If you have read the While Others Series or in particular "Mollymauk" by Luxs_Sister you may have heard a similar story of the further adventures of Genna and Co. this version may veer away from that storyline as i am trying to keep this closer to the canon of the Bad Batch show. As long as the canon doesn't blow my ship out of the water we'll be all good!

if you will remember from my story "Underneath it All" We left Genna on Kuat recovering from surgery and she had just spoken to Tech when they got the comm from Rex to go and rescue a reg on Daro (beginning of season one episode 14 "War-Mantle") We will pick up with our heroes shortly after their misadventures on Kamino back on good old Onderon.

i have waited so long to bring you guys this with all the delays of season 2 coming out and i rewatched season one and I've seen the first three episodes of season 2 multiple times already and I've got my No Doubt playlist on constant shuffle. So let's do this thing...

Come on baby get the lighter, we're gonna Start the Fire!

The army of words in me

Silent the soldier weeps

Lying here back to back

Waiting for you to react

And sometimes, all I need is a good push

Roll over and whisper some goodness

Go on baby, you be the hero

Now, can we go back to zero?

…

The porter droid of the public transport guided her hover chair down the ramp and left her on the arrival platform like so much luggage having completed its directive.

Genna had hoped to literally set foot on her home planet upon her return after the surgery that had restored function to her lower extremities. Her physical therapist however had insisted that the chair would be necessary for a while longer while she continued to build muscle mass and it was easier to travel with the thing than to pack it away during the journey and have to drag it out of the luggage compartment if she became fatigued. So it was the telescoping walking canes that were packed away in her carry-on bag while Genna endured the further indignity of the mobility device.

She sighed. Sitting here also made it impossible to see over the heads of the other disembarking passengers. Someone was supposed to be here to greet her and she wished more than anything that that someone could be her husband.

They had promised to see each other again soon but she knew it would be too exposed a meeting place for the Havoc Marauder to set down here in the middle of the busy Iziz spaceport.

Genna tried to peer around the crowd of sentients and droids and thought she might have caught a glimpse of red hair before she entirely gave up on a welcoming committee. And then she heard her friend's lilting northern accent.

"There you are, Genna Carid! Or is it still Carid? I heard a rumor that vows were said in your absence." Ellie Harkon, also known as the Mollymauk network's Agent Sidhe, made her way lithely through the press of bodies and bent to give the chair bound girl a hug.

Genna laughed, "It's still Carid officially. Couldn't announce the groom's identity and disappoint my throng of admirers. And what about you? Not yet officially Mrs. Murphy?"

Ellie rolled her eyes, glancing around at the platform that was now thinning of its swarm. No one was paying the two young women any attention. "Mr Murphy will be here in two days to take you and I and all of your things up to Blackhold in the Bad Decisions ."

"That's what Dalla decided to call her freighter?" Genna snorted.

"Aye, well, it seemed apt." Ellie grinned and turned the subject back to her friend. "I also heard that yours at least gave you a ring."

"Your network of spies is correct as usual."

Ellie was actually one of the few people she could show this to, Genna thought as she drew the item that she kept on a cord around her neck, close to her heart, from where it was hidden beneath her tunic. Ellie had been there from the beginning of the adventure and knew all the parties involved.

"I guess I'll have to thank Dalla when I see her. Tech said it was a gift from Cid and Mollymauk."

Ellie's eyes grew wide when she caught sight of the large purple stone. "From Cid and Mollymauk?" she whistled. "Maybe don't mention it to Dalla. She might be sort of… humble about her participation in a gift like that."

Humble? That didn't sound like the Mollymauk Genna had met. There had to be a story there, especially if it involved Cid who had been trying to get info on Mollymauk in the first place. But Genna only shrugged and returned the ring back to its hiding place and dropped the subject. "So, you said it will be a couple of days before Sloan gets here to pick us up."

"Aye."

"Then I guess I will have to find someplace to stash my stuff." Genna knocked with her fist on the arm of her hover chair obviously ready to be rid of the thing.

Ellie shrugged. "The rest of your things are still at your old house. I thought we could leave whatever you don't really need there and you can say hello to the new tenants before we head out to the jungle for your…" She batted her eyelashes suggestively, "rendezvous?"

