Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

88:

Astera:

Despite Echo's ship being bigger than the Marauder, it still didn't have enough seats. Wrecker had been relegated to the floor with the dog, though he seemed perfectly content to rub Batcher's head and keep her entertained. I probably would have been right there with him, if Hunter hadn't insisted I take his chair instead.

I glanced back once again at Omega, watching the girl worry a toothpick between her teeth in a manner disturbingly similar to the grumpy sniper in the seat opposite her. It was inevitable that she'd begin to mimic Crosshair, considering how close she was with him now, but it still bothered me a little more than I wanted to admit. He might have abandoned the Empire, but I still wasn't entirely sure if he was a good role model at all. And maybe I was a little jealous.

"So, where exactly are we headed?" Hunter propped his arms up on the back of my chair, leaning over to watch Echo fiddle with the buttons on his navicomputer.

"It's a base, of sorts." He was being remarkably tight-lipped about the location of Rex's base - all we knew was that it was located in Wild Space. Perfect to hide a network of clones working against the Empire. Though that was probably why he wasn't telling us. The less people who knew

"I thought your rendezvous with Gregor was top priority."

"Yeah, well, I'll pick him up after dropping you lot off. He still wants to see you," he added to me. "I'm never going to hear the end of it if he misses you again."

"Better bring him back quickly then," I said with a grin. It would be nice to see him again, properly this time. I wasn't really sure if Daro counted, considering I'd been too afraid to tell any of the clones there who I really was until there was no other choice. "Shortstack too. It's been too long."

"Any idea why Rex wants us there so urgently?" Hunter cut in.

"Or why he asked for me specifically?" That had been the most confusing part of his message. The last two times he'd called on us, it was more than clear he'd needed the Batch's skills rather than mine. In fact, he probably would have tried to leave me out of it if it were his choice. Not that I could blame him though. Daro and Coruscant were two of the worst possible places for a former Jedi.

"He didn't say." Echo shrugged without looking up from the navicomputer. "But it must be important."

I didn't have to look to know that Hunter's gaze had shifted automatically to Omega again. I could sense his worry. A worry that I reciprocated - if whatever Rex wanted us to do put us at risk of losing Omega again, we couldn't do it. Her safety came first.

The ship dropped out of hyperspace only moments later, over a mottled purple planet I recognised on sight. "This is Teth. Don't tell me Rex's base is the monastery where we rescued Jabba's slug baby."

"The one and only." Echo hadn't been there for that particular battle, but Rex surely would have mentioned its significance. Four years since I'd been here last, but I still remembered it vividly - it'd been where I'd fought Ventress for the very first time, at seventeen and barely prepared to hold my own against a dark side assassin. Though at least I'd held up a little better than Ahsoka had at the time.

Rex was already waiting for us at the landing zone with at least three other clones. The one at his shoulder had to be Howzer. I'd never met him personally, but I'd heard enough about how the only reason Hunter and Echo had escaped from Ryloth with the Syndullas was because of him. Though the way all three other clones were standing suggested they weren't as pleased with our presence here as Rex was.

"They don't look happy to see us," Wrecker thumped Crosshair's shoulder with a laugh. "Just like old times."

"They don't look happy to see Crosshair," I corrected, noting the way Howzer's glare settled on him. Crosshair made no response, though he seemed very determined to avoid Howzer's accusatory look, even when we stopped in front of them.