Lost Fugitive
Author's Note: I hope that you enjoy this fic! I had SO much fun while writing it! Anakin and the Batch are soooo ignored and exploring their relationship more was fun :)
~ Amina Gila
Tarkin sent them to Naboo to deal with a group of insurgents. It's not the first time the Separatists have attempted to bring war to the planet, though Hunter doesn't know why that planet, in particular, is so important. Naboo isn't even in the Core, and it has no notable resources – that he knows of, at least.
"Tech, have you located the droids?" he asks, looking around. The forest is quiet, and he doesn't see anything ahead. He doesn't sense anything ahead, and that's the strangest part. All he senses is the distant electromagnetic buzz of a home, possibly in the nearby field. He doesn't feel any droids. It's strange.
"I have not," he replies. "Something is blocking my scan." He lifts his datapad a little higher, tapping on the side of it, but there's still nothing.
"Clankers always travel in packs," Hunter tells his brothers, "But I'm not sensing anything out here." He crouches, touching the ground, but even that doesn't give him any new input he hadn't already sensed. "Maybe there's something in the home up ahead."
They move further through the trees when a soft exclamation from Tech draws his attention.
"What is it?"
"I'm picking up heat signatures," he reports. "People."
"Tarkin said insurgents, not droids," Crosshair interjects, but no one's listening to him.
There's a flurry of movement as Echo moves forward, using macrobinoculars to scan the area ahead. "There are children there," he reports, sounding more than a little freaked out. "I don't see any adults, just children."
"Children?" Hunter echoes, snagging the macrobinoculars from Echo and looking through them. Sure enough, there are children there of a variety of species and ages. "Why would they be here?"
"Someone's coming," Crosshair warns, and Hunter turns, sensing the movement, too.
Of all the people who could have been here, Anakin Skywalker was probably the lowest on the list. Hunter hasn't seen the Jedi since the mission to Skako Minor when they rescued Echo.
"General?" Echo blurts out, stepping closer as the man in question slips around a tree trunk.
There's a soft click as Crosshair aims his rifle. "He's a Jedi. They're traitors."
General Skywalker holds up his hands. His expression is far too calm for someone who has a rifle pointed at his head. "I am not a traitor, not to the Republic," he tells them. "I did not turn on the Chancellor as the rest of the Jedi did, but I could not go along with his decision to have all the Jedi younglings slaughtered. I tried to talk to my men, but they did not listen. Something has been done to them. I mean you no harm. You must listen to me."
"General – of course," Echo replies, pulling off his helmet. "Tarkin sent us here. He said there were insurgents here."
Something like bitterness flashes across the Jedi's face. "Yes, he would have," he answers. "He is loyal to the Chancellor."
"As you should have been," Crosshair says darkly.
"Crosshair, stand down," orders Hunter. He doesn't understand what's gotten into Crosshair so suddenly. He doesn't know why he's so... upset. Did something happen? Why didn't he say anything? "We don't know what's happening, but this is General Skywalker. We can trust him."
They've never been close with any Jedi, but Anakin was always... different. He never tried to keep the distance from them that all the other Jedi do from their clones. He was open with them. He tried to get to know them on a personal level. He treated them as if they were equals, and Hunter admired him for that. Even if he hadn't seen that, he would have known that General Skywalker was different from the way Echo speaks about him. He and his General were close, and Echo respects him deeply.
The sniper hesitates, sighing loudly, but he still complies, lowering the rifle, though his posture remains tense.
"Reports say that the Jedi made an attempt on the Supreme Chancellor's life," Tech reports. "His actions were a defensive measure."
Sadness flickers across Anakin's face. "Yes, that is true."
Echo startles. "The Jedi –?"
"I was there," he affirms. "Master Windu was about to kill the Chancellor in cold blood." He looks away, something tortured in his eyes that makes an uncomfortable feeling twist in Hunter's chest. "Palpatine is a Sith. I don't know what involvement he has had in the war and your creation, but it is no crime for him to be a Sith. The Council had plans to remove him from office and take control. That is treason. I – tried to stop it. I sided with him until I realized what he was intending to do."
"The Jedi did commit treason, then?" Hunter asks remembering the padawan on Kaller. He'd let the boy escape, but Crosshair had tried to kill him. Even now, the memory upsets him.
"Yes," the Jedi answers. "It is... a complicated situation. I saved the children I could, and we left. I thought that perhaps we might be allowed to live here quietly, but that is not to be. Palpatine wants me. He wants my power."
"You're in trouble?" Wrecker blurts out, worried. He hasn't said anything all this time, but Hunter knows he's following the conversation closely.
"I was to be his apprentice," Anakin affirms.
