A/N: This Chapter will be all over the place. It covers over a month and focuses on Omega, Tech and Crosshair.
Credits for this fic:
klcutting Chapter 11: Armor and Chapter 13: Chipped Omega
rose-of-Gabriel: Toiling with your Own Blood Chapter 5
Also, little bits from Episode 16 of Bad Batch Season 1
Late afternoon a few days after the visit to the restaurant, Cut and Tech is in the Kitchen talking about the Inhibitor Chips. Both of them are seated at the table, lit up by the light in the ceiling. They ignored their partially drunk caff mugs due to the topic of conversation. The ambience is tense, and Tech and Cut can smell and taste it. Cut can feel his hands on his face and the hardness of the chair and floor. Suu did well cleaning the Kitchen after use. Cut noticed Tech had spilled a tiny amount on the table while drinking.
Cut had his elbows on the table, his head half-buried in his hands, struggling to comprehend how lucky he was that he didn't get the Order 66 command while Tech explained everything he knew about the chips, reading from his datapad.
Tech suddenly thought of something. Putting his datapad down, "I've got a question to ask you,"
"What is it?" Cut asked.
"Do you have your inhibitor chip out?" Tech enquired.
Cut turned his head to show the scar, "Yep, it's out. I got it out about the same time you guys did. How about you? All of yours out?"
"Yes. Omega never had one. I know, I checked," Tech stated.
"Yes, though not before Wrecker's triggered," Tech stated.
"What?" Cut asked, shocked. Tech explained everything that happened, and Cut shook his head in disbelief.
"Damn. And to think the same thing with Crosshair," Cut replied.
"What about Omega?"
"She never had an Inhibitor chip put in her," Tech stated.
"Lucky girl," Cut replied, and Tech agreed.
Flashback
Back in the Medical bay on the Venator Class Star Destroyer's medical bay, a temperate environment on the planet Bracca. It is late in the day, though it's mild weather. The only light source comes from the medical chamber and dusty lights dangling from the ceiling. The only sound came from the Medical bay and a couple of the Batch talking with Rex. The smell and taste of decaying metal are everywhere, and the surfaces are cold when held. Omega saw that the ship was a proud vessel back in the day, but only she noticed that the area resembled the Kaminoan labs enough to make her nervous.
Omega looks over to Tech and approaches him nervously as he works on his datapad.
"Hey, Tech? Can you please check something for me?"
"What is it, Omega?" Tech didn't look up from his datapad.
"Well, you know when I said I don't have an inhibitor chip in me?" Omega asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Well, can you please check me? I just want to make sure the Kaminoans didn't put a chip in me at some point," Omega asked.
Tech looked up at her from his datapad, bewildered. He then remembered what had happened with Wrecker, saw how worried Omega looked, and replied, "Alright. If only so I can put your mind at ease, Omega. If you could sit on the chair, please."
Omega nodded and took a seat.
Tech then took the scanner and placed it around Omega's head.
"Due to your age and being a girl, your brain chemistry is different to ours. However, this device should be able to tell if you have a chip or not," Tech stated, which didn't reassure Omega at all. However, after a few moments, Tech showed the confirmation that she didn't have a chip.
"Thanks, Tech," Omega replied as Tech removed the scanner. Omega hugged Tech, who awkwardly returned a half hug for about a second before Omega went to find Hunter.
End Flashback
"She was worried the Kaminoans may have chipped her? But why would they do that?" Cut asked.
Without looking up from his datapad, Tech stated, "To use her as a weapon against us",
"Kriffing Long Necks. Of course, they'd pull that. Wonder why they didn't go ahead and do it?" Cut asked, disgust in his voice.
Tech stated, "It was probably too risky to put it in well after she was born. If they had done it, it would have been from the start,"
"Be glad for that," Cut replied. Looking around, he asked 'Speaking of, where is she?"
"Omega is resting on the shed. Omega was experiencing sensory overload, so I recommended she stay in Hunter's bunk until it calmed down," Tech stated, looking at the wall in the direction of the shed.
As he returned to his datapad, "I'll need to run a concussion check on her soon. It's been a week,"
"Hope it goes well," Cut replied, and Tech nodded in agreement.
