Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July to my US based readers and happy Monday to my international readers! (holy crud that's weird to say)

OneLittleSpark18: That's basically what I wanted the response to be lol

IrishDrunk14: Oops, sorry for making you sad in front of your family! Part of me is still kinda sad I chose to kill Neya Ha, just cause he was so fun to write, but at least his death had a meaning.

Freddy Krueger: Uh, I have never seen Pulp Fiction...so no. No it is not. Interesting that it's similar though.

This chapter is at least somewhat less sad than the last one!

Mando'a translations at the end!

TW: Mild torture

ABSOLVED: CHAPTER 10

Tech watched Hunter slam the captured bounty hunter's head against the Havoc Marauder's wall.

"Who sent you?" Hunter growled. "Talk!"

The Nikto hunter gave a short laugh.

"Or else what?" He asked.

Tech sighed and pressed a button on his vambrace. A shock jolted through the hunter. Tech did not enjoy interrogation, but he was proficient, as were they all. Except Wrecker. It was good that both Omega and Wrecker were not on this particular mission.

The man laughed again once he was able.

"Is that all?" He jeered. "I've met jawas-"

Crosshair stalked forward and grabbed the man by the face. He held up Hunter's vibroknife. Crosshair excelled at interrogation.

"You're going to tell us who sent you." Crosshair hissed. "Or you're going to get intimately acquainted with this."

The next hour or so was tiring. Tech didn't particularly like the sound of screaming, but it was necessary. They needed these answers. Tech occasionally supplemented Crosshair's work with shocks.

Now the man sat, heavily breathing, skin blackened around the slow cuts Crosshair had been making. He had charred stumps in place of a few of his fingers.

"Now." Crosshair said as he pressed the vibroknife against the man's throat. The glowing blade burned the flesh. "Who sent you? How do you know about Omega?"

"Kaminoans." The man said in between gasps. "They're dealing with the Empire!"

Crosshair smiled.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked.

Tech turned away. He knew what came next and knew it was necessary. That did not mean he wanted to watch.

He heard Crosshair move next to him and a blaster shot rang out. Tech looked back to see the Nikto slumped on the ground with a burning hole in his head.

"Crosshair!" Hunter protested.

Crosshair holstered his pistol without looking at Hunter.

"Were we supposed to just let him go?" He asked. "He knew what we look like and he knew about Omega."

Hunter ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Get Echo and Fives back here." He told Tech. "We're abandoning the mission."

Tech was about to grab his comm when it went off. Tech raised an eyebrow and answered it.

"We got the intel!" Echo's voice came through. "We're on our way back."

"Hurry." Tech told them. "Complications have arisen."

"What?" Echo asked. "Your diversion went off without a hitch!"

"We will discuss it when you return."

It was good that Echo and Fives were also not present for the questioning. The 501st were known to avoid violent interrogation, which was odd, considering multiple reports of General Skywalker engaging in the practice. It was most likely Captain Rex's influence. The Captain was a good man, and a good reg. Tech had met few of either.

Hunter paced while they waited. Crosshair cleaned his rifle while Tech prepared the Marauder for take off. He ran scans several times to make sure no other people approached. Finally the scans registered two humans, one with cybernetic implants. Tech opened the hatch and Echo and Fives came aboard.

"What's going on?" Fives demanded as they boarded.

Tech eyed Fives. The ARC was an interesting clone to say the least. He didn't much like the Bad Batch, but not because of their defects and aberrations. Fives simply did not get along with them, though the fact that he viewed them as having 'stolen' Echo was also a problem. If Tech was honest with himself, it was refreshing to be disliked for something other than his differences.

"We encountered a bounty hunter." Tech said. "After we created the diversion, he attempted to use explosives to incapacitate or kill us. Luckily, Hunter could feel the incendiary before they went off and we were able to capture him alive."

"Another one?" Echo asked. "Did you find out what he was after?"

There had been another bounty hunter attack on their previous mission, but Crosshair had terminated the hunter before they'd been able to capture him. They had assumed the attack to be a fluke. They had been wrong.

"He was after us." Hunter said.

"To be more specific," Tech cut in. "He was after Omega. We must assume that the original bounty hunter was after her as well."

Echo and Fives shared a shocked look. Hunter's expression told Tech that he had said too much.

"Who sent him?" Echo asked.

