#bad batch head canons

[zaana]

AU where protective Crosshair helps Omega flee the empire

[phantom-of-the-keurig]

THIS IS NOT A DRILL, EVERYONE WATCH THIS CLIP THEY BROUGHT THE BABY CLONES BACK 😭

[lililibrik]

idk about canon but i like the idea of stressed but young big bro hunter worried about baby tech

[waywardsou2]

Shirtless Cuddles with The Batch

Tags: Trans!Reader/M!Reader, masculine terms, AFAB reader, romantic but fluffy, cuddles, just general nice fluff, gayness

A/N: This is a scenario for all of my trans fellas out there. Or anyone that was born AFAB but isn't necessarily comfortable with their chest. How the Batchers would react if you wanted to sleep without your shirt on.

Basically, for context I am trans, and I am AFAB. I have not had top surgery yet but find it uncomfortable to sleep with my shirt on most nights. I've been stuck in the Bad Batch brain rot at the moment and was wondering what it would be like to cuddle with the Clones for the first time without a shirt on. In a fluffy romantic context tho. (I don't even know if any of this is making sense but if it does then please read on. Also I wanted to include Omega but didn't really know how to make that work so she unfortunately won't be in this one)

Scenario: You and your Clone are settling down for bed, it's been a long day and the missions have been rough recently. The two of you make your way to your shared quarters and you both begin changing for bed. You go to change out your shirt for another more comfortable one but you stop before you can even pull it over your head. You've been with your partner for a few years now and they know about your identity, they accept it wholeheartedly, but you've never taken the step to show them your body. You never felt ready, but something feels different tonight. "Hey, I want try something tonight?" Your Batcher turns to you and waits for you to respond looking slightly confused "I don't really want to wear my shirt tonight; it gets irritating sometimes. But I didn't know how you would react to my chest"

Hunter

Hunter turns to you and gives you a soft smile, he's knows that you toss and turn a lot of the night not being able to find a comfortable way to place your arms with your t-shirt twisted around you body. It the exact reason why he hardly wears a shirt in bead. He reaches forward and slips his fingers underneath your shirt, he looks at you for consent to keep going and when you nod, he gently pulls it over your head and tosses it aside. His hands rest on your hips, and he looks at you, he doesn't even bother to look at your chest. It doesn't matter to him, he loves you for you, not your body, he loves the handsome man standing in front of him.

The two of you walk over to the bed and settle under the covers, you turn inwards, so your chest is facing his and curl up, he wraps his arms around you, stroking the exposed skin of your back and gives you a soft kiss on the forehead before looking back into your eyes, softly he says, "You will always be my handsome man, no matter what."

And with that you rest your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat as his torso rises and falls with each steady breath.

Crosshair

Crosshair looks at you with a small question on his furrowed brow "Why are you asking me? It's your body so it's your choice"

Knowing that's as about as good as a response you are going to get from him you turn around and pull your shirt off, discarding it.

He looks at the floor as you do so but when you turn back around he looks up, he looks at your chest briefly but only for a moment, your arms are crossed over it, but doesn't think much of it. Your chest doesn't change his image of you. He gives you a wry but reassuring grin and pulls you over to the bed and the two of you climb in.

He isn't wearing a shirt either so as he rolls over and pulls your back into his chest you can feel his breathing and his heartbeat and his warmth, the feeling very calming. He wraps his arms around your stomach careful to not touch your chest and pulls you closer to his so your spine curves into his chest.

He traces patterns into your stomach and lower chest, he traces a line up in the small space between your ribs in your upper chest, he does it slowly, creeping up ever so slightly and when you don't protest he lays his hand there, feeling your heartbeat. He sighs contentedly and so do you.

He gives you a kiss on the back of your head and mumbles "Love you" so quietly you almost don't hear it. You hum in response "Love you too Cross" and the two of you drift off to sleep.

Wrecker

Wrecker is a little slow on the uptake and doesn't quite understand what you are getting at, at first.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I wasn't born the same as you, remember? My chest isn't flat like yours"

He thinks for a moment and then it dawns on him what you are getting at "Oh?! Yeah, I did kinda forget, you are just so manly it's hard to remember that sometimes"

You laugh, he's so endearing and his blunt honestly makes your heart thrum with happiness. Even if he doesn't realise his comments about blatantly stating how "manly" you are always fill your heart fit to bursting.

"So is it ok?" you ask again

"Yeah?! Of course!" he cups your face in his hands and gives you a big kiss on the forehead.

You take a step back to take of your shirt and then you step into his space again and he gives you a massive bear hug, you let out a laugh as he throws you onto the bed. He dives after you and you are both a laughing mess. So much for going to sleep.

He pulls you over so you are laying on top of him and he wraps his arms tightly around you "You are amazing you know that?"

You giggle and reply "You're amazing too Wrecker" and with that you lay there together, humming and laughing softly, an endless loop of uncontainable happiness. You felt so lucky to be loved by someone like Wrecker.

Tech

Tech also doesn't quite understand, he looks at you quizzically and says "Yes? That is fine? Why do you ask?"

"Because it's important?" you respond a little upset by his blunt response

He thinks for a moment and studies your face as he does so, he seems to come to a conclusion and opens his mouth again "Would you like me to close my eyes or turn away?"

