Truth In Your Depths

Complications with a mission lead to rescues and admissions between Hunter and K'Laur (OC). Star Wars and The Bad Batch are owned by Disney! Please R&R!

79's as usual was slammed. Troopers from different companies and shinnies filling every table and booth, drinking to their content and flirting with anyone who would give them the opportunity. You were sandwiched between Cody and Tech at a booth towards the back, a Trillialian sunrise in your right hand as Cody's left arm rested around your lower back. Hunter and Crosshair sat across from you, while Wrecker had pulled up an empty chair to occupy the end of the table.

Cody's arm tightened around you as he locked eyes with Hunter. "Can't think you enough for looking after my girl, Sargent."

Your eyes locked with Hunter's from across the table, a genuine smile spreading across his face as his attention moved back to Cody. "Of course, Commander, it was my pleasure."

As the conversation moved to details of the mission, your mind drifted back to the fall you had taken, the pain that had shot through your left arm and the moments after that had changed your perception on…everything…

Twelve hours before…

Cody's 212 had been called to Utapau. As his partner of over a year, you were permitted to accompany his battalion on mission and into battle. Obi-Wan had taken the argument to the Jedi console himself not long after you appeared on the scene during a battle on Geonosis. Defending your actions in his own words as "I've known K'Laur and her family for a long time and whether we permit her to or not, I can assure you she will find her way into any battle she deems worthy. As she is Mandalorian, it would be of greater benefit to the console to be aware of her contributions than not."

The mission was simple enough; to find and shut down a separatist base as well as collect and decrypt any data. Since the base was suspected to be located in a densely overgrown forest regain of the planet, and there were no holomaps available, he had called in extra help of a new squad. Clone Force 99 was fairly new to the war but had proven their skills were an irreplaceable asset beside the 212 on several missions before.

With Tech's scans and Hunter's talents the battalion had managed to locate and infiltrate the base hidden in the side of a mountain within two hours. Gaining control of the facility came down to a fire fight and Tech's quick decommissioning of their long-range comms. Cody wasted no time assigning tasks including directing Hunter and yourself to be lookouts as Dean and Tech complete the data extraction.

Standing next to each other in the doorway, Hunter removed his helmet and called over his shoulder. "How's it coming Tech?"

Looking into the room, you could each Tech and Dean each plugged into their own terminals, their attention never abandoning their tasks as Tech's answered the question. "We are making progress; we should have the necessary date momentarily."

As Hunter's gaze met your own still hidden by your visor you removed your helmet, tossing loose brown sweeping bangs from your face. "That tired of me already, Sargent?"

Hunter laughed, his brown eyes shining as his usually stoic expression softened for a moment. "Never of you, K'Laur."

In the few months that Clone Force 99 or the Bad Batch as they preferred to be called had been active, you had serviced alongside them with Cody on nearly a dozen missions. It had taken time, but eventually their Sargent's shell had begun to crack under your persistent efforts. Hunter was becoming an incredible leader, strong and fearless, but also determined and logical. You had come to respect and admire him greatly.

You watched as his attention, not for the first time since climbing the mountain, turned inward, focusing his senses. "What is it?"

His gaze met yours, his brow drew tight with concentration. "There's so much electromagnetic current running throughout this mountain, it's difficult to read clearly. I'm sure there's water somewhere beneath us as well."

Dean paused in his work, his attention on Hunter. "How could you possibly know that?"

Tech's momentum never seized but he answered none the less. "Hunter's senses have been enhanced, leading to his ability to track electromagnetic frequencies among other things. He is never wrong."

Hunter shot Dean a 'you done yet' look and the trooper returned to his work as Crosshair raspy voice filled the comms. "Commander Cody, we might want to speed this up, there are separatist ships in bound."

Tech and Dean unplugged at that moment as Cody answered. "Progress?"

You answer him, having already slid your helmet back on. "Mission complete Commander, we'll meet you at the rendezvous."

"Copy that."

Tech's earlier scans of the mountain had provided your escape plan. While Cody and most of the men had remained on the northern end of the compound, the data panels were housed in the most southern end, furthest from any dock level entry point. The scans, however, revealed a system of tunnels leading to the base of the mountain and a clear path to where the mission had found its start. It was determined that your team retrieve the data and then exit through the tunnels, and rendezvous at the ship.

Nearing the end of the manufactured hallway that became the natural mountain tunnel Hunter turned to face the three of you. "I'll take the lead, Tech and Dean in the middle and K'Laur cover our six."

