#mentor cad bane

[andy-solo1]

Teaching The Future

This is my contribution to the Duros Discord server Holiday Gift exchange 2022 for the lovely Herbalwolf. 

Cad Bane training Boba Fett 

words: 1,489

warnings: Mentions of cannon death, slightly angsty (oops)

********

Prison was a place Boba Fett had never imagined he’d end up. His father had always stressed to him evading the people who would want to capture him and he’d always tried to take those lessons to heart. But, despite all his father’s training and warnings, Boba had been betrayed by Aurra and that ended him here. All because he wanted justice for his father. 

Boba hated to admit it, but he knew that he didn’t know everything about bounty hunting. It was why he’d gone to Aurra for help with trying to get vengeance for his father. Now that he’d been betrayed by her however, he was wary of trusting anyone enough to teach him. He trusted Bossk well enough, but Bossk wasn’t one of the top bounty hunters. His father had been the best, and he needed his training to be finished by someone else who was the best. And he knew of only one bounty hunter who fit the bill. 

“I want you to train me.” Boba stated, sitting himself down across from the current best bounty hunter in the galaxy, who also happened to be in the same prison as Boba. The bounty hunter raised a brow ridge questioningly. 

“What makes you t’ink I want ta do dat?” Cad Bane drawled. “I’m busy at de moment.” Boba glanced towards the Phindian who was seated next to Bane before looking back at the Duros 

“I want you to train me. I don’t mean right this second, but once you’re done your…business… I want you to teach me.” 

“Not happening kid.” Bane replied, seeming to dismiss Boba, but the teen was stubborn. 

“Way I see it, you’re going to need to bust out of here to complete whatever job it is you have going on. But you can’t really bust out with all these guards watching you. I could provide a distraction for you, but then you’d have to agree to train me.” Boba replied and Bane narrowed his gaze, appraising the youth. 

“An why exactly do ye want me ta train ya?” Bane asked. Boba took that as meaning Bane was interested. 

“Because you knew my father well, he was your mentor and he spoke highly of you. And you’re the current best bounty hunter in the galaxy. I want to be trained by the best. Like my father would want.” Boba replied. He was trying to work the angle of guilt, as much as his father’s death still hurt, he also knew it could work in his favour to earn him a few pity points to help get his way. He wasn’t scared of playing dirty to get what he wanted. 

Bane was silent for a few moments as he contemplated what Boba was proposing. Boba was becoming a bit agitated that Bane was going to say no, when finally the Duros spoke up. 

“Ye got yerself a deal kid.” Bane finally replied and Boba felt a wicked grin cross his features. 

“Pleasure doing business. I’ll get your distraction started.” He rose from his seat and started to walk away when Bane called to him again.

“Hey kid, do me a favour and direct yer distraction over at dat fella over der.” Bane said, pointing across the room towards some bald guy. Boba appraised the guy, recalling having heard something about him being there for killing a jedi. Not that Boba believed it. He’d tried killing a jedi and it was far harder than it looked. 

“Sure thing.” Boba replied before going off to get to work on his distraction. 

_________________________________________________________________

Boba hadn’t heard from, or seen Bane since the prison break. He felt swindled by the older bounty hunter, leaving his mood sour. 

Now though, as he trudged after his group into the cantina they all wanted to go celebrate in, he felt especially angry. He’d been betrayed again, this time by some new rookie bounty hunter who had her fun tying him up and locking him in the box to be delivered to their employer in place of the actual person they were supposed to make sure arrived. 

It was a major wound to his pride, even though they still got paid. He was angry at himself for allowing himself to be betrayed yet again and angry at Bane for never going through with training him. Yet another failure his father would have been disappointed in him for making. 

He didn’t really pay attention as the doors to the cantina opened and a new patron walked in. He only had enough sense to aim his blaster under the table towards the stranger as they walked over to him, “Piss off.” Boba hissed, not looking up from the table but keeping a finger on the trigger in case the person didn’t go away.

“Dat any way to treat de man you begged ta train ya.” Bane drawled, causing Boba to finally look up at the Duros. 

“When they don’t show up to actually train me, that's how I treat them.” Boba replied, though he did put away his blaster. 

“Tch, first lesson for ya kid, don’t trust anyone.” Bane growled as he slid into the seat across from Boba. “Yer lucky I’m fulfilling my part of de deal kid, or putting away dat blaster woulda been a deadly mistake.” 

“I can handle myself just fine.” Boba retorted. 

“Den you wouldn’t need me.” Bane replied smugly. “And from what I hear, ye botched yer last mission quite spectacularly. Yer father woulda been ashamed, letting yerself get played like that.” 

Boba flinched at the words and looked down, scowling at the table top. Bane heaved a low sigh. 

“Boba.” He drawled, making Boba glance up at him. “I know yer dad wouldn’t have really been ashamed a ya.” He said slowly. He was, uncomfortable, with the idea of attempting to comfort the teen, but he also knew he’d struck a low blow to a still grief stricken child of a man he’d once been close with. “But one t’ing ya gotta understand kid, you gotta be de best, because only de best do good in dis business, and only de best walk away with their lives. Yer lucky you didn’t lose your life on dat job. So, fer the sake of paying ya even fer the prison break, and repaying an old debt I had to yer dad, I’ll make sure you can be one of de best.” 

_________________________________________________________________

“Yer too slow raising that thing.” Bane chided, staring down the barrel of his blaster at Boba, who’d barely even touched his blaster in the timespan it had taken for Bane to aim his own at the teen’s chest. He lowered the blaster as Boba groaned in frustration. 

“How is this supposed to help me?” Boba questioned, though he still reached for his blaster as fast as he could when Bane called for him to do so. 

“Kid, if I had a credit fer everytime dat drawing first in a fight saved my life, I wouldn’t need ta take jobs.” 

“But how is this supposed to help me kill a jedi?” Boba questioned as he again was too slow against the Duros. 

“And how many bounty hunters do ya know of dat have successfully killed a jedi?” Bane questioned, raising a brow ridge. 

“My dad….and you.” Boba replied slowly. 

“Dat’s right, and if I’m all ya got den you need ta do t’ings my way kid.” Bane retorted, and Boba slumped a bit, looking down at the ground. 

“I just want him avenged.” Boba said quietly after a moment. Bane sighed and slowly walked over to the teen, crouching to stand at height with him. 

Boba glanced up at the Duros, not even flinching when his gaze met the piercing red of the Duros’ judging stare. 

“Yer dad trained you good, but yer not ready ta fight a jedi, Sing was stupid to t’ink ya were.” Bane started. “Boba, I know ye want ta see yer dad avenged, but ye gotta have patience kid. Jango would rather ya be trained den see you dead alongside him.” 

Boba was silent for a bit as he processed the words. “I miss him.” He whispered softly. 

“I know ye do.” Bane replied awkwardly. He wasn’t good at comfort, not at all, though he did place a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he stood back at his full height in an attempt at comfort. Clearly it worked enough for the teen as he soon straightened with a look of renewed vigour on his face. 

“Okay, I’m ready to try again. And I will be faster this time.” Boba said confidently, making the Duros chuckled lowly. 

“I have no doubt ya will be kid, and once we’re done here, I got us a job, really see what skill ye have fer me ta work with.” Bane replied, and Boba nodded, grinning brightly. 

“Let’s see what you got then old man.”

[sinisterexaggerator]

... In this essay, I will reiterate that "Cad Bane is a depressed, sentimental bastard."

OK, so, @fat-tasty-krogan pointed out that the barrels of Bane's LL-30's are rusty in the Bad Batch via a screenshot and now I cannot stop thinking about things and connecting the dots.

Here's me checking different angles. 100% rusty. This is a man who is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy, a man who is *the* best shot — that’s his livelihood right there. Something is wrong.

I've always thought Cad Bane was depressed, mostly owing to his behavior in the lost arc, but this solidifies it for me. Let's talk about the canon, shall we? (Fair warning: I may throw in headcanons or share some other thoughts along the way, but I will warn you ahead of time if it's an original idea versus what is considered to be canon).

First, let's take the idea that Jango Fett is mentor to Cad Bane. This in and of itself says to me they had a close relationship and that they often worked together in some capacity. I will spare you my thoughts on the rest, but Jango does in fact associate with him and most likely in a meaningful way we never get to see. Jango Fett does not trust easy, yet he trusts him enough to be around his child; his prized possession, let's say.

Proof: When Boba first mentions Bane, (in chorological order) it is in the comics.

Him asking to spend time with Bane, and Jango saying "no, because you already know of him (and others like Zam)," means they had a close-knit relationship in my opinion. One that sadly comes to an end. In this comic, Jango wants to train Boba to deal with "the factor of the unknown," versus the known. Hmmm.

Moving right along.

The next time we see or hear anything about Boba and Cad being in the same room is during the Rako Hardeen/Box Arc, and in the audiobook CW: Stories of Light and Dark in the short story "Bane's story" that is read by Corey Burton as Cad Bane.

In it he states that the "kid's all right," and that he "owed his father a few favors." In the story, he reiterates what happens between him, Eval, and Obi-Wan to Bossk and little Boba Fett. It was Bossk and Boba who helped to create the diversion so that they could break out and escape.

Bane returns, his job foiled, and explains why. At the end of the audiobook Boba has a plan to get them all out of jail, and he wants Bane to be apart of it. This is AFTER Aurra leaves Boba for dead on Florrum ( don't get me started on Hondo, WHEW - they knew each other too, for SURE ), before TBB, and before we see Bane with a plate in his head, this one:

It is still present in the Book of Boba Fett.

Let's not rush ahead, though. Let's back up to a bit to where Cad Bane gets betrayed.

#1 betrayal on screen is Obi-Wan Kenobi as Rako Hardeen. While I don't necessarily ship them, I can see how Cad was very much hurt by this, as he felt he had started to develop a kinship with another hunter, someone who could watch his back, imo. Maybe he hadn't experienced anything like that since Jango Fett. Maybe Rako was ticking all the right boxes; I see Cad as prizing loyalty. When Obi-Wan turned him over, you could see the pain and anger in expression -- he was truly hurt, and he promised to end his life with a blaster bolt between the eyes. I honestly think he despises him and that's that.

Returning now to Boba, it is also canon that Boba was mentored by Cad Bane. Bane's story is also where he mentioned young Boba often reminded him of himself.

In an unaired Clone Wars Arc, Boba Fett works together with Cad Bane on a job. During the animation created for the episodes that never aired, Bane is seen drinking heavily and seems to give two shits less about Boba or the job itself and is not taking things seriously.

Boba begins to question his tactics, and does not like that he is willing to sacrifice innocent townsfolk just to get a bit of money. He stands up against him, and Embo, Bossk, and other hunters present decide to let him take his shot and do not interfere in their duel, even though most likely Bane is seen to be the one in charge or having authority.

In the end they both fall, but Boba was (unfairly might I add) still wearing his helmet. You can tell that the plates on Bane's hat, however, are also armored. Still, it is not beskar. Bane is severely injured.

#2 betrayal: Bossk and Embo retract their weapons and let Bane go head-to-head with the boy. He even looks surprised in the video footage when they do this! It's the same face he gave Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Boba comes out the winner. We see Bossk with Boba in The Empire Strikes back in the future, and in canon they are known to be seen often together. He especially looked after him in prison on Coruscant.

Thus, we can assume, Bossk went off with Boba after Bane's defeat and joined forces, leaving him for dead. I assume, and in canon it is depicted that Embo is honor-coded. If what he thought Bane was doing was not honorable, he most likely left him for dead as well. What we DO see is Todo 360 being there. I am almost 100% certain it is because of his droid he survives. But, where did he take him for help? Hmmm.... HONDO!! (Kidding, kidding - another HC I have, but ANYWAY).

In fact, Todo states he is Bane's "most trusted confidant" to Omega, and I believe this. He's a grumpy dick, but he never outright punishes Todo for anything, and he messes up quite frequently, but he is also a great help.

