Hello, everyone!
Once again, I am so freaking gobsmacked by the Bad Batch. Why. Is it. So good. I'm beyond screaming.
(Also I wrote that scene with Omega and Crosshair getting gassed and the gas was specifically yellow? ARE THEY READING MY FICS)
Venomizer: Oops, must have missed your name! I'm glad to have helped!
4thwallbreak: ...you'll just have to read and see...
Here is Crosshair having a marginally better day than in today's episode. Kinda. Maybe.
Mando'a translations at the end!
"Tech would have had the thing cracked by now." Crosshair growled as he paced in the quarters Goraan had provided for them. "They're dragging their feet."
Ahsoka looked up from the update Fives had sent her. Rex, thank the Force, had not broken down. He had still gone to work, despite how worried Fives could tell he was.
"It's been what, three hours?" Ahsoka asked. "You think Tech could've gotten it done that fast?"
Crosshair gave an angry shrug.
"We shouldn't have given it to them." He said. "They won't be able to get anything from it. Maybe they don't want to."
He paused in his pacing and pressed a hand to head, as if he was in pain. The anger on his face melted somewhat to reveal utter distress.
Ahsoka put down her datapad.
"Your squad is close to Cody." She said. "How'd that happen?"
Crosshair didn't look at her.
"Why does it matter?" He asked, his voice strained.
Ahsoka didn't reply. She just waited quietly.
"Do you know how Wrecker got his scars?" Crosshair finally muttered.
"An explosion, I'd wager." Ahsoka said.
Crosshair snorted.
"Something like that." He said.
He trailed off, lost in thought. He stared at the floor.
"It was one of our first missions." He spoke slowly and deliberately, as if determined to keep any semblance of emotion from his voice. "We were on Felucia. We'd done our job, taking down a ray shield so that the regs could move in. But we'd been caught in a trap on our way out. Wrecker- took most of the explosion. He was trying to protect us, the idiot."
His voice broke ever so slightly on the insult.
"We couldn't go far with his dead weight." Crosshair said. "But we don't leave our own behind. Tech started sending out distress signals. I told him it was pointless. It was only regs out there. They wouldn't come."
He looked at Ahsoka with his intense eyes.
"Cody came." He said.
He fell silent, staring at nothing. His fists were clenched.
A knock tumbled through the silence. Ahsoka and Crosshair both looked to the door. Ahsoka did not miss Crosshair shifting closer to his rifle as she made her way to the door.
Two guards stood there. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at their stern expressions.
"We have a message from Lord Goraan." The first man said. "He wishes you to be informed before it becomes public. The information on the memory chip you found has been extracted."
A shiver ran down Ahsoka's back. She heard Crosshair shift behind her.
"Kenobi and the clone tampered with the droid." The guard said. "We have the evidence."
Ahsoka took in a sharp breath. Something rushed past her montral before she could truly register the words. The next thing she knew the guard in front of her had collapsed as another stun bolt slammed into the other. Ahsoka whirled around to see Crosshair with his rifle up.
"What the-" Ahsoka began.
"We need to get going." Crosshair said, grabbing both his and Ahsoka's packs and tossing Ahsoka's to her. "And find out where they're keeping Cody."
He glared at her when she hesitated.
"You knew this would happen if they framed them." He said. "You agreed to it."
Ahsoka swallowed and remembered Rex's desperation when he begged her to bring Cody home. Not to mention her own burning concern for Obi Wan and the others.
Obi Wan? She tried.
Ahsoka? Came the reply. He was close.
Are you all right? She asked.
A pause.
They- shot Cody.
Ahsoka took in a sharp breath. If they were in danger here-
Hang on, we're coming.
Ahsoka-
"Keep that on stun." Ahsoka said, slinging her pack on and blocking out Obi Wan's voice. "I don't want to commit too many crimes today."
Crosshair gave a satisfied smirk.
"How are you at cracking into systems?" He asked.
"I'm no Tech, but I think I can manage something." Ahsoka said as they left the room. "Maybe we should have interrogated-"
She froze as she saw Count Goraan standing out in the hallway, a few yards from the crumpled forms of the guards. He didn't seem alarmed or angry, merely resigned.
"They are being held in the prison facility beneath this building." He said. "These might be of help to you."
He held out his hand. Ahsoka saw Obi Wan's lightsaber and a transparasteel square that contained the shard of memory chip.
"Take them." Goraan encouraged. "I do not know how long I can convince the others to postpone their trial. You must get them out before the trial begins."
