Chapter 5 – Hunted by the Shadows

Author's Note: Because this is a role swap, things... are not quite the same. ;)

~ Amina Gila

"We don't know where we stand with the Tarkin and the Empire," Tech announces as they approach the Marauder. "That was not true with the Republic."

"Yeah, if we'd completed the mission, that wouldn't have been an issue," Hunter says bitterly.

"That wasn't an option," Echo snaps. "We're soldiers, not an execution squad."

"And good soldiers follow orders," Hunter reminds.

Which – yes. That's true. It was something that was drilled into them when they were young, but that doesn't change the reality of… any of this. Crosshair doesn't know how he feels about this. He hates it, the situation they've been thrust into.

They've just stepped into the clearing where the Marauder is landed when Hunter stiffens. "We're being followed," he says, drawing his blaster as he whirls and fires. Crosshair doesn't even flinch as the blaster bolt flies right past his head. They move through the undergrowth until they reach a sparking droid lying amidst the leaves.

"That is a probe droid," Tech tells them as if they didn't already know that.

"Tarkin's spying on us now?" Wrecker demands, affronted. "The Jedi didn't do that."

"Well, not that we know of," Crosshair points out, frowning. He has an unsettled feeling about all of this, and it's only getting worse. "Omega told Hunter it was dangerous on Kamino," he says, turning to his brothers. "She wanted to come with us."

"Well maybe she was right," Wrecker grumbles, glaring at the droid one final time as they turn back to the Marauder.

"She's only a child," Hunter points out, but even he sounds doubtful.

"I would not discount Omega's insight," Tech tells them, "A state of heightened awareness is not unusual for an enhanced clone such as herself."

Wrecker laughs at that, but Crosshair stills. "Omega is a clone?"

"Well, yes," Tech answers, typing on his datapad. "When Nala Se spoke of five clones, Tarkin assumed that meant us, but Echo's a reg. The fifth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analyzing her DNA while we were in the infirmary."

There's a stunned silence. "Why did you not mention this earlier?" Hunter asks.

"I thought it was obvious," Tech replies matter-of-factly.

Crosshair just shakes his head. Here they go again. He's lost count of the number of times that they've gotten into a mess because Tech "thought it was obvious", and they did something that would have been avoidable had he told them.

"How is it obvious?" demands Wrecker.

"Listen," says Hunter, interrupting whatever Tech was about to say – undoubtedly an insult about Wrecker's intelligence, never mind that none of them guessed that except him. "Tarkin must know by now that we didn't pass his test. I don't know if he really meant for us to kill all those civilians or not, but if he did…" Hunter trails off, not finishing. He seems uncertain. Civilian casualties are an unfortunate part of war, but this… would have been different, and even if Hunter isn't himself, Crosshair is glad that he's not able to justify it. "Orders are orders," he says at last, "And Tarkin won't handle our failure lightly." He looks between them. "Omega was right that it's not safe on Kamino."

"What're we gonna go?" Wrecker questions, worried.

"The kid's one of us," Hunter admits, and on that, Crosshair firmly agrees. She wants them. No one wanted them until Echo. She's just a kid. They can't abandon her to her fate while saving themselves. "We've gotta go back for her. We're not leaving her there. I'll talk to Tarkin. Maybe I can stall him long enough to possibly get answers while you extract Omega. And then…" His shoulders slump. "I guess we're going AWOL."

Echo exchanges a look with Tech, and Crosshair doesn't need to see their faces to know they're surprised. Which is frankly offensive. What? Did they think Hunter was going to turn into a reg and tell them to start murdering civilians and pretending that their sister isn't important? It's like they don't even know him. Actually, he's also hurt on Hunter's behalf. Hunter always protects them. Always. He always puts them first. Why is that such a shock to them? To Tech?

They don't speak on the way back to Kamino.

The mood is tense, somber. They know what they're getting into, and they know how much of a risk it is. It's come down to the point where they had to choose between protecting each other and following orders. Of course, they chose each other. There is no other choice they could have made. They were all each other had when they were young.

Crosshair remembers a little from his early days, and none of it was good. He remembers his eyesight being tested by the Kaminoans, how his eyes would ache afterwards. He remembers after one particularly bad day, crying in the corner of their barracks, while Hunter sat next to him and held his hand until he calmed down. He remembers Hunter's enhancements being tested, how he'd stumble back into their barracks, trembling, how he sometimes couldn't even bear to be touched, leaving them all feeling equally helpless while they watched him suffer.

