Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to Star Wars: Tales of the Infinity's Odyssey.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.

This is the first of two short stories that will be posted in rapid succession, with the next one coming out on Monday. For those of you wondering what that means, it means that I will continue to post short stories during the two month wait for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. That time period will be focused on filling many, if not all, of the plot holes that have popped up in the main story.

Either way, I appreciate your feedback and support, and I hope to continue to receive it as the months pass.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.


UNSC Infinity

Geosynchronous Orbit, Pantora

May 20th, 0BBY, 0930 Hrs (December 3rd, 2558, 0930 Hrs)

For Omega, the chance to work in her own laboratory was a dream come true. This is amazing, she thought as she walked into her laboratory. The chance to work in my own laboratory, as a geneticist and biologist. Makes me wonder if this is a dream; if so, it's a dream I don't want to wake up from.

There was one little irritating aspect of getting her own lab, though, and that was learning how to use the equipment that was inside of the place. Where there were some pieces of equipment that were familiar, such as the gene sequencer, centrifuge and the like, there were dozens of other machines that were like black boxes to her. She had no idea of how to use them and what to do with them.

Fortunately for her, she wasn't the only one in the room. As soon as she walked in, she found that Dr. Halsey was also standing in the room. "Ah, Olivia," she said. "I was wondering when you would arrive. I take it you're ready to learn how to use some of the equipment that is in this place, yes?"

"Certainly," Omega said. "I was wondering what this is." She pointed at one of the larger machines in the room.

"That is a thermal cycler," Halsey said. "It's typically used by geneticists when they're conducting Polymerase Chain Reactions, a way of increasing the size of a sample of DNA. Didn't you see something like this back at Kamino?"

"I did," Omega said. "However, the aesthetics of the machine threw me off for a bit. I have to admit, part of the reason why I'm not recognizing most of this stuff is because of how different it all looks. Does the UNSC always have their equipment so… utilitarian in appearance?"

"The proper term for the style is functionalism," Halsey said. "To answer your question, though, yes. The UNSC prefers that the object fulfill the function that it has rather than look good. To put it in engineers terms, if it looks ugly, but works perfectly, then it's perfectly fine."

"I see," Omega said. "Back at Kamino, it all looked so pretty given the curves and flowing architecture that all of the equipment had. I guess I'm just so used to seeing that sort of thing that, when I see the same thing but in a different style, it throws me off."

"Well then, it's a good thing that I'm here to help you out then." Moving to another machine, Halsey said, "This, Olivia, is a DNA Microarray Analyzer. When we use DNA Microarrays, we use an analysis machine in order to gain a better picture of the DNA that is being studied. They first entered widespread use in the 21st century, and since then they've been steadily improved."

"Interesting," Omega said. "I remember when we did DNA Microarray Analysis back at Kamino. We constantly needed droids in order to get the most accurate results. I wonder how you guys did it back then."

"Lots of trial and error," Halsey said. "After the advent of Artificial Intelligence, it became much easier to sequence DNA and to find errors in those sequences." Picking up a small object, she said, "We also developed these."

"What's that?" Omega asked.

"A 'lab-on-a-chip.' It's a very old piece of technology, but it is still one of the most highly useful pieces of technology that we have around here. We typically use them for testing small fluid samples, typically in the microliter range."

"I used them at Kamino too," Omega said. "Funny, it seems that, despite the fact that your from another galaxy, much of the genetic sequencing technology that we use in our line of work hasn't diverged very much at all."

"Indeed," Halsey noted. "It sounds as though the old adage is true. The more things change, the more they stay the same. There is one thing that we have developed that your galaxy hasn't, though."

"And that would be?" Omega asked.

"Organ flash cloning," Halsey said. Walking over to one of the largest machines in the room, she said, "This is the machine with which we perform flash cloning of body parts."

"Interesting," Omega noted. "How does it work?"

