Episode 3.11—"Broken"
In Eiloh's medical building, Emerie helps Tech sit up. She asks him a few simple questions, but Tech stares blankly into space. Worried he may have sustained brain damage, Emerie powers up an old X-ray machine. When she tries to place a brain scanner over Tech's head, panic chases the vacant expression from his face. He cries out and shrinks away from her.
On the far side of camp, Palmer leads the women outside to train. Omega asks to join them, but she's delegated to cleaning their weapons. Omega works alone in the barracks. While reaching for a blaster, she accidentally knocks over a box of slugthrower bullets, which roll under Palmer's bunk.
Omega crouches down to retrieve the slugs. She pulls aside a rug and discovers a trapdoor beneath Palmer's bunk. Grabbing a bobby pin from the dresser, she picks the lock. The trapdoor swings downward, revealing a stash of hoarded weapons.
On the other side of camp, Hunter negotiates a deal with Saw to protect Crosshair. Saw is determined to interrogate Crosshair, but he says that one Batch member may accompany him to ensure Crosshair's well-being. As Hunter accepts Saw's terms, Emerie steps out of the medical building. She asks Hunter to find Echo and Wrecker and meet her in the infirmary. However, she advises against bringing Omega.
The three clones gather inside the medical building. Tech is inside a locked room, but they observe him through a security monitor. His unkempt hair spills into his eyes and he has muscle spasms every few minutes. An IV is attached to his arm and he is in handcuffs. He sits in the darkness, trying to remove the cuffs but lacking the mental capacity to accomplish this.
Wrecker demands to know why their brother is locked up in the dark. Emerie says it's for his own protection. The darkness keeps him calm and the handcuffs prevent him from resisting treatment. The IV contains an anesthetic; if Tech's heartbeat rises above a certain level, the drug will enter his veins to prevent him from hurting himself.
When Hunter asks why she thinks these precautions are necessary, Emerie shows them an X-ray of Tech's brain. The picture reveals that multiple areas of Tech's cerebrum have deteriorated from electrical damage. Emerie believes Hemlock is responsible for Tech's torture, as he is the only one she knows who could induce such intricate brain damage.
Emerie says Tech is unable to speak, comprehend what people are saying to him, or even understand where he is. Mentally, he is still locked in Hemlock's lab, and he thinks anyone who approaches him is Hemlock. Echo and Wrecker stare at the monitor, devastated, and Hunter turns away, looking sick. He sees the Regs unloading crates outside the window and mumbles that he's going to help them.
As Hunter leaves, Emerie admits that full recovery is impossible. There is no way for the destroyed parts of Tech's brain to heal, and he will never be able to process information the way he used to. However, there is some hope for improvement. Since Tech can remember his time in the lab, he has the potential to recall other events as well. Emerie suggests that one of his siblings tries to make a connection with him, as this may trigger memories that will help him regain his awareness.
Echo and Wrecker discuss which of them has the best chance of helping Tech. His strongest memories would be those shared with the siblings with whom he spent his whole life. That leaves Echo and Omega out. Echo adds that Crosshair may not bring up the best memories for Tech. Glancing back at the monitor, Wrecker quietly volunteers.
Back in the women's barracks, Omega has pulled the rug back over the trapdoor and returned to her work. She looks up as a young Partisan named Nell steps inside. Omega casually asks if the women have any more weapons she needs to clean. Surveying the neatly organized supplies, Nell replies that this is their full collection. Omega frowns.
As evening falls, Wrecker returns to the squad's barracks, where Hunter and Echo are waiting. He sits beside Hunter, but Echo remains on the opposite side of the room. Lowering his head, Wrecker says he failed to reach Tech. When he entered the room, Tech stared at him like he was a monster and panicked when Wrecker tried to touch him. The anesthetic kicked in almost immediately.
Omega taps at their door again. This time, Hunter steps outside to speak with her. Pulling him aside, she tells him about the women's hidden weapons supply. Hunter assumes the Partisans just don't want to share their resources with the clones, but Omega fears they are preparing for something. If the clones cause any trouble, the Partisans can crush them.
After Hunter promises to keep an eye out, Omega asks how Tech is doing. Hunter hesitates. He takes in her sleep-deprived eyes and the worried lines that crease her forward. He replies that Tech is still unresponsive. Omega wants to see him, but Hunter says Emerie won't let anyone visit him at the moment. He invites Omega inside, but she says she wants to be alone.
The next day, Saw and three other Partisans interrogate Crosshair, who is secured to a chair. Wrecker comes along, per Saw's agreement. Saw instructs Crosshair to share everything he learned on Coruscant. Eyeing the Partisans distastefully, Crosshair remarks how pitiful it is that his brothers are obeying Saw like trained dogs. One of the Partisans raises his blaster and orders Crosshair to answer Saw.
