A/N: Ok. So. Um. Here I am, back from under the rock I hid under all summer. Look, I know I said I was going to write a lot during the summer, but as I'm sure you've heard, writing is hard. I really did want to, but at the same time I didn't, and I really hate that. I didn't want to leave you all hanging, because I, too, understand the pain of an author not updating for, say, entire months on end. It's not fun.

But I don't really have any excuse, not even being too busy or stuff happening. I just lost the motivation. If I were the one reading this, I might be getting nervous, but I promise you that, while I might have lost a lot of motivated, I'm not giving it up. This is my first big project and I do not want to stop after putting so much work into it already. I guess what I'm saying is I am somewhat unmotivated right now, but I'm also not ready to give up.

Anyways, thank you so much for sticking around if you're still watching this story. I'm really hoping that the second season of the Bad Batch will give me a second wind. Either way, hope you enjoy this chapter! This one was really tough to finish, and I'm still not 100% satisfied with how it turned out. But enough of my yammering. Go! Enjoy the story! Pretty please?

Sabine sighed as Hera, the new Twi'lek who was supposedly named Bek, his second in command, the Bad Batch, and the rest of the crew discussed the plan. She had never liked briefings. They were dull and monotonous and made everything they were talking about seem boring, too. It didn't matter if the plan involved the biggest explosion in the history of explosions, they always managed to make that sound boring too.

At least this one did involve blowing something up. Sometimes missions just needed a little something to spice things up. Then again, looking at their plan, things were already going to be pretty "spicy," meaning it would be risky even by their standards. So many things could go South so quickly...

Sabine shook her head. Getting herself all worked up about what was to come wasn't helpful to anyone. As was her philosophy: plan well, react better.

Finally, Hera powered down the display of the rough map of the area and gazed at the circle of people gathered in the lounge.

"The Empire knows we're here, and they know that we will try to escape," she turned to Bek. "But what they don't know is that we have allies. Allies who know this land better than anyone else."

She reached out, gripped Bek's hand, and said, "and we couldn't be more grateful for their help."

Bek smiled. "Anything for an old family friend."

Looking at Hunter, who had introduced himself and the rest of the squad to them after their arrival, Sabine noticed his annoyed expression and suppressed a chuckle. She didn't know what had gone on between the sergeant and Bek, but they clearly didn't get along very well. The two kept on sending glares at each other every chance they got. As long as it didn't get in the way of the mission, Sabine was happy to spectate.

"Marind," Bek said, turning to his second in command, a fiery woman with an even fierier personality, "organize a team and gather supplies for the distraction. Some others need to stay here so we can finish repairs on the ship."

Marind nodded, before swiftly turning on her heel and sliding down the ladder to the loading bay.

There wasn't much else for Sabine to help with now that they had all the extra hands and all. That, and Hera was still sending her glares whenever she volunteered to do something. Despite the fact that her burns were doing significantly better, almost healed in the week that had passed, even she had to admit that they did twinge every now and then.

She figured that there were plenty of others who could deal with the manual labor, so she settled down on the couch as the remainder of the group jogged off to complete their respective tasks. In the meantime, thought Sabine, I'll have some time to properly take stock on the supplies of my trade. Pulling her old, paint-splattered, tattered bag into her lap, she began to carefully lay the various explosives out on the table.

"Those are some good supplies ya got there."

Sabine looked up from her work to see the largest member of the Bad Batch, whom Hunter had introduced as Wrecker earlier, watching her sort through the explosives with a grin. Sabine had already noted that he was only a few inches shorter than Zeb and just as bulky, with a large scar covering the entire left side of his head. Vaguely, she wondered what kind of accident could have caused it.

"Thanks," she replied, before returning to sorting the different sized orbs into separate piles.

"Mind if I join ya?" Wrecker asked, although he had already plopped down heavily on the couch. "I'm a bit of an expert myself," he added proudly, gesturing with one thumb at his broad, armored chest.

Sabine raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Oh yeah?" She scanned the piles and plucked an orb out of the assortment. "Then what's the best use for this one?"

Wrecker cocked his head, inspecting the gray orb carefully. The differences were subtle. The big guy remained silent but took the detonator in his hand and turned it left and right, studying it from every angle.

Sabine grinned. She had him for sure! But just when she thought victory was hers, the clone laughed triumphantly, tossing the detonator up in the air and catching it again with ease.

"This is a custom det, isn't it?" he asked.

Sabine's grin disappeared.

"HA!" Wrecker cheered and tossed it back to Sabine, who caught it, face still a study in surprise.

