Chapter Text
Separatists pushed to the brink. Republic forces continue to mount victories on battlefronts across the galaxy. After the Jedi Knights thwarted an attempt to kill Chancellor Palpatine, the evil droid, General Grievous, retreated to the Outer Rim. With his legions of battle droids severely depleted, Grievous mounts a brutal counter attack across several star systems. We find Republic clone troopers locked in deadly combat on the besieged world of Kaller. Lead by Jedi Master Depa Billaba, they struggle to hold their position as they wait for reinforcements to arrive.
The clones fought tooth and nail as the droids closed in, three tanks with them. Depa Billaba ducked down into the crater she and the Captain awaited reinforcements from. "Not to be a pessimist," The Captain started. "But if the commander isn't back soon with those reinforcements..."
"My Padawan will be here." Depa insisted.
"Master!" On cue, Caleb Dume slid down the tall hill lined with trees. Snow kicked up from his boots as he jumped into the crater. "Here. I'm here."
"Caleb, where are the reinforcements?" Depa asked.
"Don't worry." The boy said confidently. "They're right behind me."
Both Depa and the Captain glanced over. Nothing but the snow and trees. "Uh, where are they?" The Captain asked.
"Caleb." Depa's voice grew stern.
"Trust me." The Padawan said.
The Captain shifted. "Well, how many are there?"
"Six of them."
"Six?" The clone repeated. He shook his head in defeat. "We're done."
Caleb chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I thought but you gotta see these clones. They're different."
As he spoke the trees rumbled. The droids halted their advance to observe. They fired upon some attacker unseen by the Republic troops, but it was soon revealed to be a boulder that crushed a large chunk of the battalion. Out from the trees came five figures, their only goal being to destroy every droid in sight. "Make a hole!" The big one yelled as he smashed several droids. Another used a knife and blaster combo with a young girl.
The Captain looked through his binocs in disbelief. "I don't believe it. That's Clone Force 99." Another clone used droid poppers on a large group, and the fifth used his scomp arm as a weapon.
Althea grinned under her cloth as she stabbed several droids and blasted them. Hunter had been teaching her some new moves. Speaking of the Sergeant, he contacted Crosshair who was sniping from the tree line. "Crosshair, let's get these tanks moving."
"Sir, yes, sir." In an instant the tanks were connected by a rope, attached by the one in the middle. Wrecker pushed the one nearest to the cliff, sending them over. The demo man managed to climb over the falling tanks, scrambling to safety. Tech tossed a droid popper to one. "Hey, clanker. Catch."
It no time, all the droids were destroyed by a particularly large explosion caused by Tech. "Drop your weapons and surrender." One demanded before Wrecker ripped it's head off. Crosshair slid down from the hill, catching up to them as they approached the Jedi and took of their helmets.
"If you're done hiding down there, I suggest you laugh a counter attack." Hunter said. "Another droid battalion's approaching."
"The General is the one who gives the orders around here." The Captain said.
Depa held out her hand. "He's right, Captain. This is our chance. Launch the counter attack."
"Yes, General." The Captain turned to his troops. "All right, men. Let's go!"
As the regs moved to attack, the Jedi and Captain climbed out of their crater. Wrecker grinned at the sight of Caleb. "There you are, little Jedi. You missed all the fun."
"Watching your team in action was the fun." The Padawan said as he flipped back his hood.
Depa did the same. "Care to introduce your new friends, Caleb."
Caleb nodded. "Yes, Master. This is Wrecker, Hunter, Althea, Echo, Tech, and Crosshair."
Depa nodded. "While I'm not sure 'fun' is the sentiment I would express, I agree with my Padawan. Your exploits were quite impressive."
Wrecker furrowed his brow. "Exploits?"
"Don't overthink it, Wrecker." Crosshair said as he chewed his toothpick.
Echo, ever the reg, nodded to Depa. "Thank you, General."
"Now would one of you please explain where my actual reinforcements are?" She asked.
"Rerouted to the capital." Althea offered. "We're all your getting."
Wrecker laughed. "Ha! We're all you need."
"Actually," Tech said as he stared at his datapad. "If my intel is correct, the general will not need any of us. The Clone War may soon be over."
"Better tell that to the clankers headed our way." The Captain told him.
"I am referring to the encrypted comm chatter." Tech countered. "Clone intelligence is reporting Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi has found and engaged General Grievous on Utapau."
Echo hummed in thought. "If captures or kills Grievous, the Separatist command structure will collapses."
Althea nodded. "And the droid armies along with them." She had been fighting in the war for almost a year. The war that killed her family, and led her to a new one. It would be strange, no longer fighting droids.
"A fascinating theory, yet unfortunately not something we can control from here." Depa said sternly. "I suggest we focus on the task at hand."
"Any orders?" Hunter asked, a small smirk on his face. "Or shall we do what we do?"
"Let's blow something up. Yeah!" Wrecker added with a fist pump.
Depa looked down at her Padawan. "Well, Caleb, shall we let them do what they do?"
Caleb grinned. "Only if I can go with them."
Depa smiled. "Very well."
Althea smirked at the Padawan. "Hey, kid. You ready for this? We move fast." Caleb was probably the same age as her, but the young medic had picked up the habit of calling younger troops "kid" from the other Batchers.
Caleb smirked. "Good. That's the only way I know."
Wrecker laughed as he put on his helmet. "I like him." Hunter nodded to the General, giving her a quick salute before running off to the next battle. The snow crunched under their boots as they ran, but soon Hunter realized that only six pairs, not seven, were running. The sound of blaster fire reached his ears, along with the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber. He turned to see that Caleb was no longer with them, but rather running towards his Master, blade at the ready.
The clones were firing upon General Billaba, gunning her down as she screamed for Caleb to run. The Bad Batch turned around and ran to the Padawan, confused as to what just happened.
Caleb had unshed tears in his eyes as he stood defensively. "Stay away from me!" He turned and ran into the forset.
"Kid, wait!" Hunter called after him, but he was gone.
"What... What just happened?" Althea asked.
"The comm channel is repeating one directive," Said Tech. "Execute Order 66."
"Yeah, I heard that too." Wrecker said. "What's Order 66?"
Tech furrowed his brow. "I am not certain."
Althea bit her lip under her mask. Did the regs seriously just kill General Billaba?
"Echo, Tech. Talk to the reg Captain." Hunter ordered. "Find out what you can. Crosshair, Thea. We'll track down the kid and make sure nothing happens to him. Wrecker, stall anyone who tried to follow us."
With their objectives known, the squad split up. Hunter, Crosshair, and Althea made their way through the trees, placing their steps carefully as to not fall down the hill. Hunter scanned the ground for footprints and felt the brush for movement. "He's close."
Crosshair scanned the trees from atop his rock perch. "There." He nodded to a brown cloak in the trees, hiding the scared Padawan.
"Come on down, kid." Hunter said kindly. "We're here to help." Crosshair loaded a round and shot. "No!"
Caleb deflected the laser easily with his lightsaber. "Liar!" He jumped to another tree and out of their sight.
Althea turned to Crosshair. "What are going doing?"
"Following orders." The sniper responded.
Hunter shoved him lightly. "We don't even know what the order is. Stand down until we know what's going on." He turned to find the kid with Althea, but Crosshair stayed put for a moment.
