aftermath: life debt | the bad batch

xxxviii. howzer

"Here's what I think-" Hunter started as soon as all three clones exited the ship, before he got interrupted by Gregor.

"Can I request something?" he asked.

"This better be good," Hunter replied, crossing his arms.

Gregor rolled his eyes. "Look, I know more about this prison than both of you combined. Even though both of your guys' mutations prove to be useful assets during most missions, let me lead the way on this one. This prison has maximum security, and it'll be dangerous if we don't take the right precautions."

Hunter sighed, but ultimately realized that Gregor was right. He was more experienced, and it only made sense for him to lead the way on this mission.

"Fine. Just don't mess this up, okay? We can't waste anymore time, or people, than we already have."

"You have my word."

They walked further and further from the ship, until it was completely out of sight. They hid behind a bush, scoping the area to make sure there weren't any troopers around.

"Hunter, pinpoint security blind spots, if any. Echo, gather intel on guard rotations," Gregor commanded, both of them nodding in understanding.

"If we make a run for it right now, I think we can make it into the prison without being spotted by the exterior guards," Hunter reported to Gregor.

"There's minimal security right now, contradicting the statement you made earlier," Echo said, looking up from the datapad, glaring at Gregor.

"Their minimal security is the same as any other prison's maximum security," Gregor responded. "Geez, you even sound like a droid."

"Shut up," Echo whispered.

Under the grim cover of darkness, they approached the prison, using the shadows of the night to their advantage. Using the terrain to their advantage, they bypassed the initial security checkpoints, their movements quick and calculated, heavily relying on stealth. Echo used Tech's old datapad to hack and exploit vulnerabilities in the facility's surveillance systems to create temporary blind spots, allowing the team to navigate undetected.

When the coast was completely clear, they made their way quietly, as though they were ghosts, to a back entrance to the prison. They felt like ants in front of the huge metal door that

"This would've been the perfect job for Wrecker," Hunter muttered to himself.

"Don't worry," Echo told them. "I can bypass the code.

"I thought you only had separatist codes?" Gregor asked Echo as he started to work on hacking the empire's security system.

"The empire reused most of the republic's technology, which we also had access to," Echo said. "Don't you remember?"

"No," Gregor said.

"Right," Echo replied, remembering Gregor's past.

Echo managed to hack into the empire's system, and open the door, giving them a clear path into the facility. Gregor instructed them on directions, which Hunter and Echo followed without hesitation. Once they reached a dead end, they used the nearest elevator lift to get them where they needed to be as quickly as possible.

Once they reached the floor they needed to be on, they could feel the air become thick with tension, which continued as they made their way through the labyrinthine corridors of the prison, their footsteps barely audible by the echoing silence of the facility. Gregor led the way, Hunter's senses were alert for any sign of danger, while Echo followed close behind, his tactical mind analyzing every possible scenario.