Day 4: Les Misrables (Survivors Guilt)

Day 4: Les Misérables (Survivors Guilt)

Fandom: Star Wars (Post Order 66)

Summary: Obi-wan Kenobi deals with his guilt.

    It had been years since the end of the Clone War. Obi-wan still thought about it often. He wondered how he survived or why he kept persevering.

    When he was 25 he survived a battle with a sith. As a padawan he should have been the one laying in the ground. But instead Qui-gon, his only father figure, died.

    During the war he watched his friends slowly die off until he was the only survivor of his friend group from his earlier years. It didn't seem fair. He still stood even as his men fell beside him.

    Maul killed innocent people to get his attention. He killed Satine just to get to him. Her death had been his fault yet he walked away.

    The Jedi purge had killed most every Jedi. The clones, their most trusted ally had killed their Jedi generals and commanders. The younglings in the temple had been slaughtered like cattle. They were defenseless.

    Most of the council had fallen yet he was alive. Instead of fighting, Obi-wan walked away. He hid Luke from his father; a monster he had taken part in creating. Even if by accident, there had to be something he could have done for Anakin.

    Everyone around the man died. Their ghost haunted every corner of his cave. They whispered in his ears, asking him why he survived.

    Maybe he needed to go outside. So the man walked out of the cave. He let the hot sun touch his skin. Every part of his old life tormented him. The memories plagued his life. They destroyed him in the same way he domed the people around him.

    The sun only made him hotter. He had hoped that maybe it would melt some of the guilt that had frozen him, but it didn't. Luke was around five now.

    The man had fallen into a routine. Yet nothing he tried made him feel any better. Obi-wan didn't want to spend the rest of his life miserable, he didn't want to be consumed by the tormenting memories and guilt that he had been swallowed whole by.

    Maybe a walk could help?

    Walking around, Obi-wan couldn't escape his own mind. Padme should be raising her children. But Obi-wan had let Anakin kill her. He couldn't save her, maybe no one could.

    Dealing with others survivor guilt had been easy. Obi-wan knew how to comfort Cody when his brothers died, he could help with the feeling that he should have done more or that he should have been there or that it should have been him. The jedi could explain that nothing could have been done and that his brothers wouldn't want him to feel so guilty over something he couldn't control.

    The same has gone for Anakin and the rest of his men. Obi-wan had talked to Kit Fisto when he started to feel that way and he had helped to calm Depa Billaba with the death of her first battalion. He had helped to guide Anakin in helping Rex with the guilt of Umbara.

    It wasn't so easy to get rid of the guilt yourself. Nothing helped. Obi-wan started to run. Like running would do anything. You can't outrun yourself, it's impossible. Getting away from the cave, from where his lightsaber rested, seemed like a good idea. Maybe he just needed to get away from that faster?

    It was hard to run in the sand. Stopping, Obi-wan sat in the scorching hot sand. What was doing? This was where his life was supposed to go. He was supposed to be living happily with the people he'd lost.

    There was nothing left to do. So he walked home. Tears fell from his eyes as he walked. The guilt worsened with every step.

    Being the survivor was hard. It might have been one of the hardest things Obi-wan had ever done. But there was no way to change that. The fact was he wasn't god, he wasn't even close. All the people who died were going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Obi-wan Kenobi was just a man. No man on his own can prevent death. No matter how hard they try they can only put it off.

    The entrance of the cave Obi-wan sighed. Facing himself, he walked in and sat down on his bed. Laying down, he let every feeling drag him down until he was lying there sobbing. Sometimes you have to let yourself feel it.

    Hours went by and he finally calmed down. The feelings would live with him forever. The memories would haunt him forever. There was nothing he could change and now he had to live with it. Why he survived, Obi-wan still didn't know, but there had to be a reason. There had to be. The Jedi just wished he knew what it was.

June of Doom Day 4: Punishment

Fandom: Star Wars The Clone Wars

Summary: After a night at 79s, Obi-wan and Cody are on their way back to the Jedi Temple when Maul Kidnaps the two.

Next part here: (at some point)

    The memory of the evening was blurry. He had been near 79s, a popular bar among the clones, on Coruscant with his commander. The two had brought drinks for each other, trying to warsh away some of the terror of war.

    It had been late when they wrapped up their night. The sky was as dark as it would be. Some 212th troopers talked to some Coruscant Guard members by the bars entrance.

    The two lovers where around five minutes away from the bar when Obi-wan felt it; the looming presence  of an old enemy. "Cody dear" he began, "something's not right."

    "What wrong?"

    "It's-" then strong hands pulled Obi-wan back into an alley.

    "Obi-wan!" Cody tried to get to him. Before he could reach him, the world went dark.

    The first thing Obi-wan noticed waking up was just how cold the floor Obi-wan sat up. His hands were chains to the wall. Across from him, just barely out of reach, laid Cody. The clones hands were also chained to the wall. Slowly, he sat up as well.

    "Cody?"

    Concern grew on Cody face. "Obi-wan? What's going on?"

    "I'm not sure." On instinct, Obi-wan went to grab his lightsaber. His hands were pulled back by the chains.

    The two listened as metal footsteps grew lower.

    "Maul." Obi-wan whispered. Fear flooded his mind. Looking over at Cody, he sighed. "It will be okay."

    Cody nodded.

    "I thought you would be more careful" Maul scowled.

    "Hello Maul."

    "You took everything from me." Maul started to walk around the room. "I told you I would take everything from you."

    "Maul, I believe we are even. Please, stop this. It's not good for either of us. Please, move on."

    "You destroyed me!" He yelled, walking quickly over to Obi-wan.

    "I'm sorry."

    Maul kneeled down to the man and grabbed his face. "Lier!" Harshly, he shoved Obi-wan back into the wall.

    "Obi-wan" Cody said, panicked. Maul looked at the clone.

    "Just look at me" Obi-wan's voice shook. "Leave him out of this. Please, leave him alone."

    "You care to deeply, Jedi."

    "Cody has done nothing to you."

