To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

A Run In

"You're Clone Force 99?"

"Yeah!" Wrecker loudly cheered.

"Why do you ask?" Echo inquired.

Adla ran her tongue over her teeth again under her helmet. "Crosshair briefly mentioned you."

Everyone froze the moment she mentioned his name. Echo faced her fully. "How do you know Crosshair?"

"Well," she looked out at the night sky. "He's, uh, my new personal guard on Coruscant." Now everyone faced her. "Who doesn't exactly know that I am here..."

"I see the problem," Tech swiftly cuts in. "We will make sure you reach your ship unharmed and unnoticed."

Adla nodded in gratitude towards Tech.

"We already got what we came for. Let's get to the Marauder," Wrecker suggested.

Wrecker went to take a step forward to continue the move, but Hunter held out his arm. "They're already on board the cruiser. We need a covert way out."

"They'll do a forward-to-aft sweep. We can alternate corridors. Come on," Echo encouraged the group. They all began to move, but Adla fell to the back.

She tried her best to keep her anxiety at bay, but she couldn't stop thinking about Crosshair.

If Crosshair were to recognize her or find out she was with them, what would happen? Would he shoot her? Would he arrest her? Would he tell Rampart or even the Emperor? And here she thought they were finally building a relationship, and he was beginning to tolerate her. Now she ruined that.

"Talk to me, Tech," Hunter called back to the goggled clone while he held a flashlight so everyone could see where they were going.

"I'm trying to tap into the regs' comms so we can monitor their movement," came the reply.

If Adla was paying attention, she would have asked if the group typically tapped into comms. If she were paying attention and asked her question, Tech would have responded with a yes. If she were paying attention, she would have asked if Crosshair would know they would do that. Then, the plan might have changed.

Wrecker slowed his pace so he walked side by side with her. "Hey," Wrecker called in an uncharacteristically light voice. He nudged Adla with his arm to get her out of her own head. Her body language gave away her anxieties by being stiff and mechanical in her movements. "Don't worry, we'll get you to your ship without the Empire noticing ya. If Tech promised you something, then it will more than likely happen."

Although she had her helmet on, Adla gave Wrecker a nervous smile. "Thank you, Wrecker."

Wrecker suddenly held an arm out across her shoulders and pressed her against the wall, as everyone else did the same. Adla jerked her head to the side to see troopers pass by them. Her shoulders dropped a smidge when they passed by without noticing the group.

"All squads," Crosshair's voice rang out through Tech's datapad. Adla's head snapped instantly to the piece of technology in Tech's hands.

"Yes, sir," a trooper responded.

"Push the targets towards the hangar."

Adla's heart sped up. It was dangerous to not be fully aware of one's surroundings. Adla knew this. She had learned about those consequences a long time ago. But hearing Crosshair's voice and knowing his loyalty to the Empire did not leave her with a good feeling. She couldn't remain focused. She was on autopilot as she made her way through the Cruiser with Clone Force 99.

Adla held her blasters out when the group made it to the artillery deck, but did not process anything she looked at.

Doors swooshed open and troopers entered the room. Adla pointed her blasters at every trooper at one point, trying to have them all remain in her line of sight.