#transmission for wrecker

[thespliffbunker]

[nerfpuncher]

I'm a simple person, I see Wrecker and I get a little stupid.

[seat-safety-switch]

Once you've been a tourist to a place, you gain a sort of common language with other folks who have been there. If you want to make fast friends with someone, the best idea is to figure out if you've been to the same place and then start talking about it. For me, that place is junkyards, because that's the only place I go.

Visiting distant junkyards is often both pleasure and business for me. On long road trips, I like to unwind by surrounding myself with the rusty corpse of industrial automation. It's convenient, then, that I'm forced to visit nearly every junkyard I see on my travels, in order to get parts to keep the car I drove there going. In other words, I've seen a lot of junkyards.

All this means that when I meet another bad-car weirdo, we can instantly bond about their home junkyard.

"I loved how the forklift operator has that deft touch, didn't even collapse the frame rails on that mouldy '87 Bronco," I chirp.

"Oh, that thing has been there forever. You should have seen it, they put a hearse next to it once and the damn thing was stripped to the bone a day later," you remark, instantly warming to my bullshit and potentially letting me look at your hoard of parts and tools.

The only time this went wrong was in Ohio. In Ohio, it seems, the locals have their "favourite" junkyards. It's like a sports-team thing. They won't go to a rival yard, even if it has the exact part they need. I didn't know this before I piped off to a dude visiting my local junkyard, who it turns out was from Ohio. Once he realized that I had only been to Cuthbertson's AAA Auto Wreckers and never even set foot in his beloved Elmonston's AAAA Car Recyclers, he never spoke to me again, and I also didn't get a chance to ask him if he had seen any Honda CR-V picnic tables when he was down in that corner of the yard.

Outside of people from Ohio, though, I would say this is a good strategy to follow in life. Even if you don't get any parts out of the experience, you get to meet another strange gearhead, and enjoy a moment of kinship together, sitting in a junkyard full of other people's once-treasures, reflecting on how the passage of time corrodes everything beneath it. And also, sometimes they tell you where to get good tacos after you get that damn transmission out.

[huntershoe]

THE BAD BATCH PROMPT EVENT

A/N: I would like to thank @arctrooper69 for making this prompt and giving me a great idea. I am a little late tho because I only saw the post yesterday evening. I chose the NSFW prompt since I am trying to improve my smut writing abilities ;)

Summary: After intense past months, the tension between you and Hunter finally snaps.

Warning: NSFW (18+) minors DNI.

Word count: 2439

Thank you for reading!

It has been months since you, Hunter and Wrecker had any break, the fast pacing time and events simply wouldn't let you rest, even a good night sleep was rare. And with that of course came another few things to complain about. You and Hunter used to be so much more physically active together, and not just the flaming hot crazy sex, but also just small kisses here and there when no one was looking, the fleeting touches, just to reassure each other's presence.

It's not that you don't love him anymore, or the other way around, it's just that the stress from loosing Tech and Omega was too great, it wouldn't let you relax even for a second, knowing that Omega is still out there, suffering maker knows what.

So yes, you actually couldn't remember the last time you and Hunter managed to let out some steam and fuck and the only time you would get to kiss him was if you both managed get into your bunk at the same time to sleep and Wrecker took the watch.

The last few months consisted of constant deadly missions, doing the dirty work just to get some information, which usually ended up being useless but that didn't stop you and you kept on risking your life every day, to find Omega.

So once you got a mysterious transmission, sounding like Omega and telling you to meet at some backwater location, you didn't know what to believe. It simply sounded too good to be true. You could still remember the moment Omega ran down the ramp and into Wrecker's arms, it really was a sight to see, just like Wrecker said.

You were the second one Omega ran to, and you knelt down in front of her, squeezing her into a tight hug, until Omega spotted Hunter on top of the ramp, looking down at his two favourite girls with a small smile.

From then on, everything changed once Crosshair walked down the ramp to everyone's surprise.

Crosshair's arrival made Hunter a bit on edge, he didn't trust his brother as much as he wanted to. Who could blame him, Crosshair was the one hunting them just a little more than six months ago.

On top of that, with Crosshair now being around again, Hunter seemed more...pissy, it greatly bothered him that the sniper acted like nothing happened, like he didn't need to explain his actions.

With that, tension was all time high, because Hunter being pissy and on edge, made you pissy and on edge so you were constantly bickering. That's exactly why you were in the middle of a fight that was gradually becoming bigger and bigger, making Crosshair roll his eyes and go down to the beach with Batcher and Wrecker taking Omega fishing.

Not even realizing you two were now alone in the Marauder, yelling at each other about the most silly things until the topic somehow ended up on your failing relationship, or how it seemed that it was slowly failing.

And when Hunter tried to come up with a dumb excuse as to why he was pulling away, because he himself didn't actually know why but he just felt like he had to explain himself and when you called him on his bulshit he groaned, holding his head as he rolled his eyes and tried to walk away.

You weren't about to let him go, especially when you heard him mutter a quiet "Just go fuck yourself."

He couldn't help himself, it just escaped his lips and he knew he screwed up when you let out a loud scoff, crossing your arms in front of you and glared at his back. "Fuck me yourself, you coward."

That made him stop in his tracks and his breath hitched, not knowing if he heard you right and trying to decide how to respond back if he did indeed heard you right. Hunter turned around, his head moving before his body as he looked at you with raised brows. "What?"

You knew Hunter didn't mean it, he wasn't the type of man to insult someone and you knew very well that these past months weren't just bad for you but also for him. You knew it wasn't his fault that you two grew apart but still, you were frustrated. Frustrated that you can't have him like you used to, that you can't show him how deeply you actually love him, that even when you do, he barely acknowledges it. Frustrated with yourself that you were still thinking so selfishly. "You heard me, Hunter."

You rolled your eyes, still a little angry and tapping your feet against the ground. "I mean it's been months since you've last kissed me properly,"  You tried to justify your comeback, the last of your frustration fading away and embarrassment and self consciousness taking its place as you averted your eyes down to your fiddling fingers.

The embarrassment only intensified when Hunter stayed silent, just looking at you with his head tilted making you nervous in front of him for the first time since you've entered the relationship with him. "I...I know we hadn't had the time for us in these past months but I just miss us...I miss you Hunter." You started rambling, your voice getting quieter until you just barely whispered the last part but Hunter only stayed still, silently watching, making it worse.

The nerves finally got the best of you and you closed your eyes. "please say something." You whispered as tears started forming in your eyes. You let out one final breath waiting for him, to give you a sign, something, anything, to show you he still wants you and your relationship.

And when even after a few moments, he didn't let out a single sound, you turned away to hide your tears that finally spilled. Thinking that this was the end of it, you began walking away, trying to hide but you only managed to make a few steps before you felt someone grabbing your arm, stopping and spinning you.

Your eyes opened in shock as the world suddenly began spinning around you until your body came to a sudden halt and your chest was pressed against a solid and all to familiar armour. You didn't even get to look up at Hunter properly before his lips connected to yours and your body froze.

One of Hunter's hands sneaked around your waist, pulling you closer and securing you against his chest while his other hand moved up from your forearm to your cheek as he pressed a long and loving kiss against your lips. Butterflies exploded in your stomach and a warm feeling spread across your whole body. You slowly relaxed into his arms and your eyes closed as your own hands began sneaking up his armor plates and behind his neck. Hunter gently bit down on your lower lip, making you gasp in surprise. He took the chance, deepening the kiss, he slowly sneaked his tongue against yours, playing with it while exploring your mouth, trying to map every corner just like he used to.

This kiss was everything you wanted, everything you needed, everything...you missed these past months.

Your tongue danced around his, like two snakes, wrapping around each other as your hands moved higher up into his hair and he let out a quiet groan once you gently pulled on a strand of his hair.

None of you were even considering on pulling away, until your lungs began burning with the need for oxygen. Gently pulling away from his lips, you opened your eyes slowly. Your eyes locked with his as both of your chests heavied up and down, gasping for air.

His mesmerizing golden brown eyes were looking at you softly. Holding so many emotions, so much love for you, it made you feel bad about your latter outburst.

"Mesh'la" Shivers ran down your back at the Mandalorian nickname Hunter murmured while moving his hand from your cheek to a rogue strand of hair and tucked it behind your ear. "I'm sorry." Your eyes flickered from his right to left eye, until he closed them for a long moment and reopened them, watching you intensely.

"I never wanted to make you feel this way." His voice was laced with regret and he slowly moved his hand behind your neck, slowly pushing your head closer until your foreheads touched in keldabe kiss.

"Let me...us start this again."

Hope filled your chest and it almost felt like a giant stone rolled of off your heart. A smile grew over your lips and you moved your right hand on his tattooed cheek. Following the pattern of the black ink, your finger danced in small circles, until it stopped on his lips.

"Let's try this again."

You watched how his pupils slowly dilated, watching you with pure adoration.

"Good." Hunter rasped and then attacked your lips. It was like a switch in him flipped, letting out a man starving for you as his both hands moved down to your hips, pushing you against him while his tongue battled for dominance.

You felt dizzy, your eyes rolling back as they fell shut.

A breathy moan escaped past your lips as Hunter moved his hands lower to your ass, squeezing it hungrily and one of your leg automatically went up and locked around his hip.

You felt him pull back for a second to breathe, his chest violently moving up and down, just like yours.

"Good thing they left us alone."

Hunter murmured and a smirk spread across his lips as he kneaded your ass. You couldn't hold yourself back anymore and you kissed him again, pulling yourself as close to him as possible until Hunter gently tapped your ass, signaling you to jump and you did.

He caught you and you wrapped your legs around his waist, locking your ankles behind him. With your legs out of the way, Hunter began walking towards your shared bunk bed all while still managing to take your breath away.

He moved to sit down on the edge of the bed and with this newfound position, you could feel just how aroused he was, his hard-on poking through the gasps of his armor.

Moving your hands down his armored chest, you began taking off any piece of his armor that you could get your hands on. Helping you, Hunter took off his main chest plate, throwing it away mindlessly. With that, your hands found his cod piece and you began tugging it away, freeing his achingly hard cock.

Hunter let out a loud groan, his hands once again moving to your ass and pulling you closer and over his hard-on.

Moaning at how perfectly this position allowed you to grind your clit directly over his cock you began rolling your hips over and over.

Letting out a string of curses, Hunter broke the kiss and began planting open mouthed kisses all over your neck, starting at your jaw.

"Fuck mesh'la." Hunter groaned deeply before he started nibbling on that perfect spot just under your jaw.

After all these months of no physical contact like this, it made you so much more desperate to reach that perfect peak of ecstasy. Hunter could tell you were already close, with all those moans and gasps you were letting out. It was enchanting to watch you, so beautiful, sexy, mesmerizing. He couldn't take his eyes off of you as you neared your orgasm.

You felt amazing, in the arms of your lover and nearing your peak. Your eyes were rolling back and your breath hitched, just as you thought your orgasm would roll over Hunter stood up in a split second and gently threw you on the bed.

Gasping in surprise and then whining as that perfect peak subsided you opened your eyes wide, only to see him kneel in front of you and take off his black gloves.

"I want you coming all over my face and fingers." A quiet mewl escaped you, his voice was low, almost growling as he threw his gloves somewhere behind him and then grabbed your waist band, pulling it down quickly. A loud groan left him as he spotted a big wet spot on the crotch of your pants.

Hunter pulled both your pants and panties off in one go, throwing them over his shoulder just like he did with his gloves. Another growl escaped him as he grabbed your legs and threw them over his shoulder and pulled you up, closer to his face.

You watched his face, how his eyes looked at you hungrily and he wetted his lips, you saw his nostrils dilate as he breathed in your sweet scent. He looked downright sinful as you saw him close his eyes and lick a long stripe up across your folds, making you moan. Another loud groan echoed through the ship as Hunter began feasting on you.

Wrapping his lips around your clit he began sucking on it as if his life depends on it. His mouth felt amazing on you and you couldn't help but to grab onto his hair as you felt yourself quickly approaching that wonderful high again. A loud gasp left you when you felt his fingers prodding on your entrance. "Please Hunter, more." Feeling desperate enough you begged, rolling your hips into his face.

Wanting to fulfill your every wish, Hunter entered two fingers in you, groaning when your pussy clenched around them immediately. He expertly hit that spongy spot, managing to pump his fingers in and out only a few times before your eyes rolled back and your lips opened in O shape, letting out a long moan as your orgasm hit you.

Your body shook and Hunter had to hold onto you to keep you from moving too much as he kept on sucking on your juices. After a few more moments of pure ecstasy you began feeling overstimulated and you had to actually pull Hunter off of you by his hair. He looked wild, licking his lips and his eyes black as night, he was panting when he finally pulled away a little more just to suck on his fingers full of your juices. "One of these days I'm gonna take my time with you and won't stop for hours." Hunter growled, looking down, directly at your pussy.

You looked at him, your face completely flushed and you grinned at him. "Come here soldier." And you pulled him closer, connecting your lips with him.

Maybe this will be even better than before.

[fanfoolishness]

morning caf

For the @summer-of-bad-batch week 3 prompt, "Forget I asked." It's an early morning on Pabu, and Crosshair hasn't slept well. Neither has Wrecker. When Crosshair goes to check on him, he doesn't expect the question Wrecker asks:

"What was it like?  When your chip… when it activated?”

(Crosshair and Wrecker finally talk about their chips. Angst, family feels, ~2400 words.)

