Chapter Text
Saving someone else even if it means risking your very own life in the process is well worth the risk.’
"He... He needs a medic."
"I see you didn't retrieve the crates, which means you've failed your mission."
"Did you hear what I said? Help him!"
"Certainly not. That would be a waste of the Empire's resources."
"He'll... He'll die.”
“Lieutenant…”
*
There they were, shooting at the enemy.
The so called insurgents having hit the outpost hard and then having opened fire against those defending it. The culprits trying to get away with whatever things from the storage they had managed to steal.
“Crosshair, Hexx, you take the left. Me and Veetch will take the right.” Mayday shouted the orders having seen the imperial troopers loosing their stance. Some of them dropping almost immediately after the firefight had started while several of them clearly gone into hiding not wanting to put their lives on the line. Surprisingly or not, Lieutenant Nolan was nowhere to be found.
They four of them taking their positions shooting their way through the plethora of attackers never missing a target. The fire fight over as quickly as it had started with most of the raiders having been gunned down.
Their efforts had seemed to be successful at first, until… the shuttle blew up…
A few of the remaining attackers having placed an explosive there before trying to escape only to be caught in the blast radius themselves. The devastation left behind was massive with casualties on both sides.
“Crosshair? Hexx? Veetch?” Mayday shouted out over the ruckus. Worried of his team mates having not seeing them after the blast. Trying to peak through the smoke, rubble and dead bodies. Only hoping not to find them among those fallen.
“Here!” The now familiar coarse voice responded from somewhere close. Crosshair emerged from the smog supporting Hexx while Mayday already had his eyes on Veetch, helping him up from the snowy ground.
The four of them huddled together for a moment while trying to get their bearings and to assess the situation when Lieutenant Nolan suddenly emerged with several of the cowardly imperial troopers right behind him.
“Why are you still standing around there for! You have work to do! Secure the perimeter… Blah-blah-blah…”
The Lieutenant kept on yapping, berating the four clones with every imaginable insult in book as if that would surely motivate them to do the more even if they had already driven off the thieves while the imps had failed in their duty.
Crosshair exchanged glances with the other three. Nodding only slightly. Stepping forward and pulling his blaster. Aiming it straight at Nolan and then in a calm casual manner he simply stated.
“Consider your orders rescinded.”
Nolan dropped to the ground without further comments. A gaping hole in the middle of his forehead being quite dead before his body hit the hard cold surface of the desolate planet. The pooling red blood colouring the white of the ground in stark contrast.
There was a moment of silence falling over the place. The four clones on the one side with the several remaining imperial troopers on the other. And then it started again. The blaster fire only this time they were fighting against each other. Those supposedly being on the same side.
“Take cover!” Mayday shouted as the four of them ran into two directions, finding shelter where they could. Luckily for them, those troopers aim was as shoddy as their mind sets. As despite the volume of the imperials between the four of them the four clones managed to take them all down in one swell swoop.
Soon enough, rendering heaps of smoking bodies lying on the snowy ground alongside their “fearless” leader.
Mayday, Crosshair, Hexx and Veetch emerging from behind their cover looking at the end result. All dead except of them. Which was all good and fine in their minds, having been discarded, shunned and treated like garbage. Except their only means of transport having been blown up.
“So, what now?” Hexx asked as they were pretty much stranded and guess enemies of the Empire too having shot the imperial officer and the troopers.
The Ice Vultures above in the skies had already started circling. Only waiting for their chance for feeding on the dead. The four of them glanced up, seeing the large size birds majestically soaring along the high winds without any sound.
Crosshair’s face suddenly turned into a wide grin. His eyes on his new friends stating simply. “Now, we fly out of here.”
The other three simply glared at him as if the sniper had suddenly grown on a second head. But as they looked on, Crosshair with his helmet off and his riffle carefully placed onto the ground, stood perfectly still. With his eyes closed Crosshair concentrated.