Day seven saw Omega in the Living Room. It was a mild, cloudy day. Jek and Shaeeah were off at a friend's place, leaving her alone with a bowl of Mantell Mix as she mindlessly watched the TV. The dim lights were to help keep her from getting overloaded. She could faintly smell caff from one of her brothers in the Kitchen and the slight oak and manure smell from the farm, which she could also faintly taste. The sofa she was sitting on was soft, as was the carpet her feet stood on. She was relaxed, though slightly tense, as Tech had stated earlier that morning that he wanted to check how her concussion was fading. She could sense that Hunter and Echo were out the front, so if something went wrong, they could help.
Sure enough, Tech entered a datapad in one hand and a medkit in the other. He took a seat next to Omega and prepared what he'd need.
Once he was ready, he started checking Omega over.
Omega passed most of the checks, but when they hit the final part, where Omega discovered she was still sensitive to bright lights and loud noises, that's when it started going very wrong, very fast.
"While your Concussion symptoms have improved, your Concussion has not fully cleared up", Tech stated to Omega. And immediately, he regretted that he said it.
"Wait, I failed? No. Please don't process me. I'm not injured, I'm fine, and I'll be a good girl. I'm sorry, please," Omega said.
Before Tech could continue, his voice shaking with regret, "No Omega, you didn't fail," she started repeating those words, her heart rate skyrocketing, and she started hyperventilating and crying. Her head and side start hurting as she curls in on herself.
Tech, with a look of horror, realised what was going on. Omega was experiencing a PTSD attack.
"For Kriff's sake," Tech snapped to himself before he turned around and yelled out, "ECHO! HUNTER!" before trying to calm Omega down, even though he knew he couldn't. He wasn't good with calming down distressed teenagers. That was Hunter's or Echo's job, hence why he called them.
A moment later, Echo and Hunter both enter the Living Room, looks of worry and panic on both of their faces.
"What's going on?" Hunter asked, panicking as he saw Omega curled in on herself, sobbing and hyperventilating.
Tech stated, surprised by the note of panic, regret and rage in his voice, "I just said that she still had some concussion symptoms, and now she's having a full-on meltdown,"
Echo looked to Omega and immediately recognised that she was experiencing a PTSD attack. He raced over and started working to calm Omega down while Tech stormed out.
"Hunter, I've got Omega. You go help Tech," Echo suggested. Hunter wanted to stay with Omega and help take care of her but knew he wasn't the right one to calm Omega down in his situation. So he headed out to find Tech.
Tech was pacing outside, trying to calm down his anger, fear and hurt. He had hurt Omega without meaning to, which worried him.
He was scared Omega would push him away, not wanting to trigger her PTSD. He also was furious at the Kaminoans for what they had done to their sister. What had she seen that traumatised her so much that one sentence was enough to trigger an attack? Tech held his head. The stress headache was back from his mind racing at the speed of light.
Hunter found Tech and put a hand on his shoulder, allowing Tech to ground himself in reality.
Tech noticed the cool air, the cloudy sky, and the soft ground he was standing on, right next to the pile of manure Cut used on his farm, which he could taste and smell. It allowed him to ground himself a bit more. He looked at Hunter and saw a concerned look on his face.
"What happened?" Hunter asked, his voice sounding concerned. Tech took a deep breath and explained how he had been checking Omega's concussion, and when he said that her concussion hadn't fully cleared up, she started repeating, 'No, please don't process me. I'm not injured, I'm fine, I'll be a good girl, I'm sorry, please' and she had curled into a ball, holding her head and side, crying and hyperventilating.
Hunter listened in, feeling himself getting angrier and angrier at the Kaminoans, especially at Nala Se and Lama Su, as Tech talked. Pushing them down, he put a hand on Tech's shoulder and said, "I can tell you're struggling with your emotions. You used to vent to Crosshair, didn't you"
"Yes," Tech stated. Hunter nodded, then said, "Well, how about you Vent to me?"
"Alright," Tech replied, and he did so. He vents his disappointment in himself for hurting Omega, his fear that she'll push him away because he triggered the attack, his anger at the Kaminoans for doing this to her, and his feeling of wanting to slit their throat for this. And on it went, for several minutes, until eventually, Tech had talked himself hoarse. Hunter listened the whole time but didn't say anything.
Finally, when Tech stopped talking, Hunter looked directly at Tech and asked, "Better?"
"Better. Thanks, Hunter." Tech stated.
"Good. Omega's going to be out here soon. I think you two need to talk to clear the air," Hunter replied, smiling at him.
"Alright," Tech replied. Soon, Omega and Echo exit, and Omega runs up to Tech and hugs him. Tech, non-awkwardly, hugged Omega back.