Hunter doesn't really understand what that means or what the implications of that would have been, but it doesn't sound good, and he can't stop the burst of protectiveness he feels. Anakin gave them something. He respected them when as a Jedi and natborn, he would have been well within his right to take control of the mission and lead them as he saw fit. Instead, he let Hunter lead. He trusted Hunter to give the orders, and he went along with them. No Jedi has done that for them. No Jedi has looked at them and seen them as individuals.
"What do you need us to do, sir?" he asks.
Anakin winces. "I'm not – I left. I am not a General anymore, and there is no Jedi Order. I am neither Jedi nor Sith. Please. Call me Anakin."
Hunter exchanges a surprised look with his brothers. He hadn't expected that. It's expected for them to address natborns by a title. "What can we do?"
"I will need to find a safe destination where we can relocate," he answers. "The children here are under my protection. I must keep them safe, no matter the cost. They are innocent. They do not deserve to be dragged down with the Jedi merely because of how they were raised. Perhaps I can help them. I could not kill them like the Chancellor asked of me."
He feels... guilty because of that, Hunter realizes. Who is the Chancellor to him? He's – well, he's the Chancellor. Wouldn't it be strange or improper to have a close relationship with him? He wouldn't know, of course. He doesn't really understand how natborns work or what they do or don't consider appropriate.
"You were given a direct order and you defied it," Crosshair accuses. "That is treason."
His face tightens. "Perhaps, but there is more that we do not know. More no one knows. I requested my men to spare the children, but they accused me of the same. Something has been done to them." He moves closer to Crosshair and holds out a hand. "May I touch you?"
Crosshair draws back, throwing Hunter a look he can't read with his helmet on. "... Yes."
Anakin touches Crosshair's helmet, brow furrowing in concentration before he steps back. "Your mind is clouded with anger, much like my men's were, but you still retain your sense of self. I do not understand it."
"The regs are programmed," Tech offers helpfully. "The Kaminoans have been known to inhibit the clones' cognitive functions so they will follow orders without question."
Anakin sucks in a breath, sudden realization and horror dawning on his face. "Fives," he whispers, and Hunter casts a look at Echo. He doesn't know Fives. He never met him. But Echo talks about him a lot. He and Fives were close, very close, and he has not been the same since he learned of his death.
"Fives said something to me, but I thought – I thought the Council and Chancellor were in the right. Fives was... not in his right mind. I did not think to investigate it. I saw no reason. But perhaps – perhaps I should have listened." He sighs, looking between them. "Fives told me and Rex about a chip, an inhibitor chip which he said could force the clones to do anything the Chancellor would want, even kill the Jedi. I did not connect the pieces until now."
There – what?
Hunter spins around. "Tech?" he demands, more panicked than he cares to admit. If there's something in their heads that can control them, he would like to know and he would like it out.
"Yes, that would be a logical assumption," Tech answers. "There is no other way for the programming to work."
"Can we remove them?" Hunter asks, turning to look back at Anakin. "Are we a danger? Are we in danger?"
Anakin frowns. "It is unlikely you will be affected any more than you have already been."
Yeah, no, he doesn't much care for the thought of something in his head making him follow orders and do things that he would never normally agree with. And slowly, his gaze slides toward Crosshair. He doesn't really know how these... chips work, but – but if – if Crosshair isn't immune to the programming like the rest of them seem to be, maybe that would explain his behavior? Hunter hadn't wanted to believe what Tech told them because it sounded so ludicrous but if even Anakin thinks it to be true, then he has to consider it if nothing else.
Crosshair bristles. "I'm not programmed," he hisses. "M'not a droid!"
Wrecker is quick to come to his defense. "'Course not." He looks at Tech. "Crosshair's fine, right?"
Tech hesitates again, the same way he did earlier in their barracks when saying that he's uncertain if all of them are truly immune, and the bad feeling Hunter has only grows worse. But Crosshair is – he's still himself, right? He's not acting programmed. He's just upset. There could be a million reasons for it, innocent reasons, that have nothing to do with chips or programming or things that Hunter can't fix.
"It's at least worth considering," Echo points out, not quite a peace offering, but an attempt at one.
Crosshair bristles further, and Anakin reaches out to touch his arm, drawing his attention. "You are still your own person, Crosshair," he tells him with an earnestness that only Anakin Skywalker can pull off like that. "Perhaps you are being influenced, but your choices are still your own, and you can choose not to listen. You can still make the right choices. There are children here. Innocents. You can choose to protect them, or you can choose to kill them for having been Jedi."
Echo makes a strangled sound of protest, but Anakin holds up a hand, silencing him. "I can feel your anger, Crosshair. Tell me what is weighing on you."
