Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tech took a moment to breathe. The pain in his shoulder made it difficult to think, but he forced himself to focus anyway. His first plan had been that he'd die to save his squad. And he was at peace with it. But it was a long, long way down, and he had time to think of a second plan, not that he required a long time. He knew that to survive such a fall, he'd have to slow his velocity, perhaps put something between himself and the ground, and even possibly aim for trees. He changed his body position to face the ground far below, arms and legs spread. This slowed his velocity. He unclipped the line from his belt and turned toward the remains of the railcar that was falling. He pulled his arms and legs in, which sped him toward the wreckage. He caught the structure and managed to get to the top of it. Once there, he looked for trees. There were many very tall trees closing fast. If he timed it right, he could jump or perhaps grapple to them and further slow his fall.

The grapple had worked. At first. But the thin limbs at the tops of the trees broke when he tried to pull himself to them. So he jumped. Those thin limbs broke at his approach, but he'd banked on that. They would slow his fall gradually as the limbs below became stronger. And they had. Eventually they arrested his fall completely. And painfully.

He was face down on a bed of intertwined branches. Intertwined with other branches and his body. His left elbow was wrenched high behind him, and the force of the fall had pulled his shoulder nearly out of the socket. That was the greatest source of pain. The branches that fell away as they broke under his weight had also ripped at any outer surface. So his armor was all scratched up, as were all the spaces between the plates of armor. Which meant he was scratched up. But all told, he was alive and that was something.

He carefully flipped the screen down on his helmet, but it was cracked and split diagonally. It couldn't tell him the distance to the ground. Not that he could climb down if his shoulder dislocated, though he absolutely hoped to give it a try once he got his arm unstuck. He slipped his helmet off, held it over a gap in the branches about a half meter to his right, and dropped it, counting the seconds until he heard it clatter on the ground. It wasn't a thunk. It clattered. That meant rocks. And it took far too long to hit them.

Alright, he thought. One problem at a time. His comm was on his left hip. So he couldn't call for the others. He had to get his arm loose. He tried rolling to the right, hoping to raise the left side of his body enough to try and work his arm free. But the branches had their own ideas. He realized too late that his focus had been lacking, and that, by turning, he'd changed his weight distribution on the branches. The branches beneath him snapped and he fell again. While his left arm did oblige to come with him, he'd felt the pop when it slipped out of its socket. The branches became bigger and stronger, and that would stop one part of his body only for another to keep falling. Even in the armor, it knocked the wind out of him. The twigs and needles scratched at his face. He lost all control as he was thrown this way and that as he continued downward. He tried to cover his face, but the branches ripped at his arms as he involuntarily flailed on his way down. He closed his eyes and hoped for the best as his whole body began to vie for painful attention.

And for one brief moment, there were no branches, no twigs, no needles. But there were rocks. He hit them on his back and rolled downward. He scrunched his eyes tightly when his head hit a sharp one, and the lenses of his goggles cracked and splintered. His vision was blurry after that, but there wasn't much point to watching anyway. He tried again to shield his head with his right arm, but the rocks flipped him and rolled him until he finally skidded to a stop, face down in the gravel-strewn grass. He took in one gasp of breath and coughed out blood, then everything went black and he felt no more.

"Team One, report," the lieutenant ordered. He was standing in the now ruined command center, working with a portable communications set.

"We pursued the insurgents from the wrecked railcar, four individuals. They escaped on a modified Omicron shuttle."

The lieutenant sighed in exasperation. "Team Two?"

"We have located the wrecked railcar. No survivors, no bodies." There was a pause. "Wait, TK-4644 has found something. A helmet. Clone trooper but nonstandard, highly specialized."

"Find the clone that lost it."

Dr. Hemlock had been observing quietly in the back of the command center once the summit was ended and the blast doors lifted. A homing beacon had been found in the wreckage of his transport. The explosions had saved the secrecy of his lab and work at Mount Tantiss. He replayed, in his mind, Team Two's report. Clone trooper helmet, nonstandard, highly specialized. Clone Force 99 had nonstandard helmets. Perhaps they'd traced him here to find their lost companion.

He returned to the hangar now and ordered the troopers of the last remaining shuttle to get him down to where Team Two had found the helmet.

By the time they'd helped him walk up the steep, rocky terrain, Team Two had found the owner of the helmet. And it was alive. Hemlock smirked. It was just as he'd hoped. He carried with him an emergency medpac from the shuttle. He pushed the troopers away and knelt beside the prone clone. It was lying unconscious, face down, and its breaths were wheezy. Hemlock was actually impressed it wasn't dead already. He carefully turned the body over, which wrenched its left arm behind and under its body in an unnatural position. Dislocation. The broken goggles on its face gave away its identity. Hemlock had passed the time during his trip here by learning more about Crosshair's 'brothers.' This was CT-9902, "Tech." Tech was the brains of the outfit. Enhanced intelligence and analytical reasoning, outstanding skill with technology of any kind. That could be ever so useful in the right context.

He tugged the arm out from under the body and opened his kit. He ran a scanner over the body. Critical condition. Skull fracture was troubling. There was a small branch or stick protruding from the right side of the body, and the scan confirmed it had managed to find a way between the armor plates and the ribs to puncture a lung. Also troubling. The brain needed a living body. This one was going to need help to stay living. Other injuries included various limb fractures, internal bleeding, and a severely crimped spinal column. If it weren't about to die, it would likely be paralyzed from the waist down.

He removed the ruined goggles and placed a breather over its nose and mouth. He cut away the armor and cast it aside as he ordered two soldiers back to the shuttle for a stretcher and blanket. He ordered two more to collect the armor and the helmet.

The leader of Team Two approached. "Governor Tarkin wants to know if it can be questioned."

"Negative," Hemlock replied. "The clone is unconscious and barely alive. I will take it to my lab and get what I can from it before it expires. And tell Tarkin there were two groups of insurgents. Clone Force 99 wouldn't have planted a beacon on my ship only to blow it up. They wanted to track me to my lab. They didn't set the bombs."

He returned his attention to the clone. He cut the underclothing away as well and sprayed the body's core and head with bacta spray. The two troopers returned with the stretcher. Hemlock handed the bacta sprayer to the next closest soldier. "Spray its back when I turn it." Then Hemlock carefully turned the body onto its ruined left shoulder. The soldier sprayed. Hemlock nodded to the stretcher, and it was placed beneath the body before Hemlock lowered it. He reached into his kit once more. He started a fluid injector and attached it to a large vein in the body's right arm. That done, he covered the body with an antishock blanket up to its neck then strapped it down to the stretcher.

He stood. The troopers lifted the stretcher, and they started their difficult walk back to the shuttle with Hemlock's new prize. If he managed to keep this clone alive, he could potentially advance his cloning research exponentially. He'd read up on all the members of Clone Force 99. One of them was a 'reg,' a nonmutant clone. CT-1409, "Echo," had been made a mutant by the Techno Union on Skako Minor. They'd hooked his brain up to their computer defense network and kept the clone armies at bay, until Clone Force 99's irregular tactics, along with Jedi tricks, recovered him. Well, if the Techno Union could manage that with a 'reg,' Hemlock reckoned he could do better with a genetically-enhanced brain like Tech's.

He ordered the shuttle's navigation be set to Mount Tantiss as he worked to keep Tech alive.

Emerie Karr checked on each of her patients before the end of her shift. Crosshair was her main concern. Dr. Hemlock had ordered severe punishment for his escape attempt. He'd killed eight troopers and damaged property even half-sedated. Though she suspected the property damage was due to the sedation. She knew Crosshair's mutations. He wouldn't normally miss. She hoped to keep him here, in her infirmary, as long as possible.

Still, she'd had to release three of the other men. Hemlock would be free to run his experiments on them. She sighed as she entered the galley. She missed Kamino. It was light with wide corridors; here everything was dark and gray. She filled her tray with food and took it back to her quarters. She didn't like to eat with the others. It was better to hide herself away when not on duty.

She missed the Republic. She missed having leaders who were at least sympathetic, even if they made bad decisions sometimes. But since Palpatine had ended the Republic and created the Empire, every officer and scientist she'd worked with had been immoral to some extent. She'd found most to be self-centered, power-hungry narcissists.

She didn't like the way the Clone Army was being cast aside either. They had defended the Republic, and now they were simply thought of as property to be exploited at best and disposed of at worst. She remembered Hemlock from her studies. It was her Medical Ethics class. He was a case study. He was expelled from the Republic Science Corps due to his unorthodox and disturbing experiments. Now she was assigned to work with him. And Scalder wasn't much better.

But it was no use dwelling on what was lost. The Empire was taking over the galaxy. She couldn't change it. Crosshair couldn't change it. She'd been honest with him. Even if he managed to get outside, the hounds would have chased him down. But, of course, he hadn't made it outside. He was one man against the dozens stationed here. And she was just one doctor. To work against the Empire was futile. It would only end in pain and, most likely, death.

She finished her dinner, then retrieved the medical journal she'd been reading. It helped her get to sleep.

Hemlock had thought to remove the stick, but it was quite stubborn. It would have to be surgically removed. The emergency medpac's scanner couldn't identify the source of the internal bleeding. It could be the lung, but it could be many other things, some of which were fatal. On the one hand, he wouldn't lose anything if this clone died. But if it lived, he'd gain so much.

The clone was as stable as he could make it. He put in a call to Scalder to have her and Dr. Karr prepare a surgical table and full life support. Then he sat at the computer and called up everything the Kaminoans had on CT-1409's recovery. The device it had been installed in had been blown up after its release, so the data from Skako Minor was lost. Still, it was the Kaminoans who had removed much of the interface from CT-1409's body. So he had something to work with. There were still a few hours before they'd be in the Weyland system. He needed to know everything he could about how the Techno Union did it, and then he had to design a better interface. Tech couldn't be just a drugged-up container for a brain. He wanted Tech's conscious cooperation. CT-9904 might be motivation enough, but he surmised that Omega would be better. Nala Se wasn't the only one with an attachment.

Hunter felt sick. Tech was dead and Omega was hurt. He and Wrecker weren't in much better shape. Tech gave his life to save them. There was no way he could've survived a fall at that height. They had barely survived, and they had fallen from less than half the height Tech had fallen from. Hunter had never lost anyone before. They'd lost Crosshair but he was still alive. With Tech, it was like there was a hole in his chest he couldn't fill. Tech was their hacker, their analyst, their brother. He helped them all in countless ways. Plan 99. It was so like Tech to weigh the odds and find the one way out.

"Docking in thirty," Echo said. He turned around. "I'm not sure this is the right place to go."

"We need AZI," Wrecker argued. "Who else would know how to treat her?"

Hunter's ribs hurt, but he stood. "We're nearly there. It would take longer to go anywhere else. She needs help now."

Echo nodded and turned back to the helm.

Hunter kept playing it over in his mind. He wanted to undo it. To go back in time and find a different way out. Maybe if Tech had stayed on the terminal, they could have gotten to the ship then picked him up. But no, they still would have crashed and fallen. The ships might have shot him. Maybe if he'd used his grappler. But no, the cars were being pulled from the line. It would only have gotten him to the part that was breaking off. Hunter didn't want it to be real, but it was. They were hurt and Tech was dead. All through the war, they'd not lost each other. He didn't know how to do this.

It was Saw's fault. They had planted the beacon. If Saw hadn't set off the bombs, the railcars wouldn't have gotten stuck. Tech wouldn't have had to get out and start them up again. They could all have gotten out. They could have tracked Hemlock back to where he was holding Crosshair. They could have all been together again.

The ship lowered into the hangar. Wrecker stood and picked up Omega. Hunter got up and waited by the ramp.

"I'll stay here," Echo offered. "I'll keep the ship ready, just in case. Stay on comms."

They landed. Hunter nodded and opened the ramp, and he and Wrecker hurried to Cid's parlor.

"Well look who the Bantha dragged in," Cid said from behind the bar. "What's wrong with the girl?"

"We need AZI," Hunter replied.

"I will do everything I can," the droid responded. He set the bottle he'd been holding down and led them to the office. "Lay her here."

Cid poked her head in. "You're missing someone. Where's Goggles?"

"Tech didn't—" Hunter started to reply. But it hurt too much to say it.

"Oh," she replied. "I'm sorry," And she did sound sorry. "I'll leave you to it."

"You are injured as well," AZI told him.

"Omega first," Wrecker told the droid.

"Understood."

Hunter dropped into a chair and watched without really seeing anything. Tech was gone and he couldn't lose Omega, too. He couldn't.

Emerie yawned as she returned to the infirmary. They hadn't had any use for the surgical suite before. She used her access card to open the prep room. She had to wash and suit up. She hadn't expected to see Scalder there.

"Dr. Hemlock sent over the patient's scan. Skull fracture, punctured lung, internal bleeding. He stated that it's imperative the patient survives. They'll be here within the hour."

Emerie thought about the equipment they'd need as she washed her hands. Scalder finished before her and helped her tie her surgical gown. Emerie returned the favor for her. They stepped into the suite. "Do we know who the patient is?"

"No. It's a clone," Scalder replied. She started pulling the sedatives and prepping the breather. "He didn't elaborate further."

Emerie wondered why Hemlock was so determined to keep a clone alive if they were just Imperial property, but she kept that thought to herself as she set out scalpels, clamps, gauze, forceps, and micro sutures.

They were ready and waiting when the door opened again. She and Scalder had to retrieve the patient as Hemlock washed and suited up. Scalder started a deep scan and Emerie looked over the patient. This was not one of the usual clones. He was thinner, with a narrow face, and lighter skin and hair. This was one of Crosshair's brothers. It had been a long time since she'd seen Clone Force 99's records. But this one wasn't big enough to be Wrecker, and he didn't have the tattoos. So this was Tech. If Hemlock had found Tech, how had he not found Omega? Was he hoping to heal Tech just to torture him for information on the girl?

Tech was pale and unconscious. Emerie removed the portable breather from his face and started to intubate. Scalder replaced the field fluid injector with an IV. "It's already unconscious," Scalder pointed out. "No need to waste resources."

"He's unconscious now," Emerie argued. The thought appalled her, but she kept her voice even and her face neutral. "He could wake up in the middle of surgery. The shock alone could kill him."

"Under no circumstances is this patient to expire." Hemlock's voice came from behind them. They both stepped back for him. "Start it on light sedation and increase it if it shows signs of waking."

"Yes, Doctor," Scalder replied. She started to put a cuff on Tech's left arm.

"Use the right," Hemlock told her. "The dislocation could interfere with proper blood flow." There was a beep as the scan completed. "Ah, looks like that stick hit more than a lung. Dr. Karr, you're on the skull fracture. Scalder, you and I will open the chest and remove the flora."

Emerie found the skull fracture and used a scalpel to open the skin so she could align the sides and seal it up. Scalder and Hemlock were still in Tech's chest when she finished. The scan had also noted a hairline fracture of Tech's left orbit, a dislocated left shoulder, a compressed spinal column, and fractures in most of the bones of his other limbs. Even his hands and fingers. There were a lot of scratches on his face and certain areas of his skin, likely where there hadn't been armor. They were healing though. Hemlock must have used bacta in the field. "Do we know what caused these injuries?"

"It would appear it fell from a height of nearly three kilometers into trees approximately one kilometer in height and then onto some rather large rocks." Hemlock chuckled. "Had it been any of the other three, I'd have let it die. But this one, this one is going to help us achieve the emperor's objective."

Why would Tech want to help the cloning experiments? He'd either been hiding from or fighting against the Empire. "I can start reducing the dislocation and setting the fractures straight."

"Don't bother," Hemlock told her. "Monitor its vitals. I need its mind, not its limbs. Fractures won't kill it. Though infection might. Monitor its vitals and load an antibacterial agent."

Emerie was stunned, but she hid it. "Yes, Doctor." He was going to leave Tech broken and expect him to help his project? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't why she became a doctor. She wanted to relieve suffering. This was willfully allowing it to continue. No wonder he'd been expelled.

It took two hours to complete the surgery, and Tech showed no signs of waking. That was a mercy at least. He wasn't in any pain at the moment.

"Let's move it to Critical Care," Hemlock ordered. "I've requisitioned some new equipment. CT-9902 here needs to be monitored around the clock. Work out the shifts between you." He stripped off his gloves.

It was up to Emerie and Scalder then to transfer Tech to the Critical Care apparatus. He was still to be intubated. Scalder connected the breather and then started to insert the feeding tube. Emerie connected the IVs for fluids and blood. Tech had lost a lot in surgery. He was getting fuller breaths now. His vitals were stable.

"I like nights," Scalder said. "I'll take first shift. Midnight to midday."

Emerie nodded. She was wide awake now. "Midday to midnight is fine. Though I might need a stim. I was sleeping when the call came."

"Good, I'll relieve you at midnight," Scalder said. She took off her gloves and gown and walked away, leaving Emerie alone with Tech. She set the monitor to alert her of any change in vitals or consciousness then went to where Crosshair was lying.

"We have one of your brothers now," she told him quietly, knowing he couldn't hear her. "Maybe they'll let you see him once he wakes."

Two rotations later, Tech was still fully unconscious and Hemlock was leaving. He smiled and said he'd be back with a gift for Nala Se. And he reiterated that no one but the three of them were to know about CT-9902's existence in Critical Care.

Emerie guessed he was going after the girl. And it hadn't required torturing Crosshair more or Tech waking up. Emerie wasn't sure how she felt about that. She didn't care one way or another about the cloning project. She wanted to keep the clones alive. That was her personal mission. They were her patients. She wasn't a scientist. She was a physician. She didn't know what Hemlock had planned for Tech, but it probably wasn't good. Maybe he'd stay comatose for weeks or months or years.

Still with twelve hours and no doctor Hemlock, she decided to practice her profession. She started small. She aligned the bones in Tech's left index finger. He didn't so much as twitch. She wanted to take him back to surgery, turn him over, and alleviate the spinal compression. As it was, she managed to slip the various pieces of a spine stabilizer under Tech and activate it so they'd connect. He wouldn't be able to move his back and injure himself further if he did wake. Once that was done, she still had eight more hours. She worked on more of his fingers. She couldn't splint them without drawing attention. But she let them sit in bowls of bacta for a few hours. She'd have to have them all dried off by the time Scalder came to relieve her. His legs and arms were starting to swell, though. She decided she'd suggest reducing the fractures when Hemlock returned. Leaving the breaks could lead to infection and antibacterial agents could only do so much.

For now, she put cold compresses over the breaks and checked his hands to see if they were dry. She put her hand on Tech's head. "I'm sorry I can't do more today. Maybe tomorrow."

Hunter had no ideas about where to start looking. He looked to Wrecker, who held Tech's broken goggles in his hands. They'd lost Tech and now they'd lost Omega, too. And they still didn't know what Hemlock wanted her for. Maybe Crosshair was right. Maybe he was a terrible leader.

"Maybe we should go to Pabu," Echo suggested. "We need to heal. I'll contact Rex, see if his contacts can dig up anything. Senator Chuchi may be able to find something more on Hemlock."

"What do we tell Phee?" Wrecker asked, still looking down at the goggles.

It had been clear to everyone except Tech that Phee had been flirting with him. What if she really cared for him?

"We tell her the truth," Echo replied. "Losing Tech.… I lost a lot of brothers. Most of my first squad. Others in the 501st. I've been through this. It hurts but we will survive it. We need to be strong and healthy if we're to rescue Omega and Crosshair."

And kill Cid, Hunter added silently. And maybe Saw Gerrera. He just nodded.

Phee was waiting with Shep when they docked. She must have read their faces.

"What's happened?" she asked. "Where's Omega?"

"Cid betrayed us," Hunter told her. "They took her."

"And Brown Eyes?"

Hunter shook his head. That pain in his chest flared again. Wrecker handed her the goggles. That was enough. She gasped in horror then turned to Shep, who held her.

"You can stay with me," Shep told them. "You're injured."

Phee let go of him and walked away. Shep guided them to a room with a couple of beds. Wrecker sat down on one. He looked lost. Hunter felt lost.

"Please lie back and rest," AZI said. "I will scan you for new injuries."

Hunter lay back but he couldn't rest. He couldn't close his eyes without imagining Tech hitting the ground or seeing Hemlock's ship take off with Omega.

"I'll go to Coruscant," Echo told them. "I'll come back as soon as I can. Maybe I'll stop by Eriadu, see if I can find him. Give him a proper burial."

"Here," Wrecker said. "He liked it here."

Hunter now imagined Tech's body decaying in his armor. Still, he wanted him here, too. He just nodded again.

Echo left. Shep stayed. "Everyone here has lost someone," he told them. "Lyana's mother." He sighed. "If you need anything, just ask." He left and shut the door.

Hunter let AZI tend to him as he stared blindly at the ceiling.

Omega didn't understand. This woman was a clone? She was wearing an Imperial uniform. Why was she helping Hemlock, and why did she look so much older? She thought she was the only female clone. "Why should I believe you? You're working for them."

"I'm working with them," the woman told her. "There's a difference. I don't condone everything they do, but there's no point fighting against it. I tried to tell Crosshair that."

"Why's he even here?" Omega retorted. "He was loyal to the Empire."

"His last commanding officer might argue," the woman replied, "if Crosshair hadn't shot him. Apparently, he had a change of heart. He tried to warn you. What is plan 88?"

Omega didn't think it mattered if she told that one. "Hide, we're being targeted."

"Apparently, you didn't hide."

"We wanted to rescue Crosshair and find out what Hemlock wanted with me. What does he want with me?" Maybe when Crosshair woke up, she and he could work out a plan to get another message out.

"Dr. Hemlock wants Nala Se's assistance with a project. You're here so she'll comply."

Omega still wasn't sure she could trust this woman. But the last part sounded true. "What do you do here?"

"I'm a doctor. I treat the wounded. And I try to keep clones like Crosshair alive. May I scan you for injuries?"

"AZI already treated me." She hoped AZI had found Echo. And that Echo had freed Hunter and Wrecker. She looked at Crosshair again. He didn't know about Tech. "You going to strap me down to one of your tables like this?"

"I hope I won't need to," the woman said. She pulled out a portable scanner from her pocket. "AZI did a decent job," she said. "My name is Emerie, by the way, and I think we can do a little better. Follow me please."

Omega followed her. She did hurt still. Her head, mostly, but also her stomach. But how much of that was her injuries and how much was Tech and her worry over the others? Everything had gone wrong since Eriadu. They lost Tech—They left him there!—they crashed, Cid turned them in, and she was caught and maybe Hunter and Wrecker, too.

Emerie led her to an empty bed and helped her onto it. She didn't strap her down. "What did you do on Kamino?" she asked.

"I helped Nala Se. I want to see her."

"She is here," Emerie replied. "But that's up to the doctor. Maybe you can help me here in the infirmary. I'm sure these clones could use a friendly face." She loaded up an injector and put it to Omega's arm. "Just medicine." Her datapad started beeping. She pulled it from her pocket.

"What's that?" Omega asked sharply.

"Critical Care. Lie still and let the machine work. You'll feel better in a few hours."

She left Omega and used her access card to enter Critical Care. Tech's eyelids were trying to open. He made weak movements, and he was fighting the breather.

She put her hand on his forehead. "Please, lie still. You'll only hurt yourself. Breathe normally. You sustained multiple injuries."

His eyes opened and locked onto hers, though they were still glassy. He was semiconscious at best. But he stopped moving. "You're in Critical Care," she told him. "I'm Emerie, one of the doctors here. I'm sure you have many questions. But you're intubated. Let the machine help you breathe."

His broken hands were shaking, but his breaths calmed. She added some pain meds to his IV. His eyelids tried to close but he forced them open.

"Go ahead and rest." She touched his forehead again. "I'm sure all your questions will be answered once you're fully awake. Sleep."

She reluctantly left him as his eyes closed again. She hadn't wanted him to wake up. Not for a long time yet. Now she had to inform Dr. Hemlock.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Echo changed his mind. He went to Eriadu first. The summit over, there were no Venators in orbit. Still, he took every precaution he could. He landed in a grove of trees with just enough clear space. It was well away from the rail lines. He used macrobinoculars to find the wreckage of the ruined railcar. The debris was still there. He circled it before approaching, scanning for half a klick in every direction. No one was there. Still, he approached slowly and carefully.

He looked around and in the nearly unrecognizable pile of scrap metal that was the broken railcar. He found the loose cable that had held Tech, but it was released from the belt end. Still there was no armor, no blood, no body. No sign that a body had ever been there. No tracks of large equipment to lift the debris, for instance. There were footprints around it though.

He followed the flattened grass and muddy gravel that evidenced the movements of the Imperial troops no doubt ordered to search the debris. They eventually went south, and he saw the start of a rocky outcropping capped by very tall trees. So tall, in fact, that he couldn't even see their tops. But they looked strange to him. He used the macrobinoculars to get a better look. Some of the trees were nearly bare at the top, their branches broken. He scanned down the tree, seeing more broken branches, scratched trunks.

He climbed up to the base of the trees. If Tech hadn't fallen with the railcar, perhaps he had ended up in the trees. There, right at the base of one tree that grew between two boulders, he found many of the broken branches scattered about. And when he looked at the rocks, he found droplets of blood. Tech had fallen into the trees, and the trees had deposited him on the rocks.

He followed the blood droplets here and there, as they had fallen or been smeared onto the rocks. He was careful to set his feet securely so that he wouldn't slip and fall there. The blood evidence ended on a flattened section of gravel-strewn soil. There was a larger splatter of blood, as if Tech had spat or coughed it out. There were more footprints here. Hemlock had lied. They hadn't only found Tech's goggles. They'd found Tech's body.

But something about that theory nagged at Echo. The 501st had counted him dead at The Citadel when the shuttle exploded. No one had believed that he'd survived until Rex had noticed strategies employed by the droid armies were similar to strategies he'd worked out with Echo. He was the only one who believed until he and Tech released him from stasis. Tech had been the one to disconnect him from the computer so Rex could safely disconnect the cables.

Echo made the decision then that he was going to be the one who believed Tech could be alive. The trees could have slowed his fall. They and the rocks had hurt him, but Hemlock had taken him from here. Why would he bother if Tech was dead?

He wouldn't tell the others just yet. Not until he had some kind of proof. If their hopes were raised only to be dashed if Echo was wrong, it would hurt them more. Besides, he still felt the grief, knowing that this was Tech's blood. If he was alive, Tech was very much not well, just as he had not been well after the explosion. Tech could be in a lot of pain; he could be frightened.

But if Hemlock had him, maybe Tech could be reunited with Omega and Crosshair. That was the only good thing about this he could find. He left the area and trekked back to his ship. He pulled up the navicomputer and pointed it to Coruscant.

Omega wasn't allowed to see Nala Se. Dr. Hemlock simply dismissed her in that creepy, calm way of his. "Your presence is all that is required. You need only concern yourself that she is cooperating. Your continued welfare depends upon it."

Omega hated him but decided not to show him any anger. "I was Nala Se's medical assistant on Kamino. I'd like to help Emerie in the infirmary."

"By all means, make yourself useful," he'd said. "More useful," he added as she turned to go.

"We have a long shift," Emerie told her. "Midday to midnight. I'd like you to help monitor the patients. Alert me if someone is struggling. I'll be spending quite a lot of my time in Critical Care."

Omega looked around for where Critical Care might be. She saw some doors far in the back. "How will I notify you?"

Emerie handed her a datapad. "You can contact me with this," she said. "It will also show you everything the machines are displaying." Then she took her on her rounds, telling her about each patient and the treatments she was using.

Omega tapped a few buttons. "Can I use this to learn about the different medications and what they do?"

"Certainly, learn enough and we can make you a nurse."

Emerie retreated to Critical Care, and Omega watched where she went from the corner of her eye. She wondered who was in there and what had been done to them to make them critical. Crosshair was out here and he'd tried to escape.

Omega went to his bed and sat beneath it as she read about the treatment he'd been given. He'd been exposed to some kind of poisonous gas. It was very academically written. Tech could probably summarize it so it would be easier to understand. And that thought made her sad again. He had died to save them. Hunter said they shouldn't waste it. But that had happened anyway.

Now that she was alone, she let her tears come. Tech was her teacher. He'd even started to teach her to fly the Marauder. She remembered more, seeing him fall through the slats in the end of the railcar as it fell.

"Who's crying?"

Crosshair. She'd recognize his voice anywhere, even groggy. She sat the datapad down and stood up. She put her hand on his shoulder and stood on her toes so he could see her better. He was strapped so that he couldn't turn his head.

Crosshair sighed. "Plan 88. You were supposed to hide."

Omega sniffed. "We wanted to rescue you."

"Why the tears? You're not strapped down."

She rubbed at her eyes. "Crosshair, Tech…Tech's gone."

He stopped breathing and the machine started to beep. "How?" he whispered.

"Plan 99. He saved us. Only it didn't matter. Cid betrayed us. Hunter and Wrecker were captured. I tried to hold them off until AZI could get Echo. But they got behind me. I hope Echo got them out."

The beeping stopped as he started breathing again. A tear slid down the side of his face. "How?" he asked again. He couldn't move his arm, but he opened his hand and she put hers in it.

"We were very high up. He fell. If he hadn't, we all would've fallen. We wrecked though. I got hurt; we all did. We went back to Ord Mantell, but Cid.… We'd worked for her, saved her. I didn't think she'd betray us."

He squeezed her hand. "What will they do without him? Echo can do some of it, but only if he's scomped in."

"I don't know." She put her head down on his shoulder.

"Touching."

Omega stood upright. She'd recognize that voice anywhere, too, that smarmy, sarcastic tone.

"Hemlock," Crosshair hissed.

"Oh, I do hope you're well enough to walk, CT-9904." He had four guards behind him and that other woman who met them at the landing pad.

Omega reluctantly let go of Crosshair's hand and stepped back. The woman released Crosshair. Four guards. Crosshair must have put on quite a show when he tried to escape.

Crosshair stood but had to grab the bed to steady himself. But he straightened and glared down at Hemlock.

Hemlock didn't seem to care. He turned and started walking toward Critical Care. "You, too, Omega. It's time for a reunion."

Tech had a vague memory of the woman beside him. But he couldn't see her clearly, and he couldn't remember any details of their earlier interaction. He was honestly surprised at still being alive. Not that there was anything wrong with his second plan. It had only given him a chance of survival, and there had been only infinitesimal odds of him coming out uninjured.

However, there were factors that negated any relief he might have felt at having survived a three kilometer fall. One was the incredible amount of pain he felt in his arms and chest. Another was that he felt no pain in his legs. He felt nothing in his legs. And third, other than that vague memory, he'd never seen this woman before. And she was wearing an Imperial uniform. It was potential good news that he didn't see the others. They should've gotten away. As it was, though, he couldn't turn his neck to try and see further, and without his goggles, everything was rather blurry anyway.

Thus, he'd come to the conclusion that he was alive but very much injured. And captured by the enemy, to boot. He rather wished he hadn't woken up altogether.

A door opened to his right. A lot of people entered the room. Several, he could tell, were in white, and one was shorter than the others. One he could recognize even if he were blind. Crosshair. Another bit of bad news. He was captured by the same enemy who had Crosshair. So, he wasn't surprised that Doctor Hemlock, himself, approached him. "I'm impressed you found a way to survive such a fall. But, alas, not unscathed, which leaves you at our disposal. I've read your file. Your intelligence is, quite frankly, astounding, and I hope to put it to good use."

Tech wanted to tell him he'd never put his mind to Hemlock's uses, but he couldn't speak. He could feel the tubes in his mouth, nose, and throat. He did his best, then, to try and show defiance in his eyes.

Hemlock wasn't finished. "I've also read a lot about each of the members of your squad. I was most intrigued by CT-1409, Echo, as you call him."

Oh, no, no, no, Tech thought. He could hear the monitor beeping faster as his heart sped up in his chest.

"Now, now," Hemlock chided. "You mustn't stress yourself." He looked to the woman on the other side of the bed. Tech kept his eyes on Hemlock. "The Techno Union's methods were crude and needlessly bulky. I envision a much smaller and robust interface. Just a small port." He touched Tech's right temple. "Here."

"No! You can't!"

And it just kept getting worse. Omega was captured, too.

"Oh, I can," Hemlock argued, "and I assure you, I will. You, Tech, will assist myself and Nala Se in a project our Emperor holds dear. You'll do so willingly, or two people I believe you care about will suffer the consequences."

He stepped back. "I'll give you five minutes. All but Emerie, out."

Omega rushed to him. "You're alive!"

Crosshair touched her shoulders and she stepped back for him. He pulled a chair or stool over and slid closer. He leaned in and whispered quietly. "You were supposed to hide, not come after me. But remember this, Brother: You are smarter than Echo. You are smarter than him. Use it." He closed his eyes and put his forehead to Tech's for a moment. Then he slid away for Omega.

She was crying. He didn't have to ask her what her problem was this time. She gently rubbed his forehead. "We should have gone back for you." She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Cid turned us in. The others aren't here. I hope Echo got them away."

So, Echo was free, at least. Hunter and Wrecker were a question mark.

Tell me everything, he thought to her, but, of course, she wouldn't hear it.

But, apparently, she guessed. "Our car wouldn't slow down. We crashed at the end. We were hurt. AZI treated us, but Cid betrayed us. Hemlock had them. I disobeyed orders. I sent AZI after Echo and tried to hold them off. But one got behind me. He stunned me."

"Don't fight your breather." The woman, Emerie, had stayed.

"What's wrong with him?" Omega asked her.

"Skull fracture, closed," Emerie reported. "A piece of wood had pierced his right lung and stomach. It was removed and the organs sutured. His left shoulder is dislocated and his spine is compressed. He has a number of fractures in his limbs and ribs."

That explained the pain—and his numbness.

"You fixed his skull, his chest," Crosshair said. "Not the others."

"The doctor's orders. He doesn't need limbs for his…plans."

Omega was shocked, and angry. "You're a doctor. How can you allow this?"

"What more could I do?" Emerie responded. "I've set some of his bones in secret. I've stabilized his spine so maybe he won't end up paralyzed."

"He won't need to walk if he's hooked up to a computer," Crosshair snarled.

"Even if he were fully healed, none of you could get out of here," she stated. "Resisting is just going to lead to more pain. It's asking for punishment."

Omega pleaded with her. "Emerie, I think you care about your patients. But what good is healing them here? What's Hemlock doing to them when you release them from your infirmary?"

The door opened. "Time's up. Take CT-9904 back to his cell."

Tech tried to suggest with his eyes that she should go with him.

"I want to go with him," Omega said. She turned back to Emerie. "Just for tonight."

"Fine," Hemlock stated. "Just for tonight. We'll all get down to business tomorrow."

Echo lowered his ship into the garage. Rex met him as he stepped out. Senator Chuchi was with him.

"Was your contact able to decrypt the files?"

Echo nodded. "He was. But we still don't know where the prisoners are being taken. Is there someplace we can talk privately?"

Senator Chuchi didn't seem upset by the request. She looked concerned.

"Yeah, the office," Rex replied. Echo followed him and waited for the door to close.

"There were only fragments left," Echo told him. "We do know who has them. Doctor Royce Hemlock and the Advanced Sciene Division. But the Batch also received a message from Crosshair. Plan 88. We know Hemlock has him, too."

Rex sat on the desk and indicated with his hand that Echo should sit. "Plan 88?"

Echo sat in the chair and continued. "Hide. But we didn't. We voted to save Crosshair. Hemlock was set to arrive at a summit on Eriadu with Governor Tarkin and others. We planned to set a beacon on his ship and then follow him back to where he's holding the prisoners."

