"Hey, where are the kids?" Hunter asked, catching up to Alona as she continued running through the forest.
Alona exhaled, catching a glimpse of more flames burning down the Kashyyyk flora. "Surrounded by fire." She said casually, picking up her pace alongside Hunter to reach Omega and Gungi.
When she got close enough, Alona waved a hand across the bright orange flames, extinguishing them to find the two children that had evidently just faced a trandoshan.
The other clones and Wookiees quickly found their way over after winning the battle.
Alona walked up to Gungi, smiling down at him. She could tell he had fought long and hard to save his planet, his people. And he had done it well.
"Gungi, I think your service as a padawan has gone on long enough." She declared, noticing the padawan braid he still wore. She knew his Master had passed at the time the order was given.
Gungi made a confused sound. Then he protested by saying that he still had more time to serve, and that there really was no point anymore since the Jedi were technically gone.
Alona shook her head. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, there are still quite a few Jedi out there. And even though I might not be one myself anymore, I am quite familiar with the knighting ceremony." She said suggestively, kneeling down to be eye level with the Jedi. "Gungi, I believe anyone who survived the ending of the Clone Wars has absolutely earned the right to be knighted. And it would be my honor to do it to you if that's what you want."
Gungi thought to himself for a few moments before slowly nodding a yes. Alona smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Then let us return to your village and we will start the process."
Once back at the Wookiee village, the others busied themself with a feast provided by Yanna and told many stories and joked around.
Meanwhile Alona and Gungi had placed themselves close to a wroshyr tree and meditated. Gungi searched deeply for his future path, as all padawans were told to do before being knighted.
And once Gungi had found what he was looking for, he opened his eyes and declared that he was ready.
Alona stood up, pulling her lightsaber hilt off of her belt and igniting the blade.
Gungi bowed down and hung his braid onto his shoulder.
"Gungi, you have fought long and hard through your years as an apprentice. The Force has brought us together to acknowledge your bravery, your chivalry, and your passion. And by the will of the Force, I dub you a Jedi Knight." She declared, bringing her lightsaber to hover over the left shoulder and then the right soldier, lastly she severed the padawan braid. "Wear your title well, you've earned it."
Gungi bowed his head and stood up, dropping all professionalism and wrapping Alona in a tight hug, thanking her greatly.
Alona was proud, seeing a young Jedi she had once brought to the ice caves to collect his first kyber crystal, and now declaring him a knight.
Omega had watched the whole thing, cheering from the deck as she descended the stairs with a bright smile on her face. "Good job, Gungi!"
Alona spotted Hunter leaning against the hut's door frame and she smiled, squinting through the sunbeam at him. She excused herself from the children, sliding her lightsaber onto her belt and heading over to her bandana wearing boyfriend.
"I've never seen a knighting ceremony before." Hunter hummed, crossing his arms over his armored chest. His eyes were soft as he watched her approach.
Alona shrugged, snaking her arm around his waist and resting her head against his teal and white painted shoulder plate. "I'd be more surprised if you had. The only one I've ever witnessed was my own."
Hunter finally noticed the red shirt stained with a darker red substance. The metallic smell was something he picked up on next. "What happened?" He asked quickly, carefully lowering the neck of her shirt to see the damage. He knew by the size and damage of the wound that it was from a whip.
Alona frowned in confusion before remembering the events from a few hours ago.
"Oh, I got whipped. Not-not the love kind of whipped, like, actually physically whipped. Well, I mean, I guess I'm love whipped too, but that's not-that's not the kind of whipped I was talking about." She stammered, looking down at the sliced skin that was bruised and smeared with dried blood.
Hunter grinned, shaking his head at her. "You're whipped?"
Alona nodded. "Yes. In two ways." She confirmed, her cheeks turning pink as she grinned along with him.
Hunter chuckled, glancing back out at the kids. Gungi was teaching Omega how to meditate. It made Alona smile softly, seeing how content and entertained she was with another kid.
Maybe that's what Omega needed, another kid to hang out with. Being the only one on the Marauder all the time must be at least a little boring.
Yanna and Tech joined the couple on the deck. Yanna said something about how happy Omega and Gungi looked.
"They're both just kids. But they don't get to be." Hunter sighed, wrapping his arm around Alona's back. "Not in this galaxy."
