Chapter 12 – Like an Enemy

Author's Note: I would apologize for the cliffhanger, but I'm not really sorry. XD Thoughts about their life on Raada, y'all? :)

~ Amina Gila

It's sunset by the time Tech finishes the modifications that will allow him to scramble the Marauder's signature. He puts sensors in the entry of the cave to warn him if someone attempts entry, and Wrecker drags boulders to block off the opening. Their ship is safe. Hopefully, they don't need it, but Crosshair thinks he would miss it if he never saw it again. He already misses it. He misses Kamino, too, stupid though it sounds. He misses… home. They've never truly had a home, he supposes, but they had each other, and now, they don't even have that anymore. They had their barracks, their ship, and those are now gone.

Crosshair feels the weight of it on his shoulders as he walks with the others toward the village. The mood is subdued, almost depressed, though he tries to keep himself from getting lost in misery or thoughts of the past. It would be easier to push it aside and keep moving if they had a mission. But they don't. All they have is Omega and a tedious, mind-numbing life of being a farmer. How are they supposed to adjust to something like that? All he's ever known is war. He's only ever been a soldier.

Miara sees them coming, and she runs to greet them, waving, as they reach their new home. Home. It feels more temporary than anything else. It doesn't seem like that… hut could be considered home. Crosshair doesn't think he'll ever consider it home.

"I brought some food," she tells them, holding out a basket. Crosshair takes it reflexively. "Consider it a welcome gift. We put it together for you."

Tech hesitates, and Crosshair decides to step forward before Tech says something… considered not socially appropriate. "Thank you," he says, and he notices the way Tech almost relaxes. Tech's not good with social interaction, and they all know it. He has a strong dislike, actually, for talking to someone on their behalf. Talking about random information? Yes. He'll do that gladly. But trying to act as their leader? Not so much. He had to do it once when Hunter was injured, and he'd hated it. He didn't say so, but Crosshair could tell.

Crosshair isn't really an ideal option either because he has this way of getting under people's skin and making them punch him. It's not his fault. Really, it's not! People are just too sensitive sometimes. And Wrecker isn't even an option.

Speaking on their behalf was always –

Well, they'll have to manage it somehow now.

"Tell me if you need anything," Miara tells them, and she sounds so sincere. So earnest. It reminds him of Omega a little, and that's a comparison he carefully sets aside. It doesn't seem like she could be real, but… he thinks maybe she is? Maybe.

"We will," Omega chirps.

Crosshair sees a number of the other villagers watching them, and a few Twi'leks loitering in the shade of a hut a few yards away. He turns away toward their hut. It's small, but that's nothing new to them. Their barracks were smaller. It's dirty, too, but again, nothing new. The roof is sturdy, and the hut is defensible. Those things matter most.

They close the door behind them – close it because it's not an automatic door; stars, these people are so behind in technology – and Tech flips on a light. It's dim, and it flickers a bit, but it's enough for them to look around and see what it's like. There's a main living area with something that's probably meant as a kitchen on one side. Laughable. None of them know how to cook, not indoors. They have survival training, of course, but that's different.

Down a short hallway are three doors, two to the bedrooms and one to a 'fresher. The rooms are small, two beds in each, tucked into opposite corners. Aside from how they're not big, certainly not big enough for Wrecker, it would mean they'd have to split up. Something tightens inside of him at that, and he shifts a bit closer to his brothers instinctively.

There's a long pause as they all survey the arrangement. "We can move the beds," Wrecker suggests finally, "So Tech'll have somewhere to work."

That's not the real reason, but none of them mention it.

"Yeah," Crosshair agrees instantly. "Sounds good."

They don't talk much as they stash away their belongings, and Wrecker moves the beds into the same room. They're shoved together up against one of the walls. They haven't shared the same bed for a long time, and it seems childish to do so now, but all Crosshair feels is an overwhelming relief.

Wrecker sleeps against the wall, and Crosshair is between him and Tech. Omega, after some consideration, crawls in between him and Wrecker, Lula in her arms.

