Chapter 6 - A Corpse Falling To Bits
He expects to wake in a medbay, with the dusty-salty scent of stale air, though the air is too fresh despite the scent of water, and the one shaking his shoulder is Emerie, not Echo, and Tech blinks hazily at her face a moment before he remembers. The burning on his neck is from that clone assassin, not Wrecker, and the throbbing in his head is from a crate, not the wall on Bracca.
"We need to go," she states firmly, grabbing his arm and helping steady him.
His head is throbbing, but Tech stumbles upright with a quiet groan. Emerie moves to steady Crosshair, who is glaring at her despite being unable to stand entirely on his own. It is perfectly reasonable, but still almost ridiculous to see Emerie attempting to support someone who dwarfs her in size comparison.
"Where is Omega?" Tech inquires, expecting to see her – anywhere. The assassin is gone as well. There are still troops nearby, though temporarily out of sight thanks to a smoke bomb someone must have let off.
Emerie's expression is tight. "I will explain when we get back."
That cannot mean anything good, though Tech is fully confident in her desire to keep their sister safe, so he follows her back up the way they came in silence.
They make it to Shep's dodging numerous still-present patrols, though Crosshair reports he sees the gunships returning to the cruiser. Batcher rejoins them right before they go inside.
Hunter is mid-standing when the door opens and the four of them enter. Wrecker's lying down, and instantly tries to stand, though Hunter gently pushes him back down.
Crosshair pulls his helmet off and throws it on the floor like the ten-year-old he is supposed to be. "Both our sisters are idiots," he growls.
"What happened?" Hunter inquires, eyes darting between him, Tech, and Emerie.
"Omega turned herself over," Crosshair answers. "I tried to track the ship, but I..."
"He didn't make it," Emerie supplies, "We were trying to make it to the docks, but the assassin confronted Tech and Crosshair. Omega surrendered before either of them were killed."
"You let Omega turn herself in?" Wrecker asks, wounded.
"It does not sound as though she had a choice," Tech argues, though he is upset as well. Emerie did her best, and he is certain of that, as did Omega. The chances are high Crosshair would be dead if not for Omega's choice, and at least this way, they can survive and attempt to find her. "The Empire would have destroyed the entire town, and inevitably, unless we were able to obtain transportation, she would still have been taken."
"Yeah, and they've got her again," Wrecker replies bitterly, "And we're stuck here without a ship."
"Even if we get our hands on a ship, we still have no way of finding Tantiss base," Hunter points out.
"That is not entirely true," Tech interrupts, "Emerie and I were unable to obtain the coordinates in our escape, but any transport headed to Tantiss is routed through an airbase over Coruscant."
"You think we can find the coordinates there?" Hunter asks.
"I am almost certain," Tech confirms.
"We still don't have a ship," Wrecker interjects miserably.
The Marauder's destruction is a hinderance, to be certain, but it is not something they have time to discuss or dwell on. They can find another means of transportation.
"The Marauder's our home!"
A home that is now gone even if what matters most is that the rest of them are still alive. Tech will think about the meaning of the Marauder and everything that was once on board being gone, later.
Crosshair draws his right hand to his chest, rubbing his wrist. Tech has not seen it before, though it has happened too many times to be a coincidence.
"Crosshair, what is wrong with your hand?"
He huffs a sigh. "I – it's –"
"Tremors," Emerie supplies. How did she notice when Tech did not? Though it is not as though she was blind when they came. "I noticed them when we first arrived."
"Stress," Hunter supplies, "We thought it was getting better, but then this happened, and it must've started up again."
Crosshair no doubt sees it as a weakness. In truth, it is one, and there is no other way to see it, though it is still a weakness they can work with. Tech was damaged, too, and his shoulder is still throbbing and burning from earlier. It is not an ideal state to be fighting in, but he will make it, as he always does.
"That has never happened before," Tech supplies.
"I haven't exactly been imprisoned before, either," Crosshair hisses. Tech is still not fully certain it is not a physical effect, though he should have been healed by now, unless it was prolonged nerve damage.
Batcher suddenly snarls, and a shelf moves aside, revealing a lift down below. They have their weapons drawn, minus Emerie who still doesn't have one.
"Do not shoot!" AZI yelps, hands waving.
"I second that," Phee says lazily, her eyes scanning them and settling on Tech.
"I found Phee during my scout," AZI informs.
"I saw the Imperials on my approach. When I landed, Doc here briefed me on the situation," she adds, patting the droid's shoulder, "And she told me about you, though I can't say I quite believed it."
