27

big news batchers! as of today, i only have a few more chapters left to write until book 2 is FINISHED 🎉 

once the book is done, expect double posts once again 💃 (schedule to come so keep your eyes peeled 👀 )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bracca appeared out of hyperspace, looming grey and ominous before them. Saedii tightened her grip on the seat before her as Tuck guided the Dauntless into the planet's upper atmosphere.

On the radar behind them, four large blips announced the cargo vessels as they appeared out of hyperspace. The ships and their crews would wait here until Saedii and the rest got the cruiser up and running. Then, they'd get to the daunting task of trying to fit all four ships on board the cruiser's hangar bay.

One problem at a time. First they had to make sure the cruiser was still intact.

It was raining as they dropped beneath the cloud cover. The windshield quickly became a wash of grey as the clouds and the rain began to blend into the misshapen forms of the broken ships below.

Next to her, Rex and Echo already had their helmets on. Ready for whatever was waiting for them on Bracca's surface.

Tuck followed the coordinate marker for the cruiser. He flew low, just barely missing the reaching hulls of broken TIE fighters and pleasure barges. Trying to keep out of sight in case the Scrapper Guild was watching.

"Cruiser up ahead," Tuck announced a moment before they crested the crumbled, rusty remains of an ancient-looking transport vessel, and Saedii's cruiser came into view.

From up here, it looked largely untouched. Small pockets of rust had begun to collect along the top, like little blooms of bright orange flowers, but the siding still looked intact. No panels had been stripped. No wires had been exposed. Maybe Saedii's lock had done the trick.

The Dauntless teetered as it came to a rest on a very small bit of open ground, just large enough for their vessel.

"Stay with the ship," Rex ordered Tuck as Saedii and Echo filed down below, towards the exit ramp.

In the main hull, the rest of the troopers were waiting behind Howzer. Armored and ready to go. Many of them still bore paint markers of their old battalions – red and yellow and green and purple. It made for an odd mix.

"Tight formation heading out," Rex said, voice carrying in the otherwise silent ship. "Keep your eyes open for the Scrapper Guild. You see anything, shoot first and ask questions later."

"And watch your step. The things that survive on this planet aren't exactly friendly," Echo warned.

One of the troopers – a young Clone named Crux – nervously adjusted his weight.

Moist, heavy air greeted them as the exit ramp opened. Warm rain fell in sheets, softening the ground to mud at their feet. Within seconds, she was soaked to the skin. She yanked her hood up in a vain effort to keep water from dripping into her eyes.

Rex stood at her elbow. "We'll follow your lead, Commander."

It took them twenty minutes to pick a path through the wreckage. With all the rain and mud, the sides of the ships were slippery. On more than one occasion, a trooper lost his footing and nearly tumbled down to his death if not for the quick intervening hands of the troopers around him. By the time they'd finally scaled to the top of the cruiser, the Force had grown heavy with adrenaline.

The hull echoed with the metal footsteps of the troopers as they made their way to the emergency hatch. Below her, very faintly, the hum of electricity stoked Saedii's excitement.

"Looks undisturbed so far," Howzer commented from somewhere behind her as Saedii knelt at the door, laying her palm along the cold wet metal.

"We'll see." Rex was looking at Saedii, watching. "How's the lock?"

"Still intact." With a loud click, she pushed against the internal gears, unlocking the emergency hatch.

Rex made to enter first but Saedii stilled him with a hand. Then, as gracefully as she could manage in the pouring rain, she leapt down the hatch.

Her feet landed confidently on the firm metal flooring. Around her, out of the gloom, the abandoned control room appeared in long strips of shadow. The faint lines of the control panels and the navi-computers looked as cold and empty as the deepest reaches of space.

Outside, lightning struck, flashing light through the room. There was the briefest glimpse of blue and red buttons, of shifts and handles, of glossy black computer screens, the long curved pane of glass that made up the forward windshield – untouched and unscathed.

Two sets of booted footsteps approached. Lights from helmets were switched on, shooting out thin beams of light that roamed over the room like a prowling animal. Motes of dust danced in the thin rivers of light before disappearing into shadow.

"The Guild didn't get in," Saedii commented, pulling her hood back. It flopped damply between her shoulder blades. Heavy and wet.

"No, it didn't." Echo swung his helmet around, observing the deck through the thin strip of light from his visor. "Your lock worked."

"Let's see if Amp and the boys can get some of these lights on." Rex turned behind him, spotting a Clone with bright red markers along his chest plate. He gestured him forward.

Amp switched his helmet lamp on as he approached the main console. Saedii waited with bated breath as he opened up one of the panels, peeking at the mess of wires inside.

Finally, he closed the panel and reached up, flipping the main breaker.

Immediately, a blue glow filled the room as the computer screens switched on. Saedii smiled as, down below, dull white emergency lights lined the path into the main belly of the control room.