Nodding your consent, you watched as Hunter entered the tunnel followed by Tech and Dean. Using caution, he led you through the tunnel at an even pace, taking note of the slickness of the stone floor beneath all your feet. This continued for several minutes with Tech calling out directions from his scans until the mountain shook, nearly knocking everyone off balance as you slipped and slid.

Dean sighed. "Guess that means they found us."

Tech nodded, his focus never leaving his data pad as he tapped into the active comm channel. The confined space filled with the familiar sound of active battle; Cody, Crosshair, and Wrecker's voices coming through among the masses has they called out orders and details. Tech held his data rod in front of him. "Hunter, this data will be unvaluable to the Republic. If we can reach the ship, I should be able to upload it directly to the Jedi temple."

Hunter lifted his blaster, his attention on you through his visor. "Let's move then."

You all took off after Hunter, doing all you could to match his pace and the footing of who was next ahead. Only a moment into the trek, the mountain shook again, causing everyone to halt and catch their balance. Hunter had just turned to you as the ground beneath Tech began to crack.

"Move!" Hunter's yelled as he grabbed hold of Tech and Dean by the forearm, pulling both of them clear as the ground shifted and dipped.

Having heeded Hunter's warning, you leapt backwards into a back handspring, landing knelt on one knee at least five feet from your previous position. "Smiling at them though your visor, you sighed. "That was clo…" The ground collapsed beneath you, opening wide as you fell. "…Ahh!"

"K'Laur!" Hunter's voice rang out, his flashlight shining down into a well of darkness. Without hesitation he retrieved his gavel and began to secure it to an open rockface before turning to Tech. "I'll get K'Laur, you two get that data onto the ship."

Tech had already been hard at work on his data pad and did not look up. "It is unlikely that you will be able to retrieve K'Laur alone. You do not know how deep this cassum goes, or what condition K'Laur will be in should you find her."

Dean shifted to keep his footing as the ground shook again. "He's right, Sargent."

Hunter turned, position to begin his descent and meet Tech gaze finally. "I'm not leaving her. Go Tech, that's an order."

As Tech and Dean continued down the path, Hunter touched the comm switch on the side of his helmet and started his climb. "Commander?"

It only took a few seconds to hear Cody's reply. "Hunter, what's your status?"

Even with his flashlight secured to his holster, Hunter could see nothing but endless darkness beneath him. "A cassum opened inside the mountain, K'Laur fell, I'm going to retrieve her; I ordered Tech and Dean to continue on."

He could hear the change in Cody's voice. "Do you have a visual?"

Hunter's stomach dropped. "Negative. I've secured a line and am in the process of my descent…I'll find her Cody."

An explosion came through the comm but did not shake the mountain, though Hunter felt a slight vibration as Cody's voice filled his ears. "We'll look to extract you as soon as this is wrapped up."

Hunter had moved about twenty feet down, static hummed in his ears indicating a weakened connection. "I'm leaving my comm embedded in the rockface, it should give you a place to start." Removing the spare comm from his side, he wedged into the wall, making sure it would remain after he had moved on.

Beneath him, Hunter saw that only two feet of surface remained before open air lead down to what he calculated as twenty feet into darkened water. Raising his flashlight, he moved down to the last of the foothold and surveyed the pool. Down from his position by a ways was K'Laur, barely resting her upper body above the water, her helmet drifting a distance to her left. "K'Laur!"

When you didn't respond, Hunter dropped from his line without hesitation, falling into the pool. He managed to fall into the deepest part of the pool, though it was only about fifteen feet deep and two feet wide. Surfacing, he could see that from there the pool quickly swallowed, and he wasted no time in reaching your side. "K'Laur."

Your back was to him, and after determining that you had not sustained an injury to your neck, he discarded his helmet and turned you over in his arms. You groan as your left arm is pulled against him. "Ouch."

Hunter sighed stressed laugh and repositioned her arm as he raised your body to sit against him in the cool water, supporting you. "I thought I'd lost you."

You try to laugh but can only groan as you become aware of your bruised and most likely torn shoulder. Your fall had not been as graceful as Hunter's, hitting the water with your left side. "Not that easy, Sarg."

He sighs again, repositioning his flashlight from his side to the barely six inches of outcrop from this pool, supplying you with light in this darkened chamber. "How badly are you hurt, besides this shoulder?" His hand ghosting over the enflamed flesh.

You shake your head slightly, regretting the action as your head swims and you roll your head back onto his shoulder with a shiver. "Headache, disorientation…and I'm freezing in this pool."

For the first time, he realizes the temperature in the pool is falling, mostly likely with the outward temperature of the mountain as the day ends. His eyes survey the space, sealed by rock walls and no light beyond the flashlight sitting behind you and no other dry ground. With no way to remove you from the water, Hunter shifts bringing you flush with his body, his arms wrapping protectively around your waist. "Just hang on a little while longer. Cody will be here; he'll get you out and then we'll get you fixed up."