"The long-necks." Crosshair said.

"Tech, get us out of here." Hunter said.

Tech nodded and went to the cockpit. He could still hear the others' voices.

"What'd you do with him?" Fives asked.

"We took care of the problem." Crosshair said.

"So you murdered him." Fives said.

"Don't lecture me." Crosshair said. "Nothing is too far in order to protect ourselves."

Tech started the ship and prepared for the jump to hyperspace. He agreed with Crosshair. There was no place he wasn't willing to go in order to protect the Batch.

Luckily, the trip back to Yavin was short, and Fives did not complain the whole way.

"Get Wrecker and Omega." Hunter told Tech. "Echo, with us. We need to talk as a squad."

Fives made an irritated noise as Echo nodded and jogged to keep up with Crosshair and Hunter.

"You're not a member of the Batch." Crosshair shot at him.

Tech ignored Fives' sharp retort and commed Omega. She was more likely to pick up than Wrecker.

"Hello?" Omega asked as she answered the comm.

The corner of Tech's mouth twitched at the sound of her voice.

"Hello, Omega."

"Tech!" Omega said. "You're back! How was the mission? Is everyone okay?"

"No one was injured." Tech reassured her. "The mission was a success. However, there is something we must discuss. Please return to our quarters with Wrecker if you are not already there."

"Okay!" Omega said. "We'll be there!"

There was only a hint of worry in her voice. Tech was proud of her maturity in the face of possible bad news. He had no idea why he was proud. He was not the reason she could handle such news well.

They met in their small quarters soon after. The room wasn't quite meant for six people, but it was private and Tech was grateful for that. Omega perked up at the sight of them. She gave Hunter and Echo hugs. When she approached Tech, he merely placed his hand on her head, which she accepted. Crosshair gave her a similar sign of affection.

"So, what went wrong?" Wrecker asked as they crowded in.

"There was a bounty hunter." Hunter said. "He was after us. This is the second time we've encountered one."

Wrecker and Omega's brows furrowed in a twin expression of concern.

"Us?" Wrecker asked. "Why us?"

Hunter hesitated and Tech frowned. Omega was not fragile. She could handle the truth.

"Hunter." Echo said. "There's no point in hiding it."

Hunter heaved a breath in and knelt in front of Omega. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"They were after you, Omega." He said.

Omega's eyes widened.

"Why?" She asked.

There was only a hint of panic in her voice.

"The Kaminoans sent them." Hunter said. "We're not quite sure why yet."

"It is possible it is because of your DNA." Tech added. "As you are currently the only known source of Jango Fett's pure genetic material, since Alpha is missing."

Omega swallowed.

"Don't scare her." Wrecker said sternly.

He reached for Omega and pulled her away from Hunter. He tucked her safely into his side.

"What are we going to do?" Omega asked.

Hunter sighed and glanced at Echo. Tech knew what they had to do, but both Omega and Echo would not like it.

"We're going to have to leave the Rebellion."

"We're sorry to see you go, Sergeant." General Skywalker said.

Hunter nodded and shook the General's proffered hand.

"We're sorry to be leaving, but it's a matter of both our and the rebellion's safety." Hunter said. "If these bounty hunters tracker us back to here, we'd both be in serious trouble."

Echo, Captain Rex, and Commander Tano stood next to the General.

"Are you sure you won't come with us, Echo?" Hunter asked as he clasped arms with him.

Tech thought it unlikely. As he expected, Echo shook his head.

"I'm needed here." Echo said. "Let me know if you ever need a hand, though."

"Don't be afraid to contact any of us." Captain Rex put in. "You've saved a lot of lives."

Omega ran forward and hugged Echo.

"Thank you for helping rescue me." She said.

Echo smiled.

"Of course, ad'ika." He said. "I'll keep in touch, all right?"

Omega nodded, smiled at Commander Tano and Captain Rex, and returned to the Batch.

"Good luck." Commander Tano said. "And be careful."

Hunter nodded and gestured to the Batch. They obediently boarded the Marauder.

Tech was disappointed that Echo would not join them. He was as different as they, and a welcome moderate addition to their personalities. Tech would miss his help with the ship. He understood Echo's decision, however. He still had many ties to the 501st and had a strong desire to fight the Empire.

Tech did not like the Empire, but he would be glad to stay out of their way.

