The Bad Batch: Tech and Vel

8. Intentions

From the bridge of the ship, Hunter and Crosshair were watching with a bird's eye view of the entire thing. Hunter could sense from across the platform the internal struggle within Vel, and he scratched the side of his face, frowning as he dropped his hand.

"I'm not sure this is a good long-term plan," he said to Crosshair.

"What, her?" Crosshair replied, shifting his toothpick to the other side of his mouth as he reclined, feet crossed on the dashboard. "I would have left her on the roof where we first found her."

"She's handy to have around," Hunter mused. "But something is growing there that I don't think is in our best interest."

"Growing? There?" Crosshair asked, his interest piqued now. Normally he wasn't bothered with such things, but he put his feet down and leaned forward, looking out the forward windows at the pair below. "With Tech?" he laughed dismissively, "I think we should be more concerned about her untraditional solutions to emergencies."

"I'm serious," Hunter insisted, returning his gaze to the couple on the platform. "This kind of thing will only bring complications."

"What kind of thing?" Wrecker asked, appearing from his bunk.

"Hunter thinks there is something between Vel and Tech," Crosshair answered, turning to enjoy Wrecker's reaction.

"What! Ha!" Wrecker guffawed, nearly crushing Hunter in his effort to peer out the front window. "Alright Tech! I didn't think he had it in him!" he said upon seeing the two, giving a little fist pump.

"He shouldn't," Hunter responded sternly. "We weren't made for this sort of thing."

"Bah," Wrecker waved him off, "Let him enjoy it. We were made to fight and die. Might as well have some fun along the way, right Cross?" He ruffled Crosshair's short hair as one would a younger sibling, and was inevitably met with a disapproving huff as his hand was swatted away.

But Hunter continued watching them, hand on his chin, and said nothing.

***

The next dejarik match had a decidedly different atmosphere. Vel couldn't tell what it was, but Hunter was radiating discomfort. Had she said something? Was he still mad about her dirt analysis question? After a good amount of painstaking attempts at conversation and an equal amount of silence, she took out two of his pieces at once, and that was the last straw.

"Okay, that's it," Vel said, sitting back from the table, "What is going on?"

Hunter sighed, leaning back as well. "Listen. I don't know how to go about this, so I'm just going to be straightforward. I can tell there's something between you and Tech." His suspicions were confirmed as he instantly registered her shock, immediately followed by a flush of embarrassment. To spare her the need for a coherent response, he continued, "I don't think it's a good idea. That's not our path in life, not our kind of thing. You understand that, right?"

Vel was speechless.

"We need to stick to our purpose, and we all agree on that," he said, eyes shifting downward as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "So... we think it's best if you stay here on Coruscant."

"We?" was all Vel could spit out.

"Yes," Hunter replied, still not meeting her eyes.

"I see," Vel said, sitting up straighter now. She swallowed as if to preserve her pride and rose to her feet. "Okay. I'll finish the regulator wiring tomorrow and then I'll be gone."

Hunter watched her leave, fully aware of the hurt but confident that this was in the best interest of his squad. He had to protect them, and things like this could bring unfathomable complexity that was not only unnecessary but potentially dangerous. He put away the dejarik pieces, still scattered from the middle of the game, and retired to his bunk.

***

Vel was unmistakably icy in her demeanor the next morning. She clattered around her makeshift quarters, realizing that she had packed her meager belongings a few times over and had nothing else to do. She finally squeezed herself between the panels in the maintenance corridor, finishing her final repair with a steady stream of expletives flowing through her mind, directed primarily at Hunter but including them all.

She felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her, which wasn't a new feeling, yet it stung all the more this time as she had finally felt as though she was an accepted, worthwhile member of a group. She had done all she could to contribute to the squad, and hell, hadn't she even saved their butts at least once? Sure, they would disagree, and maintain they were fine on their own. And maybe they were.

It just smarted to feel that she had been so incorrect in her assessment. She felt like a fool. As she ran over all the things she should have said to Hunter, muttering under her breath, a face suddenly appeared between the narrow panels. Her heart fell another story as she recognized the oversized brown eyes behind the yellow tinted lenses. The pain quickly turned to anger, however, and she couldn't hold it in.

"Coming to see me off?" Vel snapped, "Or just going to go over my work as soon as I'm done?"

Tech was taken aback at the sudden vehemence, adjusting his goggles as a muscle-memory defense mechanism. "I apologize if I startled you?" he ventured, "And no, there is no need to check your work."

"Okay, great," she continued, turning back to the wires before her, plugging the final one in and shoving the panel closed with not a hint of gentleness. Tech backed away tentatively as she squeezed out of the narrow space, brushing past him to head for her cot, where she retrieved her weapon, pack, and cloak.

"Where are you going?" Tech asked.

"Oh, I'll figure something out," she retorted sardonically, unable to keep the words in. They were laced with venom, all the hurt she felt at his complete betrayal and total lack of care.

"We are leaving for Naboo soon," he continued, thoroughly puzzled at this point by her sudden change in spirit. He was concerned that she would not be back in time for their departure but did not want to interfere with her plans, as it seemed a highly touchy subject.

"Yes, I'm sure it will be lovely," Vel responded evenly, "Thank you for everything." And with that, she stormed past him to the lift. Her last glimpse before the door closed was his face, brow furrowed, big brown eyes watching her leave.