Chapter 8 - The Empire
Tech has been increasingly on edge since he realized Hunter is alive. Or rather, that Hunter is after Omega because of what the Empire has done to him. He still cannot stop thinking about how to find him. He also does not know of any steps they could take without endangering themselves further, something Hunter would never want.
He's outside with Wrecker and Crosshair when he spots Batcher running around right near the cave, barking. He's obviously agitated.
Something must be wrong.
"Tech," Crosshair warns, pointing.
"Where's Omega?" Wrecker asks, instantly worried.
Tech exchanges a swift glance with the other two and then runs for the cave.
Batcher runs over to them as they approach, marking frantically.
Omega yells something up ahead. Tech makes out the words enough to hear the 'let me go!" and his anger and wariness rise instantly.
A shadowed figure steps out of the cave, pulling Omega after her by the arm.
"Hey!" Wrecker shouts, spotting them.
They jump down from the rocks, moving closer as the figure comes into view. Tech's hand is already on his blaster. Wait, this person is familiar. Too familiar.
"Stay away from her," Tech warns, eyes narrowing.
"Gladly," she replies and it fully clicks then who this is.
She may look different but the resemblance and voice – he's heard it in some recordings – is too uncanny to be anyone else.
Ventress lets go of Omega, who runs over to them immediately, moving to stand next to Wrecker.
"You know, for rogue clones trying to lay low, you're failing spectacularly," she drawls.
"Ventress," Tech spits, stepping forward, "What are you doing here?" He thought he heard she was reported dead but evidently that information was wrong. Unsurprising, considering her past history.
"Fennec sent me," she replies flippantly.
What?
"She did not know where we were."
"I have my ways of finding people."
"Leave," Tech orders sharply. They wanted answers but he's not going to risk having someone this dangerous anywhere near his brothers or sister. He knows how dangerous Ventress was during the war. She killed countless of the regs.
Omega looks up at him. "But – "
"No," he interrupts before she can say something foolish, "She is a former Separatist, and a war criminal. She is not to be trusted."
"But she already came here," Omega protests, "And we need answers, remember?"
"That is not a risk I am willing to take," Tech replies firmly. They might be able to stand a chance against her, but he has no intention of risking his brothers in this manner.
"Why are you asking around about M-count?" Ventress asks, "It's very dangerous to be inquisitoring about such things."
As if he could not have guessed that on his own. "That is none of your concern," Tech replies curtly, blaster in hand now.
If she does not leave, then... He is willing to fight if she threatens them.
"Consider it your payment."
"We already paid Fennec for the information. If you refrain from holding your end of the deal, I suggest you leave."
"If one of you has a high M-count, consider yourselves warned," Ventress replies, "The Empire will hunt you down."
That tells them nothing they didn't already know. He still does not understand, though considering it is Ventress, and the way she is acting, he suspects his initial impression that it is related to the Jedi and their abilities may be accurate.
She stands there a few moments longer, gaze lingering longest on Omega, and Tech does not appreciate it at all. He expects she already suspects why they were asking about it. Perhaps going on that mission was a greater risk than it was worth.
But finally she turns away, heading back into the cave the direction she came.
Tech does not lower his blaster until he sees her ship take off, flying away.
"How are we gonna get answers now?" Omega is the first to speak.
"Seeing as this is Ventress, I believe the M-count must be related to Jedi's abilities," Tech replies curtly.
"Jedi?" Wrecker echoes, startling.
"You mean – I'm one?" Omega nearly splutters.
"No. Becoming one requires extensive training from what Echo has said about his General. But it may mean whatever makes their abilities possible is something you possess. Perhaps it is better if we do not know." Not if it's this dangerous.
"If she could find us here, so could the Empire," Crosshair warns, arms crossed.
"I am inclined to agree," Tech replies, "I do not believe it is safe here."
"But it's been safe all this time," Omega protests, biting her lip. She's scared. Tech is concerned as well. He does not know how she was able to track them, and it would not have been safe to inquire it of her.
"Considering the fact that she was able to track us, even as a former Jedi, the chance of the Empire locating our whereabouts is too high to risk."
"So what do we do?" Wrecker asks.
"We... need to leave," Tech replies slowly, even if he has no idea what this is going to mean. Where will they go? What will they do now?
Hunter would have known. Tech does not. They have been without Hunter for a very long time now, but Tech is beginning to doubt they will ever be able to fully process or accept what happened to him. But they will have to figure something out on their own. Somehow.
**w**
They're loading the ship – or at least Wrecker is, because the others are still bringing things in – when he boards the ramp to set down another crate and something flashes on the controls. An alarm is beeping.