---

Crosshair yawned, taking a long drink of caf as he watched the sun begin to edge over the horizon.  He stood out on the patio, letting the morning wash over him.  He’d slept poorly last night, tossing and turning despite Batcher’s solid weight against him on the bed.  He wasn’t sure why.  Nothing had happened out of the ordinary yesterday --

Except the transmission from Echo.  His mouth quirked.

Maybe he’d go meditate.  It had been hard starting up again after the destruction of Tantiss -- after his hand -- but he could tell it was helping, bit by bit.  It was harder to see the progress now, no tremor fading to help delineate his improvement, but he could feel it in the fact that the sleepless nights were fewer than they used to be, in the way that phantom pain from his hand didn’t feel as sharp as it used to, in the way his chest felt lighter than it had in a long time.

But today he felt disquieted.

There was a noise behind him in the kitchen, a rummaging he could hear through the open window.  He turned around, surprised to see Wrecker pouring himself some caf.  Wrecker never got up this early in the morning except for missions -- well, they weren’t missions now so much as they were jobs or help for other islanders.  His curiosity piqued, Crosshair went back inside.

“You’re up early,” said Crosshair, the door closing behind him.  He took another drink of his own caf, watching as Wrecker loaded up his with cream and sugar.  “Got somewhere to be?”  He frowned, realizing how exhausted Wrecker looked, purplish shadows under his eyes, his face drawn.

“No, nowhere to be,” Wrecker said.  He shrugged.  “Just… couldn’t sleep.”  His hand, hovering over his mug in the midst of adding sugar, curled reflexively into a fist.  

“You don’t look so good,” Crosshair said, finishing his caf and reaching out with his left hand for the pot.  He was getting better at using his left hand, though a lifetime of memory meant he still got it wrong sometimes.  He used his stump to brace against his mug, holding it steady as he poured in more caf.  

Wrecker smiled wanly.  He looked like he was holding back tears.

Kriff.  Crosshair glanced around, but it was just the two of them -- no Hunter, no Omega, not even Batcher.  This was on him, no one else.  

“What’s wrong, Wrecker?” he asked slowly.

“Just… Echo’s update,” said Wrecker.  He stirred his cup of caf, and took a drink, grimacing.  Still probably wasn’t sweet enough for him.  “Sad stuff.”

“Yeah.”

They were both quiet for a moment.  That was one update from Echo Crosshair was glad Omega had missed, off playing with Lyana.  

“We had word of a clone trooper held captive in a transfer facility.  He was originally slated for Tantiss but didn’t make the last transport.  He’s been alone for months.  We broke in, but --- solitary must have got to him.”

“What happened?” Hunter had asked, but Crosshair had already guessed.  

“He’d killed himself.  Left a note, too, asking his Jedi for forgiveness.  Master Plo Koon.  I guess he never got over following the Order.”

They’d bowed their heads, a moment of silence for another fallen brother, and with shame Crosshair remembered a boy in Jedi robes, his figure brown against the snow.

“Echo’s tough,” said Crosshair carefully.  “But that’d get to anyone.”

Wrecker tried to smile at him, but it was like his mouth wasn’t working right.  His expression just came off worried.  Guilty.

“Cross,” he said, looking away and busying himself with his caf.  He picked it up, took a gulp, choked when it was still hot. 

“Wrecker.”  He waited, knowing Wrecker was working himself up to ask something.

He still couldn’t look Crosshair in the eyes, and when he spoke, his words were halting.  “What was it like?  When your chip… when it activated?”

Crosshair took a step back, his heart rate jumping, his breath catching in his throat.  He hadn’t been expecting that.  He crossed his arms over his chest, looking away.  “It doesn’t matter.  It was a long time ago.”  His voice came out sharper than he meant it.

Wrecker paused, swallowing, then waved a hand.  “Never mind.  Forget I asked.”  Crosshair risked a glance back at him, at the dejected set of his broad shoulders, at the guilty look in his eyes.  Why was it bothering him so much?  What did Wrecker have to feel guilty about?

Crosshair reached for his caf and took a drink, hoping it would steady him.  Instead he remembered he’d forgotten to add cream and sugar, and he wrinkled his nose at its bitter acidity.  An awkward silence filled the kitchen as Wrecker wordlessly padded back toward the hallway and the bedroom.

“Wrecker, wait.”  Wrecker paused, looking back at him, and Crosshair forced himself to continue.  “Come on.  Let’s go sit outside.”

“I’m no good at meditating, if that’s what you mean.  Omega tried showing me once and I fell asleep just watching her.  It’s so boring,” Wrecker muttered.

“No, you don’t have to meditate,” he said, smiling faintly.  “Let’s just… we can talk.”

A few moments later Wrecker had found a comfortable seat on the outdoor sofa beneath the canopy.  Crosshair sat at the other end, still nursing his caf, now with the requisite cream and sugar added.  The sunrise was well underway now, golds and amber-reds spilling across the sea.  

Crosshair stared out at the water.  If they were doing this, he didn’t think he’d be able to look at his brother.  “Why do you want to know about the chip?”  The last word was bitter in his mouth.  If it hadn’t been for that… so many terrible things wouldn’t have happened.  If he’d just been defective enough, he’d have been safe.  They’d never have left him.  He had gone round and round on it, during empty nights in their old quarters on Kamino, empty nights in his bunk on Coruscant, empty nights in his cell on Tantiss. 

He didn’t want to think about it again, but Wrecker was asking.  And for some reason it seemed like he needed to know.

Crosshair sighed.  If it would help Wrecker…

“Had nightmares,” Wrecker said softly.  “About Bracca.  Couldn’t sleep.”

Crosshair winced.  He’d nearly killed his brothers there; they’d nearly killed him.  He rubbed his right temple reflexively, his stump grazing over the pitted flesh and tight scarring that still remained.  “I don’t like thinking about Bracca.”

“Yeah, but Crosshair…”  He took a deep, shuddering breath.  “Mine activated, too.”

Crosshair choked down a gulp of caf, horror filling him.  He risked a look at his brother.  Wrecker  had tears in his eyes.  

“What?” he said sharply.  “On Bracca?”

“Yeah,” Wrecker said, staring down at his large, calloused hands.  “That’s why we went there.  Rex told us about them, and there was an old medbay in that cruiser.  That’s how we got ours out.  But before we did -- it was too late for mine.”  He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders rising and falling too quickly.

Crosshair reached out cautiously, resting his left hand on Wrecker’s shoulder.  He seemed to settle, his breaths getting slower, easier, though he kept his face hidden.  

“I didn’t know,” Crosshair breathed.  “I thought it was only me.  That I was the only one who wasn’t strong enough.”  He watched a long stream of seabirds fly, one by one, in a neat orderly line over the spreading waves.  Their dark silhouettes blurred and slid until he blinked away the water in his eyes.

“Nothing to do with being strong,” Wrecker said, voice muffled.  “I couldn’t stop it.  It was bigger than me.  Like it shoved out everything that was me, and made me different.  Made me try to hurt them.”

“It was… softer, at first.  For me.”  He let go of Wrecker’s shoulder, folding his arms over his chest, curling inward slightly.  “Like a detuned comm.  Made me go after that kid on Kaller.  It told me to finish the mission.  To be a good soldier.  And I wanted to, more than anything.  But -- I -- I wanted to follow Hunter, too.  I didn’t know what was happening.”  

“Never could figure it,” Wrecker said.  “Why you didn’t try to kill us right away.  When -- mine -- I came out swinging.  Tried to kill all of ‘em.  Even -- even Omega --”  He couldn’t speak, and for a moment Crosshair’s mind threw out visions of Wrecker, huge fists swinging, looming overhead, a cold, sick determination on his face.  It felt wrong even thinking about his brother like that.  

“But you didn’t,” said Crosshair.  He didn’t say, You don’t want to know what I’ve done.  He thought back to memories he’d kept hidden, shame he couldn’t bear to revisit.  But here in the morning light, with birds singing in the flowers and the waves down below, those things seemed far away.  Like maybe they’d finally lost some of their power.  

He thought about what Wrecker had said.  “I don’t know why it was different for me,” said Crosshair.  “But when they took me, Nala Se was there.  She did -- something.  Some kind of procedure.  An experiment.”  He closed his eyes, remembering the headaches crawling through his skull, the pressing insistence of the Order growing louder and louder, swallowing all sense of loyalty to his brothers.  “Made it stronger.  That’s when -- I started trying to fight you.”

“We shoulda never let them take you,” Wrecker said gruffly.  “We shoulda known it wasn’t you.”

“None of us knew,” Crosshair said.  “And I couldn’t tell you.  You did what you had to, for Omega.”

They were quiet for a moment.  A little saltbrush sparrow perched on their fence, singing its bright song, its plumage of bronze and cream and umber glowing in the golden hour light.  Crosshair tilted his head as he watched it, some of the sick feeling in his gut fading as he did so.

“Cross,” said Wrecker.  “I know it doesn’t really matter now.  But when did…”

Crosshair sighed.  Remembered Hunter’s gritted teeth, his own defensiveness, the snarled Does it matter?

It mattered.  But he couldn’t see that, back then.  He’d been too afraid of telling them the truth, too hurt that his brothers hadn’t tried to come back for him, too angry at them, himself, what he’d done, the chip, the Empire, all of it.

Was he still angry now?  After everything?

He let out a long breath.  “After Bracca,” said Crosshair.  He tapped the scar at his temple, giving Wrecker a rueful smile.  “Got damaged by that engine blast.  That was you, wasn’t it?”

“Guilty,” said Wrecker sheepishly.  “But it was gonna fry us!”

“Oh, I know,” said Crosshair, chuckling slightly.  “Figured as much.  Tech could’ve rigged up something decent, but I knew it was you.  It was too good.”

“Stop it, you’re makin’ me blush.  Uh -- sorry about your head, though.”

Crosshair shrugged.  “It did something to the chip.  I guess it was breaking down.  Frying my brain with it.”  It was all a haze, but afterwards, he’d put together pieces; he’d been having seizures on the way back from Bracca, his chip misfiring drastically.  “I told Nala Se to take it out.  That I would be loyal without it.”  His face twisted as if he’d bitten down on something bitter.  I made so many mistakes.

“Nala Se listened to you?” Wrecker said, clearly impressed.

“I think she only did it because I was a ninety-nine,” Crosshair said.  “You know how she treated us, her little pet project.  I’d heard she decommissioned regs for less.  Guess we’ll never know now.”  

He hadn’t been sure what to think when he’d heard from Echo and Omega that Hemlock’s research had been destroyed, and presumably Nala Se with it.  The most he’d settled on was that after everything, she’d stood up to the Empire when it counted.

Like he had, he supposed.

Wrecker scooted closer to him, raising one arm and settling it over his shoulders.  Crosshair leaned back, resting his head on Wrecker’s arm.

“Thanks,” Wrecker said, turning to him with a shy smile.  “The others -- they don’t know what it was like.  Guess hearing about that trooper messed me up a little.  Thinking about what could've happened.”

“I… I didn’t sleep so well either.”

“Thought so.”  Wrecker yawned, covering his mouth with his free hand.  “Maybe I should try to get back to sleep.”

Crosshair glanced at him.  “Oh yeah?  I’ve got an idea.”

Crosshair’s idea worked perfectly.  He hadn’t been meditating on the patio floor for five minutes when he heard Wrecker’s snores starting up on the sofa behind him.

He looked back over his shoulder.  Wrecker had already stretched out on the sofa, his large feet dangling over the side, a peaceful, calm look on his face.  

Fair enough.  Meditation wasn’t for everyone, he guessed.

He adjusted his position.  Breathed in.  Breathed out.  He’d been so skeptical when Omega had first shown him… and so impressed when she’d insisted he try anyway.  He smiled, thinking of the way she’d taken his hand so carefully.  She’d been determined to help him. 

He’d never understand why she loved him, but he’d never doubt it, either.

He kept breathing in.  Breathing out.

The sun had begun to swing higher, the golden hour light shifting into the harsher light of mid-morning before he unfolded his long legs and got to his feet.  Wrecker was still fast asleep, gently snoring, the sound mingling with the chattering call of the sparrows in the flowers.  

Crosshair walked over to the wall of the home, where they had a small patio shade.  They’d lowered it to enjoy the stars, last time they’d all sat out here together.  He raised the shade to its full extent until it left Wrecker completely shaded, protected from the sun.  The light and heat weren’t too fierce yet, but as Crosshair now knew from experience, sunburn on a shaved head was awful.

He gathered up their forgotten mugs of caf and headed inside, taking care to be quiet.  Wrecker could use the sleep.

Hunter was sitting at the kitchen table, having breakfast with Omega.  They both looked up at him as he came inside, Omega beaming, Hunter giving him a small, easy smile.

“Morning!” Omega said brightly.  “How are you today, Crosshair?”

He considered.  Hunter gave him a curious look, as if sensing something had changed.  

Maybe something had.

Crosshair smiled back, reaching into his pocket for a toothpick.  He settled it between his lips.  “I’m all right,” he said, and he was surprised to realize that he meant it.

[hugmekenobi]

S3: The Bad Batch (11)

Chapter Eleven: Point of No Return

Gif by @moonstrider9904

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: The Empire closes in on you and the Batch

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, threats, food mentions, flash of PDA and fluff in the beginning, referenced character death, rip a certain ship :(, self-blame, brief injury mention, humour as a tool for deflection, overall angsty vibes

Word Count: 4.2K

Author's notes: Still sticking very close to the episode here but hope it's still enjoyable and episode 12 is in progress!!

Getting into the pirate’s ship had been all too easy. He wasn’t going to fail this time. CX-2 decrypted the coordinates before he put the transmission for Scorch through, “The Trandoshan’s intel paid off. I tracked the pirate and accessed her navicomputer. She tried to cover her tracks but I broke the encryption.”

