Chapter Text
The next hour or two had been spent planning just how they were going to make this new arrangement possible. Tech was still insistent that they keep their activities from the Kaminoans, stating there was a higher likelihood of punishment earlier in the arrangement.
“Once we have been working together long enough to prove that we are a cohesive unit in combat and infiltration simulations then we could approach the Kaminoans about forming an official squad and ask permission to undergo the upper-level testing. If we can pass that then they would be forced to deploy us as a fully initiated unit. Those records are public to all upper-level GAR command. I could make sure that it gets sent to the brass so even if they try to make us ‘disappear’ after the assessments the chances of someone noticing our above-average scores would be high enough that someone would question them at the least and request us in the best-case scenario.” Tech had explained.
Crosshair hated the sense of the idea but agreed that the other was more than likely correct. Hunter, however, had pointed out a potential flaw immediately.
“What’s to say they just don’t allow us to even take the assessments? There’s a lot riding on their goodwill in this scenario and I have no doubt they have the power to sweep us under the rug if they think we’ve gotten too bold about this. After all, they managed to do it to you pretty effectively.”
Tech had hummed and fiddled idly with his datapad for a few moments before perking up.
“There is no reason for them to not allow us to test, true, but we are experimental, they wouldn’t want to miss the chance to collect data on us. After that, they could deny us further advancement, but there may be a solution if we can make it that far,” He explained.
“Command clones often come to oversee the assessments so they have the best chance of sniping high success units for their troops. If we can make sure that at least one is present during ours then we would have a chance of getting pick-up based on visual performance alone. At the very least we would have a witness for our assessment that the Kaminoans wouldn’t be able to deny the statement and records of after. That would give us our highest chances.”
And so they had a plan. Tech had spent their remaining time together giving the watered-down version of how he would be tweaking security and records to conceal his presence at their training and they had parted for the night with plans to have their first full training the next day.
Crosshair had arrived early and lounged on one of the low walls in the simulation room, fiddling with his favored training rifle. He’d been quietly attempting to modify it over the past few cycles. Everyone knew the training equipment was cheap, easier to replace or patch than give full upgrades or repairs. It was an older model he’d snuck from the equipment lock-up months ago not long after he’d started learning the inner workings. He wasn’t stupid enough to bring it out to regular sims or any of the ranges where the Kaminoans would surely notice the scuffed out-of-date style, but here he felt comfortable enough in their discretion to pull it out. After all, he’d spent countless rest cycles adjusting it to his exact standards.
Currently, he was working on the range. It had the body of a sniper, but he’d learned quickly after pulling it apart that it was really just a regular assault rifle with a longer barrel and scope so it had none of the extra power that a real sniper’s rifle would entail past the standard range. He’d found minimal success, almost destroying it by overestimating the charge it could handle when using a larger powerpack, but since he’d begun adjusting the casing to allow for more heat distribution he was hoping that even if the range was garbage, that at least it would still pack a punch at the furthest part of its range.
“Is that custom?”
Crosshair didn’t allow himself to startle as Tech suddenly appeared at his side, peering down at the rifle.
“In a sense,”The sniper growled as he purposely leaned out of the other man’s space, not that Tech seemed to notice his discomfort at all, too busy taking the rifle apart with his eyes.
Though, Crosshair supposed that after being the one to apparently repair the equipment for so long Tech would be the most versed in their design and mechanics.
“You made a good choice, going with the older model, that is, the new model's plasteel casing would have melted after one shot with the pack you have in there now. Though, if you were going for power, why not use the barrel of the newer and just swap the body with the older? Oh, unless you were going for range in which case good choice. Though I think the model previous would be better for that, they were a lot closer to actual sniper equipment, based on mid-range, not long, but still better than anything they’ve made since. I think I still have most of the parts from one of those that I didn’t bother getting rid of once they transitioned fully to the newer versions if you wanted them?”
“Perhaps.” Crosshair hedged, too distracted staring at the smaller clone to give a real answer.
Crosshair had noticed the armor pieces Tech had been wearing yesterday seemed to fit him, but now he understood why. The other was in full armor now and it all fit perfectly. Crosshair knew it wasn’t standard immediately, the entire design was off from the shape of the vambrace to the way that the cuirass was sectioned. Tech seemed to realize he was staring and looked down at himself before returning the sniper’s stare with a small smirk.
“I wasn’t exactly designed to fit the standard kits and found myself with large amounts of spare time while serving as a living maintenance droid. In addition, I find that the reg’s gear leaves quite a lot to be desired. Better to just redesign it completely and to my specifications in the end. I will admit I am quite proud of the results of my effort.”
As he spoke he placed his helmet down on the wall next to Crosshair so he could see that it too had been completely reworked to remove the visor and add extra comms equipment. He refused to pick it up and look at it closer, but even he couldn’t deny he was impressed by the workmanship and felt a little envy as he sat in his gaping, ill-fitted armor.
