A'N: Credit to Grief - Chapter 1 by klcutting

Echo let out a long, slow sigh as he held Omega. They were in her room, the converted Gunner's Nest at the back of the Havoc Marauder. The nest itself was temperate. The light provided came from fairy lights dangling from the ceiling. The hum of the ship was a constant thing, which Echo found relaxing. He looked down and could see it was calming for Omega. The fabric they were sitting on was soft, warm and comforting, and Echo could smell and taste the carpet, just a rug, which contrasted with the hard metallic floor underneath. He wrinkled his nose slightly at his sister's scent on the carpet, and Echo could notice slight staining on parts of the fabric, which Echo deduced were, hopefully, sweat stains from Omega's frequent nightmares.

He looked down at Omega and saw the tension slowly leaving her body.

This mission had been mentally rough for both of them. The abandoned facility they'd been sent to by Cid was too close to a cross between Sako Minor's holding chambers and Kaminoan Laboratories for either of their liking. Both Echo and Omega had gotten through the mission. However, they'd been close to breakdown through most of it as their old scars had resurfaced.

Once they had returned to the ship, both of them retreated to the gunner's nest, and Echo thanked the Force that their squadmates had let them be. Omega had opened up a little more about what the Kaminoans, or as Echo liked to call them, the Demagolkas, had done to her.

It hadn't been long, but the feelings Omega expressed were something Echo could resonate with, especially as he'd felt similar things while in the facility.

Suddenly, they got another message. Omega frowned in annoyance, and Echo poked his head out of the nest with a similarly annoyed expression.

Almost as soon as it started, Tech broke his transfixed stare at Hyperspace, turned to the communicator and activated it. Cid swam into view.

"I've got another urgent mission for you boys. Sorry about this. I'll double the reward for you if you take it up," Cid stated.

"What is it?" Tech stated as he returned his gaze to hyperspace. Hunter returned his vibroblade to its holder, and Wrecker sat up in his bunk as they turned their attention to Cid.

"A group of Rebels trapped on Krosnosa, and in 24 hours, the Empire plans to raze the planet. Literally. The Empire's cracking down harder and harder on any world that resists their rule," Cid explained, the look of horror on everyone's faces.

"What does that have to do with us?" Hunter enquired.

"Your wayward brother's one of those trapped on the planet," Cid sneered.

"Crosshair?" Hunter ran to the communicator, astonished. When Cid nodded, Hunter fell back.

"Right. We know what we've got to do," Hunter stated to Tech, who nodded without looking.

"Good. I've just sent the coordinates. Please come back safely, alright?" Cid ordered.

"We will," Hunter replied, and the communication ended.

"Looks like we're going to be rescuing Crosshair again," Echo stated to Omega, who looked up at him.

"Really? Maybe this time he'll rejoin us," Omega suggested.

"I don't think he's ready yet. Crosshair has yet to regain everyone's trust, including Tech and especially me," Echo sighed.

"Well, maybe you two can work on that," Omega offered, which made Echo smile slightly.

"Maybe," Echo stated.

"We'd better get ready. We're not far from Krosnosa," Echo heard Hunter call. Echo got up and exited the gunner's nest while Omega changed in privacy.

"Are you two feeling alright?" Hunter asked, concerned by their absence.

"Yeah. We're alright now. The facility was a bit uncomfortable for both of us, but we've worked together to move past it," Echo responded, which got a smile from Hunter.

"Good to know you two are working together on this," he patted Echo on the shoulder. Soon, Omega joined them, fully armoured and with her bow on her back, carrying her helmet under her arm.

"Now arriving at Krosnosa," Tech stated, not turning from the cockpit as he moved to bring the ship out of hyperspace.

The squad took their seats, and Tech brought them out of Hyperspace. They spotted a Quasar carrier in orbit, but that seemed to be the only ship.

"This is eerie. How do we know there isn't a Star Destroyer waiting in the next system" Echo asked.

"We can outrun a Star Destroyer, and the fighters are currently on the other side of the planet from our destination," Tech stated. "Engage the scrambler, and we'll be able to bypass the Quasar easily,"

"Alright," Echo replied, and he headed for the cockpit and started work. It didn't take long to scramble the signature, making it look like a freighter on scanners. As a result, they were able to bypass the Quasar and make their way into the planetary atmosphere.

And here, Tech immediately registered mass lightning storms.

"Strap up. The landing is going to be rough," Tech stated as he started flying the Havoc Marauder this way and that, dodging the sprawling lightning as it struck the planet's surface.

"I didn't expect the atmosphere to be this chaotic," Tech started as lightning bolts bounced off the edges. Echo watched Omega, making sure she was OK. He could see Omega was nervous, so he gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned.

Finally, they broke through to the surface of Krosnosa.

