Chapter 15 – The Bad Batch
Author's Note: Enjoy the familiar faces! :D
To Guest (1): More with Anakin and Luke will be coming up veeery soon! :)
To Guest (2): I'm glad you two are still enjoying the story! :D
Thank y'all so much for reading and reviewing! 💖💖💖
~ Amina Gila
It's been several months since everything fell apart, several months in which they've all been trying to adjust to the new nightmare the galaxy has become. The Jedi are gone, and they have no hope of rebuilding until the Sith are destroyed. There are many survivors, but they've all heard the rumors about Dark Siders who are hunting them down. He can only hope Luke isn't one of them, but Obi-Wan knows better. Of course, he is. He's a Sith now. He wishes it were so easy for Anakin to accept that, but he doesn't blame him. They're still keeping Maul in custody with them because they can hardly let him out to wreak havoc on the galaxy again, even if keeping him is a bit of an inconvenience.
And... nothing has been quite the same for Obi-Wan either. Physically, he can move just like he used to, but the number of synthetic organs he was given to survive aren't without cost. The Force no longer flows through him how it once did, and he'll never be able to use it normally again. He loathes it. He's come to accept it, but that doesn't mean it's easy.
Is this how Anakin feels? Did his arm affect him this much too? He knew it wasn't easy for Anakin to adjust, but with the war beginning and everything, they had never taken the time to talk about it.
All of this happened because of Sidious, though, and he is not going to get away with it. They won't rest until they find some way to defeat him, even if it takes time.
Lior and Leia are snuggled in Anakin's arms, still too small to do anything. Except "be adorable" in Ahsoka's words. Obi-Wan still finds it beyond weird to see Anakin with children, though. Luke was one thing because that was time-travel. This is entirely different. He's only twenty-three. He was only a Jedi Knight for three years before this.
Although, as far as him being a Jedi is concerned, Obi-Wan doesn't really know what they'll do about that. Anakin broke the Code, and according to that, he should be thrown out of the Order. Not that there's any Order to even speak of right now. It will have to be rebuilt, and as far as Obi-Wan knows, he's the leading member. He can't imagine trying to do it without Anakin's help. It doesn't matter right now, though. Not until Sidious is dead.
Obi-Wan can hear Padme moving around in the next room, probably coming to announce it's time for the twin's nap. Though they're already dozing in Anakin's arms anyway. It's taken her a long time to recover from the twin's birth, and even though she's moving around more now, she still has a way to go before she'll be the way she used to be.
For now, they're staying on a planet far enough away from Coruscant and out of the way that they can hope no one will find them. They could hardly stay on the cruiser any longer, since it needs so much fuel. The clones had to find new places to hide, dispersing across the galaxy. They left the ship hidden somewhere safe for a time when they might need it.
"I should put them to bed," Anakin decides, standing, right as Padme appears in the doorway. He seems... happier than Obi-Wan's seen him in a long time, even if there's still a distinct heaviness to it that never leaves. He slips out of the room, returning some minutes later without the twins.
"Perhaps you were more fit for your first assignment as a Knight than I thought," Obi-Wan comments dryly. He'd been sent to talk to a group of younglings, and his initial horror when he heard what he had to do was too amusing to forget.
"Why do you even remember what it was?" Anakin asks dubiously.
Mostly because of the time it happened, right during Anakin's transition when Obi-Wan was trying to get used to the realization that he wouldn't have the boy with him all the time anymore. "Your reaction was worthy of remembering," he shoots back.
Anakin huffs. "Leia and Lior are much easier to handle," he replies, though he sounds amused.
"Are they?" Obi-Wan asks teasingly.
"Yes. But that mission was not as hard I thought I may be." Anakin pauses. "Is that what gave you the idea to give me Ahsoka?"
He smirks. "You did well with that other youngling."
"Mill Alibeth," Anakin replies, smiling faintly.
Right. He wonders, for a moment, what happened to the Zabrak. She's probably dead, like many other Jedi who were at the Temple. They sit in silence for a few moments, before he suddenly hears the door opening in the next room, Threepio opening it, ushering in whoever's here.
**w**
"Ahsoka?" Anakin asks in surprise, standing as the Togruta enters the rom.