Wrecker drops the crate, sprinting to the front. It's the frequency sensor. Another ship's coming in.
"Tech!" he yelps over comms, "There's a ship coming in!"
"Where is it's direction?"
"I –" The screen shuts off. "It just disappeared from the scanner?"
"That is impossible," his brother argues, "It could not have disappeared, unless it has been hacked."
"Then it was hacked," Crosshair interjects, "The Empire's onto us."
"Get to the Marauder," Tech orders, "We do not have any more time to spare."
Wrecker takes the crate to the back and creeps down the ramp to get the last one before drawing his blaster and moving to the doorway. He doesn't see anything, but he can't let anyone damage their ship, either.
He moves down the ramp, backing against the nearby rail for some cover and to keep an eye out. He wishes Crosshair was here – nothing can sneak up on him.
Of course, that's when it happens – he spots a dark-clothed figure moving in.
His visor has the same red as before.
Hunter.
"I got eyes on 'im," Wrecker warns over comms, "It's Hunter."
The sound catches his brother's attention.
Wrecker fires at him with a stunbolt, but Hunter ducks into a roll, drawing his blaster and firing back. Wrecker ducks back behind the rail.
Hunter's coming in on him. He's gonna fight them. He's gonna try to kill them again, and he already hurt Wrecker. He tried to kill them.
The Empire took his mind, and Wrecker has no idea how to deal with what happened to them.
He doesn't really have time to think about it, either, because his older brother is shooting at him and all he can do is fire back and try not to get shot. He almost can't believe this is Hunter, but he saw his face.
They hafta get him back.
And then the firing just... stops.
Wrecker slowly peaks out of his hiding spot, but he doesn't see anything, which either means Hunter moved off or is coming closer.
He could really, really use any of his brothers right now.
Something moves out of the corner of his eye suddenly and Wrecker spins around barely in time to dodge Hunter jumping him with a vibroblade. He catches Hunter's wrist, trying to ignore how wrong it feels to be fighting, as he tries not to knock the blade out of his grasp. Which he does, but Hunter steps back, instantly reaching for another one.
A stun blast nearly hits Hunter but he dodges – obviously sensing it coming the same way he always used to.
Tech is running up behind him, and Hunter throws his knife.
Wrecker ducks, half expecting it to be him Hunter's trynna stab again, but the knife lodges itself into the ship instead. Beneath the surface of the hull, something sparks and explodes.
Tech fires at Hunter again and Wrecker reaches for his own blaster, even if all he wants to do is cry or tackle Hunter in a hug. "Hunter – " he tries to say, not knowing what he's even gonna say but he's gotta say something.
He just turns and takes off running.
It takes Wrecker a moment to figure out why. Crosshair and Omega are running up.
"He damaged the capacitor," Tech says, studying the ship, "We have a spare onboard, but switching it will take time."
"Time we don't have," Crosshair replies harshly.
"Can't we just go after him?" Wrecker objects. This is their chance, isn't it? Even if he doesn't know what to do.
"He can't have gone far," Omega agrees desperately.
Wrecker didn't see where he disappeared too so quickly but he's got to be lurking close by. Maybe even still watching them.
"He will fight us. And if he is here, the Empire is on its way. We must leave quickly," Tech replies.
"We can't do that without a ship," Crosshair responds urgently, glancing around nervously.
He's scared.
Of the Empire, and maybe a little of Hunter.
Wrecker doesn't want to think about it. Hunter could kill them.
An enormous shadow suddenly falls across the ground and all of them freeze, slowly looking to the sky to see a Star Destroyer looming over the planet.
So much for getting out quickly.
The Empire is already here. And the Marauder isn't working, and there's no way they'll have time to fix it up before troops start landing.
"We must get to cover," Tech orders urgently.
Or the Empire will spot them all standing right here.
They take off running, trying to lose themselves between the buildings as the gunships start landing. Troops are jumping off, shoving their way past the civilians are they move to start searching the island.
The gunships start flying over the coast next, blowing up the boats. Cutting off escape routes. The island is burning. It reminds Wrecker a little of Kamino, even if he hopes he's not about to see the entire place blown to nothing. Kamino was bad, but Pabu is so much nicer, and the people here are nice. He loves it here. It's the only hope they have now.
"This is my fault. They're attacking because of me," Omega says breathlessly.
"It's not y're fault," Wrecker objects instantly.
"This is entirely the Empire's choice," Tech replies firmly.
"They're destroying all means of escape and jamming our comms," Crosshair interjects.
"The remaining ships will be Imperial," Tech points out, "The best option of escape is the ship Hunter came in."
That's – a good point.
But Tech is always smart so of course he figured it out.
