#bad batch imperial au

[blithe-imperial-underling]

Tales from Imperial Intelligence

"Unexpected Neighbor"

Word count: 775

Preceded by this thread

Warnings: None

"Wait, are you out there now, sir?" Blithe tapped out the message to her commander.

"I am," he responded. "You need to come see this."

Curiosity piqued, Blithe hurried to reply that she was on her way, then headed out the door of the surveillance lab toward the astrobotany lab next door.

Commander Echo gestured for her to come to where he stood, without taking his eyes off of what they had assumed to be a lumpy rock when they had first spotted it the day before. It sat on a deep tray of rust-colored soil, and as the commander's earlier message had said, it had definitely grown.

The "rock", once the size of a jogan fruit, was now nearly as big as Blithe's head. In addition to being bigger, one side of the vaguely ovoid object had become distended, with a visible seam showing signs of straining under pressure from within. 

The commander stepped back to let Blithe in for a closer view, and she opened her mouth to ask him if he had any idea what they were looking at. Before she got the first word out, the pod split open with a violence that ripped it in two and hurled fragments in all directions. A dark vine uncurled in an eyeblink, slapping wetly against the window a hand's breadth from Blithe's face.

Blithe stumbled back in alarm, right into the commander's chest. If he hadn't steadied her with a hand on one arm and his scomp under the other, she might have landed in a heap at his feet. 

Mortified at being so startled by a plant, Blithe twisted to look up and back at him, stammering an apology, her cheeks burning like Tatooine at noon. 

"Sir! I'm so sorry..." she began. But the commander interrupted her with a hint of a smile and dismissive gesture of his scomp. 

"It's alright, Lieutenant." He released his hold on her elbow and inclined his head toward the window. "No seedling is going to make it through that transparisteel."

Echo's aide held back from the window, staring fixedly at the still-twitching thing now adhered to the other side of the pane. The commander continued, "I've seen other plants do something similar. It's biomechanical, not a sign of intelligence." Something about the way the tendrils that spiraled off the vine seemed to be traveling upward in unison as if searching for something made the commander pause. His eyes, like Blithe's, followed them as they quivered in mid-air. He spoke his next words slowly. "It's probably a coincidence we were here when it burst."

As a native of Coruscant, most of Blithe's experience with plants was from visits to the botanical gardens or shrubs in planters. Commander Echo had been to planets she had never heard of and seen things she couldn't begin to imagine, so this explanation was enough to settle most of Blithe's unease. She leaned in close again to examine the vine that had so frightened her. It really was beautiful once she got past the feeling that well-behaved plants shouldn't be quite so animated. 

It was maybe a meter in length, with a thick stalk and deeply lobed leaves in between the twisting tendrils. Those leaves were a deep blue-green, and they shimmered with an iridescence that would look more at home on an insect's wing than any of the vegetation Blithe knew of. The stalk itself was studded with little suckers reminiscent of the toe pads of climbing amphibians Blithe had once seen in a holo documentary. Those suckers appeared to be what was holding the vine so tightly against the window. Could the quivering they saw be the delicate tendrils moving in air currents in the lab, rather than the plant moving them on its own?

Blithe found her voice and said, "Sir, I don't see any labels around it like they have on the other plants. Do you think they know what this is?"

Commander Echo didn't reply immediately. If she had to put a word to it, Blithe would have said he looked mildly concerned, but he could be difficult for her to read at the best of times. 

"Hmm... I assume they do," he finally answered, "since it's just sitting out in the open. But it's in there with them, and the lab is sealed. They go in and out through that air-lock." He pointed toward heavy doors on the far side of the large space. "So, if it's going to be more of a handful than they expect, it will be their handful to deal with." 

"As for us, Blithe, it's time we got back to work."

[imperial-strategist]

Tales from Imperial Intelligence

“A Chaotic Beginning”

(word count: 1000, no warnings apply)

Commander Echo lifted the small pillow from his bed and shook it roughly, releasing a cloud of dust and fine metal filings. The security team Wrecker summoned had been very thorough. Every centimeter of the new lab and adjoining living spaces had been meticulously searched by the burly commander and his security team. Unfortunately, that included the vents directly above the bunks in both quarters, neither of which had apparently been cleaned in quite some time.

Echo sighed as he took in the state of the rest of the room. Dislodged wall panels rested against every surface, the floor had been pulled up, and his desk and chair lay on their sides. It was not at all what he was looking forward to after being on assignment off-world for the last few days. The new bed was going to be hard enough to get used to, but even that wasn’t an option tonight.

The door to his quarters remained open. There was little point in closing it. His room was merely an extension of the same mess his newly refurbished lab and new aide’s quarters were in. He watched as Lieutenant Blithe worked quickly to straighten the lab, ignoring the fact that her own quarters were in worse shape than his. While his team searched for hidden explosives, Wrecker had ransacked her small room looking for any indication that she was not the loyal Imperial subject she claimed to be. Echo couldn’t help the small wave of affection he felt when he thought about his brother’s protectiveness. Wrecker was suspicious of her, and the more he thought about it, Echo wasn’t sure if he could trust her either.

He reached down and pulled out the scomp socket and its long cable from the overturned desk. From his position just inside the door, he watched her current work as the footage from the last few days was overlayed atop his field of vision. His personal hidden cameras caught every detail of her involvement in the lab’s conversion. He filtered the footage until only the images of her remained, sped up to a speed that would have dizzied an average brain. But Echo’s mind was sharpened to a razor’s edge even before it had been so cruelly augmented, and every frame containing his eager new aide showed him the same thing.

