Chapter 4: First Cup of Caf, First Lesson, And First Mission...
(Day 2 w/ the Bad Batch)
Some of the tension left SAC-1's shoulders after they were in hyperspace, now lightyears being put between her and the Chief Medical Scientist, and she swerved her seat to face the rest of the Bad Batch. "So, what's our next mission?" She asked with a serious expression on her face.
Hunter, who was occupying the chair next to Wrecker, stared at her impassively for a moment before shrugging and answering nonchalantly, "Don't know yet. We were on leave for a few days, and it usually takes a day or two after we're back on the clock before we get another mission. And the cycle repeats for each mission after that."
Crosshair, who was sitting behind Hunter, leaned back in his chair. "Because of those gaps, we rarely take a leave of absence." He said in a tone that revealed to SAC-1 he was seeing if she would complain about the lack of real breaks.
"Good to know that I'll never be bored." She replied with a small, unwavering smile, and Crosshair was dumbfounded, though didn't show it. "But why will it take a few days to get a mission? Don't we just have to report to our commanding officer and he'll give us one?"
"We're different from regular squadrons of Clone Troopers. We don't report to anyone." Crosshair explained shortly.
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Then, how do you get missions?"
"Just because we don't report to anyone, that doesn't mean we don't communicate with others in the army. If someone has a mission his regular troops can't handle, they call us." Hunter explained with less venom.
"So your missions come at random, without any warning or even some form of organization?"
Hunter gave a curt nod, slightly annoyed that she was so clueless, and had a feeling that the next mission, whatever it was, would end badly.
SAC-1's eyebrows rose. "Wow. Mistress Nala Se did say you guys were different, and I guess she wasn't kidding. This goes against everything I was taught about being a soldier." She shrugged dismissively. "But, you guys haven't failed a single mission, so whatever you're doing must be working."
"We get the job done." Wrecker said with a confident grin.
"I'm relieved we won't be getting a mission right away." Tech chimed in, turning his chair as well. "It will give me some time to learn the specs of this ship before we engage in combat."
"We'll learn together, right?" SAC-1 asked hopefully. "I respect that you're the designated pilot to Clone Force 99, and the others know how to fly as well, but I'm looking to learn more about the aerial combat variety... I can be the backup in case it's ever needed."
Tech nodded in agreement. "I set the navicomputer to Dantooine. There we can test your pilot skills in addition to trying out our new weapons system."
Normally, SAC-1 would have jumped for joy - she was going to learn how to pilot a ship! - but she remembered Nala Se's words and remained calm and guarded, just giving another small smile directed at Tech, thinking that he was just being nice to her because of orders.
Tech now noticed her lack of enthusiasm, and with his brilliant mind deduced that it had to do with her short conversation with Nala Se. He made a mental note to figure that out later; right now he had to familiarize himself with the ship.
Wrecker became excited. "You mean I get to shoot stuff up with our new cannon?"
"That's what trying out our weapons system means, yes." Tech remarked dryly, getting up. "I'm going to utilize our new automatic brewer and have a cup of caf. Would anyone else like one?"
"Ooh, me!" Wrecker said, standing up, loving the lap of luxury they were living in now.
"Sure." Hunter and Crosshair said simultaneously, standing up as well, more weirded out by all the luxury.
"Agent?" Tech asked.
"What's caf?" She wondered.
"It's a caffeinated beverage that is served hot, sometimes with cream and sugar depending on your preferences."
"... Sure. Why not?" She followed them all out into the common area.
"You've never had caf before?" Wrecker asked incredulously, letting her slide into the right booth first.
"I've never had caf or even real sugar." She said while scooting.
He settled next to her. "Why?"
Hunter and Crosshair scooted onto the bench at other end of the table while Tech searched for the caf beans in the cabinets, not knowing where everything was yet (the Kaminoans were the ones to put their first round of supplies into the kitchen and storage area), but all listened to her explanation. "I had a specialized diet that only allowed me to consume things that would aid in my intense training regiment, so things like caf or sugary confections were out of the question." SAC-1 of course never complained how she hated the bland, oddly textured foods, forcing herself to choke it down three times a day so as not to anger her guardian, otherwise she'd -
No, I shouldn't think about it. I'll just get riled up.
"Oh." Wrecker uttered, a little uneasy and she snapped out of her wandering state of mind. "So, we shouldn't be giving you caf then?"
"Well, considering it was never mentioned in the arrangements and I was allowed to eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the clones, I assume I'm allowed to eat whatever I want now... within reason."
Wrecker nodded slowly, then perked up. "Hey Hunter, since we have a kitchen does that mean that we can eat whatever we want now too?"
"That depends: who's going to cook?"
Crickets.
