Was also thinking about maybe a kid OC Bad Batch fic. I'm a sucker for family dynamics (I have four siblings myself) and I think it would be so freaking cute. IDK IM SO CONFLICTED:() I don't know what to write lmfao. What do y'all want to see? Any requests/suggestions?
Alona had never felt so relieved to see the Marauder before. It didn't matter that all of their belongings had been ripped out and thrown onto the ground, it didn't matter that the hyperdrive had been removed and tossed to the side. They had finally found their ship, their home. And she was just about to cry over it.
"Well, there's your ship. I held up my end of the bargain, so I'll be off." Benni chirps, starting to turn away but is stopped by Tech.
"Hang on. The hyperdrive has been removed." Tech raised an eyebrow, a soft glare being sent in the boy's direction.
Benni shrugged. "You didn't ask me what condition it'd be in. How's that my fault?" Wrecker shoved him and growled, making Benni flinch again. "Relax. It's not a complicated fix."
Alona nodded. "He's right. Even I know how to reattach a hyperdrive."
"Grab the hyperdrive. Let's make this a quick fix." Hunter says tiredly. Wrecker grabs the large piece and carries it over to Tech.
"What about the ray shield?" Omega asked, still standing beside Benni. "We still need to shut it down." She reminded.
Benni crossed his arms over his chest. "You can only do that from the central tower."
Hunter turned around to face him. "Let's go."
But the thief shook his head. "No way. You stick out too much. If you don't trust me to go alone, she'll blend in easily enough." He replied, gesturing to Omega. She didn't seem entirely opposed to it.
Hunter scanned Omega's face. "Hmm. Well, don't let him out of your sight."
Tech walked over and handed Omega a small device. "Transfer the data onto this, and I can access the shield remotely." He explained. The two kids quickly ran off to do their job. Tech then turned to Alona and handed her a flashlight.
He didn't even need to say a word for her to know what her job was.
The adults quickly got to work. Hunter started reloading the Marauder with all their stuff, Wrecker and Tech worked on repairing the hyperdrive, and Alona held the flashlight for them.
It was actually a fairly stressful job when you were holding it for Tech. One slight movement would earn you a scolding. His directions were confusing.
"No, left." Tech sighed.
Alona's eyes widen and she lets out a stressed sound. "This is left!"
"No, my left." Tech explained, grabbing Alona's wrist and redirecting the flashlight to her right. "Sorry." He apologized, quickly getting back to work.
Wrecker laughed at Alona's exasperated expression.
Twenty minutes pass and Tech has kicked Alona and Wrecker away from his workspace. The strength-enhanced clone went to work on some other repairs and Alona sat on the steps of the Marauder, trying to fight away the nausea that had slowly started to well up.
"The motivator is installed, but I still have to connect the primaries to the guidance system and adjust the navicomputer." Tech chimed.
"The weapons system's online." Wrecker added, having finished up his repair.
Hunter shook his head. "We're not engaging. The situation for these kids is bad enough." He walked over to Alona and started rubbing up and down her back gently, sensing her discomfort.
"Mokko appears to be using his power and means as leverage over his workers. It is a similar tactic used by the Empire. Although, this operation is on a smaller scale." Tech rambled, his face twisted in concentration.
"Hey, who are you?" A new voice says, two boys having just climbed up the ladder and into the garage.
"Uhh, Mokko sent us." Wrecker said awkwardly, caught off guard by the new faces. They obviously didn't believe him.
Hunter glanced at Alona before reluctantly stepping away from her and stalking closer to the boys. "We're just here for our ship."
But the two boys ran back to the ladder and began swiftly climbing down it. Hunter ran after them immediately, hoping to stop them before they warned this Mokko of their presence. "Get the engines online!" He shouted before disappearing.
Alona exhaled sharply, placing a hand on her queasy stomach as she stood up. "I'll go run diagnostics one more time and make sure everything's working in the cockpit." She said shakily, walking up the few steps into the Marauder. Quickly she sat down in the pilot's seat and began pressing buttons, listening to the small beeps and watching the buttons flash.
Luckily, the only crucial thing that had been messed with was the hyperdrive. And Tech quickly chimed into the comm, "The hyperdrive is nearly online."
Hunter's tired sigh is heard on the other end. "I lost our spies. And they called in backup."
Alona knew right then that meant Omega was most likely in trouble. She felt adrenaline rush through her and for the moment, she completely pushed the nausea to the side as she jumped up out of the seat and descended the steps.
Tech and Wrecker were right on her heel, rushing to get back to that big chain of bridges in the center of the mine. The three of them huddled at a door, ready to slide it open when ready.
"It appears we have uninvited guests. Care to show yourselves?" The voice of who Alona assumed to be Mokko announced, his voice carrying through the metal door. The Gray Jedi nods to Tech, who slides the door open. Him and Wrecker step out first, blasters drawn.
Alona emerged, staring down Mokko, who stood in the center of the bridge that hung forty feet above molten lava.
"So you think you can come here and steal from me?" Mokko seethed. He almost looked like some sort of armadillo hybrid.
"Technically, this ship belongs to us." Tech quipped.
"Not anymore! And I'd rethink the blasters. One stray shot and we're all done for." Mokko warned, gesturing to the thin rope that held up the wood slats. He was right, a single bolt would collapse the entire bridge.
But Alona knew one thing about the other members of the Bad Batch. "They don't miss."
Mokko chuckled. "I believe you, but I think you'll reconsider."
Omega's grunts were heard from a bridge across the way, a bit higher than the one Alona, Tech, and Wrecker stood on. A droid was dragging her by the arm, about to dangle her off the edge, over the lava pit. "No! Let go Get off of me!" She fought the droid. Her feet were halfway off of the wooden slat.
