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Calling All Skeletons | Chapter 4: Mantell Mix

Notes: Some more filler and stuff. Next chapter will be episodic and action packed!! In the meantime, Mantell Mix!!!

Word Count: ~1.7k

Banner by: @blackseafoam

With everyone gathered in the cockpit of the Marauder, Hunter started to share everything Cid told him. “The bounty hunter that tried to take Omega is known as Fennec Shand-”

“Fennec Shand? What are you doing with a bounty hunter like her on your tail?” Doc’s eyes were wide as she interjected Hunter.

Everyone stopped and turned to Doc, each with varying expressions full of questions. “What do you know about her?” Hunter furrowed his brows.

Doc sighed heavily, “I don’t, I just know she’s good at what she does.” She rubbed the back of her neck as she looked away, “You’re lucky you don’t have worse coming after you to be honest.”

“And what do ya mean by that?” Wrecker cocked his head to the side.

Tech narrowed his eyes at the medic, “You seem to know about the bounty hunter scene well.”

“I do,” Doc began to fidget with her hands, rubbing and squeezing her fingers and palms, “You can say I’m paranoid when it comes to bounty hunters. You have to be careful with who you can trust.” Her eyes found the group once again. “Continue, Hunter.”

Hunter stared at her for a moment as he continues, “Cid wasn’t able to find out who hired her. Lets just be sure to stay aware of our surroundings at all times.” He goes back to eyeing Doc, “Cid said we needed friends and money. If everything you told us before is true, you seem to be one of those friends we need,” He focused back on the squad as a whole, “Besides that, we might need to take some more jobs from Cid to get some credits”

“Not ideal, but we will suffice if we do not overstay our welcome,” Tech commented as he brings his data pad to his face, hunched over as he taps on the screen to do his own research on Shand.

With a consensus floating around the group, the small meeting in the Marauder was over. The sky was beginning to dim as day turned to night. Doc placed her helmet on as she lowered the hatch to get off, “I’m going to grab some fresh air and food that isn’t rations. If you want to join, feel free.”

At the mention of food, Wrecker’s eyes lit up as a smile came to his face, “I’m in!”

“I want to go too!” Omega stepped beside Doc, looking back at her brothers for reassurance.

Hunter simply gave them both a nod as he took a seat beside Tech.

Doc turned her head towards the two and gave them a hidden smile, “Alright. We won’t be too long.” She stepped off the ship with Omega and Wrecker following her out.

Omega fastened her pace to get ahead of Doc and Wrecker, turning to the medic, “So, where all have you gone? Do you have any other friends?”

“Oh- well, that’s a lot,” Doc laughed gently, “I honestly haven’t been to many planets or systems. As for my friendships, I tend to keep to myself.”

“Oh,” Omega thought for a moment, “I hope we can be your friends!” She smiled brightly up at Doc.

Wrecker added, “Yeah! Ya can’t have no friends forever!” His smile was wide and inviting as he patted Doc’s back.

The medic felt a warm comforting feeling throughout her body, her smile widening from under her helmet, “Yeah, I hope we can be friends too.”

The trio walked through the street, looking at the different stalls and stands with different vendors and items being sold. Many different aromas and lights spilled out into the streets among the buzz and crowd. Soon, they came across a stand selling a variety of snacks and meals.

Doc raised a brow at the menu and noticed the big selling item, “Mantell Mix? What exactly is that-”

“We’ll take three cartons of it!” Wrecker ordered eagerly, excited to try something new. Meanwhile, the medic turned her head to the large clone as she crossed her arms, “I don’t think that’s something we should eat for dinner.”

The vendor handed the Mantell Mix to Wrecker. He gave a carton to Omega and Doc before considering what she had said, “It’s food! Who said we couldn’t have this for dinner?”

Doc handed over the few credits she had to the vendor as she turned back to Omega and Wrecker, “Well, you usually want to have something of nutritional value. This will have to do for tonight.”

“That’s what rations are for,” Wrecker argued with a grin as he shoved some Mantell Mix into his mouth. “Mmm this is delicious!”

Doc rolled her head to over exaggerate her unseen eye roll. She stared at her own carton of Mantell Mix, noticing the different colors and obvious sugar coat. Reluctantly, she lifts her helmet to expose her lips as she pops some into her mouth. The medic could taste the cavities forming on her teeth, but it wasn’t horrible. The tiniest smile came across her lips as she popped some more pieces into her mouth.

“Looks like ya needed this as much as we did,” Wrecker pointed out Doc’s smile as they all munched and walked.

Turning her head to look at Wrecker, helmet still slightly lifted to show her mouth, Doc pushed another bite to her lips, “You don’t know what I need.” She turned her head away from him, “It has been a long time since I had sugar though.”

Omega had already gone through half of her box, “This stuff is amazing! Can we get it again tomorrow?” She spoke with a mouthful.

“Eh, sorry, kid. I’m low on credits. We’ll see,” The medic explained to the young clone. Credits wouldn’t be stopping them from doing this again.

Back on the Marauder, the remaining squad members were stuck on the conversation from before.

“She knows more than what she’s letting on,” Hunter expressed.

“I know we only met her today,” Echo started, “but she wouldn’t work with Shand… Would she?” Echo furrowed his brows in thought.