"How'd you tell?" Sabine asked curiously, a hint of admiration sneaking its way into her voice.

"Never seen anythin' like it, but I recognized a few pieces. What's it do?"

Sabine grinned mischievously and tossed it back in forth in her hands. "Oh, not much. Just explodes paint everywhere."

Wrecker laughed, punching her shoulder so that she fell back onto the couch with a small gasp. "That's genius!"

"I'm glad to see someone appreciates my artistic talent," Sabine said, and Wrecker chucked again.

"I appreciate your artistic talent," interjected Ezra as he was walking past.

"Of course, you do," Sabine replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I do!"

"You didn't like the painting I made in your room!"

"That's because it makes me look stupid!" Ezra spluttered.

Zeb, who had been carrying a crate on his shoulder as he climbed up the ladder, huffed indignantly, "makes you look stupid? What about me?"

Sabine could already see where this was going, as it usually did, and sighed a sigh of relief when Hera entered the lounge from the cockpit. "Alright you two, that's enough. Just get back to work. We still have a lot of things to get done."

With a final glare at one another, Zeb and Ezra resumed their tasks. Hera looked over her shoulder at Sabine.

"Oh, and Sabine, Marind wanted to talk to you. Said she heard you were the one to go to for explosives and wanted help picking out a few charges for the mission," Hera added, a proud twinkle in her eye.

"Alright," she said and Hera disappeared again back up the ladder and into the cockpit. After Hera left, she looked at Wrecker, who had been awkwardly spectating as the argument had escalated and thanked him for his help.

"No problem," he replied with a warm smile. "Always loved things that go 'boom.'" With that, Wrecker slid back down the ladder to help prepare.

With a sigh, Sabine realized she had better find Marind, like Hera had suggested. Although they planned to be off this moon by the end of the day, they still had a lot to do.

The Ghost was silent. Tension hung heavy among the crew like an invisible fog as they waited for the signal.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Ezra drummed his fingers anxiously on the table in the main room. For ages, they had gone over plans and backup plans and every way in which each of them could go wrong, until it seemed like they were ready for anything. And yet…

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

The entire scheme hinged on the hope that the heavy artillery and many of the Empire's ships were stationed at the small camp which the Imperials had set up among the ashes of the town. If they had put up any other camps without Bek's rebels noticing, it could easily be game over. Thanks to the repairs, the Ghost had enough defensive power to repel a few decent hits, but if they missed any of the heavy cannons the townspeople had spotted the Empire bringing in, then it wouldn't matter. They would be shot out of the sky. And this time, Ezra doubted they would get so lucky again.

Tap, tap, tap—

A hand slammed on the table, making Ezra jump in his seat. He looked up to see Sabine staring at him intently.

"Ezra. Stop. You're driving me crazy."

"Oh. Sorry," Ezra apologized, putting his hands in his lap where they wrung each other restlessly. "I'm just…"

"Anxious?"

"Yeah."

Ezra's chest fluttered as Sabine put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "we all are. But as soon as we hear that signal, we'll be out of here faster than a Loth cat."

Slightly comforted, Ezra chuckled at Sabine's words, but his stomach still refused to settle. No matter what Sabine said, their fate rested in the hands of Bek and his rebels. To him, at least, Bek appeared to be a capable leader. After all, as Hunter had begrudgingly admitted, Bek had managed to locate and ambush the Bad Batch, something not easily achieved with a force comprised of untrained townspeople, and a target of elite soldiers.

Still, even the best could make mistakes, and one little mistake could bring everything crashing down.

As if attuned to his thoughts, the sounds of a huge explosion echoed through the valley, and Hera's voice patched in through the intercom.

"That's our signal! Everyone hold on!"

The Ghost powered up rapidly, engine roaring to life underneath the crew's feet as it detached from the sheer mountainside. Ezra listened as rocks plunked against the hull but breathed a sigh of relief when nothing larger came loose on top of them. So far so good, but there was a long way to go before they could get to safety. This was only the beginning.

Anxiety and curiosity quickly overpowering his already rather modest sense of safety, Ezra dashed into the cockpit, nearly knocking himself out against the doorframe as the freighter pitched unexpectedly. Stumbling the rest of the way, he caught one of the seats just as the Ghost rose above the mountains, revealing a sight that caused Ezra's stomach to do a somersault.

