Chapter Text
The mission had gone wrong from the very second Tech had landed the Havoc Marauder on the mountainous planet of Naalol. The Republic had reassured the Bad Batch that their mission would be a simple 'cleansing of Separatist aligned forces', though none of them believed that lie. Too often Tech and his brothers had been sent on missions with poor or wildly inaccurate intel, and it drove Tech utterly mad.
He and his brothers had risked their lives for the Republic for three straight years, and they were still treated as nothing better than efficient killing machines. Tech hated it, and hated the fact he had been shot. Tech had stepped out from cover at Hunter's command and everything else after was blank - but he knew he'd been shot.
He knew he was on the Havoc Marauder, for the confined walls were familiar even for his myopic vision, yet Tech did not understand how he had arrived on the shuttle. It had taken Tech minutes to realize that he had been stripped of all of his armor, and had his torso wrapped and tended to with expert hands. Tech's chest felt strange, a dull ache to it that felt off for the amount of gauze Crosshair had wrapped around his injuries. And, oddest of all, Tech's brothers weren't hovering over Tech as they always did when he was hurt. He had even called for Wrecker, Hunter and Crosshair only to have none of his brothers respond, and the absence of a response had been curious.
So, with no note or specified purpose in their disappearance, Tech was left to wonder.
Had Crosshair roared vitriol towards whatever Separatist ally had shot Tech? The pain, dull as it was, was of the nature of a blaster wound - a slight burning centered inches above his stomach, followed by a shortness of breath and an annoyingly sharp stab of pain whenever he moved - and Tech could not help but be mildly amused by the idea of Crosshair screaming at whoever had shot him moments before he gunned the enemy down. Crosshair was a little too protective of Tech sometimes, not that Tech would ever complain about Crosshair's closeness - not when Tech always felt a rush of belonging whenever Crosshair snarled at anyone he perceived as a threat to Tech.
But no matter how his brothers could have reacted, the reality of it all was that Tech had been shot, and his brothers had brought him back to the Havoc Marauder. And now they were gone, likely trying to complete their mission without Tech.
Tech scowled and slowly sat up, irritated at his own uselessness for being shot, though he almost fell back onto his bunk when fire shot up from his abdomen. Tech ground his teeth together and heaved out an agonized breath as he tried to fight the pain shooting through his body. His fingers dug against the wall of the Marauder and his bunk, steadying Tech until the waves of pain dissipated into a dull throb.
Clearly, Tech thought irritably, he had been shot worse than he first believed.
With full preparation for how his body would react this time, Tech slowly slid to the floor of the small quarters he shared with Hunter, and waited for the waves of pain to fade. When Tech could think past the fire shooting up from his abdomen, he clenched his fists and trudged to the shuttle's cockpit. It was clear his brothers were trying to complete their mission, and Tech hated that they had to pull away from their mission because of his susceptibility to injuries.
He might not be able to help his brothers in battle, but he could prepare the Havoc Marauder for immediate-
A light, worried beeping from the Marauder's console snapped Tech's attention to the shuttle's message system, which he had tweaked to automatically decode any messages his brothers could send to the shuttle. Tech swallowed as he hurried to the pilot's seat and pulled up the message, only for his eyes to widen as he read the deciphered message from Crosshair.
"We have been captured, leave the system immediately."
Tech stared at the message and blinked, bewildered by the curtness of Crosshair's message and the fact that his brothers had been captured. Shock stilled Tech's mind for a few moments, removing all thought processes from Tech as he tried to register the knowledge of his brothers being captured. The bandits they had been dispatched to "eradicate", as the Republic had ordered, were ruthless and not above killing civilians to reach their goal of total control of Naalol.
The fact the bandits had captured Tech's brothers, and that Crosshair had sent Tech a message to leave the planet and system, only made Tech's worry grow exponentially. His brothers had to have been distracted with worry over Tech to allow themselves to be captured by the bandits, a fact that made Tech's blood boil.
He had to find his brothers before the bandits tortured, and likely killed, Wrecker, Hunter and Crosshair - and he had just the means to.
Tech worked quickly as he used the Havoc Marauder to track where Crosshair's message had originated from, the planetary scan he always performed upon arriving to any new planet an immediate reference to where the coordinates to Crosshair's message were located. The location was well fortified by Naalol's natural mountainous formations, nestled in one of the valleys of Naalol's Berch region.
The Berch range of mountains were well known for the mighty range of caves that ran through the mountains, fortified and deep enough that the bandits could be hiding anywhere within the mountains. By all terms of luck, Naalol was in the throes of summer's driest months, and the spring snowmelt had long drained into the valleys below the mountain range, so there was little snow or icy wind Tech would have to deal with.
The weather was bone-dry and the wind speed sat at a low four knots, while the temperature in the Berch region sat at an average twenty-eight degrees standard. Perfect weather for flying, no matter Tech's injuries. His brothers needed him and Tech would never rest until he had his brothers safely back in the Havoc Marauder.
No one hurt his brothers, not while Tech still had blood pumping through his body. The bandits would regret capturing his brothers and, judging from the terseness in Crosshair's message, hurting them.
The Havoc Marauder responded to Tech immediately as he powered up her engines, flooding the turbo chargers until the entire shuttle was thrumming with the same fury Tech felt. Tech turned the yoke, pulling the shuttle away from where he'd landed it among a heavy forest of giant redwoods, and took off.
Tech pushed the shuttle as fast as the Havoc Marauder could go, his mind focused solely on rescuing his brothers from the bandits and finishing the mission. As the Marauder tore towards the Berch mountain range, only for a sudden warning from the shuttle's console snapped Tech's attention to the proximity sensors and the squadron of ships headed his way.
Eight fighters were headed towards the Havoc Marauder, each with signatures that were related to the bandits Tech and his brothers had been assigned to eradicate, and they were approaching his position quickly. Tech narrowed his eyes as the first fighter's signature on the Marauder's console, a retrofitted Naboo N-1 starfighter, angled in from the harsh glare of the sun and dove in for an attack run.
Without hesitation, Tech snapped the Havoc Marauder towards the N-1 starfighter then jerked his shuttle into a sharp spiral towards the enemy starfighter. The N-1 dove towards the Havoc Marauder then, as Tech's spiral climb at full thruster burn closed the distance between himself and the enemy starfighter, suddenly banked away.
