Chapter 1 - Knightfall

Author's Note: Prepare to be gutted. :):):)

WARNING: Order 66

~ Amina Gila

Death is far from abnormal to sense. They're in a war, but this is different.

This is their home being attacked. The Temple. Maybe not the home they wanted, but still the one they have.

It's elusive, but the darkness is distinct. The past few days since the attack on Coruscant have been tense in a way that Hunter doesn't understand. None of them do, but it's unnerving.

No matter how fast it's progressing, the word gets out fast.

It's not a fight they can win, and Hunter isn't going to try. Not now. Surviving and protecting his brothers is more important than anything else ever could be. His priorities are, and always will be, his brothers.

Tech is in the Archives. He usually is.

"Tech, we have to leave," Hunter half orders, skidding to a stop.

"I know," he replies, "I heard."

"Have you heard from Wrecker or Crosshair?" Hunter asks him.

"Not yet," Tech answers shortly, "I would suggest you find them."

His heart flips. "What are you going to do?"

"The Jedi across the galaxy will return here if they don't know what happened," he says, and the sinking feeling Hunter has only grows. "I will have to recalibrate it."

"They'll be coming here," Hunter warns, "It's dangerous."

"I will be fine," Tech promises – sometimes, it feels like he's adapted to this way of life far better than Hunter ever has or could, and for some reason, that hurts. (Tech was willing to get a padawan braid for him. It took months for Hunter to get used to seeing it, and he's still not, but it's important to the Jedi, so it's important to them, and he still did it. Even if it was so not-normal for all of them. It's such a silly little thing, but it means so much to Hunter.)

"Go find our brothers."

Hunter sighs. He doesn't want to go, but Tech is still logical enough to know when to take risks. Most of the time. Wrecker and Crosshair are far more reckless in that regard. "Be careful," he requests, "And may the Force be with you."

Tech's reply is cut off by blaster shots nearby. Hunter freezes, glancing at the door.

It's too fast, and there's too many, and he needs to be fast. "Tech, if something happens, I need to know –" He doesn't want to talk about dying, but so many are and have, and these are Jedi. They're only half of what the Jedi are.

"I'll take care of our brothers," he promises, "If it comes down to it."

Hunter nods to him and makes for the door. He doesn't want to fight the regs there – it feels wrong, even if they're the ones attacking. They aren't his brothers, but they're still... they are. And something about them feels wrong. Off. Distant – it isn't something he understands or takes the time to contemplate.

He opts for slashing their blasters in half and throwing them into the wall.

Crosshair doesn't answer his comm. If he forgot to turn it back on again, well – they'll fight it out later if he did.

He comms Wrecker next, who picks up on the third beep or so.

"Are you okay?" Hunter demands.

"Yeah, we're okay," Wrecker assures – there's some shuffling and noise in the background, but no blaster fire and Hunter lets out a nearly audible sigh of relief. Wrecker is with some Initiate group, though. If he's not blowing things up or working on something weapon-related, he's hanging out with the kids.

They adore him, and vice versa. Hunter's still surprised no one objects to how much time he spends with them.

"Good. Tell me if you find Crosshair," Hunter requests, "He wasn't answering me."

"He's supposed to be nearby," Wrecker whines, and he sounds like he's on the verge of panicking, "But he's not here, and I dunno where he is!"

"It's okay," Hunter tries soothing, even if it really, really isn't. "Try to get the kids out of there. We need a shuttle or something to get off-world." He wants to go for the Marauder – they're still a squad, and they usually work on their own, and he couldn't be more grateful for that – but they don't really have time to be picky right now. "But if it's cutting too close, then..." Just get yourself out. He doesn't say, but he knows Wrecker understands, anyway. You're more important than anything else.

"Okay," Wrecker promises, and he still sounds freaked out, but there's nothing more they have time to say.

Hunter comms Crosshair again. And again, before giving up entirely. If he won't answer then – either he's fighting, or – he doesn't want to think about alternatives. It's not very Crosshair-like to jump into the fight without the rest of them, but Hunter wouldn't know if it came to him first. He doesn't know anything. Not even where to start looking – Crosshair is always near wherever Wrecker is.

