Chapter 8 - Bracca

Author's Note: I saw this tumblr post once about why Hunter grew his hair out and I've totally accepted that as my headcanon – basically, the regs made fun of his brothers for looking different, and Hunter and Crosshair fought about that when they were little. Crosshair told him he'd never know what it means to look different, so, well, yeah. I figured I should explain that a bit, because it's gonna be talked about.

~ Rivana Rita

Cid never warned them about the guardian police droids, but they've faced actually dangerous odds before. That's not what this is.

Wrecker is unhappy about how high they have to climb, but no one else replies to it.

"Crosshair, Omega," Echo says, turning to them they crouch on a walkway in the factory, "Up top. The rest of us will go after the droid."

Crosshair nods and keeps climbing. Omega follows, sticking close.

His head is throbbing again. It's been doing that for fifteen days, too, on and off. It's worse right now, a constant, grating, shooting pain in his head. He should've taken something to keep it down before the mission. Could have. Didn't. Clearly, it's getting enough to affect his judgment. That's – probably not good. Definitely not good.

Omega is scanning the factory with macrobinoculars beside him. "Found it," she says – how did she see it before Crosshair did? "Sort of. The droid's already in pieces."

"Is the head intact?" Tech asks.

"Affirmative," she replies, and that's when he finally spots it. It's just a moment before someone else – dressed as a worker – runs past, picking up the droid head and taking off. "Wait!" she yelps, "Someone just ran off with the droid head."

"I see it," Crosshair tells the others.

"I'm on it," Omega starts, bolting, but Crosshair reaches out to grab her arm and pull her back. It's becoming second nature to keep her close and out of trouble.

"Stay," he tells her sharply.

"No," Echo replies firmly to her, "Omega, stay where you are. Wrecker, get on it. Hurry."

She comes back to his side, deflating a bit. "Do you do anything but stand here?"

He side-eyes her for a moment, not that she can see through his helmet, anyway. Omega is a child. She doesn't know what this is like. It's all about... excitement for her. Just like Wrecker. "Yes."

Omega's a bit of all of them. She has Hunter's softness, Echo's passion, Tech's brilliance, Wrecker's energy, and Crosshair's stubbornness.

"Lesson one is patience."

"How can you just stand there?" Omega demands, "We can't fail this mission."

"We won't," Crosshair tells her flatly, scanning the facility. Wrecker is pursuing the two workers trying to get the droid head out, though he has his doubts that they're actual workers.

"But..."

"Do you trust us?" He already knows the answer, but he needs her to think.

"Yeah," she answers instantly, "Of course."

"Then trust we can do this." It's not so simple. He knows that. But it's also the truth.

And that, predictably, is when a blaster goes off and all chaos breaks loose. The alarms go off, and police droids start pouring in, and all other entrances are closed off.

"This is when we're needed," Crosshair informs her, "Keep your arms steady. Cover from the other side."

"At this range?" She sounds freaked out.

"Yes." If she wasn't so tiny, he'd suggest they get armor and a decent helmet for her. She needs one, badly. Armor at least offers a fair amount of protection, and Omega doesn't have any right now. She can't even shoot her bow properly.

But Omega draws her bow, anyway.

The droids, of course, see their spot eventually. He hears them approaching from the other way as Echo's voice crackles through their comm. "Crosshair, get to the main control panel. We have to reboot the whole facility."

Annoying, definitely, considering he's with Omega, and he can't take her with him. But he can't leave her here either, can he?

Not straight in the line of fire.

Maybe it's the noise, or maybe it's something else, or maybe – likely, that he has to dodge avoid the corner to avoid the police droids at the same moment, but the cable misfires just marginally. He doesn't have time to worry about it, though. "Come on, kid," he says – why does he suddenly feel so... distant? Now is not the time to space out, for any reason – and picks her up one-armed. Omega lets out a slight yelp of surprise but reattaches her bow to the strap on her back and clings into him as they go across.

The drop below them is... long.

That would've bothered Wrecker. It doesn't bother him.

Maybe it's that he had to stop to get Omega off first, and that he didn't properly calculate timing for the first time in a very long time, but somehow, he ends up slamming headfirst into the control.