As if reading his mind, Tech spoke again.
“I could redesign yours as well if you’d like? I’ve already begun doing so for Wrecker, after all, he’s almost completely exposed currently. It would take a little time and I would need you to spend a significant amount of off-hours in the workshop for measurements and fittings, but it wouldn’t be all that much trouble and I think it would improve performance significantly in the long run. After all, your armor should be aiding you in the field, not impeding you.”
“Ah, let him do it Cross! Mine is great so far, fits like it was made for me.”
Wrecker’s loud entrance drew both clones' attention as he walked over.
“That’s because it is made for you.” Tech sighed, earning a laugh from the larger clone.
“Oh, right. When is it going to be done anyway?”
Tech cocked his head.
“It’s technically finished already, I was simply waiting for the sealant to dry. We could try it during today’s session if you’d like?”
“Try what?” Hunter asked as he finally arrived, coming to stand next to them.
“My new armor! Tech made me a set that actually fits!”
Wrecker explained as Hunter turned his gaze on Tech who shrugged.
“As I was speaking to Crosshair about a moment ago I already did so for myself, and Wrecker sorely needed it completed sooner rather than later. What good is wearing armor that does nothing but make combat harder or doesn’t even serve its primary functions of protecting you? In light of my new status as a member of this team I am fully willing to do the same for all of you should you wish, though it will take time and some effort on your part.”
Hunter regarded him for a moment before turning his attention to Crosshair and visibly taking in the loose fit of his armor pieces.
“If you don’t mind the extra work. I think we’d be grateful for the chance to have something that actually fits.” He finally said to Tech who grinned, eyes lighting up behind the tint of his corrective lenses.
“Excellent! I’ll admit I was hoping you’d be willing and have already begun drawing up specs for each of you based on your individual fighting styles and appearance while I was watching you train. Now that we are in more direct contact I will be able to fine-tune them to your individual needs even further. I will show them to you once we conclude today’s training so that you may also give any additional feedback on design or functionality, best to do it now before I begin modifying the armor itself.” Tech rambled excitedly as he tapped rapidly on his datapad before glancing up at Hunter.
“In the meantime, however, Wrecker’s is technically completed and I would very much like to have him give it a trial run so that I can make any adjustments as I work on yours. If it is alright with you, we will take a moment to go retrieve it and be back to begin.”
“Sure, we can wait a few minutes,” The Sergeant agreed easily as Wrecker gave a whoop and set off for the hidden door to Tech’s workshop.
“We’ll be just a moment,” Tech stated primly before giving a nod and following their larger companion.
The two remaining clones were left in silence for a few minutes before Hunter eventually spoke up.
“Well, didn’t expect to be getting a complete refit out of this little arrangement, but can’t say I’m complaining. I know I made it out easy by being pretty regulation standard, but he’s right about you and Wrecker’s armor being a joke.” Hunter commented earning a snort from Crosshair.
“Little techy apparently has a lot of free time.”
Hunter shrugged, his demeanor becoming slightly gruffer. “Rather he be using it to make us custom gear then poking around in the finhead’s systems. I already don’t like that he’s doing it to hide these little unauthorized playtimes, but I get why it’s necessary. I just don’t like his odds if he gets caught again, though.”
Crosshair’s teasing mannerism faded fast as he looked away towards where the two had gone to get Wrecker’s gear.
“Don’t think the trainers will be excited that their threats and wipes aren’t working anymore?” He asked with a false cheer.
They both knew the answer to that question. Crosshair looked back as Hunter let out a low curse, looking frustrated, but Crosshair could recognize the stress and worry that fueled it. Typical Hunter, Tech hadn’t been with them a full day yet and the Sarge had all but adopted him.
“Maker’s sake Cross he’s already been taken in twice, what does that do to a person mentally? And he said he remembered the second time.”
He ranted as he began a choppy pacing in front of where Crosshair still sat, the sniper watching him with a bland expression.
“He’s not a child, and he can’t be stupid either. He knew what he was risking the minute he started watching us. If he gets caught then he gets caught. There’s nothing you can do about it.” Cross stated flatly.
“But there is!” Hunter snapped as he stopped to glare at Crosshair. “I could call this off, tell him it’s too risky and to just keep giving us comm instructions. That way even if he gets caught in the system there’s no physical proof he’s been interacting with us. Then at least he could wipe the records or something! You and I both know that if the Kaminoans figure out he’s been training with us they won’t just wipe him this time. How the pit am I supposed to just sit here and let him risk his life for some karking training sims?”
