Hello everyone! It's good to be back!
Man, it's been a while. I've moved, gotten a cat (her name is Phee and I love her), and Ahsoka finished (which I like a lot).
Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. based readers!
A few notes of housecleaning:
1. I will be updating the rating of the fic to M. This is not because of anything I'm going to be writing in the future. I have come to the realization that after my discussions on suicide, what happens to Rex, and just the darker themes of the story, it should have always been M. Expect my usual fare in the future.
2. I'm hoping that I won't have to have another hiatus before Fives Effect ends, but if I do, I will not be making an update post. I've realized it's disappointing to have an author post for it only to be an update. So if I have to go on hiatus, I will be posting it in the summary. If I'm late posting, keep an eye out for that.
All right, back to the fic!
Imaginationflies: Thank you! Hopefully this one is worth the wait too! Okay I adore that you guys have adopted my petty name for Korkie because I hated his name. It's interesting, because Obi Wan doesn't go through quite as much in this universe. He's still lost Qui Gon and Satine, but he still has Anakin, his men, and the whole Jedi Order. You'd think it'd be easier to resist the Dark Side. Maybe he became complacent? Maybe it's because he's beginning to see the Jedi's flaws? I dunno. I should probably know though. Boba can't help but like Obi Wan. Everyone likes Obi Wan. Saving Mayday is now my life's goal. He will always live as much as possible. I was writing along and I just went- oh heck Wrecker's lost everyone except Echo at this point. Poor thing. It makes me so happy that you like my romance! Though honestly, having a character call their love interest 'my' is so good. It needs to happen more (but not in a creepy possessive way) I had a good break and I'm glad to be back!
Venomizer: You'll see! It's supposed to be ambiguous at this point! Like I said in another comment response, no one can help but like Obi Wan.
Galahsrock: Welcome to the dumpster fire! Here is the probably long awaited update!
Quick recap because I don't want you guys to have to read the last 250,000 words again.
Obi Wan, Cody, Kor, and Oddball have been falsely accused of murdering Dooku and have been put in a safe house along with Crosshair and Ahsoka while Boba goes to find the evidence to clear their names. The Serennians and thus the CIS have declared war and many clones, including Jesse and Kix, are enlisting. Obi Wan, now obsessed with Dooku's research on undoing death, has enlisted Fives to help him break out and go to Serenno. They're caught by Kor and have to bring him along. They're also joined by Senna, who has offered her ship.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka, Crosshair, Cody, and Oddball have all gone missing at the same time. Rex, Echo, and Wrecker are currently dealing with that.
Tech, Hunter, Phee, and Omega have gotten stuck on a CIS station. While preparing to escape, Phee let herself get captured in order to ensure Omega wasn't discovered.
Boba is working with Ventress, her clone apprentice Eon, and Quinlan Vos to find Cad Bane and Tynar Rem, who are trying to tamper with the evidence. Last we saw, Boba was betrayed by his informant and was caught in an explosion.
Mando'a translations at the end!
Tech twisted his spanner one more time, securing the repaired shield emitter in place. He quickly replaced the panel and jumped lightly from the ship. He wasted no time in returning to the interior, where Hunter and Omega waited.
"They haven't moved her yet." Hunter said as soon as he caught sight of Tech. "But they're talking about doing it soon. You finished?"
Tech nodded.
"Omega?" He asked. "Have you finished your task?"
Omega shifted nervously.
"I did." She said. "But Tech-"
Tech silenced her with a hand on her shoulder.
"I have complete confidence in your work." He said.
Omega blinked and then smiled. Tech squeezed her shoulder before retrieving his blasters. He strapped them to his waist.
"Have the ship running for when I return with Phee." He said. "If you are questioned, inform them that the ship must be turned on every few days or the engine malfunctions. It is a common issue."
Hunter frowned.
"Are you sure you don't want back up?" He asked.
Tech raised an eyebrow.
"Do you wish to leave Omega unguarded?" He asked.
Hunter's frown deepened, but he reached out and clapped Tech on the shoulder.
"Good luck." He said.
