Miles Away From Yesterday

Chapter 1 - Why Am I A Stranger

Author's Note: *incoherent shrieking* Y'all have NO IDEA how excited I am for this fic!!! I've been planning it out for so many months, and being able to finally start posting it is amazing! This is my take on an Imperial!Hunter AU. It's very role-swap-y, but also, not quite. This IS an AU and as such, the background of this universe is not the same as in canon. Everything will be explained in due time. I hope y'all enjoy!!! :D

I'm nowhere near done, and I'm currently planning to post the first six chapters weekly. If this gets a lot of attention, I'll try to continue with weekly updates after that. ;)

PS. This is for the Bad Batch Bingo. :)

~ Amina Gila

You are CT-9901, but your brothers call you Hunter. You are an enhanced clone, part of the infamous Clone Force 99, and your heightened senses let you accurately pinpoint electromagnetic frequencies anywhere on a planet. You are their sergeant, and you are responsible for them and their well-being. This is not a burden you carry lightly. You feel it everywhere you go, the knowledge that one mistake could mean life or death for your brothers.

Though you do not yet know it, the end of the Clone Wars and the galaxy as you know it is on you. Your squad is on Ringo Vinda, assisting Jedi Master Tiplee finish reclaiming the planet in a battle that will end the struggle that has drug on for months. The battle is almost over, and you're looking forward to getting some downtime to rest and recover from the past many months of almost non-stop fighting.

You get a transmission, and the comm channel repeats only one directive. "Execute Order 66."

In a moment, everything falls into place, and you understand what you must do. The Jedi are traitors, and you are to execute them. Those are your orders. You want to question how it is possible that every single Jedi could be a traitor, but on the battlefield, that kind of question will get you killed, and you know that. Good soldiers follow orders. You cannot question your orders if your squad is in danger. Protecting them comes first. It always comes first. You will do whatever you must to keep your brothers safe.

You don't look at them as you draw your blaster, turning away from the incoming wave of droids and focusing on the Jedi, the traitor in your midst. The regs start shooting, and you wait and watch as she stumbles in shock, whipping around and deflecting the blaster bolts back at them, aiming to kill. She is a traitor, and she does not care for the lives of her soldiers. You can see this, and you know that you will not get a second chance. You hear your brothers talking, and you shift, keeping yourself between them and the enemy as you always have. You lift your blaster, aim, and fire. You do not miss.

The blaster bolt hits the Jedi in the head, and she goes down. You feel it as she dies, and only then do you relax. The traitor is dead, and your brothers are safe. You will kill for them if you have to. You have killed for them. And you will do it again. And again. As many times as it takes, so they will be safe. That is all that matters to you.

This is what it means to be CT-9901 in the dawn of the Empire, on the night of the fall of the Jedi Order.

***

"Execute Order 66."

Crosshair's brow furrows at the oddness of the order. What does that mean? It tugs at something in his mind as if he ought to know, but he doesn't. "What's Order 66?" he asks, turning to his brothers. If anyone knows, Hunter or Tech will. This is hardly the first time they've gotten unclear orders, but this is by far the strangest.

"I am uncertain," Tech answers, typing on his datapad. "I will see what I can ascertain."

"Hunter?" It's Wrecker, his voice worried, and Crosshair spins toward Hunter to see him lifting his blaster in the direction of the Mikkian Jedi Master they're working with – Tiplee. The regs open fire on her, and Crosshair takes a step back in sheer disbelief and horror. What –?