Hey, everybody. I'm back!
So, a number of you have been reviewing asking me to update or asking where I've been. The answer is twofold. The first is that school was been crazy like you wouldn't believe the last week and a half or so.
The second is more exciting for you guys. So, some of you have asked in reviews if I intend to create a wiki for this series. And the answer is: yes! I have spent the time since my last update creating and building a Terran Alliance Wiki. I decided I didn't want to update the story again until I'd made some progress. So, I have completed pages on the Anti-Sith Assault Team itself, as well as all 12 members. I will now begin working on pages for the battles of the Terran campaign. I am going to pages on everything that needs one, and I currently have a list of over 100 things that need an article. I will keep you updated as I continue working on it. I will put a link to the wiki in my profile, so you guys can go check it out. Keep in mind, it's still young, with not many articles, so be patient with me as I work to build it.
Alright. Here we go. We are beginning the Bad Batch arc. This will be far different than how it went in the show. This first chapter will be relatively similar, but the rest will be vastly different. Obviously, I'll have to change some things, since Echo never was presumed dead at the Citadel. After the Bad Batch arc, we'll get to the Battle of Coruscant.
Also, I've gotten some reviews asking about what the Chinese ASAT member has been doing. I actually included that in his article on the wiki. But, he will be a central character in the Bad Batch arc.
Alright. Let's get to it.
Jedi Kyle Katarn: I've not yet decided how it will happen. I won't actually cover it happening, but I will state how it happens. But, like I said, I have yet to decide how it will form.
CT7567Rules: They will. And you'll see soon enough.
plasma123fires: They would make sure to work those dangers into their plan.
Lorenzo Ferrari: That is not something I will be including. Sorry.
Shocknawe 425: I will probably include that
I have (Guest): I added this after the fact after seeing your reviews you just started leaving. Regarding your review on Chapter 9 regarding MiGs, you misread the chapter. the MiGs I mentioned were MiG-25s and MiG-31s. while most MiGs do have incredible turn radiuses, you're right, an American pilot who once had to dogfight a MiG-25 over Iraq described the Foxbat as having "a turn radius the size of Texas". So yes, most MiGs are highly maneuverable. however, the MiGs I mentioned in the chapter aren't.
Guest DCDGojira: There may be an epilogue of sorts. Also, I will be combining all sources of information on the Battle of Coruscant for mine, but I'm not going to cover every minute detail. And yes, the Terrans have been reverse engineering the droids.
Dalej0523: No, that is not when they'll attempt the assassination.
Commander Gree: You'll see.
Chapter 55- Bad Batch
(February 20, 1994)
Colonel Hall looks out at the sky above. It's getting later in the day. It's been a very long day of combat.
The Battle for Anaxes has been going for about three weeks now. The Separatists, who had been pushed back into the Outer Rim lately, had made a strike deeper into Republic space to take out the facilities at Anaxes. Admiral Trench was leading the force.
Losses had been great on both sides. Troops for the United States, Canada, Germany, and Saudi Arabia had been deployed to Anaxes to shore up the defenses. But slowly, the Republic's hold on Anaxes was beginning to weaken.
Originally, Colonel White and Colonel Han had been the members of the team deployed to Anaxes. However, White had been wounded on January 23, and Hall, who had just returned to Coruscant, had been sent to take his place.
Hall is currently standing around a holo-projector, along with Mace Windu and Anakin. Han is currently out in the field fending off a droid attack.
"The droids are on the verge of overrunning the main production facility. All we have holding the facility at this point is a single regiment of Saudi troops, and they're barely holding on," Hall says.
"If we lose that facility, we won't be able to hold on much longer. We'll lose Anaxes, which will compromise our entire reserve fleet," Windu says.
Right then, Rex and Cody walk up. "Pardon me, Generals. Colonel. But Rex here has an idea on how we can turn the tide," Cody says.
"Captain," Windu motions for Rex to speak.