She was telling the truth.

Right after he sealed the door to his quarters and left with Wrecker to attend to the mid-rim insurgency, there had been a brief signal interruption. When the signal was restored both the doors to his room and hers had been left open. It was a sloppy mistake. Whoever it was needed only to close the doors again and he might never have found out that recording devices had been planted in their rooms. He disconnected the scomp cable from his arm and watched it silently slink back to the desk, the fluid movement pulling a deep yawn from his jet-lagged body. He observed his new underling, as she liked to call herself, for a few moments more before walking out into the main lab space.

“Blithe, let’s call it a night.”

Blithe turned around quickly, pulled from her thoughts as her new boss’ deep voice invaded the silence. “It’s alright, sir. I’m not tired, and this needs to be reset if we are to get to work finding out who was here and what they hoped to accomplish.” The momentary pause in her movements was enough to force a yawn from her as well, which she tried to hide by keeping her lips tightly closed. But her sudden intake of air and instantly damp eyes gave her away.

“Not tired? Is lying to your commander going to be a frequent occurrence, Lieutenant?”

“No, sir! You're right. I didn't want you to think my fatigue would interfere with my duties.”

Echo moved closer and took the ceiling panel from her hands. In his tired state, his scolding landed far softer than he intended. ��This lab is only as effective as the people in it. You’re no good to me exhausted. Understood?”

Blithe looked up, forcing herself to make eye contact. It wasn’t easy with him standing so close. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” He peered around her head to the open door of the quarters behind her. Her bunk was easily visible, and it was a shambles. “Should we find you another place to sleep tonight?”

“No, thank you, sir. The aides’ quarters was built for two. There is a drop down bunk I can use. It was spared most of the mess. What about you? You must be very tired after your trip and everything that’s happened. Would you like some help clearing your quarters?”

“I’ll be fine.” He turned his head to the chair under the window. “You said that you made one small adjustment to the lab in my absence. That’s not exactly true, is it? My instructions were for you to requisition desks and chairs.” He settled into the plush armchair and reclined it to its lowest position, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. “This is no chair, Blithe. This is somewhere between a bed and a throne.”

Blithe was glad his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see the smile he forced from her. “It seemed like an appropriate piece of furniture considering you spend hours at a time accepting data through a scomp link, sir. You should be comfortable.”

His eyes remained closed as he stretched his arms over his head, his back arching from the velvety upholstery. “Mmmm. If it was comfort you were going for, mission accomplished. You should have ordered yourself one too.”

“Oh. Well, maybe next time, sir. Is there anything else I can get you?”

Echo opened his eyes and stared at his new aide. He still couldn’t believe he had one. Having someone around to assist him was going to take some getting used to. “No. Get some rest, Blithe.”

“Thank you, sir. Good night, Commander.”

[cloned-eyes]

Imperial wrecker anyone.....?

[99aceace]

The bad batch, but all inhibitor chips activated. All, but Crosshair's. So now Crosshair is a single dad, on a run from his former family. Rest of the batch tries to hunt down him and Omega.

[shyranno]

@imperial-strategist is exactly the kind of man you’d wish was on your side.

[raevulsix]

I did this after seeing @techs-assistant "Imperial Tech" design.

A crazed mad mind, perhaps?

[echojedis]

I don’t think imperial Tech will happen but it’s an interesting concept

[jedipoodoo]

This might be a weird request, you don't have to write this okay! But... How about Imperal bad batch ( seperated) and pregnant reader? Hunter turns into the darks side while his wife is pregnant (almost like Anakin and Padme

THIS REQUEST GOT ME LIKE

Ma'am, I will answer any and all requests for a pregnant reader and you know that. I'm sorry for taking so long, but I really wanted to do this one justice 😁

Haunted (Imperial! Hunter x Pregnant!Fem!Reader)

Okay, so most of my Dad Batch shorts mention keeping the baby from the kaminoans and the like, so....what if they couldn't keep the baby from them???

Warnings: labor and delivery, pregnancy (obvi), kidnapping, The Empire sucks, Nala Se is a pain in the shebs, Nobody likes Wilhuff Tarkin. This one is a lot darker than my usual stuff. Dark may be too strong of a word for it, but idk how else to put it.

Notes: what it says on the label. Pregnant reader, female reader. Hunter is manipulated. Protective Hunter, Angst without a happy ending...yet. Dividers by @saradika

"Hold on just a minute more, cyare, we're almost there," Hunter urged. Echo peeked around the corner, signaling for Hunter to freeze. Hunter, holding one of your hands to lead you and wrapping the other around your waist to hold you upright, pulled you against the wall to keep from being seen around the corner. He could hear the slow, meandering gait of a Kaminoan as they walked past the hall, unsuspecting, taking all the time in the world while you struggled not to whimper at the pain in Hunter's arms.

Hunter gently patted your belly, as if that would make everything better.

"You're doing great," He whispered.

"I'm gonna kill you," You growled.

Echo hissed a warning, waving you both forward. The Kaminoan was gone.

Your comm beeped softly, and Hunter snatched it up, trying to get you to move faster when all you could do was waddle.

"Come in, Tech."

"The medical wing has been cleared. Wrecker and Crosshair will stand guard."

"Good. We're two minutes out."