“What did you find?”

“She frequented a planet in the Outer Rim. I’m headed there now to do recon.”

“Send the coordinates. I’ll have a full division on standby if you require a visual on the targets.” Scorch provided before he signed off.

CX-2 entered the coordinates for Pabu.

--

“That’s gotta be all of it, right?” Wrecker asked in disbelief as he saw the three of you approach and unload the next round of supplies.

“We still need to grab the rations.” Hunter told him. “Keep loading up the ship. We’ll be back.”

Wrecker groaned, “Fine. But at least bring me back an ice cone.”

“Just one?” You questioned with an enticing grin as you walked backwards away from him and the ship.

“No, no, no. You’re right! M-Make it two!” Wrecker corrected his error.

You gave a two-fingered salute in reply before you turned around and jogged to catch up with Hunter and Crosshair.

--

“I wish you didn’t have to leave.” Lyana said lowly as she led Omega through the Archium.

“Me too, but Hunter thinks it’s safer for everyone if we do.”

Lyana led her over to a gap in one of the ledges. “What do you think of this spot?”

“It’s perfect.” Omega said with a thankful smile.

“So, which treasures did you bring?” Lyana asked, her tone curious but respectful of what this moment meant to those that left things here and Omega would not be treated differently.

Omega tucked Lula under her arm and brought out Tech’s cracked goggles. She held them delicately in her hands as she let the memories that they brought wash over her.

“You sure you wanna leave these behind?” Lyana double checked gently.

“Pabu was the first place that felt like a home.” Omega placed both objects down with the utmost care. “This way, a piece of us is still here.”

Lyana laid a supportive hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Well, I’ll make sure these stay safe until you come back.” She looked at Omega with a new type of seriousness. “Because you will come back, right?”

“I hope so.” Omega replied, the harsh reality of the day quickly catching up to her as she realised this would be the last time she would see her for a while.

--

“And where are you going?” Hunter asked with a questioning smile and tilt of his head as you separated from them. “We’ve got rations to get.”

You feigned disgust at the very idea. “Hey, I have the very important ice-cone mission. I cannot be diverted with a mere ration run.” You said with a coy grin before you pressed a swift kiss to Hunter’s cheek and sauntered off with exaggerated determination.

“Get that lovesick smile of your face before I throw up.” Crosshair snickered with a roll of his eyes as he saw the way Hunter watched you go.

“Shut up.” Hunter shoved his brother’s shoulder before they carried on with their own search.

--

“I don’t even think there’s room on this ship for all this gear.” Wrecker complained to Gonky as he saw all that was still to be shifted and he knew there was still more to come. However, Gonky’s cheeky honks of reply were not the commiseration he was looking for. “Oh, yeah? Well, maybe I should leave you behind.” He retorted, smirking at the offended honks he got in response.

Wrecker brought more of the stuff on board, completely unaware that the proximity sensor had been flashing a half second before.

--

CX-2 landed the ship in the cavern and began his hunt.

--

Hunter paused as he heard the nervous squeaking on the island birds, their tone matching his own growing sense of unease.

“What is it?” Crosshair asked.

“Not sure, but I don’t like it.” Hunter brought out his comm. “Omega, time to go.”

Upon hearing that, you gave up your spot in line and joined up with Hunter and Crosshair. You’d make it up to Wrecker another time.

--

CX-2 scanned the bustling market stalls from above and that was when he caught sight of the two clones and the targets he’d been sent to acquire. He touched the control panel on his sleeve and got Scorch on his comm.

“Report.” Scorch demanded.

“I’ve got eyes on the targets.”

“Ground them and wait for the division. They must be recovered unharmed. No mistakes this time.”

“And the clones they’re with?” He asked as he saw the group of you leaving the area.

“If they get in your way, eliminate them.”

--

“We’re sorry to see you go, but you’re all welcome here anytime.” Shep said sincerely. “Those homes will be waiting for you when you get back.”

You bowed your head in gratitude.

“Thanks for everything, Shep.” Hunter said, shaking his hand.

Omega and Lyana shared in a hug.

“I’ll see you soon.” Lyana said as she parted from Omega.

The four of you and Batcher started to make your way back to Wrecker.

--

The sun had almost set by the time Wrecker finished getting the most recent batch of supplies onto the ship, but he just took relief in the fact that he wouldn’t be alone in shifting the next round of gear.

As he went to grab the last crate, he paused on the steps as he picked up on a faint but rapid series of beeps.

He recognised the sound.

He knew exactly what that meant.

He reacted quickly and with a shout, he abandoned the ship and grabbed Gonky just as the Marauder exploded, hurling both of them into the sea.

With the last of his strength, he managed to pull himself onto a piece of debris before his vision went dark.

--

Upon hearing the harsh echoing boom of an explosion, you all instantly ran to the edge of Upper Pabu and your heart thumped in a frantic panic as you saw the distant flames and charred remnants of what was once the Marauder.

Hunter brought out his binoculars and took in the scene. He saw Wrecker and Gonky floating in the water and felt his own panic set in at seeing his brother unconscious. He put on his helmet and started running for the docks.

You did the same with your coverings and Crosshair put on his helmet before the three of you followed close behind.

--

One of the locals had grabbed a boat and brought Wrecker and Gonky back to port.

You pushed your way through the crowd of people and stopped short as you saw Wrecker’s body.

Omega knelt down by Wrecker’s side. “Wrecker? Wrecker!” Omega gasped, desperately shaking his shoulders to try and rouse him but it did no good.

Your stomach dropped to your feet. It took all the training you had to not lose control upon seeing the lack of response from Wrecker. He was strong, he was always so strong. He had to be alright.

“Mox and Stak, take Wrecker to Shep’s. Deke, get Az-3 to patch him up, and fast.” Hunter ordered the regs. He needed his brother back on his feet. He needed him to be okay.

“Ships don’t just blow up. We’ve been compromised.” Crosshair realised.

Hunter turned his head from Wrecker to the sound of a deep rumbling from above and what he saw sent both a deep anger and dread through his veins. The Imperial Star Destroyer hovered above the Archium and a series of gunships swarmed down. “Everyone, get to cover!”

Amidst the crowds of panicked and screaming people, the four of you regrouped and found cover of your own.

--

Shep was helpless to stop the hordes stormtroopers from moving in. He could only watch in despair as his people ran in fear.

--

“Cut off all escape routes. Destroy any ships or sea skiffs in sight.” CX-2 ordered as he remained unphased by the chaos around him. It wouldn’t affect what he needed to achieve; it would only help.

--

You and Omega both paused as you saw the destruction the Empire was causing to the docks.

The only light in the night were the fires caused by the Imperial gunfire.

The only sounds the whirr of gunship and cried of fear that echoed around the island.

Kamino, the Marauder, Pabu… How many more homes was the Empire going to take from you?

From these innocent people?

And how much longer could you let it go on?

A glance down at Omega told you she was thinking similarly to you. You indicated your head back and you both joined the others in an alleyway.

“Is this our fault? Are they attacking because of us?” Omega whispered up at you as she kept Batcher calm.

You wished with every fibre of your being that you could tell her no. That they were the ones at fault but the own guilt residing in your heart made the words die before they left your lips. How could you reassure her when you couldn’t believe the words yourself? It was never meant to go this way. The very thing you had wanted to avoid had happened and now you knew there was only one real way out of it.

Hunter crouched down. “It’s the Empire’s fault. Not yours. You have to stay focused. Both of you.” He implored with a helmeted look in your direction too.

“They’re destroying all means of escape and jamming our comms.” Crosshair said as he tried his comm, but it was only static. “We have to steal one of their gunships. Once we’re out of range, we can contact Echo.”

“I’ll handle it.” Hunter said. “You three, get to Shep’s and wait with Wrecker until I signal you.”

You caught his vambrace and pulled him back to you. You pressed your forehead against his helmet.

Hunter had a distinct and sinking feeling that this was you saying goodbye, but he wasn’t going to let that be the case- this plan would work… it- it had to. “I’ll see you soon.” He said as he stepped away.

You couldn’t quite meet his helmeted gaze as you nodded before you, Omega and Batcher split from him to head to Shep’s.

Hunter gave Crosshair a last meaningful look before he went in the opposite direction.

Crosshair knew what that look meant- keep them safe. And he would do everything in his power to do that. He followed you and Omega.

--

“Lock down the town. Search every domicile until you find them.” CX-2 ordered the squadrons of troopers.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Shep demanded as he approached the black-armoured soldier that seemed intent on ruining the lives of so many people.

“Who are you?” CX-2 replied with equal parts disdain and curiosity.

“The mayor of this town. You’ve opened fire on my village and its people without warning and without reason. Under what pretence are you attacking?” Shep seethed.

“We’re here to collect some fugitives you’ve been harbouring.” CX-2 brought out the puck and flashed the two images.

Shep made sure to keep his true reaction at bay- he wouldn’t give you and Omega away if he could help it. “You can’t just barge in here-”

“I’ve barely done anything yet.” CX-2 interrupted coldly.

“You destroyed our docks and fishing skiffs. Our livelihood.”

“I have simply cut off their means of escape. But I can do worse. I know they are here. Until they are turned over to me, your island will burn.” CX-2 threatened as he walked away.

--

The path to Shep’s had been fraught with troopers and each time like this where you had to hide from the next roaming patrol only slowed things down more.

You peered round the corner of your hiding spot to see one of the villagers being forced out of her home and you heard her distressed plea.

“You can’t do this! It’s our home!”

You were fighting the urge to go out and it seemed Batcher also shared in your current sentiment as Omega was doing her best to keep the dog quiet and calm.

And the cruel reply from the trooper that you heard next only confirmed what you already dreaded.

“We know they’re here! Where are the Jedi and the girl?”

“I don’t know! I swear-”

The familiar sound of a slap made your blood boil. You went to reveal yourself to stop them but Crosshair’s hand on your arm prevented you from doing so.

Omega couldn’t hold Batcher back though. The dog snarled and charged for the soldiers before they could do anymore harm.

“Batcher can handle herself. Let’s go.” Crosshair said to you both as he made sure Omega didn’t go to follow the dog either.

--

You had managed to scale the wall up to Shep’s and opened the door.

“Lyana!” Omega said with a relieved gasp.

“Omega! My-My dad, he said to hide here.” Lyana said fearfully. She ran up to her friend and hugged her tight, “I’m so scared.”

“I know. I’m so sorry.” Omega replied as she parted from her.

You and Crosshair took off your coverings as you saw AZ attending to Wrecker.

“How’s Wrecker, AZ?” You asked.

“He is still unconscious, but his vitals are stable.”

You allowed yourself to feel some semblance of relief at that, but you hastily pushed it to one side as you heard another gunships sound outside.

The three of you ran back out to take in what was happening and what you saw made your chest tighten and curl your fists in rage- stormtroopers were everywhere, removing people from their homes, tossing them to the ground, arresting them. It was unnecessarily cruel, and it was all because you were still here.

--

Getting onto the gunship had started out as a stealth mission but quickly became one where Hunter just had to get inside without getting shot.

He’d managed to do so but the pilot was making his life extremely difficult with erratic flying designed to fling him out. He had to take a tight grasp of the handles inside to remain upright.

--

Something else then caught your attention as you saw the unstable and irregular flying patterns of an Imperial gunship and a whole different kind of emotion swept through you. You knew the exact cause of that particular situation, but you were not reassured by the sight in the slightest.

“Is that, Hunter?” Omega asked both you and Crosshair as she noticed the ship in the air.

“Yes.” You said through clenched teeth.

“Uh huh.” Crosshair echoed nonchalantly.

But then, something shifted, there was a blaster shot and vessel nosedived down towards the sea in a way that showed that neither Hunter nor the pilot was in charge of the ship anymore.

A strained breath caught in your throat as you watched the ship plummet into the sea. “Where- where is he?” You choked out as you saw Crosshair grab his macrobinoculars.

Crosshair scanned the water anxiously but let out a relieved sigh as he saw his brother resurface and swim for the shore. “He’s fine.”

You bent forwards as you braced your hands on the wall and let out a slow calming breath before the distant sound of comm chatter reminded you of your current situation.

“He’s safer than we are at the moment.” Crosshair hissed as the three of you retreated back inside Shep’s.

--

“What do we do? Troopers will be here soon.” Omega asked anxiously.

“Hunter would want us to stick to the plan.” Crosshair replied, internally scrambling to think of a way out of this.

“There’s no hiding, Crosshair. The Empire knows we’re here. They won’t stop searching until they find us!”

Whilst they were talking, you were coming up with a plan of your own. If you handed yourself in and convinced them that you’d already shipped Omega off-world, then maybe they’d leave Pabu and the rest of them alive and in peace.

You glanced between Wrecker and Lyana and the door. You took a calming breath as you came to terms with what you had to do but a squeeze of your hand brought your eyes downwards. No. You said as you saw her nod at you.  

“You promised.” Omega reminded you.

This is different, Omega. It’s not a choice you should need to make. It-

“You’re going, I know you are!” Omega interrupted. “But that won’t be enough, they’re here for me too! They won’t stop and you know it. It is my choice!”

Crosshair clued in and realised what the two of you were arguing about. “Absolutely not.”

“It’s our only option, Crosshair.” You said heavily.

“What? No, it’s not. We-”

“Look at what they’ve already done.” You said, a flash of anger coming through. “We can’t let the people here suffer any more because of us. That’s why we were leaving in the first place- to avoid this. We can’t let it carry on. We just can’t.” I’m not risking anyone else. Wrecker already got hurt, I’m not risking you and I’m not risking Hunter. If I could help it, Omega wouldn’t be coming but I can’t and it kills me that I can’t, but it’s how it has to be.