"Simple, really," Halsey said. "We take samples of an individuals cells from a specific organ we wish to clone. We then use the DNA inside of those cells to create stem cells, which are then programmed using CRISPR Gene Editing, a way to modify the genes of an organism that's alive, to become specific types of cells. Some are programmed to become the main cells of the organ, others are programmed to become vascular cells, so that the lymphatic and cardiovascular systems can supply lymph and blood to the organ in question.

"Once the cells in question are ready, they are reprogrammed to replicate at a very high rate, with the cells being injected into specific areas of a mold to allow them to grow properly. Once the organ has finished growing, a process that usually takes hours if not days, the cells are reprogrammed to stop replicating at the accelerated rate, whereupon the organ is ready to be implanted into the person in question."

Omega stared into the device as Halsey spoke. The idea of having replacement organs readily available within a few hours was an alien concept to her. If we had that kind of technology during the Clone Wars, more clones might've been able to continue in the fight. That CRISPR Gene Editing technology might've also allowed us to enable clones that were defective to become normal and healthy again. Looking at Halsey, she asked, "What are the benefits of using flash cloned organs?"

"For one thing, the organs in question can't be rejected," Halsey said, "as the cells that are used come from the same organ inside of the person. In addition, we can replace failing organs with new and unused versions, while also extending the lifespan of a person. One person that did have some flash cloned organs implanted in his body is Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole."

"Really?" Omega asked.

"Yes, really. From what I recall, it was his heart, liver and endocrine system that were replaced."

"Why?" Omega asked.

"Preston didn't exactly have a healthy heart," Halsey said. "According to his medical file, he suffered two heart attacks in rapid succession, and his liver failed due to a condition known as cirrhosis, likely from excessive alcohol consumption. In addition, his endocrine system was failing so, with all those problems combined, he needed flash cloned organs to return to a healthy condition."

"I see," Omega said. "Perhaps the lifespans of my friends in the Bad Batch could be extended using flash cloned organs. Perhaps…" It was then that she trailed off.

Halsey almost immediately knew why. It appears as though Olivia is having an epiphany, she thought, especially when Omega quickly ran over to a table and opened up a datapad. Before long, she was hammering out a long essay on what might be possible now that she knew that gene editing of a live organism was possible to do. "Olivia?" she asked.

"One second," Omega said as she typed out a few more words. Once she finished, she said, "I have a way to save my friends, the Bad Batch. What you said about organ cloning and CRISPR Gene Editing caused something to click in my head. You said that CRISPR Gene Editing can be used on living organisms, correct?"

"Yes," Halsey said. Already, she had an idea as to what Omega was suggesting. "You're thinking that you can use CRISPR Gene Editing to replace the faulty genes that are causing the Bad Batch's accelerated aging. Correct?"

"Yes!" Omega said. "We can use the CRISPR Gene Editing process to replace the damaged, faulty and/or missing genes inside of the clones with undamaged and healthy versions of those genes. That will likely trigger a deceleration process inside of the skeletal and neurological systems of the clones. While that is happening, we can use the flash cloning process to create new clones for each of the clones, which will dramatically increase their lifespans. How much so is unknown."

"I know by how much," Halsey said. "Flash cloned organs can increase the lifespan of a human being by decades. It's why the average lifespan of a person within the UEG is much longer than what human lifespans used to be in the 21st century. The same can be said about CRISPR Gene Editing once it became commonplace in the 23rd Century."

"Right," Omega said. "However, the one area that we'll have trouble with is the brain. If the brain isn't modified in anyway, or refreshed in any way, my friend's will have the bodies of twenty one year old men, but the brains of seventy two year old men. Either way, that's not healthy, so we'll have to modify their neurons and glial cells with the same gene editing technology, or we'll have to use cloned brains to accomplish the same thing."

"And that'll allow them to have normal lives," Halsey said. "That being said, we'll likely have to use the former of the two methods when it comes to their brains. While I, personally, created a new form of mind transfer technology, it is still very much in its infancy. There's a very high chance of the cloned brain developing dementia, schizophrenia and cancer."

