Whumpril Day 22: "Let's Get You Cleaned Up."

Whumpril Day 22: "Let's Get You Cleaned Up."

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Note: Ah okay so I did my best. Enjoy.

Warning: Minor Character Death

Summary: Rex holds one of his men while they die.

  Rex hated losing his brothers. However it was part of the war. It was unfair and cruel but that's why they were made right? To fight and die for the Republic?

    The Captain sat with one of his men for the last time. The shiny didn't even have a name yet. However the man's armor was no longer shiny, now it was covered in blood. The blasters and explosions were deafening.

    "Captain?" the unnamed clone coughed.

    Rex looked down at his feet. There laid one of his men. "Soldier." Rex dropped to the ground. He removed his helmet to get a better look at the man. "Medic!" he yelled. But the request went unheard.

    "Captain, I'm scared."

    "You'll be okay."

    The clone slightly sat up and grabbed Rex by his head, his thumb right before the others ear. "Is this it?"

    "No, no it's not. You'll be okay." Tears gathered in his eyes.

    Without another word his brother died. His hand slipped from Rex's face, leaving a blood trail. There was nothing he could do. He never got used to it; the blood, the noise, the death. It felt surreal. Rex shakily placed his helmet back on and continued to fight.

Later he would greet Anakin at the end of the fight. The only blood on Rex was his face and hands so the general had no idea anything was wrong. The soldiers helped Kix wherever they could.

Rex took his helmet off for the same reason he had taken off before. Anakin took note and waited till time was right. He walked over to him and said, "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Huh?" Rex looked at him, "no, I'm okay. I'll take care of it."

"No come here." Anakin grabbed his Captain's hand and went to find a damp cloth. Rex protested but gave up as Anakin rested the cloth of his skin. It felt nice.

The Jedi gently held his brother's face still with his other hand. He ran the cloth over the blood and lightly scrubbed it.

Rex just sort of stared at Anakin. It felt nice to have someone take care of him for once. He was so used to taking care of everyone else that this took him by surprise.

"How's that? It stained, there's nothing I could do about that, sorry." Without another word Anakin grabbed Rex's gloves and cleaned his hands next. Then he switched the clones for his. "There. Get some rest, you need it."

Everything together made Rex tear up. It was nice to feel loved and taken care of.

Hux only helping the resistance because he wanted to see Kylo fail is typical orange cat behavior.

Whumpril Day 1: Destress Signal/Panic Attack

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: this story may not make much sense if you haven't seen episode 14 of season 2.

Summary: What would have happened if Tech checked their old comm lines earlier?

  Tech checked the batch's old comm line sometimes. There was never anything on it. He looked because just maybe Crosshair would reach out to them, not caring what he said. This time when he turned the comm on and checked there was something. Almost immediately Tech played the message.

    "Plan 88, you have to hide. They're after Om-"

    "Plan 88?" Tech whispered. As he was about to play the message again he realized it was still playing. The sound of a door closing and then a hissing noise could be heard. That was it.

    Tech listened to the message over and over. Anxiety crept in and he started to lose control of his breathing. Crosshair didn't try to get them to help him nor did he bother to give them his location. The man sounded week. Not only that catching the last part of the message meant that they wanted one of them. The O made him believe it was Omega.

    The clone moved from the chair he sat in the floor and against the wall, holding the comm in front of him. Tech's breathing got worse. Air moved swiftly through his lungs as he listened again. Tears began welling in his eyes and he pulled his knees up to his chest.

He felt sick, his heart ponded, and he started to feel dizzy.

    Tech threw the comm across the room. When he heard it hit the ground his mind attacked his body harder. What if he broke it? They needed to find Crosshair. Despite the man's current condition he attempted to stand. Failing he fell back to the ground.

    With tears filling his googles he hastily pulled them off and stopped himself from throwing them as well. Placing them beside himself he lifted his hands up to his face. Tech knew how to deal with panic attacks, he had helped his brothers many times and had calmed himself down before. This time was different, this time he just couldn't.

    Alone in that dark room Tech fought to think clearly. How could he help Crosshair if he was stuck in this room? The walls felt like they were closing in and his hands felt tingly.

    Phee had been instructed to check on Tech. What she didn't expect was to hear sobbing when she got close to the room he occupied. Rushing in she kneeled in front of him. "Brown eyes?" He looked up. "I'm going to need you to breathe, okay?"

    "I" he stifled, "I can't."

    "I know it's hard but you have too. Breathe with me."

    When nothing changed in his behavior Phee called for Hunter. "Honey please you have to breathe. We can work through this."

    When Hunter got the call he dropped everything and ran to the Marauder. When he would arrive Tech was breathing a little earlier. It had been a while since he had seen his brother like this. He didn't miss it. The scene in front of him always broke his heart. "I'm here. What's going on Tech?"