That always would have hurt, but the pain that it sends jarring through his head is crippling. They have helmets to protect them from these injuries, so he doesn't know why... why it's so bad. Or why it keeps happening. Never happens to anyone else.

But the pain whites out his vision, but he hears blasters firing, and sees Omega shooting the droids behind them, and instincts purely from years of training kick in. Crosshair pulls the lever down, and he should tell Echo about that.

But everything feels too... far away. Too distant. Danger. Enemy, his mind whispers, and Crosshair automatically reacts to those instincts. That's all he is – all he's ever had. He draws his rifle again, anyway, even if it feels like he's on the verge of passing out and takes out the last police droid across from them.

He tries to brace himself against the central control but ends up sliding onto the floor anyway somewhere along the way. He's not really sure how, but everything is sort of... fogging over. Still, it feels like he needs to get back up anyway, needs to... something.

Someone is calling his name far away. The kid. Omega.

It's taking him an embarrassingly long time to even remember her name right now. There's something... he needs to do, and it's – Important.

It's a mission, it's – something. Kaller, the Jedi, Onderon, the traitors – the mission. They don't fail their missions. They didn't fail missions until then. Good soldiers – no. Their orders were wrong, and they didn't make sense but –

"Crosshair! Wake up!"

Good soldiers follow orders –

He and his brothers aren't traitors.

The Empire is everything the Republic was working against.

But through the strange fuzziness in his mind, he can't shake the urge to – to hurt them. They're his brothers and this is so overwhelmingly wrong, but he can't stop it. It's a constant screaming in his mind and nothing makes sense.

Someone's calling him again. Even mostly out of it, he'd recognize that light smoothness and accent anywhere – it's Tech. Tech is calling him. They need him.

They're traitors.

Good soldiers follow orders.

Terminate them.

No. No, he can't do that. He can't hurt them – but they're traitors and –

Everything blacks out around them, has been for a while, but Crosshair is finally pulled back to himself again by Omega's urgent voice. "Crosshair, wake up. We need your help."

(It's something about her voice, he thinks, that makes him respond. Something about her is... different. She's a child. They have to protect her, and now, that always comes first.)

He pushes himself up a bit, head still pounding, but feeling more like himself. More real, more present, more... in control. Omega's talking through their comm, already having rejoined the others. She sounds scared though. (She should be. For a moment, he could swear he was about to lash out at her, no matter her age or – or anything.) "I'm on my way," he tells the others, pushing himself upright. Everything is still spinning a bit, but it's... better than earlier. Whatever that was – it's over for now.

He'll worry about what it was after they're safely heading back to Ord Mantell.

Down below, Tech, Omega, and one of the workers who they seem to have teamed up with are working on something together. Wrecker and Echo are trying to cover for them, but they're being overwhelmed, and the police droids are closing in too fast.

He shakes the rest of the haze from his mind and gets to work.

It becomes obvious what Tech was doing soon enough, when the battle droids come down to attack the police droids and quickly overwhelm them.

"Never thought I'd see battle droids helping us," Echo says dryly, standing from behind the control center he was taking cover with. "Let's go."

They move out immediately, but the droids are closing in on both sides outside. Wrecker charges the droids in front of them, and Crosshair joins him to provide cover fire. Omega sticks close with them. That's when he hears a somewhat muffled yelp from Tech, and instinctively turns back to look. Echo is moving forwards to cover for Tech, who's mid-standing again, holding the datastick in one hand and a blaster in the other. He usually fights with two. This – this isn't what he's good at.

This doesn't feel like it's what any of them are good at.

There's a very visible black mark on Tech's armor – it took the worst of the shot. He'll be fine.

But still.

They make it the rest of the way without further complications. The other two called their ship in which they board. They don't have time to get all the way to the Marauder with the police droids inbound.

They pull off their helmets once the ship has taken off. Crosshair turns to Echo, waiting. His head is still throbbing. He wants to... sit down, or rest, or something. He's been doing that a lot.

Omega reattaches herself to Crosshair's side. She looks worried, and looks almost knowingly up at Tech. He returns the look, something tight in his usually smooth expression. Crosshair gets the instant feeling he's missing something.

