Heyo human beings from outer space!
I would like to start out by saying THAAAAAANK YOOOOOOU!!!! Do you know how many reads I had when I checked? 222!!! Oh my gosh thank you to everyone who is reading this story!!!!!
So... yes... Part 2.... self-explanatory.
Read on if you dare.
Ahsoka stirred lightly. She sucked in a large breath and cracked her eyes open. Bright lights met her and she groaned, moving her hands to block the light from her eyes.
Wait, what happened?
Ahsoka could feel the signature stiff bunk underneath her, and something of the sort of bandages and bacta patches wrapping her or spotting over her in several places. Hold up, she didn't have a bunk, and she didn't remember falling asleep, so that meant one thing...
The med-bay.
Crud, what had happened? She couldn't remember. She couldn't smell the potent scent of motor oil and dust and something else she cherished (that meant Anakin) either.
Ahsoka shot up, her breaths quickening. She wasn't in a med-bay, she was in a barracks of some sort. Where was everybody? Anakin was normally right by her, and Kix was good about talking to his patients after they regained consciousness.
Normally there was someone there.
"Anakin?" Ahsoka called. "Kix? Obi-Wan? Master!" She felt like her airways were closing. "Anakin!" Ahsoka chocked out again.
"Whoah, whoah, Commander Tano, it's okay," a familiar voice soothed.
"Echo," Ahsoka grabbed his arm and clung to it, looking up to his face. But it didn't look like Echo.
This seemed to jump-start her sluggish mind. Ahsoka remembered their encounter in the alleyway.
"Sorry," Ahsoka let go of his arm and curled into herself. "Flashback, ya know?"
Echo nodded.
"What happened?" Ahsoka peeped after a moment.
"You passed out," Echo replied in a nonchalant tone.
Ahsoka shot him a playful glare. "Now Echo, we've been over this, you should know that I don't p-"
"Yeah yeah," Echo rolled his eyes with a faint smile. "You don't pass out, you blacked out."
Ahsoka's playfulness dispersed and she curled into herself more tightly. "Why did you bring me here? Where is here?"
"Here is the Havoc Marauder. I brought you here because you were hurt and I wanted to help you. I mean, you've saved my sorry hide more times than I can count. The least I can do is help you when you're bleeding profusely and black out on me in the middle of an alleyway," Echo explained.
"You make it sound so dramatic," Ahsoka mumbled.
"It was!"
After a beat of silence, Echo spoke again.
"It's good to see you again, Commander Tano," he whispered patting her shoulder.
"Pleased don't call me that," Ahsoka's voice was hardly audible.
"Call you what? 'Commander?' I've called you that the entire time I've known you! How am I supposed to stop now?"
"I don't deserve it."
"You don't deserve it?" Echo repeated. "Commander, you deserve it more than anyone else in this galaxy!"
"Stop, Echo," Ahsoka begged. "Don't call me that."
"What do you expect me to call you? Snips?"
"Call me Ahsoka-"
"I don't understand," Echo rambled on. "You've been so loyal to all of the troopers. You risked your life and saved ours almost daily. You deserve every part of that title." He seemed to make a sort of realization, pity seeping into his tone. "Oh, Commander, is it because of Order 66?"
Ahsoka winced at the very word. "No-"
"It wasn't your fault. All the clones have control chips in their heads that made them turn on the Jedi. I'm sure you did all you could to-"
"I left the Order and surrendered my rank as a commander," Ahsoka finally blurted, tears threatening to escape her eyes.
"What?!"
"I left the Order, I left the War, and I surrendered my rank as commander," Ahsoka rubbed the edges of her large, watery eyes. "I don't deserve being called that anymore."
"Why?" Echo whispered.
"It's a long, complicated story," Ahsoka admitted.
"I've got time," Echo shifted his position slightly.