Tech nodded and left the ship.
The holding cells were predictably out of the way and deep within the station. By this time, the guard Tech had stunned in the security station would have woken and, as Tech had failed to restrain him, would have informed the station of an intruder. It was an amateur mistake, but Tech had been too focused on Omega's safety.
Hopefully the guard in the refresher would not have been found yet, but security would be on high alert regardless.
As expected, a guard stepped in front of Tech before he even got halfway to the detention sector.
"State your business!" The woman said, her eyes narrow with suspicion.
Tech took a deep breath and spouted his prepared lie.
"I am looking for my younger sister." He said. Even he could tell that the words were stilted. "She ran off earlier and I cannot find her."
The guard gave him a glare.
"No one should be wandering around unsupervised, let alone a child." She said.
"I know." Tech said stiffly. "She slipped away while I was occupied."
The guard peered at him. Tech tried to affix his face into a worried expression. At last she sighed and beckoned to him.
"Let's see if the other guards have seen anything." She said.
Tech blinked. Surely it could not be that easy?
"Thank you." He said sincerely.
The woman chuckled.
"Sure." She said. "I've got younger siblings. I know what it's like, trying to wrangle womprats."
"Very much so." Tech agreed as he followed the guard. "She disregards instructions quite often."
"But you love them anyway." The guard said with a sigh.
Tech thought not just of Omega, but of his brothers as well.
"Yes." He said quietly.
He felt a slight twinge of guilt at how easily she helped him and at his inevitable betrayal. It was necessary. Besides, he would be merely stunning her.
Other guards passed, but they took no notice of Tech and his escort. He kept careful track of their progress, envisioning the station map in his mind. When they grew close enough to their destination, Tech put his hand on his blaster, ensuring that it was on stun.
"Thank you for your help." He said. "I must have you know that I truly do have a little sister."
The guard whipped around but Tech had already pulled the trigger. She crumpled. He listened carefully and was quite surprised to hear a commotion up ahead. It was not heading towards him; indeed, it seemed to have started before he had stunned the guard. He tensed as he heard blaster fire begin among the shouting.
And then Phee came sprinting around the corner. Her eyes widened with his as they saw each other.
"Browneyes?" She asked. "What are you- nevermind, let's go."
She caught his hand as she ran past, dragging him into motion.
"I had come to retrieve you." Tech panted as they bolted through the halls.
She shot him what he thought was a pleased grin.
"Browneyes, I told you I was getting out myself." She said. "Whoop."
She stepped nimbly to the side to dodge a blaster bolt whizzing towards them.
"You did not inform me of this." Tech protested.
He deftly stunned two guards as they rounded another corner. There were red lights blaring now. He winced, wishing he had his helmet.
"Remember what I said?" Phee said, snatching a blaster from one of the fallen guards. "'Wait til I get out.'"
Tech's mind ran over the words, confused.
"You were telling us to wait for you." Tech said, understanding dawning on him. "You would free yourself. I had believed you were threatening me to sell your performance."
"Kamino needs a subterfuge class." Phee said. She fired a few stun bolts behind them and Tech heard a body crash to the ground. "But I appreciate you coming back for me. You'd be surprised how rare that is in a partner."
"Of course we would not leave you to the mercy of the CIS." Tech said. "You saved Omega."
They were growing near the hangar bay. The bay doors leading to open space were beginning to slowly shut.
"Go!" Tech said, turning from their ship and towards the nearest terminal.
Phee did not go. She followed Tech.
"You need someone to watch your back!" She said as he glanced at her.
It was true and Phee's cover fire was indispensable as Tech broke into the station's security systems. More and more guards were arriving. They were lucky that the terminal was in a small alcove, giving them decent cover. Tech's hands flew over the keys. Just a few more moments-
"You want to grab a drink some time, Browneyes?" Phee asked as Tech worked.
"What?" Tech said, confused though he did not slow. "I am unsure if I understand."
"I'm asking you on a date." Phee said. "When things calm down."
Tech blinked several times.
"This seems an inopportune time to ask-" He said.
Phee laughed.
