#tbb rewrite

[zealfruity]

dyou think he shaves his head every morning

[writingforfun7567]

Bad Batch Fanfic Our Love

Chapter 5–Sanctuary

Chapter Index

Summary—Crosshair’s trauma is still evident while Omega experiences her first panic attack in front of her siblings. The sniper is assigned to Ryloth while CF99 rendezvous with Rex, Echo and Kix on the safe haven of Alderaan.

Warnings—Trauma episode, POV changes, OCs.

Words: 8,648

Crosshair’s POV

As my ship travels through hyperspace, I think on the orders I had given to my squad while I was gone.

“Once I return, you are to destroy the power supply and wipe the data banks after transferring everything. Do you understand?” I had asked.

“Yes sir,” the squad all responded. I had a feeling I’d need some sort of insurance if I was going to actually go off planet for…personal reasons.

3rd POV

Crosshair’s shuttle drops out of hyperspace. The sniper returns just outside of Ankus’ atmosphere and his shuttle scans an approaching vessel. It’s the rest of his new squad. They attach vessels and the sniper opens the door to let them on. Crosshair let’s the attached ship go and plots the coordinates for Kamino as the rest of his squad mates walk into the cock pit with the sniper.

“Sir,” ES-03 walks up to Crosshair. He looks at the trooper.

“We wiped everything like you said and destroyed the power supply. No one can use the base now,” ES-03 and hands Crosshair a data rod.

“Everything?” Crosshair asks, just to make sure.

“Yes sir,” the trooper responds and Crosshair nods approvingly before motioning to sit. Wordlessly, the trooper sits down and the others follow while Crosshair powers up the hyperdrive. The stars look like streaks of light as the ship zips into hyperspace, heading back to Kamino.

As the ship travels through the hyperspace tunnel of swirling blue light, Crosshair listens to the chatter between the troopers. Mostly casual but none of them make an attempt to include him. Why would they? He killed ES-01 on Onderon before killing all those innocent people. The insurgents…the civilians. The others don’t understand. Crosshair notices that despite the visual similarities between their armor and clone armor, they are nothing like clones. There could be millions but none of them would ever understand what it’s like to be a clone. Crosshair’s time with Cody proved that. These new troopers didn’t understand the Kaminoans like the clones did. Not that Crosshair particularly cared about his new squad, but to be seen as useful to the Empire, Crosshair has to make this partnership work and he was certain that he wouldn’t get a another chance.

The sniper’s thoughts wander to Commander Cody. He said he was going to find his General. The last lead Cody had was the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Crosshair growls instinctively at the thought. There was no point in going to the Jedi Temple. But Cody wasn’t a ‘shiny’. And Crosshair has his personal comm channel just in case. Crosshair feels a pulse of pain and scrunches his nose as his hand instinctively comes up to his head.

Crosshair’s POV

Permanent damage, Cody had said. And none of this would’ve happened if only Hunter had listened. But…it doesn’t matter now. I know the truth. I tried to help Hunter and how did he repay me? By leaving me behind on Kamino. He didn’t even know what Nala Se had done to me that day in the hangar.

“You really think we’ll leave Kamino?” I remember asking Hunter years ago, when we were cadets.

“We’ll leave and never come back,” Hunter had told me, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

“Promise?”

“I promise,”

I shake my head at the memory. Liar. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I immediately jerk away, glaring through my helmet. ES-03 pauses and looks at me before I see the hand that touched me drop.

“What?” I snarl. ES-03 points and that’s when I hear a warning beeping noise. I must’ve been so absorbed in my thoughts I didn’t hear it.

“Sir, we’re approaching an asteroid field,” ES-03 says. I shut off the warning and I feel the ship lurch out of hyperspace. I see a huge expanse of floating rocks blocking the way. I hadn’t been excellent, but with Tech’s instruction, I learned a decent amount of flying during our training. I swerve my way in, dodging and weaving through. I put up the front shields at max power as we fly through.

I manage to fly through the asteroids successfully. The shields are down to 72% but otherwise, alright. The coordinates for Kamino are still in the nav computer and I let the ship’s autopilot take over. In no time at all, the ship arrives back on the stormy water world of Kamino. I’m struggling to see through the gray clouds, the rain and lighting but luckily I get the ship back to a hangar at Tipoca City.

The ship lands and my squad walks out first. I watch as the squad goes back to the barracks and I think about Cody. Cody hadn’t known about the inhibitor chips when I told him about them but part of me wonders if the chips were only for Order 66 and any orders after would be easier to question. I could’ve fought it had Nala Se not kidnapped and tortured me. She took out the chip but I can feel its effects. And I wouldn’t have gone through that if only Hunter had listened.

3rd POV

Crosshair and his squad are not needed so they head back to their barracks.

Meanwhile, in Lama Su’s office…

Nala Se has been summoned by the Prime Minister. The chief scientist walks in and is surprised to also see Governor Tarkin.

“Have a seat Mistress Se,” Lama Su tells her. Nala Se and Tarkin make eye contact as she moves to sit in the chair opposite him.

“Thank you for arriving so quickly. As you know, I am here to assess the value of all clones for the Empire. However, Emperor Palpatine has expressed that even though the clones of the army are of little to no value to him, the cloning technology is priceless,” Tarkin says. Nala Se blinks. It’s true the Kaminoan cloning technology is well-known throughout the galaxy, but that’s because everyone knows there’s more than one way to make a clone. The quality of Kaminoan clones is unlike any other.

“We offer our standard fee that we offered the Republic-“ Lama Su says.

“You misunderstand. We do not wish to place an order,” Tarkin says.

“Emperor Palpatine wants to use Kamino as a base of operations for his personal project,” Tarkin says. At first, Lama Su doesn’t reply, instead, he looks to Nala Se.

Even though they had commissioned the clone army for Palpatine, the Kaminoans are a neutral planet. Much like the Banking Clan, the Kaminoans claim no allegiance to anyone but themselves and accept orders from all over. However, both Lama Su and Nala Se were well aware of the Emperor’s true intentions.

Nala Se gives Lama Su a small nod before turning to Tarkin.

“I would be honored to work for Emperor Palpatine on his personal project. To make sure I am the right candidate for the job, I would like to learn more,” Nala Se says and Tarkin smiles.

“I’m happy to hear that, though I’m afraid that all I’m able to tell you is that Project Necromancer is classified to most except those with special clearance, which I’m afraid your Prime Minister does not have,” Tarkin glances at Lama Su.

“I must object Governor Tarkin. I have to approve and oversee every project Mistress Se works on,” Lama Su argues gently.

“Oh do not fret, we will keep you updated, however, the finer, specific details remain classified,” Tarkin assures the Prime Minister.

“Since we do have other contracts, we would suggest using a separate facility, one equipped for this classified project,” Lama Su says.

“The Emperor agrees and is already constructing many of his own personal facilities equipped with state of the art technology. However, he has already started working on Project Necromancer. We can certainly give you time to prepare but Emperor Palpatine has scheduled a visit within the rotation,” Tarkin explains.

“Very well. We will expect his arrival then,” Lama Su responds.

“Good. I believe that concludes my business with you. I will be in touch with the Emperor shortly,” Tarkin says, standing up.

“Prime Minister…Mistress Se,” Tarkin addresses them before walking out, leaving the Kaminoans alone.

“Until we learn of Emperor Palpatine’s true intentions, say nothing. We should be cautious,” Lama Su tells Nala Se, who hums in agreement.

