#Cid Rim | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

legacygirlingreen · 6 months ago

Text

Easing Tensions

Pairing: Tech x F!Reader

Summary: When introductions go wrong, watch as Tech slowly has to earn back your good graces after he insults your abilities as a mechanic. From friendship to something more, eventually the two of you find some slice of heaven on Ord Mantell despite all odds...

Warning: Smut! Tech and reader are definetly not virgins so not first time (unless you wanna count first time together). Mild dom/sub vibes. Casual/playful spanking. Don't worry Tech's still really sweet. Mentions of Omega being kidnapped by Cad Bane and events of Bracca.

***no use of Y/N!!***

Notes: This is my first time posting for Bad Batch content so I really hope that everything goes okay! I want to thank my awesome friend @strawberrypinky for bearing with me and encouraging me despite her not having watched TBB before! It's so wonderful to have a friend who's so supportive!

Definitely pulled some inspo from some AMAZING fanart that I've seen on here. There's this wonderful image of Tech with tattoos by @cloned-eyes and so many incredible ones by @eggdrawsthings like this who often draws Tech with his cute little undercut!

Word Count: 16.5 words (I apologize for my inability to do porn without a plot!)

Ord Mantell wasn’t the nicest part of the galaxy, but-

It is home..?

It is tolerable..?

It is a steaming pile of bantha shit? Yeah that’s probably as close as you could get to describing it.

No one intends to live in this sketchy city in the mid-rims: you just end up here. That’s how you got here after all. After having a few good years working on Coruscant, designing starships for Senators and the Aristocrats of the Republic. But then the war started. The Republic discovered they had been funding an army of clones, and all those privatized contracts dried up, rent went up and you’d been forced to leave the planet of lights.

After your ship had a malfunction, ending up in the space port just outside Cid’s place, the Trandoshan oddly taking pity on you, allowing you a place to crash in exchange for repairing her arcade machines… and the dish washer… and rewire her a new security system… and so much you lost track before word got around of your mechanical engineering skills.

Rotations kept going and it wasn’t long before you found yourself with a small shop, running jobs within the city on household appliances, droids, ships - you name it. It wasn’t much, just a tiny building full of spare parts, a work space, a front with some small devices to sell. Not to mention the small loft apartment above it - not that you actually made it up there, often falling asleep burning the midnight oil at your desk - but it was still a home.

Only occasionally getting robbed or having some creeps passing through town hitting on you being the few things that threw a damper in what turned out to be a decent enough existence. And as sketchy as Cid might be, or the cast of characters she keeps around, you still kept a soft spot for the lady. Always repairing whatever she claimed needed fixing… it was usually nothing. But you’d let her pour you a drink while you ‘fixed’ the slots for the hundredth time. After being tossed out of the highlight of the galaxy, you were finally at peace with where you wound up.

That was, until they showed up.

Bolo had stopped by in the morning, claiming Cid had broken the slot machine again, to which you said the usual: I’ll stop by after I finish this.

This being a machine for one of the only doctors in town. While most of the folks on Ord Mantell were less than ideal, the few good people made it worth sticking around. The doctor needing a medical device for internal issues fixed being an actual emergency over Cid’s loneliness. However, that rationalization soon would be something you’d regret.

Hours melted away, soldering iron finishing off the last of the repair. Standing from the desk, cracking your back and fingers prodding at the crick in your neck. Soreness being the reward for a hard day’s work. Well that and the small burns and cuts on your fingers. But that was an occupational hazard of doing repairs.

Slipping a coat on with the blaster you kept for protection underneath it was a quick delivery, with a joyful thank you - and a thank you pie courtesy of his lovely wife - and you finally made it to Cid’s.

You recognized the armor immediately. Having heard a few weeks back about the end of the war, you wondered what would happen to them. The clones. The ones that took your job. Took any chance at a promising career as a ship designer, because free labor is better than cheap labor.

Why were clones on Ord Mantell?

All with their helmets removed, one near the bar turned to face you almost immediately. His face half covered in a tattoo as he made eye contact. You scowled, turned away, pushing your unresolved anger onto the man as if he personally was the cause of your misery.

Next to him was a clone that looked more metal than man. What had the Republic done with their clones if he wound up this bad? You thought to yourself, watching as his pale eyes glanced over your frame. The coat rack behind you suddenly reminds you that perhaps it best to remind these men you meant business.

Slipping off the outerwear, holster and gun on full display over the tight, oil stained work suit, you once again turn to examine just how many clones were in the parlor. A very large one, entertaining… a child? You knew for a fact these men were clones. Having been hit on by enough, regretfully having slept with a few before you skipped town - you had seen enough brown eyes to last a lifetime.

Then the joyful call of your name, Bolo and Ketch welcoming you over as Cid emerged from the back with yet another clone.

“Took you long enough,” she said, an almost undetectable smile working on her face as the others watched the interaction.

“Well, some of us had real work to do,” You tell her with a fake annoyed expression, stepping closer to the bar.

“You call tinkering in that dark room, work? When I - a paying customer - requested services,” Cid said. That caused the laugh to burst from your mouth, startling the watchful eyes of the new strangers. Soon Bolo and Ketch joined in, slapping the bar excitedly.

“I think I would be concerned if you did actually pay me,” You say through a chuckle, grabbing a tool off your belt as you turn towards the open room. “So where’s this slot machine that’s broken?” You emphasize the word, knowing it was likely from the one wire she always slightly disconnected to make you feel better for drinking without paying.

“Same one as always, you know the drill. But hold on, I want you to meet my new boys. They are going to be running some jobs for me in order to keep a low profile with everything that’s going on,” Cid said, gesturing to the small squad of clones.

“I thought you said you would keep our business discreet?” Face-Tattoo growled as Cid waved him off.

“She’s a trusted acquaintance. The last stray I took in. Now look at her-” Cid started as Ketch spoke at the same time as her.

“A successful business woman-” Cid said.

“Covered in grease-” Ketch said.

Bolo reacted immediately, laughing till he started coughing. The largest of the clones joining the Ithorian in laughter as you scowled at them.

“Cid it almost sounds as if you like me when you put it that way,” you warn her as she shakes her head, pushing you towards the slot machine.

“Eh don’t get carried away. Anyways, introductions. This is bandana-” she began as he grumpily spouted out, “Hunter”.

“This is muscles,” she pointed to the large one, who said “I’m Wrecker!” offering a smile and a hand, which she awkwardly shook.

“That’s tiny-” Cid pointed to the small girl, lingering near the one she called Wrecker.

“Hi! I’m Omega! You are really pretty-” she said, offering a hand as well. Her compliment catches you off guard from all the time with Cid’s sarcasm.

“Oh, uh… thanks kid. I like your uh… enthusiasm” you try to give her a compliment, the politeness so foreign it came off forced but the kid didn’t notice.

“Not sure what to call that one but he’s more metal than man at this point-” she pointed to the cybernetically enhanced one.

“Echo” he said plainly and you nod, appreciating the simplicity in his response.

“And this is goggles” she said, gesturing to the last one, who didn’t bother to look up from the device he was working on to even acknowledge you.

“Charming,” you reply sarcastically, finally drawing his attention as he watched the tail end of your eye roll. His own eyes fixating over the unique attire you donned along with the tools on your belt, his eyes narrowing as he wondered about your occupation.

“His name is Tech, not Goggles,” giggles Omega.

“Ah, I see you are already acclimated to Cid’s show of affection. She must really like you all. Well, now that the introductions are out of the way, Cid-” You began, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible if there were now going to be clones at the parlor. Despite these one’s looking… vastly different, they still played a role in why you left.

“Fix, then drink. You know the deal,” she explains.

Nodding you quickly sliding on your back, you open the circuit board, quickly locating the same wire that was always ‘altered’ prior to your arrival. Just as you went to reattach it however, a voice near your head startled you, the yelp leaving your lips as the wire’s exposed end shocked you.

“Ah!” filled the parlor, everyone’s attention turning towards the slot machine which Tech had inadvertently shoved himself underneath alongside you as he began troubleshooting the issue.

“Perhaps you should consider replacing the whole circuit board and wiring system if this one machine persists with issues. I am inclined to doubt your mechanic skills if you continually have to come back for repairs on the same device.” He spoke bluntly as you dropped the tool in your hand, anger rising to the surface as he stared at the machine, hands starting to trace the circuit board when you lost it.

“What are you doing?!” You demanded, finally drawing his attention, when Tech realized he had invaded your personal space a bit more than he intended.

“Oh, I was curious if my knowledge of engineering would be helpful given you seem to lack the knowledge in order to fix this devic-” he started but you weren’t hearing it, sliding away from him instantly as you brushed yourself off and stood, angrily stomping in the opposite direction.

Cid called your name but you weren’t hearing it, reaching for your coat, tossing it on despite the many eyes watching your hasty exit. “Clones!” you gritted through clenched teeth, eyes rolling as you started up to street level. Steps on the stairs being the last anyone heard of you as you left a wake of confusion.

“Way to go Goggles” Cid chastised him as he stood, having propped himself up when you stomped away.

“I fail to see the issue. I merely pointed out the flaws in her previous attempts to fix the slot-” Tech began to defend himself.

“I don’t think insulting her was the right move,” Hunter groaned.

“Yeah, why did you make fun of how she fixes stuff? She was really pretty.” Wrecker said, sheepish look.

Echo remained silent, watching as Tech did not grasp what had happened, once again firing into an explanation as to why he believed he was not in the wrong.

“If one continually has to return to fix the same device, I believe it only fair to question the validity of their credentials. Why else would it-” Tech spoke, only to have Omega step towards him, gently placing her hand on his armored shoulder before she said, “Tech, I think that for the two of them, fixing the machine is Cid’s way of asking for her company. That’s why it’s always the same device that’s broken-”

“What you are saying is that the slot machine is a humorous bit of sorts?” He asked, glancing back at the way the panel lacked 2 bolts on its cover. When he looked at the spot, now vacated by you, he noticed you left a wrench on the ground. Walking towards it, he bent at the waist, picking it up and examining it. Carved into the handle were some initials, he assumed must be yours.

“It seems Tiny is smarter than you are Goggles,” Cid said with an eye roll, walking to the backroom, leaving the clones with the two regulars who awkwardly watched the interaction.

“I did not mean to appear rude-” Tech sighed, fingers probing his temples as Omega looked at Ketch.

“You know her don’t you?” Omega asked.

“Yeah… I can take it to her place on the way home. She tends to hole herself up there for days at a time-” Ketch explained only to have Omega shake her head.

“If you could tell us where it is, I can return it.” The small girl informed the group, immediately having Hunter protest, but Echo nudged him, pointing at Tech.

“Fine but take Tech with you,” Hunter realized Echo was alluding to Tech being granted an opportunity to apologize.

“I still believe it best to wait until morning given the nature of this town being less than ideal,” Tech protested.

“It’ll be fine Tech, we can take them!” Omega said enthusiastically, grabbing his hand and her newly acquired bow.

“I’m assuming them to be the metaphorical enemies we may run across?” He sighed, reaching for his helmet but Omega yanked him harder.

“Omega my helm-“ he yelped and she kept dragging.

“It’ll be fine. Besides, if you are going to apologize it’s better to let her see your face when you do so,” omega explained.

“Why does seeing my face matter?” He groaned, the two of them coming to the street as Ketch pointed them in the direction of a street, giving them a piece of paper with your shop logo before leaving.

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe she’ll think you’re handsome,” Omega spoke with a mischievous grin, still tugging her brother along as he stumbled behind her.

“That is rather doubtful,” He told her, sigh passing over his lips as he realized it would likely be the same story he’d known many times at this point. Any time they were on Corrasaunt, they did worse with the presence of Regs, and the few women that glanced their way were always going for Wrecker, Crosshair or Hunter. He had lucked out in some ways, that Echo seemingly did just as bad with women, the two of them only rarely completing the mission so to speak. On the rare instance he did find himself, it usually felt awkward, unsatisfying and with them forgetting his name by morning. Despite being well versed in how to assist women, it always felt forced and against his nature to behave in the more dominant nature most females found appealing. Not that Tech was going to be the one to explain the intricacies of sexual relations to Omega. He was certain via scientific means that she was aware of how the act worked, but beyond that it felt more like a conversation between her and genuinely anyone else.

“I think that’s it!” She pointed out, and he raised the crude drawing on a napkin they had acquired that showed the logo of the shop. Above the shop was a light in what he figured to be a small domicile she occupied.

“I believe you are correct, however it may be best to attempt entry from the back. It appears there is a set of stairs that lead to-” he began, only to have the girl bound off without him for the alleyway, a slight skip in her step.

From within your apartment, you were angrily stomping about, tossing random parts into a crate. Circuit board, wires, tools. Who was he to question your ability to fix the damned machine? Fixing to make your way back to the parlor, you were dead set on proving him wrong.

In the midst of your sharp movements a knock at the apartment door startled you, causing you to stumble and ram your toes into the leg of the nearest table. The expletive ringing through the air as you hobbled towards the door, hand on the gun in case some creep had followed you. Pulling up the image display you had installed for security you saw the girl from the parlor and -

Door sliding open, you leaned against the frame to prevent putting weight on the throbbing extremity.

“Can I help you?” You grumpily scoffed at the pair, the little girl undeterred by your perturbed nature while the Clone, much less confident now glanced around awkwardly, his arms clutching his sides.

“We came to return your wrench,” she smiled up at you, her innocent brown eyes sparkling with the low lighting of your flat reflecting. Dammit.

“Well, that is unexpectedly kind I suppose. I assume Ketch told you where I live, so why not just let him do it?” You ask, still unsure why she sought you out to return something as simple as a wrench. You had hundreds. Still feeling the pain in your foot, you began to worry that you had actually broken or fractured something, given it had lingered, so as you looked down at the young girl you once again shifted weight, a slight hiss exiting your lips, nearly undetectable, but with the way Tech was scrutinizing you he noticed.

“Oh, I just thought that maybe since you and Cid are close, our squad could become friends with you-” Omega began only to have Tech interrupt her, stepping between the two of you.

“You are injured,” he bluntly said, gesturing down to your foot.

“Yes. I do not get visitors, especially this time of night, and certainly not men who have insulted me coming to my door. The knock startled me,” you hissed out as you straightened up, forcing him to maintain eye contact with you as you glared at him.

“Tech did not mean to be rude-” the girl began sensing the shift in hostility between the way you had spoken softly to her and the way tension grew the second Tech spoke up.

“I’m sure Tech-” you cut her off and test the waters by using his name before continuing “-doesn’t need you to apologize on his behalf. He’s a big boy. He can do it himself,” You glance down at her before once again turning to face him, arms crossing over your chest. “Unless of course, he isn’t sorry?” You challenge him to speak up with your tone.

“I-” she spoke after the beat of silence, only to have the man interrupt her once more.

“I believed myself to be perfectly within the bounds of questioning your skillset given the information I had at the time, being your frequent return to the parlor-” He began and you rolled your eyes, back of your head leaning back to meet the frame of the door as you scoffed.

“So you came to further insult me.” You said as he paused momentarily to look at you.

“No, I was-” Tech began and you waved him off, dismissing him.

“Sure sounds that way to me Brown Eyes,” You push off the frame of the door despite the pain in your toe, to get as close to face level as possible, despite his extremely tall frame. “I’ve dealt with enough clones to last a lifetime. And my experience has always been that of arrogant, inconsiderate men who think too highly of themselves and too lowly of me,” you lean in closer to his ear so only he will hear as you whisper, “especially for men who continually failed to finish me off…”

Leaning back you smirk watching the realization, possibly even horror cross his features as the tips of his ears burn red.

“Omega, go back to Cid’s-” he stuttered out as you laughed.

“Not this time of night Tech. Ord Mantell is far from the worst place in the galaxy but that doesn’t mean it's safe for her to navigate alone, especially with what’s on the horizon.” You warned him, eyes glancing up to the sky.

“Whatever do you mea-” Tech began, watching in horror as Omega’s hair began to slightly stand up as she giggled, while a large flash of light overhead.

“Electrical storms. I am surprised you didn’t note them in whatever archives I suspect someone of your calliber to have examined about Ord Mantell before or shortly after arrival,” You mention, looking down at the young girl. If it was just her, you would have no issue letting Omega in. But the extremely tall trooper wasn’t exactly in your best sights currently. Sighing you step aside, gesturing to come inside.

“I have not had proper time to examine known information on-” Tech straightened up as you interrupted him.

“Save it. Just get inside. They get downright nasty. I may not like you very much, but I am also not a monster who’s going to let you get electrocuted in the streets,” you scoffed at him, allowing the pair to pass through your flat’s entryway.

“Wow you have your own room!” Omega joyfully exclaimed, rushing around to look at your sparse belongings and wall decorations. Some random plans, some spare parts, a few drawings, a few photos - nothing abnormal.

“I can’t say I make it up here most nights to actually enjoy it, so apologies about the mess,” you hush out. Tech’s eyes were wide as he had trained them onto the back of your small sofa. Getting closer you realized what caused his nervousness as a bra tossed over the back came into view from where you’d flung it one evening. Crossing ahead of him, you reached for it, shoving it into the cushions.

While Tech commed back to the rest of their team, informing them the plan to wait out the normal evening storm here, you double checked no other artifacts of awkward origins to be lingering about.

The apartment wasn’t much, just a bed in the back corner behind a screen, a small kitchen with one burner and a stove, along side a small refrigeration unit. A refresher behind a door right at the entry way and some sparse furniture. Mostly, the space just spilled over spare parts from downstairs.

“Omega stop meddling in belongings that are not yours, it’s rude” Tech warned as he came back from discussing with Hunter. Omega hadn’t sat still, running around your flat as new items of interest took over her young mind.

“She’s fine,” you tell him, leaning against a wall looking at how he shifted slightly under your scrutiny.

“Tech look! It’s our ship!” Omega shouted from near one of the windows and he moved towards her, assuming her to be pointing outside in the direction of the hanger, but as he got closer he saw a small model of the standard ship, along with some drawings on the wall.

“Well, technically Omega we use a heavily modified version and this is the standard model of the-” he started as you chuckled.

“Omicron Class Attack Shuttle,” You tell him, coming to stand on the other side of Tech.

“How do you know have these? They are for military usage only, and I calculate the probability of one ending up here during the war to be quite low,” Tech asked.

“She helped design it.” Omega mentioned very plainly as Tech’s eyes bulged, turning to the young girl in time to see her fingers pointing towards some of your old sketches, signature and date marked many moons ago.

“But that-” he came closer to what Omega pointed out, heart beat picking up as he realized not only had he flown a ship you apparently helped design, but he had just earlier insulted your knowledge of mechanics.

“Was a lifetime ago. But yes. I used to live on Coruscant and worked as an engineer. Until contracts for civilians dried up. When I left, my ship had a malfunction and this was the safest planet to land for repairs. Haven’t left.” You explain to him, shifting the weight back off the injured toe, which you could feel swelling in the confines of your sock.

“These drawings do not match the standard regulation manuels for the shuttle. Why are they different? They closer resemble some of the modifications I have personally installed.” Tech asked you, fingers tracing over the worn schematics as he noted a different configuration for the main compressor and hyperdrive.

“I was only a junior engineer at the time. My supervisor demanded the changes be made no matter how much I protested. That’s why I was surprised to hear you boys fly one, but I suppose your modifications have extended it’s life. The changes my team made were less than ideal. But still, it’s my favorite ship I’ve designed,” you explain, feeling a strange mixture of relief and anxiety to bring up the past like this.

“Fascinating… What other ships have you designed if you don’t mind me asking?” he asked without looking up from the remnants of your old work.

“There’s a data pad right there on the table. Not sure if it’s got enough power to charge up, but it has the schematics of what I worked on. I’ll warn you, it’s mostly shuttles for senators or higher ranking military personale. Not many are military craft,” you explain pointing out the data pad, noting the Omega had disappeared from view, finding her sitting on the sofa as she smiled and waved to you.

Moving across the apartment you sat next to her, curious why 4 clones were traveling with a child.

“So what’s your story kid?” You ask her, watching as Tech poked around your small corner of relics from time spent as an engineer, his fingers picking up some of the small models as he continued to flip through the data pad he got working with a small transportable battery pack, muttering out undistinguishable words ever few moments.

You split your attention between half listening to Omega’s explanation of how she was a clone like the others to watching Tech’s half smile as he glanced over your old work. Strangely enough when he wasn’t insulting you, he was handsome. Different from other clone’s you’d met in the fact his face was more angularly and thin. Hair and skin lighter in color than the others, he looked so familiar and yet so unique.

Suddenly a weight on your shoulder broke you out of the trance you had developed as you stared at Tech, who was still distracted as he propped himself up against the wall. Omega, having fallen asleep, was leaning on you as her breathing evened out.

You knew sleep wouldn’t come with the strange clones in your apartment so you carefully lifted her, as she weighted very little, and began to move her towards your bed. Least you could do was let her sleep on a real bed for the first time in a while. Tech’s eyes flashed when he saw the movement, not saying anying as he watched you carry her. Setting down the datapad he realized you would not be able to move the privacy screen while your arms were occupied, so he adjusted it out of the way as you bent a bit to set the young girl on the bed, pulling the recently washed covers up around her.

Omega’s eyes cracked open slightly as she smiled and snuggled down into the bed before drifting back to sleep, the two of you bearing witness to how sweet she looked as sleep overtook her young body. Nodding your head he stepped aside, allowing you both to leave the designated area for the bed and he once again closed the screen.

“You did not have to do that, my calculations show that the storm is likely to pass within the next few hours,” Tech whispered as you shrugged.

“When was the last time she slept in a real bed?” You challenged.

“Point taken. I do have several questions on various ships I examined while looking through your datapad, but I feel it inappropriate to ask given I insulted you earlier,” He said in a hushed breath as you nodded.

“So how do you plan to rectify that hotshot?” You aren’t sure why you felt the need to shift your tone to playful as you nudged his shoulder, forgetting he had on plastoid as it made contact and immediately stung.

“I am uncertain. I do not have data to base interactions such as this upon in order to determine the best possible course of action,” He whispered out as you sighed, going to put on the kettle.

“It’s as simple as saying you are apologetic,” you explain to him calmly, realizing now that perhaps Tech lacked some social awareness despite that big brain of his. You were used to it in the field of engineers. Kind people who weren’t always the most adept at dealing with emotions.

Tech’s eyes watched as you began to heat up water on the stove, the slight hobble in your step still apparent.

“I apologize for being rude. You are still injured from earlier,” he nodded to your foot.

“I’ll live. But thank you for your apology. Tea? Calf? What’s your poison?” You ask him nodding to the water.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to trouble you with either on my behalf,” he said simply as you rolled your eyes.

“It's no trouble at all. Besides with how nasty those electrical storms are you are going to want to get comfortable. Feel free to take off the plastoid, I can’t imagine it’s pleasant to be in all the time,” you tell him.

He simply stands, not wanting to argue, carefully removing the pieces and stacking them in a neat pile on the floor. You take out two mugs from the cabinet, deciding that he seemed like more of a cheap ration calf man, much like yourself, so you spoon it into the cups and pour the water on top before setting one down in front of him before grabbing the sugar from the pantry and setting it out.

“Thank you,” Tech mentioned, ignoring the sugar and just began to sip it as is.

“No problem, so these questions?” you came to sit on the adjacent barstool, nodding towards the schematics he had pulled up.

Tech felt his stomach drop seeing you so close, leaning over the holopad ready to answer his questions when only an hour ago you were content to ring his neck out. Having someone to discuss his area of expertise with was rare, especially not someone so pretty…

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Several rotations and jobs for Cid under the Batch’s belt, you’d formed a very unique relationship with the clone to say the least. When getting along, things were great. However, you still occasionally found yourself frustrated with his affinity for saying things, while true, that came off as callus or dismissive.

Such as the most recent issue. Tech let you poke around the modifications he’d made to their ship in some down time, during which you pointed out a better alternative for the power cufflinks. This led the man to get defensive, jumping to an explanation that once again challenged your expertise. Leading to a speedy exit from the hanger and ignoring his feeble attempts at knocking on your door, Tech left Ord Mantell to meet Rex on Bracca with you still very much angry at him.

He’d sent a message, to which you ignored on the private com channel he set up for you, as you warned the boys that while you adored Cid, she wasn’t particularly known for being trustworthy. Despite your occasional frustration at times with Tech’s less than appealing behavior, you didn’t want anything bad to happen to them.

Going off-world for an unknown amount of time to remove a device that might cause us to lose bodily autonomy and certain cognitive functions that were part of our programming. It is imperative we do so, however there are unknowns with such a procedure. Things may not go according to plan. ~ Tech

You didn’t respond, set in your stubbornness as you ignored his message that matter of factly stated his plans. Your largest complaint about the man, despite his very kind nature overall, was that he struggled admitting he was wrong or had hurt your feelings.

After a few hours you received another ping.

Landed and waiting to meet our contact. ~ Tech

You sigh, continuing to twist the bolt holding together the maintenance droid someone recently allowed you to have, trying to fix the pile of scrap so you could gain some relief with fulfilling projects.

Another ping came in less than an hour later.

I apologize for once again hurting your pride. I am unused to dealing with those who are not my brothers, and they have acclimated themselves to my more undesirable traits. It is not an excuse, but please know that I am attempting to correct such habits in the name of maintaining our friendship, as it is something I am coming to value. ~ Tech

You look at the screen. He was trying his best and you could recognize that. It softened the anger you felt. You weren’t fully ready to discuss with him however, leaving the message open on your tablet, losing yourself in the work in front of you as your mind tried to form a proper response.

[Incoming message from Tech]

Wrecker’s inhibitor chip activated. Things were more intense than I initially anticipated. He did not hesitate to try and harm us. Omega was frightened by his actions, however no one was injured beyond him briefly rendering me unconscious. That being said, I am fine. We are waiting for him to wake up. Still unsure the safety of this procedure as his vitals have not stabilized. I will continue to keep you posted even if you are neglecting to respond. ~ Tech

Staring at the screen the sudden concern for the safety of their team outweighed you silly argument with Tech, fingers forming a response, and hitting send despite the several crafted responses you had spent the last hours mentally cataloging.

From the ruins of the jedi cruiser on Bracca, Tech was surprised as he saw an incoming response from you, sitting up immediately as he read it.

I am sorry for not responding. I needed time to mentally process your apology, as your words do hurt sometimes. That being said, we do not have to discuss things further. I hope Omega is doing better. I cannot imagine how frightening that must have been for her. Tell her she's got a girl's only night when she returns filled with all the street food her heart desires. Let me know when Wrecker wakes up. Please try and stay safe. Drinks are on me when you all get back to Ord Mantell.

Tech smiled down at the message, leaning back some in the seat. He didn’t want to push his luck by responding to you. You were kind enough to offer an olive branch and accept his apology once more.

Soon Wrecker woke up, prompting the others to take turns removing their chips. Tech wasn’t sure why he felt the need to wait to be last. Perhaps he wanted confirmation that things would be alright? Perhaps he was more nervous than he anticipated. But when it was finally his turn to lay down, his last thought before drifting off was of a pretty mechanic back on their new home waiting for him.

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“This is the Havoc-Marauder - *static* please, come in,” the vocal element of your com began blaring through the otherwise quiet shop as you continued to repair projects. Boosting the signal you reached down to the tablet, pressing the button, trying to figure out why the boys seemed so distressed.

Tech had informed you that they were all able to remove the inhibitor chips successfully and that they were going to attempt to recover valuable assets from the ship before their departure. Not worried about the plan, you were surprised to hear the fear in their voices as you waited for a response.

“The empire showed up and in the chaos of it all, a bounty hunter named Cad Bane took Omega and injured Hunter. We are trying to locate where they may have taken her, since it was off-world. Do you have any contacts who may know more? We can’t get a hold of Cid-” Echo spoke through the coms instead of Tech.

“Actually, I have more information that may be useful” came Tech’s faded voice from the back of the transmission, as you allowed him to speak. “Omega is more valuable than we realized,” Tech spoke, leading a winded Hunter to question why, as you held your breath waiting for information that may be useful.

“I further analyzed Omega’s genetic profile and discovered she has pure, first generation DNA-” Tech spoke, and while you weren’t fully versed in cloning or the Kamino process, you assumed that made her more valuable than the others. As Tech continued to explain for the others to understand, you reached over for the long range transmitter and sent a message to an old friend, who quickly read and began typing.

“If she’s vital to the Kaminoans cloning operation, they must have put the bounty on her-” you heard Echo say, confirming the suspicions you already had.

“So how do we find this bounty Hunter?” Wrecker grumbled just in time for you to speak up.

“I may have an idea, if anyone’s up for it-” you offer, wishing more than anything the boys were in range to see them instead of just hear them. Something about putting eyes on them would’ve been a comfort, but you’d settle for their voices.

“That is why we contacted you, so please,” Hunter mentioned.

“Well, I had a friend back when I was on Coruscant. She worked closely with the cloning operations medical staff, and was transferred to Coruscant at the start of the war. She said there’s several decommissioned Kaminoan facilities throughout the galaxy. If the Kaminoans are the one’s after Omega, shouldn’t they want a secure location that only they are aware of? At the very least, it’s a starting point. She was able to inform me of 3 she knew about. Two in close proximity to your location. The other is closer to Ord Mantell if you wish for me to check it out-” you explain only to have Tech cut you off.

“Negative. With a bounty hunter as dangerous as Cad Bane I do not wish for you to go anywhere near that facility. Transmit the coordinates and we shall examine the closer one’s first-” he said.

“If Omega is at that facility, you all will miss her transfer between the bounty hunter and Kaminoans. That’s not worth chancing it. I can decide what risks I wish to undertake on my own-” your voice raises to accommodate the frustration you feel.

“Regardless it is not a job you should undertake given your skillset is not that of combat,” he tells you, the others growing silent as you dismiss his concerns.

“I am transmitting the coordinates. See you all when you get back. Let me know if something happens.” You state bluntly, and as Tech goes to question you once more, you cut the call, not wanting to hear his concerns. You didn’t want Omega injured or removed from her brothers. He wasn’t going to stop you from looking. That wasn’t Tech’s call to make.

Quickly rushing around the messy flat, you collected what you through you may need before going down to the hanger which held your rusty bucket of bolts. It wasn’t much, but it would do. Rarely having time to work on it, you knew the ship needed a massive overhaul, but that could come after you saved Omega.

It was when you came out of hyperspace in your small shuttle that you received another transmission.

“Omega was able to get away from the bounty hunter but we aren’t sure for how long she’ll be free. She is at the location closer to Ord Mantell, in the Lido system but we are uncertain if we will reach it in time-” Hunter spoke feverishly as you looked down at the planet’s surface.

“Then it’s a good thing I am already here,” you tell them, flying close by to the facility seeing three ships already landed, meaning the transfer was happening or soon to be over, and that a possible third party was involved.

“I thought I cautioned you to stay on Ord Mantell where it was safe,” Tech said, anger laced in his tone as you set the ship down on an abandoned platform, reaching for the baster you kept on you at all times. You may not be the best at fighting, but you did have the ability to cloak, as you developed a small experimental hood that utilized the same technology as your cloaked shuttle. It would have to be enough to locate Omega and hope you all could slip away from the bounty hunter before someone realized you were here.

“You did. But it’s a good thing I elected to ignore it. Do hurry, I will try and find Omega or at the very least stall until you all can reach the system. Over-” you called, turning off the device so that the sound would not give you away and slipped outside.

You didn’t make it very far before you heard shouting and Omega fell onto the platform adjacent to your own after awkwardly riding atop a small droid - possibly a techno service droid but it was too far away to notice. Rushing towards her before she could get very far, you removed the hood disguising your head.

“Omega!” you shouted, drawing her attention as she turned and quickly ran back in your direction, a small limp in her step which must have occurred at some point during her escape.

“You came for me!” she leapt into your arms, as you reached for a small multitool from your belt to cut her binders.

