To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

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The woman behind him stayed quiet.

Adla looked over at the bed across from Crosshair. A body lay in the bed, but there was no equipment surrounding it. A sheet covered the body, but clone armor peaked out from where the thin sheet could not cover.

The medical droid moved away from herself and Crosshair and began to wheel the cot with the dead body out of the room. Had the person just died? Or were they already dead? This entire scene confused her.

"He works for me. Any injuries or incidents that are sustained out on the field are to be notified and reported to me as soon as possible," she told the man evenly. "So I will ask you once more, why is Crosshair being detained?"

"I apologize, you must mind my weariness. If you don't mind me asking, you are?" The man questioned.

"Senator Adla Klenn of Naboo. And you are?"

"Doctor Royce Hemlock." He did not introduce his companion.

"And what exactly is your purpose here, Doctor Hemlock?"

He assessed her for a moment. "CT-9904 is being detained and decommissioned due to the death of an Imperial officer at his hand."

He deflected, Adla noticed. She straightened out her back.

"Do we know what the officer's offense was?"

Whatever the doctor thought she was going to say, it definitely wasn't that; Adla could tell that much. The surprise had flickered over his face before he returned to his neutral and smooth expression.

"CT-9904 killed a commanding officer. He is marked as dangerous and unpredictable, Senator."

Adla narrowed her eyes. "Crosshair does not attack unless he is provoked. Perhaps Lieutenant Nolan's leadership skills were questionable at best."

"Perhaps," Hemlock agrees. His eyes held notes of curiosity as he regarded her. "I would be careful with what you say. It sounds as though you lack faith in the Empire." It was not a warning as so many others before had warned her; his tone of voice sounded neutral, curious, and conversational.

"There's always bad apples that need to be pulled off of the tree, who's to say the lieutenant wasn't one of them. Greed and arrogance are powerful conductors to lead to a downfall. So they must be stopped. Perhaps he deserved it. Perhaps Crosshair is a hero."

Hemlock messaged his hand again. "Protagonist or antagonist, CT-9904 will still be set for decommissioning and handed over to me so that I can take care of him."

Adla's face lit up in alarm. She stepped more in front of Crosshair to try and block him from view. "Hand him over to you? I understand the need to decommission him, but he is still my guard. When he is not running around on missions, he is with me. You cannot just take him away. I won't let you."

Hemlock placed his hands behind his back. He started to carefully make his way towards the senator and soldier, but stopped after seeing Adla's shoulders rise more.

"He killed a lieutenant. Who's to say that he won't kill you, Senator?"

His voice was light and curious. Adla didn't back down and didn't waver. She didn't allow for Hemlock to change her thoughts or beliefs. She had worked with Crosshair by her side long enough to know that Crosshair does not attack unless he truly feels he is backed into a corner. To kill a commanding officer of the Empire wasn't exactly his first response to a situation. Would he kill a commanding officer? Absolutely. Without reason or for the thrill? Absolutely not.

"He won't," she confidently stated.

"CT-9904, otherwise known as Crosshair, needs to be evaluated for any diagnosis of mental or physical illness due to his sudden change in behavior," a slightly nasally and accented voice spoke up. Adla's eyes drifted to the assistant behind Hemlock.