"Good soldiers follow orders."
As the trio searched the woods, Wrecker's voice clicked on over the comms. "Hunter, you you've got regs inbound." He drawled out "regs" like it was an insult.
"Copy that." The Sergeant told him.
Tech's voice followed. "We have a situation."
"Tell me something I don't know, Tech." Hunter scoffed.
"It appears the regs have been ordered to execute the Jedi."
All three of them stopped in their tracks. "What?" Hunter asked. "Which Jedi?"
"All of them. They're saying the Jedi have committed treason."
"That would explain things." Crosshair said softly.
Althea turned to him, a mix of confusion and disgust clear on her face. "It's doesn't even begin to explain things!"
"I suggest you get back here." Tech advised.
Hunter shook his head. "Can't. Haven't found the kid yet."
Crosshair turned around and aimed his rifle to the trees. "Wrong." He fired, breaking the branch the Jedi was on.
Caleb let out a startled yelp as he fell to the ground. He stood, making no move as the snow settled around him. Then in an instant, he activated his lightsaber and attacked, blocking as Crosshair shot at him.
"Crosshair, stand down."
"Stop it, Crosshair!"
But Hunter and Althea's pleads fell on deaf ears, resulting in Caleb disarming the sniper and raising his own weapon. "Don't!" Hunter cried. But the Jedi didn't plan on killing Crosshair and instead kicked him into a tree.
Crosshair's head lolled to the side, signaling he was unconscious. Althea ran to check on him as Hunter confronted Caleb. The Sergeant threw his blaster to the ground and held his arms out like he was calming a wild animal. "Take it easy, kid. Easy. I'm on your side."
Caleb ran away, and Hunter chased after him. The Sergeant followed until he found the Padawan standing at the edge of a cliff. Waterfalls narrated the scene as Hunter pulled off his helmet to talk to the kid.
"Stay back!" Caleb snarled.
Hunter kept his arms raised. "Just hear me out."
"No! You killed her!" Caleb's eyes were brimmed with tears.
Hunter felt the kid's pain and let out a sigh. "The others did. I'm just as confused as you are."
Doubt flickered across the Padawan's eyes as he inched away, sending pebbles tumbling into the chasm. "Stay back. Stay back!"
Hunter held out one hand. "I can help you. Come with me." Behind him, he could hear the regs footsteps nearing. Just a little longer. Caleb stared at the Sergeant, seemingly considering his words. But the regs sounded from the forest and a look of betrayal changed the Jedi's face before he jumped.
"No!" Hunter stepped forward, but the kid landed safely on the other side, stopping for only a moment before disappearing into the trees.
Crosshair and Althea reached Hunter. "Where's the Jedi?" The sniper asked.
Hunter set his jaw. "I stunned him when he jumped. He didn't make it." He walked away into the woods while Crosshair stayed behind for a minute. Althea followed Hunter, jogging slightly to catch up. He was lying, and she knew it.
"Hunter..." She said softly, knowing only he could hear over the crunch of the snow.
"I know, Thea." Was all he said. It was clear he was deep in thought and Althea was too. Both of them had questions that neither could answer.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
The Marauder dropped out of hyperspace, flying into the atmosphere of a familiar stormy planet. Tech and Wrecker sat in the front, with Crosshair and Hunter sitting behind them, the latter trying to sleep. Echo stood behind Tech's chair and Althea behind Wrecker, since their ship only had four main seats. "We're coming up on Kamino." Tech said.
Wrecker smiled and folded his arms. "It's good to be home. How long has it been?"
"180 rotations in a standard cycle," Tech said. "But galactic zone changes put the adjusted figure around 205."
Both Wrecker and Althea stared at him with blank expressions. "What?" The medic asked.
Echo sighed. "A long time."
Wrecker's smile returned. "You got that right."
Behind them, Hunter had his eyes closed. He wasn't sleeping, but he wanted to. It was hard to sleep, however, when he could feel Crosshair's helmeted gaze. "What?"
"You sure that Padawan died when he fell?" The sniper asked.
"Sure I'm sure. Why?" Hunter opened his eyes slightly, daring Crosshair to challenge him.
The sniper took that challenge. "Well, usually when someone falls you look down, not across."
"Well, some of us don't like to watch." Hunter stood, ending the exchange. He stood behind Althea, giving the medic a soft smile before looking to the storm that surrounded them. Two V-wings came up on either side of the Marauder. "Unidentified transport, transmit your clearance code."
"Clearance code?" Echo asked. "Don't they know who we are?"
Althea shrugged. "Must be a protocol drill."
Tech pressed a button as thunder shook the sky. "Transmitting clearance code."
"Authorization confirmed. Proceed to landing bay one-tac-one."
Tech flew the Marauder into the hangar. As the team stepped out, the first thing Althea noticed was the amount of troopers present. Even some with red painted armor walked past. "Shock troopers?" Hunter asked. "What's the Coruscant Guard doing here?"
"Level five lockdown remains in effect." The P.A. sounded. "Security teams, report to the command center."
Tech tapped his datapad. "This isn't a drill."
"Oh, man." Wrecker groaned. "What'd we miss now?"
"The end of the war." A passing shock trooper said.
"Say again, Trooper." Hunter said.
"General Grievous was defeated on Utapau." He said. "The Separatist leadership has collapsed. The war is over."
"Just like I said." Tech added.
Wrecker gasped. "It is just like you said."
Althea frowned when she saw troopers carrying a stretcher with a body. The cloth covering it made it hard to tell, but the medic was sure it belonged to General Shaak Ti. She had only met the Jedi once, but Althea didn't think she deserved whatever death she was faced with. Hunter eyed it as well, staring as a lightsaber hilt fell from beneath the cloth.
A trooper picked it up. "Is there a problem?" He asked.
"No problem." Said Hunter slowly. "We'll just head to our barracks then."
"Best hurry." The trooper said. "There's a mandatory general assembly at 1500."
Hunter had the feeling they needed to blend in, and that was going to be difficult.
Althea frowned as they walked through the stark white halls of Kamino. Clones marched in uniform in all directions, all different colors and custom armor. "It's not just the clones on Kaller. All the regs are acting strange." Hunter remarked.
"Let's test that theory." Tech broke away from their group to speak to a group of regs. "Excuse me, Trooper. What division are you from?"
The reg shoved Tech with his shoulder and continued on. "Step aside."
"Oh." Tech shrugged. "Well, they seem the same to me."
When they reached their barracks, Wrecker let out a breath of relief. "Ah! Good to be back."
"The smell's getting worse." Echo said.
Althea flashed him a smile. "You're still new. You'll get used to it."
"Speak for yourself." Crosshair said as he shoved himself between them. Althea rolled her yellow eyes as she sat down on her bunk, placing her bag and blaster on the mattress. Hunter, Echo, and Tech sat at the table in the center of the room while Crosshair set his pack down by his bunk.
"Well, I'll get the board." Wrecker said. He drew his knife and began carving more tally marks I the wall by the door. "Eleven more successful missions." He chuckled as moved to his bunk. "Like there was any doubt."
"Kaller wasn't a win." Echo said, his voice dark with seriousness.
"Says who?" Wrecker asked as he tossed his Lula from hand to hand. "We completed our objective."
