Chapter 11 - Ryloth
Author's Note: THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS – no, not yet. But close. *evil grin*
~ Rivana Rita
It's been a few weeks since Bracca, since Raxus, since... Omega was kidnapped. They haven't seen any more from the bounty hunters, though she can't stop worrying, wondering if and when they'll come back next. Her brothers will protect her, of course. She already knows that. And they're slowly starting to settle into something of a routine.
There are... good days and bad. Sometimes, on missions, everyone still freezes up, and she can only suspect it's because of Hunter's absence. No one talks about him, though. She sometimes wishes they would.
They've been avoiding the Empire as much as possible. Omega is certain it'll only be a matter of time before the Empire catches up to them again, but they don't have to push it. Not yet.
Echo seems... upset. It's obvious he wants to fight the Empire, but he's worried about leading the Empire straight to them. Omega can't help feeling like it's... somehow her fault. If she'd stayed on Kamino, if she had been able to tell them right off that they should leave and not come back, they'd have the life they want. And Hunter would be with them.
Even if she would never have seen any of them again.
Omega doesn't meet people that often, but when they go to Ryloth to deliver weapons – for some reason she doesn't quite follow, but it has something to do with the Empire – she finds herself striking up an instant friendship with the Twi'lek girl she meets.
Hera is nothing like Omega's brothers, or anyone she's had time with. She's the first person Omega has ever met that's actually about her age. Her brother's aging makes them different.
So, of course, when she hears that Hera is in possible trouble with the Empire, Omega gives them their comm frequency in case something goes downhill. That's what they're supposed to do, isn't it?
She just didn't expect to get a call so soon.
"The Empire's taken my parents, and they're after me now, too. I'm sending coordinates. Please hurry. I need your help," Hera's hologram says.
"Did you give her our comm channel?" Echo asks, almost incredulously.
"For emergencies only, and that sounded pretty urgent," Omega argues, "We have to go."
"Perhaps the situation is not as dire as described. Children often overreact," Tech interjects.
Omega glares at him. "No, we don't!"
"We'll go," Echo agrees, "It's the right thing to do."
**w**
"Thank you for coming," Hera says, hurrying towards them, "I wasn't sure you would."
"You said were in trouble," Omega replies.
"Can you... explain the situation?" Echo inquires as they gather around her. "Why is the Empire targeting you?"
"Because my father is Cham Syndulla," Hera replies.
Uncertain, Omega glances at the others. That name has no more significance to her than most anyone important in the galaxy.
"The freedom fighter?" Tech inquires.
"Yes. This was his old command outpost. It's where I've been hiding. The Empire's begun targeting anyone loyal to him."
"What do you want us to do?" Echo queries.
"Free my parents from the Capitol. That's where they're being held."
Omega turns her hopeful gaze to Echo. They have to help her.
"They can pay you if you get them out," Hera offers. "Please. I don't have anyone else to ask."
"We'll help you," Echo assures, "We have to scout out, first. Is there a speeder we can use?"
"Yes, I brought one here," Hera answers, "It's the only one I have."
"We only need one," Echo replies, "We're not splitting up."
They rarely do that anymore. And when they do, someone else is always with Omega. Usually, Echo has her stay with Crosshair to keep her out of the line of fire. She doesn't mind, but sometimes, it still feels like she's just slowing them down.
The speeder is a bit of a tight squeeze, but they climb inside, and Tech flies them to where Hera pointed them to. It's nearly a two-hour flight away, and with the distance, Omega can't help worrying about what would happen if the Empire saw them on the way back. That's much too far from the Marauder. She and Crosshair stay on the lookout the entire way.
They get a clear line of sight up on a cliff edge. Ryloth is a beautiful place, but Omega is trying her best to stay focused. Not that it's hard. She, Hera, Crosshair, and Wrecker are looking through macrobinoculars.
There's talking in the background, but she tunes it out, scanning the area. There are many Imperials there. She doesn't like the look of it. And that's when her gaze zeroes in on a very, very familiar figure.
"Um," Omega says, lowering her binoculars a bit, "Hunter's here."
"Great," Wrecker groans, deflating, "Just what we needed."
Echo inhales sharply, taking Omega's macrobinoculars from her to get a close-up look himself.
"This is going well," Crosshair says, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. He pushes himself back and lowers his rifle.
"I suggest we fall back," Tech says, a certain sharp edge in his voice that is so uncharacteristic for him.
