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winxanity-ii · 24 days

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⌜I Love, Robot | Chapter 04 Chapter 04 | Locked In⌟

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Silence filled the hauler, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the system monitors. Rain and Kay, left to their own devices, sat quietly; Navarro remained focused on manning the controls, her fingers gliding over the panel with expert precision.

Your eyes, however, were glued to the monitor displaying the live feed from Tyler's headset. Every pixel flickered with tension as you watched the three figures standing in the narrow chamber that connected the hauler to the derelict space station.

Tyler and Bjorn, both clad in bulky space jumpsuits with oxygen masks and gloves, were preparing for the transition. The suits clung to their bodies, designed to protect them from the frigid vacuum outside.

Only Andy, with his synthetic skin, stood without such gear, his face expressionless as always, though you could sense an undercurrent of anticipation in his movements.

Tyler extended a pair of thermal gloves toward Bjorn. "Put this on," he instructed, his voice calm but firm.

Bjorn, examining the gloves with a mixture of disdain and necessity, quips, "Why? Planning to freeze my nuts off?"

"So your nuts don't freeze," Tyler retorts with a slight smirk, trying to lighten the mood despite the gravity of their situation.

Bjorn chuckled, his voice crackling through the feed, a low, mocking sound. "You think too much about my dates, Tyler," his eyes twinkling with mischief behind the mask.

"Just shut up and put the damn gloves on," Tyler muttered, turning to hand another set to Andy. "Andy, here," he added, more gently this time.

Andy took the gloves, his movements deliberate but slightly awkward as he struggled to fit them over his synthetic hands. The fabric was tight, designed for human fingers, not his more refined construction. You could see the effort it took for him to maneuver his fingers into place.

Bjorn glanced over, his lips curling into a sneer. "Hey, stop fiddling and put that shit on already," he barked, impatience lacing his tone. His words cut through the air, harsh and dismissive.

Tyler shot Bjorn a warning look. "Now, leave him alone. Andy, don't worry about him. He's an idiot," he reassured, his tone softer, almost paternal. "Hatch ahead. I'll connect," he continued, shifting focus back to the task at hand.

Bjorn, still grumbling, adjusted his mask. "It's cold as fuck in there," he muttered, rubbing his gloved hands together. "What is it?"

"A temp scanner," Tyler replied, checking a handheld device clipped to his suit. "It'll lead us to the capsules. The compression is tolerable, but there's too little oxygen to breathe."

Bjorn nodded, his eyes narrowing as he glanced around the chamber. "Andy, you're up. Show us what you're good at."

With the hatch to the station just before them, Andy stepped forward to the control panel by the door. His synthetic finger found its way to the scanner integrated into the panel. He stuck it inside, interfacing seamlessly with the station's security protocols.

The light on the scanner flickered from red to green, accompanied by the soft click of locks disengaging. The door hissed as it began to slide open, granting them entry to the station.

Tyler gave Andy an encouraging nod. "That's right, Andy. Well done."

Bjorn, couldn't help but snort, rolling his eyes. "Congrats, you're not a virgin anymore," he jeered, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Come on."

Andy, unfazed by the comment, moved forward with calculated precision, ready to perform his duties. You watched him closely, feeling a mixture of pride and apprehension.

Despite the tension and the biting remarks from Bjorn, Andy remained focused, his synthetic composure unshaken.

As the three of them boarded the derelict Romulus, the air felt heavy with anticipation and the faint hum of dormant machinery.

The station was dimly lit, its narrow corridors stretching into darkness. The flickering emergency lights cast an eerie glow, and the low hum of the station's failing systems filled the silence.

Every step echoed hollowly, a reminder of how empty and abandoned this place truly was.

They moved cautiously, navigating the winding halls. Suddenly, the artificial gravity gave out, sending them all into a momentary weightlessness.

The station's interior was now chaotic mix of floating debris—tools, chairs, crates, and other loose objects drifted aimlessly in the zero-gravity environment, casting long, eerie shadows under the dim emergency lights.

The air felt thick with disuse, each breath carrying the metallic tang of stale, recycled air.

Tyler braced himself against the wall, his grip tight and focused. Around him, wrenches and screwdrivers, once confined to toolkits, now spun lazily in mid-air, bouncing off the walls and each other in slow motion. An old chair drifted past, its legs barely brushing against Tyler's shoulder as he maneuvered to avoid it.

Bjorn, however, wasn't as lucky. He reached out to grab hold of a support beam but missed, his fingers slipping on its cold metal surface. His body drifted upward, twisting awkwardly as he collided with a floating crate. "Fuck..." he muttered, a grimace forming on his face as he felt his stomach churn from the sudden lack of gravity. "There is no gravity here. I can feel it in my stomach."

Tyler glanced over his shoulder, his brow furrowed. "What was that?"

Andy's voice came through clearly, unbothered by the disorienting conditions. "The gravity generators. The control starts at intervals. So the whole place doesn't explode."

Tyler nodded, absorbing the information while carefully avoiding a drifting toolbox that floated between them. "We continue straight ahead, then," he directed, gesturing towards the corridor that lay ahead, partially obscured by more floating debris.

Tyler turned his head slightly toward Andy, his expression softening with concern. "Andy, are you okay?"

"Yes," Andy replied, his tone unwavering. "I have located the capsules." Andy's gaze remained fixed on the scanner in his hand, his synthetic eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "According to the scanner, the capsules should be in there," he announced, pointing toward a heavy metal door at the end of the corridor, past a cluster of slowly spinning wrenches and bolts.

Just as they continued through the corridor, the artificial gravity suddenly kicked back on with a heavy jolt. Everything that had been floating in mid-air—tools, chairs, crates—plummeted to the ground with a series of loud crashes.

Bjorn fell hard, landing awkwardly on his back with a sharp thud; the breath knocked out of him. A metal wrench narrowly missed his head, clattering noisily next to him.

"Damn it!" Bjorn cursed, pain evident in his voice as he lay sprawled on the cold, hard floor. "I think I've leathered the arsehole," he groaned, wincing as he tried to sit up. "Shit, those control launches are no joke."

Tyler, still gripping a rail tightly to keep his balance, glanced over at Bjorn with a mix of frustration and concern. "You alright?" he called out, trying to maintain focus despite the chaos around them.

Bjorn grunted in response, rubbing his lower back. "Yeah, yeah, just peachy," he muttered sarcastically, clearly irritated by the sudden drop.

Andy, who had managed to brace himself against the wall just in time, turned his attention to Bjorn. "Bjorn, are you okay?" he asked, his voice calm but with a hint of synthetic concern.

Bjorn waved him off, though the annoyance was clear in his tone. "I'm fine," he snapped. "Just keep doing what you're doing. I'll manage."

Tyler moved quickly to check the status of the station's systems. "SYSTEM STARTUP MOTHER 9000," he read aloud from the flickering console nearby, which was partially covered in debris from the gravity shift. "Thank God there is still current in the old story," he added, his tone both relieved and cautious.

Andy moved to the control panel, his fingers deftly navigating the interface, bringing the systems back online. "Watch out," he warned, his voice steady amidst the chaos. "Here comes one more purge." He gave them a moment to prepare before the gravity purged again.

They all braced themselves, grabbing onto fixtures and railings as the station's gravity generators fluctuated once more. The objects around them, previously scattered on the floor, began floating in the air once more.

Andy flipped a switch, and a low hum filled the room as the station's systems came fully back to life. Once again, all the floating objects clattered to the floor, the gravity stabilized.

"Good job, Andy," Tyler said, his voice filled with gratitude. "Let's get to those capsules and get the hell out of here."

Bjorn, still rubbing his sore back, muttered under his breath but nodded in agreement. With a determined look, they pressed onward, deeper into the station, knowing the mission was far from over.

Shortly after, the three of them reached the cryo-chamber room. The metal doors groaned open, revealing a series of pods lined up against the wall, illuminated by the dim emergency lights.

Tyler immediately moved to the control panel, his fingers flying over the keys as he checked the status of each chamber.

Bjorn stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight. "Damn it! Well, let's see here," he muttered, clearly agitated.

Tyler squinted at the screen, frowning. "YEARS: 3.20," he read aloud, his tone flat.

Bjorn's head whipped around, confusion turning quickly to frustration. "Shit. What's wrong?"

Tyler's face was grim as he explained, "The capsules do not have enough fuel. There is enough for three years of hibernation."

Andy, standing close by, quickly calculated the implications. "It takes appoximately nine years to reach Yvaga," he pointed out in his usual calm, matter-of-fact tone.

Bjorn, his face twisted in irritation, threw his hands up in exasperation. "I know that. Fuck! I knew it. I fucking knew it. This shit was for nothing!"

Tyler turned to him sharply, his expression determined. "No, we're not giving up now. Yvaga is the closest system. What do you want us to do? Now shut the hell up."

Andy, still focused on the scanner in his hand, spoke up. "There seems to be a cryo-depot somewhere. There must be fuel."

Tyler nodded, his mind racing. "Navarro, I'm disconnecting the EEV. You can pick it up while we get cryo-fuel. Held," he spoke into his intercom, his voice steady despite the tension.

Navarro's voice crackled through the intercom, calm and composed, "Heard."

As the Corbelan maneuvered to pick up the ejected cryo-chambers, back on the ship, Kay suddenly rushed to the toilet, her face pale. Rain quickly moved to help her, guiding her into a nearby bunk as Kay began to retch. The noise caught your attention, but you remained at a distance, watching quietly.

In the bunk, Rain leaned closer to Kay, her voice soft and concerned. "...You're pregnant?" you overheard her whisper, her tone a mix of surprise and concern.

Kay nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Yeah," she replied softly, a hint of excitement in her voice. Rain's face lit up with a supportive smile, and the two exchanged a quiet laugh.

From where you stood, you caught Kay's eye for a moment. Her smile faltered slightly, an awkward tension settling in the air between you. You returned a small nod, trying to convey understanding, but Kay quickly looked away, turning her focus back to Rain with a nervous giggle.

Out of everyone in Rain's old friend group, Kay had always been the most distant with you, a fact that had always puzzled you. You never quite understood why, but it had always left a lingering discomfort in your interactions with her.

Deciding to give them space, you turned your attention back to the three men on the station, tuning into their ongoing conversation through the intercom.

Bjorn's gruff voice came through first, laced with skepticism. "What is all that military piss for?" he asked, glaring at Tyler.

"It's effective."

Bjorn snorted derisively, unconvinced. "Is it?"

Tyler's lips twitched into a half-smile. "And cool."

Bjorn rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "You sound dumb," he shot back, his tone dripping with disdain.

As they continued walking, Bjorn, distracted by his annoyance, nearly missed a deep hole in the floor. He stumbled, teetering dangerously on the edge.

Without hesitation, Andy reached out and grabbed Bjorn's arm, pulling him back just in time.