A few hours later the ship was quiet. Hunter, Wrecker, and Omega were asleep, and Crosshair was up in the cockpit. That left Tech in the main bay, working on his latest project. The information they had received from the Kaminoan doctor was most useful. It detailed a possible way that the chips could be disabled from afar. While they were not with the Rebellion, Tech believed that he still might be of use to them.

The sound of small, soft footsteps didn't surprise him. It was very easy to disrupt Omega's sleep schedule. Tech didn't look up, but merely shifted in his seat so that there was a small space available. As he expected, Omega crawled up into the spot, tucking herself into Tech's side. She was clutching Lula.

"Why can't you sleep?" Tech asked.

"I keep thinking about the Rebellion and Echo." Omega replied.

She shifted, peeking at Tech's work. Then she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Why are you so scared of that bounty hunter?"

"We are not scared-" Tech started.

"You left the Rebellion because of him." Omega interrupted. "We left so quickly. You're acting scared."

Tech didn't answer right away.

"Your safety is our top priority. We cannot stay in one place when you are being hunted."

"My safety?" Omega asked. "But Tech, we were doing so much good in the Rebellion! I'm not more important than that!"

"You are." Tech said stiffly.

"Why?" Omega asked.

Tech could not quite articulate the answer. Omega was- she was their light. When the Emperor rose to power there had been a terrifying moment when the Batch had no purpose. Then they had retrieved Omega: kind, clever, brave, innocent Omega. It was hard for Tech to recognize at first, but Omega had become their purpose. The Rebellion's structure had been nice, but to Tech, there was nothing more important than protecting his sister.

"You are- vital to us." Tech managed, the closest he could get to saying his thoughts aloud.

Omega thankfully didn't question his answer. She relaxed and leaned against Tech again.

"I wish we didn't have to leave." She said.

"It is safer for both parties." Tech told her. "It would be disastrous if the Rebellion was discovered by bounty hunters searching for us."

Omega nodded.

"I wish Echo came with us." She said.

"As do I." Tech said. "But he had other duties he felt were important."

Omega let out a long sigh. She sounded tired. Tech slowly stopped his tinkering. She needed her rest.

Crosshair got up from the pilot's seat and stretched. He turned and left the cockpit. Tech was limp in his seat, snoring softly, with Omega draped over his chest.

Crosshair rolled his eyes. His siblings did not know how to take care of themselves. Crosshair crossed the ship to where they slept. He eased Tech's goggles off and set them aside. He then tugged the blanket from Omega's loft and threw it over them. In a moment of weakness, Crosshair softly touched Omega's cheek.

He remembered, when the others did not. He was the oldest, after all. The first to be decanted and survive. The three before him did not. He remembered her shouts of delight when she saw them and her broken hearted cries when they were taken away. He remembered grabbing at her hands, warm compared to the long neck's probing fingers. She had babbled to them in some childlike language, but Crosshair remembered what those nonsense words meant. Omega had been the first to love them.

And the Kaminoans had taken that from them. Crosshair had hated them ever since.

Crosshair took his hand away from Omega's cheek.

He glanced back at the two, especially at Omega's sleeping face. Vital indeed. He thought before turning to go wake Hunter for his shift.

Ahsoka's comm beeped. Ahsoka, who was currently massaging Rex's hands, ignored it. The sound jolted Rex, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He blinked at Ahsoka as she continued working on his hands.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" He asked.

"I specifically told Anakin that he could not bother us during this time today." Ahsoka said. "It's his fault for forgetting."

The comm beeped again.

"What if it's an emergency?" Rex asked.

He tugged slightly against her grip, but she held on.

"If he really needs to talk to me he'll use our Force-"

Ahsoka!

Ahsoka winced as Anakin's voice pierced her mind.

What? She snapped back. I told you to leave me and Rex alone right now!

It's an emergency! Anakin replied with equal irritation. We have an incoming message from Coruscant! Grab Rex and get your butt down here!

Ahsoka immediately knew he was thinking of Padme.

Fine! We'll be there in a minute. Ahsoka said.

Rex raised an eyebrow at her. Ahsoka brought his hands to her lips.

"We have to go." She said, kissing his knuckles. "I'm sorry."

"Duty calls." He replied. "Hand me my gauntlets."