"AHH!" Your knees gave out as a contraction tore through your body, and you almost slipped out of Hunter's arms.

Hunter gently lowered you to the floor to let you catch your breath, "Breathe, sweetheart, just keep breathing," He urged. It was in some stupid holo-article that he had read online, and despite the amount of research he'd put into labor and delivery, that tactic in particular was starting to get super annoying. Breathing was one of the last things on your mind when you had

"Is that one worse than the last few?" Echo asked. He was trying to be gentle, force bless him he was, but his grip on your arm was struggling not to pull you to your feet and drag you to safety.

You looked up at Hunter, and froze. Despite the fact that every single thing he was trying to do at the moment was annoying you to no end, you could see the fear quavering in his eyes.

You all knew that if the Kaminoans found you, as arrogant and self-serving as they were, they would unquestionably seize your child as Kaminoan property, enfolding him (or her) into the sea of identical brothers bred for slaughter. Neither Hunter or his brothers were going to let that happen.

"Osik," Hunter muttered none too softly. You followed his gaze to the floor, where a sticky puddle was forming from your water breaking. Osik was right.

Hunter slipped his arms under your legs and your back and hefted you in the air. He didn't even wait for the all-clear from Echo, he just ran to the med-wing.

"Hunter, I can walk-" but the next contraction stole your breath and proved you wrong. Hunter ran faster, and you could hear Echo struggling to catch up with you. You wrapped your arms around Hunter's neck and prayed.

Wrecker and Crosshair waved you past, sealing the door shut behind you. Only Tech and a single med-droid were in the tiny medical wing they had managed to clear.

"The droid's memory will be wiped the moment we are finished," Tech promised before you could voice your worries. Hunter gently sat you on the table, bracing your feet in the stirrups.

"Her contractions are two minutes and thirty seconds apart," Hunter said. The droid quickly ran a few scans to confirm and Tech handed you a large sheet of paper that hardly counted as a robe.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

You gulped, bracing yourself against another contraction. Whether or not you were ready, your baby was coming.

There was pounding on the door, but you could barely hear their demands of "Open up in there!" over the squalls of your baby.

"It's a boy," Tech said, almost as an afterthought as the droid cut the umbilical cord.

Hunter pressed his lips to your forehead, despite how sweaty and gross you felt. "Good job, cyare," He whispered, "You did so good."

You nodded, unable to think straight. "The baby..." You reached for the child bundled in Tech's arms. Hunter sprung to his feet and took them from Tech as gently as he could, bringing the baby back over to you.

"Oh," You gasped softly, running a finger across their cheek. It was a little sticky, like something that had been dried haphazardly, and their hair was still slick with blood and fluids, but you brushed it out with your fingers, letting the dark curls spring into place as he wriggled with all his newborn strength.

"He looks just like you, Hunter," You whispered.

"The spitting image," Tech had already shut down the droid to wipe its memory circuits, and you took the baby from Hunter, pressing him against your chest.

"Mama's here, Mama's here," You said, kissing the baby over and over.

The pounding on the door had stopped, but there was lots of shouting. Hunter's gaze darted to the door as he heard Wrecker cry out.

"We've got to get you out of here," He said, pulling you to your feet. You stumbled like a newborn fathier colt, leaning against him.

"I-I can't," You gasped. You tried to give him the baby, "You have to take him,"

"I'm not leaving you," He insisted.

"Now is not the time for affectionate stubbornness, Hunter, she's right. You have to get him out of here before-"

There was blasterfire in the hall, and you saw sparks fly as several bolts hit the door. Your son wailed unhappily and you reached for him, only to pull your hand back at the last moment.

"Go!" You begged Hunter, but it was too late.

The door that Tech had painstakingly sealed shut slid open, and eight shock troopers pointed their blasters into the room, aiming for you, Hunter, and the baby.

"Place the infant on the table and step back," Their captain commanded.

"No," Ever the contrarian, Hunter shielded your son from their view.

You hadn't even named him yet.

Just beyond the wall of troopers, Wrecker, Crosshair, and Echo had all been forced to their knees with their hands behind their heads. The bodies of several other Shock Troopers and Kaminoan security troopers were strewn about the hall, dead or alive it was hard to tell, but the Batch wasn't going down without a fight.

Admiral Tarkin stepped into the doorway to take in the damage for himself, but what made your blood run cold was Nala Se standing behind him.

"You will not take my child!" You screamed. stumbling to your feet to stand between your son and the blasters.

"Your child is Kaminoan property," Nala Se said calmly, despite the bodies of her creation littered around her.

"Imperial Property," Tarkin corrected harshly, "Much like your supposed lover and his squad. Lieutenant, you are stripped of your title and imprisoned for your crimes. CT-9901, you are also henceforth removed from your post as Sergeant. You are all under arrest."

"She has just given birth!" Tech finally spoke up, "She will not be going anywhere until she heals! Unless you wish to have her death on your hands?"

You hadn't even named him yet.

Tarkin shrugged, "Dead or alive, it makes no difference." He waved to the troopers who approached with several sets of binder cuffs like the others wore.

"No!" You screamed and leaped at the troopers. You were unable to do more than crash into them, but it gave Hunter a shot at getting through, and that was all you could hope for.

With your son secured to his chest, Hunter dashed out of the room and past the astonished Nala Se and a flabbergasted Tarkin. You smirked to yourself as you slid down to the floor, breathing heavily.

