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The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 5: Rampage

edited by @ryleeeeeenn *Kriff: strong expletive *sleemo: Huttese for "slime ball" *vod: Mando'a for "brother/sister" warnings: slavers, Cid Scaleback, violence

“It’s not an exact fit,” Tech commented, adjusting the comm device on Omega’s arm. 

“I get my own comm device?” the girl gasped excitedly.

“Technically, it was Crosshair’s, but he doesn’t appear to need it, so…” Tech’s gaze flickered to Specter, who stood with her arms crossed in the corner. She hadn’t opposed opening her brother’s kit, but it certainly wasn’t a joyous occasion. 

“Echo, what’s your position? Over,” Omega said into the comm.

“It’s not a toy, Omega,” he sternly reminded, directly behind her. 

“Copy that,” she replied sheepishly. “So, why are we going to Ord Mantell?” she turned to ask Hunter while Tech made more adjustments, “I thought the plan was to lay low.”

“Not while a bounty hunter’s after you. We need to find out why,” Hunter explained. 

“We talked about it, hun. It’ll be easier to keep you safe if we know exactly what we’re dealing with, which is what we’re going to find out.” Specter added. 

“And I know an informant there named Cid who might be able to help,” Echo chimed in, giving Omega a reassuring smile. Wrecker grunted as he paused his squats with Gonky over his shoulders.

“And you trust him?” he asked.

“Well, the Jedi trusted him,” Echo shrugged.

“Right, and where are the Jedi now? Aren’t they all dead?” Specter reminded, half sarcastically. Hunter shot her a look. 

“Look, I already said I’m open to any other suggestions,” Echo said, throwing his hands up. 

“He has a point,” Omega’s voice echoed over the comm again. Everyone turned to look at the girl, who sheepishly hid her arm. “Right. Not a toy.”

“Hey, at least you know how to use it,” Specter smiled at Omega, responding on the comm. The girl giggled. “Besides, you’re part of this crew now, and that means following orders is merely a suggestion.” “Copy that,” Omega smiled sheepishly once again, the comm now behind her back. 

“We’re coming up on Ord Mantell, prepare for landing,” Tech chimed from his seat. The group obeyed as the Marauder lurched from hyperspace, the planet coming into view.

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The streets of Ord Mantell were quiet beneath the afternoon sun, trash lining the narrow alleys were a good indicator that the population thrived more during the night. Still, Specter eyed her surroundings, uneasy as she kept close to Omega. 

“Remember the rules?” Hunter asked the girl.

“Don’t wander off, keep my eyes and ears on my surroundings, and trust no one but my squad,” the girl listed off her fingers.

“And if you get into trouble?” Specter asked. 

“Use my comm and give my location.” Specter nodded at her answer as Echo led them down an even darker alley toward a parlor entrance, surrounded by rubble with a flickering sign just barely illuminating the doorway. Specter couldn’t quite put a finger on the smell that seemed to cling to the area, but concluded that maybe it was best she didn’t figure it out.

“This is the place,” Echo said.

“Charming,” Tech sneered as they made their way inside. They each took off their helmets, peering around the nearly empty parlor. The only patrons were an Ithorian and Weequay arguing over a dejarik game and a small Trandoshan woman, tidying a gambling machine in the nearby corner.

“Which one of them is Cid?” Hunter asked Echo quietly.

“I couldn’t tell you. I only heard about Cid, never actually met him,” Echo shrugged.

“That would have been information to share earlier,” Tech muttered. Specter nudged him with her elbow and scoffed.

“You’re one to talk.” 

“We’re looking for Cid,” Hunter said to the Trandoshan woman, “you know him?” The lady looked up at him, standing up and crossing her arms.

“Cid, huh? Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“What about them?” Hunter nodded to the other two… who were now physically fighting.

“Was I not clear?” the lady snapped, “You’re in the wrong place. So unless you’re here to spend money, get lost.” Hunter shook his head and regrouped with the others as she walked off towards the bar.

“Great plan, Echo,” Wrecker grumbled sarcastically.

“I’m certain this is Cid’s,” Echo insisted.

“We all read the sign outside,” Specter commented, rolling her eyes. “Look, maybe Cid heard what happened to the Jedi and fled.”

“Or he was arrested for violating countless health code regulations,” Tech said, his nose wrinkled as he glanced pointedly around the establishment.

“Did the Jedi have any other informants?” Hunter asked Echo. 

“Several, but Cid was the only one I knew how to find.”

“So we came all this way for nothing?” Wrecker wondered.

“Um, guys?” Omega’s voice came over the comm, “I found Cid.” The group turned to her, and the girl sheepishly smiled and pointed at the same Trandoshan woman, who now smirked at the group smugly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hunter grumbled. 

“The kid’s clearly brighter than the rest of you, and friendlier too,” Cid said with a sneer. “C’mon, I haven’t got all day,” the woman gestured towards a doorway near the back.

“I had a good thing going with the Jedi,” Cid said as she led them to her office. “They valued my insights, but now that they’re all dead, the demand for my services has declined. Thanks to this new Empire.” Specter looked around the dim room; trophies and flags personalized the space. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Echo swatted Omega’s hand away from a sharp weapon.

“Times have changed… for all of us,” said Hunter. 

“No kidding,” Cid nearly laughed. “I never had clone deserters come to me before.”

“Yes, well,” Tech began to say, “we separated due to a fundamental difference in ideology.”

“That’s cute, you thinking I care,” Cid cut him off. “Cut to it and tell me what you want.” Hunter nodded to Echo, who plugged into the holo-table terminal as Cid leaned up against her desk. “By all means, make yourself at home,” she scoffed.

“We encountered this woman on Pantora,” Hunter explained as the holo appeared over the table. Specter scowled at the image, gently rubbing her sore ribs. “Do you know who she is?”

“No, but I know a bounty hunter when I see one,” Cid shrugged. 

“Can you find out who hired her?” asked Echo.

“That depends on what you boys do for me,” she mused. The Batch gave each other confused and wary glances. “Are you fresh out of the tube? You pull a job for me, and I get the information you want. That’s how this mercenary thing works.”

“Mercenary?” questioned Hunter. 

“Not too quick, are ya?” Cid snapped, moving to take a seat behind her desk. “Clearly, the kid’s the brains of this operation.” Omega and Wrecker grinned, high fiving each other. Specter and Hunter shot each other a look; she grimaced and shrugged, unsure of what else to do but play into Cid’s hand.

“What kind of job?” Hunter sighed.

“A rescue. There’s a nice bounty on a kid named Muchi. My sources say she was taken by Zygerrian slavers who are holed up on the other side of the planet. Bring me the kid, and I’ll get you your intel,” she explained.

“Who collects the bounty?” Specter spoke up.

“Welcome to the conversation, shorty,” Cid sneered. Specter scowled, straightening her posture self consciously.

“I’m not that short,” she grumbled. 

“Next to muscles over there you are,” Cid said flippantly, gesturing towards an oblivious Wrecker. Specter’s frown deepened into a sneer. “Look, I’m not gonna be paying you to whine about it. We split the bounty seventy-thirty, my favor. Take it or leave it,” Cid drew attention back to her.

“Grab a kid from a few Zygerrians?” Wrecker laughed triumphantly, “We could do that in our sleep.” He playfully punched Hunter’s shoulder before leaving the room with Omega. Tech and Echo slowly followed. 

“Looks like we have a deal. Details of the bounty are on that,” Cid said, throwing the bounty puck to Hunter. “Don’t screw it up.” Specter gave one final glare at the Trandoshan before following close behind Hunter.

“That did not go how I thought it would,” she muttered.

“You and me, both.” 

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Specter watched from the co-pilot’s chair as Hunter flew the Marauder across the planet. Tech sat behind them, gathering data on their mission. Wrecker slouched in the seat next to Hunter, holding his head and wincing in pain. 

“You all right?” Hunter asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Wrecker waved him off but still clutched his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Med-patches are in the back,” Specter said gently. Wrecker nodded and got up, passing by Echo and Omega, who was holding the doll she had acquired on Pantora. Specter smiled as the girl presented it to her.

“According to Cid’s intel, the Zygerrian slave traders are hiding in the ruins of Old  Ord Mantell City,” informed Tech, not looking up from his datapad.

“What’s a slave trader?” Omega asked, taking Wrecker’s old seat. 

“Someone who buys and sells people for credits,” Tech explained. 

“People can be sold?” the girl grimaced.

“They shouldn’t be. But unfortunately, they don’t have a choice. They’re captives treated like property. Sometimes they’re even hunted down,” Specter said solemnly. Slave traders put a sour flavor in her mouth, and if they weren’t on the ship, she would have spit.

“That… doesn’t seem right.”

“It’s not,” Echo spoke up, “and we are going to stop it from happening to that kid.”

“As well as earn a decent amount of credits once the job is complete,” Tech added. 

“Yeah, that too,” Echo grumbled, rolling his eyes and joining Wrecker in the back.

“Don’t worry, Muchi,” Omega said, gently cradling her doll, “we’ll rescue you.”

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Specter gingerly walked down the gangplank of the ship behind Wrecker and Omega. They came to a high outcropping above the ruins, setting up observation spots just outside the city. Specter, lying on her stomach, looked through the scope of her rifle while Tech and Omega looked through their binocs.

“I have a visual. I only see one child,” Specter reported.

“Poor Muchi. She looks scared,” Omega said as she spotted the girl through her binocs.

“I’m clocking two dozen hostiles,” Tech said.

“I’m getting the same. Multiple entry points with minor fortification. That’s a lot of cover, though, for us and them.” Specter was happy to be in the field again and do what she was trained to do. 

“Simple smash and grab like that time on Kuat,” Wrecker jeered as Specter pushed herself off the ground. “Easy enough.”

“I’m in,” Omega nodded, “what are we waiting for?” Hunter reached out and pulled the girl back by her shoulder as the others advanced.

“You get back to the ship,” he instructed. Omega went to protest.

“But-”

“That’s an order,” he said firmly. The girl looked to Specter, hoping for support, but was only met with an understanding smile and a shake of her head. Omega slumped over in disappointment.

  “Yes, sir,” she sighed. Hunter caught up with the others and led them to the edge of the ruins. 

“Echo, you’re the eyes in the sky. Wrecker, draw the Zygerrian forces out. Tech and I will grab the kid,” he ordered. Echo had already turned, finding a way to climb up to a higher vantage point. 

“Not a problem,” Wrecker said, rolling his neck and cracking his knuckles.

“And Specter?” Hunter started.

“Stick to the shadows,” she finished for him, “you got it, Sarge.” She slinked off, becoming virtually invisible in the darkness.

“It’s so creepy when she does that,” Wrecker shuddered. The three advanced, taking cover behind some rubble. Specter kept her footsteps light and presence small and undetectable.

“Going dark. See you boys on the other side,” she said into her comm before switching it off as she crept under cover of the shadows.  A pair of guards passed by on speeders as she rounded a corner; she knew Echo would see them.

She made for the shadows of another ruined building closer to their target. Specter tensed when she heard a distant roar but continued forward. 

When blaster fire broke out, she faltered. 

Kriff. She thought, risking a peek from her corner. 

Echo laid unconscious below his former perch. Her other three brothers were trapped under an electro-net and surrounded by Zygerrians.

“Great job, boys,” she grumbled to herself, “less than two minutes without me, and you’ve already been caught by slavers. Bravo.” Specter remained in place, watching silently as her squad was handcuffed, collared, and dragged toward the other victims. 

Specter discreetly followed the Zygerrians, keeping an eye on where they stored their confiscated weapons and helmets and watching as her team woke up in a daze. She easily found some higher ground that kept her hidden while providing an excellent vantage point.

Specter watched and worked to formulate a plan. So long as the Zygerrian guard had control of the group’s shock collars, no one was going anywhere. They would have to take him down first. From there, Wrecker could likely break free from his cuffs and cause enough of a distraction that she could slip in and help the others break away.

Simple enough, she told herself. 

She sighed, glancing back to where the rest of the Batch sat below her. 

Hunter was staring right at her. As they locked eyes, he nodded toward the guard. Specter raised her rifle, and Hunter shook his head, glancing pointedly at the guards stationed in the tower above, as well at the brezak that crawled around the roof of that same tower. Specter sighed, 

Do you have a better idea then, pretty boy? She thought bitterly. There didn’t seem to be another way, so she configured her rifle into place, peering through the scope to find her target. However, as she positioned her rifle, the mount shifted against the ledge, sending broken stones cascading down the side of the building. 

Broken stones that ultimately gave away her position. 

She swore under her breath, scolding herself for being so sloppy and careless. In the silence that followed, Specter could almost hear Crosshair laughing at her. Teasing her like he used to when they trained. He wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake.

The Zygerrians, now aware of her presence, fired blindly at her; acting on instinct Specter took a running start and jumped out of the building, firing at the slavers before tumbling onto the ground.

The impact caused her to grunt, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins forced her to her feet as she fiercely fought hand-to-hand. 

She swung with her rifle, pushing her opponents away as they scrambled for their own weapons. One of them jumped at her, she slid under him and kicked his stomach, he fell to the ground, groaning. Another advanced, swinging his leg high enough to knock her helmet off; Specter quickly recovered and twisted around behind him, using her rifle to put him in a chokehold before bending backwards and throwing him onto the ground. As she stood up, two Zygerrians were smart enough to take the opportunity and charge at her at the same time. They wrestled her to the ground and threw her rifle out of reach, Specter screamed and growled in protest; what she made up for in speed, she lacked in strength. The woman struggled in their grip as her wrists were cuffed from behind and binders were clasped around her ankles.

Specter swore and spat, calling her captors every insult she could think of. One of them took offense and kicked her stomach before grabbing her face, forcing her to look up at him. The Batchers struggled against their cuffs and pulled at the chain holding them down, wanting to defend her.

“You let her go!” Hunter shouted before his shock-collar activated. The Zygerrian closely looked over her face, turning it from side to side, inspecting her. She met his gaze back with fire and a clenched jaw.

“Such a pretty thing. You’ll sell nicely,” he mused with a sick smile.

“You wanna know what else would be pretty, sleemo?” she hissed. “Your organs, pulled out in alphabetical order, strung up to dry in the sun.” She spat in his face for good measure, but in return was struck across her own face and with a mask forced over her mouth. It didn’t stop her from continuing to make threats, even as her words were muffled and she was dragged over to the others. 

“You alright, Spec?” Echo asked quietly. She nodded, still eyeing the Zygerrian. 

“We’ll find a way out of here,” Hunter encouraged. The Bad Batch certainly hoped so.

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“It’s getting looser,” Wrecker mumbled as his fingers pried at the collar. Specter had watched him work on it for a while now. But the Zygerrian noticed and activated his collar; he groaned at the electricity coursing through him.

“Do that one more time and you’ll be-” Echo didn’t finish before he was shocked too. He groaned, shaking his head to reorient his senses.

“Save your energy,” Tech said, “we are going to need it.” A brezak flew overhead, leading Hunter and Specter’s attention to who looked like the leader of the Zygerrian group overlooking them from a tower. The brezak roared, causing the other prisoners to flinch and cower. The child whimpered in fear.

“Relax, Muchi. We’re the calvary,” Wrecker whispered encouragingly. Specter rolled her eyes; Wrecker took every opportunity he could to make that clear.

“What are our odds out of this, Tech?” Hunter asked.

“I am not certain,” he admitted.

“So much for being smart,” Wrecker grumbled. Tech rolled his eyes and sighed.

“This is not a standard military operation, and seeing as how we’ve never been tasked with rescuing a child from slave traders before, there is no data I can compare it to,” he explained. Specter mumbled something under her mask. “Really, Specter, using such foul language will not be beneficial to us.”

“We need to signal Omega before their scouts find her,” said Hunter.

“Except our comms are over there with our weapons,” Echo reminded, nodding his head towards the pile.

“We won’t need a comm to signal her,” Tech countered, looking up towards one of the buildings. Specter turned her head, finding Omega crouching down. The girl waved, pointing to herself then down towards the group. Hunter shook his head, nodding at her to get back out of sight just as the leader of the Zygerrians appeared. 

“Look at what we have here,” he drawled. “Five new slaves to add to my collection. Strong ones too, especially for one so lovely,” he intently glanced at Specter, who’s eyes narrowed and followed him with disdain. “You all should fetch a nice price.”

“The Republic outlawed slavery,” Echo protested.

“We’re not in the Republic anymore, skug,” the Zygerrian bit back. Echo caught sight of Omega, who had moved to a closer position. He shook his head. 

“You’re lucky we don’t have our gear because this would go very differently for you,” he emphasized, nodding his head towards their stuff so the girl would see. Specter watched as she made her way across, but knocked over a rock: her breath caught. The Zygerrians turned to look for the disturbance; Wrecker, thinking quickly, kicked a rock near him towards one of the guards, knocking him over and causing enough of a distraction. A Zygerrian struck him with the electro-whip as punishment.

“We can make do with one less slave. Maybe I’ll feed you to my pet,” the leader smirked at his brezak that shrieked and roared. “As for the rest of you, you will be part of a new beginning. With the meddling Republic gone, we can return to Kadavo and rebuild what was taken from us. Under this new Empire, our operation will flourish once again.” Specter rolled her eyes and tuned out of his spiel, instead watching Omega out of the corner of her eye. The girl landed on top of what looked like a cage, peering through the gaps to see what was inside before nodding at whatever her plan was. “...the person next to you will pay the price,” the leader drawled before noticing Specter’s lack of attention. “Is she even- are you listening to me?” he said frustratedly. Specter, tuning back into his tantrum, casually shook her head. The mask muffled her words; the Zygerrian growled, crouching down to remove it. “Say something, slave?”

“Ah. Yes, thank you,” she flexed her sore jaw, “as I was trying to say; why don’t I take that whip of yours, shove it down your throat and pull it out from your-” The Zygerrian put the mask over her mouth before she could finish. 

“I ought to cut out her tongue,” he mumbled, standing back up. Specter smirked under her mask before her attention was drawn away again. Omega was caught in the grasp of one of the guards, kicking and screaming to let her go; Specter gasped and struggled in her binders, as did Hunter.

“I found her sneaking around the cage,” the guard reported, dropping her at the leader’s feet.

“I wasn’t sneaking. I was unlocking,” Omega said, smiling defiantly up at him and holding the key to the cage. The cage thumped and rattled, whatever creature was in there was starting to sense freedom.

“Secure the cage!” the leader ordered. But it was no use, the guards could not stop the rampaging rancor that burst out from its bondage with a roar. 

“A rampaging adolescent rancor is not the distraction I was anticipating,” commented Tech.

“That’s their problem. We’re getting out of here,” said Wrecker before he pulled, hard enough for the connecting chain to break free. He easily destroyed his binders and broke his shock collar apart. Specter noticed one of the guards nearing her, hoping to keep his prisoners secured amidst the chaos; she lay on her back and using as much strength as she could, kicked up at him, knocking him out and getting her on her feet in the process. With a jump split, she broke the binders around her ankles, then twisting her arms, she freed her wrists and immediately removed the mask over her mouth. 

“Stars above,” she muttered, massaging her jaw.

“You could have done that sooner,” Hunter huffed beside her.

“And fight them solo? Again? Tactical disadvantage, Hunt, keep up,” she teased, patting his cheek. 

“The rancor is Muchi?” they heard Echo exclaim. The two turned to find the beast throwing boulders and attacking the Zygerrians.

“That’s slightly less doable,” Specter slouched over in complaint as Muchi ran from her captors. Wrecker came by and handed over her helmet and blasters, she smiled with relief to have them back. “Thanks, vod,” she nodded.

“Gear up. This’ll be just like that extraction on Kuat. Let’s get on with it,” Hunter said, tossing Echo his helmet and pack. 

“Remind me, when exactly did we deal with a rancor on Kuat? Oh, that’s right, we didn’t!” Specter argued, following the group as they all ran toward higher ground and away from the decimated scene.

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Muchi—the rancor—left bodies in her wake. The group followed her path as much as they could until there was no trace of her. Hunter knelt to the ground, tracking Muchi’s direction and pointing the team to the outskirts of the ruined city.

“What about them?” Omega asked, indicating toward the other prisoners, whose faces were worn with clear exhaustion.

“Omega and I will get them to safety. You find Muchi,” Echo offered.

“Right,” Hunter nodded, “Go for the speeders at the south entrance.” Tech translated the plan in Falleen to the other prisoners, who trailed after Echo and Omega, before catching up with Hunter, Specter, and Wrecker. 

The four caught up to find Muchi surrounded by the Zygerrians, flailing them around to fight them off. Wrecker lifted his helmet.

“She’s doing fine on her own,” he said as she killed the last of them. But as she turned to approach them, the lead Zygerrian atop his brezak swooped in. Hunter and Specter immediately opened fire on him, but were knocked away as he landed, cracking his electro-whip to try and wrangle Muchi. The brezak’s strong tail knocked back the rancor against a pile of boulders. As the Zygerrian slowly approached, Hunter ran up and tackled him off the brezak and onto the ground, knocking the whip out of his hand. Muchi took the chance to run off again, the brezak shrieked and followed her. 

“You’re going to pay for that, skug,” the Zygerrian spat, standing up and squaring off against Hunter with his whip. Specter, Tech, and Wrecker approached to assist their sergeant, but Hunter held out his hand, stopping them.

“I’ll handle him. Go get Muchi,” he said.

“Good luck,” Specter warned before leading the others to find the rancor. 

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The three found Muchi fighting off the brezak, biting its tail and thrashing it about before it broke free and flew away in retreat. But the beast still raged, smashing boulders around her. 

“Any idea how to stop that thing?” Specter asked.

“Rancors adhere to a social hierarchy. You have to challenge the alpha for authority,” Tech explained, looking through his datapad. They both looked at Wrecker, who tossed his gun aside and eagerly cracked his knuckles.

“Oh, that I can do.” Wrecker and the rancor both charged, clashing in the middle and knocking each other back. They started to wrestle with each other, Specter pulled out her holo-recorder.

“What are you doing?” Tech wondered.

“Wrecker is gonna want footage of this. This is awesome,” she smirked. “How long do you think this will take?” Tech sighed and shook his head, hesitating to answer. 

“Ten more minutes for five credits,” he said. 

“Twenty minutes for five credits. Whoever gets the closest wins. Deal?”

“Deal,” Tech nodded as they shook on their bet, starting a timer. 

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Specter smiled as Hunter, Echo, and Omega finally came around, watching as Wrecker and Muchi tiredly swung at each other.

“How long’s he been at this?” Echo asked.

“Too long,” Tech said, wincing a little, knowing he was close to losing his bet with Specter. “He’s losing his touch.” They all watched as Muchi and Wrecker exhausted themselves, collapsing on each other and ending the fight. Omega giggled and drew near the sleeping rancor.

“Aw. She’s kinda cute.”

“Nicely handled, Wrecker,” Hunter complimented. Wrecker groaned and gave a meager thumbs up. 

“Ha! I win! Take that, Tech, pay up,” Specter cheered once the time had been calculated, holding her hand out to retrieve her prize. Tech shook his head and sighed.

“There’s really no point in making wagers since our credits are shared amongst the group,” he said, begrudgingly handing over five credits. Specter chuckled.

“It’s not about the money, sweet Tech, it’s the principle of it.”

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Muchi happily followed Wrecker from the Marauder back to Cid’s parlor, even letting Omega ride on top of her. 

“That’s a good rancor,” Wrecker said, patting her side. A peach colored Twi’lek emerged from the parlor, babbling in Huttese and embracing Muchi. The rancor returned the affection through a happy sounding purr. Cid pushed past the Twi’lek’s Gamorrean guards, almost surprised to see the mission was a success.

“See, Bib? All is well. Now about the matter of payment,” she said. The Twi’lek turned and snapped his fingers and one of the guards handed Cid cases of credits. Specter helped Omega down from the beast.

“Bye, Muchi,” the girl and Wrecker both said, waving goodbye to the rancor as she was led away by her owner; she turned to give one final, gentle, roar.

“Gotta say, fellas. I wasn’t sure you could pull this job off,” the Trandoshan admitted.

“You could have told us we were going after a rancor,” Echo said, irritated by the lack of information.

“Hmm. Must’ve slipped my mind,” Cid shrugged before redirecting her attention to “Dark and Broody, Shorty. My office.” Specter shrugged but followed the Trandoshan beside Hunter.

“Your bounty hunter is Fennec Shand,” Cid explained, pulling up a holo of the woman. “She’s new to the scene but has already proven herself to be cunning and ruthless.”

“Yeah, no kidding. I still have the bruises to prove it,” Specter scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Who hired her?” Hunter asked.

“Unknown. My sources in the Guild say she’s working on a direct commission. With someone like her nipping at your heels, you’re going to need two things: friends and money. Mostly money,” Cid advised.

“Well, we’re not swimming in either at the moment,” Hunter admitted.

“Our charming personality is an acquired taste,” Specter added.

“I guess it’s a good thing ya met me then, isn’t it?” Cid turned and grabbed one of the cases, opening it before the two. “Here’s your cut. There’s more where that came from… if you’re looking for work.” 

“We’ll think about it,” Hunter carefully said, grabbing the case and turning to leave with Specter. The two glanced at each other, apprehensive about the whole situation.

“It’s interesting, a bounty hunter of Fennec’s caliber being after you. You fellas must be pretty valuable,” said the Trandoshan. Hunter and Specter slowly turned to face her. “Don’t worry. I’m good with secrets,” she sneered.

Specter swallowed a scowl. Worry crept into her gut. They had their answers, yes, but she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trouble would come from their new relationship with Ciddarin Scaleback. 

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #clone force 99 #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #f!oc

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The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 4: Cornered

edited by @ryleeeeeenn *kriff: strong expletive warnings: there's an innuendo, if you want to call that a warning

“Idaflor,” Hunter pointed on the display, “that’s where we’ll go.”

“But Idaflor’s not even inhabited,” Wrecker complained. 

“That’s the point, vod. It makes it the perfect place to hide out,” Specter said, draping her arm across his shoulders.

“‘Hide’?” Omega repeated, “but I’ve been stuck on Kamino my whole life. Can’t we explore?” The girl slumped in her seat.

“Not right now,” Hunter sighed. “We have to wait for things to settle down.”

“We can explore on Idaflor,” Specter said, ruffling Omega’s hair. 

“Well, we won’t be doing either,” Tech spoke up. Specter groaned, knowing the news was not going to be good. “We don’t have enough fuel, and we are also entirely out of rations. Without the Republic to provide us supplies, we’ll have to acquire these necessities on our own.”

“Well, we got a bigger problem,” Echo announced as he entered from the cockpit, “Comm chatter has our ship’s signature on a wanted list.”

“Aw, it’s nice to be wanted,” Specter mused. Hunter shook his head at her remark.

“So we scramble it,” Tech shrugged. 

“You can do that?” Wrecker asked, amazed.

“Of course I can do it. But I need to land in order to perform those modifications. By my calculations, the closest planet is… Pantora.” The planet and its basic information appeared on the display. 

During the war, the Batch had only visited Pantora for brief moments while they were on leave. Those experiences had been hardly memorable, other than the planet’s dense population and Republic allegiance. It wasn’t the worst option by a long shot. 

“Well, Pantora it is,” Hunter confirmed. 

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Pantora was a risky stop. At this point, any inhabited planet in the galaxy was a risky stop, but luckily the Batch touched down on Pantora undetected. The port was small and busy, and Specter hoped they could keep a low profile long enough to get out of there. More importantly, she hoped Tech was right that he could scramble the Marauder’s code.

Specter had changed into civvies before they landed. Though she wasn’t too happy to be without her armor, the simple clothes worked as a disguise. The plan was to stay with Wrecker and Tech while they worked on the ship, but she had a feeling Hunter and Echo would need reinforcements as they went to trade in the city, and given her experience with blending in with local populations from previous missions, she was the obvious choice. 

“Why’d you have to tell me we’re out of rations? Now I’m starving!” Wrecker whined as he followed Tech out of the Marauder. 

