Whump: The Musical Day 7: The Last Five Years (I Will Not Lose Because You Can Not Win.")

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

Febuwhump Master List!!

So I am so very late but oh well right? Anyway it was a lot of fun and I definitely look forward to next year! Febuwhump is one of my favorite Promt challenges!

Each fandom has a color which will be listed below! My favorites have a star beside them! All summaries/warnings are with the story!

Star Wars Rebels, EPIC the musical/the Odyssey, The Bad Batch, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Miraculous Ladybug,

Day 1: Helpless

Day 2: "I Love You" (Alt Prompt 2)

Day 3: "Bite Down on This"

Day 4: Obedience

Day 5: Last Words (Alt Prompt 7)

Day 6: "You Lied to Me."

Day 7: Suffering in Silence

Day 8: "Why Won't it Stop?"

Day 9: Bees

Day 10: Killing in Self Defense

Day 11: Time Loop

June of Doom Day 6: Broken Promise

Fandom: Star Wars The Bad Batch

Summary: Four times Hunter broke his promise to Crosshair about leaving Kamino.

    "When our training is over, I'll find a way to get us the hell away from here." Hunter sat with Crosshair. They were 15 years old. Well at least their bodies where. Their brother Tech was in the medical bay. Some regs had decided he was 'too different' and thought that starting a fight would resolve his 'problems'. He was barely breathing when Crosshair found him.

    "Where would we go?" Crosshair looked up at his brother. They say on the floor, Crosshair's back against the wall. His knees where pulled up into his chest.

    "I'll figure it out. I promise." Hunter put his hand on Crosshair's knee. "I promise."

    "Will Tech be okay? They really messed him up."

    "He'll be okay. We'll help him get though it."

    "When I find out who did this, it's over for them." Drying his eyes, Crosshair stood.

    "I know."

    "When the war is over, we'll get out of here. We will never come back to Kamino."

    "If we live to see the end of the war." Crosshair stood by his bunk. His tone was bitter as he spoke. He held his helmet under his right arm.

    "We will." Hunter sat on his bunk. Wrecker had come into the barracks, years in his eyes, after some regs made fun of his scar. They had started to come up on his blind spot and scare him. While the batch did the same thing, they did it out of love.

    "I need to get out of this place." Out of frustration, Crosshair threw his helmet to the ground.

    "I know. I promise, when the war is over, we'll leave." Hunter sighed and leaned against the wall of his bunk.

    "You said that before."

    "Cross, things changed. This is where we need to be."

    "After the war, you promise?"

    Standing, Hunter walked over to Crosshair's helmet and picked it up. Gently he handed it to him, "I promise."

    Now it was after the war. Hunter sat in the front of the Marauder. As they left Kamino, likely for the final time, Hunter looked at where Crosshair should be. However Crosshair was still on the planet. It was his choice to stay with the empire. It was his choice to stay on Kamino

Hunter understood why Crosshair hated kamino so much. It was always raining, cold, and if it wasn't raining, it was humid. The regs never acted like they were their brothers; their family. The Kaminons lacked the ability to see them as more then weapons. There was so much to hate about it; yet Hunter never did.

Crosshair was alone. Hunter had broken his promise to get him away from kamino. He hated it, but he had broken that promise over and over. Walking back to the bunks in the Marauder, the man sighed as he sat on his bunk. If he had a chance, he'd take his brother far away from the Empire.

Topica City was gone. The Empire had destroyed it. For once, it wasn't raining. Everyone was okay. Hunter stood on the landing platform that the batch had landed the Marauder on. He stared at Crosshair, trying to figure out what to say. Maybe he should remind him of their promise or how he could keep it this time.

Instead, Crosshair stayed on the platform. The batch left him there, on kamino. It was the empire that made Crosshair stay. His inhibitor had long been removed so he must believe in the cruel and corrupt system the Empire had built off the destruction of the Jedi and the Republic.

Some promises are meant to be broken. There was only so much that was in Hunter's control and staying on wasn't in it. It may have been his home but it was Crosshair's house.