    "He loves you. He allows you to be happy. That is what he has done to me. That is what I will kill him for."

    Obi-wan's eyes glanced over to Cody. He looked frightened. Squirming, the man tried to remove the chains from his wrist. "It's okay" he whispered. "I'm okay." But Obi-wan knew he wasn't okay. Even if he was, he wasn't going to be for much longer.

    Standing, Maul slowly walked towards Cody.

    "Please, don't hurt him! I'm the one who hurt you, take me! You want us to be even, take my legs, kill me!"

    Cody had never seen Obi-wan like that. The sith just laughed.

    "It's okay."

    "No" Obi-wan whispered. "I'm so sorry." The man's hands had started to bleed from the repeated pressure that were forced upon them as Obi-wan tried to free himself.

    There was nothing he could do to stop Maul from hurting Cody. There was nothing he could do as he repeatedly hit him, blood spilling from every new wound.

    This was his punishment. Obi-wan wanted it to be just his burden, but instead, the people who were close to him were punished for loving him. Had the Jedi known this would have been his future, he would have made sure to kill Maul. Even if it meant he had to go to the deepest pit of hell to kill him.

    Finally, Maul kneeled down to Cody and shoved his cold hand to his face, holding him. Forcing Cody to look him in the eyes, he pressed his nails into his skin.

The look in Cody's eyes that Maul was meant with, was not one of fear, but one of anger. He eyed his crying lover and his gaze softened for just a moment. When Maul jurked his head, Cody spit in his face. Angered, the sith shoved Cody into the floor. Then he stood.

"Cody" Obi-wan whispered.

    As Maul walked away, Obi-wan fought against his chains. "Cody!"

    Maul chuckled as he walked. He disappeared as he turned the corner in the hall.

    "Cody. I'm so sorry. Please, hold on." Tears fell down his face.

"I'm" Cody hissed as he tried to sit up, "okay."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't ha- I'm sorry." Obi-wan cried.

Giving up on sitting up, Cody laid down. Trying to smile, he looked over to Obi-wan, "It's, not your fault."

"He's trying to get to me."

"Obi-wan" Cody said, his voice just above a whisper. "We'll be okay."

"I'm not worried about me."

"I'll be fine."

The two looked at each other.

Still fighting against his chains, Obi-wan sighed. "I love you" he whispered.

"I love you too." Now they just needed to figure out how to escape.

Day 11: Bare: A Pop Opera (Outing/Religious Trauma)

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Warnings: Homophobic, sexual assault/rape, attempted drowning, and violence

Summary: While in a mission, the batch heads to a very religious planet. After being outed by a reg, the church priest and priestess decided they have to 'save him.'

    Hiding his sexuality was something Hunter never bothered to do. When it got around on Kamino that he was bisexual, it didn't bother him. Sure, some regs threw slurs at him, but it never really hurt.

    But now, all Hunter needed was to be revealed as gay. The planet the batch had been assigned to, was extremely religious. Unfortunately, the citizens weren't accepting of people who were different from them.

    When Tech had come up to Hunter to warn him, he knew to be careful. Tech never said anything about the culture of the civils unless he figured it was important. Sometimes he wouldn't inform them of any cultural disagreements even if it was important to know.

    Church members went to greet the battalion Clone Force 99 was traveling with, as well as to greet them. Every civilian in sight was fitted in white. Women were in white, floor length dresses and men were in various different types of clothing, though it was all white. The only person who wasn't in white was the priest.

    The priest talked to the general then invited him, his Padawan, and some soldiers to come to their church to talk about the planet joining the Republic.

    They walked to the church. There was a strange lack of people one the streets. The church stood over 250 feet. Tech would later tell them that it stood 281 ft. The building was made of a beautiful white stone that had golden accents to it. The steeple mostly composed of gold. It looked sharp enough to impaile a man with ease. The stairs were the same stone. They had been worn down by years of foot traffic. The doors were large and made of Dark Pine wood. It was hard not to stare at the marveling building.

    Stepping into the church, they learned the inside of the stone building was just as breath taking. There were rows and rows of pews; all matching the Dark Pine of the door. The aisle had a blood red carpet laid out on it. The carpet went all the way to the Priest's altar.  Behind the alter was a large, circler staind glass window. It as simple and uniform, much like the whole church.

    The room was beautiful but there was one thing that threw most everyone off. Behind the alter, there was a large water fountain. The fountain was made of marble and bor the church's creast on the top of it. The bottom of the fountain had two foot tall walls to keep the water in.

    Meeting one of the leaders of the church was not something the batch, nor the battalion with them excepted. Hunter realized just how uncomfortable both the Jedi commander and Padawan looked as the priest started to talk about not agreeing with the Jedi's religion but how they needed help so, despite their differences, they could make an exception. The man said that he hoped God would forgive them and the two Jedi just looked at each other, wondering how they ended up here.

    When a reg started to walk up to Hunter, he didn't think much of it. Maybe they needed something. It wasn't until he started to talk that the man realized he was up to no good.

    "By their logic, I'm surprised you didn't start buring as soon a walked in this church."

    The priest and other members of the church started to quite down. They looked in the direction of the 'sinner', trying to figure out what the clone was talking about.

    "What?" Hunter asked. Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair all watched defensely, with Wrecker walking over to the two.

    "You know, since you're a-"

    "Shut up." Wrecker said as he placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

    "Since you're a faggot."

    The church was silent. The locals looked at each other like they made a revelation. Something in Hunter's chest tightened when he saw the way they looked at him. There was so much hatred and disgust and even if he was used to the look, this feeling was different. It was why the sparks of anger were in their eyes that made it hurt more.

    "What's wrong with you?" One of the other regs said. He looked apologetic as he dragged his brother away.

    "That was strange" Wrecker said as he grabbed Hunter and led him to the rest of the batch. "Anyway."

    As the mission progressed, Hunter could never shake the feeling that he was being watched. Tech hadn't been wrong about the planets religious practices. But it was nothing that Hunter couldn't handle.

