Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Keeper's Arena

Chapter 9 - What Would it Take?

When the doors opened, Jade had never been more eager to leave a room after a momentary scan. Hunter paused when he realized she wasn't putting her foot forward, but the guards nudged them from behind.

"Move it," they ordered.

"I can't," Jade breathed, frozen.

Hunter watched her carefully. He dragged her a bit further, as if trying to wake her up.

"You need to hurry," he said in a lowered voice.

Jade nodded slowly before urging her stubborn feet to work properly, and Keeper pointed to a bench, which Jade was eying gratefully. He didn't even have to order them to sit – Hunter was easing her down. The guards moved to either side of the bench, and the third stuck close to Keeper. When Hunter joined Jade on the bench, Keeper clapped his hands together.

"Right," he said, smiling. "Now I can send for your friends, subject 198."

Jade noticed an empty area in front of them, separated by a thick wall of glass. There was a single, stark white door, and that door opened. Eleven people filed in, all handcuffed. Some were middle-aged, and some were quite young, but they were all older than her. Jade recognized their faces, and they stared back in surprise but with very little fear. After all, she had treated them with respect, despite the pressures of the Arena. Jade was both relieved and terrified to see them.

"Do you remember them, Jade?"

Jade was startled to hear Keeper address her by her name. If anything, it made her more nervous. She didn't say anything at first, finding it hard to breath. Keeper snapped his fingers, motioning to the people.

"Well?"

"Yes," Jade answered, and she leaned forward.

"Good. I'll make this quick, then."

Keeper shuffled closer to the glass, as if admiring a simple creature. The people waited, watching him skeptically. Keeper stroked his beard, smiling as several panels opened up in the wall behind the captives, and gun-like nozzles poked out. The captives cried out in alarm and bumped into one another as they tried to move away, and one was relatively calm, shooting Jade a look she would never forget.

"No!" Jade screamed, forgetting herself and slipping off of the bench.

She barely felt the pain – she wanted desperately to draw Keeper's attention away. His guards were actually chuckling, murmuring to themselves, and Jade felt sick to her stomach. It was as if she were watching a horror film, only it was real, and she couldn't look away.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Jade," Keeper said, turning his head slightly.

The captives banged their fists against the glass, yelling something inaudible.

"You are never in control, here. The pain you feel is your own doing, especially if you resist," Keeper finished, holding out his hand with stretched fingers.

"Murderer!" Jade yelled, gripping the ground so hard it made her arm tremble.

Keeper's fingers dropped towards his palm, and the muffled sound of blaster fire roared in Jade's ears. All eleven people fell to the ground, and Jade pressed her hands against her eyes, unable to let out any tears because it was so sudden and impossibly awful. She heard Hunter shift, watching in stunned fury. The guards went silent; perhaps having second thoughts about finding the situation amusing. Keeper turned around, watching Jade in fake concern.

"You will be given time to recover from this. I will take you to the doctors, and they will give you medicine that will speed up the healing process of your leg; I am most eager to witness a former champion participate in the Arena. With a clone, the entertainment will be twice as thrilling! Once I figure out the details, it will be biggest jaw-dropping event yet."