I have a headcanon that states his reasonings for keeping Todo, though this has no basis in canon:

"The little shit comes back after he is blown apart by a bomb Cad himself planted to go off in the Jedi Temple. Todo is loyal. He's there for him. He doesn't mind he's a grump. He provides conversation; stimulation in the otherwise solitary hours he spends in space. He becomes a comfort, someone to talk to, someone to fill the void that Jango left behind." Perhaps he also acts in the same capacity as a service animal.

Anyway, it is known what Bane thinks about clones. "Once you figure one out, de rest are easy." I don't think he liked clones, even if he tolerated and respected Boba until a certain point in time. He was different, he had "his father's blood pumping through his veins," and maybe Bane had trouble staring at that face - looking in those eyes -especially if there was more to him and Fett's relationship.

Imagine how he must have felt when he betrayed him? When he shot him? When he failed at repaying Jango's favor and failed at being Boba's mentor?

I personally do not believe Bane would have agreed to the Clone contract idea as far as his opinion. I think he would have told Fett he was crazy to have millions of himself running around out there, that there is only one of him that's the real deal. Let's add this to the fact he has to see their dead and dying faces everywhere to the point he's so numb he shoots them every chance he gets - no big deal. No big deal to have to kill one of your partner's lookalikes everyday for nearly the rest of your life, eh? Even after Jango himself is already dead.

Coming to The Bad Batch, it was pointed out by another user that when Omega is looking for a way off Bane's ship, we see some medallions/coins/ingots that have the symbol of the Mythosaur in a cabinet she is searching. That is Mandalorian. Who was Mandalorian? Jango. Boba by default. They are accompanied here by a journal. I think it could be Boba's journal, too. The boy most likely resided with him on his ship as he had the Justifier during the lost arc and they were traveling together.

That man is 100% a sentimental bastard.

You could say he hated Boba. You could say he was his number one enemy, but deep down maybe he felt remorse. He had been drinking. Why? Maybe it was hard to be in Boba's company. Maybe he felt he could have prevented Jango's death. Maybe mentoring him was hard work, but in the end, Boba betrayed him after everything he had tried to do for him. And Bane liked the kid up until this point - said so himself in Bane's story.

In the lost bounty hunter arc, Cad is wearing the same outfit he is in The Bad Batch. Now he has a metal plate in his head. @allsystemsblue mentioned he talks himself up to Shand. Maybe he's trying to convince himself he's as good as he says he is. He headbutts her and it obviously throws him off. He shakes himself out, trying to regain his concentration. I personally headcanon he gets terrible headaches.

The plate is on the OUTSIDE, meaning it's protecting something underneath. I imagine he had a hole in his head and a bit of his skull was fractured. I say he wears the plate to reinforce a soft spot that makes him vulnerable.

Even so, she kicks his ass. He's off his game. Maybe he's been drinking even more since his defeat and embarrassment at the hands of a kid. One he respected, one maybe he called family.

All the other hunters sided with Boba, left him high and dry, and he hasn't even been caring for or polishing his blasters; his moneymakers. They are RUSTY.

He loses Omega, he loses his credits, and Fennec sabotages his ship. This man is pissed. He's at wit's end. For all we know, he sat down and cried afterward before he could figure a way off that damn planet, and the only one who was there for him was Todo.

Years later, we see him confront Boba. He's a hardass. Nothing left of his personality in that show but a villain. It was like they made him extra mean on purpose.

He's still hung up on the past, he says it. He talks about Jango's blood being inside Boba, his "father." He leers at Boba. It is almost as if he takes a pause (again crediting @allsystemsblue for this observation), a moment to truly look at him. And let's not forget the hiss he gives him right before his "final lesson."

"Look out for yourself, anything else is weakness."

GEE! Where did he learn that from, I wonder?! FROM BOBA HIMSELF MAYBE?! He was "weak" for Boba; he was his mentor; he tried his best to do right by his father and train him and he failed. He shot him, left him for dead, betrayed him along with all the other hunters present, and all that was left for him was to work alone. To grin and bear it. To take the jobs that came his way just to survive.

He had to of hit a downward spiral at some point in his life to come to this conclusion; something terrible must have happened, and I guarantee it's this.

Shat on all his life, all the way from being "hatched" in the Descent Ghetto on New Tayana on Duro, poor, coming up from the slums, working hard just to make ends meat.

Can't tell me he didn't have a wall up, and hell yes he was feeling low. What could make a man that mean besides betrayal and sentimentality for something he wishes perhaps he could have changed or prevented all together.

Now he takes the toughest jobs, the ones nobody wants. His reputation is fear and for good reason. He'll do anything for money, including killing innocents according to Boba. Where has his Code of Honor gone?

I'll tell you where.

No one ever respected Cad the way he tried to respect them. No one offered or afforded him the same luxury. Every time he was near to forming a decent partnership with someone, they turned right around and stabbed him in the back. We at least see it with Rako/Obi and Boba on screen. Bossk and Embo count too, for me. Maybe Jango was the only one he could trust. Him and Todo 360, which he was not around until long after Jango's death and in some form could have been a fractional replacement for companionship.

To throw in a few thoughts on Hondo, he knew them both well. Imagine if Hondo also kept secrets from Bane, whether intentional or not, or perhaps befriended him only to manipulate him for his own gain (which is definitely something that could happen). He speaks favorably of him in "Secrets of the Bounty Hunters," and calls him his friend, but he calls everyone that.

At one point they did work together as per the blurb on the back of a toy called the "Pirate Speeder bike," that features Cad Bane and a Starhawk speeder. If Hondo also betrayed him at some point, I can see it only adding fuel to the fire, IF Bane allowed him close to begin with. Considering his reputation, it's possible that no, he did not, but I also ship Cad Bane and Hondo Ohnaka as well as Jango Fett and Cad Bane. I won't go into it here, but I can see them being an insanely toxic, yet perfect match.

To sum it up, yes, he is totally depressed. I feel like this is why. Can't change my mind.

---

P.S.: This is also a lesson in how to cite your sources and give credit where credit is due when thinking about headcanons and fandom fun. :) Ain't so hard, right?

[burnwater13]

Cad Bane, standing on a street in Mos Espa, facing Boba Fett in full armor. Image from The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Calendar from DateWorks.

Grogu had never met Cad Bane. He wasn't really sorry about that. Sometimes you hear about a person who was very important to a friend or mentor and you think, ‘Wow, I wish I knew them too’. That was the not the case for Cad Bane. 

Grogu had asked Daimyo Fett how he’d met the Duros bounty hunter and the older man hemmed and hawed and finally Fennec Shand replied for him. 

“He was unlucky.”

That pretty much settled the matter. Grogu knew that Fennec had no love lost for Fett’s one time teacher, but since the Daimyo nodded at her words, Grogu learned all he wanted to know. He’d met and spent time with people who had ended up being less a friend and more an enemy over time. He didn’t recommend it. You never really questioned why they turned out to be so awful, but you asked yourself why you didn't see through it all much sooner. 

Grogu might have said that Dr. Pershing was a person like Cad Bane. He was obsessed with what he wanted and thought he was doing the right thing and pursued it pretty relentlessly. But it had all failed and Grogu was happy about that. 

Fennec told him that Pershing was nothing like Cad Bane. 

“Coruscant is riddled with people like that. All hoping that if they could only get the attention of the people in power, they could achieve some ridiculous goal that no one else valued. The people in power called Cad Bane in to do the work that they were afraid to do themselves. Bane wasn't afraid of anything and that’s why the Daimyo is here and Bane is buried in the bantha paddock.”

Grogu was surprised at that. He didn't know why, but it seemed pretty odd. 

“That’s where I put all the… stuff I don’t want people like your pal Pershing to use for cloning projects. Trust me, if I’d had my way, Moff Gideon would have never had another chance to go after you or your dad. He would have ended up as fertilizer for the rancor’s favorite plants.”

Wow. Grogu had always know that Fennec was a very straightforward person with great tactical skills and a first class strategic mind, but he forgot how nuanced she could be. She was kind of the opposite of Cad Bane. 

When he first met Fennec, Grogu was kind of worried about having another master assassin in his life. IG-11 had been very effective at that work and as person who generally thought that all life was good, it was quite a challenge to have friends who made a living at ending lives. Even if those people were volunteers according to his dad. 

But the more time he spent with Fennec, the more Grogu realized that she didn't just end people. She solved problems. If she could do that without ending the person, then fine. Take those Nikto gang members. She didn’t pick them all off during some sort of clean up operation after they had dealt with the Scorpenek annihilator droids. She just got rid of the ring leaders and that sent a message more effectively than a complete blood bath would have. At least that's what his dad told him. 

The Mandalorian was very impressed with the levels of restraint that Fennec had displayed. Considering the Mandalorian view of enemies, Grogu figured that Fennec had displayed the patience of a Jedi Master. 

“Buddy, I don't think you want to tell her that. I’m not sure she reveres the Jedi as much as you do.”

But Din Djarin was wrong about that. Fennec had told him once that she never got involved in the problems that included the Jedi.

“Listen kid, the whole point of the work I do is to solve problems. If I’m not solving the problem, I don't get paid. The whole point of the Jedi was to solve the same problems I was generally assigned to resolve, but they had access to weapons I could never bring to bear. There’s no such thing as a fair fight which is why I don’t take risks like that. The Jedi always had an advantage, so I found other problems to solve. That’s why I’m still here and a lot of other folks aren’t.”

Fennec hadn’t been smug about that either. She hadn’t pointed out that the Jedi had been almost entirely wiped out. She didn’t say ‘I told you so’ or anything like that. She had patted her midsection where her mods were and that’s what convinced Grogu that she and the Daimyo were nothing like Cad Bane. Boba Fett had gone out of his way to save her. And she had stuck around to help him solve problems on Tatooine. 

This was definitely the way.

[echo-lover]

Hello there!

A few of my favorite Star Wars headcanons about clones

• Parental instinct

I've noticed that some clones have a highly developed paternal instinct.

I think Cut with his little family is not only one.

Hunter showed concern for childrens safety from the very beginning, like Kaleb and Gungi (surviving Wookie Jedi). He looks after Omega like his own daughter, as do the rest of the Bad Batch. Hunter definitely plays the role od father in his team as a responsible and a little overprotective leader.

Echo is the most mature in my opinion and in my eyes he will always be a mommy.

Waxer immediately felt the need to care for the newly met child and had no problem with hugging or comforting little Numa when she started crying. I just know that he loved children and secretly dreamed of starting a family, but he put himself entirely at being a soldier and protecting those who can not protect themselves.

Even Boil had grown strong bond owith Numa after some time and wanted to protect her at all costs.

I think Rex would also make a great father figure. He felt a strong need to take care of others. He acted as a mentor or an older brother for Ahsoka, and when he met Omega, he immediately got in touch with her. It's worth mentioning how he immediately stood between her and Bad Batch when he found out that the boys hadn't removed their chips yet. He remembered perfectly well what happened during Order 66. I'm sure he felt guilty that he had almost executed his longtime friend who trusted him with all her heart. He also felt responsible for his brothers who died in this tragic event.

I think this paternal instinct comes straight from Jango Fett's genes, who cared for Boba and loved him, and adopt him as his son. Jango asked specifily for him and knew from the very beggining that he want to adopt this kid. The Mandalorian culture is known for being easily attached to children, and they often decided to adopt kids, as fathers and mothers, and raise them like their own.

• Overprotective Hunter

Hunter is, in my opinion, the most sensitive and emotionally mature of the Bad Batch. He can read the feelings of others, especially those closest to him, so he always knew when something was wrong. Perhaps his enhanced senses have something to do with this.

He also has a tendency to be overprotective.

As a leader, he put the good of the squad before his own. I'm sure that running and hiding from the Empire, the constant pressure on his shoulders, was very tiring for him.

