Bat Squad: Remastered Ultimate Edition

Prologue One: Training on Kamino

22 BBY, 2 months prior to the Battle of Geonosis

"CT-2932/45, right side!"
A clone wearing training armor with teal markings peers around the edge of cover and he shoots down an approaching droid.
"Thanks CS-7569-21!"
"Cut the chatter! Squad form up on me! We're breaking for the citadel! CL-2572-98 lay down covering fire! Let's go!" Another clone, the Captain, orders.
He leaps over the barricade that was being used as cover. The other two, CT-2932/45 and CS-7569-21 flank him on either side. CL-2572-98 backed up from the barricade he was at, wielding a Z-6 heavy blaster and sprayed blaster bolts down range at the training droids. Another trooper, CS-7790, ran right beside the Captain and fired at the droids as they approached a wall. Atop the wall was a series of three droids manning mounted heavy repeater turrets.
"Hurry up cap! I'm taking heavy fire! Can't keep them distracted forever!" CL-2572-98 yells as blaster bolts were hitting the ground near him.
"You heard him! 2932, 7569, draw their fire toward both sides!" The Captain yells and points back down the range where the Lieutenant was.
"Yes sir!"
"On it!" The two troopers yell in response.
They run back away from the wall and turn, firing a few shots off toward the droids on the turrets which now directed their attention toward those two as well.
"Looks like you're with me Sergeant." The Captain says to CS-7790.
"Yes sir." The sergeant nods.
"Cables." The Captain orders.
He attaches an ascension cable to the underneath of his DC-15A carbine and the sergeant does the same. They aim above them, where a series of wall mounted turrets were, and they fire. The cables attach to the top of the wall and the Captain nods. They push off the ground, gripping their blasters as tight as they can while they push off the wall mounted guns to reach the top.
"Look up there! It's the Captain!" CT-2932/45 yells from behind his cover and points toward the top.
The Captain kneeled down to help pull CS-7790 up with him.
"The citadel sir! It's right there!" The sergeant yells.
"Go! I'll cover you!" The Captain yells, raising his carbine.
7790 runs toward the citadel marker. He lowers his blaster and reaches out with his left hand. Just inches away from it, two blaster bolts fly through the air and hit the Sergeant in the chest. He groans and drops onto the ground, stiffening up from his armor beginning to limit his range of motion. The Captain raises his blaster up more and he slowly steps toward the citadel. He looks toward where the shots came from, from behind a pillar but there was nobody there. He looks down at the sergeant who had been knocked out by the blasts.
"Captain! Do you have the citadel?!" CS-7569-21 asks from behind his cover that was being pelted by incoming blaster fire from the turrets.
"Negative Sergeant. 7790 is down, taking fire from unknown-"
Another blaster bolt knocks the blaster out of the Captain's hand and he jumps back. He turns toward the origin of the blaster fire and stops in his tracks. Standing in front of him, between him and the citadel marker was a man clad in the armor of a Mandalorian warrior.
"Good effort. Maybe next time." The Mandalorian says before he squeezes the trigger of his pistol that was aimed at the clone.
The Captain ducks to the side as the bolt flies past him and he lunges at the Mandalorian, grabbing the pistol by the barrel and pointing it away as the Mandalorian fires four more shots. The clone knees him in the gut, causing him to grunt and loosen his grip on the pistol. The Captain rips it out of his hand with his left and tosses it aside, over the wall. He brings his now closed fist back around to swing at the Mandalorian's head. He blocks it with his own right arm and uses his left to punch the Captain in his ribs. The clone winces and stumbles back, reaching for his side.
"Not bad. For a clone." The Mandalorian chuckles.