"I'm sorry I hurt you, Omega. That was not my intention. Nor was it my intention to run your checks as a test," Tech stated, a single tear rolling down his cheek as the pain of having hurt Omega finally overwhelmed him.
Omega sighed, her eyes still full of tears, and she looked up at Tech, "It's OK, Tech. I'm sorry I scared you. It's something I can't control", while they continued to hold each other.
"What will happen to me?" Omega asked.
"Nothing to you. Cut and Suu need to keep the lights dimmed, and we all need to be quieter. All you need to do is just continue taking it easy and getting plenty of rest:" Tech explained, regaining some of his composure.
"Alright, I'll keep doing that," Omega replied. She then watched as Tech pulled his glasses up and wiped a few tears from his eyes.
"You're crying," Omega said, surprised and wonderous.
Tech looked at Omega, "It's fine. I used to vent to Crosshair back in the day. But since we lost him, I've been bottling everything up. Echo helps with Venting and Info dumping, but I need someone else to vent to and open up about how I feel. And Hunter has offered to be that person,"
"You're welcome, Tech. We're a family, and we all need to support each other. That includes you," Hunter replied.
Tech smiled and nodded.
"Again, I'm sorry I upset you, Omega. It was never my intention," Tech stated, taking a deep breath and wiping a couple more tears out of his eyes. Omega, doing similar, replied, "It's OK, Tech."
"I promise I'll be more careful with my word choice, Alright?" Tech stated. Omega nodded in agreement.
"You did well there, Tech. Well done. And, judging by the tears you probably haven't shed for years, I'm happy that you're finally starting to open. I've been saying that for ages. It's OK to cry. It's OK to scream at the sky. And it's OK to give and accept Physical affection," Hunter said, ruffling Omega's hair. Tech smiled at Hunter, then said, "You're going to be OK, Omega?"
"Yes. Echo and I will have our long conversation soon, and it will be emotionally intense. But hopefully, I'll be able to start being open about everything," Omega replied.
Tech nodded and turned to Echo, "It's going to take a while. And this is likely going to be very upsetting. But this is another way we're going to help Omega cope with her trauma,"
"Alright. I wish you both good luck with that, Tech. If you want to keep talking to me, just say so," Hunter replied.
Tech nodded and let Omega go.
"I'll get some rest before Jek and Shaeeah gets back. I would talk to Alejandro, but he said not until I've got the all-clear. Maybe I could seek him out later, and we can talk for a while," Omega wondered. Smiling, Hunter replied, "So long as someone's keeping an eye on things, sure,"
"Alright," Omega replied before she headed inside and soon was asleep on the couch. Tech turned to Hunter, nodded, and he and Tech went off on a walk to continue talking while Echo entered the Living Room to ensure Omega was comfortable.
A few days later, after Omega gets the all-clear, Tech is in the Havoc Marauder, giving it a check over. It was a warm day for fall on Dantooine, and Tech was certainly feeling it as he worked on various components. The ship itself wasn't humming and groaning due to not operating. Tech, however, could still smell and taste the durasteel that made up the ship, and the electricity still coursing through it. The electronics were soft and malleable, though Tech could feel the electricity still in them. The mechanical components were harder, rougher and sturdier to Tech's touch.
Suddenly, he gets a call. Stopping long enough to answer it, "Tech here, who is it?"
"It's Cid. My parlour's lost power. And I need your help to sort them out," came the Trandoshan's leery voice through the communicator.
"Understood. It shouldn't be hard," Tech stated as he wound up his work on the ship.
"I sure hope not," Cid replied before she ended the communication.
Tech got up, closed the hidden entrance to the underside, then found the rest of the Batch, except Echo, who was walking with Omega and Alejandro and stated, "I'm out for a bit. Cid's Parlour has lost power."
"Cid's Parlour? Well, you'd better get that sorted out," Hunter replied.
"I will. If Omega's wondering where I am, that's what I'm doing."
"Don't worry, we'll tell Omega when she returns," Wrecker boasted.
Tech nodded and returned to the ship. Then, he flew out, heading to Ord Mantell.
After a couple of hours, Tech arrived on Ord Mantell and brought it into a landing.
Cid was waiting for him at the entrance to her parlour and stated, "About time you showed up Goggles!"
"I know, I know, but I set out as soon as I could, and Dantooine isn't close by," Tech stated.
"Fine. I guess. How is everyone?" Cid stated as she led Tech into the parlour.