“Our priority is scrambling the ship’s signature key,” Tech reminded. 

“No, that’s your priority,” Wrecker grumbled as the two walked out of earshot to haggle their way out of checking in while they restocked and refueled. Specter giggled, pulling out a case of supplies and spare parts, rummaging through it and searching for anything that might afford the Batch a few credits. 

“Woah, what’re you wearing?” Specter eyed Echo as he came into view. 

“Tech has a bunch of spare droid parts lying around. Pretty convincing, right?” Echo saluted. Specter smiled and shook her head, stretching her arms over her head before grabbing another case to sort through. 

“Specter, you have tattoos?” Omega asked, coming down from her new room. 

“Hmm? Oh, I sure do!” Specter smiled, pulling up her sleeve and flexing her right arm, which was covered fully in ink. 

A knife wrapped around her wrist with a wing extending up her outer forearm. On her upper arm, CT across and 9904/5 down, the Batch’s half skull insignia beside 99. Specter turned her arm, each of the Batchers’ helmets ran up and down her arm, Crosshair’s was beside hers.

“Echo’s was a more recent addition,” she explained. Omega carefully brushed her fingers over the woman's skin, tracing the lines of ink and turning her arm back around. 

“What's this one?” she asked, pointing at a circular symbol on her shoulder. “It looks like a moon!”

“I actually don't know. Some sort of runes I guess. The locals said it was a symbol for divine strength and I said ‘sure, why not?’” said Specter. Omega giggled.

“Do all of you have tattoos?” the girl asked.

“Wrecker is the only one who doesn’t; he’s not a big fan of needles. But even so, I like to think of our tattoos as just another thing that connects us, even if it’s just ink under our skin…” she trailed off, her mind drifting to Crosshair’s absence. Omega gently put her hand on Specter’s. 

“I’m sure he misses you too,” she said, seeming to read her mind. Specter smiled, patting the girl’s head and nodding towards the main hold where Hunter was scavenging parts to sell in a bag. He handed the bag to Omega before grabbing hold of an explosive; Specter grimaced.

“Wrecker won’t be happy,” she commented.

“Well, he’ll have to choose: explosives or food,” he chuckled before leaving the ship after Echo and Omega. 

Wrecker and Tech were already working outside, unloading and clearing things out of the way so Tech could make the modifications he needed. 

“You can’t sell that explosive. It’s our last one,” Wrecker protested as Hunter put the explosive in the bag. 

“And it’s the only thing we have worth any money,” Hunter reminded him.

“You wanna eat, don’t you?” Specter said, patting his shoulder as she walked past him to where Tech was. Wrecker groaned in complaint.

“Why do Spec, Tech, and I have to do all the repairs while you get to go sightseeing?”

“‘Sightseeing’?” Omega echoed with excitement.

“No, no. This is a supply run,” Hunter insisted, fixing a glare at Wrecker for exciting Omega. “In and out, quickly and quietly.”

“Yeah. And you stick out too much,” Echo commented.

“Oh, and you don’t?” Wrecker argued. 

“Not dressed like this.” Echo lowered his mask, looking more like a droid. 

“Then why is Specter dressed in civvies?”

“She’s backup,” Hunter answered as she gave a two-fingered salute, “now if you’re done complaining, let’s get moving. Omega, you’re with us.” The girl cheered and followed Echo and Hunter out of the hangar.

“Be careful!” Specter shouted after them. 

“And bring back something good to eat!” Wrecker added. Tech looked up from his scanner after they had gone.

“Specter, I’ll need you up at the neck to recalibrate the system’s output feed as well as the code matrix,” he instructed. 

“Alright, get me up there,” Specter nodded, rolling her shoulders. She stepped into Wrecker’s interlaced hands and was boosted up onto the upper hull of the Marauder, Tech tossed her the necessary tools. She pulled off the panel that covered the neck, peering through the hardware. “You said the code matrix too?” 

“Correct. It will synthesize the new signature throughout the ship,” Tech affirmed.

“Right!” Specter set to work. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter swung her legs as she watched Tech and Wrecker work on the ship’s signature. Her work had finished only a while ago, and as the afternoon sun beat down on them, she began to worry about Hunter, Echo, and Omega. She groaned loudly in complaint. 

“Are you done yet? My back hurts.”

“Well, an easy remedy would be to stop slouching,” Tech replied. Specter slowly straightened her back. “And as for our repairs… best find something to do in the meantime.”

“Specter, come in,” Hunter’s voice startled her over the comm.

“If you’re getting food, make sure whatever you get me is medium spicy,” she replied.

“Not that. I’ll need you here. Echo is going to be… preoccupied, and I’ll need someone here,” he said.

“He’s going to sell me for cheap,” Echo protested. Specter burst out laughing, holding her stomach. “2000 credits is not funny!” She only laughed harder, struggling to catch her breath.

“Echo, honey, Cross would have sold me for a meiloorun. Be grateful they thought you were worth that much.” She hopped down from the Marauder and waved a farewell to Tech and Wrecker. “If you can scrape a little more, make the deal, Hunter. I’ll meet you guys shortly. Have fun, Echo,” she teased, making her way out of the hangar and towards Hunter. 

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Hunter’s comm signal was sporadic at best, and with the city teeming with diverse life, interfering frequencies could have been the answer. Specter blended in easily enough, but she still made sure to avoid the ever-present Imperial soldiers while trying to navigate the bazaar of vendors, all while somehow finding her teammate. 

She continued to wander the market, heading in the direction of Hunter’s last signal. More than once, she paused to sample various commodities from eager vendors before scolding herself to stay on task. The sky began to darken. She hoped Hunter and Omega weren’t too far off. The sooner they found each other, the better.

Worry formed a knot in her stomach as she roamed the dimming streets. Of course she trusted Hunter to keep an eye on Omega… but she didn’t trust that Omega wouldn’t wander off. The girl was still too young and naive to realize how dangerous the galaxy was, which was adorable but stressful at the same time. She whacked her comm against her hand, hoping that would somehow strengthen Hunter’s signal. When it inevitably didn’t, Specter let out a frustrated hiss.

“We really need to modify these things if the coverage is gonna be so spotty,” she mumbled to herself. She ducked into an alleyway just as Imperial troops marched by; sighing with relief when her comm finally beeped again.    

“Wrecker, Tech, Specter, Echo. Come in,” Hunter reported in urgently. 

“Finally! I read you loud and clear–” 

“I lost Omega. Somebody attacked us,” he cut her off, sounding out of breath and frantic. Specter’s heart skipped a beat, dreading every possibility and worst case scenario. 

“You lost her?” she cried, reeling. As generally friendly as the locals were, Pantora was not the place to get lost in as a young girl. 

“Somebody who?” Wrecker asked.

“A woman. Highly trained. She’s after the kid,” Hunter panted. 

“‘Kriff,” Specter swore under her breath; being a target made things worse. “I’m on my way,” Specter huffed as she scanned through the crowd; she knew she didn’t have Hunter’s tracking skills, but what she did have was speed and stamina, so she could at least try and cover as much ground as possible. 

“I’ll tap into the central security network. There should be enough cameras in this city to find her,” Tech chimed in. 

Specter ran through the city, passing through alleyways and peering behind vendor stalls for any sign of Omega or a suspicious woman. 

“I have eyes on Omega. She is heading towards the maintenance tunnels, northwest at 155. Specter you are closest to intercept,” Tech reported into the comm. 

“On it,” she relayed, changing course, “just tell me who I’m— oof!” Specter and whoever she bumped into fell back onto the ground. “I am so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she apologized, reorienting herself and looking over the stranger as they both stood up and brushed themselves off. A woman dressed in armor-lined clothing, sporting a blaster and helmet concealing her face, except for her eyes… which were intently tracking something over Specter’s shoulder. The clone slowly turned her head, seeing the maintenance tunnel a short distance away. “Though it looks like you were watching exactly where you were going,” she muttered.

The woman threw a punch that Specter easily saw coming; she caught her fist with her opposite hand and brought it over her shoulders, lifting her up with her other hand and throwing her down onto the ground. The woman grunted but quickly got up, eyeing her opponent. Specter stood in front of her, blocking her path.

“I like your tats,” she said, nodding. “Got those anywhere else?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Specter said with a smirk.

“Well, I’m sure under different circumstances, we could have been great friends.”

“We still can if you would just leave the kid alone,” Specter offered. The woman seemed to consider it.

“One night with you… or more money than you can imagine,” the woman seemed to ponder her options. “Sorry to say, as tempting as you are, it’s not enough to buy me out,” the woman shrugged before trying to rush past Specter. But the clone extended her leg just as fast, kicking the woman in her stomach back a few feet.

“Nice try, but you’ll have to be faster than that,” Specter warned before stepping forward and moving to strike. This time, the woman blocked her punch too, initiating an exchange of fists, blocks, and dodges. The woman was indeed highly trained, enough so that Specter was both surprised and irritated that she hadn’t given in yet. The woman struck Specter’s lower ribs with her fists, causing her to double over, just as the woman brought up her armored knee. Specter grunted, tasting metal in her mouth. She grunted, quickly turning her head and spitting out blood. “Now I really don’t like you,” she growled. 

Specter tried her best to center herself, landing a few more blows to the woman’s side. Exhaustion was creeping into the corners of her vision. She was tired, hungry and disoriented, but giving Omega time to escape motivated her to keep going.

One of her punches failed to land, and in that moment of weakness, with her stance just off, her attacker managed to strike the pressure points in her shoulders, neck, and back. Specter gasped, crying out as her muscles stiffened and she fell to the ground.

It was a dirty move, one that left her momentarily paralyzed and helpless as she watched the woman slink down the maintenance tunnels toward Omega. 

Specter scolded herself for not seeing it sooner, for being so caught up in the fight she forgot to look for her opponent’s tells… or when her own tells were being analyzed. If only she’d realized a second sooner. 

“Tech,” Specter strained into her comm.

“Are you alright?” he replied. 

“Yeah,” she groaned, her muscles had already started to relax, allowing her to move again.  “Hunter wasn’t kidding when he said she was highly trained… she took me out with a nerve strike, but it's wearing off. Just a bruised or broken rib, I think. I only hope I bought Omega some time.” She grunted as she pushed herself off the ground, wobbling on unsteady legs and holding onto nearby crates for support. 

“I don’t have eyes in the tunnels, but two sensors just went off in the western sector” Tech chimed in. 

“Dank ferrick,” Specter hissed. That would mean the woman was still hot on Omega’s trail. She looked around, searching for anything that might be of use, smirking when she spotted a local pull up to a nearby shop on a speeder bike. She ran up to the vehicle, powering it up and revving the engine.

“Hey! My bike!” its owner shouted as she mounted the bike.

“Sorry, my kid’s in trouble!” she said before speeding off out of sight. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hunter, Specter just encountered the attacker, and lost,” Tech reported. Hunter stumbled in his tracks; Specter was more proficient in hand-to-hand combat, but if she was beaten in a fight… his worry for Omega increased. 

“Where’s Omega now?”

 “She is hanging from a maintenance tower skyway,” Tech told Hunter as he ran through the streets. 

“Hanging?” he hissed incredulously. 

“For now. I suggest you hurry,” Tech urged. 

“I’m en route,” Specter chimed in. She practically flew past Hunter on the bike, skidding to a stop in front of him. Specter tossed her hair back and revved its engine.

“Get on, pretty boy!” she called. He wasted no time hopping on the bike, holding onto her as she sped off. 

“‘Pretty boy’?” he questioned. 

“Don’t question it,” Specter said, waving off his incredulous tone. They wove through the sky-lanes, keeping their eyes up in hopes of spotting Omega. 

“There she is!” Hunter shouted over the roaring engines of the speedway, pointing over her shoulder. 

Specter spotted her a second later, and her heart immediately sank. Omega was indeed dangling from the top of the maintenance tower, held up by her pursuer. Specter accelerated, helpless as Omega fell from the tower into the cargo bed of a speeder. The woman immediately followed. Their bike was in fast pursuit, coming closer to the speeder when the woman opened fire. 

Specter swerved, then expertly maneuvered the bike to avoid the blasts. As she did so, Omega crawled over to the side and raised the cargo bed, causing the woman, as well as a few crates, to fall toward the ground; the girl held on tightly, hoping not to slip while reaching out towards the two.

“Hunter! Specter!” she whimpered nervously. Specter carefully approached while Hunter reached out towards her. “Look out!” she cried suddenly. They turned to see the woman rapidly approaching them in a stolen speeder with the intent to ram into them. Specter pulled up hard, twisting through the air as she struggled to get situated back on the bike and back into the lanes.

“I fly, you shoot,” Specter instructed before accelerating again. Hunter grabbed his pistol and started shooting at the woman, careful not to hit Omega. He adjusted his aim, firing at the speeder’s engine instead; as it slowed down, Specter took the chance to dive toward the girl. Hunter reached out and grabbed Omega just as she lost her grip and fell, pulling her up to sit between him and Specter.

“Hold on, kid. We’re not out of this yet,” he said, readying the grenade he’d apparently failed to sell, Omega tightening her hold around Specter’s waist. “Spec, get behind her.” Specter smirked at his plan. She put the bike in reverse, allowing the woman’s speeder to pass them, then, as Specter drifted the bike to change its direction, Hunter tossed the grenade onto the speeder. It exploded just as the trio made their escape back to the Marauder with no sign of the woman following them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Revving the bike’s engine, Specter sped the trio back towards the port, screeching to a stop as she landed just in front of the Marauder. A team of droids scurried out of the way as Tech and Echo emerged from the inside of the ship, Wrecker had only a couple more panels to replace on the ship’s exterior. 

“Aww I missed all the action,” Wrecker whined.

“Scrambling the ship’s signature wasn’t fun, Wrecker?” Specter teased as he replaced the final panel. “What’s with all the droids?” she questioned, watching the little parade of droids leave the hangar.

“Echo made some friends to help with the repairs,” Wrecker explained with a laugh.

“Were the theatrics really necessary? You almost hit my ship,” Tech said, seemingly disinterested in the group’s return. 

“Tech, we have to go now!” Hunter insisted, helping Omega off the bike. The two rushed into the ship with Wrecker close behind them. Specter hesitated, running her hand over the vehicle. 

“Specter,” Echo warned, with the same tone he might’ve used to scold a misbehaving Loth-cat, “we can’t keep the bike.” The woman groaned, trudging over.

“Wishful thinking, I know,” she grumbled. He merely shook his head, trying to hide a smile as he stepped to the side and allowed her to enter. “Are we clear to fly?”

“Technically, yes,” Tech answered, “though I still would have liked to-”

“Later, please.” Specter grabbed his shoulder and shoved him into the pilot’s chair, then flopped into her seat beside him. She started takeoff procedures without a second to waste while Tech grumbled about how he would have preferred to run a diagnostic of the ship before takeoff. He got over it soon enough, manning the controls and flying them off of Pantora and into the safe isolation of space. 

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“She has to be a bounty hunter,” Hunter sighed, putting down his bag and sitting behind Tech. Specter stood up and let Echo take her seat, standing next to Hunter while Omega stood in the middle of them all. 

“That’s what I was thinking,” Specter added. “She said something about Omega being worth ‘more money than I could imagine,’ and I can imagine quite a lot. We need to be careful, I doubt she’s the only one.” 

“What’s a ‘bounty hunter?” the girl asked. 

“Someone hired to retrieve targets,” Echo explained.

“And you appear to be the target,” Tech added.

“Me?” Omega cried. 

“Hey, don’t scare the kid,” Wrecker scolded.

“We have to find out who she is and who hired her,” Hunter said.

“And why they’re after her…” Specter said. She turned to see Omega’s brow furrowed with worry, a frown on her face. “Hey, Meg, look at me, don’t worry,” she said gently, kneeling to the girl’s level. She put her hands on her shoulders, “We’ll protect you. You’re safe with us, I promise.” Omega rushed forward to hug Specter, who returned the girl’s warm embrace and rubbed her back soothingly. “Wrecker, why don’t you get Omega settled in her room so she can rest up for our trip?” 

“Sure thing, boss,” nodded Wrecker. Specter let Omega go and watched as the two left the cockpit.

Hunter was the first to break the silence. “I don’t like this… if Omega’s a target of the Empire, laying low is going to be more difficult than we anticipated.” 

“We have to figure out who hired that bounty hunter,” Specter agreed. “But it’s not going to be easy now that we’re no longer on the Republic’s orders.” “About that,” Echo said, “I might have a connection on Ord Mantell that might get us the information we need. It’s risky, but during the war he was a trusted source by the Jedi.”

“You had me worried at ‘might’, ‘risky’, and ‘was’,” Specter quipped. 

“I’m open to other ideas,” Echo looked to the other members of the Batch. When they remained silent, he continued, “look, I don’t like it either but the sooner we find out what the Empire wants with Omega, or who wants her in the first place, the better.” 

“So, Ord Mantell it is,” Hunter mused. 

“Charting our course,” Tech said from the pilot's seat. “I only hope your so called ‘contact’ is still friendly.”

The ship lurched into hyperspace, Specter found herself beside Hunter, sitting in comfortable silence as she gazed out the viewport of the Marauder. 

So much had changed in so little time, she only hoped their family would be quick enough to adapt. She glanced back towards Omega’s makeshift room. The girl had fallen asleep in Wrecker’s lap, clearly exhausted from the chase. Specter couldn’t help but smile at the pair, thanking every star that Omega had made it back to them safely, and hoping that Ord Mantell would give them the answers and sanctuary they needed.

In case you were wondering from that little moment between Fennec and Specter: Specter is bisexual!

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #clone force 99 #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #f!oc #fennec shand

[aaaaaaaaaaashes]

The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 3: Replacements

edited by @ryleeeeeenn *kark: strong expletive (f*ck) warnings: near-death experience (CPR is induced)

The Bad Batch’s escape from Saleucami left more than a few scratches on the hull of the Marauder. In fact, Specter was sure they’d lost at least one of their engines. She hummed to herself as she repaired one of the display monitors at the console. The ship’s sound system had shorted out a while ago, along with other nonessential systems, much to her annoyance. Another beeping sounded from the console.

“Oh, kark, not again,” she hissed. Somewhere in the mess, a system of wires had come undone and needed to be reconnected before the system reset.

“Specter!” Echo shouted from the cockpit.

“I know! I’m working on it!” she shouted back, quickly making the repair and soldering the wires in place. She sighed in relief when the alert finally stopped. 

“Specter, what does ‘kark’ mean?” Specter’s head swiveled toward Omega, who hadn’t looked up from her datapad as she asked her question.   

“I-”

“Nothing you need to know and nothing you should repeat,” Hunter interjected as he entered the area with a pointed glare at Specter. She smiled sheepishly and turned back to her repairs. “Well, that doesn’t look comfortable for either of you.” Hunter gestured at how Omega had situated herself, leaning up against Gonky. 

“We’re fine,” Omega said with a smile. 

“Here. Chow time,” he offered. Omega eagerly stood up to grab a piece, suddenly realizing how hungry she’d gotten. 

“Ah, finally!” Wrecker bellowed, excitedly coming down from his spot near the rear gun as if summoned by the opening ration box. He grabbed the piece Hunter handed him and gobbled it in one bite—Specter nearly gagged. “Hit me again.”

“Well, that’s all for now. Especially for you. Rations are low,” Hunter explained, moving the box away from Wrecker, who groaned in dismay.

“You can have mine,” Omega offered. Wrecker eagerly reached for it, but Hunter shoved him back.

“Hey, Omega doesn’t have a place to sleep. You wanna take her food too?” he scolded quietly. 

“Oh.” Wrecker deflated and looked at Omega again, “Uh… no, no thanks. You keep it.” The girl shrugged and sat down again, eating her portion. “I guess I’m not used to having a kid around here,” Wrecker admitted.

“Well, none of us are. It’s just another thing to get used to, but she’s not complaining,” Hunter said before the lights flickered out. “Echo, lights cut out again! I thought you fixed it,” he shouted to the cockpit.

“Sorry! That was me,” Specter announced. She kicked an empty panel of the console and the lights flickered on again. “There we go. I’ll add it to the repair list,” she said, running a hand through her shortened hair. Hunter leaned over to her.

“You gonna eat?” he asked. She shook her head, too focused on making sure the control panel continued to function properly before making any attempts to fasten it back in place.

“Later. Wrecker can have my piece if he really wants it,” she mumbled.

“Specter,” he said warningly.

“Hunter,” she quipped back. Hunter sighed and shook his head, putting the ration box away. 

The ship lurched suddenly and began to shake, causing Specter to lose her footing and stumble right into Hunter, who caught her before she hit the ground. Hunter rushed into the cockpit. 

“Getting thrown out of hyperspace. I’d say that’s pretty critical, Tech,” she heard Hunter growl. 

“It’s not affecting life support. We’re fine,” Tech said casually, “as I already noted, the ship-wide diagnostic report indicated that no critical systems were compromised.” 

“Hate to break it to you, Tech, but I think your diagnostics were a bit off,” Specter quipped. “Whatever we are, I don’t think ‘fine’ really cuts it– what even is ‘fine’ at this point?”  

“Are you kidding me?” Hunter started to panic, holding on tightly to the seat. They were falling fast. 

“This couldn’t have waited? I was almost done!” Specter groaned. 

“The power capacitor’s blown. We need to land immediately,” Echo stated. Panic began to set in. 

“Get ready for your first crash landing,” Wrecker said to Omega.

“Crash?” the girl repeated, voice trembling.

“Omega, strap in,” Hunter ordered from the cockpit. Wrecker helped secure the girl before he and Specter sat beside her, holding on tight. 

“I can’t see anything,” Echo cried, doing his best to land the ship beside Tech, blinded by thick clouds. 

That’s the last thing I want to hear right now, Specter thought bitterly. 

“Hold on!” Hunter shouted. Gonky fell over and slid by; Specter stopped him from sliding any further with an outstretched foot. An alarm started blaring as they escaped the clouds. Tech frantically pulled up. 

“We’re gonna die!” Wrecker started to panic, “we’re gonna die! We’re gonna…” An elbow to the ribs from Specter reminded him of Omega’s presence, “be fine. We’re gonna be fine.” 

A second later, the ship landed with a hard thud, lurching everyone forward in their seat from the impact. Specter grunted as the restraints kept her from flying forward. Wrecker’s head snapped back, hitting the seat behind him. 

“Everybody all right?” Hunter said, helping Gonky upright. Wrecker hyperventilated, adrenaline still running high. Omega was still braced for impact, but she slowly opened her eyes. 

“Is it over?” she asked. Specter looked herself over, finding she was still intact, as were Omega and Wrecker, though the latter of the two winced and rubbed the tender spot behind his ear.

“Still alive,” Specter affirmed, almost cheering. 

“Oww, my head,” Wrecker groaned.

“Alive for the most part,” Specter adjusted her statement.

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“The storm’s getting worse. It’s knocking out our comms,” Echo reported, seated at the inner console. Specter was grateful she was able to finish her repairs on it at least. 

“I suspect one of our capacitors sustained damage during our firefight with the regs. We won’t be able to take off without replacing it. Inventory analysis indicates we have one spare on board,” Tech said, referring to his notes on the holopad.

“Is it in here?” Omega said from the corner, grunting as she lowered a crate. Everyone froze to look, eyes wide. Specter’s hands started trembling down by her side. “What?” the girl asked.

“That’s Crosshair’s weapon kit,” Hunter answered. 

The entire ship seemed to hold its breath in the too-tense silence. Crosshair’s betrayal had hurt each of them, though no one would admit how much just yet.

Every muscle in Specter’s body tensed. She forced herself to keep breathing properly. The thoughts she’d fought to stifle since her twin abandoned them overloaded her head, hitting her like a wave and forming a knot in her stomach. In the silence her heartbeat seemed to be amplified.

After too long, Wrecker broke the silence and groaned.

“Fine. I’ll say it. I kinda miss him,” he admitted, pouting a little.

“He shot you, remember?” Echo said incredulously. Wrecker only smiled and rolled his shoulder.

“Ha! I sure do. That hurt!”

“That wasn’t the only thing that hurt,” Specter mumbled, crossing her arms to settle her shaking hands and looking away. 

“It’s worth noting the possibility that Crosshair’s actions were influenced by his inhibitor chip,” Tech said, gently putting a hand on Specter’s shoulder. 

“It can do that?” Echo asked Omega. She nodded.

“That’s what it was designed to do.”

“So, it wasn’t Crosshair’s fault?” Wrecker wondered.

“Well–” Tech began. 

“He still did it.” Specter snapped, practically throwing Tech’s hand off of her. “Maybe it wasn’t his fault. But he still did it. He still abandoned m– us. He betrayed us in the end, so what does it even matter if some chip made him do so?” she seethed as silence once again fell over them. 

“Listen,” Hunter said gently, “debating this won’t fix the ship,” he glanced at Specter, whose gaze was now transfixed on the floor. “Right now, we need to find that capacitor and get off this rock.” He returned toward the cockpit without another word; Specter felt guilty for her outburst, knowing Hunter was also feeling hurt, though he still had to lead the group. 

Omega looked utterly defeated, gazing up at the Batch with guilt in her eyes. 

“I- I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” 

“It’s alright, kid,” Echo reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Hunter’s right, let’s just focus on getting this piece of junk flying, okay?” 

“Forgive me, but the ‘piece of junk’ you’re referring to is my ship,” Tech warned, “the co-pilot’s chair could easily be returned to Specter if my ship isn’t good enough for you.“ 

Echo raised his one good hand in mock surrender, making Omega giggle. 

Specter allowed herself to smile a little, “I could out-fly either of you any day, and you know it”. 

“Well… I guess we’ll have to see about that once we’re off this moon,” Tech shrugged and adjusted his goggles before returning his focus to the holopad. 

Specter sighed. She didn’t exactly feel better, but she was able to shove her bitterness to the furthest corner of her mind.

“I’m going to patrol the area,” she announced, grabbing her shotgun and a respirator mask before heading toward the exit. 

“A wise idea,” Tech said, “Echo and I will follow you once we’ve found the spare capacitor.” 

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Specter peered through the darkness of the planetoid from the top of the Marauder. Tech and Echo worked to fix the capacitor below her, their chattering keeping her company in the clouded silence… though it was still quieter than she would have liked.

She didn’t exactly want alone time with her thoughts and considered that maybe a solo patrol hadn’t been the best idea. Specter sighed and sat on the hull, turning off her light and placing her blaster beside her, hugging her knees close.

Maybe there would come a day when the mention of her twin’s name wouldn’t send her spiraling. Though the possibility of that day coming soon scared her nearly as much as the idea of seeing him again. 

“He promised,” she whispered to herself, hot, angry tears brimming in her eyes. Loyalty, kinship, brotherhood. She’d promised to always look out for him, and he’d promised the same for her. Never did she imagine being a galaxy apart, separated by opposite sides of a new war. She wasn’t sure she could ever forgive him. 

A faint rustling caught her attention, and she quickly forced herself back to her feet, searching the area with the scope of her shotgun. 

Nothing. Maybe she was hearing things. 

“Specter! Tech!” she heard Echo call. She sighed and hopped off the hull, meeting the pair where they stood, analyzing the side of the ship, “look at this.” 

Deep scratches that stretched nearly two feet marred the side of the Marauder. Specter stifled a shiver. 

“Ah, well, those weren’t there when we landed,” Tech stated. 

“Those aren’t blaster marks,” Specter observed, running her fingers through the rough grooves. “Any sign of wildlife? I didn’t get any visuals.”

“Not that I registered on my scans,” Tech looked at his holopad again, “I’m sure something will come up through the ship’s sensors.”“Well, I don’t want to come face to face with whatever made that. Let’s head back,” Echo said, already making his way inside; the two followed close behind, not wanting to tempt whatever creature waited for them in the dark.

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“The capacitor’s in place, but other systems are now failing,” reported Tech, taking off his respirator. Specter and Echo did the same.

“Something’s causing damage to the exterior hull,” Echo interjected. 

“You wanna narrow that down?” Hunter asked.

“Not mynocks, that’s for sure,” Specter said. 

