GOOD SOLDIER.

he is a weapon. and weapons cannot be hunted. crosshair pulled through thirty-two rotations on a planet, alone, but he isn't a survivor for it. how he loathes that word. survivor. of course he survived - was it ever in question? was it ever doubted? he grits his teeth at maul's attempts to indignify him. belittle and underestimate him. he was a soldier. he is a clone, an elite clone. not a reg. far from a reg. they are hunted, preyed upon like a herd of sheep left unattended by their shepherd. a batch of outcasts no longer required and forgotten about. crosshair is still present, useful and his ability to withstand hardships is proof of that. so to call him prey...

          " and i suppose this doesn't apply to you? " he tests, narrowing his eyes. " everything sentient can be hunted. " perhaps it's a brief and fleeting introspection into how crosshair perceives himself. as something not living, not breathing... he's getting better at finding his autonomy, understanding the impact of it and enjoying the freedom of it but he's always been a soldier. and soldiers are tools. he's certainly never experienced emotions in the same way as anyone else. does that make him a better tool than others? or a broken and defective one.

the bar is exceptionally noisy. too noisy for him. the environment is hot, sticky and smelly. it's unbearable, if he's being honest. he'd been encouraged to go out with his team to celebrate their latest mission success, but crosshair has never been one for celebrations. they're a distraction from the next success. there's always something else. something bigger on the horizon. and he holds himself to a high standard to be prepared for it. thus, when he rises from his seat and abandons his squad in favour of standing outside in the back alley with a toothpick and the fresh ( or at least fresher ) air, it's no surprise.

and typically, crosshair minds his business. but he is a sniper, after all, inquisitive and remarkably sensitive to changes in the environment. his gaze lifts to meet one, belonging to a woman. she is also minding her business, but in a suspicious manner. the way she carries herself, her quick glances and nervous behaviour. not to mention her energy. he isn't sure what it is about her, but he's drawn to her - and not in a good way. a pulsing in the back of his head, a drive to communicate with her, an itchiness in his fingers and a burning in his forearms.

maul is an interesting client. not that crosshair anticipated him to be anything less. but as ever, the bodyguard's skillset is required rather than maul wanting his company. because the crime lord doesn't fully trust him. paranoia bleeds through the comm and, admittedly, crosshair rolls his eyes. vigilance is essential. as a sniper? you don't say... he inwardly remarks. maul's need to control the situation is apparent. even from across the room. he senses the urgency in his tone and can see glowing orbs flick around. though he knows it's not out of fear. rather, anticipation. for bloodshed. for violence. for someone to try something. if there's one thing crosshair has gathered from maul is that he is a predator first and foremost. cunning and precise. and perhaps, if the former soldier thinks about it too deeply he might find himself disturbed by the parallels.

crosshair grumbles to himself. then, over the comm he says, " what exactly are you implying? " that crosshair can be sloppy? he grits his teeth into a prominent grimace. from his position, he can oversee the guests in their entirety. but nobody sees him; as it should be. he's here with one purpose: to protect maul from any potential assassins. by this point, the crime lord has been becoming less of a shadow and more of a prominent presence within the criminal underground. as crosshair understands it, maul is attending this evening to ensure some transactions go through smoothly. but that doesn't matter. he has his orders.

character trait ratings — ratings are out of ten, where ten indicates an unequivocal and absolute core tenet of my muse's character. there is no zero, a one represents the lowest possible presence of a trait, indicating an assured absence of said trait but leaving room for the rare possibility of its happening as nothing is impossible.

⸻   COMPASSION: TWO OUT OF TEN.

crosshair sits at a two because while he is able to exhibit compassion for others, they have to be extremely close and loyal to him.  crosshair doesn't typically have a desire to alleviate another's pain, even when he knows them well.  however, he has shown with specific clones, such as mayday and omega, that he is capable of being compassionate somewhat.

⸻   BITTERNESS: TEN OUT OF TEN.

he has the capacity to feel extremely bitter in the face of real or imagined betrayal, and resents being treated unfairly.  crosshair believes in equality, fairness and loyalty, although he is an unreliable narrator and is capable of twisting these to benefit.

⸻   HAPPINESS: ONE OUT OF TEN.

while crosshair isn't incapable of experiencing happiness, it's very complicated and unusual for him.  he doesn't experience the same release in chemicals as others.  unlike others who experience happiness as an intense or rush of emotions, he finds his happiness in the mastering of crafts and skills such as being a sniper.