"Hey, Master." The response is automatic, and she freezes right after, as if only now remembering why she shouldn't say that anymore. He doesn't mention it, and he sees the same silent agreement from her.
"Is everything alright?" he queries. She wasn't supposed to be back for some time still, since she was gone helping with the beginnings of a rebellion.
"Rex and I found something I wanted to tell you in person," she explains, "We got in contact with another group of clones who seem free from the inhibitor chips. Clone Force 99. He said you knew them?"
The Bad Batch? He was not expecting to hear from them in all this chaos, but it's good to know that at least they're alright. And – and Echo. Echo is one of them, and he's alright. It's not much, but it's something. Echo was... a close friend. "Yes, I did," Anakin replies, "Echo joined them after we found him."
"Rex mentioned it briefly," Ahsoka says, "He wants to go talk to them in person. Do you want to go?"
"I –" Thinking about it, yes, he does. He and Echo were good friends once, and he wants to see him again, to see if he's alright. It was Anakin's fault what happened to him in a way – Echo was one of his boys, and Anakin should have known better than to leave him. He survived because of it though. That's what matters most.
He hasn't actually gone anywhere or really done much of anything for the rebellion this entire time. (There's a part of him that's too afraid to, afraid that he'll mess this up like he does with everything else.) This isn't about the Rebellion, though. It's about gaining allies, but it's also about... seeing an old friend. "I'll come," Anakin decides finally.
"I thought so," Ahsoka chirps, "I'll let Rex know you're going."
"Leia and Lior will miss you," Obi-Wan comments dryly, "You're the only one who can handle them sometimes."
Anakin grimaces. "I will not be gone long."
"While he's gone, I'm sure you can handle them," Ahsoka smirks. It's not that they're hard to handle, but they always seem happy when they're with him, and that isn't always true when they're with anyone else.
"I... will leave that to Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan replies.
Before long, Anakin finds himself in hyperspace with Rex. It's good to be around the captain again. They haven't been around each other nearly as much as they used to be in the past months, but they're still... close. And he's also still the only one who knows what really happened that day that Luke Fell. It's a constant shadow over everything, one that never leaves. It won't, until he can make this right. If he ever can. He's left his son in the hands of a Sith for month, and he still doesn't know what to do about it.
"They're staying on Ord Mantell," Rex comments.
"Where Cid is?" Anakin asks, surprised. They went there in the war sometimes, to get information from her. People like that somehow seemed to get even better information than the Jedi themselves sometimes.
"Yes," Rex confirms, "I imagine that was Echo's idea."
They come out of hyperspace, heading for the meeting spot. They go to the meeting spot first, and Anakin keeps a hood pulled up over his head – not a Jedi robe – to hide his identity, just in case anyone around here might recognize him. Rex is doing likewise.
They don't have to wait long before Cid herself, followed by Hunter, Echo, and Tech, step into the room. "Who are you?" Cid demands, sharply.
Rex steps forwards, taking his hood off. Anakin leaves his up for now. They trusted Cid before, but he doesn't know that it's safe to do the same now. "Rex?" Hunter asks, surprised.
"Oh great. More clones. Just what I needed," Cid complains, stalking out, muttering under her breath about how they're turning her parlor into a clubhouse.
"It's been a while, boys," Rex murmurs.
As soon as he's sure they're alone, Anakin reaches up, pushing his hood back. Shock flits across all three of the clones' faces.
"General?" Echo asks, the first to recover. It's horrible seeing him like this, with so much of him mechanical.
"It is good to see you, Echo." Anakin says, finally finding his voice.
"I didn't know what happened to you. All the Jedi were declared traitors," Echo replies, his relief obvious.
"We have been in hiding."
"It's good to see that you're... alive," he says. "What... happened to the Commander?"
"She is alright too," Anakin assures.
"It has been a long time, General," Hunter speaks up, and Anakin nods.
They don't have much longer to discuss the situation, before the door opens. Wrecker and Omega – the new clone they adopted who's apparently a girl? – appearing in the doorway. Wait a minute, where's Crosshair? Is he... dead? Anakin wants to know, but now isn't the time to ask.
"Well, look who it is!" Wrecker exclaims eagerly. He runs across the room, picking up Rex in a hug.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Wrecker," Rex replies in a tone very much implying he's having a hard time breathing.