Crosshair mocks the Partisans for failing to protect the refugees on Onderon. Saw regards him coldly, and the first Partisan threatens to shoot. Although Crosshair is tied up, he looks poised to strike. Wrecker asks the Partisan to lower his weapon, but he refuses. Crosshair says the Partisans are cowards. If they had been there when he attacked the refugees, he could have easily killed them, too. As the Partisan's finger hovers near the trigger, Wrecker draws his own blaster and stuns the recruit.
At Saw's orders, the other two Partisans disarm Wrecker and lead him outside. Saw informs Wrecker that the peace between their two groups will shatter if he doesn't cooperate. Wrecker growls that Saw is selfish. Scoffing in disbelief, Saw reminds him that his squad risked Eiloh's security to let in an Imperial scientist and a murderer…all to save one clone who would be better off dead. Wrecker responds by punching Saw in the face.
Back in his barracks, Hunter hears the commotion and rushes outside. He discovers that Wrecker has knocked out both of Saw's guards. Saw fires his blaster, but Wrecker ducks and seizes a gun from one of the guards. The two have just aimed their weapons at each other when Hunter darts in between them.
Observing that the two guards have already gotten to their feet, Hunter calmly says if the men lower their blasters now, no harm will have been done. Saw studies the two clones for a long moment, then holsters his weapon. Turning to the guards, he orders them to arrest Wrecker and increase security. Hunter closes his eyes as a new wave of stress crosses his face.
Omega notices armed Partisans marching out of the men's barracks. She tries to visit her brothers, but no one lets her past the women's side of camp. Concern clouds her features when she sees Partisans station themselves outside the medical building. She hurries over to the building, which borders the two sides of camp, and asks to see Tech. The guards turn her away. As Omega leaves, she notices an emergency hatch on the building's roof.
Omega sneaks around back and scales one of Eiloh's rock formations until she is level with the roof. She leaps across to the roof and scrambles up to the entry point. Removing the bobby pin from her pocket, she picks this lock as well and opens the hatch. Omega grips either side of the opening and lowers herself down. Treading quietly, she searches through the dark corridors. Alarm floods her face when she hears a distant shout from Tech.
She careens down the hall and runs into a looming Partisan. Another cry emanates from a room at the end of the hall. Standing her ground, Omega demands to see her brother. The Partisan grabs her, but Omega bites his hand and squirms free. She darts through the doorway and locks it behind her.
Omega finds herself in the same room where her brothers observed Tech. She sees him through the monitor, losing consciousness as Emerie scans his brain again. The door to Tech's room is locked, but Omega bangs on it until Emerie steps out to speak with her. She explains that she is trying to help Tech, but he thinks he's still being tortured. This is the first Omega has heard of Tech's torture or his mental state. Appalled, she asks why no one told her about this. Before Emerie can answer, the hallway door opens and the Partisan seizes Omega.
The Partisan leads Omega to the men's side of camp, where he informs Hunter of her actions. Hunter promises to talk to her and convinces the Partisan to leave. The moment they are alone, Omega tells Hunter about Tech. When she sees the pain in Hunter's eyes, she realizes he already knows. Hunter musters the last of his patience and attempts to calm her. Nothing he says helps. Cutting him off, Omega asks why he lied to her.
Hunter shouts that he was trying to protect her. Omega steps back, shaken by his tone. Hunter takes a moment to level his voice, then reminds her that he is her commanding officer. She is too young to handle the truth about Tech, and now that she knows, there is nothing he can do to shield her from it.
For the first time, Omega looks truly angry at Hunter. She steps back up to him and quavers that he has no right to tell her what she can and can't take. She fought and killed people to escape Tantiss, gritted her teeth as Crosshair dug shrapnel out of her leg, and watched children die on Kamino because she wasn't smart enough to save them. Omega tearfully says that all she wanted was to be by Hunter's side again. But he shut her out. If this is what he thinks protecting her looks like, he failed.
Omega's words cut Hunter deeply. He quietly replies that if she feels this way, she shouldn't remain with the squad any longer. Once they have a chance to leave Eiloh, he will find her a good home where she feels safe. Omega starts to protest, but a passing Partisan orders her to return to the women's barracks before curfew begins. Omega runs back to her quarters and curls up in her bunk, hugging Lula tightly.
Seeking solitude, Hunter withdraws into the Marauder. The ship hasn't had much use lately, and it is cluttered with their armor and tools. Hunter tries to clear a space to sit down but ends up just swiping everything aside in frustration. A voice comments that if he didn't have metal legs, that would have really hurt. Hunter discovers Echo working under the console. He was fixing the controls when Hunter came in and inadvertently sent tools raining down on him. Hunter asks if Echo overheard his argument with Omega. Echo admits it was hard not to.
