Hey hey, back with another chapter! This time, I'm finally bringing in some more well known characters into my fics! With questionable success? I rarely write with Cody or Obi, so this is new territory for me, but hope you enjoy nevertheless!
And hope you enjoy the little set up for Fallen Not Forgotten :D
Also, the next chapter for this wont be until January 14th (January 7th for Patrons) because to avoid stressing my OtR readers out too much, Trust Shattered Part 1, 2, and 3 will be posted on consecutive weeks since all chapters end on cliffhangers :)
CW: None I don't think!
He'd been curious about this 'Shadow' ever since he'd first heard they were able to keep up with the elite yet unorthodox squadron CF99 and cared for them enough to brave the line of fire.
Not many civvies would have been able to manage that.
But, from what he heard, they were no ordinary civvie.
Realm Walker.
Supposedly the stuff of legends, Realm Walkers were immensely powerful and could rival an army all on their own. The moment a Realm Walker entered a universe, it split from the normal timeline.
Or so the stories went.
This Realm Walker in particular, if they were one, seemed pretty powerful; shapeshifting, earth control, telekinesis, and multiple years of hand to hand combat training plus an advanced healing rate to keep themselves together while they ran headfirst into danger with the Batch.
While he remained doubtful about the validity of the Realm Walker status, seeing them in person could give him the proof he needed.
Hopefully they wouldn't hide in the vents like they usually did whenever he contacted the squad. As powerful as they were, they sure liked to make themselves scarce whenever he called.
Did they know something about him that provoked that response?
Know that some horrible fate awaited him?
He hoped it was just nerves borne from his rank, rather than some knowledge they possessed about his future.
"I hope your visit goes well, Cody," General Kenobi said, walking alongside him to the ship.
"Thank you, General," Commander Cody replied with a nod. "I'll be back in two rotations, this should be brief."
"This commando squadron. What did you say their name was?"
"Clone Force 99, sir, though they call themselves the Bad Batch. They were engineered to have desirable mutations."
General Kenobi hummed thoughtfully. "Intriguing. The Kaminoans never mentioned this to me when I visited."
No small wonder. The longnecks hated anything less than perfection and while the Batchers were highly skilled combatants, their mutations were not without drawbacks.
Commander Cody remembered fighting tooth and nail just to get them cleared for field duty.
"Believe they kept it under wraps until they were certain the survivors would be viable."
General Kenobi looked at him sharply. "Survivors?"
Of course. Kenobi wouldn't know how the Kaminoans treated them like lab rats, meant to be poked and prodded then cast off if they didn't meet the standard. Commander Cody couldn't hold the lack of knowledge against his dear friend, but there was a seed of tired resentment all the same.
"Yes, sir. The unit is a patchwork of other experimental ones. Only two are from the same batch," Commander Cody said.
A concerned frown furrowed his Jedi's brow. "I see," he said softly. "What are their mutations?"
"Heightened senses, super strength, advanced eyesight, and accelerated cognitive abilities are the official ones," Commander Cody listed. "This squad got help from a mountain guide on an outer rim planet to deal with the rebellion on Tresed, only to find out that the government lied to us and was the one enslaving the population."
"Oh, yes, I remember," General Kenobi said. "Unfortunate that we did not catch that sooner, but at least it was resolved in favor of peace. The mountain guide remained with them after the mission, correct?"
Commander Cody nodded as they approached the ship. "Yes sir. Shadow. They are highly effective on the battlefield, or so the boys tell me. I'm inclined to believe it, however. Shapeshifting and elemental control of earth are powers of theirs, as well as non-Force based telekinesis." He left out the Realm Walker information. "I hope to meet and speak with them one on one." He gave a dry laugh. "If they don't hide from me."
"Hide from you?" General Kenobi asked, a slight laugh to his words as well.
"They are… nervous around authority figures," Commander Cody said. "Whenever I contact the squad, Shadow makes themselves scarce. Only seen 'em a few times, and only when the others were nearby. Never spoken to them directly, but I hope to this time."
General Kenobi stroked his beard. "What species are they? I cannot think of any that have the powers you mentioned other than the fighters from Tresed, but they did not have telekinesis."
"Shadow is a member of that species, Alphians, but they have another species in them as well that grants telekinetic abilities."
"I am glad, then, that they fight alongside us rather than against us," General Kenobi commented. "Those Alphians seem powerful, at least from what I saw from the Tresed footage. Pity they all vanished and refused to fight in the war. Aside from Shadow it seems." He paused, thinking something over, before continuing, "They could prove invaluable to the war effort if we could meet with them. Do you think you could convince Shadow to speak to the Council?"
Unlikely.
"I can try, sir. The sergeant tells me Shadow is rather unpredictable and isn't concerned with the greater war, just their squad, so convincing 'em to step into the larger fight may be hard."
And leaving the squad is completely out of the question for them.
"Does Shadow listen to the sergeant?"
Commander Cody recalled Sergeant Hunter's words. "When they want to."
Another chuckle from General Kenobi. "Very well, Cody. If you can't convince them on this visit, try again later. As long as they're on our side, that is what matters."
Commander Cody dipped his head to his Jedi. "Will do, sir. I'll contact you when I'm on my way back."
"Please do," General Kenobi said. "I believe our scouts have discovered a new hyperspace route. I have heard the name Nexus Route floating around the Temple, but we should have more information when you return."
