Chapter Text
The package was waiting for them on the platform as per agreed when the Marauder made its neat landing on it. The place secluded, far from any imperial holds. The Batch was there to get what they had come for. It was their job after all, what they got paid for.
Stepping out of the ship, Hunter first, then the rest of them, in a neat single file. Not that they all needed to. But it was good to stretch their legs for a bit. It wasn’t as if they were in a hurry after all. Tech had scanned the planet, deeming the place void of any other activity or life except for them. So, a break from the ship was good for them all to take.
Hunter let his eyes wander, scanning visually the immediate area. Seeing a half bombarded guard building on the left while the rest of the area was clear and deserted and in various stages of decay, having been some kind of a base a long time ago.
The intel on the pick-up was that of a package waiting for them inside the structure, tucked away from prying eyes. Not that there were any present there. But guess it was a precaution as any for whomever had put it there.
As they all approached the structure, Hunter suddenly signalled for them all to halt. He had sensed something, or rather, someone in there. A person?
Just then, a figure moved in the shadows. They all drew their blasters and aimed at the approaching figure.
“Don’t shoot! I am unarmed!” The rather familiar sounding panicked voice shouted out to them.
As the figure emerged from the shack, the squad could all see, that it was a clone.
“You are here for me, right?” The clone asked, seemingly confused, staring at the barrels of the weapons aimed right at him.
“You, are the package?” Echo was the first to react.
“Yes.” The clone replied, sounding earnest, but he looked pretty scared and shivering as the blasters were still aimed at him, his arms flying up quickly as a clear sign of surrender.
The Batchers exchanged surprised glances. As this had not been the pick-up any of them had expected to find there. A package of sorts being the key. And again, something which Cid clearly had neglected to mention to them, as to the content of said packaged being a human being.
“There was no mention of a reg, I mean a clone in the data file.” Hunter clarified his stance on the surprise content of their pick-up.
“Well, I can’t tell you what you were informed of. But I am the one you were supposed to pick-up and then take to a secure location.” The reg did not seem to so frightened anymore, rather took a few steps closer, with his arms still raised. “Now, if you would care to lower your weapons…”
Hunter turned to the rest of the squad and nodded for them to do so.
“So, you are?” Hunter asked the reg, as he did not recognise the clone, not that he knew all clones personally anyway, as there had been so many of them.
“CT-4747.” The clone almost saluted then, almost. His stance changing significally. “But they call me Decker.” The reg said with a hint of a smirk on his face, being more relaxed now too.
Tech quickly made a few key strokes on his data pad and nodded to Hunter. He had checked the database of clones they had managed to download while visiting an imperial base at one point in time, housing a plethora of clone designations either working for the Empire or well, being imprisoned by them.
“Well, Decker, as you can imagine, this is somewhat of a surprise for us.” Hunter tried, none to keen to be flying around with yet another reg deserting the Empire.
“Does it matter? Cargo is cargo, right?” Decker was unfazed by Hunter’s attitude, his stance being that of a fearless commando rather than a scared cadet.
The expression Decker had housed earlier, that of fear and panic, was gone. It was like someone had hit a switch for it. Clearly, it had been an act. Making the reg seem more suspicious than earlier. Then again, it could have just been his training kicking in, as this reg, was no shiny. Not if his attitude and stance was any indication of it.
“No, no I guess it does not.” Hunter started taking in the reg.
Hunter was about to say something else too as his suspicions of the reg had risen considerably after his change in attitude. But that was until Hunter’s senses kicked into high gear again.
Hunter’s eyes turned back to the structure wherefrom the reg had come out of. He drew his blaster again, alerting the others, which immediately followed Hunter’s example.
“Hunter?” Wrecker asked in a low tone, seeing the Sarge all alert and on the prowl.
But hunter raised his arm and signalled the sign ‘quiet’ and Wrecker’s mouth clamped shut on the spot.
Hunter moved past the reg and towards the building. Carefully, with his weapon aimed at whomever he suspected to be inside of there. Something which his heightened senses had been telling him.
“Come out, come out, whomever you are.” Hunter singsonged, standing close to entrance, which was without a door at this point in time.
It took a few moments of waiting. But then, there was movement. The one Hunter had finally sensed. Most likely due to them wearing blockers and trying to be covert for people like Hunter not to be able to detect them.
As the person stepped out and into the light, there was a collective gasp filling the otherwise quite platform.
“Crosshair! is that really you?” Hunter asked as the man in front of him, so familiar but still, looking different in so many ways.
Despite the imperial armour, and helmet-less head, Crosshair’s face was covered in a rather thick beard. His hair had grown long and it was held back in a loose tail. He looked nothing like the sleek and polished imperial Clone Commander they had seen him the last time around.
“Surprised?” The snarky question left Crosshair’s lips. “You really shouldn’t be.”
“Why are you here?” Hunter sounded baffled meeting with Crosshair after all this time.
“A good question. But… I should be asking you the same thing.”
Crosshair’s usual tactics of replying with a question when in doubt, had not changed at least, even if the man’s outlook had.
“What do you mean?” Hunter sounded somewhat taken aback.
As he did not really understand the question Crosshair had asked him. This was what the Batch did. Run ops, pick-ups and deliveries? Right?
“I thought you had gone all mercenary, running ops for your own survival and not caring what happened in the rest of galaxy.” The scowl was in place matching the remark perfectly. It was intended as a jibe after all.