“Of course I did, your brothers aren’t that far behind, we need to get out of her-” you started, only to be cut off as you watched in horror. The droid, which Omega was running from, had activated a panel on the platform your ship was on, causing it to fall into the ocean depths below, preventing your escape.

“I just paid that off,” you cried watching it fall as Omega dragged you down a small set of stairs, noting the pods for escaping the Kaminan facility just ahead.

“I’m sure Tech will help you fix a new one, we need to hurry, the bounty hunter who tried to get me on Pantora is here fighting the one who took me. We don’t have much time” she mentioned, the two of you cramming into the pod before one of the bounty hunters could emerge.

Just as the pod was activated however, the little droid who destroyed your shuttle appeared in the viewport, demanding to know where you were going. Omega didn’t respond, angrily typing until the pod launched, her falling into your lap and you held her tightly and the droid flew out of the view.

“Do we have any control over this thing?” You demanded to know, the little girl turning in your lap as she shook her head no, loud blaring of an emergency alarm filling the pod.

“Alright, we aren’t going to panic. If we survive the landing your brothers will be here soon enough okay? So just hold on-” you try to reassure her, running a gentle hand through her hair as you continue to fall towards the ocean. Not sure if you even believed your attempt at calming her, you didn’t want your final moments to be filled with fear before the unknown of what came after all this.

“I’m scared-” she said quietly, eyes closing as she snuggled into you. You didn’t respond, pulling her close, the scent of blaster fire lingering on her frame. You were going to be okay. The boys weren’t close behind. Everything would be fine-

Suddenly a loud thud came over the top of the pod, stalling the descent. Pulling the blaster you looked up, pushing Omega as far behind you as it would allow in the cramped space, ready to shoot if it was the bounty hunter who’d locked onto the escape pod. When it opened however, and the smoke cleared, Wrecker leaned his face into view.

“Omega?! Are you in there?” He shouted, looking down as his eyes landed on the both of you. Putting the gun back at your side you lifted her into his waiting arms. Once she was being lifted out of the pod, you began climbing the small ladder, as Wrecker welcomed her back.

“Tech your girlfriend is in here too-” he said cheerfully, Echo reaching down to help pull you out as well.

“Wrecker that is inappropriate as we are not courting-” Tech yelled from the cockpit as you found footing inside their ship. Hunter, who was still heavily bandaged turning to you as Omega greeted Echo from within Wrecker’s arms.

“You came to help. Why?” He asked you, pain still evident in his voice from whatever injuries he sustained.

“Because she needed it. I didn’t really do much if I am honest, just covered her exit-” you explained as Omega solemnly looked at you, tears welling in her eyes.

“I am so sorry about your ship,” she said as you shook your head.

“Don’t worry about it kid. Ships are replaceable. You aren’t.” You told her, ruffling her hair as she made her way to Hunter. Suddenly the waterworks started and he checked on her as you moved back, to allow them a reunion. You couldn’t imagine how frightening it must have been for her the last few days.

“Thank you for helping us find her. We would not have been able to do so in a timely manner had it not been for you.” Echo complimented.

“No need to thank me,” you began, only to have a clearing throat behind you prevent you from speaking further. Tech was leaning up against the wall leading into the cockpit, his face turned completely to the side, facing the control panel.

“If you’ll excuse me-” you told Echo, following Tech's stomping footsteps as he led you into the cockpit, promptly shutting the door behind you to allow privacy.

“Before you berate me can you at least-” you started, only to feel arms pull you, quite awkwardly, into a plastoid covered chest.

His helmet was off. You could tell by the way his breath ruffled your hair gently as he leaned his face down along the top of your head. Once the initial shock wore off, your arms moved behind him, tightening around his back in that section between his armor and utility belt, feeling the warmth as his body gave off from beneath the black suit.

Sure he was a bit musky from having gone a few rotations without a refresher to clean up, but he was here, solid and strong. Under the lingering scent of sweat, ash, and grime you could smell that GAR issued soap they kept on board, which always clung to him and became apparent when you leaned in to see the datapad over his shoulder.

“Thank you. Despite being reckless, your actions and intel were able to help us retrieve Omega,” he whispered against your hairline, his lips barely brushing the skin there as he spoke. The featherlike contact, making you shiver, goosebumps raising along your skin.

Not anticipating his gratitude, you didn’t respond initially, soaking up the rare affection as you noticed Tech didn’t often seem to enjoy people in his personal space. Any time you got too close he’d clear his throat, shifting away. Any time you’d accidentally brush your fingers against his own, he’d wipe his gloved palms over his thighs as if to remove any traces of you. This jump to initiating contact catching you off guard.

“I don’t regret anything. She’s safe. That’s all that matters,” you tell him, fingers finding the area just below the chest plate as you rub your hand up and down his back slowly, as if to test the waters. He doesn’t say anything, even if it did bother him, as you remain there for a moment longer.

“While Omega is a large priority of mine, I argue that your safety is also important,” he said, uncertainty laced in his voice.

“Well, that’s good to hear. I am glad you all are safe. I was worried when you said Wrecker temporarily went rogue.” You admit to him, removing your cheek from the harsh chestplate, putting your forehead there instead. Removing your arms from behind him, you prepared to end the embrace, despite not really wanting to.

“We are fine,” he said softly, noticing you pulling back as he dropped his hands slowly.

“Really? All here now? No missing limbs-” you start to tease as you pull away, finally catching a glimpse of him as you chuckle. “Oh. Missing hair though it would seem-” you point up, noticing the way he now sported a shaved patch on almost the entirety of one side of his head, where a small bandage covered a section just back from his temple.

Tech’s gloved fingers immediately sought out the side of his head, grazing the patch as he looked down, almost embarrassingly as his arm fell back to his side.

“Rather unfortunate but it’ll grow back. Although, Echo did take off more than I believe to have been necessary. Small price to pay for the removal of those chips. After seeing what it did to Wrecker, I do not mind having the peace of knowing that it will not affect me in the future-” He began to ramble, only to trail off as he noticed you lean up some, inspecting his hair with an unreadable expression. “Something wrong?” he asked, uneasiness setting in.

Not responding, you looked closer. Reaching your hand up gently, fingertips tracing a similar path that his own had, his eyes growing wide as you inspected the short hairs now on that side of his head, which contradicted the opposing side, where it remained slicked back. Small smile on your face as your hand fell away, but you kept close proximity to his stunned face.

“Not at all. I don’t hate it actually,” you slyly smile as his eyebrows shoot up in response.

“I find that hard to believe-” he states plainly as his eyes drift away momentarily before coming back to search for the truth. A part of him partly expects you to be playfully teasing him, as he’d come to accept that as part of your personality.

“Be that as it may, if I were you, I’d consider keeping it,” you tell him honestly, eyes glancing back to his own from within the confines of his goggles.

“Really?” he pressed, uncertain as he imagined it looked horrid, since he’d only felt around for it with the chaos that persisted after they removed the chips.

“I like it. It’s rugged in a way that is quite handsome,” you tell him honestly, stepping back from the almost trance you were in caused by the change in his appearance. Your cheeks burning red at the honesty you had spoken. The quick departure from his personal space made you miss the mirroring pair of pink tinted cheeks on the soldier.

“Oh,” he said, almost surprised as you turned away to rejoin the others. When you opened the door back to the main hull you barely heard Tech’s soft voice say, “fascinating…” as his fingers once again grazed his short hair with a childlike grin gracing his face.

₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

You were going to kill Cid. That was, assuming the Pykes didn’t kill you first. Not only had she conspired to have the bad batch steal spice to get rid of Roland Durand, who had moved in and taken the city in their absence. Fortunately your shop, not valuable without your knowledge of how to use the spare parts, had been spared, but not Cid’s.

When things had gone south, they lost the spice in an old mine shaft filled with a hive of irlings. Returning to the parlor, Omega were held in order to make the boys co-operate, and yourself to make Cid.

Hands bound next to the Devaronian male who instigated the whole situation, you couldn’t fully fault his anxiety. If the batch wasn’t able to recover the spice, you were as good as dead. So was Omega. Which is why you put your trust in them, praying to the maker Tech could figure out a solution that left you all to walk away.

You tried to remove the image of Tech’s very angry face as the leader of the Pykes told them that Omega and you would remain with them as collateral, his eyes snapping to yours as his hand reached for the pistol on his hip and held it up ready to fire without a second thought. Something about it was so incredibly protective. As someone who’d been on their own for such a long time, it made your stomach swarm with butterflies.

“Don’t try it. They’ll kill you,” Roland warned, your eyes snapping to Omega who was eying an abandoned gun on the floor near where you were all bound.

“I hate to agree but he’s right,” you whispered, gesturing for her to stay put. If there’s one thing you knew, it was to not mess with the Pykes.

“If your friends don’t return with the spice, we’re all dead. That’s what happens when you meddle in other people’s business,” he said very pessimistically.

“Us? You’re the one who took Cid’s parlor from her-” Omega began to argue, and not wishing to participate in their spat, you leaned your head back.

Ever since you all had rescued Omega from the bounty hunter, things had been different with you and Tech. Not incredibly so. He resumed the distance physically he always kept between you. It seemed he truly didn’t wish to invade your space and kept you from doing the same. That being said, there had not been an argument to date. Not even a slip of tongue from him that indicated a lack in your skills.

A part worried that he regretted it, or was possibly trying to keep you from making another advancement. You aren’t sure why you had complimented him, and despite the positive reaction it seemed to warrant, things had gotten somewhat stagnant. More awkward when you were alone, as if he was unsure. At this rate you left it in his court to decide. You made up your mind some time ago in that cockpit that you had feelings for the man, regardless of if he returned them.

You hoped he did. After all, he had decided to keep his hair buzzed down on the sides once it began growing back in, since you mentioned that you found it attractive, the shorter hair accentuating his more prominent features like his sharp jaw or chiseled cheekbones. That’s got to count for something, right? And when they were away on missions, he still messaged when he could check in or chat on long flights. You assumed that was a good sign.

There had also been an uptick in time he spent at your shop or flat. Sure, the others did as well. Omega often came by since she needed escapes from her brothers. Wrecker loving to come pilfer food from your pantry. Echo occasionally needed help with malfunctions in his mechanical arm or legs. Hunter was the one you saw the least, and never alone, but he tended to keep to himself. However Tech was there at seemingly every free moment he had - fixing stuff alongside you in the shop, occasionally reading up on manuals late at night in your flat as you briefly spoke about ideas for projects to help their jobs with Cid.

Just as nightfall began you all were ushered to the hanger, the Marauder visible you were pushed outside, landing on your knees next to Rolland and Omega. The boys exited the ship, Cid on their tails as Wrecker began to unload the spice. Glancing up at Tech’s worried eyes you felt relief knowing that the hard part was over.

Once Wrecker unloaded the last crate, one of the Pyke’s came behind you, knife in hand as you grew nervous. The Pykes weren’t galactically known for playing fair, and with Omega off to the side, you worried that they might punish you for Cid’s rash actions.

Tech watched, fingers reaching for his weapon as he saw the fear in your eyes. You made eye contact with him once more as you waited for whatever outcome may present itself, hoping that they would do their best to take care of you if it got ugly. Feeling movement on your wrists, you were relieved when they cut the bindings, pushing you forward.

“Since the spice has been returned, the matter between us is resolved,” they spoke, as you reached forward, Tech’s hand pulling you next to him as Hunter grabbed Omega. From over Cid’s head, you watched as they weren’t finished with the Devaronian, and you didn’t really care watching him deal with their anger.

“Are you unharmed?” Tech’s eyes found yours as you stabilize yourself, nodding to him. From the corner of your eye the others attempted to defuse the situation, to no avail as Roland had one of his horns shorn and the Pykes left.

The way Cid turned, offering everyone drinks as if she hadn’t looped you all into her mess, angered you. She’d almost gotten you, Omega, and the other’s killed because she wasn’t strong enough to stand up for herself in the face of a gangster.

Fire and brimstone in your blood, you felt your hands shaking as you let go of Tech’s arm. “I just want to go home,” you said, pushing his armored chest and began stomping away from the others, who were heading inside the Parlor, excited things had worked out.

Tech watched your retreating form, understanding your frustration but confused as to why you hadn’t wanted to celebrate with the others. After all, things had worked out, no one was injured. His voice calling your name wasn’t enough to halt your exit from the hanger, as you continued walking away from him.

Tech shot a glance at the others before diverting from their path to follow you back to your apartment, quicking his strides as he attempted to gain on you. You weren’t really sure why you kept on, ignoring his calls for you to wait. Perhaps anger at Cid. Maybe frustration at the situation. Or a feeling you couldn't quite put your finger on - either way you kept walking, rushing up the stairs as he was hot on your heels.

Just as you opened the door to your flat with a shoosh, Tech shoved his foot in the door before you could close it, pushing his way inside before you could lock him out. A bit presumptuous, but a small part of you felt relief seeing him make it in before you shut the world out.

“You heard me calling after you,” he said bluntly.

“I did,” you tell him, catching your breath from running, scowling when you realized that he didn’t have the same issue. Curse those genetically modified lungs.

“So why did you keep going?” He asked you, staring down at you. His helmet still held in his hands as you shifted your weight to the other leg, uncertain how to answer.

“I am not sure,” you tell him honestly. He pauses, before speaking.

“Do you wish for me to leave?”

You shake your head.

“Do you wish for me to stay with you?”

You nod.

He lets out a deep breath, setting the helmet on the table right near the door and probing his temple with his extremely long fingers.

“Should we just sit? Talk? What can I do? I need direction on how you wish to proceed,” he quietly begged as he set down the heavy backpack and removed the utility belt. It wasn’t the first time he’d been here and easily began stripping down to his blacks.

You didn’t respond, using your toes to put pressure on each of your heels as you slipped out of the worn leather boots and made quiet footfalls to your bed, sitting on it as you looked out the window. The electrical storm your devices predicted would be starting any minute. Despite the more destructive tendency they had, you thoroughly enjoyed watching them - even if they knocked out the power temporarily from time to time.

Tech watched you from near the entryway, your legs tucked up near your chest as you stared out the window, chin resting on your knees. Following behind you he made his way to your bed, neglecting how uncertain it felt as he lowered himself onto the comfortable surface. Never having sat on it before, he was surprised the way he sank into the plush material of your duvet. Sitting at the end of the bed, while you had propped yourself up near the wall, there was still a sizable distance between you both.

“We don’t have to talk if you do not wish, but may I try something-” he asked and you nodded, not tearing your eyes away from the first few flashes of light.

Gentle hands pried your shoulders away from where your legs were pushed up, as he pulled you back with ease. Positioning his body between yours and the wall, Tech arranged you between his long legs, leaning you back once more onto his chest. Arms dancing along your waist, he wasn’t sure if he should fully hold you or allow you to just rest against him, but something internal told him that this position was appropriate given the circumstances.

You made the call for him, pulling his arms up across your chest, sinking back into him more, eyes drifting close momentarily as he brushed the hair from your right shoulder to over your left. Soon his nose found the back of your neck as he leaned into your body, picking up the faint hint of the perfume you must’ve applied there hours ago.

“I am sorry that you got caught in the crossfire between Cid, Roland and the Pykes,” he whispered against your skin.

“It’s Cid’s fault, not yours,” you whisper, enjoying the way his exhales felt against the delicate skin of your neck. He doesn’t speak immediately, pulling you tighter to his chest as you feel his heartbeat along your back.

“Had we not agreed to assist in stealing the spice to begin with, none of it would not have occurred the way in which it did,” Tech admitted the error in judgment which nearly cost you and Omega your lives.

“You were trying to help out Cid-” you tried to reason.

“Which would’ve destroyed me if you had gotten hurt due to my poor decision to do so,” he whispered.

“Why is that Tech?” you whisper back, eyes watching the electrical storm pick up outside the window.

Once again he let the silence linger. Nervous to speak or not wanting to hurt your feelings with his response - you couldn’t be quite sure. Turning slightly, so that your shoulder rested against his chest to look at his face for answers. With the reflection of the window you couldn’t see his eyes.

Deciding to be brave if he wasn’t, you lifted your hands, fingers probing the edges of the goggles that always adorned his face as you quietly asked, “may I?” He only nodded as you lifted them very carefully up and over his head, setting them down on the bed next to you. His eyes had closed when you started to lift them, so you had yet to see his eyes unobstructed. Not pushing him you turned back towards the window, allowing him to speak when he gathered the nerve.

“I don’t like the thoughts of you getting hurt because I-” he started to murmur once more, a baited breath entering your lungs and staying there as you waited for him to continue. The air stinging your lungs as you realized he had paused once more, softly blowing it back out past your lips as you repeated the action once more.

Tech gathered as much nerve as humanly possible. He could easily be thrust into high stress scenarios. Battles? No issues. Firefights with gangsters? He always had a plan. But when it came to you? He had no baseline to establish it from. Sure he had been intimate before with strangers when the opportunity presented itself. He found it to usually lead to an unsatisfying place in which he was pretending to be something he wasn’t. Usually forcing himself to touch them despite feeling repulsed at being that close with someone. But when he was in proximity to you things were different.

That spark of electricity often cited as being drawn out by a member of the opposite gender was present, catching him off guard every time your fingers crossed paths. He found your sweet aroma to be so intoxicating. The flash of your smile, utterly adorable. The face you made when you concentrated on a repair - where your tongue darted out of the corner of your full lips - to be nearly stunting. Everything about you he found captivating.

I care for you.

You almost didn’t hear him whisper it, as the volume was so minimal it barely passed over his lips audibly. Turning to face him once more, you saw the nervous eyes of a caged animal, finally unguarded by those yellow frames.

Brown. But not dark and unwavering like Hunters or tinged with the grayish hue of Echo’s. Wreckers one good eye had a more blue undertone and Omega’s were nearly hazel. But Tech - Tech’s resembled honey. His iris illuminated with each flash of lightning from outside the window. And then suddenly, with a bright flash, the power went out, leaving you both in the dark as you continued to remain in his arms. Only sound being the matching pair of unsteady breathing.

“Tech…?” you whispered, while he looked back down at your anticipating face.

“Yes?” Tech questioned, knots in his stomach as you hadn’t responded to his admission of caring for you.

“Would you do something for me?” you posed the question.

Tech was certain you were going to kick him out, despite the storm, or at the very least make him go downstairs to leave you alone. Your silence only told him that you were likely formulating a way to let him down gently because surely someone one like you wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He was a clone. Clones stole your promising future. He frequently was unaware how to speak to you. His frustrations occasionally came out poorly as his jealousy for your knowledge plagued his mind. His blunt nature, often at odds with your proper socialization. You were perfect and he was just a copy of a man who was long gone, and a relic of an army that had been corrupted.

Distracted by his racing mind he almost didn’t hear you whisper it at the conclusion of his small nod.

Kiss me.

Tech did a double take, his attention snapping to you as your eyes locked with his own. He couldn’t stop the lump that formed in his throat as your angelic eyes blinked up at him through your lashes. The distance between you insurmountable as, despite the seated position, he would always tower over you. His gangly limbs and narrow frame creating such a divergence between your sizes.

“You want me to-”

“Kiss me. Please.” You begged, eyes trying to catch his own to reassure him it is what you wanted.

You were growing concerned with the way his mind seemed to still be running astray. Perhaps he meant he cared for you in a similar way that he did Omega. Oh maker, what if he meant it that way. Suddenly you were glad the lights were off. That way he couldn’t see your crumbling self esteem and wavering confidence. You were certain when he spoke the way he had, paired with the many small moments mounting over the last months, that he liked you. Only now to realize he most likely hadn’t meant it in a non romantic way.

“Tech, I am so-” you began only to have his warm, ungloved hand find purchase on the side of your cheek, lips meeting yours in fury.

The first thing you noticed, when the shock wore off, was that his lips were so incredibly soft. How could a soldier, constantly on the run from danger, be this plush and inviting? That sharp wit and wise energy always spilling past these lips - the same ones that insulted you when you first met - now on your own in a heated embrace.

Soft sighs exiting your lips, entering his mouth as Tech opened his own to invite tongues to this lovely endeavor. He had hardly needed to caress your bottom lip with the tip of his tongue before you both fell into that wonderful song and dance of exploring each other’s mouths.

Breaking away due to the unfortunate need for air, you tried to see him the best you could with the limited lighting situation. His hand falling to the side of your neck instead of on your cheek, he pulled your forehead towards his, resting his nose against your own. Eyes searching yours for any sign to end this interaction.

“You are the most enchanting woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” he admitted with a small chuckle, almost embarrassed of the words falling out of his mouth. Surely they resembled the words of a love drunken fool, not a soldier and engineer such as himself. Perhaps that is because they came from his heart, not his logical mind.

“Please do that again,” you beg him, a smile working its way on your face as you trail a hand up his chest, finding stability by wrapping it around the back of his neck. Your breathing having leveled out from the heated exchange, just as he instigated another one.

This time, he didn’t wait to request entrance to your mouth, tongue slipping in almost immediately. As soon as he began kissing you once more, your hand traveled up into the brown locks that sat just against his collar, tangling in them, separating the obnoxious gel he insisted on using to keep it from matting inside his helmet. It made you long to see him first thing in the morning or right after getting out of the refresher - when his hair was wild and carefree.

That wasn’t the only thing that you wanted to come undone as he effortlessly pulled you from being on the bed in front of him into his lap, legs going around his thighs as you perched yourself against him. Tech’s wandering hands began as soon as your bottom left the bed, his large palm tracing over the skin of your clothed ass, caressing it before his fingers flexed, digging into the roundness as he groaned into your mouth.

Tech, despite his reservations for touching anyone, had always enjoyed the roundness of an ass under his feelings. Especially an unclothed one. His brothers, arguing for a pair of breasts as more appealing, but he would always remain on the team that supported his large hands grabbing the meat of an ass.

For someone so lanky, and much thinner than his brothers, Tech certainly had a hidden strength to his frame that you hadn’t anticipated. Briefly on display as he lifted you into his lap with ease, he continued to further prove his ability as his demanding hands found your hips and squeezed, bicep flexing as your free hand landed on his left arm.

You aren’t sure what possessed you to do it either, but breaking away from his lips as you trailed kisses over his cheekbones until you found the skin of his earlobe, nibbling it between your teeth all while he groaned. Watching the always poised and put together pilot turn to putty under your mouth and body, making that wet spot of arousal in your undergarments grow by the second.

As you continued to trail the nipping to his neck, you mumbled out something about his shirt being in the way, fingers reaching under the top near his lower back as you tried in vain to remove it from his body. Pulling back, since he had developed that unexplainable sense of urgency at your kissing, he stripped it away with skilled ease, tossing it to the floor with reckless abandon.

It was odd. When he normally removed the parts of his armor in your flat, they were carefully and methodically unlatched and organized in a neat pile. Now, rocking into his lap as you stared down into his wild eyes, the dynamic propelled into a direction you never could’ve dreamed. Something in the pair of you had shifted from just awkwardly maneuvering around each other to actively lighting that fuse within your bodies.

He didn’t allow you the chance to examine his unclothed top however, as he quickly reattached your lips to his, pulling you closer as his head tipped ever so slightly to the side, accommodating the clashing of teeth and tongues in the fury. Still anxious to know exactly what he was like under that thick black suit or vest he always wore, you allowed your fingers to act as your eyes in the moment, all while getting such a lovely taste of his mouth while you exhaled through your nose which was harshly pressed against his cheek from the intensity the kisses you’d both developed.

Your hands trailed along his flamed but extremely solid body. Fingers finding purchase along the defined lines of his chest, and the valley that separated two pectorals that were much harsher than you would’ve anticipated given his much thinner frame. Sliding down, that same hand counted six definite sections in his abdomen as well, as you removed your lips from his in hast to such a much needed breath of air while your mind stilled.

Eyes finally seeing just how wonderful tanned skin of a soldier could be, you enjoyed the lovely view of dark hair trailing down just below his navel and into tight pants. The nearly vacant patch of hair along his chest meaning he either removed it or didn’t have it wasn’t a bother - you didn’t really love overly hairy men any way - as you gasp. He was the perfect blend of scars, moles, muscles, and… tattoos?

The chuckle that tore from your throat at the sight of black ink along his skin, was met with that ever so quizzical eyebrow as he flushed at your laugh.

“I must admit that laughter at the sight of one’s nakedness does not instill confidence,” he noted as you shook your head.

“I hadn’t expected you to have tattoos, it was more of a shock than a jest,” you comment, sliding back ever so slightly while remaining on his lap to get a good view.

“Why would you assume I would refrain from body modifications? You have seen Hunter’s face, and you’ve heard me mention our brother Crosshair-” he started as you placed your index finger along the seam of his lip, effectively silencing him with a sultry stare and the simple action.

“You just seem so much more straight laced than your brothers, I hadn’t expected you to cover yourself in something as trivial as artwork. But, that being said, I can’t help but find it so incredibly alluring…” you lean down to the simple ‘99’ tattooed along the same shoulder his armor detailed a similar marking, lips familiarizing yourself with the lines as you pulled back.

“I can assure you, despite my reserved nature, I am hardly straight laced, as you say,” he quipped, relinquishing the time he allowed you to study the marks in his bronze skin. He’d let you examine them some other time, possibly even with explanations of their origins. Right now, he was growing impatient.

Pulling you forward by the back of your neck, he changed his mind at the last moment, deciding that your collar bones sticking out of the shifted top you wore looked delectable, sucking them between his teeth as you squirmed along his lap once more. Satisfied with the mark it left in his wake, Tech found himself in your sex-hazed gaze once more.

“Tell me that you wish for this to continue. Please. I am not sure I can find it in myself to behave like a gentleman if you wish to stop much further than this,” he groaned, voice strained by a tone you had never heard from him. Tech’s voice was quite different from his brothers. The husky tone he now used, reminiscent of a crackling campfire as it came from the back of his throat, and laced itself into a pleasured groan.

“Please. I want this- I want you,” came your whisper into his jaw, lips grazing the sharp bone there.

I want you.

Tech couldn’t remember a time he was truly wanted. Usually his hookups stemmed from mutual boredom or someone realizing his brothers weren’t interested in them. A system of happenstance, of convenience of simple chance and mutual need for release. But to be told that he was desired, and that an intimate connection was wanted with someone he actually cared for on a personal level? A first.

And as for you, you wouldn’t admit it out loud but things certainly got lonely on Ord Mantell. Those friends on Coruscant slowly lost interest once you departed, leaving you with just Cid and acquaintances. The rest of your time alone in a dingy workshop or flat hidden away from the world. That was until Tech and the others came around. He brought a sense of belonging you hadn’t known. He brought company you’d been craving. He made you feel seen, appreciated and cared for.

He brought his hand up under your shirt and bra to cup your breast.

One of the first things you had noticed about him, all those rotations ago, was how long and dexterous his whole body was, but particularly his hands. Fingers so thin and nimble, wound with callouses, scars and distinguishable marks from his times tinkering. It had been rare to see him without gloves, but that barrier’s first time being removed showed just truly how captivating such a mundane body part could be.

These were the hands of a soldier. A man bred specifically for war. These were the hands of a pilot, who’s tight grip upon the steering wheel had saved thousands of lives. These were the hands of a fellow engineer and mechanic who understood the complexities of how your mind worked. These were the hands of a man who cared for you.

And those hands currently were squeezing your nipple with the perfect amount of firmness to make you purr.

Deciding that the only thing in the world you wished for right now was the feeling of his chest on your unclothed one, you pulled back, hands finding the bottom of your top as you flung it just as unceremoniously as he had done with his own. Tech wasted no time in finding the latches on your bra, unhooking the material and tossing it to the side as his hands finally held the weight of both your breasts within him.

Despite his larger than normal hand size, your breasts fit inside his palms like a perfect handful, while his thumbs continue that onslaught along your nipples, his lips finding that wonderful spot below your ear that makes you breathe heavily.

Your own hands, still running through his caramel locks while he worked your body with such expertise, tugging every now and again as he groaned against your neck between kisses and leaving smaller marks that would likely fade in only a few hours.

“Are you adequately protected?” came the husky question into your jaw, followed by another nip.

“Implant…” you hummed out, head falling to the side to accommodate his mouth as he snickered slightly in response.

Lifting you from his lap with no warning, Tech’s fingers found the latches of your pants with no problem, undoing them and tugging them down your legs as you wobbled from where you stood on the floor. Once they were lowered enough, Tech abruptly stood next to you, steading your arm as you stepped out of them, his feet stepping on the trousers in order to help you remove them easily.

Your face turned to meet his own, his body towering over your own as he looked down at you. Despite the full head’s distance between you both, and the darkness of the flat with the power being knocked out, you could still see the way his eyes darted from your full, unclothed breasts to the newly revealed skin of your legs.

One of his hands found purchase along your chin, tipping your face up even higher as you rose along your tiptoes to match his height the best you could. His other hand started along your mid back, trailing down until he found your panty clad rear, rubbing along the now exposed right cheek.

“Would you allow me to take charge here Mesh’la?” He asked gently, his hand still caressing your skin reverently, but despite the unexpected softness of the words and actions, you felt that with the look he gave you there was something more. Something almost predatory in his eyes.

“What does that mean?” you ask, unable to shake the curiosity at his use of the language you presumed to be Mando’a.

“Such an inquisitive mind you have…” he chuckled, using the hand on your chin to move your face to the side. Your eyes drifted close as he pressed a sweet his to the side of your face, trailing down more until he reached your ear. “I can’t get enough of that mind of yours,” he admitted, nibbling your earlobe once before continuing, hand tightening around your ass as the tone shifted. “Beautiful. It means beautiful. Which is exactly what you are, my mirdala girl…” he whispered so gently as he pulled back, hand dropping as he wound them both around your lower back.

“You keep using words I do not understand, and you have to realize I will continue to ask what they mean,” you tease with a small smile, hands finding his shoulders as you lock yourself in the embrace. Tech still had on trousers and you only had on underwear, but something about the stillness of it all, yet with contradictory the electrical storm raging outside, was strangely peaceful. Tearing clothes off one another and jumping into bed was one thing, but this, this was building towards something much more intimate.

“Clever. I called you my clever girl,” he nods your direction, fingers trailing up and down the expanse of your exposed back ever so slightly.

“Ah,” you thrum out as your lips tug at the corner into a small smirk, barely visible in the low lighting. “Your clever girl? I wasn’t aware you had claimed me. Sounds a bit possessive don’t you think?”

“I suppose it could be considered possessive, although I do not see you running away from the notion. I am to assume that not only are you fine with that, but based on the way your grip in my hair has just tightened and your pupils have dilated, that you want that. That you want me to claim you in some way,” he notes, and you realize he is correct. His attunement to your body language is uncanny as you hadn’t realized you had done so. Unable to form a response, you nod gently.

“If you wish for me to stop, at any point, all you need to do is say so. Do you understand,” Tech let one hand fall from your back, reaching for his belt and once again you nodded, causing him to pause.

“Verbally. I want verbal consent. You can do that for me right my clever girl?” he used the phrase once again and you shuttered. Something about the way his voice dribbled with arousal in the fact he found your mind to be brilliant brought forth a surge of confidence.

“Yes. I trust you Tech,” you speak calmly and clearly despite the shaking in your hands. Anticipation building to the point your body could not contain the excitement of what he had planned.

You barely caught the smirk on his thin lips before he gripped your hips and spun you around, pushing your back down as you got the memo, laying yourself across the bed as you heard the sound of the belt buckle being undone and pants abruptly being shoved to the floor.

Once again his hands resumed that gentle and reverant stroking along your backside as a hum spilled from his lips. Looking back over your shoulder you saw such a glorious sight. Tech’s hands wrapped around his length as he stroked it slightly with one hand while holding your ass in the other. He glanced up from your bottom to make eye contact briefly as he took his bottom lip under straight white teeth.

Pausing momentarily he saw the thin scrap of underwear disappearing between your lower cheeks and decided now was a good time to rid you of the offending material, grabbing them and tugging them down slightly until they landed near your knees, allowing you to step out of them.