Maybe it's the gentleness of his tone, maybe it's something else entirely, but Crosshair snaps, hands curling into fists. "We were given orders, and we aren't following them! Hunter let a Jedi kid escape and he lied to us about it. We were sent here to kill you." He snarls the last words, vibrating with a rage that takes Hunter by surprise.
"Crosshair –" Hunter starts, stepping forward, but Anakin deliberately shifts to cut him off. The silent let me is obvious, and right now, Hunter is more than happy to let someone else deal with his littlest brother for once. The conflict and tension are getting to him. He hates fighting with Crosshair, but when he's acting like this, Hunter doesn't see another option. He knows he disobeyed orders, but he doesn't know what else he could have done. If Crosshair has a problem, he can come right out and say it instead of picking apart everything Hunter's doing.
"I know," Anakin nods, the calm compassion in his blue eyes is surprising. Shouldn't he be at least a little more worried about Crosshair trying to kill him – or one of the children? "And what do you want? I know you have orders, and orders are important, but sometimes, following orders means violating your principles." There's a weight in his gaze that says he knows what he's saying, that says he faced a similar dilemma not long ago.
And he did if what he told them is true.
"I'm a soldier," Crosshair answers, "And good soldiers follow orders."
Hunter clamps his mouth shut so he doesn't yell that's not all you are orders aren't more important than everything else. He doesn't miss the weighted look that Tech and Echo exchange, either. Behind them, Wrecker shifts, obviously uncomfortable but equally confused about the conversation. To him, everything is simple. He doesn't understand or see the complexities in things the way the rest of them do.
"But good soldiers also know when their orders are wrong," Anakin replies gently. "Sometimes, being a good soldier means doing the right thing instead of following orders. When we went to rescue Echo, we weren't acting under orders, but we still did it because it was the right thing to do."
Crosshair huffs. "It wasn't treasonous."
"Well, technically, had the mission gone badly, high command would have been well within their right to court martial us," Tech supplies happily. "We might not have violated a direct order, but we were skirting the edges of what was acceptable."
Crosshair hesitates for a long moment and then, his shoulders slump. "The next time you decide to commit treason, at least tell me first."
Hunter jerks. "I didn't –"
"Stop lying!" Crosshair yells, "And stop pretending! We all know you are."
Anger creeps up to match what's being thrown at him, but before Hunter can come up with a suitably scathing comeback, Anakin steps between them. "How about you come to the house?" he suggests. "I need to tell the children we're leaving."
Something electric pings on the edge of Hunter's senses, and he whirls, drawing his blaster and firing on instinct. A probe droid falls to the ground, smoking, and Anakin inhales sharply, sudden worry filling his scent.
"Tarkin was watching you," he realizes. "He wanted to know how you'd handle it. It won't be safe for you to return to Kamino anymore, not now that you've been seen associating with me."
Oh.
Hunter has a vivid flashback to a little, blonde girl telling him the same thing. "Omega," he blurts out. "She warned me about the mission. She said it wasn't safe on Kamino."
"Looks like she 'as right," Wrecker mutters.
Anakin frowns. "Omega? Who's Omega?"
"We met a kid on Kamino," Echo explains. "She took a liking to us."
"She's a clone," Tech adds, and Hunter is quite certain he isn't the only one of them who makes a strangled squeak.
"A clone?!" Hunter demands.
"Nala Se spoke of five enhanced clones," Tech explains. "Tarkin assumed that meant us, but Echo is a reg. The fifth is Omega. I analyzed her DNA in the infirmary."
"Tech, you should have told us," Hunter replies tiredly.
He only receives a blank look in answer. "I thought it was obvious."
"How is it obvious?!" Wrecker whines. "Y'always say that!"
Tech frowns, and Hunter steps in to interrupt what's sure to be an argument. "We can't leave her there. Gen- uh... Anakin, you must understand. If she's a clone, she's one of us."
"I wouldn't expect you to leave her," Anakin answers. "Is that what all of you want to do? Do you want to go back for her?"
"'Course," Wrecker shrugs. "Leaving her would be wrong."
Echo and Tech murmur their agreement as Hunter knew they would, but Crosshair remains silent even as all eyes turn toward him.
He looks away, and from his posture, Hunter knows he'd be scowling. "Disobeying orders over a kid is a bad idea."
"But we can't leave her," Hunter argues.
"And nor should you," Anakin says. "I was going to suggest that I come. Tarkin will know you betrayed his orders, and he will be waiting. He will not account for me." He hesitates. "But I will need someone to get the children to safety and keep an eye on them in my absence."
"I'll do it," Echo volunteers without hesitation.