Suddenly, the power went out, leaving the squad in the dark. A banging came from above, traveling to the front of the ship where Omega sat in the cockpit. A snarl was heard, along with a gasp from Omega; the team hurried to see what happened.

“What? What is it?” Wrecker asked.

“Some kind of creature, about this big,” she stretched out her arms to try and indicate its size, “with a long tail. I–it ran off with the part.” Echo went to one of the monitors and pulled up a diagnostic of the ship.

“She’s right,” he said, “the capacitor’s gone. And that was our last one.” 

“The creature is most likely an Ordo Moon Dragon. A species that feeds on raw energy. It was probably drawn to the capacitor’s electric charge,” Tech explained, looking up from his scanner. 

“‘Probably drawn’? I’d think it was certainly drawn,” Specter scoffed, standing arms akimbo in annoyance. 

“That would have been good to know beforehand, Tech,” Echo agreed.

“You two get the systems online,” Hunter directed Tech and Echo before turning to Wrecker, who had gone off to sit to clutch his aching head. “Wrecker, stay here. Spec and I will go after the dragon and get our part back.”

“I’m fine,” Wrecker insisted before groaning. Specter shook her head and came by his side.

“You are in no condition and you’re staying here. If it gets worse, there are some med-patches in the kit. If it gets unbearable to the point of death, call me,” she said gently, standing up on her toes to kiss his head. 

“I’ll go with you,” Omega said as Hunter and Specter turned to leave.

“No,” the two said in sync. 

“That thing could be dangerous,” Hunter said, adjusting his vibro-knife. 

“He’s right, Meg, the last thing we want is you getting hurt. Next time, okay?” Specter offered. 

“But– I’m part of this squad now, too, right?” the girl pressed. 

Hunter turned around with a sigh, looking like he might tell the girl no again. But he caught Specter’s gaze, who gave a half-smile and shrug. If nothing else, the girl was clever and knew how to poke at the soft spot Hunter already had for her. 

“All right, kid. Just stay close,” Hunter finally decided when he met no words of protest from his crew. Omega smiled and put on her respirator, eagerly making her way toward the exit with Specter and Hunter close behind. 

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Thick clouds hung low on the surface of the planetoid, obstructing the horizon and making Specter uneasy. The darkness created by the fog was no help as the trio navigated the uneven and rocky terrain. Hunter led the way, tracking the dragon’s path while Specter brought up the rear, zooming in through her scope to see as far ahead as she could.

Omega trotted between them, in wonder of this planet as much as the last. Hunter crouched, gathering a handful of gravel and shifting it between his fingers as he analyzed it. Omega squatted beside him. 

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Tracking.” He stood up and continued to lead. Omega pinched up the dirt as well, looking closely, puzzling over what the dirt could have possibly told Hunter. She wrinkled her nose.

“Yeah, I don’t get how he does it either,” Specter said, coming up behind her and nudging her shoulder. She ushered the girl forward to catch up with Hunter. 

“Could I learn to track like you?” Omega asked.

“Well, it’s an enhanced skill. Wrecker, Tech, and Specter… we each have one,” he explained, getting Specter’s attention and motioning for her to scout ahead.

“Yeah, and besides tracking, Hunter was also enhanced with luxurious hair,” she teased, passing him and flicking a tuft of his hair from his forehead.. The two followed loosely behind her. 

“Crosshair’s enhanced, too,” Omega said quietly, hoping Specter was out of earshot. Hunter’s steps slowed to a stop, taking in her words. “You shouldn’t be angry at him. He can’t help it.” Hunter sighed.

“I’m angry at myself. We don’t leave our own behind,” he said, watching Specter in the distance.

“Then we’ll find a way to get him back… somehow,” Omega encouraged, grabbing onto his arm. Hunter looked at the girl and smiled, nodding.

“Are you two coming?” Specter called from ahead. 

“Yeah,” Omega responded, “Hunter was just saying he could teach me how to track!” Hunter’s eyes widened and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl. 

“Fine, I’ll teach you the basics,” Hunter said with a half-smile.

Omega leaned in, eager to learn. Specter had circled back to watch Hunter try and explain his craft, having deemed the area clear.

“Here, see this?” Hunter knelt, his hand hovering over a mark on the ground. “Every living thing leaves a trace. This one shows us that our dragon ran off in that direction,” he pointed ahead.

Omega scrutinized the scuff on the ground. “How can you tell?” 

“Well there are a few things,” Hunter said as he stood and walked forward, “like I said before, it’s an enhanced skill; I can sense the capacitor and its position on the planet. But if you look there,” he gestured toward another mark in the ground, “there are signs everywhere. It takes time and practice to learn what they all mean.” Omega wandered ahead, scanning the area for other signs of disturbance.

“Over here!” she called.

“That’s a footprint, alright,” Hunter chuckled, “What’s it telling you?” Omega analyzed the disrupted gravel carefully, thinking for a long while before answering. 

“This one’s deeper than the others… it's diagonal… that means,” she paused, looking to make sure Hunter was listening, “that means a change in speed or direction.”

“Very good,” Hunter praised. Omega beamed and ran off to look for more clues. “The kid’s a natural,” Hunter chuckled, nudging Specter as she stood beside him, still on guard.

“It would seem so,” Specter mused. “If she picked up on your skills that quickly, I wonder why we keep you around.” “Maybe it's for my luxurious hair,” he teased. 

“Well, it’s certainly not for your way with children,” Specter winked. Hunter rolled his eyes and went to follow the girl. 

“Children weren’t part of the job until very recently,” he grumbled. Specter giggled and caught up to him. 

“Omega, wanna learn another skill?” “One of yours, Specter? I’d love to,” the girl came around with an eager smile. 

“Don’t we need to find the capacitor sooner than later?” Hunter chided.

“Oh please, this will take less than five minutes, Hunt.” Specter pulled Omega out of earshot, “Tracking is a useful skill. But if you aren’t careful, your target might just turn around and target you. That’s what stealth is for and lucky for you, that’s my specialty.”

Hunter smiled to himself as he watched the two girls whisper and giggle with each other just meters away; he could have chosen to direct his focus to try and hear what they were saying, but for the sake of Omega having fun, he chose not to. Specter demonstrated some sort of step sequence, Omega mirrored her. He was always curious how Specter grew to be so covert that on a good day, she could sneak up on him and avoid his detection entirely. 

Hunter supposed he would figure it out someday.

A rock striking another caught his attention; he turned but found nothing out of the ordinary. However, when he turned back to look at the girls, Omega was gone, and Specter was simply stretching her arms. 

“Specter, where’s Omega?” he asked, panic fluttering in his chest. Specter just shrugged. 

“Behind you!” A voice said. Hunter turned to find Omega holding up his vibroblade, beaming.

“How did you–” “Specter taught me! Stealth and tracking go hand in hand,” she turned the handle toward Hunter, who was still a bit shocked, but took it back anyway.

“It’s like you said, she’s really a natural,” Specter smiled, “and what’d I tell you? Less than five minutes.” Omega beamed with pride as the woman ruffled her hair with a grin. 

“Very nicely done, Omega. Now let’s get back on track, the dragon and the capacitor are close,” Hunter said, nodding ahead.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio came up on a ridge, walking low until they kneeled behind a jutting rock. 

“See it?” Hunter said, pointing out the capacitor, beeping a little ways away. “You wait here. Spec, circle around and get ready to neutralize the dragon,” he ordered. Specter reconfigured her shotgun to her rifle, quietly moving to circle the area—disappearing in under a minute— while Omega watched Hunter slowly approach the device. He stood right above it, ready to take it back, before hearing a low snarling and seeing large claws begin to climb over the rock. 

The dragon emerged and pounced on Hunter, knocking him back and baring its teeth.

“Hunter!” Specter cried out, running towards the creature with her rifle at the ready. The dragon snarled and crawled off of him, taking the capacitor and running off with blaster-shots close behind. 

“It’s getting away!” Omega cried, chasing after it before Specter could stop her.

“Omega, wait! Hunter, come on,” she turned back, expecting to see the sergeant dusting himself off. Instead, he was choking from the unbreathable air, a hand at his throat while the other blindly searched for his respirator. 

“Oh my stars! Hunter!” She dropped her rifle, rushing to his side as he collapsed, falling limp. “No, no, no,” she panicked, not finding his mask in the immediate area. “Hunter, can you hear me?” He didn’t reply. Specter felt the side of his neck, hyperventilating when she found no pulse; despite the panic, she knew she had only a few minutes before the lack of oxygen would permanently damage his brain… she didn’t even want to think about anything beyond that. 

She scrambled up, finding his respirator a short distance away on the other side of a small rock pile; Specter forced herself away from his side, the few meters seemed like miles, but soon enough, she returned to shove it on his face, flooding it with oxygen.

But he still wasn’t breathing.

“Come on, Hunt. Stay with me, wake up,” she begged, trying to shake him awake. Still no response and time was running out. “Dank farrick, Hunter, wake up!” Specter yelled now, angry. “Echo, Wrecker, Tech, Cro- someone! Come in, I need an assist,” she tried on the comm, placing her hands on Hunter’s chest. Comms were still down, and Omega hadn’t come back yet. She growled as she adjusted her hands and began compressions, counting to herself and ignoring the ache building up in her wrist. 

13. 14. Come on. Please. Not like this, Hunter. 18. 19.

She pressed as hard as she could on his chest. Why, why, why isn’t this working? Panic had narrowed her vision so much that she hadn’t until that very moment realized that Hunter’s chest plate made the compressions ineffective. 

Specter let out a breathless sob, hope becoming more and more faint as time ran out. She beat his chest with her fist, praying to whatever could be listening that he would wake up again. 

23. It can’t happen like this. Not after everything we’ve been through. 29.

He gasped and coughed himself awake, wheezing as he tried to take air in. 

“Oh my stars!” Specter froze and held the mask over his face, holding the back of his head. Hunter slowly but surely came to, his eyes fluttering open.

“Specter?” he groaned. She helped him sit up but was still reeling. “Where’s Omega?” he asked. 

“I– I don’t know. She ran off after the dragon,” Specter explained, the reality beyond Hunter’s fate coming back to her. She helped him stand. 

“What?!” Hunter was certainly awake now, breaking away from Specter’s arms and looking around for the girl. “Why didn’t you go after her? She could get hurt!”

“You don’t think I know that? I wasn’t going to just leave you behind, I’m not losing you too!” she snapped. He said nothing more, eyes wide, finally noticing the tear stains on her cheeks. She caught her breath and turned her gaze, holding herself and cradling her wrist.

“Let’s go find her,” he said, changing their focus. Specter simply nodded and continued onward.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter lost count of how many times they called Omega’s name. Hunter tracked her path only so far before it seemed to disappear. She felt guilty for losing track of the girl, but reminded herself of the alternative if she had not been there for Hunter.

“Omega?” she called.

“Omega!” Hunter echoed with increasing urgency.

“I’m coming!” a muffled voice finally replied. The girl emerged from a small tunnel that led beneath the surface. Hunter and Specter ran towards her, helping her out the rest of the way.

“Are you okay? What were you thinking going down there? Why didn’t you stay with Specter?” he scolded as he dusted her off. Specter quietly checked for injuries, a little grateful that Omega didn’t see what had happened with Hunter. 

“The mission was to retrieve the capacitor, wasn’t it? I tracked the dragon and snuck up on it, like you guys did,” Omega explained, holding up the device. Hunter and Specter looked at her in amazement; Specter smiled, allowing a laugh to escape.

“You really are a natural.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They walked back to the ship in silence, Omega skipping ahead while Hunter and Specter walked in tandem. Specter held her arms, contemplating what to say, still holding her wrist. 

“How long was I out?” Hunter broke the silence.

“Almost too long,” she replied.

“I see,” he said after a long pause, “Hey, Omega? Why don’t you go ahead and tell the others we found the part?” The girl nodded and dashed away just over the hill towards the Marauder.

“You’re upset.”

“You stopped breathing, Hunter!” she snapped, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him. “29 chest compressions, I had no clue if you would come back or if this would be the one time where I wouldn’t be fast enough. I already lost one brother, I refuse to lose my best friend.” 

Hunter was at a loss for words, only able to watch as she ran a hand through her hair, catching her breath after her outburst and blinking away tears.

“I should have gone after Omega as soon as you were okay. I lapsed. It won’t happen again,” Specter said, almost as though she were delivering a report, though her voice was still rough. 

“Specter, look at me,” he said gently, tilting his head to try and meet her gaze.

“She could have gotten hurt-”

“Look at me,” he repeated firmly, holding her face towards him. Her eyes shifted, almost begrudgingly meeting his. “I needed you at that moment, and you were there. Omega is a smart girl and can handle herself. You saved my life, Specter, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I don’t know how I could ever repay you,” said Hunter, his hands dropping from her face to her shoulders. She relaxed under his touch, putting a hand over his.

“You would do the same for me,” she said, smiling a little under her respirator. She gave his hand a squeeze and he smiled. 

“Let’s hope it never comes to that,” he chuckled. 

They walked in comfortable silence back toward the Marauder, where their crew awaited their arrival. 

“Omega was just telling us what little help you were in retrieving the capacitor,” Echo teased from just outside the entryway. 

“Oh, is that so?” Hunter said, eyeing the smug little girl. “Well, I hate to disappoint, but it’s true. We owe this mission to her.” 

Omega beamed with pride. Specter couldn’t help but smile, watching as Tech offered to teach the girl how to replace the part. She was already learning so much. 

Maybe Specter would have something to learn from her too. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tech, get us outta here,” Hunter said once the repairs were made and everyone had settled. 

“Gladly.” Tech took off and flew away without hesitation, the ship ran like it was as good as new. “Systems are up and running.”

“Yeah, took you long enough,” Wrecker grumbled, coming into the cockpit.

“And where have you been?” Echo asked, turning in his seat. Wrecker ignored him, however, and went straight to Omega, kneeling in front of her. 

“Hey, kid. Come with me. Cover your eyes,” he said. Omega nodded, taking his outstretched hand and covering her eyes. Hunter and Specter watched as he led her through the hold towards the rear gun. Wrecker chuckled excitedly. “Okay. Open ‘em!” He chuckled again as the girl opened her eyes. Specter tilted her head, trying to understand what they were looking at, besides a sheet covering the gun entrance, until Omega pulled it aside. “Check it out! It’s your own room.” 

Omega climbed up into the alcove made cozy with blankets, pillows, and lights. Specter smiled as the girl’s eyes sparkled, absorbing everything. 

“Well, what do you think? I thought this place could feel more like a home.”

“It’s perfect,” Omega insisted, grinning wide. “Thank you, Wrecker.” He smiled bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It was nothing,” he said. Specter gently nudged him.

“That was really nice of you, Wrecker. Nicely done,” she complimented.

“I never had my own room before,” said Omega, sitting down and cradling Lula. 

“Well, you’re a part of this squad now too,” Hunter smiled as Tech and Echo arrived to see the girl make herself cozy. Specter’s heart warmed seeing Hunter smile up at the little girl, the entire squad’s faces bright with warmth and newfound joy. 

Losing her twin, though it still stung, had brought her Omega. She was a fresh start, a new adventure. Specter rested an arm on Hunter’s shoulder, grateful he was alive, and grateful they had made it this far with their family.

I strayed a bit further away from canon for this chapter, simply because I hated this episode, aside from Crosshair's bits. But Crosshair isn't here, SO I hoped this turned out okay!

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #clone force 99 #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #f!oc

[aaaaaaaaaaashes]

The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 2: Cut and Run

Edited by @ryleeeeeenn *numa: Twi'leki translation for "sister"

Episode 2: Cut and Run 

“Well, this is a first,” Hunter said, coming up behind Echo and Specter, who stood smiling at a sleeping Omega and Wrecker.

“Inspecting every corner of the ship finally tired her out,” Echo explained. Hunter chuckled.

“Yeah, she’s curious. I’ll give her that,” he said before Echo turned to join Tech in the cockpit. Specter felt Hunter’s eyes on her. She smiled still, hoping to cover the exhaustion and anxiety that continued to weigh her down. Crosshair’s betrayal had taken a drastic toll on her, though she’d continue to pretend it wasn’t the hardest thing she’d ever experienced.  

“Hey, you okay?” he asked just loud enough for her to hear. She turned her gaze to him, her smile faltering ever so slightly before she looked back at the girl and shrugged.  

“I’ll be fine. Can’t really afford to think about it,” she said, still looking at Omega sleeping peacefully. “Hunter, she’s a child. What are we gonna do with her?”

Specter doubted Hunter had an answer, and even if he did, whatever he might have said was cut off as the Marauder lurched out of hyperspace. 

“We are coming up on Saleucami,” Tech announced. Specter sighed, tightening her ponytail.

“I’ll wake these two up.” Hunter nodded and clapped a hand on her shoulder before entering the cockpit. She went to kneel down in front of Omega, gently shaking her. “Omega,” she whispered until the girl’s eyes opened, “it’s time to wake up hun. We’re about to land.” The girl rubbed her eyes and slowly stood up, stretching her arms. “Did you have a good rest?”

“Yeah… oh, it looks like Wrecker fell asleep too,” she noticed.

“Looks like he did,” Specter smiled, “You two needed the rest.” Specter shook her brother until he stirred, “C’mon sleepyhead, we’re landing!” “Couple more minutes…” “I’ll steal Lula.” The larger clone bolted upright. 

“You wouldn’t dare!” 

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Specter followed Hunter out of the Marauder, thankful to have the warm sunlight on her face. She hummed and took in the fresh air, thick with the floral scent of the surrounding plants. They hadn’t made it a few yards before Hunter paused, turning back to Omega, who lingered at the entrance of the ship. 

“What’s with her?” Wrecker wondered aloud. The girl took a deep breath of the fresh air and exhaled with a smile, slowly stepping down and kneeling on the ground, feeling the surface with her hand.

“Woah,” she said in awe, picking up a handful of the dust and letting it fall between her fingers. “What is this?” Omega wondered.

“That would be dirt,” Tech answered.

“It’s amazing,” she giggled, standing up and kicking it around. Specter sniffed.

“Yeah, and it’s getting everywhere,” she managed before sneezing into her elbow. 

“We didn’t have dirt on Kamino. Nala Se’s lab was always so–”

“Clean?” Specter offered. 

“Yeah,” the girl said with a shrug, “I think I like the dirt.” Hunter smiled a little at the girl before the rumbling clouds above caught his attention.

“Come on. Let’s get moving.”

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They walked through the tall brush, Omega loosely following behind, exploring the flora and fauna. Specter couldn’t remember the last time she saw the Lawquanes, but all her memories of them were bountiful in joy and warmth.

“So this friend of yours, what’s he doing all the way out here?” Echo asked.

“Hiding,” Tech answered, “That’s what deserters do.”

“Staying off the radar’s not our specialty, but he’s been doing it for years,” Hunter added.

“And you trust a deserter?” Echo was still unsure.

“Why not? We’re all deserters now. Might as well take notes from the expert,” Specter said with a humorous tone. They came to the edge of the property before Hunter signaled them to stop, holding back Omega as well.

“What are we looking at?” she asked.

“A booby trap,” Hunter said. 

“Single trip wire,” Wrecker chuckled, pushing his way to the front and stepping over it before anyone could stop him. “That’s cute.” In his gloating, he walked right into another laser sensor, springing the trap; dummy battle droids surrounded the clone, who yelped and opened fire.

“Easy, Wrecker!” Hunter stopped him.

“W-was that me?” he sheepishly asked.

“No, Wrecker, it was the giant Womp Rat with sparkly purple fur and the face of a Gungan,” Specter replied with deadpan sarcasm. 

“What do we have here?” a fuschia Twi’lek appeared behind the rigging of the trap, rifle drawn, “More clones who have lost their way,” she said with a smile, lowering her weapon. A clone appeared beside her. He smiled upon recognizing the group.

“It’s been a while, fellas.”

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The group made their way into the couple’s home. It was small and warm, and smelled of whatever meal the pair had prepared on the stove. Tech sat at the dining table, fully immersed in whatever he read on his datapad. Omega, on the other hand, explored the space in wonder, seemingly starstruck by the woodgrain of the table or the dust under the furniture, or the glow of the warm sun in the windows.  

“I see a few new faces,” the Twi’lek observed. 

“Echo and Omega, Cut and Suu,” Hunter introduced. Suu waved at the girl and clone as they said their hellos. 

“Where’s Crosshair?” Cut asked, sitting down with his cup and looking at Specter. She lowered her eyes and looked away, holding herself; his betrayal was still fresh in her mind.

“It’s… complicated,” Hunter answered slowly.

“Sounds familiar. Rex told us about the clone troopers turning against the Jedi,” Cut shrugged. Specter perked up at the mention of his name.

“You talked to Rex? When?” Echo asked excitedly. 

“Well he passed through yesterday.”

“Where’d he go?”

“Didn’t ask. He was going on about some behavioral implant.”

“He must mean the inhibitor chip,” Omega interjected. 

“The what?” Hunter asked the girl.

“Inhibitor chips. The Kaminoans implanted them in the clones to modify their behavior,” she explained nonchalantly. The Sergeant looked over her shoulder.

“Tech, you said the regs were programmed, but you never mentioned a chip,” he growled.

“How else did you think it worked?” Tech shrugged, looking up from his data pad. Specter nudged him.

“You and I are going to have a serious conversation about ‘need-to-know knowledge’, understood?” she mumbled with a scowl. The trooper adjusted his goggles and rolled his eyes. 

Suddenly, the door burst open, and two adolescent Twi’leks came running in, calling for their mother and father. 

“There’s a ship outside!” one of them exclaimed. 

“Shaeeah, Jek!” Wrecker cried excitedly, “Remember me?”

“Uncle Wrecker!” they cheered, running into his arms. 

“And what about me? Your favorite aunty?” Specter announced, stepping towards the children with her arms outstretched. The children gasped.

“Aunty Specter!” Shaeeah cheered, leaving Wrecker with her brother. The clone pouted at the lack of attention. 

“You’re here,” Jek happily lept into her arms. She laughed as she hugged them tight, kissing the top of their heads and winking at Wrecker. 

“Who are you?” Shaeeah asked, noticing Omega, who was hiding behind Hunter.

“I’m… Omega,” she shyly introduced.

“We never see kids around here,” the Twi’lek said before taking Omega’s hand. “Come with us.” The blonde girl looked at Hunter for permission, who smiled and nodded his approval. The children made their way outside. Hunter and Specter watched them go, only turning when they felt they were being watched. Suu gave a knowing smile. 

“Ah, parenthood,” Suu mused, “It suits you both.” 

“What? That’s not– we’re not–” Hunter fumbled, “The kid’s stuck with us until we can find somewhere safe for her.” 

“Aww, c’mon Hunter, you know you wanna keep her,” Specter teased.

 “Clones have been said to have very paternal and nurturing instincts,” Tech muttered, not looking up from his datapad.

“Shut up, Tech.” the pair said in unison. He simply shrugged and muttered something under his breath before once again tuning the group out. Specter rolled her eyes and approached the Twi’lek.

“Suu, can you help me with something?” Specter asked, leading her away from the others. The Twi’lek frowned, concerned. 

“Of course, anything, are you alright?” “Yeah, I just need a bit of change and I had an idea.” 

“You want me to do what?” Suu asked incredulously. The girls had secluded themselves in what Specter assumed was Cut and Suu’s bedroom. She sat before a small mirror, now dressed in civvies that Suu had graciously loaned to her, running her hands through her now unbraided and wavy hair. 

“Please?” Specter begged, “I know it’s a lot to ask and-”

“It’s not that it is a big ask,” Suu stopped her. “Are you sure you want to do this? It will look very different, and I’m not sure I’m the best person to give you what you want.” Specter brought her hair forward, brushing her hand over it.

“I’m sure. With all that’s happening, I guess I just want… something I can control.” The Twi’lek sighed.

“Alright. Although I will admit, I will miss this look for you.”

She knew it was merely cosmetic, but something in Specter hoped the visual change would be enough for her to get a grip on this new and unknown situation and allow her to let go. She was hurt and tired. Nothing made sense anymore, and the first person she would go to who would usually help her had been the one to break her heart. 

Crosshair had always braided her hair when they were young cadets. She had kept her hair long for most of her life, but now, it served as a reminder of the past, the burden weighed her down. 

The first snip of the scissors sent shivers down her spine. Suu had insisted Specter close her eyes, and she obeyed, allowing the rhythm of the snipping to soothe her. Suu finished her work, brushing stray hairs off of Specter’s shoulders.

“You can open your eyes now. Take a look,” she said softly. Specter’s eyes slowly fluttered open, almost flinching at the sight in the mirror. She felt better, yes, lighter, more free. She turned her head from side to side, tousling her hair that now fell just above her shoulders. The girl in the mirror was still her, of course, there was no denying that. She looked drastically different, as did her perspective.

This was her choice, even if it was a simple one. Her self-agency remained intact and would stay that way, even in the unknown future. Yet Specter couldn’t help but glance at the lost inches of hair on the floor, recalling old conversations with her twin as he had helped her style it. Tears began to well in her eyes as the euphoria of letting go rushed through her. She tried to blink them back.

“Was it too short? I’m so sorry, Specter, I did the best I could. You must hate it-”

“No!” she quickly wiped her tears away, smiling. “No, it’s perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted,” the girl whispered, admitting her reflection. “Thank you, Suu. I really mean it.” The Twi’lek smiled and wrapped her arms around Specter’s shoulders from behind. 

“Of course, numa,” she said.

Their embrace was interrupted by a commotion in the common room. “Mom! Mom!” Shaeeah cried, rushing inside as the women stepped out of the bedroom, “It’s Omega! She went out past the fence!”

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Specter took off after Hunter, who rushed to the girl’s aid with his knife drawn. Her enhanced speed carried her forward, and she tackled the Nexu away from Omega as Hunter stood between the beast and the girl. The animal roared and swiped at her, but she dodged and remained out of reach. While the Nexu was distracted, Suu got a few shots in and managed to scare it away. Hunter recovered Omega and carried her back to safety.

“What were you doing out there? Do you realize you could’ve been killed?” Hunter scolded. Omega shied away, head down. Specter made her way back to the group and placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.

“Easy, Sarge, she’s not a soldier,” she knelt before the girl, “Omega, are you hurt? Hey, look at me. Did it hurt you?” The little girl sniffed, burying her face in Specter’s shoulder. Specter rubbed her back gently to sooth her, “We’re not mad at you, hun; you just scared us is all. We were worried.”  

“I’m sorry. I was trying to get the ball. I didn’t know,” she apologized. Cut, who also kneeled beside her, brought Omega in for a comforting hug. 

“You’re safe. That’s all that matters.” Cut lifted her up and carried her back inside, “Come on.” Specter stood up and watched them go.

“And you think parenthood doesn’t suit you,” Suu teased from the doorway with a smile. 

She smiled and rolled her eyes as Suu followed Cut inside, turning back to her team, finding they were already staring at her. “What?”

“A couple inches longer would have better suited your face shape, but even so, I think it looks rather good,” Tech commented, blunt as ever.

“Wait, what are we looking at?” Wrecker asked, still oblivious. Echo palmed his forehead with frustration.

“Her haircut, Wrecker. Which looks really nice?” he hinted.

“Woah! It’s shorter!”

“That’s kind of the point, Wrecker. I just figured since we had a bit of time and it needed to be cut…” she trailed off, smiling and running a hand through her shorter locks. Her eyes met Hunter’s as he stood, still staring at her new appearance; his eyes flickered away and he cleared his throat. “So, what’s the plan, Sarge?”

“Tech, you think you could forge some chain codes?” Hunter asked.

“I only learned of them moments ago, but yes,” Tech assured.

“Moments ago? How come I’m just learning about them now?” Specter said,

“Between your time with Suu and the Nexu attack, when were we supposed to tell you?” Hunter shrugged. 

“Fine, fine. What are they then?”

“Imperial issued identification, and what we need to leave this planet” Tech explained. 

“And you can forge them?” Specter asked. 

“I believe so.” 