Crosshair went to respond to you, but Omega got in first, “If we let them take us, it stops.” She emphasised.

Crosshair focused on the young girl, distress in his voice. “You’ll be taken back to Tantiss.”

“Exactly. We’ve been trying to find those coordinates, and nothing’s worked. But if we keep our comms on us, and turn ourselves in, you can track us to Tantiss. This is our chance. Our chance to finally rescue the clones imprisoned there.”

“No. They’ll search you and find it. It won’t work.” Crosshair argued.

“Then shoot a secondary tracker onto the ship that they take us away on.” You suggested.

“Too many unknown variables. It’s not a viable plan.”

“It’s all we’ve got.” You countered.

“And it’s our choice.” Omega reminded him again.

Crosshair looked imploringly in your direction now. “Tantiss is different. This isn’t some random Imperial that’ll take you this time. It’ll be Hemlock. Who knows what he’ll do to you there.”

You also saw a genuine fear behind his eyes, and it unnerved you. It won’t be for long, I’ll be alright. “Focus on the bigger mission, Crosshair.” You said aloud and you came to stand behind Omega and rested your hands on her shoulders.

“Yeah, we’re just a small part of it.” Omega agreed.

Crosshair found himself in a position where he was forced to reflect on that, and he had to agree with you both.

--

The two of you got ready to depart but you noticed the reluctance that still graced Crosshair’s face and you approached him.

“He’s going to kill me.” Crosshair said to you quietly.

So, tell him he was right that Hemlock was after me too, that outta smooth things over.

“It’s not funny.” Crosshair snapped. He didn’t want to lose you both either. Not when he knew how important you both were to Hunter, to this squad… to this family. He’d finally made ground with you, you were one of them, you always had been, and he’d welcomed that feeling again. And Omega, well, Omega had seen and been through it all with him already, he owed her much more than a half-baked rescue plan.

Yeah sorry, it’s a bad habit. You went serious again and shook your head. “He’s not going to do that, Crosshair. Six months ago, maybe he would’ve, but not now. He’s not going to lose the progress he’s built with you either, not anymore. He’ll understand.” You glanced back to Omega who was standing by the door and regret stabbed your heart over the fact that this was to be her fate too, but you also knew that she wouldn’t have it any other way. “We’re very stubborn and determined individuals.” You said fondly before you looked back at him and placed a reassuring hand on his upper arm. “Just don’t miss.” You said with a light but resigned smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes.

With that, you and Omega exited the hut.

--

You caught Omega’s shoulder just before you rounded the corner to make yourselves known. You crouched down to her eye-level. “Omega… you know if there was any other option that I could think of that would get us- particularly you- out of this, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Omega nodded. “I know, but it’s what we have to do.” She said bravely.

Your heart broke a little bit more right then and there- this was something no kid should ever have to do, “You had to grow up far too fast.” You murmured, both with sadness and a hint of pride in your voice as you gave her a loving hug before the two of you stepped out of your hiding spot.

--

“Stop.”

CX-2 signalled the troopers with the flamethrowers to disengage as he heard the voice of a woman.

“We surrender.” Omega said as all eyes, both Imperial and Pabu civilians turned in your direction.

“Stay alert. I neutralised the other two clones with them, but not the third.” CX-2 advised as he approached you two.

“Take us and leave the island alone.” You said as you held your wrists out.

“The people here are innocent.” Omega did the same thing as you.

CX-2 first put the cuffs on the young girl, “Then you never should have come here in the first place.”

“I’m assuming these are the special cuffs made just for me?” You said dully as the operative attached a second pair to your wrists, and you noticed the slightly different design of them compared to Omega’s.

“Why don’t you try them and find out?”

The harsh modulated voice sent a cold shiver of fear down your spine, but you covered it up. “Nah, you seem like someone who is on top of things, so I’ll take your word for it.” You were determined to not flinch under the unwavering glare of his helmet.

“Scan them for tracking devices.” CX-2 ordered as he confiscated your knife and Jedi weapon.

As expected, the comm devices were picked up immediately.

“Give them to me.” CX-2 demanded.

You and Omega reluctantly handed them over before you were both shoved and made to walk between the squadron of troopers as they got ready to transport you off the planet.

--

Crosshair had watched the surrender take place and had been stealthily tracking and making his way to a vantage point where he could tag the ship that you were to be taken away on.

--

Hunter staggered to shore and collapsed to his hands and knees.

He felt the water seeping through the gaps in his armour, weighing him down, and it was choking him beneath his helmet.

He removed it and took a few recovering breaths before he became alert to the sound of rustling just ahead of him. He instantly got to his feet and guardedly drew his blaster as he waited for the threat to show.

But he was able to relax his stance as Batcher came into view and ran over to him with a happy bark. He bent down and rubbed her side with a slight grin before he glanced up at the Archium and the rest of the island, but he didn’t see as many ships anymore.

And the realisation at what was about to happen hit him harder than he had hit the water.

Hunter grabbed his helmet and started running back, Batcher close at his heels.

--

You swallowed thickly as you and Omega were marched to the docks and forced to walk past the wreckage of both the sea skiffs and the Marauder.

CX-2 tapped the band on his arm and his ship came flying to meet the three of you.

You and Omega paused before boarding but an insistent jab of the butt of the operative’s rifle prompted you both to step up.

--

Crosshair got into position and readied himself to take the shot when the flashlight hit him.

“Over there!”

He fired back at the small squad of troopers that had found him and dealt with them as quickly as he could, but the interruption had moved him out of the prime position.

He had to run for it.

His gait was rushed.

His aim unsteady.

But there was no more time.

The ship’s engines were powering up.

He had no choice but to fire.

The ship took off.

His tracker missed.

And he could only look on in complete and utter dismay and horror as the ship flew out of view.

--

“Targets acquired. Returning to base.” CX-2 transmitted before he put the ship into hyperspace.

You and Omega sat side by side on the metal floor.

Omega took off her hat and leaned against your shoulder. “We’ll have each other there.” She murmured, doing her best to keep her voice composed.

“Yeah, we’ll be okay.” You whispered back.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @dominoeffectsworld, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @nightmonkeysstuff , @jellybeanstacey0519 @callsign-denmark @allthingsimagines, @superbookishhufflepuff

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

The Band Batch 3x04 SPOILERS

To be honest, the only thing I wish they showed (though it's completely okay that they didn't because this way it hit even harder) is the moment Hunter and Wrecker received the coded transmission. The way Wrecker tells Omega "I wasn't even sure the message was real" - I, not we. Which means there had to be an argument about this. Hunter, with focus narrowed only to Omega, rushing into action because it's her, we have have to go get her, and Wrecker, the voice of reason we've seen him be in episode 2, holding him back and warning that this might not be real, that this is likely a trap. But they decide to go, they decide to check this because they'd be stupid not to. They're willing to risk it because what if it is Omega, waiting for them there?

So they go. And the risk pays off.

[in1-nutshell]

I have a really dumb idea for Fearless.  Getaway happens, again.  The crew is trapped on the necroplanet with six hours before the djd comes knocking down the door.  When Megatron goes off to talk to Tarn, Fearless follows because why the fuck not.  Maybe they make their presence known the moment that Megatron offers to exchange himself for everyone elses safety with a loud objection.  Maybe they wait until a fight starts and Megatron gets the shit beat outta him to try and (fail) stop Tarn.  Either way I want the angst to the max.  Tarn taunting Megs for his hypocrisy, from wiping out organic planets by the dozen to practically begging for Tarn not to hurt Fearless.

Side note, not sure how this would fit into the angst but I'm laughing at the idea of Tarn having an almost a one-sided rivalry with Fearless because he went from being Megatron’s favorite student to second to a tiny fleshling.

Instant Angst coming right up!

Hope you enjoy!

Fearless VS Tarn

SFW, Platonic, ANGST, Familial, mention of wounds and some injuries, nothing too graphic, Human reader

MTMTE

Fearless wanted to go on the planetary mission with the Rod Squad.

But Megatron simple said no.

So, they tried asking Magnus, with a report too!

Still no.

They even went to Rodimus to ask to go.

Even he said no!

Fearless already was processing a sick note for the Co-captain when they saw the squad leaving.

They quickly got into their battle suit (similar to Verity’s in Last Stand of the Wrecker’s) and hopped into one of the larger med kits.

Getaway transmission inside the Necrobot’s dome. Getaway: “And now Rodimus what are you going to do? The entire crew on this ship voted mutiny. All you bots will die like pathetic fools along side Megatron. I’ll make sure to say something to Fearless for you.” Rodimus: “I swear if you lay a digit on them—” CLICK! The call had declined. Rodimus looked stressed while Megatron looked like he was going to have a stroke. Everyone who heard suddenly got worried about their little human on the ship. It wasn’t any news about Getaway behaving certain ways around organics, especially after the incident. Megatron clenching his servos. TAP! TAP! One of the larger med kits Swerve had brought in suddenly moved. Swerve: “Oh great! The med kits are possessed now!” The tap opens and Fearless pops their head out. Fearless: “Who was carrying the medkits!? I swear I nearly lost my lunch—what’s everyone looking at? Did someone die?” Megatron looks like he is about to faint. Magnus sure did. Megatron: “WHY ARE YOU HERE!?” Fearless puts their hands up in surrender. Whirl: “Megs I think you need to get your priorities checked. This is great!” Megatron: “And pray tell why having one of the most vulnerable crew members on the ship, well what’s left of the original crew, here in the same place we are going to get slaughtered by the DJD is great!?” Fearless: “…what in the world did I miss…”

Fearless wordlessly as Megatron explained their situation.

By the end of it they swore they were going to kick Getaway’s tin can so far, he would be forever drifting in space.

The small human had never met the DJD in their life.

They heard stories about the group from other bots around the ship, but it was almost like they were too scared to even speak their names.

They tried one time talking to Megatron about them, it earned them a weeklong silent treatment.

To Fearless, they were more bad guys that had made their family miserable and deathly afraid of.

They didn’t truly know what DJD did.

Fearless decided to make themselves a bit useful and tried to help more panicy bots calm down.

Apparently, it helped the bots calm down when they held/petted/cuddled them close, and they were going to bare it for their sakes.

They noticed that some bots were going to need more durable things to hold and fidget with.

Thankfully they spotted a couple of loose bolts inside a bright pink scooter.

Too bad that the scooter started up knocking them out for a bit.

When Fearless eventually comes out of their ‘nap’ they immediately open up the compartment and sees a bunch of blue flowers.

They hop off and see Megatron standing in front of a statue… of himself?

Suddenly a new bot came out of nowhere and transformed in front of Megatron.

They glared at the mysterious mech.

Something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong…

The human’s eyes nearly popped out of their skull when they heard Megatron address Tarn about surrendering to keep the crew safe.

What was this!?!?

They were still processing what Megatron had said when Tarn started beating him up.

Fearless was ready to see Megatron completely annihilate his metal behind.

They just stared in horror seeing their father figure not even attempting to defend himself.

The tiny human was FURIOUS!

Fearless runs, jumps on Megatron’s chassis, raises their blasters up at the purple Con with fire in their eyes. Fearless: “GET AWAY FROM HIM!” Megatron feels his spark stop seeing Fearless on his chassis YELLING at TARN! Tarn was surprised to see a human DEFENDING Megatron. Tarn: “What is this? Oh, I see. You truly have changed Megatron. From making every organic life form quake in your presence, to having to rely on them to fight your battles?” Tarn laughs as he takes a step forward. Fearless readies their blasters. Fearless: “I’m warning you! Stay away from us!” Tarn: “Ha! What is the little organic going to do? I am Tarn! Leader of the Decepticon Justice Division! Megatron’s chosen one!” Fearless: “You sure about that? Cause last time I checked my names on the adoption papers and not yours.” Tarn is in a slight stuttering mess, not expecting to hear that comment. Megatron tries to move his servo but can’t: “Fearless don’t provoke him!” Tarn: “You are a peculiar organic, aren’t you? Sadly, you won’t be remembered.” Fearless glares at Tarn. Fearless: “I’m not going to repeat myself Tarn, but I’ll do it for you so your tiny processor can comprehend. Stay away from us or I WILL—” Tarn: “What are you going to do? Blast me in the face?” Fearless with a determined smile: “Yes.” BLAST! Fearless had indeed blasted Tarn in the face, then proceeded to JUMP on his chassis and started punching and shooting. Tarn was too startled to properly think what was going on as the human started climbing and tearing parts of his armor. Fearless looks behind them and straight at Megatron. They had a desperate look on their face. Fearless: “GO!”

Megatron laid down on the floor for a couple of seconds stunned at what his organic child had just done.

He scrambled up and attempted to get Fearless.

Sadly, Tarn had gotten to his senses and grabbed Fearless harshly.

The leader of the DJD’s armor was dented and some holes sprinkled around.

Fearless had a scowl on their face and thrashed around in his clenched servo.

Tarn just flexed his digits and made Fearless stop and gasped hearing something snap.

That’s not good…

Megatron yelled at him to spar Fearless.

Tarn felt disgusted… and a bit jealous.

How come Megatron cared so much about his puny organic when he had him!?

Tarn sadistically laughed and threw Fearless into his subspace.

Megatron was about to demand Fearless back again when Overlord suddenly descended from the sky and demanded Tarn to hand Megatron over so he could terminate him.

Megatron slipped away with a heavy spark to the dome.

When he returned to the crew, Megatron told them what happened and who had taken Fearless.

