Chapter 6 - Ord Mantell
Author's Note: You know the saying it gets worse before getting better? Well, sometimes, it gets better... before getting worse. ;) Especially when the collective owner of 60% of the Bad Batch's brain cells is MIA.
~ Rivana Rita
"What's a bounty hunter?" Omega asks finally, standing in the center of her brothers as they sit in the cockpit of the Marauder. It could have been worse, but it was still scary. And she doesn't understand what's happening.
"They are individuals hired to retrieve certain targets," Tech replies, "And you appear to be the target."
Omega jerks back. "Me?" She heard they were after her but who and why and – no one even knows about her.
"Hey, don't scare the kid," Wrecker scolds.
"Well," Echo says, "If there are bounty hunters after Omega, that... complicates things. We need to figure out who's after her. And I know someone who might be able to help with that. Plot a course for Ord Mantell. I know an informant there named Cid who might be able to help us."
"And you trust him?" Wrecker asks.
"Well, the Jedi trusted him."
"The Jedi, who are all dead?" Tech responds.
"Anyone have a better option?"
The youngest two glance at Tech. No one speaks.
"Alright," Echo says, "Then it's our best choice. We need to find answers."
"If Omega had a comm, it would never have gone that far," Tech points out.
"Well, we don't have a spare comm," Echo replies, "We'd have to buy one."
"Yes, we do," Crosshair interjects, and all eyes turn to him. "We have Hunter's. Clearly, he won't be needing it."
Have... Hunter's comm? Something inside Omega flips uncomfortably at that. "Can't we... get him back?" she asks quietly, because she can't help it. They have to get him back, even if she has no idea how, because she can't imagine losing even one of her brothers forever.
"He tried to kill us," Echo replies, with no small amount of bitterness.
"It's worth noting the possibility that Hunter's actions were influenced by his inhibitor chip," Tech interjects.
"It can do that?" Echo queries.
"That's what it was designed to do," Omega tells them. She doesn't know the full details of its operation, but she knows enough. It was... a very important part of the clones, and Nala Se kept checking on her brothers when they were little, to see if theirs were functional. And it was an important thing for the regs, too, even if her brothers were always allowed to be... different.
"So, it wasn't Hunter's fault?" Wrecker asks finally.
"Well," Omega answers, "Not really. They're programmed to make the clones follow orders."
"That's never worked on us before," Echo objects.
"That was before they were activated," Omega replies.
The silence that settles over them is heavy, and none of them break it. It feels like that's often true. She files it away for a different time, to ask if there's something they can do about Hunter. She doesn't want to put the rest of them in danger, but they can't... stay away forever, can they? Hunter was their leader. It's obvious that his absence makes them all feel lost.
Omega would retreat to her room if she felt safe being alone right now, but she doesn't.
Still. There's a tiny, dark part of her that can't help wondering what would have happened if she hadn't gone to see her brothers again on Kamino. They're safe out here – minus Hunter – away from the Empire, but... but will it stay true?
"Kid," Crosshair says, pausing near her. He passes her a small, humanoid-like object. It's tiny, shaped like miniature clone armor. "I got you something."
It looks even more like a tiny clone up close. "What is it?"
"A toy clone trooper," Echo tells her, "You couldn't come, so we wanted to get you something."
They got her something. That they actually got her something, it's – "Thank you," Omega says, smiling up at them. She never really knew what it felt like to be cared about, to be loved, until now. This isn't to make her a better asset or to make her more skilled, it's just something for her. And Omega wishes there was a way she could repay them for it.
For accepting her, for taking her in, for everything – when they didn't have to do any of it.
"Even if you're on of us, you're still a child," Echo tells her, "You deserve to be treated like one." He sits down at one of the computers in the room, and Omega climbs up next to him, watching.
**w**
Cid is... some species Omega hasn't seen before, but she admittedly looks quite intimidating. She's pretty reluctant to talk to them, but eventually takes them to her back office. "I had a good thing going with the Jedi," she says, walking to her desk and turning around, crossing her arms. "They valued my insights, but now that they're all dead, the demand for my services has declined. Thanks to this new Empire."
Echo pulls Omega away from touching any of the objects lying around, and they gather around at the front.
"We need some information," Echo states, moving to the holotable in the room and plugging himself in, displaying a hologram of the bounty hunter.
"Bu all means, make yourself at home," Cid grumbles, moving aside to give him more space.
"We encountered this woman on Pantora. Do you know who she is?" Echo asks.