You shrug your shoulders noncommittally and Tech considers you for another moment, then his face lights up slightly, like a lightbulb going off in his head. He removes his goggles and places them beside your shared bed "There. This way I can't see and you know that I won't be able to see"

You chuckle at him, he's not wrong but it still feels a little bit silly. He seems to understand there is still some hesitancy and he takes your hand "You should only do what you are comfortable with, and you should know that I would never judge you for your body. No matter what"

He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze before he nods his head towards the bed. "Do you wish to cuddle or should I give you some space"

In response you scooch over to him and lay an arm over his side placing your head on his palm, which he turns over to cup the side of your face.

"Maybe one day you can ask the Kaminoan's to help alleviate your chest dysphoria. But you should know by now that your body will never define your gender."

His statement makes you tear up a little and you smile at him "Thank you Tech"

"It is no problem my dear"

Echo

Echo looks a little taken aback "Yes, that's fine" he doesn't really seem to know what to say, and neither do you.

Instead, you slip your shirt off and he looks away politely. You touch his arm to grab his attention and turn back but he continues to look at your feet.

"Can I look?" he asks shyly

"Yeah, that's the point silly" you say with a chuckle

"That's not exactly what I meant" he says even more quietly than before. "I mean can I look at you, all of you?"

You feel warmth creep up your neck and cheeks as he says this

"Y-yeah" you stutter out and he looks up at you.

He looks into your eyes first and then drops them to your chest, he doesn't say anything but he also doesn't look for very long. You stand there a little shy and a little self-conscious but he looks away quickly enough that you don't feel uncomfortable.

He takes his one good hand and raises it to your cheek, cupping it gently and you nuzzle into it humming.

"You are a very beautiful person. I feel like the luckiest Clone alive to be with someone as amazing as you. Thank you for feeling comfortable enough to share your body with me. I know that couldn't have been easy"

You smile back at him, a grin stretching its way across your face "You can't be the luckiest man alive because I have you, and that makes me the luckiest" He blushes in return, the deep red a stark contrast to his pale skin.

You both crawl into bed and you wrap your arms around each other and slowly doze off, never letting go of one another.

Hope you enjoyed! This one goes out to all my trans brothers out there!

!Feel free to request any other ideas that you would like me to write!

[lifblogs]

Crying about Omega looking like Tech. It makes no god damn sense since she’s never looked like him, but oh my god, she looks like him.

[blankpages83]

Kryze family head cannons

Bo-katan’s middle name is Ka’rta (iron heart, the symbol on mando armor) because she was going to be raised as the warrior

Korkie (Kenobi) Kryze is force sensitive. Satine taught him to hide his abilities and never told him about his father so she wouldn’t loose the only person she had left

After relentlessly asking to join her parents in battle during the civil wars, her mother finally agreed, that day Bo-katan watched her mother be k*lled infront of her

Bo-katan and pre vizsla were in a relationship, a toxic one, but a relationship none the less

[casp1an-sea]

random thought

Tech likes Paper

[apocalyp-tech-a]

Eye of Sauron Vibes?

Perhaps representing Hemlock's use of the operative as 'eyes and ears.' Perhaps it's more like a goggle lens, representing CX-2's intelligence and power. Don't we know someone else who is very intelligent and kind of overpowered and has eyes that are often alluded to? 🤔 Not over this dude until we find out who it is and if it's who I think it is, I will never be over him.

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

Is that Hunter’s red bandanna on Omega when she’s grown up

[dangraccoon]

The Bad Batch Head Canons - Nicknames

The Bad Batch x You

Hunter

Platonic, You: this man won’t generally refer to you with much other than your name. He may call you “verd’ika” (private/little soldier) from time to time

Platonic, Him: you call him “sergeant” or “boss”, he tells you not to. This goes on continually, but Hunter doesn’t mind

Romantic, You: he tried a couple different nicknames for you but “sarad” or “sarad’ika” (flower or little flower) is what stuck best

Romantic, Him: if you call this man “hun” he won’t know if it’s a shortened version of Hunter or Honey and honestly he couldn’t be bothered to care; he loves it so much either way. Use his formal title and he absolutely will fuck you asap

Tech

Platonic, You: if you’re only friends, Tech probably won’t have a nickname for you, though he may pick up another batcher’s nickname for you if he thinks you enjoy it

Platonic, Him: if you’re the type to throw around nicknames, he’ll likely be confused but ultimately accepting of nicknames like “bud/buddy”

Romantic, You: this man for sure calls you “darling” and will occasionally use the mando’a “cyar’ika”

Romantic, Him: you are the only person in the universe that can call him “Techie” and he will adore it. If you refer to him as your “boyfriend”/“husband” or as “my man” he will melt immediately. If you call him “lover” he will go absolutely feral for for you

Wrecker

Platonic, You: if you are smaller than Wrecker, he will point it out. He’ll usually call you “little one”, even if you’re not that much smaller than him or a version of your name that’s shortened

Platonic, Him: as a counter to his, you call him “Big Guy” or something similar. It’s definitely giving Pike & Grog vibes

Romantic, You: when he gets feelings for you, he starts to use your actual name more often. He likes the sound of it.