Whirl was about to exit the dome at that same second if Cyclonus and Magnus hadn’t tackled him down.

Rodimus did his best to calm the crew, despite the sinking pit in his tank.

Everyone knew the chances Fearless had alone with Tarn.

They were slim to nonexistent.

Meanwhile, Tarn had just arrived with the rest of his group.

He opened his subspace and carelessly tossed the human aside.

Fearless yelped when they landed on one of their legs.

Another snap.

Oh, if Ratchet ever found out about this…

Well good news was that he wasn’t even here… yeah… good news…

Tarn just gave them a simple order to stay put.

He wanted to destroy them in front of Megatron.

No one else was to touch them under his orders.

A silver lining, now all they needed to do was figure out a way to get back to the crew and not die in the process.

Just two things.

While Fearless was starting to worry about the shortness of breath and hot/cold flashes they were feeling, they barely noticed much of the battle happening around them.

It wasn’t until Tarn and most of his group had gone to personally fight that Fearless realize that they had been left in the ‘care’ of the light blue minibot that had been giving them the stink eye since they snapped their leg.

Suddenly the minibot told them that she didn’t see them escape before head to Deathsaurus.

Fealess suddenly realized they had no one guarding them.

They yelped and grunted as they tried getting up.

Thankfully they didn’t need to stand up for too long thanks to a familiar looking felicon racing to them.

Ravage: “Fearless!” Ravage skid to a stop in front of the barely standing human. Fearless managed to give him a tight smile before leaning on him. He smelled them a bit. Ravage: “You’re bleeding.” Fearless: “That’s probably from the broken bone.” Ravage: “What is broken?!” Fearless: “Yeah and I think something in my chest snapped too…” Ravage kneels letting Fearless struggle to get on. He flinches hearing their labored breathing and yelps. Ravage: “This isn’t going to be a smooth ride Fearless. Hold on tight and don’t let go.” Fearless gripping part of his armor: “Wasn’t planning on it.”

Fearless didn’t know what was worse.

Focusing on the pain in their chest and leg or focusing on the battle around them.

They definitely needed to apologize to Ravage for how hard they were clenching his armor.

Most didn’t even take notice of the felicon being used to move the injured human.

Sadly, there was one mech on the battlefield that had taken notice.

Fearless sees the giant shadow dwarfing them and Ravage. All they see is Tarn’s large servo reach for them. Fearless raises one of their arms and starts blasting. Fearless: “GO BACK TO THE PITS WHERE YOU BELONG!” It only slows down Tarn a bit. It wasn’t enough. Tarn slaps hard at Fearless’s smaller body. To Ravage’s horror he sees the smaller body get plunged into the fray, swallowed by the fire and smoke of the battlefield. Ravage: “FEARLESS!” A pair of mechs had just seen the act from the screen. One of them immediately ran out.

Time skip after the battle…

The bots who were well enough to walk started rounded up around Terminus and Megatron.

Megatron was trying to recruit a search party for Fearless.

When Megatron had gone out, it was impossible to find their tiny body amongst the chaos around.

Even right after dealing with the DJD and Rodimus pulling him out of the place, there was still no sign of Fearless.

Hope was dwindling fast.

Megatron: “All right, in 5 minutes we depart.” Skids (yes, he lives): “Count me in.” Rung holds Skids back: “With the low energy you have, I don’t think that’s wise Skids.” Skids: “Fearless is out there, we need every bot on deck.” Whirl hobbling over: “He’s right Eyebrows. My Amica is out there and needs us.” Terminus looking at one of the monitors. Terminus: “Your human is small, correct?” Megatron not looking: “Yes.” Terminus: “And in some form of armor?” Megatron still not looking: “Yes.” Terminus: “They leak a lot of red fluids?” Megatron pauses before looking at the screen. Fearless was INSIDE the dome and staggering to the door. Megatron: “Sweet Solus Prime!” Megatron sprints to the door faster than he ever had in his life.

No one knows how Fearless got this far.

Ratchet tells them that it shouldn’t even be possible for them to move with the amount of blood loss and broken bones.

But he wasn’t complaining.

No one is.

Ratchet doesn’t leave Fearless’s side for a couple of hours.

Ratchet stands up with Fearless, bandaged up and limp. Ratchet: “I need someone to hold Fearless, very still, for a while.” Megatron: “I’ll do it.” Ratchet: “No offense Megatron, but you’re shaking like a new recruit. Any harsh movement is not what they need right now.” Whirl hobbles over and opens his cockpit. Carefully he reclines the seat and pulls out one of Fearless’s blankets from his subspace. Whirl: “I’ll take them Doc. I’ll even sit down in the corner.” Ratchet hesitates, but the determined look in Whirl’s optic finally made him gently lay Fearless inside. As soon as Ratchet finished putting Fearless down, Megatron came up and carefully tucked them in. Fearless slightly snuggles closer to the blanket. Terminus peaks over Megatron’s shoulder. Terminus: “They mean that much to you?” Megatron watches Whirl carefully hobble to a corner and sat down. He didn’t miss the Ex-Wrecker carefully adjust their blanket. Megatron: “Yes, yes they do.”

[magicandmundane]

Currently rotating the reunion scene from ep4 around in my head like a rotisserie chicken (as one does), and there’s one thing that’s really standing out to me.

Hunter didn’t immediately step outside when that stolen freighter landed.

He and Wrecker have crossed the galaxy 5 times in almost 6 months, dead end after dead end, disappointment after disappointment. It’s got to be soul crushing, and then out of fucking nowhere they get a transmission telling them to go to that moon where they dropped supplies for Ryloth that one time, something Omega surely remembers, so it can’t be a coincidence, right? But it’s just too good to be true. No planning a prison break? No Hemlock? She just made her way back? What are the odds they’re being tricked?

So Hunter waited because he couldn’t stand to face the disappointment himself. (And Wrecker goes out there because he’s still hopeful and excited.)

Imagine the two of them on the Marauder as that ship lands and the stairs come down. Wrecker goes to the door and notices that Hunter is still sitting and typing something, and asks, “Are ya coming, Hunter?” And Hunter just looks at him and says, “Yeah, in a minute.” Wrecker gets it and doesn’t push (emotionally intelligent Wrecker ftw).

Then Hunter listens as Wrecker shouts, “Now there’s a sight!” And with those enhanced senses (who knows, that’s been dodgy at best this season) he probably hears Omega say, “Wrecker! I knew you’d show up.”

And then, he takes yet another moment to collect himself because holy shit it’s real this time, she’s really here.

Finally, Hunter goes out there, skips a bunch of stairs, and gives his kid the biggest hug.

And I just aaahhhhhhhh it’s so good! So intentional! I’m going to be thinking (translation: crying) about this for a long time.

[lightwise]

Be There - Parts 1 & 2

Note: As I like to do (aka my brain holds me hostage until it is satisfied), I had to fill in a couple of moments that we didn’t get in S3 E4 - A Different Approach. I am approaching Tech and Echo’s absence as each character is aware of it so far—so whether he is dead or simply gone, mentions of Tech are not meant to imply that he is physically present in these scenes. 

Enjoy. 

Read both parts together here on AO3.

SPOILERS for season 3 of TBB ahead.

Part 1: Our mission isn’t over yet. 

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

Wrecker stared unblinking at the yellow transmission light as it lit up for the third time. Hunter had stepped away from the console for a brief minute to rest his eyes. This wasn’t standard procedure. When Echo or Rex or Phee needed to reach them, they usually used their wrist comms or the portable holo. The inbuilt console had been…Tech’s domain. 

“Uh, Hunter…you might wanna see this.”

A gruff sigh came from the pilot’s seat. “See what, Wreck?” 

The last beep finally entered Hunter’s consciousness as he tried to brush off the weariness that threatened to overtake him. So far they were only a third of the way around the sector found in the data from Setron. More time had been lost taking the cadets all the way out to Pabu too (not that he regretted the stop). His mind couldn’t shut off, wouldn’t stop thinking through the next place they could look every time a planet turned up empty, but he could feel his ligaments starting to fray at the edges in protest. 

Wrecker would have pointed out that he had been falling apart at more than the edges for awhile now. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered until they brought her home. He just needed to keep it together until then. 

“I…I don’t remember what the codes mean but…isn’t that…does this…”

Hunter rubbed his eyes wearily, trying to get them to focus enough to read the sharp white letters that had appeared on the dashboard. Two innocuous lines, in an old coding sequence that Tech had set up before…he blinked that thought away. 

OM.P53.NMR.2SR. BT.

Plan 53 (all comms silent for a stealth rendezvous). Nearest moon of Ryloth. 2 standard rotations. Be there. 

But it was the first letters in the sequence that caused his heart to stop in his chest. 

“I shall make it so that the first two letters of each of our names signify who is sending the message. They should always be the first letters in the sequence.” A tilt of the head and a push of the goggles up his nose had accompanied Tech giving a very pointed look in Wrecker’s direction. “That should be easier to remember than full code names, I hope.”

OM. Omega. It couldn’t be. It had to be. Nobody outside of the Batch knew this frequency—or code.

“It’s HER.” 

He gripped the edge of the console in a daze. How?? She had escaped? She had somehow found a way to contact them. She…she was alive.

“But…how do we know for sure?” Wrecker’s eyebrows pinched together in concern. “After all the luck we’ve been having…what if this is a trap, Hunter?”

The words Hunter had said before their failed mission to Eriadu haunted him now, thrown back in his face like a taunt. He knew Wrecker didn’t mean it that way, though.

“I don’t think it’s a trap. I really don’t think so. But either way…we have to try it.” He glanced at the chronometer on the dash and pulled up the coordinates to Ryloth. “Especially this location…only Omega would have picked here, where she met Hera for the first time. She knows it will be off the radar but easy to get to. We can just make it if we get going now.” He had barely swung the pilot’s seat back around before furiously punching in the coordinates. 

The Marauder’s engines picked up from their lull as they launched forward into hyperspace. Wrecker slumped into the seat beside him, staring out the flickering blue around them for a long moment. He had picked up Lula from her perch on Omega’s blanket at some point, and was passing her tenderly back and forth in his hands. 

“I really hope you’re right.”

They cautiously exchanged glances as the shock and adrenaline of the last few minutes wore off. For the first time in a very, very, long time, Hunter felt the faintest flicker of something he could call hope. But he didn’t dare let it burst into full flame. Not yet. 

Wrecker suddenly chuckled and clapped his hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Ya know, we’re a mess. We really should clean up before we get there.” His voice lowered a bit as he added, “no reason making her worry any more than she probably already is at how rough we look.” 

Hunter scowled and pinched his brow. His brother was right. The lack of sleep and hygiene had caught up with them at this point, and they smelled worse than they looked. Omega would be able to see the wear and tear on their armor eventually, but at least they could be presentable to welcome her home. 

“Fine, I’ll go shower,” he huffed, giving Wrecker a strained grin that turned into a groan as he tore his limbs out of the seat. 

The view in the mirror only confirmed his disheveled state, and he groaned again as he tugged the bandana off his forehead and slumped against the fresher wall.

Please, please let this be real. I don’t know if I can bear another false lead.

They had crossed the galaxy five times at this point. He would a hundred more if that’s what it took. They didn’t leave their own behind.

Most of the time. 

His ears began ringing. The unbidden thought that had been slowly poking its way through his subconscious finally breached the surface. What if…what if Omega had been taken to the same facility as Crosshair. What if they had found each other? What if…she wasn’t alone?

Deke’s words had been painfully etching their way deeper and deeper into his heart since the boy had carelessly uttered them.

“At least you’re loyal.” 

If only he knew. Once Hunter had claimed those words proudly. It was the ethos he had lived by. Still wanted to live by. But…he wasn’t sure he deserved that label anymore. Too many mistakes had been made. He had failed too many times. 

Echo had told him once that their unbeatable streak on missions during the war wasn’t necessarily a good thing. And every time Hunter thought he was making the right decision, he ended up proving him right. He wasn’t prepared for the weight of failure. For the ways everything kept slipping through his clenched fists. For watching his brother point a rifle in his face and walk away. For not having the right words to bring him back. For all the ways he had to choose when there was no good choice to be had. For watching his entire world fall away. For picking shattered goggles up off the ground. For the dark and empty gunners mount that had been staring him in the face for five and a half months. 

Silver hair and a toothpick between thin lips suddenly floated in front of his eyes, sneering at him. Every choice you’ve made has been wrong. We’re all lost because of you. And then it shifted, the silver hair morphing into a scarred head and terrified, wide eyes that glistened with tears. Begging, pleading. Why weren’t you weren’t loyal to me?

No, no, no, NO. Hunter dug the heels of his palms into his eyes, trying desperately to stop the vortex spinning out of control inside his head. A sob escaped his lips as he collapsed onto the floor. He could never repair any of this. He didn’t know how. 

He sucked in a breath as he felt the faint pressure of a hand on his shoulder that couldn’t possibly be there. A clipped voice suddenly echoed through his mind. I have found that repairs, while daunting at first, simply take repeated effort and inclination in order to achieve them. It’s like a puzzle. The pieces are there, you just have to pay attention and take the time to put them back together. Steady hands. No Hunter, try moving it this way. See? I knew you could do it. 

If only he was here. Hunter wiped the traces of tears from his eyes as his hitched breathing slowly evened out. Whatever—whoever was waiting for them on that moon—he would have to face them. Whether it was a waking dream or another nightmare. He had crossed the galaxy five times in as many months. But he still hadn’t been able to outrun the pain. Hadn’t been able to outrun himself.  

It was time to try a different approach.   

Maybe not everything had to be lost. 