"The droid army uses analytics to predict our strategy. The first time we use a tactic, it's very effective. The next, less so. In fact, the more we use a certain tactic, the less effective it becomes. They learn our tendencies and use that data against us," Rex says.
"What do you propose we do about it?" Hall asks.
"Let Rex and me take a small force behind enemy lines. We've discovered a Separatist Cyber Center which relays all battlefield intel to their command ship. If we're going to find anything, it will be there. And once we're done, we can destroy it, and cut off its usefulness to the enemy," Cody says.
"If you think it will help turn this fight around, get going," Windu says.
"And you bet I'll be coming with you," Hall says with a grin. Cody and Rex smile appreciatively. They then turn and walk away.
Hall soon excuses himself and makes his way towards his own quarters. When he gets there, he immediately turns on his commlink. Seconds later, an image of General Powell comes up.
"Colonel Hall. What is it?" Powell asks.
"General. I am going to be accompanying Captain Rex and Commander Cody to take out a Separatist Cyber Center. It's going to be a dangerous operation, and I think we could use a few Zulus to help us out," Hall says with a knowing grin.
"Very well, Colonel. We have a small squad already nearby. I will send them to Anaxes immediately," Powell responds.
(Hours later)
Hall looks up at the sky. The squad Cody had called in should be here any minute, as should the Zulus.
Right then, Cody and Rex, along with Jesse and Kix, come walking up behind him. As they do, a clone comes over the PA and says, "Repeat, coming in hot on platform TT-3-9-7."
As the clone says this, a ship descends towards the landing platform, moving at high speed. The ship flies in incredibly low and fast over the pad, knocking a number of men off their feet before setting down.
"So, why haven't I heard of this squad?" Rex asks.
"Experimental unit Clone Force 99. They're defective clones with, uhh…desirable mutations," Cody explains.
"99, hey? Nice touch," Rex says.
"They call themselves 'The Bad Batch'," Cody adds.
Right then, the ramp on the ship lowers, and four clones walk down the stairs. They're all wearing dark grey and red colored armor, all of which looks quite different from standard clone armor. The clone in the back, who looks bigger than any other clone, takes off his helmet and yells, "The cavalry has arrived!"
The four clones walk towards the group, with the other three removing their helmets as well, revealing they all look very different from normal clones.
"Sergeant, good to see you again," Cody says, stepping forward to shake the leader's hand.
"You too, sir," the clone says.
"This is Hunter," Cody introduces him to the group.
Hall looks Hunter over, and mutters to himself, "Looks kind of like Rambo."
"Sorry we're later, Commander. We were putting down an insurrection of Yalbec Prime when we got your signal. Had a few unforeseen…complications," Hunter says.
The bigger clone laughs, points at Jesse, and asks, "Ever fought a male Yalbec?"
"Umm, no, can't say I have," Jesse says.
"You're lucky. Only way to kill 'em is with one of these," the big clone says, holding up a knife.
"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 says.
The clone wearing glasses steps forward and says, "Uh, technically, they were trying to mate with us. And, for your information, the stinger of a Yalbec queen is a delicacy on some planets."
"They call him Tech," Cody says as he points to Tech.
"Yeah, he can fill your head with useless info for hours," Hunter says as he gives Tech a playful shove, then turns to the last clone and says, "Crosshair, on the other hand, he's not much of a conversationalist, but when you have to hit a precise target from ten clicks, Crosshair's your man."
Hunter then turns back to Cody and says, "So, Commander, what kind of suicide mission do you have for us this time?"
"We'll brief you on the way. We're still waiting for some Terrans to show up," Cody says.
Right then, another announcement comes over the PA. Everyone looks up to see a shuttle painted in Terran markings flying down and landing right beside the Bad Batch's ship.
The whole group walks over to the ship. As they do, the ramp lowers, and four men in light blue Mandalorian armor walk down the ramp. On their helmets is painted the white outline of Earth, though none of the clones recognize it as such. As they come closer, the clones also notice flags painted on their arms. They count two American flags, one Canadian flag, and one Pakistani flag.
