would’ve done it already. I won’t lie, I can’t leave here with you still intent on sending hunters after me or I will have to do some things neither of us will enjoy, particularly you. I will always regret taking yours away from you, it was never part of my plan to leave someone alone, but my family is still counting on me, and I can’t have anything messing that up. Please, leave us alone and I’ll never bother you again after this.”

Kedrin angled his head and regarded you inquisitively. His body was still filled with fear of being alone with you, but it was like there was a different person standing before him- you seemed genuinely upset and sorry; and that in of itself would be punishment enough- better you feel the guilt of what you’d done than have an easy out. “You’re the most terrifying person I’ve ever met but for some reason, I believe what you’re saying. No more bounty hunters.”

You felt into the Force around him but there was no dishonesty or deceit. “The lightsaber?” You redirected his attention to the weapon on the counter.

Kedrin shrugged. “What about it?”

“Where did you get it?” You repeated impatiently.

Kedrin flinched at your tone and- not wanting to risk upsetting you any further- started wiping down some glass cases to channel his nervous energy and spoke quickly. “I’ve had it for a while, couldn’t tell you who gave it to me. Just that they were employed to be a part of the clean-up after your lot betrayed the Chancellor and found it and wanted a souvenir of the experience.”

You coughed and bit back the flurry of insults and threats that nearly escaped your mouth.

Kedrin, now so focused on his task that he was oblivious to your discomfort, carried on in a restless ramble, “Guess they ran into tough times during the transition period and wanted rid of it for some quick cash. No one really wanted to buy it though, it just sat there which was why I gave it to that bounty hunter.”

You felt your heartbeat thundering in your ears as you realised what this could mean for you. Leaving it behind had been an active choice to cut part of yourself off from the Force and now you had a chance to feel the Force flow through you as a single entity, no more jagged or disjointed connections… but you didn’t know if you were ready for that yet, it was too much to even comprehend. If it had survived everything and found its way back to you… did that mean that you could too?

“So, um are you going to pay for it?” He dared to ask but your sharp and cold glower had him gulping nervously and wringing his hands. “Uh, never mind, you can take it.” He said hastily. “Just let us be done with each other.”

You said nothing to him, you only covered it once more, picked up your other weapons and exited the shop.

--

“Everything okay?” Hunter asked as you emerged from the store.

“We were going to go get some supplies if you want to join?” Wrecker added.

“I need a moment. You guys go.” You said, giving Wrecker your concealed lightsaber and avoiding eye contact with them both as you hurried back to the Marauder.

--

Having found a moment of relief under the warm water, you got out of the shower and started to towel off and redress but as you pulled your tank top over you, you realised you’d left your long sleeve out by your bunk. You swore under your breath and only hoped the other two would take a bit longer on the supply run. You dashed out the door of the refresher and started to rummage through the bunk for it.

“Who did that to you?”

You whipped around to see Hunter stood frozen in the entryway to the Marauder. “Dammit Hunter-”

“Who did that to you?” He repeated heatedly, his concern and rage rising each second. The sight of the deep and cruel scars that disappeared from your upper back beneath your shirt to the rest of your back was engrained in his mind and any plans of waiting for you to come to him evaporated as his anger and protectiveness overcame him.

Wrecker stepped up beside his brother, put the supplies down and your weapon on a shelf. He nervously glanced between the two of you and it didn’t take an enhanced skill for him to pick up on the way Hunter was trembling with fury. “Eh, what’d I miss?”

Hunter ignored him and kept his eyes on you. “Who was it?”

You turned back around to grab your shirt and it was then that you heard Wrecker’s sharp inhale as he too now saw what it was Hunter had seen. You fiddled with the fabric, twisting it tightly in your hands. “It wasn’t like it was solely one person. Just forget about it.” You muttered aloofly.

“No, I can’t just forget about it. Who. Hurt. You?” 

You sighed heavily and half-turned to face the two clones. “It was a two for one special.”

“Don’t.” Hunter chided sternly. He couldn’t have you make light of this, not when he’d seen what you’d gone through now. He couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer anymore and, as awful as a part of him found it, he had to push you now.

There was no leeway in his voice, you weren’t going to be able to dodge and weave your way out of this conversation now. “Basically, it was both Imperial Stormtroopers and their higher command officers.” You swallowed harshly. “They- they worked together on this one.”

Hunter simply stormed away from you to the ship’s controls. “Wrecker, let’s get the ship in the air.”

“You’re going to go after every Imperial officer and stormtrooper in the galaxy?” You scrappily tugged your top layer over you and hustled after the two of them as they strode into the cockpit.

“If I have to!” Hunter growled.

“I’m with the Sarge on this one.” Wrecker agreed severely as he started to power up the ship.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought but that’s not logical nor practical!” You argued.

“Don’t talk to me about practicality when they did that to you!” Hunter shouted angrily.

“It was my fault, Hunter!” You yelled back.

That caused both of them to pause and Wrecker turned off the engine.

“I did it to myself.” You said, your voice scarcely above a whisper as you braced yourself for the time you were about to relive.

“What are you talking about?” Hunter asked, his voice as quiet as yours now as he studied your face carefully.

“Before I tell you, I need you both to stay calm. Especially you.” You said to Hunter. You knew he wasn’t mad at you; his reaction had been exactly as you’d expected. His fierce protectiveness was a quality you loved about him, but it could be his undoing if he wasn’t careful. “And you need to know and accept that nothing would’ve changed it, it wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I acted in poor and emotional judgement and there was nothing you could’ve done to prevent it. Please, trust me on this.” You insisted with a pleading stare at him before you looked to Wrecker who- albeit hesitantly- nodded. You glanced to Hunter again who was still looking like he could take on the Empire singlehandedly. “Hunter?”

Hunter felt a keen sense of dread at your words, and it was highly likely he wouldn’t be able to view it quite as simply as that, but he allowed himself a deep and calming breath. He’d do this for you. “Tell me.”

You exhaled nervously and fidgeted with your hands. Realistically, you’d known you wouldn’t be able to go through the rest of your life without being found out or talking about it but that didn’t make doing this any easier. “I’m sure I don’t really have to go into how hard it was to find each other, right? I’m sure you guys had your fair share of failed leads and things were pretty hopeless for a while, yes?”

Hunter and Wrecker both nodded.

You took another breath. “Right, well, it was the same for me. During our time apart, nothing I did was getting me any closer to you and I could feel it draining me every day. Lyra and I arrived on Christophsis and decided to settle there but it didn’t help. No matter how hard I searched, no matter how much of myself I gave up when it came to getting what I wanted, nothing was bringing results, and I was angry. I was angry, frustrated and just miserable. And it was in that poor state of mind that I made a choice that I shouldn’t have.”

Hunter knew those emotions all too well and he’d get incredibly impatient and unfocused when they got overwhelming, but he’d been fortunate to have Wrecker around to pick up the load when it got too much. Yes, you may have had Lyra, but he knew you and how you operated, and you would’ve put it all on you, regardless of how exhausting it would’ve been and that’s what made him nervous as he awaited further explanation.

You shuffled your feet. “I was being a bit of a nuisance to the Empire wherever I went, Christophsis was no exception, but I was getting nowhere on the information front so, in my slightly unstable state, I figured the best way to find out about you or even Hemlock was to um well, find it straight from the source.”

Hunter’s heart skipped a beat. “No, no you didn’t.”

Wrecker looked between the two of you in confusion but then it clicked with him too and he stared at you, horrified. “Why would you do that?”

You swallowed thickly. “I thought that by handing myself in, I would be able to get the information I was needing. I figured they would have some form of intel on you I could use.” You huffed irritably as you remembered how foolish you’d been. “Turns out they were a lot smarter than I gave them credit for and they sussed out my plan pretty quickly.”

You winced as Hunter threw his helmet and it crashed against the wall. You expected no less but you needed to reign him back in if you had any chance of recounting the whole story. “That’s not staying calm.”

Hunter got to his feet and paced; his distress evident. “We were on your trail! If I’d been faster and picked our sources more carefully, you wouldn’t have had to-” Hunter seethed. How could he have failed you so badly? You’d put yourself through hell for their sake and if he had gotten to you sooner, you wouldn’t have had to have gone through this.

“Hunter, no.” You shook your head to stop him from putting the blame on himself. “The whole reason I did it was because the trail was running cold, and I was desperate. It was all on me. and I’m not done explaining this yet and it doesn’t get better, but you can’t do this. I understand and appreciate where it comes from, but it won’t help now, okay? Just let me finish it.”

Hunter clenched his jaw but did as you asked. He sat back down and nodded at you to continue but he was helpless to stop the anxious shaking of his leg.

You gritted your teeth as you prepared yourself for what you had to do next and any levity that you’d previously been forcing into your voice vanished. “Since they knew what I was and some of the general history between all of us, it’s like I said, they were aware of what I wanted, and they definitely weren’t up for giving it to me. They finally had me under their control, and they were very good at making sure I wasn’t getting away any time soon. Honestly, they were pretty creative with their methods and I’m sure some of them found doing what they did to me quite therapeutic.” That dismissive attitude slipped back in at the end without you meaning to. Frankly, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for the sharp and worried looks from Wrecker and Hunter. You mentally checked yourself before you proceeded.

“Where they showed their inexperience however was when they got frustrated at how little I gave them. I don’t think they realised how hard it would be to crack someone like me. Their fists, their whips, their electrostaffs… it all hurt but it wouldn’t get me to talk. So, they went for something different, and that was what got them quite close.” You stopped again and found yourself touching the small pinprick scar as you remembered the sharp sting and then the complete haziness that would follow that would render your completely susceptible to anything they would do and say. “Whatever concoction they’d inject into my neck when they got bored or too tired from physically hurting me was nearly impossible for me to resist and that was a terrifying experience... I was having to fight my own mind while they happily watched on. That interrogator droid would enter, and- and my body would go cold with fear every time.” You paused for a chance to gather yourself and squeezed your eyes tight to rid yourself of the memories of that dark, cramped room they would take you where you were helpless to their cruelty and the last thing you would clearly recall would be the whirring of that droid approaching you.

You took another breath before you continued to speak. “That was what came close to breaking me and they worked that out. Every day they would inject me with that serum to make me submit to their words and they would tell me you were right outside. They- they would tell me that I would see- see you all again if I only told them how much I knew about Omega and where I was hiding…. And every day I would have to remind myself that it was all a lie… that you weren’t there, and I couldn’t reveal anything since that would put Lyra in danger too.” You released a shaky breath. “Or they’d try to convince me that you were going through the same thing I was and- and it was my fault and to get- to get it to stop I would have to tell them everything.” You felt a lump form in the back of your throat, but you forced yourself to talk through it. “They could beat me all they wanted but that was the thing that actually left a mark… these scars merely came with the territory.”

A troubled silence fell upon the walls of the Marauder as you finished. You picked at some imaginary lint on your leggings as a way to bring your emotions under control.

Hunter felt sick to his stomach. He could’ve saved you or made it so putting yourself in that position would never have needed to seem like a viable option. You’d needed him and he hadn’t been there. He’d let you down.

You caught a glimpse of his expression changing from anger to defeated sadness and he didn’t need to vocalise those thoughts; you were perfectly aware of what would be going through his head. “It’s okay.” You mouthed silently to him.

You shouldn’t be the one comforting him. A broken and anguished sigh left his throat. Okay? How was any of this okay? You’d subjected yourself to torture for them and had carried the burden of it by yourself for so long.

“How’d you get away?” Wrecker asked in quiet upset as he imagined you experiencing that.

You coughed and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from your eyes. “Truth be told, it gets a bit blurry near the end. I…” You trailed off and frowned as you worked on accurately recalling what had gone down the day you got out. You hesitantly started your explanation again. “I remember overhearing that they were going to send me off world to a high security prison and I couldn’t have that. The trooper who put the cuffs on me to take me back to my cell was a rookie, I think he figured I was unconscious, so he used the regular ones that didn’t restrict my Force-wielding abilities. Then the dizziness and blackouts set in, I remember finding the strength to take him out, but I don’t exactly know how I proceeded from there. The next thing I do remember was collapsing outside the door to where we were living and Lyra dragging me inside.”

“Hunter?” You looked to him since he hadn’t said anything yet.

Hunter’s throat had gone so dry, he couldn’t summon words immediately. All that was racking through his head was how he could’ve prevented this and how he should’ve been there to save you. You never should’ve been the one to drag yourself out of that hellhole. The protective part of him wanted to find a way for you to come up with any identifying features that could assist in hunting down those who’d inflicted that pain on you but despite all you’d relayed to them, he was calmer now and he knew that wasn’t what you wanted. He may have failed you then, but he wouldn’t now. His focus now lay in what he could do for you now but there was an element to the explanation he was missing and once he had that, everything else could fall into place. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He murmured instead.

There was no accusation in his eyes, no pointedness or blame in his tone. You knew he just wanted to understand, and it was a fair question. “I was working on compartmentalising it; it was just going badly. And-” You stopped yourself from continuing and instead just started to back away. “Nothing.”

“And what?” Hunter pressed as he got to his feet and caught your hand before you could step away any further.

You shook your head. “It’s a stupid reason, I shouldn’t care about it.”

“Nothing you’re feeling about this is stupid. I might be able to help, you only need to tell me.” Hunter prompted tenderly as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb.

You regarded him carefully, attempting to find some deception or falseness in his tone so you didn’t have to say it but, unsurprisingly, you didn’t find any. You bit your lip before speaking, “I didn’t want you to have to see them. They’re- they’re not exactly nice to look at.” You muttered as you dipped your head to stare at the floor.

The fact that that was even cause for concern felt like a punch to the gut but at least there was something he could do about it. He may not be able to go after the Imperials like he wanted but he could help you realise that was a non-issue for him and one that hadn’t even crossed his mind. “Wrecker, take a walk. I’ll be in touch when you can come back.” Hunter ordered his brother.

Wrecker wasn’t about to question him, so he did as he said. He rested a gentle hand on your shoulder in comfort. “Thank you for telling us.” He said before he left the ship.

You went to address Hunter, but he spoke first.

“Turn around.”

Your brow furrowed but you couldn’t deny the warmth that bloomed in your stomach at his words. “What?”

“Turn around.” Hunter repeated, his tone quiet but filled with dominance.

Despite your lingering questions as to what exactly it was that he wanted, you found yourself doing as he instructed. You could feel the heat in your stomach start to radiate throughout the rest of his body. Each steady thump of armour hitting the ground had goosebumps rising on your skin in anticipation and you felt him crowd your back and rest his chin in the space between your neck and shoulder.

Hunter kissed the sensitive spot behind your ear and as he felt you relax into him; he slowly grabbed the hem of your long-sleeved layer and lifted it over your head and dropped it to the floor of the ship. He didn’t let his eyes fall to the scars yet. Instead, he caressed the trail of goosebumps on your arms and continued to pay close attention to your neck, softy nibbling the areas that he knew would make you weak at the knees.

He could play your body so well; it was like the two of you hadn’t been parted for as long as you had been. You could feel yourself growing more and more compliant to his touch and desire coursed through your body. You only snapped out of it when you felt his touch go lower and he tugged the bottom of your vest top. You went stiff and immediately grabbed his hands in a panic. “Hunter, no. You-”

“Easy.” He soothed as he pressed delicate, featherlight kisses to the back and each side of your neck. “Trust me.” He rasped against your skin, but he waited for your signal.

You released a low, unsteady breath. You couldn’t live in this state of fear and shame forever. You trusted him with everything you had and that was why you felt yourself letting go of his wrists. Your breathing grew uneven, and your body trembled as you felt his bare hands graze underneath your vest top before, they held onto the hem of it.

“Relax… it’s okay. You’re okay now. Let me see.” He encouraged gently, only lifting when he saw you nod your permission.  

His gaze finally dipped to your bare back, and he had to fight to keep his breathing calm as he felt his heart shatter once he saw the full extent of what had been done to you. Your back was a map of merciless and vicious scars, and he wanted nothing more to take away the pain they’d caused you and inflict it on his own body. But that was the only effect they had. He was not repulsed, not repelled by the sight of them. They did nothing to ruin his physical perception of you. You were every bit as beautiful to him now as you had been when he first met you on Devaron all that time ago. “You’re exquisite.”

You refused to believe that. These were different to the scars you were both used to that came with the impact of battle and you were under no illusions as to how unsightly they were. You went to turn to face him so he wouldn’t have to keep looking at them and to protest his words, but he sensed that and beat you to it.

“These do not define you. They do not define my view of you. You are strong, you are capable, and you are a force to be reckoned with and that is why I love you.” He started to lightly touch each one. “No amount of scarring is going to change that. You. Are. Beautiful. I will be there to remind you of that whenever you need it.” He pressed his mouth to the space between your shoulder blades.  

Your body trembled under his touch and his sincerity threatened to overwhelm you. “Hunter-” You managed to choke out.

“I would tear the galaxy apart for you, if you wanted me to.” He hummed against your skin as he continued to trail his lips down your back, worshipping every mark that had been left on you so as to leave a new association with them now. “But I know that’s not what you need.”

A quivering breath left your lungs at his words and ministrations, and you knew you felt the same way. But it was because the two of you were aware of that line that your relationship worked so well- you could balance the sentiment with intent. You could feel him starting to make his way back up your back.

“So, what is it that you need?” He hummed into your ear before he placed his hands on your waist and sucked a mark over the tiny scar that rested on your pulse point.

You groaned and braced your hands on the wall that formed the entryway to the cockpit as you felt your knees buckle.

“Tell me, sweetheart. Tell me and it’s yours.” He asked again as his fingers started to dip beneath the waistband of your leggings whilst he pulled your earlobe between his teeth.

You knew exactly what it was, it was all you ever really needed. “You.” You gasped and you swore you felt him smile against your skin.

“You have me… always.”

You couldn’t hold out any longer, you turned around and crushed your lips against his with a groan and pushed him to the wall of the entrance to the cockpit. If he was taken aback by your abruptness, he didn’t show it as he matched your enthusiasm immediately, one hand coming to firmly grip your exposed waist whilst the other tangled itself in your damp hair, a desperate and eager noise leaving him as he got to feel your body press against his.

As you kissed him, your hands fisted his shirt and you pulled insistently but made no moves to actually step away to remove it, you were too addicted to the feeling of having him this way again… yet you needed to feel his skin against yours which is why you were thankful that he had enough willpower to separate himself from you and take it off himself.

The two of you breathed heavily and the air was thick with tension, but you were too focused on looking at what rested just past his collarbone. You hadn’t allowed yourself to check if he had held onto it for fear of what it could mean if it was gone, and your breath hitched. You touched the black leather cord and traced the small Jedi Order symbol on the end. “You- you kept it?”

“Of course, I did.” He softly uttered, if a little out of breath. He cradled your face in his palms. “What do I have to do to make you see what I see in you?”

Any answer died on your lips, and he passionately reconnected his mouth to yours, using your surprised gasp to deepen the kiss before he stepped away from the wall and started to direct you both down the narrow hallway to your bunk, muscle memory mapping the way as neither of you were content to separate to make the walk any easier.

A trail of clothes was left in your wake as you made your way to your bunk.

Hunter gently laid you down, his lips never parting yours before he patted your hip to get you to be on your front.

You still found yourself feeling reluctant. His beautiful brown eyes were laden with lust but there was also a deep and devoted sense of care behind them which was why you complied with his request. You trusted him.

Hunter went back to what he’d done earlier as he left delicate kisses to every scar that donned your back. What you endured was something no one should ever have to but what he could do now was make sure you knew that you didn’t need to hide them for the sake of other people- especially him- any longer. “You never have to worry about these. All that matters to me is that you’re here now, you got away, and you will never end up back there. More scars don’t have the power to change how I feel about you, nothing does. I love you for all that you are.” He planted a kiss to the base of your spine before he got you on your back to face him.

Hunter wiped away the salty tears that had escaped your eyes and nudged the side of your nose with his. “I love you. Always.”

“Always.” You repeated hoarsely as you were overwhelmed by the emotions that came crashing to the surface. You stroked back the smaller bits of hair that frequently slipped past his bandanna. 

Hunter kissed your cheek before leaving a trial of kisses along your jawline whilst his hand slowly made its way down your body to rest between your thighs.

Your legs parted for him on instinct and your hips bucked into his touch and a soft moan left your throat.

His voice took on a low purr as he moved his fingers. “Here’s how this is going to work: I am going to tell you everything that I love about you which you are then going to repeat and… if you don’t…” He stopped and took his hand away as he saw that familiar expression on your face, and he couldn’t help the slight smirk that tugged the edges of his mouth as that expression turned into an affronted pout. “I stop.”

Your eyes widened at the very clear implications of what he had in store for you.

“Or this doesn’t have to go any further and we stop now.” He offered sincerely.

No, you didn’t want that. It had been too long, and you needed him like your lungs needed oxygen. You could do this. You nodded your consent.

Hunter angled his head to press his lips against yours before he started to move his fingers again, hungrily swallowing your appreciative gasp. He kissed you passionately, not in any rush to stop right now. He parted from you and took a second to appreciate the throaty sighs that left your mouth at his actions, the way you bit your lip and the slight wrinkle on your brow as you grew closer to your release. He’d missed being able to see you like this, but he was relishing the opportunity to relearn and do all the things that made your body contort in pleasure. “You’re beautiful.” He exhaled in complete awe.

You were so caught up in the pleasure radiating throughout your body that you had already forgotten his plan and you were too put out by the feeling of your climax fading away to recall where your side of the bargain came into it. “Hey-” You cut yourself off as you saw the expectant expression on his face and then you remembered what you had to do to get what you craved but that doubt was still there, and you felt awkward doing it. However, the reassurance and trust that also rested on his face saw to it that you did as he said. “I- I’m beautiful.”

 Hunter bowed his head with a supportive smile before he carried on, the sound of your groan was like music to his ears. “Despite all that’s happened… all that we still have to do… you always find a way to make me smile.”

You were in a state of total euphoria and therefore failed to fully comprehend that he’d said something else. It was only when you felt him pull his hand away and the emptiness that followed that brought you back to the current situation. With a whine, you spoke again, “I- make- make you s- smile.” You ground out as you moved your hips in tandem with his touch as you chased your high.

He let you have your first climax, pausing to let you come down from it. Once your breathing evened out, he went again and kissed you before muttering against your lips, “You’re smart.”

“I’m- fuck.” You were too distracted by seeking the next release you were longing for to remember to respond, and you cried out in irritation as he stopped just before you reached it.  

“Almost.” He crooned into your ear.

As frustrated as you were, you got your bearings and whispered, “I’m smart.”

“Good girl.” He praised, a grin on his face as your breath stuttered at his words, before he continued, curling his fingers in the way he knew would send you over the edge and sure enough, your hips lifted as your release crashed over you and a gratified moan sounded from you. However, he didn’t stop, he worked you through it and said, “You’re caring.”

The process got easier and began to feel more natural. You slowly started to understand that clinging on to that part of your past had made it impossible to fully come back. Keeping yourself hidden and refusing to acknowledge what you’d experienced had made it difficult to fathom that he could still want you this way but each affirmation from his, as silly as you’d initially felt at doing what he said, was helping cement the idea that you may not be able to change or fix what you’d gone through, but it didn’t have to control you anymore. You had a partner and family that loved you and who you adored and would do anything for. You would get through this and now you were beginning to feel like you could do it. You felt yourself believing what he was telling you. A whimper left your throat, and you could already sense that you were hurtling towards the edge again, but you repeated it. “I’m c- caring.” You said through panted breaths as you coped with the overstimulation.

“You’re doing so well.” He encouraged as he kept to his word and continued to touch you. “You’re strong.” He knew he was repeating himself, but they weren’t words he minded reiterating, and he needed you to know and believe it too.

“I’m strong.” You said breathlessly as your hands curled into the blanket beneath you as that feeling overcame you again.

He saw you through your next peak and took his hand away to give you a rest from the stimulation and simply stared at you and the blissed out look on your face. He had it committed to memory, but it never ceased to take his breath away every time.

You gathered yourself enough to smile at him. “Thank you.” You whispered as you lightly followed the shape of his tattoo. You clasped the back of his neck and attempted to pull him towards you, but he worked his way out of your grip and instead kissed the hollow of your throat before kissing his way down the rest of your body. Your head fell back as you realised his intent, but you had thought it would be time for him to take what it was he needed.

He could help the groan that left him as he finally put his mouth on you. He could get drunk off the taste of you, and it had been too fucking long since he’d had the chance to do so, and he wasn’t about to stop now.

You couldn’t help the way your hands tangled in his hair and tugged him closer to you, his appreciative growl sent shivers down your spine, but you were so sensitive, and you didn’t think you could manage another one. “Hunter, I can’t. Just-”

“One more. I know you can.” He encouraged desperately as he planted a kiss to your inner thigh, sucking a bruise into the skin, before he went back to where his attention was demanded. He needed you to fall apart on his tongue, he was addicted to it, every drop of you, every whimper that sounded from you was like his own personal drug and he would never tire of it. “You’ve been such a good girl… done everything I’ve asked for… just give me one more, sweetheart.”

That did it. Your back arched and you finished with a ruined and exhausted moan. You were completely spent but it felt so good. You barely registered him to come rest beside you, his lips pressed against your temple.

“I know that wasn’t easy, but I’m so proud of you.” Hunter murmured into your hairline as he stroked up and down your side.

You regained enough feeling in your limbs to turn on your side “What about you?” You queried, still struggling to catch your breath. You knew you would be sensitive but your overwhelming longing for him swiftly outweighed any concerns.

Hunter slowly shook his head as he brushed his lips against yours, taking them away when you went to deepen the kiss. “This was always about you.”

With each passing moment, you were gaining more clarity over your faculties, and you knew what you had to do. A seductive smile pulled at the corners of your mouth and your hand snaked down between you both.

“What-” Hunter inhaled sharply as he felt your hand wrap around him, and his jaw clenched as he fought the urge to thrust his hips into your touch. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to-”

“You said this was about me and what I need, right?” You hummed as you rested your forehead against his whilst your hand kept moving. You kept your touch teasing but just enough to drive him crazy.

“R-right.” Hunter said through a strained breath as he felt his restraint leaving him with every second you continued to touch him.

“And what I need is to feel you…” You brought your lips close to his, barely any space between you now. “Inside me.” You kissed him, tugging his lip between your teeth whilst your free hand entangled itself in his hair, the actions eliciting the depraved groan you had been looking for, and before you knew it, you were back on your back again with Hunter kissing you with a newfound fervour which you matched in kind. You wrapped your legs around him and drew him closer to you, smiling against his lips at the surprised huff that escaped him.  

Hunter kept kissing you as he started to guide himself into you. He knew you would still feel tender and was careful as he slowly moved into you, both of your breaths catching at the feeling. His head fell to rest in the crook of your neck, biting down on the skin there before he soothed the sting of it with his tongue as he started to move, heavy grunts and pants leaving his lips as he got absorbed in feeling you this way after all this time.

Your nails dug into his back, and you could feel the muscles flex beneath your fingers and a sensual sigh left your lungs as you finally felt all of him.

One thought crossed your mind amidst the fog of pleasure that was spreading over your body. You’d let go of your fear now and you wanted to look for that connection again. Before, it had marked a level of certainty of your place here and overall mindset and if you couldn’t find it after all that had happened, there was a time where you would’ve been sure that it would mean there was no true way back for you. But now you understood that wasn’t and didn’t have to be the case. If it wasn’t there, you could work to get it back.

You used the Force around you to find his unique signature again and you could’ve wept with joy as you sensed it once more and it welcomed you with open arms. It had been waiting for you. You bridged the gap between you and allowed that feeling to flow through you. I love you.

Hunter paused his movements, and he stared down at you, a shocked but delighted cry left his mouth as he saw the broad and affirming smile on your face that told him he hadn’t imagined it. He’d wanted to have that back for so long and his heart soared as he realised what this meant for you. You weren’t holding back anymore; you were officially home.

You stroked a thumb along his cheekbone before clenched around him in an attempt to get him to keep going, a smug hum of laughter leaving you at the almost pained expression on his face as he got himself back under control before he started again.

“Do it again. Please.” Hunter requested frantically as he felt himself approaching his own release.

You smiled affectionately at him and continued to kiss him as you saw him through to his climax. I love you. I love you. I love you.

He finished with a strangled groan, and he collapsed on top of you. He stayed there for a few moments before he gently pulled out of you, stroking your hair as he saw you slightly wince at the action. “I’m sorry if it was too much.”

You shook your head. “It was perfect. You were perfect.” You reassured him as he laid down beside you and held you close to him. We should clean up.

Hunter made a sound of acknowledgement as he pressed his mouth to the crown of your head. “What made you do that again?”

“I let go.” You said simply before planting a chaste kiss to his lips before taking his hands in yours and guiding him to the refresher. “Come on.”

--

“What are you thinking?” Hunter asked as he watched you pick up the wrapped lightsaber from the shelf Wrecker had put it on. You hadn’t touched it since taking it from the bounty hunter.

“I can’t hold on to or fear the past anymore. We can only look to the future now and that future has us getting Omega back. And…” You uncovered the seemingly harmless looking weapon. “I think this will make achieving that easier.” You reached for it, hesitating for just a moment before you picked it up and it was an instant reaction. You took half a step back as the sensation of feeling that connection you hadn’t encountered for years threatened to overwhelm you. Flashes of your past as a youngling and echoes of previous battles and instructions from your master sounded in your head but it wasn’t scary this time, you were merely remembering the periods where this weapon had been your life.

Hunter placed a steadying hand on your shoulder. “You alright?”

You took one long breath. “Yeah. It’ll just take come getting used to, but it’s going to be worth it. I’m not hiding what I am these days, may as well have the whole image.” You said light-heartedly.

Hunter cupped your jaw and kissed you gently, both of you sighing contentedly into the sensation before Wrecker’s hesitant voice echoed through the comms.

“Um, Hunter… I hope I’m not interrupting eh anything now but um I was wondering if I could come back? I’ve started to wander in circles and I’m getting some suspicious looks.”

The two of you chuckled.

“Poor guy.” You said with a humorous shake of your head.

“Yeah, Wrecker, head on back and we can get outta here.” Hunter replied through his comm.

“Wrecker, how’d you fancy having an excuse to shoot at me?” You said into your comm, and the intrigued but excited cheer told you your answer.

“Shoot you?” Hunter repeated, titling his head at you inquisitively.

You grinned as you clipped your lightsaber to your waist. “Yeah, how else did you think I was going to train?”

--

“That’s 15 to 11!” Wrecker whooped as you came to after his stun blast hit your back.

Fuck you. You jabbed playfully as you accepted Hunter’s outstretched hand. He tugged you to your feet.

“You’re lasting longer.” Hunter commented supportively and- knowing you would want to go immediately again- walked away to take up his position.

You wiped the dirt from your clothing and removed your mask to take some deep breaths and find your centre again. Taking on jobs, following leads, mediating and lightsaber training… that was how you balanced your time; you were feeling more like the person you had been before your world had been torn apart. You’d never be able to be her again, but you could own who you are now and allow yourself to feel the emotions you’d been struggling against without suffocating in them anymore.

“But still not long enough!” Wrecker goaded. “I’ll always be in the lead!”

You didn’t take the bait. Instead, you took off your armour, gloves, and long-sleeved top.

“Hey, wait a minute, that’s not fair.” Wrecker protested.

Hunter turned inquisitively and his breath hitched. A soft sheen of sweat graced your skin and your body rippled with strength and untapped potential… and fuck did it make his heart skip a beat and his blood run hot. He was grateful his helmet was still on because the way his eyes widened would’ve given you too much material to work with right now, but he wasn’t able to hide the way his hand slightly fumbled as he unholstered his blaster. He wasn’t embarrassed by finding you attractive in this way, the frequent teasing he’d often received for it just made it harder to focus on the task at hand.

“The training stays the same and my strategy is my own. It’s not supposed to have an effect on you anyway.” You retorted with a smug grin as Hunter’s reaction went exactly as you’d anticipated.

“You better not mess this up for us, Hunter.” Wrecker warned as he shoved his brother’s shoulder to snap him out his reverie.

You laughed to yourself as you watched them. You picked up your lightsaber and ignited it, the blue blade thrumming at your side, and you felt that rush of connection and security. Having a blaster by your side was nothing compared to this.

It was a powerful sight that Hunter never got used to and quite frankly, part of him was relieved he’d never come across you as an official Jedi General during the war because if his reaction to seeing you train and work towards unlocking whatever you had been tampering down for so many years was anything to by, he would’ve gotten himself shot a long time ago- half your earlier victories came from redirecting his own stun blasts to him.

You got into your stance and faced the two clones as they readied their blasters. “Alright, let’s go again.”

<Previous Oneshot

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @skellymom, @lokigirlszendaya

[writer66]

Chapter 1: S7 "The Bad Batch"

Hunter (The Bad Batch) x Femalejedi!reader

Series Summary: You've always liked clones... At least the ones that you fought with your old Master Obi Wan Kenobi, and your older brother Anakin Skywalker, after your training you became a Jedi Knight General. However, you weren't given a platoon but a small squad... Clone Force 99.

Chapter Summary: You meet the batch and find them really odd. You have to go on a mission with them with Rex and a few other clones. This reveals an old friend.

Masterlist

Genre: Strangers to Friends (sort of) to Lovers

Warnings: cannon typical violence, talk of death, mild injuries, the Force, slight cannon deviation (mostly in later chapters)

Word Count: 2570

Author Notes: As stated in the Masterlist these stories will get spicy so 18+ unless you are old enough to handle the content. This will be more of getting to know the characters and establishing bonds/relationships. I will not be using Y/N, the OC is Aria Skywalker, Anakin's younger sister.

The battle for Anaxes! One of the Republic's largest shipyards is under attack, from Admiral Trench's Separatist Forces. Jedi Generals Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, and Aria Skywalker, lead a two-pronged assault on the ground and in the air. But after weeks of heated battle and mounting losses, the Republic's grip on Anaxes begins to slip away.

"The droids have overrun our main production facility. It won't be long before the Separatists take Anaxes. Compromising our entire fleet." Mace Windu says to Anakin and Aria.

"Pardon the interruption, General, but Rex here has a good theory on why we keep, uh... losing." Commander Cody says to the Generals. "Please, Captain" Windu responds, "The droid army uses analytic to predict our strategy. The first time we use a tactic, it's very effective. The next, less so. In fact, the more we use a certain tactic, the less effective it becomes. They learn our tendencies and use that data against us. To counter them, we're constantly working out ways to vary our attack." Rex says, "But the losses we are experiencing on Anaxes are not commonplace." "Exactly. The counterattacks are so specific, it's my strategy the droids know, my playbook." Cody jumps in, "my concern is that Rex is one of our best. If the droids can learn to defeat him, we may all be vulnerable." "What do you purpose?" Windu Asks, "Let Rex and me take a small squad behind enemy lines. There is a Separatist Cyber Center which relays all battlefield intel to their command ship. If we're going to find anything, it will be there." "If you think that it will help turn this fight around, get going. But take General Skywalker with you" Both Anakin and Aria looked at one another, confused Windu saw the sibling's confusion and said "little Skywalker." Aria smiled at Rex and Cody. "Thank you General" "Rex, is there anything else?" Anakin questioned, knowing something was off with his captain. "No, General."

Aria, Cody, and Rex all go to gear up. "Come on, Rex, time to move out." Cody says going into his barracks, "Fives, Echo, and before that Heavy. There's so many troopers gone." "Yeah, regular folk don't understand. Sometimes in war, it's hard to be the one that survives." "That's what I'm worried about." "Well, what do you mean?" "I didn't tell the Generals. They might think I'm crazy. In fact, you might think I'm crazy." "What is it?" "I think Echo's alive." "That's not possible. He died at the Citadel." "The way the droids are countering us here, the strategies I'm using, they're all old battle plans Echo and I drew up together." "Look, Rex, I hear what you're saying. But it's just not possible." "I hope you're right. But the fact is, Echo's fingerprints are all over the Separatist strategies." "Rex. You have to admit what you're saying is a long shot at best, and most likely, misplaced hope. I need you to be focused on this." "I-I know, I know. Don't worry." Cody heads for the door, "so, what squad are we taking in?" "Clone Force 99."

As Rex and Cody come out, Aria is standing with Jesse and Kix, two more of her favourite clones, other than Rex and Cody. "Look at that, the bromance is done, can we go now?" Aria asks, "hey, you should be used to the bromance, you're constantly surrounded by guys." Jesse says, "watch it, Jesse, we might just leave you here." "Oh snap" Kix says laughing, "Repeat, coming in hot on platform TT-3-9-7." A clone says over the intercom. "Hey come on you three, time to go meet this Clone Force 99." Rex says.

"So why haven't I heard of this squad?" "Yeah, what's up with that, Cody?" Aria said supporting Rex. "Experimental unit Clone Force 99, they're defective clones with, uh... desirable mutations." "99, hey? Nice touch." "They call themselves "The Bad Batch" "hm, creative" Aria says curiously.

The ship's door in front of the 4 clones and Jedi opens showing 4 very different clones, one yells "the cavalry has arrived!" Kix and Jesse stare at each other scared out of the minds, Aria can tell she can't help but laugh a little. They all take off their helmets, still looking very different, one with a small tattoo covering his eye shaped like a target. The next has glasses, then the tallest clone Aria had ever seen. Finally, the fourth was very different, smaller than the others but still a lot taller than her, but it wasn't his height that intrigued her it was half of his face that was also covered in a tattoo, it looked like a skull, matching the one on his red bandana. "These guys are clones? They don't look like clones to me." Kix says

"Sergeant, good to see you again." Cody greets the one with the skull tattoo. "You too, sir." "This is Hunter" Cody says to the rest of us. "Sorry, we're late, Commander. We ere putting down an insurrection on Yalbec Prime when your comm came in. Had a few unforeseen... complications." The big clone chuckles, "ever fought a male Yalbec?" "Um, no. Can't say I have." Jesse says, "ha, you're lucky. Only way to kill 'em is with one of these." He says as he pulls out some kind of blade. "That's right. Wrecker here cut off the Queen's stinger while she was still alive. That's why all those Yalbec males tried to eat us." Hunter says, "uh, technically, they were trying to mate with us. And, for your information, the stinger of a Yalbec Queen is a delicacy on some planets." "They call him Tech." Cody says, "yeah, he can fill your head with useless info for hours." Hunter says, giving him a friendly punch to Tech's arm. "Crosshair, on the other hand, he's not much of a conversationalist, but when you have to hit a precise target from ten clicks, Crosshair's your man." "Impressive" Aria says, "This is General Jedi Knight Aria Skywal-" "As in little sister of General Anakin Skywalker?" Tech says. "Yeah…" Aria responds, "oh my, I've heard so many things about you guys!" "Cool" "hey, Tech, stop fangirling." Crosshair says teasing. "So, Commander, what kind of "suicide mission" do you have for us this time?" Hunter says interrupting. "Let's get going. We'll brief you on the way."

They all got on transport ships and went on their way. "What are you looking at?" Jesse says disturbing the silence. The question was aimed at Crosshair, who responded with, "we don't usually work with "regs."" ""regs?"" "He's talking about regular clones. But don't take it personally." Hunter says, stepping in to avoid any conflict. "We're all on the same team, guys" Cody says. "So cut the attitude and listen up" Aria adds. "Here's the mission. Our target is this Cyber Center. It's the "brains" of the entire Separatist campaign here on Anaxes." Cody debriefs, "I could demolish that with one hand! Yeah!" "This isn't a demo job, Wrecker. It's strictly a retrieval operation." "Dang" "hey, next time Wrecker" Aria says to lift his spirits."

"INCOMING FIRE!" the pilot says, they all try to hold their balance as they get shot at. "We're going down!" Wrecker yells as he laughs. They all crash-land. Wreck and Aria help get everyone out, "We always get shot down when we travel with regs." "Cody! Help!" Kix yells, "He's trapped! We have to do something." "I'll get him" Rex says. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy Captain. Wrecker, get him out." "Get back!" "This is ridiculous. He's gonna need help to get Cody out of there." Crosshair chuckles, "He's gonna get the gunship out of there. Not Cody." Wrecker picks up the ship and throws it, so he can get Cody, then it blows up. "Boom!" they all crowed around Cody. Kix scans for injuries. "He has internal damage. I can cut the pain. But he needs up fast." "We all need help." Crosshair says as he sees droids on their way, "that blast gave away our position." "I thought getting shot down gave away our position." "Everyone find cover" Rex says, "We'll hold those position and let them come to us." "I don't think so, Captain. That's not our style. We prefer going to them. Bad Batch! Plan 82, "Shockwave!"" The Bad Batch bust into action, they defeat all the droids, while the other 5 stand and do nothing.

"That was some show you put on just now" Rex says. "Just doing our job, Captain." Hunter responds, he hears Wrecker laughing. "Hey, look, Crosshair, this little clanker likes you." Crosshair scoffs, "grow up, Wrecker." "We should move out before reinforcements arrive. Our positions has been compromised." Aria says to the Captain and Sergeant.

They're able to get into a small part of the forest and set up a small camp. They all keep to themselves, Kix and Jesse sit together on a rock while Rex is with Cody, and Batchers all together except Hunter who was further off in the distance. Aria was just standing, not knowing what to do. "So, I get what makes the other Batchers unique, but what's so special about Hunter?" Jesse says to Kix "He can put up with the other three." "He was engineered with heightened senses. A place like the Cyber Center, Hunter can feel the electromagnetic frequencies from anywhere on the planet." Tech says. "And here I thought we were smart just using a holomap." Jesse says, "well, maps can be wrong. Hunter never is."

Cody groans, "Cody!" Aria sits next to Rex. "Hey hang in there Cody." Rex says getting up, "listen up. We have to move out." "Commander Cody's in no position to move." "Already called in Evac. Kix will stay with Cody until it arrives. Aria's in charge and as her second in command I have a plan to get into that Cyber Center." "If your plans are so good, why did Commander Cody have to call us in?" Crosshair challenges. "You can't talk to Captain Rex like that!" Jesse says, "says who?" Wrecker says, as he picks up Jesse by his neck. "Put him down!" Kix says. A little fight breaks out. "Wrecker, drop him. Now." "Guys stop, come on." Aria and Hunter say at the same time. The fight stops, "we're all fighting for the same thing, right?" Aria asks, knowing the answer. "Let's cut the chatter and finish what we started. We'll do it your way, Captain. For Commander Cody." Hunter finishes. "Okay, let's gear up and move out."

The 5 troopers and Jedi move out, heading toward the Center. "Not our primary target. It's an outpost. Should we take it?" Hunter asks the Captain, "probably easier than going around." "All right, what are your orders? We pick them off from the tree line one-by-one?" "Actually, I was thinking we'd take a page from your book. Rush them head on." "I like your style."

The battle starts, "ah, clones, get them!" One droid says, Aria cuts off his head and flips over two more, cutting them in half. The 6 quickly take them all out and get inside. They take the platform up, "hey, you're not authorized..." another droid says. Again the droids fall, wrecker had to come up last. "Aw, is it over already? Aw, man!" "Not bad. For a reg." Hunter says to Rex, All right. There it is. The Cyber Center." Tech says, "It looks like the Cyber Center itself has minimal guards, about 30 droids. Oh, wait, wait. I got a massive signal coming in. A whole platoon of droids is headed this way." "Someone's noticed our handiwork back at the crash site" Hunter says, "Yeah, make sure you keep am eye on those incoming Separatist forces. I want to know when they reach this outpost." "You got it, Cap" Tech responds. "We've gotta move swiftly." "We'll grab some speeder bikes and flank them from the back." "Thats smart, Rex, Jesse and I will take the front, and then it will force them to the front to help" Aria says to Hunter. Hunter couldn't speak for a moment, when he first say her, he obviously notice her beauty but now having her ocean blue eyes stare at him, it was almost as if he could move. "You got General" Tech says for Hunter.

They set up for their attack at the Cyber Center. "Is everyone in position?" Rex asks into the comm. "Affirmative." Hunter and Crosshair respond, "Cap, you wanted to know when those Separatist forces breached the outpost. Well, they're getting there just about now."

The battle begins, Aria, Jesse, and Rex take out droids while Crosshair snips some from up top. Tech tries to delicately open the back doors, but wrecker just kicks the door open. "You take too long!" The three clones are in and kill the droids. "Tech, get to work on these computers. We'll go get the regs and the General."

Once they got outside, they killed the remaining droids. "What took you so long, Wrecker?" Aria teased, "hey, this is a "delicate operation." "Better get in there, Cap." Rex heads into the center, as more reinforcements come. Rex finds out that it is not a program but a live signal from another planet; Skako Minor. Crosshair is ordered to find a lift to get them out of there. Hunter, Wrecker, Jesse, and Aria keep fighting. As Aria cuts through some droids, she notices that there is one sneaking up behind Hunter, "Hunter, watch out!" she says as she flips over the droid and cut him in half. "Hey thanks." "Don't mention it." Tech and Rex find an audio proving that the live signal is human, and Rex cannot believe it. "We gotta go! Now!" Aria and the others run inside the Center, "what is taking them so long?" "I don't know, but I'll go check" Aria runs to where Rex is just as Tech asks who it is "CT-1409, Ct-1409" "Rex! Tech!" "I... I don't believe it." "Rex, we gotta go!" Aria yells. They make it back outside and get to Crosshair with the ship he stole.

On the ship, Tech was the first one to break the silence, "that number, Cap, what did it mean?" "CT-1409... that was my friend's Echo's number. He's alive."

The drive back was quiet, Aria was sat beside Hunter and neither were the type to talk. But he wanted to know more about this Jedi. "So… I can’t help but notice that you’re General, but you don’t do much of the ordering." "Well, I haven’t really done ordering before" he looked at her confused. "I don’t control a platoon or a squad, I help other platoon such as the 501st with my brother or the 212th with my old master. So if I go on a mission with Rex or Cody, I let them lead. Plus I don’t like having to boss around clones" "why?" "Well… I believe that clones are people too, some other Jedi don’t see it that way." "Oh… I had no idea" "is that cause you don’t hang out with Jedi?" "Yep, most likely. But you know my last mission there was a fun brunette Jedi who was amazing" "wow, I wonder who that was" they both laughed, and Rex saw that for once in a long time Aria was having fun and laughing again, after… the whole Ahsoka incident.

Next Chapter>

[itsjml]

Alright, Dark & Broody

Pairing: Sub!Hunter x FemaleJedi!Reader Warnings: NSFW. Blindfolding. Edging. Overstimulation. P in V. Unprotected sex. Creampie.

Summary: You and Hunter have the Marauder all to yourself for the evening. You decide to have some fun with your dark and broody boyfriend. Word Count: 554

Note: This takes place/ lets pretend (and hope) Tbb survived the early empire days and are living on a remote planet. You’ve known each other from TCWs. You were a commander in what ever battalion you prefer. There’s really no plot tho. Just porn.

You and Hunter were having a heavy make out session on his bed and you ask him if he wants to try some things out since you guys are alone. He obliges.

“Take off your blacks.” you said in a commanding tone. He does as he’s told. You then start to loosen his bandanna and pull it down to cover his eyes; blindfolding him. He’s laying down on his back.

You trace kisses down his body, all the way to his shaft. You admire him for a second before licking him from the balls up to the tip of his hard cock. His pre cum is glistening.

“Will you be a good boy for me? Keep your hands on your sides. No moving.” You said. “Yes, commander.” He replied.

You then start sucking. Slow and steady, bopping your head up and down. You suck his balls; lick circles around the head of his cock. You give him pleasure and his moans fill the room of the ship. But then you stop as you feel that he’s about to cum. “Commander…” he whimpers. “You cum when I say so.” You said.

You get back to work on his cock, now with your hands. He’s whimpering all over, trying so hard not to cum. “Commander please!” He begs and whines at the same time. You stop again, giving it a minute, and continue.

His breath is heavy and increasing rapidly. He bucks his hips up and slightly moves his hand towards yours. You then used the force to put him back in place. “I said no moving.” Your voice is dominant. He stays still.

You pick up the pace with your hands, pumping him, stopping every five seconds. You removed your hand and was about to get back to it, but Hunter couldn’t handle it anymore and cums. His voice is shaky. “I’m so- I’m sorry, commander.”

He wasn’t a good boy. He failed. So now you’re gonna have to teach him a lesson. You put your hand back on him and jerk him as fast as you can, overstimulating him. Knowing Hunter’s heightened senses, you give him a minute to recover.

The bandanna is still covering his eyes. You take off your clothes; now fully naked. He couldn’t see you, but he could smell you. He could smell your arousal and with that, he’s hard again. “You’ve disobeyed orders, Hunter.” You said, positioning yourself on top of him.

You slowly sink down on him, taking his length and you ride him. He loves when you clench around him and you love the way he makes you feel.

You pick up the pace. Your high is chasing and with a few rubs on your clit, you cum around him. “Cum in me, I want you to cum inside me.” You said, panting, with your foreheads together. He cums. Deep inside of you. And he is loud.

Both of you are out of breath. The door creaks and in walks Tech. He drops his datapad, freezes, apologizes, and walks back out.

You take off his blindfold and give him soft kisses. “I love you.” You said. “I love you more.” He replied. You smile. “Alright, dark and broody, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Tech is traumatized, but you and Hunter had a fun evening. 

Tags: @eyecandyeoz @hockeyjedi13 @kratosfan6632466 @ahsoka1 @aveskestis @sstarwarsss @captxin-rex @echoy-naak

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (1)

Chapter One: Aftermath

GIF by @sinfulsalutations​ 

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new ‘social status’, but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant. 

Chapter Summary: You and the Batch have to deal with the way the galaxy has changed. And secrets get revealed along the way.

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Warnings: Use of (Y/N) (but I’ve limited it as much as I could), swearing, canon-typical violence, character deaths, slight canon deviation (particularly in later chapters), the Force works according to what I need, angst, mild injury description, reader also digs herself a hole with some poor early choices

Word Count (Ch 1): 18.9K (so sorry, episode one is a long one)

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: Like I said, just putting this out there cause I finished this last year and I just have it sitting in my docs and figured I’d give it a shot! Majority of the dialogue is from the show but my own parts and voice is in there too! I’ve written the reader to be someone who makes mistakes and isn’t a flawless character because that’s how I want her to be so I can understand if that’s not for everyone, I even got annoyed myself sometimes lol. But yeah, still very nervous about sharing this but if you do read, hope you enjoy! :) 

MasterList

Kaller.

You watched as the young padawan left your group to head back to his master. You remembered when you had been his age. Life had been so different. You never imagined that where you were right now is how your life would’ve worked out. Fighting in a war? Or at least facing conflict of some kind? Sure, that seemed inevitable given the way your life was set out but going from a life of relative peace to a soldier (not that that label was very well accepted but it was what you believed), to a civilian, back to a soldier but fighting with a group of defective clones? No. Nothing could’ve prepared you for that.

“Credit for your thoughts?”

You smiled and turned to face the, more modulated, but all too familiar covered smokiness voice of Sergeant Hunter of Clone Force 99. You’d ran in to him and the rest of the group a long time ago- it was coming up on 8 months ago now- when they were on a mission on Devaron, one of the many planets you had settled in. You’d watched as they got themselves into a bit of bother with a rather large battalion of Separatist droids and you knew you had to help. With your assistance, along with their rather unorthodox tactics, the droids had been taken care of quickly and you found yourself not wanting to leave them so when Hunter offered you a spot on his squad, you hadn’t hesitated. At the end of the day, you were back doing what you enjoyed- helping people. Of course, something you hadn’t fully thought through and something you quickly realised was that, with them being soldiers of the Republic, you were often in the presence of a Jedi which wasn’t ideal. You huffed out a breath before replying, “That would just be a waste of your rather limited funds.”

“You’re okay though?” Hunter asked, lightly touching your shoulder.

Even though his helmet was on, you could feel his eyes looking into yours. You pushed away the heat that began to spread through your body. The last thing you needed was to get that warm and fuzzy feeling you so often felt in front of the clone with enhanced senses. That had been getting harder and harder lately. Yes, upon first meeting him, you’d noticed that he was a rather attractive, but you’d hoped that feeling would only run surface deep, but you’d been wrong.

Over the months you’d been alongside him, that feeling only grew until it became a deeply engrained part of you. There were moments where perhaps you thought those feelings were reciprocated. A few months into your new membership, after spending your time sleeping in one of the ship’s passenger seats, the two of you began share his bunk in both the ship and their barracks because, according to him, ‘sleeping in one of those chairs wasn’t a suitable way to live or prepare for missions’.

Moreover, you were often paired up with him on these missions, but you convinced yourself this was nothing more than him being a good friend and sergeant. Yes, it was all platonic. Friends platonically shared a bunk and often woke up in each other’s arms. Yes, it could only possibly be platonic. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Hunter, can we do this already, I wanna attack some droids!” Wrecker complained loudly.

You drew your hood and mask up and followed Hunter over to where Echo, Tech, Wrecker and Crosshair were standing.

You took your weapon from the sheath slung over your back. You’d melted down a bunch of vibroblades to make this. It wasn’t quite the length of a sword, but it was close enough, and it was the nearest thing to a positive reminder of home you had.

“I still don’t understand why you use that and not a blaster. Logically, a blaster is more practical for a battle.” Tech observed.

“You know Tech, sometimes you don’t need to understand everything. This works just fine for what I need.” You replied simply.  

“Okay. Everyone ready?” Hunter asked.

You and the others nodded.

You took a breath to calm your pounding heart. This mission would be the closest you’d come to encountering the many Jedi masters scattered across the galaxy. You’d always managed to not stick around too long after the job was done. You tended to hang back, usually with Crosshair, avoiding any and all interaction whilst the others spoke to them, but you sensed this mission would have you in closer proximity than you would like. You couldn’t put a finger as to why you felt this way, a large factor was probably you and the group were the only reinforcements available so there wouldn’t be many buffers, but there was also something else that was bothering you- you were going to tell them after the mission today and you had no idea how it would go down or just how bad their reactions would be. You couldn’t dwell on it for too long though, Wrecker had dislodged the boulder and it had begun its course down the cliffside, so you all began your descent to the droids below.

--

It was child’s play really. You gelled well with the rest of them. Every droid you came across fell victim to a stab of your weapon and Wrecker didn’t need your help getting rid of the tanks, much to your relief. You weren’t sure you would be able to get away with that today. It was over relatively quickly. Chopping off the last droid’s head, you began walking over to where Caleb and his master were taking cover. Maybe you could hide behind Wrecker and go mostly unseen.

“If you’re done hiding down there, I suggest you launch a counter-attack.” Hunter said, removing his helmet. “Another droid battalion is approaching.”

“The General is the one who gives the orders around here.”

The Jedi Master put her hand up to appease the clone captain. “He’s right Captain this is our chance. Launch the counterattack.”

“Yes General.” He said a tad reluctantly before addressing the rest of the battalion. “Alright men let’s go!” He ordered before he, the Padawan and the General made their way out their bunker towards you all.

Wreaker pushed his way past Echo, leaving you a bit more exposed than you would like. “There you are little Jedi. You missed all the fun!”

“Watching your team in action was the fun.” Caleb replied with a smile.

“Care to introduce your new friends Caleb?” She asked.

Fuck. You watched as the General lowered her hood. That was Depa Billaba. There was a very strong chance she could recognised you. You adjusted your mask over your nose, making sure it suitably covered as much of your face as it possibly could.

“Yes Master. This is Wrecker, Hunter, Echo, Tech, Crosshair and…” He trailed off and looked past Wrecker slightly. “Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name earlier.”

You coughed and stepped forward beside Wrecker as you told her your name.

The Jedi Master let out a hum as she heard it. “Forgive me, that name sounds very familiar. Have we met before?” Depa mused, her eyes peering into your own.

You avoided her gaze quickly. “No.” You replied before retreating back into the safety of the group.

Hunter watched you carefully. He knew you didn’t like interacting much with the other people the mission involved but this time you seemed even more uncomfortable than usual.  

She stared at you for a moment longer before returning her focus back to the group as a whole. “While I’m not sure fun is the sentiment I would express. I agree with my padawan. Your exploits were quite impressive.”

“Exploits?” Wrecker repeated, confusion in his voice.

“Don’t overthink it, Wrecker.” Crosshair said, before walking off.

You followed him; you really didn’t want to be a part of this interaction.

“Thank you General.” Echo said.

“Now would one of you please explain where my actual reinforcements are.”

“Re-routed to the Capital. We’re all you’re getting.” Hunter answered.

“Ha! We’re all you need!” Wrecker added.

“Actually, if my intel is correct, the general will not need any of us. The Clone War will soon be over.” Tech said.

“Better tell that to the clankers headed our way.” Depa’s clone captain countered.

“I am referring to the encrypted comm chatter. Clone intelligence is reporting General Obi Wan Kenobi has found and engaged General Grievous on Utapau.” Tech explained.

“If he captures or kills Grievous, the Separatist command structure would collapse.” Echo theorised.

“And most likely the droid armies along with them.” Tech added.

“A fascinating theory yet unfortunately not something we can control from here. I suggest we focus on the task at hand.” Depa suggested.

“Any orders?” Hunter asked. “Or shall we do what we do?” He added before putting on his helmet.

“Let’s blow something up! Yeah!” Wrecker cried enthusiastically.

“Well Caleb, shall we let them ‘do what they do’?” She asked her young padawan.

“Only if I can go with them.” He answered happily.

“Very well.”

“Hey kid you ready for this? We move fast.” Hunter told him.

“Good, that’s the only way I know.” He replied smoothly before running off.

“I like him!” Wrecker said before him, and Echo followed.

Giving a quick salute, Hunter too ran off.

--

You had noticed the group had dispersed so you and Crosshair ran towards the squad too. You were keeping pace with Caleb at the back but as you were running, your body ran cold, and you knew it wasn’t the Kaller climate. Something was wrong, you could feel it. You knew Caleb did too because you both slowed down at the same time and that was when you heard the blaster fire. You turned around and your heart sank to your stomach.

“Master.” Caleb said, his voice filled with concern.

“Caleb, wait!” You tried to grab him, but he turned and began to run back to the sight where his master was fending of a group of clones.

“Master!” He cried out again, igniting his lightsaber.

Hunter and the rest of the squad too began to hear the blaster fire and stopped and turned around to see what was happening.

You watched helplessly as the Jedi Master took multiple blaster bolts and as you heard her final cry, you felt a pain that wasn’t just from this. It felt like the pain of an entire galaxy, and it took everything in your power not to fall to your knees. You couldn’t give yourself away. You inhaled deeply and saw Caleb making his way back to you, but you heard Hunter and the others approaching and as they did so Caleb stopped and looked warily at the group of clones.

“Stay away from me!” He demanded, before running off into the forest.

“Kid, wait!” Hunter called after him.

“What the fuck was that?” You asked, coming to stand beside Hunter.

“Wha, what just happened?” Echo asked.

“The comm channel is repeating one directive. Execute Order 66.” Tech explained.

“Yeah, I heard that too. What’s Order 66?” Wrecker inquired.

“I am not certain.” Tech said with a slight sigh.

“Well can you get certain?” You snapped aggressively.

The others all turned to look at you.

You sighed. “Sorry. Just shocked, that’s all.”

Hunter studied you for a moment before addressing the group. “Echo, Tech talk to the Reg captain. Find out what you can.” He looked to you and Crosshair. “We will track down the kid and make sure nothing happens to him. Wrecker, stall anyone who tries to follow us.��

--

The three of you ran into the woods. You knew you could find him quicker than Hunter could track him but until you knew what exactly this order was, your secret would have to remain a secret.

“He’s close.” Hunter said quietly.

You looked in the trees around you and you spotted a huddled brown figure on a tree branch. You nudged Crosshair and subtlety pointed up. “There.”

Hunter followed your gaze. “Come on down kid. We’re here to help.”

You noticed Crosshair fiddling with his sniper. “What are you- No!” You watched in horror as Crosshair fired on the branch and the young Jedi deflected the bolt.

“Liar!” He shouted before jumping away.

“What are you doing?” Hunter asked, stunned.

“Following orders.” Crosshair answered.

You just stared at him. “You don’t even know what the order is.”

“Stand down.” Hunter ordered, pushing Crosshair back. “Until we know what’s going on.” He walked off, tugging your arm gently to get you to follow him.

You shook your head at Crosshair before following Hunter.

“Good soldiers follow orders.” Crosshair said once the two of you were out of earshot before he walked after you.

--

The comm linked chirped and Wrecker’s gruff voice came through. “Hunter, you’ve got regs in bound.”

“Copy that.”

“We have a situation.” This time it was Tech’s voice.

“Tell us something we don’t know, Tech.” You answered.

“It appears the regs have been ordered to execute the Jedi.”

You immediately stopped walking. You felt lightheaded and your knees were definitely threatening to buckle and this time you weren’t so sure you could resist, so you leaned against a tree.

“What? Which Jedi?” Hunter asked.

“All of them. They’re saying the Jedi have committed treason.” Tech clarified.

“That would explain things.” Crosshair said.

“It doesn’t begin to explain things!” You snapped, pushing off the tree to walk towards him.

“I suggest you get back here.” Tech inserted.

“Can’t, haven’t found the kid yet.” Hunter explained.  

Crosshair turned and raised his rife. “Wrong.” He fired.

You watched Caleb fall and ignite his lightsaber and come running at Crosshair.

“Stop!” You shouted at Crosshair before trying to grab his rifle, but he pushed you back and continued firing at the padawan.

“Crosshair, stand down!” Hunter ordered.

Caleb landed a blow to the rifle causing it to fall from Crosshair’s grip.

“Don’t!” Hunter called out.

Caleb landed a hard kick to Crosshair’s chest, causing his to crash into the bottom of a tree.

You turned to face Caleb and spoke calmly to him. “Take it easy, kid.” You took a slow step towards him. “Easy.”

You heard the sound of Hunter’s blaster hitting the ground and he also began to slowly walk towards the boy. “We’re on your side.” He said.

Caleb turned and ran.

You shot Hunter a look and the two of you ran after him. As you approached where he was, you saw he had stopped at the edge of a cliff. You and Hunter both slowed your advance.

“Stay back!” He cried.

Hunter removed his helmet, and you followed suit by taking down your hood and mask.

“Just hear us out.” You said gently.

“No. You killed her!”

“The others did. We’re just as confused as you are.” Hunter replied.

You saw the fear and uncertainty in Caleb’s eyes. You inhaled deeply. It was worth a shot, so you reached out into his force signature. Caleb, listen to me.

