Tech tinkered with the chip scanner he had just constructed. Since Astrid and Omega offered their assistance, the device would be complete in no time. The medic placed a spanner into Tech's outstretched hand. 

Although they had met not too long ago, Astrid and Tech had already begun to work well with each other. It seemed that their shared interest in facts and medical affairs had bonded them, strangely enough. They both leaned toward the contraption and examined their work, heads close together.

Wrecker groaned beside them as he clutched his head. He frustratedly declared, "I don't like this plan."

Hunter walked in and patted his shoulder. "We agreed to meet Rex on Bracca. That's what we're doing."

"He wants to cut open my head." He objected.

Tech momentarily paused his work to chime in helpfully. "All of our heads actually."

"Not mine," Omega said cheerfully.

Astrid smiled and lightly pat Omega's back. "Yes, thankfully you were spared from these inhibitor chips."

"Why not? Now that's not fair." Wrecker's statement was met with an eye roll from the sergeant.

"How's the chip scanner coming?" Hunter inquired glancing between Tech and the Medic.

Astrid replied, "I think it's coming along quite well," She gently bumped his arm with her elbow, "Tech truly is an expert."

Although he knew it to be true, the goggled clone wasn't expecting the compliment. He ignored the odd sensation in his stomach and explained, "Since Rex's chip was removed, we are able to establish a baseline by comparing his brain scan to ours. Allowing for the detection of any cellular anomaly."

Astrid and Omega exchanged an amused glance before the latter said, "He means, 'it's almost finished.'"

Wrecker miserably stared at the floor, pouting at their unpleasant predicament. "Do we really have to do this?"

Hunter calmly replied, "If Rex is sure, we should trust him."

"Don't worry, Wrecker," Astrid comforted him, placing her slender hand on his shoulder, "Tech and I know what we're doing. It'll all be fine."

✵   ✵   ✵

The deep green and rusty red planet of Bracca came into view. From her place beside her sister, Astrid felt her whole body lean forward in anticipation. They cut through the cloudy atmosphere and beheld the ruins of countless battleships. Astrid noticed Annika's forehead crease slightly. 

Was she remembering all the times that she and her troopers had been aboard these same ships? She must be reliving painful memories of the war. That would certainly explain her gloomy expression.

Astrid gingerly gripped her sister's shoulder so as not to startle her. She gave her a look she hoped Annika would find comforting. The Jedi placed her own hand onto Astrid's and inhaled a deep breath.

Omega marveled at the overwhelming sight. "What is this place?" She asked the question so innocently as if it weren't a junkyard that wrapped around the entirety of the planet.

Hunter replied, "A starship graveyard."

"I'm picking up Rex's beacon," Echo announced as he and Tech landed the ship on a mostly level strip of wreckage. They all headed down the ramp to meet the captain, but Hunter gently pulled Annika's elbow back.

He spoke quietly, his tone serious. "Listen, since this whole trip revolves around...order 66, I think it would be wise for you to hang back."

"Stay behind?" Annika hadn't considered that.

"It would be safer, wouldn't you agree?" He seemed hopeful she would agree. And now that Hunter brought it up, maybe it would be a wiser course of action to stay behind.

The Jedi sighed, "As much as I feel the urge to tag along, maybe you're right. I don't want my presence to compromise the mission."

Hunter seemed surprised at her quick assent. "We'll contact you if we have any updates." With that, he nodded to her and jogged over to the others standing beside Rex.

✵   ✵   ✵

Astrid glanced back at the Marauder entrance where Annika had retreated into the ship. Still looking over her shoulder, the medic asked the person she assumed was Hunter, "She's not coming with us?"

Tech responded, making Astrid jump since she thought it was Hunter who was beside her. "No, I believe Hunter wants her to stay behind due to her personal involvement with the mission objective."

"You mean, because she's a Jedi?"

"Correct. Hunter and I spoke about it on the way here. Since she is a Jedi, her presence alone may...disturb the mission."

"But that hasn't happened before..."

"Yes, however, we do not want to take any chances."

Astrid nodded her head thoughtfully. "Oh, I see."

The group followed the captain through the debris as Rex briefly spoke about the planet. "Bracca may not be much to look at, but it has exactly what we need." 

They paused to take in the sight of a colossal Jedi cruiser, which appeared to be mostly intact -- externally, at least. "I had my inhibitor ship taken out on a Jedi cruiser just like that. That's where we're heading."

Wrecker questioned impatiently, "Then why'd we land all the way over here?"

Hunter said abruptly, "Everyone, down."

Astrid sank to her knees like the others as she spotted an airborne vehicle in the distance. She noticed Tech's hand hovering a few inches from her shoulders as he positioned his body slightly in front of her. An odd gesture. Almost...protective. Astrid did not have much experience with that feeling. Not for a long time.

The click of Tech's visor broke her out of her thoughts before they could turn dark. He stated, "It's the scrapper guild."

"They control this entire planet," Rex confirmed. "We need to keep out of sight from their patrols. Let's move."

They all got to their feet and fell into a steady run up the inclined wreckage. Astrid, having no prior experience involving running, was quickly out of breath. She blew out tired puffs of air and her sides began to ache. Her body had not been conditioned for the life of a mercenary. 