Their first night is… It is.

Crosshair wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare about Kamino. He hears Hunter's scream, but he can't get to him no matter what he does. He wishes he'd tried harder, done something more. Hunter did everything for them. Why – Crosshair shouldn't have left him behind. Loyalty is important to him. He prides himself on his unwavering loyalty. Once, that was focused on his brothers. But now? Can he truly consider himself loyal when he abandoned Hunter?

He slides from the bed, tiptoeing to the window soundlessly. It opens with only a faint creak, and he climbs out, boosting himself up onto the roof. It's not that high off the ground, and it doesn't give him the feeling of solitude that he wants. He wants to be higher, feel higher, wants to settle into a nest up high and just… be.

Where is Hunter now? Is he okay? Is he safe? Is he hurting? Is –

Crosshair has always known that his role as a sniper would mean that he's up high, far away from them, doomed to watch as they're hurt. He's wrestled with those feelings all his life, with the protectiveness he feels for them, tried to deal with it in his own way. Maybe he's too possessive of them, but he doesn't know how else to be. They're all he has, all he's ever had. If he doesn't protect them, what use is he?

He doesn't sleep again that night, and in the morning, it's Omega who calls him down from his perch.

**w**

They fall into an uneasy rhythm after that. Tech works as the town's mechanic, repairing the various machines and droids that break down, while the rest of them work in the fields. Omega's too young and not strong enough to do much, so she mainly has been relegated to bringing everyone something to drink and passing messages around.

The work is physically taxing, but Crosshair relishes it. Being tired at night means that he doesn't have time to brood or to dream. He collapses into bed and is out almost instantly. But he's still on edge here. He doesn't really know – or trust – the natborns, and he knows how much attention they're getting. There are many whispers about them, not only because of their looks and their names. Their strength is drawing lots of eyes, Wrecker's especially. He's capable of things that would require at least four regular human men to do, and Crosshair's enhanced, too. He can play it off as training, but with his slighter build, it's obvious they're… not normal. He doesn't think all the whispers are necessarily friendly, either, but maybe he's just too much of a pessimist.

Or at least that's what Hunter would tease him of.

They start training Omega in the evenings when the townspeople are indoors. Maybe they're settling down and trying to live as civilians, but that doesn't mean they can ignore the fact that Omega is entirely incapable of protecting herself. She wasn't trained as a soldier like they were, and sure, they might not be soldiers anymore, but their training could save her life someday. They start by working on building up her strength and endurance, so she has the ability to survive. This is a wilderness. Survival training will always come in useful.

Once she's stronger, they'll start working on combat training. Tech oversees much of it, and Crosshair participates. Wrecker just cheers her on since he's too big and strong to actually help her. She's tiny. Training her is a little scary. What if they accidentally hurt her?

They'll train Omega, make her strong and capable so they don't need to be so terrified about her being hurt. It's easiest for them to turn their focus onto her. She needs them, their help and protection, and it's nice to feel needed. It's a good distraction from the situation they're in, from the brothers they're missing. They haven't heard from Echo since he left, and Crosshair misses him. He tries not to think about him, telling himself that no news is good news, but it still hurts that Echo left them, even if it was for a good reason.

And as always, Hunter's ghost follows him everywhere, mocking him.

It goes well for the first few days before true boredom begins to creep up on him – and Wrecker, too. They're used to action. It's how they grew up, and they haven't had a fight in days. Everything about this place is unfamiliar, and Crosshair doesn't want to admit that he hates it here, but he does. He knows he can't afford to be selfish about it because this place is safe for them, but he just – really, really doesn't like it.

The Empire comes to Raada, too, though not in the same way it was occupying other planets since this is a small agricultural world, not a populated planet. The locals have mixed views about it as well as the quotas imposed on them. At least it's made the topic of conversation move away from them. Almost everyone is discussing the Empire and the pros and cons of being a part of it.

