The Bad Batch remained on Bracca for quite a while after Rex left. The sun had risen a while ago, heating up the metal surfaces.
Wrecker and Omega went out to practice diffusing a bomb, each adult determined to teach the kid everything about their specialized work fields.
"How'd the talk with Rex go?" Hunter asked, bumping his elbow into Malaina's arm. He glanced down at her through the side of his eye.
Malaina drew in a deep breath, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the blue kyber crystal. "I was the Jedi commander of the 501st until our ship crashed on an unnamed moon. Apparently Rex and I were close, he thought I was dead all this time. He blames himself." She shrugged, trying to play it all off as normal. But it was far from it. "Tough shit."
Hunter nodded in agreement, resting his hands on his hips while looking out at the scraps of metal. "I guess soldiers for the Republic were just doomed to live terrible lives from the very beginning. Clones, the Jedi, Civilian Volunteers."
Malaina hummed, shaking her head. "I wouldn't give up hope just yet. We still have time."
Tech glanced at the crystal Malaina was rubbing her thumb over. "May I see that?" He asked, taking one hand off of the datapad to point at what he wanted.
Malaina tossed the kyber crystal over to Tech. "Have at it." She responded, smiling as she watched him begin to analyze the blue rock.
Tech squinted curiously at the crustal, holding it close to his goggles to get a very close look at it. "How do these get their color? The few kybers I have seen were all clear." He asked, looking at Malaina for the answer.
"They all start out as clear, but when the Force awakens them their color shifts to match the nature of its master." Malaina explained happily, crossing her arms over her chest while swaying from side to side. "They can become pretty much any color, but they were most commonly blue, green, or purple for Jedi. Kyber crystals are attuned to the light side of the Force, so to get red like the Sith and any dark side user, you have to use the Force to dominate the crystal. It'll make it crack and bleed, turning the crystal into a crimson red."
Malaina didn't think she cracked her crystal on her own, someone else had to have done it for her.
"Fascinating." Tech exclaimed, taking notes on his datapad.
Their comms beep all at once, Echo's voice ringing through. "Hunter, Mal, Tech, we were spotted by scrappers."
"Wrecker's in pursuit. He says he has it under control." Omega adds.
Malaina, Hunter, and Tech all share the same look. Did he really have it under control?
"That's not comforting." Tech comments.
Malaina watches the scrapper and his aircraft come into view. She bends down, picking up an old pipe about the length of her forearm. She takes a step back and launches the pipe with all of her strength, grinning when it hits the scrapper dead-on and knocks him off of the aircraft.
Tech blinks, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Good arm."
Malaina grinned. "Thanks, I worked hard." By that she means the rigorous involuntary training on Arkanis, but the muscles were useful no matter how she got them.
Tech handed Malaina her kyber crystal back and then the three of them met the rest of the squad back up in the Jedi cruiser to have their ration bar dinner and watch the sunset while they determined their next move.
Though the squad was joined by four unconscious scrappers, whom Wrecker had rested up against the wall.
"Rex warned us about the scrapper patrols on Bracca. We should leave." Echo expressed, pointing in the direction of where the Marauder sat.
Hunter felt differently, however. "In our present situation, we need money. And we have a chance to make a lot of it right here."
Wrecker laughed. "In this dump? How?"
Malaina moved to sit with Tech on the large metal piece, thinking about Master Cade. Sixth Brother was someone she felt familiar with even while he was lost with her memories, it was always on the tip of her tongue, trying to pinpoint who he was to her. He was her Master, a mentor, and probably a father figure.
Did he remember her? Or does he struggle with his memory too?
Hunter turned to the two most logical people in the group, Malaina and Tech. "What's the potential haul inside this cruiser?"
Malaina shrugged. "Well, it's a Jedi cruiser. Probably a buttload."
Tech raised an eyebrow at her before adjusting his goggles. "My scans indicate the armory and artillery bay have not been fully off-loaded. The dianoga must have kept the scrappers away."
Hunter nodded, liking his own plan. "Just a few of those weapons should clear our debt with Cid." He muttered, crossing his arms while thinking to himself.
Echo frowned, nose flaring. "We're soldiers, not arms smugglers." He argued.
"Are Trandoshans immune to Force manipulation?" Malaina asked with a glint in her eye. She was ignored by everyone, probably for good reason.
Hunter rubbed his hand against his stubbled chin. "There's no Republic for us to rely on anymore. We're presented with an opportunity here. We have to take it."
Tech held up a finger. "I would also add that the intel from the bridge's central system has the potential to be worth far more than any weapon."
Wrecker scoffs, crossing his arms. "Not to me."
"Tech, Malaina, get to the bridge. Get the power online and whatever intel you can gather." Hunter ordered, sliding his helmet on.
Malaina smiled and nodded, standing up with Tech.
Omega gestured a hand to the scrappers. "Uh, what do we do about them?" She asked, hooking her bow to its place on her back.
"We'll grab what we need and be gone before they even wake up." Hunter replied, beginning to walk back into the Jedi cruiser.
Wrecker laughed. "Malaina got that last one pretty good."