He remembers how Tech struggled to process information, how his mind working so fast often kept him awake for hours into the night, leaving one of his brothers to try and get him to sleep. Being sleep-deprived isn't something to joke about. He remembers crawling into Wrecker's bunk during the nights when Wrecker's quiet sobs woke him – his body aching so much he couldn't sleep through the night. Hunter would often join them on those nights, and sometimes, Tech would slip in on the end.

Of course, they chose each other. Of course, they did. For anyone to think otherwise is insulting.

They land the Marauder on the outside landing platform and walk into the hangar, senses on alert. They know what the plan is, and they can only hope that it doesn't go wrong. Oh, who're they kidding? Of course, it'll go badly.

Sure enough, shock troopers surround them in the middle of the hangar. "Freeze!" calls one of them as they aim their blasters. Crosshair reaches for his hand blaster, as do the rest of them, turning so they're standing back-to-back in the middle of the room. Their chances aren't good, but maybe –

More troopers flood in through the hangar door, and behind them walks Tarkin. Crosshair swallows, glancing sideways at Hunter, hoping that he knows how to get them out of this, even if he's not too confident. If they start killing people, the entire facility will be notified, and their chances of finding Omega will drop dramatically. They can't leave her behind, which means going along with Tarkin for as long as they can, though Crosshair is loath to admit it. He hates Tarkin, hated him when Echo first told them about him, about how he wanted Fives decommissioned for being snarky and having an attitude.

"The Empire does not tolerate failure, Sergeant," Tarkin says, hands clasped behind his back.

Hunter straightens. "I know, sir," he answers, "But going through with the mission and eliminating the insurgents would have put innocent civilians in the line of crossfire."

Tarkin does not look impressed. "There were no innocents there. The probe droid's report was quite detailed. Those innocents you speak of were allying themselves with the Gerreras. You allowed yourself to be let astray by your own. I'm sure you know the punishment for treason."

"Treason?" Hunter echoes, and Crosshair presses closer to his brothers instinctively, dread washing through him. Please no. "We did not commit treason, sir. There were children there."

Tarkin expected them to kill everyone, including the children, Crosshair realizes numbly. He sent them there to test them, to see if they would blindly follow orders when it would lead to the deaths of innocents. Is this about the Jedi there? Was all this to lure the Jedi out?

Crosshair knows little of the Jedi, but he does know that any Jedi would have gotten involved and risked exposure to protect the civilians there, the children especially. That's what the Jedi did. They were good. Even if some of them apparently did commit treason, but really, if this is what the new Empire believes is alright, then maybe Crosshair can't fault them for that, either. He would go to war against anyone who tries to hurt his brothers, regardless of if it means turning on the thing they fought for.

"Throw them in the brig," Tarkin orders, ignoring Hunter and turning away.

The regs swarm closer, holding them at blaster point as they shove them – physically, since apparently, they think the Batch suddenly forgot how to use their legs – from the hangar, taking their gear and weapons before they herd them to the brig, pushing them into the cell and activating the ray shield.

For a moment, none of them move and then Wrecker sniffs loudly. "Smells weird."

"Because it's clean," Echo says, a bit snidely. Crosshair is a little bit offended. Yeah, their barracks might not be the cleanest or best smelling place in the galaxy, but it's their home, thank you, Echo, your opinion was noted a long, long time ago and then overruled.

"What exactly is the plan now?" Tech asks.

Hunter crosses his arms, glancing around the cell that's devoid of any furnishings except a bench along the back wall. Great. Now they're in a cell, and they still have to find Omega. And it doesn't look like Hunter has any more ideas than the rest of them. "I'm working on it," Hunter answers grumpily.

"Y'don't think… Tarkin plans to execute us, do you?" Crosshair queries, chewing on his lower lip. "'Cuz if he does, I say we just – rush the guards when they come for us."

Hunter throws him a look that's almost panicked. "Not happening," he answers firmly.

"Crosshair's got a point," Wrecker agrees.

Hunter exhales harshly spinning away from the entrance. "You should have sat the mission out, Echo." His expression is angry, and it's jarring. Hunter rarely gets angry. Okay, well that's not quite true. Hunter rarely shows his anger. Crosshair can sometimes see it in his eyes, but outwardly, he always tries to stay calm and unruffled. To see him visibly angry is… surprising.

Echo bristles. "So you could have killed everyone?"

