Chapter Text
Tipoca City burned and fell.
Crosshair watched as another chunk of wreckage broke off and fell into the roiling foam of the sea. A faint ache coiled around his heart at the sight, just noticeable enough to be bothersome, but he quickly found something else to focus on.
The girl—Omega—stood in front of him on the edge of the platform, staring at the burning sea long after the others had headed for the ship. She was shivering and had been ever since she was pulled from the water, and it had only grown more pronounced as time went on, though he could tell she was actively attempting to suppress it. She was soaked to the skin, and that coupled with the cool wind did her no favors. She was obviously cold, and though that in of itself posed no immediate threat, he watched her carefully, knowing it could easily turn to something worse.
He didn’t care that much. It was merely a courtesy to the kid that had saved his skin to make sure no harm befell her until she was out of his reach. If his brothers had noticed her plight, they clearly thought nothing by it, as they had returned to the ship without her. He knew Hunter was watching them from the hatch nonetheless, but he kept his eyes forward, not wanting to look at what he was about to leave behind.
Finally, Omega turned towards the ship, and as she moved, Crosshair knew something was not right. He had seen enough of her movement in the past few hours to judge her normal cadence, and what he saw now was not that. She was stiff and a little slow, her entire body quivering with ill-suppressed shivers as it sought to maintain a healthy temperature. She had been clumsy before, but now this attribute had increased as she passed by him, stumbling a couple of times.
He watched her moving away from the corner of his eye, his muscles tensing unconsciously. If she made it to the ship, then it was out of his hands. But, of course, the foolish girl stopped and turned back, looking straight at him with a forlorn expression. Unable to hide his irritation, he met her gaze with a glare of his own.
“What?” he snapped.
“Thank you for saving AZ.” Her words came out remarkably steady despite the shivers that wracked her small frame.
“Consider us even.” He looked away, but not completely, hoping she would hurry up and leave.
“You’re still their brother Crosshair,” she said softly, and added in an even quieter voice, “You’re my brother, too.”
He scowled, wanting nothing more than to ignore her and her proclamation of brotherhood, but of course he never got what he wanted. He watched as she made to go back to the ship, only to wobble dangerously. Before he knew it, he was moving towards her, arriving just in time to catch her before she fell to her knees.
The moment Crosshair touched her, he knew she was far too cold, dangerously so. She let out a shaky gasp as his arms closed around her and Hunter called out her name in alarm. An articulate string of curses fell from his lips as he hooked an arm beneath her, hoisting her so she was cradled firmly against his chest as he started for the ship.
“Omega!” Hunter called again, almost down the ramp by that point. “What happened?”
He moved to intercept Crosshair’s path, but the sniper would have none of it. “Get out of my way.”
The sheer amount of venom in his voice stopped Hunter in his tracks momentarily. He moved aside slightly to let Crosshair pass before following hot on his heels.
Crosshair barged his way onto the Marauder. Echo and Wrecker both said something, but he wasn’t listening, searching for the nearest place to put the shivering child in his arms. He settled on his old bunk, which was thankfully mostly empty save for a couple of tools. Shifting Omega to one arm, he swatted the obstacles off onto the floor before depositing her carefully on the bunk.
A hand gripped his shoulder, and he turned to look into Hunter’s worried face. “Crosshair, what’s wrong? What’s happened to her?”
The question made him feel all the angrier for reasons he could not place, and he snarled, “None of you kriffing idiots noticed that she was freezing to death after falling into the water? How absolutely brainless can you be?”
Hunter and the other three who had gathered behind him were momentarily shocked into silence by his outburst. Wrecker was the first to recover, taking a threatening step towards his brother.
“Who are you—”
“We can argue later,” Tech cut in, pushing his way to Omega’s side. “It seems Crosshair is right in his observation that Omega has contracted hypothermia from being in the water. Right now our priority is to get her warm before she gets any worse.”
