Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

22

Rampart was the first one off the wheeled transport, the very corpulent Taa just behind him. Serin and Gobi shared a glance at the sight of them - it was going to be worse than they thought. Crosshair broke away from the group of troopers, approaching the two politicians and ready to report.

"These three were caught smuggling weapons onto the planet," he informed Rampart. His attention was caught by the Twi'lek child, much smaller than the two adults on either side of her, and much more vulnerable.

"Miss Syndulla," Rampart regarded her. "I find your involvement in such matters to be most distressing."

Hera glanced up nervously at him through her eyelashes, unsure where this was heading.

"Cham's behind this!" Taa pointed at her angrily, his three chins wobbling under the force of his outburst. "She's the proof! He's plotting an uprising!"

"That's not true!" Hera couldn't stop herself despite Gobi's warning. Her words made no difference, Taa pressed on with his made-up narrative, believing the words as he spoke them.

"You being here is enough to implicate him." Taa huffed out a breath, attempting to cross his arms over his large belly.

"The public won't see it that way," Rampart mused, deep in thought. "You said it yourself. He has influence over them. And the fact remains, Cham has not committed a crime. Yet. But this Syndulla has."

Hera flinched backwards when he leaned in, unable to hide the terror from him.

"Sir, she's only a child." The clone captain Howzer objected behind Rampart.

"She's an insurgent!" Taa insisted. "Take them away!"

The two clones on the other side of Howzer moved forward, obeying orders without a second thought. He watched them go, following after a moment's hesitation. The three Twi'leks were escorted onto the tank, hands raised in defeat. Crosshair watched them file onto the transport, before stepping forward to intercept Rampart before he could get onto the transport with them.

"I'm clocking three of Glie's fighters on the western ridge," he informed the admiral, "Should I take care of them?"

"No, let them report back." Rampart already had a plan in mind. "Just make sure you get into position."

The lead fighter on the ridge lowered her macrobinoculars. "We have to contact the general."

"Smuggling weapons?" Cham repeated in disbelief. "What was Hera thinking?"

"We must speak to Senator Taa immediately." Eleni looked worriedly up at her husband,

The droid known as Chopper wheeled in crazily, chattering in Binary and the two appendages he used as arms flailing about. Eleni's face hardened at his announcement, indignation crossing her angular features.

"Guilty of treason?! They haven't had a trial yet!"

Cham sighed in defeat. He already knew what the greedy senator would be planning, so rooted in his hatred for him. "Taa will see that they never get one."

Chopper's head spun wildly on its axis, still jabbering away. Cham nodded at the outdated astromech, agreeing with him.

"We must intercept that convoy before it reaches the capital. Where are they now?"

"Western outskirts," the fighter on the hologram reported. "Sector three."

The hologram fizzled out a second later, Cham and Eleni already halfway out the door with a quick shout to Chopper, the droid obediently following after.