"Not every objective." Crosshair sneered. "Hunter let that Jedi kid escape." He turned to their leader. "Or do you want to keep lying to us?"
Hunter stood and moved to the window. His brown eyes seemed grey in the dim light. "I don't like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective."
"An order is an order." Crosshair argued.
Hunter turned, his eyes flashing with controlled anger. "Since when?"
"None of this makes sense." Althea said, earning the attention of the fighting brothers. "Those clones served alongside General Billaba for years. How could they turn on her like that?"
Tech tinkered with one of his gadgets. "Because of the regs programming."
Hunter looked to him, his glare remaining present. "What programming?"
"It's been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question." Tech explained.
Wrecker threw his arm around Crosshair's shoulders. "Ha! We sure don't." He hit the sniper in the face with Lula, causing him to shove the demo man away.
"Obviously, we are different." Tech continued. "They manipulated preexisting aberrations in our DNA, resulting in your brute strength, Crosshair's sharpshooting skills, Hunter's enhanded senses, and my exceptional mind." He said he last part with a small smirk. "My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming." His gaze flickered to Crosshair. "Though I can't be 100% certain of it."
"What about Echo?" Hunter asked. "He was a red before he joined us."
The former ARC nodded. "Yeah, if all regs were programmed, why didn't I react like the others?"
"The damage you sustained on Skako Minor most likely wiped out all of your preset behavioral modifications. You are more machine than man..." Tech gave him a sympathetic look. "Percentagewise, at least."
Echo sighed. "Lucky me."
Althea caught Lula as Wrecker tossed it to her. She hung upside down off her bunk, her long hair touching the floor. "I could do some crazy doctor stuff and attach human fingers to your scomp if you want." She tossed the Lula to him.
Echo rolled his eyes and caught the toy with his good hand. "I think I'm good."
"It's probably for the best." Althea agreed. "I doubt Wrecker will donate his fingers."
The demo man stammered. "Wh-why my fingers?"
Althea did her best to shrug upside down. " 'Cause Crosshair will bite me if I take his."
Before their conversation could get any stranger, the P.A. system clicked on again. "All personnel report to the staging area for a briefing on the state of the Republic."
"This is one meeting I don't want to miss." Hunter said as he moved toward the door. Althea folded herself forward, doing a reverse somersault onto her feet.
"First time for everything." Tech remarked as they walked out.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
All clones stood in the staging area in perfect uniform. Althea stood between Wrecker and Echo, her shoulders back and her head held high. It was hard, being a teenager who spent most of her time with clones. The Bad Batch was nice, but it's wasn't often that regs were. Rex and Cody were firsts. She often had the need to prove herself, despite the other Batcher's affirmation of her worth.
"And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled." The Chancellor said on the hologram. "The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed."
"You can say that again." Wrecker mumered to Althea, earning a smirk from the girl.
"But I assure you. My resolve has never been stronger! In order to ensure the security and continuing stability..."
Hunter lost focus of the Chancellor's words. He looked up to were Nala Se and the Prime Minister stood and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. But something there caught his attention. A young girl, it looked like, with short blonde hair pulled back with a head dress and stone like Nala Se's. She squinted down at them, then smiled with excitement.
"What is it?" Tech asked.
"...the Republic will be organized into the first...
Hunter opened his mouth to tell him, but when he looked back the girl was gone. "Nothing."
"Galactic Empire!"
Echo frowned. "Galactic Empire?"
"For a safe and secure society." All around, regs cheered, shouting their praise.
"Still don't think the regs are programmed?" Tech asked. Althea didn't like this at all. She glanced over to Echo, and he reflected her uneasy expression.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
"Galactic Empire?" Echo asked as they walked through the halls. "We're soldiers of the Republic."
"Republic, Empire... What's the difference?" Crosshair asked nonchalantly.
"The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me." Tech answered.
Suddenly, Hunter held up his arm to halt them. "Lads, we've got company." They turned around to find a young girl with blonde hair and soft brown eyes.
"Hello." She said with a small wave.
Wrecker crouched down to get a better look at her. "What's that?"
Althea rolled her eyes. "It's a kid, obviously."
The girl smiled. "My name's Omega. I was wondering when you guys would come back."
Hunter stepped forward. "You know who we are?"
"Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, Althea, and Crosshair. You're Clone Force 99." She said with a grin.
Hunter bent down, resting his hands on his knees. "What are going doing on Kamino, kid?"
Omega opened her mouth to answer, but a voice that was not her own did instead. "Her job, of course."
Hunter stood as Nala Se approached. "She is my medical assistant, one with a curious mind that causes her to wander. Come, Omega. There is work to do." She led the girl away down another hall. Hunter folded his arms as Omega waved goodbye. "This day keeps getting weirder and weirder."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Hunter listened to the regs in front of him as he stood in line in the mess hall. "His shuttle arrived earlier today." Said one.
"I heard he's evaluating all the clones." Said the other.
"Good. It's about time some of the fat got trimmed around here." They walked off, leaving Hunter to wonder who the Imperial was.
Althea ate her food quietly, sitting next to Wrecker who stood. "Clones being programmed." He scoffed. "Nothing controls me."
"Wrecker, it is a logical conclusion that your affinity for destruction would stem from your conditioning." Tech told him.
The demo man pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You take that back!"
"I am merely stating a scientific hypothesis based on factual data." Tech countered.
"Well, I got a fact for you. I like to blow things up because I LIKE TO BLOW THINGS UP!!" Wrecker slammed his fist on the table, making everyone's food shake. "Got it?"
"Well, I'm convinced." Said Crosshair as he ate his soup.
Hunter walked over and sat down across from Althea. "An Imperial's been sent to evaluate the clones. Everybody's talking about it." Deep down, he worried that Althea would be forced to leave since she was still a kid. He would be damned before someone took her away.
"Hopefully not metal." Tech stated. "Clearly we'd never pass that." His words earned him looks of confusion from his squad, but those were nothing in comparison to the ones Omega earned when she sat down.
"Hello again." She said. Upon seeing their confused faces, she added. "Omega. From earlier? In the corridor?"
"Yeah, kid." Hunter said. "We remember. Don't you have someplace to be?"
"No. I'll stay."
Althea looked at the girl. "You want to sit with us? That's never happened before."
"Wow." Wrecker said softly.
Omega smiled and stirred her soup. "I like you. You don't fit in around here either."
Hunter furrowed his brow. Something was bothering him about her. "What are you really doing on Kamino, kid? Don't you have a family somewhere? Parents?"
Omega scrunched her nose. "Parents?"
Before anyone could say anything else, two shinies walked by. "Check it out. The defect squad's got themselves a new recruit." They chuckled. "Another member added to the Sad Batch." They walked away neither of them expecting (or the Bad Batch) to be hit with food. "What the–! Who threw that?"
Omega was standing on the table, another burrito ready in her hand. "I did. Now apologize to my friends."
Althea grinned at her, as did Wrecker. "I like this kid!" He said punching Echo.
The not-so-shiny reg's face twisted into a snarl. "What did you say to me?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back off." Hunter stood in front of Omega, his instincts taking over. "I suggest you keep moving."
Wrecker stood behind Omega, ready to defend her.
