บท 300: The Arrogant Bad Batch
Four men were scattered around the training bay, each one doing their own thing.
Closest to the entrance was one that had what looked like a small datapad on his arm, from which several cables appeared, and were connected to the back of half a dozen target droids - rewired B1 units. From time to time, the clone would mutter something to himself, and tap something into the datapad.
What was surprising about him, though, wasn't what he was doing, but how he looked. Clones were all the same. Same height, same weight, same eyes, same genes, same everything. Only tattoos or how they cut their hair could tell them apart from each other - for normal folks, that is. Amongst themselves, clones knew who the others were even if they looked all the same. It was instinctive.
But the trooper crouching behind the clanckers wasn't anything like that. He was much smaller and thinner. His face was also much slimmer, and he had huge glasses, which he seemed to be able to use to zoom in or out. He also used what appeared to be a heavily modified ARC Trooper armor, with a huge backpack.
According to Dageer's intel, he was called Tech, and had enhanced mental capacities. Looking at how both he and Hell Squad's Tech liked technology, Dageer was sure his name wasn't just a coincidence.
A few dozen meters away from Bad Batch's Tech, was a clone that could only be described as old. He had white and gray hair, was taller than normal clones, and his cheekbones stuck out, making him look as if there was only skin attached to his skull, and no muscles. Around his right eye, there was a weird tattoo. It was a circle with four lines sticking out of it - on the left, right, top, and bottom. It looked very much like the crosshair one would find in a sniper blaster rifle's scope, which was also his name: Crosshair.
The 'desirable mutation' - as the reports referred to it - he had was incredible eyesight. He could use his own eye as if it was a scope, giving him high accuracy at long distances, which obviously put his role as a sniper.
At the moment, Crosshair was shooting at the training droids a few dozen meters away. If one looked closely, they would realize that he wasn't aiming at the clanckers, but at the walls behind them. The lasers would reflect on the walls, and hit the droids in the back of the head. Even at a close distance, that was an incredible feat.
Standing in the middle of the room, lifting B2 units and throwing them meters away, was a gigantic clone. The was at least half a meter taller than normal troopers, and clearly much stronger. His left eye was completely white, and he had dozens of scars on the left side of his head. The scars appeared to be from burns, but considering how the other members of Clone Force 99 had turned out to be, Dageer wasn't sure if it wasn't just something he was born with. His name was Wrecker.
Lastly, there was Sergent Hunter. Off all the clones of Bad Batch, he was the one who resembled a normal clone the most. He had long hair, and half of his face was covered by a tattoo that resembled a skull. He also had a red bandanna wrapped around his head, which certainly wasn't standard equipment.
However, there was nothing normal about the unique abilities he had. While the other three had super strength, enhanced eyesight, and mental capacities, Hunter had enhanced senses. He could feel the magnetic field of the planet, and was able to tell the enemy positions, speed, manpower, and a number of other valuable pieces information before they even got close.
He was also the only one who paid attention when Hell Squad entered. With a lot of calm, he put away the two pistols he had been playing with, and whistled to get Bad Batch's attention.
"Yo, boys! We got company! The normies are here."
Dageer frowned once again, an expression that didn't see to leave his face for the last months. Hunter and his men were showing no respect for their superiors. And be it in experience or rank, anyone on Hell Squad or Delta Squad was vastly superior to them.
Slowly, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair abandoned what they were doing, and stopped in a disorganized line, without saluting. It was very clear they were bored, and even disinterested in their new instructors. Dageer would have none of that.
"Sergent Hunter! In position! Now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Dageer's yell was enough to startle them into position. Laidback or not, they were still clones, and discipline was ingrained in their bones.
"Are they really clones?"
Dageer exchanged glances with Boss. They could see that the first impression the four clones had left on their men wasn't good. To tell the truth, even though they had already been expecting Bad Batch's behavior, they were also quite unhappy. For soldiers who hadn't even fought a battle to be this confident, it wasn't healthy. Overconfidence led to quick deaths.
"Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and Crosshair. Clone Force 99, huh?"
"Sure thing, commander! What's up?!"
Wrecker yelled at what Dageer supposed was his normal voice volume. The sniper by his side snickered a little before elbowing his squad member, who in turn tried to pick up him. Hunter had to interfere to make them shut up.
"Quiet, you two. It's us, sir. What can we help you with?"
"General Shaak Ti thinks very highly of your unit, sergeant. She thinks you have the potential to become one of the best the Republic has. I and Boss are here to make sure that happens."
"Ha! What can a normie teach us?"
Crosshair whispered loud enough for everyone to hear him. It was the second time one of Bad Batch's members had used the term 'normie' to refer to Hell Squad.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Uhmm..."
"Sorry, Commander Dageer. Crosshair didn't mean to be disrespectful. It's just that we aren't exactly like the others. We aren't normal clones, you see?"
"I know, sergeant. I read all the reports about Bad Batch. That doesn't mean anything for me, Boss, or any other clone. We are brothers all the same. So, show me what you can do, and I will decide whether your unit is worth teaching something or not."
----------------------------
Hunter looked at the eleven clones standing before him. All of them had stone-cold expressions, and their backs straight. They looked at Bad Batch as if they weren't there. He could understand why. He knew his men hadn't left the best first impression. But that didn't mean he had to like it.
He and his brothers weren't normal clones. They were better. Way, way better. They were being bred to be clone commandos before, and after the attack that caused them to become deformed, they had become something else. They had skills and abilities no clone could compete with.
Glaring at the one in front, Commander Dageer, Hunter started thinking. He couldn't, and didn't want to, be disrespectful. Dageer was his superior. In fact, all the clones in both squads were. However, he would show them that Bad Batch wasn't to be underestimated. And there was no way better than to show that they were better than Dageer. After all, even Delta Squad seemed to follow the commander's order, even though he was just a normal clone.
"All right, sir. You want us to show what we can do. How should we do that?"
// AUTHOR'S NOTE //
300 chapters. Wow. Over a year and a half ago, when I started writing the novel, I never thought I would get past 20 chapters, and thought that I would give up, like I did in many other projects. After all, I was just writing for a little bit of fun, and because I thought it was a pity to leave what seemed like a good idea go to waste.
But then one single person left a comment in almost every chapter, simply saying "thanks". For that one person, I decided I wouldn't stop, at least not right away. So, I persisted a little more. And more people started reading and commenting. So I persisted a little more, and a little more, and a little more...
When we made it to 100 chapters, I was already sure I wouldn't stop. From there on, it was a snowball effect. And now, we are at 300 chapters of pure novel, plus 5 auxiliary chapters. I can safely say I probably never felt more proud of anything, and that Broke have an extremely important role in my life.
I can only say thank you to all of the readers. Without you all, this journey would have ended before it even started, and I would have missed something incredible. So, thanks, from the bottom of my heart.
I don't know how many more chapters we have left, or how many twists and turns the story will have, but I know we will find out together.
Again, thank you all, for everything, remember to stay safe, and may the Force be with you.
PS: read my note on the other space, it can only have 500 characters, so I write the bigger ones here, but it is also important.
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Reis123
Reis123 I still haven't thought of a way to better differentiate both Techs other than "Hell Squad's Tech" and "Bad Batch's Tech". I am very open for any suggestions you have, because it doesn't quite roll of the tongue, if you understand what I mean.
Also, read my note at the end of the chapter, and if you want, leave a review and a comment, and join our discord!
Discord link: https://discord.gg/Gdv2arS
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