"Osik," Genna swore, although that was the pretext of this undertaking. She hadn't seen her husband in weeks, not since that mission to rescue their brother had gone sour and they had lost Hunter and had to retrieve him from Kamino.

Tech had only given her the barest details when he had finally made contact again and they had made their plans for this meeting.

"Must be weird to be back home again." Ellie drew her out of her silent contemplation.

"Yeah, home."

As they packed her luggage into the speeder that was being borrowed from the museum/Mollymauk and drove through the streets of Iziz, Genna mused. Onderon was the only home she had ever really known, even though she was born on Manda'yaim and spent that short sojourn on Kuat. Yet the house they were going to now belonged to someone else.

Mohan and his family had already begun to make it their own. They were settling in with their two nieces who recently arrived from Kiros and could already speak Basic, making the conversation much smoother.

Actually, the place had already stopped feeling like home after her brothers died. Genna wondered what it was like for the batch to return to the place where they were created and raised. She would be able to ask them in person soon.

…

"So this is the location where the Empire sent you the first time you came to Onderon?" Omega asked as she skipped down the boarding ramp and peered through the dense tree cover.

Echo followed her also glancing around the perimeter but for anything that might be a threat. "That's right. We were told there were Separatist holdouts but only found Saw Gerrera and a band of refugees."

"Not a single droid to blow up." Wrecker added.

"And Genna's brother?" Omega saw something on the ground and went to investigate. It was rather surprising to find anything since when Gerrera's group moved out they had seemed to vanish without a trace. Not that that had kept Crosshair from finding their new location a few days later.

"Yes," Tech responded to the question. "Her brother Ret was watching over the children." He was uncharacteristically not looking at his holo device but instead looking around and remembering the event or maybe just on the lookout for the rest of their party to arrive.

Omega picked up the object out of the undergrowth and brushed off some dirt and leaves. It was a child sized helmet that had maybe even been dropped by one of those fleeing refugee younglings.

Omega put it on her head. It fit! "Hey, Hunter, look!"

"Tech!"

"Gen!"

Those single syllables were the last to be uttered by either of them for some time. It was all that was necessary.

Likewise unnecessary were the walking canes that she dropped at her sides. She had wanted to run to him when they finally came together again but the speed at which his long stride cut the distance between them made the thought irrelevant. He lifted her easily from the ground as their lips met and made all other than sounds of mutual pleasure impossible. Then without further ado he carried her out of the clearing to where they could have some privacy among the trees.

Omega frowned and took off the helmet. "She didn't even say hello."

Hunter huffed, "Didn't really expect her to once those two caught sight of each other."

"She missed you too." Ellie came out of the trees from the same direction that Genna had appeared a moment before. "Couldn't stop talking about seeing all of you on the way here." She bent and picked up the discarded walking canes and set them with the bag she had slung over her shoulder that must have also belonged to Genna.

Omega grinned and went to give their old friend a hug. "Did you walk all this way?"

"She might have if I hadn't convinced her that the bike would be faster."

Ellie took the helmet from Omega's hands and set it back over the girl's blonde locks.

"So you're here to check up on Mollymauk's investment?" Hunter asked. He was still favoring the ribs he had broken in the fall he had taken on Daro. Back in the day he would have been able to seek out a clone medic or any republic sponsored med center, had a nice bacta bath and been fighting fit in no time. Things being what they were now however he would have to wait for the injury to heal at the normal rate.

"Investment?" Ellie shook her head while she bent again to open the bag she had brought with her and fished around for something within its contents.

"She paid for Genna's surgery, didn't she? Genna will never be able to pay that back. Mollymauk must want something in return from us."

Ellie stood and surveyed him, having found what she was searching for in the pack. "She did that as a thank you for bringing back a favorable report to your Trandosian friend. Not that she minds having the contact to call on in future but honestly she was just glad to have Cid off her back. Here."

She tossed the item towards him and he caught it easily looking to see what it might contain.

"You don't have to pay Dalla back for that either." Ellie cut him off before he could complain. "Genna got a prescription after her surgery for a pack of them and only ended up using the over the counter stims. She thought maybe you all could keep them on the Marauder for emergencies, but it looks like it might be useful to you now."

Interested, Echo went over to see that it was an extra strength bacta patch. He nodded at its present usefulness without a word and immediately began to help Hunter to apply it.