He is glad to see she has been safe all this time, though that relief is flooded with an instant level of uncomfortableness. Tech is aware he struggles with accepting new people. He struggles with changes of any kind, though he understands it is something he will have to face and adapt to as a soldier. That does not make it simple to grow accustomed to new people. It had been true with Emerie as well, their bond forced along through her being his sole contact and her role as his twin sister.
"Ah," Tech replies, adjusting his goggles – in truth, he cannot see nearly as clearly as he once could, though he remembers her vividly enough to know what he should be seeing. There are many things he could say, and he is entirely uncertain what defines as... socially appropriate. "It was not a good landing, though I was able to leverage myself out of the most condensed part of the debris field."
"More lives than a cat, I see," Phee says with a laugh, "Can't say I'm too surprised."
"This isn't what's important right now," Hunter cuts in, "How did you get in here unseen?"
"Used the hidden cavern access when I docked my ship."
"It would have been good to know of such a route when the Empire was here," Tech informs flatly. They could all have escaped, and Omega would be safe.
"We're gonna need to borrow that," Crosshair tells her, slinging his rifle back onto his back.
"You must be Crosshair," she guesses, "Tech told me all about your... sparkling personality."
"Is that a no?" Crosshair grumbles, crossing his arms and throwing an annoyed glare in Tech's direction.
"Any friend of brown eyes is a friend of mine," she replies with a pointed look in Tech's direction. "Remember what I told you about not running off with pirates?"
"I did not 'run off'," Tech objects, "I was captured by the Empire. Being gone for this length of time was not my choice."
"Who is this?" Emerie inquires, speaking up for the first time.
"Phee," Hunter answers, "She's a friend."
"And who's this?" Phee queries, eyeing her.
"My... name is Emerie Karr. I am a clone, like they are." She nods towards Tech.
"All right. Where are we heading?"
"You're not gonna wanna take us all the way to where we're going," Hunter responds, "We're heading to a heavily fortified Imperial base over Coruscant, but we do need a ride off-world."
"First, I suggest you rest," Tech interrupts. "You are not capable of fighting at present."
"I can't let Omega wait."
"She will be waiting even longer if you pass out on the way to Tantiss. Assuming you can even make it there."
"Agreed," Crosshair concurs.
"I believe that would be wise," Emerie adds, "You are all injured. A night's sleep would help us all."
Hunter sighs heavily. "Alright, but just overnight."
"I could expect no less."
**w**
" - and you never thought to tell us that you were injured?" Hunter demands.
"I have been recovering for months. I will be fine," Tech replies.
"You have nearly strained your arm again from using a blaster," AZI has to interject. When he agreed to let the droid scan him for any injuries from the fight with the assassin, he did not expect it to give a long speech about all his injuries from before. He never intended to hide any of his injuries from his brothers. It just was not important or relevant at the time. He is a soldier. He knows how to deal with injuries.
"Fine even though you're paralyzed?" Crosshair interjects dubiously.
"That issue was already corrected." As much as it ever can be.
"I wouldn't have had you carry all those supplies if I had known you weren't healed," Hunter says.
"Your concern is unwarranted," Tech insists. Even if having his brothers here to be concerned about it is a welcome changefrom when Hemlock had him pieced back together, making cold detached decisions about what he would have fixed.
Wrecker yanks him into a hug, ignoring his stifled yelp at the suddenness of it. But given their present line of conversation, it should not surprise him.
"How much fighting can you really do?" Hunter asks.
That is a question he knows is important - his brothers need to know his limitations for what they're walking into.
He can do the flying except in difficult circumstances. And he can shoot if it is absolutely necessary and bring along explosives, so he can still help with the mission
"And what did you tell her about me?" Crosshair inquires, borderline wounded.
"It was not an intentional discussion. She saw your armor," Tech explains, "She was curious."
"Yeah, but what did you tell her?"
"If I recall correctly, and I always recall correctly – Crosshair, stop rolling your eyes at me. You know that my mind is exceptional – I mentioned that you were the best sniper in the GAR, perhaps in the entire galaxy. And that you frequently were involved in fights with the regs but that was their own fault. Even if you were stubborn and unyielding, and left us for the Empire. But that started because of your inhibitor chip, even if when you took it out was uncertain. I was under the assumption that when you first shot Wrecker and when you attempted to incinerate us on Bracca were under the control of the chip, but I am unaware."