His hand resumed its position on your body, but this time, it gently nudged you up onto the bed, and you complied with his nonverbal request, positioning your body just slightly up on the bed as you held yourself up on your knees. From behind you could hear the way Tech sucked in a breath between his clenched teeth as his hand found that spot along your backside once more.

You had deduced early in this exchange of kissing that he likely was a man who preferred a bottom to breasts. Most men had a likeness to one over the other, and Tech was no different. The knowledge made you feel proud, arching your back ever so slightly as if to present it to him in the most appealing way you could given the position.

“You look so wonderful like this. I wish you weren’t behaving so nicely, so I would have an excuse to bring my hand down on you and mark you right here. However I would feel guilty doing such actions when you are being so perfect,” he admitted and you smiled at the wall, glancing back over your shoulder at him.

“Who said you can’t anyway. I hardly need to be a brat in order for you to spa-” you began the permission and he quickly resolved himself to take it the second you had granted it. The smack, not nearly as hard as you were anticipating but still firm, filling the air and stopping your sentence midway as you let out a squeak at the contact.

Your biceps flexing as you locked your arms to maintain your position on the bed, holding yourself up as his hand soothed the red flushed skin with care and attention. Tracing the hand up, you felt him rest it along your upper back as his fingers hooked over your shoulder, and near your knees you felt the mattress dip ever so slightly.

Tech covered the expanse of your back with his body, his left arm coming up to the side of you as he braced himself up just hovering over your back, his right hand moving to brush your hair over your shoulder so that his nose could trace along your upper back. You could feel his eyelashes fluttering along the skin of your shoulder blades as he lowered his mouth to kiss your back a few times gently.

“So pliable for me…” he praised as he continued to issue praise in the form of tender kisses that slowly made their way ending with your sweat-dampened temple.

Tech had always had sexual relationships from behind. There was an impersonal attitude that came with engaging in the act similarly to the way animals did. Not seeing the woman’s face, and only focusing on the connection of his body with theirs - it made him feel less awkward about the exchange. But something about the way his body caved around yours felt right. He was touching your body with his own almost completely, and he nearly fainted when he realized that he was enjoying the contact. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the damp nature both your bodies had developed in the precursor to intercourse, he felt delighted knowing he’d caused such reactions. So against every previous metric in his mind for engaging in sexual relations, he manuvored your body to your back, so that you could stare up at him as he lowered himself on top of you.

Tech wasn’t sure how to quantify the way his stomach began to flutter at the way you stared at him, nor the way your velvety skin along his felt, other than bliss. Something about the intimacy shook him to the core. It made him want to come undone and he hadn’t even slid into you yet.

You were surprised as his ability to be tender, as his index finger pushed the hair back from your face, cupping the back of your neck to lift it from the pillow as he pulled the longer strands of your hair - which you’d uncomfortably been laying on - above and around your face like a halo. How he’d realized you were slightly uncomfortable with the tugging caused by your back, you’d never know, but you’d be grateful for long after this exchange nonetheless.

“I’ve never met someone who had made me experience what I am feeling at this present moment,” he admitted, his nose leaning down as he gently caressed your own. Keeping it there, his forehead soon pressed against your own as his eyes searched yours for a reply.

“What are you feeling?” you whisper, eyes focusing on his right iris as the pupil waivered slightly larger before he continued speaking.

“Bliss. Euphoria. Revelry. Perhaps those are words that I could use to quantify it, and yet-” Tech began, hand searching for yours as you allowed him to wrap his fingers around yours while you stared at him expectantly. Your legs widening to accommodate him as you feel his tip slide between your folds and line up expertly with your hole. You are uncertain what he is trying to say, and in all honesty it appears that he is as well. His eyes drift close as, in a rare turn of events, his body wins out over his mind, and he presses within you before completing his thought. You can’t stop the way your eyes flutter shut at the feeling, no point in remaining open if his own are closed anyway.

You had expected him to slide in slowly, as his sweet words and actions leading to this point had been cautious almost, but instead he is direct in the way his cock slides into you as if it’s coming home. As if he’s returning to a place he was always meant to be. The stretch is gone in an instant as he plows into you abruptly at first, but pausing as he reaches the entrance of your womb with his tip. “They do not come close to describing the way I feel right now,” he whispered, making your eyes fly open once more as you stare up at him.

You have died and gone to the afterlife. The Pykes most certainly killed you and left you in an alley on Ord Mantell. That is the only logical explanation for the way you were feeling. The only thing you can do is affectionately tighten your grip on your joined hands as you raise your hips slightly, giving him permission to move.

Tech didn’t need to be encouraged twice, sliding in and out of you with joy as he held himself up with one of his arms. Your head falling back into the pillow as you lose yourself between his calculated thrusts, he decides that not being able to look into your eyes while he continues to make himself at home within your body isn’t what he wants.

You feel his grip slipping from your hand and anticipate it will go to your breasts for a playful tug, but when you feel his fingers on your jaw, pulling your face back you once again look up at him, curiously.

“I. Want. To. See. Your. Eyes. On. Me.” he commands and you feel a shiver that starts near your neck and travels the length of your body as you nod, legs widening even further as he picks up the pace ever so slightly.

His hand abandons your chin as he places it along your side, raising your body at the hips so you can meet his thrusts, your eyes staring deeply into his own. Tech had surprised even himself in demanding to see you staring at him while he plowed into you, but something about watching your face as he pushed you both in the direction of release made him feel a pride he’d never known before. With each lewd noise coming from where you were joined, to each whimper or sigh leaving your lips, to the sweat he felt along his brow from exertion - he felt more of that blossoming heat in his stomach at the passion between your bodies.

You feel similarly, as you wrap your legs around his thin waist, holding him there so that your union is only intensified and he can reach that absolutely tender spot within your walls that becomes electric when he begins to repeatedly stimulate it over and over again with his steady thrusts. “Tech…” you whimpered as he continued his movement, no external indications that he is approaching orgasm, despite the fact it is true.

“Say my name again, please-” he whimpers as you nod, once again saying his name while he pushes inside of you especially hard, a yell tearing from your throat as your hips chant up after his retreat, wanting another harsh thrust. He delivers it immediately, his body pushing you into the bed as he begins frantically diving into you with reckless abandon.

“Where?” he demands, your hips held in his hand as his fingers squeeze harshly. You can tell he’s close now, the fire in his eyes doing nothing to dull the flames of desire that both of your bodies are feeling as he plunges into your warmth.

“Inside-” you give him the permission and once again he does not hesitate to take it, his hand abandoning your waist in order to rub feverish circles upon your clit so that you approach orgasm the same time he does. Your voice calls out his name loudly as you feel every nerve ending within your body set ablaze. He responds to you, chanting yours in response as he pushes his load so deeply within your walls you gasp at the way his tip quivers against the opening of your womb. You feel the throbbing inside until he slows to a stop, body collapsing on top of yours as you both gasp for air.

His breathing, erratic against your neck as you push his now half gelled and half wild hair off his forehead while you slow your heart rate the best you can. He’s growing soft within you, but you can tell that even while flaccid he’s still larger than the average man. Tech eventually pulls back from your neck, eyes searching for yours as his hand cups the side of your face lovingly.

“You are incredible,” he comments kindly as you blush, feeling as he begins to slip from within you, his spill landing somewhere on the covers below you. You don’t really care. You can clean it later.

“So are you,” you return the compliment as he smiles, leaning in to kiss you once more, this time only using his lips in order to show affection not reignite the passion of your endeavor.

“Yes, but I was genetically engineered that way. You have come by your splendor naturally,” Tech replies as you laugh, lights immediately flickering back on as you both startle at the suddenness of seeing each other without the dulled darkness of your flat.

“That is one way to put it. Still doesn’t make you any less wonderful Tech,” you tell him, immediately feeling more self conscious with the added light. This becomes something he notices almost immediately, as he leans up to get a better view of you. Your body was covered in small love bites and a few bruises from where he’d gripped a bit too hard. Lips swollen from his kisses and sweat covering all of you. Hair disheveled and yet - you looked like the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“And I thought you were lovely in the twilight, but my dear you look positively exquisite,” he encourages you as he lowers his mouth to your brow before kisses between your eyebrows and then over each closed eyelid.

“Such a way with words,” you say sweetly and he immediately begins snickering as you blink confused at his outburst.

“If I recall, the first time we met, I insulted your ability to fix Cid’s gambling device” he reminds her. It seemed so long ago he had done that, and from then you had only grown closer. Finding a mutual understanding. Finding friendship. Finding the beginnings of love.

“You did,” you scoff at the memory.

“I remember crawling under the control panel and when you yelped, thinking that I thought I was going to stop breathing,” Tech admits and you are surprised.

“What do you mean?”

“I just couldn’t help but think that I had suddenly found myself in close proximity with a very beautiful woman. And that feeling only intensified once I discovered your love of engineering. Since then it’s grown to a point I find it distracting,” Tech explains and you smile.

“Oh so you really like me then,” you chide, almost childishly as he rolls his eyes at your antics.

“I believe the fact that my seed is actively leaking out of you to be sufficient proof as to my interest in you,” he bluntly states. You grimace looking down at the sheer quantity of said mess. It was more than you realized.

“Would you like to get in the refres-”

“Yes,” he cuts you off abruptly as you laugh. You figured he wouldn’t enjoy being unclean. He lifts his body off of you with ease and holds out a hand to help you rise from the bed.

“I am going to want a full detailed report on all of these,” you tell him, finger tracing one of the tattoos on his shoulder.

“I believe I can arrange that,” he chides with a small peck to your forehead, pulling you along to the small shower stall your flat has.

As he walks just ahead of you, you can’t help but think that this blossoming romance might have been worth the emergency landing on Ord Mantell all those years ago.

The end.

88 notes · View notes

starrylothcat · 2 years ago

Note

I come bearing gift 🥳 (aka filthy fic prompts 👀)

Can I request "I'm either joining or watching, you pick." with Hunter 😘

Oh my goodness, this took me way longer than I anticipated!

(No) Vacancy

🔥Hunter x Female!Reader One-Shot🔥

Summary: Hunter hears you calling out for him, and he’s ready to answer. 5800 words.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+. Minors DNI. Female masturbation, PiV sex, oral, slight overstimulation? Pure smut.

Author’s Note: Uhhh this one got away from me and is pure, PURE self indulgent smut. Hunter is rotting me inside and out. I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!

@wizardofrozz I think you sent me this prompt? If not, true person reveal yourself! But I hope you like it! 🥺👉👈 I slightly edited the prompt in the fic. Thanks for the request!!!

Thank you @wanderer-six and @mylifeisactuallyamess for proof-reading this nonsense. ❤️

“Well, it’s no royal Naboo palace, but it’ll do.” You observed the outside of the dingy inn as you slipped your hood off your head.

It was tucked away in a dark, grimy corner of a seedy town you were dispatched to by Cid.

A neon “No Vacancy” sign flickered on and off, half the letters dark. The road leading up to it was completely empty except for you and Clone Force 99, who were illuminated by the fading neon lights.

You raised an eyebrow at Hunter, who gave a small shrug as you checked the map on your datapad, making sure this was the right place.

“I’d rather stay on The Marauder…or take my chances on the streets.” Echo huffed, a look of disdain on his face as he walked up beside Hunter, both clad in civilian clothes, as were the rest of you.

“Aww, it can’t be that bad! At least we get our own rooms! I can’t remember the last time that happened, if ever!”

Wrecker grasped Tech’s shoulder, giving it a hearty shake in elation as Tech tried to hold on to his goggles, his body being heaved back and forth.

Wrecker was overjoyed at the thought of a real bed and space to spread out, as was Omega.

“I’ve never had an entire room to myself before!” She buzzed with excitement, not caring about the rundown appearance of the inn.

“It is the most logical situation, if we are to gather any intel for Cid.” Tech gave a quick glare to Wrecker, who had released his poor shoulder. He adjusted his goggles. “If we act as travelers we won’t attract as much attention, even if the state of this lodging is…less than desirable. But I will be honest in stating it will be nice to have a sleep uninterrupted by snoring.”

Tech gestured at Wrecker, his goggles reflecting the flashing neon sign of the lodge as he looked down at his datapad.

“Hey, I don’t snore that loud!” Wrecker pouts, crossing his arms. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one hearing it.” Echo scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Alright boys, enough.” Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s only for a few nights, and we can all agree that even though this place isn’t…grand by any means, it’s better than nothing. The faster we can find this shipment location, the faster we can get off this planet.” Hunter felt exposed without his armor, and didn’t want to be here any longer than anyone else.

You were all tired from the long journey here. You were stuck on The Marauder for a few days too long, and everyone was on a slight edge, ready for real rest.

You had been sent to this backwater Outer Rim planet by Cid, tasked with gathering intel on the whereabouts of a high-value smuggled shipment. According to her, the parcel was worth enough credits to buy ten Marauders, and then some.

“This is a delicate situation, bandana, and your goon squad attracts a lot of attention. I need you to blend in, and not cause too much trouble, you understand?” Cid said as she gave Hunter an irritated look from behind her desk.

“We’ll try our best.” Hunter frowned, knowing this mission wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed. It never was.

Cid rolled her eyes. “Well, I know subtlety isn’t your strong suit so I booked you a place to stay, to stake out and listen for any leads. Your ship might cause a stir, especially if you show up in armor, so you’ll be staying here, acting as civilians while you find the location of the shipment.” She slid over a holodisc with coordinates to a small town inn, where you’d be staying. “Try not to mess this one up, okay, broody? If they get a whiff of someone poking their nose around, they will move it and it might be gone for good. There’s a lot of credits at stake here. You best blend in, for your own sake.”

You remembered Hunter trying to argue with Cid, saying being in one place too long without armor was dangerous. But Cid promised there wouldn’t be trouble if you kept your heads down.

“I don’t know about you, but a real shower is enough for me. I guess we finally have something to thank Cid for.” You quipped, trying to stay positive.

The corners of Hunter’s lips formed a tiny smirk at your comment.

“Don't get too excited, even The Marauder has hot water. Most of the time. Can’t guarantee anything at this place.” You gave him a playful look, smirking back.

Hunter dug into one of his pockets, pulling out small cards that allowed you to access your rooms. “Alright, we’ll meet up at the rendezvous spot early tomorrow. We have a lot of ground to cover.” You looked at your access card, a small number indicating your room location.

Looking at the map of the inn, your room was right next to Hunter’s, the rest of the boys and Omega’s room spread throughout the lodging.

You bid goodnight to everyone as they retreated to their rooms, leaving you and Hunter walking to your own. “Do you think this shipment even exists?” You asked, also getting tired of the wild womp rat chases Cid sent you on.

Hunter let out a sigh. “I don’t know. The intel is limited, and I sense Cid isn’t telling us everything. As usual.” You gave him a soft look, knowing look. Hunter was growing tired of working for Cid, and carries a lot of stress over protecting his team and Omega. His dedication to his family was something you admired about him, among many other things.

“At least she coughed up some accommodation this time around.” You said as Hunter gave a grunt, his eyes flicking to yours. “Yeah…we’ll see if the cards even unlock our rooms. If we even have them.” You had reached your individual doors, stopping in front of Hunter’s, yours only a few feet down the hall from his.

You smiled, the words coming out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. “Well if your access card doesn’t work, you can always come to my room.” Hunter’s eyes locked on yours as you felt heat blaze up to your cheeks at the realization of what you just said. “Err…I uh… I could stay with Omega and you could take my room is what I meant!” You stuttered, trying to salvage your previous statement.

You cursed yourself internally, knowing Hunter probably sensed your heartbeat increasing. You’ve noticed stumbling your words more often around him. Any time he looked your way, all thoughts exited your head and you could only focus on his deep brown eyes, strong jaw, wide shoulders…

The sound of a door unlocking brought you back to the moment. “Well, it seems like my card works. I guess Cid didn’t stiff us. I’ll have to take you up on that offer another time.” You sucked in your breath, trying to figure out what he meant as he slowly opened his door, but didn’t immediately walk in.

“If you need anything, you know where I am.” Hunter hesitated for a moment, looking at you. What you didn’t know was him having the same thoughts as you, admiring your beauty, secretly wanting to join you in your room, hoping what you claimed was a mistake was actually the truth slipping out.

But he didn’t want to overstep and couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“Yes…uh…goodnight, Hunter.” He nodded, and stepped into his room before he said something he might end up regretting.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding as you cursed at yourself internally again, accessing your own room. It was small, dinky, and run down, but it was something. The first thing you tested was the shower, and as luck would have it, the water was hot. It was enough to ignore the suspicious stains on the carpet and peeling wallpaper.

You took a long shower, not knowing when you’d have this type of accommodation again, and trying not to think of Hunter, the embarrassment of what you said, but it was getting more difficult.

After your shower you nestled down into the bed, finally able to relax the best you could in these circumstances.

You closed your eyes, trying to focus on the quiet and relish having a room to yourself, finally having a little private time.

Your mind began to wander back to Hunter, as it always did, as you sank into the creaking bed.

You had been with 99 for a while now, acting as an extra hand on missions, also trying to stay afloat by doing odd jobs for Cid. You ran with a pirate gang for a while, dabbled in bounty work, and now you were here. You got along well with the boys and Omega, and finally felt like you had something good, finally belonged.

As you worked alongside Hunter, you began yearning for his gaze, or his rare, surprisingly warm smile. What started off as a small crush has grown into something more and you knew you were falling for him. You tried to deny it, not wanting these feelings to take hold. But you were giving in to him more and more by the day, giving in to his smoky voice, his strength, his loyalty, his everything.

Did he feel the same way? You weren’t sure. But you knew there was some sort of tension between you and it was growing.

You tried to forget these embarrassing thoughts and just go to sleep. But the walls of the rundown inn were thin, and you heard a shower being turned on in the next room.

Hunter’s room.

Heat crept to your cheeks as your mind began to wander again. You imagined him stripping his clothes, neatly placing them at the base of the bed, his naked muscular form revealing itself as he stepped into the hot water.

Stop. You told yourself. He’s your Sergeant. I shouldn’t be thinking of him this way…. But the image of him in the shower was too tempting, as your hand made its way to the waistline of your sleep shorts.

You couldn’t help but think of him thoroughly rubbing himself down with soap, his muscles rippling under the steamy water as the heat released tension from his body.

You imagined his tattoo going all the way down his torso, to his hip, which deliciously dipped to his muscular thighs, which you thought about your hands gripping often. And what lay between his muscular thighs was what really got your mind spinning. You groaned and adjusted your legs, heat beginning to pool between them.

You shouldn’t be having these thoughts. You respected him. He was your teammate. He was your friend.

But you didn’t stop yourself, beginning to get lost in the fantasy as your hand slipped fully beneath your damp panties.

You imagined Hunter’s wet hair stuck to his body as he moaned, his own hand gripping his hard length as he pleasured himself, thinking of you. Water running down his cut muscle, his head thrown back in ecstasy as he brought himself closer to release.

You began to rub circles around your clit, sighing at the sensation, now imagining yourself with him in that shower, his velvet voice murmuring praises in your ear as he thrusted deep inside of you, his warm, calloused hands squeezing every part of your soft flesh.

You thought you were being quiet, stifling your moans as best you could, knowing the walls were thin and Hunter was right on the other side. Maybe you did want him to hear, so he’d know how you truly felt. The thought of him listening only intensified your pleasure and you picked up the pace of your hand, not noticing that Hunter’s shower had stopped a few minutes ago, or that Hunter was hearing every single sound next door.

At first Hunter didn’t want to believe it was you. He had just laid down, his hair damp from the shower, trying to get comfortable. He knew he should be enjoying an actual bed, but his senses were on high alert in this new space. He didn’t like his brothers being so spread out. At the very least, Wrecker’s room was right next door to Omega’s, so he knew that she would be safe if anything were to happen. He knew he shouldn’t worry, but it was habit.

Another worry plagued his mind: you. His thoughts were also preoccupied with you, as they were almost every waking second.

Hunter was struggling with his feelings for you, knowing he couldn’t ignore them much longer. You were reliable, honest, quick-witted, which amused him knowing you were part of a pirate gang before joining them.

You got along with his brothers and Omega liked you, and that was honestly enough for him. He was thinking more and more about his future with his family, and it was hard to visualize that future without you by his side. That’s how he knew he was in deep.

He had wanted to confess his feelings to you multiple times, but always hesitated. He didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship.

Hunter almost told you how he felt tonight, when you were standing outside your door. Hunter wanted to kiss you, take you up on your offer and follow you into your room, show you how much he really cared. But he paused like he always did, not able to find the right words.

Hunter rubbed his face and sighed, wishing he could just sleep.

A faint sound brought him out of his thoughts, his sensitive ears picking up a small moan. He froze, listening as he caught another sigh that sounded awfully similar to your voice.

Hunter first brushed it off to this hotel being less than reputable, probably someone in the room above him watching something illicit on the Holonet.

He was about to put his pillow over his head to drown it out, trying to get a good night’s sleep, but then he heard a louder gasp. It wouldn’t have been heard by anyone else, but he could hear it. There was no denying it now, it was your voice coming from the other side of the wall you shared. The gasps and sighs sounded like they should be coming from a dirty Holonet program, but they were coming from you, from your lips.

His heart thudded, his entire body suddenly on fire, the realization of what you were doing in your room dawning on him.

Hunter knew he shouldn’t listen, but it was impossible for him not to. More soft moans drifted to his ears, his cock instinctually hardening underneath his pants as he imagined you writhing on your bed, your hand working your wet pussy. Were you thinking about him? Someone else? A pang of jealousy shot through him, followed by another pang of guilt. It felt wrong to intrude like this. You deserve privacy, even with his heightened senses, even if you were thinking of someone other than him.

Again, Hunter was going to put his pillow over his head, trying to ignore his throbbing cock and your delicious mewls, but then he heard you again, this time taking the form of his name.

Hunter thought his heart was going to stop. Did he hear correctly? His senses have never led him astray. He focused, listening intently, secretly hoping he was right. Another quiet moan and he heard his name again.

Hunter’s body reacted immediately, intense desire rushing through his veins, goosebumps covering him head to toe as he heard you calling his name. Something primal was climbing its way out of him, not knowing exactly what his next steps were. You were saying his name. You were thinking of him during your most private moment. You must feel the same way that he did for you? All the nights he yearned for you, wanting you, but not knowing how to tell you, or not knowing if you even felt the same way?

Your soft gasps of his name and his name alone was his answer.

His mind was drunk with lust, his body telling him to go next door and help you finish the job. He sat up on his bed, his instincts overtaking his logical brain, and the next thing he knew, he was right outside your door. You were calling out to him, and he couldn’t deny you any longer.

Before he knocked, he could hear your breathing through the door. Your hitched breath as you were bringing yourself closer to release, his name leaving your lips again. He was certain now.

Hunter was ready to break down the door, he needed to see you. To feel you.

Hunter took a breath to focus himself momentarily, trying to get his breathing and heartbeat under control. But he couldn’t wait any longer, your muffled cries the only thing he could focus on. Before he could change his mind, he quickly knocked. For the first time in his life, Hunter had no plan, his mind totally encompassed by you.

He heard you let out a gasp of surprise, then a curse, and quick shuffling. He heard your footsteps coming toward the door. He said your name, his voice low.

You were getting close, your legs shaking, your hand rubbing at just the right spot around your clit, release imminent, your mind intensely focused on Hunter. A loud knock on your door startled you out of your fantasy.

Kriff, who could that be?! You thought, flustered by the interruption and letting out an audible curse. You quickly took your hand out of your pants, frustrated that your fantasy was cut short.

Then you heard Hunter’s voice say your name. You were startled, adrenaline rushed through your body. Why is he knocking at my door so late at night? Something must be wrong. You adjusted yourself, and walked over to the door, just in your nightclothes, panic starting to rise in your chest, the realization that he was right outside your door. Which means he probably heard you. How long was he standing out there? Oh Maker.

“Uh…Hunter? What’s going on?” You asked through the door, trying to play it casual.

There was a moment of silence. “Open the door. Please.”

His voice was strained. You swallowed and grasped the door handle, turning it to open. You pulled the door toward you, only to be pushed back slightly as Hunter barged inside, closing it quickly behind him, his eyes wild. “Hunter…what…what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

You were nervous, he was acting strange and looked disheveled. He wasn’t wearing his bandana, and dressed only in an undershirt and pants. His hair fell around his face as his gaze bore into you. “I heard…you. From my room.” Was all he could muster.

Hunter could smell your arousal in the air of the room and he was close to snapping, all his pent up desire fogging his brain. He needed you, he needed something.

He…heard me? Does he mean…? Oh kriff.

Your face caught on fire at the realization of what he was saying, wanting to disappear into the floor from total humiliation, never to be seen again. You didn’t know what to say, suddenly worried he was mad at you for keeping him awake, demanding to know why his name was coming from your lips, ready to be kicked off the team for insubordination.

You were completely and utterly mortified. Your mind ran circles, trying to think up any excuse. “Hunter I…I’m sorry…I.. didn’t realize…”

“I heard my name.” Hunter interrupted, as he stepped closer to you, his hands forming fists at his sides, his voice shaking. Once again, you wanted to fall through a hole in the floor. You wanted to run away. “You were thinking of me?” His voice was dangerously low as he looked down on you, unclenching his fisted hands and hesitantly resting them on your waist, pleading to himself he wasn’t misreading this entire situation.

Your body quivered, not stopping him as you realized why he was here. He wasn’t upset. He was here to answer your call.

The look in his eyes was absolutely predatory and you noticed a large bulge in his pants as your eyes flicked up and down his body. You were speechless momentarily, but couldn’t deny the ache that was forming between your legs, your heart rate increasing. “I…yes…I was…” was all you could say, your voice barely a whisper. Hunter’s eyes darkened at your words.It was him you were thinking about. No one else.

“Do you think about me often?” he murmured, his voice close to cracking, intoxicated by your scent.

Hunter could see your chest heaving, hear your heart thudding. He could smell a fresh wave of arousal that caused his body to throb as his cock strained against his waistband. “Yes…” You croaked, trembling under his look. His hands gripped your waist tighter, his confidence growing as you answered truthfully. “I could hear everything, your perfect moans…do you realize how long I’ve wanted you?” Hunter hoarsely whispered, barely holding on, his control slipping.

You felt like you were going to explode at his touch and his words. You brought your hands up to grasp his shoulders, his body radiating heat through his clothes.

Were you dreaming?

“Hunter…” a lusty gasp left your lips, and Hunter almost took you then and there. “Let me help you…” He whispered, lowering his head to your neck, his lips brushing right underneath your earlobe.

“I can either join or watch. Your choice.”

Hunter’s voice was deep, and absolutely desperate.

Him admitting he wanted to watch you continue pleasuring yourself almost made you faint, never hearing something so alluring in your entire life.

This had to be a dream.

The thought of him watching you was tempting, but here he was, offering his entire self to you. Something you’ve wanted for so long. You couldn’t pass it up, not now.

“Join me.”

Your voice trembled as you gave him your answer. Hunter lifted his head from your neck, peering into your eyes, searching for the same need that was in his.

“Are you sure?”

You stuttered the words you’ve been wanting to say for months, not seeing any reason to keep it a secret now. “Maker, Hunter…I do want you…I need the real thing, I need you.” Hunter’s eyes flashed, and he let out an anguished growl as he closed the distance between you, pressing his lips to yours in a sloppy and frenzied kiss, doing what you’ve both wanted for so long. It was better than either of you ever imagined, your need for one another finally let loose.

He deepened the kiss by tilting your head back, cradling the back of your skull with his hand, pressing himself even closer to you. You could feel his hot, hard length against your stomach, his craving for you undeniable.

You melted into him, all your secret desire rushing to the surface, tightening your grip on his muscled shoulders. The fingers of his one hand that was holding the back of your head wrapped in your hair, gently tugging your neck even further back as his lips consumed yours. You let out a moan at the sensation, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, which you eagerly welcomed.

Hunter let out his own gasp as your hands moved from his shoulders to his scalp, your fingernails lightly raking down his crown. You felt like you were floating, the breath completely knocked out of your lungs at his taste and his passion, still not believing he was here, doing this to you.

After what seemed like hours, Hunter reluctantly broke the kiss momentarily, giving you both a chance to catch your breath you didn’t realize you needed.

“I need you, too…” He gasped. “I have for a long time…you have no idea what you do to me, cyar’ika…” Hunter released the back of your head, his warm hands sliding down to your back as he peppered hot, open mouth kisses on your neck. He nipped and sucked at your soft skin, also not believing this was real. If this was real, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest at saying out loud how he felt, and hearing that you felt the same way back.

Hunter’s free hand ghosted under your night shirt, and when you didn’t tell him to stop, he brought it up to your breast, squeezing and pinching the sensitive flesh. Your nipples pebbled at the sensation, his skilled fingers rubbing and rolling the hardened nub, your arousal growing more than you thought you could handle.

Hunter’s tongue licked over your jugular, and he could feel your blood pumping under his tongue, tasting the sweat and craving on your skin, stoking the raging fire in him even more as he walked you back toward the edge of the bed.

You felt the back of your knees bump the mattress, and Hunter held you as you slowly laid down, bringing himself with you. He nestled between your legs, kissing you deeply again, his arms caging you in.

You bucked against him, rubbing yourself against his hard bulge, searching for that delicious friction.

He groaned into your mouth, and now it was Hunter’s turn to desperately rut against you, his control now almost completely gone. You were going to be the end of him.

“I need to see all of you, now.” Hunter ordered as he began urgently tugging at your clothes, needing to feel your skin on his. He rolled off of you momentarily, standing up to practically rip his civvies off his body as you did the same on the bed, shimmying out of your sleepwear and tossing them to the side.

He stopped, his mind finding clarity for one moment as he gazed at your body and you at his. Saliva pooled in your mouth at the sight of him, unbelievably defined, broad chest and muscular arms. His cock swollen and girthy between his narrow waist, glistening with precum, begging for relief. Begging for you.

“Beautiful…so beautiful.” He muttered as he climbed on top of you again, still gazing at you. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him back down to your body. Your lips met, this time less intense, as Hunter relished your irresistible taste, the taste he’s been dreaming of. He swallowed every gasp that left your lips, the kiss heating up again as you grasped the sides of his head, your soft skin moving against his hard, battle-scarred body as he rubbed his length against your soaking entrance.

But there was another taste he wanted, needed or he thought he was going to implode.

Hunter pulled himself away from you as a whine left your lips, already missing his touch.

He moved down your body, kissing down your neck, collarbone, stopping at your breasts to take each sensitive nipple in his mouth for brief attention before continuing on. He slid backwards off you until he was kneeling on the ground at the base of the bed. “I want to taste how much you want me.” He growled as he grasped your ankles and pulled you to the edge of the bed, throwing your legs over his shoulders, causing you to yelp at how easily he was manhandling you.

You knew what he was about to do, but that didn’t prepare you for how his mouth felt as he began desperately lapping at your cunt, absolutely devouring you as your hands clenched the sheets for dear life as louder and louder moans escaped from deep in your chest. You couldn’t speak as you were quickly reaching your peak for the second time that night.

Hunter was completely lost now, having your arousal on his tongue, his face pressed in the source of your longing. His cock ached almost painfully, but it had to wait. He wanted you to feel how much he wanted you.

Hunter swirled his tongue around your clit, never wanting this moment to end. He could stay between your legs for the rest of his life, lapping at your juices and hearing every single choked cry that caught in your throat as he hummed against your core in his own daze. He felt your hands suddenly grasping at his hair, tugging as you cried out that you were close, gasping his name. Hunter continued his feast as your body thrashed, intense pressure building in your lower abdomen. With one more long lick, your orgasm washed over you, your back arching off the bed, Hunter’s name a ragged cry as he worked you through your release, not wanting to miss a single drop.

He finally lifted his head from between your thighs, knowing he wasn’t going to last much longer at this rate. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.” You blushed at his words as he climbed back on top of you lost in a haze of passion and pure animal instinct. “Ready?” He muttered, still making sure you were okay with this, with him, as he kissed you, tasting yourself on his lips.