One of the girls turns to them – she looks older, and her hair is longer. "We're keeping the droid head," she says finally.

"No, you're not," Echo throws back. His temper is clearly on a short fuse right now. "What do you want this droid for? Are you Separatist?"

"What about you?" she throws back, "What do you want with it?"

"We were hired to get it," Echo answers shortly.

"And who were you giving it to?"

Something about how she's talking is condescending, and it angers him. Crosshair always used to stand up for his brothers before, and that isn't going to change now, especially when his own temper is already on a short fuse. "What do you want with it?" Crosshair snaps, stepping forwards.

"First of all, that's not your business," she retorts.

"Our contact needed that information to fight back against the Empire. They're trying to help people and make things better," the other girl answers.

They are... somewhat on the same side, then, though Crosshair is still cautious. They may not be outright hostile right now, but they still could have blown the mission.

"Why aren't you fighting for the Empire? Isn't that what you clones do now?" the older girl asks.

"We have other priorities," Tech replies.

"Other priorities, huh?" she queries. Her tone is rough, judging, and Crosshair glares at her for it.

"Give us a moment," Echo tells her shortly before Crosshair can throw back an even more cutting remark. "This means there are other clones out there," he tells them, quietly. "We have to help them."

"Might I remind you that we are still low on rations and fuel?" Tech reminds.

"We have to give Cid the droid head," Echo agrees, "It's the only way for us to get closer to finding Rex."

"I copied the droid's intel onto the data rod," Tech says, "Technically, we have two copies."

"Then we can give them the other one," Echo replies, "We have to do this."

"How do we know they're not Separatist?" Crosshair interjects.

"Technically, there are no Separatists anymore," Tech points out, which is fair. "The war is over."

"The Separatists are as corrupt as the Empire," Echo argues, "But they're not currently a threat at the moment. But it sounds like those people are working with clones."

On that note... "They may have a link to Rex," Crosshair suggests.

The younger girl approaches them. "You... know Rex?" she asks, slightly cautiously.

"We're looking for him. You know him?" Echo inquires. He sounds... almost hopeful.

"A clone?" she inquires, and Echo nods. "We're working for him."

It's ironic how they found him entirely by accident. "We need a way to contact him," Echo says firmly.

"We can tell him a place to meet you," the elder offers, appearing in the doorway.

Right now, that's probably the most they can ask for.

**w**

Omega is... worried. Very worried, actually. She doesn't think Crosshair realizes it, but he was talking – fragmented broken sentences – on Corellia when he nearly knocked himself out. And based on that, she can't help wondering if – if she was right, and somehow, his inhibitor chip is acting up.

They can't lose him, too.

Omega might not have known the older Hunter, but she still feels his loss as a deep, constant ache in her heart. They can't lose Crosshair, too.

She's scared. She can't help it. Omega waits until she's certain Crosshair and Wrecker are off on their ranks and out of earshot before tiptoeing down from her room. "Echo, Tech, I need to talk to you," she says.

"What's wrong, Omega?" Echo asks.

She casts a glance towards their room before moving a little closer. "On Corellia," she explains quietly, "Something happened. When we were going over to the main control panel, Crosshair hit his head again. That's why he was gone so long."

Echo glances at Tech, who hasn't looked away from her. "You are still concerned about his inhibitor chip?" Tech deduces.

"Very," Omega answers, "He was talking a lot."

"What was he saying?" Echo inquires. It's hard to read him sometimes. She doesn't know him the same as the others, but somehow, she doesn't think he fully understands.

"Mostly, he kept repeating 'good soldiers follow orders.'"

This time, Tech straightens a bit, looking at Echo. "Hunter kept repeating that," Tech says.

"And you think Crosshair's could be activating now?" Echo inquires, looking slightly anxious.

"It is theoretically possible that they can still activate as long as they are in us," Tech replies.

"Then we have to get them out."

"Where?" Omega asks. She doesn't know much about that type of surgery because Nala Se had no reason to teach her. All she does know is that it's... complicated. And it's not something they can do easily on the Marauder. "Won't we need a secure facility somewhere?"

"Then we better hope Rex can help us find one," Echo answers.