"I'm guessing it didn't go to plan."

Echo sighed. "We planted the beacon. But Saw Gererra was there. He planted bombs, hoping to take out Tarkin and everyone at the summit. We had to fight our way out. There were sky rail lines in and out of the tower. We got on one, fought troopers on the other side of it. We were traveling out when the bombs went off. The track lost power. We were stuck three kilometers off the ground with no way out. The bombs took out the hangar—and our beacon. They didn't touch the top of the tower. Tarkin sent ships to shoot us down. Tech went out on the track to reach a terminal so he could get us moving." He believed, but this still hurt. "He was coming back when they shot our car and its connection to the track. One half was broken and hanging down, pulling our half off the track. Tech was hanging off the broken part."

Rex didn't say anything, but, by his expression, he'd guessed.

"Tech shot the hinge between the halves. He and the broken half fell."

"I'm sorry," Rex said. "He sacrificed himself to save the rest of you."

Echo nodded. "Our half sped out of there, but I couldn't slow it down. We crashed. The others were hurt, especially Omega. We went back to Ord Mantell. I don't know how it went down, because I was still on the Marauder. But Cid Scaleback turned us in. Hemlock and the Empire showed up. I got Hunter and Wrecker out but Omega was captured. We tried to get to her but Hemlock's shuttle took off. We barely got out of there. But there was no way to track Hemlock's shuttle."

Rex nodded slowly. "So now he has Crosshair and the girl. At least we have a name. That's more than we had yesterday."

Echo's shoulders slumped. He shook his head. "Rex, there's something else. I went back to Eriadu. I looked for him."

"Tech?"

Echo nodded. "He wasn't with the wreckage. Hemlock had his goggles, said that was all they found of him. I think he lied."

Rex leaned back a bit and took a deep breath. "Three kilometers, Echo. No one survives that."

"He hit the trees, high, fell through them onto rocks, down the rocks. I found drops of blood, Rex. No pools. No body. There were footprints all around where he must have fallen. But only a little blood."

Rex leaned back further. "What would Hemlock want with Tech, alive or not?"

Echo shook his head. "But I have to believe he's still alive. Hemlock wouldn't need his body."

Rex sighed but shook his head. "Even hitting trees—and rocks—he'd be broken up. He could have bled out internally."

"Why take his body?" Echo repeated. "Everyone thought I was dead. The explosion destroyed most of my body. You were the only one to believe I was still out there." He choked back his tears. "I'm Tech's only one."

"I didn't," Rex admitted. "Not until I felt it was too much of a coincidence. That the droids were using tactics we dreamed up together."

"I've got the state of the trees, the blood on the rocks. He was meters away from the broken railcar."

Rex stood and came to him. He put his hands on both of Echo's shoulders. "Okay. Then I'll believe with you. But we need to find them."

Echo felt like at least a little of the weight on his shoulders was lifted. But Rex was right. He couldn't help Tech—or Omega and Crosshair—until they could find him. He nodded and stood. "Maybe Senator Chuchi can look Hemlock up. If we have a full history, we might find some clue. I need to get back to Hunter and Wrecker. They had never lost anyone before, not in the whole war. They're taking it hard."

Rex nodded, too. He put his hand on Echo's back as they went to the door. "I'll see if any of my men on the inside can find any transmissions, requisitions. He's got all these prisoners; he has to be paying for the facilities to hold them somehow. It's not just your fight. They're still taking clones. We'll keep trying to intercept them—before they can erase their logs."

"Maybe stop one of the captains from killing themselves," Echo suggested as they stepped back into the larger garage.

Senator Chuchi was nearby, talking with a clone. She came to them.

"Have you ever heard of a Doctor Royce Hemlock or the Advanced Science Division?" Rex asked her.

"No, but I'll look into it. He's part of this?"

Echo answered, "He's the only clue we've got."

"Are you alright, Echo?" she asked.

Rex responded for him. "Clone Force 99 got the data for you from Rampart's Venator."

"I remember."

"They lost a man."

She put her hand on Echo's chest. "I'm so sorry. We'll do everything we can to find this Doctor Hemlock. Give Omega my condolences."

Echo couldn't bring himself to tell her. He just nodded and went back to his ship. But he heard Rex behind him, telling her that Hemlock now had Omega as well.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Crosshair was surprised the girl wanted to go with him, and more surprised that Hemlock had let her. He must have felt pretty secure that they wouldn't conspire together. Or that they really could not get out this deathtrap. And they couldn't. Not without Tech. And he wasn't in any shape to go anywhere. He sat in the corner and she tucked in beside him.

"Why are you here?" she whispered.

"I realized the Empire does not value clones, any clones. We're property to them." Then he found he wanted to tell her more. That Mayday deserved it. "My last post was on Barton IV, icy planet, cold wind, lots of snow. Under the command of a very green, very self-important lieutenant. Some insurgents had stolen two crates of cargo and killed two of the three remaining clones who'd been stationed there. He sent me and the last clone, Commander Mayday, after that cargo. I had managed to injure one of the insurgents. We tracked the blood through some caverns, found the insurgent dead. We moved on and found the insurgents' camp. There was a firefight. One of my shots during the fight triggered an explosion. We prevailed and found the crates. They were full of gear for our replacements. The explosion trigged an avalanche. We tried to outrun it. The snow was waist-deep. I found Mayday. I had to dig him out. He was hurt.

"I couldn't leave him. We were far from the base. Sometimes he'd fall and I'd pull him back up and keep going. It was so cold, I couldn't feel my face, my fingers. Couldn't see anything but white. We made it through the night, somehow. We set out again in the morning, saw ships so I knew we were near the base. We entered the far end of the airfield. Mayday collapsed. I told the lieutenant he needed a medic, but he was only concerned that we didn't have the crates. Helping Mayday would be 'a waste of the Empire's resources.' Mayday died right there. The lieutenant said he was expendable, and so was I. He ordered me to leave him and go back to work. I shot him."

Omega hugged his arm. "I'm sorry about Mayday."

Crosshair sighed. "I woke up here. Hemlock didn't care that I shot the lieutenant. Said he'd let me go if I told him how to find the rest of you."

"You nearly escaped. How?"

"We can't get out that way," he told her. "I didn't get farther than the comm terminal. Hemlock deployed some kind of poison gas. He's immune. Then they tortured me some more. Your turn."

Omega was glad Crosshair had turned on the Empire, that he'd refused to help Hemlock. But she didn't like what Hemlock had done, or what he was doing. Whatever he was going to do to Tech.

"We ended up on Ord Mantell, doing work for Ciddarin Scaleback," she told him. "She sent us on dangerous missions, used us for muscle. But I thought she liked us. Not too long ago, this old contact of hers threatened her over some debt when she lost a race. Her pilot got taken out, so Tech piloted the race, and he won. He won her freedom. I really didn't think she'd turn on us.

"Anyway," she went on, "Phee Genoa was a friend of hers. A pirate. But she really just takes things for the Archium. I won't say where, just in case they torture you again. But it was nice there. People were refugees, living free. I have a friend there, Lyana. Maybe we could all go back there someday."

"But you didn't stay there," Crosshair pulled her back into focus. "You came to find me."

"Echo had been working with Captain Rex. They attacked a transport of prisoners being taken here. They erased most of the data, but what they had was encrypted. Only Tech could decrypt it. He did and he found your CT number on the list of prisoners transported here. So he checked our old comm channels, heard your Plan 88. Echo and Tech went looking through all the files but couldn't find much. Echo found out Hemlock would be at a summit at Tarkin's compound on Eriadu. So we planned a covert op: Set a beacon on Hemlock's ship then follow him. In and out. Simple."

"Not so simple." Crosshair suggested.

"No. We set the beacon. But Saw Gererra was there. He set bombs. They destroyed the hangar and our beacon, and shorted out the rail line. Tech had to go to the terminal and reboot the system. Then there were ships shooting at us. That's how the car broke in half. The broken half was pulling our half off the track. Tech shot the hinge between the halves. He fell. I don't know how he's alive." But she smiled just then. He was alive. Then she felt sad. Because he was here and he was hurt. Echo never told her exactly what happened at Skako Minor, but she knew he had a lot of droid parts and that he had a scomp link. She knew it wasn't something he'd enjoyed. Something bad had happened to make him that way, to make him feel uncomfortable alone.

Crosshair put his arm around her. "We won't know until he can tell us. Tomorrow is not going to be a good day. You should try to sleep."

She leaned in to him, happy to have someone she could talk to. "What about you?"

"I've done a lot of sleeping lately," he said. "Besides, I've got some thinking to do."

Doctor Hemlock peeled back the skin on CT-9902's scalp. "Monitor its vitals closely," he ordered Emerie.

"Yes, Doctor. He's stable."

Scalder handed him the saw. While the port was rather small, the connections within CT-9902's brain needed to be more expansive. He had to set six connectors in various areas of his frontal and temporal lobes. The connectors would then activate and spread though the brain like a spider web. The Cybernetics Division had devised a masterpiece of technology. He cut a section of the skull from ear to ear and from crown to eyebrows. Then he carefully lifted it out. It was delicate work setting the connectors, but he'd had the chance to practice on several clones before CT-9902 had woken up. The first had expired as soon as his brain was exposed. Shock. He'd deigned to sedate the second. Still, he'd misplaced one connector, and the spider webbing had entered into the wrong area. That one had had to be eliminated. The third, however, had worked perfectly. Hemlock had only connected it to a datapad. It had sent very rude and disrespectful messages to the pad.

As they operated now, a new computer system was being installed in Critical Care. CT-9902's health was still precarious. Hemlock had decided it could work from there, where its health could be carefully managed. The system would tie into the lab above where he worked on the Emperor's cloning project. He'd only brought Nala Se in once Omega had arrived. He didn't fully trust her. CT-9902 could help verify her work or even suggest new avenues of research.

Internal connections set, he drilled a small hole in the skull fragment as the fibers were spreading throughout the brain. He pushed the inner parts of the port through the hole and then replaced the fragment, sealing it in place. Scalder had been keeping the bleeding at bay as she handed him the next tool he'd need. He lowered the flap of scalp and microsutured it all the way around. There was a lump on its right temple where the port protruded. He cut the skin around it so that it would lay flush with his scalp. Then he cauterized the area to hold the port in place and close the wound. Scalder handed him the plate. He sealed that to the skin around the port then screwed the outer section of the port down into it. All that was needed now was the cable.

"Done," he announced, setting the last of the tools back on the tray. "Once it's safe to transfer, set it up in Critical Care. We'll test the connection once it's conscious."

"Yes, Doctor."

Emerie waited until Scalder and Hemlock had both left. She took off her glasses and covered her face with her gloved hands. She treated patients. She didn't assist with Hemlock's experiments. She knew that many of her patients disappeared once they were released back to the cells. She knew they died. But she didn't know how. She didn't see it up close, so she could tell herself that she wasn't a part of it. She did what she could for them in her infirmary.

Scalder had told her two inmates had died before Hemlock perfected the connection. He probably killed the third anyway. She wasn't there to see it. Scalder had assisted. But Tech. She was right there in the room. She was making sure he survived while they violated his brain.

It wasn't right, but she felt trapped. She couldn't leave any more than one of the inmates. She had to stay and follow orders. She had to hide her true feelings, her thoughts, her true self.

She looked at the monitors. She could easily make it look like he'd died of shock. He wouldn't have to wake up inside a computer. He wouldn't be in any more pain. But she was sure they would know it was her. Who else could it be? Tech was stable and she was the only other person in the room.

She sighed then decided on a smaller act of defiance. She quickly maneuvered Tech's left shoulder back into its socket and carefully laid it back down by his side. She put her glasses back on as she heard someone enter the prep room.

"Ready to transport?" Scalder asked.

"Yes, he's holding steady."

The next time Tech awoke, he couldn't see anything. He thought for a moment that he'd gone blind. But he could hear.

"The operation was a success," Hemlock said from his right. "What do you see in your mind's eye?"

Did he really expect an answer? The tubes were still there. He still couldn't speak. At least he wasn't in pain like before. Wait. He tried moving one of his fingers on the bed. He didn't think it moved. He tried moving his jaw, fighting the breather. But if Emerie was there, she stayed quiet, and the beeping of his pulse was steady. In and out went the air from his lungs. He was paralyzed. He couldn't move.

"Excellent," Hemlock exclaimed. "We've given you a paralytic. There's no need for you to move. We'll control your autonomic functions."

How had he known? Oh. He remembered their last conversation. You are a sadist.

"I've been called worse." Hemlock moved closer. "You are now connected to a computer system that is tied directly to my lab. At present, it is offline and can only be accessed locally. I want to run some tests. Some simple puzzles. Should be easy for a clone of your intelligence."

"Ow!" Omega. He hurt her.

"Cooperate and Omega can return to Crosshair. You should see nine numbered blocks. You can move one block one space at a time. Put them in order, lowest to highest."

And he could see them. But they weren't in front of his eyes.

"Take your time," Hemlock offered. "Just not too much time."

"Stop it!"

One, seven, four on the first row; nine, six, eight in the middle, then three, five, two. He thought to swap the two and eight. They moved. Two and four, then two and seven. There was, perhaps, a faster pattern, but he stuck to working in numerical order. He swapped the three and five horizontally, then the three and six vertically. Eleven more moves and it was done.

"Very good. Let's try another. Put the list in order."

Tech saw a list of forty-seven words. Easy enough. He was finished in 8.2 seconds.

"Very impressive. Let her go."

"Tech!" she called out to him once more before he heard the door close. She was gone.

Hemlock gave him another test, to find a certain piece of data in the computer. But Tech decided to do his own tests. He found the data, but he'd also thought of a rather colorful insult in the Batori language he'd heard once.

"Nicely done. You're getting faster. I've created a program of increasingly difficult tests, to allow you to practice. This new for you, after all. Once you're fully up to speed, I'll reintroduce you to Nala Se."

Tech heard the door again. He didn't know if he was alone. He started the program. Hemlock was right about one thing. He needed practice. He remembered Crosshair's words to him. He was going to use the one thing he still had conscious control of: his mind.

Echo set the ship's navicomputer back to Coruscant and set the auto-pilot. Rex would need the ship. Hunter and Wrecker needed him. He couldn't do everything Tech had done. Tech's forgeries were flawless, he could break any encryption given enough time, and he could hack just about every network he'd ever come across. Echo had anything available through his scomplink, which was a lot, just not everything.

He watched the ship take off. Then he entered the Marauder. He set the comm system to the encrypted channel he and Rex used and set it to alert him if Rex should call. Then he started for the room he'd left Hunter and Wrecker in two rotations before.

But he was interrupted. "I don't think we've been formally introduced," said a barrel-chested, bald man. "I'm Shep Hazard. I lead this group of refugees."

"Echo," he told him. "I was part of the team before. Now I am again."

"Well, you're welcome here," Shep told him, shaking his natural hand. "Were you injured in the wreck?"

"Only minorly," Echo assured him. "I'm more droid than man now. Comes in handy sometimes."

"I'm very sorry about Tech. I didn't know him well, but he was brilliant. Very serious, but brilliant."

Echo just nodded. "How's Phee taking it?"

"Better than Hunter and Wrecker, but still hard. I think she really liked him."

"Yeah," Echo agreed. "I think so, too. They still in there?"

Shep sighed. "Haven't even come out to eat. AZI said they should be back to full strength in two rotations. He's helping out with some of the injuries from the sea surge."

"Sea surge?"

"Your Hunter felt the tremors before they hit, and then Tech predicted the surge even before our early warning system."

Of course they did. Shep patted Echo's shoulder then walked over to another couple.

Echo reached for the door.

"This is a camera, right?" He turned to find Phee holding Tech's goggles.

"It was," Echo told her. "It's offline."

"Maybe it recorded something. His last.…" She didn't finish that sentence.

Tech's fall, surely, but after that? It sent recordings to the computer on Tech's forearm. Hemlock undoubtedly had Tech's armor, so he had the computer. "It recorded everything to a computer Tech wore." He tapped his own forearm.

"Maybe it holds some in memory before it transfers there."

Echo sighed. He took her arm. "Let's go to the ship and see if there's anything."

He doubted anything important would come of it, like the destination of Hemlock's transport when he left Eriadu. But he was curious just the same.

Phee sat at the helm and held the goggles while Echo worked on getting the camera working. He noted the dark circles around her eyes and the lines on her cheeks. Before, when they were exploring Skara Nal, Phee had been confident, even cocky.

A red light appeared on the end of the camera. Echo connected it to the ship's computer. An image appeared. It blinked in and out, but Echo recognized it as the deck of the Marauder, where the camera was presently pointed. He scomped in to see if there was anything in memory.

What he got was even more choppy. It was very dark and then the image moved. It showed Hemlock. He reached for the camera and then it was just the sky. Hemlock had removed Tech's goggles.

"Is that him?" There was a hard set to her voice.

"Doctor Hemlock," Echo confirmed. "He's got Omega." And Crosshair. And Tech.

"What did he do with my Brown Eyes?"

Her Brown Eyes. She had cared for him. "I don't know," Echo told her truthfully. "But Phee, you can't tell the others."

"Why not?"

"Because Tech's still gone. They don't need to know that Hemlock took him, too."

"What if he's alive?"

He hated to hide his thoughts from her just now. "Chances are he's not. Phee it was three kilometers up. He fell. Hemlock told them all they found was the goggles. He lied. But what good will it do unless we have proof he's alive? And we don't."

"What about further back? Or forward?"

Back would be the fall, but forward? Maybe they'd get lucky. There were no files before, which made sense. Tech's armor would have been close. And forward was in worse shape. It winked in and out, and it was full of static. All he could make out was white-armored legs. Then it cut out completely.

"Nothing else," he said. "It was damaged. And maybe the computer was, too. It couldn't transfer these last images."

"How can I help?" she asked. "If we find Hemlock, we find Omega and maybe Tech."

Echo thought for a movement. They'd met Phee through Cid. "You have contacts? Other pirates, brokers like Cid? If we can find her, we can maybe find out how she contacted the Empire. Most likely, it was through some random Imperial officer, but it's a place to start. We know it was Hemlock that took Omega and the Advanced Science Division."

"Full name."

"Doctor Royce Hemlock."

She put the goggles in his hand then reached for his shoulder. "They're my treasure now. Omega and Brown Eyes. Either way."

He wanted to tell her he believed, but her heart would break a second time if he was wrong. He didn't want to do that to her.

"If you find Cid, you call me. You'll have to act like you don't know she betrayed us."

"I can act when I need to," Phee assured him. "I've got a small ship here. I'll find her."

Echo quickly set up an encrypted channel and copied it to a data rod. "Use this channel, anything you find."

They stood and she hugged him. Then he was alone again. He had to do his own acting. He left the ship and returned to the door.

"Did you find him?" Wrecker asked, sitting up.

It wasn't hard to look sad. Echo shook his head. "How are you feeling?"

"Rex have anything?" Hunter asked. He didn't even sit up.

"No, but now they know who to look for." Echo set the goggles on a table and sat in the chair beside it. "Have you been eating? It's a nice evening. You should come out."

"What's the point?" Wrecker whined. "Still got no clues."

"You said we need to be healthy," Hunter pointed out. "AZI said we should rest. We're resting."

You're wallowing, he thought. But they really didn't have any new leads to go after. That really only left wallowing. "A walk outside is still restful," he tried. "I'm staying. I can't replace him, but I'll do my best."

Hunter finally sat up. "I know you will. I need to find her."

We need to find them, Echo corrected silently. But if Hunter focused on Omega, maybe he'd get off the bed.

Nala Se waited in the lab. There were five naked clones strapped down and a bank of computers. Some of the equipment she recognized from Tipoca City. She'd started answering some of Hemlock's questions since Omega was brought in. But not as detailed, perhaps, as Hemlock wanted. She'd allow him to gain her knowledge slowly, just as long as Omega was kept safe.

"Ah, Nala Se! How are we this morning?"

"False pleasantries are not needed," she told him.

"Too true," Hemlock agreed. "We'll have a new player in our little game soon. He is still learning his way around."

Cryptic. She didn't know who this 'player' was. Another Kaminoan? She doubted it. "How is Omega?"

"She's fine. She's even helping out in the infirmary. Had a nice reunion with CT-9904."

"Crosshair is here?" She hadn't known that. She hadn't seen any other prisoners, except the ones in this lab.

"Oh, he's been here a dozen or so rotations," Hemlock informed her. "We'll have to find a way for him to be useful as well."

She would love to give him a rifle and let him go, but she wasn't allowed access to weapons or the inmates' cells. She had her own cell and this lab. And a guard when she traveled between them.

Her Bad Batch would make short work of this base if they could find it, she was sure. She had hoped to meet with Omega, to learn more of her life with them. She had looked well. Other than being here now, it would seem they had taken good care of her.

She had little else to care about since her home and people were destroyed. If she was still here when—if—Hemlock succeeded in Palpatine's project, she would insert a fatal flaw, even if it was the last thing she did in life.

"Let us start with this clone here," Hemlock said as he lay his hands on CT-3496's shoulder. The clone watched anxiously. "You started with the bounty hunter, Jango Fett. Take me through it, step by step, especially the places where you deviated from Fett's genetic profile."

He injected something into the clone, and CT-3496's expression went slack. Except for his eyes. A paralytic. Then Hemlock picked up a scalpel.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tech was falling, or rather he was flying, floating through the air with nothing beneath him. Though he could see the rail lines above. He tried his comms, but all he got was static. And then he woke up.

He still couldn't see. But this time, he sensed an edge of light around whatever they had put over his eyes. So he wasn't blind. They probably meant to cut out distractions. It worked, but it was rather inducive to sleep as well, and given his physical condition, he was bound to fall asleep.

He listened hard, trying to tell if Emerie or anyone else was in the room with him. But all he could hear were the machines beeping his pulse or moving air through his lungs. He still didn't feel any pain, and he couldn't move any voluntary muscles. Except his eyes, and his eyes had nothing to look at.

He found the test program again and started in on it, but as he did, he tested around the edges of it. Was it still offline or could he get access to other things? He first looked for the hardware he was connected to. Hemlock had apparently read readouts of some of his thoughts. There had to be a monitor. It had shown the puzzles. Did it show the program as well? Software had to run on an operating system. And hardware needed drivers to work with an operating system. If he could find the operating system, perhaps he could determine what passed through the driver to the monitor. If he could do that, he could control his output.

The tests were increasingly complicated, which Tech used to his advantage. Each test gave him a little more insight into how to manipulate the computer he was connected to. He felt a slight pinch in his right temple where Hemlock had said he'd put the port, but nothing else there. No surge of electricity or anything he thought Echo might have felt once he was released from his stasis chamber.

The door opened. He focused solely on the program, so that whoever had entered wouldn't think he'd tried to explore further.

"Barring your three-hour nap, your progress is impressive," a woman's voice. Not Emerie's. "The doctor would like you to begin reading up on all the Kaminoan research retrieved from Tipoca City."

He heard her fingers on the controls, and then he did feel something. It didn't hurt, but it was like a pulse that flashed at his temple. He left the test program and went looking for files. He found thousands of documents. They were in Kaminoan, but he was able to pull up a translation program and read everything. It was going to take hours if not rotations to read it all.

But this gave him an inkling of what they wanted Nala Se for. They wanted to make their own clones. But what kind of clones?

"Have you found the files?" the woman asked. Maybe she wasn't watching.

Yes, he replied, hoping it was now showing on the monitor.

"Good. The doctor will check your progress tomorrow."

She stayed a few minutes longer, though he couldn't tell exactly what she was doing. He theorized she was checking his vitals to ensure he stayed alive as Hemlock's new science project.

Well, he was going to be more than a science project. I will resist, he thought, hoping that it did not show on the monitor. He had a file up that detailed the genetic information gleaned from Jango Fett.

"Do read quickly," she stated. "The doctor is anxious to integrate you into his work."

The door opened and closed. He was alone again. He kept the file open and read a paragraph, keeping that page on the screen. Then he searched back from the file to the folder of files to the drive the folders were on. Then he found it. It was a system he was very familiar with. It had originated with the Republic, though the Empire had found new encryption algorithms. Still, he hadn't found one he couldn't crack yet.

Omega woke up before Crosshair. Hemlock had released her very early in the morning. She had to watch what they did with Tech. They covered his eyes and he couldn't move at all. They twisted her arm behind her back until it hurt. But Tech did what they wanted and she was finally released. The other woman took her back through the infirmary then back to Crosshair's cell. He had woken up when she was taken, and he was standing when she was brought back in. She had hugged him and he had held her while she cried.

She moved Crosshair's arm gently from where it had been draped over her. Crosshair had definitely made a turnaround. He was Clone Force 99 again. He would not betray her if she tried to do something to get away or get a message out. She was confident in that. But what could she do?

Presently, she was still locked in his cell. She looked around and found only one other thing in it besides walls and the floor. A place to relieve oneself. It wasn't even as nice as the head on the Marauder, and that had lacked greatly in comparison to the amenities in Tipoca City. At least Crosshair had gone back to sleep. She did her business and then picked up her datapad to look it over.

She tried to see if Tech was anywhere on it, but it didn't seem to have any patients from Critical Care or whatever that other door had led to. Now that she knew Tech was in there, she wanted to help Emerie there as well. The tablet did tell her the time. She felt sad about what they'd done to him. And she wondered if Crosshair felt sad, too. He hadn't talked about it at all the night before.

She was hungry and she wondered if she'd get the same food as Emerie or the same food as Crosshair. She wasn't sure what the inmates were given to eat. Emerie had small cuts of meat, fruit and vegetables, and sometimes a bowl of soup or stew. It was better than ration bars, but she still missed the Mantell Mix she and Wrecker would share.

Her datapad beeped. She picked it up and found a message flashing in the upper right corner. Maybe Emerie had gotten up early.

Omega.

That's all it said. Emerie probably would have said more.

Who is this? she keyed back.

Tech.

Omega's eyes went wide. She scooted back over to Crosshair. She laid down facing him with the datapad between them, then shook his shoulders to wake him.

"Let me sleep," he complained.

"Look!" she whispered.

He frowned but looked down at the datapad. The corners of his mouth tipped up slightly. "Ask him something only he would know."

She had to think for a moment. What did I call a sharp swing back to port with zero thruster pull?

The Tech Turn.

Crosshair scoffed. "It's him!" she whispered. "How is he doing that?"

"They must have plugged him in," Crosshair whispered back. "I told him to use it. Looks like he listened to me."

Omega didn't know what to say back. So she just typed what she really felt. I love you.

I love you, as well. May I converse with Crosshair?

They were still laying down, hiding the datapad between them. Crosshair brought his left hand to it now and typed. I am here, Brother.

You are a prisoner? Do they not trust you anymore?

Not much. I realize now the Empire does not value clones. And I shot my last commanding officer.

I am glad to have you back. The others will be glad, too.

Do you have any plans?

Not yet. I am still becoming acquainted with this. Omega, I will contact you again. Check your datapad often. There will be no auditory notice next time.

I will, she typed back. Then the message and everything they had typed back and forth disappeared. She tried to find it and bring it back, but it was gone.

"It's gone," Crosshair confirmed. "He's covering his tracks." He started to rise and go to the toilet. She sat up and kept her back to him. And she felt something she hadn't felt since watching Tech fall. She felt hope.

Emerie found Omega once again in Crosshair's cell. Had Scalder returned her and not remembered to release her? "Are you ready for work, Omega?"

"Yes," Omega replied, standing. "But I'd like to visit Crosshair sometimes."

"That would be up to the doctor," Emerie told him. She released the ray shield and Omega stepped out. Crosshair didn't even rise from his seated position. "Did you have any breakfast?"

"Same thing they gave the prisoners. Why are they getting flavorless ration bars? Shouldn't they be healthy for whatever Hemlock wants?"

"They are inmates," Emerie responded. "They are given adequate nutrition. We'll do the rounds, then I'll check on Critical Care."

"You mean Tech," Omega said. "I want to help in there, too."

Emerie stopped and looked down at her. "You were surprised. You thought him dead."

"I saw him fall." Omega's eyes turn glassy. "I know Echo was very troubled by what they did to him on Skako Minor. It's not right what Hemlock is doing to Tech."

Emerie agreed. But Hemlock had all the power in this base. Even the Imperial Officers were under his command. Emerie's trusted position allowed her to oversee the health of the prisoners during and after interrogation. She couldn't risk it by speaking out of turn. "It must have been traumatic to watch that. You didn't know then that he survived. We theorize he landed in trees, fell through them, then tumbled down some rocks. His condition is precarious now, but his prognosis is good."

"Meaning he'll survive," Omega stated. "But hooked up to a computer for as long as Hemlock needs him. Then what?"

Emerie didn't want to think that far ahead. "We need to do the rounds." She turned and walked to the first patient, cutting off any further discussion of Tech.

Tech watched the exchange between Omega and Emerie. He couldn't yet hear it. Oddly enough, his mind's vision was perfectly clear. He had no need of corrective lenses in this space. He checked other cameras throughout the base between paragraphs of the Kaminoan material. He had started building a mental, and thus digital, map of the base. He created his own folder, encrypting it with an algorithm Hemlock or anyone else would have a very difficult time breaking. It was better than his usual, seeing as he had the power of a network of computers to create it.

He had Omega now. Through her datapad. But Crosshair was still cut off from him. He wasn't yet in touch with Nala Se, though he could see her and Hemlock in the lab—and the splayed-open torso of a clone between them. Those were the three people he assumed he could trust in this base. Emerie seemed more compassionate than the other woman who tended to his health. Still, she argued against resistance. That would seem to mean that she had no particular love of the Empire. She might not be a true believer.

She did resist minimally. She set his bones in secret, against Hemlock's wishes. But if she found out about his extracurricular activities, would she keep it to herself or tell Hemlock? That was an open question. As yet, he could not trust her.

He was also not fully confident in Nala Se. He trusted she'd work against the Empire if given the opportunity. But she was the Chief Scientist in the cloning program. She'd approved the addition of the inhibitor chip and other modifications that worked to the detriment of the clones who trusted her. Clones were specifically programmed to obey any orders, not just Order 66, and they aged twice as fast as natural humans. He'd never even known they had made clones earlier than Captain Rex's cohort. Twelve clones, dubbed the Null-class, of which only six survived. And the Kaminoans were going to terminate the survivors as a failed experiment. Even with future batches, an average of seven defective clones out of every two hundred were tested, reconditioned and some exterminated. Only the involvement of the Jedi brought an end to the exterminations of defective clones. Defective clones were moved into support roles, as with 99. Tech's bad eyesight would have relegated him to support roles, if his intelligence had not been enhanced enough to make him an elite clone. If Tech had been one of the seven defectives in a batch of regular clones, would Nala Se have authorized his termination?

Nala Se's hands weren't clean, per se. But then neither were Crosshair's. Still, he'd purposely not replied with a we-told-you-so after Crosshair's confession. He had missed his brother even through it all. If Crosshair now believed the Empire to be an evil, he was willing to let everything Crosshair had done since Order 66 go. Besides, he needed him. He had three players in the physical world. He needed to gather enough data to formulate a strategy that used each of them effectively, while bringing no harm to any of them.

His noticed himself losing focus on the cloning files. He quickly hid all his activities, erasing any logs that had been produced and covering all his tracks. Then he focused again on the files until his mind shut down and dreams replaced the minutiae of cloning science.

It was Shep who finally managed to get Hunter and Wrecker out of their room. He had another feast. A quiet one. Just the three of them, himself, and his daughter. They picked at their food, but they ate. The moonyos were boisterous around them, but neither even cracked a smile.

Echo had heard back from Rex that they were still having a hard time finding anything new on Hemlock. They had found old information that Tech had summarized. He'd been involved in illicit, disturbing experiments on live inmates. He filed false reports to hide it, but was eventually found out after an accident in this lab that caused an acid spill and small explosion. Now exposed, he was expelled from the Republic Science Corps, and his license to practice medicine was revoked. From there, he just seemed to disappear. There was no mention of him in the records until he was quietly picked to head the Empire's Advanced Science Division. Senator Chuchi was trying to track the money, but she kept getting deadlocked finding any channels without inviting suspicions.

"Where's Phee?" Wrecker asked.

"She's treasure hunting," Echo said, deciding to be truthful in most things. Just not his belief that Tech could be alive. "In a sense. She's trying to track down Cid without looking like she's tracking down Cid."

"When she finds her," Hunter said. "I want to kill her."

"Let's talk of more pleasant things, shall we?" Shep said, looking at Lyana.

"I know Cid turned them in," the girl protested. "That's why Omega isn't here."

Shep just sighed. "Eat your dinner. Tech's calculations are proving invaluable in restoring lower Pabu. He will be remembered here." He raised his glass. "To Tech."

Echo lifted his glass, but Wrecker and Hunter only lifted theirs halfway. Wrecker wiped at his eyes. Hunter wouldn't look up from the table.

Echo got a ping on his comm system. It was Phee's channel. "If you'll excuse me. I'll be right back." He got up from the table and tried not to run back to the Marauder.

He started to close the ramp behind him, but Hunter was there. "What is it?"

"Phee," Echo told him. He sat at the comm system and pulled up the message. "Cid's left Ord Mantell," her image stated. "But the Empire's left a sizeable contingent. They have a data center thirty klicks south of Cid's parlor. Maybe you can get something from it." The message winked out.

"We should check it out," Hunter said. "It's a risk, but if we can get in there, we might find something."

Echo agreed. "We can scope it out, see how tight the security is."

Hunter nodded. "I can't sit still any longer."

Echo was glad to hear that. "Let's go finish dinner, then we can let Wrecker in on it."

Omega talked to each of the patients who were awake. She asked their names and what they did to end up there. She told them she was a clone herself and a prisoner held here for ransom. She noted their names on her datapad, and little notes about them. She wanted to get to know each and every inmate. Because if they were going to do something eventually to get out of this base, they had to take all these prisoners with them.

CT-7396, Charge, told her that when Hemlock took him, he'd been given something so he couldn't move at all. But he could feel everything. He didn't know exactly what Hemlock did to him, but he couldn't move his right arm below his elbow now.

CT-2846 screamed in his sleep, which brought Emerie out of Critical Care. She gave him a calming aid and rubbed his hair until he calmed.

She wasn't sure if she could trust Emerie. She'd not elaborated on how they could be sisters. Why hadn't Nala Se said anything about another female clone before her? She was a direct clone of Jango Fett. And Tech had said records only listed one, a male. So Nala Se created her in her private lab. Who had created Emerie, and why did she have a name like a regular human? Did the Empire even know she was a clone?

Still, Emerie's care with CT-2846 and Tech led her to think she was a good person. But she was aligned with the Empire and deferent to Doctor Hemlock, who was not definitely not a good person. But then, she'd thought Cid was a good person when she clearly wasn't, so maybe Omega wasn't the best judge of character. She wouldn't let Emerie know that Tech had contacted her. She only had Crosshair and she didn't know if she'd get to see him again.

The hours were long, and she had time to talk with most of the patients. She couldn't free them from their restraints or stop Emerie from releasing them back to their cells. Because when they were out of the Infirmary, no one could protect them.

Hunter passed Echo the macrobinoculars. The data center was in the middle of a base under construction on the remains of an abandoned settlement. Civilian workers and droids were trucked in with supplies. Each civilian had their chain codes checked before they could move forward. It wasn't going to be easy. But hadn't Cid showed them underground networks connecting settlements?