Crosshair’s POV

As my squad exits the hangar, I see Admiral Rampart approach them. They will tell him everything no doubt. But Rampart is just another small ‘cog in the machine’ as Tech would say. My loyalties should be with those in actual power like Governor Tarkin. I’m sure I will be speaking to him in no time. I sigh quietly before taking my helmet off. Luckily my headache has disappeared.

“Hey! Crosshair!” I hear a somewhat familiar voice call out to me. I turn and see Crys and Trapper, the 212th troopers that I met in the mess hall after meeting Saw. They were the ones that told me about Cody and where to find him.

They have their helmets on but casually remove them as they approach.

“Glad to see you,” Crys greets and it takes me a moment at first. I’ve never been greeted like that by someone outside CF99 before, except from Cody and 99 of course.

“Did you find the Commander?” Trapper asks me. I nod.

“I did. He was injured but on the mend when I met up with him,” I explain. Seeing the concern on their faces, I keep going, “fractured femur, hairline I think. I’m not a medic.”

“Did he say what he was going to do after he got better?” Crys asks. I don’t answer at first. I probably shouldn’t tell them he’s going to go find General Kenobi, so instead, I tell them that I wasn’t clear on his plans, only that he’d return when he could.

Talking with the 212th troopers makes me think on the differences between them and my squad. As the 3 of us walk through the sterile, bright white halls, I see a Kaminoan walk past us, not paying us any mind, but I can’t help the instinctive step away from him I make. I hear Trapper grumble something under his breath. The Kaminoan looks towards us but none of us make eye contact and keep walking. Once we’re out of range, Trapper snickers.

“Long-neck lab scrabber,” he says.

“You dislike the Kaminoans too?” I ask.

“Dislike? Karrabast, they’re all a bunch of sleemos if you ask me. They may not experiment on us like you CT-99s, but you should hear how they talk about us. We’re just objects to them, weapons to fight a war,” Crys tells me. I hadn’t realized how much I actually have in common with the clones in general. They were regs…but…now they’re just…clones. Like I am.

“Yeah some of the commanders were shuttled out a couple rotations ago-“ I hear Crys say and that gets my attention.

“Do you know where they were sent?” I ask.

“No…and no one’s heard from them since. Like Commander Bly? No one in the 327th has seen him since Felucia,” Crys explains. 327th..that’s General Secura’s battalion.

“The Empire could be using them,” Trapper says.

“Using them? For what?” I ask. Trapper shrugs.

“I dunno, but you know they’d get every bit of usefulness out of us before throwing us away like garbage,” Trapper answers. The two continue talking while I wonder if they’ve seen or even know about ES-02, 3 or 4. The only reason I’m squad leader is because I was with CF99. If I wasn’t-

“H-Hey,” I stop in my tracks. The two stop and turn to look back at me.

“Crosshair?” Crys asks.

“I…I’m a new squad leader, now that I’m not with CF99,” I explain.

“But…I don’t like my new squad,” I admit, “I’m only with them so the Empire thinks I will be useful.”

“Your new squad? Who is it? Hope it isn’t anyone we know-“ Crys jokes, not understanding my seriousness.

“They aren’t clones,” I say and their eyes widen.

“Not clones? But they’re soldiers? I don’t understand-“ Crys says.

“Yeah, wouldn’t the Kaminoans want to create more of us so they can get more money?” Trapper asks.

“Please, just listen to me. They’re not clones. The Empire thinks that those who willingly sign up have more loyalty than us,” I explain.

Before either trooper could respond, Crys gets a call over his commlink.

“Crys, report to the briefing room-“ I hear a trooper say.

“Just…watch yourself…and your men. The galaxy is changing and…I don’t want you to get left behind,” I say. He nods and offers a hand. We grab forearms and shake.

“Take care of yourself Crosshair,” Crys says and I nod. I shake hands with Trapper and he nods as I walk off.

I wonder about clones who aren’t deemed useful to the Empire. There are millions of troopers. There’s no way the Kaminoans would be ok with the killing of millions of clones and I’ve never seen them make bad deals. And I’m sure Nala Se wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to have as many test subjects as possible. I feel the anger well inside me at the thought of the Kaminoan scientist. But as the anger comes, so does the pain in my head. I wince a bit. I take a breath and sigh when I hear my comm beep.

“CT-9904, report to my office,” I hear Tarkin’s voice.

“Yes sir,” I respond and make my way there, but not making an effort to hurry. I’m not surprised really. I knew my squad would tell him that I left my post on Ankus.

I finally get to Tarkin’s office and press the button. The doors open and I walk inside. Tarkin is sitting at his desk.

“Have a seat CT-9904,” he says. I cautiously walk up and take the chair at his desk.

“Do you know why you are here Commander?” He asks.

“I..don’t know, sir,” I answer, feigning innocence.

“You are here because you left your post on Ankus for a non-mission-related objective, is that correct?” Tarkin asks.

“Yes sir,”

“Why did you leave Ankus? Tell the truth and I’ll give you your next mission,” Tarkin says, meshing his fingers together with his elbows on his desk.

“Each of your squad mates gave different answers which leads me to believe you did not tell anyone of your ‘off-the-record’ objective,” Tarkin says. Lying isn’t really my style. It’s not that I can’t, I just prefer not to.

“I didn’t tell the others because I didn’t think they would understand, sir,” I explain.

“Well, regardless of what your squad would think, it is highly irregular to go off on your own,” Tarkin says.

“I’m sorry sir, I…I operated how I would with my old squad. Being the sniper-I usually am alone-“ I tell him. Not a lie…but not exactly the truth either. An…exaggeration if anything.

“Well if you cannot take the lead on this next mission, I’m afraid I’ll have to report your incompetence to Nala Se,” Tarkin says and my eyes widen.

“I will take the lead, sir,” I say, steeling myself before looking right at him. We lock eyes for a moment and when I can tell he won’t back down, I decide to take out the datarod ES-03 gave me. All the information about the abandoned base on Ankus. Tarkin takes the datarod and looks at it with a raised brow.

“Very well. We are still going through possible candidates to replace ES-01 but for now, you and the rest of your squad will report to Admiral Rampart,” he says. Easy replacement, that’s all they care about. I nod.

“Understood sir,” I say.

“Dismissed,” Tarkin tells me and I immediately stand up and hurry out.

“CT-9904,” Tarkin gets my attention right as I get to the door. I glance back over my shoulder.

“You are very valuable CT-9904. If you fail, Nala Se won’t just decommission you, she’ll use you until she’s finished with you. Do you understand?” He threatens. I nod.

“Yes sir,” I nearly growl out. The door opens and I walk out. I can’t go back to Nala Se again.

I walk out and feel my heart beating and a cold sweat makes me clammy. Nala Se. She tortured me. This pain in my head…it’s permanent, according to Cody at least. I’ve always hated the bloodwork, the diets, the injections. Nala Se would assure us as cadets that it was necessary for our development, to make sure our mutations were developing without hurting us. But it seemed like the other clones were being tested on half as much as us, maybe even less. None of us liked it. Plus, when we met Echo, he already had that fear thanks to the Techno Union so it was easy for him to relate.

My chest tightens and the pain in my head spikes with pain. The sudden intense pain sends a wave of nausea through me. I brace myself against the wall. Passing troopers either pay me no mind or give me a look, but everyone keeps walking. While it’s nothing new to be ignored by most troopers, I also have to assume that no one but me knows about the inhibitor chip and that they are probably being influenced by it still. The only way to stop the chip is to surgically remove it, something Nala Se did to me after she burned the chip into my brain permanently, causing the damage Cody told me about.