Crosshair deflates a bit at the mention, twitching back from him.
Well, he did ask to hear.
"And I also mentioned that you used to eat glue," Tech adds, as an afterthought.
"It tasted interesting," Crosshair whines.
"It is also potentially toxic," Tech corrects.
Wrecker laughs, even if it's only half-hearted, nudging Crosshair's shoulder. "That was fun!"
Crosshair makes a grumpy, noncommittal noise.
Tech has... missed being around them. He has not been together with them all since before Kaller. That was so long ago. Everything is different now, but he knows the changes are something he has to expect.
Wrecker is shifting back to more subdued again, though. "You think Omega's gonna be alright 'til we get there?" he asks.
"I... am uncertain but Hemlock needs her in prime condition for experimentation."
"What kind of experiments?" Hunter asks warily.
"Isn't that gonna hurt her?" Wrecker objects, visibly scared.
"I do not believe so," Tech replies, adjusting his goggles. Or at least, that is what he can assume. He does not know any of it for certain. "But we will be there before he has time to do anything of significance."
Wrecker still doesn't look reassured. "The last time we attacked an Imperial base of this size, not... all of us made it out," he says, subdued. Wrecker never used to be this withdrawn and quiet. It was a growing problem after Crosshair first left, but it is substantially worse now.
"We are together now, unlike we have been all this time. And we have more knowledge of what we were walking into than we did on Eriadu," Tech assures, but he can understand Wrecker's concern. The last time they went on a mission of this nature, they thought Tech died. And he spent the next four months without them. He is well aware that the decision to go to Eriadu was a mistake on his part but going to Tantiss is a mission Hunter has agreed to this time.
"This time, some of us have been there, and we know what to expect," Hunter offers finally.
Silence settles over them. Tech is certain all of them are lost in their own thoughts and concerns about the upcoming mission.
Hunter is first to speak. "What is Emerie like?"
Speaking of Emerie, she is not presently back here with them. She had gone to rest before the next part of the mission begins. She is not a soldier and not used to the kind of action they are.
"She grew up under Hemlock's tutelage for years. She followed his orders without question until more recently. But she is... loyal to us even if she is still having doubts." He does believe that now, even if he has seen how much she is struggling. That she was willing to talk to Tech about it on the way to Pabu means she does not intend to betray them.
Crosshair appears mildly dubious, but he does not disagree.
His brothers haven't had the time to get to know Emerie yet but that will... change, once the mission to Tantiss is finally complete.
**w**
This was her home. This is where she grew up, and Emerie never wanted to see it again. She truthfully believed she would never have to – she would not, had she stayed on Tantiss with Hemlock.
This is where she met him. When Nala Se was starting the project of cloning the Zillo.
Leaving the ship feels like stepping into the past. Behind her, the others are talking to Phee, but Emerie moves past them, walking off onto the landing platform.
Despite being abandoned, the planet looks the same. She heard it frequently rains on Kamino. It does here as well, though not as frequently.
This is where she spent her life. Alone.
"What's with her?" Wrecker asks worriedly in the background.
"I'm not sure." Hunter moves closer to her, and Emerie turns back – he's looking at her, and probably wants her attention. "Is... something wrong?"
"No," she answers. Standing here feels wrong. She's not the same child she was who left. She is grown now, whatever childhood she could have had taken away. Tech is watching her as well. She is uncertain how to explain what is on her mind, and much less certain it even matters.
"Alright. Well, Echo will be here soon."
The ship flies away, and Emerie moves in toward the doorway. "The power is still operational," Emerie notes, spotting a flickering light inside.
"What is it?" Tech asks finally.
"This is where I grew up. Right here on this world, within this facility. I was transferred off-world by Hemlock after he found me." This is where it began, the time and place where she was nothing, and held no hope to life.
Omega knew her brothers, and she had always tried to get back to them. She told her about it on Tantiss. She was determined, refusing to accept a possibility of being separated from them forever. Emerie had known them, too, though she never had the chance to remember. She was merely an experiment. She was never meant to be a person.
If not for Hemlock, she would be dead or being experimented on as so many of her brothers are.
She was here alone, and that is why she cannot let those children live the same life as her. She will not let them be treated as experiments when they deserve a normal childhood. They have parents, families, who need them.
At least they have parents. That is something Emerie never had or could have had.
"I never knew about you. I never knew I was from another normal clone batch. I never knew I had a twin." Hunter's watching, arms crossed. He looks rough, but she's starting to think that's just how he looks. Wrecker and Crosshair exchange a wide-eyed look with each other. "I didn't know I had a squad I should have been a part of."
