#summerofwhump[14]

[mybeautifulbeautifuleternal]

One

The sounds of the planet, Surrossios, were comforting. You had learned, over the long years of war, that the planets were quiet when war and conflict were imminent. They could be just as attuned to the Force as you were and they knew when Evil was around, be it the various Darksiders and Sith running around or just the wanton destruction of innocent life produced in conflict.

Two

So you took solace in the simple things — the breeze stirring the leaves on the trees, the animals returning and calling out to each other again, the water moving through its predetermined path…all that brought you comfort. And being on Surrossios for so long, a constant back and forth over control of the planet — the sounds had been missing the entire time, everything native to the planet doing its best to hide from the Titanic forces fighting across its surface.

Three

This morning found you meditating on the edge of the camp, the dizzying drop of a cliff side before you and the lively feel of your men waking up behind you. You drew their quiet relief and their sluggish cheer and their inherent steadiness around you like a cloak, basking in the feel of them and the feel of the Living Force. It surrounded you, bolstered you in a way you found yourself needing more and more as the War dragged on.

You had only wanted to project quiet confidence, complete loyalty, and unwavering strength to the men you were in charge of but your confidence was faltering and your loyalty was being questioned and your strength was waning. It was your men that kept you fighting — you’d heard horror stories about how some of the other Corps were treated. You wouldn’t allow that to happen to the troopers placed under your protection, not if you could help it.

So you fought on.

Four

You had been so used to hearing nothing from the planet that it took you longer than it should have to rise from your mediation and realize that something was wrong. As you turned in a circle to see if you could spot the oddity that prompted your new and unwelcome unease, you spotted Ace, your clone Commander taking a comm. Trusting he had the camp in order, you completed your turn to look over the edge of the cliff. Nothing seemed out of order but the Force was suddenly screaming at you.

You turned back to camp, your hands moving to your sabers when you heard—

“Execute Order 66!”

Five

It only took five seconds for your life to change.

@summer-of-whump

[rose-of-pollux]

Title: A Dish Served Cold (Chapter 5/11)

Fandom: Scooby-Doo (13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo)

Rating: T

Summary:  A rescue mounts from outside as Daphne is the next one to be plagued by illusions.

For @summer-of-whump, Day 14, Prompt: “Help me” (alt)

[thicctails]

Summer Of Whump Days 14 + 21 [Hand gagging/Panic]

He remembered hearing Tech’s voice crackle across the comlink, full of panic and desperation. His hysterical cries had started the hole, weakening his heart and leaving him vulnerable. Hope that they would be able to get back to the Havoc Marauder in time to chase Crosshair down had been the only thing keeping him together. That hope had shattered upon seeing Imperial ships disappear into the atmosphere.

 In the immediate aftermath, he just… froze. He was just barely aware of the sound of Wrecker yelling, shouting obscenities in Mando’a that would make even the most foul-mouthed soldier blush. The world just seemed to go quiet, his breath caught in his throat as his lungs refused to take in oxygen. He had only been brought back by Rex’s firm hands on his shoulder, the man gripping him harshly as he shook him.

 “Hunter! Hunter, come back to us.” Rex was borderline shouting, his gaze hard as he watched Hunter take a deep breath. “There you go, vod.”

 “Omega- she’s gone! We have to- ARRGH I don’t know!” Hunter yelled, his nails digging into his palms as he curled his hands into fists. “Chase them! Hunt them down! Something!”

 “We can’t. The Empire will kill us on sight if we get to close.” Rex said.

 “Well what do you want us to do?! Leave her with them?!” Wrecker exploded.

 “No, but we need a plan first. We’ll get her back, we just need to wait until they’re far enough away to trail safely.” The clone captain raised his hands, trying to deescalate the situation. Even as he did so, he looked sorrowfully towards the stars.

 “No. I won’t leave her with them for any longer than I can help. She’s hurt and she’ll be scared and she needs us.” Hunter snapped, his eyes wild with a burning protectiveness. A fire had been ignited in his chest, and no amount of placating words could stomp it down. It would blaze until he held his precious ad'ika was safely back in his arms where he could make sure that she was never taken away from them again.

