Chapter Text
Crosshair leaned against the wall of the Marauder, twisting a toothpick between his fingers as he half-listened to what Tech was currently saying about some planet they had been on recently. However, his attention was diverted when Hunter entered the space, calling for them to listen to the new mission they had been assigned.
"We're gonna be working with a Jedi on this one, boys," Hunter said, handing the datapad in his hands to Tech. "Looks like she needs our help with a rescue mission.”
“A lady Jedi?” Wrecker asked, his interest piqued.
“Two lady Jedi actually,” Tech informed him. “She has a padawan that serves alongside her.”
“A kid?” Crosshair said with a scowl, “that’s just great.”
“It says here that the padawan is nearing knighthood herself, so not a kid exactly.”
Crosshair rolled his eyes at the technicality, placing his toothpick between his teeth and crossing his arms over his chest.
“What else does it say?” Wrecker asked, peering over Tech’s shoulder to look at the pad.
“Her name is Lena Orim. She is in command of the 394th, although that hasn't always been the case. Apparently, at the beginning of the war, she wasn't fighting on the front lines. It seems that she objected to the war and refused to have a part in it."
“So she’s a coward?” Crosshair asked.
Tech looked up from the datapad with a glare.
“If you would let me finish, you would learn that one of the main reasons she objected was that she was opposed to the use of clone troopers to fight the war. Her file says that she’s been a strong advocate for clone rights alongside several well-intentioned senators.”
“Ah, savior type then,” Crosshair scoffed, “not much better.”
It was Hunter’s turn to glare in his direction.
“Would it kill you to be positive for once in your life?” he asked with a frown.
Crosshair shrugged and stepped towards the rest of the group. Pulling the datapad from Tech's hands, he turned it around and flicked his gaze over the Jedi's file, scanning the information listed. He read part of the file aloud.
“A report from an Admiral Yung says: While General Orim’s concern for the safety and well-being of the men under her command is commendable, her lack of self-preservation in the effort towards saving others is concerning. What did I tell you? Savior type," he said before shoving the datapad back into Tech's hands. "While she's busy worrying about everyone but herself, I'll likely have my hands full keeping her alive."
Hunter raised his eyebrows in slight amusement.
"So, your job as the lookout? I do not see what's so aggravating to you."
Crosshair turned away and walked back to the edge of the room, grabbing his rifle from where it was leaning against the wall.
“I’ve got enough to do keeping you three alive,” he sneered, “now I have to watch out for a Jedi and some regs too. Should be lots of fun.”
His teammates shook their heads at his bitter comment and returned to conversing about their assignment amongst themselves. Crosshair ignored them and inspected his rifle, ensuring everything was how it was supposed to be. He hoped this mission would be a short one.
Lena crossed the landing platform, her padawan Keebo walking at her side. She could see Commander Blaze watching the sky, waiting for their expected guests. She could sense his unease at the situation as they approached. When they came to a stop at his side, Lena reached up and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder pad of his armor.
"What's got you all riled up, Blaze?" she asked.
Blaze turned and look down at her, a concerned expression covering his face.
“I’ve heard mixed things about this squad that’s coming to assist. Most of the men I’ve talked to have called them defective and hard to work with. What makes you think that they will be a good choice to help us rescue Sparx and the Admiral?”
“Cody trusts them,” Lena said, giving him a reassuring smile. “That’s enough for me. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”
“I’ve heard that their leader is quite a handsome one,” Keebo said from Lena’s other side, gazing over her master’s head at Blaze with a cheeky grin.
Blaze rolled his eyes at her before his attention was back on the sky. Lena followed his gaze to a descending shuttle.
“Well, it looks like they’re here. No turning back now.”
Crosshair strapped his gear on his back and grabbed his helmet as they made their landing. Once Tech had finished the landing cycle, the group moved towards the door, leaving down the exit ramp one at a time with Crosshair exiting last. He saw no need to be at the front where someone could engage him in mindless introductions.
“General Orim,” Hunter said in greeting to the Jedi. “Word is that you require some assistance.”
"Yes, I most certainly do," an eager accented voice replied, "I'm grateful that you and your squad are here."
Crosshair could hear Hunter introducing the team members, but couldn’t see the Jedi the Sergeant was talking to from behind Wrecker.
“This is Tech and Wrecker…and Crosshair is somewhere around here.”
Crosshair sighed and stepped out from behind Wrecker, revealing himself to the group.
“Ah, there he is,” Hunter said. “This is Crosshair. Don’t expect much conversation out of him. He’s not too keen on this mission, so it’s put him in a bit of a mood.”
Crosshair shot a glare at Hunter before turning his attention to the Jedi. She gave him a small wave in greeting.
"Well, hopefully, this will go smoothly, and you can be on your way," she said, giving him a warm smile before looking back to Hunter.
Crosshair was stunned by the effect her smile had on him. It was almost like being hit by a direct beam of sunshine. He stood there staring at her for a moment with his mouth open slightly, causing him to drop the toothpick that had been between his lips. He was only brought out of his stupor by Wrecker nudging him to get his attention.
“Hey Cross, you alright?”
“Yeah..fine,” he grumbled, shaking his head to clear it.
