To Heal Poignancy ■ TECH - The Bad Batch ■

The Fall of The Naboo Senator

This officially felt like the shortest day of her life. Even though so much had happened.

Everything had been leading to this moment, hadn't it? From the moment Adla was elected Senator of Naboo. She tried at first, truly, to keep herself level-headed. She tried not to drag attention to herself. She tried to remain compliant, to remain quiet. In the end, it wasn't her. She spoke up against the Empire and the injustices. She pointed out the flaws in the system. She lied, she plotted, she stole. She also loved and cherished what the rest of her peers didn't. People warned her. They told her to watch her mouth, to be careful who she spoke around, to follow the lead of everyone else.

This was the true consequence of her actions.

Everything had led her here.

"Addie?" Omega questioned, confused and alarmed.

Wrecker went to help Tech up. They all stared at her the same way Omega was.

"Help me one last time. You have to get out of here. Evacuate everyone you can and go," Adla urged.

"What are you rambling about, Klenn," Crosshair hissed. He had taken off his helmet so Adla could see the fear that lingered in his eyes. She almost told him to put the helmet back on so she wouldn't have to see his face anymore. She didn't think she had ever seen his fear directed toward her. He knew something was going on.

"There is a bomb that could level out the entire city." That grabbed the attention of everyone if she didn't have it already. "I'm handling it. If I do it right, then everyone should be okay. As a precaution, I would evacuate as many people as possible."

"Don't be ridiculous, Klenn, you have no idea how to defuse a bomb," Crosshair pointed out.

"I can help you," the demolitionist expert offered. Adla shook her head at Wrecker. Her tears blurred her eyesight. The same way she felt for the twins and the secrets she held was the same she felt now. She learned the value of receiving help, but the urge to protect overrode any previous lesson. The foundation, or core, of her being won over any new information downloaded into her system.

She needed to make sure that everyone was safe. Not just the Batch, but her people, too. Everyone needed to live to see another starlight.

It was time for her star to explode into the cosmos.

"This isn't something you can help with," Adla's voice broke. "It has to go off."

"That's the most karking thing I ever heard," Echo retorted.

"I was given a choice," she took a deep breath, "I can either let the bomb go off and destroy the entire city of Theed, possibly more, or I can contain the bomb. But the bomb can only be contained if someone is inside. Either way, the Empire wants me dead."

Everyone was frozen in shock. Adla looked away from the group of clones that stood on the other side of the ray shield.

"I guess this is a decent time to say goodbye, then." She flashed them all a brief smile.

"No!" Omega shouted. The young clone went to sprint to Adla, but Hunter grabbed her wrist so she didn't hurt herself on the ray shield. "No! We can figure out another way! We always figure out another way!"

Adla stepped closer to Tech's direction. Even after she deceived him, she looked into his eyes as she approached. Her attack was meant to protect him. Yet, this was the first time she had ever seen his honey eyes so sad.

"We can figure out another way." Omega's words echoed off his own tongue. If Adla didn't know any better, it almost sounded like he was pleading.

She graced him with a sad, watery smile. "So they could continue to hurt the people of Naboo? So I can wait for them to find you and hurt you too?" Adla shook her head. "I can't do that to everyone. It's better this way."