Fixing Our Broken Pieces || The Bad Batch

Chapter 11: Battle Scars

"So who's this kid you're travelling with?" Orla broke the silence.

Hunter almost forgot Omega was with Wrecker, out hunting for Mantell Mix and Orla had already met her when saving her from Fennec on Pantora. "Omega, she's a clone, like us."

Rex's eyes widened while Orla was already gathering 1000 questions in her mind. "Omega? Is that her code name? No number?"

"That's what the Kaminoinns called her? I don't know, I've never asked," Hunter went to say something else but a familiar voice spoke at the entrance.

"Well look who it is. Come here Rex," Wrecker jumped the last few steps of the entrance to greet Rex by scooping him up into a giant bear hug. Omega pepped in behind him.

"Good to see you too Wrecker," he muffled. Orla laughed under her breath at Rex's stiffness around Wrecker's giant arms.

"I thought you didn't like the regs?" Omega pointed out, surprised at Wrecker's happiness

"This one we like," Wrecker spun him to set him down while Hunter answered Omega.

"Omega, this is Rex."

Rex knelt to her level once he reached solid ground, "I've met many clones in my time, but never one like you."

Omega stepped forward without saying a word, she observed Rex's face while he awkwardly stayed still, unsure whether to make eye contact. Her brown eyes sparkled with wonder, like witnessing a new species.

"You're a generation one clone," her analysis concluded. He asked how she knew that and she responded by pointing out the lines on his face. Orla sniggered loudly, amused.

"She means you're old Rex."

Rex rolled his eyes at Orla's remark.

"But at least you're both blond, twins!" she added. Wrecker agreed but winched and rubs the side of his head uncomfortably, telling Tech he needs another med patch. He responded by reminding him he has already used the last one while Orla and Rex grew worried.

"What's wrong?" Rex asked, already assuming the worst.

"Nothing just a headache," Wrecker brushed it off. Echo added that they were growing more frequent which caused a larger uneasy look amongst Orla and Rex.

"If you're concerned about the so-called inhibitor chips don't be, our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality, except in Crosshairs."

Orla scrunched her nose, they didn't know what the chips were, did they? Rex's mind however was in other places.

"You're telling me you haven't removed your chips?"

"No, not yet," Tech confirmed. Alarmed, Orla and Rex both reach for their chosen weapons while stepping closer to Omega. Orla's finger twitched to switch the setting of her saber from a knife to her full double blade. The saber clicked and the hilt expanded out where she wrapped her fingers tightly around it while Rex's hand only hovered above his blaster. The rest of the squad noticed their caution.

"Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you, especially Orla, and even the kid. You're all ticking time bombs," Rex warned.

Knowing what happened last time Hunter pushed Orla too far, he was careful to tell them to take it easy.

"It's more dangerous than you can imagine, I've seen what happens when it activates and I don't want to bury any more of our brothers. It is not something you can control, I couldn't."

"Do you have any idea what they were used for?" Orla moved her hand away from the saber.

"Well, they're behavioural implants right?" Tech stepped forward "When the Republic initiated the creation of the clone army-"

Orla stopped him, "Woah, Woah, Woah what are you talking about? 'The Republic initiated the clone army' that's not true, the Jedi did."

"What!" the Bad Batch and Rex all said at once.

She stood silently for a moment, remembering that wasn't supposed to be mentioned. The only reason she even knew was from eavesdropping on the council's meetings. But the war is over, so it didn't matter what she told them.

"I'm not supposed to say this but let me explain. The Republic had nothing to do with the clone army, even at the battle of Geonosis. The clones weren't sent by the Republic. They were sent by the Jedi. Jedi master Sifo Dyas foresaw a great conflict and that the Republic would need to raise an army to fight. The council rejected these ideas but Sifo was always right about these sorts of things, so he and Tyranus set out and made a deal. Tyranus killed him after and neither the council nor the Senate found out until just before the battle of Geonosis and they knew they couldn't fight the war that was coming by themselves"

"Who's Tyranus, is he not a Jedi?" Hunter asked.

"No... not exactly." Tyranus was Dooku, but she wasn't about to tell them their enemy created them.

"Then who is he?" Hunter demanded to know.

"We don't have time for this, we need to get those things out of your head and we need to do it now. I'll explain more, meet us on Bracca, we'll be in touch."