Ahsoka hesitated. On one hand, why would he want to help them? On the other, if he was telling the truth, he had just saved them from running around blindly. Ahsoka couldn't sense any deception from him, but that wasn't a guarantee. She had to make a choice.
She lifted her hand. The lightsaber and memory chip soared over to her.
"Thank you." She said.
"I do not believe the experts who looked at the chip truly extracted the information." Goraan said. "Find the truth there. I will attempt to prevent a war until then."
Ahsoka nodded. She gestured to Crosshair and they sprinted down the hallway.
Crosshair was good. Ahsoka would barely see guards round the corner before Crosshair stunned them. There weren't many. Ahsoka wondered if Goraan had diverted them elsewhere. Why had the Count helped them? What reason did he have to believe that Obi Wan and the others were innocent?
She would have to get those answers later. For now she had to get to Obi Wan.
Finally they reached a lift that was marked with a lower level than the others. Ahsoka prepared herself for a fight as they descended.
The guard at the lift in the detention level barely had the time to look surprised before Crosshair deftly stunned him.
Obi Wan! Ahsoka shouted in her mind, sure that she would be able to pinpoint him if he responded.
Ahsoka- be careful. Obi Wan's worried voice came back.
It was enough to get a sense of where he was. Ahsoka set off along the corridor ahead of Crosshair. She sensed the group of guards in front of Obi Wan's cell before she rounded the corner.
The guards immediately shouted and raised their blasters. Ahsoka leapt, vaulting off the wall and struck the first guard across the back of the head with the hilt of her lightsaber. He crumpled and Ahsoka dropped to the ground to avoid the blaster bolts. She stretched out her hand and flung another guard to the side. By that time Crosshair had caught up and within a few shots the rest of the guards had collapsed in heaps.
"Ahsoka!"
Ahsoka ran to the cell where the voice came from.
"Obi Wan!" She said. "Are you-"
She trailed off as she looked into the ray shielded room. Crosshair joined her.
"Where's Cody?" He demanded in a burning voice.
"He- he was shot." Oddball said. He wore a black eye and he limped as he came closer. "We think he's alive- but- we don't know-"
He trailed off. Ahsoka shut the ray shield down and handed Obi Wan his saber.
"Get to our ship with Kor and Oddball." She said as Crosshair handed Oddball one of his pistols. "Landing bay Dorn. We'll find Cody."
"Ahsoka." Obi Wan said. "You should not be doing this-"
"Someone's tampered with the evidence." Ahsoka said. "They're going to find you guilty. You need to get out now."
Ahsoka cursed under her breath as Obi Wan still hesitated.
"Go!" She snapped. "Or do you want Anakin leading an army here to break you out?"
Obi Wan grimaced, but nodded.
"What direction did they take Cody?" Crosshair asked, his voice taught.
"That way." Oddball said, pointing. "Good luck."
"Keep things on stun." Ahsoka ordered Oddball. "Let's go."
Ahsoka kept searching for Cody in the Force as she and Crosshair made their way deeper into the detention level, stunning more and more guards. Ahsoka finally found a trace of him as Crosshair gestured sharply to the medic sign on the wall.
"Hopefully he'll be in there." He said.
Ahsoka hoped so too. If they hadn't treated Cody after they had shot him-
Ahsoka threw the doors open and hurled an empty gurney at the guards inside. Crosshair took care of the rest.
Ahsoka found Cody there, lying on one of the far gurneys. She took in a sharp breath at the sight. Not only was there a large bacta patch over his left ribs, blue and purple petals of bruises blossomed across his bare chest and arms. His eyes were shut tightly and Ahsoka could feel his pain even though he was unconscious.
Ahsoka flinched as absolute rage sparked afire next to her. Crosshair stalked across the room. He practically threw his rifle to the side as he reached Cody. He placed a surprisingly gentle hand on Cody's shoulder.
"Cody." Crosshair said with a softness Ahsoka had never heard from him. "Cody, wake up."
It took a moment, but Cody's eyes flicked open.
"Cross?" He mumbled.
"Yeah." Crosshair said. "Who did this to you?"
Ahsoka had never heard a voice filled with both such care and such hatred before.
"Crosshair, we don't have time for revenge." Ahsoka said.
As if on cue, the lights in the room turned red and a screeching siren blared through the room. Crosshair lingered for a moment. Ahsoka expected him to take his rifle and declare to 'let them come.' Then he eased Cody up, slung his brother's arm over his shoulder, and heaved Cody to his feet.
"Can you shoot?" He asked.
