𝑾𝑨𝑽𝑬𝑺 && Bad Batch &&

🔱IV🌊

• Rescued •

The curious eyes of Omega gazed up at the new woman who boarded their ship, following behind Hunter. "Did you get her?" Tech shouted from the cockpit. "Yeah. Go ahead and punch it, Tech." Hunter instructed. All of this was null and void to Koda who just stared off into space from the moment she stepped onto the ship. Her body seemed as if it were frozen into place, a stiff statue of ice which refused to move, bend, or even relax. She was too stunned from the events she had just been pulled from like a deer staring down at the nozzle of a gun before it was shot for sport. Her eyes were red a puffy as if she had been crying and her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath she took. She gripped the king's trident firmly in her hand, her knuckles almost turning a pasty white from her tight hold. The commotion of the Bad Batch went on around her but she was frozen, taking in what exactly had just happened to her people. "Are you alright, miss?" Omega's small voice tried to push past her stunned state. "I don't think she can hear me." Omega muttered. "Just ask louder." Wrecker suggested. "Hello? Miss?" Omega shouted this time, cupping her small hands around her mouth. Finally Koda tore her gaze from nothingness and looked down at the child. "Are you alright?" Koda couldn't explain it. Something about the innocence and liveliness of the child caused her to break down. She fell to the ground, clutching her knees to her chest as she let tears flow from her icy eyes. "She'll need a few minutes, kid. It's best to leave her alone for a bit." Hunter spoke to Omega as soon as he noticed Koda's fall to the ground. "What happened to her?" Omega asked as she looked up at him. Hunter didn't know how to explain it perfectly to a child, he didn't want to. He took Omega aside, out of earshot of Koda who was still raw from the pain of reality. "You know how the Empire is bad, right?" Hunter asked and Omega nodded. "Well, the Empire wanted to use Koda's people to do very bad things. Her people were very powerful, like the jedi only they didn't use the force but rather they used the forces of nature. When her people refused to join the Empire the Empire chose to get rid of them." Omega's brown eyes widened for a moment as she took in what Hunter was saying. "All of them?" She asked and slowly Hunter nodded. "Koda is completely alone. That's why we tried to save her." "But we did it, right? We saved her?" "Physically, yes." Hunter replied slowly. "But I'm afraid the mental pain of what's happened is going to sting her for a while."

Hours had gone by. Koda had tried to calm herself as much as she could, taking breaths to steady herself and ground herself. "How are you feeling?" A voice suddenly pierced her silence and she looked up to see hunter who knelt in front of her. "How do you think I'm feeling?" She said a little harshly and Hunter looked away. A tinge of guilt nipped at Koda for snapping at him. "Sorry that was rude." She quickly muttered and Hunter sighed, offering her a small smile. "No it's alright. You've gone through a lot, we all have if I'm being honest. The rise of the Empire hasn't been kind to any of us really." Koda tilted her head just a little, looking over at the clone curiously who she fought alongside so many years ago. "How so?" "They control clones unlike how the Republic ever did." Hunter replied. "The Republic would send us to defeat droid armies, not murder civilians." "Civilians?" Koda breathed, her brows lifted upon this news. "Hunter, I'm so sorry." "Don't be. 'S all right. It's not like we went through with it. But it did divide us. Crosshair left because of it." Koda had noticed a change of men in their squad but she didn't think much of it originally. Her mind was on other things. "Who's the girl?" Koda asked, it was her most recent burning question. Hunters eyes glanced over at Omega who had finally been tired out and retired to a nap with Wrecker who clung to his lula while they both snored peacefully. "Omega?" He asked with a soft grin that began to form on his lips. "Is she your daughter?" Hunter's eyes widened as he snapped his gaze to look down at Koda. "No." He couldn't get the word out of his mouth fast enough. "No she's definitely not. She's a defective clone like the rest of my squadron." "You're telling me that little girl is a clone?" Koda asked again with a raised brow. "Yes. She's genetically mutated, making her distinct so she fits in with us. She's different." Koda managed a small grin. "She's definitely different from any other clone I've ever seen." "Yeah she's pretty special. Or at least I think she is." Koda, for the first time since she left home, felt a warmth blossom in her heart at just how much Hunter seemed to adore this little girl. It made her smile. These clones may had been treated as outcasts by even their own but they had managed to form their own family. Family. It was the thing she was observing that she had just lost. And she so desperately wanted it back. She wanted a family. It didn't have to be the one she lost, she just wanted to be a part of one again. She thought for a moment that perhaps, she could be a part of this one. Koda was the last of her kind, making her different. She was different just like the squadron of clones. "So now what?" Koda asked, bringing the conversation back to the present. "Well you have two options." Hunter prompted. "We can take you to an outer rim planet, far from the reach of the Empire and leave you, allowing you to start your own new life." Koda mulled over the option in her mind. Being far from the Empire would be nice. She wouldn't mind being distant from all the chaos. "Or?" She asked, raising a brow. "Or you can come with us, help us with our missions, help us look after Omega." There it was, an offer to be a part of their family. It was indirect but to Koda it was valid. "I will stay." She replied softly. Her words shocked Hunter. He thought the former military captain had enough fighting in her lifetime, but it seemed she was up for a little more action. "You sure?" He asked carefully. Koda looked around the hold of the ship. She looked at the sleeping Wrecker and Omega, She looked up at Echo who she hadn't quite met yet, who was busy reading something off of a data pad. Her eyes continued to wonder as she looked at Tech who piloted the ship into lightspeed before her icy blue eyes finally looked back at Hunter. "Yes." She replied softly, a small grin began to bloom on her lips for the first time since she had lost everything. "I am certain."

End Part One