Tech angled the Havoc Marauder out of the spiral climb slowly, gaze snapping between the shuttle's console and the remaining fighters approaching his position. Tech watched the N-1 as the starfighter pulled out of its sharp dive and banked around, their maneuver a clear attempt at the pilot trying to get to Tech's position and behind his shuttle.
But Tech would not allow the enemy starfighters to gain any advantage on him, not when his attack shuttle lacked the natural maneuverability and aerodynamicness of the starfighters. But what his ship lacked in its design, Tech more than made up for in his piloting skills. Tech had honed his skills through hundreds and thousands of hours of simulations and perilous training through the worst of Kamino's typhoons, and the war had only made his skills sharper.
Three fighters shot straight towards Tech, their turbolasers firing as Tech rolled into a sharp aileron roll towards the fighters. His maneuver scattered the fighters, dispersing them enough for Tech to snap his shuttle into a barrel roll attack behind the furthest starfighter. The Havoc Marauder groaned as Tech pulled the shuttle into a tight, helical roll behind the closest starfighter, the attack shuttle's guns leveling roughly on the starfighter.
The moment the Havoc Marauder's console hissed confirmation, Tech pressed down on the triggers on the yoke. The shuttle's guns roared, striking the enemy starfighter's engine until it burst and belched smoke. With one fighter down, Tech slammed the yoke into a hard wingover that positioned his shuttle behind a second fighter.
The fighter spotted Tech behind him, the immediate weaving of the starfighter an obvious tell for the pilot's attempt to outmaneuver or flank Tech. Tech twisted the yoke and slammed the Havoc Marauder's air brakes on, turning sharply as the starfighter he was trailing tried to break left. The fighter tilted its nose in an attempt to correct to a tighter turn but the pilot had little chance to correct for Tech's preemptive maneuver.
The Havoc Marauder's guns blazed and, in a smoky spiral of flames, the second starfighter fell to the planet's surface below. A sharp warning snapped Tech's attention to where three more starfighters were attempting to match Tech's swift and erratic maneuvers, their fighters closing in quickly on Tech and his shuttle.
Tech rolled his eyes as he turned the Havoc Marauder's nose towards the planet and dove, gaining speed as the three fighters dove after him. Tech waited a few more seconds, noting the velocity of his shuttle first, then yanked the yoke into his chest. The shuttle screamed as its nose drug up towards the atmosphere, the strain of fighting the sudden change in g forces a battle that Tech finally won when the shuttle shot towards Naalol's atmosphere.
As the Havoc Marauder climbed, Tech tilted the shuttle's wings and set it into an aileron roll, moments before his shuttle reported minor damage along the port wing. Anger scorched through Tech as his ship reported more damage from the pursuing starfighters, his hand snapping to the Havoc Marauder's thruster control as he applied the maximum thrust to his shuttle's engines.
The aileron roll continued until Tech felt the Havoc Marauder's engines stutter and, with a sudden deadweight, the shuttle's engines died. Tech pulled the yoke back, making the shuttle twist over its back, and watched as the Marauder's viewport finally leveled with the three fighters that had pursued Tech in his steep climb.
All three starfighters were spiraling downwards, their single engine fighters unable to withstand a constant climb as the Havoc Marauder could, leaving each fighter open. Tech felt the Havoc Marauder's engines catch once then, with a roar, the shuttle's engines thrummed to life once again. The shuttle leveled out as Tech threaded the engines briefly, leveled the Havoc Marauder's guns on the starfighters, and fired.
The first fighter caught by Tech's shots slammed sideways spasmodically, its starboard wing slamming into the fighter below it in a tumble of flames. As the two fighters plummeted to their destruction, Tech noticed movement racing towards him from above the Havoc Marauder - another fighter. Tech throttled his shuttle's engines and fired as he began another aileron roll, catching the edge of the third starfighter's wing before Tech slammed the shuttle's yoke level and dove straight towards the planet's surface.
Laser bolts shot past the viewport and across the Marauder's outward plating, weakening the shields by a small fraction of a percentage. Tech knew there were three more starfighters, two of which were unaccounted for, and he had to take care of all three before he could risk finding his brothers. Determination hardened Tech's grasp on the shuttle's yoke as the console showed the enemy starfighter was falling behind as the Marauder gained speed with its dive.
Then, with a sudden shrillness that made Tech flinch, the proximity alerts screamed through the cockpit. Tech wheeled his gaze to port, where the Havoc Marauder's console was showing the last two fighters swiftly approaching his position. He had three starfighters on his tail and only one place to go - a cave system his planetary scan had revealed.
The cave system was only just large enough for Tech to maneuver his shuttle through it, though only if Tech pulled the shuttle's wings in and flew sideways. Tech loved the Havoc Marauder and he knew the shuttle's capabilities as well as he knew his own, but he loved his brothers more. The risk of what he was aiming to pull was worth it to protect his brothers, no matter the damage that may happen to the shuttle he loved.
With a tight snap roll, Tech slammed the Havoc Marauder sideways, banked hard to port and shot into the cave system. He heard the Havoc Marauder's wings scrape against the cave's hard, rocky surface as Tech pulled the shuttle's wings as close to the main fuselage as possible. The shuttle fought Tech as he lowered the wings at small intervals to keep his hurtling shuttle stabilized in the tight confines of the cave.
Behind him, Tech could hear the smaller starfighters following the Havoc Marauder's suicidal pace, their cannons roaring as hot bolts of plasma struck the rear of Tech's shuttle. The shields were failing, overworn by the previous mission in which Tech and his brothers had been pursued by a squadron of hyena droids over Ukio, and Tech knew his shuttle would only be able to handle a few more direct hits.
A direct hit to the starboard engine rocked the Marauder, the sudden jerk of the shuttle striking the edge of the cave throwing the yoke into Tech. He felt a rib pop as the hard metal of the yoke slammed into his chest, the burst of fire that erupted from his broken rib nearly blacking Tech out-
"We have been captured, leave the system immediately."
Crosshair's message, and all that it implied gave Tech the focus he needed to stave off the thrall of darkness and, with a hard yaw starboard, Tech straightened the Havoc Marauder's flight path. The shuttle's scanners hissed, revealing a giant cavern only meters ahead - and the swift approach of the nimble enemy starfighters.