    "He just keeps trying to say something about some Crosshair, Omega, and a plan."

    Hunter nodded then switched places with Phee. She wanted, more than anything, to be able to help Tech but right now he needed his brother. "I got you. Breathe okay. Tell me what's going on once you're able to."

    The two would sit there for another few minutes before Tech could really think clearly again. Tears still fell from his eyes but his breathing was under control now and he felt less ill.

    Finally Tech could explain. "We need to find Crosshair. I checked our old comm channel and found a distress signal from not too long ago." Getting up he went to check on the comm. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as he realized it was still in one piece. After that he played the message for the other two.

    The three talked then went to find the rest of the batch. Echo would arrive soon after and once handed the information to decode the puzzle was completed. Crosshair was on Mount Tantus. Now they just had to go get him.

@whumpril

Whumpril Day 5: Defiance/Dragged/Stifled Scream

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: Later parts of season 2 explain the context.

Summary: Crosshair's down with the empire and their experiments.

  Crosshair hated his cell, he hated the doctors, and he hated himself. After all it was his fault he was here. They should have killed him for what he did to that baster of a lieutenant. But no, now he lived in misery.

    Two stormtroopers stood in front of the cell door and after a few seconds they entered. Instead of just getting up to go with them, this time Crosshair decided he was done being compliant. Even if this killed him, he didn't care anymore.

    The clone sat down and stared at the two "What?" He snarled. The troopers looked at each other then shrugged and grabbed him. Crosshair probably should have expected that. He fought back. It hurt but nothing physically hurt more than that damn droid. He kicked at the others feet and thrashed to get out of their grip.

    When they got him to the door he tried to stand so he could fight them better. Almost escaping the left bucket head slammed his gun over Crosshair's head. He fell and the troopers put a pair of handcuffs on him.

    This time the clone didn't fight. He didn't comply either. Instead he just let them drag him. Every now and again he would try to pull his arm to his side but it never worked.

    Crosshair was thrown into the room he hated the most. If he ever had it his way he would blow up this Kriff forsaken facility. Not only for himself but for his imprisoned brothers as well. Why he cared for the regs, the clone didn't know.

    Hemlock entered the room with Emory close behind. "I see you're being defiant again? Bad decision really."

     Crosshair looked over at the man. The hum of the imperial prob came into earshot and Crosshair attempted to stay calm. As the prob got closer he started to panic.

    The droids needle stabbed into his flesh. A cold, poisonous liquid was released into Crosshair's body. It hurt, it hurt like hell. The dose had been increased to show the clone why he better comply. Imperial property can't be fighting against the very thing that owns it after all. 

    The pain took over his body. Screams started to escape Crosshair's mouth but he tried to stop them. Showing the pain he was in would only satisfy the mad scientist. Muffling a scream tears ran from his eyes.

    Hemlock smiled. He was wining; Crosshair was breaking. A while later the torture would end and Crosshair would be dragged back to his cell.

    The other clones on the hall began fighting as well soon after seeing Crosshair defy. Maybe there was hope for them after all. They followed in their brother's footsteps by refusing to leave their cells or by denying Hemlock the pleasure of seeing them express their pain. As irritating as it was the scientist was impressed.

    Time passed and the clones never backed down. They were created to fight so why not fight? If they got dragged down to hell because of it they would go with a smile, waiting to see their lost brothers. That was an ending they could live with.

Whumpril Day 2: Stress/"Get Some Rest."

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Note: This story contains heavy spoilers for season two, episode 16 (Plan 99). The story will make a lot more sense if you have seen the episode.

Summary: When Wrecker gets captured it's up to Hunter to find his brother. After all he's the only one who can.

  It had been a few days since Wrecker had gotten captured. Hunter was waiting for Echo to get to Padu. Of course he could just get Tech to help as he layed in the bottom of the chasm on Eriadu. Omega was captured and so was Crosshair. He was alone this time. It was up to him to figure out where Wrecker was and how to get him back.

    Now Hunter stood alone in the Marauder. He started pacing back and forth, wondering where the imperials might have taken his brother. The clone had already had Echo to have one of his contacts check Coruscant's databases.  Nothing.

    Hunter's pacing got quicker. "Haar'chak!" He slammed his hands on a nearby table. Letting his head fall he sighed. This was his fault. How could that squad leader fail so miserably? It was his job to protect them after all.

    Two rotations went by and Phee decided to go see Hunter. She was doing her best to help the batch cope while also coping herself. "Hey Hunter" she greeted.

    "Hello Phee." Hunter sounded tired. Not just tired but exhausted. His appearance betrayed him as he appeared tired as well.

    "Have you gotten any sleep?"

    The clone stayed silent.

    "Get some rest."

    "No. I have to find them Phee. I can't lose them all. I need to find them."