Tech had already started searching databases, “I’ve only found records from her security status on Naboo. These records say she was on the force for around five years, that time ending not too long ago.” Tech glanced up from his data pad, “Based on this information, she’s strictly been with the Empire since then.”

Hunter and Echo look between each other and then back at Tech.

The information lingered in the air, Echo adding onto it, “Maybe she had a run in with a bounty hunter before while working security?”

“Unlikely, but not impossible,” Tech double-checked his information, “It says she was on the palace guard, however she is also listed as a surgical doctor. She very well could have had an interaction with a bounty hunter defending whoever she was escorting if she’s ever escorted the Queen or Senator.”

Hunter looked to the floor, quiet for a moment. “We’ll take her word… For now,” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

“It’s an S-5 heavy blaster pistol,” Doc showed Omega, “Every palace guard on Naboo had one.”

The trio was sitting just outside the port the Marauder was stationed in. Doc had her pistol out, letting Omega hold it and learn more about the gun. Wrecker had taken Doc’s share of Mantell Mix after she refused to eat the last half of it.

“What was it like to be a palace guard?” Omega asked as she held Doc’s blaster, studying the details on it.

Doc chuckled softly, “I got to travel off world for the first time when I became a palace guard. Senator Amidala let me escort her to a few senate meetings.”

“Wow, ya must’ve been around the Senator all the time,” Wrecker raised his brows and was now very interested in the conversation.

“Well, not actually. I was mainly in the med bay,” Doc glanced at him with only a single brow raised, “What’re you getting at?”

“Oh nothin’! Just… The Senator is pretty-”

“I knew it,” Doc laughed loudly as she threw her head back, “Every time I ask people that about my job, I get the same answer.”

“Well, am I wrong?!” He joined in her laughter.

Omega just looked between the two with a confused face. She handed Doc’s blaster back to her, “Do you miss being a palace guard?”

Doc’s laughter ceased as she holstered her pistol, processing Omega’s question, “You know…” The medic shined a forced smile, “I do and I don’t. The Senator’s death and then everything with the Empire… It’s not the same on Naboo anymore.”

At her words, Wrecker put a hand on her shoulder, “Yeah, Kamino isn’t the same either.” He tried to reassure her with a grin, “But we have each other.”

“…Right,” Her eyes shifted to the ground.

“Hey, as long as you’re with us, you’re a part of this squad,” Omega piped in, scooting closer to Doc with a smile, “We’ve all lost our homes. What makes you different from us?”

Doc glanced at the girl, an innocent and cheerful energy radiating from her. It was enough to make Doc’s lips curve up into a more genuine grin, “Thanks, kid.”

A comm comes in from Hunter, “You guys coming back any time soon?”

“Uhhh we’ll head that way now,” Wrecker responded back as he stood. He lifted Omega up onto his shoulder and offered a hand to Doc.

The medic gazed up at the two, giving them a wide smile as she placed her helmet onto her head. She took Wrecker’s hand, instantly getting pulled to her feet like she was a sack of vegetables.

The walk to the Marauder was quiet, only wisps of wind and distant noise in the streets chattering. Doc turned to Wrecker and Omega before fully approaching the Marauder, “Thank you. I needed a night like tonight.” She lifted her helmet off of her head and brushed some pieces of hair from her face, “It meant a lot to not to be alone.”

Wrecker felt the same warmth from earlier that day return to his chest. “Oh, ya don’t have to thank us for that. We all needed a good time!”

“Yeah, and I got to learn more about you and your blaster,” Omega grinned ear to ear with determination, glad to have another person around.

“Well,” Doc started, unsure of what to say, “…Thank you anyways.”

Wrecker and Omega each gave her a nod before they all loaded into the Marauder.

Notes: Yay Mantell Mix originssss! Besides that, next chapter is gonna be based around episode 1.6! Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you for the next chapter! <3

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I love that scene sm!! Beautiful art!

redraw of that one chase scene in season 3 rebels, because the moment I saw it I knew I had to draw it

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Y’all how do I get my partner to stop saying, “Ooo I’m Wrecker! I’m gonna wreck it!” ?

LIKE-

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Literally begging to see them together on screen JUST ONCE

need these two on my screen again more than i need oxygen

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Wrecker Week Interest Poll

Inspired by This Post I would like to organize a Wrecker Appreciation Week. If you are interested and would like to help with organizing it, please contact me via ask or DM.

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Ah yes, more fuel for my fanfiction. Thank you very much

I always liked the idea that Wrecker hates the meat and he hates getting treated for injuries (old trauma and what not). When he gets injured in the field he will squirm and snap at whoever is trying to bandage him up and once dented the wall of the Maruader by taking a swing at Tech trying to sneakily stick a hypo in his neck.

But when Omega comes along and she takes over some of the medical duties (seeing as she was Nala Se’s medical assistant) Wrecker holds perfectly still for her. He doesn’t jerk, and he does his absolute best not to squirm and move when she’s treating him. He does this because he knows his brothers have learned to dodge his swipes or at least brace for them, Omega hasn’t and one wrong flinch and he could end up harming her.

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For @weekly-star-wars-prompts first prompt! “clone karaoke”

From my Bad Batch / Red Dead Redemption crossover. Omega and Wrecker having a lil jam session (with Gonky the beagle too)!