He reaches inwards instead, searching for Crosshair, and their bond is closed off, but still bright and there. He's shielding heavily for some reason, and he feels angry, but Hunter pushes farther, enough to reach him. Feel him. He can find him, track their bond if he tries hard enough. Following it through the chaos and death that's surrounding them is hard, though.

It takes a while – too long, but he doesn't stop looking. The longer it takes, the more danger all of them are in. The more chance there is of – of something happening. Of someone being hurt.

Hunter doesn't really know what he expected when he found Crosshair.

Just not – not him fighting a Jedi.

Crosshair doesn't hurt people. None of them do. They certainly don't like to, anyway, or want to. They might have to, but –

He didn't expect to see Crosshair stabbing someone, to be precise.

"Crosshair, what are you doing?" Hunter asks incredulously, and his little brother turns away, spinning his sapphire blade around. He's glaring, an entirely uncharacteristic rage on his face, and Hunter realizes for the first time that there's something off in his presence that's the same as how the regs feel. He doesn't like it.

"Traitor," Crosshair accuses, hissing at him.

"What are you talking about?" Hunter demands incredulously. "Are you okay?"

Crosshair stalks back and forth in front of him, pausing in the middle of the hall and turning to face him. "The Jedi betrayed the Republic," he says, as if that somehow answers something.

"Is that what they're saying happened? That's why the regs are attacking us?"

"If they're attacking you, it's because you're a traitor, too."

This makes no sense. He's mid-stepping forwards when Crosshair lunges at him. Hunter ignites one of his lightsabers, parrying it. He doesn't understand. This isn't – it doesn't – why is Crosshair doing this –

"Crosshair, stand down!" Hunter yells, hoping the call back to when they were little – okay, they've adopted much of their old ways after their former master died – will do something to bring him back to himself.

Crosshair's trying to kill him, and he has no idea why.

Doesn't want to think about that though. Can't.

It hurts, and it makes him angry, too, because this isn't supposed to happen. Crosshair isn't – he didn't even have a warning, and his little brother is trying to kill him.

Hunter shoves him back, and Crosshair swings at him again. He's furious, and their fight is just making him angrier. It's fueling him, driving him.

Hunter doesn't understand this. Crosshair has a temper, no doubt there, but he has never known his little brother to be so violent. He's never attacked him, not for anything. He wouldn't – they care about each other. They have always put each other before anything else, no matter what the cost is. That's why they never fit in as the Jedi, aside from the obvious that they're clones and came so late – just like Anakin.

He wishes Anakin was here. He would know what to do, but he and Ahsoka are off-world on Mandalore, and Hunter is the one responsible for his brothers. He needs to figure this out himself.

But still, he can't – can't figure out why Crosshair would be angry enough at him to go this far.

"Crosshair," Hunter requests, ducking side when Crosshair comes at him again. "Stop." He's angry, and he's hurt, and he really doesn't know how to handle it.

Crosshair glares at him. "You made the wrong choice."

It reminds him of Krell, except this is his little brother, and one of the only people who truly matters to him. One of the people he can't live without. "We didn't even have a choice!" Hunter snaps back, "They turned on us without any explanation. You know the Jedi were never committing treason, Crosshair. What are you talking about?!"

Crosshair Force-shoves him, and Hunter slams into the duracrete wall behind him. He pushes himself up again, but Crosshair's already stalking towards him, physically shoving him back against the wall, leveling his lightsaber at Hunter's neck. His intent is obvious – rippling in the Force and from the blazing fury in his eyes. Somehow, Hunter didn't think it could reach this point, didn't really realize how bad it was until right now.

Hunter reaches out with his other hand, ready to catch the blade with the Force if he has to, because he is not going to let Crosshair kill him. He doesn't – how can he do this? Be doing this?

Crosshair's leaving himself entirely unguarded, and Hunter could easily stab him without being hindered, but Force, this is Crosshair, and he hates himself for the thought even crossing his mind. And it's messed up even more somehow, because does Crosshair know that and still trust him enough to know Hunter wouldn't hurt him? Or does he just not care?

Crosshair's gaze jumps from him to his hand, something oddly vulnerable flickering through his eyes.