⸻   POLITENESS: EIGHT OUT OF TEN.

expecting respect, crosshair believes himself to be superior to regular clones, thus making him quite demanding when it comes to being polite to him.  however, it's unusual for crosshair to be polite back unless he likes them.  an example of how he twists equality, believing respect should be shown to one another while not always being respectful back.

⸻   MORALITY: SEVEN OUT OF TEN.

crosshair doesn't have a code of conduct when it comes to moral alignment.  he is driven by loyalty, and will risk and sacrifice everything in order to achieve missions, even his own life.  that being said, he has a good sense of right and wrong but simply doesn't care about the difference or the complexity of engaging in one or the other.  so long as it's achieving the mission, he'll do it.

⸻   CHIVALRY: FIVE OUT OF TEN.

chivalry can be associated with being a soldier, a code of conduct involving honour, courage and a duty to protect the weak.  crosshair certainly adheres to this.  however, orders are top priority and he will abandon all chivalry if it calls for it.

⸻   PRIDE: EIGHT OUT OF TEN.

while crosshair is a very proud individual, it's worth noting that he is extremely susceptible to imbalance and disrespect.  he isn't insecure, but rather is highly self-doubting of his general worth.  this means that despite being confident in his abilities, and feeling himself to be superior to others, he is also prone to believing he deserves any and all suffering he faces.

⸻   HONESTY: FIVE OUT OF TEN.

depending on the context, crosshair typically is an honest and blunt personality.  that being said, while he doesn't openly lie often, he has withheld information, putting him at a five.  he will pick and choose with honesty, depending on how best it benefits him.

⸻   BRAVERY: EIGHT OUT OF TEN.

he has the capacity to be extremely brave for those loyal to him, and will go out of his way, or the extra mile, to ensure they survive or can be helped.  generally though, crosshair's bravery is more thanks to his fearlessness and stubborness than an actual desire to help people.

⸻   RECKLESSNESS: SEVEN OUT OF TEN.

higher on the scale, crosshair has exhibited recklessness countless times.  from risking his life for others and to carry out orders successfully to risking his life to attain achievement, he is significantly reckless.  that being said, he is capable of exhibiting self control and has a habit of questioning others and their recklessness if it doesn't benefit him.

⸻   AMBITION: FIVE OUT OF TEN.

depending on who he surrounds himself with, crosshair is either ambitious or he's not.  the same goes for orders.  when given a mission, he can be exceptionally ambitious to achieve the right outcome.  but without guidance, ambition and recklessness tend to combine.

⸻   LOYALTY: TEN OUT OF TEN.

loyalty is the utmost important thing to him.  he has revealed that betrayal and abandonment are not things he supports at all and sincerely holds it against clone force 99 when they're forced to leave him behind.  it's commander cody's and commander mayday's loyalty and devotion to their individuality that drive crosshair to desire to be loyal himself.  he has no interest in betraying others and is forthcoming, typically.

⸻   LOVE: TWO OUT OF TEN.

much of crosshair's relationship with affection, love and intimacy is undiscovered.  he is not the explorative type and sticks fondly to what he knows.  love is thus extremely complicated for crosshair.  he doesn't know what his love languages are, and he dislikes most people and things.  that being said, crosshair is capable of subtle feelings for others and may enjoy their company more than the average person.

⸻   SENSE OF FAMILY: FOUR OUT OF TEN.

ever-changing.  crosshair is a bit of a black sheep in comparison to the rest of his squad / "family" as omega would call them.  he's always been unique to and unlike his brothers, with a penchant for isolation and individuality.  that being said, he thrives on loyalty and if someone is loyal to him, he will feel indebted.  crosshair doesn't see his squad as much of a family, because he's never had a natural one.  his squad holds its own definition of family.

⸻   ATTRACTIVENESS: FOUR OUT OF TEN.

crosshair is physically attractive and appealing to the eyes, but outside of that his attitude and disliking of most thing could be deemed as unattractive traits.  his personality isn't very likeable and it takes a long time for him to grow on someone.  however, some might find his bluntness and harsh, aloof personality to be quite attractive.  so it depends on the person and their tastes.

⸻   AGILITY: SIX OUT OF TEN.

despite not being the most agile out of clone force 99, crosshair is still significantly fast and lithe.  what he lacks in agility though, he makes up for with a quick wit and common sense.  he can manoeuvre around relatively impressively and can hold his own, but he's better suited to stillness and being perched at a height with his rifle.