Anakin relaxes. "Alright. I'll explain the situation and tell them we're leaving. There's a ship out back which you can use. We can rendezvous... on Ord Mantell, perhaps. You know the Jedi informant there?"
Echo nods. "I do. We'll get in touch there?"
Hunter looks between them, at a total loss. Everything is moving so fast, too fast, and he feels like he can't keep up. "If you come with us, won't that only make it harder to get in and out with Omega?" he asks.
The Jedi – ex-Jedi? Can there be an ex-Jedi? He doesn't know how that works – shrugs. "I can remain unnoticed. You'll be arrested when you get there. If I bring Artoo, he can splice into the system and locate you – and the kid. Is that alright? Or would you rather do it on your own?"
Hunter looks between his brothers, trying to decide what the best option would be. Bringing a Jedi would be a risk, but at the same time, he knows Anakin is right. Having backup, especially powerful backup, would be ideal. "You can come. Will you be alright?"
Anakin smiles, though it's more sad than mischievous like it once would have been. "There is nothing Tarkin can throw at me that could stop me."
Echo laughs. "I'm glad you're on our side."
"I'll be back," he says, looking between them before he turns, moving through the trees toward the house. His steps are almost soundless, but despite that, he draws attention like no one else Hunter has ever met. His intensity almost demands it, and his presence leaves Hunter feeling warm inside for a long time after he goes.
"This is a bad idea," Crosshair grumbles, reluctantly slinging his rifle back into his pack and crossing his arms.
Hunter scowls at him. "You have made your opinion clear. Repeatedly."
"And you're still not listening," he snarls back. Hunter can feel the glare even through his helmet.
"But Anakin's good, right?" Wrecker checks. "He's not gonna hurt us."
"He's still a traitor," Crosshair answers stubbornly. "He also disobeyed his orders."
"And for a good reason, as he has told us," Tech interjects reproachfully. "Executing children has never been a part of our mandate as soldiers."
"They're Jedi."
Tech said programming, and Hunter can see why. He doesn't know if he can fully accept that there are chips in their heads, but... Though Crosshair can be opinionated sometimes, he's never been so solidly against the Jedi. Hunter remembers how enthralled he'd been by Anakin when they first met. They all were, to be fair, and Crosshair even took the time to show the Jedi more about the workings of his rifle. He cared then. Why did it change? The chip? Is that really the only answer? It seems easy to blame it, but Hunter can't be certain that's all this is. He has to be cautious.
"You've never had a problem with the Jedi before," Echo points out.
"They weren't traitors before!"
Wrecker peers through a pair of macrobinoculars toward the house. "They're kinda... young," he says. "Some of 'em are. I don't think they're bad."
Hunter looks, too, watching as Anakin sits in the middle of the grass, children swarming around him. "There are toddlers there," he adds, frowning, the feelings of disquiet growing. "If this is what the Empire condones, going along with it is not the right thing to do." It's pointedly directed at Crosshair, and the sniper growls softly, stalking closer.
"We were given orders!"
"If you ask me, Tarkin sent us here to get rid of us," Echo mutters. "If it had been a Jedi here other than the General, we'd be dead by now, even if we did fight them."
And to that, none of them have anything to say. He's not wrong, and that's the worst part. Hunter knows that they're just clones. They might be more skilled than most, but at the end of the day, the Jedi have a power that they do not and never will. The Jedi would kill them, and even if they didn't die, not all of them would survive, and that isn't an outcome Hunter can accept. He's not leading his brothers to their certain deaths.
"We'll be fine," Hunter says with more confidence than he feels, "Once we get Omega off Kamino. We can disappear, and we won't need to worry about the Empire or Tarkin."
He doesn't know yet what disappearance would look like, but they'll figure it out. Together.
**w**
They split up on Naboo, and Anakin bids goodbye to the children and Echo, watching as they leave before he goes with the Batch to the Marauder, Artoo rolling along behind him. He tries not to think too hard about the way the galaxy has changed or what he ought to do next. Everything is still so chaotic and uncertain, and he doesn't know how things will settle out. He doesn't know if the Empire that Palpatine has formed will be better than the Republic. He doesn't know if the peace and order that the former Chancellor promised him will come into being. He doesn't know, and until he knows, he wants to stay out of the fight.
With some exceptions, of course.
The clones need him, and Anakin cannot deny them his help. He would never deny them his help. They were the only friends he had during the war, the only true friends he has ever had since he left Tatooine and his mom. Obi-Wan was more a father than a friend, and Palpatine was his mentor. Ahsoka... Well, Ahsoka was his kid. He took care of her. He raised her. She's family to him, but he wouldn't exactly label her as just a friend when she's so much more. The clones are family to him as well, of course, but there are so many, and he was close with countless. Some were family, like Rex and Fives, and some were just friends, like Cody and Echo. But they were still there for him, and because of them, he endured.