The others didn't seem to notice until Tech realized he could no longer hear her footfalls. He slowed into a jog and glanced over his shoulder. Astrid was walking as swiftly as she could with drooped shoulders. Tech waited for her to reach him, and then he fell in pace with her, walking by her side. When he stole a quick glance at her, he saw that her face was flushed and she was breathing hard.

"Sorry," She rasped between breaths, "I don't mean to slow you down. You can go on ahead. I'll catch up, eventually," Though she didn't sound too sure of herself.

"It's not a problem. Besides, you can't expect me to leave you behind."

Astrid felt incredibly embarrassed at her situation. Even Omega, an adolescent, had no trouble keeping up with the group. Although, Tech didn't seem to pick up on her humiliation. The pair continued their walk until they caught up with the others, who seemed to have slowed their pace as well.

In the front, Rex was talking with Echo about the inhibitor chips. The way they spoke to each other suggested familiarity. Astrid decided to inquire the intellectual clone about it. "Tech, are Echo and the captain very close? I understand you've all met Rex before this, but Echo has stuck to his side the entire time we've been with him."

Tech's eyebrows rose. He enjoyed answering questions. "Before Echo joined our squad, he was an ARC trooper in the 501st -- Rex's battalion."

"Oh, that makes sense," Astrid replied. "If you don't mind me asking, how did Echo come to join Clone Force 99?"

"We were called in by Commander Cody to figure out how the separatists were successfully calculating our every move on the war front of Anaxes. It turns out the Techno Union was forcefully manipulating Echo's mind into disclosing Republic strategies. Prior to that, Echo was believed to have been a victim of an explosion during one of his missions as an ARC trooper. It is safe to say that everyone, that is except for Rex, was shocked to discover that he was indeed alive. Ans seeing as he no longer 'fit in' with the regs, we asked him to join us."

Astrid pondered his words. Echo had certainly been through a lot. She guessed that his cybernetics were the unfortunate result of the explosion. But that didn't prevent him from being a capable soldier. Besides, he still has his ARC trooper training with him.

✵ ✵ ✵

The starship wreckage creaked and groaned as they all followed behind Rex. They encountered a chunk of debris they would have to climb. Seeing as most of the group consisted of soldiers, the batch and Rex easily scaled the obstacle. Astrid tried her best to pull herself up, but she wasn't quite strong enough to heave her entire body over. 

Luckily, Tech was there. He crouched down from his position at the top and offered her his gloved hand. She gratefully accepted it.

"Thank you," She said quietly feeling heat creep into her cheeks since everyone had witnessed her lack of physical capability. But it wasn't her fault. After all, medics were trained to heal the injured or create medicinal concoctions and certainly not to scale walls of starship debris.

Tech simply nodded and they proceeded on. The others, who were slightly ahead of the two, slid down a smooth slanted surface. Tech followed suit, and then Astrid copied his action. When she reached the bottom, Tech was once again offering her his hand. He helped her up but they noticed Hunter intently staring at the body of water beside them. 

"What is it?" Tech questioned the sergeant.

"Stay above the waterline," Was all he said. Considering that she had never learned to swim, Astrid didn't need to be told twice. The group pressed on and hiked through the wreckage, which was creating an eerie rumbling sound.

Finally, they entered the Jedi Cruiser. Thick wires and cables hung haphazardly across the rusting corridor. Tech was careful to part said hanging objects so Astrid could pass through easily.

"The last time I was aboard one of these," Rex said, "It didn't end so well.

Echo wondered aloud, "If the inhibitor chip isn't something you can control, how'd you get yours out?"

"I," He said hesitantly, "Had help." Rex abruptly halted at the head of the group. Astrid didn't need to see the large body of water to know it was there. She could hear it splash against the debris well enough. 

"Medical bay's at the other end," Rex informed them. The captain observed the surroundings and had an idea. "Wrecker, grab that cable."

"This?" Wrecker said with a nervous tone, "W-Why? W-W-What are you gonna do with it?"

Astrid successfully guessed what his idea might be. And she understood why Wrecker was so anxious.

✵ ✵ ✵

Annika sat, knees pressed against her chest, on one of the Navi-computer seats. She was desperately trying to keep her boots from rhythmically tapping against the seat -- One of her nervous habits. Her master, Plo Koon, was always able to remain unflappable amidst disastrous situations. And he had inspired and taught Annika to react in the same fashion. But in spite of that, Annika found herself simply unable to calm her nerves.

What was the matter with her? She had been trained for this her whole life. And yet, the moment her master was tragically ripped away from her, it seemed that her training was also beginning to fade. She never realized how much she had depended on her master until now. And without the kind and fatherly security he had constantly provided for her, she felt utterly alone in a heartless galaxy.

Except, she wasn't alone. 

She had her sister, who though usually displayed a timid demeanor, had provided her unwavering support the moment they reunited. She also had the Bad Batch. She smiled at the thought of their diverse personalities. They had accepted Annika and Astrid as their own, despite Annika being a Jedi, wanted from the Empire.

Annika thought about the others and what they might be doing at that moment. Suddenly, a sinking feeling twisted her gut.

Something wasn't right.

She thought of the mission objective -- to remove the inhibitor chips. The sickening feeling in her stomach brought chills to her arms.

What was happening? Were the others okay?

But Annika knew. Something was terribly wrong. For she had had the very same nauseating feeling just before the horrendous Order 66 forever scarred the galaxy.

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───⋮✧