The Havoc Marauder was struggling as blaster bolts slammed against the fuselage over and over again, her systems and warnings screaming-
The cavern could not have come sooner.
Tech put all of his strength behind the Havoc Marauder's yoke, slammed the wings down into flight position, then pulled the yoke into his pounding chest. The Marauder spun, nose wheeling to face the enemy starfighters, the exertion of the sudden turn nearly tearing the bolts to the wings off. The second the shuttle's cannons leveled on the nearest starfighter, Tech thumbed the triggers.
The lasers from the Havoc Marauder and the enemy starfighters burned Tech's eyes in the darkness of the cave, and the sharp flash of an explosion confirmed one starfighter downed. A rattle that shook the entire chassis of the Havoc Marauder alerted Tech to structural damage along the port wing, and he knew his ship would not last long under much more fire.
Remembering the burn of the lasers, Tech hurriedly activated the shuttle's secondary weapons and, knowing what was coming the moment he fired, Tech shut his eyes and jerked away. Even with his eyes closed, Tech felt the flash bomb he'd invented burn his eyes, though the Havoc Marauder's updated solarshielding in the viewport worked to dispel the bright flash early.
Tech blinked his eyes - reminding himself to tweak the Havoc Marauder's solar shielding once he had the time -, then straightened. He saw the two remaining starfighters in the rapidly growing shadows, pulled the yoke of his shuttle, then fired.
The N-1 starfighter's port engine exploded as the Havoc Marauder's cannons tore through it, the bright flash of fire illuminating the last starfighter as it attempted to fly out of the cavern. If the fighter escaped, he would be able to communicate with the bandits who had Tech's brothers, and he could not allow that.
Where Tech's heart had been hammering with adrenaline moments before, he felt a sudden, coolness settle over him. He had one mission, to rescue and protect his brothers, and no starfighter would stand in his way.
Tech's hand flew to the throttle, which he thrust forward with a sharp, throaty roar of the Havoc Marauder's engines. The shuttle shot after the starfighter, tilted sideways with her wings tucked as close to the fuselage as possible. The targeting reticule centered on the starfighter and, with a burst of cannon fire, the last starfighter burst into flames.
Tech powered the engines down on his shuttle, pulling back enough that he could level out the shuttle and, carefully, unfolded the wings.
Now, to find and save his brothers.
Hunter heard Crosshair snarling beside him, his brother's sharp voice stabbing into Hunter's eardrums almost as if someone was pushing a vibroblade into Hunter's skull. His eyes opened slowly to blurry, fuzzed shapes that made little sense to his brain, though he could sense from Crosshair's slow heartbeat and Wrecker's swarming anxiety, that his brothers were next to him.
"Don't move," Crosshair's snarl carried over to Hunter's dull, ringing ears, the venom in Crosshair's voice unable to block out the deep worry thrumming from his body.
Hunter flinched as a waft of acrid worry slammed into his wakening senses, a distinct tang of immortal strength telling him that Wrecker was terrified. A groan escaped from Hunter's mouth and, when he moved a tiny shift of his body, pain split all the way up his spine.
"Hunter!" Crosshair hissed again as Hunter collapsed forward, his body slumping to the cold, rocky floor with a heave of air that felt like it was puncturing Hunter's lungs.
Distantly, Hunter thought he heard Crosshair moving in his chains, his younger brother's snarls growing more desperate until, finally, Hunter felt Crosshair's foot gently prod his hip. Crosshair did not move from that position, not even when Hunter smelled Crosshair's sweat from the exertion of keeping his strained position. Hunter focused on Crosshair's foot, using the pressure from where Crosshair was pushing into his bone, to finally gather all of his senses in place, clearing his hearing, vision, sense of smell and taste until Hunter could feel again.
"Stay there," Crosshair reminded him again, even as his foot remained rammed into Hunter's hip, the closeness of the warmth from Crosshair's foot telling Hunter that he was not wearing his armor.
He could not remember much but for the sound of electricity and blaster shots, and the absence of his memories and the sheer agony that shot through his body any time Hunter so much as breathed, worried him. What had happened, and why couldn't Hunter remember anything aside from strange blurs and weak mutters of sound?
And why were they chained?
A cold snort from Crosshair told Hunter that he'd spoken out loud, though the heaving way with which Crosshair spoke made it clear that he was scared. Hearing Crosshair's voice tremor stilled every moment of confusion inside Hunter, his mind and focus sharpening until he was able to look up at Crosshair without almost keeling over.
Deep lacerations marked Crosshair's face, some of which were still dripping blood as Crosshair's teeth ground together, his foot rammed into Hunter still. Crosshair had been hurt but, as Crosshair always did, he was ignoring his pain for his brothers' benefit. Worry gutted Hunter as the stench of copper bit his tongue and made his head pound, for it meant he had failed his younger brother.
Crosshair had been hurt while Hunter was unconscious, and Hunter had been rendered unable to throw himself in front of Crosshair. Hunter's purpose as leader was to protect his brothers from any harm that could befall them, but he failed - and had failed when Tech had been shot.
Tech.
Tech!
Hunter stared at Crosshair, eyes wide as he tried to make a gesture with his eyes that he hoped Crosshair could understand. Crosshair's eyes tracked down to Hunter, narrowing into slivers before Crosshair jerked his head slightly.
Crosshair shifted his shackled arms until Hunter could see his brother's slender fingers, then made quick, frantic gestures. Tech never responded to my comms. The bandits that captured us have been acting very strange for the last half an hour, though I have not made sense of what crawled up their collective pants.
His brother's response made Hunter's heart sink ever further and, ignoring the jolts of agony that raced through his body whenever he moved, Hunter pulled his right arm out from under his chest, laid it palm flat, then tapped his fingers to the rocky ground. Crosshair watched as Hunter tried to formulate words with his one hand, the intensity of Crosshair's gaze and his foot still rammed into his skin enough to abate the flames that licked up Hunter's arm every time he moved.
Is there a way we can escape? Hunter asked, though he already feared the answer when he saw Crosshair's mouth twist.
None. Wrecker's barely conscious after they attempted to remove his cybernetic eye and had to sedate him. I saw what they were trying to do, Crosshair's signs grew angrier as he talked, his eyes burning with hatred as he glared past Hunter, and taunted them. The leader decided to punish me and they forgot about Wrecker after. It was worth it.