The Bad Batch was special. They weren't accepted among the other clones in the same way Anakin was never fully accepted among the Jedi. They understand each other, and now that they need him, he'll be there to help them. They need him more than they realize.
He can feel the way Crosshair's mind and thoughts are being warped, and even talking to him won't be enough to make him break free. That's a choice he has to make on his own. His brothers don't realize how close he is to turning on them, and that is why Anakin came. He needed to keep them separate from the children under his care, but at the same time, he has to help them, too. He hopes that he can find a way to sort it out before it gets too out of hand.
Crosshair goes to sulk in the back of the ship once they're in hyperspace while Anakin remains in the cockpit with the others.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Wrecker asks worriedly, glancing back in the direction where Crosshair went.
"He'll be fine," Anakin replies, touching the bigger clone's shoulder, mindful that Crosshair can undoubtedly hear every word they're speaking. "He loves you. You'll figure this out." It's not a promise he should make because anything can happen when they get to Kamino, but Wrecker needs the reassurance – which Anakin is happy to provide. He can make it so. The Force is with him.
Wrecker brightens a little, but the worry in his gaze doesn't fade, and he creeps away toward where Crosshair went, undoubtedly to check on him. His protectiveness is heartwarming and adorable, and Anakin stares after him for a moment before turning to Tech. He needs to understand more about the chips.
"Tech, how do the chips work? I imagine you have a theory."
He instantly perks up, happy to lecture and more importantly, share his theories. "I would have to do a scan to ascertain their exact location, but I imagine that when they are activated, they disrupt the firing of neurons in the brain leading to disturbances in normal functioning. That can cause irrationality and mood disturbances, both of which, if used correctly, could lead to an increased tendency to follow orders."
Oh. That... isn't disturbing or anything, and Anakin thinks, briefly, about Fives, feeling regret pang in his chest. He should have done something more. If he had, he might have been able to avoid this. He should have trusted him. He should have listened.
"Why is Crosshair affected if you are not?" he queries because that is what's confusing him the most. Echo isn't enhanced, but he's unaffected.
"I imagine that would be because his brain structure does not differ as drastically as Hunter's and mine," Tech explains. "Wrecker is likely unaffected because the brain damage he has sustained caused a disturbance in the chip's neural connections, and due to what Echo endured on Skako Minor, his mind was probably wiped of any built-in programming."
Well, it seems like a sound theory, and Anakin sees no reason to disbelieve any of that, but still, he's cautious. He knows how dangerous the Batch could be if their chips activated, and he wants to help them. He couldn't help his boys on Coruscant, so he fled, and he regrets it. He couldn't hurt them, but he had to leave them behind and save himself – and the children. He has to do something for them, too, if he can.
"Is there a way to remove them?" Hunter asks before Anakin can.
Tech adjusts his goggles. "That would be risky, but I believe it would be worth it. If nothing else, I can design a scanner to locate them. Seeing as our chips have not activated, I do not see a cause for concern."
"Crosshair," Anakin reminds gently. "He's not himself. He needs our help. If he wants to choose the Empire, he should be able to do so on his own."
Hunter looks stricken. "He wouldn't... would he?" The end of the sentence is so quiet that Anakin almost doesn't hear it, but the clone's fear is unmistakable.
"I do not believe so," he replies. "I have seen how close you are. I cannot imagine he would choose the Empire over you."
"Of course, he would not," Tech concurs. "He may be severe and unyielding at times, but he is still our brother, and he is not any more inclined toward following orders than the rest of us, even in this altered state."
Anakin agrees. None of them are particularly rule-abiding, not even Crosshair. Echofollows the rules more than they do, and even he is not going along with the Empire. He has to help them. Somehow. But first, they need to find... Omega. The Force tells him that is where they must begin and the rest will fall into place, even if he can feel a dark cloud on the horizon.
Something dark is coming.
It is, in fact, not fine when they get to Kamino.
Anakin hides in the overhead compartment along with Artoo, and he hears it as Tarkin confronts Hunter, demands Echo's location, and finally, has them arrested. The Force is tense, whispering to him. Despite the death and despair and darkness that are saturating everything, he can still feel it as the Force fluxes with a warning.
Once the hangar is clear, he drops from the compartment along with his astromech and goes in search of the Batch.
"Artoo, find them, and see what you can pull from the Kaminoans' files about the inhibitor chips, okay?"
