Part 6 - Battle Scars
Plot: Rex reunites with Echo and Omega, and Omega is very reluctant to take her little brothers to remove their inhibitor chips. They don't have much choice, but of course the mission isn't so simple.
After the run-in with Rafa and Trace on Corellia, Omega knew she'd end up circling back to someone from her old life. Doesn't mean she expected to come back into Cid's parlor and see Rex.
Echo is as surprised as she is.
Omega is just coming in with the twins from picking up some Mantell Mix, despite the little credits they have because they still have to eat, when she sees Rex.
"Rex?" Omega asks, perking up. He's the first sign of someone familiar, someone she used to know, and she half runs down the stairs to hug him. "How'd you find us?"
"Rafa and Trace Martez," he replies, "They said they met you and Echo, and you were traveling with some kids."
The twins hop off the last stair together, eyes wide. "What's a reg doing here?" Crosshair asks. He sounds grumpy.
"This is Rex," Omega answers, stepping back, "He's a friend. Rex, these are Hunter, Tech, Wrecker, and Crosshair." She motions to each of them in turn. "They're defective clones, like me."
The twins are exchanging wary glances, and Hunter motions to them to come join him and Tech on the bench. Good way to get them out of trouble, anyway. Omega sits on Rex's other side. "So," she asks, eyeing the narrow incision scar on the right side of his head, "How'd you get your chip out?"
Rex laughs. "The general and commander weren't gonna leave me behind."
Omega perks up instantly. "Anakin? He's – he's fine?"
"The toll's been hard on all of us, but he'll be fine," Rex promises, and Omega thinks she could cry in relief. "How'd you know about the chips?" he asks as an afterthought.
"I used to be a medical assistant, remember?" Omega points out.
"Right." There's a brief pause. "Where'd you get out yours?"
"I don't have one. Echo and I got the Order, but his never activated. I don't know why. It might've been damaged at the Citadel."
Rex freezes, staring at her. "You're telling me he hasn't removed his chip?"
"What?" Echo asks.
Omega sighs, turning to face him. "Inhibitor chips," she repeats, "They're put in all the clones before we're born. They're designed to make them blindly follow orders."
"That explains the regs," Crosshair grumbles, crossing his arms.
Wrecker lightly elbows his shoulder. "Yeah."
"But Echo's isn't working, anyway," Omega continues, "And the kids never got the Order."
"As long as they're inside you, they'll make you a threat to everyone around you," Rex warns.
"We don't have a way to get them out," Echo points out. "We're not on Kamino anymore."
"Taking them out is dangerous, too," Omega cautions quietly, "I know it can work, and it normally should, but that doesn't mean it's safe. I – I can't risk them like that." She motions to the four of them, sitting together on the bench. Hunter's watching with worried eyes. Tech's staring, and the twins are bickering over the carton she bought for both of them. They're her brothers, and Omega can't risk them.
Rex sighs. "I know why you're worried, Omega, but the risks of something happening are too high. I know they're kids, and they might not have gotten the Order, but that doesn't mean they're fully immune to the effects."
Omega sighs, looking at Echo.
"I trust Rex," Echo answers immediately, "If he thinks we have to take these out, then I trust him."
"Tech told us a little about these things," Hunter ventures, reaching out to touch Omega's forearm. "They sounded dangerous. They probably wouldn't work on us, but is that really a risk we can take?"
She sighs. No. It's not. She'd rather deal with her brothers being angry and feral and murderous than not have to deal with them at all.
"We'll be okay," Hunter promises.
"Do you know anywhere we could get them out?" Echo asks, turning to Rex.
The boys pretty much overruled her, but Omega's still worried. These surgeries often went wrong. The embryos often didn't even make it, from what she remembers. If the risk of getting it in is so high, getting them out after already being alive isn't any better. Omega has seen so many of the regs die. She doesn't want to lose them again, too.
"I'll be in touch," Rex promises.
**w**
"I don't wanna get my head cut open!" Wrecker wails. It took him a long time to figure out what they were saying about inhibitor chips, and he's been freaking out ever since.
"You will be fine," Tech promises, though he somehow looks exactly as annoyed as Omega herself feels.
The twins are adorable, but they're also exhausting.
"I don't want a hole in my head, either," Crosshair complains, arms crossed and scowling adorably, "You're talkin' about cutting my brain out."
"Part of it," Tech replies.
Hunter rolls his eyes at the ceiling and loops an arm around Crosshair's back, dragging him for the ramp. Crosshair melts into his side, instantly tempted by the offer of snuggles.
Echo muffles a laugh as he turns for the door.