The reg scoffed before turning away. "Know your place, lab scrabber." If only he knew how fatal his mistake was. Wrecker flung two full trag at him, sending the shiny to to the floor. "Oops." Wrecker said with more trays at the ready.
The reg there down his food. "That's it!"
Wrecker threw the trays. "Oh, yeah!"
Althea grinned as swung her fists in the fight. Echo facepalmed. "Oh, not again." But sure enough, he joined them in their party. Omega jumped on the regs, hitting them with all her tiny might. Hunter ducked and punched as Wrecker dog piled several regs at once. Tech tried to stay out of it, but he fought a little. Crosshair ignored the fight completely, that was until Wrecker threw a reg across the table and spilled the sniper's soup. Crosshair slammed his first on the table in anger before throwing his tray at a reg and finally joining the fight.
Echo fell onto the floor at one point, and his gaze was lifted to a familiar face. He scowled at it, becoming so focused he didn't hear Tech's warning.
"Echo, watch out!" Then the world went dark.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Althea leaned against the wall of the Kaminoan clinic, arms folding and lips in a scowl. Echo was in there unconscious, but they wouldn't let her in to help. Apparently on Kamino, it didn't matter if someone had healed countless wounds and injuries in the middle of heated battles. If one wasn't a "practiced doctor" then one couldn't help a friend.
"He'll be fine." Hunter must have noticed her displeased nature. "Some of the best doctors in the galaxy are here."
"But they don't know Echo." The young medic countered. "He hates being hooked up to machines. He'll probably have a panic attack when he sees them."
Hunter placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, squeezing it kindly. "Echo will be fine. He's one of the toughest regs I know." He smiled down at her warmly. Althea heaved a sigh. She knew Hunter was right, but it never sat well with her when one of her squad needed help and she couldn't do anything. It reminded her too much of Thao.
Hunter, noticing her mood shift, decided who cares? They never follow orders, why start now? He let go of Althea and walked into the med center. Echo was sitting upright with Omega and a droid by his side.
"Ha!" Wrecker laughed as they approached his bedside. "Told you he's alive! You owe me two credits." Crosshair rolled his eyes.
"CT-1409's condition is stable." The droid said. "As is Volunteer Trooper Aaun's. But I have some distressing news for the rest of you. According to your test results, you all appear to be genetically defective clones. I will leave you to process the shock of this revelation." He left, leaving the Bad Batch and Omega to themselves.
"We've got a problem." Said Echo.
"Not really." Tech said. "We're more deviant then we are defective."
Echo shook his head. "Not that. Admiral Tarkin's here. He's the one evaluating the clones."
Tech adjusted his goggles. "The same Tarkin from the Citadel rescue when you, uh... How shall I put this?"
"Blew up." Wrecker suggested.
"And turned into that." Crosshair added.
Echo sighed. "Yes. And he's not a big supporter of clones."
"We're about to find out." Althea said. "We've been summoned by the prime minister."
"Guess he didn't find that mess hall fight amusing." Wrecker said. "But I sure did."
"Come on." Hunter said gesturing to leave. "Let's get this over with."
Echo swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, walking out with the rest of them. But Omega stopped them. "Wait. The fight was my fault. I'm going too."
Hunter shook his head as everyone else moved on. "Not happening. We'll handle this."
"But I..."
Hunter turned to her, his expression stern. "Listen kid. Our squad's nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance. Got it?" When she nodded, he walked away. He really wanted what was best for her, and their squad was anything but that. The Sergeant would never regret bringing along Althea, but sometimes he wished she hadn't seen the things she saw. War was hard enough, but medics saw the worst of the worst. The bloody, the wounded, the grief stricken. Hunter supposed it wasn't that long since Althea had been like that herself. Sometimes when he was still awake at night her could hear her, softly crying to herself. She wasn't loud, if anything she was almost silent. But the Sergeant's ears could catch the sound of a feather landing, so he knew her pain no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
They walked down the hall to see the prime minister, that was until a shock trooper captain stopped them. "Where do you think you're going? The training facility is that way."
"Training facility?" Hunter asked.
"For a battle simulation. Admiral Tarkin has requested to see more of your squad in action."
"So we're not being reprimanded?" Tech asked with curiosity.
The captain shook his head. "No, you're being tested. Now go gear up." He walked away, leaving the Batch.
"So, we're not in trouble, and they want us to fight more?" Althea asked with a smile.
Wrecker grinned. "Ha! Maybe this Empire thing's not so bad after all."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
The Bad Batch stood on the lift carrying them to the training facility. The room was just the same as Althea remembered.
"The value of all clone troopers is being challenged by the Empire." Said Tarkin from the observation room. "To demonstrate your effectiveness, a combat-proficieny test is in order. Take your positions."
"We've done these a thousand times, boys. You know what to do." Hunter said as he slipped he helmet on. He glanced at Althea, who gave a small nod. She knew she could do this.
"A battle simulation?" Wrecker asked. "Give us a real challenge."
"You may begin."
The standard training droids arrived from a lift in the center of the room. The towers whirred to life as the squad ran to the barriers. Tech, Wrecker, and Althea on the right, and Echo, Hunter, and Crosshair on the left. It was pretty standard, blasting the droids. "Crosshair, take the towers."
At Hunter's words the sniper ran across the room, climbing up the towers by pushing off against the wall. He shot at the cannons, disabling them with his training rifle. Hunter motioned his hand forward. "Move in."
"Finally!" Wrecker shouted. He, Tech, and Althea advanced to the next barrier, shooting the droids and dodging their fire. But it seemed it wasn't exciting enough for the demo man. "This is taking way too long!" He ran into the fray, kicking at a droid before disabling the rest. When he was finished, he tuned to the observation room and laughed. "What else ya got? Gimme more!"
Only moments later, new droids rose from the lift. These ones looked more armored, but that didn't stop Wrecker from charging them. "New toys. Now we're talking. Yeah!" He rammed himself into the droid, but it didn't budge. He looked up in confusion. "Huh?"
Then without warning, the droid raised it arm arm and shot Wrecker, sending him to the ground. Althea ducked her head. "They're using live rounds!"
Hunter scanned the area, checking for an opening. He looked to Tech. "Get Wrecker. We'll cover you."
Tech nodded, moving to help his brother as the others shot cover fire. "Wrecker, are you all right?" He asked dragging the demo man to cover.
"I felt that one." Wrecker groaned as he sat up.
Althea gripped her blaster tightly. It would do nothing against those droids. Even Crosshair was forced to get out of his gunner's nest and was now hiding with Hunter and Echo. Althea bit her lip under her mask. Why did the Kaminoans even have live rounds for training?
A sharp whistle brought her attention to Hunter. He moved his arms, tapping them to each other in a sign. Wrecker flopped back against the barricade. "Oh! I hate hand signals."
"Perhaps if you memorized them." Tech suggested.
"Why don't you memorize them?"
"I have!" Tech rolled his eyes. "What we did on Felucia."
"Well, why didn't you just say that?" Wrecker gave Hunter a thumbs up before running out into he fray. He jumped on several droids, pinning them to the ground as Tech worked the wires. Echo used his scomp as a melee weapon, drilling into the droids' weak spots. Althea, Hunter, and Crosshair provided cover fire, the former of the three using their knives. Hunter flipped over a droid, slicing it's arm before landing and stabbing it's middle.