The droid whistles an agreement, and Anakin pushes the button to open the hangar doors. He doesn't sense anyone immediately ahead, but guards are going on patrols. The patrols seem to be increased, maybe because of the "Jedi threat" – which is not wholly inaccurate, but still – and the recent execution of the Jedi here. Anakin pushes that thought from his mind. The clones come first. There's nothing he can do for the Jedi, not anymore. They made their choice, and those who were not complicit were still included in the order. It's over. They're gone.
But the clones are not, and if he can at least protect them, he will. He will do anything for them.
Artoo beeps, letting Anakin know that he's located the Batch – and Omega. They're being held in the brig together. Nice. Makes his job easier.
"Keep in touch, buddy," he calls, racing from the hangar toward the direction that the astromech pointed him.
He's halfway there when the alarms go off, and his heart plummets. This is the Batch, and he might think they'd escaped on their own if not for the feeling of dread ringing through the Force. He pauses, crouching behind a corner and listening to the nearby chatter of passing patrols. The word Jedi is being thrown around, and Anakin realizes, with growing dismay, what must have happened.
Crosshair. He must have said something to Tarkin.
If he didn't understand how the chips work, Anakin might be angry, but he's not. Well, he's not angry at Crosshair. He's still young, and he's not in his right mind. He thinks he's doing the right thing. Anakin understands that. He thought he was doing the right thing, too, by siding with Palpatine, but he was wrong. What the Jedi wanted to do wasn't right, either, but killing children isn't any better. That's not something he can stand for, and more than that, he cannot stand by and watch as the clones are enslaved in mind as they are in body.
It's bad enough that they don't even realize their situation. They don't realize that they're slaves to the Republic, and those who do... don't really care. The Republic is all they've ever known. It's why they were created. They were meant to be soldiers of the Republic, and it's the only life they've ever had. Very few clones are willing to leave because they don't want to leave their brothers and because so many don't even understand the wrongness of their situation.
And Palpatine, though he knows how much Anakin is against slavery, has still enslaved the clones inside their own minds. That is something Anakin cannot forgive. He knows his boys. He knows how loyal they are. Even if they had been able to make the choice, they would still have followed him. Rex, had he been here instead of with Ahsoka on Mandalore, would have followed him. He tries not to think about Rex. He ought to be fine since Maul was captured successfully, and Ahsoka, too, since she's not a Jedi, but Anakin still worries about them. Something tells him all is not well on the Tribunal. He can't afford to get distracted thinking about it, though, not right now.
He listens a moment longer before changing course, escaping into the ventilation system. It's easy to get access to it, even after the fiasco Fives caused by sneaking around in it. Kamino ought to have better security on it, but it works to Anakin's advantage so he's not complaining.
The first place he goes is the armory where he stocks up on EMP grenades, explosives, and a couple of blasters. He doesn't want to kill anyone, and he knows that the grenades will be useful for taking out groups of clones without injuring them fatally. Explosives are for a diversion... and a just-in-case scenario.
He heads for the brig next, but the shaft doesn't open into the room, so he has to drop out of the hatch in the corridor. The door opens automatically, and he uses the Force to shove the three troopers inside into the wall. They collapse to the floor, stunned.
"General!" Hunter blurts out, approaching the ray shield.
Anakin flips the lever down with the Force, deactivating the shield and letting them out. "Where's Crosshair?"
The bad feeling inside him only grows worse, especially when the others exchange looks.
"Dunno," Wrecker answers. "They came and took 'im a while ago."
Kriff.
"I think he reported on me," Anakin tells them, shaking his head. "We need to find him before something happens to him."
Something worse, that is. He can feel it humming through his body, the Force whispering careful and danger, centering around the missing clone.
"We'll need our gear," Hunter replies as they head into the hall.
"It's in the hangar! I saw them taking your things there."
Anakin pauses, looking down at the small, blonde-haired girl. She's young. She can't be older than twelve, maybe thirteen. She's younger than Ahsoka was when she first saw the war. His heart flips in his chest, twisting uncomfortably. So this must be Omega.
"Go there," he tells them. "I'll get Crosshair."
"And we'll catch up to you," Hunter promises.
They split up, the clones racing down the halls, ducking low and pressing into corners as they try to avoid the patrols. Anakin only hopes that they'll make it without being seen. "Artoo, where's Crosshair?" he asks into his comm.
There's a moment before the astromech answers, the beeps and whistles as understandable to Anakin as Basic or Huttese.
"Medbay?" Anakin echoes, worry rising further.
The 'yes' that comes through does not fill him with much confidence and blowing out a breath and asking the Force to guide him, he changes direction. Artoo gives him the occasional nudge, and Anakin slows his pace as he reaches the medbay.