Following a vibrantly colored smokestack rising from the valley, Ezra spotted the town, dwarfed by the distance, what could only be the Empire's hastily constructed base consisting of a collection of tents, and the source of the smoke. From there it was difficult to distinguish, but if everything was as it should be, then the chunks of metal and debris was the Empire's armory, rocket launchers, and the tie-fighters stationed there.

Behind him, Sabine burst into the room, whooped, and fell back into her seat, admiring the pink, blue, purple, and orange tower of smoke twisting its way into the otherwise crystal-clear sky. "They used my dets!"

As good as it seemed, the distraction would only give them a moment before the Destroyer in the atmosphere above unleashed the squadrons of tie fighters in her hanger. Still, it meant they wouldn't have to worry about being pinned from above and below. That is, if Bek and the townspeople didn't miss anything.

Shooting off over the mountains, the Ghost gained altitude. No ties rose from the ground, and the systems of the ship remained silent. So Bek must have pulled through, after all. For a few quick seconds, Ezra thought they might make it out of the atmosphere and into hyperspace without resistance. A shout from the intercoms dispelled that hope with the dreaded words.

"Ties!" Crackled Kanan's voice from where he was stationed in one of the turrets, "on our tail!"

Entering the atmosphere from the bowels of the star destroyer came what seemed like dozens of tie fighters, all in hot pursuit.

"Karabast!" Zeb growled, followed by a series of rapid shots from the turrets. Ezra watched the ship's radar and followed through the cockpit window as the ties split, avoiding the shots with ease.

The muscles in her jaw tense, Hera jerked the controls, the Ghost pitched abruptly, and a volley of cannon-fire flew past their mark. Pulling the ship level again, Hera turned sharply to face the ties, which split up in surprise, but not before two disappeared in an explosion of twisted metal and fire. Zeb let out a cheer as the Ghost flew through the dissipating explosions and once more adjusted her course towards the clear sky.

Even without cannons attacking them from below, the tie fighters just kept coming. The Ghost pitched, twisted, and spun, but with the Destroyer stationed just out of the atmosphere, it would be impossible to destroy them all.

A hit shook the decks and Ezra winced. Chopper screeched and flailed his arms wildly as one of the consoles sparked, almost sending the panel up in an electrical fire. Although the shields held, they couldn't take much more, even after their repairs.

"Fighters, coming in on our six!" Kanan alerted Hera, who clutched the controls with white knuckles.

"I see them."

But just as she prepared to dodge the attack, a rocket sped towards them from the surface. Ezra's stomach fell as the attack appeared on the radar. The Empire must have had another stash of rocket launchers that Bek had missed. The Ghost couldn't sustain a hit from something like that. Ezra squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact to rock the ship and the alarms to start blaring as they plummeted to the ground. But the blow never came.

Somewhere behind them, the rocket struck one of the pursuing tie fighters, causing it to careen uncontrollably into the fighter next to it, sending both spinning towards the ground.

A cheer rose up from the comms and Ezra minutely relaxed his grip on the arms of the chair below him. Bek must have gotten his hands on one of the launchers. Another followed a few seconds after, sending another fighter up in flames. Confused by the sudden, new threat, the fighters hesitated, which was all Hera needed to take down several more, barreling through their formation and speeding upwards, towards freedom.

By the time the ties regrouped, the Ghost had made it to the upper layers of the atmosphere, the sky-blue fading into the endless black of space and the thousands of twinkling stars reappearing.

"Chopper, get the hyperdrive!" Hera shouted as the fighters once again followed, now out of range of the rockets, hot on their trail. The Twi'lek pulled at the controls, barely dodging a volley from the previously silent star destroyer, causing the systems to begin flashing a warning.

Chopper wailed something in binary, and Hera snapped back, "I know, I know, just do it!"

Mumbling one last thing, Chopper activated the hyperdrive, the stars elongated into the blue-white tunnel of hyperspace, and the Ghost disappeared without a trace.

A/N: Woohoo! I finally finished this sucker! I hope you all enjoyed!

You know, I've been thinking. I've seen other authors in the past who have actually asked some of their readers to remind them and pester them to actually write, and I'm beginning to wonder if I should do the same. Sometimes I just get lazy, and don't write when I most definitely should, you know? I do have my wonderful sister, who I have mentioned before, who occasionally reminds me if I have gone a long time without posting, but for the most part, I write when I want to.

Obviously, even hobbies, when done too much, can become a chore, but this really is something I enjoy. (Even if it does take me FOREVER to update. Sorry again.) Anyways, as always, thank you so much for not just giving up on me. Your comments always make me so happy, and I hope that you all enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing and listening to your opinions. Until next time! :)