The Bad Batch: Tech and Vel

22. Return

Tech bounced his knee impatiently as the Marauder lurched out of hyperspace, Alderaan appearing in front of them. As they slowly glided toward the surface, Hunter appeared behind him, resting a hand on the back of his chair and observing the planet. It felt like they'd been here yesterday, but months had passed.

"There are so many impracticalities, Hunter," Tech confessed.

"We've been over this. Life is short, and ours even shorter. She's handy on missions and clearly made an impact on you. You already shared all your reasons, and we're here anyway," Hunter replied. 

"True. But I am concerned that my perception of reality has been altered by literary portrayals of this sort of thing," Tech returned.

"Well, take it one step at a time," Hunter advised, turning to gear up with the others.

Tech's hands tightened on the steering controls momentarily, and he sought distraction by moving through the long-memorized actions of the switches and buttons of the landing sequence. He had been forced to make a quick departure after his last conversation with Vel, called to another mission before she had woken up. He had remedied the situation by sending a transmission, informing her of his absence and his regret at their separation.

He had also determined it was the right thing to do, concerning his apparent interest in her, to follow in the steps of a variety of literary and historical characters and maintain communication during their time apart. He had been diligent to send transmissions on a regular basis, filling her in on their adventures as much as he could while maintaining confidentiality. 

Unbeknownst to the others, he had even made a few attempts to reflect upon and convey his feelings, in a variety of approaches, from descriptive analysis to poetry, though the latter was too subjective for his tastes. And now, forty-two missions later, they had completed their recent objective and found themselves landing on the very planet on which Vel had been recovering from her spinal injury.

***

Vel grimaced, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. She had completed five full laps on her own, without any of the equipment, and was going for a few more with the assistive walker. It had been a long journey, but she was able to get around on her own and was now working on her stamina. She paused for a moment, leaning on the walker, when she heard his voice.

"If you keep pushing yourself like that, you're going to be outrunning me in a week," a gravelly male voice said. She turned to see Arthen grinning next to her, dressed in his standard medical attire, with a datapad in his hand. "You've made so much progress."

She stood up straighter, tilting her head and returning his smile with a bright one of her own. "Well, you know I've got you to thank for that, so you're really just complimenting yourself."

Arthen laughed, wagging a finger at her before tapping on the screen. 

As Clone Force 99 entered the expansive physical therapy facility, Crosshair located Vel immediately with his sharp eyes, nudging his brother with an elbow. Tech followed his gesture, spotting her brown hair, and felt considerably unsettled. 

"You sure you don't want us to come with you?" Wrecker asked, wrapping an arm around Tech's neck and rubbing a fist into his hair.

"No, thank you!" Tech snipped, wrestling himself away from his brother and fastidiously returning his hair to its... well, you know.

"Alright, we'll see you at lunch," Hunter said, "Come on." They headed for the door, Crosshair turning back to give a wink before disappearing into the corridor. Tech stood for a moment, watching Vel talk to the medical personnel, going through his speech again in his head to ensure it was precisely adequate. 

With a deep breath, he approached them slowly, hands fidgeting at his sides, "Hello, Vel."

She turned toward him, utter shock on her face. "Tech? What..." she drifted off, "I mean, hello." 

As she identified this newcomer, Arthen's eyebrows dropped briefly, but he recovered quickly and extended a hand. "Arthen Rass. Nice to meet you... Tech, was it?"

"Yes," Tech responded automatically, shaking the hand after an initial pause. He turned to Vel, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other, unsure where to begin despite all his practice.

"Um, I was just about to finish and go tidy up," Vel said, feeling a need to escape the situation.

"Might I have a quick word before you do?" Tech inquired politely, having trouble looking at her, eyes heavy with the weight of the time they'd been apart.

"Sure," Vel answered, "Arthen, I'll see you later?"

"Looking forward to it," he responded warmly, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He lingered for a moment, whispering something in her ear that caused her to blush and push him away, then he offered a nod to Tech before heading for the door. 

Vel turned to face Tech, cheeks still flushed, and he stared at her, dumbfounded. So many questions flew through his mind, and he was completely thrown off from everything he had been thinking leading up to this moment. 

"You are romantically involved?" he asked bluntly.

"Yeah, kinda," Vel answered, looking at the ground for a moment before raising her eyes back to his. "What are you doing here?" 

"I came... We came... We were on a mission nearby," Tech finished, still clearly distracted. 

"Nice," Vel responded flatly. "Well, it was good to see you. I'm sure you've got places to be." And she turned toward the door.

Tech's mind was racing, but the sense of urgency brimmed over his self-control, "Vel, I came to see you. It has been a while, but as you know, I have not stopped thinking of you."

Vel stopped, turning over her shoulder, eyes narrowing. "As I know? I don't know anything, Tech. You disappeared without saying goodbye. Then you show up after months and months and just expect everything to be the same? You can't keep dropping me off and fetching me like a spare part when you suddenly find a need for me again."

"That is not--" Tech began, feeling flooded with responses and questions.

"Take care of yourself, Tech," Vel said, turning back to the door, "And tell the boys I said hello." And with that, she walked as smoothly as she could, exhaustion requiring her to use the assistive walker, and disappeared out the door. Tech remained, arms at his sides, frozen in place by the oppressive weight of confusion and disappointment.