“Do it. Echo can help you,” Hunter ordered. “And Wrecker? Help the family start packing. We’re getting Cut, Suu, and the kids on that shuttle.”

“Yes, sir,” they replied, already setting themselves to their task, leaving Specter and Hunter alone together. 

“So…” Specter began.

“The hair looks good,” Hunter said, awkwardly. 

“Oh. Thank you. I just needed the change and with everything else that’s going on-”

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that.” Specter raised a brow, waiting for him to continue. “It’s about Omega. I think we should leave her with Cut and Suu.”

“Oh.” Specter wasn’t sure how to react. Part of her agreed wholeheartedly that the girl deserved better than a life on the run. She deserved a home and a family, the chance to be a child.

Yet, another part of Specter insisted there had to be another option. In such a short amount of time, she had grown attached to Omega. Her spirit was the spark the Batch needed, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

“You don’t agree, do you?” Hunter asked, meeting Specter’s eyes. 

“I don’t not agree; I’m just concerned about how Omega is going to take it. I think her heart is set on staying with us. Especially after all the trouble we went through to get back to her.

“You’re right, but I don’t think we’re fit to raise her.” 

Specter pressed her lips into a line; she honestly thought they were capable enough to at least try, but if Hunter thought the opposite… she would need to reevaluate her mindset. 

“Did you talk to Cut and Suu?”

“They’d be willing.”

Specter nodded. Neither decision—whether the girl stays or goes—seemed like the right one. Hurting Omega was the only guarantee.

“Well, both options suck,” Specter sighed.

“I agree. But it’s why I’m leaning towards the safest one for her.”

“You’re right,” Specter said after a long pause, “but why tell me if you’ve already made up your mind?” Now Hunter paused to think, now avoiding her scrutinous gaze.

“I just need to know I’m not making a mistake.”

“Hey,” she put a hand on his shoulder, “you’re not. I trust that you’re making the right decision. And no matter the outcome, we’re doing the right thing, and we can bounce back. Alright?” Hunter took a breath and nodded. “We’re doing what’s best for Omega… regardless of how we feel.”

“Now we just have to hope we can get everyone on that shuttle in time. Now I'm sure we can manage that.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You did what?” Hunter shouted over the comm, banging his fist on the table and running outside where Wrecker and Specter were helping to load the Lawquane’s belongings onto the carrier. Last she knew, Tech and Echo were back at the ship, trying to figure out how to forge the chain codes. Now, she watched and gaped as an Imperial ship carried away the Marauder.

“Tech, are you insane? What did you do?” she practically screamed into the comm, fuming. 

“This was the simplest solution,” he replied calmly. Specter frustratedly tangled her hands in her hair and paced around. 

“Getting our ship impounded is not my idea of a solution,” Hunter scolded.

“We’ll meet you at the spaceport with the chain codes. I have this under control,” Tech affirmed, “Don’t worry, it’s all part of the plan.” 

“It better be,” Specter scolded. 

“There’s one big problem. Omega’s on the ship,” Hunter growled into the comm. 

“Oh, Maker, give me the patience,” Specter mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose, now pacing back and forth with her hands in her hair. 

Hunter was right, this is no life for a little girl.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun had just set over the horizon by the time Hunter, Wrecker, Specter, and the Lawquanes made it to the town. Specter did her best to act casual but kept her head on a swivel. 

“Tech, we’re in the spaceport. What is your status?” Hunter reported. 

“In progress. The encryption shouldn’t be a problem,” Tech said. The group continued their way down the street, trying to ignore the heavy clone trooper presence.

“Mom, I don’t like this,” Jek whimpered, clutching his mother’s hand.

“Everything will be okay,” Suu assured him with a gentle smile. Specter watched the interaction, her heart breaking a little.

“Could you hurry up? We either get those chain codes to get them on the shuttle, or we blast our way out of here,” she urged Tech. 

“Don’t worry. I can slip through security unnoticed and deliver the disks to you momentarily.” 

“Great, now I’m more worried,” Specter sighed, following her team as they took their place in a long line. They waited anxiously for Tech as time seemed to slow to a near halt. Specter fidgeted, mindful to avoid the gaze of passing troopers. 

The chime of the comm startled Specter as Tech finally reported in, “The chain codes are en route… er… with Omega.” 

Maker, help us all.

“By herself?” Hunter hissed. “You let her go by herself?”

“Well, we didn’t let her go.”

Specter has already taken off in Omega’s direction with Wrecker close on her tail. They seemed to find her just in time. A droid had cornered the girl, but before it could alert anyone of her presence, Wrecker had smashed its head in. 

“That hit the spot!” he said with a grin. Specter helped the girl to her feet and gently dusted the girl off. 

“What were you thinking going off on your own?! You could’ve been caught or hurt— are you hurt?” Omega shook her head with a smile, holding up the chain codes, “You are very lucky we’re in a rush right now, or I would scold you for going off on your own,” Specter grumbled, ruffling Omega’s hair. She would truly miss the little girl.

“Better get going,” Wrecker nodded toward the shuttle. “They’re waiting for you at the dock.” Specter helped Omega over the barrier before regrouping with Wrecker. 

“Specter, I need an assist,” Tech said over the comm.

“Of course you do,” she teased, running towards the Marauder, counting on Wrecker to stall the troops that arrived at the commotion. She leaped onto a crate and split-kicked the heads of two soldiers who were firing at Tech and Echo. The troopers collapsed, allowing her brothers the chance to regroup. “What do you need?”

“Do you think you can manage running a shipwide diagnostic and maintain a defensive position?” Tech asked.

“I’ve done much harder, Tech, you know this,” she rolled her eyes, hopping into the ship. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hunter, get over here. We’ve overstayed our welcome, and we need to leave now,” Specter ordered over the comm, finishing the last of the diagnostics. Fortunately, the Empire hadn’t added any tracking signals or malware. Over the years, Tech had taught Specter what he could, trusting her to learn some of his skills should he ever be unable to fulfill the task. Hearing blaster fire intensify, she grabbed her rifle and stood at the ship's entrance, firing relentlessly at the troopers to stave them off. Hunter came into view, hopping over the barrier and wrestling with a few soldiers, knocking them down.

“Glad you could make it,” Tech commented as the Sergeant took cover next to him. 

“What are we waiting for?” Hunter asked towards Echo.

“The clamp’s still magnetized. The system’s not responding.” Hunter looked at Specter next.

“Don’t look at me! That’s all external,” Specter yelled before shooting again. Hunter then nodded at Wrecker, who went to remove the clamp by his own force. 

“It responded to that,” he cheered. 

“Get in!” Specter shouted before ducking back inside toward the rear gun, firing a few warning shots. The boys began to enter the Marauder, but Wrecker hesitated outside.

“Wait. Omega’s not back,” he said.

“Wrecker,” Hunter began to explain, “she’s not-”

“Wait for me!” a little voice yelled from across the lot. Omega ran forward, but a trooper caught her leg. Hunter rushed forward to retrieve the girl, providing cover fire so she could get back to the ship.

“Omega? I thought you…” Specter said, surprised at the girl’s presence as she took a seat in the main hold. “Nevermind. Strap in,” she waved it off, turning to fire again. The Lawquane’s shuttle took off and flew away, allowing Hunter and Wrecker to make their way inside. Tech took off as soon as they were secured, escaping the range of blasters. Specter sat back and released a breath, massaging her temples.

“I know I made a mistake, and I have a lot to learn, but you don’t have to get rid of me,” she heard Omega plead with Hunter, who was at the computer. “I left Kamino with you. This is where I wanna be,” she insisted.

“Tell you the truth, kid, I guess I’ve got a lot to learn too,” Hunter admitted. “If this is where you want to be, then this is where you’ll stay.” She smiled to herself.

I was a little girl once… maybe this life isn’t so bad. Better to have her with us than alone on Kamino.

Specter watched from the rear gun as Saleucami grew more distant. For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe and reminisce, savoring the peaceful and joyful moments her time on the planet had brought her. Deep down, she knew those quiet moments would now be a rare luxury. But as she had turned in her seat and peered into the common area, quietly observing the small moments of life from her crew, she was overcome with a sense of peace. 

Their future—Omega’s future—was uncertain, yes, but Specter knew that as long as they stuck together, they would always end up alright.

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echi #clone force 99 #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #f!oc

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The Bad Batch: Specter

Episode 1: Aftermath

Here begins the first season of the Bad Batch with my OC Specter! Hope you stick around! Edited by @ryleeeeeenn *osi'kyr: strong exclamation of surprise or dismay *kark: strong expletive (Star Wars version of fuck, I guess) *adla’vod: roughly translates to “twin”, directly translates to “same brother/sister” *di'kut: idiot warnings: canonical Star Wars violence

The conflict had left the Republic’s forces on Kaller severely depleted. The troopers desperately attempted to hold their position, awaiting the arrival of promised reinforcements. Right now, it looked like they’d never arrive, and if they did, there might just be nothing to reinforce.

“Not to be a pessimist, but if the commander isn’t back soon with those reinforcements…” Captain Grey trailed off.

“My Padawan will be here,” Jedi General Depa Billaba insisted before Grey could finish his thought. She continued to dodge the barrage of blaster fire as she searched for her apprentice.

“Master! Here,” he shouted, appearing as if just on cue, sliding down the snowy hill. “I’m here!” 

“Caleb, where are the reinforcements?” The boy seemed too distracted to answer his Master, watching the battlefield in what could only be described as anticipation.  

“Don’t worry. They’re right behind me,” the boy insisted. The captain and general glanced at each other, confused, then back in the direction Caleb had come from. 

“Uh, where are they?” Captain Grey asked.

“Caleb,” Billaba pressed. 

“Trust me,” he affirmed.

“Well, how many are there?” said the clone.

“Six of them.”

“Six?” he repeated incredulously. “We’re done,” he shook his head. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but you gotta see these clones. They’re… different,” the boy said just as a rumbling from the overlooking mountain caught the attention of the droids. The army came to a halt. A giant boulder rolled out and smashed a large number of battle droids in its path. Tech, Echo, Specter, Hunter, and Wrecker charged out of the woods, blasting at the droids in their path. Crosshair sat high above, using his vantage point to snipe away. Wrecker practically barrelled through the droids while Hunter skillfully used his blaster and knife to destroy them. Tech wove through the platoon and planted EMPs, activating them once he was out of harm’s way; Echo used his blaster, and Crosshair provided Specter with cover fire while she took a knee and blasted droids with her shotgun. A few droids got close, so she simply used her blaster to swing and dismantle them before reconfiguring her weapon into its rifle form.

“Crosshair, let’s get these tanks moving,” Hunter ordered. 

“Sir, yes, sir,” Crosshair hissed before shooting canisters containing grappling lines to connect the tanks. Once they were connected, Wrecker went to the farthest one and started pushing it off the cliff; Tech went up to the tank in the middle and called out to the command droid.

“Hey, clanker! Catch,” he said before tossing it an EMP. The droids inside the tank sparked out, losing control of the vehicle and falling over the cliff with the rest of the tanks. With the odds evened out, they were able to easily pick off the rest of the droids. 

“Hey, Cross, what’s your count?” Specter asked the sniper as he joined the group, heading towards the Jedi General and Commander.

“More than you, adla’vod,” he sneered, elbowing her side. She shoved him back before straightening up before the regs. Hunter sheathed his knife and took off his helmet

“If you’re done hiding down there, I suggest you launch a counterattack. Another droid battalion’s approaching,” he said.

“The General is the one who gives the orders around here,” the clone captain spoke up. Depa Billaba gestured with a gentle, calming hand.

“He’s right, Captain. This is our chance. Launch the counterattack,” she ordered.

“Yes, General,” he saluted. “All right, men. Let’s go!” Captain Grey and his men ran out of the trench and went to advance. 

“There you are, little Jedi,” Wrecker said with a smile, “you missed all the fun.” Caleb smiled and stepped forward.

“Watching your team in action was the fun.”

“Care to introduce your new friends, Caleb?” Billaba asked. 

“Yes, Master. This is Wrecker, Hunter, Specter, Echo, Tech, and Crosshair.” Billaba smiled and nodded at each of them.

“While I’m not sure ‘fun’ is the sentiment I would express, I agree with my Padawan. Your exploits were quite impressive.”

“Exploits?” Wrecker muttered, confused.

“Don’t overthink it, Wrecker,” Crosshair said, passing by and sticking a toothpick in between his teeth. 

“Thank you, General,” Echo said, circling back to the point. 

“Now, would one of you please explain where my actual reinforcements are?” the General said. 

“Rerouted to the capital. We’re all you’re getting,” Hunter reported. 

“Ha! We’re all you need,” Wrecker exclaimed, hoisting up his blaster. 

“Actually, if my intel is correct, the general will not need any of us. The Clone War may soon be over,” Tech chimed in. 

“You hear that, clankers?” Specter shouted over her shoulder to the distant droids, “the war is almost over!” Crosshair snickered.

“I am referring to the encrypted comm chatter,” Tech said, unamused. “Clone intelligence is reporting Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi has found and engaged General Grievous on Utapau.”

“If he captures or kills Grievous, the Separatist command structure will collapse; and most likely the droid armies along with them,” Echo theorized.

“A fascinating theory, yet unfortunately not something we can control from here. I suggest we focus on the task at hand,” the Jedi Master continued. 

“Any orders? Or shall we do what we do?” Hunter asked with a smirk before replacing his helmet; the rest of the group followed suit.

“Let’s blow something up! Yeah!” Wrecker cheered. The General looked at the Commander.

“Well, Caleb, shall we let them do what they do?” she asked, coyly.

“Only if I can go with them.”

“Very well,” she nodded.

“You ready for this?” Hunter asked. 

“We move fast,” Specter chimed in. 

“Good. That’s the only way I know,” the kid said with a mischievous smile before dashing off past the Batch.

“I like him,” Wrecker said with a laugh, chasing after him. 

The group hardly noticed the sudden increase in blaster fire until Caleb slowed to a stop and turned to watch his master deflecting blasts from the same clones she’d commanded only moments ago. 

“Master!” he shouted, running back to his master with his lightsaber ignited. The Bad Batch stopped and turned at the commotion. The regs had surrounded General Billaba and opened fire on her, she did her best to redirect the shots while shouting for her Padawan to run. 

One lucky shot brought her down, the ones that followed only sealed her fate.

What the hell? Specter thought to herself as they retraced their steps to meet the Padawan as he ran away from the danger of the other clones. Hunter held up his pistol, signaling the group to halt. “Stay away from me!” Caleb shouted, holding up his saber in a defensive position against them. Specter watched in confusion as he ran off toward the woods, a bitter taste filled her mouth.

“Kid, wait!” Hunter shouted after him. Caleb had already disappeared when she caught up with the team. “What… what just happened?” 

“The comm channel is repeating one directive, ‘Execute Order 66’,” Tech reported.

“Yeah, I heard that too. What’s Order 66?” Wrecker asked. 

“I am not certain,” Tech admitted. Specter was surprised; her heart was racing for reasons she couldn’t explain, but something in the air had changed. Hunter began to give commands.

“Echo. Tech. Talk to the reg Captain. Find out what you can.” The two nodded and went off to find Captain Grey. “Crosshair, you and I will track down the kid and make sure nothing happens to him. Wrecker, Specter, stall anyone who tries to follow us.” Wrecker nodded but Specter went to grab Hunter’s wrist.

“Wait, Sergeant. I should come with you,” she said, “I can catch up with him if need be.”

“No, I need you to stay with Wrecker,” he denied her request. 

“We’ll be fine. Quit fussing,” Crosshair sneered, already marching off after the Jedi.

When he was out of earshot, Hunter leaned in and murmured “something is very wrong here, and I’d rather none of us be singled out.” Specter huffed but stepped back, allowing him to catch up with Crosshair. 

“You okay?” Wrecker carefully asked.

“Yeah, just a little uneasy,” she replied simply. Though she could have verily easily dumped all her inner thoughts and troubles out onto him, she refrained, knowing it would do little good for either of them.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” he said, rolling his shoulders, though he didn’t sound so convinced.

Time seemed to drag on as the pair kept watch in tense silence. Mere moments had passed when a group of regs, shiny ones at that, crested over the hill towards them. 

“Where’s the Padawan?” the leader asked.

“Being taken care of. We have a team working on it,” Specter answered, instinctively deepening her voice and adding distortion to her modulator.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Hunter’s handling it,” Wrecker chimed in.

“We have orders from the Supreme Chancellor himself,” the reg pushed, almost robotically. 

“That’s great, but like I said, Hunter’s handling it,” Wrecker insisted.

“Step aside, Trooper,” the reg ordered, getting in Wrecker’s face before running off with his group.

“Sure thing, boss,” Wrecker mocked them. Specter sighed.

“Hunter, you’ve got regs inbound,” she reported.

“Copy that,” Hunter replied.

“We have a situation,” Tech chimed in on the comm. Specter and Wrecker looked and nodded at each other, confirming they could hear him. “It appears the regs have been ordered to execute the Jedi.”

“What? Which Jedi?” Hunter asked incredulously. 

“All of them.” A chill made its way down Specter’s spine. “They’re saying the Jedi have committed treason.”

“Against who? The Chancellor?” she asked. She wracked her brain to formulate some sort of logical explanation. Even if the Jedi had committed treason, their mass execution without a fair trial made no sense. At the very least, General Billaba made no direct offense to the Chancellor. 

“I’m not sure. I suggest you all get back here.” Wrecker and Specter shrugged at each other before starting the trek back toward the Marauder.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reuniting with her team did little to ease her anxious spirit. Whatever had happened between Hunter and Crosshair had them in a tense and peculiar mood. Neither of them spoke, and they seemed to be avoiding each other for the entire journey. Specter stood behind Wrecker in his seat, watching as their home planet slowly grew closer.

“We’re coming up on Kamino,” Tech reported.

“It’s good to be home. How long has it been?” Wrecker said.

“One hundred and eighty rotations in a standard cycle, but galactic zone changes but the adjusted figure at around two hundred and five,” Tech, of course answered. A moment of silence passed, Specter tried to hide her smile, knowing that Wrecker was still trying to calculate.

“What?” he finally asked. Echo sighed and shook his head.

“A long time.”

“You got that right!” Wrecker laughed. Hunter came up behind them as they flew through the stormy clouds. Out of the corner of her eye, Specter watched her twin turn away from the Sergeant, helmet still on, shoulders stiff. Curious. 

[What’s wrong?] she signed.

[Nothing.] 

[Don’t give me that. I’m your twin and I can tell something else is bothering you.] He didn’t reply, crossing his arms and hiding his hands. She sighed in annoyance and turned back to the viewport.

“Unidentified transport, transmit your clearance code,” a voice over the intercom said. Specter looked up in confusion.

“Clearance code? Did they suddenly forget who we are?” she scoffed.

“Must be a protocol drill,” Tech said, shaking his head. “Transmitting clearance code.”

“Authorization confirmed. Proceed to landing bay one-tac-one.” Tech directed the ship towards Tipoca City, guiding it to land. It was then Specter pulled Hunter and Crosshair aside; the two knew they were in trouble or least in for a scolding.

“Look,” she said, “whatever happened between you two on Kaller, whatever that animosity is, I want it to stop.” The boys looked at each other, scowling. “See? That! Leave whatever that is on the ship because I do not want to have to deal with that on top of whatever else we’re going to have to deal with once we step off this ship. Got it?” she pointed at both of them.

“Yes, ma’am,” they both grumbled. She nodded and exited the ship, cautiously looking around the hangar and waiting to follow Hunter. Troopers with red painted armor walked by, Specter bit her tongue to keep her expression neutral.

“Shock troopers? What’s the Coruscant guard doing here?” Hunter questioned. 

“As cool as it is to see them, I’m not liking the circumstances,” Specter commented.

“Level five lockdown remains in effect. Security teams, rapport to the command center,” the voice of the PA announced. 

“This isn’t a drill,” Tech said, surprised.

“Oh, man! What did we miss now?” Wrecker cried.

“The end of the war,” a passing shock trooper answered. Hunter turned toward him.

“Say again, Trooper?”

“General Grievous was defeated on Utapau. The Separatist leadership has collapsed. The war is over.”

“Just like I said,” Tech mumbled. 

“It is just like you said,” Wrecker gasped, nudging him. Heading their way, a few troopers were carrying a body, covered by a sheet; a lightsaber fell out from under it, but the shock trooper picked it up casually. Specter felt the chill in her spine again. 

“Is there a problem?” he asked.

“No problem,” Hunter slowly answered. “We’ll just head to our barracks then.” He nodded for the Batch to start following him to their room.

“Best hurry. There’s a mandatory general assembly at 1500,” the clone called after them. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter’s unease only increased as the group walked through the corridors, passing units of clones marching in mechanical formation. Everything down to the air they were breathing seemed different, and Specter was itching to know why. Clone Force 99 rarely went unnoticed in the halls, though it was hardly ever positive chatter. Specter certainly didn’t miss the stares and comments from other troops, but the silence made the knot in her stomach twist tighter. 

“It’s not just the clones on Kaller. All the regs are acting strange,” Hunter noted aloud. 

“Yeah… something’s really wrong, I don't like this” Specter mused. 

“Let’s test that theory,” Tech said, stepping out of line towards an oncoming soldier. “Excuse me, Trooper. What division are you from?” 

“Step aside,” the reg elbowed him out of the way.

“Oh. Well they seem the same to me.” Tech shrugged and walked with the rest of the group.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they finally made it to their room, Wrecker stood a few feet from the doorway and stretched.

“Ah! Good to be back,” he said.

“The smell’s getting worse,” Echo commented as he entered the room, wrinkling his nose. 

“You’re still new. You’ll get used to it,” Hunter patted his shoulder as he passed by into the room. Specter was right behind him, already undoing her hair while Crosshair held her helmet.

“Yeah, because if you don’t, you will die,” she jeered. 

“Speak for yourself,” Crosshair mumbled, pushing them out of the way. Specter rolled her eyes, finally letting her hair down and massaging her scalp, combing through any tangles with her fingers. She flopped onto Hunter’s bunk rather than her own.

“Eleven more successful missions,” Wrecker cheered, adding eleven more tallies to their board. “Like there was any doubt.”

“Kaller wasn’t a win,” Echo shook his head. 

“Says who? We completed our objective,” Wrecker argued, grabbing his stuffed Tooka when he finished. 

“Not every objective,” Crosshair hissed. They all turned to look at him. Specter felt her stomach drop, sensing where her twin was going with this, “Hunter let that Jedi kid escape. Or do you want to keep lying to us?” 

Hunter abruptly got up from the table and went to the window; Specter huffed, knowing her request from earlier was going to be ignored. 

“I don’t like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective,” he replied, gruffly. 

“An order is an order,” Crosshair insisted, taking a few steps.

“Crosshair, when have we ever–”

“Since when?” Hunter narrowed his eyes, interrupting Specter as the sniper shifted his toothpick.

“None of this makes sense!” Echo interjected. “Those clones served alongside General Billaba for years. How could they turn on her like that?” he asked incredulously. 

“Even if the Jedi did commit treason it still doesn’t make sense!” Specter added to his point. 

“Easy, its because of the regs programming,” Tech answered nonchalantly. 

“What programming?” Hunter growled.

“It’s been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question.”

“Ha! We sure don’t.” Wrecker came around and punched the back of Crosshair’s shoulder before bringing him close, Lula still in hand. 

“Obviously, we are different,” Tech tilted his head in self agreement. “They manipulated preexisting aberrations in our DNA, resulting in your brute strength, Crosshair’s sharp shooting skills,” the sniper pushed Wrecker off of him, but not before he caught a few hits from the brute’s stuffed tooka, “Hunter’s enhanced senses, my exceptional mind, and Specter.”

“Wow, really feeling the love, Tech,” Specter deadpanned.

“Fine then, I’ll rephrase. My exceptional mind and your accelerated mental and physical capabilities,” Tech rolled his eyes as Specter smiled smugly to herself. “My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming. Though I can’t be 100% certain of it.” “What about Echo? He was a reg before he joined us,” Hunter brought up. 

“Yeah, if all regs were programmed, why didn’t I react like the others?” Echo asked.

“The damage you sustained on Skako Minor most likely wiped out all of your preset behavioral modifications. You are more machine than man… percentage wise at least,” Tech explained.

“Either that or you’ve hung around us for too long,” Specter chuckled, bringing a leg up to her chest and resting her head on her knee. 

“Lucky me,” Echo sighed. A voice over the PA system spoke 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, heading for the door.

“First time for everything,” Tech shrugged. Specter threw her head back and groaned.

“I just undid my hair,” she complained, already gathering it once again into a tight ponytail as she followed her squad. 

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Specter knew that what the Supreme Chancellor— Emperor— had said was important, but it all just made her tired and unfocussed, and the discontentment in her team did not help.

“Galactic Empire?” Echo questioned once more, “We’re soldiers of the Republic.”

“Republic, Empire… what’s the difference?” Crosshair drawled. Specter noticed Hunter tilt his head and slow his pace: he was sensing something.

“The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me,” Tech said. Hunter suddenly held up his hand, stopping the group.

“Lads, we’ve got company.” They turned around and found a young, blond-haired girl behind them, smiling and waving.

“Hello,” she said sweetly. Wrecker peered at her.

“What’s that?” he asked aloud. Specter flicked the back of his head.

“Di'kut, you don’t just call someone a ‘that’,” she scolded.

“Adolescent human female,” Tech analyzed. Specter put a hand to her face. “Origins… uncertain.”

“My name’s Omega,” the girl introduced. “I was wondering when you guys would come back.”

“You know who we are?” Hunter asked, stepping forward. She looked at each of them.

“Hunter, Specter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair. You’re Clone Force 99,” she said with a smile.

“What are you doing on Kamino, hun?” Specter gently asked, bending down a little.

“Her job, of course,” a voice answered before the girl could do so herself. Specter stood back up in the presence of Nala Se, the primary clone engineer. “She is my medical assistant, one with a curious mind that causes her to wander,” the Kaminoan chided. She gave a curious glance at Specter—who squirmed under the uncanny gaze—before putting her long hand on Omega’s shoulder. “Come, Omega. There is work to do.” The girl slowly followed her away, giving one last wave to the Bad Batch before she disappeared.

“This day keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Hunter muttered, shaking his head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Specter quietly ate her food, listening to the chatter around her and to the conversation at the Batch’s lonely table. She sat across from Crosshair, her feet under her on the bench as she mindlessly balanced a spoon on her finger. Wrecker once again brought up Tech’s programming theory. 

“Clones being programmed. Nothing controls me,” he insisted, standing up from his seat with his hands on the table, jutting a thumb at himself. 

“Wrecker, it is a logical conclusion that your affinity for destruction stems from your conditioning,” Tech argued.

“You take that back,” Wrecker growled, pointing.

“I am merely stating a scientific hypothesis based on factual data.”

“Well, I got a fact for you. I like to blow things up because I like to blow things up!” Wrecker yelled, slamming his fists on the table and silencing the room for a moment. Specter shot him a glare as the spoon fell off her finger. “Got it?”

“Well, I’m convinced,” Crosshair teased as the chatter continued. Specter snickered. Hunter sat down with his food tray next to Tech. 

“An Imperial’s been sent to evaluate the clones. Everybody’s talking about it,” he reported.

“What kind of evaluation?” Echo asked.

“Hopefully not mental. Clearly we’d never pass that,” Tech commented. Specter gave him a glare as well, until a familiar face, for some reason, appeared next to Hunter with their food tray.

“Hello again,” she waved; the girl was met with silent, curious looks. “Omega. From earlier?” They all glanced at each other, Specter’s mouth pressed into a line. “In the corridor?” Omega tried again.

“Uh, yeah, kid. We remember. Don’t you have someplace to be?” Hunter asked.

“No. I’ll stay.” She had already started picking at the food on her tray.

“You want to sit with us?” Tech asked. Omega nodded. “That’s never happened before.”

“Wow,” Wrecker gasped. Specter was just as surprised as he was.

“I like you. You don’t fit in around here either,” Omega said. 