Caleb turned his gaze towards you, his eyes wide with surprise. You’re a-

Yes, but I’ve not been a part of The Order for a long time.

They killed her. I can’t trust them.

They didn’t kill her Caleb. He wants to help you. Let him, no harm will come to you I can promise you that. Trust him.

Do he and the others know about you?

No. You knew there was no point in lying to him.

Then how am I supposed to believe I can trust them when you haven’t even told them who you are?

There were a series of reasons for why I- You can- Please Caleb listen to me.

No!

Caleb don’t- You shook your head slightly in mild discomfort. He’d pushed you out. You wouldn’t be able to communicate with him like that now unless he was the one to instigate it.

Hunter’s eyes darted between you both. He couldn’t think of how, but he could’ve sworn the two of you just had a conversation. He brought his attention back to the frightened padawan in front of him.  He slowly continued his approach.

“Stay back! Stay back!” Caleb shouted.

“We can help you. Come with us.” Hunter moved forward again and reached his hand out.

Caleb glanced at you whilst backing towards the edge. I won’t tell him, but I can’t go with you.

You nodded sadly but you couldn’t blame him. If you were in his position, you weren’t sure you would go either. Suddenly, you all heard the sound of regs heading in your direction and you knew your time was up.

“No!” Hunter called out but it was too late. Caleb turned and jumped across the river and with one last look back, he disappeared into the woods.

Perhaps, if you were smart, you would’ve followed him, but you didn’t want to leave your squad and you needed answers too. You’d kept it a secret this long, it would just be a little harder now. You and Hunter watched him go and out of the corner of your eye, you saw Crosshair approach.

“Where’s the Jedi?” He enquired.

“I stunned him when he jumped. He didn’t make it.” Hunter answered soberly before turning away.

Crosshair glanced at you. You only glared at him and turned to follow Hunter.  

--

The ship came out of hyperspace. “We are coming up on Kamino.” Tech announced.

“It’s good to be home. How long’s it been?” Wrecker asked.

“One hundred and eighty rotations in a standard cycle but galactic zone changes put the adjusted figure at around two hundred and five.” Tech explained.

“What?” Wrecker replied, face filled with confusion.

Echo sighed. “A long time.”

“You got that right!” Wrecker replied with a laugh.

Despite everything that just happened, you chuckled slightly. Something you never grew tired of was the dynamic between all of them. You adjusted yourself slightly from where you were platonically sitting on the floor, leaning against Hunter’s legs. You noticed that Crosshair was staring at you both.

“What?” Hunter asked, without opening his eyes.

“You sure that padawan died when he fell?” Crosshair asked.

“It was pretty easy to deduce, Crosshair.” You snapped.

Crosshair looked back to Hunter.

“Sure I’m sure. Why?” He replied, looking over at him.

“Well usually when someone falls you look down. Not across.”

“Or some of us don’t like to watch.” You added solemnly before standing up and moving towards the front window.

Hunter got out of his seat and followed you.

--

As you entered the rather wet and thunderous planet atmosphere, two ships set themselves up on either side of The Marauder. “Unidentified transport transmit your clearance code.”

“Clearance code?” Echo repeated. “Don’t they know who we are?”

“Must be a protocol drill.” Tech stated before transmitting the code.

“Authorisation confirmed. Proceed to landing bay one-tac-one.”

--

As the ship landed and you all walked out, you could not only see but feel that something was different.

“Shock troopers? What’s the Coruscant guard doing here?” Hunter thought out loud as he saw a group of red and white armoured clones walk past.

“Something strange is going on here. This doesn’t feel like a simulation.” You said.

Tech looked up from his datapad. “You are correct. This isn’t a drill.”

“Oh, man. What did we miss now?” Wrecker complained.

“The end of the war.” A shock trooper replied.

“Say again, trooper.” Hunter requested.

“General Grievous was defeated on Utapau. The Separatist leadership has collapsed. The war is over.”

“Just like I said.” Tech pointed out.

Wrecker gasped and sounded genuinely impressed. “It is just like you said!”

You weren’t so impressed. Kenobi- your friend- was probably dead now anyway. The end of the war did not feel right to you. Something was wrong and it wasn’t just the dead Jedi. As you were standing there, two regs carrying a stretcher passed you and a hand came free of its covering and a lightsaber fell out of its grasp. You took a step forward and stared at it and felt that cold feeling rush through your veins again.

“Is there a problem?” The shock trooper addressed you.

You tore your gaze from the weapon in his head and spoke calmy. “No problem.”

Hunter came beside you and brushed his fingers against yours. “We’ll just head to our barracks then.”

“Best hurry. There’s a mandatory general assembly at 1500.” The trooper informed you all as you walked away.

--

“It’s not just the clones on Kaller. All the regs are acting strange.” Hunter observed.

“Let’s test that theory.” Tech said before approaching an oncoming group of regs. “Excuse me, Trooper. What division are you from?”

“Step aside.” The clone responded roughly, elbowing Tech.

“Oh. Well, they seem the same to me.” Tech said frankly.

You gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder sympathetically as you walked past him.

--

“Ahh. Good to be back.” Wreaker said as you all entered the barracks.

“The smell’s getting worse.” You and Echo said in unison.

“You’re both still new. You’ll get used to it.” He said cheerfully enough, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Speak for yourself.” Crosshair said, pushing past the two of you.

“Well, I’ll get the board.” Wreaker pulled out his vibroknife and began adding to the tallies that were etched on the wall.

You took off the strap that had your weapon in it and laid it down on the table in the middle of the room and sat down next to Hunter. Your knees touched under the table.

“Eleven more successful missions. Ha! Like there was any doubt.” Wrecker said proudly before heading to his bunk.

“Kaller wasn’t a win.” Echo added.

“Says who? We completed our objective.” Wreaker argued.

“Not every objective.” Crosshair said.

You glanced at him suspiciously. Ever since Kaller, he had been acting strange.

“Those two let that Jedi kid escape.” He continued, pointing in your direction. “Or do you want to keep lying to us?”

You clenched your fists tightly to stop yourself from doing or saying something stupid.

Hunter stood up and walked towards the window. “I don’t like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective.”

“An order is an order.” Crosshair stated.

“Since when?” You questioned as Hunter turned to face him.

Crosshair stared harshly between the two of you before Echo spoke up.

“None of this makes sense. Those clones served alongside General Billaba for years. How could they turn on her like that?” Echo said, a hint of anger coming through.

“Because of the regs programming.” Tech replied.

You looked at him. “Come again?”

“What programming?” Hunter asked.

“It’s been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question.”

“Ha! We sure don’t!” Wrecker said smugly, pushing his Lula toy into Crosshair’s face who was having none of it and pushed against it.

“Obviously we are different.” Tech said. “They manipulated pre-existing aberrations in our DNA, resulting in your brute strength, Crosshair’s sharpshooting skills, Hunter’s enhanced senses and my exceptional mind. My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming. Though I can’t be 100% certain of it.”

You stole a look at Crosshair who only narrowed his gaze at you. You looked away. “What about Echo? He was a reg before he joined you, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, if all regs were programmed, why didn’t I react like the others?” Echo asked.

“The damage you sustained on Skako Minor most likely wiped out all your present behavioural modifications. You are more machine than man… percentagewise, at least.” Tech answered.

Echo sighed. “Lucky me.”

You gave Echo a sympathetic smile before a PA announcer sounded. “All personnel report to the staging area for a briefing on the state of the Republic.”

You grabbed your weapon casing and jumped out of your seat and walked towards the door. You needed this briefing. Maybe after it you would finally be able to make sense of all that happened.

“This is one meeting I don’t want to miss.” Hunter said, following you.

“First time for everything.” Tech said before he and everyone else made their way out.

--

You were stunned by the image on the screen in front of you. Chancellor Palpatine had certainly had a rough time of it. His skin looked like it was about to fall off his face, it was scarred and damaged to the point where if you hadn’t been heard so many of his previous senate meetings, you might have struggled to recognise him. But what shocked you even more were the words that were coming out of his mouth.

“And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated.”

Jedi rebellion? They wouldn’t have- they couldn’t- would they? No. You had your issues with them, but you couldn’t believe this. You felt sick to your stomach.

“The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed but I assure you my resolve has never been stronger!”

You were too focused on the screen in front of you to notice Hunter glance up to the platform where the top Kaminoans were. With them he noticed someone he did not recognise.

“What is it?” Tech asked him.

He turned to him slightly but by the time he looked back up, the person was gone. “Nothing.” He replied. Then he felt a hard grip on his wrist, and he looked down to see your hand there before he looked back at you and saw that the colour had drained from your face.

“The Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire!”

“Galactic Empire?” Echo repeated quietly.

“For a safe and secure society.” Palpatine finished with a smile and applause rang through the assembly.

“Still don’t think the regs are programmed?” Tech pointed out.

You glanced around you; everyone was cheering in unison. Everyone was happy about this new reign. Everyone except the six of you. All this assembly did was confirm your suspicions. You couldn’t ever tell them what you were. Not only would that put you in danger, but it would put them in danger too. You had to do everything in your power to supress that part of you, you’d gotten good at it when you were on your own. You only started to embrace that part of you again when you joined this group. You had to do this, or you were screwed.

--

As you all walked down the corridor from the meeting, you were still trying to process what you had just witnessed.

“Galactic Empire? We’re soldiers of the Republic.” Echo said.

“Republic, Empire… What’s the difference?” Crosshair inserted.

You scoffed in disgust. “I can think of a few.”

“The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me.” Tech responded.

“That being the main one.” You agreed.

Just then, Hunter held his hand up to stop you all. “We’ve got company.”

You all turned round and what greeted you left you quite surprised.

“Hello.” The young child said with a smile and wave.

“What’s that?” Wreaker asked, bending down.

“Adolescent human female. Origins… uncertain.” Tech replied.

“Or in layman’s terms, Tech, a young girl.” You said with smile and a roll of your eyes. You walked forward and kneeled down in front of her. “What’s your name?”

“My name’s Omega. I was wondering when you guys would come back.”

“You know who we are?” Hunter asked, nudging past Tech.

“Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair and (Y/N).” She said looking back to you. “You’re Clone Force 99. Although-”

“Yeah, I know. I’m clearly not a clone but I helped these fellas out of some hot water, and they’ve needed me ever since.” You grinned up at Hunter who shook his head, a small smile on his face.

“Technically-”

“No, Tech. Everything I’ve said is true.” You turned back to him with a smirk.

Omega let out a small laugh.

“What are you doing on Kamino, kid?” Hunter asked.

“Her job, of course.” A smooth, calm voice answered for her.

You stood up and saw a female Kaminoan approach your group. “She is my medical assistant. One with a curious mind that causes her to wander. Come Omega, there is work to do.” She turned away and Omega followed her but not before giving you all one last wave.

You glanced at Hunter and the others and were pleased to see that they all looked just as confused as you were. In your time on Kamino and all that you knew about it, that was quite unexpected.

“This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Hunter said.

“Can’t disagree with you there.” You said.

--

You didn’t know if it was because you’d been living off rations for so long, but this canteen food was quite possibly the best food you’d tasted in a while. You were at what was now your usual table.

“Clones being programmed. Nothing controls me.” Wrecker said authoritatively, standing up at the table.

“Wrecker, it is a logical conclusion that your affinity for destruction would stem from your conditioning.” Tech explained.

“You take that back!”

“I am merely stating a scientific hypothesis based on factual data.”

“Well, I’ve got a fact for you. I like to blow things up because I like to blow things up!” He yelled, slamming his fists down on the table. “Got it?”

“Well, I’m convinced.” Crosshair sneered.

“Will you sit down.” You hissed, grabbing Wrecker’s arm, you didn’t want any more attention being drawn to you and the squad right now.

Hunter joined your table, sitting across from you. “An Imperial’s been sent to evaluate the clones. Everybody’s talking about it.”

“What kind of evaluation?” Echo inquired.

“Hopefully not mental. Clearly, we’d never pass that.” Tech said.

You couldn’t help but huff out a laugh at the looks on the others faces. Then another strange thing happened.

“Hello again.” Omega said as she sat down at the table next to Hunter.

You all just kind of stared at her.

“Omega. From earlier? In the corridor?”

You cleared your throat. “Sorry. Come on guys, back to basic human interactions please. Staring like this is just weird.”

Hunter spoke up. “Yeah, kid we remember. Don’t you have someplace to be?”

“No. I’ll stay.” She said before dipping into her food.

“You want to sit with us?” You asked sceptically.

“That’s never happened before.” Tech added.

“I like you. You don’t fit in around here either.” She said.

“What are you really doing here on Kamino, kid? Don’t you have a family somewhere? Parents?” Hunter asked.

“Parents?” She repeated, looking at him slightly puzzled.

“Check it out. The defects squad’s got themselves a new recruit. Another member added to the Sad Batch. Gotta say, I preferred it when they brought back the hot loner.”

Don’t be an idiot, don’t be idiot. You don’t want attention right now, you thought to yourself. So, you just joined the others in glaring at the two regs that walked past your table. You went back to focusing on your food, but you seemed to have lost your appetite now. Then all you heard was a squelch and you looked up to see Omega standing on the table, one roll in hand, the other seemed to have exploded all over the one reg’s neck and the side of his face.

“Who threw that?” He demanded angrily, eyes scanning the area.

“I did.” Omega said seriously. “Now apologise to my friends.”

“I like this kid!” Wrecker said.

“What did you say to me?” The reg pointed in her direction and began walking towards her.

“Whoa, whoah, whoa. Back off.” Hunter stood in front of him. “I suggest you keep moving.” He said firmly.

You and Wrecker both stood up behind Omega. You hoped this would be all you had to do.  

“Know your place, lab scrapper.” The reg started to walk away but as he did so a bunch of food trays hit him.

You all turned to look at Wrecker who was holding two more trays. “Oops.”

You put your head in your hands. “Wrecker, did you have to?”

“That’s it.” The reg said heatedly.

“Oh yeah!” Wrecker shouted before throwing the trays, those ones hitting another reg straight in the face.

“So much for lack of attention”. You grumbled to yourself before landing a punch to a clone that was coming from your left.

A quick look around told you that everyone was doing just fine, even Omega was handling herself and Crosshair… well, he was just being Crosshair, eating his meal, not phased by what was happening around him. That was until a clone kicked Echo into his tray and his food went everywhere… then he got involved.

You came round the table to go to the clones near Tech, but a clone stood in front of you. “You’d be better off getting out the way. Save yourself the black eye and sore ribs.” You stated.

“I’ve got a better idea. Come back to my barracks. Save us both the fight. Unless you into that sorta thing.” He said with a smirk.

“I just threw up in my mouth.” You said with a disgusted scoff.

“Sorry, guess I just thought clones were your type or is it only the one’s with a higher military rank?” He jeered.  

You glowered at him before darting forward and landing a punch to the right side of his face and a quick kick to the middle of his body sent him onto his back. He groaned. “Did try to warn you.” You said smugly.

You stepped over him and made your way to Tech. You both were able to easily deal with the few clones that came over but then you heard a crash. You turned to see Echo being tackled to the ground. You had to turn away quickly to push back another clone that had advanced towards you. As you did so you heard Tech call out.

“Echo, watch out!”

You looked and saw the reg bring down the metal tray straight on to Echo’s head and he slumped to the side. You ran over to the reg and pushed him away and knelt down by Echo. “He needs to go to the medical bay.”

--

Machines. That was all he could see. No, he couldn’t be back there. “No! Get them off!” Echo sat up quickly, pushing the scanners away.

“But my tests are not yet complete.” The small droid said calmly.

“Echo. Echo, it’s okay. It’s me. Omega.” She soothed, moving the droid to the side. “I understand. I don’t like being hooked up to their machines either.”

Echo looked at her and took another few breaths to calm himself down.

The droid spoke again. “Hello, CT-1409.”

“His name is Echo.” Omega pointed out.

“I am AZ-345211896246498721347. Your assigned medical droid.” The droid said with a spin of his body.

You walked through the medical bay doors alongside Hunter and were thrilled to see that Echo was awake.

“Ha told you he’s alive. You owe me two credits!” Wrecker said smugly to Crosshair who only shook his head.

“How you doing, Echo?” You asked.

“CT-1409’s condition is stable.” The droid answered. “But I have some distressing news for the four of you. According to your test results, you all appear to be genetically defective clones.”

The droid’s sincere and distraught tone meant you had to turn away to choke back your laughter.

“I will leave you to process the shock of this revelation.” He said gravely before going away.

“We’ve got a problem.” Echo announced.

“Not really. We’re more deviant than we are defective.” Tech interjected.

You studied Echo’s face, and you could tell whatever he had to say had nothing to do with any medical information. “You’re not talking about that are you?”

Echo nodded. “Admiral Tarkin’s here. He’s the one evaluating the clones.”

You scoffed in disgust which caused the others to stare at you.

“How would you know anything about him?” Crosshair asked.

“Uh… I had a life before you guys you know. I heard rumours.” You said quickly. You couldn’t tell them the reason you knew he was kind of an asshole was because of your time in the Jedi Order where you had argued with him as he helped the Order ruin the life of your friend. It didn’t surprise you that he was already an important person in this new Empire. He was definitely someone you needed to avoid, if there was even the slightest chance he recognised you, you all were fucked, and you couldn’t have that.

“This is the same Tarkin form the Citadel rescue when you, uh… How shall I put this?” Tech paused.

“Blew up.” Wrecker finished the sentence.

“And turned into that.” Crosshair added, taking his toothpick out his mouth.

“Way to be sensitive guys.” You said with a shake of your head.

Echo sighed. “Yes, and he’s not a big supporter of clones.”

“We’ll soon find out. We’ve been summoned by the prime minister.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

“Guess he didn’t find that mess hall fight amusing. But I sure did.” Wrecker said.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Hunter said.

You all made your way to go but Omega called after you. “Wait!” She darted in front of doorway. “The fight was my fault. I’m going too.” She said determinedly.

“Not happening. We’ll handle this.” Hunter said firmly before walking past her.

“But I-”

“Listen, kid.” Hunter turned sharply to look at her. “Our squad’s nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance. Got it?”

Your heart went out to her as you watched Hunter walk away. “He was a little harsh, but he’s right. I love them all, but we tend to end up in tight spots and as you’ve seen, we’re not the most popular group there is. I’m sure we’ll see you around though.” You placed a hand on her shoulder before walking out the door to join Hunter and the others as they waited for you.

--

You began walking towards the prime minister’s office but as you were walking a shock trooper addressed you harshly. “Where do you think you’re going? The training facility is that way.”

You all turned to look at the trooper.

“Training facility?” Hunter asked.

“For a battle simulation. Admiral Tarkin has requested to see more of your squad in action.”

“Then we’re not being reprimanded?” Tech questioned.

“No, you’re being tested.” The clone answered severely.

I sure as hell am not, you thought to yourself, this was the last thing you needed. “Well, you guys enjoy that. I’m just going to head back to the barracks. Good luck, sure you’ll do great.” You said casually with a click of your fingers. You slowly etched your way out the group and began to walk past Hunter and the shock trooper. As you did so, the trooper grabbed your arm.

“That includes you.”

Hunter reached his hand out and he felt the others behind him take a step forward, but he caught himself just in time and waved them back. He was sure you could handle this yourself plus he didn’t want to get his squad into any more trouble.

You looked down at the grip the clone had on your forearm and looked into his helmet, an unimpressed expression on your face. “Is this not part of the clone evaluation?” You asked him.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re an observant fellow and those eyes of yours can see that I’m obviously not a clone.” You removed yourself from his grasp. “So, I’ll not be participating in Admiral Tarkin’s evaluation.”

“He requested your presence too. As far as he’s concerned, you’re an equal part of this squad so that means you’re being evaluated too.”

Shit, you thought to yourself. You could only hope enough time had passed and the hood and mask would be enough that he wouldn’t recognise you. You made your way back into the group, ignoring many of their quizzical stares.

“Now, go gear up.” The shock trooper ordered.

“So, we’re not in trouble, and they want us to fight more? Ha! Maybe this Empire thing’s not so bad after all.” Wrecker said merrily.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” You muttered as you headed to the training facility.

--

As the lift to the training facility began to rise, you kept adjusting your ensemble. You couldn’t afford any slip ups when you were doing this.

“It’s fine.” Echo muttered to you.

You glanced at him but before you could say anything else, you all were in the facility, and you kept your head down whilst Tarkin spoke to you all from the observation area where the prime minister was too. His suave voice echoed around the room. “The value of all clone troopers and other personnel…”

You didn’t need to lift your head; you could feel him looking at you.

“Is being challenge by the Empire. To demonstrate your effectiveness, a combat-proficiency test is in order. Take your positions.” He finished speaking.

“We’ve done these a thousand times, guys. You know what to do.” Hunter stated before putting on his helmet.

“A battle simulation? Give us a real challenge.” Wrecker voiced through his helmet before you all broke off into your positions.

You crouched behind one of the barriers that had Tech and Wrecker behind them too, whilst the other 3 took up their positions on the opposite one.

You waited a few moments before you heard the whirring of the training droids, and the towers came online and fired down on you. You knew Crosshair would be sent to the towers and sure enough, you saw him make his way over to them. You didn’t have a blaster, but you did have another vibroblade strapped to your thigh, so you took that out and threw it at one of the droids. It implanted itself deep within the face of the droid and it collapsed to the floor. You noticed a few more fall too as the other’s shots met their targets.

--

As Crosshair took the towers down, Hunter signalled you all to move in. You ran out from behind the barrier and drew your modified vibro-weapon. You picked your knife up from the fallen droid and dodged a few of the shots headed your way, managing to cut down a couple more before you took shelter behind another barrier. You couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated, if you could use your ‘special’ skillset effectively this could all be over so much quicker.

You peered out from behind it to see Wrecker doing exactly what you wished you could do: just taking on all the droids. You made eye-contact with Tech who only rolled his eyes. To be honest you were grateful for Wrecker’s antics at this point, you needed this to be over. Plus, it was enjoyable to watch him get so much fun out of a drill like this.

“What else you go? Gimme more!” Wrecker shouted up to the watch platform.

Admiral Tarkin thought this had been over much too quickly. This group hadn’t been tested nearly enough. “If the Galactic Empire is to be stronger than the Republic which preceded it, it’s soldiers must follow suit. Switch to live fire.”

The prime minister didn’t like that idea one bit. “Admiral Tarkin, I must protest. I don’t care so much about the woman, but live rounds could damage my clones and my facility.”

“For which you will be fairly compensated. Do it!”

The prime minister reluctantly nodded towards the Kaminoans at the control panel.

 --

You had been studying their interaction, something didn’t look right. You attention was brought back to the current situation as new, more advanced droids appeared in the area in front of you. This combined with what you had just seen above you didn’t look good. “Wrecker, hold on a minute!” You called out as he began running towards them. His shots were useless, even his brute strength didn’t have an effect.

Then it all went to hell.

You watched as the droids used live rounds, one of them hitting Wrecker. You darted out quickly, managing to cut the arms off the first droid. You ran over and grabbed Wrecker’s right arm. “You alright?”

“I felt that one.” Wrecker said, his voice straining slightly.

Tech had dashed out to grab his other arm so together the two of you were able to scurry behind the barrier before the other droid’s blaster fire made contact with you.

You sat helplessly whilst blaster fire surrounded you. Why was it the one time you actually needed to use the abilities you had the one time where you absolutely could not. If it got bad enough, you might have to anyway. You knew where that would leave you, but what about the others? A whistle brought you out of your head and you looked over to see Hunter giving the three of you hand signals.

“Oh! I hate hand signals!” Wrecker complained.

“They’re not too difficult to understand Wrecker once you know them.” You said, taking your knife back out and throwing it into the arm of one of the other droids. It didn’t do much to stop it, it just focused its attention on you causing you to duck quickly.

“Perhaps if you memorised them.” Tech suggested.

“Why don’t you memorise them?” Wrecker snipped back.

“We have.” You and Tech said at the same time.

“What we did on Felucia.” Tech clarified.

You jumped out from behind the small wall, jumping over the head of the droid that had your smaller vibro-blade in it, grabbing it as you did so. You knew that was foolish but if you needed to, you could talk your way out of it. You’d done it before.

You distracted the droids to allow Wrecker the time to move in. You slid on your knees, avoiding the blaster fire, and sliced through the legs of one of the droids. As it fell, you stabbed your weapon through the head of it, rendering it useless. Great, two down, lots more to go, you thought. You felt a blaster bolt whizz past your head as you ran quickly to where Hunter and Crosshair were taking cover. “How do you think we’re doing?”

“Could be better.” Hunter replied.

You saw that Tech was in the middle of reprogramming the droid. If all went according to plan, the playing-field should even out shortly.

--

Admiral Tarkin watched this display with intrigue. “These are rather unusual tactics.”

“The clones of experimental Unit 99 have a tendency to veer from standard combat protocol. Something that the woman who is a part of their group has also embraced.” The prime minister explained.

Tarkin peered down at you. There was something about you that didn’t quite sit right with him, and he needed to know what it was.

--

Oh, thank fuck, you thought. Tech had successfully reprogrammed the droid so now your life was simpler. With Tech taking down most of the advancing droids, the rest of you were able to finish the ones that remained. Everything seemed to be going fine… right up until it wasn’t. Tech had already started to struggle keeping the connection with the droid he was controlling and to make matters worse, a last droid appeared at the top of the training facility and fired at Tech’s droid. He fell to the ground.

“Tech!” You cried out. You saw Hunter throw his vibroblade into its arm and you used that to run up to it to stop it from continuing its fire in Tech’s direction but you severely under-estimated how fast it would react. Before you could use your weapon, it landed a kick to the centre of your chest that sent you flying backwards. You collided into Hunter, who quickly got to his feet and grabbed you. The two of you scrambled to get to cover. You leant back against the barrier and Hunter kneeled in front of you. “Sorry about that.” You said sheepishly, trying to get the air back into your lungs. “That was really dumb.”

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I’m sure I’m supposed to feel like my entire chest has just caved in on itself.” You said with a laugh.

Hunter sighed, hoping you couldn’t pick up on the extent of the relief he felt. He looked away from you. “Crosshair, we need more cover fire!”

You looked to see how Tech was. He was still on the ground and that droid wasn’t stopping its assault. You needed one of them to come up with something quick or you really wouldn’t have much of a choice. If you had to die in order to save your squad, then you’d do that but at the same time you really hoped there would be another option. Crosshair’s voice then sounded.

“Wrecker, knife!”

You watched as Wrecker threw his knife into the air and Crosshair’s shot hit it perfectly. It spun in the air and hit the middle of the droid’s head, deactivating it. Out of all the shots you’d seen him do, that was by far the most impressive. You rested the back of your head against the block in relief. Your secret was able to stay a secret still.

“Here.”

You looked to see Hunter holding his hand out to you. Calm yourself down and just take the hand like a normal human being. Nice and casual, you reminded yourself. You took it and let him bring you to your feet. “Thanks.”

Hunter wanted nothing more than to keep that feeling of your hand in his for as long as possible, but he knew this wasn’t the place or time. Not to mention, you probably didn’t view it in the same light he did. He let your hand go once you were on your feet. “Nice work.” He directed to Crosshair.

You had made your way over to Tech and helped him to his feet. You glanced up at the observation platform to see Tarkin walking away. Please let that be the last I see of him, you thought.

--

Omega looked at the man who was studying the birthing pods and she felt a sense of unease.

“Extraordinary. Aren’t they?” The head scientist Nala Se said.

“That remains to be seen. Tell me about Clone Force 99.” Tarkin requested.

“They are medically defective clones whose cellular mutations enhanced traits desirable in a soldier.” Nala Se responded.

“And the woman who is with them?”

Lama Su told him your name before continuing with explaining your background. “She came back to Kamino with them the last time the clones were here. According to them, she assisted them on a mission, and they offered her a place on the squad. As far as I’m aware, she’s been with them ever since. Her tendency to stray from the normal rules also means she fits in well.” The prime minister replied.

Tarkin thought for a few moments, but your name didn’t ring any bells with him unfortunately. “Where did she come from?”

“They met her on Devaron. As to her original origin, I do not know.”

Tarkin pondered this before continuing. “How many of these enhanced clones do you possess?”

“Five are all that remain.” Nala Se answered.

“They could be an asset to your new Empire. Their female included, she’s bonded with them in a way I’ve not seen their fellow clones do.” The prime minister added.

“Yet reports indicate they exhibit a concerning level of disobedience and disregard for orders.” Tarkin countered.

“A side effect of their mutation.” Nale Se explained.

“Yet one that has never hindered the completion of their missions.” The prime minister inserted.

“Then they executed Order 66?” Tarkin asked.

“Since both the Jedi General and Padawan on Kaller were eliminated, one would assume-”

“Assume nothing.” Tarkin interrupted the Kaminoan prime minister. “Only the general’s death is confirmed. A counter-report filed by one of their own, says the Padawan escaped. Let us see where the loyalty of these clones and their friend truly lies.” Tarkin said before leaving the room.

Omega watched as he left. She didn’t like him, and she worried about what he had in store for all of you.

--

You removed your mask and hood as you entered the barracks and sat down at the table, head in your hands. What the fuck was that evaluation? Live rounds? What the hell? Apparently, Wrecker shared your unhappiness.

“Live rounds? They used live rounds! On us!” He said, throwing his helmet on the table.

“We were there, Wrecker. We know.” Tech replied.

“I tried to warn you about Tarkin.” Echo added.

“Yup. Major Dickhead.” You concurred.

“Who’s that Imperial snake think he is?” Wrecker voiced angrily.

“Stow it already. You got shot. It happens all the time.” Crosshair said coldly.

You stared at Crosshair and made eye-contact with Hunter who nodded back at you. Good, at least I’m not the only one who has noticed this, you thought.

“There’s a fundamental difference between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice.” Tech refuted.

“Exactly! We’re not dummy droids.” Wrecker agreed, looking at Crosshair.

“That much we agree on.”

Shit. You quickly put your hood and mask up and went to stand next to Crosshair as Admiral Tarkin entered the room. You felt Echo and Hunter’s eyes on you as you did that, but you didn’t care. You couldn’t exactly avoid him now so this was the closest you could get.

“That was quite an impressive display.” Tarkin said, walking down the middle on the line.

“Didn’t have much of a choice.” Hunter answered.

“Our new empire may have methods which seem a bit unorthodox but so does is this squadron. Particularly your presence here, (Y/N), is it?”

“Yes.” You said quietly, avoiding eye-contact. You felt his cold hands through your mask as they placed themselves on your chin, angling your face up to look at him. You resisted the instinct to tear his hand away and send him crashing into the barrack wall.

Hunter had to fight the urge to pull his hand off of you, but he noticed your left hand moving. The signal was clear, you were fine. He looked to the others who were all frowning in Tarkin’s direction, well, all except Crosshair who kept his expression neutral, and shook his head to stop any of them from saying anything.

“Your choice of weapon is rather unusual. How did you come by such a device?” Tarkin asked you.

“I made it myself. Gathered a bunch of vibroblades together.” You replied.

“And no blaster?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like them.” You answered simply.

Tarkin paused. In all his time in military command, he’d never come across an ordinary soldier who didn’t fight with a blaster by choice. Only the- no that couldn’t be possible. He continued his questioning. “You weren’t a part of this squad in the beginning.” Tarkin stated.

“That’s correct.” You answered curtly.

“Yet they allowed you to join them after only knowing you for a brief amount of time.”

“I made a good impression.” You said coolly.

“Clearly. Tell me, your military and fighting background, what was it?”

“Self-taught.” You lied smoothly.

“I doubt that. A person of your skill had to have received training from somewhere.”

“I pick up quickly, working with this squad helped me figure a few things out.” You replied easily.  

You were good. He had to hand it to you, but his suspicions were not yet quashed. Your voice and eyes felt familiar to him. There was only one way he’d know if he was right or not. “Take of your mask.” Tarkin ordered.

You felt your heartbeat start pounding in your ears. “No.”

“That’s an order.”

“Not one I’ll be following and if you try anything, you’ll end up in the medical bay.” You said defiantly.

Tarkin narrowed his gaze at you but before he could say anything, a clone voice grabbed his attention.

“You got a mission for us sir?” Hunter asked, wanting Tarkin’s attention to be away from you.

“Indeed.” Tarkin responded, releasing his grip on you, until either you slipped up or he had further information he would just have to wait. There was a larger issue at hand here. He walked to face the clone who spoke to him. “We have tracked a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with.”

You took a shaky breath as he turned away from you. That was too fucking close.

“What sort of insurgents?” Echo asked.

“Separatist forces intent on keeping the galaxy at war. If you neutralize this grave threat, you will be looked upon most favourably as I assess the needs of the Imperial army.” He informed you all before walking out of the room.

You felt all the eyes in the room turn to look at you. “Problem?” You asked casually.

“What was that all about?” Wrecker asked.

“What?” You said with a shrug of your shoulders.

“If you were trying to get yourself thrown in the brig, that was an excellent way to go about it.” Tech added.

“I wasn’t trying to- I didn’t- I-” You broke off with a sigh.

“What’s going on?” Hunter asked you, his tone softer than what it usually was, as he moved to stand in front of you and laid a hand on your shoulder.

You looked into his eyes. You hated this. You wanted nothing more than to tell him- to tell all of them- what you were but you couldn’t, the time where you could safely tell them was gone and now it was killing you inside, way worse than it was before. “Nothing.” You shuffled away from him. “Come on, we got a mission to get on with.” You left the room quickly and walked down the corridor to the ship.

--

Echo and the others came to stand by Hunter who had watched you go. “She’s been acting strangely. Have you noticed?”

“Of course, I have. She’s been different since the mission at Kaller.” Hunter agreed.

“I too have observed several alterations in her behaviour since landing here.” Tech added.

“Do we think she’s okay?” Wrecker asked.

“Why are we talking about this? She’s right, we have a mission to be getting on with.” Crosshair frostily.

Hunter glared at him. “Since when don’t you care?”

“Never said I didn’t but I think we all know why you do.” Crosshair replied. “I’m just focused on the mission as we all should be. Certain feelings should be pushed aside.”

Hunter turned away from him. He wouldn’t have this conversation again. “Come on, let’s go.” He could only hope there would be a moment where you would feel comfortable enough to tell him what you were going through.

--

You were sitting on the steps leading into the ship after Tech and Echo arrived, trying to push your anxiety and self-loathing away but to no avail. All that had happened had overthrown any denial you were able to hold on to.

You couldn’t convince yourself otherwise; your entire relationship with them had started with a lie.

You had lied about the biggest part of your life to your team. No matter how you acted around them, no matter how much of it was genuine, your lie remained, and that lie was going to have to stay a part of you forever and you couldn’t do it anymore. This part of you would either kill you or them and you cared too much to see that happen to them. After this mission, you would leave them, as much as that hurt you to decide, you knew it was the only way out. You’d been on your own before, you could do it again. You stood up and walked over to Echo who was staring at the datapad. “Find any more intel on the insurgents?”

Echo looked up from the screen. “Negative. Imperial files are locked down tight.”

“That’s annoying. Maybe Tech-”

“Yes, give me time. I’ll crack them.”

You turned to see Tech walking down the steps. “Yeah, I figured as much.”  

“I’ll say this for the Empire. They know fire power. You should see the new armoury.” Wrecker announced as he and Crosshair came over with what you assumed was a box filled with explosives.

“That impressive huh?” You asked.

“He actually cried.” Crosshair revealed.

“Hey, we both did.” Wrecker protested.

You let out a small laugh. That was the Crosshair you’d been familiar with, the one you’d seen glimpses of earlier was unknown to you, but it was good to see that he seemed his usual self.

“There’s no room on board for that.” Tech said.

“Yeah? Well, I’ll make room.” He sighed happily as he made went to pick up the container. “A new mission and unlimited explosives. Things are back to normal.”

“That’s not going near my rack.” Tech objected as he followed Wrecker on to the ship. “I refuse to sleep by a projectile again.”

You smiled fondly as you watched them go on board. You were going to miss that. “Hey.” You lightly grabbed Crosshair’s arm as he walked past you. “Where’s Hunter?”

Crosshair looked past you. “There.”

You turned to see Hunter walking through the doors.

--

Hunter noticed you looking over at him. He knew you shouldn’t affect him this way, in fact his life would be a lot simpler if you didn’t, but he couldn’t help it. Within two months of you joining his squad, you had grown to become a key part of him, and he couldn’t stop it, not even if he wanted to and right now, whatever was happening with you, was driving him crazy. He wanted to help you, but he didn’t know how, and he couldn’t know how until he knew what was bothering you which you clearly didn’t want to tell him or anyone else for that matter. A familiar voice brought him back to the current moment.

“Hunter!”

He sighed and turned to see Omega running to catch up to him. “I told you to keep your distance.”

“I know, but I need to talk to you.” She said.

He kneeled down in front of her. “Alright. What is it?”

“That Imperial officer, I think he has it out for you. I overheard him talking to Lama Su. He doesn’t like clones or (Y/N).”

Hunter let out a chuckle. “Ah, that’s nothing new for us. But we get the job done and (Y/N) has already made it clear to him she could handle any trouble he throws her way.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“A mission’s a mission. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Then let me come with you.” Omega pleaded.

“Kid, you’re not a soldier. It’s dangerous.”

“It’s dangerous here too. Things aren’t like before. We need to leave Kamino.”

From the distance, Hunter heard Wrecker calling for him. They were ready to go. “Change takes getting used to. You’ll see. Just give it time.” He stood up and began to walk away.

“Hunter.” Omega called quietly after him.

He turned to face her.

“Um, never mind.”

He carried on walking to the ship.

--

You stood next to Crosshair as Hunter approached. “She okay?”

“Ah, something about her I can’t figure out.”

“Well, she’s a kid, they’re not supposed to be easy to figure out. Hell, most adults aren’t.” You patted his shoulder before going on board the ship.

I’ll say, Hunter thought to himself as he watched you climb the steps.

“Well, I guess kids aren’t quite your area of expertise either.” Crosshair added before he followed you up.

--

Omega watched Hunter board the ship and watched as it flew away. She hoped they would be okay.

“Omega, come along. I told you to stay close.” Lama Se beckoned.

Omega turned away to follow her out the docking bay.

--

The ship landed in the Onderonean jungle, and you all left the ship, helmets, and masks on, hoods up. You could hear the sounds of many creatures roaring in the distance.

“What was that?” Echo asked.

“You don’t want to know.” Tech replied bluntly.

“Well, at least it’s not a swamp.” You added brightly.

“Close enough.” Crosshair griped.

“The Separatist encampment’s two clicks south. We’ll continue on foot and do a full perimeter scan.” Hunter ordered. He stopped Wrecker as he went to run past him. “Covertly.”

“Oh, come on. It’s been days since I’ve blown something up.” Wrecker moaned.

“Easy, Wrecker. Your programming’s kicking in.” Tech pointed out.

“Hey, don’t start with that!” Wrecker said before knocking Tech in front of him.

You smiled to yourself and shook your head at Tech. “Was that really necessary?”

“I was merely pointing out-”

“I know, I know.” You said with a laugh. “Come on, you’re the man with the scanner, lead the way.”

--

The rest of you followed behind Tech as he scanned the jungle area.

“How many droids we talking about, Tech?” Hunter asked.

“I can’t tell from this distance. Something’s blocking my scan.” Tech replied, hitting the side of the datapad.

“Clankers always travel together in packs. Let’s get a closer look at what we’re walking into.” Hunter said.

You all climbed up one of the large trees and laid down flat.

“Tell me what you see, Tech.” Hunter directed.

“I’m clocking twenty-five heat signatures ahead but zero droids.” Tech answered.

“Tarkin said insurgents, not droids.” Crosshair said.

“I’m not sure they’re either.” You pointed out as you peered through your macrobinoculars. You passed them over to Echo.

“She’s right. There are children down there.” Echo stated.

“Children? Out here?” Hunter said, confusion in his voice. He grabbed the binoculars from Echo and sat up as he looked through them.

You sat up and looked at him. “Something’s not right, Hunter.” You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“What are you waiting for? Give the order.” Crosshair instructed, the scope of his rifle focusing in on one of the people.

“Negative. Stand down.” Hunter ordered.

“What?” Crosshair responded.

“You mean, we’re not blasting any droids?” Wrecker asked.

“There aren’t any droids, Wrecker.” You replied. You felt the like there were many sets of eyes on you.

“Well, so what do we do?” Wrecker asked.

“We finish the mission.” Crosshair answered. “Make the call, Hunter.”

“We’re not alone. Now stand down.” Hunter commanded.

Just as he did so, a group of who you guessed were the so called ‘insurgents’, surrounded you all. You drew your weapon and kept your eyes on them.

“Let’s hear them out.” Hunter pushed your sword down. “Trust me.”

You looked at him and nodded. You followed his lead and put your hands behind your head, as did the others, but you noticed that Crosshair hadn’t yet done so. “Crosshair.” You hissed.

Crosshair only let out an incredibly irritated sigh before he lowered his rifle and raised his hands.

--

Before you began the walk down to the camp, the troops came and took some of the equipment you all were carrying, including the helmets. One of the soldiers took your hood and mask down. You went to quickly push them back up, but he held his gun up at you.

“Don’t.” He said sternly.

“Hey, easy with that.” Hunter said to the soldier, turning back to look at you.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry.” You said calmly, lowering your hands slowly. The others had their helmets taken so you would have to make do too. “I’ll leave it down.” Please let there be no one here who could possibly recognise me, you thought.

--

The sight which greeted you left you lost for words. Aside from a few soldiers, most of the people at the camp were ordinary civilians, not a weapon or threat amongst them. What had Tarkin been talking about?

“These aren’t Separatists. They’re Republic fighters.” Echo said.

“Why would Tarkin send us to attack our own forces?” Tech asked Hunter.

“Because we refuse to fight for an Empire.”

Oh, of course. It would truly be too much to ask that you could go an entire day without the threat of being recognised. That voice belonged to Saw Gerrera and you’d only helped him utilise some more of his forces after Obi Wan, Rex, Anakin and Ahsoka had assisted him earlier in the war. You stepped behind Wrecker, hoping his size would shield you a little bit. He turned back and glanced down at you, but you just shook your head gestured for him to turn back around.

“You’re Saw Gerrera. Trained by Captain Rex and General Skywalker to fight for the Republic.” Tech stated.

Hunter watched as the man stepped towards him and took his blaster out it’s holster.

“So, the newly declared Empire sent you to wipe us out?” Saw said, turning away from the clone in front of him.

“Well, we’re here to neutralise a group of insurgents.” Hunter explained.

Gererra chuckled and turned to face him. “Well… here we are. What are you going to do? Strike us down like you did the Jedi?”

Your blood ran cold as he said that. The images in your head so vivid it was like you were back on Kaller.

“Is that a request?” Crosshair sneered.

“Enough.” Hunter said firmly. “We expected to find battle droids, not-”

“Civilians? Times change, targets change.” Saw interrupted. “Why don’t you take a look at the insurgents you were sent to destroy.”

Hunter studied at the group in front of him, they looked worried and afraid. These people weren’t a threat that needed to be taken out.

“Makes you wonder what else they’re lying about.” Saw said before turning to address his group. “Let’s mobilise. Pack up the camp.”

Hunter took a few steps towards Saw. He glanced back to see the others following but you weren’t where you had been standing when you first arrived. Wrecker coughed and tilted his head back. He then noticed your silhouette behind him. He turned back to face Saw. “What’s going on here? Who are these people?”

Saw stood up and responded to the clone. “Villagers, croppers, former Republic fighters, all now displaced refugees since Palpatine unjustly appointed himself Emperor.”

“According to reports, the Jedi made an attempt on the Supreme Chancellor’s life. His actions were a defensive measure.” Tech said.

You couldn’t help but scoff.

Saw paused. “You boys got yourself someone else?”

Stupid. Dumb. Idiot. Shit. Fuck. You could’ve kept thinking about all the words that described the stupidity of your actions, but you knew you would have to move out from behind Wrecker anyway, so you stepped out and as soon as you did so, you saw the flash of recognition in Saw’s eyes. You reached out quickly. Please don’t. They don’t know. I’ve been with them for a while and now more than ever they can’t know. Telling them puts them in danger and I can’t have that. Please.

Hunter looked between you and Saw. You had that same intensity in your eyes that you did on Kaller before the padawan jumped.

You let out a sigh of relief as he gave you the tiniest nod of his head. Again, you ignored the side-eye the others were giving you.  

Saw looked away from you and back to the clone with the goggles. “And I figured you for the smart one. With the Jedi decimated and the clone army under his command, Palpatine will have control over the entire galaxy. Unless we stop him.”

“The war is over.” Crosshair said.

“If we give up now, everything we fought for… everyone we lost, will have been for nothing. I won’t let that happen. The Clone War may have ended but a civil war is about to begin.”

You didn’t know what to make of this. You weren’t keen on the idea of this new Empire, but you didn’t like the war either, too many people got caught in the crossfire, too many people got hurt but this regime would probably do just as much damage. You couldn’t remember the last time there had been peace in the galaxy.

“With a handful of fighters and limited firepower? You don’t stand a chance.” Hunter said straightforwardly.

“Not alone we don’t.” Saw insisted.

“We should leave if we’re gonna make the rendezvous.” A soldier informed Gerrera. “What do we do with them?”

Saw paused and looked at the group in front of him. “The clones and others.” He paused slightly and looked in your direction, but he saw your gaze quickly drop down. He continued. “Once helped us free Onderon, so we’ll give them a choice. The old ways are done.” He pointed the clone’s blaster at him.

You took a slight step forward just in case.

“You can either adapt and survive, or die with the past.” Saw carried on as he turned the blaster around before he handed it back to him. “The decision is yours.” He finished before turning of the lamp and walking into the jungle with the rest of his squad.

You watched him as he walked away, and you reached out one last time. Thank you. You saw him stop for a brief second before continuing to walk on. You put your hood and mask back on and waited for Wrecker to gather the gear. You stood next to Hunter and pulled on his arm but just as the two of you were about to walk away, you both stopped. You made sure to stop a second after he did. You had that suspicious feeling again and you knew Hunter did too but neither of you could see anything. You glanced at him, but he just gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, you knew that meant he wasn’t sure what it was. You both turned to go, unaware of the probe droid in the treeline.

--

“At least with the Republic we knew where we stood. Tarkin and this Empire are a whole different story.” Tech stated as you all made your way back to the ship.

“Why are we debating this? We need to complete the mission.” Crosshair said.

You turned around sharply to stare at him. “Wake up Crosshair. They sent us to eliminate innocent civilians.”

“Who said they’re innocent?” Crosshair replied, holding your stare.

“What’s wrong with you?” Hunter said frustratedly, turning back to face Crosshair.

“Me? What about her display back there? That didn’t strike you as unusual?” Crosshair snarled, turning to look at you.

You avoided Hunter’s gaze as his eyes flicked towards you. “You don’t know what you’re talking about Crosshair.”

“Technically he’s referring to-”

“Not now, Tech.” You interrupted quickly.

“That aside.” Crosshair continued. “I’m following orders.”

“Exactly.” Hunter countered, taking a few steps towards him.

“Those insurgents are plotting against the Emperor.”

“Are you serious? Why does that matter? This Emperor isn’t providing safety or security, him and this regime are going to crush people and tear them apart. There’ll never be an end to the conflict that people have had to deal with for so long.” You said angrily.

Crosshair only glared at you before looking back at Hunter. “If you don’t have the stomach to do what needs to be done, then you’re not fit to lead this squad.”

You watched as the two of them stared each other down before that recognisable feeling of being watched returned to you. “Hunter, I think-” You didn’t need to finish your sentence, since Hunter had already drawn his blaster and fired it past Crosshair’s head. You looked to see a probe droid crash to the ground.

“We’re being followed.” Hunter said before brushing past Crosshair.

You all followed him towards the site where the droid fell.

“That is a probe droid.” Tech explained.

“Oh, joy.” You said sarcastically.

“Tarkin’s spying on us now?” Wrecker asked.

“The Jedi never did that.” Echo added.

“Not that you know of.” Crosshair refuted.

“No, they didn’t.” You argued, immediately regretting it. What was your problem? Were you trying to get yourself killed? Clearly you were suffering from an ill-timed case of word vomit. For months, no for years, you were able to keep this secret why all of a sudden was every word that came out of your mouth one that could lead into it. You glanced around the group; everyone was staring at you. Perfect.

“How would you know?” Tech asked.

“Um, you know, I hear things and from what I’ve heard, the Jedi were pretty stand-up guys.” Maker, what the fuck did you sound like? Never in your life would you have described the Jedi, or anyone for that matter, this way.

While he desperately wanted to know what was going on with you, he also wanted to save you from any more awkwardness. “Omega.”

“What about her?” Echo asked, turning his eyes from you to look back at Hunter.

You huffed out a breath and nodded a thank you as Hunter walked past you, before following him back to the ship.

“She warned me about the mission. And Tarkin.” Hunter replied. “She said not to return to Kamino, that it’s not safe for us anymore.”

Wrecker grunted. “Maybe she’s right.”

“We’re taking the word of a child now?” Crosshair asked stonily.

“I would not discount Omega’s insight. A state of heightened awareness is not unusual for an enhanced clone such as herself.” Tech said simply, looking up from his datapad.

You angled your head to face Tech as he leaned against the ship’s doorway. “She’s a what now?”

Wrecker just laughed. “Good one Tech, you almost had me.” He joined you on the steps of the ship.

“When Nala Se spoke of five clones, Tarkin assumed that meant us, but Echo’s a reg. The fifth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analysing her DNA while we were in the infirmary.” Tech explained.

“And you waited until now to mention it?” Echo asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Well, I thought it was obvious.” Tech replied plainly.

“Hey, Tech, here’s an idea. If it seems obvious to you, it’s probably not to the rest of us. These are things that are good to know well in advance.” You said with a shake of your head, standing up and joining him in the doorway.

“We’re going back for her.” Hunter said, turning away from the jungle.

Crosshair stepped in front of him. “Disobeying orders again over a kid? Bad play, Hunter.” He pushed a finger into his chest.

Hunter just pushed his hand aside and stepped past him. “She’s one of us. We’ve added a new member before, and it worked out.” He said, glancing at you.

You met his stare, but you couldn’t help but feel the guilt of what you were doing come crashing through you.

“We’re not leaving her there.” Hunter continued before stepping past you and into the ship.

--

Lost in thought, you stared out the ship window, your eyes following the droplets of rainwater as they slowly trickled down. You found yourself picking two beads of water and waiting to see which one would reach the bottom first. It was funny, you knew of Kamino’s climate before coming here and the times you had the weather had always been the same, dark, and stormy, yet you were always surprised to see it be that way. You couldn’t imagine anything good was waiting for you all once you landed but you knew Hunter was right, Omega had to leave with you all. Tech’s voice took your attention away from the trickling water.

“I’m getting no response from com-scan.”

“That’s unusual.” You said quizzically.

“Indeed.” Tech replied.

“Bring us in. We’ll find out what’s going on.” Hunter directed.

Before you stepped out from the ship, you drew your hood and mask back up- to protect you from the harsh weather more than anything else right now. You all walked towards the- now sealed- bay doors but before you all entered, Hunter spoke. “Stick to the plan. Split up, find Omega, meet back here at the ship.”

You nodded and walked over to open the door and you weren’t comforted by what greeted you. The bay was encased in darkness, the usual hustle wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The eeriness of it made your skin crawl. You stepped forward but before you could make it very far, shock troopers came out, blasters drawn, and your group was surrounded in an instant.

“As expected.” Crosshair sniped.

“Shut up, Crosshair.” You hissed back. You looked over to see Admiral Tarkin make his way over to Hunter. Dammit. Your mask and hood would be useless now, that probe droid would’ve caught you without it. You could only wait with bated breath and hope that time and Tarkin’s general distaste for the Jedi would have meant he still wouldn’t recognise you.

“The Empire does not tolerate failure, Sergeant.” Tarkin said, his displeasure evident.

“There were… complications.” Hunter replied.

“Yes, the probe droid’s report was quite detailed. Conspiring with Saw Gerrera. And you made your position quite clear.” Tarkin said, directing his gaze at you.

At least he didn’t recognise you. You’d be dead already if he had, you thought before replying, “Yeah, that position being I’m not a fan of a system or an Emperor that likes to go after innocent civilians. Not to mention, some of his employees are assholes. Oh, sorry, that’s a big generalisation, I meant at least one of them is.” You responded, glaring at him.

Tarkin did his best to maintain his composure. The probe droid had managed to send an image of your face and he was annoyed to admit that your profile meant nothing to him but this attitude of yours was becoming a problem and it would have to be dealt with. He nodded to the shock trooper closest to you and smirked as the butt of his blaster made contact with your cheek and then your stomach.

You grunted and kneeled down in pain. “Make that two employees. That feel good?” You panted, looking back at Tarkin. You took Echo’s outstretched hand and stood up, taking a few deep breaths to get air back into your lungs.

“Quite. You would do better to learn your place.” Tarkin answered.

“You need to stop.” Echo whispered.

“I can handle it fine.” You muttered back.

“You might, but he can’t.” Echo said, jutting his head in Hunter’s direction.

You glanced over to see Hunter’s fists clenched at his sides; his jaw tight as he stared at Tarkin. Any other day, you would’ve let your thoughts run wild with what that could mean, but now was not the correct time for that sort of thought process so you just skipped to the last part of your routine and dismissed it as nothing special. It was nothing more than a leader who cared about the general wellbeing of his squad, if it had been anyone else, it would’ve been the same.

“I assume you know the punishment for treason.” Tarkin resumed, speaking to the clone sergeant.

You went to open your mouth again but Echo’s tug on your arm stopped you.

“Treason?” Hunter replied, shocked.

“Throw them in the brig.” Tarkin ordered.

--

This was how you would die.

This was the way Tarkin would kill you.

No, not by finding out your Jedi secret.

But by locking you in the brig with Hunter wearing only his blacks.

The material clung tightly to him, accentuating every ripple of muscle he had. You simply could not handle it. Yes, the two of you shared a bunk and when he had the time, you knew he would remove his armour and sleep in them, but it was usually always dark, and you were too exhausted to actually notice and appreciate what they did for him. You weren’t the most focused waking up either, so you’d never had, what you supposed was the pleasure given the way your body was reacting right now with heat spreading throughout it and your heart rate dramatically increasing, of seeing him in them.

Now it was happening at the worst possible time.

You were trapped.

In a tight space.

With every other squad member.

Who in the galaxy had you wronged to receive this punishment? To have him in front of you, looking like that, and not being able to act on every impulse that your body was wanting to do, was torture.

It felt wrong, not to mention a little bit creepy, to let your mind wander this way when there was no way his had ever done the same, but you couldn’t help it. This was going to kill you.  

“You’re staring.” Echo uttered quietly to you.

“Shut it.” You shushed back, no malice behind it, before turning away from Hunter swiftly and you sat down on the bench, so out of it that you didn’t notice the small child sitting in the corner of the cell or really register that Hunter had been looking at you just as intensely.

Hunter couldn’t help but look at you. If Tarkin wanted to give him a hard time, this was a good way to do it. Being trapped in the brig with you was doing things to him that he should be better at ignoring. Your top layer had been taken off you so you were left wearing your leggings and undershirt which meant much of your skin was exposed and it was making his mind create images and thoughts he absolutely should not be having. He began thinking about the various ways he could make the goosebumps on your arms disappear, but he stopped himself. It was not the correct time for this, it was never the correct time for it, but he couldn’t help himself. This was going to be a struggle.

“You’re staring.” Wrecker whispered to him.

“I’m not.” Hunter replied defensively, before looking away from you quickly and facing the back of the cell.

Echo glanced between the two of you as you both looked away from each other at the same time. He sighed internally. He couldn’t believe you both were so clueless. Everyone else could see how you felt about each other but nothing had happened. He’d lost track of the number of conversations he and the others had with each of you individually about it, only to be faced with pathetic denials and excuses from both of you. They’d even tried a couple of times to set up situations were the two of you were alone, to try and force one of you to talk because it was just getting ridiculous and still nothing happened. You both were, somehow, too oblivious to what you felt for one another.

“Well, the plan wasn’t a total failure.” Tech spoke up.

You looked at him and followed his gaze and there was Omega. Huddled against the wall of the cell. Wow, your brain had short circuited after seeing Hunter. How did you not see her? What happened next wasn’t helping either. You watched as Hunter made his way forward and kneel down in front of her, it took all your willpower to not stare at the muscles in his back.

“I warned you not to come back.” Omega said.

“Had to. We were looking for you.” Hunter responded, making sure he was keeping his eyes on her and not you.  

You couldn’t help but smile as you watched her face light up in surprise.

“Me?” She replied.

“What do you say, kid? You wanna come with us or did we get captured for nothing?” Hunter asked.

“You came back for me?” She repeated.

“That’s right. Or you can stay on Kamino if-”

“No, it’s like I said before. I want to go with you.” She said eagerly, standing up.

“How touching.” Crosshair sneered.

You turned to look at Crosshair before glancing back at Hunter as he stood up and stared back at Crosshair. You cleared your throat, trying to disperse the awkward tension that had arose.

“Uh, Hunter, how are we breaking outta here?” Wrecker asked.

“I’m working on it.” He replied sternly, his eyes staying on Crosshair.

“You know what you should work on? Explaining when you went soft. I have a pretty good idea though.” Crosshair said, his eyes focusing on you.

You looked away awkwardly. Apart from Echo, Crosshair had been one of the main people who had spoken to you about the whole Hunter situation despite your many denials. Even though he’d done it in his Crosshair way, you had never got the impression it was a serious problem for him. Until now.  

Hunter stole a glance at you before looking back at Crosshair.

“Stow it, Crosshair.” Echo said.

You noticed Omega glancing in your direction. You gave her what you hoped was a reassuring smile and stood up and walked just behind Hunter, so you were standing next to her.

“Don’t you see we’re locked up in here because of him?” Crosshair said angrily. “He had us disobey orders.”

“So what?” You asked.

“I never thought you disobeying orders was a problem.” Tech added.

“Yeah. We do it all the time.” Wrecker agreed.

“Good soldiers follow orders.” Crosshair said aggressively, taking a few steps closer to Hunter. “Every choice you’ve made since Kaller has been wrong. First the Padawan, then Gerrera. You’re becoming a liability.”

You shook your head in disbelief but when you saw Omega look anxiously back up at you again, you put your arm around her shoulder. Judging by your most recent displays, if you spoke up more, you would probably only make things worse.

“We can debate my choices later.” Hunter replied. “For now, let’s focus on getting outta here.” He took a step away from Crosshair.

You studied Crosshair as he went to sit down. He was clutching the side of his head. Something about him now just felt weird to you, he felt like a stranger. You felt Omega leave your side and watched as she made her way over to him. She was a medical assistant after all, maybe she could figure out what was going on with him. You sat back down on the bench and placed your face in your hands, wincing slightly as you forgot about the bruise that was forming on your cheek.

“Does it hurt?”

You lifted your eyes to see Hunter kneeling in front of you, his eyes focused on you. You shook your head. “Nah not really. There’ll be a bruise but it’s fine if I just leave it alone. I should’ve seen it coming though, there was only so much of my charming demeanour Tarkin could take.” You said with a small smile. Before you could say anything else, you looked past Hunter to see a shock trooper approaching. You stood up.

Hunter mirrored your actions and turned to see what was going on.

“CT-9904, you’re coming with us.” The trooper dictated, whilst another brought the shield down.

You took a couple steps to the right whilst Hunter darted in front of the trooper. “Oh, no, no, no. We stay together.” He said firmly.

The trooper only hit his blaster into Hunter’s stomach.

“Hunter!” You quickly made your way over to him and grabbed his arm to haul him back to his feet. “Are you okay?” You asked softly.

“I’m fine.” He replied, grimacing slightly as he straightened up.

“Yeah, being on the receiving end of one of those isn’t the greatest feeling in the world.” You let go of his arm and made to step towards the clone, but he held his blaster up.

“Stand down!” He ordered.

You and the others stilled and all you could do was watch as Crosshair left the cell and walked out the door with them. You didn’t know what they wanted with him, but one thing was certain, it could not possibly be good.

--

You were situated on the other end of the cell, opting to lean against the wall rather than the bench. You told yourself it would be more comfortable for your back and not because you had a better view of Hunter that way.

You straightened your back against the wall. It had been a while since you’d all been sent to the brig, and you were getting fed up. You couldn’t be bothered wrestling with your inner turmoil anymore. All it would take would be a simple flick of your wrist and the switch controlling the shield would be lowered and you all would be able to leave. You could deal with the other soldiers easily enough and then you could leave them and… and never look back.

You sighed sadly but as you looked to where Hunter was sitting, that feeling of sadness changed in to one of amusement as you saw Omega mimicking each movement he made. That was another reason to do this, at least you guys had actually done something to piss Tarkin off, Omega was just a kid and didn’t deserve this. You inhaled deeply. “Guys I can-”

“I’ve got it. Why didn’t I think of it before?” Tech interrupted before pausing to looking back at you.

“No, go ahead Tech.” You said quickly. Just because you’d been at peace with that decision didn’t mean you wanted to do it, doing that would still put them in danger so if Tech had a plan, then you weren’t going to stop him.

Tech moved Echo aside and sat where he had once been before continuing. “This isn’t a prison.”

“Yeah, well I beg to differ.” Echo said.

“This is a Kaminoan facility. It was built prior to the Clone Wars. There were no barracks or prisons when it was constructed.” Tech clarified.

“Well, how does that help us?” You asked.

“Because while these cells were retrofitted to hold normal individuals, they could not possibly account for someone like Wrecker.” Tech replied.

“Oh! You mean I could punch our way out?” Wrecker asked eagerly, standing up.

You glanced over to where the troopers were and noticed them looking back to where you all were.

“Ssshh.” Hunter and Omega both said.

“Oh. Right. You mean I could punch our way out?” Wrecker repeated at a whisper this time.

“If you punch the correct spot.” Tech confirmed.

“Right. Show me where.” Wrecker said, rubbing his knuckles keenly.

“If this is gonna work, we’ll need some cover. Form a wall.” Hunter ordered.

You, Echo, Hunter, and Omega stood up to conceal the area of the wall Tech was examining. Omega had taken up what was your usual position next to Hunter, so you just stood next to her.

Hunter glanced down at Omega and then looked over her head at you only to see you look back at him and shrug with a small smile on your face.

“Hit this. Here.” Tech directed to Wrecker before coming to stand next to you.