Another thing Nala Se took from her, like everything else.
The silent bitterness never fades away. She could have had a life, a family, and she never had that chance. She hurt Crosshair, and she let all of them down. She could have aided Omega's escape, though they would not have knowledge of the Vault.
"You were from our batch?" Hunter inquires.
"It is a reasonable conclusion," Tech replies, "Though I cannot be one hundred percent certain."
"Nala Se would know," Emerie says, "Though I did not want to ask her while we were still on Tantiss." She would like to know, though there is also a part of her that wouldn't.
Being here is... difficult. It reminds her of all the parts of her past she wishes to leave behind. She had been so excited to leave here before, to be – something. She believed Hemlock wanted what was best for her, and in truth, she still does. He gave her a life and a home, even if not the family she always desired.
And Emerie betrayed him.
There is no other way she can phrase it. She did not have to walk away without asking why he made the choices he had. What if he has a reason for...
No. He cannot justify hurting those children.
"We all wanna go home."
Emerie never had a home to want. Tech and Omega had brought that concept into her life.
"I know we have to get those children to safety, but Hemlock gave me a chance that I never reciprocated."
"It's not betrayal if he betrayed you, first," Crosshair says, and from what she's heard of him, she is not fully certain if she should take his word for it, but Crosshair understands betrayal. He believed his brothers betrayed him, though that is quite clearly not the case, and he betrayed the Empire.
Hunter's eyes flicker toward him then dart away, something dark and hurt and haunted on his face. Crosshair, Emerie is beginning to think, very much lacks the empathy most of his siblings share, though it is not as though she is one to speak. "What matters is getting Omega and those clones out of there," Hunter replies firmly, "You have a place here with us, if that's what you want."
She looks at Crosshair, remembering seeing him struggle against the restraints and seeing him cry. "I have a lot to make up for," is all she says instead.
Crosshair's eyes narrow a little – he still doesn't trust her, and Emerie does not fault him for it.
"Hey," Wrecker says, punching her shoulder, and Emerie blinks at him in genuine confusion, though he's smiling. "Wrecker's display of affection consists primarily of a physical show of force," Tech had told her months ago, "Though I cannot understand why." He must have meant this. "Ya brought Tech back to us. That's all that matters to me." He's smiling, and despite his towering height and the twisted scarring on his face, he displays more childishness than Omega frequently does.
He is young as well. They all are. They are ten and have never had any choices of their own.
Until now.
They want her here, even if they hardly know her, just as Tech and Omega had always promised. She has a family again, the one she always longed for. And, with one last fight, maybe they'll finally get to be with each other, as they always should have been.
**w**
Hunter had forewarned Echo about Tech's presence, so he is already aware of Tech's survival when his shuttle lands. "Nice work," Hunter praises when he sees him, briefly clasping his hand. It has been a long time since Tech has heard a compliment from anyone, either.
"A stolen shuttle is the best I could do on short notice. The supplies we need are aboard," Echo replies, turning to Tech. He looks more positive than Tech remembers having seen him. "Can't say I exactly expected this, but..." He laughs. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
"You should not," Tech agrees, "The chances of any of us dying from a fall are minimal."
"I'm sorry we left you so long," Echo adds, "I know what you went through to get to me on Skako Minor."
"At least now, we have Emerie's help," Hunter replies, "Can't say how easy it'd be without them both."
"We better get going," Echo says, "Can you and Emerie give us a rundown of what you know about Tantiss?"
They wait until they're aboard and set a course for Coruscant to discuss it. Tech saw little of the facility, but he explains what he remembers, then sets to attempting to get Emerie's datapad operational. Echo explains they had the same situation with Nala Se's when Omega escaped Tantiss previously – Hemlock put it into the programming that it can only activate when attached to an Imperial terminal. Tech can work with it, of course, but it will take time. Possibly a length of which they do not have.
"Tech," Hunter tells him, right when they're wrapping up – it is obvious he is struggling to remember his presence, not that Tech is surprised. "There's something else Crosshair told us about. I don't know if you know about it. Hemlock was... training assassins. We ran into one on Teth after Crosshair and Omega were captured."
"Hemlock's operatives," Crosshair continues quietly, "Like the one we fought on Pabu. They're highly trained, and deadly. They're basically mindless." He's not looking at any of them, and Tech is instantly alerted of his discomfort.
