When (Y/N) had first joined the squad, she could sense Crosshair's emotions more than he could. It wasn't that she wanted to, it was more like, he was overwhelmed by them, but due to bottling it up, they would come in heavy bursts to (Y/N). Though, she sensed the same with Tech. Whatever the Kaminoans did to her squad, it wasn't good. And
(Y/N) swore that one day, she will avenge them.
She'd never forget the day Cross had opened up to her. Since then, he'd been quite protective of her.
"Ugh." Wrecker groans.
"You all right?" Hunter asked the giant.
Wrecker was holding his head in his hands.
"Yeah. Yeah. It's nothing." He replied as he got up.
Wrecker kept his hand on his head, while (Y/N) bit her lip. Wrecker seemed to be getting a rather frequent headache, and quite frankly, it scared
(Y/N).
"According to Cid's intel, the Zygerrian slave traders are hiding in the ruins of Old Ord Mantell city." Tech looked up from his datapad.
Omega climbed up onto the copilot's chair, holding a little clone trooper doll in her hand, fiddling with it.
"What's a slave trader?" She asked innocently.
Hunter looked at (Y/N) with a concerned glance.
"Someone who buys and sells people for credits." Tech replied to the curious girl.
"People can be sold?" Omega asked, startled.
"They don't have a choice. They're captives treated like property." Echo explains.
(Y/N) couldn't help but think of Anakin. Obi-Wan had told her when he and Qui-Gon had found the little boy and his mother owned by some scam artist named Watto on Tatooine.
"That...doesn't seem right." Omega clutched her clone trooper doll closer to her chest.
"You're right, young one. It's not right. It's despicable. But we will stop it from happening to this kid Muchi." (Y/N) placed a comforting arm on Omega's shoulder.
Omega looked up at (Y/N) with her bright, innocent, and amber eyes. Ones that (Y/N) had seen almost her entire life. Clone's eyes.
Interrupting (Y/N)'s thoughts, Tech says, "As well as earn a decent amount of credits once the job is complete."
Echo rolls his eyes at his brother's bluntness.
"Yeah, that too."
"Don't worry, Muchi. We'll rescue you." Omega assured herself.
XXXXX
The Marauder touched down on the sandy, dry wastelands of Old Ord Mantell city. The group geared up. (Y/N) had her two blasters, which she had gotten the idea from Tech, seeing how useful it was to have more than one blaster. She had one clipped to each leg holster, and several hidden elven knives in various places on her person, such as her boot, utility belt, arm, and calf. She also had multiple tools on her belt to help with various tasks. Including her lightsaber. But her Jedi weapon was tucked away where you couldn't see it in her cloak. She would only use it in dire emergencies.
The group left the Marauder, and went to the edge of the cliff. Tech, Wrecker, and Omega each holding a pair of macrobinoculars to look into the distance. But (Y/N) didn't need any of those devices. Elf eyesight was better than any scope. To prove the point, (Y/N) had beat everyone to it by saying,
"I have a visual. I only see one child."
"Poor Muchi. She looks scared." Omega said glumly.
"I'm clocking two dozen hostiles. Multiple entry points with minor fortification." Tech analyzed.
"Simple smash and grab like that time on Kuat. Easy enough." Wrecker said enthusiastically.
"I'm in. What are we waiting for?" Omega got to her feet and began walking with the squad.
But Hunter had grabbed Omega's shoulder.
"You get back to the ship with (Y/N)." He told the girl sternly.
Normally, (Y/N) would be offended that she was to be left behind for backup, but she understood that Hunter was trying to keep Omega safe. If something were to happen to the clones, (Y/N) would be Omega's only source of safety. It was funny. Seeing Hunter act as the responsible parent.
"But-" Omega protested.
"That's an order." Hunter said, getting back to his feet.
Hunter nodded his head to (Y/N), to which she acknowledged with her own tip of her head.
"Yes sir." Omega mumbled as Hunter trudged away.
Once the squad was out of sight, (Y/N) placed a hand on Omega's shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay. You know, he's just trying to protect you." (Y/N) said.
Omega looked up at the former Jedi.
"But, I can take care of myself." She whined.
"Have you ever dealt with slave traders?" (Y/N) asked softly.
"N-no. But I can handle it" Omega answered.
"Omega, it's not about your capabilities. It's about Hunter's concern for your safety."