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Happy Birthday to the legend that is Dee-Bradley Baker 🎂

Thank you for the joy you have given us over the years.

[retrospect1003]

The Shadows are Coming Chp. 2

Summary - The Batch travel further into the facility, finally finding some sign of life, though they wish they hadn't.

Word Count - 3820

Read on AO3

Read Chp. 1

Notes: ahhhh it took me so long to do it, but I finally got through that one scene I hated with all my being! so I think I've decided that for now I will post monthly, but when I finish writing each chapter it will change to weekly :) not as much gore in this chp, but still some spooky stuff! please enjoy :)

Crosshair couldn’t believe it. His brothers really might have gone insane. Whatever Hunter was hearing was making him stumble about and try desperately to get to it. And Echo had still been strangely silent, though it’s not like he could’ve justified why he decided to touch that mutilated corpse without still looking like a psycho.

Maybe Crosshair wouldn’t have minded going deeper into the facility if he didn’t keep thinking he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Whenever he turned, however, there was nothing there. It made him feel vulnerable, not being able to see whatever was haunting them.

Sometimes they all would hear something too, but Hunter would be too distracted to notice. That was probably the most worrisome. Hunter was always focused on their surroundings, always making sure no one could sneak up on them. But right now, he wasn’t, and none of them felt safe because of it.

Crosshair sped up slightly, not wanting to trail too far behind. Sometimes he hated always being in the back, but someone had to watch his brothers’ backs. He decided to fall in next to Echo, who had been trailing behind slightly. Neither of them said anything, but Crosshair picked up how tense he seemed.

Okay? He signed quickly. Echo stared at the hand signal for a moment, before shrugging. Crosshair frowned.

Don’t like this place. He signed back silently. The grammar was a little weird, but that was just how signs worked. Crosshair bumped his shoulder lightly.

Can’t imagine why. That drew a small laugh from the ARC trooper, and Crosshair took it as a small victory. The two stopped their silent conversation after that, though Crosshair stayed close to the reg. He would never admit out loud, but Echo was growing on him.

After several more minutes of walking, Crosshair started to notice several things he wished he hadn’t. He stared at the long dark streaks painting the walls as he passed. He nudged Echo, getting his attention, and jerked his head towards the wall. He heard a faint sigh form the ARC, who then shook his head and motioned for them to keep going.

He also noticed the extra set of footsteps behind them, and he knew for a fact Echo had too. Echo grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it before heading to the front of the group to inform the others. Crosshair kept his attention on the faint footsteps as Echo quickly signed to the others what the two had discovered.

Wrecker visibly tensed, and Tech got his nose out of his data pad. Hunter only glanced back confusedly, likely cursing himself for not noticing. That was why Crosshair was there, to notice the things that Hunter missed.

Echo fell back again, falling in step with Crosshair for a moment. “Hunter said he couldn’t feel him at first, but it’s definitely a trooper.” he whispered. Crosshair tightened his grip on his firepuncher. That wasn’t much consolation.

“You’re the resident reg expert.” He muttered back. Echo nodded, then slowed more until he was behind the group. They all pretended to act normal, but they all slowed as well. The footsteps sped up. Crosshair was ready to whirl around at a moment's notice and fire upon their assailant.

Echo seemed to beat him to it, catching the reg and pinning him to the ground quickly, a blaster trained on his face. The group all turned towards him, blasters at the ready in case anyone else felt lucky enough to take them on.

Echo stood over the trooper with his foot pressing down on his chest. The trooper’s arms were held up in surrender, his eyes wide. He looked crazed, and Crosshair placed his finger on the trigger of his firepuncher, just in case.

“Who are you, why were you following us?” Echo interrogated. The rest of the group let him do his magic. Echo always seemed to be best at getting answers, though Crosshair came in close second.

The trooper laughed, sounding more hysterical. He didn’t answer Echo. The ARC’s shoulders tensed and he put more pressure on where his foot was on the trooper’s chest. Crosshair saw the trooper struggle for a moment, then let himself be pressed down against the floor.

“Why is your bucket off? There’s a sickness in here.” Echo asked, forgetting about his previous questions. The trooper laughed louder. It was an uncanny sound, coming from someone who shared the same face as Echo, somehow looking just as unhealthy.

“Because it’s too late for me!” The Trooper yelled in between laughs, “and it’s too late for you!” it sounded like a pained scream, somehow filled with a sadistic joy. Echo flinched back, and Crosshair felt the sudden urge to surge forwards and bring the ARC back to the group.

“What-” Before the ARC could even finish the word, something slammed into him from the side. The two tumbled on the ground for a moment, then Echo was pinned under another trooper. His scomp arm was up and trying to push the trooper off of him, and the trooper was sinking his teeth into the metal.

Crosshair’s heart leapt into his throat as he heard a clatter. His eyes moved to see the ARC’s helmet rolling on the ground. He could only stare at it as he heard Wrecker yell and barrel into the trooper pinning down their reg.

He jerked as he broke from his shock, turning back towards the action. The other trooper had gotten up now, and was about to pounce on Echo before he had time to recover. Crosshair readied his firepuncher and shot at the trooper. He collapsed on the ground, and soon Wrecker threw the other on top of him. Tech fired at that one, killing him quickly.