"Do you know how many there are?" Echo asks.
"I know of four of them," he answers, "I... don't know if there's more by now."
"That does not sound like a substantial threat," Tech informs flippantly. "We have taken far worse during the war."
"These aren't like droids!" Crosshair hisses. "They're – they're deadly. You haven't seen them in action. And he nearly killed you on Pabu."
"That was a mistake I will not repeat."
They've stormed some of the strongest Separatist holdouts. This may not be the same, but Tech is fully aware of his brother's abilities, and he is fully certain they will come through, as they always do.
**w**
Infiltrating the Imperial station is... tricky. There is a high risk of discovery, and despite Crosshair's worries, Hunter agrees to send Echo and Tech out alone. It is less risky – Tech is still in the Imperial armor he took from Tantiss, and he blends in easily, unnoticed. He and Echo are the ones who need to reach the control room. Tech has to be there, and Echo is accustomed to missions like these.
They will have to be fast, because chances are high that they will be discovered before Tech finds the information they require.
They stun the first Imperial officer who comes over, and the few troops with him, and Echo borrows one of their armor, leaving his own aboard the shuttle.
Echo and Tech stun the two guards at the door before they sound the alarms, and numerous others on the way.
"I hate this helmet," Echo grumbles as Tech plugs his datapad into the console. "I can't see anything. No wonder they're so oblivious."
"I am uncertain as to who designed helmets lacking a solid visor," Tech agrees. "This will be the last time I will wear such armor."
Looking through the data, Tech is not surprised to learn that the coordinates will be slightly harder to gain access to than he thought. "The vessels are tagged for direct uplink after they are launched," he reports.
"So, there's no way to get the coordinates?" Echo asks.
"Then there's only one option left," Hunter's voice says over their comm. "We can't extract those coordinates. But that vessel is heading to Tantiss. That's our way in. But we'll have to move. Someone is going to notice the missing Imperials soon."
"We will be on our way," Tech says, unplugging his datapad.
They take off through the halls together, back to where the others are waiting with the ship. They have to take down a couple more Imperials on the way, though, and someone is definitely going to be noticing the intrusion soon.
"In case this doesn't go according to plan, I can sneak on board the science vessel myself," Echo offers.
Hunter nods. "Once you're aboard, find a way to disable the proximity sensors. We'll follow behind, then attach our shuttle to the hull and hitch a ride directly to Tantiss. They'll monitor comms so we'll have to go radio silent."
"On it," Echo says, throwing a final glance back at them before he takes off.
This is Hunter's plan, so Tech has little doubt that it is going to work. Hemlock will not see them coming. He has no way to know of their presence – though no doubt, things will have changed in Emerie's absence.
They board the shuttle, and Hunter takes off. Their shuttle follows the science vessel from a distance as it rapidly approaches the hyperspace lane. Echo will find a way to come through. Tech is certain of that.
"What are you waitin' for?" Wrecker asks.
"The proximity sensors haven't been deactivated yet," Hunter answers.
The quiet tension reminds him of Eriadu. They had been much the same way when on the way to rescue Crosshair.
"What if he doesn't make it?" Emerie inquires quietly. "He could be trapped there alone."
"Relax," Crosshair chides, "Echo's on it."
"They are about to jump," Tech observes as he watches. Still nothing has come through and they are as close as they can get until the sensors are down. He does not doubt that Echo will make it, but they are almost out of time.
This happened before. They had the chance to reach Tantiss and lost it, and if they try and fail a second time, Hemlock will be prepared. That is not a chance they can afford to lose.
Emerie's hand finds his as they watch and wait.
Right when Tech's about to interject that they are cutting it too close, Hunter sends the shuttle forward, spinning it around and docking on the bottom of the science vessel.
The ship jolts as it streaks into hyperspace. Back to Tantiss.
Back to Omega.
BLOOPERS:
"Ah," Tech replies, adjusting his goggles – in truth, he cannot see nearly as clearly as he once could, though he remembers her vividly enough to know what he should be seeing. There are many things he could say, and he is entirely uncertain what defines as... socially appropriate. "Well, THIS IS THE MOST AWKWARD CONVERSATION IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!"
"If I RECALL CORRECT, AND I ALWAYS RECALL CORRECTLY – CROSSHAIR, STOP ROLLING YOUR EYES AT ME – THERE IS NO NEED TO BE RESENTFUL THAT MY MIND IS SUPERIOR TO YOURS 💖"
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