“We don’t fit in? Cross, why didn’t you tell me?” Specter teased, feigning surprise and poking at Crosshair who couldn’t hide a smirk. 

“What are you really doing here on Kamino, kid?” Hunter questioned, “Don’t you have a family somewhere? Parents?” 

“Parents?” the girl repeated.

“Check it out,” a passing reg said from his group, “the defect squad’s got themselves a new recruit.” He chuckled with his friends.

“Another member added to the Sad Batch,” another teased. Specter ignored the comment; any encounter with regs led to more trouble than it was worth. 

The regs’ laughter was immediately stopped when a piece of their rations hit the closest one in the back of the head. Specter swiveled her head to see which of her squad had been foolish enough to instigate the fight.

“What the… who threw that?” he shouted.

“I did.” Omega was standing on the table, tossing another piece in her hand. Specter smiled, admiring her adorable tenacity. “Now apologize to my friends,” she insisted, pointing to the others at the table.

“I like this kid!” Wrecker cheered, elbowing Echo next to him. 

“What did you say to me?” The clone angrily approached Omega, but Hunter stopped him. 

“Woah, woah, woah. Back off. I suggest you keep moving,” he warned. Wrecker stood up behind Omega, ready for a fight. The clone scoffed.

“Know your place, lab scrapper,” he said before walking away. Specter and Crosshair shared a look, knowing a fight was coming, especially when Wrecker threw a whole tray at the reg.

“Oops,” he said with a grin and more trays in hand.

“That’s it!” the reg shouted.

“Oh, yeah!” Wrecker cheered, throwing the other trays. Chaos erupted as Hunter punched a nearby reg and dodged another.

“Oh, not again,” Echo groaned, a hand running down his face. Crosshair and Specter tried to ignore them all and continue eating. Wrecker landed atop a group, Echo kicked, Omega threw, Echo punched but got kicked back onto the table, knocking over Crosshair’s tray; the sniper angrily joined the fight too, throwing his tray and hitting multiple regs. A few made their way over to Specter, looking for a fight.

“Really, boys?” she glared at them, daring one of them to make the first move. Instead they scurried off like a tooka with its tail between its legs. She smirked to herself. 

“Echo, watch out!” she heard Tech call out. Specter turned just in time to see Echo get knocked out. 

“Told you he’s alive!” Wrecker cheered as they entered the room, where Echo was indeed sitting up.

“No, I told you he was alive because I really doubt that you can kill someone with a lunch tray,” Specter recalled as they came around to his bed. 

“You owe me two credits,” Wrecker pointed at Crosshair, who only shook his head. 

“CT-1409’s condition is stable,” the little medical droid reported. “But I have some distressing news for the rest of you. According to your test results, you all appear to be genetically defective clones,” it whispered, as though it were some secret. Specter merely raised her eyebrow. “I will leave you to process the shock of this revelation.” The little droid hovered out of the room.

“We’ve got a problem,” Echo said once the droid left.

“We all have problems; take Cross for example,” Specter teased, jutting into the sniper with her elbow, who nudged her back.

“Not that,” Echo said, “a different problem.”

“We’re more deviant than we are defective,” Tech chimed in.

“Admiral Tarkin’s here,” Echo cut to the point. “He’s the one evaluating the clones.”

“The same Tarkin from the Citadel rescue when you, uh,” Tech searched for the right words, “how shall I put this?”

“Blew up?” Wrecker finished for him.

“And turned into that?” Crosshair added with a smile. 

“See, now there was an appropriate setting of calling someone a ‘that’,” Specter said. Echo rolled his eyes.

“Yes. And he’s not a big supporter of clones.”

“We’ll soon find out,” Hunter said. “We’ve been summoned by the prime minister.”

“Guess he didn’t find that mess hall fight amusing. But I sure did,” Wrecker laughed. 

“Come on. Let’s get this over with,” Hunter nodded his head toward the door. Echo hopped off the bed and followed the rest of his grip towards the exit. However, Omega ran out in front to stop them.

“Wait. The fight was my fault. I’m going too,” she insisted.

“Not happening,” Hunter said, brushing past her.

“We’ll handle this,” Specter assured, walking by as well.

“But I…” Omega tried, but Hunter turned around to face her. 

“Listen, kid. Our squad’s nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance,” the Sergeant warned. “Got it?” He left the room with the rest of his group before she could even answer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It turned out to be that the Bad Batch was not about to be reprimanded, but rather tested on their skills. Admiral Tarkin was apparently impressed with their “performance” in the mess hall and wanted to see more of the squad in action.

The team rose up for the floor into the training room, fully geared up and ready to go; Specter had resorted to keeping her ponytail under her helmet. Tarkin and Prime Minister Lama Su were in the observation deck.

“The value of all clone troopers is being challenged by the Empire. To demonstrate your effectiveness, a combat-proficiency test is in order. Take your positions,” the Admiral announced. 

“We’ve done these a thousand times, boys,” Hunter said to his team. “You know what to do.”

“A battle simulation? Give us a real challenge,” Wrecker said, banging his fists together before moving to take cover with the team. The training droids and towers activated and began to fire. 

“Crosshair, take the towers,” Hunter ordered. The sniper nodded and snuck around the side, climbing up to the tower and disabling all of them. “Move in,” he said next. Wrecker and Tech advanced first.

“I’ll cover you,” Echo assured Hunter. 

“And I’ll cover you,” Specter replied. They each made their way towards cover, trying to shoot down more droids as they went. 

“This is taking way too long,” Wrecker groaned.

“Hey, if you’re gonna go barrelling out there, at least give me a boost,” Specter called out. Wrecker laughed and nodded before they both leapt out from their cover; she ran at him, stepping into his intertwined hands and letting him launch her across the training area, shooting at the droids as she flew over them. When Specter landed, she disabled the rest of the droids in her proximity while Wrecker fired relentlessly at the ones near him, finishing the battle. 

“What else ya got? Give me more!” he yelled excitedly, shaking his fist up at Tarkin and the Prime Minister. Specter shook her head at his antics and went back to regroup, crouching by Tech. However, Wrecker got his wish when two large droids were brought into the facility. “New toys. Now we’re talking,” he cheered, running and firing at them; yet when he attempted to punch one of them, the droid didn’t budge. Instead, it pushed him off and shot at him, and Wrecker fell to the floor.

“Live rounds,” Specter shouted into the arena to Crosshair, firing at the droids even though her stun bolts would be ineffective. 

“Get Wrecker,” Hunter said to Tech, “we’ll cover you.” He and Echo joined Specter in shooting the droids while Tech made his way over to where Wrecker had crawled out of the way. 

“I’m starting to think Tarkin just wanted to give us a glorious death,” Specter said, taking cover next to Hunter. She glanced over at Crosshair, who had made a shot at the droids but was now climbing down from the tower to avoid their fire, as well as dodging the other droids that appeared. He took cover with her, Hunter, and Echo.

“This is going well,” he drawled.

“Shut up, will you?” Specter hissed, firing again.

“These training blasters are useless on them,” Echo complained.

“Then we improvise,” Hunter said, “If Tarkin wants to test us, let’s not disappoint him.” He lifted his helmet and whistled, getting Tech and Wrecker’s attention, before signaling with his hands. Wrecker eventually gave a thumbs up before moving to execute the plan. Specter, Hunter, and Crosshair acted as a diversion and provided cover for Echo as he ran to support Tech and Wrecker. The brute wrestled down one of the droids while Echo used his scomp to disable another, allowing for Tech to reprogram and control the downed droid. Up on its shoulders, Tech used the droid to fire at the others, distracting them enough for the batch to deliver finishing blows. 

“Spec, heads up!” Hunter shouted; his knife cut through the arms of a droid, flying by her head and landing on the ground near her. She attached it to the end of her rifle and used it to stab and swing.

“I cannot sustain the connection,” Tech announced before the droid threw him off. He lay on the ground, groaning and unmoving. 

“Tech!” Specter shouted after him before throwing the knife at the wayward droid. The blade stuck into its arm, but was ineffective. “Kark,” she hissed, ducking for cover as the droid turned to fire at her. 

“Crosshair, we need more coverfire,” Hunter shouted. 

“Tech, hang in there, buddy!” Wrecker called out.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he grunted in reply. Crosshair continued to assess the situation, looking for a solution, until he caught sight of Wrecker in the droid’s firing line. 

“Wrecker, knife!” he shouted. Wrecker threw his knife at the sniper, who shot it mid-air, sending it into the droid’s head and shutting it down. Specter couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Nice work, adla’vod,” she said as they all emerged from their cover, clapping her hand tightly with his. Wrecker and Echo went to check on Tech and helped him to his feet. Specter sighed, the test had been simple enough, but she was more than glad it was over. She only hoped the Admiral had seen what he needed to. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tarkin peered at the embryo floating in the tube, still mulling over what he had seen in the training room.

“Extraordinary, aren’t they?” Nala Se’s soothing, yet monotone, voice spoke a few steps behind the governor. 

“That remains to be seen,” he replied curtly. “Tell me about Clone Force 99.”

“They are medically defective clones whose cellular mutations enhanced traits desirable in a soldier,” the Kaminoan answered. Tarkin gazed at the young girl by her side, analyzing her.

“How many of these clones do you possess?”

“Six are all that remain.”

“This includes the female, yes?” Tarkin inquired. Nala Se hesitated, but nodded nonetheless. “Tell me about her.”

“CT-9905, as she has been redesignated, is the only clone that was produced from Project Valkyrie before it was terminated due to a corruption of the DNA sample,” Lama Su answered this time. “She possesses increased reactivity in both her physical and mental attributes, and charts higher in endurance and speed tests than the average specimen.”

“It’s unfortunate the project was scrapped. She would have been a lucrative asset to the Empire,” Tarkin mused.

“And she still can be, with Clone Force 99,” Lama Su said. 

“Yet reports indicate they exhibit a concerning level of disobedience and disregard for orders,” added Tarkin. 

“A side effect of their mutation. Yet one that has never hindered the completion of their missions,” Nala Se gently reminded.

“Then they executed Order 66?”

“Since both the Jedi General and Padawan on Kaller were eliminated, one would assume,” Lama Su argued.

“Assume nothing,” Tarkin snapped, “Only the general’s death is confirmed. A counter-report, filed by one of their own, says the Padawan escaped.” The Kaminoans glanced at each other, surprised. “Let us see where the loyalty of these clones truly lies.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Live rounds? They used live rounds on us?” Wrecker said, incredulously, throwing his helmet off as they entered their room. 

“We were there, Wrecker. We know,” Tech replied.

“I tried to warn you about Tarkin,” Echo reminded. 

“Who’s that Imperial snake think he is?” Wrecker pounded his fist on the table. 

“Stow it, already. You got shot. It happens all the time,” Crosshair hissed.

“There’s a fundamental difference between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice,” Tech added. 

“Exactly! We’re not dummy droids,” Wrecker said. 

Specter walked in after them all, holding herself and looking deflated and disappointed. Hunter wordlessly pulled her aside.

“What���s wrong?” he asked, quietly. 

“If I’d just thrown that knife straight, I would’ve hit that droid. I’m better than that,” she said, not meeting his eyes and tightening her arms, “Someone could’ve gotten hurt. Well… even more so.” 

“Hey, you did fine. We did what we could given the circumstances. I’m sure we can work on your knife skills some more,” he assured, putting his hand on her shoulder. A shadow eclipsed the light in the doorway. It was Tarkin, with two guards standing behind him. The man stood, observing each of them. Specter shifted under his scrutinous gaze but stood at attention next to Crosshair.

“That was quite an impressive display,” he said, walking into the group. 

“Didn’t have much choice,” Hunter replied. 

“Our new empire may have methods which seem a bit unorthodox, but so does this squadron. Both certainly have their merits.” The Governor eyed Wrecker, who towered over him. “Nala Se speaks quite highly of her six enhanced clones. She claims you’re more capable than an army.”

“You have a mission for us, sir?” Hunter asked, side-eyeing him but quickly sharing a look with Specter. 

“Indeed,” he affirmed, turning back toward the Sergeant. “We have tracked a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with.”

“What sort of insurgents?” Echo went to clarify.

“Separatist forces intent on keeping the galaxy at war. If you neutralize this grave threat, you will be looked upon most favorably as I assess the needs of the Imperial Army,” Tarkin explained before leaving the room. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’ll say this for the Empire,” Wrecker announced to Tech as he, Crosshair, and Specter returned from the armory, “they know their firepower. You should see the new armory!” Specter sat on the crate of weapons Wrecker pushed toward the ship, her hair once again weaved back into a braided coronet. 

“He actually cried,” Crosshair remarked.

“Hey, we both did,” Wrecker reminded. “And Specter is still crying.” 

“Tech… I’m in love,” Specter sighed dreamily as she hopped off the crate, seemingly dazed in a weapon-fueled fantasy. 

“There’s no room on board for that,” Tech warned. 

“For love or the crate?”

“Both.”

“Yeah? Well I’ll make room.” Wrecker grunted as he lifted up the crate and headed towards the ship. “A new mission and unlimited explosives. Things are back to normal.”

“That is not going near my rack. I refuse to sleep by a projectile again,” Tech rambled, following the brute inside. Specter went to follow Crosshair up the stairs, but he suddenly stopped in front of her, causing her to bump into him and slip on the step.

“Hey! What-”

“It’s the kid again,” Crosshair interrupted, nodding toward Hunter kneeling by Omega. Specter couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the little girl looked very concerned as she talked to their leader.

“How is it looking?” she asked, knowing her brother’s sight would benefit.

“I don’t know,” he drawled, shifting his toothpick. Specter thought back to the food fight. Sure, Omega looked innocent and sweet, and of course she was a child. But in times like this, even a child could be untrustworthy. Working so close to Nala Se, Specter couldn’t help but wonder what types of secrets the girl had to hide. She shook her head—the anxiety would do no good for this new mission.

“Well, I’d rather get this mission over with. Hunt! Let’s go!” she shouted. The Sergeant turned to acknowledge her, standing up to leave. Crosshair shoved past Specter to the bottom of the steps, waiting for their leader to come return. 

“Problem?” Crosshair asked as he came close, putting a hand on his hip.

“Uh, something about her I can’t figure out,” Hunter explained.

“Well, I guess kids aren’t your area of expertise,” Crosshair said, patting his shoulder.

“Or maybe it’s just that girls aren’t,” Specter teased, already stepping into the Marauder.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She held her blaster tightly as the group exited the ship to the dark night of Onderon.  Ambience of the forest filled her ears, she flinched at the sound of a roar in the distance.

“What was that?” Echo wondered apprehensively.

“You don’t want to know,” Tech answered.

“Well, at least it’s not a swamp,” Wrecker replied. 

“Close enough,” Crosshair said.

“I think I would have preferred mud in my boots than critters in my face,” Specter shivered at the thought.

“The Separatist encampment’s two klicks south. We’ll continue on foot and do a full perimeter scan,” Hunter said, kneeling towards a path before stopping an eager Wrecker, “covertly.”

“Oh, come on! It’s been days since I’ve blown something up,” he whined while the team passed by him.

“Easy, Wrecker. Your programming’s kicking in,” Tech teased. Specter couldn’t help but laugh aloud as they made their way into the jungle. 

While Tech led the group with his scanner, Specter kept an eye on the rear, walking backward and letting Crosshair guide her.

“How many droids are we talking about, Tech?” Hunter asked.

“I can’t tell from this distance. Something’s blocking my scan,” Tech reported, smacking his device a few times and stopping the group. “Anything back there?” he shouted towards Specter. She flipped down the antennae on her helmet, switching to a thermal readout and finding-

“Nothing.”

“Clankers always travel in packs. Let’s get a closer look at what we’re walking into,” Hunter advised leading them forward. They kept walking until they made it to a rocky outcropping that overlooked the dimly lit encampment. Crosshair and Tech lay on their stomachs while Echo and Specter kneeled beside them; Crosshair and Specter peered through their rifle sights while Tech and Echo looked through their binocs. “Tell me what you see, Tech,” Hunter said. 

“I’m clocking heat signatures ahead but zero droids,” he replied.

“Tarkin said insurgents, not droids,” Crosshair recalled.

“I’m not sure they’re either,” Echo said. Specter swept through the area again, just to make sure she was seeing clearly.

“Sarge, there are children down there,” she reported, quickly and urgently. 

“Children? Out here?” he wondered, taking Echo’s binocs. 

“Children. Elderly. Medical supplies, personal items… they look more like refugees.”

“Something’s not right,” the Sergeant mumbled.

“What are you waiting for? Give the order,” Crosshair said, keeping his weapon ready, and although she was apprehensive, so did Specter. 

“Negative. Stand down” Hunter ordered instead. 

“What?” Crosshair and Specter cried at the same time, pulling away from their scopes.

“You mean, we’re not blasting any droids?” asked Wrecker disappointedly.

“There aren’t any droids, Wrecker,” Tech reminded him.

“Well, so what do we do?”

“We finish the mission,” Crosshair answered Wrecker’s question. “Make the call, Hunter.”

“Cross,” Specter said slowly in warning, having already lowered her rifle.  

“We’re not alone. Now stand down,” Hunter ordered again. A rustling was heard seconds before the “insurgents” appeared, surrounding them with their blasters ready. The Batch reflexively raised their weapons too.

“You heard him. Stand down,” one of them said. Hunter slowly stood up and put a hand on Wrecker’s gun.

“Let’s hear them out,” he advised, putting his hands up in surrender, “trust me.” One by one the squad holstered their weapons and did the same, including Crosshair who groaned in frustration. 

Echo observed as the soldiers led them down to the camp.

“These aren’t Separatists. They’re Republic fighters,” he said.

“Why would Tarkin send us to attack our own forces?” Tech wondered. Specter caught the gaze of a few of the children. She tried to give them a reassuring smile but they only hid themselves away. 

“Because we refuse to fight for an Empire,” a voice answered. A man stepped forward, Specter recognized him.

“You’re Saw Gerrera. Trained by Captain Rex and General Skywalker to fight for the Republic,” Tech said, also recognizing him. 

“I based some of my combat tactics off of you,” Specter rambled excitedly. The man only scoffed, looking over the group.

“So, the newly declared empire sent you to wipe us out?” he accused, taking one of Hunter’s pistols and examining it. 

“Well, we’re here to neutralize a group of insurgents,” Hunter explained. Gerrera chuckled grimly.

“Well… here we are.” He held his arms out, indicating the group of people around him. “What are you gonna do? Strike us down like you did the Jedi?”

“Is that a request?” Crosshair hissed. 

“Quit it,” Specter scolded, kicking his leg a little. 

“We expected to find battle droids, not…” Hunter tried to find the words.

“Civilians?” Gerrera finished for him. “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.” The Batch looked guiltily at the gathered group of refugees. “Let’s mobilize. Pack up the camp,” he ordered, walking toward the children to check on them while the other fighters prepared to move out. Hunter and Echo stepped forward.

“What’s going on here? Who are these people?” Hunter asked, almost desperately.

“Villagers, croppers, former Republic fighters, all now displaced refugees since Palpatine unjustly appointed himself Emperor.”

“According to reports, the Jedi made an attempt on the Supreme Chancellor’s life. His actions were a defensive measure,” Tech spoke up. Gerrera scoffed again, smiling woefully. 

“And I figured you for the smart one.” Tech flinched at the remark. “With the Jedi decimated and the clone army under his command, Palpatine will have control over the entire galaxy. Unless we stop him,” he said, determined.

“The war is over,” Crosshair said. Specter didn’t stop him this time. 

“If we give up now, everything we fought for… 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? You may have lost a lot but there’s still so much to lose. You don’t stand a chance,” Specter spoke up against their tenacity.

“Not alone we don’t,” argued Gerrera. 

“We should leave if we’re gonna make the rendezvous,” one of the fighters came up to him. “What do we do with them?” he nodded towards the clones. Saw Gerrera thought for a moment, eyeing them.

“The clones once helped us free Onderon, so we’ll give them a choice. The old ways are done. You can either adapt and survive, or die with the past. The choice is yours.” He handed Hunter his pistol back and powered down the camp’s light source, following the refugees and fighters into the forest, leaving the Bad Batch among themselves. Wrecker handed everyone’s helmets back before they went to leave. Hunter went to follow but turned back once again, scanning their surroundings. 

“At least with the Republic we knew where we stood,” Tech mentioned. The hike back to the Marauder was tense enough. “Tarkin and this Empire are a whole different story.” Crosshair suddenly shove Tech.

“Why are we debating this? We need to complete the mission,” he argued.

“Wake up, Crosshair,” Echo intervened, “they sent us to eliminate innocent civilians.”

“Who said they’re innocent?” Crosshair sneered. Hunter responded before Specter could.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Me? I’m following orders,” the sniper defended.

“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.” The silence rang loud as their eyes bore into each other’s. A branch snapped and in a split second, Hunter’s gaze shifted to a probe droid over Crosshair’s shoulder. He shot it down easily. 

“We’re being followed,” was all Hunter said. Specter shot the sniper a glare before following the Sergeant to investigate.

“It’s a probe droid,” Tech identified, surprised.

“Tarkin’s spying on us now?” Wrecker asked. “The Jedi never did that.”

“Not that you know of,” Crosshair mumbled, walking up to the group. They all glared at him, Hunter seemed to be thinking as he looked over the droid once more. 

“Omega,” he suddenly remembered, turning back towards the ship.

“What about her?” Specter wondered. 

“She warned me about the mission. And Tarkin. She said not to return to Kamino, that it’s not safe for us anymore,” he explained.

“Maybe she’s right,” Wrecker grunted.

“We’re taking the word of a child now?” Crosshair grumbled.

“We take your words, don’t we?” Specter teased, passing him by and stepping up into the ship’s entryway next to Tech.

“I would not discount Omega’s insight,” Tech interjected, “a state of heightened awareness is not unusual for an enhanced clone such as herself.” Wrecker laughed and pointed.

“Good one, Tech. You almost had me.” He sat himself down on the steps of the ship.

“When Nala Se spoke of six clones, Tarkin assumed that meant us, but Echo’s a reg. The sixth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analyzing her DNA while we were in the infirmary,” he explained, casually adjusting his goggles. 

“I like how you just decided to analyze her DNA without prompt,” Specter couldn’t help but chuckle, despite the tension. 

“You waited until now to mention it?” chided Echo.

“Well, I thought it was obvious,” Tech shrugged.

“How is it obvious?” yelled Wrecker, standing up and turning around. 

“We’re going back for her,” Hunter decided. Crosshair scowled and stood in front of him, blocking him from stepping into the ship. 

“Disobeying orders again over a kid? Bad play, Hunter,” he warned, poking the Sergeant’s chest. Hunter shoved his hand away. 

“She’s one of us.” He started to walk up the ramp before turning around to face the sniper again. “We’re not leaving her there.” They boarded the ship; Specter gave one last pained look at Crosshair before she boarded, and as much as she loved her brother, she couldn’t force herself to be on his side this time. He reluctantly followed behind her. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m getting no response from com-scan. This is unusual,” Tech cautiously reported as they flew through the clouds of Kamino. 

“Bring us in. We’ll find out what’s going on,” Hunter assured. Specter still hadn’t released the tension she held from Onderon; she was aware it would do her teeth no good to keep her jaw so tight, but she couldn’t help but feel that everything was wrong… and that things were about to get worse. She was itching to ask Crosshair what he truly thought, what he felt, what he had planned. She’d finally caved and approached her brother just as Tech touched down on the landing dock. The squad exited the ship and led themselves through the empty dock to the closed bay doors. 

“Stick to the plan. Split up, find Omega, meet back here at the ship,” Hunter said before allowing Tech to open the door. They cautiously walked through the dark hangar, only making it several meters before Hunter sensed something and held up his hand, stopping them. A second later, the Coruscant Guard appeared and had them surrounded, blasters raised. Specter crouched in a defensive position but didn’t bother reaching for her gun.

“As expected,” Crosshair hissed. Governor Tarkin came forward.

“The Empire does not tolerate failure, Sergeant.”

“There were complications,” tried Hunter, completely sheathing his blade.

“Yes, the probe droid’s report was quite detailed. Conspiring with Saw Gerrera.” The Bad Batch stood up straight, shocked at the accusation. “I assume you know the punishment for treason,” the Governor drawled, almost gloating.

“Treason?” Hunter scoffed, shocked. 

“Throw them in the brig,” Tarkin ordered. The Batch complied, not wanting to worsen their situation. They were shoved towards the brig with the ends of blasters and unsympathetic clones surrounding them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stripped of their armor down to their blacks, the squad was roughly shoved into the cell. Specter grunted and stumbled inside, nearly falling before her twin helped her to right herself. 

“Smells weird,” Wrecker commented, snoozing the air.

“Because it’s clean,” Echo said. 

“Well, the plan wasn’t a total failure,” Tech observed, finding Omega sitting in the corner of the cell, waving sheepishly.

“Convenient,” Specter deadpanned.

“Goody,” Crosshair rolled his eyes, earning a light smack from Specter. Hunter made his way through, kneeling in front of the girl.

“I warned you not to come back,” scolded Omega.

“Had to. We were looking for you,” Hunter explained with a smile.

“Me?” she asked, almost in disbelief.

“What do you say, kid? You wanna come with us, or did we get captured for nothing?”

“You came back for me?” she asked again, even more excited.

“That’s right,” Hunter nodded. Specter stepped forward to chime in.

“Or you can stay on Kamino if-”

“No, it’s like I said before. I want to go with you,” Omega stood up, interrupting Specter’s sarcastic remark.

“How touching,” Crosshair sneered from the other side of the cell. Hunter clenched his jaw, but Wrecker cleared his throat, stopping anything else from happening. 

“Uh Hunter, how are we breaking outta here?” he asked.

“I’m working on it,” Hunter practically growled, maintaining eye contact with Crosshair. 

“You know what you should work on? Explaining when you went soft,” Crosshair accused, pointing at Hunter. 

“Here we go,” Specter grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Stow it, Crosshair,” Echo held back the sniper.

“Don’t you see we’re locked up in here because of him? He had us disobey orders,” he argued. 

“Since when has disobeying orders become such a problem for you? We do it all the time, Cross! “ Specter fought back, getting into his face. 

“Good soldiers follow orders. Every choice he’s made since Kaller has been wrong. First the Padawan, then Gerrera. He’s becoming a liability.” The eyes burned into each other as he pointed at Hunter over her shoulder.

“Since when have you ever cared about being a ‘good soldier’?” Specter scoffed, “You know what they call ‘good soldiers’? Regs. You’ve never been worried about going off the book before! But, oh no, sparing children and innocent civilians is where we draw the line? C’mon, adla’vod.”  The rest of the Batch watched as Specter went off on her brother. “What if that Jedi was General Skywalker? What if it was Cody or Rex, instead of Gerrera? What happened to your humanity?” she pushed. Crosshair’s nostrils flared and teeth bared.

“Don’t you dare question me.”

“What, like how you question Hunter? I’ll dare if I want to!”

“We can debate this later,” Hunter pushed them apart. “For now, let’s focus on getting out of here.” The two separated and went to opposite sides of the room. Specter crossed her arms and turned away from Crosshair, watching as Tech examined the walls.

“CT-9904, you’re coming with us,” she heard a voice say. The shield was open and one of the guards walked toward Crosshair. Hunter stood in between.

“Oh, no, no, no. We stay together,” he protested. The guard rammed his blaster into Hunter’s stomach; Specter gasped and rushed to his side as he keeled over. Without any other fuss, Crosshair stood up and followed the guard out of the cell while the rest of the Batch watched him go. 

Time passed excruciatingly slowly; the Bad Batch sat, waiting for something to happen or for a plan to formulate. Specter eyed Omega from her corner of the cell until the girl eventually decided to sit beside her. The two sat in silence as the young one rested her head against Specter’s arm. Though unexpected, the comforting gesture was not unwelcome.

“I’ve got it. Why didn’t I think of it before?” Tech startled Specter out of her thoughts. He went to sit more in the center of the group. “This is not a prison.” 