Tech grabbed your arm to steady you, and both of you were grabbed by the troopers

Hunter knew the halls of Kamino like the back of his hand. Once he made it past the original wave, there was little to stop the (former) sergeant of Clone Force Ninety-Nine.

His baby whimpered in his arms, and he hurriedly hushed them.

He'd come back for you later, or maybe his brothers would help you escape, somewhere quiet and peaceful like you'd always talked about after the war. Somewhere you could raise your family in peace.

But for now, he was only worried about doing what you'd said, and that was getting your son to safety.

"It's alright, ad'ika, we're gonna get you out of here," He whispered, pressing his lips against the boy's forehead.

"I'll keep you safe."

Alarms blared to signal his escape, which made it harder to calm the baby, but also simultaneously hid their cries.

Hunter wished that his brothers were with him, but they had all agreed to this. They had all insisted that your child was priority, and they would defend it like one of their Vode, just as they had when you joined them.

Hunter ran faster, on deft feet, always knowing which hall to take in order to avoid a clumsy stampede.

The Marauder was docked in the bay closest to the medwing, Echo needed a checkup after their last mission, but it seemed serendipitous when your contractions started in the early morning. You knew the Kaminoans would see this as openly flaunting your blatant disregard for their authority in their own city. You'd wanted to have your baby anywhere but Tipoca City, but then you'd received orders to return to Kamino with the end of the war.

Hunter grit his teeth, avoiding patrols was keeping him from going as fast as he'd like,and his son's cries were getting more and more agitated. It was a pitiful replacement, but he stuck his finger in the child's mouth to let him suck on it. As soon as he took off, he could give him the formula aboard the Marauder and look him over.

"Most childcare experts agree that there is a distinct possibility that hyperspace travel at such a delicate stage can be detrimental to child's development," Tech's voice echoed in Hunter's mind. But that couldn't be helped right now.

He turned the corner towards the bay, but it was blocked by another squad of Shock Troopers. Before he could think, he drew his blaster.

"Hunter!" You screamed in terror. Hunter's blood ran ice-cold as he spotted you.

You were on your knees, held upright by two troopers, and an Admiral (or someone else who wore one of those gray suits) had a blaster pointed at your head. Tarkin met Hunter's gaze with a smug smile.

"You made a valiant effort in your escape, Sergeant. I can only imagine how much that child means to you."

Hunter shifted the baby, holding him closer. The boy was starting to grow frantic again, now that he didn't have anything to suck on.

"However," Tarkin continued, "Much like yourself, the child is now property of the Galactic Empire. Attempting to steal him is treason."

"If I'm already committing treason, I might as well shoot you here and seal the deal." Hunter focused his aim on Tarkin.

"You could, couldn't you?" Tarkin barked a cold, humorless laugh,

"However, the moment you open fire, Vice Admiral Rampart has orders to shoot at point-blank range."

You shook your head desperately. "Hunter, don't!"

"Hand over the infant, now!" Tarkin said. His lackey in an identical suit pressed the blaster to the base of your throat, cutting off your protest.

"What will it be: the child? Or it's mother?" Tarkin sneered.

It was over. Hunter knew that. Even if he did as you asked, he still wouldn't be able to get past the Shock Troopers. His sons cries were like ringing in his ears as he tossed his blaster to the side.

They took his son from his arms, and all he could say was "Support his head!" as they turned away so that Hunter couldn't even see him anymore, but he listened to his cries as they were dragged in opposite directions.

You and Hunter were brought to what sufficed as the brig in Tipoca City. Tech, Echo, Crosshair, and Wrecker were already there, and they hurried to make room for you to sit on the only bench available. Your legs were shaking terribly, and you were sore all over. The pain medication Tech had given you was starting to wear off. Tech gave you a once-over as best he could without his datapad or any medical gear.

"Most of this recovery takes several months anyway, even without the added stress you've been through," He said, it what must have been an objectively positive observation, but only served to remind you of everything you had just lost.

"Where's the kid?" Crosshair demanded. Hunter couldn't even look him in the eye from the insane guilt he felt at giving up his son. All you could do was cry.

Crosshair cursed and slammed his fist against the wall, though he didn't know what he was expecting from an operation like this. Clone Force 99 had never known failure like this before, it was a foreign feeling to them.

Hunter refused to let himself cry. He had to be strong for his brothers, for you and your son. He had to get you out of there, somehow.

He didn't even know how you could bare to look at him for such a catastrophic failure, but you turned to him and wrapped your arms around his chest, pulling him close to you.

"We...we didn't even get to name him," You whimpered in Hunter's arms.

Hunter's jaw stiffened atop the crown of your head.

"Well, let's name him now."

It felt slightly pathetic, sobbing in a jail cell over a child that had been ripped from your arms, but the idea of naming him felt like a rousing battle cry deep in your soul. The Kaminoans hated the names that the clones gave each other, and despite all the nicknames that they claimed and gave to each other, at the end of the day only their numbers were written on reports and official documentation.

But your son wasn't a clone. He was your son. And he would have a name from birth.

"Asher." You said. Where you came from, the name symbolized hope, of something beautiful and precious being created from the ashes of destruction. Something like your life as a family.

Hunter nodded, gently rubbing circles into your shoulders. "Asher it is."

"CT-9901, you need to come with us."

Ice encased your heart as the shock troopers approached the makeshift cell, deactivating the shield.

"Don't," You begged, looking up at him as your hands dug into his shirt, holding on for dear life.

"I have to," He whispered, working your fingers loose so he could stand.