Sitting in his bed, Hunter thought back to 15 years old Crosshair and teared up. He really did try to keep the promise of leaving kamino.

Day 5: Heathers (Reluctant Whumper)

Fandom: The Owl House

Summary: Hunter is sent to kill a wild witch. Even if he doesn't want to, he has to.

  Hunter had been told that obedient was the best thing he could be. It was the best way to help his dear uncle. It was as the titan had intended.

    He never questioned it. At least outwardly. Being sent to find wild witches was something Hunter had never minded. Missions to find titans blood or other mythical objects weren't rare and it didn't matter who got hurt or killed as long as he came back with what he was sent for.

    Even if he never found titans blood, he came back with most everything else. But this mission was different. When Belos had told him that his only job was to find a wild witch and kill her he opened his mouth to protest. 'Maybe she's not past redemption?' he thought.

    But he was obedient. He was like a loyal dog who ran back to their owner even after being kicked over and over. He was hurt over and over but he still ran to Belos. There was no one else he had to listen to, to guide him.

    So off he went. Killing was something he was uncomfortable with. Hunter had never taken a life. He never wanted to. But this was what he was needed for. It almost felt as if Belos was trying to get rid of him.

    But that couldn't be the case. All Hunter had ever done was what he was told or what was in the best interest of Belos. It wasn't easy.

    Hunter found the witches home. It was smaller but pretty. There was a window to crawl into so he walked to it. Placing his staff off to the side of the window, the boy crawled inside. He walked around until he heard laughter.

    It felt like his heart stopped. The witch had a friend over. He walked back out to the living area and stepped into the kitchen. Picking up a piece of fruit he reseated the situation.

    The truth was he could hurt her. It didn't matter what Belos wanted. Hunter couldn't do it. He had to return to say he hadn't found her or that he had failed to end her life.

    But how could he return empty handed. How did he walk into the castle knowing that he left instead of even trying? Could Belos know? What would happen if he found out?

    Hunter sighed as footsteps came from the hall. He hid behind a counter as he listened to two women talking. "I thought I heard something."

    The two women looked around the room until they found Hunter. "Golden guard." The target spoke. "Why are you here?"

    The boy just looked at her. She didn't look evil. Her shoulder length deep blue hair was half but up. Her clothes were nicely put together and so were her partners.

    But what now? He stood behind the counter with a knife. A knife he had barely realized he had in his hand. It had been given to him by Belos for the mission. "Routine checkup, I'll be going now." That was the best thing he could come up with.

    The witch knew better than to believe that. "Sasha, grab my plainsmen." The target said. Sasha nodded and ran out of the room.

    Whether Hunter liked it or not, it was time to fight. Running to the window, he was pulled back inside before he could grab his staff. "I know why you're here."

    "You do?"

    "I'm not stupid, you're here because I'm a wild witch. By the look of the knife, you're probably gonna kill me."

    Hunter tried to explain but the women didn't give him a chance. As Sasha thew her partner her plainsmen, the boy was thrown to the ground.

    With a plainsmen pointed at him, it became a matter of life and death. Hunter chose life. He didn't want to do it. Ever since he left the castle, he had been trying to find a way to avoid the bloodshed.

    The boy kicked the staff and grabbed his knife. He drove the knife into her chest and stepped away from the boy. Sasha screamed as she watched her lover fall to the ground. "May" she whispered as she moved over to her.

    The boy thought he might cry. Hunter figured he shouldn't stick around to kill her too. It didn't seem like a good idea to face Sasha, she was twice his size and even if he had fought people her size, he didn't feel like it today.

    While the college-aged women ran to her deceased partner's side, Hunter jumped out the window. Grabbing his staff, he ran off into the woods to report back to Belos.

    Avoiding Belos's wrath was good. The teen tried to focus on that. If he didn't, he'd have to deal with murdering someone. Why did he do everything he was told? Hunter followed every order, even if he didn't want to. It didn't seem fair. Maybe he should have just made May join a coven?

    None of that mattered now. It didn't matter that he hadn't wanted to kill May, he did. The pain that her grieving lover and her lizard like palisman must have felt was something he couldn't comprehend yet.