Romantic, Him: you call him “babe” or “baby” and he will fall for you all over again, use his actual name or shorten it to Wreck he will be trying to get into your pants

Echo

Platonic, You: to be completely honest, I think Echo would just call you by your first name, or title if you outrank him

Platonic, Him: Echo already has a short name so he’ll definitely be confused if you start calling him “Eck” but he really likes it when you call him “hun”

Romantic, You: he definitely calls you “dear” in public situations and “sir/ma’am” in private ones

Romantic, Him: this man will respond to just about anything. Like those videos of dogs who will respond to the tone of their owner saying sit instead of the actual word, if you called him “newspaper” his attention would be on you.

Crosshair

Platonic, You: you cannot tell me this man doesn’t call you “babydoll” or “kitten”. That’s not my headcanon, I’m taking it as fact.

Platonic, Him: you like to call him “Crossy” to tick him off. It usually works. If you really want to get under his skin, call him “Hairy” but I cannot guarantee that you’ll see another sunrise

Romantic, You: He’s fond of calling you “darling”, but he’ll also drop the occasional “sugar” if he’s feeling frisky, or “fucker” if he’s had enough of your teasing

Romantic, Him: you can call this man anything you want and he will come running. He seems to prefer “sweetheart” over anything else though. Also he definitely has some kind of authority kink so anything in the realm of “sir/master/daddy” will immediately get you into the bedroom

[talesfrommedinastation]

My redneck neighbor Doug watches 'The Bad Batch': Tipping Point

It's pretty darn clear that Doug's love of Daddy Warcrimes runs hard and it runs deep, along with his love for Toaster Strudel and Rex, who is the Daddy of Daddies. So you KNOW this episode made him a happy smiley boy.

For as grumpy and grouchy as 'Pabu' made him (and his extremely weird pairing of Mayday and Phee, which haunts me to this day), the amount of smiley faces and emojis I got in this one was the polar opposite. Or maybe that's because the Crimson Tide lost that day. Who knows.

Onto the Doug commentaries of 'Tipping Point' aka 'THE WRATH OF TOASTER STRUDEL'.

CW: "Call your momma if you wanna read my comments, I guess. Shouldn't the kids be watching that Australian dog show, anyway?"

----

Well, it’s a cloudy gross day in wherever. Is this to remind us that Daddy Rambo and the other two clowns are partying in Daytona while everyone else is suffering? I’m still mad OH HOLY HELL IS THAT JORGE?!

It is Jorge! And oh no it’S BLOND JACKASS’S BROTHER. God damn it, do they only hire the children of the corn to run this damn Empire, what the hell. I hope they’re not going to die, I’m still mad about Sassy Park Ranger.

Okay, they’re going out–woah! What’s this? Space battle? With the old school bloop-bloop noise, that’s great.

WHAT, YES! IT'S TOASTER STRUDEL! AND REX! Wait, no, that’s not Rex–who is that? Oh! It’s Jorge’s cousin, Manny! Hell yeah! And his new best friends he picked up from outside of Miami, no doubt doing some weird survival camp in the Everglades, based on their camo gear and grunts. I’ll call ‘em Trigger and Nutsy, for now. 

RAIN HELLFIRE ON THEM, TOASTER STRUDEL! Pretend it’s yo daddy that left yo convection oven momma!

CLENCH YOUR BUTTHOLE AND BITE THE PILLOW, BLOND JACKASS’S BROTHER, YOU ABOUT TO FEEL THE WRATH OF TOASTER STRUDEL AND HIS TEAM OF FLORIDA MEN. 

Holy SHIT, where has THIS SHOW BEEN?! I feel like a little kid watching Star Wars again! This is awesome! Kick everyone’s ass, Trigger and Nutsy! I mean, Jesus, they’re wiping the floor with them! I almost feel bad for the troopers, but they work for the Empire, shoot ‘em and let God sort ‘em out.

Manny remembered his electric bocce ball, love the guy. Go Toaster Strudel, go! 

Seriously, I could watch Toaster Strudel shoot assholes and take over ships and bark orders at Trigger and Nutsy all day, forget dumpster diving with Church Lady and the gang looking for James Franco’s arm in Utah, THIS IS THE SHOW I WANT TO SEE!

(Hold on, my wife is yelling at me to calm down. I should’ve watched this at work on my phone, but I figured I’d watch it on the TV instead while drinking some Abitas. The last two episodes were not good for my blood pressure. )

10/10 would recommend to chug while watching Copy Paste Bois kill.

“Where are you taking those clones” man, Trigger is FIRED UP, and oh there goes BLOND JACKASS’S BROTHER KILLING HIMSELF ON SCREEN. And look at ol’ Nutsy, saving Jorge and handing him guns! Oh Jorge is so happy to see his militia boo and know his cousin Manny’s got his back. God damn I am smiling so much right now. 

Welp, Toaster Strudel can’t download shit, must be the old Limewire acting up. BLOND JACKASS’S BROTHER was probably downloading porn onto the ship’s mainframe and the FBI caught ‘em in the act. The ship was clearly manned by Millenials. 