Cody, Rex, Jesse and Kix look at them in surprise, while the Bad Batch just looks somewhat intrigued.
The four Zulus walk over. The leader removes his helmet, revealing the face of Captain Allen. The other three also remove their helmets, revealing the other American as Lieutenant Woods. The Canadian and Pakistani also remove their helmets.
Allen walks up to Hall, and they shake hands. "Good to see you again, Allen," Hall says.
"You as well, Colonel," Allen says.
Hall turns to the clones. "Men, these men are from Terra's newest special forces unit. Some of you should have met Captain Allen and Lieutenant Woods. As for these two, meet Captain Wayne Hartnell and Captain Sahir Mirza," Hall says.
Rex and Cody step forward to shake hands with the four Terran commandos, with both Allen and Woods also sharing a clap on the shoulder with their old friends. Rex then turns to Hall and asks, "Where did you Terrans get Mandalorian armor?"
"When we sent some men to Mandalore to hunt down Darth Maul, we recovered a suit from a dead Mandalorian warrior. We brought it back, and have been working to replicate it. So far, these four suits are the only ones we've managed to replicate," Hall says, keeping the true story and true number of suits secret.
"Amazing. Well, this might go easier now," Rex says.
An LAAT swoops down next to the group. "Alright. We'll brief you all on the way. Let's move," Cody says, and the team boards the gunship, which immediately takes off and heads towards the Cyber Center.
As the gunship flies towards the Cyber Center, Jesse looks over at Crosshair, who is staring at him. "What are you looking at?" Jesse asks.
Crosshair smirks at Jesse as he says, "We don't usually work with regs."
"Regs?" Jesse says, a little irritated at Crosshair's attitude.
Hunter steps in and says placatingly, "He means regular clones."
"Alright, everyone. Listen up. Our target is this Cyber Center," Cody says, bringing up a hologram of the Cyber Center, "It's the 'brains' of the entire Separatist campaign here on Anaxes."
"I could demolish that with one hand! Yeah!" Wrecker says excitedly.
"This isn't just a demo job, Wrecker. We have to gather any and all intelligence we can," Cody says.
Right then, the gunship is spotted by droids, and spider droids open fire on the gunship.
"Incoming fire! Hold on!" the pilot call out as he starts trying to evade the incoming fire.
For several tense moments, the incoming fire misses. Then, a bolt from a spider droid strikes the cockpit, which bursts into flames, and the gunship begins to fall from the sky.
"We're going down! Ya-ha-ha!" Wrecker says with a laugh.
The gunship scrapes against the cliff beside them, then loses altitude altogether and smashes into the ground, skidding along the ground for several hundred yards before coming to a stop.
The team slowly climbs out of the gunship. Wrecker comments, "We always get shot down when we fly with regs."
"Cody!" Kix shouts, seeing Cody pinned under the wreckage of the gunship.
Rex hurries forward to help, but Hunter holds him back. "Easy, Captain," he says before turning to Wrecker and saying, "Wrecker get him out of there."
Wrecker cracks his knuckles as he walks towards the gunship. Kix steps back.
"This is crazy. He's gonna need help to get Cody out of there!" Kix protests.
Crosshair chuckles, then says, "He's gonna get the gunship out of there, not Cody."
Wrecker crouches down and gets a grip on the gunship. Then, groaning a bit with the effort, he slowly lifts the gunship up, shoving it upright. The force is enough that the gunship rolls over onto its other sider.
Wrecker picks up Cody and turns around, walking back to the rest of the group. "Boom," he says, right before the gunship explodes behind him.
Wrecker sets Cody down, and Kix hurries to scan him with a small handheld device. "He has internal damage. He needs help," Kix says.
Crosshair walks up to the top of a small mound of dirt, looking down the canyon. "We all need help," he says.