**w**

Rex arrives only a few days later. Crosshair isn't half as surprised to see him as Wrecker is. Rex was, allegedly, assumed killed in action, which makes it easier for him to work. That's not true for the rest of Clone Force 99 – the Empire is actively looking for them, and nowhere they go will truly be safe.

"Tech, I need one of those med patches," Wrecker says, turning to him. Personally, Crosshair thinks he needs them just as much. He's been sparing about it, but something is... wrong. He knows that. Just doesn't know what to make of it. He knows what it is, but it's not something he's mentioned.

"You used the last one," Tech replies.

"What's wrong?" Rex inquires. He sounds wary, cautious.

"Nothing," Wrecker assures, "It's just a headache." Crosshair should tell him what's wrong, or at least what he's afraid is wrong. He just – doesn't want to... something. His own head is throbbing again. He's just... trying to ignore it. That only goes so far, though.

"Which are becoming more and more frequent," Echo interjects.

"Is that so?" Rex asks. Something in his posture has visibly tensed.

"I suspect it may have some connection to their inhibitor chips," Tech replies, "But our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality, except in Hunter."

"You're telling me you haven't removed your chips?" Rex demands, his hand moving slightly towards his blaster.

Crosshair instantly goes on full alert. He doesn't think Rex would attack them – he doesn't know why he would – but he can't help being cautious. Rex is, well, apart from his flaws – Crosshair is still upset that Rex was willing to leave Cody behind first thing on Anaxes, when he was injured, instead of staying with him or waiting until he ensured he was cared for – a good person. They can trust him. He's not the same as most of the regs.

"We were planning to at the soonest opportunity," Echo soothes, standing and setting down his drink.

Crosshair glances at him. They... were? He doesn't remember ever talking about it.

"Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even her," Rex says, jerking his head towards Omega, who's standing next to him. She looks scared. The last time Crosshair saw that look on her face, he nearly killed her. He could have. He would've. If... it would have been so easy.

He looks away just as fast, though guilt is something he's long become accustomed to. It took him a long time to look Hunter in the eye when they were younger, and Hunter just started growing his hair out, because that was... Crosshair's fault. They argued, and he just... snapped, and said things he never meant to. Hunter looked like the regs when none of his brothers did, and Crosshair had... envied that. He couldn't help it. "You'll never know what it's like to look different," Crosshair had snarled at him, and Hunter looked like he'd been slapped.

Crosshair certainly felt like he hit him.

And it'd taken him a long time to look at Wrecker again after the explosion.

"You're all ticking time bombs," Rex continues, "What's in your head is more dangerous than you can imagine. I've seen what happens when the chip activates, and I don't want to bury any more of our brothers. Trust me. It is not something you can control. I couldn't." He looks away, a heavily layered guilt in his eyes.

He must have been with the Jedi, Crosshair realizes suddenly, something sharply twisting inside him. His General. Is... what happened to General Skywalker for real? The reports say he's dead. Is he really, though? They have no way to know, and they can't afford to hope. But someone must have saved Rex. Or... was it his Commander? But she left the army, didn't she?

Because Jedi can leave. They aren't considered deserters if they walk away. He doesn't know why that makes him feel so bitter.

"It's a risk you do not want to take," Rex continues firmly.

"Do you know somewhere we can get them out?" Echo inquires.

Rex hesitates, though most of his tension seems to have drained away. "I'll be in touch," he tells them.

He leaves a few minutes later.

Omega goes over to Wrecker and takes his hand. She still looks worried.

"What now?" Wrecker asks, "We found Rex."

"After our inhibitor chips have been removed, we need to stay and help Rex," Echo replies.

Something... uncomfortable twists inside him. It's not an emotion he can name. "What about the kid?" Crosshair demands, "We can't take her into that." And maybe there's more to it than that, too. He wants to fight, because it's all he's ever done, but at the same time, there's something... more.

He doesn't want to have to fight Hunter. It's bad enough that their brother will no doubt be looking for them.

"The Empire already brought her into it," Echo reminds.

"She's a kid," he argues, "She deserves to live like one. She needs a family. A home."

"I already have both those things," Omega points out, sullenly. When he turns to look down at her, she looks upset.