Hunter tried to protect Omega and his brothers the best way he could. That's why, the loss of any member of his family was a hard shoot in the heart for him. He sees it as a personal failure, as he failed his loved ones. He may start to think that Crosshair's words as true, that maybe he shouldn't be the leader, but he hasn't told anyone about his feelings and his own doubts.

But I think Echo knew... Echo knew that Hunter was worried and tired of the constant responsibility.

• Hunter and his senses

Hunter is a synesthete. This means that what he feels with one of his senses also affects the others. For example: he sees sounds, he can taste colors or numbers have colors for him. His synesthesia is a side effect of his enhanced senses.

Due to his heightened senses, Hunter also felt pain more intense than the other clones.

I still remember the moment Omega snuggled up to him after rescuing her when she was kidnapped by Cad Bane. Hunter winced in pain for a moment as his chest wound still was fresh. He had been shot with a blaster and almost get himself k!lled, and yet the most important thing to him was Omega. He ignored his own discomfort and focused fully on Omega, making sure nothing happened to his little girl. The expression of pain quickly turned into relief.

• Family

Some time after Omega joined the Bad Batch, they agreed on the role of family members:

Omega is their little sister, of course Hunter play the role of a father, while Echo is hailed as a mother. Our grumpy little bean muttered something about this being stupid idea at first, but in the end he liked being called mommy Echo.

Echo is a great addition to this crazy squad. He is the most experienced and can keep his family in line. It will never stop to amaze me how much good and love is hidden in the heart of a man who has never known a moment of comfort in his life and to whom no one has ever shown love. His physical and mental health were very bad after the events at Skako Minor. There was almost nothing left of the inexperienced Reg from the 501st Legion. Despite this, he will always remain my favorite character in all of Star Wars universe.

Wrecker is basically a second baby and needs to be looked after more than Omega, because if you let him out of your sight for a moment, he'll probably make a big mess.

Wrecker had the mind of a child trapped in the body of a large man. He is strong and could cause fear, but he have a soft heart. He cared for those closest to him, especially Omega. When his little sister was having a bad day and was sad, Wrecker was the first to make her laugh and even shared Lula, his beloved doll, with her.

I like to think that Tech and Crosshair are sort of twins (like Echo and Fives) they're a great duo and I miss their interaction so much. Tech, as the wise one, did not get in the way of the others, offering his advice when needed. Crosshair, on the other hand, although he seems cold and very distant, I think he would quickly like Omega and become a supportive, slightly sarcastic brother to her.

• Crosshair is not as cold as he looks

Crosshair hated being different, and called a freak from the very beggining. All his life he tried to blend in, to do his job well as a soldier, and as a member of the team. He didn't show it, but he was touched by other people's words about their group, different look, and specific abilities. That's why he hated Regs so much, he wanted to prove his worth to them. And also to himself.

When I saw Crosshair for the first time, I thought that he must have quite low self-esteem and become nervous in stressful situations. Whenever he took off his helmet, we saw him immediately reach for a toothpick. He felt the need to have something in his mouth to relieve the stress and tension in his body. He always seemed to me to be the type of perfectionist who pays great attention to detail and will practice until he achieves perfection in a specific field.

Despite his specific style, Crosshair wasn't as cold as he seemed. He really cared about Omega, and I'm sure that if they had the chance to spend more time together, Crosshair would like the girl and treat her like his little sister. He will destroy anyone who tries to harm Omega.

I also think that Crosshair secretly loves animals, especially cats. I imagined that it started with Wrecker once bring a white, homeless kitten to the Marauder. The animal started fawning at Crosshair's legs and refused to leave him even for a second. In the end, Cross liked it, petted him and cuddled with him, and even let him sleep in bed with him. Having a pet was a stress reliever for him. He named his kitten Alpine.

• The past still hurts, just as much as before

Echo often had terrible nightmares. We can see in the Bad Batch, that his PTSD was still very strong. Every contact with medical equipment could trigger a severe panic attack and anxiety. Fortunately, Omega was there to support him at the time. I'm always touched that even though Echo didn't know Omega back then, he trusted her enough that her presence really helped him come back to reality and understand that he was safe.

I'm sure that he had nightmares about being tortured and locked at Skako Minor, and also dreamed of Fives. I think because of this he may have even been afraid to fall asleep, and as a result he slept very little.

He missed his brother so much and blamed himself for not being there when he died. Echo was afraid of being locked up and deprived of help, so he tried to get involved as much as possible in the fight against the Empire. I think that was one of the main reasons he went back to Rex.

I also think that Echo and Tech had long conversations and spent a lot of time together while repairing or piloting the ship. They got along the best of the whole team and only with Tech, Echo felt relaxed enough to be able to talk about his feelings and problems he was struggling with. Tech never asked, like the overprotective Hunter, he just listened, and that was enough for Echo to discover a soul mate similar to his fallen brother, Fives.

I imagine one night Tech found out that Echo couldn't sleep and asked him what happened. Echo was so surprised that someone actually asked him how he felt that he didn't know what to say at first. He finally decided to open up and confess what was on his mind. Tech understood him and they became very close from then on. That's why Echo suffered so much after losing Tech. He felt as if he had lost half of his soul again.

I imagine that, Echo was the only one from the Bad Batch to still use Mando'a. He and Fives used to speak this language among themselves. Fives nicknamed him Ech'ika (little Echo). Now, Echo used to call Omega ad'ika. After Fives death, Echo sang an old anthem - Vode an (Brothers all) to honor the memory of his fallen brother. They had learned it when they were still cadets and used to sing it together before going into battle and all 501st knew the lyrics. This is one of my favorite headcanons.

I'm sure that Echo got a tattoo of a five in honor of Fives' death. In this way he always carried his brother with him and wanted to honor his memory.

• Nightmares

Omega took a while to get used to her new home after leaving Kamino. I imagine she often had nightmares that made her afraid to go to sleep alone. Hunter saw that and let the little girl sleep with him. He told her some stories about the planets they had visited on missions, and the bond between them grew stronger. He didn't admit it, but he had fond memories of those times together.

• Fives and his twin

If Fives survived, he would be the first to side with Rex to save Echo. Seeing his beloved brother alive, but connected to computer and badly hurt, he would be both happy and devastated at the same time. Fives would do absolutely anything to be reunited with his beloved twin, even if the whole Galaxy was against him and thought he's crazy.

After being rescued, Fives would make sure Echo was fewling comfortable and help him overcome his PTSD episodes. Then he would join the Bad Batch with Echo, because he didn't wanted him to feel different. Despite some problems, the Bad Batch accepted them as their own and they became very close, like family. I pictured them sitting around fire and how they shared stories from various missions together.

Then Fives saw that Echo was trully happy. He hugged him close, and when Echo asked what happened, Fives simply replied, "I'm just happy you're here, vod'ika. That's all."

• Astronomy lesson

Tech taught Omega astronomy. How to read sky maps and name constellations. They often sat together at night, watching the sky. Hunter would get a little angry when they stay up too late, fearing that both his brother and little sister would be sick, but his anger faded quickly when he saw the smile on Omega's face. Papa Hunter would do anything to make his little girl happy.

• Two captains

Howzer is Rex's twin, like Fives and Echo. They are giving the same vibe. They trained together from an early age, still as cadets, and then the war separated them. They are also very similar in character. Courageous and great leaders, they do not abandon their people until the very end. I feel they would get along pretty well.

• Brothers for life

Cody was like an older brother to Rex. His ore'vod. He trusted him the most of all the clones.They were inseparable from the beginning of the war and became very close after the Umbara ARC. I imagine Cody was comforting a devastated Rex. He knew perfectly well that under the mask of captain's determination there was a lot of pain and suffering after loss of many brothers. They were both good people who saw a lot of evil and death in their lives. They carried mourning in their hearts and finaly were able tolet go all their emotions. It was the first time Rex had let tears flow in his brother's arms. He felt loved and safe, and Cody didn't let him go for a long time. From this moment, they looked at each other a bit differently, carefully analyzing the other's emotions and making sure that everything was okay. Besides being strong and serious leaders, they were caring and loving brothers on the inside.

Also, I just know that they were having small competition. The 501st and 212th were competing against each other as to which legion/batalion was more effective in combat. General Kenobi and Anakin secretly supported this fun game.

• Suffering medic

Kix put a lot of pressure on himself as a medic. He wanted to save as many lives as possible and not let a single soldier die. He always fought to the very end, refusing to rest until the last man was healed. Each death of his brother was equally painful for him and he treated it as a personal failure.

Umbara left a huge mark on him. He failed. So many of his brothers had fallen, and he worked until he was breathless. Only when he was so exhausted, that he could no longer stand on his own, he agreed to take a break.

Kix sat alone against the wall, looking at his hands, and cried quietly. His hands and armor were covered with the blood of his brothers. Some of them were badly hurt, others didn't make it. Kix wished he were in their place right now and felt guilty. It was hard for him to be the one that survived.

He didn't know how long he sat like that, but at one moment he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and a calm voice that he recognized immediately. It was Jesse. His best friend, his brother... Jesse told him that he did everything he could, that it wasn't his fault, but Kix wasn't convinced.

Then Jesse, seeing how bad his brother's condition was, that he started shaking, without thinking much, he wrapped his arms around Kix, pulling him into a tight hug. The medic did not protest and gave vent to his emotions and helplessness. It was the first time anyone was interested in his health. He had always been responsible for others and now someone was taking care of him. It felt nice, warm... Kix hugged back his brother and they both know that they feel the same way.

[nordiccowgirl]

Some more fankid stuff! (Plus Kassim because he's my blorboest blorbo rn)

1. Paradox and Tempest have a weird relationship that's evolved in my brain since I first started drawing them lol. They're....platonic soulmates with benefits who also fight each other all the time?? Like if Sonic and Shadow never got married in my AU. Paradox is usually the one with all the manic energy who suplexes Tempest when his guard is down but sometimes she just comes close to choking him out because she loves him so much.

2. This is Mori, my Espilver fankid. They are a desperado menace to society who may or may not end up having a toxic THING with Tempest lol. They definitely have a situationship going on with my Whispangle fankid (art to come), Aubrey.

Mori has powers similar to Silver but uses them to basically create blasters that they use instead of six shooters lol. That along with their rocket boots and they're kind of like if Striker from Helluva Boss and Cad Bane from Clone Wars fused together in the body of a Hedgeleon....

3. And then poor Kassim is just tired. He's always tired. He's basically a shonen manga mentor character at this point, always making sure Tempest and his little band of degenerates don't get themselves killed. The T Shirt is a reference to his backstory that I may or may not go over any time soon. It's, uh...intense...

[levi-venn]

The First Toothpick

Chapter Four: A Little Juicy Gossip

Gen Fic - Mentor/Protege

Summary: Cad Bane teaches Crosshair how to be a sniper. The kid picks up some other habits as a result.

Chapter Summary: Crosshair meets Todo 360 who does not know how to keep a secret.

Chapters: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 |

Available also on AO3

“Great callouts, Hunter! You’re a natural leader. Wrecker, we’re gonna need stronger droids to handle your strength. Tech, you sliced those panels in record time! Now let's see," The lieutenant looked at his datapad, scrolling through the rest of the data. 

Crosshair waited for his turn.

The lieutenant kept scrolling, frown deepening.

A brotherly hand squeezed Crosshair's shoulder. He pushed it away. He didn’t need comfort. He needed feedback.

“Alright, pack it up, soldiers,” the lieutenant said, tucking his datapad away. “The final test of the quarter is tomorrow.” 

“Hey, wait,” Hunter said. “What about-”

Crosshair's elbow found Hunter's ribs, chasing the question away.

“Is there a problem, soldier?” The lieutenant asked, raising an imperious brow.

Hunter clutched his side. “No, sir.”

The lieutenant left.

Crosshair would have left too if not for his brothers surrounding him, blocking his escape. 