The parlour was dingy and warm, with the only light of the parlour coming from Cid's light. There were no customers there, so the senses of taste and smell were dominated by dirt and alcohol. It was a foreboding place when nobody was around, and Tech couldn't help but feel the sense of abandonment the parlour now had. It was also colder inside than outside, and any wind from outside died long before it got in here.
"Pretty good. Omega had a rough time. Not only have the night terrors returned, but I triggered a PTSD attack a few days ago," Tech stated.
"Yikes, that's not good for Tiny. I hope you apologised to her," Cid replied, staring intently at Tech.
"I did. And we talked things out, plus I vented to Hunter for a while,"
"Good," Cid stated. Tech "Oh, she's made a friend. A Togruta male a year or two older than her, who's helping her to cope,"
"Ah, lovely to hear," Cid replied.
Once they entered, Tec noted that little had changed in Cid's parlour since the last time they visited, although the box of Spice was no longer there. There were no lights here either, so Cid's light was the only light source in the entire building. The dinginess in the smell and taste of the office were familiar to Tech, except for no hum from the holo table.
There was a taste of alcohol and spice in the air, and Tech couldn't help but notice a tiny model of the Havoc Marauder on the wall behind her.
Cid stated, "So, what do you think it is?"
"Well, what caused it?" Tech enquired.
Cid replied, "I plugged something in, and all the power vanished. I've lost my customers because of it, so I'm already losing money."
"Sounds like a Circuit Breaker may have been tripped. Where's your circuit breaker?" Tech asked.
Cid stated, "In my office, follow me, Goggles." Tech followed Cid to her office.
When they arrived, Cid opened the Circuit Breaker, and Tech went to check it.
However, when Tech checked the circuit breaker, he found it was untripped.
"Well, I thought it was obvious. But guess it wasn't that." Tech admitted.
Cid leered at Tech and sneered, "What else could it be Goggles?"
"Maybe one of the fuses has blown. Do you know where they are?" Tech stated
Cid responded, "They're over here," Tech followed her to the fuse box.
Sure enough, when Tech checked the fuse, he was unsurprised to learn it had blown.
"How often does this happen?" Tech asked.
"More often than I like," Cid admitted, shrugging in frustration.
"Did you install a new appliance recently?" Tech asked.
Cid replied by nodding.
"That'll do it. You need to redistribute the electricity going through your parlour to reduce the load on your Fuses and Circuit Breakers," Tech stated as he went to work,
"English, Goggles."
"You need to change the electrical load on your fuses and circuit breakers," Tech stated.
Cid leered, "And how do I do that?"
As Tech changed the fuse, he replied, "Move the appliance to another outlet."
"Alright, that shouldn't be too hard," Cid replied. She turned back to Tech, "So, are you done?"
"Just finished. Try now" when Cid unplugged the Fridge, she turned the power back on, and everything started again.
"Alright. I'll get some people to move the new Fridge to avoid more power surges. Here you go, Goggles," Cid stated and gave Tech a decent number of credits.
"Thank you, Cid," Tech stated.
"You finished? You'd better get back to Dantooine. And say hi to Bandana, Muscles, Tiny and Scomp Link for me, alright?"
"Alright," Tech replied, and he departed.
A few nights later, Echo was sitting out the back, still deep in thought about what Omega had said to him during their first talk. It was a cold night, and Echo had wrapped himself in a blue blanket to keep warm. It felt nice and soft, complimented by the soft ground he was sitting on. The slight smell and taste of the farm were calming to Echo, as was the beautiful night sky. The plains of Dantooine rolled out in front of Echo, and he felt at peace. At least for now.
Suddenly, he noticed Rex approaching, and he looked concerned about something.
"What's up?" Rex asked.
"Not much. Anything you want to talk about?" Echo replied.
"Actually, yes," Rex replied, a significant look on his face.
"Is it related to Fives?"
"Yes. It's about something else I've discovered, since going through the files, about those Inhibitor Chips," Rex replied.
Echo nodded and stated, "How much did Fives discover?"
"A lot. And not just about Order 66. But other orders. Including one that might have just saved the Republic," Rex replied grimly.
"If only Fives didn't die. Alright, let's hear it," Echo said.
Rex took a seat next to Echo.
"One quick thing before we start. You cannot tell the other Batchers about what we're talking about tonight. I don't yet have all the details, and anyone else knowing would cause more problems than it would solve," Rex said.
Echo asked, "Why do you want to talk to me, though?"