You shiver and try to huddle closer to his heat. A twist changes your position so that you're now sitting in his lap sideways, your right side to his front and your head cradled against his neck. "So tired."

His panic is clear. "K'Laur, you have to stay with me! Tell me something, something even Cody doesn't know." You're silent in his arms, so he shifts you. "K'Laur!"

"Not my name."

"What?" Hunter looks down at you now resting against his chest plate in bewilderment.

You sigh, eyes lifting open but unfocused, blue-green pools staring into nothing. "My name."

Hunter holds you tighter, afraid that the fall and temperature may be affecting your mind. "Cody knows your name. Even I know K'Laur is short for Krystine Laural."

You nod, shifting but not quiet meeting his gaze as you shiver. "But he doesn't know where it came from. My grandfather named me after his favorite stone, a krystine lake stone."

Hunter felt you shiver again and began to rub his hand up and down you back, hoping to generate some heat. "I've seen one, it's beautiful."

"Hmm, he said my eyes were the same color, so he named me for it." You can hear his heartbeat through his armor, it's soothing and you begin to drift off.

"Krystine!" He shifts you against him again. "You have to stay awake."

You sigh. "I'm trying…" Your eyes meet, and you can see the stress Hunter is under, trying to keep you alive. "…you're turn."

"What?"

You smile. "Tell me something Cody doesn't know."

He smiles. "Crosshair has a crush on you."

You huff. "That's not a secret, everybody knows." Raising your hand, through the protest in your shoulder, you poke him in the chest plate. "Try again."

He sighs and you can see the conflict in his honey brown eyes before he closes them and turns his face away from you. "He's not the only one."

His answer pulls at something deep inside of you, and you sit up to be able to look at him directly. He's still turned away, so you tip his attention back to you with your right-hand fingers on his chin, heart racing. "Hunter?"

His brown eyes meet yours and you have little doubt he can hear the way your heart is pounding. "I'm sorry K, that wans't fair…"

You shake your head as another shiver runs through you and allow your hand to drop. "Nothing to be sorry for. I've suspected for awhile now…and I heard what you said just a few moments ago."

He nods. "I said 'I lost you' not 'we' didn't I?"

"Yes."

As another shiver ripples though you, he pulls you close again. "Tell me something else."

You sigh, knowing there's almost no coming back from this conversation. "I enjoy working with your squad more than anyone else, even the 212."

Hunter laughs. "Because we break the rules or because Crosshair allows you shoot his riffle?"

You shrug. "Maybe a little of both. Your turn."

He shivers, his arms tightening. "I wish I had met you first, but…"

"But…"

"…Cody is my brother, commander, and friend."

Your heart plumets, he's doing the right thing, the honorable thing; but still hurts. You nod. "And I would never want to hurt him, or you."

Hunter smiles sadly. "I know, me either."

A boom echoes around you and the water ripples, causing both of you to sit straighter. "That'll be our rescue." You admit, though your gut feels like it's sunk to the bottom of this pool.

Hunter nods, motioning straight ahead, where the wall is beginning to crumble. "He'll be here any moment."

You return his nod and allow Hunter to assist you in standing. He retrieves both helmets and offers you his arm as you make your way across the knee-deep water and shiver again. Another explosion causes a hole the side of Wrecker in the wall and the forementioned trooper smiles at you before calling over his shoulder. "We've got'em, boss!"

"K'Laur, K'Luar?"

79's…

Cody's concerned voice pulled you back to the present, and a table full of worried expressions. You smile at him. "I'm sorry Cody, it's been a long day and I'm just beat."

Tech reaches over and assesses your temperature with a hand to your forehead. "I believe you are right. Perhaps it is time we allowed you to retire, exhaustion has been known to cause wandering thoughts."

Cody nodded and slid his empty glass into the center of the table, as he began to slide out of the booth. "I think that's our que, Cyra'ika."

Nodding through your attempt to hide a yawn with your right hand, you meet Hunter's amused gaze across the table. His brown eyes shining with the same affection you'd seen in that cave, and your heart beats faster.

Crosshair observes this moment, places a toothpick between his teeth with a smirk. "You'll let us know how you're feeling in the morning, wont' you, Kiki?"

Returning his smirk, you slid from the booth. 'Kiki' has been his name for you for over a month now, and its past time to return the favor. "Of course, Crossy." Annoyed, his arms cross over his chest as your eyes return to Hunter's. "You'll always know…"