The life of a clone wasn't easy. Far from it. All they knew was war and loss, and the dehumanization they faced was unbearable. You knew all about it. How could you not? After all, you were a clone too.
You had been part of a second, experimental cloning project a few years before the war started. With how much money the Kaminoans were making from the clone army, they couldn't bear the thought of sacrificing the operation if anything happened to the army's donor, Jango Fett. They didn't want to put all their eggs in one basket. To prevent the potential money loss, Lama Su had Jango search the galaxy for another warrior that he deemed suitable of cloning. Jango's choice was another bounty hunter named Averill Reza, an old friend and feared hunter. A batch of fifty clones were made from Averill's DNA... and that was where things went horribly wrong.
A few months after the first batch was created, Averill was assassinated. They had refused an important job given by Jabba the Hutt shortly after they had been hired to be cloned, and the crime boss was having none of it. He put a bounty on Averill's head, which was delivered to him by Cad Bane, an aspiring new bounty hunter. The job had won him the Hutts' favor, and had left the Kaminoans with only fifty first generation clones of Averill.
It wasn't long before problems began to emerge, and that number dwindled. Something had gone wrong during the cloning process, and it affected every one of Averill's fifty replicas. They were weak and sickly, with only twelve living past three years. After five years, only one remained - you.
You had been born deaf. Like several other clones of Averill, your ears hadn't fully developed, and you lived in a completely silent world because of it. You had been strong enough to survive even as your siblings fell around you, but that wasn't good enough for the Kaminoans. They wanted no reminders of their failure, and you were to be executed after the project was abandoned.
That was when you met the Bad Batch.
The older clones bumped into you in the hall while you were trying to keep your distance from the Kaminoans, and the four were curious about who you were and where you came from. They had never seen you before, and you looked nothing like a clone of Jango Fett. Three of them began firing questions at you, but you just stared blankly, unable to figure out what they were saying. You gathered the general idea from reading their lips, but you still couldn't respond. When you tried to sign to them, they fell silent and glanced back at their fourth member, who was busy typing away on his datapad. The goggle clad clone noticed his brothers staring at him and quickly picked up on the situation.
"Hello, I'm Tech," the six year old clone signed. "What's your name?"
You smiled, grateful that a fellow clone could understand you. It was rare. "I'm Y/n," you signed back happily.
"I've never seen you around here before," Tech admitted. "What are you doing on Kamino?"
"I live here," you responded simply, unsurprised that he had never hard about you. You and your batchmates had been a secret project, after all. This was one of the first times you had ever been outside of the few rooms you had been confined to your whole life. "I'm a clone, like you."
Tech shot you an odd look and dropped his hands in confusion. The others began asking questions that you couldn't decipher, and Tech quickly responded before picking up his silent conversation with you.
"You don't look like a clone," Tech stated, looking you up and down. His brow was wrinkled in confusion as he pushed his goggles up his nose.
"Neither do you," you shot back with a small smirk
"I suppose that's fair."
Your gaze drifted to the trio of clones behind Tech, who were bickering as their brother spoke to you. Tech noticed your attention drift and let out an annoyed sigh before turning towards the others. He pushed between them and lectured them until they shut up, at which point he turned back to you.
"This is Hunter," Tech signed, pointing towards the shortest clone of the four, who had messy brown hair and several small scratches on the left side of his face. He nodded curtly then glared at a few passing regs when they began whispering amongst themselves about him.
"Crosshair," Tech continued, grabbing the sleeve of the gray haired boy in the back of the group and pulling him forward. Crosshair shot Tech a glare and hugged the tooka doll in his arms tighter when the tallest clone attempted to snatch it. The temperamental clone snapped something that was silent to you but shocked the others and earned him a shove from Hunter. Tech just sighed then patted his tallest brother, who towered over the others yet looked the most childlike out of the bunch, on the arm. The tall boy waved and shot you a happy grin, both of which you returned you significantly less enthusiasm.
"And this is Wrecker," Tech signed with a small smile. He looked you up and down then raised an eyebrow. "What's your enhancement?"
"I don't have one," you signed back with a small shrug. "I'm just defective."
"Then why do you look so strange?"
"I'm not a clone of Jango Fett."
Tech's eyes widened, but he quickly shook off his surprise and rapidly signed more questions. "You must be a clone of Averill Reza, right?"
"Right."
"I thought you all died," he stated simply, face inexpressive. Oh, you though with a silent huff. He's like the Kaminoans.
"Most did," you signed, swallowing your grief as you thought of your siblings. You had been present for the deaths of every last one... "I'm the only one left."
At that exact moment, the silent alarm built into your wristband went off. Lama Su was looking for you. Uh oh. Your face fell, knowing exactly what he wanted. Rather... what he didn't want.