Omega heads out first, lowering the ramp and running down it, scanning the area for any hostilities.
There's no one here but Rex, who's already waiting.
The boys instantly are tripping over each other to study every area of the star destroyer they can see. "We thought we'd get to fight in the war," Hunter murmurs, as Omega reaches down to help him over a ridge. There are a lot of ups and downs here, and it's taking the boys time to cover ground. "Never really thought about what'd happen after."
"Yeah," Omega agrees quietly, reaching for Crosshair who Wrecker's half picked up. Echo's pulling Tech over the edge. Hunter and Tech instantly turn to help Wrecker over the edge. The trip takes a while, and Omega's still, really getting used to having them to keep an eye on, even if it's been a couple of weeks.
The trip is more or less fine until they hit the interior where there's... damage. They have to climb across a cable to cross a much too-large fall down below.
Rex goes first, to make sure the cable will hold. Echo's next, because he's one-handed, and if something went wrong, well, he has to have someone to pull him out. Hunter climbs on next, then Tech, and then Crosshair. Wrecker, as it turns out, is terrified of heights.
"Don't look," Crosshair crows, hopping down on the far side with a hand from Rex. He's so childishly adorably annoying. He is very, very good at intentionally driving his brothers crazy.
"Alright, Wrecker," Omega urges, lightly nudging his shoulder, "You're up. Come on."
He groans loudly but grabs the cable and starts trying to climb across.
"Don't look down," Crosshair crows in a gleeful, sing-song voice, hopping up and down. "Don't look down."
"Crosshair, you are not helping," Tech scolds, dragging his arm back.
Wrecker being Wrecker, of course, looks.
And shrieks.
And actually, Omega has absolutely no idea what happened, but the like breaks like ripped paper, and Wrecker falls.
"Wrecker!" Omega shrieks jolting forwards.
He hits the water with a splash, though he's still holding the cable, and tries to climb above the surface, sputtering.
"Are you alright?" Rex calls down to him.
"No!" Wrecker shrieks, "It smells awful down here!"
"Wrecker, start climbing," Hunter orders anxiously, leaning over the edge and shining his flashlight down. "Fast!"
Rex grabs the cable edge, and he and Echo start working on pulling it up.
"Why?" Wrecker asks, even if he tries climbing anyway, "Is somethin' down here?"
"Yes!" Hunter half-shrieks.
There's a roar from down below, and Omega rips out her blaster even if she has no idea whether she can hit the thing from up here. A giant tentacle flails out of the water, grabbing her little brother and yanking him under the surface with another splash.
Crosshair is the first to move. He grabs one of Rex's blasters and flicks the safety off, dropping into a crouch.
"You sure about that, kid?" Rex asks.
"I'm sure," Crosshair snaps, raising it. He can see through the murky water, clearer than anyone else can. He knows what he's doing, probably, but Omega is still terrified.
"Let him do it," Hunter requests, sticking beside him.
Crosshair aims at the water and fires.
There's a roar from down below, and Wrecker surfaces again. Omega fires at the thing when it starts flailing. Rex and Echo have already cleared Wrecker from its grip, and Hunter darts forward to pull him over the edge.
Force, this is the second time that one of her brothers has nearly died, and Omega can't help how shaken she is.
"Do you still find this amusing?" Tech asks.
Crosshair drops the blaster on the ground and runs to Wrecker, throwing himself into his arms and burying his face on Wrecker's neck. Hunter squeezes them both.
Omega's heart is still pounding, but she unhooks her grappling hook from her belt, hooking it onto her blaster and firing. It yanks her off the platform and across the gap. Echo steps up to grab her hand and pull her up, even if it's unnecessary. She's still grateful.
"Thanks," Omega says to him with a nod and turns to Wrecker.
"What was that?" he asks, shuddering. He's dripping wet, and that water looks far from clean. She's gonna hope they have a functional sonic somewhere here.
"A water monster," Crosshair supplies, voice muffled.
"Are you okay?" she queries instead, because that's most important.
Wrecker groans, shivering. "Yeah. No more monsters?"
"No more monsters," Omega promises, hugging him close. She really can't promise that, but hey, it won't stop her from trying.
**w**
The only monsters they encounter farther in are rats, and Omega really, really doesn't like the mess this facility is, but it's the best they can do. Tech is far more vocal about it, but Rex pats his shoulder and tells him it's safer than going back to Kamino, which he's still cranky about.
Echo gets the surgical pod up and running, and Omega moves around, attempting to see if she can get it working. "I haven't done this in a long time," she confesses as she works, "I don't really know how these work. They're different than the ones on Kamino."