They crawl back away from the cliff edge until they're far enough to stand and move close to the rocky wall. It shields them on one side, at least.
"The plasma bridge into the city's been deactivated," Tech reports, looking at his datapad again.
"Well, I say we fly in and blow our way out," Wrecker offers.
"Because that worked so well on Felucia," Crosshair throws back, and Omega makes an instant note to ask what happened there as soon as they're safe again.
"The Capitol scanners would detect our ship," Echo replies. "We need a stealthy approach."
"I don't like the look of this. The troop presence here is similar to that of Raxus. This is a military occupation," Tech continues.
"Ryloth's not a Separatist planet," Echo objects.
"Exactly my point," Tech agrees.
"So, what do we do?" Omega asks.
"We need more time," Echo sighs, "And we better move before the Empire shows up here."
"Too late," Crosshair replies, stepping back and raising his rifle.
Omega gasps quietly as she follows his gaze, spotting a strange, round, black... droid? Is that a droid? It's floating. The others are already reaching for their blasters and firing at it, but the droid moves aside, avoiding their fire. Omega grabs her bow, taking aim herself, but it's zipping back and forth, trying to take shelter behind the rocks.
"We can't let it get away," Echo snaps, "It'll compromise our position." But the thing is moving so fast. It'll soon be out of range where Omega can hit it.
Finally, Crosshair shoots it down. It's too far away for Omega to see it land, but she can still see the flash of light and distant smoke.
"The Empire will know we're here," Tech says, slipping his blaster back into its holster.
"Hunter will be onto us," Echo replies shortly, "We have to go."
If she's being honest, it's probably the most nerve-wracking flight they've ever had. Omega keeps watch, even if she knows Crosshair will see any threats long before her. She's... worried, is all. The speeder, thankfully, wasn't parked too far away, and they can only hope nothing was nearby enough to spot them.
Since Hunter is there, it's going to be hard. It would be ideal for everything they do to be in the air instead of on the ground, so it'll be harder for Hunter to track them. She can't help being scared.
"We're all over the Imperial comm channels," Tech reports after they get back to the command center. "They've increased patrols within the city. Hunter will expect an attack."
"And if we're spotted anywhere nearby, he'll track us," Echo agrees, jabbing his scomp in the air for emphasis, then crossing his arms.
"Without the element of surprise, we are at a major disadvantage," Tech concurs.
Omega looks to Hera. She asked for their help. They can't turn that down. "There has to be something we can do!"
"The risks are high," Echo replies, "Almost too high. I don't like it."
"Omega should plan the attack," Crosshair says suddenly, and everyone twists around to stare at him. "Hunter will anticipate our strategies, except Omega's. She's good at strategy."
She can't help feeling a bit overwhelmed, but – it's true. She is good at it. Maybe she always has been. After Raxus, Cid had introduced them to a game called Dejerik. She's beaten all her brothers every time she played against them. It's fun to watch them playing against each other, too. Omega's fairly certain Tech has a full recording of the longest squabble Wrecker and Crosshair had over the same board. It went somewhere up to one hour and thirty-seven minutes, or something.
"Me?" Omega squeaks, anyway. Everyone is looking at her now.
"He's got a point," Wrecker replies, patting her shoulder. "And hey. You're the one with the brains of our operation, remember?"
She can't help smiling despite the situation. It's not like she'll have to be alone in this. Her brothers are right here with her.
**w**
He stares down at the hologram, filled with an odd sense of numbness. To be fair, Hunter has felt a certain sense of numbness ever since Kaller, since Order 66 was given out. His brothers are here. On Ryloth. Why? What are they doing here? Are they helping Syndulla and the other traitors?
(Why aren't they staying away? Why won't they go somewhere safe that he doesn't have to worry about seeing them constantly, about being sent after them, about having to hurt them?)
They're all here. Tech, Echo, Wrecker, Crosshair, and... Omega. They're with Hera Syndulla, too. No doubt they are somehow involved with the traitors here. He doesn't want to have to fight them, but they chose this. They keep choosing to fight the Empire, and – orders are orders.
(A good leader protects his squad. What is he doing? What does this make him?)
His steps are slow and steady as he heads to Rampart's office. If they're here, they're threats. They're the threat – the only one that truly matters, because the regs can deal with Syndulla's fighters just fine.
The Admiral isn't there when Hunter gets there. So, he waits. And waits.