Within minutes they hurried into the command center. Of course Anakin, Obi Wan, Windu, Gek, and Aayla were there, but so were Master Ti and Master Plo. Master Ti was usually involved with the younglings, and Master Plo hadn't engaged much with the Rebellion.

He always seemed tired, and seemed his 300 years. He perked up a little now, as he saw Ahsoka. She crossed the room to stand next to him and Wolffe. She put her hand on his shoulder and he patted it. Ahsoka could tell his mind was elsewhere, with his sons still in bondage.

"Now that we are all here, we can begin." Obi Wan said.

He tapped the center console and a symbol appeared, wrought by blue light.

"General Skywalker. I hope this missive finds you well, along with any other surviving Jedi."

The voice was distorted heavily, but Ahsoka could tell by the speech patterns that it was not Padme. Anakin saw it too, and his face fell.

"I was provided this frequency by Senator Amidala." The voice continued. "She is not directly involved with my endeavors, but it is best that she is not, due to her current condition."

Anakin's face went white.

"I, as well as many other Senate members, oppose Palpatine and his new Empire." The voice said. "I believe that I am right in assuming that you do as well."

Ahsoka crossed her arms and frowned. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"There are many of the common people who are unhappy with the Empire's reign. They cannot resist from where they are. You have most likely found a more secure location and I wish to send these potential rebels to you."

There was a general noise of disagreement at that. Ahsoka agreed. They couldn't let an unknown entity know where they were.

"I understand that you would be unwilling to give me your coordinates. I will send an emissary to Scarif in one standard week. There you may determine our intentions."

That brought a few nods. It was a good compromise.

"It may not be my place to say," The voice said after a pause. "But I feel you should know. Padme is pregnant. That is why I am not involving her, though I am sure she would like to help."

Anakin's sharp spike of emotions was painful to Ahsoka. The confusion, fear, grief and an odd feeling of joy overwhelmed her own reaction. She didn't quite hear the mysterious voice's ending words. The holo clicked off.

The Jedi looked at one another, except Anakin. Obi Wan was practically holding him upright.

"Can we trust this Senator Amidala?" Gek asked. "If we can, this might be legitimate."

"Of course we can!" Ahsoka said. "Padme did her best to stop the war and was always on the side of peace and freedom!"

"I agree with Ahsoka." Obi Wan said. "Padme has always been supportive of us."

"If you don't mind my saying, sirs," Rex said. "She was an advocate for the clones and their rights. I doubt she'd like seeing them being controlled as they are."

Wolffe and Bly nodded.

"There was that time she met secretly with a Separatist senator." Windu said. "Are we completely sure?"

"That was to end the war!" Ahsoka snapped.

Windu ignored her and turned to look at Anakin.

"Skywalker. You worked with Senator Amidala often." He said. His eyes glittered unpleasantly. "Can you give us a reason why we can trust her?"

Anakin rounded on Windu, eyes sparking.

"She's my kriffing wife!" He said. "I know her, and I know she would never betray us!

Ahsoka hated the satisfied look on Windu's face.

"Your wife." He said. "Your attachment to her will have clouded your judgement."

"Do not be so quick to judge." Master Plo said. "We have all broken the code at some point. Skywalker loved. You, Master Windu, slaughtered dozens of innocent men in an attempt to save your own life."

The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Plo. Wolffe looked as delighted as his stoicism could allow. Ahsoka had never heard such harsh words from Plo.

"In any case, I have met Senator Amidala and I believe her to be trustworthy." Master Plo went on. "And I believe I recognize the symbol used. It is Alderaanian in origin."

"Senator Organa." Obi Wan said. "He is a good man, from what I know, and well trusted by Senator Amidala. I believe we can trust him."

"Then we will send someone to meet his emissary." Aayla said. "If that is all-"

"I believe so." Master Ti said. "I must return to the younglings."

The other Jedi and clones trickled out until it was just Rex, Ahsoka, Obi Wan, and Anakin. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for Anakin's reaction.

"She's pregnant." He finally said.

"Yes." Obi Wan said. "And rather far along if you haven't seen her since before Anaxes."

Anakin nodded his head vaguely.

"Palpatine's watching her." He whispered. "He's got his claws around her and I can't do anything about it."

Ahsoka thought that he was going to cry. Instead, the instruments in the room began to tremble. Rex stumbled and Ahsoka felt the Force press harshly against her.