“You did great , Crosshair,” Hunter insisted. 

“You hit every single mark flawlessly,” Tech observed.

“Yeah! You’re wizard!” Wrecker shouted.

Molten anger heated Crosshair's cheeks. “It doesn’t matter what you think,” he hissed. “The lieutenant’s opinion is all that matters. They are going to retire me.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Hunter said.

“It’s not up to you, Hunter,” Crosshair said. 

“Bugger this,” Hunter sighed and grabbed Crosshair’s wrist, tugging him towards a nearby ventilation grate. "Recon time. C’mon.”

Crosshair thought about kicking him, but...the recon may prove useful.

“Aww, recon?! I wanna come, too!” Wrecker whined.

“This mission requires more stealth than you are trained to handle, Wrecker” Tech indicated. “Also your size would break the air vent.”

“Hehe, yeah, I’m a real tank,” Wrecker grinned, proudly.

Hunter hoisted Crosshair up into the air ventilation tunnel before leaping up behind him.  The tunnel ran in a dozen different directions like a many-armed rapthar, each path identical to the next. Hunter always knew instinctively where to go. It didn’t take long before they found the vent overlooking the lieutenant’s office.

There was another clone in the office with him. 

No...not a clone...

“Is that Fett?” Hunter whispered. “Last time Fett was here, they took Radar away.”

“I know,” Crosshair snarled quietly.

“Oh yeah,” the Lieutenant snickered below, taking his seat at his desk. “He's the best in the facility.” 

“Cut the sarcasm, Pynk,” Fett leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest. “We need a sniper in this squad.” 

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good sniper, but we train good snipers every day. This squad needs someone extraordinary and he isn’t. It’ll save a lot of time and energy to just retire him and pick up a normal sniper for the team.”

A normal sniper…

Crosshair had heard enough. He shoved Hunter down the tunnel and followed him, angrily wiping his blurry, wet eyes as they went.

“Are they gonna retire Crosshair?” Wrecker whispered loudly to Tech as Crosshair climbed out of the vent.

“They will have to retire me first,” Tech said, adjusting his goggles, not bothering to lower his voice. “I won’t let them take him.”

“Yeah,” Wrecker slammed his fists together, “me neither.”

He ignored them both. He made a point to ignore them both. They were all idiots, thinking they could change anything by just wishing it wouldn't happen.

And Crosshair was an idiot for daring to think he could be extraordinary.

The next day, Crosshair earned the nickname “Misfire.”

Not long after that the bounty hunter, Cad Bane, took him away.

***

Crosshair couldn’t sleep.

The room was too quiet without Wrecker’s chest-rattling snores, too dark without the faint glow of Tech coding on his datapad, and even though Hunter was practically a ghost at night even when awake, Crosshair missed him, too.

Facing the fact sleep wasn’t going to find him, Crosshair slung his rifle over his shoulder, tip-toed down the hall past Bane's room, slid down the bannister, avoiding the creaky stairs altogether, and slipped soundlessly out the front door. The weather-beaten porch was barely held together by whatever rusted nails poked out of the cracked wood. He kept his steps light, but each footfall he could feel the threat of a creak beneath his boots. He leapt over the stairs entirely and landed in the dark soil with little more than a quiet squelch.

The moon was a meager sliver in the sky that didn't do much to illuminate the wheat field, but the way it moved in the wind reminded Crosshair of the black waves of a rarely calm nighttime Kaminoan sea. 

“Goin’ somewhere?”

Crosshair hadn't heard anyone approach. How was this possible? And yet, as he turned, he found that Bane had been sitting in a rocking chair in the darkest corner of the porch, only his red eyes, half-moons obscured by the brim of his hat, could be seen.

Crosshair refused to be rattled. He planted his feet firmly in the soil and and puffed up his narrow chest. “I’m going to scout the perimeter.”

“Got sensors for that, kid” Bane replied. “Ain’t a soul out there except for us n’ the Fabools.”

“Then I’ll go check on the Fabools.”

“You don’t gotta worry about them until tomorrow mornin’. Todo will show ya what to do.”

Crosshair had no response. Wrecker's clumsy question floated in his head.

Are they gonna retire Crosshair?”

He needed to do this. He needed to do...something.

Bane’s head tilted slightly.  “What?”

Crosshair didn’t respond.

I don’t want to be retired. I want to live… at least long enough to fight a real battle with Tech.

Bane let out a strained growled, his spurs jingling as his boots landed heavily on the porch. In the darkness his scarlet eyes cast harsh shadows against his scarred face. 

“You n’ me are gonna get along a lot better if ya stop bein’ so fuckin’ timid. You’re a soldier, right? You’re an elite sniper? You’re a tough guy? Then stop bein’ afraid of everything. I’m bein’ paid to train ya, but I may ask Jango for extra cuz I gotta go lookin' for yer spine first before I can teach ya anything.” Rows of sharp teeth gleamed in the dark. “Start talkin’.”

I want to live.

I want to live.

I want to live.

I-

“I…don’t want to be retired.”

The teeth vanished. The eyes dimmed. Bane leaned forward and into the meager moonlight, confusion etched into his scarred face. “What do ya mean ‘retired’?”

“If soldiers don’t meet their lieutenant’s expectations, they’re retired and their data gets erased. Radar and Pintsize were retired last year. No trace of them anywhere. Like they never existed.” Crosshair scrubbed his sweaty palms against his pant legs. He couldn’t stop talking if he wanted to, like trying to fight momentum down a steep hill. “Radar was redundant. Hunter’s tracking skills were sharper than his. Pintsize could barely hold a blaster with his tremors. The lieutenant said I’m not ‘extraordinary’ like the rest of my squad. I dropped my sniper rifle last test. They started calling me-”

The name seized in his mind. Tech’s magnified eyes glaring at him as if he was somehow holding onto the name. 

“That’s not who you are.”

“Jango knows about this? These retirements?”

Crosshair blinked. “What?”

“The retirements. Are they his decision or not?”

“It’s the lieutenant’s decision.” 

Bane rested his elbows on his knees, his unyielding glare boring into Crosshair. “Who’s this lieutenant? What’s his story?”

“A first generation clone. Lieutenant Pynk,” Crosshair thought about how to describe him. “He’s an asshole.”

Bane snorted. “Yeah, I gathered that much. So when you told me you’re the best in the facility that was his sarcasm I was hearing?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Well, fuck Pynk. We’ll show him what extraordinary looks like.” he extended his hand. “Gimme your rifle.”

Crosshair tightened the grip on his rifle strap. “Why?”

“Oh yer full of questions now, huh?” Bane sneered. “Official inspection, soldier. Give it here.”

With a small hiss of protest, Crosshair handed the rifle over.

Bane gave the rifle a little spin as if testing the weight. He looked through the scope. He ran his fingers over the stock and gave it a good shake.

“No wonder you can’t razzle and dazzle anyone,” Bane snickered. “This here’s a piece of bantha poodoo .”

“There’s nothing wrong with my rifle.” Crosshair said. “I clean it everyday. I calibrated it this morning. It’s fine.”

“Yeah?” Bane tossed the rifle back to Crosshair. “Prove it.”

Bane stood up, reminding Crosshair just how tall the Duros was compared to him. He was taller than Pynk and somehow that was comforting to know. In one swift movement, Bane hopped over the porch railing and with a crisp snap of his leather duster, he vanished around the side of the house.

Crosshair followed. At first it looked like Bane had simply disappeared, but upon a closer look, the side of the house was covered with a wide wooden trellis far too reinforced to withstand just the weight of creeper vines.  He looked up and saw a brief glimpse of the brim of Bane's hat on the roof. Crosshair slung the rifle over his shoulder and climbed. 

Some of the roof tiles were flatter and smoother than they appeared, leading to an ornamental bell tower half the size of Crosshair and far too small for Bane to fit. Still, Crosshair peeked into the bell tower and found...a short chute leading into a spy holodrama.

It was one part sniper tower, one part high-tech surveillance bowl filled with panels and devices similar to the simulation models Tech ran through to practice slicing communications and monitoring air traffic.

Bane sneered up at him. "C'mon in, kiddo."

“What is this?” Crosshair asked, hoisting himself into the chute and using the short ladder to climb down.

“Crow’s nest, watchtower, sniper tower, reinforced bunker, whatever we need it for. There are a couple of cots under the false floor if we get swarmed and have to lay low for a while.”

“Who would attack us?”

“The local authorities, mercs lookin' to even the score, raiders aimin' to steal the Fabools which can sell for a pretty credit on the black market.” Bane pressed a switch under his seat and the blank wall flipped over to reveal a pair  of LL-30 blaster pistols and a 773 Firepuncher rifle, the kind Crosshair had only seen in firearms databanks Tech sliced in for him.

Bane grabbed the rifle, charged it up, and checked the scope. “Don’t have to worry about any of that tonight though. Tonight, we’re doin’ some target practice...”

He dialed something into the control panel. A long opening slid 280 degrees around the tower at Crosshair’s eye-level, no taller than his fist, yet a screen flickered around the opening to reveal a holographic image of the surrounding area. 

“I can see everything,” he said.

“That’s the idea,” Bane replied. “Watch the field.” 

He flicked another switch and a blue light shimmered over the wheat field as the security shield went down. 

The grass started to quiver almost immediately. 

“What’s out there?” Crosshair asked, sliding the barrel of his rifle through the opening and peering through the scope. 

“Stalker lizards,” Bane said. “Lookin’ for a free meal inside that Fabool enclosure. Tell me what ya see.”

Crosshair toggled the heat sensor display on and off, watching the heat signatures from the lizards and the dark shadows of the landscape. “Lizards about a meter long coming from the southwest.” He scanned the enclosure next, remembering his training. Always check doors, corners, exits, and blindspots.

“We have blindspots.”

“Where’re the blindspots?” Bane asked, clearly a test. 

“South and East walls of the enclosure.”

“Already covered. Look again.”

The heat signatures didn’t change. The landscape didn’t change much either. Crosshair lowered his scope and leaned over the edge of the bell tower as if it would help. “How-”

Bane grabbed his jumpsuit and pulled him back. “Stay in here.” He pushed some monoculars into Crosshair’s hands. “Your little toy scope doesn’t have a range finder, use these.”

“It’s not a toy.”

“It surely is. You wanna be an extraordinary sniper? You gotta grow up n’ use a real sniper rifle. Now quit givin’ me that death glare n’ look at coords 233.32, 33.4.”

Fuming, Crosshair looked through the monoculars. “Coords 233.32, 33.4.” He repeated. 

Crosshair dialed in the coordinates and let the cursor on the display guide his movements.

There were several panels in various parts of the field. Each panel was painted with a shiny yellow number and embedded with silver reflective discs. “Are those mirrors?”

“Tell me which one to shoot.”

“What?”

“Can’t believe I’m sayin’ this, but yer askin’ too many questions. Just do it.”

Crosshair rolled his eyes and shifted his scope from mirror to mirror until the caught the reflection of a stalker lizard climbing up the fabric wall of the enclosure.

“Panel two, center.”

A blaster shot rang out, it ricochet off the mirror and the low-power stun blast knocked the lizard off the enclosure, driving it back to the treeline.

“Again.”

Crosshair aligned his vision. Another panel. “Panel three, top left.”

The blaster bolt fired, ricocheted, and hit its target.

“Keep callin’ ‘em,” Cad said. "Faster."

“Six, low right. Four, center. Two, top center. Two, top left, no wait-”

“Two, middle left,” Cad corrected and took the shot. 

“How do you see them without the monoculars?” 

Bane snatched Crosshair’s monoculars and shoved the Firepuncher into his hands. “Built-in rangefinder in the scope. Give it a try.”

Bane’s rifle was heavier than his, but it also felt sturdier and a lot more powerful. He did a quick procedural check of the power cell, the scope angle, and acclimated himself to the weight before sliding the barrel through the opening.  The scope was alive with readings. Rangefinder, coordinates scale, the crosshairs shifted as it looked for moving targets and returned to center when there was nothing. 