"Yes or no, Browneyes." She said.
A few moments passed in which a few blaster bolts sparked above their heads.
"Yes." Tech found himself saying, surprised at his lack of hesitation.
He entered the final keystroke as he spoke and the bay doors began to open again.
"We have five minutes." He said.
He fired towards the incoming guard.
"It's a date then." Phee said. "Let's get out of here so we can make it."
Together they dashed under the blaster bolts towards Phee's ship. Hunter was at the base of the ramp, stunning any guard that came close. He nodded to them and they all retreated inside the ship.
"Go, Omega!" Hunter roared.
The ship rose into the air as Tech hurried to the cockpit. Omega's piloting ability was coming along nicely, but they would need his own expertise to escape alive. She quickly passed the controls to him as he reached her.
The second Tech took them he could tell that Omega had done her work well, as he knew she would. The ship responded perfectly to his commands. They blasted from the bay, out into open space where a dozen CIS fighters were waiting for them.
"Calculate the jump." Tech ordered his companions.
Then he flew.
He had run several simulations through his head while he'd repaired the ship. Parts of one came to pass with the amount of fighters coming straight at him, while another rang true with their formation. The fighters trying to block him in from above and below followed a third. His mind quickly made the adjustments, stitching the simulations together to match reality.
He knew exactly what to do, what turns to make, when to accelerate to dodge cannon fire, how to twist the ship upside down over an incoming fighter. Tech glanced up and met the eyes of the pilot beneath them. At that moment, Phee called that the calculations were complete.
Tech activated the hyperdrive and in a smear of stars, they were safe.
He pushed his goggles up and turned to face the others.
"Well done, Omega." He said. "The controls were well tuned, as I expected."
Omega grinned at him.
"Thanks, Tech!" She said. "Sorry for messing with your ship though, Phee."
Tech realized at that moment that Phee was clutching to her seat with a tight grip.
"You're just fine, Omega. That was-" She gave a breathless laugh. "Where'd you learn to fly like that, Browneyes?"
"We've been wondering that for years." Hunter said as he undid Omega's seat restraints. "Omega, why don't you go comm Echo and Wrecker? I bet they've been worried."
Omega smiled again as she jumped from her seat and hurried to the comm array. She tapped a few buttons and spun a few dials before calling out, "Havoc 5 and Havoc 3, this is Havoc 6, do you copy?"
She only had to repeat the request once before Wrecker's voice boomed through.
"Omega!" Wrecker shouted. "Oh kriff, are you okay? Are Tech and Hunter okay? Where've you been?"
Tech could hear Echo demanding similar questions in the background.
"We're all okay!" Omega promised. "We were stopped by the CIS on our way back from Ord Mantell!"
Tech thought that Omega sounded far too pleased about the whole situation.
"What?" Echo had clearly taken the comm from Wrecker. "Did they recognize you? Have you seen or heard anything about Crosshair?"
"Crosshair?" Hunter said. "They didn't recognize us. But why would we see Crosshair?"
There was a moment of silence that made Tech uncomfortable.
"The CIS found the safe house." Echo finally said. "They're all missing."
Tech stared blankly at the comm. That meant- Crosshair had been captured by the CIS. They had found him and were going to punish him. Whether that was imprisonment or execution, Tech was sure they would not see their brother again..
He looked to Hunter, waiting for his sergeant to tell him what to do.
Hunter had gone white, as pale as Echo.
"What do we know?" He demanded.
"Not a lot." Echo said. "Rex thinks they're still on Coruscant and that- Fives is gone too."
More fear and worry fell upon Tech's shoulders. Why Fives?
"We think that Fives broke in to get General Kenobi." Echo went on. "That created an opening for the CIS agents. Whether Fives and Kenobi were captured by the CIS too-"
He trailed off. Tech focused on his breathing rather than the terrible, burning pit in his chest.
"We're coming back." Hunter said shortly. "We'll be there in a few hours."
The comm clicked off, though Tech longed to interrogate them more. He looked at Hunter. Even Tech could see the fury and fear in his brother's face.