"I thought you didn't like the regs," Omega wonders, looking curiously up at Anakin.
"This one we like," Wrecker announces, setting him back down, then turning to Anakin. "I knew the Empire couldn't have taken out all the Jedi."
"Not all," he agrees, ignoring the sudden stab of pain in his heart. Now is not the time to think of his son.
"Omega, this is Rex, and this is General Skywalker," Hunter tells her, stepping forwards.
"You're a Jedi?" Omega asks curiously.
"I am." Anakin pauses. "What happened to Crosshair?"
He can feel it as the mood in the room instantly drops. "Our deviant nature appears to have impaired the functioning of the inhibitor chips, except in Crosshair." Tech explains, after a long pause of silence.
Oh. Oh. He's still under control. Maybe they could find him, or – And that's when the rest of what they said catches him to him.
"You still have your chips in?" Rex demands, voice rising a little, hands inching towards his blasters.
"Rex?" Hunter frowns.
"Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even her. You're all ticking time bombs," he warns.
"You should take them out," Anakin concurs, "They could still be set off, and you don't want to deal with it if that happens."
The others exchange glances. "What do you suggest we do?" Hunter asks gravely.
**w**
It's safer not to bring the Bad Batch to their Star Cruiser – they'd have to power it back up if they did that, too – so finding an abandoned one elsewhere is a lot easier. It's in a junkyard to be taken apart, but it's still at least partly functional. Anakin didn't actually need to stay with them, but for some reason, he can't quite shake the feeling that there's going to be trouble.
He and Rex were going to leave until they found fuel and supplies on the cruiser. Their own cruiser needs them, so if they could take these with them...
"We've got company," Tech suddenly calls through the comms. "It's the Empire."
Not good.
"We should get back to the others," Anakin declares. Rex nods, and they sprint for the bridge.
They're all gathered in the halls with whatever supplies they can carry when the Imperials find them. "What's the status?" Rex queries.
"Attack squads from three shuttles are on their way," Tech reports.
"We already got what we came for," Wrecker suggests.
"They're already on the cruiser. We need a covert way out," Hunter states. It's the most logical option, Anakin agrees, but something about doing that feels... wrong. Something more is happening.
"They'll do a forward-to-aft sweep," Echo points out, "We can alternative corridors."
"We should move," Anakin advises, and they take off down the hall as silently as they can. The Empire probably isn't expecting a Jedi here, but it might be even worse for the Bad Batch if they realize they're involved with Jedi.
They dodge a few patrols while Tech manages to break into the comm system to hear Crosshair giving orders to push them towards the hangar.
"Aren't we headed for the hangar?!" Omega protests desperately, eyes wide.
"Not anymore," Hunter decides, "We'll cut through the artillery deck."
"Crosshair knows your methods," Anakin points out. "We must be cautious. He will anticipate your next move."
"So what do we do?" Wrecker asks.
"Something they are not expecting," Anakin replies, considering their options. And that means...
"Something obvious we would never do," Echo concurs.
"Crosshair will know you're going to the artillery deck," Rex points out, "What if you do proceed to the hangar?"
"Could be risky," Hunter objects.
"They will have it locked down," Anakin agrees, "But more are likely prepared for our alternate route."
"That is likely," Hunter concedes at last, and they take off through the halls again, heading for the hangar. They have to keep ducking patrols, but there seems to be a lot fewer as they get closer, just as he suspected. But they'll have to be fast, so Crosshair doesn't realize what they're doing.
They crouch behind the blast doors, carefully peering into the hangar. "They're everywhere," Omega breathes.
"We will have to move fast," Anakin warns.
The moment the front group of patrols moves out of sight, they run out of hiding. It gets attention instantly, but there's plenty of things to hide behind, as they work their way across, stunning all the troopers in their way. Or in Wrecker's case, smashing. Anakin picks up the first blaster he can find and joins them. Better if they don't know he's a Jedi, unless absolutely necessary.
He can feel the approaching danger already, by the time they finish shooting their way through the hangar and run outside into the ruins surrounding them. They've spent far too long already, and the others will be here any second. They don't have a moment to waste. With so many troopers here, he knows they would never all get out alive, even if some of them were able to escape.
They take the most concealed route they can back to the Marauder, crouching behind some crates to stay out of sight of the troopers who are guarding the ships. Or at least, who were supposed to be guarding the ship, because all of them are dead.