 “Hunter,” Rex started, his eyes going soft, “I understand how you feel. I have someone that I’d chase Imperials across the galaxy for if she got captured. But we can’t just throw ourselves at the Empire. If you want to help Omega, we need to stay under their radar.”

 Hunter growled, the sound vibrating in his chest. He hated Rex in that moment. He hated him because he was right. Using stealth was their best bet at rescuing Omega, and that fact irritated him to no end. He didn’t want to be stealthy, he wanted to use the blinding rage that was making his heart thunder in his chest to find the people who had dared to take her away and rip their throats out.

 “Hunter!”

 Echo’s voice made him look up. The man was walking towards him, a limping Tech holding onto him for support. He looked fearful, his eyes quickly scanning the group, desperately hoping to see the little girl that should be there, ducking behind Hunter’s legs or being held by Wrecker. His face crumpled when he realized that they had failed. Omega was with Crosshair, who was still under the chip’s influence. She was in the Empire’s claws, vulnerable and alone.

 ‘No, not alone.’ He reminded himself. ‘She has Pillow.’

 “Echo, Tech, are you okay? ” Hunter released some of his anger as he spoke to his brothers.

 “Tech’s leg is hurt. Crosshair kicked Pillow into him when he attacked them.” Echo explained. “Omega stopped Crosshair from finishing the job.”

 “She shouldn’t have.” Tech grit out, his face already stained with tears. “She should have just ran.”

 “You know she would have never left you.” Hunter sighed. “She loves you, loves all of us.”

 “He was going to shoot me.” Tech whispered. He knew that Crosshair would attack him, but he never thought he’d live to see the day that his ori'vod would point the muzzle of his rifle at him with the intent to kill. “Is he even still in there? Can we still help him?”

 “We have to try. He’s our brother, and I’m not abandoning him again.” Hunter’s voice dropped. “Even if I do want to kick his teeth in for taking Omega.”

 “What’s the plan?” Echo asked.

 Hunter looked at Rex and sighed. “We wait. Once they’re far enough away, we’ll track ‘em down and figure out a way to stage a rescue.”

 “Wait?! Are you serious?” Echo hissed.

 Hunter bared his teeth. “It isn’t my first choice either, trust me. But it’s the best we can do for now. If we leave too soon, we’ll just get ourselves killed.”

 Tech growled softly, his own frustration leaking through. “Hunter is right, unfortunately. As much as I hate to say it, waiting is our only option.”

 “Can’t we do something?” Wrecker asked, his mouth drawn down into a frown. “Anything?”

 “We still have that debt to Cid. I say we scavenge enough to pay her back and then some. Once we get Omega back, we can disappear once and for all. Give her a life beyond being an outlaw.” Echo proposed.

 The group looked at each other.

 “I need to get a message to someone, but I’ll be more than happy to help you after that.” Rex said. “The armory on this ship should still have some supplies in it.”

 “That could be useful on a number of levels. Wrecker, come with me to the armory. Echo, help Tech to the main controls, we’ll need to get the power back on.” Hunter commanded, needing to get away from this place. He couldn’t keep looking back at the sky, back towards the space where Omega had disappeared. “Let’s get ready.”

     A drop of water splattered onto Omega’s head, the warm droplet sliding down her nose. She breathed in the smell of damp earth and growing plant life, smiling as she observed all of the greenery around her. She was sitting in the mouth of the ship’s doorway, watching the forest slowly come to life. Pillow was off snoring somewhere in the ship, sleeping off whatever he’d managed to catch and eat last night.

 Crosshair had forbade her from leaving the ship while he went to go hunt breakfast, stating that she and Cal needed more than ration bars. Said padawan was still snoozing on the bed, his hair all tousled and knotted from their days in captivity and their wild escape. She wondered if he’d let her help him brush it out. She’d read on one of her datapads , in some cultures, friends brushed and braided each other’s hair. While she didn’t know how to braid, her own hair required maintenance, and she was sure it was just as bad as Cal’s. She should probably start looking for a brush soon.