Despite being saved from a potentially deadly fall, Bjorn's anger flared even hotter. He stormed up to Andy, getting uncomfortably close to his face, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and frustration. He jabbed a finger into Andy's chest, his voice low and menacing. "What's your fucking problem, clown?" he snarled, glaring at Andy with open hostility.

Andy, ever calm, replied, "Sorry," his voice soft, almost apologetic despite the aggressive confrontation.

Tyler quickly intervened. "Relax, guys," he said, trying to keep the peace.

But Bjorn wasn't done. He shoved Andy harder, his anger barely contained. "Next time I'll smash you in," he threatened, his voice dripping with contempt. He then turned to Tyler, his expression dark and demanding. "Keep that fucking piece of Synth-trash away from me."

Tyler nodded slightly, a flicker of concern crossing his face as he glanced between the two of them. He knew they needed to keep moving, but the tension was clearly getting to everyone. "Let's just focus on finding that fuel," he said, trying to steer the conversation back to the mission at hand. "Navarro, airlock 5-B is our exit once we find the cryogenic fuel."

Your teeth gritted in your mouth as you listened to everything unfolding over the hauler's intercom. The hostility in Bjorn's voice, the constant antagonism—it made your skin crawl.

You tried to focus on the task at hand, tinkering with the Reboot Key, but it was hard to ignore the rising tension.

Navarro took a moment to walk over to you, leaning against the console with a curious glance at your tinkering. "What are you working on there?" she asked, her voice carrying a casual interest.

You shrugged slightly, trying to keep your focus on the task at hand. "Just making sure I'm ready for anything," you replied, not wanting to delve too deeply into the details.

Navarro nodded, her eyes trailing back to the screen momentarily. "It's good to be prepared," she said thoughtfully. After a pause, she added, "Hey, I'm sorry about Bjorn's actions earlier. He can be... intense, but he's got his reasons."

Overhearing this, Rain snorted. "Yeah, right," she muttered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'll bite. What's his deal with Andy? Why is he so angry with him?" she asked, her gaze shifting between Navarro and the monitor displaying the men's location.

Navarro glanced over at Rain, her expression tight with a mix of sympathy and understanding. "Because of the thing with his mother a cycle ago," she said softly.

Rain furrowed her brows, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Kay, still pale but feeling a bit better, spoke up softly from her spot in the back. "There was a gas leak in the mines. The synthetic supervisor overhead the entire operation gave the order to close them while Bjorn's mother was down there."

"But... Synthetics—they cannot harm people," Rain countered, her voice wavering slightly as she tried to make sense of the story.

"Well, it sacrificed three miners to save half a dozen."

Rain's face twisted in a grimace. "How gruesome," she muttered under her breath. She saw Kay get up suddenly and rush to the back, clearly feeling unwell again.

Rain stood to follow, concern etched across her features, while you stayed seated, still fidgeting with the tiny components in your hands, counting down the minutes until this whole ordeal could be over.

A chill ran down your spine as you listened to Kay's explanation, triggering a long-buried memory from one of your past hacking jobs.

You recalled retrieving files that exposed a chilling directive: in moments of crisis, Weyland's synthetics were programmed to prioritize the company's assets over human lives, all under the guise of logical probability.

Even back then, the discovery had left you feeling sick, a stark reminder of the company's cold, calculating nature.

While you could understand why Bjorn harbored such deep hatred for synthetics, knowing this didn't change your opinion of him. He was still an asshole, his anger misdirected at those who were just following their programming—much like the workers following orders.

If anything, you thought, his anger should be aimed at the Weyland officials who made those ruthless directives, not at every synthetic he came across. His blind rage only perpetuated the cycle of resentment and pain, when the true culprits remained hidden in their ivory towers, untouched by the consequences of their decisions.

You tightened your grip on the Reboot Key, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on you. The sooner they found that cryo-fuel and got out of there, the better.

"Welcome to the space station Renaissance. Weyland-Yutani's Center for Research and Development whose efforts are to improve the human role in space."

Bjorn's response to the artificial voice crackled through the intercom, his tone tinged with discomfort. "This place gives me goosebumps," he muttered, a shiver running through his voice.

Andy, ever the peacemaker, tried to inject some humor into the situation. "Have you heard the one about the bowler who only has one ball? It always takes cones. Did you get it?" he offered, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Please turn yourself off," Bjorn snapped back, irritation clear in his voice.

"You said you were nervous, so I tried—"

"You know what? I'm looking forward to getting into a capsule and never seeing your ass again," Bjorn interrupted sharply, his voice harsh and cutting.

"See you at Yvaga then."

"You are not going to Yvaga." You were taken aback by Bjorn's revelation.

Tyler's voice intervened, a note of warning in his tone. "Bjorn, stop."

But Bjorn was relentless. Turning to face Andy with a manic grin, he sneered, "Didn't Rain tell you? The system is anti-Weyland-Yutani, so fake people are prohibited."

Andy's reply was measured, his voice steady despite the insult. "I prefer the term 'artificial person.'"

You felt a surge of confusion and concern, unable to believe Bjorn's claim that Andy wouldn't be allowed into Yvaga. It didn't make sense; why would they exclude Andy?

As you processed Bjorn's words, your thoughts were abruptly pulled back to just a few hours earlier, which now seemed to carry even more weight given the current tension.

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The next half an hour in the room felt like a slow crawl through tension, thick enough to cut with a knife. You stood by the door with Andy at your side, ready to leave at any moment. Across the room, Rain and Tyler spoke in hushed tones, their conversation drowned out by the hum of the machinery around you.

Every now and then, Rain would glance your way, her expression a mixture of uncertainty and determination.

You straightened up as Rain finally pulled away from Tyler and started walking toward you. For a brief moment, you felt a flicker of hope—maybe she’d seen the flaws in this whole plan, the danger and the reckless gamble it represented. But instead of heading for the door, she stopped in front of you, her eyes searching yours.

"Can I talk to you privately?" she asked softly. Her tone wasn't commanding but pleading, and despite the frustration and worry bubbling inside you, you gave in.

With a small nod, you followed her down to the transport area, Andy trailing just a step behind. The enclosed space below was quieter, the hum of the engines muted but still present—a constant reminder of the colony around you.

"I'm not sure about any of this, Rain," you started, the words tumbling out in a rush, but she cut you off gently.

"I know," she said, her voice soft but steady. "But what if they're right? What if we can actually get out of here?" Her question hung in the air between you—a heavy, unspoken challenge.

You fell silent, unable to meet her gaze for a moment. Because deep down, you knew she was right. There was no telling if what Tyler and his group had found would actually be the escape they all needed.

But what if it was?

What if this was the chance to finally leave this hellhole behind, to find freedom and a future that wasn’t dictated by Weyland-Yutani's greed?

You looked into Rain's hopeful eyes, and your mind spun with images of a possible future if you walked away now—Rain wasting away, trapped here like so many others you had cared for.

You couldn't subject her to that. Not when there was a chance, however slim, to change it.

A loud, harsh sigh escaped your lips as you turned, rubbing a hand down your face. The weight of your decision pressed down on you, but there wasn’t much choice, not really. "Fine. Fine... fine."

Rain let out a small, happy shriek, throwing herself into your arms. She wrapped you up in her lithe embrace, her joy so palpable it was almost infectious. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated, her voice a breathless rush of gratitude.

You couldn't help but smile, hugging her back, though the smile quickly faded into a serious line as you pulled away. "Okay, but how exactly is this supposed to go down?"

Rain's excitement didn't falter as she launched into an explanation, her words tumbling over one another in her eagerness. "Tyler and Navarro think there are at least half a dozen, maybe even ten, cryo-pods on board the ship, judging by the size of the aircraft. The plan is simple: Andy helps us gain access to the ship, then he, Tyler, and Bjorn find the pods, release them, and Navarro grabs them with the hauler. Then, bam! The six of us float peacefully away in cryo-sleep for the next nine years until we reach Yvaga."

You listened, taking it all in. Sure, it sounded simple enough on the surface. But your mind couldn’t help conjuring up all the setbacks and issues that could arise—the things that could make the entire mission fall apart.

But instead of voicing your doubts, you decided to give it a chance. Rain's hope was too bright, too desperate to extinguish with your own pessimism.

Still, one concern gnawed at you—something that hadn't been addressed. "What about Andy?"

Rain blinked, taken aback for a moment by your question. But then she answered, her voice steady, "Since Andy is synthetic, he won't need to be placed in a cryo-pod. He'll oversee everything; make sure we don't run into any issues during the journey."

You nodded slowly, her reasoning making sense.

Andy didn't need sleep; he didn't need to worry about the passage of time in the same way you all did.

And if there was anyone you trusted to watch over things, it was him.

Looking over Rain's shoulder, your eyes met Andy's. He stood there, his synthetic gaze soft, head tilted slightly as if saying without words, 'What's best for Rain.'

A small smile crept onto your lips at the sight of him. Without a second thought, you reached out a hand, and he immediately came over, his grip firm yet gentle.

You pulled him into a small hug, and together, you and Andy surrounded Rain, her small frame nestled between the two of you. You held on tight, feeling the warmth of Rain’s body against yours and the steady, reassuring presence of Andy beside you.

Yes, you thought, holding them both close, What's best for Rain.

Snapping back to the present, you shook your head slightly, memory burning away like charred earth now that you knew the truth.

Feeling a mix of anger and urgency, you rushed over to the monitor, your hands trembling slightly as you watched Bjorn continue his verbal assault. His words cut through the tense air, exacerbating the frustration building up inside you.

Bjorn's voice was harsh, filled with disdain as he continued to antagonize Andy. "Andy, listen. Rain can go to jail if she takes you. And if you stay at Jackson, you will be eventually scrapped by the company. Are you in? I need you on board to protect the capsules. To protect Y/N's capsule, remember? She's coming too..."

Andy, his voice steady yet tinged with uncertainty, replied, "But when we get there..."

Bjorn interrupted with a cold sneer, "Scrap. Farewell and bon voyage."

Tyler, looking exasperated and visibly stressed, rubbed his face. "Are you done?" he interjected, his tone weary.

Bjorn shrugged with a cackle, "I'm just saying it like it is."

Andy's response came softly, reflecting his unwavering loyalty, "It's okay. If it's what's best for Rain, it's what's best for me."

As Bjorn clapped Andy hard on the shoulder, walking past him with a patronizing air, he said, "You're a nice guy, Andy. We will miss you. And don't worry, I'll look out for Y/N, for you, yeah?"

You stood there, watching the scene unfold on the monitor, your emotions a whirlwind of frustration and concern.

Unable to contain the growing sense of betrayal, you turned to stare at Rain. Your steps toward her were tentative, each one heavier than the last as you noticed her pale face, her eyes watering slightly as her mouth opened and closed without forming words.