“This is cheating,” Crosshair grumbled.

Bane snorted. “No such thing in this business. Besides, you can spend all the fancy credits in the galaxy and it don't make you the best. Yer greatest mod is yer eyes n' yer instincts. Now shut up n’ start firin’. Lizards are startin’ to swarm.”

The heat signatures doubled and Crosshair took shot after shot, chasing the lizards away.

“Good.” Bane said.

Good, but not extraordinary, Crosshair thought.

Two lizards scaled the corner of the enclosure. Crosshair hit the leader and it landed on its follower, scaring both away.

He waited for Bane to praise him. It was an impressive shot.

Bane remained silent.

Another lizard leapt from a panel onto the enclosure wall. He shot one mirror and it ricocheted off another mirror and hit the lizard between the eyes, sending it sprawling backwards before scurrying off. 

That was impressive too. He waited for the Lieutenant...no...he waited for Bane to comment.

Bane said nothing.

“He’s a good sniper…This squad needs someone extraordinary.”

He took another shot. The blaster bolt bounced off the mirror and hit the tail of the lizard. It kept climbing. 

He took another shot. The lizard dropped.

“Sloppy,” Bane said.

Crosshair’s bolt hit the edge of the enclosure, wool sizzled. The Fabools inside bleeted and honked irritably.

“Shit shot.”

“Are they gonna retire Crosshair?” Wrecker asked, eyes wet with tears.

Another miss.

“Worse,” Cad said.

And another.

“Shittier.”

He shot a mirror, it ricocheted into the night.

“Now yer takin’ yer failure out on the mirrors, huh?” Cad snickered. “Try again.”

The rifle felt heavier. Like the hands of a dozen laughing cadets and one unimpressed lieutenant was pushing it down. 

“Look out, here comes Misfire.”

The heat signatures began to multiply through the scope.

“What’re you doing?” Bane asked. “I said try again.”

Shit shot…worse…failure…

The trigger refused to move. 

“Misfire…Misfire…Misfire…”

“Dank farrick,” Bane swore and grabbed the rifle, firing five shots in quick succession. Blaster bolts soared and ricocheted off the mirrors, scaring away the rest of the lizards. He punched the control panel and the blue shimmering shield spread across the wheat field again. “What was that about? You forget how to shoot?”

Crosshair's hand twitched. He didn't move. He stared at the rifle.

“What the hell, kid?”

Crosshair couldn’t feel his fingers.

Hands shaking, he managed to hoist himself out of the bell tower.  By the time he got to the bottom of the trellis he realized he had left his own rifle behind.

Tears blurring his eyes, he raced back to the front of the house, crashing through the door and stomping up the stairs. 

He hid under the covers.

In a bed that wasn’t his.

Without the rifle that he didn’t deserve anyway.

***

The next morning, the house seemed empty. Bane wasn’t downstairs, but breakfast was waiting for Crosshair. A plate of bacon and eggs on a warming plate.

He ate quickly and guzzled the apple juice, politely pushing away the black caf and wondering if it was only there because he knew Fett was never far from a cup of caf.

He wandered outside to the sun sprinkling the wheat field with golden light. It made him squint. Climbing up the trellis, he poked his head in the bell tower. Neither rifle nor Bane was there.

His heart dropped. He felt sick. If Bane confiscated his rifle, then Crosshair was probably heading back home today. He hoped he’d be able to say bye to his brothers before they retired him. Then again, he didn’t get to say bye to Pintsize and Radar.

Climbing back down the trellis, he walked to the Fabool enclosure punching in the code he watched Bane use the day before. The gate swung open and before he could fall into a cuddle pile of Fabools, a stout droid flew directly at him, nearly slamming him against the gate.

“Who are you?!” The droid asked, round, unblinking yellow eyes flashing with suspicion, his thrusters hissing angrily as he floated in front of Crosshair’s face.

Crosshair pushed himself off the gate. “Bane told me to take care of the Fabools with Todo this morning.”

“I am Todo 360,” the droid declared, spindly arms flailing. “Did Mr. Bane order you to spy on me?” 

“No. If I was going to spy on you,” Crosshair said, dryly. “You’d never know it.”

The droid’s three-fingered hand touched his non-existent chin thoughtfully. “Oh. Hmm. That’s…a valid point. Fine, you may stay, but I am in charge here and you will tell Mr. Bane that I am doing a perfectly good job and I don’t need any help.”

“Fine by me.”

“We’ll start with feeding practices!” Todo announced, shooing away the Fabools who seemed to hate the sound of his thrusters. They rolled towards Crosshair and away from the noisy droid. It was hard to worry about retirement when there were a dozen soft, bouncing balloons begging for his attention, and Crosshair decided to enjoy the moment, taking time to pet each one while Todo did all the work. 

“Well, you’re already proving yourself to be an adequate assistant," Todo said, cleaning the water trough. "It takes me three times longer to fill their troughs when they try to bully me into their cuddle piles.” Todo floated towards the hose and dragged it across the enclosure, straining between words. “Your...reaction...to them...is...far…different…from…Mr. Bane’s…first…interaction.”

“What do you mean?” Crosshair asked.

“Oh, Mr. Bane was terrified of the Fabools when Fett brought him here. Practically climbed up on the fence to get away from them. He was scared of a lot of things back then though.”

Crosshair’s jaw dropped into his lap. “Bane? Cad Bane?”

“Well he wasn’t Mr. Bane back then. Just Cad. He hadn’t chosen a surname. Some Duros culture thing. I never understood it.”

“How long have you known Bane?”

“Many, many years.”

Crosshair cupped a Fabool chick in his hands and pressed it against his cheek. It snuffled at him, inquisitively. “Why was he afraid of the Fabools?”

“He full of paranoia when we met him,” Todo said, lightly. “Just distrustful of everything, in general.”

"But..." Crosshair stared dumbfounded at Todo. “How did he get so…”

“...so very 'Bane' ?” Todo asked.

“Yes.”

Todo held up an authoritative finger. “By eating his vegetables, little boy,” Todo hummed and floated towards the food sacks.

Crosshair rolled his eyes. “What else do you know about Bane?”

“Oh, I know lots about him. I’ve known him for a very long time. I’m his most trusted confidant. I am sworn to secrecy though so I couldn't possibly share anything with you.”

Considering how much Crosshair learned about Bane in the thirty seconds he knew Todo he decided to just nod. “Okay.”

“But…” Todo floated forward, hands rubbing together conspiratorially. “...I do have a few juicy tidbits I could share if you’re interested.”

Crosshair made a mental note to never tell Todo 360 anything about himself. “Sure.”

“Oh goodie! It’s so rare I find someone to gossip with that aren’t Fabools. Bossk and Aurra tell Mr. Bane everything .”

Crosshair scooted forward, setting the chick down on the ground only to have two fabools bounce into his lap and a third bounce against his back. Somehow all of the Fabools reminded him of Wrecker, only cuter and less annoying. “What else do you know?”

“Hmm…oh! Here's something. He didn’t know how to use a blaster when he met Mr. Fett. Mr. Fett taught him everything he knew about being a mercenary.”

“I figured that much.”

“But did you know that Mr. Fett and Mr. Bane engaged in a bar fight before Mr. Fett left for his secret project?”

“Why?”

“Is it not obvious? Mr. Bane idolized Mr. Fett, followed him around like a fabool chick bounces after a feed bag. When Mr. Fett left mercenary work, he left Mr. Bane behind. Mr. Bane took it very personally, but I think it was the best thing that ever happened to him.”

“Why?” Crosshair pressed.

“Because that is when Mr. Bane found that cool confidence in himself. Mr. Fett was always there to lift him up, reward his victories, and tutor his failings. Mr. Bane had to figure out how to exist without Mr. Fett and it was then I noticed that confidence grow like a hmm…like a cactus blossom! He went from Mr. Fett’s shadow to being quite the opposing figure himself.”

Crosshair sat quietly, absorbing this fact. It was hard to imagine the Bane today cowering from Fabools or needing help from anyone.

Or starving for someone else's approval.

When he thought of Bane, he thought of the easy stance, arms relaxed and thumbs hanging over his belt buckle, a toothpick casually moving between his teeth, round eyes behind hooded lids that could see through a person with more accuracy than a scope. That nonchalant drawl, the cheeky turn of phrase, unrattled, and prickly.  

All the things Crosshair wanted to be. 

“Has Bane ever had an apprentice before?”

“Not to my knowledge. Mr. Fett’s request is unusual, but Bane would do anything for-”

“Kid, get up.”

Crosshair startled, whipping his head back to find Bane leaning against the wall, arms folded, toothpick rolling lazily in his teeth. How long had he been in the enclosure? A Fabool snuffled at his boot, lost interest than bounce against Crosshair's head.

“Come with me.” Bane left the enclosure without another word.

Crosshair didn’t move at first. Not because he was covered in Fabools, but because he knew this was the end.

Retirement…

He’d finally find out what happened to Pintsize and Radar.

“Nice to meet you, Todo,” he said, standing up and gently rolling the fabools away who happily bounded towards the droid.

“Oh! Well nice to meet you too, um… ‘Kid’.”

“Sit down,” Bane said, pointing to the rocking chair on the porch before going into the house.

Crosshair sank onto the flower-patterned cushioned seat, trying and failing to rest his boots on the railing. It was too far away. He sighed and drew his legs up, hugging his knees. He watched the skies for a ship to come and pick him up. 

Bane came out a few minutes later and sat in the other rocking chair, boots landing with a jingle of his spurs on the railing. Crosshair’s rifle was in his hands. It took all of Crosshair’s self-control not to lunge for it, hug it, and promise he would never abandon it again.

He hugged his knees tighter.

“Doesn’t take a genius to know why you ran out last night,” Bane began, tilting his hat up to look Crosshair in the eyes. “You crave praise like a dying man thirstin’ of jocola . I don’t reckon you get a lot of positive reinforcement at the facility n’ ya know what? Tough shit. The sooner ya realize the galaxy ain’t gonna give ya validation is the day ya actually become the extraordinary sniper I know ya can be.

“This is the last and only time I’m gonna say this," Bane continued. "Yer real fuckin’ good, and yer gonna be the best. I ain't ever wrong about shit like this. Now...you hold onto that praise because after this conversation, I ain’t gonna be nice to ya anymore. Yer gonna get pushed n' pushed hard, yer gonna get shaken, and I’m gonna do everythin’ I can to get ya past this bullshit worry about what everyone else thinks. Maybe you’ll hate me, hell ya might even shoot me in the back, but it’ll be worth it because it’s gonna send ya past that kraytshit extraordinary standard Pynk’s got for ya.”

Bane offered the rifle back to Crosshair. “I promise, by the time ya get back home, yer gonna be tougher than a reek’s horn n’ twice as deadly.”

The moment Crosshair’s fingers touched his rifle, he knew it was augmented. It felt like a Firepunch. Better scope, heavier stock, a weapon for a real sniper. He peered through the scope. 

“Whoa,” Crosshair murmured, scanning the field with his scope, toggling between more scanners than he knew existed. “Wizard.”

“Listen kid, in this galaxy there’ll be plenty of people tryin’ to put you down, break your spirit, break your bones. Only person you gotta trust is yourself. Yer all ya need, you understand me?”

Crosshair realized it was a lesson Bane had to learn when Jango left for Kamino. It would be a lesson Crosshair would carry with him the rest of his life.

Even if Bane was hired to train him, to be this mentor, it meant something to Crosshair. "Understood."

“Go clean up. Food’s in an hour. Beef stew minus the carrots. After that you start yer real trainin’. Deal?”

Crosshair hopped up, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “Deal.”

“One more thing, kid.”

“Yeah?”

“What did you and Todo talk about this morning?”

Crosshair didn’t bother lying. “You.”