    The Jedi consently had to ignore priest's comments about damnation and the failure of the Jedi to see the one true religion. The general didn't seem to be as bothered as the commander. When clones started to get between the adults and the child, concern rose. When the child's master interfered, that when they knew to watch their backs.

    Watching the church members made Hunter realize just how closely they were observing him. Every time he looked that them, they adverted his gaze.

    The soldiers set up camp near the church per the regest of the priest. The general, a Twi'lek Jedi by the name of Mal, walked up to Hunter. "The priest is requesting your assistance in the church." Something about the way the Jedi talked, made Hunter nervous.

    "I'll go get the rest of my batch and we'll check it out."

    As Hunter started to walk away, the Jedi stopped him, "he just requested you."

    "General, I don't think it's a good idea to go alone." Hunter tensed.

    "The priest asked you to find a girl that's been missing. He told me to have you meet him in the church so he can give you her blanket so you take her." General Mal put a hand on his shoulder, "I gave him a good amount of questions Hunter. Hell, I practically intragated him. The priest just wants to find the girl, you'll be okay."

    Nodding, Hunter went to the church. The big doors felt more ominous in the dark. Slowly, he opened the door and walked in. Shutting it quietly, Hunter started to walk down the dimly lit aisle. "Hello?"

    "Hello, Hunter. The priest walk out from behind the alter. That's when Hunter saw the lit candles by the running fountain. The alarm bells that had been going off in the man's head, only got louder. The clone stopped walking about half way through the church.

    "I was sent to investigate a missing persons case." Hunter answered shortly.

    "What do you believe Hunter?" The priest sounded so calm and kind, yet there was nothing kind about him. Stepping down the stairs, the man walked to meet him.

    "I don't know, sir?" It was an honest answer.

    "Do you know what I believe?" The human man walked over to him. "I believe you are lost, that you have stayed away from the heavens."

    "I was sent to track a missing girl, what you believe is irrelevant right now." Hunter started to walk to the door. "I'll ask around then." Members of the church walked out from a hallway. Grabbing his gun, Hunter was ready to shoot his way out. 

    The priest grabbed his from behind.  The two fought over the gun for a moment before a few shots went off. No one was hit by the stray bullets. Another man grabbed Hunter, forcing the gun out of his hand. The Besalisk man wrapped all four arms around him and picked him up. Hunter kicked and squirmed, trying to get away. Reaching for his vibro-knife, he realized it was already gone.

    The man's grip never softned. The pressure hurt as Hunter's armor pressed into his skin.

    The priest started to say a prayer as the man tossed the clone into the fountain. Hunter started to try to get up. However the Besalisk grabbed him by his hair and held him under the water.

    There was so much going on in Hunter's head. He knew coming to the church alone was a mistake, yet he still did. Kicking at the man's feet, a clawed foot slammed down onto his legs, trapping him. Grabbing at the hand that held him under the water, Hunter panicked. Where they really going to kill him?

    It was suffocating. As Hunter started to feel weaker, the foot moved from his legs and he was pulled out of the water. He heard some of his hair rip out from the force. Coughing, Hunter tried to stand. However he was forced to stay on his knees in the water.

    The priest stood in front of him. "You have been cleaned, however we must rewrite over your sins."

    "What, is wrong with you? Leave me alone." Trying to breathe, Hunter kept coughing, trying to get the water out of his lungs.

    "I'm saving you."

    The Besalisk pulled him out of the fountain. Still trying to fight the man, the soldier listened to the whispers. One woman was saying they needed to  get rid of his tattoo. Another church member was scowling, saying his hair needed to be cut, that it being so long was a disgrace to the lord and far to feminine for any man.

    What Hunter knew for sure, the next time he saw General Mal, he was throwing hands.

    There was a back room in the church. While trying to fight, the church members dragged him inside of the room. There was a table, but that wasn't Hunter's biggest concern. His biggest concern was the women in the corner.

    She stood at about his height and had pale skin paired with her black hair. Unlike every other women in the in the religion, she wore a black dress. However, like all the other dresses it was floor length with flowing sleeves and turtle neck. She looked like a ghost. The women had lipstick that was the bright red of the carpet.

    Now inside the room, Hunter tried to reach for his comm. It was the first chance he had to even think about trying to call for backup. A harsh hand grabbed his wrist. "Don't, we are saving your soul. We don't want you to suffer."

    Trying to speak, Hunter's voice caught in his throat. His breathing, which had already been fast, sped up. The Besalisk man still held him.

    There were scissors on the table as well as a needle and some white clothing. Hunter focused on the girl to see what she was holding. In her hand she held a box. "Bring him to me." Her voice was angelic and soft. Most of all, it was unnerving.

    So the man complied. "Hello Hunter."

    "Let me go."

    "Dear, we just want to free you."

    "I don't need it. Better yet, I don't want it. Let me go, I need to get back to my men." Hatred laced Hunter's words.

    "Hold him still." The women nodded and someone grabbed the needle off of the table. Opening the box, the girl took a necklace out of it. It was silver and bore the religion's symbol, a cross with an anatomically accurate heart in the middle.

    While Hunter struggled, a needle was driving into the side of his neck. Trying to break free, he almost broke the syringe. The women walked up to him, her heels clicking on the ground. Her soft hand cupped the clones face. Then she kissed him. Hunter tried to pull away.

    "When the medicine starts to affect him, you may leave." Everyone nodded. The woman kissed him again, taking her hands around his neck and clasping the necklace on him. Hunter was able to pull away this time.

    "You drugged me."

    "It is a necessary evil."

    Thinking of what the women had said earlier, Hunter started to act weaker than he felt. When the women smiled, the clone knew he made the right decision. She moved the clothing off the table and motioned for them to put him on the table. "Remove his armor."

    With the men still in the room, a Hunter made the painful decision to stay still. After they removed his armor, the man started to feel the real effects of the drug.

    "I have him now. May I act only with the intent to heal and act without any lust" she prayed. The men left and the women climbed into the table and started to remove her clothing.