Meanwhile…

3rd POV

After saying goodbye to the Lawquane family, CF99 regroup in the Havoc Marauder to take inventory. While the boys busy themselves, the kids gather on the gunners mount. Maisy sits in Omega’s lap while the two older kids sit with their backs against the cool metal wall.

“What do we do now?” Maisy asks glumly. Omega looks at Wyyntrr.

“I…I’m not sure. But at least we have each other, right?” Omega asks.

“Yeah…I guess-“ Maisy answers. Wyyntrr sighs sadly.

A silence falls over the kids.

“You know I’ve never really had someone my age to…to help with the bad stuff,” Omega says. The two Jedi kids look at Omega. Wyyntrr whimpers at Omega. She looks at him, then down at Maisy in her lap.

“He asked if you were alone,” she explains and Omega nods.

“I’ve been alone my whole life, even before the war,” Omega explains.

“Before the war?” Maisy asks and Omega nods.

“I was 7 when it started, but even when the first generation clones were cadets, they didn’t really care for me. Not to mention Nala Se hardly ever let me out of her personal lab, ever since Alpha disappeared at the start of the war,” Omega says.

“Alpha? Who’s that?” Maisy asks.

“Jango, the donor, had an unaltered clone like me to raise like how Nala Se raised me,” Omega explains then turns sad. Maisy cocks her head slightly.

“I..I heard from Nala Se that the donor was killed right before the start of the war,” Omega explains before letting a bit of anger turn her face into a frown.

“A Jedi named Mace Windu killed him,” Omega says. Wyyntrr and Maisy’s eyes widen. The two were familiar with the dark skinned master. He was stern when he needed to be but he was strong and wise. While the two young Jedi never met him personally, they’d heard stories of his strength and calm.

“We know about him,” Maisy tells Omega.

Omega’s POV

My hand tightens into a fist. It’s not like I hate the Jedi as a group or anything like that. It’s just that particular Jedi that killed him. I didn’t know the donor and I don’t think he even knew about my existence, but I would’ve preferred the Kaminoans do their testing on him than me and before the war, they did.

“If it weren’t for that Jedi, I wouldn’t have been tested on by Nala Se. If it weren’t for him, Nala Se could’ve used the donor instead of me. That Jedi is why I had to be hooked up to all those machines and-and-the tubes-“ I start to go off, my anxiety and anger rising. The Jedi can feel it. Maisy scrambles off my lap and backs into Wyyntrr.

“Omega?” Maisy asks carefully. I feel my breathing speed up. My chest tightens and a cold sweat comes over me at the thought. No. No I can’t go back to Kamino-I can’t. Nala Se-

“Omega?” Maisy asks again but her voice sounds muffled and far away. I hear Wyyntrr roar with concern and he puts a hand on my shoulder, suddenly grounding me in the moment.

A warm almost calming feeling washes over me. Relief unclenches my chest and it’s easier to breathe. I look and see Wyyntrr and Maisy with their eyes shut. Wyyntrr has a hand on my shoulder and the other holding Maisy’s hand. The two seem…focused. Their eyes open and we make eye contact as I take a breath.

“I-…I’m sorry. That..that hasn’t happened to me in…a long time,” I say. The last time I remember feeling that way was when Kamino was attacked. I was 9. I’m 11 now and because it’s been a while, I’d almost forgotten what that fear and anxiety felt like.

“Rrr-rrrgh-urrrgh. Rrgh rrhh-rrrgh,” Wyyntrr says, looking right at me. I know he’s blind but..I’m sure he can see.

“A panic attack. He..he knows someone that had them,” Maisy translates. I look at him then down at the little girl.

“Are you ok?” She asks, clearly concerned. I nod.

“Nala Se spent my whole life pricking me with needles, locking me away in cold, sterile labs. She would put me in a tube to make it easier for her. I didn’t see my whole family get killed but…but it was still really, really bad. Do you understand?” I explain. I watch as Maisy seems to mull over my words, as if its a puzzle before nodding slowly.

Maisy’s POV

“Do you understand?” Omega asks me. I think on her words. She..she was hurt. For a long time. It’s not like what happened to the Jedi. It’s still a really bad pain but…a different kind of pain. I nod slowly.

“I..I think so,” I tell her, “was it a different kind of hurt?” I ask and Omega nods.

“It was. I still think about it sometimes…but…I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything..ok? Both of you. I…I understand the hurt and pain,” Omega tells us. Wyyntrr puts a hand on my shoulder and we nod.

“You too. To talk with us. If you want,” I offer and she smiles and nods before ruffling my hair.

“Deal,” she agrees and I can’t help the smile that forms on my face.

“I am merely stating that we should form a plan instead of drift through the galaxy aimlessly,” I hear Tech’s voice say. I turn and the 2 older kids notice and pay attention as well.

“We have to be careful now Tech, we can’t assume anything anymore,” Hunter argues.

“Without the Republic, we’ll have to get our own credits,” Wrecker says.

“We’re soldiers Hunter. There’s not much else we are capable of. Child rearing is already pushing it,” Tech says. Mine and Omega’s eyes widen while Wyyntrr just looks sad.

“We’re bad for them,” I whisper, crawling back into Omega’s lap. She wraps her arms around me as Wyyntrr moves closer to us and drapes an arm over Omega’s shoulders. Omega doesn’t argue with me and I can’t help the tears. Without the soldiers, it’s just the 3 of us. How would we live? I feel Wyyntrr put a large hand on my back as Omega cups the back of my head, her fingers getting tangled in my thick, shaggy, wild dark brown hair.

I’ve never felt this way with the Jedi. The Masters wanted to take care of us, to teach us, to nurture us. They weren’t forced into it like the Batch.

“They got stuck with us,” I whimper sadly.

“Hunter and the others wanted to help us. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have agreed to getting their inhibitor chips out,” Omega explains. My eyes widen. I…I didn’t know it was Omega’s idea.

“You…did doctor stuff…for me? Even though you hate doctor stuff?” I ask. Omega nods.

“Of course, you were in danger,” Omega says as if it’s obvious. I blink before launching myself at her.

“I love you, ‘mega,” I tell her, wrapping my arms tightly around the older girl. She chuckles and hugs me back, shifting me a bit to get a better hold on me.

“I love you too..both of you,” Omega says, pulling Wyyntrr closer and he chuckles, ruffling her hair. An alerting beep gets everyone’s attention.

3rd POV

The Havoc Marauder’s console starts beeping, getting everyone’s attention.

“There’s an incoming transmission..from Echo,” Tech announces.

“C’mon!” Omega tells Wyyntrr and Maisy. The young female clone hops down off the gunner’s mount and holds her hands up to Maisy. She drops down and Omega catches the Youngling and sets the little girl down while Wyyntrr slides off the edge, landing quietly next to them before hurrying to the cockpit.

Back on Kamino…

Crosshair manages to breathe through the pain and make it to Rampart’s office. He’s sitting across from the Imperial officer.

“So CT-9904, I’ve heard about your insubordination from Admiral Tarkin,” Rampart says. Crosshair remains neutral.

“You cannot say we didn’t give you ample opportunities to prove yourself. You’ve had the insurgents on Onderon, and the base on Ankus to prove yourself to the Empire,” Admiral Rampart says, “so despite how ‘valuable’ you may be to the Kaminoans, I can assure you that your worth to the Empire is based entirely on the success of your mission. You may consider yourself special among your kind, but you clones have yet to prove your worth to the Empire.”

“Yes sir, I understand,” the sniper responds with a growl.

“I’ve already informed your squad mates of your new mission,” Rampart says, handing the sniper a datapad.