"Then we'll have to refine it," Omega decided. "However, in order to do that, I'll need to receive training from a university or some other learning center where experts on the technology can do that sort of thing." Looking at Halsey, she said, "That means that I'll have to go to your galaxy and begin my education."

"Agreed," Halsey said. "In fact, I was going to suggest that to you when you came inside. With that being said, have you decided on where you are going to receive your education?"

"Yeah," Omega said. "I've been reading up on universities that exist on your homeworld of Earth. I was thinking of going to Yale University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Stanford University or some other college that has programs on genetic engineering. I've also decided to specialize in cytogenetics and gene therapy."

Halsey smiled. "That's excellent news. I figured that you would choose those career paths. It certainly fits with your expertise in genetics and cellular cloning. Once FTL communications is established, we'll get you set up with an online education curriculum that'll allow you to remain here, while getting the education that you need to work as a geneticist and doctor in the UEG and UNSC.'

"All right," Omega said. "Still, which university would you recommend?"

Halsey thought to herself for a moment. While she was willing to recommend the university where she had received her education, as it had survived the Covenant-UNSC War, she knew that a different one would suit Omega better. "I believe that you should go to Stanford," she said at length. "Much of their curriculum is centered around medicine and genetic engineering. Given that you're a genetics mastermind when you have the proper equipment around you, I'll see if I can get you funding for your education, as well as various scholarships and grants."

Omega smiled. "Thank you," she said. "I'll be certain to put what I learn at that university to good use."

"Good," Halsey said, "That being said, we'll likely have to cut our education short for today. I wanted to allow you to be able to invite the Bad Batch to the lab. Given that they're likely going to be permanent residents aboard this ship, I believe you should have the chance to reunite with them. How does that sound?"

Omega smiled. "That would be a splendid opportunity! Should we invite them right now?"

"Of course," Halsey said…

A few minutes later, the members of the Bad Batch were walking into the room. Looking around, Hunter whistled. "Now this looks like a laboratory," he said. "I gotta hand it to you UNSC types, you know how to make a ship and you know how to make a laboratory."

"It's pretty nice," Tech said. "I'll be that there's genetic testing equipment in here that hasn't even been thought about in the wider galaxy. You're pretty well set up, Omega."

"That I am," Omega said

"That she is," Halsey agreed. "However, I brought you all in here to do more than simply gawk at the equipment." Looking at Omega, she said, "Go ahead, Olivia."

"What?" Omega asked. When Halsey didn't respond, she said, "Oh, right." Clearing her throat, she said, "I've got some news to tell all of you."

"Well then, out with it," Hunter said.

"I've become Dr. Halsey's Deputy Science Officer. I've been recruited into the UNSC as the Deputy Science Officer of the UNSC Infinity."

The silence that filled the room was deafening. Hunter had an expression of surprise on his face, though it quickly faded to an expression of equanimity. The others were looking at her with expressions ranging from shocked to impressed, with Tech looking the most impressed. "So you're Dr. Halsey's newest science officer?" he asked.

"Yes," Omega said.

A smile broke out on Hunter's face, then he began to clap. Before long, the other members of the Bad Batch were clapping, each one smiling at her. "Congratulations," Hunter said. "You're moving up in the world."

"That is awesome!" Tech said with a smile. "I knew you had it inside of you, Omega. I just knew it!"

"Not bad," Wrecker said as he smiled. "Not bad, Omega. I had a feeling that you'd find yourself a place to call home. Wish I could say the same for us."

"Me too," Echo said. "I wish we had a place to stay too."

"There's more good news there," Halsey said. "While we were waiting for you four to arrive, I spoke with RMDL Lasky about this. He's decided that you four can stay onboard the Infinity, though there's more than simple charity at work here. Olivia's got a surprise for you."

"And what surprise would that be?" Hunter asked.

Omega smiled. "I believe I've found a way to reverse your accelerated aging, so that you have the bodies and minds of 21 year old men."

There was another bout of silence from the clones. While Tech had a skeptical look on his face, the others seemed hopeful. "Really?" Echo asked. "I didn't hear that incorrectly, did I? You said you have a way to reverse our aging?"