"There was a bombing at the... at the Jedi temple," Ahsoka croaked. "I was framed by a close friend and the Council turned their backs on me. Anakin proved my innocence seconds before they decided to execute me or not, which I'm pretty sure they would have. After that I... I just couldn't go back. The Council didn't trust me. I had to sort things out on my own."
Echo bit his lip.
"I went back to help with the siege of Mandalore, but then they all turned, and Anakin was gone, and Obi-Wan..." Ahsoka hadn't realized she was crying. She briskly swiped the tears away with a trembling hand. "So many died, and I let them. I don't deserve the title."
Echo was speechless. All he could do was wrap Ahsoka into a hug and hold her there until she stopped shaking so violently.
"You saved Rex, didn't you?" Echo asked when he found his voice.
Ahsoka yanked herself out of his embrace. "How'd you figure that out?"
"Rex came and visited us a while back. Was he with you?"
"Yeah," Ahsoka curled into herself again. "I removed his inhibitor chip. I take it he got yours out as well?"
Echo nodded. "Took mine, Wrecker's, Hunter's, and Tech's out. Omega didn't have one. Say, you haven't met them all yet, have you?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "I spoke with Omega, but that's it."
"Well, we landed a bit ago, so I'll take you to meet them all," Echo offered.
"Land? Where are we?"
"Ord Mantell. We work with an informant called Cid," Echo explained. "She has a cantina that the others will be waiting in. But we can always take you back if you want to go."
"Okay," Ahsoka stood up from the bunk and followed Echo towards the door.
"Oh," Echo stopped. "I should ask, do you want something to eat?"
Ahsoka shook her head. "I'm not really hungry.'
Echo gave her an unconvinced look but proceeded out the door and to Cid's cantina. He brought her inside the cantina and the heads of three clones and a small girl turned upon their arrival.
"Echo," one of them greeted. "Care to introduce your friend?"
"Yes. This is Commander Tano-" he cut himself off when he saw Ahsoka's look. "-Er, this is Ahsoka Tano, former Commander of the 501st division and padawan to Anakin Skywalker."
"Hi," Omega immediately piped up. "I'm Omega."
"We've met, I believe," Ahsoka nodded.
"Commander, this is Omega, who you've met, Hunter, and Wrecker," Echo pointed to each member of the Bad Batch.
"We've heard a lot about you," Hunter offered.
"Is that so?" Ahsoka raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Echo wouldn't shut up last night," Wrecker laughed.
Echo glared at Wrecker. "I wasn't even talking to you!"
Wrecker laughed again. "You knew Rex?"
"I do," Ahsoka nodded.
"A friend of Rex is a friend of mine!" Wrecker grabbed Ahsoka into a bone-crushing hug and squeezed her until she couldn't breathe.
"Wrecker, leave her be," Hunter ordered, and Wrecker set her down.
"I see you have a new friend," a voice came behind Ahsoka. "You any good?"
"Good at wh-" Ahsoka nearly had a heart attack when she saw a Trandotion behind her. She jumped and felt the color drain from her face. Echo's hand on her shoulder reminded her that the Trandotion would probably not be a threat. Ahsoka fought back the flashbacks of when she was kidnapped and hunted by Tranodotions as a padawan.
"Good at what?" Ahsoka repeated in a wobbly voice.
"You sure do spook easy," the Trandotion commented in a loud voice. "I mean good at whatever these fellas do for me. Y'know, the usual 'stealing stuff for clients' or 'busting clients out of sticky situations' stuff?"
"Oh, I'm not staying," Ahsoka held up her hands.
"You're not?" Omega's face fell.
"She any good?" the Trandotion turned to the others.
"Yeah," Echo said.
"Well sure you're staying. You could spice up these fellas' work," the Trandotion proclaimed loudly to Ahsoka. "You look like a pile of bones. Let me fix you up something, on the house. What's your name?"
"I'm not staying," Ahsoka crossed her arms. "You just want me to stay because you'll profit from me. Just because you give me free food this time doesn't mean I'll stay."
The Trandotion sauntered off anyway, observing Ahsoka with side glances.