"No, but I know a bounty hunter when I see one."
"Can you find out who hired her?" Echo inquires. He's not sharp, exactly, but he's curt, and he isn't one for small talk. He seems angry. They're all hurting, though for Wrecker and Crosshair, it seems more like... just hurting. She should talk to Echo about it, sometime. Most of all, she just wishes she could help them.
"That depends on what you boys do for me," Cid replies. What does that mean?
"Are you fresh outta the tube?" she exclaims, turning off the hologram after a full twenty seconds of silence. "You pull a job for me, and I get the information you want. That's how this mercenary thing works."
"Mercenary?" Echo echoes as she walks past him and rounds her desk, sitting down.
"Not too quick, are ya? Clearly, the kid's the brains of your operation."
Wrecker holds his hand out to her, and Omega high-fives him.
"What job would you have for us?" Tech inquires, stepping forwards to stand beside Echo.
"A rescue," she answers, "There's a nice bounty on a kid named Muchi. My sources say she was taken by Zygerrian slavers –" Slavers? What's that? "– Who are holed up on the other side of the planet. Bring me the kid, and I'll get you your intel."
"Well, who collects the bounty?" Wrecker asks.
"Oh, look, it talks," Cid exclaims. "We split the bounty 70-30, my favor. Take it or leave it."
"Grab a kid from a few Zygerrians?" Wrecker asks, laughing, tossing his helmet from one hand to another. He elbows Crosshair – he's been quiet this entire time – who immediately turns to glare at him. "We could do that in our sleep." He motions Omega to the door, and she's more than happy to follow and get on with it.
This is going to be her first actual mission with her brothers, so yes, she's thrilled.
**w**
Crosshair has noticed Wrecker rubbing his head before, and he's doing it again, groaning quietly. "Does Tech need to scan you before the rest of your tiny brain dies?" Crosshair asks in finally. Because yes, Wrecker is extremely dramatic sometimes, but he can handle pain. They all can. He shouldn't be acting so... crippled by it unless it's really very bad.
"Don't start with that," he huffs, whacking Crosshair's shoulder while stumbling to his feet, nearly tripping into one of the chairs. "I'm fine." Except he's pointedly looking away, as if he's trying to hide something.
And in a sudden, gut-wrenching moment, Crosshair remembers the same thing was happening to Hunter. Wrecker probably just hit his head when Fennec knocked him unconscious earlier, and there's likely no correlation, but still, he can't help worrying.
If... but no. His inhibitor chip didn't react earlier. There's no reason for that to change.
And Crosshair still doesn't know what to think about Hunter, exactly. Hunter has always looked out for everybody. It was always his foresight and reasoning, his steadfast loyalty and ability to think far faster than the rest that kept them together.
And ever since they headed for Ord Mantell, and the topic of Hunter's absence was brought up again, he can't stop thinking about it.
If this wasn't Hunter's choice, he would have wanted them to leave. Strategically, they should fall back and regroup before coming back.
But can they be entirely certain of it? He certainly wants to be. He doesn't want to believe there's even a small chance Hunter could have outright shot him without a second thought. But in these circumstances, they cannot take risks. And even if they were to go back, where would they look? Hunter's working for the Empire. He's not going to be on Kamino. They'll have to work this out, one step at a time.
To start with, they have to survive.
Wrecker stumbles from the room, and Echo and Omega finally return with the toy trooper that they got for her. Apparently, Echo felt as bad about leaving her as Crosshair did.
"If Omega is coming with us, she will need a weapon," Tech interjects.
"We don't have one," Echo replies.
"We can give her Hunter's blaster until we find a more suitable alternative," Tech suggests, and they leave it at that. None of them like it, but they don't have another choice. They can't leave her defenseless, especially not now.
Wrecker seems back to himself at least by the time they climb the ridge and scout out.
There are only three people down there, other than the Zygerrians in question. Two adults, and one child. None of them look like they're from a family wealthy enough to pay a large amount for retrieving them, but appearances can be deceiving. And it's not like Crosshair – or any of them – know the first thing about credits or life outside the military.
"We'll have to go in closer," Echo says, "Omega, stay close."
She nods, and they climb down the side of the ridge. Crosshair moves in ahead, climbing the tower. He can see everything he needs to from here. He's in the middle of taking in their defenses when there's a low growling sound behind him, and he whips around, raising his rifle. A brezak is climbing the tower, moving towards him.