-----------

Part 2: You don’t know if they’re still alive.  

“They’ll be there.”

She had cut him off adamantly. The full force of her hope (her naïveté, he had called it just a few hours prior), pushing firmly against his gentle attempt at reason. 

Crosshair knew he wasn’t just trying to prepare Omega for the possibility that Hunter and Wrecker might not be waiting for them. For them? No, they would only be waiting for her. They had stopped waiting for him a long time ago.

No, his words were more an attempt at quelling his own twisted anxiety at the prospect of facing his brothers again. It had been…a year? More? Since he had stayed behind on that blasted platform. It felt like ten lifetimes ago now. So much had changed. He had changed. Or had he? 

 A staccato thud flung them out of hyperspace, the stolen freighter now drifting quietly past the two giant orange moons that guarded Omega’s choice of rendezvous. 

Still standing behind the copilot chair, his trained eye spotted the tiny speck of light coming from the open ramp of the Marauder. So they were alive. Of course. The tiniest twitch spasmed in Crosshair’s chest at the sight. 

That open door was for her, he reminded himself again. Not him. 

The girl stood unmoving as they touched down. Her spine straight, shoulders pulling down and back, and he could see the faintest reflection in the viewport of tears welling up in her eyes. 

The ramp began to lower and she suddenly came to life, arms and legs almost flailing in her haste to reach the ground. Though he could no longer see her face, as she paused at the last step Crosshair could tell that a weight had lifted from her shoulders. The weight of taking care of herself, taking care of him, getting them both to safety. 

She had accomplished her mission. 

He had to admit, he was impressed by her. Maybe he was starting to understand a little of how quickly Hunter’s loyalty had transferred to her, how she must have driven them all crazy at first with her bright-eyed optimism and inability to take no for an answer.

She really was the best of them. 

He sighed as her words echoed in his mind—“I’m not giving up, Crosshair! I won’t let you either.” Her stubbornness was certainly the family trait, and perhaps surpassed his own.  

Those words had somehow burrowed into his chest and wouldn’t leave. But they hadn’t shocked him. He expected her to say them to anyone. They fit perfectly within the love and loyalty she showed everyone around her.     

What had shocked him were the ones she said later, after he had tried every tactic he could think of to get her focus off of him and onto her own safety. He had long since accepted what the rest of his accelerated lifespan might be—serving as a test tube and punching bag for the Empire he had once sought glory from. How fitting, really. It was his penance, for everything he had done. Everything he had failed to do. 

Why should he have a chance to live when...he sighed again and pushed away the memories threatening to engulf him. Long brown hair and a beard blurred white with snow. Round, yellow-tinted lenses blinking pointedly in his direction. The remnants of a skull chalked onto the back wall of a bunk—just enough dust left to stain his fingers. 

“None of us belong here.”

The Empire changed people. For the worse. But after all those months of isolation, all his attempts to drive her away, to keep his distance so she would stay safe—he never expected for those wide eyes to practically beam sunlight at him in that force-forsaken, grey haze of a prison. She had seen him, then. Truly seen him for who he was—and still believed in him. In all of them.  

She had tried to give him the same outstretched hand many times before—during their desperate attempts to flee the sinking facilities of Kamino; on the sun-soaked platform after. In that makeshift holding cell after Kaller, where all of this had started. 

He wasn’t sure what surprised him more—that she had offered it one more time, or that he was finally willing to try and accept it. 

Batcher whined from her corner of the cockpit, tilting her head hesitantly at Crosshair as he remained fixated, unable to move from the viewport. His musings faded as he saw a shift in the light; Wrecker’s large form had suddenly darkened the doorway of the Marauder. 

Crosshair dug his spine into the door frame behind him, waiting. 

He didn’t have Hunter’s hearing, but he didn’t need it. He could imagine just how loud the shout of joy was that Wrecker let out as he ran to meet his little—their little sister. A faint smirk threatened to tilt his lips as the giant of a man lifted Omega high above his head and spun her around, wiping tears unashamedly from his eyes. Crosshair expected nothing less. He was sure there were matching tears streaming down Omega’s face as she clung desperately to her—their brother.

But where was…Crosshair’s eyes narrowed as they caught movement inside the Marauder. Was he truly prepared to see the etched face of his former leader, brother—friend—once again? A now familiar yet terrifyingly unwelcome spasm in his hand told him he was not.  

Hunter emerged from the shadows, stopping before the overhead light could illuminate his face. 

He must have said something, before practically leaping down the Marauder’s ramp as Omega catapulted herself forward again. Crosshair’s eyes softened as he watched his stoic, touch-averse brother cradle the girl in his arms, his eyes closed, his hands shifting over her back as though he would never let her go. 

Could he blame him?

But the atmosphere shifted abruptly as Hunter pulled back, his warm smile and affectionate gaze at Omega turning into a wide-eyed, disbelieving gape as he lifted his eyes toward the freighter behind her. There was no way he could see him through the tint of the cockpit, but his other senses were more than adequate at that distance. Hunter had finally realized that Omega had not escaped alone.

Crosshair felt panic wash over him. His gaze shifted to the pilot’s controls. It would be so easy to take the wheel and disappear, leave them all behind once again. Omega was safe. That was all that mattered, right? He could ditch the ship and find work on some backwater planet, do his best to keep off the Empire’s radar.

Batcher slowly shook herself and stood up from where she had been napping the last few hours, her eyes never leaving his. His lips tightened into a thin line as they stared each other down.  

He finally let out a disgruntled sigh, shaking his head and crouching down until he could rest his hand on the curve of her head. 

“I know, I know.”

She growled a little and then licked his hand, pointedly ignoring the scowl he gave in return. 

“I’m done running. Promise.” 

He achingly stood back to his full height and turned toward the back of the ship. He could almost feel Hunter’s shocked gaze still on him. Whatever message Omega had sent them, they clearly hadn’t been expecting him to walk down that ramp after her. After all the wrong choices—how could this one possibly go any better?

The tremor took over his hand again. But he suddenly, faintly, felt the pressure of a familiar, slender hand on his shoulder. And another, firmer grip cradling his trembling fingers, easing the shattered nerves. A pulse he thought he would never hear again thrummed next to his own for the briefest of seconds. 

He had nothing left to lose. 

It was time to try living again. 

Divider by the lovely @dystopicjumpsuit ✨

[like-a-bantha]

Lost/Loss

Summary: Everything changed after Eriadu. Hunter becomes withdrawn, and you can't help but worry about him. You do what you can to show him you're there for him.

Pairing: Hunter/GN Reader (No Y/N, no descriptions of reader's appearance)

Rating: T

Warnings: Angst, mentions of major character death

Word Count: 1.7k

AO3 | Masterlist

One week of radio silence. Our contact was supposed to get back to us five days ago with intel on Hemlock and his captives. Instead, we’ve sat around on Pabu tensely awaiting a holocall that we’re beginning to lose hope in receiving.

Phee was kind enough to offer us room in her home, and free reign of her holotable, to act as a sort of base. It’s been quieter since we were last gathered around this table. The usual boisterous laughter and interrupted rants replaced with worried silence broken every so often by a sea breeze that no longer carries the joyous sound of Omega and Lyana playing just outside. That mission, Hemlock, the Empire, took so much from us; it’s taken an incredible amount of effort from Hunter, Wrecker, and I to not allow these forces working against us to take our hope on top of it all.

Echo and Rex referred us to this contact not long ago, someone who they’d worked closely with during the war, someone they trust. I commed Echo. Hunter advised against it, said it wasn’t worth it, that all we could do now was wait. I snuck out to the Marauder to use the long distance com anyways. Of course, the conversation was brief, and he has as much information as we do. Sit tight. Waiting game. All that.

“How’re they holding up?” His voice low, even with the volume adjusted to its highest setting. He’d mentioned returning to Coruscant last time we spoke, it must be the middle of the night there. We always did have terrible sleeping schedules.

“Not well, but I mean…” I trail off, we both know the reason, we both hold some foolish hope that not saying it will make it less true, “They miss you.”

“But you don’t?” There’s that sass, that glint of normalcy I’ve both craved and feared these past two months.

A laugh escapes me as if on instinct, it sounds foreign, “Nah, thought I’d never shake you. So clingy.”

“You’re one to talk, you do realize it’s 0100 here?”

This, our shared brand of humor and sarcasm, too, feels so distant to me now. Slowly, it comes back to me, “Oh, I’m so sorry, did I wake you up? Were you sleeping?” 

“Like a baby.” His warm chuckle crackles through the com speaker, and mine through his. The silence that follows is warm, easing his way into broaching the question, “I take it he’s distancing himself again?”

I sigh, a deep sigh only brought about by reality, “I get it, I really do — and, honestly as bad as it sounds, I wish I didn’t because this kriffing hurts — but withdrawing like this, I don’t know why he can’t see it’s only making the feeling worse.”

“Have you told him that?”

“‘Course. He just says something about how we can’t give up and stares at the holotable. I don’t want to give up, I can’t give up, I just hate seeing him like this.” 

Echo hums, but just as he begins to respond, static and unintelligible voices play loudly through the speaker. “I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go. Good luck.”

I nod, wiping at my misty eyes as I reach for the switch to end the transmission, “Be safe. Talk soon.”

Silence. Mournful, somber silence echoes through the lonely hull of the once lively ship. Everywhere my gaze falls sits a piece of their history, our history; one of Tech’s unfinished projects, a drawing of the ship Omega had called extra credit, Echo’s favorite brand of instant caf. Unable to withstand the weight of these memories, I decide to take my leave and the silence follows me back to the cottage.

I return to a rare sight: an empty house. No Wrecker sitting at the kitchen counter disassembling and reassembling explosives. No Phee asking him to take it outside. No Hunter hovering over the holotable awaiting a call. No com to tell me to hurry back, mustn’t have been an emergency.

I make my way over to the holotable, fingertips gliding across its rounded edge as I approach Hunter’s usual seat. When I pull out the chair, I’m met with a sight that would normally make me laugh. His shredded scarf that he’s grown so attached to, destroyed on our last mission to gather intel, along with his prized bandana that appears to have shrunken in the wash. The best I can muster is a bemused huff, taking the bundle of abused fabric into my arms as I sit. Suddenly, I’m struck with an idea. It could be a very stupid idea, of course, but a very good idea doesn’t always equate to a very smart idea. It’s a perspective thing and seeing as the only perspective available at the moment is my own, I figure I may as well get to it before more perspectives show up.

After careful work, I neatly fold remaining fabric and stash it in my pack with my tools; as the designated mender of the group, I know firsthand there is no such thing as too many fabric patches. Returning to the table, finished product tucked delicately in my vest pocket, approaching voices grow louder and louder.

“I’m telling you, it looks good! Stop fussing, leave it… yeah, like that,” Phee’s voice nears the door, and I’m sure I hear Hunter grumbling about something. The door whooshes open and my eyes widen with surprise. When I meet Phee’s gaze, she seems to silently plead for backup, “You’re back! What do you think?”

She gestures to an unamused Hunter, visibly fighting the urge to fidget with the hat he’s wearing. It doesn’t look bad on him, very few things would, but he doesn’t exactly look comfortable. Unwilling to hold the spotlight any longer, he grabs the floppy brim and removes it from his head, tossing the garment onto the table as he takes the seat next to me. Unable to help myself, I lean forward with a smile and run a hand through his slightly disheveled hair.

“That bad, huh?” Phee sighs, Wrecker following closely behind as she heads for the kitchen.

“I liked it,” The glee still empty from his voice, even at something that would’ve garnered one of his trademark laughs a few months ago.

“Me, too, big guy.” Phee sets a crate of groceries on the countertop. Wrecker’s taken to cooking. Though he’s been much quieter these days, Wrecker seems like himself again when he’s preparing a meal.

Hunter’s gaze is locked on the table, silences between us were never tense like this. When he speaks, he doesn’t look at me. “How’s Echo.”

It isn’t a question, more of a remark, maybe even an I told you so if I really read into it. I answer it like a question anyway, “Good, but no word from the contact.”

He hums. The silence that follows deems the told you so unnecessary.

I reach into my vest pocket. Now’s as good a time as any. “I made you something.”

He hums again, gaze flicking away from the table for half a second in question. Right now, that’s probably the best I’ll get. I place an open palm on the table before him. After a moment's hesitation he rests his hand atop mine, palm up, and I look to his eyes as I delicately drape a band of maroon fabric with thin gold stripes across his fingers.

Hunter’s expression is unreadable, regarding the gift silently. I bite my tongue, attempting to hold in any preemptive apologies in fear that I may have overstepped. My flat expression shifts only when I see his eyes begin to well up, before the first sorry can push past the floodgates he turns to me with the faintest smile. A smile I haven’t seen in too long. His grip tightens around the bandana as he rushes to pull me into a tight hug. Instantly, my arms wrap around him, tears forming in my own eyes. “I love it,” his voice low, he places a kiss on my temple, “thank you.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more.” My voice comes out a whisper, all of the words I hold back seem louder. “We’re going to get them back, Hunter.”

“Not without a fight.” He says grimly, holding me tighter, as if he’ll lose me the second he lets go.

“I know,” I pull back to look into his eyes, my hand coming up to cup his tattooed cheek, “but we fight as a team. We can’t keep bottling all of this up, we need to take care of each other, ourselves.”

Hunter rests his forehead against mine as he sighs, “You’re right.”

“I know. How’re you feeling?” He shuts his eyes as my thumb gently ghosts back and forth over his cheekbone.