"It worked," Saedii said, half in bewilderment, half in anticipation. Part of her had been sure that it wouldn't. Sure that it would go wrong before the mission had even started.

There was a soft whir as Amp pressed a few more buttons. Overhead, the main lights switched on, flooding the room with bright light.

Rex slid his helmet off, looking pleased. "It worked," he agreed.

A few more Clones had joined Amp at the consol. Their low voices were the only sound as they checked the diagnostics, discussing what would need to be done to get the ship airborne again. From the head nods, the ship was in decent shape.

Sure enough, Amp pulled his helmet off and gave Rex and Saedii a salute. "Sir! There are a few systems down that we'll need to manually override, but the main operating system is intact. With just a few minor repairs, we can get the cruiser up and running in the next few days."

"I want this thing ready to fly tomorrow," Rex said at once.

"We'll try our best, but it will take time –"

One of the screens gave a shrill beep. Amp turned to look, frowning at whatever he saw.

"Commanders, a ship just appeared out of hyperspace above Bracca," a nearby Clone reported, leaning over the screen.

Something flipped in Saedii's stomach. Was it the Empire? Had they been keeping tabs on this place? Lying in wait for Saedii or the Clones to come back?

"Call the cargo ships," Saedii ordered, stepping forward to look over Amp's shoulder as he began powering up the comms. "Ask them if they have eyes on the ship."

Amp and the two other Clones began to furiously tap at the screen, hurrying to power on the comms. It was slow going. The ship was still idle after nearly a year and a half of no use, and the power was slowly spreading through the systems like blood through a vein.

Saedii turned to Echo. "See if you can hail them."

"Ground Squad to Cargo One. Do you copy?" Echo called into his comms unit.

In front of her, Amp was cursing as he struggled to get the computers to move faster. Hissing at two of the Clones to pull open a panel and help it along any way they could.

There was a sharp crackle of feedback before a voice answered from Echo's comm, "This is Cargo One."

"A ship just came out of hyperspace in Bracca's airfield. Do you have eyes?"

A pause. Then, "Negative."

"Come on, you piece of shit," Amp muttered as he forcefully tapped along the screen. Over at the comms computer, the screen flared a bright blue as it began to power on.

Howzer appeared at the end of the walkway, helmet under his arm. He gave a half-smile. "Maybe it was a coincidence. The ship could already be on its way."

"I don't believe in coincidence." Rex slid his helmet back on.

"Cargo Four to Ground Squad," another voice said from Echo's comm, raised in alarm. "We've spotted the ship. It's entering Bracca's upper atmosphere."

Saedii turned to Amp. "Turn the lights off."

"What?" His mouth dropped open. "We haven't even gotten all systems on yet –"

"Turn the damn lights off!" Saedii snarled. Outside the windshield, the rest of the planet was dark. Ships dead. The glowing lights of the cruiser would be a beacon to whoever the hell was coming down.

"Ground Squad, this is Cargo One. Do you want us to give chase?"

Rex switched on his own comms and ordered, "Stay where you are. If things go wrong, get out and return to Sanctuary."

Sanctuary was their code for Teth. It was a very polite way for Rex to tell them to leave if things went badly.

There was a moment of hesitation, as if whoever on the other end was debating their options. Then, reluctantly, he said, "Yes, Commander."

Saedii leaned close to the windshield, trying to watch the sky. But the rain was too heavy. She couldn't see a thing. "Rex, ask them what ship it is."

She remembered all too well the damage a Dreadnaught could do. She wouldn't be caught planet-side when one of those things decided to fire again.

"What kind of ship?"

"Unclear. It's too far to confirm, and its signature seems to be scrambled."

"Are there any identifying markers? Can you tell if its friendly or an enemy?"

"Negative, Commander."

"We treat it like an enemy, then." Saedii turned to the nearest group of troopers and commanded, "Rex, tell Tuck to turn his lights off and power down. Don't do anything to draw their attention. And everyone switch your blasters to kill."

"Where are you going?" Echo asked as she ran past him.

The rungs of the ladder met her hand as she replied, "To get eyes on our mystery ship."

Saedii climbed up the ladder, squinting in the near pitch-dark until the door loomed out at her. Twisting the manual lock, she muscled the door open and slid out on top of the cruiser.

Lightning split the sky, flashing down to strike a shiny boarding ship right below her. The crack of thunder that followed was deafening, shaking the ground beneath her. Along the side of the boarding ship, it left a scorched black hole which began to belch a thin trail of smoke.

She hoped down beside it, sliding along the still-hot siding until she reached the ground. Then, Saedii hopped up onto an ancient shuttle, ducking into the shell of its engine. Eyes on the sky as, from her wrist, Rex's voice said, "Ship is emerging twelve clicks south."

Sure enough, in the far distance to the left, a small dark blot descended from the clouds. Saedii crouched low, peering through the rain as the ship raced straight towards their position.

