Whumpril Day 17: Cry For Help/Self Treatment/"I Can't Do This."

Whumpril Day 17: Cry For Help/Self Treatment/"I Can't Do This."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warnings: Spoilers for the last episode of season two, character injuries.

Note: If you want more from this story I will write it! Don't hesitate to let me know! No beta reader we die like Mayday

Summary: Tech survives the fall and now he's gotta live past just the fall.

    Tech had calculated the chances of surviving the well over 1,000 foot fall. They were less than 1% but he didn't care. There was no time and he needed his family to make it back alive. They all had bright futures ahead of them and they needed to bring Crosshair home. He didn't hesitate to shoot the remainder of the metal connecting the car. Then he fell. It took around 50 seconds.

    Then he woke up. Tech was in agonizing pain but he was alive. He heard voices around him. Then they were gone. The clone felt like he couldn't move. The slightest movement was simply too much pain to bear. However he needed to.

    Attempting to move his right arm he came to the conclusion he couldn't. The man moved his left fingers, then hand, then wrist. Screaming in pain he pushed himself slowly up to lean against the remainder of the rail car. If it had landed on him he would have been unrecognizable.

    Tears flower down his face and cough in lacerations.  The liquid mixed with blood. Tech forced his head up and looked at his body. His left leg was practically destroyed. His right was salvageable. The bones in his salvageable limbs had multiple breaks in them. Tech could already tell there were multiple breaks in his back as well. However they didn't affect his ability to move so none of them affected the spinal cord.

    Looking at his torso he was overwhelmed. It was hard to see through the blood. He was covered in larger and smaller gashes.

'I can't do this.' the thought flashed through his head. 'I can't do this. It's too much.' Tech's breathing was shaky and uneven. His vision was blurry from a mix of his injuries and the lack of his goggles.

    'You have to it. It is possible' the more logical thought took over his mind. Determination had to beat pain, it had to. His head and heart had to battle his body. 'For them.'

    Tech tugged at the top of his right pouch and opened it. His hissed and grabbed the little medical supplies inside. Looking over at the other legs pouch he decided it was worth a try.

    Nothing was usable from that side. All the supplies were demolished. That was the pouch that he kept little items to comfort his family with. A small, soft piece of fabric, as well as a pair of earplugs for Hunter, tooth picks for Crosshair, a small, 3-D puzzle for Wrecker, a pocket sized reg manual for Echo, and a small clone trooper doll for Omega. He also kept three hair ties; all black, just in case some one needed them.

Wrapping the largest and most threatening wound took a large amount of time and energy. By the end of it Tech was exhausted.

The sun was mostly gone at that point. He started to hear voices from somewhere around him. Unsure of what else to do Tech pushed himself to speak. "Help" he whispered, desperately.

No one heard him. "Help" Tech's voice broke as he spoke at his normal speaking level. He tried again and no real sound came out.

"Help!" He screamed. The voices grew closer. With all his strength Tech called out again, "help!"

A tall, blue Twi'lek walked over cautiously followed by a black Wookiee, a teenage, human boy, a; if Tech had to guess clone, and a rather short Rodian.

"Come on, we have to help him." The human child spoke. He walked beside the injured clone and kneeled down, "he'll die if we don't."

The Twi'lek looked over to the clone beside her, "do you recognize him? You look surprised."

"No, but I know someone's gonna be missing him. Grawarr, grab him." The Wookiee walked over and gently picked up Tech. He screamed in pain as he was being picked up. Grawarr hummer softly, as if to apologize.

The six made their way back to the village that was around an hour away. The pain forced tears out of Tech's eyes. He slipped unconscious about ten minutes into the journey. He was safe for now. He would need to heal and then find his way back to them and he wouldn't stop until he did.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 20: Waiting Room (Alt Prompt 4? 5?)

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Cody gets hurt and Obi-wan just wants him to be okay.

  The waiting room was silent. Obi-wan waited for a nurse or doctor to come and tell him how his commander was. The Jedi was told that Cody had stopped a kidnapping but gotten beaten up and shot in the process. It was just like the clone to protect people. Obi-wan was proud.

    The child was fine. The doctor, with parents permission, had told him that a few hours ago. Cody needed surgery for his injuries.

    It was quiet, far too quiet. The off white walls felt suffocating. The chairs were hard and uncomfortable. Time felt like it stopped. The clock on the wall taunted Obi-wan. Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days. Nothing else seemed to matter.