    Hunter fought the drowsy feeling of the drug. It was like fog had taken over his brain. Starting to try to stand, the woman gently pressed his shoulders back into the cold, metal table. "Don't worry child, I will take good care of you."

    "No" Hunter whispered. "Please no."

    "Oh yes " The woman removed her dress, then his shirt and lastly his pants and undergarments.

    Everything from there was a blur. Hunter remembered the feelings of the priestess touching him. He remembered how helpless he felt and knowing he should have been stronger than this. The women's fingers danced their sinister dance on his skin, making Hunter want to throw up. He wasn't sure if it was the drugs or assault that made him nauseous.

    Hunter was scared. This was a whole new level of helplessness, something like he had never felt before. The weight of the women on top of him, the feeling of his dick in her, the feeling of her lips touching his, all of it was too much. The man hated every part of her.

    Soon, the drug started to wear off. As Hunter regained his strength, the priestess moaned as she reached her finish line. "Stay still dear, you haven't finished. You have to be cleansed of your sins." Pushing him back to the table, the women started to trust her hips quicker.

    The world was clearer, but Hunter almost wished it wasn't. Never before had Hunter felt so weak. Raising one hand, the clone clawed at the priestess, trying to get her off of him. The drugs, even while they were wearing off, still made him mostly unable to fight.

    However he wouldn't need to fight. It was a natural reaction for his body to have given the stimulation it had reserved. Him finishing, had not mentioned he enjoyed it. As Hunter came inside of the priestess, she gasped and grabbed his shoulders, drawing blood and leaving scratches behind.

    Then she got off of him. Feeling stronger, Hunter looked around the room. He found his clothes and armor. The woman was grabbing the white clothing that was supposed to replace his blacks. Now it seemed like a good time for the world to stop spinning.

    After a moment, Hunter tried to stand. Still unclothed, the clone planned his escape. The woman came back over to him, the white clothing in hand and handed him undergarments first. "Here dear, now that you have been rid of your sins, you may cloth yourself."

    Breathing heavily, Hunter snatched the clothes, still dazed. The woman never turned around. Stumbling, he put on the underwear. But as things started to clear more than before, Hunter was hit with everything that had happened.

    Justified with religion, this woman had just sexually assaulted him. She had taken his body with drugs and force. There was no evidence that she even regretted any part of it. She truly believes that her actions healed him. Instead she hurt him. This would take time to scar.

    Hunter's clothes were in the corner. Getting in his feet, the man couldn't submit to this treatment anymore. The priestess had finally turned around to grab the scissors to cut his hair off. The hair he took good care of.

    She was as unsuspecting as he was. Still mostly naked, Hunter wrapped his arm around the woman's neck. Shushing her, he placed one hand over her disgusting mouth.

    When she stopped fighting, the way he hadn't been given an opinion to, Hunter tossed her to the ground. Still stumbling, he grabbed his clothes and put them on. The man wasn't sure when he had gotten his armor on, but he knew it was one. The effects of the drug had mostly worn off but his brain couldn't process the trauma. He was disassociated.

    Hunter placed a finger on his comm. "Cross" he spoke, shaking"

    "Where are you?" He snarled in response. "We have been looking-"

    "The church." Tears started to fall down Hunter's face. The dark room concealed most of the activities. "Please, I need h-" sobs took over the rest of his words.

    Crosshair was silent for a moment. "We're on our way."

    Forcing himself to stand, Hunter stabilized himself. Walking to the door, that was a whole other story. The lower half of him hurt. Nothing quite felt real. But Hunter still opened the door. The smell of candle smoke hit him.

    As the priestess started to stir behind him, Hunter debated killing her. It would be impossible for her to hurt anyone else. It felt like the right thing. But fear grabbed his chest, reminding him it was still there. Choosing between fight or flight, Hunter chose flight.

    Walking into the hall, Hunter scouted the area. It seemed the members of the church respected the priestess's privacy. Still crying, the man placed a hand over his mouth, trying to silence himself. Using the walkway closest to the wall, he ran to the door.

    As Hunter opened the door, he slowly closed it then ran down the stairs. When he got to the last few stairs, he tripped and expected to hit the stone. Instead, Wrecker caught him. Hunter hadn't realized he was breathing so heard until Tech told him he had to slow his breathing down or he could pass out.

    Jumping back, Hunter made sure they weren't touching him. Physical contact was important to Hunter but right now if someone touched him again, he might just kill them, or maybe he'd just shut down.

    "What happened?" Tech asked, calmly.

    "I- they- I can't-" deciding he wasn't far enough from the church, the clone started to walk away.

    For the first time, Crosshair realized that Hunter's hair was damp. The look in his eyes told him that whatever happened, it took a part of Hunter that he had never seen. "What did they do to you?"

    After another moment, Tech's attention also changed to Hunter's damp hair. "Did they, baptis you?" He asked.

    Hunter stopped walking. Not because of Tech, but because the church door opened. The priest and priestess walked towards him. "Dear" the woman started, "you cannot walk away now. You have been saved, don't turn back to your sin."

    The man didn't say anything. Wrecker moved to stand more in front of Hunter. "Leave him alone" he warned.

    "You have been cleaned, both spiritually and sexually-"

    "What?" Crosshair growled. That was why Hunter seemed so lost. Tech hardly looked angry but right now his glare would be sharp enough to kill someone. Wrecker cracked his knuckles and stepped closer to the two church officials.

    "We just need to make a few more adjustments."

    Crosshair pulled him gun. "Stand back."

    "Haven't you hurt him enough?" Wrecker looked back at Hunter. Tears ran down his brother's face and he'd never seen him look so small. Even when facing the separatist, Hunter had never been so shaken into himself.

    "We didn't hurt him-"

    "Yes, you did. Hunter shows clear signals of distress." Looking at his brothers, Tech ordered them to remove their eldest brother from the situation

    "I- please just get them away from me." Hunter cried. "I don't want to be here anymore."

    So the clones left. As they walked Hunter put a hand up to his collarbone to try to ground himself, the chain of the religion necklace started him. Panicking, he pulled the chain away from his neck, snapping it. Holding the chain in his hand, the man threw it far away from him. His breathing, which has slowed, speed back up again and his brothers tried to help him calm back down.

