The Bad Batch traveled through hyperspace. Cid faced the group as a hologram. Tech and Wrecker sat in the pilot seats while Hunter stood in the middle. Omega stood in front of Wrecker with her arms folded and Aurora leaned on Wrecker's chair.
"Not sure what's got you all twisted up in knots." Cid said, as usual, full of attitude.
"We were stranded on that planet, Cid." Omega retorted. "We needed you, and you left us."
"You're fine now, aren't you?" Cid pointed out. "And you got your ship back."
"Yea, with no help from you." Wrecker added.
Cid put her hands on her hips. "Do you wanna mope or make money, because I got a tip on a downed ship, which means cargo ripe for the taking."
"You always say that." Aurora scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"I will ignore that comment, Rainbow." Cid said. "I'll even give you 30% of the cut." Aurora let out a fake laugh.
"That is our standard percentage." Tech pointed out.
Cid tapped her chin. "All right. This one time, let's say 35%." Wrecker looked at Hunter and nodded but everyone else stayed silent and crossed their arms, glaring at the Trandoshan. "Okay 40." Wrecker nodded again.
"50 or nothing." Aurora sternly said. The boys and Omega looked at her like she was crazy for demanding that much but she kept her focus on Cid. "Choose carefully, Cid."
"Fine, 50% as a token of my goodwill that you seem to have forgotten." Cid caved. "I'm sending you the intel now. Don't come back unless you scavenge something valuable."
"What makes you think we'd come back at all?" Hunter calmly said.
"Don't test me, Bandana. I get enough lip from Rainbow." Cid snapped. "Just get it done." She disappeared from the hologram and Wrecker stood up and handed Omega his ration.
"Severing ties with Cid could be problematic," Tech started. "Considering what she knows about us." Hunter moved to sit in Wrecker's chair and Aurora straightened up and moved away from the chair, towards Tech. Hunter picked up on this.
"She's easy." Aurora shrugged her shoulders. "Cutting ties with her is not a big deal, I could do it in my sleep."
"You have only disappeared from one person." Tech pointed out.
"Actually I've done it twice." Aurora said. "It's not as hard as you think."
"Still," Tech said, moving on. "Perhaps we choose a diplomatic solution and complete this one last mission for her." Tech handed Hunter the data pad he had been holding.
"Or," Aurora butted in again. "We take what we find from this crash site and sell it, keeping 100% of the profits for ourselves and disappear off the radar."
Hunter pushed a button on the data pad. "Cid only sent coordinates. No ship transponder code or indication of what caused it to crash."
"Here's a crazy theory." Aurora sarcastically said. "Maybe the ship was attacked and that caused it to crash!" Hunter shot a look at Aurora, she rolled her eyes and turned around, walking away from the group.
"Limited intel, huh?" Wrecker shrugged. "There's a surprise."
"How hard could scavenging cargo be?" Omega questioned, taking a bite of the ration. Hunter and Tech shared a look which made Hunter sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They made it to the planet that the wrecked ship was on, it was nighttime out. Omega sat in the gunner's seat. Aurora stood next to the ladder and Omega turned the chair and looked out the window.
"There's a village here." Omega said.
Tech typed away on the computers, without even looking up. "That would explain how the wreckage was reported so quickly." Wrecker sat down in a chair behind Tech. "The crashed vessel appears to be mostly intact. The cargo aboard should be in fair enough condition to transport."
Once the Marauder landed. Everyone exited the ship. They all held their flashlights up. Tech was using his data pad to scan their surroundings. The group made their way to the ship. It didn't take them long to get to their destination.
"What kind of ship is this?" Wrecker asked.
"Don't know. No hull markings." Hunter responded.
"What?" Aurora said, walking up to the ship. "You boys scared?"
"Aurora, don't climb it yet, you don't know what's in there." He went to grab her arm but she ducked and quickly grabbed the railing, pulling herself up.
"Grow up. It's a crash ship." Aurora said, the group noticing her playful snarky tone absent. "It's a crashed ship, you best hope it doesn't self-destruct."
"Based on the severity of the impact and the lack of communication signals, the crew aboard most likely perished." Tech added.