"What's wrong?" Tech signed, concerned.
"I..." you continued, dropping your head as you shut off the alarm. "I won't be here much longer if Lama Su has his way."
Tech's face twisted sympathetically. He hesitated with his hands raised before slowly signing a response. "He's going to kill you?"
"Yeah..."
Tech exchanged a look with his fellow Bad Batchers. They almost asked what you had said, but Tech's face said it all. He whispered something to the others, who nodded, then turned back to you. He took a step back and waved you after him. "Come on, follow us," he signed quickly, rushing after his brothers, who had already begun speed walking down the hall.
After briefly considering your options, you figured that wherever these strange clones would take you couldn't be any worse than what Lama Su had in store for you. You ran after them, quickly catching up to the four boys, who pushed you to the middle of their group in order to keep you out of sight. As you walked, you realized where the group was taking you: the barracks. More specifically, their barracks. You rounded the corner and they shoved you inside, closing the door after all five of you had slipped into the dark room.
"You can hide here," Tech explained upon seeing how confused you looked. "The Kaminoans never come in here. They're too scared of us to bother."
"Can't imagine why," you signed back with a smirk.
Since that day, you and the Bad Batch had been inseparable. You never went anywhere without at least one of them by your side. They wanted to protect their fellow outcast from Lama Su, and it didn't take long for the four to warm up to you. They may not have been your brothers, but you treated them as if they were, and they reciprocated your feelings. When the Bad Batch was around, you were picked on, of course, but the Kaminoans left you alone. That was the best you could hope for.
By the time the war began, you had become an official Bad Batcher. After seeing how well you worked with the group, the Kaminoans had abandoned their plan to recondition you, instead giving you armor, training, weapons, and your own bunk before you were dispatched for your first missions.
Each of the Bad Batchers had worked hard to make you feel welcomed, and to make sure that you were safe during battle. Tech added a translator to your helmet visor so that you could see the conversation around you, and though it could get annoying at times and you didn't always use it, you appreciated his efforts. The other Bad Batchers took it upon themselves to learn sign language, that way they could all communicate with you instead of relying on Tech. They were all very affectionate and friendly towards you, even Crosshair, and had beaten up their fair share of regs and even a few Kaminoans for daring mess with you. Dangerous, of course, but highly amusing.
You tried your best to do something for them too, helping out wherever possible and paying close attention to when they spoke in an attempt to learn to read lips. You trained with them, laughed with them, kept their secrets, comforted them, and all in all, you were there for them. The boys loved you, and you loved them.
After a few years had passed, the war lead your family of chaotic misfits to Yalbec Prime. Your mission was to put down an insurrection - something that no one, not even you, wanted to do - but the five of you ended up staring down a hoard of fully grown and incredibly angry Yalbecs. The mission was suddenly much more fun.
"These things won't take a hit!" you signed urgently as the male Yalbec you had come face to face with shrugged off another blaster bolt. Wrecker had gifted you a powerful blaster the year prior that was capable of tearing through fifteen droids with a single, high-powered shot when on its most powerful setting, yet the Yalbecs clearly had no care for the laws of physics and didn't seem to notice that they were being shot at.
"Try the knives!" Hunter yelled, his voice triggering your translator. The words flickered across your visor, informing you of his instructions, and, with no other ideas, you took the suggestion. You quickly pulled your vibroknife, a gift from Hunter, out of its holster at your waist and held it at the ready, your hands shaking as you stared down your Yalbec companion. When the Yalbec lunged at you with a furious hiss, you slashed at its legs, surprised and relieved to find that the blade had an affect on the tough armor of the insectoid. It scurried away, yelping, and you turned your attention to your next opponent.
"Hey, Y/n!" Wrecker called from across the battlefield. Your helmet picked up on the sound and translated it before your eyes, and you glanced back at Wrecker after driving away a particularly feisty Yalbec male. You caught sight of Wrecker waving to you as he held down the Yalbec queen, a vibroknife in hand.
"Watch this!" the battle-loving clone shouted before slicing the stinger off the end of the queen's tail. The Queen didn't seem to notice, hellbent on hurling Wrecker off rather than worrying about her stinger. The queen's furious shrieks translated to aurebesh inside your helmet, and you quickly shut off the function before you were completely blinded by the incoherent roars.
You remembered Tech explaining that Yalbec queens' stingers were often broken off while they fought during mating season, and held very few nerves because of it. They grew back in about a month. The queen likely hadn't even felt Wrecker tear her stinger off, she was just angry to have been bested by a human.
The male Yalbecs, however, had certainly noticed the absence of the queen's deadliest weapon. They simultaneously froze, raising their heads to sniff the air. The Bad Batch scrambled to their feet and regrouped, confused. Well, most were confused.