The Inquisitor grinned and followed Tech inside, going a separate direction than the rest of the squad.
When they entered the bridge of the cruiser, Malaina stopped and looked around, finding it hard to take a breath.
Tech quickly noticed the way she was glued to one spot in the room. "Are you alright?" He asked, pulling a tool off of his belt.
Malaina nodded absently, forcing herself to remain focused on getting intel. "Yeah..." She said quietly, fingers grabbing onto the fabric of her overtunic. "The last time I stood on the bridge of a Jedi cruiser was the day I lost my memory." She admitted, raising a hand to scratch the back of her neck awkwardly.
Tech's eyes softened. "Oh," His voice was nearly a whisper. "Would you prefer to switch places with someone? I would hate for you to feel uncomfortable while we worked."
She quickly shook her head. "No, I want to stay with you." She expressed, eyes finding the power breaker in the wall to her right. "I'm fine as long as I'm distracted." Malaina says as she trailed over to the metal box. She pries it open with her vibroblade and quickly gets to work on the power.
But the wires were all shredded, knotted together and mixed up. Malaina wasn't sure where to begin, so she looked over her shoulder at the spectacled clone. "Tech, can you give me a hand?" She asked, looking back at the overwhelming amount of wires.
"Most definitely." Tech nods, quickly making his way over. He stood behind her, his chest nearly pressing into her back as they both assessed the situation. "Oh dear." He muttered.
Malaina laughed quietly, beginning to sift through the wires. "Where do you suggest I should start with this?" She asked, her heart beginning to pound against her chest when he reached a hand around to pick at a wire. His chest gently pressed against her back, but Malaina doubted that he noticed.
"Most of these are quite unnecessary, just splice these few and the power should kick back on." He instructed, holding a few wires to show Malaina which ones to work on. His voice was low, soothing but giving her butterflies at the same time.
"Okay." Malaina rasped, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Her hand replaced Tech's as she began to splice the colorful wires with shaky hands.
Tech noticed. And instead of shying away like he normally would, he leaned a little further into her back and rested a hand beside the electrical box. He kept quiet, watching Malaina grow more flustered by the minute.
It was quite frustrating for her, actually. But addicting at the same time. She just wanted to get the power back on, but the closeness between her and Tech almost seemed more important. And it certainly sounded more fun.
Despite the heat crawling under her skin, Malaina completed the repair and she let out a relieved sigh.
"Very good." Tech praised, still standing in the same position. "Now all you have to do is flip the lever and the power will be functioning perfectly."
Before Malaina flipped the switch, she turned around to face him, realizing his skin had heated up too. "That's really all-" Her words died out the second she made eye contact with him.
Tech peered down at her, his breath hitching at her authentic beauty. She was close enough that he could feel her breath hitting his skin, sending goosebumps down his spine.
Malaina couldn't think, her mind clouded with Tech. Just him, his lips that looked so kissable, his personality that had her glued to him from the beginning.
She inched closer to him, their lips almost connecting.
She slid a hand up the plasteel chestplate, stopping when she reached his shoulder. Tech's hand moved to run up her arm slowly.
His eyes fluttered shut and Malaina's followed quickly after. They were almost there, beginning to drift closer an-
"Tech, Malaina, having power sometime today would be really nice." Hunter's impatient voice chimed through the comm. The two of them jumped apart, their hearts skipping a beat from the pure fear they felt crash through them.
Malaina cleared her throat, turning back around and quickly flipping a switch.
Inside her, there was pure frustration for the interruption. But she did her best to play it off, squeezing past Tech to begin collecting information from the bridge.
"Let there be light." Echo grumbled, his grumpy attitude heart through the comm.
Malaina felt Tech's stare on her back, but he realized he should probably be getting to work too. They both slid underneath the control panels, a painfully far distance between the two compared to how they just were.
"Whoever scuttled this ship didn't wipe the hardware's data imprint. I'm transferring the files now." Tech reported, feeling like something needed to be said to break the silence in the bridge.
Malaina swallowed thickly, letting out a shaky breath. "Good." She cringed at how her voice cracked. "I'm-uh, copying the master drive." Her attention was pulled to a button beginning to beep. Malaina hit her head on the top of the panel while sitting up, muttering a curse while she rubbed the tender spot.
Her lips parted as she watched the proximity sensor go off, flashing a red light over and over. It's probably just a short circuit, right?
But her gut churned and she found herself holding back vomit as she watched multiple Imperial transport ships land in the opening just outside of the Jedi cruiser.
One ship out of all of them made her world spin, hands beginning to tremble and breaths beginning to become short and panicked.
It had harsh angles, an intimidating silhouette, it was the slick black ship that transported the Inquisitors to and fro. The Scythe.
"Tech." Malaina trembled, watching the Chiss Inquisitor, Ninth Sister, emerge along with the Twi'lek Inquisitor, Third Brother.
Tech rose from his position on the floor, took one look out the window and realized they were in for a long night. He tapped his comm. "Hunter, we've got company." He said slowly, eyes focused on Malaina who showed pure fear, something she was unable to hide anymore.
"Is it more scrappers?" Hunter asked.
"No, it's the Empire."