"Crosshair, what are you doing?!" Hunter demands, every bit of his hurt and confusion and anger bleeding into his voice.

"You're a traitor," Crosshair repeats mindlessly, "Just like him."

It hurts more than it ought to, borrowing deep inside him. Krell is everything Hunter has tried so hard not to be. And Crosshair knows that. If – if he did something to upset Crosshair this much, then... (maybe he does deserve it). "Whatever happened, we can talk this out," Hunter argues.

Crosshair hisses at him, blade pressing closer.

His heart is hammering, and he hates it, because there's no reason Crosshair should be doing this. They're brothers. They trust each other. He wouldn't actually mean to go through with it. He wouldn't, but he's certainly acting like it, and Hunter doesn't think he can risk trying right now. Either way, he reaches for him, hesitantly touching his arm. Crosshair slackens a bit, though he doesn't pull back.

Hunter flicks off his lightsaber and drops it to the floor, no matter how worried he is to do so, reaching up to touch him with both hands.

Crosshair is still glaring at him, but it looks a little more sullen than outright furious. It's a little less desperate to hurt.

(He doesn't understand why things fell this far. Why it's happening. Why Crosshair is willing to hurt him. Even if he did commit treason, even if any of them did – they'd be angry, but they would never hurt each other, so why?)

"I don't know what happened," Hunter tries, trying not to think too hard about the fact that Crosshair's lightsaber is still pressed to his neck. It's still too close, but Crosshair's hands are still insanely steady, far too much to hurt him by accident. He doesn't want to die. He's nine years old. That's – it's young. And his brothers need him. Stars. They need him and what would it do to Wrecker and Tech to know that Crosshair killed him – "But if – if I did something, if I hurt you, you can tell me."

Crosshair's hand is still lingering on his shoulder, though it's a little lighter now, more hesitant.

"I don't want to fight you," he continues, "On Umbara – I know what it's like to want to hurt. I – I regretted it every day after. I know it felt like I didn't have a choice, but I still..." He needs to be faster, but the look on his brother's face is softening faintly. He's listening, at least. "Crosshair, don't do this."

He shifts a little, hand shaking.

"The guilt is – it's not something I wanted you to handle."

Crosshair scoffs, pressing the blade closer.

Hunter tries to even out his breathing, to stay calm. For a moment, he thinks he's actually going to go through with it, to kill him, and it isn't something he wants to think about.

He loves him and they all do, and he doesn't understand why this is happening.

He can't imagine what it is he'd have to do for Crosshair to be willing to kill him. Crosshair's not violent by nature. He's not. He just has moods sometimes. Everybody does. He might be Dark sometimes, enough that it's always worried Hunter, but he would never hurt anyone for it.

The Force gathers around him, and Hunter braces himself, but after a second, Crosshair flicks the blade off and steps back.

He looks away, still glaring, but he looks sullener than anything else. "You still betrayed the Republic. You betrayed me."

Hunter follows him, keeping their proximity, even if he doesn't want to. He's – he doesn't know how to feel about this. Crosshair just tried to kill him. He needs to make sure he's okay, but he can't – how is he supposed to deal with this?!

He doesn't...

He can hear blasters shots in the distance, coming closer. Can feel the death. If they're going to leave, they don't have long. "Why would you think that?" Hunter asks him.

Crosshair looks back up at him, glaring. "We got the order, Hunter. Make your choice."

"Sometimes, fighting isn't about winning. It's just about surviving," Anakin had said once. He hadn't understood it at the time, but now, he does. As clones, they've always picked their battles with ones Hunter knew they could win, but now, with everything at stake... this is something most of them would die for. Why the regs aren't, he doesn't know. Isn't about to stick around and find out, either. They have to leave. To survive.

"We're leaving," Hunter tells him, "This isn't a fight we can win."

He scoffs. "You're running. Like he did."

The hurt of it buries deep inside him, gnawing at him. He tried everything to protect them, and he thought he was doing it. But he – he failed. Hunter pulls back from him, hands dropping to his sides. He doesn't know what to say.

"We need to leave," Hunter requests, "Until we figure out what's going on."

"We already know what's going on."