“Right.” Wrecker kneeled down. “Tell me when.”

“Now.” Hunter said.

Wrecker punched the area and quickly sat back down.

The rest of you stood casually and waited for the troopers to look away again.

Wrecker examined the spot that he hit but let out a grumble. “Nothing happened.”

“Are you sure this is going to work?” You asked Tech quietly. You needed to know if your services would actually be required.

“Try it again. A little harder.” Tech said.

“You’re all clear. Make it count.” Hunter said.

“Okay.” Wrecker said before pulling his arm back and crashing his fist into the metal wall.

Again, you all waited for the soldiers to look away from you.

“Oh, it still didn’t work.” Wrecker said.

You kept your eyes on the soldiers in front of you, but you felt Tech leave your side to examine the wall.

“Oh yes, it did.” Tech corrected.  “Look.” He pulled back part of the metal to reveal an opening behind the wall.

“I’ll never fit through that.” Wrecker pointed out.

“Astute as always Wrecker, but I was actually going to suggest-”

“I’ll do it.” Omega agreed.

“You sure, kid?” Hunter asked.

“I’m sure.” She confirmed.

“I’ll go with her.” You said, looking at Hunter.

He nodded. He knew you could handle these guards just fine; he didn’t need to be worried. “Okay. Omega, get to the console and hit the lever to lower the ray shield.” He looked back at you. “The guards are all yours.”

You smiled before glancing down at Omega. “Come on, Omega, let’s go.” You both stepped back and squeezed through the gap in the wall. You let Omega start climbing first, you followed closely behind.

“Incoming.” Echo warned as the group of shock troopers approached.

“Wait, where are the other two?” The guard at the front asked.

“You tell us.” Hunter replied calmly.

“Harm them and you’re a dead man.” Echo said.

Another one of the clones spoke into the commlink on his wrist. “Operations, we need a status report on prisoners 0219 and 0220.”

--

You and Omega paused as you heard this echo up through the vent, she had stopped just on top of it, you were just behind her.

Omega felt the vent buckle under her slightly and she glanced back at you.

You held your finger up to your lips and raised your hand to tell her to wait. You kept an ear out for what was happening below you and from the sounds of it, Wrecker was doing his best to provide an excuse, but he didn’t quite have the knack for that sorta skill, for as long as you knew him, he never had.

You kept listening and knew you had your opening once you heard the guard ask again for where the two of you were. You nudged Omega’s leg and gave a single nod of your head. As she hit the vent and came tumbling down with it, you jumped down quickly after her and you noticed that most of the guards were trapped under it, so your job had just gotten a lot simpler. “Hit the switch, Omega!” You called before landing a kick to the trooper that had gotten up to grab her and that kick sent him right into Wrecker’s oncoming fist. You took in the scene around you and sighed.

“What?” Hunter asked, walking over to you.

“Oh, nothing. Just thought I’d have more to do.” You pouted. “Omega did a lot of my job for me. Nice job, kid!” You said smiling at her.

Hunter chuckled before addressing the wider group. “We need to find out where they took Crosshair. Let’s move.”

--

You all carefully made your way through the hallways before stopping at the next new corridor. You sighed. “We’re not going to get very far without our gear.”

“They started moving all your things to the hangar. Your gear might be there too.” Omega suggested to Hunter.

“This way.” Hunter directed.

The six of you began to quickly head towards the hangar. You only hoped you would be able to find and help Crosshair in time.

--

The group of you silently made your way into the hangar and you were pleased to see that all your kit was there. You grabbed your hooded layer and hastily put it on, and you immediately felt comforted. You knew you shouldn’t have let it, but the ensemble you had put together provided you with a deep sense of security, something you’d only ever found at one other time in your life and that involved lying next to a certain someone in the quiet and darkness of space. You were losing one, so you were glad to still have the other.

You slung your sword over your back and tied your smaller vibroblade to your thigh. You looked around you to see the others finishing putting their gear back on, though Wrecker seemed to have lost something.

“Tech, power up the ship. The rest of us will go after Crosshair.” Hunter instructed, grabbing his blaster.

Yet again, you felt a disturbance in your veins as you heard the beeping of the door behind you. You turned to look towards it. “I don’t think we’ll have to go far.” Just as you said that the door opened. You and the others ducked swiftly before peaking over the crates in front of you and what you saw filled your heart with dismay. Amidst the shock troopers that ran through, came another soldier, armour all black, sniper rifle in hand. You weren’t fast enough.

“Is that… Crosshair?” Wrecker asked, his tone filled with disbelief.

You saw out of the corner of your eye that Hunter had stood up and walked into the middle of the room, so he was standing across from Crosshair. Your eyes darted between them, you had to be ready just in case. You wouldn’t let anything happen to Hunter.

“Best stand down, Sergeant.” Crosshair warned. “Make it easy on yourself.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Hunter replied.

“We should’ve killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders.”

Your heart stopped. What had happened to him? You bit your tongue to stop yourself from saying anything that would only prove to escalate the situation. You took a moment to glance down at Omega who had taken cover by the crate you were positioned at. You laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping that it would provide some comfort before focusing your attention back on Hunter and Crosshair.

“I did what I thought was right.” Hunter answered.

“You never could see the bigger picture. Now surrender.”

One look at Hunter and the others told you everything you needed to know. No one here was surrendering.

“Is that an order?” Hunter asked.

“Heh. I guess it is.” Crosshair responded with a smirk.

“Well, I guess I’m disobeying that one too.”

You took a deep as the two of them stared each other down. You knew one of them was getting ready to shoot and you just knew Crosshair would be the one to shoot first so if it looked like Hunter wouldn’t be able to get out the way in time, you would be ready. “Stay close, Omega.” You whispered to her whilst keeping your gaze on the men in front of you.

You waited, everyone else tensed their blasters but you waited.

You’d had a lot of practice in patience. In everyday situations, you weren’t great at it but when it came to scenarios like this, you pretty much had it nailed.

You tuned out the thunder in the background and watched.

You exhaled deeply as you watched Hunter duck out the way of Crosshair’s shot and you turned back to face him, your back against the crate, as he hunkered down in front of you. “Don’t do that to me.” You chastised him but your voice was filled with relief.

Hunter couldn’t let his mind wander about what your relief meant in regard to him right now, so he only nodded at you before putting his helmet on and taking up position next to you.

“Omega, keep your head down.” You told her as blaster shots pinged off the crate and your surroundings. You cursed under your breath as the shock troopers threw smoke charges, concealing your view, well only partially concealing yours. You could sense where the others were, but you couldn’t reveal that without answering other questions and given Crosshair’s new allegiance, you most certainly couldn’t do anything to remove the smoke yourself. You and Hunter ducked as a blaster bolt fired past your heads. “Tech, we gotta move. Now!” You called into the comm on your wrist.

“I’m working on it.” Tech responded.

“Wrecker, clear the smoke on three.” Hunter directed.

“You got it, boss.” Wrecker replied, grabbing two crate lids.

“Omega, stay low.” Hunter reiterated. “One… two…”

“Three!” Wrecker finished, jumping up and hitting the trays together, the impact dispersing the smoke.

You watched as he flung the lids into the oncoming soldiers, one making contact, but Crosshair managed to get out of the way of the other before getting a shot away in Wrecker’s direction. You quickly moved a finger, keeping your hands at your side but it wasn’t enough, the bolt still made contact with the upper left part of Wrecker’s chest, and you watched with worry as he fell down. “Omega, don’t!” You grabbed the girl’s arm and pulled her next to you just as a shot whizzed past. “He’s using Wrecker as bait.” You told her, keeping her from going again.

“But he needs help.”

“I know.” You said, looking at her with a nod. You turned to face Hunter. “What’s the plan, Hunter?”

“Tech, we’re out of time.” Hunter called to the ship, looking away from you.

“Almost got it!” Tech called back, powering up the engines.

“When I say go, you both head for that ramp and don’t stop. Got it?” Hunter said, his helmet turning from Omega to look at you. “Echo, we go for Wrecker.”

“No way, I’m not-” You began to protest.

“I need you to be safe.”

Any quick retort you were about to give vanished from your lips. “What?”

“I meant I need you to make sure the kid stays safe.” Hunter corrected quickly. Now was not the time.

You sighed, of course that’s what he meant. “Okay.”

“Go!” Hunter stood up and repeatedly fired his blaster in the direction of Crosshair and the other troopers.

You grabbed Omega’s hand and the two of you ran to the ship, but you couldn’t shake the deep feeling within you that Echo and Hunter would need your help. Clearly Omega felt similarly because you both stopped at the same time. You noticed a blaster on top of one of the crates. You grabbed it and handed it to her. “Go to the stairs of the ship. Trust yourself and take the shot. You’ll know when.” You told her urgently. You watched her take the blaster with a nod, fear but also determination behind her eyes.

“What about you?”

“I’m going to circle back around this crate. Don’t wait for me.” You both split up, you making sure you moved to the crate closest to you, your eyes never leaving Crosshair.

Just as you got yourself situated, you saw Crosshair raise his rifle towards where Echo and Hunter were struggling to get Wrecker to the ship.

You lifted your hand, closed your eyes, and called on the Force to push him down. Just as you did this, you heard Omega’s shot hit his blaster and you opened your eyes to see Crosshair sprawled on the floor. You knew he wouldn’t stay down very long. With Hunter and Echo’s gaze fixed on Omega, you darted out and grabbed Wrecker’s feet to help bring him on board the ship.

Crosshair couldn’t understand what just happened, one minute he was getting ready to fire his rifle, the next he was knocked to the ground. He recovered quickly and stood up, drawing his other blaster.

“I told you to go.” Hunter said, voice straining slightly with Wrecker’s additional weight.

“That wasn’t going to happen.” You replied, ducking your head as some of Crosshair’s hurried shots rang around you. You all made it onto the ship, and it took off, leaving Crosshair and Kamino behind you.

--

“Ouch!” Wrecker complained as you stuck the needle in his shoulder between the gaps in his armour. “Hey, hey, hey. What’s that gonna do?” He asked anxiously as he saw the next needle you brought out.

“You’ll be okay. Just hold still.” You replied.

“Is this what you were looking for?” Omega asked, holding the stuffed toy up to Wrecker.

“You found my Lula!” Wrecker gasped, taking it from the small girl.

You used that moment to quickly stick the other shot into his neck.

“Ow!” Wrecker cried out.

“I saw an opportunity and I took it.” You said with a smile. “It’s done now, don’t worry.”

Omega giggled and moved out the way as Tech came over to Wrecker.  

“Hold still.” Tech instructed, holding out his scanner.

“Don’t examine me. I’m not a computer.” Wrecker said huffily.

“This will take just a second.” Tech responded.

“Get that thing away from me.” Wrecker grunted.

You huffed out a laugh and looked away from the two squabbling clones to see Omega heading for the cockpit. You took a few steps forward and turned around to look at Hunter, tilting your head in Omega’s direction, indicating that he should follow.

Hunter nodded and walked with you into the cockpit. He glanced at you, not knowing if he should speak first. He wasn’t sure how this was all was supposed to work.

“Go on.” You murmured. You stayed back a couple paces, waiting for him to go first.  

He took a deep breath before approaching Omega. “Your first time in space?”

“First time anywhere.” Omega replied, looking back at him.

There was a slight pause before he spoke again. “That was an impressive shot back there. Where’d you learn to do that?” Hunter asked.  

“I don’t know. She told me to trust myself but I’ve never fired a blaster before. I guess I got lucky.” She said, with a shrug of her shoulders.

Hunter faced you. “You told her to take the shot?”

“Figured you’d need to the help. I didn’t want anything to happen to you.” You told him as you came to stand beside him. “Or Echo, or Wrecker.” You included quickly.

Before Hunter could say anything else to you, Tech and the others wandered through.

You took that moment to step aside and sit down in the seat behind the co-pilots chair. That was a bit close. You chuckled as you saw Echo come through bearing much of Wrecker’s weight, it definitely looked like a struggle. “How’s he doing, Tech?”

“He got lucky, but he’ll be fine.” Tech replied.

“It’ll take more than a blaster shot to take me down.” Wrecker said with a laugh.

“You were down.” Echo corrected, removing Wrecker’s arm from his shoulder.

“Yeah, well, not for long.” Wrecker responded with a chuckled before grabbing his shoulder in pain.

“What’s the plan, Hunter?” Tech asked, swivelling his pilot’s chair slightly.

“I thought we could go off on our own. Lay low. But with Crosshair gunning for us, I’m not so sure.” Hunter answered.

“What about your friends? Could any of them help us.” Omega asked, looking back at Tech.

You barked out a laugh.

“That would be a short list.” Tech replied, before looking back out the window.

“I can think of one.” Hunter revealed. “Plot a course for J-19.”

“J-19?” You and Echo asked.

“We know a guy.” Hunter said, glancing between you both before looking back at Omega and turning the co-pilot seat towards her. “Strap in kid, you’re not gonna want to miss this view.”

You smiled warmly as you watched him and as you saw Omega study what Tech was doing to prepare the jump to hyperspace but that smile quickly became one of sadness. You were dreading the conversation you needed to have once you reached this new destination. You sighed and left your seat just as the ship entered hyperspace.

--

You stepped away from the cockpit and were just about to take your sword off and lay it down when you heard Echo say something that made you freeze.

“I still can’t believe Crosshair just fell down like that.”

“Yeah, that was pretty weird.” Wrecker agreed.

“Anyone see what happened?” Hunter asked.

“Oh, that was (Y/N).” Omega answered innocently.

Shit. You were rooted to the spot. You thought you’d gotten away with it.

“It couldn’t possibly have been her, she was nowhere near Crosshair. She was helping get Wrecker on board the ship.” Tech corrected.

“Yeah, how could she have done that?” Wrecker asked.

“Her attention was on Crosshair when he was getting ready to shoot. I saw her close her eyes, raise her hand slightly and the next thing that happened was he was on the ground.” Omega explained.

Fuck.

“Ha nice one kid, way to cheer me up. No way she can do that.” Wrecker said with a laugh. He turned to face you, expecting to see you smiling at such a ridiculous suggestion but instead he was met with your back.

Hunter had turned to look at you, only to see you frozen in place. Omega couldn’t have been right, could she?

“She does not possess such an ability.” Tech argued. “Only the…” Tech trailed off, turning to look at you. You had been behaving differently ever since Kaller and this could be a reason as to why. Was it true?

“Yeah, sorry Omega, only the Jedi can do that and she certainly isn’t one. We’d know.” Echo added. “Right?” Echo turned to look at you only to be met with the sight of your back at the other end of the ship. “(Y/N)?”

You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t lie anymore. You felt all their eyes on your back.

“I’m sorry, did I say something I shouldn’t have?” Omega asked worriedly.

You sighed and finished taking off your weapon. “No.” You probably would’ve had to tell them when you told them you were leaving, they wouldn’t have let you get out of that one without a series of questions. You squeezed your eyes tight before opening them and turning to face the many pairs of eyes that were focused on you. You might as well start over. You introduced yourself again with a new piece of information. “Hi. My name is (Y/N) and I used to be a member of the Jedi Order.”

Next Chapter>

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (16)

Chapter Sixteen: Kamino Lost

Gif by @turtleemojis​

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new ‘social status’, but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: Well, the Batch is back together again but not in the best of circumstances. Amidst all that’s happened, the main concern is getting off of Kamino alive but it’s a rather trying feat with no guarantee of a happy ending.

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, injury mentions, near death experiences (drowning), fluff and feelings, angst, still going off what the characters know and what they’ve been told, we’re going to pretend that animal we see that attacks the underwater tunnel wouldn’t immediately kill you, PDA in the form of making out, Smut (including non-explicit descriptions of oral f receiving and unprotected p in v but please don’t do that in reality), we’re following the show so not fixing any endings here, very sorry about that

Word Count: 11K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: Ah we’re finally here! It’s the end of Season 1! But don’t worry, things are far from over! I don’t have the words to describe how much the support this story has received means to me so all I can say is thank you so much! It is very much appreciated and I hope you enjoy this and the other works to come! Again, new readers please see Ch8 for consistent warnings that are no longer included with every chapter.

Another explosion.

The cool, hard floor.

High pitched ringing.

Muffled coughing.

That was all you could register as you braced your palms against the floor. You pushed yourself to stand up but before you could even think about going anywhere, another explosion sounded right next to you and the building began to teeter to the side, sending you all sliding down with bits of metal crashing all around you.

You and Omega got caught behind a panel and you couldn’t reach Hunter’s outstretched hand. He and the others continued past you.

“Hunter!” Omega shouted.

You felt something collide with the back of your skull and your vision went dark.

The last thing Hunter saw as the door short circuited and began to shut was you getting hit and Omega’s panicked look before he too fell victim to the falling pieces of metal.

--

You felt something shaking your shoulder.

“Wake up. Please wake up.”

You groaned and opened your eyes. “Omega? AZ?”

“I do not wish to alarm you but if you do not vacate this compartment, you both will soon perish, and I will be left here on my own.” AZ said fearfully.

“Now why would that alarm me?” You said dryly. Your lips stuck slightly to your now wet mask. You took it down and moved to stand up but felt a stabbing pain up your ankle. You hissed in discomfort. “Omega, your torch.”

Omega shone her torch light down your body to help you find the source of the problem.

You saw that your ankle had gotten trapped under a fallen piece of pipe. With a quick wave of your hand, it moved off you. You rotated it and nothing seemed out of place so you tested how it would hold under your weight and were pleased to find that it could. This would not have been the most ideal situation to have a debilitating injury. You analysed the hallway and it was then you realised why the edge of your mask had felt so damp- the area was now slowly filling up with water.

“Crosshair!”

You turned at the sound of Omega’s voice and sure enough, there was Crosshair. He was unconscious and trapped underneath some larger metal fixtures. You both made your way over to him and attempted to lift it off him, but it was too heavy, and you didn’t want to risk moving it in the more creative way in case he woke up midway through.

“Hunter, do you copy?” Omega said into her comm as you continued to try and find a way to get Crosshair out. “Tech? Echo? Is anyone there? Wrecker?”

--

“Yeah, kid. Are you guys okay?” Hunter replied, pushing himself up to his knees.

“Not really.” You grunted as you tried again to push the metal off of Crosshair. “The room is flooding and Crosshair’s stuck.”

“Get the door open, Tech.” Hunter said urgently.

“All compromised compartments are sealed to contain the flooding. I cannot override the protocols from here.”

“I can.” Wrecker said, drawing his dagger. He and Tech made their way over to the door and while Wrecker stabbed the blade through the crack where the two sides met, Tech worked on pulling it open.

--

Crosshair groaned as he woke up to a light shining in his eyes.

“Greetings, CT-9904.” AZ said. “You survived the aerial bombardment but are now moments away from drowning.”

“Get this off me!” Crosshair demanded, panicking as the water around him began to rise faster.

“We’re working on it.” You snapped as you and Omega continued to try and lift it. You felt the cold-water seep through your leggings before it continued to swiftly rise to your torso.

“AZ, help!” Omega said as the water now reached her shoulders. She took a breath and ducked under the water and tried to move the pieces there, but they wouldn’t give. She came back up, spluttering.

“Omega, use your bow. AZ, you’re with me.” With that, you dived under the water. Working together, you and AZ managed to lift the piece of metal high enough so that Omega’s blasts from her bow could fracture it enough to allow you to hold it higher and for her to drag him out of the water.

You broke the surface, taking a few deep breaths. “Come on! We have to get the door open.”

You both swam over to the door, AZ following close behind.

You both swam under again and found the blade that was sticking through the small gap. Together you pulled at the crack in the door, but you could only do that for so long before Omega had to swim back up for air. You stayed down a few minutes longer before coming back up. You braced your hands against the angled ceiling by the door as you kept treading water but before you could think of another plan, you felt yourself being pulled down towards the door.

--

Tech grabbed your arm and swung you behind him, double checking that all of you were through before he and Wrecker shut the door again.

You hunkered over and let out a few short pants before straightening up again. “Thanks, Tech.” You murmured as you pushed some damp strands of hair out of your eyes and wrung out the bottom of your top.

Hunter stopped Crosshair from sliding along any further with his foot.

Crosshair stood and faced Hunter. “What have you done?” He asked accusingly.

“The Empire opened fire on the city. We weren’t going to leave you behind.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Tech interjected. “We need to get topside before this entire structure submerges.”

“If you want to stay here and die, that’s your call.” Hunter said to Crosshair before leading the others away from the area.

Crosshair hesitated for a moment before he chose to follow.

--

You stopped next to Omega as she took in the sight before her. All the clone pods, all the facilities, were being completely destroyed. You couldn’t begin to fathom what she or the others were feeling right now. Their home had been cruelly taken from them in a matter of minutes. “Come on, Omega.” You said gently. “We have to go!”

As you turned the corner to head down another corridor, you felt the floor beneath you tremble and the entire area seemed to start to go vertical.

“Hold on to something!” Hunter yelled.

You grabbed on to a piece of metal jutting out from the wall and you willed it to stay together long enough for the building to right itself once more. It felt like forever before you heard the crash of the facility hitting something, causing your grip to falter slightly as your hands jarred with the impact of it. You readjusted your grip and finally it evened out, which meant you all fell flat onto the ground as your supports were no longer necessary.

“I believe we have landed on the ocean floor. There is no way to accurately calculate the damage. Most of the facility must be-”

An explosion caused Tech to stop.

“Compromised?” You finished for him as more water burst through some pipes.

“We need to get to a space that’s more secure.” Hunter said.

“Follow me.” Tech directed.

You ran a few steps before you realised Crosshair wasn’t following. You turned to face him. “Move your ass or I swear I’ll knock you out and carry you myself.” You said sternly.

Crosshair gave you a sharp glare, nudging past your shoulder before he ran in the direction of the others.

You shook your head as you broke out into a run again.

--

“Ironically, our old barracks is one of the few compartments habitable, albeit temporarily.” Tech said as he walked into the room.

“This is our room? What happened to it?” Wrecker said as he shone his torch around the now ruined space.

“At least the smell’s gone.” Echo countered.

“Check it out. Our board’s still here.” Wrecker said happily as he looked at the etched tally marks.

“All those missions together and you threw it away.” Crosshair said.

Hunter turned around sharply. “We made a choice, and so did you.”

“Soldiers follow orders.”

“Blind allegiance makes you a pawn. A real leader protects his squad.”

“Look where that’s gotten you. They’re all going to die here because of your failed leadership.”

You made to step forward, but Omega’s voice stopped you.

“No, we’re not. We landed on the underwater tunnel. If we use it to reach the base post, we could get back to the Marauder.” She said optimistically.

“Accessing the tube will be… challenging.” Tech pointed out.

“Better than staying here.” You said as you looked out the window towards the tunnel.

“We have to try.” Omega said, looking at Hunter.

“She’s calling the shots now?” Crosshair questioned.

“You have a better idea?” Hunter said, pushing past him before leading the way out of the barracks.

--

You waited as patiently as you could manage while AZ worked on your way in.

“My scans indicate the tunnel is directly below this maintenance deck. AZ says, with a precise weld to maintain an airtight seal, this might work.” Tech said.

“What do you mean, ‘might’?” Wrecker said warily.

AZ finished creating the seal and went down to check the space. “The tunnel is clear!” He called up.

--

The tunnel may have been clear, but you were not overly confident that it would hold together. There were cracks in the glass, some of which continued to spread as you walked along the tunnel.

“We need to go back. There must be another way.” Crosshair said.

“That would be unwise. I am afraid this is our best option.” AZ advised.

“You done complaining? You know, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Wrecker said angrily to Crosshair.

“Something on your tiny mind, Wrecker?”

You all stopped walking and turned around to watch.

“All that time, you didn’t even try to come back.” Wrecker let out a sad sigh. “We still would’ve taken ya.”

“Let it go, Wrecker.” Tech said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It is his nature. You cannot change that. He cannot change that.”

Wrecker just turned around and moved away from Crosshair.

“Why are you defending me?” Crosshair asked Tech.

“I am not. Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you.”

And if that didn’t sum things up perfectly, you didn’t know what would.

Omega shone her light along the sides of the tunnel. “AZ, this doesn’t look very safe.” She said nervously as she saw the various fractured lines in the glass.

“Barring any further complications, this enclosure remains a viable means of transport.”

“Let’s keep moving.” Hunter said.

As you began to walk again, you heard a roar in the distance causing you all to stop.

“That can’t be good.” You mumbled as you turned to look out the window.

“Yeah, I think we got a problem.” Hunter agreed as the roaring continued.

“AZ, these tunnels are protected, right?” Omega whispered.

“Only when the power is operational, which it is not.”

All of a sudden, a creature came roaring out of the darkness.

“Run!” Hunter shouted.

You didn’t make it very far before the animal barged into the side of the tunnel which caused all of you to lose your balance and fall. You and Omega both landed on the glass panelling but fortunately it did not break under your weight. You both carefully but quickly got to your feet.

“Restoring power should deter the creature. Try to stay alive!” AZ yelled before speeding off ahead.

You all continued to sprint to the end of the tunnel, but the creature had wrapped its mouth around the outside of it, causing water to now come through the cracks. You climbed up as fast as you could and thankfully AZ was able to power up the base, forcing the creature to retreat. Only after AZ closed the bottom floor panel, did you let go of the grooves you were clinging to. You and the others dropped to the floor, taking deep breaths as you sat down.

“It appears I have caused this structure’s remaining power to short out. But you have survived the transit. This outcome is satisfactory.” AZ said cheerily.

--

“What is this place?” Hunter asked as he took his helmet off to examine the room they now found themselves in.

“Nala Se’s private lab.” Tech replied. “Omega says this is where our mutations were manipulated and enhanced.”

“How would she know?” Crosshair asked.

“Because she was there.” Tech answered. “Omega was created before us.”

Don’t say, don’t say it, don’t say it, you thought to yourself.

“Technically she is older than we are.”

Aaannnddd he said it. You let out a soft groan at the very idea of that concept.

Omega led the way into the next room but was dismayed by what she saw outside.

“That’s gonna to be a problem.” Wrecker said.

“That tunnel was the only way to the Marauder.” Omega said bleakly as she stared out at the tunnel that was now split in half.

“It would seem that, once again, we are trapped.” AZ concluded.

--

Omega saw AZ’s head hang down. “AZ, what’s wrong?”

“My battery cells are depleting. I apologise for the inconvenience.”

“Long-range comms are down, and our oxygen levels will be critical in a few hours.” Echo told the rest of you.

“This is what happens when you let a kid call the shots.” Crosshair said, shooting Omega a glare.

“That’s it.” You took a few steps forward but Hunter’s hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“That kid saved your life, unlike the Empire who left you for dead.” Hunter pointed out.

“That’s your problem, Hunter. You take things too personally.”

“They committed a genocide and destroyed an entire city.” You said heatedly.

“They did what needed to be done.” Crosshair replied, turning to you. “Kamino, regs, the Republic, the Jedi… that time is over.”

You tensed up and it was only because you felt Hunter’s fingers graze yours that you didn’t do or say anything rash.

“The Empire will control the entire galaxy, and I am going to be a part of it.” Crosshair continued, turning to face Hunter once more “Hunter, you made the wrong choice.” He said before he walked away.

“Don’t fool yourself. All you’ll ever be to them is a number.” Hunter said to Crosshair’s back.

You watched as Omega began to walk over to where Crosshair was now sitting. It reminded you of the first time you were all together back in the brig. If she felt like she could still talk to him or understand him in some way now, credit to her. You on the other hand, couldn’t trust yourself to say anything to him that wasn’t offensive. This man wasn’t the friend you knew. If he still had his chip in his head, you would feel differently about it but now… now things had changed.

--

“These medical capsules are our way out of here.” Echo said to you and Hunter as you walked over to where Wrecker was lifting one so it would stand upright.

“If our mass is evenly distributed, the buoyancy of these watertight chambers will bring us to the surface.” Tech explained.

“Medical capsules have not been tested for such capabilities.” AZ argued.

“We won’t have directional control. How do we avoid the debris field out there?” Hunter asked.

“The droid.”

You all turned in the direction of the Crosshair’s voice.

“He can do it.” Crosshair said.

“AZ, can you guide us to the surface?” You asked.

“Barring any extraneous complications, I should be able to complete the task.”

“Won’t that be dangerous?” Omega asked worriedly.

“Your safety and well-being is my primary mission objective.” AZ replied.

--

You and Omega got to work setting up the explosives while the others got the capsules ready.

“Ugh, I barely fit in this thing!” Wrecker groaned as he squeezed into the pod.

“Quit complaining. At least you’re not doubled up.” Echo said as he and Tech went into their capsule.

You heard AZ whirr next to you. “How’s your charge holding up?”

“I have accessed my reserve power. We must hurry.” AZ said.

You and Omega ran over to your capsule, you stepping in first.

“The explosives are set.” Omega confirmed.

“Alright. Seal ‘em up.” Hunter said, pressing the button to close the capsule door.

You never considered yourself to be claustrophobic until that door shut. You were well and truly boxed in. You took a deep breath as you waited for Hunter to give the signal for Omega to activate the explosives.

Once Omega saw Hunter nod, she pressed the detonator and closed her eyes as the glass flew open and water flooded the lab.

While they toppled to the side, they seemed to hold up against the water, so your pod began its ascent behind the other pods containing the rest of the squad.

--

Your chamber occasionally would lightly bump against some of the falling pieces of metal which meant that it got pushed back down but AZ seemed to be on top of things so far. You watched as he dived down after your pod and pushed it out of the way of a particularly large piece of debris.

“Doing great, AZ.” Omega said encouragingly.

Suddenly, a large portion of debris appeared and before you could react to let AZ know, he was knocked out of the way and the metal landed right on top of your pod, causing your capsule to swiftly sink back down to where you just came from.

Omega lost her balance and fell back against you which meant you felt yourself get pressed into the glass panel behind you. You heard the anxiety inducing sound of the glass cracking as it protested against your weight and you prayed to the Force that it wouldn’t break as another piece landed on top of it. The panicked look in Omega’s eyes led you to make the executive decision to use the Force. You managed to move the first part off, lightening the load a little but it still didn’t do enough to slow down your descent. Before you could move on to the next part, AZ had arrived and began to cut away at the end of the larger chunk of metal.

--

Hunter anxiously scanned the area around him once his pod opened as it breached the surface, but he couldn’t see you or Omega anywhere. “Omega, (Y/N), what’s happening?” He said into his comm.

--

You let out a relieved sigh as AZ was able to get the debris off your pod and your journey to the surface began once more and it was then that you heard Hunter’s voice echo through both of your comms.

“We got caught on some debris.” You replied, glancing around you but luckily you seemed to be out of the worst of it now as AZ continued to push your capsule up.

“It’s okay, AZ’s got us.” Omega added, turning to look past you at the droid but her optimistic demeanour changed when she saw the light in his eyes start to flicker.

You saw the concern in her face, and you angled your head and you understood why. You were sure that what just happened qualified as an ‘extraneous complication.’ AZ’s time had finally run out. A fact only confirmed as you saw his boosters falter and his head shake slightly.

“Don’t give up. We’re nearly there.” Omega said desperately.

AZ felt himself start to power down, but his job was complete. Omega was safe now. Her friend was safe now. “Your path is clear. I have completed my objective.” That was the last thing he remembered saying before his sight went dark and his metallic body began to fall back into the deep.

“No!” Omega said in distress. She turned to look at you.

You knew what it was she wanted. That damn droid. You gave a reluctant nod of and called on the Force to give you as much help as it could for what you were both about to do. You took a deep breath.

“We’re going after AZ.” Omega said firmly, following your actions before she pressed the button to open the pod.

--

“Don’t!” Hunter shouted into his comm, but he was met with no reply. He urgently took off the pack on his back and then his helmet as he stared into the water.

“I don’t see them.” Echo said fretfully as he looked over the side of his pod.

--

You swam past Omega and went under AZ as she grabbed his hand while you worked on pushing up from below but the weight of him started to increase slightly and you realised that Omega was beginning to run out of air. You had been incredibly stupid. You should’ve thought this through a lot more. You kicked and pushed harder but with the weight of AZ and Omega, you weren’t sure how much longer you could last, and you couldn’t think of anything to get you out of this.

--

When there was still no sign of either of you, Hunter made up his mind. “I’m going in.” But just as he said that he heard the cocking of a blaster, and he turned his head to see Crosshair standing up, pointing his sniper rifle at him.

--

You exhaled some more air out as you struggled to keep Omega and AZ in front of you but just when you thought you couldn’t hold out, a cable attached itself to AZ’s body and you held on to him as the three of you were pulled to the surface.

--

Hunter restlessly tapped his fingers against the side of the capsule as he waited for you and Omega to appear.

Omega let out a series of coughs as she felt herself breath again once she came out of the water.

“I’ve got ya.” Hunter said gently as he scooped her up and set her down next to him before he pulled AZ in. He turned his head to look at you and was relieved to see you holding on to the side of the pod. “You alright?”

You nodded as you took a few deep breaths. You then peered up to see how it was you saved and saw Crosshair holding his rifle, but he wasn’t paying you any attention.

Crosshair saw how his brothers reacted. Each one of them had a blaster drawn in his direction. Whether they didn’t trust him or couldn’t trust him was up for debate. He threw his rifle to Wrecker before he sat back down, avoiding both yours and Hunter’s stares.  

--

After you got your breath back, you began to swim over to Wrecker’s capsule but just before you could haul yourself over the side, you felt something rumble beneath you. You were just about to continue to pull yourself in when you felt something grab your foot and try to drag you down. You spluttered as you were half pulled under but as you kicked your other leg against the solid shape beneath you, you realised with despair that it wasn’t going to have much of an impact. You took a deep breath as you felt your grip on the capsule slip.

Wrecker quickly reached for you, but he was a split second too late.

The last thing you heard were a series of shouts of your name before you were dragged into the depths of the Kaminoan sea.

--

Hunter couldn’t believe what he just witnessed. One minute ago, you were back.

One minute ago, you were okay.

One minute ago, he had you.

One minute ago, he had finally summoned the courage to tell you how he felt because, as he had stared at the burning city of his home, he realised life was far too short to be scared of this.

One minute ago, things were finally looking on the up.

Now that all vanished from his mind as he saw you get pulled under.

Now all he could feel was dread.

He got ready to dive in after you but an arm on his shoulder forced him back down. He angrily turned to face Crosshair and pushed his hand away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? She needs-”

“She’s gone, Hunter. You can’t save her.” Crosshair said bluntly.

“Yes, I can.” Hunter said as he stared back at the water and at the disappearing pool of bubbles, but he wasn’t sure if that was something he was trying to convince himself of rather than Crosshair.

“No, you can’t. You go after her, you endanger the rest of them. You said it yourself: a real leader protects his squad. Don’t fail them. Think of the kid at least.”

Hunter glanced at Omega who was looking down at the water with nothing but shock and fear in her face, but she was also still taking in deep breaths and letting out the occasional cough. She’d been through enough.

He then looked at the other members of his squad- each one of them were staring into the water- and he knew that if he said the word, they would do whatever it took to help him, but he also knew it would be pointless. You’d been under for too long and they couldn’t stay out here forever.

He knew deep down that you would tell him to leave you and take care of the others. He let out a defeated and sad sigh. “We-” He stopped. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He couldn’t believe that this was it how ended. “We need to go.”

“But she’s-”

“I know, Echo but there’s-” He broke off and tore his gaze away from the water and put on his helmet so the others couldn’t see the grief that was now written across his face. “There’s nothing we can do. We have to go.”

Despite that, no one moved or spoke for a few moments until Tech broke the silent deadlock. “I-” He hesitated and cleared his throat. “I have a visual on the Marauder. I… suggest we start paddling.”

--

Meanwhile, you were working out a way to get yourself out of the grip of the creature that had attacked you back at the underwater tunnel. Clearly it hadn’t had enough of you yet. You could feel your chest start to grow tight, but you ignored it and twisted yourself, so you had access to the vibroblade on your thigh. You grabbed it and plunged it into the unprotected underside of its face. That caused it to let you go and you spun out of its grip.

Acting quickly, you reorientated yourself and glanced around you as you saw it circle past you and you guessed it was preparing for another attack. The tightness in your chest was getting more intense and you could feel a burning sensation in your lungs. As some bubbles escaped your mouth, the urge to inhale grew stronger. You really didn’t have a lot of time.

You unsheathed your vibro-sword and attempted to stab the creature in the head as you dodged its attack at the last second, but its shell was too strong, and the action resulted in your blade bouncing harmlessly off it and a passing fin knocked it out of your hand. You couldn’t afford to waste the energy or oxygen by diving after it.

You turned around and saw the creature had stopped again and seemed to be staring you down. Black spots danced in your vision, but you shook them away. You had one more thing you could do.

You put your smaller vibroblade back into the strap on your thigh and reached your hand out as you heard it let out a roar and come charging towards you. You called on the Force and sought out a connection with this creature. When you felt the presence of its signature and an indication that there was a chance, you sent pacifying and reassuring signals to it.

As it drew closer, you closed your eyes and prayed to the Force that something would get through.

Suddenly, you registered it. You could feel how this creature was feeling. You felt connected to it. You opened your eyes and saw its large face had stopped right in front of you. You gently touched your palm to its nose and when it made no move to attack you, you began your next step. Hey, so sorry I stabbed you, but I am about to drown, and I was wondering if you would be so kind as to give me a lift to the surface? You felt relieved as the creature let out a soft roar and you felt the acceptance it gave you flow through you.

It dived underneath you and you found yourself now clinging to the shell on its back as it began to swim to the surface.

The burning in your lungs grew more unbearable and as you saw the orange fire from the burning city reflected on top of the water, that feeling only increased as your body registered that there was a chance for you to breathe again.

The creature broke to the surface, and you turned on your side and choked up the water that had found its way into your lungs in all the chaos.

Your breathing formed a combination coughs and gasps, but you just revelled in the fact that you could soak in the morning air and breathe again.

After a few more pants and splutters, you lay on your stomach and placed your hand back into the water and touched the top of the shell on the creature’s head. Any chance you could get me to the landing platform? You smiled as you registered the gentle growl. Thank you, you thought to the creature as it began the swim over, keeping you just above the surface as it skimmed the waterline.

You were glad Hunter had done what you would’ve wanted him to do but you only hoped that you weren’t going to be too late.

--

“You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours.” Hunter said, turning away from the smoking wreckage of Kamino in the distance to face his brother. He’d already lost you; he didn’t want to lose his brother too.

“I made my decision.” Crosshair said firmly.

Hunter could tell there was no changing his mind. “We want different things, Crosshair.” Hunter replied solemnly. “That doesn’t mean that we have to be enemies.”

Crosshair turned away from him.

As the others began to walk away, Hunter stepped forward and laid a hand on Omega’s shoulder. He didn’t know how, but he somehow managed to find it within himself to give her a small smile before joining the others as they headed for the ship.

Omega took one last look at her now destroyed home before she turned away and began to run to the ship. However, she only went a few paces before she stopped and looked at Crosshair.

Crosshair sensed the kid looking at him and he half turned to face her. “What?” He asked irritably.

“Thank you for saving AZ.” Omega said.

“Consider us even.” Crosshair replied flatly before turning away.

“You’re still their brother, Crosshair. You’re my brother too.” She said softly before she ran off to the ship.

--

You heard the sound of the ship powering up as the creature paused at the ladder by the platform. Sending another ‘thank you’, you jumped off its back and began to climb as fast as you possibly could. You reached the top and paused slightly as you saw Crosshair just standing there. Despite everything that happened, it seemed he still didn’t want to come back. Ignoring the slightly stunned expression that he quickly masked, you gave him a small nod and hoped he would understand that you were thanking him for saving you earlier and sprinted towards the ship. You managed to jump into the entrance just as the door was brought up.  

--

The cockpit was quiet as the ship went into hyperspace. No one really knew what to say or how to act. Everything that could have gone wrong, did.

“Wh- what are we supposed to do now?” Wrecker said into the stillness. His voice sadder and quieter than its usual rambunctious volume.

Hunter ignored him and stared down at the floor. He wished he had an answer for him, but he didn’t know. For the first time in a long time, he really didn’t know what to do. Without you, he felt lost.

Without you, a part of him was missing.

Without you, this squad wasn’t the same.

“She would want us to go on.” Tech said quietly.

“We can’t just act like everything is normal.” Echo snapped. “We can’t just forget about her.”

“I’m not saying we do. I am merely pointing out that she would want us to move on. Wrecker asked a question, I answered.”

“I mean, jeez, you’re right Tech, but come on? Not even a tear or two? Not even a slight grieving period?”

Hunter’s head snapped up.

Wrecker dropped AZ.

Omega let out a happy gasp.

Echo and Tech jumped out of their chairs.

You laughed as you took in their reactions. “Hey everyone.” You said with a happy wave as you took off your thigh vibroblade and your now empty weapon strap and chucked it by your bunk.

Omega ran over to where you were standing.

You kneeled down to meet her embrace and squeezed her close.

“Are you okay?” Omega mumbled into your neck.

“Yeah. I’m alright now. How are you?” You asked, peeling away to look at her.

“I’ll be okay.”

You gave her a small smile before you noticed the slightly darker patches of material. “Sorry, I got you a bit damp.” You said.

“It’s fine.” Omega said cheerily.

“Hey! Quit giving the kid all your attention.”

You chuckled and grinned as you glanced up in the direction of the indignant voice to see Wrecker standing just behind her. “Nice to see you too, Wrecker.” You stood up.

“Bring it in.” Wrecker said merrily as he picked you up and hugged you tight.

Once he set you down, you turned to Echo. “Did you really think I was going to leave you guys?”

“You gave it a pretty convincing attempt.” Echo said as he took his turn. “How did you make it?”

“Old bit of training finally came through.” You said as you let him go before you faced Tech.

Tech held his hand out. “Good to have you back.”

“Uh huh, nice try smart guy.” You held your arms out. “Come on.”

Tech shook his head and gave you an exasperated smile before he too gave you a quick hug. He awkwardly patted your back. “I meant what I said, I’m very glad your back.”

“Me too, Tech.” You said as you pulled away. You took a deep breath as you got ready to face the one person you hadn’t greeted yet.

The others moved to the sides of the small corridor.

You took another deep breath as you saw Hunter standing in the cockpit. “Fuck it.” You muttered to yourself. You had almost died, more than once. It was time to stop dancing around this. You walked towards him and brought your hands to his cheeks and kissed him.

Hunter had been too busy taking you in.

He had been too busy registering the fact that it really was you standing there, clothes wet, wrinkled, and clinging to you awkwardly.

He had been too busy registering the damp strings of hair that hung down your face.

He had been too busy revelling in the fact that it was your voice he was hearing to react properly to what had just you done. His brain had simply stopped working and it was over far too soon.

When you realised that he was not responding in the way you had hoped, you let him go and looked down at your shoes. “Okay… well I’m going to go finish drowning myself in the shower. My apologies for that.” You turned to go but you felt Hunter’s hand grab yours. You were pulled back in, and you only had time to register three things: The hand on your waist, the other cradling the side of your face, and Hunter’s lips crashing passionately against yours.

Hunter thanked the Maker that you reacted a lot faster and better than he had. Your lips began to move against his in perfect sync and he could taste the salt of the sea on them- a painful reminder of how he’d nearly lost you and something that caused him to kiss you even more intensely.

He could feel the leftover droplets of water through his covered hands.

He could feel the hand that threaded itself through the back of his hair and tugged on it gently, pulling him even tighter to you.

Everything faded away. In this moment, it was just him and you. In this moment, everything came together perfectly.

Your brain was a haze of serenity and pleasure. Everything felt so right. His lips were warm, if a little rough, as they moved against yours. You felt like you were drowning all over again except this time you didn’t want to break for air. You found yourself getting completely and utterly lost in this moment but as you registered your back hitting the wall, the small portion of your brain that had remained logical reminded you where you currently were and the four other people that were also here.

You found the strength to tear yourself away and let some more air reach your oxygen deprived brain and lungs. Your forehead stayed connected to his as you both breathed heavily.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Hunter whispered breathlessly.

“I calculate it’s been approximately- ow!” Tech stopped as both Echo and Wrecker punched his shoulder.

“Can I look yet?” Omega said from behind Wrecker’s palm.

You let out a soft laugh and turned your head to face the rest of your squad. Omega had pushed Wrecker’s hand aside and all of their expressions were a combination of awkwardness, smugness, happiness, and a little bit of pride. You knew they had been waiting for this moment for quite a long time. You held Hunter’s hands and faced him again. “So, in the interest of full disclosure, I may have left something out in our talks about honesty.”

“Oh yeah?”

You grinned at him and sent three words. Three words that appeared simple but there was so much more behind their meaning. I love you.

Hunter smiled back at you. He’d waited a long time to say these words and now he was glad that he finally could. “I love you too.” He gave you another kiss, but it was quicker, more fleeting this time as he knew there would be another, more appropriate, moment to make it something more.

Amidst the cheers and echoes of ‘finally’ and ‘took them long enough,’ you heard Omega’s voice.

“Wait, he said ‘too’ but you never actually said anything? Did you?”

“I did in my own way.” You replied.

“Huh?”

“What do ya think? Should I let them in on it?” You said to Hunter, a playful smirk on your face.

Hunter let out a low chuckle and wrapped his hand around your waist, drawing you closer to him. “I think now is as good a time as any.”

“Okay everyone, line up one at a time.”

--

“I wonder how Gregor’s getting on with Cid.” Wrecker mused as he exited the ship as it landed back on Ord Mantell.

“If how she is with us is any indication, I imagine not very well.” Tech replied as he followed him out.

“We can’t leave him with her forever.” Echo added as he stepped down the steps with Omega next to him.

You were just about to follow them when you felt a strong pair of hands at your waist pull you back. You let out a small squeal as you were brought back against the wall and Hunter’s mouth was on you before you could properly register what was happening. It felt like his touch was everywhere. You waved your hand behind him and activated the button that would send the stairs back up.

The others turned as they heard the door shut behind them but neither you nor Hunter were anywhere to be found.

“What are they doing?” Omega asked innocently.

Echo shared a look with Tech and Wrecker. Both of them matching his expression of awkwardness and nervousness. “Hey, Wrecker, don’t you have somewhere to be? A tradition to keep up?”

“Right! Come on, Omega, we should get some Mantell mix before it shuts.” Wrecker said quickly, nudging her in front of him.

“Oh yeah!” Omega said excitedly, walking a little bit faster.

Wrecker let out a relieved huff and followed her.

“That is a subject that could come up more often now. She won’t be distracted every time.” Tech said as he and Echo walked a few paces behind.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Echo replied.

--

“Where are the other two?” Cid asked as she saw the clones all walk in, but they were missing a couple of members.

“Where’s Gregor?” Echo dodged.

“His wound has cleared up so he’s getting me some supplies from the market. Where are the other two?” Cid asked again.

“They’re back on the ship. Don’t know why.” Omega replied simply, munching on her mix as she walked over to one of the booths.

Cid took one look at the other three clones and their faces told her everything she needed to know. “They finally did it?”

“If by ‘did it’ you mean told each other how they feel, then yes. We don’t really want to think about the other thing right now.”

“You and me both, Goggles.” Cid replied. “Well, it’s about time those two sorted themselves out.”

“Indeed.” Tech concurred as Echo and Wrecker nodded their heads in agreement.

--

“Umm Hunter.” You managed to breath out as his lips moved from your mouth to your neck.

“Hmm?” He murmured against you as his hands slid under your top.

“I need to tell you- fuck.” You broke off with a moan as he gently created a small mark on your pulse point. You brought his mouth back to yours and tugged his hair, the action resulting in him letting out a small groan and holding you tighter and you felt a wave of heat rush through your body but the rapidly disappearing sensible part of your brain began yelling at you to get your message across.

You somehow managed to break away but Hunter only used that as an opportunity to take your top layer off- the very thing you needed to talk about. It landed on the ground with a heavy thump. “Hey, seriously, I need to speak to you about something and what you’re doing right now is very-” You let out a happy sigh as he traced his lips across your jaw before they delicately moved across your collarbone. “Distracting.” You finished.

“Okay, I’ll stop.” He took a half step back away from you, his shoulders heaving slightly as he breathed. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong and believe me, I want nothing more than to continue this but there was something else I had to tell you. I wasn’t totally honest with you.”

“Oh?”

“See, that top you so graciously took off me?” You tilted your head to the crumpled heap that was your layer.

Hunter nodded.

“Okay, so I know you know about the half skull on it, and I know I told you that I didn’t know why she had added it, but the truth of the matter is she did that because she’d seen us around and assumed we were together. At the time we weren’t but now we are, and I don’t know where to go from here. I can’t lie, I like it, but if you’re uncomfortable with it or if you think it’s a risk for missions because of what happened with the Pykes, I can get her to make it a whole one. I just don’t want-” Hunter’s lips on yours cut you off mid ramble.

“I like it too. We can handle the risks. You don’t have to worry about it. This’ll be a new thing for us, but we’ll figure it out. Together.” He added, the backs of his fingers delicately grazed your cheek as he said this.

“Together.” You repeated as you leaned into his touch. You quite liked the sound of that.

Hunter moved his hand, so he cradled the side of your jaw and brought his lips dangerously close to yours. “Now, can I please get back to what I’ve been wanting to do for the past 6 months?” He hummed; his voice low with a seductive tone laced in his words.

You smirked and leaned forward. You deliberately missed his lips and instead left your own mark on his neck and delighted in the low groan he let out before you whispered in his ear, “Better start making up for lost time then, Sergeant.”

Hunter didn’t need to be told twice.

--

The floor of the Marauder was littered with items of clothing and armour, and you were laid out on your bunk. To be quite honest, you’d lost count of how many times the man currently between your thighs had brought you over the edge. Time had lost all meaning and Hunter seemed very intent on following through on your previous instructions as he saw you through yet another release. You released a broken whine as you threaded your fingers through his hair. “H-Hunter.” You just about managed to croak out.

Hunter moved his mouth away and glanced up at you and drank in your dishevelled state.

You let out an unabashed groan at the sight of him. Your hands had been rather enthusiastic. His hair was tussled and messy, with his bandana slightly askew, and his brown eyes were now closer to black and looking at you with the perfect combination of lust and adoration.

“I was quite enjoying myself.” He panted as his fingers trailed the inside of your thigh.

You somehow managed to stop his hand from moving any further. “Not that you weren’t doing a fantastic job, but I need you. Now.” You ordered, barely able to catch your breath.

Hunter released a quiet chuckle before he crawled his way up your body, leaving a trail of kisses as he did so. He paused right before your lips and just held himself above you.

You wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him down towards you.

Hunter huffed out a breath, surprised by your actions and braced himself on his hands and he stared down at you.

“Please.” You practically whimpered as you pawed at his back.

Hunter didn’t want to make you wait any longer and he’d be lying to himself if he wasn’t dying to feel you too.

You delighted in the low groan that left his throat as he entered you.

Hunter had to find a deep sense of self-control within himself. You felt too damn good, and he didn’t want to move just yet for fear that it would be over before it even started.

“Hunter.” You pleaded as he showed no signs of moving. Move. Please.

Hunter nodded and placed a soft kiss to your lips. “You feel incredible. You were made for me.” He murmured against your throat as he began to move. Something as intense as this should’ve been an experience that could’ve been too overwhelming for him but with you it was simply perfection and he wanted to feel like this for as long as he could.

You passionately kissed him, and you knew what he meant. The two of you fit together like two puzzle pieces. Your lives up until now had been a jumble of pieces that were put together in a rush or needed a helping hand to fit and this was that moment where the full picture came together peacefully and perfectly. Now you couldn’t wait for the part where a new picture would start, and new pieces would have to be added. The two of you would create your own together.

That all too familiar feeling in your body started to surface once more and the groan Hunter let out and the way his rhythm faltered slightly as he felt you tighten around him told you he was close too.

“I love you.” Hunter whispered breathlessly as his hips stuttered.

“I love you too.” You replied with a gasp as you wrapped your legs even tighter around him.

You fell apart together and, in that moment, the Force around both of you soared and it felt so right. Everything with him felt so right. You couldn’t believe you had waited so long to accept these feelings and reveal them. He was the one for you and no previous teachings or way of life would stop you from feeling the love for him that you did.

Masterlist for the interlude oneshots>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy​, @tpwkcalli​, @fuckoffthanos​, @arctrooper69​, @graciexmarvel​, @flyingkangaroo​, @nightmonkeysstuff​, @brujaporfavor​, @a-streakofazure​, @ladytano420​, @dragonrider9905​, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf​, @yyourmotherr​, @xxeiraxx​

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (16)

Chapter Sixteen: Plan 99

Gif by @dreamswithghosts

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: There was a mission gone wrong and then there's what happened during and after Eriadu.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, MAJOR CHARACTER 'DEATH', HEAVY ANGST, my interpretation of thought processes, relatively detailed injury and torture descriptions, vomiting, slight hurt/comfort, brief kissing, Hemlock being a creep and just generally himself, I project my feelings again and reader makes a questionable choice but it needed to happen, no happy endings here

Word Count: 8.8K

Author's notes: If I have done my job right in any capacity, this'll be a rough one to get through. However, I promise I have a oneshot planned that'll fix some of what just happened and if S3 doesn't fix the rest, I will do it then!

You helped Hunter with opening the car doors and as you all saw the awful freefall that lay below you, you knew it was going to take a lot to get out of this situation in one piece.

“This… is not ideal.” Tech commented.

“At least we’re not hanging under the car.” Wrecker offered.

“This isn’t much better.” You said before you ducked as a round of blaster fire headed in your direction.

“Echo, get this car moving.” Hunter instructed as the rest of you fired back.

“The explosions must’ve knocked out the power to the rail line.” Echo theorised irritably.

You moved away from the edge of the doors back to the middle of the car. “What if I just take down their railcar? It wouldn’t take long.” You suggested.

Tech shook his head. “I do not think that would be wise. There would be no guarantee that the resulting impact of you destroying that line would not affect the terminal that we need to get moving. And we’d still be stuck here whilst the Empire can easily send more reinforcements and-”

“Okay, fine do it your way.” You interrupted as you went back to focusing your fire on the Imperials.

“I can try to reboot the system, but I will need to plug directly into one of the terminals on the track.” Tech said.

Hunter addressed the rest of you, “You four, give us cover, Tech up top with me.”

--

Tech and Hunter moved to the next level of the railcar and Hunter gave his brother a boost up to the roof so he could climb onto the track.

As Tech got underway, Hunter opened the other set of doors and opened fire, particularly on any soldiers that were aiming for Tech.

--

“I am plugged in. Stand by.” Tech said into his comm as he got to work.

--

You all were doing a decent enough job at holding them back. They had more numbers, but your squad was more skilled, so you were managing okay.

That feeling of things being under control did not last long as Hunter heard the familiar sounds of ships coming your way. “We’ve got three ships inbound.”

You muttered a series of expletives as you scanned the sky around you for them.

“Where? I can’t see them.” Omega asked fearfully.

“Tech, we need power!” You urged into you comm as you could hear them drawing closer with each passing second.

You all took up positions to open fire on them, but it did very little. The ships got a round of shots away and you had to fight to stay balanced as the car shook with the impact.

Tech stared at his datapad and finally the screen turned green. He tapped his comm, “Echo, now!”

Upon Tech’s word, Echo plugged back in, and the railcar finally came back online.

“Tech, get your ass back here.” You hurried as you saw the ships getting ready to make another pass.

Tech unplugged and got himself across to the main track and started running but he could hear the ships getting nearer.  

Hunter concentrated his fire on the oncoming ships. He was able to clip one in the wing and it collided into another which he thought would be enough.

It wasn’t.

The third ship came speeding through and fired a series off shots that found their mark. You all stumbled inside the car as it violently shook and struggled against the onslaught of blaster fire.

The explosion flung Tech backwards, and he fell from the track onto the roof of the bottom half of the car. He tried to stand but the resulting shot had seen to it that the back of the railcar was tearing itself away from the track and as it titled backwards, he went with it. He managed to hook his grappling cable onto one of the grates, but he was stuck hanging over the abyss.

--

“Come on, Tech! Hurry!” Wrecker implored as he peered down the broken end of the railcar.

“I am climbing as fast as I can.” Tech replied with a grunt as he started to make his way up the cable, but the additional weight and well-placed rogue enemy blaster fire exacerbated the fragile state of the car and it lurched backwards, sending him further down the cable once more.

“Tech!” Omega cried as she saw him fall whilst Wrecker debated the best way to get down the sloped hallway.

“Why aren’t we moving?” Hunter asked Echo as he took refuge from the blaster fire.

“The car’s being ripped from the track.” Another harsh vibration sounded shook through it as he tried to get it moving.

“Wrecker, get him on board.” Hunter pressed, desperation seeping into his voice, before he opened fire on the soldiers again.

Wrecker made to step down, but the car dipped significantly.

“Don’t!” Tech yelled as he fell down even further. “Any shift in weight could send both of these cars over.”

You glanced behind you at Wrecker and Omega and made the call that the others could hold the troopers off. You needed to help Tech now. Channelling the Force, you focused on the point where the two hinges met but it was already fragile, and it would take a lot of energy and focus to keep them together since they were wanting to do anything but and the circumstances were hardly ideal to have that focus but you had to make it work. You could hear more ships coming but you ignored them, you didn’t care.

“You must sever the connection hinge. Now!” Tech instructed.

“Not until you’re up here.” Wrecker argued.

“Tech, I can hold them, just climb or let Wrecker-”

“You can’t keep them steady and wait for me to get up there with the time we have left.” Tech interrupted you as he saw the ships in the distance closing in again.

“She’s got it, Tech.” Wrecker said, doing his best to keep the distress out of his voice as he edged his way forward. As he did so, the cart swayed forward, and he glanced back at you.

“Go.” You said through gritted teeth as you focused on keeping both carts level, but each moment of blaster fire and Wrecker’s added weight were making it harder.

Tech fell a few more metres as the cart continued to pull itself away from the track. He looked around and he knew what he had to do. He needed you all to get away. He wasn’t wrong about this. You all would make it out. He just needed to take himself out of the equation. “There is no time.” He pulled out his blaster. “Plan 99.”

Your heart plummeted. Not that plan, any plan but that one.

Wrecker’s heart filled with dread.

Omega felt nothing but panic.

“Tech, please-” You broke off as you channelled more of your energy into keeping both carts stable, but another round of shots meant the car swung again. Your knees buckled and your hold faltered slightly.

“Don’t you do it, Tech.” Wrecker ordered as he tried to creep forward once more but the cart continued to protest against the strain.

Tech sighed before he accepted his next course of action. It was, in a way, a rather easy decision. Omega had once asked him if they were a family. His answer had been yes, and it was true. He just didn’t think he’d really said it enough, but he loved his family. And what do families do? They protect each other… and that’s exactly what he was going to do. “When have we ever followed orders?” With that, he fired a shot through the glass of the railcar that met its mark, and the connection hinge was severed.

Even if you could hold it, you were out of time. The ships would make their pass at any second and you couldn’t prevent your section of the railcar reconnecting or else none of you would make it out of this.

And you hated it. You fucking hated it, but you were left with no choice; you dropped your hands, released your hold and watched in agony as Tech fell.

“No!” Wrecker cried out as he helplessly watched his brother fade from view and there was nothing he could do nothing to stop it.

“Tech!” Omega yelled.

The railcar reconnected to the track and sped away from the troopers on the opposite side.

Hunter grabbed Omega’s wrist as she moved closer to the open end of the car. “Omega-”

“Go back! Go back!” She said desperately, reaching out as if she could still grab him.

You felt numb. You couldn’t move. Every other noise around you sounded fuzzy. The skulking darkness that had been circling you since Saw Gerrera showed up was asking for a way in. It took every fibre of control to not let it. Hunter’s voice dragged you back to the current moment.

“The car’s going too fast.” Hunter said urgently.

“The system’s fried. I can’t stop it.” Echo replied, desperately trying to plug back in to do something to stop the rapid descent as the back wall of the station grew dangerously close.

You knew your help wouldn’t be fast enough either, and you felt Hunter’s internal conflict as his helmeted gaze darted between you and Omega. It’s Omega first, every time.

Hunter lunged for her just as the cart collided and smashed through the wall of the terminal.

--

Everything was grey, and dull and bleak.

If it wasn’t for the bitter scent of smoke in the air, she wouldn’t have been sure that she’d even opened her eyes at first.

Debris from the wreckage surrounded her.

And she ached. Her entire body burned with the pain it took to stand.

Tech. She needed to find Tech. He couldn’t be far. She called his name but only managed a few paces before she collapsed once more.

She tried to fight it, but it hurt too much, and the encroaching darkness was too tempting.

As the pain overwhelmed her, she didn’t have the strength to turn it away.

--

You groaned as you came to and immediately felt woozy as you attempted to sit up. Your hood had already come loose from the collision, but you pushed your mask down to catch your breath and breathe through the soreness radiating through your body.

You brushed the dirt off your face but felt something wet leaving a trail down your cheek. You took off your glove and touched it to find your fingertips covered in blood. You carefully followed the path of blood to the source and winced as you touched the oozing deep cut by your temple. Fighting the dizziness, you looked around to see the others pushing themselves up but then your eyes caught sight of an unmoving figure and your blood ran cold.

You forced yourself to stand, ignoring the shooting pain that coursed through your ankle, and staggered over to Omega. You dropped to your knees next to her and felt for a pulse, which thankfully you found but it was weak. “Omega, come on honey, open your eyes for me.” You begged her as her body shivered beneath your touch. You felt the others come by your side. You hung your head in relief when you saw her eyes flicker open, but she couldn’t stay awake, and you knew she was in bad shape.

“We have to get her out of here.” Hunter said, doing his best to not let the panic he felt upon seeing her like this come through.

Wrecker picked her up. “I got you, kid.”

“Incoming! Get to the Marauder!” Echo shouted as Imperial reinforcements arrived.

You picked up Omega’s bow and provided Wrecker and Omega cover fire as you all retreated back to your ship.

--

“Head to Ord Mantell. AZ can help her. Hurry!” Hunter instructed Echo as he made his way to the cockpit.

You watched Wrecker gently place her down on your bunk whilst Echo got the ship in the air and into hyperspace.

“You’re bleeding.” Hunter stated, worry etched in his voice as he brushed some of your hair back and caught sight of the mix of fresh and dried blood on your skin.

“I’m fine.” You said groggily as the fading adrenaline meant you had to work harder to fight against the light-headedness you were experiencing. You then noticed the awkward way he clutched his forearm and at the fact standing up straight appeared to cause him some issues. “Are you okay?”