Crosshair looks at it and when he gets to ‘location’, he reads ‘Ryloth’.

“Ryloth? Doesn’t the Empire already occupy that planet?” Crosshair asks.

“We have many patrols stationed in that sector, but our focus has been on Raxus, since that was the heart of the Separatists like former senator Mina Bonteri,” Rampart explains.

“You and your squad will eliminate the so called ‘freedom fighters’ including their leader, Cham Syndulla and any who follow him. After you’ve taken care of the threat, you will secure the city of Lessu, the capital without fail. Do you understand?” Rampart asks.

“Yes sir,” Crosshair says. Rampart gives the sniper a long, hard analyzing look before nodding in dismissal.

“Very well, you must leave immediately,” Rampart says and Crosshair stands and walks out, thinking on what Rampart told him.

“We have many patrols stationed in that sector, but our focus has been on Raxus, since that was the heart of the Separatists,” Rampart’s voice echoes in Crosshair’s mind. He hadn’t thought about it but if the Jedi didn’t win the war, then what happened to the Separatist leaders? Obviously when they rescued Echo they took out the Techno Union, but what about the others like Viceroy Gunray? Crosshair pushes that question into the back of his mind, choosing not to dwell on it. Instead he heads back to the barracks.

Omega’s POV

Tech plays the transmission and a hologram of Echo appears! He’s with two others, Captain Rex and another clone trooper I’m not familiar with. They look like they’re in a ship. I can hear ammunition firing and the hologram fuzzes slightly but Tech secures the connection.

“Am I glad to see you boys. We could really use some back up,” Echo greets. I can’t help but notice his black eye, split lip and how he’s holding his ribs.

“What’s going on Echo?” Hunter asks.

“You’re hurt!” I exclaim.

“I’m ok Omega, just a little banged up-“ Echo says.

“I’LL SAY!” A voice snaps off camera and Echo rolls his eyes.

“Don’t mind Kix, he can be…dramatic-“ Echo says.

“Echo!” Rex snaps to get the ARC trooper’s attention.

“Right-we’re in our ship—Rex is trying to take off now, but our deflectors were damaged and-“ Echo explains but another hit causes the ship to rock and Echo gasps.

“Rex! Get us in the air!” The other clone, Kix, yells.

“I’m trying! The steering’s jammed!” Rex answers.

“I’m on it!” Kix answers and I watch him race by. I hear the hum of an engine power up and by the relief on Echo’s face, I can tell they’ve taken off.

“I’ve put in the hyperspace coordinates, hang on!” Rex exclaims.

“We’re jumping to Alderaan—we need h-“ Echo says but the transmission suddenly cuts off from them going into hyperspace.

“Help-he was gonna say help-“ Maisy alerts, tugging on my sleeve. I nod in agreement.

“She’s right Hunter, Echo and Rex need us,” I tell Hunter. Wrecker and Tech nod at him, indicating they want to help too. Hunter nods.

“Alright, set coordinates for Alderaan Tech. We don’t even know what kind of trouble they’re in so be ready,” Hunter says and Tech nods.

Once Tech powers up the hyperdrive, the ship lurches forward and zips through the stars. Despite getting such urgent news, I’m a little…caught off guard when my brothers just…sit there.

“Shouldn’t we prepare?” I ask worriedly.

“It’s going to take a while to get to Alderaan. There’s not much else we can do besides wait,” Wrecker explains.

“But we can’t just sit here while Echo needs us!” I argue but my siblings don’t agree, instead Wyyntrr and Maisy just share a glance, then look at me, watching.

“We can’t do much while we’re in hyperspace. We just have to be patient Omega,” Hunter tells me. He walks up and puts a hand on my shoulder.

“I..I know but—but he was hurt-“

“Echo’s tough. Maybe even tougher than all of us. He’ll be alright,” Hunter reassures me. His voice is strong but calm. I sigh and look at him, then at Tech. Tech blinks but nods all the same before turning to Wrecker.

“Why don’t you take the controls Wrecker?” Tech asks. Sensing that Tech has something planned, the demolitions expert nods.

“Sure thing Tech,” Wrecker says and switches places with the goggled soldier. Luckily the ship’s nav computer and autopilot does most of the work. Wrecker just has to keep an eye on the ship’s scanner.

“When I get anxious about something, I try and get my mind to focus on something else,” Tech says, pulling out his datapad as he walks up to us.

“And what better way to distract yourself than by learning,” Tech says.

“Of course,” Hunter mumbles to himself but I hear him and can’t help the smile that forms on my lips.

Tech’s POV

“And what better way to distract yourself than by learning,” I say.

“Of course,” Hunter mumbles to himself and I see Omega smile a bit. I turn on the language vocabulary of my datapad and scroll through until I find Shyriiwook.

“Here, just start with the basics first. I will quiz you when you are ready,” I tell Omega, handing her my datapad. She takes it and looks at the screen.

“Shyrii-wook,” Omega reads.

“Cool!” Wyyntrr exclaims. I motion to come sit at one of the chairs in front of the main computer on the ship. Omega sits next to me while Maisy climbs up into the older girl’s lap. Wyyntrr stands behind their chair.

“Shyriiwook is an old language but one that isn’t too hard to understand-“ I explain and start teaching the girls, as I’m sure Wyyntrr is well aware of his own culture and language. I pull up more information about basic sentence structure and differences between formal words and slang I’ve picked up, with Wyyntrr correcting my slang every once in a while.

3rd POV

The transmission cuts out as Captain Rex manages to get the stolen transport ship into hyperspace, heading towards Alderaan. Rex groans in pain and grabs his side. There’s a piece of shrapnel piercing his lower left side! Echo’s eyes widen in shock when he sees his captain struggling.

“Rex!” Echo exclaims, “Kix! Rex is injured!”

“Let me see-“ Kix says and immediately gets Rex to turn in his chair.

“I-I’m fine-“ Rex says, gripping the piece of shrapnel sticking out of him.

“Damn right you are, now hold still or I’ll sedate you,” Kix threatens and Rex knows better than to test the medic.

“Why are we going to Alderaan?” Echo asks, having only heard of the planet, not understanding why they are going. Kix helps Rex take off his armor.

“I know someone that-GAAAH!” Rex suddenly cries out when Kix takes out the bloody piece of shrapnel. Kix immediately takes what’s left of the bacta spray and the last spool of bandages.

“Goddamnit Kix!” Rex snaps, though the medic just ignores Rex’s tone as he wraps the injury.

“I know someone that can help us,” Rex finishes and Echo nods when a beeping sound gets his attention.

“The hyperdrive’s overheating. I’ll be back-“ Echo says and hurries out of the cockpit to go fix it.

On Kamino, Crosshair gets back to the barracks and sees the rest of his squad. ES-02, 3 and 4. They’re already getting ready for the mission, so Crosshair just looks at them.

“Our next mission is on Ryloth,” Crosshair announces and is met with silence. ES-03 looks between the other two troopers, but does nothing because deep down, they all think the clone sniper is incompetent. Of course they would have no idea it’s because of the ‘procedure’ Nala Se put Crosshair through.

The only sound in the barracks is the sound of rifling and moving things around as the soldiers gear up and head to the hangar where their ship is.

Echo manages to fix the coolant leak that was causing the hyperdrive to overheat.

“Got it!” Echo calls just as the alarm shuts off. The ARC trooper heads back to the cockpit and sees Kix in the pilot seat instead. Rex is slumped in the copilot chair.

“How you doin’?” Echo asks worriedly as he gently places his hand on Rex’s pauldron. Echo notices that Rex is a bit pale. No surprise. The 501st captain sighs.

