The Bad Batch Aftermath{TechxOC}

Battle Scars

Valerie collapsed on the floor of the Marauder, exhausted. She put her lightsaber on the ground. She felt a hand on her back and someone knelt down next to her.

"You okay Val?" Hunter asked.

She took a deep breath in, "yea I'm okay that was intense though."

"Yes it was." Hunter helped Valerie up and picked up her lightsaber for her. "You did good, Val, trusting me and all."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Giving me your lightsaber. I know you jedi are told they are your life and too not ever give them up and also I know Rex telling us about the inhibitor chips made you panic again, I could tell." He held out the lightsaber.

Valerie took it, "I-uh-I didn't even think about it, I saw you needed help and I couldn't get to you and that was just the best way I could."

Hunter put his hand on her shoulder. "Still Val, I know it's probably going to get hard again, but you can still trust us. I want you to know that."

Hunter started to walk to where everyone was sitting in the cockpit of the Marauder before Valerie spoke up, "hey Hunter?" He turned and looked at her. "We are going to remove those chips right?"

"Yes we are." He nodded before turning back.

Valerie walked up to everyone and Echo turned around in his seat. "Well Rex reached out to us, he said he found a way for the chips to be removed, we already set the course for Bracca."

Wrecker sat down and started holding his head again, grunting in pain. It made Valerie nervous. She then noticed Tech working on some sort of machine, he didn't look back at her.

"I'm gonna go get some rest." Valerie turned and started walking away.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?" Omega called out.

Valerie paused but didn't turn around, "yes, I'm sure." She walked back to her room and sat criss crossed on the floor by the bed. She rested her hands on her knees and closed her eyes, looking into the force for guidance.

Hunter sat down next to Tech, still working on the device, "so?" Hunter said slowly.

"So what?" Tech said, still not looking up.

"So what happened back on Ord Mantell with you and Valerie. The tension between you two could even cut beskar." Hunter said.

"I don't know what you're talking about and besides, beskar steel is uncuttable." Tech stated.

"Tech it's an expression." Echo called out from the controls.

"Oh..." He finally looked up from his device, "well I don't know what exactly went wrong. We were walking around the town. Some Cerean men came up and were harassing Valerie, then we were hiding from them talking and somehow we got to the topic of the jedi order and I stated that she doesn't have to follow the jedi code anymore as there are no more jedi."

Hunter smacked the front of his own head. "Tech, are you dumb?"

"Well no I'm not dumb, I just merely stated the truth."

"Tech of course she knows there isn't anymore jedi code. Her whole world and ideologies have just been turned upside down. Her following her code makes it so she has some sort of what her life used to be like. You didn't need to rub it in like that." Hunter stated.

"Oh I didn't really think of it like that."

"Exactly you just went right to facts which yes you're not wrong but that is not what she needs to hear right now. You need to apologize to her when we land on Bracca."