Hunter didn’t answer directly. “Are any of us?”

You glanced around you and felt the anguish in everybody that you knew also resided in your own heart. “No, no we’re not.”

You focused on watching Omega’s chest rise and fall as a way to keep you grounded and willed the journey to go quickly.

--

“Cid, AZ, we need your help!” You shouted as you limped into the parlour.

Cid took in all of your various injured states and nodded, too taken aback to offer anything else.

AZ dropped the cleaning supplies he was using and flew over to Wrecker. “Follow me.” He led the way to Cid’s room.

“It is best if you leave, and I can work on her without distraction.” AZ instructed.

Neither of them really wanted to, but they didn’t want their presence to be a problem, so they did as he said.

“Where’s Goggles?” Cid asked as Hunter and Wrecker came back into the main parlour.

And it was that question that snapped you all out of what ever fatigued state of denial you were in.

You half collapsed into one of the booths and blinked back the angry, grief-stricken tears that threatened to escape.

Wrecker released a shaky breath and just shook his head as he sat down on one of the bar stools.

And Echo- now that he knew Omega was getting the medical attention she needed- just left the room. For the first time in his life, he needed the solitude.

“We- we lost him.” Hunter just about managed to say as the loss overwhelmed him and he sat down next to you. He welcomed the loving hold you took of his hand as you rested it in your lap and rubbed circles on the back of it and was grateful for tender way you pulled his head to rest on your shoulder. He ignored the slight discomfort the position caused him.

“I’ll give you guys some time alone.” Cid said quietly as she made her way towards the exit.

You all were in too much pain and too emotionally exhausted to notice the comm she took with her.

--

You’d lost track of how long you’d all spent waiting for AZ to come back with news so when he finally entered the room, the room was ripe with nervous tension. She had to be okay. She just had to be.

“AZ?” You said uneasily.

“Omega’s injuries were severe, but I have stabilised her and she should recover. It is just a matter of time of waiting for her to wake up.”

You all let out a collective breath of relief.

“Thank you.” Hunter said gratefully.

AZ nodded. “Now, what injuries of yours can I assist with?”

“(Y/N) has an actively bleeding head injury and a wounded ankle and Wrecker’s neck is causing him problems. Leave me for last.” Hunter said.

You knew disputing the order wouldn’t be helpful to anyone right now, so you let AZ come over to you first.

--

After you all were taken care of, AZ went back to monitor Omega and give you guys some space.

“What are we going to do now?” Wrecker asked as AZ left.

Hunter sighed deeply. “We have nothing to go on. No location, no leads. Nothing. And with Tech-” He broke off with a cough before continuing, “With Tech gone and Omega being hurt like that…” He paused for a moment as he considered his next words, “I can’t put her through something like this again. I can’t put any of you through it again. We’re done. We’ll find somewhere to settle.”

“What about Pabu?” Wrecker offered quietly. “She likes it, and we were going to settle there anyway… right?”

Hunter looked to you and you nodded. “He gave us another chance. We should take it any way we can.” You said, clearing your throat as the pain of the loss threatened to overcome you.

“Alright.” Hunter said before he got to his feet. “I’m going to go wait until Omega wakes up.” He left the room.

“Wrecker, will you be okay for a moment?” You asked as you also stood.

Wrecker understood. “Go.”

You bowed your head in thanks and followed Hunter.

--

You paused by the doorway and studied the way he sat in the chair as he watched over Omega. His posture was tense, and his leg bounced anxiously. You knew he was barely keeping it together, but he was making himself because he was still the leader and had to be. But you wanted to give him a chance to let himself drop the appearance, if only for a moment.

“You don’t have to be strong right now. Not in front of me.” You walked around to the front of the seat and kneeled in front of him. You placed your hand on his cheek to turn his face towards you as he was keeping his eyes firmly on Omega. At your words, it looked like a weight just left his body and he let his head and shoulders hang lowly.

“That plan was never supposed to be used.” He uttered, his throat bobbing as the mask of composure started to drop.

Your heart ached as you felt the guilt and sorrow within him. You reached up and placed your arms around his neck and just held him close to you. I’m so sorry.

“I only got two of them.” Hunter mumbled into the crook of your neck as he met your embrace.

“Hmm?”

“The ships. There were three and I only got two of them. If I had just made sure, he wouldn’t have fallen from the track. The third got the shot away that killed him.”

You pulled away as you picked up on the way the typical rasp in his voice got lower and more uneven. You cupped his face in your hands and rubbed away the stray tears. “Hunter, you can’t do that to yourself.”

“I was supposed to look after us. By taking that mission, I put everyone in danger and look what happened.”

“You went because you knew it was the right thing to do. It gave us a last chance to get Crosshair back. What happened-” You took a second to draw a calming breath of your own. “What happened was cruel and unfair, but it wasn’t your fault. I know that guilt may never truly fade, I’ve been there, but you still have the rest of us. You still have me. Whenever you need a reminder that this was not your doing, I will be there, I promise.”

Hunter couldn’t help but search for any doubt or lies in your eyes and voice but found none. He pressed his lips into your palm and the sincerity and love in your tone served to remind him that he could do this. “We’ve lost two brothers.”

You brought your forehead to press against his and whispered understandingly, “I know.”

“I can’t lose anyone else.” He breathed against your lips, but he could feel himself starting to regain the composure he knew he was going to need for what was to come.  

You placed a delicate kiss to his mouth. “You won’t.” You caressed your thumb along his cheek before you stood behind him with your hands on his shoulders as you both waited for Omega to come back around.

--

“Hunter? (Y/N)?” Omega winced with a groan as her eyes opened once more and saw you both standing by her bedside, the worry on your faces now becoming relief.

“Hiya, kid.” Hunter said warmly as he brushed some of her hair back and reached for her hand.

She let Hunter support her back as she tried to sit up and took in the various bandages that graced both of you and her own fading pain prompted the reminder that the mission had gone very wrong. “What happened?”

Before either of you could reply, AZ whirred into the room and Hunter delicately laid her back down.

“Hello, Omega. I am relieved you are awake.” He scanned her. “You each sustained multiple injuries. However, you all will make a full recovery with proper treatment and rest.”

His reassurance helped calm the anxiety you were feeling over her injuries. You tenderly hugged her as Hunter assisted in getting her upright.

“You’re- You’re okay.” Wrecker said with relief as he came into the room. He crouched in front of her. “Don’t scare us like that again.” He put an arm around her in a fond embrace.

You passed her some water. “How do you feel?”

Omega took it from you but didn’t drink it. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember, we were in the railcar when…” She released a horrified gasp as the images came flooding back. “Where’s Tech?”

“Omega, Tech didn’t make it.” Hunter said, his voiced laced with sadness at having to tell her this again. Part of him had hoped she’d remember so she wouldn’t have to go re-experience the hurt of the loss.

“We have to go back! What if he’s hurt? He- He need us. Tell him, Wrecker. We can’t just leave him!” But Wrecker only looked back at her with nothing but sorrow on his face.

“Omega…” Your voice cracked slightly as you attempted to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Omega hit your hand away. “No! Tech’s not gone! He- He can’t be!” Tears fell down her face.

Her reaction nearly broke you all over again.

“I- I know, kid.” Hunter said quietly as he moved to sit beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Reliving it all got too much for Wrecker. He wiped his eyes and backed out of the room.

You glanced over your shoulder as Wrecker left and you knew Hunter needed to talk to Omega about what the rest of you had discussed. “I’ll give you two a minute.” You said, your voice still thick with emotion.

--

“Why did Tech do that?” Omega said tearfully after you and Wrecker had left. She wiped her eyes. “He didn’t let us save him.”

“He knew we were out of time.” Hunter explained as simply as he could. “Tech put the squad ahead of himself. He made a sacrifice, Omega, and we’re not gonna waste it.”

“What does that mean?”

“The galaxy has changed, and so have we. It’s time to put being soldiers behind us for good. The three of us think Pabu could be a good place to make a new life for ourselves. And the rest of it, well, we can figure out along the way. Omega, is that something you want?”

She thought it through for a moment before she nodded.

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Hunter said. This would work. You all could heal together and make it out okay. It would get better.

--

You pulled yourself onto the bar stool next to the one Wrecker was sitting on. “What can I do?” You asked caringly. You knew there was nothing you could say that would immediately ease the pain of grief, but if there was anything you could do to help, you would.

“Just being here is fine.” Wrecker mumbled roughly as he kept his emotions at bay.

You rested your hand on top of his- an act he gently mirrored with his own before he removed his hand. You know I love you, right? It was a sentiment you realised you had not shared enough with the others and you didn’t want that to continue anymore.

Wrecker breathed deeply. “I love you too… and it’s not just because you’re with Hunter. You became a part of this family long before that.”

The genuine and heartfelt way he said that touched you deeply. You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat. “It’s a pretty good family to have.”

“Tech would’ve been able to tell you the exact date, I’m sure he kept a record of it.” Wrecker said with a sad chuckle.

You managed a half smile at his words. “That would be in character for him.”

A natural quiet descended on the two of you.

“Did we miss something? Did we miss a way to save him?” Wrecker asked into the silence.

The question was one you had been torturing yourself with ever since the ship had left Eriadu. “What we needed was time, and- and Tech knew we were out of it by that point.”

“Yeah.” Wrecker released a dejected sigh. “He always was the smart one.”

--

“Here. These are on the house.” Cid gifted you both a drink.

“It won’t help.” Wrecker said as he nudged it out the way.

You did the same.

“I’m sorry about Goggles. I always liked him.” Cid said sympathetically.

“Yeah. Us too.” Wrecker said with a crestfallen sigh.

Despite her words, you, and Wrecker both noticed the way she kept avoiding eye contact with both of you.

“What’s with you?” Wrecker asked.

Cid gulped, “You know, I tried to look out for you guys. But you got too much heat on you. And you brought it here to my place of business. I had to make the best of a bad situation.”

You picked up on her awkwardness and agitation. “Cid, what did you do?” You asked as a hollow pit of dread sat heavy in your stomach.

“I’m sorry.” That was all she said before she looked to the door.

You and Wrecker followed her stare, and a squadron of Imperial troopers came marching through the door with their blasters drawn.

You both instinctively reached for your blasters, but both of yours had been lost in the crash.

Wrecker was unaffected by the first stun blast that contacted him, and he charged at the group, but his neck brace severely limited his mobility.

You dodged the stun shot that was sent your way and realised keeping up a pretence would be pointless now. You threw your vibroblade into the shoulder of the closest threat to you before you Force-pushed multiple troopers against the back wall and used your ally to snap the wrists of others that aimed for you.

“Stop!”

You turned in the direction of the voice to see Wrecker half-conscious, kneeling on the floor with his wrists bound and a trooper holding a blaster to his head whilst the squad regrouped and pointed their weapons at you.

Your jaw tightened but you did as he ordered and let them take you. A kick to the backs of your knees brought you down. They took your comm off you and, judging by the way the cuffs he put on you were slightly different to Wrecker’s, they’d come prepared. You weren’t going to have an easy way out.

“She was right, Sir. This is the Jedi.” One of the troopers that was holding you down by the top of your shoulder said to Doctor Hemlock as he came through the crowd to stand at the front.

You glanced up at the man you now recognised as Doctor Hemlock who was staring down at you.

“Wonderful.”

--

He’d acted quickly when he knew the Empire was here and he’d kept Omega safe. That’s what mattered first. She was in the mining tunnels and on her way to Echo. The Empire wouldn’t find her. He could now focus on getting you and Wrecker back.

Hunter rounded the corner to the main parlour with his blaster drawn but his heart stopped at the sight. Both you and Wrecker were cuffed and being held at gunpoint by Imperials and Hemlock was right in the middle. He advanced forward a few paces, but the troopers focused their blasters on him.

“That’s not very strategic, Hunter.” Hemlock cautioned. “You don’t need to use your enhanced senses to know you’re outnumbered.” He turned his attention to the owner of the parlour. “The Empire thanks you for your assistance. Our business is done. Leave.”

“You piece of shit.” You hissed as you fought against the grip the troopers had on you as you watched her take the case of credits and walk out the door.

“Please consider your next move very carefully. I would hate for this to end poorly for all of you.” Hemlock advised. He paused and studied your handiwork on the wounded that were now being evacuated from the building. “Such an exquisite creature.” He brushed the fingers of his ungloved hand across your cheek. “You chose well.” He complimented the Sergeant.

You recoiled from his touch.

“Don’t fucking touch her.” Hunter snarled.

Hemlock ignored the clone for now and kept his attention on you. He lifted your cuffs by the middle. “How can someone so powerful be limited so easily?” He dropped your wrists. “Please. Do me the honour of just trying to use it.”

You stared him down in refusal.

“Or both of them will be killed.” Hemlock said simply.

You gritted your teeth and hoped the message behind your eyes as you looked to Hunter was clear- he had to keep it together.

Hunter didn’t understand what was about to happen. You were telling him to stay calm and remain where he was, but he didn’t fully know why. What was Hemlock talking about?

You braced yourself as you did as Hemlock said. You were met with the expected electric current that shot through your system. You didn’t cry out despite the pain; you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but you couldn’t help but fall forward on all fours. You had to take a few deep breaths before kneeling upright once more. The binds themselves had also grown tighter.

“Incredible.” Hemlock mused. “Years spent studying your people and the Force and we have barely scratched the surface of understanding you, yet science still finds ways to prove itself. Go again.”

“No!” Hunter protested. Watching you do that once was bad enough and you were hiding it well, but he knew you were in pain, and he couldn’t let it continue. Instinct took over and he moved a half step closer to you, but the line of blasters stopped him from advancing.

“How touching.” Hemlock mocked, internally thrilled that the reaction from both of you had been as he predicted. It made the process far more enjoyable. “But if you value your fellow clone’s life, you will not stop this.”

“I can- I can handle it.” You said breathlessly as a way reassure Hunter and stop him from doing anything reckless- you knew this torture was as much for him as it was for you, and you needed him alive. But you couldn’t prevent the pained grunt that left your mouth this time and you fell forward once more, and the cuffs pinched the skin of your wrists.

“Again.” Hemlock ordered you.

“Don’t.” Hunter pleaded, but he wasn’t talking to Hemlock, he was looking at you. This wasn’t something you should have to handle. There had to be another way. He should be the one to take that pain.

Whatever it required to keep them both alive. “It’s okay.” You said, your voice hoarse. You did it again and an audible cry fell from your lips.

Hemlock waited until you sat up. “Again.” He demanded.

You inhaled with a wince and did as he said.

The cycle continued until Hemlock said otherwise.

--

Hunter wanted to stop it. Despite your words, his resolve was weakening by the second. The only thing stopping him from doing something was that Wrecker’s life was also involved here but he couldn’t stand that all he could do was watch you go through this torment over and over again.

Wrecker struggled against his captors as he watched, but they were too many securing him.

“Stop.” Hunter finally growled at Hemlock after this last round saw to it that you were barely able to right yourself. He saw your arms give out from beneath you with the effort it took to remove yourself from the ground. And from the way you were trying to flex them, he guessed you were losing feeling in your fingers.

Hemlock smirked, “I am merely giving her a preview of what’s to come. I need to know what it’ll take to crush someone like her.”

He kneeled beside your crumpled body and spoke into your ear. “I will look forward to breaking you.” He kept eye-contact Hunter.

Hunter was clenching his jaw so hard that his teeth hurt. The thought sickened him.

You believed him. That quiet, menacing tone in his voice told you he truly meant what he was saying and… and that brought out a level of fear you’d never felt before. But you wouldn’t let that happen yet. Your arms trembled as you braced your palms against the floor and you panted through the throbbing discomfort in your body, but you managed to get back to a kneeling position. In a way, you were also grateful for the harsh but secure hold the troopers resumed since it meant you weren’t required to keep yourself stable.

“Such resolve.” Hemlock whispered to you. “And now onto the other matter at hand.” He said breezily as he stood upright once more and addressed Hunter. “Here’s how this is going to go. You will lower your blaster and hand over Omega. And I will allow you to keep breathing.”

“Omega’s not going anywhere with you.”

The fierce protectiveness of the clone brought out a soft snicker from Hemlock. “Oh. Well, who knew clones are so paternal? Fascinating.”

To hear that observation come from that man had bile rising in your throat.

“I was saddened to learn of your friend’s demise. What was his name? Oh, yes. Tech.” Hemlock taunted cruelly.

“Don’t fucking say his name.” You spat as you strained against your captors. An act Wrecker joined you on.

Hemlock merely reached his hand out to one of the soldiers and took the object. “I’m afraid this was all I could salvage. Consider it a gift.” He tossed the broken goggles across the room to Hunter’s feet.

Your strength was returning and at Hemlock’s actions, you attempted to lunge for him, but the troopers acted quickly and, with a strong grip on your shoulders, they forced you back to your knees.

Hemlock was unphased and stepped forward a few paces. “To lose one of your own, it must weigh heavily on you as their leader.” He signalled back to his men who pressed their blasters against the back of yours and Wreckers heads. “And if you don’t lower the blaster now, you will lose more.”

Hunter looked past Hemlock and you and Wrecker.

Wrecker did the best he could do to shake his head.

“Hunter, n-” The sharp tap of a blaster interrupted you.

He wasn’t losing any anyone else. And with Omega gone, the rest of you could find a way out.

You helplessly watched as Hunter put the blaster down and delicately picked up and studied Tech’s goggles.

“Wise decision.” Hemlock praised before he waved his men forward.

Hunter let them pass and allowed himself to be cuffed and brought over to join the two of you.

You and Wrecker were pulled to your feet, and you attempted to wriggle out of their grip, but they wouldn’t give.

“Sir, the girl’s not in the office.” The troopers informed Hemlock as they came back out.

You and Wrecker glanced at Hunter who subtly nodded at the two of you.

You and Wrecker shared a small breath of relief. As long as she was safe, you could manage whatever came next.

“She’s long gone. Like I said, Omega’s not going anywhere with you.” Hunter said to Hemlock.

Hemlock merely hummed. “We’ll see.”

The three of you were escorted out but what you couldn’t work out was why you were still being physically restrained whilst the other two got to walk normally.

--

Ord Mantell was in chaos.

People were screaming and clamouring to get out of the way of the Imperial soldiers and AT-AT walkers that were making their presence known.

 A series of warning blaster fire halted you all from continuing. You turned in the direction of the fire and your stomach dropped as you saw who was on an upper platform staring down at the rest of you. No, she wasn’t supposed to be here.

“Lower your weapons.” Hemlock instructed his soldiers before he called over to the young girl, “Hello, Omega. We were just talking about you.”

Omega kept her bow activated. “Let them go!”

“Omega, run!” Hunter shouted before he got held back by one of the troopers.

“I won’t let them take you.”

“How about an exchange? If you come with me, your friends will live.” Hemlock negotiated.

“You fucking bastard.” You seethed as you pulled against the hands that were holding the upper part of your arms.

“I don’t believe you.” Omega replied suspiciously.

“I did not come here for them, Omega. I came to return you to Nala Se. She needs your help.”

“He’s lying. They killed the Kaminoans.” Hunter countered.

“Incorrect. Nala Se is alive and well care for.” Hemlock retorted before he returned his attention to the girl. “As you will be.”

“I’m not going with you.” Omega affirmed but she didn’t sense the clone trooper behind her.

“Omega, look out!” You shouted but it was too late.

All of you watched with devastation as Omega met the receiving end of a stun shot and her limp body got picked up by the trooper.

“Scour the city. When you find the third clone, send them back to Eriadu. Governor Tarkin wishes to question you personally.” Hemlock walked over to you. “But you…” He smiled coldly at you. “Your use lies elsewhere.”

Your heart shattered as you realised what that meant.

Hunter’s head turned sharply to look from Hemlock to you and the pained panic on your face mirrored his own. He reacted instantly and ran for you, but he didn’t make it far before the troopers separating the two of you got in the way and shoved him back. He continued to try and fight his way through, but the cuffs limited his effectiveness and a strong punch to his stomach winded him and he hunched over in discomfort. He took a few deep breaths and wriggled free of the two soldiers that had come to bring him back in and tried again but this time he was met with a kick to his already wounded torso.

You were shouting unintelligible sounds of protest as you writhed and struggled against the strong hands holding you back and attempting to drag you away. You managed to stamp on the foot on one of your captors and elbow one of the others in the stomach and their grip faltered.

But they regrouped quickly.

A swift hit of a blaster on your still wounded head had you blinking away black dots. You could do nothing to stop the severe grip one trooper took on the back of your neck, forcing you to hunch over whilst the others grabbed your arms and got ready to take you away.

“Let them.” Hemlock held a hand up to stop the actions of his soldiers. It would only help with his process. Let the two of you have the chance at a last moment together dictated by him and stopped by him. The emotional turmoil it would create would play beautifully.

Still half-dazed, when the troopers let you go, you were left with no choice but to fall to the ground.

Hunter shoved past the line of soldiers and knelt before you. As gently as he could manage, he placed his hands under your chin to push your head up. “I love you.” Hunter choked out.

Hemlock signalled his men.

You wanted to say so much more but you didn’t have the time. “I love you too.” You replied, your voice cracking. Your lips met for the briefest of moments but that was all you managed before you got hauled to your feet and they yanked you away from him.

As he watched your fading figure, Hunter didn’t have the strength to fight the troopers that lifted him to his feet and led him and Wrecker in the opposite direction.

--

The only thing that was keeping you from giving into the pounding agony that was bouncing around your skull was that Omega was now being carried alongside you. You would hang on for her.

“What are we doing?” One of the remaining troopers asked as he saw the group split off.

“Doctor Hemlock wants her getting a separate shuttle in case the others get away and come looking for them.” The clone in charge of the group answered.

“Please.” You begged with a broken breath as you saw the group separate and Hemlock disappeared down the street with Omega. “Just let me go with her. I won’t-” The butt of a blaster meeting your cheekbone shut you up and you groaned with the stinging pain it left you. Your vision kept blurring in and out of focus.

“Quiet! Keep walking!” The trooper ordered you.

You had so little resolve left. Hopelessness had overwhelmed you, so you followed their orders, your feet dragging as they led you in the direction of wherever the other shuttle was.  

--

Hunter could feel the fight leaving him as he and Wrecker were escorted to the shuttle that would take them to Eriadu. So much of what he cared about had been ripped from him and now the remaining people in his life that he loved would pay the price for his failure. The echoes of explosions and blaster fire grabbed his attention, and he looked up to see a walker come stomping round the corner but it’s aim was directed towards the Imperials.

“Echo?” Wrecker asked.

“Gotta be Echo.” Hunter agreed as he dug deep for the energy to fight back.

Wrecker broke his cuffs open on the top of his knee and Hunter landed a kick to the trooper behind him to give Wrecker time to undo his cuffs.

The two of them worked on taking care of the remaining troopers and stole their blasters and fired on the clones that were aiming for Echo’s walker. What they couldn’t stop however, was the next walker that rounded the corner that fired on Echo’s.

Echo went to the hatch and jumped out of the walker just as it collapsed to the ground.

“Where are the other two?” Echo asked as he emerged from the downed walker with AZ and took cover with his brothers.

“That Imperial took them.” Wrecker answered.

“It was Hemlock. We’ve got to stop his ship from leaving.” Hunter said.

The three of them scanned for ways out but reinforcements were arriving from both sides. It was then though that Hunter noticed a platform that ran above the landing pad where Hemlock’s shuttle must be and the group of them made their way up to it, avoiding enemy fire as they did so.

--

Hunter ran ahead to the edge of the platform and could only watch with despair and agony as Hemlock’s shuttle took off. He paid no attention to the surrounding sounds of blaster fire; he couldn’t turn his gaze away from the departing ship.

Half his life was on that ship.

Hell, his heart was on that ship.

And he couldn’t stop it.

He couldn’t stop any of it.

And it broke something in him.

It killed him.

Echo’s voice dragged him back.

“Hunter, we have to go!”

Hunter managed to find his voice. “Get to the Marauder!” He ordered and the three of them started to run once more.

--

They made it to their ship and managed to take off but there was no relief in the feeling. The air was thick with grief and loss.

“There was no way to track Hemlock’s ship. He could’ve taken them anywhere.” Echo said forlornly from the cockpit.

Hunter glanced back to where Omega’s room was, then he saw Wrecker cradling Tech’s goggles. Then he found himself fiddling with the cord around his neck and his fingertips grazed the small symbol attached to it. He’d failed so many people. Everything he’d promised both to himself and to his squad had fallen apart so quickly before his eyes and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Well, no more. He refused to let this be how things ended. “We are going to get them back.” He said darkly. “And we don’t stop searching until we do.”

--

The shuttle you were being taken to was on the other side of the city, but you had finally arrived.

The ramp lowered and you didn’t resist them as they nudged you towards it.

You walked a couple paces but then you spotted the smoke bomb thrown at your feet.

Fog engulfed you.

You were set free but all you registered were the panicked shouts and shots from blasters around you.

The Imperials didn’t last long, in rapid succession you heard the thud of each body that had brought you here.

Then everything went quiet.

A hand from behind grabbed your shoulder.

You reacted quickly and swerved out of the grip and whipped around to land a punch wherever you could reach. You heard the satisfying thump of your fists meeting bone and the figure backed away a few paces.

You readied yourself for the next attack, but it didn’t come.

“That’s a hell of a punch you’ve got. Would hate to see what you’re like when you don’t have cuffs on you.”

You recognised that voice and you pushed the faintness away and peered through the smoke at the figure approaching you, sniper rifle on her shoulder as she massaged her jaw. You relaxed your stance. “Lyra?”

“Hey, stranger.” She greeted you as she began picking the locks of your cuffs.

“What are you doing here?” You massaged your wrists as your binds came loose and you felt the Force start to flow through you again, but it felt… tainted. You searched in the Force around you for any sign of them, but there was nothing there. You really wished that meant they’d found a way out and escaped safely but everything felt disconnected. You weren’t yourself; something had shifted, and you weren’t sure if you would be able to right yourself anymore.

“Rescuing you, kinda thought that much was obvious. Where are the others?”

You felt your throat tighten as you searched for the words, but you couldn’t find them, and your stomach turned with both the aching in your head and your heart. You braced your hands on your knees and threw up.

The smoke had cleared, and Lyra was able to take you in properly. Your ankle was strapped, the skin on your cheek had broken and a purple bruise was starting to take shape and the stitches by your temple were starting to tear open as specks of blood escape the wound. It also wasn’t just your obvious injuries she saw- your body looked heavy with defeat. “What do you need?” She asked kindly.

“I need a ship.” You rasped as you wiped your mouth and stood up.

“You have one.” Lyra pointed to the shuttle right next to you.

“No. I wouldn’t get out of the system in that. They’d find me immediately.” You reached down and took a blaster from one of the unconscious bodies.

“So, you need something off the grid that would not pass any standardised mechanical check?”

“Add in an already scrambled signature and yeah pretty much.” You inhaled deeply as another wave of nausea hit you.

“I know someone who owes me a favour and makes a living from selling ships like that. Can’t promise we’ll get very far but it could work.” She paused as she saw the way you still swayed on your feet. “Are you sure you’re up for that? I can go myself and meet-”

“I’m not getting separated from anyone else.” You said sharply before you straightened your shoulders. “Lead the way.”

--

You waited as Lyra squared up deal and studied your way out of here. The ship did look like a hunk of scrap metal, but it would get you out unnoticed and that’s all that mattered.

“Okay, let’s go.” Lyra said as she came over to you.

You sighed, “Lyra, thank you. For all of this. But you can’t come with me.”

Lyra placed her hands on hips in defiance. “I have nothing here, they wrecked my stall and raided the other stores. I’m going with you. At the very least, you need someone to treat that serious concussion properly.”

Dealing with your injuries were way down on your priority list. You could feel it creeping in again and you weren’t sure you had the strength to oppose it anymore. “What I am… what I’m going to do, you shouldn’t be around for. I can’t-”

“Can’t be worse than what I’ve seen already. Come on, we gotta get going.” She said with finality as she walked past you and up the ramp to the ship.

On her head be it. You thought to yourself as you followed her up and she got the ship in the air.

--

Omega walked out the Imperial shuttle with a deep sense of unease. She recognised Mount Tantiss and the presence of Nala Se troubled her. She feared for what this doctor had planned for her.

“Have Emerie see to her injuries.” Hemlock ordered the assistant that came to greet them.

Omega didn’t follow the woman, she just looked to Nala Se. “Why did they bring me here?” She didn’t get to hear a reply for the trooper behind her prodded her back to make her go inside.

Hemlock addressed the Kaminoan after Omega was out of earshot. “Your prime minister mentioned you had an attachment to the young clone, so I’ve returned her to you. Perhaps now, you will reconsider working on the Emperor’s project.”

“What he seeks is not possible.” Nale Se argued.

“Make it possible. If you refuse or fail, Omega will suffer the consequences.” Hemlock threatened.

Satisfied that his threat had landed effectively, he waved the Kaminoan away and went to go inside but a clone voice stopped him.

“Sir, we’ve heard reports on an attack on the squad escorting the Jedi and the shuttle never checked in. It would seem she escaped.”

Hemlock had to hide his surprise. Clearly something had happened he had not anticipated. “That is… unfortunate, but we’ll make do… for now.”

--

Omega was led into a lab and what she saw horrified her. There were tubes and rows of unconscious clones strapped down onto testing tables. Then her eyes caught sight of someone she knew. “Crosshair!”

She ran over to him and tried to rouse him, “Crosshair? Crosshair?” He showed no signs of movement. She heard the sound of oncoming footsteps and turned to see the woman that must be ‘Emerie’ standing behind her.

“You must be Omega.” Emerie said.

“What did you do to Crosshair?” She asked angrily.

“He’s recovering. I tried to warn him what would happen if he did not cooperate with the doctor.”

“I want to talk to Nala Se.”

“Ironic. You trust the Kaminoan, but not me.”

“I don’t know you.”

“No?” Emerie kneeled in front of the young girl and removed her glasses. “You might know me better than you think.”

Omega furrowed her brow.

“We’re sisters, Omega.”

--

Lyra finished tending to your head and cheek before she went to the cockpit to give you some time.

As you stared down the corridor and out into the blue clouds of hyperspace, you gained a true moment of clarity. The galaxy and the Empire had taken much from you, but you’d always been able to push through.

In a strange way, you’d even thought you were better off because of where you’d ended up. You had gained a greater sense of purpose, you had room to properly care for the people in your life, you had a family.

But now they’d gone too far. Too much had been taken from you, your family, from the people you loved, and you weren’t going to let it happen anymore. You couldn’t let it happen anymore.

You weren’t as strong as you’d thought you were. Something gets cracked enough times enough times, it’s bound to break.

You were done hiding.

Your arms fell to your sides and your fists clenched and the darkness you had been running from since Eriadu came flooding back. Only this time, this time you weren’t going to fight against it.

This time.

This time, you embraced it.

Oneshot>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @skellymom, @lokigirlszendaya

[hugmekenobi]

Goes Both Ways

A Bad Batch Series interlude oneshot

Gif by @transkestis​

(no, the S2 fits aren’t here yet, this gif just worked the best)

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: You and Hunter both realise there are trickier feelings that need navigating in a relationship but the two of you manage to work with them.

Warnings: Swearing, possessiveness/jealousy, reader doesn’t really stick the Jedi teachings (but we knew this anyway lol), pet name (sweetheart), Gregor being what I need in the form of a flirtatious plot device, Force communication working how I say it does, brief mention of death, no y/n, PDA in the form of making out, affectionate biting/marking, spicy and suggestive language and touches, awkwardness, getting caught/interrupted

Masterlist for S1 chapters

Word Count: 3.4K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: I can’t justify the main trope here, my brain just went into this headspace and took it and ran lol. Things get a bit spicier, but I appreciate this sorta thing isn’t for everyone but to those who do read, hope you enjoy :)

The three of them watched from the bar at the scene unfolding in front of them. They weren’t sure how exactly you would react once you came back from putting Omega in Cid’s room, but one thing was certain, you weren’t going to be very happy.

“Hey guys, what are we looking-” You stopped as you saw what it what they were staring at, or rather who they were staring at. “Who the fuck’s that?” You asked, attempting levity but it wasn’t very convincing.

“We don’t know. She appeared once you left.” Tech answered.

“Did she now?” You replied, your voice tense. The feelings bubbling within you were unfamiliar and you were still getting used to the whole relationship thing, but you could already tell you weren’t a fan of what was happening in front of you.

You continued to stare at the young woman currently standing by Hunter at the other end of the bar counter. She was being a little too touchy-feely for your liking, her hands kept wandering to Hunter’s chest and hands. Hunter, to his credit, kept inching away every time she did that, but she was not for dissuading.

“Are you alright?” Echo asked.

“Uh huh.” You replied stiffly.

“You sure?” Wrecker asked as he saw the way your jaw clenched.

You sucked air through your teeth. “Yup.”

“You know he’s not going to do anything.” Tech added.

“It’s not him I’m worried about.”

“Are you sure you-”

“Relax Echo, I’m not going to cause a scene.” You said calmy as you watched them.

You understood to a degree, hell if you were in her position you’d probably try too, but he was taken now.

Now he was yours.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, where the fuck did that line of thought come from? You thought to yourself, shocked that you’d even gone down that road so quickly. That jealousy and possessiveness was something you’d been taught for years was a very bad thing, yet you jumped to it immediately. You took a deep breath. “It’s fine, I’m fine. He’ll come back over once he's done talking.”

The three of them regarded you suspiciously.

“Chill with the fourth degree. I’m okay.” You reiterated as you felt their eyes on you.

“You’ve still not looked away.” Tech pointed out.

“And that bar stool leg wasn’t bent like that before.” Echo said, indicating to the chair you were closest to.

You glanced down and sure enough, the leg has curved slightly. Clearly you weren’t as fine as you were trying to make yourself out to be. “Wrecker, stand in front of me.”

Wrecker did as you asked. “That better?”

You took another deep breath. “Yeah. Just gotta wait until they’re done.” You stole a swig from Echo’s drink and willed the streak of possessiveness that was residing with in you to go away.

--

“Okay, how long has it been? Seriously, what could she be saying that’s so interesting?” You asked irritably. “Also, Hunter isn’t exactly a conversationalist, what could she be so captivated by?

The others shared a smirk. It had been five minutes and you’d only lasted two before you’d moved past Wrecker to watch them again.

“I don’t think it’s his conversation skills she’s interested in.” Tech said simply as if he was answering a question about the weather.

You shot him a glare as Wrecker and Echo both shook their heads at him. “Sometimes Tech, I forget you’re the smartest one here. I know what she’s interested in but how many times does he need to back away for her to get the hint? Or better yet, why doesn’t he leave?”

“Maybe he’s just being polite?” Wrecker offered.

“Or they’re genuinely having a conversation?” Echo suggested.

You hid your head in your hands, but you couldn’t help but laugh. “Sometimes I really can’t talk to you boys.”

“Although I doubt a genuine conversation would involve that.” Tech said indicating over to them.

You lifted your head and that possessiveness you had been attempting to quash came to a head as you saw the way she looped an arm around the back of his neck and drew her closer to him. “Oh, for fucks sake.” You muttered. The Jedi were dead, and they weren’t perfect anyway, so you didn’t have to be. You downed the rest of your drink and began to walk over to him.

“I have 5 credits on her bumping into her and making her spill her drink.” Wrecker said as he watched you go.

“Nah, she’ll use her Jedi abilities for that.” Echo countered. “Tech?”

“I think she’ll rise above and merely ask her to leave.”

Echo and Wrecker just stared at him; eyebrows raised.

Tech sighed, “Fine. She’s using the Force.”

--

Hunter had been itching to leave for the past ten minutes but this woman was not getting the message. He had just taken her hands off him for what felt like the one hundredth time when he felt you next to him as you wrapped an arm around his waist.

He glanced at you and saw a hint of darkness in your eyes as well as something he couldn’t quite place. “Hey, how are-” Your lips on his abruptly cut him off and it was a kiss that was definitely not meant for a public space. It was deep and intense, and he was sure it had something to do with whatever it was that was lurking behind your eyes. After what was probably too long for a casual expression of affection, you pulled away and he found that all words had left his brain.

“You were stolen away from me. I had to come check on you.” You said sweetly as you gazed at him, pleased with the slightly dazed look on his face. Keeping your hand wrapped around him, you faced the woman, and you felt a hint of smugness as you saw the flash of irritation on her face. “I see you’ve met my Hunter.”

Your Hunter? He regarded you curiously, but your eyes were focused on the woman in front of you.

“Yeah, we just got chatting.” She said innocently.

“Oh, chatting, was it? Looked to me like you were hitting on him.” You said with fake politeness.

Oh, that’s what this was, Hunter realised. You were jealous. He worried for the woman across from him since he’d never seen you like this, so he didn’t know what to expect. “Sweetheart, I wasn’t-”

“Oh, don’t worry, I trust you.” You said, leaning up to plant a kiss on his neck and you smirked to yourself as you saw her frown out of the corner of your eye.

You faced her again. “Honey, you should really look for men that are interested in you. You’re not going to get what you’re looking for here, I can tell you that.”

“Oh, I’d never-” She began, placing her hand over her heart as if she was shocked by such an insinuation.

“No?” You asked as if you were willing to believe her.

“It’s just he never mentioned you, so I assumed-”

You could tell she was lying and that was confirmed by the way Hunter stiffened next to you. “See, I think he did, and you just don’t know when to quit.”

“Well, I didn’t think sewer rats were his type.” She sneered.

You were glad you could be done with the fake niceties. You placed a hand on Hunter’s chest as you sensed him getting ready to speak. “I think you better be going now.” You said coolly and with a subtle flick of your finger, her drink spilt on her lap.

She shouted in annoyance at the red puddle that was now forming on her lap.

“Oh, now that’s unfortunate. You better get outta here and sort that cause white and red? That’s a bitch to clean and I wouldn’t want your lovely dress to get ruined.” You said with a cat-like grin.

She glowered at you and walked out of the bar.

“That wasn’t very nice.” Hunter kidded into your hair as he kissed your temple.

You looked back at him and looped your arms around his neck.

Hunter’s hands found your waist and as he stared into your eyes, he saw that that hint of possessiveness hadn’t left yet, and he realised it wasn’t necessarily just the woman he had to worry about.

“She was trying to take something that wasn’t hers.” You said as your hands threaded themselves in his hair. You pulled on it and brought his lips down, so they were mere inches from yours.

Hunter had to bite back the groan that threatened to leave his mouth and instead he tightened his hold on your waist. “We can’t… not here.” He managed to rasp out.

“See, I think it should be here. How else are people going to know that you’re mine?” You purred as you moved your lips to his ear before you bit down on his neck, using your tongue to sooth the sting of it.

“Fuck.” Hunter hissed out and he had to grab the counter so as to stay upright.

“Did you like talking to her?” You continued to whisper as you kissed along his jaw.

“No.” He replied hoarsely. His brain was having to work overtime to form even the simplest of words.

“You didn’t leave.” You murmured as you traced your lips over his. You took them away as you saw him go to make something more of it. “Why didn’t you leave?” You asked again, your hand trailing up and down his chest- thankful that they’d all decided they could take a break tonight since his armour would’ve made this difficult- whilst you sucked a mark on his pulse point.

Hunter’s head fell back, and it took all the willpower he possessed not to let out a moan. “Didn’t- Maker- didn’t want to be- Fucking hell- rude.” He ground out as your lips and tongue continued to do things to his neck that left him unable to think straight.

“If there’s a next time, Sergeant…” You crooned, bringing his head back up. “Be rude.” You whispered before kissing him once more, gently biting his lip and relishing in the way he couldn’t keep it together anymore as you heard him groan and hold you tightly to him.

“Oi, you two! This is a public space. Do that in your own place!”

Hunter snapped back to the current moment. He broke away and he saw Cid standing behind you.

You didn’t seem bothered at all. “We will.” You said simply as you took Hunter’s hand and led him out the bar.

All Hunter could do was follow you, too hooked on whatever it was you were acting like to argue or even really think.

--

The others had turned away from the moment that was unfolding between the two of you now, but Wrecker handed the credits over to Echo and Tech.

Echo heard Cid shout and risked a glance over his shoulder and as he saw you lead Hunter out, he guessed they’d be banned from the Marauder for a while. He sighed.

Tech and Wrecker stopped their conversation and followed Echo’s gaze.

“Ah.” Tech said plainly.

“Guess we’re going to be here a while.” Wrecker grumbled.

--

Hunter watched as you laughed at whatever it was Gregor had said. He wasn’t that funny. His jaw went tight as he saw the way Gregor placed a quick hand on your back. He felt that cold stab of jealousy, something he thought he’d risen above since he knew that it was really nothing more than friendly banter between the two of you, you’d told him as much and he trusted you. Plus, Gregor was a brother, and he was doing what brothers do which was very successfully winding him up and Hunter knew he should’ve been better at ignoring it. But seeing the flirtatious repartee come so easily to Gregor and watching him lean in closer to you was doing enough so that the primal feeling of possessiveness was able to take over his brain.

He got up as he saw you pass the table and followed you as you headed into Cid’s office.

--

Echo, Tech, and Wrecker watched from another table as you picked up your communicator and gently nudged Gregor out of your path, making your way out of the bar. Their eyes then fell to Hunter, who stood upon seeing you leave and followed you out of the room. The scene was all too familiar, and they all shared a knowing look as the deja vu settled over them.

“Who knew he could get jealous too.” Wrecker said. “I figured he’d be better than that.”

“Not with her, he’s always had an issue with Gregor. He flirts with her. It’s innocent enough but it gets to him.” Echo said.

“Yeah. Remember when Gregor brought her those flowers? Hunter didn’t leave her side the entire day.” Tech reminded Wrecker.

Wrecker nodded his head in agreement as he remembered.

“Hey fellas.” Gregor said as he sat down next to Wrecker. “Where’s the Sergeant?”

“No idea.” They all said together, and they were thankful that Omega was out running errands with Cid.

--

You finished finding those datapads Cid had asked you to bring to her but just as you were turning to leave, you felt Hunter’s presence but before you could say anything, he’d whirled you around and brought his lips to yours. It was the kind of kiss that took your breath away and left your head spinning as he pulled away. Gathering yourself, you put the datapads down and stared at him as he kept a firm grip of your waist. “What was that for?”

Hunter didn’t answer. He just kissed you again and tangled his fingers in your hair.

You felt it then. You felt the possessiveness that was flowing through him, and this kiss definitely had that in it. It was rough but it felt really fucking good. You just didn’t know what had set this off. What’s going on? You managed to send as you kissed him back just as eagerly.

“I never like it when he flirts with you.” Hunter muttered as he followed your jawline with his lips.

Letting out a happy sigh, you tilted your head back and let him explore your neck. “Who? Gregor?” You watched as his gaze met yours and you nearly let out a groan at the sight. His eyes were dark, and he was breathing heavily. “He’s harmless.” You managed to say, though it was a struggle.

“He wants you and I don’t like what that does to me.” Hunter growled as he kissed you again and pressed himself tighter to you.

“What if I like what it does to you?” You whispered breathlessly as you broke away, a coy smile on your lips as you leaned forward.

No. He wasn’t going to let you turn this one around. It was his turn now. “I don’t like people coming for what’s mine.”

The guttural way he said that had tingles running down your spine and your toes curled as he made his own mark on you. You’re lucky I love you, had that come from anyone else, I’d have kicked their ass.

“I must not be doing a very good job if you’re still able to find a way to speak.” With that, he kissed you again and he tugged on your lip, delighting in the way your breathing hitched as he did that. He grabbed the backs of your thighs and picked you up and carried you over to the edge of Cid’s desk.

You were grateful that the mission you’d been on had been tamer and involved blending in because if he was wearing his armour right now, you wouldn’t have been able to grab fistfuls of his shirt to hold him close to you.

Hunter brought his lips back to your neck. “Do you like it when he flirts with you?” He rumbled against your skin whilst his hand began to steadily trail a path along the inside of your thigh.

You couldn’t help the moan that left your mouth, but you stopped his hand from going any higher. “Someone could-” You broke off with another groan as he bit the sensitive spot just behind your ear before he cooled the sting of it with his tongue. “Walk in.” You said, your voice hoarse with effort.

“Maybe that’s what I want.” Hunter crooned. “Maybe Gregor should see who you’re with so he could get the message that you’re mine.” He kissed you again before he repeated his question, “Do you like it when he flirts with you?” He needed you as speechless as he was when you were this way, so he made another mark on the junction where your neck and shoulder met.

“Fuck!” You couldn’t help but shout and you removed your grip on his wrist since you needed both hands to keep yourself upright.

“Answer me.” Hunter ordered as he slowly continued to move his hand upwards.

Right. Words. Come on. “I-um- shit-” His teasing touches were killing you. “No. I’m just being nice.” You managed gasp out as your head fell back.

“Hmm.” Hunter stopped just before he reached where he knew you were wanting him. He grabbed the back of your neck so that you were forced to look at him.

You could barely keep your breathing under control. You’d never seen him like this, and you were scared by how much you were loving it. You found the edges of his shirt and found that all worries of being discovered were rapidly leaving you.

“If I went higher, what I would find there, would that be because of me or because of Gregor?” He hummed against your lips as he moved his fingers in small circles at the juncture of your thigh.

You could only moan in reply and your head fell into the crook of his neck.

Hunter paused what he was doing, pleased that you were as wrecked as you’d made him.

“You.” You croaked out as you felt him stop. “Please, Hunter.” He’d reduced you to a begging mess, but you were too far gone to care. “It’s only you. I’m just being nice. I’m yours. Please just-”

Your words sent him over the edge, and he kissed you hungrily.

You were about to lift his shirt over his head when the office door opened.

“Kriffing hell! Not my office!”

You pushed Hunter away and jumped down from Cid’s desk and you wanted to curl up on the floor and die but Hunter… he looked cool as can be.

“You two, out!” Cid yelled, shooing you out the door.

“The datapads are there.” You said sheepishly as you pointed to the small pile on the end of her desk.

“Well, now I know why you never brought them to me.” Cid snapped. “What if it was the kid instead of me?”

“It wasn’t.” Hunter replied breezily as he re-entered the bar.

You glanced at him, confused as to how he could answer so casually, but then you saw the look on his face, and you could feel that he wasn’t done with you yet and the thought sent a thrill through your veins.

Hunter snaked an arm around your waist and began to hurry you out the parlour.

“Ready to hear the rest?”

You stopped and turned to face Gregor. Hunter’s arm had wrapped itself around your front and he was pressed into your back. “Not right now but yeah, Gregor, you can finish that story later tonight.” You let out a small yelp as you felt Hunter nip the back of your neck. “Tomorrow. Can talk tomorrow.” You corrected quickly and you let Hunter push you out the parlour.

Neither of you had noticed Omega squashed between Wrecker and Gregor.

“Um…” Wrecker said.

“I know, I know. ‘We’ll tell you when you’re older.’” Omega said grumpily as she crossed her arms and slouched.

“Just don’t go to the ship tonight. I think we gotta crash here.” Echo said.

“Those two…” Cid came in shaking her head.

“Hey, we gotta live with them.” Wrecker pointed out.

“So long as we don’t get our timings mixed up, we should be fine.” Tech said.

“We can only hope.” Echo muttered.

Masterlist

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy​, @tpwkcalli​, @fuckoffthanos​, @arctrooper69​ @graciexmarvel​, @flyingkangaroo​, @nightmonkeysstuff​, @a-streakofazure​, @ladytano420​, @dragonrider9905​, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf​, @yyourmotherr​, @xxeiraxx​

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (2)

Chapter Two: Cut and Run

GIF by @pieklalat​ 

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new ‘social status’, but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: Whilst you all seek help from an old ally, you also have to live with the consequences of your lie.

<Previous Chapter 

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Use of (Y/N) (but I’ve limited it as much as I could), swearing, canon-typical violence, light injury descriptions (blaster physics is ignored)

Word Count (Ch 2): 7.7K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: Again, reader being flawed is a common theme, especially within these first few chapters but that is how I wanted her so again, any annoyance is understandable lol 

If it wasn’t such a big moment and you didn’t feel like a horrible person, you would’ve laughed at the expressions on their faces. Each one of them looked both shocked and perplexed.

“Is this your idea of a joke? One we simply just aren’t getting because there’s no way you’re- I mean seriously? You can’t be.” Echo asked, completely bewildered.

“It’s the truth Echo. I wish it wasn’t, but it is.” You replied sadly.

“The whole time?” Wrecker asked.

“The whole time.” You answered cheerlessly. It was then you sensed the vibroblade that was heading in the direction of your shoulder. You held your hand up and called on the Force which resulted in the blade pausing in mid-air. You gently pushed it back into Hunter’s hand. You weren’t offended by his actions, in fact, you completely understood why. If he had come out with something like this, you were sure you would react in a similar way.

“Whoa.” Wrecker and Omega said in quiet wonderment.

Hunter had to see that for himself. He knew that there would be no logical reason for you to lie about such a thing, but he almost hoped that you had. It would’ve been simpler to deal with the fall out of him injuring you than coping with the fact you’d been lying to him from the very beginning.

“But how? We would’ve noticed that you were one. It’s not something that is easy to hide.” Tech added.

“You’re right, Tech it’s not but I got pretty good at it in my years alone so no, you guys wouldn’t have noticed. In fact, you never had until Crosshair fell.”

“What do you mean?”

You huffed out a breath. “Okay, remember that mission on Mirial when we had to infiltrate the Separatist base there and you couldn’t get through their security system no matter how many times you tried? And we needed that camera to turn the other way?” You watched as Tech slowly nodded. “Then all of a sudden it did? Well, that was me. And Wrecker remember that Separatist tank we needed for a plan on Nelvaan and you couldn’t get it out the ditch despite your best efforts and your strength then suddenly it moved and you were able to continue pushing it out?”

“That was you?!” Wrecker asked, stunned.

“That was me.” You confirmed.  

“And I thought my strength was enough to get it out.” He said a tad gloomily.

“It was for the most part. You just needed a little help. And Echo and Hunter, Crosshair fell because of me. Omega was right and if it wasn’t for her shot you would’ve been killed, and I did what I did to slow him down so we could get Wrecker on the ship.” You finished explaining. There were a few moments of silence before you heard Omega speak up.

“So… what exactly is a Jedi?”

“A Jedi is-” Tech began.

“Uh Tech, you maybe want to let me take this one?” You interrupted gently.

Tech pressed his lips together and gave a small nod of his head.

You took a couple steps forward towards Omega and knelt down in front of her. “A Jedi, to put it really simply, is or was I suppose I should say given they’ve essentially been wiped out of the galaxy, someone who uses the Force to help them serve as guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.”

“The Force?” She asked, tilting her head at you.

“Um the Force is a bit more complicated but essentially, it’s what gave a Jedi their power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together. It exists in all life forms, just some individuals, like me, are able to actually sense it and therefore use it.”

“Why?”

“Pfftt I’m not entirely sure, that was never fully explained to me but from what I’ve gathered, I’ve got Midichlorians in my blood. That’s apparently all it takes.”

“That’s why you never let me scan you when you’ve been injured.” Tech mused quietly.

“Yeah.” You said, glancing back at him. “It would’ve been a little bit of a giveaway.”

“Midichlorians?” Omega asked.

“That’s something maybe Tech can explain to you later because if I’m honest, I’ve never really been able to wrap my head around the whole thing. They’re basically some type of microscopic lifeform that can communicate the Force to the person or something like that. Like I said, never fully wrapped my head around it.” You stood up and stepped back so you could face the group again.

“You’ve lied to us all this time.” Hunter stated, unable to keep the betrayal he felt out of his voice before he looked down at the ship floor.

You swallowed thickly and looked at him, but he wasn’t looking at you anymore. “I know and it’s been killing me. I’m so sorry. To all of you.” You added, looking at the others. “I never wanted it to go on as long as it did but when I first met you all, I’d been so used to keeping it hidden that I couldn’t bring myself to do it, especially because I didn’t know if you’d still have me or if you would somehow call on the other Jedi and force me to go back.”

“We wouldn’t have done that.” Echo said.

“I know that now.” You replied looking at him before facing the whole group again. “Hell, I knew that after the first couple of weeks being with you but the longer, we were together the harder it got because, selfishly, I was scared. I didn’t want things to change but the guilt of what I was doing was crushing me. It wasn’t right for me to keep it from any of you any longer, so I decided to tell you after Kaller but then-” You stopped.

“Order 66.” Tech finished for you.

You nodded. “I knew I couldn’t, and it wasn’t just for my own sake. If Tarkin or any of the other clones found out, I knew what would happen to me, but I didn’t know what would happen to you guys. If Tarkin hurt or killed any of you because of you affiliation with me, I’d never forgive myself. Which is why, if you could just put up with my presence until we reach wherever it is we’re going, I have to leave.

Hunter sharply lifted his head to look at you. You were leaving? He was hurt but the idea of you leaving filled him with dread.

“Wait, what do you mean leave?” Wrecker asked.

“Well, I can’t expect to stay after what I’ve done. How could any of you trust me after that? Not to mention, my type is kinda public enemy number one right now. You guys don’t need that additional stress. It easier for everyone if I go.”

“We can handle that and I’m sure I can speak for everyone when I say that we still want you to stay.” Echo said.

You sighed sadly and shook your head. “Echo, I- “

“Yes, you lied. You made a bad call but in the end that call remained to keep us safe. Have you lied about anything else in your time with us?”

“No, of course not. That was it. Everything else that I did or said was all me. Everything I feel for you all.” Your gaze flitted towards Hunter before you quickly looked away. “That’s all real.”

“Then I don’t see the problem.”

“But Echo-”

“No, listen. If it came down to it and my life depended on you, I’d still trust you. I trusted the Jedi too, so you’ve got me. Tech?”

“I agree.” Tech said simply.

You gave him a small smile of thanks.

“Wrecker?” Echo asked.

“Me too! I don’t want you to go! Plus, it’ll be nice working with a Jedi again!” Wrecker said happily.

“I don’t know how much of a Jedi I can be Wrecker but thank you.” You said gratefully.

“Me too! I know I haven’t known you long, but I like you.” Omega piped up.

“Hunter?” Echo asked.

You turned to look at him.

Hunter looked back at you, he felt deceived, he couldn’t lie about that but the thought of not seeing you again felt a lot worse. “I’ve already lost one member of my squad. I don’t want to lose another.” He retreated into the cockpit.

You felt awful. Of all the people here, quite frankly, Hunter had been the one you couldn’t bear hurting. You made to follow him but Echo’s hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“Give him time. He’ll come round.” He said reassuringly.

“I hope so.” You replied quietly.

“Gotta say, I’m surprised our paths didn’t cross when you were with the Jedi and before I was uh… otherwise engaged. We probably ran in similar circles.”

“Yeah, probably. Guess with the war being as hectic and unpredictable as it was, things just never synced up. It would’ve been easier if we had, I wouldn’t have even had the option of hiding who I was and I could’ve done the right thing when I met you all.” You turned away from him and sat down on your bunk.

--

Hunter made his way back into the main body of the ship and sighed at the sight in front of him as he stood next to Echo. Omega and Wrecker were fast asleep on the ship floor. “Well, this is a first.”

“Inspecting every corner of the ship finally tired her out.” Echo said.

“Yeah, she’s curious. I’ll give her that.”

“Hunter, she’s a child. What are we gonna do with her?” Echo asked with a sigh.

“I could ask the same about (Y/N).” He stole a glance where you were now sleeping. “You’re really okay with her staying?”

“I know why you’re upset and it’s not just the reasons we all are, but she made a mistake, Hunter, and she feels terrible about it. You saw what she was like on Kamino and Onderon, she was worried out of her mind for us and particularly you, she wouldn’t take her eyes off you in the hangar when Crosshair showed up. Don’t punish her too long for it.” Echo cautioned.

Hunter paused but before he could say anything else on the matter, a small beep then Tech’s voice grabbed his attention.

“We are coming up on Saleucami.” Tech called out.

--

You put your hood up but kept your mask down. The others kept their helmets off so you guessed there wasn’t much of a threat, and you figured you wouldn’t be recognised by this contact since you’d never even heard of this planet before, but a little bit of caution couldn’t hurt.

You then stepped out into the sun, squinting slightly as your eyes adjusted to it, and walked down the stairs onto the path made up of dry mud. It crunched slightly beneath your feet. You heard the small chirps and squawks of the wildlife in the surrounding area.

You all paused as you turned around to see Omega really taking it all in. She seemed mesmerised by the dirt path, and you watched with a smile as she bent down, picked some of it up and stared at it in wonderment.

“What is this?” Omega asked.

“That would be dirt.” Tech answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy.

“It’s amazing.” Omega gasped, standing up and dragging her foot through it and laughing as she skipped over to where the rest of you were.

You studied Hunter as he gave Omega a warm look. It hadn’t been long, but you could already tell he was getting attached to the young girl. You then heard a soft rumble, and you glanced up at the sky to see dark clouds forming, flashes of lighting danced within them.

“Come on. Let’s get moving.” Hunter said, before walking out in front.

It wasn’t lost on you that he refused to look at you as he stepped past. You sighed sadly. This was definitely going to take a lot longer to reconcile than you would like but you couldn’t blame him at all. You stayed at the back with Omega as you made your way down the path, keeping an eye on her as she chuckled and jogged to see the plants and bugs that were around the path you were heading down. You then all came to a sudden halt, and you reached out to grab Omega’s shoulder, but Hunter got there first.

Omega examined the line of wire on the ground and glanced up at Hunter. “What are we looking at?”

“A booby trap.” Hunter replied simply.

“Single trip wire.” Wrecker chuckled as he stepped over it. “That’s cute.”

“Uh Wrecker you might wanna-” You didn’t get to finish your warning since a bunch of Separatist B1-battle droids suddenly popped up around him. One quick scan told you they weren’t actually a threat but clearly Wrecker didn’t quite pick up on that because he immediately started blasting them.

“Easy, Wrecker!” Hunter called out.

“What do we have here? More clones who have lost their way.”

You turned your attention to the voice, and you saw a young pink Twilek woman, just as she lowered her rifle and… another clone? You studied the man next to her and you kept your conclusion the same. You supposed it would make sense that their contact would be one.

“It’s been a while, fellas.” The clone said, lowering his blaster.

--

“I see a few new faces.” Suu said, placing the bowls of fruit down.

“Echo, Omega and (Y/N), Cut and Suu.” Hunter enlightened, gesturing between the two groups.

“Pleased to meet you.” Suu said with a nod of her head.

“Ma’am.” Echo greeted back.

“Hi.” You said quietly.

Cut took a quick look around. “Where’s Crosshair?”

“It’s complicated.” Hunter replied.

“Sounds familiar. Rex told us about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi.” Cut said.

Your heart just automatically started to beat faster at both the familiarity of the name and at the reminder of what had happened to the people you had once thought of as family. “You talked to Rex?” You and Echo said together.

“You know him?” Cut asked, looking at you curiously.

“Oh, um-” You didn’t know how to answer that one, the truth was problematic but then again so was the constant lying.

“When did you talk to him?” Echo continued, wanting to get you out of the uncomfortable situation.

You shot him a look of gratitude.

“Well, he passed through yesterday.” Cut answered, turning his gaze away from you.

“Where’d he go?” Echo asked.

“Didn’t ask. He was going on about some behavioural implant.”

“He must mean the inhibitor chip.” Omega revealed.

“The what?” Hunter asked her.

“Inhibitor chips.” Omega repeated. “The Kaminoans implanted them in clones to modify their behaviour.”

“Tech, you said the regs were programmed but you never mentioned a chip.” Hunter said, looking at his brother.

“How else did you think it worked?” Tech asked.

You put one hand over your eyes in exasperation and leaned against the banister in the small hut. For someone so smart, Tech could also be so clueless. Then the sound of a door opening caused you to lift your eyes and you saw two young Twilek children- one blue with patches of dark green around their eyes and the other orange- come running through the door.

“Mom! Dad! There’s a ship outside!” The orange Twilek shouted.

“Shaeeah, Jek! Remember me?” Wrecker called out merrily.

“Uncle Wrecker!” They both yelled before running up to the big clone. Shaeeah peered past him to look at the young girl that was with them. “Who are you?”

“Omega.” Omega replied hesitantly.

“We never see kids around here. Come with us.” Shaeeah took Omega’s hand and began dragging her towards the door.

Omega paused and glanced back at Hunter.

Hunter gave her an encouraging smile and small nod and watched her leave. He picked up cup and saw out of the corner his eye that he was being stared at, but he kept his eyes on Suu, he didn’t want to focus on you.

You gave the scene in front of you a half-hearted smile, but you noticed the way he deliberately refused to look at you and you just needed to get out of the small space. “Excuse me. I need some air.” You darted outside quickly, avoiding the looks that followed you out. You took a few deep breaths as you walked down and sat against the wall, hugging your knees close to your chest, of the other smaller hut that was outside, silently watching the children as they played with the ball. It helped to distract you from your own thoughts as you watched Omega slowly learn how in fact a child was supposed to play.

--

Hunter felt bad as he watched you leave. He knew it was his fault, but he couldn’t help the way he felt right now. He didn’t know how the others could move on so quickly. Or maybe he did, and it was the deeper feelings he had for you that were making this more difficult. He stood up and walked so he was just outside the doorway, and he leaned against the part of wall that was there, crossed his arms, and watched Omega grasp what it was she was meant to be playing.

“Alright, out with it. What’s with (Y/N)?” Cut asked, coming to stand behind Hunter.

“We met her on Devaron a while ago and she’s been with us since.” Hunter answered, knowing full well that wasn’t all Cut was getting it.

“Okay… so the two of you have fallen out? Given the way you were refusing to look at her, and I don’t mean to overstep here especially since I don’t know her or your situation very well, but is it some sort of relationship quarrel?”

“What? No!” Hunter refuted instantly.

“Uh huh.” Cut said, he didn’t believe a word of that, relationship or not, something was obviously there but he wouldn’t force the matter. “So why the silent treatment?”

“It’s… complicated.” Hunter repeated his earlier words with a sigh, and he couldn’t help but glance at you and he saw you just patiently watching the kids, but he could tell you were unhappy.

“Well, I won’t ask too much about it. I gather she has a lot more going on than whatever it is you all are already dealing with, but everyone makes mistakes, Hunter. Take it from a family man, talking about a problem is a lot better than ignoring it or the person that caused it in the first place. You both will be better for it.”