"Commander, you okay?" Echo asked.
"Stop calling me that," Ahsoka snapped shortly, still a bit distraught from... well, everything. She sucked in a slow breath. "That war's over. My former military rank is unnecessary."
"What am I supposed to call you then?" Echo questioned. "I'm not calling you Snips."
Ahsoka smacked him across the shoulder lightly. "You can call me by my first name."
"But I've called you 'Commander' the whole time I've known you," Echo pointed out.
Ahsoka gave him a pleading look. It hurt to be called Commander, and besides, it was dangerous. "Please, Echo," she pleaded.
"Okay Co- Ahsoka," Echo corrected himself, forcing out Ahsoka's first name. It was hard for him. It felt wrong.
Omega pulled on Ahsoka's long shirt sleeve. "You aren't staying?" She looked up at Ahsoka with the same pleading look Ahsoka had just given Echo.
"I can't," Ahsoka sighed. "I'm sorry, but it's dangerous for me to stay. I'm being hunted, and you will all be in danger."
"I'm being hunted, too," Omega said softly. "The Kaminoins send bounty hunters after me. Please stay."
Ahsoka opened her mouth but was cut off before she could get any voice out.
"Omega is right," Tech glanced up briefly. "It is better for you to stay with us for the time being. Well, at least until your injuries heal."
Ahsoka spared a glance at her bandaged leg, arm, and the countless bacta patches.
"We won't be in any additional danger," Tech went on. "Plenty of bounty hunters already hunt us. Or more directly, Omega."
"Why Omega?" Ahsoka inquired.
"She has the pure Jango Fett DNA," Tech explained. "They Kaminoins want it."
"Ah," Ahsoka sighed. "I guess I'm a little different, though."
"How?" Omega asked.
"I'm not wanted for my DNA," Ahsoka said. "And the entire Empire wants me. The Emperor wants me. Inquisitors have hunted me."
"Inquisitors?" Omega tilted her head.
"Inquisitors are Force-wielding pawns of the Empire. They're very, very dangerous," Ahsoka said. "They're used to hunt down and kill Jedi."
Omega's eyes widened. "Are you a Jedi?"
Ahsoka lowered her voice to a whisper. "Formerly, yes."
The Trandotion wandered back to the group and handed Ahsoka a plate of some sort of meal. Ahsoka flinched slightly when the Trandotion raised her hand, but it was unnoticeable as far as she knew.
Except for Echo. He noticed. He noticed everything.
"Co- Er, Ahsoka," Echo set a hand on her shoulder. "Cid's not a threat..."
"I know," Ahsoka said simply, setting the soup on the table. "I just... never had positive encounters with Trandotions."
"Ooh!" Wrecker boomed. "I wanna hear a story! Tell us a story!" Did everything he said have to be so loud and obnoxious?
"Wrecker," Hunter scolded.
"It's okay," Ahsoka assured them. Her mind raced over the mission on Felucia that turned into a disaster for her. The scent of the meal Cid had provided made her stomach churn.
Ahsoka peered at the curious eyes awaiting her. Omega and Wrecker both looked at her expectantly.
Well, she'd give what she could.
"In short," Ahsoka started cautiously. "I was kidnapped and hunted for sport by Trandotions for three days."
Wrecker and Omega were practically drooling for more. Before Ahsoka knew it, she'd flipped into detail and the story flew out of her mouth.
After that, Tech had been impressed with her ability to create the com device for Chewbacca. (A/N: Was that what it was? I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look back.) Hunter had been impressed with her leadership skills.
Wrecker had been impressed with it all. He'd left his mouth agape and eyes wide when she'd finished the story.
And Omega was just glad she was there.
Ahsoka could already tell that she'd get along just fine with the Bad Batch until she was well enough to go out on her own.
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Word Count: 2,083
Published: Feb. 27, 2022
Fun fun fun stuff. AAAA! I love this idea of Ahsoka meeting the Bad Batch so much.
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Bye, peoples!