Crosshair blinked at the bodies. Two troopers, attacking them out of nowhere. What the kark was going on here?

There was another set of quick footsteps, this time from where the group had been trying to go. Crosshair whirled around to see another trooper leap onto Hunter. He pulled up his firepuncher, but before he could fire, Hunter had already slit the trooper’s throat, causing a splatter of blood to cover his helmet and visor. He shot up and wiped away the crimson liquid so he could see.

Crosshair still had his firepuncher up and at the ready, this time aimed at the hallway the last trooper had come from. Peering into the dark, he spotted a surplus of movement, like bugs writhing in the dark. He took a quick step back in shock.

“We need to run, now!” he yelled urgently. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tech helping Echo up. Hunter got up too, and started heading towards the rest of the group.

“Tactical retreat.” He called, and Crosshair never felt more relieved. He fired into the crowd of- of whatever the kark they were, before turning around and rushing after his brothers. When he passed the two troopers that had originally attacked him, his heart leapt into his throat. The trooper that he had shot, which he was certain he had shot in a fatal area, was getting up.

He ran as fast as he possibly could until he was with his brothers again. His heart was thudding in his chest and his eyes were wide behind his helmet. Occasionally he would throw a mirror on the wall, a way to see if they were being chased. After what felt like an eternity, he didn’t see anyone behind them.

It took the group several more minutes to deem it safe enough to stop. They were almost back at the command center by now. Crosshair couldn’t say he was proud of the fear that took over him, but it kept him alive, so he couldn’t really complain about it.

“What the hell was that?!” He asked incredulously. He gripped his firepuncher tightly, not planning on holstering it until they were far away from this facility.

“A group of troopers that seemed to have gone insane, perhaps due to the illness, perhaps for another reason.” Tech explained with a shrug. Crosshair shuddered at the same time Wrecker made a quiet whine.

“Weren’t they kinda like…” Wrecker started, pausing for a moment, “zombies?” he hissed. The group all stared at him, at first thinking it to be a ridiculous notion. Crosshair thought back on the trooper that should have been killed. Kark, we’re dealing with zombies. He thought miserably.

“Well, technically, they are not zombies.” Tech cut in, and Crosshair resisted the urge to roll his eyes dramatically. “The traditional zombie in media is depicted as people rising from the dead and being mindless husks, however those troopers clearly showed signs of intelligence with trying to corner us and further separating Echo from the group to attack him and knock his helmet off, exposing him to the… virus… that likely caused… their… insanity…” He trailed off as he seemed to come to a chilling realization.

They all stared at Echo, who still had his bucket off. It was probably somewhere in the recesses of the facility, with a horde of zombies around it. Echo blinked several times before saying anything.

“wait- so I’m going to turn into a zombie?” He asked, Crosshair wished he couldn't see the fear in the reg’s eyes, he knew that at least the others wouldn’t, though they could suspect that Echo was scared anyway. Everyone was silent for several beats. Crosshair held his breath, wishing that Tech would flat out say no, even if he was lying.

“Not unless I can concoct a cure in time.” Tech replied carefully. Crosshair could see the way Echo’s bottom lip trembled slightly. The reg stayed silent.

“Well how do we make a cure?” Hunter asked, getting the group back on track. Tech took pause for a moment, then pulled up his datapad. The green glow it emitted made Tech look ghastly, Crosshair tried not to think about that.

“I will need a well enough sample, however there is not enough of the virus condensed in the air here for me to get said sample.” Tech explained, not looking up from his ‘pad. “Maybe I could make something to slow it down, and since he is not showing symptoms yet-”

As if on cue, Echo coughed several times painfully. Crosshair watched in masked horror as Echo’s knees shook and he placed his scomp on the wall to steady himself, his other hand was clenched in a fist and covering his mouth. Wrecker placed a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him upright.

Echo took heaving breaths once the coughing fit slowed. He blinked several times, then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

“Shit,” Crosshair mumbled, eyes wide behind his helmet.

“The remedy will take too long. If he is already showing symptoms of sickness we need to focus on the cure itself.” Tech announced, jolting out of his shock quickly. Crosshair couldn’t tear his eyes away from Echo as the reg rubbed the bridge of his nose as if he was working off a headache.

“So what d’we do?” Wrecker asked, still holding onto Echo as if he would collapse the moment his hand left the reg’s shoulder. Glancing down at the reg’s still shaking knees, Crosshair thought maybe he would.

“We need to go further in. I suspect the med-bay would most likely be the best place to collect a sample.” Tech declared.

“Then that’s where we’ll go.” Hunter said firmly, “Tech, pull up the layout and find the quickest route.” He ordered quickly. Tech did as he was told almost immediately. Hunter carefully went up to Echo, then placed his hands on the ARC’s shoulders. “Can you walk?” He asked softly.

“Y-yeah- yeah, I’m good.” Echo declared, waving a dismissive hand. Anyone could tell that the reg was decidedly not good, what with the sweat collecting on his brow and the way his eyes almost seemed foggy. Crosshair frowned, wishing he could get one of his toothpicks to relieve some tension.

“Alright, “ Hunter said, “lead the way, Tech.” He gestured towards the splicer, who nodded quickly and started forward. The rest followed silently, though Hunter waited until he was in step with Crosshair.

