The Bad Batch: Silent as a Mouse

Chapter 3: Sabaac Turned Interrogation

It was Wrecker's idea for them to hang out in the hold rather than the cockpit. When Tech told him how long it would take to get to the moon, 4 whole hours!, Wrecker decided their time would be best spent playing games. 

"No betting. The last time we did, you two cleaned me out." Hunter said, aiming his accusation towards Tech and Crosshair, the latter of whom smirked at the memory. Oh, did Crosshair remember that day vividly. He had never been more proud than to get the last of Hunter's credits. What pissed off the sergeant even more was he used those specific credits to buy more toothpicks when they were on a supply run. 

Crosshair was first to claim his seat, smack dab in the middle of the walkway. Hunter sat to his right, Wrecker on Hunter's other side, and Tech across from Crosshair. There was an open space in between the resident genius and the sniper that Mouse plopped herself down into, crossing her legs before hand so she landed crisscross-applesauce. They sat in a circle, the sabaac cards dealt to each batch member and the stealth clone and the rest in a neat pile in the center.

 Crosshair had seen Mouse's smirk before it had faded to indifference at the idea of playing sabaac. She mentioned something about a tournament between the regs before they left. Was that what they played?

Roughly two hours later, Mouse felt more at ease. She had shifted her position to have one leg pulled to her chest, arms loosely wrapped around and holding her cards for this round in front of her. They were still engrossed in the game and had just started their fifth game of sabaac. Tech won the first round but Mouse won the next three. Crosshair had decided to sit this one out, as did Wrecker. The sniper instead leaned over both Hunter and Mouse's shoulders to look at each of their cards. 

Tech huffed as he continued to try to figure out the girl's strategy. She had figured out he was bluffing last round and that's how she'd won. Crosshair could see the way it peeved his brother to not know how she knew when they were bluffing. It could've been an instinct or pure luck but the knowing look behind the innocent smile told him she knew something he didn't and that added to his irritated expression.

"You're cheating." Tech said bluntly, drawing another card before looking at Mouse, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Much to his annoyance, Mouse just smiled as she looked over her cards.

"Why would you think that?" she asked innocently, picking the top card in the deck. 

"It is very logical to conclude that you are cheating seeing as you have won the past three games in a row." 

"Beginner's luck."

"You are not a 'beginner'. If that were the case, we would've had to teach you the game. The fact that you understood the many rules means you are well versed in the game."

"Fair point. But how could I cheat? I let you shuffle the cards, Hunter's been dealing them. The only cards I've touched are my own. Besides," She turned to glare at Crosshair's invasion of her space as he looked at her new card. "A certain sniper keeps lurking over my shoulder. I don't think me cheating would go unnoticed."

Tech couldn't argue with her logic but they could all see how he just knew she had to be doing something and he was determined to figure out exactly what. 

Crosshair, on the other hand, already had a hunch how she was winning. He remembered her enhancement being a mix of a hyper-sense of hearing and something else. It was how she knew when Nala Se was walking down the hall towards the batch's barracks, her footsteps distinguished by her slightly faster pace than most Kaminoens. Crosshair often used his exceptional eyesight to pick out their tells when they got good cards, it's only fair he let Mouse use her enhancement to win. Though, he'd deny any and all accusations of letting her win. If he just so happened to 'forget' how well she could hear, that wasn't on him. Tech's annoyance was also adding to the fun, especially because it wasn't aimed at himself.