Suddenly, Crosshair's gaze jerked away from Hunter, just as a dangerous, warning snarl erupted from the sniper and-
Hunter felt a rough, calloused hand jerk around his throat, moments before his lungs screamed for oxygen and a loud voice hammered its way into his sensitive eardrums. Spots danced in Hunter's vision as his body clawed for air, his shackled, bruised body unable to fight his attacker off. In the back of Hunter's fading consciousness, he heard Crosshair roaring at whoever was holding him, the sniper's fury a blade that carved under Hunter's skin.
"Cr...oss…" Hunter gasped out, his lungs heaving the air in the words into a pained whine that silenced Crosshair.
Even for the desperation for air that made Hunter's eyes burn with tears, he could feel Crosshair's boiling, simmering loathing building inside the sniper. Crosshair's anger had always been an overwhelming surge of lightning that left Hunter desperate for grounding but, as his lungs ached for air, Crosshair's anger focused him.
Hunter's eyes snapped forwards, his teeth grinding out a snarl as he peered up into the sneering face of a Togruta. The Togruta had his left hand clenched around Hunter's throat, and his right hand had shifted under Hunter's chin to tilt his head upwards - putting more strain on his throat -, but the press of the man's index finger against Hunter's mouth was enough to forge his plan.
With an exhale of what little air Hunter had left, he relaxed, allowing his body to slump in the Togruta's grasp, as he feigned compliance. His trick worked for, with a sneering huff, the Togruta loosened his grip on Hunter's throat just enough for him to act.
Hunter bit down on the Togruta's index finger as if he were a nexu, the man's scream resounding in his ears as Hunter felt his body slam to the ground. Pain shot through Hunter's shoulder, the fire blazing from where his shoulder popped out of its socket almost masking Crosshair's scream of Hunter's name, and he could not move as his lungs heaved for the air that had been stolen from him. His hearing fluctuated with Crosshair's snarl and Wrecker's quiet concerned whisper, a mix of the Togruta's shouting and then the sick sound of bones breaking - but not Hunter's - all too much for his senses.
Only distantly is Hunter aware of Crosshair's screams, of the Togruta screaming about the "last one" over and over… but nothing makes…
Hunter's vision wavers in spurts of color and flashes of sounds, scents muddled and drowned as he hears the thrum of engines-
The thrum of engines.
Familiar engines.
The Havoc Marauder.
"You said your fourth was dead, and now my starfighters have not responded to repeated comms! Where is he?!" The Togruta's shout brought Hunter back to his being, his gaze snapping up from the gritty ground to see that the Togruta had Crosshair pinned and was screaming into the sniper's face.
Crosshair snarled back, his eyes ablaze with what Hunter knew the Togruta would see as fury - though Hunter knew Crosshair was terrified to even think of the bandits hurting Tech. The roar of the Havoc Marauder's engines was growing closer and closer every second, and they sounded furious.
Was Tech piloting their shuttle? Had he received Crosshair's message, and ignored it?
Desperate worry clawed through Hunter as he thrashed in his chains, the unceasing image of Tech dying - because Hunter's youngest brother was stubborn and noble - an image he could not erase his mind. Hunter wanted to scream at the swiftly approaching shuttle to turn around and flee, to find safety anywhere but near the bandits. Tech would never last against monsters who had attempted to remove Wrecker's cybernetic eye - not Hunter's shy, sweet little brother.
Tech was a pacifist, a nature Hunter had seen since they were cadets, and prolonged battle exhausted Tech. Just a quick draw of air through Hunter's nostrils gave him enough of a map of how many bandits were in the caves, and it was a number beyond Tech's capabilities. Hunter acknowledged his youngest brother's desire to help Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair, but not at the cost of Tech's life! Not the gentle brother who loved his brothers, and was incapable of acknowledging his worth in the team.
The bandits would tear Tech to pieces, all while Hunter was helpless to do anything but watch. Hunter had to do something - anything - to convince Tech to leave, for he already knew the outcome should Tech try to fight for his brothers.
Then, with a suddenness that made Hunter's thoughts freeze, he felt the Havoc Marauder hover in front of the cave entrance. Hunter could feel the engines thrum through his bones, could hear the turbos snarling, and could smell the smoke from laser cannon barrels. It was an acrid, nasty taste, and one that told the truth of what Tech had done more so than words could have.
Tech rarely ever used their attack shuttle's frontal cannons in battle and, even when he did, it was of utmost necessity against hyena droids. But the amount of heat Hunter could feel from the cannons told a different story - and told of a much more dangerous Tech.
Tech had to have found his way into a dogfight and, judging from the creaking in the port wing of the Havoc Marauder, had been hit badly. But Hunter could not hear any other starfighter approaching, and only the hum of the Havoc Marauder droned on inside his head.
The Togruta bandit wheeled around suddenly, his fear and shock pungent as he heard the arrival of the shuttle. Hunter tried to push himself to his hands and knees, but his physical exhaustion was too much for him to fight off. With a heaving exhale, Hunter collapsed to the rocky ground and prayed.
Tech was going to get himself hurt, far worse than the shot to his stomach would ever be… And Hunter was useless.
"Release Clone Force 99 to me in good health, and I shall leave Naalol in peace. Refuse, and I will be made to act in defense of my brothers. The outcome will not be pleasant."
Tech's voice rumbled from the Havoc Marauder's intercom, a strange flatness to his brother's normal monotone that made Hunter's heart slam against his ribs. Tech never threatened anyone, be they Separatist droids, irritable and rude regs, and never other sentients. Hunter's youngest brother was always the one of the Bad Batch who smoothed over arguments with his shyness and cool, intelligent logic, and there was not a time that Hunter could recall hearing Tech even so much as vaguely threaten anyone.
So hearing the clear, emotionless threat in Tech's scratchy voice made Hunter's prior worry over Tech rise exponentially. There was something wrong with Tech, wrong enough that Hunter's skin crawled as he heard his brother's voice replay over and over inside his head.
Hunter's thoughts distracted him from the suddenly desperate Togruta bandit who, with an angry shout, yanked Hunter to his feet with a snarl. The jerk of the chains on Hunter's wrists and ankles snapped Hunter's attention back, in time to hear the Togruta unlocking his restraints. A thrum of exhilaration built inside Hunter as he felt his final restraint - his ankle cuffs - fall away, his mind tensing to throw the Togruta off-
Electricity spasmed through Hunter's body, rocking him to his knees before Hunter could no more than think of a plan to escape the Togruta. He heard himself scream but was entirely unaware of the sound as electricity continued to pulse through his entire body.