"Hunter?" Omega asked in a tiny voice.
Her eyes were wide and shimmered with tears.
"We'll find him." Hunter said. "We'll find him. Even if we have to tear the entire planet apart."
Tech quite agreed with Hunter. Nothing would stand in their way. Crosshair must be found.
And Fives. Tech added mentally.
He nearly jumped as Phee put her hand on his arm.
"Any way I can help?" She asked.
"Contacts." Tech said immediately. "Anyone who knows how to smuggle people off of Coruscant."
"More importantly," Hunter said. "Could you keep an eye on Omega while we search? I don't want to risk her by taking her with us."
Phee nodded. It was a testament to how upset Omega was that she did not protest. She merely huddled close to Hunter.
"We'll find him." Hunter said again.
This was one of the few times that Tech ignored the statistics and the data and chose to believe his brother. They would find Crosshair and the others. They had to.
Boba woke with a gasp. Or at least, he tried to gasp. It became a cough as he sucked in dust. Instinct drove him to try to move, get out of the heavy air. He gave another gasp-cough of pain as he felt the heavy rubble pinning his body. His beskar was keeping some of the weight from crushing him, but he still couldn't move. He didn't bother opening his eyes. It would be pitch black.
He heard what sounded like debris being moved and the pieces around him shifted. He tried to call out but once again he could only choke out a wheeze.
"Hold on, Boba!" That was Ventress. "We're almost through!"
Boba forced himself to stay still as the time dripped on. Finally he felt fresh air on his face and he opened his eyes. He could see lumps of rubble black against a dirty sky. A few more shifted away and Boba felt the pressure on his limbs ease.
"Is your neck fine?" Ventress called again.
"Yes." Boba rasped.
It ached like the rest of his body, but there was nothing to be concerned about. He tried to take inventory of his more severe injuries as his companions moved more of the crushing weight.
Bruised ribs, broken wrist, and sprained ankle. His robotic arm was shooting jolts into his residual limb. It could have been far, far worse.
Finally the clone appeared and reached down a hand. Boba took it and together they heaved him out of the dusty trap.
"Well, " Ventress said with her arms folded. She stood atop one of the largest pieces of debris. "A good thing we came to help."
She was right. Orp had thought him alone and the attack reflected that. The shabbing Gran had likely expected Boba to suffocate if the initial blast didn't kill him.
"I need bacta." He finally said. "We must have gotten too close for comfort to Bane. How long did this take?"
"Four hours." The clone piped up.
Boba cursed as Vos handed him a stack of bacta patches.
"Don't be so quick to give up." Vos said. "I heard Bane say something when I sensed him. He's narrowed his search to a single sector of the planet, Sector 672g. It'd still take him hours, if not days to find Rem."
"He might have gotten lucky." Boba said. He grimaced as Ventress noticed his struggle to wrap his wrist and stepped in to help. "And we're too late already."
"We're not." Ventress said in a distant voice.
Boba hated when Force users got like that. He didn't like that they could see something he couldn't. He wondered what dangers lay in their hidden world.
He noticed the lack of a crowd or even kriffing authorities around them. No one seemed to want to investigate the site of a bombing. This place really was a festering hell hole.
"Where are the police?" The clone asked angrily. "Four hours, and no one has checked if any innocents were hurt!"
"I don't know if Daiyu has any kind of police force." Vos said. "At least none that care."
The clone scowled. Boba was unsettled that they'd gone down similar trains of thought.
How alike are we, really?
It was no time for such musings. Boba finished pressing the bacta to his ribs before quickly rearmoring. He turned to Vos.
"You said sector 672g?" He said. "We have our target, then."
Ignoring his pains, Boba strode back into Daiyu. This time, he would be victorious.
Fives stared out the window of Senna's Kom'rk. Well, it wasn't technically Senna's, but her ba'buir's. In any case, watching the streaks of hyperspace fly by was a far better alternative to facing the mess inside the ship. General Kenobi had cloistered himself in the back. He hadn't spoken since they'd escaped Coruscant.