    While trying to report the church officials for Hunter's assault, the general informed them that nothing would come of the report. "I'm sorry Hunter's I really am. No one here would arrest them and" he sighed, "you're a clone. Too many people would view what happened to you as property damage, if anything. Trying to take it any further may not be worth the hurt and once it gets out I don't put it past some people to harass you over it." The Jedi told him that he would do his best to keep him away from them.

    Healing would take time. Every time Hunter stood inside a church, he feared the officials. Even after the war, Hunter felt like he couldn't breathe inside of churches, especially alone with officials.

    Telling Echo his story, had been difficult but it was the only way to explain why the batch avoided churches. But Hunter found it easier to confide in him when he had nightmares or when he was having a difficult day as the memories plagued his mind and stole his focus. They days his body no longer felt like him own and the touch of another human could only hurt him. Somehow the scomp helped.

  Having a daughter, Hunter feared that she would be hurt. But at least someone would be able to help her through it. Hopefully it never came to that. The clone couldn't be sure he wouldn't kill anyone who hurt her the way the church hurt him.

    It took so long for Hunter to feel safe in any church. For the first time, walking to Pabu's church (a common building ground) the man felt safe walking inside. He knew, for the first time in years, that no one inside of the church would hurt him. Healing takes time.

@whumpthemusical

June of Doom Day 5: Disfiguration

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Summary: Grover helps a half blood get into camp. However, now he must escape the monster chasing that had been chasing her.

Warnings: End of the Sea of Monsters spoilers (brief mention) and violence.

    Talking walks was one of Grover's favorite past times. Often he would end up down by Talia's pine tree. Even if she wasn't in it, the tree was still comforting.

    It was getting close to curfew. Percy had had a long day and wanted to head in for the night. Annabeth was reading. A walk seemed like a good way to relax before bed. Grover hadn't meant to end up at the pine tree; maybe it was the will of the Gods.

    The Satyr laid his back against the tree and just as he settled down he heard a panicked voice,"Help me!" The child yelled. Behind them was a hell hound running full speed to try and catch them.

    A half blood had found their way to camp on their own. Now they needed help. "Hold on!" Grover yelled. He ran out to them, grabbing them. "We have to get past that tree! Then we will be in camp's border!"

    "Okay!" The girl was maybe 15. She had long brown hair and tan skin. Her eyes were hard to see in the mostly dark environment. The girl was slightly shorter then Grover and had darker colored clothing on. Grover could see multiple scratches on her arms and could see where the hell hound had torn her legs up as well.

    As the two ran, the moster grabbed Grover by his shoulder. He screamed out in pain as the hound tossed him to the ground. The girl stopped to try and help him, but as the moster grew closer to her, Grover yelled for her to go. "I'll distract it!" He said. "Go!"

    The girl ran towards the tree. She stumbled but remained on her feet.

    "Hey!" Grover called to the monster. Looking around, he ran to grab a stick that wasn't to far from him. Throwing it, the stick hit the dog and it turned around. "Come get me!"

    The hell hound sprinted towards him. Grabbing another stick, Grover held it as he ran away from the monster. As the dog ran past him, he begradually threw it into the hounds eye. The creature howled as it turned to face the man.

    As the girl crossed into the barrier of Camp Half-Blood, the hell hound snarled. It barked as it ran, trying to grabbed Grover. As the animal grew closer, he jumped out of its way and started to run towards camp.

    The sun had set now. The horn had sounded to signal the end of the day and curfew. The wind blew gently. The weather felt so familiar, like a night seven years ago.

    Grover tripped; his hoof had hit a rock. The hell hound loomed over him. It put its  jaws around him, threatening to close around his ribs. Kicking the monster, the Satyr got free. As he started to run to where the half blood stood behind the border, the dog rammed into him, laying him flat on his back. Now under the hell hound, Grover yelled out to the new camper, "get help!"

    "Okay!" The child ran towards camp.

    Still under the hell hound, Grover tried to set himself free. During the struggle the hell hound's back leg landed on his own left leg. As the hound stepped down, Grover screamed. He heard his leg brake.

    Percy was just trying to go to bed. Laying on his bed, he finally realized the pain he had been experiencing wasn't just his body being sore from the day; it was his empathy link with Grover. His best friend was in trouble. Standing, he shoved his shoes on.

    Tears fell down Grover's face. The pain in his leg was severe. Trying to fight the monster off, he pulled the rock that had tripped him out of the ground. Slamming it into the hound's teeth. It wined and backed up.

    Percy flew over the hill with the new camper. He pulled his sword and ran right past the pine tree. "Grover!"

    "Percy!" Grover screamed, his voice breaking.

"Hold on!" Percy could tell he didn't have much time. He watched as Grover tried to stand. Immediately the Satyr was in pain. Trying to put pressure on his left leg was useless. The bones had been straightned. At least the Apollo cabin should be able to fix it. Grover fell right back to the ground. His scream sent fear into Percy.

Pulling his body away from the hell hound; that was now over being attacked by a rock, Grover looked between his best friend and the mister trying to end his life. As the dog closed in, Percy reached Grover. He sliced Riptide, his sword, though the hound. It disappeared into nothing.

Sobbing, Grover tried to stand. "No no no, you stay there. I'll carry you back." Gently, Percy picked up his best friend. Every time he placed some pressure on the leg, Grover would wince. As bad as Percy felt, he knew it was a necessity evil.

Reaching the border, Grover asked how the girl was. "She's okay." Percy answered. "Shaken up pretty good but okay."

Grover seemed to settle down a little knowing she was okay.

Inside camp, Percy took Grover to the infirmary and then went to wake up an Apollo kid.

Lee Fletcher, head of the Apollo cabin, walked into the infirmary with Percy. "Dear Gods." He whispered. His face looked grim as he walked over to the bed. Then he assed Grover's injuries and treated what he could.