It's instinctive that he aims at its eyes and fires. Yes, it will draw attention, but the alternative is worse. He swings his rifle back onto his back and climbs over the edge as the creature lets out a final shriek, still moving forwards, sliding the rest of the way across the tower and falls over the edge onto the ground.
Crosshair climbs back up the moment it's gone, but the Zygerrians are already moving in.
It goes fast from there. He gives them cover fire, the same as he always has, and Echo, Tech, and Wrecker move in. Omega sticks close.
The Zygerrians have energy bows, though. Long-range weapons, and they're dangerous. Someone fires at him, and the shot way misses, but he turns back to return fire anyway.
It's in his momentary destruction that a Zygerrian fires at them with a stun weapon.
Echo rolls out of the way, and Wrecker is already out of range, charging the Zygerrians, but the others... are not. Tech tries to tackle Omega out of the way in time, but it's too fast. The electricity jolt hits them, knocking them both down.
"Omega!" Echo yells.
"I'll get them," Crosshair tells him instinctively, taking out the last two Zygerrians in his line of sight before swinging down the tower.
Echo hesitates, then takes off after Wrecker.
The worry doesn't set in until he sees them up close. Omega, especially, could've taken that badly. She's a child. She's small. And this is... dangerous. It's easy to forget how much so, but she hasn't been trained at all.
The Zygerrians seem distracted enough with the chaos Echo and Wrecker are causing to not try coming back. Tech stirs some minutes later, pushing himself up with a quiet groan. "That was not ideal. High voltage electric charges are especially dangerous to Omega's nervous system."
Maybe next time, they shouldn't take her directly into the line of fire. But either way, Crosshair feels hopelessly out of his scope of practice. What are they supposed to do with a child? They'll have to train her, but Omega doesn't even have a weapon. She's small, too. A long-range weapon would be ideal, but they'd have to find one she could use.
And he is not offering his rifle. She's taken his other blaster enough.
"Go," Crosshair says, jerking his head towards where Echo and Wrecker disappeared to. "They'll need your help."
Tech glances at him, hesitant, but he takes off after the others.
Crosshair just waits, and watches. It takes Omega a few more minutes to stir and finally open her eyes. "Crosshair?" she mumbles.
"Where're the others?" she asks, pushing herself into a sitting position.
In the distance, the shooting has stopped. Now, all he hears is... crashing? "Dealing with the survivors. Assuming there are any."
She's still slightly out of it, but he sees the moment she jolts to full wakefulness and stands so fast she nearly tips over. Crosshair instinctively reaches out to steady her. "Muchi!"
"The others are on it," he cautions before she can take off again.
"But –"
He comms Echo for a status report before she can keep arguing. The kid's already been hurt once today. They can't have repeats of this.
"The 'kid' we were sent to find is a rancor," Echo tells him right off, sounding none too annoyed about it. "Wrecker is –"
"Rancors adhere to a social hierarchy," Tech volunteers, "Wrecker is challenging it for authority."
"We came all this way for a rancor?" Crosshair asks, nearly disbelievingly.
"Well, we got the others out, too," Echo points out, "It wasn't for nothing." Echo has... a thing against slavers. Something in his past he never talks about. None of them ever ask. They don't talk about the past. There's no reason to. Plus, some things they just don't talk about. Like Hunter. Even if they need to.
But there's only so long they can avoid that.
**w**
They have to fly the Marauder over to where Wrecker and Muchi are passed out together, because they're both too stubborn to move. Omega still thinks she's sort of cute.
They don't talk about the mission until after dropping off the rancor at Cid's, where her previous owner has come to get her.
"Gotta say, fellas. I wasn't sure you could pull this job off," Cid comments.
"You could've told us it was a rancor," Crosshair says, glaring at her. On that note, Echo is glaring at her, too.
"Hm. Must've slipped my mind," she replies casually, "I have the information you asked for."
They file after, back into Cid's office, and gather around her desk. Omega is holding the energy bow that she picked up on the way back. It's cool.
"Your bounty hunter is Fennec Shand. She's new to the scene but has already proven herself to be cunning and ruthless," Cid explains.
"But who put the bounty on Omega?" Echo asks.
"Unknown. My sources in the Guild say she's working on a direct commission."
Omega looks up at Crosshair and Wrecker, frowning. "But... I thought she said she didn't know?"
"Quite obviously, she lied." Tech replies. "She was a bounty hunter. And there was not nearly enough time to question her adequately."
