Cat with nine lives- bad batch X OC

CH 19

As I wake to the blaring alarms and Red's wails, I find my ship in utter disarray. Flames engulf certain parts while others have gaping holes where walls once stood.

Reflecting on recent events, I recall closing the channel to the comm link with the boys, a mixture of sadness and regret washing over me. I turn to my pilot chair and pin the picture of the boys in their ridiculous outfits on the victory board. With a heavy sigh, I mutter, "Red, do you think I'll ever learn not to be so trusting of people?"

Red responds with a deadpan look, prompting me to rub my face in frustration. "Figures. Next time, stun me and drag me away so I don't trust strangers so easily. Okay, Red, let's find another planet to gather intel or secure more jobs."

Okay, let's burn some dust," I say, setting the ship to jump to hyperspace. As the ship lurches into hyperspace, I rise from the chair and stretch. Suddenly, I notice something alarming on the screens—a skull symbol flashing across all monitors. Before I can react, the ship jolts out of hyperspace, throwing me forward, and I hit my head on the console.

"Ugh, Red, what's going on?" I groan, trying to regain my balance as spots dance across my vision. Looking up, I see that we're rapidly approaching a planet, with Red beeping frantically.

"WE ARE CRASHING!" Red alerts, the urgency evident in its beeps. Rushing to the pilot seat, I attempt to gain control of the ship, but everything seems futile—none of the controls respond. The planet's surface looms closer and closer.

At the last minute, Red manages to gain partial control of the ship, angling it for a better crash-landing position. With a mix of relief and apprehension, I brace for impact as we hurtle toward the planet's surface

As the ship descends toward the planet's surface, I hold onto the controls tightly, my heart pounding with adrenaline. Red's frantic beeps fill the cockpit as we navigate the treacherous descent. The ground rushes up to meet us, and I brace myself for impact, hoping against hope that we'll survive the crash landing.

With a bone-jarring thud, the ship slams into the ground, sending shockwaves reverberating through the hull. A second thud occurs, and the lights abruptly go out, plunging the cockpit into darkness.

CURRENTLY

Slowly getting up and assessing the damage to my body, I notice numerous cuts along my body, some deep but thankfully not life-threatening. Leaning on the slightly tilted chair for support, I address Red with a sense of urgency, "Red? How bad is it?"

Red responds with angry beeps, indicating the severity of the situation. "Okay, okay, it's bad. Will we be able to repair it and fly out of here?"

More angry beeps accompany Red's response as I wince with every step towards the ship's exterior. "Great, so I need to gather all the parts, and then we can try to weld the ship back together with only a low percentage of that even working."

Stumbling over to a cargo area, I'm relieved to find that the medical bag is still intact. I begin applying bandages to my wounds, all the while listening to Red's rant about what he would do if he ever encountered the Bad Batch again. It's surprising how well Red seems to know human anatomy.

"So we both know from that skull it was the Bad Batch who did this, well mainly Tech," I grumble, moving to step out of the ship. Red approaches and hands me a data pad. "You marked the location of the parts that went flying out for me to retrieve?" Red waves his arms indignantly, "Since when did I get demoted as the lackey to get things?"

Turning swiftly, Red starts pushing me out of the hole in the ship, and I can't help but chuckle a bit. "Okay, Red, I'll get the ones nearby. I don't even know what planet we're on, let alone if it's friendly."

As time crawled by, we painstakingly gathered the scattered parts and worked on welding the ship back together. It's been a few days now, and so far, Red and I have only managed to restore the outer hull of the ship. Fortunately, our repairs have gone uninterrupted, with only a few encounters with predatory animals along the way.

Red managed to restore power to the ship's systems and noted the presence of settlements in the area. However, it would take us three days of hiking to reach the nearest one. With no guarantee that these settlements would have the items we need, we've opted for a slow and steady approach to repairs, hoping to get the ship airborne, even if just for local flights around the planet.

As the third day dawns in this desolate red desert, the relentless sun beats down, while the biting cold of the nights takes its toll. Fatigue and frustration mount with each passing moment. "If I ever encounter the Bad Batch again," I mutter to myself, "I swear I'll let Amuir have her fun with them and let Red conduct his twisted experiments on them." Red beeps happly agreeing with the plan to make the bad batch pay for this. Looking at the data pad

"Red, you don't have to come this time, I'll sneak in myself," I assure my trusty companion, noting his reluctance to face the dangers lurking near the materials we need.

Packing essentials for the day's hike to retrieve the items, I bid farewell to Red. "See you later, Red. Make sure no one tries to steal the ship again," I jest, chuckling at my own lame joke. With the map in hand, I chart a course along the left side of the mountains, the safest approach to avoid the dangers below.

Utilizing the Force, I navigate across the desert terrain, making swift progress towards the mountains in just a few hours. With agile leaps, I ascend the mountain cliffs, moving from ridge to ridge with ease. "You know, I sometimes love being a Jedi; it makes things so much simpler," I mumble to myself, relishing the freedom and agility that comes with my connection to the Force.

At the top of the mountain, I cautiously peer over the edge to observe the peculiar creatures below. Their feline-like features coupled with rattling tails and scaly armor-like skin intrigue me. My gaze settles on two adults guarding their nest, which contains a clutch of eggs.

Spotting the materials I need on the other side of the furthest nest, I sigh inwardly. "Great! Of all places for it to fall, it had to be way over there." Carefully scanning the area and keeping the adults in my line of sight, I slowly navigate towards the items. Every movement is deliberate, ensuring minimal disturbance.

As I gather the materials and pack them away, I'm hyper-aware of the potential for noise. However, a misstep causes a piece of metal to emit a loud beep as I try to move it. My heart races as I swiftly replace it, but it's too late. The creatures have detected my presence, their attention now fixed on me.

As the first creature lunges at me, I react instinctively, firing my weapon and dodging to the side in one fluid motion. Rolling back onto my feet, I'm immediately confronted by the second creature, its claws slashing through the air. Despite my efforts to evade, I'm grazed by its sharp claws, feeling a searing pain.

Desperately, I duck and leap backward, creating some distance between us. But before I can fully assess the situation, the first creature hurtles toward me once more. With a resounding bang, my shot hits its mark, causing the creature to stumble and crash to the ground, stunned.

More gunshots echoed through the nesting area, each one reverberating with a sense of urgency. A pair of arms encircled me, pulling me away from the danger of the nest. Surprised and disoriented, I allowed myself to be guided, glancing up to see Wrecker coming to my aid.

Tech was standing next to Crosshair, his voice carrying over the chaos as he shared vital information about the creatures we were facing. We passed Hunter on the hillside, his presence a reassuring sight amidst the turmoil.

Tech's words rang out, detailing the creatures' biology and vulnerabilities, emphasizing that the creatures had toxins embedded in their claws that cause hallucinogens, making them particularly dangerous in close combat. He also highlighted their vulnerabilities, noting that their eyes and tails were their weakest points, areas where they were most susceptible to damage.

Wrecker gently sets me down next to Tech and quickly rushes back towards Hunter to face the two creatures head-on. As he leaps into action, I turn to Tech and Crosshair, a mix of confusion and frustration evident in my expression.

"Y-Y YOU! Cutie patootie," I blurt out, surprised at my own words. I touch my lips, wondering why I would say something affectionate when I'm actually quite upset with them.