Everyone looks down the canyon, and sees a number of battle droids approaching their position. Crosshair turns back to the group and says, "That blast gave away our position."
"I thought getting shot down gave away our position," Hunter says sarcastically.
"Everyone, find cover. We'll hold this position and let them come to us," Rex says.
"I don't think so, Captain. That's not our style. We prefer going to them," Hunter says before turning his attention to his squad and saying, "Bad Batch! Plan 82, Shockwave!"
The four clones spring into action. Wrecker grabs the door of the LAAT, holding it out in front of him as a shield. The other three assemble behind the door, and the squad charges towards the incoming droids.
The droids open fire, but the bolts harmlessly hit the door. Crosshair, Tech, and Hunter fire back at the droids, destroying a droid with almost every shot.
Tech scans the approaching droids and calls out, "45, Mark 151."
Hunter echoes, "45, Mark 151." He then throws an EMP grenade into the air. Crosshair fires at it and hits it, sending out a pulse that disables over a dozen droids.
Hall starts to grin as he watches the Bad Batch in action. "Well, well. They don't disappoint," he says. He then turns to the four Zulus and says, "Well, boys. Don't want to miss out on the fun, do ya?"
Allen grins and says, "No, sir!" He and the other three Zulus slide their helmets onto their heads activate their jetpacks, taking to the air.
The four Zulus fly over the Bad Batch. Allen and Woods fire their assault blasters down onto the droids, while Hartnell and Mirza each drop EMP grenades onto the droids, disabling even more.
Hartnell looks up ahead, and sees a pair of spider droids approaching, along with more battle droids. "Spider droids!" he calls out. Both and Mirza lean over in midair and fire their rockets from their jetpacks. The rockets hit the spider droids, and destroy both them and the accompanying battle droids. At about the same time, Allen and Woods, along with the Bad Batch, destroy the last of the battle droids.
Hall and the rest of the clones walk up right as the four Zulus land. "That was some show you put on just now," Rex says.
"Just doing our job, Captain," Hunter says.
"You know, I kinda figured our first combat with Mandalorian armor would be more exciting," Woods says with a slight grin to Allen, who just smirks back.
"Alright. Let's move out before reinforcements arrive," Hall says before he starts moving down the canyon. The rest of the strike team follows close behind, with Kix supporting Cody.
(Short time later)
A C-9979 lowers over the crash site. A small transport flies down, and a tactical droid steps out. The droid walks over to wreckage of the LAAT, where several commando droids are waiting.
The tactical droid brings up a commlink, which brings up a transmission of Admiral Trench. One of the commando droids says, "We wanted to speak to you directly, sir. This infiltration is irregular."
"Were there Jedi with this squad?" Trench asks.
"No, sir. Just clones, but using tactics like we have never seen before. They were also accompanied by several Mandalorians, and a Terran it seems," the lead commando droid replies.
"Mandalorians? Interesting," Trench says. He pauses for a moment, then says, "They're on foot now, in the middle of nowhere. Sweep the area, locate these clones and Mandalorians, and notify me if the incursion escalates."
(Later, after sunset)
Hall leans himself against a tree, looking around at the rest of the strike team. They've stopped to rest for a while, mainly for Cody.
A few feet away, Jesse speaks up and asks, "So, I get what makes the other Batchers unique, but what's so special about Hunter?"
"He can put up with the other three," Kix jokes, and the two clones share a laugh. Hall can't help but grin himself.
Tech, kneeling down in front of their lamp, says, "He was engineered with heightened senses. 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 says to Kix.
"Well, maps can be wrong. Hunter never is," Tech says.
Hall glances over towards Cody, who is still groaning in pain. Rex is tending to him.
Only a second later, Rex stands up and walks over. "Listen up. We have to move out," he says.
Crosshair jumps down from the rock he's been sitting on. "Commander Cody's in no position to move," he points out.
"I already called in MEDEVAC. They'll be here soon. Kix and Woods will stay with Cody until the helicopters arrive," Hall says.
