The Bad Batch and the Last Princess of Predita

Chapter Seven: A Liability?

"Well, you are part of the team." Echo states and Kyla sticks her tongue out at him cutely.

"Wow." Wrecker states.

"I like you. You don't fit around here either." Omega states.

"What are you really doing here on Kamino, kid. Don't you have a family somewhere? Parents?" Hunter asks.

"Parents?" Omega asks.

"Check it out. The defect squad's got themselves a new recruit. Another member added to the Sad Batch." A clone states, walking by. Kyla had heard it all. She got looks every time she arrived on Kamino. A beautiful woman like her working with the Bad Batch was impossible to believe. Kyla finishes her meal and she looks up just a Omega threw something at the clone hitting him with it. She'd thrown food.

"What the?! Who threw that?" The clone asks angrily.

"I did. Now apologize to my friends." Omega replies.

"I like this kid!" Wrecker states.

"What did you say to me?" The clone asks.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back off. I suggest you keep moving." Hunter suggests. Wrecker stands up behind Omega and it terrifies the clone and his little group.

"Hmm. Know you place, lab scrubber." The clone states pretending to not be afraid.

"Wrecker." Kyla states as she stands up. Wrecker chucked his tray at the clone for calling Omega the lab scrubber.

"Oops." Wrecker exclaims.

"That's it." The clone states.

"OH YEAH!" Wrecker exclaims. A fight breaks out across the entire mess hall.

"Echo, watch out!" Tech warns but Echo gets hit in the head with a tray and knocked out. Kyla punches the clone and sends him flying.

"Echo! Echo!" Kyla exclaims.

"Kyla Obrit." A voice calls out and Kyla looks up.

"That... doesn't sound good." Hunter states.

[Later]

Kyla walks into the imperial's temporary office. She'd come on her own while everyone else went with Echo to get seen by Omega in the medical wing. He'd be waking up soon. Hunter didn't feel right letting Kyla go alone with everything going on.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Kyla asks.

"Ah, Princess." The imperial states.

"I haven't exactly been called that in years." Kyla explains.

"Yes, I know." The imperial states, "I want to talk about you and your place among our ranks. You're a recruited military personnel."

"Recruited? More like I joined of my own free will." Kyla replies.

"And yet, for some reason, you decided to join Clone Force 99." He states.

"Yes, we worked well together on Anaxes and I decided to join them." Kyla explains.

"I have reports that have shown that you're a liability to the men. Making them soft. On numerous occasions has even distracted their leader that they call... Hunter. Tell me what do you think of these accusations?" He states. She knew who'd made the reports.

"I'm not a liability, sir. I've fought hard at Clone Force 99's sides. In all due respect, Crosshair has never liked me. Doesn't believe a woman should be a warrior." Kyla explains, "He calls me a liability because he doesn't like me. We've butted heads a few times because he doesn't like me..."

"Now that the war is over, you are free to leave and return home." He states, "We no longer need you."

"Sir, I'd like to remain with Clone Force 99." Kyla explains.

"Oh?" He asks.

"Even if I were to return home to Predita, it's been ravaged by war... There's nothing left. I'd be going home to an empty planet that even if my people are still alive... taking back the planet would be next to impossible by myself. Clone Force 99... they're my brothers even if we don't always agree or like each other... They're my brothers. I'd like to stay with them." She states and even though it tasted like venom coming out, she kept a straight face, "To serve the Galactic Empire."

"Alright. I'll allow you to stay. If you can prove to me that you deserve to." He states, "Dismissed. For now." She nods, salutes and then leaves. She headed to the medical wing.

"We've got a problem." Kyla states in unison with Echo as she enters the room.

"Not really. We're more deviant than we are defective." Tech replies.

"Not that. Admiral Tarkin's here. He's the one evaluating the clones." Echo states.

"The same Tarkin from the Citadel rescue when you, uh... How should I put this?" Tech states.

"Blew up." Wrecker states.

"And turned into that." Crosshair states and Kyla walks over to Hunter.

"Yeah, and he just told me I can get the heck off this planet." Kyla states.

"What?" Hunter asks.

"He thinks my time working with you all is done. That I should return to my home planet and begin my rebuild." Kyla states.

"It's a scrapheap." Tech replies.

"I told him as much, not in that exact phrasing... But... I told him I wasn't a liability to this team." Kyla states.

"Liability? We've never once called you that." Hunter states.

"Oh really?" Kyla states and looks at Crosshair. Hunter follows her eyes.

"You are." Crosshair states.

"You called her a liability?" Hunter asks.

"She messes with everyone's head. You've gone soft." Crosshair states.

"Gone soft?" Hunter asks.

"You all have. You've let a girl compromise every mission. She's not a warrior or a trooper. She's a child and she should not be on our team." Crosshair states.

"Kyla is a member of this team and that's final." Hunter growls. Crosshair looks away with an angry look.

"Anyway, Tarkin's not a big supporter of clones." Echo states.

"We'll soon find out. We've been summoned by the prime minister." Hunter states.

"Guess he didn't find that mess hall fight amusing. But I sure did!" Wrecker states.

"Come on. Let's get this over with." Hunter states.

"Wait... the fight was my fault. I'm going to." Omega states.

"Not happening. We'll handle this." Hunter states.

"But I–" Omega objects.

"Listen, kid. Our Squad's nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance." Hunter states, "Got it?" Kyla looks at Hunter as the others head from the room first while Hunter is talking to Omega.

"Tarkin wants us to prove that I'm not a liability and that I don't make you all distracted in battle." Kyla states, "I have a feeling he'll go all out and try to force your hands to protect me..."

"Then we won't fall for it." Hunter replies, "We've seen you hold your own in battle."

"I know." Kyla states.