"This is a good thing," Kaedan is saying adamantly as Crosshair approaches the rest of the workers to join them for the midday meal. "Emperor Palpatine brought peace. We'll be safe now."

He scoffs before he can stop himself, and he's thankful that he's not the only one.

"The quotas are going to bleed us dry!" protests a female Twi'lek who's name Crosshair can't remember. Her skin is pale aqua.

"Peace through persecution isn't peace," the old man, Varlan, agrees.

"Peace by slaughtering all his opponents," Crosshair adds snidely.

Kaedan scowls. "There was no slaughter. Or persecution. He destroyed the rebels who threatened the Empire."

"Oh, my mistake," Crosshair drawls, mocking. "Of course, kids and infants are rebels."

"That's rebel propaganda," Kaedan snaps. "Those who are loyal are safe." It feels pointed, and Crosshair bristles.

Loyalty is the thing he's lived by. The Empire betrayed them. It took Hunter from them. Tarkin put them in a training exercise that had live rounds without warning them. Wrecker was shot there. One of them could have died. They had no warning. If that's not a betrayal, Crosshair doesn't know what is. It makes him angry, so angry. He knows he should walk away, but he's never been one to walk away from a fight.

He always starts them, as Hunter has said many times, tone ranging from fond to exasperated to annoyed.

What's one more?

"Loyal? You're falling all over yourself to sell yourself to the Empire. What do you know about loyalty?" It's cruel, and he knows it. All he feels when he sees the rage flash across the boy's face is a twisted satisfaction. He sees the punch coming long before it's thrown, and he catches it, blocking it and launching himself at him.

The other villagers break them up, and Crosshair stalks away, angry for reasons he can't even put into words himself. He stews in his rage all day, and even the physical labor isn't enough to burn it off. When he goes back to their home, he makes his second mistake of the day.

From the look on Tech's face, it's obvious that he heard the news and is unimpressed. His expression is tight and severe, and instead of walking away like he ought to do, Crosshair only goes up to him. "I heard what happened," Tech says, and Crosshair doesn't miss the anger in his tone. "You should know better than to be starting fights. We are here because they let us stay, and we cannot afford to get on their bad side, Crosshair. You should understand the precariousness of our situation."

Tech's right, and Crosshair's angry at that, too. "You have never run from fights before," Crosshair hurls back, "Getting soft?"

Tech's eyes harden. "There is a difference between fighting a neighbor and fighting a fellow soldier. You could have seriously hurt him."

"Oh, what a shame," Crosshair mocks. "He's not helpless, Tech."

"I am aware that you do not like him, but he is a child, and you cannot afford to start fights anymore because of disagreements with others."

"We're children," Crosshair snarls, jabbing a finger into Tech's chest, making him stumble back a step. "We're nine!"

"Stand down." Tech doesn't yell, and that's why it's so scary. His voice is ice cold, hard and cutting, and Crosshair instinctively recoils a step. Tech's never raised his voice against him before. He's never pulled rank, not like he's doing now.

There's a heartbeat of frozen silence where neither of them moves or backs down, and Crosshair spins on his heel and stalks away, around to the back of their home, feeling irrationally hurt and shaken. He slides onto the ground in a shadowy secure spot, pulling his knees up to his chest and sitting there. He wants to cry, but he's not a child anymore. He's not weak. He's nine, not a baby. He's –

His eyes burn anyway, but he stubbornly blinks the tears away. He stays there until the sun sets, until he can hear Omega and Miara's voices from somewhere nearby, inside their hut possibly. The two of them are friends, and she's taken to teaching Omega how to cook. That hurts too, even if Omega's learning and getting better. Hunter always used to do that. They're not replacing him, but it… it feels like they're trying to forget him.

They never talk about him, and Crosshair knows he's just as guilty of that as Tech and Wrecker are. Every time a conversation slides in a direction that might involve Hunter being brought up, one of them is quick to change the topic or drop it altogether. All he wants right now is to have Hunter's warm, steadying presence at his shoulder. He doesn't know how to function without it, without having Hunter to lean on. Hunter's always been there to support them, and he doesn't – how are they supposed to move on without him?

