To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

The True Pathetic Nature of a Vice Admiral

As the group prepared to take off, Hunter found Adla alone for once. If it wasn't Tech by her side, then it was one of the other boys or Omega. Hunter could tell that Adla getting kidnapped and tortured by the Empire really shook the guys. No one dared to leave her alone in case she was somehow grabbed again.

Hunter, of course, had also been concerned with her disappearance. He didn't believe that hovering around the senator would help her, though. He knew what it felt like to want to be alone. Sometimes his heightened senses overwhelmed him and he needed to clear his head for a bit, or back when he was a cadet, he wanted to be by himself after enduring hours of poking and prodding from the Kaminoans. So, he gave Adla space. Although, he often found himself searching the mass of people as a way to check in to make sure she was safe. He had memorized her heartbeat pattern so he could focus on it when they were separated in a big crowd.

Even though they didn't talk as often, she had become a part of the family to him, the boys, and Omega. She had done so much to help them, which Hunter was very thankful for.

Now, he was focused on what Adla thought of the connection between Omega and the Empire.

"Oh, hi, Hunter!" she beamed at him. He quickly studied her for a check-in. Her heart rate had spiked, but her eyes weren't glassy, nor were they red. Her cheeks were the same color as the rest of her face, and she wasn't demonstrating her usual tic by running her tongue against her teeth. He concluded he had only startled her. Yet, the look in her eyes was a little vacant, melancholy.

"Adla," he nodded in greeting, "Can I talk to you?"

She placed a box down and dusted off her hands. "Of course! What can I do for you?"

"It's about Omega."

Adla hummed as a serious grimace crossed her features. She sat on the wooden box she had just placed down and leaned back on the palms of her hands. She didn't beat around the bush and jumped right into it. "I... believe the Empire is after her."

Hunter hated the news. "Are you sure?"

Adla shrugged, a little too casually for Hunter's liking. "I'm not really sure, to be honest. I'm assuming this based on the fact that Hemlock mentioned a girl near Crosshair's room, was insistent on collecting Crosshair, and knew the closest girl to Crosshair — whether they talked previously or not — was Omega."

She didn't want to tell him that the Empire interrogated her at one point asking where Omega was. They never said her name, but Adla knew.

Hunter seemed a little hopeful that perhaps Adla was mistaken, "He couldn't have meant you by any chance, could he?" Not that he wanted Adla to be Hemlock's target either.

Adla shook her head. "He did not know who I was when we met. He didn't seem to care when I introduced myself... But, I do have to come clean." Well, there goes that previous thought. "I know the Empire is after Omega because I was asked if I knew her when I was captured by the Empire. Unless, of course, there's another 'clone girl'?"

Hunter froze, his mind visibly reeling. The Naboo native watched the clone sergeant think it over.

"They asked you about her?" The poor guy seemed almost panicked. "What should I do? She'd be upset and disappointed if I told her she couldn't go on the mission. I promised her that I wouldn't leave her behind again."

Adla sighed, "Hunter, you're her guardian. This is a decision for you to make. If you think everything will go swimmingly, great. If you don't think it's safe enough for her or you can't promise her safety, then you might just have to go back on your word. Her being upset and disappointed with you for a little while is better than her being missing."