“Keep an eye on him.” Hunter whispered. Crosshair didn’t need to know who he meant, he didn’t need to be asked either. “I’ll focus on his vitals.” He stated. Crosshair nodded silently. Hunter then picked up the pace until he was walking parallel to Tech.

Crosshair stayed near the back. This time, if they were being followed, he would take care of it. He wouldn’t let any more of his brothers get sick until he was sure that they had a cure that worked.

The sniper silently watched his eldest brother, wishing he couldn’t see every detail that seemed wrong, wishing he couldn’t see how his complexion was already slightly paler than usual.

Wrecker hated this. He hated it so, so much. He hated this creepy facility, he hated zombies, and he hated that his brother was sick. Echo was already weaker than most clones when it came to health, he didn’t need a zombie virus to deal with.

And why did it have to be zombies? Zombies were karking terrifying! They literally come back from the dead and eat living people and then those people come back from the dead and eat more people! It’s scary and the Batch doesn’t deserve to deal with it. Wrecker certainly didn’t want to deal with it.

But the Batch never really gets a say in what they deal with, and they can’t turn back now, even though he really wanted to. Echo was sick, and unless Tech could get a good enough sample, he’d stay that way.

So they all creeped down the eerie hallways, blasters armed and ready. Wrecker tried his best to ignore the crimson stains on the walls and the puddles on the floor, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

He wondered with a grimace if Hunter could smell it through his helmet’s filter. He hoped not. He felt bad for Echo, the ARC did comment on bad smells a lot. At least he wasn’t squeamish, that was something.

Though, Echo did look a little worse for wear. He had started breathing more heavily, and was coughing more often. Luckily Wrecker hadn’t needed to catch him in case he fell, but He had needed to steady him, or urge the group to take a small break. Echo would complain whenever he did, insisting he was fine. It brought a worried smile to Wrecker’s face, the ARC was still as stubborn as ever, so surely he can’t be that bad.

Wrecker repeated that like a mantra. He was okay for now. He was still walking. He was still breathing. Albeit the walking bit was filled with struggle. Wrecker had decided it’d be best to stop keeping track of how many times Echo stumbled or tripped.

“How close are we, Tech?” Hunter asked. Wrecker blinked as he heard a hint of pain in his voice. He probably still had a headache from whatever heart thing he had been talking about before.

“Not too far.” Tech answered, “we are getting close to where we made it to last time.” he continued hesitantly.

“Oh so with the horde of zombies?” Echo snarked with a huff, though it might’ve been a gasp for breath. Wrecker didn’t know how difficult it was to breathe while inhaling a deadly disease. No matter how much effort it took for Echo to say it, it still made Wrecker relieved to hear him talking.

“Still technically not zombies.” Tech repeated with a hiss. Wrecker could imagine Crosshair rolling his eyes now. “We don’t even know if they’re bites infect you or if they need to knock off our helmets.” He explained. Wrecker felt the start of a rant and prepared himself to either tell Tech to quiet down or listen miserably.

“Well, that one trooper did try to bite Echo.” Crosshair added. Tech hummed, and surprisingly did not argue.

Wrecker jumped as Echo went into another coughing fit. The group stopped instinctually as they waited for their brother to recover. Wrecker moved to place a hand on Echo’s shoulder to steady him again, but realized quickly that would not be enough.

The ARC’s legs gave out and Wrecker quickly moved to keep him from hitting the floor. Wrecker held him tightly as his body heaved with each cough. He slowly lowered him to the floor, the others having moved to crouch around Echo protectively.

Echo let out a tight wheeze and a gasp as the coughs turned to meager huffs. He shook for a moment in Wrecker’s arms, and the bruiser held him closer to his chest. Echo leaned into the embrace and stuffed his face into Wrecker’s cuirass.

“Talk to us, reg.” Crosshair urged. Wrecker looked up to the sharpshooter, then back down at Echo. there was a foggy look in the ARC’s eyes. Crosshair moved to place two fingers on Echo’s pulse point, and Wrecker fought the panic growing in his chest. Was it really getting that bad? Were they really worrying if Echo still had a pulse now?

“His heartbeat,” Hunter mumbled before Crosshair could even announce his findings, “It’s slowing.” Wrecker felt that dread in his chest boil as he realized what that meant, what it could mean in another half hour.

“‘M okay-” Echo slurred, being interrupted by another weak cough, “we need to keep- keep goin’.” Wrecker’s grip tightened, silently refusing to let the ARC go. Even Wrecker knew that he shouldn’t be walking anymore.

“Shit, reg-” Crosshair hissed, finding something else alarming. Wrecker flinched at the harsh and panicked tone, and followed Crosshair’s gaze to the ARC’s face. Echo was having a nosebleed.

The group all seemed to fall silent as their minds tried to comprehend it. Wrecker didn’t think that was a normal symptom for a fever. Wrecker stared at the small droplet of blood that trickled from Echo’s nose, over his lips, and down his chin. He gently moved to wipe it away, instead smearing it accidentally. Echo shut his eyes tightly before he seemed to relax and fall unconscious.

“We need to hurry.” Tech said, trying to rouse everyone from their shock. Wrecker blinked several times, trying to force his gaze away from the copper tint staining Echo’s face. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Echo might not have been squeamish, but when it came to his brothers, Wrecker certainly was.

