Nothing • Tech

3.Aruetii (Traitor)

Malaina was walking through the halls of Kamino when the Bad Batch returned, now stripped down to their blacks with their hands cuffed.

She met Hunter and Echo's glares, Tech's quizzical look, Wrecker's narrowed eyes, and Crosshair's void expression.

    Why the hell would they come back? They heard Malaina and Omega's warnings, they saw the probe droid, what could have possibly made them return?

    "Ma'am." One of the guards in red painted armor calls, standing tall behind her. Malaina turns around with a small hum, assessing the trooper's posture. He seemed sure of himself, confident, but then there was also a part of him that seemed controlled. He felt half human and half puppet.

    "Yes, trooper?" She asked in her monotonous voice she had been conditioned to use.

    "Admiral Rampart and Sixth Brother will be here shortly. Tarkin has requested that you stand by in hangar seven and prepare for departure." The Coruscant trooper replied.

    Malaina gulped at yet another mention of the Sixth Brother, but she hid her fear and nodded. "Tell him that I'm on my way." She responded, dismissing the trooper and turning the corner.

    Pretending to be heading towards the hangars for a few minutes, Malaina then changes course to the brig when she realizes that this may be her last chance to help Clone Force 99, even if that meant she were killed, or worse, ended up back on Arkanis.

    The Inquisitorius Project was a fate worse than death for anyone who managed to hold onto a piece of their old selves throughout all the torment the Imperials inflicted during the conditioning.

    Upon arrival in the brig, Malaina rushed to take down the three Coruscant Guards that had been stationed in the doorway. They were unconscious before they could even realize what was happening.

    "What do you want?" Wrecker asks, crossing his arms over his chest. Malaina took notice of the way the others were kind of hiding him and the wall to his right. She saw a dent in the wall in the shape of his fist, but Hunter scooted to block her gaze.

    Then she laid eyes on the blonde kid. "What did you do to get arrested?" She asked Omega, who just got pushed behind Tech and Echo. Malaina pulled out her vibroblade.

    "Harm her and there'll be no place you can hide where we won't find you." Echo threatens. If looks could kill, Malaina would be a goner.

She rolled her eyes, turning around and launching the vibroblade across the room. It hits the door's panel dead center, temporarily locking herself inside to buy more time. "They're dispatching Sixth Brother to replace me. You guys have to get out of here before he arrives and finds out you conspired with me."

"We didn't conspire with you. We don't trust you." Hunter retorted, jaw clenching.

Malaina throws her hands up in disbelief. "Okay, well he won't see it that way." She expressed, going over to the control panel and flipping the switch to take down the barrier. It was then she noticed one of them was missing. "Where did they take Crosshair?"

Tech adjusted his goggles. "Isn't that something you should know?" He questioned, none of them moving from their spot in the makeshift jail.

"You know what? You guys are getting on my nerves. Take these blasters and get out of here before you're dead too." Malaina retorted, picking up the three blasters and throwing them to Wrecker, Tech, and Hunter. "Maker forbid anyone tries to help you."

She rips her vibroblade out of the door panel and slides it back into its place on her belt, then punches the panel with all her strength to get the doors to slide back open.