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

"I don't like it..." Echo protested.

"Me neither, but do we really have a choice?" Hunter countered.

Tech tapped on his data pad and then looked up, "According to my calculations, this will be the fastest way to pay off our debt to Cid."

"As long as I get to blow something up, I don't care what we do." Wrecker added.

Echo spoke up again, "But we're not bounty hunters."

Omega sidled over to Echo, "I agree, I thought we helped people, not capture them. It doesn't seem right."

Cid was getting tired of their back and forth squabbling. She had just offered them the job of a lifetime. A bounty that would pay enough credits to not only pay off their debt to her, but then have left over to allow them to settle somewhere of their choice. She didn't like the prospect of them leaving, they were her best associates, but she knew they were trouble. They had too much history with the Empire that she knew one day it would cause it to come knocking on her door, that is, if she wasn't the one to call the Empire first.

All she had told the Bad Batch was that it was a high paying bounty, purposefully leaving out any other details with the fear they would refuse if they knew the truth. But she was sick of waiting for them to decide. Cid cleared her throat and then spoke to the group. "I would listen to Goggles if I were you, fellas. The credits will make this job worthwhile, and it's not like you've never gotten your hands dirty before."

Hunter sighed, he knew that what Cid spoke was the truth. Everyone looked to him to decide, as he was their leader. "Alright, we take this one last job, pay off our debts, and then we're never stepping foot on his planet again."

Although some were hesitant, everyone nodded their heads in understanding and proceeded to gather their things and prepare for the mission.

It was quiet aboard the Marauder, aside from the occasional beep from the bounty puck, signaling the direction they needed to head. There was uneasiness in the air with everyone clearly not very keen on the idea of capturing a bounty. Especially a bounty that they had so little information on. But soon enough, as they approached the planet that the puck was guiding them to, they fell into their usual motions of preparing to embark on their mission.

Tech and Echo were up in the cockpit preparing to jump out of hyperspace while Hunter, Wrecker, and Omega strapped into their seats. They were arriving at a remote planet on the edge of the Outer Rim. Whoever this bounty was, they had gone to lengths to ensure their seclusion.

They landed the Marauder in a clearing between some trees. It was a heavily mountainous and forested planet, the terrain challenging to cross. As they stepped out of the ship, they could hear the frequency of the beeping coming from the puck increasing. Their bounty was definitely close by.

"Well are we going or what?" Wrecker said impatiently as the group gathered outside the ship.

"Wait" Hunter commanded and held up his arm. There were no visible signs of any human life forms, but he could sense something. With Hunter's enhanced senses, he was able to pick up on things that the others could not. He closed his eyes, and focused on the environment around him, taking in the sounds, the smells. Tech, Wrecker, Echo, and Omega waited silently. Hunter opened his eyes and quietly said, "We're being watched."

At his words, the group immediately readied themselves into defensive positions. Hunter signaled to them with his hands where the onlooker was. Before they could do anything else, there was rustling in the trees and the beeping from the puck grew faster and louder. The bounty was on the move.

"Go!" Hunter yelled, urging his unit to pursue the bounty. And the chase had begun.

Soon enough, they spotted the bounty. A hooded figure moving faster and smoother than the average person. Hunter threw his knife towards the bounty, hoping to catch them off guard and knock them off their feet, but to Hunter's surprise, just as the knife was approaching the bounty, it seemed to veer oddly off to the side, missing the target. He swore and thought to himself, if only Crosshair were here.

Crosshair was the final member of Clone Force 99, but had stayed loyal to the Empire after Order 66, rather than defect from it like they did. Crosshair's betrayal was hard on everyone, but they had learned to get used to his absence. However, it was on mission's like this, where Crosshair's enhanced aim could be extremely useful, when they felt his absence more than normal.

Quickly, the bounty was approaching a tall and expansive cliffside. There would be nowhere for them to escape to. But to the group's surprise, the cloaked bounty started to scale the side of the cliff with ease. They all looked at each other, acknowledging the unexpected feat, and then pulled out their grappling guns.

The cabled hooks flew by the bounty as they attached to the top of the cliff, but the mysterious figure was unphased. Fearing that they would lose their target, Hunter ordered through the com channel, "Plan 56".

Wrecker mumbled a response, clearly upset with the idea of executing this plan, but the force took action. Switching from their vertical climb, Wrecker and Hunter began swinging their cables from side to side. They grabbed onto Echo and Tech and continued to gather momentum. Soon enough, they were swinging so forcefully that they would approach the top of the cliffside at each end of the swing. And with that, Hunter and Wrecker threw Echo and Tech towards the top of the cliff.

Echo and Tech urged towards the cliff top and rolled as they landed on the solid ground. They immediately recovered from their jump and got into position, just along the edge of the cliff, stun guns facing the edge.

The bounty emerged from the cliffside and was met with their blasters staring them in the face. The hooded figure paused to take in the predicament they were in. Just as Tech and Echo thought they had the bounty, the figure made the motions as if they were going to jump off the steep cliffside they had just scaled. But before they could, Hunter, Wrecker, and Omega made their way onto the ledge. Before the bounty could make an escape, Hunter shot them with the stun gun and they collapsed to the ground.

"Well that was more challenging than originally anticipated", Tech shared while catching his breath.

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone move like that!" Wrecker agreed.

After sensing and pursuing the bounty, Hunter knew the truth, but wished it wasn't so. "Only a Jedi could move like that..."

An eerie silence fell over the group. Finally, Omega spoke up, "But I thought the Jedi were all killed during Order 66?"

"Seeing as Jedi are extraordinary beings, it is highly likely that at least a small number of them survived the purge." Tech shared.

Echo sighed, "I knew this was a bad idea." And approached the unconscious being. He removed their hood and shock took over his face.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked.

Echo took a deep breath, calming himself. "That's General Y/N. We fought together occasionally during the war."

The weight of what they had done started to hit everyone. Not only did they accept a job from Cid to capture a Jedi, but it was also someone that was known to one of them.

"We can't turn in this bounty." Echo declared.

"But what about Cid?" Wrecker asked.

"We'll figure it out." Hunter said. "I agreed to catch a bounty, not turn a Jedi over to their death." They were all in quiet agreement. Although it was extremely risky to go against Cid, they had to do what was right. "Let's move out."