"She's right," Echo said loudly, standing up.

"Yes, we stay together." Tech stepped between Hunter and the shock trooper.

The trooper did not take kindly to this show of defiance, and drove the butt of his blaster into Tech's stomach. Tech fell to his knees as he gasped in pain, and the others all stood ready to fight, but knowing it was fruitless.

"Enough," Hunter stood, motioning to his brothers to stand down.

"I'll go."

He wasn't cuffed, but there was a blaster muzzle in his back every step of the way. The troopers led him back to the med bay, where several medical droids were still cleaning the room that you had commandeered earlier. The troopers marched him past the room and past a large window where several cadets were going through their checkups. And right in the corner was Asher.

Hunter disregarded the warnings from the Troopers and place his hand against the window, wishing he could catch his son's attention. He was in an incubation box, sound asleep, with monitors strapped to his chest. Hunter was just relieved he wasn't in a growth tube.

"Asher," He murmured as a shock trooper gripped his shoulder, "Your name is Asher."

The troopers all but dragged him to another closed-off room, where Tarkin waited with Nala Se and a datapad. Hunter kept his focus on Tarkin, wondering if the so-called "Admiral" had spent as much time with a hot blaster in his hand than in a comfortable office on Coruscaunt.

"We meet again, Sergeant."

Hunter chuckled, "I thought I wasn't a Sergeant anymore, Admiral."

"I suppose you'd prefer to be called CT-9901, then?"

So the Admiral did know about their chosen names, he just chose not to use them.

"What do you want?" He asked, trying to not let his breathing get the best of him.

"What I need is your cooperation,"

Hunter shrugged, "Sounds simple enough. Just let them go."

He knew it was a fool's dream to think that Tarkin would actually acquiesce to his demands, but he had to try.

"Let my wife, son, and brothers go and I'll do whatever you want."

Tarkin squared his shoulders to challenge Hunter, "Certainly not. That would be a grave mistake on our part. Think of all that we could learn. The Empire has other plans for a force-sensitive child."

Hunter's blood ran cold.

"Oh, you didn't know," Tarkin smiled slyly, and Hunter's hands clenched in an effort to keep from slapping the smirk off his face.

Nala Se handed Tarkin her datapad, "Nala Se's team has performed all the necessary tests and administered the correct vaccinations for your child. A quick blood test showed a count of approximately fifteen-thousand midi-chlorians."

Hunter's throat ran dry, and his ears rang with the sound of his son- Asher's- cries.

"You have a simple choice, Sergeant. Join the Empire freely, stay with your brothers, your partner and your child, or be forced to watch them suffer for your treason."

It wasn't much of a choice, and Hunter knew it. They were offering him the short end of the stick to pull him from the same raging rapids they had tossed him into, but it was either that or drown.

And he would sacrifice everything he was for the chance to protect you and your child.

Post-Script: I know I've used Asher as a name for Crosshair's kid but it fit too well for this AU.

[mooonjin]

OOOH THEY’RE GETTING OMEGA BACK ASAAAP

tbb spoilers 03x13!!!

“🤨🫴”

her iconic hellaur

OMEGA SMART SHE’S BREAKING THEM OUT 🙌

that’s my arc trooper right there

angry baby in the back seat LOOOL

omg 💔

“you’ve been demoted” URGH THESE TWO IN THIS SHOT 😻

WRECKER AND IMPERIAL HAT 😭😭 SO SILLY

[crosshairs-dumb-pimp-gf]

She's a little confused but she's got the spirit.

CrosshairxTahny True form (Mangy Cat X Aggressive Chihuahua AU) (shitpost doodle)

tagging @feral-ferrule mostly cause I wanted too, hope that's okay.

[techs-assistant]

The evil doctor has fallen for his assistant(gay), his life is ruined! (Sarcasm)

[blithe-imperial-underling]

Tales from Imperial Intelligence

"A Chaotic Beginning: Part II"

Word count: ~950; no warnings apply

Part I (Commander Echo)

Blithe stood under the water in the small shower in her refresher, letting the near-scalding spray wash away dust and stress in equal measure as she processed the last several hours.

She'd been quaking in her boots walking into the surveillance lab for the first time with the commander, no way around it. And he'd been taken aback, if she was any judge, on seeing the modified scomp sockets she had ordered installed. But she had thought things were going relatively well, right up until they'd all realized someone had broken into the commander's quarters.

Overall, things could’ve gone worse. She grimaced and fished for examples to prove the point.

Commander CT-9902 (@imperial-science-officer), the famed Imperial scientist also known as Tech, could have dropped in to dress her down in front of the other commanders and the security squad, all of whom had every reason to suspect her of treason.

Maybe a gargantuan monster rampaging through the Federal District, adding to the chaos? That would certainly have been worse.

Or Commander CT-9903, who she'd learned was called Wrecker, could have been convinced she was part of the plot against the lab, and torn her arms off to get her to talk. That made her laugh softly and chide herself. That's not fair, she thought as she turned off the shower and dried herself with a rough towel. @imperial-demolition-expert was only doing his job, protecting the commander, his lab, and the interests of the Emperor.

And all things considered, Commander Wrecker had treated her less roughly than she would have expected. Rather than slapping her in shackles, or having her hauled off to the brig, he had set her to standing in the corner under guard as he turned her quarters inside out. When he found that one bit of flimsi from her writing practice that she hadn't disposed of, he'd scanned it for a moment, and tossed it onto the little pile of her belongings on the overturned mattress on her bunk, with no more reaction than he'd given anything else he'd found.