    "You're not going to find them like this."

    Hunter knew she was right but still argued, "I will. I don't have the time to rest. I need to find them. It's my response to keep them safe."

    "That was in the war. Hunter you're not their leader anymore, you're their brother. Right now the best thing you can do is get some rest and continue trying later."

    "Phee you don't understand-"

    "Maybe I don't, but I do know you can't do anything for them until you take care of yourself." Phee sighed, "rest please."

    The two kept arguing until adventaly Phee got him to agree to sleep. She took the datapad from him and sent him to his room. After that she sat down in Tech's chair and started to scroll down the information. Hunter needed his rest but that didn't mean she couldn't look while he was asleep. Those clones had made their way into her heart and Phee would be damned if anything else happened to the others. She couldn't do anything for her love so maybe she could help the others.

@whumpril

Haar'chak: Damn it in Mando'a

Whumpril Day 19: Choking/Muffled Subs/"I'm Worried About You."

Fandom: Star Wars the Clone Wars

Summary: Obi-wan and Dooku battle. It doesn't go well and it takes Obi-wan mental health down.

     Obi-wan and Count Dooku's lightsaber met. They were just about evenly matched. Their fight had been going on for quite some time but Dooku was getting impatient. As their lightsabers moved apart the count decided he was done with the game. He reached his unoccupied hand up and force pushed Obi-wan into the wall behind them.

     The Jedi hit the wall. His feet weren't allowed to touch the ground. Invisible pressure closed around his throat. He couldn't breathe. Responding to the feeling, Obi-wan moved his hands to his throat. Even if he knew it wouldn't help he dug at his neck.

    Looking around Kenobi tried to find a way to escape. His vision started to blur and he felt lightheaded. The man's feet kicked as he tried to find the ground. Tears bordered his eyes. He had felt weak before but never quite like this.

    Obi-wan stopped fighting; he no longer searched for the ground and he let his arms fall to his side. He somewhat hoped that Dooku would release him but other than that his mind was mostly worried about his loved ones. He just hoped they would be okay, that this wouldn't hurt them as deeply as he had been hurt when Qui-gon or Satine had died.

    Dooku didn't let go. He held Obi-wan there. Anakin rounded the corner just as the man gave up and for a brief moment he thought that his brother was gone. Angrily, he attacked the politician. This caused Dooku to drop Kenobi.

    Air flower through his lungs once more. It took a moment before Obi-wan could get control of his breathing again.

    Anakin had taken note that his master was still alive and placed himself protectively between him and Dooku. As the two fought Obi-wan collected himself.

    Around six minutes passed and Obi-wan stood to assist his rescuer. He wasn't completely ready but he wasn't sure he ever would be. Facing your own mortality is scary after all.

    The Jedi forced Dooku to retreat. They reconvened with their men and finished the battle. After a Republic win, they headed back to their star cruisers.

    Kenobi walked into his quarters and placed his lightsaber on his bunk. He walked into the refresher that was connected to his room.

    Obi-wan stared at his reflection. He ran his fingers over the scratches on his neck. Something broke in him. It was like everything came down all at once.

    The man walked back out to his bed. He went to sit on it but missed and landed on the floor. Tears fell from his eyes and he started to cry. His breathing sped up and he pulled his knees towards himself.

    Obi-wan tried to stay quiet. The walls weren't exactly thin but he worried someone might hear.

    It felt like he was suffocating all over again. That feeling of being unable to control your breathing. Even if air moved in and out of his lungs it was far too fast. His sobs slightly echoed in the practically empty room; making everything feel surreal.

    Times passed and Obi-wan laid on the floor. He didn't quite have the will to get up yet. There was a knock on the door and for a moment he debated not answering it. "I'll be right there." Obi-wan's voice still came off shaky

     Cody stood on the other side. "Can I come in?" he asked.

    Obi-wan just nodded. Cody walked Obi-wan to his bed and sat them both down. "What's going on?"

    "Oh, nothing."

    "I'm worried about you."

    "You don't have to do that" Obi-wan's voice failed to hide his stress.

    "Then tell me what's going on." Cody had his ways of getting his general to talk to him.

    "It's nothing you should worry about."

    Cody tenderly placed his hand on Obi-wan's lower thigh, "then why are your eyes all red? You can talk to me."

     "It's not" Obi-wan looked into the others eyes. Instead of trying to reassure his commander it was nothing he just went in to hug him.

    He grabbed at Cody's shoulders, fabric filled his fist. His face rested in the others chest.

    His muffled sobs broke the clone's heart. He wasn't sure how long he would be holding Obi-wan but he didn't care. Cody would sit there until his general stopped crying. Then he would wait until he felt better, even if it took all night. Even if it took the next day, or the next, or tell the end of the war, or even his whole life. He would be there.

@whumpril