“Yeah, well, I beg to differ,” Echo grumbled.

“This is a Kaminoan facility,” Tech continued. “It was built prior to the Clone Wars. there were no barracks or prisons when it was constructed.”

“Well, how does that help us?” Hunter asked, leaning in.

“Because while these cells were retrofitted to hold normal individuals, they could not possibly account for someone like Wrecker,” he explained. 

“Oh! You mean I could punch our way out?” Wrecker exclaimed, standing up. Hunter and Omega simultaneously shushed him. He winced and whispered instead. “You mean I could punch our way out?”

“If you punch the correct spot,” Tech nodded.

“Right. Show me where,” Wrecker said, cracking his knuckles. 

“If this is gonna work, we’ll need some cover. Form a wall,” Hunter instructed. He, Omega, Echo, and Specter stood up, forming a barrier to hide Tech. 

“Hit this. Here,” Tech whispered to Wrecker, indicating towards a spot in the wall.

“Right. Tell me when,” he said to the others. Hunter waited a moment, watching for when all the guards would be distracted, engrossed in their conversation.

“Now.” Wrecker punched the wall and quickly sat on the bench. They hadn’t been spotted. Wrecker inspected the spot on the wall; it had sustained no damage.

“Nothing happened,” he reported.

“Are you sure this is gonna work?” Hunter questioned.

“Try it again. A little harder,” Tech said, determined. 

“You’re all clear. Make it count,” Specter said over her shoulder. Wrecker nodded and drew his fist back, striking the wall with more force. Specter flinched at the noise, noticing Wrecker once again take a seat on the bench. They waited until the guards turned their gazes away before glancing at the wall. 

“Oh, it still didn’t work,” Wrecker grumbled. Tech went to look. 

“Oh, yes it did. Look,” he said, pulling away the now damaged sheet of metal to reveal a hole in the wall. 

“I’ll never fit through that,” Wrecker complained. Specter glanced too.

“I could try but the guards would notice my absence.”

“I’ll do it,” volunteered Omega.

“Are you sure, kid?” Hunter asked.

“I’m sure,” she nodded, looking up at him.

“Okay. Get to the console and hit the lever to lower the ray shield,” he instructed. Omega squeezed into the crevice, Wrecker and Tech replaced the sheet of metal behind her.

“Incoming,” Echo announced as the guards made their way over.

“Wait, where’s the girl?” the leader asked.

“Hey, fellas,” Specter said, resting a hand on her hip and winking.

“Not you. The child.”

“You tell us,” Hunter shrugged.

“Harm her and you’re a dead man,” Echo threatened. 

“Operations, we need a status report on prisoner 0219,” one of the guards relayed into his comm. A creak sounded above them. “What was that?”

“Sorry,” Wrecker spoke up, covering for Omega, and leaning up against the wall, “these floors don’t hold me so well on account of them not being designed for abnormal individuals such as myself.” Hunter and Tech shook their heads at the absurdity. 

“What’s behind you?” the guard asked, peering closer, causing the other guards to ready their blasters.

“Nothing,” Wrecker said, bringing up his hands behind his head in defiance.

“Move away from the wall. Now.”

“Why don’t you come here and make me?” the brute challenged. One of the guard’s comm beeped.

“Copy that. The girl’s still registered in lockdown,” he reported before aiming his blaster at Wrecker. “Tell us where she is,” he ordered. 

As if on cue, Omega fell down from the ceiling on top of the ventilation panel.

“Hit the switch, Omega!” Hunter said. She scrambled to pull the switch before one of the guards went to grab her. She struggled in his grasp.

“Get off!” she cried, swinging her legs and arms.

“Hey, Red,” a voice said behind him. He turned, just as Wrecker punched him across the room. Another guard tried to get up, but Tech simply stunned him with his own blaster, grabbing it for himself. 

“Not bad,” Wrecker complimented the girl.

“We need to find out where they took Cross,” Specter said, stepping over the downed troopers. A pang of worry shot through her. With the entirety of Kamino against them, there was a chance they wouldn’t find him, or if they did, they wouldn’t escape unscathed. Hunter tossed her a blaster, bringing her back to herself. 

“Let’s go,” he said, leading the group out of the room. The squad carefully made their way through the facility.

“We’re not going to get very far without our gear,” Tech said once they had moved to a quiet area in the pristine halls.

“They started moving all your things to the hangar. Your gear might be there too,” Omega said. Hunter nodded.

“This way.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They had made it to the hangar without being detected; Omega was right, the Marauder and their gear were there. 

“Alright, boys, suit up. Let’s make this quick,” Hunter said. Specter found her things and quickly dressed in her armor before gathering her weapons and other belongings she deemed important: which, given their lifestyle, wasn’t much. She wasn’t as attached to items as some of the others were. She overheard Wrecker rustling through his things, no doubt looking for Lula. 

“Tech, power up the ship. The rest of us will go after Crosshair,” Hunter instructed. Specter readied her interchangeable rifle, uneasy about retrieving Crosshair. So much was going wrong already, and she couldn’t predict if he would come willingly.

“I don’t think we’ll have to go far,” Omega said, however. The bay doors opened and the Batch ducked down, peeking over the crates at the troops that entered, blasters raised. Specter gasped.

“Is that Crosshair?” asked Wrecker. Hunter looked over at Specter, who watched with a broken heart as her brother appeared from the squad, dawning new Imperial armor. Her grip on her rifle faltered and her hands trembled. Hunter took a breath and went to stand in the center of the room, facing him. 

“Best stand down, Sergeant. Make it easy on yourself,” Crosshair said.

“Have you lost your mind?” Hunter asked angrily.

“We should’ve killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders.”

“I did what I thought was right.” 

“You never could see the bigger picture. Now surrender.” Hunter glanced at the others; Wrecker had put his helmet on and Echo took aim with his pistols, although Specter was still in shock. 

“Is that an order?” asked Hunter. Crosshair smirked a little.

“Heh. I guess it is.”

“Well. I guess I’m disobeying that one too.” Thunder clapped and rumbled as the two stared each other down, Crosshair spat out his toothpick. 

His gaze flickered to Specter, who flinched; she was screaming in her head to get a grip and take aim, only to be contradicted by pleas to surrender and stay with her brother. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. Too much was happening and too fast. She watched her brother’s finger itch over the trigger of his rifle, and knew there would be no easy way out. Even if she gave herself up, what was the likelihood Hunter or even Omega would get caught in the crossfire that would certainly follow? Specter steadied her breathing and regained the strength in her hands to grip her blaster. 

The first shot was fired by Crosshair, who let his rifle fall onto his arm as a mount. Hunter ducked in time and took cover next to Omega as the other troops began to fire. The Batch fired back, Specter opting for her sniper-rifle configuration to try and disable the soldiers. One of Crosshair’s soldiers threw a smoke bomb, filling the room and disrupting everyone’s line of fire; Specter switched to thermals, knowing her brother would too. She unleashed rapid fire through her rifle but knew it would have little to no effect.

“Hunt, they outnumber us. Even if we fired blindly into the smoke, it’s no guarantee,” she reported into a private channel, one without Crosshair. She heard him growl and swear under his breath. 

“Tech, we gotta move. Now,” Hunter said into the comm. 

“I’m working on it,” he replied.

“Wrecker, clear the smoke on three,” Hunter ordered. 

“You got it, boss.” Wrecker lowered his blaster and grabbed two crate lids, ready to clear the smoke.

“Omega, stay low,” Hunter instructed the girl before slowly counting down. When he got to three, Wrecker emerged from his cover and slammed the crate lids together, blowing the smoke away; he even threw one of the lids, knocking down most of the troops. He threw the other at Crosshair, who rolled out of the way and shot Wrecker in the shoulder, knocking him out.

“Osi’kyr!” Specter swore, angrily firing.

“Echo, we go for Wrecker,” she heard Hunter instruct. “Spec, Plan 4: Star Shower.” Specter nodded, shoving her helmet on and quietly reconfiguring her blaster to its shotgun form in the silence of the ceasefire.

“Only one way out, Hunter. Your move,” Crosshair drawled. 

“Go!” Hunter shouted. Specter emerged and fired her rounds at the other clones and the ceiling. Miniature explosions peppered them and fell with debris from above, no doubt confusing Crosshair’s thermals. Echo and Hunter struggled to get Wrecker towards the Marauder by the time her cover had dissipated.

“I’m out,” she announced, grabbing for her pistol as Crosshair took aim again. But another shot rang out, knocking the rifle out of his hand. It was Omega, doing her best to hold a blaster that was most likely too heavy for her. A beat of surprised stillness passed before Crosshair made a move for his pistol— this time, Specter was ready. The two fired furiously at each other, some of their shots even collided and ricocheted off each other. Even when Wrecker and Omega had made it on the ship, Specter didn’t stop firing; she was angry—beyond angry— at Crosshair and everything that tore them apart. 

“Specter, recall!” Hunter shouted from the ship’s entryway over the noise. She growled, running to hop on board just as they took off. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Ouch!” Wrecker cried as Specter injected the needle into his arm. She had put herself to work on taking care of him, distracting herself.

“Quit whining,” she teased, ruffling through the med-pack until she found the syringe she was looking for. 

“What’s that gonna do?” he cried as she held it up.

“You’ll be okay. Just hold still.”

“Is this what you were looking for?” Omega said, holding up the stuffed Tooka. Wrecker gasped and grabbed it.

“You found my Lula! Ow!” he cried again. Specter had injected him while he was distracted. Omega giggled as Tech came in with his scanner.

“Let’s see here,” he said before kneeling in front of him, “hold still.

“Don’t examine me. I’m not a computer,” Wrecker shied away, holding onto Lula. 

“Would you rather get shot again?” Specter mused. Wrecker whimpered in response.

“This will take just a second.” Tech held the scanner closer to Wrecker's arm, who grunted at the contact. Specter laughed but watched as Hunter slowly followed Omega, who had wandered into the cockpit. 

Specter stepped back from Wrecker, glancing toward the cockpit where Omega stood, awestruck at the view before her. Her mind wandered back to her own first time in space. She’d refused to admit her fear as the old ship took off. Crosshair had known better, and hadn’t let go of her hand the whole ascension. 

She missed her brother now, as reality struck her with a sickening pang. Had he chosen to stay with them, she could imagine his sarcastic hiss teasing Wrecker for being clumsy and her for becoming a ‘nurse.’ Never in a thousand star-systems had she even imagined her brother, her twin, would betray them like this. It hurt far too much to think about.

“Spec, you alright?” asked Echo, bringing her back. She nodded and stepped back as he helped Wrecker into the cockpit, following them. 

“It’ll take more than a blaster shot to take me down,” Wrecker announced as he entered.

“You were down,” Echo argued.

“Yeah, well, not for long,” he cheered, squeezing Echo, but groaning in pain again. Specter squeezed in between them, pushing Wrecker to sit down.

“You are out of commission until further notice, big guy,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder before going to sit in the co-pilot’s seat next to Tech.

“What’s the plan, Hunter?” he asked. 

“I thought we could go off on our own. Lay low. But with Crosshair gunning for us, I’m not so sure,” Hunter explained.

“What about your friends? Could any of them help us?” Omega asked. 

“That would be a short list,” said Tech.

“Yeah, we could count them on one hand,” Specter followed. 

“I can think of one. Plot a course for J-19,” Hunter said. Specter smiled and plotted the course while Tech brought the system online.

“J-19?” Echo questioned.

“We know a guy,” was all Hunter explained.

“Hold tight, hun. You’re not gonna wanna miss this view,” Specter said to Omega. She could see the stars glimmering in the girl’s wide eyes; she looked up at Hunter and smirked, who winked in response. Omega held tightly onto the arm rest but smiled wide as they shot into hyperspace to their new destination, and hopefully, a safe one.

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #clone force 99 #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #f!oc

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The Clone Wars: Unfinished Business

The 4th and final part of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc with my OC: Specter! If you've stuck around this far, dear reader, thank you so much for taking an interest in Specter. Her story has just begun and I will be posting the first episode of The Bad Batch: Specter next Friday (5/10/24). As for the format of this episode; since the original went back and forth between Anakin's team and Obi-wan/Mace's teams, this will remain with Anakin and the Bad Batch, just to keep continuity towards Specter's perspective. this has been edited. Enjoy!

Specter finished adjusting her hair just as Crosshair and Hunter arrived with the rest of their gear. Wrecker hung out near her while Tech made a final inspection of the Marauder before their next mission. 

Echo apparently had a plan to help the Republic take back Anaxes; while Generals Windu and Kenobi had the ground, the Bad Batch, Rex, General Skywalker, and Echo would infiltrate Admiral Trench’s dreadnought and counteract their attack patterns. She couldn’t care less about the specifics, as long as it would lead to a Republic victory.

“Tech, is everything ready?” Hunter asked.

“Yup, Sarge. We are ready. Still not sure how we’re gonna land on that ship.”

“Don’t worry. Echo says he’s got a plan,” Rex assured, coming up behind Tech.

“That makes me feel so much better,” Tech replied flatly with a shake of his head.

“What do you mean by that?”

“To be blunt—”

“He’s always blunt,” Specter said as she passed by. Tech sighed and continued.

“His mind belonged to the Separatists until we unplugged him. We don’t really know where his loyalties lie,” he admitted, narrowing his eyes slightly. 

“Right.. Well, I do know. Now, get moving,” Rex said gruffly. 

Once everyone was on the ship, they took off, veering away from the Republic fleet heading towards planet-side battle and up to the Admiral’s dreadnought. 

“Please tell me we are blowing something up,” Wrecker hoped with almost child-like anticipation.

“Sorry, Wrecker, once again, this is strictly stealth,” said General Skywalker. 

“I hate that word,” the brute groaned in complaint. 

“I don’t,” Specter said with a smirk.

“Well, of course you wouldn’t. Your name is Specter.”

“Both of you, focus, please,” Anakin chided before turning. “Echo, you’re up.” The clone nodded and went toward the console.

“Don’t worry. As soon as I plug in, I’ll send a signal to the command ship.” He plugged his scomp-arm into the port.

“What type of signal are you gonna send? Nothing that’ll give us away, right?” Hunter eyed Echo cautiously. The entire Bad Batch was uneasy about the situation: the situation being Echo. Specter couldn’t help but agree with what Tech had said earlier, worried the Separatists could easily turn Echo against them, or somehow find out their plan of attack. 

“As far as the droids are concerned, we’re just gonna be another one of their shuttles coming in for a landing,��� Echo explained.

“And the regs think we take risks,” Hunter mumbled just loud enough for Specter to hear. She chuckled, playfully elbowing him in the ribs with a smirk.

“Sending the signal now.” 

The team waited in silence, hoping the plan would work. 

“Roger, roger, Shuttle TC-159. You may approach and land,” a battle droid said through the radio. Specter let out an audible sigh of relief.

“I’d still rather blow it up,” Wrecker grumbled as they approached and landed on the underbelly of the massive ship.

“I have a feeling you’ll get your chance, given our track record,” Specter muttered.

“Shall we bet on it?” Tech asked from the pilot’s chair. She snickered.

“Let’s not bet on the chances of a certainty.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The team landed aboard the dreadnought undetected. So far, the coast was clear as the Bad Batch, General Skywalker, Rex, and Echo snuck through the corridors of the ship and towards the comm vault. 

Specter led the group, occasionally signaling for the team to proceed. Her pistol was raised and ready for any potential scuffle. 

They reached the vault. Specter held up a fist, the group paused before she scanned the area and indicated the coast was clear, letting Tech come forward and use his datapad to open the vault. He followed the General, Captain, and Echo inside while the others stood guard.

It was all up to Echo now.

Skywalker reappeared a minute later, the rest of the team gathered around.

“Alright, Echo will be in the system in just a moment. Are there any other entrances to the vault?”

“Not that we’ve seen, but we could always do a quick sweep,” said Hunter. “You, me, and Wrecker can double-check the perimeter. Twins? You two keep an eye on things in this immediate area, but stay off comms. If we end up detected, it’ll be best to give you more time. If none of us find anything, we’ll rendezvous back here,” Hunter ordered. They nodded and split, sans Specter and Crosshair. The former of the two slouched against a wall and sighed dramatically.

[I’m bored], she signed with her hands, exaggerating the slouch in her shoulders and letting her head fall back against the wall.

[We just got here], he replied, frustratedly signing, Specter could tell he wasn’t in the mood for her antics, which gave her all the more reason to continue. 

[But we’re just keeping guard and I'm not detecting any activity in this area.]

[Would you rather be in there?] he nodded towards the inner chamber. Specter sighed, contemplating. [Do you trust him?]

[No], that answer was easy. [But we’ll see how he pulls through. I think he can tell we don’t exactly like him.]

[I'm not a fan of ghosts], Crosshair shrugged as he signed. Specter’s shoulders bounced in silent laughter. 

[I’ll try not to be offended.]

[I’m not a fan of you either], he teased.

[I'll never forgive you now.] He made the motion of swiping at her, shaking his head. [I really wonder if the Separatists could take control of him again], she signed, keeping an eye on the room. 

[Anything is possible], he shrugged. 

“What are you two talking about?” Hunter asked, reappearing with Wrecker and Skywalker. 

“Nothing,” they simultaneously said, crossing their arms. 

“Oh yeah? Then what’s Echo’s status?” Hunter waited for an answer, they said nothing, only sheepishly hanging their heads and taking arms once more. Wrecker laughed, taking a position by the main entrance, while Hunter shook his head and took off his helmet, moving to stand by the door with Skywalker. 

“I’m intercepting a transmission,” Tech said from the inner chamber, catching the group’s attention. “Trench is ordering all of his droids… to the assembly complex.” 

The same one Generals Kenobi and Windu were attempting to take back. Specter gripped her rifle a little tighter, craning her neck to peer inside. 

“Alright, Echo, what are you trying to pull?” Hunter accused, stepping towards the clone.

“Don’t worry, that’s what I told them to do,” Echo assured, seeming all too confident in his risky move. His tone made Specter uneasy.

“That’s making me worry more,” Specter chimed in. Crosshair shot her a look and she shrugged. 

“Our troops will be vastly outnumbered,” said Rex, seeming to doubt his friend for a moment.

“Not when I send them a feedback pulse that shuts down all the droids,” countered Echo.

“Oh, right. Sure thing. Problem solved,” Specter remarked sarcastically.

“How do we know that’s what you’re really trying to do?” Tech questioned.

“We have to trust him,” Rex said after a beat of silence. 

“Rex is right,” Skywalker affirmed. “Echo, we’re all counting on you.” The clone nodded and went to work. Hunter motioned for Specter to stand down, but still shared a wary glance with her and Tech. Crosshair went to stand by his twin—who had rested her rifle against the wall—watching as Skywalker reported to the planet-side Generals.

“Master Windu, I know this sounds crazy, but it’s about to get a little more crowded where you are.” Crosshair looked at her, she held up a hand for him to wait and hear.

“We have our hands full as it is. What is your plan?” Windu replied. 

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, it isn’t my plan. Echo is drawing all the droids to your position so he can neutralize them all at the same time,” he explained. 

[Is he really?] He signed

[I can’t say. Best we can do is trust him and wait], she replied. [I don’t like it either.]

So they waited with baited breath, either for the clone forces on Anaxes to be overwhelmed, or for Echo to come through and shut down all the droids. Hunter and Skywalker exited the room, allowing Echo to finish the job. Specter anxiously and instinctively brought a hand up to chew on her nails, but forced it back down, not wanting to take off her helmet or seem unprofessional. Several minutes later, General Windu came through the comm.

“I am pleased to report that we are in control of the assembly complex, and all of the fronts are falling to the Republic thanks to Echo’s plan,” he said. Skywalker smiled, nodding toward Hunter and the twins before turning back inside. 

“That’s good news, Master Windu. We’re on our way back to the base.”

“May the Force be with you.”

[And also with you], Crosshair signed. Specter choked back a laugh and smacked his arm.

It worked, she thought to herself with a sigh of relief. While she still didn’t exactly trust Echo, she would consider him off of her radar of suspicion. 

“Good job, Echo,” Skywalker complimented.

“Well, I guess you actually are on our side,” said Hunter.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Echo gave a playful salute and smile. 

Hunter looked as if he might say something before Tech interjected, “Some,” blunt as usual. 

“I second that,” Specter called into the room. Rex chuckled and waved his arm as if dismissing her.

“Come on, brother, unplug and let’s get out of here.”

[Happy now, Specter?]

[Yes, finally], she signed with relaxed hands. She picked up her rifle and walked with him further down the corridor, closer to Wrecker, ready to escape the dreadnought, until Echo called for them to-

“Wait, I just scanned a new order from Trench. He’s initiated a countdown. There’s a bomb hidden at the assembly complex, but it’s big enough to destroy most of Anaxes.”

“Can you stop it?” Skywalker asked.

“Well, I can try,” answered Echo, though he didn’t sound too certain. Skywalker seemed to have an idea and wasted no time running down the hall.

“General, where are you going?” Rex called after him. 

“If you can’t stop the detonation, perhaps Trench can!”

“Detonation?” Wrecker enthusiastically wondered allowed after the Jedi had run past.

“Against the Republic,” the twins replied, shutting down his excitement.

“So we have to hope Echo can shut it down?”

“Yes.”

“Would you two stop saying things at the same time? It creeps me out!” Wrecker cried. 

“No.”

“Awwww, c’mon it's weird!”

At that moment, a metal clanging down the hall caught their attention; Crosshair peered around the corner, pulling back just as a blaster bolt flew past his head. 

Trench knew they were there.

Without another word, the three took positions and fired back, though they didn’t make much of a dent in the oncoming forces.  

Hunter eventually caught up with them, Tech, Rex, and a barely conscious Echo trailed behind.

“We got company!” Wrecker shouted, charging forward to assist Crosshair and Specter in their coverfire. “What happened to him?” he nodded towards Echo.

“Electrical feedback overloaded his systems,” Tech answered. “Sabotage from Admiral Trench.”

“Great,” muttered Crosshair.

“Hey, we’re almost through!”

“Don’t jinx it, Wrecker,” Specter warned as she switched from her rifle for her shotgun. Taking center stage, she fired a few shots at the droids, bright bursts of plasma knocked the enemy back and gave Wrecker and Crosshair enough cover to shoot them down and clear the way.

“Now, let’s get moving before another wave comes,” Hunter ordered with a nod.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wrecker, Crosshair, and Specter cleared the way ahead while Hunter and Tech provided cover from droids approaching from behind. The unit created a protective circle around Rex, who had Echo slung over his shoulder.

“We can’t blast our way out. There’s too many of them,” Rex said, placing down Echo when another wave of droids appeared in their path. Without another word, Wrecker handed Hunter his blaster and cracked his knuckles, Hunter aimed down each end of the hall. 

“Oh, here we go,” Specter caught sight of Wrecker punching his fists together and running into the line of fire.

“What’s he doing?” Rex asked.

“Time to release the wrecking ball!” he shouted, charging at the droids. He barreled through them, punching and throwing them down, clearing their path.

“I honestly feel bad for those droids,” Hunter mentioned as the team crouched down, waiting for the assault to finish.

“You don’t feel bad when he crashes into me during training,” Specter accused. 

“I think you turned out fine.” 

Wrecker made his way through the last of the droids, pounding the last one’s head.

“It’s all clear!” he shouted, waving. The group got up, ready to move out.

“More droids,” Tech noticed them approaching down the other end of the hall. 

“Go. I’ll buy you some time,” Crosshair said, moving in front of Tech. He threw a reflective puck at the small group; it stuck to a droid and he shot it down. Firing again, the blaster bolt bounced off the reflective surface, hitting all the droids.

“We’ll meet you at the infiltration point,” Rex said as the group vacated the area.

“Hey, if you die, can I have your stuff?” Specter asked before she left. Crosshair looked at her, his silence an indication of his deadpan expression underneath his helmet. She giggled and ran off.

“Oh! He’s gonna try and top me,” Wrecker complained as Hunter gave him back his blaster. “You watch.” 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group made it to the infiltration point, but Tech turned back towards the halls.

“I’m picking up dozens of droids on my sensors, all heading this way,” he announced.

“Hope you’re not waiting on me,” a voice said. It was Anakin, running down the hall to meet them. 

“Now all we’re missing is Crosshair,” Hunter reported.

“Speaking of,” Specter said, noticing as he sprinted, leaving behind a trail of more reflective pucks on the walls. 

“You miss me?” he asked once he met up with the group. A big group of droids were right behind him.

Who wouldn’t miss your ever dramatic charm? Specter thought with a scoff.  

“How touching,” he drawled, using the platform on his shoulder-piece to stabilize his rifle. He fired, hitting the last reflective puck, and the blast ricocheted down the hall, hitting every droid as it bounced from puck to puck. 

“He thinks he’s so cool when he does that,” Specter muttered, walking off with her rifle slung over her shoulder. Wrecker lifted up his helmet, gaping at the damage.

“Relax, Wrecker. You’ll top him next time,” Hunter comforted.

“No he won’t,” the sniper chimed in, following the group. The brute pouted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They made a quick escape, everyone piling into the ship as Tech detached from the underbelly of the dreadnought and flew away.  

“I’ve got a present for you, Wrecker,” Anakin said, holding up a detonator for the clone. 

“Oh, seriously?” he said excitedly. “I get to blow it up? The whole stinking thing?” Wrecker grabbed the detonator and almost cradled it in his hands. He wiped away a tear. “This is the happiest day of my life,” he said between sniffles. He pressed the button.

Specter watched as explosions erupted a second later, destroying the dreadnought and the surrounding ships, from her spot near the rear cannon, smiling at the damage done.

Mission accomplished.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Captain Rex, Corporal Echo, and Clone Force 99,” General Windu said as they all stood at attention, “you all have done a great service for the Republic. Thanks to your courage and effort, Republic shipyards will soon be up and running again.” The Jedi walked away with a respectful nod.

“You’ve got some medals coming your way,” General Kenobi said with a smile before following Windu.

“Thank you, General,” Rex said. He and Echo went to walk, but Echo noticed the Bad Batch did not go to follow.

“You coming?” he asked.

“Not really our thing,” Tech admitted.

“Accolades,” Crosshair hissed. 

“Yeah, we’re just in it for the thrill. Yo!” Wrecker said with enthusiasm, pumping his fist.

“We know we’re good, we don’t need a medal to tell us so,” Specter said with a smirk and a hand on her hip. 

“You sure it’s your thing?” Hunter asked Echo. 

“What do you mean?”

“Your path is different,” he explained before giving a deep huff of a chuckle, “like ours. If you ever feel like you don’t fit in with them, well, find us.” Echo watched as Hunter nodded his group back to their ship. Rex came up to his friend.

“Those are some of the finest troopers I’ve ever fought alongside.” The captain put a hand on Echo’s shoulder, drawing his attention. “Echo. You and I go way back. If you feel that’s where you feel your place is, then that’s where you belong,” Rex encouraged, patting his shoulder and turning to go. Echo looked toward the Batch again.

As Rex walked he knew Echo wouldn’t stay; he turned and saw him talking with the group. Echo turned back to Rex and saluted, leading the rest of the Bad Batch to stand at attention and salute too. Echo was one of them now.

And that's the end of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc! I hope you enjoyed that! Stay tuned for next week!

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb echo #clone force 99 #the clone wars #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #sw tcw #f!oc

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The Clone Wars: On the Wings of Keerdaks

Part 3 of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc with my OC: Specter! this has been edited

Specter would have preferred the action and chaos of the battlefield to the quiet tension of discovering a clone thought to be dead. She could diagnose Echo would make a full recovery, but until Tech disconnected him, there wasn't much else she could do. 

“Situation’s almost under control out there,” Anakin said as he ran into the control room. “How’s it going in here?”

“I’m still trying to decrypt Echo’s cerebral interface,” Tech reported, still working at the controls, “Until I do, we cannot disconnect him from this computer system.”

“How is he, Rex?” the General asked, turning to his Captain. Rex stood up while Specter watched over Echo. 

