𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒 ( THE BAD BATCH )

VI. SUNNY MEADOWS

When the Havoc Marauder exited hyperspace, Tech took over the control of the ship to maneuver it towards the planet's surface. He set it down in a clearing within a forest.

The Bad Batch went outside first while Aria was waking Omega from her slumber. Once she did, she also walked through the door and had to narrow her eyes when the sunlight blinded her. Aria had to pause on the first stair to adjust her green eyes to the new scenery, much like she always had to do if she spent too much time in a dark place. In moments like this, she got jealous of the brown-eyed clones that were less affected by the sun.

Shaking her head, Aria went down the rest of the steps until her boots connected with the surface of Saleucami.

Omega also paused on the stairs to cover her face with her hands, albeit her brown eyes adjusted to the new light much faster. She couldn't help but gape at the sight of a clear sky and bright sun above a grassland covered with tall trees and wide colorful bushes. It was the first time she had ever seen anything like it.

A broad smile appeared on her face. She walked down the ramp, her feet falling onto the ground and she looked down upon a new sensation. It felt much different than the metal on which she used to walk. Omega fell to her knees, taking a handful of dirt and watching it as she carefully allowed it to slip from her palm.

"Woah! What is it?" she asked in amazement.

"That would be dirt," Tech answered.

"It's amazing!"

The soldiers observed her until she raised from the ground, her wide eyes still scanning the view around her. Aria smiled; it made her happy to see Omega beam at simple things that were nothing but foreign to her. This is what she wanted her to have. Freedom. A chance to see worlds other than Kamino. To show her how vast and spectacular the galaxy was.

Tech took the lead when they entered a gap between tall yellow plants that didn't let them walk another way but in a line. Aria still wasn't sure who were they going to see and how much did they believe they were going to help them.

"So this friend of yours," she began, "what's he doing all the way out here?

"Hiding. That's what deserters do," Tech said like it was obvious.

"Staying off the radar's not our specialty, but he's been doing it for years," Hunter added.

"And you trust a deserter?" Echo asked skeptically. Tech shrugged his shoulders.

"Why not? We're all deserters now."

Echo's eyes widened in realization.

Hunter stopped the group when they came across a metal fence, although Aria couldn't see a house nearby. It must've been covered by trees, but it was no doubt someone's plot.

Clueless to a hand-signal Omega continued on her way, until Hunter put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from taking another step. She looked up at him confusingly. Aria noticed how he looked around, so she followed his gaze, although she wasn't sure what was there to be wary of.

"What am I looking at?" she asked after a second or two.

"A booby trap," Hunter replied, pointing at their feet where a wire hung an inch above the ground. Aria raised her eyebrows in acknowledgment.

"Single trip wire!" Wrecker said carelessly as he walked over to the trap. "That's cute."

He suddenly screamed when four droids shot upright from the ground, earlier covered with dirt and impossible to notice. He had a blaster in hand in a blink of an eye and shoot at them. Aria grabbed Omega's shoulder and pulled her towards herself, staring at his actions against already dead droids.