"Wrecker!" Althea shouted, holding out her hand. The demo man nodded and threw her his large blade. The medic caught it skillfully, using two knives as the perfect way to take down droids.
Meanwhile, Tech had managed to hack into a droid and was now sitting on it's shoulders, firing at the other droids. It wasn't long before the droids began to jerk around. "I can't sustain the connection!" Tech shouted. Just then, another droid shot Tech's to pieces, sending the Batchers to the ground.
"Tech!" Wrecker shouted.
Hunter turned to the sniper. "Crosshair, we need more cover fire."
Crosshair did as he said as the last droid overwhelmed them. "Tech! Hold tight, buddy." Wrecker shouted.
Tech layed on the ground unmoving. "I'm not going anywhere."
Althea ducked, clutching the two knives tightly. That's when she heard it. "Thea! Knife!" Crosshair's voice signaled her to throw Wrecker's knife to him. She did so, and the sniper shot the blade, sending it straight into the droids head. It would never cease to amaze the Batch, mainly Wrecker and Althea, how good Crosshair was with a blaster.
"Wow." Wrecker breathed. He moved to help Tech with Echo.
Hunter came over to Althea. "Nice work."
Althea beamed up at him, but a much darker thought halted her smile. Why had the Kaminoans used live rounds?
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
"Live rounds?!" Wrecker said as he threw his helmet onto the table of their barracks. "They used live rounds! On us!" He slammed his fists on to the table.
"We were there, Wrecker. We know." Tech replied calmly.
"I tried to warn you about Tarkin." Echo added.
"Who's that Imperial snake think he is?" The demo man growled.
"Stow it, already." Crosshair said. "You got shot. It happens all the time."
Hunter stood quietly by the door, observing the interaction. He tapped his fingers against his knife blade, soft enough not to cut himself. Althea stood nearby, brows furrowed as she worked through the days events in get mind.
"There is a fundamental difference between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice." Tech said.
"Exactly!" Wrecker said, nearing Crosshair. "We're not dummy droids."
"That much we agree on."
A new voice turned the heads of the squad. They immediately stood at attention when they saw Tarkin at their door, Hunter sheathing his knife. "That was quite an impressive display." He walked into their barracks, seemingly not noticing the unwelcome feeling Althea felt.
"Didn't have much choice." Hunter replied. It was all he dare risk in talking back, but he liked risks.
Tarkin turned to him. "Our new Empire may have methods which seem a bit unorthodox, but so does this squadron." He glanced to Althea, a hint of distaste in his eyes. "Both certainly have their merits. Nala Se speaks quite highly of her five advanced clones and their volunteer medic. She claims you're more capable than an army."
"You have a mission for us, sir?" Hunter asked.
Tarkin nodded. "Indeed. We have a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with."
"What sort of insurgents?" Echo asked.
"Separatist forces intent of keeping the galaxy at war. If you neutralize this grave threat, you will be looked upon most favorably as I asses the needs of the Imperial Army." Tarkin left without another word, leaving the Batch little time to prepare for their next mission.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Tech walked down from the Marauder as they prepared to leave. "Find any more intel on the insurgents?" He asked Echo.
The Corporal shook his head as he looked up from his datapad. "Negative. Imperial filed are locked down tight."
Tech took the datapad from him. "Give me time. I'll crack them."
Althea walked over to them, her medical bag packed full with everything she needed. "I had to steal a few things from the clinic. The Empire needs to stock up on field treatments."
As she spoke Wrecker and Crosshair walked over, the former of the two pushing a cart with a large crate. "I'll say this for the Empire, they know firepower. You should see the new armory."
Crosshair folded his arms over his chest. "He actually cried."
Wrecker turned to him. "Hey, we both did."
Althea rolled her yellow eyes. "Well at least you found what you need. But I don't think there's room on board for that."
"Yeah? Well, I'll make room." Wrecker sighed as he lifted the crate over his shoulder. "A new mission and unlimited explosives. Things are back to normal."
Tech followed him as he boarded the Marauder. "That's not going anywhere near my rack. I refuse to sleep by a projectile again."
Hunter entered the hangar, eyes scanning like always.
"Hunter."
The Sergeant resisted the urge to groan as he heard a familiar voice behind him. He turned around to see Omega, her eyes filled with worry. "I thought I told you to keep your distance."
She swallowed. "I know, but I need to talk to you."
Hunter got down to her level. "All right. What is it?"
Omega glanced around before speaking in a quiet voice. "That Imperial officer, I think he has it out for you. I overheard him talking to Lama Su. He doesn't like clones."
Hunter couldn't help but chuckle. It was almost cute how much she cared. "Ah, that's nothing new for us. But we get the job done."
Omega didn't look convinced. "I don't trust him."
"A mission's a mission. It's nothing to worry about."
"Then let me come with you."
Hunter didn't understand this girl at all. Why did she care so much? "Kid, you're not a soldier. It's dangerous."
"It's dangerous here too." Omega countered. "Things aren't like before. We need to leave Kamino."
"Hunter, let's go!" Wrecker shouted from behind them.
Hunter needed to go. "Change takes getting used to." He stood up. "You'll see. Just give it time."
He was about to walk away when she spoke again. "Hunter." He turned to listen, but she stopped. "Um, n-never mind."
Hunter walked to the ship where Crosshair was waiting. He looked back at the girl. She was twisting her hands nervously. "Problem?" The sniper asked.
"Um, something about her I can't figure out." Hunter told him.
Crosshair's mouth turned up in a cooked smile. He placed a hand on the Sergeant's shoulder. "Well, I guess kids aren't your area of expertise." He walked into the ship, Hunter following soon after.
With everyone on board, they took off, jumping to hyperspace for Onderon.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Tech landed the Marauder in a dense jungle. The ground was solid under Althea's feet, but the air reeked of moisture. A creature roared in the distance, sending chills down everyone's spin. "What was that?" Echo asked.
"You don't want to know." Tech told him.
"At least it's not a swamp." Wrecker remarked.
"Close enough." Said Crosshair.
Hunter wasn't far ahead of them, feeling the ground. He touched his hands to the earth, feeling the vibrations even through his gloves. "The Separatist encampment's two klicks south. We'll continue on foot and do a full perimeter scan." Wrecker rushed forward, but the Sergeant held out his arm. "Covertly."
Wrecker groaned. "Oh, come on. It's been days since I've blown something up."
"Easy, Wrecker." Althea said as she walked past him. "Your programming's kicking in."
"Hey! Don't start with that!" He gave her a hard shove, which would've hurt most people. But Althea just sniggered, seeing that her armor protected her from the demo man's force.
As they walked through the jungle, the sound of animals filled their ears, along with the constant beeping of Tech's datapad. "How many droids are we talking about, Tech?" Hunter asked.
The beeping stopped, and Tech hit his scanner against his hand to try and get it to work. "I can't tell from this distance. Something's blocking my scan."
"Clankers always travel in packs." The Sergeant said to himself. "Let's get a closer look at what we're walking into."
They continued on, stealthily (kind of) making their way through the dark jungle. They came to a ridge, where not far away was light from a campsite. "Tell me what you see, Tech." Said Hunter.
Tech looked through the binocs. "I'm clocking 25 heat signatures ahead but zero droids."