The surface was a dark grey colour, cracked and rugged, with many small ravines and crevices that allowed the constant rain to drain away quickly.

"Doesn't seem like there's much room to land," Echo heard Hunter tell Tech.

"We're fine. I've found a safe location. Or at least as safe as anywhere in this godforsaken world," Tech admitted as he brought the Havoc Marauder into a landing on a relatively flat, rough formation near the entrance to a large hill.

"We're here," Teche powered down the ship and left the cockpit. Everyone got their helmets on and prepared to move out.

"This rain is going to complicate things," Hunter stated.

"Make sure not to slip on the ground," Echo retorted as they prepared to exit. Tech opens the door of the Marauder.

Echo exits the ship and senses the torrential rain, and hears thunder cracks overhead.

He can smell and taste the rain and the Andesite surface. It was a sight, with no sun and endless rain. It's colder than on the ship, and because the star hid behind the cloud, it's impossible to tell the time of day. Echo noticed that even the rock here was cracked and unstable.

"You'd better find another spot, Tech. The place doesn't look safe," Echo stated.

"Impossible. This place is one of the most stable parts of the planet. I'm not sure where the rebels are hiding" Tech adjusted his glasses before everyone ran out of the Marauder and towards the hill. Despite Echo's concerns, everyone avoided slipping on the wet ground before they reached their destination, an entrance near the bottom.

"There looks like a cave entrance," Tech stated as he ran over to it. Wrecker climbed up first, and he helped the other squad members climb up to the entrance.

Almost as soon as they got in, the change in terrain caught Omega off-guard, causing her to slip and fall on her side.

"You OK, Omega?" Echo called, worried, running over to check on her, the other squad members close behind.

"I'm OK. Just lost grip on the change of rock," Omega admitted as she let Echo help her to her feet. Thankfully Omega was unhurt.

"Lights," Hunter stated, and the squad turned on the lights on their helmets, illuminating their path.

The Andesite here was drier, as was the air. It was warmer inside the hill than outside. Stalactites and Stalagmites litter the ceiling and floor of the cave, respectively, and Echo smelt and tasted the weather and the stone of the ground and could sense the individuals they could rescue.

He saw Hunter kneel on the ground, sensing the surroundings. He was planning to track the survivors.

"I don't like the look of this place," Echo admitted as he looked around. The lights lit up deep ravines, huge Stalactites, and rocky terrain that would be difficult to navigate.

"Where do we even begin?" Echo asked. A voice sneered from nearby, "I should've expected you."

Everyone turned around and spotted Crosshair waving at them from nearby.

"What are you doing here, Crosshair?" Echo wondered.

"I could ask you the same thing. But if I had to guess, Cid?" Crosshair sneered as he revealed himself into everyone's lights.

"Of course," Tech stated.

"Where are the rebels?" Hunter asked.

"Follow me. And watch for Cave Spiders," Crosshair sneered. The batch looked at each other, then followed Crosshair further in.

As the squad made their way through the rocky, unstable cave, the feeling of foreboding increased. How long had they been down here? What were they going to encounter?

Crosshair suddenly stopped, and the Batch stopped behind him. Hunter could sense the approach of an animal.

"Cave Spider?" he whispered to Crosshair, who shook his head.

Suddenly, slowly moving along, a creature made almost entirely of spiky rock walked past them. It was about 10 feet long and three feet tall, with four thick, rock-like pillars for legs, each about a foot tall. Blunt, clawed feet dug through the rough Andesite. Many small, spiked rocks covered the back, sides and tail. The creature was blind, and as it moved past, it emitted a low grunt. After a few moments, it continued past them and down another path.

'Spiked Cave Boar. You'll be fine if you stay out of their way and don't make too much noise. They're usually passive but turn aggressive when confronted with loud noises," Crosshair stated as they let the beast pass.

"Whoa!" Omega said quietly, never having seen anything like it.

Once the Boar had moved on, Crosshair led the squad into the cave.

They walked for another ten minutes before the cave opened into a cavern. Inside were a group of Humans, Twi'leks, Togrutas, Pantorans, and several other species huddling together. Two large, imposing Wookies flanked either side of the group. They immediately drew their bowcasters as Crosshair approached.

"Stand down. I've brought back up," Crosshair sneered, and as the Batch came into view, the Wookies put their weapons down.

The cavern looked several stories high. The Andesite cavern was rough and slippery. The smell and taste of relief washing over the refugees were palpable, combined with the smell and taste of fresh water and algae living within a flowing stream nearby that could be heard from anywhere. The ground was even worse here than in the cave.

"We'll stay up here, Omega. You stay here and provide cover, alright? It's not safe for you here," Echo suggested.

"OK," Omega huffed gently. She knew it was for her protection, and as she looked at the area, she knew it wasn't safe for her shorter frame.