Echo gets up and stands beside Hunter, the betrayal still evident in his eyes. Leaning against the wall, he says Hunter owes him an explanation. Why has he been so distant lately?
After a pause, Hunter confesses that he is responsible for everything that has happened to his squad. When they returned to Cid's parlor to treat Omega's injuries, Omega begged him to go back to Eriadu to search for Tech. But Hunter refused. At the time, Hunter was certain Tech was dead. But he still owed it to his brother to search for him. When Echo asks why he didn't do this, Hunter admits he was scared. Crosshair was out of reach, Tech was gone, and Omega had almost died. He was worried that if he returned to Eriadu, he would lose someone else. Hunter says if he had just listened to Omega, everything would have turned out differently.
Echo points out that Hunter never intended to hurt his family, so he shouldn't blame himself. Hunter counters that this doesn't change what has happened to their squad. Echo agrees. There is nothing Hunter can do to change the past, but he does have some control over the future. Hunter admits he doesn't know how to fix this mess; he doubts Omega would even talk to him right now. Echo suggests that Hunter try speaking to Tech instead. Echo knows what it's like to be tortured, to not be able to separate reality from nightmares. He says Tech is scared, and Hunter is their best chance of getting through to him. Hunter worries that his presence would make things worse for Tech. Echo says things can't get worse.
The next day, Hunter receives permission to visit Tech. Emerie instructs him to do all he can to keep his brother calm; if Tech's heart rate surpasses 200 beats per minute, the IV will automatically administer the anesthetic. Hunter catches sight of him through the monitor, slumped in the corner. Emerie hands Hunter a cup of broth to give to Tech and says she will monitor them from outside. Hunter takes a deep breath and enters the room.
Tech's heart rate monitor beeps evenly as he passively fingers his handcuffs. When he becomes aware of Hunter's presence, his heart rate climbs. He turns to look at Hunter. From Tech's perspective, all he can see is a blurred silhouette of Hemlock. When Tech shrinks back, Hunter stops to reassure him. Tech eyes him warily. His heart rate is still high, but it doesn't increase any more.
Hunter continues to speak softly to Tech, offering him the cup of broth. Tech allows Hunter to bring it to him, although his heart rate rises a bit more when Hunter comes near. Hunter sets the cup beside Tech, who picks it up with clumsy hands. He flinches when he sees the liquid inside, but his need for sustenance overpowers his apprehension. He drinks, spluttering a little as he tries to maintain enough motor control to swallow. Hunter sits down beside him, which causes his heart rate to increase a little more. It balances out the longer Hunter remains by his side. Eventually, Tech returns his attention to the handcuffs.
Hunter notices how Tech must squint and hold the cuffs close to his face to see what he is doing. He comments that he bets Tech would like to see again. He takes Tech's goggles out of his pocket and says Echo repaired them for him. Tech recoils when Hunter extends his hand to lay the goggles beside him, but his curiosity wins over. He picks them up and tries to put them on, but is not coordinated enough to do so.
Hunter offers to help. He slowly reaches toward the glasses, which causes Tech's heart rate to escalate. Hunter waits until Tech calms down a little. The monitor beeps erratically as Hunter picks up the goggles. When Hunter tries to place the eyewear over Tech's face, Tech screams and scrambles away from him. The heart monitor beeps rapidly, just a few digits away from 200.
Hunter holds out his hand and tries to calm Tech. Nothing works…until Tech turns his head toward the goggles that hang from Hunter's hand. He quiets down as he stares through the lenses. He can see Hunter's earnest face clearer now, and he doesn't look like Hemlock. Tech reaches out toward the goggles. He flinches when Hunter approaches, but he allows him to secure the eyewear to his face.
Tech's heart rate gradually reduces. When Hunter speaks his name, Tech looks at him as if he understands. Hunter apologizes for everything that has happened and promises to make things right. Hunter mentions their siblings, and Tech looks troubled until Hunter assures him they are alright. Tech studies him for a moment, then opens and closes his mouth as if trying to speak.
With much effort, Tech manages to form a word: "Beep." Hunter looks encouraged by his verbal progress, but he's also confused. Tech repeats the word, and Hunter replies that, yes, the heart rate monitor is beeping. This answer does not pacify Tech. He continues to stutter out the word with increasing urgency. Hunter is unsure how to respond. Distressed, Tech rakes his nails up and down his arm, repeating the word again and again as his heart rate climbs.
Tech's heart rate reaches 200. All Hunter can do is gently pull Tech's hand away from his arm. Hunter lets him sink back into his arms as he drifts into unconsciousness. Hunter sits quietly, holding him as the monitor beeps slowly. Resolve sets into Hunter's features, and that old fire of determination returns to his eyes.
END OF EPISODE ELEVEN