Omega looked puzzled. "But he trained me. He said I need to learn how to protect myself."
(Y/N) nodded slowly, her hair cascading like a waterfall of moonlight.
"That's true, Omega. He believes in your potential, just as he believed in mine. But there's something you need to understand."
Omega raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
"When the order came to eliminate the Jedi, Hunter couldn't save me. He couldn't protect me from what happened."
Omega's eyes widened.
"You mean... he feels guilty about what happened to you?"
(Y/N) nodded.
"Yes, he does. He carries the weight of that with him. That's why he's so adamant about protecting you. He doesn't want to lose another person he cares about."
Omega's frustration began to dissipate, replaced by empathy and understanding. "I never thought about it that way."
(Y/N) smiled gently.
"And that's not all. Going on missions in this galaxy can be incredibly dangerous. You need experience, not just skills. Hunter wants to make sure you're ready for anything that might come your way."
Omega sighed, the tension in her shoulders easing. "I guess I was being stubborn."
(Y/N) placed a reassuring hand on Omega's cheek.
"It's okay to be eager, Omega. Your determination is one of your greatest strengths."
Omega nodded, feeling a newfound warmth in her heart.
"Thank you, (Y/N). I needed to hear that."
(Y/N) leaned in and hugged Omega tightly, their bond growing stronger with this heart-to-heart conversation.
"You're welcome, dear one."
The two went back into the Marauder, sitting in the pilot and copilot seats to pass the time.
"Say, (Y/N)?"
"Hm?"
"What's happening between you and Tech?" Omega asked innocently.
(Y/N) almost choked on air.
"W-what makes you think something's going on between us?" (Y/N) asked, her face red.
"Tech gave me his datapad to read some of his notes and files he made during the Clone Wars. I may have gone browsing and found a file about you, and some of the things he said about you were really cute." Omega shrugged.
"O-oh. That's...intriguing."
(Y/N) knew Tech had a hobby (obsession) of writing down certain things to remember or clear his mind. She was well aware that he had made documents on his brothers so he could better understand them. But what (Y/N) didn't know, was that she had something there written about her. And allegedly, it was 'cute'.
Omega began playing with her clone trooper doll. Coloring it a dark gray color with red accents to match the colors of the Bad Batch.
Gonky came over and made a noise, asking what Omega was up to.
"I'm making some alterations to my trooper. Now she's a Bad Batcher. What do you think?" Omega answered proudly.
Suddenly, (Y/N) felt a warning flash in her head. A feeling went through her, one of surprise. She jolted upright in her seat.
"What is it?" Omega asked eagerly.
"Something's wrong!"
Soon enough, both Omega and (Y/N) turned their heads to a voice outside the Marauder.
"We found their ship." Presumably a Zygerrian guard said.
"Omega, Gonky, hide." (Y/N) quietly instructed as she moved to the corner of the cockpit, just out of sight.
(Y/N) motioned for Omega to join her. The little girl scrambled over to the elf, pressing herself against (Y/N). The two seemed to hold their breath as the guards searched the ship.
(Y/N) knew the dangers of engaging with the guards. Their goal was to not be seen, causing a ruckus while the mission was already compromised, was not something (Y/N) was willing to do. Plus she had an extra responsibility (Omega).
"Check the hold. Make sure no one's on board." The other guard spoke.
Even without elf ears, (Y/N) knew they were getting close. She scanned for an emergency exit, and spotted the trapdoor underneath the Marauder's console.
(Y/N) tapped Omega's shoulder slightly, the girl turned her head to (Y/N), the elf pointed at the trapdoor. Luckily, Omega knew what she was referring to, and caught on immediately.
Omega knelt down quietly, and crawled tediously towards the direction of the trapdoor. She very carefully pushed a couple buttons, causing the trapdoor to open slightly with a small hiss. In a situation like this, any noise can cause the pair to get caught. Omega tensed up, looking at (Y/N) for help. (Y/N) nodded encouragingly to the girl, urging her to hurry up.
Omega opened the trapdoor all the way, and went through, glancing back at (Y/N) beforehand.
Without a second thought, (Y/N) got down on her knees and crawled to the trapdoor. She felt her legs dangle for a second before touching the ledge of the ship. Closing the trapdoor quickly behind her.
(Y/N) jumped down silently into the dirt. Followed by Omega, who (Y/N) caught before she hit the ground too hard. The two ran to the nearest cliff, hiding behind it, out of sight.