Echo led the squad down to the refugees.

"What's got you trapped down here?" Echo enquired.

"Imperials have blocked the path to the extraction point," one of the humans stated.

"Well, I guess we've got our mission," Hunter stated.

"Then let's move out. Which cave are the Imperials in?" Echo asked. Crosshair pointed to a large, narrow cave that seemed significantly smoothed out compared to the others.

"That's how we came in after we crash-landed on the planet. The Imperials are planning to come with a massive fleet of destroyers to rain fire on the planet. They may destroy it if they hit the wrong spots," a Togruta stated.

"What do you mean, wrong spots?" Echo enquired.

"There are deposits of highly explosive crystals over several places. The formations are a billion years old and reach deep into the planet's core. Explosions that deep would tear the planet apart," the Togruta concluded.

Echo and Hunter exchanged looks of alarm.

"We've been down here for four hours. We have fourteen before the Imperials get here," Crosshair stated.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Echo suddenly started to Crosshair.

Crosshair turned to Echo and removed his helmet. He then turned to the side, and Echo saw the scars. Not just from where he got burned on Bracca but also amongst them, one that showed the removal of his inhibitor chip.

"If you can't trust me with the chip out, then you'll never be able to trust me," Crosshair flatly stated. "But if you trust my plan, that'll be enough for now,"

"Do you have a plan?" Echo asked.

"Yes. You can start by hacking into the Imperials communications. See if you can find out where they are," Crosshair sneered, pointing to a holo table nearby.

"Alright. Leave it to me" Echo is sceptical about Crosshair's plan but goes to the holo table and starts hacking.

"As for everyone else, decide if you want to fight the Troopers or protect the civilians. We'll need about half for each," Crosshair sneered to the rest of the squad.

"I'll stay with the civilians," Omega immediately stated. Hunter looked at Wrecker and Tech.

"Which one of you will stay with Omega?" Hunter enquired.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Wrecker excitedly replied. Hunter nodded, and Wrecker and Omega high-fived.

"Focus on the mission. I've got access to the Imperials communications," Echo stated as he returned, looking at Tech as he finished his research on mapping the cave complex.

"They're holding position in these caves. I reckon they're expecting you to go back the way you came. However, there are also troopers in the cave we arrived in. So they know we're here," Echo stated to Crosshair.

"No surprise," Crosshair sneered. He then motioned to the Wookiee guards, and Hunter, Tech, Crosshair and one of the guards made their way towards the cave entrance.

"That doesn't look safe," Omega quivered, nervously watching her brothers move.

"We've got a job to do. Let's hope that the Imperials don't disturb any wildlife," Wrecker boasted, and they followed.

As they enter, the Wookiee guard starts to smooth out the ground, removing stalagmites and smoothing out sudden elevation changes.

"So we've got to cover him while he smooths the path out," Echo wondered.

"Exactly," Crosshair stated. Tech called, "We've got incoming. They've sent a Probe Droid our way,"

"Get down," Crosshair stated, grabbing Echo by the shoulder and pulling him to the ground. And just in time, as the Probe Droid flew straight over the area.

"That was close," Echo admitted after a few moments, "Thanks,"

"Save it. We're not out of danger," Crosshair sneered as he rearmed his sniper rifle.

Suddenly, Echo called, "Crosshair, watch out,"

Crosshair pulled away from his Sniper rifle fast enough to notice the Cave Spiders descending on him. A foot long and wide, they were hairy brown and had a dozen eyes. They were hanging on a black string and looked hungry.

Crosshair flashed the light on his helmet into their eyes. The Spiders scurried away quickly, scared off.

"They're scared of light. That's why they make their homes so deep underground," Crosshair sneered.

"Let's hope they're more of a nuisance to the Empire," Echo stated. Crosshair agreed, and they made their way further up.

Meanwhile, with the civilians,

The atmosphere inside was tense as Omega, the other Wookiee guard, and Wrecker slowly led the civilians towards the cave complex. Omega was nervous, constantly listening out for the warning signs of Imperials. She wished the stream wouldn't be so noisy.

A young child, a blue-skinned Twi'lek male no older than about 4 or 5, wearing a red and black jumpsuit, spotted Omega in her armour. He cautiously approached and asked, "Um, are you a sir or a ma'am? Because your armour looks nice,"

"Hey there, little one. And I'm a girl if you're wondering. And thanks, I designed it myself" Omega removed her helmet and allowed the young boy to look at it.

"Wow! I'd love to have my armour someday," the kid replied, making Omega chuckle.

"Trust me. Enjoy being a kid while you still can. I never got that opportunity, so enjoy what you have. Alright?" Omega kneeled to the kid's level.

"Alright," the kid replied, the part about her never getting the opportunity to be a kid flying over his head before he returned to his parents. Omega got her helmet back on and returned to the front.