"Possibly," Omega said. "Again, as I said, I 'believe' I found a way to reverse your accelerated aging. We won't know if it's actually viable, but then again, hope springs eternal. Want to know what it is?"

"Sure," Hunter said. "Might as well hear it. If it works out, it might just be what we need."

"Good," Omega said. "Dr. Halsey, would you do the honors?"

"Of course," Halsey said. "To summarize Olivia's breakthrough, we believe that we can use a combination of gene editing and flash cloned organs to extend your lifespans to that of normal human beings. Olivia can furnish the details."

"Olivia?" Hunter asked. "Is that what Halsey's calling you now, Omega?"

"Yes," Omega said. "I personally think that it sounds much better than Omega, though you can call me Omega if you want."

"All right. That's understandable. Still, how do you intend to reverse our aging?"

"It's simple, really," Omega said. "While Halsey was showing me around my lab, she showed me a device in the back of the room that can make new organs for a person once DNA from the cells in a particular organ have been sampled. She also explained to me that the UNSC has a gene editing process known as CRISPR Gene Editing, with CRISPR being short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Basically, it exploits the body's means of antiviral defense to make precise edits to an organism's DNA in vivo, meaning when they're alive."

"And that helps us… how?" Tech asked.

"I can explain that part," Halsey said. "The reason why you four are aging faster than the average human being is due to the presence of faulty genes. There are several groups of genes that are responsible for controlling the aging process, FOXO, SIRT and GATA to name a few. SIRT and FOXO, in particular, regulate the repair and recycling processes of the human body, a process known as autophagy. Those groups of genes, along with a few others, are faulty or missing in your bodies, resulting in aging that is not only faster than that of the average human being, but is also capable of accelerating."

The others had thoughtful expressions when they heard this, with Tech humming to himself. "Hhmmm… so the reason why we're aging faster than the average human being is because the Kaminoans replaced the normal versions of those genes with modified ones, and also modified the genes that regulate how fast a person grows. Correct?"

"Precisely," Halsey said. "Olivia here believes that, by using flash cloned organs to replace any that are starting to fail, in conjunction with CRISPR Gene Editing to replace any modified versions of those genes, she can halt your accelerated aging. Who knows? We might even be able to reverse it to a degree."

"That would be nice," Wrecker agreed. "I was quite the handsome looking man before I got old."

"Indeed," Halsey said. "That being said, Olivia here wanted to see if she could do that for all of you once she's had the proper education from the UEG and UNSC."

Hunter shrugged. "We've already been through this sort of routine before, so I don't see how that could hurt. Count us in."

"Very good," Halsey said. "Olivia?"

"That's great news!" Olivia said. Looking at the members of the Bad Batch, she said, "Y'all have done so much for me, more than I ever asked for or deserved. Consider this my way of giving back to you, so that you have something to enjoy as well."

Hunter smiled, and Omega noticed what she thought was misting in his eyes. "I think this is the most beautiful gift you can give, Omega. It would be nice to have my younger years back. If you succeed in doing that for us, I'll definitely be grateful. Who knows? I might even join the UNSC just to fight alongside them."

"Me too," Wrecker said. "They seem to have a shortage of strong guys like me. Count me in."

"Same here," Echo said. "I've had it with this accelerated aging. I want to be able to enjoy more than just a few years of youth. I'm in as well."

"Tech?" Hunter asked. "Are you in as well?"

Tech's response was more measured. "While I do find the prospect of an extended lifespan appealing, I'm not sure if this is possible. For all we know, this could be a dead-end prospect for us. Still, given that we were made to be expendable soldiers, I don't see how this could hurt. If anything, this might be a valuable learning experience for us all." Looking at Omega, he said, "If this works, then I'll buy you the biggest dinner out there."

"I'll take that bet," Omega said.

"Now, now," Halsey said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have a long ways to go before we get to that dinner. Before that, we have to reestablish a connection to the UNSC. After that, we can get you the education you need so that you can begin making headway on this problem."