After assessing his injuries, Lee explained what had happened. "Let's ease into this. You have a few scratches and some puncture wounds from where the hound tried to bite you. I can stitch those up and get them healed pretty quickly."

Walking away from a moment, Lee grabbed a diagram of satyr anatomy and continued to explain Grover's injuries.

"When the hell hound stepped on you, it shattered your Patella, or you knee." He pointed it out on the diagram. "The bottom of your Femur and the top of your Tibula also broke. You're Femur is broken in a few places, which is one of the reasons your leg is laying flat. Your Calcanerl Tuber is also broken as well as a few other bones in your body."

Still looking at the diagram, Lee sighed. "I don't know how you stayed awake. Pain like that tends to knock people out. Braking your Femur is one of the worst bones, to break."

"So, what now?" Percy asked.

"Will I be able to walk again? I need to be able to walk again."

"With your injuries, seeing as your leg will need to be reconstructed; a surgery no one here knows how to perform, I can't say for sure. You'll need extensive physical therapy even after the surgery. Unfortunately, it's unlikely you'll walk for a very long time. All of this is assuming the surgery would be able to fix your leg. I'm really sorry Grover."

"I need to walk." Grover cried. "How could I be a searcher if I can't walk? How can I find Pan? How can I protect my friends? Everything I do-" he broke out into sobs. Percy sat to the right of him and grabbed him into a hug.

"I'm sorry."

June of Doom Day 3: Ambushed

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: we're resting in a village before continuing with their mission, the batch faces an unforeseen event.

    "Thank you." Hunter told the Tagrutan lady as his squad entered her home. They had been in the woods near her village as night felt. While Tech tried to stabilize Crosshair's broken leg, the women and her wife had stumbled upon them. Then she invited them back to her home, offering to let them stay the night so that they could take care of Crosshair's injuries and rest.

    "Of course, anything to help out our troops."

    Walking into the living room, they found that one of their hosts had pulled out a pull out coach. There were light sheets on the mattress and a few small decorative pillows.

    "Stay still." Tech told Crosshair. "You have broken your Tibia, I need to stabilize it so you don't make it any worse."

    Crosshair just scowled. Tech instructed Wrecker to move their brother's leg into the mattress. The batches host brought them some water and bread. She handed them out to each clone before informing them that her and her wife would be heading to bed. "Wake us up if you need anything or before you leave."

    "We will." Hunter sat in one of the corners of the sofa bed and ate his bread. The soldiers talked about their next move and how to complete their mission.

    As Tech finished wrapping Crosshair's leg, Hunter spoke. "We have a long day ahead of us, get some rest."

    It was a few hours later when Hunter woke up. Tiredly, he went to find what was making the noise. Walking to the door of the house, he looked out the window. There seemed to be nothing there. However the rhythmic clanking of battle droids was the only thing Hunter could hear.

    It wouldn't be the first time that the man heard something that wasn't there.  Maybe he should wake up Tech to get his opinion. Walking back over to the living room, he gently shook Tech awake.

    "Do you hear that?"

    "What should I be hearing?"

    "Droids."

    "I do not hear any droids, however you hear better than in do. I think it best we check." Standing from the corner of the sofa be occupied, Tech grabbed his shoes and put them on. Falling his brother's lead, Hunter grabbed his shoes and put them on. Quickly, as he had done a million times before, he tried them.

    Standing back up, Hunter walked to the door. Tech stood beside it. They had never bothered taking off their armor, just in case they needed to leave quickly.

    The air outside was vastly different from the warth of the house. It was a chilly night, one where the cold air bit you. Tech made sure Hunter was okay with the quick temperature change. He was more sensitive to fast changes the environment. After his brother nodded, the two walked into the surrounding woods.

    The pine trees stood tall around them. The night sky was dark with stars littered across it. The clones walked towards the sound of the noise until they no longer heard the sound. It hadn't faded, just holited. Tech and Hunter looked at each other and they came to the same realization.

    They were surrounded.

    Hunter had been so sure that he was imagining things; so sure it was just his mind playing cruel jokes on him, that he hadn't thought to wake up Wrecker. Now they had to hold off an ambush on their own.

    Just as they thought, the droids revealed themselves as the two soldiers drew their blasters.  Ducking behind a tree, Hunter took out the droids that had landed on the clear side of the tree. The pleasant scent of the pine trees was taken over by the smell of oil and melted metal.

    Grabbing Tech, Hunter pulled him behind the tree. "Wrecker, come in."

    While waiting for a reply from their younger brother, they started to take out as many droids as they could. More droids just seemed to replace the others.

    As Tech leaned over the tree, he remembered the empty space from where the droids Hunter had taken out had stood. More than likely, others would take their place. Of course, he was correct. Shooting the one that was about to kill Hunter, he caught a bullet to his left shoulder blade. Hunter disposed of the droid before asking "are you okay?"

    "I was shot in the left scapula at an approximate distance of fifty feet" Tech hissed, "I am not okay."

    "Wrecker, now would be a good time!"

    Waking up, Wrecker looked down at his comm, then over to the empty corners of the sofa. Finally registering the panic in Hunter's voice, he answered.

    "What's going on?"

    "Droids. A lot of them. Tech's been shot but he's still conscious, just in pain."

    Already walking out the door, Wrecker asked "where are you?"

    "Just follow the sound of blaster fire." Hunter sighed. It shouldn't take long for Wrecker to find them. It had taken 20 minutes to get out as far as they had and they hadn't been running.

    "Okay. Be there soon." With that, Wrecker turned off his comm.

    With more droids coming from all sides, Tech tried to think of a plan. The pain in his shoulder seemed to be getting in the way of forming many coherent thoughts. They needed a plan, nothing would change that.

    Breathing began to be more complicated. Tech looked over at Hunter. "We need a plan."

    "You don't have one?" Hunter asked, shooting another few droids before turning to face him. Most of the time, it was almost impossible to tell what Tech was thinking based on his facial expression; however, currently all that Hunter could see was pain and fear.

    "No. It is getting very difficult to form cogent thoughts." His voice was shaking as tears had started to form in his eyes from the pain.