"Rain..." you could only whisper softly, the disappointment heavy in your voice.

"Y/N... I... I-I can explain, please let me explain—"

"No," you cut her off sharply, turning away and rubbing your eyes with your finger to hide the tears welling up in them. "I don't want to hear it, please just stop. I-I—" You had to take a shuddering breath, stopping just a foot before her, "Just... it doesn't matter. Not right now."

With that, you turned your back to her completely, your heart breaking further as you caught the devastated look on Andy's face from the corner of your eye. He seemed clueless, as if unsure what Bjorn’s words truly meant.

Navarro's voice cut through the tense air, disbelief evident in her tone as she asked Rain, "Y/N didn't know??"

Your head snapped back, eyes blazing with anger and hurt. "Me?" you spat bitterly, "Forget about me knowing; why didn't Andy know?"

Your question was directed sharply at Rain, demanding an answer.

Rain ran a hand through her hair, her hands trembling. "He... I didn't bother to tell him," she finally said, looking off to the side, her voice filled with guilt.

Before you could respond to Rain's admission, Kay stood up with a nasty snarl curling her lips. "Rain doesn't have to feel bad about anything. Why should she risk her life for Andy? He's not even alive! It's not gonna matter to him whether he's kept here rotting on this floating rock or scrapped for spare pieces! He. Is. Not. Real!" Her voice escalated with each word, breathing coming out in sharp pants as she finished her long-winded spat.

The hauler was plunged into complete silence following her outburst.

You turned to look at Rain, hoping she would say something—anything—to defend the situation or at least to soften the harshness of Kay's words. But Rain just looked off to the side, her expression unreadable, her silence more telling than any words could have been.

You watched as all three women—Rain, Kay, and Navarro—stood next to one another, their proximity seeming to wordlessly state their solidarity on the issue.

Inside, you could feel the seething anger and fury burning, but you knew lashing out wouldn't help. "Fine," you said curtly, your voice calm but ice-cold. "Andy and I will finish helping you all with this mission, but after it's complete, you don't have to worry yourselves with figuring out what to do with him..."

Rain's face crumbled in heartbreak, her eyes widening as she already knew where you were going with this. "Y/N, please don't. I need—"

"Because he and I will be returning to Jackson Star," you interrupted, turning your back on the group, done with the entire conversation.

As you walked back towards the monitor, Kay let out a sharp, scornful laugh. "I'm not sure what Bjorn sees in you when you're clearly a synth-lover. Rather stay behind and die on this dying planet with a machine instead of heading into a new beginning with your remaining family."

You only spared the girl an uncaring, bored look over your shoulder. "I don't care. He's family, and you don't leave family behind."

With that, you walked back into the captain’s bridge, plopping yourself back next to the monitor, shutting out the bitter words and focusing on what truly mattered—completing the mission and safeguarding Andy.

A/N: heheh hopes you guys enjoyed the update. if a few lines don't match from the movie, know i changed a few things up to fit the fic. other than that: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THIS! The engagement i've been recieveing is so amazing, still cant get over that people want/like to read the trash my mind spit out😩 yall make me wanna write everyday frfr ❤️❤️ see you next update...

Tag List: @dreamsarenicer sadslasher13 ravenswife

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fanfoolishness · 5 months

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Patching Up

After the events of The Return, Crosshair realizes Batcher's in need of patching up. It turns out she's not the only one.

Spoilers for 3x05 The Return and 2x12 The Outpost, Crosshair, Batcher, and Hunter, angst and family feels. <3 2770 words. Illustrated!

It was well before sunrise when the Remora arrived back to Pabu. Crosshair shook off the nap he’d settled into and got to his feet for landing, tucking his helmet beneath his arm. On the bunk across the way, Omega and Batcher lay snoring, curled up together. He smiled faintly at the sight.

“Come on, kid,” Wrecker said softly, scooping Omega into his arms. She yawned, wrapping her arms around his neck, but still kept her eyes firmly squeezed shut. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Crosshair watched them go. He had the sense that this was something that had happened many times before; Omega small and sleepy, Wrecker there to carry her to bed. It had looked like such a familiar action for them both. Something in him panged at the thought.

There was a small boof noise beside him. He glanced down in time to see Batcher nudge his hand with her muzzle, wagging her tiny tail as she eased into a vast stretch. He patted her nose obligingly. It was the least he could do.

He passed Hunter and Echo, deep in conversation still in the cockpit, and made his way back out into the predawn air beneath the glinting stars and swinging moon. He took a deep breath of the fresh ocean breeze. He was still getting used to it, the taste and smell of the clean sea air so different from Tantiss’ stale recycled scent. His hand flinched, and he jammed his hand against his leg, willing it to still.

He clicked under his tongue for Batcher, but she didn’t attend. He turned around. She was sitting on the ground several feet away in an awkward pose, chewing aggressively at one of her front paws. He clicked his tongue again, and she came this time, clearly limping.

“What have you gotten into?” Crosshair asked, concerned. She sat down beside him, then immediately turned to lick at her other front paw. “Uh-uh,” he said firmly, and she stopped to give him a guilty look.

He sighed under his breath, then made up his mind. “Stay here.” He headed back into the ship, interrupting Echo and Hunter and their poring over the data retrieved from the datapad. “I need a medpac. I think the hound is wounded. Nothing serious, but I can check her over.”

Echo nodded. “Of course. Back near the bunks, third crate.”

“AZI might be able to take a look at her, too,” said Hunter. “You could ask him --”

“The medpac will do,” said Crosshair shortly. I’m sure AZI could look at your hand for you… No. He didn’t need the droid for this.

Crosshair followed Echo’s instructions, collecting a kit with basic supplies. He left out the diagnostic scanner -- he doubted it had been calibrated to lurca hounds -- but took the bandage materials, hyposprays and splints, wondering if he would need to make a human wrist splint work for the hound’s blocky leg.

He headed back outside… and the damn hound was gone.

Of course. Try to help the creature, and it had taken off. He scanned the mesa for movement beneath the stars and the solar lamps, eyes flicking across the landscape, but came up short; only a few moon-yos scampered across the ground, their dark shadows clear in the dim light. He put his helmet on, toggling on thermal vision. Ah. A chunky heat signature was nudging open the gate at the little house they’d been taking meals at. She was nothing if not predictable.

He caught up with her in a few minutes, closing the gate quietly behind him. Batcher was laying down, curled up defensively, chewing at her feet again with an appalling licking sound. He set down his helmet on the table and slowly approached.

“Stop that,” said Crosshair evenly. “You’ll only make it worse.” He knelt beside her with the medical supplies and she hunkered into herself, giving him a wary expression. He gave her a skeptical look, then averted his gaze until she relaxed again. “Don’t bite me.”

She licked his face instead, and he scrubbed off the saliva vigorously with his gloved hand. “No.” She sat there panting, looking perfectly pleased with herself. He reached for the closest paw, tugging it out from beneath her. She tensed, but let him turn her paw over.

Even in the starlight and lamplight, it was easy to see the issue; while her paws didn’t seem to be swollen and nothing felt broken, her pads were scraped raw, swollen and dotted with specks of beading blood. Carefully he checked them all. The front left was the worst, with a thick slice of skin hanging torn from the edge of the pad, but all were affected in some way. The sight pained him.

“The ice,” he murmured. “You weren’t made for it.” She whined, laying down and pulling her paw away from him. Of course a beast meant to survive the jungles around Tantiss wouldn’t have the protection against the cold needed for Barton IV.

He and Mayday hadn’t, either.

The bitter wind shearing his exposed face, fingers locked and frozen around the Firepuncher, desperately dragging Mayday closer to keep him warm --

Crosshair shook the memory off and took a packet of numbing gel out of the medpac, rubbing it cautiously on the paw with the lacerated pad. She tolerated it surprisingly well. He wasn’t sure how she’d take the next step, though.

He pulled out the sterilization spray canister and affixed it to the hypospray, but hesitated before using it. He knew from experience in the field that it stung like a wyyyschokk’s bite, even if it was effective. He had reluctantly accepted that Batcher liked him -- he couldn’t fathom why -- but he was skeptical of her ability to not bite him while using it.

He sighed. Omega talked to the hound constantly, and she did seem to understand much of what Omega said to her. Perhaps it was worth a try. Might distract the beast, anyway.

“Hold still. This’ll sting, but it helps.” Batcher let him take her paw in his hands, but jerked it away as the mist settled onto the torn surface of the pad. Crosshair rolled his eyes. “What did I just say? The wounds need cleaning. I know it stings, but it’s temporary.” He tried to take her paw again, and she let him do it, though her beady eyes stared warily at him.

“There,” he said, spraying the paw. This time she let him hold it under the full duration of the spray, though she anxiously licked his face several times. He blinked, but kept going until he had treated all four paws, the saliva drying sticky on his face. “Good.” She wagged her tail.

He reached for the bandages, but frowned. They were all pre-cut, in shapes that wouldn’t fit the irregularities of Batcher’s huge paws. He rummaged around in the medpac, coming out with a sealant spray instead.

“We should have checked your feet after the mission,” Crosshair muttered to the hound, taking up one of her back paws and applying a thin layer of sealant. She trembled but let him do it.

He thought of the time Hunter had hidden a poisonous bite on some backwater world in the midst of one of their first field missions, and had nearly passed out in a field of battle droids before Tech had been able to render emergency first aid. They’d yelled at him for ten minutes solid after the battle, furious and scared both. His mouth quirked to one side at the memory, the squabbling, the relief.

“Feeling better?”

She looked up at him, whimpering.

“Not yet? Hm.” He reached for her next paw, shaking his head. “That ice… It’s brutal.”

She woofed softly, almost in agreement, as he worked on her foot. “At least it wasn’t a blizzard,” he said. He went very still except for his hand, which trembled against her paw. “Mayday never had a chance.”

Batcher rumbled, rolling away from him onto her back, scratching herself on the patio floor. She rolled back up to her side and sniffed the air, looking alert and attentive, before nudging his arm with the great crest on her head.

“He saved my life, you know.” He finished with the second back paw, moving to the less severely affected front paw. The words dripped out of him, slow and difficult to speak but just as difficult to stop, now that he’d started. “I stepped on a pressure mine. I’d have been killed. He could have gone on without me.” He paused. It was suddenly hard to breathe, despite the clean ocean air surrounding them. He scanned the sky above him, making out the lightening of the coming dawn.

What unit were you with? A simple question. One he’d heard regs ask each other a thousand times. It was the first time one had ever asked him.

It doesn’t matter. (Except it did. It always had.)

Humor me. I could use the distraction.

Clone Force 99. He’d been frozen, not with the cold, not even with the threat of certain death. Answering the question had been somehow more difficult than standing perfectly still.

What happened to them?