The two Zygerrian guards came out from the Marauder.
"The ship is clear. We're returning to base." (Y/N) heard one speak.
The two Zygerrian guards hopped onto their speeder bikes, and zoomed off towards the abandoned town.
(Y/N) brought her com up to her mouth, concern gnawing at her.
"Hunter, do you copy?"
No response.
"Tech? Echo? Wrecker? Anyone?" She tries again.
Nothing.
"(Y/N)!" Omega worriedly exclaims.
(Y/N) turns to Omega, seeing the young girl looking through her binoculars.
(Y/N) heads to the edge of the cliff, Omega offers her binoculars, but (Y/N) can already see what Omega just saw. In an instant (Y/N) can understand why Omega was worried.
The Bad Batch was alive, thank the Force. But they were in slave collars. Being guarded by Zygerrians. It wasn't that hard to see them considering they didn't exactly fit the description of someone who's been in the old city for a long period of time.
"What do we do?" Omega nervously asks.
(Y/N) turns back to the girl.
"How good are your stealth skills?" She asked.
XXXXX
"This is not a standard military operation, and seeing as how we've never been tasked with rescuing a child from slave traders before, there is no data I can compare it to." Tech explained, exasperated at his brother.
"We need to signal (Y/N) before their scouts find the girls." Hunter says.
"Except our comms are over there with our weapons." Echo cut in.
The group stared at their gear sitting in a pile just beyond their reach.
When Tech looked up, his sharp eyes widened with surprise as he saw (Y/N) and Omega emerging from the top of a building, moving gracefully and silently.
Tech elbowed Hunter and pointed discreetly at the approaching figures.
"We don't need a comm to signal her." He observed.
Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo turned their attention to the building, and their expressions shifted from confusion to relief, to worry as they saw the familiar faces.
(Y/N) had noticed Tech's staring and gave him a half-hearted salute to reassure him. She knew that while Tech was concerned for their safety, he also trusted her abilities. It was a silent message that conveyed their well-being, though the tension in Tech's eyes was still visible.
Truth be told, (Y/N) didn't expect Omega's stealth to be too great considering she had just left Kamino for the first time. But luckily Omega was eager enough to learn from someone who was an expert. Therefore she picked up on the idea of stealth quickly.
(Y/N) watched as a more decorated Zygerrian approached her squad. She could hear them arguing about the republic and slavery.
"Come on." Omega urged (Y/N) as she began to climb across the gap on a couple of unstable wires.
"Wait! Omega-"
But it was too late. Omega was already almost halfway to the other side. (Y/N) took a deep breath, and let the Force flow through her mind. Filling her up. Then, she jumped.
She let the Force take control of her body. It flowed through every part of her. She flew many feet in the air, and landed on her feet gracefully without making a sound.
She turned back in Omega's direction, prepared to help her across, but she found that Omega had already made it to the other side. And the girl was gaping with shock. Her jaw was dropped, and it took everything in (Y/N) not to grin at Omega's expression.
Realizing she'd got distracted, (Y/N) motioned for Omega to crouch down out of sight. Luckily, the girl had actually listened this time.
(Y/N) made eye contact with Echo, signaling the clone to provide more of a distraction so the pair could sneak past without being seen.
"You're lucky we don't have our gear because this would go very differently for you." (Y/N) heard Echo say.
(Y/N) pointed to a ledge that had a pipe connected to it, Omega nodded at her. The two jumped down, landing quietly, then balancing on the pipe. (Y/N) had no problem doing this, Omega however, wobbled a little bit.
The pair came to a halt, watching for guards, then continued. (Y/N) slid down the pipe landing silently, but when Omega hit the ground, she collided with a stone, knocking it off the ledge with a clattering noise.
(Y/N) grabs the girl, and tucked them both behind some debris, praying to the Force that the guards didn't hear them.
She heard The Bad Batch argue with the guards most likely to distract them from coming in the girls' direction.
(Y/N) made her move. Using the Force to jump onto a cage right in front of her, landing silently. She signals for Omega to jump, and she does. (Y/N) caught Omega before she hit the cage with her boots.
The pair dropped down, and (Y/N) looked through the bars of the cage. Inside, she could make out a small Rancor, looking terrified.
"We have to set them free!" Omega whispers.
(Y/N) nods, but before she could unlock the cage, someone grabbed her from behind.