Uh oh, Empire’s here! With the music! Seriously, I feel like a kid again screaming at the theater in Lafayette. Toaster Strudel and Jorge’s cousins escape! Go, go, go! My boys, my boys! Go!

Oh, man, Dr. Meat Muffin, I am a happy old man right now. So happy. 

And they’re safe with Sonic Special, she’s getting them drinks and figuring out there’s shit going down in the place. Man, we need more of her and Toaster Strudel. If this is all we are getting from either of them, I’ll find the director’s front lawn and take a dump on it. MORE TOASTER STRUDEL PLEASE 

Back in Daytona. Is it bad this place is starting to piss me off? I don’t CARE how pretty it is, I want people kicking ASS and taking NAMES and taking DUMPS on front lawns. At least Julio’s fishing and having fun. Did he just catch an Asian carp? 

Woah! Ryan-from-Accounting clearly wants to die, as he’s got Little Orphan Blondie behind the wheel of the HMS Search Warrant and she’s flinging them across the sky. His bitch wife Laura must have found the posts online that Church Lady did of her and Ryan-from-Accounting, or maybe he got some extra life insurance. Who knows. 

And there’s TOASTER STRUDEL! I love this bald bastard so much! Look at him hugging Little Orphan Blondie! Talking business with Ryan-from-Accounting! Shaking hands with Daddy Rambo! All after he took down an imperial ship and saved Jorge and his brothers! I bet he even brought some gas station chicken for everyone too! When does HE get his own show?! 

Ryan-from-Accounting takes us to his true love, his Windows computer. Maybe he’ll show us his downloaded copies of that show from Japan with the screaming people and the aliens and no one wears a shirt. 

(You mean Dragonball Z? -Dr MM

I guess? My nephew won’t stop watching it since he lost his job. - Doug) 

That computer loves him more than both Church Lady and his bitch wife Laura combined, I bet. Which is okay, Church Lady’s true love is Sassy Park Ranger, he’ll be back someday.

“When will it be enough?” Oh can it and get a job, Daddy Rambo, don’t knock my boy Toaster Strudel like that. He’s a hard working man. 

Oh man, Ryan-from-Accounting is panicking. Daddy Warcrimes is being held prisoner by weirdos, led by Ryan-from-Accounting’s bitchy stepsister, Beth, and Jimmy-the-Scientist. 

“We don’t leave our own behind.” Why does this feel like a set up and Daddy Rambo is going to leave Ryan-from-Accounting behind at a Circle K or something? 

Man, even coked out of his mind Daddy Warcrimes can take a clutch of folks down. Why do these scenes remind me of that show with Ed Harris and cowboys and robots?

Westworld?

Yeah that. Oh man, Daddy Warcrimes. I like those grey jammies on him. Oh man, it’s torture time. If this goes right back to Daddy Rambo’s gang having a kegger I’m serious, I’m taking a dump on the director’s lawn. 

Now he’s getting lectured by Ryan-from-Accounting’s stepsister, Beth. She hates Ryan-from-Accounting because he has friends and she’s stuck in the 9-to-5 working in a place that looks like it smells like mildew and ass. 

(“Where did you come up with the name Beth?”

“She looks like one, and she only drinks almond milk lattes and is a total bitch to waiters. She introduced Ryan-from-Accounting to his Bitch Wife Laura, they were sorority sisters in Alpha Amma Bitcha”)

Ahhh shoot them all, Daddy Warcrimes! Oh, now there’s gas. Is the Joker going to show up? I need Prince doing the soundtrack now. Will the internet get that reference? Michael Keaton was the best Batman.

Oh shit man no, it’s Jimmy-the-Scientist! I wanted the Joker :( 

What’s going to happen next? Are they going to rescue Daddy Warcrimes?! What’s Stepsister Beth up to?!

(I gave up correcting Doug on Mayday and Phee. Just gave up. - Dr MM) 

[staycalmandhugaclone]

Theoretically, suppose there are exactly 6 sets of bed sheets on the Marauder: one with dinosaurs, one with unicorns, one with flowers, one with planets, one solid red, and one tie dye. The batch needed new sheets and these were on sale. Suppose each person, including Omega, gets one set. Who gets which set?

This is so cute and wholesome... makin' my heart happy! Mkay!

Obviously Omega wants the unicorns, but, no lie, Wrecker loves them. He's also kinda got his eyes on the dinos, but Tech actually snagged those (he makes a game of researching a new dino before bed until he knows everything about each one), so Omega takes the flowers so Wrecker can have the unicorns.

Crosshair grabs the red ones before anyone can even get a word in, and Echo and Hunter really couldn't care less - it's more about function for them. Hunter ends up with the planets just because the colors are more muted and won't mess with his eyes as much, and, honestly, Echo kinda likes the chaos of the tie dye anyway - he thinks Fives would have absolutely tried to recreate the patterns on his blacks with bleach if he'd seen anything like this before.

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Click here for my Masterlist.

[waywardsou2]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ General Bad Batch Head Canons ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Hunter

He was secretly always jealous of Cut getting to settle down, have a life, a family, getting away from all the war and bloodshed. Hunter had wanted that but never thought it was possible

Hunter cried, fully cried to himself the night after Crosshair, despite everything that had just happened on Kamino, had still chosen the Empire over his brothers. Despite all he had seen on the battlefield all of the people he had failed to save, nothing hurt more than losing his brother.