After all, Crosshair had never understood the sudden change of the others. In wanting to be something so small. Keeping it all in the family, the tight knit unit they seemed to be now. Being part of something bigger was noble and what soldiers did. And so, it was surprising to see them doing something, else.
“But you are… helping, a reg?” Hunter sounded disbelieving. “Or was this a setup, a trap for us to fall in?”
Hunter feared this was yet another trick of Crosshair’s in trying to lure them into the imperial ranks. Or worse.
“Why do you always assume the worst from me?” Crosshair’s face was unreadable now, but he wasn’t making any moves either which suggested he was not trying to capture them after all.
“But you, you are still working for the Empire?” Hunter had to ask.
As it was, they had periodically kept tabs on Crosshairs whereabouts and what he was doing, just because. And the last they had heard, he was still the feared Clone Commander, Admiral Rampart’s favourite. Or as some of the escaped clones called him as, Rampart’s Lap Dog.
“What of it?” Another question instead of an answer.
“But…” Hunter had no retort back anymore.
As it was, this was completely against everything they had believed of Crosshair. Of what he had become. Of what he had wanted to do. Be a good soldier for the Empire. To follow any given order. Right?
There was a long moment of silence between the two former batch mates, before either of them spoke again.
“Why, you ask?” Crosshair finally decided to let Hunter of the hook and tell him, something at least. “Why am I helping the regs?” Crosshair’s glare was burning into Hunter’s eyes now. “Because no one else is helping them. Not since the Empire started phasing them down from service. Killing them off one by one.” His voice like his glare was icy, freezing cold.
There was an eerie quiet on the platform again. All of them, even Decker, glaring at Crosshair. Either they did not believe what they were hearing. Or then, it was simply such a shock to hear those words coming out of the ‘ever imperial, the Empire can do no wrong, Commander Crosshair’ they had all thought their former family member had turned into.
“That is… why?… well… I” Hunter was babbling now, trying to wrap his head around what he had just head come out of Crosshair’s mouth.
Clearly there was nothing malicious going on there at them moment. At least, Crosshair nor the reg, Decker, had made any effort in capturing the Bad Batch. So that was good. Hunter had not sensed anyone else there either. And Tech, who had been running constant scans during this whole revelation of a situation, simply shook his head when Hunter turned to look at him.
“Well, guess I can still surprise you then.” Crosshair’s tone was mocking Hunter.
“I am surprised, to say the least.” Hunter admitted as much.
But he needed to know more. When had this change of heart happened? Why was Crosshair helping regs defect? Was Crosshair still working for the Empire? And was this all a great big ploy, a fanfare in front of something the Empire would soon deploy? And ultimately, could Hunter really trust Crosshair to let them go? Crosshair had not really given a straight answer to any of Hunter’s questions, now had he?
“Guess, in the bigger picture of the whole, there are things which even the Empire cannot see going wrong.” Crosshair replied cryptically.
Hunter realised something then. Something which Crosshair was trying to tell him in his own unique way. Only it was left for Hunter to interpret the best way he could. And what Hunter understood was, that despite being imperial, Crosshair did not stand for the eradication of the clones. No matter how he had felt of the regs before. Or at least, that was what Hunter decided to take out from this, this encounter.
“So, satisfied?” Crosshair needed to end this conversation sooner than later after all.
“No.” Hunter stated flatly. “But it will have to do for now.”
Crosshair glared at him for a moment longer before nodding and then adding. “Shoot me.”
“What?” Hunter exclaimed. “Shoot you?” Hunter could not believe what he was hearing.
“Make it look good too.” Crosshair ordered his former Sarge.
While Hunter stood there in disbelief, It was Decker who piped in. “He needs you shoot him so the imps will believe his story. Just in case he needs to tell them one.”
Decker seemed to have a some inside information as to how Crosshair functioned during these, drop offs of the regs. As clearly this was not a first one the Clone Commander had done. Which raised an eyebrow or two for the others in question of whom Decker really was and why he was defecting now.
“Fine.” Hunter stated and pulled his blaster again, placing it on stun.
“Stun won’t do the trick.” Crosshair remarked snidely.
“You need to make it look like there was a fire fight and he lost.” Decker was giving his unsolicited advice again, clearly, no shiny this one was, of that Hunter was sure now.
Hunter turned to Decker with a scowl, Decker immediately understanding it was the not so subtle sign to ‘shut the kark up’ and only nodded to Hunter in understanding.
“How can I be sure you won’t, well…” Hunter did want to kill Crosshair, naturally.
“How touching!” Crosshair snarled. “Just shoot me already and be done with it.” Crosshair ordered Hunter, his tone more bating than anything.
Hunter shook his head, raised his blaster and aimed. A single shot, midriff. The blaster bolt hitting the imperial armour, sending Crosshair flying back and falling onto the ground limp.
Hunter glared at him for a moment. Wanting to go and check on Crosshair. But then it was Decker’s voice which roused him from his thoughts again.
“We need to leave. Now!" Decker half ordered, sounding like a superior officer of theirs.
It did not take half a thought when they all scrambled to the Marauder. The others taking their seats while Tech and Echo manoeuvred the ship off of the platform, towards the atmosphere and out into space. After all, there was no telling whom would be coming for Crosshair as Hunter had seen his beacon activated the moment they had turned to leave.