“Hunter, I need you inside me right now, please…I need you…”

You couldn’t wait any longer. You had to feel him inside of you.

Your pleads were all he needed to hear as he pushed in to your entrance, holding back every atom in his body that wanted to slam in to you and fuck you senseless. But he didn��t want to hurt you, though his composure was crumbling.

You could feel all the muscles in Hunter’s body tense as he slowly slid in, the sensation of your velvety muscle gliding against him almost making him cum right then and there, his senses completely overloaded.

Hunter bottomed out and brought his forehead to yours, his breath shaking and labored. “You feel incredible…” His tone was low, barely audible. Hunter waited for a moment, feeling you around him, hearing your breathing, inhaling your sweet aroma, still hoping this wasn’t a dream as he let you get used to him inside you, the anticipation ready to rip him apart.

You moved your hips slightly, telling him it was okay to continue, knowing what he wanted.

He nodded wordlessly and began rolling his hips slowly into yours. The feeling of him finally inside you, stretching your walls, took your breath away. Hunter let out a moan so lewd you knew it would be burned into your memories forever.

You locked your ankles around his waist, adjusting the angle of his cock as he moved in you. “You can go faster, Hunter. I want you to fuck me.”

That predatory glint in his eye returned at your bold statement as he increased his pace, your words fueling him.

It was Hunter’s turn to grasp the sheets around your head as he got lost in pleasure, grinding himself in to you, his eyes screwed shut and his head right against yours, his shaking moans escaping his lips right at your ear. Hunter’s senses were completely shot now.

Your taste, smell, sounds…every nerve in his body felt like it was charged with electricity, a current running down his spine as he focused on nothing but you.

Hunter was hitting a spot so deep you couldn’t formulate any thoughts, your own whimpers and gasps growing louder and more desperate.

You could feel another orgasm building, the pressure of his pelvis on yours rubbing on just the right spot. Your hands grasped at the back of his head as your body shook, getting closer to your release.

He was driving himself into you, his control finally gone. The intensity of his thrusts made your mind melt, you had never felt this way with anyone ever before.

Hunter was pressing frantic kisses to the side of your mouth, getting close himself as he fucked you in to the shaking bed.

You could barely make out the jumble of praises he was uttering on your lips between thrusts. “Let go for me…I won’t last much longer…you’re so beautiful like this…”

Hunter’s fervid hips and passionate words brought you to your peak, your orgasm spreading like a tidal wave over your body, your nails digging into Hunter’s skull and he continued to fuck you senseless, his name a chant in the heavy air of the room.

Hunter let out a strained growl as his hips stuttered into yours, your final pinnacle bringing him to his own end as he felt your walls clench around him. “Wh-where?” He gasped as your head lolled against the pillow, trying to keep your eyes open. “Inside.” Your hoarse statement was all he needed to hear as pleasure ripped through his body, pressing impossibly deep into you, his body vibrating with every intense sensation imaginable.

With a final drive of his hips, Hunter collapsed on top of you, careful not to crush you under his weight. For a few moments, it was silent except for your combined gasps, desperate to get air back in your lungs from the exertion.

Your mind was still trying to catch up with everything that had just happened. Hunter was on top of you? Naked? Still inside you? Was it time to wake up from this dream? Hunter lifted his head, looking at you. “I hope the real thing was as good as you imagined.” His voice was soft, his hair sticking to his forehead, glistening with sweat. You’ve never seen him so breathless.

“It was better than good.” You exhaled, still trying to catch your own breath.

Hunter lifted himself up off of you, rolling to the side, feeling slightly dizzy as the electric buzz in his body began to fade as his senses returned to normal. Hunter hummed and brought his hands behind his head, laying on his back. You were silent again for a few moments, but it was comfortable.

“You know,” he finally rumbled, “This place isn’t half bad. I wouldn’t mind if we had to stay a few extra nights.” His eyes flicked to yours, hoping you’d catch his meaning.

“Though I might have to move rooms if my neighbor continues to be so loud. Won’t get any sleep with such a distraction.”

You smiled and rolled on your side toward him. “Hmm, pretty sure I saw the “No Vacancy” sign out front. But I think we can work something out.”

Hunter let out a chuckle at your response, rolling to face you, his face softening.

“I’d like it if we could work something out.”

You smiled at his gentle words, a blush forming on your cheeks. “Me too.”

Hunter pulled you against him, wrapping his body around yours. “Can’t promise you’ll get any sleep in this room, though.” You muttered against his warm body.

Hunter smirked as he brought his lips to yours for a meaningful kiss.

“If it means being with you, it’s worth it.”

#Hunter x reader #hunter x fem!reader #Hunter x you #Hunter tbb x reader #Hunter tbb x female reader #the bad batch fanfiction #Hunter tbb #the bad batch smut #sergeant hunter #tbb fanfiction #starrycatwrites #Hunter tbb x fem!reader #starryrequest #the bad batch #clone force 99 #Hunter tbb x you #Star Wars fanfiction #Hunter tbb smut

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thrawns-babygirl · 2 years ago

Text

Making Eyes (Tech x F!Reader)

Hello Tech Girlies (GN)

So! A lot of emotions are running high after yesterday huh? I totally understand TBH, while I am a Crosshair Girlie at heart, I do also adore Tech and I can empathize with some of the emotions yall are going through.

This was so much fun to write and it turned into the longest thing I have ever written so I hope you all enjoy. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

And yes, Phee is in this story but she is like, the ultimate wing woman dw, fully platonic.

Rating: E (18+) Summary: Tech has been giving you eyes forever now, and Phee takes it upon herself to help him talk to you Warnings: Oral (M!Receiving), grinding, unprotected PiV, Creampies Word Count: 4300+

Masterlist

Tech was staring at you. Again.

I was a daily occurrence at this point, whenever you would visit Cid’s Parlour you would hang out with Omega, bring Wrecker some food, play a couple games of Dejarik or Sabacc with Echo or simply have a few drinks with the boys. It was a nice piece of normalcy for the squad of rogue clones. It was nice having a friend.

“You know, starin’ at her isn’t gonna get her to talk to you” Phee sat down on the stool next to tech, placing a hand on his shoulder as she took a sip of her drink. Tech sighed, lips tightening to a thin line as he took one last look at you before turning to the pirate. Sorry, liberator of ancient artifacts.

“I do not understand your obsession with getting her and I to talk” Tech replied taking a sip of his drink, eyeing you over the rim of the glass. Phee just chuckled “because you got it bad Brown Eyes” polishing off her drink and motioning the bar tender to bring her another she stared him down. It was so painfully obvious to everyone that Tech did indeed ‘have it bad’ for you but he just… had no idea what to do, and Tech never had no idea what to do. He was the one with the plans, back up plans and back up plans for those back up plans, but when it came to you his mind simply… stopped working.

“Look, its painful watching you make eyes at her across the bar every time she comes in, you should just go up and talk to her. Talking is your specialty, there’s gotta be somethin’ that brain of yours can come up with to woo her” Tech frowned. It’s not like he hadn’t tried coming up with something to say to you it was just… he was never properly socialised to interact with women, so far Cid and Phee were the only adult women he had interacted with for an extended period of time outside of the likes of Nala Se and the Kaminoans. He knew, in theory, what he could say to you, but he had no practical data to go off of. He had been involved in maybe two or three one night stands before the fall of the Republic, and they were almost always rushed, semi pleasurable ways to blow off steam. He's never been worried about rejection before. And the thought of you rejecting him sent cold shocks of fear rushing down his spine.

Phee sighed… this was gonna take more work than she thought. “I simply… Do not know what to do” he mumbled, it was always hard for Tech to admit when he didn’t know something, it was his sole purpose in life to know things, to always have answers and solutions. The tightness in his chest and the weight in his stomach was something he was very much not used to, even while on a battlefield knee deep in mud with driods closing in on all sides he had never felt this amount of uncertainty.

“You just gotta work the charm, tell her she looks pretty, ask about her day… that kinda thing. Ask her to play a game of dejarik and strike up a conversation that way… and don’t look now but she’s coming over this way” Tech choked on his drink, coughing spilling some of the contents on his pants. Great now he looks like a fool.

When he turned around, he saw you stifling a giggle as you slid onto the stool on the other side of Phee, asking the bartender for a drink. “Hey sugar, what are you up to this time of night” Phee makes such easy conversation with you, it makes him jealous. Why couldn’t he just find the words, why couldn’t he swallow his fear and just talk to you. He can talk for hours about anything. If only you would ask him about the components of a hyperdrive or about the capacitors or about-

“Wow is that true Tech?” Tech is ripped from his thoughts as he looks over at you, you’re smiling at him with wide, beautiful, eyes. “Pardon?” he asks lamely, inwardly kicking himself for not paying attention. “I was just telling her about the races on Safa Toma” Phee smirks over at him, bringing her drink up to her lips before inclining her head as if to say ‘go on’.

“Yes I did partake in the Riot Races on Safa Toma multiple rotations ago. It was on a whim in order to help Cid settle some debts” your eyes widen slightly. Okay maybe he could do this. He inwardly thanks Phee before launching into the specifics of why he was racing, what happened with Tey-0, the modifications on his racer he had to do prior to the race, his strategies and to his surprise you were listening with bated breath, hanging on every word he was saying. Your elbows resting on the bar, drink long forgotten as the hours dragged on. From there the conversation flowed naturally, reminding himself of what Phee had said he asks you about your day, about what you were doing at work, your last few games of dijarek against Echo. He listens as you lament about not being able to beat his brother “perhaps I could show you some strategies. I have played multiple games against Echo and could show you not only specific manoeuvres that would work against him specifically, but also the game as a whole” your smile makes his insides melt.

“Well, I’m gonna turn in for the night, I’ll see you two around” Phee places a hand on both of Tech’s and your shoulders before standing up and walking towards the door, giving a polite wave to the other batchers as she exits. Leaving Tech alone with you. His thoughts catch up with him again without having Phee as a buffer, would you still be interested in talking to him? Just him? Would he even know what to say?

“So, what else do you do for fun? I only ever see you all hanging around here” your smile is so genuine. He would have to thank Phee later for laying the groundwork for him as conversation continues to flow smoothly, effortlessly almost. Much to his surprise you actually do ask him about hyperdrives and how they operate, telling him about how you always wanted to be a mechanic, but the universe had other plans for you. He’s never been more enraptured with anyone than he is with you right now. You listen to his every word, asking questions, enjoying his answers, giggling at his dry wit.

It's only when he notices that there is no one else in the parlour anymore that he checks his chrono and balks at the time. You sigh “Maybe I should get going, I know that Cid doesn’t like just anyone staying after she closes” you stretch your arms above your head as you stand up and Tech can’t help the way his eyes run down your body as you move. Tech is not a spiritual man, he is a man of science, but he believes that you are the closest thing to a goddess that he will ever encounter.

“It is very late, perhaps I should accompany you back to your domicile” he gets off his stool, motioning towards the door. You hesitate slightly before nodding, a slight dusting of colour on your cheeks. “I would very much like that, Tech” you smile at him again. And by the stars he swears it is a sight he would never tire of.

The walk back to your apartment is mostly spent in companionable silence, sometimes one of you would make an observation to the other, but otherwise it is nice. Comfortable even. You, however are entirely oblivious to Tech’s internal struggle. He wants nothing more than to tell you everything he’s feeling, divulge his every emotion to you as you walk next to one another down the quiet streets of Ord Mantell. He just wishes he could find the words, tell you enough without telling you too much, without frightening you off with the sheer depth of what he feels for you. Every now and then your hands brush, fingers grazing slightly as you continue walking. He expects you to pull away, he expects you to recoil but you don’t. So, like the inquisitive man he is, he continues brushing his hand against yours, periodically at first before making the action seem more intentional, watching you out of the corner of his eye to gauge your reaction to the contact.

After the third or fourth obviously intentional graze of his hand against yours you surprise him by intwining your fingers with his, silently, your eyes never once leaving the path ahead of you. Tech’s brain completely fries. He has no idea where to go from here, maker he never thought he would even get this far with you and now he is in uncharted territory. Once again at a complete loss for words, it takes a moment for him to realise that you have come to a stop in front of an apartment building. Your hand leaves his and while it’s not a cold night he misses your warmth already. He wishes he could simply hold your hand forever and never let you go. He has never really been a fan of other people touching him, he has been actually quite touch averse his whole life, but something about the softness of your skin and the meaning of the contact has him longing for more.

“This is me” you say with a small smile, you look almost embarrassed, and it takes Tech a moment to figure out why “We… we passed this location approximately 20 standard minutes prior” he says with a raised eyebrow. You shuffle from one foot to the other, avoiding eye contact as you blush all the way from your neck to the tips of your ears. “I uh… I wanted to keep spending time with you” you let out a small laugh, still looking anywhere but him as you approach you door. “Would you… would you like to come in?” your hopeful smile is breathtaking, if only you knew how unnecessary all of your nerves were, if only you knew how much he too wanted to continue spending tonight with you, as well as every night beyond this one.

Kriff… the realisation hits him like a speeder. You may actually… return his feelings. You could potentially be interested in pursuing him… romantically. His thoughts grind to a halt as he realises he still has not responded to you, your face becoming slightly crestfallen as you presume his lack of answer is a refusal. “Yes! Yes of course… I would uh love to” inwardly cringing at the volume and excitement present in his voice Tech clears his throat as you lead him inside your home. If he is honest with himself he is very curious to look around your home, to learn a little bit more information about you without seeming too eager, eyes darting around to take in as many details as he can.

Your living space is tidy and modest, a well-worn couch, a small kitchen area, a door leading off to what he assumes to be a bedroom as well as a holo projector on the wall facing the couch. Shelves hold up various holos of what looks to be you and your family and friends. It brings a smile to his face as he looks around getting this insight into the way you live, the life you lead, you as a person.

“Caf? I know it’s late but you seem like the kinda guy who lives off the stuff” you ask, he chuckles and nods “sorry its only the crappy instant stuff, work has been kinda slow recently” you begin pouring the powdered caf into two mugs before boiling some water. “No apologies necessary, I have lived off military rations and bad caf my whole life, I am very used to it by now” the smile on his face grows as he watches you work, observing your small idiosyncrasies as you go, tucking your bottom lip between your teeth as you pour the water, focusing on not burning yourself, fanning the steaming cups with your hands before adding a small amount of sweetener to both cups and bringing them over towards Tech who is still standing in the middle of your living space.

“Feel free to take a seat, I know it’s not much but it’s home” you smile and Tech has the overwhelming urge to take your face in his hands and connect his lips with yours. Would you allow that? Would you want that from him? You seem to be showing interest but he has no way of knowing how far you are willing to go, did you want him romantically or were you just being friendly and hospitable?

The two of you make easy conversation, sipping on your caf and enjoying each other’s company as the projector plays a muted holo in front of you. You slowly edging closer to him on the couch until your sides are pressed against each other. Tech finished his caf a long time ago, but is hesitant to place his mug down on the table in front of him, if he does he has no reason to stay here, he has no reason not to go back towards the parlour and his brothers and leave you for the night. Your eyes scan over the aurebesh subtitles of the holo in front of you. “I’ve seen this holovid at least a dozen times. It’s about a group of smugglers trying to make a better life for themselves. Makes me think of you and your brothers a little bit” you lean your head on his shoulder, the contact making Tech’s hear beat faster, his hands becoming clammy as he takes a leap of faith and moves his hand over your shoulder, letting you move closer into his side.

You press your body as close to him as you can, and Tech decides then and there that should he die tonight, he will die the happiest man in the galaxy. He slowly begins soothing circles over your shoulder as the two of you continue watching the vid in front of you, now with the sound turned up slightly. The scene where one of the smugglers kisses the woman he is in love with flashes in front of him and he is once again flooded with the indescribable urge to press his lips against yours. You fail to stifle a yawn as you rest against him and Tech looks down at you, eyes half lidded, totally content.

“I think perhaps it is time that I made my departure. You appear to be quite fatigued and I am sure my brothers are wondering as to my whereabouts” the moment the words leave his mouth he regrets it, watching as your content demeanour is tinged with a hint of sadness. He simply did not wish to overstay his welcome. He opens his mouth to perhaps ask you to dinner tomorrow night when his com chimes. Cursing under his breath he answers.

“Tech? Where are you? Do you know what time it is?” Hunter seems slightly panicked and Tech feels a twinge of guilt about not telling his brothers where he was going, he was simply so caught up in spending time with you that it slipped his mind to let his brothers know that he was leaving with you to walk you home.

“Yes, my apologies Hunter I was just out having a walk and simply lost track of the time, I shall be back within the next hour” Tech felt your move out from under his arm and longed for your contact again.

“Just having a walk huh… sure, well I’m sure you can tell me all about your walk when you get back. No need to hurry just comm if you’re going to be later than an hour” Tech replies in the affirmative before shutting off his com. Hunter knows something, perhaps he saw you two leaving together from the parlour? Maybe he heard the soft sound of the Holoprojector in the background, either way he was in for some brotherly banter when he got back.

He turns to you, not realising how close together you were. His eyes dart down to your lips and he watches as yours do the same. His mind fries again, does he make a move? Do you want that? Everything so far tonight has been highly indicative that you are interested in him romantically but what if-

His thoughts are cut off as you place your lips softly on his before pulling back and looking into his eyes with a soft smile. His face is flushed, his lips are slightly parted as he breathes heavily. He is almost certain that you can hear his heart thudding against his rib cage due to how fast it’s beating and before he can give himself a chance to second guess his decision, he moves his hands up to your face and presses his lips against yours with all the passion that he can muster. He’s not an overly experienced kisser but he is a very quick learner, he lets you take the lead before he gets more comfortable, lips moving against yours in a passionate dance as you tangle your hands into his hair before reluctantly pulling back for air.

Your kiss swollen lips spread into a smile as half lidded eyes stare up at him “I hope that was alright” you say as if that wasn’t something Tech has wanted to do since he met you all those rotations ago. “That was more than alright… that was perfect, you are perfect” You move in to kiss him again, and again and again as you slowly move on top of him so that you are straddling him on the couch, parting briefly to catch your breath before continuing your heated session. Tech has been hard since you first placed your lips on his but the pressure of you sitting atop him has him acutely aware of his predicament. You grind your hips down against the hardness straining against his pants and Tech breaks the kiss to let out a sinful moan of your name, bucking his hips against yours, greedy for the feeling of you. You look up at him with lust blown eyes, panting slightly as you move your hips against his clothed erection. “Let me know if we’re moving too fast…” you mumble out as your lips move to his neck sucking dark marks onto the skin there as your hips continue their sinful movement against his. “Of course mesh’la” he pants, hands finding their way to your hips to help guide your movements against him as his head falls against the back of the couch “but I assure you there is nothing we could do tonight that I haven’t been dreaming about since I met you”

You begin working on the fastenings of his vest, pulling it open as he moves to assist you in removing the fabric from his body before your hands find their way underneath the hem of his shirt, toying with it before he grabs it and pulls it over his head leaving his upper body completely bare before you. You knew he was a soldier, but you never expected him to be quite this built. His chest and arms nothing but lean muscles and while you are busy staring down at his perfectly sculpted body, he begins ridding you of your clothing, pulling your shirt over your head and moving his hands around your back to the fastening of your bra before hesitating for a moment “M-may I?” his stutter is endearing as you nod and feel his nimble fingers work against the offending garment leaving you totally topless before him.

He pauses for a moment, simply taking in the sight before him, committing it to memory before slowly lifting his hands to your breasts, cupping them in his large palms, rolling and tweaking your nipples causing you to arch against him. You hear him speak in hushed whispers, a language you don’t understand before he lowers his lips to one of your pebbled nipples and places it in his mouth. Lathing is tongue against it, sucking and licking before releasing it with a soft ‘pop’ and giving the same attention to your other breast, his hips bucking up against your core the entire time.

After his lips release your nipple, he looks up at you through his yellow tinted goggles “I must admit mesh’la, It has been a very long time since I participated in any… intimate activities and I do not wish to disappoint you” you smile down at him and he feels his cock throb against the confines of his pants “you don’t need to be perfect Tech, and I wont be disappointed as long as I’m doing this with you” you grind your hips against him for emphasis before standing up and removing your pants, Tech’s eyes trained on you the entire time, watching you reveal more of yourself to him.

You get to your knees before him and he automatically spreads his legs allowing you more space between them as he holds his breath. Your fingers go to the fastening of his pants and you look up at him, with a small nod you undo them and free his weeping length. You gasp slightly at the sheer size of him, he is long, thick and leaking precum. He lets out a hiss through clenched teeth as you wrap your hand around him and give him a few experimental pumps, his hips bucking into your hand for more friction as he screws his eyes shut and lets his head fall back.

Lost in the feeling of your hand wrapped around him, he lets out a sinful moan as your hand is replaced by the wet heat of your mouth, hands going to the back of your head to tangle in your hair as your lips wrap around his throbbing length. “O-oh mesh’la you’re perfect ahh- absolutely p-perfect” he grunts out as he feels himself hit the back of your throat. You drag your lips up his length before settling into a steady rhythm. Tech loses himself in the feeling of your mouth against his cock, speaking in a combination of basic and Mando’a, praising you, telling you how amazing you feel as his hand rests on the back of your head.

It's not long before he pulls you off of him, a string of saliva connected from your mouth to his cock as you look up at him “I apologise, any more of that and I would ejaculate prematurely and I wish for this to be a pleasurable experience for both of us” he impresses himself by managing to speak full sentences as he pants, he was sure that his capabilities for speech left him the moment you wrapped your lips around him. You smile, pumping his slick length a few times before standing, ridding yourself of your panties and returning to your previous position of straddling his lap, now with no barriers between you.

Tech reaches his hand between your legs, fingers brushing against your folds “Kriff… y-you’re so wet mesh’la” he grits out, the feeling of your soaking entrance almost enough to send him over the edge. “It’s all for you Tech” you whisper into his ear, your breath fanning over his skin making him shudder as you slowly lower yourself onto him.

If the feeling of your mouth was intense, Tech was not ready for the feeling of your tight walls wrapping around him. It took every ounce of control not to paint your walls with his seed the moment your heat fully engulfed him. His fingers were digging into your thighs, his eyes were screwed shut as he focused on his breathing as he felt his length throb inside of you. You rested your head against his shoulder, moaning out his name as the feeling of his girth overwhelmed you. After waiting a moment for both of you to adjust you slowly raise yourself up off him and slam your hips back down, drawing a ragged moan from the both of you. Tech simply held on for dear life as you took control, riding him as he babbled and rambled about how good you felt, about how you were so tight about how he had never felt anything this good.

It took all of his remaining brain power to bring one of his hands down to start rubbing tight circles against your clit, causing your walls to flutter around him, clenching and squeezing around his cock as he drew ever closer to his peak.

“W-where” he manages to groan out between loud moans of your name.

“I-inside- ah-” your permission was all he needed to be pushed him over the edge into euphoria, his nerves set alight as he pumped rope after rope of hot cum inside you, filling you up and spilling out of you as you reach your own peak atop him, your clenching walls bordering on overstimulation but he would never complain.

You led the two of you to your bedroom before reminding him to tell hunter that he would not be home tonight, Hunter telling him to simply stay safe and that he would see him tomorrow morning. Exhausted and oh so content, it wasn’t long before the two of you passed out in each other’s arms, wrapped in your soft blankets, entirely ignorant to the outside world.

The next morning after another round of lovemaking, Tech returns to the parlour, his brothers and Phee present around the bar. Wrecker lets out a holler as he see’s the dark marks you left on him the night before, smacking him on the back as he makes his way to the bar. Tech slides into the stool next to Phee as she smirks over towards him “I’m glad you two finally worked it out” she sips her drink “Yes… Thank you for your help”

I thought I could try and help recontextualize the relationship between Tech and Phee a little bit so let me know if it helps soothe some of that heartache because I genuinely love Phee, but I totally understand the emotions if Tech is your man. She wants yall together as much as you do dw

@where-is-my-mind-tho @starborncyare @antishadow2021 @healingskywalker @crosshairlovebot@ttzamara@sunshinesdaydream@bambambunny@madameminor

#tech x reader #tech smut #tech x reader smut #tbb tech #tbb tech smut #tbb smut #the bad batch smut #bad batch tech #bad batch tech smut #tech #phee #tbb tech x reader smut #bad batch tech x reader smut #nsft

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 2 years ago

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(The Bad Batch) Tech x Reader: Glasses

A little snippet! You run out of contact lenses, and Tech sees you in glasses for the first time.

Word Count: 526

Warnings: Fluff, pining

Life on the run wasn’t easy. You and the Batch were still adjusting to existing as “mercenaries” as Cid had put it. It wasn’t something you’d imagined when you and the others first went out on your own. Missions ranged from life-threatening rescues to small shipments of snack foods.

The latest inconvenience was something you were faced with.

You’d finally gotten a prescription for new glasses as well as contacts. It had been quite some time since it was updated. For the last few weeks, you’d been waiting and waiting for the lenses to arrive at Cid’s, but with no luck. Some small part of you even wondered if Cid accepted the delivery and then pawned it off the first chance she got.

It wouldn’t exactly surprise you, but you settled on giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Still, enough time had passed to leave you concerned, to say the least. You couldn’t exactly carry out missions without the lenses.

You made it through the most recent mission, an attempt to swipe some spoils of war from Count Dooku’s old estate, on your last pair. After that, they were done for. To your frustration, the new ones hadn’t arrived by the time you returned either.

Being that you were out of contact lenses, you were left with no other option than to don your old spectacles. Wrecker of course poked fun every chance he got. That was to be expected. It was lighthearted, well-meaning teasing on occasion as he passed by you on the ship.

Nonetheless, it didn’t exactly help your mood. You made your way to the cockpit where Tech was reviewing some material. He was so absorbed that he didn’t glance up when you entered, to your relief. You were already not so keen on being forced to wear an outdated pair of glasses, and the last thing you wanted was anyone to make a big deal out of it.

You took a seat and got to work checking that the ship’s systems were functioning properly. After a few minutes of this, you finally noticed Tech’s eyes flicker up briefly to acknowledge your presence. He did a double-take.

“What?” you asked, swiveling your chair around.

“Nothing,” Tech replied, appearing unfazed at being caught staring. His expression remained neutral as he quickly turned his attention back to his datapad. “I’ve never seen you wear glasses.”

You chuckled, figuring you’d just own it, and peered at him over the rims playfully. “What do you think? Is it weird?”

“It’s…” He paused, searching for the right words. “Rather cute, actually.”

“Oh.” You weren’t quite sure what else to say to a comment like that. Warmth flared up in your face as you ducked your head. “Thanks, you too,” you said back, internally facepalmed as Tech stole another glance at you from his datapad, tilting his head just a tad out of curious confusion. He adjusted his goggles.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Sure.”

Silence fell over the space, and you cleared your throat. “I’m going to go…see Wrecker. I’ll be back.”

You made your escape swiftly and without further incident. At that point, you’d gladly endure the taunts.

#bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch x reader #the bad batch x reader #tech x reader #bad batch tech #bad batch tech x reader #tech fanfiction #bad batch fanfiction #tech reader insert #the bad batch tech x reader #the bad batch fanfiction #bad batch tech imagine

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jedi-lothwolf · 24 days ago

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Hurtceber Day 1: Collapse

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: After receiving a mission from Cid, the batch heads to an outer rim plant to retrieve a crystal ball. Tech and Hunter get the ball and find they are in need of a place to hide. That old, rotting house should be fine, right?

Get in, get out. That's what the batch was told by Cid. "It will be easy, you just have to get the crystal ball from the imperial detention center."

Hunter sat on the Maurader wondering why he agreed to take the mission. It was a waste of resources. The group had split in two with Tech and Hunter going to get the ball. Wrecker, Omega, and Echo stayed behind, ready to get them out of there when things went wrong.

After grabbing the ball, the two clones got out of the jail. The stormtroopers stationed at the detention center found them and started their pursuit. They ran into the woods. The tall Douglas Firs and Pines tried to provide cover for the clones.

"There is an old house up head. It will provide cover." Tech told Hunter as they ran.

"Alright." It wasn't long after that they found the house. It looked like once upon a time it could have been beautiful. The wood had been painted white and was now covered in green and brown. Vines with colorful flowers grew into the foundation. Windows with their delicate trim, had been long since broken. The brown door has a copper door knob that had turned mint green. Wooden steps creaked as the brothers ran up them.

Hunter felt one of the boards give way but didn't think about it once the door was open. The inside of the house had blue and white flowered wallpaper and furniture that used to look nice. Everything matched perfectly. Now the wood was rotting and the wallpaper was peeling off the wall. The stairs were creaked and the rail looked like it was give away any minute.

"We will be safest upstairs. While I don't know if these stairs will hold, I believe it is still our better option."

"Okay." Walking up the stairs, Hunter felt the decaying carpet and wood under his feet. He listened to the sound of running that came from outside.

Interning a bedroom by the end of the hall, Hunter looked around. Its walls were pink and the bedframe was decorative and white. There were small toys around the room. Like the rest of the house, the room used to be put together. A house in the middle of the woods seemed peaceful. He took his helmet off, wanting to get a better look at the room. A small part of him wished he had his brothers could have grown up like this; with a well thought out room.

Taking off his helmet, Tech walked over to Hunter. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He answered quickly.

"Where did they go?" One of the troopers spoke.

"I don't know. Let's check the parameter. You want to check the house?"

"I'm not going alone."

"Tech" Hunter whispered. "We are going to have company." He nodded and the two prepared. Tech went to the stairwell and took his place in the top stair. The door creaked open and the men creeped in.

Under his breath, Tech whispered to Hunter. "We need to avoid the wall under the stairwell, it serves as a support. If it comes down, it will take the rest of the house with it." Hunter didn't answer but Tech knew he heard his warning.

It didn't take long for the stormtroopers to get to the stairwell. The stairs didn't face the door. This gave the clones an advantage. Tech waited for troopers to see him before shooting. Hunter gave his brother time. The troopers used the wall under the stairwell as cover, unaware of the danger they would be in if something happened to that wall.

Not backing down, Tech took another step down towards the troopers. Hunter started to walk to join him, knowing he may need help. Then there was a loud crash and the house started to shake. The floor became unsteady and started to collapse. Within a few seconds, the one beautiful house was falling down on top of them.

The clone could feel everything. The wood of the old building surrounded him. A piece pinned his legs to the ground; or what Hunter assumed should be the ground. Carefully looking around, he realized his wrist comm had been destroyed. He just hoped that didn't mean his wrist had been to.

"Tech!" He called out to his brother. "You okay?"

At first, Tech didn't answer. As Hunter started to panic he heard a soft whisper. "Given that we have been in a building collapse, no."

Sighing, Hunter looked around. "Does your comm work?"

The sargent heard Tech shift. He heard the difference in his breath. There was a soft crying coming from his direction. Worried, Hunter tried to move. "What wrong?"

"I will be fine." Hunter didn't believe his brother for a moment.

"What happened?" There was silence. "Tech, what is it?" Again he was met with silence. Taking a deep breath, Hunter focused on the sounds coming from inside the house. It wasn't a hard thing to do; feeling everything could have its advantages. However with a whole building on top of you, there was so much to feel and not a lot to hear. It was startling.

"Just, tell me you're still alive."

There was a moment of eerie silence before Tech answered. "I am alive."

"Okay."

"My comm is active. I- need you to talk to them."

"Okay. I can do that." Deep in Hunters soul, he knew something had happened to Tech that would change him. Not knowing felt as bad as being pinned under a building.

"Tech? Where are you guys?" Echo asked, not suspecting anything.

"Echo?"

Before Hunter could explain anything, the arc trooper interrupted him. "Hunter? What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"No. We got trapped in a building collapse."

"Are you both alive?" Echo sounded afraid of the answer.

"Yeah, we're both here. We need help. The building wasn't too far from the Maurader. You should be able to track the comm right?"

"Yeah. We'll be there soon. Hang in there."

"Okay." Tech turned off the comm.