Echo checked a tablet. "Sensors show a heavy deposit of metal half a klick north."

"Let's check that out."

Half a click north was a rocky outcropping. And several large boulders were covering the deposit. Wrecker made short work of the boulders and uncovered what was, in fact, a hatch. Echo was able to get it open, and they descended into the network. Hunter was chagrined to find there were tracks but no cars. At least there wasn't a cavern full of irlings, and it was bright day outside. They had to walk the tracks. Wrecker wasn't happy, but he wasn't willing to wait back at the ship either. Hunter put Echo on point, with Wrecker between them. He tried to be patient and encouraged Wrecker to keep looking and moving forward.

It took hours but they were finally under the base. Unfortunately, they couldn't know exactly what they'd find when they poked their head up through the hatch above them. "I think I can just crack it open," Echo said.

"We'll wait until nightfall," Hunter decided. They were on a platform now. They could rest without worry of falling. "Let's rest here."

While they waited, Echo did his best to scan above the hatch. Tech had been able to do that with this visor. At midday, Hunter passed out rations. Omega would have filled the time with childish chatter. He missed that. But he didn't want to think about what Hemlock was doing to her. The Kaminoans had sent bounty hunters after her. They theorized that they wanted her valuable genetic stock. But the Kaminoans were wiped out. If Hemlock really had Nala Se, it probably wasn't to create more clones of Jango Fett.

Finally, it was night. Echo cracked the hatch open and they all listened. They couldn't hear the sounds of workers or droids busily working. They could hear the footsteps of a patrol approximately every sixteen minutes. They waited for eight more minutes and opened the hatch enough for Echo to put his head through it as Wrecker held him up.

"Clear," he reported. "Data center west northwest. Two sentries. Good cover."

"Put him down and close it," Hunter ordered. "We'll wait twelve minutes then go."

The next patrol passed and they were up in three minutes. They moved from cover to cover until they were within striking distance of the sentries. Echo and he stunned them then quickly moved in, pulling the stunned men inside before shutting the door. They were in a corridor. There were doors on either side. They checked the first one on the left. Clear. It was some kind of storage closet. They pulled the sentries inside then pulled off their helmets. They were TK's. Hunter shot them both. Neither Wrecker nor Echo protested.

"Regs didn't choose," Echo said. "These people volunteered."

Hunter retrieved the men's comm devices, then they all slipped back into the corridor. "We've got approximately eight minutes to find a terminal, get the data, and get back out. Split up."

It took three more doors. "Found one!" Wrecker called.

"TK-5183, report."

They froze in their steps. Hunter held the stolen comm to his mouth. "TK-5183," he stated, "all clear."

"Affirmative."

Hunter waved Echo forward, and he entered the room Wrecker had found. Hunter and Wrecker stood watch in the corridor. Hunter checked the time.

"I've got communication logs, requisitions, building plans," Echo started to read out.

"Communications," Hunter decided. "Copy as much as you can in the next six minutes." Hunter called out a reminder at the four-minute mark.

"Got it," Echo reported. He exited carrying a datarod.

They moved back to the main door. Echo opened the door and they darted out, crouching until they were in cover. They made it back to the tunnels with thirty seconds to spare. They left the hatch open a crack, and listened for the patrol. It was on time, but then the footsteps stopped for a few seconds before starting again at a run. An alarm started blaring.

Hunter let the stolen comms fall into the depths below, and they began their trek back to the rocky outcropping. They returned to the Marauder and headed back to Pabu to go over the data.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

CT-9902 was asleep when Hemlock came to check on its progress. Given its condition, Hemlock had already accepted that CT-9902 would need sleep quite often. But it had made good progress when it was awake. He pulled up a log of all the activity CT-9902 had been involved in since it was plugged in. It'd covered more than Hemlock would have thought. He'd been going over the Kaminoan records himself since the data was delivered after the destruction of Tipoca City. CT-9902 had covered nearly half as many records as Hemlock had managed in less than three rotations. It was impressive. And further threats to Omega hadn't been necessary.

CT-9904 however, was now rather extraneous. Hemlock was sure CT-9902 would not want its 'brother' harmed any more than the girl. Which meant that Hemlock could not use it for his experiments. If CT-9904 was harmed in an experiment, or even killed, CT-9902 might take that as a sign that Omega would be harmed as well, so it wasn't worth complying. Omega at least was kept busy helping Dr. Karr. CT-9904 was languishing in its cell all day.

Hemlock checked CT-9902's vitals. They were in line with its present condition. He injected more paralytic as the previous dose would have started to wear off. Then he went to the lower lab to check on the status of the Zillo Beast. It was in suspended animation and the tank was secure. He didn't want another incident like that on Transport 904. Several samples of its DNA had already been taken and were now being sequenced. It was a side project with several potential applications. One of them did have relevance to his main project, while the rest was of interest to the security services.

Nala Se would need access here as well, though he didn't think he needed CT-9902 in this regard. He had Kaminoan equipment.

Crosshair sat in his cell with nothing to look forward to but a few rations twice a rotation. He watched as another prisoner was taken away. For months, he'd told himself that he was better off alone, and he had at least managed to convince himself that he was all right alone. His brothers had left him behind, having chosen what he thought was the wrong side. Good soldiers followed orders. They were soldiers. It shouldn't have mattered that it wasn't to the Republic anymore.

But it did. Mayday had done his duty. He'd fought in the war and obeyed orders all the way to Barton-IV. He'd fought the locals and lost all his men, guarding crates of gear meant for human conscripts. He'd died an expendable piece of equipment, not worth the expenditure of Imperial resources. He was deemed worth less than the crates of gear they'd failed to recover. Mayday was a good soldier. He deserved better.

His death, or rather the callousness of the lieutenant, had given Crosshair a new perspective. One his brothers had managed all the way back on Kaller. Yes, the inhibitor chip had compelled him, but he'd stayed loyal even after its removal during his recovery from Bracca. He remembered the governor of Desix. Commander Cody had gotten through to her. She'd released Grotton and lowered her weapon. And then Grotton had showed his callousness. He ordered her execution, and Cody gained that perspective while he obeyed the order. Crosshair had murdered the woman for trying to keep her people safe.

He remembered going to Onderan with his brothers to put down a group of insurrectionists. There were a few Republic fighters and families of refugees, with old people and children. He'd derided Hunter for not following orders. And when he was ordered back with the elite squad he'd trained, he'd executed the one of his new squad who had the right perspective. And the others followed orders, killing every one of the refugees.

Why had he come to this so late? He'd trusted that Admiral Rampart had valued him and his skills. But the Empire, led by Rampart, had left him stranded on that platform for thirty-two rotations. He was more dead than alive when they finally deigned to retrieve him. Rampart, Grotton, and that sniveling lieutenant. Each one elevated to positions of power for being selfish, power-hungry sycophants. At least Rampart was even now sitting in a cell much like Crosshair's own.

And now Hemlock. The Empire was led by evil men. It subjugated worlds under the auspices of peace, whether or not those worlds agreed to the plan. Crosshair had been played. First by the inhibitor chip, then by his other programming. Obey orders without question. His brothers had questioned. Cody had questioned. Mayday questioned.

He had abandoned them. Each time they had met after Order 66, they'd offered him a chance to join them. He'd been hurt that they hadn't chosen to join him. In his wrong perspective. Cody was right though. Questioning set them apart from the droids. And now they had to live with their choices.

He had the right perspective now. Omega had forgiven him even before he told her about Mayday. Tech, broken and helpless and connected to a computer, had forgiven him. He'd said the others would welcome him back. It was ironic. Wrecker was boisterous, Hunter confidant and strategic. He'd understood them. Before Order 66, he'd respected them, respected Hunter's leadership. Tech was too cerebral, almost robotic at times. He could fight as well as the others, but he was the technology specialist. It was very useful, but it wasn't a fighting skill really. Not like his, Wrecker's and Hunter's special abilities. He was perhaps smart enough to lead them, but he seemed content to stay under Hunter, to follow his choices. He was a supporting member of the squad. But now, he was the only thing that Crosshair could look to for any hope in this hellhole of a lab he'd ended up in. Tech would have to be a leader, to orchestrate everything, if there was to be any hope.

Hunter stood right behind him while Wrecker paced the deck. Echo tried to ignore the distraction and focus on parsing through the communications logs he'd copied. There were requisition requests, trooper placement orders, registration of chain codes, detention orders, and thousands of other communications going back and forth from the data center. Echo knew the date the Empire had appeared on Ord Mantell. Cid had perhaps made a miscalculation in her betrayal. As she'd said before, the Empire coming to Ord Mantell would mean she was out of business. Hemlock had come for Omega, but the Empire had come to occupy the planet. The problem was that the data center was built after that date. The only way it would have any record of Cid's communication to the Empire would have to mean the ships in orbit had transferred data to the center.

So he started sorting by date. Tech would probably have built an algorithm to sift the data and find exactly what they were looking for. But Echo was a reg, a soldier. He was cybernetic now but his training had been as a soldier specifically. He didn't know how to build a program or crack any encryption. The Techno Union had used his brain in more passive manner. He was not conscious of what he was providing their armies. He could now access anything an astromech droid could, but he couldn't build an algorithm. He had to sort the way a soldier would sort, and examine each communication to see if it fit the bill.

The data center had its first transmission five rotations after they'd left Ord Mantell. But there were communications before that. So some records had been transferred. He searched back to the date the Empire had appeared in the sky. Cid had to have called before that. The Imperial ships would have needed time to reach Ord Mantell. It would've taken about two rotations at hyperspace from Coruscant. But these ships could have been stationed closer. But he also knew that they'd been at Cid's for nearly two rotations as Omega was healing after Eriadu. It had to be between those two dates.

And that's where he found it. Cid had made the call almost as soon as they'd arrived. "Found it," Echo said. Wrecker stopped pacing and sat down.

"Let's hear it," Hunter said.

Echo started the recording. "State your business." A male voice.

"I have information," Cid's stated, using a much lower pitch in her voice than Echo had heard before, "on the location of Clone Force 99. What's that worth to you?"

"A moment, please." The male voice again. They waited three full minutes before he spoke again. "Do they have a female child with them?"

"Yes, and they're injured and down a man," Cid told him. "Can't put up as much of a fight."

"Please transmit the location,"

"You don't listen very well, do you? What's it worth?"

"Please wait." This time, it five minutes. "Five thousand credits."

"And clean transport off this planet."

"Do you have a chain code?"

"Do I sound like I have—or want—a chain code?"

"Checking." Two minutes. "Deal."

"Ord Mantell. Cid's Parlor. Better hurry. Gotta feeling they'll take off once the kid wakes up. Do you want to know which clones are here?"

"Not important," the functionary stated. "Primary target is the girl. The Empire thanks you for your service."

The transmission ended. Echo figured he knew why there were minutes while the functionary checked. They were checking if anyone in particular wanted the squad. They found Hemlock. Then they had to check with Hemlock on the details. And he also knew why they didn't need to know which clones were there. They knew Tech was not. So it had to be Hunter and Wrecker. Echo hadn't left the ship. So Cid didn't know he was there.

Wrecker punched a crate. "Tech saved her from Millegi. She didn't care."

Echo kept looking. He wanted the transmission between Hemlock and the functionary. But it wasn't at the data center. Why had Cid's communication been transferred there but not that one?

"He was checking with someone," Hunter stated. "They found Hemlock."

"I can't find that transmission. It could have been routed to a clerk on Coruscant, who then contacted Hemlock from Coruscant."

Hunter sighed. "Get that meta data to Rex. Maybe his people can find it, knowing the exact date and time of the transmission."

Echo sent it using his encrypted channel. Then he sat back. They were still no closer to finding Cid or Hemlock. And now they had nowhere else to look.

Even splitting his time between paragraphs of Kaminoan cloning data and exploring the base through the computer networks, he was now halfway through the data. He'd noted that someone had checked the logs each rotation. He knew the time and the date. He slept several times throughout each rotation, but he was now not unmoored in time as he had been before. He knew when they had gone to Eriadu. So he knew it was now twelve rotations since his fall.

He had a good grasp of the size of the base, the number of troopers and officers on the base, as well as how many prisoners had been brought to the base. He had more than that. He had the complete list of prisoners transferred here and their present status. Two hundred fifty-three had been transferred. Forty were held in cells like Crosshair. Four were assigned to the lab, and twelve were in the infirmary. That left nearly two hundred marked as deceased. Three quarters of the base's contingent of guards were clones. The percentage had decreased from nearly one hundred percent when the base was first established. He could also see the transfer orders for forty more TK soldiers. During that time, he found no transfers of clone troopers out, and yet the base's total contingent of five hundred troopers rarely changed. He noted two clone troopers had been transferred to cells after questioning Hemlock's methods. He couldn't count on the base's clone troopers as allies.

He checked the cameras in the lab. Hemlock had been in with Nala Se for hours. He'd seen another clone vivisected. It was very disturbing but he'd been unable to have any physical reaction to it. He checked the other cameras until he found Hemlock. He was in his office, communicating to Tarkin. So Saw Gererra's bombs had not met their objective. He was justifying his requisition requests, while Tarkin was warning him to curtail his spending lest the Senate become suspicious.

Tech returned to Nala Se. There were troopers in the room with her, but they kept their distance from the tables in the lab where CT-5685 now lay dead. They wouldn't be able to see the screen.

Nala Se was finishing the report Hemlock had insisted upon after CT-5685's demise. She noticed a small blinking light in the corner of her screen. Maybe he was trying to tell her to hurry. She clicked it.

Nala Se, she read. Are you enjoying your work?

Of course not, she typed back. You have our data. There is no need to torture these clones to death.

Good to hear, was the reply. This is CT-9902. I require your assistance.

CT-9902. Tech. Was Clone Force 99 here for Omega? I will gladly assist. What would you have me do?

Nothing yet. I am still formulating a plan.

A plan? He wasn't the leader of the squad. Where is Hunter?

Hopefully somewhere safe.

Then you are not with your squad. Why would Tech come alone?

No, I'm in Hemlock's base with you, Crosshair, and Omega.

That was not welcome news. She had hoped Clone Force 99 was about to storm the base. But if Tech were captured, they would not allow him access to a computer. If you are prisoner, how is it you have access to this network?

Do you remember what was done to CT-1409 on Skako Minor?

She did. It had appalled her then. But she'd been proud of CT-1409's resilience and his desire to get back in the fight. And now she knew who the new 'player,' was. She knew exactly how intelligent Tech was. He was an anomaly of sorts. She'd sensed his mental potential and enhanced it, but it had come as a detriment to his eyesight. He was the only clone out of millions to require corrective lenses. But he was also the most intelligent clone to come of Tipoca City. It was quite likely he was the smartest person—clone or otherwise—alive. It stood to reason that Hemlock would want to capitalize on that.

I remember, she typed back. Hemlock does not know what he has done. I stand ready to assist you.

The messages then disappeared from her screen entirely. She smiled lightly. She felt a new resolve to slow even more the transfer of her knowledge. She would have to be wily about it so as not to put Omega in danger.

"We cannot send you any more support staff without risking the secrecy of your operation," Tarkin told him. "Civilians have families. You have prisoners, put one of them to work."

Hemlock sighed. But Tarkin's suggestion was a mistake. "That would not be in the best interests of security. We need a food worker. The prisoners here are not loyal to the Empire."

"Then post a guard to watch them," Tarkin stated. "Besides they'd have to have access to poisons or chemicals to tamper with food. Allow them to eat the food and they'll fall in line."

"Sir," Hemlock tried again. "I need the prisoners for my work."

"No civilians, Hemlock. That's final." The communication winked out.

His last food worker had asked for a transfer due to the death of a relative. He could not be convinced to stay and had become hysterical in his grief. He refused to work. Hemlock could not allow a breach in secrecy a transfer would create. Transfers came in to this base, they did not go out.

He pulled up the roster of fifty-six prisoners and did not like the only conclusion that made sense. He needed the prisoners for his experiments. He'd asked for more to be sent in fact. But there was one he could not use for his experiments. He was sure it would not have the best interests of the crew in mind. CT-9904 had been loyal to the Empire until it shot its commanding officer. But it did not want to help Hemlock find its old squad, and it had killed eight troopers while trying to escape.

He would have to try incentives like better food. And he would absolutely post a guard. Or four.

Crosshair was surprised to see Hemlock at his cell. He didn't bother getting up.

"I'm here to offer you a reprieve of sorts," Hemlock stated. "Better food, the ability to walk more than two meters in any direction."

Crosshair narrowed his eyes at him. "In exchange for what?"

"Work," Hemlock stated. "I need you alive and healthy to prevent CT-9902 from doing something rash. You're wasting away in that cell. At least this way we can get some use out of you."

Crosshair thought about this. Better food was tempting. "What would you have me do? Need someone shot?"

"We're not going to give you a weapon," Hemlock shot back. "We require a food worker. You will assist in food preparation, and you will deliver food to the various galleys for base personnel as well as to the infirmary and these cells."

Crosshair considered this. He'd be able to see Omega. Omega had contact with Tech. That could be beneficial. He wasn't of use in this cell. But if he were out, he could maybe do something to assist whatever scheme Tech was working out.

"You'd trust me with your food?" he asked Hemlock.

"Certainly not. You'll be under guard at all times," Hemlock told him. "And no access to knives. Anything needing cutting will be handled by other workers."

"You're trying to take all the fun out of it," Crosshair teased. "But I like the thought of better food. Anything is better than the tasteless garbage you feed us."

"You will report to the kitchen at 0500 tomorrow," Hemlock stated. "Step out of line, and I'll make sure CT-9902 never finds out what happened to you. I'll still have Omega."

Oh, Tech would find out, Crosshair was sure of that. The same way he knew that Omega had her datapad when she was in this cell.

Phee Genoa strolled into the cantina with her head held high. She approached the bartender. "I'm looking for a friend. She's a broker and I've got info on a score. Name's Ciddarin Scaleback."

"Scaleback you say?" A tall Dowutin with ugly thugs met her at the bar. "You should keep better friends."

"So you know her!" Phee responded, smiling. "She used to have a nice setup on Ord Mantell, but now it's under Imperial management."

"I tried to warn them," he said. "She had to have a reason to bring the Empire down on all Ord Mantell."

"Warn who?" Phee asked. "I need to arrange a pickup on Sista Four, and she knows how to get around pesky regulations."

"I do as well," he offered. He poured a drink from the bar and handed it to her. "Grini Millegi, at your service."

Phee took a sip. It was strong stuff. She wasn't about to get tipsy. "You know her. Have you seen her?"

"I saw her awhile back as we had a friendly wager," Millegi told her. "Didn't go my way in the end. But I have heard that her speeder is on the market. Tech was only a stand-in driver."

She felt a twinge at the sound of his name. She so wanted to ask about that day and Tech's exploits, but that wasn't why she was here. "On the market, you say. Maybe I'll make her an offer."

Millegi eyed her deeply for a moment. "If it's payback you want, I'll make the offer. Make it worth my while, and I'll let you know when she contacts me."

"How much is your while worth?" Phee asked.

"Two hundred," Millegi stated. "I'd just like to see her go down."

"I just want to find my friend," Phee said. "Three hundred if you can lead me directly to her."

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Crosshair frowned as he followed the instructions of the human worker. He was as haughty as Rampart had been. Preparing food was, frankly, beneath Crosshair. But he told himself why he'd agreed. He would see Omega, and he'd get better food.

"You eat last," the worker told him. "Take these containers to Galley Three on the upper level."

"Yes, sir," Crosshair sneered. He took the handle of the cart and started pushing. He didn't know where Galley Three was, but one of the three guards who were babysitting him pointed the way. They kept out of arm's reach, he noticed. But he could tell they were tense. He had apparently gained a reputation.

They entered a lift and then were deposited on the upper level. The same guard pointed right. Crosshair wished he'd just march in front of the cart. It would be simpler. Still, he didn't complain. He was out of the cell. He had to do his best to be trustworthy. He had to maintain this level of freedom to be useful to Tech.

He hadn't seen Omega in nine rotations. Which also meant that he had not heard from Tech in that long. Given the early hour, he wasn't expecting to see her this shift, either. Perhaps in passing if she and Emerie were getting breakfast in the Galley. But not Galley Three.

"Put the containers on this table, clone." This time it was a woman. Still just as haughty. "Leave the cart by the door."

"Yes, ma'am." He lifted each container, heavy with mouth-watering, aromatic food, and put them on the table. There were clone troopers, human soldiers, and scientists waiting in line. They moved forward and the woman and her coworker began dishing the food onto plates. Crosshair noted one plate left on the cart. He wasn't sure what to do with it. It wasn't the same food. But it also wasn't the bland ration bars given to the prisoners.

"Take that one to Nala Se," the coworker, a young man, said.

"Yes, sir." He picked up the plate and waited for the guard to point to wherever they were keeping the Kaminoan.

"Hello, Crosshair," she said in greeting when he reached her cell. The guard keyed open her cell. She stood and took the plate from him.

Crosshair nodded to her and the guard reactivated the ray shield. "Good morning," he said.

"No talking to the prisoners." The guard physically turned him away, and they went back to the kitchens one level down. Galley Two was next, just containers. Then Galley One on the lower level. Only after that was he given the boxes of ration bars for the prisoners, one pouch of some kind of goo, and one plate of good food for whoever manned the infirmary when Emerie did not.

As he expected, Omega was not found in the infirmary. The other woman took the plate and the pouch, and he was led back to the kitchen where a plate was waiting for him. It was better than he'd hoped. The flavors after the tasteless bars nearly made his eyes water. There was some kind of grilled meat, cut fruit, buttered bread, and a cup of juice to wash it down. They were small portions, but if he was going to get three of them each rotation, he wasn't going to complain.

"Report back here at 1100," the human stated after he'd finished his breakfast. "Take it back its cell."

Crosshair knew the way there this time. He didn't need instructions. And as the guard reactivated the ray shield on his cell, he wondered when his guards ate their breakfast. Still, he didn't bother asking.

Tech had been surprised to see Crosshair pushing trays of food. Hemlock had put him to work. Tech now had three allies who could act with limited freedom. Nala Se in her lab, Omega on her datapad, and Crosshair through Omega. She hadn't been in the infirmary to see Crosshair this early, but that would change. He quickly checked the camera in Galley Two, he saw Emerie and Omega in line for their food. Omega did have her datapad but he couldn't risk messaging her until Emerie was not around.

They sat at a table apart from anyone else to eat. Omega set her datapad flat on the table. Emerie had her own pad and was focused on that more than her food. Tech decided to risk it.

Omega.

Here.

Crosshair has been freed to work in the kitchens. He will likely deliver food to the infirmary for the midday meal. I have no method to contact him. You will need to be my messenger when the time comes.

Copy that.

Tech removed all traces of the exchange. He had a new avenue to explore. He went through food requisitions, learning how and in what form food supplies were brought into the base. Then the same for various chemicals and medicines. He also needed to know how and where they were stored. He watched Crosshair and the various human workers as he worked in the kitchen for the midday meal, then he followed him on his path to deliver all that food.

Omega smiled when she saw him. She thanked him for the meal and managed to touch Crosshair's hand before he turned to walk away. He was always flanked by three guards, but they stayed nearly a meter behind him at all times.

He watched Emerie then, to see where she went when she had to refill an injector. He even watched her tend to him. His eyes were covered, which confirmed his theory that he was not blind. She upended a nutrium pouch and connected it to the tube that was threaded through his nose to his stomach. It was strange watching his own body when he couldn't feel any of it.

Finally, he watched Nala Se and Hemlock in the upper lab. He focused on their movements around the lab, where different tools, chemicals, and equipment were stored.

Phee waited in the cantina. Millegi had sent his offer through one of his men so that Cid wouldn't suspect it was him. He left his Gamorrean near the bar to alert her if Cid responded. It didn't take long. The Gamorrean led her into the office where a Nikto was standing beside Mileggi, who sat behind a giant desk. "I'll give you four hundred for the speeder."

"Don't waste my time," Cid replied back. "It beat yours. I want eight hundred."

The Nikto looked to Millegi. "Six."

"Seven fifty and no lower," Cid insisted.

Millegi nodded. The Nikto spoke. "Deal. Come to Safa Toma and we'll make the exchange."

"The speeder's already there," Cid replied. "You come to me. I'll give you the deed when I have the money."

Millegi nodded again. The Nikto replied, "Send your coordinates and I'll book passage."

"Done. But you have to be here by tomorrow or the deal's off."

"I'll be there," the Nikto stated confidently.

Millegi copied the coordinates onto a chip and handed it to her. She gave him three hundred credits in return. "Take Kane here. He just purchased a speeder."

Phee wasn't sure she could trust Kane, or Millegi for that matter. But Millegi was now out four hundred and fifty credits on the deal.

She looked at the Nikto. "Meet me in Hangar Two in one hour, or I leave without you."

Phee went back to the bar, drained her glass, then left. She had to get the location to Echo.

It was late when Echo got a message back from Phee. He left the others sleeping and slipped out to the Marauder. He opened the channel.

"I've got her location!" Phee said, speaking quickly. "This guy Millegi helped. She was selling a speeder, he said Tech raced in it. I'd like to hear that story."

"I'm sorry," Echo said. "I wasn't there. It was Omega and Wrecker. But from what I could catch of Omega's retelling, the droid racer was taken out before he could race to save Cid. So Tech volunteered. He did everything different. He transferred more power to shields and even dropped his weapons to gain speed. And he took the left tunnel, which apparently was a death trap. But he got through it and won. The crowds were cheering his name."

"I wish I'd been there," Phee said. "I'm sending you the coordinates. I don't think she plans on staying there long. We have to get there by tomorrow. And I have to bring one of Millegi's men. He's the buyer."

"Understood," Echo said. "Watch your back. Millegi is not an upstanding citizen. He's maybe got a bit more honor than Cid."

"I'll meet you there."

"Copy that."

He decided to let the others sleep a little longer. He prepped the ship, making sure the fuel and power levels were good and rations were stored. He checked each of their weapons. Only when he was sure everything was ready for a quick take-off did he leave to wake the others. It was time for payback.

Tech reconfigured Omega's datapad so she could message him surreptitiously. He also made it so that her screen would distort if it was viewed from any angle except straight on. And his messages would only show if she was pressing a particular button. She told him about the different clones in the infirmary and what had been done to them by Hemlock. He didn't tell her what he'd seen in Hemlock's lab. The clones in the infirmary had gotten off lucky.

The door opened. "Good, you're awake," Hemlock said. "You've been studying enough. It's time to work."

I don't know what you think I can help with. I am not a scientist.

"I have a scientist. I need you for analysis, running simulations, calculating. And double-checking Mistress Se's work. I have to suspect that, even now, she's holding back. I'm going to switch your output to a monitor in our lab." Several buttons were pushed, and Tech humored him by allowing him to switch it. He could've done it himself, but he didn't want Hemlock to know the extent of his abilities.

"See you there," Hemlock said. The door opened and closed.

He next wanted to fully understand the security infrastructure at the base. He would have to be careful to pay attention to Hemlock, but he could do both. He made sure his activities were not visible on the lab's or any monitor.

Hemlock brought Nala Se to the computer. "I told you I'd brought in a new player. I do believe you're acquainted with it. CT-9902, say hello to Mistress Se.

Hello, Mistress Se.

"Are you trying to trick me?" she said in that slow way she had of speaking. "It is pointless." Tech was glad she hadn't let on that he'd contacted her already.

"Ah, perhaps you need a visual," Hemlock said. He entered a few controls and Tech was sure he was pulling up the camera feed from Critical Care. "You gave CT-9902 an exceptional mind. I intend to put it and you to use."

"How do I know you have not harmed Omega?" she stated. "I have not seen her since her arrival."

Hemlock pulled in another camera. This one showed Omega using her datapad to check on CT-2846, Vector. He had nightmares over what Hemlock had done to him. "As you can see, she is fine. She's even helping Emerie in the infirmary. Omega and CT-9904 are insuring CT-9902's cooperation. Now, let's get to work."

He pressed a few more keys. "CT-9902, you should now be able to view the camera directly above the central table. Confirm?"

I see it.

"Good. We're going to try something different today."

Hunter checked the macrobinoculars. He could see Phee and the Nikto heading toward the tavern Cid was in. She had an open commlink.

"Cid! Long time, no see! I've been looking everywhere for you. The Empire is all over Ord Mantell. Good to see you got out."

"Hey, Phee. I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, I was enjoying the races at Safa Toma. This guy said he's bought your speeder. So I offered him a ride. Figured I'd help him out. Then maybe you could point me to another relic. You heard any good rumors?"

"Been busy," Cid said. "Let me deal with this, then we'll talk. You got the money?"

"Right here," said the Nikto.

"Good, it's all here. I'll transfer the deed. Then you get lost. Find your own way back to Millegi." Hunter watched the Nikto leave the cantina and head to the hangars.

Phee played ignorant. "Who's Millegi?"

"He runs bets on the races. Guy you brought is Kane, one of his racers."

"Small galaxy," Phee said. "How ya been?"

"Homeless since the Empire rolled in. Need a new base of operation, but I can't seem to get transport to a place the Empire hasn't overrun first."

"Tell me about it. They're snapping up worlds left and right. Hard for a pirate to get in and get the treasure. You staying nearby?"

"I got a room. You've been around. You find any planets with good commerce that aren't too law-abiding?"

"Oh, I've seen a few. There's a nice little settlement I found in the Kaldar Trinary System. I could take you there." Wrecker snickered at that one.

"Never heard of it."

"Empire's never heard of it either. And it's where I found the Heart of the Mountain! It was quite an adventure. I can tell you all about it on the way."

Hunter looked to Wrecker who grinned. Echo smirked. "A slow death is better justice."

"She has to agree first," Hunter said.

"You're sure about this place?"

"Oh yeah," Phee told her. "You're gonna love it."

"Let's go then," Cid said. "This place is too goody goody."

Hunter signaled the others to head back to the Marauder. This was going to be good.

Phee was playing it up in her classic style. Full of lies and exaggerations. But the main plot of the story was true. She just made it out to seem like she'd done it all herself. From the sound it, Cid wasn't all that interested.

It was a long trip but Phee kept adding fictional setbacks and obstacles and only when they were approaching the landing spot did she finish the story.

"This place looks like a dump," Cid said.

"Oh, the settlement's just over that ridge," Phee told her. "Head that way, you can't miss it."

"You coming?"

"Well, I already found Skara Nal and the Heart of the Mountain."

"What are you pulling, Phee? Don't cross me."

Echo set the ship down, and Hunter walked out as soon as the ramp opened. He had his hand blaster pointed right at Cid's head. Phee pulled her sword and stood between Cid and her ship.

"Boys!" Cid said, trying to pretend she was glad to see them. "I knew you'd make it out."

"Omega didn't make it out," Hunter growled at her.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't got Goggles killed, you could have put up more of a fight."

"I'm gonna rip her limb from limb!" Wrecker exclaimed.

"Don't," Echo said. "She doesn't deserve anything that quick."

Cid put her hands up, one hand holding the box of her ill-gotten gains. "It was just business. My business slowed to a crawl without you boys to do the job. I had to make the best of a bad situation."

"You sold us out!" Hunter argued. "We found your transmission. You offered us up even knowing the Empire would take over Ord Mantell. You screwed everyone including yourself."

Echo walked up to her and removed the box. "You won't be needing this here. There's nothing to buy." He threw the box to Wrecker and then checked Cid's clothes and found her commlink.

"You're really gonna maroon me after all I've done for you?"

"You betrayed us after all we did for you!" Wrecker countered.

"Omega trusted you, thought you were a good person," Hunter said. "Start walking."

"Where am I going to go?"

"There's a very large broken robot over that way," Phee said. "You can probably find shelter in its wreckage."

Phee climbed back into her ship and closed her ramp. Echo went back to the Marauder and got it ready.

"Bandana, surely there's something I could do to change your mind?"

"We already have your money," Hunter told her. "You tell me where Hemlock took Omega and we'll drop you back at Ord Mantell."

"The Empire has Ord Mantell," Cid argued. "I can try and find Hemlock. I've got contacts."

"So you don't know." Hunter indicated with his head that Wrecker should go back to the ship. He started walking backwards, keeping his blaster pointed in her direction.

Phee lifted off and the Marauder started to rise. Hunter jumped aboard, still pointing his blaster. He waited until they were several meters up before he pulled it back. He stepped inside and the ramp closed.

Tech had had to watch Hemlock inject something into CT-8534 that caused him to convulse as his left arm deformed.

"DNA manipulation is not a spot-treatment," Nala Se protested. "Every cell has his DNA. The change must be global."

Tech was to analyze the changes that did happen, and then to see if he could find a flaw in the data. Then he was to compare the data with the Kaminoan database.

"We manipulated the clones' DNA at the zygote stage," Nala Se went on, "when the cells were still dividing."

"You enhanced a particular structure in CT-9904's brain," Hemlock argued.

"The inhibitor chip was an artificial construct," Nala Se argued. "It could be enhanced or removed without harming the subject."

Tech let them argue. He had had an idea, and he felt he finally had enough data to put it the plan into action. This was not a plan for instant salvation. It would take a lot of complicated prep work.

Finally, Hemlock left. Nala Se

I am here, she typed back. Good, if she'd answered with her voice, the guards in the room might overhear.

I need a slow-acting poison. Something that will build up in the body, causing only discomfort at first. It has to be subtle and it must be something we can procure in the infirmary.

She thought for a moment. Methysergide. It has medical use at small doses.

The kitchen prepares large pots of food that are then divided into large containers. He pulled up images from the cameras as the kitchen was now preparing for dinner.

Were I to poison the food slowly over time, I would use one liter per pot or a quarter liter per container. Only one drop per plate.

I need to reformulate rations for the prisoners. I want to make them stronger.

Can you show me the present formulation?

He put that up on her screen.

This is not standard. They have been customized for these prisoners. She made some edits. This will be closer to the field rations used by Republic troops in remote outposts. It provides adequate nutrium intake. How will you procure these?

There's little here I cannot control.

Her small mouth turned up in a smile. Do not let him know.

I will not. Tech removed the conversation. He had work to do.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tech had slept for several hours after his discussion with Nala Se. He checked on Crosshair, who was sleeping in his cell. He couldn't check on Omega, as she was in Emerie's quarters and base personnel didn't have cameras in their living spaces. Nala Se was back in her cell and sleeping as well. Hemlock was a morning person. He'd be up at 0530, but he always returned to his quarters after dinner. Dinner for him was a private dining room with his own chef. So they couldn't target him directly.

Tech went digging through the supply requisitions. There were several for weapons and gear, as well as hygiene products. But he wanted medicines and chemicals. Ah, there it was. There was a new one waiting to be sent out in the morning. He quickly calculated how much Methysergide he'd need before the next scheduled requisition went out. He ordered enough to put a quarter liter in one container per meal for the next fourteen rotations, when the next requisition was scheduled. Then he looked for the food requisition and added the revised formulation of ration bars. Both of these requisitions had passed their last review. There was no one to stop them now. Then, he had another idea. Since he'd added one attachment, he could add another. This one was a trojan. He quickly programmed it to trace the requisition from this base to its destination and every transfer between. He assumed that requisitions went to Coruscant, but he couldn't be certain. If this base was adequately remote, there may be a supply station closer. He hoped it was Coruscant. Rex had contacts working with the Empire in Coruscant. Hopefully some of them worked wherever this requisition ended up. He added a kill switch to the program. It would ping back coordinates until the requisition reached its final destination. Then it would delete itself.