They’re… gone. It had felt like a lie even as he said it. Were they gone?

Was he?

Crosshair shivered, coming back to himself. “It never occurred to him to leave a man behind. Even though I told him I’d leave him in a heartbeat.” He reached out, scratching Batcher on the spot on her neck she liked. She leaned into it, tail wagging furiously. Short spiky blue-gray hair clung to his glove, poking uncomfortably in spots through the fabric, but he only scratched harder.

He finished the third paw. “Almost done. Worst for last.” She wiggled away, panting, but he fixed her with a sharp look. “Give it.” He took the last paw, the one with the deep tear, and hoped the numbing gel had done its work. He pulled out a vial of tissue glue. Batcher sniffed it and growled. “It’s this or a bandage. Trust me, you’ll prefer this.”

He carefully daubed the glue at the edges of the torn pad, hoping it would take. She’d be less irritated if the torn pad could cover the wound, and there was a chance it could reattach and heal more quickly that way. He wished they’d found it earlier; the edges of the pad were extra dry, and he wasn’t sure if they were still vital or not.

Well, he’d have to keep checking it. This would do for now.

Batcher sat quietly, only fidgeting a little. Around them, the sky continued lightening, hints of color -- gold and orange -- starting up on the horizon. Birds began to stir. Focused on the wound, Crosshair found himself talking again.

“We were trapped in an avalanche,” he murmured. “Mayday shoved me out of the way… saved me again. I tried to save him.”

He’d tried. Oh, how he’d tried. For a moment the gentle cool air of Pabu was a raging blizzard, the gold-edged sky a flare of blue-white mist. The chill sank into his bones, and he shivered again, trying to hold her paw steady. Even now he could only half-remember the terrible journey back to the outpost, the day and night of vicious, unending cold, Mayday heavy and wounded against him. His breath came too fast, his chest searing.

“I couldn’t,” he whispered. “I didn’t.” He hung his head, dropping the hound’s patched-up paw, and rested his hand on her shoulder.

His neck prickled. It’s about knowing when you’ve got eyes on you. His shoulders slumped, and without turning around, he raised his voice. “How long have you been there?”

Hunter’s voice, expected, familiar. Of course. “... a few minutes.”

“Still spying on me?” Crosshair asked, but without any real venom. He didn’t have it in him, not after the fight with the ice wyrm, not after their talk earlier. He heard the gate open behind him, and Hunter’s quiet footsteps approached closer until his brother sat down beside him.

“Not intentionally,” said Hunter, shrugging. “Echo will be heading out soon. Figured I’d come back here to get some sleep.” He nodded to the hound, stretching out his hand. “Everything all right?” Batcher sniffed his hand, then licked it enthusiastically. Hunter scratched her chin.

“The hound should be fine,” Crosshair said. “Hurt her paws on the ice.”

“Omega will be glad you fixed her up,” Hunter said. “You and Tech were always handiest with the medpacs.”

Crosshair sniffed. “Except Tech actually knew what he was doing.” They both fell quiet. Tech always knew what he was doing. Until --

He only knew the barest details of what happened. He still wasn’t sure he would ever be able to ask for more, not when every mention of his brother still made his gut clench. The birdsong swelled around them as the sky blushed gold, and he and Hunter sat with the silence, with the missing space.

The quiet stretched, weighing on both of them. Crosshair knew he could say nothing. Could pretend Hunter hadn’t snuck up on him, could assume he hadn’t heard a thing about what he’d muttered to the hound, could get up and go inside and grab some sleep. But he had to know.

“What did you hear?” Crosshair asked quietly, looking down at his hands, at the tremor starting. He slid his right hand behind him, where Hunter couldn’t see.

Hunter looked away. He hadn’t seen. Had he? “Back at the outpost, I saw you with those helmets. I wondered. This Mayday… was he one of them?”

“Commander Mayday,” Crosshair said automatically. It was important to say it.

“You lost him.” It wasn’t a question. Crosshair braced for it, the look of judgment, the disapproval. But Hunter turned his gaze back to him, his dark eyes merely thoughtful.

“It didn’t have to be that way.” It was too painful to explain the cruelty of it all to Hunter, the guarded crates, the men’s patched armor, their loyalty discarded like another broken piece of equipment, the hiss of “clone.” He didn’t try. He just reached out and petted Batcher again, his hand shaking against her fur. He hoped Hunter wouldn’t notice. “He was a good soldier. I tried to --” He let out a long breath, ducking his head. “I did everything I could. The lieutenant could have helped him. But he wasn’t worth the resources.” Hatred burned the back of his throat with the word.

Hunter nodded, reaching up to clasp his shoulder. Crosshair closed his eyes, the weight of his brother’s hand on his shoulder both utterly alien, and yet as natural as breathing. He leaned into it, and Hunter’s hand was steady, solid, trusting.

For a moment, it felt like the old days.

He looked back at Hunter, and his brother’s face softened, a flicker of sadness shifting through his eyes like a passing shadow. “I know this isn’t easy. Talking’s not --”

“My strong suit?” Crosshair cracked, managing a short huff of a laugh. “Mhm.” It had come easier than he’d thought it would, though. Something in his chest seemed to have loosened, like he could breathe more freely.

Hunter chuckled. “Right. Not always mine, either. But hey. We managed not to kill each other out there.”

“True.”

He dropped his hand from Crosshair’s shoulder, reaching out and petting Batcher, who had curled up and falling asleep. She kicked her foot contentedly as he scratched. His voice was rough. “I wish things had been different. For Commander Mayday. For all of us.”

Crosshair nodded slowly. There were too many things to count -- Tantiss, Tech, Barton IV. Further back, Desix, Kamino, Bracca, Kaller. He could take none of it back.

The only path remaining was forward.

Crosshair clambered to his feet, reaching down and giving Hunter a hand. Hunter took it without a beat, letting himself be helped up.

“Come on,” Crosshair said, squinting into the dawn. “It’s late.”

“Early.”

“Whatever.”

Hunter laughed. “All right then. Coming?” he asked the hound. Batcher rolled up to her feet, frisking around them, no sign now of a limp. “Looks like you did good work.”

Crosshair watched her prance, painless and happy. “Just doing my part,” he said. She nuzzled his hand, then bounded toward the building, sitting patiently by the door. He crossed the yard to join her, passing Hunter.

“Crosshair?”

“Yes?”

“It’s good to have you back.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, but more warmly than usual. The door opened for him, and Crosshair stepped inside, a half-smile tugging at his face.

It was good to be back.

#the bad batch fanfiction #the bad batch #tbb fanfiction #crosshair tbb #crosshair the bad batch #the bad batch crosshair #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #the bad batch hunter #hunter the bad batch #hunter tbb #tbb batcher #batcher tbb #the bad batch batcher #batcher #crosshair #hunter #my batcher fic

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coldgoldlazarus · 3 months

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Okay, mostly done screeching in excitement, now it's analysis time.

First point: That purple blast of the turret getting taken out looks great.

Looks like we're opening hot, a lot like Corruption's beginning. Hopefully won't be quite as protracted as the Norion battle, though, lol.

Also, I've seen some jokes already about how this section will end with Samus getting depowered like the openings of Prime and Echoes, but given how barebones her arsenal seems to be here, (missiles and morph ball, which sometimes she just starts with and keeps, maybe bombs too) I don't expect that to happen.

The HUD and helmet edges are a lot more dialed back this time, pushed as far into the corners as they can go. Probably better for visibility this way, but I am gonna miss the more wraparound feel of the previous setup, with the missile count and hazard meter along the sides. But this isn't a bad look by any means, and we still have a fair few items here.

A & B: My bet is this is the replacement for the old hazard meter. In addition to keeping it out of the way, putting it right next to the motion tracker is a good move. I may actually remember to use that more this way.

C: Health bar is obvious, of course, but I really like the move of tucking it away into the notch on the top of the Echoes/Corruption/Beyond(!) helmet visor. The lines around it suggest an empty row above, undoubtedly for the energy tank pips once those are picked up.

D & E: Minimap is present as usual, not really much to say there, but I love the addition of a compass direction scroll beneath it, which should be helpful for putting places in context of the broader map. (Tallon IV's elevator label system, anyone?)

F: Missile count has been shunted down from the side to the bottom corner. I'm interested to see if it will grow upward, or just stay in its present spot and scale accordingly, as you collect more expansions.

G: This is the one everyone's already pointed out, but it seems that we won't have a visor OR beam swap readout.

Scan Visor is still an option as shown in the next bit, but based on the lack of an indicator in the hud, it's probably just going to be a toggle between that and combat, without anything else like X-Ray or Thermal or Echo or what have you. (Or it could be that that would only get added to the HUD after picking up a third visor, but I won't hold my breath for it.) Kinda disappointing to deemphasize one of the cool new mechanics the Prime subseries brought to the table, on one hand, but I'm still grateful to have the Scanner, and the extra ones always did struggle a bit to see much use.

Similarly, a bit disappointed this means we're probably looking at a stacking beam like in Corruption and the 2D games, (unless of course beam swapping is still there and just being left off the HUD until relevant for the sake of cleanliness #copium) but not entirely surprising; I'll live.

But what is interesting is what's there instead. The D-Pad seems to be tied to non-Beam weapons or tools instead, with the missile launcher as the only one available at present. I'm really curious to see what the other items will be; I imagine this is going to be Prime 4's unique spin on things. I saw someone suggest affinity weapons like in Hunters, but given those all function like Beams, it feels weird to me to set them against Missiles instead, ammunition requirements notwithstanding. I'm not going to rule those out, of course, but I could see this being something completely different entirely.

Again, I am very glad to see the Scan Visor is still here at least. Even better is that it uses the full-body highlighting of objects like Echoes and Corruption instead of Prime 1's icons. Pretty minimalistic layout, all told; I like that the scanning bar is a ring now. And it doesn't reflect Samus's face by default like in Corruption, which makes sense since we're not liable to have the same kind of mutation shenaniganry happening here.

I forgot to snag a screencap of this bit on my computer, so forgive the lower quality, but this scene is interesting for a few reasons.

The Pirates' breaching charges letting them into this room just as Samus passes through a gap in the wall overhead is a nice touch, and also remniscent of some sequences from early on in Corruption.

The Federation guys in here seem to be wheeling away someone or something on a stretcher in a hurry. That could be important.

Energy tank up in the rail section, but blocked by a box. Are we just going to bomb through to get it right away, or will we drop down into the room, and have to come back from the other direction to pick it up? (Please be the other direction)

Samus looking spiffy here, even at a distance. And as some have pointed out, looks like she's walking out of a portal instead of a door, pointing to either more dimension-hopping shenanigans like in Echoes, or possibly the time travel elements I recall hearing Tanabe wanted to play with at some point. (This plus the black hole look of the logo makes me think this could be more likely.)