"Now," Ellie turned again to Omega. "Should we help these boys make camp?"

"We got it handled." Wrecker emerged from the trees (a different direction from that to which Tech and Genna had taken) with a load of firewood in his arms.

"I could show you my room!" Omega said excitedly to Ellie.

"I'd love to see it."

Hunter didn't protest as the two females boarded his ship.

…

It wasn't much longer before Tech reemerged from the jungle supporting Genna who insisted on walking. They had put their initial fast and furious greeting on hold with the promise of picking up where they left off when they could devote the time to a more drawn out reacquaintance. He had only just led her to where her canes awaited her when Wrecker came up behind her and lifted her off the ground in a crushing embrace.

"Genna!"

"Wrecker, could you please make an attempt not to break my wife?"

"Oh, sorry." He set her down more carefully but she only laughed.

"It's good to see you, too. And Echo…"

The next in line approached more hesitantly to give her a one armed hug.

Hunter however held back.

She took a couple of limping steps towards him. "I'm so glad you're okay. I brought some…"

"Sidhe already showed us the bacta patches, thanks."

She nodded, thinking that was it, and was about to ask where Omega was when Hunter spoke again.

"Did you tell her about plan double zero?"

Genna didn't have to be a Jedi to sense the tension in the other three at his words.

"No, um," Tech hesitated. "It hadn't come up yet."

"What is plan double zero?"

Hunter remained silent so she turned to face her husband. "Tech?"

His shoulders slumped and he adjusted his goggles, then he finally spoke. "Plan double zero refers to our squad going radio silent."

"Radio…" she repeated not wanting that to mean what it sounded like.

"When we leave this planet," Tech continued, not quite meeting her gaze. "We will cease communications for a time until we deem it safe to reinstate contact."

"We?" She felt as if she had had the breath knocked out of her. "We won't be able to have any contact at all?"

"It won't be forever," he began but he was interrupted by Omega bursting from the interior of the Marauder.

"Genna! I knew I heard your voice!" She raced down the ramp and into her sister-in-law's waiting arms. Or the nearest approximation to open arms while she held onto the canes to keep herself upright.

"Aw, Meg, it's so good to see you." Genna tried to conspicuously wipe a tear from her eye and lead the little girl to where they could sit together near the campfire that the boys were building for them. "You have to tell me everything that happened on your missions."

Listening to her proved to be a decent distraction from the idea of their imminent separation. Even when she got to the part about the reunion with Crosshair and the failed attempt to get him to come back with them when they escaped the bombing of Tipoca City. Then one of them remarked how the place that they were sitting now was the last mission they had all been on together as a squad.

A dreadful silence fell over them and they all looked at Genna.

"What?" She shook her head. "My brother made his decisions too. He knew the risks in following someone like Saw Gerrera and he thought he was fulfilling his destiny as well. Maybe he was…" She trailed off.

After a few moments Wrecker moaned. "Mmmm! Does anybody else think that these ration bars taste about fifty times better than normal when you roast them over an open flame?"

They couldn't be sure who let out the first snicker, and then someone else giggled. There was a snort from the other side of the campfire and then all of them were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. It had broken the tension and reminded them all that they couldn't worry about what would happen in the future. They had to enjoy the time they had here and now, together.

…

Genna and Tech still weren't really speaking to each other while he made up their bedroll and they prepared to get some sleep for the night. At least everyone else had sort of scattered so that they could be alone together. They climbed in trying to find a comfortable position and ended up lying back to back.

That is until Tech spoke. "I'm sorry for not telling you right away about the plan."

"I understand why you didn't want to." She sighed. Maybe it was easier to talk when they weren't looking directly at each other. "And I understand why it might be safer for a bit to not have comms going back and forth."

"But Genna," He rolled over awkwardly to face her. "That's not the case yet. We're together now."

"And we should make the most of it."

He kissed her. "I couldn't agree more."

...

Just come here and cuddle up

I feel a little rough

I missed you in my sleep

Are you still mad at me?

The moon must have mended my bad mood

Come kiss me the way you're meant to

Last night I was just playing

Let's put it all away and

One more famous night to remember

Let's laugh at my silly temper

Now let's spend the morning sweetly

Get over here and complete me

Go on and get the lighter

We're gonna need some fire