Epilogue

Hunter

His left eye was starting to swell.

Hunter could feel it throbbing. Feel the blood pooling. Already, his vision was reduced to half, but it felt like it was growing smaller by the second. Soon, he knew, his eye would be swollen shut.

It was what he deserved.

The punch had come last night from Commander Wolffe. A welcoming gift when Hunter and his brothers had landed on Teth – bruised and beaten, shell-shocked from the swift events on Ord Mantell that had left them down not one member, but two. At the news of what had happened to Saedii, Wolffe had hit him.

Hunter hadn't defended himself. He'd deserved that punch.

Saedii and Omega were gone because of him.

It was his fault.

"Do you see anything?"

Echo stood behind him, blaster in hand. His helmeted gaze was locked on Hunter, and he had a feeling that Echo knew the direction of his thoughts.

Hunter turned his attention back to the rocky ground of Eriadu. They'd returned for clues. To try and track down Saedii if they could. To determine if she was still alive.

No, she was alive. He wouldn't let himself consider any alternative.

In the trees around him, the rest of the Batch were looking, too. Wrecker's movements were stiff in his neck brace, and Tech didn't seem as sharp as usual.

Crosshair was moving the slowest. His arm was in a sling, but he walked around like he was concussed. Eyes glazed over. Thoughts far away. He'd been that way since they left Eriadu, and it had only gotten worse when Omega disappeared.

They were in mourning. All of them. Without Saedii and Omega, their lives had been uprooted. They were all left feeling bereft and empty.

Others had joined them in the search. Rex and Cody. Ahsoka. They'd all volunteered to help once they'd heard.

"Hunter?" Echo asked quietly.

Hunter stood. "Looks like she went this way."

Saedii's scent was still strong. It was only two days since the summit. Luckily, Eriadu hadn't had rain since then, which made it easy for Hunter to pick out her trail. She smelled of nightlilies and jasmine – a distinctive scent that somehow fit her just perfectly.

Helmet tucked under his arm, he followed the scent down a sharp embankment. Here, other scents grew stronger – armor oil, sweat, leather. And something else – something sickly sweet that tickled his nose.

Blood.

Hunter's good eye swept the ground, picking out a faint dark stain along the soft earthen ground. When he crouched beside it, the sharp, bitter scent of iron overwhelmed him along with another – nightlilies and jasmine.

Saedii.

This was her blood.

Even with all the training he'd been through, all the terrible things he'd seen – this one puddle of blood was nearly enough to make him come undone. She'd been hurt – badly if the blood was any indication.

"Is that..." Echo was standing close enough that Hunter could reach up and touch him.

"Blood," Hunter confirmed. He took in a steadying breath. "It's hers."

Echo went very still. Nearby, Crosshair, too, had turned to stone. Hunter knew that, of all of them, Cross was taking this the hardest. Saedii's disappearance hadn't just crushed him – it had shattered him. He was a mere shadow of who he'd been only days before.

Tech and Rex slid down the embankment. Immediately, Tech began to scan the area with his holopad. At his side, Rex removed his helmet, expression grim.

"My scans indicate an arterial bleed," Tech reported. "By my estimate, a total blood loss of one and a half liters. Perhaps more."

Hunter's throat felt tight as he demanded, "Could she have survived that?"

"Arterial bleeds are quite precarious. Unless a medical-grade torniquet was applied within five minutes of the injury –"

"Tech."

Tech paused. "The chance of death is ninety-three percent."

Rex lowered his head.

But Hunter wasn't deterred. "That means there's a seven percent chance she's still alive."

"Hunter, statistically speaking –"

"Unless her chance of survival is zero or I see a body, I'm going to assume she's alive."

He couldn't consider any alternative. Saedii and Omega – they were more than just his squad members. They were his family. His children. His whole existence revolved around them – making sure they were fed, protected, safe. He'd be damned if he didn't try everything to get them back.

"I found these." Ahsoka emerged from the surrounding trees. In her hands, Saedii's lightsabers were covered in a thin layer of dirt.

Hunter took them and clipped them to his belt. When they found her, she'd want them back.

"There appears to be a blood trail," Tech said after a moment. He walked between two trees, eyes on the ground. A moment later, his voice called, "It ends here, where there is evidence that a ship took flight."

They took her, then. Just like Omega.

His chest felt like it was caving in as he imagined how scared they were. How alone they must feel. He didn't even let himself consider the alternative – that they were being tortured. Hurt.

That they were already dead.

"I've got my teams scouring for leads," Rex said quietly.

At his side, Cody was quick to add, "Padme has her contacts in the Senate doing some digging on Dr. Hemlock and the Advanced Science Division."

"Anakin and Obi-Wan are out searching, as well," Ahsoka added with a swift look to Rex, who's expression tightened. "The three of us plan to track down an Inquisitor and see what we can learn."

Hunter knew what a sacrifice that was. The three remaining Jedi were the Rebellion's greatest secret weapon. And they were willing to risk discovery to bring Saedii back.

He was grateful for their help. The Batch would need all the help they could get to find Saedii and Omega. To bring them home.

"What about us? What are we going to do, Hunter?" Wrecker asked. Lost and hopeful, all in one.

"That's easy," Echo answered with bitter determination. "We're going to search, too. All of us."

Tech gave a nod, as if this was the logical conclusion. Crosshair's gaze didn't lift from the ground.

Hunter slid his helmet back on. Looked over at his brothers, who were beaten and broken. But not defeated.

The Batch never knew when to quit. He didn't plan to learn now.

"We're going to get our girls back."