What?
"We're not alone," Hunter warns.
"Whoever it is must not be friendly to the Empire," Tech observes, "We should move before Crosshair gets here."
They duck out of hiding, cautiously approaching the ramp... to see a much too familiar figure casually standing at the top of the ramp.
Cad Bane. What is he doing here? Anakin doesn't think it has any connection to his or Rex's presence here. Maybe something the others have gotten themselves into?
"I've taken down many clones over the years," he comments lightly, "Once you figure one out, the rest are easy."
"You're in for a surprise," Hunter retorts.
"I doubt that." He looks past them, gaze landing on Anakin. "A Jedi? Foolish of you to come out here. The Empire will make sure you never leave this place."
A blaster shot rings out, and everyone ducks on instinct. It misses their heads barely, and Anakin knows even before he spins around that it was Crosshair. Bane springs into motion instantly, shooting at Hunter. They do not have time to deal with him, too, right now. Behind them, Crosshair, followed by at least a dozen troops, is approaching, and more are definitely on their way. They need to make this fast.
Anakin can feel the flare of recognition from the other clone as the fight breaks lose. He sticks with a blaster, stunning them as fast as he can while ducking their shots, but it won't matter if Crosshair gets away. He knows who he is, and he'll tell the Empire. (And then, Sidious will be coming. Maybe it will lead him to Luke, but it can't happen like this.)
He can see Crosshair's skill even now, though. He nearly hits all of them a few times, and Anakin almost has to wonder if he's intentionally avoiding hitting anything lethal.
Even through all the chaos, though, he doesn't miss it as Bane firing a stun blast at Omega. That's what he was after?! But there's nothing Anakin can do right now, except for keep stunning the troopers.
He fires several times at Crosshair, throwing a brief glance over his shoulder at the sound of Wrecker making some exclamation, in time to see him knocking out Bane.
Stunning Crosshair is... just a bit harder, but Anakin's a Jedi. It doesn't take long, all things considered.
"We need to leave," Rex calls, over the commotion.
**w**
"Crosshair?" Hunter asks, though there's a distinctly wary note in his voice as they stand gathered near his bedside. Everyone's hands are by their weapons, and Hunter is pointedly shielding Omega. Anakin can't blame them, either. He doesn't know what happened, but he doesn't need to, to know it was... bad.
He's waking up far faster than he is moving – Anakin can sense it. And from what he can sense, the clone is... wary. Uncertain. He's... scared. Of something. Of... himself. Finally, Crosshair pushes himself upright, tensely scanning the room. "Where am I?" he demands finally.
Hunter's hand is still hovering close to his blaster. "We're still on Bracca," he replies, "We found you, and... we took your chip out."
"Remember what I was telling you in the brig?" Omega ventures, stepping forwards. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help it."
Crosshair stares back at them, something tight in his expression.
"You don't believe it," Anakin deduces, "I understand. It's... not easy to accept." Wrecker's chip had nearly activated, too. He doesn't understand the details of the inhibitor chip's workings, mostly because he never looked into them – even though Fives had told him to, and if he had, maybe all of this could've been avoided – but he understands some. Anakin put Wrecker under with the Force before he could lash out at anyone.
But Anakin has seen those things in motion personally. He knows what they're capable of.
The silence is tense, awkward. Crosshair's eyes drift to Wrecker before he looks away altogether.
"Are you okay?" Wrecker asks finally, stepping forwards.
He huffs out a dry half-laugh. "We don't leave our own behind." He doesn't feel angry. Mostly just hurt and lost and confused. He's nine, a dark part of Anakin's mind supplies. Where were you, at that age?
"We didn't have a choice," Hunter replies quietly, guilt lingering in his voice. "You tried to kill us."
Crosshair flinches, almost imperceptibly but still there, enough for Anakin to notice.
"We know it wasn't your choice," Omega offers, maybe seeing the same thing Anakin did. Probably, everyone noticed. "We know you would never have done that of your own."
"It was... a difficult situation for all of us," Hunter adds, not quite meeting Crosshair's gaze, "But we can decide together where we want to go from here."
"You think we can hide from the Empire?" Crosshair asks.