“Been better,” Rex groans and Echo smirks. Since his black eye has swollen up, Echo can only see out of one eye. Luckily Kix slathered the purple-ish blue bruise with bacta. The medic would’ve bandaged Echo’s eye but he needed it for Rex.

“You could say that again,” Echo says.

“We’re coming up on Alderaan,” Kix announces.

Their transport ship drops out of hyperspace and is heading towards a blue and white planet. As they get closer, everything becomes more and more distinct. The landforms come closer and forms along with the bodies of water as they fly through the clouds. The engines are still damaged from their escape and sputter slightly, starting to smoke. Alarms sound inside.

“Echo, turn on the secure emergency channel—3.149-45,” Rex instructs and the ARC trooper nods, doing as Rex says.

“Senator, this is CT-7567, Captain Rex,” Rex announces but at first there’s no response so Rex tries again.

“I’ll boost the signal as much as I can,” Echo says, flipping two switches and routing more power to the satellite dish.

“Senator Organa, this is Captain Rex, CT-7567, come in!” Rex pleads, the urgency clear in his voice.

“Captain Rex?! Am I glad to hear from you. What is going on?” Senator Organa asks when he hears the blaring alarms as Kix tries to pilot the crashing ship.

“Senator Organa, our ship has been damaged and we’re not doing so good. We could use some help,” Rex says.

“Understood. Head to these coordinates. Landing platform 3. I’ll be waiting for you,” the senator replies.

“Heading to the coordinates now,” Kix says.

“Thanks-“ Rex says before ending the communication.

They get to the landing platform and Kix opens the door. Kix and Echo each take a side and help Rex up. The soldiers walk off and see someone approaching the ship. An r-series astromech follows him, pushing a floating stretcher. Rex smiles.

“Senator Organa-“ Rex says as Echo and Kix help Rex onto the stretcher the droid is pushing.

“You’re in worse shape than I thought. We’d better get you inside, quickly. R2-C4, go prep the medical room and contact Fulcrum,” Senator Organa says. His droid beeps and rolls ahead of them.

While Echo and Kix seem confused about who the senator is and what exactly Fulcrum is, they continue to follow the politician.

“I was surprised to receive your transmission captain. I thought you had split off-“ Senator Organa begins to tell the captain.

“I got a little…sidetracked,” Rex admits as they get inside.

“Sidetracked?” The senator asks and the captain nods.

“I’ll explain later-“ he says and Senator Organa nods back.

Echo’s POV

We get Rex inside and the Senator has his personal doctor look Rex over. Luckily the shrapnel didn’t pierce anything vital, but he’ll need 10 stitches. Senator Organa even had the doc look me over, and despite my protests, Rex insisted. But I must admit I’m not sore anymore, my eye does feel better and my lip doesn’t sting.

“Thank you for helping us Senator Organa,” I say and he smiles.

“Of course. I’ve always been a big supporter of clones and clone rights, thanks to Senator Amidala,” he says, a small sad smile barely visible on his face but concern creeps in.

“But where are you coming from?” He asks.

“The Jedi Temple. We went back for our medic, Kix-“ Rex says, getting his attention. Kix puts a hand on the captain’s shoulder and Senator Organa turns sad.

“So…you know? You know that the 501st-?” The senator asks tentatively and Rex nods.

“Yeah…yeah we know,” Rex answers glumly. Kix doesn’t say a word. Being the only one that was at the Temple when it happened, no one can blame him.

“They’re all…gone…except for us,” Rex says. I…I guess I had thought that after my torture on Anaxes, I wasn’t the same. That I wouldn’t have belonged like I used to. Especially since Rex told me what happened to Fives when he and the others rescued me.

3rd POV

As they talk, Senator Organa’s droid, R2-C4 suddenly beeps alerting the others.

“What is it R2-C4?” Bail asks. His droid beeps and spins his top once.

“A single vessel is approaching?” He asks and the droid beeps again.

“It’s ok. They’re friends of ours,” Echo says.

“We contacted them earlier. They’re coming to help us,” Rex says and Bail nods.

“Then they shall be welcomed. R2-C4, once they’re in range, direct them to landing pad 1,” Bail instructs and his droid beeps.

The Havoc Marauder drops out of hyperspace. Surprisingly, Omega managed to pick up the basics of Shyriiwook and can understand Wyyntrr…a bit. Tech flies the ship towards Alderaan and gets a transmission from R2-C4 saying to land at landing pad 1, so the pilot follows the instructions.

Bail, Rex, Echo and Kix all watch the Marauder land and the door opens. Hunter walks out first followed by Tech, the kids and Wrecker bringing up the rear.

“Echo!” The kids exclaim. They all run and Echo kneels down and open his arms to return the gesture. Hunter turns to Bail.

“Thank you so much for keeping an eye on them. They…mean a lot to me,” Hunter says. Bail smiles and nods at the sergeant.

“Anything I can do to help. Come inside, I would like to speak with you,” Bail says and Hunter nods before motioning to the others to follow the senator.

Hunter watches as Omega reaches out and grabs both of the Jedi’s hands and he smiles to himself. The group heads inside and while Hunter does have a bit of a sensory problem here, it’s not nearly as bad as it is on Coruscant and he’s able to easily move past it. Having all the running water and nature around really helps.

“This way,” Senator Organa tells us. Hunter sees pieces of art lining the hall and wonders where they are.

“This is my home,” the senator answers Hunter’s unasked question. A woman walks by holding a baby. She smiles at the group when she spots the kids and nods.

“There’s food in the kitchen Bail,” she tells the senator.

“Thank you Breha,” he tells her as she winks and walks to a room, presumably a nursery.

“That is my wife, Breha Organa and our daughter, Leia,” Bail says and glances at the kids.

“You’re a father,” Hunter says and Bail smiles at him, nodding once.

“Just like you,” he says.

“Woah-I’m not a-“ Hunter tries to argue, but Bail just chuckles, cutting the sergeant off.

“Whether you are or aren’t, you take care of these kids,” Bail says, looking at the children.

“Mr. Bail sir-what is this?” Maisy asks, interrupting. She’s pointing on the counter since the little girl cannot reach.

“That is a meiloorun. A type of fruit. Wanna try some?” Bail asks. Maisy looks to Hunter.

“Can I?” She asks and Hunter nods.

“I’ll get you kids set up before we talk business,” Bail says, glancing at the soldiers.

“Business?” Wrecker asks.

“The senator explained to us that he’s been having trouble gathering support in the senate since Palpatine took over,” Rex explains.

“Support? For what?” Hunter asks as Bail loads up plates of food ranging from meat and bread to fruit and even desserts. Bail has the group sit at their family table. The kids eat but Maisy can’t cut her food. Omega notices, but is in the middle of eating. On the Youngling’s other side, the medic, Kix, also notices the trouble and offers to help.

“Here, do you need help ad’ika?” Kix asks Maisy. She nods and lets the medic help her.

Hunter’s POV

Kix helps Maisy with her food, and I give him a grateful nod and he smiles at me as we talk with Bail.

“I’ve been in contact with someone who’s been fighting the Empire, but during their latest transmission, I’ve learned that he’s been captured,” Bail explains.

“Who is it?” Tech asks.

“The Ryloth freedom fighter, Cham Syndulla,” the senator reveals.

“Ryloth? Isn’t that a planet occupied by the Empire?” I ask.

“No, but it might as well be. The Empire’s presence has grown in the last few rotations and I’ve lost contact with Cham himself. I’ve just been getting by with information from one of his supporters,” Bail says.

“So what do you want from us?” I ask.