It does mean they'll hafta leave Hunter behind again, not that they have any other choice when they're running for their lives. They went through this with Crosshair, and Wrecker gets it, but it's also hard and he isn't following Hunter anymore. Tech does their best for them, and Wrecker trusts him, but it's just – he's not Hunter, and he doesn't know if this is really the best choice. Not that he knows what is – Wrecker knows his ability to make decisions is limited.
They saw the general direction Hunter's ship landed so it's not hard to guess where it is. Trying to sneak all the way down to the caves isn't easy when there's stormtroopers swarming everywhere, though.
The last run through the shadows is fully open so anyone could see them. They duck into the shadows of the inside of the cave as fast as they can, finally out of sight.
It's hard to see in the darkness, but Wrecker can still make out the ship landed in the shadows. Hunter's ship.
Tech starts towards the ship.
A blaster shot flies over Tech's head, nearly hitting him.
Wrecker whips around, to see Hunter standing in the entrance to the cave, blaster out.
How did he track them here?!
He fires again, and they all scramble, ducking behind the nearest jut-outs of the cave walls, trying to stay out of sight as they draw their own weapons. Wrecker fires a couple stunblasts at him, but Hunter rolls out of the way.
But with the constant fire from all of them, it forces him back. Not that that's helping them get any closer to firing up the ship.
The low hum of an engine suddenly catches his attention, and moments later a spot light shines right into the opening of the cave. A gunship lands outside, more than a dozen stormtroopers jumping off the ship and moving forward.
Now they're trapped and outnumbered.
This is why Hunter's s'poosed to be here! On their side.
He wishes he still had the bomber thingy he made on Serrano. Maybe he should've gotten it off the Maurader before they ran.
"We'll have to take that gunship," Crosshair calls over the blaster shots.
Wrecker ducks out from behind the cave wall, shooting wildly at the advancing stormtroopers. The others quickly join them and with the skill they've always fought with, they take most of them down quickly but more reinforcements are gonna be on their way.
Tech runs for the gunship, dodging the shots being fired at him as he goes. Wrecker tries to cover for him as much as he can, until he loses sight of him outside the cave.
**w**
Omega ducks back against the wall of the cave again, breathing hard, hands tight around her crossbow. She should've guessed there was a high chance they'd be cornered here but she thought
The gunship takes off, with Tech still on board. She can't see what's happening. but right now her, Wrecker, and Crosshair need to concentrate on staying alive.
Most of the stormtroopers are down now, but then Hunter steps back into the opening.
Her heart flips at seeing him again. It hurts so much, seeing him and fighting against him.
Hunter was the one who always took care of her, even when he was her little brother. None of this should have happened to him. She can't lose him again.
She fires her crossbow at him, but deliberately to miss. He obviously sensed that intention, because he doesn't even duck.
Omega tries not to remember before, to think about how she'd done the same with Wrecker once, how she'd scrambled backwards across the floor of the cruiser on Bracca, how she laid there terrified and waiting for him to fire.
Right after she saved Hunter.
Crosshair tries firing several more stun blasts at him.
Hunter draws his blaster, firing back at them.
A shot catches Crosshair right in the shoulder, somewhere near his chest, before he can duck out of sight again.
Omega gasps sharply as her little brother hits the ground, hand pressed over the wound. The deja vu is drowning her – this happened before. It happened when Wrecker hit the hangar floor on Kamino, shoulder smoking, Crosshair standing across from him, the first time she had ever seen one of her brothers hurt in front of her.
The first time she'd fought in a battle.
"Crosshair!" Wrecker calls, sounding desperate, strangled.
She tries not to think about how it was so close to the same spot Crosshair shot Wrecker in so long ago.
She wants to cry.
He could be dying, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Nothing.
And she doesn't know where Tech is either. He's gone elsewhere and anything could happen to him too and there's nothing she can do.
Except...
One thing.
She thought about it for a wild moment as soon as she saw the island burning, but now there's no other choice.
"Wrecker," Omega says, pressing back against the cave wall next to them, "The only way this is going to stop is if I turn myself in."
Wrecker freezes. "Omega..."
"You know there's no other way."
Not with Hunter advancing on them as they speak and Crosshair on the ground, in stars knows what condition.
Wrecker's gaze flicks between her and Crosshair and he deflates. "He's gonna take you back to Tantiss."
"That's where we've been trying to go all this time. You can put a tracker on the ship while I keep him distracted. Then you'll be able to follow me right there."
Her brother hesitates, but true to his always submissive nature, he eventually sags.