He swings at the clone with his left and the Captain grabs it with both of his hands and turns his body around, slamming the Mandalorian's elbow into his shoulder. The warrior grunts, then punches the clone in his back five times with his free right hand, causing him to release the Mandalorian's arm and stumble forward. The Mandalorian grabs his left arm by his wrist and readjusts just gauntlet as he walks toward the clone. The Captain turns back around toward him, hitting him in the face with his left elbow in the process before he uppercuts the Mandalorian in the stomach with his right arm. He grabs him by his shoulder pauldrons and knees him in the stomach three times, then throws him onto the ground. He kneels atop his chest and punches him, repeatedly, switching out between his left and right fist that would strike the Mandalorian in the face. One blow would land perfectly and send his helmet flying off. It clatters onto the ground of the training room floor below them. The Mandalorian looks up at the clone who had his right hand raised above his head.
The man had a complexion similar to that of the clones and their host, Jango Fett. He however had dark blonde hair, with a grey line going through it, a deep scar hidden beneath that grey line. He had two large, deep, scars that covered his entire face. His left eye was just gone, an empty and scarred socket left behind, one of the many scars he'd earned from the Mandalorian Civil War years earlier. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth as he stared at the clone kneeling above him with his one good eye. Without hesitation, the clone strikes him again with his right fist. The blow lands right against his empty eye socket and blood droplets fly back onto the clone's armor.
The Mandalorian's head falls back, lying against the ground as the blood dripped from his wounds. The clone, panting, stands up and looks down at the carnage. He walks over toward the blaster that CS-7790 had dropped and he turns back toward the Mandalorian. He chuckles as he looks at the Captain who now aimed the blaster at him.
"You're not going to do it. You're too we-" The warrior taunts before he's shut up by two blaster bolts hitting his chest.
The Captain looks down at 7790 before he steps over him and grabs the citadel marker, lifting it up from the floor. The red light at the top of it flicks to green and a loud buzzer sounds throughout the room. The training droids shut down where they stood and the blaster fire ceases. Levi sets the marker down as he looks over the wall into the floor below where he saw the trio of men down there cheering.
"Great work cap!" One yells.
He turns over his shoulder where he saw CS-7790 groaning. He walks over toward him and holds his hand out.
"Come on. Walk it off." The Captain says.
7790 reaches out and grabs his hand, pulling himself up and groaning.
"Thanks brother." 7790 tells him.
"It's Captain."
"Right. Thanks Captain."
"No need to. We completed the mission. That's what matters."
"Right. The mission." 7790 nods. "What about me?"
"What about you?" The Captain asks.
"I would've been killed."
"Yes. You would've."
"What? That's it? You don't seem the least bit bothered by that!"
"Should I be? That's your job isn't it? Our job?" The Captain asks, looking at him.
"Yeah?"
"We're officers. We have to make the tough decisions. Whatever it takes to complete the mission. No matter the cost. The others, the grunts, they're all expendable." The Captain yells him.
7790 scoffs.
"I'm not sure where you've been Captain, but we're all expendable. Every single one of us!" He snaps.
"I'd watch your tone with me if I were you, Sergeant."
"Oh yeah?" 7790 asks, stepping forward into the Captain's face.
The Captain chuckles.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you. You're aggressive. It's a great tool. On the field anyway. That's probably why you're only a Sergeant." The Captain says.
7790 grits his teeth and clenches his fists.
"If you're going to hit me, just do it. I'll get you transferred to maintenance faster than you can blink. You and that bad batcher 99 can spend some quality time together."
They stand there in silence for a few seconds.
"No? That's what I thought." The Captain scoffs before he pushes past 7790.
He stops in his tracks before he turns back over his shoulder toward him.
"You have potential. You can be a great leader. Learn to keep your attitude in check off the battlefield and learn how to make those tough choices, you'll be moving up for a series of promotions before you know it." The Captain tells him.
He continues back on his way, leaving 7790 standing there. He sighs before he removes his helmet and picks up his blaster.
"He's right you know." The Mandalorian says.
7790 looks over toward him.
"Huh?" He asks.
"He's right. You would've been killed but the objective would've been completed. One casualty isn't a lot when it comes to you clones. Sometimes it's necessary."