"Passably." Ahsoka said. "It might be better if I help him-"
Crosshair drew Cody closer in a protective motion.
"Take my rifle." He said. "Shouldn't be too many left."
Ahsoka was going to protest again, but then she saw the concern and determination in Crosshair's eyes.
"All right." She said. "Let's go."
Obi Wan deflected another blaster bolt back to its sender. The guard cried out as it pierced their shoulder. There were far fewer guards than he had expected. They'd encountered perhaps a dozen on their way out of the building. They were reaching the exit now when the lights finally changed to crimson and the alarm descended upon them. The blast doors slammed down on their one route for escape. Kor cursed, bringing up his stolen blaster.
"Our luck's run out." He said.
"Not quite." Obi Wan said. "Cover me."
Oddball and Kor took their positions as Obi Wan plunged his lightsaber into the door. It sank in, molten metal oozing around it. Obi Wan threw his weight against the blade and with great effort forced it upwards. He heard Kor and Oddball fire a few times as he slowly, ever slowly carved out an exit.
The seconds turned to minutes and Obi Wan panted with effort. Sweat dripped off his brow. He grimaced as the firing behind him grew more rapid.
"Sir, we don't have much time left." Oddball muttered.
"Obi Wan!"
Obi Wan looked around and let out a breath as he saw Ahsoka leading Crosshair practically carrying Cody down the hall.
"Let me help." Ahsoka said, unsheathing her own blades.
Obi Wan stepped aside and stared at the limp form hanging from Crosshair's shoulders.
"Cody-" He hissed.
He had felt Cody, but to see his friend's chest rising and falling shot a feeling of relief through him, more potent than his worry for Cody's injuries.
He moved before he really thought about what he was doing, hurrying to the two clones.
"Cody." Obi Wan said again as he came closer.
Crosshair's eyes narrowed and he imperceptibly shifted away. Obi Wan withdrew his outstretched hand and swallowed.
Cody lifted his head.
"Reporting for duty, General." He said.
Obi Wan gave a shaky snort, surprised at Cody's blasé attitude. He wanted to engage in the banter Cody had presented, but when he opened his mouth, he found that he could not speak.
Cody was alive.
Obi Wan tensed as more guards came shouting towards them.
"Take him." Crosshair hissed, handing Cody to Obi Wan and picking up the rifle Ahsoka had abandoned.
He began quickly dispatching the incoming wave as Obi Wan shifted Cody's weight more fully on his shoulders.
"I'm guessing we've been found guilty, sir?" Cody muttered.
"I'm afraid so, Commander." Obi Wan said, finally finding his tongue.
With the sound of grinding metal, Ahsoka pushed the oval out of the door.
"Let's go!" She commanded.
Obi Wan nearly stopped with shock as they stepped outside and there were few guards about. What was happening?
This should have been nearly impossible. Where were the guards? Why was the news not being spread?
Obi Wan decided not to question this blessing as they hurried across the courtyard to the landing bays. Crosshair was easily dispatching any incoming guards with the help of Kor and Oddball. It felt unreal as they approached the seemingly empty landing bay.
It was as over fifty troopers swarmed from the shadows that Obi Wan realized why it had been so easy.
"Stop where you are, Jedi!" One of them shouted.
Obi Wan shared a glance with Ahsoka. There were no Jedi here. He then carefully returned Cody to Crosshair.
"At our signal, go for the ship." Obi Wan muttered.
He looked to Ahsoka, who nodded.
"Drop your weapons!" The same guard shouted.
In tandem, Ahsoka and Obi Wan threw their hands out. Men cried out and cursed as the Force push threw the front line into their fellows behind. Ahsoka and Obi Wan dashed into action, their bright lightsabers serving as a distraction from the others hurrying towards the ship. Obi Wan tugged on the guards' attention in the Force, furthering their desire to focus on the two Force users.
Obi Wan and Ahsoka danced with the blaster bolts. They made sure to fling them in non lethal directions, often above or below. It was not long before the Twilight's engines flared to life. Obi Wan leapt backwards, swinging as he soared through the air to deflect the final blasts.
The door shut, though Obi Wan could hear the blaster bolts pinging off of the ship.
Ahsoka pushed towards the cockpit to join Oddball and Kor. Obi Wan stayed in the storage area, where Crosshair had laid Cody down on the floor. The sniper sat next to Cody, his hand steadying him as the ship jerked.
Obi Wan put his hand on the wall of the ship. He felt it lurch and shake as Oddball and Ahsoka dodged incoming blasts. Then the ship heaved, and Obi Wan felt it jump into hyperspace.