"Because you were best friends with Fives. He would have trusted you with the information. And that means I can trust you as well," Rex replied.
"Thanks for showing such confidence and trust in me, Rex. Wish I could give the same to Crosshair," Echo replied.
Rex nodded, "If his chip is out, he'll be back eventually,"
"I hope so, too," Echo responded.
Rex then started with, "So, as I suspected, there are far more than Order 66. It turns out there are 150 of them,"
"150?" Echo asked, flabbergasted, before continuing with, "What do they cover?"
'Well, there's Order 4, which covers what happens if the Supreme Chancellor is incapacitated, in which case the Vice-Chair or the Senate would have taken over," Rex stated.
"Understandable"
"Order 5, which is pretty much the same as Order 4, except it's if the Supreme Chancellor is declared unfit to give orders," Rex continued.
Rex then sighed and stated, "Order 65 would have seen the Chancellor executed by the Clones as a traitor,"
"Whoa. Right next to Order 66. That could have activated too. All too easily," Echo replied, shaking his head. Rex then chuckles a bit, and Echo asks, "What's so funny?"
"Order 6. It's basically about compromised communications and instructs the Clones to throw their communicators away as fast as possible,"
"OK, that's kinda funny," Echo replied, chuckling slightly. Then Rex's face went dark.
"Now what?" Echo asked, unnerved.
Rex replied, "An order worse than Order 66."
"How could there be an order worse than Order 66? Especially after what happened with Wrecker and Crosshair?" Echo asked, puzzled.
"Order 37. A mass arrest of an entire civilian population, threatening execution if one wanted individual doesn't hand themselves over," Rex replied.
"What? That's much worse than Order 66. That's barbaric," Echo replied, angry and bitter. Rex sighed and stated, "I'm trying to find information on the location of a deserter Kaminoan named Kuan Si. He's the Kaminoan equivalent of Tech. Once I have him, we can work together to deactivate those chips.''
"This is what you want to keep from everyone except me?" Echo asked.
Rex replied, "Sort of. You can speak about a Rogue Kaminoan. If you find him, notify me. But that's it"
"OK," Echo replied, still unnerved. He then got an idea.
"Hey Rex, is there an Order 69?" Echo asked.
Rex looked at Echo, puzzled, before smiling, "Order 69 exists. What it's about, though, Fives didn't seem to find out."
"OK. The number's connotations, I wonder if those connotations are involved in the Order."
"Potentially," Rex replied. He then asked, "Where's Omega?"
"Talking with her new friend, Alejandro. She's been talking with him every couple of days, and they've helped her cope. We've had one conversation about our trauma. We're having another one in a few days. It's turned out that she's as traumatised as we are," Echo replied, and the look of horror on Rex's face was evident.
"Those kriffing Demagolkas," Rex growled. He took a few breaths to calm himself.
"I wish you good luck with that. It won't be easy, but it'll help both of you long term. You've got this," Rex put a hand on Echo's shoulder and smiled at him, which he returned.
"One final thing. Have you got any information on Commander Cody?" Rex enquired
"No. We think Cody's part of the Empire, but we have no evidence." Echo replied.
Rex then stated, "Noted. I want to get the chip out of his head,"
He sighed and got up, "I'd better get going. I'll see you around, Echo,"
"Alright. Hope you find your Jedi girlfriend," Echo teased.
Rex shook his head, laughing, "She isn't my girlfriend, but I get what you mean. I hope to see Ahsoka again soon. See ya", and he departed.
Echo sighed and said, "Those chips get more and more horrible," before heading inside.
Meanwhile, Crosshair
Crosshair has been on the hard landing pad for a couple of rotations now, having nothing to look at except the endless water and the burning remains of Tipoca City. The smell and taste of the burning ruin, combined with the sea, was something Crosshair hated. He kept his helmet on most of the day, trying to avoid sunburn. Nothing to watch except the City continue to descend into the water. How boring.
He's now regretting not at least getting the Batch to drop him off on Scarif, especially as it's starting to look like the Empire isn't coming back for him.
Hunter's and Omega's words are rattling inside his head.
"Don't fool yourself. All you'll ever be to the Empire is a number", and "You're still their brother Crosshair. You're my brother too".
Crosshair shakes his head, trying to stop the lines from rattling around. At that moment, he sees Scout Ships fly overhead. After surveying the wreckage of Tipoca City, one spots him and lands.