"We can't waste any time. And I've got a plan for how to get into that Cyber Center," Rex says.
"If your plans are so good, why did Commander Cody have to call us in?" Crosshair asks with a smirk.
"You can't talk to Captain Rex like that!" Jesse says as he springs up from where he's sitting.
"Says who?" Wrecker demands loudly. He starts stomping towards Jesse, but Hall steps forward and ignites his lightsaber, holding it out to keep the Bad Batch and regular clones separated.
"Enough, soldiers. We're all on the same side here, and I will not tolerate infighting among my men. I'm in command here, and if you guys keep this up, there will be consequence. And you especially, Crosshair, cut the attitude," Hall says firmly. Crosshair stares back at him for a moment before slowly nodding. Once he does, Hall deactivates his lightsaber and returns it to his belt.
"Like I said. Cody will not be alone. Kix and Woods will remain with him. But for now, we need to keep moving. All of you, gear up and let's move out," Hall says firmly. Everyone just turns aside and starts gearing up without a word.
(Early the next morning)
Hall makes his way around a plant, his assault blaster in hand. They've been moving ever since leaving Cody, Kix, and Woods behind, stopping only for brief periods of rest.
Looking ahead, he sees something through the vegetation. As the team reaches the edge of the vegetation, Hall motions for them to get down as he crouches against a plant, examining the Separatist outpost that has just come into view up ahead.
"Not our primary target. It's an outpost. Should we take it?" Hunter asks.
"It'll probably be easier than going around," Hall says. He then turns to Hunter, grinning, and says, "I think we'll take a page out of your book. We'll rush them head on."
"I like your style," Hunter says. Hall just nods, then charges out of the plants, firing his assault blaster. The three Zulus and the clones burst out of the plants behind him, firing their weapons as well. In only a few seconds, all the droids outside the outpost have been destroyed.
Hall, Rex, Jesse, Hunter, Tech, and Crosshair all get on a lift to take them to the top of the outpost, while Wrecker and the three Zulus wait at the bottom.
As the lift raises into the control center, Hall and the clones open fire on the droids manning the consoles, destroying them all in seconds. They begin to examine the consoles as Wrecker and the three Zulus come up.
"Is it over already? Ah, man!" Wrecker says in disappointment.
"Not bad, for a reg," Hunter says in a slight teasing tone to Rex.
"Well, there's the Cyber Center," Hall says, looking out of the window towards the Cyber Center.
"It looks like the Cyber Center itself has minimal guards. About thirty droids," Tech says. He pauses for a second, then says, "Wait. Wait. I got a massive signal coming in. A whole platoon of droids is headed this way."
"Someone's noticed our handiwork back at the crash site," Hunter points out.
"Yeah," Hall says. He then looks at Tech and says, "Make sure you keep an eye on those incoming Separatist forces. I want to know when they reach this outpost."
"You've got it, Colonel," Tech says.
"Alright. We gotta move quick," Hall says.
"We'll grab some speeder bikes and flank them from the back," Hunter says, looking outside the outpost to where a number of speeder bikes are parked.
The team heads down, and the Bad Batch each grabs a speeder bike. Meanwhile, Hall, Rex, Jesse, and the three Zulus make their way through the vegetation towards the Cyber Center.
They easily take out two B1 droids standing among the trees, then take cover behind some trees right at the edge of the forest. Hall raises his commlink and calls out, "Is everyone in position?"
"Affirmative," Hunter says.
"Affirmative," Crosshair says as well.
Tech then comes on and says, "Colonel, you wanted to know when those Separatist forces reached the outpost. Well, they're getting there just about now."
(Outpost)
The tactical droid rides the lift up into the control center, then pulls out a commlink, again brining up a hologram of Admiral Trench.
"Sir, we tracked the clones and Mandalorians here. They seem to have captured this location and deserted it. I cannot calculate the logic of this assault," the droid says.
