The Bad Batch: Oneshots

Trickery At Its Finest

Tech's hands gently worked their way through the tangled mess of wires under the dashboard of the Marauder. He found their unexpected downtime to be of most use. The Marauder was in terrible need of repairs, and he finally had the time to work on it. Since Echo left, the ARC's duties had fallen upon him. Hunter and Wrecker knew little to nothing about the Marauder's technical side. While Omega was of little more use, she was busy exploring the island with her new friend.

He didn't mind the extra work; in fact, he found it quite relaxing to have something to focus on. His intricate thoughts were free to overtake him as he took apart the faulty wiring. His mind drifted to Pabu's calm lifestyle—despite the recent sea surge leaving the whole island a mess. That night, moments before disaster struck, he felt a weird sense of peace standing with Phee as she showed him Pabu's evening light show. He watched the island burst into a gentle glow in the growing darkness. Simple? Yes, but the feeling was one he could not quite place...especially when his heart fluttered as the woman next to him so much as spared him a quick glance with her deep muddy eyes. He was not accustomed to such foreign emotions. He found pride in knowing information for almost any occasion, but this was one situation his brain drew a blank. The feeling of confusion within him was bothering.

Sighing heavily, the clone slid out from under the control panel, pushing his goggles up the bridge of his nose. Tech slowly rolled his neck as he stood up, admiring the clutter of instruments that surrounded him scattered across the metal floor. He shrugged, deciding to clean up the mess he made. Maker knows how Hunter would react if he came back to the Marauder after a long day of labor and tripped on a wrench. As the technician gathered his belongings, a small series of footsteps could be heard advancing toward the ship. Within a few seconds later, he poked his head out to find Omega running up the ramp with a wide grin, but she quickly changed her facial expression to that of a bored look as she entered into the hold.

"Tech?" she called out.

Tech eyed her suspiciously, leaning against the wall of the ship. "Right here, Omega. Is there something you require?"

Omega's eyes drifted to the left, almost as if trying to remember why she was there to begin with. Realizing, she snapped out of the brief moment of hesitation, looking back at him. "Phee needs your help fixing something."

"Does she now?" Tech crossed his arms, tilting his head down at her. "And what does she need my assistance with exactly?"

Looking like a frozen tooka in ship lights, Omega quickly opened her mouth only to close it, thinking hard. "Ummm, I think it was a faulty light in her house. Anyways, she really needs your help."

While Omega's story was patchy, if Phee did need his services, it was the least he could do after she had been so kind to them. Besides, he needed the extra work to occupy the rest of his day since the Marauder was now reassembled back to a functioning state.

"Very well. Let me collect the supplies needed and I'll—"

"It's okay!" Omega interjected, seemingly in a rush to get him out off the ship. "Phee said she has a tool kit you can use."

Tech simply gave a short nod, following the young girl as she excitedly jumped off the ramp. Why she was so enthusiastic, he had yet to come to a conclusion. Omega led him through the newly constructed streets down into lower Pabu. The island's appearance slowly began to resemble what it originally looked like. The progress was truly magnificent. Tech spied Hunter and Shep on the back of Phee's porch, similar to Shep's own hut, just a tad smaller in size. As soon as he waved, catching Hunter's attention, his brother immediately stood up, returning the gesture just slightly as both him and the mayor shuffled their way off the premises. Strange, but perhaps they had other business to attend to. After all, Shep's mayoral duties called at random times.

Tech shook the briefly awkward interaction off as he and Omega approached Phee's home. It was small and beige on the outside like most of the other huts, but one look inside and someone could clearly guess who occupied the space. The interior was arranged in such an unnatural way. The furniture pieces completely contrasted each other. A luxurious rug from Naboo paired with a banged up old wooden couch made from the trees on Kashyyyk. In opposite corners stood an Ewok speeder bike morphed into a chair, and a fixed up small pod racer surrounded by various tarnished trinkets that also came from Tatooine. Tech was normally one for order when it came to aesthetics, but Phee's house was different. Despite the chaos, it blended well together, making complete sense. As he looked around, he noticed one thing clear. Clear as in he could clearly see everything in the warm light. The light that was supposed to be broken.

"Omega, I do not see the problem—Omega?" The goggled clone looked around for the girl who seeked his help just to find she had disappeared. "Now why would she..." Tech mumbled, shaking his head perplexed, turning around to leave. As he rest his hand on the keypad, the door swished open and he nearly slammed into the woman who resided there.

"Brown Eyes?" Phee greeted with a usual smirk, but this time with an added look of surprise.

"Phee," Tech said, averting his eyes, "I did not expect to see you here."

Phee huffed, a sly grin present on her face. "One usually does return to their home by the end of the day, ya know?" She motioned behind the clone into her living area.

Tech could feel the burning embarrassment rising in his face. The color a most definitely give away. Clearing his throat he said, "Oh, well, yes; I had forgotten for a brief moment. My apologies. I will see myself out." He tried to sneak past the treasure hunter.

"Hold up now." Phee stopped him, grabbing his upper arm in a loose grip. "Why don't you join me for dinner. Lyana said she and Omega prepared a meal as a surprise for when I got back."

The realization hit Tech like the time Wrecker accidentally dropped Gonky on him while doing repairs.

"Come on; she told me it's on the back patio." Phee looped her arm through Tech's, escorting him to the beautiful set up waiting for them in the back. A single table filled with variegated foods ranging from sweet to salty. A luscious bouquet of flowers stood in the center amidst all the food. The lanterns gave off a comforting yellow-orangish glow, mirroring the few strands of lights connected to the tall wooden poles in each corner of the patio.

"The girls really out did themselves, huh?" Phee commented, astonished at her now spruced up outdoor sitting area.

"It is rather pretty," Tech admitted, taking in the calming view. Along with Lyana and Omega's set up, Pabu's bright blue sky faded away, transforming into a stunning deep sea orange one, the sun now just peeking behind the glistening waters.

Phee placed a hand on Tech's shoulder. The clone tensed a little at the unexpected physical touch, not that he minded at all.

"So...I guess it's a date then?"

Tech blinked swiftly, looking down at the woman to his left, a slight curve crawling into his lips.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

Happy Monday!!  I cannot believe it's already August. I start school next week🥲And tomorrow I gotta go paint my parking spot and recite Shakespeare through Friday😭😭 So nervous but excited to see my friends again