Maybe it's true Commander Wrecker would as soon have shot her as looked at her, but he hadn't actually been cruel.

Now dressed in sleep clothes, Blithe wrestled the mattress back up into its proper place on the top bunk. She pulled the grit-covered case off her pillow and replaced it with a spare, then climbed onto the upper rack with an exhausted groan.

Though more tired than she had wanted to admit to herself, or to Commander Echo, she found herself peering restlessly into the darkness of her windowless room, the only light a faint glow from the control panel by the door.

Did the commander think she had planted those devices in their quarters? Had he reviewed the security videos yet, and were they enough to clear her? Surely he didn't think she was a threat, or he wouldn't have fallen asleep in the next room without at least securing Blithe in her quarters.

And what did she make of him -- her new boss, and the commander she had idolized from afar-- now that she had met him? Commander Tech had called the commander rigid, and what was it he had said? Dour. An acquired taste. None of that fit her first impressions.

The commander was certainly a strange man -- in as far as he had taken a chance on a nobody from COMPNOR's propaganda and outreach programs, when he could surely have had an assistant with a proper Military Intel background.

Oh, sure, Blithe thought, I'm competent. I know my worth as far as that goes. But why… she cut that train of thought off short. She could no more get into the commander's head than she could have crawled through the narrow vents above her bunk. Commander Tech had threatened to look into Commander Echo’s motivations himself. If he found out, maybe he would tell her. A smirk at that unlikely thought turned into a yawn so big it hurt. But she still couldn’t sleep, so Blithe turned her thoughts to her other impressions of the commander.

His appearance had been no surprise, of course. He looked mostly as he had in the holos she'd seen, all angles and shadows, though images hadn't done justice to his arresting, tawny eyes. 

His cybernetics were no surprise either, and the controlled expression he wore for most of the evening was the same one Blithe had come to associate with most Imperial officers, military or otherwise. Though, on the landing pad, and then again just as he'd dismissed her for the night, Blithe thought she'd seen a crack in the commander's officer façade. There had been something in his eyes that she couldn't put her finger on. They had seemed more… human, for want of a better word, than she was used to from someone of his rank. 

It would be fair to say Blithe had been anxious as a nuna in a gundark nest for most of that evening in the lab. That was certainly true right up until she had seen the commander settle into the reclining chair of a sort usually intended for Imperial dignitaries. Then, as he'd stretched and closed his eyes, his officer mask had faded for a moment, along with the tension at his temples as he said, "If it was comfort you were going for, mission accomplished."

Those welcome words would have been enough to make Blithe smile. But the almost inaudible, contented hum that escaped before he spoke them filled her with the satisfied glow of a job well done. For that feeling, Blithe decided, she would have braved a real nest of gundarks.

With that thought, and a contented hum of her own, Blithe finally drifted off into the first restful sleep she’d had since before leaving Ord Mantell. 

[squad-724]

I'll maybe do a drawing for whatever wins

[chopper-base]

TBB Reverse!AU

Chapter one is finished!!! Still haven't figured out a name for this series, so I'll take any suggestions yall have!!

Summary: Crosshair and Echo watch the rest of their team succumb to the chip's control.

Warnings: Character death, canon character death, violence, canon divergence, alternate universe

WC: 2591

---------------

Crosshair didn’t know what to think when he turned to see the regs firing at their Jedi General. Over the sound of blaster fire, he could hear her voice screaming at her padawan to run. Her terror-filled voice sent shivers down the sniper's spine. The Padawan was running in their direction but skidded to a stop when he noticed them in front of him. The Padawan looked at the Bad Batch in fear, taking a shaky step back before turning and disappearing into the snowy woods.

Crosshair looked between the regs running toward the batch and the woods where the kid disappeared, trying to figure out what had caused the regs’ sudden turn.

The realization that Tech was reading something off his datapad had Crosshair snapping his attention back to his brother. Tech explained that General Grievous had been defeated, marking the end of the war. “The com channels are repeating one directive.” Tech’s demeanor changed as he read the next line, “Execute Order 66.”

The moment the words left Tech’s mouth, Crosshair knew something was wrong. He watched as everyone but Echo stiffened. Hunter’s sharp eyes growing eerily distant.

“We need to go after the kid,” Echo broke the strange silence, pointing to where the padawan had disappeared, “He’s gonna get himself killed out there alone!”

Hunter glared at Echo, causing the Corporal to take a step back. “The kid is a jedi. The order includes him,”

“The order??” Echo’s eyes were wide with shock, “Hunter! He’s a kid! We don’t even know what the ‘order’ is!”

“Good soldiers follow orders.”

A pause. Echo’s confused and pleading eyes stared back at Hunter’s distant ones before the Sergeant turned towards where the kid had vanished. “...what?”

Following the trail of small footsteps through the snow, Hunter ignored the ARC. Not another word was uttered as Tech and Wrecker followed behind him, holding their weapons at ready. Echo watched them go, turning towards Crosshair, who hesitantly followed the others.

Before Crosshair could go any further, Echo grabbed his arm desperately. “Crosshair, I know you guys don’t work with the Jedi almost ever, but come on! It’s a kid!!”

Crosshair nodded. “Believe me, I know. Something’s… off. Hunter would never-“

Blaster fire echoed through the mountain range. Crosshair whipped his head around, looking down towards the woods before back up at Echo. Not a word was exchanged as both immediately took off down the snowy slope after their brothers.