When he was young, and ever since then Hunter has only ever let his brothers trim his hair. And he helps them cut theirs too. Hunter is very particular about his hair being a certain length and usually only trims his hair a few inches at best.

Hunter's face tattoo is actually to cover a birthmark. His other brothers (not the batch) used to tease him about it when they were cadets. He eventually got the tattoo to cover it up. These days he regrets it and doesn't understand why he folded to their teasing but he's still happy with it anyway. He doesn't regret the tattoo perse more the reason he felt the need to get it in the first place

Wrecker

Wrecker got Lula from a kid he helped on Ryloth when the Separatists were attempting to invade the planet, he loved it and was very attached to the toy. But he knew how important it was to the kid and he kept it with him for years until he gave it to Omega. He thought it made sense to give it to her, a young kid he had helped gave it to him and now he had passed it on to the next kid who needed it

Wrecker used to place fake bombs or stink bombs under his brother's bunks as pranks. He was always so obvious whenever he was doing this because he would be over-eager and giggle to himself, but he did manage to jump his brothers a few times with the prank

When Wrecker was caught in a bombing accident that messed up his eye and scared his face, he had a hard time adjusting to the way he looked, he didn't recognize part of himself now. And he especially hated when his hair didn't grow back the same way, and because of that he decided to shave it all off and continue to keep his head bald

In addition to that I think that when Wrecker was younger, he had hair a similar length to Hunter, and he liked it, despite the Kaminoans telling him to cut it several times. He does miss his hair at times, but he does like it better without hair hindering him.

Tech

Techs goggles function the same as prescription glasses, he's actually far sighted, this is why his helmet was built to fit around his goggles because he basically cannot see without them

(less of a head canon more of a canon fact with my personal twist) Tech is the youngest of his brothers but he was the quickest to mature and grow, which he likes reminding them about constantly.

(this one is gonna hurt, sorry in advance) When he fell off of the rail car into the ravine below, he didn't instantly but have some very fatal wounds and wasn't far off, Hemlock and his men found him and Hemlock took his goggles from off of his dying body and left. Leaving his men to dispose of him (I don't know what my mind was thinking when I wrote this, I guess I just love angst too much)

Tech had feelings for Phee but he never knew if she was being polite or flirting with him. He never said anything about it to her or his brothers because he figured that there was never going to be a time for him to ever act on those feelings so he never did anything about them.

Echo

(keep in mind I haven't seen any pre Bad Batch content of Echo so some of this stuff might conflict with his canon)

When Echo got blown up and had to have his face reconstructed he was awake for most of the procedure because if he slept or if they induced him it wasn't likely that he would wake up again, especially considering all of the damage done to his body and brain.

(Idk why but this one is super random but just feels right to me) Echo really likes butterflies, he likes the delicacy and beauty that comes from the creature's existence, the first time he saw one he was taken aback and had stopped to admire it. His Commander scolded him for getting left behind at the time

Echo used to pick at his head implants, they made him really uncomfortable and self-conscious, and his brothers used to have to stop him from damaging them and endangering himself. It was a really big issue of his for a while.

Crosshair

Crosshair's tattoo is also a cover-up for a scar, it's the right side of the crosshair that touches his nose. That line is actually a healed over scar underneath. He thought considering his nickname that the tattoo wasn't a bad idea. He was also secretly just copying his big brother Hunter, not that he would ever admit that

This guy can nap anywhere, and I mean anywhere. He doesn't sleep so he naps when he can. In trees, standing up, in the cockpit literally any where.

Adding onto the head canon from before I think Crosshair would have insomnia. But as he would do he never told the Kaminoans because he didn't want them to "fix him"

Crosshair has a nervous/general tick where he chews on his lip, he used to chew it so often that he often had cuts all over them. In place of cutting up his lips he decided to try and alternative - toothpicks. This was a good way to hide it but to still be able to tick when he needed to, plus the toothpicks were easy to access because he could collect them from the mess hall on Kamino

I realised at the end that I hadn't written any for Omega. How dare I? I promise I'll upload some soon

Hope you enjoyed these! Tell me your head canons below!

[bbgoffic]

Not sure if they mention anything specifically but besides Crosshair's enhanced vision the man has super human reaction times.

It this was purposely done what exactly did they enhance? His "fast-twitch" muscle fiber? Only thing I can really think of.

[523rdrebel]

Masterlist Chapter 14

Chapter 15 - Aftershock

Summary: Daneel is left with an ultimatum. Isabella and Crosshair get comfortable in their relationship and a shoe finally drops, resulting in one final mission.

Word Count: 3,000 Words

Warnings: Canon typical violence

A/N: Sorry, guys, this is a bit of a long one. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Dividers by @/dystopicjumpsuit, @/snotbuggle, and @/saradika

Daneel hated the artificial lights in the base, they were too harsh, too bright, and gave him a feeling of eyes pressing into him– watching. The lights in the Sergeant's office gave off a faint buzzing sound, a sign of a fault in the energy flow. A problem that was becoming increasingly common in the lower levels of the base. Daneel stood at attention waiting for Officer Ragleff to acknowledge his presence. He made a mental bet on how long the officer would make him wait this time.

