Chapter 3: Who…Are You?
The last of the flames in the fireplace were dwindling as she grabbed a tablet and settled under the crisp covers of her bed. While scrolling through her tablet, she reached for the glass of water on her nightstand. Just as she found where she left off in her novel from last night, the edge of the glass against her lips, she heard the familiar trill of a comm beeping to life. "Huh." She shut off her tablet and placed the water back onto the nightstand before climbing out of bed and making her way to her wardrobe where the comm was buried in a hidden compartment. One look at the comm ID and her eyes lit up in pleasant surprise, "It's him." She threw a robe over her nightgown and rushed downstairs. Hurrying through the bottom floor of the compound, she burst into the garage before opening the secret door that led into a hidden communications room. Once she confirmed the transmission would be encrypted, she typed the comm ID into the holotable and a hologram of a clone trooper popped up, "Captain Rex. It's been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Rex gave her his signature smile which was more of an amused smirk than an actual smile, "Hello Evesa. How have you been?"
"Rex, please try to remember it's Melany now. No point in hiding if I keep using the same name." She crossed her arms with a giggle, feigning a look of exasperation.
"Sorry about that. You'll always be Eve to me." He chuckled in embarrassment, "But you've always been good at blending in and disappearing. We don't call you 'Shadow' for nothing."
"Speaking of work, what can I do for you?"
Rex went on to explain what Echo had told him about an Imperial Shuttle carrying his squad going down within the Core Worlds Region. As he continued to debrief her, she walked to a nearby computer and began to run scans on Imperial comm chatter and air space detection systems. Once he finished, she firmly nodded, "Do you just need information on their whereabouts or an extraction?"
"Preferably an extraction, if possible. I'm about to deploy on another mission so my comms will be dark for a few rotations."
She turned to face him again, gently leaning back on the computer console, "Understood. I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Eve, I really appreciate it. I'll reach out when I return. Take care of yourself and stay safe."
"You too, Rex." She wanted to correct him on the name again but given his worn out appearance, she figured now was not the time. "I look forward to hearing from you soon."
With a firm nod, he ended the transmission. Evesa, known as 'Eve' to her friends before she went into hiding, refocused her attention to the computer monitors behind her, taking a seat as she intensely stared at the screens. After a few minutes, she routed the computer's network to one of her data pads so she could keep an eye on the scans while she got suited up for the rescue mission.
Once in her room, Eve reached toward the far right side of her closet and opened another hidden drawer containing her espionage gear. Pulling out her fitted black uniform, she kept an eye on her data pad while she continued getting dressed, careful not to snag her pant leg on her right cybernetic leg that assisted her from the knee down. Now fully dressed besides her hood and veil, Eve sat on the edge of her bed with the data pad in her hands. Just as she was about to reach for the untouched glass of water still on her nightstand, the data pad lit up and started beeping. She tracked the incoming anomaly and was surprised to find it making its way not just toward her planet, but toward her region as well.
Eve jumped off the bed with her hood and veil in hand, hurried down the stairs, and stopped at the wall of weapons, which was a hidden armory of course. After grabbing her energy bow, thermal detonators, blaster pistols, and an array of knives, she strapped them on and rushed outside. She shivered when her body was slapped with the chilly reminder that despite springtime being on the horizon, it still felt very much like wintertime at night. She brought her fingers to her lips and released a loud whistle that echoed throughout the open land surrounding the compound. Eve patiently waited for her friend to arrive while she finished putting on her hood and veil and then she grabbed some more supplies from the garage.
In the vast darkness of night, Eve heard the familiar sound of large wings flapping and looked up to see her beloved Pilotta Thranta descending towards her. As the large creature landed beside her, she nuzzled its short and pointed snout, speaking in a calm tone, "Hello Ilysia, sorry to wake you this late but we got a call for a rescue." The creature obediently complied while Eve looped the bridle around its snout and then attached the rider's seat and passenger compartment onto its back. Once Eve mounted the thranta, she pulled out the data pad once more and noticed the one anomaly had split into two. Looks like an escape craft was deployed, but which one is the shuttle and which one is the escape module. Both were only a few klicks away from her compound but they were in opposite directions. She calculated the exact coordinates of the two crash sites and decided to start at the one closest to her location. Eve gently snapped the reins to let Ilysia know it was time for take off, the majestic creature outstretching its long wingspan and flapping its powerful wings. In a matter of seconds, they were soaring high above the tree line searching for Rex's friends. After a few minutes of flying over the nearby forest, they approached the first crash site; I wonder what this group of clones will be like?