"Probe droid," Omega suddenly called, ushering the civilians to the sides of the entrance to the cave. The droid rode out past the civilians and into the cavern.

"Move, fast, now," Omega quietly whispered to the civilians as she and Wrecker ushered them in. Once the Probe Droid started coming back, Omega got out her Zyggerian bow and shot it in the eye, destroying it immediately.

"The droid is out of commission," Omega reported ahead.

Back with Echo and Crosshair

Echo, Tech, Crosshair and the first Wookiee guard get the word on the destruction of the Probe Droid and look at each other.

"How long before the Imperials find out?" Echo asked.

"Not long. We'd better get going," Crosshair sneered. Soon, however, more communications came through.

"What is that thing?" one of the troopers yelled before they heard a roar, and the communications went dead. Then there was a second roar loud enough to be heard in the cave without the communicators.

"Omega, Wrecker, we've got an enraged Spiked Cave Boar incoming! Get the civilians to safety now!" Echo grabbed Tech's comms and ordered into it.

"On it!" Wrecker called back. He turned and saw many of the civilians were scared.

"Do any of you know the charging behaviours of the Spiked Cave Boar?" Wrecker called.

Initially, there wasn't a response. Then, slowly, the kid from earlier walked up to Wrecker and stated, "I don't know too much about the adults, but I avoided a younger one by quickly changing direction and going into a side cave,"

The mother, a young Twi'lek female with a similar shade of skin to her son, then stated, "Just don't climb above, or the Boar may knock you out of the cave and onto its spikes,"

"Tech, have you got our location?" Omega asked.

After a few moments, Crosshair stated through Tech's communicator. "Sounds like they're about a third of the way back down the cave. Between here and there, there's a crossroad. Wrecker, get the Boar to go down the cave that goes left?"

"How do I do that?" Wrecker started.

"The Spiked Cave Boar reacts to sounds and movement. So, be yourself," Tech stated.

"Oh yeah," Wrecker called. He made his way towards the bifurcation.

"Get into there," Crosshair stated, pointing to a nearby cave formation, and he and the Wookiee guard made their way to a nearby cave that seemed to be straight in the path of the oncoming Boar.

"Isn't that the direction the Boar's travelling?" Echo called.

"No. Come here. You'll see," Crosshair sneered. Echo, deciding to put his trust in Crosshair again, followed.

And although the Spikes Cave Boar stopped right in front of where they were hiding, it ran down a nearby cave formation. Straight towards Omega, Wrecker and the civilians, growing and roaring as it did so.

"It can't fit in a cave this small," Crosshair pointed out.

"I just hope Wrecker knows what he's doing," Echo stated.

With Wrecker

Wrecker was making a lot of noise and making a song and dance on the left side of the bifurcation as the Boar approached.

"Whoa! I'm not going to try and wrestle this thing," Wrecker stated as he watched the Boar approach, clapping his hands and yelling out. He knew he had to wait until the last second before jumping away, and Wrecker knew there was a chance he could still get gored or charged.

"Come here, you," Wrecker called as the Boar bared down on him. And, less than ten feet apart, Wrecker dived to the right, his leg missing the Boar's spiked body by less than a metre.

"Whew! That was a close call, Wrecker!" Omega called as she ran up to and hugged him.

"Sorry about that. But we're all safe, right?" Wrecker called as the civilians made their way past, as he returned the hug. The civilians nodded in affirmation.

"Let's catch up. We've fallen well behind," one of the elder Twi'leks stated.

After a while, the two groups linked up as they passed the dead Imperial soldiers.

"I can feel the wind. We're almost out of the cave," Crosshair stated. And once they broke ground, they found the rain had stopped, the wind had calmed, and it was warmer than earlier. The sky was still clouded. The earth was no longer slippery, and the air was sweet to smell and taste.

There were several ships on the plain that spread out before them. The civilians started loading onto them, and Echo turned to Crosshair.

"I put my trust in you. And you showed that you deserved my trust. I may not completely trust you yet, but you've gone a long way to restoring it," Echo stated.

"You were the one I knew I was going to have the most difficult time restoring trust. Good to know that you're starting to trust me again," Crosshair sneered, though he was smiling slightly under the helmet.

"We'd better get these civilians off the planet. Think you can get us back to our ship?" Hunter asked.

"Of course. Get on board," Crosshair stated, and he led the squad to his ship. The civilian ships headed straight for orbit while Crosshair took the team back to the Havoc Marauder.

"Well, this is goodbye for now. I get the feeling we'll be meeting up again," Hunter said once they'd returned to the Havoc Marauder.

"We will," Crosshair nodded before putting a toothpick in his mouth and departing on his ship. The squad returned to the Havoc Marauder and also left.