"Yeah," Omega said. "We'll have to take care of that first. After that, we can get to work. So, that's all for today, guys."

"That's all right," Hunter said. "Still, I believe that this is the best news that I've heard in a long time. If all goes well, we'll be able to be young folks again."

. . .

On another world far away from Pantora, there was another major occasion that was going on, one that would send waves throughout the entire galaxy. Sitting at the main seat for Rebel High Command, Garm Bel Iblis was looking around at various politicians and military leaders that were present in the room. This is it, he thought. This is the day that we reorganize the Rebel Alliance into something more than an alliance.

It had taken him a lot of work to get to this point. Getting Nower fully onboard, as well as some of the more extremist groups, had taken considerable amounts of work. I remember having to deal with the remnants of Saw's Partisans when they attempted to assassinate Leia Organa, he thought. Now that was a can of ugly worms to deal with. His train of thought was interrupted when Mon Mothma walked inside and sat down at her seat. Once she was seated, Garm Bel Iblis asked, "Is everyone gathered here?"

"Yes," the others replied.

"All right," Garm Bel Iblis said. "As you are all fully aware, we have bartered, negotiated, threatened, cajoled and even groveled to get to this point. We have made compromises and deals to get here. Now, we have to take the final step, otherwise there will be no point in resisting the Galactic Empire." Standing up, he said, "All of those in favor of renaming the Rebel Alliance as the New Republic, raise your hand."

One by one, most of the members in the room raised their hand. Some, however, kept their hands down, while others simply walked out of the room, discontent with the changes that Garm Bel Iblis had effected after studying the files that Cole had sent him, from the organization of the United States Army, to how one was to organize a military force. "All those against renaming the Rebel Alliance, raise your hand." Fewer hands were raised this time around.

Once the vote had been tallied, Mon Mothma spoke. "It is the decision of the Rebel High Command, in a 4-3 vote, that the Rebel Alliance shall be renamed the New Republic. While we understand why some of us have refused to rename the Rebel alliance, we feel that it is time for us to let go of the past and to start anew, free of the mistakes of the past."

"I agree," Admiral Raddus said. "If we are to move on from the sordid past that we had when we were disorganized, we must look to the future. We will remember the past, but we will not fester in it."

"So say we all," the others said. "May the Force be with us."

Garm Bel Iblis nodded. "May the Force be with us."


Rebel Alliance/New Republic Leadership

Chancellor Garm Bel Iblis

Vice Chancellor Mon Mothma

Secretary of the Cabinet Kentor Jorval

Secretary of State Bail Organa

Secretary Vice Chancellor Leida Mothma

Secretary of Defense Vasp Vaspar

Deputy Secretary of Defense Jekar Nokmas

Secretary of Industry Gezar Ovarz

Deputy Secretary of Industry Ivora Yeska

Secretary of Finance Nower Jebel

Secretary of Education Tynnra Palmo

Secretary of Supply Edvard Gevar

Deputy Secretary of Supply Heldor Borku

Deputy Secretary of Finance Kentar Ulsar

Fleet Admiral Raddus (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Navy)

Admiral Jenthar Gesora (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Navy)

Vice Admiral Jan Dodonna (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Navy)

General of the Starfighter Corps Antoc Merrick (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Starfighter Corps)

General Barion Raner (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Starfighter Corps)

Lieutenant General Bandwin Cor (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Starfighter Corps)

Major General Garven Dreis (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Starfighter Corps)

General of the Armies Ceresar Nodius (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Army)

General Pharl McQuarrie (Rebel Alliance/New Possibly Army)

Major General Deckar (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Army)

Lieutenant General Ressen Jivrak (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Army)

General Airen Craken (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Intelligence)

Lieutenant General General Davits Draven (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Intelligence)

Major General General Haxen Delto (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Intelligence)

General Rickard Hedor (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Marine Corps)

Lieutenant General Antora Ferda (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Marine Corps)

Major General Lotor Qureva (Rebel Alliance/New Republic Marine Corps)