He checked the records of the previous requisitions. Supplies were received approximately eight rotations from the date they were sent. So eight rotations from today, the poison and updated rations would be here. He needed Crosshair for both. When the poison arrived, Emerie might question it. He needed Omega to make sure it was stored where she could get to it. And then she needed to pass it to Crosshair without causing suspicions with his guards. She would likely need practice. He quickly checked all the supplies currently in the infirmary. He needed something Omega could write on and with. There were gauze pads and bandages. They were in a designated wound station. There were various gels and sprays, but they would smudge or take too much room. Ah, there should be a cauterizer. It was logged in the inventory at the station. She could burn the words. He'd contact her in the morning.

The new rations would simply take the place of the current rations. Easy enough. Omega could tell the clones in the infirmary to act as if their rations were still terrible. But Crosshair would need to tell the other prisoners in their cells. If they showed their surprise at getting something with flavor, his reformulation might be found out. And all of that was too much for Omega to convey to him when he passed her her dinner plate. She could do it gradually with the notes on bandages. Or Crosshair could hurt himself so that he needed to visit the infirmary for more than a quick fix.

When he finished that, he went back to the work they'd done in the lab today. He found Hemlock's report and removed one random word. Hemlock had already signed off on it. Tech wanted to see if he'd notice. If he noticed and corrected it, Tech would know that he could not do anything further without potentially getting caught. But if he didn't, he could potentially guarantee that even if Hemlock produced the results he wanted, he wouldn't be able to pass that information to others.

Nala Se had estimated they would require one and a half to two cycles to sufficiently poison the base. It had to be gradual so that the infirmary was not inundated with new patients all having the same complaints. Different bodies had different metabolisms. The gradual poisoning would perhaps send a few to the infirmary from the first dose. But it would take many doses to significantly impair the base without notice. So he'd calculated the required quantity of poison based on a two-cycle plan.

Tech didn't relish remaining in his present predicament for two more cycles. He'd much rather put in a call to someone, Echo perhaps, and bring the squad here now. But they'd be severely outnumbered. And Omega had said Hunter and Wrecker were injured. Besides, Crosshair's transmission was cut after just two words: Plan 88. The camera showed that he said more than that. But only those two words had come to the Marauder. So external communication were going to need to be hidden and precise. He'd have to convey a lot in only a few words. And it would need to be part of a transmission that would not be questioned by this base. Well, he had two cycles to work that out. He was tired again. He cleared all his work, checked his output report and removed anything that was not legitimate work in Hemlock's mind. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

By the time they'd reached Pabu, Hunter had convinced Echo to give most of the money to Rex the next time he saw him. They didn't need it on Pabu, and Rex needed resources for his fight. They kept only the proceeds from the sale of the speeder to buy fuel and rations when they needed it.

Echo accepted that but when they turned in, he stayed to check the Marauder for any issues. He wanted it ready for the next clue that might get them Hemlock's location. But he also stowed the money in Crosshair's weapons kit. No one ever opened it. If they found Tech, he'd need care. His armor may need repair. He'd need new lenses for his goggles. Those things would cost money. Cid had spent some of it in her journey off of Ord Mantell, but there was still over four thousand credits. They might even manage to buy a bacta tank with that.

That done, he shut down the ship and stepped out. It was quite late but Phee was there. "I don't regret what we did," she told him. "And I'm glad I don't have to act anymore. When she said his name, I wanted to gut her."

"She was taunting Hunter," he told her. "But she didn't know. No one got Tech killed. Except perhaps Saw Gererra. Tech sacrificed himself to save the rest of us. She tried to cheapen it."

She sniffed and nodded then hugged him before she turned to go to her room. Echo went on the squad's room. Shep had found another bed for him. Wrecker was already asleep. Hunter was staring at the ceiling.

"What if she did have contacts that could lead us to Omega?" Hunter asked quietly.

"I suspect there would be very low odds it would prove helpful," Echo told him. "She was just trying to save her own skin."

"Do you think she's scared? Or lonely?"

Echo sat back up. He knew Hunter wasn't asking about Cid. He had meant Omega. "Maybe she found Crosshair. Hemlock said he would take her to Nala Se. If that was even partially true, maybe she's not so lonely." He thought she was probably scared.

"I miss them," Hunter said.

And Echo knew he meant Tech and Omega more than Crosshair. "Me, too." Tech was always pragmatically optimistic. He accepted change more easily than the others. He wasn't as emotional. Echo figured that was just part of the way Nala Se made him when she enhanced his brain. It wasn't that he had no emotions. Tech could become sarcastic when he was annoyed. Maybe he was scared, too.

Emerie stood in the hangar as the supplies arrived. She directed certain crates to Hemlock's lab and others to the infirmary. She compared the items from the requisition report to the manifest. Everything matched. She followed the trolley carrying her crates back to the infirmary. Omega was waiting for her to help store it. She had showed Omega what to load into the wound station and how to log each into inventory. Emerie opened one crate and started removing items that would be stored in the surgical suite. Omega opened another and started finding the items needed for closing and treating wounds. That done, Emerie found items for Critical Care and took them in. Others she set aside for the Interrogation rooms.

She checked her datapad as she left Critical Care and noticed something unusual. They didn't have much use for Methysergide here. Occasionally a female member of staff came by with a minor illness or complaint. Otherwise, all her patients were men. Methysergide was mainly used to induce abortion of a fetus. So even if they needed some in stock, there was far too much of it to be of use. And it was in 250mL pouches. That was not a proper dosage or container to be useful. It had to have been a mistake. But it was there in the requisition. Maybe Scalder added it. Or Hemlock wanted it. But then it wouldn't come to the infirmary.

Well, it had to stored somewhere, and the only place with space was the wound station. "Put this on the bottom shelf there," she told Omega. "And be careful. This can be toxic at high doses. You don't even want it on your skin."

Omega only smiled when she had her back to Emerie. This was all part of Tech's plan. She had spent the last eight rotations, twice each rotation, practicing passing notes to Crosshair when he brought her food. Tech had her write everything Crosshair would need to know on a bandage with a cauterizing tool. Then she cut it into sixteen pieces, folded them, and passed one at the midday meal and the next at dinner.

She'd quietly prepared every clone in the infirmary, telling them to pretend their rations were still bland bars of crumbly nutrium intake. Tech had told her to simply say they had a man inside. They were running a long con and by the end of it the prisoners would be healthier than their guards. Most didn't believe her. But they would when they got the new rations.

She tucked all but the last pouch into the station. The last she tucked up her own sleeve. She used a bandage pin to keep her sleeve tight until just before Crosshair arrived. Which would be within the hour. The first dose of poison would be at breakfast in Galley One.

She helped Emerie store everything else, asking what each item was and what it was used for. If they were going to get Tech out of here, she'd need to know how to help him. She hoped Emerie would go with them. He'd need a doctor. But they'd both decided she couldn't be trusted. Yet.

Echo was helping AZI charge when he got an alert that Rex had called. He quickly called the others and they rushed to the Marauder.

"Hey, boys," Rex said.

"My contacts in the Communications Division were able to find the transmission. It originated from a Venator-class destroyer halfway between Ord Mantell and Coruscant. But it was highly encrypted. We can't even trace it. Tech would probably think it was easy, but Senator Chuchi is quietly trying to find a hacker we can hire. It's a risk.

"I've got it copied to a datarod if you wanna come take a crack at it. Maybe your ship still has the decryption algorithm Tech used on the transport logs."

Echo hadn't thought of that before.

"We'll be there," Hunter stated. He took the pilot's seat.

Echo put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll need to unplug AZI first. And we should tell Phee. She might want to come."

"She might know a hacker," Wrecker suggested.

"Do it," Hunter said. "We go in five."

Echo hurried out and disconnected the droid. "We'll finish up when we get back. You know where Phee is?"

"She was gazing over the wall before we came here."

"Thanks." Echo ran to the wall and found her where one of the ladders was stored. "Phee, we're heading to Coruscant. Captain Rex has an encrypted transmission that might lead us to Hemlock. We have to try and crack it first. You know anyone?"

"Brown Eyes," she said sadly. "I'll go through my contacts."

"If you wanna come, we're leaving in four minutes."

"Lead the way."

Crosshair watched the camera outside his cell. He had no way of telling time here. He had to wait for Tech. He really hoped he hadn't decided to take a nap.

There it was. The light on the camera blinked twice then went out. The ray shield on his cell also winked out. Crosshair stepped out and banged on the walls. "Listen up!"

"Go back to sleep."

"He's outside his cell!"

"How'd you do that?"

"I didn't," Crosshair replied. He walked to the middle of the corridor. "We've got a man on the inside. The camera's off. He's working a scheme to make us stronger and our enemy weaker. Our rations are going to start to change. Once the old supply is gone, we'll get something like the Republic gave us. But we can't let on that it's different. We have to act like we hate it, keep moping in our cells."

"Can he keep us out of the lab?"

Crosshair shook his head. "He can't control that."

"What's his endgame?"

He held up the last note he received. "I got notes with three or four words on them at a time. I don't know his whole plan. I know my part. I know our part. The endgame, though, is freedom and if I have my way, destruction of this base."

The camera light blinked once. That was a warning. Crosshair went back to his cell. "When that light goes on again, cameras are active. Let's do our part. Pass the word as best you can to anyone who didn't hear or comes later."

"Will do."

"Even if it doesn't work out, we get better rations. I'm in."

The rest said pretty much the same thing. The light came back on and there wasn't a sound. Crosshair stretched out then turned on his side. The right side, back facing the camera. He had a quarter liter of poison tucked up his left sleeve. He didn't want to squash it.

Wrecker and Phee had slept most of the way. Hunter and Echo had taken shifts at the helm. But Hunter had it now as he lowered the ship down the shaft that led to the garage. Rex met them at the ramp.

"Mind if we come in?"

"Not at all," Echo replied. "Mind your step, ma'am."

"Thank you, Echo," Senator Chuchi said.

"Captain, Senator," Hunter began, "this is Phee Genoa, Liberator of Ancient Wonders, and a friend."

"Nice to see another female face for a change," Chuchi offered, smiling. She held out a hand to Phee.

"Well, I've met some captains before," Phee responded, taking her hand. "But I've never met a Senator."

"This is Captain Rex," Echo explained. "And Senator Chuchi has been vital in trying to protect the rights of clones."

"I haven't found any good hackers we can trust yet. I've let Senator Organa in on my quest. He may find someone on Aldaraan."

Rex held out the datarod. "Let's see if Tech left us a gift."

Echo took it and put it in the computer. He scomped in trying to find Tech's algorithm. It looked like he found several but none of them broke the encryption. He sighed and removed the datarod.

Hunter stared at the screen over Echo's shoulder, trying to will a different result.

Rex put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "It was a long shot but worth a try."

"We're going to find her," Chuchi said. "She's with the clones we've been looking for. So we're all in on this. You are not alone."

Phee sat in the other seat. There were tears in her eyes.

"You must really care for her." She knelt beside Phee.

Phee's chin quivered. "I loved him," she admitted in a whisper. "He wasn't easy to love, but I couldn't help it." Chuchi squeezed her hands in sympathy.

Wrecker had been standing nearby. He wiped his eye and retreated to the rear gun.

"He was your brother," Rex told Hunter. "He was all our brother. We've all lost some of them. So we know how that feels. But Omega's out there. She needs all of us, but she really needs you. Keep the faith."

Hunter nodded.

"Why don't you all come and share a meal with us," Chuchi offered, standing. "It's not much but we have enough."

Hunter nodded. His chest hurt, but even Tech would say that none of them would live forever and the rest of them should move on. "That sounds good. We missed breakfast. Come down, Wrecker." He offered his hand to Phee.

Scalder was catching up on some reading as she usually did on these long shifts. CT-9902 was stable so long as the Critical Care apparatus was properly maintained, it received adequate nutrium intake, and its waste was disposed of. That was the least favorite part of her shift, but it had to be done. Dr. Hemlock wanted CT-9902 to remain stable and conscious, and she wanted to make a good impression with the doctor.

She did the rounds on the infirmary patients every two hours and had had to set up two new clone patients. She still had thirty minutes before her next rounds so she went back to her reading.

"Excuse me?"

She looked up. It was a woman she didn't recognize at first. But then she did remember speaking to this woman when the beast arrived and was to be taken down below. This woman had met her and taken her to the lab supervisor.

"Yes, how can I help?"

"I'm feeling, well, nauseous. I was hoping you could give me something." The woman was holding her stomach did seem a bit pale.

Well, nausea was easy enough. She went to the cabinet and loaded an injector. She put it to the woman's arm. "This should help. Are you still on shift? Do you need time to rest?"

"No," she responded quickly. "I'm feeling better already. Thank you. I'll get back to work."

Scalder nodded and the woman left the infirmary. She thought nothing of it and went back to her reading.

Tech was relieved it was nothing more than nausea. It was too early for Scalder to get suspicious. If Emerie could not be trusted yet, Scalder couldn't be trusted ever. Given that she was one of his minders, he'd watched her on the cameras, noting her demeanor with the other patients. She was rather dismissive of them, even if they were groaning in pain. And she often used 'it' when describing one of them when talking with her coworkers after shift.

The woman had taken the lift downward after she left. He didn't have access to the lower lab. He knew the beast was there. But he didn't know the workers or their routines. He had no access to their systems. Nala Se told him they were using Kaminoan equipment. They were trying to extract DNA related to its being able to deflect blaster bolts and even lightsabers. Tech had seen the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, deflect blaster bolts and cut droids in half. And Gungi had cut the barrels of the Imperial tanks on Kashyyk. He really would like the opportunity to take one of the sabers apart and see how it worked. But most of the Jedi were dead and their sabers were probably confiscated. And not here at this base.

The lower lab had to be on a completely separate network. He would not be able to change any of the data gained from the study of the Zillo Beast. If Hemlock was able to isolate the correct part of its DNA and use it in his cloning experiments, he could conceivably make a clone who was impervious to most powered weapons. He hadn't analyzed how the one on Coruscant was finally defeated. If Hemlock made an army of clones or even altered the DNA of normal humans, it would give the Empire a great advantage. And they already had a lot of advantages.

He knew that Hunter and Wrecker were contemplating staying on Pabu permanently with Omega. Tech had contemplated it, too. And he had a lot more time to contemplate it now as an option should his plans come to fruition. He rather liked it there, and it was quiet with no threat of the Empire. But, long-term, it would probably bore him. He needed something to put his mind to. The rebuilding effort after the sea surge was a natural fit, but after that? He would at least like to still be an option for Rex if he was in dire need of their expertise. Or to break some encryption that was holding them back in their efforts to save as many clones as they could. And maybe there were others like Senator Chuchi and the Syndullas, willing to fight back against the Empire and their cruelty.

There were also people like Saw Gererra who would fight but didn't understand the need for proper planning to have the right results. His bombs caused the railcars to be stuck, took away their only option to track Hemlock, and still didn't take out Hemlock or Tarkin or any of the others at the summit. Those munitions could have been put to better use. Gererra lacked the ability to see the bigger picture, to construct a winning strategy. He needed to be led, not be a leader. As it was, he was more of a terrorist than a fighter. And that was a shame.

Hunter was naturally good at strategy. Tech was less so. He was able to come up with workable strategies in Hunter's absence. Though his attempts on Kamino had failed to outwit Crosshair. Besides, he usually needed more time and data to come up with strategies, as he was doing now. Hunter was more decisive. Tech missed him. Wrecker was boisterous and not the brightest, but he was loyal and protective. Tech remembered Wrecker crying out after he shot the connection hinge. And Echo, Echo had lost people before. He'd been lost. He was probably taking care of the others even now. He wanted to fight the bigger fight for the clones with Rex. But maybe he'd stayed with Hunter and Wrecker in their loss. They lost Omega and they thought he was dead.

He wondered what Phee thought when they told her. Wrecker seemed to think she'd been flirting with him. He honestly wouldn't know. Flirting was not part of his training, and it never came up as a tactic in the war. He wasn't good at reading such subtleties. He could read big displays of emotion well enough, but he'd failed to understand Omega's feelings in the mine. What he did come to understand was that it wasn't because she was female or a child. It was because he was different. He thought differently, processed things differently. He was different in that regard to both Hunter and Wrecker as well. And to Echo. He was, perhaps, more like Crosshair, although not as severe or unyielding. He dealt with change easier, for instance. And he could more easily tell right from wrong.

He wasn't sure being different was a good thing or a bad thing. It was just the way he was. Maybe if they did stay on Pabu, he'd learn to read emotions better by witnessing the relationships between the inhabitants. Maybe he'd learn to recognize when Phee was flirting with him. But if he did, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with that. Was he supposed to flirt back? Again, that was not in his training. Neither had he witnessed it with his brothers. Cut had a wife and children. Did he learn to flirt? Had Suu taught him? But then, he was different from Cut as well.

It was approaching midday. Hemlock had left to eat in his dining room. He decided to contact Nala Se as she waited for her meal.

Nala Se.

It only took her a moment to recognize his signal. I am here.

Why did you make me different?

Different? How so?

I think differently. I process things differently. I think perhaps I feel things differently. I don't recognize emotions as easily as the others.

Ah, that was a spontaneous deviation in your genetic profile, as were your intelligence and your poor eyesight. We enhanced your intelligence. The 'difference' allows you to think faster and on a higher level than the others. It is not a flaw.

Not a flaw. Is that not part of what he told Omega? He processed thoughts and moments differently, but he told her didn't feel any less than her. When she fell from ledge, he had felt a panic like had never felt before. He didn't wait to analyze the options or to scan the fog below. He didn't even have his helmet on. He just jumped after her.

He told that story to Nala Se.

She smiled. That was an act of love, my son.

She looked away as Crosshair entered the room with his three shadows. Tech removed the conversation from the screen in case one of the troopers would see it. "Thank you, Crosshair," she said. He nodded to her and left.

Her son. He didn't condone everything she had done on Kamino, but she was, in a sense, his mother. He put the conversation back up. Thank you.

You are most welcome. You should rest while you can.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Omega didn't have a bed. She slept in Emerie's. Emerie's head was at the head of the bed. Omega's was at the foot. Fortunately, the bed was wide enough they didn't kick each other much. Omega didn't so much mind that they went to bed very late, or rather very early in the morning. That meant they slept later and sometimes missed breakfast. Still, Tech had assured her that if her notes were good, breakfast would never be poisoned in Galley Two.

Omega didn't have a lot of time to really talk with Emerie. Once their shift was over, Emerie was quick to get ready for bed. So they really only had the time before their shift started. Sometimes they made it to breakfast. Today they didn't. Omega was hungry but she didn't complain. At least not out loud. They'd have lunch at midday when they went to the infirmary. But right now, Emerie was in the gym.

Tech had encouraged Omega to use the gym herself when Emerie was there. She needed to be strong when the time came. The time was coming rather too slowly for Omega. But she understood. If they poisoned the base crew too quickly, it would be noticeable and then Tech might get caught. She didn't want that to happen. He was their key to getting out. But he also simply meant a lot to her. She hadn't felt particularly close to him until the mine. But he allowed her to understand him better then, and she started to really pay attention. He didn't act like he felt things very often. But she noticed when he did things, like when he saved her from the fire from the ship the Zillo Beast came from.

"So Cid told us there was a downed ship we could maybe find something good on," she told Emerie. She'd been telling her tales of their adventures to try and soften her up to thinking maybe it was a good thing to fight the Empire. "It didn't look like it though. It was spooky."

"What was spooky about it?" Emerie asked. She was using a weight machine.

Omega just used the loose weights. She wanted her arms to be strong for her bow. She was sure Hunter would bring it when he came. Unless Hemlock had brought it here. "It was all dark and the crew was gone. Tech went to the bridge to try and get power back. But we found a lab with Kaminoan equipment and a really strange beast in there."

"What kind of beast?" At least she sounded interested.

"We didn't know at first. The power wasn't up yet. It ate a power rod and we lost it."

"It ate a power rod?" Emerie let her weights fall.

"Yeah, and nothing we shot at it seemed to make any difference. After Tech got the power up, it headed toward the reactors. It looked like it was eating the power from them. Tech shot the reactors and it blew a hole in the hull of the ship. The thing got out. Hunter and Wrecker went to the ship to track it and Tech and I went back to the lab to see if we could find out what it was."

Emerie lifted her weight again. "It was a Zillo Beast," she concluded.

"Yeah, and Tech learned it could get bigger as it ate energy. It was impervious to blaster fire and even light sabers. Then some Imperial ships showed up and started firing on the ship we were in. Tech and I had to run, and the ship blew up right behind us. Tech pulled me to safety behind a tree as the fire blasted past. Then we ran and caught up with our ship. He jumped in and pulled me up."

"It's good he was looking out for you," Emerie said. "The Zillo Beast is at this base. It's in the lower lab, one floor down. But do not worry, it is secure and sedated."

Omega chalked that up as a win. Emerie hadn't had to share that information. "I miss my brothers," she said. "I know Tech's in Critical Care, but I can't see him or talk to him. And Crosshair can't talk to me when he delivers our food."

"I wasn't aware you were close to Crosshair." Emerie let her weight fall again. "He was loyal to the Empire until rather recently."

"He was with us when we escaped Kamino," Omega told her. "He saved my life. Well, I'd saved his before that, but still. He didn't leave with us, but I'm glad he's had a change of heart."

Emerie wiped her face with a towel. "Why? He's been imprisoned as a traitor. This is not a good result for him."

"It's better to be on the right side," Omega said. "I'd rather be in prison as a good person than free as a bad one."

"Do you think me a bad person?"

"Not sure yet," Omega admitted. "But you work here and you do what Hemlock wants. Hemlock is definitely a bad person. He hurts the clones you try to heal. He kills them, doesn't he?"

Emerie frowned. She knelt down. "I don't wish for them to die. But Hemlock's work is important to the Emperor. He needs to succeed."

"Why?" Omega asked her. "Do you think the Emperor is a good person?"

Emerie stood. "We should not discuss this here. Come, we need to get cleaned up."

Tech edited the next requisition report the night before it would be sent out. This time, he added 1.5 times more Methysergide as he had before. Once it arrived, and once each rotation, two galleys would be poisoned each meal. Still never Galley Two during breakfast. He'd had Omega write another note for Crosshair. Crosshair looked at the note before turning in and looked up at the camera with a light smile. Good, he wouldn't smile if he didn't feel confident that he could handle two pouches during one meal.

Hemlock's work was done for the rotation, and Nala Se was slowly writing her report. Beyond managing the rate of poisoning, Tech had no more pressing work. He still wasn't tired, and Emerie was checking his vitals and adjusting something. And that got him thinking. If this whole scheme worked, the prisoners would be released, and Omega and Nala Se would get out. But he wanted out, too. That was one thing he couldn't control. He couldn't move his body. He wasn't even sure if his lungs would pull in air if the breather was removed.

Nala Se.

I am here, my son.

If I were to show you my medical records, could you determine what I would need to leave this base?

I am confident I can.

He sent her all his medical records. And she spent a few minutes going through them.

"Are you nearly finished, Mistress Se?" one of her guards asked.

"I am not. I need to reference these files in my report. After I review them, I will be able to finish."

The guard stayed at near the door and didn't come forward to hurry her along. Tech also thought he saw one of his gloved hands shaking.

I will provide you a list to work into several supply requisitions.

Then she started listing everything. A mobile surgical suite topped the list. Optional: Bacta Tank, though that would cause immediate notice. Blood, fluids, sedatives, antibacterial agents, immobilizing wraps of various sizes, and several other items. Tech put all of them in his file. He re-edited the medical requisition and added two of the medications from the list, and some of the immobilizing wraps. As she said, the items had to go in several supply requisitions. She was also right about the bacta tank. All these things would need to be in an accessible location on the day the rescue and/or revolt happened, and they would have to leave with him. They had to be quickly mobilized from their storage to a mode of transport. He assumed the Marauder, should he manage to get a message to them—and they were not in Imperial custody, would land too far away to be that mode of transport, as would any ship Captain Rex would bring. It would have to be a ship waiting here at the base.

He thanked Nala Se for the list then scoured the hangar and every storage room near them. There was one on the southern end of the hangar. Presently, it held crates of reserve supplies. He checked the manifest to determine the supplies. Armor, weapons, tools needed for repairing either. There was one other curious item on the manifest. Damaged armor of clone CT-9902. His armor was in that room. Logically, it wouldn't be needed as it was damaged, and he would be unable to put it on himself. But he still felt that it needed to go with him. It was his gear.

And that made him wonder where Crosshair's gear was. Had it been brought to this base when he arrived? First things first, he put in orders to remove everything that wouldn't be needed from that storeroom and moved to another. He forged Hemlock's authorization without too much worry that Hemlock would notice the movement of some crates. Then he checked the inventory of all the other storerooms in the base. It wasn't there. He checked the transport logs and found the one Crosshair was brought in on. It stated that Crosshair's status was "unconscious" and mentioned hypothermia. But it didn't list any armor or equipment. Nor did it list from which base he'd been transported.

Omega had spent a night with Crosshair after they were brought to see him. Perhaps she had learned more about why he was here.

Omega.

Yes, Tech?

Did Crosshair tell you why he is here?

He killed his commanding officer. The officer deserved it.

If the officer was Imperial, I have no doubt it was deserved. Did he mention where he was stationed when this occurred?

Let me think. It didn't take her long. Barton IV. Why?

He was glad she had a good memory. Because I want to transfer his armor and weapons to this base.

Do they have yours? Hemlock told Hunter all they found was your goggles. That was obviously not true.

Yes, it is here. It is damaged and I doubt that I will be in a condition to wear it. Crosshair will be in a condition to use his.

I don't suppose they brought my bow.

I will look. But perhaps they left it when they took you. He spent a few minutes going back through the inventory, but he didn't see the bow there. It is not here, Omega.

Well, thank you for checking. What does Emerie do when she's in there with you for hours?

Tech couldn't see, of course, but he listened and he checked the medical records to see if it showed what she was doing. She had been setting some of his bones again. She didn't use immobilizing wraps, but then he was effectively immobilized by the paralytic agent. But he wondered why she continued to bother. If her employer had his way, Tech would spend the rest of his life in this state, helping Hemlock with whatever research he was pursuing. From an Imperial perspective, he'd never need to move again. So why did she bother with his broken limbs?

She was a doctor. The Empire was new, so her training had to have been during the Republic. Perhaps she took her profession very seriously and couldn't not try to fully heal him despite Hemlock's orders to leave his limbs as they were. Or perhaps she felt sympathy for his state. Or maybe she inexplicably expected that he would someday leave here and need his limbs. It was hard to say.

She continues to try and heal the rest of me in spite of Hemlock. How are your proddings proceeding? he asked Omega.

I'm still trying. I've been telling her stories of the things we did when were out there.

Ah, perhaps those stories will inspire her. I hope you have not told her about Rex's garage or Pabu.

Of course not. I won't tell anyone about Pabu until they're standing on Upper Pabu.

Good. I will not either. Keep working on her, it is probable she can be swayed. But be careful.

She does seem to enjoy the stories, Omega admitted. But she still thinks we'd have been caught eventually and we are better off here.

I do not feel better off here, he replied. I do feel that if Hemlock succeeds and determines he no longer needs me or Nala Se, we will be terminated, or worse.

What's worse than being terminated?

He didn't want to tell her. I have to watch what happens in the lab, Omega. You do not want to know.

I wish I could talk to Nala Se.

Tech thought about how that might be possible. Perhaps I can arrange that tomorrow evening.

Crosshair's coming. Then he heard Omega's voice coming from Emerie's datapad. "Dinner's here."

Enjoy your dinner. Goodbye for now. He closed and removed the communication.

He was sure he'd get a puree of something pushed down his tube after Emerie finished eating. He didn't feel hungry ever. He couldn't feel anything. Pain would probably be too distracting, so he was afforded pain medicine unlike his first introduction to Hemlock.

He refocused on his work. He needed to requisition Crosshair's armor and weapons from Barton IV. He found the appropriate supply requisition and added the transfer request to it. It was a long shot. Whoever approved the list on the other side may veto that item. But it was worth a try.

He was tired and decided to sleep, but before he closed his eyes, he erased all trace of the treatments Omega had given to alleviate the symptoms of poisoned personnel. He did something similar with the ones the other woman treated. Given that she was poisoned herself, she didn't seem to notice that her records had been altered. He edited them to make sure any semblance of similar symptoms were scattered, so that she wouldn't be likely to notice the trend and try to find the source of the symptoms. Then he checked to see if the trojan he had sent had pinged anything to help determine his location. The requisition had gone to Coruscant directly. There were no other hops. But the pings stopped there. The program hadn't helped him find the location at all. He let that go and then allowed himself to rest.

Hunter tried to focus on Phee and her conversation with the pirate she was negotiating with. She was trying to purchase another item for the Archium and question the pirate to see if he knew anything about clones disappearing or where they were disappearing to. He denied the latter and what did she cared about clones for? He was glad the clones were being replaced with conscripts. They weren't as skilled. Had the Empire kept using the clones, he might have had to change his occupation.

Hunter remembered that Gregor had said that when he trained the conscripts, he hadn't taught them everything. Besides even with Regs, the Kaminoans had engineered them to be as skilled as their father, Jango Fett. With Clone Force 99, they exceeded the abilities of Fett.

The payment was made, and the pirate left Phee without trying anything underhanded. "Well, the Ferandas will appreciate this," she told Hunter as she returned to him. They left the cantina and started walking toward the hangar and the Marauder.

Wrecker met them at the ramp. "Get anything?"

"Just this," Phee answered, holding the artifact. Hunter had never seen anything like it.

"Aw! It's been more than a cycle!" Wrecker turned and sulked back to sit.

"A cycle and a half," Echo corrected. "Rex has rescued eight more clones, but they always delete their logs. They manage to get pieces but can't decrypt them. Rex has even got the sisters out there looking."

"No luck with the captains, either, I take it," Hunter added. "I know she's out there. Why is that we still haven't found the slightest clue where they took her?"

"I've tried finding more about the Advanced Science Division myself," Echo told him. "But there's nothing there. Senator Chuchi couldn't even dig up more on Hemlock, even from his time in the Republic Science Corps. It's like they went back and wiped him from existence."

Hunter still felt that hole in his chest. The one that started after Tech died and grew after Omega was taken. But his grief and worry had largely turned to anger. When they did find Hemlock's base, he was going to kill everyone in the way of getting her back.

Sev decrypted the requisition and checked it over. It was fairly standard but one thing stood out. There was a request to transfer one clone's armor and weapons from Barton IV. That didn't make a lot of sense. Barton IV was very nearly empty. It had been a holding facility for gear for the new conscripted army. Why bother with one clone's gear?

Still, it wasn't like this clone's gear was restricted. He created a transfer order and put it through to his commanding officer for approval. It could not be transferred directly, as that would introduce a potential security risk. Besides, he didn't know where the base was. He only knew where the base was supplied from. And that was not Barton IV.

He and four other clones were assigned to monitor a subset of requisitions each for a highly sensitive base. They weren't required to know anything about the base to do their jobs. They were not to speak about anything they saw on the requisitions, even though they only saw lists. They were not allowed any recording devices beyond the equipment in the room. And nothing was to go to or from that base unencrypted. Only the lieutenant could reply to the base.

But Captain Rex had asked to be notified of anything out of the ordinary. He looked at the CT number of the owner of the gear to be transferred again to memorize it. CT-9904. That was an odd number. He didn't recall ever meeting another clone with a CT number that started with two nines. He'd share it with Kyl at the bar after shift.

Omega finished checking all the patients. Then she went to the wound station and removed four pouches of Methysergide. She was getting good at slipping them to Crosshair when she handed him the plates from the previous meal. He had to take them back to the kitchens after all.

He'd be there for dinner in an hour or so. She sat down next to Vector's bed and waited for Tech to contact her. He said he'd relay messages between her and Nala Se this evening.

Finally, the light in the upper right corner blinked and the words appeared. Omega.

I'm here, she wrote back.

Hello, child. Are you well?

Nala Se? Yes, I'm all right. I'm learning a lot of medical stuff. I'm even treating some of the base personnel when they come in with symptoms.

Very good. You were always a quick learner.

Hemlock had told her Nala Se was being well looked after, but she made it a personal policy to not believe anything he said. Are you well?

I am as well as I can be under these circumstances. I grieve for my people.

I saw Taun We, Omega admitted. A bounty hunter killed her to get to me.

I did not know she would do that. I hired the bounty hunter to keep you safe.

She did not know 'she' would do that. So she had hired the woman. Who had hired Bane? Who hired the other bounty hunter?

Lama Su. You deserve an explanation. Jango Fett's DNA was degrading with each new batch of clones. As a direct clone, your DNA would be vital in creating new clones of superior quality. That is no longer a need. I did not want that for you.

That fit with what Hunter had told her. Thank you for trying, but I was safe with my squad. We were a family.

You were not safe if you are now here.

We were betrayed. We worked for Cid. She sent us on jobs and then she gave us a cut of the money. That's how we bought our fuel and rations. I thought she cared. I thought she was good. And we'd just lost Tech—we thought. And we were injured. She called in Hemlock. Omega felt tears in her eyes and she rubbed them away quickly.

I am sorry your trust was broken. I understand that feeling. We trusted the Republic. We did not know they would become the Empire.

Yeah, neither did we. Omega heard the door to Critical Care open and stood up. E is coming, she typed quickly and lifted her thumb from the button so everything would be hidden.

Emerie approached her. "Three cells have opened up," she said. "We need to release three, if they are well enough." She checked Vector's machine. "This one here."

Omega didn't want Vector to go. He had nightmares about being in the lab. "Do we have to? Hemlock will hurt them." Vector's eyes pleaded with her.

"It's to the cells, Omega, not the lab," Emerie clarified. "I do not choose who goes to the lab. Who else is ready to be released?"

"No one," Omega tried. Hemlock chose them. And he chose them from the cells.

But Emerie just frowned. "I'll just have to check myself." And she did. She checked each and every bed, and then the guards came and Vector, Black, and Tack were led away.

"Are they better off here?" Omega asked her after the guards were gone. If three cells had opened up, it meant that three clones had gone to the lab.

Emerie knelt down to be at eye level with her. "Omega, we can't save everyone. We treat those who need treated. We cannot hide them all in the infirmary. The clones are property of the Empire."

"I'm not property," Omega argued. "And neither are you. We're people. We live and love and feel just as much as anyone."

"I don't believe they are property," Emerie admitted. "But in a legal sense, they are. They are not and cannot be citizens. They were used as tools of war and now are considered obsolete, or a security risk. They disobeyed or broke the law and ended up here."

But Omega wasn't done. "The Empire doesn't just arrest people who break the law. I've seen it. They hurt anyone who doesn't let them just take over. They were going to sentence a Twi'lek girl just because she went on a ride with her uncle. She didn't know her uncle was buying weapons. They were going to put her to death if her parents hadn't rescued her. Then they arrested her parents."

Emerie stood and Omega realized Crosshair had arrived. "She's telling the truth," he whispered, which got him a jab in the back from one of his guards.

Omega took her plate and set it on the wound station. Then she took the two empty plates from the midday meal and slipped the four pouches between them. She handed the plates to Crosshair. He winked at her then turned his cart away.

"They had us killing children," Cal said from his bed, "in front of their parents."

"Or parents in front of their children," Lyf added. "The people didn't want the Empire there. We were the invaders."

"The Empire wants peace and security," Emerie stated. "Once the people accept it, things will get better."