Danger the Force warns him again, its currents shifting around him.
This isn't for him. This is for the clones. This is for Crosshair. None of them deserve to be enslaved, and Anakin will not rest until he sees them all free, no matter what he has to do to see it come to pass. This is not what he fought for.
He sees Crosshair leaving the medbay along with Tarkin and a few guards from the Coruscant Guard. It's as good a time as any, and Anakin steps into sight, lifting a hand and throwing the troopers against the wall. They drop, stunned, and then, it's just Anakin, Tarkin, and Crosshair.
"General Skywalker," Tarkin greets, expression entirely unimpressed. "I heard you were here. I thought these clones might lure you out of hiding. The Emperor wishes to see you."
"Tell him he can take his wishes and throw them into the lava rivers of Mustafar," Anakin retorts, suddenly angry. He tries to calm himself, to stay steady as a Jedi should, but it's so, so hard. "I will not see him unless he frees the clones from slavery. That is my ultimatum. I did not become a Jedi to aid in the enslavement of millions. I did not fight in this war to witness the destruction of freedom."
"Bold words for a traitor," Tarkin sniffs. "It is fortunate that CT-9904 realized your treachery and your deception of his squad."
Crosshair doesn't blink, doesn't even twitch. His eyes are narrowed on Anakin, and the golden-brown is empty. Dead. He feels dead in the Force, his mind washed out by waves of anger and a rigidness that is so unlike the usual softness of his Force signature. They did something to his chip, and it's too late for Anakin to save him from it. Maybe he failed to stop it, but he can still get Crosshair out of here. Tech will be able to figure out how to help him – if Anakin can get him away from Tarkin and onto the Marauder.
There are only two of them, but he can feel the squads closing in on his position, and he can feel the way the troopers he knocked out earlier are waking up. Whatever he does now has to be done quickly.
"I won't kill you because you have yet to give the Emperor my regards. Tell him he messed with the wrong Jedi."
Anakin draws on the Force, throwing Tarkin and Crosshair into the wall. Though he's loath to hurt the sniper, he has to protect himself, too, and he knows that Crosshair will not take it well when he realizes what he's doing. This is not his fault. Anakin needs to get him out of here.
Somehow.
He could really use Wrecker right about now.
Drawing one of the stolen blasters, he stuns Tarkin, Crosshair, and the other troopers, before throwing the sniper's body over his shoulder and jumping back into the ventilation shaft. The hatch closes only milliseconds before the reinforcements show up.
Crawling through the tunnel while dragging an unconscious body is far from easy, and Anakin has to draw heavily on the Force to keep one eye on both Crosshair and their surroundings. When he reaches the hangar, troopers are swarming below him, and Crosshair is starting to stir. Not good.
He arms several EMP grenades, waiting until they're close to detonating before opening the hatch and tossing them below. They go off before the clones can react, taking out a couple dozen of them, but there are still many more, and they open fire when they see him.
Crosshair is still waking up and stunning him repeatedly is an option but probably not an ideal one. Anakin draws his lightsaber instead, sending out a Force blast that throws half the standing clones into the wall as he lands on the floor, deflecting their shots away. He feels the Batch approaching from behind him and breathes a sigh of relief when Hunter and Wrecker open fire, stunning the clones still standing.
They've all gone down, though some will undoubtedly be up soon not to mention the incoming reinforcements, when Crosshair drops down from the hatch.
His movements are a little jerky still, but his gaze is as cold as it was earlier. "You're a traitor," he accuses harshly, hands curling into fists. "You heard Tarkin. Stand down." His gaze sweeps toward his brothers. "All of you."
"Have you lost your mind?" Hunter demands incredulously. "We need to go!"
Crosshair scowls. "No. You disobeyed orders. You don't understand. The Empire is what we fought for. This is where we belong."
"Crosshair." Wrecker steps forward, pushing his helmet up to look at his younger brother. "They're askin' us to kill kids. We can't do that."
"Remember what I told you?" Anakin asks. "You have a choice to make, Crosshair. What will you choose? Who will you choose?"
Hunter glances down the hall. "Reinforcements are coming. We don't have much time left."
Crosshair is frozen, looking between his brothers and Anakin, and Anakin can feel the conflict churning inside him. If he stays here, it will be because he chose to. "I can't," he says, shaking his head, and the emotion that flickers across his face makes him look so young. "I..."
"Crosshair." Wrecker doesn't say more than his name, but the pleading in his tone is unmistakable as is the way his voice wavers. "Y'can't – y'can't just... leave."
"I'm not," he hisses back, but the indecision grows. "You're the ones who want to leave. I'm following orders."
"S'not safe!" Wrecker protests.