Finally, the officer broke his silence, barely bothering to look up from his desk, “Private Ramót. You and Private Griff were friends, is that correct?”

So that’s why he called me in here. Daneel tensed, Griff had gone missing shortly after their last assignment. He shook his head, “We were friendly sir, but I wouldn’t say we were friends.”

“Hmm.” Officer Ragleff eyed him critically and with undisguised disdain, “Very well. In your friendly conversations, did he say anything that would indicate he was unsatisfied with his post? Anything that would indicate he would be contemplating defecting?”

His mind flashed with the memory of their last conversation, Griff had tried to convince him to leave, too. Daneel fixed his most blank, emotionless expression and replied flatly, “No, sir.”

“You are certain?”

“Yes, sir.”

The officer stood from his chair, walking slowly around his desk to loom over Daneel. There was no mistaking his intention; Intimidation. “It is our duty to prevent traitorous activity, Private. You will bring any suspicious behavior to me. Is that understood?” He motioned to the soldiers standing guard behind them at the entrance. “Make sure he understands our policies on associating with traitors.”

The soldiers seized Daneel by his arms, dragging him from the room into a dark, empty space. He knew not to fight back, that would land him in a cell, but that didn’t quiet the anger building inside while the soldiers beat him with their fists and heavy boots. He focused on the anger to numb the pain– anger makes you stronger, anger gets things done.  With each impact his mind reverberated with Griff’s words, “Whatever it is they've promised you,  it's not worth what it's taking from you, what it will take from you. The Empire lies–”

The Empire lies…

The Empire…

Lies…

Lies…

Lies…

The Empire….

Lies…

When they had finished, the soldiers dragged him back and presented him to the officer.

“Good. Now that we’ve reached an understanding, let us turn to more important matters. Our deal, Daneel. I am sorely unimpressed with your progress and you have wasted too much of my time. But, I am nothing if not merciful. You have two galactic standard weeks before my patience meets its end. Give me what you have promised by then, or you will be sent to the lowest detention block in Imperial space and when you die, not even the vermin will mourn you.”

Officer Ragliff did not look up when they entered. “Was the message clear, Private Ramót?”

“Yes. Sir.” His voice was rough, but still strong, defiant.

He paused, allowing his words to settle heavily over his victim. Satisfied, he snapped his fingers, “You are dismissed. Return to your post.”

Daneel ground his teeth, ignoring the pain of his bruised body and saluted, “Of course, sir.” With that, he turned on his heel and exited the office. The Empire lies… But it was far too late for that now. He shook his head, there was no time for doubts.

Time seemed to pass slowly on Pabu and Crosshair and Isabella fell into a comfortable rhythm. Mornings were bright and lively, days were warm and lackadaisical, and evenings, cooling off as the sun dipped low, were spent in the hushed quiet of a blanket of stars. 

Isabella had returned to work at her clinic feeling rested, rejuvenated, and with a mutual agreement with Crosshair to ensure they both kept each other from falling back into old habits. Most mornings, Isabella left early, leaving fresh caf and some small breakfast for when Crosshair deigned to get out of bed. On mornings when he went to the shooting range, they enjoyed a quiet, domestic breakfast (caf and toast) together before heading off to their respective destinations. Crosshair led shooting lessons for Omega twice a week, sometimes joined by Lyana who watched and cheered. It was good for learning to shoot with distractions but he glowered at the intrusion all the same.

Around midday, Crosshair met Isabella at the clinic for lunch to ensure they both got an appropriate meal that day. Regardless of the busyness or drama of the day, they stopped for at least a half hour to eat and rest together, then parted ways once more.

The evenings were spent at Isabella’s home, sometimes just the two of them, and other nights Desi, Taayo, Tech, and Phee invaded with games for a “triple date night.” Despite Crosshair’s scowl, he found he enjoyed those nights, especially when he won. He rarely stayed in his own home anymore and Isabella no longer asked him to stay, he simply found himself unwilling to leave. Isabella had no complaints. So, without any formal discussion, Crosshair began spending more evenings with Isabella than he did in his own home.

Things were good. They had a comfortable routine, they enjoyed spending time together, and neither of them wanted to risk a further relationship defining conversation for fear of losing what they’d built together. And so time passed on Pabu slowly.

When Crosshair returned to Isabella’s home it was early evening. She was still out with Desi, having one of their weekly “girl’s nights,” they would sometimes be joined by Daisy, Phee, and Omega, but this time it had been just the two of them.

Crosshair entered the home, leaving the lights low and dark enough to still see the evening sun shining through the gaps in the curtains. He hesitated in the entryway– some days it still felt wrong to be there without her. He shook his head, if there was one thing he was certain of now, it was that his place was wherever she was, though he wasn’t about to admit that to anyone.

He sighed and pulled up his wrist comm to send a quick message, letting Isabella know he was back, when he heard a muffled brrrz– brrrz– brrz. He glanced around the room, listening intently and following the sound with each repeated tone. The sound led him to a small storage unit, two doors and a drawer at the bottom. He waited, frozen in front of it, brrrz– brrrz– brrz–, it felt like an intrusion but a deep dreadful feeling spurred him forward.