"There is no tactical advantage to taking the outpost. Their target will be the nearby Cyber Center. They must have found out about the algorithm. Get me in contact with the Cyber Center at once!" Trench says.
(Cyber Center)
One of the B1 droids holds up a commlink, which generates a hologram of Admiral Trench.
"An attack is coming. Do not allow the Center to be destroyed, but allow the clones to access the Center," Trench says.
Beofre the droid can respond, its head is shot off by Hall as he rushes out of the trees. He, Rex, Jesse, and the three Zulus charge towards the droids, firing their blasters.
Hall takes cover behind some crates, firing all the while. It's not long before he and the other five have destroyed every droid outside the Cyber Center.
As Hall and the others take up positions behind the front door into the Center, the doors open, and Hunter and Wrecker walk out.
"What took you so long?" Hall asks with a sly grin.
"Hey, this is a 'delicate operation'," Wrecker says, mocking the words said by Tech just a minute earlier.
Right then, an MTT comes crashing through the trees, heading right for the Center.
"Better get in there, Colonel," Wrecker says.
Hall nods, then says, "Rex, with me. Zulus, start setting the charges." Rex nods and follows Hall into the Center, while the three Zulus also head into the Center to start setting explosives to destroy the Center.
Hall and Rex make their way to the main control room, where Tech is working on one of the computers. As they run up, Tech says, "Okay, I'm in. What am I looking for?"
Rex hands a chip to Tech and says, "Here's the algorithm. You're looking for a program using this sequence."
Tech plugs the chip in and starts typing. After a few moments, he says, "I've found it. But that's interesting. It's coming from Skako Minor."
"Skako Minor? Why there?" Hall asks, having heard of Skako Minor since he first arrived in the Andromeda Galaxy two years ago.
"I don't know. But it seems as if Skako is the source of their intelligence on our strategies," Tech says.
"Alright. Download everything you can, and then let's get out of here," Hall says.
Tech hurries to download everything useful from the computers. As he finishes, Allen hurries into the control room and says, "Colonel, the charges are set, and the droids are entering the Center. We gotta go!"
"Got it. Let's move!" Hall says. The four of them hurry out and out the back door, where Crosshair is waiting with a transport for them all. The rest of the team boards, and starts heading for an arranged pickup spot.
As they head away, Hall looks at Allen and says, "Blow the charges." Allen just nods and presses a button on one of his vambraces. Instantly, the charges detonate, destroying the Cyber Center.
(Outpost)
The tactical droid once again pulls up a transmission from Admiral Trench. "We chased the clones and Mandalorians out of the Center, but they were able to destroy it. However, it seems they successfully accessed the system before doing so," the droid says.
"The loss of the Center is a loss, but the plan is fulfilled. Now, all we must do is await their response," Trench says.
And, I'll end there.
So, I hope you liked this chapter, and that I had the Bad Batch team up with the Zulu Force. I also hope you noticed Hall's attempt to deflect any future suspicion from the planned assassination of Palpatine.
So, yes. Obviously, since Echo never presumably died on the Citadel I had to change things up. I considered having Lieutenant Peterson, the SEAL who died on the Citadel in this story, take Echo's place, but I realized I couldn't do that because I confirmed he died beyond a doubt. I thought of excusing that way, but I realized that would be stretching it. Instead, I decided to do it this way.
So, for those wondering why Trench is not so concerned with this, you'll find out over the next two chapters. But, as you can kind of guess, it's in part to set a trap. You'll find out what exactly they want soon enough.
So, updates may come less often for the next little while, as I now, in addition to other stories I'm writing, have to juggle building the Terran Alliance Wiki. As I said, I'll keep you updated on the progress of the Wiki as it goes.
So, the next two chapters will be a brief arc inspired by a request from a loyal reader of mine. You'll find out exactly what during the next chapter. I hope you like what I have planned. Next chapter will be up within the next week. Until then, please leave a review and give me your feedback, and stay tuned!