Tech finally found the ground caf bean container (and made a mental note to organize the cabinets in a more intuitive way) and began the brewing process. Several seconds later, a new pleasant scent reached SAC-1's nostrils and she took in a deep breath with a serene look on her face.
"That smells heavenly." She said wistfully, and Wrecker smiled at her while Tech set down a tray with five mugs of caf, a tin of sugar, and a cream jug onto the table.
SAC-1 grabbed a mug and excitedly took a sip, only for her eyes to widen, and she gagged at its bitter taste. "Blech! If only it tasted as good as it smelled!" She lamented.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that caf is also very bitter." Tech pointed out two seconds too late.
Wrecker, who was shoveling spoonful after spoonful of sugar into his mug like a mad man, did so with her mug. "Try it with this!"
She tentatively took another sip and licked her lips after. "Definitely... better."
"Here." Tech said from his spot next to Crosshair, handing her the creamer across the table after he was finished with it.
She swiftly added some creamer and tried it again, and nodded in satisfaction. "Now it's actually drinkable."
About thirty minutes after SAC-1 finished her mug of caf, strange things started happening to her. Senses were heightened more than they already were - she swore she could taste colors and see sounds - and it alarmed her until Tech explained that's what caffeine did... But not with such a little amount. When she began nervously pacing the common area muttering nonsense then giggling uncontrollably over whatever she said, it was decided that it would be best if she didn't have caf regularly because she apparently could not metabolize caffeine too well, though Crosshair voted that they give it to her every day! Tech allowed her to pace which would release the pent up energy and gave her water so she wouldn't dehydrate, while Crosshair watched the whole scene with a sh*t-eating grin on his face, and at one point asked Tech if he could put this on a holodisk so he could watch this scene over and over and over again (Tech unfortunately said no, much to his vast disappointment).
Then, after about five hours of this delirious - but still comical - behavior, SAC-1 collapsed onto the floor in front of the workbench and conked out, completely dead to the world for three whole hours.
SAC-1 groggily woke up and, upon realizing what had happened, felt her face heat up and turn crimson in severe embarrassment, but then felt a pounding in her head that took all of her attention away from the things she had done under the influence of caffeine.
With a hand on her pulsating head, heavy eyelids and disheveled hair SAC-1 walked into the cockpit where everyone except Tech was sitting, waiting for the hyperdrive to signal that they had reached their destination.
"Have a nice sleep?" Crosshair goded as she walked past him.
She shot him a piercing glare, which surprised everyone because she was usually so friendly and bubbly. "I'm not in the mood for your attitude right now." SAC-1 snapped before lowering herself into the copilot's chair with a heavy sigh, propping her elbows on her knees and leaning over so she could clutch her head that weighed a thousand pounds in this moment. "I have a splitting headache."
Tech ambled into the cockpit at that moment with a metal water bottle and a painkiller capsule in hand. "I anticipated that." He stated, kindly handing her the contents before sitting in the pilot's chair and checking the navi-computer to see how much time left was estimated.
This whole incident made Hunter now know that their next mission would end badly. The woman can't even handle caf, how could she handle a real battle? He felt a pit in his stomach and looked at SAC-1 with a mixture of annoyance and loathing.
Just as she took the painkiller the hyperdrive panel beeped, signaling that they had reached their destination, so Tech pushed the lever and they abruptly pulled out of hyperspace. SAC-1, after getting over the whiplash, was absolutely enthralled to see so much land on Dantooine, only ever seeing the thundering rains and tumultuous oceans of Kamino!
Hunter noticed her slip back to her usual wide eyed eager self, and once again wondered why she had changed so suddenly. What did Nala Se say to her? He couldn't help but wonder in frustration, the Sergeant side of him not liking not knowing what was going on within his own squad. Though, he preferred serious over silly, because if she was serious she maybe wouldn't mess up.
Maybe.
Like she did on Kamino, SAC-1 watched closely to see what buttons Tech pushed and how he maintained a safe speed so they wouldn't catch on fire as they entered the atmosphere, filing away the knowledge for when she started training.
Once they landed ten minutes later, SAC-1 flew from her seat, having recovered from her headache thanks to the painkiller, and impatiently hopped from one foot from another as the entry ramp lowered, then ran down the platform and for the first time felt the sun kiss her skin. A genuine smile made its way onto her face after she got used to then sun and stopped squinting, and she took in her surroundings with curiosity and awe.
There were mostly rolling hills full of tall yellow and purple grass with a few short, thick trees and large rocks dotting the landscape here and there, and Tech had landed them near a shallow river. The sun was setting, so the two moons were appearing in the sky.
To someone who had traveled all over the galaxy, Dantooine probably wouldn't be that impressive. But to SAC-1, it was amazing!
She felt a presence wander up behind her, and turned to see Hunter walking down the ramp, and his eyes revealed his disdain for her actions. Her cheeks flushed, realizing that she had once again had a comical reaction to new things. She should have tried to contain her bubbliness and kept her head about her, like a good soldier did.