Bane growled quietly. “That gossiping little shit. What did he say?”

Though Crosshair didn’t intend to lie, he also didn’t feel like ratting Todo out. So he was honest about the thing that mattered most. 

“He said you’re better off without Fett around.” 

The words seemed to splash cold water on Bane’s face. The mercenary  looked away, out to the golden field, too bright in the noonday sun. 

“Is it true?” Crosshair asked. 

Bane’s glare didn’t skewer Crosshair as sharply as he expected. In fact, it looked like he may even answer.

“Target practice starts at dusk. Bring your A-game, kid. Not holding back on you. Now get outta here.”

And with that Bane sank into his rocking chair tilted his hat forward over his eyes.

The conversation was over.

Crosshair was happy he asked.

[stagbeetleboy]

Remembering being disappointed by the book of boba fett again…

Boba killing Cad Bane would have made more sense of it had happened waaay earlier.

Bane is past his prime and Boba is an established bounty hunter in book of boba fett, its waaay past the time for Boba to prove himself by defeating his mentor.

I wish they had gone through with the deleted tcw scene. :(((

[jewishcissiekj]

Keep in mind I have not read the Boba Fett Clone Wars novels but I do have opinions on Aurra mentoring him/taking care of him after Jango's death I think there are a few ways to go about it (should she even raise a child? Probably not. Would she raise a child? Ehhh) but my personal opinion as of now is that she would fuck his childhood up badly by trying to fix it. I'm a firm believer in Cad Bane being her mentor, so I think she would imitate the way he brought her up but also teach Boba all the things she thinks The Dark Woman (her Jedi Master) should have taught her. So like. No emotional support. Zero. Since I feel like she'd think The Dark Woman was too focused on the emotions side of it all, she'd just pay it no mind. Fuck it, feel what you feel, use your feelings to motivate your actions. Mental Health? Don't know her. Also she would teach Boba how to fight with a Lightsaber because she has a bunch of those from all the Jedi she killed

[spicedrobot]

tbb spoilers/thoughts beneath the cut!!!!

while i am always happy for my boy bane to show up... i'm sad it was a cameo that doesn't seem like it will lead to anything more this season. though i really liked how he threw his credits in that guy's face. like yeah, he gave him the tip, but bane doesn't respect him. AT ALL. i think that really speaks to him as a person.

it also seems like cad doesn't enjoy his work like he used to. during the clone wars, he used to wink and smirk and seemed to be enjoying himself. now he's just... tired. and really grumpy. is it a sign of age? of weariness with the job? (is that why he eventually starts to mentor boba?) sigh... i miss my lightsaber stealing happy killer man :(

[oh-three]

Something else I want to see in Star Wars is an further exploration of the relationship between Boba Fett & Cad Bane. Because Wookieepedia says that Jango mentored him and that he mentored Boba. Curious what that was like and how they ended up on opposite sides, Pyke Syndicate stuff aside. What was their relationship like after Jango’s death? Did they meet before or after he died? What went wrong?

[yama-uba]

Mystery Ranch by Midjourney

This was the most interesting interaction with Midjourney. I described my fantasies to the neural network and offered references, and it drew something third, at the same time similar and different from the original idea. So that's how it feels to write a book and then make a movie out of that book. ATTENTION: this selection of pictures is desirable to listen to the accompaniment of Bryan Adams - Where I Belong.

Of course, the tags did not leave any intrigue, but still it would be interesting to go from the opposite: to imagine the personality and appearance of the owner of this whole place.

Why does he live so far from civilization in the space age?

What is he hiding here? Who is rich enough to own all of this? Did he build everything himself?

Who owns all these colza, corn fields and elevators? (Yes, I think Durossian fields look like this because of the irrigation system and the convenience of agricultural droids)

We're getting really close...

Here is the place. It seems that the owner is not at home, otherwise, as befits local customs, he would have already shot us on the way to his property.

Especially now, in the spring, when his 11 milky "lil ladies" are preparing to become mothers. In no case should they be disturbed. By the way, an interesting fact: Midjourney perfectly understands the difference between black angus and jersey breeds of cows, drawing some rectangular and triangular, respectively. However, the neural network does not understand what a bifalo is and always draws bison.

Okay, if we are still pulling "our death" by its breathing tubes, then why not look through the windows of the first floors?

This is where Midjourney and I had a misunderstanding. I didn't know how to remove the stuffed of "sacred cow" for gray aliens from the pictures (you know, gray aliens, crop circles, sounding and stealing cows...they adore cows so much that they have learned to metabolize lactose). And American rustic implies an abundance of stuffed animals and horns in itself. The hunter is such a hunter. And I was never able to squeeze a good photo out of Midjourney with "a collection of Stetson and Akubra on the walls and in the showcases." Once ai showed me a classic American Boy Scouts raccoon hat with a striped tail, but I couldn't get it to repeat.

The most important thing is not to start looking at these pictures, so as not to see strange things (especially with stuffed animals).

Guest bathroom. Looks cozy... and extremely illogical.

Next comes the memory loss. And, if we see this, it means that we are either one of the Nelvaanian women that Bane bought for himself as domestic housekeepers, or we were left in the meat ripening chamber so that the corpse would not spoil until the ranch owner returned.

I am absolutely convinced that duros adore earth cows to the level of absurd stereotypes.

Okay, this was Cad Bane's house. Otherwise, everything is with his "working lairs", of which he has a myriad of in all corners of the galaxy, even on that unknown side of the galactic attractor. And the contents of these apartments are more... ascetic .

I think it’s better to describe even just a photo from the Internet:

The box is the property of Todo. He's charging into it.

And this is what Boba's room looked like when the duros was his mentor. These spartan conditions prepared the guy well for the fact that then he had to live in Sarlac for some time, until finally dropped that damn rope to him)

Most importantly, men really do not see anything strange in this.

It's all drawn by Midjourney, it's all yours and Midjourney's.

[sinisterexaggerator]

Headcanon time!

I couldn't find anywhere that talked about Jango Fett ever fighting with a blade or a sword. Cad Bane was said to be mentored by Jango. It is also canon per "The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters" that Hondo Ohnaka knew both of them, as well as many other hunters, and he talks about how they all spent time together.

Hear me out:

( gifs from @celebrate-the-clone-wars )

WHAT IF...

Hondo Ohnaka taught Cad Bane how to swordfight!!!

[burnwater13]

Cad Bane standing outside on Tatooine. From The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 7, In the Name of Honor. Calendar by DateWorks.

Note: This story was originally published on January 16, 2024. Since this story already mentions Cad Bane, it fits today's image. Plus a cold is just kicking my butt and my head hurts (properly medicated and expect to feel better tomorrow.)

Grogu only knew what the files at the Jedi Temple had said about Cad Bane and of course the few words that Daimyo Fett would waste on him when they were sharing gorgs after their fishing expeditions. The Daimyo was surprisingly good at fishing and Grogu was glad of that. His own dad was not very good, although he tried.

That had given Grogu the opportunity to ask the Daimyo about where and when he’d learned to catch fish, given that his dad was typically wrestling with lures, lines, and leaders most of the time they were fishing at the Pica Oasis. The Daimyo told Grogu about being raised on the ocean world of Kamino.

Grogu was really impressed by that. No place was going to offer better fishing that a world covered with an ocean. The Daimyo emphasized that fishing on Kamino was nothing like fishing at the Pica oasis. Some of the fish were big enough to swallow a human whole, according to his Mandalorian friend. Others, like the krill, were so small that even Grogu would need to eat dozens of them to have a decent snack. 

Eventually, the two of them got around to talking about the Daimyo’s father, Jengo Fett and the circumstances of his death. Grogu was horrified and apologized to his friend for the actions of the Jedi.

“I have had many years to consider what happened that day, little one. The Tuskens teach that when you are defending your family, your duty is to do everything you can, including giving up your life to protect them. That is what my father did and only a Jedi could end him. He did his duty by me. I bare no grudge to you for the actions of others. Your people paid an even heavier toll at the end of that whole mess. You and I have the opportunity to show people how we can be at peace with the past and work not to repeat it.”

Grogu had nodded and patted the Daimyo’s knee. Then his line tugged and he chirped in surprise. He had a strike! There was some sort of something tugging on his line and he began to reel it in, with the master bounty hunter coaching him through the whole process. It was an excellent example of cooperation, right up to the point where Din Djarin came over, got his big boot tangled up in the line and pulled the rod out of Grogu’s hands, whacking the Daimyo with it as he tried to untangle himself. 

“Din Djarin, have you ever considered that fishing is not a skill you possess and until you develop mastery of it, perhaps you should leave it to Grogu and I?”

Grogu thought the Daimyo was well within his rights to say, but considered Fennec’s brisk, ‘Mando, I didn’t peg you for this much of a klutz’ to be unnecessarily harsh. His dad had clearly not been taught to fish by any of the people responsible for this education. 

“You don’t become a master of things you don’t practice.” Grogu’s dad had complained at them.

“Now you sound like Cad Bane. Any little thing I didn’t do perfectly, I did until I was perfect at it. He regretted that at the end. Never teach your student enough to be the end of you.” 

The Daimyo had seemed both proud and sad about that as far as Grogu could tell. Fennec had told him a little about what happened when Boba Fett’s old mentor had ended up on Tatooine trying to ‘fix’ things for some syndicate or other. By ‘fix’ things he knew that meant threaten people until they agreed to do whatever they were told to do. It was very Sith-like behavior and Grogu could not imagine the Daimyo ever agreeing to such a thing. 

“Kid, you’d be surprised at the sort of things the Daimyo has agreed to do. Of course that was all before he was tossed into that sarlacc pit and then re-educated by the Tuskens. Cad Bane hadn’t planned for that and that’s where he failed. You never take on an enemy that you don’t know everything about.”

Fennec seemed to be grudgingly respectful of those changes. Grogu wondered why and asked his dad about later when they were getting ready to sleep. 

“Buddy, you remember that kid, Calican? He left Fennec for dead in the desert. I thought she was dead too. But the Daimyo? He checked. She wasn’t dead yet and he took her to the person who put her back together with those… uh… modifications. Boba Fett didn’t have to do that. He chose to. Because he was once left to die in the desert and the Tuskens saved him. That sort of thing changes a man and in this case for the better. Cad Bane went after the old Boba Fett. The bounty hunter. Who he met was Daimyo Fett, the better man.”

Grogu was just glad that he got to meet ba’buir Fett, the Mandalorian who knew how to fish. His father’s son. After all, being a bounty hunter and fishing weren’t all that different, from a certain perspective. 

[noddytheornithopod]

Thoughts if they do more Book of Boba Fett or just continue Fett's storyline in general: if they want a threat in the Criminal Underworld, I think I have the perfect proposition... Prince Xizor.  I'm into this idea for a few reasons:

Black Sun is the only major crime syndicate we haven't seen in live-action (unless you count Crymorah since it's listed in the "big five" mentioned in Solo).

Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are clearly having way too much fun pulling in old EU things, so why the heck not? If you want a new criminal villain that's still somewhat iconic, I feel like Xizor would fit well. 

Not sure how they'd fit into the story, like would it just be like the Pykes and trying to claim a power vacuum? Or maybe... the Hutt Twins return and decide they want Jabba's territory after all, and form an alliance with Black Sun to do so (granted IDK if this would make sense in the end, but look I don't see Boba flying off Tatooine unless he's got good reasons to... WTF I sound like I'm talking about Kenobi lol).

I guess I just think Xizor and the Falleen would be cool villains to show the wider audience? As long as the weird sex pheromones thing doesn't get too ludicrous and seems more like someone's horny fantasy, lol.

We've had many Legends characters reintegrated in significant ways, so Xizor I think would be a cool next step. Plus, since he's only been mentioned in canon so far, you have total freedom, like he's not even dead like in Legends.