Everything that happened afterwards was a strange blur to Hunter, with only his subconscious self aware of the fact he was being drug outside of the cave network. He heard a heavy thrum rattle through his bones as a boot slammed into his back, pressing Hunter's face into the rocky ground beneath him with a grinding closeness.
"I will levy you only one more warning," the strange pitch of Tech's voice tapped at Hunter's eardrums, keeping him aware of the fact his baby brother was there.
His baby brother was threatening the Togruta standing on Hunter, his little Tech…
Hunter tried to stand underneath the Togruta's foot, his hands clawing uselessly underneath him as his body continued to protest every single movement Hunter demanded himself to make. The Togruta felt Hunter moving and, without warning, slammed his boot down on Hunter's head with a loud hiss.
Hunter's teeth ground together as grit and sand was forced into his mouth and nostrils as the Togruta shoved his head into the ground, his shouts distant but somehow right next to Hunter.
"Land the shuttle and surrender or I will shoot your friend here, clone!"
Tech did not speak, the absence of his brother's voice enough to make Hunter twist his head underneath the Togruta's boot to see the Havoc Marauder. He watched the shuttle as it hovered in place, his unheard shouts to Tech urging his brother to leave and fly as far from Naalol as Tech could get, but Hunter's pleas were not answered.
With a hiss of the engines, the Havoc Marauder descended to the ground, the hiss of her landing gear's hydraulics almost making Hunter squirm with agony. Above him, Hunter heard the Togruta let out a crackling laugh, moments before he was yanked to his feet once more and felt cold durasteel press against the back of his head.
"Do not move, clone," the Togruta bandit chuckled, "your friend is surrendering, and you are ours now."
Hunter tried to snarl at the bandit, only to have his words cut off when the bandit slammed the barrel of his blaster into the back of Hunter's head. Pain split through Hunter's mouth as he felt his teeth bite into his tongue as he jerked forwards, feet stumbling underneath himself as he tried and failed to stand straight.
He heard the hiss of the docking ramp open, the clack of each step a pounding headache Hunter had eventually grown used to, but there was no nervous thud of Tech's boots tromping down the steps. And, judging from the Togruta's short snarl behind him, Tech's failure to appear had the bandit unnerved.
Run, Tech, Hunter pleaded as he felt two bandits run up beside their leader and pause, whispers harsh and grating as they looked towards the shuttle.
Run.
"Froster, check out the shuttle, see what that pilot is up to," the Togruta demanded and, with a whisk of air and the stench of elated pride, Hunter felt one of the bandits rush up to the Havoc Marauder. He blinked through fogged vision and focused, eyes narrowed, upon the docking ramp as the bandit, a young Halaisi, ran up the steps.
Hunter waited for the Halaisi to find Tech, to come out with his brother injured-
If not for Hunter's enhanced senses, he would never have heard the slice of a vibroblade nor the gurgling of blood and dying gasps that suddenly tore from the Havoc Marauder. His instincts told him that the bandit had killed Tech and, with a desperation unlike any before, Hunter fought.
He whirled on the Togruta, only to feel durasteel crack along his jaw, the bandit's reaction time far swifter than Hunter's overloaded senses. Hunter noticed the snap of metal along his jaw, felt his teeth rattle in his skull and acknowledged the sudden tang of copper that soaked his tongue as he slumped and slammed into the bandit leader's chest.
Hands pulled at Hunter, tearing him away from the Togruta and back to the ground with a hard slam. Hunter clawed at the ground as his thoughts screamed his baby brother's name in desperation-
"Froster?"
The bandit leader's voice, suddenly stricken with fear and worry, snapped Hunter into full focus, his eyes shifting to the docking ramp in time to see the Halaisi's body roll down the docking ramp. Hunter did not have Crosshair's eyesight, but his vision was still enhanced beyond any normal human's eyesight and, as Hunter stared at the Halaisi's body, he finally saw the deep cut across the bandit's throat.
Then, with delicate yet determined footsteps, Hunter heard Tech emerge from the Havoc Marauder.
The moment Tech stepped onto the docking ramp, Hunter knew that something was very different with Tech. His brother's stance was firm and rigid, his gaze cold as he turned towards the bandits and threw a smoke grenade towards the Togruta bandit. The grenade landed and, with a hiss and whirl of machinery, Hunter's senses were clogged with smoke.
Near him, Hunter heard the bandits coughing, their lungs clogged by Tech's potent smoke - made from some random plant he'd harvested on an entirely foreign planet Hunter did not remember the name of. Hunter saw an opportunity and whirled, fighting his body's need to rest as he kicked the bandit holding him down in the chest.
With a pained shout, the bandit stumbled off Hunter, freeing him to leap to his feet and-
A stab of electricity coursed through his body for a second time and, after hours of torture under the bandits' electrostaffs, Hunter keeled. His eyes shuttered closed as his senses overloaded, leaving him unable to move or think except to barely notice that the Togruta had him by his throat and was running back inside the cave system.
He heard shouts and screams of pain, the blazing roar of blaster bolts tearing through the cave systems a painful stab to his overloaded senses. His lungs heaved for air as the Togruta's grip tightened on his throat, blacking his vision until the last thing he could decipher was Crosshair shouting his name.
Crosshair thrashed under his restraints, oblivious to how each movement made the cuffs chafe and bite into his skin, tearing Crosshair's skin off in flakes as he heard blaster fire tear down the cave system. He had not seen the Togruta bandit return with Hunter since Tech's voice had echoed hollowly through the caverns, two facts that had Crosshair's heart racing.
Wrecker was barely awake beside Crosshair, the sedatives they had injected into his oldest brother powerful enough to leave Wrecker practically immobile, but Crosshair could hear Wrecker's deep snarl rumbling beside him. Wrecker had flinched when he'd heard Tech's voice, his words a barely contained whisper of "no" as they heard Tech's voice hiss from the Havoc Marauder's intercom.
Tech had not sounded like himself when he'd spoken, for Crosshair had not heard Tech's characteristic monotone or even his nervous lilt - for all Crosshair had heard was cold and emotionless. Tech had become more monotone over the war years, his emotions not as clearly read in his voice as they had been when Crosshair and his brothers were cadets, but this… the emotionless ice Crosshair had heard was not Tech.