"What are they doing?" Hunter asked, tilting his head.
"Yalbec queen stingers hold a specialized pheromone," Tech explained calmly, signing at the same moment. He had noticed you switch off the translation function of your visor after the battle became too loud for it to be of any use, and figured you would like to know what was happening. "One that one that triggers a reaction in Yalbec males when they smell it. The pheromone-"
One of the males threw back his head with a roar and charged towards the group.
"Take cover!" Crosshair called over the comms, firing at the eyes of the Yalbec. The bolts struck true, as usual, but his efforts were futile. Even the eyes of the insectoids were protected.
The rest of the pack dashed after the first male, hissing and slashing at the air with their tails. One veered off course and headed towards Crosshair's perch, and everyone but you could hear him cursing over the comms as he firing at the approaching threat.
"Back to the Marauder!" Hunter ordered, drawing a vibroknife and hurling it at the male in the lead. It struck him between the eyes, and the insectoid fell, tossing up a cloud of dust that blinded the other Yalbecs. As the creatures stumbled blindly through the dirt, Hunter quickly retrieved his trusty blade and dashed after the others towards the Marauder.
You and Tech took your places in the piloting seats and lifted off mere moments before the screeching Yalbecs caught up to the group. You soared to Crosshair's location, where the gray haired clone was attempting to fend off his Yalbec admirer. As soon as he caught sight of the Havoc Marauder hovering overhead, he fired and ascension cable at the ship. Tech pulled up while you shone the Marauder's search light at the Yalbec, momentarily blinding the creature as Crosshair was pulled to safety by Wrecker and Hunter.
"That was way too close," Crosshair huffed, shooting a glare at Tech. "You couldn't have warned us that would happen?"
"I did," Tech responded calmly. "Many times."
You smirked. "In Galactic Standard, or in Tech?"
Tech grinned sheepishly.
"That what I thought," you signed victoriously.
After you were a safe distance from Yalbec Prime, Hunter entered the cockpit.
"We've got a new mission, lads," the Sergeant announced. "Commander Cody needs us on Anaxes."
"Cody?" you signed. "The reg we helped on Naboo?"
"That's the one," Hunter sighed back with a nod. "Probably got another suicide mission for us."
"When have we ever had any other kind of mission?" Crosshair asked with a smirk as he bit down on a toothpick. You just rolled your eyes and waved a dismissive hand at him as you laid back in the copilot seat. The sniper's addiction was starting to get out of hand.
"You're going to choke on those some day, Cross," you signed as Tech input the coordinates for Anaxes.
Crosshair shrugged nonchalantly. "Until that day, I intend to enjoy them," he sighed back with a smirk. You rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the Havoc Marauder's controls as you rerouted the ship. Heading back to Kamino would have to wait. Not that you minded, of course. You were getting sick of the regs and Kaminoans giving you weird looks in the corridors.
"No one has to know that we were almost raped by bugs," you signed to Tech when the others weren't looking.
"Don't worry, Y/n," Tech signed dismissively. "Subtlety is my forte."
You rolled your eyes.
After arriving on Anaxes, you and the boys donned your helmets and stepped off the Marauder, holding your positions on the gangplank for a long moment before approaching the group of regs waiting nearby. The boys removed their helmets, but yours remained on as you enabled your aurebesh translator. You knew you could figure out what was being said even without your helmet, but in truth, you didn't want the regs to see your face. You didn't want to be bombarded with questions about being the sole clone of Averill Reza. You answered enough of those back home.
You recognized the four regs before you: Cody, Rex, Jesse and Kix. You knew Cody from your mission on Naboo several months earlier, but had never spoken to the latter three. You had seen them in the halls of Tipoca City a few times earlier in the war and knew quite a bit about them. After all, it was always good to learn about potential threats, and after living over half your life at the misery of the regs on Kamino, you were suspicious of the group before you.
Tech noticed your hesitation and nudged you with his elbow, nodding to your helmet. He gave you a small, encouraging smile, and you reluctantly slipped your helmet off. The Bad Batch would protect you if the regs got too close.
Hunter and Cody greeted each other fondly, and the pair jumped right into introductions. You carefully observed the four clones before you as their attention swept across you and the other Bad Batchers. They seemed just as hesitant as you were.
"-And this is Y/n," Hunter announced, speaking slowly to give you the opportunity to notice he was talking about you and read his lips. You nodded curtly at the regs and signed a quick greeting to the regs, who simply looked confused.
Your shoulders drooped in disappointment and you let out a silent sigh, glancing over at Tech, who nodded and translated what you had said to the others.
