The Unmaking

Back to the Beginning

A/n: Well, we have officially reached the "we're doing this my way" portion of this fic since I'm not a huge fan of some of the episodes in this series.  Basically, I don't want to waste time creating copy/paste chapters from the episodes because those are boring and, let's be honest, won't really compel the story that much.  I want this to be a bit more original to me, so there will be some deviation from the canon from this point on.  You have been warned.  Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully I'll have another out soon!

The Havoc Marauder shuttered as it touched down to the ground of the Batuu landing bay. Abby stared out the cockpit window to greet the familiar and remincinet scenery. The locale was exactly as she remembered it; in the distance she could see the moss-ridden, piercing black, rock spires which the outpost had been named after. The cloudless, soft blue sky blanketed the world like a crystal dome.

"So, how's it feel to be back?" Hunter asked, clapping her on the shoulder.

"Strange," Abby admitted. "Gotta admit, I never thought I'd see the day I came back here."

One by one, the Batchers made their way to the cabin and hopped down the ramp to the outside.  As Batuu's warm sunlight hit her face for the first time in years, Abby recalled the fateful day that she naively made the venture down to this very landing bay for her first of many missions with the Bad Batch. She had been oblivious to the wild adventures it would lead her to. What had been a simple retrieval operation had brought her to the dysfunctional family of the Bad Batch.

Abby's mind turned heavy as she thought of this. How different would her life be if she had not begrudgingly accepted that mission? She would likely be a bounty hunter still, living a pointless life of jumping from mission to mission until the day she died.

"Hey, you alright?" Hunter asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and disrupting her glum train of thought.

Somewhat startled, Abby forced herself to diminish her frown. They had a mission ahead of them, more important things to worry about than dwelling on the past.

"Yeah, fine," she shrugged him off before motioning the Bad Batchers to follow. "Come on, the guild is this way."

Though Hunter looked far from convinced, he didn't dispute her, which Abby was silently thankful for. Concerning him with her pointless worries would only create more of a burden than it was worth. The Sergeant had enough on his mind as it was anyway, from the Crosshair situation to Omega's safety.

Without another moment's hesitation, Abby began the familiar walk through the winding passages of the landing bay to Blackspire Outpost's commons. Echo, Wrecker, Tech, Omega, and Hunter all followed closely behind her, unsure of themselves in the unfamiliar port. Abby, however, still had every twist and turn memorized.  The ambiance of the markets and streets hadn't changed in the least either. From the dusty stone ground underfoot to the potent scent of spice floating in the air, each of her senses brought her back in time through her memories.

This time visiting a port, everyone was considerably more tense. Abby caught herself and the others all glancing around nervously every few seconds in case of possible suspicions. Even Omega, who remained her usual happy-go-lucky self, stuck close to the sides of her brothers, practically attached at the hip.

They all tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. They kept their heads down and followed the flow of the crowds as often as they could. They had all dressed in their civvie clothes as well, knowing full and well that their armor would stand out like a sore thumb.

"Where are we headed?" Echo asked as they slipped onto another market street.

"Guild headquarters," Abby replied easily. "There I'm hoping to find some intel on Shand. These guys will give up any information, for the right price."