“I know you only came here to retrieve your brothers—and of course you do not have to agree, but I’m told that your squad takes on the impossible. If Ryloth is going to survive, if the people of Ryloth are going to survive, they need Cham. And so does his family,” Bail explains.

“His family?” I ask and Bail nods.

“From what I’m told, he has a wife and a young daughter, probably around their age,” Bail says, motioning to Omega and Wyyntrr.

“We’ve done plenty of stealth and retrieve missions before. We can easily rescue Cham Syndulla,” Tech says.

“Yeah, but our fuel and supplies-“ Wrecker tries to be reasonable.

“Will be supplied for you, whatever you need,” Bail interrupts.

“W-Wait wait-anything?” Wrecker asks and Bail chuckles.

“We have a fully stocked armory. Feel free to take what you need,” Bail says.

“Alright!” Wrecker exclaims.

“You can even leave the kids here with me,” Bail says and all 3 kids’ eyes widen.

“No-no that’s too much of an imposition Senator. But we could use the resupply,” I say and Wrecker smiles. Once we agree, Senator Organa gives us all the information he has.

“Cham and his wife are being held in an Imperial prison inside the Capital. They rotate guards every 6 hours and don’t bother going to their home, it’s already under Imperial watch,” Bail tells us.

“How do you know this?” Tech asks.

“His informant is Captain Howzer.” Bail says and I see Rex’s dark brown eyes widen.

“You know him?” I ask.

“Not personally, but I know of him,” Rex explains, “he’s a good man, we can trust him.”

“I know it’s a lot to ask. But know that if you succeed, you may be giving not only Ryloth, but all those who oppose the Empire a fighting chance,” Bail tells me. I wonder what he means by ‘all those who oppose the Empire’. Are there others besides us clones? The Jedi are all gone except for Wyyntrr and Maisy so…who else would stand up to the Empire?

“Don’t worry Senator, suicide missions are our specialty,” Wrecker assures Senator Organa.

Senator Organa takes us to the armory and while Wrecker gathers what he thinks we’ll need, I look around until I spot a set of vibroknives.

“Good eye. Go ‘head, they’re of no use to me,” Bail says, putting a hand on my pauldron.

“Are you sure?” I ask and he nods.

“Why do you have all this stuff? I thought Alderaan was a peaceful planet?” Wrecker asks. Bail nods.

“Yes we are but during my time in the Senate during the War, I became close to not only other senators that shared my views, but also with the soldiers, the Coruscant Guard,” Bail explains.

“The boys in red,” Rex says and the senator nods.

“After helping him out when Coruscant was attacked, he gave me the only thing he had an abundance of—“ Bail says, motioning around.

“Weapons,” Wrecker says and Senator Organa nods.

“The Coruscant Guard always had to be well equipped. Chancellor Palpatine insisted on it from what Commander Fox told me once,” Rex explains and Bail nods.

“Well I have no use for anything here aside from a simple blaster,” the senator says.

“We’ll make good use of it,” Wrecker assures him and Bail chuckles. I help Wrecker gather supplies while Senator Organa takes Tech to a supply closet back in the kitchen with the kids.

“Hunter,” Rex says, getting my attention.

“I know you’re…well, apprehensive, about doing this, but we have to,” Rex says and I guess my face must’ve been showing more than I intended. I sigh.

“I just don’t want anything to happen to the kids,” I say and Rex nods.

“I understand,” Rex replies sincerely.

Tech’s POV

Senator Organa takes me to the supply closet to stock up on rations and basic supplies.

“This should get you all through a few rotations,” the senator tells me. I nod. Even though it’s been an adjustment having the kids with us, I’ve managed to learn how to stretch what little resources we have.

“Thank you Senator Organa,” I thank the kind man.

“Thank you all for doing this. I…I didn’t want to tell your sergeant that Cham’s daughter was the one to call for help,” Bail tells me. I blink in surprise.

“I..thought you said there was a clone captain-“

“Yes, Howzer is with her. But he wanted to lay low and hide. He thinks…he thinks the Empire will leave once they get what they want from Cham, but I know the Empire won’t leave Ryloth,” Bail says. I nod.

“It was his daughter that convinced me to get help. So when Captain Rex told me about you all, I couldn’t pass up the chance to ask,” he explains.

“I see. Well as I’m sure you know, we are known for our success with difficult missions,” I tell him and the man nods.

“I am aware. Are you sure you won’t reconsider leaving the children here with me? I can assure you they would be safe and looked after-“ He asks. I nod.

“They are safer with us. They could put you and your whole family in danger,” I assure him.

“Because they’re Jedi?” He asks and I blink.

“I did not say that-“

“You didn’t have to. They’re wearing Jedi robes and they have the braids. But the older girl with short curly blond hair…she looks like you,” Bail says, referring to Omega and I nod.

“Omega is a clone, like us,” I confirm.

“We can keep the children safe,” I assure him and he nods.

“A father knows best,” he replies understandingly and I blink. I…I must admit I am unfamiliar with parental roles. I manage a nod. I’ve always thought we were more like brothers.

After we finish up, we gather back in the main room and I see Rex and the trooper called Kix talking with the children.

“The last I heard from Howzer, he was hiding out at Cham’s old abandoned outpost 10 miles southeast of the city,” Senator Organa says and I pull up a map of Ryloth on my datapad. I search a 10 mile radius around the capital and find the abandoned outpost.

“Found it,” I announce and Hunter nods.

“Here, one last thing before you all leave,” Senator Organa gets our attention. He pulls out a comm device.

“This will reach me, and only me,” he says, handing it to me. I take it and put the device safely in a utility pouch on my hip. We head back out to our ship on the landing pad just outside the luxurious-looking house.

“Thank you for everything Senator Organa,” Hunter says and the older man nods. The kids wave at him and he smiles and waves back.

“As the Jedi say, may the Force be with you,” Senator Organa says. Maisy and Wyyntrr smile.

“May the Force be with you,” the two kids repeat. Wyyntrr roars and picks up Maisy before walking up the steps to the Marauder.

We say our goodbyes and Hunter assures the senator that we will succeed. Bail Organa waves at us as I power the ship up and start flying towards Ryloth.

“I’ve put in the coordinates, prepare to jump,” I announce as the ship lurches into hyperspace.

3rd POV

Bail Organa watches the Havoc Marauder fly up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. He’s relieved since he knows those soldiers did not have to accept his request. The senator walks inside and passes his wife.

“I’ll only be a moment,” he assures her with a kiss to her forehead. She smiles and caresses his cheek lovingly before nodding and walking off.

Bail gets to his office and shuts the door. He gets to his desk and turns on the hologram. An image of a symmetrical design appears. Two angular lines jutting out at the bottom with two diamonds.

“Senator Organa,” the voice greets.

“Ahso…Fulcrum, you should know I met with 2 surviving Jedi, both young children,” Bail explains.

“Surviving Jedi?”

“In the care of a squad of rogue clone troopers,” Bail explains and at first, Fulcrum doesn’t answer.

“Were they safe?” Fulcrum asks eventually.

“I believe so. These clones…they care about those kids,”

“Tell me everything you know about them,” Fulcrum instructs.

End.

[comicsandconstellations]

| Reunion |

All I needed was them to hug. Was that so difficult to ask for?

I know technically it should be Tech instead of Wrecker beside him but I really wanted dark armour to frame him and Tech is the problem child who picked white armour, so Wrecker it is.

I redrew this about five times but I’m really happy with how it turned out. You can always tell what are my comics because I definitely have a layout style. It’s unintentional that it matches the last comic, it was supposed to have a completely different layout but then I decided it would be less readable in that format sooooooo…now they match.