"I'm sure you can figure it out," Rex assures, watching.
That doesn't change how worried she is, though. She doesn't want them to get hurt by this. To die. She doesn't want to be alone again.
"They'll be fine, Omega," Echo says finally, touching her shoulder and looking her in the eye. "And so will I."
"You got lucky," Rex tells them as they start working. "Very few clones are immune to the effects of Order 66. What happened with you?"
"We were on Kaller," Omega answers, "When we got the call to execute Order 66. The regs turned on the Jedi. The master was killed, but the padawan got out. Echo and I followed him. We tried to get him out, but he didn't trust us. He ran off on his own, but at least he made it."
Unease prickles down her spine, though Omega can't even say why or what's wrong. Just – there is something. Definitely something, and it's freaking her out.
She doesn't have a moment to think past that before Crosshair moves forward, quick as a blink, Hunter's knife in hand.
Omega thought he was just fooling around, and she's gotten used to not paying full attention, but then he tries to stab her.
"Crosshair, what?" Omega shrieks, grabbing his wrist before the blade can plunge into her side.
"You're in violation of Order 66," he says, and he sounds like he's whining. It'd be far more adorable if he wasn't trying to de-limb her.
"Crosshair, stop!" Hunter yells, visibly freaking out. He dives forward to yank Crosshair back, hooking his arms around his little brother's waist.
The – well, they were just talking about their chips activating, but this still feels like an unnecessarily dramatic irony. And it did not have to happen right now! Omega has no idea how to deal with a feral five-year-old.
Echo intercepts Wrecker before he can pounce on Hunter.
"What do we do?" Omega asks, heart pounding as she looks helplessly and desperately at Rex. She has no idea. What in the galaxy is she supposed to do when her little brothers try to murder her? Training never answered that question.
They never even made her ask that question – it was – she doesn't –
"Lemme go!" Crosshair yells, thrashing and biting Hunter's arm in a failed attempt to pull away. He's skinny and he's not that strong, but that doesn't stop him from causing chaos. Or from being deadly. Omega doesn't doubt that.
Tech is the one who moves first. Omega's half expecting him to try shooting at her, because at this point, that would be just her luck, but instead, he stuns Wrecker. Crosshair growls, low and furious when he sees his twin fall.
Tech stuns him, too, and Hunter grunts as Crosshair's weight slams full force into him, throwing them both over.
"Thank you," Omega says a little breathlessly. She could have stunned them, too, but she didn't really – it was so fast, and using a weapon on her little brothers feels wrong. "What was that?"
"Evidently, our inhibitor chips were more active than we realized," Tech replies, dropping the blaster as Hunter tries to peel Crosshair off himself. Rex moves to help him out.
They take Wrecker's out first, and Omega sits beside him the whole time, holding his hand. Crosshair's still out, and he looks surprisingly peaceful in his sleep. Adorably so, actually.
Hunter and Tech stay pressed up against each other in silence, watching. They're both scared. Omega wishes she could say something to them, but she doesn't know how. She never... grew up with anyone the way they did, and she wishes she did. She wishes she could be as close with someone as they are with each other.
Seeing Wrecker and Crosshair Lose It would have been hard.
Wrecker blinks himself awake slowly, looking up at her.
"You okay?" Omega asks, squeezing his hand.
He blinks up at her, eyes wide. "Yeah," he promises, though, and Omega leans down to hug him tightly. "I – I dunno what..."
"It's okay," she promises, "It wasn't you. We have to get Crosshair's out now."
The surgery is with no issue, anyway, as are the rest of them. That doesn't stop nervousness from prickling down her spine.
Omega hardly knows why, but there's just something... off.
Rex bids them goodbye once Echo's safely through his surgery, saying something about some rendezvous. "If you ever need us for something, we'll be there," Omega promises him, "And tell Anakin I said hi."
Rex leaves, and Omega feels lost. Omega feels ridiculously lost over his absence.
Echo sighs. "We should be with Rex," he tells her, watching Rex disappear from sight. "We should be helping."
"We have our brothers to take care of," Omega objects, "They're more important." She has a duty, maybe, but they deserted. "I don't think taking them right into the line of fire at this age would be a good idea." Things feel different with her and Echo now. Since her little brothers came, there's just this... tension. She doesn't like it. "Let's get back inside."
**w**
They opt to do a weapon's haul to pay off their debt. It's an ideal place to do it, and there's an assortment of weapons here. Blasters, explosives...