(He wishes Tech was here, to ramble about absolutely nothing. He wishes Echo was here, just to grumble about how long they have to wait and that he's starting to wonder if it's intentional. He wishes that Wrecker or Crosshair were here, just so he could tell them to get off that table because either and both of them would've climbed onto it by sheer boredom by now.)
(Are they alright? He saw the recording in the probe droid. They were helmeted, but something about the kid looked... a little worse for wear. He doesn't even know Omega. Why does he care? And how are his brothers managing to stay with her, to keep her safe, anyway?)
(He saw, in the hologram, the way they were moving together, could hear the distant but very, very familiar way Tech calls out a set of coordinates and Crosshair drops the edge of his rifle to his brother's shoulder and took the probe droid out of the sky – that was the last Hunter saw of them.)
(Seeing them together like that – hurts more than he thought it would. How are they holding up without him?)
Hunter pushes himself off where he was leaning against the wall when Rampart finally enters, followed by the reg captain – Howzer, Hunter thought his name was. "Clone Force 99 is here," he says, tossing the datapad onto the Admiral's desk. "They were near the Capitol. I tracked them, but I lost their trail. They left in a speeder."
"We have a battalion of troopers right outside," Rampart replies flippantly.
As if Crosshair couldn't take out a full battalion entirely on his own from ten klicks away. "That's not nearly enough to stop them."
"Since your squad has yet to locate Hera Syndulla, I suggest you stay on task. Or I will find someone who can," the Admiral replies sharply with a pointed look at Howzer.
He's incompetent. Or an absolute idiot. Hunter's not sure which. Either way, he has his orders. (He has an excuse to let them go.)
He turns on his heel and walks out without looking back.
**w**
Hera and Omega go with Chopper as backup. Crosshair doesn't like it – actually, no one likes it. Echo gives them very specific orders to stay safe and be careful before they split up. Tech stays with the Marauder to fly, and Wrecker to provide cover fire. Not that there was even a question of him going, anyway. Echo had wanted to go find Hera's parents alone – considering the risks, Crosshair can understand that, too – but he eventually, and very reluctantly, agreed that Crosshair could come.
Not as if Echo could go alone anyway. He only has one hand, and he can climb well anyway, but still. It's risky.
Everything about this situation is risky, especially because they currently don't have a read on Hunter's location. They can only assume. And presumedly, he's right nearby here.
Even now, Hunter will see it coming. He'll try to stop them, and that was part of why Crosshair was so insistent on coming. If their brother is coming, he'll be the first to see.
He's not sure what he thinks about seeing Hunter again. What they'll face isn't the brother they knew. It won't be, and he's... afraid of what they'll see. He's never been afraid of things before, not really. Not when they were together. He's worried about his brothers, and Omega, but he's never...
It feels like everything Hunter did, every time they met, was directed at him. It's not entirely true, but it is true that Hunter nearly killed him several times on Kamino. And he doesn't... want to be near him.
Hence why he insisted on going when Tech just as well could, because he's not letting his brothers nearby if he has a choice. Now, they all have to operate by what they think is best for each other.
They infiltrate the building with only one near-capture – right before they get over the wall – but Crosshair knocks out both regs they encounter, and they keep moving.
They take down the few regs they encounter on the way in, quickly and quietly, until they make it to the prison levels. It's almost easier than he anticipated, hopefully not too easy. But they haven't heard from the others, which they would have, if something were wrong yet.
Echo immediately gets to work opening the cell door.
"What are you doing here?" the blue Twi'lek that they sold the weapons to earlier asks.
"Breaking you out," Crosshair answers shortly.
"You know them?" Cham Syndulla asks.
"They are mercenaries," he answers, "But I didn't hire them for this."
"Hera did," Echo tells them as the ray shield drops.
"Hera?" Syndulla asks, stepping forwards. "Where is she? Is she safe?"
"Assuming she stayed where we told her to, she'll be safe," Echo replies, "At least for now. Come on. We have to move."
The Twi'leks are fighters, well-trained, and it shows. They know how to do this.
The distraction must be working, because there are far fewer troops here than there should be. They don't encounter anyone, until a reg unexpectedly rounds the corner. "Cham, wait," he says before Crosshair or Echo can stun him, "You're walking into a trap. There's a squad out there waiting."
"Why should we trust you?" the Twi'lek from earlier asks.
"Because I'm on your side," he replies, "What the Empire is doing is wrong." He approaches, unconcerned about the blasters aimed at him. He must be telling the truth, at least in part. "You have to get out of here. They have the exits blocked."