"We don't know for sure. They could be trapped inside." Omega said as she climbed up to the door and after Aurora. "Come on." Omega said. The boys climbed onto the ship and Hunter got the door open. Hunter and Omega peered in, Hunter holding his blaster. The group slowly made their way through the ship. The eerie silence even made the hairs on Aurora's neck stand up. "Where is everyone?" Omega asked.
Wrecker accidentally kicked an electrostaff and he picked it up. "Whoa check it out. High-volt electrostaff."
Tech shined his flashlight onto the wall. "Something unfortunate happened here." He said as the flashlights shined on the markings that were carved into the side of the ship.
"What did that?" Aurora raised an eyebrow
"Whatever did this wasn't human." Hunter said.
"I will get the power restored and check the data logs on the bridge." Tech said and started to walk off.
"By yourself?" Omega questioned.
Tech turned around. "Your concern is not warranted. I will be fine."
"I'll come with you." Aurora quickly said and started to follow him.
"Aurora I think you should stay-" Hunter started.
"Omega's right, Tech shouldn't go alone. I'll keep him safe." She brushed him off and the two of them walked off. Hunter shook his head and the others followed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tech and Aurora made it to the bridge. Tech went first, scooping out the area, making sure it was safe. Aurora stayed right behind him, she had her blaster ready for anything. Steam hissed from the busted pipes and the two of them noticed all the scratches on the computers.
"I think we're in the clear." Aurora whispered in his ear.
Tech glanced at her before walking over to a power cable and knelt down. Aurora stood next to him, but before he could do anything the two of them looked towards the door, hearing a noise. Tech pulled out his blaster and Aurora aimed hers at the door.
"What do you think is out there?" She whispered. "A ghost?"
"Ghosts do not exist." He informed her. He pulled his visor down and looked on for a moment before lifting it back up and turning back to the cable. "We are clear." He typed on his data pad.
"Make this quick." Aurora walked over to the doorway. "I don't like the quiet."
"Hm." Tech typed some more on his data pad. "You did not need to accompany me, you know."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Aurora scoffed. She still faced the door and she holstered her blaster, crossing her arms shortly after.
"You could have stayed with Hunter and the others."
"Drop it Tech."
"Why are you avoiding him?" He turned to look at her but she still kept her back to him. "Avoiding him will get you nowhere."
"The only person I'm going to be avoiding is you in a minute." She glanced over her shoulder to see Tech looking at her, before she focused her attention back out into the hallways. "Please leave it alone."
"I suppose, but ignoring him is not going to make your problems go away."
"I can try."
"So you do admit an attraction for him."
Aurora whipped around and pointed a finger. "No-I-uh-that's not what I meant-"
She was cut off by the sounds of their comm-links going off. "Tech, Aurora, find anything on the bridge." Hunter asked.
Tech turned back to his data pad and typed away. "Not yet. Still rerouting the reserve power." Some of the computers started to power on. "Stand by. The bridge should be restored momentarily."
The two of them heard clattering again and Tech stood up, walking over to Aurora and stood to the side of the door. Aurora copied him and moved to the other side, pulling her blaster out again. He dropped his visor and the two of them turned into the hallway. Tech scanned the hall and one of the panels fell off and a droid fell out. The two of them walked over to the droid, Aurora peered over Tech's shoulder.
"Danger, danger, danger, danger." The droid repeated.
"What happened?" Tech asked. "What attacked this ship?"
The droid stuttered. "D-d-danger." It repeated one last time before powering down.
"I don't think the droid was going to tell us anything." Aurora commented. The two of them heard more clattering and looked above them. "Tech, you don't think whatever attacked the crew is still on board?" She whispered.
"I'm sure we're fine." Tech went back into the bridge but Aurora lingered in the hallways. She couldn't help but worry about the others.
"Tech, I think we should get back with the others." She called out. Before Tech could respond they heard blaster fire coming from the other side of the ship and at the same time the power had been fully restored.
"I got the power back on." Tech said.
"I think we need to go." Aurora nervously said.
"Tech, Aurora, we've got a problem. Get off the ship now!" Hunter came over the comms.
"But what about the research-" Tech started but Aurora ran up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the bridge.
"Research a way off this ship!" Aurora let go of his arm and the two of them kept running.