Night had fallen on Pabu by the time the Empire had completely locked down the entire island. Stormtroopers marched up and down the pathways in patrols to ensure compliance from the townspeople. The escaped clone prisoners had taken refuge among the many locals who welcomed them into their homes. The force-sensitive children, Lyana, and Emerie had met up with Phee in the Pabu Archium where she then led them through the hidden cavern access to where she docked her ship. Although they were not able to escape off Pabu, they would stay hidden in the cave for now. Echo remained by Shep's side to ensure that no harm came to him or his people and to also find out why the Empire had returned to Pabu. Although Shep had encouraged Echo to take shelter as well, Echo knew Tarkin had heard a clone's voice during their exchange when they attempted to bypass the blockade. Tarkin was no fool and if he heard a clone's voice, then he would expect to find at least one clone on Pabu and Echo was that clone.
Shep and Echo stood beside the magnificent weeping maya tree that blossomed in front of the Pabu Archium which sat atop the island. They not only wanted to keep a close eye on the Imperial's whereabouts but they also wanted to ensure no one had access to the Archium. As the duo watched the last LAAT gunship depart after dropping off the final wave of stormtroopers, Echo whispered to Shep, "How does this compare to the last siege?"
"This isn't nearly as aggressive as last time. They don't seem to have much purpose here besides keeping us isolated from the rest of the galaxy."
"That would explain why jamming our comms was their first priority." He paused when another garrison of troops walked by, eyeing them suspiciously. Once they passed, he continued, "So it doesn't seem like they're looking for Omega. Not that she's here anyway."
Shep glanced over at Echo, picking up on the concern in his voice, "Were you able to locate the rest of your squad?"
"No, but I contacted Rex just before the Imps showed up. Hopefully he'll have better luck than me."
The mayor understandingly nodded, "Right now, our main priority is to get rid of the Imperial presence here. Then we can continue looking for your squad."
"Agreed." Echo nodded as they watched an Imperial Shuttle landed in front of them. He had a gut feeling someone of importance was on this shuttle, someone like Tarkin.
Once the dust settled and the ramp was lowered, Echo's suspicions were confirmed. Flanked by two Imperial Clone Shock Troopers, Admiral Tarkin approached the duo with his typical frown of superiority and his hands tightly clasped behind his back. Tarkin did a double take on Echo, no doubt remembering him from the last time they saw each other back on Kamino after Clone Force 99 decided not to eliminate the "insurgents" on Onderon shortly after the fall of the Republic. Tarkin had accused Echo and the rest of the squad of treason and threw them in the brig before taking Crosshair away to brainwash him with his intensified inhibitor chip. The level of hatred Echo felt for this man was immeasurable.
"I remember you." Tarkin's cold eyes met Echo's fiery stare, "You're one of the clones from Clone Force 99. You were supposedly killed when Tipcoa City was destroyed."
"Yeah, well, this wouldn't be the first time I 'supposedly' died." Echo sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Tarkin was not amused, "You're quite right. I remember reading the report about you, CT-1409, and the rescue mission on Skako Minor. Prisoner of war for over a year. Turned into a tactical droid for the Separatists after being blown up during a mission at the Citadel."
"It was a rescue mission at the Citadel to save Republic prisoners, one of whom was you." Echo scoffed, "You're welcome by the way."
Tarkin allowed the slightest of smirks to break his stoic expression, "Curious. And here I thought clones didn't have a sense of humor."
Before Echo could retort, Shep interrupted, "Admiral Tarkin, I deserve to have an explanation about this unwarranted siege on my town."
Tarkin eyed the man up and down as if he just now realized he was standing there, "And who might you be?"
"Shep Hazard. Mayor of Pabu."
"Well, Mayor Hazard, we are locking down this island because the clone standing beside you has left one of our top advanced science division facilities in shambles. He and his squad not only released a very dangerous creature into the wild but he also murdered one of the Empire's top chief scientists." Tarkin threw an arrogant look at Echo, "Yes, we found the body."
The ARC trooper took an angry step forward, "Hemlock was ruthlessly torturing and experimenting on clones, my brothers! I will not stand for-"
"Enough of the dramatics, CT-1409. I'm not here for your clone brethren who I'm sure are hiding within the homes of your citizens, Mayor Hazard." Tarkin glanced over at Shep for a reaction but he did not flinch at Tarkin's accusation.
"Then why are you here?" Echo asked, defiantly crossing his arms once more.
"I'm simply here for one thing, information." He scanned the area as if looking for someone in particular, "I believe there is a Doctor Emerie Karr taking refuge here. I wish to speak with her. I have been informed she escaped Mount Tantiss during your attack."
Echo scowled, "That may be so but I don't know who Doctor Karr is but, trust me, if she worked for Hemlock in experimenting on my brothers then she would not be welcomed here."
Knowing how protective Echo was of his clone brothers, Tarkin believed him. He knew this ARC trooper would not welcome Hemlock's Chief Scientist into this community of Imperial refugees. "Then I wish to speak to your little clone friend. The small female one that's been running around with your squad."