"We can use Senator Taa's shuttle in his private tower hangar," the green, female Twi'lek says – she must be Hera's mother, judging from the resemblance.
Echo and Crosshair step aside as the reg approaches Cham Syndulla. "I'm sorry, General. I should've stopped this sooner."
"Our fight for Ryloth is not over," Syndulla replies, laying a hand on his shoulder. Clearly, they... worked closely together. "We will return."
"You can't stay here," Hera's mother interjects, "They'll know you helped us."
"I will not abandon my squad," the reg replies firmly, "They're good men. I have to try to get through to them. Go, while there's still time."
Echo comms Tech and Omega to tell them that they found a different way out of the Capitol while they head for the other hangar.
The reg was willing to go back for his squad, even knowing he'd probably end up dead. That loyalty isn't found easily, especially not among them. That's always been one of the main conflicts Clone Force 99 had with them – the complete lack of loyalty.
And somehow, with the Empire, with everything, they've fallen even lower.
They left Hunter. And no, they didn't have a choice – they should have known something was wrong back then – but they... still did it. And they didn't go back. It hadn't even crossed Crosshair's mind – he'd been too focused on trying to figure out how they can work around Hunter without having to fight him.
He can't deny that it feels like Hunter should've come back to them, but after Bracca, he understands it's... not his brother's fault.
And when a few stray blaster shots fly past the ship, Crosshair twists around in his seat to watch out the viewport behind them. Even if he's trying to tell himself it's just to gauge the Imperial forces, that's... not the real reason.
Hunter is standing down there watching, helmet under his arm. It's far away, his figure shrinking with each passing moment, but Crosshair can see him clearly. Something about his expression isn't as sharp and cutting or angry as it was on Kamino right after Order 66. It could just be the distance, too. But he – he looks the same. Mostly. His... bandana is black instead of red, and Crosshair is nearly entirely certain that it's missing the skull symbol he's always worn it with. That's their symbol. Not having it would mean... denouncing them. Which he has.
Somehow, seeing him makes it hurt even worse.
Echo reaches out, laying his hand on his knee.
Crosshair reaches back, hesitantly, laying his hand over his brother's. From the look on Echo's face, he knows what happened.
Neither of them says a word.
**w**
Hunter has worked enough with people like Rampart to know when and how to work around them. He's fighting for the Empire, so he has to... stop his brothers from freeing Cham Syndulla and the other traitors, even if it means going against them. Even if it means going against direct orders.
He stays by the Capitol, waiting. And somehow, when the reg captain comes out to talk his squad down, Hunter isn't even surprised. Of course, he's working against the Empire, too.
But this – all of this, was a diversion. He knows that. And when he sees another ship leaving from a hangar elsewhere in the building, he immediately knows why. Shooting at it is pointless, because the ship's shields will hold against ordinary blaster fire, but Hunter does anyway.
And even for as far away as they are, he could almost swear he caught sight of two very familiar figures right by the viewport on the side.
He should've gone straight inside to get them, trap them, stop them. But that would have gone even further against direct orders. He couldn't go that far. (At least they're safe. They're – gone.)
(But they were right here. Howzer came back for his squad when he could have left. Half of them joined him. Over half, maybe. Hunter didn't count. That the regs have such loyalty to one another – when not even he and his brothers do is...)
(It's...)
(Wrong. And it hurts. It's not until now that he realizes distantly there was a very foolish part of his mind that wishes they'd come back for him. But no. He's choosing to stay here. They're... gone. Somehow, he needs to accept that.)
"It would seem I underestimated your four friends," Rampart admits at last as they stand, surveying the damage at the factory. In another universe, Hunter would be proud of them. "If only they were fighting for us instead of against us."
Something twists slightly inside him. Pain lances through his head again. That's been happening a lot. It happens whenever he thinks of his brothers. "They were loyal to each other," Hunter replies, "If I can find them, I could convince them to realign themselves with the Empire."
(He hasn't taken care of them like he should have. He should never have gone after them on Kamino.)
"How certain are you?" Rampart asks.
"Entirely," Hunter replies, and he is. If not, he'll... deal with it.
"Then, permission granted."
**w**
Omega stops to say goodbye to Hera before they part ways. They've already formed a close friendship, and Omega is almost sad to say goodbye to her, but they both have places they have to be.
"I'm sure I'll see you around," Hera had told her, and Omega... believes that. Or she hopes so.
But once they board the Marauder again, Omega finally notices that something about Echo and Crosshair is abnormally tense. It's not hard to guess why, but... "Are you okay?" she can't help asking.