I confess I don't know Shadows of the Empire very well so I have no idea how Xizor translates, but I'm sure if you could find a charismatic actor and get them to wear scaly green makeup, you could create a memorable villain.

Also this is a tangent from Black Sun maybe show some of Fett's old bounty hunter pals working for them, or Fett has to try and win them over and convince them of his new vision for the underworld that focuses more on cooperation. (Mostly just think it would be cool to see Bossk pop up since he's almost like a mentor or even father figure to Boba after Jango died, but you could also pay off that weird Cad Bane tease lol.)

anyway jon favreau dave filoni if you want a boba fett season that doesn't have the show be hijacked by another and leave the original main plot underdeveloped call me

honestly i just want the show to have another chance, one where it can explore more than just boba's post sarlacc backstory (which i DID like to see) and not be bogged down by the larger mandoverse

i guess another thought is maybe you could show how the balance of power changed and how different criminal organisations are more prominent in the sequel trilogy like the guavian death gang

[ao3feed-bnha-girls]

You Use a Lot of Weapons for a Hero

You Use a Lot of Weapons for a Hero by KageNekem

“You're making this much harder than it has to be.”

Izuku can't stop the little smirk that appears on his face as he slips his helmet back on, letting it lock into place. “This is the way.” He straightens as the lightning enhances the gleam of his beskar, his hands moving slowly to his double pistols strapped at his sides.

Cad Bane sighs. “Just know, this ain't personal, kid. Just business.” He flips his coat back revealing his own pistols, letting his hands rest by them.

OR

After inheriting his father's Mandalorian armor almost ten years ago, Izuku Midoriya, along with his friends, find themselves ambushed at the USJ by villains and a bounty hunter who always gets his job done.

Words: 7475, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), The Mandalorian (TV), Star Wars - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Uraraka Ochako, Cad Bane, K-2SO (Star Wars), Hondo Ohnaka, Snipe, Shigaraki Tomura | Shimura Tenko, Yagi Toshinori | All Might, Bakugou Katsuki, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead

Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochako, Midoriya Izuku & K-2SO, Midoriya Izuku & Hondo Ohnaka, Midoriya Izuku & Snipe, Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako

Additional Tags: Mandalorian Midoriya Izuku, Jedi Uraraka Ochako, The Mandalorian (TV) References, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, BAMF Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Gun Wielding Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku is a Mandalorian, Uraraka Ochako is a Good Friend, BAMF Uraraka Ochako, Force-Sensitive Uraraka Ochako, Sassy K-2SO (Star Wars), K-2SO Being K-2SO (Star Wars), Cad Bane's Hat, Hondo Ohnaka Being Hondo Ohnaka, Mentor Snipe

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45424627

[levi-venn]

The First Toothpick

Chapter Nine: A Couple of Unbreakable Toothpicks

Characters: Cad Bane, Crosshair, Hunter, Omega, Cadet Tech (flashback)

Gen Fic - Mentor/Protege

Summary: Cad Bane teaches Crosshair how to be a sniper. The kid picks up some other habits as a result.

Chapter Summary: Years later, Crosshair is drowning in guilt after the events at Mount Tantiss. Bane shows up to shake some sense into him.

Read the previous chapters here:

Chapters: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch7 | Ch8 | Ch9 (Final Chapter) |

Also Available on AO3

Shadows of various sizes periodically approached the door to Crosshair’s Pabu hut for the last week. 

The small shadow with the strong knock was Omega inviting him to meditate with her. 

The large shadow with an aggressive knock was Wrecker begging him to go deep sea fishing.

The quiet shadow with an impatient, rapid knock was Hunter threatening to break the door down if Crosshair didn’t come out and eat something.

Crosshair had plenty of rations. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Through the thick, mud walls, Crosshair could hear the calm ocean waves. Through the parchment taped over the windows he could still see the relentlessly cheerful sunshine. There was no hiding from the scents of mouth-watering barbecue and sweet summer blossoms.

Pabu was undeniably a paradise.

And Crosshair didn’t deserve any part of it. 

Days went by. 

Weeks.

The same three shadows approached and left with various threats and pleas and plates of food that drew only the attention of ants. 

Crosshair remained unmoved.

Until one day…

Crosshair was curled up on the floor in the darkest corner of the room, fingers digging into the scar on his scalp, reliving the past few years obsessively. 

“Aim for the kid.”

“I’ve made my choice.”

“You…you could have saved him…”

Hunter’s voice came through the door like the low growl of an injured bear. Resentful and broken. 

“I called Cad Bane.”

Those four words pulled Crosshair upright and he hissed at a stray beam of light blinding him through a crack in the shrouded window. He retreated further into the shadows, heart pounded, lungs seizing.

“Did you hear me?”

“H-how?,” Crosshair rasped. “Only Tech knew the frequency.”

Hunter’s heightened senses would pick up the sound when no one else in the galaxy could. 

“And Tech gave it to me. He wanted a back-up in case…” Hunter’s voice cracked. “Anyway, all he gave me was the frequency and said it was from the bounty hunter who trained you when we were kids. He left out the important detail that I’d be calling the damn bounty hunter who kidnapped Omega and kriffing shot me.” Hunter paused for a moment, then added. “I did this for you.”

“You…had no right.”

“You didn’t leave me with any choice, Crosshair,” Hunter continued. “Truth is, I don’t know what you need or how to help you. Maybe you’ll open the door for him. Maybe you won’t. In any case…he’s coming.”

Crosshair snarled at the door, but the shadow was already gone.

Cad Bane…

He hadn't thought of the bounty hunter in years. 

He couldn't bear to.

Bane had promised they'd see each other again, but as Crosshair grew older, he became more and more entrenched in the Clone Army, in Clone Force 99. He had joined the Establishment Bane hated and what was worse, Crosshair was enjoying it. Bane would’ve been disappointed.

By the time Crosshair joined the Empire, he was convinced he'd ever see Bane again. Maybe Bane would’ve been disappointed in Crosshair joining the Republic, but the Empire? He couldn’t bear to think of the resentment. Not from him.

Crosshair thought of Bane now and all he could see was a child-like, awestruck vision of a legendary Duros with a confident sneer and glowing red eyes that saw right through Crosshair's fears…and found potential in him.

Crosshair felt his heart break all over again.

“Listen, kiddo, people like you n’ me are survivors. We’re too damn stubborn to let this galaxy swallow us whole. Just keep your head up, keep those boots moving forward, and follow your gut n’ your gut alone. Got it?”

And look where my “gut” got me, Crosshair thought, drawing his knees to his chest.

He hated how much Bane’s opinion mattered to him. He hated Bane seeing him like this, a rotting husk in a paradise island, an untreated stump for a shooting hand, and an Imperial service record staining his past.

Crosshair thought about sending a comm to Bane. Tell him not to come. Tell him he was fine and it was a mistake.

“Tech…what if I never see him again?” Crosshair asked, tears streaming down his face as he watched the Justifier leave Kamino forever. 

“If you don’t, you will still have the combat skills he gave you, and apparently those toothpicks. What’s their purpose?” 

For the first time in weeks, Crosshair took a shower. He  cleaned his hut of ration wrappers and empty beer bottles. He managed to choke down half a protein bar before his stomach began to churn from nerves. With his remaining hand, he dragged the chairs and the dresser away from the entrance of his hut. 

Then he returned to the dark corner of his room, curled up, and waited, listening to the gentle hush of ocean waves until…

Thud, clink, thud, clink, thud, clink.

Those spurred boots were unmistakable. 

Crosshair’s heart lurched. 

He was a cadet again, filled with boyish excitement, newly augmented rifle in hand ready to face whatever Bane threw at him! 

And then he was an Imperial deserter again, filled with dread and despair, alone in a cell knowing he deserves everything Hemlock threw at him.

A bony knuckle rapped hard against the wooden door.

Fear froze the words in Crosshair’s throat. 

The door creaked open. An imposing figure filled the doorway, the harsh sunlight turning the bounty hunter’s form into a dramatic silhouette. Those glowing red eyes turned into narrow slits as he scanned the room, until he was looking right at Crosshair. 

Rows of jagged teeth and fangs gleamed as Cad Bane sneered.

“Well, ain’t this a cheery reunion,” Bane drawled, entering the hut. “Howdy, kid.”

Time hadn’t changed Bane a bit, still tall and willowy, long duster and wide-brim hat. A clever smirk and a cool ease that Crosshair used to feel when he was still part of Clone Force 99. And he had felt confident because Bane had given him that confidence. 

“I’m not a child,” Crosshair mumbled, drawing his knees up tighter, hand clutching the side of his head as his fingers pressed punishingly against the mangled scar.

“Aintcha though? Been that long time n’ I’m still a helluva lot older than you.” 

Bane walked around the hut casually like he was touring a Coruscant museum, picking up clay bowls and examining the handcrafted furnishing that came with the home. 

“So you got yourself your own little slice o’ paradise here, uh? Place where any self-respectin’ soldier would wanna retire.”

Bane leaned against the wall across from Crosshair, crossing his ankles and folding his arms. “Except I ain’t seein’ ya out there on a boat in a Niamos shirt. You’re in here, like some kinda prisoner.”

Crosshair recoiled at the word.

Prisoner…isn’t it what I deserve?

“Go away,” Crosshair snarled. 

“Nah,” Bane said, slipping a toothpick between his fangs. “I’m stayin’. I’m paid for the day.”

Crosshair glanced up. “He paid you?”

“That’s between me n’ my client.” Bane sneered. It was the same sneer Crosshair used to antagonize the Regs. “He’s a real shit liar, by the way. Didn’t take much to figure out this was his request, not yours. What’s his name again?”

“Hunter.”

“Hunter…right. He tells me ya haven’t left this lil shack in weeks n’ won’t talk to nobody.”

“So he hired you to get me to speak? Fine, I’m speaking. You can leave, now.”

“Like I said,” Bane said. “I’m paid up for the day.”

Maybe it should’ve angered Crosshair that Hunter had to pay Bane to show up, but he felt relief. Bane was a bounty hunter and Pabu was in the middle of nowhere. A long way to come for an ex-Imperial he once spent a summer training three lifetimes ago.

“So…did big brother tell ya about how we met?” Bane asked.

“You shot him and kidnapped Omega.”

Bane snorted. “Kidnap? That’s a lil dramatic. I was hired to collect a bounty, so I did. Hunter got in my way.” The toothpick wiggled in Bane’s fangs. “Does it rankle ya?”

“You were on a job. You’re also not the only one in this room who's tried to kill him.”

Bane’s brow ridge raised with interest. “No kiddin’? Your brother’s a real forgivin’ type, huh?”

Crosshair shrugged. 

“Well, I figured you’d give my frequency to at least one of your brothers, but I’m surprised it wasn’t that lil’un with the goggles. Tech, right?”

Crosshair tried to shoot Bane with his signature deadly glare, but the tears blurring his eyes washed away the venom. “Tech’s gone.”

The toothpick in Bane’s mouth lowered, as if wilting. “Aw, hell, kiddo…” 

“I ain't callin' ya Misfire. You're 'Kid'.”

“I like…Kiddo, too.”

Crosshair pushed the memory away. He didn’t deserve sympathy. He didn’t deserve to feel…comforted.

“It was my fault,” Crosshair snarled. “They tried to save me from a prison I deserved to be in. They should’ve left me to rot. ”

Bane tilted his head. “How’d ya figure that’s your fault? You weren’t exactly there to force their hand. You were in prison, they came to spring ya. Seems simple enough to me.”

“It’s not simple,” Crosshair hissed. “None of this is simple. None of it makes sense. ”

Bane let out an incredulous laugh. “Make sense ? When the fuck does life ever make sense, kid? Tryin’ to figure this galaxy out is like tryin’ to understand a chargin’ mudhorn. The galaxy don’t care about ‘the why’, it’ll gore ya either way.”

Crosshair didn’t know what to say. 