"Tarkin said insurgents, not droids." Crosshair reminded them as he looked through his scope.
"I'm not sure they're either." Said Echo. "There are children down there."
Hunter grabbed the binocs from him. "Children? O-out here? Something's not right."
"What are you waiting for?" Crosshair asked. "Give the order."
Hunter felt something inside twist. But he also felt something approaching. "Negative. Stand down."
"What?" Crosshair's voice held surprise and anger.
"You mean, we're not blasting any droids?" Wrecker asked.
"There aren't any droids, Wrecker." Tech told him.
Althea shifted her weight to her other leg. "Well, so what do we do?"
"We finish the mission." Crosshair insisted. "Make the call, Hunter."
The Sergeant looked around. "We're not alone. Stand down."
As soon as the words left his mouth, several people dressed in blue appeared out of the trees. They out numbered the Bad Batch, and they had their blasters raised. "You heard him. Stand down." One ordered.
Hunter holstered his blaster and raised his hands in surrender. "Let's hear them out. Trust me."
The rest of the Batch did as he said, even Crosshair. But the sniper let out a groan as he set his rifle down.
The "insurgents" led them to the camp. Something felt off about the whole thing. "These aren't Separatists." Said Echo. "They're Republic fighters."
"Why would Tarkin send us to attack our own forced." Althea asked.
A man stepped forward. He had dark skin with a scar raked across his face, dark wild hair, and green eyes, daring anybody to fight him. "Because we refuse to fight for an Empire."
"You're Saw Gerrera." Tech said. "Trained by Captain Rex and General Skywalker to fight for the Republic."
Saw looked them over. One of the fighters took Hunter's blaster and handed it to their leader. Saw took it in his hands. "So, the newly declared empire sent you to wipe us out?"
Hunter looked around in confusion. "Well, we're here to neutralize a group of insurgents."
Saw chuckled bitterly. "Well...here we are." He gestured to the people behind him. Children hiding behind their mothers. "What are you gonna do? Strike us down like you did the Jedi?"
"Is that a request?" Asked Crosshair.
"Enough." Hunter ordered. "We expected to find battle droids, not..."
"Civilians?" Saw asked. "Times change, targets change. Why don't you take a look at the insurgents you were sent to destroy. Makes you wonder what else they're lying about." He turned to his group. "Let's mobilize. Pack up the camp." He walked over to the kids, probably telling them what was going to happen.
Hunter walked forward, questions begging to be answered. "Who are these people?"
Saw stood. "Villagers, croppers, former Republic fighters, all now displaced refugees since Palpatine unjustly appointed himself as Emperor."
"According to reports," Said Tech. "The Jedi made an attempt on the Supreme Chancellor's life. His actions were a defensive measure."
Saw scoffed. "And I figured you for the smart one. With the Jedi decimated and the clone army under his command, Palpatine will have control over the entire galaxy. Unless we stop him."
"The war is over." Althea said, desperately hoping she was right. But Saw's words made her feel that more was coming.
"If we give up now, everything we fought for..." Saw hesitated. "Everyone we lost, will have been for nothing. I won't let that happen. The Clone War may have ended, but a civil war is about to begin."
"With a handful of fighters and limited firepower?" Hunter asked. "You don't stand a chance."
"Not alone we don't."
A fighter approached Saw. "We should leave if we're gonna make the rendevouz. What do we do with them?"
Saw looked at the squad. "The clones once helped us free Onderon, so we'll give them a choice. The old ways are done." He aimed Hunter's blaster at it's owner. "You can either adapt and survive," He flipped the blaster, now offering it to Hunter. "Or die with the past. The decision is yours."
Hunter took the blaster, watching as Saw turned off the light and left them in the dark. They stayed until Saw's form disappeared into the dark of the jungle, but Hunter stopped just as they turned to leave. He thought he heard something, but it was probably just a jungle creature.
As they neared the Marauder, Tech spoke up. "At least with the Republic we knew where we stood. Tarkin and this Empire are a whole different story."
"Why are we debating this? We need to complete the mission." Said Crosshair.
"Wake up, Crosshair." Echo said. "They sent us to eliminate innocent civilians."
"Who said they're innocent?"
That was the last straw. Althea turned to him, leaning up to try and reach his eye level. "Are you kidding me? They're civilians, Crosshair. That's me if you guys didn't take me in. I would be one of those people you're so eager to kill. Doesn't that matter to you?"
Crosshair just narrowed his eyes, giving her all the answer she needed. "It doesn't." She scoffed. "It really doesn't matter to you at all."
"Good soldiers follow orders." Was all the sniper said.
Hunter turned around. "What's wrong with you?"
"Me?" Crosshair asked. "I'm following orders."
Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Exactly."
"Those insurgents are plotting against the Emperor. If you don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, then you're not fit to lead this squad." Crosshair chewed his toothpick, daring Hunter to argue.
Instead, the Sergeant drew his blaster at the sound of a twig snapping, shooting behind Crosshair at an unseen target. "We're being followed."
They approached the target and found a black droid. "That is a probe droid." Tech confirmed.
"Tarkin's spying on us now?" Wrecker asked.
"The Jedi never did that." Said Echo.
"Not that you know of." Crosshair remarked.
Hunter looked down at the probe, a sudden memory surfacing. "Omega."
"What about her?" Althea asked as they walked back to the ship.
"She warned me about the mission. And Tarkin." Hunter told them. "She said not to to return to Kamino, that it's not safe for us anymore."
"Maybe she's right." Wrecker grunted.
"We're taking the word of a child now?" Crosshair asked with a sneer.
Tech stood in the doorway of the Marauder, tapping his datapad. "I would not discount Omega's insight. A state of heightened awareness is no unusual for an enhanced clone such as herself."
Wrecker let out a laugh as he sat on the steps. "Good one, Tech. You almost had me."
"When Nala Se spoke of five clones, Tarkin assumed that meant us, but Echo's a reg." Tech explained. "The fifth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analyzing her DNA while we were in the infirmary."
"And you waited until now to mention it?" Echo asked.
"Well, I thought it was obvious."
"How is it obvious?" Althea asked.
"We're going back for her." Hunter decided.
"Disobeying orders over a kid again? Bad play, Hunter." Crosshair glanced at Althea as he spoke, making the young medic unsure if he really meant it, or if he was just trying to push her buttons. Either way it was angering.
Hunter moved to the ship, near Althea. "She's one of us." Whether he was talking about Althea or Omega was up for debate, but he meant it either way. "We're not leaving her there." He boarded the ship with the rest of them, Crosshair following shortly after.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Omega stood in doorway of the Bad Batch's barracks with AZI. She walked inside, fascinated by the stuff on the table. "Wow. What is all this stuff, AZI?"
"My scanners are indicating an assortment of armament, curios, and detritus of little to no value." The droid responded.
Omega grinned. "I like it." She continued to roam around the barracks taking note of the personality in it.
"We should not be here, Omega." AZI worried. "Nala Se instructed us to stay in the medical wing."
"Don't worry." Omega said. "We're on... a research assignment."
"A research assignment?" The droid asked excitedly. "Those are my favorite! What is it we are searching for?"