That dispelled the angry atmosphere for the time being as they followed Tech’s lead, concern for Omega superseding all else. Crosshair took a step back as they gathered around her, doing their best to help her. He averted his eyes respectfully as they stripped her of her wet clothes, bundling her into someone’s oversized pair of spare blacks. When he looked back, he saw she was trying to sit up, her gaze unfocused but worried.
“Crosshair!” she called out, taking him aback. “Where is he?”
Wrecker moved aside slightly, allowing her a clear view of him. “He’s here.”
She saw him, and the worried frown faded slightly. “Stay,” she begged. “Please.”
Crosshair couldn’t reply. Everything in him screamed that he shouldn’t stay. He belonged with the Empire; his brothers didn’t trust him anymore, if he could even call them his brothers. However, something prevented him from turning and walking out of the ship. The girl had clearly not given up on him, even though she knew he no longer had the chip in his head. She looked at him with hope when his brothers looked with distrust. She had called him a brother when the others hadn’t.
Pain rippled through his head, radiating from a spot on his right temple. He almost reached up to touch it, but stopped himself when he realized they were all looking at him. If they noticed the aborted movement, no one commented on it.
“Are you staying?” Echo pressed, though not harshly. “We need to leave before we’re found.”
The thought of betraying the Empire and leaving it behind sent another, harsher bolt of pain through his head, and he could not help an audible groan. He shut his eyes tight, reaching up to hold at his right temple as his thoughts became fuzzy and uncoordinated, and he wasn’t sure what he wanted anymore. Something was howling at him to go with them and escape the Empire, clawing at his mind desperately like a caged animal. Another part of his mind, cold and horribly unfeeling, answered the desperation calmly with a simple phrase that had been swirling through his head for weeks.
Good soldiers follow orders.
“Crosshair?” Omega’s weak call broke through the mayhem, and he cracked open his eyes as a cool hand landed on his shoulder, the feel of it grounding him
“What is it?” Echo looked him dead in the eye, his gaze searching for something, the faintest furrow of his brow betraying worry.
“Just…go!” Crosshair ground out, stepping back until he bumped against the wall, slowly sliding down to sit as he tried to bring order to his discordant thoughts. “Get us out of here.”
Echo looked surprised that he had agreed—he was surprised at himself, too—and looked and Hunter for conformation. The sergeant looked at him for a long moment, then nodded to Echo, who immediately went to the cockpit.
“Is he staying?” Omega’s quiet, tremulous question reached his ears as the ship groaned into its takeoff stage.
“Yes,” Hunter replied.
“Crosshair is here,” Tech said, the straightforwardness of his tone softening just a little, “now please relax. Your body needs to regulate its temperature and recuperate, and continuing to exert yourself will only prolong the process.”
Omega caught sight of Crosshair sitting against the wall across the cabin, and their eyes met briefly before he looked away. She knew he was not leaving right away as she felt the ship lift into the air. Satisfied, she laid back, letting Tech and Hunter put a blanket over her as a wave of fatigue hit her.
Crosshair didn’t know why the kid cared. All he had done was save her in repayment for saving him, and before that he had made every attempt to push her away. It was supposed to be simple, but of course things went wrong. She had to go and freeze herself, and his stupid brothers had been too preoccupied to see it.
He didn’t quite consider her a traitor to the Empire. She was a child, and he had wanted her to be sent away from all the complications the Empire entailed, but that hadn’t worked either. He most certainly didn’t want her affection, as that would only complicate things. If she persisted, he would get it into her head that he had saved her as a formality and nothing more.
As soon as he decided that, another wave of pain crashed through his senses, almost as if his own mind violently disagreed. Something whispered that it was more than formality, kindling an ember of tenderness in the far recesses of his perception though the calculating coldness sought to snuff it out. He clenched his jaw, hating the turmoil of it all. Ever since Bracca, everything had been a struggle in his mind, something warring against carrying out the Empire’s orders. When his brothers and the girl appeared, it had only increased tenfold, making him feel like he was splitting in two.