Whatever the nature of the portal, though, the interesting thing to me is the sort of circular structure in the rock around it, suggesting a doorframe almost. A lot of the portals on Aether seemed to actively cut into the environment at random, the rock carved out in perfect spheres with fucked-up edges, and interrupting the pre-existing architecture or geology. In contrast, this looks like it was put here on purpose, implying a more controlled creation. Potentially really fascinating implications in that.

I also kinda wonder if these portals will be replacing elevators as a way to get between regions.

Ignoring the big numbers in the middle, (though they do kinda mess with my prediction that Prime 4 was going to be a 2024 holiday title to avoid getting eaten by Switch 2's inevitable 3D Mario launch title,) a couple things stand out to me here.

Giant tree in the background is giant, and I love it for that. Also looks like it's not the only giant tree here, even if still probably the biggest. I hope we get to go there later.

But in addition, we have a bridge in the middle distance, and a tunnel opening in the foreground. I will eat my hat if we don't get to cross that bridge, and my bet is that they're going to pull a similar trick here as with Skytown, letting low-poly versions of other "rooms" be visible from the current one, but dividing them with interior sections for optimization reasons, allowing for amazing landscapes of all traversible terrain. I loved that there, it looks great here, I can't wait to go explore all this myself next year.

#not a reblog #metroid #metroid prime 4 #metroid prime 4 beyond #metroid prime beyond #HOW COOL IS IT TO HAVE AN ACTUAL TITLE NOW #AAAAAAAAA

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torchship-rpg · 4 months

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Dev Diary 15 - Mechanics Reworks

Hello cosmonauts! It’s been a minute.

So we finally finished Chariots of Steel and were all eager to turn development time over to Torchship when I got covid. I was too sick to do anything for a week, and then have spent the time since exhausted, coughing, and headache-y. I’m still coughing. What a cool sickness to have!

Because of that, I really haven’t made the progress I was hoping to, but I do have some things to talk about from the current draft of the game. So here goes…

Unity Rewrite

One of the problems revealed by last year’s Metatopia playtest was that players didn’t really have a good idea of how important Unity was supposed to be, because it was a simple uncapped resource. Like any such resource, either they ignored it, or it activated the player’s hoarding instincts and they stockpiled it and dedicated themselves to whatever roleplay triggers would get more without ever spending it.

Uh, oops, should have seen that coming.

So one of the biggest changes in the current drafts is that Unity has gone from being a pool of resources to being a bar you try to keep topped up, like so:

So long as you stay in the green ‘United’ range of 10-12, you have a free 1d6 reroll on all your dice pools. While not a hugely powerful buff, it’s a passive benefit that helps no matter what you’re doing, so you always want it if you can. There’s no benefit or drawback to being at Functional, but Tense and Fracturing hit you with escalating penalties.

This tells players when they need to be looking to form or act on relationships for the Unity benefits. Your Unity falling (through complications on rolls, stress in combat, or relationship complications) acts as an invitation to groups to get more involved, to declare relationships with each other and the various sides of a debate, and possibly act irrationally on them.

This incentive structure also heightens the political metaphor of the relationship system and the way it will affect your interaction with groups. When things are fraying in your in-group, the fastest way to rebuild cohesion is to find an out-group, to stop being impartial and take sides. As circumstances change, you might find yourself dealing with the sunk-cost fallacy of having backed a horse you no longer believe in, faced with the reality of risking your group’s Unity to make the right choice, and the potential danger of swinging too far the other way as you try to rebuild cohesion.

Damage Rework - Conditions

Another massive change in the Alpha is a totally reworked system for damage, creating a single universal framework for everything from personal injury to wear and tear on tools to massive impact on spacecraft.

When something is damaged, that damage gets converted by the GM into Conditions. A Condition consists of a narrative description and a severity between 1-6; the severity determines the degree of penalty taken when the narrative of the condition becomes relevant (with 6 Damage indicating something has been destroyed outright and can’t be used). Damage is converted to Severity 1-1, so if you take more than 6 damage, multiple Conditions will arise.

This system can be used for anything, and focuses on creating problems that you have to work around and solve (you know the thing this kind of sci-fi is all about). If you get shot in the arm, having to figure out how to do things one-handed to avoid the penalty becomes an interesting problem you have to navigate around. If you drop your scanner down an elevator shaft by accident, you have to navigate your adventure with 1 Disadvantage on your sensor checks because of a cracked lens. And when 24 points of Thermal damage hits your spaceship from a laser hit, those become Conditions on your various modules and subsystems, realistically knocking out parts of your spacecraft so your engineer player gets to fix them and your medic gets to attend to crew.

This system also allows the GM to metre out the nature of damage to match the needs of the narrative much more easily. This allows weapons to be realistically dangerous without simply killing player characters all the time, because damage can be freely split between conditions; six damage from a handheld railgun doesn’t have to one-shot you, it can be interestingly split into a number of conditions describing the path of the shot.

It also heavily simplifies a number of the game’s Hazards; you can make an ‘oxygen deprivation’ condition or a ‘barotrauma’ condition or a ‘heat stroke’ condition just as easily as anything else, and Resistances can be applied to that damage the same way. It elegantly compresses a number of systems from earlier drafts into a single, solutions-first mechanic.

Modes of Play & Vignettes

One big change in the new Draft is how the game uses alternating modes of play. We’ve ended up settling on four, two ‘main’ modes and two modes which are like exaggerated versions. You constantly build up Strain through Activity and Alert, every time you roll dice or get hurt, and you remove that Strain by going into Reflection and spending Supply.

The way we’ve decided to do this so that Reflection & Resupply can be tracked and even applied retroactively is Vignettes. Vignettes are scenes you play during Reflection to give a break from the action, creating the character moments that make us invested in the weird sci-fi shit by giving us a glimpse into the world. However, because each one is a discrete mechanical package with simple outcomes, you can also go ‘hey wait, I think that scene we just played was a Vignette!’ and it’ll still work.

The entire party plays the same Vignettes together and shares the benefits, with you playing more Vignettes the longer your characters are waiting (non-linearly; an hour gets you 1 Vignette, but a day only gets you 3). This timescale compression helps to get across the vast scale of space; there will be times when combat begins, both sides launch missiles at each other, and then you realise that it’ll be an hour before impact and you’re able to play a tense Vignette while you wait!

There are currently 9 Vignettes:

Three are Meetings: Conferences where you adjust your Investigation Checklists, Briefings where you make plans for dice bonuses, and Debates where you decide what to do in a controversial situation.

Three are Downtime: Relaxing to generate Unity and remove Strain, Lower Decks to introduce new crew NPCs you can call on for help, and Tourism to hang out with the locals, get language XP, and fill society checklists in a fun montage.

Three are Labour: Training to get XP, Treatment to recover Harm, and Project Work to create new Tools.

Resupply, which happens almost exclusively between episodes, will unlock three new Vignettes dedicated to your resources, spacecraft, and what’s happening back home.

That’s all for now. Hopefully we’ll have more detail for you next diary, which hopefully won’t take nearly as long. Provided there are no more tanks or awful diseases in my near future…

#torchship #ttrpg #dev diary #torchship ttrpg

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the-clawtake · 4 months

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"CA Transport Detail, Clawtake Actual. Requesting Secure Pick-up, corner of 52nd and Focht. Single primary. Confirm, Quiaff"

Jehan's prisoner sat on the back of her crippled Dragon Fire as he scanned along the street for threats.

He was not particularly concerned about getting ambushed deliberately. The city interfered with radar, lidar and magscan, and while stationary he would not show up on seismic sensors.

Thermal scanners might be an issue but there were enough other sources scattered about the city that the chance of him being investigated was slim.

He settled to wait for a response.

@combined-arms-merc-groups

#battletech #mechwarrior #story event #operation touchdown

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dumbbitchenergy17 · 1 year

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Clan of Three - Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: The Jedi

Plot: A Mandalorian, an infant with a history of the jedi, and a teenager with similar powers with an undiscovered lineage. An unlikely group to travel the galaxy together.

Word Count: 7.9K

Pairing: Father Figure!Din Djarin x Platonic!Teen!Reader

Warnings: fighting/violence, injuries, blood, semi-angst, PTSD, some wholesome moments

------

The Crest appears above the planet Corvus, half of the planet green and full of forestry the other half darkened with deep red scars in the earth, “Corvus, this is the place. I’ve detected a beacon.” Din says prepping the ship to begin landing before looking back at the child moving in his seat, “I’m gonna start the landing cycle. You better get back in your seat.” The Mandalorian faces forward as the child begins to move once again reaching for the small ball attached to the joystick, “Hey, what did I tell you? Back in your seat.” The child reluctantly sits back as Din continues his approach but its tiny hands raise up and the ball unscrews summoned to his hands.

The Crest flies over the town where the beacon was coming from landing in the woods outside of the city, Din turns to see the child fidgeting with the small ball, “What did I say about that? This needs to stay on the ship.” He takes the ball from whining the green baby slipping it into his belt.

The sound of a groan has Din alert as he quickly climbs down the ladder entering the main hull. The child following quickly by his pram spots his guardian hovering over a cot resting a girl. Din pushes back the strands of hair that are flush to your face and neck seeing the sweat glistening on your temples and neck. From the thermal scanner, Din curses seeing the high temperature coming off you. Grabbing the medpack that was kept by you for quick access taking in the dwindling supplies, just the small remains of bacta spray left and not enough bandages. Throughout their week-long travels to Corvus Din had been attentive in checking your wound making sure you had water and taking the time to clean and change you into some clothes Din had been sure not to see anything. Your clothes are already cleaned but have kept you in more comfortable clothes. But you still remained unconscious and with only getting the water it made sense you were to get sick while also fighting to heal.

Din peels up his shirt from your body to view your injury, unwrapping the stained bandage and wincing seeing the crudely burned flesh it wasn’t going to be a pretty scar when healed. What concerned him though was the redness and fluid coming from the wound, he knew Cara had been rushing and it was truly life or death so the chances things weren’t properly sanitized or your injury wasn’t is likely. This explains the fever from the infection but bacta spray wasn’t going to cut it, he needed stronger medicine. Din would have taken you to a hospital if he could but the chances that he would be taken by the New Republic or the empire spotting you and the child in such a vulnerable state. He couldn’t risk it.

The child emits a sad noise seeing the crease between your brows placing his small hand against your cheek, trying to pour some of his power into helping you. Din watches thinking your injury will heal and you would wake up but the child pulls away looking at him confused why it didn’t work. Was it something he was doing wrong…or were you stopping him he didn’t understand this jedi thing.

“I’m gonna get you something ya hear me kid,” Din says quickly grabbing a cloth and wetting it in the fresher returning and placing it on your forehead. He feels slightly relieved seeing the pained look on your face disappear slightly with the cold cloth. Rewrapping your wound and covering you with the blanket taking one last look he stands moving towards the ramp. A whine comes from the child as he tries to follow Din. “Not much to see out here,” The green infant coos and Din looks down at him as the ramp continues to lower, “Never had dealings with a Jedi before.”