"We're soldiers," Echo says, "There is no other life for us."

"Crosshair is correct that Omega is not nearly ready for that life," Tech interjects, "She is hardly trained."

"Hey, you'll learn," Wrecker assures her, patting her shoulder.

Sometimes, it's hard to remember that for how both Echo and Crosshair often see a bigger picture, they rarely see things the same. Crosshair is trying to look out for all of them – because Hunter isn't here to do it anymore. Echo is more worried about his duty. His fierce protectiveness is never going to diminish, but still, he's lost many of his brothers before. He was once a reg. He... still operates much like how they do, sometimes, even if he's rogue enough to be one of them.

"Taking Omega there will be dangerous, yes," Echo agrees, sighing, "But we can't hide forever, either."

"There are other concerns to fighting the Empire as well," Tech replies, "How will we acquire necessary supplies? And Hunter will be looking for us."

Echo turns away, expression darkening. "We'll talk about it later," he decides finally, which is probably best.

There isn't anything more they can say – or do – about it. They just have to wait for Rex to come through. Quietly, Crosshair can't help hoping it'll be soon enough. Every moment... counts.

**w**

Wrecker's still grumpy about the surgery. He complains about it the whole way. He went to grumble in the corner after Crosshair finally got annoyed enough to tell him to grow up again. But Wrecker never had that moment where he nearly hurt... everyone, like he did.

Though, if he's being honest, Crosshair is scared, too. He doesn't want them to have to do this, even if he trusts Tech to get it done right. He doesn't want them to cut open his head, either, even if he knows it's necessary. What if it goes wrong? What if it... ruins him? He can't even fully say why it's making him so uncomfortable.

Omega is looking around with wide-eyed awe, the way she still regards so much of what they see. It's kind of adorable, if he's being honest.

They have to be careful, because even if Bracca is a junk planet, the Scrapper Guild is here, and they have patrols all over.

"Fives tried to warn me about the chips," Rex says as they walk, "But I didn't understand at the time."

Fives. Fives was the longest survivor of Domino Squad. He and Echo were... close. Echo hadn't taken it well when he heard Fives was gone. That was... a hard conversation for everyone.

"It's still hard to believe now," Echo replies.

Crosshair thought it was hard to believe when Tech first told them, too. He thought it was the only explanation, but until Corellia, he never truly understood what they were. If... if that's what it was. But he doesn't know what else it could have been.

"How did you boys find out about them?" Rex asks.

"Tech told us about them in theory, but Omega is the one who explained them to us," Echo answers.

Crosshair keeps watch, of course – he doesn't see the Scrappers nearby right now, though that could change any moment. It's so predictable that the danger is actually from below instead of above.

He can't even say how it happened – he was staying on the lookout a distance behind.

Echo was scouting ahead, and somehow, he ended up in the waterline. It's the splashing and very ungraceful yelp that catches his attention. Of course, there's life in the water – some giant creature that has now latched one of its tentacles around Echo and is trying to drag him into the water.

It should have chosen better food. Someone that's not half metal.

Wrecker being Wrecker, jumps after him to try to pull him out, only to get grabbed, too.

Crosshair draws his rifle and fires at it. The creature draws back, roaring.

Rex and Tech fire at it a few times.

The water is dirty, murky, and it's hard to get a clear shot at the creature. And there's no time to wait for one. Echo is... can be damaged by water. It's not something any of them have dared risking. "Wrecker," Crosshair calls to him, "Knife."

Blaster shots aren't going to be enough to deter this creature, not when it's flailing so much.

Wrecker pulls it out and throws it to him instantly. Crosshair fires, sending the blade down at the creature, cutting through its tentacles. Tech instantly moves forwards to help pull Echo up over the edge – no matter what he's good at, he only has one hand. That limits his abilities to a point. For the most part, he can make it work anyway, but sometimes...

That was part of why they had offered Echo to come with them. He may have abilities nothing like the regs anymore, but he still... needs people who would be willing to take care of him. The... 501st was... different than most of the regs, but for the most part, they would never care nor have the patience to do that or give him what he needs.

Nor would they know how to use Echo's skillset properly.