"Y/n is deaf," he added. You paid close attention to his mouth as he spoke, reading his lips as he spoke to keep up with the conversation. Doing so had become quiet easy for you in recent years, though it could be difficult when words were exchanged quickly. "If you want to say something to them, it would be best to tell one of us first. We can translate."
You poked Tech's side to draw his attention. "It's fine, Tech," you signed. "I can figure out what's being said."
"I know you can," Tech signed back. "But if signing makes it easier, we're happy to help."
You allowed a faint smile to show on your face as you signed a "thank you" to the intelligent Bad Batcher.
After introductions had finished, your large group of clones boarded the gunship that had pulled up nearby and lifted off from the Republic base, heading for the other side of the planet.
It was difficult to make out what Cody was saying in the dim light of the gunship, so you slipped on your helmet and switched on the translator to follow along with the Commander's instructions. With your helmet in place, you were able to pick up on every spoken word in the ship, including the quiet exchange between Tech and Kix in the back of the gunship.
It was about you.
"They're not like us, are they?" Kix asked. You could feel his scrutinizing gaze burning into the back of your head, but you didn't turn around. You didn't want him and Tech to know you could see what they were saying.
"None of us are like you," Tech shot back.
"I know, but they're... really different. They're not a clone, are they?"
"They are, just not one of Jango Fett. Another bounty hunter named Averill Reza was cloned nine years ago in an attempt to have a backup donor in case something happened to Jango Fett. Fifty clones were created, but Y/n was the only one to survive. They were labeled defective due to their disability and was supposed to be executed before they joined us."
"That's horrible."
"They don't like to talk about it."
I don't talk at all, Tech, you thought before turning your attention back to Cody's briefing.
Upon landing - or rather, crash landing - you were faced by a hoard of battle droids. The Bad Batch took point as the other hung back and watched, impressed by the squadron's skills. You did your part, as usual, and kept count of how many droids you demolished to brag about to Wrecker later.
After winning the fight and your bet, you checked up on Cody, who had been injured in the crash. Kix informed you that the Commander would be fine, but he couldn't go any further. You just nodded then took a seat behind Crosshair, leaning against his back and picking absentmindedly at a leaf until suddenly your back rest ditched you. Crosshair had once again gone to pick a fight.
You hardly paid any mind to the inaudible yet clearly bitter exchange between Crosshair, Jesse and Rex until Wrecker got involved. He grabbed Jesse and hoisted him into the air by his neck as Rex attempted to pry Wrecker's hand away from his brother's throat and Kix threw hands with Crosshair. Tech attempted to break up the fight, but as usual, his words had no affect on his brothers.
You sighed and slipped off the large mushroom you had been sitting on, shooting the group a glare as you tapped your foot impatiently. You scooped up a tiny pebble and flicked it at Wrecker, hitting him in the side of the head. When the large clone turned and caught sight of your irritated expression, he smiled sheepishly and dropped Jesse. The reg face planted on the ground next to Kix and Crosshair, who broke apart after one last shove from the latter.
"Seriously, guys?" you signed, irritated. "They're not worth getting in trouble again."
Crosshair and Wrecker both grumbled inaudibly and sat back down, still glaring at the regs, who returned the favour. You plunked down between the irritated brothers, leaning on Wrecker's shoulder lazily as Hunter and Rex somehow managed to make it through a civil yet silent conversation.
After settling on a plan, you and the others charged towards the cyber center you were set to attack. You were thankful to discover that Rex had agreed to let you and the other Bad Batchers led the way, open firing on the droids as much as you wanted. Once inside the cyber center, you quickly discovered that the battle wasn't over yet. You had one last target to take out before leaving: another base.
Yippee.
The group hid among the foliage near the base, scouting for an opening. You activated and slowly increased the sensitivity of your translator, picking up on the distant conversations between the droids. One wanted his neck adjusted, another was due for a polishing, three more were complaining about Grievous, and a nearby pair were discussing the timing of their expected reinforcements.
"Reinforcements should be here in a tick," you signed to Tech, who informed Rex of what you had said.
Moments later, you rushed the base, quickly taking out the droids guarding the outside. You stormed the post with the Bad Batch, firing at all droids within range. After getting Tech to the command center, you fled the scene with the others to buy him some time against the waves of droids nearing his location.
Every one of the bolts fired from your customized blaster hit their target, tearing through droid after droid. With your translator off, you could laser focus on the sights of battle despite the lack of sound...
Though that meant you couldn't understand Hunter's warning.
What you didn't hear was a droid approach you from behind as you were distracted. You didn't know that he load his blaster and aim at you, nor did you hear Hunter scream your name as the droid fired. The shot hit you in the back, penetrating one of the gaps in your armor, and everything went black.