"Peace and security," Knife sneered. "More like fear and subjugation."

"They destroyed Kamino," Omega told her. "I was there. Tech and Crosshair were there, too. Rampart's Venators fired on the city. We ended up on the ocean floor. We floated up from Nala Se's private lab. Hemlock brought her here, didn't he? He brought me here to make sure she does what he wants. That's not peace."

Emerie didn't say anything else. She took her plate and returned to Critical Care.

Omega looked at her datapad again. That was not being careful. That was Tech. He had watched. Still, I am proud of you.

"You were on Kamino," Emerie asked him, "when it was destroyed?"

Tech allowed his answer to show up on the monitor. Yes. Myself, Hunter, Wrecker, Omega, Echo, Crosshair, and AZI-3.

"We were told it was a storm," Emerie said.

It was not. We secured proof of the destruction from Rampart's own Venator. I copied the data myself, and it was shown in the Senate by Senator Riyo Chuchi. The Emperor blamed Rampart. Rampart was loyal. He was following orders. And now he's sitting in a cell.

She didn't speak again, and it was several moments before he could hear her eating. He let his words remain on the monitor. Emerie was soon going to have to choose a side. He hoped she picked the right one.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tech pulled up one of the last requisitions before what he called R day. Because that was the day they would revolt or they'd be rescued. Or maybe both. He had finally thought of a way to get a message out that hopefully would reach Captain Rex indirectly. Then Tech had to hope Rex would figure out what to do with it. Only the issue of location remained. How to transmit coordinates or somehow let Rex know where they were? But that wasn't a task for today.

Crosshair's armor and weapons had not come with the last batch of requested supplies. But in checking incoming messages he'd found that there was a delay. They would come. He just hoped they'd be here in time.

This requisition had to include everything else from Nala Se's list for him. And, or course, more Methysergide. Tech hoped that nearly every Imperial on the base would be fully incapacitated on R day. He checked over the requisitions and closed the file. It would be sent out in the morning. There would be one more right before R day. The supplies requested on it would arrive after R day, however, so everything he or his people needed had to be in these requisitions. There was a lot riding on them. They had to be perfect.

Rafa growled, which stopped her teeth from chattering for a few seconds. "The things we do for Rex!" she exclaimed at a whisper. "He said it would be cold, but this is ridiculous."

Trace pulled the macrobinoculars from her eyes. "Minimal guard. Looks like they cleared most of the place out."

"That helps," Rafa retorted. "But only so much. We have to have fingers to attach the beacon." She blew on her hands and rubbed them together. She reached for the macrobinoculars when she heard blaster fire. It looked like some insurgents were attacking the base. "That's is our way in. Let's move."

They skirted the blaster fire, staying low and under a ledge of ice until they were within twenty meters of the side of the base. There were still three ships on the landing strip. But only one was being loaded, and it was closest to the building. She held up a hand to stop Trace as she watched the troopers on the field. There was an explosion and one of the ships went up in flames. She pointed forward and the sisters went over the ledge and ran alongside the building until they could get inside. All the nearby troopers were outside.

There were crates lined up, waiting to be loaded. Trace scanned each one as Rafa kept a lookout. She hoped the insurgents kept those troopers busy.

"It's not here. Maybe they loaded it."

Rafa checked the macrobinoculars again. There were multiple crates in and just outside the closest ship. But Rex had said the base wasn't supplied from here normally. It would only be getting one crate. She scanned the last remaining ship. And there was one dark crate loaded inside its open hatch. It just couldn't have been easy.

"Give me the beacon," she told Trace. "Go back out the way we came in."

"What are you doing?" Trace said, holding her arm. "You can't go out there."

"Someone has to. It's right there on the second ship," Rafa told her. "The troopers are busy with the insurgents. But they won't be for long. Give me the beacon and I can make it."

Trace frowned but handed it over. "You'd better." She squeezed her arm then went out and to the left. Rafa ran straight out to the first ship. She used it for cover as she watched the troopers. Her heart was pounding in her chest. At least she didn't feel as cold as before. She raced to the second ship and checked the troopers again. They had stopped shooting. She hopped in, opened the crate, shoved the beacon in, closed it and, jumped back out. She darted for the first ship. Then from there she raced to the side of the building without looking back.

Her throat was burning as she slipped over ledge. Trace grabbed her in a hug. "They were coming back!" she whispered.

"I made it, didn't I?" Rafa retorted, trying to sound confident. She was very relieved. "Let's get off this ice ball of planet."

Crosshair wished the guards here would remove their helmets now and then. It was hard to tell how they were feeling from outside their armor. But there were clues, though they were very subtle. They fidgeted when holding attention, like they just couldn't stand still. Their weapons rattled quietly against their armor. And they weren't as chatty as they used to be, not that they were talkative before. Now they rarely said a word to him. Suffering in silence.

They were only about ten rotations from the end of the second cycle. And Omega's notes had been clear. This process would take two cycles. He really hoped Tech's end game was going to be a good one. And he really hoped he'd be the one to personally take out Hemlock.

He smiled for the kitchen workers as he arrived for the first meal. They looked a bit green all told. One even had to excuse himself. Crosshair didn't mind stepping in to help. It was so much easier to inject the contents of the pouches into the containers when he was the one filling them. He pushed on his left sleeve to ensure all the contents went into the container, then he slipped the cap on the end. He didn't want to accidentally prick himself. He stirred the contents of the container to spread it evenly and to keep everything at an even temperature. Then he covered the container and placed it on his cart. Then he went back and retrieved the next container from the worker. "Thank you for your help," the head worker told him.

"Happy to be useful," Crosshair replied. And his guards didn't even chastise him from their spot by the door. You are pitiful guards, Crosshair thought to them. He often dreamed of how he could kill them in the corridors. But that would mess up Tech's plan. He had to keep delivering the poison. So he had to stay on his best behavior.

He placed the containers on the table in Galley One. He set the poisoned one down with extra care. He even opened all the containers for the poor, sickly workers. Then he and his entourage went back to kitchen for Galley Two's breakfast. He wouldn't adulterate anything there. Omega ate breakfast there when she ate breakfast. He couldn't see her or Emerie waiting today. He disposed of the used pouch in the garbage receptacle then left with his cart. His right sleeve still had a full pouch waiting for Galley Three.

Captain Rex smiled as he watched the screen and the little red dot that showed itself leaving Barton IV. It would go to wherever the secret base was supplied from. Then on to the secret base. Rex had a feeling that this was the base they had been looking for. Hemlock's base. He had Crosshair, so it made sense that Crosshair's gear was going to his base. Rex didn't know why he wanted it. Crosshair being a prisoner pointed to a Crosshair that had decided against the Empire. Bringing his gear to his location could mean he'd been brought back into the fold. He would be a powerful ally, but he was a deadly enemy. He remembered Hunter saying he could hit his target ten klicks out. That was astounding, and somewhat frightening.

He dispatched two clones in a small ship to tail that little dot at a distance. They weren't to engage. They had to let it reach its first destination and move on to its final one. Then they were to recon the situation and report back. Once they confirmed it was the right base, they could make a plan to get their people out of Hemlock's clutches. And maybe find out if Echo's faith was worth it.

Emerie felt a little ridiculous. She shouldn't be feeling jealous of a young girl who was held against her will in order to keep her friends in line. But Omega had friends. Family, she called them. She fiercely loved Tech and strangely cared for Crosshair. She'd even told Emerie stories of Crosshair trying to kill or capture them. The one where the squad got their inhibitor chips removed was quite exciting and dangerous. They'd escaped through an ion engine. Tech had given them their only way out when Crosshair's people started firing up the engine. They had to set off explosives all around it.

It had been dangerous, but Omega was free with her brothers then. She played dejarik and ate Mantell Mix. They had managed to desert the Empire and survive for dozens of cycles before Hemlock came along. While Emerie had just put her head down and done what she was told after the Republic Medical Corps was changed to the Imperial Medical Corps.

People still fell sick or got injured. Physicians were still needed. Her work didn't have to change. She could make the best of a bad situation. At least that's what she told herself. She heard her leaders call the clones property or just "it." And it bristled but she hid it. She had hoped to stay on Coruscant, but she was assigned to Doctor Hemlock and this base instead. She'd tried to look him up, to get to know his record. But she only found one article about his expulsion from the Republic Science Corp for unorthodox experiments. The Republic had expelled him, but the Empire put him in charge of an entire base. That should have told her all she needed to know.

But some of the patients she treated in Coruscant had been refugees. And they spoke of the trauma of their homes being overrun and taken over by the Empire. World after world after world after world. And so Emerie had told herself the Empire was too big, too far-reaching. She couldn't outrun it. She couldn't fight it. She didn't know how to fight at all. She would become one of the refugees—or one of the dead. So she focused on her work and not what Hemlock wanted to do with the clones that were transported into the base. Or even the beast one floor below.

But Omega, even as young as twelve, was out there, fighting, living free. Her brothers had trained her to fight and even how to fly their ship. She'd been the one to set the beacon on Hemlock's shuttle on Eriadu. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was better to be imprisoned as a good person than to be free and associated with bad ones.

Only if that were the case, she'd come to the realization too late. She still believed what she told Crosshair the day he'd attempted to escape. There was no way out of the base without being hunted down and punished. Maybe if she could've run from Coruscant, but she couldn't run from Mount Tantiss.

It was time. Two rotations until R day. Nala Se had told Hemlock that she needed certain chemicals they didn't have on hand. He put in a requisition to get those chemicals brought to the base. That requisition was sent out two hours ago. So now it was time to send an addendum. He quickly worked up a communique to the officer up in Communications. It listed an additional quantity of one of those chemicals needed urgently. This was to be called in live, to ensure it would be shipped with the previously requested supplies.

He forged Hemlock's credentials and set it up to be sent from Emerie's account. Then he pulled up the camera in Communications and watched in real time as the officer pulled up the request. He read it over then opened a channel. As he read off the request in the live call, Tech waited until he got to the additional quantity and removed the encryption just as the man requested the amount and encrypted it again until he said when they needed it. The officer closed the call.

"Sir!" one of the troopers called out. "Part of that was unencrypted!"

"That's impossible," the officer stated. "Check again." He was sweating.

"It's strange," the trooper reported. "It started encrypted then it dropped the encryption, picked it up again, and dropped it again."

"Can we," the officer began, breathing hard. He adjusted his collar then tried again. "Can we recall it or delete it?"

"No, sir," the trooper replied. "It's sent. It was a live call."

"Then there's nothing we can do," the officer stated, trying to sound confident as he frantically tried to purge the record of the call showing the encryption issues. He ran into an error. "Carry on." He tried again, and this time, Tech obliged him and deleted the record. The officer didn't need to be called on the carpet over this. He'd most likely be dead in two rotations.

Sev was shocked when part of the call came in crystal clear even before he'd run the decryption algorithm. He froze. That wasn't supposed to happen. What had it said? He ran the algorithm and played it from the start to memorize the words that had come through clearly. "1409 CCs" and "in two rotations." Rex would definitely want to know about this.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Rex had Kyl repeat the first part again.

"Fourteen hundred and nine CCs," Kyl said. "But it's odd that only that and 'in two rotations' were unencrypted. Sev said everything is supposed to be encrypted with that base."

1409 CCs. 1409 was familiar. But that was CT-1409. Could the source of the call be trying to tell them something about Echo? That didn't make any sense. He was still with Hunter and Wrecker. "Thank you. I have an idea what that mght mean. Good work."

Rex retired to the communications computer. He called up Echo's encrypted channel. "I might have something." Then he waited. Echo might not be in the ship to take the call.

He didn't have to wait long. "Echo here. I've got Hunter and Wrecker here with me. What have you got?"

"One of our contacts inside Communications works with certain requisitions from a secret base. He doesn't know where the base is and can't record anything that comes through that channel. Three weeks ago, he found something odd. A request to move Crosshair's gear from Barton IV, his last post, to this secret base."

"Hemlock has Crosshair," Wrecker interjected.

"Exactly. I had a beacon inserted in that crate of gear. It passed out of a supply depot on Pantora. It seems to be headed for the Weyland system."

"You're sure?" Hunter asked. "Why wait to tell us?"

"Because we wanted to recon it first," Rex replied. "But something else came through that channel earlier today. The contact can't pass the information on until his shift ends, so this is fresh. Someone from that base called in a live call to add something to the previous requisition. Part of that live call was unencrypted."

"Unencrypted," Echo repeated. "What did they say?"

"1409 CCs of something in two rotations. Only the quantity and 'in two rotations' were unencrypted. Since you're safe wherever you are, Echo, I'm thinking this message is for you."

"1409 CCs in two rotations," Echo repeated. "That's my number. So this message was encrypted until the quantity was read, then encrypted again until 'in two rotations?'"

"Yes. What do you think it means?" Rex asked.

Echo started to laugh.

Wrecker spoke up. "What's so funny?"

"It's not amusement," Echo said, still grinning. "It's relief. It has to be him!"

"How do you figure?" Rex questioned.

"And who?" Hunter added.

Echo turned to face them. "I didn't want to get your hopes up until I had more proof. I left Eriadu convinced that Tech could have lived. That Hemlock took him."

"He said they only found the goggles," Wrecker said.

"Hemlock had reason to lie," Echo reminded him. "I saw broken branches from the tops of the trees down. I saw the branches scattered at the bottom where a tree grew between some rocks. I saw drops of blood on those rocks. I saw a bit more where he must have come to a stop. I saw footprints all over that area. They found him. I'm sure of it." He stopped grinning as he realized why Tech had sent his number. "He sent my number. Not yours. And not his. Mine. Because Hemlock has done something to him like what was done to me. He's in the computer. But he has access to the communications. Who else would have been able to decrypt it on the fly like that?"

Hunter fell into the neighboring seat. He'd gone white. "Tech's alive?" His voice was shaking.

"He's alive. And he wants our help. In two rotations," Echo told him.

"Then set a course," Rex told them, "for the Weyland system. And it's less than two rotations. That message came six hours before his shift ended. We should have more specific coordinates and intel soon. I'll be in touch. I'll meet you there."

"Right. We'll be there," Echo replied. That call closed and he called up AZI. "Meet us on the Marauder and bring Phee with you. Hurry."

"I will be there very quickly," the droid replied.

"Is this real?" Wrecker asked as Echo moved to the helm.

"It's real," he told them. "And if Tech is in their comms, he's probably in a lot more than that." He called up the Weyland system on the navicomputer.

"What's going on, boys?" Phee asked.

"You're going to want to sit down," Hunter told her. Echo closed the hatch and lifted off, leaving that conversation to Hunter and Wrecker. He left upper Pabu and punched it. They'd be there in twenty-six hours.

Tech had set an alarm on the computer to wake him. He had to be alert for the foreseeable future if this was going to work. He contacted Omega and reminded her to not let Emerie eat breakfast today. Then he checked the cameras in the lab and let Hemlock know he was awake. Hemlock had been starting early the last week.

I need to consult with Nala Se over yesterday's experiment. I may have found an anomaly that caused CT-4568's death.

"Be quick about it," Hemlock said. "I feel we're on the brink of a breakthrough."

Hemlock stayed with CT-2846 who was immobilized on the next table over.

Nala Se came to the computer. Tech pulled up the data on Tack's death. We go today. I'll prepare the way from the lab to the hangar. You'll want to be on the southern-most shuttle. The equipment will be loaded.

I cannot go with you, she replied. "Interesting. I will run a simulation." CT-4568 died because Hemlock introduced DNA from the Zillo Beast in the lower lab. If you only poisoned the inhabitants, the work will remain for others to complete. I have access to the lower lab. I will release the Zillo once you are all clear.

Mother, he tried. You need to leave.

I need to do this, my son. Hemlock's project is to clone an invulnerable, force-sensitive being. It cannot be allowed to succeed.

Tech didn't like it. But then he'd called a Plan 99 himself. Maybe you can still get to the hangar. We'll come back for you.

She dipped her head. "I concur. The sample was contaminated." I will try, but you must go.

Tech reluctantly left her and the lab to his subconscious and focused on the cameras in the cell blocks. There were approximately eight guards per wing of twenty prisoners. He opened the cells of the prisoners closest to the guards in each wing. They didn't need to be told. The prisoners grabbed the guards, who were woefully unprepared in their current state. They were easily overcome. They swapped their clothes for the guard's armor. Crosshair had prepared them well.

One looked up at the camera. "What now?"

Tech opened a comm to the commlink in that armor. He used a voice synthesizer to speak to the prisoner. "I need eight of you in your wing to move everything from storeroom 8A onto the nearest shuttle. I will send orders for eight troopers to replace you and release eight more prisoners to take their place. Go to Beta wing. They will need to overtake Communications and Security. The others will release all the prisoners. The guards will be weak. Take their weapons and take this base."

"Understood."

He quickly sent the orders for the eight troopers stationed at that entrance to the hangar. Then he checked back on the lab. He couldn't let Hemlock catch him not paying attention.

Hemlock had him run some simulations, so he sent another message to Omega. I will need you and perhaps Emerie in the infirmary. Those prisoners need to be released.

And we have to get you. Have Scalder call her in.

See you soon. Tech put in a request under the other woman's authorization for Emerie to come quickly to relieve her.

Then he went back to the lab while he watched the cameras in the infirmary and Critical Care.

Crosshair was wired after he entered the infirmary. He had managed to scoop up one serving of the poisoned soup into a bowl for the woman keeping watch in the infirmary. The workers were barely able to stand. His guards weren't doing much better. He set the woman's plate down, and his guards returned him to the kitchen for his breakfast. He did take the time to eat it. He was going to busy soon.

When he entered Alpha wing to return to his cell, his guards were surprised. The cells were empty. Crosshair kicked one of them, knocking him back, and grabbed another's weapon. The trooper held on, but he was too weak to pull against Crosshair. Crosshair used it to shoot the third then smacked the butt of it into the guard's helmet. The guard dropped to his knees and let go of the gun. Crosshair then shot him and the first, who was just standing. He was free, and he was armed. He picked up the two guns from the floor. He also took a commlink and an access card from one of the corpses.

He first made sure the other wings were liberated, then he rallied the prisoners he found congregating there. He gave two of them weapons. "Follow me," he told them.

He found a lift and rode it up with seven others. He dropped the guards immediately outside, and then they were all armed. He watched the cameras ahead as Tech clued him in which way to go. They passed sick and unconscious people in the corridors. Some were vomiting and some were already dead. They checked the cells on the upper level and released whoever was in them. Crosshair told them to go to the hangar. Then they stacked up at the entrance to the lab.

Omega watched Emerie as she got ready. "What would you do if, I don't know, the prisoners revolted or my squad came and we took this base? Would you come with us? Hypothetically?"

"Hypothetically?" Emerie asked. "Well, both are impossible. The prisoners are far outnumbered by troopers, and there's no way for your squad to find this base."

"I know. But if it could happen, would you come with us?"

"I can't answer that right now. Scalder needs us."

Omega followed her into the corridor. Emerie stood stock still. "What's happened?"

"It's not hypothetical," Omega told her. She took a few steps back. "Will you go with us? Tech needs you."

"It's . . . not . . . possible," Emerie stated again, in shock. "What's wrong with them?"

Omega stepped back further. Emerie wouldn't be able to grab her if she said she wouldn't go. Emerie picked up her comms. "Security?"

Omega was prepared to run. She'd fight for Tech herself if she had to.

"What seems to be the problem, ma'am," was the reply from Security.

"Everyone is sick, down, they're very ill."

"We've checked the cameras, ma'am. Everything looks perfectly normal."

"I'm not imagining this!" Emerie stated.

"Tech needs you," Omega said again.

"What have you done?" Emerie asked her. "How have you done it?"

"I'll tell you everything on whatever ship carries us out of here," Omega promised her. "You're not sick. We made sure of it. Will you come?"

Then Emerie stood up straight and seemed to make a decision. "Tech needs us."

Omega smiled and grabbed her hand. They both ran toward the infirmary.

Hemlock looked up when the door opened and the guards were shot. He quickly turned on a security override. The door slammed shut. It was Crosshair and some other prisoners. He found Nala Se releasing CT-2846 and CT-4580. "What are you doing?" he asked her. But he backed away, thinking.

This wasn't possible. The door on the opposite side of the room suddenly opened and he ran through it. If someone could override his security lockdown, the other door would also open. But who could override it? How had the prisoners been released? He found himself in a corridor full of dead and dying people. And then he knew. It was CT-9902. He'd exceeded the access Hemlock had granted him. He picked up an energy staff from a fallen trooper and started for the infirmary.

Nala Se left the lab subjects to Crosshair and the prisoners. She had to get to the lower lab. She followed Hemlock out that door, and then another opened to her right. They kept opening until she was at the lift Hemlock had used when he took her to the lower lab.

Echo landed them midway up the mountain to avoid being seen. They left Phee and AZI in the Marauder. "Rex's intel said this was a heavily manned base. And there's more on the next mountain over. If they're alerted, we'll lose this fight."

Hunter looked to Wrecker.

"I can do quiet," Wrecker assured them.

"Then let's go."

Rex and his team had landed similarly on the other side of the mountain. They were going to infiltrate simultaneously on Echo's word. Thirty minutes later they were at a maintenance entrance to the lowest level of the base. Echo used his scomp to open the door and they slipped inside. They checked for another terminal and found it fifty meters in. Echo scomped in again. He found the base on lockdown. He looked to see if the prisoners were being held there. But what he found surprised him even more. "There's a Zillo Beast here!" he told the others. "No prisoners on this level. But I can't get above it. It must be on a separate network."

"Then we'll need to get you above it," Hunter told him. "Let's move. We need to find a way up."

"Rex," Echo called. "We're going to try the next level up. I was able to find some schematics. I'll send them to you when I scomp next."

"Understood. Standing by."

He led the others down another tube to another door. He opened it and they found themselves in a corridor full of very ill people.

Hunter went and checked one. "Dead," he said. The woman was wearing an Imperial uniform.

Echo found another, unconscious. Another was having some sort of seizure.

"Could Tech have done this?" Hunter asked him.

"I don't know," Echo said.

They found a lift and it opened in front of them. And Nala Se was in it. "It is good to see all of you well. They will need you in the levels above."

"Where are Omega, Crosshair, and Tech?" Hunter asked her.

"Tech is in Critical Care. Omega should be going to the infirmary. Both are one level up. I last saw Crosshair in Hemlock's lab two levels up."

She started to leave the lift and Wrecker put up a hand to stop her. "Did you escape?"

"Yes. I will now allow the Zillo Beast to escape. I will wait until you are all clear. Do you have an extra commlink?"

Hunter handed her his. "We can get you out, too. Our ship is halfway down the mountain on this side."

"It will take significant time to rouse the beast from stasis. I have promised Tech I will try. That is all I can do. Go quickly, my sons."

Then she passed Wrecker and moved on down the corridor. "Up one level," Hunter said. Echo stepped in and pulled Wrecker with him. The lift began to move. It stopped again one level up.

They found a terminal in a room off the corridor. More bodies were here. But there was at least one guard who was conscious enough to fire at them. Hunter put him down quickly. "I'll watch the door."

Echo scomped and found a friend. Hello, Echo. You received my message.

Echo grinned. We missed you, he sent back. You've been busy.

Very. I have softened the enemy. If you see troopers that look healthy, they are prisoners. Do not shoot them.

Are you well? Is Omega safe?

I am not. She is.

Right. Nala Se had said he was in Critical Care. I need a blueprint and I need to send it to Rex. He's here, too.

He will find minimal resistance. Here is a blueprint.

Echo saw it. It was certainly different working this way with Tech.

Do you have a datarod? Tech asked.

Yes, Echo answered. He pulled one from his pack and inserted it.

I will initiate a copy. Please remain with it until it is finished. I may not survive without it. Send the others.

Understood. Echo left his scomp in and turned to Wrecker. "You and Hunter go on. Tech's there. He wants me to copy data." He opened his comm to Rex. "Middle and upper levels, I'm sending you schematics. Tech says he's softened the enemy. I'm not sure how he did it, but it's true. Little to no resistance. If you find healthy troopers, they are prisoners in disguise. Don't shoot them."

"Copy that. We're going in."

A door opened to Tech's left. He'd thought the door was on his right. "You did this!"

Hemlock is here! Then there was a rush of electric shock through his head and it stopped his heart. He could feel electricity coursing through is body.

The electricity stopped. Tech tried to access the camera, but he couldn't access anything. The cable was ripped from his temple, the barrier from his eyes. He still couldn't move. He heard a click and air moved into his lungs. His heart began to beat.

"Oh, you don't get away that easily," Hemlock said.

Tech watched him push an energy rod into the computer keeping him alive. If the paralytic didn't wear off very quickly, he was going to suffocate.

"Stop!" It sounded like Omega but deeper. And she was taller. Emerie. She pushed Hemlock off the computers. Someone moved under the bed. Emerie removed the breather from his mouth and nose then another was placed over them. The IVs were pulled. The bed began to move.

Then Hemlock tackled Emerie.

"I've got you," Omega whispered.

Tech tried to watch the room as he left it. It was getting blurry though, and Hemlock was dangerous.

Emerie went flying out of the room and Omega moved his bed over and went to a cabinet of some sort on his right. She opened it and got something out. Then she may have hidden behind it. Hemlock was fuzzy but coming into focus. He had something else in his hand. It was long and skinny but not glowing. He slammed it down onto his chest, and Tech felt something crack. Then Hemlock screamed. He kicked at something. Omega!

She cried out. Then Hemlock grabbed Tech's right arm and leg and slid him off the table. He slammed into something and his vision began to swim. He heard blaster fire but it sounded like it was under water. His vision went black.

Hemlock ducked behind beds and escaped through another door, throwing a woman out at them.

Omega ran to where Tech's naked body was crumpled on the floor. Hunter saw she was safe and kept the woman covered. Wrecker went after Hemlock.

"Don't shoot her!" Omega said. "She's with us. She's a doctor."

Hunter holstered his blaster and ran to the woman. He picked her up and helped her over to Tech.

Omega handed her a scanner. "What's wrong with him?" she asked in a panic. "He won't wake up."

"He needs surgery."

"There's a mobile surgical unit on the shuttle. We have to go. Can he go?" she asked him.

Hunter heard her voice shake. She was crying. But he had to touch him. He reached out to Tech's arm. He was real! This was real! Tech was alive! But dying.

"We need to get him back on the bed," the woman said. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Hemlock must have removed the stabilizer." She ran a scanner over Tech's back. "His spinal cord is severed."

Hunter cursed under his breath. He felt his throat constrict as he lifted Tech from the floor. It was already severed. The damage was done. He placed him on the bed, and he could hear Tech's breath wheezing through the mobile breather on his face.

The woman started pushing the bed toward the exit. She was limping. The woman called out medicines, and Omega went to a cabinet and pulled them out. She put them in a bag and followed after them. "This way to the hangar," she told him. "You must be Hunter."

He nodded. "You can save him?"

"I will try."

"I need a comm," Hunter said. He'd given his to Nala Se. Omega found a fallen trooper and rolled him over. She found the comm.

"Crosshair, do you read?"

"Loud and clear."

"We've got Tech. Hemlock hurt him. He ran off. Wrecker went after him. He went through Critical Care."

"I'm on it. I want him!

Omega handed the commlink to Hunter. "AZI we need you in the hangar, mid-level."

"I am on my way," the droid responded.

"Medical droid," Hunter told the doctor. "He can help." He handed the comm back to Omega.

They opened a door and the hanger was before them. There were many prisoners standing about with unhelmeted troopers, all of them clones. Some of the shuttles were taking off.

"First one," Omega told Hunter and the doctor. "The doctor is with us," she told the nearby trooper. "This is the man inside. Do whatever she tells you."

"Copy that," the trooper said. He called two more over.

"Open these crates. All of them," the woman ordered. She turned away to go through them.

Hunter saw a plate attached to Tech's temple. There was hole in the center, a port. This was how he was connected. "Can this be removed?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "It's threaded throughout his brain like a spider web."

"He can use it to contact us if he wakes up," Omega said. She handed Hunter a datapad. She pulled a long cable and attached it both to the pad and to the port.

"He's unconscious," the woman told her. "But keep it connected in case he wakes up." She pulled the datapad to herself and pressed some controls. "We can monitor his brain activity. If it increases, he wakes. If it goes dark.…"

Hunter nodded. Tears were filling his eyes. "Stay with us," he told Tech, placing his hand on his head.

The woman had the troopers—prisoners—escapees—helping her to set up some of the equipment.

Omega's comm chirped. Hunter heard Crosshair's voice. "He took a lift to the lower level. We're locked out."

"Come to the hangar," Hunter whispered, still holding Tech's arm and touching his head.

"Hangar, first shuttle," Omega told him.

"I am here to assist you." AZI's voice said from the rear of the shuttle. The doctor removed the mobile breather and hooked him up to another that had a tube going to a monitor and a box. Tech's breaths were still wheezing.

"Cracked ribs, sternum," the woman said.

AZI hovered over that area. "His left lung is collapsing."

The woman handed him a scalpel and tube. "Pardon me," AZI said.

Hunter let go of Tech's arm and stayed near his head. AZI used the scalpel to cut the side Tech's chest. He inserted the tube. The woman handed him a box.

"Collect it, there's blood here but we don't know how much we'll need." She put up a pole and a pouch of blood then handed the tube and needle to Omega.

Omega's hand was shaking, but she took a breath and steadied it. She put the needle into Tech's right arm.

Hunter was surprised to see Echo edge his way into the shuttle. "I copied the data. Nala Se left instructions on how to save him."

"He has new injuries," the woman told him. "But put it here." She pointed to a small computer. "Pull up the instructions."

She was putting on a suit with gloves and helmet. A trooper put up a clear curtain at the foot of the bed.

"I need everyone out," the doctor said. She placed a clear cover over Tech's body. "Except for myself, my patient, and the droid. We need to sterilize."

Hunter looked at the cable. It was long enough. "Stay alive, Brother," he whispered, then he moved past AZI and out past the curtain. He looked at the pad. Still active, no increase.

Omega slammed into him, and he held her as they both cried.

"I'll get the Marauder," Echo said. "I'll get Wrecker and Crosshair." He stepped out of the shuttle. "I can take about five of you with us."

Echo found Wrecker by the open door. Crosshair was with him.

Rex came to the shuttle. "Get him to the garage," he called in to Hunter. "Maybe we can help him." Then he ordered one of his men to the shuttle's cockpit.

"They're going without us?" Crosshair asked.

"They're trying to keep Tech alive," Echo told him. "Come with me to the Marauder." Some of the other shuttles were taking off, and there was a line of prisoners going the other way, probably towards Rex's ships.

He pulled his comm. "Nala Se, the shuttles are leaving. I'll let know when we are clear."

"Understood. I will begin the process. Once it is started, it cannot be stopped until the creature is conscious."

Echo could hear alarms through her comm. Then the call closed. He called Phee to let her know what was going on.

"What have you done?" Hemlock screamed behind her. "You were all in on it!"

Nala Se turned to him. He was holding his left shoulder. He'd been shot. But he was also sweating profusely and turning a pale shade of green. "You do not look well, Doctor Hemlock."

"She stabbed me with something."

"Ah, then you do not have long to live," Nala Se informed him. "And this beast will destroy everything you've worked for."

Then he pulled a gun. "I'll take you down with me."

His hand was shaking. "There is no antidote to Methysergide poisoning. If she emptied the pouch, you have one quarter of a liter of it flowing through your body. We poisoned the others slowly over time."

"How?"

"He had full control over the upper two levels within rotations of you plugging him in." She felt pride in telling him that. "I created him, enhanced his already advanced intelligence. There was no encryption on your base he could not crack, no system he could not hack. Except here."

The fluid was half gone. The creature started to twitch. "You believed you were smarter," she told Hemlock. It really didn't matter if he shot her. She'd be her people. And it was likely better than a death by Zillo Beast.

She walked slowly toward the exit. "You may be feeling nauseous. Do you have a headache?"

He gasped and dropped the gun to grab his chest. He fell against a console. He punched a few buttons and all the doors closed. She would not be able to exit. Hemlock dropped to the floor and leaned against the wall.

"Cardiac arrest is a symptom of acute Methysergide poisoning. But I will assuage your curiosity while you die. Tech added the Methysergide to your requisitions. Omega slipped it to Crosshair who put it in the food your people ate over the last two cycles. Their symptoms were quietly treated so suspicion as to the cause remained low. I changed the formulation for the prisoners' rations. They became healthier as your people grew weaker. Your people received a much larger dose this morning." She sat down across from him. She pulled the gun to herself. The beast roared and began to thrash. "They never stood a chance."

Her comm chirped. "We are all clear," Echo informed her.

"I will not be able to join you, my sons. But rest assured, Hemlock dies with his lab." She closed the call and threw the commlink to the far end of the room.

Hemlock's breathing was fast and labored. "Shoot… me!"

"I do not think I will," she told him. She pointed the blaster upward toward her own face. The door holding the beast in opened. She kept her eyes on Hemlock. She was determined that he would die first.

He fell over. He wheezed and his face turned a shade of green-blue. He began to convulse.

The creature behind her was free. She heard it moving around back there. She lowered the weapon, stood slowly, and went to the console Hemlock had used. She was unable to open the side doors, but there was a large hatch on the ceiling that led to the upper levels. She was able to open that. She looked at Hemlock. He was no longer breathing. His face and body were contorted. His eyes were open and glassy. The beast headed up. She tipped the gun upward again and fired.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Echo set the navicomputer and initiated the hyperdrive. Then he turned to the waiting members of his squad and Phee. "When I scomped in, Tech was there. Hemlock had done something similar to what was done to me on Skako Minor." He pointed to his head so Phee would understand. "He was there and we communicated briefly. He wanted me to copy a large batch of files. While I was working on that, I sent Wrecker and Hunter on. But Tech sent one last message shortly after. He said, 'Hemlock is here!' That didn't bode well. When I got to the hangar bay, he was with AZI and a doctor. Hunter looked very worried and Omega was crying. The files I copied included Nala Se's instructions on keeping him alive, but he has new injuries from Hemlock."

"What new injuries?" Phee asked, worried.

"I don't know the specifics," Echo told her. "But Omega is fine. She's with Hunter on the shuttle with Tech and the doctor. They're going to Rex's garage. And that's where we're going."

"This Tech was the man inside?" one of the freed prisoners asked. "He had something connecting his head to the computers?"

"Yes," Crosshair answered. "He orchestrated everything. How did you find the base?"

"He requested your armor and weapons from Barton IV," Echo told Crosshair. "Rex had a tracking beacon put in the crate before it left Barton IV. He tracked it to Pantora where it joined other items from the requisition. Then it was tracked to the Weyland System. And yesterday, his contacts reported a live call sent to add something to the latest requisition, only Tech decrypted just a few words of it. '1409 CCs in two rotations.' That's how I knew it was him and what Hemlock had done. 1409 is my CT number. And the 'two rotations' was just telling us when we needed to be there."

"Or the revolt would have happened either way," Crosshair stated. "In fact, it did. You were late the party."

Echo chuckled. "We could tell." He looked to Phee. "There were dead and dying people all over that base. There was little to no resistance."

The clones all smiled at that. "He had us take Communications and Security," one of them said. "When Security saw everyone congregating in the hangar, we figured we could leave."

"Meanwhile," Echo said, picking up the story again, "Nala Se went to the lower level to release a Zillo Beast that was held there. Hemlock must have found her. She couldn't get out. But she assured me that Hemlock would die with his base."