… What about Hunter? Is he okay? Does he have anyone?

Crosshair tries not to think about it, but he knows the answer deep inside of him. Hunter's alone, too. Has that always been true? He doesn't… know. Hunter's always taken care of them, and suddenly, Crosshair finds himself wondering who's been there to take care of Hunter. He never thought about it before. He never had a reason to because he always took it for granted that he would be taken care of. But now? Now, he feels terribly alone, lost, and unprotected, and he doesn't know what to do with those feelings.

He wants to think that they took care of Hunter, too, but he remembers Hunter's scream, the way none of them went to his side, and all he feels is the guilt wrapping around his throat and squeezing. He startles a bit when Wrecker sits down next to him.

"Y'kay?"

Crosshair gives him a thumbs up. "Never been better."

Wrecker's shoulders slump. "Crosshair –" He hesitates, seeming unsure what to say. "I miss 'im, too." Okay, so they're going for honesty apparently. Crosshair knows he's not the only one struggling. He knows he ought to be more sensitive of Tech and Wrecker, but he doesn't know how. He doesn't want to be. It's selfish, and he knows that, and that only makes him angrier. He wants to be taken care of. He doesn't want to have to look after everyone else, if only for a day.

"Yeah," he mutters. Wrecker slings an arm around him and pulls him to his side. Crosshair presses his face against his older brother's chest and if he cries, neither of them will talk about it.

They go inside when it's evening, and Tech is notably absent. Guilt gnaws at Crosshair's heels, chasing him everywhere he goes like a rabid dog that is intent on devouring him alive. He almost goes to Tech's workshop but then he remembers the stand down and stops mid-step, going to the table instead. Omega is the one who goes to talk to Tech, and Crosshair doesn't need Hunter's enhanced hearing to hear the brusque "later" when she tells him to come eat.

For the first time since they've come to Raada, they don't eat together in the evening.

Tech's there in the morning like he usually is – he came to bed last night, too, though it wasn't until after Crosshair was sleeping – but somehow, everything feels different. They don't talk about it. Maybe they should, but it's easier to look at each other and just… know that neither of them wants to address it. It's easier to brush it under the rug and pretend it never happened.

But hard though he tries, Crosshair will never be able to shake away the sharp, icy stand down, and now, he has two ghosts chasing him around.

**w**

Life moves on.

Kaedan continues to avoid them, and he doesn't like them any more than he did before.

Miara and Omega continue to be friends.

Wrecker and Crosshair continue to work in the fields and be bored and restless.

Tech continues his mechanic's job.

All of them continue to bicker and snap at each other.

Crosshair hates it.

He hates everything about this. He wants to take his rifle and go to the woods and shoot until his shoulder is aching from the recoil. He wants to go to the Marauder and don his armor. He wants to feel its familiar weight protecting him from the world around him. He wants Hunter –

It's hard to focus on his work which is stupid when it doesn't even require much focus, and he blames his distractedness on why it happens in the first place.

He hadn't been paying attention to the produce being loaded on the hovercart, and a startled cry from Miara made him turn in time to see the hover mechanism shorting out. The cart lurches, tipping, and Omega is right in the path. His heart stops for a moment, and he moves forward, but Wrecker is faster, tackling the kid to the ground, and shielding her with his body while the bales of hay are dumped all over the place. It would have seriously injured a regular person, but of course, Wrecker isn't regular, and he shrugs it off, even if he's bruised.

Wrecker sits, offering a hand to Omega to pull her upright. She looks shaken, but with the rush of adrenaline wearing off, Crosshair only finds it hilarious. "You still alive?" he asks dryly, smirking.

Wrecker laughs, rolling his shoulders. "Gonna be fine," he says.

"You okay, kid?" Crosshair queries, crouching by Omega.

She breathes out shakily but offers him a small smile. "Yeah."

Miara comes over, pulling Omega into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're alright," she says. "That was terrifying."