He looked down at the half-eaten protein bar beside him, listening to Bane’s spurs clink as he crossed the room to sit on the floor beside him. 

They didn’t talk for a long time. Bane stretched out his long legs, one spurred ankle hooked over the other. 

Crosshair gradually unfurling, his equally long legs stretching out. He pulled a toothpick from his pouch and popped it into his mouth. 

Bane tilted his head. “You still got my pouch.”

Crosshair took the leather pouch off his belt. “This is the real reason you came here, huh?”

Bane sneered, taking the pouch and flipping it open revealing the mythosaur skull branded on the inside. “It’s a nice pouch.”

“Jango gave it to you.”

“He sure did.” Bane’s drawl felt longer, and Crosshair wondered if there was a painful memory to it.

“What was he to you?”

Bane snickered. “Ohhh, so now you’re all bold with the questions, huh? How long have you been waiting to ask that one?”

“Since I met you,” Crosshair said, dryly.

Bane went quiet. He was quiet for so long Crosshair was sure he’d never get an answer to that burning question.

“Jango was the center of my whole damn galaxy,” Bane said, his tone low and graveled. “I was an orphan, stuck in some kraytshit indentured servitude on Duros just to survive. He saved me. He toughened me up, taught me to fight, and showed me the galaxy. He carved me into a merc that was his equal, and hell I know I surpassed him in more ways than one, and technically speaking I’m older than him, but he was always my boss. I respected him too much to feel superior.

“...And he broke my fuckin’ heart when he left for Kamino. He dropped me like I was nothing and I resented him for a long time for it.” Bane sighed. “Satisfied?”

Crosshair studied Bane for a moment. “So he was a brother to you?”

"No..." Bane shifted uncomfortably. “It’s…more…complicated than that.”

“Were you in love with him?”

Bane shot Crosshair a dangerous look. "I ain't talkin' about that." 

Crosshair put his hands up. He had his answer. “Roger that.”

Bane handed the pouch back to Crosshair. “Keep it.”

“Jango gave it to you ,” Crosshair insisted. 

“And I’m givin’ it to you,” Bane said, stubbornly, shoving the pouch back into Crosshair’s hands. 

Crosshair looked at the pouch for a moment before clipping it to his belt. “I’m sorry about Jango.”

Bane sighed. “Yeah…me too. Were you there on Geonosis?”

Crosshair nodded. “My brothers and I were there, but not in the arena. I didn’t see it happen, just heard about it later. I know it was quick.”

“Thanks, kid. I’m sorry about Tech.”

Crosshair let out a sigh too similar to his former mentor. “Me too.”

“I gotta ask,” Bane said. “Why didn’t ya comm me when ya got arrested? Prison breaks are a damn hobby of mine.”

“I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Kraytshit. I told you if things fell to shit I’d come getcha. It don’t take a genius to figure out things went real wrong after the war ended.”

“It did, but not for me.” Crosshair’s heart sank. “Bane…I joined the Empire.”

Bane paused.

Then snorted a laugh. “Yeah, no shit. You don’t think I wander an Empire-infected galaxy without a few eyes on the inside? CT-9904, the last deviant clone in the Empire. A real star of the show until ya killed a lieutenant on Barton IV. I figured they executed ya after that.”

“You’re…not angry.”

“‘ Course I'm angry. Ya joined the Establishment you fuckin’ di'kut .”

Crosshair huffed a laugh. Quiet as the laugh was, it was a sound he hadn’t made in years. 

It felt…not terrible.

“But you ain’t the only di’kut here,” Bane added.

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say it all started with a lucrative anti-Jedi contract durin’ the Clone Wars that trapped me in an Imperial contract the moment the Republic fell. I was deliverin’ holocrons n’ Force-sensitive kids to some crazy rich geezer only to find out I was workin’ for the damn Emperor himself. By the time I figured out whose credits I was takin’ it was too late. Not that I was exactly protestin’ it. I made a lot of credits.”

“I didn't join the Empire voluntarily either…not at first,” Crosshair rubbed his scarred head. “By the time I removed the inhibitor chip, I stayed with Empire because I thought it was the right thing to do. I gave my loyalty to them and they threw it away.”

“Some things don’t change, huh?” Bane nudged Crosshair with his shoulder. “Ya always did have a bent sense of loyalty.”

Crosshair cracked a smile. “Worked out for you. I saved your ass during that fight with Skatter.”

“Ohhh, I don’t remember it like that, ” Bane drawled with a sideways grin. “Think I was puttin’ up a real good fight n’ you were runnin’ around like a headless tip-yip.”

“Would you have come? Even after I joined the Empire?”

“Gave ya my word, Crosshair. It ain’t somethin’ I give lightly. I would’ve found a way to getcha outta there.”

Some of the broken pieces in Crosshair’s chest began to mend, and he took a deep, healing breath. “I almost comm’d you the day you left. Hell, I almost comm’d you before you took off from the landing platform. Tech talked me out of it.”

“I could comm him right now,” Crosshair said, clutching his communication device and Bane’s chit in his shaky hands. “Maybe I can convince him to take all of us.”

Tech tugged uncomfortably at his new goggle straps. “Even if he did take us all, Crosshair, have you considered the ramifications?” 

“The what?”

“The consequences.”

Crosshair couldn't think of a downside, but he tried. “I guess…Hunter would be pissed if we left Kamino. I think he likes being a soldier.”

“I mean consequences for Cad Bane. He would be stealing four assets that are Kamino property. We, our squad specifically, are a top secret project. Kamino would stop at nothing to get us back. And they have access to the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.”

“Cad Bane is the best bounty Hunter in the galaxy,” Crosshair argued.

“If that were the case, we would be clones of him, instead.”

“Nuh uh, because Bane would never work here. He says…uh…Fuck the…it…shit…Tech, what's a word for a big…place that starts with an E.”

“Edifice,” Tech said confidently.

“Fuck the Edifice,” Crosshair said, though it didn’t sound right. Frustrated tears blur his vision. “I just miss him. I want us all to be together.”

“I know, but it wouldn't be as you imagine. We would be fugitives. They wouldn't give bounties to a hunter with a price on his head, would they?”

“I don't want to ruin his life.”

“Maybe when we're adults and deployed in whatever war they have in store for us, you can contact him.”

“That’s so long from now. Do you think he'll remember me?”

“Crosshair, it is impossible to forget you. To quote your own terrible lexicon: ‘You are fucking wizard’.”

“I tried to buy ya, son.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Bane’s toothpick moved from one side of his lips to the other with a faint click. “I told Jango to name a price for you n’ your brothers.”

Crosshair’s toothpick fell from mouth onto his lap. “All of us?”

“The whole litter.”

It was like a door had cracked open allowing Crosshair a view of the life he almost had. A life of a free bounty hunter away from the Republic and the Empire. He and his brothers would’ve honed their skills with Bane to train them. They’d take bounties they wanted instead of following orders blindly. The five of them would’ve been unstoppable. And rich , though credits never interested Crosshair.

And the fabools would’ve loved Wrecker.

They would’ve been happy.

Crosshair would’ve been happy.

But that door slammed shut long before Crosshair knew it existed. 

Crosshair drifted his gaze up to the ceiling, letting tired tears fall uncaringly down his cheeks. “Fuck Jango,” he said.

“My sentiment exactly,” Bane said, dryly. “But, it wasn’t his decision. Hell, maybe if it was he’d let me take y’all away. Save ya a whole lotta heartache after that war.”

“Did you know about what they did to us?” Crosshair asked. “The inhibitor chips?”

Bane tilted his hat back, gazing up at that ceiling too. “Not in time for it to matter. In the end, everyone connected to that cloning project were just pieces in the biggest dejarik board in history. You n’ your brothers were caught right in the middle. If I’d known about the chips, I would’ve just stolen you right then and there. How did Tech talk you outta calling me?” 

“We would have ruined your life. You’d be on the run with four top secret projects. No one would give you work if you had a bounty on your head.”

“Aw, shit, kiddo…That ain’t how it works. You know how many bounty hunters have prices on their heads? The guild don’t matter so long as it don’t interfere with their contracts. Besides, Kamino would’ve wanted it kept real quiet. Maybe Jango would’ve come himself, but there was a chance he wouldn’t. Guess we’ll never know.”

“Oh.”

“Hey.” Bane elbowed Crosshair hard in the ribs. “Don’t you mope over it. What’s done is done, no use regrettin’ any of it.”

Crosshair hissed and squirmed away. “I’m not.

“Good,” Bane said, suddenly hopping to his feet. “Now get your shit together, we’re gettin’ outta here.”

Crosshair blinked dumbly up at the bounty hunter. “What?”

Bane flicked his toothpick away. “You need to reset n’ you ain’t doin’ it here in this island paradise. You need a distraction and fabools need feedin’.”

“You still have that ranch?”

Bane snorted. “Hasn’t been that long, kiddo. Fabools live a long time n’ they never forget a face that gives ‘em food.” He extended a hand to Crosshair. “So, you comin’ or not?”

***

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Hunter asked, arms folded standing in front of the Justifier ’s ramp as if a stern look would stop Crosshair from boarding.

And…well…Crosshair did pause. “I need to clear my head, Hunter.”

“But you’ll come back, right?” Omega asked. She stood beside Hunter, hands clutched, her tone closer to Crosshair’s the day Bane left him on Kamino. “This isn’t forever?”

“It isn’t,” Crosshair said, he tried to think of something reassuring to say. Hunter was better at this that he ever was. What would Hunter do.

Oh…

Crosshair knelt down and before he could extend his arms, Omega lunged towards him, clutching his neck tightly. This time Crosshair didn’t freeze like he did on that rainy bridge on Mount Tantiss. This time Crosshair hugged back without hesitation. 

“Be back before you know it, kiddo.”

Hunter sighed. “Alright, take care of yourself.” 

Crosshair started to walk past him, but Hunter grabbed his arm pulled him into a rough hug. 

Crosshair snorted a laugh. “Couldn’t let me go without a hug?”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” Hunter released Crosshair. “You do whatever you need to do to sort yourself out. We’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.”

Crosshair nodded. “Whatever you paid Bane to get him here, I’ll pay you back.”

Hunter cocked an eyebrow. “He…didn’t ask for payment.”

“C’mon, kiddo,” Bane called, suddenly appearing at the top of the ramp. “Let’s ship out.”

Crosshair stuck a toothpick between his teeth and headed up the ramp.

The Justifier felt a lot smaller than it did on his first trip. Smelled cleaner too. He went to the four chairs in the common area, finding them not as alien as he once had. Aurra Sing’s chair was completely new, her carved up seat replaced. Crosshair guessed Bane and her must have had a falling out. Bossk’s chair though…

… No…it’s still my chair, Crosshair thought, running a finger over his name carefully carved into the back of the chair. “You kept my name,” Crosshair sneered through the emotions welling in his chest. “How touching .”

“Ain’t it though?” Bane sneered back. 

“I thought Bossk would have carved this out by now.”

“Oh, he tried to. I told him if he so much as scratched it, I’d toss him out the airlock. That’s your chair too. Always will be.” Bane patted Crosshair on the back and started to head up the ladder. 

“Bane?”

Bane paused on the first ladder rung. 

There was a lot Crosshair wanted to say. A lot more that maybe didn’t need saying. 

A ‘thank you’ felt hollow. A ‘sorry’ felt…well Bane hated apologies.

“Know any good prosthesis guys?”

“We’ll make a pitstop at Tatooine. Got a guy that can give ya five fingers, a scomp, hell a flamethrower if that's your style now. Comes in all colors too.”

“Just a hand. In black.”

Bane nodded and, as he climbed up the ladder, he mumbled something before disappearing into the cockpit. 

It sounded like “Missed ya, kiddo.”

“I missed you, too,” he said to the empty common area.

And with that Crosshair settled into his chair, curling up as best he could with his long form, and soon felt the pull of hyperspace take him back to where he needed to be.