“Wreck, carry him.” Hunter said, being one of the firsts to recover, as always. Wrecker flinched and looked up at Hunter, trying to not look at the red stains still on his helmet form that one trooper. Sometimes he hated whenever they had to wear their helmets. He wanted to be able to see his brothers’ faces, to know how they felt. He wasn’t good with understanding tones, and he didn’t think Echo would be in his foggy state either. Echo deserved to see his brothers worrying about him, to see how scared they were. He deserved to know that they cared.

“Yeah.” Wrecker responded once he too had gotten his head back in the game. “Yeah- you got it, Sarge.” He nodded stiffly, then got up from his crouch on the floor. He still held Echo tightly, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever let go. He hated how Echo didn’t even protest, usually the ARC would at least make a sarcastic remark. The silence seemed a million times worse than Echo being grumpy.

Wrecker suppressed another flinch as there was a loud clatter behind them. He turned swiftly with the others to investigate. His head tilted slightly in confusion as a metal pipe slowly rolled towards the group. He turned his gaze away from it and peered into the dark hallway they had come from.

If Hunter had enhanced senses, they had been taken from Wrecker before he was decanted. He couldn’t see or hear as well as his brothers, not since the explosion that gave him his scar. Even so, he swore he could see movement in the shadows, and maybe hear a bit of shuffling.

He looked quickly to Hunter, then to Crosshair. Both of them seemed tense and he knew they must have noticed something too. He took a step back as his brothers moved forwards slightly. He knew his job in this situation, he had done it a million times now. He had to protect their cargo.

He moved to conceal more of Echo’s limp form, and just as he did, a shadow jumped out at the group with a snarl. Hunter quickly threw one of his vibroblades, hitting its neck and knocking it down. Before Wrecker could even feel relieved, several more troopers leapt from the darkness and started running towards the group.

“Tech! Get Wrecker to the med-bay!” Hunter ordered quickly as he and Crosshair started firing at the horde. Wrecker heard Tech mutter a quick curse before giving Hunter an affirmative. He fell back next to Wrecker, then tugged on his shoulder to get the bruiser moving.

A million thoughts went through his head. There were so many troopers, and they were smarter than battle droids. Hunter and Crosshair could be overrun depending on how many there were. They couldn’t leave them, but they had to get Echo to safety. Wrecker realized numbly that his breathing was getting quicker. His throat was constricting with worry.

“Wrecker, we need to go.” Tech urged. It felt quiet and far away, but the words registered. Wrecker shook his head quickly, then turned and ran after Tech. He would get Echo to the med-bay then come back for his brothers. He just needed to be fast.

The sound of blaster fire usually made him excited, now it just made him want to vomit. He fought the urge as he ran quickly behind Tech. The blaster fire got quieter and quieter, but it still pounded in his head. He needed to hear it. He needed to know they were still fighting.

“We can’t leave them!” Wrecker forced out. Tech turned his head slightly, and Wrecker wished he couldn’t see the fear reflected in his eyes. He was glad he could see a bit of his brother’s face, but he wasn’t entirely stoked about the expression.

“I know, and we will come back.” Tech coaxed. “But we need to get Echo to safety first.” Sometimes Wrecker hated how logical Tech always was. He was right about nearly everything, and he was right about them needing to focus on Echo.

Wrecker didn’t answer, he continued to follow his little brother through the dark corridors. He could still see the shadows moving every time they passed a room. He could still hear muttering and shuffling. He couldn’t hear blaster fire.

End Notes: almost sorry for the cliffhanger :P hope you enjoyed and that you have a lovely day :D

NPT: @squad-724 @arctrooper69 @weyrwolfen @clownery-and-fuckery @charlieisannoying

@greyangelpain @zilvercrystal @travellingnorthwards @lifblogs @electrikworm

@buniby @thora-sniper @restrospect1003 @dizzy-9906

[retrospect1003]

So real, clone ocs are cool af

Usually I don’t care much when I see someone’s ocs for fandoms unless they’re talking to me specifically abt it and want me to give feedback and stuff, but when I tell you I fucking love clone ocs, I fucking LOVE clone ocs

Like yes please I’d love to hear more about this guy. What makes him stand out from the vode? What’s the meaning behind his name? His battalion? His armor markings? What happened to him during order 66? What happened to him after? LIKE TELL ME ALL OF IT I LOVE IT SO GOD DAMN MUCH

[retrospect1003]

Wrecker the Construction Worker!

I'm doing a "Hard at Work Modern AU" of Clone Force 99 with no shirts. Check out the original sketches for each of the boys. Also, take a look at Hunter the Game Warden, Tech the Marine Biologist, and Echo the Park Ranger!

-----

Buy Me Groceries | Treat Yo Self | Watch Me Art / Learn Art

[Likes are filtered out of my activity feed and notifications. If you like this post, it will go unnoticed. Consider reblogging instead/in addition for the benefit of everyone.]

