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It was strange seeing how things settled back into a type of normalcy after returning to Ord Mantell. Returning to Cid’s bar, the Trandoshan had approached with a glare and had quite nearly pleaded for the Batch to get Gregor out of her parlor. Hunter had nodded quietly and gone off to contact Rex, leaving the rest of the Bad Batch to go their separate ways, each attempting to come to terms with what had happened on Kamino.
Things had gone back to normal, but there was a new heaviness that surrounded the team.
Crosshair’s absence was even more prominent now that they had encountered the sniper, with Wrecker turning towards empty spaces after a conversation, his eyes sparkling, only to grow quiet when he saw no one beside him. Tech occasionally reached out for a tool that wasn’t being held out, his hand faltering for a moment before picking up what he needed. Hunter, in particular, was quiet, sitting on his own whenever they were in Cid’s parlor, his eyes always following Omega as the blonde girl busied herself. ,P> Echo knew his squad wouldn’t take care of themselves, so that is what he took upon himself. He engaged Wrecker, listening to the larger clone talking about anything and everything, letting him fill the silence. He supplied the tools Tech needed, helping with any projects that popped up. He sat with Hunter, never speaking, just giving his sergeant a shoulder to lean on when his mind began to supply thoughts that weren’t necessarily the kindest. He held Omega when the severity of their situation hit her, whenever she couldn’t go to Hunter.
Echo knew his squad was hurting, and from what he had seen after encountering Crosshair, he knew the sniper was hurting as well.
When the Batch returned from a mission for Cid, Echo trailed behind the group, watching them with careful eyes. He glanced around as they walked, noting a figure sticking close to the shadows, following their footsteps, moving almost silently. It was a testament to his state of mind that Hunter didn’t notice, but Echo did.
Noting Echo’s slower pace, Tech turned. “Echo, are you coming?”
“I’ll be right behind you all.” Echo said with a reassuring nod. “Head on in and rest.”
Tech’s gaze remained on his brother for a few moments before turning around to reenter Cid’s parlor.
Echo turned around, looking towards the shadows. “You finally come to your sense?”
“I decided to go my own way.” His voice was harsh, tense, but undercut with something else.
“Are you going to stay there or show your face?” Echo asked, deciding to approach, albeit hesitantly.
“You all look like shit.”
The words were sharp, but Echo could hear the brief tremble at the end of the sentence. Crosshair stepped out, his Imperial armor missing, dressed in civ clothes, and a prominent scar on the left side of his head, just in front of the scar he had received from the ion engine.
Echo looked the sniper over. “We may look like shit, but so do you.”
Crosshair gave no reaction, not meeting Echo’s eyes as he looked over the people passing around them.
“You all really thought this was the best place to bring a child?” he asked, making Echo’s lips twitch.
“It’s a good place to hide out. We get a good place to stay, and jobs every so often.” The former ARC said, slowly moving closer to Crosshair and leaning against the wall beside him, maintaining a bit of distance. “I know you’re not alright.”
Crosshair huffed, rolling his eyes. “How perceptive.”
Echo didn’t respond to the snark, choosing instead to lean his head back and look up, staring at the space above them. “A few years ago, one of my brothers from the 501st had his inhibitor chip activated, and he killed a Jedi. He was horrified when he realized what he’d done. Fives, my twin, started investigating, and found out everything.” He could feel Crosshair shift slightly, but he continued to talk, pretending like he was only reminiscing. “He tried to warn Rex and our general, but was killed by a member of the Guard who had been under the chip’s control for… for a while.” Echo wrapped his arms around his torso, looking down at the ground. “When Rex told me what happened, back when we were on Bracca getting our chips out, I wanted to hate that guard. It made sense, he killed my brother, my twin, who was just trying to save our brothers. But I can’t hate him.” He turned his head, meeting Crosshair’s eyes. “He wasn’t in control. He may have thought that what he was doing was right, but he knew in his heart that it was wrong. It’s not his fault. I have a feeling that if he could go back and change what he did, he would.”
Crosshair’s face was unreadable, but Echo remained quiet, waiting. If the sniper never said anything, he wouldn’t mind. He had said his piece, emphasizing that he didn’t blame Fox. So, he waited.
“It hurt.” Crosshair said after a bit of silence. He wasn’t meeting Echo’s eyes. “Hunter always made sure we knew that we’d never leave a man behind. There were times on missions that it looked like one of us wouldn’t make it, but we always got out. All of us.” The toothpick in Crosshair’s hand was slowly bending more and more. “He left. Every time I saw him, every time I saw all of you, he left. I had to come looking for you all instead.” The sniper’s hand shook slightly, and Echo moved a few inches closer, waiting for him to continue. “I didn’t realize why it hurt so much until the engine blasted me. I was lying there, a hole in my head, and I was finally thinking clearly. That injury barely hurt compared to the knowledge that my brothers abandoned me.” Crosshair clenched his hand into a fist. “On Kamino, I thought for a moment that I’d be able to with you all, that I could be one of you again. I don’t know if I can anymore.”
“They want you to come back, Crosshair.” Echo said, his voice gentle. “I know it’s hard to believe, and I understand that, but it’s the truth. We all want you to come back.”
Crosshair looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “They don’t understand. I can’t go back to them if they don’t completely understand.
“Then you tell them everything.” Echo said firmly, making the sniper flinch slightly. “They need to know that they didn’t keep their promises. They left behind a member of their team. I don’t care if you were under the chip’s control, they left you.” He reached out, grabbing Crosshair’s arm. “Tell them the truth, Cross. They need to hear what happened to you, as hard as it’s going to be.”
Crosshair scoffed slightly, but a wall crumbled behind his eyes, and Echo saw the hurt. “I can’t do that.”
Echo finally moved close so his shoulder pressed against Crosshair’s. “I’ll be there at your side, Cross. Not all of your brothers have abandoned you.”
“You’re just a reg.” he shot back, but his voice shook even more, and Echo couldn’t help but give him a grin.
“Then you should know that we regs value our brothers over everything, vod'ika.” he shot back, moving in closer until his shoulder touched Crosshair’s.
When Omega was sent out to find Echo, seeing as he hadn’t returned into the parlor for quite some time, she glanced around before spotting her older brother leaning against a wall a few feet away from Cid’s. Her eyes widened as she recognized the figure beside Echo, recognized the scars and the tattoo, and her heart filled with hope.
She watched as Echo slowly wrapped his arms around Crosshair, pulling the sniper into a tight, secure hug, and Crosshair hesitantly returned the embrace, pressing his head into his ori’vod’s shoulder. Echo immediately tightened his arms, and Crosshair looked so small, so tired as he fell into Echo's embrace, that Omega was thrown back to when she had first met Crosshair, sitting beside him on the bench, watching him struggle against the chip. Echo just pressed his forehead to Crosshair's, quietly speaking to him in a comforting tone.
He said something that made Crosshair snort, the two brothers sharing quiet laughter, and that was all Omega needed. She rushed forward, colliding with them, wrapping her arms around their middles.
Crosshair froze, but Echo’s smile grew as he wrapped his metal arm around her. After a moment, the sniper put a hand on Omega’s shoulder, something small and hopeful in his eyes as Omega turned her beaming smile up towards him, and all three knew that, though it would be difficult, the road ahead was much clearer and happier now that they were once again together as a family.