Not good.

Definitely not good.

"Rex, it's heading straight for us."

Rex's voice was tight as he replied, "Copy. Amp's getting the lights off now."

The faint glow above her quickly died. Shadows swooped in, crossing over the graveyard of ships and wrapping them in darkness. Saedii kept herself firmly in one of those shadows as the ship neared.

It was a small attack shuttle, though she couldn't be sure of the model from this far out. Rear double canons. Heavy assault blasters on the front. And a faded burn mark along the starboard hull.

Recognition flared. Saedii grinned.

The Marauder.

The Batch had come.

"Rex, we've got friendlies," Saedii said breathlessly into her comms, too excited to keep her voice still. "Visual confirmation for Clone Force 99."

There was a beat of silence. Then it was Echo's voice quipping, "Sure took them long enough."

The Marauder slowed, wings folding in as it began to land on the flat nose of a split Republic attack cruiser. Despite the rain, the ship began a slow, purposeful descent.

Saedii slipped out from the empty engine and ran in their direction.

She made it to the top of the cruiser just as the exit ramp on the Marauder folded out. From inside, Tech familiar voice droned, "My scans indicate that a high-pressure system is moving in for the night. Atmospheric conditions will continue to deteriorate," a moment before the rest of the Batch emerged, one-by-one down the ramp.

The boys were in their armor, weapons drawn. At the sight of Saedii's dark form waiting for them, they hesitated until she dropped her hood and smiled.

Warmth flooded her cheeks and a familiar prickle of heat peppered her nose and cheeks. Her raethirii. Glowing with all the joy that blossomed in her body at the sight of the Batch standing before her.

They hadn't abandoned her after all.

"Saedii!" Omega ran forward, launching herself at Saedii's middle. Saedii braced herself as she nearly lost her footing on the slick steel, wrapping her arms around Omega's shoulders.

"You guys came!" Saedii called over the sound of the rain. Around them, it was now raining so hard that the force of the water on Saedii's head actually hurt.

"You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun, did you?" Wrecker demanded as he ran forward, sweeping Saedii off her feet as he pulled her in for a bone crushing hug. Even though she couldn't see his face, Saedii knew he was beaming.

Omega brushed her wet hair out of her face. "You're our family. We couldn't let you do this alone."

"But I thought it was too dangerous?"

"It is dangerous," Hunter's voice said a moment before he appeared beside her. "But danger is our specialty. We figured our experience could help the rescue team."

Tech was quick to point out, "Our arrival increases the success of this mission from twelve percent to fifteen percent."

"I'll take those odds," Saedii said brightly.

Behind Hunter, Crosshair lurked, silent as a shadow. As soon as her eyes landed on him, his helmet swung in the opposite direction. A very clear signal that she was not yet forgiven.

Close by, another strike of lightning forked down from the sky. It hit the tip of a star fighter, exploding into thousands of bright golden sparks. Omega clapped her hands over her ears in the resulting boom.

Wrecker's hand pulled Saedii close, as if to shield her. Hunter did the same for Omega and announced, "Let's get on the cruiser. Once we get those hangar doors open, Tech and I will move the Marauder on board."

That sounded like a fine idea to Saedii. As nice as the warm rain felt on her skin, she wasn't keen to be struck by one of those incredible lightning strikes.

Rex and the others were waiting in the control room. At the sight of the Bad Batch walking down the narrow walk, Echo gave a satisfied smile. Rex inclined his head.

"Commander." Hunter and the rest snapped into a salute.

Omega watched a moment before she, too, brought her knuckle to her brow. Somehow, the move didn't have quite the same effect when she did it. Her arms were too gangly. Movements not quite as smooth.

"Clone Force Ninety-Nine, awaiting orders." Hunter's voice was like blaster fire in the otherwise quite hull.

Rex watched them another moment, flicking from Tech – who was looking around the control room with a keen interest – to Crosshair – who was sulking. Then, Rex stuck a hand out. "Glad to have you here, men."

Hunter shook his hand, much to Omega's glee, who watched the whole thing in fascination.

That interest only grew as Rex ordered, "Sargent, I'm placing your crew under direct command of Commander Synn. Wherever she goes, you follow."

"You're our commanding officer?" Omega asked Saedii in awe.

"She's the commanding officer," Rex corrected. "This operation is under her command."

Omega's mouth dropped open.

"Rex –" Saedii tried to protest.

"Alright, Commander!" Wrecker bellowed, snapping into another salute for Saedii.

She laughed. "You don't have to salute. Or call me Commander."

"Yes, Sir!"

Saedii rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Hunter turned to Tech and gave a significant look towards the control panel, where Amp was muttering mutinously. Something like delight passed over Tech's face as he went over to try and help.

"This is your show, kid," Hunter said, quietly so the other Clones couldn't hear. "We're here for you. Whatever you need."

A relieved smile stretched her face. "You being here is enough."