"If you hadn't convinced Tech to go along with you, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Hunter throws back, not responding to the accusation.

Discomfort pulls sharply at Crosshair's insides. Do they have to do this right now?

"Technically, that is incorrect," Tech butts in. "Echo did not convince me to go along with him. He merely expressed his concerns over what the Empire might want us to do and how far they would have us go. As it turns out, those concerns were not unfounded."

"We should have followed orders!" Hunter yells, frustrated. "We should have done something, at least!"

"We disobey orders all the time," Echo points out, oblivious to the stare that Crosshair is aiming at the side of his head, willing him to shut up.

"We aren't normally being tested by a high-ranking officer." Which, yeah, Hunter has a point.

Echo looks like he wants to keep arguing. So does Hunter. And Tech for that matter.

Crosshair exchanges a helpless look with Wrecker. "So, are we gonna let Wrecker punch our way out?" he asks loudly.

"No!" Hunter and Echo chorus in sync. They immediately look uncomfortable at that.

"The guards are gonna come back at some point, though, right?" Crosshair says. "When will we get another chance? We can't – phase through the ray shield."

Hunter sighs, moving to sit on the bench, expression tight. Crosshair looks at him for a moment, seeing the fear he's trying to hide. He's lashing out because he's scared. They could die. It still doesn't feel real or possible, but here they are. But they couldn't leave Omega behind either. That was never an option.

Crosshair sits next to him wordlessly, leaning into his side, and resting a comforting hand on his thigh. "You'll figure something out, Hunter." He's not sure it's very reassuring though because Hunter only slumps further.

The guards come back not long later and deactivate the ray shield, blasters aimed. Their hands are tight on their weapons, as if expecting them to fight back. Not unfair. "CT-9901, you're coming with us."

Crosshair grabs Hunter's arm when he stands, ready to follow. "Wait," he hisses.

"Tarkin probably just wants to talk to me," Hunter tells him, pulling away. "I'll see if I can clear this up."

But as they lead Hunter from the cell, reactivating the ray shield behind him, Crosshair only has a feeling of foreboding doom.

**w**

"Hunter!" He hears the panicked shriek as the tiny, blonde figure sprints around the corner, panting.

"Move out of the way," barks one of the shock troopers accompanying him, but Omega shakes her head frantically, eyes filled with tears.

"You have go," she says frantically, desperately. "You have to run."

There are only three troopers, and even unarmed, Hunter knows he could overwhelm them, but is that really a good idea? A blaster digs into his back, a sharp warning, as the other two aim at Omega. "Move!"

"You can't take him!" Omega yells, frantic, and Hunter knows something is wrong. She knows something. She knows what they're going to go to him. And he's afraid. He's so afraid, but he's afraid for his brothers most of all.

"I'll be fine, kid," he answers, even though he knows, deep inside, that it's an empty reassurance. He knows it's not true. "It's just a misunderstanding." The blaster digs harder, and he relents and keeps walking. The last thing he sees is a tear fall down her face as she sniffles, expression filled with fear and devastation.

They don't take Hunter to see Tarkin.

They take him to the medbay. He wants to ask what they want, what they're going to do, because Nala Se is here – they're not going to decommission him, are they? But he doesn't have time for questions. He's injected with a sedative, and the world around him goes dark.

**w**

Crosshair shifts, restless. He knows something is wrong. He can feel it, tension and anxiety and danger all prickling under his skin. His body is tensed, ready for a fight.

The door slides open, but it's not a shock trooper there; it's a med droid.

"Excuse me," says the droid, "But there has been a disturbance with the prisoner."

Crosshair instantly tenses. Hunter? One of the two troopers straightens. "Where?"

"Right this way," the droid answers, flying from the room. The trooper follows, the door sliding shut. Crosshair could swear he hears a yelp and a thump, and he exchanges a look with his brothers. What's going on?

The door flies open again, and before Crosshair can fully register the scene in front of him, Omega fires the blaster in her hands at the other trooper. The stun bolt slams into him, and he goes down.

"Omega!" exclaims Tech, standing.

"I'm here to get you out," she blurts out. Her face is streaked with telltale signs of tears, but Crosshair can't worry about that now. All that matters is finding Hunter. "What do I do?"

"You must hit the lever to lower the ray shield," Tech replies, and she runs forward, dropping the blaster on the floor as she yanks down the lever. The shield flickers out, and Crosshair skids from the cell, picking up a fallen blaster.

