Hello there! I've recently gotten back into Star Wars, specifically The Bad Batch, and I have a lil Modern AU I made back right after it ended. Most of it is slice-of-life stuff after a few 'setup arcs' as I like to call them, and I've started working on it again! I originally posted it to fanfiction net, but since I know a lot of people don't read on there anymore, I thought I'd try posting it here. So, here's chapter one, I'll probably update on Mondays if there is enough interest. Most of these are pre-written, but I still have a few things in the works. Whew, sorry, that was long. Onto the warnings and chapter!
Warnings: this chapter includes mentions of child neglect and malnourishment. Nala Se and Hemlock are neither good parents nor good people, but don't worry, everything will be okay! Eventually.
Disclaimer: I did my best to research how family law works (at least in my area) where it applies here and throughout the fic, but I'm no expert, so please excuse any errors. I'm not perfect *sigh*
Chapter One: The Diner
Captain Rex of Tipoca City’s 501st police precinct hadn’t been new to calls from concerned neighbors or random park-goers worried about the state of stray children. It hadn’t been the first time that he’d gathered a small team to inspect a house where a child’s quality of life was being concerned. It wasn’t even the first time that he’d taken a kid to Millegi’s Diner for a nice hot meal and the warm atmosphere before going down to the precinct. It was, however, the first time he’d been doing this with one of his siblings.
His half-brother Fox had called him in when talking to the neighbors–who had suspected that a child was in the household–while he was inspecting the neighborhood and investigating Dr. Nala Se, who currently has a criminal charge against her and her partner, Dr. Royce Hemlock, for stealing equipment from their now-former employers. Dr. Hemlock also has a charge for unethical experiments regarding life forms. Something tells these brothers the doctors will be found guilty of neglect as well pretty much on the spot by the time they get to court, if the child sitting across from Rex was anything to go by.
She was clearly Nala Se’s, with her light blonde hair and the sharp edges of her face, however she shared no resemblance to Hemlock. Instead, her bright brown eyes and tan skin–although pale from a lifetime without sunlight–screamed that she was a Fett. She reminded him so much of the youngest of his half-brothers, the ones only he and Cody got along with as kids (before the Domino twins met them as teens, of course).
It was the fear in her eyes, though, that tipped Rex off. Fear that he had seen before, in faces far too young, eyes far too old and spirits far too broken. Fear that she’d be forgotten.
“Found another stray, have ya, Rex?” the server rolled over on her skates up to the table Rex and the ten-year-old were sitting at. He looked up to Phee Genoa, his usual server who was surprisingly good with whatever kids he brought in.
“This one looks familiar, Cap’n,” she added with a wink as she crouched down closer to the kid’s eye-level.
“Hi, kid, I’m Phee,” she introduced, “anything I can get you to drink?”
The small child looked over to Rex, who was sitting across from her at the table.
“Order whatever you want, kid,” he told her with a small smile, sliding a menu over for her to look at. As she flicked through the options and Phee stood, Rex added to Phee, “Just my usual, please.”
“A lemon fizzy water for Captain Boring over here,” Phee remarked and she scrawled on her notepad, pointedly ignoring the glare he gave her as the small child giggled. “And what about you, little one?”
“I don’t know,” she responded quietly. “I’ve never had anything besides water or milk before.”
“Well,” Phee crouched down next to the small child again, looking over the menu, “we’ll just have to fix that. Might I recommend a milkshake?”
The child’s eyes glowed with curiosity as she asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s a drink with ice cream in it,” Phee explained.
The child mouthed the words ‘ice cream’ to herself as if she’d never heard them before, and Phee’s heart sank for the kid. Poor thing was messed up enough that she’d never even heard of ice cream before.
“I think you should get that, “ Rex interjected, “I think you’ll like it.”
The kid nodded slowly.
“Great!” Phee exclaimed. “What flavor would you like, then?”
Once again, the girl glanced nervously between Rex and Phee, clearly not knowing there were multiple flavor options.
“What would you recommend, Phee?” Rex asked, feeling confident that she could remedy the situation at hand.
“Well, my personal favorite is birthday cake, but I think that’ll be a little bit too much for your first time trying a milkshake. I’d suggest choosing between chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.” The server pointed her finger to an image of each flavor on the menu as she listed them off.
Still seeming uncertain, the child pointed to a picture of a strawberry milkshake on the menu.
“I like that one’s color,” she said quietly.
Phee smiled as she stood up all the way once more (she’d probably regret it in the morning if she crouched for too much longer).
“Perfect. One full-size strawberry milkshake with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry?” she eyed Rex as she asked, and while he looked a bit unimpressed since the kid didn’t quite need that much sugar, he nodded and smiled at the child. “I’ll be right back with those.”
A few minutes later, Phee did indeed return with their drinks and the child’s eyes widened at the size and beautiful, colorful toppings against the bright, white, and fluffy whipped cream. As she took a cautious sip, the young girl’s face lit up in astonishment at the flavor. She started drinking faster and Rex had to slow her down so she didn’t make herself sick.
Phee chuckled in delight at that and asked about food. Rex settled on a burger and the kid eventually decided on macaroni and cheese, both with a side of french fries. Sure, not the healthiest meal out there, but the kid looked like she needed it.
When Phee came back with their food, she and Rex instructed the girl on how to dip her french fries into her milkshake, and she seemed to enjoy it, but Phee didn’t blame her when she chose not to continue to do so. Too many new flavors at once, it could be overwhelming.
As Rex paid and left Phee a very generous tip, she found herself pitying the kid–Omega, she’d learned. Phee had to explain what chicken nuggets were to her when they were deciding on food. The young girl hadn’t even heard of a grilled cheese, one of Phee’s favorites. But she smiled as Rex walked the kid out, knowing he’d help her and find a good home for her. He always did, after all.
When Rex exited the diner he smiled at the little girl, who was yawning and rubbing her eyes. He picked her up and she didn’t protest, falling asleep almost immediately in his arms. He brought her to his car, and sighed as he drove off to the police precinct.
When he got there, Kix met him in a break room to do a check-up on the girl, fortunately finding nothing besides the fact that she was malnourished and lacking vitamin D (Which was a huge relief, considering her step-father’s reputation). Rex sighed and walked out of the room for a few moments, Kix and Jesse helping Thorne to keep the girl entertained now that she was awake while Rex watched on from beside the window. He sighed again and dialed Hunter’s number. As the oldest of that batch of brothers, her only full siblings as far as Rex could tell (her only siblings if she truly was Hemlock’s, which he doubted), he’d be the one to take emergency custody of her.