It was hard to tell how long they had been trapped. From time to time, Hunter would check in on Tech. As time went on, he stopped answering. "Tech?" Hunter asked tiredly. "Are you there?" There was no answer.

When you are trapped, there is way to much time to think. Hunter didn't want to give into any of his thoughts. He thought about the war and it's ending. He thought about the way he and his brothers were raised. Thinking back to the pink bedroom, he remembered his own room; the one he shared with his brothers. He thought about the way they had been raised. Compared to the life the little girl had likely had, he knew his violent and cruel upbringing was worse. She had to be loved in a way clones, especially defective clones, never could be.

Under the house, Hunter tried to stay calm. With Tech no longer answering him, he had to focus on his brother's breathing. That would be the only way to know if he was alive until they were out from under the house. Focusing had been so easy earlier. Now the clone was tired and overwhelmed. The feeling of the dust and the wood creeped into his skin. It made him want to tear it off.

The pain of being trapped under the house was crushing. As air filled his lungs, so did years of dust. It made it feel impossible to breathe. As Hunter fought to stay awake, he realized he could hardly feel his legs anymore. His wrist that had been hurting for hours was nomb. Blinking, Hunter tried to get his eyes to stop being so irritated. He wondered where his helmet had gone, not remembering when he took it off.

There was noise from outside of the house. Wrecker was talking about moving heavy pieces of the house. Omega sounded terrified. The rest of the night was a blur for Hunter.

When he woke up, they were still trying to get Tech out of the house. "Echo?" Hunter whispered. He watched them for a moment before trying to stand. The man couldn't get his legs under his body. Looking at his hands, he realized his right hand, the arm that had his comm on it, was so mangled it didn't look like a hand anymore. At least he felt his legs now. Laying back down, Hunter listened to the others talk.

"Is that a lamp?" Omega asked.

"What's left of it." Echo answered.

Wrecker tore a large piece of the stairwell away from the pile of rubel. "Tech!" He yelled.

"Let me look at him." Echo moved in. "Help me get the rest of the wood off of him."

The two undercovered Tech.

Hunter sat back up. His heart sank as he watched Wrecker pick him up. He was so careful as to not hurt him. Tech was covered in dusk, small wood particles, and blood. One of his legs was completely destroyed, the bone sticking out of his flesh. It took a moment for Hunter to see that he had lost his left arm. Thinking back, he wondered how he felt when he called their family. Tech was left-handed. His comm would have been on his left hand.

Memories flashed through Hunter's head and for a second, he wished they had grown up in a beautiful house in the middle of the woods. Maybe they wouldn't have ended up here.

"Is he alive?" Hunter spoke. While he didn't know who he was asking, he needed to say it. Echo ran over to him as soon as he realized he was awake.

"Hey. We gotta get out of here. We'll take Tech to Rex, they can help him."

"He's alive?" He's asked softly.

"Barely but yeah, he's alive. Can you stand?"

Shaking his head, Echo picked him up. "Let's go."

Part 2:

#hurtcember 2024 #hurtcember #collapse #star wars #whump #star wars whump #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #tech the bad batch #hunter bad batch #wrecker tbb #tbb tech #tbb #tbb hunter #loss of limbs #star wars the bad batch whump #clone Sargent Hunter

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embeanwrites · 2 years ago

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Yours & Mine - Hunter x Reader

Clone Fic Gift Exchange

Prompt: “I’m yours and you are mine” with Hunter (with a mention of “don’t go far from me”)

A/N: Here’s my piece for the @cloneficgiftexchange! I’m so nervous to write/post this since @photogirl894 is one of my favorite authors here on Tumblr, so to write a piece for them, I was NERVOUS! I hope you enjoy this 🥺 Special thank you to @kakyoweeniesdump and @pinkiemme for editing and feedback! (I’ll post this to AO3 once I get home from Star Wars Celebration!)

Word count: 2047

Some days Hunter couldn’t believe his luck. To have his squad. To have Omega. To have her. He was created in a lab on a rainy planet, meant to die in a war he was created for, to serve a master he had no control over, and now his life has done almost a total 180. After retiring from working with Cid, the group had decided to settle down on a little planet in the Outer Rim that Rex had found and had been helping clones resettle who were tired of fighting away from the Empire. Between all of them, they had been able to make a fairly sustainable home. For the first time in their lives, they had the true freedom to choose.

Omega was able to go to school and make friends, something she thoroughly loved. She was frequently up before the boys in the morning, ready to go. Hunter thought the excitement would wear off, but as she entered her 60th rotation of school she still seemed to find wonder in school every day. Tech had gotten a job with a local mechanic shop after he had fixed some farming equipment for a farm nearby in record time. Wrecker had been loving helping some of the local farms with their animals and taking care of the livestock, he had been in the process of trying to convince Hunter that they needed some cattle for their farm, but Hunter wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with the smell every day. Hunter had found himself helping the townspeople with hunting and tracking and somehow, teaching some of the younger kids how to survive in the woods nearby. And unsurprising to Hunter their medic had quickly settled into helping with the local clinic.

Hunter had been very well aware of his feelings for her before the group had settled down, but with them always on the run from the Empire, he had no desire to tie her in with their group in any way that could get her hurt or worse. He tried pushing her away or at the very least get her to understand the danger she would be in by running with them. Cid had essentially forced them to have a real medic join the crew after too many missions had gone sideways due to injuries. It wasn’t that he was ungrateful to have a medic with knowledge that wasn’t learned from the holonet five minutes before putting it into practice like Tech used to do, but Hunter felt weird about any civilian traveling with them. The team warmed up to her quickly, especially Omega, and it was shortly after she had gone out of her way to get colorful band-aids for Omega did Hunter allow himself to start to give in to these feelings. The warm feeling her smile and gentle touches gave him kept him up at night, thoughts of her would circle his mind and on the rare occasion, he’d allow himself to think of a peaceful future with her.

He thought he hid his feelings well.

He did not.

It was clear to everyone, including her, almost immediately that his feelings for the medic were stronger than just another crew member. He frequently tried to push his feelings away, denying them or not even affording himself to indulge in them, but she had none of it. Every idea to dissuade her from a relationship with him seemed to do nothing but persuade her more. She reminded him almost daily of her own feelings, either intentionally or unintentionally, until he let his heart thaw out. She loved him unconditionally and he couldn’t help falling for her deeply and wholeheartedly.

Hunter still remembered the moment he decided that it was time to take that chance with her. When she had finally convinced him it was worth it. She had just patched up Wrecker and had been softly arguing with Tech that he needed more rest when she had sat next to him on his bunk, surprising him.

“Do you want to talk about what happened out there?” She asked him softly and he fought back a sigh.

“Nothing happened out there.” He replied, going back to sharpening his vibro blade, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh really?” She taunted. “Was it not you, pulling you behind me in the middle of the mission saying ‘don’t go far from me’?” He clenched and unclenched his jaw, he knew this had been coming and that she wouldn’t let this go.

“That wasn’t-” He tried.

“Hunter, how long are we going to dance around this?” She muttered, he could hear her heart pounding and the frustration in her words, he felt his hands grow clammy. This was a conversation that had long been coming. “It’s not fair to either of us. Why aren’t you letting yourself be happy? What are you so scared of?” He slowly sheathed his blade and turned to face her, not allowing himself to look her in the face just yet.

“What if I fail and lose you.” He finally muttered, feeling as if a tank was sitting on his chest. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost any of the squad, but you? Darling, I don’t think I could come back from that.” He groaned and dropped his head in his hands, hunched over in embarrassment and frustration.

“But Hunter-” Her voice raising, ever so slightly.

“How do you not understand that I’m doing this for you!” He dropped his hands and looked at her from the corner of his eye, unable to face her fully. “I don’t ever want you to hurt, don’t ever want to see you in pain, and the odds of me living through the Empire? Living through dealing with Cid’s missions? Not great. All I want is to see you happy, and I’d love for you to be happy with me, but that will no doubt be brief and I can’t leave you hurting without being there to help.” He looked away, not eager to see her face when she responded.

“Well that’s very morbid and a bit arrogant.” She snorted. Hunter turned to face her scowling, ready to retort. “But even more infantilizing. If anything happened to either one of us, not just you, I think we would both grieve, but never take for granted any of the time we shared, or the care we had for each other. I’m not so fragile that your loss would break me, sure it would hurt, and I’d be heartbroken, but I have more respect for you, your memory, and for myself than to let that misery take hold forever, and I think you are stronger than that too.” She grabbed his hands, pulling him to face her. “You are letting fear keep you from living, and there is a lot of that to do outside of the war. You can be afraid, but don’t be a coward. Bravery isn’t the opposite of fear, it’s being afraid, but going for it anyway. You’re so brave out there, be brave here, with me.” She smiled, small and hopeful, but her eyes never left his, steely and determined to sway him. “And you know your brothers won’t stop giving you shit if you-“ he cut her off, his hand holding her cheek, thumb pressed against the apple, roving over her cheekbone. He was a breath away from her, his nose brushing against hers, watching her closely, waiting for her to push him away. He knew she wouldn’t push him away, not after that speech, not after everything, but some part of him still wanted to run, wanted her to run. But running wasn’t her and he was tired of trying to fight off his feelings.

“Are you gonna kiss me or not, Sarge-“ and cutting her off once more his lips were on hers, and it was everything she’d wanted for months.

She was so soft against him, it was startling how right she felt in his arms, but when her lips demanded more from him, pressing back harder and forcing what a sweet, chaste gesture to a passionate embrace one he knew she was anything but. He broke their kiss, moving back a hair's breadth to look at her. He was mesmerized by the way her eyes fluttered open, her mouth slightly agape and flushed.

“You won’t take no for an answer, will you darlin’?” He chuckled, his hand ghosting down her face to grasp her jaw.

“Absolutely not.” She smirked, then her hand weaved into his hair and pulled him in for another kiss. And that was that, she made no room for any further argument between them.

And that kiss is what led the two of them to now, roughly one standard cycle (and many kisses) later in their very own home. The two of them were currently lying on a soft rug in front of their fireplace, fully clothed and just enjoying the ability to have some serenity near each other. The night was quiet and having her so close made Hunter feel more warmth than any heat the fire could provide. He willed himself to hear her soft heartbeat, to smell the gentle shampoo she used in her hair, the feel of his hands on her cheek. He wanted so desperately to freeze time and live in this moment forever.

“Are you okay, my love?” Her soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He let out a gentle sigh as he looked over at her face, ever caring and ever wondering about his well-being over her own.

“I was just thinking about everything we had to go through to get here.” He murmured, she gave him a small smile, knowing the pain the entire batch went through to get to this peaceful time in their life and it was clear to all of them, even if they didn’t discuss it, that there was still a fear in each of them that this life may come to an end abruptly the moment they get too comfortable. “Sometimes I worry I’m going to wake up back in our barracks on Kamino and after everything that’s happened…I just fear that I don’t deserve this.” He closed his eyes as she moved her hand to cup his tattooed cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes.

“Hunter, honey, of course, you deserve happiness.” She gave him a soft smile before continuing, “Plus I’m not complaining about having an absolute hunk of a man on my arm.” She joked, causing Hunter to let out a slight laugh.

“I’m glad you find me nice to look at.” He responded, still stuck in his thoughts.

“Among other things, you know.” She leaned forward and kissed the side of his mouth, his stubble rubbing against her. “I love how kind and protective you are. I always feel so safe when you’re around.” She murmured, moving ever so slightly to kiss his tattooed cheek. “I love when you’re watching Omega and you have this dad pose-”

“Dad pose?” He questioned.

“You know, the one you do with your hand on your hip and you lean against the wall, watching her with a small smile. You do it all the time, you did it today when she was playing with her friends after school!” She teased while she resumed her soft kisses along his face. “I love that even when we’re out of missions you’re doing everything you can to make sure everyone’s safe. I love when I’m cooking and you come up behind me to hold me. I love-”

“Alright, alright! I get it, you love me.” He chuckled, face burning bright from all the compliments, so unused to any form of love outside his brothers.

“But do you know what I love the most?” She asked, moving so she was now on top of him, playfully pinning him.

“Now, what would that be, sweetheart?”

“That I’m all yours and you’re all mine.” She responded before leaning down to kiss him. And for once, Hunter allowed himself to relax in this moment, because she was right. While his fear of losing her was still there, he knew that at this time in his life, they had each other and nothing was going to change that.

#hunter x reader bad batch #hunter bad batch #hunter x reader #bad batch x reader #sergeant hunter #sergeant hunter x reader #clone fic exchange #x reader #star wars #omega #tech bad batch #wrecker bad batch #fan fiction #writing exchange #photogirl894 #Bad Batch #star wars bad batch #CFGE23

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hellhound5925 · 10 months ago

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HERE IT IS 🙌🏻 THE MOMENT LONG AWAITED

Cyare Verd

*OC Raven x Hunter

A/N: Welcome back! I apologize for taking so long but ☝🏼 I edited my original story up to the fourth chapter only to decide I still didn’t like it so guess what I edited the same four chapters again 😅

I’ll start by saying, yes it still follows the season two storyline of The Bad Batch (unoriginal I know) but I did change it up quite a bit. If your looking for Omega (lol) shes gone 👋🏼 I was never a huge fan of her so I wrote her out 🫣 otherwise, I hope you enjoy the new version of my fic. I will be taking it off Wattpad and AO3 in the meantime so I can finish making edits.

Oh, one last thing. If you would like to be tagged please drop a comment or send me a message ☺️ Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your day to read this. It means the world to me.

Anyways. Without further ado 🤲🏻 I present to you my updated fic 💖

Prologue/Background

Raven (If you see this. It’s the Pov for the following)

Before order 66 went down, I spent my time on Kamino training new batches of clones for the Grand Army of the Republic. I met many of the troopers who lived there during the time including Sargent Hunter of the infamous Clone Force 99. Our interactions were usually quite brief but there was a certain charm about him I enjoyed from our very first encounter. However, I was there to perform my duty to my clan and that always came first.

It was an honor to continue the legacy my father - Kal Skirata - left behind. He and my brothers - the Null ARC’s - have been off trying to thwart a plot they didn’t realize would lead to order 66.

During that time, Kal’Buir had asked that I stay on Kamino not only for intel but also to get out any defecting troopers.

A friend of mine, who is another Mandalorian by the name of Aspen, posed as a supply ship for myself. She would drop off supplies or bring me an array of random items I asked for to validate her being there. Aspen would then smuggle troopers to Mandalore where they were to live out their days as they wished. A part of our clan. Clan Skirata.

When order 66 did finally happen, my brother Ordo had warned me to prepare for something big that would be happening soon. Whether or not he knew exactly what I’ll never know.

For the first few days, I lingered on Kamino waiting for any one of my brothers or Kal’Buir to contact me but it didn’t come. About a week later a droid appeared in my quarters with a message. ‘Get out now. You’re in danger Sen’ika (little bird).’ Kal’Buir was the only one who ever called me Sen’ika - mostly because I hated it but he could get away with anything.

Shortly thereafter, I packed my things discreetly and called for Aspen. She came within a rotation claiming the usual - that she was here to deliver supplies for me - and to my surprise they let her in.

The minute I was on her ship, the two of us left. We ended up on the planet in the mid rim. Where Ord Mantell became our temporary home.

Chapter One: Cid’s Parlor

Raven

Standing out in the busy streets of Ord Mantell, the sun beats down on my beskar fighting the darkness that rests on my shoulders. I will my feet to move it’s as if this weight is too much for them to carry.

My irritation radiates off me as the thunderous pitter patter pounds in my head each time a citizen passes by - must be nice to live so carefree - I think to myself. Yet they pay me no mind, even though the very nature of my armor is intimidating.

The dull black shein of a well-worn helmet that sits upon my head, with the infamous T shaped visor. The rest of the plates are the same color with a few iridescent feathers poking out from underneath. Ironic right.

This armor is my pride and joy. It was a coming of age gift - if that's what you want to call it - from my father. Kal’Buir was by far one of the greatest Mandalorians in the history of our people - though my opinion might be biased.

A wave of sadness washes over me at the thought of him, my family, my brothers, and my best friend Aspen. Shaking the thoughts from my mind I tell myself they wouldn’t want me to sulk. Aspen would smack me if she were here. Unfortunately, the two of us had to go our separate ways after getting into some trouble. What else is new?

Aspen has always been the friend I can count on for anything. We met as kids on Mandalore and practically grew up together. Once we were old enough, the two of us would drink - a little too much - and run our mouths. Sometimes I’d come home with a black eye and Kal’Buir would say ‘I hope the other guy looks worse’. With a osik (shit) eating grin he knew I could handle myself.

Eventually that trouble caught up to us. When I had been on Ord Mantell before, she and I got into it with a group of merc’s and Cid saved our skin. Usually I didn’t pick fights we couldn’t win but that time I did.

That was just after our home was bombed by the Empire. My family. My clan was there as far as I know. Rumor has it the surface is no longer safe. The blast destroyed everything and killed everyone. Grief does funny things to people.

Since then Cid feels we owe her every time she calls. Aspen was smart enough to ignore her but I can’t leave business unfinished. I don’t like owing people anything.

Bitterness courses through my veins and I find my feet moving through the doorway.

Hunter

Cid's Parlor is loud and crowded - as usual. Which for enhanced senses is why I prefer the solitude of the ship. Let’s not even get into the stench of hot bodies and alcohol might put me over the edge.

I take a deep breath to steady myself and push out the overwhelming sounds and smells, in an attempt to tune back into my brother's conversation. Echo and I were discussing whether or not the Marauder needs maintenance. Which is true it does. However, we don’t have the credits.

One glance over at Wrecker and its obvious Tech is beating him - again - at dejarik.

With a sigh and a gentle swirl of the pint in my hand, I watch as the amber liquid spins like a world pool. The sickly-sweet smell of blood orange and yeast reaches my nose. I let myself get lost in it for a moment, the scent totally washing over me.

The weight of the things we have had to endure begins creeping in. My men. Their safety and well-being are my responsibility. Crosshair.

Before I’m sucked too far into the void, my senses pick up something that wasn’t there a moment ago. Dark, sweet raspberry, rose. I’d recognize that scent anywhere after the hours I’d spent committing it to memory.

Lifting my gaze from my glass, it’s pulled like a force of gravity as a Mandalorian female enters the parlor. A warmth washes over me mixed with a little relief at seeing that all too familiar T-visor. I can’t contain the shock that creeps on my face at her presence or the memory—

‘Alright everyone, today we go over the basics.’ Her voice is crisp but not cold, giving orders and yet…silky smooth. I could listen to her speak to the regs all day.

She continues barking out orders which I recognize as the basics for hand-to-hand combat. I stop listening about half way through just to commit her to memory.

Covered head to toe in dark black beskar, her visor drifts over the group of men before her. The small frame is quite a contrast to the 6ft Clone troopers in formation. She has such a commanding presence, exuding confidence. My eyes roam over her curves and stop at the dual westar -35’s attached to either side of her thighs. For a moment I swear my heart might leap out of my chest—

Raven Skirata.

My trousers suddenly become constricting forcing me to shift uncomfortably. We only ever ran into one another a few times on Kamino. Mostly casual conversation about war efforts. The sound of her laugh when I told her about some of the things we’d improvised on missions, is one my brain never lets me forget. I never did get the courage to ask her about herself.

Raven crosses over to the bar and my eyes follow her every move. It’s only now that I notice she’s skinnier than I remember. Her complexion is quite pale in comparison to the dark circles under her eyes. The sight causes my chest to tighten. What the hell happened?

"Long time no see. I was starting to think you wised up" the Twi-lek bartender says by way of greeting. There's a long pause as the Raven drops her shoulders considerably.

"Unfortunately, I'm a little low on rations to be wise" she shoots back, that silky smooth voice taking on a sarcastic tone.

Having caught the attention of a rather large man - whose been talking loud enough for everyone in here to hear - he leans over to speak to her.

"Wow, that must be real beskar.......Wonder what kind of price someone would pay for th-that...." He slurs a little at the end.

In one smooth motion, Raven ejects her vibro-blade from her vambrace - the steel practically sings - slamming his head into the bar top with the other hand. A loud thud follows. Some of the patrons stop talking to stare while the Twi-lek laughs.

Pressing her blade to his throat she leans in close she sneers, "Try to take it from me and I'll find out how much someone will pay for your head.”

The man proceeds to mumble and she cocks her head at the bar tender as if in annoyance. Letting go of the man he slumps to his knees before getting up and stumbling away, hand pressed to his temple.

I have to work had to suppress the smile that threatens to creep onto my face, the corner of my mouth twitches anyways.

"Don't mess with Mandalorians" Echo chuckles, drawing attention. Raven glances our way tensing. Mentally I command myself to look away but I can’t. For a moment I swear, even through her visor we make eye contact.

Raven

After I’m satisfied I’ve put this man in his place, I let go and he slumps to the floor. Comments fly from over my shoulder but there’s that voice I’ve heard thousands of times that stands out.

I can’t help but turn and that when I see them. The red and white plastoid. Thanking my ancestors for the helmet, I roll my eyes at just how ironic it is they are here. Sargent Hunter and the Bad Batch. He and I have spoken a few times on Kamino but the others I’ve never officially met.

Frozen in place, I stare for a second. The Sargent doesn’t take his eyes off me with an unreadable expression. If I’m lucky he won’t recognize me - I think to myself. Forcing myself to move, I turn back to the bartender with a finger in the air, signaling I’d like a shot.

My gloved hands make their way to my helmet and gently slide it off, letting my messy blonde braid at the back of my head fall. Lately I find myself caring less and less about what I look like.

Placing my helmet on the bar top, I take a breath to steady myself before taking the shot. The burning liquid a welcomed punishment if nothing else.

The bartender nods over my shoulder and I sign knowing what's coming.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes" Cid says, throwing an arm over me like we are old pals.

I roll my hazel eyes "I'm not here because I want to be. Lets get on with it" I grumble.

"No 'Hi Cid, how are you?'" She asks.

"Nar'sheb (shove it)" I say in my native tongue with a polite smile on my face. She has no idea what I said to her but there's a snicker from someone close by.

————

"Remember what happened last time you threw your attitude around like that? " Cid scolds me as we enter her office.

Picking dust off my flight suit I sass, "I'm not here to discuss my 'attitude'. What's the mission?"

Cid moves behind her desk and crosses her arms "Fine, I need you to help out a group of fine gentlemen." She starts to explain, her tone a little too...chipper.

I raise a brow, shifting my weight and hum my dissatisfaction.

Cid immediately gets defensive, “Look it’s not my fault you mandos like to find trouble. You’re just lucky I was there to bail you out. Besides, these guys could really use someone with your skills. Dooku's private stash is being relocated by the Empire and I want you to help them get as much as possible".

The fact that she said Empire had my attention and attitude immediately shifts.

"I thought you might like that and I promise I'll give you 20%" she continues noticing my mood lighten.

"30 and it's a deal" I counter.

"Hey! I gotta pay those other guys too. I feel I'm being quite generous.”

I guess for considering who I’m speaking with… "Fine 20%, Now who are these guys?"

"They call themselves the Bad Batch. Wait here I'll go get them" she doesn’t give me a chance to respond before she heads out the door.

For a moment I stay where she left me and contemplate my next move. I can either play it like I don’t know them and take the chance their Sargent will recognize me or…

With an annoyed sigh, I stride over to her desk and set my helmet down before scanning the book shelves. Most of these I’ve read during my ‘spare time’ when Cid let me crash here before. Not surprisingly, there’s nothing new.

Leaning my back against one I take my gloves off and unbraid my hair. The blonde waves fall loosely over one shoulder ending just below my breast. It’s a wonder I ever let it get this long but a part of me just can’t bring myself to cut it.

I make myself comfortable at her desk, leaning back and kicking my boots up on it, When Cid flings the door open and scowls at me. My stomach ties itself into knots but I try to seem disinterested by playing with my hair.

There’s a chance these guys decided like the others to side with the Empire. But the odds they did and they are here? Slim but not zero.

Pushing off the desk I stand and stroll around to the front, leaning against it. A few golden strands fall into my face with the movement. My hands naturally side down towards my blasters holstered at my sides. A defense position that’s become muscle memory. The Sargent eyes follow my every move.

"Take it easy there Mando these are the good guys."

Cid rolls her eyes after seeing my body language. Once again in typical Cid fashion she hid this from me, likely knowing I wouldn’t come.

The largest one of the 4 pushes past.

"I'm Wrecker! I like to blow stuff up!" He says very loudly, sticking out his hand. My body is further tensing.

I hesitantly shake his hand, which compared to mine - even with gloves on - looks like it could easily crush it.

"Wrecker, I feel that last part was not necessary" says the one holding a datapad.

"I am Tech by the way.”

Nodding by way of greeting, I quickly glance over at their Sargent. Had I blinked I would have missed the split second of recognition before the mask of a leader slid into place.

The one with a socket arm glances over at him. Probably from the tension radiating off of me. Those amber eyes see me for exactly who I am.

My breathing picks up, but I quickly get it back under control. The former doesn’t seem to notice, not taking his eyes off me.

I decide to meet his gaze with a challenging one. Hoping to hide whatever it is he sees.

Shaking his head like he’s having a difficult time dragging himself from thought, introduces himself.

“I'm their Sargent-well was their Sargent...Hunter and this is Echo" he gestures to socket arm.

Echo waves at me with his socket and a soft smile. I nod slowly and clear my throat.

“I know who you are.”

Tech lifts his eyes from his datapad to look at me once again. Before he or anyone else can I say anything I continue,

“Raven. Raven Skirata.”

————

When I start towards my ship - alright so it's not really my ship, I stole it - I was so deep in thought I almost didn’t hear someone call out to me.

"Wouldn't it just be easier if we all went together?"

I stop not bothering to turn around "How do I know you won't leave me behind?"

If these are the clones I’ve heard so much about, there’s a good chance I can trust them. However, my instincts are telling me not to. Echo, almost like he is reading my mind says,

"You can trust us, we aren't like the others".

The sorrow in his voice fills the space between us, making me uncomfortable. I roll my shoulders, hands flexing at my sides.

Without saying anything I head up the ramp to my ship, gather a few things in my pack, and come back out to see Echo standing where I left him. The rest of the group must have gone to their ship. With a small nod he leads the way.

As we approach, I stop for a moment before heading up the ramp to admire the hull before me. An Omicron class attack shuttle but it’s been modified. It’s just as impressive if not more so in person. My brothers - specifically Mereel and Jaing - would have loved this thing, I can practically hear them fighting with even Ordo for who would pilot.

With a few steps up the ramp, I peer inside and it’s notably clean. Briefly I take in the surroundings noting the others up front in the cockpit area. Echo glances back at me sensing my hesitation.

“I’ll show you around”

I tip my visor towards him appreciatively, without saying a word.

————

Echo finishes the tour with the bunks, two on the left and two on the right. He gestures to the right, showing me which one is mine and offers me a gentle smile. With a quick glance I realize there are only 4 of them.

“Hunter usually stays up in the cockpit. You get his bunk.”

Great.

I nod my appreciation again and take my pack off my shoulder. The only things in it are a couple changes of regular clothes and some rations. I've not got much to lose that isn't my beskar these days.

Placing my pack on the lower bunk, the mythosaur skull on the back of my gloves stare back at me with hollow eyes. It’s almost like they know. Our people are gone. For a moment I wonder if anyone will even remember what it means.

I forgot Echo was still standing there until his throat clears. He says carefully, “Your father is Kal Skirata.”

My heart starts to thunder in my chest at the mention of his name. I finish settling my pack before I turn to face him. A part of me wants to answer but it feels like my mouth is full of cotton. I mentally thank my ancestors for the visor between us.

“He was one of my instructors. In my early days I mean. He was always really good to us. I heard about what he did...he got some of us out.”

Silence fills the space. I slide my helmet off, tucking it under an arm. Unable to look him in the eye, my boots seemingly interesting all the sudden.

“He’s gone.” My voice almost doesn’t sound like my own. Distant.

“Too many good people have been lost because of the war. I’m sorry to hear that.”

In his kind words, the galaxy feels a little less lonely. I finally lift my head and meet his gaze, seeing the loss there.

“I’m sorry for your loss too.”

Echo only offers me a somber smile in response. My walls go back up and I decide to change the subject. It comes out a little sassier than I had intended.

“So, you all have enhanced something or other right? I mean I was on Kamino and spoke to your Sargent a few times but mostly what I know is what I’ve heard.”

”Each of us had a unique quality. Wrecker is brute strength, Hunter has enhanced senses, and Tech is really smart.”

”Wasn’t there another member? Crosshair?”

Another sad look from him, “He chose the Empire.”

“Ah” I nod my understanding. “How do you fit in here?”

He rubs the back of his neck and chuckles.

“I was originally with the 501st under General Skywalker. We were on Skako minor and I was blown up. Captured by the Techno union and they made me mostly a machine.” Echo lifts his socket arm as a reference.

“My Captain. Rex. He and the Bad Batch rescued me. I owe them everything.”

That name. Captain Rex. It sounds familiar. ”No offense but you just met me and you trust me enough to tell me all this?” My sass once more evident.

He smiles and says “Your father spoke highly of you.”

My throat closes up at the same time pride washes over me. When I don’t respond he continues.

“I’ll leave you to get settled in” and with that he turns and heads toward the cockpit.

I watch as he reaches the others and takes a seat. Unable to do anything else other than process what he just said.

————

It takes me a while to recover from the conversation. A part of me hesitates to comm Aspen but I can’t risk compromising her.

Instead, I take my time to check my weapons (two blasters at my hip, vibro blade in my vambrace, and the various blades stashed in my boots and under my back plate). No one bothers to check on me, which is just as well. Finally, I end with checking the HUD in my helmet - which seems to be functioning fine.

Discarding my helmet on the bunk, I head for the cockpit where the others are chatting quietly. The hushed tones likely to prevent me from overhearing. Hunter stiffens as I approach which only confirms my thought.

The four seats at the front were taken up by each of the members. Leaning against the doorway I cross my arms over my chest plate.

"We don't have a reason to trust each other but once this mission is over and I'm paid, I'm gone. You won't have to worry after that.” The annoyance plastered on my face is visible to all.

They all glance at one another except Hunter, his eyes fixed on my face like he’s trying not to look anywhere else. He almost looks hurt at my comment.

"That seems reasonable" Tech says very matter of factly.

”Great. So, what's the plan?”

“Get to Serenno and scout the area." Hunter says turning his attention to space zooming by at light speed.

I sigh, "That's not much of a plan but I can improvise."

Wrecker chimes in, ”Ahaha you’ll fit right in!” Awkward silence fills the space before I break it.

“Right. Well I guess we should all rest up so let me know when we land.” Spinning on a heel, I head for the bunks.

Next Chapter here.

Wattpad link here.

Taglist: @cloneloverrrrr @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @idoubleswearimawriter @savebytheodore @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @jediknightjana @techs-goggles9902 @clonethirstingisreal

Lemme know if you wanna be tagged in the future!

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photogirl894 · 1 year ago

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@clonexreaderbingo

Square: Hunter

My first Clone x reader bingo one shot was a big hit and readers begged for more of the story of Hunter and the Princess reader...well, my loves, your wishes have been granted! This one shot is a sequel to "An Order from a Princess", which I'd obviously recommend reading first, if you haven't already 😜 Enjoy!!

As Clone Force 99 came wandering into Cid’s bar, the female Trandoshan approached them and said, “I got another job for you, boys.”

“When do you not have a job for us?” Wrecker asked back, annoyed.

“Hey, can it, Muscles!” she cried. “Me having jobs for you keeps you paid and under the Empire’s radar, so don’t sass me.”

“What is it this time?” asked Hunter, exasperated.

Cid held up a data disc, like usual. “Call just came in,” she said. “It’s an extraction job. The Empire laid siege to some planets in the Inner Rim and there’s a few planetary leaders who need to get out. They were in the middle of a conference when the attack happened, so now they’re all hostages. All the information is on this disc.”

Tech then spoke up, “We managed to free the Senator from Raxus from his hostage situation, so we should have no issue with this mission.”