The blaster fire stopped as they got closer. Crosshair’s breath caught in his throat as they spotted the rest of the batch. At Hunter’s feet lay the motionless body of the padawan, four blaster burns decorating the young boy’s chest. His eyes were open, but their light was long gone. His round, childish features were frozen in an expression of permanent fear.

The Padawan’s lightsaber was clenched in Hunter’s fist, helmet concealing all emotions on his face. Crosshair could see in the Sergeant’s body language, there was not an ounce of guilt or regret.

Everything about his brothers was wrong. Wrecker was silent, not a single joke or quip escaping his lips. Through the clear visor of Tech’s helmet, Crosshair could see how distant his eyes were, fixed on his datapad, not sparing a glance at the small body at his feet.

The regs were getting closer. Crosshair could hear their boots crunching in the snow behind him, but his eyes refused to leave the boy, smoke still rising from his wounds. His brothers had just murdered a child and the only one who seemed to care at all was Echo.

“We’ve been ordered back to Kamino.”

Crosshair tore his eyes away from the child to glare at Tech. There was no emotion behind his words, no Tech explanation, just orders. Hunter barely acknowledged Tech before walking back up the slope, ignoring Crosshair and Echo all together as he passed. Tech and Wrecker were quick to follow, their steps oddly in sync as they followed their Sergeant.

Crosshair spared a glance back at the young padawan, now being moved by the regs, before nodding at Echo to follow him. Staying further back from the other three, Crosshair and Echo fell into step beside each other.

“Something is seriously wrong with them, Cross,” Echo whispered harshly.

Crosshair studied his brothers as they walked, their movements seemingly not their own. “I know. It’s all wrong,” Very, very wrong.

They continued to follow Hunter at a distance throughout the trek back to the Marauder. Crosshair could feel the uneasy feeling radiating from the ARC that was still in step with the sniper.

When they reached the Marauder, Crosshair climbed the ramp behind Echo, his feet barely hitting the top step before Tech started to raise them. On any other day, Crosshair would have made some snarky comment about waiting for him to be inside before shutting the ramp, or even just an annoyed huff and a glare. Today? Crosshair didn’t even bother to look in Tech’s direction, making his way directly to his bunk. He sat down, keeping his Firepuncher in his hands and ignoring the helmet still on his head. He didn’t want his brothers to see the concern that he was sure was all over his face. He knew his brothers; he knew them better than they knew themselves. Whoever was sitting in the cockpit, were not his brothers.

Not even two weeks ago, Crosshair had watched Hunter almost get himself killed trying to protect a kid. He refused to believe that he had just witnessed that same brother murder a child for treason of all things.

That kid couldn’t have been older than thirteen. Why was he even on a battlefield to begin with?

Crosshair could understand a few Jedi committing treason. They had heard of the massacre on Umbara, a Jedi General who pulled just the right strings to trick two battalions to fire upon each other. Hundreds of regs had been murdered for no other reason than Krell finding power hungry satisfaction in their deaths. Apparently Captain Rex had asked the ex-general why he did it and his answer had simply been ‘because I can’.

Crosshair never cared for the regs, but reading that report had his stomach churning. They weren’t even supposed to have access to those reports, but Tech had gotten curious, hacking in and retrieving the reports in a matter of minutes. They had made sure to delete them when Echo had joined, not needing the ARC knowing the horror his late twin had gone through without him.

Crosshair honestly wouldn’t have batted an eye if they had just gone after the Jedi Council. He could count on one hand how many times they had worked with a Jedi, Skywalker being the only one that Crosshair tolerated, but for them to be ordered to murder the padawans? Something extremely screwed up was happening and whatever it was, was coming directly from the top of command.

Crosshair felt as the ship dropped out of hyperspace, leaving him to assume they had arrived back on Kamino. He sighed, forcing himself to stand before making his way to the cockpit. The room was eerily silent as Tech piloted the Marauder towards Tipoca City, his normal fast maneuvers nowhere to be seen. Crosshair hated the way the ship barely rocked as they landed, all Tech’s movements almost droid like.

Echo sat in the co-pilot’s seat, his helmet still secure on his head. Hunter and Wrecker also still wore their helmets, and for once, Crosshair missed the ruckus that was supposed to be their normal.

Hunter exited the Marauder, Wrecker and Tech falling in step as they made their way down the ramp. Crosshair stopped beside the door, waiting for Echo to exit before he followed. Crosshair was the first to notice the hover gurney, a sheet pulled over what was clearly a body being guided across the hanger. He watched as a lightsaber rolled off the gurney, clanging against the metal floor, rolling to a stop at the feet of a reg.

The colors of the surrounding armor caught the sniper’s attention, confusion overtaking him as he spotted the scarlet red of the Corrie Guard. The other companies made sense being here, but seeing the Guard on Kamino made the pit in Crosshair’s stomach sink deeper.

Wordlessly, he continued to follow his brothers through the white halls of Tipoca city; the corridors filled with more troopers than Crosshair had ever seen on Kamino at once.

The batch came to an abrupt stop as Hunter held up his fist. “We’ve got company,” he stated almost coldly. He turned around, the rest of the batch doing the same, quickly spotting their tail.

A small girl stood behind them, waving at the batch, a smile decorating her face. “Hi! I’m Omega!”