"She's not here either." Echo felt a sense of relief in not having to lie about Omega's whereabouts.
"Interesting. I'm sure I saw an Imperial Shuttle departing from Mount Tantiss around the same time we showed up. From the inexperienced and erratic flying abilities, I assume it was her who was piloting the craft?"
Echo smirked at the comment about her flying skills, "Sounds like Omega, but like I said. She's not here. I don't know where she is."
Tarkin stared him down for a few seconds, trying to get a read on this insufferable clone. After seeing that Echo was not going to reveal any information, he nodded at his clone bodyguards. "Let it be known I tried to be reasonable." The shock troopers stepped forward with a pair of binders, "Arrest this clone for impeding my investigation-"
"He's telling the truth!" Shep stepped between the troopers and Echo. "Omega and the rest of Clone Force 99 never arrived to Pabu. We honestly don't know where they are."
Tarkin suspiciously eyed the mayor, "Well, if you really are telling the truth. Then it will only be a matter of time until they return. And we will be here waiting for them." He sharply turned on his heels and walked up the ramp of the shuttle, shock troopers by his side, "Get used to the Imperial blockade, Mayor Hazard. I may be on my way back to Coruscant, but I shall leave an Imperial Venator here until the remainder of Clone Force 99 returns." He faced the duo once more with a haughty smirk, "Have a good evening, gentlemen." With that, the shuttle door closed and departed the island to bring the Admiral back to his Star Destroyer.
"Back to Coruscant, Admiral?" The clone pilot called over his shoulder.
"No." Something was suspicious about Hemlock's science. He was always so secretive about it despite Tarkin's superior rank and high clearance level. He always wondered what was so special about the experiments and if Doctor Karr and Omega were missing, then he was going to look for answers himself, "Return to Wayland. I wish to inspect the Mount Tantiss base myself."
Once Tarkin's Imperial Star Destroyer left the atmosphere, Echo and Shep headed into the Archium. As they stepped into the room and the doors closed behind them, they heard an unexpected voice, "So that went well." Both of the men jumped, unaware that Phee was sitting on the couch. "Doesn't seem like we'll be able to reach out to anyone any time soon, huh?"
Both Echo and Shep released a defeated sigh. Shep spoke up first as he took a seat beside Phee, "The Empire is leaving a Venator Star Destroyer here until the Bad Batch returns. We have to find them and warn them."
"We don't even know where they are, not to mention our communications are-"
"Rex will find them." Echo's voice firmly cut her off.
Shep and Phee turned their heads toward Echo who was standing in front of a shelf full of historical artifacts, including Wrecker's Lula and Tech's goggles. He stared down at the two most recent additions to the collection in a melancholic daze. "And when he does, we have to have a plan ready to keep them safe." He gently caressed Tech's goggles, "Whatever it takes."
Omega crouched down with her drill in hand as she continued extracting the raw ipsium from the hidden cavern she stumbled upon in the mines. She carefully drilled through the fossilized quartz that protected the highly combustible mineral and then slowly extracted another sample of the pure ipsium. She disconnected the now full vial and handed it up to Tech who was supervising from the small hole in the cavern.
"How many are left?"
"This is the last one." Tech replied as he handed her the empty vial.
She reached toward the nearest vein of ipsium but found it to be a bit out of reach thanks to the gaping chasm that stood between them. She tightly grasped the cavern wall beside her and tried to reach forward again, quickly leaning back when her foot slipped a bit and some small bits of rubble fell down the never-ending hole. Determination pushing her to complete the task, she grounded her foot the best she could and firmly grasped the rock next to her. When the tip of her drill grazed the protective quartz, she apprehensively activated the drill which twisted aggressively out of her hands and caused her to lose her balance. She fell off the ledge but managed to get a handhold on the edge of the cavern wall.
"Tech!" She yelled in fear as she struggled to keep her grasp.
His head poked up through the small window, "Hang on!" Seeing the imminent danger, he swiftly slid through the small opening and stood on the edge of the chasm where Omega once stood. She lost her grip and fell a bit lower but still managed to catch herself again. Tech crouched down at the edge of the rock and leaned down toward her, stretching out his arm as far as he could. Seeing this, Omega reached for his outstretched hand and just as she was about to grab it, her other hand slipped and she fell with a scream.
"Omega!" Tech shouted after her.
She continued to plummet further into the darkness, not knowing how long she had been falling until she hit a large amount of water moving with a rapid current. As she struggled to stay above the raging river, she suddenly felt a firm arm wrap around her. She glanced over and saw her brother pull her in tightly, ensuring she was safe.
Her visioned blurred and the next thing she saw was a beautiful underground lake filled with luminescent minerals that lined the bottom of the lake as well as part of the cave wall. She heard familiar footsteps walk up behind her, "We will be out of this cavern in short order once they arrive with the mineral."