“Good. Better get to it,” stated Cid as she tossed the disc to Tech.

With that, the Clones all turned back around and made their way back to the Marauder. After Tech got the ship into the air and into hyperspace, they all gathered around at their navicomputer to see the mission information that was on the disc.

“It looks like there’s a holomap of the facility where they’re keeping the hostages,” Tech explained. “They’re being kept on the uppermost floor.”

“We could either take the lifts inside or scale the building on the outside,” Echo suggested.

There was a grunt of dissent from Wrecker. “Nuh-uh, I am not climbing the outside of the building!” he exclaimed.

“That’s fine. You can be with the inside team,” said Tech.

“Good,” said Wrecker.

“Can I climb the building?” Omega inquired eagerly.

Hunter answered firmly, “Absolutely not. If I didn’t like you hanging outside the ship on one of our last missions, what makes you think I’ll let you scale the outside of an Imperial facility?”

She groaned with disappointment.

“Oh dear. Hunter…you’re going to want to see this,” Tech then stated, his voice bordering on hesitant. When Hunter turned back to look at the screen, Tech pointed out what he’d just pulled up: “This is a list of names of the hostages.”

Hunter’s eyes carefully scanned the list, trying to figure out what it was Tech said he’d need to see. It didn’t take him long to find it and his heart nearly stopped.

Halfway down the list…was the name of his beloved Princess he’d left behind a long time ago.

Your name.

You found yourself alone in an isolated cell. The Imperial officer who was handling the hostages had realized who you were and instructed that you be taken to your own cell, deeming you too much of a threat to be kept with everyone else. He wanted to deal with you personally, which you weren’t looking forward to. You could only hope that the distress signal your comrades had managed to send before you were captured would reach someone in time.

In recent years, you had made quite a name and reputation for yourself. You had gone from an entitled, diplomatic Princess to a courageous warrior Princess. You had chosen to put aside the politics and took up arms instead, fighting for your people. There were still people from time to time who tried to either assassinate you or attack your planet, but you would no longer stand aside and watch other people fight for you. You would be the leader your people really deserved and you would battle alongside them, even if everyone on your council was highly against you putting yourself in danger. It was what you felt was right and, no matter how much your councilors tried to argue, you had the final say in everything. This was your choice and you were standing by it. You had trained in a couple different forms of combat, which had served you well. Over time, you had become a force to be reckoned with.

Your eyes drifted down to your wrist as you untied the red band that you had wrapped around it. You held it in your hand and ran your thumb tenderly over the skull etched on one side of it. Then you turned it over and read for the millionth time the four Aurebesh words that were on the other side, left for you by your former bodyguard that had stolen your heart completely.

My Princess, my love.

In truth, Hunter was the reason you had become the Princess you were now. His bravery and dedication when he had served you had inspired you to do better and to become more. You wanted to be a fighter like he was and protect others the way he so dutifully protected you when he had saved you from an assassination attempt a long time ago. Along with one of his bandanas, he had also left you one of his vibroblades, which was also part of what had inspired you. In the note he’d left with the blade, he told you to keep practicing with it and you took that to heart. Now, it was the main weapon you used in every fight and you were beyond proficient with it. If Hunter could see you fight one day, you believed he’d be so proud. Along with your blaster, the Imperials had taken your vibroblade away and you were furious. You were determined to get your knife back when you escaped. Not if you escaped; when. You had to have hope in this unfortunate time. It's what would get you through it.

It's what you knew Hunter would do.

The plan ended up being that Wrecker, Echo and Omega would attack outside the building the hostages were being kept in and cause a distraction while Tech and Hunter would climb the outside and infiltrate the top floor, freeing the hostages while the Imperials were occupied. The diversion went off without a hitch. Wrecker started it off with a few thermal detonators, which grabbed the Imperials’ attention right away and they sent squads of Droids to deal with the intruders. Once Echo gave Hunter and Tech the all-clear, the other two, who had gone around to the other side, used the grapples on their blasters to get themselves up the side of the building. They were careful to pick a spot that had less viewports where they could be spotted. Finally, they reached an outdoor terrace and climbed over the banister where Tech overrode the code for the door that led inside. Luckily, there were only a couple of Imperial guards that were inside the room.

As the enemy began firing at them and they evaded the blasterfire, Tech said to Hunter, “You go find your Princess, Hunter. I’ll handle getting the rest of the hostages.”

“Are you sure?” asked Hunter, dodging another shot.

“Of course, I am,” Tech replied, pulling both blasters out. “Now go. I’ll cover you.”

They both ducked out from behind the doorframe and Tech fired his blasters at the Imperial guards. Hunter slammed his shoulder into the stomach of another, body-checking him and shoving him out of the way as he ran to the other side, opened the door and made his way out into the hallway. He knew that going left would lead down to where the rest of the hostages were, but going right would lead him to you. Knowing this, he turned right and booked it. As he ran, all he could wonder was if you were all right. He hoped you hadn’t been badly hurt. If you had been, then this whole base of Imperials was going to pay.

He got to the singular hallway that had one door at the end and two guards standing in front of it. This was where he knew you would be. Hunter was quick with his blaster and took down the guards immediately. Once they were down, he put in the code to the door, the door swished open and there, standing against the back wall, he saw you.

You were different now than when he last saw you. He expected to find you in a nice dress, done up with makeup and jewels like before…but not this time. You were dressed in regal leather armor, a jacket and a large scarf. Your hair was up and still held up by jeweled clips and there were simple, dangly earrings in your ears. You definitely looked somewhat like a Princess, but not as much as you had when Hunter had last left you, which surprised him.

You had heard the commotion outside the door followed by the thud of bodies dropping and beeping of the console outside. The door opened and you saw an armored figure walk in. The armor was a variety of colors, but it was mostly tan, light blue and orange and there was a red scarf around their neck. As the figure drew nearer, you caught sight of their helmet and something about it seemed familiar, though you couldn’t place why at first.

“Are you all right?” he asked, approaching you.

His voice…you recognized it, too.

“Do I know you?” you asked for clarification.

The figure lifted his helmet from his head, revealing a head of long, dark hair, a red bandana across his forehead and a familiar, handsome tattooed face you hadn’t seen in so long; one you saw frequently in your dreams. You gasped in shocked disbelief.

“Hunter?”

“Do you really not recognize me, my love?” he asked back with a grin.

You leapt onto him, throwing your arms around his neck, and embraced him fondly as he held you close. “Of course, I do,” you replied. “How could I ever forget the man I love?”

It warmed his heart to know that after all this time, you still loved him as much as he still loved you. He pulled back just a little and kissed you hard with passionate longing that almost made your knees give out. Even though you were a tougher, hardened fighter now, Hunter still made you just as weak as he had long before.

“What are you doing here?” you then inquired after breaking the kiss.

“We're your extraction team,” he told you.

“So the rest of the boys are here, too?” you asked.

He nodded. “Tech is getting the other hostages and the rest are causing a distraction. I came for you personally.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I didn't initially. We were given the job and then Tech spotted your name on the list of hostages. But we'll have time to catch up later. We need to get out of here.”

“Not yet. There's something I need first,” you told him as you followed him out of the room.

You spotted a panel in the wall in the hallway. That must be where your weapons were. You searched the guards and found the access card you were looking for, scanned it outside the panel and it slid open. Sure enough, your blaster and your blade were inside and you pulled them out.

After putting your blaster back in your holster, you gave your vibroblade a good twirl in your hand and grinned at Hunter as you did so. “Recognize this?” you questioned.

“I assume that’s the one I gave you?” he asked back.

“Indeed, it is,” you said, smiling, as you gave it a final flourish and then sheathed it.

“You seem much better with it now,” he observed.

“I’ve trained a lot with the blade since you left. Thought I might as well get good use out of your gift,” you explained. “Now, let’s go!”

With an affirming nod, Hunter slipped his helmet back on and stated, “Follow me, Princess.”

The two of you ran as fast as you could down the hall and in the direction where you could hear more blasterfire coming from. You had to keep looking beside you at Hunter as you ran to make sure this wasn’t your imagination playing tricks on you. You still couldn’t believe that he was really here; that you two were together again in the least likely of places. It just seemed too good to be true...and yet it was true all the same.

After a minute, you both rounded a corner and found the other hostages hiding behind an adjacent wall from the blasterfire and Tech was ducking out from behind the wall to fire shots at the Droids that had the exit blocked off. The other Bad Batchers were taking care of the rest of them, as well. You only recognized Wrecker. There was another Clone with pale skin and a young blonde girl with an energy bow that was with them that you didn’t know. They must’ve been new members.

“We need to help them,” you stated and, without waiting, ran forwards into the fray.

“(Y/N), wait!” Hunter cried out, but it was already too late and you were in the middle of the battle.

What Hunter then witnessed was beyond anything he could’ve ever dreamed of.

The finesse, the agility, the prowess, the fluidity…the way you fought through the Droids with practically just your vibroblade could’ve rivaled even his own skills. You leapt onto one battle Droid, stabbed at the base of its neck and, as it fell forward, rolled forward off of it, came up to a knee and swiftly swung into nearby Droids’ legs. When one came at you and started shooting, you suddenly front-flipped over it and thrust your blade into its back upon landing before pulling it out and slicing through another nearby Droid. He had never expected to see you fighting so expertly and it was amazing to behold…and incredibly attractive, too.

Then Tech appeared beside you and remarked as you both continued fighting, “A pleasure to see you alive and well, your Highness.”

“Likewise, Tech,” you responded to him. “I see you guys have picked up some new members since last we met.”

“Indeed and proper introductions will have to be done later,” said Tech as he shot down a couple more Droids. “Right now, our primary directive is to get you and the other delegates to safety.”

“Understood,” you said back.

You and the Bad Batch continued to fight for the next few minutes until all the battle Droids were destroyed. Tech informed the rest of the politicians that there were still ships in the hangar; their ships, he assumed, that they could take to get away.

As everyone made their way out from behind the wall, Wrecker and the other two you didn't know came over to you. “Good to see you again, Princess. You're quite the feisty fighter now!” he remarked to you.

“Thank you. I'm glad you think so,” you replied. Then you looked between the new people and stated, “These are new faces to me.”

Hunter came up by your side and told you, gesturing to the Clone man and then the girl, “This is Echo and Omega.”

They both said their “hello's” to you and Omega gave you a wave, as well.

“Hunter told us about you. You're much prettier than even he described,” said Omega.

Flattered, your cheeks went hot, your hand moved up over your heart and you said back, “Oh, you're far too kind, Omega. Thank you.”

She smiled brightly in return.

“Where's Crosshair?” you then asked.

All their faces shifted to discomfort as Hunter answered, “He’s…no longer in our squad. He defected to the Empire.”

“He what?” you cried. “How could he do something like that?”

“It doesn't matter. He made his choice and we made ours,” he answered. Then to quickly change the subject, he told you, “You've changed, Princess. I never thought I'd see you fight like that.”

You grinned at him. “I'm a warrior Princess now. I've had a lot of combat training since last you saw me.”

“I can tell,” he said. “I'm quite impressed.”

“We should get moving and make sure everyone gets to their ships,” Echo suggested.

Everyone agreed and you and the Clones took off after the others. You ran back to the hangars where sure enough, everyone's ships were still there, to your surprise. All of the other delegates made their way to their respective ships, but you, however, stopped in your tracks. You knew you should make your way to your ship…but you were with Hunter again and you so badly wanted to go with him.

Maybe this was your chance for you two to be together again. You didn't have to go back home; you could go with him and his squad and you'd never be apart again. All those months of longing and loneliness would finally be worth it. In the moment, you wanted nothing more than to follow him to his ship and never look back on your royal life again.

Hunter's voice saying your name broke you out of your thoughts and you saw he was standing in front of you, an inquisitive look on his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

You gave a shake of your head, coming back to reality and answered, “Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…thinking.” You stole a quick look at your ship where the other delegates you'd come with were already boarding. An uneasy feeling ate away inside you at the thought of abandoning your royal duties for your own desires.

Then you turned to Hunter and said to him, “My love…I want to go with you….”

He took your hands and replied, “Yes, come with me. We can finally be together and I'll still keep you safe.”

You shook your head. “You didn't let me finish.” You took a deep breath and then said, “I want to go with you…but I can't. At least, not right now.”

Right away, you could see the clear disappointment in Hunter's eyes at your words.

Then you explained to him, “The Empire is spreading and occupying planets across the galaxy. They already came for this one and it won't be long before they attempt to lay siege to my planet.” You laid a hand on Hunter's cheek. “I would love nothing more than to stay with you, but I can't leave my people now. I must return home and warn them and prepare them for what's to come. I'm their Princess and I'm going to have to lead them in our fight against the Empire when they inevitably come for us. I have to do what's right for my people; for my home...just like I know you would.”

Those last words were what struck the Sergeant to the core and his head lowered into your hand, a light sigh escaping him.

You kept going, “You're the reason I am what I am now, Hunter. The bravery and courage you showed me when you were my bodyguard inspired me. I wanted to protect others the way you protected me. I no longer wanted to serve my people by hiding behind the wall of politics and I chose to fight alongside them. I can't abandon them.” You guided his head forward until your foreheads gently met. “I love you more than anything in this galaxy and I do hope one day, we can stay together…but sadly, that day can't be today. I hope you understand.”

“I do understand,” he replied before leaning back to look at you. “You have a duty to your people just as I have a duty to mine. We both have responsibilities that have to come before our own wants.”

You nodded, but you couldn't hold back the tears that began welling up in your eyes. Hunter didn't fail to notice and he caressed your cheek, which only made you let out a small cry and a couple tears escaped, which he brushed away. Even though you knew you were doing what was right, it still hurt knowing you had to let him go a second time.

“This won't be the last time we'll be together,” he assured you.

“I know,” you said. You reached into a pouch and pulled out a comm device. As you held it out to him, you said to him, “Take this. This way, we can keep in contact and when the time is right, we can find each other again.”

He gingerly took it from your hand and slipped it into his own belt. “I eagerly await that day,” he said. Then, motioning to your ship with his head, he stated, “You should go. They'll be waiting for you.”

You gave him a nod.

“One last thing,” he said before you could walk away. When you gave him a curious look, he smiled and said, “Kiss me.”

You couldn't help but smile, too, knowing he was calling back to your first days together when you'd tried ordering him to kiss you and then did so again the night before he left, but in a more loving way. You closed the distance between you and pressed your lips firmly yet lovingly against his, savoring the moment as much as you could to hold onto in your memories until your next meeting.

When you pulled apart, he whispered to you, “I love you, my warrior Princess.”

“I love you, too, my faithful Sergeant,” you said back.

With that, you turned away and jogged back to your ship just as you heard the engines firing up. As you got to the ramp, you stole one last glance over your shoulder at Hunter, taking in the face of the one you loved one last time before disappearing into the ship.

Hunter stood in place and watched as your ship lifted off from the hangar and soared into the sky, followed by the rest of the delegates’ ships. He kept his eyes on your ship until it disappeared into the clouds. His heart hurt within him, but he knew the pain would soon pass. He had left you before and now you had left him, but both times were for more important reasons. You both were needed elsewhere, despite how much you needed each other. He'd had faith before that you would be reunited and it had happened just as he'd hoped. That meant that he would inevitably see you yet again in the future and he believed that wholeheartedly.

Tech came up next to him and asked, “Are you all right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I'll be fine.”

“You had to let her go again. That could not have been an easy choice,” said Tech.

“It was more her choice this time,” Hunter clarified, “but I was all right with that. She needs to protect her people, as she should.” His eyes looked up to the sky again where he'd last seen your ship. “She's grown so much and I'm proud of her.”

“Indeed,” Tech agreed. “Do you think you'll see her again?”

“I know I will,” Hunter answered with confidence. “Our time apart won't last forever…because our story is only just beginning.”

Clone x Reader Bingo 2023

#star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch hunter #hunter x reader #cfb2023

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ashes-2-ashes57cba · 5 months ago

Text

The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 14: War Mantle

edited by: @ryleeeeeenn warnings: cliffhanger

Specter quietly sighed, having finished reassembling her pistol for the third time; with years of training she had formulated an efficient process, but it made for poor inflight entertainment. Omega continued tinkering with Gonky while Hunter twirled his knife between his fingers.

She chuckled as the girl tried to copy him, clumsily maneuvering her tool across her fingers.

“We’re being hailed,” Wrecker called from the cockpit, grabbing their attention.

“It’s… Rex,” Echo added, surprised. Hunter and Specter shared a glance before entering the cockpit with Omega. Tech revealed Rex’s projection.

“Hello, boys. Sorry to cut right to it, but I could use your help,” he said; he wore a hood and kept looking over his shoulder. Specter wondered what sort of trouble he had gotten himself into as she sat down.

“What do you need, Captain?” Hunter asked.

“I received a distress signal from a clone trooper, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment to retrieve him,” Rex explained.

“You want us to recover a reg?” Specter questioned, raising a brow with Hunter.

“He’s an old friend, and he’s in trouble,” Rex sighed, clearly worried. “I need you to get him out.”

“Out of what exactly?” Omega questioned. A device on Rex’s end beeped before he could answer—Specter guessed a proximity alarm.

“Can’t talk right now. Sending you his signal. I’ll be in touch,” he said, quickly ending the hail and disappearing.

“What was that about?” Wrecker wondered aloud.

“The distress signal sent by CC-5576 is originating from Daro,” Tech said, reading the data from the signal, “a terrestrial planet in the Outer Rim with no known settlements or installations.” Specter perked up, the number sounded familiar but she couldn’t figure out who exactly it was.

“What’s he doing all the way out there?” Hunter questioned.

“Well, does it matter?” Echo argued.

“We’ve gone on missions before without much intel. But this would be stretching it,” said Hunter. Specter gazed at him curiously; while he had a point, she couldn’t figure out how exactly it would be a stretch, especially given their most recent experiences. Yet at the same time, she understood Hunter’s caution because of them.

“Rex wouldn’t ask us for help if it wasn’t urgent,” Echo urged, leaning forward in his seat.

“Echo’s got a point,” Wrecker nodded along.

“May I remind you that we are in the middle of a job for Cid. If we deviate, we will not be compensated. No money means no food,” Tech added, giving a pointed glance at Wrecker.

“Oh yeah. Tech’s got a point,” Wrecker nodded again.

“But Rex’s friend is in trouble. That’s more important than getting paid,” Omega said, joining the debate.

“Well, the kid’s got a point,” Wrecker nodded once more. They all turned to Specter next, ready to hear her thoughts on what they should do. She sighed. Specter couldn’t guarantee she could voice a clearly thought-out opinion; something made her uneasy about the whole mission, whether it was simply stress, or a bigger underlying issue.

“I don’t know. I just… I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Specter admitted, massaging her temples and leaning back. “I feel like this is going to be a catalyst for something… but I can’t explain what.” She turned her gaze up to Hunter. “It’s up to you, Sarge.” He paused to consider their options.

“Fine. We’ll check things out. But…” he sighed, “I don’t like it.” Hunter motioned for Tech and Echo to go ahead and set a course for Daro before returning to the hold to try and find more information. Omega made her way closer to Specter, taking her hand.

“Are you okay?” the girl whispered. “I’ve been worried about you since Bracca.”

“Yeah,” she lied, feigning a smile, “I’m fine. I promise.” Omega crossed her arms and shook her head with a scowl.

“You’re very obvious when you lie,” she scolded. “I know I’m only a kid, but I want to help!” Specter hesitated to answer, running a hand over the girl’s hair.

“To be honest, Meg… I’m not sure. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I just feel like something inside me is changing,” Specter explained.

“Changing? Into what?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out, hun,” she ruffled the girl’s hair; Omega giggled, and Specter smiled, genuinely now, watching as she ran off to join Hunter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We are approaching Daro’s atmosphere. I’ll bring us in low to avoid any possible tracking scanners,” Tech said as they exited hyperspace a while later. Specter forced herself to keep her hands down to refrain from nibbling on her nails.

“We’re banking a lot on a clone we don’t even know,” Hunter muttered.

“Rex trusts him. And I trust Rex,” Echo reassured. Tech continued flying the ship closer to the beacon, landing in a small clearing in the woods. Hunter exited the ship first, pistol raised and ready to cover Tech as he used his datapad. Specter and the others followed them out.

“The signal is coming from that direction,” Tech pointed in the distance, looking up from his device. Having Wrecker guide her, Specter walked backward and guarded the rear—her anxiety and suspicion had not withered away. There was something off about the area that she couldn’t put her finger on.

“What’s wrong?” Wrecker whispered.

“The birdsong is too far away,” she muttered. There was something disrupting their environment, enough so that they decided to stay away from the area.

“The beacon should be right ahead,” Tech said, stopping the group. Specter looked around more, watching as Omega hopped up to a log and pulled out the beacon.

“Found it!” She handed it to Tech.

“So, where’s this reg?” Wrecker questioned, looking around as well and messing with some branches. Specter found an obvious clue at her feet; she got Hunter’s attention and nodded toward the marks on the ground.

“We’re already too late,” he said gravely, sniffing at the dirt between his fingers. “The clone was being hunted.”

“He was dragged,” Specter finished, looking off to where the marks led. “That way,” she said, leading the group.

Closer to the mountain, Hunter stopped them.

“Hang on,” he said, kneeling down and tilting his head—Specter could tell he was sensing something. “There’s something here, inside that mountain.”

“I believe you are right,” Tech said, stepping forward with his datapad, “My scans are being jammed.”

Specter would agree; the whisper in her head had become a soft buzz once they had reached the base of the mountain. Something was inherently wrong with the sight before them.

“You said there was nothing on this planet,” Wrecker argued, looking at Tech.

“That data appears to be inaccurate,” he shrugged.

“Wrecker, why don’t you and Omega wait on this ship,” Specter suggested with urgency. Omega’s face contorted into confusion.

“Wait, why can’t-”

“Coming here was up for debate. This isn’t,” Hunter interrupted. The girl deflated but ultimately joined Wrecker in the hike back to the ship.

The remaining four of them followed Hunter closer up the mountain. Specter stared at the mountain face once more when they stopped again.

“What is it?” Echo asked.

“A shuttle landed here,” Hunter explained.

“What exactly is in that mountain?” Specter questioned, now frustrated at the mystery.

“Only one way to find out,” Hunter sighed, standing up and turning towards her. She sighed too, sizing up their path.

“It’ll be a long hike, but it’s doable. If we want to keep our momentum, we shouldn’t stop for breaks, got it?”

“Got it,” the boys replied.

“Alright. Keep up the pace, fellas.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon enough, they reached the top of the mountain and came upon a base inside it. Specter gave a low whistle, marveling at the scale of it before turning around to watch the rear.

“This looks like some sort of military base,” Hunter observed, astonished.

“Not one that I’ve ever heard of,” said Tech.

“Get down,” Specter hissed, seeing a shuttle approach. They heard the whine of its engines as it crested over the treetops and made a landing approach inside.

“Come on. Let’s get a close look,” Hunter suggested. The group made their way down to the top of the base, peering over the edge above a lift shaft.

“I’m clocking a couple of commandos and squads of clone troopers,” Echo reported, peering through his binocs. “And they’ve upgraded their armor.”

“What? Let me see!” Specter, almost too enthusiastically, trained her sniper scope to get a glimpse. “Pfft. You call that an upgrade? It looks terrible.”

“Let me see,” Tech reached for Echo’s binocs.

“It’s not much to look at,” Specter mumbled, moving her sights to assess the rest of the complex.

“Not just that. The mountain’s natural composition makes this mase well-fortified and nearly impenetrable,” Tech assessed.

“This is no longer just a simple extraction. Let’s get back to the Marauder and leave word for Rex,” ordered Hunter. Specter hesitated to get up, as did Echo.

“But what about the mission?” he asked. Hunter and Tech had already made it several feet away, while Specter was still hoisting herself up off her stomach.

“We do not know for certain if CC-5576 is even in there… or if he is still alive,” Tech argued.

“We’d be going in blind without any reinforcements,” Hunter added. Specter sighed as she stood up, clicking her tongue and putting a hand on Echo’s shoulder.

“I hate to bring this up, but we did the same on Skako Minor when we rescued Echo. he’d still be trapped in that place if we hadn’t.”

“If there’s a chance that trooper’s being held against his will, we have to try to get him out,” Echo added. Specter tilted her head, knowing Hunter would only need a few seconds before changing his mind and engaging in the mission.

“Let me update Wrecker then,” he sighed, crouching down again with Echo and Specter. She smiled under her helmet and returned to her stomach, keeping track of operations through her rifle scope. “Wrecker, do you copy?” Hunter called through the comm.

“Yeah, we hear ya. Did you find the reg?” their companion came through.

“Not yet. But we did find an Imperial base built inside this mountain. We’re going in,” Hunter reported.

“Wait for us! We’ll help,” Omega chimed in.

“Negative. Stay on the ship. You’re our backup,” he ordered. Specter could almost see Omega’s disappointed face, but this mission was too risky and none of them were comfortable letting the girl join. “Comms will be jammed once we’re inside, so keep alert.”

“If we’re not back by nightfall, get Omega back to Cid’s,” Specter added. She hated to think of the possibility of something bad happening to them, but a contingency plan was better than no plan.

“I’ll need to tap into the central database to pinpoint CC-5576’s location,” Tech addressed the group.

“There are entry points we can access in the lift shaft. That’s our way in,” Echo said. Without another word, the group ran to the edge of the roof and jumped on top of the lift just as it arrived at the top floor. With its passengers off-loaded, the lift descended; Specter calculated their speed and noted the sides of the shaft, observing how they would be able to hold on.

“Get ready to jump,” Hunter announced in a hushed tone. On his signal, they all jumped off the lift and clung onto the side of the shaft, waiting for the coast to clear before making their way inside. Quietly and carefully, they snuck through the corridors.

Echo plugged into a terminal, Tech stood beside him to help process the data. Specter kept an eye out for any form of surveillance, thankfully finding none.

“Anything? Hunter asked.

“This encryption’s new,” Echo said. “This might take a while.”

“Think you can do recon without getting caught?” Hunter quietly asked Specter.

“Like you even have to ask,” she scoffed, ducking around the corner and disappearing.

Guards were sparse, oddly enough, but every now and then, a squad led by a commando would pass. Specter figured they were running drills more than they were actually patrolling… but she could always be wrong. She watched as a commando pulled out an access card and inserted it into a port by the lift doors. She took note—something they will have to keep in mind.

Her comm quietly beeped: Hunter’s recall signal. She rejoined the group at the terminal.

“Well?”

“Found him,” said Echo. “Cellblock 25, four levels down.”

“How does the security look?” Tech asked, turning toward Specter.

“Scarce. I’d say it’s suspicious, but it’s the best we got,” she shrugged, leading the group back to the outer lift shaft.

After a quick climb down, they found the cellblock they were looking for and needed only to find their clone prisoner. A single guard paced up and down the hall, making some remarks toward an occupied cell. Hunter snuck up and punched him hard, knocking him out.

“Are you CC-5576?” Echo asked.

“That depends. Who’s askin’?” the clone inside asked. Specter ran forward, recognizing the tone of voice.

“No way, Gregor?” she exclaimed, lifting up her helmet. “I thought it was you!” Echo plugged into the terminal to open the cell.

“Hey, Specter!” Gregor greeted with a smile, recognizing her. “Now there’s a face I can’t forget.”

“Wow, you really did hit your head,” she teased, laughing and hugging her friend once he stepped out.

“You two know each other?” Hunter questioned apprehensively.

“Oh, yeah. Spec and I are training room buddies,” Gregor explained. “What are you doing here?”

“Rex sent us to rescue you. Now, come on, let’s move out before anyone else misses you,” Specter said, nodding for him to lead. Tech, Echo, and Hunter gave each other confused looks but followed behind Gregor and Specter.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pair led the group down numerous corridors, minding any passing patrol squads. Eventually, they came to a junction with loads of troopers at the other end of the hall.

“They’re gathered for inspection. There’s no way past ‘em,” Gregor said.

“If we can’t reach the lifts, we can’t get out of here,” Echo added.

“I can redirect them,” Tech chimed in, leading the group to a control panel further away. Gregor took the time to observe their armor.

“That armor… You didn’t mention your group were CCs, Spec,” he said. Specter giggled.

“Come on, Gregor, you know we’re too defective. You’re looking at CT-99s,” she gave a small bow. Hunter bit his tongue, not liking the way he kept calling her by the nickname he thought was exclusive to him. He also knew it was not the time to be jealous.

“Defective clones?” Gregor chuckled. “If you ask me, it’s the ones who want to stay here who are really defective.”

“What was your assignment?” asked Echo.

“I was an instructor-” an alarm cut Gregor off. Specter raised her rifle on instinct.

“What’s going on, Tech?” Hunter questioned.

“I keyed a Code 16 to redirect their forces. I don’t know what happened,” Tech explained, frantically looking for his mistake.

“Clone codes don’t work here,” Gregor hissed, “you just triggered a security alert!”

Blaster fire broke out a second later, and the group dove for cover. Specter swore to herself, switching her rifle for her pistol as Tech threw smoke cover. The team shot to stun, hitting a few troopers. When she saw an opening, Specter dashed out into the line of fire through the smoke cover, using the wall to jump and pound into a trooper’s head, knocking him out, and using the continued momentum to drag the commando leader down to the floor, locking him in a tight chokehold with her legs until he stopped moving. Gregor and Hunter had followed her in as well, each taking down the last of the troopers. While the moment was still quiet, Specter swiped the key card off the commando’s belt.

“Is there another way off this base?” Hunter asked, coming around to pull Specter up.

“Only one way out. Up,” Gregor answered.

“Look at this,” Tech spoke up, pulling the helmet off of a fallen trooper. “These are not clone troopers.” The man under the armor had a thin face and blond hair—definitely not a clone.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Gregor scoffed. “These are our replacements. If you can believe that.”

“Pfft, I don’t. I’m irreplaceable,” Specter shook her head before running off with the group.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They ran through the maze of corridors, following Gregor’s lead while stunning any troopers in their path. Specter made sure to slow her pace to match the boys’; Tech ran up beside Gregor.

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” he questioned.

“Hey, I’m the one who escaped here before!” Gregor sounded almost offended.

“And you were captured,” Tech reminded.

“After I made it out,” added Gregor. Specter rolled her eyes but smiled anyway—he was always an interesting and entertaining character. But also interestingly, the Imperial troopers were stunned too easily. Specter imagined she could simply walk down the hall and casually shoot them down. Gregor stopped them at the end of the hall.

“I thought you said you trained these guys,” Hunter commented.

“Yeah, it’s kind of pathetic. Are you a bad teacher?” Specter tilted her head, kicking at the limp hand of a fallen soldier.

“No, I just didn’t teach them everything. That wouldn’t be very smart, would it?” Gregor winked before leading them to the lift.

The soldiers inside were easily surprised and stunned; Hunter and Gregor dragged them out while the rest entered. Tech went to the control panel.

“We need an authorization code,” he said.

“I got it,” Specter fished for the stolen key card and tossed it to Tech.

“Where did you get a hold of that?” Hunter asked.

“Oh, I swiped it earlier,” she shrugged as the lift started rising to the top. Gregor chuckled before Echo spoke up and asked-

“These new troopers, what do you mean they’re our replacements?”

“Well, we clones are soldiers of a Republic that doesn’t exist,” Gregor started to explain. “These recruits come from all over the galaxy. They swear loyalty to the Empire. They’re not as skilled, but there’s an endless supply of ‘em.”

“Numbers aren’t everything,” said Hunter.

“Maybe not, but they certainly count,” Specter mumbled, nudging him with her elbow.

“They aren’t,” he insisted, nudging her back. The door to the lift opened, revealing a whole team of troopers. They ducked out of the way of the barrage of blaster fire before they closed the door again and started quickly descending.

“You were saying?” Tech asked sarcastically, giving a pointed look at Hunter.

“Thank you,” Specter appreciated his support of her point.