"I suspect this is some type of research vessel." Tech said into the comms.
"We know!" Wrecker responded.
"And whatever they were researching just got loose." Omega said.
"What in the fiery hells of Dathomir is on this ship?!" Aurora yelled.
"It's headed your way." Hunter said.
Tech and Aurora turned a sharp corner. They saw the beast feeding on the electrical generator and Aurora opened her mouth to scream but Tech pulled her back and put a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.
"Fascinating." Tech said as he let Aurora go.
"Fascinating?!" Aurora pushed him back. "That thing is going to eat us!"
"Take cover." Tech said as he pulled out his blaster. He shot the generator and quickly pulled Aurora in front of him. Using his body to shield her from the blast. Once the smoke subsided, everyone looked at the hole on the side of the ship and they all ran through it.
"Nice, you set it free." Aurora commented. "Can we leave now?"
Outside, Tech pulled his visor down. "The creature appears to be headed in the direction of the village." He said.
"But we have to help those people." Omega said.
"We're the ones who let it out." Hunter said. "We have to neutralize it before it hurts anyone."
"Why?" Aurora questioned.
"How?" Wrecker asked at the same time. "Our blasters are useless on it."
"Given the fact that the crew was most likely eaten by the creature," Tech said. "I doubt it is currently hungry-"
"It ate the crew?" Omega gasped.
"How is that helping Tech?" Wrecker said.
"It ate the crew." Omega whispered.
Tech held a finger up but Hunter spoke first. "Access the lab files, and find out what species we're dealing with and how to stop it."
"Mhmm, maybe I can help." Omega said. "I know my way around Kaminoan tech."
"Go." Hunter said.
"Wrecker, Aurora with me." Hunter said.
"But-" Aurora started.
"Now is not the time." Hunter cut her off. "We need people on the guns. Let's move."
"Fine." She said and she, Hunter, and Wrecker ran off towards the Marauder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aurora and Hunter were flying the Marauder while Wrecker manned the gunner seat. They were flying low and slow to try and find where the beast was.
"See anything?" Wrecker called out. It took a moment but Hunter responded after the computer blinked. "Zero, two, five."
Wrecker got to work blasting the beast, but the blasting stopped. "Wrecker?" Aurora turned her head and called out.
Something jumped on the back of the Marauder and they felt the ship shake. "Whoa!" Wrecker yelled.
"Wrecker!" Aurora yelled again.
"Did you get it?" Hunter asked.
"No!" Wrecker yelled.
Hunter and Aurora flew the ship to some electrical generators. Generators that powered the nearby town. "What is it doing?" Aurora asked as the beast started to what appears to be eating the electrical energy.
"Hunter. The creature is the same species that attacked Coruscant during the war." Tech came over the comms. "You must not let it get near the power grid, or it will increase exponentially in size."
"Uh..." Aurora said. "We're too late!"
"Hang on!" Hunter maneuvered the Marauder away from the Zillo Beast but not before its tail hit the ship, shaking it and everyone hung on tight. Hunter turned the ship around and Wrecker started blasting the beast.
"Be careful with the village!" She yelled.
"Stop it before it gets any larger." Hunter said to Wrecker.
"I'm trying!" Wrecker yelled back.
"We got ships on our tail." Hunter said.
"Of course the Empire arrives now!" Aurora grunted.
The Empire's ships shot at them, and Hunter maneuvered them away. Gonky fell over as Hunter dodged the fire.
"Where'd they come from?" Wrecker asked.
"Why don't you get out and ask." Aurora yelled back.
"Hold on!" Hunter pulled up on the ship, they were near the village. The Imperial ships started blasting at the Marauder, stray fire hitting the city. "Warn Tech and Omega." He instructed Aurora.
Aurora pulled out her comms. "Omega, Tech we've got Imperials inbound. You need to get out of there before they make it your way."
"On our way!" Omega quickly responded.
Wrecker shot at a few more ships and Hunter was flying into them straight on. Aurora turned in her seat. "Do you plan on actually hitting anything any time soon?"
"I'm working on it!" Wrecker yelled.