She glanced over to see Tech taking a seat on the ground beside her, "Except we still don't have the Marauder or a way off this planet, and we can't contact Echo for help."
"We do not need help. We will figure out a solution, as we always do." He stated matter of factly.
"Everything is changing, and you don't even care." She unintentionally threw him a harsh look.
"I…" He briefly hesitated, "Am not sure how I should care about change. It is a fundamental part of life."
"Echo left. Why doesn't that bother you?" This time she did mean to raise her voice at him.
Tech paused as he thought about her words as well as how to properly express his own. "I am aware that you miss him, but we have to adapt and move on. That is what soldiers do."
"We're more than that. We're a family. Aren't we?" She questioningly glanced up at her brother.
"Well, uh, yes. Yes, of course we are."
"Then why don't you act like it?"
Tech was surprised by her harsh question. It was one of those rare moments when he did not immediately have an answer. He turned away from her incredulous stare and gazed at the luminescent water. He frowned a bit as he considered her words, trying to figure out how to best explain his feelings when he hardly did so with anyone. Finally he let out a tired sigh, still avoiding her gaze, "Echo chose a different path, as did Crosshair. I have to respect their decision. Even though it can be difficult to understand, we must carry on." He briefly paused, "I may process moments and thoughts differently, but it does not mean that I feel any less than you."
Tech finally met her eyes, seeing how her once disheartened expression turned to one of enlightenment. For as young as she was, she seemed to understand what he saying.
Omega blinked and the next thing she knew, she was on a railcar high above the clouds of Eriadu. Blaster fire was ricocheting off the railcar walls but the infamous sound of incoming TIE Fighters drowned it out. The railcar violently shook as it was being torn off the track by the attached damaged car. That was the moment when she realized that Tech was nowhere to be found. Omega stood at the edge of the transport and stared down at Tech, terror griping her heart as she saw her brother dangling from the last car.
"You must sever the connection hinge. NOW!" Tech demanded after the railcar dropped even more off the track, causing him to fall even further away from them.
Wrecker shook his head, "Not until you're up here."
Tech scanned his surroundings, trying to think of a possible plan that would save his squad, his family, "There is no time Wrecker." He pulled out his blaster pistol, "Plan 99."
"Don't you do it Tech!" Wrecker pleaded, a grunt escaping from his lips as he fiercely fought to hold onto the slipping railcar beside them.
Omega saw Tech look down with a sigh, "When have we ever followed orders." He glanced up at them, determination in his eyes as he lifted his blaster pistol. Before she could beg him to reconsider, he shot the connection hinge. After a valiant attempt from Wrecker to hold on, the railcar slipped out of his grasp and plummeted down into the mountainous valley below, taking Tech with it.
"NOOOO!" Wrecker desperately reached out as if he could stop his brother from falling to his death.
"TECH!" Omega screamed in horror as she watched him disappear into the clouds.
Once Tech vanished to his death, Omega's vision faded away to nothing and in the darkness of her mind she heard her own voice, "Where's Tech? We have to go back! What if he's hurt? He…he needs us. We can't just leave him! Tech's not gone! He…he can't be!"
Suddenly she heard Tech's voice, "We do not leave our own behind."
Omega heard her own voice again, "If there's a chance to get him back, we have to take it."
"Definitely." Wrecker's voice boomed.
Again, she heard Tech's voice repeat, "We do not leave our own behind…we do not leave our own behind…we do not leave our own behind."
"TECH!" Omega woke up with a loud gasp, her heart racing and her body aching. She frantically scanned the room, observing the white walls and sterile medical equipment. She blinked a few more times, the blinding bright lights making it difficult for her to get her bearings. She heard the sound of multiple EKGs beeping in the room which prompted her to sit up a bit to see where the sound was coming from. As she tried to move, a sharp jab shot through her chest and her hands throbbed but she fought through the pain in order to figure out where she was.
"A…medbay?" Omega whispered out loud to no one. With the blurriness in her eyes subsiding, she took a more thorough sweep of the room. Omega realized she was lying on a smaller cot on the far right side of the room while three medical beds were spread out in the middle of the space. On those beds she saw her three brothers resting in their blacks with the exception of Wrecker who only had his bottom blacks on while his bare upper body was wrapped in bandages. "Hunter? Wrecker? Crosshair?" Omega called out to her brothers in a loud whisper, still being cautious about their whereabouts.
Suddenly the door slid open and a woman stepped inside with a data pad in her hand, "Oh!" Her vivid blue eyes lit up with excitement when she saw Omega, "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
Omega suspiciously eyed the woman dressed in light blue medical clothing, "I-I don't know. Who…are you?"
Thank you for reading! Please review if you wish and have a wonderful week! :)