“We’ll, uh, take a detour,” said Gregor, winded from the exertion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Omega clutched onto Lula, pacing back and forth in the cockpit of the Marauder. It was nowhere near nightfall, but she felt it had been too long since they last checked in. Wrecker, lounging back in the co-pilot’s seat, was of no comfort.

“How can you be so relaxed?” she asked him.

“Oh, I’m preparing,” he said, clearly not as worried as she was. “I’m chagrin’ up before I charge in.”

“We should’ve heard back from them by now. What if something went wrong?” Omega wondered, and given the team’s track record, it was not outside the realm of possibility.

“I’m sure they got everything under control. Besides, Specter’s with them!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I feel like this is worse than before!” Specter shouted over the cacophony of blasters. Little by little, the group retreated down a hall, defending against the Imperial troopers hot on their tail. Her arms ached from using her pistol, but using her rifle wouldn’t make any difference in the battle they were in.

“Hunter!” Tech shouted, tossing him a smoke bomb. Hunter caught it and threw it, allowing for them to stun the closest troopers and move out.

Rounding the corner, an orange armored commando jumped in and caught them off guard, shooting Gregor twice in the chest plate. The boys fired multiple stun rounds to no avail; Specter took the opportunity to drop her pistol and reach for her rifle.

The world around her slowed as she aimed for his blaster, disarming him and his thigh, debilitating him. The commando finally went down as the world around her returned to normal.

She looked at the rifle in her hands, finding nothing different or peculiar. The odd sensation came and went quickly enough. Blaster fire from down the hall interrupted her thoughts. She holstered her pistol and ran towards cover.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oddly enough, the control room they found sanctuary in was empty, but they took the chance to stop and recoup.

“Alright, let me see,” Specter said, taking off her helmet and lifting Gregor’s arm to assess his wounds.

“How bad?” Hunter asked.

“Ha! Don’t worry about me. This is nothing. I got blown up once and survived,” Gregor waved it off. Specter smirked.

“Yeah, you’ll be fine. You’ll hardly notice it tomorrow,” she patted his shoulder, even though he winced in pain.

“They have all access points to the central ring blocked off,” Echo reported. Tech came around with his datapad, analyzing the schematics of the complex.

“There,” he pointed up to a vent shaft. “Those pipes are reactor conduits.”

“And?” Hunter tilted his head for him to continue.

“Well, they should lead to the main reactor’s external exhaust port. That is our path to the outside,” Tech explained.

“The exhaust vent’s halfway up the mountain. We can’t survive that jump,” said Gregor as Specter helped him stand upright.

“Well, we should be able to signal our ship from there,” she said.

Tech threw a small grenade at the grate to the vent. The explosion popped it off, allowing for Tech to hoist up Hunter and Specter so they could help the others up.

Hunter kicked another vent grate off, leading to the final passageway to the exhaust port. It was still daylight outside; Specter breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey,” Hunter muttered, grabbing her attention. “Nice shot back there, with the blaster and the leg. How did you do it?”

“Oh, I don’t really know. It just… felt right,” Specter shrugged. “You want to try calling Omega and Wrecker?” Hunter nodded.

“Wrecker, Omega, come in,” he said into the comm, motioning for the group to keep going.

“We read you, Hunter,” Omega’s voice came through; Specter felt herself relax.

“We have the target, but we ran into some trouble. We need a pickup,” Hunter reported.

“On our way,” the girl reassured. The team made it to the edge of the exhaust port, noting the very distant ground below. Specter’s stomach flipped, perhaps in sympathy for Wrecker’s absence.

“Ooh,” Gregor chuckled, “glad we’re not going that way.”

“You and me both,” Specter mumbled, shuffling an inch back away from the ledge.

“We are on approach!” Omega said through the comm. Indeed, the Marauder had risen up out of the trees and made its way toward them.

“We see you,” Tech replied.

But unfortunately, so did the troopers that followed them through the passageway. Blasters were fired from behind, the group ducked out of the way to the surrounding rocky ledge. Specter continued firing, carefully aiming around the rocks of the cliff. Tech signaled at her; she nodded at his plan.

Together they jumped out into the open, Tech went high while Specter crouched low and stunned the troopers in their way, covering the Marauder’s approach. The pair ducked out of the way as Wrecker appeared behind them on the gangplank of the ship, firing into the tunnel.

“Little closer!” he shouted into the ship.

“Is Omega flying?” Specter wondered aloud.

“Come on!” Wrecker urged as the ship drifted closer to the ledge. Hunter and Echo covered Tech as he jumped on first and dashed inside to take over. Specter helped Gregor jump, Wrecker helped him on board. As Specter was about to jump, the Marauder pulled away to dodge incoming fire from Imperial air support. She yelped, almost losing her balance before Hunter pulled her back to safety.

Without a second thought, she pulled out her rifle and shot down a fighter in retaliation, growling. Echo and Hunter continued firing into the tunnel, slowly but surely taking down the troopers.

“We’re coming back around. Be ready!” Tech said from the comms.

“Copy!” Specter replied, shooting down another soldier. The ship came around again with Omega at the door.

“Jump!” she cried, reaching out.

“Echo, you first!” Hunter ordered. He nodded and joined Omega, reaching for whoever was next. “Spec!”

“Not without you!” she protested.

“Go!” Hunter shouted. Specter groaned and did as she was told just before more air support arrived with a barrage of fire. Tech began to pull away. Hunter jumped… but slipped and fell off the gangplank. Omega gasped.

“Hunter!” Specter screamed, reaching out for him with only Echo and Omega holding her back. He seemed to fall in slow motion, reaching out for her. Her heart pounded in her head; she thought of every possible way to save him, but to no avail. Hunter already twisted around to try and break his fall in the treeline and someone yanked her back inside the ship. Tech flew away as fast as he could until the blaster fire ceased.

“Multiple system failures!” Tech cried from the cockpit. “We cannot take many more hits!”

“Hunter?” Specter tried through the comm, hoping he was still okay.

“Get the ship out of here,” he said, “I’ll find another way back.”

“Absolutely not!” she argued.

“The odds of escape are not in your favor,” Tech added.

“Go, Tech! That’s an order!” Specter flinched as Hunter yelled, feeling tears crawl down her face under her helmet.

“No! Turn around! We have to go back for him!” Omega cried, rushing into the tail gun. “Hunter, tell them to come back! Order them to come back!”

“Hunter, don’t do this,” Specter whimpered. They heard him sigh.

“Sorry, girls. I can’t do that.”

Hey guys, thank you for reading this chapter! Don't forget to vote in the poll if you want me to continue this series!

#f!oc #star wars #star wars oc #tbb hunter #tbb hunter x oc #the bad batch #sw tbb #tbb crosshair #tbb oc #tbb tech #tbb echo #tbb wrecker #tbb omega #clone force 99

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badbatchposts · 8 months ago

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Quiet Corners of the Galaxy, Chapter 10

While on a routine mission for Cid, the Bad Batch encounter a woman fleeing from the Empire. Crosshair suspects her seemingly free-spirited, nomadic existence is actually a cover for something else, but struggles to keep his attraction toward her in check as their personalities and ideals clash.

Relevant tags/content warnings: Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Periodic Smut, Canon-Typical Violence, Alcohol Use

Chapters posted 1-2x weekly!

Read the full fic so far on AO3

Read previous chapters on Tumblr: Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l Ch. 5 l Ch. 6 l Ch. 7 l Ch. 8 l Ch. 9

Chapter 10 summary: Dara and Crosshair go undercover and look for new and exciting ways to annoy each other.

“I really don’t think it’s necessary for him to come. His tattoo might be less noticeable than yours, but he still stands out too much.” It was perhaps the dozenth time Dara had tried to convince Hunter to let her leave Crosshair behind, and still he wasn’t budging. The trip through hyperspace had been long, and they’d landed in a quiet meadow on Caameris late in the night cycle, opting to wait until the morning to begin their surveillance. This was Dara’s last chance to object, as she waited at the bottom of the ramp into the Marauder while Crosshair finished changing into his civilian clothes. The ground was damp, and the air was heavy with moisture, but the temperature was pleasant and the threat of rain seemed far off. Hunter only smirked a little, unmoved.

When Crosshair emerged from the ship, she eyed him critically and shook her head. “No rifle.”

The sniper scowled. “I’m not going anywhere unarmed.”

“This is a nice, peaceful, mid-rim planet, not outlaw country. It sticks out too much. Concealed weapons only. I have an extra blaster for you here.” She gestured to the basket she was carrying, where a carefully folded blanket disguised the hidden pistols.

Hunter looked from one to the other, not bothering to conceal his shit-eating grin. He felt a little bad sticking Dara with Crosshair for the day, but not so guilty that he wouldn’t take the opportunity to punish his brother for his earlier comments. With an exaggerated grumble, Crosshair removed his Firepuncher from his back and handed it to him. “Have fun, you two,” the Sergeant chuckled as they set off.

They kept their distance from one another and walked silently. Tech had set down the Marauder beyond a forested area that separated the town and the villa, far off the main road, where they hoped it would go unnoticed. It was a tense thirty minutes, in which each refused to acknowledge the other, before they approached its outskirts.

Dara narrowed the gap between them as they began to pass neat little houses and businesses, all roofed with colorful tiles. Locals watched them with open curiosity on the streets. It became busier as they approached the center of the town, entering a bustling, open-air market. “Follow my lead,” she muttered to Crosshair.

“Do I have to?” he sighed miserably.

She pursed her lips briefly before pasting on the easy, charming smile that she seemed to direct toward everyone else besides the sniper and began perusing the stalls attentively. She had purchased small items from several of the shops, filling her basket with fresh fruits and vegetables, before one of the merchants finally acknowledged the stares still being directed at the newcomers in the crowded marketplace.

“We don’t often get new faces around here. What brings you to Caameris?” The woman asked.

Crosshair fought to keep the surprise off his face as Dara intertwined her arm in his, gave his bicep a quick squeeze, and sent an admiring glance his way. “Oh, we only just arrived,” she explained brightly. “We’re here to spend a nice quiet honeymoon. It’s not often that we get to travel, and we just wanted the opportunity to have some quality time together away from it all. We’re nature lovers, and we couldn’t think of anything more romantic than camping together under the stars.”

“Oh, how lovely! I remember my own like it was yesterday. My husband and I have been married for nearly thirty years.” The shopkeeper, while never exactly suspicious, was certainly more open now that she had a ready explanation to satisfy her curiosity about them. In fact, as he watched a few passersby blatantly listening in, Crosshair had the impression that the whole population would be aware of the story behind these new strangers before long, the engines of small-town gossip running quickly and efficiently. He had to begrudgingly admit that Dara was good—a little too good.

“How wonderful,” Dara gushed. “Well, we were hoping to take a hike tomorrow. Is there anything we should be certain to see? We saw that lovely mansion across the lake as we were landing—I don’t suppose you know whether the grounds are open for visitors, do you?”

“Ah, I’m afraid it’s a private residence, and the owner is off world for the next week.” The shopkeeper leaned in companionably. She was already well-invested in passing gossip along to fresh listeners. “The whole estate is quite lavish, in fact. My daughter works in the kitchens.”

“Oh my! It’s quite a large house! I’m sure it keeps your daughter very busy. It seems the ideal place for some very fancy parties…”

Crosshair thought that if this conversation got any more boring he might ruin the mission by shooting himself just to get out of it. The two women, engrossed in their talk, didn’t spare him a glance as he wandered off amid the other stalls, keeping an eye on Dara between squinting warily at the locals, who were still nosily appraising him. He surveyed the market square; while it was largely surrounded by squat, unassuming buildings, one of them—taller, newer, more impressive—stood out. Prium’s satellite lab, he presumed, based on the bored-looking security flanking the doors.

He had nearly completed a full circuit of the market when he noticed that someone else had joined Dara and the shopkeeper. The uniformed Sullustan man was speaking animatedly as he approached. Thinking that perhaps Dara had not fully thought through the implications of her little ruse, Crosshair smirked as he threw a protective arm over her shoulder, feeling her stiffen nearly imperceptibly beneath him.

“Your husband, I presume,” the Sullustan observed magisterially.

“Yes,” Dara said warmly. “Allow me to introduce my husband… Hunter.” Crosshair flared his nostrils, but tried to minimize his scowl—just barely—for the sake of the mission. So, as much as she had chosen to ignore him since the other night, she certainly hadn’t forgotten their earlier altercation. She had just been biding her time to find the best way to torture him. “This fascinating gentleman,” Dara continued, “was just telling me how he is the director of the private research lab of one of the greatest geniuses of our time. You’ve heard of Kumalon Laboratories, haven’t you, sweetie?”

“Dr. Nor Raab. A pleasure,” the scientist greeted him. “Although I must say, if I were on my honeymoon with such a lovely young woman, I think I would look quite a bit…happier.”

Dara laughed, the sound generous and moving, like the tinkle of bells. He didn’t care one bit to hear it directed it toward Raab, any more than he liked Dara’s wink at the pretentious Sullustan. “Oh, don’t mind him. He’s just upset that I wouldn’t let him keep me cooped up in our ship all to himself. Newlyweds, you know.”

“I can’t say I blame him,” Raab replied with a knowing smile.

Crosshair tightened his arm, drawing Dara closer, and nuzzled his nose in her hair, not bothering to suppress a wicked grin when she shivered a little. She smelled earthy, like the beginning of rain. “Speaking of which… I think we’re just about done here, don’t you?” he asked.

“Actually, I was just about to ask Dr. Raab if he would be so kind as to elaborate a little more on his work with Dr. Prium,” Dara insisted. “You see, I’m a teacher and I would love to be able to tell my students all about this when I go back. I think it’s so important to inspire future generations of scientists, don’t you?”

“Well, I also must be returning to my duties, but perhaps you could return later this evening and we could all share a drink nearby. It’s so rare we get visitors.” Raab gestured to a bar at a corner of the square.

“Sounds wonderful. We’ll see you then.” With a small wave at Raab and the shopkeeper, the pair left the market, Crosshair still holding Dara close until they reached the outskirts of town, where she unceremoniously shoved his arm off of her.

“Tell me,” the sniper drawled as he dogged Dara through the woods in the direction of the Marauder, “how many classes dedicated to lying did you take while studying linguistics? Is it a big part of the coursework?”

“My appreciation for theater is extracurricular.” Dara bent over suddenly, drawing a knife out from where it was concealed beneath her pant leg. She rolled her eyes when she noticed Crosshair tense up, preparing for a fight. “Please. If I were going to kill you, I’d know better than to do it when your brothers are my only ride off this planet.”

He crossed his arms, watching her as she knelt and used the knife to dig in the dirt. “What are you doing?”

“It’s springtime here. Things are growing.”

He thought about telling her that wasn’t much of an explanation, but his curiosity got the better of him as he observed her activities. Where he could see a few green tufts peeking out through the dark soil, she unearthed a series of tubers the size of his thumb. Straightening, she ran her fingers along the bark of a few nearby trees until she found one where a thick, meaty fungus grew in shelves, cutting it down in slices. Ignoring him completely now, she wandered along the forest path, collecting her bounty.

Minutes passed before Dara realized the sniper had disappeared. She glanced up into the treetops, catching sight of him perched on a tall branch, still watching her idly, and shook her head in annoyance. But Crosshair could see the corners of her mouth twitching as she returned to her work.

Next chapter

Tag List: @stardusthuntress @skellymom @megmegalodondon

#the bad batch #bad batch #star wars #clone force 99 #tbb crosshair #clone wars fanfiction #tbb hunter #sw tbb fanfiction #tbb fanfiction #the bad batch fanfiction

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mcrdvcks · 7 months ago

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Down Bad - Chapter 4

Chapter Summary: Rex contacts the group about helping a clone on Daro. But the mission takes a turn after Hunter and Amina are taken by the Empire.

Word Count: 10k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!Jedi Original Character

Notes: alright, so this chapter covers season 1, episodes 14-16. next chapter will be a few short stories of things that happen in between season 1 and 2!

also, i know that this gif is overused, but it's the last time the group is together ;(

Series Masterlist - Chapter 3 → Chapter 5

AO3 Link For Chapter

Amina sat on the floor of the Marauder, levitating a ball with the force in her hand, as Omega was fiddling with Gonky, and Hunter sat in the hull, twirling a knife in his hand.

It was the simple metal ball she still held onto from Padme, moving it from hand to hand and up and down. Maybe Padme was right, it does calm her a bit.

She glanced over at Omega, who was fixing up Gonky’s wires and then at Hunter, who was twirling his knife in his hand, his gaze focused on his movements. His movements were fluid, almost mesmerizing, and Amina found herself watching him with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.

Omega also glanced over, trying to do the same thing with her screwdriver when Echo called out from the cockpit. “We’re being hailed. It’s… Rex.”

Hunter put his knife back into its spot on his wrist and Omega closed the patch on Gonky that she was working on as they walked into the cockpit.

Echo turned on the transmission, “hello, boys. Sorry to cut right to it, but I could use your help.”

“What do you need, Captain?” Hunter asked.

“I received a distress signal from a clone trooper, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment to retrieve him.”

“You want us to recover a reg?”

“He’s an old friend, and he’s in trouble. I need you to get him out.”

Omega looked up at Hunter, “out of what exactly?”

A beeping sounded out from Rex’s side, “can’t talk right now. Sending you his signal. I’ll be in touch.” Rex tapped the comm on his wrist as the transmission disappeared.

“What was that about?” Wrecker asked.

“The distress signal sent by CC-5576 is originating from Daro, a terrestrial planet in the Outer Rim with no known settlements or installations.” Tech said, turning to face Hunter.

“What’s he doing all the way out there?”

“Well does it matter?” Echo cut in.

“We’ve gone on missions before without much intel. But this would be stretching it.”

“Rex wouldn’t ask us for help if it wasn’t urgent.”

“Echo’s got a point.” Wrecker added on.

“May I remind you that we are in the middle of a job for Cid. If we deviate, we will not be compensated. No money means no food.”

“Oh, yeah. Tech’s got a point.” Wrecker spoke again.

“But Rex’s friend is in trouble. That’s more important than getting paid.” Omega said, looking up at Hunter.

“Well, the kid’s got a point.” Wrecker spoke.

Hunter sighed, glancing over at Echo. “Fine. We’ll check things out. But… I don’t like it.”

---

They flew out of hyperspace as Tech announced that they were approaching Daro’s atmosphere. “I’ll bring us in low to avoid any possible tracking scanners.”

“We’re banking a lot on a clone we don’t even know.” Hunter said.

“Rex trusts him. And I trust Rex.” Echo responded.

They landed the ship in part of the forest, surrounded by trees as they all got off the Marauder.

Tech looked down at his data pad, “the signal is coming from that direction.” They walked slightly ahead as Tech tapped his pad, “the beacon should be right ahead.”

Omega looked around before going to a fallen tree trunk and taking off the beacon. “Found it.” She handed it to Tech as the rest looked around the area.

“So, where’s this reg?” Wrecker asked, looking over at Hunter who took off his helmet.

Hunter kneeled down and grabbed a small twig, sniffing it for clues. “We’re already too late. The clone was being hunted. He was dragged. That way.” Hunter put his helmet back on and led the group through the forest.

They ran into a clearing, at the edge of the hill with a view of large mountains. Hunter stopped, “hang on.” He brushed his hand through the dirt, before looking up at the mountains, “there’s something here, inside that mountain.”

Tech stepped forward, tapping on his data pad, “I believe you are right. My scans are being jammed.”

“You said there was nothing on this planet.” Wrecker exclaimed.

“That data appears to be inaccurate.”

“Wrecker, you, Omega and Amina wait on the ship.” Hunter ordered.

“Wait, why can’t- ”

Hunter cut off Omega, “coming here was up for debate. This isn’t.” Hunter, Echo, and Tech started to climb the mountain, as Amina followed glancing back at Omega.

Hunter quickly turned around, “I told you to wait on the ship.”

Amina crossed her arms, “I’m a Jedi, you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” Echo and Tech stopped walking, glancing back at Hunter and Amina before sharing a look with each other.

“I gave you an order.” Hunter replied.

“I’m a General, I outrank you.”

“This is my squad.” Amina glared at Hunter through his visor as he continued, “stay with Wrecker and Omega. You can fly the ship if we need a pickup.”

Amina clenched her jaw before relenting, “fine. But I’m not happy about it.”

Hunter nodded curtly, acknowledging her compliance before turning back to face the mountain ahead. He knew Amina wasn't pleased with being left behind, but he couldn't risk her safety on what could potentially be a dangerous mission.

---

Amina sat in the pilot’s chair, force levitating her ball as Wrecker and Omega played a game on Gonky’s head.

“It’s still your turn.” Omega said.

“I know. I’m thinking.” Wrecker tapped the side of his head.

Then a comm beeped, “Wrecker, do you copy?”

“Yeah, we hear ya. Did you find the reg?” Wrecker replied to Hunter before moving his piece.

“Not yet. But we did find an Imperial base built inside this mountain. We’re going in.”

“Wait for us! We’ll help.” Omega responded.

“Negative. Stay on the ship. You’re our backup. Comms will be jammed once we’re inside, so keep alert.”

---

Wrecker was now in the co-pilot’s chair with his feet on the dash as Omega walked around the cockpit holding her doll, Lula.

“How can you be so relaxed?” Omega asked Wrecker.

“Oh, I’m preparing. I’m chargin’ up before I charge in.”

“We should’ve heard from them by now. What if something went wrong?”

“I’m sure they got everything under control.”

---

The comm beeped, “Wrecker, Amina, Omega, come in.”

Omega ran into the cockpit as Amina pressed the button, “we read you.”

“We have the target, but we ran into some trouble. We need a pickup.”

“On our way!” Omega said, getting into the co-pilot seat as Wrecker entered the cockpit.

“On our way! Wrecker repeated, as Amina prepared the ship for takeoff.

Amina flew the ship towards the signal as Omega spoke through comms, “we are on approach!”

“We see you.” Tech said through comms.

Amina flew the ship parallel to the side of the mountain as Wrecker opened the doors and shot the troopers in the hall behind Hunter, Echo, Tech, and the other clone. “Little closer!” Wrecker yelled, as Amina flew the ship closer to the mountain.

“Incoming!” Amina called out, as Tech and the other clone got on the ship.

“I’ll take it from here.” Tech said, as Amina got out of the chair and into the co-pilot seat. “Wrecker, get on the tail gun.” Tech flew away as enemy ships shot at them, “shields are down. We’re losing power!”

“Gonky, we need you!” Omega exclaimed, getting out of her seat and plugging him into the ship.

“It’s working! Systems are back online.” Amina said.

Tech flew further away before flying straight down, and at the last minute, back up as he flew back to the mountain. “We’re coming back around. Be ready!”

Omega stood by the door, “jump!”

Amina got onto the stairs in front of Omega and helped Echo onto the ship. More TIE fighters came their way as Tech turned the ship sideways and Hunter jumped as Amina caught his hand.

She went to pull him up when one of the TIE fighters shot her in the shoulder, causing both her and Hunter to fall off the Marauder and through the trees.

Hunter took out his knife to try and stop the fall on the mountain, but it didn’t work, causing him to keep falling along with Amina, as she rolled down the mountain side he tried clinging to. As they fell, he grabbed Amina’s waist as they hit more branches, before finally hitting the ground.

Hunter tried to get up, as did Amina as she used the force to grab her lightsaber which came off her belt in the fall.

“Multiple system failures! We cannot take many more hits!” Tech sounded out through comms.

An Imperial shuttle landed next to them as they glanced over. Hunter slowly got up, shaking his head, “get the ship out of here. We’ll find another way back.”

“Negative. The odds of escape are not in your favor.”

“Go, Tech! That’s an order!”

Amina slowly got up, wincing at the pressure she was putting on her shoulder.

“Hunter, tell them to come back! Order them to come back!” Omega yelled through the comms.

“Sorry, kid. I can’t do that.” Hunter put his knife in its holster as Amina attached her lightsaber back on her belt as dozens of troopers surrounded them.

The troopers cuffed them and put them on the shuttle, flying away from Daro.

---

They were now on a different ship, with Hunter and Amina on the floor cuffed and without their weapons. She wishes she got lucky enough that they didn’t use force suppressing cuffs or take away her lightsaber.

Buzzing sounded out as Crosshair entered the room.

“Where are we going?” Hunter asked.

Crosshair kneeled down and grabbed Hunter’s comm, “you’ll find out soon enough. And so will your squad.”

“Using my comm won’t work. They’ll know it’s a trap.”

Crosshair stopped halfway to the door, turning around to face Hunter, “they’ll still come for you.” he said, before exiting the room, leaving two troopers guarding them.

Amina leaned back against the wall, holding back a hiss at her shoulder touching the wall.

She glanced over at Hunter, who was sitting next to her, his expression grim as he assessed their situation. Despite the cuffs restraining them and the uncertainty of their fate, there was a steely determination in his eyes that gave Amina hope.

"We need to find a way out of here," Hunter said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper to avoid alerting the guards. "Any ideas?"

“Not really. I can’t use the force.” she said, lifting her hands up without thinking as she grimaced at the pain in her shoulder.

Hunter glanced at her, his brow furrowing with concern. "Your shoulder," he said, his voice filled with empathy as he observed her discomfort. "We need to find a way to treat it."

Amina nodded, her jaw clenched in an effort to mask the pain. "I'll manage," she replied, her tone determined despite the agony pulsing through her injured shoulder.

Hunter leaned closer, his expression serious as he studied her. "We can't afford to overlook your injury," he said firmly. "If we're going to get out of here, we need to be at our best."

“I’ve survived worse.” She replied.

Hunter sighed at hearing the same argument come from her again. He knew Amina had a tendency to downplay her injuries, but he also knew that her resilience could sometimes border on stubbornness, making it difficult for her to accept help, even when she needed it most.

"Stubborn as ever," Hunter muttered under his breath, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite their dire situation.

Amina shot him a sideways glance, her expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "You say that like it's a bad thing," she retorted, her tone teasing yet affectionate.

Hunter shook his head with a fond chuckle, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "It's just frustrating sometimes, that's all," he replied, his voice gentle yet firm. "You don't always have to be the tough one, Amina. It's okay to let others take care of you."

Amina's expression softened at his words, her defenses momentarily dropping as she met his gaze, before looking straight ahead.

Soon, the shuttle landed on a planet as Crosshair walked in front with three troopers behind Hunter and Amina, pushing them along.

A man, who she thinks is Admiral Rampart, met them at the landing bay, followed by 5 troopers, 3 in white gear and two in grey gear, like Crosshair and the 3 troopers behind them.

“Where are the rest of them?” Rampart asked.

“They’ll be here.” Crosshair replied. “We’ll intercept upon arrival.”

Rampart looked at Crosshair before moving in front of Hunter, “so you’re the one they call ‘Hunter’. The destruction your squad caused on Ryloth got my attention.” Hunter stayed silent as Rampart turned his gaze to Amina, who stood next to Hunter. “And the infamous Amina Skywalker, or ‘The Sword’.”

Amina winced at the trooper who nudged her shoulder with their blaster, “I prefer ‘The Dazzler’ but I suppose that’s an inner circle thing.”

Admiral Rampart raised an eyebrow at Amina's remark, his expression unreadable. "The Dazzler, huh?" he mused, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. "Well, I must say, you've certainly made a name for yourself in certain circles. Governor Tarkin would love to speak to you.”

Amina’s eyes widened, that’s the last thing she needs. If Tarkin knows she’s alive, then Palpatine and Anakin will too.

“I leave this to you, Commander. Stay on schedule.” Rampart told Crosshair, before looking at a few troopers behind him, “bring Skywalker with me.”

The two grey-suited troopers nudged Amina in the back, prompting her to move forward with hesitant steps. She glanced over her shoulder at Hunter, her expression a mixture of concern and determination.

As Amina was led away by the troopers, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at her gut. She knew Admiral Rampart's reputation; knew the kind of danger they were walking into. But she also knew that she couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness, not now, not ever.

Hunter watched Amina being escorted away, his jaw clenched with frustration. He hated feeling helpless, hated being unable to protect his squad, especially Amina. He glanced over at Crosshair, “where are they taking her?”

Crosshair remained stoic, his expression unreadable as he replied, "To meet with Governor Tarkin, as ordered by Admiral Rampart."

Hunter's fists clenched at his sides as he fought to suppress his rising anger. He knew that facing Tarkin would only bring trouble, especially for someone like Amina who had already attracted unwanted attention.

“Are you showing care for a Jedi?” Crosshair hissed, “I didn’t realize you would go so low.”

Hunter’s jaw tightened at Crosshair, his gaze narrowing as he met his cold stare. “I’m not showing care for a Jedi,” he retorted evenly. “I’m showing concern for a member of my squad.”

Crosshair scoffed, his lip curling in disdain under his helmet, “a Jedi is a liability, Hunter,” he countered, “you should know that better than anyone.”

---

Amina was escorted into a small office within the Kamino facility, her heart pounding with apprehension as she glanced around the dimly lit room. Admiral Rampart stood beside her, his imposing presence casting a shadow over the proceedings. With a flick of his wrist, he activated the hologram projector, and Governor Tarkin's image materialized before them.

Governor Tarkin's stern visage filled the room, his steely gaze scrutinizing Amina with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. She stood tall despite the unease bubbling within her, steeling herself for whatever interrogation lay ahead.

"Ah, Amina Skywalker," Tarkin began, his voice cool and calculating.

"Tarkin, nice to see you again. Although, I must say, grey isn’t your color," Amina quipped, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm as she regarded the holographic image of the stern governor.

Tarkin's expression remained impassive, his steely gaze fixed on Amina as he spoke. "Your wit is as sharp as ever, Miss Skywalker," he replied, his voice dripping with condescension. "But I'm afraid we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Amina raised an eyebrow at Tarkin's cryptic remark, her curiosity piqued despite herself. "And what pressing matters might those be?" she asked, her tone guarded yet intrigued.

Tarkin leaned forward slightly, his holographic image casting a menacing shadow over the room. "The Emperor has been wondering about your whereabouts, and now we’ve found you. Admiral Rampart will bring you to Coruscant for… a conversation with the Emperor.”

Amina's heart sank at Tarkin's words. The thought of facing Palpatine filled her with dread, knowing the danger that awaited her on Coruscant. She glanced at Admiral Rampart, her mind racing as she tried to formulate a plan to escape their grasp.

Admiral Rampart stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Amina with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "You're quite the elusive one, Miss Skywalker," he remarked, his tone tinged with admiration. "But rest assured, you won't be able to evade the Emperor's reach for much longer."

Amina bristled at Rampart's condescending tone, her jaw clenched with frustration. She knew she had to tread carefully, to buy herself time until she could find a way to escape. "And what makes you think I'll go willingly to Coruscant?" she asked defiantly, her voice laced with determination.

Rampart's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes narrowing as he regarded Amina with a calculating gaze. "Oh, I have no doubt that you'll come willingly," he replied, his tone dripping with malice. "Or perhaps you need a little... persuasion."

A cold chill ran down Amina's spine at Rampart's ominous threat, knowing all too well the kind of torture and interrogation tactics the Empire employed. She glanced around the room, searching for any means of escape, but finding none.

"Resistance is futile, Miss Skywalker," Tarkin interjected, his voice cold and authoritative. "The Emperor's reach is vast, and his power absolute. You would do well to remember that."

Amina gritted her teeth in frustration, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. She knew she was outnumbered and outmatched, but she refused to give in without a fight. She had to find a way to resist, to defy the Empire at every turn.

“Admiral, have your troopers escort Skywalker to your starship.”

The troopers nodded and brought Amina out of the room and down the barren halls of Kamino. She had to get away, before they brought her onto the starship. If the Emperor got hands on her, she shuddered, who knows what would happen.

Amina glanced at one of the troopers in front of her, spotting her lightsaber handing from their waist. If she could unlock her handcuffs with a piece of metal she kept on her waistband, she could get rid of the troopers and find Hunter.

As they reached a dimly lit corridor, Amina subtly reached for the small metal piece hidden in her waistband, her heart pounding with anticipation. She had to time this perfectly, to catch the troopers off guard and make her move before they could react.