He thinks for a moment before releasing me, opening his palm to look at the bandana in his hand. “Lost,” he turns the garment over, examining the back, “Loss. I couldn’t protect them. You, Wrecker, Phee, you’re all I’ve got now and I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you either.”

“Tech protected us. Omega, too. I think it’s cruel to put that duty solely on yourself, Hunter. It’s an impossible weight to carry on your own,” A tear falls from my eye, quickly sliding down my cheek before landing on my pant leg, “please, let me carry some.”

“Giving it away doesn’t sound easy, either.” His own tears threaten to spill over, I hope I never get used to the subtle, somber shake in his voice, “But I’d like to try.”

When he looks up with a sad, weary smile, I can’t help but lean forward and place a small kiss to his lips. I begin to withdraw, but Hunter’s palm cups my cheek and pulls me back in for a longer, gentler and tearful kiss. This time, the silence that follows is peaceful as he rests his forehead against mine once more.

His loose hair falls around his face and I accidentally pull a few strands into my mouth as I inhale. He chuckles a bit as I pull away, a sound I’ve missed dearly. I can’t help but let out a small laugh of my own, reaching up to once again run a hand through his curls, “It’s gotten so long.”

Hunter smiles, turning the bandana over once more before presenting it to me, “Do the honors?”

With a smile and a nod, I take the cloth from his grasp, delicately wrapping the fabric around his head and tying a single knot.

“It’s perfect,” He places a soft kiss to my knuckles, taking my hand in his, “thank you.”

The holotable chirps. Incoming transmission.

A/N: Someone pointed out Hunter's hair looks longer, plus the new bandana, I just had to get this out of my system. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think, comments mean the world to me! <3

[thespliffbunker]

[kybercrystals94]

Up To Something

Read here on Ao3!

Febuwhump 2024 | Day 4 | Prompt 4: Obedience

Rated: G | Words: 1069

Summary: Wrecker has to sit out a mission. [Character Focus: Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, Hunter]

“How many fingers am I holding up?”

Wrecker squints at Tech’s hand. “Well, if you’d keep your karking hands still, I could tell ya!”

Tech sighs. “I’ll have you know that my singular hand is perfectly stationary, and the answer was two.”

“Aww,” Wrecker whines, gripping his head between his hands. “What does that mean?”

“It means you have a concussion,” Tech says, pulling out his portable med scanner he keeps with him on the field. He scans Wrecker to confirm his diagnosis. “It also means that you will have to sit out the rest of this mission.”

“What? That’s not fair!”

“Fairness has nothing to do with it,” Tech argues, “The fact of the matter is that you are a danger to yourself and others in this condition.”

“You’re not the boss,” Wrecker responds childishly, “Hunter is.”

“And Hunter will doubtlessly agree with my assessment.”

“Says you!”

“Precisely.” Tech taps his comm link. “Sarge, Wrecker has sustained a head injury. It is inadvisable that he continue with the mission.”

Wrecker leans in before Tech can cut the transmission, “I’m fine!”

Tech pulls away, throwing Wrecker a glare for good measure. “He is not fine,” Tech reiterates.

“Does he need immediate medical attention?” Hunter asks.

“Negative.”

A sigh filters through the comm. “Alright. Get him somewhere secure to lay low. We’ll come for him once we finish the extraction.”

“Roger that.” Tech flashes Wrecker a wry grin that the giant can’t even see under his helmet. “I told you he would agree with me.”

“Shut up,” Wrecker grumbles before letting out another pained moan.

Tech glances the vicinity for threats. “This is as good a place as any to have you wait for us to return for you,” he decides.

”Don’t leave me here, Tech, c’mon,” Wrecker pleads. “I’ll be careful.”

”You heard Hunter’s orders. You are to wait here until we finish the extraction. I will abide by his decision, and so will you.”

“Hunter always sides with you,” Wrecker grumbles.

Tech rolls his eyes, but plays into the argument. “Not true, but he usually sides with reason, which is more commonly provided by myself.” The splicer gets to his feet, returning his med scanner to its pouch and adjusting his pack. “This is for the best. Please try not to do anything foolish until we get back.”

Wrecker growls some sort of incomprehensible reply, but Tech takes it to mean that he will comply with the order to stay put. Wrecker didn’t need immediate medical attention, but he did need to be careful. His injury could easily be worsened by unnecessary movement and stimulation. However, Tech sympathizes with the disappointment his brother must feel, so he adds, “It is a dull mission anyhow, you won’t be missing out.”

“I could’ve found something to blow up,” Wrecker sighs, leaning forward to put his head on his drawn up knees.

“Stealth, Wrecker,” Tech reminds him. “It is a stealth mission.”

Wrecker makes another displeased noise that is muffled into his hands. Tech hesitates a moment before gingerly patting Wrecker on the shoulder in what he hopes is a pacifying and comforting gesture. He isn’t sure if Wrecker takes it as such because the hulking clone doesn’t acknowledge him in any way. “We’ll be back soon, Wrecker. I’ve marked the location, but keep your comm available so that you can communicate should you need assistance.”

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Much to Tech’s surprise, Wrecker does not bombard their comms with any sort of wheedling or whining or distress. In fact, he does not check-in once. It is troublesome, but Tech tries to focus on the data extraction, ignoring the gnawing feeling of wrongness. When he left his largest brother, Wrecker was stable and fine, as Wrecker so eloquently put it. Not fine enough to continue the mission, but fine enough to rest and wait without fear of sudden demise.

Regardless, Tech works with distracted speed, finally slipping the data stick into his utility belt pocket and nodding at Crosshair that they are finished.

The sniper is leaning lazily against the console, watching the door, but pushes himself up as Tech puts away his equipment. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Wrecker hasn’t commed once since you abandoned him?”

“I did not abandon him,” Tech says stiffly. “I know exactly where he is.”

“Wrecker is never this quiet,” Crosshair continues as if Tech had not spoken, “unless he’s unconscious…”

Tech swallows.

“...or up to something.”

Up to something.

This gives Tech pause. He had not considered that possibility, and he isn’t sure if it makes him feel better or worse about the situation. He picks up his comm. “Wrecker, come in. Are you still at your approved location?”

A pause ticks several seconds too long. “Yeah?”

Crosshair and Tech exchange glances, Crosshair’s expression hidden behind his helmet. Tech imagines it looks about as incredulous as he feels.

“And you haven’t left that location?”

“Why would I? I’m a danger to myself and others in this condition,” Wrecker retorts, echoing Tech’s own words. However, his evident annoyance is unable to conceal the lie in his tone.

“What did you do?” Crosshair asks now, lifting his own comm.

“Nothing!”

“Boys, if you’re done interrogating the wounded, let’s head out,” Hunter cuts in.

The feeling of wrongness resumes its gnawing. But, Tech assures himself, at the very least, Wrecker is still alive.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Wrecker is sitting just as Tech left him.

“‘Bout time!” Wrecker whines, getting to his feet. He staggers a step or two unsteadily, putting a hand to his head and groaning.

“You were only left alone for twenty standard minutes,” Tech tells him.

“Felt like forever!”

Crosshair is scanning their surroundings. “And what did you do in the meantime?”

“I already told you I didn’t do anything!” Wrecker growls, giving Crosshair a shove.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Crosshair says, undeterred.

Hunter steps between them. “Alright, enough. Wrecker, if you say you didn’t do anything…we’re going to take your word for it.”

Tech doesn’t miss the lilt of doubt in Hunter’s appeasement, but it effectively shuts down the argument nonetheless.

It isn’t until the Marauder is taking off that they hear and see the explosion in the distance. Tech doesn’t even have to check the location to know it was the Separatist base.

Three heads swivel to Wrecker who stares back in surprise. “That was not me,” he says, “I promise!”

No one believes him.

END

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[samcurrentlywriting]

"You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen."

Summary: Tech gets injured just before a new mission, and refuses to be left behind.

Word count: 567

Prompt: "You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen." (alt prompt)

Notes: extra short and light, with some typical Bad Batch banter. Enjoy! (banners and dividers by @summer-of-bad-batch)

“Stop looking at me like that. I am perfectly alright.”

Tech receives four unimpressed glares in response. 

“You almost died, Tech.”

“And now I am alive. There is no reason to be worried.”

Crosshair rolls his eyes before exchanging a glance with Wrecker. 

“You should probably get some rest.” Hunter kindly says, before guiding the three others out of the room. 

They walk in silence in the corridors of Tipoca City, back to their quarters. They barely have the time to sit before they receive a transmission. A clone battalion, trapped by clankers inside a republic outpost, requests their assistance. 

Hunter absently taps his datapad as he reads the message. 

“What should we do?” Echo asks. 

“I’m not carrying around Tech strapped in a gurney.” Crosshair snarls. 

“I can carry him!” Wrecker retorts.

“Stop, we are not carrying Tech anywhere. He’s injured. He needs rest. We’ll have to go on this mission… without him.”

“Hunter…” Echo starts, but the sergeant cuts him off with a firm hand gesture. 

“We’re all the reinforcements this battalion will get. Four is not as good as five, but it’s better than zero.”

“Can’t argue with that logic!” Wrecker bellows. 

Echo doesn’t seem convinced. Hunter looks at Crosshair, but it’s hard to know if their youngest member is scowling because he doesn’t like the plan or if it’s just his resting face. Hunter steels himself:

“We don’t have time to argue. We need to go, now.”

They get ready, packing rations and extra ammunition before going back to the marauder. When the doors of the hangar open, they all stop in shock. Tech is standing there, leaning over the ramp of the ship. 

“You really think you’re going without me? Not going to happen.”

Hunter inhales deeply before saying:

“One, how did you know we were leaving? Two, no, you’re not going with us, you need to heal from your injuries.” 

“Three, are you out of breath because you hurried to ensure your dramatic entrance?” Crosshair adds snarkily.

Tech and him glare at each other, until Hunter stops them. 

“And who do you think is going to fly my ship?” Tech asks.

“The marauder is our ship, and everyone here knows how to fly, Tech. Look at you, you can barely stand! Your injuries will never heal if you don’t rest.”

Tech opens his mouth to retort something, but Echo chimes in:

“We don’t have time for that! The clone battalion needs us, and since Tech won’t be left behind, they’ll get all five of us.”

Hunter mumbles something as he gets inside the ship. 

“Isn’t five better than four?” Wrecker asks in a whisper that somehow manages to be louder than a regular voice. 

“Your math is blowing my mind, Wrecker.” Crosshair retorts. 

Echo helps Tech to his seat as the pilot. 

“I won’t be much help to you in combat, but I can still fly, and my brain is intact. You will need my skills for this operation.”

“Are you calling us brainless?” Echo replies with a small smile.

“I am merely stating…”

“I think you got the idea across, Tech, now, get us out of here.” Hunter sighs. 

They all strap in and Tech engages lightspeed. Hunter cannot blame him for his persistent nature, when he knows they all share it within the squad. He cannot change that about them, but he can make sure they stay safe, together.  

[orion-r34l1ty]

Risk (2/4)

Summary: She’s gone. Omega fell over the catwalk ramp, after shooting Hemlock herself. Hunter hardly knows what to do with himself. He failed her. Omega feels what death is like. Or…is it really even death?

Word count: 1003

Notes: part 2 of Risk! Go read pt 1 first to understand what’s going on (and if you want more sad). Also, if you would like to be on the tag list for pt3, reply or reblog letting me know!

Part 1

It was cold. Cold and painful. That was all Omega felt. Was this some sort of afterlife? Stuck in eternal suffering? She couldn’t see anything. Just an abyss of nothingness.

She felt something else now. Something through all the pain. It was faint, granted, but she felt it. The occasional drop of water on her face. Like rain. There was rain when she fell. How could she forget? Maybe that’s what death was like. A black void with nothing but small reminders of how it happened. Well, except for the pain. It was spiking throughout her entire body, lighting up every nerve. It hurt. It really did. It was strange, in all honesty. Omega had heard people say that death is when pain stops, that death is the escape. But here she was.

In pain.

Hunter walked through the thick jungle of Weyland, using his vibroknife to cut through any thick plants or vines. Previously, he had met up with Echo and Wrecker in the hangar of Mount Tantiss. After…what happened on the catwalk. Wrecker was badly hurt, so Echo took him and the rest of the clones they’d freed onto a shuttle. There hadn’t been many. Echo said there was a fight between them and the operatives. Not many made it out. Crosshair went with them as well. His hand, or where it used to be, needed treatment. And he couldn’t take much more. Between being back at Tantiss and…the catwalk, he needed rest. Hunter did, too. But he refused to take any. He needed to find her. He wouldn’t allow her body to rot away in the jungle of the place she hated most, especially with Hemlock. No, he needed to find her. And, even though he knew it was impossible, he had just a sliver of hope that she was alive. But hope was hope, and it was all he had.

He kept walking through the jungle, quietly as not to disturb any creatures that might be nearby. He remembered the giant creature that slashed at Wrecker, and how he hadn’t noticed it until it was too late. It was clear his senses were off. He needed to be on guard if he was going to make it through the jungle, or to find Omega, for that matter. He knew everyone was waiting on a shuttle to leave as soon as he got back. So he had to be careful, but quick. He didn’t want anyone staying here longer than they had to.

The pain hadn’t gone away. But Omega’s head had cleared up a little. It didn’t hurt as much now. She could feel something slipping away. But what exactly it was, she didn’t know. She was already dead. What did she have left to lose?

Death was uncomfortable. Omega wondered if she would have to be like this for the rest of eternity. In pain. In sorrow. Left alone with her thoughts.

She felt something new, now. Like movement. She felt what used to be her arm shift just a bit. Strange. It was the arm that was cuffed to Hemlock. She heard a noise. A groan of pain and discomfort. Something was wrong.