"With someone like her nipping at your heels, you're going to need two things: friends and money. Mostly money," Cid continues. She shoves a container in their direction, which Echo takes. "Here's your cut. There's more where that came from if you're looking for work."
"We'll... think about it," Echo replies, glancing at Tech.
"It's interesting, a bounty hunter of Fennec's caliber being after you. You fellas must be pretty valuable." There's a ripple of tension in the room. Crosshair almost instinctively pulls Omega closer to him, and she can practically feel the tension crackling in the air. "Don't worry," Cid reassures, "I'm good with secrets."
There's another moment of hesitation before they file out of the office.
"Kid, you gonna keep that bow?" Wrecker asks.
"Sure," she replies, smiling up at him. "I like it."
"Then you have to learn to use it," Echo tells her, "Staying with us is dangerous. You'll have to learn to fight."
"That's fine," she promises, and it is, even if she's nervous about it. Omega knows nothing about that life, no matter how much she has always wanted to. She wants to be like her brothers. "That's what I always wanted." And besides, the number of times she's been knocked out in the past few days is... ridiculous. Echo is right. She needs to be better than that.
"I can teach you," Crosshair offers.
She feels herself brighten instantly. "Really?"
"It's similar to what Crosshair uses," Echo supplies for him, "None of the rest of us specialize in long-distance weapons."
Wrecker throws himself into one of the chairs the moment they board the ship again. "So, now what?"
"We need some time to think it through," Echo answers, "We have other places to be."
"Until Omega is better trained, it will be risky to actively fight the Empire," Tech points out.
She looks between them, a small amount of guilt creeping up inside her. She didn't... mean to make things more difficult for them. Silently, Omega vows to find a way to make this... better. To fix this.
"Surviving is as important as fighting," Crosshair points out at last, "And we have no other source of credits."
"Well, he's got a point," Wrecker cuts in.
"You're right," Echo agrees, "We don't have much choice right now."
Somehow, that makes things feel a little... easier. Less complex. At least they know what they're doing now, instead of trying to figure out as they go along. But still, she can't stop wondering, worrying about what will happen if that bounty hunter finds her again. Omega has no idea who could be looking for her. Who would even want her? No one except a few Kaminoans knew of her existence. Nala Se was careful to keep her secret.
She always said that Omega was... special and important somehow.
And she doesn't like it.
**w**
The war has made them all light sleepers, or maybe it's just that Crosshair hasn't really fallen asleep yet. He can't. Not when Hunter's absence is so glaringly present, or rather, not present. He can see Hunter's rack from his own, and the knowledge that he's not here, nor coming back is...
It's... hard.
Hunter is their brother, and they grew up together. He was their leader. He was... everything.
He spends a while trying to fall asleep, at least he was until he hears a soft noise from Wrecker's bunk. What surprises him is the clear effort to be quiet, but still, if it woke him, it'll wake the others momentarily.
There's a sort of hyperventilated sniffle, and – Force. Is Wrecker crying?
Crosshair swings himself off his rack and climbs down to Wrecker's. He sleeps above Wrecker, who's the closest to the ground. Tech's is above Crosshair, though it's presently occupied by Echo.
"You'll wake the others," Crosshair tells him in a whisper.
Wrecker rolls over to face him, then just sits up altogether. "Can't sleep," he grumbles, and at least he has the mind to keep it down. His eyes are wet, and it hurts to see. This is Wrecker. He's always so excitable.
"Your head?" he guesses, because he knows why that would be annoying enough to keep Wrecker up, which would automatically make him start brooding.
Wrecker makes a quiet, grumpy noise. "No. It's – ugh, it's Hunter."
Crosshair swings himself onto Wrecker's rack, sitting lightly next to him.
The vacant bunk seems even clearer, as clear as the aching emptiness in his own heart.
Sometimes, Wrecker's... chaotic-ness and everything about him makes it easy to forget how emotional he is, how much he really cares. But, in his own way, he's the softest of all of them. Wrecker couldn't stay angry at someone, even if he tried.
"I just can't stop thinkin' – we shouldn't've left him behind."
"We don't know if we had a choice."
"I know, but still..." He's always been the most cheerful, the most excitable. Seeing him even remotely depressed is wrong, and it twists at something deep inside Crosshair. "I miss him. Even if he did do it."
There are a thousand things he could say to that. Brush it off, say nothing, keep arguing, or just outright point out that Wrecker's mind prevents him from seeing the depth in this situation. Instead, all he says is a quiet, "me too."