    Returning to the castle, Hunter informed Belos that he had completed his task. Once dismissed, he went to his room. There he laid on his bed. It would be a long night.

Whump: The Musical master list! Firstly I had a great time coming up with ideas for these prompts! This is truly a very unique challenge! I look forward to next year's! Hopefully I'll post everything in time and finish it!

To make finding stories you may like easier, I have color coronated everything. Summaries and notes/warnings are with the stories! I hope you enjoy them!!

Fandoms: The Bad Batch, Star Wars, The Owl House,

Day 1: Cats (Second Chance)

Day 2: Wicked ("No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.")

Day 3: Jesus Christ Superstar (betrayed)

Day 4: Les Misérables (Survivors Guilt)

Day 5: Heathers (Reluctant Whumper)

Day 6: Newsies (Chronic Pain)

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

Day 8: Day 8: Hades Town (Deals)

Day 9: Sweeney Todd (Razers)

Day 10: Rent ("Feels Too Damn Much Like Home.")

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

Whump: The Musical Day 10: Rent ("Feels Too Damn Much Like Home.")

Fandom: The Clone Wars

Summary: while on Geonosis, Anakin feels too close to home. He never did like sand.

Some part of Anakin Skywalker never stopped calling Tatooine home. Even though he lived at the Jedi temple  on Coruscant, he had grown up on that sandy planet. It would take four days to travel just to get there.

    So being in Geonosis was strange. The planet had the same hellish feeling as his home world. Memories of who he had tended to linger in his mind.

    It seemed like yesterday the boy was pod rasing and trying to distract himself from the horrible things that happened in the desert planet of Tatooine. The nine year old would try to reassure his mother that he was okay, that the fights and spice dealing never bothered him.

    In truth it had. How could people be so ready to kill each other, he would wonder. While now he understood the willingness to kill now, the little boy he had been hadn't gotten there yet.

    Other than with Waldo, the stupid, slimy man who had kept him and his mother enslaved. Even when he was younger, if Anakin could have killed him, he would have. Maybe then his mother wouldn't be dead.

    Most of the time, when Anakin thought about his mother's death, he blamed himself. That did change.

    The sand that moved under the Jedi's feet, always made him think of home. It was never pleasant, but he would go where he was needed. The council would still ask from time to time, mindful of his trauma, if he was sure about taking the missions. Every time he would say yes.

    The sun's heat beat down on Anakin and Obi-wan. Another thing that bothered him. With his tolerance of the heat, Anakin never thought that it made sense for it to bother him so much. Maybe it wasn't the heat, but instead the memories.

    "You seem distracted" Obi-wan told him. The two walked side by side. At first Anakin didn't say anything. So Kenobi continued, "are you okay?"

    "Feels too damn much like home" Anakin scowled. "The sand and the heat, they just remind me of Tatooine."

    Thinking about what to say in response, Obi-wan nodded. "If you need anything-"

    "I'm fine" Anakin interrupted. Again, the older Jedi nodded.

    Anakin wasn't sure if he was actually okay. Still, what else was he going to say. 'Reminds me of my dead mother, of the first nine years of my life when I was a slave who had to win his freedom by winning a pod race?' Yeah he didn't think so. The sand kept moving under his feet and he knew that it would be everywhere later.

    Still, he couldn't afford to let his disdain of sand get in his way. The man has a mission to accomplish, a bunch of tiny rocks would not stop him. So, with the memories of his old home clouding his head, the two Jedi moved forward.

                          ………………

    After the mission, Anakin sat in his bed. He tossed his shoes off of his feet and ignored the sand that fell onto his floor. The thoughts of his mother's death always made him angry and unpredictable. Obi-wan knew this. It felt like his last master had been watching him excessively. It wasn't like he couldn't control it, at least that's what he liked to think.

    While the mission was a success, Anakin had no real sense of accomplishment. It was the same feeling he would get back in Tatooine. Laying down, the man tried not to think about it. No good would come from it. Hopefully he would get a break from the sand.