"No, we don't!" Hunter snaps back, taking a deep breath and struggling to find some sense of level-headedness. He can't think clearly right now. "You just tried to stab me."

Crosshair scoffs.

"I don't know why the clones are attacking the Temple."

"Yes, you do –"

Force. Arguing with Crosshair is maddening. "What's wrong with you?" he bursts out finally, "Since when did we ever blindly follow orders? We're included, and you know we didn't do anything."

Crosshair hisses faintly, whirling back to face him. "We had our orders, Hunter."

He hurt, and he's angry, but under the circumstances, Hunter needs to focus on getting out of here over everything else. They don't have long, and Hunter's responsible for him. "We don't have time to sort this out right now," he objects, "We need to leave. We can talk about this later, okay?"

Crosshair just glares at him again.

He could swear he doesn't remember doing anything to make his little brother so upset. Crosshair is definitely Dark, and Hunter has always known that, but he never really... they weren't normal Jedi. He never paid nearly as much attention to it as he maybe should have. He thought they aways took care of each other when they were hurting, when they needed it, and they always tried to be there for him, no matter what it was that was happening, even if it defied the Council's orders, and everyone else's. But orders never really mattered to them. It was only ever each other.

"I know you're angry," he continues, "But killing people isn't going to change that. I've regretted killing Krell ever since I..." He can't believe he has to tell Crosshair this. It should be obvious.

"Maybe you're just getting soft."

Hunter flinches.

Maybe he's just spending too long with Anakin and getting too open. They're still soldiers. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that.

Anakin is... open, far more so than Hunter can understand, and he's just... That's what he's gotten used to. Anakin is so open with people, and it's easier to be. Except, well, what Crosshair said. They're still soldiers, too.

"It's about doing what's right, no matter what the risks are. That's what we've always done."

An explosion nearby draws Hunter's attention to the doorway. "We don't have long," he says, looking back at Crosshair, "And we need to leave." He doesn't know how to convince him to come with them, though. That's what scares him the most. They can't leave without Crosshair, but if he won't come... what are they supposed to do?

Crosshair's hand tightens on his lightsaber.

Are they going to have to fight again? He doesn't want to do this. Crosshair just tried to kill him. He would've. Was going to.

Being a Jedi is so much harder than a soldier. Then what they were made for. They never used to care about duty. Hunter's still not fully sure he does, but it feels like he ought to, and the need to do the right thing is gnawing at him.

He knows the Jedi would have his brother killed.

He can't let that happen.

He'll worry about that, if there's even any Jedi left to talk about after this is all said and done. Right now, he's as angry as he is desperate. Probably, the full extent of the hurt won't sink in until it's already too late to do anything about.

"Crosshair, stop doing this!" Hunter half-yells. "We can worry about the orders later! For now, we have to go."

"I'm not a coward," Crosshair snarls. "I'm not running."

He jumps at Hunter again, and this time, it's not Hutner who blocks him.

His lightsaber freezes mid-air and is thrown backwards with him. Hunter whirls around towards the doorway.

Tech's lowering his hand, and Wrecker has his lightsaber out and ignited.

"I told you to leave," Hunter says, instinctively, even if he couldn't be more grateful to see them. He wants them here, with him, to – he doesn't want to be alone in this, but that's selfish.

"When have we ever followed orders?" Tech asks dryly.

"Did you get a ship?" Hunter queries, moving to stand next to them.

"Yeah," Wrecker promises, "And a lotta explosives."

Of course, he did. That's probably why he heard an explosion a couple minutes ago. They came back to find him.

Crosshair snarls at them, standing, lightsaber in hand.

Hunter takes a step forward, reaching out, half – he has to do something to get Crosshair back, but he doesn't know what or how. They can't just leave him, but they don't – don't have a choice, and he has to protect Tech and Wrecker, too. That's his role. He can't choose Crosshair over them. Can't stay here and die senselessly.

With them here, it seems easier, but this is gutting, all the same.

Can't die, like everyone else he feels dying. They don't have long.

"You don't have to do this," Hunter tries. Trying to reason with him is – Force. If not for his Jedi training and Anakin's lessons on how to stay calm when your padawan makes you want to scream, he doesn't think he'd even have the level-headedness to have this conversation.