His head snaps up almost comically fast. On second thought, maybe he shouldn't have said that –
"Seriously?"
He's probably talked too much by now. "Go to bed," he orders, mid-standing, but Wrecker, being Wrecker of course, yanks him into a nearly bone-crushing embrace. "Let go of me," Crosshair hisses, "You're already too big for your own rack."
His grip only tightens. It's not enough to hurt, because he's learned to grow out of that from the time he was little. It... was easy for Wrecker to hurt his brothers without even realizing it many years ago. He still struggled with it back when they were five.
He makes another serious move to pull away, and Wrecker just drops them both to the floor. Apparently, he's fine with falling if it annoys his brothers. "Grow up," Crosshair snarls, "You'll wake the others and the kid."
And somehow, the fact that Hunter doesn't wake up right then and glare them both to bed makes it all hurt even more. He's not here to do that anymore. Likely, he may never be again. For all that none of them want to accept or talk about it, they need to. Echo is being reluctant to take the role as their... leader, even if everyone else clearly sees him as such. But Crosshair understands why he doesn't want to. Nothing can replace Hunter.
Nothing.
And more than anything, Crosshair just wants to find a way to get him back.
Hunter's absence is a vacant hole in his heart, one that will never heal. And it hurts.
Echo stirs up above. The thud woke him up, no doubt.
Wrecker is still being stubborn. Maybe he really doesn't want to be alone right now. Usually, he holds onto Lula when he sleeps. She's with Omega now, though. But being alone, distanced from emotion, is something all of them have been trained in, especially Crosshair.
Not that he minds being touched. He doesn't. Never has. He doesn't think anyone does. It's just that when Wrecker starts getting all dramatic about it, it's annoying. Normally, the only person Crosshair was willing to be this close with was Hunter. Not as if it matters. Not as if... he's still here for that.
"You okay?" Wrecker asks, and Crosshair glares at him. No. He's not. None of them are. They probably won't be again. He's not being pessimistic. He's being real. And it's not like he's about to tell him that this is actually somewhat comfortable and that he doesn't want to be alone, either. "Can you stay?"
And there is something about his very big baby brother that makes it very hard to say no to. "I will end you," he promises fiercely, but they lay down anyway, curling up together. Crosshair rolls onto his side, back facing Wrecker, just to keep his left arm on the floor, safely away from his brother's reach. The wound isn't open anymore, but it's still sensitive, still healing, and he doesn't want to risk it being torn open again. That's happened a few times already.
Wrecker winds an arm around his waist, pulling him close, armor and all.
That's when Echo – the traitor – comes over to join the pile instead of ending it.
Not as though Crosshair is entirely opposed to sleeping in his oldest brother's lap. Echo's eleven. The others are nine. Echo is the most protective of them, in many ways, even more than Hunter. He's lost enough that he's very protective of what he has left.
Echo's legs are metal, and not precisely the softest, but it's still comfortable. More than some of what they've survived during the war.
Echo doesn't say anything – he often doesn't, unless he has to, which has been necessary lately more so than usual – but Crosshair looks up at him when his brother's hand touches his shoulder. There's something soft in his expression, the same look he gives Omega.
Clone Force 99 gave Echo a home.
He's given them protection in return, something none of them ever knew they were missing.
Echo, he knows, will always be here to watch over them. That protectiveness was his role as much as Hunter's. For all that it hurts, it feels like this is... pushing them closer. They have always been close, but it's different now. Crosshair manages to offer him a small, strained smile, despite the constant depression crushing him. At least the four – now five, counting Omega – are still together.
Tech himself comes over from the cockpit where he was watching – usually, they have one person up at all times to keep an eye out in case something happens – moving to join them next to Crosshair. Unlike the others, he keeps a short distance like he normally does. He's... not prone to contact. But still, he's nearby, and that says more than words. There's a heartbeat before he reaches out, and Crosshair takes his hand. It's strange to hold something that's not metal or a weapon or something of that nature, but it doesn't feel wrong either, so he... leaves it.
It surprises him how much easier it is to sleep like this, nestled safely between all his brothers.
And as a sort of... peace offering, he reaches up to take Wrecker's hand – he's already pretty much asleep and won't even remember – with his still free one. His grip tightens just the slightest bit. And it is... somewhat relaxing. Calming. A reminder that they're still together, even if everyone's not here.
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