Inside, under two empty travel bags and a large folded blanket, he found his target– a unique looking comm unit, definitely not standard make. It rang once more in his hand before going silent. He turned it over in his hands. It was a small oblong, rounded unit– simple, but obviously handmade, he’d seen enough of Tech’s creations to tell. 

Why would she hide this? Where did this come from? She couldn’t be– a sickening cold feeling began to spread, a sharp claw gripped his heart– He shook his head, taking the comm and placing it on the bedside table, then he closed the storage unit and left the room, head full of questions. Tonight. We’ll talk tonight.

Crosshair’s thoughts race, looking for connections and answers, but without more information the scenarios fed his innate cynicism. All he really knew was that people without something to hide don’t have comm units shoved into the back of their storage.

He mulled over his discovery for nearly two hours before Isabella finally returned. Her cheeks were flushed and she smiled brightly, carefree, when she saw him. Her smile faltered slightly when he turned to face her, “Crosshair? What’s wrong?”

He held out the comm unit in an open palm, “Want to tell me what this is?”

Shock, anger, hurt, flashed across her face, “–You went through my things?”

“You’ve told me to make myself at home,” He quipped bitterly, “But no, it was ringing–”

She gasped, rushing forward to snatch the comm from his hand, “It was ringing!? Shitshitshit!” Tears welled in her eyes and her chest heaved in desperate breaths, “When did it ring last? How long!?”

“Maybe two hours ago? Kriff. Hold on–” Crosshair grabbed her shoulders, attempting to ground her as she’d done for him many times before. The cold feeling in his gut grew colder.  “Isabella, breathe– what the kriff is going on? Who’s comm is that?”

Isabella took a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly, “Daneel! It’s Daneel’s comm. Crosshair, what if he’s in danger? What if he wants to come home?” Tears were streaming freely now and she squeezed her eyes tight against the burn. “I had thought I’d heard it ringing one night. But I ignored it. I thought I was imagining it.” She laughed, an empty, broken sound, “I’d been waiting for so long for him to reach out– I used to dream that he called and it felt so real, I’d wake up and run to answer… but it was always silent. So I hid it away and stopped checking.” Crosshair directed her forward, and she let herself be led to the couch.

She glanced up at him, guilt evident in her eyes. He knew that look. He knew that pain. If left unchecked, it was a fire that consumed.

Isabella continued her verbal spiral, “Crosshair, how could I give up on him? How could I– How many times has he called and I missed it–”

“Bells. Bells– Isabella! Breathe.” Crosshair leaned across, closing the distance, and held her face in his hands. She took a few shaky breaths. He continued, “Good– Now, tell me what’s going on. Slowly.”

She nodded, taking one more deep breath before continuing, “Daneel gave that comm unit to me when I left with the Civilian Response team. It’s encrypted and functions outside of the standard galactic communication system. He always told me it worked on its own server or something… After the war, when I finally made it home, Daneel was there and we argued. He wanted me to join the Empire and I refused, as I told you before.”

“I remember.”

“For almost two years I kept it nearby, waiting for him to call, to tell me he had left or something! I used to hear it ringing all throughout the day. I used to startle awake because I was sure I’d heard it. But it was never true. Eventually, I put it away. I gave up.”

She held up the comm unit, rotating it in her hands slowly,  “It stores the message for up to 6 hours before purging…I have to know.”

“He’s the only one that can call you on it?”

“He has the other communicator. It’s the only one that has access to mine.”

“...You’re certain?”

“Positive.”

Crosshair watched as she held up the comm directly between them and activated the holomessage. The projector winked to life, a transparent blue image of a young man with hair pushed back, and what looked to be dried blood and bruise marks on his face. He leaned in close to the comm, as if afraid of being overheard, “Hi, Bella… uh-you probably don’t want me to call you that anymore. Kriff. Hi, Isabella. No, that’s wrong, too. Sister? Ugh!” He ran a hand through his hair, shook his head, and continued, “I– I’m sorry. For everything. I wish I could tell you– I wish you could understand why– But it’s too late for that now. If you’re there, if you’re still listening. Please, I need to get out of here. If I don’t leave soon I’ll either be imprisoned or dead. So, if you’re still out there, if you can hear me, come to these coordinates at 1600 GS hours on the next Centaxday.” He glanced behind him, “Damn it… I’m out of time. Please, Bella. I just want us to be a family again.” The comm goes black.

“Oh, Danie– I need to…” She tried to stand but Crosshair grabbed her wrists, applying just enough pressure to get her to pause,  “I need to go.”

“Wait. Talk this through… Please.”

She took a deep breath, despite the growing tightness that clutched and squeezed her chest, making it hard to breathe. She spoke slowly, trying to ignore the panic that screamed at her to MOVE! GO! FIND HIM! “If we…get this to Tech… Maybe he can save the message… and we can make a plan.”

“Okay. Good. That’s better, but…” Crosshair covered her hands with his own.

She tried to pull her hands away, “But?”