It was amazing how one conversation could make her so self-conscious about her actions.
SAC-1 tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear nervously. "I've... I've never seen dry land before." She admitted with a weak laugh.
Hunter hmphed, then the other members of the squad appeared next to him.
"Why'd you pick Dantooine, Tech?" Wrecker complained as they traipsed off the ramp. "It's so boring here!"
"We needed a remote place to test our new cannon." Tech reminded him. "There are plenty of rock formations to use as targets out here."
Wrecker kicked at the dirt in contempt. "Couldn't we use actual droids for targets?"
"Taking a new ship into battle without being familiar with the systems would not have been wise."
"We'll only be here a day, maybe two, Wrecker." Hunter assured him in that comforting, older brother tone.
"Promise?"
"I promise. You'll be knocking clanker heads before you know it."
SAC-1 couldn't help but ask, "Clanker?"
"Droids." Tech clarified.
"Oh."
"Can we eat now? I'm starvin'!" Wrecker begged.
"The Kaminoans provided us with different varieties of ration boxes." Tech informed them.
"Ration boxes? Those have the tasty bars!" Wrecker exclaimed. "Man, I'm lovin' this special treatment!"
"Why are we getting special treatment?" Crosshair voiced him and his more sensible brothers' thoughts, crossing his arms.
To the surprise of everyone, SAC-1 chuckled at their apparent cluelessness. "You're joking, right?" They looked at her expectantly. "It's because of me!" She disclosed as of it was the most obvious thing in the universe, pointing to herself.
"What does you being with us have to do with it?" Crosshair questioned with a mistrustful squint.
"Isn't it obvious?" She was met with blank expressions, so she cleared her throat and made a steeple with her hands and calmly explained in simple terms... Well, simple to her. "Alright, it takes 2,075 credits to make one clone commando with enhancements, not counting armor and gear. There were fifty-nine failed experiments before me. That's already 122,425 credits down the drain. Then because of my enhancements, I required special training, which adds thousands upon thousands of more credits on top of that. Then if you factor in the cost of time -"
"What's your point?" Crosshair hissed, rubbing his temples at the migraine starting to form. Great, now there's chance these could happen more frequently with two of them. Was his bitter realization.
She let out a sharp breath of annoyance through her nose, then tried simplifying her explanation even more than it already was. "If you created a costly super soldier, wouldn't you want to make sure that your investment had everything needed to succeed such as sufficient nutrition, a good place for proper rest and superior trainers?"
The guys didn't know what to say to that and awkwardly shifted on their feet.
SAC-1 became uncomfortable at the silence and clapped her hands together. "You know something, I'm famished. Let's eat!"
"Ease up on the accelerator." Tech told SAC-1 in a remarkably calm tone... or was he so terrified that he could barely speak?... SAC-1 didn't really know, but if she hadn't been too focused on flying she would have seen him hanging onto the armrests of his seat for dear life, knuckles white from the death grip.
SAC-1 didn't listen to him and kept pressing the accelerator, the ship speeding low over the grassy savanna. "But don't I need to know how to fly fast? What if we need to make a hasty escape?"
Tech's whole body jolted and he grunted when the ship lurched again as the bottom hit another shorter rock formation that she didn't apparently see. "If you were an advanced student I would say yes, but you are a beginner so no." Tech's eyes bugged out in fear and he gritted his teeth as a tall rock fastly approached them and he thought, in a moment of true terror, that he was about to meet his maker (if he was even real).
SAC-1 huffed and narrowly avoided it, and Tech felt his heart leap into his throat at the narrow avoidance of death. "I'm hardly a beginner. I was taught the basics of flying before I could even sharpshoot."
"And yet you keep flying too low and scratching the bottom of the ship despite the sensor array being right in front of you." The ship lurched violently again and several alarms went off, so this time he shrieked his order. "SLOW DOWN!"
SAC-1 sighed and yanked the tiller, and the force of the sudden change in speed would have thrown Tech from his seat had he not been clutching onto his seat so tight. "So I may have hit a few bumps. What's the big deal?"
It took Tech a few seconds before he could speak, his heart almost beating out of his chest as if he had just run a marathon. "The 'big deal' is that if you fly like that in combat, we would die before the enemy even landed a blast on us!"
SAC-1 scoffed, then maneuvered the now slower paced ship to avoid a tree. "Don't be so dramatic."
He was put off with her attitude, but defended himself anyways. "I am never dramatic, I only state scientific hypotheses based on factual data."
"Well here's a fact: in order to learn how to fly fast -" Since there wasn't anything coming at them, she briefly focused her determined gaze on him to emphasize her point. "I have to fly fast!"