Also, Rex had Fives other vambrace if you were ever curious to where the other one was since ALL my Echo designs has one of them. Those also get to be reunited now.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Tech and Hondo Ohnaka (Part 5)

Rated: Teen and up (a rare general audiences fic on my part.)

Warning: Death mention.

Fic Summary: Tech is plummeting toward death, yet he is spared, all thanks to a Weequay pirate who was simply in the wrong place at the right time, depending.

Word count: 1.8k

Notes: This is a kind of crack / AU scenario. I like the idea of Hondo being the one to encounter Tech after his fall. The idea was definitely inspired by Phee's line at the end of season 2: "Well, don't go running off with any pirates or smugglers while you're gone,." :) Don't take this too seriously, though at the same time I tried to make it plausible. The main point of this was to have fun with Tech and Hondo ribbing each other in their own way. I love both of these characters, and I am excited to see what you guys think.

*Welcome to another update! I am on a roll! I find writing shorter chapters helps me update more often! Enjoy!

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4 | Read on Ao3

Surprisingly, the pirate was not all talk. Tech was pleased, insofar as they had nearly made it to the mine undetected, Hondo leading the way with the clone in tow. Although, he had never felt so useless as he did now.

Feeling helpless was new to him, yet he was fully cognizant of his limitations, only pushing himself as much as he dared. While that meant he had to physically slow down, his brain was very much still active to his partner’s chagrin, the commando giving his two credits at every turn.

“It is prudent we remain vigilant and that we do not rush headfirst into something unprepared.” Tech hesitated. “What is your plan? You failed to mention it.”

Hondo did not answer.

“Do you have a plan?” Tech questioned. The scoundrel whirled around, the tail end of his coat swishing to a stop behind him.

“Let me remind you, you are dealing wit Hondo Ohnaka, de notorious pirate captain of de Ohnaka Gang! I am an expert strategist, once employed as an advisor tu Porla de Hutt for my excellent deduction skills, not tu mention I have both defeated and captured Jedi and Sith alike! Du. I. Have. A. Plan. Hah!”

Tech was not impressed. “Well?”

Hondo cleared his throat before turning back around. “Nu,” he admitted. “But dat does not mean we shall not be successful! Tings alllllways have a way of working out when Hondo es envolved.”

“That is less than reassuring.”

“Bah! What du you know?”

“Quite a lot.”

Hondo ignored him, skirting past an outcrop of rock to hug the shadows, veering far to his left. It was apparent that he meant to creep along the outer wall before attempting to enter, though Saw was close by, his lone man discussing something, both crouched down low in the dark behind a monolithic boulder.

“Do not attempt to sneak up on them. It will not end well,” Tech half yelled, half whispered, knowing that Saw would most likely shoot first and ask questions later.

“Hondo does not sneak,” the pirate shot back, picking up his pace.

Tech sighed in aggravation; how unfortunate that he should be hobbled and at the mercy of this freebooter. He was tempted to stun him to halt his advance, wondering if he should bind him in some manner until they could discuss things properly. Of course, he doubted the pirate would appreciate it. He would most likely try to leave him behind when the opportunity arose. No, as asinine as it seemed, it was best to let whatever nonsense was about to occur run its course; Tech reluctantly strove to remain at Hondo’s side.

“If you would only allow me to—”

“Hello, hello, my friends!” Hondo began, causing Tech to openly wince. His reaction was visceral, the clone unable to control his facial expression until it was already too late. Luckily, no one was paying attention to him, and he was still wearing his heads-up display, while Saw Guerra’s gaze was fixed strictly on the Weequay who approached them, his dark eyes filled with apprehension.

“Stop,” he commanded, standing to his feet with his blaster drawn and at the ready.

“Now, now, dere es nu need for violence. I have come tu help you!” The pirate smiled his most toothy smile. “And. En return, I hope you will help me.” There was a pause as he remembered he was not alone. “Annnd, dis other guy.”

“Who the hell are you?” Saw demanded, the other Partisan joining him. This man had also drawn his blaster. Tech had no desire to interact with Saw, but he would if he must. He supposed there really was no other alternative, as this facility was, for all he knew, the closest place in any direction that housed any sort of starship.

“I am so glad you asked! My name es Hondo Ohnaka, de infamous pirate and leader of de Ohnaka Gang. Perhaps you have heard of me?” The rogue’s smile broadened, as if he expected a positive answer. Saw’s eyes shifted to the Weequay’s right, finally spotting Tech standing just to the side and behind him, having chosen to remain in the dark.

“I know you ... why are you here?” he asked offhandedly, addressing Tech, though Hondo assumed he was speaking directly to him.

“Ah, yes! Good! I was hoping you would, as I aided you and your cause back on Onderon. Dose rocket launchers Skywalker paid me tu deliver did de job, I take et? As for de reason I am here—”

Tech blinked in surprise, his blurry eyesight homing in on Hondo—he knew General Skywalker?

“Not you, him,” Saw motioned with his head toward the clone waiting on the periphery. Tech recovered, taking a step forward to more formally join the conversation.

“You may consider that your doing.”

Hondo looked affronted at being so quickly dismissed, his gray eyes narrowing at Saw’s disrespect. “You are welcome,” the pirate seethed, thinking some kind of gratitude was in order after he had gone out of his way for this man so, so long ago.

Saw returned his focus to Hondo, only seeming mildly confused by Tech’s response. “Onderon is not something I find joy in remembering,” he explained. “It was with those weapons that I inadvertently killed Steela.” Saw’s brows furrowed at the memory and his voice softened. “I should have never brought down that gunship.” Then, he glanced back at the commando who looked rather worse for wear. “What do you mean by that?”

“Steela?” Hondo inquired, his voice having taken to a lower register, “was dat your … lovely sister? She was … so very beautiful. How I would have loved tu help her escape from dat war… En any case, I am sorry for your loss.”

Tech scrunched up his nose in distaste, finally pushing up his visor. “Now is not the time,” he informed the Weequay, whose current topic of conversation was irrelevant to what they had come here to accomplish. If he wished to befriend Saw, he was sure mentioning his sister’s physical attractiveness was not the way to do so, whether he gave him his condolences or not.

“When you triggered the explosives, you severed power to the railcars—the ones we were using for our escape. To keep a long story short, while I was successful at restoring power, it was not without sacrificing my own chance of getting off this planet. Truth be told, I am lucky to be alive.”

“He took a rather nasty fall … dedn’t you, Tech?” Hondo folded his arms across his chest. “And dat leads us tu your original question: ‘why are you here?’”

Saw looked between the two men. “You can put the blame on me all you want to, but what I did was necessary. We’ve been over this.”

“What you did was—”

“—Iiiiii am sure et was, my friend, aldough your actions caused an equal and opposite reaction.” Tech glared at the Weequay for having interrupted him for the umpteenth time, but he continued, nonetheless. “For you see, now I du not have a ship, and what I am hearing es et es due tu someting or another you have caused—dis explosion sending de clone you see here, and dis railcar, directly entu my SoroSuub Personal Luxury Yacht 3000!”

“I don’t have time for this,” Saw stated, “I’m sure this outpost—”

“—Et es not an outpost, but a lommite mine—” Hondo corrected him.

“—this mine has more than enough ships to get us both off this damn planet, as long as we can get past security. We were devising a gameplan before you two showed up, and I’d like to get back to it.”

“And what happened? Where are your other men?” Tech asked, ignoring his uncalled-for attitude. He thought Saw and his compatriots would have long since fled the system, though being several men down suggested something had obviously gone wrong during their retreat.