"Nala Se is dead?" Crosshair asked. "She helped him. He wouldn't have known what poison to use, how to formulate the rations. She gave instructions."

"I would have to think so," Echo answered. "She helped us escape Kamino the first time. She went against her own people, too. She called us her sons."

"She did what I wanted to do," Crosshair stated. "Destroy that base."

"What's a Zillo Beast?" Phee asked.

Echo moved to the computer and pulled up the records on the one that attacked Coruscant. "A creature that feeds on energy and grows exponentially when it does. It is impervious to blaster fire and even light sabers."

"Fitting end then," one of the clones said. He was holding his right arm. "I escaped that lab. I'm one of the very few who did."

Wrecker opened one of the bunks. "If you need to rest, you can use my rack."

"Who are you guys?" one of the others asked. "Your armor is different. You don't look like clones."

"I was a reg like you," Echo told him. "Until Skako Minor. Crosshair and Wrecker here are part of an elite group of defective clones, to put it blunt. Only the defects were actually desirable, so Nala Se enhanced them. Crosshair here has excellent eyesight. He can spot enemies before the rest of us. And he can shoot them. He doesn't miss. Ever. Wrecker can lift this ship."

Wrecker lifted Gonky and raised him a couple times on just one arm as a demonstration.

"Hunter has heightened senses," Echo went on. "He can sense disturbances in the electromagnetic field. Sense danger before it hits. And Tech is, well, a genius. I understand why Hemlock would want him. But there was no way he was going to control Tech. Tech can hack just about anything."

"Glad he was on our side," said a clone. "I'd like to shake his hand one day."

"You boys hungry?" Phee asked them.

"Nah, we had breakfast," one of them answered.

She turned to Crosshair. "Why weren't you with the others all this time?"

"I had the wrong perspective," Crosshair told her, "until very recently."

"Didn't we all," said another clone. "I used to be one of the troopers assigned to the base. When they replaced us, Hemlock asked if we'd volunteer for his experiments. When we said we wouldn't, that was counted as disobedience. So we all got put in the cells."

Rex had counted six other shuttles besides the one Hunter and Tech were in. He put in a call to Howser, who was piloting one of them. "Take those clones to our secondary location and stand by. Garage can't fit everyone. Pass the word along. Only my ship, the shuttle Kyl is piloting, and the Marauder should go there. Unless you have wounded, then drop them off first."

"Copy that. Do let us know what we just witnessed, will ya?" Howser replied. "Some of these boys want to know who to thank."

"I'll wait until I've got the whole story," Rex told him. "It's got to be a good one. The base was taken before we even got there."

"The boys said they had a man inside," Howser added. "If one man did all of that, I'd like to meet him."

"You have," Rex said, chuckling. "He was with Clone Force 99. They infiltrated Rampart's Ventanor to back up the data on the attack on Kamino for Senator Chuchi. He was the skinny one in goggles. Only now he's fighting for his life."

"Then I hope he survives. Keep us updated. Howser out."

Rex hoped he would, too. He'd told Echo he'd believe with him, but he still had held a lot of doubt that Tech had survived his fall. Turns out he had and Echo was right. But he didn't land on his feet, that was certain. He called ahead to the garage. He wanted to request Senator Chuchi bring one of her doctors to assist with Tech or at least the other wounded.

The surgery had lasted several hours. But now that it was done and Tech was stable, Emerie worked at finishing setting up all the other medical equipment. There was enough here to turn half of the shuttle into a mobile medical station. AZI was still working on Tech, so she couldn't cover him up yet. There were immobilizing wraps for all the fractures. Once the paralytic wore off, he'd probably try to move his limbs. His upper limbs might respond but his lower ones would not. She had hoped to prevent that, to offer a chance that the spinal compression could have been healed. But there was nothing more she could do there.

She set the immobilizing wraps within easy reach of AZI and continued her work. And while she did, she thought. She thought about what had happened, what she had seen, and what she had done. She wasn't conflicted about fighting Hemlock. He wasn't a good person, not during the Republic and not during the Empire. And the Empire did give him a position of power. So she wasn't conflicted so much about leaving it. In a sense. It was still out there. She'd thought she couldn't do anything against a power that large. But Tech had, even paralyzed and blinded. He'd used Omega. Nala Se wrote instructions for his survival, so she was in on it. And the only one who could have poisoned the food is the one who delivered it. So he had Crosshair. And with just three people, he'd killed nearly everyone who worked at that base.

And that's why she was conflicted. She'd spent most of the last two months in Critical Care with him, making sure he was well, not for Hemlock, but for him. She'd hated what Hemlock had done to him, felt it was cruel to leave his limbs untreated. But he'd accomplished the murder of hundreds of people. And he did it just with his mind.

She understood why he did it. It was the only way to get out of the base. The prisoners were locked up, and even if he freed them, they would have been outnumbered. He could argue that everyone working at that base was supporting Hemlock in his work. Even her. But he'd spared her. Had he even known the outside troops would have come? Everyone was pretty much dead by the time Hunter had shot at Hemlock.

She stopped and turned to Hunter, who was holding Omega in his arms. "How did you know where the base was? How did you know to come?"

Hunter looked at one of the crates, a long black box. "Crosshair's weapons and armor. Transferred from Barton IV, with a tracker inside. And two rotations ago, he sent a message, partially encrypted, partially not."

"How did he send a message?" she asked. "All external communications had to go through the Communications Center after Crosshair's attempted escape."

Hunter shrugged. "Don't know the details. Addendum to a requisition. '1409 CCs in two rotations.' Echo is CT-1409. He was telling Echo what had been done to him."

"He killed hundreds of people," she told him. "I didn't always agree with them, but they were murdered."

"The Empire murders thousands," Hunter replied. "I've seen it. They'll silence anyone who tries to stand against them. It does no good to just put your head down and try to get by. Evil prospers when good people do nothing."

"I'm a physician," she held. "I can't condone the slow poisoning of all those people. But I can't think of another way out."

"When we would infiltrate an Imperial base or outpost, we'd stun the clones." He stroked Omega's hair. "They were shooting live rounds at us. But we would stun them. We didn't go out of our way to kill. Tell me this, what was Hemlock doing to those clones?"

Emerie sighed. She tried not to know. "I tried to keep out of it. But some of the men who came back wounded would say things. Most didn't come back. It had something to do with cloning. The Emperor himself wanted the project to succeed."

"Because clones are property, not people, in their eyes, they can treat them however they wish. Experiment on them. Kill them. We don't have rights. Tech was hooked up to a computer. That's all he could do. He couldn't fight with his hands; he couldn't escape with his feet. Hemlock underestimated him. And he looked for the best way to get every clone out of that base, not just Omega and Crosshair, all of them."

"Even you," Omega replied. "Tech didn't know they were coming. He hoped. For them to come, whoever received his message would need to tell Captain Rex. What were the odds of that? It happened, but he couldn't count on it. R day was always for revolt or rescue. We had to save ourselves first. And you can't just blame Tech. I gave Crosshair the poison. Sometimes people would come in and I would treat their symptoms and send them on their way, knowing there was no cure, that they would eventually die."

"It's war," said one of the armored clones. "The only difference is it's people now, not clankers. And us clones are expendable. If we want live, we have to fight." He turned to Omega. "Thought you said she was with us?"

"I am with you," Emerie decided, again. "I just don't like those tactics. In war, both sides have a fighting chance."

"We didn't have a fighting chance," another clone chimed in. "We were stuck in our cells or strapped down in your infirmary or his lab. We had no chance of escape before the man inside." He tilted his head toward the back where AZI was wrapping Tech's limbs.

Emerie felt her throat constrict. She didn't want to cry. "I miss the Republic. The Republic tried to do the right thing. The Empire puts the worst people in charge. I thought it was too big, too powerful, too far-reaching. I couldn't fight it. I couldn't run from it. I didn't think it was possible."

"It's possible," Hunter told her. "Tech showed that. But you don't have to fight the whole thing. It's just one mission at a time. And you don't have to fight anyway. You're a doctor, not a soldier. You just have to choose where and whom you serve."

Maybe that was it. She didn't have to fight. She'd chosen to resist in small ways already. She could choose where and whom she serves. "I think I can do that. Where are we going? What's the garage?"

"A place for like-minded clones and an ally or two," Hunter said. "You'll see. You're not alone anymore."

Emerie wiped at her tears and nodded. She stood and opened the last crate, but there were no medical supplies in it. She lifted a battered and dented helmet with a red stripe over the crown. There was a broken visor that came down over the eye hole.

"Tech's armor!" Omega exclaimed. She left Hunter and joined Emerie. "It's…ruined."

Hunter stood and joined them. He lifted the left sleeve. "Maybe we can get it repaired."

"He's paralyzed," Emerie told them. "He never use it again."

"I wouldn't count him out just yet," remarked the third clone. "He defeated an entire base with just his mind."

"Wait," Omega said, looking around. "All the clones got out. Did anyone get Nala Se out?" She picked up the commlink. "Omega to Echo."

"Echo here. Good to hear your voice again. How's Tech?"

Emerie leaned over so she could be heard. "He's stable, barring any further complications, he'll live."

"That's good to hear," Echo replied.

"Echo, did anyone see Nala Se? Did she get out?"

"Omega, I'm sorry. She went to the lower lab to release the Zillo Beast. She couldn't get out."

"You need to go back for her."

Hunter put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Omega, it was a Plan 99."

Omega sniffed. "Tech survived his."

"She's with her people," Echo told her. "She made sure Hemlock died and that no one can take up his work there. She died a hero."

Omega fell into Hunter again, and he held her while she cried. Emerie felt that loss, too. Nala Se was her creator, her mother. She had fought the Empire in her own way.

A few hours later, the ship landed and the shuttle's big ramp opened. They were, indeed, in a garage. And there were a number of clones looking on. The clones and the pilot exited the shuttle. Emerie checked on Tech again.

"He is stable, but still unconscious," AZI reported.

"That's good to hear." Emerie looked back to see another clone, this one in full army gear.

Hunter stood and lifted Omega. He shook hands with the newcomer. "This is Captain Rex," he told her. "He leads this little rebellion."

"Emphasis on little," Rex added. "Though it seems to have grown a bit bigger today."

The Marauder touched down and Crosshair left immediately. He saw the other shuttle had already landed. He hurried over to it. Omega was there in Hunter's arms. She held out an arm to him. Crosshair went to her, and, thus, Hunter. She wrapped an arm around him, and he put his hand on her back. "How is he?"

"Better," she said, sniffling. "Still unconscious. He's paralyzed. Nala Se is dead."

"Echo told us."

Hunter wrapped his other arm around Crosshair's shoulders. "We missed you, Brother."

"You're not going to say you told me so?"

"Don't need to," Hunter replied, releasing him. "You already know."

Crosshair looked past them to where AZI was tending Tech behind a plastic curtain. "I told him to use it."

"That he did," Hunter replied. "It's still hard to believe he's right over there."

"You really believed he was dead?"

"Until two rotations ago. Felt like a hole in my chest," Hunter admitted. He squeezed Omega. "Losing her made it worse. Finding both of them finally filled it. You're a bonus."

"I believed it for about four minutes. Then Hemlock took us to Critical Care for a reunion," Crosshair told him, rubbing Omega's hair. "Never got to see him after that. My only contact was through Omega here. She's strong. You all trained her well." He finally looked out into the garage they'd landed in. "Captain Rex is here?"

"Rex runs this place," Hunter told him. "They're on mission to save as many clones as they can."

Crosshair liked the sound of that. Especially if it meant shooting more lieutenants. "Sounds fun. But maybe later." He looked back to Tech. "He's my priority."

"Ours, too," Echo said as he, Wrecker, and Phee joined them.

"Can we see him?" Phee asked.

"Not just yet," Hunter said. "AZI is working on him."

"He's really there!" Wrecker exclaimed.

Crosshair had thought he was fine on his own. Now that all his brothers were in one place, on one side, he could feel the lie that was. This felt right.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Phee sat on the ramp of the shuttle. She watched the doctor and AZI as they worked on Tech. She kept hoping he would survive. He survived the fall. He wasn't dead. She wanted to cheer, to go to him and tell him her feelings, because flirting obviously went over his head. But she also felt such fear that the grief would win and she'd lose him again. The doctor said he was stable, but he didn't look stable from where she was sitting.

"Phee?"

Phee didn't expect a woman's voice behind her. But she turned to look and found the senator there. "He's alive," she replied. "But he's hurt."

There was a man beside her, also Pantoran. "I'll see what aid I can offer." He stepped past them and spoke to the doctor inside.

The senator sat beside her and put her arm around her shoulder. She smiled. "He's alive. Hold on to that."

Emerie thanked the new doctor, but told him Tech was stable now. They'd done what they could for him at this point. Unless he had access to a bacta tank.

"Alas, I do not, here," the doctor replied. "May I see the data? Another set of eyes can't hurt."

Emerie agreed. She was exhausted and quite hungry. She'd missed breakfast. Which was apparently intentional, because breakfast was poisoned. "He sustained many of his injuries in a fall two cycles ago. Dr. Hemlock declined to heal his limbs. He had a skull fracture, a punctured lung, and perforated stomach. Those wounds were corrected. There was also a spinal compression. I had stabilized it, but Hemlock must have removed it. During our escape, Dr. Hemlock attacked him. He had an energy staff. He used it on the equipment providing life support. Then he slammed the staff into the patient's chest. Fractured ribs, cracked sternum. He was then thrown from the table into other equipment in the infirmary. He hit his head, and the compression worsened. His spinal cord was severed. He's unconscious. We've treated everything but his spine. There's nothing more we can do."

"Hmmm," the doctor said, looking over the scans. "It was cleanly sliced. I may have a treatment. But it can't be done now. His health is too precarious for the procedure."

Emerie was intrigued now. "What procedure?"

"It's experimental," the doctor stated. "But we've had a fifty percent success rate in our trials." He took out a datapad of his own and pulled up a file. "We replace one or more vertebrae and discs with an electronic substitute. It connects both ends of the spinal cord and adds a small electrical charge. The device passes information between the two segments. This should allow for renewed communication between both segments. I've seen a paraplegic walk again years after her injury. But we'd have to do it in a clandestine environment, given the patient's status as a clone deserter. I can arrange this on my homeworld. Our people are not sympathetic to the Empire."

"Fifty percent," Emerie repeated. "What happens to the other fifty percent?"

The doctor sighed. "Sadly, they remain paralyzed. But they are not harmed by the procedure."

Emerie thought it could work. CT-1409 had had many droid replacements attached to his remaining body. This would be one or two bones and it might allow Tech to walk again. Her stomach growled.

"Have you not eaten today?" the doctor asked. "By all means, go eat something. I'll keep watch on the patient."

Emerie was satisfied that Tech would remain stable, so she left the shuttle and found a clone who told her where she could find some rations. Rations were better than nothing.

Hunter watched as the Pantoran doctor stepped into the sterile field. He lifted the datapad and found it very much the same. No decrease, no increase. Tech was alive. AZI left the field and approached him.

"CT-9902 is stable. His prognosis is good except for a spinal cord injury. I regret to inform you that he will be paralyzed from the waist down. He will have no use of his legs."

Hunter had already guessed that when Emerie, the doctor, had told him the spinal cord was severed. "Thank you, AZI."

"I will now see if there are other injuries among these clones."

"Omega didn't get breakfast," Crosshair told him. "Perhaps you should take her to get something."

"No," she said. "Just bring me some rations. I'm staying until he wakes up."

"It could be a very long time," the Pantoran doctor said from Tech's side. "It is possible he's comatose. You should not neglect your own health."

"Let's get something to eat, Omega." He looked to Crosshair. "Besides, I want to know how it all went down. And you and Crosshair know different parts of the story."

"Tech documented a lot of it," Echo said. "We should all go."

"I'll stay with him," Wrecker said. He picked up the datapad. "He's hooked up to this now?"

"It's showing his brain activity," Omega told him. "If it increases, he's waking up."

Wrecker sat down with it.

Hunter then saw Phee sitting with Senator Chuchi on the shuttle ramp. "Wanna join us?" He held out a hand to Phee.

Phee took it and stood. "I guess I wanna know the story, too." She helped the senator up.

Echo was looking in the crate of Tech's armor. He took a piece of equipment off the scraps and brought it with him as they went looking for Rex.

Omega sat between Crosshair and Hunter with a couple ration bars and a flask of water. Echo had the computer Tech wore on his arm. He was hooking it up to a computer in the office of the garage. She had started to eat a ration bar, but then an image appeared on the screen. It was Tech's point of view while he looking at the railcar as it was falling with him.

"This is the start of the story," Echo said. "This is how he survived."

The image came to life and Tech spun around so that they were all looking at the ground far below him. They could hear the wind roaring as it whipped by. The railcar slowly passed him on the way down. Tech turned and moved quickly toward it. They could see his arms climbing it. "What's he doing?"

"Putting something between himself and the ground," Rex said. "Increases his chances."

The imaged moved this way and that until they could see the tops of trees. Then Tech's arm reached out with his blaster. He fired his grappler but it failed to hold the trees. Then he must have jumped because it was just a blur of brown and green and Tech's arms. They could hear branches breaking and Tech grunting. But the blur began to slow and turn into individual branches and needles.

"He slowed his fall with the trees," Echo said.

And then the image stopped. It was as if Tech was lying on a bunch of branches. He'd come to a stop. "I didn't expect that," Echo remarked.

"Then how he was all broken up?" Omega asked. Tech's hand pulled his visor down but it was cracked and split. He then took his helmet off and let it fall. It took nearly a minute to hear it clatter on something. Tech looked to the left and they saw his shoulder but not his arm. He rolled and the camera showed his arm was stuck behind him. But then they heard cracking, and he started to fall again. The branches cracked and snapped and he tried covering his head, but it was back to being more of a blur as he fell through the trees. It seemed to go on for a long time. Then there was a second of quiet followed by the sound of armor hitting something hard. The blur was now light gray and blue in color as he tumbled. The image began to break up. It winked in and out. The blur stopped and there was just a sideways image of the ground and sky. He was on the ground. He gasped and coughed.

"It was just like you said," Rex stated. "He went for the trees. Except he stopped falling and fell again. From trees to rocks. The rocks were likely the worst of it."

"Phee and I looked through the data the camera hadn't transferred yet," Echo said. He looked toward Hunter. "The images were a lot like this. Lots of static, going in and out. But we saw Hemlock. And then just white armored legs. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But if it turned out he was dead, I didn't want to give you false hope."

Hunter nodded. "We should have gone back for him."

"Then we'd all have died," Echo argued. "We barely made it out and Omega was injured. And maybe we couldn't have kept him alive long enough to get him help."

Omega set her water on the floor. She took Hunter's hand and held it.

Echo put a data rod into the computer. He scomped in and brought up a file. "This is Tech's log of everything he did to bring that base down." He turned to Omega and Crosshair. "I know you each had your parts, but this covers it pretty well. In summary, once Hemlock hooked him up, he spent a few rotations getting used to it, finding out what all he could get into. He watched Hemlock offer Crosshair a work detail, and that gave him the idea."

"I was to help the kitchen with the food and then deliver it to the galleys and prisoners," Crosshair added. "Better food for me, and I figured not being in a cell would help Tech with whatever he planned."

Omega began to eat again. She knew a lot of this part of the story.

"He asked Nala Se for a slow-acting poison that would build up in the Imperials' bodies."

"Methysergide," Omega informed them. "He added it to requisitions. I had to slip it to Crosshair when he delivered our food to the infirmary. Then he could put it in the food."

"Nala Se also reformulated the rations for the prisoners to be healthier," Echo went on. "Over the span of two cycles, he ordered many things over those requisitions. He stocked a storeroom off the hangar with all that medical equipment that went into that shuttle. He knew his armor was in that room. He thought Crosshair should have his back."

"Then he didn't do it to leak the location?" Rex asked.

"There's no mention of him hoping it would be intercepted by your contacts," Echo told him. "He had no way of knowing the Martez sisters would plant a beacon in it."

"If he hadn't wanted you to have your gear, we wouldn't have found you at all," Rex told Crosshair.

Omega was glad Tech had. She wanted her whole squad back. And now she had them.

"Then as the plan neared the end," Echo continued, "he forged an addendum just a few hours after a requisition went out. It was made to look like Hemlock ordered it. It told Communications to call it in live. And while the officer was speaking, Tech decrypted the quantity and when it was needed."

"1409 CCs in two rotations," Hunter repeated.

"That time he did hope one of Rex's contacts intercepted it," Echo added.

Hunter squeezed her hand. "We would have come for you anyway."

"He could have sent any number, but he needed one that would make us know it was him. My number, because Hemlock had done to him what the Techno Union did to me."

"Send that to Howser," Rex said. "A lot of boys want to know how it happened that they are now free. I'll share it with the boys here."

Echo finished sending it then pulled the data rod out. "The rest of this is for Tech. Once he's safe to travel, I think we should take him home."

Omega looked to Hunter and he met her gaze. He nodded. "Like we talked about."

Pabu. They were going home to Pabu.

"Where's 'home?'" Crosshair asked.

"We keep that confidential," Hunter told him. "It's a safe place with limited resources. Come with us."

"If Tech is going," Crosshair replied, "I'm going." He looked at Rex, "Though I might come back. I want to shoot a few more commanding officers."

Rex chuckled. "Happy to have ya."

"Have you had contact with Commander Cody?" Crosshair asked him.

"No, why?"

"Word is he went AWOL after Desix." He sighed. "Not my finest hour."

"Better late than never," Rex told him. "I'll see if we can't find him. Thanks for the tip."

"How did you know what Tech wanted you to do," Hunter asked Omega.

"He contacted me through my datapad. I used it in the infirmary with the patients."

"And you?" he asked Crosshair. "Surely you didn't have a datapad."

"Sixteen little notes on a cut up bandage with words burned into them," Crosshair said. "Practice for slipping me the poison."

"I got pretty good at it," Omega told them. "Benni was right. It can be a skill."

Hunter laughed at that.

"I'll pilot the shuttle," Echo volunteered. "Is the doctor coming with us?"

"I don't know," Hunter replied. "She fought to save him from Hemlock, but she was rather disturbed by the fact that Tech had poisoned the whole base for two cycles."

Omega hoped she would. AZI might be able to take care of Tech, but Emerie had been doing it the whole time. Everyone stood. Omega finished her rations and washed them down with the water. She wanted to get back to Tech.

"If there's anything we do for him," Rex offered Echo.

"His armor needs repair," Echo replied. "We have money but it might raise some suspicion."

"I'll see if I can find someone to do it discreetly," Rex said.

Omega wondered what money they had. They weren't working for Cid anymore. Then she remembered. "What about Cid?" she asked.

"I'll be happy to shoot her for you," Crosshair offered.

"No need," Phee said. "We marooned her where we found Skara Nal."

"There's nothing there but a monster and dead robot," Omega said.

Hunter smirked. "Exactly."

Rex followed them out. He took the crate of Tech's gear out.

Omega saw Emerie eating with a couple clones. She wanted her to come. She wanted her to take care of Tech.

Hunter returned to where Wrecker was standing and looking in through the plastic curtain. The Pantoran doctor stepped out. "He's quite stable now," he told them. "I've let your doctor know of a possible treatment for his spine. But he needs to be fully healed before we risk that."

A possible treatment? That was good news. "Can we see him?"

"Just for a moment," the doctor responded. "He's still unconscious. He won't know you're there."

"But we will," Wrecker told him.

The doctor opened the curtain and he and Wrecker stepped in on either side of Tech. He was covered in a blanket, but Hunter could tell he was thinner than he had been, even with all those stabilizing wraps.

Wrecker wiped a tear away. "He's real. How?"

"He's Tech," Hunter told him. "He had time to think while he fell. He used some trees to slow his fall, but he fell again through the trees, onto rocks. The rocks did the most damage."

Hunter traced the plate that held the port to Tech's temple. It didn't look as horrible as Echo's ordeal had back on Skako Minor. Still, he was sure it wasn't something Tech would have wanted.

Crosshair stood at the foot of the bed. "Hemlock brought us in to see him, for a 'reunion.' He told Tech what he was going to do, then he gave us five minutes with him. I told him to use it, that he was smarter than Echo, smarter than Hemlock. I think I even underestimated him right then."

"All right, gentlemen," Emerie stated. "Let me tend my patient."

"We want to take him home," Hunter told her. "You're welcome to come."

"Omega told me it was far from the Empire," she said. "I think I'd like that."

Hunter backed away and motioned for Wrecker and Crosshair to leave as well. Omega was right there and she took the datapad from Wrecker. "I'll stay here with Tech."

Crosshair found the crate with his armor and rifle. "No helmet, but I'm not surprised. There was an avalanche. Lost it in the snow."

"We'll find you a new one," Wrecker said. And then he picked up Crosshair and hugged him.

"I missed you, too," Crosshair said. "Now put me down."

Hunter turned back to Emerie. "Is he safe to travel?"

"I should think so," she replied. "We traveled here."

"Echo is going to pilot this shuttle. I'll take the Marauder. We'll go together."

Crosshair and Wrecker followed him out. Wrecker was carrying Crosshair's crate. Echo was just handing Rex some credits from the box they took from Cid. "Is he ready to go?" he asked.

"Doc says he's okay," Hunter answered. He picked up his commlink. "AZI? We're ready to go. Bring Phee."

"I'll be right there," the droid replied. "There were very few serious injuries."

"Not many survived the lab," Crosshair told him. "Or the torture."

Echo passed him the box as he went to the shuttle. Hunter put his arm around his brother as they stepped aboard the Maraurder. "So what made you want to shoot your commanding officer?"

Crosshair answered with just one word. "Mayday."

Phee went to the shuttle with AZI. Hunter sat down at the helm with Wrecker. He waited for the shuttle to lift off then followed it out of the garage. Once they were clear of the planet, he set the navicomputer to Pabu's coordinates and pushed it into hyperpace. He smiled when he realized that hole in his chest had shrunk quite a bit. Tech wasn't out of the woods but he was alive. Omega and Crosshair were both safe and back with them. And they were all going home.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tech began to feel and feeling began to wake him. He sensed a device, but it was just showing brain activity. His brain activity. And it was increasing. It took effort but he got his eyes to open. There was no barrier. He could see he was in a dimly lit room, and there was someone beside him. He turned his head and realized he could turn his head. The figure was blurry and snoring quietly. His dark head had a red swatch of color as it lay on the side of Tech's bed. He wanted to wake him, but his arm was clumsy and stiff. He didn't feel any tubes in his throat, though there was still a mask over his nose and mouth. He tried his voice. "Hunter?" It came out gravelly and just above a whisper. He didn't have the breath to be louder.

Hunter jerked up. Then he scooted closer and Tech could see him clearer. Hunter touched him gently on his head and right shoulder. "Welcome back," he said, almost as quietly.

Tech tried a deeper breath but it was hard. "My plan. Did it work?"

Hunter smiled. "Brilliantly."

Tech felt a wave of relief. He remembered releasing the prisoners, talking through a synthesized voice. Then, it got cloudy, but he thought he remembered Hemlock. And Omega. "Omega?" Hemlock had hurt Omega.

"She's fine," Hunter told him. "Crosshair, too. We got all the prisoners out."

That left two concerns. "Nala Se?"

Hunter shook his head. "She released the Zillo Beast. She didn't make it out. And, well, Omega took out Hemlock."

She didn't have any weapons. "Omega?"

"She stabbed him with a pouch of that poison, squeezed it all out. He's dead."

His eyelids were getting heavy, but he wanted to stay awake. "Echo got you out."

"He did," Hunter replied. "We thought we lost you. Then we lost Omega." Hunter looked like he would cry. "No more Plan 99s for you."

"Yes, sir," Tech managed before Hunter became fuzzy again. He lost the battle with his eyelids.

The next time he awoke, there was more light. Hunter was gone. But Phee was there.

"There's my Brown Eyes," she said. She wiped his face with a towel then slipped the mask back on. "I've missed you. You were supposed to come back."

"I tried," he told her. But it was harder to get his voice out this time. It was mostly just breath. It looked like maybe he was in the shuttle. There was medical equipment around him. He could see his arms. They were covered in stabilizing wraps. So were some of his fingers. That explained the stiffness. The heaviness he felt explained the clumsiness. The shuttle ramp seemed to be open, but he couldn't make out much more than that it was daytime. "Where are we?"

"Pabu," she told him. "You're home."

He wanted to ask if she'd been flirting with him before but it felt too difficult. He was so tired.

"You know," she said, "Echo got your message. He had already guessed you were alive. I think I hoped, but I didn't believe it. Not until he told me about that message. Does it hurt?" She touched his temple. He didn't sense the device anymore.

"I don't know," he told her. "I think I'm on painkillers."

"You most definitely are," she replied. "And if it makes you tired, you go ahead and rest. Someone will always be here when you wake up."

That was a nice thought. He closed his eyes again.

Omega knew that Tech had woken up with Hunter and Phee. It was her turn to sit with him. Emerie was checking his bandages and wounds. "He's heavily medicated, Omega," Emerie said. "He may or may not wake up. Staring at him won't help."

"I know," she said. "But I talked to him all the time in the base. I miss him."

"You were all very covert," Emerie commented. "I didn't see it coming at all."

"It was through my datapad." Omega lifted it. "But he would erase everything after every conversation. How is he going to eat if he doesn't wake up?"

"There are nutrients in the IV," Emerie told her. "But when he can sit up, we can give him something soft, like soup."

Tech eyelids began to twitch. "He's waking up!" Omega exclaimed.

He turned his head toward her and his eyes opened, though they didn't seem to focus. He smiled lightly under the mask.

"Tech, I would like to discuss your condition."

Tech turned his head toward Emerie. "Awake," he breathed.

"The more awake you are the more pain you'll be in," Emerie told him.

"Awake," he insisted.

"All right." Emerie pressed a few controls on her pad and the machines. "I've decreased the pain meds, but not fully. Call it a compromise."

Tech's vision began to clear, but his breaths became rougher. "No tubes. That's an improvement."

"Yes," Emerie agreed. "You're breathing on your own again. You may feel it's difficult to get a full breath. We've got you wound up tight. Hemlock broke several ribs."

He lifted his left hand a few inches off the bed. "Fractures."

"Yes," Emerie sat down next to him. "I set most of them before, but they still need stabilization. We had to rebreak some of them to set them correctly."

"Paralyzed." So he'd worked that out. He looked sad when he said it. But with Tech, every expression was subtle so she couldn't be certain.

Still, Omega hated that for him. Tech was just as good a soldier as Hunter and Crosshair. He shouldn't be stuck on a bed or in a chair. "It's perhaps only temporary," she told him. "The doctor Senator Chuchi brought said there's a possible treatment."

"It can't be implemented yet," Emerie said. "You have to heal first. Without a bacta tank, that will take at least a cycle, maybe two."

"What day is it?"

"We left the base four rotations ago," Omega told him. "We stopped at Rex's garage, then came here." She lifted his right hand very gently and held it in hers. "They found the base because you wanted Crosshair to have his armor."

"That was fortunate," he said. "Are you well? Hemlock didn't hurt you?"

"He kicked me," Omega said, "because I stuck him in the leg with the poison."

"Hunter told me." He wrapped a couple of his fingers around hers. "We made a good team."

Omega smiled. "We did. You, me, Nala Se, and Crosshair." And that made her sad again. "Nala Se's gone."

"He told me that, too." He took a couple more breaths. "I had hoped she would make it to the hangar. She wanted to make sure no one could take up Hemlock's work."

Emerie was satisfied he was stable enough that she could leave and let them talk. He was still somewhat sedated but able to hold a conversation. She stepped out of the shuttle into the bright light of day on the top of Pabu. It was almost like being back on Kamino, except the weather was better. They were still surrounded by an ocean. But it was calmer and more peaceful. And there was no presence of the Empire anywhere near. There were only three ships here. The Marauder, the shuttle, and a smaller ship that belonged to Phee.

In those four rotations he'd been unconscious, someone had always been with him. The bond between all of them was so strong. Even with Omega. She hadn't had that. She was created years earlier. She grew up alone. She was already away studying when Omega was created. She wondered why Nala Se had never mentioned her to Omega or the enhanced clones. But when she was in Rex's garage, she felt a bit of that bond. She'd been surrounded by clones who'd made a choice to defy the Empire in one way or another. She'd hid the fact of her creation once she left Kamino. But there she felt like she belonged. Maybe she'd return there after Tech was fully healed. Rex and his men undertook dangerous missions. The Bad Batch had AZI. Rex's men could use her skills.

She decided to take a walk down to the water. She found Crosshair looking out over the wall. "Tech's awake," she told him. "Omega is with him now."

He regarded her for a moment then looked back to the sea. "There's nothing out there," he said. "Not as far as I can see."

And she knew he could see farther than most. "It's very remote."

"At least it's warm." He finally turned to her. "Why are you here?"

"Because I'm taking care of Tech." She wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"I used to be loyal to the Empire," Crosshair said. "Like you. But I finally found a new perspective. Did you?"

Emerie turned and leaned on the wall, looking out over the sea. "I think so. I don't think I can take up arms against the Empire and kill people. I'm a doctor. It goes against my nature. But I can help those who do."

"During the war, I only killed droids," Crosshair said. "Since the war ended, I've only killed people. At first, it was just following orders. They were traitors, enemies, no different than droids. But that lieutenant, that's the first one I felt differently. It felt right. And all those others now feel wrong."

Despite the fact that Tech and Crosshair had systematically poisoned so many people, it still felt right to treat Tech, to be speaking calmly with Crosshair. Watching him being tortured now felt wrong. Going along with someone like Hemlock felt wrong. "I understand."

"Better late than never," he said. Then he turned and walked back up the path. Emerie continued her walk down.

Now that he was more awake, Tech was feeling more pain. In his chest and in his arms. He still felt nothing in his legs and that was upsetting. Still, all told, his situation had improved. He was free of Hemlock, as were Omega and Crosshair—and all the other surviving prisoners. Hemlock and his work were ruined. Hunter and Wrecker had been freed by Echo, and they were all now safe on Pabu. And he never lacked for company. Apparently, the people he most cared about in this galaxy were taking shifts to keep him company.

But an accurate assessment would mean he'd have to admit that this was not all ideal. He was still stuck on his back, mostly looking up at the blurry ceiling of a shuttle. The pain he felt his fingers made him not want to move any of them whether or not they were broken. Several were, of course. Then there was the lack of pain and feeling below his waist. He assumed, given the fact that he was paralyzed and had been lying on his back for two cycles, that he was catheterized. He also could not feed himself. His nutrients came from a tube in his right arm. While that was better than a tube through his nose, it still felt unnatural. He still had a plate on his temple and a port in his brain, though his feelings on that were complicated. He'd definitely not wanted it. When they had found Echo in that stasis chamber, it was a horrible shock. A war crime. But the port was incredibly useful. He could arguably hack any system without using his damaged fingers at all.

The paralysis itself was quite disappointing. He had been made aware of the possibility when Emerie had listed his injuries for Crosshair and Omega. He now remembered Hemlock throwing him from the bed. That had been the deciding factor. His spinal cord was severed, and he would not be able to walk or fight for at least a cycle. There was a possible treatment, Omega had said. Neither she nor Emerie gave details of that treatment at the time. Not even a bacta tank could mend a severed spinal cord.

