On The Run || A Bad Batch Story || Hunter X Reader

5. Hunter

To Hunter, his squad was his family. Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and even Crosshair were his brothers and he would do anything for them. And Omega, he wasn't sure if she was like a little sister or a daughter, but he knew that he would give his life for her too. The Bad Batch wasn't a sentimental bunch, but they had an unspoken and fierce love for each other.

It was so much simpler when all they were was soldiers. Get a mission, do the job, report back, and repeat. But now, there were so many things to think about. So many people to protect. With the republic falling, were they even soldiers anymore?

When Omega joined them, Hunter was hesitant to have a child on board, but Omega quickly proved herself and has grown to become a valuable member of the team. He has enjoyed having her here with them, but has felt a growing sense of fear since. Fear of losing her or something happening to her.

This fear was new. When he and his brothers were in the field, it was different. They had been engineered to be there, there was no choice in their being there. They had known the risks. But Omega had chosen this life and Hunter felt a responsibility over her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Couldn't let anything happen to her.

Although he had only just recently met the Jedi, he felt that fear growing again. After hearing Y/N's recounting of Order 66, the weight of everything that had happened to the Jedi had hit him. Not only were hundreds of Jedi murdered without reason, their entire culture was wiped away. Remaining Jedi couldn't be themselves without fear of prosecution or death. Y/N had been through so much and all Hunter wanted to do was erase that pain, or at least prevent any more pain from occurring.

As a General of the Grand Army of the Republic, he of course felt obligated to help Y/N, but he sensed it was more to that. Y/N's actions were honorable, commendable, and brave. He was drawn to this Jedi, more than he had ever been to anyone else, and it scared him.

The Marauder jumped out of hyperspace and Hunter was pulled away from his darkening thoughts and back into the ship. He realized that Y/N had been watching him intently, but brushed it off and headed towards the cockpit for a status report. "Anything to report?" He asked Tech, who was piloting the ship towards a secluded planet.

"From what I can gather, this system doesn't appear to be under Imperial control."

"As expected, with it being so far into the Outer Rim." Echo added.

Hunter nodded, "Good, exactly what we're looking for."

They landed on an isolated planet. It definitely wasn't a bustling metropolis, but it had enough civilization to where they could blend in. Hunter disembarked first, taking in the surroundings, sensing if there was anything threatening in the distance. It was a grassy area with many trees, other plants, and harmless creatures. Other than the natural flora and fauna, he sensed no other life. Satisfied that they were safe, he motioned the rest of the group to follow.

When landing, they made sure to drop the ship down away from people, but close enough to where they could easily walk to the nearest town for supplies. Omega immediately began to explore the space, intrigued by the indigenous wildlife, with Wrecker not far behind. Hunter felt so much joy seeing Omega be a kid, and loved that Wrecker had fun along with her. They had all been through so much, it was good to have some enjoyment every once in a while. And Omega and Wrecker weren't the only ones.

Soon enough, Tech and Echo were chatting casually while working on some project they had concocted. Hunter looked around at his family, fulfilled by their sense of peace in this moment. And then he laid his eyes on Y/N. The Jedi was watching him again in a curious manner. "What?" He asked, uncomfortable with the attention.

Y/N smiled, "I can tell you really care about them."

Hunter nodded, unsure of what to say.

The Jedi continued, "They're lucky to have someone looking out for them."

"We look out for each other." Hunter countered. "We don't leave each other behind." His words hurt him. He thought about Crosshair, his brother who he had in fact left behind. Although Crosshair had made a choice, it didn't lessen the pain that he felt when thinking of his lost companion.

"What's wrong?" The Jedi asked, sensing Hunter's inner turmoil.

Hunter shook his head, "It's nothing".

"You can tell me." Y/N urged.

And because he felt such a connection to the Jedi, he decided to open up. "There used to be another one of us, Crosshair..." Hunter took a deep breath. "After Order 66, we had some disagreements, to say the least, and he stayed loyal to the Empire. Since then, we've had some run-ins with him and he seems to have made it his mission to hunt us down. I can't blame him though, we are technically deserters..."

Hunter found Y/N's hand on his arm. "I'm sorry about your friend." The Jedi said. "Seems we both know what it's like to be on the run after all." Hunter nodded, comforted by Y/N's presence. There was silence as the two of them gazed at each other. There was no awkwardness, just peace. Voices were growing louder as Omega and Wrecker neared the ship.

Y/N stepped away and the two of them let out a breath, both of them trying to relieve some of the heaviness they felt from the conversation.

"This seems like a nice area." Y/N said, changing the topic and lightening the mood.

Hunter agreed, "Hopefully we can have some time here to relax. Seems those two are already on it." He said, gesturing to Omega and Wrecker now laying on the ground looking up at the clouds.

Y/N laughed, "Yes, hopefully we can all find some peace here."