He was nearly shouting by the end, his face set in an angry grimace. Crosshair simply watched, waiting to see if he would keep going. This was obviously something that had been weighing on the other man’s mind since yesterday, best to let him just get it out so he could get back to rationality. Sure enough, Hunter opened his mouth to speak again but was cut off by a sharp tone.
“I believe that the choice is mine regardless of how you feel about this Sergeant.”
Hunter snapped his head to look at where Tech was standing a few meters away looking far from impressed, Wrecker hovering just behind him. Seeing he had their attention, Tech continued, tone razor-sharp as he made his way towards them, glaring at Hunter.
“Now, if this is a matter of you having second thoughts about my inclusion into this squad due to my presence posing a danger to you and your current members then that is acceptable and I will take my leave and allow you to continue to train as before. However, if this is a matter of you thinking that you know best what I am willing to risk, which I believe it to be, then I will be forced to remind you that I am as Crosshair said, not in fact stupid and the reprogramming did not impair my judgment of what I can and will risk to remove myself from beneath the Kaminoan’s thumbs.”
He was directly in front of Hunter now, well into the other man’s space as he glared at the other clone.
“I understand that my circumstances may disturb you, however, I must continue to insist that it is not your place to tell me what I can and cannot do in regards to my own safety barring active combat situations, which, seeing as we are not on active rotation I find highly unlikely a scenario to arise. If you had such reservations about allowing me to attend this training then you should have voiced that during our prior meeting. Now, are you retracting your end of the agreement to allow me to become a member of your squad Sergeant? ”
To say Crosshair was impressed would be an understatement. The sheer glee that was overwhelming him at watching their fearless leader get thoroughly dressed down by their new member was wondrous. It also didn’t help that Crosshair had well and truly just not thought Tech had it in him. The sniper would never admit it aloud, but this move had just earned their new squadmate his respect, at least, more than the small amount he already had for his skills. Looking at Hunter who was still staring at the other slightly wide-eyed, Crosshair knew it was the same for him.
He also agreed with Tech. As a squad, it would be Hunter’s role to make decisions for them regarding the mission and their safety. On a personal level, however, Hunter had no say whatsoever and Tech was in the right for pointing this out. Crosshair had learned early that Hunter placed a lot of pressure on himself in regard to their success and wellbeing. It was a little annoying sometimes if he was being honest, but he would need to learn eventually that they didn’t necessarily need that level of protection. This may be the starting point for that realization.
“No, no of course not,” Hunter spoke firmly, but his expression betrayed him. “I just think that this is unnecessarily risky on your part. We were doing okay with you relaying instructions through the comms-”
“The rate at which it takes me to explain the processes, figure out the sequences and then feed them back to the machine through one of you was nearly triple the time it would take me to simply do it myself. On top of that, I was unable to assist in any other aspect of the exercise. Just a few days ago, you were overwhelmed by that last wave and Crosshair couldn’t help to clear the way because he was tied up inputting codes. The inefficiency of having two people working on a slice during an active combat scenario is astronomical, you must see that? By being present, I can not only complete the process faster, but I am also freeing up your overwatch as well as offering another combatant on solely combat-based simulations.”
Tech stepped back out of Hunter’s space and crossed his arms.
“I understand and appreciate your concern for my safety Sergeant, I truly do, but I need you to trust me when I say that I know the risks and am willing to take them. Should I be foolish enough to be caught, the blame will fall solely on my shoulders.”
Finally, he loosened his posture and gave a short shrug. “Also, how exactly are we going to argue that I am a key member of the team to the Kaminoans if I have never once run a simulation with you? I will have to reveal myself to them eventually if we are to apply to become a registered squad. We’ll need evidence to prove my worth.”
Hunter had stayed silent the entire time the other was speaking, his entire frame tense, but now he also relaxed with a gusty sigh, his posture sagging as he allowed his head to drop for a moment, before raising it to meet Tech’s eyes.
“You’re right. I was out of line. I’m sorry about that, I just don’t want us to be the reason you have to go through that again. I’m glad to have you on the team.”
“Glad to be here, Sergeant.” Tech nodded in return.
“Hunter. No one calls me by my rank, especially you guys.”
“Very well.”
Wrecker, who until this point had been hovering awkwardly behind Tech broke the silence.
“So, now that that’s done. Look at how great a job Tech did on my armor!”
Crosshair rolled his eyes and he heard the huff of amusement from Hunter, but both obligingly turned to regard the larger clone.
It was a little shocking to see the man fully covered, the patchwork of plates attached to his blacks had always left odd gaps and openings. It was the same off colors of normal training armor, which allowed them to see clean welding lines where reworked pieces of other armor had been shaped and melted together to make the larger pieces. His helmet was propped on his hip, but they could still make out the domed shape of it, lacking any of the extra visible ventilation tubing and standard T-visor. Instead, there was a parallel slit and what appeared to be holes drilled through the front of the dome around where the filters would likely sit.