Hunter dodged some more fighters and they ended up crashing into each other. Aurora looked the other way and saw the Empire zapping the beast with some sort of energy beam. After the beast fell off the generators and with the third zap, the beast finally went down but it wasn't dead.
"Hunter..." Aurora whispered and reached her hand over without looking and tapped his arms. He looked to where she was as the Empire captured the beast into another similar transport. "They're not killing it-"
"They're taking it." Wrecker finished for her.
"Let's not be next." Hunter stated.
"We have to get Omega and Tech." Aurora reminded him.
"I know." He said and pulled up on the Marauder.
"Hunter, we are clear of the vessel and heading to the landing zone." Tech came over the comms right as the ship hovered above them. Empire ships still on their tail.
"Copy that." Hunter responded. He flew low while Wrecker shot the remaining ships after them. The Marauder didn't land but did hover over the ground as Tech and Omega climbed on board. Hunter got the Marauder lifted into the air.
"Let's get out of here." Aurora said once Omega and Tech were settled in their seats. Hunter flew past more enemy ships as Wrecker shot at them and Hunter got the ship into space. They flew past the Empire's Venators and the Marauder quickly jumped into hyperspace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once safely back in hyperspace Hunter had turned to Aurora, who was already getting out of her seat and walking away from him. She walked towards Omega who was back in the gunner's mount, stroking Lula. Tech had moved to comm-computer's, plugging in his research. Aurora wanted to check in on Omega.
"The crashed vessel was part of an Imperial cloning operation." Tech said, breaking the silence.
"The Empire cloned the Zillo Beast?" Hunter asked.
"I don't know how I feel about the Empire having a Zillo Beast. I remember hearing stories about them." Aurora turned and leaned against the ladders.
"Yes and no." Tech stated. "The directive came from the Supreme Chancellor before he became Emperor."
"I remember the chancellor wanted to do something with another Zillo Beast they captured and brought to Coruscant before. Something about using its skin for armor." Aurora commented. "But I can't quite remember."
"What does he want with this one?" Wrecker asked.
"The creature's genetic material has the potential to be weaponized in the hands of the right scientist." Tech said.
"Where were they taking the creature?" Hunter asked.
"Unknown." Tech said. "The ship did not have a destination logged." Tech turned to Hunter. "Hunter, there is far more to this than we realized. From what I have gathered, I suspect the Empire did not destroy the cities on Kamino to end cloning. They merely wanted to control it." Hunter walked away from them. Aurora and the others watched him walk away.
He turned back towards them. "Send the data to Echo and Rex. See what they can find out." He turned back and walked onto the bridge. Aurora turned around and looked at Omega, who was looking at Hunter. Omega turned her attention to Aurora and she tried to give the child a reassuring smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, on a faraway planet, in a faraway system a man with a gloved hand was walking with another clone commando The Bad Batch had encountered once before. The man rubbed his gloved hand as the two of them walked on the landing platform. In their view was another ship.
"Did any of the villagers see the Zillo?" The man asked.
"Several." The clone responded. "The locals have been detained and will be dealt with. However, one vessel escaped our assault. It was a military-class shuttle."
The two of them stopped walking, and the man continued to rub his hand. "Find out who it was."
"Yes, sir." the clone said and he turned and walked off. The shuttle from the distance had landed right in front of the man. The door opened and a prisoner being led by two troopers was escorted out of the ship. The Kaminoan prisoner towered over the man.
"Hello, Prime Minister." The man said. "Apologies, Former Prime Minister."
"Why have I been brought here?" The Prime Minister questioned.
"The cooperation of your chief scientist has not been forthcoming." He informed the Prime Minister. "Nala Se's defiance is problematic."
The Prime Minister had a quick smile. "It must be frustrating to have your resources but lack the expertise to achieve your goals. If you fail to convince her, it won't be long before you are in a cell like me."
"Hmm." The man thought for a moment. "I fear you misunderstood your situation here. If you know of a way to persuade the scientist, now would be the time to mention it."
"Indeed." The Prime Minister agreed. "In exchange for my freedom."
"I'm listening."
"There is a particular clone you must locate. A young girl. She is the key to controlling Nala Se."
"How very interesting. It seems we have much to discuss." The man held his hand out and together, the two of them walked into a building that was carved inside of a mountain.