"The Commander is on the pad. Get him on board," one of the soldiers said, and when the door opened, Crosshair slowly followed the Soldiers onto the craft before it departed.
As he sat in the barracks of the Venator Class Star Destroyer taking him back to Coruscant, Crosshair couldn't help but notice the shiny silver walls and the mild climate on the ship. He couldn't tell what time it was, nor the season, but at least staring at the wall, or the bunks, was a nice change of pace for Crosshair from looking at the endless sky, sea, or a burning city. He sighed as he laid back on the bed. He could smell the previous Regs that had occupied it, which displeased him. He could taste the metal of the ship and the materials of the blankets, pillow and bed itself. The Venator was quiet except for the hum of the engines. Crosshair didn't even have a window to look at hyperspace. Everyone could see the blankets, but only Crosshair's sharp eye was able to notice that there were indeed subtle differences between the beds. That could be different wear patterns.
As Crosshair returned to Coruscant, Crosshair realised that the headaches associated with a partially activated Inhibitor Chip still haunted him. And it is here that Crosshair gets the first inkling of betrayal, that Rampart had lied to him about his Inhibitor Chip.
When they arrived on Coruscant, Admiral Rampart stated, "So, you made it CT-9904,"
"You're surprised?" Crosshair sneered.
"I was sure you had perished in Tipoca City," Rampart stated coolly.
"Well, you were wrong." Crosshair sneered back.
Rampart nodded, "You must report to the medical bay to check for any injuries. Then you're to report to the barracks and meet your new team. You'll be allowed a few days of res. We'll send you out on your next mission,"
"Fine," Crosshair replied, and he followed one of the troopers out.
As it turned out, Crosshair was OK for the most part, with just a few cuts and bruises. After that, he met a group of half a dozen recruits for his new Elite Squad, the remaining members, sans one, killed on Kamino.
"I hope you're more willing to follow orders than the last group were," Crosshair mentioned as he looked them up and down. He judges them OK and then leads them to their new barracks.
"Training starts at 0700. Don't be late," Crosshair sneered before he headed to his private quarters and tried to drive Hunter's and Omega's words out of his head. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.
As it turned out, Crosshair didn't have to worry too much about his new squad. They were capable, and he was glad of that. He set up training programs to make them as effective as possible. It took a few months of training and assignments, but eventually, they were called to their first mission, to eliminate the Separatist Droid Army on Agamar.
"Intelligence reports indicate that the Droid Army on Agamar has reactivated. Your mission is to get into the base and eliminate everyone there. No challengers to the Empire shall rise under my leadership," Rampart stated.
The Elite squadron replied, "Sir, yes, sir," before exiting and getting ready for their mission.
It is here that Crosshair starts to suspect that Hunter may have been right about the Empire's view of him. That, to them, he is just a number.
"Ready, Commander?" one of the squad asked.
Crosshair shook his head and put his helmet on before he replied, "Ready", and the group headed out.
They landed on the rocky surface, covered by dirt. It was mild, the yellow star floating overhead.
Crosshair could see that small animals scurried across the jungle ahead, and the plants wafted in the breeze. Many footprints of Battle Droids were present. And this time, Crosshair had noticed weeks-old bloodstains on the ground.
"Someone's bled here. But I can't tell who or when" Crosshair sneered, to which Iskar stated, "Your enhanced eyesight told you that?"
"Let's move out," the squad made their way towards the base.
Their progress stopped when they neared the Base. They saw a ray shield covering it.
"Swarming with Battle droids and ray shielded. The droids were expecting us. We're going to need a special probe droid to bypass the shield. And a distraction," Crosshair sneered as he looked to the other squadmates.
"On it," Hemric replied, and he departed.
"Hey, you're not authorised to be here! Fire!" one of the B1 Battle Droids stated, and they opened fire, causing the squad to retreat to the forest.
Crosshair took out his Sniper Rifle and struck down the droids one by one as they exited the ray shield in pursuit.
After a few moments, Crosshair had killed all the Droids, just as Hemric returned with the droid.
"Get the Droid to the entrance," Crosshair sneered.
Hemric nodded and got to work. Soon, the ray shield was down, and the squad entered.
Crosshair's team then made their way into the Base.
The air turned slightly stale. Both dried and warmed relative to the outside. The Base lit up with lights stuck to the ceiling. There was a scent of metal in the air, which Crosshair both tasted and smelt. The mechanical finish to the Base is clear, but Crosshair saw far-off battle droids waiting for them.