Overall it fit the man perfectly but was hands down the oddest looking armor Crosshair had ever laid eyes on.
“Impressive,” Hunter remarked, making his way over to circle the brawler, eyeing the armor critically.
“It still looks rather unfinished due to the lack of paint, but I will admit that I’m rather proud of how it turned out. The chest, helmet, and all arm and handpieces are reinforced to accommodate Wrecker’s tendency to use his body during melee combat and the armor has extra cooling layers underneath given his elevated body temperature. The overall design of the standard armor just wasn’t suited for a man of Wreckers, er, width, so I brought the currias up and created a redundant layering to help with mobility. It also has custom clips to hold larger weapon types should he choose to use them.”
“This is good work Tech, far better than his usual setup.”
Hunter praised as he rapped his knuckles on Wrecker’s chest plate, earning a scoff from Tech.
“Please, the bar was low enough for that to be an insult. His armor before was abysmal and the fact that it took this long for something to be done about it is the truly insulting part. If there was ever a need for proof of the Kmainoan’s lack of care for our situation, this would surely serve. I hope that I will be able to complete yours soon as well so that we can get a better grasp of the full extent of your skills.”
Crosshair glanced at the large chrono displayed above the training section.
“As much as I’m sure you all enjoy wasting time, we are running out of it the longer we stand around here.”
Tech gave him an odd look, but Hunter nodded.
“Crosshair’s right, let’s give that new armor a test run big guy. We’ll start with the normal combat so Tech can get a feel for how we work before moving into the upper levels. You said you weren’t allowed to train with regs in sims anymore. When was the last time you logged any time?”
He directed his last question to Tech who didn’t even try to hide his grimace.
“I did my best to keep up with exercise and would sometimes manage to sneak in to run solo sims, but it's been longer than I'm comfortable with since I ran a full combat scenario or team-based course. For now, I’ll adapt to you.”
Hunter didn’t look like he liked that idea, but nodded and made his way over to the control panel.
“Alright. We’ll keep it simple and see how it goes. You armed?”
Tech perked up a little and reached into the small concealed holsters on his lower back.
“Another of my side projects, but yes I am,” He confirmed as he pulled out dual pistols causing Crosshair to raise a subtle brow. Dual-wielding was rare and took far more concentration than standard rifles. Just because he had them didn’t necessarily mean he knew how to use them, but Crosshair was curious.
Hunter gave an approving nod and grabbed a rifle from a nearby rack, tossing it to Wrecker before he grabbed a second and a combat knife for himself.
“Right, form up.” He called as he tapped the button to start the simulation and then made his way over as the course arranged itself.
“Alright, nothing fancy, this is just to test the waters, stick to the basics and listen for my call-outs.”
They all nodded as above them the alarm buzzed the start of the course and they bolted for cover as the drones around them sprung to life.
(-o-)
The sim went shockingly well in Crosshair’s opinion. Despite the uncertainty of a new addition Tech hadn’t been lying when he claimed he would adapt. Crosshair had been in plenty of training sets where a new member completely threw the balance of the team to the point of costing them the win. Established squads had patterns and innate knowledge of how their other members would move and react in combat and they, therefore, had just as hard a time adjusting to a new element as the newbie had finding how to work within that unit.
Maybe it was the fact that Tech had watched them train before, but Crosshair saw none of that hesitation in the other clone as he seamlessly moved with the other two as Crosshair picked off targets from above. Where before Wrecker and Hunter were forced to cover themselves from all angles, Tech now hung further back and took the pressure off. When Wrecker barreled out into the open, Tech was already moving up to fill the gap in their defense the brawler left. His pistols weren’t just for show either, the synchrony he displayed when firing them, sometimes in two directions with flawless accuracy, had even Crosshair whistling in appreciation.
It was over in no time at all.
Crosshair slide down from his perch and jogged over to meet the others where they stood in the center.
“For having been out of the rotation for a while that was solid work,” Hunter was praising Tech as he drew closer, causing the smaller clone to blink a few times in surprise, before looking down and fiddling with something on his vambrace.
“I have never been the strongest physically so I often find it easier to serve as a floating backup. Plus your aggressive tactics and overall skill made it rather easy for me to find the flow of the fight. This team performs even better in person than over the cams.”
Hunter and Wrecker visibly preened a little at the praise causing Crosshair to subtly roll his eyes, though even he had to admit that the acknowledgment of their hard work was gratifying.
“I knew you’d fit in great!” Wrecker boomed, slapping Tech on the back with enough force to stagger the smaller man, though the tech brushed it off with a small chuckle.
“I admit, I had my doubts about this all when Wrecker first mentioned it, but I stand by my earlier assessment in that I believe this plan for getting off Kamino may just succeed.”