It was Saw’s turn to sigh. “We were overrun by troopers on the way out. We barely escaped the hangar, but were shot down by Imperial V-wings before we could break atmo. We’re … all that’s left.”

Tech pursed his lips. “And was it worth it?” he asked, unable to keep his irritability masked.

“Yes,” Saw replied in the same harsh tone, Hondo listening to their back and forth until he had ultimately heard enough.

“Gentleman, gentleman. All dat matters now es we are all witout ships, derefore I suggest dat we work tugether en order tu get off dis wretched—”

“No,” Tech and Saw said in unison, causing the pirate to frown.

“What du you mean nu?”

“It’s obvious we don’t see eye to eye.”

“What is obvious is that you would use us as a means to your own end. I have little doubt that you would leave us behind if it meant you would be able to escape.”

“I do what has to be done.”

“So, I am correct.”

“In your condition,” Saw made a point to look Tech up and down, “you would only slow us down.”

Hondo huffed, becoming increasingly irate. “You both have de maturity of younglings! Have you not heard de saying, ‘de enemy of my enemy es my friend?’”

Tech was indignant. “My squad thinks I am presumably dead; I would not be in this predicament if you had listened to reason.”

“Perhaps, but we can’t go back, and I wouldn’t change the outcome.” Saw nodded to the man at his side, who had until this point remained silent, preferring to stay out of the argument. “Let’s go.”

“You are just going tu leave us here?!” Hondo asked, raising his voice in anger. He had hoped to find an ally, especially as the clone he was toting around was in such bad shape. Realistically, he was not sure if they would be able to pull this off, though now he supposed they had no choice but to try by their lonesome, the pirate watching as the pair of Partisans snuck down further toward the entrance of the mine.

“May Rauk keep you,” Hondo offered with a sinister air, shifting to face Tech who stood immobile, staring straight ahead as he watched Saw and his partner wander off.

“Who or what is Rauk?” Tech asked, turning his head to look at him, though he was only a dark blob against a backdrop of rocks.

“De Weequay god of misfortune and death,” Hondo smiled. “Shall we?”

Tech gazed at him a moment longer, thinking to wish them harm was needless, yet he refrained from comment. “Do we have a choice?”

“I have a choice,” Hondo reminded him, “you du not.”

Tech bit back what he truly desired to say, knowing that nothing good would come from it. “Then I suppose we shall.”

[skotiwolves]

I’m glad that Tech died in season two

Yeah! I liked the theories! I lived fairly delusionally like the rest of us! And boy did some of them work a little too well

But I’m glad his sacrifice was a sacrifice, and that it ended at that. He sacrificed himself to save his brothers and sister so that they could get away. He called Plan 99, knowing it was him, and did it without hesitation. He knew that there was no way to climb back up and have them all get away safely. He did it selflessly, because it meant that they lived. His family lived.

Sure, a part of me wanted him to come back—losing him SUCKED. But I’m glad that he is dead and they didn’t try some “ha! gotcha!” kind of moment with him. He died with heart, and out of love for his family

He selflessly gave his life so that the others could live, which is perhaps one of the greatest things someone can do

[kats-kradle]

Category: Gen

Fandom: Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Cartoon)

Relationships: CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9904 | Crosshair & Omega (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), CT-9904 | Crosshair & CT-9903 | Wrecker, Batcher the Lurca Hound & CT-9904 | Crosshair

Characters: CT-9904 | Crosshair, Omega (Star Wars: The Bad Batch), CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9903 | Wrecker, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, Batcher the Lurca Hound (Star Wars)

Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, CT-9904 | Crosshair Needs a Hug, and he gets it, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Self-Esteem Issues, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Guilt, Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crosshair has good brothers, Platonic Cuddling, Sharing a Bed, but in a family way, Panic Attacks, Nightmares, Tech is here in spirit, Salt and Light, I’m so proud of this one y’all

Summary:

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

Healing was a battle that Crosshair had never faced before; a losing battle. How was he supposed to live a normal life after all he’d done?

Crosshair’s hands were made for destruction.

[connecting-the-stars]

Okay…

I’m like this close to trying cook up a story with Omega’s journey to bring her family back together.

S1 and S2 showing us this bright, optimistic young girl who loves her family, wanting to help others in the galaxy.

For S3 we have slightly older and a bit more practical girl who would do anything to protect her family.

What if when Omega breaks herself and Crosshair out, its years after their capture.

She’s still Omega, loves her family and wants to help those that are victims of the empire… but her grip on the things she loves leaves claw marks.

Taking some inspiration from The Last of Us as they bring Ellie down a darker path, a character that is critical to the shaping the world they live in. Omega lost tech, she lost her freedom, she is light years away from any resemblance of home, and even initially believing that hunter and wrecker are also at the mercy of Hemlock. (Asks Emerie where her brothers are).

Having this arc of struggling to find the light that used to sit warm in her chest, that is almost entirely drowned out by the absence of all she’s lost. Having her capacity for forgiveness tested by crosshair’s aura of guilt and self deprivation, his belief that her journey will lead them to answers they are better not knowing.

Would she be able to find her way back to the person she used to be?

[inquisitor-apologist]

Ha ha ass batch is dead. Good riddance

[zealfruity]

Clone Force 99, circa. 19BBY, 1 month after Echo joins them

Redraw of their family photo using my designs for them.

[mxmasked-alien]

😭😭😭😭 a poly route could have so easily been written in if pb had any originality in their bones!!

[yourqueenb]

Kind of crazy how we know more about Daphne than the LI we supposedly can’t stay away from or stop having feelings for. And the conversations we had with her were actually interesting? Meanwhile we’re most likely gonna get hit with the whole MC and Cole are each other’s true loves song and dance even though all they’ve been talking about is Cole wanting the baby to save his marriage and wanting to screw MC at the same time…

[floundrickthewayfarer]

For the WIP tag game: Oooooh boy. It’s so hard to choose because they all sound so good but I’m so curious about 2. TBB: I Go Where I’m Needed and 7. TBB: Splice and Trick bc 👀👀👀👀 SPLICE AND TRICK

“I Go Where I’m Needed” is a one-shot about Tech and Echo’s introduction and Echo’s decision to go with the Bad Batch vs staying with the 501st. The invitation is unofficial at first, with Tech talking to him about joining initially before Hunter’s invitation and Rex’s blessing. Echo considers the pros and cons before making his decision. :)

Splice and Trick. :)))) This would be an undertaking/multi-chapter, since I also wanted to rewrite an older fic of mine (The Echo and the Shadow) along with it. I had this older fic with Echo meeting Vader, and I had plans to continue it/an alternate ending, but it ended up fizzling out, and I don’t love how the fic turned out. I wanted to rewrite it now, with the ending I wish I had written, and I wanted to include Splice, Trick, and Treat, of course. ;)

The basic premise is that Vader goes after the clones when they rescue a Jedi youngling, and things go sideways very quickly.

[autisticagathasblog]

Look, I enjoy trans headcanons as much as the next person, and I don't really care what a person does. But I find it a little strange to headcanon a character who is known to have a viceral reaction toward women and a history of misogyny in order to downplay a prejudice-based attack solely on that reason only and not anything else.

[moosethren]

Replaying HZD remaster is gonna make me go back to working on the TBB AU for that world... oops.

[collophora]

She's very proud of herself.

I hope he got some redesign too TAT

[sadiecoocoo]

There’s honestly so many opportunities in s1 for Wrecker whump

It makes me giggle whenever there’s a scene that I could make so much angstier