Omega genuinely thought Hunter was a relatively normal child until they stumbled on the knife stash. He lights up instantly and starts digging through the stash to find another, never mind how he already has one. He insists he needs a spare, and then Wrecker goes to join, borrowing a knife so huge Omega is highly tempted to borrow it.
"How about we store that until you know how to use it?" she asks, "You could cut your hand off with this."
"Or worse," Echo agrees dryly, trying to keep track of Teck who's crawling across every nook and cranny of the entire ship.
Crosshair is strutting around with a giant rifle he thinks makes him look intimidating. Omega doesn't have the heart to tell him that her favorite kind of tooka is feral.
Wrecker finds the explosives, and Omega takes him outside to show him some disarming techniques. He's already really, really good at it, though.
And that's when their excursion is interrupted – by a group of scrappers who finally spotted them. Wrecker blows their speeder up before they can make it out – his aim is good, anyway.
"We better get in," Omega tells her brothers, "We'll get what we can and get outta here."
"We can't carry much," Echo points out.
"Anything's better than nothing," Omega objects, "I don't think Cid will let us stick around much if our debt gets any bigger."
Echo isn't happy about it, and she knows that. It hurts, though. They've never fought before. Not that they're exactly fighting now, either, but it feels like... she's trying to force him away from where he wants to be, which she doesn't mean to do, either.
"Echo, Omega," Tech says over comms from the bridge, "We have company."
Oh, no. "The Empire?" she asks, heart pounding.
"I think so." Crosshair.
She tries to breathe. Still hard. "We have to go. Now."
**w**
Evading the Empire, it turns out, is easy. Echo knows the regs and how they work, so he knows where to go, and they make it out without even being spotted.
That's basically the only plus they have, though making it out of the cruiser and heading back for the Marauder is still risky. The regs are flying around in shuttles, searching, and trying to dodge their spotlights is difficult.
It's also one of the first times the twins look like they take the situation genuinely seriously, and they're clinging to Hunter and Tech the entire time. That makes Omega feel the slightest bit bad for even taking them out here.
"Something's wrong," Hunter whispers, pausing. He glances up at Omega, who instinctively stops, too. "Someone's here. It... feels like..."
"Like what?" Wrecker asks worriedly.
"I'm not sure. Like a shootout or something."
"I'll take a look," Crosshair ventures.
"I'll go with you," Echo agrees, and the two of them circle off and back to climb a nearby rocky structure.
"The regs there are dead," Crosshair reports over his comm, "I don't – wait. Someone's in the ship's doorway."
"I'll check it out," Omega tells him, gesturing for the other three to wait. "Stay here." It could be another bounty hunter. It's definitely a threat.
Omega climbs over the ridge's edge, hand on her blaster, approaching the bounty hunter in the ship door. "You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?"
"You've got it figured out," he comments, "Now, why not make this easy and hand yourself over?"
Confirms Omega's the target, at least. "I don't do that." Her hand drifts closer to her blaster. So is his, but she has people to back her up. She's not alone. The bounty hunter has a droid with him, but that's not the same as people. She has her brothers. All five of them.
He draws his blaster, and Omega ducks into a roll, dodging the stunbolt.
Someone else fires at him from above – either Echo or Crosshair.
Omega draws her blaster, stunning the droid. It'll short-circuit him, but she doesn't want to destroy it.
The bounty hunter tries to take off on some jet-boots of his. Wrecker – it's got to be Wrecker, because it's a repeated blaster fire – starts shooting up at him. Omega raises her blaster and fires. She winces when she sees him fall. She doesn't know if he's dead or not, but that's... not an answer she wants.
"Who was that?" Crosshair asks over their comms.
"Bounty hunter," Omega answers. "We have to find out why he's after us." She can't let her brothers be in danger because of her. If something's wrong, they need to know why.
"His ship's nearby," Crosshair adds.
"I can get into the system quickly," Echo offers, "Try to find out who's after you."
"I can help," Tech agrees immediately.
The wait is hard. Omega gets inside with the others, firing up the engine, and she can only wait until the others finally finish their mission. The twins are squeezed side by side on one of the chairs, which is far more adorable than it has any right to be, but it's just them. They look scared.
When Echo and Tech come back aboard and Omega sets course for flying off, they look somehow even grimmer than she thought possible.
"The bounty was made by Lama Su," Echo reports, "I don't know why."
"There may be something different about Omega's mutation," Tech ventures, which is a reasonable enough conclusion.
Lama Su. Kamino. If there's something important about Omega's genes, they're going to try getting her back. There's probably far more than she understands, but she's still worried. They'll... have to be careful and stay on alert, because Omega is not letting her brothers get caught in the crossfire again.
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