Alona's breath hitched in her throat and she looked down at the stone pathway Hunter stood on, the same panicked expression on his face. His hands faltered, his blaster lowering slightly.
"Lower your weapons, or she goes over." Mokko threatened, showing off his right hand that had been replaced by some kind of three-clawed metal device. All three of the guys lowered their blasters. "Trespassing and attempted theft. Ten years in the mines seems like a reasonable punishment, if you survive that long."
Alona raised her eyebrows at him. "I think you could do better than that." She smirked, seeing Hunter pull out his rappel and begin to line it up with the bridge Omega was nearly dangling off of.
"Take them below." Mokko ordered his workers, more boys around Benni's age. They started to approach the trio standing on the bridge, but the very thief who stole the Marauder the previous day barged in with the device Omega was supposed to have.
"Stop!" Benni shouted, making Mokko turn his back to the ex-Republic fighters. "You lied to us, Mokko. The ipsium's not degrading! You've been cutting us out and keeping the profits for yourself!"
Mokko looked taken aback. "That's a lie. Don't listen to him!" He told his workers.
"You never cared about us at all. And I have the proof right here." Benni exposed, holding up the device for the other boys to see.
"Let me see that." A boy with an eyebrow slit said, taking the device from Benni. He stared at Mokko for a few seconds before glancing down at the data. His eyes went from disbelief to betrayal and then anger. He scoffed. "What's going on, Mokko? We toil down in the mines while you enjoy the spoils?" He asked accusingly.
"I was taking my share! None of you would have survived without me! Don't forget that!" Mokko grew more and more distressed by the second. "Throw her over!" He ordered the droid.
Alona's stomach dropped to the floor. Hunter attached the rappel to the bridge and Omega was thrown over a second later. But she had seen Hunter, and the blonde dragged the droid down with her. Omega held a hand out, watching Hunter approach.
It was a close call, but Hunter grabbed Omega's hand at the very last second, transferring her onto his back as the two of them swung over the lava pit and onto the bridge with Alona and the others.
Alona had had enough of Mokko, so her next action left her with no remorse for the monster. She swiped her hand through the air, throwing the sentient over the ledge.
He screamed as he descended further and further down until he reached the lava, never to be seen again.
Alona approached the group of teenage boys that suddenly seemed so lost and unsure.
"What are we supposed to do now?" One of them asked. It was clear these boys had known nothing else their entire lives.
Alona smiled softly. "That's up to you. Do what you feel is right for yourself, you're free now." She encouraged, watching the gears start to turn in their heads. They had never gotten to do that before. All they ever did was work and got hardly anything out of it. They could start anew.
But the Bad Batch wasn't very keen on sticking around to see what the teenagers make out of their freedom. In fact, they could not get off of the planet fast enough.
Wrecker and Omega were quickly falling into their usual post-mission routine, minus the mantell mix, both of them had snuggled up in Omega's makeshift room, fast asleep under the stars.
Hunter had stripped himself of his armor already. "We're not going back to Ord Mantell just yet." He was quick to say before Tech plotted a course for the dustball of a planet.
Tech looked up at his brother quizzically. "Where shall I plot a course for then?" He asked.
Alona crossed her arms over her chest, staring out at the planet that was getting further and further away. "I'm good with floating around in space for a little while." She chimed.
"Let's do that, then. We don't have to decide on where we stand with Cid just yet. We could all use the rest." Hunter determined, grazing his side against Alona's.
Tech adjusted his glasses. "All right, then. That should give me some time to finish up some of my projects." He said lightly, glancing over at the navicomputer. That would be his first project.
Alona ran a hand through her hair that had pieces of rubble from the last two days, deciding that there would be no better time to finally get clean. She excused herself from the cockpit, walking towards the back of the Marauder where the bathroom was.
Closing the door behind herself, she started up the shower water and waited for it to heat up. Alona had purposefully left the door unlocked, so she wasn't surprised when it slid open long enough for Hunter to step in. He locked it behind himself.
"Remember that shower we talked about last night?" Hunter hummed, stepping close to Alona and snaking his arms around her hips.
Alona bit her lip and lifted her hand to remove the bandana from his head. "Sure do." She grinned, setting the bandana on the countertop. Hunter removed her belt and threw it to the ground, then he took off her overtunic and red shirt, leaving her in her bra.
The two of them worked together to undo the buttons of Hunter's shirt, tossing it onto the ground in the pile. Alona took a second to admire his toned muscles, the skeleton tattoo that extended down until it was hidden by his khaki pants.
And once the couple was free from all of their clothing, they stepped under the water that was just a little over lukewarm. While waiting for their hair to get completely wet, Hunter started leaving kisses on Alona's shoulder, pressing his chest into her back. His gentle lips trailed up her neck until she leaned her head against his chest, rocking slowly from side to side with him.
"You feeling better? Not as sick?" Hunter asked quietly, placing his hands on her bare hips, holding them firmly.
Alona hummed, placing her singular hand over the one he had on her hip. "For the moment." She sighed, feeling so much relief at the water running down her skin.
Hunter kisses her jawbone, hands sliding onto her stomach. "That's good." He breathed, resting his head against the side of hers. "You're so pretty, you know that? So beautiful."
Alona smiled softly, feeling butterflies at the way he so gently caressed her stomach, aware of the kidney bean sized baby growing inside.
It seemed like every time Alona thought she couldn't love Hunter anymore, it was something like this that proved her wrong. Her heart felt so full. "I love you even more every day, Hunter."
Eventually the couple got around to actually getting clean, even washing each other's hair. But that was after the water went cold, and Tech scolded them after they got out.
Someone from the Batch finds out about the baby next chapter, any guesses as to who it is?😏