"Iskar, hack into the computer. And find out where the head of the operation is," Crosshair stated.
Iskar replied, "It will be done, Commander," before hacking into the computer. Watching Iskar reminded Crosshair of Tech, and the headache briefly flared again.
"Crosshair, you alright?" a female trooper asked.
Crosshair replied, "I'll be fine. I get headaches from time to time after being fried on Bracca. Keep this area secure and prepare to move on,"
The female trooper nodded and re-joined the squad on patrol.
After a while, Iskar called, "Got it. There's a tactical droid on the third floor."
"Good. Let's move out," Crosshair replied, and the squad headed out.
As they proceeded further into the base, Crosshair sniped any Battle Droids they encountered before they knew what hit them. Eventually, they reached the elevators.
"I'll handle this," Iskar stated, and he started to work on getting the elevators down. After a few moments, the elevator rides down. The squad gets on, and they've taken to the third floor.
And two Droidekas are waiting for them and immediately open fire, and the team scatters to avoid being hit by their double cannons.
"What do we do?" another Squad member asked.
Crosshair replied, "Distract them. I'll handle this,"
The Squad member nodded and dived out of cover, shooting wildly at the Droidekas. The Droidekas followed his movement, and Crosshair snuck in until he was in the shield. Then destroyed them both.
"Well done, Commander," Iskar said.
Crosshair sneered, "The mission isn't complete. Get the doors open. We have an appointment with a Tactical Droid."
Iskar nodded and got to work. After a couple of minutes, they got the door open.
And discover that the Tactical Droid has done a runner straight through the window.
"Looks like he took the coward's way out," Crosshair sneered before stating to his squad, "Re-activate the signal to disable the droids, then let's get out of here."
Iskar nodded and got to work. Soon, the droids were disabled, and the squad returned to base.
When they returned from Agamar, they headed for Rampart's office.
"Congratulations on your mission. Shame about the Tactical Droid, but at least Agamar is no longer a threat," Rampart said when the squad returned.
"It wasn't too bad. You were right about the droids. We've got to be careful with future engagements," Crosshair stated.
Rampart nodded and replied, "We will. You all deserve some rest", and the squad departed. Crosshair, however, did not.
"Is something wrong, CT 99-04?" Rampart asked. Crosshair thought about it for a few moments, trying to decide how he would approach this. Finally, he stated, "I'm having some headaches that come and go,"
"Well, I'm sure the medics on Coruscant can help you with them," Rampart stated. Crosshair faced him, then retorted, "Coruscant doesn't have the facilities to check me. I need Nala Se to do it,"
"Nala Se? Why?" Rampart asked.
Crosshair approached and stated, "Some Clones have reported issues with post-Inhibitor Chip removal pain. And since Nala Se is the only member of the Kaminoans who oversaw my creation still able to provide treatment, shouldn't she be the one checking me over for any complications?".
Rampart thought about this for a minute or two. If what Crosshair described was potentially life-threatening, he needed to get him to Nala Se. But at the same time, that opens the possibility that he finds out that Rampart lied to him about his damaged Inhibitor chip. Finally, after a minute or two.
Confidence that, even if Crosshair discovered that the Inhibitor Chip was still in his head, he would remain loyal to the Empire, "Alright. Just this once, I will grant your request. A shuttle to Wayland is leaving tomorrow at 0445. Make sure you're there before then."
"Alright," Crosshair replied before he departed as well.
0445 the next day saw Crosshair getting onto the shuttle to Wayland, the headaches, and both Hunter's and Omega's words, still rattling around in his skull. He still couldn't believe that, after everything he'd put her through, Omega was still willing to forgive him. He had never met anyone like that. And Hunter's words, and he was furious at this thought, may have been right about the Empire.
Eventually, they arrived at the lush, semi-tropical planet of Wayland. The planet's forests seemed to go on forever, and Crosshair wondered what was going on at the mountain that stuck up from the surroundings, spacecraft going to and from the spaceport regularly.
"We're here. Remain seated until we land," came a voice over the intercom. Crosshair ensured he strapped in, and the ship landed.
"About time," Crosshair sneered as he got off the shuttle. And a Medical Officer who seemed to be working for Nala Se greeted him.
"CT-9904, aka Crosshair, what brings you here?" the officer asked.
"I need to see Nala Se. I'm having problems with my head. I need it checked. It's urgent, as it's getting worse and is starting to impact my ability to carry out missions."