Wrecker had offered to carry him anywhere he wanted to go, once Emerie had deemed him healthy enough to leave this bed. Wrecker had also told him what had become of Cid. It angered him that they had done so much for her only for her to betray them in their darkest time. They had helped her get her parlor back from Roland Durrant, and he personally had saved her from Millegi by winning the race. She had always sent them on dangerous missions and derided them when they couldn't come back with her spoils. They had willingly given up the tactical droid data, but the war chest from Serreno just didn't work out in their favor.

It was fitting, he felt, that Phee and the rest of the Batch had marooned her on that desolate world. Wrecker assured him that she had no way to call for help. Given that the Kaldar Trinary System wasn't on any star charts, it was unlikely anyone would happen upon her before she expired from lack of food or shelter. And they had taken the blood money she'd received from Hemlock for turning them in. Echo had given some of that money to Rex for the repair of Tech's armor. And Crosshair and Hunter were presently away trying to buy some things with the rest of it.

Still, in spite of Wrecker's present company, and Omega's and Phee's, he was quite bored. Emerie suggested he use the time to rest. He still needed a lot of that. But his mind didn't do well simply resting when he wasn't sleeping. He needed to put it to some use. There was little he could learn from Wrecker besides their dealings with Cid and the difficulty in finding clues as to Omega's whereabouts. He sensed how emotional both Wrecker and Hunter had been when he was first able to interact with them, that they'd taken his apparent death very hard. They'd grieved for him. It was touching, but he felt badly for putting them through that when he was, in fact, not dead. Perhaps he could have used his comms before he jumped to the trees. He'd thought to once his fall had been arrested. He'd rolled to free his arm. He would have had to do the same to try and get his commlink from his left hip. The change in weight distribution had made him fall again and by the end of that, he was not able to call as he'd lost consciousness.

And yet, Echo had believed. He wanted to ask Echo why when he next sat with him. Wrecker was mildly upset that Echo didn't tell them until the message came in. It had done everything Tech had hoped it would. Rex had said he had contacts within the Empire. Tech didn't know that one of them might be on the receiving end of the requisitions. He'd only hoped. The partially encrypted message had caught the contact's ear. And the number had caught Rex's attention. He called Echo and Echo knew that it was him. The on-the-fly decryption was the biggest clue, but he'd also guessed rightly what Hemlock had done to him. Only then did he tell Wrecker and Hunter of his belief.

He yawned and Wrecker told him to go ahead and sleep. He was still partially sedated after all. Wrecker assured him that someone would be there when he woke up, even if it was someone else.

Now that it had been a few rotations, and Tech's breathing had improved, Emerie had allowed him to be propped up with a box and some pillows, and that put him more in a reclining position. He did not need the breather anymore, but he was still quite weak and awkward in his movements. And he still tired easily. But when he was awake, he was more awake. Phee decided she should probably try to talk to him now as she'd promised herself. She had a tray of food cut into bite-size pieces with a cup of juice to wash it all down.

Shep had loaned him a shirt, so at least he could be half-dressed. It was far too big, but that allowed it to fit over all the wraps that were holding his bones together. There was a pillow under his knees to prop his legs up a bit. He looked very different without his googles, and she had noticed him squinting as she entered the shuttle.

"Thought you might like to eat some real food," she said as she sat down on the stool beside the bed. "Emerie said it would be okay."

"I would like that," he replied.

She held up the tray and allowed him to try and feed himself. But his broken fingers rather got in the way of the unbroken ones, so he had difficulty gripping. "Allow me." Phee picked up the piece of fruit he was unable to and brought it to his lips.

"This is awkward," he commented before taking the bite.

"It doesn't need to be," she assured him. She gave him another piece, this time of the main course. "Let me know when you would like a drink. So did you meet any pirates while you were captured?" she asked him, smiling lightly.

"Um, no. I met very few people." He pointed his hand toward the cup.

She brought that to his lips and gently tipped it. He took a drink then lifted his head, so she pulled the cup away and sat it back on the tray. "I'm guessing you haven't been around a lot of women in your life," she teased.

"Well, no. We were at war for most of it." He chewed and swallowed. "Though occasionally, we'd be posted with a female jedi, as we were at Kaller."

"Right, and they were also at war."

"Precisely."

"And I'm also guessing your training didn't cover flirtng or courting or anything of a romantic nature."

"It did not," he replied. "Although we are acquainted with a clone deserter who married a Twi'lek. They have two children."

Well, that was something. Not much of something, but something. "Before they married, they probably fell in love."

"I would think so."

"But you don't know how." He was finished with the main course, so she offered him some bread with jam.

"I do not." He brought up a hand to block hers. "Phee, I believe the others thought you were flirting with me. Is that accurate?"

She smiled. "Yes, it's accurate." He lowered his hand and took the bread. "But you said the others believed it. You didn't catch on though."

"I did not." He pointed to the cup again and she allowed him to drink.

"You're different from most of the men I've ever met," she told him. "And I don't mean because you're a clone. You are really very intelligent, but you seem to miss some of the more subtle things going on around you."

Then he surprised her. "I agree. I asked Nala Se why she had made me different. She said it was not a flaw. It allows me think faster and on a higher level. But, for instance, I didn't understand what was bothering Omega after Echo remained with Captain Rex."

"She missed him," Phee explained.

"Yes, we were able to discuss it," he told her. "She asked me why I didn't care. I had to think why she would assume that. I process thoughts differently, but I still have the same feelings."

"That's good to know," Phee replied. She offered him some more bread. "Well, I'm going to make this easy for you then." She felt nervous but nervous was so much better than grief. He was alive. "I like you. I may even love you. It hurt so much when I thought you were gone for good. It surprised me. I don't know how you feel about me." She held up a hand as he was about to speak. "But I don't want you to feel you have to say you love me back. That wouldn't be real. But I hope someday you will decide that you do."

He looked her in the eyes, squinting only slightly as she was quite close. "I do not know if I feel the same," he told her. "I may need more time to determine my feelings."

"I'm not going anywhere." The tray was now empty. She held the cup to his lips again and he finished the juice. Then she wiped his face with the napkin. That had gone better than she thought. There was a part of her that had wanted him to profess his love for her, but that wasn't him. And she had decided before she brought all of them to Pabu, that she liked him in particular. Analyzing his own heart was probably harder than calculating the distance from here to Coruscant. "But I'll probably still flirt with you."

"I am not certain I would recognize you if you did not."

Maybe he did know how to flirt, subtly.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tarkin stood in the hangar of the ruined base on Mount Tantis. The base itself was dark. He ordered several companies to venture inside to find out what had happened. The base had gone dark weeks ago, but Tarkin had assumed it was just keeping up its secrecy. Hemlock was due to brief him again at the end of the cycle but had missed that deadline.

From the hangar, he couldn't determine much. Several of the doors that led inside were stuck open while others were locked closed. There was an empty storeroom off the southern side of the hangar, while the storeroom on the north was full of equipment and food.

Tired of standing in the hangar, he returned to his ship to await reports.

It took thirty-six minutes for the first report. "We have found Dr. Hemlock and the Kaminoan, Nala Se. They have been deceased for some time. It appears Mistress Se committed suicide. It is difficult to determine Hemlock's cause of death."

"Bag his body for autopsy," Tarkin ordered.

"Sir, there was a very large tank here. The only entrance was through a large circular hatch. The rest of the lab seems to be in lockdown. There are many other bodies in this base."

"Prisoners or personnel?"

"We counted sixteen dead men in prisoner cells," the commando reported. "The other cells are empty. Other than that, we've only seen Imperial personnel. Men and women."

"Return with Hemlock." Tarkin closed that channel. "Company Three, report."

"They're all dead, sir," Company Three's commander reported. "We've found no survivors. They've been dead for some time. There are hundreds of them. We found at least thirty in the galley, including the kitchen workers."

A lieutenant entered the ship. "Sir, I think it imperative we get you off this mountain."

"Why, what is the danger?" Tarkin asked. He still wanted to hear the reports from the other floors of the base.

"Company Two is dead, sir. But before the last member died, he reported seeing an exceptionally large beast. A Zillo Beast. He then screamed and I heard crunching sounds."

"The large tank held a Zillo Beast," Tarkin concluded. "Very well, take me to orbit."

"Shall I recall the other companies?"

"Company One will be returning with Hemlock's body," Tarkin told him. "Get that on board then every ship should lift off. Contact the other mountain. They'll need to evacuate."

"Sir?"

"A Zillo Beast cannot be stopped with blasters," Tarkin told him. "And it grows exponentially as it ingests power. It has ingested all the power in that base. It is likely too large to escape. However, if it should manage, it will seek the next source of power."

"Yes, sir." The lieutenant began to walk away.

"Once we are clear, begin orbital bombardment. Perhaps we can bury the beast in the mountain."

He turned back. "It will be done."

"Company One is reporting in, sir," another trooper reported.

"Put them through," Tarkin ordered.

"There's no power in the base. We tried a power droid in Hemlock's lab. The files have been purged. The entire Kaminoan database and all of Dr. Hemlock's work is gone. I sent men to Security to see if we can get anything from the cameras."

"Pull them back to the hangar," Tarkin ordered. "Hemlock's body will likely tell us what befell the base personnel. The base has been destroyed by a Zillo Beast. We will bombard this base from orbit."

"Understood, sir."

Tarkin could see out the forward screen Hemlock's body being carried onto the next shuttle. "Give them fifteen minutes, then leave without them. Take me up."

The lieutenant nodded and sat down at the helm.

Tech actually did wake up once when no one was there. It was in the evening. He'd slept a bit after Phee had brought him dinner. Emerie had already checked him over and deemed his progress to be good. He was still weak and his movements were stiff. He couldn't really do any exercises to strengthen his upper body as he was still far too restricted by stabilizing wraps. While his fingers and arms hurt less, his ribs were still very tender. It had been thirteen rotations since he'd first woken up to find Hunter beside him.

Still, it wasn't much later when Echo walked in. "We have a gift for you," he said. He had a small box in his hands.

Fortunately, the box didn't have a complicated mechanism. He only had to lift the top. Inside he found goggles very much like he'd had before. But the lenses were perfect.

"Nala Se had left all the details of your cloning in that data you had me copy," Echo reported. "We found the specs for your lenses. I fixed the camera with AZI's help."

"It has been challenging to not see clearly," Tech admitted. He lifted the goggles and put them on. The interior of the shuttle and the evening sky outside were perfectly clear. He could see the individual pebbles that made up the ground around the shuttle.

"I imagine," Echo sat down. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much. We took more than four thousand credits from Cid. We were unable to find a bacta tank, I'm afraid, but we found a few other things that could be of use in the coming weeks."

Tech was still looking around, just taking in everything he couldn't see clearly before. "I had wanted to ask you something." He stopped looking around and focused on Echo. "Phee told me you believed I wasn't dead. Everyone else seems to have come to a different conclusion. Of course, I wasn't dead. But why would you believe that I had, in fact, survived?"

Echo sighed. "After we lost Hemlock's shuttle—and Omega, I brought the others here to recover. I told them I'd check with Rex and Senator Chuchi for leads. And I'd return to Eriadu to find you, so I could bring you home for burial."

It was an odd thing to be told of the events after your apparent death. If he had died in the fall, all of this would have come to pass.

"I didn't find your body," Echo told him. "I found footprints. They led me to some very odd trees. Their branches were broken from very high up all the way to the ground. One of those trees was growing between two rocks. I found droplets and smears of blood on those rocks. But they weren't covered in blood. There were no pools between them. I found footprints around a depression where you must have lain. I believed then that Hemlock had lied. He told Hunter that all they were able to recover was those goggles."

He slid a bit closer. "And I decided then that I would be the one who believed you were alive, just as Rex had been the only one to believe that I was. I told Rex, but not the others. In case I was wrong."

Tech felt a deep connection to Echo just then. Echo had joined them after he was freed from the Techno Union. He was one of them, but different. A reg. They had already had a lot in common, with Echo's ability to scomp in to computers and get data while Tech could hack in. They both worked to fix the Marauder when it needed repair. But Echo had done something very personal that connected them together. He had believed. "So when I decrypted part of that message. . . ."

"I was primed to know it was you," Echo stated. "I believed you were alive, and only you could have decrypted just those two parts on the fly. And my number. I understood what that meant. I'm very sorry that happened to you."

Tech gently touched the plate on his temple with an uncovered finger. "I would not have chosen it, but I found it to be quite useful. It cannot be removed. I am certain I will find it useful again."

Echo smiled and lifted the scomplink attached to his right arm. "I understand."

"Do you—" Tech started, but stopped. He looked at his covered, motionless legs. "Do you miss your limbs?"

"Every day," Echo told him. "I'm right-handed. But I have flashes of memory of the explosion. I couldn't have survived without all this. I didn't get a choice on Skako Minor, but I had a choice with all of you. If I had given up for lack of natural limbs, I would have missed out on our missions together, our time with Omega. I'm glad to be alive. And these droid parts probably saved me from worse injury when we crashed. They allowed me to take care of the others, to go to Eriadu. To believe."

"Omega said the senator's doctor spoke of a possible treatment," Tech told him. "But that's not a certain treatment. I may be stuck this way."

"Your worth is not in your legs," Echo reminded him. "It's not even in your brain. It's just you."

Emerie inspected the bed Hunter and Wrecker had built for Tech. They'd stacked two beds and fastened them together. They'd done the same with several other beds on the other side of the room. Omega was sitting on the top of one set of bunks. This bed had a bar half a meter below the upper bunk.

"I'll climb up top," Hunter told her. "He shouldn't be stuck in that shuttle."

"I'd still want to monitor him," she told him. "And he still needs pain meds."

Omega climbed down. She had her datapad. "I can help monitor him when he's here."

"Do the meds have to be IVs?" Wrecker asked.

Emerie considered that. It had been three weeks now. She could put the meds in injectors. It was possible most of the wraps could be removed in another seven rotations. He was awake most of the daylight hours and was actually quite bored for much of the day, even with company. His chest would still be wrapped, but he'd be able to interact with others better, even eat his own food. He wasn't ready for the lev chair just yet, but perhaps he would find this more comfortable for sleeping than the stiff bed he was on now.

"Someone will need to help him dress," she pointed out.

"We can handle it," Crosshair argued.

"Fine," she decided. "The chair needs to wait until he's stronger."

"Not a problem." Wrecker cracked his neck.

Emerie looked at Omega. "Really, Omega should be staying with Phee and me."

"Why?" Wrecker asked. "She's lived with us on the Marauder."

"I want to stay with them," Omega complained.

"Because you are an adolescent girl who will eventually be entering puberty," she stated. She looked to the men. "How much do you know about that?"

Wrecker rubbed his head. "Um. . . ."

Crosshair leaned against one of the bunks. "She has a point."

Emerie chuckled. "I didn't have anyone to help me navigate that," she told Omega. "You do."

Omega eyed the bed.

"We can swap my bed in here," Emerie offered. "Wrecker can you carry that one?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Right now?" Omega protested, holding Wrecker back.

"It's just around the corner," Hunter reminded her. "And it's mainly for sleeping. You'll still see us every day."

Omega sighed and let Wrecker pass. Wrecker lifted the bed from one end. He lifted it easily enough, but it was awkward to maneuver out the door. Emerie had to help steer. "I still get the top," Omega said as she followed them out.

Hunter found Crosshair staring over the wall after dinner. He'd been doing that a lot. Hunter hadn't spent much time with him since he'd rejoined the squad. He'd been offworld shopping for most of the last three weeks. Each of them, Tech included, now had several changes of civilian clothes as well as clothes to swim in. Crosshair had his helmet back, and Wrecker had helped him paint his armor. The black didn't fit him anymore. Of course, there was the lev chair and Tech's repaired goggles as well.

Crosshair had told them of his change in perspective the first night here. Hunter was sorry he had to go through losing someone like Mayday to get that perspective. It hadn't been easy to dig up that helmet on Barton IV. It was incredibly cold and the snow had been nearly chest deep. Seeing how far it was from the now abandoned base gave Hunter a real sense of how far Crosshair had walked, pulling Mayday along only to have him die with no help. Still, he was very glad to have his brother back. In turn, they had filled Crosshair in on their prior relationship with Cid and what had really happened with Rampart.

Hunter joined him at the wall. The lights were just coming on in Lower Pabu. "Nice, isn't it."

"Not the word I'd choose," Crosshair said. "There's nothing in any direction. My eyes are worthless here."

"Maybe you just need to focus them a bit closer," Hunter suggested. "Wrecker, Omega, and I, we want to stay here. Omega deserves a chance to be a kid and not a soldier."

Crosshair turned to face him. "Tech and Echo?"

"Tech will probably stay. He was thinking about it before all this. If the treatment doesn't work.…" He let that hang. "Echo left us to work with Rex once before. I'm sure he will again. Though I hope he'll still call this home and come back now and then. You can, too."

Crosshair regarded him. "I still need to fight."

"I know." Hunter nodded. "But this can still be home."

Crosshair turned and put his back to the wall. "I may be 'severe and unyeilding,'" he said, "but I am glad to be reunited. I missed all of you. Even the girl and the droid. If this is where you are, this is home. Only you're kidding yourselves if you think the Empire will never come here."

Hunter waved his arm toward Lower Pabu. "What could they possibly want from this little island?"

Crosshair answered quickly. "Control."

Tech watched patiently as Emerie removed the stabilizing wraps from his left forearm, his right upper arm, and all but three of his fingers. And thus, he identified which fractures had had to be rebroken. She also removed the wraps from his legs. The released arms and fingers felt clammy and, to be honest, didn't smell very good from being unwashed in a full cycle. AZI assisted with that however. He sprayed his limbs with a cleansing gel then used a warm beam to dry them.

Then Emerie helped him put on a shirt. She pulled back the blanket and, between her and the droid, they had him in loose fitting trousers.

Wrecker then stepped forward as AZI backed away. "Ready?" he asked.

Tech looked to Emerie. "I certainly hope so." He was quite tired of only seeing the inside of this shuttle or the view outside it. It was a cool evening and he hoped to get some enjoyment out of it before nighttime.

Emerie nodded.

"Shep is having another feast," Wrecker said as he put one arm behind Tech's back and the other under his knees. Tech wrapped his arm around Wrecker's shoulders and then he was up.

"Gently!" Emerie admonished. "He'll need something behind his back and a cushion on the seat."

Wrecker smiled. "We've got it covered."

He carried Tech out the door into the soft light of the sunset. And the place was oddly empty. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, at the feast," Wrecker told him. "But we didn't want you to be mobbed your first time out."

"Very thoughtful," Tech remarked. They moved down the path, with Emerie following, toward Shep's place and onto his patio. Everyone that meant something to him was there. And they were all smiling. Except Crosshair, but he rarely ever smiled.

"Welcome back," Shep said, standing. "It's not often we get someone back from the dead."

"I was never actually dead," Tech corrected, but Shep just laughed.

Phee stepped back to give Wrecker space as he gently deposited Tech onto a pillow he couldn't feel. Then he kept a hand on his back until Gonky came over to be his backrest.

It was the first time he'd been able to sit up since he'd left the Marauder on Eriadu. He was now able to eat on his own, to converse with his friends and family, to feel almost normal. Tech asked about the progress in rebuilding since the sea surge, and Lyana asked how he took the base, but Shep didn't want to hear the details. So Omega whispered in her ear and Lyana's eyes went wide.

Shep quickly changed the subject. It was nice. But Tech's mind kept returning to his legs that didn't work. He didn't even realize a moonyo had come by under the table until Phee had yelped beside him. Then she laughed and handed it a fruit.

He tried reminding himself that nothing could be done about it until he was ready for the treatment. But his thoughts returned anyway. Even if all his fingers had been unwrapped, he wouldn't be able to dress himself. He couldn't maneuver his torso into a shirt. He couldn't lift himself to pull up trousers. He lost his ability to move freely. Was he now also to lose his personal dignity?

With dinner over, Wrecker lifted him again. Instead of leaving, he brought him to the wall. For the first time in three cycles, Tech could see the rebuilding progress for himself, as each light winked on and the people of Lower Pabu stepped out of their houses, looked up, and waved.

That night, he slept in a real bed, under soft blankets with the sounds of his brothers around him. There were many factors that would lead to a positive assessment of his situation. But the negative factor remained and it spawned new factors. They never trained him to be a paraplegic either.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tarkin studied Dr. Hemlock's autopsy report's summary. Cause of death was acute Methysergide poisoning. An injection site was found in the lower left leg. Other injuries included minor bruising and a blaster shot to the left shoulder. Methysergide poisoning.

The investigation had been thorough. There were nearly two cycles of requisitions including Methysergide coming from the base. In the first requisition requesting Methysergide, there was also a reformulation of prisoner rations. The third to last requisition included a request for transfer the armor of CT-9904 from Barton IV to the base. The last requisition was an addendum and given in a live call. It requested 1409 CCs of pseudo gestational fluid to be delivered in two rotations. The quantity and timing were oddly unencrypted. The base went dark two rotations after the live call.

CT-9904 had been a prisoner at the base since before Methsyrgide was requested, as was Nala Se. Hemlock had then picked up another member of Experimental Unit 99 after the attack on Raven's Peak. His report had stated it was CT-9902. Tarken knew he was hoping to capture the young female clone known as Omega to prompt Nala Se's cooperation. But Hemlock had not included any details of the treatment of these other clones. He did not detail the experiments he conducted. So why had he approved requisitions for large quantities of Methysergide? And why request CT-9904's armor?

The conclusion suspected that base personnel may have been poisoned slowly with food contaminated with Methysergide. Hemlock had requested a new kitchen worker. Tarkin had ordered him to use a prisoner for that task. Perhaps Hemlock's protestations were accurate. The report suggested that the prisoners had revolted against weakened troopers and thus escaped. These prisoners could also have tussled with Hemlock, creating the bruising and the blaster shot. Apparently one of them got hold of a pouch of the poison and injected it during the struggle. Tarkin suspected Nala Se had released the Zillo Beast before committing suicide.

Without further records, Tarkin had no way to determine which prisoners escaped. Except CT-9904. He remembered that clone. He was the only one of Experimental Unit 99 to respond properly to Order 66. He'd been put in charge of a new elite unit of human recruits and proven effective. He'd remained loyal even after his chip had been destroyed due to an injury on Bracca. He'd ensured the installation of Governor Grotton on Desix. But he had shot and killed Lieutenant Nolan on Barton IV. He was then transferred to Hemlock.

CT-9902 was the intelligent one. Perhaps Hemlock had wanted to use CT-9904 as leverage to assure CT-9902's cooperation. If so, he wouldn't want to use CT-9904 in his experiments and potentially kill his leverage. He'd use CT-9904 as the new kitchen worker. Somehow CT-9904 got hold of the Methysergide and poisoned the food. But who had given it to him, and why had so much of it been requisitioned?

Tarkin pulled up all the reports he could find on Experimental Unit 99's exploits during the Clone War. It was exciting reading up until Order 66. But he mainly focused on CT-9902's skills. He remembered the test in the training room. CT-9902 had hacked into one of the battle droids and used it to take out many of the other droids attempting to shoot them. He had only needed a few seconds to do this. Had Hemlock let his guard down? Had CT-9902 hacked the system in the base, forged the requisitions, and freed the prisoners?

Either way, Tarkin issued a warrant. Experimental Unit 99 had played a part in the attack on Raven's Peak. And at least some of its members, with Nala Se's assistance, had destroyed the base on Mount Tantis. Those clones needed to be found and killed on sight. He told his adjutant to make sure that every governor, general, and admiral were to see the warrant and pass it down through their ranks.

Then he sighed. He didn't want to be the one to tell Emperor Palpatine that Hemlock and his work were no more. Still, he requested transport to Coruscant. Better to tell him in person.

The lev chair was a good step up from having to be carried by Wrecker. Tech liked that Wrecker was willing, but the lev chair gave him a shred of personal freedom. It wasn't walking, but he could go almost anywhere on the island, as long as there were no steps. He could control it with his hands, or, if his hands were busy, with a cable attached to his temple. His hands were rarely busy. He'd even turned off the camera on his goggles. There was nowhere for the images to go.

Unlike when he was in the shuttle, he often found himself alone. It didn't bother him as much as it might have then. When he was alone, he could ponder things he used to rarely find the time for before. Like feelings. He'd told Omega he had the same feelings as she did. He suspected that was true now more than before.

Omega and his brothers loved him as family. He could recognize that in their willingness to sit with him, to dress him, to carry him, or to help him with other things involving personal dignity that he now lacked. He'd even mentioned it to his last helper in that regard, Wrecker. But Wrecker had said for him it didn't feel as bad as when they'd thought he was dead. Crosshair had said it was payback for trying to kill them. Though Tech thought maybe the scars on his head were that. It probably happened on Bracca. He had been positioned to shoot them if they'd come out of the engine. The bombs had changed the angle of the engines so that Crosshair could have been burned. Tech considered them even on that front. Crosshair had likely ordered the engines be fired.

But Phee loved him in a romantic way. He'd never considered the option of loving someone other than his brothers—and sister. That was very much due to his own programming and life during the war. The only constants were his brothers. Cut and Suu loved each other this way, so it was not impossible for a clone to love romantically. But was it possible for him? Especially now? Cut had fathered children. If his paralysis was permanent, he could not do that. He wasn't even certain how to do that. Of course, he knew the basic mechanics, but how did one get to the point of deciding to do it?

But more to the point, did he or could he love Phee the way she loved him? She liked his company, even now. He was quite used to her company, but did he actively like it? He didn't seek her out. She usually found him. She was willing to do unpleasant tasks for him. She'd washed him and shaved his face while he was unconscious. There hadn't been a need yet, and Tech didn't know if he would have offered to do the same if the situation was reversed. He might think that would intrude upon her privacy. She had missed him while he and the squad were away—and moreso after his apparent death. Tech didn't so much miss her when she wasn't on Pabu. Perhaps with time he might feel differently.

There was one aspect of Phee he did like. She wasn't shy at asking how he felt. And she didn't try to make him feel differently if it wasn't all pleasant.

He was sitting in the lev chair under the tree when the focus of his thoughts found him. "Would you like a tour of the Archium?"

"It would be something to do," he replied. "Something I'm quite lacking these days."

"Then you just need to find me," she said. "I can always find something for you to do. Even if it's just listening when someone else needs to talk."

"Why would someone need to talk?" Tech asked. He could really only think of an interrogation.

She reached down and started his chair moving toward the Archium. He took over and moved beside her. "Sometimes when people have gone through something difficult, they need to talk about it. Talking about it helps them cope with it."

"Ah, as when Omega was sad about Echo leaving," Tech commented. "At first, she didn't want to talk. She said she wanted to be alone. The others told me to go talk to her. She needed to talk?"

"Probably." Phee opened the door to the Archium and held it until he got his chair inside. There were shelves along the walls. The walkway inside led around a spiral, much as it did for the island as a whole. As they travelled up there were more artifacts but also empty spaces. He saw the green tree figurine they'd taken from Crowder. "Especially at her age. You know I can listen if you ever find yourself needing to talk." Then she changed the subject. "Most of these things don't have monetary value, but they mean something to the people here. Many had to leave their homes and everything they knew behind because of the Separatists or the Empire."

"Do you, in fact, find treasures as in the stories you tell?" he asked her.

"Yes, and most of the time, the sale of those treasures keeps me in business, so I can keep finding things like these." She stopped at one, a photograph. It was of three people: a man, a woman, and a little girl.

The girl looked vaguely familiar. "Your family?"

She smiled. "Yes, my father was a treasure hunter. My mom and I sometimes joined him on his quests. When I was a little older than Omega, we went to Unavartan to deal with the pirate, Enfys Nest. I was to stay on the ship. Whenever I stayed on the ship, they left a standing order. They would call in every fifteen minutes, even if it was three clicks on the comm. If I didn't hear anything for thirty minutes, I was to turn the ship toward home. The first three hours were boring. I played games with the astromech droid to keep occupied. But every fifteen minutes, they called in. Might be Mother telling me to stay sharp, maybe Father talking to the pirate on the open comms, maybe just those three clicks. But they were there. Then they weren't. I stopped playing at fifteen minutes when I didn't hear anything. I started crying at thirty. But I waited for thirty more before I left. I set the navicomputer and jumped to hyperspace, knowing my parents were dead. That was the only reason I wouldn't get those three clicks. Shep's family took me in. We grew up; he got married, had Lyana. I inherited my father's wanderlust. He lost Lyana's mother in a Separatist attack. Somehow, he found himself here. Then I found him here."

Tech waited until she was finished. "So you were a refugee, too."

She nodded. "My parents taught me to be a pirate, like you four have been teaching Omega to be a soldier. But I didn't want to end up dead like my parents. I listened and learned which pirates to stay away from and which ones I could deal with. Brokers like Cid could help me find what I was looking for. But I kept coming back here and the more I listened, the more I heard what other people wanted. So I turned being a pirate into being a liberator—"

"Of ancient wonders," Tech finished for her.

"Exactly!" She led him further up the spire until he was looking at what were obviously very old, very rare pieces. "These are only the ones I couldn't bear to part with," she told him. "The others I sell to get intel on other items, to fuel my ship, to bring back some things that we can't get here on Pabu."

Tech really wished he had his visor to better analyze the items here. One was just a cube with various markings on it. He couldn't decipher their meaning. Another was a crystalline representation of a praying figure. The species of the figure was one he'd never seen before. "So these are the objects of your stories."

"Some of them," she replied. "This one"—she pointed to a pearl with the diameter of a dinner plate—"is the Grand Pearl of Novak."

"Ah, for which you fought an Octomorph single-handed." He doubted a lot of that story.

Phee leaned on the back of his chair. "Well, it was a very old Octomorph, but being a pirate is not just finding the treasures, it's the presentation. To be a good one, you have to have a reputation."

She started back down the ramp, and he followed. She stopped at a bare spot. "If there was one thing you could have from your home on Kamino, what would it be?"

Tech took a moment to consider that. "The Marauder has always been more our home," he remarked. "We spent far more time in it than our quarters on Kamino. I didn't really leave anything of worth behind. There were various devices I would 'tinker' with, as Crosshair would put it. Some I tried to repair, others I used for parts to make something new. But I was not attached to any of them. My brothers are what mattered."

"You didn't really have a childhood, did you?"

"We were children," he corrected, "though for far less time than you or even Omega. We were taught to read and write. We studied strategies and specs of ships and weapons and droids. We were trained to fight from an early age. The four of us were given more specific training for each of our specialties. I do think I enjoyed that the most. Once we were grown and trained enough, we were tested. And once we passed, we were sent into battle."

"You were children," Phee commented. "But that's not a childhood. You didn't have a mother and father who loved you. You didn't have time to just imagine and play. Once I realized that, I think I understood you better."

Tech had never thought that he lacked anything from his training until recently. He remembered Shaeeah and Jek playing catch with Omega. "I cannot imagine simply taking time to imagine."

Phee chuckled. "And that's why you're adorable."

Tech maneuvered the pants over his feet, past his knees, and up to his thighs as Hunter supported his back on the bed. Then he lifted himself with the bar, and Hunter pulled the pants the rest of the way for him. Tech dropped back down and fastened them. This had become a morning ritual, and Hunter could tell Tech didn't enjoy it.

Hunter lifted and deposited Tech into the lev chair and handed him two bags filled with various things to each equal about five kilograms. Wrecker was using Gonky for weight and Crosshair and Echo were doing push-ups. It was especially impressive for Echo. His left arm was longer than his right, and the droid parts were arguably heavier than if he had natural legs and a full torso. Hunter started with some sit-ups.

He'd told Rex, when they first met, that Tech could fill his head with useless knowledge for hours. But lately, he'd been nearly as quiet as Crosshair. It concerned him. It concerned all of them.

They'd all been on Pabu for one and half cycles. Hunter was finding it somewhat difficult to not be a soldier. He was used to strategizing in the heat of the moment. But now he just tried to make himself useful and allowed Shep to give him tasks each day. Wrecker never lacked for things to do. There was still a lot of heavy lifting to be done. Crosshair was mostly bored, but he and Echo made a point to keep themselves ready in case Rex called. Omega and Lyana mainly played with the moonyos or went out on Lyana's boat. They'd taken to carrying some of the armored crates from the shuttle painted with targets for Crosshair to have shooting practice. Some of the locals liked to watch.

And all of that left Tech behind. It wasn't that he was alone. Phee was often with him when she was on Pabu, Emerie checked up on his progress every day, and he was at every meal. But it seemed like he was just there. He replied when he was spoken to but didn't initiate any conversations. Where usually he'd carry a tablet around always collecting data or calculating something, he now seemed constantly distracted. He didn't even carry his tablet most of the time. It just wasn't like him.

He was getting stronger in his upper body. The stabilizing wrap around his chest had become simply tight bandages, and he had full use of his arms and fingers. Emerie anticipated the bandages could come off in another three weeks. Echo had put in a call to Rex so he could inform Senator Chuchi that Tech was nearly ready for the treatment on his end. They had yet to hear back from Chuchi's doctor.

Maybe Tech was as bored as Crosshair was. Hunter decided to suggest he continue Omega's education at breakfast. If she'd been a child on Coruscant, for instance, she and Lyana would be in school. Shep taught his own daughter, and there were few other children their age on the island.

Tech was sitting in his lev chair, while Omega reclined against the big tree on the top of Pabu with Tech's tablet. It was more versatile than hers. He was attempting to teach her higher mathematics, but Omega really found it far too complicated and quite boring. "Why do I need to know this on Pabu?"

"Mathematics are all over Pabu," he told her. He looked over at the Archium and used the tablet to show all the geometrics in its construction.

It was like she was watching a drawing as each line showed up with numbers all around. "You just calculated that?" she asked.

"Of course." He had attached a cable from his port to the tablet, so she shouldn't have been surprised. "And these are some of the calculations I presented for the restoration of Lower Pabu. Geometry concerns the shapes, but physics concerns the forces at work upon those shapes. And both require mathematics."

She watched those flash onto the screen one at a time. "I don't plan on building anything on Pabu," she argued. Then she thought of something. "But can you do my bow? Or the bow I used to have?"

Tech appeased her. His representations showed how much force was needed to fire it and how it folded when it wasn't being fired. "They were unable to recover it in the race to reach Hemlock's shuttle or to leave Ord Mantel," he reminded her. "But you should not need such a weapon here on Pabu."

"I will if I help Phee liberate ancient wonders." She put the tablet down beside her and locked her hands behind her head. "I understand why Hunter and Wrecker want me to stay here. It's safe and I can interact with more people and Lyana is my own age. But I miss going on missions and pulling off heists. It was even kind of fun working your plan on the base."

"I understand," Tech told her but didn't elaborate.

She remembered their conversation in the mine. "I know," she whined. "Change is part of life and I should, I don't know, move forward with the way things are. Make do like we always do."

He was quiet and he disconnected the cable from his temple. "To be honest, I am finding it challenging to move forward with this change."

"You mean living here on Pabu?" she asked. There were two moonyos in the branches above her head.

"Partially. There is little here that requires my expertise."

She looked over at him. His head was down and it looked like he was maybe frowning. He braced his hands on his knees.

Omega realized he meant his legs. "This is only temporary," she reminded him, touching his leg. "The treatment will fix it."

"The treatment may fix it," he corrected. He looked over at the Marauder. "I can't even turn over in my bed or fully dress myself."

She stood and climbed onto his lap. She hugged him. "It will work. I just know it."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Even still," he whispered. "I don't enjoy being useless."

She sat up and took his face into her hands. "You are not useless." She used the chair's controls and moved them closer to the ship. "You were flat on your back in Critical Care for two whole cycles and you still took over everything."