    "Okay." Shooting some more droids down, Hunter tried to put together a plan. While the batch came up with strategies together and Hunter worked on them often, it was sort of like a hobby for Tech. "We wait." Wrecker would be there soon.

    "Okay."

    Wrecker ran through the forest. Briers caught on his ankles and rocks stabbed into the bottom of his feet. The sound of blaster fire was getting closer and closer.

    As the droids closed in, Hunter looked over at Tech. "How much longer do you think we have?"

    Tech shot a droid on their side of the tree, "maybe five minutes. There is only so much we can do. I would" he hissed as he rose his left arm to shoot another  droid. "I would comm Wrecker."

    "Okay."

    The droids cornered them, forcing their backs as far into the tree as they could. The two brothers looked at each other. They had an understanding that they had done all they could. "I'm sorry." Hunter said.

    "It is not your fault."

    As they prepared for death, they heard a large amount of rustling in the bushes. Hunter sighed as he realized Wrecker had made it in time.

    "Raaahhhhhh!" Wrecker burst through the bushes he was around. Plowing through the droids, Wrecker grabbed his gun and started shooting them down. Hunter pulled Tech up and the two helped Wrecker dispose of the rest of the droids.

    "I wish you had arrived a moment earlier." Tech sighed, "however I am aware you likely did your best and I am solely talking out of pain."

    Gently, Wrecker picked up Tech and the brothers made their way back to the house. When they arrived, Tech informed Hunter of what to do for his shoulder.

Wrecker sat on the couch, pulling his feet onto the bed. "Wrecker" Hunter started, "where are your shoes?"

"I didn't put them on."

"Are you okay?"

Pulling a thorn out of the bottom of his foot, Wrecker said, "yep. I'm good."

"Okay." After finishing taking care of Tech's shoulder, Hunter walked over to Wrecker and bandaged his feet.

The sun would rise soon and the batch would have to continue on with their mission. It would be a success, even with the injuries that had proven to be a challenge for the batch.

Whump: The Musical Day 7: The Last Five Years (I will not lose because you can not win.")

Fandom: The Batch Batch

Warning: Cannon typical violence

Summary: When Hemlock invades Pabu, the batch has to fight for their lives as well as the lives of the citizens of the peaceful Island.

Ao3 link

  Today was supposed to be an ordinary day. When Hunter had woken up, he was dragged down to the beach by Omega and Deke. They wanted to show him that they had learned how to surf. Even if he wouldn't admit it, Hunter was proud of the clones for learning how to be children.

    Wrecker had forced Crosshair down to the beach as well. The warm sand and pleasant smell should help him to relax the man thought. So the three brothers sat on a red towel and started to talk. It wasn't much, but it was somewhere to start.

    Mox and Stak joined them shortly and started to work on a sand castle. Some clouds covered the sunny sky. But when Hunter looked up, they weren't clouds. Imperial vessels blocked the sun.

    This couldn't be happening. Pabu was supposed to be safe. It wasn't meant for invasions. So many of the people spent too long running just to have to up their whole lives again. Hunter looked back down.

    Looking at Crosshair, he spoke. "Get Omega and the boys to the ship. Be ready to leave. Call Echo and tell him we need help, immediately."

    In truth, Hunter knew why he chose Crosshair. With his hand, even if he hadn't told them yet, he knew that he'd be the one whose help they need the least. Now if he could still hit any mark, that could have been a different story.

    But there was more to that. Wrecker had a history with Pabu. He would protect it fiercely. The island was his home, the people were his family.

    As Deke rode a wave in, Hunter stood. The father ran out to two of his youngest that were in the water. "Go over to Crosshair" he told them. They nodded before Hunter went to Mox and Stak and pulled them up from the sand.

    "What's going on?" Mox asked. Nervousness was written all over his face.

    "The empire-"

    "We could tell" Stak interrupted.

    "Go with your siblings." It was the first time he had outright called their siblings to their faces. If it had been any other time, Hunter would have said more. For now, it would have to wait."

    As Hunter walked the other two over with the rest of the group, Omega started to talk. "We can help!"

    "I know, but it's you they want and the boys haven't finished their training. It's safer this way."

    "And someone needs to watch Cross." Wrecker tried to add some humor to the situation.

    Phee joined them on the beach, knowing that it was Clone Force 99 who had unfortunately brought the Empire to Pabu. Hunter walked over to her before she met the rest of the group. "Make sure Omega gets out of here. They want her and we wouldn't let her get taken again."

    "Okay." She looked past the Sargent, "come on kids, let's get you to safety!"

    Sighing, Crosshair grabbed Omega and picked her up. "Come on."

    "Put me down!" Omega fought Crosshair all the way up the beach.

    "Now what?" Wrecker asked.

    "We fight."

    At the Mauradur, Crosshair was quick to make the decision to leave. Batcher awoke from her nap and laid with Omega to help keep her calm. The boys mostly sat with her or talked to Crosshair as they left the atmosphere and headed to Coruscant to meet with Echo.

    As the days passed, the battle of Pabu seemed to be more and more helpless. Civilians were dying, some who had fought and some who had not.    

    When the bad batch had settled on Pabu, they taught Shep how to shoot. The mayor had agreed to ease their minds, never thinking he would need to use this new skill. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time. Lyana stayed near her father when she could. Mostly she was hidden with other children.

    When the invasion began, Hunter had suddenly become a Sargent again. It had been a long time since he played that role. Civilians who had fought in wars, civil or intergalactical, had taken up their old military rank. It was strange.

    The invasion had lasted days. Hemlock wouldn't give up until he found Omega, unaware she had been taken off world. Pabu was being torn apart, lives crumbled to the ground and while some knew why the empire had attacked, most didn't. For the people who did, they couldn't and wouldn't be mad at Clone Force 99 for trying to live peaceful lives and for trying to protect their daughter and little girl.

    It had been four days into the fighting when Hemlock showed his face. When Hunter met Hemlock for the second time, injured and tired, he knew meeting the scientist twice was three times too many.