“He’s too weak to walk. Very disoriented. Doesn’t even remember how he got here. He remembers being at the Citadel, but that’s about it,” the clone reported.

“Any word on the extraction squad?” Anakin asked next.

“We called it in, but no word back.”

“Well, that’s no surprise,” the Jedi grimaced. “We knew when we got into this we’d be on our own. It’s gonna get more difficult to get out of here.” 

Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker rushed into the room as more droids advanced on them. Crosshair elbowed the door panel, causing it to short circuit. Wrecker tore off a droid’s head before it was able to pry the door open. Hunter and Crosshair began to weld the door shut.

“I thought you guys had it handled,” Specter shouted across the room. 

“We were down two! What did you expect?” Wrecker replied. She only shook her head. 

“Enemy approaching,” Crosshair hissed, looking at the thermals through his helmet antennae, “droids. Lot’s of ‘em.”

“How long can you hold them off?” Anakin asked.

“How long do you need?” Hunter asked back. 

“Tech, how much longer?”

“Not yet. I need more time,” the clone answered. 

“Cutting it awfully close today, Tech,” Specter mumbled.

Moments passed before Tech announced “we can unplug him now.” Specter helped Echo to stand up over the console and let Rex unplug the cables attached to the clone. Echo writhed in pain, eventually falling to sit again as the last cable was pulled.

“Rex?” he asked.

“What is it?” The Captain kneeled down to his friend, ready to attend to him.

“I got a big headache,” Echo joked. He glanced at Specter. “And there’s a pretty lady here, too,” he whispered. Specter heard him anyway, rolling her eyes.

“Pretty lady who’s got a name and a gun. I’d be careful around her, soldier,” she crossed her arms. “So how about you just focus on getting out of here alive?”

“Better to feel something than nothing, old buddy,” Rex said tenderly with a chuckle.

“It’s a touching reunion, guys, but we need to get out of here now,” Anakin interjected.

“There’s an exhaust vent that leads to the cooling systems right there,” Echo weakly pointed to a spot in the ceiling. A muffled clang sounded.

“They’ve breached the front door,” Hunter announced as sparks fell from the inner door. Crosshair held up his rifle at the ready. “It won’t be long before they’re through the second.” Echo had already plugged his mechanical arm into the console port.

“That should get it open,” he said. The vent indeed opened, but it was still high out of reach. The other clones put their helmets on, ready to vacate the room. 

“Great. Now how do we get up there?” Crosshair said with a sneer.

“I can help with that,” Wrecker said, grabbing Hunter.

“Wait, what?” Hunter exclaimed as his squadmate positioned him. “What are you doing?” his voice lilted as he was thrown up into the vent. The Sergeant braced himself before he fell.

“A heads up would have been nice!” he shouted. Specter pointed and laughed, walking towards Wrecker.

“Where would the fun in that be, Hunt?” she teased before Wrecker threw her up too, albeit with more grace. The others had their turn, with Echo latched onto Tech’s back, and began to climb up. Anakin and Wrecker remained. 

“It’s okay, Wrecker. I’ve got this,” Anakin said when the brute offered to help him up into the vent; he used his own skill in the Force to jump up. “What are you doing?” he asked when he realized Wrecker didn’t jump up and instead, ran back toward the control panel.

“I’m putting an end to Tambor’s little science experiment,” he explained, throwing explosives onto the controls and stasis chamber.

“Are you done? Time’s up,” Anakin exclaimed, just as the enemy got through the door. The Jedi used the Force to pick up the clone before a spherical droid, who had filled the room with a spider-web of electricity, could reach him. Once everyone had made it up to the corridor, they began to walk through. 

“Huh. This ventilation corridor acts as a cooling system for all the computers in the facility,” Tech observed with his scanner.

“How did you know it was up here, Echo?” the General asked. Rex had Echo slung over his shoulder, helping him walk.

“Well, they got access to my memory, and I got access to the Techno Union database. All their plans, inventory, schematics… everything,” he explained.

“You mean you can find us a safe way out of here?” Rex wondered, letting his friend off his shoulder. The team stopped and waited for an answer.

“Well, there is a way, but you’re not gonna like it.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Echo was right, they didn't like it.  Anakin opened the door and was immediately faced with wind and light dust. The access port had led them outside, facing another facility building connected only by a long pole.

“I don’t know about this,” Rex admitted.

“I’m telling you, there’s a landing pad on that other building,” Echo affirmed.

“So you think there’s a ship there we can steal?” Hunter asked, appearing behind them.

“Well, I hope there’s a ship we can steal.” Echo got up to follow Skywalker, who was already making his way across.

“Let’s hope this trip isn’t for nothing,” Hunter sighed, following Rex. The rest followed along.

“Oh, boy. I can’t even look,” Wrecker nervously said to himself once they had covered some distance. “Just keep walking, Tech.”

“That’s fine, but if you fall, don’t take me with you,” he shot back. 

“Uh-oh. I looked,” Wrecker said with a gulp. Tech ruined his eyes. “I think I’m gonna be sick. Not gonna panic,” he said to himself.

“Hang in there, Wrecker. We’re almost there,” Specter encouraged. She was the only one who didn’t use her arms to balance herself, her modified agility allowed her to steadily walk across… though she was still careful. The door on the other side opened and droids appeared, weapons drawn.

“Turn around! Go back!” Anakin warned, igniting his lightsaber. Behind them, more droids had gathered, blocking the way they came. Everyone was stuck at the halfway point. The General deflected a blaster shot back to a droid  and Tech shot at one on his side. However, Crosshair lost his balance and slipped off.

“Oh, boy,” Wrecker groaned before diving in to save him. “Gotcha!” he said, catching the sniper by his leg as he dangled off an antennae.

“Anybody got a brilliant idea?” Anakin asked.

“I do have a brilliant idea,” Tech replied.

“Can we not assume it’s brilliant until we know what it is, please?” Specter asked.

“I’m hanging here!” Wrecker reminded.

“When the locals attacked us, I recorded the creatures’ distress call,” Tech started to explain.”

“He records everything. It’s a hobby,” Hunter explained to the others.

“Which allows us to call those flying creatures to us,” Tech finished before playing the sound, very loudly. The others covered their ears and winced at the screech. While they waited, Wrecker and Crosshair shot at the approaching droids. “There’s our ride out of here!” Tech pointed to the creatures, who began to emerge from the clouds below and fly around the group. 

“Now, how do we get on them?” Anakin asked.

“How else? We jump!” Tech answered. They all looked at him, appalled. Specter sighed.

“While it’s not the craziest thing we’ve done, I still wouldn’t exactly call this ‘brilliant’,” she mumbled.

“All right, I’ll go first,” the General volunteered. He jumped and landed on the back of a creature. Rex and Echo followed suit, landing on a creature together.

“I don’t wanna do this, but here I go!” Wrecker shouted before letting go of Crosshair and the antennae. They were paired up as well.

“See you later!” Specter waved goodbye to the droids before jumping with Hunter and Tech. She landed with the Sergeant while Tech ended up with Skywalker, flying away with the rest of the group. Tech looked back, however, and saw the droids had deployed wings and were now gaining on them.

“Uh, that wasn’t part of the plan,” he admitted. “Those things can fly!” 

“Wow! Really? I hadn’t noticed!” Specter screamed, hanging onto Hunter. “Thank you for your expert analysis!”

“We have to shake those droids!” Anakin said, deflecting their fire with his lightsaber. “How do you steer this thing?” It seemed that the creatures didn’t like the droids tailing behind them either; they flew in a close formation before suddenly veering off away from a jutting cliff, losing the droids. Specter let out a sigh of relief.

“How you holding up, Echo?” Rex asked the clone. 

“Never better, sir!” he replied with a smile.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group returned to the Poletec’s village, the creatures instinctively landed in the open area. They were met with the chief and his guards approaching, who spoke something to Anakin as he jumped off the creature.

“Their leader is impressed we tamed the Keerdaks, but he wants to know why we returned here,” Tech translated for him.

“Tell him we had no choice. Tell him… that we wore out our welcome in Purkoll,” Anakin said. Tech went to do so, but before she could finish, blaster bolts hit the ground. Three of the droids had returned. Crosshair shot one down, another had simply crashed, but one flew away, just barely dodging Specter’s shot. She clicked her tongue in disappointment. 

“Not good,” the Jedi commented. “If I know Tambor, he’ll come after us, us and the Poletecs, with everything he’s got.” The chief began to speak, rather angrily. “Tech, what’s he saying?” Anakin asked while staring up at the chief. 

“He says that we have broken our word. We have brought the war to his village,” he translated, solemn. 

“You’re right. Tell him he’s right, Tech,” Rex stepped up. “Tell him we didn’t plan to drag his people into war. But look what the Separatists did to one of our people!” He stepped aside and pointed towards Echo, who stepped forward as well. The Poletecs gasped. “They took away his freedom, his humanity. They tried to turn him into a machine. The Techno Union claims it’s neutral, but they have chosen sides. Now your people have to choose.” Tech took a breath before translating Rex’s speech. 

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Rex,” Skywalker complimented. 

“Let’s hope it works, because I see forces coming,” Crosshair spoke up, looking over the horizon. “More than we can handle alone.” 

"Ever the optimist," said Specter with a sigh.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was dark by the time the droids arrived in the village, but they all were prepared; the Poletecs lined the cliff above their village and the clones were in position. The General gave the order and Wrecker pushed another boulder into the village, tumbling over droids. The villagers cheered and charged into battle, throwing spears and riding the Keerdaks. 

Crosshair and Specter had taken sniper positions and were picking off droids one by one; Wrecker was, of course, smashing through the droids, and tossed his blade to Hunter who sliced through them. Tech threw several EMPs while Rex provided coverfire. Once they had taken care of their section of droids, the group, including the Poletec chief gathered, ready to make their next move. But a droid, thought to be dead, rose up behind the chief. Crosshair shot it down and gave a salute to the group.

“Hey, that one was mine,” Specter whined.

“Go cry about it, little sister” he said. 

“I hope you were talking about my height. We’re twins.”

They watched as a walker touched down and started sending devastating fire into the village. Those on the ground scrambled for cover as another wave of droids arrived. Tech followed a group of Poletecs, retreating from a squad of droids following them, and placed an EMP in their path, setting it off as the droids became within range. Crosshair, Specter, and Echo joined Anakin on his vantage point and defeated more droids that had flown into range.

“Rex, we’ve gotta take out these walkers. I’ll take one. You take the other,” the General ordered over his radio.

“Don’t worry, General. The boys and I can handle it,” the captain relayed. “Hunter, Wrecker, you’re with me.” The two followed him underneath the walker and shot relentlessly at it. Anakin took several steps back and prepared to run off the cliff. 

“Still showing off, huh, General?” Echo commented.

“You know me, Echo,” he winked before running and leaping off the ledge, igniting his lightsaber as he flipped and landed on top of the walker, cutting through the metal. He slid down to the guns, cutting them off as well.

“That seemed to work. But how do we get up there?” Rex wondered… until Wrecker approached and went to grab him. “No, no. Not again!” The captain was tossed up onto the droid, catching himself on one of its blaster barrels. Hunter was more prepared to be launched and joined Rex in shooting and stabbing the “eyes” of the droid.

“This one’s all you. Don’t screw up,” Crosshair allowed Specter to take the shot at the walker’s third eye. She fired and hit her target, looking back at Crosshair.

“Don’t you ever doubt me,” she defiantly pointed at him.  

The giant droid walked blindly now and Wrecker noticed the Poletec chief dragging a body supposedly out of danger, but right underneath the foot of the droid. The brute pushed away the chief and held up the leg—the ground cracked beneath him. Skywalker used his lightsaber to cut off a leg of his walker and jumped off, using the Force to push it into the other walker. They both fell on top of their own droids and the rest retreated. Wrecker helped pull Hunter and Rex from the wreckage, they saw the General and Tech talking to the chief while the twins helped Echo regroup. Hunter took off his helmet, already smiling.

“It’s hard to compete with a Jedi.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With friendly farewells and a newfound ally, General Skywalker and the Poltec chief parted ways, the native back to his own village and the team back onto the Marauder. Specter was glad the mission was over, though she couldn’t wait for the next one. She noticed neither Rex nor Echo were behind her, Echo had stopped the Captain from entering; ever so curious, she paused to listen in on their conversation. 

“Rex, thanks for coming after me.”

“That’s what brothers do. I’m just sorry it took so long,” Rex admitted. “Hopefully, it’s gonna be just like old times.” Specter ducked out of view just as Rex turned to board the ship, Echo only a few steps behind.

She couldn’t help but think of Crosshair; of course they were closer than the others in Clone Force 99, but she wondered what lengths he would go and what borders he would cross to keep her safe and by his side. She wondered about her own ability too. What was her limit? Was there anything she couldn’t and wouldn’t do for him?

The jostle of the ship taking off interrupted her stream of thoughts, she’d find some other time to worry about it. Crosshair passed by, a ghost of a smirk graced his lips: she mirrored his smile. 

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the Bad batch #the Bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #clone force 99 #the clone wars #the Bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tcw #f!oc

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The Clone Wars: A Distant Echo

Part 2 of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc with my OC: Specter! this has been edited *adla'vod: roughly translates to "twin", directly translates to "same brother/sister"

Specter felt surprised and almost betrayed when Crosshair let General Anakin Skywalker inspect his beloved rifle. Usually, he would get fussy if even she touched it. He wouldn’t even let her put her stuff next to his. 

The Bad Batch, Captain Rex, and the Jedi were on board the Batch’s ship—the Marauder—on their way to Skako Minor, following the live signal “Echo” supposedly sent out. Rex watched as Wrecker lifted a gonk droid with one hand and ate with the other. Crosshair observed as the General looked at his gun, and Hunter monitored any planetside activity at the console while Tech flew them to their destination. The female clone sat back, resting and mentally preparing herself for their next mission. 

“So, how many missions has your team been on, Sergeant?” Anakin asked Hunter.

“Honestly, sir, I’ve lost count. All the action sort of blurs together,” he admitted with a shrug.

“I know you work with Cody sometimes, but who exactly do you guys report to?” Rex asked. Hunter hummed in thought.

“Good question. Can’t say I’ve got an answer.”

“Yeah, I’d feel really bad for the one who would have to try and make sense of our reports,” Specter piped up. Wrecker laughed in agreement. “Oh, adla’vod?” The sniper turned to his twin as Anakin handed him his rifle back. “Your taste in music is weird and the songs you suggested are weird, and I love it. I’m adding them to the playlist.”

“I told you,” he said with a smirk. 

“So you’re the first female clone. How does that affect your… dynamic?” Skywalker asked, turning his attention to Specter. She raised an eyebrow.

“If you’re implying what I think you are, don’t worry about it. I’ve heard enough of the whispers. I’ve saved these boys more times than they’d like to admit, so I’m not just a pretty face.”

“What?” Anakin blushed, “N-no, like— gosh how do I say it without sounding crass?” Specter surprised him by laughing. 

“I’m teasing, General, I know what you mean. They’re my brothers and best friends. They respect me and know when to give me my space when I need it. In return, I don’t break their knees. Isn’t that right boys?” she asked aloud to her team.

“Yes, ma’am,” they replied; some enthusiastically, some with disdain. 

“However they don’t always pick up after themselves. Take Tech, for example,” she said loudly, hoping to get his attention.

“What now?” he sighed.

“Just because my bunk was empty and clean, does not mean you get to use it for storage for your projects.”

“You weren’t using it.”

“Because your stuff was on it!” Rex and Anakin snickered at their argument while Crosshair and Hunter rolled their eyes. A thud and the sound of alarms ended their argument.

“We are approaching Skako Minor,” Tech reported. “It looks to be a difficult landing.” The Marauder broke through the thunderous clouds, turbulence rocked the ship. Wrecker went to help Tech man the controls while the others strapped themselves in. 

Once they landed and everything settled, the rest of the team gathered in the cockpit.

“Rex, what do we know about this place?” Anakin asked his captain.

“On this part of Skako, there’s a race of locals, the Poletecs. All we know is that they’re very primitive.”

“‘Primitive’ is being kind. My intel says the Poletecs worship flying reptiles,” Tech chimed in. A thud and screech were heard outside the ship, almost in reply to the Batcher’s remark. A shadow of a creature scurried over the viewport.

“Oh! What the heck was that?” Wrecker exclaimed as the ship rocked and jolted.

“It’s one of those reptiles,” Tech simply answered.

“I want that thing off my ship,” Hunter growled, putting on his helmet. The Batchers followed his lead and prepared to go outside to investigate. 

“Hold on! Hold on! Don’t just run out there,” Rex warned. 

The Bad Batch ignored him, running out to the blowing winds. A creature was on top of the ship, its rider a mere silhouette against the dim golden light peeking through the dust and clouds.

“Hey! Get off of there!” Wrecker yelled, pointing his blaster at them. Anakin ignited his saber but held his arm out to the brute.

“Hey, calm down. We need to talk to them,” he said.

“Why?” Hunter gowled. The Bad Batch wasn’t used to handling confrontations with diplomacy.

“The General’s right,” Rex supported. Two more flying creatures screeched and approached fast, intently flying toward the group. 

“Heads up!” Specter yelled, crouching low. Anakin pushed Rex out of the way as one of them reached out with its claws to grab at the captain. The two flew by, but the one atop the ship jumped down and grabbed Anakin before flying away with the rest of its group. The Jedi’s lightsaber fell from his belt, Rex grabbed it before firing a few potshots at the reptile, hoping to have some sort of effect. Tech looked through his visor, tracking him.

“I have a thermal reading. Point-two-five east, elevation 175,” he reported. 

“Relax,” Crosshair said, readying his rifle and using Tech’s shoulder as a mount, “I’ll handle this.” He fired a grappling line, latching onto the leg of the reptile holding Anakin.

“What are you doing?” Rex asked as Crosshair handed Hunter the base of the line. 

“Going for a ride,” Hunter said, clipping the line to his belt before being yanked away. “Keep the boys out of trouble, Spec.” Specter crossed her arms, and yelled after him.

“Like they listen to me anyway, but sure thing.” 

The group watched as Hunter and the General disappeared into the thick clouds. Silence surrounded the group until Wrecker turned to Specter and asked-

“Should we follow them?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “We can’t be sure of any more of those reptiles hiding among the clouds. Best to trust Hunter to assess the situation before we rush in.” Her fist tightened with anxiety by her side; Hunter often trusted her judgment enough for her to lead the group when he couldn’t, but this time the life of a Jedi General was on the line.

“Tech, I’m with the General. Hone in on my signal,” Hunter’s voice eventually came through the comm. Specter relaxed her shoulders before turning to the others.

“Alright, now we can regroup. Everyone back to the Marauder,” she said, taking charge and gesturing back to the ship, following the others inside just as Tech launched the shuttle and flew to Hunter’s signal. 

They eventually touched down a ways back from the edge of a ridge leading down into the Poletec’s village. Hunter was kneeling down, out of sight, observing the scene. 

“That creature still has a hold of the General,” he reported to Rex, who went to take position beside him. Rex flipped down the antennae on his helmet, looking through the scope to assess Skywalker, Specter mirrored him, tracking each of the villagers.

“We’re going in,” he said, standing up, “but remember what the General said. ‘No casualties, disarm only’.” The reminder was emphasized towards the Batch with a few pointed glances. Wrecker shook his head and slumped in dejection. 

“We’re on it, Captain,” Hunter stood up before giving orders. “Wrecker, Crosshair, rockslide!” The two went to push the large boulder nearby down the ridge and into the village. As it rolled, Wrecker shadowed behind it, using it as cover, while Crosshair stayed behind to take a sniper position. The rest of the team followed suit, shooting to disarm the natives as they scrambled away. Crosshair shot an electric probe at the leg of the creature holding Anakin; it flew off from the shock, allowing the Jedi to roll out of the way of the boulder. Hunter pointed his pistol at the leader of the Poletecs; it spoke its language at him, waving his arms about. “Tech, translate what he said?” 

“He says he does not want our war on his planet. That is why he took our leader,” he relayed, reading the translation off his visor.

“We didn’t bring the war here,” Anakin said, “it was Wat Tambor and the Separatists.” Tech went to translate, doing his best to mimic the Poltec dialect. The chieftain looked between him and Skywalker.

“Tell him we apologize for what’s happened,” Rex stepped forward. “But tell him the enemy is holding one of our men prisoner in Purkoll. As soon as we rescue him, we’ll leave this planet, for good.” Tech nodded, turning to the chieftain and relaying the information. 

Specter couldn’t help but giggle; Rex noticed her shaking shoulders and nudged her side. 

“Hey, what’s so funny?”

“He just sounds so robotic. He’s not even attempting to follow through with the accent,” she explained. 

“Could you do any better?” Rex asked. She scoffed.

“Give me a day and I could even learn the local dialect, Captain. If it helps put things in perspective, I learned Galactic Sign Language in a week.” 

“Wow, Specter, is there anything you can’t do?” Rex wondered.

“Yeah. She can’t reach the high shelves,” Crosshair sneered. His twin stomped on his foot. 

The Poltec leader and Tech continued to speak back and forth in what looked like apologies and negotiations. 

“The chief says he’ll provide us with scouts and lead us to Tambor’s city. From there, we’re on our own,” he reported to Anakin. 

“Any help is better than no help.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two scouts led the team to a rocky outlook with a clear view of the city, or at least the spires hanging down from the clouds. One pointed towards the city and said something in his language; Tech thanked them before they went to return to their village. 

“Hope nobody’s scared of heights,” Anakin said with a smirk. Crosshair, Hunter, and Specter turned to look at Wrecker, who perked up at the attention.

“Well, I’m not scared of nothing!” he assured, unconvincingly. He glanced down the cliff rock, however, noting the height. “I just… when I’m up real high, I got a problem with gravity,” the brute admitted.

“Speaking of problems,” Tech spoke up, “I am no longer picking up Echo’s signal.”

“I don’t understand,” Rex said, surprised, “you said it was coming from this city.”

“I can only speculate, but it is possible there’s a latency issue with the frequency caused by all these atmospheric disturbances,” Tech said, holding up his datapad.

“Or… maybe they sent the signal to lure us into a trap,” Hunter speculated. “And maybe your friend’s actually dead. Well I can’t be the only one thinking of that.”

“But if a clone can come back from the dead, then nothing could stop me from being completely unhinged,” Specter fantasized.

“Look, every mission could be a trap. This one is no different,” Rex argued against Hunter. “I’m telling you that signal is being sent by Echo himself! He’s alive!”

“I think you’re letting your personal feelings get in the way because you left him for dead at the Citadel,” Crosshair sneered, turning his back on the captain. Specter tilted her head back in exasperation. 

“I had no choice. You hear me?” Rex said, his tone dark and on the verge of anger.

“Oh, I don’t blame you. I would’ve left him for dead too. Besides, he’s just another reg.” 

Specter didn’t blame Rex, nor did she try to stop him when he punched Crosshair to the ground. 

“Hey!” Wrecker grabbed the captain by the back of his armor. “Why don’t you pick on someone not your size?” The brute threw him off, but Rex turned right back around and marched up to him.

“You’ll be a whole lot smaller when I’m through with you,” he growled.

“That’s enough!” Anakin ordered, pushing the two men apart. “Sergeant, take your men and scout the area for a tower entrance. I want to talk to my Captain alone.” Hunter motioned for the Bad Batch to follow him, Specter helped Crosshair stand up before smacking the back of his helmet, scolding her twin for his insensitive comment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wind howled, blowing golden dust. Specter shifted her stance again, trying to ignore the itch of sand up in her armor. The Batch did their best to peer through the sand and guard the entrance of one of the towers leading up to the city while Tech worked on the door panel. Hunter sensed someone coming, holding up his gun in defense. But it was Skywalker and Rex running to meet them.

“We’re in business, General. Tech regained Echo’s signal,” Hunter reported, shouting over the wind and walking him towards the entrance. “It’s coming from this tower. How’s it going, Tech?” The clone had his datapad hooked up to a console, quietly working through algorithms and firewalls to get past the door. After pushing a few buttons, he was able to gain access.

“Sorry it took so long,” he replied with a shrug. 

“Hey, twins, check it out,” Hunter nodded inside. 

“Ah yes, the noble sacrifices,” Specter slumped before holding up her blaster and following Crosshair, sweeping the inner room for any traps or cameras. They found nothing and turned back to the door. 

“Yeah, it’s a lift,” Crosshair deadpanned.

“How magical,” Specter feigned wonder.

“Well, we already knew that,” Rex said, unamused, walking inside with the others. Wrecker nervously looked up at the tower, most of it disappeared behind heavy clouds. 

“Wait, wait, wait. A lift? How far up are we going?” he growled.

“Don’t worry, Wrecker. I’ll hold your hand,” Hunter teased. 

“Hey! Cut it out, Sarge,” Wrecker said, bumping past Hunter’s shoulder, “Just give me some droids to crush.”

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“Remember, this is a stealth mission,” the General said as the lift neared the top, “no blasting, no blowing things up. Nobody knows we’re here.”

“Pff, don’t count on it,” Specter muttered, collapsing her blaster’s stalk and preparing her pistol. The door opened to a group of droids who abandoned their tasks, turned to the intruders, and readied their weapons. Wrecker dashed out, crashing into the ones closest, throwing one at another group near the back and swinging another at a few near the opening. They fell with robotic screams.

“I told you!” Specter said before running out to the fight with her squadmates. Anakin could only shake his head with a smirk. She fired alongside Tech, covering the corridor that led inside the facility. A pair of droids snuck up behind them, separating her and Tech. Specter let them corner her against some crates; once they were right where she wanted, she jumped up and pushed off against the crates—over the droids’ line of fire—knocking them down with a split kick. A shot flew past her shoulder, striking a lone droid attempting to charge at her; Specter looked up to find Crosshair fired the shot, she returned the favor by blasting a droid approaching behind him.

 Wrecker charged at the remaining droids, firing relentlessly and cheering from the adrenaline once they were victorious. Everyone simply looked at him.

“Uh… sorry. I just got excited.” Specter came around and patted his shoulder while Tech checked his scanner.

“I’ve still got a lock on Echo’s signal.” 

“All right, men.” Hunter readied his blaster and led the way to the corridor. “Let’s hunt some droids.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Droids on patrol marched through the hall, though they didn’t detect the door opening and Hunter peeking out. He motioned Specter forward and nodded; they stepped out, he shot the droids entering the area while she destroyed the ones that passed, clearing the way for Skywalker to step into the hallway. 

“Where exactly is Echo’s signal coming from?” he asked Tech. The clone adjusted his goggles as he looked at his datapad.

“Strange. I just lost the signal.”

“What? How can that be?” Rex asked, removing his helmet. “There’s no ‘atmospheric disturbances’ up here.”

“Well, I have a new theory. I’m surprised I did not consider it earlier,” Tech shook his head. “The signal is only traceable during data transmissions. So until Echo dispenses more intel, I cannot pick up the signal.”

“Okay, we’re splitting up. Search every door,” the General began to order, “If someone finds Echo, contact the others. We go in together, just in case there’s trouble.” Specter and Crosshair split with the General while the others went down the other way. She found nothing in the doors she checked, only storage containers and maintenance supplies. 

Specter had a very hard time believing a clone like Echo could have survived the attack on the citadel, but she knew if it was one of her squadmates, she would be just as adamant to rescue them as Rex was. But like Tech, she was logical enough to know that the chances of Echo actually being alive were low. But not zero. 

A commotion caught her attention: muffled blaster fire and a lightsaber. The clone ran towards Anakin, configuring her blaster into a sniper rifle; she got there just in time, shooting down the droids before they could attack again. The Jedi stood up, calmly walking towards her.

“Thanks for the backup.”

“No problem, General,” she said, giving a two-fingered salute.

“Hey, where did you get that weapon? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it,” he asked as they walked down the hall.

“I doubt you would’ve. Tech and Crosshair designed and built it after I saved them on a mission from Corellia… and took care of them when they caught Corellian fever,” she snickered.

“You didn’t have to mention that,” Crosshair hissed, coming up beside them.