 Beams of rosy morning light shone down through the canopy, causing all of the little water droplets on the plants to glisten. She looked on in awe. It was like a thousand little diamonds had appeared, scattered across the clearing by some unseen hand. In the trees above, avian creatures began to sing, their melodious songs ringing out pleasantly into the calm morning air. If she hadn’t been so sore, she might have ignored Crosshair’s command and gone to roll in the grass. It looked so soft and cool and inviting, and her inner curiosity practically begged her to go look at those morning dew drops.

 Closing her eyes, Omega reached out with the Force. In an instant, a comforting rush of life filled her, and she could feel the Force in everything around her. It twisted through the trees, settled in the rocks, flowed through the water, and thrummed joyously in the bodies of every living creature around her. Behind her, Cal and Pillow were beacons of energy, their lifeforce practically tangible. She let her own Force signature reach out to them, wrapping them in the happiness and liveliness she felt. Pillow did not respond, likely too deep in slumber to feel her, but she could feel Cal reach out to her in the Force. A warm fuzz of sleep-muted contentment and peace wrapped her in a warm hug, the positive feelings settling into her chest.

 Having another Force-sensitive was better than she had ever imagined, especially since Cal was right around her age, and she wasn’t sure if she could go back to being alone. Well, not alone, she’d have her family, of course, but this was different. Cal was someone who understood, who experienced the world the way she did. What’s better, he had experience training with the Force. If he stayed, she could probably learn a lot from him. Not to mention it had been nice to have someone to sleep with that wasn’t a large salamander that liked to kick off the blankets.

 She wanted to stay with him, to learn about the Force and how it worked. She wanted to be there for him when the trauma of what he’d been through made him go quiet and distant. She wanted him to be there for her when she was struck with another nightmare, as she knew she was bound to have plenty. She wanted to be able to have looked at him so much that she could count the tiny stars that dusted his cheeks. She wanted to know what his laugh sounded like, his real laugh, not the little watery chuckle she’d managed to pull from him. She wanted to see him grow up and be happy.

 He blinked at her, his eyes matching the forest before her as he fought the heaviness of his eyelids, and Omega realized that she may have still been sharing her feelings with him. She drew back, embarrassed. Those thoughts were meant to be private, and she winced at the idea of him finding her feelings to be weird. Despite the fact that it felt like she’d known him for years, she only met him a few days ago. Oh gosh, he totally thought she was weird, didn’t he? Good job, Omega, you’ve kriffed up your first chance at friendship.

 A warmth gently tugged at her Force signature, coaxing her to open up again. Surprised, she obeyed, tentatively reaching back.

 A wave of thoughts came across the connections. He wanted to teach her, to show her everything he’d learned from his Master. He wanted them to learn new things together. He wanted to be able to chase away nightmares before she could even have them. He wanted to hear her laugh.  He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to protect her, make sure that no one would ever harm her again. He didn’t want to be alone again, and he didn’t want her to be alone either. He wanted them to grow up happy together.

 He sleepily smiled at her, relieved that he could just let her feel how he felt, let her know without even speaking that he wanted to keep their newfound friendship. Omega smiled back, her eyes sparkling in the morning light. Cal yawned, stretching as he got to his feet. He came over and sat with her, quietly keeping her company as they watched the peaceful morning.

 Suddenly, there was a rustling from the bushes. Omega and Cal looked towards the sound, each child sending the thought ‘be cautious’ over their connection. Cal, who had not been confined to the ship due to him still being asleep, slowly made his way down the ramp. Omega instinctively reached for her bow, cursing internally when she realized that she no longer had it. She looked at the bushes with a worried expression, before deciding that, even if she didn’t have her bow, she was going to help. Mentally apologizing to Crosshair, she reached out to Pillow with the Force as she descended down the ramp slowly, her injuries flaring up as she moved. Her eyes fell on a large stick, and she gripped it, holding it in front of her.