Again with the unusual attitude. He noted. "When you have proven you can utilize the sensor array... among other things... then we can fly at a faster pace, but for now just try and not hit the bottom of the ship." He pointed at the very helpful sensor screen. "Watch for ground obstacles that appear on the sensor and avoid them."
SAC-1 was still discontent. "Perhaps if you let me fly higher - "
"You need to know how to avoid obstacles before I can even let you fly in a higher atmosphere."
"But if I fly higher, I won't need to avoid obstacles because there won't be any."
Tech squinted at her. "You seem keen on fighting me with everything I say." SAC-1 pressed her lips together in discontent. "If you cannot take constructive criticism well, you will never learn how to use your capabilities to the full extent possible."
Nala Se's words echoed in her mind. If you are returned to Kamino, we will be forced to rethink your usefulness to the army.
SAC-1's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm sorry." Tech astutely looked to see if she was sincere... She was. "I know that I have a lot to learn, and I should appreciate your willingness to teach me and take your orders with grace, like a good soldier." SAC-1 glanced at him again. "I am a good soldier, Tech." She said in an almost pleading tone that confused him.
Tech furrowed his eyebrows. "Of course you are - you were designed to be an exceptional soldier."
"Yes, but..." She shook her head to clear it of the dark thoughts starting to cloud her mind, "Never mind."
Tech adjusted his specs. "Clone Force 99 is known to be the squad that doesn't follow orders, so you are already fitting in quite well." She grimaced at this slight on her behavior. "But sometimes, directions are necessary to learn. If you want to learn how to fly the ship in combat, you need to follow my directions otherwise we will be put in unnecessary danger - do you understand this?"
SAC-1 looked at the sensor and saw an upcoming short rock appear on the screen. "Sir, yes sir." She said automatically, and managed to avoid it this time.
Tech gave a small smile. "Nicely done."
(Two hours later)
SAC-1 managed to land their ship back at the base without hitting anyone or anything (thanks to the sensor array... That little feature turned out to be pretty useful!)
When they disembarked the ship, the rest of the squad scurried up to Tech with worried written all over their faces, having witnessed her erratic flying before the ship was out of sight.
"You okay, Tech?" Hunter asked worriedly... and openly, which bruised SAC-1's feelings because she was right there.
Tech threw a hand dismissively, "I'm fine. We had a rather bumpy start but SAC is a quick study and has shown promise. With another lesson or two I would trust her to fly us in space." SAC-1 smiled widely and proudly while Hunter was nervous at this thought. "Don't worry." Tech reassured him. "She knows how a starship works, but had a problem with multitasking. I taught her how to do so and it has greatly improved her flying."
"If you say so." Hunter said uncomfortably and then Tech, also, became uncomfortable when he turned and noticed all the fresh scratches and dents on the bottom of their brand-spankin'-new ride.
"MY SHIP!" He cried out, dramatically falling to his knees and lamenting at the ugly cosmetic damage with equally ugly sobs.
"You're in for it now." Hunter murmured in warning to the now sweating Clone Agent.
Towards the evening, Wrecker's boredom ended when a comm surprisingly came in. Hunter called everyone into the cockpit, and SAC-1 saw a Clone Commander on the holoprojector.
"Commander Cody!" Wrecker happily greeted as he leaned against the back of Tech's chair, making it creak under the pressure of his weight. Hunter was sitting in the copilot's chair and Crosshair stood behind it, so SAC-1 was forced to stand in the middle of the group and be conspicuous (in truth, she was a little bit nervous to meet other regular clones due to what happened on Kamino, and wanted to postpone any unpleasantries).
Cody furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he saw SAC-1. "Who's she?" He wondered.
Hunter internally sighed. "She's a... new recruit." He said simply, which only confused Cody more.
Tech divulged more information despite still not speaking to her for the trauma she put his baby through. "SAC-1 is a new type of clone that the Kaminoans bred from a different genetic template than standard clones."
"She's a clone?" Cody asked incredulously.
"Yes, but she was created with enhanced senses, eyesight, strength and intelligence - all of our abilities combined."
This news shook Cody to the core, and he gave her a weird look. "What does SAC stand for? I've never heard that term before."
SAC-1 stepped forward now and clasped her hands behind her back. "It stands for Special Agent Clone, sir. I'm not a regular clone trooper - I'm designed to go on any type of mission the regular troopers can't handle, hence the reason I'm with Clone Force 99."
Cody nodded slowly, his brain almost short circuiting, then before he could say anything more about her, Wrecker interjected. "Speaking of that - got another suicide mission for us, sir?"
Cody couldn't help but chuckle at his eagerness. "You're going to love this one - there's whispers of a Separatist plot to kidnap the Chancellor, so we need your help to infiltrate a Separatist base to recover a hologram that will tell us who's the mastermind of the plot."