Omega ignored him as he droned on about what they were looking for. The girl really just wanted to see her brothers' barracks. A tooka doll caught her eye, but something beyond that was more interesting. A bunk with a skull drawn on the wall and had a few medals. Hunter's bunk. Omega found an open container under it and pulled out a picture. She closed the container and used it as a seat to look at the image.
It flickered a bit, but it wasn't from too long ago. Wrecker stood with a wide grin on his face, Crosshair next to him with a scowl. He probably didn't want to take the picture. Echo stood on the other side, smiling a bit shyly. It must've been right after he joined the squad. Tech was kneeling on the ground, probably so they could all fit in the picture, and had a slight smile on his face. Hunter seemed to be laughing, his teeth bared in a joyful smile. Next to him was Althea, her own face contorted with laughter. She must have said something funny, since it seems both her and the Sergeant were smiling that way.
Omega smiled at the picture. She wished that Hunter would have let her come. Maybe she could've been in one of these pictures.
A sudden yell from AZI brought the girl out of her thoughts. "Shh! People will hear us." She scolded.
"I have concluded this space unfit for habitation." AZI declared.
Muffled chatter was heard on the other side of the door. Omega grabbed AZI's hand and rushed towards it. "Someone is coming. Time to go." She opened the door, but ran into a shock trooper.
"You're not authorized to be in here." He said.
"I...got lost." Omega lied. "Sorry. It won't happen again."
The trooper turned to his men. "Pack up their gear and ake it to the hangar. You," He turned to Omega. "You're coming with me."
"We will not." AZI said. "We are official Kaminoan medical pesonnel–" He grabbed the trooper.
"Don't touch me, droid." Thanks trooper shot him with stun, disabling the droid.
"AZI!" Omega cried as the trooper grabbed her and took her away.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
"I'm getting no response from com-scan." Tech said as he brought their ship in for a landing. "This is unusual."
"Bring us in." Hunter said. "We'll find out what's going on."
Tech landed the Marauder by the hangar. The bay doors were closed. "Stick to the plan." Hunter said as they stood outside. "Split up, find Omega, meet back here at the ship." He pressed the button to open the doors and the squad entered.
The hangar was eerily quiet. It was empty, a sharp contrast to how busy it was earlier. Hunter raised his arm to signal a halt, and only a few seconds later several clones appeared from behind crates. "Freeze!"
Everyone dropped their helmets and reached for their weapons. "As expected." Crosshair remarked. Hunter's hand gripping his knife, ready to pull it out in an instant. Tarkin walked forward, flanked by two guards.
"The Empire does not tolerate failure, Sergeant"
"There were complications." Hunter said.
"Yes," Said Tarkin. "The probe droid's report was quite detailed. Conspiring with Saw Gerrera. I assume you know the punishment for treason?"
"Treason?" Hunter scoffed.
"Throw them in the brig." Tarkin ordered. The regs pushed their blasters into the squad's backs, roughly taking them to the brig.
•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•
Stripped down to their blacks, the Bad Batch were shoved into the brig. The guards raised the blue ray shield, preventing any ideas of escape. Wrecker sniffed the air. "Smells weird."
"Because it's clean." Echo told him.
Tech looked around. "Well, the plan wasn't a total failure."
Everyone looked to where he was gesturing. There sat Omega in the floor, giving a nervous smile and a shy wave.
"Goody." Crosshair sneered.
Hunter moved toward her, squatting to reach her level. "I told you not to come back." Omega said.
"Had to. We were looking for you." Hunter gave her a soft smile.
The girl pointed to herself. "Me?"
"What do you say, kid? You wanna come with us or did we get captured for nothing?"
"You came back for me?" Omega asked again.
"That's right." Hunter told her. "Or you can stay on Kamino if–"
"No!" Omega stood. "It's like I said before. I want to go with you."
Hunter smiled at the girl. Or that was until Crosshair spoke up. "How touching."
Hunter stood, glaring at the sniper. Althea, feeling the fight about to start, coughed. "Uh, Hunter, how are we breaking outta here?"
"I'm working on it." The Sergeant replied, keeping his eyes on Crosshair.
"You know what you should work on?" The sniper asked. "Explaining when you went soft."
"Stow it, Crosshair." Echo said.
"Don't you see we're locked up in here because of him? He had us disobey orders."
"I never thought you disobeying orders was a problem." Tech remarked.
"Yeah. We do it all the time." Wrecker added.
"Good soldiers follow orders." Crosshair insisted. He turned back to Hunter. "Every choice you made since Kaller has been wrong. First the Padawan, the Gerrera. Your becoming a liability."
Hunter stared him down. Every fiber in his being begged to punch Crosshair in the throat, but he pushed those feelings aside. "We can debate my choices later. For now, let's focus on getting outta here."
Althea breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't uncommon for Crosshair and Hunter to butt heads, but this was a whole new level of arguing.
Suddenly, the ray shield lowered and a shock trooper stepped forward. "CT-9904, you're coming with us."
Hunter moved towards him. "Oh, no, no, no. We stay together."
"Stand down!" The trooper jabbed him in the stomach with the butt end of his blaster. Hunter clutched his middle, dropping to his knees. Crosshair stood and went with the guards, leaving the squad to figure out how to escape.
Hunter sat at the end of the bench, one arm behind him as he leaned against the wall. Omega did the same sitting next to him. Tired of that position, the Sergeant leaned forward, arm rested on his knee. Omega did the same.
Althea, sitting next to Omega, quickly realized what she was doing and joined in. With both girl copying Hunter, the Sergeant couldn't help but fidget to see what they would copy. Althea sniggered quietly to herself, earning a raised eyebrow from Hunter, but she just mimicked his expression.
Tech sat with his chin in his hand, bouncing his knee. "I've got it." He said out of nowhere. "Why didn't I think of I before?" He moved to sit between Echo and Althea. "This is not a prison."
"Yeah, well, I beg to differ." Echo said.
"This is a Kaminoan facility." Tech explained. "It was built prior to the Clone Wars. There were no barracks or prisons when it was constructed."
"Well, how does that help us?" Althea asked.
"Because while these cells were retrofited to hold normal individuals, they could not possibly account for someone like Wrecker."
Wrecker stood from his seat on the floor. "Oh! You mean I could punch our way out?"
"Shh!" Hunter was quick to quiet him, followed by Omega and Althea.
Wrecker looked behind him at the guards, quieting his voice. "Oh. Right. You mean I could punch our way out?"
"If you punch the correct spot." Tech said.
Wrecker nodded. "Right show me where."
"If this is gonna work," Hunter said. "We'll need some cover. Form a wall." Everyone stood except Tech and Wrecker, forming a walk to block them from the guards view.
Tech slid his fingers down the wall, stopped when he found the weak point. "Hit this here."
Wrecker nodded, ready to swing. "Right. Tell me when."
The guards were turned away. "Now." Hunter said.
Wrecker punched the wall, but not even a dent was made. "Nothing happened." He grumbled. "Are you sure this is gonna work?"
"Try it again." Tech insisted. "A little harder."
"You're all clear. Make it count." Hunter said.
Wrecker punched the wall again, this time denting it. "Oh, it still didn't work."
Tech moved down by him. "Oh, yes, it did." He gripped the bent metal, pulling it back to reveal a small passage into the vents. "Look."
"I'll never fit through that." Wrecker said.