[retrospect1003]

Too accurate

Clones and what characters they are in this fandom

this is a joke post... okay half-joke

Hunter: the straight woman bait

Echo: the bad takes magnet

Tech: the reason the fix-it fics exist

Wrecker: the underrated one with the most dedicated fanbase

Crosshair: the "i can fix him" character, born sopping wet in a cardboard box

Fives: that one character nobody dislikes

Hardcase: the explanation for whenever something chaotic or random happens in a post

Tup: the soft and sensitive boi

Rex: gets put into every genre of fic, every scenario, every ship under the sun and every AU

Cody: that one character whose tag is 80% ship content

Jesse: placeholder in incorrect quotes

Kix: the nice one

Wolffe: baby's first yandere

Fox: the homicidal one who really likes head scritches and snuggles and being wrapped in a blanket—

[retrospect1003]

REAL AS FUCK

I DID IT!!! I FINALLY FINISHED THAT SCENE I LITERALLY HATED!!! FUCK EXPOSITION I DECIDED TO MAKE IT CREEPYYYYYYYYY AND GIVE YOU ALL EVEN MORE QUESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!

[retrospect1003]

Calling All Skeletons | Chapter 3: Honest Interaction

Notes: A shorter chapter! I didn't want to overload information in this chapter, so I'm dividing it up. Hope you all enjoy some Doc lore (feat. Crosshair).

Word Count: ~1.6k

Banner by: @/blackseafoam

Doc held her cup with both hands, sitting across from Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Omega. The atmosphere of the parlor was quiet. Only the five of them were seated around a small table, blue lights dimly glowing from the bar.

“Where do I even start?” She hummed, her fingers tapping the sides of her glass. “I’m not going to give you my life story, but I was on Naboo’s Security Force before I joined the Galactic Army. I was mainly trained as a doctor and learned how to do countless procedures on Naboo.” She set her cup down and placed her blaster on the table, “They taught me how to defend myself.”

The bunch of clones listened and watched Doc closely, taking in every piece of information. Tech adjusted his goggles, looking at her blaster then to Doc, “If you’re trained specially for medical practice, what would the Empire want with you? Besides being on standby as a medic, I don’t see a reason why they’d seek you out as a soldier.”

Doc chuckled softly, “Yeah, you would think I’m just some doctor, right?” She crossed her arms as she leaned back into her chair, “I can shoot, I can fight, and I can doctor. I’m good in tense situations, and the Empire liked my enthusiasm,” she smiled faintly, “When I got an offer, I took it and knew I was going to be helping people across the galaxy instead of a singular planet.” Her lips turned down as she glanced away from the batch, “After months of training, I was sent on my first mission with the Elite Squad. To Onderon.”

A shuttle flew through the stars and vast space. From the inside, only a red light illuminated the area and the Elite Squad.

“Why would they put him in charge?”

The soldiers stood in the shuttle with their clone commander, Crosshair. Four of the squad members remained quiet while ES-01 expressed his complaint. Doc, being one of the four, looked over to ES-01, head tilted.

Crosshair narrowed his eyes, “Problem?”

“Considering our commander has more experience than any of us, it only makes sense for him to be our commander,” Doc interrupted, “You should be respecting him and the efforts he made along with all other clones during the clone wars.” She looked to Crosshair before quickly darting her eyes away, “Apologies Commander.”

Sharing eye contact with Doc, Crosshair’s expression remained the same. He didn’t respond to her at all, yet there was a familiar silence between them.

ES-01 rolled his eyes, ignoring Doc, “Tell me this, clone,” he started as he eyed his commander, “If you all are so efficient, how come the Empire’s scouting soldiers like us?”

Doc furrowed her brows, “It’s giving a job to people like you and me. It’s allowing the clones to train us and rest-“

“ES-05, they were made to be in war! The Empire is obviously done with clones,” ES-01 snapped, facing away, “Sounds to me like it’s time for a change.”

Doc rolled her eyes, disengaging from the conversation. Meanwhile, Crosshair glued his intimidating glare to his argumentative squad-member.

“Enjoy being commander,” ES-01 smirked, “For now. We’ll see how things shake out.”

A tense and awkward silence fell on the squad. This lasted until the shuttle landed at their destination, each member taking their positions with Crosshair’s guide. They started to move in on the targets, Doc’s blaster at the ready and stationed further back. She watched the so-called insurgents from behind her squad and her eyes widened. She lowered her blaster slowly. These weren’t insurgents, but they had to be the target.

“ES-05, move up.”

Doc snapped back to reality at Crosshair’s command, swallowing, “Yes,” she hesitated, “Commander.” She moved forward as told. She lifted her blaster at the targets shakily, eyeing each individual. This is wrong. This isn’t right.

Crosshair led the blast fire, taking out Saw Gerrera’s fighters like light work. Each of the other squad-members followed their commander as they shot at each believed soldier. Doc’s hand shook as she watched the bloodshed and falling of people before her. Each shot she fired intended to miss, only to say that she was technically following orders. She watched as one went to pilot the vehicle and make their escape. She watched. Hopeful.

A blast shot through the pilot’s chest. The transport dropped to the ground immediately.

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as the scene replayed in her head. Doc’s eyes stung with tears as she looked to her commander and squad-mates as they moved in on the innocents. Each step she took with her squad was heavy, begging her to turn away.

The targets spilled out of the transport, knowing they had nowhere else to go. One of Gerrera’s fighters glared at the squad as she threw her weapon down to approach Crosshair.

Holding a gun to her chest, Crosshair pressed, “Where’s Gerrera?”

“I don’t know. But I wouldn’t tell you if I did-”

A bolt fires through her chest.