"Actually," Anakin replies, "We're going after it. Them. Not the Empire, but the Emperor. He's the one who started the war. He started all of this." He resolutely ignores the way something inside him twists with guilt, because Palpatine is Sidious and he betrayed Anakin. He... hurt him, even if there is, and always will still be, a small part of Anakin that cares for him.
All of them are looking at him now, with varying levels of surprise and uncertainty, or in Crosshair's case, suspicion.
"I can imagine what you must have heard," Anakin says, "And it's... true that the Jedi Council committed treason, but the Chancellor is the one who started the war for his own gain. He allied himself with Dooku long before the war began, and they orchestrated it for their own personal gain. Palpatine had aimed to become Emperor from the very start. He's the Sith the Jedi have been searching for from the start of the war."
"The war was for nothing," Rex interjects, bitterly, "Except for him to create the Empire. If you were loyal to the Republic, how can you give your loyalty to an institution like this?"
Even the rest of the Bad Batch have fallen into a stunned silence. "How do you know?" Crosshair asks, finally.
"The Jedi discovered it too late," Anakin replies. "We tried to stop him. Instead, we were accused of treason."
"That... explains things," Hunter says finally.
"Yeah," Anakin agrees, slightly bitterly, "It does. More than we want to think about, but still. And he might have taken so much from all of you, but this on out is your choice."
"We could certainly use your skill set," Rex interjects.
"Our priorities have... shifted," Hunter replies, his gaze darting towards Omega. Anakin noticed that already – so much about them has changed. It's all shifted to center around Omega, and... it makes him wish he'd been able to give Ahsoka that back during the war.
"So I've noticed," Rex agrees dryly.
"If you ever need anything..." Echo says, the first to step forwards with the offer. Of course, he is.
Anakin manages a faint smile. "I'll tell you if there's something you can do, yes." It's... something. Not much, but something, and it's the most he can ask for right now. They need all the help they can get.
**w**
Rex might not miss the war – he certainly doesn't miss when his brothers were dying all the time around him – but he does miss how they were always working together. He misses many of the ones he used to know and seeing Clone Force 99 again especially reminded him of that.
Of everyone who isn't part of the 501st, he misses Cody most.
As it turns out, finding him isn't that difficult. He just has to track down where the former 212th is serving, and it seems like many of them are now working on Coruscant. Most of the Coruscant Guard was killed during Operation Nightfall, and someone had to take their place.
It's just a matter of going in with a few of his other brothers, pretending to be typical clones – it works with outsiders, but they have to be extra careful around the clones themselves – and kidnapping Cody before he can stop them. They keep him unconscious, removing his chip before he wakes up again.
Rex stands next to his brother's bedside, waiting anxiously. The surgeries aren't dangerous for the most part, but there's been an occasional case that's resulted in complications.
Finally, Cody starts to move, slowly opening his eyes. He seems a little disoriented as he looks around the room, but his gaze sharpens a little when it finally lands on Rex.
"Rex?" Cody asks, slowly, disbelievingly.
"Yes, Cody, it's me," Rex promises, as his brother slowly sits up.
He reaches up a hand, touching the spot on his head where they took the chip out. Probably he can still feel a faint soreness in the area from the surgery. "What – what happened?"
"I came to find you," he explains, "I knew you weren't doing this of your own free will. None of you are."
Cody lets out a quiet sigh of relief, and it hurts seeing. Rex can only be glad Ahsoka was able to react fast enough that day and stop all of them from being mind-controlled too. "I – I couldn't control myself," Cody says, quietly, shaking his head, "And I – what happened to General Kenobi?"
"He's alive," Rex promises, "He escaped."
Cody sags in visible relief. "I didn't want to do it," he states again, "But I couldn't stop. I couldn't fight it. All I could do was make myself believe he died. I didn't think the fall would kill him, but I told the others not to look."
"It's not your fault," Rex assures, "You couldn't control it anymore than any of our brothers could. Some of the Jedi survived, and we've been in hiding along with all of our brothers who I've been able to free."
"There are more?" Cody asks, hopefully.
"Yes," Rex responds, "We're... doing what we can. Still fighting for the Republic that the Empire destroyed. Some don't want to fight anymore, but I can't stop. You can join, if you want."
Cody doesn't consider it for more than a few moments. "I do."
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