Not his gentle, sweet little nerd. Not the Tech who had made Lula for Wrecker and had hid her for five days out of fear of rejection. Not the Tech who became so excited whenever Hunter smiled at him, or Crosshair laughed at a comment Tech made, or whenever Wrecker would lift Tech onto his shoulders and beam with joy.
Crosshair did not recognize the Tech who had spoken and, as he heard blaster fire and the terrified, dying screams of bandits, he realized that Tech was not there. Not his Tech, at least.
His baby brother would never dive into a fight against sentients, but the hum of Tech's DC-17s were unmistakable… and so too were the dying shrieks of the bandits after each shot. Tech was gunning down every bandit who crossed his path, and Crosshair couldn't even see his brother to tell if Tech was there mentally.
Tech had spaced out once before in the middle of a mission in the second year of the war, his eyes vacant and cold, just as his mannerisms shifted. He became more logical, more cold and utterly without emotion. But that had only lasted a few minutes before Tech came back, his eyes wide and horrified. Crosshair had never questioned what had happened to his brother, but now he wish he had.
Crosshair tested his restraints then, with a suddenness he hoped would wake Wrecker, slammed his left boot into his brother's ribs. Wrecker let out a groan of pain but barely flinched as his eyes flickered towards Crosshair, deep with hurt and confusion, his mouth twisted in a wordless question.
"Can you reach my restraints?" Crosshair snapped as he tried to jerk his left foot onto Wrecker's lap, only for the chains to snap back with a sharp jolt of pain. Crosshair heaved air through his nose as he heard Wrecker anxiously call his name, then slowly clenched his hands into fists. "You have to try, Wrecker, Tech needs our help."
Wrecker nodded in the corner of Crosshair's vision, then reached for his ankle cuff slowly, only for Wrecker to suddenly pause in his tracks. Crosshair felt Wrecker's eyes shift past his shoulder, his snarl rumbling from his chest in deep waves, loud enough to draw Crosshair's attention to where a bandit was storming towards them.
The bandit had a rifle drawn on Wrecker as he stopped in front of Crosshair and sneered down at him, the Rodian's eyes wide with terror even as he jerked his rifle at Wrecker's chest. "Move a muscle and I kill him. That clone won't touch me if I have you two in my sights!"
Wrecker's eyes snapped to Crosshair at the bandit's threat, the uncertainty in his gaze making Crosshair freeze. His body still hurt from where the bandits had cut open his face and back when Crosshair had taunted the leader of the bandits to protect Wrecker, but no amount of pain would ever take precedence over the safety of one of Crosshair's brothers. So, with a bitter scowl, he lowered his gaze and stared at the ground, hatred boiling in his gut as the Rodian laughed above Crosshair.
"Clones are always compliant, no matter what they look-"
The roar of Tech's DC-17s interrupted the Rodian, the all too familiar sound of a blaster bolt punching through flesh - and the ensuing gurgling of blood that welled from the Rodian's lungs - a sound that Crosshair knew far too well. He stiffened and watched as the Rodian slammed to the ground between Wrecker and himself, the thud of the Rodian's body accompanied by the armored figure of Tech suddenly appearing in front of Crosshair.
Tech reached out towards Crosshair's face gently, his gloved fingers wiping at the deep lacerations running across his face, the worry in his eyes the only part of Tech that seemed familiar. Even though Tech's face was masked by his helmet, Crosshair could see a hollowness in his brother's rigid shoulders and furrowed brows, an expressionlessness to Tech that made Crosshair's chest burn.
"Hunter?" Tech questioned as he made quick work of the cuffs on Crosshair's wrists, fingers moving deftly as his voice cracked as dully as a dry lake.
"Haven't seen him," Crosshair answered as Tech finished removing his cuffs then, without a second glance to Crosshair, moved to Wrecker's cuffs.
Tech let out a low sound, his response muted as he finished removing Wrecker's cuffs, his on-verbal response making Crosshair even more aware of how strange Tech was acting. And, judging from Wrecker's worried expression that he was shooting Crosshair over Tech's head, Wrecker had noticed how odd Tech was acting.
"Tech," Crosshair rumbled softly as he rubbed at his chafed wrists, wincing each time his fingers ran over the torn flesh.
Tech's head turned towards Crosshair slowly as he helped Wrecker to his feet, Wrecker's full weight leaning into Tech's shoulder as Wrecker's head lolled weakly. Crosshair watched Tech's head shift mechanically, his expression strangely distant as Tech blinked in his direction. No answer, only a blink.
Crosshair glanced down to Tech's stomach, where he had been shot, then froze, his eyes tracking onto the unmistakable stain of blood on his brother's blacks. Tech noticed the direction of Crosshair's gaze and, before Crosshair could say anything, Tech shoved Wrecker towards him, pulled his DC-17s out once more, then turned away.
"I will locate Hunter. Return to the Havoc Marauder," Tech ordered before he turned on his heel and hurried away, his white armor the only similarity between Crosshair's Tech and the Tech who had gunned down the Rodian bandit without even acknowledging his actions.
"Wha's wrong with Tec'?" Wrecker slurred as Crosshair braced himself under his brother's weight, his words a blur of fog inside Crosshair's mind.
Crosshair flicked his gaze after Tech, jaw grinding as Wrecker continued to lean into him, then let out a worried sigh. "I do not know, Wrecker. I do not believe that is our Tech, at least not at this time."
Hunter thrashed under the Togruta's grasp, nails dragging at the rocky ground as the bandit leader pulled him further down the cave system. Hunter's senses had come back in a destructive wave after the smoke of Tech's bomb had finally cleared from his head, though all his returning senses had brought back to Hunter was the sound of blaster fire, the stench of death and blood, and the sound of Tech storming through the cave system.
He'd heard Tech's snarls as he'd called for Hunter, the strange emptiness within Tech's voice all that had kept Hunter from passing out once more. Hearing his brother's normally soft voice pitched with such anger, while the Togruta bandit struggled to pull Hunter away from Tech's destructive path, scared Hunter and gave him the strength to fight the Togruta - until he had been shocked twice over.
Hunter's weakness to electricity left him unable to fight, unable to escape the Togruta bandit to find Tech and comfort his brother. Tech needed Hunter, needed his presence to calm Tech down from whatever was happening to his brother, and Tech's desperate, terrified shouts for Hunter haunted him.