(No one really does anymore. Hunter did. Hunter – always did. He was the only one who fully understood them all and what they were each good at. Not as if that even matters anymore.)

"Next time, let's stay above the waterline," Rex advises, pulling Wrecker to his feet. The bigger clone grumbles his agreement.

**w**

His headache is getting worse again. It's pulsing in and out, in and out. It always does, but it's... something about it feels more real now. It's more... concerning. But soon enough, they won't have to worry about it anymore.

Wrecker's is getting worse, too, and for the first time, Crosshair finds himself wondering if his brother is having the same problem. That's not something he wants to consider. They already lost Hunter.

Wrecker is never happy about Tech scanning him, but something about him now seems... too irritable. Maybe it's just that Crosshair is still on edge after what happened. He's never really been able to calm down. And Wrecker actually shoves him off when Crosshair comes to collect his gear and deposit it on the floor. He's accustomed to his brother's wild mood swings, but everything now feels... different. Tenser.

"Just get it over with," Wrecker grumbles.

He pauses, leaning against the wall, turned away from the others. The light isn't bothering him right now, but it used to. It's instinctive to block it out.

Sometimes, believing the... inhibitor chips is still hard. Very hard. It's not easy to accept that there's something in him and all his brothers and all the clones that can... control them. That he was... made with it. It just seems so... far away. Unreal. He knows it's true – it has to be, but there's still a part of him that wonders.

He understands why Echo is so skeptical.

If it were anyone other than Hunter, Crosshair probably wouldn't have believed it. Unless it was Wrecker, because Wrecker has always blindly followed Hunter. He's chaotic, yes, but he doesn't...

Pain is lancing through his head again, hot and sharp. In and out.

Omega is standing nearby, calling him. At least he thinks she's calling him. This is – it's too much like what just happened on Corellia, and he doesn't like it.

But if Rex is right about what's causing it, it'll be fine soon. He'll be fine soon. He doesn't need to – worry about it. His vision is blurring slightly at the edges, somewhat whited out.

Omega is saying something – she sounds scared. He hears Echo and Rex talking in the background. Tech is working on Wrecker. The surgery will be underway soon, so he opts to ignore the strange part of his mind that whispers this may not be a good thing. (What if it changes them for who and what they are?)

"You boys got lucky," Rex says. Crosshair pushes himself up again, shaking it off. The momentary dizziness at least, has passed. "Very few clones were immune to the effects of Order 66. It's rare."

"A benefit of not being a reg," Crosshair tells him dryly.

"We were with Jedi when it happened," Echo says, glancing at Rex, "The master died, but the padawan escaped."

No one voices that they covered for his escape. Crosshair saw him. Tech and Echo know that. Wrecker does, too. But it's not something he wants to mention, because somehow, even now – even after Hunter tried and nearly succeeded in killing them, he still feels... ashamed of lying to their brother.

Even if it wasn't as though he had a choice.

Tech's quiet but still audible gasp is what instantly draws everyone's attention. Wrecker is gripping his wrist, the one holding a sedative, what looks like far too tightly. And then Wrecker's other hand jerks up, wrapping around his neck. "Wrecker," Tech gasps out, a layered surprise and hurt and fear in his voice, and it's so, so unnerving to see him like that – Tech is always unshakable, unemotional. Everything to him is just facts – he sees very little as more than that.

"You're in direct violation of Order 66," Wrecker snarls, his grip tightening and lifting Tech into the air.

And then the mind-numbing horror that momentarily set over him disappears, instincts kicking in. Crosshair lunges at him, fully intent on tackling him – even if it's most likely just going to get him killed. And Wrecker throws Tech at him. Literally. Hard.

They crash into the wall ungracefully, and without his helmet – he put it and his rifle down a while ago already – his head slams against the wall again.

His vision blurs over entirely, and the pain that shoots through his head is sharp and hot and cutting, and then it just...

It doesn't stop, but something changes. He can't say when or where, or maybe it's just always been there – a part of him, but it's not meant to be, like Rex had said.

Kaller. The Jedi. Onderon – they had orders. Orders they didn't follow, and good soldiers follow orders. And then, that's the only thing that matters.

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