Hunter turned to face Cut. He knew he was right. He’d talk to you soon. A few moments of silence passed before Cut spoke to him again.

“What about the girl?”

At least this could be answered relatively straightforwardly. “She’s a defective clone, like we are.”

“Not exactly.” Cut disputed.

“What do you mean?”

“The Kaminoans don’t create without a purpose. You all have one, so what’s hers?”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s just a kid.”

“Mmm. Battling droids was easy compared to raising a child.” Cut chuckled. “You have no idea what you’re in for.”

“We didn’t have a choice. Kamino wasn’t safe anymore.”

“Well, neither is Saleucami.” Cut said, placing a hand on Hunter’s armoured shoulder before walking back inside. “Rex warned us of the storm that’s coming. Clone troopers have already started showing up. I’m heading into town to book us transport off-world.”

“We can take you where you need to go.” Hunter offered, taking a slight step back inside.

“Nah, you’re wanted men. It’s too risky.” Cut said, putting his arm around Hunter’s shoulders to turn him to face the children outside. “I have to do what’s best for them.” He walked away.

Hunter kept looking out at Omega and Cut’s children and as he saw them all laughing together, it got him thinking about what really was best for Omega now. He looked in your direction again and this time met your gaze only to see it be you this time who quickly looked away. Yeah, he wanted and needed to talk to you.

--

You left the kids outside and headed back into the hut. As you sat down at the table, you noticed Cut and Hunter were nowhere to be found. “Where’s…Cut?” You asked the others.

“He and Hunter went into town to see about booking Cut’s transport. They should be back shortly.” Echo responded; he knew it wasn’t really Cut’s location you were after.

“Here.”

You turned to face Suu as she held out a cold cloth.

“For the bruise. It’ll help with the swelling.” Suu clarified.

“Oh.” In all the events that had happened, both with Wrecker getting shot and your mistake and secret coming to light, you’d forgotten all about it. You gingerly touched your cheek, and you could tell it had definitely swelled up a bit more. “Thanks.” You took the cold cloth from her and pressed it to your bruise.

“Sorry, I meant to give you a bacta patch but there were uh… other matters that proved to be a bit more pressing.” Tech said.

“It’s fine, Tech.” You replied, trying to hide the awkwardness and guilt in your voice. Voices then caught your attention and you saw Hunter and Cut enter the house and clearly the more primal part of your brain didn’t understand the situation you were in right now since you couldn’t help but admire how Hunter looked in the civilian armour he donned instead of his armour. No, at least get back on good terms with him before letting your mind wander like that, you thought to yourself before fixing your eyes on the table as you saw him turn his head towards the rest of you.

As Hunter turned to face the squad, he had to resist the urge to let his eyes linger on you as he saw you applying a cloth to your face. There’d be time for those recognisable feelings to return after he talked to you. “Tech, we ran into a problem in town with the transport.”

--

“Hmm. It appears all public transport is now restricted without chain codes.” Tech revealed, looking up from his scanner.

“Which Cut can’t sign up for. He’ll be arrested when they discover he’s a deserter.” Suu stated.

“The next shuttle leaves in a few hours.” Cut said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “Codes or no codes, we need to be on it.”

You began thinking of a way in which you could help them, but you didn’t get very far because Shaeeah came running in the room in a panic.

“Mom! It’s Omega, she went out past the fence!”

You and everyone else stood up quickly and ran outside towards the fence where you saw Omega face to face with a Nexu, a vicious catlike creature that you’d only seen pictures of in your time at the temple and they were a lot more frightening in person.

Hunter reached the barbed fence before you did, and you watched as he crouched through the gap. You swiftly followed but jumped over it instead, which enabled you to fall in step beside him.

You grabbed Omega’s hand and ran back with her toward the house, letting Hunter and Suu deter the creature from following you.

You brought her back with the group and kneeled down in front of her. “Hey kid, are you-”

“What were you doing out there? Do you realise you could’ve been killed?” Hunter asked aggressively.

You bit your tongue. You were in no position to advise him right now, but your heart went out to the young girl, and she held the ball tight to her chest and turned her head away from Hunter.

“Easy. She’s not a soldier.” Cut said, nudging your arm as he knelt down too.

You stood up and took a few steps back to let Cut take over.

“Are you hurt? Now let’s take a look here.” Cut said, gently examining Omega’s face and the rest of her body for injuries.

“I’m sorry. I was trying to get the ball.” Omega said quietly, leaning into Cut’s chest. “I didn’t know.”

You shared a look with Tech and Echo. You may have a slightly better grasp on this whole thing but that didn’t mean you were used to this type of situation. None of you were. The children you interacted with were being trained to become warriors, risk was a natural part of that, but orders were put in place to avoid it and if those rules were broken, they were dealt with in a disciplinary manner and Hunter and the others had been trained as soldiers their whole lives. Cut’s way was a new thing, especially for them.

At least you’d been around more kids to pick up a few things to provide comfort after the harsh telling’s off some would receive. But it probably helped that you’d been one of those people on the receiving end of such telling’s off right up into adulthood.

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Cut said comfortingly, picking Omega up and he began carrying her back to the house.

“Hey kid. You alright?” Wrecker asked as Cut walked away.

“She’ll be fine.” Cut confirmed, angling back slightly before continuing back to the house.

Hunter watched them go. He couldn’t do this. Cut was right, it was different. All he knew was the way of a soldier, Cut could provide the environment Omega needed.

“All in all, I would say that could’ve gone much worse.” Tech stated.

You rolled your eyes and lightly punched his side. You only shook your head, a slight smile on your face when he looked at you, confusion etched on his brow.

“Tech, you think you could forge some chain codes?” Hunter asked.

Tech looked back at Hunter. “I only learned of them moments ago, but yes.”

“Do it.” Hunter ordered. “We’re getting Cut, Suu and the kids on that shuttle.”

--

“Need another set of eyes out here?”

Hunter turned to face Suu as she came through the door. “Almost forgot how good a shot you were. I owe you one.”

“Children will always find ways of getting into trouble, Hunter. Protecting them is what we do.” Suu said. “Have you spoken to her yet?”

Hunter knew she wasn’t talking about Omega, and he wasn’t surprised that she knew something was up, even if Cut hadn’t told her, she would’ve noticed. “I will. I want to be able to get back to how things were.”

“Make sure she knows that.” Suu said, before turning to her left.

Hunter turned to see Cut walking towards them. “Where’s Omega?”

“She wanted to stay on the ship.” Cut said, gesturing his head back in the direction of the ship.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. And you’re right, she’s not a soldier.” Hunter said.

“Just give her some time.” Cut said simply.

“When you leave Saleucami, I want Omega to go with you.” Hunter requested. “You two can give her something that we can’t.”

“Is that what you really want?” Suu asked.

“It’s what she needs.” Hunter answered.

--

You had gone to the ship with Echo and Tech to sort out the chain code business.

“It’s ironic. Clones wanted names instead of numbers, yet now people are signing up to be given numbers.” Echo said.

“It’s ingenious.” Tech replied plainly. “You could create a database to identify anyone in the galaxy.”

“Glad, your impressed.” You said drily. “Where are we going to find the data for these chain codes?” You paused after this; you were beginning to feel like someone else was on the ship. Omega hadn’t been at the house when you left, you really hoped she wasn’t here.

“And the discs.” Echo added.

“Already thought of that.” Tech stated. “Clones control the spaceport. There we can tap into their network and replicate the codes.”

“Then what?” Echo asked.

“Hunter said they’re tagging ships inside their impound facility. That is our way in.”

“You’re suggesting we call the authorities and have them seize our ship?” Echo asked, a combination of shock and scepticism in his voice.

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”

“I guess if they think it’s abandoned, that just might work.” Echo agreed.

“Uh guys you might wanna-” You had reached out a bit more and there was definitely a fourth person on board, it was most likely Omega, but you were too late, Tech already sent the call through.

--

“You did what?” Hunter shouted angrily into his commlink before running outside to see the Marauder being picked up by the authorities. “Tech!”

“Yeah, he’s not happy.” You muttered. Great, yet another thing you may have to remedy with him.

“This was the simplest solution.” Tech replied into the comm channel.

“Getting our ship impounded is not my idea of a solution.” Hunter voiced irritably.

“We’ll meet you at the spaceport with the chain codes. I have this under control.” Tech said calmly.

“There’s one big problem. Omega’s on the ship.” Hunter pointed out.

You clicked your tongue off the roof of your mouth as you saw Echo and Tech look at each other, stunned. “Tried to tell you.” You said, keeping your eyes on them as you pointed towards the gun turret.

Echo and Tech looked away from you and sure enough, there she was.

“I think it’s a good plan, Tech.” Omega said cheerily with a wave.

“So much for simple.” Echo said.

You looked at Omega and sighed but gave her a small smile as you gave her a boost up into the ceiling compartments before you and the others followed.

--

After the troopers left, you opened the compartment and jumped down after Echo. You turned and signalled to Omega to come down, you caught her and placed her back on the ground and moved out of the way for Tech to make his way out.

“So far so good.” Omega said quietly. “Now, how can I help?”

“Uh, you can-” You began to say but Echo interrupted you.

“You’ve had enough action for today. We’ll handle this.” Echo said to Omega. He then turned and walked to the cockpit to look out the ship’s window.

You just shrugged your shoulders at Omega. You knew she wanted to help but you didn’t feel like you were really in a position where you could argue her case right now.

“Go to the security kiosk. Scomp in, copy the data and grab blank discs for me to program.” Tech directed Echo.

“Rodger that.” Echo said before carefully making his way out of the ship and he covertly made his way to the kiosk.

--

You paced up and down the ship, waiting for Echo to get back. You then heard his voice come crackling through the comms.

“I don’t see any discs Tech.”

“They’ll be locked in a safe compartment.” Tech said.

Come on Echo, you thought as you glanced out nervously to keep an eye on the clone troopers that were circulating.

“Ah, found them!”

You felt relieved when you heard Echo confirm that he had them, now he just had to get back safely.

--

Echo made it back with no trouble and now Tech could get underway with programming these discs.

--

Hunter had just made his way into the spaceport with Cut and his family and nerves were definitely high. “Tech, we’re in the spaceport. What is your status?” He spoke into his comm.

“In progress. The encryption shouldn’t be a problem.” Tech replied, inputting the details into his datapad.

Avoiding the looks of the clones, Hunter and the others continued walking. “Hurry up. We need those chain codes to get them on the shuttle.” Hunter reiterated. “Or we’re going to have to blast our way out of here.”

“Don’t worry. (Y/N) will-” Tech began saying.

You coughed and shook your head at Tech, you weren’t sure how much of Hunter’s trust you had left and a job like this required a lot, so you felt it was best you didn’t do this.

Tech gave you a slight nod of understanding before he continued to speak into his comm. “I can slip through security unnoticed and deliver the discs to you momentarily.”

Right as he said that the sound of an alert and comm chatter caught all of your attention and you all darted to the window to see what was going on and you weren’t overjoyed by what you saw. A large group of clones were coming into the impound area. “No chance you’re getting past all of them undetected.” You said to Tech.

“We can’t get caught with these chain codes.” Tech replied.

“We can’t get caught at all! What are you talking about?” You responded, your tone a bit harsher than what was really necessary. You took a moment to glance behind you only to find that Omega and the discs were nowhere to be seen. She was determined, you’ll give her that.

“If we get tied up in a blaster fight, they’re going to lock down the whole port.” Echo added, his tone matching yours. He walked back to the main body of the ship, and he noticed that the discs and Omega were gone too. “Where’d the discs go? And where’s Omega!” He called out.

You scanned the port quickly and saw her. “Found her.” You pointed out the window in her direction.

“This great plan of yours is looking really lousy about now.” Echo told Tech grumpily.

“Give her some credit. She’s already gotten pretty far on her own. She’s nearly at the exit.” You pointed out. “We should work on getting the clamp off.” You said, putting your hood and mask on and making sure your weapons were secure.

--

Hunter stood in the line with the others, and like Cut, he was making sure to keep his face away from the other soldiers. His comm beeped and he heard Tech’s voice come through.

“The chain codes are en-route… with Omega.”

“By herself? You let her go by herself?” Hunter hissed into his comm. He looked to Wrecker who began to quickly unload the stuff he was carrying.

“I’m on it.” Wrecker said, making his way to where the ship was impounded.

“Well, we didn’t let her go. She ran off on her own.” Tech explained.

“If something happens to her...” Hunter said worriedly.

“Like I said, kids always find trouble.” Suu said, laying a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.

--

This was taking far too long. You tapped your foot impatiently as you leaned against the ship, watching Echo attempt to get the clamp off. “Are you sure you don’t want my help? It’ll take all of two seconds.”

“I’m sure. If one of those troopers saw you do what you’re talking about, you’d be killed and the rest of us wouldn’t be much better off.” Echo said, turning his helmet to look at you.

“I’ll be careful. This is taking forever.” You grumbled.

“No.” Echo said firmly before focusing his attention back on the boot.

Clearly though, Tech shared in your impatience as you heard his voice through the comm channel as he spoke to Echo. “What is taking so long with the boot? Are you trying to get caught?”

“I’m doing my best. You wanna come out here and give it a try?” Echo snarked back.

“Echo.” You said imploringly.

Echo sighed. “Fine.” He stood up and swapped places with you. “Just be-”

“Careful. I know.” You finished for him. Just before you were able to use your talent to help out, you felt a presence to your left, and you turned to face the voice of the clone trooper that was now speaking to you and Echo.

“Hey, who are you? You don’t belong here.” The trooper said, raising his blaster.

“He’s the maintenance tech and I’m his supervisor. How are you doing today, trooper?” You said breezily.

“Uh fine.” The clone replied, unsure as to why he was talking to you. “What are you doing exactly?”

“He was just checking out this clamp here and I was just inspecting his work.” You said calmy, tapping the boot. “I really hate to micromanage but he’s new, just learning how things work here.” You waited with bated breath to see if he would buy your cover.

The trooper stared at you for a moment before pressing the side of his helmet. “Got a situation at bay-”

You huffed out a relieved sigh as the trooper fell to the ground due to Tech’s stun shot from his blaster. “Thanks, Tech but I think our cover is still blown.” You said as you looked past his shoulder to see more clone troopers heading your direction.  

“That is not ideal.” Tech said.

“We’re in agreement on that one.” Echo said.

--

Omega watched as the rest of the clones made their way in the direction of the ship. She began to creep past them but bumped into a droid which immediately started to blast out a siren. “No don’t do that!” However, it didn’t last long. She looked up with relief at Wrecker after he hit it on its dome, rendering it useless.

“That’s hit the spot.” Wrecker said, kneeling in front of Omega. His comm then chirped and he heard Echo’s voice come through.

“Wrecker, we could use some help over here.”

“On my way.” He responded. “They’re wating for you at the dock. Better get going.” He told Omega. He watched her go but then he had to quickly deal with three clone troopers and then avoid the blaster fire that came his way.

--

Hunter watched as the clones began to run to the impound lot. What had you guys gotten yourselves into?

“We’re running out of time, Hunter.” Cut muttered.

“Omega’s on her way.” Hunter reassured.

“No, something’s wrong. She should’ve been here by now.” Cut said anxiously.

“Stick to the plan, Cut.” Hunter said, resting a hand on his shoulder. Come on Omega, he thought to himself.

“I can’t risk it. We have to find another way out.” Cut whispered, turning around.

“I’m here.” Omega called, running up to Hunter. “And I have the chain codes.” She whispered, holding them up to Hunter. “Tech accidentally made five discs instead of four.”

“You didn’t tell her?” Cut asked, taking the codes from Omega.

“Tell me what?” Omega asked unknowingly.

Hunter passed the bags he was carrying to Suu and kneeled down in front of Omega. “The extra chain code’s for you, so you can leave with Cut and Suu.”

“Why?” Omega asked, unable to hide her upset. “Did I do something wrong?”

“You need a family, kid.” Hunter looked in their direction. “They’re good people. They’ll give you the life you deserve.”

“But I want to stay with you.” Omega said sadly.

Hunter didn’t know what to say to that. He knew it was the right thing to do, she needed a life they couldn’t give her but at the same time, he felt like he was betraying what his squad stood for. They looked out for each other when no one else did and Omega came to him for help, she was like them, but at the same time she wasn’t. She wasn’t a soldier; she shouldn’t have to live a life as one. “You have to go Omega. It’s for your own good.” He nudged her in the direction of the line and watched with a heavy heart as she joined Cut and Suu. He kept his eyes on them, making sure they would get through okay.

--

Meanwhile, you and the others were doing your very best not to get killed. You had left Echo continue to try and get the boot off since there would be no way you could get away with doing it your way without being noticed. You could at least dodge their blaster fire enough to make moves on the troopers but not go to over the top with it. You’d gotten the balance of it down to a tee so while the others took cover behind some of the crates that were in the lot, you darted between them using your vibroblade and sword to cut down the ones that were advancing closer to the ship but there was only so much you, Wrecker and Tech could do. You needed Hunter and Omega back.

--

Hunter gave one last look at Omega as she and the others were cleared and were allowed to board. His comm beeped and amidst the crackle of blaster fire, he heard Tech’s voice.

“Hunter, we have worn out our welcome. We need to go right now.”

“On my way.” Hunter replied, walking backwards a few paces before turning around and breaking out into a run.

Omega watched him go. She couldn’t do this. She didn’t want to leave them.

--

More clones had arrived so you couldn’t be out in the open as much as you had been only moments ago. You ducked quickly behind a crate as the blaster fire increased. You watched as Wrecker threw the crate he was using as a shield towards three of them, which took them about but meant he was exposed so he darted to the crate where you were taking cover.

“Can’t you do some Jedi thing to get us out of this?” Wrecker asked, sending a few more shots in the direction of the troopers.

“If you want the entire Empire on our tail, then sure Wrecker, absolutely.” You snapped back, taking your dagger, and throwing it at the closest soldier towards you where it embedded itself in his chest. You sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Wrecker said, shooting a few more of the clones.

You took that moment to jump out and remove your blade from the clone’s chest. Just as you did so, more clones appeared and while you were able to land a kick to one that meant he fell back into a fellow officer, you couldn’t stay out for too long. You heard the cocking of a blaster and you turned to your right to see a clone getting ready to fire a shot but just before he managed to, you saw Hunter come jumping over the barrier, kneeing the trooper square in the jaw. You watched as he took care of the remaining clones around you in quick succession. You stopped yourself from saying anything to him, instead the two of you ran back to where Tech was since he was closest to the ship.

“Glad you could make it.” Tech said to Hunter, taking cover once again.

“What are we waiting for?” Hunter asked, firing off a few more shots.

“The clamp’s still magnetised. The system’s not responding.” Echo answered.

Hunter nodded towards Wrecker who made his way to the clamp and simply just ripped it off.

“Let’s go.” Hunter said.

You all made your way back to the ship, but you and Wrecker paused just by the steps. Omega wasn’t here.

“Wait. Omega’s not back.”

Hunter stopped just before he stepped inside the ship. “Wrecker, she’s not-”

“Wait for me!”

You saw Omega crouching behind a crate, but she was waving in your direction. You watched as she made her way out only to get tripped and held by a clone trooper. You didn’t think about it, you ran over to where she was, and you knew Hunter was close behind. You kicked the clone that was holding her in the face while Hunter took care of the others that were moving towards you.

As you stood up to run back with Omega, you felt a blaster bolt graze the upper part of your right arm and you hissed at the sharp sting of pain that it left you. You, Hunter, and Wrecker quickly made your way on to the ship and it took off, you’d all made it out safely.

--

As the ship left the system, you lounged back in one of the passenger chairs, fully aware that the slight stickiness you were feeling on your arm was blood, but you could deal with that later. It wasn’t anything serious. Right now, you just needed a moment to decompress.

You watched as Omega walked back to where Hunter was sitting by one of the ship’s secondary control panels and you knew it was absolutely ridiculous, but you couldn’t help but envy her a tiny bit. Your old master would not be impressed but it was true. She was about to go and do what you wished you could do. She was going to talk to him about whatever went on back at the spaceport. They were going to patch things up and you wanted that more than anything, but you didn’t feel like you could initiate it. Hunter couldn’t even look at you right now so there was no chance you could ask him to talk to you.

You let out a sad sigh stared out into the black space.

--

Omega quietly approached where Hunter was sitting and waited until he finished what he was doing and turned to look at her. “I know I made a mistake, and I have a lot to learn, but you don’t have to get rid of me.” She said. “I left Kamino with you. This is where I want to be.”

He couldn’t lie to himself, he regretted telling Omega that she couldn’t stay with them, and her words only serve to accentuate the shame he was feeling about it. “Tell you the truth, kid, I guess I’ve got a lot to learn too. If this is where you want to be, then this is where you’ll stay.”

Omega smiled at him and sat down in the seat opposite and turned to face the various controls and screens.

Hunter took his eyes off her for a moment to look in the direction of the cockpit where he saw you sitting. He did have a lot to learn and not all of it was to do with having a child on board, he had to learn what it was you’d gone through and why you’d lied. He wanted you back, not that he ever had you necessarily, but he wanted the way things used to between you back. It was time he and you spoke.

Next Chapter>

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (10)

Chapter Ten: Common Ground

Gif by @kamino-coruscant

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new 'social status', but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: Your road to recovery begins and a mission has the Batch seeing their ideology challenged.

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, mild hurt/comfort, infected wound descriptions, mild illness, Star Wars cleaning supplies being what I require, (most likely inaccurate) Star Wars first aid and it being what I need, the clothes hyper fixation continues (I wish I knew why my brain thought this so crucial)

Word Count: 6.7K

Rating: 18+

Author's notes: Pretty much follow the plot of the show here, not a whole lot extra going on but I'm excited for you guys to read this one cause then we have my favourite chapter next lol. Any new readers, please see Ch8 for explanation of certain warnings that aren't included in every chapter warning because they appear a lot. Enjoy!

“You ready to go?”

You glanced up to see Hunter, armour all back on, looking down as you finished tying the laces to your boots. “Yup.” You grabbed the bag with your ruined clothes and got ready to get up.

“You sure you don’t want my help?”

“Yes, thanks though.” You stood up but put a bit too much weight on your injured leg, much to its protest, and you felt it start to collapse beneath you.

“Easy.” Hunter said as he caught you by the shoulders.

“Okay, so I may need a little bit of assistance.” You admitted begrudgingly as you straightened up, only applying weight on the toes of your left foot.

“Come on.” Hunter tucked his arm around you, making sure to avoid your side injury and acted as a support for you.

Leaning against him (and finding it quite a nice arrangement), the two of you walked down the steps of the ship to join the others as they waited for you. As you all started to walk, you chucked your clothes into the first dumpster you could find before continuing to walk back to Cid’s parlour. You weren’t sure how your debt with Cid was going to be settled but you were sure she would think of something.

--

“How’s the Mantell Mix, kid?” Wrecker asked Omega who was perched on his shoulder.

“Better than ever.” Omega said, dropping a few pieces into his mouth.

“Yeah, it is!” Wrecker said with a laugh as he swallowed it.

“So, when’s our next mission?” Omega asked, with a mouth full of mix.

“With two bounty hunters after you, it’d be wise to keep a low profile.” Tech said, glancing up at her.

“Tech’s right.” Hunter stopped walking just before they reached the entrance to Cid’s and turned you both around, making sure to do it gently, and directed Omega to come down off of Wrecker. “There’s too much heat on us right now.”

“Ha! That never stopped us before.” Wrecker said.

“The kid’s been through enough. She needs a break.” Hunter muttered to him.

Wrecker looked over to where Omega, Tech and Echo were. The latter inspecting the Mantell Mix with suspicion. “She seems fine to me.”

“A break wouldn’t hurt her.” You agreed. “It was pretty rough for her, even if it doesn’t look like it was.”

Hunter nodded at you and made the first move to step down into the parlour, making sure he took his time so you wouldn’t have to strain yourself too hard.

“Time to face my favourite person.” You grumbled as you limped down the stairs.

“Be nice.” Hunter chided playfully.

You snorted just as you all entered the parlour, and you walked over to the bar.

“I got a mission for you boys.” Cid revealed. “What happened to you?” She asked as she saw how you were situated. You were missing a layer and the presence of bandages was evident, plus you were being propped up by the sergeant when you came in and now the bar counter was acting as a means to hold you up.

“I made a friend.” You replied sarcastically.

“Hmph. Well, don’t go dripping blood on my floor.”

“Like it would make it any worse.” You mumbled under your breath.

“What did you say?” Cid narrowed her gaze at you.

Before you could reply, you felt Hunter lightly nudge his hip into you, so you held back your comment.

Hunter coughed. “What’s the mission?”

“A simple extraction on Raxus.” Cid responded.

“Raxus?” You repeated, a hint of disgust in your tone.

“That is the former centre of the Separatist government.” Tech said. “It has since become an Imperial outpost-”

“I’m not interested in a history lesson, Goggles.” Cid said dismissively. “You’re being hired to locate and free Senator Avi Sing from his confinement.” She brought up an image of the senator on her datapad. “My client will meet you at the given coordinates to brief you. Details are on this.” She held up the chip. “Now get going.” She threw it in the direction of Tech, but Hunter intercepted it.

You found the simple action more attractive that you should have but you brought yourself back to the moment at hand which was you were being asked to assist a Separatist. The very concept left a bad taste in your mouth.

“Help a Separatist?” Hunter said, uncertainly as he caught it. “Not gonna happen.” He chucked the info chip back at Cid and left your side to step in front of her.

“Your debt’s still not paid, remember? A job’s a job.” Cid said.

Hunter gestured for them both to move away from the group. “I am not bringing Omega or (Y/N) to a planet swarming with Imperials.”

“So, leave them here with me. I’ll keep an eye on them.” Cid offered.

“I don’t exactly trust you either.”

“Good. You shouldn’t. But if keeping the kid and your girlfriend safe means more money in my pocket, it’s in my best interest to do so, isn’t it?” She said, jabbing him with her clawed finger.

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Hunter objected tiredly.

“Right, and I’m not green.” Cid said, rolling her eyes.

Hunter let out an exasperated sigh. He was not getting involved in this with Cid of all people. “If anything happens to them-”

“Yeah, yeah, Bandana.” Cid said, flippantly as she handed him back the chip. “Just get outta here, would ya?” She walked away from him.

Hunter headed over to let Omega know the plan first. She was already geared up, so he didn’t think this was going to go down too well.

“Ready when you are, Sergeant.” Omega said cheerily.

Hunter kneeled down in front of her. “Not this time, Omega. You’re staying with (Y/N) and Cid.”

“But th-the mission. I’m part of the squad too.” Omega said, a tad irritated.

“Then following orders shouldn’t be a problem.” Hunter said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Stay close to (Y/N) and Cid and don’t leave this parlour.”

“I heard my name.” You called over.

“I’ll deal with you in a minute.” Hunter replied.

“Gee, am I in trouble?” You called back light-heartedly.

Hunter gave you a small smile before focusing back on Omega. “Got it, soldier?”

Omega groaned. “Yes, sir.”

Hunter nodded at her before getting up to walk over to you. He figured you weren’t going to take this well.

“Am I in trouble?” You asked genuinely as you saw the slightly more serious than normal expression on his face.

“No, no.” Hunter assured you. “You’re just uh staying here with Omega and Cid.”

“You wanna run that by me again?” You said, eyebrows raised.

Hunter sighed. Yeah, he’d expected as much. “You’re going to remain here until we get back.”

“Give me one good reason as to why.” You argued.

“I can give you two.” Hunter countered.

“Enlighten me.”

“One being this place is being controlled by the Empire and is filled with people that would love nothing more than to kill you if they found out what you were.”

“The key word being ‘if’.” You disputed.

“Two, and perhaps the most important one, you almost died. If you say, ‘the key word being almost’ I’ll bench you for more than one mission.” Hunter warned as he saw you go to open your mouth.

You held your hands up in mock surrender and pushed down the fact that the demanding tone his voice took was a lot more attractive to you than you cared to admit. “Carry on, Sergeant.”

“You need time to recover, and to pull this off, we need everyone at their full strength that’s not you right now. You’d hold us back.” It was blunt but he figured it would be the only way you would listen to him right now.

You let out a low whistle. “Harsh.” You said, your tone mildly conveying your frustration. “And if I told you being a Jedi meant I could push through and manage it?”

“I’d tell you that if you could hold yourself up, your full weight on your injured leg, without the support of the bar counter then you could come.”

You glowered at him. “Fine.” You pushed yourself off the countertop and applied full pressure on both your legs. “See?” You breathed out, ignoring the fact that your brain was screaming at you to ease up.

“Great. Now try it without Echo’s hand on your back.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

In your desperate state, you hadn’t even noticed Echo had lent you a helping hand.

“Sorry.” Echo muttered, stepping out from behind you.

As soon as he left you, you felt your leg start to shake so you sat down before it collapsed from under you.

“Well, I think that concludes that.” Tech said.

The look Hunter gave you just screamed ‘I told you so.’ “Don’t say it.” You grumbled at him.

“Sorry, but you’re staying.” Hunter said, decisively.

“Ugh fine. Get out the lot of you.” You waved them away. “But I’d like the record to reflect that I think it’s ridiculous that you were shot too but apparently you’re good to go.” You said to Hunter.

“At least I can stand on my own.” Hunter joshed back.

You stuck your tongue out at him. “Away with you and good luck you guys. Be careful.” You said sincerely.

They all nodded at you before turning around to leave.

You noticed Omega as she watched them leave and it was clear she wasn’t too happy about being left behind either.

“Hey, Tiny, I got a mission for you.” Cid said to her, wagging a sponge in her direction.

“They’re not even two minutes out the door and you’re already at it with the child labour?” You said to her, shaking your head.

“I got one for you too, if you can even manage.” Cid clapped back, tossing a sponge in your direction before chucking one to Omega. “Now get scrubbing.”

If you weren’t so determined to prove that you were able to do such a simple task, you would’ve fought her on the matter more. You stood up and with Omega, began to scrub down the bar counter.

--

“We’ve never been to Raxus before.” Wrecker said, coming with the others to join Tech in the cockpit as the ship travelled through hyperspace.

“The coordinates from Cid have us landing outside the capital city of Raxulon, the home of their Senate.” Tech informed them.

“I can’t believe we’re helping a Separatist senator.” Echo grumbled.

“So, you have said. Repeatedly.” Tech replied.

“I always thought we’d make it to Raxus someday. But not like this.” Hunter said.

A couple moments of silence passed before Echo broke it. “So…are you and (Y/N) going to talk about what she said?” He broached, carefully.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose before he looked over at Echo. “You mean am I going to talk to her about something she said while in a delirious state? Funnily enough, Echo, no I’m not.”

“But she said-”

“I know what you’re talking about Wrecker and in case you forgot, she was talking about all of us. You know, her friends.”

“She did look directly at you.” Tech pointed out.

Hunter huffed out an exasperated sigh. Time to bring out the deflections once again. “We go round and round with this but for the sake of argument, I’ll humour you boys. Say what your saying is true, and it mattered to me, I am not going to take the words she said to heart because she was already half dead and just rambling whatever thoughts came to her head. She can’t even remember what she said, and you all would expect me to run with it and have what would be just a horrendously awkward and, quite frankly, a disappointing conversation? You all are her friends and I’m her friend and that’s it. There’s nothing more there.”

“But Hunter-”

“That’s it, Echo.” Hunter repeated assertively. “We’re coming up on Raxus.” He looked out the ship window as they came out of hyperspace. “Our focus here is the mission, nothing else. Bring us in, Tech. We’ll gear up when we land.”

--

You and Omega were both giving the most half-hearted scrubs that you could possibly do.

“Enough with the moping around. You’re bringing the mood down in here.” Cid said as she walked over to you both.

“Ah yes, business is booming.” You said cynically. The only two people that were currently in were her two regulars. You stopped scrubbing and put your head down on your arms.

“Sorree.” Omega added, leaning a cheek against her palm.

“Alright, I’ll bite. What’s wrong with you? Not you.” She added as she saw you sit you sit up and look at her sceptically.

You gave her a fake smile and went back to leaning your chin on your arms as you studied Omega.

“We haven’t heard back from them yet. Do you think they’re okay?” Omega asked.

“They better be for what this job’s paying.” Cid answered.

“I’m sure they’re just busy. That’s all.” You comforted.

“I should’ve gone with them on the mission.” Omega groused, pushing her sponge away. “It’s not fair.”

“I’ve got news for you, kid. Life ain’t fair.” Cid said, gruffly. “You don’t like it. Stop pouting and do something about it. Maybe it you weren’t so helpless those four laser brains wouldn’t have left you here with me.”

Omega glared at her and stormed off to one of the booths.

You just stared at Cid and shook your head. “Wow. You really got a way with kids.” You stepped down lightly off your seat and limped over to join Omega.

“I’m not helpless.” Omega said.

“I know.” You assured her, grunting as you sat down next to her. “Right?” You looked intently at Cid as she walked over to you both.

“Look, kid, I told dark and broody I’d keep an eye on you and keep you safe. I even cut Wisecrack in on that deal and meant it when I said that I’d look out for you.” Cid said.

You chose to ignore the unflattering nickname and instead gave Cid a small but sincere smile. It was the kindest you’d ever seen or heard her.

“Hmm. For how much?” Omega asked, unimpressed.

You turned to look at her as she angled her body away from you both. Maybe a bit more talking out was necessary here. “Hey, Cid, you got anything that can wash some specks of dried blood out?”

“What do you think I’m running here? A drycleaner?” Cid said indignantly.

You darted your eyes down to Omega.

Cid let out a huffy sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

Until Cid came back, you decided you were going to let Omega stew. You wouldn’t get anywhere with interruptions, so you waited in the silence.

“Here.”

You took the rag from her as well as a container that was filled with a bubbling, warm, blue liquid. “Thank you.” You said.

“Don’t take too long, I still got things that need scrubbing.” Cid said before she walked away.

You rolled your eyes but angled yourself to face Omega, but you were still being greeted with her back. “You going turn around for me, kid?”

“Hmph.” Omega grunted.

“Really? You’re going to have the person who nearly died not twelve hours ago come around in front of you and kneel down in that cramped space by the wall, probably aggravating her injuries?” You said, in an exaggerated manner, rubbing your arms to get rid of the goosebumps that had begun to appear. Would it really kill Cid to get some heating in this place? You thought moodily as a shiver ran down your spine.   

Omega sighed and slowly scooted herself around to face you.

“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Next step is for you to uncross your arms.”

Omega rolled her eyes but did as you said.

“Wow, you’re almost there. Top tip from someone who developed this skill over the years, any good eye roll should be accompanied by a sigh. Both those elements really gets the point across.”

Omega didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Omega. What’s going on? I’m all for giving Cid a bit of attitude but I’m a bit surprised to see it come from you.” You said gently as you began to dampen her sleeve with the liquid. To your surprise, it was actually working pretty well. You regretted chucking your stuff cause this would probably work on them too but you weren’t going to resort to dumpster diving, you’d find something else.

When she made no move to respond, you stopped what you were doing. “Look, kid. You can either talk to me about what’s bothering you or I can leave you alone and at the mercy of Cid’s chores. I’m fairly sure I heard her mention that the ‘freshers need cleaning. Now, knowing her, she’ll stick me on that, but I can make it that you gotta help me out. I don’t want to but that’s what we’re dealing with here unless you talk to me.” You said, your tone firmer this time.

“But-” Omega began to object.

“Start talking.” You said, working on her top again.

Omega huffed out a breath. “I just don’t get why I wasn’t allowed to go. I’ve helped out before; I don’t understand what was so different about this.”

“Hunter thought, and I agreed with him, you could use a break after everything that happened.” You said kindly as you moved on to the upper part of her arm.

 “But that was decided for me. Don’t I get to at least say how I’m feeling? I can handle missions.”

“Hmm.” You lingered on your thoughts for a moment. On the one hand, Omega was a child. She was all of your responsibility, so you all had to make choices that protected her from unnecessary harm. On the other, she was wanting to be treated as a proper member of the squad and she had been getting that in the more recent times. You all had the chance to express your views or feelings about missions, whether that be personal or tactical, and it was only after that that Hunter made a call which you all would then obey. Omega hadn’t been given that opportunity, not really, and your own past always brought you on the side of giving her more independence and freedom. “You’re right.” You told her understandingly. You finished dabbing at the final stain. “When Hunter gets back, you should talk to him, come up with some sorta deal. I’ll help if you need it.”

“Really?” Omega said, eyes widening in both surprise and happiness.

“Yeah. It’s only fair you get a voice too. It can’t always be me that gives him a hard time anyway.” You added with a grin.

“Thanks!” Omega threw her arms around your neck.

“No problem, kid.” You said, squeezing her briefly. “You’re all finished here too.”

“Oh, good. You’re all sorted out. Now I got some ‘freshers that need cleaning and they’re not going to scrub themselves.” Cid called over to you both.

“I’ve got it.” You said resignedly, grabbing your sponge. As you stood up though, the whole room spun, and you fell back down on your seat. “Whoa.” You said, quietly as you closed your eyes tight to try and re-centre yourself.

“Are you alright?” Omega asked.

“Yeah, just got a bit dizzy. Probably just stood up too fast.”

“It’s not that. You’re running a fever, that’s why.”

You opened your eyes to see Cid standing in front of you. “No, I’m actually kinda cold. Not used to just being in this top.” You provided by way of explanation.

“Then how do you explain the sweat on your brow?”

You pressed the back of your hand to your forehead and sure enough, when you took it away and examined it, there were beads of sweat decorating it. “Huh.”

“My guess, one of your wounds is infected.”

“Nah, can’t be that. Tech cleaned them…” You trailed off as you realised there was a slightly older one that he hadn’t tended to, and it was one you hadn’t been too careful about dealing with.

You peeled the bacta patch away from the wound Wrecker’s shot had caused and sure enough, it was infected. There was increased redness surrounding it and the sight of your stitches had swelled, plus it did not smell the best, especially with the slight discharge of puss that was coming out of it. “Gross.” You complained. “Another top tip, Omega. Don’t use out-of-date med supplies on an open wound in a decrepit and dirty ship. Apparently, the end-result isn’t the best.” You said dismally as you hid you face in your hands. The infection was the least of your worries, Tech was going to have a field day with this. Stupid, stupid, stupid. “And now I gotta wait for Tech to get back and I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Enough with the dramatics… I’ll get you fixed up.”

You looked up at Cid, your expression nothing short of perplexed. “What?”

“I got some med supplies in the back. You’ll be fever-free before the others even get back.”

“Why?” You said, unable to hide your suspicion.

“Can’t you just accept a gift when it’s given to you?” Cid said irritably.

“So, this is a gift? You’re not getting an extra cut out of this?”

“What I’m getting out of this is I avoid a lecture from Bandana about how I didn’t look after you and I don’t have to deal with disproving glares of the others.”

“Aw and here’s me thinking you cared about my well-being.”

“Keep talking Wisecrack and I’ll leave you to Goggles and his ‘I told you so’ speech.”

“Sorry.” You said shamefacedly. “I appreciate the offer, thank you.”

“Come with me.” Cid gestured for you to get up.

You heaved out a sigh as you stood. “But what about Omega?”

“Those two can watch her.” Cid tilted her head in the direction of her two regulars.

“Dumb and Dumber? You gotta be joking.”

“Oi!” The Weequay objected.

“I’ll be fine. You should just focus on getting better.” Omega said reassuringly.

“Listen to Tiny. I won’t be gone long, and nothing’ll happen. Do you want the infection gone or not?” Cid added.

“Fine. You two!” You shouted over at the usuals. “Anything happens to her while I’m gone or any funny business goes on, see that sword over there?” You pointed over to where your modified vibroblade was (your smaller dagger was still strapped to your good thigh). “I’ll only need to use it once.” When you were satisfied that they’re expressions showed a sufficient amount of fear, you followed Cid into the back, a task that was easier said than done since your perspective still had the room teetered on its side.

--

“Didn’t know this existed.” You mused as you took in the tiny room. All it consisted of was one small bed, a sink, and a bedside table with a couple of drawers.

“Sit.” She shoved you so you were forced to sit on the bed.

“Gee, talk about TLC.” You mumbled under your breath. You inhaled sharply as Cid poured some of a dark brown liquid on your wound. “Little warning next time?” You grumbled.

“You want Tiny alone out there for much longer?”

“No.” You admitted.

“Then you’ll deal with how this goes.”

“Ow!” You complained as she stuck a needle into your arm.

“Quit whining. That’ll sort the fever.”

“You know, you have a charming beside manner. I think you chose the wrong career.”

“Were all Jedi this sarcastic or is it just you?” Cid snapped back as she tidied away the stuff.

“There were a couple.” You said, thinking fondly back to one Jedi in particular. You then started to feel your eyes grow heavy and you found yourself letting out a yawn.

“Yeah, the fever stuff makes you pretty drowsy. You’re better off sleeping until it passes.”

“No, I… gotta… watch… over… Omega.” You said through another yawn as you moved to stand.

“Trust me, you’ll feel better after this, and I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Cid said, pushing you back down.

“But-”

“Stay put.”

“Okay.” You conceded, laying down and lacking the energy to stand back up and fight her. Cid hadn’t killed you and she seemed to care about Omega to a degree so you would give her your trust. “Just find her something to do beside scrubbing, yeah? She’s not just here to be your cleaner.”

“Just you focus on getting through this before Bandana and Goggles show up. For both our sakes.” Cid said, before she walked out the door.

You closed your eyes and found yourself drifting off with no difficulty at all. Your last conscious thought was of Hunter and the rest of the squad. You hoped their mission was going smoothly.

--

Hunter paused with Tech before he rounded the corner. So far, they’d managed to infiltrate the capital building without much difficulty thanks to Tech hacking into their security system and he supposed the droid, who was acting on behalf of their client, had helped to some extent, but he wasn’t ready to ease up on his distrust of the droid just yet which was why he made sure she stayed with him. He’d sent Wrecker and Echo to clear the upper levels. He peered around and saw two troopers guarding the door. “There’s two at the door.” He said to Tech.

“I’m clocking four in the adjacent corridor.” Tech added.

“(Y/N) and I will handle them. You and Omega loop back around.”

“That would be impossible seeing as they aren’t on this mission.” Tech pointed out.

“Ah…right.” Hunter acknowledged. Evidently, he wasn’t used to that idea.  

“Not to worry, I’m getting the hang of this.” The droid said, rounding the corner.

“No, wait.” Hunter hissed but it was too late, the droid was already in the line of sight. He nodded to Tech who then rolled a stun grenade in the direction of the troopers. Once he heard the sound of bodies fall, he stood up, indicating that Tech should follow. As they stepped over the bodies, another trooper opened the door. Hunter acted quickly, grabbing the trooper’s blaster, and using it to hit him in the gut. He then shoved him into a vase, shattering it before slamming his head into another pillar. He watched as the vase on top of it began to teeter and fall, but the droid caught it before it smashed on the ground.

“Do be careful.” The droid tisked, clutching the ornament. “This antique vase was gifted to Senator Singh for his years of service. It is priceless.”

Hunter turned his helmet towards Tech before looking back at her. “Droids.” He said disparagingly. They all then ran through the door to make their way to the Senator. He at least hoped you having a less irritating time back with Omega and Cid.

--

Omega was still cleaning the bar counter, an even more trivial task when you weren’t around but she knew you needed to shake the infection. Then, she heard a laugh behind her. She turned around to see Cid playing Dejarik with the Weequay.

“You got her cornered.” The Ithorian jeered over his friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah, I’m real scared.” Cid said sarcastically as she studied the board.

“Delay all you want; you’re not getting out of this one.” The Weequay taunted.

Cid went to lock in her move when Omega’s voice stopped her.

“I wouldn’t do that.” Omega advised.

“Here that? We got an expert here.” Cid said with a roll of her eyes before she inputted her original move. The move itself resulted in her piece getting wiped off the holoboard.

“She’s done for!” The Ithorian said with a laugh.

“I told you.” Omega said.

“Well, expert, what should I do next?” Cid asked.

Omega walked down from her stool and briefly looked at the board before she locked in the move and watched as Cid’s final piece removed the other opposing pieces of the board.

“You blew it!” The Ithorian complained to his friend.

“Yeah, but you’re the one who said to bet it all!” The Weequay shot back.

“You wanna take this outside?” The Ithorian threatened, leering down.

“Gladly!” The Weequay responded and the two of them left the parlour.

Cid stared at the board. “How’d you know to do that?” She asked.

“It’s a strategy game. I’m good at strategy.” Omega replied simply.

“Hmm.” Cid rubbed a hand along her chin. You had said to find another job for the kid to do. “How good? Enough to, uh, win a few matches for some money?”

“Depends.” Omega said hesitantly. “What’s my cut?”

“Hmm. Thirty percent.” Cid offered.

“Sixty.” Omega countered.

Cid pondered it for a couple seconds. “Deal.”

--

“Senator! I followed your instructions to the letter.”

“I knew you’d come through, GS-8.” Senator Avi said with relief as he rubbed his wrists which the clone with the lighter coloured armour had now freed from the binders.

“And behold. I have saved your most prized vase.” GS-8 said, holding it up to him.

“Great. Now can we get out of here?” Hunter interrupted, looking at the Senator.

“With pleasure.” Senator Avi said as he stood out of his chair.

Tech tapped his datapad and studied the surveillance footage. “An alert has been triggered. Our position has been compromised.”

“Follow us.” Hunter directed to the Senator as he and Tech ran out the door.

When they came out onto a balcony, Hunter could see that the Imperial forces and their tanks were being mobilised. He waited until Echo and Wrecker came out to join them before peering over the left-hand side. “There.” He pointed down. “We’ll seize that tank and blow our way outta here.”

“How do you intend to gain control of the armoured vehicle from up here?” GS-8 enquired.

“Coming through.” Wrecker said gruffly, making his way to the front of the group where he attached a cable to the side of the walker.

Tech and Echo slid down first and quickly commandeered the tank from the Imperial soldiers that were in it. As it powered down, Tech spoke into his comm. “All clear.”

“Impressive.” GS-8 said with mild admiration.

“You can’t possibly expect me to do that.” Senator Singh said sceptically.

Wrecker checked the security of the cable before letting out a groan. “Just don’t look down.” With that, he grabbed the Senator and glided down the cable with him to the inside of the tank.

Hunter grabbed the droid and followed suit.

“Nicely done.” GS-8 complimented.

Hunter hastily made his way to the steering. “Get this thing moving, Tech.”

Tech nodded and put the walker into motion.

Wrecker chucked the unconscious troopers out. “They’ll feel that in the morning!”

--

The walker shook violently and stopped with the impact of the shot.

“The rear axle stabiliser is off-line.” Tech said, shielding his eyes from the sparks that flew off the control panel. “We will need to recalibrate manually.” He told Hunter.

“Get this bucket up and running.” He ordered Tech and Echo. “Wrecker and I will hold them off.” As he said that, he found himself missing you. You would’ve been really helpful right now.

--

Sliding under the advancing Imperial walker, Hunter fired multiple stun blasts in the direction of the soldiers who were shooting at him before he went up to join Wrecker and assist him in disabling that tank. Together, the two of them were able to decommission it but a quick exist was needed since another tank sent a shot in their direction. Tucking and rolling to cushion his landing, Hunter stood back up alongside Wrecker and continued to send stun shots in the direction of the Imperial soldiers, but they had to take cover behind the fallen walker since the Imperial troopers had numbers on their side and Hunter knew they couldn’t hold them back for long. “Tech, how we doing?” Hunter spoke into his comm.

Glancing up at the new walker that was moving steadily towards them all, Tech replied. “I need more time.”

“Freeze.”

Tech and Echo turned with their hands raised as a small squad of troopers walked towards them, their blasters raised.

“Drop your weapons.” One trooper ordered.

Reacting swiftly to the Senator throwing his vase at the head of one of the clones, Tech managed to stun the remaining two soldiers. He looked down at his datapad. “Repairs complete.” He informed Hunter.

“We’re on our way.” Hunter confirmed, firing a couple more shots in the direction of the troopers before he and Wrecker ran back into their captured walker.

As the clone got the walker moving, Senator Singh joined the two clones in the front. “Turn down that alleyway.”

“We’ll be trapped in a choke point.” Tech said warily.

“You’re going to have to trust me.”

Tech glanced over at Hunter, double checking that this is something they were going to do. Only after Hunter gave a nod did Tech do as the Senator instructed.

“Move into position next to that wall. It leads to a subterranean passage.” Senator Singh revealed.

Tech angled the walker into position.

Senator Singh opened the door to the wall. “If you don’t mind, please blast a whole in the wall right here.” He patted the area he was referring to.

“That I can do.” Wrecker said, stepping forward. He placed a charge on the wall and closed the door. The explosion rattled the walker slightly, but it did the trick. As the door opened, they were greeted by a passage.

“Hurry. This way.” Senator Singh directed.

The rest of the squad followed him, Wrecker being the last of them to do so since he placed another charge to seal the passageway shut behind them.

--

Senator Singh paused before joining the others on their ship. “What am I doing?” He whispered to himself. He turned back in the direction of the capital. “I cannot abandon my people.”

“You will, Senator, but not if you are in Imperial custody.” GS-8 said.

“She’s right. Live to fight another day.” Echo advised as he approached the Senator’s side.

Senator Sing nodded, looking back one final time at his home before he stepped on the ship with the others.

--

Loud cheering and whistling were what woke you up. Those sounds were not ones you associated with this place. You rubbed your eyes, stretched, and swung your legs out of bed, finding that you could already put a lot more pressure on your injured leg.

You lightly limped out the room to the main part of the parlour and you were quite taken aback, not to mention a little bit horrified by what you saw. You were taken aback by just how busy Cid’s actually was, you’d never seen it like this, but you were not thrilled by the sight of Omega sitting with a large crowd surrounding her at a Dejarik table as she played against a total stranger. You pulled Cid off from where she had positioned herself next to Omega.

“Glad to see you’re doing better but ease up on the death grip there.” Cid objected.

You kept your hand where it was. “What the hell is this?” You hissed angrily. “One, I’m sure whatever it is, is illegal in some way since she’s a child and two, she’s supposed to be laying low and this looks like anything but. What if one of these goons turned out to be a hunter?”

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about.” Cid said roughly as she removed your hand from the upper part of her arm. “You told me to find another job for her, so I did, and nothing’s gone wrong.”

“But-”

“Plus, she’s already earned enough credits to pay back the debt you folks owe me. If anything, you should be thanking me. I put this partnership together and the kid’s doing just fine.”

You looked past her to see Omega defeat her opponent. She didn��t look to be in any danger and the only out of place thing you could sense right now was the fact that Cid’s was so popular. “Fine, but it stops before Hunter…” You trailed off as you sensed Hunter approach and sure enough, two seconds later, Hunter and the rest of the squad came down the stairs to the parlour, along with two others who you assumed were the Senator they were sent to rescue and his droid. “Shows up.” You finished dismally.

Cid turned to see that Omega had left the table and the clones had made their appearance. “Alright, show’s over. No more bets.” She shooed the onlookers out of the parlour.

You walked over to join your squad, smiling as you saw Wrecker pick Omega up.

“Kid, where’d you learn to do that?” Wrecker said proudly.

“She’s a natural. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Cid said admirably.

“I told you to keep a low profile. This is the opposite.” Hunter said sternly.

Noticing the way Omega’s face dropped, you gently grabbed Hunter’s shoulder to get him to face you. “I wasn’t thrilled either, Hunter, but she made enough money to pay off the debt we owe Cid. We should be thanking her to be honest.”

“Yeah, try showing a little gratitude my friend.” Cid said, walking past him. “You did good.” She told Omega before addressing the Senator. “Senator, glad you made it. Let’s talk payment.” She said, guiding him and his droid towards the back.

Hunter watched them go before turning to talk to you again. “You were okay with all of that?”

“Well… no, but I was uh otherwise engaged when Cid decided to employ her services that way.” You said, shifting your feet awkwardly.

“You know you’re going to have to do better than that.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

“I may have fallen asleep.” You winced out. “See, the wound I got on my left shoulder on Bracca became infected and I ended up running a fever. It wasn’t too bad and I’m fine now.” You added quickly, seeing the flash of concern in Hunter’s eyes.

“I told you using those medical supplies in that environment was a bad idea.” Tech chimed in.

“Thank you, Tech.” You grumbled as he passed you. “But Cid offered to treat it and I accepted, hoping to avoid the ‘I told you so’ from Tech but obviously that didn’t work out. The thing she gave me made me pretty drowsy. Cid assured me she would watch Omega, but I didn’t know that was what she had in mind. If I had, I would’ve just stuck it out until you all got back, especially cause I ended up with Tech finding out anyway.”

Hunter just shook his head with mild amusement. He could easily believe that the only reason you accepted help was to avoid a telling off from Tech rather than for your own health.

You then noticed Omega start to slowly walk past you guys. “She was helpful, Hunter. She can handle herself. You should reconsider the mission ban.” You added with a whisper before you walked away, tapping Omega on the shoulder to get her to stop before you sat down at the counter, watching their conversation hopefully.

Hunter let out a small sigh and half turned back to speak to Omega. “You really paid off our debt?”

“I wanted to be useful, even if I couldn’t go on the mission.” Omega replied, keeping her back to him.

“Hmm.” Hunter turned around fully. “How about we put those strategy skills to the test?” He walked over the holochess board. “One match. If you win, then no more sitting out on missions.” He sat down at the table and activated the board. He looked back at her, tilting his head in the direction of the other seat.

Omega eagerly ran over and sat down.

“You ready for this?” Hunter asked her.

“Are you?” Omega countered with a smile before she programmed in her first move.   

Your smile was concealed by the cup you were drinking from, but you found that the interaction was one that was making your insides feel all warm and fuzzy. This was the first time you’d really seen them interact on a more normal level, without a threat looming over them and it was something you could get used to seeing.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @a-streakofblue, @ladytano420

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (13)

Chapter Thirteen: Pabu

Gif by @im-no-jedi

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: The life on the run from Cid isn't working out and so Phee offers to bring you all to her home away from home.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, very minor moments of unwanted advances, mild injury description, mentions of food and drinks, instances of innuendo, SMUT (non-explicit descriptions of kissing and making out, light biting/marking, light bondage, oral (m & f receiving), brief f. masturbation, fingering, unprotected P n V (be safe in reality please), grinding, multiple Os with hints at overstimulation, Hunter talks you through it, a flash of cum eating), mild angsty thoughts but lots of fluff and feelings too, reader do be scheming, and my usual points of going slightly off-plot and the Force doing what I need it to

Word Count: 8.8K

Author's notes: Two panic attacks and two academic essays later lol, I finally have this chapter! I am so sorry it has been such a long wait but I hope you all enjoy!

You were feeling more like yourself. You still didn’t know what had set you off, and it did remain a lingering thought in the back of your mind, but it wasn’t having a negative impact on you anymore. A fact you were grateful for because doing this mission with Phee required you all to be focused.

You had been briefed by her before heading into the bar, with Tech remaining as your getaway driver. Omega would make the deal alongside Phee whilst the rest of you split up and took inconspicuous spots around the space.

You drowned out the general chatter from the bar patrons and ignored the gentle thrum of the music as you stayed on guard whilst you went to your positions and waited. Hunter sat by one of the card tables, you had taken up home by the bar and Wrecker sat amongst another group at another table. Phee and Omega were at the top booth and sitting across from Phee’s contact- Crowder- who had two of his men on either of him as well as scattered throughout the bar.

You pretended to nurse a drink as you played your part. One downside of your spot however meant you were having to wave away those that believed they had a chance with you. One such person was now stood directly in front of you.

“Not interested.” You replied coolly before he had a chance to speak. Much to your surprise, he just shrugged and walked away. You doubted that would be a common theme, but you’d take it, nonetheless.

--

The meeting between Phee and Crowder seemed to be going okay but you knew nothing was certain in these situations. You were also having to balance keeping an eye on them and still seeing off those that still approached you and it was time to do that again as another man stood in front of you.

“Come here often?”

You just sighed and shook your head and looked past him.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” He waved a hand in front of your face.

“Look, I’m really not-” You stopped abruptly as you saw Hunter stand and throw his blade in the direction of Phee- it looked like his target had been the Kouhun bug- and stand up tall. You were glad you were still sitting down because- had you been standing- you were sure that you would’ve just melted to the floor after seeing him do that and you had to fight to keep your jaw from dropping open. Gathering yourself, you got ready to act since it looked like your services were going to be required after all since Crowder’s men were on their feet with their guns drawn in the directions of Hunter and Phee.

“I’ll be taking the artifact now. You should’ve brought more muscle than that, Phee.” Crowder sneered.

A deep chuckle got his attention, and it was then he saw another man stand up tall from one of the tables. He towered over his men.

“She did.” Wrecker said as he cracked his neck.

You patted the newest arrival on the shoulder. “Yeah, this is the part where you might want to head on out.” You whispered to the now taken aback man beside you. You pulled out your blaster and stepped away from the bar and focused your stare on the enemy ahead of you.

“Now it’s getting interesting.” Phee said.

Wrecker made the first move and the club descended into chaos. Customers ran out screaming whilst the rest of you dealt with Crowder’s men and took cover from their blaster fire.

You flipped a table and crouched behind it and spoke urgently into your comm, “Tech, we need a pickup.”

“On my way.”

Crowder’s reinforcements had arrived and there wasn’t much more the rest of you could do. You had the credits and the artifact Phee wanted, there was no sense in staying.

“I think it’s time to go!” Omega called from her position.

“Wrecker!” Hunter signalled to his brother as they both threw a smoke bomb to give you all adequate cover to leave.

Tech arrived with the Marauder just as you all exited the club and with a few defensive rounds of blaster fire, you were able to safely get on the ship and get outta there.

--

“You have to stop doing things like that in public.” You murmured as you walked beside him into the cockpit.

“Hmm?” He glanced at you.

“The thing with the knife. The thing were you just look so damn competent and capable.”

“You mean my job?” Hunter teased.

You shot him a look. “Well, you need to stop doing your job like that. Because every time you do, I get distracted by thoughts I should not be having on missions like that.” You sighed irritably leaned back against the wall and crossed your arms.

“Yeah?” Hunter tilted his head and smirked at you. He looked down the hallway to see Phee, Wrecker and Omega still talking and a look back at Tech told him his brother was not paying either of you any attention. He took a step closer to you and crowded you further into the wall. He brought his lips to your neck and gently traced your skin as he whispered, “It’s not just you, believe me…” He trailed off and planted a series of soft kisses against your neck and jaw.

You allowed yourself to enjoy it for a moment before you affectionately pushed him away from you. “That’s not helping.”

“Do I wanna know?” Phee asked. She had entered the cockpit just as you had created the distance between you and Hunter.

Hunter cleared his throat, and you just shook your head and you both focused on regaining your composure.

You stayed where you were as Phee took the seat next to you and Hunter situated himself on the one just behind Tech that faced one of the other control panels.

“Now that was a fun mission.” Omega said gleefully as she and Wrecker remained down in the main part of the ship.

“You got that right.” Wrecker said with a chuckle.

Phee peered back at the young girl before she addressed the rest of you. “You know, Omega was pretty impressive back there.”

“Her training’s paying off.” Hunter said as he turned his seat to answer.

“Oh, I know she’s got the whole soldier-thing down. But don’t you think she should learn some other skills?”

“What other skills?” Tech asked as he too now turned to face Phee.

“Omega spends all her time with you four. She needs friends. Ones her own age and who don’t share her genetic profile.”

“We never had such a thing. I do not see the issue.” Tech said dismissively.

“No kidding.” Phee said with a small, exasperated smile. She looked at you. “You get what I’m talking about, right? You had your own life before these guys.”

You didn’t really know how to answer that. Your upbringing hadn’t been that different from theirs but even you had to concede that she had a point on that one. It wasn’t exactly the most typical environment to grow up in so it probably wouldn’t hurt if Omega could experience a different side of life that wasn’t always about when the next dangerous mission was going to be. Before you could answer, Tech spoke again.

“We’re receiving a transmission. It is from Cid.”

You shared a mildly concerned look with Hunter. It had to happen sooner or later. She wouldn’t let you guys get off that easily.

Hunter stood up. “Let’s hear it.”

Wrecker and Omega joined the rest of you to hear the message.

Tech patched the message through, and Cid’s holographic image filled the cockpit.

“So, it’s been 20 rotations and no word. You better be dead because your absence has cost me a few scores. Remember our mutually beneficial arrangements, and how well we know one another; if you know what I mean. You’d do well not assume I am just threatening you boys.” The transmission ended.

A beat of silence past before Phee filled it. “You didn’t mention you cut ties with Cid.”

“Our mutually beneficial arrangement wasn’t so beneficial, mutually.” Hunter said sheepishly.

“Figured that out, did you?” Phee sprawled back in her chair. “I’ve known Cid a long time. She’s a useful ally, but not someone you want to cross. Do you have a plan?”

“You’re looking at it.” Hunter said.

You could tell he was mildly embarrassed at not being to offer anything more. You knew he didn’t like the aimless nature of what you all were doing right now. You squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“In that case, you all are coming with me.” Phee stated.

Hunter angled himself to face you as he sought your input.

You shrugged. We can’t keep doing what we’re doing, and you know that. If Phee is offering a place for us to go, there’s no harm in taking it. At least for a little while.

Phee watched you and Hunter do that thing again. She figured now was good a moment to put her plan into action whilst the two of you were focused on each other. “You guys ever get sick of their silent communication style?”

“Nah, she does it with all of us.” Wrecker said absent-mindedly, not realising his mistake until he’d finished speaking and saw all sets of eyes on him. “Um, I mean…”

“With all of you, huh?” Phee said curiously, angling her face to yours. You didn’t conceal your wince quick enough. That definitely confirmed that what she’d seen between you and Omega on Nal Hutta was the same thing that occurred between you and Hunter. “What does he mean by that?”

“Nothing.” You said defensively, crossing your arms as you stood on guard.

“Not an option for an answer. I’ve noticed this thing you got going on for a while. I won’t back down on this anymore.”

“Phee…” Hunter cautioned.

“Come on, Bandana. If I’m to take you to a place I keep close to my chest, I should be told about this. Haven’t we established some trust here? (Y/N), I promise I won’t tell, whatever it is?”

You glanced to Hunter who shrugged. “It’s not my secret to tell. If you want to, you can.”