"Alright, follow me," the Officer replied, and she headed back into the facility with Crosshair following.
After a while, they reached the medical bay. And it was just as raw, white and bland as Crosshair remembered her medical lab on Kamino. The only difference being the droids looked more refined, and the equipment looked more modern.
"Someone to see you, Nala Se," the Officer called in, and soon, Crosshair saw the long-necked female Kaminoan, Nala Se.
"It has been a while, CT-9904 Crosshair. How have you been going?" Nala Se asked softly.
Crosshair growled, "Not well. Admiral Rampart may have lied to me about my inhibitor chip,"
"Is that so? You do know I created them to tame aggression, right?" Nala Se asked.
Crosshair replied, "So I've heard the rumours. But I've been getting intermittent headaches, regularly, since I got fried on Bracca. And they haven't gone away,"
"Where have you been getting them?" Nala Se asked.
Crosshair pointed to the side of his head. Where his Inhibitor chip was and the part of his head blasted by the ion engine.
"Why should I remove your Inhibitor Chip if it's still in?" Nala Se asked.
Crosshair snapped, "The chip may have malfunctioned, and if so, it's damaging my brain,"
"Alright, alright. I'll see if it's there. Follow me," Nala Se replied, and she headed towards the operating theatre, with Crosshair following.
Once they arrived, Nala Se put Crosshair into an MRI Scanner. After a few minutes, Nala Se saw that Crosshair was right. Not only was the Inhibitor Chip still in, but it was starting to turn necrotic.
"Oh, dear. We had better get this chip out immediately. Officer, sedate CT-9904 Crosshair, please," Nala Se stated as Crosshair came out. The Officer nodded and gave Crosshair the sedative. Crosshair was soon out, and the procedure started. It took a little longer than usual, but the extraction was successful.
Crosshair was moved to an observation chamber until he awoke, which he did several hours later.
"You're lucky, CT-9904 Crosshair. The chip had started turning necrotic. What are you going to do now?" Nala Se enquired.
Crosshair replied, "Take some time to rest and recover while I figure out what I'm going to do now that infernal thing isn't killing me,"
"Alright. Take all the time you need. I will inform Admiral Rampart of the successful treatment of your headaches," Nala Se replied.
She departed, leaving Crosshair with only his thoughts.
Two days later, Crosshair returned to Coruscant. Crosshair formed the plan to betray the Empire, hopefully at the worst possible time for them.
The question was, where was he going to go? He couldn't return to his brothers, as there was no trust between them, and that trust break is why he's leaving the Empire. He decided he had to strike out on his own. Steal an Imperial Shuttle to travel the Galaxy. And to start rebuilding the trust with his brothers.
His squad was glad to see him back, having been worried about him. They were talking in their red-and-black bunks but immediately stood to attention.
"The Commander's back. Are you OK?" Iskar asked.
"I feel better than I did. Do we have any missions coming up?" Crosshair replied.
"Yes. A rowdy group of Rebels in Atzerri is causing trouble. We're going to neutralise them," Iskar replied.
Crosshair nodded and stated, "Let's move out," and the squad moved out.
Atzerri was a mix of cities and marshes. The yellow sun hanging high in the sky dazzled them as they arrived. The marshlands were their goal, and when they landed, they exited into the soft, muddy ground. Crosshair smelt and tasted the swampy marshes, plus the life in the area. These would make it hard to avoid footprints, but thanks to Iskar, they used special shoes that allowed them to move.
They made their way towards the rebel outpost, and Crosshair took his position at a nearby tree.
Crosshair decided that once the others had entered the outpost, he'd abandon them and take their shuttle.
The first few Rebels took shots at this, but Crosshair killed them before they could hurt his squadmates. As the others marched on the outpost, Crosshair made his move.
Returning to the ship, he started it. Before the rest of his bewildered squad could do more than exit the outpost and watch on, he took off, leaving them to fight the remaining rebels alone.
"That traitorous bastard," Iskar snapped, a mix of anger and fury.
"We'd better finish this mission, then report this treachery to Rampart. Shows how much the Clones care about the Empire," the female squad member replied, and the squad returned to their mission.
Crosshair, meanwhile, went into hiding on Hosnian Prime and started looking for missions to take, so he could first get a steady income and secondly get information about the possible location of his squad, Clone Force 99. He wasn't going to be able to rejoin them now. But he could work to regain their trust and rejoin them someday. Hope was on the horizon. He just had to survive until then.