"Good Soldiers Follow Orders...": A Bad Batch Story

C H A P T E R O N E

THIRD PERSON POV

"Execute Order 66."

Hunter blinked. Twice. His dark eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to his broth—his squad members. They looked to him for permission to engage. There was the padawan Caleb Dume who had escaped into the snowy woods. The Order was to kill all Jedi...Caleb Dume is a Jedi learner.

The corners of Hunter's mouth tightened as he gave the nod ahead. Crosshair and Wrecker charged into the forest, weapons ready in hand. Tech and Echo followed close behind Hunter as he marched up where the clone Captain Grey was towering over the dead Jedi Master Depa Billaba.

Grey looked up from the body. "CT-9901, report in. Is the padawan dead?"

"My men are taking care of him as we speak. They won't fail." Hunter monotonously nodded. The inside of his skull itched, like he didn't appreciate the sound of his clone serial number. Grey didn't seem convinced. "Why aren't you all out there? It is imperative that all Jedi are be executed."

"Yeah, I know." Hunter rolled his eyes behind his helmet. "I heard the Order. Just like you. Trust me, every member of my squad can handle a Jedi. Especially a kid."

"Are you getting smart with me, CT-9901—"

"The name's Hunter." The sergeant decided. "I prefer if you called me and my men by their names. Those numbers are invalid."

"Watch yourself, Sergeant." Grey measured himself up to Hunter, their helmets mere inches apart. "Remember where you, and your squad, stand. Report back to Kamino once your other squad members return." Grey then left to check in with the other ranking officers, leaving Hunter slightly annoyed. Next to him, Tech was punching in codes that he didn't understand, but it seemed like his pilot had decrypted other possible Jedi locations.

Echo was quiet, which Hunter found odd. The cyborg-clone did not wear his helmet, revealing his pale-marble skin, rewired skull, and sable eyes. A troubled frown deepened on his face. Hunter's own mouth fell at his suspisions, but he wasn't about to inform Captain Grey. Echo was one of his men. Hunter would deal with him himself.

Behind Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker returned. "Is it done?" Hunter asked. Both clones nodded their heads. "I popped him when he tried to leap over the falls. He fell to his death." Crosshair affirmed.

"You should've seen the look on that traitor's face!" Wrecker boasted. "Ha ha!"

"Good." The sergeant signaled with his hand to move out, back to the Marauder. The trip back to Kamino was quiet. Too quiet...Hunter noticed Echo fidgeting in the co-pilot seat, and his eyes narrowed. The irritating itching in his skull had yet to cease. It was like his mind was trying to remind itself of something important, but instead his new orders replayed over and over like a broken record. Hunter felt like he was missing something, too...an indefinite key that he knows can solve what he's trying to remember.

"Hunter," Tech snapped the sergeant back into reality. "We are approaching Tipoca City."

"Good," Hunter nodded half-mindedly.

"Everything okay, Hunter?" Echo spoke for the first time in hours.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Nevermind." Echo shrugged, but Hunter sensed the cyborg-clone was hiding something. It seemed like Crosshair was thinking the same thing, for the sharpshooter sneered quietly, but audible enough where Hunter caught it.

Once Tech landed the ship in one of Tipoca City's many ports, the five members of Clone Force 99 filed out one by one. An officer addresses Hunter, informing him and the rest of the squad there is a mandatory briefing at 2:00. With some time until then, the Bad Batch marched to their barracks. There, the clones had a moment of silence before Hunter uttered the first words.

"Has anyone else felt an...itching in their head since Kaller?"

"Not in the slightest." Crosshair stuck a toothpick between his teeth.

"I have been having some slight discomfort in my cranium since Crosshair and Wrecker retuned from killing the Jedi padawan." Tech admitted, tapping away on his datapad. "Since then, I've been researching the symptoms and dianogstics to figure out the problem. It has come and gone."

"How about you, Wrecker?" Hunter asked, watching the largest clone hunkered down on his bunk. His eyes slightly widened when Wrecker picked up his Twi'lek doll and tossed it away like it was garbage without a second thought and grumbled out a "No."

"Echo?" Hunter moved on, but still curious on Wrecker's new attitude.

"I am feeling...uneasy." Echo cleared his throat. "Not sure why. I think I also feel an itching in my head. I don't know." He seemed very incohesive. Echo was also avoiding eye contact. "Something is telling me it has something to do with our new orders."

"What do you mean?" Crosshair hissed, manuevering the toothpick in his mouth with a flip of his tongue. "You're not violating Order 66, are you? That would not be good for you, Echo."

"What, no!" Echo stammered. "It's just, um, I think that we are missing something, that's all. Like the order isn't, um, complete?"

"You are not making any sense, Echo." Hunter intercepted Crosshair before the sharpshooter could act. "Frankly, you're worrying me, too."

"Who said I was worrying?" Crosshair rebelled in defense and stomped away from the sergeant.

Echo closed his shoulders and stared out the rain-pelted window. Hunter and Tech met glances after they both side-eyed the troubled clone. Tech then began to slowly tap in some new information, like he was starting a whole new research project.

"Announcing, all officers report to the briefing room for a mandatory meeting." A female voice sounded on the intercom. "I repeat, all officers report to the briefing room. This is a mandatory meeting."

"This is one meeting I do not want to miss." Hunter gestured everyone to exit their barracks with a nod of his head. He tagged behind Echo, who seemed more anxious than ever, but it didn't seem right to interogate him.

"Like the order isn't, um, complete."

Perhaps Echo was onto something, Hunter pondered. Could that explain the itchy feeling?

Wrecker led the way to the briefing room, his presence acted like a reversed magnet, repelling everyone and everything from their path. A permenant scowl hung on his jaw line. His numerous scars seemed more defined and terrifying. His narrowed eyes were locked dead ahead, not giving up once useless glance. His stomping feet quaked the smooth, clean floors, alerting those not yet in view. This wasn't the same Wrecker that Hunter started their mission with this morning...

Crosshair didn't seem much different. His introverted demeanor inhibited him to walk a few feet in distance of the rest of the squad. He too stared in what was in front of him, not wasting his time making eye contact with anymore. His frown was even more deep than Wrecker's.

Hunter's mind wandered after these observations. He had many questions, but wouldn't get a chance to consult with Tech before they all reached the briefing room, where they were required to wear their helmets.

The only one to hesitate, was Echo.