A moment passed. And then out of the blue Crosshair started growing, taller. The length of his body stretching and something sprouting from his back… A pair of wings! Large and wide fully feathered things emerging out of nowhere.
Mayday, Hexx and Veetch could only stare with their mouths agape as the clone they had only known for a moment all of a sudden changed into something else right in front of their very eyes.
Turning into a gorgeous black bird with a wing span of enormous proportions.
“What are you three standing round there for? Step onto my back and let’s fly the hell out of this place!” The raspy voice ordered.
They all did as ordered. The three new friends of Crosshair’s. Climbing onto his back, holding onto the feathery body as Crosshair took flight. Flying off to the high skies with his new friends and… dared Crosshair hope for something more? A new team perhaps? And Mayday, the man Crosshair had only known for a few hours having already gotten under his skin…
*
The sudden flashes of lights in his eyes. No longer feeling the cold?
Why?
What happened? Where was he?
Was he dead? Alive?
The questions all of a sudden filling his thoughts as slowly but surely the haze was fading away and something of a clarity became in place.
He had been flying? No, he was the one doing the flying? How? What was he?
Felling his extremities. Legs, arms, hands. Yes, he was human again. What of the bird?
Opening his eyes, or at least trying to, because it was hard to do the simplest of things.
“What… Where am I?”
“Somewhere safe for now.” The female scientist hovering above him stated in a monotone voice picking up something from the nearby table. Something which did not look too comforting. A needle! Holding it in her hand as she approached the med bed again. “CT-9904, or do you prefer Crosshair?” She did not wait for an answer rather pricked Crosshair’s neck with it. “You are held here for observation and if you are to behave, you might just survive the ordeal.”
Crosshair felt woozy. The nausea soon followed. But before he could even react to any of it, he was out cold again.
*
It was dark when he woke up again.
The only light in the room those red dots of the emergency exits. So clearly, he was indoors.
But where? And what had happened? Was he still alive?
The last memory of him falling onto the ground after firing his blaster. Yes. That was it. Lieutenant Nolan falling face first onto the icy ground… Crosshair had shot him. Dead.
But, he was inside. Lying on a bed. Crosshair tried to move. He wasn’t restrained which was always a good thing and yet it felt, difficult. Wiggling just the same to move.
As soon as Crosshair managed to sit up the pounding headache hit him. Cursing internally while holding his head, his hands cold as usual giving some instant relief.
After a moment of getting his bearings Crosshair was reminded of the scientist in the room with him earlier. Then he remembers the needle too. Feeling his neck, Crosshair detected the small prick hole left behind the intrusive instrument. But that was the least of his worries.
Crosshair had a faint memory of the happenings preceding him shooting Nolan.
And that was those of Mayday. The Clone Commander Crosshair had made friends with on the Outpost on Barton-4. Which was a contradiction in itself. Crosshair making a friend! But he had watched Mayday die. The Commander dying in his arms while Crosshair had pleaded for his life. But the Lieutenant had denied it. Of this happening he was now sure of.
“Bastard!” Crosshair could hear his own voice sounding rougher and more hoarse than usual while he cursed out loud.
Crosshair managed to control his headache after a moment. Something he had lived with ever since the war ended. The constant headaches. Sometimes getting worse, often times being tolerable. And managing it? Well, Crosshair had honed its control of them to a fine art.
Getting up and moving around what clearly was an examination room of sorts. The lowly beeping equipment in the distance a dead giveaway. Despite the almost dark room, Crosshair managed to navigate the area just fine with no small thanks to his enhanced vision.
Roaming around the general area for a moment seeing the room being rather big with several beds there on the opposite side of Crosshair’s bed. Having almost stumbled into to the first one, as despite his enhanced vision the headache made it somewhat impossible for him to focus at the moment. The slicing and dicing stings coming and going which did not help him trying to control them. Crosshair suspected the scientist having injected him with something which was causing the aches to grow worse.
Still, Crosshair needed to figure out where he was and what his options for escape were, if any.