"Besides," Omega continues, "This might be the only chance we have at getting Hunter back. I need to know why the Empire is looking for me, and we have to find that base." She wants to see Emerie again, too. She misses her sister. It's been so long, and Emerie's been trapped there all that time, alone.
"Alright," Wrecker agrees, even if he sounds very unhappy about it.
She's not looking forward to this either, but they don't have any other choice.
"Stop!" Omega calls, heart pounding as she steps out of cover.
She doesn't want to risk Hunter shooting Crosshair again or – or something. She can hear Wrecker slipping off into the shadows behind her. She can only hope he'll be able to get a tracker on the ship and get out of sight without Hunter seeing him.
Hunter pauses, looking down at her.
She drops her crossbow to the ground, stepping forward. "I'm the one you want, right?" she asks.
He doesn't reply but he does move closer, scanning her over for any tracking devices. So much for getting to sneak her comm along so someone could track it. He takes it from her, throwing it into the dirt, before snapping stuncuffs over her wrists.
It's all she can do not to cry. She tries not to look back at Crosshair on the ground, if only not to attract Hunter's attention to him as he pushes her forward, onto the ship.
She sees the slightest movement in the shadows, though. Wrecker's backing away from the ship, careful to stay out of sight. That should mean he made it.
She's going back to Tantiss. And she has no idea when the others will get there. Hopefully the tracker on board means it won't be long. And this is part of the mission and what they've been waiting for so she's ready, but that doesn't make it easy. She'll never forget the endless helplessness and loneliness of all those weeks. And she should get out soon, but that doesn't mean she's not afraid.
But maybe – maybe this is the chance they've finally been waiting for to get Hunter out.
"Hunter," Omega says once they're inside, heart pounding.
He doesn't reply, moving to the front of the ship.
She follows him hesitantly, biting her lip. "Hunter?" she tries again.
"Why do you keep saying that word?" he demands.
He sounds like Hunter, though his voice is a little distorted by his helmet. But it's the first time she's heard him speak since Eriadu. She never thought she'd hear him speak to her again. She thought she'd never get to hear that voice again, that it would be something out of a dream forever haunting her memory, a fragment of a life Omega knows she will never be able to live again.
But what does he mean why? She wondered what they did to him, wondered if it was something to his mind, but he doesn't even remember his own name. He doesn't know them. Doesn't remember them.
"It's your name," she replies, "You knew us. You're our brother."
He turns to actually look at her. It shouldn't be unnerving, but it almost is. She wishes she could see his face, not his expressionless mask. "They are traitors," he finally answers shortly.
"You used to be one of us," she argues, blinking back her tears, "You were our leader. You – You were a part of our squad."
"I don't remember my past," he replies, "None of us do. It's not important for our mission."
Us? "There are more of you?" How many assassins are they up against?
Hunter turns away sharply.
Does he remember something? Anything?
It's hard to tell but the hostility almost makes her wonder if he remembers traces of something that he's not supposed to. He's doing something on the controls of the ship and then a scanner starts flashing, indicating something right on this ship –
Oh.
Oh no.
He already picked up on the tracker?
Great.
Hunter stands abruptly, crossing the ship to where the tracker was lodged. He slashes through it with his vibroknife, throwing it to the floor and stepping on it, leaving the sparking metal behind before he goes back to the pilot's seat and fires up the engines.
Omega settles on the floor, pulling her helmet off and sighing, leaning against the wall as she tries to quiet her mind for a minute. She needs a plan. A course of action, and she doesn't have nearly enough variables to figure out an approach method to remind him of who he was.
"You always used to take care of us," Omega continues quietly.
"Then you should've stayed with the Empire."
The tears pricking her eyes are hot and burning. This is Crosshair all over again. "Crosshair used to say that. Do you remember him?" The silence that drags on answers enough. "It's okay. He used to be loyal to the Empire, until he realized he didn't mean anything to them. You're the one who told him that. He never forgot."
"Then he shouldn't have left me again."
Omega winces. That's fair, actually, considering everything Crosshair did to all of them. She can't say she fully forgave him herself, though she doesn't hold it on him, either. None of them knew what the Empire was like. He could've been fooled easily. "He made a lot of mistakes, but I guess we all did."
She's talking to Hunter. This is her brother, the one she saw fall and thought she'd never get to see again. The one she thought she'd have to live an eternity without, but somehow, against it all, here he is.
Hunter, who should've been there to help and guide and carry them.
Hunter should've been the one to tell Crosshair he still loved him himself.
Tears fill her eyes, tracing a burning trail down her cheeks. Forget staying calm – Hunter has never been the one she did that around. He was never the one she had to be strong for and she loved him for that. "I love you," she gasps, "I – we miss you. I'm sorry I asked you to go. I just thought we could get Crosshair back."