He kept a gentle but firm grip on her hands, “Bells… After this long…”

Isabella squared her shoulders and stared him down, “After this long, there’s finally a chance, Crosshair. I can’t give up on him again.”

His eyes studied her face, looking for some sort of sign that would quiet the growing fear, a sign that this wouldn’t end poorly. He sighed, “...Alright.” Nodding, he released her hands and pulled out his wrist comm,  “Tech, we’ve got something for you.”

13 New Messages:

CrissCross: New Mission. Meet at Tech’s.

BanDADna: When?

CrissCross: Now.

GETWRECKERED: OH YEAH! 

BanDADna: What’s the mission?

DrSunshine: A rescue.

BanDADna: Izzy’s coming, too?

DrSunshine: Yes

CrissCross: …

BanDADna: You sure that’s a good idea?

CrissCross: You try talking her out of it.

BanDADna: Right… Who are we rescuing?

TECH-nically: Details will be extrapolated shortly.

TECH-nically: Ah- Phee would like to inform you she has brought snacks.

GETWRECKERED: ON MY WAY!

Once Tech had extracted the message from Isabella’s comm unit, a simple task for one such as himself, they all gathered in Tech and Phee’s comfortably cluttered living room. It had Tech’s projects and Phee’s artifacts placed in a seemingly haphazard fashion around the room, punctuated with comfort furniture. Many of which had been hastily vacated of items prior to the group’s arrival. Phee, however, had found a way to provide balance to their home with “Put Away” places for scattered detritus. They also functioned as makeshift seating when topped with a cushion or thick blanket as they were being used now.

Phee had prepared a small selection of fruits, cheeses, and breads and offered them to the group while the recorded message was played. The tray was passed around and ended up balanced between Wrecker and Omega.

The message ended and the holo disappeared once more, leaving the room in contemplative silence. Phee leaned forward in her seat, brow furrowed, “How’d your brother end up with the Empire anyway?”

“They got to my brother at a vulnerable time…After our parents died, Killed when the Empire bombed the area due to 'rebel insurgents'. I was away and we’d been distant, so I didn't even know-." She clenched her jaw, "But my brother working for the Empire? I know Daneel. That isn’t him.” 

Crosshair leaned back with arms crossed, presenting nonchalance he didn’t feel, to hide the shaking of his right hand, “You know this is probably a trap…”

Isabella frowned, shaking her head, “Why? I’m just a doctor…Why would they go to all this trouble to set a trap for me?”

“They tried before.” Crosshair shrugged.

“That was years ago!”

He rolled his eyes, “...And the Empire has never used their endless resources to chase someone for years…”

“Honestly, Cross.”

His voice grew a sharp, venomous bite, “I know what they’re capable of, Bells.”

She held her hands up, “You’re right, I know…” She sighed, “Just say that it is a trap. He’s my brother, Crosshair. I can’t leave him there. If there’s a chance he wants to come home, I have to try.”

The group watched the exchange in silence, waiting- this was their decision to make.

Crosshair leaned forward, pressed his forehead against Isabella’s and shut his eyes. Dread sinks into his bones, every fiber of his being screaming that this is exactly what the Empire does. Isabella has something they want and the Empire will stop at nothing to claim it. Cold fear and hot anger swirl in the pit in his stomach. And yet, mixed with the dread was a deep knowing– there was a time when he was the one who had no right to be rescued. He remembers what it feels like to be left behind and written off as a lost cause. His brothers still came… eventually. Finally, he let out a deep breath, “Fine.” His eyes snapped open and he pulled away, “But I’m going with you to meet him.” I’ll be damned if I let them take something else from me. “You’re just stubborn enough to try this alone if we don’t help you.”

“And now I won’t have to.” She winked. She grew serious, her voice soft, “Crosshair? Thank you.” She turned her attention once again to the group, “I know this is asking a lot of you…If you don’t–”

Phee held her hand up, “Pft–There is no way we’re letting you do this alone.”

Tech assented with a single emphatic nod, “Certainly not. Chances of success for a solo mission would be infinitesimally small.”

Hunter cut in, nodding to Tech, “Right. Tech, you have the coordinates?”

Without another word Tech pulled up a holoprojected diagram of the meeting location Daneel had left in his message. The coordinates were for a central area of Bakura’s Business District. It was a hub for trade, travel, and is located close to the planet’s Market District.

Hunter leaned in, taking in every detail of the diagram, “Open area. It’ll be full of civilians at that time.”

“Bunch of clones would stand out there…” Wrecker added.

“Lots of places for a sniper.” Crosshair pointed out each spot, “Clear sight from almost any angle.”

Isabella tried to protest, “You don’t really think they’d–”

“I do.”

“Sparkles is right.” Phee said with a wink, “We have to be cautious, even if this isn’t a trap. Lots of things could go wrong, but if we gather as much information as we can, we’ll be prepared for whatever happens.” 

Hunter nodded agreement, “We’re not taking any chances here. We do this right.”

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[lokisarmyjustinvadedmidgard]

Our girl is back!! She's here again, not dead! OMG I can't wait for the new Season of Bad Batch so we can see her again. She better find Vos and then they live happily ever after right because they deserve it more than anyone else and with no Order and no Dooku please let them have a happy life