    "Hello CT-9901, or should I say Hunter?" Hemlock spoke.

    Startled and out of breath, Hunter didn't answer. It had been so long since he heard his CT number, he had almost forgotten it. Still, he knew the malice behind it.

"This can all end, just give me the girl."

"Never." Hunter moved behind a counter. He sank to the floor for a moment.

"I figured as much. I truly am impressed that you are capable of forming such a bond with her. A parental role appears to come so easily to you."

The words made Hunter's skin crawl. Why would he be unable to form a bond with her? Omega was his daughter, nothing could change that. Was it because he was a clone? Was that why he was deemed unable to love a child, to have children he felt were his own?

"The safest option for your men and the civilians of this island, is to stop the fighting. You cannot win this battle, Sargent."

"I will not lose because you can not win."

Silents filled the room. They stood in a ruined kitchen. The checkered floors were stained with blood and glass. The cabinets had been torn open by both the empire and the citizens of Pabu. They needed food and they needed wood. The empire hadn't taken their time to bring out flame throwers to scorch the island and its people.

"You, won't win this." Hunter reinforced the idea. "You can't. I won't let you. " Pulling his knife from its sheath, he tried to find a clear shot at Hemlock.

The scientist couldn't win. In the end, he would round up every single citizen and kill them off. With Wrecker taking part in the fight, he needed his to be okay. With everything Tech had sacrificed to save them, they couldn't die here. Crosshair and his kids would be alone. It hurt knowing that Omega would blame herself for the slaughter of the people of Pabu. Echo would wish he arrived earlier and would blame himself for not being there to save them.

They needed saving. They couldn't do it alone. The Sargent only had one shot at killing Hemlock. Blood pooled under Hunter from his injuries. With broken ribs, multiple deep lacerations on his legs as well as his arms and one close to his neck, a few broken toes, and a large amount of bruising, the man was unsure how he had stayed alive this long. He could feel blood on the side of his face but he wasn't sure if it came from his left ear (since he couldn't hear from it) or from his head.

The vibro-knife shook in his hand. It almost felt foreign. Standing slowly, yet staying out of view, Hunter grabbed a piece of glass from behind the mahogany counter. Looking at it for a moment, he sighed. They couldn't afford to lose. Not anymore. Losing meant dying and for the first time in so long, Hunter had something to live for. His brothers and children and family he had made on Padu and his pets (Gonky included) all meant the world to him. No one else needed to die.

However, If he had to give all of that up to save them, to win the battle of Pabu, the battle for his family, he would.

Throwing the glass, Hunter hoped that it would distract Hemlock and his guards. When it did, the man stood fully and threw his knife. As soon as he saw it plunge deep into his skull, he felt a weight be lifted off of his chest. The weight was replaced with a bullet.

The tile cracked when he fell. There wasn't much Hunter could think about. The sound of ships overhead relieved Hunter. It had to be Echo. If not, the empire would take the island in a matter of hours.

Hunter's entire body hurt. The warm feeling of blood tangled with his hair. The glass had cut any exposed skin. The guards grabbed Hemlock's body and went to leave. Hunter listened to the footsteps as they faded. His mind was so foggy that evening and nothing made his sense. But Hemlock was dead. If that was Echo, which it had to be, Pabu would rebuild. The coppery smell of blood filled Hunter's nose.

Dying, Hunter tried to reach for his comm. Hitting it, the world started to fade. His hand rested on the communication device long enough for Echo to notice the soft noise of fire and gunshots that played over his headset. Then his hand slipped off the button and the comm channel went silent.

The man had never expected to wake up again. But when he saw a white roof, he knew something was different. Everything hurt too damn much for him to be dead. There was a steady, high pitched beeping that hurt his ears; or at least the one he could still hear out of.

Had they won? Was everyone safe? Where was his family, his kids?

"Hunter!" Omega yelled, answering one of his questions. "He's awake" she shook Echo awake.

"Hunter?" Echo grounded as he sat up. Then he pinched himself.

"You actually woke up." Crosshair stood up. "It's been a week."

"Leave him alone. He needed his beauty rest" Wrecker joked. The boys and Batcher sat in the corner of the room, still half asleep.

"Is everyone, okay?" Hunter finally said, struggling to speak.

"We're okay."

"Pa-Pabu."

"In shambles. We were about to leave to help with the rebuilding and attend a few funerals. We'll send you regards. They people were rooting for you." Echo told him.

"We're lucky you came in when you did. You saved us." Nudging Echo, Wrecker walked over to wake up the boys.

"Where-"

"Alderaan. Rex has some allies here. We couldn't help you on our own, the damage done to you, it was too extensive." Walking beside Hunter, Echo stood next to him.

"Dad!" Deke yelled, excited. He ran over to him and just about toppled Echo.

"You're actually alive" Stak added.

"Hey." Mox was the last to stand as he was trying to not disturb Batcher.

Hemlock's words about his parental instincts ran through Hunter's head. However, that didn't matter. He was their father. Just because he was a clone didn't mean he didn't form bonds with people he cared dearly for.

"We can stay for a little but Hunter needs to rest, we need to get back to Pabu." Walking to the door, Echo went to tell the nurses that Hunter had woken up.

Omega clung to Hunter's arm, determined to never let go. Crosshair and Wrecker sat at the end of the bed. Wrecker looked rough but that was to be expected.

"Tell me everything later" the Sargent whispered.

"We will." After a few hours, Echo decided it was time to go. Omega and Batcher stayed with Hunter while the rest left for Pabu. Knowing that Hemlock couldn't hurt her, made breathing just a little bit easier. So did knowing that most everyone he cared about was safe; though by now someone would have told him if Phee, Shep, or Lyana had died.

Everything would be okay. It had to be. Now that Hemlock was out of the way, maybe the batch could live a peaceful life. Even if Hunter knew they would end up in the fight, it was a nice thought. But the clone knew his place was fighting for peace. After all, if he wanted Omega and his boys to be safe, he needed to make a safer galaxy. And that was okay with him. If he needed to fight he would. For his children.

@whumpthemusical