"He will never find us!" The Togruta hissed as he threw Hunter to the ground then kneeled down on Hunter's chest, all of the bandit's weight thrown onto his ribs.
The Togruta leaned into Hunter's face, sharpened canines bared with a snarl, then Hunter saw a flash of steel glint in the bandit's hand. Hunter recognized his own vibroblade in the Togruta's hand as the bandit twirled his knife under Hunter's chin, and the surge of anger within his chest reddened his gaze.
"My brother is far smarter than you, bandit," Hunter spat as he felt the tip of his vibroblade jab under his chin, the prick of steel a stabbing agony that made sweat trickle down Hunter's forehead.
A laugh crackled from the Togruta's dry voice, his breath wafting over Hunter with an overpowering stench as he leaned closer to Hunter and grinned. "I highly doubt-"
"Release Hunter."
The ice in Tech's voice, a low hiss that made Hunter's skin crawl, made the Togruta jump off of Hunter, though he yanked Hunter to his feet as he leapt to his feet. Hunter stumbled as he felt his body spin, his head swimming as nausea swarmed inside his gut, but even his swimming vision could recognize the pale form approaching his location.
"Tech, no," Hunter breathed as his brother, with blood splattered across the front of his cuirass, raised his DC-17s and snarled at the bandit holding Hunter at knifepoint.
Hunter stared as he watched Tech prowl towards the Togruta, Tech's DC-17s pointed at the man's heart as Tech finally drew to a stop a few feet from Hunter and the bandit. Hunter tried to thrash away from the bandit's grasp, only for the sharp sensation of steel to press against his trachea hard enough to draw blood, then stopped.
The bandit leader yanked at Hunter's hair, pulling at the roots with such force that Hunter could not bite back the cry of pain that slipped from his mouth unabated. Hunter's cry made the bandit sneer as he pulled Hunter to his feet - the moment Hunter was forced to stand, his vision swam and his throat burned as the uncomfortable feeling of bile rose in his throat -, then shoved Hunter closer to Tech.
Tech did not move, his expression impossible to read behind his helmet, though Hunter noticed that Tech's eyes were narrowed dangerously. And, when Hunter inhaled and tried to calm his heart, all he could detect from Tech was sheer and utter rage - though it felt duller than Crosshair's and Wrecker's firestorm-like rage - and that stilled Hunter more than the vibroblade to his throat ever could.
His youngest brother was a pacifist, someone who was far more interested in his trinkets and repairs than he'd ever been in fighting. Tech fought out of necessity to protect and aid his brothers, but Hunter knew that Tech vastly preferred missions where he did not have to fight. So seeing Tech so calmly carve through the entire gang of bandits, and to hold his pistols towards the leader of the bandits, unnerved Hunter.
He hated seeing this Tech. The Tech who forgot about his innocence, the Tech who was ready at a moment's notice to forgo all of his morals against killing, and the Tech who scared Hunter. This Tech was cold, unfeeling, emotionless almost… This Tech was the Tech his former handler always wanted to create, and Hunter hated seeing that his brother's trauma lived on inside his brother still.
And, most worrying of all, was the fact that Hunter could smell hatred coming off Tech in sharp, bladed waves. Hunter had never once felt hatred from Tech, not even when he spoke about his handler - whenever Tech thought of Sullo Pria, Hunter felt Tech's heart rate slow and quicken all at once, his sweat and terror and sometimes even confusion so overwhelming that Hunter almost always gagged. Tech's emotions were, somehow, controlled and yet deeply uncontrolled all at the same time.
Some days, Tech exhibited nothing but calm and a certain playfulness around the droid forces of the Separatist army, while other days, Tech was… Confusing. Unclear. His emotions were there, but somehow blocked whenever Hunter began to feel Tech's radiating, engulfing fire that were his emotions. Hunter had tried to understand the odd polarity his enhanced senses detected in Tech, but his youngest brother seemed to excel at deflecting every single one of Hunter's questions.
Hunter worked his jaw as the bandit leader pulled at his hair again, then the man's breath wafted over Hunter. The stench was overwhelmingly rotted, disgusting and revolting enough to almost make Hunter retch right then and there. It was only Hunter's desire to not show Tech how much damage the bandit had done to him, that held the bile back - though Hunter continued to struggle as the bandit yanked at his hair continuously.
"Lower your blaster, clone, or I will cut this one's throat!" The bandit snarled as he emphasized his point by slamming his knife under Hunter's chin, nicking his jaw enough to draw a drop of blood with the knife's sharp blade
Tech blinked, his gaze falling when the Togruta flicked Hunter's blood from his knife, then Hunter actually felt Tech's hatred lock fully into place. It felt very different, almost synthetic in nature, but Tech's boiling emotions were engulfed with sheer hatred nonetheless.
"You will release him irregardless," Tech hissed, the tremor in his tone not one of his normal nervousness but sheer, unbridled fury that made Tech sound much more like his former handler then Tech could have ever realized.
The bandit laughed above Hunter as he jerked Hunter by his hair again, then sneered towards Tech coldly. Tech's eyes shifted to Hunter for a second that seemed to last forever then, before Hunter realized what was happening, Tech's blasters bucked. Hunter felt the man's grasp on his hair jolt, the bandit's gurgling breath as clear as if it was Hunter who was choking on his own blood, and the sudden release of pressure from Hunter's hair forced him to his knees. Hunter gasped as his knees slammed into the rocky floor of the cave, his vision blurring momentarily from the shock, until he felt Tech's gloved hands brush across his skin.
"Are you alright, Hunter?" Tech asked, his tone as soft as it was neutral. Hunter slumped forwards onto Tech, his exhausted, battered body giving out as he felt Tech's heart still briefly.
Distantly, Hunter heard Tech's soothing monotone breeze over him, then felt the odd sensation of gloved fingers gently hook under his chin. Hunter felt Tech move closer to him, his youngest brother's gaze searching as ice picks of concern slammed into Hunter, digging through his skin with each brush of Tech's fingers over his body.
Tech's eyes were glazed and distant, not his usual golden curiosity or dark shyness, but something entirely foreign and devoid of emotion. Hunter reached for Tech's arm, only for his hand to slip off Tech's armor as Hunter slumped into Tech's chest, no longer able to fight to stay awake. He heard Tech hiss his name worriedly before, with a pained wheeze, Hunter fell unconscious.