With a swift and practiced motion, Amina slipped the metal piece into the lock of her handcuffs, her fingers deftly manipulating the mechanism as she worked to free herself. Her hands trembled with adrenaline, her senses heightened as she focused all her concentration on the task at hand.

Finally, with a soft click, the handcuffs sprang open, and Amina wasted no time in seizing her opportunity. With lightning speed, she reached for her lightsaber, igniting the blade in a flash of blue light as she whirled around to face the startled troopers.

Before they could react, Amina lunged forward, her lightsaber slashing through the air with deadly precision as she disarmed the troopers with expert skill. The corridor erupted into chaos as blaster fire erupted from all sides, but Amina remained focused, her movements fluid and graceful as she fought off her attackers.

With each swing of her lightsaber, Amina moved closer to her objective, her determination unwavering as she carved a path through the troopers standing between her and freedom.

As she rounded a corner, Amina came face to face with another group of troopers, their weapons trained on her with deadly intent. But she didn't hesitate, didn't falter in her resolve.

The troopers fought back fiercely, their blaster bolts raining down upon her with relentless force. But Amina was undeterred, her movements swift and precise as she deflected their attacks with ease, her Jedi training shining through in every move she made.

With a final flourish of her lightsaber, Amina dispatched the last of her adversaries, the corridor falling silent once more as the smoke cleared and the dust settled. She took a moment to catch her breath, her heart still pounding with adrenaline as she surveyed the aftermath of the skirmish.

But there was no time to waste. With a sense of urgency driving her forward, Amina sprinted down the corridor, her lightsaber held at the ready as she made her way down the halls. She had no idea where she was, or how to get out of here, but she didn’t have a choice other than to figure it out.

---

Hunter turned Crosshair’s head to the side, seeing a large mark on the left side of his head.

“Hunter, three Venators are descending on the city. We need to leave, now.” Tech said.

Hunter took off Crosshairs backpack and his sniper, “Wrecker, grab Crosshair. He’s coming with us.”

Omega looked up at Hunter, “what about Amina? Where is she?”

"I don't know where she is. They separated us when we got here," Hunter reiterated, his voice tight with concern as he glanced around at his team. Omega's worried expression mirrored his own, her brown eyes wide with apprehension.

Tech's fingers flew over his datapad as he processed the incoming information. "We need to regroup and get out of here before those Venators arrive," he urged, his tone urgent.

Wrecker hefted Crosshair's limp form over his broad shoulder, the sniper's unconscious body a stark reminder of their precarious situation. "Let's move, boys," he grunted, his voice gruff with determination.

Omega trailed after them, her small frame moving swiftly as she kept pace with the rest of the team. "But what about Amina?" she pressed, her voice tinged with worry.

Hunter clenched his jaw, his mind racing as he weighed their options. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease gnawing at him, the knowledge that Amina was out there alone, facing who knew what kind of danger. But they had a mission to complete, and they couldn't afford to risk everything for one person, no matter how much she meant to them.

"We'll find her, Omega. But right now, we need to focus on getting out of here," Hunter replied, his voice firm as he tried to reassure the young girl.

Omega nodded reluctantly, her shoulders slumping with disappointment. She trusted Hunter implicitly, knew that he would do everything in his power to keep them safe. But she couldn't shake the worry gnawing at her gut, the fear that something terrible would happen to Amina if they didn't find her soon.

---

As Amina ran through the empty corridors, blaster shots and explosions covered Tipoca City, causing destruction all around her.

What was happening? Tipoca City wouldn’t just collapse in a fiery, explosive manner.

As she rounded a corner, Amina stumbled upon a scene of utter devastation. The once pristine halls of Tipoca City were now littered with debris and smoke, the remnants of fierce battles between the clone troopers and their mysterious assailants. Blaster fire erupted from every direction, casting eerie shadows on the walls as explosions rocked the facility to its core.

The building tipped to its side as Amina slid down the floor as she pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it, puncturing the floor trying to stop her sliding. But it didn’t work.

She slid down until she fell through one part of the building to another, and narrowly avoided getting trapped underneath metal. Amina patted down her pockets suddenly realizing she didn’t have her comm. Well of course she didn’t, they took it from her.

Her feet started to feel cold as she looked down to see the room she was in slowly starting to fill with water. Kriff. She doesn’t know how to swim, and she’ll be damned if she dies by drowning.

Amina's heart raced as she looked around the rapidly flooding room, panic threatening to consume her. She clutched her lightsaber tightly, the familiar weight providing a small measure of comfort amidst the chaos. But she knew she couldn't rely on her weapon alone to save her from drowning.

Frantically, Amina scanned the room for any means of escape. Her eyes landed on a ventilation shaft near the ceiling, its metal grating barely visible through the murky water. With a surge of determination, she propelled herself upward, kicking against the rising tide as she reached for the shaft above.

Her fingers grazed the metal grate, slipping once before finally finding purchase. With a grunt of effort, she pulled herself up, her muscles straining against the weight of her soaked clothing. Inch by inch, she dragged herself closer to the opening, the water swirling around her legs as she fought to keep her head above the surface.

Finally, with one last burst of strength, Amina hoisted herself up and into the ventilation shaft, collapsing onto the cold metal floor with a gasp of relief. She lay there for a moment, catching her breath as she listened to the muffled sounds of chaos echoing from the corridors below.

But there was no time to rest. With a grim determination, Amina pushed herself to her feet, her sodden clothes clinging to her skin as she peered into the darkness of the shaft. She had to find a way out of here, had to reunite with the group before it was too late. If they were even still alive, that is.

---

They stood in the maintenance deck as AZI made a circle as he welded a hole to get into the tunnel.

Tech looked over at Wrecker, “my scans indicate the tunnel is directly below this maintenance deck. AZI says, with a precise weld to maintain an airtight seal- ”

A loud banging was heard as everyone looked up. “What was that?” Omega asked slowly.

Tech looked down at his datapad, “I am unable to tell. There shouldn’t be anyone else in the facility.”

Hunter walked to a ventilation shaft standing below it. He tilted his head to the side as the grate flew off as a figure jumped out and landed on Hunter, sending them both to the ground.

Hunter grunted as the figure landed on him, the impact knocking the wind out of him as they both tumbled to the ground. He struggled against their weight, instinctively reaching for his blaster as he tried to regain control of the situation.

Amina's heart raced as she collided with Hunter, her reflexes kicking in as she scrambled to disentangle herself from him. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, her eyes widening in surprise as she realized who she had landed on.

"Hunter?" she gasped, her voice tinged with disbelief as she looked down at him, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.

Hunter's eyes widened in recognition as he gazed up at Amina, his mind struggling to process the sight before him. He hadn't expected to see her here, hadn't even known if she was still alive after they had been separated in the chaos of Tipoca City.

"Amina?" he echoed, his voice rough with emotion as he reached out to touch her face, his fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against her cheek.

Amina's heart skipped a beat at the feel of Hunter's touch, a rush of warmth flooding through her as she met his gaze. Despite the danger they were in, despite the uncertainty of their situation, there was something undeniably comforting about being in his presence again.

She stood up hooking her lightsaber to her water-soaked belt, “thank the Force, I’m not gonna die by water. I want to at least die in a cool way.”

Omega bounded forward, her brown eyes bright with excitement as she threw her arms around Amina in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she exclaimed.

Amina bent down and picked her up, “me too.”

"Are you hurt?" Hunter asked, concern evident in his voice as he pushed himself up from the floor, his gaze scanning Amina for any signs of injury.

Amina shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I'm fine. Just the blaster shot to the shoulder from before," she reassured him, her voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

AZI finished making a hole down into the tunnel, “the tunnel is clear!”

They all slowly made their way into the tunnel, slowly walking in the depths of the ocean.

“We need to go back. There must be another way.” Crosshair said.

“That would be unwise. I am afraid this is our best option.” AZI responded.

“You done complaining? You know, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Something on your tiny mind, Wrecker?” Crosshair stepped closer to Wrecker.

“All that time, you didn’t even try to come back. We still would have taken ya.”

“Let it go, Wrecker.” Tech placed a hand on Wrecker’s shoulder, turning him to face himself. “Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It is his nature. You cannot change that. He cannot change that.”

Wrecker walked away to the rest of the group who stood a few steps ahead as Crosshair turned to Tech, “why are you defending me?”

“I am not. Understanding you does not mean that I agree with you.”

Amina followed Omega as she shined the flashlight at the cracked glass in the tunnel. Amina gulped, why did there have to be so much water?

“AZI, this doesn’t look very safe.” Omega said.

“Barring any further complications, this enclosure remains a viable means of transport.”

“Let’s keep moving.” Hunter said. They moved forward slightly before they heard roaring in the distance. “Uh, I think we got a problem.”

“AZI, these tunnels are protected, right?” Omega whispered.

“Only when the power is operational, which it is not.” AZI replied, and a few seconds later, the creature roared again.

“Run!” Hunter yelled.

“Restoring power should deter the creature. Try to stay alive!” AZI exclaimed as he flew down the tunnel.

They continued to run as the creature followed them outside the tunnel, biting down on the curve ahead of them, causing water to start to leak through.

The power slowly came on as the creature roared again, before swimming away. AZI closed the hatch, as they fell down on the floor, catching their breath.

“It appears I have caused this structure’s remaining power to short out. But you have survived the transit. This outcome is satisfactory.”

The group continued their journey, before climbing out of the tunnel and into a lab. Hunter took off his helmet, “what is this place?”

“Nala Se’s private lab.” Tech responded. “Omega says this is where our mutations were manipulated and enhanced.”

“How would she know?” Crosshair asked.

“Because she was there. Omega was created before us. Technically she is older than we are.”

They walked further into the lab before looking at the clear glass. “Uh oh. That’s gonna be a problem.” Wrecker said, looking at the broken tunnel outside of the lab.

“That tunnel was the only way to the Marauder.” Omega said slowly.

“It would seem that, once again, we are trapped.” AZI responded as Amina shook her head.

She was not going to die down here by water. Amina grabbed her japor snippet, holding her wrist. She didn’t want to die now, what about Luke and Leia? They may still be babies, and she may not have any contact with them, but selfishly she wanted to see them grow up, even if it was from a distance.

Hunter watched Amina from across the room, his brow furrowed with concern as he observed the turmoil etched upon her features. He knew that she was grappling with her own fears and doubts, just as he was.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, his voice a soothing presence amidst the chaos surrounding them.

Amina glanced up at him, her eyes reflecting a mixture of emotions. "I'll be fine," she replied with a forced smile, though Hunter could see the strain beneath the surface. "Just… I’ve never been around this much water. I don’t even know how to swim.”

"You've never been around this much water before?" Hunter asked gently, his voice soft with understanding as he moved closer to her, his presence a comforting anchor in the midst of their uncertainty.

Amina nodded, her shoulders slumping slightly as she met Hunter's gaze. "Yeah," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I grew up on Tatooine, you know? Sand, not water. Never really had the chance to learn how to swim. It wasn’t part of my training.”

Hunter's heart went out to her as he saw the apprehension written plainly on her face. He knew what it was like to be thrust into unfamiliar territory, to face situations that stretched the limits of one's comfort zone. But he also knew that Amina was strong, resilient, capable of overcoming whatever challenges came her way.

"Well, lucky for you, I happen to be a pretty good swimmer," Hunter said with a small smile, hoping to lighten the mood with a touch of humor. "I'll make sure you stay afloat."

Amina couldn't help but smile at his attempt to ease her worries, grateful for his unwavering support in the face of adversity. "Thanks, Hunter," she said sincerely, her voice tinged with warmth as she met his gaze. "I appreciate it."

Hunter returned her smile, his own worries momentarily forgotten as he focused on reassuring Amina. He knew they were facing an uphill battle, with danger lurking around every corner, but he also knew that they were stronger together, united in their determination to overcome whatever obstacles lay in their path.

Omega glanced at Amina, “can you use your Jedi tricks to get us out of here?”

Amina kneeled down, “not really. The force can only do so much.”

“What a waste,” Crosshair hissed.

Amina raised an eyebrow at Crosshair's remark, her expression a mixture of irritation and amusement. "I'm sorry, did you have a better suggestion?" she retorted, her voice laced with sarcasm as she glanced pointedly at the broken tunnel outside the lab. "Or are you just here to criticize?"

Crosshair bristled at her response, his jaw clenching with barely contained frustration. "I'm just stating the obvious," he shot back, his tone sharp with annoyance. "Seems like a waste of Jedi powers if you can't even get us out of here."

Amina resisted the urge to roll her eyes, choosing instead to maintain her composure in the face of Crosshair's provocation. She knew he had a tendency to be prickly, especially when tensions were running high, but she wasn't about to let his attitude get under her skin.

She almost wanted to say something about cutting off his head, but she reined it in. She couldn’t be like Anakin, couldn’t fall to the dark side no matter how easy it was to do so.

"Believe me, if I could use the Force to magically conjure up an escape route, I would," she replied evenly, her tone calm despite the underlying frustration simmering beneath the surface. "But unfortunately, I'm not exactly a miracle worker."

Amina stood up as Omega stood by her and Crosshair continued on, “I should’ve shot you when I first saw you.”

She walked towards him, “then do it. Kill me. I’m sure you’d love to snap my neck.” The rest of the group had slowly put their hands up, waiting to intervene if necessary. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. If you were to kill me, the Emperor you blindly follow wouldn’t be that happy with you.”

Crosshair's lips curled into a sneer as he stepped closer to Amina, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "Why would the Emperor care about you?" he challenged, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Amina met his gaze head-on, her expression steady despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "Take a guess," she retorted, her voice cool and composed.

Crosshair's brow furrowed in frustration, his fingers twitching instinctively towards his blaster. But before he could make a move, Hunter stepped forward, his presence a calming influence amidst the rising tension.

"Enough," Hunter said firmly, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "We don't have time for this."

Amina nodded before moving off to another part of the lab, her hand rubbing her japor snippet. What if she was destined to fall the same way Anakin did? The Jedi order was as wary of her as they were of Anakin. They constantly told her she was to reckless, headstrong, and emotional.

What would happen if the Emperor got his hands on her? Would he try to turn her the same way he did to Anakin? Or would he use her to push him further down the path of the dark side?

The Jedi were right, she was emotional. She gets angry and upset quickly, something her Master tried to rectify but never could. In writing, she would make a perfect Sith, but in practice she would fail miserably.

She heard metal creaking as Wrecker lifted a medical capsule upright. Everyone gathered around as Echo spoke, “these medical capsules are our only way out of here.”

“If our mass is evenly distributed, the buoyancy of these watertight chambers will bring us to the surface.” Tech said.

AZI flew in front of Tech, “medical capsules have not been tested for such capabilities.”

“We won’t have directional control. How do we avoid the debris field out there?” Hunter asked.

“The droid.” Crosshair spoke up, walking towards the group, “he can do it.”

Hunter shined his flashlight towards AZI, “AZI, can you guide us to the surface?”

“Barring any extraneous complications, I should be able to complete the task.”

“Won’t that be dangerous?” Omega asked.

“Your safety and well-being is my primary mission objective.”

"Alright, let's get these capsules ready," Hunter said, his voice steady as he directed the group towards the medical chambers scattered around the lab. "We need to move quickly if we're going to make it out of here in one piece."

Omega started to place detonators on the windows of the lab as the rest of them grabbed the medical capsules, 4 in total.

Wrecker stood in his and groaned, “I barely fit in this thing!”

“Quit complaining. At least you’re not doubled up.” Echo replied.

Amina got in the tube she was sharing with Omega as she ran over to the tubes, “the explosives are set.” She got into the tube with Amina, holding the detonator.

“All right. Seal ‘em up.” Hunter said, as everyone closed the tubes with the keypad on the inside.

AZI flew around before giving a thumbs up to Hunter as he looked over to Omega at the other end and nodded.

Omega held the detonator and pressed the button as Amina closed her eyes as the window broke and water filled the lab, causing them to all float out in the water as AZI guided them through the debris.

“I can’t see anything.” Wrecker exclaimed.

Glass cracked on Tech and Echo’s tube, “that is a good thing.”

AZI came to Omega and Amina’s tube as Omega looked up at the droid who was now above them, “you’re doing great, AZI.”

A piece of metal hit the tube as Omega gasped and the glass cracked. The metal weighed them down, causing the tube to float downwards.

AZI came back and attempted to lift the piece of metal off the tube, before moving around it to try and cut the metal.

“Omega? Amina?” Hunter asked through comms. “Omega? What’s happening?”

Omega grabbed her comm, “we got caught on some debris. It’s okay. AZI’s got us.” Omega turned to face the droid who shook his head, his eyes flickering. “Don’t give up. We’re nearly there.”

AZI started to power down, “your path is clear.” His voice started to distort, “I have completed my objective.”

“No!” Omega yelled, her eyes wide as AZI started to fall down through the water. “I’m going after AZI!”

“Omega, don’t!”

Amina grabbed Omega’s hand before she could press the keypad as Amina reached out her hand in the small tube, closing her eyes and looking for AZI through the force.

She felt him, dragging him up with the force as he floated through the water and their tube surfaced. Amina used one last pull as she grabbed AZI’s powered down body, handing him to Omega.

"AZI!" Omega exclaimed, her voice filled with relief as she cradled the droid in her arms, her fingers trembling slightly as she checked him over for any signs of damage. "Are you okay?"

Amina squeezed Omega’s shoulder, “he’s just powered down. We can charge him when we get to the Marauder.”

“I have a visual on the Marauder.” Tech said. “I suggest we start paddling.”

---

When they made it to the platform the Marauder was at, the group stared at the distance where flames and smoke were the only things left of Tipoca City.

“It’s… all gone.” Omega said.

“We should leave before the Empire’s scouts show up.” Tech suggested.

Wrecker looked over at Crosshair, “you coming with us?”

“None of this changes anything.”

“You offered us a chance, Crosshair. This is yours.” Hunter said.

“I made my decision.”

“We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn’t mean that we have to be enemies.”

Crosshair took one last glance at Hunter before turning his gaze back to the water. Hunter walked forward, placing a hand on Omega’s shoulder before following the group onto the Marauder. Hunter stood in the doorway of the ship, waiting for Omega to come on board as she shared a few words with Crosshair.

Amina sat down in the small corner of the ship, sighing and making sure her shoulder didn’t touch the wall to induce any more pain.

The ship took off, leaving behind Kamino as Amina rubbed her japor snippet. She sighed, bringing her knees up to her chest looking at the crevices of the snippet.

Lost in her thoughts, Amina almost didn't notice Hunter's approach until he was standing before her, his presence a familiar warmth at her side. She glanced up at him, offering him a small smile as he settled down beside her, their shoulders brushing lightly as they sat in companionable silence.

"Hey," Hunter said softly, his voice a gentle murmur amidst the hum of the ship. "You okay?"

Amina nodded, her smile widening slightly at the concern evident in Hunter's eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, her voice soft with gratitude. "Just… thinking."

Hunter nodded in understanding, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he spoke again. "It's been a rough day," he said quietly, his tone gentle as he reached out to touch her hand. "But we made it through."

Amina's heart skipped a beat at the warmth of Hunter's touch, a rush of emotion flooding through her at his words. Despite the hardships they had faced, despite the dangers that still lurked in the shadows, there was a sense of peace that settled over her in Hunter's presence, a feeling of safety and belonging that she cherished more than words could express.

"Yeah we did," she said sincerely, her voice barely above a whisper as she met his gaze.

"Now, how about I check out your shoulder?" Hunter suggested, his tone gentle as he looked at Amina with concern.

Amina nodded, grateful for his offer. "Yeah, that would be great," she replied, shifting slightly to give him better access to her injured shoulder. “Although, I think I just need a bandage.”

Hunter nodded, his expression serious as he examined Amina's shoulder. "Let's take a look," he said, gently easing aside the fabric of her clothing to assess the wound beneath. Amina winced slightly at the touch, but she remained still, trusting Hunter's expertise to see her through.

“It looks like more than a graze. It was a clean shot through your shoulder.”

Amina winced slightly at the touch, her jaw clenching against the pain as she forced herself to remain still. "Yeah, I kind of figured," she replied with a wry smile, though there was no mistaking the strain in her voice.

Hunter's expression softened at her attempt at humor, his eyes reflecting a mixture of sympathy and determination. "We'll need to clean and bandage it properly," he said, his tone matter-of-fact as he reached for the medical supplies nearby.

Amina nodded, grateful for his care. She held still as he gently cleaned the wound, his touch firm but gentle as he worked. Despite the pain, she found herself oddly comforted by his presence, his steady hands a reassuring anchor amidst the chaos of their surroundings.

Once the wound was cleaned, Hunter carefully applied a fresh bandage, his movements precise and methodical as he secured it in place. Amina winced slightly at the pressure, but she remained quiet, trusting Hunter to take care of her.

"There, all done," Hunter said, his voice soft as he finished dressing Amina's wound. He looked up at her, his eyes searching hers for any signs of discomfort. "How does that feel?"

Amina tested her shoulder gingerly, feeling the tightness of the bandage as she moved. "Better," she replied with a small smile, grateful for Hunter's skillful ministrations. "Thanks, Hunter."

Hunter returned her smile, his expression warm as he met her gaze. "Anytime," he said softly, his tone earnest as he reached out to touch her hand. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Amina felt a warmth spread through her at Hunter's words, a rush of gratitude welling up inside her as she squeezed his hand gently. "Me too," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper as she leaned in closer to him.

“I’ll go check in with the others. You should get some rest.”

As Hunter disappeared into the main cabin of the ship, Amina closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the relative comfort of her surroundings. The gentle hum of the engines, the steady rhythm of the ship's movements—it was oddly soothing, like a lullaby coaxing her towards sleep.

---

She was kneeling in front of Palpatine’s throne, force restraining handcuffs binding her hands together behind her back.

“Ah, Lord Vader. I have a gift for you.” Palpatine said, a dark joy engrained in his voice.

Amina heard the mechanical footsteps and masked breathing as she looked up to find Anakin- Vader, in front of her, staring her down.

“Anakin.” She whispered, as Palpatine struck her with force lightning, causing her to cry out and fall down.

“Your brother is dead.” Palpatine hissed, as he stopped his attack. Two royal guards lifted her back up to a kneeling position.

She looked up through the black mask, “please, Ani.” She whispered, feeling tears fall down her face.

“Kill her.” Palpatine sneered at Vader, as Amina’s eyes widened.

"Ani," she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared up at the masked visage of her brother. Despite the darkness that surrounded him, she could still see glimpses of the man he once was, the boy she had grown up with on the sands of Tatooine.

But those glimpses were fleeting, overshadowed by the darkness that consumed him now. As Vader raised his lightsaber, the crimson blade igniting with a hiss of power, Amina's heart clenched with despair. She had failed him, failed to save him from the clutches of the dark side, and now she would pay the ultimate price.

The hum of the lightsaber filled the air, drowning out the sound of Amina's racing heartbeat as Vader raised the blade high above his head. In that moment, time seemed to stand still, the world holding its breath as the Sith Lord prepared to strike the final blow.

She could feel the heat of his red blade close to her neck as he lifted the saber and-

Amina gasped as she woke up, her heart racing as she looked around the empty Marauder. They weren't flying anymore, so she assumed they were back on Ord Mantell. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up slowly, her mind still reeling from the vivid nightmare that had plagued her sleep.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek as she quickly wiped it away. Kriff, she was angry. She was being tormented by her own brother who she hadn’t seen since he was burning on Mustafar.

What would happen if they saw each other again? Would he not hesitate to kill her like in her nightmares?

With a deep breath, Amina rose to her feet, her muscles protesting with fatigue as she moved towards the main cabin of the ship. She needed to check in with the others, to make sure they had all made it back safely from their harrowing journey.

The door to the ship was open, so she descended the ramp and saw the group fixing up the ship, with Omega sitting on top of Gonky eating Mantell mix.

Omega hopped down from Gonky, her eyes bright with excitement as she approached Amina. "Hey, Amina! Want some Mantell mix?" she offered, holding out a handful of the crunchy snack.

Amina smiled gratefully, taking a handful of the mix and popping it into her mouth. "Thanks, Omega," she said, her voice warm with affection.

Omega grinned back at her, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. "No problem! Want to help me finish fixing up Gonky?" she asked, gesturing towards the droid as she reached for another handful of Mantell mix.

Amina nodded, swallowing the crunchy snack before following Omega over to where Gonky was parked. "Sure thing," she replied, her spirits lifting at the prospect of spending some time with Omega. Despite the lingering effects of her nightmare, being around the energetic young girl never failed to brighten her mood.

As they worked together to make some adjustments to Gonky's systems, Amina found herself relaxing in Omega's company. The rhythmic clanking of tools, the occasional burst of laughter— it all served as a welcome distraction from the weight of her worries.

“Amina.” A voice infiltrated her mind as she dropped the screwdriver and looked around.

Amina's heart skipped a beat as she heard the voice in her mind, her senses going on high alert as she glanced around, searching for the source of the mysterious communication. There was no one nearby, no one who could have spoken to her in such a way. She frowned, her brow furrowing with confusion as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Omega quietly, her voice barely above a whisper as she cast a wary glance around the hangar. Omega shook her head, her expression puzzled as she looked up at Amina.

"Hear what?" she asked, her brow furrowing with concern. Amina hesitated, unsure of how to explain the strange sensation that had washed over her just moments before. It felt like someone had spoken directly into her mind, a voice that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"Nothing," Amina replied, forcing a smile as she tried to shake off the unease that had settled over her. "Must have been my imagination."

She bent down and grabbed the screwdriver when the voice spoke again in a eerily familiar sound, “Amina.”

Amina turned around, “Anakin?” She whispered.

She heard the breathing that haunted her nightmares as she turned around once more and found herself in a pod, staring at the back of a black helmet. She felt a chill run down her spine as she took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for the lightsaber at her belt.

"Anakin?" she whispered, her voice barely above a hoarse whisper as she stared at the figure in front of her. She knew it was him, knew it with a certainty that sent shivers down her spine.

The figure turned slowly, the sound of servos whirring as the helmet faced her, the dark visor hiding any trace of the man she once knew. Amina's breath caught in her throat as she stared into the abyss of that mask, searching for any sign of the brother she had lost.

“You left me for dead.” Vader said, as Amina took a small step back.

“I didn’t leave you!”

Vader took a step forward as she took a step back, “you let me burn on Mustafar.”

“I had no choice.” She replied, her voice breaking and eyes welling up with tears, “I didn’t want t- to leave you, Ani.”

Vader's mechanical breathing seemed to echo through the pod, a haunting reminder of the man he once was. Amina's heart clenched with anguish as she looked into the abyss of his mask, searching desperately for any hint of the brother she had lost.

Vader's mask remained impassive, his presence imposing as he loomed over her. "You abandoned me," he accused, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down Amina's spine.

"No, Ani, I swear," Amina pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears. "I thought you were dead. I would never have left you willingly."

Vader's grip tightened on his lightsaber, the crimson blade casting a sinister glow in the dim confines of the pod. "It matters not," he declared, his voice cold and unforgiving. "You will pay for your betrayal."

“No, Anakin! I didn’t betray you! I swear I didn’t.” She cried, “you’re my brother, Anakin! I know you’re still in there.”

Vader raised his hand, pushing her with the force as she found herself flying through the hanger on Ord Mantell. She flew into the wall and onto the ground as the Bad Batch watched.

As Amina collided with the hard surface of the hangar wall, pain shot through her body like lightning. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, leaving her gasping for air as she struggled to push herself upright. She could hear the concerned voices of the Bad Batch echoing in her ears, their footsteps approaching her prone form.

"General! Are you alright?" Hunter's voice cut through the haze of pain, his tone laced with worry as he knelt beside her.

Amina blinked away tears of pain, forcing herself to focus on his concerned face. "I'm... I'm fine," she managed to choke out, her voice strained as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

Hunter's brow furrowed with concern as he reached out to gently touch her shoulder. "That looked like quite a fall," he remarked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

She heard mechanical breathing as she whipped her head behind her, only to find the cement wall.

Wrecker came forward and helped her up, “woah, how did that even happen?”

Amina winced slightly as she brushed herself off, trying to shake off the lingering effects of her encounter with Vader. "I'm not sure," she replied, her voice strained with pain. "I must have lost my footing."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, “and flew across the hanger?”

“I- ” She cut herself off. If Anakin- Vader, knew she was alive, that means the Emperor does too. And if they both know she’s alive, she can only assume that they’re going to be searching for her to use in their dark, twisted schemes. She started to slowly walk back onto the ship, brushing off the group’s concerns, and grabbed the few things she had as Hunter followed.

She was a threat, a risk, how can she stay with them any longer if she was putting them and Omega in danger? Maker, was she really that stupid and naïve to think she can stay in one place for a long period of time?

Hunter followed closely behind her, his brow furrowed with concern as he watched her movements. "Amina, what's going on?" he asked, his voice gentle yet tinged with worry. He could sense her distress, her turmoil, and it pained him to see her in such a state.

Amina paused in her packing, her heart heavy with guilt as she turned to face him. "Hunter, I... I can't stay," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's too dangerous for all of you to have me around."

She put the things in her backpack and pulled out her blaster from her bag, checking it over before putting it in her holster.

“Stop.” Hunter said, grabbing her upper arm, stopping her from moving. Amina stopped, her back to him as she gripped her backpack.

"The Emperor knows I'm alive now, and he’ll stop at nothing to capture me. Ana- ” She cut herself off, she couldn’t let anyone know that Anakin was alive.

She scoffed, Master Yoda was right, she’s too emotional. What if Anakin and Palpatine did get their hands on her? Would she turn that easily to be reunited with her brother? Or should she listen to Obi-Wan’s advice? Maybe attachments weren’t such a bad thing, after all, she has a group of people surrounding her who all takes care of each other.

Amina turned around in his grip, as she now faced him, a few tears streaming down her face. “I… I’m so confused right now. It’s like everything I knew is crumbling around me and I don’t know how to stay afloat.” She looked down, “everyone I knew is gone, dead or… buried within themselves.”

"I know it's hard, Amina," Hunter said softly, his voice filled with empathy. "But you're not alone. We're all here for you, no matter what. Whatever you're going through, we'll face it together."

Amina swallowed hard, her throat tight with emotion as she met Hunter's gaze. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, the genuine care and concern he held for her, and it touched something deep within her soul. Despite her doubts and fears, there was a part of her that longed to trust him, to believe in the bond they shared.

"I want to believe that, Hunter," she whispered, her voice barely above a hoarse whisper as she looked down again. "But I can't shake this feeling that I'm putting all of you in danger just by being here."

Hunter reached out and gently brushed a stray tear from her cheek, his touch warm and comforting against her skin. "We knew the risks when we decided to take you in," he said, his voice steady and reassuring. "But that doesn't mean we're going to abandon you now. We're a team, Amina, and we stick together, no matter what."

Amina nodded, her heart heavy with gratitude as she leaned into Hunter's touch, seeking solace in his presence. In a quick, almost impulsive moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hunter stiffened slightly at the unexpected embrace, his breath catching in his throat as he hesitated for a moment before tentatively returning the gesture. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her close as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “Master Yoda and Master Windu always said I was emotional and impulsive. I guess I have a think later attitude.”

"You don't have to apologize, Amina," Hunter murmured, his voice soft as he gently stroked her hair. "We all have our moments of doubt, of uncertainty. It's what makes us human."

Amina pulled back slightly, meeting Hunter's gaze with a mixture of gratitude and vulnerability in her eyes. "Thank you, Hunter," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "For everything."

Hunter smiled warmly at her, his heart swelling with a sense of affection for the young Jedi. "Anytime, Amina," he replied, his voice tender. "We're in this together, remember?"

Amina nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Yeah," she said softly. "Together."

tags: @callsign-denmark

#tbb hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter x reader #tbb hunter x you #tbb hunter x fem!jedi #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #sergeant hunter x oc #sergeant hunter x reader #tbb hunter x amina skywalker

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