Star Wars One-Shots

The Baby Batch

Author's Note: We wrote this as a treat fic for Irusu for the May the Fourth Be With You Fanwork Exchange 2023. The Bad Batch as babies are adorable. ^-^

~ Amina Gila

In which Omega first meets and helps take care of her baby brothers. Even if soon, they'll be far older than she is.

"How long?" Omega asks impatiently, bouncing on her tiptoes as she watches Nala Se, working next to the four tubes in the room.

She's been waiting for this moment for so long. It's been months, and she's been counting down every single day until they're going to be born. She's never seen anyone born before, even though Nala Se says there's already thousands of clones out there, but they're boys, so they aren't like her.

But these are the first ones she's seen and watched, and now, they're finally going to be born.

Experimental Unit 99, they've been called.

"They're ready now," Nala Se replies, setting down whatever equipment she's been using to check on their mutations. Whatever that is. Something that makes them special and different.

A squeal of excitement escapes Omega, and she watches, practically holding her breath, as the first of them is taken out. The Kaminoan looks him over, before handing him to Omega, with a brief instruction on how she's supposed to hold him.

She takes him carefully, and he's heavy, but she's already three, so she's perfectly capable of holding a baby. She's seen what they all look like through the walls of their jars, but it's different to see him in person when she's holding him – he has a tiny amount of dark brown hair, and he opens his brown eyes, blinking up at her.

Except then, he squeezes his eyes shut, and starts crying.

"Why's he crying?" she asks, eyes wide, looking up at Nala Se.

Wouldn't he be as excited as she is? He's her brother, and she's been waiting so long for this moment. She might have a million other brothers, but this is the first one she's ever known.

"It's normal when babies are first born," Nala Se replies, unconcerned, "But given his mutation, the stimulation from his environment may take time for him to grow used to. Hurry, the next one is ready."

"It'll be okay," Omega promises him, as she darts across the room to the small cribs prepared for each of them, setting him inside the first. "Don't be sad."

He calms down surprisingly quickly, though, waving his arms in protest when she sets him down.

"I coming back," she promises, kissing his forehead, before running back to Nala Se's side, who's taking out the second one.

His hair is a slightly lighter brown, but what instantly catches her attention as she takes him is his eyes. They're just... uncanny. He's staring at her with a strange fascination that should not be possible on a newborn baby. It's almost like he already knows who she is.

"What are their names?" Omega asks, trotting across the room to lay him next to his brother.

"They don't have names."

She frowns. "Why?"

"They have identifying numbers. They don't need names, when there are so many of them," Nala Se explains, which doesn't make sense.

"But I have one!"

"You are different from the others," she replies, moving to take out the third baby.