He rested his head against the wall and breathed deeply, wanting peace.
“Someone should hold her,” Tech observed as Omega’s eyelids drooped, her violent shivers slowly abating. “Adding body heat will restore her temperature faster.”
“I’ll do it!” Wrecker volunteered immediately.
“I believe you will be the most suitable, as you are the largest,” Tech agreed.
As Wrecker carefully got Omega into his arms, Hunter turned to look at Crosshair. His eyes were closed, his head tilted back against the wall, and concern bled through the barrier of distrust.
“Crosshair,” he called, taking a step towards his brother.
One eye cracked open slightly, the only indication he had been heard.
“Can Tech take a look at you?”
“No.”
Hunter frowned at the harsh refusal. “Just want to make sure you’re not hurt.”
“That’s surprising,” Crosshair growled, opening both eyes to look at him dead-on. “You didn’t care what happened to me up until now.”
His words, and the pure resentment with which they were spoken, drove deep into Hunter’s heart with a serrated edge. “That’s not—”
“Don’t bother,” Crosshair hissed. “I don’t want to hear it.”
Tech, who had heard the exchange, cast a careful eye over his ailing brother. “I think I should take a look at you. You’re—”
“Leave me.” Crosshair’s voice had dropped to a dreadful low, the likes of which none of them had ever heard before.
Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech all exchanged worried looks. They had never seen him in such a state before, and for the first time in their lives, they were hesitant to approach their brother. Mercifully, Omega had fallen asleep fully in Wrecker’s arms, and was oblivious to their current strife.
“Leave him,” Hunter said quietly, though he hated to leave him untreated.
Tech gave a single nod and turned away from Crosshair, finishing his scans on Omega. Once he was done, he headed for the cockpit. Hunter made to follow, but not before catching Wrecker’s eye. No words were spoken, but Hunter’s silent command was obvious.
Watch him.
Wrecker gave a slight nod of agreement before looking worriedly at Crosshair. Hunter gave one last look at Omega, who looked even tinier cradled against Wrecker’s frame. He was hesitant to leave her in the same space as Crosshair, but so long as Wrecker had her, he could allow it. Her face was peaceful, and it was a welcome sight after the chaos of the day. Satisfied she was safe for the moment, he went to the cockpit, hoping he would be able to figure out what to do next.
Crosshair listened as his brothers’ footsteps headed for the cockpit, the door hissing shut and plunging the cabin into blessed quiet. He knew Wrecker was still present with the kid, and he could feel his worried gaze on him. Thankfully, he made no attempt to speak, leaving him free to try and disentangle his thoughts.
Once his head stopped hurting, he would have them drop him at a spaceport and contact the Empire. He had a bad feeling his brothers would disapprove of this decision, but it was what had to happen. They clearly didn’t trust him, and they were unwilling to see his side of things.
The rattling hum of the Marauder was comfortingly familiar, the vibration of the ship’s engines rumbling through his body. It seemed to soothe the ache in his head, giving rest to the discordant strains of his thoughts. He was exhausted after all that had happened, and a quick nap couldn’t hurt…
Hunter stared at the swirling fog of hyperspace. Tech had taken over piloting as usual, focusing on getting them as far away from Kamino as possible, while Echo had busied himself tinkering with the unpowered medical droid that Wrecker had left sitting on the floor. Hunter barely noticed their presences, his thoughts on their regained brother.
They had Crosshair back, which should have felt far better, but it didn’t. Hunter still felt a distinct lack of trust towards him for his actions and his work for the Empire, and the cause of his allegiance remained perilously unknown. At first, he had painfully presumed that Crosshair, for whatever reason, had willfully joined the Empire until Rex had appeared, bearing news of the behavior-altering chips. Though Crosshair claimed his chip was removed, Hunter didn’t know what to believe. There was no scar to indicate it had been removed, though his actions were not frighteningly robotic like Wrecker’s had been when his chip activated. He had hoped Tech would be able to ascertain if the chip was still there and functional, but the air Crosshair was putting off seemed akin to a caged animal, and things were rocky enough already.