As Crosshair continued his exploration around the room, using his hands to feel his way around because keeping his eyes open for a too long time made his head hurt more. And so, the only option was a tactile search.
If he could get to a computer console then perhaps he would be able to try to hack into it. How hard could it be? Having seen Tech do it so many times Crosshair felt somewhat confident in being able to do it. Or at least he could try as what was there to lose for him anymore, right? He was clearly confined somewhere. The most likely assumption after having shot an imperial officer.
Crosshair kept on moving feeling each and every surface, nook and cranny along the way. Moving forward ruling out whatever he touched. Most of it being beds and small side tables. All of them empty. Not that Crosshair had excepted to find anyone there.
He had moved along slowly to make sure he did not miss anything and also because of the ache hindering his movements.
Just as Crosshair was about to move to the next obstacle he excepted to find, a bed most likely as there seemed to be plenty of them there for whatever reason having initially thought the space to haven been setup solely for examination. But clearly the room housed several med beds judging from the setup he had stumbled into so far. Indicating housing for several patients in the room. This also validating the fact that Crosshair was indeed inside some medical facility.
As to the where? Well that was a whole other matter.
He touched the surface of the bed once again expecting to find nothing but bedding there like he had on the six others so far. But, just as he felt around there was something rather soft and warm there. Not bedding for sure!
Crosshair quickly retreated his roaming hands and stepped back from the bed. His breath hitching as he did so. Swallowing audibly thinking of the possibilities. And there was only one conclusion the could think of.
There was someone else in the room with him.
Crosshair ran through the options he had quickly in his mind. Not sure what the status of the other patient really was and whether they would be friendly or not. Not that the fact factored much in Crosshair’s mind. Still, he was in no condition for a conflict. Then again he had to assume their situation to be similar.
A moment passed, Crosshair simply standing beside the bed, listening carefully and hearing the other person’s breathing becoming more distinct now as if having held a breath for a while? No, it must’ve been Crosshair’s own imagination and his own diminished capacity not to realise someone else was there with him.
Sighing heavily Crosshair made his choice.
Moving closer to the bed he took a deep breath. Big mistake as the sting in his temple was back again. So, calming his breathing to the lowest level possible Crosshair stood there for a moment before the worse of it passed. And then, moving in close enough to the bed and the patient lying there. Most likely sleeping real deeply or then being sedated. Most likely what Crosshair too had been. As it sure felt like the after flares of some medicine running rampant in his own system at the moment.
But right now, Crosshair had a task at hand.
Feeling bold, he stepped as close as he dared so not to disturb whomever it was lying there on the med bed. Reaching out with his hands he started feeling around what was clearly a humanoid body. A thought entered his mind just as he started. That of intrusion. But it could not be helped right now as Crosshair needed to know.
Making quick of his search around the side of the body deducing it was indeed humanoid in form. Around two metres in length as far as he could tell by feeling through the length of the outside of the blanketed patient. Two legs and two arms. Which was always a good indication of a humanoid form.
Crosshair halted after his first round waiting for a moment wanting to be sure his roommate was still sleeping before continuing his research.
Hearing the lower than lowest breathing continuing Crosshair decided to move towards the head.
As he did, his hand closing in on the target, so close he could feel the warmth of the exposed skin against his palm. Just as he was about to reach closer to where he suspected the face to be, his hand was snatched into a tight grip followed by a low growl?
“What the kriff?”
The all too familiar words being hissed in a low yet familiar tone Crosshair had heard so many times before.
Crosshair sensed the other person getting up from the bed and into a seating position while having Crosshair still in their hold. Then being pulled real close. Close enough Crosshair felt the other’s breath on his own face.
“What do you want?” The words were spoken with a snarl.
Crosshair gulped. Trying to adjust his vision. And as he did the all too familiar face was right there in his somewhat dimmed view. The one with a hefty beard donning the features Crosshair had become totally accustomed to in such a short amount of time.
“Mayday?”
The name slipped from Crosshair’s lips, not sure whether he was dreaming or not at the very moment.