Wrecker looks at Crosshair, and Crosshair can see the 'it was?' in his eyes. He shrugs. Natborns are weird. Varlan comes over, too, and it's a little touching to see how many people are concerned about them. It's not what he wants, but it's – it's something, at least.

He scans the gathered people and sees Kaedan watching them, eyes narrowed. He doesn't look upset by Omega's brush with injury. He looks… suspicious of them, and Crosshair pins him with an icy glare that makes the boy quickly look away. It's unlikely that Kaedan will ever like them, but so long as Omega is happy here, Crosshair supposes that's what matters most, right?

He just – he wishes he could be happy here, too.

**w**

Restlessness settles in to mix with the boredom. They're not used to staying in the same place for long. They've been trained to be soldiers, not for such a monotonous, tedious, repetitive life. Sure, maybe being a soldier was often dangerous, but it was also fun, and Crosshair misses it fiercely. He misses the days when he had all his brothers with him. He misses Echo, and his particular brand of sarcasm. Echo understood his language, and he misses the friendship they shared. At least Echo gets to have fun, he supposes.

Cut told them that they had to put being a soldier behind them, but Crosshair doesn't know how. War is in their blood. It was why they were created. It's why they were useful, because their mutations gave them an advantage that the regs didn't have. Sure, maybe they were experiments, but there was a freedom there that he doesn't have now.

Settling down is easy to talk about doing. It's far harder in practice. They're soldiers. Soldiers don't settle down. But they're more than just soldiers now, aren't they? They're supposed to be. They're trying to be. Crosshair doesn't know that they're succeeding at that very well.

It's boredom and restlessness that drives Crosshair to a bit of mischief.

There's a stream that runs to a pond not far from the village, and occasionally, some of them go down to try fishing. Usually, it turns out with nothing, but Crosshair and Wrecker refused to take failure, so they spent their midday break trying to catch a fish. Wrecker finally succeeded, but only because he stuck his arm into the water and snatched one right out. Not to be outdone, Crosshair waited until he saw one approaching and stabbed it with a sharp stick.

Even with the fish successfully procured, Crosshair can't shake the need for something. A fight. A – something exciting. It's been too long. And sure, a couple weeks doesn't sound like that long, and normally it wouldn't be, but – but. But.

Crosshair slinks around to Wrecker's left side so he won't see him coming right off, and he trips him, adding in a shove for good measure. Wrecker yelps and flails when he loses his balance, sliding right into the water. Crosshair laughs at him. He can't help it. Wrecker comes up spluttering and glaring, and to someone who didn't grow up with him, it might be scary, but Crosshair knows Wrecker would never hurt him. Doesn't mean he doesn't turn tail and run when Wrecker lunges for him.

His escape lasts all of ten seconds before he's being grabbed from behind, and no kicking or pinching or biting makes Wrecker let him go – until he's right over the water. Crosshair goes down with a splash, kicking back to the surface to yank Wrecker's ankle out from under him.

They're laughing more than anything else as they wrestle in the water. The chill of it is elating, and Crosshair hasn't felt this light in a long time. They splash each other until they manage to stop laughing, and then, they drag themselves out of the water, dripping wet. There's a pause as they exchange sheepish looks. Tech's going to kill them when they inevitably track water to the bedroom to get a change of clothes.

Still, it's not like they've got anywhere else to go, and they can hardly strip naked until the sun dries their clothes for them. So home they go.

Tech catches them when they're attempting to sneak inside. He looks at them quietly for a moment. "Did you drown someone?" he asks, more joking than annoyed, and Crosshair feels as if he's finally been forgiven for their argument days ago.

He grins. "Only each other."

The moment is ruined when they hear Miara's scream from outside, and instantly, they're all running toward the sound. She was with Omega. If something happened –

They meet the girl halfway to their hut. She looks terrified.

"What's wrong?" Crosshair demands.

"Someone took Omega," she blurts out, panicked, and the world comes crashing to a halt.

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