Yet he had come with them when it seemed like he wouldn’t. What had prompted him to do so? Omega, perhaps? The image of Crosshair cradling Omega to himself flashed through Hunter’s mind, and guilt pricked him. He had feared the worst the instant Crosshair had grabbed her, and he hated that he had felt that way. Yet it was clear now he had meant no harm to her, and it didn’t seem he truly meant to hurt any of them either.
It was clear something was still not right, and Hunter knew part of it was his fault. Crosshair had made it painfully clear that he was angry at being left behind regardless of his mental state, and the blame laid on Hunter’s shoulders. He should have directed his squad to retrieve their brother sooner, and why hadn’t he? There were many factors with the sudden upheaval of their formerly structured lives, becoming fugitives from the galaxy’s new rulers, suddenly having to take care of a child, coupled with the initial perception that Crosshair had joined of his own free will. But still, they had not come for him when they should have, and the price of their hesitation was paid in distrust and anger.
Hunter’s troubled thoughts were interrupted by a sizzle of electricity behind him. He swiveled in his chair, seeing that Echo was continuing to work on the broken droid. “You don’t have to bother with that right now.”
Echo glanced at him but did not stop. “I want to.”
Hunter let out a sigh. “What’s the damage?”
“It’s just out of battery, and a little waterlogged, but it was built to be waterproof. Once I get it working, it might be able to tell us about the status of Crosshair’s chip.”
“Crosshair said he had his chip removed,” Hunter murmured.
Echo gave him a hard look. “You know that’s not true. There’s something about him that isn’t right.”
“I agree with Echo,” Tech said, not looking away from his datapad. “The behavior Crosshair has been exhibiting is…worrying.”
Hunter frowned. They were right, but a part of him wanted it all to be Crosshair’s uninhibited choice so the guilt of not coming back for him sooner would be eased. “I know.” He sighed wearily. “How long until its fixed?”
“Not long, probably within the hour,” Echo said.
Hunter nodded and leaned back in his chair, eyeing the cockpit doors. He could hear the three heartbeats thudding steadily beyond, and two of them were slowed in sleep, only Wrecker’s strong cadence remaining to signify he was still awake. At least, if nothing else, Crosshair was resting.
True to Echo’s word, it did not take him much longer to get the droid working again using spare parts from Gonky. When he inserted the last battery pack, the droid sparked and sputtered to life, slowly rising from the floor.
“Oh…oh my.” AZ’s voice box glitched and his eyelights flickered for a moment before he shook himself, seeming to correct any loose circuits. He spun in a circle, taking stock of his surroundings and the three men looking at him before observing, “I am not at the bottom of the sea.”
“No.” Echo dusted himself off and stood up. “We rescued you.”
“Oh.” The droid paused as he processed this information. “That is…unexpected, but I thank you.”
“You are an AZ-series surgical assistant droid, are you not?” Tech asked.
“I am,” the droid replied.
“What do you know about the clone trooper inhibitor chips?”
“Ah, I am afraid that is classified information.”
“’Classified’ doesn’t matter anymore,” Echo growled. “In case you haven’t noticed, the Kamino cloning facilities are gone now, and so are the ones who classified that information in the first place.”
AZ paused to consider this. “Your point is logical. I will tell you what I know, so long as I am not in danger of being decommissioned.”
“Not while you’re with us,” Hunter said, crossing his arms. “Talk.”
“The clone trooper inhibitor chips are designed to prevent emotions from getting in the way of carrying out orders,” AZ began. “They are meant to guarantee loyalty from the clones, no matter what order they are asked to carry out, even if they are asked to turn on their own.”
“We know that already,” Hunter said, though a chill went down his spine as he heard everything Rex had told them confirmed by a medical droid from their home planet. “Do you know anything about Crosshair’s chip specifically?”