Obi Wan let out a sigh and went to go sit with Cody and Crosshair. Crosshair eyed him suspiciously as Obi Wan settled down. Cody had his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched.
"Cody." Obi Wan said. "Are you all right?"
He hadn't been able to see Cody since the commander had been shot. Oddball had relayed the story: the guards had strung Cody up by his hands and beaten him with electrostaffs. Once they'd had their fun with Cody, they'd turned to Oddball next. They made the mistake of letting Cody down first, who had proceeded to attack the nearest guard for daring to threaten his brother. The guards had panicked.
Cody was lucky to be alive.
"I'm better now, sir." Cody said. "Their bedside manner was worse than our medic's."
Obi Wan smiled at his commander's optimism.
"Thanks for coming for us, Cross." Cody said.
Crosshair snorted.
"I wasn't going to let them kill one of the few regs I can stand." He said.
Cody frowned.
"They finally scrounge up some fake evidence against us?" He asked.
"Apparently so." Obi Wan said.
"Ah, well." Cody said. He sounded tired. "I knew it would happen."
He closed his eyes and Obi Wan did not attempt to rouse him. Crosshair stood up as Cody's breathing evened out and went to the med pack on the wall. Obi Wan watched him as he placed bacta on Cody's wrists and some of the worst bruises. Once again, pure relief flooded Obi Wan. Cody was alive. Obi Wan hadn't failed him.
"Kote!"
Rex couldn't help but cry out Cody's name as Crosshair helped his brother off of the Twilight. He moved with Kix from the rest of the group to meet them. Rex waited until Kix had helped Cody onto the hover-stretcher he had brought before grasping Cody's hand. Cody gave a wan smile and leaned up to press his forehead against Rex's. For the first time in a long time, Rex had no issue returning his brother's gesture.
"Tion gar jahaala?" He asked quietly as he let go.
Cody chuckled.
"Some bruises, but nothing that won't heal."
"Bruises?" Echo said. He and the rest of the Batch, along with Fives, Chancellor Amidala, and General Skywalker, had come to meet Cody too. "Commander Tano said you'd been shot and half beaten to death."
"I'm fine." Cody insisted as Kix ran a medical scanner over him.
"Don't listen to him." Crosshair said. "He's not."
"In fact," Kix said. "I'd recommend getting him to a medcenter pretty soon."
Cody rolled his eyes. Rex frowned down at him.
"Tech." Ahsoka was coming down the ramp now. She smiled at Rex before focusing on Tech. "Here. We need you to decode it."
She handed him a square of transparasteel containing a blackened shard of something. Tech adjusted his goggles and looked at it.
"Ah." He said. "This appears to be a portion of a memory chip for a droid, though I cannot be certain what make or model."
Ahsoka nodded.
"It's the memory chip of the droid that killed Dooku." She said. "The Serennians claimed to have salvaged data that says Obi Wan and Cody tampered with it."
"I see." Tech said. "Unfortunately, it will take at least one rotation to decipher anything from a chip this badly damaged, perhaps more. I will attempt to work as quickly as possible."
"They lied, then." Crosshair said, folding his arms. "They said they did it in about three hours."
"A blatant lie." Tech said, continuing to study the shard. "Perhaps if it was still whole, that timeframe would be viable."
"You'll be able to figure it out." Fives said cheerfully, slapping Tech on the shoulder.
General Kenobi had exited the ship now, along with his son and Oddball.
"Obi Wan." Chancellor Amidala said. "Are you all right?"
"I escaped unscathed." General Kenobi said. "I must apologize, Padme, I'm afraid I made quite the mess of things."
Rex frowned as General Kenobi spoke. He seemed distracted. Rex wasn't the only one to notice. Fives was raising his eyebrows as well.
"Don't apologize." Padme said. "It wasn't your fault that you were framed. If Tech can quickly find the truth, I believe we will be able to smooth this over."
Tech looked flushed as he pushed up his goggles again.
"I will do my best, Chancellor."
Ahsoka moved to Rex's side as the others talked.
"You handle things okay?" She asked him.
Rex nodded, though the relief he felt at her and Cody's return tightened his throat. He felt his stiff shoulders droop as she took his hand.
This is your mission. Rex reminded himself as 7567 urged him to jerk away. Ner aka.
"Thank you." He mumbled. "For bringing him home."
"I promised, didn't I?" Ahsoka said.