    No one else was in the room. Obi-wan couldn't help but think about the people who had been in the room before him. They would've waited the same as him. The pain or relief they felt as the doctor walked in and informed them of how their loved ones were.

    Waiting here in this room was painful. Kenobi was helpless, only able to sit and see if the walls would see another person's life fall apart. The four off white walls had watched hundreds of hearts crumble. As long as lives were lost and those walls stood, they would watch time stop and start for people they never knew the story off. They were unable to provide any comfort to the scared loved ones.

    The general shifted uncomfortably. He leaned back and took a few deep breaths. Everything had to be okay. For now he would sit here; in this waiting room; using it for its intended purpose. Waiting. 

Whumpril Day 8: Forgiveness (Alt prompt 5)

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: implied season 2 spoilers

Summary: Crosshair is rescued by the batch.

  Crosshair woke up on the Marauder. The last thing he had seen was Hemlock so how had he gotten here? Was this another cruel dream? Would he talk to his brother's again, finally feel alive again, only to be woken up from a wonderful dream to face the harsh reality that he would never see them again? That the way it needed to be.

    But no, this time he knew he was safe as pain rushed in. Never had Crosshair been so happy to be in a senseless amount of pain. Echo walked over to his brother and checked on him. "He's awake" he spoke softly.

    "Good." Hunter sounded tired. Crosshair had heard him tired before but this, this was a new kind of tired.

    Wrecker walked to Crosshair's side, "hey Cross, how do you feel?" The tone of Wrecker's voice startled the clone. Never before had he sounded so sad, so done.

    "I'm... I'm okay." Crosshair mustered the strength to speak. "Where's Omega" he whispered.

    "Resting" Echo answered the question softly.

    "Tech?" The looks on everyone's faces answered the question for him.

    "He died a little while ago." Hunter sighed, "around three months."

    Crosshair did his best to give them a nod. Three months was about the time Omega had been captured and taken to Mount Tantus. The two advents likely connected somewhere but Crosshair would wait to ask. 

    Time would go by and Crosshair would heal. Walking around with his family he wondered why they never talked about what he had done, why they forgave him so easily? Eventually the burning question had to be asked.

    Everyone sat around a table on Pabu. Echo had come to visit them and the five had been invited to have dinner with Phee, Shep, and Lyana. It was a warm and beautiful day. Everyone sat down to enjoy their time together and some good food.

    "Why?" Crosshair asked. He knew now wasn't the time but there may never be a time and he needed to know.

    "What?" Omega looked over at her brother confused.

    "Why did you forgive me so quickly?"

    The others stared at the man for a moment. "It wasn't you" Wrecker started.

    "Part of it was."

    "And you regret that part" Echo knew this would come; he knew at some point Crosshair would ask. The answer that lay in the back of their minds was that they had already lost one brother, they weren't going to lose another. Tech would want them to forgive him.

    "That doesn't change what I did."

    "Crosshair, we know that. You're our brother and we care about you. You did some awful things that you regret and have learned from them. You're not some tearable person killing people for fun. When you did hurt people you thought it was for a greater and better cause. The empire manipulated you and once you saw that you did something about it" Hunter insured his brother.

    Crosshair looked at Hunter for a moment before continuing, "I got Tech killed. You came there for me."

    "Gerrera got Tech killed, not you." Echo set his drink down.

    "He wanted you safe, all of us safe. Tech's decision was his own to make." Hunter put a hand on Crosshair's shoulder.

    "And you weren't even there! It couldn't be your fault!" Omega walked over to Crosshair, who moved his chair back slightly. "We forgave you because we understood. When you figured out you were wrong you did something about it and then instead of trying to leave Tantus you warned us." The girl wrapped her arms around the man.

    "That doesn't mean you should forgive me!" Placing his hands on her shoulders, Crosshair shoved Omega off of him. She stumbled and fell back into Wrecker.

    "Why are you trying to find reasons for us to hate you?" Echo moved over behind Hunter, who sat beside Crosshair. The three non-clones tried to figure out how to help. Unsure of what to do Shep and Lyana quietly exited, deciding they should leave it to the family. As much as they wanted to help it was best for them to work though it.

    "Because you should!" The sniper stood quickly, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm a horrible person! I don't deserve this! I don't deserve your forgiveness and I don't deserve the peace of Padu!"

    "No you're not!" Omega and Wrecker shot back.

   "You are not a horrible person Crosshair. We already told you that." Hunter stood and rested his hand on his brother's shoulder again.