Crosshair glanced at Hunter, gauging his reaction as the child introduced herself, his face giving nothing but annoyance. The Sergeant didn’t bother replying to the child, signaling the batch to follow as he began to walk away. The look that came over the girl’s face as Hunter turned away from her had the sniper sneering at the Sergeant.

Echo looked at her with a look of sympathy, offering her a forced smile, “Sorry, kid. We’ve had a rough day. Just… don’t take it personally,”

The girl returned his smile. The look of betrayal on her face stabbed the sniper. He didn’t know who this kid was, but it was evident this child had been excited to meet them, and Hunter barely gave the poor girl a glance.

Echo turned and began to follow the rest, but Crosshair couldn’t help but stare at the girl a little longer. She met his gaze, something in her eyes sending a wave of calm over him. He couldn’t bring himself to return her smile, but he nodded to her, “Stay out of trouble, kid,”

That seemed enough for her, her smile growing just a bit brighter. She waved to him as he turned to catch up with the rest of his brothers.

Something about her was familiar, like he knew, but he couldn’t place it. Her smile burned into his mind, her look of innocence as she introduced herself, the look of betrayal as his brothers cast her off as nothing. He couldn’t get her out of his head, he knew he would likely run into her again, and for a reason Crosshair couldn’t place, he looked forward to it.

—-----------

The Empire. That’s what the republic had now become. A galaxy wide empire with one man sitting at the top, in charge of it all. The thought of a single man being the voice of reason and law didn’t sit well with the sniper. The war was finally finished, yet somehow, Crosshair knew the fight was far from over.

Crosshair began to notice the difference in the regs’ behavior as well, seeming almost as though their minds weren’t their own. Regs never got along with the batch. Insults being thrown their way was just the way of life with the batch when they were on Kamino, but the regs acted as though the batch didn’t exist.

Crosshair eventually found himself in the mess hall, his brothers silently eating around him. He absently stared at the food on his tray, his appetite practically nonexistent. The sniper hadn’t expected much to happen during their meal, seeing as the regs had been weirdly ignoring, but the last thing he expected was a small body sitting to his right. Crosshair looked to see the girl again, smiling up at him as she set her tray beside his. She looked around at the rest of the batch waving, her bright smile still plastered on her face. The only one who paid her any mind was Echo, offering the girls a small smile, and a slightly confused sounding ‘hello’. She looked back at the sniper, her smile now slightly saddened.

“You are aware, sitting with us might attract some unwanted attention?”

The girl’s smile didn’t waver. “But I want to sit with you so I don’t care what they think,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Crosshair tried and failed to hide the small smile that flashed across his lips. “What are you doing on Kamino, anyway?”

The girl shrugged, “I’ve been here all my life,”

Crosshair looked at her in confusion, “All your-?” The voice of a reg behind him had him stopping mid sentence.

“Oh look. The defect squad got themselves a new recruit!”

Crosshair turned to see a small group of regs walking by, a smug look on every one of their faces. Omega shrunk slightly in the seat next to him, which just pissed the sniper off more. Crosshair wasn’t one to start fights with other regs, especially when they were on Kamino, but it was taking everything in him not to launch himself at the smug bastard.

Another reg laughed, “One more member for the sad batch,”

The only thing stopping the sniper now was a small hand that came to rest on his arm, the girl’s face offering him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Crosshair. They’re not worth it,”

The regs walked away, laughing and throwing insults over their shoulder. Omega turned back to the table, offering the sniper a reassuring smile, before starting to eat. Crosshair watched the young girl in fascination, wondering why the child had grown up on Tipoca, of all places. Across the table, Echo was watching her as well, glancing at Crosshair with a look of confusion.

“You said you grew up here on Kamino?” Echo questioned, leaning forward and resting his scomp on the table.

Omega nodded, “I work with Nala Se as her medical assistant.”

Crosshair’s confusion continued to grow as the girl smiled at Echo. “...You’re just a kid? Why would they bring you to Kamino-“

“Crosshair,” Hunter’s voice cut him off. The sniper turned to the Sergeant, meeting his gaze, “Tell the girl to get lost. We are about to leave.”

Crosshair just stared at him as he stood up, quickly followed by Wrecker and Tech. Crosshair turned back to Echo and then to Omega, who looked as though she was holding back tears. He looked back at Echo, holding down the anger that was starting to boil. “If he snaps at me one time, I’m gonna hit him.”

Echo rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, because assaulting your superior officer is a great idea when he’s acting insane.”

“...it’s not his fault.” Omega cut in, her voice barely above a whisper, “He doesn’t have a choice.”

“Doesn’t have-...? The hell does that mean?” Crosshair questioned, a bit more harshly than he wanted, “We’re not droids, kid.”

Omega seemed to shrink into herself, but still looked up to meet the sniper’s eyes. “It’s their inhibitor chip. It’s making them act this way. It’s not their fault!”

“Inhibitor- what?” Echo stared at the kid, as she seemed to shrink even farther.

Before Omega could respond, a voice was calling his name from across the mess hall. He turned to see Hunter standing by the door, his bucket on his head. “Admiral Tarkin has requested for us to run a battle simulation. Let’s go. Both of you.” He barked before turning and disappearing through the door.

Crosshair turned back to Echo, clearly pissed. “...I’m gonna hit him.”

“Cross, no.”

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[ghostmistdraws]

*drops evil scientist au and runs*

[twitchstoleyourbagel]

Tech lives but at what cost?