Crosshair wasn’t sure what had come over him. He focused his gaze on the Jedi talking with the Sergeant. The top of her head barely reached his own shoulder, but her long braid was almost half the length of his rifle. Her almost completely white skin seemed to be glowing, like her smile had seemed to be. Of all the women that Crosshair had encountered, he had never been affected by one like this before. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.
Grabbing a new toothpick from the pouch on his belt, Crosshair looked away from the Jedi. He found himself facing a reg trooper with orange hair and a similarly colored young Twi’lek woman, both of whom stared at him with narrowed eyes.
“Problem?” he asked.
The Twi’lek’s expression softened a bit, her lips morphing into an amused smirk as her glance shifted between him and her master. Crosshair’s eyes widened slightly, worried that he may have been a bit obvious with his staring.
“Your secret is safe with me,” she whispered with a wink. She turned and walked away from the group, leaving Crosshair facing the reg, whose expression had not changed.
"Watch yourself, trooper," the Commander said before following her across the landing platform.
“I don’t think they like you very much,” Wrecker said with a chuckle.
“Not that that’s unusual, but why?” Tech asked.
Crosshair shrugged before forcing his face back into his trademark scowl. It seemed that he would have to watch his expressions around this group on top of keeping his harsh words in check. As much as he enjoyed riling up the regs, he didn’t want to find himself at the business end of the Twi’lek’s lightsaber or her impressive claws for ogling her master.
Lena listened to what Hunter was telling her about his team's experiences with Cody, but her interest was piqued by the things she was feeling through the force from the group behind the pair of them. Blaze's unease had not dissipated. If anything, it had increased upon meeting the group. Keebo had seemed to echo his sentiments about something in particular, but it had quickly turned into amusement.
Lena heard Blaze say something to the squad’s sniper before leaving the group to follow Keebo back in the direction of the main base. Reaching out towards the man in question, she was met with waves of slight anxiety tinted with something else she couldn’t quite identify. She’d have to get a better feel for the team during the mission before she could make an accurate assessment of their emotions. Focusing back on Hunter, she tilted her head in the direction of a group of speeder bikes.
“We’ll be using those to get to our destination and back,” she said. “Hope that’s alright with you boys.”
“What exactly is our destination?” Hunter asked.
"I'll brief you all in the command center if you follow me," Lena said before turning and walking in the direction her padawan and Commander had gone.
When the 5 of them entered the command center, Lena could feel the tension coming from Blaze across the room. His eyes were trained on Crosshair in particular, a deep frown distorting his mouth. Lena wasn’t sure what his issue was, but it was something she’d have to deal with later. Stepping up to the table, she brought up a map of the surrounding area.
"A few cycles ago, one of our gunships was shot down around this area," she said, pointing out a spot on the map. "According to intel gathered by scouts, everyone on board was unfortunately killed in the crash, apart from two people. Admiral Yung and Captain Sparx. We believe that they were taken hostage by the Separatists and brought to their main base."
“What makes you think they were taken captive?” Hunter asked.
“We didn’t find their bodies at the crash site,” Keebo said. “Everyone else was found, except them.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re still alive,” Tech interjected.
“They’re alive,” Lena said firmly. “I can still sense them. Admiral Yung has served the Republic for over 25 years. His military knowledge would be invaluable to the Separatists. Captain Sparx would likewise be a valuable captive with his knowledge of how my men in particular fight.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go get ‘em!” Wrecker shouted.
Lena smiled at the larger clone.
"I like your enthusiasm, Wrecker. The five of us will be going in on a stealth mission to scope out the situation and eventually free them, while Commander Blaze and my padawan lead the rest of my men on a frontal attack. Hopefully, their attack will be a suitable distraction and cover our entrance into the base."
“Sounds like our kind of plan,” Hunter said.
“Great! I’ll meet you back out at the bikes after I talk with my Commanders.”
Lena watched the guest squad walk away before turning to face Blaze and Keebo.
"Alright, you two, spill."
Blaze’s eyes widened in confusion, and he stammered a few words before Keebo spoke.
“I’m not sure what you mean, Master,” she said, feigning innocence.
Lena crossed her arms and gave the pair of them a pointed look.
"I could sense your amusement earlier, and Blaze looks as if he's ready to set our guests on fire, Crosshair in particular," Lena said accusingly. "No pun intended," she added after earning a snort of amusement from Keebo at her words.
“I think the sniper may have a bit of a thing for you,” Keebo said, elbowing the man next to her. “It brought out Blaze’s protective side.”
“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you, that’s all,” Blaze said with an annoyed frown. “It was far from respectful.”
Lena let out a small chuckle as she shook her head at Blaze’s comment.
"It's alright, Blaze. I think I can handle some staring."
“Personally, I’d find it flattering to have someone so enamored with me that they have to pick their jaw up off the ground,” Keebo said, smirking at Blaze.
Blaze grumbled something Lena couldn’t quite understand, his cheeks flushing as he focused on an imaginary dirt spot on his kama. Lena shook her head in amusement.
“Try to be nice to them. They are here to help us."
Blaze nodded in agreement before letting out a final huff and walking away. Lena shared a smile with her padawan, before waving her hand in his direction.
"Go soothe his frustration. I'll see the two of you later."
"Good luck, Master," Keebo said. "May the force be with you."