She heard Omega strain and yell to get out of the guard's grasp.
"Let us go!"
"Excuse me! That is not the way to hold a woman!" (Y/N) said boredly.
The Zygerrian guards dropped the girls to the ground.
"Found these two sneaking around." One of the guards told the highly decorated Zygerrian.
"Hey now! Don't jump to conclusions! We weren't sneaking... we were unlocking!"
(Y/N) waved her hand behind her, using the Force to unlock the cage behind her with an audible click.
She smirked as the Zygerrian guards' eyes widened in horror.
The door to the cage holding the baby Rancor started shaking as the creature began to figure out it was free to go.
"Omega, get up!" (Y/N) yelled at the girl frantically.
The two got up and (Y/N) grabbed the girl and rolled away from the space they were being held at. Just in time too, for the baby Rancor broke out of its cage and trampled the area they just rolled away from.
"Secure the cage!" The highly decorated Zygerrian yelled at the rest.
Blaster fire from the bow and arrow weapons came at the Rancor, who roared in response.
"Stop her! Don't let her get away!"
The Rancor roared again, more anger-filled. It picked up a piece of nearby rubble, and threw it at the guards. Very narrowly missing them.
(Y/N) and Omega ran over to the rest of the Bad Batch.
"A rampaging adolescent Rancor is not the distraction I was anticipating." Tech said.
"Yeah, well... sorry to disappoint." (Y/N) sarcastically responded as she used the Force to get Tech's cuffs and neck brace off.
"That's their problem! We're getting out of here!" Wrecker yelled as he broke free of his chains.
"Echo, get the others free!" (Y/N) commanded.
Echo gave a look of affirmation before using his socket to unlock the restraints of the other prisoners.
(Y/N) saw out of the corner of her eye, Omega made her way over to the Zygerrian child.
"It's okay, Muchi. We're here to take you home." She says.
(Y/N) turned her full attention to Omega and the child. Another Zygerrian pointed frantically at the rampaging Rancor.
"Muchi! Muchi!" They said.
(Y/N)'s head whipped around to the baby Rancor. The pieces falling into place.
They weren't after a Zygerrian child. They were after a Rancor child.
"Oh, you've gotta be kriffin' me." She groaned.
"What?" Echo asked, worried.
"Muchi is the Rancor!" Omega piped up.
Echo looked to Omega, then back to (Y/N).
"She's joking right?"
(Y/N) shook her head.
"Gear up, we have to go after Muchi." Hunter tossed Echo's helmet to him.
"If we don't capture her, we don't get our intel from Cid."
(Y/N) was already running ahead as the group followed her. It wasn't that hard to follow, considering the Rancor's path of destruction and wounded Zygerrians.
They stopped at a ledge, as Hunter picked up the traces of the baby Rancor. He gestured into the mountains.
(Y/N)'s ears twitched as she heard Muchi roar in the distance.
"What about them?" Omega asked, referring to the prisoners following the Bad Batch.
"Omega and I will get them to safety. You find Muchi." Echo said.
"Tech, tell them to go to the speeders at the south entrance." (Y/N) says.
Tech turns to the prisoners and starts speaking in Falleen. The group splits up. Echo and Omega with the prisoners, (Y/N), Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech after Muchi.
The squad turns the corner to find the Zygerrian guards doing everything they can to contain Muchi. Using electrical whips, and blaster bolts from their bows. Muchi doesn't seem so keen on the idea, as she starts destroying the guards left and right.
"Looks like she's doing fine on her own." (Y/N) muses as Wrecker lifts his helmet in shock.
Muchi grabs a guard by their legs and bashes them against other soldiers. A blast came from a ruin above the Rancor, trying to trap her in an electrical net. Muchi turns around and runs headfirst in the ruin, knocking the guard down, landing with a thud.
Muchi breathes for a second before turning around and charging at the Bad Batch.
A squawk from behind them could be heard. They turned around and saw a Brezak with a soldier riding it, coming straight in their direction.
"MOVE!!!" (Y/N) yelled.
The Bad Batch ran in all different directions as the creature came down harshly on the sandy ground. They scrambled to get out of the way, and the Brezak knocked Hunter's weapon away, along with knocking Wrecker off to the side.
(Y/N) was also knocked off to the side into a boulder. The Brezak's wing hit her left shoulder. She cried out, but bit her tongue to cut off her scream. Hot pain flooded her body
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