He nodded. She had proved over and over to him that when she promised something, she would follow through. She would do anything for him. He wanted so badly to return that service, to be able to return that service.
Rex watched as the Bad Batch quickly withdrew. Tech had important work to do. A cold sliver of fear worked its way into Rex's heart.
"Ahsoka." He said.
She turned to him, surprised. He rarely used her first name.
"If Tech fails-"
"He's not going to." Ahsoka said firmly.
"But if it doesn't work, and we go back to war with the CIS-" Rex swallowed. "Will we have to fight?"
"Not you." Ahsoka said quickly. "You're not in any state-"
"Not me." Rex said. "We."
Ahsoka closed her eyes.
"I don't know." She said in a thick voice. "Padme could draft a new army"
"Why?." Rex said. "We're still around."
Panic was beginning to claw at his throat.
"They'll make us go." He whispered. "They have their army, they won't let her make a new one."
"Padme can-"
"She's just one person." He said. "She tries, but we were on Kamino for months. She doesn't control everything."
Ahsoka didn't respond. She was afraid too. Somehow Rex could feel it, like when he could feel her emotions before his time on Kamino.
A surge of protectiveness and love hit Rex. He wanted to lift his arms and hold her, for both their sakes. 7567 pinned them down, snarling at him. Be a good soldier.
I'm following my mission.
In a burst of strength he reached out and drew her close to him. He heard her breath hitch as he did so. Her arms wrapped tightly around his chest. He took a deep breath, soaking in her touch.
"I missed you." He said.
Ahsoka made a soft noise that Rex was horrified to realize was a sob.
"I'm sorry." He said, letting go. "What did-"
"No, Rex." Ahsoka said. She held him tighter. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's just- this is the first time you've touched me like this since you came back."
"Yes." Rex said. Then- "I've wanted to for a long time."
Ahsoka laid her head on his chest. She could likely hear his heart pound wildly at the gesture.
"I can't promise your brothers' safety." She whispered. "I'm sorry."
"I know." Rex said. He swallowed. "It's- okay."
"I want to be able to." She said. "I wish I could protect you all."
Rex nodded. He loved her for that. 7567 raged at the thought, but he pushed it down. He found himself wanting not her protection, though he was so grateful for that, but for the clones to be able to protect themselves.
Mando'a:
Kote: glory (and Cody's original Mando'a name according to like 90 percent of the fanbase)
Tion gar jahaala: You are well?
Ner aka: My mission
From the top!
I NEED TO KNOW WHY THE BATCH LOVE CODY. So I decided to do my own little interpretation here. It's actually kind of hard writing Crosshair telling a story. He just- doesn't seem the type.
Crosshair also does not hesitate. Also he's kind of OP when not against Jedi or his own brothers. This is nice when writing escape sequences because I can just go CROSSHAIR JUST SHOT THEM ALL BECAUSE HE'S COOL
Ahsoka is probably having flashbacks from her alternative universe (i.e. the actual Star Wars universe) of being accused and nearly condemned for something she didn't do. Ahsoka is not about to let it happen to Obi Wan.
Ooooh Goraan is actually helpful! Nice change of pace.
HAHA CODY LIVES. One of my editors thought that I should actually kill him. I am too much of coward to do so. Also I'm pretty sure y'all would have literally murdered me.
Did I copy Crosshair's lines directly from the Outpost! Yes. Do I care. Not really. Do I need more soft Crosshair rescuing his brothers! Abso-FREAKING-luly.
Some concerned Obi Wan. Read it however you wish, but I won't be going beyond concerned friend in actual text. I think Codywan is a perfectly good ship, I just imagine that Obi Wan has been too emotionally damaged by Satine's death to really consider anything else. Plus he's gotta be a dad now.
Okay fun fact, while I was doing some torture research for what they did to Cody, I found out that the wall sit we all had to do in gym class is considered a torture method and is called the jetliner position. Do with that information as you will. Freaking gym class.
Rex getting to feel normally and express those feelings normally for once. I'm writing him mostly normally at this point and let me tell you it feels weird. But good!
7567 is now manifesting as an angry force! No, it is not Dissociative Identity Disorder. Rex is too old (yes his actual age of like 14) to develop it. I would know. My senior paper had a big section on a character in a different series and how she accurately represented the disorder.
And hmmm are Rex's fears warranted...
Also it's just so incredibly sad to me that the clones can defend themselves physically, but can't in literally any other way.
All right, next time I see you, I will be emotionally broken by the Bad Batch probably!
Anyway, stay safe, remember to review, and have a great week!