"Anakin!" Obi Wan said.

He put his hands on Anakin's shoulders and forced his former apprentice to look at him.

"It is not hopeless." Obi Wan said. "As long as she complies, she will be safe. As will the child."

"Children." Anakin whispered. "I felt it the moment he said it. It's twins."

Ahsoka stared at the two. This felt wrong. It should be a moment of joy. Anakin and Padme were having children! But Padme was stuck on Coruscant and Ahsoka's heart was breaking for Anakin. Each day it seemed the Empire took a little more.

Rex tentatively put his arm around Ahsoka's shoulders. When neither Obi Wan or Anakin reacted, he pulled her closer. A few emotions trickled through their bond.

The first she expected: shock and grief. But then- longing. Ahsoka remembered their time at Cut and Suu's farm, how Rex had watched the family and ached for his own.

"We will help her." Obi Wan said. "If this is Senator Organa who is contacting us, he will be able to help."

Anakin nodded.

On a whim, Ahsoka reached out into the Force, feeling her way towards Coruscant. She was nearly overwhelmed by the distance, but she persisted until she found Padme's familiar presence. Padme was worried and stressed, but within her were two glowing fountains of light.

"Anakin." Ahsoka breathed. "They're beautiful."

"You can feel them?" Anakin's voice was far away.

Ahsoka opened their bond and let him feel the little lights. She heard him gasp.

She kept the connection up as long as she could before the pain forced her to stop. She became aware of her body again. As usual, Rex was helping her stay upright. When she opened her eyes, Anakin was kneeling on the floor with tears streaming down his face. Obi Wan was next to him with his hand still on his shoulder.

"A boy and a girl." Anakin murmured. "So strong in the Force already."

He looked at Obi Wan, pleading.

"We will get them all as soon as we can." Obi Wan said.

Ahsoka was surprised to hear Obi Wan make such a bold promise. She vowed to herself that she would do whatever it took to help him keep it.

Mando'a:

ad'ika: little one, affectionate

Okay, honestly, this isn't one of my favorite chapters, but it needs to be done. If it doesn't make sense, the Bad Batch have run into a bounty hunter before, killed them, thought it was a fluke, and then this guy shows up and they're like oh crap some one really wants Omega.

*slams hands down* I WILL WRITE SOFT BAD BATCH CONTENT AND NO ONE WILL STOP ME.

Okay, I know that Crosshair is CT-9904, but hear me out. The first clones with 99 designations didn't survive and Crosshair was the first to live. And me and my editors agree, there's something about the fact that Crosshair remembers Omega that makes sense. The chip might have mangled those memories in canon, but I think it would provide some explanation why Crosshair hates Kamino so much. Also, according to some Legends content, the clones have perfect memories from when they were extremely small. So I'm just gonna play with that a little bit. So him remembering kind of helps this concept of him accepting Omega so easily in this and Fives Effect. (Hunter might also remember Omega, but Tech and Wrecker do not)

Have any of you seen the leaked little scene with Omega and Tech from Bad Batch season 2? Where he's like 'come on Omega, your studies' and then shouts her name super worriedly? I. AM. HERE FOR IT. Not to mention that gif I've seen once or twice of Omega and Tech seemingly having a heart to heart in a watery cave? PLEASE I NEED IT NOW. I love BB season 1 but I NEED SOME MORE OMEGA AND TECH SOFT MOMENTS. AND ECHO AND OMEGA. AND CROSSHAIR AND OMEGA.

Ahem. I am fine.

A little soft Rexsoka moment before we plunge straight into actual Rebellion stuff. Also I needed Anakin to find out about the twins somehow. Bail is perfect for that. Bail is perfect in general. I love Bail Organa.

Windu, while feeling rather lost in this whole thing, is feeling extremely vindicated at Anakin confessing that he's married. Plo is here to stop that vindication. Plo has checked out mentally. Plo does not care about anything but his sons and daughter anymore. (Order 66 was really hard on him)

Palpatine, trying to cripple Anakin by having a hold around Padme, fails and only succeeds in pissing him off even more. Thankfully, he's been actually communicating with Obi Wan and was talking with Padme more before Order 66, so he can actually handle this news! And here is your reminder that Rex wants a family. Just to add on top of the sad.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, despite its flaws.

Anyway, stay safe, remember to review, and have a great week!