Your eyes flickered over to the others who all- along with an apologetic smile from Wrecker- nodded in agreement with Hunter. You inhaled slowly. She had been helping you all out when she didn’t have to. You could do this for her. You focused on keeping the nerves out your voice as you spoke. “I’m a Jedi, Phee. What you’ve so keenly observed is me talking to the others without speaking out loud. They’re hearing my voice in their head.”

Phee’s jaw dropped. In all her travels, she’d only ever had the luxury of learning about your kind. She’d never been fortunate enough to meet one and she’d never have guessed you’d be the person to finally let her achieve that. “A Jedi?” She repeated in a hushed tone. “You mean you survived?”

You shifted on your feet awkwardly. “I mean sure, technically I did, but I left the Jedi Order long before the purge and this lot didn’t find out until after so my survival story is a bit different. Don’t really think it counts as one to be quite honest.” You added quietly, more to yourself than anyone else.

Hunter cleared his throat at you in gentle reprimand.

Phee nodded and didn’t want to press you for further information. She gathered your past would be a sensitive area, so she moved on. “So, what does one have to do to get in on that level of communication?” She asked eagerly.

You rolled your eyes. “Well, liking the person is a start.” You teased light-heartedly as you saw her frown. “That and time spent together helps strengthen the bond I need for it.”

“And where am I at in the process?”

“I’ll let you know.” You said nonchalantly.

Phee let out a grumbled sigh, but she accepted this. “I meant what I said, your secret is safe with me.”

You did find yourself believing her.

“Alright then, with that business taken care of, let’s get going!” Phee said cheerily as she walked over to Tech. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Head to these coordinates, brown eyes.”

Tech, taken aback by the placement of her hand, did as she requested.

--

“Welcome to Pabu, my home away from home.” Phee said happily as she led the way off the ship. “It’s a hidden sanctuary of sorts.”

When Phee had offered to take you all with her, this was the last type of place you expected to end up at. The island was serene and beautiful. The sun was warm and shone brightly, highlighting the greens of the plants and the blues of the ocean. You were immediately filled with a sense of calm as you stepped down the stairs.

Phee gestured to the large building ahead. “That’s the Archium. It’s where the artifact will be stored. It holds treasures from all over the galaxy.”

“My analysis indicates that this so-called artifact you recovered is of very little to no monetary value.” Tech informed from his datapad.

“Treasure can mean many things.” Phee countered. “Most of the villagers on Pabu are refugees. Many of the items I recover are remnants of their cultures, and that’s worth preserving.”

You realised how poorly you’d judged Phee. There was far more to her than you’d realised. You opened your mouth. “Phee, I’m-”

Phee just shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s like I told you in the beginning, I am a liberator-”

“Liberator of ancient wonders.”

You all turned in the direction of the new voice to see a cheery looking man walking over with a young girl you assumed to be his daughter. You watched as he walked over and embraced Phee.

“About time you showed your face around here.”

“Miss me, Shep?” Phee asked with a smile as she stepped back.

“You’ve got some competition.” Wrecker taunted Tech.

You bit back the laugh that threatened to leave you face at the bewildered expression on Tech’s face at Wrecker’s words.

“Auntie Phee!”

Phee knelt down and hugged the young girl.

“What’d you bring this time?” She asked eagerly.

Phee showed her the artifact.

“Looks like one of a kind.”

“Good eye.” Phee complimented.

“That’s not all you brought, I see.” Shep said as he examined the group behind her.

“This is Shep Hazard, Mayor of Pabu, and his daughter, Lyana.” Phee introduced them both as they walked over to you all. “Shep, Lyana, meet, Omega, Hunter, (Y/N), Wrecker and Tech.”

Shep went up to each of you one by one to welcome you.

Lyana walked up shyly to Omega. “Phee’s never brought any friends here before.”

“Never? Not even Cid?”

“Nope.” Phee answered.

“So why bring us?” You asked her.

“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

“She must really like you.” Lyana muttered to Omega.

“Alright. That’s enough out of you.” Phee scolded affectionately.

“Then it’s settled. You’ll join us for dinner.” Shep declared.

“There’s no saying no to Shep’s famous feast. Lots of food, drink and general merrymaking. You two’ll probably hate it.” Phee kidded at you and Tech.

“You’re not helping your case.” You reminded her with a roll of your eyes, but a smile graced your lips.

Phee raised her hands before she half-turned to Shep. “Lead the way, Shep. I’ll catch up.”

You all made to follow Shep, but you couldn’t help but notice Tech linger to look back at Phee and it warmed your heart. You just wished he would clue into the part of his brilliant brain that would realise he and Phee had potential.

“Leave them alone.” Hunter whispered as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder to turn your gaze away and focus on walking behind Shep.

How are you not more invested in this?

“It’s not that I’m not invested but I know my brother, and this is something he needs to take at a very slow pace.”

You conceded the point with a nod. “You’re so good.” You knew he was right. You focused instead on taking in your new surroundings.

--

The more you got to see of Pabu as you walked, the more you loved it. Everything was so pretty and letting Omega run ahead with Lyana felt completely safe, there wasn’t a threat to be found. It felt natural to be here.

“Upper Pabu is the oldest part of the island.” Shep informed you all as you paused to take in the magnificent view of the island and its crystal-clear blue waters. “As we’ve grown over the years, we’ve expanded the wall into Lower Pabu.”

You leaned over the wall to take it all in.

“Hi, Shep!”

“Hi, Mr Eenta. How are Sari and Micha?” Shep replied warmly to the old man that had approached them.

Mr Eenta let out a cheery high-pitched laugh. “They’re doing good. Thanks for asking, Shep. I see we got some newcomers here too. Although we haven’t had some quite as lovely as you join our community in a long time.” He added with a kind smile in your direction.

You smiled in thanks at the man and elbowed Hunter playfully. “Gotta up your game, I might just run off with him.”

“Ha ha.” Hunter replied drily as he drew you into his side and pressed a soft kiss to your hairline.

Mr Eenta laughed at your words. “I best be off but welcome to the island! Feel free to stop by anytime!”

“Nice to see you!” Shep waved him goodbye.

“Uh, do you know everyone here?” Wrecker asked Shep.

“Of course. We’re all like family. Now, if you’ll continue to follow me, I can show you were you and (Y/N) will be staying.” Shep said to Hunter. “I have a place for the rest of you too and Omega can go to either house, but I gather it would be best to show that to you after dinner?”

“Staying?” Hunter repeated.

Shep paused for a moment. “Well, I imagine you two’ll want some privacy before dinner tonight. There’s plenty of time. Unless I’ve read things wrong, or you want to stay as a group-”

“You have read things correctly.” Tech said without looking up from his datapad.

“Tech-” Hunter started.

“Yes, please, take them somewhere far away from us.” Wrecker said in an exaggerated manner.

You punched his arm.

Shep paid little attention to the teasing insinuations. He remembered what it was like to be young and in love. “We’ll pass my home on the way anyway so you can see Omega get settled and join us in an hour or so?”

You and Hunter glanced at one another before Hunter nodded his agreement and you both walked beside Shep trying not to look too eager or walk too quickly.

--

You didn’t remember much about the place you were staying. All that really registered with you was the discarded pieces of armour and weapons by the door and the short route from the doorway to the bedroom. From what you did recall; it was very cosy and homey, but right now your focus was on the fact you were sat across Hunter’s lap at the edge of the bed. Your kisses were slow and deep, there was no residing worry of being interrupted or needing to be rushed and the two of you were perfectly content with not rushing things, both too intoxicated by the feeling of your lips on each other’s skin and the noises leaving your mouths.

“I want to call this in.” You panted against his lips as your fingers traced the red scarf.

Hunter groaned as he felt you grind against him. “But I-”

“I want to call this in.” You repeated seductively as you lifted it over his head and pulled back to look into his eyes. “Please.” You murmured as you pressed delicate kisses along his jaw.

“Let me see you come undone first.” He rasped as his fingers twisted in your clothing to keep him grounded.

You were confused for a moment.

“Just like this.” He emphasised as he took a hold of your hips and moved you against him once more, relishing the soft sigh that left your throat. “Do this for me and then you can have your way.” He negotiated with a kiss behind your ear.

You nodded before you placed the scarf on the bed and threaded your fingers in his hair. Your lips met his once more and as you moved your hips with more purpose, your kisses grew more desperate as each of you swallowed the moans that left your lips at the sensations happening right now. With his help, you were able to find the angle that had your breathing and heartbeat quickening and your grip on his shoulders tightened, your fingers coiled in his clothing.

“Hunter-” You said through a gasp as that familiar feeling started to rise in your body.

“Let it happen.” He encouraged as he kissed you again and gently bit down on your lip.

You finished with a groan and your head fell into the crook of his shoulder as you caught your breath.

“Did so well for me.” Hunter whispered as he stroked your back.

You sucked a small mark in his neck as you got your bearings back. You sat up properly and maintained eye contact with his as you let your hand trail down his chest. Your hand found the edges of his shirt.

Hunter lifted his arms up and let you pull the item of clothing over his head. He then reached for your top layer and delicately pulled it off you.

That process continued until you were both out of your clothes and lying on the double bed. It certainly made a change to the bunk on the Marauder, there was room to move without feeling constricted and it was far more comfortable too.

You stopped kissing him for a moment and instead focused your ministrations on the skin of neck, your teeth scraping slightly against his skin, whilst you reached beside you and brought the scarf into view. You looked down at Hunter who- amidst the rough breaths that left his throat- nodded his consent. You moved off his lap and sat back on your heels and motioned for him to sit up.

Hunter did as you requested, and he felt you bring his wrists behind his back, and he felt the soft fabric against his skin. He tested the knot and found it to be secure enough that he had no chance of getting out unaided, but it was not uncomfortable.

You pushed him back down and straddled his lap again. “Okay?” You asked as you stroked a finger down his tattooed cheek. “You just tell me when to stop.”

Hunter was enraptured by the sight of you above him and so could only manage to nod once more.

You smiled lovingly down at him before you kissed him once more, this time more teasing, leaving him chasing your lips as you parted from him too soon.

You kissed your way down his chest, paying attention to every nick and scar that was on his skin. You loved every part of him every time.

You delighted in every gruff and depraved moan that left his lips. How you loved it when he got the chance to switch off like this.

And you could take your time.

As your mouth wrapped around him, his fingers had a deathlike grip on the sheets since that was the only thing he could do with his hands behind his back like this.

Fuck, you were good. You knew just what to do to drive him crazy. You took him so well every time. The slight hum of pleasure told him he’d voiced that last thought outload. His head pressed even further into the pillows.

The sounds he was making were so divine, you just couldn’t help yourself.

Upon hearing the small moan from you, he risked glancing down and regretted it immediately. Your hand was between your legs and a noise that was scarcely recognisable- it sounded like a wrecked whimper- left his mouth.

You paused what you were doing upon hearing him. You bit your lip as you saw the ruined expression on his face. You removed your hand and held your fingers up to his mouth but when he lifted his head, you drew them away at the last second and put them in your mouth and groaned alluringly. You didn’t give him long to cope with that before you went back to him.

He released a pained breath at the sight. He needed to touch you. To taste you. To feel you. It had been too long, and he wasn’t about to let it be over like this. “St- stop.” He managed to get out.

You did as he requested and angled your eyes up to him.

Hunter very nearly lost it at the sight of you tidying up your mouth and the playful smirk that graced your face. “Untie me.” He said as his chest heaved.

You crawled your way back up and kept your eyes focused on him. You gave him enough room to get vertical enough for you to reach behind him and undo the knot.

He rolled so that you were beneath him now and he kissed you passionately whilst his hand slid down your body.

Your eyes fluttered closed and your hips bucked into his touch and a quiet groan fell from your lips as his fingers curled and pleasure shot through your core.

He noticed you were holding back. It was something you were both used to. Fear of being suddenly interrupted or accidentally overheard was a constant in moments like this but that wasn’t the case here. Here, you could let go. And fuck did he want you to let go. “I want to hear you.” He uttered against your lips as he started to move down your body, leaving bruises on your neck as he did so. “Let me hear you, sweetheart.” He all but begged as he sped his fingers up.

That was all the permission you needed. An unrestricted moan left your lips as your body tingled and you let the waves of pleasure wash through your body.

Hunter worked you through it and once you had come back down, he left a path of kisses down your body, biting and sucking as he went, to do what he’d been wanting to since the possibility of being alone had become an option. He kept a steady grip of your hips as they jolted under his touch.

He didn’t need to rush this. He would get to take you apart in the way he always dreamed of. He could take his time. Learn knew things about your body he hadn’t had the pleasure of discovering yet, life on the road with missions every other day made these occasions a far more hurried event than either of you would’ve like. But here, he didn’t have that worry and if he wasn’t addicted to you before, he most definitely was now. The noises you were making were beautiful and it had been too long since he’d had you like this, and he was reminded of how much he missed it. He moaned appreciatively at the feeling of your hands tangling in his hair as he took what he wanted from you.

Your limbs felt limp and heavy, and your breathing was laboured but you didn’t want to be done yet. “Hunter, I need you.”

“One more. Give me one more.” He breathed against you before he continued with what he’d previously been doing.

“I can’t. Just-”

“Yes, you can, sweetheart.” He urged as he focused on the spot that he knew would get you there again.

A hoarse cry left your throat as he sent you over the edge once more. You were pretty sure there were stars dancing across the ceiling right now.

Hunter let you catch your breath and just revelled in the sight of your dishevelled state. His lips traced your stomach as he worked his way back up to you.

You clawed at his back to bring him down closer to you. Fuck, he was gorgeous. His eyes were dark, and his bandana was slightly askew. “I need you.” You whispered again as you cradled the side of his jaw.

He was now all too happy to oblige.

Your hands tightly intertwined- with the backs of yours being pushed into the pillow by your head- as he moved into you, both of your breaths hitching at the sensation.

Every time you were reminded of how perfectly you fit together both here and out there. Everything just felt so right.

Hunter paused for a moment, and he lifted a hand to brush a small strand also to give himself a chance to breath.

You knew he’d held back long enough. You pressed your lips into his palm before you placed a featherlight kiss to his lips. “Come with me.” You murmured against his mouth.

Hunter nodded and started to move again, and he knew he wasn’t going to last much longer and judging by the way he could feel you tightening around him, you weren’t either.

It wasn’t long before a broken cry left your mouth, and it was the sight of you catching the necklace you’d gifted him in his teeth that finished him. He released a gutteral groan as he collapsed on top of you and breathed a relaxed sigh as you weaved your fingers through his hair. “I love you.” He uttered quietly into your neck. “Always.”

“I love you too.” You replied tenderly. “Always.”

He reluctantly pulled out and laid down next to you and wrapped his arm around you and pulled you close. There was still time before you needed to go to Shep’s so the peace and quiet could be enjoyed a little while longer.

After a few minutes of you both just taking the time to stay close to each other and regroup, you huffed out a short breath at the realisation there was still the dinner to attend to.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can barely feel my legs lying here. How am I supposed to get up and shower and then walk back up some of that hill?”

Hunter let out a low chuckle. “Whilst I take that as a compliment, I’m sure your Jedi training had you overcoming worst challenges that this.”

You heaved a sigh and turned on your back and sent an affectionate glare in his direction. “Yes, but that doesn’t stop things from feeling so far away right now.”

Hunter merely hummed and pressed a quick kiss to your lips before moving down your body.

You propped yourself up on your elbows. “What are you doing?”

“Cleaning up.” He crooned as he settled between your thighs once more.

Your head fell back against the pillows. “You heard me- heard me say shower, right?” You protested as he left tender nips to the inside of your thighs.

“You said that you can’t move to go shower.” He countered as he slowly moved his lips towards the apex of your thighs. “I’m solving half the problem.”

“This- this won’t help me stand up.” You attempted to sound strong, but you were not about to stop him.

“I know. I’m solving the other half of the problem first.”

--

Now properly freshened up and decent once again, you and Hunter arrived at Shep’s home to see the others happily socialising and enjoying their time.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Phee greeted with a knowing grin as you both walked in.

You simply smiled and turned your attention to Shep instead. “The place is great, Shep, thank you. Do you need any help?” You asked as he emerged from his house.

“No, we’re almost ready. Just make yourselves at home!”

You and Hunter joined the others in taking in the breath-taking view, but that sight was interrupted by the chittering of a monkey-like creature that had scaled down one of the poles.

One jumped on your shoulder before more joined and a small group of them gathered by the table.

Omega knelt down to get a closer look at them.

“They’re called moon-yos.” Lyana explained. “The elders say they’ve lived here since before Pabu was inhabited.” She welcomed one of them onto her back.

Omega chuckled happily as that same one moved from Lyana onto her shoulder.

You watched on fondly. Everything here was so carefree and easy. You couldn’t remember the last time she’d really been allowed to be a kid like this.

“I have not heard her laugh like that in some time.” Tech observed.

As soon as he’d said that you started to think about how long it had been and the very fact you couldn’t remember told it had been far too long. As Omega and Lyana followed the moon-yos over to the wall by the gate, you and Hunter approached Shep as he brought a dish out for the table.

“Phee said the villagers here are refugees.” Hunter said.

“Many, yes.” Shep replied. “Pabu has been a safe haven for those forced to flee their homes during the war and others after.”

“And you’re not worried the Empire will show up?” You asked.

“Why would they? We’re a remote island with limited resources. But if they do, we’ll manage.”

You and Hunter both glanced over to where Omega was playing with one of the moon-yos.

Shep noticed this and placed a hand on both of your shoulders. “Some come to Pabu looking for a clean slate. A chance to start over. As a parent, you couldn’t ask for a better place to raise a child.”

You were pretty sure you didn’t do a great job at concealing the taken aback expression on your face. You had clocked Hunter’s paternal instinct right from when he’d first met Omega, but hearing Shep put you in that same category with him was something that had never really occurred to you.

Shep gave you both a supportive smile before he made his way back inside.

Before either of you could speak, Omega came over.

“(Y/N)! Can you come do that thing you do with the moon-yos?” Omega grabbed your hand and started to drag you over to the troupe of creatures.

“If you can think of a believable reason why they’re suddenly even friendlier than usual.” You said with a raise of your eyebrows.

“You’re gifted at bonding with animals.” She replied simply. “Please?”

“Okay, okay.” You said with a laugh, and you let her pull you over. You took notice of the fact that you were not worried about pretences here, even a reason as broad as the one Omega was providing felt secure enough.

Hunter watched you go and felt Phee approach his side.

“Something to think about, isn’t it?”

“You’re suggesting we all stay on Pabu permanently?”

They both followed the sounds of laughter to see you now with two moon-yos on your shoulders and the others were crawling all over Lyana and Omega.

“Omega seems to like it here and this is the most relaxed I’ve seen your girl. A little stability might do you all some good.”

You half turned and caught Hunter’s gaze. You left the girls to it and walked over to him.

“You made some friends.” Phee said with a nod to the animals on your back.

“Wasn’t that hard.” You said with a grin as you internally told on of them to go onto Hunter’s shoulder. You chuckled at the sight.

Hunter let the creature crawl over him for a few seconds before he passed it back to you. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

You nodded before you scratched each on the side of their faces. Okay, go back to the kids. You let them jump down and they ran back over to Lyana and Omega.

The two of you went back over to the wall where you wouldn’t be overheard by the others.

You leaned your head against Hunter’s shoulder and breathed in the clean sea air and admired the stunning view over the wall. Pabu was growing on you rather rapidly.

“Can we have this?” Hunter said quietly to you. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being here. He wasn’t used to feeling so calm, so at peace. He kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. There were people out there who were continuing the fight like Echo and Rex. Was feeling this way allowed? Was having a place to leave the chaos of the galaxy behind on the cards for him? For all of you?

You lifted your head to face him. You understood what he meant. Feeling this content was a foreign concept but it didn’t need to be. “You have been looking after this family for a long time. You’ve done so much for the galaxy already and our circumstances have changed ever since Omega became a part of our lives. I think the chance to create something, to have a place to come back to that is safe and offers the chance to settle down is perfectly okay.”

Hunter got ready to reply but was interrupted by Shep’s voice.

“Food’s ready!” Shep announced as he brought the final dish out.

You and Hunter turned to see the others moving to the table and you bit back the laugh that threatened to appear at the fact that Wrecker seemed to be the most excited out of everyone. We can talk more about this later, for now, let’s just enjoy tonight. You took his hand and you both made your way to the table.

--

Phee had not been exaggerating about Shep’s dining experience. The drinks continued to flow, and you had eaten so much food you could barely sit up straight which is why you were grateful for the man next to you who let you slouch against him whilst he kept an innocent hand on your thigh.

“You have your own boat?” Omega asked excitedly.

“Uh-huh. You wanna take it out and watch the sunset?” Lyana offered.

“Really?” Omega gasped.

“That sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?” Phee said with a look at you and Hunter.

“Can I go?” Omega asked Hunter eagerly.

Hunter glanced down at you to see you nod before he looked back to Omega. “Have fun.” He granted his permission sincerely and was happy to see her go somewhere looking so thrilled.

Oh, my goodness, you smiled.

“I smile all the time.” He protested down at you.

“No, you smile with your mouth. It rarely reaches your eyes because there’s too much worry behind them. That, was a proper smile.” You said with a small kiss to the corner of his mouth. A groan from beside you got your attention and you saw Wrecker rubbing his stomach. “What’s with you?”

“I’m full. I am never full.”

“Feels good right.” You said with an understanding nod as you were now able to sit back up.

“I will note the date and time to commemorate such a momentous occasion.” Tech added as he brought out his datapad.

You huffed out a laugh at Tech’s antics and at the look on Wrecker’s face as he got distracted by a platter that Shep had just brought out.

“Hope you saved room for dessert.” Shep said as he lifted the lid to unveil a platter of delicious looking fruit.

“I love this place!” Wrecker yelled happily.

--

“It’s almost time.” Phee said.

“For what?” Tech asked without turning his sight away from the screen in front of him.

“See for yourself.” Phee stood and beckoned for him to follow her over to the wall.

Tech looked over the wall but saw nothing different. “I am not seeing anything.”

Phee rested a hand on his arm. “Just wait. It’ll be worth it.”

Tech did as she said and watched as the sun went down and all the lights surrounding the island lit up the homes all at once.

“Pretty spectacular, right?” Phee said.

Tech found himself not wholly understanding the significance, but he also didn’t want to anger or disappoint her in his reaction either. “I suppose that is one way to quantify it.”

“You’re scheming.” Hunter whispered into your temple as he saw the way you were studying the pair.

You made no move to deny it. “What if I just…” You trailed off and mimed using the Force to make Phee fall into him.

“No.”

“But-”

“No.” Hunter repeated again with a loving kiss to the crown of your head.

“Do you remember what they did to us? We were locked in a storage closest for 3 hours one time!”

“Yes, but Tech is Tech. He’ll get there on his own… eventually.”

“What are you two talking about?” Wrecker asked as he finished the last piece of fruit.

You just pointed over to Tech and Phee.

“Ooohhh right. Yeah, we won’t be much help. He’s just gotta use that brain of his to figure it out.”

“Men are hopeless.” You muttered with a sigh before you stood up and wandered over to where you animal friends were.

--

You weren’t there for very long before you started to sense their unease but to your eyes nothing was wrong. You let them run off but before you could raise any sort of alarm, you noticed the look on Hunter’s face as he braced his hands against the wall. “What’s wrong?” You asked as you jogged over to where he, Phee and Tech were now standing.

“Something’s coming. We need to-” He didn’t get to finish his thought for an aggressive rumble ran underneath the island, leaving you all unsteady on your feet.  Luckily, it didn’t last long but he was sure that wouldn’t be the last one. He reached for his comm. “Omega, come in. Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine. We’re headed back to shore now.” Came her reply.

“Everyone alright?” Shep shouted down to the rest of the island.

“Well, that was different.” Wrecker commented as he got to his feet.

“Uh, a small tremor. It’s nothing to worry about. Part of island life.” Shep explained.

“I don’t think it’s over yet.” Hunter warned and sure enough another, more violent tremor occurred, leaving cracks in some of the buildings. “That was not a small tremor.”

 “No, it was not.” Shep said fretfully.

Tech analysed his datapad. “Hunter, I believe this island is at risk for a significant sea surge.”

“How much risk?” He asked.

“Highly probable to imminent.”

“We haven’t had a sea surge in more than three decades. If we were at risk, the early warning system would’ve activated. And-” Shep was cut off by the blaring of a siren.

“And I take it that’s the system?” You asked with a grimace.

Tech took the macrobinoculars that Shep passed him. “The water has already begun receding.” Tech stated as he stared through the lenses. “We must evacuate all of Lower Pabu.”

You caught Hunter’s arm in a panic. “Hunter, Lyana and Omega-”

“I know. I’ll grab our ship and get them. You five, move everyone in town to higher ground.” Hunter ordered.

You nodded before you all parted and got to work.

--

It was mayhem.

Everyone was screaming and stampeding to get to higher ground which meant they were paying little attention to the safety of those around them.

“Knock on every door. Check every home.” Shep told the four of you before you split up.

--

Tech and Phee had ensured their area was clear and they were now making for the higher ground, but the crowds were overwhelming, it wasn’t going to work this way.

“There are too many trying to get through at once. They will not make it before the surge hits. We must use additional means to get them over the wall.” Tech said hurriedly.

“We can deploy the rescue ladders.” Phee replied.

“Where?”

“They line the top of each wall.” She pointed up to where she was talking about, and they both ran to get closer to the side of the wall.

Tech aimed his grappling hook and once he felt it catch, he signalled to Phee to come closer to him. “Hang on!” He took a secure hold of her waist and scaled the wall.

“You take those ladders. I’ll handle these.” Phee directed.

Tech tried to release the ladders, but they wouldn’t budge. “The mechanisms are rusted through. We will need to manually unfurl them.”

Phee was able to use her blade to get her ladder free. “This way!” She called down to the people below.

Tech was also able to launch his and he and Phee kept an eye on them as they climbed to safety.

--

The siren continued to bellow around the island, a daunting reminder of how little time was left. You rounded the corner to see Mr. Eenta just sitting outside his house. “Wrecker, Shep! Over here!” You ran over to the old man. You kneeled next to his chair and spoke as calmly as you could manage. “Hey, Mr. Eenta, remember me?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, you’re the lovely lady who Shep brought over. Can I get you something?”

“Maybe later, but we gotta get out of here first.” You stepped aside to let Wrecker pick him up.

“Huh? Why? What’s going on?”

“Everything will be fine, Mr. Eenta.” Shep reassured him as the four of you set off for the high ground.

--

Your pace faltered behind Shep and Wrecker as you were sure the house you just passed had someone crying in it. You worked your way back and as you peered through the window; you caught side of a young Rodian child, she had to be not much older than six, frozen to the spot in the corner of the room and it looked like some kind of dresser or shelf had fallen in front of the door. You looked ahead to see that the other three were too far ahead to call back and they had Mr. Eenta so you needed them to be safe. The siren sounded again but you couldn’t move. You had time… you had to have time. “Hold on, I’m going to get you out of there.” You called through the window before you made your way to the door.

You tried kicking it down and barging into it, but it would not budge. Fuck it. You called on the Force and you were able to successfully push the door open.

You stepped over the shelf and other loose belongings and carefully made your way over to her. You took a knee in front of her. You knew if you appeared nervous or panicked then you weren’t going to get anywhere. “Hi there, little one. My name is (Y/N), do you have someone looking after you?”

She gave you nothing. She just stood there shaking as the siren continued to blare.

“Okay, it’s okay.” You cleared your throat and tried again. “Do you have a father? A mother?” You were sure you saw her head perk up slightly at that word.

“Mother?” You double checked and saw her nod again. “Okay, that’s good.” You reached your hand out to her. “How about we go find her? I can help you. Does that sound alright?”

You breathed deeply as she cautiously took your hand. “There we go. Let’s get outta here, alright?” You helped her over the debris and once you cleared the house, you picked her up and started running.

--

You could hear the wave now. You reached the bottom of the ladder and altered her position, so she was now on your back. “Hold on.” You scaled the ladder quickly and handed her over to someone waiting at the top, the sound of the wave getting closer by the second and you could feel the cold spray nipping at your heels. You were halfway over the wall when you felt part of the wave crash into your back, toppling you over the rest of the way.

You laid on the grounded, winded, before you felt a light tapping on your shoulder. You opened your eyes to see the kid staring worriedly at you.

“I’m good.” You panted as she peered at you. You straightened up and got some more air into your lungs and took her hand once more. “Let’s go fine your mother.”

--

You squeezed the young girl’s hand. “Hey kid, I think we’ve found her.” You jutted your head over in the direction of the distressed female Rodian anxiously scanning the crowds of people. Your suspicions were proved correct by the delighted squeal the child emitted at the sight. “On you go.” You nudged her gently in front of you and kept a careful eye on her as she ran up to her mother.  When you saw her get picked up and held tightly, you knew your job here was done. As the young girl pointed at you, you waved goodbye, but you saw that her mother was walking over to you, so you stayed where you were.

“I went out for a few seconds but then the tremors happened, and I got caught up in the crowd- I tried to work my way back but- but there were too many people, and I couldn’t! I wasn’t sure- oh I thought I’d never see her again!” She cried tearfully as she buried her face into her daughter’s neck as she held her close.

You rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re both safe now. That’s all that matters.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

You nodded your head in acknowledgement before you got to work on finding your own family.

--

“Wrecker, where’s (Y/N)?” Hunter asked urgently as he noticed everyone was there but you.

Wrecker looked around him. “She was right behind us when Shep and I knew everything was all clear.”

“She was with you as you got to safety?”

“Well- um- I can’t exactly remember.” Wrecker stammered.

“She probably just got caught up in the crowd.” Shep offered as he placed Lyana back down.

“Yeah, she’s going to be fine.” Phee added.

Their words didn’t mean much. He needed to know that you were fine. “We need to-”

“Turn around and breathe.”

A deep sigh of relief left his lungs as he heard your voice. “You’re okay?” Hunter asked as he turned to face you.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you all okay?” You addressed the wider group who all nodded and parted to give you some privacy.

“Where were you?” Hunter asked.

“You’re not the only one who can save a kid every now and then.” You said brightly as you hugged Omega before she went off to join the others.

“You’re wet.” Hunter noticed as he embraced you.

“Gee, save that for later, sir.” You kidded.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“The wave caught some of my back, but I’m fine.” You explained.

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Exactly how close did you come to getting smashed off the walls of Pabu?”

“Best not think about it.” You said airily before you regrouped with the others.

--

The sunrise did little to lighten the spirits of Pabu’s civilians. They’d lost their homes, the best you could do was offer your sympathies and supplies to people.

“I’m sorry, Shep.” You said kindly as you came to stand next to him and Hunter as they both stared at the destruction below.

“We got everyone out in time. That’s what’s important.” Shep responded.

“Based on my estimations, it will take several rotations to rebuild the damage sustained in Lower Pabu.” Tech revealed as he and Phee joined the three of you.

“Yes.” Shep said with a dejected sigh. “Property was destroyed but my people are resilient. We’ll band together and rebuild.”

“I was thinking.” Hunter began hesitantly. “We could stay and help out with things.”

“I had the same idea.” Tech concurred.

“Did you now?” Phee teased.

You threaded an arm around Hunter’s waist and subtly nudged him as you saw the smile Tech offered Phee at her words. He merely squeezed your side in acknowledgement.

“That is, if you don’t mind us sticking around for a while.” You added as you looked to Shep.

Shep chuckled softly. “You would be most welcome.”

The group of you set back towards the crowds of people and, for once in your life, you had a good feeling about this.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @starwarsnerd111, @skellymom

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (9)

Chapter Nine: Bounty Lost

Gif by @cloudystarsky 

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new ‘social status’, but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: The squad is separated and each side works to try to find the other but will you be reunited before it’s too late?

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Injury descriptions (mentions of blood and pain), canon-typical violence, swearing, hurt/comfort, general angst and angst with discussions of mental pain, (most likely inaccurate) use of Star Wars first aid, brief moments of innuendo in thoughts, fluff and feelings, hyper fixation on clothes (don’t ask why cause I truly have no idea why my brain decided that was important)

Word Count: 9.9K 

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: Got quite self-indulgent with this one I must say lol, I just wanted a good dose of hurt/comfort. Also any new readers, see previous chapter for explanation of warnings that’ll now stand throughout that I’m not including anymore. Hope you enjoy!

“Any sign of that bounty hunter?” Hunter asked Tech as he focused on trying to keep the Marauder out of Crosshair’s shuttle reign of fire.

“The only vessel in our scanners is Crosshair’s and he’s right on top of us.” Tech replied, swerving the ship out of the way of another shot fired their way.

“It’s getting hot back here!” Wrecker shouted as he fired back at the shuttle that was getting closer by the second.

“Prepping to jump.” Tech said.

“Not without (Y/N) and Omega.” Hunter argued.

“The bounty hunter who took them is long gone. We’ll have no chance of finding them if Crosshair shoots us down.” Echo countered.

“Rear deflector shields are failing.” Tech said as the ship entered normal space.

Hunter let out a defeated sigh. “Make the jump.”

The engine revved as Tech sent the ship into hyperspace.

--

Omega let out a groan as she gently moved her head which was in your lap.

“Oh, good you’re up.” You said wearily as you sat against the wall. Your hands being pressed against your side weren’t the best first aid method you had, and the blood flow hadn’t really slowed down, plus the wound in your shoulder was still oozing so you were feeling the effects of it all. “I’m so sorry, Omega.” You said faintly.

Omega could tell something was up with you. You didn’t sound like yourself. She sat up and her eyes caught sight of your wounds. “You’re hurt!”

You shook your head at her as she reached up for your shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. How are you feeling?”

“I’m-” Omega broke off as she heard the door open, and footsteps began approaching.

You looked over to the ray shield as Bane’s little droid hopped into view.

“Let us out of here!” Omega demanded angrily.

“Afraid not.” The droid replied.

Omega stood up and looked down at her wrist before glancing at yours.

“Looking for your communication devices?” The droid taunted. “They have been confiscated and placed in a secure compartment.”

“I said let us out of here.” Omega repeated heatedly.

“I would advise you to cooperate. Mr. Bane does not respond well to prisoners who are difficult. Just look at how your friend ended up.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t want anyone who would actually have a shot at beating him.” You hissed out.

“I’d keep your mouth shut if I were you. Only so many parts of you I can hurt. You wouldn’t want me to start using the kid as target practice, would you?”

You glared at Bane as he approached the ray shield, but you couldn’t help but feel a bit smug as you saw that some of the blue skin between his eyes was a darker blue than the rest of it.

“How’re my assets doing?” Bane sneered as he looked down at you both.

“My name is Omega and you’ve hurt my friend.”

“I only did what was necessary.”

Your grunt of repulsion quickly formed into one of discomfort as a new wave of pain spread through you.

“Who are you?” Omega asked the blue skinned person in front of her.

“Cad Bane at your service.” He replied, taking off his hat.

“Where are you taking us?”

Bane said nothing, he just put his hat on and began to walk away.

“You’ll be sorry when our friends show up.” Omega called after him.

“Your friends are long gone. I made sure of that.” Bane revealed, glancing back. “No one is coming for you, little lady. Now sit tight and don’t cause trouble. And you better hope your friend makes it or I won’t be happy.”

“But when will you have time to fix my leg? It is quite inconvenient.” The droid called pitifully after him, using the broken leg as a makeshift cane. “Mr. Bane, did you hear me?”

Omega sat back down and looked at you. “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay.” Omega said to you, turning around once Bane left to kneel in front of you.

“Yeah, course I will.” You said, trying to convince yourself but the way your surroundings kept fading in and out of focus wasn’t filling you with confidence, but you had to hold on. For her. “I’m really sorry but I don’t think I’m going to much help in the Jedi department. I can’t bring this shield down.” You lifted your hands up to indicate the cuffs. “Turns out a galaxy wide genocide isn’t enough for some people to get rid of these things.” You said with a light laugh before letting out a quiet groan as you pressed your hands back on your side. 

“That’s alright. I’ll think of something. I’m sure the rest of the squad are on their way too.” Omega said, laying a hand on your arm comfortingly. 

It shouldn’t be this way. You were supposed to be coming up with a plan. You were meant to be the one reassuring her. Hunter may be gone but Omega was right about one thing: the squad would be looking for you and you would stay alive and do everything you could to make sure she got back with them.

--

Another shot of pain jolted through your side, and you lifted the edge of your shirt slightly and the state of the wound didn’t fill you with confidence that you were going to make it out of this. Blood continued to stream from it and the skin around it that wasn’t covered with blood looked angry and sore. Maybe if you just closed your eyes? No. You shook that thought away and noticed Omega’s eyes had darted up from your side to your face. You gave her what you hoped was a reassuring smile.

“This is all that clone’s fault. He shot my leg off.” The droid whinged.

The two of you looked out the see the droid dragging a repair kit across the floor.

“He was protecting me. That’s what friends do.” Omega said as she watched the droid. “Why isn’t yours helping you?”

“Well, Mr. Bane is very busy.” The droid justified before trying to reattach his leg, the action resulting in a spark flying to close to him which meant he flung the tool back behind him.

Omega looked at the tool as it landed in front of her before looking back at the droid. That was how you both getting out of here. “I could fix your leg… if you want. It’s a simple booster adjustment. I’ve done it a bunch of times for AZ-3 back on Kamino.”

Smart kid, you thought.

The droid scoffed. “I am a techno service droid. I am quite capable of completing my own repairs.” He grabbed the tool once more before gesturing it back to the cell. “You are a prisoner and are not to be trusted.”

“Have it your way.” Omega replied simply as she sat back down.

You tapped her shoe with your foot and nodded encouragingly at her. “Keep it up, he’ll cave eventually.”

Omega nodded back at you. You both were getting out of this.

--

Hunter stared at Omega’s bow and your two vibroblade weapons. Each one a symbol of his failure. Each one could serve to be the only physical reminder of the two of you if he failed to get you both back.

“Your description of the bounty hunter is a match to one from Republic’s files.”

He turned around to examine the image Echo brought up, wincing slightly as he did so. “That’s him.”

“Cad Bane. He had multiple run-ins with the Jedi and was responsible for attempting to abduct Chancellor Palpatine.” Echo detailed.

That would explain why he managed to get you. If he knew what you were and had dealt with people like you then he would’ve had a shot. If he was able to get to Omega, then that would mean… No, no there was no way. If you were, the others would’ve seen you by his own body. No, you came up with something that meant you had to go so Omega would be safe. You were fine. You were thinking of something while they were too. You were fine. You had to be fine. You both had to be fine. Hunter thought repeatedly but he wasn’t sure if he could fully convince himself of that. He had to see you two. He needed to know both you and Omega were okay and the only way to do that was to find this Cad Bane.

“First the bounty hunter on Pantora and now this guy? Why are they after the kid? (Y/N), I could get but why the kid?”

“Because she is more valuable that we realise.”

Hunter turned to look as Tech as he walked down from the cockpit, datapad in hand. “What do you mean?”

“I further analysed Omega’s genetic profile and discovered she has pure, first-generation DNA.”

“Whoa! Wait. W-W-What does that mean?” Wrecker asked.

“All clones were created from a host named Jango Fett. While our genetic structure was modified for growth acceleration and obedience, Omega is a pure genetic replication.” Tech elucidated.

“How many clones like that exist?” Hunter asked.

“To my knowledge there’s only one other. A male clone code-named Alpha later referred to as Boba. Since he disappeared at the start of the war, that makes Omega the sole living source of Fett’s raw genetic material.”

“If she’s vital to the Kaminoans’ cloning operation, they must have put a bounty on her.” Echo theorised. “I doubt they want (Y/N) though; she’s either being turned over to the Empire or-”

“Don’t.” Hunter said. He didn’t want to think about that right now. He needed as clear a head as possible.

“So how do we find this bounty hunter?” Wrecker asked.

“Tech, check with Cid. See if her contacts know anything.” Hunter ordered. “We’ll keep monitoring comms.”

--

“No. Not that way-” Omega broke off with an irritated sigh. “Look you need to rewire the servos in your hip first.”

“That is what I am trying to do.” The droid replied frustratedly.

“Will you just let me help you?” Omega asked, exasperated.

“You are a prisoner.”

“Exactly.” Omega said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not like I can escape off this ship.”

“Your Jedi friend-”

“Is currently focusing on not bleeding out and thanks to these cuffs, I can’t do anything to you or believe me I would’ve done already.” You grumbled, adjusting yourself against the wall, squeezing your eyes shut as the throbbing in your shoulder and side continued.

“That is a valid point.” The droid conceded.

“I’m only a kid.” Omega continued. She could feel she was almost there.

“Oh, alright, but make it quick.” The droid conceded, hobbling over to the control panel to release the girl. “And not a word of this to anyone.”

“Of course not.” Omega whispered, shooting you a quick smile.

You gave her a subtle thumbs up.

As the shield came down, Omega grabbed the tool and kneeled in front of the droid. “Okay. Let’s get to work.”

“Do not try anything funny.” The droid warned. “Mr. Bane will be back shortly.”

“How long have you been working for him?” Omega asked.

“Many years. I am his trusted confidant. We are a team.”

You grunted out a laugh. “Really? He’s not very nice to you.”

“On the contrary, my treatment is perfectly adequate… most of the time.”

Omega finished soldering the leg back on. “There. How does your leg feel?”

The droid moved it about. “It is misaligned. You will need to adjust the calibration but be careful.” He said as he turned around.

“Relax. I’ve done this before.” Omega began to work just under the rectangular part of his head.

“Oh, my. Yes. That’s working. It fees brand-new...”

Omega let him fall as he powered down. “Sorry. It’s only temporary.” She darted over to you. “Let’s get these cuffs off you.”

“No.” You groaned as you uneasily stood up. “No time for that. That was great work. Find either of our comms and we’ll take it from there.” You walked past her, removed your hands which were just covered in your blood and began to search in the compartments of the hold, not caring about the blood you were staining them with. Your body jolted, something your side and shoulder did not appreciate it, as the ship suddenly touched down. Okay you had to hurry; Bane would be coming down any minute.

“Ah yes!”

You looked over to see that Omega had found her comm. “We need to go now.”

--

You ran with Omega across the foggy platform, the cuffs making your form a bit awkward, and you were forcing yourself to ignore the stabbing pain the action was causing you. You had no idea where you were right now. “Start talking, Omega. He’ll have noticed we’re gone by now.”

“Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me?” Omega called urgently into her comm.

--

“Yeah. Cid knows all about Bane but not how to find him.” Echo said defeatedly as he walked over to Hunter where he was monitoring the comms. “She said we’re on our own.”

Hunter continued to tap the buttons on the panel where he then heard Omega’s voice come crackling through.

“Come in. Come in. Anyone?”

“Omega!” Wrecker called out.

“Omega, are you there? Omega!” Hunter said urgently. When he got nothing back, he turned to Echo. “It’s long range.”

“I’ll try to boost the signal.” Echo said.

--

You both continued to run through the run-down facility. They had to hear to hear her. They just had to.  

“Is anyone there?” Omega asked again.

Then the sweetest sound you think you’d ever heard came sputtering through the comms.

“Omega, do you copy?”

“Hunter?” Omega gasped, stopping her run at the same time you did and looked over at you.

He was alive. He was alive. He was alive. You repeated over and over again in your head as you took a much-needed rest.

“I’m here. We both are. We got away, but (Y/N)-” She stopped as she saw you shake your head as her. “You have to hurry.” Omega said instead.

You turned as you heard something behind, and you both sat behind a column.

“Where are you?” Hunter’s voice asked.

She looked over at you, but you just shrugged your shoulders. “We… we don’t know.” She stood up.

You let out a quiet moan as you got up to follow her again.

--

Echo sighed in frustration. “The signal’s too weak to establish a direct connection trace.”

“Omega, we need a relay of your position.” Tech informed her. “Try to create a power surge. Can you find a panel nearby?”

--

You reached the end of the corridor and pointed a figure up to the panel by the door.

“There’s one by a door.” Omega confirmed into her comm. “It looks like the ones on Tipoca City.”

“That’s good. First, see if you can activate it.” Tech intrusted through the comm.

Omega began to press the buttons on the panel and was relieved to see the door open. “It worked. Now what should I do?” She asked Tech.

“Next you will need to reroute the circuits to overload the main grid.”

You began to slouch against the wall. You were growing weaker by the second. Then you heard Bane’s voice.

“By hook or by crook… You’re both coming with me.” Bane grabbed Omega.

“Bane, stop.” You said weakly as you made your way over to him, but he landed a punch to your face which just floored you. You braced yourself on your hands and knees to push yourself back up.

Omega struggled against his grip as he placed ordinary cuffs on her wrists.

--

“I still can’t get a good read.” Tech said as Omega’s voice grew more and more static.

Hunter pushed past him. It sounded like there was some sort of struggle going on. Bane wouldn’t be able to beat you twice, right? Then he heard Omega’s voice come crying through.

“Hunter, we need you!”

“Omega!” He shouted but then all he heard was the sound of static cutting out.

--

You watched with despair as Bane took Omega’s comm and crushed it beneath his foot.

“Move.” He ordered you angrily as he made his way back to his ship.

You followed him back as Omega continued to resist his grip on her cuffs.

“No. I’m not going with you.”

“You’re lucky they want you alive.” Bane said, dragging her in front of him.

“Who wants her?” You asked him as you approached his side.

“She’ll soon find out.” He told you.

Suddenly a blaster shot sounded in the distance.

“I told you you’d be sorry when my friends showed up.” Omega said smugly.

You didn’t need the Force right now to tell you that this wasn’t them, but you had no idea who it actually was.

“Quiet.” Bane ordered as he cautiously walked towards the area the shot came from.

As you walked, you noticed that under fog… lay a dead Kaminoan.

“Taun We?” Omega said, stunned. “She needs help!” She tried to pull away from him.

“None you can give.” Bane said.

“He’s right.” Fennec Shand walked out from the side corridor, blaster drawn, credit case in hand.

Bane pushed Omega to the side.

You followed her and watched as the two bounty hunters stared each other down.

“Fennec Shand.” Bane said by way of greeting.

“Bane.” She responded.

“You got no business messin’ with my score.

“You of all people know it’s all about the price. Besides, she was my score first. Omega and I go way back. Don’t we? And I quite like the idea of a Jedi too, even one that’s half dead. I’m sure the Empire wouldn’t be too fussed.”

Omega glanced up at you.

You knew you wouldn’t have gotten away with that stunt on Pantora. You couldn’t let your mind run wild with what else that could mean right now. Currently your main focus had to be on making sure you still stayed standing.

“You lack the experience to be goin’ up against me.”

“Yet, I’m the one who has the payment.”

“That’s my case you’re holdin. Hand it over and I’ll let you walk outta here.”

“How about a trade? The case for the girl and woman.”

“Sounds fair. You first.”

Fennec felt something grab at her case and looked down to see a droid taking it from her.

Bane used that distraction to grab his blasters to send shots her way.

Fennec rolled into the side corridor to take cover as she returned fire.

You and Omega huddled down as their fire fight commenced but when Fennec kicked Bane’s bomb in the direction of his droid, you and Omega used that moment to get up and run.

“Todo! Find them!” Bane ordered his droid as he continued to alternate between shooting at you and Omega and Fennec.

--

You and Omega ducked under the laser bolts that were sent. You found a side door and the two of you made your way into it but what greeted you in the room was just disgusting and creepy. There were old pods that contained dead and rotting Kaminoans. You both circled around them and that’s when you saw the panel. “Omega.” You said, quietly.

Omega saw what you were looking at and made her way over to it and powered it up.

“You need to-”

“Send a signal.” Omega said.

“Good stuff, kid.” You said feebly as you leaned against one of the pods in order to have some support.

Omega turned back to look at you and she grew worried. You could barely stand up and your side and shoulder were still bleeding and even in the dark lighting of the room, she could tell you’d grown gaunter.

“Don’t worry about me. Keep going. I’m okay.” You told her as you saw her concerned look.

Omega turned back to the panel and manged to send the antenna of the facility up. She glanced back at you. “Hold on, they’re coming.”

--

Echo heard a beeping from the panel, and he looked over to see a planet light up. “I think I’ve got them. They’re in the Lido system.”

“Where in the Lido system?” Wrecker asked.

“I’m pinpointing the exact coordinates. Hang on.” He put them in and sent the ship into hyperspace.

--

“They won’t get here in time.”

You titled your head over to look at Fennec as she came out from the shadows and walked towards Omega. You moved away from the pod to get closer to Omega, your groan a mix of pain and irritation. You really just wanted 5 minutes of peace.

“The only person you can rely on is yourself.” Fennec continued to say, taking her helmet off.

“Why did you kill Taun We?” Omega asked, backing up and grabbed your wrist to encourage you to do the same. You weren’t in any state to fight her right now.

“Part of the job.” Fennec replied breezily, advancing closer. “You should thank me. What their prime minister has planned for you is far worse than why I’m here.”

“What does he want her for?” You asked, faintly as the two of you stopped beside the pods.

“She already knows the answer.” Fennec answered.

You looked down at Omega who was now staring at the capsules, the fear evident in her eyes.

Fennec kneeled down in front of her. “Omega, I can get your friend the help she needs. I can be there for her since you can’t.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the offer but you’re not my type and you just want me alive so you can get a bigger cut from the Empire.” You hissed out.

“Maybe, but Omega, I’m trying to help you.”

“You said the same thing on Pantora.” Omega said.

Before Fennec could say anything else, she spotted Bane’s droid. She threw two small knives in between the two of you and kicked him into one of pods, the glass cracking with the impact of it.

Oh, for fucks sake, you thought as one of her knives bounced off the droid and embedded itself in your thigh. You winced as you placed your foot down, the pressure sending shooting pains through your leg but that was when you noticed Omega had gone back to the control panel, but you couldn’t bring yourself to walk over to her. Each limb of your body felt like lead.

“It’s too late for that. It’s time to go you two.” Fennec said, looking between the two of you. “You especially.” She directed at you.

“Hey, I’m fighting fit. If it weren’t for these cuffs, you’d be unconscious right now.” You told her but even to your own ears you did not sound convincing. It was after you said that you heard a creaking next to you and you turned to your left and saw that Omega had programmed one of the pods to fall on top of her, giving you both the distraction, you needed to get out.

You limped after Omega, keeping as much weight of your injured leg as possible. You both came back out on to the outside corridor and looked over the wall and you sighed with relief with what you saw below.

“Flight pods.” Omega said quietly.

You both began to look for a way down but just as you found the ladder down to them, you heard footsteps and Bane came through smoke, blaster drawn.

“Playtime’s over, little ladies.”

Okay, time to do something really stupid. You pulled the knife out from your leg and immediately felt the blood start to gush out of it, which instantly made you lightheaded, but you fought against it and threw it into Bane’s hand but given your current state and the fact that you were still cuffed, it only grazed it. However, that was enough for him to draw his hand back which also seemed to give Fennec the chance to properly disable his weapon. You turned around after she threw a weighted rope around it.

Fennec pushed Omega to the side and shoved you out the way, your shoulder pounded with pain, but you couldn’t focus on that. All that mattered right now was getting down that ladder to the flight pods while the two hunters took care of each other.

--

You let Omega go down the ladder first. Both of you moving carefully down the side of it since the clouds were making it tricky to see. You tried not to think of the blood flowing down your leg, but you were failing miserably. Each step down was agony.

“Going for the flight pod?” Todo taunted as he flew over to you both. “That will not get you very far.” He said as he tried to grab Omega who was doing a good job of avoiding him.

Omega landed a kick to his head before she moved down a few more rungs. Then she noticed the distance from the ladder to the flight deck and she looked at the droid, then back at you.

You nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.” You whispered.

Omega jumped on top of the droid, her weight forcing him down, but they did not land smoothly, she rolled along the hard ground a few times. Omega grunted as she started to stand up.

“Come on, come on.” You said breathlessly- the rest of the journey down had taken a lot out of you- as you grabbed the upper part of her arm to pull her to her feet.

You both limped up to the entrance for the pod. You immediately collapsed on to the floor as Omega programmed the pod to take off.

--

You couldn’t catch a break. No sooner had the pod taken off did an alarm start blaring indicating the engines were about to fail.

Your head grew heavy, and it was harder for you to keep it up. You felt the pod start to plummet to the ground. You glanced over at Omega who was leaning into the back of the chair she was sitting in. Was this how it ended? You failing her once again? After she came up with all the plans when it should’ve been you doing that. Realistically, judging by the way your eyelids were growing heavy and everything around went in and out of being blurry, you would be unconscious before the pod hit the ground. Least you wouldn’t feel it but Omega… You groaned and reached your hand out to her and gently grabbed her wrist.

Omega looked at you and grew even more anxious.

“I know.” You said faintly and your head lolled to the side. “I’m sorry.” Then out of nowhere, a thud sounded through your pod right as the engine died and both you and Omega jerked with the impact.

Omega made her way over to you and huddled down beside you.

You awkwardly put your arms around her, closed your eyes and waited for whoever it was up there to finish you off as the hatch opened.

“Omega! (Y/N)! Are you in there?”

Your eyes snapped open. You had to hand it to them, they had impeccable timing.

“Wrecker!” Omega shouted, happily. She stood up and made her way over the ladder, stopping to glance back at you.

You nodded and waved her away. “I’m fine. You get up there. I’ll just be a minute.” You told her.

Omega began to climb up and grabbed Wrecker’s outstretched hand, allowing him to pull her up and give her a much-needed hug.

“Ah! Good to have you back kid!” Wrecker said as he hugged her. He put her down then called down to you. “You coming?”

“Yeah, one sec!” You shouted back, hoping you sounded like yourself. “Just make sure Omega’s okay!”

Okay, you can do this, you thought to yourself, summoning all the energy you had left. Just think it out. Hands on chair. Use momentum to pull yourself up. Take a breath. Right leg forward. Left leg follows. Don’t put too much pressure on that leg. Grab ladder rail. Move hands up, legs then follow.

--

Omega let go of Wrecker and nuzzled into Hunter, letting out a few sobs.

Hunter kneeled down in front of her. “Are you okay, Omega? Are you hurt?” He asked tenderly.

“Why is this happening? Why are the Kaminoans after me?” Omega sniffled.

“Hunter, you have to tell her.” Echo said, awkwardly rubbing the side of his neck.

Hunter paused, thinking of the most delicate way to put this. “You’re… valuable to them. More than all the other clones. Even more than us. You’re…different.”

“Different? How?” Omega questioned.

Before Hunter could answer, he realised you weren’t up on the ship yet. Then he noticed the drying specks of blood on the end of Omega’s sleeve and the upper part of her arm and any relief he felt at having Omega back was immediately replaced by fear. “Omega… is that yours?”

“No. It’s mine.” You said as you climbed into the ship, swaying as you stood up. You let Wrecker take your cuffs off, ignoring the shocked look on his face and you felt the ship power up the leave the atmosphere and enter hyperspace.

No, no, please no. Hunter turned around to look at you. You were in a very bad way. You were covered in blood. “(Y/N)… what-”

“I wasn’t very smart.” You replied, something had shifted within you and now you suddenly felt like you had enough energy to do whatever. You limped over to Hunter, and you laid a hand on his bandaged chest. “I thought you were dead. You could still be. I could be imagining all this. I’ve lost a lot of blood.” You said with a laugh as you moved off him.

“No, I’m here.” Hunter replied softly, holding on to you.

“Oh, you’re bleeding.” You looked at the faint red stains on his bandage. “Pfffttt oh wait.” You hung your head and giggled. “That’s mine.”

“You need help. Tech!” He shouted urgently to the cockpit as he tried to lead to you lie down.

“No, no, no. I’m so fine.” You pushed off him and faced the rest of the concerned faces that were staring at you. “Omega was great by the way guys. Seriously, I was useless, she came up with all the plans that led you all here. That kid deserves some recognition. Why are her cuffs still on?” You rambled as waved your hand and they fell off her wrists.

Tech came down quickly, abruptly stopping when he saw the state you were in. “What happened?!” He recovered fast and hastily ran over to grab the medkit.

“Oh, you know, blaster shots and a knife. Nothing major. I’m actually feeling a lot better. I can barely feel the pain anymore.”

Tech shared a look with Hunter. That wasn’t a good thing. “(Y/N), you should really-”

“It’s funny that isn’t it? Just the way some pain disappears while some things just stick.” You continued deliriously, grabbing the wall to stay upright.

“(Y/N), you need to sit down so Tech can treat you.” Echo said delicately.

“What part of this is unclear to you guys? I’m totally fine.”

“(Y/N), please.” Hunter begged, taking a step towards you.

You stretched out into the Force and gently pushed him back before you saw Tech and Wrecker making cautious steps in your direction, so you did the same thing to them. “I can keep doing that. I’d prefer not to though, I’m very tired so I’d rather you just let me finish this.”

“(Y/N,) you need-”

“No, Hunter, just listen. See, pain is actually quite funny when you think about it. Take everything that’s happened recently. I was so happy to leave the Order, I never thought I’d care that much about what happened them, save for a couple of exceptions but now they’re all gone, and I feel the pain of that. I feel really sad actually. I may have had my differences with them, but they didn’t deserve that. But I know I’ll get used to the idea and that pain will fade to be nothing more than a numbness that can be ignored or pushed away.” You paced towards the cockpit then back to where you originally stood before you continued.

“But then there was what happened with all of us and my lie. Now, that pain isn’t going to go away, not really. Here’s what I don’t get though. You guys.” You gestured to Tech, Echo, and Wrecker. “Just accepted what I was and how I’d acted without a second thought. Why? I didn’t deserve that. No, Echo.” You shook your head at him as you saw him get ready to step closer to you. “Hunter had the right idea. He at least froze me out for a few hours.” You pointed at him. “You could’ve kept going, you would’ve been perfectly justified. Instead, all of you just forgave me and moved on.”

“(Y/N), if you would just-” Hunter began to implore, his concern for you growing faster each second you stayed standing and away from Tech’s treatment.

“I’m not done.” You interrupted him. “See, despite the fact you boys forgave me, I am not going to be able to forget the hurt I caused, that pain is going to stick with me. And do you know why? It’s cause really care about you guys.” You kept your eyes on Hunter as you said this before looking at the others.

Hunter was itching to move towards you. You weren’t going to last much longer in your current state.

“I went against every single thing I’d been taught and grew to care more than what was good for me.” You laughed feverishly before you continued to ramble.

“Doesn’t that sound so pathetic? I always questioned why Jedi were forbidden from having those feelings and being with all of you seemed to prove me right but then I thought you died.” You turned your face to Hunter. “I got it for a moment then. The reason why. Since I was so focused on not thinking about you lying there and I wanted nothing more than to kill Cad Bane and I think that distracted me enough for him to do what he did. I failed the kid. I could’ve killed him. I could’ve stopped this from happening, but I was too weak to do it.”

You looked down at her. “I’m sorry, Omega.”

You faced the others again. “That pain won’t leave. Those feelings of despair and defeat will haunt me.” You took a deep breath and tilted back on your heels. Whatever high you were just riding was leaving you rather rapidly and your knees were getting shaky. “Okay, now I’m done.” You said faintly just as your knees buckled.

Hunter darted forward and caught you before you hit the ground. He scooped you up and noticed your eyes were shut and your breathing had slowed down. “Just stay with us.” He said, placing you down on the first bunk he could, sliding in behind you to cradle your head in his lap but still making sure Tech had easy access to you. Then he noticed Omega staring at you, eyes wide in distress. “Wrecker, get Omega out of here.”

“No. I want to make sure she’s okay.” Omega protested as Wrecker picked her up and brought her to the cockpit.

“Stay here.” Wrecker ordered before dashing back to where you were.

Omega turned in her seat but the others were all hovering behind Tech so she couldn’t see anything. She only hoped they’d found you in time.

--

“I need to take these off.” Tech said, gesturing to your bottoms and top whilst digging through the first aid kit. “Is that okay?” He asked, looking at you.

Your eyes fluttered open. “Yeah, sure.” You said weakly, hesitantly sitting up.

“I got you.” Hunter soothed as he carefully supported you as you propped yourself up on your elbows and tenderly took off your top whilst Echo took off your shoes. Parts of your layer stuck to you so he had to tug a little harder than he would like. “I’m sorry.” He whispered as he felt you wince, chucking your top over to the side so you were left in your vest top. Trails of red had dried on your arm, but the wounds still oozed blood and your second top was plastered to your side, a dark red stain clearly visible and one that continued to grow larger. You’d held on for so long already, could you even… Stop. He wasn’t going to think about that now. “Okay, now lift your hips.” Hunter said gently as Wrecker reached for the top of your leggings.

You groaned as you did as he said.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Hunter said softly.

“I always imagined there’d be less people here when you saw me in my underwear for the first time. This is a lot more awkward.” You joked; your voice so feeble you barley registered that you’d said anything at all.

He let that comment pass over him. Your feverish words were not ones he would let himself get distracted by. “Wrecker, bring a blanket over.” Hunter said, wanting to preserve as much of your modesty as he could.

Wrecker draped a blanket over your, arranging it so your wounds were still available for Tech but elsewhere you were covered. “Hang in there.” He said as he stepped back.

“Tech, how’s it looking?” Echo asked, concern evident as he watched your eyes continue to flicker open and closed.

“She’s lost a lot of blood. She really should go to a hospital.” Tech said.

“Well, we all know that’s not going to happen. One doctor looks at her blood and she may as well be-” Echo started to say.

“Enough.” Hunter cut him off tersely. You were going to be fine. “Can you do anything, Tech?” Hunter asked, keeping his eyes on you, rubbing a thumb along your cheekbone.

“I can stop the bleeding and close the wounds.” He finished scanning your injuries and looked down at his datapad. “It’s fascinating. Her blood has-”

“Tech!” Hunter snapped.

“Sorry. Yes, I can do that, but I’ll have to clean and disinfect them first. Echo, get me some water.”

“On it.” Echo said, darting to the refresher. “Here.” He handed Tech the container with the water and watched as he began to clear the blood that was staining each part of your skin.

Tech finished cleaning your hands but stopped before he started on disinfecting your actual injuries. “This is most likely going to hurt since they all run pretty deep.” Tech warned you.

“How much?” You asked.

“I don’t have the data to make an accurate calculation. I’d need to know your pain-”

“Tech.” You interrupted, turning your head to look at him.

“A lot.” Tech grimaced.

It was the closest thing to distressed you’d ever heard him. “Huh, well it can’t get much worse. Go ahead.”

“Can’t you give her something first?” Hunter asked. “Something to reduce the pain?”

