Hello all! Welcome to the third official installment of Adventures of an Idiot (was supposed to be posted to days ago but I forgot lol)! It's been a RIDE to get here, huh? Never thought OtR would take as long as it did, but then again it started out as 7 chapters. Somehow it turned into 66 chapters and during its run even got #19 in the OCs tag on Wattpad out of like 61k! I don't see this story getting near that high, especially because this won't be a weekly upload. Instead, it's just monthly. The next chapter will be out in August (or today if you're a patron, they see content a month in advance).

This story will have very little "wider series relevance" as far as the greater Star Wars galaxy goes. Some character development on both ends, but this is mainly gonna be a self indulgent fic. Which means there is a LOT of smut planned. No more teasing fluff either, I'm talking true, explicit filth. As such, those under 18 better stay tf away. This ain't for you! It's for me. And my adult readers, but mainly for me. Get ready for shenanigans, smut, and chaos!

Likes, comments, saves, and shares are very much appreciated! Especially shares!

Now.

Get up...

Now!

Hunter glared at the top of his bunk as if the durasteel plating was to blame for him still being in bed.

And... now!

Nothing.

Karkin'...

His leg twitched.

Well, better than nothing.

The sergeant's head rolled to the side and he glanced across the narrow aisle. Wrecker still slumbered on, one arm hanging off his bunk and his snores loud enough to wake a damn bantha. Yet, somehow, not loud enough to wake the pair in the bunk above him. Crosshair rested on his back, same as Hunter, while Shadow slept sprawled across his chest, tail half jammed against the corner of the bunk and curling over to nearly brush Crosshair's foot.

Which was odd, considering Shadow had gone to sleep in that human form. Omega form, was it? This was that other form, the one where they had furry lower legs, a tail, and those furry ears.

Hunter quickly realized their form was not the only change. Propping himself on one elbow to get a better look, Hunter rubbed his eyes in shock.

What had been medium purple hair that reached the Realm Walker's shoulders was now incredibly short and blue of all things. Even Crosshair had longer hair than them now, excluding his shaved undersides. When did that even happen? He swore Shadow's hair had been purple and shoulder length before they all went to bed!

Guess the continuity is "on the fritz again" as Shadow would say.

It was certainly going to take some getting used to for all these weird things that happened around Shadow. Hunter supposed after their five day trek over the river and through the woods he should have been accustomed to the oddities that came with having a Realm Walker around, especially when it came to their hair which had already changed once before. However, accepting the fact that he, his squad, and everyone else they'd ever known were technically fictional characters in another universe?

Not easy.

A clang from the main compartment caught Hunter's attention and he frowned at the door. Guess that answered where Tech was.

He better not be tearing up a panel for repairs while in hyperspace again.

The engineer really got the most destructive ideas at the worst of times. Probably a side effect of his mutation, which alternated between just keeping Tech alive and turning him into a human supercomputer. All or nothing, that was the game with him. And no force in the galaxy, nor circuit in the ship, was safe if the engineer got bored.

Hunter, and the Havoc Marauder, found that out the hard way.

With a hefty sigh followed by a disgruntled growl, Hunter swung his legs around and silently jumped to the floor. Clenching his teeth as the frigid metal floor burned his feet and sent shockwaves up his legs, Hunter barely withheld a curse as he yanked his socks off the foot of his bunk and slipped them on.

Thank the stars Shadow didn't see that awkward hopping.

The Realm Walker would never let him hear the end of it. Especially since playful ribbing seemed to be their chief love language.

Stepping into the main compartment and closing the door behind him, Hunter was pleasantly surprised to find Tech not tearing up panels as he sat on the floor. Instead, the youngest member of the squad sat on the floor, hunched over a datapad and surrounded by sheets of flimsi.

No, not quite the youngest member anymore. Shadow now held that spot.

Or did they? Hunter could have sworn the Realm Walker looked slightly older now than when he first met them. Closer to Crosshair and Wrecker rather than Tech. Whether that was a side effect of the realm walk, or just his tired brain, he had no idea.

He squinted at Tech as the man frantically typed away on his datapad. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you?" Tech replied without so much as a glance up.

Passing Crosshair's Night Hunter, which hopped threateningly around one of Tech's various marbles with its forelimbs raised, Hunter crouched beside the engineer. "Hyperfixation strike?" he asked, peering at the walls of text on the datapad.

How could Tech even read that small? No wonder his eyes were karked.

"Partially," Tech chirped. "I am drafting a list of questions to ask Shadow about their galaxy while you, Wrecker, and Crosshair go into the market to gather supplies."

"Now hold on, who said us three were-"

"It is only logical that Shadow remain here due to their anxiety, and logical that I remain here to run diagnostics and also record Shadow's responses," Tech said with a shrug. "I have determined the primary questions that will give the most pertinent information for the next leg of our mission."

Hunter blinked. "Did you even sleep?"

"Yes!" Tech looked up at him. "We dropped out of hyperspace two hours ago."

Hunter's eyes flew wide as his jaw dropped. "Two hours ago?"

"Standard hours, yes. To be precise, two hours and seventeen minutes ago."

"Why didn't you wake us up?" Hunter demanded.

"Because of Shadow." Tech went back to typing. "They need the rest. Were I to wake you, Wrecker would soon awaken too. And Shadow would be woken up."

Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but-"

"You know I am right. While we are acclimated to very brief rest intervals, Shadow is not. They need their rest, especially to lead us through the uncharted portions of the galaxy."

Hunter sighed, surrendering to Tech's logic. "Guess you have a point."

"Of course I do. Did you see their hair?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

"Fascinating change, really. But a practical one. It will be far easier to maintain." He ran his fingers through his own hair. "I may get mine cut as well."

Hunter had zero plans to mess with his own dark locks.

Tech typed another question, and when Hunter squinted at the datapad he caught the word "gods" before Tech scrolled up to start a new page.

"Gods?" he asked.

"Yes," Tech replied. "Based on what we saw of the god Maxolyn, Max as Shadow calls him, they have far more sway over events here, and play a larger role than any deities within our universe."

"Don't remind me," Hunter grumbled.

Max hadn't been an enemy, per se, but his status as ally was questionable at best. The same went for Trevor. Both men had helped them along on their journey, yes, but also gave them zero warnings about the utter hell that was unleashed the night after the Vault.

A heads up would have been nice.

At least they were past that now, even if that night had left scars on all of them. Mentally and physically...

Really really hope that's not another one of that Realm Walker's premonition nightmares.

He would never take a blade to Shadow. Not like that.

"At any rate," Tech replied with a shrug. "This universe will certainly be an amazing research opportunity. There's only one problem."

"What?" Hunter asked, damn near desperate to get his mind off the implications of that twisted nightmare of Shadow's.

Tech looked up at him. "We have no idea how to access the coordinates in Shadow's brain."

"Well," Hunter said, standing and looking back at the sleeping compartment doors. "Guess we're gonna find out today."