⸻   SEX DRIVE: TWO OUT OF TEN.

the shooting range is busy. a mixture of people occupy the spaces. the sound of blaster fire is deafening. to his left, a kid is overseen by its parents as it blasts the targets, or rather... attempts to. crosshair tunes it out, but upon first entering and noticing he had grimaced. children should be taught to respect a weapon such as a blaster. any weapon, in fact. to be a soldier, you must respect your tools. appreciate and understand their complexities and dangers. they're not a toy.

crosshair huffs as he recalls his efforts being rewarded with his current rifle. she's seen him through thick and thin, been there for him when no one else had. knows all his secrets. his rifle is... intimate, for him. precious. perhaps the only object he's sentimental about. he can't imagine manhandling her. he rolls his eyes as he leans into it, positioning himself and aiming for the targets. he needs the practice, specifically since he'd lost his right hand. his left hand is weaker, not trained like his right. it's going to take a lot of time and patience, and even then he may never regain his accuracy.

inhaling, he holds his breath and his finger steadily touches the trigger. a gentle pull and the shot sounds out, zipping through the air. it takes out the left shoulder of all his targets. crosshair exhales in frustration. can you teach me to shoot like that? he glances over his shoulder to find a man observing him. he's wearing special goggles, and crosshair is immediately reminded of tech. in fact, he almost says his name, on the tip of his tongue, before he stops himself and performs a judgemental once over.

crosshair is yet to gauge where seven's loyalty lies. selfish, self-serving... skilled but reckless. what use does maul have for you? he wonders to himself. crosshair is a former soldier. naturally, his uses are limitless. but someone like seven has a specific skillset, rather than something general. sincerely disliked by many of maul's people, seven is needed rather than wanted. and of course he ignores the reality that such is the same for himself, too. required but not desired. he is but a clone, after all. crosshair tries not to think too deeply about it, lest he open up the void in his cavernous chest.

his brows furrow as he cleans his rifle, balancing it on his leg for lack of a spare hand. and when seven makes his intentions clear, an apparent backstabbing of maul - seeking to recruit his people for seven's own gain, crosshair understands him better. i could use someone like you. he grimaces, not turning his attention away from his beloved rifle. use. like a tool, like a dog, like a clone. " there is no one like me, " he asserts boldly. smug, he clicks the last piece of his weapon into place and turns his gaze towards the other. " are you not content, serving lord maul? "

it's the first time crosshair has seen maul since tatooine. since his spectacular failure in securing the young woman known as daisy lee. the majority of his team had been either killed or injured during their last meeting. and crosshair had been sure the crime lord had held back. perhaps not to scare daisy too sincerely. nevertheless, it's a surprise to see him now. hooded and fitting in despite his gnarly appearance, seated beside crosshair in this club as he watches over a client dancing on the floor. being a bodyguard isn't always as exciting as it sounds.

still, despite his new company his eyes continue to scan every corner and shadow. maul is kept in his peripheral. crosshair hadn't been scared of him back then, and he certainly isn't now. but he respects his power. maul talks of recruitment. an interest in the former sniper's abilities. but crosshair had done his research into maul. " you have connections to the empire, " he states plainly, disinterest present in his tone. i prefer to work for myself now, maul responds and crosshair narrows his eyes at nothing. he takes another swig of his drink. " and i'm supposed to believe you? " it's possible. to cut off the empire and its associates. he'd done it, along with many other clones. but it continues to live inside your head, regardless. you're never truly free.

hand-to-hand combat is not his strong point. no, crosshair's strengths come into play with his eyes and his common sense. and the predictability of others. it used to be his rock solid resolve, but the empire had ensured to damage that. at most, he's surviving this current confrontation through anticipating most of the punches thrown and ducking or dodging them as required. but this enemy is bigger than him, better suited for someone like wrecker. imagines his brother's voice. pick on someone your own size! it's been a while since he's seen his brothers...

crosshair swallows it down for later and sidesteps another hit. life is different, now. he's not the same person he was, but he'd needed time to process that. to come to terms with the newfound vulnerability. over the comm, brute checks in with him. he rolls his eyes. better late than never, he supposes. " i am doing great, " crosshair says bitterly. " being bludgeoned to death is at the very top of my bucket list. "