Tech felt empty as he lowered his pistols to his sides and stared at the bandit leader's fallen corpse. Hunter slumped forwards, his knees slamming to the floor with a pained exhale of breath, the sound of his sergeant's pained gasp enough to snap Tech back into focus. He took care in holstering his weapons then hurried to Hunter's side, who was breathing deeply as his eyes wandered slowly to Tech.
Tech tended to Hunter until his older brother fell unconscious, Hunter's body slumping against Tech's cuirass and knees with a weight that almost made Tech buckle. Fear shot through Tech as his emotions slowly resurfaced, fighting through his numb, emotionless state as Tech reached for Hunter and ran his hand down his brother's blacks.
He could feel scorch marks running along Hunter's back, the blacks burnt and rough. Tech's chest ached as he gently linked his arms under Hunter's arms, then hefted Hunter to his feet. Hunter slumped against Tech, his weight a force Tech had to straighten and steady his legs for.
"Hunter, you are alright, you are safe," Tech whispered as he leaned into his brother briefly, "I will always protect you."
Hunter groaned as Tech took a steady step forwards, his brother's feet dragging as Tech pulled Hunter away from the deceased Togruta bandit. Tech ignored the way his abdomen screamed as he moved, his wound having reopened as he fought through the hoard of bandits to save his brothers, and tried to ignore what he had done.
He had never felt so empty of any emotion as when he'd seen the bandit leader standing on Hunter's head, and the numbness that had settled into his marrow had left Tech with nothing but his need to save his brothers within his mind. Tech hadn't once felt even a shred of remorse with the bandits he had killed, not even the young Halaisi whose throat Tech had slit with Wrecker's extra vibroblade.
All Tech had felt was the need to rescue his brothers, and nothing else. No emotion, no remorse, no terror and no fear. He knew now, as he stumbled towards the Havoc Marauder with Hunter, what had happened to him to make him so numb… but…
"Tech!"
Tech stumbled as his vision blurred and, before he could reach his shuttle, he slumped-
"Tech!"
"Brother!"
Voices swarmed Tech, moments before he felt rough hands steady his shoulders, the warmth of Wrecker's chest only holding Tech's consciousness long enough for Tech to feel Wrecker remove his helmet. Tech coughed, a stream of blood slipping from his mouth as Wrecker brushed a hand through his hair comfortingly.
"You're alright, Tech, we're okay. We've got you. You came back for us, little brother, but now we've come back for you."
Tech awoke to the dim lights of the Havoc Marauder's medical bay, the steady thrum within the metal of the small operating table telling him that they were in hyperspace. His blurred vision also told Tech that he was not wearing his goggles and, as he turned his head to the side, a blur of silver caught his eye.
"Cross...hair?" Tech gasped out, a sound he immediately regretted as he felt fire race up his entire body from his stomach.
So he had reopened his wounds.
How very… unsurprising.
In the back of his mind, Tech had known that he would reopen his wounds when he decided to rescue his brothers, but he had not realized how much his wounds would hurt. How much being shot in the abdomen hurt, and how much his heart ached at what he'd done.
He had gunned down every single bandit hiding in the caverns, his only emotion that of a strange, synthetic hatred he did not truly understand. His mind had fallen prey to his fury, and he had not stopped. He had the blood of so many sentients on his hands, and he would never be able to scrub it all away.
Tech had never believed himself capable of killing so ruthlessly - killing affected him in such a negative, numbing way that Tech never knew how much time had passed from when he'd killed, or if he was even still himself -, and now he had the blood of every single bandit on his hands. Of course, Tech would never choose anyone over his brothers, but to kill and to kill so ruthlessly?
Tech clawed at his hair and, with his voice shaking and tears slipping down his eyes, Tech allowed himself to cry. Broken, unintelligible words slipped from Tech's mouth as he clawed at the roots of his short hair and cursed himself inwardly, cursed his actions and who he'd become. He knew who he'd become, knew who that emotionless, coldly logical self was and where he'd come from - and what he was.
Tech had never wanted to become that person, tried so hard not to… But seeing Hunter harmed had made him snap. Tech ripped at his hair until he felt Crosshair grab his hands, his brother's voice rough and yet gentle as he whispered reassurances to Tech. Tech's heart raced in his chest, slowing only after minutes of Crosshair's constant, soft reassurances made his mind slow.
"It's okay, little nerd, you're alright," Crosshair breathed as Tech felt his brother's right hand shift to Tech's shoulder and rested there.
Tech focused every single part of his fracturing mind on Crosshair's touch and breathed, his thoughts slowing to a trudging halt as he turned and buried his face against Crosshair's hand. Distantly, Tech heard Crosshair's voice hitch, then felt his brother's free hand gently shift under Tech's chin.
He watched as Crosshair tilted his chin so that he had to meet the sniper's eyes, Crosshair's gaze soft and deeply worried as his frown turned with deep worry.
"I apologize," Tech gasped out, though he did not say what he was sorry for. He couldn't, not when Tech could not even face who he'd become and what he'd done, but Crosshair did not seem bothered by Tech's lack of explanation.
Crosshair's gaze turned even more worried as he moved his right hand and slowly ran it through Tech's hair, further grounding Tech to reality instead of his mind, then sighed. "I told you to leave, Tech... I appreciate that you came for us, baby brother, but… please… never do that again."
Tech swallowed as Crosshair's gaze bored into his own, then, with his eyes burning with tears, Tech nodded.
He agreed with Crosshair's statement fully, for Tech never wished to experience that emotionless heartless side of himself again. Tech needed more control over himself and his emotions, for if he lost himself completely to that state?
Fear coursed through Tech's veins as images of the bandits dying at his enraged shots, at how merciless Tech had been when he'd used Wrecker's vibroblade, raged through his mind. He would not be able to sleep that night… or any night after, for now he knew how dangerous his mind was - and how easily he could fall prey to it.
He had become the monster his handler had always wanted him to be, the very nature that Tech fought against constantly. He could never allow himself to become so vulnerable, so foolish and unwise, never again. Not in front of his brothers and not when his very morals screamed the opposite of what he had done to the bandits.
"I promise you, Crosshair."
I promise I will not become a monster... I hope I will not.