"You're the one who made this choice," Crosshair throws back.

Tech sighs, almost defeatedly, looking at Hunter. "Crosshair has always been severe and unyielding. It is his nature. You cannot change it."

He knows, but that's not something he wants to think about. He doesn't break gaze with Crosshair, doesn't want to think about the meaning.

"What do we do?" Wrecker questions, shifting beside him.

"Stand down," Crosshair growls lowly.

"Is that an order?" Hunter asks. He only knows of one way out, and it hurts. This is going to destroy them, but there's – there's nothing else they can do.

Crosshair readjusts his grip. "I guess it is."

"Well, I guess I'm disobeying that one, too."

Crosshair jumps at him again, and Hunter throws him. He hates himself for it, but he has no idea what else to do. He can only hope the clones don't kill Crosshair even if he's helping them, because he – he knows what he has to do, even if he doesn't want to.

They have to go.

They can't stay, just because Crosshair wants to, and they can't take him, either, with him trying to kill them.

Tech stabs his blade through the door controls, and it slams shut behind them to cover their escape.

The last he sees of Crosshair is his sapphire blade cutting through the door after them, radiating a vibrant fury into the Force.

They don't talk on the way to the ship.

**w**

Or until they get off-planet and into hyperspace. They did, in fact – somehow – get the Marauder. He probably has Tech to thank for that. Doesn't ask, though.

He all but collapses in the co-pilot seat beside Tech, trying to take a moment to just breathe.

Crosshair's gone. He tried to kill them.

The Jedi are gone, too. They're probably all dead, or at least mostly.

Crosshair tried to kill him. Crosshair tried – Force. How did he mess this up so badly? What happened that he didn't notice? Didn't know about? How could he have failed Crosshair so badly? He knew Crosshair was hurt, that there were things he was... angry about, but it was never this bad. It was never to the point of violence.

They just left him. They've only ever had each other, and now...

This wasn't supposed to happen, and Hunter doesn't think anything can fill the gaping hole of emptiness ripped in his heart. Crosshair was about to cut his throat. He didn't do it, though. He could have. Was about to, but he didn't. That's what matters, right? Not how Hunter feels about it.

Wrecker climbs down from the gunner's mount where he was shooting back at their pursuers – the regs followed them until they jumped into hyperspace – radiating an uncharacteristic solemn emptiness.

Tech is a tumultuous storm in the Force as well – dark and wild. Empty. Hurt. Angry.

"Tech, can you find out what's happening?" Hunter asks desperately, "I don't understand any of this."

"There is not much to understand," Tech replies, "The Chancellor accused the Jedi of treason, and ordered their termination."

That is – it's what he was afraid of. He knew it, but it's even worse to hear.

"So... what do we do?" Wrecker asks, something vaguely desperate and hurt in his voice.

Being a master is hard. It's impossibly hard, and it hurts. Hunter never realized what all it meant until he got that role. He honestly thought it would be easier. Crosshair tried to kill him, and –

He's not the one who lost his only little brother.

Hunter turns his chair around, pushing himself to his feet and laying a hand on Wrecker's shoulder. "I thought we could go off on our own. Lay low for a bit," he replies, "But... with Crosshair gunning for us, I'm not so sure."

"But... we gotta go somewhere, right?" Wrecker asks a bit desperately.

"We don't know many people," Hunter points out, "We... could find Anakin, but we don't know where he is, or what happened to him." Mentally, he goes down the list of the few clones they know. Rex and Cody are... they don't know, but after what happened, he certainly won't risk contacting them.

Actually – if they're thinking about lying low, there is one person who can help them.

"Set course for J-19," Hunter requests, turning back to the front, "Cut can help us. He's been laying low for years. If anyone knows how, it's him."

The silence that settles over them is heavy, but right now, there's nothing they have to say.

Final Notes: Reviews are always appreciated! ^-^

Come hang out on Discord (delete spaces), discord . gg / nqSxuz2 or find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes)

We've got a YT channel for tributes! (delete the spaces) youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

ALSO: We have SW gift request forms for General, Anakin-Clones-centric, and Bad Batch fics. :D (delete spaces) bit . ly / CourtesyTrefflinFicRequests