Echo sighs. "We're fine."
"Okay," she agrees, uncertainly. She doesn't believe him, but she doesn't want to push, either.
"Did you see him?" Tech inquires.
"Briefly. On the way out," Echo replies, "But we were already gone."
That explains what's wrong. She wishes she knew what to say to help them. Seeing them hurting is... They're still her little brothers, even if they're older than her now. She just wants them to be safe. She saw them when they were babies, held them when they were born. That need to protect them that originated from then has never faded, even if she looks up to them now.
There were so many moments – little things – when they were young that Omega has never forgotten. It was the first time in her life that she wasn't alone, that those around her were clones like her.
Even years later, there's still something distinctly childlike about Wrecker and Crosshair that reminds her of what they were like when they were little.
It was hard to take care of them all after they were born. Most clones don't even have a date of birth, because it never mattered, but Omega knows the exact minute her brothers were born. She was there. It was the most wonderful and terrifying moment in her life.
It was pretty much smooth until Crosshair started screaming, and then Wrecker started screaming, and then Hunter started crying as he got overstimulated, and Tech joined him a few minutes later as if uncertain what else to do.
Omega was almost entirely certain they were dying. They were experiments, after all, and there was no guarantee that all of them would make it. Nala Se told her not to worry, because this was normal, and they were experiments, anyway. They weren't to Omega, though. They were her brothers, the first clones she actually met. It was her who scanned them, watched them grow every day.
They meant everything to her.
Omega had watched them every day for hours. It wasn't even because it was cool to see or because it was fun, but because these were... her brothers.
Then they were gone. They were there for a year. Omega doesn't remember the time they left. It was so unexpected. She knew, eventually, they would be taken back to be with the other clones. They came when they were... a few weeks along, when their mutations were enough to catch Nala Se's attention. She couldn't function for weeks after her brothers were taken.
Nala Se told her she was being selfish, and that, as a medical assistant, she couldn't afford to let her feelings get in the way, that her brothers didn't matter that much. And that keeping them there would slow them down, keep them from becoming soldiers like they were meant to.
It was hard for Omega to accept, but she... eventually did. That doesn't mean she was willing to stop trying to find them as they got older. She's not going to stop trying to get them all back together.
**w**
They rarely take off their armor unless it's necessary. There's rarely reason to, considering they always have to be prepared for a threat. It's been a month since leaving Kamino now, and this is the first time Crosshair actually took the time to take it off and look. It hadn't been intentional, even, mostly through morbid curiosity.
Tech had looked at it before, but Crosshair hadn't, because he didn't want to know.
His arm is scarred where Hunter shot it. It's not that bad, all things considered, but there's a discolored scar across his arm. It's not even too prominent.
But still, knowing that Hunter did it is what makes it hurt. They've all been shot many times over. There was nothing particularly bad about that.
A month or so, and it's still hard to wake up in the mornings and remember everything that happened. Sometimes, he still expects Hunter to be here with them. It's... hard to remember he's not.
Things have... changed without him. Many things.
Adapting to Omega's presence and trying to put her safety first is hard. It's distracting, but it wouldn't be so difficult if only they knew how to work together.
Echo's mood swings are worse. They come and go in phases, but they're at an all-time low. Have been ever since Order 66, which, actually, was when they were started getting worse.
Crosshair himself often feels very... bitter and cynical, though spending time with Wrecker and Omega sometimes relieves that. Unless it's one of those points where he feels too guilty to. They didn't have a choice but to leave Hunter, but it still feels like they should have done something... differently.
Even if Hunter would have told them to go. He cared about them. More than anything.
Even Wrecker gets into some... downward mood swings sometimes, usually after doing something particularly chaotic and realizing that Hunter's not there to yell at them for it.
Tech, per usual, appears to be handling it the best, but Crosshair knows better than to believe that. He's obviously upset and hurt by it, too. They all are.
It doesn't help how they have no real purpose right now. They're trying to avoid the Empire temporarily, but with how obviously itchy Echo is to get back into the fight, it'll only last so long. As long as they leave Hunter, he's going to be left there, to hurt more people than he likely already has. It... feels like it's their responsibility. They need a way to... stop him, as well as figure out want to do about the bounty hunters.
Who they haven't seen since Raxus.
It seems like Lama Su and the Kaminoans no longer find it so urgent to get Omega, though they can't count solely on that luck. It's too dangerous for all of them. And soon enough, he suspects, their luck will run out.
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