There was a small spell without any response from the other.
“Crosshair?”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“What the…?”
“You, died.”
“So, that’s why it felt so weird.”
Crosshair heard the distinct chuckle.
“No, I was there. You were definitely dead.” Crosshair pressed on being still tightly held by his new friend.
“Yeah well, I thought we were both goners.” Mayday finally let go of Crosshair who simply remained staring at the man in the perfect darkness of the room.
“No. You. Died.” Crosshair’s tone was impossible gravely, more so than usual his heart beating fast. Some long since forgotten emotions suddenly surfacing and taking control of him.
Feeling the sting of the tears behind his eyes. This was like the dream. Only real? Was it?
Crosshair felt so confused and so grateful. All at the same time. He could only stare at the form in the darkness. The one of his new friend. Mayday. Because Mayday was alive.
Mayday had not excepted it nor even possibly been able to prepare for it when without warning the mass of tall slim sniper clone was thrown against his body. Holding onto Mayday with a tight grip. His own arms reacting of their own accord. Circling around the body of the sniffling man against him. And Mayday could not help his own tears from falling.
*
Crosshair and Mayday were both sitting on the bedside after the moment of confusion having passed. The hugging, the tears… all of it? Well, neither was blaming the other for the outburst of emotions and feelings being involved. And why would they have?
As neither of them even believing what they were seeing. Especially Crosshair having literally held the dying man, Mayday, in his arms when he had passed out there in the cold on the harsh snowy outpost. But, here Mayday was, alive. And as far as Crosshair could tell, seemingly well too?
“What happened?” Mayday was still very confused. Even more so than Crosshair of the happenstance leading to him ending up in some medical bay wherever they were at the very moment.
“Well, you died because Nolan refused medical aid after our stint in chasing the raiders in the snow. And then, I shot him.” Crosshair stated rather casually as if debriefing the Commander on some sanctioned mission, causing Mayday’s eyes to blow wide.
“You shot the Lieutenant?” He scratched the back of his head. “Well, guess I should say… thanks?” Because they both hated the imp to the core for sure.
“You’re welcome.” A hint of a smirk emerged to Crosshair’s face then not that Mayday could see it as they were still sitting in the dark room.
“So, any idea as to how to get some light into the place?” Mayday was getting a tad confused of having to sit in the darkness though.
“I haven’t found any switches yet. Tried to figure out what was what when I bumped into you.” Crosshair told Mayday as much of his escapade before waking up the other man.
“Yeah? Well, it’s a good thing we are at least together.” Mayday was pretty sure they were both detained and prisoners by now. After all which had happened on the Outpost it was the obvious answer especially after hearing Crosshair had shot the imp Lieutenant.
“It is.” Crosshair felt it too. Having become rather fond of the rugged Commander in the short amount of time they had spent together. Something simply having clicked between them. Besides, Crosshair had really shot an imperial officer for him hadn’t he?
“So, any other ideas?” Mayday asked trying to look around seeing only darkness there around them. “As to where we are?”
“It’s some kind of medical bay. I woke up here before too and there was a scientists pricking me with needles.” Crosshair revealed to Mayday.
“Needles? That doesn’t sound good.” Mayday had a horrid thought crossing his mind then. Because the rumours, no matter how remote the base out in the bush somewhere, the rumours always found their way just the same.
“No, it does not.” Crosshair too was pretty sure what Mayday had meant.
Having seen a few files he was not supposed while still on Coruscant. Just after Cody had gone AWOL. With Crosshair having tried to dig up some intel on his own after Cody planting the seed of doubt within him.
“Hm. Well, guess we just have to wait for their next move. Whomever they are.”
“Yeah, guess we do.”
Both of them pretty sure by now it was an imperial facility of some kind.
As to the purpose? And the where?
Well, those questions remained unanswered as the two new friends stayed seated in the comfort of the other’s company. And just like Mayday had noted, at least they were together. That fact alone made Crosshair think things might not just be as gloomy as he had originally thought them to be.