    "Crosshair, you need to forgive yourself." Everyone turned to face Phee. "You can't keep blaming yourself for things out of your control and you have to acknowledge your growth" she walked closer to the clone. " If you don't it'll kill ya."

    The ex-imperial stood there stunned. "She's right" Hunter removed his hand from its resting position and laid it at his side.

    Instead of arguing Crosshair started to leave. He put one foot in front of the other and left them. Despite their calls for him he left. Tears welled in his eyes as he thought. Their love, their time, their kindness; it was all wasted on him. He didn't deserve their forgiveness and he didn't deserve Tech's. In his eyes, he never would.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 18: Escape Attempt

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: Caleb, two of his men, and Depa are captured. Caleb wants to find a way out.

Caleb paced around the cell. Two of his men, his master and him had been captured. Now he needed to get them out. Thinking of possible escape tactics he sat down in the middle of the room. Maybe a little mediation would help? That's what Depa would tell him to do.

    The child crossed his his legs and closed his eyes. Breathing calmly helped to make him focus. After a moment Caleb got frustrated and stood. He looked at the door. Parts of the wall connected the entrance to the hall. He could hide behind that. The only problem was which side would he need to do this on? If he was wrong his only plan would be foiled.

    "That's what the force is for" he whispered to himself. For a moment he debated just trying to remove the door with the force but a stealth approach would be better.

    Sitting back in the middle of the room, Caleb waited. It wasn't easy but he did it. Time passed and he would stand to the right side of the door. The droids would open it and he would slip right out. While in the movent of leaving he pulled the key card to him.

    Closing it behind them he ran to find his lightsaber. Trying to break the others out without a weapon was stupid. Skidding to a stop Caleb found the door to the room he needed. He hit some buttons and it opened.

    Quickly he grabbed his lightsaber and his masters. He reopened the door and left the room to find his mother and men.

    Caleb slid past the door and fell to the floor. He chuckled to himself and stood up, dusting himself off to feel a little better about his trip up.

    Opening the door with the stolen key card Caleb greeted Dogwood first. "Hey" he said casually.

    "Commander?"

    "Let's get out of here." The two moved through the cellblock and grabbed Blue on their way. Last but not least was Depa's cell.

    Caleb slid the key card into the transmitter. The door opened. Inside Depa laid on her side, injuries scattered across her body. "Mom" Caleb let the truth escape his mouth. He ran to her side. "Are you okay?"

    The women slightly looked towards him. "Caleb?" She whispered.

    "Yeah. Dogwood, grab her. We need to go."

    The four made their way though the facility, grabbing guns for the two clones as they went. Though it went unnoticed Depa slipped unconscious.

    They were already having trouble so when a big group of droids entered the hall Caleb started to think of ways to get the others out, even if it meant he didn't. It didn't take him long to figure out his next move. "Dogwood, Blue, get her out of here! I'll be right behind you!"

    The two men looked at each other then to the boy in front of them. "We aren't gonna leave you here kid!" Blue yelled.

    A door rested open right behind the group. Turning slightly around Caleb faced the others. "You don't have a choice." He said it slowly with hits of sadness in his voice. Pulling his unoccupied arm up he force pushed the others though the door and closed it.

    The three fell to the floor. Depa stirred slightly. Blue stood up quicker than Dogwood. "Kid!" He hit the door. Dogwood stood and grabbed his general gently.

    Fighting through what felt like a fog, Depa opened her eyes. The sight sent fear deep into her heart. As Blue tried to open the door the three watched as  Caleb took his master's saber from hims belt and turned it on. Blue and green light lit up the dark hallway.

    "Blue" Dogwood paused, "we have to go."

    Blue knew he was right. He took one more look at his little commander and turned around. The two men started running through the halls.

    "Caleb, no wait" Depa whispered.

    "I know sir. It's going to be okay." Dogwood comforted her.

    The three escaped. Caleb, now cornered, fought until a bullet hit his right knee. He folded and desired it was time to surrender. The droids listened and took him back to his cell.

    Caleb knew what was waiting now. He already knew torture was inevitable. His future now he wasn't sure, then again he didn't really care. The people who he cared about were safe that's what he wanted. More than the war to end, more than becoming a Jedi Knight or master, more than life itself. All Caleb could do now was wait and see if his sacrifice truly saved them.

Warning suicide joke.

If only Anakin had thrown himself into a pool of acid like Xanatos.

Whumpril Day 10: "I'm Scared."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Warning: Major character death

Summary: Tech and Omega are sent off to find their target for the mission. Things don't go well.