"What's happening?" he demands, "Where's Hunter?"

At the question, her face collapses with misery. "They took him to the medbay," she answers. "I heard Tarkin talking to Nala Se. He wanted her to make him… more loyal somehow, and I – we – we have to hurry. Before it's too late."

Okaaaaay. Somehow, when Crosshair thought about escaping, he never thought they'd be rescued. By Omega.

"Good job, kid!" praises Wrecker, patting her on the shoulder with his massive hand. It looks ridiculous, but she immediately brightens, giving him a brilliant smile. She's adorable.

"We need our gear," Tech says. "We won't get far without it."

"AZI!" Omega calls to the med droid. "Where's their gear?"

"It was put into storage," the droid replies.

"Can you take us there?" she asks.

AZI spins in a circle. "Follow me," it answers, and flies from the room. With no other choice, the Batch fall in behind, running down the halls. Tech is in front, leading them as he always does if Hunter isn't there. It doesn't take long, thankfully, before they find the storage room in question. Everything is there, and Crosshair breathes a sigh of relief as he makes a beeline to his armor, picking up the chest plate.

"We gotta suit up quickly," he warns the others. "I don't think we'll have long." He doesn't want to think too deeply about what Omega was saying Tarkin wanted done to Hunter. One thing at a time.

"I warned you not to come back," Omega says softly as they begin strapping their armor on in a flurry of movement.

"We are aware you are a clone, too," Tech tells her. "We were not going to leave you behind."

She blinks at him, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Crosshair agrees, "You're one of us, kid. I heard you told Hunter you wanted to come."

Her mouth moves soundlessly before her voice returns. "You… came back for me?"

"Sure did!" Wrecker answers, grinning at her. "Whaddya say, kid? Wanna come with us?"

"Yes!" she blurts out. "Yes, I want to go with you."

"Okay," Crosshair tells her, sliding his helmet on and hoisting his rifle into his hands, "We need a plan. When we go for Hunter, the whole facility will know we're free."

"You are correct," Tech concurs, "We will need a fast exit. I propose that Omega and I go to the hangar, while the rest of you extract Hunter."

Echo shrugs. "Sounds good to me." They pause, looking at each other, realizing exactly how strange this is. Normally, Hunter is the one who gives them their orders. They've never been in a situation where Hunter isn't there to give them orders. Someone has to make the final call, and that someone will be either Tech or Echo. They've always stepped up to be Hunter's second. Tech used to before Echo joined, but in an acknowledgement of Echo's skillset, he took over. It feels strange, though, to follow Echo, given how he and Hunter were just arguing.

"Move out," Tech says finally, tightly, and Crosshair knows he's not alone in feeling the strangeness of their situation.

Echo leads them from the storage room, glancing down the hall both ways before scomping into a nearby port to search for Hunter while Tech and Omega – and AZI – sprint for the hangar, taking Hunter's gear with them. They know he was to be taken to the medbay, but it's huge, and it's been long enough that Hunter might have been moved elsewhere. "Hunter is not in the medbay anymore," Echo tells them. "He was dismissed after awakening from whatever procedure they did to him. I presume he was given a specific task to complete which has not been entered into the files."

Crosshair breathes out shakily, his heart hammering. "They probably sent him to retrieve the rest of us," he realizes, "Which means the whole facility will be looking for us momentarily."

"D'ya think he went to our barracks?" Wrecker asks. There's something almost hopeful in his voice which Crosshair doesn't stop to ponder.

"We can check," he decides, looking at Echo, who nods in agreement, and they take off running.

Crosshair sort of regrets not thinking more about why Wrecker wanted to go to their barracks. He did have a good point, but – "did you really want us to come here just so you could get Lula?!" he yells. He doesn't know if he wants to slap, punch, or hug Wrecker more.

Wrecker hugs the doll to his chest. "I wasn't gonna leave her here!" he protests.

"Enough," Echo interjects, "Hunter is clearly not here. We need to keep moving."

Crosshair can only shake his head at Wrecker before they move back into the hall. "Where to?"

Their comms crackle before Echo can reply. "Troopers are securing the hangar," Tech calls, over the sound of blaster fire. "I need backup!"

This time, they don't even debate their destination as they turn and run. They can't find Hunter, but if nothing else, at least they don't need to lose Tech and Omega, too.

Once they regroup, they can figure out the best way of tracking down Hunter.

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