Sighing he picks up the child placing him in his side satchel, “Let’s head into town. See if we can pick up a lead.” Leaving the Crest he places the ship in ground security protocols not letting anyone get in while he leaves you in a weakened state.

Reaching the city gate the fog settled around him making the whole town more desolate, spotting the guard on the wall above the gate he stares at the man and he stares back, “State your business.” The man on top of the wall calls out.

“Been tracking for a few days. Looking for a layover.” Din calls out and the man in the armor looks over internally comparing his own to the pristine beskar, “Nice armor. You a hunter, then?”

“That’s right.” Din nods, “Guild?” The man questions and he nods once again, “Last I checked.” The man turns to speak to someone else he couldn’t see in a language he didn’t recognize before he calls out in Basic, “Open the gate.”

The large gates creak open allowing the Mandalorian inside and he was surprised by the empty streets and the lifelessness of the town. He quickly notices the citizens picking at scraps and looking dejected, he walks up to a droid to speak but it walks past him. “Pardon me, vendor, have you heard of anyone…”

Seeing a man standing by a table more pushed into an alley, beside him are two children a boy and a girl as they break apart a small loaf of bread. “You there. I need some information. I’m looking for medicine and someone,” The man looks shocked being addressed he whispers something to the children and they go rushing off further into the alley.

“Please, do not speak to them, or to any of us.” The man speaks shaking his hands and looking around to see if anyone is watching this interaction, Look, I just need to know…”

“The Magistrate wants to see you.” A man behind Din speaks up and he turns to see two armored mercenaries standing almost waiting for him, he nods briefly glancing back at the man who avoids all eye contact. Being escorted through the main street they reach a section where people stand in cages their screams filling the air as electricity harms them. The chill that runs through his body when their screams are replaced with yours and his hands turn into fists as he looks forward as they cry out to him, “Help us…She’ll kill us all.”

A guard opens a second gate of the city with enters a villa a clear difference from the town, the freshwater from the moat, and the greenery and flora. He could understand where the money is going. Walking across the bridge he spots a woman looking over the waters of the moat dressed in much better clothes than the townspeople, “Come forward. You are a Mandalorian?” The Magistrate calls out and Din moves forward, “Yes.”

She nods, “I have a proposition that may interest you.” Din quickly responds to her statement, “My price is high.” He was only here to find the jedi and to get you medicine he didn’t have time for bounties,

“This target is priceless. A Jedi plagues me. I want you to kill her.” The magistrate explains and Din could only assume it’s the same one he is looking for, “That’s a difficult task.” He says and the Magistrate nods knowing her offer was not one for the faint of heart,

“One that you are well-suited for. The Jedi are the ancient enemy of Mandalore.” She says hoping his creed’s dislike for the jedi would make the offer more appealing but Din is standing firm, “As I said, my price is high.”

The Magistrate holds her hand out and a droid servant comes over with a large spear which she takes before passing it to Din, “What do you make of this?”

Din accepts the weapon with two hands examining the weapon and its craftsmanship. Ringing the staff against his armor and a crisp ring fills the air confirming his suspicions….pure beskar.

“Beskar.” He comments and she nods taking the weapon back and holding it with one hand, “Pure beskar… like your armor. Kill the Jedi and it’s yours.” She offers and Din thinks of his options,

“Where do I find this Jedi?” He asks and the Magistrate calls over another droid servant who gives him coordinates to where they had last seen this jedi, “I ask only one thing,” Din speaks up and the Magistrate nods letting him continue, “I am in need of medicine, bandages, and an E-Bacta Shot.” The woman looks surprised at his comment.

“E-Bacta shots are very hard to come upon, but very well you kill the jedi you will receive it as well as the staff-” “I require the medicine now.” The Magistrate stares at Din almost piercing through his helmet and her face changes with realization. He needed it not for him, but someone else…someone he had to care enough about who was injured enough that they would need an experimental drug to help them. “Very well, fetch an E-Bacta shot and some bandages for the Mandalorian,” She orders a droid they head off the fetch the objects. It didn’t take long before the droid returned with a small pouch given to the man who looked inside seeing the shot and wrappings. With one final look, he departed to find his bounty.

The man called Lang leads Din and the child out of the city gate, looking down he notices the child in the pouch staring back at him behind shrinking back, “What is that thing?” Din looks at the child and then at Lang, “I keep it around for luck.” Lang nods looking at the bounty hunter,

“You’re gonna need it where you’re headed.” He quips before heading back into the city gates leaving the two. Returning to the Crest punching in the security code to disable lockdown Din and the Child enter, the kid quickly enters his pram as he moves towards the girl still asleep. Your fever only rose higher to temperatures that were concerning him as chills began, taking the cloth that was mainly dry now to wipe some sweat from the back of your neck. Pulling back the blanket to see your wound he completely removed the bandage going to the fresher to get a new damp cloth to clean the irritated and oozing wound.

Apologizes whispered into the air watching you wince in your sleep, “You’re alright kid, got you some medicine. You’re gonna feel better.” Din promises, removing the cloth he opens up the small pouch taking out the E-Bacta shot and the new bandages. Opening the cover for the syringe he was lucky you were unconscious so you couldn’t see the very long and thick needle that was to enter your body. The child hides back in his pram unable to watch the needle enter you. Normally it would have been a smaller dose but he needed this to work beside you were going to be asleep during this. The vibrant liquid quickly enters your body as he injects it right beside where your wound before wrapping it once more with bandages. Din pulls up your blanket as a large shiver takes over your body.

“We have to go…but you’re going to be alright. You fight kid. Gar're morut'yc ner cyar'ika” (you’re safe my darling) Din whispers his gloved hand tracing your face and pushing the small strands of hair back. He could only hope that this worked having only heard of the effects it has though affecting an individual's senses it did accelerate their healing and that’s what matters. He wanted you awake and okay--no needed you to be. Once again making sure you were alright before he and the child leave the Crest to set off once again to search for this jedi.

Whisper of voices, the brief brushes of something or someone touching you as your eyes open seeing stone above and the ground rough beneath you. Pushing yourself to your elbows find yourself in almost a cave with lanterns that light the area. Looking around confused you were on Nervarro then…you couldn’t remember…whisper of voices float through the air as a breeze appears blowing your hair and ruffling your clothes. Looking forward, the lanterns glow a brilliant blue and yellow pulse almost alive as you rise to stand.

“te oya'la pirun” The earth breathes out the words as you are guided by the lights almost an invisible string wrapped around you pulling you further into the caves, the lights growing and dimming with each breath you take drawing closer. The pounding of a drum shakes the ground around you and the tunnel opens up revealing an open cave filled with people some holding candles, and large torches decorating the path leading you to dark waters. Pillars stand tall inscriptions carved into the stone as a voice speaks out, “Bat ner gai bal te gai be ruyot. Ibac Ni Kelir kemir te ara be te Mand'alor. Bal te miit be te Resol'nare Kelir cuyir darasuum o'r ner kar'ta. Ibic cuyir te ara.” You couldn’t recognize the words being spoken and you freeze seeing those standing by the waters on steps leading down to the black waters.

“Mama…papa…” You whisper your voice an echo as you look at your parents confused by their appearance. Your mother wears these white tubed flowers in her hair with a large headpiece, her clothes regal in shades of blues, teals, and purples nothing you’ve ever seen her wear before. Your father wears shades of tan loose clothes and a deep brown robe that appear natural but seem to have more significance. It wasn’t something you were used to seeing on either of them, especially in this location.

“te oya'la pirun”

Those words repeat again as your parents hold out their hands but for a moment it’s not your parents, it's a woman with fair skin, bright blonde hair, and soft blue eyes with a man with auburn hair and a beard with strong grey eyes. You stare at the woman and man as they look back at you the woman has a gentle smile and the man has a very neutral expression but you could see the pride in his eyes. The string seems to pull you forward as you move past the two taking a step down into the water. It licks at your feet as you continue to step further into the water words you weren’t even sure you could speak but it comes from your mouth,

“Bat ner gai bal te gai be ruyot,”

Each step further into the water it reaching your knee as the string around you pulls you deeper,

“Ibac Ni Kelir kemir te ara be te Mand'alor,”

The water soaks you now at your waist your hands spread as the liquid slips past your fingers. A pang of fear comes over you being this deep in the water but it quickly leaves with a peaceful feeling,

“Bal te miit be te Resol'nare Kelir cuyir darasuum o'r ner kar'ta.”

The glimpses of your parents and the other two fill your vision as you take the final step the water at your chest. This feeling of something in the water doesn’t fear you but invites you in almost calling to you as you speak the final words.

“Ibic cuyir te ara.”

And you sink into the water darkness taking over.

The sounds of nature surround Din and the child as they travel deeper into the woods following the coordinates provided by the Magistrate. “Well, these are the coordinates. Keep your eyes open. We must be close.” Din speaks to the small child through his visor he examines the trails and looks for signatures of footprints or markings that someone was there. A crack fills the air making the hunter pause, “You hear that? Don’t worry. Sit right here. Let me see what’s out there.” Pulling the child out of the bag and placing him on a rock while slowly pulling his rifle off his back. Looking through the scope toward where the noise was coming from only to spot some native animals far off in the distance eating the vegetation.

“False alarm,” Din says turning around right out the moment two lightsabers came down on him. Quickly blocking with his vambraces the beskar deflects the energy of the weapon. Releasing a wave of flames from his flamethrowers sends his enemy back and burns her cloak making her take it off. Shooting his arm out and a cord wraps around her arms restricting her movements, but she jumps into the air over a branch flinging Din midair as a pulley. Din detaches the wire landing on the ground and she is free as well both blaster and lightsabers ready to duel but he quickly speaks up, “Ahsoka Tano! Bo-Katan sent me. We need to talk.”

The jedi Ahsoka lowers her weapons but not looking at the Mandalorian but past him at the child sitting on the rock watching the fight, “I hope it’s about him.”

The evening has taken over the planet as the clearing is only lit by a single lantern. Din watches the two just sitting in silence looking at each other, “Is he speaking? Do you understand him?” Ahsoka nods standing picking up the child and bringing them to a new clearing Din follows holding the lantern, “In a way. Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.” She explains to the child sitting on a rock and it perks up hearing his name.

“Grogu?” Din says and the child Grogu makes another noise hearing his name and now looking at Din.

“Yes. That’s his name.” Ahsoka explains as Din watches the child well Grogu stares at a large butterfly moving through the air, “Grogu.” Din calls out and Grogu quickly looks over at Din making a gurgling noise.