She wasn’t alone.

Hunter moved over a rock, careful not to slip. It was still raining, but not as hard as it had been. His movements were slow, his energy drained by all that had happened. He kept scanning the jungle for any sign of Omega. Anything. He needed to find her. He had been searching for hours now. Nothing. Hunter heard his comm device beep. He pressed a button on it to let the transmission through.

“Hunter, it’s Echo. The other clones here are getting restless. We have to leave.”

“I can’t. I haven’t found Omega.” Hunter heard Echo sigh through the device.

“Hunter. I…I’m sorry. I really am. But we both…we both know she’s gone.”

“Even so, she doesn’t deserve to rot away here.”

“Hunter, we have no other choice. We can’t stay here any longer. Besides, the Empire will be showing up soon to see what’s happened here.” Hunter stood in silence for a moment. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave Omega’s body somewhere in this jungle. But he knew what needed to be done.

“Alright. Heading back to the ship now.”

Omega felt the movement near her arm continue. It was strange. Could she feel such things in death? She heard another wince. And then something like…crying? It was a familiar voice. But not a good familiar. The crying stopped and Omega felt all movement stop. Whoever she was hearing had clearly noticed something. Now she felt like she was being dragged. Not a good thing, considering how much pain she was already in. She groaned and winced as she felt the pain get worse again. The movement stopped a second time.

“You’re alive.” She heard a voice say. Oh. That’s where she knew the voice. It was Hemlock’s voice. What was he saying? Was he talking about her? Was it really him? And how was she hearing any of this? She was supposed to be dead. So was he. Omega felt herself being moved again. The darkness around her began…fading away? She couldn’t properly see anything, but there was a ton of green and blue and white around her. She was turned by whoever was there, presumably the one with Hemlock’s voice, and saw a fuzzy silhouette in front of her. Her vision stabilized, and realized it was Hemlock. She gave a small gasp before coughing and feeling a sharp pain…everywhere. Everything hurt so bad. She blinked and looked around. She was in the jungle on Tantiss. Still cuffed to Hemlock. He looked at her with something like concern behind his eyes. He was clearly injured, burnt skin visible through his uniform on his shoulder. That must’ve been where Omega shot him. His arm looked broken. But, sadly, not the one attached to Omega. He was here. With her.

And both of them were alive.

Part 3 Part 4

[fanfoolishness]

Field Experience

Written for @summer-of-bad-batch 's prompt "You're a bad liar." The Bad Batch is fresh out on one of their first missions when Hunter gets an unexpected injury, as well as a lesson in leadership. ~2000 words, with Hunter whump and some brotherly hurt/comfort. @indigofyrebird I believe you were looking for Hunter hurt/comfort? :-D

---

Things weren’t going well, exactly.

Hunter cursed under his breath as a grenade went off a few dozen meters away.  The energy of the blast made his head pound and his eyes sting; his ears rang.  He shook it off.  His squad needed him, and he needed to get to a better vantage point, figure out where they’d gone wrong.  This was only their third mission.  This had to go right.  He needed it to go right.  He’d stepped up to lead, and he wouldn’t let them down.

He pinged his comms, hoping the thick jungle vegetation wouldn’t interfere.  He’d taken this path for the stealth it afforded, but it was slow going, even with his tracking abilities.  “Havoc Four, I need eyes on the valley.”

“Copy that,” said Crosshair.  “We’ve got eighty clankers bearing down on us in a standard formation, but I can’t get --”  

The comms crackled, spitting out static.  Hunter swore again.  He tried the others, pinging Tech and Wrecker, hoping they’d made it to the positions he’d dictated with Plan Twelve, but the vegetation was so thick he couldn’t pinpoint them.  He needed to get out of this dense tangle of massive ferns and palms and vines and circle back around.  He took a moment, breathing deep and closing his eyes, then dropped to the ground and rested his thinly-gloved hand on the soil.  It hummed with the vibration of the clankers marching half a valley away, helping to readjust his mental positioning system.  If the clankers were here, and Crosshair’s position was there, he needed to --

“Ouch!” he hissed.  He opened his eyes, jerking his hand back, only to see a slender orange-and-black-tailed creature slithering away into the underbrush.  “Karking --”  He’d been so focused on the battleground up ahead he’d ignored the faint shiver in the topsoil that would have warned him of the creature.  He rubbed his hand, trying to ignore the way the bite wound pulsed and throbbed.  He’d deal with it once they cleaned up here.

He broke out of the dense jungle heading north by northwest, where the land opened up into scattered stands of trees and rolling, rocky hills heading down into the valley.  He approached stealthily, keeping cover behind stands of thick green and violet trees and low hillocks roiling with mosses in a dozen different colors.  His hand felt tense and tight in his glove, straining against the fabric, throbbing in time with the beat of his heart.  Not a big deal.  I’ll grab my medikit once I meet up with Tech and Wrecker.

He licked his lips.  He tasted buzzing.

He dropped to a sudden crouch, disquieted.  The buzzing sensation wasn’t external, the way that electricity in the air could make his tongue feel like it sparked.  This was something else.  His stomach clenched with a sinking feeling.

Damn creature must have been venomous.

He pulled his backpack off quickly, intending to go for his medikit, but the sound of blaster fire half a klick away made him sling the backpack back on.  His comm crackled.

“Could really use you right about now, Sarge --” Wrecker’s voice came, tinny and half the pitch it normally was.  Wrecker only called him Sarge when things were looking serious.

“Change of plans, lads.  Plan Eighteen,” Hunter called, hoping the transmission went through.  Faint crackles of assent came from Tech, Wrecker and Crosshair, and Hunter pulled out his blasters, charging through a gap in the hillocks and down the slope into the mouth of the valley.  As he’d guessed, the clankers were now in sight.  He shook off the sensation of his arm falling asleep, and dove into the fray.

---

This was it, the last stand of the clankers, and he knew he and the boys had them.  It might have been dicey for a bit there, but after coordinating with Tech and Wrecker for deployment of some truly spectacular field charges, set off by Crosshair at the rear vanguard, the clankers were on the run.  

There was a rustle behind him.  Before the droids could raise their weapons, Hunter whirled to face them, raising his left pistol and firing off four quick shots.  The two droids collapsed into the loam, still smoking.  Got ‘em -- but it would have been easier if he could have held his right pistol, too.  His head swam, and he kept flexing his hand, trying to move fingers that felt fat and fuzzy.  He took cover behind a large boulder, catching sight of Tech and Wrecker further down the battlefield.  One last sweep and they’d be done; he’d be able to check out his hand, his brothers none the wiser.

Except --

“Havoc One,” Crosshair drawled over his comms.

“Little busy right now.”

“You’re not moving right.  Are you injured?”

He scowled.  Curse Crosshair and his enhanced vision.  His brother was probably two klicks away on the far ridge, but that had never stopped his vision before, especially with the aid of his scope.

“It’s nothing,” he said defensively.  “You’re imagining it.”  He shook out his hand, hissing at the new burning sensation prickling up his arm.  It rolled up his muscles in seething waves, and his gauntlet felt like it was cutting into his arm.  He loosened its attachments, hissing, bracing himself against the boulder.  He shivered with a sudden chill, despite the warm temperature and the sweat slicking his hair down inside his helmet.  Tough it out, you’ll be fine --

“You’re a bad liar.  I’m changing to Plan Fifteen, and then I’m getting down there.”  There was something he didn’t recognize in Crosshair’s voice.  Was it fear?

Hunter shook his head.  Plan Fifteen was a good bet, sure, a great use of Crosshair’s sniping skills, but --  

Black dots showered the edges of his vision, closing in.  He staggered, sliding down against the boulder to crumple on the ground, the black dots swarming.  He was so cold.  

“Sergeant down!” Crosshair shouted over the comms.  It was the last thing Hunter heard before everything went dark.

---

He came back to himself slowly, fighting back a wave of nausea.  Where was he?  He smelled laser burns and ozone, the sharp scent of junked clankers, the heady scents of drowsing blossoms and chlorophyll and rich earth.  And more familiar scents, too, scents he’d grown up with: Tech, Crosshair, Wrecker.

He groaned, trying to reach up to rub his eyes.  But his arm failed to respond; a wave of tingling, burning pain pulsed through his limb, and he bit his lip hard, tasting blood.  Electric sparks flared and vibrated under his skin.  “What the… what happened…”  

He blinked slowly, and the world began to come back into focus.  He gazed up at the sky, a blue-green horizon marred by gray and brown clouds of smoke hanging in the air.  His brothers swam into view, still in their helmets, fresh from the battlefield.

“Something bit you, didn’t it?” Tech asked, peering over him with his visor lifted, the skin around his goggles paler than usual.  “I’m assuming it was some form of crotalid-like creature, given that it appears to have injected you with a neurotoxin.  Surely you must have noticed.  You should have told us!’  His eyes narrowed.

“I knew something was wrong,” Crosshair said sharply.  “What were you thinking?  If you’d gone down where I couldn’t see you --”

“Is it bad?” Hunter said, ignoring them.  

“Oh, yeah.  You should see your hand,” Wrecker said, shaking his head.  “Looks horrible.”

Crosshair nudged Wrecker.  “Quiet.  He’ll figure that out soon enough.”

“But it does look awful --”

“True, but --”

“Arguing about it won’t help,” Tech said sternly.  “We need to evacuate him.  We’ve got to get back to the ship and the rest of our supplies.”  He put a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.  “But yes.  It is fairly bad.”

Hunter groaned.  “Wanted to -- complete the mission.”  He swallowed.  He lifted his head with a great effort, turning to look for signs of continued battle.  “The clankers --”

“Blew ‘em up,” Wrecker said, his voice warm enough that Hunter could hear the grin under his helmet.  “Got the all clear.  Now we just gotta get out of here.”

“Luckily, our kits carry customizable antivenin, effective against most types of toxins.  Which you should have known, and could have given yourself,” said Tech testily.  He sighed.  “I think this last dose is finally taking effect, but now I’ve used up all of our field stocks of antivenin, and you’ll need more before we get back to Kamino.  At least you might be able to walk now.  Your vitals are much better.”

Crosshair knelt down, holding out a hand to Hunter’s good side.  Hunter reached out and took it, holding on tightly as Crosshair hoisted him back to his feet.  He wavered for a moment, the world spinning, but things settled back into a normal view quickly.  His head still felt muzzy and strange, but he was feeling more alert.  He raised his bad hand --

“Oh hell,” he muttered between clenched teeth.  Wrecker hadn’t been kidding.  HIs hand, now missing its glove and gauntlet, was roughly three times its normal size, and his normally brown skin had turned a sick, mottled purplish-reddish color that looked poisonous itself.  The bite wound oozed blood in a slow, nasty trickle.  Pain was replaced intermittently by numbness, prickles, or sharp pulses, all of it unpleasant.  His stomach turned, but he swallowed, managing to avoid vomiting.

“Told you it was horrible,” said Wrecker, putting an arm over his shoulders.  “Here.  Lean on me.  We got your kit, don’t worry about it.”  He tucked Hunter’s helmet under his other arm.

Hunter shuffled along beside Wrecker, leaning heavily on his brother  Crosshair walked behind them holding the line, while Tech scouted ahead, leading them back to the ship.  The sounds of the jungle, birds calling, insects buzzing, leaves rustling, mixed with Hunter’s grunts and puffs of breath, his footsteps scuffing against the loam-covered soil, the footfalls of his brothers.  

“You really shoulda said somethin’,” Wrecker said after a few minutes.  “There was time.  Tech and I coulda gone back for you.  Those clankers wouldn’t’ve got the best of us.”

“I wanted to have things under control,” Hunter muttered.  “A good leader doesn’t get taken out by a little snake.”

“A good leader relies on his team,” Tech said from up ahead.  He paused, turning around to join them.  “If you were attempting to prove your invulnerability, you may have noticed that you have failed.  We trust you, Hunter.  But you must trust us too.”

His ears burned.  Yeah.  He’d screwed up.

“You’re right.  I should’ve said something,” he admitted.  “Crosshair figured it out, and I tried to tell him it was nothing.  I was too focused on getting back to the battle.  But this could have compromised the mission.” 

Wrecker groaned, tossing his head, probably rolling his eyes under his helmet.  “Yeah, yeah, the mission, but you coulda got taken out.  That’s what we’re cross about!”

Hunter chuckled.  “Aw, you big softy.”

“Watch who you’re callin’ soft,” Wrecker warned, squeezing Hunter in a hug that compressed his ribs and made him cough.  Hunter weakly shoved back against his brother, and Wrecker guffawed, releasing the pressure.  “Told ya.”

Crosshair closed the distance between them, stopping beside Hunter.  “So the next time you’re bitten by a deadly jungle viper, you’ll let somebody know?” asked Crosshair, tilting his head and crossing his arms over his chest.

Hunter managed a weak smile.  “Promise.  Should’ve known you’d have my back.”

“Tch.  Of course,” Crosshair said.  He reached out and clasped Hunter’s shoulder briefly.

“We do this together, Hunter,” said Tech, nodding.  “Always.”  He turned back around, continuing onward.

They kept on to the ship, Hunter starting to pick up the pace slightly as the antivenin continued to work.  The swelling was going down in his hand, and his head was feeling clearer than ever.  Their trainers had told him many things about how to lead, but some things he was starting to realize he’d only learn through experience.  Well, he was getting it now.  A good leader communicated.  A good leader kept his squad apprised of changing conditions.  

And a good squad never left a man behind.

He leaned against Wrecker, still a little dizzy, but he was feeling better already.