"What are you even doing out here? Huh? You set me up for failure! We've run this simulation hundreds of times and passed it just as many! We know how it's supposed to play out! You aren't supposed to be back there lurking in the shadows!" 7790 snaps at him.
"That's the problem now, isn't it? You have expectations of how it's supposed to go. That's why I'm here. To keep you on your toes! You're enemies aren't going to play fairly so why should I?!"
7790 scowls.
"So, what? Is this the new norm now or what? Should we start expecting you to pop in on our training sessions from now on?" The Sergeant asks.
"Maybe. Maybe not. That's the point, Sergeant." The Mandalorian says and pats him on the chest before walking past him.
Later that evening, in the barracks that same Mandalorian approached two other squads. One went by the name of Bat Squad and was led by a trooper with the designation CT-0-747. Joining him was CT- 3007, CT-7186, CT-7761, and CT-7068. The second squad went by official name of Harp Squad, however other clones around the facility gave them the nickname of Pushover Squad. Within the squad was an engineer that went by the designation CT-2336. Other than him the squad was made up of four others, CT-7002, CT-0744, CT-4498, and CT-2786. The appointed leader of the two squads, CT-0-747, kneeled against a bench with his training helmet sitting beside him.
"I don't know what to do boys." He says.
The Mandalorian stops beside them and clears his throat.
"Sarge." CT-7068 nods.
"Easy Stormer." The Mandalorian says.
"With all due respect, Sergeant Spacespawn, we're just numbers." CT-2336 says.
"Maybe. Maybe names are what you guys need. Something to light a fire under your ass. You've failed your last four simulations. All of the ones before that had 75% casualties. That's unacceptable." The Mandalorian says.
"We're trying our best. What more do you want from us?" CT-3007 asks.
"Are you? Are you really?"
The troopers sit there in silence.
"That's what I thought. Now listen, the Kaminoans just want to fail you and be done with it. They figure you're all defective, failures. I convinced them otherwise." The trainer says.
"Now why would you do that?" The one the clone called Stormer asks.
"Maybe I believe in you. Maybe I like the challenge. One thing I can tell you for certain, is you boys need to hold yourselves accountable for your failures."
"I know exactly what's to blame for our failures." Stormer says.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" CT-0-747 asks.
"You. You're as blind as a bat! Leading us into a slaughter out there! It's no wonder we can't pass!" Stormer barks.
CT-0-747 clenches his fists.
"That's enough!" The Mandalorian snaps.
"Yes sir. Sorry sir." Stormer says.
"You know, I like that." CT-0-747 says, smirking.
"What? Being the reason we're failures?" CT-2336 asks.
"No. What he called me. Blind as a bat. You said we should give ourselves names, right sarge?" CT-0-747 asks.
"It's something unique to you. To distinguish you all as the individuals that you are. So yes." The training sergeant nods.
"Bat. It has a nice ring to it. What do you boys think?" CT-0-747 asks, smirking.
"I like it." CT-7761 says, nodding.
"Of course you like it. You're two brain cells are working overtime. All you know how to do are zap your problems away. Let me tell you a secret. You carrying that big gun, only means you're overcompensating for something." Stormer tells him.
CT-7761 stands up and faces Stormer.
"Oh yeah? How about I zap you in the next simulation, huh?"
"I don't mean to point out the obvious, but friendly fire would result in an automatic failure." CT-4498 says.
"Shut up." Stormer snaps.
"Yes sir."
"Really? You're going to let him talk to you like that? Grow a pair. You're such a pushover." CT-0744 scoffs.
The training sergeant lets out a sigh.
"We've got some serious work ahead of us to whip you boys into soldiers." He says, shaking his head.
"Sarge, if you believe in us, I believe in us." Bat says, nodding.
"You're giving us a second chance. We won't let you down." CT-7186 says, standing up.
"Well then. Let's get to it. Huh?"