“He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Many Masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden. Someone took him from the Temple. Then his memory becomes… dark. He seemed lost. Alone. I’ve only known one other being like this. A wise Jedi Master named Yoda.” Ahsoka speaks looking at Grogu and then off into the distance thinking of memories of the past.

“Can he still wield the Force?” Ahsoka asks turning to Din. “You mean his powers?”

“The Force is what gives him his powers. It is an energy field created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training and discipline.” Ahsoka explains motioning to all that surrounds them, from the rocks to the lush trees.

“I’ve seen him do things I can’t explain. My task was to bring him to a Jedi,” Din explains thinking of all the things he’s seen Grogu do as well as you, “There’s another the same as him, she has one of your weapons.” Din points at one of her lightsabers resting on her hips.

“You found another Jedi but the Jedi Order fell a long time ago…is she from the temple?” Ahsoka asks but Din shakes his head, “She’s a child from Tatooine…an orphan seemingly trained by herself.”

“Where is she then?” She questions and Din grows silent Ahsoka could sense the fear that shackles him as well as guilt, “She will be alright.” She rests her hand on his shoulder as he moves his gaze to watch the small infant,

“The Empire is gone, yet it still hunts them. They need your help.” He says and Ahsoka stands looking at the two before heading off to a part of the clearing,

“Let him sleep. I’ll test him in the morning.”

The screams filled the great hall, and blaster fire fills the air as the fight for your life pushes you forward. Your blade cuts down the troopers as they keep appearing to overwhelm you. Swinging your blade but it comes in contact with another, the once orange saber now blue clashing against another blue saber. The roar of the wind as an eruption of fiery liquid and a rock flies into the air. A man with wild hair and eyes that only showed rage presses his saber harsher against yours.

"I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you." You speak but your voice comes in and out with another the voice of a man. Guilt and sadness fill your chest seeing the man in front of you as you stand on opposite sides.

"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over!" He shouts out his eyes once blue a sickly shade of yellow, the darkness in his heart taken over.

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" You yell out to the man you’ve never met before feeling tears fill your eyes. This sadness is like a weight in your chest trying to pull you down, the hot air blowing your hair and clothes the same as his.

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" He shouts raising his weapon and you raise yours too feeling a piece of you leave dying alongside the light in him.

"Well, then, you are lost!" You cry out before you both rush forward grabbing each other and holding you back as the lava erupts showering over you as you’re shoved backward finding yourself on the shores of the river the heat from the lava burning as you stare down at the man his arm and legs cut off as he tries dragging himself up the blackened ash.

A sorrow, unlike anything, fills you as you cry out to him, and the man’s voice splits with yours, "You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

His cries fill the air as he slides closer to the flames the hatred in his eyes, "I hate you!" He spits and you climb further up the sands your hand reaching down to grab his weapon the weight of its sins heavy. You look back at the man tears filling your eyes.

"You were my brother, Anakin; I loved you.” You turn to leave his screams as the flames burn his body leaving you with haunted memories. You move to leave this moment when a voice calls out behind you

“You have something I want.”

Dawn covers Corvus as the Mandalorian with Grogu follows the jedi into a green clearing the forest and nature vibrant compared to what he’s seen in the town. “Let’s see what knowledge is lurking inside that little mind,” Ahsoka says as Din places Grogu on a large rock and steps back the jedi grabs a small rock holding it in her hand before turning her palm and the rock floats in mid-air. Pushing her hand out the rock floats over to the smaller jedi as he holds his hands out taking the rock from the air giggling and having the stone, “Now, return the stone to me, Grogu.” She says holding her hand out, the child looks down at the rock before holding it closer to his chest,

“He doesn’t understand.” Din says but Ahsoka shakes her head still holding her hand out, “He does.” Grogu whines not wanting to give it but put Ahsoka pushes, “It’s okay. The stone, Grogu.” Grogu looks at her before willfully dropping the stone to the ground.

Ahsoka moves to kneel in front of the child holding his hand, “I sense much fear in you. He’s hidden his abilities to survive over the years. Let’s try something else. Come over here.” She says before moving back and motioning for Din to come over.

“He’s stubborn.” The bounty hunter comments and Ahsoka disagrees, “Not him. You. I want to see if he’ll listen to you.”

Din scoffs hearing the request, “That would be a first.”

“I like firsts,” She smirks as she hands Din the stone, “Good or bad, they’re always memorable. Now, hold the stone out in the palm of your hand. Tell him to lift it up.” She steps back watching Din look at her before sighing and turning towards the child,

“All right, kid. Lift the stone.” He holds the stone out, “Grogu.” Ahsoka cuts in and Din looks over at her.

“Grogu…” This peaks his attention as he looks at the Mandalorian, “Come on, take the stone.” He tries enticing him but he just coos not listening, “You see? I told you, he’s stubborn.” Din drops his hand and the stone.

Ahsoka gives him a look, watching the two of them, “Try to connect with him.”

Din takes a deep breath before grabbing something from his belt, “Grogu…” He calls the child’s attention as he reveals the ball and he is intrigued, “Do you want this? Well, go ahead. That’s right, take it. Come on. You can have it. Come on.” Din holds out the ball and Grogu slowly lifts his hands concentrating and the ball rips from Din’s hand into his, “Good job! Good job, kid. You see that? That’s right.”

Din praises the child kneeling down and giving an affectionate rub against his ears making Grogu giggle, “I knew you could do it. Very good.” Ahsoka watches this interaction and her decision is made,

“He’s formed a strong attachment to you,” She comments and Din looks over seeing the hesitant look on her face, “I cannot train him or the girl.”

“What? Why not? You’ve seen what he can do. You haven’t even met the kid.”

“His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears. His anger.” Ahsoka says and Din stands up trying to get her to reconsider, “All the more reason to train him.”

“No. I’ve seen what such feelings can do to a fully-trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us. I will not start this child down that path. Better to let his abilities fade. I’ve delayed too long. I must get back to the village.” She says a pained expression on her face at the mention of the Jedi before she turns and heads off,

“The Magistrate sent me to kill you. I didn’t agree to anything. And I’ll help you with your problem if you see to it that Grogu and the girl are properly trained.” Din says and Ahsoka pauses hearing this news, “She has a small army of guards armed with A350 blaster rifles, two HK-87 assassin droids, and a hired gunfighter. He reads ex-military to me. Combined, not even your laser swords would be able to protect you from all that firepower.”

“True. But don’t underestimate the Magistrate either.” Ahsoka agrees,

“Who is she? She offered me a staff of pure beskar to kill you.” Din explains and Ahsoka looks over at him, “Morgan Elsbeth. During the Clone Wars, her people were massacred. She survived and let her anger fuel an industry which helped build the Imperial Starfleet. She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process.” Din nods remembering the look of the town, “Yeah, it looks like she’s still in business.”

Ahsoka nods before asking him, ”When you were in the city did you see any prisoners?” Din nods remembering the prisoners being tortured, “I saw three villagers strung up just outside the inner gate.”

“We must find a way to free them.” She says and Din agrees, “A Mandalorian and a Jedi? They’ll never see it coming.”

“You have something I want.”

The explosion of the e-web rings in your ears gasping for air you push yourself up looking around finding yourself back on Nevarro. The square in flames parts of buildings destroyed screams of people and children as you come to stand letting out a sharp inhale pressing your hand to your side and seeing red. The city was desolate around you but you could hear blaster fire in the distance the sounds of battle raging on. The sky is dark and the sounds of fighting in the sky and explosions light the sky. Fires raged everywhere covering your mouth to avoid inhaling the smoke as the earth shook and loud explosions made you cover your ears. Your reactions were delayed that you didn’t sense the attack coming at you.

A foot slams against your back pushing you to the ground and when you try to push back up and a foot kicks you in the ribs crying out when it digs into your wound. Falling onto your back, the broken rubble and shards of glass dig into your body as you look up. Chills run down your spine seeing the man hover over you it being him…Moff Gideon.

“You can’t run from destiny,” He says and you try to stand when he kicks you to your hands and knees. Gideon grabs your collar, “Din Djarin…his creed…Mandalore will fall because of you,” His fist slams across your face your head whipping to the side another fist flies blood spewing from your mouth. With each punch your vision flash with memories, Arvala-7, meeting Din, protecting the child, your journeys, the lightsaber, but memories not your own appear, the man with hatred in his eyes, the battle in that great hall, the cave with water, your parents, the couple you saw.

"Well, then, you are lost!"

Dots flood your vision with each strike from Gideon, your screams in the Crest as Din whispered comforting words, his bare hands wiping the tears from your eyes.

"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!

"I hate you!"

The fires scorch your skin and your heart as a man screams to his brother the pain ripping you apart.

“You are far more important to me than anything in the galaxy.”

The ringing of the e-web your hands grasping Din’s armor, the blood staining your hands. No this wasn’t supposed to happen. You didn’t feel him breathing as the battle raged as you clutch his body nothing came out of your mouth as you scream.

“Tatooine may be where you were born but your blood, that is not. Features old but familiar…qualities of those from Mandalore.”

Standing in front of the Armorer, her helmet piercing through your body as she holds your chin. The questions…the confusion at her comment. Tatooine or Mandalore…what was your past.

“Te oya'la pirun”

The water circled your body the water and blood filling the cave no one was there anymore. You drown in the water it’s cooling nature as red mixes in.

"You were my brother, Anakin; I loved you.”

The great hall was filled with the aftermath of the massacre. The great sorrow that fills you, the force almost suffocates you. Cries and blaster fire blind your senses as Gideon grabs you again dragging you along the ground, metal, and glass cutting and tearing into your flesh.

“You have a much more important role in this than you think you do…That can alter your dear Mandalorian’s Creed.

The burning buildings of Nervarro are different, a city unlike anything you’ve seen before surrounds you, the screams of people filling the air. Like falling stars reaching the surface that shake the planet’s core, glass digs into your palms your vision going black as blood pours like a river from your face.

“Bat ner gai bal te gai be ruyot, Ibac Ni Kelir kemir te ara be te Mand'alor,”

Sinking deep into the water, your hands trying to break through the surface as you’re pulled deeper. The peaceful feeling you felt is quickly filled with fear as your screams are silenced by water entering your lungs.

“Bal te miit be te Resol'nare Kelir cuyir darasuum o'r ner kar'ta.”

Your parents lay before you the blood surrounding them, your home in Tatooine ruined. Still hidden under the bed hearing them being killed over and over again. Soon their screams are replaced with a man crying out as the auburn man holds the blonde woman in his arms. It was pain…it was fear…it was a sign.

“Ibic cuyir te ara.”

Gideon pulls away his hand grasping at his belt pulling out a weapon raising it up and swinging it down.

“It ends here Mand’alor.”