Yanna began speaking and Tech pulled down his translation piece of his helmet, and repeated her words for the other two to understand. "When a young one leaves, the trees weep. But when they return, the trees sing. As this child has found his new home, perhaps, one day, we all will find a new path."
"Hopefully...one far away from war." Hunter said tiredly.
Alona nodded. "Far away."
And as the Bad Batch said their farewells to both their new and old friends and headed back to the Marauder, they all found themselves dreading the minute they stepped foot back on Ord Mantell.
Omega, Wrecker, and Echo quickly found their way to sleep as they began traveling through hyperspace. Tech remained in the cockpit, having put himself to work on some adjustments for Alona's robotic hand.
The Force-User was leaning against the bathroom counter, her singular hand gripped tightly onto the ledge as Hunter used a wet cloth to gently wipe away the dried blood from her chest.
Sure, she could heal it, but this was the only way the couple could be alone, locked inside of the small bathroom that was severely humid from Tech's shower minutes before.
"Are you alright?" Hunter asked gently, placing the damp cloth on the counter and grabbing the bacta gel.
Alona blew air out of her mouth, lowering her head. "If wanting to hit you in the head with my severed appendage means that I'm okay, then yes." She replies, holding up her left arm, the missing hand sitting on top of Gonky in the cockpit where Tech was working on it.
Hunter chuckled, gently rubbing the bacta gel over the wound and placing a bandage over it. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look into her eyes. "Your humor is still intact, I'd say you're alright."
Alona smiled, melting into the finger he had held her chin up with. "Yeah, I guess so." She hummed softly, her gaze lingering on his lips.
"But, I saw your reaction to the trandoshan...the way you flinched before exposing yourself to them as a Gray Jedi." Hunter then said, that worried glint in his eyes returning. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked gently.
Alona sighed, shrugging her shoulders tiredly. "Honestly, seeing that Wookiee get whipped hurt me more than when this happened." She replied, gesturing to the bruised and cut skin just below her collarbones. "I think...I'm getting better at processing stuff like that, my past. I struggled for a while I think because I had no time to grieve for what I had lost while I was fighting in a war."
And now that the war was over, it really hit her just how much of life had been taken from her without her permission. She hardly experienced the things a child should have. She had lost so many friends, people she considered her family. She met her brother and became best friends with him. And then she watched her brother betray the Jedi, betray her and Padme, betray everything he stood for. And then she watched Padme give birth to twins and then die shortly after.
Alona wasn't even allowed to take in Luke and Leia. Master Yoda and Obi-Wan said that they would be more protected with someone like Organa and Alona's step-brother Owen. But she had a feeling it was also because they didn't trust her. Hell, if Anakin could turn to the dark side, Force knows what kind of monster his crazy younger sister could become.
And quite frankly, Alona didn't trust herself, either. The only baby she ever held was Jabba's son. Even as a Padawan had been questioning her loyalty to the Jedi. She never did entirely agree with what she practiced, but she was afraid that if she stepped away from it like Ahsoka did, she would be left with nothing.
Alona couldn't handle the possibility of going back to something so traumatizing, but slavery was something she feared would find its way back to her. So she remained a Jedi, Knight of the Republic, because at least it was better than what she had before.
But for a few days after Order 66, Alona had been all alone in the galaxy for the first time since before she had been taken off of Tatooine. She couldn't handle it, so she went for Hunter and his brothers.
And now she was here, standing in the small bathroom of the Havoc Marauder, deeply in love with Hunter and surrounded by a new family, one she hoped would stick around until the end of time.
"I think I feel more content now than I ever have, and it's thanks to you, Omega, and your brothers. You guys have helped me heal, and you gave me something that I thought was impossible for me to have." Alona determined.
Hunter raised an eyebrow, smiling down at her. "And what is that, cyare?"
"You've got me whipped." She jokes, grinning up at him. "No, you gave me your love, which may end up being a major mistake on your behalf, but I'm glad that you chose me." Though Alona may never understand just why he had chosen her.
Hunter lowered his head, his eyes fluttering as their lips nearly touched from how close they were. "You've got me whipped too." He joked, connecting their lips.
Alona laughed into the kiss, hooking her arms around his neck. "Good to know, Sarge."