“That would take longer and I’m not optimistic about how much longer she has if I don’t deal with these now.” Tech said bluntly. He cared, of course he did, but he was the one right now who had to tell things how they were and keep a clear head.

“I get it, Tech, it’s okay.” You took a deep breath and waited.

Tech began to deal with your leg wound first.

You cried out in pain as you felt the pressure and burning sensation of the cleaning alcohol and you jolted your leg away from him.

“Wrecker, hold the bottom of her leg.” Tech ordered.

Wrecker shot you an apologetic look as he applied the pressure to your leg.

Tech started back on your injury.

You groaned and panted breathlessly when he finally removed it.

Tech slowly lifted your top, tugging it slightly when it stayed glued to you, to expose the injury on your side and began the process again.

You let out another cry and fought against the instinct that was telling you to pull away. Each rub, no matter how gentle he was trying to be, just sent shockwaves of agony through you.

“Sshh, sshh. I know, I know. You’re okay, you’re okay.” Hunter said, hoping he was doing enough to keep the distress he was feeling at seeing you in so much pain from his voice as he stroked some strands of hair from your forehead.

It felt like he had that piece of cloth on your side for forever. You gasped as it finally left your side. “I can’t… I can’t do that again.” You angled your eyes up at Hunter.

“It’s just one more then it’ll be over.” Hunter said as encouragingly as he could possibly manage right now. The last thing he wanted was to inflict more pain on you, but it had to be done. “We need you with us, alright? I need you to stay with me and the only way that can happen is if you let Tech do this. Please.”

You inhaled shakily and nodded, squeezing your eyes tight.

Tech put the cloth on your final injury.

To supress your shout of discomfort, you bit your lip so hard that you tasted blood.

“Done.” Tech said, putting the cloth down and reaching for the bacta spray as he began to apply your wounds. “This’ll help stop the bleeding and close them up.”

“Gee, I must be in really bad shape if you’re using the sacred spray and not just stitching me up as normal.” You said with a chuckle that turned into a cough. The coolness of the bacta was a welcomed sensation.

“Hey, don’t try to talk.” Hunter said.

“Yeah, that’s probably best.” You said woozily as Tech started to bandage your wounds. Dark spots were clouding your vision. You were so tired, and the darkness looked so appealing right now. The last thing you remembered was Tech saying he was finished and then you went dark.

Hunter saw your eyes shut and felt your head grow heavy in his hands and fear clawed at his throat. He could barely register your pulse.

“She’s not…” Echo couldn’t finish that thought.

“No, she can’t be.” Wrecker said.

Tech took your vitals and breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s alive. This is likely a result from the blood loss and exhaustion of the day. We’ll just have to wait for her to wake up and with any luck, she’ll recover.”

“Is she okay?”

Hunter turned and glanced past Tech to see Omega standing there. “Yeah, kid. She’ll be fine. Thank you, Tech.” He shot his brother a look of gratitude.

 “Well, you aren’t the only one on this ship who cares for her. We all do. I’m glad I was able to help.” Tech said.

Hunter paid no attention to what Tech was so obviously insinuating. He just stayed where he was. You were alive and he hoped that would be the closest he ever came to losing you.

--

Hunter hadn’t moved the entire time. You’d passed out hours ago and everyone else had drifted off, but he stayed where he was. He was gently caressing your brow, making sure he could see what was now the steady rise and fall of your chest. Each breath reminding him that you were going to be okay. Each beat of your heart reminding him that you were still with him.

“How is she?”

Hunter turned in the direction of the hushed voice. “She’s still resting but Tech took her vitals one last time before he went to sleep, and things looked promising.” He answered Omega. “You can’t sleep?”

Omega shook her head. “I keep thinking about the Kaminoans.”

“Hold on.” Hunter carefully removed himself from where he was, making sure he didn’t jostle you and tenderly laid your head back down. He hesitated for a moment when he heard you let out a deep sigh but when your eyes didn’t open, he faced Omega again. “Come on. We’ll go to the cockpit.” He let Omega go in front of him, stealing a quick look back at you before he followed her.

--

You blinked your eyes open slowly and took in where you were. No way! The quiet snores and heavy, contented breaths gave you some much needed clarity and you rubbed your eyes to get a clearer view of your surroundings. Yes, you were back on the Marauder! You couldn’t really remember how you’d even got here but you weren’t going to complain.

You sat up quickly but the pain that followed served as a reminder of what you’d gone through. You took a couple breaths and scanned your body. You had bandages covering your shoulder, side, and leg.

As you slowly swung your legs out from your bunk, you realised you seemed to have lost your leggings and that was when you noticed they were in a crumpled heap on the floor along with your outer layer. Guess the blood stains would make them a tad unwearable, you thought to yourself.

You also felt the crustiness feeling associated with drying blood on your top and socks so you blindly reached under your bunk and, as quietly as you could manage, brought out your individual gear box that was filled with your rather limited personal belongings. All you had in it was a spare pair of leggings, another vest top, and a bunch of extra socks. You let out a small sigh. You didn’t know where you would find another top like that one. Technically you hadn’t even found that one, you’d stolen it off of someone who you’d encountered during your travels, and you’d rubbed them the wrong way in the past, so they hadn’t really been prepared to talk it out. So, after you knocked them unconscious, you’d taken it since you figured a disguise wouldn’t be the worst idea in the galaxy. You weren’t too keen on the idea of having your face on display at all times now. Maybe you could fashion one of your socks into a makeshift mask? Ugh, but then you’d be left with one odd pair and if there was one thing you couldn’t stand, it was uneven sock pairs. Why was this even on your mind right now? This really wasn’t a pressing matter. Jeez, your mind was scrambled.

You slowly swung your legs out from the bunk and delicately put on your bottoms and socks. You grunted with discomfort as you took your vest off before replacing it with a non-bloodstained one. Once you’d done that, you applied light pressure on your bad leg as you stood up and wrapped the blanket around your shoulders. You’d been told when you were younger that space was cold and the goosebumps on your arms were a testament to that.

You looked down the ship to see Omega and Hunter in the cockpit, the others were all asleep. You began to limp over, taking your time so as not to aggravate your injuries. The metal floor cold against your feet despite your socks.

--

“I don’t want to end up an experiment in a tube.” Omega said, anxiously.

“That’s not gonna happen.” Hunter assured her.

“If I’m as valuable as you say, Lama Su will keep sending bounty hunters after me.”

“He can send everyone in the galaxy. You have us.”

“You can’t fight them all.” Omega said gloomily, looking away from him.

Hunter came out of his chair and kneeled in front of her, angling her chair so it was facing him. “Omega, you don’t have to worry. You are never going back to Kamino.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Yeah, those Kaminoans can go fuck themselves.”

Both Omega and Hunter turned around to the side to see you leaning against the doorway.

“You’re-”

“Alive apparently.” You said with a smile as the young girl ran up to you and wrapped her arms carefully around you. “I was going to thank Tech, but he’s sleeping.” You limped over to an empty chair and sat down.

You scooted over to the side to let Omega sit next to you and you wrapped your slightly less injured arm around her. “I forgot my filter for a moment. Don’t go around repeating that please.”

She smiled at you.

“How are you feeling?” Hunter asked you, relieved to see you up and looking more like your usual self.

“Not too bad. Gotta be honest though, the last thing I remember clearly was you guys grabbing the pod we were in. Everything else after that is pretty blurry up here.” You tapped your temple. “Though I feel like I talked a lot. Did I say anything embarrassing?”

“Well-”

“No.” Hunter said quickly, cutting Omega off. You’d already been through enough, the last thing he wanted was for you to have to relive that whole experience.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You’re such a liar.” You let out a quiet groan. “Was it really bad?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know if I really want to know I can just ask Tech when he’s up. He’ll not care.” You pointed out.

“Do you really want to know though?” Hunter said, calling your bluff.

You laughed quietly. “No, I suppose I don’t.” Then, you noticed Omega stifling a yawn. “You should be back in your room.”

“I’m not tired.” Omega insisted, supressing another yawn.

“Yes, you are. Come on, to bed with you.” You nudged her off the seat.

“Ugh okay.” Omega conceded with a sigh. She walked back down the ship and up the ladder to her makeshift room.

You and Hunter watched her go. “Never again will the Kaminoans get anywhere near her. What happened all those hours ago was the closest they’ll come.” You said.

“Agreed.” Hunter said. “It’s the same with you too.” He added softly.

“Me?” You cocked your head at him. “Hunter, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, now. You almost weren’t and I can’t-I just- Look, if you can become a target then I’d like to make sure you’re a pretty damn difficult one to get to.”

You smiled at him. “I live and I learn. I won’t be caught out like that again. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Well, I do.” Hunter replied quietly, staring at you.

You held his gaze for a moment before you looked down at your hands. You twiddled your thumbs together. You took a breath, ran a hand through your hair and looked back at him. “I’m still pretty beat. Seems near death experiences have that effect.”

Hunter just gave you an unamused look.

You chuckled. “Anyway, I was uh… going to get some more shut eye and unless you got some other talent I don’t know about, I um imagine you could use some sleep too cause you eh also got shot. Do you uh want to maybe um join me?” You managed to stammer out.

Hunter really hoped your abilities didn’t mean you could pick up on the way he was sure his heart just skipped a couple beats.

“Or not. Sorry, that was a stupid suggestion, you probably need to stay here and watch things. I’ll leave you to it.” You said awkwardly, getting up to leave, clutching the blanket tighter to you from the sheer self-consciousness you felt right now.

“No, wait! I’d be more than happy to. Just give me a minute. I’ll meet you there… unless you need my help?” Hunter offered.

You grinned at him. “Okay and no it’s alright, I can manage. Thanks though.” You began to slowly make your way out the cockpit and as you headed to your bunk, you took a few deep breaths to calm the butterflies in your stomach. Why were you nervous? You two had been sharing for months, it really shouldn’t be a big deal.

You laid down on the side closest to the wall- the side that you both had established was ‘your side’- and waited, feeling a bit more impatient that you would like since this set up didn’t mean to him what it meant to you. You really had to get your feelings under control.

Hunter watched you go and inhaled deeply, holding his breath for a couple seconds before releasing it. He bent down and began to take off his leg armour. Why was he feeling tense about this? It wasn’t like you two hadn’t shared before. Maybe because this whole arrangement meant more to him than to you. He really needed to get used the idea of supressing these feelings.

He grabbed his armour and walked out the cockpit. He put those pieces next to the rest of it and walked over to your bunk to see you snuggled under the blanket. The only visible part of you was your head. You looked quite… cute actually. Stop it, he mentally disciplined himself immediately. “You cold?” He said with a quiet laugh.

You hummed out a laugh. “Maybe a little.” You realised he hadn’t made any actual steps closer to you. “You going to come keep me warm?”

Hunter’s breath hitched which he swiftly disguised by clearing his throat. He did not need his imagination running wild right now.

You wanted to go back to being unconscious. What the hell was wrong with you? The words had left your mouth before you could stop them, and you immediately regretted it. “I only meant I doubt you can sleep standing up.” You back peddled awkwardly as you opened the blanket up, inviting him in whilst making sure to not get distracted once again by the fact he was now fully in his blacks. The man had been shot for crying out loud, the least you could do was control your own yearning.

Hunter knew better than to let his eyes rake your body in the way they were wanting to. You’d been through quite the ordeal and the last thing you needed to deal with was his rather annoying desire take a hold of him. He smiled at you and came in next to you.

You cuddled into his chest but made sure not to hurt him. You just focused on breathing him in and revelled in the fact that he really was here. It wasn’t like before. He had made it and he was alright. You sighed contentedly and nuzzled into his warmth.

Hunter traced soft patterns on your back as he held you close to him. He laid his chin on top of your head and just let himself get absorbed in the feeling of you being with him like this. It was then though that he heard your voice in his head.

You scared me back on Bracca.

“Hmm?” He said, voice quiet, bringing his head down to look at you.

You scooted back a touch so you could look at him. “When Bane shot you. When I thought you were- just that whole moment really frightened me.” You murmured back. “You’re not the only one who worries, you know.” You looked away from him for a moment.

You worried about him? Hunter tenderly placed his hand under your chin to get you to look back at him. “I’m fine too.”

“I’d been in a situation with someone I cared about before, and it turned out much differently. If it had been the same outcome as that, I don’t know what I would’ve done.” You turned onto your back and closed our eyes as the memory came rushing back.

“Who?” Hunter asked caringly, propping himself up on his elbow.

You opened your eyes. “My old master. He died a few weeks after I was knighted.”

Hunter waited for you to continue.

You took a breath. “We were on a recon mission to Felucia. The Separatists had just established a new base. It wasn’t supposed to end up the way it did. We were supposed to go, check things out, and a squad would join us later based on what we reported back. We’d argued. I had wanted to go one way to the Separatist base cause I thought it would be quieter, he wanted to go another way because it was quicker and the Council needed the report as soon as possible. So, I went off on my own. I didn’t get very far because I realised that I was being ridiculous. When I turned back around to go back to him, I found him dealing with a group of about 50 battle droids. They’d surrounded him. He'd thinned them out, but he’d already taken a couple hits. I arrived in time to see him take a shot to the chest. With the help of a part of me I really shouldn’t have explored, I was able to finish the rest of them but by the time I was able to see to him, he was already gone.” You said, sadly, angling your head towards him.

“I’m sorry.” Hunter said softly, running his hand lightly up and down your arm.  

“So, when you went down, I thought that that was another time where I failed someone else I- well, quite frankly, it was just terrifying.”

“I know that feeling too.” Hunter whispered.

You gave him a small smile and turned your body towards him again, pushing some of the shorter, loose strands of hair that fell past his bandana back behind it. As you brought your hand back down, you let it linger on his cheek. “Can we make it a deal that we avoid that feeling and that both of us are pretty hard people to get to now?”

Hunter nodded and lightly leaned into your touch. “You got it.”

“Good.” You replied.

“It wasn’t weakness by the way.” Hunter whispered as he looked into your eyes.

“What are you talking about?” You said, fingers still lightly threading themselves through his hair.

Hunter resisted the urge to close his eyes and get lost in the sensation. “You had said when we got you back that you were weak because you didn’t kill Bane when you had the chance. That’s not weakness, that’s strength.”

“But I-”

“You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. This incident proved that. You stayed alive first of all and stayed true to who you are in a situation that could have easily allowed you to lose sight of that. Despite everything you’ve gone through, you keep pushing forward. It may not feel that way right now, but you were not to blame, and you weren’t weak. Just keep that in mind when you undoubtedly think back on this and beat yourself up over it, okay?” He said to you firmly, his eyes staring into yours.

“Thank you.” You murmured and you found yourself, not for the first time, bringing your lips forward to meet his.

Hunter moved too and again, before anything could possibly happen, you were interrupted. This time by a particularly loud snore from Wrecker and the moment was gone.

You let out a quiet chuckle and removed your hand from Hunter’s face as you cleared your throat. “We should get some rest.” You mumbled.

“Yeah.” Hunter agreed quietly.

“Goodnight, Hunter.” You said, closing your eyes as you nestled into him once more.

“Goodnight.” Hunter echoed, planting a light kiss to the crown of your head before he took up the position he’d started in, oblivious to the faint smile that now graced your face.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor​ 

[hugmekenobi]

The Long Haul

A Bad Batch Series interlude oneshot 

Gif by @ivonhart​

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Summary: The work from Cid doesn’t stop despite past events but this one sees you needing a little bit more help.

Warnings: Mentioned canon-typical violence, no y/n, swearing, a mention of a past spicy moment (not described at all but putting it here anyway), mentions of death, mild hurt/comfort, descriptions of illness and vomiting, mentions of pregnancy/pregnancy scare, pet name (sweetheart), awkwardness, the Force and Force communication works how I say it works, Star Wars flowers do what I need them to and Star Wars first aid being what I need it to be, overall fluff and feelings

Masterlist for S1 Chapters

Word Count: 2.4K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: It’s the first oneshot with these two actually together! Hope you enjoy! Can’t wait to share the other ones and S2 with you all! To those I’ve tagged, let me know if you don’t want tagged in these oneshots and I’ll keep it to the series and if there’s anyone else who wants tagged, just let me know :)

“You alright?” Hunter called down as he peered over the edge of the small ledge. You had been tackled by the man they had been tracking and had tumbled over the side. Thankfully it wasn’t a huge drop, and the lush grass and dense bunch of flowers would have lessened the impact but he checked nevertheless.

As you felt the dead weight on top of you, you couldn’t help but think that the last time someone had been this close to you had been a long six weeks ago. Cid had been keeping you guys pretty busy, and you knew the only reason you had that time with him in the first place was because the squad had politely, but awkwardly, given you the Marauder for a few hours.

You ignored the pain in your spine and heaved a sigh as you pushed the dead body off you. You took your vibroblade out his chest and wiped it on his top before you brushed off some of pollen that had gotten onto your hands from the pile of flowers you had landed in.

You walked over to where your blaster had landed and picked it up before you glanced up to where Hunter and Echo were. “Have I ever mentioned how much I can’t stand using this thing?” You waved your blaster for emphasis.

Hunter smiled under his helmet. You were fine. “You may have said something once or twice.”

“Well, it’s a pain in my ass. It’s jammed at some point on every mission since I got it! Gotta say the Jedi knew what they were talking about with this one.”

Echo let out a short laugh. “You ever consider that you might be the problem?”

You took your mask down and scowled up at him. “No.” You opened the man’s vest and took out the necklace and you recognised the diamond that was hanging from it as the one Cid had shown you before sending you on this mission. “This is it, right?”

Hunter nodded down at you before he spoke into his comm. “Tech, Wrecker, Omega, we got the necklace. Meet back at the ship. You coming up?” He asked you.

“Sir, yes sir.” With that, you took a few steps back before you called on the Force to assist your jump back up to where Echo and Hunter were.

Hunter wrapped his arm around your waist and the three of you began the walk back to the Marauder.

--

As the ship left the Glee Anselm, your eyes suddenly began to feel very heavy, and your limbs were screaming for rest. You put it down to the fact that you had been searching for that guy on that planet for the past two days with very little rest. Every time Hunter had got a read on him, the circumstances seemed to change and put those environmental factors combined with avoiding the Imperial presence, well, it had made for a stressful mission. I’m going to lie down for a little bit, you told Hunter.

Hunter regarded you curiously. He hadn’t seen any physical injuries after your fall today, but you hadn’t slept very much on this mission, so he just nodded before he turned his attention back to Tech as he gave the estimated arrival time.

You walked back to your bunk and unholstered your weapons and laid down and sleep came a lot faster that you had expected.

 --

“Sweetheart.” Hunter shook your shoulder for the fifth time since the ship had landed, adding a little bit more vigour to it but still you made no move to wake.

“She’s still not awake?” Omega asked as she came to stand next to him.

“No...” Hunter said distantly. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong, you never slept like this.

“I can get her up.” Wrecker said happily as he picked up an abandoned weapons crate.

“Wrecker, I’m not sure she would respond very well to that.” Tech advised.

“It’ll get her up, won’t it? Hunter?”

Hunter kept his eyes on you but nodded his permission.

Wrecker lifted the crate high above his head before he brought it to the ground with a loud crash.

You jolted awake. “Jeez! I’m up, calm down…” You trailed off from any further comment as you felt a strong wave of nausea rise through you.

Hunter laid a hand on your knee. “Well, we tried do to it quieter but you-” He didn’t get to finish since you had quickly stood up and pushed past him, hand over your mouth as you ran to the refresher.

You just made it before you rather undignifiedly and violently vomited. Hunter’s hand holding your hair whilst the other one rubbed gentle circles on your back only provided you some comfort.

After you finished what felt like spewing your guts out, you wiped your mouth and sheepishly turned to face the concerned faces that were all staring at you since you realised you forgot to shut the door. “So sorry, that was disgusting.”

“I’ll be right back.” Hunter said before he set off towards the middle of the ship.

You held your tired body against the doorframe and focused on ignoring your unsettled stomach, a task that was easier said than done. You gratefully took your flask of water from Omega who looked at you anxiously as she stepped away.

Echo and Wrecker looked on worriedly.

Tech brought his datapad out. “What have you eaten in the past 2-3 days? Did you drink anything strange on Glee Anslem?”

“I’ve not eaten or drank anything strange, Tech. I’d know if I had.” You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt the nausea return.

“Okay, let’s go further back. What about injuries? Did anyone we came across manage to cut you with anything? It could be a wound that’s infected.”

You shook your head, “Same missions as you guys, you’d know.” You said through clenched teeth as you struggled to push the nausea away.

“What about-”

You held up a finger to stop him from continuing before you swiftly turned away, shut the door, and threw up yet again.

After you sorted yourself out, you opened the door again. “Well? Anything?”

Tech awkwardly shifted his goggles and looked up from his datapad. “I, uh, can think of one explanation.”

“Great, what is it and what’s the cure?” You asked tiredly.

“Um, well, first of all, is there a possibility that you’re uh, could you maybe be pregnant?” He stammered out uneasily.

Before your brain could catch up to what he just asked, you were distracted by a loud clatter.

All heads turned to face Hunter who had dropped the medkit.

Hunter quickly threw the items back in, ignoring Tech’s slightly irritated look. He straightened up. “Omega, wait outside the ship.”

“But what does that-” She started to argue.

“Now!” Hunter said firmly.

She let out an aggravated sigh but complied.

Hunter waited until she was out before he spoke again. “No, Tech, she’s not… are you?” He asked as he made his way back towards you.

You only shook your head and leaned your head on his shoulder.

“I only asked because you two are in a relationship and, I um, assume there is a physical aspect to it. Not that I’m thinking about that, I only meant that that- what I mean is that there is a statistical likelihood-” Tech stuttered.

“Hey, Tech.” You interrupted.

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

“Gladly.” Tech replied, letting out a relieved sigh.

“Thank you.” Echo and Wrecker muttered.

“Bottom line is, I’m not pregnant so there’s gotta be another explanation.” You continued before you felt your knees grow weak.

Hunter could feel your body grow heavier as you leaned against him. “Come on, let’s get you back to the bunk.” He put his arm around your shoulder and supported you as he led you towards it. As he helped you lie down and he saw the weariness written across your face and the gaunt look of your skin, he hoped that they’d figure out what was wrong with you and figure it out soon.

--

Tech rubbed his forehead and began to fiddle with his datapad again. He couldn’t understand what was wrong you and they weren’t getting any closer to figuring it out and it was driving him crazy. “Okay, one more time.”

Hunter had removed his armour for you, and you were in the space between his legs with your back pressed against his chest.

You let out an exhausted sigh and angled your head towards Tech. You had quickly formed this routine where you would go throw up, come back to lie with Hunter, Echo and Wrecker would offer their sympathies, Omega- who was allowed back on the ship and after she realised no one was going to tell her what Tech had meant earlier and the closest she got was a ‘we’ll tell you when you’re older’- would give you more water, and after this, Tech would ask you to go over your routine from the past missions you’d gone on. “I don’t know what else there is to tell, Tech. I’ve eaten nothing but ration bars since we were sent on all these missions. I only drank water on Glee Anselm. No one has wounded me. I felt fine when we were looking for that guy, the only trouble we ran into was when my blaster jammed, and I fell into that bunch of flowers. After-”

“Flowers?” Tech’s head snapped up at this new information.

“What?” You asked.

“You hadn’t mentioned the flowers before. What did they look like?”

“Um.” You furrowed your brow as you tried to remember but, to your horror, nothing was coming to mind, you were too exhausted to even remember something as simple as that. You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt nauseous again.

“They were white with purple spots on them.” Echo answered for you.

Tech tapped his datapad. “Ah ha!” He said triumphantly.

“What is it, Tech?” Hunter asked urgently as he heard you let out a soft groan.

“Those flowers were likely Pixy Cloves. They have a defence mechanism that involves secreting spores into the bloodstream through the skin of whatever touches them. It can cause a serious infection in their host. There’s no cure, unfortunately, but it’s not fatal. Your body just needs to flush it out. You should feel better within the next 4-5 days.” Tech said brightly.

“I take it ‘flush it out’ means I’m going to be spending a lot of time in that refresher?” You asked glumly.

Hunter rubbed your arm soothingly.

“I can give you something to ease the nausea but that’s all I’m afraid.” Tech replied.

You huffed out a puff of air. “Well, no sense in you guys staying here.” You fished the necklace out of your pocket and handed it to Omega. “Better explain the situation to Cid and give this to her give so we get paid, and she stays ‘happy’ with us.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Omega asked as she took the necklace from you.

“Yeah, kid, don’t worry. Thanks for the help.”

“Hope you feel better soon!” Omega laid her hand on yours before she made her way to the exit.

“Yeah, feel better!” Wrecker said, patting your shoulder gently.

“Thanks, Wrecker.”

“I take it you’re staying?” Echo asked Hunter after he gave your hand a consoling squeeze.

“No.” You said.

“Yes.” Hunter corrected.

“Hunter, this is not going to be a pretty time. When I’m not sleeping, I’m going to be in that refresher violently vomiting.” You said, looking up at him.

“I could always use more sleep and I don’t mind that.”

“Hunter-”

“I’m in this for the long haul. A bit of throwing up isn’t going to scare me away from you.” Hunter kissed your forehead.

“It should. I’ll hardly be at my best.” You maintained with a grumbled sigh.

Hunter stroked your arm to reassure you. “I know we’re new at this but I’m pretty sure looking after each other is part of the description of what we are. Plus, we’ve kinda been doing that all along anyway. A new label doesn’t need to change that.”

You did have to admit that he had a point. You’d both seen each other in less than desirable states before your romantic relationship began. You figured you were just feeling more pressure now, but you could past it and you guessed this would be a good test. I mean if seeing me heaving into a toilet bowl doesn’t scare him away then what will? You thought to yourself before you gave him a small but grateful smile. “Okay, if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.”

“I guess we’ll see you later then.” Echo said before he and Wrecker left the ship.

As he took the medicine out, Tech made a mental note to tidy the medkit up once you didn’t need it anymore. He walked over to you and gave you the injection. “This should help with the nausea. Hunter can give you more if you need them over the next few days.” He patted your knee. “I’ll check in later.” He stood up and made his way to the door.

“Thank you, Tech.” You said.

Tech smiled and nodded at you before he joined the others, and they all made their way to the parlour.

--

“Thanks for staying.” You said as Hunter came back from shutting the door.

“You’d do the same for me and I’ll take time alone with you any way I can.” Hunter said with a smile.

You managed to let out a quiet laugh before you moved so Hunter could slide in next to you. “Do you know what I’ve realised?” You mumbled as you closed your eyes snuggled closer to him.

“What’s that?” Hunter whispered as he gently pulled you against him.

“That this is all that damn blaster’s fault. If it hadn’t jammed, none of this would’ve happened.”

Hunter chuckled and planted another kiss to the top of your head. “I think you’re going to be just fine. Get some sleep.”

You weren’t sure how long would you sleep for before that next inevitable urge to vomit struck but if you had Hunter with you, you were sure you could get through this and anything else the galaxy would throw your way.

Masterlist

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy​, @tpwkcalli​, @fuckoffthanos​, @arctrooper69​, @graciexmarvel​, @flyingkangaroo​, @nightmonkeysstuff​, @a-streakofazure​, @ladytano420​, @dragonrider9905​, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf​, @yyourmotherr​, @xxeiraxx​

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (15)

Chapter Fifteen: The Summit

Gif by @dreamswithghosts

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: The mission to find Crosshair doesn't quite go to plan.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, swearing, a single kiss, brief fluff and angst, I project my feelings (sorry, I can't help it)

Word Count: 3.4K

Author's notes: Hope you enjoy! Again, keeping it pretty chill because Ch16 is going to be quite emotionally taxing :(

“Echo and I have scoured through Imperial and Republic files, but intel about the Advanced Science Division is limited.” Tech revealed as he tapped through the information.

“Do we know where they’re detaining Crosshair and the other clones?” Hunter asked.

“Negative. Their base of operations is unknown.”

“Well, what about their chief scientist?”

“There’s even less on Dr. Hemlock, and I was very thorough. He is a ghost.”

“Not quite.” Echo interjected as he came down from the cockpit. “According to a contact of mine, Hemlock’s set to attend a high-level Imperial summit in two rotations.” He walked over to the other control panel and inputted the information.

“Where?” You queried as you all stepped across to look at the screen.

“Tarkin’s compound on Eriadu.” He pulled up an image of the location. “If we do a covert infiltration, we can plant a homing beacon on Hemlock’s ship and track him to his base.”

“And to Crosshair.” Omega added.

“Hmmm, it won’t be that simple.” Hunter disputed. “We’d be at a tactical disadvantage, and I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”

“Hunter, I know why you’re saying that but if what I was sensing was actually Crosshair, he was in a lot of pain, and this is real. He needs us.” You said as gently as you could manage.

“I agree.” Tech concurred with you. “I understand your hesitation. We have not always agreed with Crosshair, but he is still our brother. We do not leave our own behind.”

“If there’s a chance to get him back, we have to take it.” Omega piled on.

“Definitely.” Wrecker said.

In his heart, he agreed with what you all were saying but he had the responsibility of looking at the bigger picture and what he saw worried him. “What about reinforcements?”

“Well, Rex is on a separate mission, so it’s just us.” Echo answered. “A small enough team to get in and out without alerting them. But we’ll need to move quickly.”

Hunter needed a minute to really think about this. This wasn’t a decision that he could make lightly. He walked over to the door and went outside.

“Hold on.” You said to the others before you walked out the ship and sat on the steps.

“This isn’t a good idea.” Hunter said as he paced in front of you. Every survival and leadership instinct he possessed was telling him that this was a bad idea, yet this was his brother. He couldn’t turn his back on him, not when there was a chance that he could’ve changed yet he couldn’t shake that doubt.

“I understand your reluctance, I really do, but-”

“Do you think it’s worth risking everything we’ve built here?”

“It’s not it, Hunter. It’s him. And I know if there was the smallest chance that we could get Crosshair back with us and you didn’t take it, it would haunt you.”

Hunter didn’t reply immediately but he knew you were right.

You spoke into the silence. “That being said, if you truly can’t sanction this, I will walk back in there with you and back you up.”

Hunter paused his pacing and exhaled deeply. He turned to face you. “We’re finally somewhere safe. I don’t want to lose that. But...” He swallowed thickly, “I don’t want to lose him either, not if there’s a possibility that he’s made a different choice.”

You stood and stepped towards him. You took his hands in yours “It’s just one more mission. One more and we can call it.” You whispered.

“One more.” Hunter repeated quietly. “One more to get our brother back.”

You nodded and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. “Come on.” The two of you walked back aboard the Marauder to the awaiting faces of your team.

“Let’s get started.” Hunter said and you all began to get preparation officially underway.

--

Phee watched as you and the others were getting ready to leave. “So, where you all headed?” She asked as you and Omega wandered over to her.

“It’s a covert mission.” Omega said in a hushed tone.

“Oh, I see. Well, I expect details when you get back.” Phee instructed the young girl.

“Bye, Phee.” Omega said cheerily before she ran back to the ship.

“He never said anything.” Phee mused as she looked past you over to Tech.

You followed her stare and rested a friendly hand on her shoulder. He’s the smartest yet sometimes the dumbest person I know. Just be patient with him and you’ll get there eventually.

“Yeah, I guess.” Phee acknowledged with a nod. “Be safe out there.”

See you later. You started to make your way back to the Marauder.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Phee shouted after you. “You never opened your mouth to say all this! Does this mean I’m in?”

“Call it a belated ‘thank you for bringing us here’ gift!” You called back before you hopped up the steps, but you didn’t go all the way in yet, you loitered by the doorway to wait for Tech, and you couldn’t help but be a little bit nosy as you saw Phee now making her way over to him.

Tech glanced up from his datapad and saw that Phee was heading towards him. He quickly focused his eyes back on the screen.

“So, you were just going to leave without saying goodbye.” Phee queried.

“That is correct.” Tech replied bluntly, thinking that would be sufficient but he felt Phee’s gaze become more pointed. He shifted his eyes to look at her. “Did you require a briefing?”

“You know, when two friends are talking, it’s called a conversation.” His lack of response did not surprise her. “Well, don’t go running off with any pirates or smugglers while you’re gone.”

“Yes. This mission should not involve either.”

Phee pushed the datapad down and took a step closer to him. “That’s not exactly what I was getting at.” She couldn’t help but release a soft chuckle at the clueless expression on his face. “See you around, brown eyes.” She gave him one last smile before she turned on her heels and walked away.

You noticed the way Tech watched her go and although you couldn’t see his face, you could sense the deeper feelings that were there even if he couldn’t quite acknowledge them yet. I’m sorry.

“For what?” Tech cocked his head at you as he paused at the bottom of the steps.

If Hunter and I were anything like the way you two are, I understand why you all had so many plans in place and the time you two have been around each other has been far less than what you had to put up with.

“I do not understand what-” Tech darted up the stairs.

You caught his shoulder to stop him from getting past you. “I’m also sorry because I told Hunter I’d leave you to your own devices, but I need to just offer you a little familial advice.”

“Advice?”

“With regards to you and Phee.”

“I hardly think there is a me and Phee. We-”

“I know. I’m not going to dive into all that yet. I’m only going to say when we’re back, maybe take her somewhere quiet, have a nice walk and just talk. Let yourself feel that slightly uncomfortable and awkward but at the same time content and happy feeling that comes from being around her because it could lead to something that nice that you both deserve.”

“I still do not know exactly what you’re referring to.” Tech deflected.

He could say that he all he wanted but you saw the way his eyes drifted downward as he said that. “Just feel. That’s all.” You affectionately squeezed the top of his arm before you let him go and you got the rest of your armour on as the ship powered up and left the island.

--

“I have identified a suitable location to land outside their sensor range.” Tech said as the ship got ready to exit hyperspace.

“How are we bypassing those cruisers?” You questioned as you saw the red warnings on the dash.

“Using a clearance code Rex and I acquired from one of our contacts.” Echo answered.

“Good to have you back, Echo.” Wrecker said merrily. “Just like old times.”

The ship came out of hyperspace.

“Wrecker, man the tail gun. Just in case.” Hunter directed as he saw the cruisers ahead.

“You got it.” Wrecker affirmed as he got up from his seat.

Echo transmitted the clearance codes and you all waited with bated breath.

“If this doesn’t work, be ready to fly out of here.” Hunter said as you all awaited confirmation that you were in the clear.

After a few more seconds of silence, the ship’s commlink beeped and an officer’s voice came through. “Vessel 1143, you are clear for approach.”

You made sure your armour and weapons were secure before you pulled your hood and mask up as the others put on their helmets. You were officially doing it now. You only hoped getting this intel about Crosshair would indeed be worth what was being risked.

--

“Let’s make this quick before they realise we didn’t land at the base.” Echo advised as he stepped off the ship first and the group of you got underway.

--

“What kind of approach are we making? A side-wind breach?” Omega asked inquisitively as you all stealthily made your way through the tree-covered mountain path.

“It worked on Raxus.” Tech said in reply.

“It won’t work here.” Echo corrected him. “The Empire’s protocols have changed since then.”

Wrecker let out a smug scoff. “Thanks to us.”

“No tanks and no explosions this time, Wrecker.” Echo reminded him as he walked past him.

Wrecker let out a disappointed groan. “Fine.”

Having reached the edge of the perimeter, you glanced up to see the sky rail system in place that crossed the abyss below and inwardly groaned. We were supposed to be avoiding heights.

Hunter half turned his helmet in acknowledgement before he looked through his macrobinoculars at the building on top of one of the mountain peaks. “Hmm. The compound is heavily fortified.”

“But there’s a weak point in the rail line that we can exploit.” Echo pointed out as he peered investigated the terrain through his own pair. “We’ll sneak past the sensor and hitch a ride under one of the cars.”

“You mean hang? Over that?” Omega said nervously.

You didn’t blame her attitude. This plan didn’t thrill you either.

“Well, it’s the only way to access the compound unnoticed.” Echo replied simply.

“Tech, disable the sensor.” Hunter ordered.

“That would trigger an alert. I can temporarily disrupt the feed, but I estimate only 30 seconds for us to clear the zone before it reactivates. We must be precise.”

You felt bad but you couldn’t help it, the way you all turned to glance back at Wrecker was pretty instinctual.

Wrecker protested in an affronted fashion. “What? I can handle it!”

Echo handed Tech one of the cable attachments for his blaster whilst Hunter monitored the sensor.

Hunter signalled for Tech to go and for now the only thing the rest of you could do was wait for his word.

“Stand by.” Tech advised into his comm as he got to work.

You heard the screech of metal on metal and looked ahead to see another railcar in the distance. You tapped your comm, “Another railcar is approaching. Are we set?”

“Not… yet.” Tech replied as he waited for official confirmation that the sensor had powered down. When he had that, he spoke into his comm, “The sensor is down. Move in!”

You all ran to the edge of the cliff and fired your cables to the side of the car.

You joined the others in grabbing a hold of whatever structure was available on the outside and eagerly awaited this particular part of the mission to be over.

--

“Halfway there.” Echo called back to the rest of you.

Wrecker calmly chuckled. “This isn’t so bad.” But he then made the mistake of looking down to the empty space below and groaned. “Never mind.” He started counting down the minutes.

--

When the car was arriving at the terminal, you all hopped off onto the outside platform before moved too far in.

Hunter landed a punch to the first trooper and tossed him over the rail before he pressed himself against the side of the building as you fired a shot past him that took care of the second trooper that was getting their blaster ready. He halted Omega from advancing past him as the door to the outside opened to reveal another soldier coming out. Without hesitation, he fired his own shot that sent the trooper flailing over the side and he led the way inside.

--

Your way in had brought you into the main landing bay and you took cover behind one of the many vast storage containers.

Hunter pulled out his macrobinoculars and scanned the various ships.

“Which ship is Hemlock’s?” Omega whispered.

“We need to access the hangar manifest from the control room.” Echo said.

“Echo, Tech, and (Y/N) with me.” Hunter ordered before he spoke to Wrecker and Omega. “You two, plant the homing beacon.”

You split up and got your missions jobs underway.

--

The four of you managed to make it up to the control room and stun the officers inside with little trouble.

“I’ll monitor their security channels.” Echo said whilst you and Hunter moved the unconscious bodies and Tech got to work on getting the manifest.

“Found it. Hemlock’s shuttle is at docking lane four.” Tech informed Wrecker and Omega through his comm.

“Copy that.” Came Omega’s reply.

“Hmm. Something’s not right.” Echo mused as he stared at the screen. “Many of the surveillance systems have had cycled deactivations in various corridors.”

“That is highly irregular considering the number of top-ranking Imperial officers present.” Tech agreed.

Hunter signalled to you and Tech, “The three of us will check in out and Echo, you keep an eye on things.”

The three of you drew your blasters and left the room.

--

You’d heard over the comms that Omega had successfully planted the beacon, but you were dealing with a more urgent matter. Your investigation of the cameras had led you to find a thermal explosive primed for activation.

“Someone is targeting this base.” You said warily as a bad feeling started to settle in your gut and you started to feel into the Force around you.

“One charge will not cause much damage.” Tech theorised.

You and Hunter reacted simultaneously and drew your blasters as you heard footsteps just round the corner of the corridor.

“Good thing we have more.”

You and Hunter kept your arms steady as two people disguised as Stormtroopers stepped in front of you. You were not reassured by their actions of raising their blasters in surrender.

“Didn’t expect to find you three here.”

“Saw Gerrera.” You breathed as the man removed his helmet, but you didn’t relax your stance since you knew his intentions here could not possibly fit in with yours.

“I told you on Onderon you had a choice to make. Looks like you’ve chosen. Keep an eye out.” He instructed his partner before he walked closer. “Did you make yours?” He asked you directly.

You gave a curt nod before you asked, “What exactly is your plan here?” You weren’t quite able to keep the suspicious out of your voice.

“I’m levelling this compound, along with all the Imperials inside it.”

You finally lowered your blaster and scoffed. “You can’t be serious?”

“Can’t let you do that.” Hunter added. “We’re tracking one of the officers. We need to find his base where clones are being imprisoned, including one of our own.”

“You expect me to call this off to save a few prisoners? We are trying to fight an Empire.”

You couldn’t help but take a protective step to the right as he advanced towards Hunter. You held Saw’s pointed glare and matched it.

“Have you considered that by destroying this facility you are wiping out any chance to gather intel that could help your cause?” Tech interjected logically.

“That would require the bigger picture thinking that he’s not all that great at.” You couldn’t help but snap.

Saw’s jaw clenched at your words, but he replied to the clone, “Taking out several of their commanders is a good start.”

“Well, that victory will be short-lived as their ranks will quickly be replenished.” Tech debated.

“Maybe so. But sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”

As he spoke, you felt a hot wave of rage rise in your veins and it took a considerable moment of effort to tamper it back down. “You’d be destroying any shot we have at-”

“I would’ve thought you would understand. They murdered your people and you’re letting them get away with it. If you truly cared about what happened, you would be doing more. You survived and instead you’re playing happy families and-”

This time, it was Hunter who got protective as he saw the flash of grief and anger behind your eyes and the way Saw had started to crowd your space. “That’s enough.” He said sharply.

Saw glanced between you both with a knowing look in his eyes but before he could say anything else, his companion came back.

“We have to go now. A security team’s been alerted.”

You had to check in with yourself again. Something felt very different. You were usually far more level-headed with your emotions but if Hunter hadn’t interrupted when he had, you knew you would’ve acted in a way that you’d only done once before and had vowed to never repeat. It was like the Force was preparing you for something else, but you didn’t know what.

The doors suddenly opened behind you and a team of troopers walked through the door and it became a shootout as you all retreated to up the corridor. The exit the three of you needed was being occupied by the Imperials so you took cover to deal with them, but Gerrera and his now wounded partner were able to get clear.

Tech rolled a stun grenade down the corridor, and it took out two more troopers and you shot the other exposed soldier which gave you all the chance to advance.

As you rounded the corner, you pushed the remaining trooper’s blaster out the way and let Hunter use his body as a shield from the other soldiers lining the next corridor whilst you and Tech shot at them.

When it was finally clear, Hunter discarded the body and tapped his comm, “We’ve been compromised. Get back to the rail line.” He said urgently as the three of you sprinted down the hall.

--

Navigating the maze of corridors was hard enough but it was only made more difficult with the onslaught of Imperial fire as the many squads of Stormtroopers continued their pursuit. All the three of you could do was provide sporadic rounds of cover fire as you retreated but it wouldn’t be sustainable for long. Thankfully, the others intercepted you and so you all were able to find your way back to the railcar, but you knew the soldiers wouldn’t be far behind.

“We need an access code.” Tech said as he tried to get the car to start.

“I’ll override it.” Echo said as he plugged in.

Whilst Echo worked on that, the rest of you took aim at the troopers that were now making their way into the railcar. Unfortunately, it powered up with some Imperials in the second car, but you had the numbers, you just needed to hold out and get away from the compound.

--

Suddenly, the lights in the car flickered and you could feel the speed start to slow down.  

“We’re losing power!” Echo announced with frustration as he knew there was nothing, he could do to prevent it.

You shot the last trooper before you joined the others in

As you stared out into the clouds and saw the enemy railcar a few metres ahead with a squad to Stormtroopers already setting their sights on you, you found yourself wishing you’d shot Gerrera when you’d had the chance. He’d followed through on his plan, but the Imperials were still standing, and it was the six of you who were going to pay for it instead.

“This is going to be a problem.”

Which you knew was Tech’s way of saying you were absolutely fucked.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @starwarsnerd111, @skellymom, @lokigirlszendaya

[hugmekenobi]

The Bad Batch (7)

Chapter Seven: Battle Scars

Gif by @rebekadjarin 

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: You joined the Batch 8 months ago and everything was going well. But then, Order 66 happened and suddenly the galaxy around you changed. Now, not only do you need to be careful given your new ‘social status’, but you also need to navigate your feelings towards a certain Sergeant.

Chapter Summary: An old ally and friend comes to see you all and offers advice on getting the chips out. However, the trip to the decommissioned medical facility doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. 

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers

Chapter Warnings: Use of (Y/N) (but I’ve limited it as much as I can), swearing, canon-typical violence, mild canon-deviation (in the sense of who says and does what and mentions of past experiences), blaster physics ignored, injury descriptions (mentions of bruises, stitches, and blood), angst, mild hurt/comfort, the Force working how I think it can.

Word Count (Ch 7): 6.9K

Rating: 18+

Author’s notes: This chapter marks the beginning of where I started to have more creative freedom with how things go in this story and it was very fun to write, in fact it was one of my favourites so I hope you all like it! :) 

“How much longer until we’re in hyperspace, Tech?” Hunter called behind him, keeping his attention focused on firing at the ships that were in pursuit of them.

“That depends on when Echo plans on getting the drive back online.” Tech said pointedly, keeping up the Marauder’s evasive manoeuvres.

“I’m working on it!” Echo snapped back.

“I don’t think Ruby likes this very much.” Omega said from where she was strapped in as she heard the squawk from the cage Wrecker placed next to her.

“You named that thing?” Wrecker asked, strapping himself in too just as a rumble ran through the ship. “What’s with these guys?”

“Well, we did steal from them.” You said, walking unsteadily down the corridor to the cockpit.

“Technically, the Rhokai stole the lizard first.” Tech corrected. “We are merely intercepting it.”

“They don’t see it that way.” Hunter said, destroying a ship that came a little too close.

A blaster shot from the Rhokai ship made slight contact with the ship, sending a reverberation through it. You braced yourself on the back of Echo’s chair. You heard a crash and turned around to see that Ruby’s cage had fallen and she was now free and was currently crawling up Wrecker’s leg who was not doing a very good job of remaining calm. “Ugh.” You grumbled. “Here.” You waved your hand in the direction of the hyperdrive, you didn’t have time to fix it yourself so you just fixed the part that was giving Echo the most trouble, he could manage from it there and went back to help Wrecker.

“Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!” Wrecker cried, flailing about as he stood up with Ruby letting out high pitched squeals as she clung to his face.

“Wrecker, stay calm. You’re scaring her.” You quickly walked over to him, but he paid you no attention and crashed into you, sending you tumbling backwards, and he fell down also which meant Ruby rolled free.

Omega acted quickly. She grabbed Ruby’s cage and placed it over her.

“Hyperdrive’s online!” Echo shouted.

“Got her.” Omega also confirmed.

With that, Tech launched the ship into hyperspace.

You sighed as you stood up. “You alright?” You asked Wrecker as you offered him your hand.

“Yeah. Uh, sorry.” Wrecker said, grasping your forearm.

“No big deal.” You replied kindly, helping him to his feet. “Can’t say I’d be the calmest either if I had a lizard crawling over my face.”

Wrecker smiled at you before going to sit down.

You watched him as he sat down, noticing he was still holding the side of his head. He had taken a few good blows to his head recently, that’s bound to have a lasting effect. It had to be just a headache, right?

--

Cid studied the creature through the bars of the cage. “That is one strange-looking lizard.”

“What does your client want it for?” You asked her, genuine curiosity in your voice. She was keeping your secret after all, the least you could do was lighten up on the attitude.

“Maybe it’s a pet. Maybe he wants to turn it into a stew. Don’t know, don’t care.” Cid replied dismissively, walking away.

You were taking a page out of Master Yoda’s book: Do or do not, there is no try. You were doing it, but it was really fucking difficult when she would give you answers like that. “As long as you get paid.” You muttered after her, this time not bothering to hide your displeasure. Well, most of the time you were doing it.

“Now you’re catching on.” Cid said, turning around to look at you.  “And guess what? That means you get paid too. Bring the lizard in the back.”

You picked up the cage and began to follow Cid to her office, Echo and Tech came with you, but you paused and let the others past you. You noticed a figure in the corner of the room. You glanced back at Hunter who gave you a subtle nod of his head and you knew he had that feeling too. You were being watched by them. You kept your eyes on him only to see him flick his eyes to Cid’s office. Fair enough, if he didn’t want to do anything yet, you wouldn’t start anything. You carried on towards Cid’s back room.

“Hunter?”

Hunter turned away from the figure to see Omega and Wrecker looking at him with expressions that clearly told him they were after something. “What are you two up to?”

“The mission’s over. Can we go?” Wrecker asked.

“Again?” Hunter said. He couldn’t believe they were still doing this.

“It’s a tradition.” Wrecker said persuasively. “It makes the kid happy.” He added in a whisper.

“Uh-huh. The kid.” Hunter repeated, not believing for a second this little routine Wrecker and Omega had gotten themselves involved in was purely for her enjoyment. He sighed and began to make his way to the back office. “Don’t take long.”

--

“Alright here’s your cut.” Cid said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.” Hunter said as he looked at the tiny amount of credits that were handed over to him. “You said the job paid three times this.”

“For me. Not for you.” Cid stated, putting the case down.

You flung your head back and you had to grip your hair tightly at the roots to stop yourself from saying something. She really was not making this any easier for you.

“And just how is this a mutually beneficial arrangement?” Echo questioned.

“You’re breathing, aren’t you?” Cid replied. “Rather generous considering the debt you owe me.” She said, picking up her datapad.

“What debt?” Hunter asked.

Cid just chucked the device on the table for him to look at.

Hunter picked it up and studied it. “Docking fees, port charges, gear, fuel, rations, and 20 cartons of Mantell Mix.”

Oh, Wrecker, you thought tiredly to yourself.

“Now I like you guys, but I’m not running a charity here. You need a big score for us to be square.” Cid explained to them.

“Like what?” You asked wearily.

“Like retrieving that tactical droid but you bungled that op.”

Stay silent, stay silent, you thought to yourself.

“I suggest you figure something out before you see my ugly side.” Cid threatened.

“That’s not her ugly side?” Tech muttered to the rest of you.

You snorted, disguising it quickly into a cough.

“What was that Goggles?” Cid said to him.

Before anyone could answer, the sound of blaster fire followed by a crash carried through the walls. You all ran out to the main parlour area and you that was when you saw that the culprit was the one in the corner who’d been watching you since you’d arrived.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Cid asked, making her way to the front of the group. “Who are you?” She asked the hooded figure that was responsible for scaring away her customers.

As the figure pulled down his hood, your breath caught in your throat. You couldn’t believe it.

“Rex?” Echo said.

“Oh, great. Another clone. Just what I needed. Well, don’t get comfy. I’m done taking in strays. This ain’t a clone clubhouse, ya know.” Cid said, hitting Hunter’s shoulder with her staff. “Unbelievable. Thinkin’ they own the place.” She continued to mumble as she went back to her office.

You ran forward and threw your arms around him. “Never thought I’d see you again, Captain.” You said to him, pulling away with a smile on your face.

“I could say the same thing about you, General.” He replied meeting your embrace, giving you a small smile too as you stepped back.

Hunter pushed away the brief feeling jealousy that shot through him before he walked towards Rex. “Captain.”

“It’s been a while, boys.” Rex said, looking past you at his fellow clones.

“Where’ve you been, Rex?” Echo asked.

“Hmm. That’s a long story.” Rex replied.

“We got time.” You said. “What happened to you?”

--

You took your drink from Tech with a nod of thanks as you continued to listen to Rex while you were all at the bar counter.

“And when the war ended, I guess you could say I’ve been… keeping a low profile.”

“Very low. Imperial files have you listed as killed in action.” Tech informed him.

“Being dead in the Empire’s eyes has its advantages.” Rex said darkly.

You took a big swig of your drink at that.

“Well, how’d you track us down?” Echo asked him.

“Trace and Rafa Martez. They said a squad of rogue clones helped them on Corellia. And they had a Jedi with them. I had to see that for myself.” He stopped and looked over at you.

“In the flesh.” You said, tilting your drink in acknowledgment before taking another swig.

“They told me I could find you here.” He continued, turning around to take in the parlour. “And that you were traveling with a kid. Who is she?”

“Omega.” Hunter answered. “She’s a clone like us.”

“Well, look who it is.”

You looked over to the doorway to see Wrecker and Omega come running through it.

“Come here, Rex.” Wrecker said with a laugh, picking up the clone captain and squeezing him tightly.

“Yeah. Good to see you too, Wrecker.” Rex grunted.

“I thought you didn’t like the regs.” Omega said.

“This one we like.” Wrecker answered, putting Rex back down.

“Omega, this is Rex.” Hunter said.

Rex kneeled down in front of the young girl. “I’ve met many clones in my time, but never one like you.”

Omega moved closer to the clone in front of her and studied his face closely. “You’re a Generation One.”

“Now how’d you know that?”

“The lines on your face.”

“Ha! You’re old.” You called over teasingly.

Rex chuckled and looked back at you and the others. “Yeah, I guess I’ve been around.”

“You got that right.” Wrecker said before breaking off in a groan and he gripped the side of his head. “Tech, I need one of those med patches.”

“You used the last one.” Tech stated.

Rex stood up and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wrecker. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a headache.” Wrecker said dismissively as he had a drink.

“Which are becoming more frequent.” Echo revealed.

“Is that so?” Rex said, moving his hand closer to his blaster.

“If you’re concerned about the so-called inhibitor chips, don’t be.” Tech said. “Our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality. Except in Crosshair.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t removed your chips?”

“No, not yet.”

Rex pushed his cloak back so he could have easier access to his gun.

“Rex?” You said warily, putting your drink down and standing more alert. The others did the same.

“Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even her.” Rex said, nodding back towards Omega. “And especially her.” He added, looking over at you.

“Rex, they found out what I was after the Empire was formed and the Jedi were wiped out and they’ve not done anything to suggest…” You trailed off as you remembered what you heard Wrecker say on Corellia. No, no, no. He couldn’t be right.

“You’re all ticking time bombs.” Rex carried on.

“Take it easy, Captain.” Hunter said calmly, standing in between Rex and Wrecker.

“What’s in your head is more dangerous that you can imagine. I’ve seen what happens when the chip activates, and I don’t want to bury any more of our brothers. Trust me. It is not something you can control. I couldn’t.” He looked away as the memory of that day flooded his brain. “It’s a risk you do not want to take.”

You stepped closer to him. “Who’d you kill?”

Rex just stared at you.

You moved closer still. “Which Jedi was it, Rex?”

He still said nothing.

You took a breath. “Don’t make me find out the hard way, Captain. Who was it?”

“I didn’t kill them.”

It was harder to keep your anger down now, you didn’t care that he was dodging the question, you had to know. “Fine. Who did your squad kill?”

He couldn’t tell you the real truth, she wanted to remain ‘dead’ too, but he hated that he couldn’t tell you. He knew about the good friendship the two of you had had but he also knew you wouldn’t stop until you had an answer. He leaned forward and whispered the name in your ear.

You clenched your fists tightly together when you heard the name. The action resulting in the cups shattering as well as several of the bottles behind the bar. You had no idea she’d gone back, not that it mattered now. She was gone and she wasn’t coming back. You could accept that Anakin and Obi Wan were killed but you’d been holding onto the idea that she would at least be one person who you cared about that wasn’t caught up in this whole mess, but you had been wrong. You stormed out the room, ignoring the calls of your name.

As soon as you came out to the street, you hunched over and braced yourself on your knees, taking in gulps of air. You caught a glance of your reflection in a piece of broken glass on the ground. You’d looked worse but you didn’t exactly look great either. Your bruises were pretty much all gone, save for the one along your jaw which had now turned a dull yellow, but anyone would be able to tell you were in distress. You straightened up and blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill from your eyes and began walking. You didn’t know where; you just couldn’t stay here right now.

--

Hunter watched you go; he got ready to go after you but Echo’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“You know she needs a minute to herself.”

Hunter sighed. He didn’t want to let you go through whatever it was you were feeling right now alone but he knew Echo was correct. You needed the space right now. He brought his attention back to Rex. “How do you suggest we get them out?”

Rex, still bearing the guilt of what just happened with you, relaxed his posture at Hunter’s words. “Good question. I’ll be in touch.”

--

You stopped walking. “How long did it take you to find me?”

“Longer than I thought.” Hunter said as he approached your side.

“How long have I been out here?” You asked him before you continued to walk. You had no idea where you were right now. You’d just been aimlessly wandering. You turned down an alley way and sat down against the wall.

“A while.” Hunter said, coming to sit down next to you.

“I’m sorry about the bottles. Cid’ll just add that to our debt which was the last thing you needed to deal with.” You mumbled apologetically.

“Don’t worry about Cid. I didn’t come find you for that. I was concerned about you. How are you holding up?”

“Better.” You said truthfully, pushing a stone with the toe of your boot. “But still not great.”

“You know it wasn’t his-”

“Of course I do, Hunter. I know it wasn’t Rex’s fault or any of the other clones that were with him. Deep down, I know that, but that doesn’t stop it from fucking hurting.” You said, a hint of anger in your voice. You picked up the stone and threw it against the wall before you let out a heavy breath and you leaned your head on Hunter’s shoulder. “I just- I always knew- I-” You broke off with an irritated sigh. You didn’t know what you were wanting to say anymore.

“I know.” Hunter said caringly, putting his arm around you and bringing his head down to rest against yours.

You closed your eyes and stayed like that for a few moments. Having him with you, like this, it was very comforting.

You were the one to break the silence first. “You and other others need to get those chips out your heads. I don’t want something like what happened to Rex to happen to you, or we get in a situation where I have to hurt you.”

“That won’t happen.” Hunter guaranteed you, holding you tighter to him. “Rex is going to get in touch with a place where we can get them taken out.”

“Good.” You heaved a sigh. “Well, we better get back. Can’t avoid Cid forever.” You kidded unenthusiastically but not actually making a move to go, you were quite content with where you were to be honest.

Hunter would’ve happily stayed in this dirty alley for as long as you wanted. He didn’t care that it was grimy and filled with garbage, he was with you and that’s all that mattered to him. Logically though, he knew that wasn’t very feasible. He made the move to stand first. “You’re right. Come on.” He held his hand out to you.

You took it and neither of you let go until you reached the entrance to Cid’s parlour. Even from the outside, you could already hear her disgruntled shouts at the mess you’d left behind. It wasn’t something that phased you though, you were just hoping Rex would be in touch soon.

--

As the ship travelled through hyperspace, you watched Wrecker as he paced anxiously across the ship’s corridor.

“I don’t like this plan.” Wrecker groaned.

“We agreed to meet Rex on Bracca. That’s what we’re doing.” Hunter said as he walked down from the cockpit towards Wrecker, laying a hand on his back.

“He wants to cut open my head.” Wrecker moaned.

“All of our heads actually.” Tech clarified, taking a quick break from his work on the chip scanner.

“Not mine. I don’t have an inhibitor chip.” Omega revealed.

“Why not? Now, that’s not fair.” Wrecker complained, crossing his arms huffily.

“How’s the chip scanner coming?” Hunter asked Tech.

“Since Rex’s chip was removed, I am able to establish a baseline by comparing his brain scan to ours. Allowing for the detection of any cellular anomaly.” Tech explained before walking away as he continued to work on it.

“He means it’s almost finished.” Omega simplified, jumping down from Gonky to follow Tech.

“Do we really have to do this?” Wrecker griped.

“If Rex is sure, we should trust him.” Hunter said.

--

The ship came out of hyperspace and entered Bracca’s atmosphere.

“What is this place?” Omega asked, fascinated by what she saw outside the window.

“A starship graveyard.” You answered.

A light beeping began to radiate through the ship.

“I’m picking up Rex’s beacon.” Echo stated, directing the ship to the specific area.

As the ship landed, you all walked out to meet Rex.

“Right on time.” Rex said, grasping Hunter’s forearm by way of greeting. He then glanced over at you.

You just nodded at him.

Rex mirrored the gesture. He was glad you two were okay.

“How’s a junk planet gonna help us?” Wrecker asked sceptically.

“Follow me.” Rex directed, putting on his helmet.

You all followed suit and began to walk behind him.

--

“Bracca may not be much to look at, but it has exactly what we need.” Rex explained as you all made your way across the old, rusting, and decaying starships. “I had my inhibitor chip taken out on a Jedi cruiser just like that.” He pointed over to the ship that was the end goal. “That’s where we’re heading.”

“Then why’d we land all the way over here?” Wrecker whined.

“Everyone down.” Hunter ordered as he spotted a platform flying up ahead.

“That’s why.” Rex stated.

“It’s the scrapper guild.” Tech revealed as he got a closer look through his visor.

“They control this entire planet.” Rex said. “We need to keep out of sight from their patrols.” He watched as they moved on. “Let’s move.”

You all ran towards, what you guessed was technically the ‘inside,’ of one of the ships.

“Fives tried to warn me about the chips, but I didn’t understand at the time.” Rex said to Echo.

“It’s still hard to believe now.” Echo replied.

“How did you boys find out about them?”

“Omega.”

“The kid?” Rex said, surprised, before they reached the end of the inside of this cruiser, and they had to begin to climb on it.

The metal groaned beneath your feet. You only hoped it was strong enough to still stay together.

“Whoa. It’s much bigger up close.” Omega said with wonderment as she looked up around her.

“Yeah, but getting from A-B inside these things took forever. And in the middle of a battle, that could get annoying.” You said to her lightly as you walked. “This is an original Venator-class ship.”

“From the first batch off the line.” Rex added.

“First off the line, huh? Just like you, Rex.” You said with a laugh.

Hunter let you all go on ahead, but he paused as he looked down at the water.

“What is it?” Tech asked, coming to stand next to him.

“Stay above the water line.” Hunter advised as he started walking again.

--

You had finally reached the Jedi cruiser, and as you got inside, you weren’t so sure if anything on this thing would work. The ship was already in a pretty advanced state of decay.

“The last time I was aboard one of these it didn’t end so well.” Rex said, shining his torch up ahead.

“If the inhibitor chip isn’t something you can control, how’d you get yours out?” Echo asked him.

“I…had help.” Rex replied.

You let out a sad sigh as you heard him say that, but it made sense. She probably would’ve wanted to do that for every clone that had been on board the ship that day. You then had to stop as Rex and Echo came to a sudden halt in front of you. As Rex shone his light across, you realised that any corridor connecting the two areas was long gone and it was a rather large drop into the water below.

“Medical bay is at the other end. Wrecker, grab that-” Rex stopped as he saw an outline make a running jump past him. He looked over to the other side where you were now standing, hand on hip waving over at them. “Cable.” He finished, shining the light on it.

Hunter smiled under his helmet as he watched you jump. He liked watching you be so free-spirited.

“If anyone wants a more fun way to get across, I’m game.” You called over merrily.

Hunter stopped Omega from putting up her hand. “You’re crossing the same way we are.” He told her.  

Omega let out of huff. “Yes sir.” She agreed begrudgingly.