AZ bobbed in his version of a nod. “Ah, yes. CT-9904 has showed signs of chip malfunction ever since he undertook a mission to the planet of Bracca, where he sustained significant head injuries that likely damaged the chip as well. I have observed him since then, and it seems the damaged device is causing him some trouble, which could be many things including confusion, hemorrhaging, brain da—”
“So you’re saying Crosshair still has his chip in,” Hunter interrupted. “He told me his chip was removed.”
“Yes, that is likely as a result of an integral part of the chip’s programming. They were designed with the intent of telling the minds that they were implanted in that everything they were doing was of their own decision, and not by the influence of an outside source.”
Hunter felt like he had been punched in the stomach. “Why?”
“My understanding of it would be to keep the appearance of the Jedi’s betrayal as genuine and not artificial.”
All of them were aghast, Echo especially as he had worked with the Jedi the most. It took several moments for Hunter to find his voice again.
“Can…can you remove Crosshair’s chip?”
“I am fully equipped with all the tools necessary to perform the operation. However, I would recommend a sterile medical facility—“
“We don’t have time for that,” Hunter interrupted. “Can you do it here or not?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Couldn’t be any worse than getting ours removed on that rustbucket,” Echo murmured.
“Crosshair will not willingly consent to this,” Tech said, giving Hunter a careful look. “We will likely have to fight him.”
“No, we don’t.” Hunter stood up, zeroing in on the one heartbeat beyond the door, still slow with sleep. “Do we have any anesthetics?”
“I can get some,” Tech said.
“Good.” Hunter stepped up to the cockpit door, drawing his blaster and setting it to stun.
The doors hissing open brought Crosshair halfway out of his sleep, but before he knew what was happening a stun round had hit him and he was falling into a deeper blackness.
“What?” Wrecker watched in shock as Crosshair’s body crumpled to the floor, before looking at Hunter, who had fired the shot. “What did you do that for?”
“The chip’s still in his head,” Hunter said grimly. “We’ve got to get it out.”
“Oh,” Wrecker said softly, holding Omega a little tighter to him. It was painful news, but also hopeful.
They lifted Crosshair up onto one of the bunks, and Tech injected him with an anesthetic to ensure he would be asleep longer.
“How long will it take?” Hunter asked AZ as the droid floated to his patient.
“The procedure can be done quickly, though with my tools and the lack of proper medical facilities, I estimate about an hour. After that, based on the dosage of anesthetic you have given him, it may be several more hours before CT-9904 wakes up fully.”
“Will he…remember?” Wrecker asked carefully. He remembered next to nothing from his time under the chip’s influence, even though it was short.
“I am unsure,” AZ admitted. “I have never witnessed the effects of removing a fully-functional chip before.”
For a moment, Hunter considered that if Crosshair did not remember, then his conscience would be eased and they could start over, but he quickly banished those thoughts. He deserved to know what happened without their mistakes being omitted. It would be wrong to do otherwise, and it would likely lead to more distrust, if not irreparable damage in the future. Crosshair would be given the whole truth and he would own up to his mistakes, even if it meant losing the trust of a brother all over again.
“How do you know removing it won’t kill him?” he asked at length.
“I do not know. I can only guess based on previous experiences stored in my memory banks, which assert that chip removal is typically painless barring other complications. However, if you would rather I not perform the procedure, I will not go through with it.”
Hunter shared an anxious look with his brothers, who looked just as conflicted as he felt.
“We can’t leave him like this,” Echo said after a moment. “It isn’t right. We have to take the risk.”
“I know,” Hunter murmured, looking over Crosshair’s temporarily relaxed visage. “Start the procedure, but tell us if something starts to go wrong.”
“Understood.” AZ floated up to Crosshair’s prone form, his arm transforming into some sort of medical blade. Hunter turned away, not wanting to see him getting operated on, and his brothers swiftly followed suit. Omega slumbered on in Wrecker’s arms, unaware of Crosshair’s plight for the moment, but she would likely be worried when she woke up.
And so, they waited for their brother to be freed.