Your eyes snap open pushing yourself off the bed when your legs and arms grow numb and your vision tilts as you crash into the floor. Blinking your vision back a disoriented feeling as your face presses against the metal floor of the Crest. Pins and needles cover your limbs as you force your arm to roll you over onto your back so you face the ceiling. You weren’t sure how long until the numb feeling left and you slowly pushed yourself to sit up against the edge of your cot.

You remember your fight with Din, traveling to Nervarro, discovering the base, and learning about Moff Gideon...

Moff Gideon was alive! With your strength quickly returning you come to stand but your balance tilts and you slam into a wall, your hands pressing into the grids of the metal trying to focus on your breathing your heartbeat pounding in your ears.

“Din!” Your voice hoarse slurs as you shout out as you try to move towards the cockpit but your world seemed to put on a permanent axis making you run into objects and fall into the walls. Reaching the ladder you stare up at it feeling a wave of nausea seeing the distance of the ladder stretch before your eyes.

“d-Din! Din…kriff where are you?!” You shout almost falling back as you turn to find your bag resting on the side falling at grabbing it twice before you use your whole arms to scoop it up and dump everything on the ground. Books fall out and a saber falls rolling onto the ground. A sense of dread fills you suddenly and your head whips toward the direction as you tip over at the same time. Laying on your back you try to continue calming your heart but it only seems to get louder with each inhale. What was wrong with you…everything was going tilted and nothing seemed right. Spotting your saber your hand reaches out to grab it. You needed to find the child..you had to find Din.

After stumbling to the hull after spending 10 minutes trying to just get dressed in your clothes but you just sat on the floor and had thought you already gotten dressed. Strapping your blaster into your hostler missing it a few times before getting right, you decide to hold your saber to make things easier. Your hands rest on the wall trying to calm your breathing as you feel the coldness of the metal. Everything felt dilated to eleven but at the same time, your actions were a second behind your brain, resulting in you wandering through the forest for a bit.

“Holy shit maker this is kriffing crazy…” You huff out resting against a tree having run into it. Pushing forward and head in a general direction praying you to find something. You weren’t sure how long you wandered through the forest everything looked the same until you heard the sound of blaster fire, a thick layer of fog surrounds you and you didn’t see the gate until you run right into it. A loud smack fills the air as you hit the metal and fall to your back the world spinning around you. Your limbs feel like lead as you turn yourself onto your hands and knees looking for a way inside you grab the saber with two trembling hands. A howl emits from the blade making your ears ring as you bring it to the metal it slides through. You practically put your whole weight into a crudely carved hole. You stare at the bright orange blade...I wonder what it feels-no not those thoughts focus, find Din.

A hole from the metal falls through with a large clang and you climb through more like tripped through as your legs became deadweights again. It seemed whatever was happening to you every once in a while your motor function would just fully fail a numbing sensation that felt weightless. This was experienced mainly in the forest, smacking into trees, tripping over branches or just falling over the air and being stuck to the ground for a few minutes before you pushed yourself up and continue on.

You look up seeing you drop your saber the weapon is turned off as you grab it again and use the wall to help you pull yourself up to your feet. The sound of gunfire seemed to be coming from further down the street as you fail to walk straight toward the sounds. Maybe you could ask around if they’ve seen him.

You must have taken a wrong turn finding yourself walking through alleys before you hear someone speaking, “Who do you think’s gonna win? Could be your side… could be my side.” He calls out and who he was speaking doesn’t respond, “I got no quarrel with you, Mandalorian.” Hey, you knew a Mandalorian! Maybe he could tell you where Din was.

“That’s far enough.” A familiar voice speaks as you stumble closer to the opening of the alley trying to focus intently on your footsteps not watching the man.

“You and I, we’re a lot alike. Willing to lay our lives down for the right cause. Which this is not.” You didn’t see the dead body in front of you right at the opening of the alley. You completely trip over them stumbling into the street and crashing into the floor right between the two men who looked surprised. You groan rolling to your side and you look at the boots of this man trailing your gaze up seeing a familiar metal man.

“Heyyyyy Din.” You slur and you didn’t recognize the rigidness in his body. Din felt all the air leave his body, he was about to put a bullet in the person that stumbled into the street. You weren’t supposed to be here? Why..how did you get here!? This weight on his chest lifted seeing you looking at him, breathing, awake. His enemy, however, noticed the girl stumbling out hitting the ground and an instrument used by his enemy beside her. A jedi.

The man pulls out his blaster and aims at the girl but a bullet hits him before he could react, he falls back as Din lowers his blaster. He sighs and moves forward when someone yells, “Behind you!” He quickly turns to fire at the surviving assassin droid as it appears on the roof.

Your gaze is focused on the sky, how far you could measure from one side of the galaxy to the other. Someone quickly appears beside you and you give a goofy grin at the man, “Din…”

“Maker kid, what the hell are you doing here.” He says pulling you to sit up but holding you to make sure you don’t get dizzy. “Looking for you metal head,” You say leaning your head back as you giggle, “woooah did you know you could see yourself through your armor.” Your giggles interrupt your rambles as your focus is put on the reflection of his armor. Din watches you wave to yourself in the reflection of the armor a faint smile hidden behind the beskar helmet. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw you smile. Their time on Sorgan, reunited with Cobb, seeing water for the first time, the small moments you had with the child. He was certain he’s never heard you laugh, a melodic sound that warms his heart. Even in a state where you weren’t fully there the walls you built up for this life had been broken.

“Yeah, kid…tell me more.” He says looking down at you as your laughter fills the air. With the success of defeating the Magistrate’s army the people of Calodan quickly threw together a celebration for their liberation. Din was able to find you food and water to fill you up and the side effects of the bacta shot quickly fade.

Standing outside the gates your mind is now clear and functional as you give a sheepish smile to Din as he stares at the hole in the gate, “You’ve carved a hole..” He says with a look and you throw your hands up in defense, “Hey I was high off the medicine you gave me so you can’t blame me.” You say and Din shakes his head when appears a woman with orange skin with white markings, her head tails white with blue striping. Her clothes are nothing you’ve ever seen before but your eyes widen seeing the weapons strapped to the waist just like yours.

“I believe this was your payment.” She says holding out a spear and Din shakes his head, “No. I can’t accept it. I didn’t finish the job.” Din says but she holds out the weapon insisting. “No. But this belongs to a Mandalorian. Where is your little friend?” She asks not seeing the child.

“Back at the ship where this one should be as well,” Din says before gesturing over at you and you could feel the slight scolding in his tone. The woman turns to look at you and her neutral face cracks slightly almost as if she’s seen a ghost.

“Bo-Katan said you could train the child and me,” You say and she still seems to be looking over and a slight probe at part of your mind makes you hesitate before you let her in. It was a weird sensation feeling someone push into your mind but for a fraction of a second her own shield falls and you get a glimpse of her more forefront thoughts.

“Who’s Obi-Wan…?” You say and Ahsoka pulls out of your head hearing your question. It was the innocent look on your face that wouldn’t make anyone fearful but it was what she saw inside your mind that had her worried, the fear and rage towards one man. Like relieving a memory of seeing the fear and anger take over someone she had cared deeply about happening before you through only the first stages. She should have sensed you as well even if you weren’t with the Mandalorian but the force was strong in you…strong that it concerned her more than her concern about the Mandalorian and Grogu’s relationship.

“Ahsoka?” You call out to her and for the briefest of moments, she sees two people in you that she lost. The only memories left are those in her mind. “We need to go get the kid, you stay here,” Din says to Ahsoka and she nods as Din starts forward his hand resting on your shoulder leading. You glance back at her seeing the far-off look in her eyes as she watches you two depart.

Reaching the Crest you were given a warm welcome by the child who you quickly took into your arms as he coos at you while you rub his ears tenderly. “Hey, little guy.” You smile at the green creature as it happily giggles seeing you.

“Grogu,” Din says and you look over at him, “Turns out he had a name all this time.” You nod turning back to Grogu the smile still on your face.

“Well, Grogu it’s finally nice to know.” He coos even more hearing you call him by his name, “Come on we have to go.” Din calls out and you follow back to the ramp you didn’t see the way he watched you the sadness in him growing with these final moments.

“Kid..” Din calls out and you turn before the ramp looking at the Mandalorian who holds out your bag for you, “You stay safe alright.” He says and you realize this is a goodbye. You hadn’t imagined it would come so soon after all your adventures, the planets, and the people you’ve met. It felt incomplete in a way like a journey was missing something.

“I will…” You say taking the bag. Your life was shoved into the small bag but now this whole ship had become your home, the memories etched into the metal of the Crest. You sling your bag over your shoulder and Grogu in your arms gives a sad coo feeling your emotions through the force. Din’s hand touches your cheek wiping away a tear you didn’t know had fallen. You throw your free hand around his shoulder burying your face in his shoulder, hesitant his hands move to wrap around you one hand holding your back and the other holding your head.

“You’re going to be fine cyar'ika,” Din whispers as you say goodbye to really the only person who has looked after you, someone who has been a father to you.

“You’re like a father to them.” Ahsoka’s voice comes from behind you both of you pulling away quickly wiping the stray tears as you stand close to Din. She looks at both you and Grogu before shaking her head, “I cannot train them.”

“You made me a promise, and I held up my end.” Din says stepping forward and Ahsoka thinks, “There is one possibility. Go to the planet Tython. There you will find the ancient ruins of a temple that has a strong connection to the Force. Bring them to the seeing stone at the top of the mountain.” She explains.

“Then what?” You ask and she looks over at you, “Then you and Grogu may choose your paths. If you reach out through the Force, there’s a chance a Jedi may sense your presence and come searching for you both.” She says to the two force-sensitive children, “Then again, there aren’t many Jedi left.” She warns and Din nods looking down at you as if you have no choice but to agree.

“Thank you.” He says and you give your own thanks,

“May the Force be with you.” She says as Din takes the child from your arms heading to start up the Crest. You stay on the ramp looking over at Ahsoka who watches you deeply as well.

“Thank you, Ahsoka…” You say and she nods crossing her arms the poncho flows with her movements. It felt instinctively to let the barrier around your mind down being in the presence of another force user. That same probing sensation washes over you before it quickly retreats.

“You can’t run from destiny…you can only embrace what is given.” She says and you freeze her words similar to those said in your dream or was it a vision?

“You can’t run from destiny. Din Djarin…his creed…Mandalore will fall because of you,”

You wanted to ask more questions but the rumble of the Crest and Din’s voice calling out to you make you turn towards the sound but when you turned back the jedi was gone. Only a brush of the wind and her presence in the force let you know she was once here.

The ramp to the ship closes as it rises in the atmosphere its new and final destination decided. Off in the distance, the lone Jedi watches the ship leave with the two force-sensitive beings. One with some former training but the other…she could only be fearful of what it could lead to. She could only hope whatever remaining jedi out there are able to tame this unease that she sensed or is it already too late?

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