Kor, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth with an irritated rhythm. He kept shooting looks at General Kenobi, which the general seemed to pointedly ignore.
Senna was piloting them. Fives had warned her that this was going to be dangerous. He'd suggested they just borrow the ship. She hadn't listened. Now she stayed quiet. She had always been empathetic and the tension of the ship was getting to her.
Fives himself had nothing to say. He had thought that once they'd left, the spark of purpose he'd felt would fan into a flame. It hadn't happened yet.
"Is that really General Kenobi?"
Senna's whisper was like a sharp prick to Fives' ears. He glanced at Senna and gave a short nod. Her disappointment needled at him.
"You always made him sound so lively." Senna tried again. "Always bantering with his men or the enemy."
"People change." Fives muttered. "Especially during war."
"You didn't." Senna said. "At least, not much."
"During the war, no." Fives said.
Senna put her hand on his arm. Fives jerked away. He immediately regretted it, if only for the hurt in her eyes.
"What happened?" Senna asked. "You endured so much during the war. Why did you change when it ended?"
Fives gave a bitter laugh.
"We weren't built for peace." He said. "We should have died with the war."
He didn't expect the furious look on her face.
"Don't say that!" She hissed. "You told me every time we were together how much you wished your brothers who died could see the end of the war!"
The words struck him. Wasn't that the point of this mission? To give those brothers a chance?
"You're right." He said.
He had meant that he should have died with the war. He got a feeling she wouldn't like that.
"One of them did live." Fives said to change the subject. "Echo. He was captured, but we found him."
"The senator?" Senna asked, eyes wide. "He's your Echo?"
Fives nodded, letting himself smile a little at her excitement.
"That's wonderful!" Senna said.
She reached for him again, but stopped short. She hesitated before going on.
"I've- seen him on broadcasts." She said. "What happened to him?"
"The Separatists." Fives said. "He was captured and maimed and experimented on."
This was making him angry, which was good. Anger washed most of everything away.
"They took him and tore apart his insides and made him their slave." Fives went on. "They made him help kill his own brothers. They didn't even give him back when the war was over, because he was just a tool to them. We had to go in and find him. And what we found-"
His voice failed him as he thought of the pale corpse that his brother had turned into.
Senna was quiet for a moment.
"Do you-" She paused. "Do you wish he hadn't survived?"
Fives stared at her.
"What?" He asked. "No! No- I would never wish that!"
"You sound so angry, like you wish you hadn't found him."
"No!" Fives snapped. "You don't understand-"
They had gotten Echo back. He was alive, safe from the Techno Union, and sleeping in medbay.
Fives watched his brother sleep, happier than he had been for a long time. Kix and Tech had both said he'd be able to recover and get his strength back. Echo was even chipper, something that Fives hadn't thought possible after his ordeal.
Echo was okay.
Echo began to make soft noises, whimpers. Fives frowned. Tech had said something about nightmares. The whimpers grew into quiet calls of 'no,' and 'please.'
Fives reached out to wake his brother but flinched back as Echo let out a soul grating scream.
"No!" Echo cried, thrashing. "Stop-"
Fives lunged forward to shake Echo's shoulder.
"Echo, wake up!" He said. "It's a nightmare! Wake up!"
Echo's eyes flickered open, but he didn't seem to see Fives. He continued to writhe, as if to get away.
"Echo, it's me!" Fives said. "It's Fives!"
Echo didn't respond, muttering under his breath.
"Please." Echo whispered. "Please-"
"Echo!" Fives said. He took Echo's remaining hand and clutched it tight. "You're all right, you're with me!"
"Don't-" Echo croaked, his eyes unfocused. "Let me die, just kill me. Please. No more. I don't want- I can't."
"No!" Fives said in a hoarse whisper. "No, Echo, you're with me! It's all right! They can't get you!"
But Echo kept mumbling and pleading for someone to let him die, to end it. Fives just clung to Echo's hand. Eventually Echo's murmurs fell away and he blinked up at Fives.
"Fives." He said. "Don't leave me behind."
The words were shrapnel blasted into Fives' heart.
"I won't." He choked out. "I swear, never again."