"Astute as always, Wrecker." Tech said. "But I was actually going to suggest–"
"I'll do it." Omega said.
Hunter glanced down at her from the corner of his eye. "You sure, kid?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
"Okay. Get to the console and hit the lever to lower the ray shield."
Omega climbed into the tunnel, Wrecker sitting against the peeled metal to hide it. Althea saw the troopers walking over. "Incoming."
They looked at the squad. "Wait, where's the girl?"
Althea waved. "Right here."
"You know what I mean."
The medic raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"
"Where is the girl?"
"You tell us." Hunter replied smoothly.
"Harm her and you're a dead man." Echo said harshly.
The trooper pressed his fingers to his helmet. "Operations, we need a status report on prisoner 0219." There was a sudden clank noise, probably Omega, that caused the troopers to look up. "What was that?"
"Sorry." Wrecker said. "These floors don't hold me so well on account of them not being designed for abnormal individuals such as myself."
Hunter rolled his eyes and Tech facepalmed. The trooper moved forward. "What's behind you?"
"Nothing." Wrecker said as he leaned his hands behind his head.
The trooper gripped his blaster. "Move away from the wall. Now."
"Why don't you come here and make me?!"
The trooper's comm beeped. "Copy that. The girl's still registered in lockdown. Tell us where she is." As soon as he spoke, the ceiling came crashing down. Omega scrambled to turn off the ray shield, barely grabbing the lever before a trooper grabbed her.
"Hey, Red." Wrecker punched the trooper in the head as the rest of the squad grabbed the blasters and stunned the regs. Wrecker placed his hand on Omega's shoulder. "Ha! Not bad."
The girl beamed up at him, like he just said the world to get. Hunter walked to the door. "We need to find out where they took Crosshair. Let's move."
The Bad Batch moved stealthily through the halls of Kamino, Omega and Althea still copying Hunter when they got the chance. Tech let out a sigh. "We're not going to get very far without our gear."
"They stated moving all your things to the hangar." Omega said. "Your gear might be there too."
Hunter nodded. "This way."
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
The hanagr was empty, just as before. The squad began to rifle through their things, getting their armor and weapons ready. "Alright, boys, suit up." Hunter said. "Let's make this quick."
Wrecker rummaged through his stuff. "Right. No. No! Where is it? Where is it? It's gotta be here somewhere."
"Tech, power up the ship." Hunter ordered. "The rest of us will go after Crosshair."
Omega picked up the took doll, but her attention was brought to the door. "I don't think we'll have to go far." As soon as the words left her mouth, the door opened. The squad ducked behind the crates as the shock troopers walked in. But leading them was a slender man in black armor holding a sniper rifle.
Althea mouth went dry. "Is that Crosshair?"
Hunter stood, facing his brother. The sniper chewed his toothpick. "Best stand down, Sergeant. Make it easy on yourself."
"Have you lost your mind?" Hunter asked.
"We should've killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders."
"I did what I thought was right." Hunter wasn't about to back down, but neither was Crosshair.
"You never could see the bigger picture." Crosshair said. "Now surrender."
Hunter risked a glance behind him. Echo and Wrecker readied their blasters as Tech prepped the ship. Althea sat by Omega, readying her DC-17 by the girl. He needed to protect his squad. "Is that an order?"
Crosshair smirked. "Heh. I guess it is."
"Well, I guess I'm disobeying that one too."
Crosshair spit out have toothpick. Hunter's trigger finger iched. Thunder clapped outside, and the Bad Batch was ready to fight.
Crosshair shot first, causing Hunter to duck. "Tech, we gotta move. Now!" He said once he put his helmet on.
On of the regs through a smoke grenade, blinding everyone. "Wrecker, clear the smoke on three." Hunter ordered.
The demo man grabbed two crate lids. "You got it boss."
Althea turned to the blonde girl in front of her. "Omega, stay low." She nodded, her eyes wide with fear.
"One...two.." Hunter counted. "Three!" Wrecker used the lids as fans, hitting them together to make a blast of wind. He threw them once the smoke cleared, but was shot in the chest by Crosshair.
Omega ran to help him, but Althea pulled her back. "Omega, don't! He's using Wrecker as bait."
"But he needs help." The girl pleaded.
Tech was almost done with the ship. Crosshair tried to close the bay doors, but they jammed. Hunter turned to the girls. "When I say 'go', you head for that ramp and don't stop. Got it? Althea, make sure she gets there. Echo, we go for Wrecker."
The medic nodded, taking Omega's hand. Crosshair sneered from the other side. "Only one way out, Hunter. Your move."
"Go!" The Sergeant said.
Althea ran with Omega, providing cover fire as she made her break. But the girl stopped, and suddenly, a sixth blaster shot out. All eyes turned to Omega as the girl shot Crosshair's rifle out of his hands. The sniper recovered quickly, drawing his pistol and firing. But Omega shot wildly, sending the sniper to look for cover.
With Wrecker recovered, Echo and Hunter boaded the ship, and the team made their escape.
•°•°•°•°•°•
"Ouch!" Wrecker groaned as Althea gave him a shot, jabbing the needle in his shoulder. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey. What's that gonna do?"
Althea reached into her bag for another shot. "You'll be okay. Just hold still."
Omega walked up to him. "Is this what you were looking for?" She held out the tooka doll.
Wrecker gasped. "You found my Lula!" While he was distracted, Althea jabbed another shot into his arm. "Ow!"
Omega giggled as Tech walked in from the cockpit. "Let me see here. Hold still." He scanned Wrecker with his datapad, earning a scowl from the demo man.
"Don't examine me." He said clutching Lula. "I'm not a computer."
Omega saw the door to the cockpit was open and wandered in. Hunter noticed, and followed her. "Your first time in space?" He asked.
"First time anywhere." The girl said.
"Impressive shot back there." The Sergeant remarked. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
Omega shrugged. "I don't know. I've never fired a blaster before. I guess I got lucky."
"She's not the only one." Tech said as the rest of them walked in.
"I'm fine." Wrecker said as he leaned on Echo. "It'll take more than a blaster shot to take me down."
"You were down." Echo deadpanned.
"Yeah, well, not for long." Wrecker laughed then immediately groaned.
Althea turned to the Sergeant. "What's the plan, Hunter?"
"I thought we could go off in our own. Lay low." The leader said. "But with Crosshair gunning for us, I'm not so sure."
"What about your friends?" Omega asked. "Could any of them help us?"
Tech sat in the pilot's seat. "That would be a shirt list."
Althea's yellow eyes lit up. "I can think of one." She smiled up at Hunter, who looked at her knowingly.
"Plot a course for J-19."
"J-19?" Echo asked.s
"We know a guy." Althea said with a smirk.
Wrecker grinned. "Yeah!"
Texh prepped the ship for hyperspace, and Hunter turned to Omega. "Strap in, kid. You're not gonna wanna miss this view."
She sat down in the co-pilot's seat, watching with interest as Tech readied the ship. Hunter rested his hand on the back of the seat. He was brought back to old memories at the sight of Omega seeing hyperspace. Her eyes sparkling of at the idea of a new adventure. It reminded him of himself at her age, always ready for what's next. But now, the Sergeant didn't know what was best for them, and that idea scared him.