 She turned around to see if Pillow was at the doorway yet, but when she looked back, Cal was nowhere to be see, his Force signature gone with him.

 “Cal?” She called nervously, noting how silent the clearing had become. She remembered Echo telling her stories about his brother, Fives, and how the clone would sometimes pull a prank on him. Was that what Cal was doing?

 “If this is a prank, Cal, it’s not very funny!” She called, her eyes darting around. The stillness of everything made her nervous.

 A hand clasped around her mouth, a firm arm pulling her backwards. She let out a muffled yelp as she was dragged back into the bushes. She kicked and struggled, the Force under her control whipping about wildly as she tried to figure out what had grabbed her.

 ‘Sleep, youngling.’

 A calm, soothing voice entered her mind, smoothing down her panic with ease. She felt her eyelids start to droop, urged on by the gentle suggestion. She kicked weakly a few more times, before succumbing to sleep.

   Crosshair shifted the animal he was carrying on his shoulder. He’d manage to track down a fat little cervid that had been munching on some plump blue berried. One accurate shot later, and he had secured breakfast for himself and his little group. He was no cook, but he knew how to make basic meals that would sustain them for a bit while he figured out their next move. Soup could be a breakfast food, right? Did kids like soup? He and his brothers had liked it quite a bit when they were younger, especially if they’d been out in the rain, so he figured it would be okay.

 “Adike, lor'vram!” He called, before realizing that, unlike his brothers, Omega and Cal wouldn’t understand what he was saying. He should really teach them some Mando’a, especially if Cal was going to be staying with them.

 As he approached the ship, he paused, scanning the ground outside the ship. There was grass that had been stepped on, recently too. His eyes flicked up towards the inside of the vessel, and he cursed when he didn’t see the two children or Omega’s pet.

 “Omega, I told you not to leave the ship!” He scolded, hoping that she was close enough to hear him. He waited.

 No reply.

 “Omega?” He tried again. “Cal?”

 Nothing.

 He observed the tracks in the grass, following them until they stopped abruptly. Building worry gripped his gut in its icy claws, and he hurried onto the ship. Perhaps they’d simply gone down onto the grass and then came back up?

 “Pillow?” He cringed a bit at the mushy name Omega had given the annoying beast.

 He moved back towards the storage part of the ship, where he knew Pillow had been sleeping. He entered the room, expecting to see a sleeping lump of a lizard and, hopefully, two kids.

 He saw neither. Instead, there was a large, crystalline cocoon in the centre of the room. It was deep purple in colour, flashes of white occasionally shining through. A light pulsed rhythmically, like a flashing heartbeat. Crosshair stared at it, dumbfounded.

 What the hell had Omega befriended?

 Whatever was happening here, it could be dealt with later. He needed to find the kids. Shucking off the animal he’d been carrying, he tossed it into cold storage before rushing back outside. He examined the prints again, then looked towards the forest. If there were no tracks beyond this point, then…

 He looked up.

 A tangle of thick branches permeated the canopy, far above the ground, but reachable if you knew what to do and had the strength to do so. As a sniper, high places were Crosshair’s element. He felt no fear while being perched on a ledge, trusting in his impeccable balance. If something, or someone, had taken the kids, that was likely where they had fled to.

 Growling, Crosshair secured his rifle and found a place to start climbing. He hadn’t just risked their lives to get the kids to safety, only to lose them to some forest predator. While he lacked Hunter’s otherworldly tracking skills, he still had some training. Moving over to a branch close to where the footprints had ended, he saw that part of the bark had been scrapped away, too recently to have been natural. He scanned the canopy, finding little signs of movement everywhere. A trail had been left behind, one that only someone like him or Hunter could follow.

 “Don’t worry, adike, I’ll get you back.” He said, before leaping onto the next branch.

[rose-of-pollux]

Title: In the Blood (Chapter 3/9) Fandom: Scooby-Doo (13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo) Rating: T Summary: Daphne does some investigating.

For @summer-of-whump , Day 14, Prompt: hair grabbing