  When the batch took this mission, they knew it was dangerous. Echo had hated to ask them but the rebels needed this mission to succeed and his brothers and sister would be perfect for it. It didn't take much convincing before they agreed. After being informed they were rescuing a youngling they knew they had to.

    The mission started off smoothly. Of course it couldn't stay that way. Quickly the batch found themselves running and trying to hide. They had to survive to find the youngling after all.

    "Tech, Omega, go find the kid. Wrecker, Echo, and I will cause a diversion. Let us know when you have the youngling and we'll meet back up on the Marauder." With that they split.

    Tech knew where everything in the facility should be. He had studied the interior before they got there. The halls all looked the same but they made their way to the cell block the child was held in.

    Just as the two entered the block some stormtroopers turned the corner. Both turned around to fire. Tech focused on the troopers. Then he heard a yelp and a body hit the floor. He looked over to where his sister had been standing and realized it was her.

    Without thought, Tech quickly moved her off to the side and finished off the bucket heads. Rushing back over to her he kneeled by her side to assess her injuries. "Omega?"

    "Tech? Tech, I'm scared."

    I'm scared. The words rang through Tech's head. He knew Omega had been scared before but she never told them. The kid had walked through hell without showing her fear. She was brave and it showed. Hearing her admit to being afraid made his heart sink. "You will be fine."

    "I'm scared" she whispered. Faint crying was all that could be heard in the hall. Everything else was dead silent. It was as if time had stopped. Perhaps it had.

    "I know. I am.. also afraid" Tech admitted. "It is okay to be scared. I promise we will be okay. I'll take care of you."

    Looking at the injury, Tech knew he didn't have much time. He was surprised the shot hadn't killed her on impact.

    "Tech, I don't wanna go." Omega shook.

    "You will be alright Omega." Tech reached into one of his pouches and pulled a bacta patch out as well as some bandages. The hallway wasn't the best place to tend to the wound; it was dirty and troopers could be there any minute but there was nowhere else to move.

    He turned back to face the little girl in front of him. "Omega?" Tech spoke softly. Placing the medical supplies next to him, he reached his hand out and placed it against her neck. It felt like his own heart stopped beating. Know he knew time had stopped. He would never be the same after this moment.

    "Omega?" Tech's voice cracked. He started CPR on her. Only a few seconds later stormtroopers would enter the hall again. Tech shot them down and grabbed Omega's body. He ran to the cell the youngling was held and opened it. "Hello. I'm here to help you." Then Tech looked at the youngling. The report was wrong, the child was a padawan; a padawan he knew well.

   "Tech?" Caleb asked.

    "Hello. Now come on, we need to leave."

    Caleb looked at him for a minute before stepping closer to him. "Can I trust you?"

    "Yes, you can."

    "Who is the girl?"

    "Omega, my sister."

    "You have a sister?"

    "Yes. That is not important right now."

    Caleb walked outside of the cell. Tech grabbed him and handed him his lightsaber. "Is she okay?" Caleb asked.

    "No."

    After informing Hunter that he had found the padawan, the two ran to the Marauder. On the way they ran into more stormtroopers. Cornered Tech looked over at Caleb. He was shaking. "Are you alright?"

    "I'm scared." The boy's voice mixed with the dead girl's. Tech's head was playing tricks on him.

    "You will be fine." He may not have been able to save Omega but he wouldn't fail Caleb, not this time. Placing Omega's body beside him he looked around the corner and put together a plan to take them out. Crosshair would have been proud of the shots he made to end their lives.

    Caleb looked down at Omega's body. He realized that the girl was his age. Then he realized that she was dead. Startled he jumped back and looked over at Tech. He had finished off the soldiers and turned to pick her back up. "I'm sorry about Omega."

    Tech said nothing. The two made it back to the Marauder without any other problems. The other three were already there.

    On the ship Tech walked right past his brothers and laid Omega down on her bed. He rested the blanket over her growing cold body. Grabbing Lula the clone walked to face his brothers.

    When he walked out with Lula they knew she was gone. Tech handed the tooka doll to his brother and walked to the cockpit to pilot the ship. Caleb tried to help the family with their loss.

    Nothing would ever be the same. Tech felt trapped in that moment. For him time stopped and just couldn't start again. When someone was scared he became extremely protective over them, swearing no one would die scared under his watch. He would join Echo in the fight against the empire for that very reason. It would be a long fight and a hard one but so would healing.

@whumpril