--

You watched carefully as the others made their way across the wire. You were always ready just in case something went wrong. It never hurt to be prepared. You helped Omega down as she reached the other side and then looked back over at Wrecker. “You’re up, Wrecker!”

“Uh… Yeah, my head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine. You guys go without me.” Wrecker called back.

“You want my help?” You shouted over. “I promise I won’t let you fall!”

“No thanks!”

“You can do it! Just keep your eyes on the cable.” Omega shouted encouragingly.

Wrecker groaned and began to slowly pull himself along it. It didn’t take long for it to buckle under his weight. “Whoa!”

You moved closer to the edge of your side. Just in case.

Wrecker got ready to move again but right as he did so, the cable snapped.

“Wrecker!” You cried. You managed to get the cable to twist around his ankle so he wouldn’t fall directly into the water. “Are you alright?” You called down to him.

“No! Smells awful down here!” He shouted back.

Then you felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You saw something shift in the water.

“What’s that?” Omega asked nervously.

“Wrecker, you gotta let me bring you up or start climbing.” You said urgently.

“Why?” Wrecker asked but as soon as he did that, a giant tentacle reached out and grabbed him.

You called on the Force and you were able to keep him out of the water but getting him out of this creature’s grasp would be tricky. Keeping him from being submerged was the best you could do right now. “Any time you people wanna start pulling that cable would be great.” You grunted as you focused your energy on keeping him out of the water, but this animal was strong, and it was taking a lot of energy for you to do this. You felt your hold on him slipping with each pull the creature made to take Wrecker down. “Echo, your blaster!”

Echo fired a few shots down into the animal’s mouth, leading it to release its grip on Wrecker.

The others had an easier time now to get him out of there.

Only when you were sure they had him, did you let him go. You took a knee and got your breath back.

“What was…that?” Wrecker said, breathing heavily.

“Makes you miss battling clankers, doesn’t it?” Rex joked.

“Yeah.” Wrecker said with a groan before he glanced at you. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” You said, still slightly out of breath. “Just glad you’re okay.”

--

You finally reached the medical bay and you shuddered with the nastiness of it. Rats were squeaking and running into cracks in the walls. No way was this hygienic.

“This will do nicely.” Rex said.

“You’re kidding?” You said, turning to him as you took down your mask and hood while everyone else removed their helmets.

“I would no longer call this medical bay a sterile environment.” Tech added.

“Do you prefer to use the facility on Kamino?” Rex asked him.

“This will do nicely.” Tech agreed.

“I’ll calibrate the surgical pod.” Echo said, programming himself into the outlet.

You relaxed a bit more when the lights came on. You came to stand next to Hunter.

“Time to get scanned, Wrecker.” Tech said as he grabbed the scanner and turned to face his brother.

“Let’s get this over with.” Wrecker grunted, holding his head.

You took Wrecker’s helmet while Hunter grabbed the rest of the gear on his back and you both moved out of the way to allow Tech to put the scanner on Wrecker’s head.

“Hunter, just because the surgery worked on Rex, doesn’t mean it’s safe.” Omega said fretfully. “This is dangerous.”

“It’s more dangerous to leave their inhibitor chips in.” Rex explained.

“We have to do this. It’s worth the risk.” Hunter said, taking off his pack.

“And what if something goes wrong? I’ll be left here…with no one.” Omega said sadly.

“Hey, do I not count?” You said, kneeling down next to her. “It’ll be okay. Right?” You said, turning to Hunter. You needed him to say it too, you didn’t want something to go wrong either.

“Right.” Hunter said, focusing his eyes on you before looking back at Omega, placing his hand on her shoulder. “We’re not going anywhere, Omega. You’re stuck with us for the long run. Got it? Plus, she’s not going anywhere. She tends to stick around.” He said, looking back at you.

“Exactly. You’re not getting rid of me so easily, kid.” You agreed, laying your hand on top of Hunter’s.

Rex watched the three of you with intrigue before Tech’s voice sounded.

“I think I’ve found something. Ninety degrees from his right orbital floor.”

The four of you walked over to look at Tech’s screen.

“Get that away from me.” Wrecker said angrily, taking Tech’s scanner off and pushing it into his chest.

Omega walked up to him and laid a hand on his head. “Something’s not right.” She said nervously, looking back to face you all.

“We need to speed this up.” Rex insisted as he watched Wrecker continue to hold the side of his head.

Tech nodded to Echo who got the pod ready for Wrecker to go into.

“You boys got lucky. Very few clones were immune to the effects of Order 66. It’s rare.” Rex said to Hunter.

“When the regs attacked the Jedi on Kaller, we didn’t understand why. We couldn’t save the general but at least we helped the padawan escape.” Hunter said, walking with Rex over to the doorway.

You walked over with them but kept your eyes trained on Tech and Wrecker. You had that feeling again. Something was going to go wrong; you just didn’t know when. You reached your hand down your thigh to rest on the hilt of your blade. You really hoped you didn’t have to use it.

“Relax. This won’t hurt a bit.” Tech said, getting ready to inject Wrecker with something to knock him out for the procedure but Wrecker grabbed his wrist, stopping him from doing so.

You watched with horror as Wrecker reached out and grabbed Tech’s neck.

“You’re in direct violation of Order 66.” Wrecker said monotonously, lifting Tech up and throwing him into the wall.

You threw your knife into the gap between his shoulder plate and chest armour. He took the knife out, tossed it to the ground, grabbed his helmet and blaster and faced you. “Jedi scum.”

Well fuck. “Get out of here!” You shouted to the others as he began firing his blaster in all of your directions.

You were able to dodge them but not before one went through your shoulder. You recovered quickly though, avoiding the next shot that was aimed at your head and landed a kick to his ribs, but you were distracted dodging his shots, that you failed to notice his leg coming at you, landing its own kick to your chest which sent you flying back into the wall. Stars danced in front of your eyes.

Hunter grabbed Omega and he and the others took cover behind a piece of scrap metal. Hunter glanced over to see he had you cornered. “We’ll draw him out. Omega, stay here with Tech.” With that, he threw a canister in Wrecker’s direction, his blaster shots meant it exploded in his face which allowed him and the others to leave the room.

You took that moment to run out with them, ignoring the warm blood that was dribbling down your arm.

--

You waited until Rex fired his first stun blast in Wrecker’s direction but when that, followed by Hunter throwing his vibroblade at Wrecker’s blaster failed, you Force pushed another cannister over in his direction which he avoided. Then, as if they hadn’t already, things started to fall apart, Wrecker stopped Echo’s attack and threw him into Rex, rendering them both unconscious and then he sent more shots in your direction, meaning you had to stay in cover, and you could only watch as Hunter made his way out towards Wrecker with another barrel, and he used that against him.

Hunter managed to land a few blows with the piece of equipment, and he managed to knock Wrecker’s helmet off before he rendered the makeshift weapon useless by sticking his knife in it. Hunter reacted quickly and jumped on Wrecker’s back and wrapped his arm around his neck. “Come on, Wrecker. Snap out of it.” Hunter grunted as they both struggled. Then Hunter lost any advantage he had. Wrecker crashed him into the wall, causing him to let go which allowed Wrecker to pick him up and wrap his hands tightly around his throat.

“All clones in violation of Order 66 shall be terminated.” Wrecker said ragefully but a blaster shot just passed his head caused him to stop, drop Hunter, and turn around.

You had picked up Wrecker’s blaster and fired that warning shot. “He’s not the one you want Wrecker. None of them are. It’s me. I’m the Jedi here and boy did it take you a long time to figure it out. I mean, honestly, I lied to your face so easily. You know what, I bet if I hadn’t told you, you never would’ve figured it out. You’re just too stupid.” You goaded, loathing the fact you had to say this, but you had to get him to step away from Hunter.

“All Jedi are traitors to the Empire.”

“So, come on then. You better finish your mission.” You didn’t really have a plan, right now it just involved getting him as far away from Hunter and the others as you could.

Wrecker began to run at you, and you turned and began to run too but not before you bumped into Omega. “Omega! What are you doing here?” You said in a state of panic as you grabbed her hand and got her to run with you.

“I thought you might need help.” She replied anxiously, glancing back as she saw Wrecker continuing to advance towards you both.

You shook your head as you turned the corner. “Get under there.” You directed her, pointing to the gap between the floor and the door. You followed after her swiftly, landing a kick to Wrecker’s face as he tried to grab your ankle. “Take this and hide.” You whispered to her, handing her Wrecker’s blaster.

Omega nodded and ran to hide. You took a deep breath and faced Wrecker as he opened the door. You wouldn’t use your sword; you’d felt bad that you’d resorted to your dagger so quickly when this wasn’t his fault. “Okay Wrecker, let’s finish this.”

Wrecker let out a roar and dashed at you. You ducked under his first swing, landing a punch to his gut before you darted to his left and kicked his side. Then you Force pushed him into some old crates and they came tumbling down around him, but he was not for stopping. He pushed them out his way and made his way back towards you.

“Wrecker, please stop. I don’t want to hurt you.” You pleaded with him, blocking another punch he threw your way. “Wrecker, stop! You don’t- Ah!” You cried out in pain when he managed to land a hit to your open shoulder wound.

He then kicked you into the wall.

You managed to shakily get to your feet, but you couldn’t do anything else. He pinned your hands to your side. You struggled against his grip, the action resulting in him smacking his head into your nose, the force of it meant the back of your head banged into the metal wall. It took everything in you not to pass out from the impact of it. You felt the blood rush down your nose and the back of your throat. You choked on some of it, the metallic and tangy taste of it filling your mouth.

“All Jedi traitors must die.” He said, bringing his hands to your throat.

“This isn’t you Wrecker, it’s the inhibitor chip.”

“Omega, no.” You gasped out as you saw the young girl emerge from her hiding place.

“Conspiring with traitors makes you guilty of treason.” Wrecker said, letting you go and making his way over to Omega.

You slumped against the wall, gasping for air. You were telling your body to get up and do something, but it was not cooperating with you. Your shoulder was throbbing, and your nose was a continuous red stream. You spat out some of the blood in your mouth and crawled over to where Omega was now cornered. Wrecker had taken the blaster off her. “Wrecker, we’re your friends. Please stop.” You said wearily, lifting your hand up, only managing to push him back a tiny bit.

“Good soldiers follow orders.” Wrecker said, aiming his gun at you.

You huddled over Omega and closed your eyes as you heard the sound of blaster fire but when you heard the groan and thump of a body falling, you opened your eyes to see it was Wrecker who was on the ground and Rex was leaning against the doorway, blaster in hand. He’d managed to stun him. You wiped some of the blood away from your nose and looked at Omega. “Are you okay?”

Omega nodded. Too shocked and afraid to say anything.

You let out a sigh of relief and grimaced as you shakily stood up. “Thanks, Rex.”

“Anytime.” He responded, slightly out of breath.

--

After your nose had finally stopped bleeding, you, ignoring Tech’s warnings of them being old and the environment being unsanitary, finished stitching your injury and applied the bacta patch you’d found in one of the first aid cupboards onto your shoulder. You had no idea if it would work given the state of the cruiser, but it was better than nothing. You gingerly pulled your outer layer back over you, grumbling under your breath when you felt the crusty, dried blood on the top of your sleeve.  

“How is it?” Hunter said, concern laced through his voice as he kneeled down in front of you placing a hand on your knee.

You tenderly rolled your shoulder a couple of times, it only mildly throbbed. “Nothing that won’t heal quickly once I can have access medical supplies that I know will actually work.” You reassured him as you looked into his brown eyes.

“The procedure’s complete.”

You both snapped out of whatever trance you were in and turned to the pod as Tech brought Wrecker out from it. You walked over to him and watched as Omega started to shake him, trying to get him to wake up.

“He should be awake by now.” Omega said uneasily, looking back at Tech.

Tech looked down at the console. “He is alive, but his vitals have not stabilised. We won’t know more until he regains consciousness.”

Hunter walked a few paces away to consult with Rex.

“This could be a while. Why don’t you take Omega topside and get some air?” Rex suggested.

“No.”

Hunter and Rex turned to face her.

“I’m staying until he wakes up.” Omega said determinedly, moving a chair so she could sit closer to him.

“Come on Wrecker.” You whispered, squeezing his hand.

--

“He’s awake!”

You jolted awake, rubbing your eyes as you saw Wrecker sitting up. You stood up from where you’d been sleeping- head pressed against Hunter’s inner left thigh as you’d fallen asleep between his legs while he slept sitting on the chair.

“Oh, you made it.” Tech said simply as he woke.

You all came to stand next to him. “Welcome back.” You said.

“One chip down. Three to go. Who’s next?” Rex asked.

--

Wrecker watched as you and Omega were busy organising the rest of your gear. He owed you both an apology. He walked over, patted Omega on the shoulder and kneeled down in front of her. “Listen, Omega. About what happened…”

Omega laid a hand on his cheek.

“I tried- I tried to control it. I tried as hard as I could. I just couldn’t make it stop.” He stammered out.

“I know, Wrecker. It’s okay.” Omega said comfortingly.

“But still… I- I’m sorry.”

Omega took some Mantell mix out of her bag and held it out to him. “The mission’s over. Can’t break tradition.”

Wrecker smiled at her, taking some from her. He swallowed before he glanced back up at you. “About what I said… I didn’t mean-”

“Don’t worry about it, Wrecker. I know it wasn’t you.” You assured him.

“But I shot you.” Wrecker said guilty, looking up at your shoulder.

“And I threw my knife into you.” You said with a shrug. “Let’s just call it even, yeah? As far as I’m concerned, it’s long forgotten.” You rubbed your hand reassuringly along the upper part of his arm before you walked away to see how Tech was doing since he was the last one out.

--

“Copy that. I’ll meet you in the rendezvous by the next rotation.” Rex said into his comm as he stood outside the cruiser.

“I figured you weren’t out of the fight just yet.” Hunter said, coming to stand next to him.

“I spent my life defending the Republic. Can’t stop now.”

“The Republic’s gone, Rex.”

“Ah, not all of it. We’re here. Others are out there too. Your squad’s skills would be a tremendous asset.”

“Well, some skills need to be kept secret.” Hunter replied, thinking of you before he continued, “And things aren’t like before. Our priorities have shifted.”

“So, I’ve noticed.”

Hunter guessed he was hinting at you too, but just in case Rex wasn’t doing that and he was just being paranoid about things, he wouldn’t mention it. “Omega needs us, and I have to do what’s best for my squad.”

“Which is what?”

“I’m still figuring that out.”

“I guess we all are.” Rex paused for a second. “When you sort things out, let me know where you land. Tell the rest of them that I’ll see ‘em around.”

“Stay out of trouble.” Hunter said, clasping Rex’s forearm as they got ready to part ways.

“Funny. I was going to say the same to you. Working in close proximity to someone you care for can’t always be smooth sailing. Take care trooper.” Rex said, putting on his helmet and walking off into the fog.

Aaand there it was. Hunter watched him go and let out a sigh. Why was it everyone was involved in this except for the one person he actually wanted? He turned to head back inside, unaware of the scrappers that were watching him from afar.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff​ 

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (14)

Chapter Fourteen: Tipping Point

Gif by @trapezequeen

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: An old friend returning brings new information that could lead you and the Batch on a dangerous mission.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, descriptions of torture, Hemlock needs his own warning, fluff and light angst

Word Count: 3.2K

Author's notes: A relatively quiet chapter before the hell that will be the last two episodes lol. Enjoy!

Mount Tantiss

Well, he never saw himself as being on the ones to be on the opposite side of the cell ray shields. He’d always expected to be the one to open them and demand whoever it was to get ‘on their feet’ but things were certainly different now. He did as the stormtrooper said and let the other cuff him before his two escorts led him out his cell and down the hallway.

As he walked, he couldn’t help but let his eyes drift to the other clones in cells. He didn’t know how they wound up here or what they were here for, but they all looked as miserable as he felt. His thoughts drifting caused him to slow his pace, the act receiving a harsh jab from a blaster. He turned irritably but knew it wasn’t worth the fight and kept walking.

The trooper opened the ray shield to the unfortunately familiar room and the woman he’d first see upon waking up here.

“Good morning, Crosshair. How are you feeling?”

Again, with his name. he didn’t know what type of game she was playing by using it, but he wasn’t going to let himself succumb to it. “What’s it to you?” He muttered wearily before another jab into his back forced him into the room and he leaned against the bench.

“The doctor is on his way. Be smart and cooperate, or he will resort to methods you will not enjoy.”

The sound of footsteps caught his attention and he glanced to the door to see the man he assumed was ‘the doctor’ step in.

“You’ve healed quickly, considering the state you arrived in.” The doctor commented.

He spoke quietly with an eery sense of calmness but there was also an underlying sinister quality to his voice. He had one gloved hand that he held and caressed tenderly with his other one. “Why am I here?”

“If you think this is punishment for shooting your commanding officer, you’re incorrect. I actually think that shows quite a bit of initiative.”

Crosshair was taken aback for a moment. That was not the sentiment he was expecting. This doctor was not a typical Imperial. He said nothing and waited for him to elaborate.

“No. No, you are here because I intend to give you a clean slate.” The doctor explained. “And all you have to do in exchange is tell me how to find Clone Force 99. They’re in possession of something I need.”

Omega. It had to be the girl, but he needed to know for sure. “The kid.”

The doctor chuckled softly. “Very good.”

So, he was right. “You’re wasting your time. They’ll never turn her over.”

“They don’t have a choice. She is a clone and, therefore, Imperial property. Help me locate your former squad, and you will have your freedom.”

Freedom? As a clone in this galaxy? That didn’t feel likely, and he couldn’t give them up. That wasn’t who he was anymore. And besides, he had no idea of their location, let alone if they were all even alive. “I don’t know where they are.”

The doctor shook his head with a frown and nodded to one of the guards.

Crosshair tried to resist but he couldn’t stop the troopers from pushing him onto the bench and restraining him.

The doctor leaned down to the clone’s face. “But you know how they think, how they operate, contacts they’d reach out to. Surely you have something useful to share.”

“Wrong.” Crosshair sneered.

The doctor let out an aggravated sigh. “Let’s see if we can jog your memory.” He tightened the restraint that reached over the clone’s head. “Begin.”

Crosshair was helpless. He could only watch the interrogator droid whirr closer to him and stick the needle into his neck and the pain that followed was excruciating. He writhed against his restraints, but it did nothing to ease the pain.

“Doctor… one of our transport ships was attacked departing Balmorra. The prisoners aboard escaped.”

The doctor turned away from the clone to face his assistant. “Inform me when he’s ready to talk.” He left with the assistant- Dr Scalder- who had been on Tantiss before he’d arrived to deal with this matter.

--

“That’s enough.”

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been victim to the needle, but it wasn’t even a relief when the doctor’s assistant finally stopped the pain, it still radiated throughout his body. He couldn’t open his eyes it still hurt so much; he barely registered the restraint across his head coming undone. His eyes finally flickered open at the feeling of the guards getting ready to undo the other straps and he managed to notice one of the troopers had left his blaster unattended. Despite the pain he was feeling, he acted quickly and within seconds, both guards were dead, and the droid was destroyed, and he held the assistant at gunpoint as he focused on orienting himself once more.

“Take a breath. Think this through.” She cautioned with her hands raised in surrender.

“Release me.” Crosshair demanded; his voice still weary with agony.

She did as he asked and put in the code that opened the door. “You cannot make it out of this facility. Not in your condition.”

Crosshair panted with the effort it took to stand. “Give me your access card.”

“It won’t get you outside. But even if you do manage that, the hounds will find you within minutes. Don’t make this worse, Crosshair! There is no escape. Lower the blaster.”

He wasn’t looking to escape. He just needed to warn them. He set the blaster to stun and, once she was unconscious, took the access card from her belt and left the cell in search of the communications room.

--

He staggered down the corridors, his aim as he shot at any troopers in his path still skewed, but it didn’t need to be perfect, it just needed to be enough to get him to where he needed to be.

He entered the room and used the access card to take control over the controls. He got the satellite into position and began his transmission. He wasn’t sure how long he had before they realised what had happened.

“Plan 88.” He said with a pained grunt. “You have to hide. They’re after-” He didn’t get the chance to finish for the room sealed shut and a green gas cloud started to seep into the room. The effects were immediate- he started to cough, his vision blurred, and he felt lightheaded. He scrambled for his blaster, but he barely managed to get a hold of it before he collapsed to the ground. He was awake long enough to hear the door open and see the doctor come and stand over him.

The doctor inhaled deeply. “Hmm. Having trouble processing the toxin? It’s my own special formula. One I’ve built an immunity to. You, however, have not.”

Crosshair couldn’t speak. He was clinging on to consciousness. He’d hoped he’d done enough to warn them. This man was unlike anyone they’d ever come across before. The last thing he remembered before the darkness took him was being dragged out the room.

--

It had taken a while, but things in Pabu were nearly back to normal. Most of the repairs had been done and people were able to get their lives back on track once more. Routines had been established; new friendships made. Every day that you had spent here had made the idea of taking up residence more appealing, but it wasn’t something you could commit to just yet.

Right now, you and Hunter were helping Shep unload some supplies from the docks. You placed your box down and rolled to ease the tension in your shoulders. The sun was warm against your back, and you wiped away the small beads of sweat that had formed on your brow.

“This friend on your who’s stopping by, he’s another clone?” Shep asked.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. He’s not with the Empire.” Hunter reassured him.

“If you trust him, that’s enough for me.”

“The new fishing dock’s rebuilt and moored.” Wrecker announced before he dumped a giant fish on some of the cages. “And I’ve caught some dinner!”

“You’ve been busy.” You commented with a smile.

“You got that right.” Wrecker replied proudly before Lyana’s voice got his attention.

“Hey, Wrecker. Can we get your help? We’re fortifying the seawall.”

“You got it, boss.” Wrecker answered with an enthusiastic chortle before he set off.

“He’s become an integral part of this community. You all have.” Shep said warmly. “Any chance you’ve reconsidered staying permanently?”

You and Hunter shared a look.

“For soldiers, putting down roots is an occupational hazard.” Hunter replied.

“It’s never been the easiest thing to think about or do when you’ve lived the way we have for so long.” You added. The subject though had come up on more or less a nightly basis. You both were on the same page about wanting to but the question of were you allowed to do it always came up. This wasn’t something any of you were used to and it was surprisingly difficult to visualise.

“Well, is that all you two are? Soldiers?”

Before either of you could reply, the rapid whirr of an engine sounded overhead, and the Marauder came flying into view.

“More flying lessons?” Shep asked with a chuckle.

“Uh-huh. Tech’s got his hands full.” Hunter said with a laugh.

“Yeah, I sat in on the lesson yesterday and I’m still shaking the nausea.” You said, only half joking. “How long until Echo gets here?”

“Any minute now probably.” Hunter answered. Sure enough, another ship came into view on the horizon and Echo’s voice came through the comms.

“Race you to the landing zone?”

“You’re on!” Omega accepted the challenge and put the ship into high gear, paying little attention to Tech’s words of caution or his panicked yelp.

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see Tech’s face right now.” You said as you saw the ship speed after Echo’s.

“Right there with you.” Hunter agreed before the two of you made your way to go meet them.

--

Echo hadn’t changed too much since you’d seen him last, but he’d decided to get rid of his kama material- something you just had to tease him about, “Oh, be still my heart, he goes away for a few months, and this happens! Echo is flashing a bit of leg!” You pretended to swoon and fell back into Hunter who was already prepared to catch you.

“And hello to you too, (Y/N).” Echo said with a roll of his eyes as he walked down his ship’s steps.

Hunter pushed you back upright before he went over to Echo, their hands clasping in greeting.

“You weren’t kidding. This place is remote.” Echo said.

“That has its advantages.” Hunter replied.

“It’s good to see you, Echo.” You said happily as you took your turn and hugged him.

The three of you then turned in the direction of the Marauder that was coming in at a rather unsteady landing cycle.

“I’m surprised you’re not on Ord Mantell with Cid.” Echo said, the question of why you weren’t there lurking behind his words.

“We’ve been reevaluating things.” Hunter said.

You snorted as you saw the way Tech clutched his head and appeared quite wobbly on his feet, but you soon focused your eyes on the way the young girl leaped into Echo’s arms. That was another factor in your discussions with Hunter- Omega loved it here, it suited her perfectly. Sure, she was always able to be bright and cheerful, but it had been a long time since you’d all seen her this genuinely happy and it wasn’t just because Echo was visiting.

“We’ve missed you!” Omega said affectionately.

“It hasn’t been that long.” Echo replied lightly as he held her.

“Feels like it has.” Omega said as he put her back down before she stepped aside to let Tech through.

“You mentioned needing some assistance with data decryption.” Tech said by way of greeting.

Echo pulled out the data rod and handed it to his brother. “This is what’s left of the files I recovered from an Imperial shuttle. It was transporting clone prisoners, and we need to know where and why.”

You all let Tech get to work before you and Hunter took Echo on a quick tour of the island.

--

“Oh, nearly lost track of time. Sorry, boys, I gotta go meet my special someone.” You kissed Hunter on the cheek and patted Echo’s shoulder before you went off on your way, but Echo’s voice caused you to pause.

“Go where to meet who?” Echo asked, tone laced with confusion.

“She’s got a date.” Hunter explained nonchalantly without missing a beat.

“I’ve got a date.” You mirrored with a grin.

“Have I missed something?” Echo said, his still confused gaze flickering between the two of you.

You released a whimsical sigh and looked off into the distance. “Well, Echo, sometimes relationships can get a bit stale. You need a man with a bit more life experience to keep things interesting and who can tell you fascinating stories about his life and say you remind him of his beautiful wife from 30 years ago. And it just so happens I’ve found that man. It’s to be expected that things worked out this way really, Hunter doesn’t mind.”

“Translation?” Echo looked to Hunter.

“There’s an old man called Mr. Eenta she has evening tea with on a weekly basis.”

“Ahh got it.” Echo said with a slight smile.

“And I’m running late so I need to get going! I’ll keep my comm on, so I’ll know when Tech’s done!” With that, you waved goodbye and set off at a jog to go meet him.

“Glad to see you two are still happy and going strong.” Echo couldn’t help but comment as he saw the faint but fond smile that graced his brother’s face as he watched you go-he probably didn’t realise he was doing it.

“Can’t really see it ever not being that way.” Hunter agreed, his eyes still following your fading figure.

“Should hope so. You two spent so long pining after one another, you have no choice but to stay together.” Echo pointed out with a hearty slap on the back of Hunter’s shoulders.

Hunter huffed out a laugh before he focused his attention fully on Echo. “Come on, let’s grab a drink and we can catch up properly.”

--

Echo and Hunter walked and talked whilst waiting for word from Tech.

“You all plan to stay here indefinitely?” Echo asked.

“We haven’t decided yet.” Hunter replied as they both stopped to watch Wrecker playing with Lyana and Omega and all three of them seemed to be having the time of their lives and he knew Tech felt comfortable here. You also did sincerely enjoy your weekly chats with Mr. Eenta. You’d also told him you didn’t feel nearly as threatened or under scrutiny here- you still hadn’t revealed your secret but that was more out of concern for the safety of others here should the Empire show up rather than worrying what the people would do if you told them. And you had been right about him too, it was the most relaxed he’d felt in a long time. Keeping everyone safe felt easier here. “But, to be honest, it might be the best thing for us.” He paused for a moment since he’d realised that was the closest he’d gotten to making a decision about this place. “What about you? What have you been up to?”

“Rex and I have built up a small network of clones. Some are in hiding, underground. Others act as out contacts within the Empire.”

“Echo, you’ve seen the power you’re up against. You can’t defeat them.” Hunter couldn’t help but say.

“It’s not about that. it’s about fighting for our brothers.” Echo said passionately.

Hunter laid a hand on Echo’s shoulder to appease him. “I understand why you’re doing this…” He trailed off with a sigh before asking the question he’d been searching for the answer to with you every night, “… but when will it be enough?”

Before anything else could happen, Tech’s voice came through the comms.

“Hunter, I decrypted the data. You need to get back to the ship.”

--

“What’s going on?” You asked as you stepped onboard and joined the others.

Tech brought up the information. “The Imperial transport Echo hijacked was assigned to the Advanced Science Division.”

“Never heard of it.” Hunter said, crossing his arms.

“That is because it is a clandestine operation. There are no records on its location or its purpose. All I could find on it was the chief scientist in charge, Dr. Royce Hemlock.” Tech pulled up a slightly blurred image of the man. “An officer expelled from the Republic science corps due to his unauthorized and unorthodox experiments.”

“Why were they sending close prisoners to him?” Omega asked fretfully.

“I do not know, but it gets worse. Previous transfer records recovered from the ship’s logs list other clone prisoners detained by the Advanced Science Division. And Crosshair is one of them.” Tech finished; his voice laced with concern.

Crosshair? Your brow furrowed. Could whatever happened to him be the thing that you had sensed all those rotations ago?

“You mean Crosshair turned on the Empire?” Wrecker asked with hope in his voice.

“How sure are you about this?” Hunter asked Tech. He needed to stay grounded before he allowed any hope about his brother’s allegiance to seep in.

“Very.” Tech confirmed definitively. “After discovering his clone number on the transfer register, I checked our old comm channels and found a recent distress message sent from Crosshair’s old code.”

“What did it say?” You asked.

“Plan 88. The Seeker.”

“We are being targeted.” You murmured.

Tech nodded. “I believe he is warning us.”

“Or it’s a trap, like he’s set for us before.” Hunter countered.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. You couldn’t blame him for his scepticism and any other day you knew you’d be right there with him but something about this felt genuine.

“Well, how do we find out?” Wrecker said with a grunt.

--

He was back to being strapped down on the table, but he’d done what he’d needed to do. They could torture him all they wanted; he would not give them up.

“If your escape attempt didn’t clue you in, the only chance you have of leaving this facility is if I allow it.” Hemlock stepped towards the table. “Perhaps now you’d like to reconsider my offer.”

Crosshair said nothing.

“Why suffer more? All I need is the young clone. She means nothing to you.” Hemlock leaned down closer to the clone’s head. “Help me and you’ll have your freedom.”

Again, he said nothing. There was no freedom for someone like him anyway. Not anymore.

Hemlock breathed an exasperated sigh. “Increase his injection level this time.” He instructed his assistant before he peered back down at the clone. “Let’s see how long until you break.”

Crosshair couldn’t help the way the panic set in as the new interrogator droid whirred closer and then the agony swept through his body, but he would not break. He owed you all that much.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @fuckoffthanos, @tpwkcalli, @graciexmarvel, @arctrooper69, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @flyingkangaroo, @sunkissedclones, @ladytano420, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx, @dragonrider9905, @starwarsnerd111, @skellymom

[hugmekenobi]

S2: The Bad Batch (3)

Chapter Three: Undercover

Gif by @kamino-coruscant

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Some time has passed since everything that happened at Kamino and you and the Batch are trying to figure out your place in the rapidly changing Imperial galaxy. And you're having to do all this whilst figuring out where your relationship with Hunter fits into it.

Chapter Summary: A mission assigned to you by Cid sees you and Hunter make some grounds in your relationship.

Masterlist for S1

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Not a Crosshair episode (his later episodes will be covered though)! No show plot here, Cid being Cid, bad flirting/flirting to manipulate, having to deal with unwanted advances, mentions of drinking, swearing, suggestive dialogue, semi-public moment of PDA (kissing in an alleyway), mild panic attack description, unwelcomed pet names, welcomed pet names (honey), protectiveness from both these two, doubts and insecurities coming to the surface, Hunter gets a bit carried away (but is a respectful king and stops), angst, fluff and feelings, hurt/comfort, implied mention of Hunter's advanced senses, SMUT (heavy kissing, biting/marking, non explicit descriptions of handjobs and unprotected PinV (be safe in reality please), mentions of oral (f) receiving and fingering, teasing, Hunter doesn't know how to be vulnerable but reader takes care of him this time round, body and general worship)

Word Count: 6.9K

Author's notes: Okay it's here! Apologies for how long it took, I really did struggle with this one but I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you @keep-calm-and-drink-caf cause your advice was very helpful! And thank everyone for your patience! I am on holiday with the fam so Ch4 may be a bit of a longer wait to but I will try to find some sneaky writing time lol

Things were peaceful in Cid’s parlour. Cid had reluctantly let you guys have fewer missions since Tech was out of commission, but you could tell she was waiting for the day he made a full recovery, a day that Tech had assured the rest of you would be very soon. Echo and Wrecker were at the bar and your head rested on Hunter’s shoulder- a more comfortable feat since his armour was off- and the two of you watched Omega and Tech play a game of Dejarik. The peace was soon broken though by a recognisable voice.

“I got it!” Lyra announced as she came through the door, case in hand.

You lifted your head and looked quizzically over at her. “Got what? What are you doing here, Lyra? Not that I’m not happy to see you but…”

Lyra stopped short. “Cid didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Oh uh… I’m sorry, I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?”

“Your next mission. I’m tired of you lot just lazing around here. Time you made some cash.”

You all turned to face Cid as she came back into the main parlour from her office.

“Tech’s not-” Hunter started to say.

“He’s not essential. I’ve found a mission he can help with from here. It just relies on her.” Cid interrupted and she pointed at you.

“Me?” You replied, crossing your arms.

“I can come back…” Lyra said uneasily.

“No, we need that. I didn’t pay you for a social visit.” Cid said sharply.

Lyra walked over to you and handed you the case, an apologetic smile on her face.  

You opened the case and stared at the bundle of fabric, shoes, and jewellery with suspicion.  “What exactly am I supposed to be doing?” You lifted the dress out and your eyes widened.

“Cid, what is this mission?” Hunter asked warily.

“My client needs some intel on the… business activities of a man on the other side of the city. He’s having a party tonight and you’re the way in.” Cid said to you before she addressed the others. “You lot aren’t even needed. It’s easy money.”

“No.” Hunter replied instantly.

“Yeah, sorry, not really sold on that.” You said as you pushed the case away. “My social skills in that department aren’t exactly well developed.”

Cid just rolled her eyes. “All you need to do it get his attention and download his records. Clearly, you got some skill in that area.” She added snidely as she looked from you to Hunter.

You glared at her.

Cid raised her hands to pacify you. “Look, you got the gear right here and there are easy credits to be taken. Goggles can give you something, so he doesn’t even need to go. Right?” She directed her question to Tech.

“Technically… yes.” He replied reluctantly. He knew you well enough to tell you weren’t thrilled with the idea and the look on Hunter’s face also told him that he wasn’t either.

“Come on. I’d owe ya.” Cid pleaded. “You’d be doing us all a solid.”

You sighed heavily and ignored Hunter’s head shake. “Alright. Fine. Lyra, care to help me out with this get up?”

“You got it!” Lyra took the case from you and the two of you went into the back to change.

--

You shed your limited armour and got to work.

“I really am sorry about this. Cid just told me she needed you to look the part, she never mentioned the fact you didn’t know. I shouldn’t have assumed you did.” Lyra said as she kept her back turned.

“It’s classic Cid. She only told you what she deemed to be the necessary information. That often turns out to be manipulated truth or the bare minimum so don’t worry about it.” You appeased. You finished pulling on the dress. You glanced down and analysed your appearance. “Fuck me, Lyra. Exactly what part am I supposed to be playing?”

Lyra turned around and took you in. The floor length dark red fabric suited and fitted you perfectly and the slit was just high enough to grab attention but keep room for eager discovery.  “Okay, I know there was a bit of misinformation but damn I’m good at my job.”

“I want to catch his eye, not an STD.” You adjusted the straps self-consciously. It was a far cry from Jedi robes or civilian clothes and armour. You had seen the get up senators would don, and you were sure even they wouldn't go for something this bold.

“Well, I should hope actually sleeping with him is off the table. Plus, looking good isn’t an open invitation.”

You heaved an irritated sigh. “I know that and of course sleeping with him isn’t going to happen, but that’s not the point. No doesn’t always mean no to some people.” You said gravely as you passed her the necklace.

“It’s a good thing you know a thing or two about fighting then.” Lyra provided by way of comfort as she clasped it. “Plus, there’s no way your man is going to let anything happen to you if it gets bad.”

Her words, in a strange way, did reassure you. You knew you could handle yourself, regardless of the situation and yes, there would be no way Hunter would let you go it alone on this sort of mission, but you hadn’t realised that would be such an obvious conclusion for an outsider. “What makes you think he’s coming with me?”

Lyra just paused what she was doing and gave you a look that screamed ‘seriously?’

You half smiled. You figured the two of you weren’t as subtle as you thought when you were in the more public domain. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You look the part. Embrace the role and you’ll be just fine.”

“This just isn’t something I’m used to.” You mumbled as you continued to fiddle with the fabric.

“Didn’t you ever have to attend any balls or play dress up as a kid?” She asked as she batted your hands away.

“It was never on the cards for me.” You muttered. You still hadn’t told her the full extent of your past and you intended to keep it that way. For her sake more than anything.

“Hmm well that’s unfortunate cause you’d fit right in. Final touch.” Lyra added as she handed you a small bag. She looked you up and down. “Anyone who doesn’t do a double take when they see you is an idiot. This is going to be your easiest mission yet.”

“I can only hope.” You muttered as you made your way back out.

“Your sergeant is going to struggle to control himself.” Lyra teased as she followed you.

“Shut up.”

--

“Oh wow! You look really pretty!” Omega exclaimed as she tore her gaze away from the Dejarik board.

Hunter, who had replaced Tech for the next match, turned around at her words and he practically gulped. Pretty was an understatement. You damn near took his breath away and he couldn’t find the words to express how beautiful you looked.

Wrecker sent a playful wolf whistle in your direction, giving you an encouraging smile and thumbs up as you looked over at him.

Echo nodded his head in casual agreement at the sentiments expressed already.

“Thank you.” You said, a tad bashfully before you wandered over to where Tech was sitting. “What do you have for me, Tech?”

“Here.” Tech said, not looking up from his datapad as he handed you the drive.

“Thanks.” You walked back over to stand by Lyra.

“What do ya think Sergeant?” Lyra called over to Hunter.

You’d been avoiding his stare for a reason but now you couldn’t help but look over to him as you heard Lyra address him. Your breath caught in your throat as you saw the way Hunter was staring at you and suddenly this mission seemed very low on the priority list and finding a private space became your brain’s main focus.

Hunter cleared his throat. “You’re perfect.” The quiet awe infused utterance was all he could manage because anything else would be inappropriate for general audiences.

“Told you.” Lyra whispered as she nudged your arm. The guy was staring at you like he was willing to get on his knees and worship you the second you gave the word.

You were too entranced by his gaze to pay her words any real attention.

“Good luck.” Lyra said as a farewell.

“Thanks for your help, Lyra.” You said distantly as you registered her leave your side, but your eyes never left Hunter’s.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re wearing a dress, big whoop. Can we get to the important part?” Cid said impatiently before she brought up a hologram.

Cid’s bluntness gave you the required shock you needed to focus on the task at hand. “Who’s the target?” You asked as you crossed your arms and stared at the image of the man.

“His name is Taryn Franco. He’s in the spice smuggling business and is doing remarkably well despite the Imperial presence in the regular smuggling channels. Your job is to find out how he’s manging to do so well.” Cid directed as she brought up a map of the location.

“You want me to get his shipping routes?” You clarified as you studied the map. It really couldn’t be that simple. 

“Yup. Told you it was an easy job.”

“I’m waiting for the catch.”

“The catch is you gotta make him notice you, other than that, the only thing you need to do is a bit of downloading.”

“Once you get a visual on the records, insert that drive and you’ll have the necessary information in two minutes.” Tech added.

“Got it.” You replied as you slipped the datastick into your bag. “How are we getting in? I’m assuming we’re not on the guest list.”

“You’ll have to figure that one out.” Cid said frankly.

You huffed out an irritated sigh. “An easy job would mean we had a way in in the first place.” You griped.

“Be resourceful, it’s not my problem. You better get going.” Cid said dismissively.

“Be safe!” Omega said as she gave you a hug goodbye.

Tech, Echo, and Wrecker waved you off, echoing Lyra’s message of good luck.

You didn’t even need to ask him. As soon as you walked away from Cid, Hunter stood up and followed you out the door and together the two of you made your way to the Marauder, the tension between you palpable and ready to snap at any moment. You just needed to keep it together for a little while longer.

--

“We can pretend I’m your guard as you look for the target. That way I can keep a look out.” Hunter said as you both walked down the ramp of the ship and moved towards the building all lit up and the one that had music blaring from the door and windows.

You grabbed his wrist and tugged him into a nearby alley. “You can’t come in with me.”

“Why not?” Hunter asked with a frown.

“Because the way you’re looking at me right now is making me want to ditch this whole thing and go back to the ship.” You said as you let out a shaky breath.

Hunter really didn’t see the issue with that. He knew you both weren’t enthusiastic about this. “Let’s go then.” He uttered as his hand traced the slit of your dress.

“Hunter.” You chastised as you pushed his hand away. You were having to use a considerable amount of self-restraint. It would be so easy to just blow this whole thing off and Hunter was making it a very tempting idea. He somehow looked even better without his armour on tonight. “Cid’ll kill us, and we need the money. I’ll be quick. In and out, there won’t be trouble but if you enter with me, that’ll make my job ten times harder because it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out our feelings towards each other.”

Hunter nodded in tentative agreement. He knew he would struggle to see you in this environment, and he knew you were right, but he wasn’t going to let you go it alone. He’d go insane. “Okay, I’ll leave you to it, but I’ll come in after you and keep my distance. You need someone to watch your back. ‘No trouble’ isn’t exactly how our missions tend to go.” He offered as a compromise.

“Fine.” You agreed. “I’ll deal with the bouncer to get us in, so we better get moving. Sooner we’re in, the sooner we can leave. And then we can have some time to ourselves.” You added with a sly grin as you nudged past him.

Hunter caught the top of your arm. “If you take less than 30 minutes, I’ll finally let you use the scarf.” He whispered, his lips ghosting behind the shell of your ear.

The tension chord had well and truly snapped. You released a heavy breath. You don’t play fair. With that, you turned your head and kissed him, and you both groaned in relief.

Hunter was quick to assert his dominance as he pushed you against the wall, his hand coming to rest behind your head so as to protect it before he moved it to your waist. Your appreciative moan only helped him deepen the kiss.  

The kiss was desperate, each of you hungry for more but you both were just about resisting the urge to give into what your bodies really wanted to do but the longer the two of you kissed, the harder it got to defy.

It was your hands that betrayed you first. Yours had started to wander down Hunter’s chest whilst the other tangled itself in his hair. His had stayed on your waist and the other had slipped under the fabric and had started to caress the inside of your thigh and was steadily moving upward. So, you really had to pull back before you did get too carried away.

You both let out disgruntled sighs as you broke the kiss first.

“I am going to get that information so fast.” You replied breathlessly as Hunter let you go. You knew that moment was a bad idea as it only served to rile you up more, but you really couldn’t help yourself. You smoothed your dress down to regain your composure.

Hunter focused on getting his breathing under control. “Be careful. I’ll see you in there.”

--

“Invitation?” The bouncer asked as he held his hand out as you approached.

You channelled the Force and covertly waved your hand. “You don’t need to see my invitation.”

“I don’t need to see your invitation.” He replied, his voice distant.

“Me and the man that’ll come after me can enter without one.”

“You and the man that’ll come after you can enter without one.” He replied faintly.

You opened the door. You’re good to go, Sarge. With that, you stepped inside where the sound of music and people’s voices talking over it greeted you.

Hunter made to move once he got confirmation from you that he was in the clear.

“Have a good evening, sir.” The guard said with a nod.

Hunter didn’t reply, he just wandered in and set about finding you.

--

Maker it was loud in here. And hot. And it reeked of sweat. Hunter thought as he pushed his way past people in his search for you. He was very uncomfortable, everything was too loud, including his own heartbeat, and he knew his breathing was growing unsteady. He found a slightly quieter corner and he took some calming breaths as he scanned the area for you.

--

It hadn’t taken you long to find to find your host. He was at the bar eye-fucking anyone that walked past. Before you could make your move, you sensed Hunter’s Force signature, but it was filled with stress and anxiety. You projected your own calm onto him. Honey, listen to me. I know it’s loud and I know it’s crowded but focus on your breathing, focus on my voice. Breathe in and count to 5 and breath out and count to 5. We’ll be out of here soon. If you need to leave, you can, I’ll find you when I’m done. You had to fight the urge to go find him and you wished with all your heart that you could comfort him properly, but this was the best you could manage.

You made yourself focus on the job at hand and swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise in your throat at the thought of having to interact with Taryn, but you knew it needed to be done. You straightened your back and channelled an alternate version of yourself that would be able to succeed at this.

You slid into the space next to Taryn and pretended to analyse the choices behind the bar. When you felt his eyes on you, you turned to face him. “So many choices, care to help a girl out? You look like a man who knows a good drink.” You simpered.

Taryn looked you up and down and he liked what he saw. “You got a good eye, doll. Stick with me tonight and I’ll make sure you get only the best. Both in drink, and in company.”

The look he’d given you was the same one he’d been giving everyone else tonight and you very nearly left right then and there but you needed the credits. You forced yourself to lay a hand on his arm. “How could I refuse such an offer?”

He shouted an order over to the droid behind the bar. He handed you a drink and held his own glass up and took a hold of your hip and tugged you closer to him. “Cheers, baby.”

Biting back your grimace, you gave him a fake smile and clinked your glass with his. This would definitely be unpleasant, but it would be very easy to get what you wanted.

--

Hunter released a deep breath. Your words had helped him calm down and he was ready to wait it out but now he was having to keep it together for different reasons. He had spotted you at the bar and had to witness Taryn’s hand crawling all over your thigh, squeezing it and tracing a path from your knee right up the slit of the dress and Hunter knew you and your body well enough to tell that, despite your apparent enthusiasm, you were hating every touch. He only hoped you didn’t have to put up with it for much longer. In addition to this, Taryn kept having people come over to talk to him and each one gave you an admiring stare and would start chatting to you too and you made talking to them look so easy. If he didn’t know you as well as he did, he would’ve assumed you were a regular here.

--

All the interruptions had been driving you crazy. You needed to get this done before someone else came over and you had to feign interest in their seedy business activities and entertain their creepy flirtations. You waved off the newest arrival before you turned your attention back to Taryn. “So, I keep hearing from you and all these people about how well you’re doing, and I must say it’s very impressive. From what I’ve heard, the Empire has been making people’s operations quite difficult. How are you managing to avoid them?” You asked, fake in your admiring tone.

“Well, when you know the right people and have a great business brain like mine, it’s very easy.” He boasted.

“Hmm handsome and smart. How’d I get so lucky?” You flirted.

“Wearing a dress like that certainly helps.”

You resisted the very strong urge to roll your eyes in disgust. “So, can I see how that business brain of yours operates? I’d sure love a peek of your records.”

Taryn shot you a quizzical look. “Why would you want to see my transactions?”

You had to think quickly so you went for the reason you figured would make him forget any lingering questions in his head. “It really gets me going.” You murmured in his ear whilst your hand toyed with the lapel of his jacket. You hated yourself for it, but you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade much longer.

“Say no more, babydoll.” He downed his drink and grabbed your hand and led you to his back office.

--

To say you were underwhelmed by what you saw would be an understatement. All he did was bribe certain Imperial officials and put his shipments out on the days they were on shift.

“How’s that for a turn on?” He said, mouthing at you neck whilst his hands started to pull your dress up.

You cringed away from his touch. “Before we do that, can you get me another drink?”

You saw the flash of annoyance on his face, and you figured he wasn’t used to people refusing his advances all that often, but you needed him out. “I’ll make it worth your while.” You murmured, batting your eyelashes.

Taryn practically sprinted out the room.

You wiped your neck in revulsion and got to work. “Great business brain my ass.” You said to yourself as you inserted the drive, and it began its download.

--

You managed to get out without being spotted by Taryn and you found Hunter in no time.

“You okay?” Hunter asked instantly, breathing in relief as he saw you in front of him once more.

“Feeling gross but I got the information and yeah, I’m okay. Are you?” You asked.

“He didn’t force-”

“No, I dealt with any attempt, and he didn’t get far.” You replied quickly, not wanting to even let his mind wander down that path. “Are you okay?” You asked again.

“Yeah, I got better after hearing you.”

“I’m sorry about this whole thing. I know it wasn’t easy on you.”

“Or you.” Hunter added. “You were put in an uncomfortable situation and did what you had to do. You were looking out for the squad by doing this. You don’t have to apologise for that. I’m just sorry this was the kinda job you were handed, it wasn’t fair.”

You gave him a grateful smile. “Wanna get out of here?”

Hunter nodded, but he wasn’t able to shake the voice in his head that was bringing up every illogical doubt as weaved his hand in yours and together, you snuck out the party and headed back to the ship.

--

You had scarcely boarded the Marauder when Hunter backed you into the wall of the hallway and began to kiss you. You dropped your bag that contained the stolen information and let out a surprised gasped which he used as a chance to intensify it. You were lightheaded when he pulled away, but he didn’t give you a chance to recover since he lifted your thigh and slotted himself in between your legs and started to kiss along your jaw and neck.

He breathed you in but the things that made you you weren’t there anymore. They were tainted with something wrong and unfamiliar, and he couldn’t stand it.

The way he nipped at your jaw and neck stung and his grip on you was sore and not the pleasurable kind. It told you there was more to this than simple possessiveness. Something was bothering him. The atmosphere between you now was different to how it was before you had entered the party. “Hunter, stop for a minute.” You said through a gasp as his fingers dug into your thigh in a way that was sure to leave bruises- and not the good kind- if he continued to do it.

Hunter stopped immediately and pulled away from you. Seeing the concern in your eyes snapped him out of whatever mood he was in. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t.” You reassured him quickly. “But what’s going on? That was… different. You don’t usually get like that.”

“I know, I know. I’m so sorry.” He went to step away from you.

You assumed things had gone too far with Taryn. You grabbed his hand and tugged him back towards you. “He wasn’t going to get far. He doesn’t even hold a candle to you. I didn’t mean the things I said to him. I don’t understand-”

“It wasn’t just him.” Hunter interrupted quietly as his hand fell to your waist.

“What are you talking about?” You asked softly, running your hand through the hair at the nape of his neck to comfort him.

“Everyone there was looking at you. Everyone. And you fit there. You looked like you belonged. Not with criminals.” He clarified hastily as he saw your brow furrow. “But with people that have something to offer that isn’t just scraping by from one job to the next. And I think it all got too much. You- You could have anyone you wanted. You could have a life for yourself and instead you chose this. You chose us. You chose me. I guess… I guess I just struggle sometimes believing you’re still here. But it’s nothing you’ve done; I just can’t get the voice in my head to shut up and it’s not your fault or your issue. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you like that.” He turned away from you.

Your heart went out to him. You knew it would have taken a lot for him to admit that. So often he was a sergeant first and person with real emotions second. He rarely let his guard down like this. Clearly, your conversation after the last mission didn’t soothe all the insecurities that had built. You knew Crosshair leaving would have left scars, but you didn’t think they ran this deep. You cupped the side of his face and caressed your thumb across his cheekbone. “Well, I’m glad I seem to possess such an acting talent because I was fighting every instinct to not show my disgust at the people there.” You said lightly before you continued in a more serious tone. “Hunter, I am with you 100%, I don’t even think about what my life would be like if I didn’t meet you guys or if I didn’t fall in love with you because it gets too upsetting.” You pulled him in for a hug and held him close. “People leaving doesn’t mean you failed or missed something, sometimes people make decisions that hurt but the great thing about choice is that it can also leave room for future change, you just have to be patient.” You soothed.

He knew what you were saying about yourself was true and he could only hope that what you were saying about his brother was also true. “I love you.” Hunter murmured into your neck. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. I love you too and that’s not going to change.”

Hunter met your eyes once more.

You placed a delicate kiss on to his lips before you pulled away and rubbed your thumb tenderly across his jaw. “Now, to shut that voice up, here’s what we’re going to do.”

Hunter tilted his head at you.

“First, I’m going to take a shower which you are going to join me for.” You crooned as you pushed back part of the scarf and gently bit the skin by his pulse point and sucked a bruise into the skin.

Hunter stifled his groan but his hold on you tightened.

“Then...” You kissed along his jaw, pausing before you reached his lips. “I’m going to both show and tell you all the things that make me happy that I get to call you mine.” You whispered before you kissed him. It lasted for a few minutes before you broke away for air.

“Sounds good to me.” Hunter rasped as he got his breath back.

You smiled at him and began the process of undressing him, a task you took great pleasure and care in before you slipped off your dress and the two of you made your way to the refresher.

--

It wasn’t a completely innocent shower, he still had to work his emotions out, but he was back to his usual self in that regard, and it wasn’t lost on you that the marks he’d left on your thighs and neck were in the places that Taryn had touched you. When he’d used his mouth and his fingers to bring you that sweet release, not once but twice, you’d decided to wrap things up in there. You cleaned each other up and after you turned off the water, you grabbed his hand and led him out the refresher. You didn’t bother to dry off and neither did he. You tenderly pushed him down onto your bunk, so he was sitting but you made no move to follow just yet. Instead, you took him in, and the way he looked had you weak at the knees. Droplets of water were scattered across his tanned skin that were just begging to be kissed away, and his dark hair fell flawlessly around his face and the necklace you had given him sat just past his collarbone. “You’re the one who’s perfect.” You said, your voice barely above a whisper.

Hunter swallowed heavily. “Well, genetics had a helping hand.” He kidded awkwardly as he felt himself growing warm under the intensity of your stare and your words didn’t help. In these particular situations, it was usually him who was the attention giver. This was a new, more vulnerable position for him to be in and it wasn’t one he was used to. But he trusted you and that’s what really mattered here. He reached for you.

Sensing some unease, you let him pull you onto his lap. Your hands found his shoulders whilst his cradled the side of your neck and your waist. You brought your lips, so they were mere inches from his. “Do you know you only have to walk into a room, and I’m left thinking when I’ll have the next chance to be alone with you?”

A low groan left Hunter’s throat and he made the decision to close the remaining distance between you.

Your hands moved to tangle themselves in his damp locks and your slick bodies and lips moved together in perfect sync, the passion and intensity between you never faltered. You only removed yourself to get air, but you didn’t leave him wanting. You pulled on his hair slightly, so his head fell back and more of his neck was exposed to you.

“You did take less than 30 minutes today…” Hunter managed to choke out as you licked away the water on the side of his neck and nipped at the skin.

You smirked to yourself and trailed your lips softly across his collarbone. “Someone’s eager. I’m reserving that for a later date. I told you; we’re doing things differently tonight.” With that, you nudged him to lie on his back and you reached your hand between you. Your mouth hovered above his and you savoured the short, sharp breaths that left him at your ministrations. Focus on my voice. Focus on my touch. Nothing else matters. It’s just you and me. You need me to stop, tell me and I will, okay?

Hunter nodded.

So as things weren’t going to be over before you had said all you needed to, you were ensuring that your movements were enough to satisfy any longing he was experiencing, but it wasn’t enough to fully satisfy him yet. His mildly frustrated grunts and the way his hips were trying to buck into your touch told you though that he wasn’t quite getting the patience memo yet. You pressed your mouth against his. “Ssshh.” You ordered softly. “I got you.”

Hunter looked into your eyes, and he saw something in them that he knew was reflected in his every time he looked at you. The loving way you were looking at him had something so pure and unfiltered behind it. He took a deep breath and relaxed under your touch.

When you felt the tension leave his body, you began. You kissed his untattooed cheek and kept your voice low but there was no hiding the sincere way you spoke to him now. “I love how you look out for us and how protective you are.”

You nudged his nose with yours and kissed the bridge of it. “I love how kind and caring you are.”

“I love how you are with Omega.” You kissed his other cheek.

“I love when you let yourself be vulnerable and that wall comes down.” You kissed behind his ear.

“I love watching you track. I love how you capable you are.” You kissed right by his hairline.

“Your hair not only looks beautiful on you, but I love how you let me pull on it when you’re making me see stars and I need to be grounded.” You didn’t miss the deep groan that left him when you used your free hand to tug on it so you could leave more marks on the other side of his neck that had been without your attention since this had started.

You found his mouth once more and kissed him deeply, lovingly. I love that you know what to say to reassure me. You continued to kiss him, upping the intensity as you did so. An act you knew he appreciated due to the way he cradled the side of your jaw. You let him have a moment of control as he licked into your mouth, drawing a small moan from you. Plus, you know exactly how to drive me wild. You included and you grinned against his mouth as you pulled away slightly to allow you both to breathe. You started to pay his jawbone some care. You laid soft kisses along it.

Slowly but surely, Hunter was starting to forget the outside world for a while. You were being so affectionate and loving and he found himself believing all you were saying. That usual voice that would tell him he was failing, or he was losing you was starting to fade into the background. He caressed your sides and continued to do what you had said at the beginning. You were what he was focusing on now.

You started to kiss your way down his chest, gently biting and sucking the skin and your hand skimmed over the necklace that sat there perfectly. I love how good this looks on you and it means so much to me that you wear it and I love you for it.

Your hand trailed up and down his arm. “I love how secure I feel in these arms when they hold me. Or when you show off how strong you are.” You added playfully before you brought his hand to your mouth and traced your mouth across his wrist before you kissed his palm. “I love how these hands play with a vibroblade. And how talented they are in… other areas.” You teased and you increased the pace of the hand that was between you, relishing in the pleasurable sigh that left Hunter’s mouth.

Hunter knew he was reaching that point of blissful ecstasy. You had driven him crazy but in the best possible way, however, this wasn’t how he wanted things to end. “W-wait.” Hunter said hastily as he grabbed your wrist to stop you.

You tilted your head at him.

“I need-” He swallowed thickly. “I need to feel you.”

You gave him a warm smile and brought your mouth against his. “And what exactly do you want to feel?” You murmured against his lips.

You left him chasing your mouth and instead took his hand once more and brought his finger to your mouth and sucked, emitting a seductive moan as you did so, and your teeth grazed the tip of his finger. “Do you want my mouth?”

“Shit.” Hunter gasped.

“Or is there something else…” You trailed off and ground against him.

A strangled groan left Hunter’s mouth. “Pl-please.” He rasped.

“Please what, Sergeant?” You said alluringly, not letting up on the slow, steady grind of your hips. You kissed him and tugged his bottom lip between your teeth.

“Fucking hell.” He said through clenched teeth, his head fell back down onto the pillow. “I need- I need to be inside you.” He said, knowing he somehow sounded shy, but he was so desperate for you that he didn’t care.

Finding his demeanour rather endearing and as a sign that you’d done your job, his mind didn’t seem as preoccupied anymore and having pushed him far enough and not really wanting to leave him wanting, you lifted your hips. You quieted his groans with your kiss as you started to move with both of your breathing quickly becoming irregular. Force you feel perfect.

Hunter couldn’t help the noises that were leaving him. You looked positively ethereal, he couldn’t take his eyes off you, and you felt incredible. Your words and comfort had helped to ground him, and he knew he was so lucky to have you. He drank in the pleasurable sighs that were coming from you and they were tipping him over that edge.

You had teased him long enough and you could tell he was close by the low moans that left his throat and the way his hold on your hips had tightened that but that wasn’t a problem. Your priority now was his pleasure. His release. And you did everything you could to get him there. You kissed him. You nibbled his earlobe and his pulse point. “I love you, Hunter.” You whispered breathlessly and then you felt him fall apart beneath you. You worked him through it, and it was only when he lightly tapped your hip that you stopped.

You planted light, sweet kisses along his neck and jaw and admired the many love bites you had left in your wake. Still with me, Sarge?

Hunter struggled to find any words. You had made him seen stars and he was still coming back down from the surreal experience you had just provided him, but he was aware enough to know you weren’t taken care of yet, something he was not used to. “You didn’t-”

You stroked the shorter strands on his hair back to silence him as you laid down next to him. “I did. Twice. Right in that shower if you remember. This was about you.”

Hunter let out a disgruntled grunt but accepted it as he kissed your brow. “I love you too.”

“How’s that voice?” You asked quietly as you tossed a leg over his hip so as to get even closer to him.

“What voice?” Hunter whispered in reply as he rested his head on top of yours.

You hummed out a laugh and closed your eyes.

In all the peace, you both had forgotten about the group of people waiting on your return. Your abandoned comms chirped and then Echo’s voice filled the empty space. “(Y/N), Hunter, it’s been a while. What’s your status?”

You and Hunter both groaned but smiled at each other as you sat up.

You reached down and grabbed your comm. “Sorry, Echo. Took a bit longer than expected. We got the data and we’re heading back now.”

“Copy that.” He signed off.

“Kinda forgot the whole point of why we were here in the first place.” Hunter said lightly as he kissed the top of your shoulder.

“I mean, that was the idea.” You said with a coy smile as you angled yourself to face him. “We better get going.” You kissed him quickly once more before you grabbed your dress and slipped it back on with Hunter following close behind.

“If you don’t want any brotherly teasing or awkwardness, you’re uh, going to need to wear this before we get back.” Hunter said apologetically as he examined the marks he’d left on your neck. He hadn’t been too careful about his placements this time around.

You tutted playfully at him as you took his scarf from him and wrapped it around you. “Better?”

 “You make anything look good.” Hunter said by way of reply.

You grinned at him. “Let’s this ship in the air.” You started to walk to the cockpit.

“Hey, (Y/N).”

You turned back around to face him.

“Thank you. For all of it. I- I try so hard to be in control and keep it together. It was nice to not be for a change.”

You made your way back towards him and wrapped your arms around him, sighing happily when he held you tightly against his chest.

“We’re getting the hang of this relationship thing.” You said jokingly before you angled yourself to look at him. “You can share the load, Hunter. You’re not alone.” You said, your tone more serious.

“I know.” Hunter agreed, really believing it this time.

--

As the ship made its way back, Hunter felt a true sense of calm that he hadn’t felt in a while. There would still be uncertainties and he still had his squad to look after but one thing was now certain in his mind: you were it for him. He could face the unpredictable galaxy and protect what he loved with you by his side. He wouldn’t let that doubt creep in and take over like that again. He had you. He had his squad. That wouldn’t change. It couldn’t change. He wouldn’t let it.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @tpwkcalli, @fuckoffthanos, @arctrooper69, @graciexmarvel, @flyingkangaroo, @nightmonkeysstuff, @brujaporfavor, @a-streakofazure, @ladytano420, @dragonrider9905, @keep-calm-and-drink-caf, @yyourmotherr, @xxeiraxx