Commander Cody nodded. "Understood, General. I'll be back as soon as I can."
General Kenobi rested a hand on his shoulder. "May the Force be with you."
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Chwoosh.
I stared at the blue and green marbled planet as we dropped out of hyperspace. Scene after scene from the Phantom Menace flickering through my mind, primarily all the memes. So many memes.
For all the hate the prequels got, they were a gold mine.
"Woah… so this is where it all started, huh?" I murmured.
"Technically the war officially began with the assault on Geonosis," Tech corrected with a raised finger as he piloted us down. "But yes. The Clone Wars had its earlier beginnings here with the blockade from the Trade Federation."
Crosshair, sitting beside me adjusting Nothing's harness, rolled his eyes.
"I saw that," Tech retorted.
"Were meant to."
"Fellas," Hunter warned, Dad-voice activated.
I laughed softly before turning my attention back to Naboo as we descended to the planet.
"Oh, you're gonna love it here, Squeaky!" Wrecker said with a large grin, hugging me from behind.
Curling my tail around his leg, I rubbed his arms. "Think you're right, Scruffy!"
"Course I'm right!" he laughed, picking me up.
"You aren't supposed to be lifting anything," Hunter growled at him, pointing to the bacta bandages wrapped around the demolition expert's recently shaved head.
"You're just jealous you can't pick up Squeaky," Wrecker snorted.
"Can if I wanted."
"You better not, Shaggy," I warned. "Rebreak your arm and you will be in a galaxy of trouble."
Hunter pouted, then glared at Crosshair as the sniper snickered. "Something to say, Crosshair?"
"You're so whipped."
"Rich comin' from you."
"Pot callin' the kettle black, you're both hopeless," I snorted, stifling a laugh as both men responded with an offended "Hey!"
Wriggling out of Wrecker's grip, I leaned on the console and stared out the large windows with wonder and amazement as we passed through the clouds. Eyes flying wide as we broke through, I gazed at the vast swaths of dense forests and winding rivers beneath us.
"Pretty?" Hunter asked, leaning on me.
"Not as pretty as Kelusia, but still stunnin'," I replied.
"Sure you aren't biased with Kelusia?" he teased, elbowing me.
"Hush your tatted face, Shaggy," I retorted, glaring goodnaturedly at him.
Rearing up to look out of the window, Nothing chattered excitedly.
"Trees! Bugs! Hunt time!"
"What are they sayin'?" Crosshair asked, looking down at the Night Hunter as they turned in eager circles. Bigger now, the insectoid-reptilian hybrid now nearly reached Crosshair's knee.
"Tree, bug, hunt," I translated.
The sniper hummed as he looked down at them. "Shebe," he ordered, pointing at the floor.
Nothing chittered unhappily but sat down.
"Any particular reason for commands in Mando'a?" I asked.
"Harder for the enemy to order them."
I shrugged. "Not like they listen to anyone other than you anyways."
"Good," Crosshair said smugly, patting Nothing on the head while being mindful of the Anglerfish-like antenna.
"Landing shortly," Tech announced, banking to an unassuming cliff.
I tilted my head as I grabbed the chair to stay upright. Take it easy, Tokyo Drift. "Hidden hanger?" I asked, raising my voice to be heard over Nothing's agitated chittering as they slid across the cockpit.
Tech pushed a button, revealing a false wall that slid open to reveal a secret hanger. "Correct," he replied with that sly smile, guiding us in and shutting the door behind us.
"Wow, bigger on the inside," I said, looking around the hangar as we touched down. "Could probably fit a small fighter or two in here as well."
"Cody takes the second spot," Hunter said.
Oh… right. Codester. Was gonna meet him this time. Joy.
"You'll be fine, Icy," Hunter said, eyeing my twitching ears and bristling tail.
"You better be right," I grumbled, heading to the living space to grab my Tardis bag.
"When am I not?" he called after me.
"Crosshair's got an alphabetized list," I replied, snickering at the "You what?" that followed.
A few minutes later we were halfway down the underground tunnel that led away from the secret hanger, Nothing eagerly scuttling ahead. Well, all of us except for Tech who stayed behind to make sure the ship was in top shape. He claimed it was going to be a quick diagnostic, so I didn't expect to see him for an hour or two.
"How'd you swing a cabin for leave time?" I asked, eyeing the cobwebs and fine layer of dust in the corridor.
Didn't look like anyone had been through here for a few weeks at the very least.
"On one of our earlier missions we helped a civvie out," Hunter explained. "She was pretty grateful and gave it to us."
"She?" I asked, unable to hide the way the information rubbed me the wrong way.
Damn abandonment and self esteem issues…
Hunter wrapped his good arm around my shoulders and squeezed, pulling me close to his side. "Don't worry, Shadow. Not tradin' you for anythin'."
"Like you'd find someone better than me anyway," I snorted, elbowing him.
"You're irreplaceable, Squeak!" Wrecker agreed, nudging me from behind.
"Thanks, guys. Love y'all too," I said, smiling.
Crosshair didn't make a comment, but he gripped my hand as we continued down the hallway.
I held tighter. Well… at least if I was never anyone's first option in my own timeline…
At least I was someone's first and only option here.
And that was good enough for me.
Special thanks to Patrons Jesse and Lil! 3