The flicker of approaching Force signatures draws Anakin's attention, and he shifts, turning to position himself between the Batch and the incoming clones. He knows it's risky to put his back to Crosshair, but he trusts the Force to warn him, and he trusts Hunter to stop him if he has to.
"We gotta go!"
Hunter's voice is urgent and worried, and Anakin glances back to see him catching Crosshair's wrist, tugging him toward the hangar. "We can argue about it later!"
Crosshair growls. "What you're asking is treason."
"We don't follow orders!" Hunter yells back. "We never have!"
"Yeah," Wrecker agrees doubtfully, "We kinda never listen to anyone."
"But –"
"Go!" Anakin calls, igniting his lightsaber as the troopers come into view. "We have to go. Now!"
"You're going to get us all killed! I hope you realize how stupid this is before you die, and I'll be there to say I told you so."
Crosshair stomps toward the Marauder, cursing under his breath, but from the wave of relief Hunter is radiating into the Force, Anakin doesn't think he cares.
Anakin follows, covering them until he flips up onto the ramp, watching as they fly away from the hangar – and Kamino.
They did it.
They got Omega, and they got Crosshair, even if he's even more hostile than he was before. Anakin can handle the hostility. It was the prospect of watching the Batch break that troubled him.
Crosshair sits in stony silence, glaring furiously out the viewport as they make the jump to hyperspace. Once they're away, heading for Ord Mantell, he skulks away to the gunner's mount to brood.
"You'll need to watch him," Anakin warns. "He's not in his right mind. I suspect they were meddling with his chip. He was in the medbay when I found him."
"That is indeed concerning," Tech speaks up. "I have plans for a scanner which I can use to locate the position of the chips, but short of removing them entirely, I do not know what can be done about them."
Kix might know, but Kix isn't here.
"He might have told the Empire about Echo and kids going to Ord Mantell," Anakin adds. "We won't be able to stay there. Once we rendezvous with Echo, we'll need to go elsewhere."
"We?" Wrecker echoes. "Are you gonna stay with us?"
Anakin hesitates. He doesn't know what the right option is. He wants to make sure the Batch is alright, but it might be better for them if he separates and goes his own way. As a Jedi, as Anakin Skywalker, he has a much bigger target on his back. Without him, they may be able to disappear.
"I don't know," he admits. "Hunter, what do you want?"
Hunter sighs, staring toward the viewport, the blue and white light casting shadows on his face that look eerie. "I'm not sure. This isn't something we were trained for, but I reckon you'll have the Empire on your tail for a while."
"Probably," he agrees.
"We do not have the resources or ability to handle Crosshair on our own," Tech points out. "Should he decide to report us to the Empire, we will have no way of evading them."
"He might be more likely to do something if Anakin is here, though," Hunter counters, glancing at him quickly. "I'm not saying I want you to leave."
"I understand," Anakin assures him. "You have some time to think it over." He turns toward Wrecker. "I think Crosshair could use someone right now," he continues. "He's upset and confused, and he will lash out, but just having you there should help him a little."
Wrecker nods. "'Course. I'll stay with 'im." He moves toward the back of the ship, and Anakin hears Crosshair tell him to go away followed by a yelp and some scuffling and cursing before they settle down. Forced snuggling should work wonders on Crosshair's mind, even with the chip influencing him. The reminder that his brothers care should help and hopefully make him start working through the loyalty that was programmed into his mind.
"Thank you," Hunter says, and Anakin turns toward him. "For helping us. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been here."
Anakin smiles slightly, touching his shoulder. "Let's hope you never find out."
He glances at the fifth individual aboard the ship. Omega is watching him curiously, and she waves a little shyly when she realizes he's looking at her. "Hi, I'm Omega," she says.
His smile grows, and it feels genuine for the first time since this nightmare began. "I'm Anakin Skywalker."
"You're a Jedi," she blurts out, eyes darting to his lightsaber. "I've never seen a Jedi before."
He doesn't need the Force to know that she's intrigued by him or that her brothers have no idea how to handle her. Maybe an example might help. Maybe it would settle all their minds if he distracts her – and brings up the past. Reminiscing might help Crosshair realize that he's being influenced against his will. The important questions, such as how she met them, can wait for later.
"Do you want to hear how they met me?" he asks, and she lights up.
"Yes!"
Anakin glances at Hunter before sitting down in the seat behind Omega's. She turns to him, and he leans forward. "Well, it all started with Echo..."
He doesn't know where they'll go from here, or if they'll stay together, but he does know that he will always, always be here if the Bad Batch needs him. He might not know them very well, but they're his family, too, the only family he has left. And to Anakin Skywalker, family is everything.
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