Summary: "As Tech slowly puts the Marauder into hyperspace, he silently clicks the lock to the cockpit door- no one needs to see him like this, his face unable to hold up its neutral mask." The planet of Daro is behind the Havoc Marauder, Hunter with it. Tech struggles to keep himself together. One-shot. Set after S1E14.
Living A Nightmare
Daro is Tech's worst nightmare come true.
The planet is perhaps a mere speck behind them, likely no more visible than the farthest of stars. Gone.
Hunter's on it.
You left him.
As Tech slowly puts the Marauder into hyperspace, he silently clicks the lock to the cockpit door- no one needs to see him like this, his face unable to hold up its neutral mask. His seat sideways, he pulls his goggles from his face and lightly tosses them onto the copilot seat. Not being able to see isn't even the least he deserves after all of this.
He messed up. Bad.
Hunter- his first real brother- fell.
Omega's horrified voice bounces around Tech's skull, widening the wound in his heart.
This is my fault.
He should have noticed Crosshair's behavior on Kaller, then on Kamino, and Onderon.
He should have known the true function of the inhibitor chips.
He should have kept watch over the power capacitor better.
He should have known that bounty hunters would be sent after Omega.
He should have watched Wrecker more carefully.
He should not have allowed the others to convince him to pilot his ship to Daro.
He should not have tried clone codes in an Imperial base.
He should not have moved the ship without confirming that everyone was on board.
He wants to blame Gregor. He knows it's wrong, so he doesn't.
It's my fault.
Hunter could be dead because of you. Everything he's done for you, and you let him fall right into the hands of the Empire.
He can hear shouting in the main lounge of the ship- Echo and Wrecker arguing, Omega pleading them to stop. Gregor quietly chirps up now and again, trying to ease the situation- Wrecker and Echo tell him to shut his mouth, or else they'll throw him into space.
Do they blame him? They should be mad at me.
Tech's chest hurts, the emotion welling up to be too much.
He grits his teeth, breaths deeply through them. He can't break down. He can't. He's failed Hunter- he's failed them all. He can't mess up again.
You're in charge now, Tech. What are you going to do?
They can't go back to Ord Mantell, not without Hunter. It wouldn't be right. But Tech doesn't know where else to go, so the Marauder simply drifts around.
And then Hunter's comm activates, and Tech knows where they need to go.
They're going home.
Kamino is a bittersweet sight for sore eyes.