“Too late, Cross,” she teased, patting the side of his helmet. He swatted her hand away. “But I was the one who helped engineer the reconfiguring mechanism.”

“Clever,” the Jedi complimented. 

“Don’t let it get to her head,” Crosshair warned.

“Hey, how about when you— did you guys hear something?” Specter stopped herself, suddenly perking up. The others heard it too; sounds of droids and blasters being fired. 

“Sounds like trouble. Let’s move,” the General ordered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It seemed the three had arrived just in time to even the odds against the droids attacking the rest of the team. Anakin used the Force to push a group out of his way, swinging his lightsaber to cut them and deflect their shots. Hunter took the opportunity to go on the offensive, Wrecker, Tech, and Rex joined in. The Sergeant held up a droid by the neck, ready to punch its head off, but Crosshair came in and shot it off for him. A whistle sounded, Specter came running in, taking a position by Wrecker.

“Hey, swing me around,” she said.

“Like on Mon Cala?” he asked, shooting a few droids.

“What? No, like on Ryloth.” They hooked their arms around each other and he spun, swinging Specter around to shoot and kick at the rest of the droids near them. The Jedi stabbed the last one. “Mon Cala… you didn’t swing me, you threw me. Underwater,” Specter mumbled. More blaster fire filled the hallway, even more droids were coming. The team took defensive positions in the side of the room. 

“Tech, open that door for Rex!” Anakin ordered over the noise. 

“Yes, sir!” Tech nodded and ran to take care of the door.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, Captain,” Hunter said, turning to acknowledge him. “Specter, you’re with them.” Rex and Specter ran to meet Tech who was able to get the door open and enter the room. It was filled with dimly lit panels and other controls. 

“I don’t like the look of this,” Specter heard Rex say— her back was turned, keeping an eye on the door and their other surroundings. 

“I’m definitely picking up a life-form in there,” Tech said, his scanner beeping in rapid succession. He investigated the controls, “It seems to be a stasis chamber. I think I can get it open.” Specter looked over her shoulder, Tech worked at the control panel and got the chamber open. 

The door hissed open and a form fell forward, only caught by the wires attached to—him. It was a body. Malnourished, disfigured, but a clone’s body nonetheless. Specter stifled a gasp at the sight. 

“Echo,” Rex breathed. “Tech, we’ve got to get him out of here. Figure out how to…  unplug him from… from this mess.” Rex frantically undid the line around his torso, laying the body down onto the floor, cables were still attached to Echo’s head. “What have they done to you?” Specter abandoned watching the door and turned to go help Rex, who had taken off his helmet.

“We… we have to get to the shuttle to escape the Citadel,” the soldier muttered. His eyes were open but unseeing, skin sickly and pale, body emaciated and drawn. Both his legs and his right arm were replaced by cybernetic parts.

“He’s stable, but blood sugar is low,” Specter reported, removing her helmet and taking out a small flashlight. She shined it in his eyes, they were dilated and unfocused. “He’s in there but barely. Hallucinating. Oxygen in his brain must be low too, his heartbeat is irregular.” She felt his pulse on his wrist and by his neck.

“No! I’ll go first,” Echo continued in his hallucination, reaching out. Rex gently shook him.

“Echo,” he pleaded. “Echo, it’s Rex. I’m here.” The pale clone calmed down, his eyes came into focus.

“Rex? You, you came back for me,” he breathed, reaching to touch Rex.

“Yes. Yes, I did,” Rex assured. 

“What? What happened? Where am I?” Echo looked around.

“Yeah, he’s coming around alright. It’s okay, soldier. You’re safe now,” she assured.

“Just sit tight, Echo,” Rex said, “You’re going home.”

#bad batch hunter #f!oc #star wars #star wars oc #sw tbb #tbb hunter #tbb hunter x oc #the bad batch #tbb crosshair #sw tcw #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #tbb oc

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The Clone Wars: The Bad Batch

Part 1 of the Clone Wars Bad Batch arc with my OC: Specter! Hope you stick around and keep reading! (This has been edited, thoroughly)

“I’ve heard mixed things about these guys.”

“They have a 100% success rate.” Jesse and Kix conversed as Rex and Cody exited the dormitory. 

Their mission? Infiltrate the Cyber Center on Anaxes and retrieve whatever was rendering the Grand Army of the Republic’s attack patterns completely ineffective. 

“It’s not that they win, it’s how they win that worries me,” Jesse said. 

“Repeat, coming in hot on platform TT-3-9-7.” An announcement over the P. A. system caught the clones’ attention just as an Omicron-class attack shuttle came into view, rapidly approaching the landing strip. All personnel scrambled to get out of the way as it roughly landed, sending loose crates flying away. “Clear the airfield! Clear the airfield!” the clone over the P.A. warned. The shuttle came to a stop only a few meters away from Rex, Cody, Kix, and Jesse, kicking up a cloud of dust. 

“So, why haven’t I heard of this squad?” Rex asked the commander, already second guessing his decision. 

“Experimental unit Clone Force 99. They’re defective clones with, uh,” Cody paused to look for the right description, “desirable mutations.” 

“99, eh? Nice touch,” Rex commented, remembering the old clone.

“They call themselves, ‘The Bad Batch’,” Cody crossed his arms. With a track record like theirs, Cody knew they were the clear choice for this mission. 

Stairs lowered from the ship and the five members of the Bad Batch exited; the tallest and biggest one was the first to take off his helmet. 

“The cavalry has arrived!” he cheered in a big booming voice. Jesse and Kix exchanged looks— he certainly didn’t look like a regular clone. The Bad Batch approached the group, two more of them removed their helmets: one with long brown hair and a tattoo covering half his face, and the other with a longer face and short gray hair, complete with a toothpick stuck in his scowl. 

“These guys are clones?” Kix murmured. Another Batcher took his helmet off: he had goggles and an inquisitive expression. “They don’t look like clones to me.” 

The smallest clone in the group caught Rex’s attention. Of the batch, he was the only one who hadn’t removed his helmet. Rex couldn’t quite place just what was so curious about the way this mystery-clone carried himself and the odd fit of his armor. 

“Sergeant. Good to see you again,” Cody greeted.

“You too, sir.”

Cody turned to the rest of his group. “This is Hunter.”

“Sorry we’re late, Commander. We were putting down an insurrection on Yalbec Prime when your comm came in. Had a few unforeseen… complications,” Hunter explained, side-eyeing the big guy, who laughed in response.

“Ever fought a male Yalbec?” he asked, deciding to focus on Jesse.

“Um… No. Can’t say that I have,” he stammered. 

“You’re lucky! Only way to kill ‘em is with one of these,” the brute said, pulling out a large knife. Jesse gulped.

“That’s right. Wrecker here cut off the queen’s stinger while she was still alive. That’s why all those Yalbec males tried to eat us,” Hunter said. 

“Ah, technically they were trying to mate with us,” the one with the goggles spoke up. “And, for your information, the stinger of a Yalbec Queen is a delicacy on some planets.”

“They call him Tech,” Cody said. 

“Yeah, he can fill your head with useless info for hours. Crosshair, on the other hand,” Hunter started to say, pointing back to the scowling clone, “is not much of a conversationalist, but when you have to hit a precise target from ten klicks, Crosshair’s your man.” Crosshair shifted his toothpick, analyzing the four clones through squinted eyes. “And finally, Specter— where’s Specter?” Hunter looked around. The smallest clone was out of sight. 

When did that happen? Rex wondered, realizing he hadn’t registered the trooper’s exit. 

He reappeared, tapping Kix on the shoulder and handing him the scanner he’d left back at the barracks. 

“What in the…” he took the datapad apprehensively. The trooper wordlessly went to stand next to Hunter, with his arms crossed and head tilted. The Sergeant chuckled.

“Specter, here, is our secondary sniper and assassin when we need it: covert, fast, and light-footed. I think the sprint record was about—oh, what was it again?” he paused to ask, although Rex could tell this was nothing more than an opportunity for the pair to show off. Specter said nothing, only holding up five fingers. “Right, fifty kilometers an hour, with reflexes just as fast,” Hunter finished.

Rex, Jesse, and Kix tried to hide their amazement while Cody shook his head and smiled. 

“We playin’ the long game, Specter?” he asked. The soldier nodded while the other Batchers smirked. It made the other two somewhat uneasy.

“So, Commander,” Hunter turned back to Cody, “what kind of suicide mission do you have for us this time?” 

“Let’s get going first. We’ll brief you on the way,” Cody instructed, leading the other eight clones to the awaiting gunship. 

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It was cramped in the gunship as they flew over the forests of Anaxes. Though the one they called Specter still hadn’t removed his helmet, Jesse could feel he was being watched through the dim red light. 

“What are you looking at?”

“We don’t usually work with regs,” the one called Crosshair chimed in before Specter could speak, flicking his toothpick at him. 

“Regs?” Jesse scoffed, shifting towards the pair before Hunter blocked his way. 

“He’s talking about regular clones. It’s nothing personal.” Specter shrugged behind him, seeming to share a look with Crosshair. Jesse wasn’t sure he liked this bunch.

“Hey now, We’re all on the same team, so cut the attitude and listen up,” Cody announced. The clones stood at attention, even Specter from their small spot in the side. “Here’s the mission: Our target is this Cyber Center,” Cody pulled up a holographic display of the complex. “It’s the brains of the entire Separatist campaign here on Anaxes.”

“I could demolish that with one hand. Yeah!” Wrecker jeered. Everyone rolled their eyes.

“This isn’t a demo job, Wrecker. It’s strictly a retrieval operation,” Cody reminded. 

“Incoming fire!” the pilot inside the ship yelled. Their presence had clearly not gone unnoticed. Everyone inside was thrown around as blaster bolts struck the sides of the ship and the pilot attempted evasive maneuvers out of the canyon. The front of the ship was struck by a blast, and the team braced themselves for a crash into the canyon.

“We’re going down!” Wrecker yelled, almost excitedly. The gunship scraped against the canyon wall before sliding along the bottom, finally lurching to a stop. 

Amid the smoke and rubble, Wrecker used his strength to help his fellow troopers out of the crash. “We always get shot down when we travel with regs,” he said, almost teasing.

His comment went unheard as Kix spotted Cody still stuck underneath the gunship.

“Cody!” he cried, rushing to his aid. “Help! He’s trapped. We have to do something.”

“I’ll get him,” Rex rushed forward.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Hunter stopped him. “Easy, Captain. Wrecker, get him out.” The brute nodded and cracked his knuckles.

“Get back,” he said. Everyone stepped back as he approached the ship.

“This is ridiculous! He’s gonna need help to get Cody out of there,” Kix complained. Crosshair chuckled and put a hand on his shoulder.

“He’s gonna get the gunship out of there, not Cody,” he explained, pointing with his toothpick. 

And just like he said, Wrecker, with his helmet back on his head, pushed the gunship over and out of the way; he carried Cody out from the wreckage and to the rest of the group. 

“Boom,” Wrecker quipped, just before the gunship exploded behind him. Cody wheezed and groaned; Wrecker put him down on the ground so Kix could scan his chest.

“He has internal damage. I can cut the pain, but he needs help fast,” he announced.

“We all need help,” Crosshair drawled, noticing a large force of battle droids approaching their position. “That blast gave away our position.” Hunter gave a short laugh.

“I thought getting shot down gave away our position,” he said with a smirk.

“Everyone, find cover. We’ll hold this position and let them come to us,” Rex ordered.

“I don’t think so, Captain. That’s not our style. We prefer going to them,” Hunter enunciated, pointing defiantly at the oncoming droids. “Bad Batch, Plan 82: Shockwave!” he ordered, putting on his helmet, his team followed suit. Wrecker hoisted up a large piece of the metal wreckage. “Let’s get to work.” The group ran towards the battle droids.

“Blast them!” a droid commanded. Wrecker’s piece of debris was placed in front of the team, acting as cover from the barrage of fire so they could keep advancing. Tech, Hunter, Crosshair, and Specter fired at the droids as they went. 

“Specter, watch our flank,” Hunter commanded.

“Copy,” the soldier’s voice was distorted. What must’ve been a faulty modulator made whatever Specter said next completely unintelligible. 

As the droids grew closer, Specter attached a heavily modified barrel to the end of his blaster, converting it into what could best be described as a shotgun. 

He loaded the weapon, inserting projectile shells into the ammo chamber, fired, and as the shells impacted against the droids, they exploded; weaponized plasma launched and propelled the inner pellets outward in a spray of death. It was like a firework as droids who were caught up in the blast were destroyed.

After the Bad Batch had gained some distance, Wrecker planted the makeshift shield down, allowing for Tech to peek out and scan the droids with his goggles. 

“45. Mark 151,” Tech relayed to Hunter.

“45. Mark 151,” he copied, pulling out an EMP grenade and throwing it high into the air. Crosshair shot it as it fell, disabling a group of droids. The team advanced again, Wrecker planted the shield once more.

“75. Mark 357.”

“75. Mark 357.” Tech and Hunter, respectively, relayed. Hunter threw the grenade, this time at a lower angle, but a battle droid had caught it.

“What the…?” the droid began to say before Crosshair shot the EMP, desemating an even larger group of battle droids. Spider droids entered the fray, firing near the Bad Batch as they moved forward.

“Spider droids. Specter, they’re all yours. We’ll cover you,” Hunter said, handing Specter his vibro-knife. Wrecker shifted the piece of metal, allowing Specter to speed through the rest of the battle droids, stabbing a few as he went by, towards the spider droid, dodging as it took shots at him. But the clone was too fast for the droid to accurately aim. He was soon in front of the spider droid, stabbing its eye and shutting it down. Then using the knife as a handle, Specter hoisted themselves up and reconfigured their blaster back to its original form before unleashing a rapid-fire setting on the second spider droid, completely mutilating it. The rest of the Bad Batch had destroyed the remaining battle droids and advanced to Specter’s position. 

“Any more? Come on!” Wrecker cheered in victory. Specter hopped down from the spider droid and handed Hunter his knife, who twirled it back into its sheath. With all of the droids defeated, the Bad Batch went to regroup among the broken droid pieces. The other clones made their way over, with Kix supporting Cody.

“That was some show you put on just now,” Rex complimented.

Hunter took off his helmet and nodded, “Just doing our job, Captain.” Behind him, Wrecker was playing with a dead droid head, laughing.

“Hey look, Crosshair, this little clanker likes you,” he teased, waving it in his squadmate’s face.

“Grow up, Wrecker,” the sniper said grumpily. Meanwhile, Tech and Specter were leaning close, observing something on his forearm monitor.

“Yes, your damage efficiency has increased since we made those last modifications. All in part, of course, to my engineering expertise,” Tech practically bragged. Specter silently turned his head toward him. Tech somehow understood the clone’s hidden expression and quickly modified his statement. “Fine. Our engineering expertise,” Tech sighed, giving Specter the proper credit; he nodded his head in triumph.

“We should move out before reinforcements arrive. Our position has been compromised,” Rex said, motioning for everyone to follow him out of the canyon.

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The clones had their camp set up in the forest, Rex tended to Cody, Hunter investigated the ground nearby, and the other 6 were gathered around a warm light source. Jesse sighed.

“So, I get what makes the other Batchers unique, but what’s so special about Hunter?” he wondered out loud.

“He can put up with the other four,” Kix joked. 

“He was engineered with heightened senses,” Tech stated, kneeling down and warming his hands by the light, “A place like the Cyber Center, Hunter can feel the electromagnetic frequencies from anywhere on the planet.”

“And here I thought we were smart just using a holomap,” Jesse jeered, elbowing Kix.

“Well, maps can be wrong. Hunter never is,” the Batcher said, turning to look at his Sergeant as he stood up. 

Cody groaned, still in pain, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hang in there, Cody.” Rex encouraged his comrade. The captain stood up and went toward the group. “Listen up. We have to move out,” he commanded.

“Commander Cody’s in no position to move,” Crosshair said, stepping forward and removing his toothpick.

“Already called in Evac. Kix will stay with Cody until it arrives.” Rex indicated toward the medic, who nodded in agreement over his role. “I’m in charge now, and I’ve got a plan to get into that Cyber Center.” The sniper stepped even closer, challenging the reg.

“If your plans are so good, why did Commander Cody have to call us in?” he sneered. Wrecker moved closer too, sensing a fight. But it was Jesse who shot up and got in Crosshair’s face, pointing at him.

“You can’t talk to Captain Rex like that!”

“Says who?” Wrecker grumbled, almost with glee; he lifted Jesse up by the throat into the air, who immediately started to flail.

“Put him down!” Rex ordered. Kix went to intervene, but Crosshair pushed him away.

“Stay out of it,” he hissed. 

“Hey, watch it!” Kix pushed back; the two began to wrestle with each other.

“Uh, guys, come on,” Tech pleaded, staying out of the fight. Finally, Specter stood up and growled, taking off his—her— helmet and marching toward the chaos.

“That’s enough!” she shouted, using her helmet to hit Wrecker on the side of his head, knocking him off balancing and forcing him to release Jesse. She stalked over to Crosshair and Kix, grabbing the sniper by his ear. Her free hand reached up to pull down Wrecker by his ear too. The boys cried in pain and struggled in her grip. The regs caught their breath and watched the scene unfold.

“I swear, your egos are going to get us Court Martialed! Have you ever thought that maybe–just maybe–if you’d humble yourselves for one mission, it would go off without a hitch?! Heh, it’s no wonder the regs don’t like us.” she scolded. Tech sat back down, trusting his teammate to handle it. “If you would stop provoking fights, we wouldn’t need to keep cleaning up our own mess. Not like you clean up anyway,” Specter mumbled the last remark. They went to protest.

“But-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” She pulled them closer, they grunted then silenced themselves. “Think about this very carefully; would you rather deal with me, or Hunter?” The boys grimaced and looked at each other, before deciding to hold their hands up in surrender. Specter huffed and dropped them, picking up her helmet. “Honestly, Crosshair, I’m almost embarrassed to call you my twin,” she mumbled, glaring at the sniper. He only frowned and turned away. “Thanks to you idiots, I’ve lost my bet with Tech. I’ll pay you once we get back to the Marauder,” she turned to the goggled clone who merely gave a triumphant thumbs up. 

The regs were still shocked at the presence of the woman. Her skin was fair and eyes were brown, chestnut hair was styled into a braided halo, although a few strands had fallen into her face. She may have been small and feminine, but she held herself with confidence and strength they had only seen in their other brethren. 

“What?” Jesse was the first to vocalize, running a hand over his bruised neck.

“Oh! Yeah, Tech and I had a bet to see if I could go the whole mission without giving myself away,” Specter explained, her voice turning sweet and jovial, compared to being full of disdain at her squadmates. This was the ‘long game’ Cody had mentioned before. 

“Not that. You’re… uh,” Kix tried to find the words.

“I dare you to finish that sentence,” Wrecker teased. Crosshair smacked him on the arm. Specter only laughed and gave a bow.

“The Kaminoans wanted a clone that was fast and flexible, they got me and they’re stuck with me. These idiots are also stuck with me,” she gestured over her shoulder to her team. “And now, you guys are stuck with me too!” Specter pointed at the regs and winked. Hunter came up to the group, saving Jesse, Rex, and Kix from any more awkwardness.

“If you’re all done, let’s cut the chatter and finish what we started. We’ll do it your way, Captain,” he said to Rex, whose stoic expression returned. “For Commander Cody.”

“Okay. Let’s gear up and move out.”

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The clones carefully moved through the forest the following morning; a tower rose in the distance and the clones assessed it under nearby cover.

“Not our primary target,” Rex observed.

“It’s an outpost. Should we take it?” Hunter asked. They saw some droids guarding the entrance of it.

“Probably easier than going around,” the Captain shrugged.

“Alright. What are your orders? We pick ‘em off from the treeline, one-by-one?” 

“Actually, I was thinking we’d take a page from your book. Rush them head-on,” Rex said with a smirk. The Sergeant chuckled.

“I like your style.”

“Hunter, that’s our style,” Specter piped up, reloading her rifle. 

“Yeah, I’m still getting used to that,” Rex mumbled.

The droids remained blissfully unaware of the crew’s presence, maintaining their position. That was, until one was shot down.

“Clones! Get them!” a battle droid shouted, pointing at the oncoming force emerging from the treeline. Firing erupted from both sides, but the clones overtook the droids, making their way to the tower elevator. Wrecker and Specter stayed groundside to provide cover for the others going up the tower. More droids awaited at the top.

“Hey, you’re not authorize-” a droid began before he was shot down. The team made quick work of them, defeating them all just as Wrecker and Specter made it up.

“Is it over already? Aw, man!” he grumbled and pouted, taking off his helmet. The rest of the clones followed suit. 

“Not bad, for a reg,” Hunter complimented Rex. Tech approached a nearby console and sat down.

“All right, there it is. The Cyber Center,” Rex pointed to a building out the window. Specter whistled in amazement.

“Yeah, that would have been a fun demo job,” she said to herself, earning a few worried looks.

“That’s what I’m saying!” Wrecker exclaimed in agreement.

“It looks like the Cyber Center itself has minimal guards, about 30 droids,” Tech reported, looking at the data from the console. “Oh… wait. Wait! I got a massive signal coming in,” he warned, widening the range of the detection signal. “A whole platoon of droids is headed this way.”

“Someone’s noticed our handiwork back at the crash site,” Hunter grumbled.

“Yeah. Make sure you keep an eye on those incoming Separatist forces. I wanna know when they reach this outpost,” Rex ordered Tech.

“You got it, Cap.”

“We gotta move swiftly,” Rex looked to the rest of the group. 

“There’s some speeder bikes down there. Think we can pull off a pincer maneuver, Sarge? Flank them from the back?” Specter nodded to the bikes. Hunter and Rex smiled at her plan.

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At the Cyber Center, Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech rode the speeder bikes around the back of the center, then hopped off the bikes and slid down an incline, leading to the building. Rex, Jesse, and Specter approached the heavily guarded front.

“Do you know what’s going on?” one battle droid asked another.

“Maybe it’s another drill-” it was cut off as the regs and Specter ambushed them. 

“Is everyone in position?” Rex asked into his comm. Jesse and Specter continued to shoot down droids and advance on the center.

“Affirmative,” Hunter answered for him, Tech, and Wrecker.

“Affirmative,” said Crosshair, who had taken a sniping position on a nearby cliff.

“Captain,” Tech spoke up, “you wanted to know when those Separatist forces breached the outpost.” He looked at a tracker on his wrist monitor; red dots, representing battle droids, surrounded the outpost. “Well, they’re getting there just about now.”

Specter took aim with her reconfigured sniper rifle, shooting down a droid talking with Admiral Trench. It signaled Jesse and Rex to also open fire on the droids. Rex threw a grenade, taking out a large group of them, also taking cover behind a pile of crates. Crosshair also assisted, taking out droids from a distance. 

“All units to the front door!” a battle droid from the back entrance commanded. The droids ran towards the front, leaving the back entrance wide open for the rest of the Bad Batch. Tech began working on opening the door.

“Hmm. This is a delicate operation,” he observed. Wrecker kicked the door open.

“Boom! Ha ha, you take too long.” Tech shook his head as his squadmate pried the door open. The team shot down more droids as they made their way further into the center. They reached a command station, quickly blasting the droids inside.

“Tech, get to work on these computers. We’ll go get the regs and Specter,” Hunter ordered. Tech did so while Hunter and Wrecker went to the front door. Meanwhile, Rex, Jesse, and Specter were making their way closer to the entrance, pushing the battle droids back until they were ambushed from behind by Hunter and Wrecker. With most of the droids destroyed, Rex, Jesse, and Specter approached the entrance and joined the other two in holding their position.

“What took you so long, Wrecker?” Specter teased.

“Hey, this is a ‘delicate operation’,” he replied. A loud noise caused them to notice a large droid transport approaching them. “Better get in there, Cap,” Wrecker advised. Rex ran back inside while the other four held their position and fired relentlessly at the deployed droids. Specter reconfigured her blaster to its shotgun form. 

“I have got to get me one of those,” Jesse commented.

Back inside, Rex found Tech working on the computer.

“Okay, I’m in. What am I looking for?”

“Here’s the algorithm,” Rex handed him the chip, taking off his helmet. “You’re looking for a program using this sequence.” Tech plugged in the chip and began working.

“Found it,” he announced after a moment. Holograms popped up above the table. “This is strange. It’s not a program. It’s a live signal from another planet… Skako Minor.”

“A live signal?” Rex wondered. 

Meanwhile outside, the battle droids continued to advance on the four clones, who were backed behind some crates. 

“Crosshair, we’re gonna need a lift,” Hunter said into his communicator. 

The sniper looked around for transportation and found a speeder, guarded by only a few droids.

“Not gonna be a problem,” Crosshair reported.

Inside the complex—

“Here it is. This is audible,” Tech said, finding a way to tap into the signal he found traced. 

“Patch it through. I want to hear it,” Rex ordered. Tech played the audio.

“What is that?” he wondered. They both listened intently for a moment. “It sounds almost… almost human.” Rex’s eyes were wide.

“It can’t be…”

“We gotta go, now!” Hunter ordered the other three. One by one they slipped inside, providing cover fire for each other as they began to make their way through the halls.

“Tech, find out who’s sending that signal. Ask who that is,” Rex said. Tech typed something into the console. The audio signal began to reply, repeating its answer.

“CT-1409.” 

The Captain went pale. “I… I don’t believe it.” The other four clones appeared in the room.

“We’re gone. Rex, let’s go,” Hunter said, urgently. Rex didn’t move, even as Tech brushed past him. “Rex, now!” He snapped out of it and put his helmet on, joining the others in escape, still pursued by droids. More droids waited for them outside, but Crosshair arrived in time with the transport speeder, pausing just long enough for all of them to hop on before they sped away.

Silence was heavy in the transport until the crew was safe and out of sight in the wilderness. It was then Tech chose to ask Rex a question. 

“That number, Captain, what did it mean?”

“CT-1409,” Rex paused, “that was Echo’s number. He’s alive.”

OMG thank you so much if you've read this far. This is the first time I've published anything anywhere so I'm really proud of what I've accomplished and really hope you (the dearest reader) continue to enjoy my story and OC! Stay tuned for more of Specter

#Star wars #Star wars oc #the bad batch #the bad batch hunter #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #clone force 99 #the clone wars #the bad batch oc #tbb oc #sw tbb #sw tcw #f!oc #tbb wrecker

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Masterlist

Coming soon. Episodes will be posted weekly (hopefully).

The Clone Wars

The Bad Batch

A Distant Echo

On the Wings of Keerdaks

Unfinished Business

The Bad Batch: Specter (season 1)

Aftermath

Cut and Run

Replacements

Cornered

Rampage

Decommissioned

Battle Scars

Reunion

Bounty Lost

Common Ground

Devil’s Deal

Rescue on Ryloth

Infested

War-Mantle 

Return to Kamino

Kamino Lost

The Bad Batch: Valkyrie (season 2)

Spoils of War

Ruins of War

The Solitary Clone

Trossomo 

Entombed

Tribe

The Clone Conspiracy

Truth and Consequences

The Crossing

Retrieval

Metamorphosis

The Outpost

Pabu

Tipping Point

The Summit

Plan 99

The Bad Batch: Creature of Wrath (season 3)

Confined

Paths Unknown

Shadows of Tantiss

A Different Approach

The Return

Infiltration

Extraction

Bad Territory

The Harbinger

Identity Crisis

Point of No Return

Juggernaut

Into the Breach

Flash Strike

The Cavalry Has Arrived

The Bad Batch: Valhalla (epilogue)

#the bad batch #star wars oc #tbb hunter x oc #tbb hunter #f!oc #bad batch hunter #star wars #sw tbb #bad batch oc

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I know I just made my presence known but because of the Bad Batch LITERALLY ENDING TOMORROW I'm going to be uploading my OC story onto here and Archive of Our Own!

If you're reading this, keep an eye out for anything posted this week🫣

#the bad batch #bad batch hunter #star wars oc #star wars #bad batch oc #sw tbb #tbb hunter #tbb hunter x oc #f!oc