There are so many things she wanted to say to Hunter but thought she never could. Then she got him back, but he doesn't remember, anyway, so it won't matter.
Omega wraps her arms around her knees and tries to think. Clear her mind, think of – of something. She hasn't struggled so badly with getting her thoughts in order in years. She taught Crosshair to meditate just for this, and when the time comes, her brain just scrambles. "I wish we could've chosen something different. Something where we didn't lose you."
"We can't change the past, kid," he replies at last, "None of us can."
He's still trying to help her. Somehow, when he doesn't even remember her, he's still trying to help, the same way he always has.
**w**
His chest is aching.
Crosshair can still breathe, so the shot couldn't have gone too deeply, but that was Hunter. Hunter shot him.
Not unlike how he shot Wrecker in the same spot, or how he nearly killed all his brothers before but that doesn't make it stop hurting.
The ship is firing up behind them, taking Omega away. And there's nothing he can do to stop it. Can't get to his rifle in time when his chest is still burning so much and even if he could, what would he do? Can't well shoot the ship down with Hunter and Omega on board, when he could get one of them killed.
He ducks back against the ground when the ship takes off, trying to avoid the exhaust of the engines. He still feels the heat and all he can think about is Bracca. About the last time his brothers did hurt him.
The ship streaks the rest of the way out of the cave and up into the sky, disappearing from sight.
"Crosshair!" Wrecker calls, darting over and dropping to the ground next to him.
He makes a noncommittal noise.
Wrecker pulls him half into his lap, hands touching his armor, obviously trying to assess the injury. "Could've gone a lot deeper," he settles for finally, which Crosshair guessed.
"We have to find Tech," he grits out as Wrecker helps him sit up.
He has no idea where Tech is now, but they have to find him.
**w**
Wrecker insists on getting Crosshair somewhere safe first and he's too worn to argue. He's not in fighting condition anyway. They manage to get back to Shep's place and Crosshair stays inside with Lyana while Wrecker goes out looking.
AZI treats his injury while they wait.
He hates having to wait without his brothers, though. He could lose all of them again. The Empire is too strong for them, but they're going to have to go face it, anyway – the exact thing Crosshair's been so terrified of all this time.
But Hunter and Omega are both on Tantiss and they can't leave them there. He knows what he'll have to do, what he's been avoiding all this time. It's long past time anyway, even if that doesn't make him any less terrified of how badly this could go. They still could lose everything in an effort to piece themselves back together.
The wait is agonizing but the door finally opens, Wrecker and a dripping wet Tech come inside.
He won't ask.
Tech looks around. "Where's Omega?"
Crosshair freezes. How are they going to explain this? "She turned herself in."
Tech sighs. "And you let her?"
Crosshair tenses, "I couldn't exactly stop her when I had a blaster hole in my chest."
"She wanted to see Hunter again," Wrecker confesses, shoulders slumping. "We wanna get him back."
"...I suppose sending Omega back to Tantiss would be a feasible way of obtaining the coordinates, if she is able to send us a transmission."
"I doubt she'll make it," Crosshair tells them bluntly, "I tried it once. It didn't go so well, and she'll be under heavy watch. We'll have to find her ourselves."
"Presently, the Empire has started to pull out their troops, but the cruiser is still there," Tech says finally, "Once they pull out, I should be able to fix the Marauder and we can leave."
"But we still don't know how to get to Tantiss," Wrecker replies dejectedly, "Hunter must have gotten rid of the tracker I put on the ship. We're not pickin' up the signal anymore."
"There... may be one way we can get there," Crosshair speaks up, very hesitantly, hands clenched together. His hand is shaking badly again. He can't make it stop. They're going to have to go back there, whether he likes it or not, and there's no way around it and everything that comes with it.
Both heads swivel to face him.
"What do you mean?" Wrecker demands, "You've known where Tantiss is this whole time?" Je does not look happy and neither does Tech.
"I didn't say I know," Crosshair retorts, "There's someone who... might have the coordinates."
"You never thought to mention this before?" Tech demands sharply.
"You coulda told us months ago, and maybe we could've found Hunter," Wrecker protests, wounded.
"Tantiss isn't a place I ever wanted to go back to," Crosshair replies, looking away, "Even if we get there, we have no guarantee we will get out. And Admiral Rampart isn't particularly trustworthy. He's a last resort."
"Rampart?" Tech repeats, nearly incredulous, "Where is he now?"
"I was still with the Empire when they arrested him. I know what prison he was sent to."
This is their only lead.
He desperately hopes it does turn up withsomething, even if he's just as terrified to know what will happen if it does.
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