Crosshair stands over her body as it falls, holstering his gun, “I believe you.”

The medic turned her head away from the scene. Her eyes shut tight at the sound of the blaster firing, tears threatening their escape.

Her commander continued with his interrogation as he walked to the other individuals, “Do any of you have any information you’d like to share?”

A couple huddled close together, the human man speaking, “We don’t know anything,” he quickly assured, “We were promised transport off world, that’s all.”

“Then you’re of no use to the Empire,” Crosshair snarled as he aimed his gun at the couple.

“What are you doing?” ES-01 interjected, “Gerrera’s fighters are dead. These are civilians.”

Doc shook her head, clearing her throat, “They aren’t a threat to us or the Empire.”

“Right,” ES-01 straightened his posture, “We should bring them in.”

Crosshair turned to his squad, “Those weren’t our orders.” His voice was sharp.

“Forget our orders! This is wrong,” ES-01 looked over to the civilians, attempting to advocate for them. Even if it’s just to give them another day to fight and live.

Doc placed her blaster on her hip. She couldn’t go through with it. She wouldn’t.

“So, you’re not going to comply?” Crosshair threatened as he leaned in close to ES-01.

“No. None of us are,” ES-01 answered directly as he turned to his squad-mates, “Ignore the clone. We signed up to be soldiers, not an execution squad.”

The rest of the squad listened closely to ES-01. Doc, moving in closer to listen to her companion, readied herself to do what was necessary to avoid any more death than there had to be. That was until Crosshair interrupted ES-01’s plans.

“You want to know why they put me in charge?”

Doc and her squad turned towards their commander, listening to see what he had to say. The medic’s stomach churned at his words.

“It’s because I’m willing to do what needs to be done,” Crosshair quickly drew his blaster, shooting directly into ES-01’s chest.

There wasn’t a moment to turn away or stop him before it happened. Doc couldn’t hold back her gasp. Immediately, she dropped to the ground beside ES-01 as she pulled her bag off to search for supplies.

“Leave him,” the commander pointed his blaster at Doc as he snarled.

“’Good soldiers follow orders,’” Doc repeated the words Crosshair said to her. The memory of the cold and unforgiving stare and tone remained with her, “Those civilians never stood a chance. I should’ve run away and taken the ship then and there, but I froze.”

The "bad" batch of clones were all together at the table with Omega as Doc told her story. Their faces all deep in thought of the situation. Knowing Crosshair all this time to suddenly knowing nothing about him shook their cores. How could he do this? If only his chip hadn’t activated Order 66.

A silence loomed over the bunch as Doc finished her retelling of events. Omega looked down, thinking to herself, before fixing her gaze on the medic and moving closer to her. She placed a hand on her arm, looking at the table, “His behavior isn’t his fault. Clones have inhibiter chips that influence their behaviors.”

Doc’s brows furrowed, “Then why do all of you act reasonably?”

“We are defective clones,” Tech answered, “Our chips seem to have malfunctioned when Order 66 was given. Except for Crosshair’s...” His eyes moved to look at the ground. His brothers shared a similar expression to him, panged by the actions of Crosshair.

Glancing to Omega and then to the men before her, Doc could feel their grief. They lost their brother to the Empire. More than anything she lost to them. “I’m so sorry,” her eyes soften, “I’m sure he was a great brother to you all.”

Wrecker’s eyes found Doc’s after she spoke. His lips barely curved a woeful smile, acknowledging her words.

Hunter thought through her story, eventually standing up as he spoke, “Crosshair’s actions were his choice to make, even if influenced by the chip.” He sighed heavily as he crossed his arms, “There was nothing we could do about it,” he looked to Doc, “But if you have nowhere else to go, the least we can do is help you and make things right.”

“And I’ll do anything I can to help you all,” Doc’s mouth shone a small smile, “Running from the Empire is no joke.”

Echo scoffed a short chuckle, “Yeah, you can say that again.”

Omega jumped up from her seat, clasping Doc’s hand in both of hers, “So, that means you’re going to stay?”

The medic stood up as she shared a smile with Omega, “For the time being, yes.” She looked to Hunter, “On a different note, what did Cid tell you?”

Getting back on track, Hunter turned to the group, “We need to discuss Cid’s intel further on the Marauder.”

Notes: I'm already in the process of writing the next chapter, so hopefully there won't be as long of a wait this time! Classes, moving, and working have all been very stressful as of recent. I'll have some more free time soon! Until the next chapter!

[retrospect1003]

When your little sibling invites themself into your room and starts spilling all the tea cause they have nothing better to do

(Crosshair is invested. Echo’s about to drop the ol “nuh-uh, I wouldn’t put up with that if I were you.”)

[retrospect1003]

I never noticed before how pretty Wrecker's season 3 color combo is. Not super sure how his secure his cuirass is if it's not attached anywhere under his arms though? Don't bend over, Wrecker. 😅

[retrospect1003]

Hey all, sorry I’ve been MIA to those looking forward to chapter 3 of Calling All Skeletons. I just started back on my classes and work has been draining me. I hope I’ll be able to write and upload the next chapter soon! I’ll be uploading less frequently for now probably until December. This is a PSA to everyone: don’t overwork yourself! Enjoy the ride! <3