Because he had left Echo behind. He was to blame for this.
And it seemed Echo blamed him too.
"It was my fault." Fives said. "I didn't go back for him. He could have been okay if it weren't for me."
He looked at Senna.
"I told you that when it first happened." He said. "It was true. And it's worse, because he didn't die. He was tortured for two years because I couldn't be bothered to go check if he was dead."
"And I'll tell you what I told you then." Senna said. "It wasn't your fault."
Fives smirked.
"I bet they told you to tell that to all the clones that came your way." He said. "Might have even been true for some."
Senna glared at him and he was shocked by the sheer anger in her eyes. Her knuckles were white on the controls.
"Don't you dare accuse me of lying to you!" She hissed. "You believed me then, Fives. Why is it any different now?"
For a moment Fives doubted himself. Everything had been clearer after he had been with Senna. But no- it was easier to believe anything after she had pleasured him. Things were clearer now, without the passion.
"Because I know better now." Fives said bitterly. "But now I have a chance to make things right."
"What do you mean?" Senna asked. "Fives, why are we going to Serenno?"
Fives looked at her for a long time. He figured that she deserved to know.
"General Kenobi believes the secret to bringing people back to life is there." He finally said.
Senna's eyes narrowed.
"And that's something a Jedi can do?" She asked.
"We think so." Fives said.
"And you want to bring your dead brothers back?" She asked.
Fives nodded. He didn't like the disbelieving look on her face.
"Even if it were possible, which I'm pretty sure the Jedi would have figured something like this out, it's not going to make you feel better." Senna said.
"My brothers deserve to live again!" Fives said.
"But that's not why you're doing this." Senna said. "You said it yourself, you're trying to make things right. There's nothing to make right, Fives! You did nothing wrong!"
"Stop saying that!" Fives shouted. He froze as he saw a flash of fear in Senna's eyes. He'd never yelled at her before. Even when ranting about Krell or some other injustice, he'd never shouted at her. He took a deep breath. "Listen, if you don't want to be involved, just drop us off somewhere with a ship port. We can charter passage there."
Senna shook her head.
"We're well into CIS space now." She said. "If we stop anywhere, we're going to get detained."
She sounded bitter. She regretted helping him. He knew she would in the end. Guilt gnawed at him for asking her to put herself into this position without all the facts.
Fives stood up.
"Fine, then." He said. "When we get to Serreno, focus on getting back into Republic space and don't worry about us. We don't know how long it'll take us."
"Fives-"
"Let me know when we get close." Fives said and turned from her.
She was wrong. This would redeem him from his guilt, from all the stupid decisions he made, all the brothers he'd let die.
It would work.
It had to.
Mando'a:
Kom'rk: gauntlet, class of Mandalorian fighter
Ba'buir: grandparent
From the top!
Finally getting Tech and the crew out of the CIS's clutches. Phee has totally escaped like a million prisons. Too bad the only signs Tech can read are military hand signs. Phee is also totally the type to ask someone on a date in the middle of a firefight.
Slight aside, I am SICK of people discussing the best pilots of Star Wars and ALWAYS LEAVING OUT TECH. THE MAN DID RIOT RACING, SOMETHING THAT HUMANS DON'T DO. THE ONLY REASON ANAKIN CAN POD RACE IS BECAUSE HE'S MAGIC.
And another topic I need to yell about:
CROSSHAIR DESERVES TO HAVE THE BAD BATCH GO FERAL OVER FINDING HIM.
Yay Boba is okay! And the Force and Psychometry is so OP. I want to write my own original works one day and I don't know what I'm going to do when I don't have the Force.
Fives: Echo is okay!
Narrator: and then Echo was not okay.
Echo is having a night terror, which means he won't react to anyone until it's over. Apparently my 3 year old niece has them.
Don't worry, Fives is nearing the end of his lack of sense. Poor thing has been an unreliable narrator this whole fic.
I'm sorry no Rex and Ahsoka this chapter, but we're gonna get lots soon, I promise.
I think that's everything!
Stay safe, remember to review, and have a good week!