Hate to Love You

The Bad Batch

    I jump inch by inch across the boards lining the high skyscrapers in Ord Mantell. I look down briefly taking in the busy streets filled with the bustle of the city and the smells of delicious foods. My stomach growls slightly. I forgot to eat again. Damnit.
     I leap the last few feet onto the building and walk over to the fire escape taking two steps at a time. I was definitely running late. No doubt about that. Oh well, Cid would have to deal. I had a life too. Okay, not really. It has been six months since Order 66 was executed. My friends and family taken out by the ones we thought we could trust to fight by our side. The anger in me began to rise. Bile was coming up my throat at the thought.
   I stop. Placing my hand on the side of the building and dry heaving. My mouth beginning to water as panic set in.
   Come on just breathe. Just breathe. In through your nose out through your mouth. After a couple minutes I stood to my full height once more, my head becoming clear. I picked up my pace and  finally reached for the door of Cids Parlor. The smell of smoke and food hit my nose and made my stomach grumble again.
   I turn down the hallway and walk behind the bar.
"You're late." Cid complained. Not even bothering to look up at me.

"Sorry, got held up." Not really. I just got caught up in a good book and refused to leave my bed. Which would explain why I hadn't eaten.

"Sure ya did. Listen I hired you to do a job, if you keep it up I just might fire and rehire. The bills don't pay themselves. You would do well to learn that girl."

I smirk at Cid. This was like her tenth time threatening to fire me. I knew she never would. She knew my father, once a Jedi , then left the order, they had worked together. My father always told me she wasn't always easy to deal with but she was loyal. So when everything went down, when...

The bile rose up again as I grasped the bar trying to catch my breath.

"You okay? Don't tell me your sick. I can't be losing customers if your sneezing or puking all over my clientele." One thing Cid liked, credits. As long as she was making money, she was happy. If you were a threat to her credit flow, she got rid of you.

"No... no I just didn't eat is all." I turn to her willing her to believe me.

Cid narrowed her eyes and sighed. "There is a stew in back, go grab a bowl."

I smile and nod and head into the back room but halt in the door way my eyes frozen on the group in front of me, all sitting around a table eating stew. My blood instantly boiled when my eyes look over four clones, they looked different than your average clone but it was plain as day that they were in fact clones. I look down at a young girl with sandy blonde hair who looks up and smile at me.

"Hello." She smiles even brighter taking me in.

"Hi" my voice raspy from how dry it went. My eyes search the four males before me. All of them have eyes on me. My body was reacting accordingly. This was a threat. They were a threat. I eyed each one of them.
  One of the males had a tattoo on half his face and a bandana wrapped around his forehead. His body language seemed to assess me just as I was assessing him, feeling out for any dangers.
   The one to his left was very pale, the reason I instantly realized they were clones, he had the same face of so many others.
   The one across from him had glasses, he adjusted them briefly before going back to eating his stew.
   Then my eyes fall on the big one. Half his face was scarred and one of his eyes was pure white. Warning bells in my mind told me to steer clear of that one. He looked strong, like he could snap me in half like a toothpick.
   I hold my head high and enter the room. They all watch me as I grab a bowl from the table and scoop some hot stew into my bowl. I walk over to the edge of the room and start eating. They were all still staring at me and at this point it was getting on my nerves.
  "Can I help you?" I bite out between chews. They all turn away except for the big one, who cocks his head to the side and smiles. I veer my eyes away and continue eating.
  "I'm Omega, this is Hunter, Echo, Tech and Wrecker." She smiled.
   "I'm Simone, most just call me slim."
I smile at the young girl before looking to the others who were staring down into their bowls except for Wrecker who continued to stare me down.
  "Take a picture it'll last longer big guy." I narrow my eyes and he seems to chuckle under his breathe.
  
   "I like her Hunta'..." his eyes never leaving mine.

Hunter sighs and puts his empty bowl in the sink and heads out the door, Omega, Tech, and Echo do the same. Now it's just me and Wrecker standing there awkwardly. My body was still in flight mode, telling me to run, but my mind told me to stop panicking and stay.

"So, mesh'la, where you from?" He smiles a crooked grin.

I swallow the food in my mouth.
"Around." I say barely audible.

"Around where?" He draws out his words.

"None of your business clone." The words escape me before I realized what I just said.

He chuckles and walks towards me placing his bowl in the sink.

"Is this how you greet everyone or am I just special?" He crosses his arms standing his ground.

"It's how I greet everyone." I toss my dish in the sink and stare up at him crossing my arms as well. He wanted to play the power game. Fine.

He moves forward and places his hands on either side of my body gripping the counter I was leaning against.

"You must not have many friends." He chuckles as he looks at me.

My body is heating at his closeness. The warning bells are slamming loud and clear. I swallow as I look up at him.

"Maybe I don't want friends." I whisper, he was so close to me I can feel his breath on my skin.

He chuckles.

"Wrecker let's go we got a job." Hunter yells from the front. Our eyes are still on one another.

"See you around, grumpy.." He licks him lips and pushes off the counter and walks away. I didn't even know I was holding my breath until he left the room. My heart pounding in my chest with both anger and something else I couldn't identify. This was going to be very interesting.

I wait until I know they are gone before walking towards Cid.

"Clones! Are you kidding me!?" My voice a whisper.

Cid turns to me and sighs "Easy there slim, these guys are different, alright? You really think I would let them work for me with you here if I thought they were a threat?!"

I didn't know what to say. Did I trust Cid? No not really, but something was telling me to listen to her, to trust her on this one. They did look different than the other clones, but why? Who were these guys? Why were they so different? Did they kill their commander as well?

I had so many questions and probably wouldn't get any answers without exposing myself. My father left the order when my mother was pregnant with me. My father passed away before Order 66 occurred. I am force sensitive but I'm not as strong as he was. The only reason I knew about Order 66 was because my father was still close to many of the masters. Although I didn't train with them, I knew them, they were friends. Some considered as family. My father never lost contact with them even after he left. One of them made it out though. That was how me and my mother knew about what had happened. My mother tried her hardest to help anyone and everyone and the Jedi was no different. It cost her her life and almost mine as well. The clones found our home and before they entered my mother pushed me out the back door and told me to run. I did.

Bile rose up again.
I should have stayed. I should have fought. I could have saved her.
  The bile was coming up as I ran to the bathroom and began vomiting all the stew back up. After a few minutes I was able to wash my mouth out and wash my hands. As I looked in the mirror at my blotchy skin, tears streaked my face. I wiped them away aggressively and took a few deep breaths before getting back to work.

These clones may be different...but I refuse to give them the time of day. I would just have to steer clear of them.