"Harmless" Adventures with the Bad Batch

Adjusting and Changing

A/N: Quick Announcement! So, the next chapter is going to be out late.  I need to take a few days off from writing because my brain has been fried.  I could barely write for this chapter and really had to force myself to do it, and it just took the fun out.  The chapter quality has gone down recently and this one in particular is pretty sloppy.  I also feel like I have been apologizing for late chapters too much lately, and I just need time to refresh my mind.  But fear not, I am most definitely not leaving for more than 2 and a 1/2 weeks.  2 weeks is probably the max. You all can blow up my inbox if I disappear for longer. It's just my mental health is a mess right now and the stress is kind of catching up.  Sorry for springing this in you all and I hope you understand.

Editing Complete

Only a couple days had passed since Clone Force 99's adventures on Anaxes and the Separatist dreadnought. And since Echo had officially become a part of the Bad Batch!  Wrecker and Abby were both naturally very excited about it, pleased to have another brother at their side.  Tech was curious and optimistic, often taking time to chat with Echo and help him make himself at home onboard the ship.  Hunter was welcoming and understanding towards the former ARC's cautiousness around them, but assured him that Crosshair wouldn't kill him in his sleep.  Speaking of the sniper, Crosshair was...well Crosshair about it.

It was of course an adjustment for them all; Echo especially, but also Crosshair. He was still wary about, in his words: "adopting another misfit into their dysfunctional family." He made his doubts clear to his Sergeant, but Hunter stood his ground, telling him to "play nicely".

Crosshair's blunt skeptics had not ceased after these couple days. On this particular morning, Crosshair of course had his prized toothpicks to take his spite and anger out on and was chewing furiously in them with a deepened and more defined version of his usual scowl. To him, it was bad enough that he had to be in the confined spaces of the Havoc Marauder with the other four, now he would have another person to pester him. His gruffness, abrasives, and sadistic personality were enough to unnerve anyone, which proved getting Echo and Crosshair to bond to be unfathomably difficult.

Everyone else was in the cabin too, awaiting their mission debriefing from Hunter about their latest exhibition. It would be the first with Echo along with them, so they were all prepared for a learning curve.

"Listen up," Hunter commanded.  "We are headed back to Anaxes to stamp out the remaining droid battalions.  Just another demo job."

"What series of droids?" Abby asked.

"Mainly some B-1s.  Maybe a handful of super-battle-droids and a couple commando droids too," Hunter supplied.

"Finally, a mission that's not stealth!" Wrecker cheered.

Silently, everyone was thankful for this.  It would be an action-packed job and a good opportunity for Echo to break into the habit of his new team's reckless yet efficient fighting style.

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(Timeskip to the mission because I'm lazy)

Before too long, Clone Force 99 had landed at the Separatist facility on Anaxes.  Echo had been paired with Wrecker and Abby on the southern side of the Seppie base while Hunter and Tech took the north, and Crosshair in sniping position off to the side.  The Bad Batch's objective was simple: destroy every clanker in the base.  The base looked like the Cyber Center, just smaller and of less importance to the Separatists. But this was where the stray droids had been commanded to take shelter, so there were likely hundreds of them inside.