"My paralysis was only a possibility then," he argued. "And I had plenty to engage my mind."

"You could give me another flying lesson," she suggested. Then she heard someone inside. Thinking maybe a moonyo was getting into mischief, she hopped off Tech's lap and checked inside.

Tech tried to maneuver the chair up the ramp, but it had issues with the steps. "Omega?"

"Oh, hi, Echo!" Echo was on board.

"Hold oh, Rex," Echo said. "Shouldn't you be studying?"

"We're on an unscheduled break." Then the voices were softer, and he couldn't make them out.

But Echo and Omega emerged from the ship. Echo turned the chair to the side and used his arm and scomplink to get under Tech's shoulders. "Get his legs," he told Omega.

It took a lot longer than if Wrecker had just carried him in, but Tech didn't mind. He hadn't been on the ship since Eriadu. Maybe Rex was calling to say it was time. Then he'd find out if he was going to be paralyzed forever or have his legs back.

They got him into a seat at the comm station, and Tech used the arm rests to push himself back into the chair.

"Good to see you, Tech," Rex stated. His projection was between the seats at the helm. "I called to give some bad news. Tarkin has sent a warrant on all of you. To kill you on sight."

"We're quite safe here," Echo assured him. "And it can't be worse than having Crosshair hunting us. But we'll keep that in mind when we venture out."

"And Tech," Rex said, "I have your armor. We had to split it up and take it to a dozen different shops to keep it out of Imperial notice. But I think you'll be satisfied with the results."

"Thank you," Tech told him, "but it won't do me much good in my present condition." And he had no use of it on Pabu. The visor on his helmet could prove useful though.

"Speaking of your condition, let me put you through to Senator Chuchi and her doctor." Rex reached out for a button and Senator Chuchi joined on audio.

"Hello, Tech and Echo."

"And Omega," Omega said. "I'm here, too."

Echo acknowledged her greeting. "It's good to hear from you, Senator."

"Hello again. I'm glad this is under better circumstances. Tech, you did amazing work at the base. The men speak very highly of the man on the inside. I understand that you're healing well. Did you have questions for the doctor?"

"Yes," Tech said, glad to be able to voice his concerns. "I was told there is a possible treatment for my paralysis, but I wasn't given any details."

"Well, allow me to put your mind at ease," a male voice responded. "I think you're a good candidate for the surgery as your break was quite clean. The surgery involves removing one or more vertebrae, with their discs, where the spinal cord is severed. We replace them with an electronic substitute. It connects both ends of the spinal cord and adds a small electric charge. The device passes information between the two segments of the cord, which should return your mobility. I shall try to schedule a spot for you next cycle. Given the warrant, we have to be very careful."

Tech still had questions. "If it works, will I be able to walk right away?"

"Not instantly, no," the doctor said. "Many of our patients have been disabled for years. They had to teach their bodies to move again, and they had a lot of atrophy in their muscles. For you, it's only been approximately four cycles. But that still leads to atrophy. I'm sure you're having to regain strength in your upper body." That was quite true.

Omega hugged him from the side of his chair. "I told you," she whispered. "It's going to work!"

Tech's feelings were more complex. The end of his paralysis did seem more probable, but it would still be a long time before he could return to his former condition. And he wasn't sure how to feel about another piece of electronic equipment in his body.

When he didn't speak again, Echo ended the call. "Thank you, doctor, Senator. We'll see you soon, Rex." Rex winked out and Echo turned to Tech. He smiled. "Well, you'll still be more man than droid, percentagewise."

Tech remembered having said the opposite to Echo before. Add the smile and Echo was likely joking with him. "I suppose if it gets me on my feet again, I can live with it."

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Tech tried very hard not to let Crosshair's help with dressing get him down. It was finally time to see if the treatment would work. Three months of being unable to move half his body had overwhelmed his ability to be simply pragmatic or logical. He'd been frustrated and quite possibly depressed. Frustration wasn't a foreign feeling, but depression was something very new.

Tech sat in his lev chair until they were ready to board the Marauder. Omega hugged each of them goodbye and Hunter wished them well. Then Wrecker lifted him. It had been decided that Wrecker and Crosshair would join him on the voyage. Emerie and Echo came along as well. Senator Chuchi required Tech and Crosshair to have Imperial Security Clearance. Wrecker and Echo would stay behind with Rex while Tech and Crosshair went on an official senatorial transport to Pantora. He didn't know if Emerie would be going with him or staying with Rex as Crosshair and Echo were.

It felt good to sit in the pilot's seat again. Well, the back of the seat. Tech couldn't feel the rest of it. Echo took the right seat. Emerie went aft to stow her equipment. She'd taken most of the acute emergency gear from the shuttle. The shuttle was staying as the island's new clinic primarily. Tech lifted off smoothly and headed away from the island. He angled it upward and out into space. Then he set the navicomputer to Coruscant and pushed on the helm to turn his chair around. He pulled out his tablet and Wrecker plugged it into the ship's computer.

"Didn't know you've added forgery to your skillset," Crosshair said. "Well, outside of the base."

"Yes," Tech agreed. "I'd forged Imperial clearances and chain codes long before I forged Hemlock's access. It's really quite easy."

Echo chuckled. "For you."

Crosshair went aft and found the older crate with his gear. "You kept this all this time?"

"We missed you," Wrecker told him. "Although we gave Omega your comms."

"And it was destroyed by a bounty hunter on Boro Vio," Tech added.

"I'm sure Captain Rex can provide new comms," Crosshair replied, going through the crate. "Are we still using Havoc?"

Wrecker rubbed his head. "Yeah, but you'll have to be Havoc Six."

"Omega?" Crosshair asked.

"No, me," Echo said. "I'm Four, Omega's Five."

"I wish Hunter was coming." Crosshair sat down again. "It would feel more like old times."

Old times didn't really matter to Tech now that all his brothers were safe. "We are in quite new and uncertain times. The Empire is spreading and concentrating their power. And with the warrant, it's best that we only take the people we need to take for any given mission."

Hunter found Omega down by the wharf. She was sitting on the wall with her legs dangling over the water below. She wiped her eyes when she saw him coming. "They'll be back," Hunter told her.

"Tech and Wrecker will," Omega said. "But Echo's staying with Rex, and now Crosshair is, too. We just got him back."

"Echo wants to help his brothers, the regs. Rex was a close friend of his even before Skako Minor." He sat down beside her. "And Crosshair is angry. He's not ready to settle down. He wants to fight. But this time, he's on the right side of things. This is still home. They'll come back from time to time."

Omega kicked her heals against the rocks, looking down into the water. "What if Tech still can't walk? He wasn't happy."

"I noticed," Hunter told her. "He seemed more upbeat today. I have high hopes. You should, too."

"I'm not sure he was happy here," she insisted. "He thought he was useless."

That was news. Apparently, he'd been confiding in Omega. "What exactly happened with you two in that mine?"

"I fell," Omega said. "You saw it. I couldn't see what was below until I hit the water. Then Tech hit the water right after me. He had to have jumped. We met up in the water, but then it just pushed us apart and sucked us down. After the waterfall spat us out, I asked him why he didn't act like he cared about Echo leaving. And he told me."

That sounded like Tech. Some might take that question as accusatory and respond defensively. Tech would have taken it literally. "If you ever want a perfectly honest answer, ask Tech. What did he say?"

She looked over at him. "He said he processes moments and thoughts differently, but he still feels the same feelings."

Hunter nodded. "He always has. His mind is at least two or three steps faster than ours. I think he didn't have much to put his mind to here, so he got stuck in his feelings. He usually doesn't have time."

Omega was quiet a minute. "When Hemlock took us to see him, I was both happy and sad. Happy he was alive and sad he was where we were and hurt. But the next day, he contacted me on my datapad. I knew we were going to be okay then. It actually started being kind of fun."

They'd all gone over Tech's record of what all he'd done at Hemlock's base and the parts Nala Se, Omega, and Crosshair had played. "He didn't have a plan right away. It wasn't until Hemlock put Crosshair to work."

"He needed to practice and gather data," she said in Tech's defense. "All he had was his mind, until he could use us."

Hunter looked down at her. "That's why he's Havoc Two. I make the plans, set the strategy, but if it goes sideways and we're stuck, Tech can always find the one way out. Just like he did on Bracca. Even with Crosshair on our heels, knowing our playbook, Tech still found a way again and again. And if we're in a firefight. . . . Any of us can pilot the Marauder, but none of us can maneuver like Tech. He can the read the situation and react faster than any of us can. And that means he can react faster than the ships pursuing us can. Crosshair used to think his specialty was less than ours because it's not a fighting skill. But Tech can fight and cover everything else so we can fight better. We were lost without him." He leaned into her. "And without you."

"You asked me if I wanted to stay here for good," Omega said. "I like it here. I like having friends like Lyana and Phee, but I don't want to stay here all the time."

Hunter sighed. "The Empire has put out a kill-on-sight warrant for us. It's too much of a risk."

She turned her body to face him. "But there are other people at risk. Other people in trouble. We can help them, like we helped Benni and the other kids."

Hunter regretted not settling down sooner, like Cut had said. Omega had had a taste of adventure, and it was in her blood. "Well, we'd need a way to find them."

"Maybe Phee can find them. She travels all over in search of ancient wonders."

Well, he had had more than a taste of it, and it had been baked into in his blood. "Maybe on a part-time basis."

Omega hugged him then stood up. "I'll need a new bow."

Tech landed the ship at the garage then let Wrecker carry him out with the others. Rex and Senator Chuchi met them and led them inside. There were about thirty clones behind the garage's big doors. All of them snapped to attention and saluted when Wrecker stepped inside.

"These men were Hemlock's prisoners," Rex told him. "They wanted to thank you."

Tech saluted as best he could from Wrecker's arms. Several of them then came forward to shake his hand, until the senator diplomatically reminded them that they were on a schedule. "The office, please," she told the five of them.

They followed Rex and Chuchi into the office and found the Pantoran doctor and several of Chuchi's guards.

"We have planned a bit of subterfuge," Chuchi said. "Crosshair, you'll need to borrow Karin's uniform." She indicated one of the guards. Tech also saw a med bed in the room. "Tech, you'll only need a helmet. You will be a wounded guard. We'll be taking you back to Pantora for treatment."

Karin readily removed his uniform and put on civilian clothes that were waiting on the desk. "I will insist that you protect the Senator at all costs," he told Crosshair.

"Won't be a problem," Crosshair assured him. "I'll protect him, too."

"Oh, I want to go," Wrecker whined. "I've been there before."

"You're quite a bit larger than any of my guards," Chuchi told him, with a hand on his arm. "We'll take good care of him, I promise. Please place Tech on the bed."

"You can help me carry my things," Emerie offered him.

Tech was once again on his back on medical bed. It wasn't ideal but if it led to getting his lower body back, he'd endure it. "Your goggles won't fit," the other guard said as he removed his helmet.

Tech removed them and handed them to Wrecker. "I can't see well without them."

The guard placed the helmet over Tech's head. The doctor took the goggles and put them into a case he was carrying. "We'll take them with us." He draped a blanket over Tech and pulled it up to his neck. "The helmet doesn't cover your whole face and, frankly, you're not blue. So we will need to use a breather to cover the rest."

Tech sighed and nodded. Emerie put the breather on and smiled lightly. "Don't fight the breather." At least it was just a field breather. No tubes.

"What about my face?" Crosshair asked.

"A little paint," the doctor replied. "Don't worry, it's not permanent. Chin up, mouth closed." Tech couldn't watch because they were behind his head, but he heard a sprayer.

"And now we just need to get back to my official transport," Chuchi said. "We should return within two rotations."

Tech couldn't tell the third guard from Crosshair but figured it was the former, since he led the way out of the office and through the gathered clones. The doctor walked on one side of him and the senator the other. She put a hand on his arm. "You're in good hands," she told him. "Just lie back and rest."

Before long, he was put on the back of a speeder, and they whisked away though the alleys and streets of Coruscant. Tech wished he could see it clearly. He'd never seen the upper levels or senatorial chambers.

Captain Rex approached Emerie. "I wasn't expecting to see you back here."

"Tech no longer needs me," she told him. "But I can be of use to you. Surely your men need medical care from time to time."

"That we do," Rex told her. "We'll be glad for the help. You good in the field?"

"We'll I haven't had any field experience," she replied truthfully. She was likely considered dead by the Empire. She could quite literally go anywhere. "But I've played it safe for too long. I'm up for something new."

"You can set up and sleep in here," he offered. He pointed out one side of the room. "Sorry it's rough, but it's all we got at the moment. We do have a second secure site. We might get you out there in a few days."

"I can manage." She turned to Wrecker. "Can you bring my things?" Then she turned back to Rex. "I'll likely need more supplies."

He nodded. "We'll keep an eye out. See what we can get you. You good to start right away?"

She nodded and he and Echo stepped back into the larger area.

Wrecker returned with her cases and set them over in the corner where Rex had indicated. "You sure you're going to be okay here?"

"I'm sure. I tried to help the clones on Mount Tantis. Now I can keep helping them."

Karin and the other guard offered to help set up. Between her and the two Pantorans, she had most of the emergency equipment set up in a quarter of an hour. Soon after, a clone holding his arm stepped in. She approached him. She smiled and beckoned him over. "What's your name, soldier?"

Tech got to remove the breather once they were on the ship. The doctor raised the head of the bed so he could at least recline. Tech removed the helmet and the doctor passed him his goggles.

Even this one room in this ship was fancier than any ship he'd ever been in. The room he was in was colored in reds, pinks, and even greens. One of the guards entered and removed his helmet. Crosshair looked rather odd with a half-blue face. "Is everyone on Pantora so elaborately dressed?"

The doctor certainly was. "Not all residents of Pantora are native. But we do like to be colorful. Still, only those in an official capacity wear such formality." He picked up a datapad and handed it to Tech. "This is a representation of the device. The procedure should take approximately three hours."

It was a small device in two pieces, which vaguely resembling a vertebra. He manipulated the image to see its inner workings. Between the two sections there were two clamps and a thin circuit board in between. The discs were blue in color and would act as batteries. The gel within them would move as the discs were compressed, generating energy. "When will know if it works?"

"Perhaps the next rotation," the doctor replied. "We will, of course, be giving pain management after the surgery. We'll have to numb the area, so you wouldn't be able to feel anything anyway. But as we taper that off, we can test the bottom of your feet for a reaction. If there is one, it will mean the procedure was successful."

"Will I be conscious for the surgery?" Tech manipulated the image some more. "I think I might like to watch."

The doctor seemed surprised. "You're the first to ask that."

"He's full of surprises," Crosshair commented.

"I'm sure we can accommodate something," the doctor replied.

The trip to Pantora only took half a day. Tech and Crosshair were given a meal. But as they landed, Crosshair and Tech replaced their helmets, and the doctor replaced the breather to cover Tech's lower face. Crosshair followed as the group exited the ship. The landing field was on top of a building, which turned out to be a hospital. Several nurses and doctors met them and guided them inside.

"I want the best possible treatment for this man," Senator Chuchi told the hospital personnel. "He was injured while on duty. My personal doctor will be in charge."

"This man is a candidate for post-paralysis surgery," the doctor stated. "I would like Doctor Safu to assist. I will prepare the patient for surgery. Please notify Safu and set up an appropriate surgical suite."

"Yes, doctor." Several of the nurses left to do those things. The doctors who were left led the doctor—Crosshair wasn't aware of his name—to a preparatory unit. "I'm sorry, Senator, but you and your men will have to wait in the waiting area."

"I understand," Chuchi stated. She placed a hand on Tech's covered arm and then turned away. Crosshair followed her on her left, while the other guard did on her right. There were a few other people in the waiting area, but the guard indicated that they should move to the other side of the room. They followed his orders. Chuchi sat down. The guard posted himself in front of her, facing outward. Crosshair did the same.

He would rather have been in or just outside the surgical suite. But he had a part to play, and he would play it.

Tech was partially sedated but still conscious, as he'd requested. The level of sedation allowed him to not really care about the tube that was placed into his mouth. It didn't extend down his throat at least. The doctor also apologized as a paralytic would be required to keep him perfectly still during the procedure. His clothing was removed and he was covered again.

Doctor Safu arrived with several nurses, and Chuchi's doctor conferred with them. Then sensors were placed on his chest and arms to monitor his vitals. And finally, he was moved into the surgical suite. He was lifted from the med bed he'd been on and placed face down on the surgical bed. There was a hole to allow his face through the bed, and he found a screen approximately ten centimeters below.

"I do not think it advisable to view the incision and removal of the vertebra," the doctor said. "But we'll activate that screen as we insert the device."

To their credit he felt nothing. He listened to the sounds in the suite. They were familiar from Critical Care back in Hemlock's base, but the sounds were more musical, with varying notes. He heard the doctors speaking, but they spoke in Pantoran, and he had no way of translating it. Finally, the screen activated and he was looking at a very close-up image of his own spinal cord through a square cut out of a cloth covering him. He could see the two pieces of the cord as they lay near each other but didn't align properly.

"The first section of the device sits in the posterior position," Doctor Safu stated. He moved the upper portion of the cord out of the way and slipped the piece behind the lower piece. He threaded the lower cord through the gel pad until it was snug against the next vertebra. The device itself looked like a metal vertebra that had been split vertically. Safu kept up the commentary. Next, he slipped another gel pad over the top portion of the cord. They then worked to reconnect blood vessels that ran down his spine. After that, a small clip with two clamps connected the two parts of the cord with the circuit board between them. The anterior piece came next. It was screwed together and adhered to the upper and lower gel pads. Doctor Safu pressed a small button with a tool, and several small lights on the device came on. Finally, a cover was added and his skin sealed around it.

"All finished," Chuchi's doctor reported. The screen went black. "While the process may not have looked traumatic, your body has sustained trauma nonetheless. You'll be fully sedated for a few hours. You will sleep after that. When you wake up, the paralytic will be gone. Then we will provide localized pain relief and test the reflexes of your lower body. For now, sleep well."

Tech wanted to correct that unconsciousness was not the same as sleep, but his vision became fuzzy and everything went black.

He was not aware of slipping from unconsciousness to dreaming but he did dream. When he woke up, he was lying on his left side in what appeared to be a private room. The only other people inside were a Pantoran nurse and Crosshair with his half-blue face. Just to be sure the paralytic was gone, Tech moved his right arm. It obliged, though it moved clumsily.

"Welcome back," Crosshair said.

"Are you comfortable?" the nurse asked him.

Tech took stock. He still felt a bit fuzzy but otherwise well. There was a light ache on his back, but he couldn't tell if that was below or above the split in his spinal cord. The area was also quite cold even though he was covered by a blanket. He realized he was lying on a fixed bed with plenty of cushion below him and a soft pillow. "Yes," he said and found his voice was as halting as his arm had been.

"You'll feel stronger momentarily," the nurse told him. She tucked the blanket around him. "The doctor will return soon." She left the room.

"How long was I out?" Tech asked.

"Quite a few hours," Crosshair replied. "I've already had lunch. Feel anything different?"

"Hard to say." Tech adjusted himself by rolling slightly so that his left arm was released. He couldn't roll over all the way, and he was hesitant to try. The site would still be painful. He didn't want to lay on his back until the pain was permanently gone.

Crosshair handed him his goggles and Tech strapped them on. He could now see the room clearly. Crosshair was seated in a cushioned chair. There was a small counter with two Pantoran guard helmets and a cubicle with his clothes in it. It wasn't a large room, but it was larger than Critical Care had been. There were no IVs, no tubes, nothing connecting him to any machine. He reached behind his back and felt there was something cold under the blanket pressed against his back. Localized pain relief, as the doctor had said.

The door opened again and Chuchi's doctor and the senator herself entered. "Good afternoon, Tech, Crosshair. Tech, how are you feeling? Does the site hurt?" the doctor asked.

"Just a light ache," he told the doctor. "It's cold. But I can't be sure I feel anything below the wound."

"It can take some time for the brain to learn to interpret the signals from the device and your lower body," the doctor explained. "Likewise, your lower body will have to learn to interpret the signals from your brain as they are passed by the device. Again, your paralysis was only four months and not years. So if the procedure was successful, I believe the process of interpretation will be relatively quick. But let's give it a test, shall we?"

Tech watched as he pulled back the blanket from his feet. He used a small rod and stroked it across the bottom of his right foot. And his foot jerked. His leg jerked. And it had hurt. Tech finally began to believe that this had actually worked.

The doctor smiled. "That wouldn't have happened yesterday." He recovered his feet. "Your prognosis is very good."

Senator Chuchi smiled. "That is wonderful! I'm very happy for you!"

"We'll keep you here overnight," the doctor told him. "You will only be tended by people we know we can trust. Please just relax and enjoy being pampered. We'll bring you a light meal. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll continue the subterfuge in reverse and return you both to Captain Rex."

The two of them left and Crosshair got up and pushed his chair closer before sitting down again. "I have no doubt you'll be moving your legs in a week and walking in a cycle. Your brain can interpret just about anything."

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

Crosshair had tried to sleep through the night, but the chair wasn't comfortable and someone kept entering the room. Usually, it was nurses who came in to check Tech's vitals. That woke Tech up every time. But there was one time the door opened and two guards carried a large crate in. They did this quietly and Tech remained asleep. After they left, Crosshair opened the crate but it was empty. He thought it very strange then went back to the chair and tried a different position.

He woke up next when the sun warmed his face. The paint was starting to feel very dry on his face. He was looking forward to getting back to Coruscant and washing it off. He stood and stretched. Then he picked up the tablet and put in an order for breakfast for him and Tech. It took hours before the kitchen actually sent something up. Tech would be awake by then.

He sat down again and pulled up the local news just to have something to do. It wasn't fun reading. He could see now that the Empire's claims of bring peace and order were just slogans. And the Empire wouldn't allow a free press, so everything he read was just propaganda, with a few local feel-good stories sprinkled in. There was an article mentioning the senator as being here, though. He read that one carefully. It mentioned a wounded guard and post-paralysis surgery. One of the hospital's doctors or nurses must have talked to a reporter.

The door opened and Chuchi's doctor entered with a Pantoran man in a hospital gown much like Tech was wearing. The doctor looked stressed. Crosshair put the tablet back on the table and stood.

"You must return to the senator," the doctor stated. "The helmet, put it on." He opened the crate. "Then help me get your brother in this crate."

"What's happened?" Crosshair asked him.

"I am awake," Tech said, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "What about putting me in a crate?"

"The Imperial governor has sent a lieutenant to investigate the senator's claims of a wounded guard," the doctor explained. "We don't have time to paint Tech, and there's no reason he'd wear a helmet in his current state. This is one of my previous patients. He's going to be the wounded guard. Tech, we need to get you to the ship unnoticed."

Tech pushed up on his elbows. "The crate."

It was a large crate. The other man moved haltingly, like he was new to walking. He put Tech's clothes in the crate. "We must hurry," the doctor stated again.

Crosshair reached under Tech's shoulders and the doctor took his legs. They placed him in the open crate, but his legs spilled over. "On your side," the doctor said. Tech turned and the doctor helped him get his pelvis turned and his legs bent.

Another guard entered. "Change of plans. The lieutenant is in the waiting room. The senator is secure." He looked to Crosshair. "You, put that helmet on. We'll take the crate."

The doctor handed Tech his goggles and a breather. "This contains an hour of air, plenty of time."

Crosshair put on the helmet and checked the room for any other traces of Tech. The other patient had already climbed awkwardly into the bed.

"There's a cart in the hall," the guard said. "I'll take this end. Lift on three."

Crosshair took the other end and waited for the guard's count. On three, they lifted. Tech wasn't heavy per se, but putting all his weight on two handles felt like a lot. They walked the crate to the hall and put it on the cart. The guard then took up a position in front. "Follow me."

Crosshair was glad he had a weapon. If this guard wasn't who he said he was, he was going to have to hurt some people. But they went into a lift and up to the highest floor. They moved into the corridor and then toward the doors that led to the ship. He pushed the cart behind the guard.

There were troopers standing in front of the ship's ramp. "Stay calm," the guard said. He kept walking toward the ship.

One of the troopers advanced, holding up a hand. "Halt."

The guard stopped and Crosshair stopped the cart.

The trooper pounded the crate. "What do you have in there?"

The guard handed him a datapad. "Medical supplies."

The trooper took the pad and read it over. Crosshair watched him very carefully. The trooper held his blaster in his other hand, but it was hanging loosely. He sighed and handed the pad back. "Proceed."

The guard and Crosshair moved again toward the ramp. The troopers allowed them to pass. The guard led them further into the ship, then motioned for Tech's crate to be put into a storeroom. Then he motioned that they should check the rest of the ship.

Crosshair nodded. He went forward while the guard went aft. He checked the helm, the galley, half of the rooms. The senator's room was particularly posh. He met the guard again in the middle. "I thought I saw a tracker on the landing gear as we approached," he whispered. "It won't matter. We're returning to Coruscant. You will take the helm. Once the senator is on board, we can take off."

"Why don't you take the helm," Crosshair suggested, "while I stand guard outside that storeroom?"

The guard nodded and they crossed paths. Crosshair went to the storeroom then faced into the corridor and stood at attention.

Senator Chuchi stood just behind and between two of her guards. The doctor soon joined her. "He's safe?" she whispered.

"They both are," the doctor replied back.

The lieutenant approached, flanked by eight troopers. "Good morning, Senator. We were disappointed that you did not let us know you were returning." The troopers stood at attention.

"I was more concerned with the health of my guard."

"A guard?" the lieutenant asked, a blond human woman. "They are meant to protect you. You have several others."

Chuchi seethed but hid it. "I care about each of them. Sadly, I lost two quite recently to an assassin on Coruscant."

"An assassin, you say?" the woman queried, with fake shock. "We are gratified you are safe. But why not have your guard treated on Coruscant? There are thousands of hospitals there."

"His spinal cord had been severed," Doctor Humi stated. "We've been pioneering a post-paralysis treatment here on Pantora. It was his best chance of walking again."

"I would like to see this treatment," the woman decided. "Please, let's go visit him."

Chuchi smiled. "I would like to visit him as well. Please, Dr. Humi, lead the way."

The doctor turned and Chuchi followed. The lieutenant moved up beside her. Her guards stepped right behind her, putting themselves between her and the lieutenant's troopers.

The doctor opened the door. "Good morning, Mora. How you are feeling?"

The young Pantoran man in the bed seemed groggy from sleep. "Pretty good." He smiled. "I think I wiggled my toes!"

"Really?" Chuchi remarked as she pushed past the lieutenant to enter the room. "That's astounding! Wonderful!"

"I would very much like to see this treatment," the lieutenant said, stepping toward the bed. "Please show me."

Chuchi nodded slightly. The young man grabbed the side of the bed to flip himself over with the doctor's assistance. The doctor lifted the blanket and the side of the gown. There was a rectangle of metal directly on his spinal column. The doctor used a scanner to show the lieutenant. "This device replaced the vertebrae over the severed cord. We use technology to bridge the two pieces and pass neural messages between them. It's early yet," he cautioned. "Mora will have to learn how his body and mind respond to those signals before he'll be fully able to walk and use his lower half."

"Impressive," the lieutenant stated. She looked around the room. There was a folded uniform in the cupboard and a helmet on the table.

"Watch my toes!" Mora suggested as he turned back over. The doctor dutifully uncovered his feet. And there was just the slightest jiggle of the big toe on his left foot. Chuchi knew this man had walked into this room less than an hour ago. His performance was stellar.

"I am so happy for you," Chuchi told him. "This treatment doesn't always work," she told the lieutenant. "Mora, here, is one of the lucky ones."

"Indeed," the lieutenant agreed. She turned for the door. "Will you be staying long?"

"Oh no," Chuchi told her. "There are some very important votes coming up in the Senate. We planned to return this morning. I feel much better doing so knowing Mora's procedure was successful."

"I'm sorry I cannot come with you, Senator," Mora said. "I will work hard to regain my place in your service."

Chuchi took his hand. "I'm sure you will. And a place will be waiting for you. But rest up and visit your family. Take this time to be well."

"Have a safe journey," the lieutenant offered and she marched out of the room. As soon as she passed them, her eight troopers followed her down the corridor.

Mora wiggled all his toes more exaggeratedly. Chuchi squeezed his hand. "Thank you so much."

"My pleasure, Senator."

"Doctor Safu will discharge you later today," Humi told him. "In the meantime, enjoy your breakfast and relax."

"Yes, doctor."

Chuchi smiled then took her leave. The doctor led them to the lift and from there they returned to the ship. There were two troopers standing at the ramp. "Thank you for keeping my ship secure," Chuchi called out to them. "We'll be leaving now."

"Safe journeys, Senator," the trooper on the right stated. They stepped aside and Chuchi, Humi, and the two guards stepped aboard. The troopers moved clear of the ship, and the ramp was lifted into place. Chuchi went right to the helm and told Crosshair to take off, while the doctor went in search of Tech to get him out of the crate.

"I'm not Crosshair, ma'am," the guard at the helm stated. "He's guarding the patient."

Of course, he was. "Thank you, and good work."

Between Crosshair, the doctor, and two guards, Tech was lifted from the crate and taken to a room with a soft bed. Senator Chuchi entered after he was settled. "Sorry for your mode of transport. But our deception appears to have worked. We are on our way back Coruscant. Are you hungry? It seems Mr. Mora will be enjoying the breakfast you ordered."

"I ordered," Crosshair replied. "And I'm definitely hungry."

Chuchi chuckled. "I'll have something brought in for both of you."

The doctor handed him a datapad. "Some instructions for your rehabilitation. Don't overexert yourself. Give yourself time to acclimate to the device then build your strength slowly and steadily."

Tech nodded. He looked over the pad. There were instructions for building his strength and ability to use his legs. But there were also tapering prescriptions for pain medication.

The doctor and Chuchi left, and Crosshair found a seat near the bed. He pulled out a commlink. "Havoc Six to Havoc Five."

"Havoc Five, here," Omega's voice returned.

"It was a success," he told her. "We're heading back for Havoc Three."

"Understood. Havoc Five out."

"They could be listening in," Tech pointed out.

"Echo set up an encrypted channel," Crosshair told him. "He's been using it with Rex for cycles now."

One of the guards brought in a tray of food and set it on a table. Crosshair lifted the head of the bed and fixed him a plate.

Tech was curious. "Why Omega and not Hunter or Echo?"

"She'll tell the others," Crosshair said. "By the time you get back, everyone on the island will know."

That was likely true. While Omega could keep a secret when it was important, she was not one to hold good news in. While Tech ate, he tried moving his feet even just a little. But the truth was he still didn't even feel the bed beneath his feet. He still had a long way to go.

Omega was in her room with Phee when the call came. "Understood. Havoc Five out." She put the commlink away and hugged Phee. "It worked!"

"That is great news!" Phee said. "So, Hunter told me about your idea to find people who need help. I do meet a lot of people in my wanderings. But we'll have to be smart about it. Cid worked with too many people with bad reputations."

"You work with crooks like Crowder," Omega commented.

"For artifacts," Phee replied. "But we'll have to vet the people who try to hire us for help. We don't want to be hood-winked by the Empire."

Omega nodded. "Right."

"Now get some sleep," Phee told her. "They could be back tomorrow."

It was much harder getting dressed without the bar over his bed, Tech decided. But Crosshair had not complained about helping. And Tech thought maybe he'd felt Crosshair's arms beneath his knees ever so slightly. He was again given a helmet and a breather to leave the ship. He was carried from the ship on a stretcher that was placed on a speeder. That speeder met another speeder that met Wrecker, who lifted him from stretcher and carried him into the garage and back to the office.

"Welcome back," Emerie said. She lifted the back of Tech's shirt. "Does it hurt?"

"A little," he handed her the datapad. "I could use a dose."

"Right." She went back to her corner and produced an injector. "This should get you back 'home' comfortably. AZI can manage it from there." She handed him back the pad and injected the medicine. Tech's pain started to ease right away.

Crosshair had handed him his goggles then disappeared as soon as they got to the garage, but he now joined them in the office without a blue face. "That paint was starting to itch," he complained.

"Aw," Wrecker said. "We're gonna miss you again."

"And I you," he replied. "But I have some unfinished business with the Empire."

"And we've got another sniper," Rex reported as he entered. "Last one was a clone with no registration number. He bit on a shocker before he could tell us anything. This one's taken out two clones I was trying to reach. They had ties to Cody."

"Where's my armor?" Crosshair asked.

"Oh not your armor," Rex told him. "We have the other guy's armor. All black. Hard to spot."

Tech held out a hand to Crosshair and he took it. "Go get him," Tech told him.

"You got this," Wrecker added.

Crosshair squeezed his hand. "You got a rifle?" he asked Rex.

Rex pulled out a crate and opened it up. Tech could see the black armor in it and a very black sniper rifle. He tossed the rifle to Crosshair, who looked it over. "I'll need to make some modifications."

"Wrecker," Tech said. "Let's go home."

Wrecker sniffed but turned him toward the door and the garage beyond. The clones there stood and nodded to him again, and Wrecker carried Tech up the ramp. They found Echo inside. "Ship's all set. Refueled, too. How's that droid part working out?"

"Early days," Tech told him as Wrecker put him in the pilot's seat. "But it works."

"Good to hear." Echo pointed out a new crate. "Your armor's here. Looks good as new. Next time I see you, I hope you're wearing it."

"I hope it won't be that long," Tech told him. "I still have to learn to interpret the signals from the device and build my strength back. It's not a quick fix."

Wrecker grabbed Echo in a hug. "You take care of Crosshair," he told him.

"We'll take care of each other," Echo promised.

Wrecker released him. "Don't forget where home is."

Echo nodded then ducked out and down the ramp. Wrecker closed it. "Just us now."

Tech set the coordinates and lifted off. "Just until we get home." They cleared Coruscant and Tech entered hyperspace. Wrecker sat in the right chair but was soon asleep. Now that he wasn't eating and didn't have much to do, Tech concentrated on his legs. He wanted to get control over that device in his back. It was sending signals up to his brain and down to his lower body. He still felt rather numb below his waist. But that could be due to the medicine as well. He thought maybe he did feel his own weight sitting in the seat. So that was something. He reached down and squeezed his right leg hard just above the knee with both hands. He thought maybe he felt the pressure of it. But then he could be getting that from his hands and not his leg. He took out the datapad and pressed it into his thigh. He closed his eyes and did it again, harder and sharper.

And he felt it.

Chapter Text

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

In Secret

by Gabrielle Lawson

"You have not taken a step since you were taken by Dr, Hemlock," AZI reminded Tech.

"Since I fell," Tech corrected. AZI seemed to read his emotions better than Omega and his brothers. Probably because AZI didn't have any expression whatsoever. AZI's programming helped him read even minute ones on people. That or Tech had expressed his frustration more openly than he thought.

Things hadn't progressed as fast as Crosshair had suggested. When he returned from Pantora, he was only just beginning to feel anything below his waist. Two weeks later, he could apply some resistance if someone else was, for example, bending his leg at the knee. He mastered standing for about ten seconds at four weeks.

Seven weeks now, and he was trying to balance on one leg while trying to move his other foot forward. He did, sloppily. Hunter and Wrecker were on either side of him, making sure he didn't fall over. Clearly, Crosshair had been overconfident in Tech's mind being able to overcome his body.

It was frustratingly slow. Even still, he was overall happy with the fact that he was improving. As AZI had said, this was his first step since the fall and his capture by Hemlock.

The second step was fifteen percent less sloppy, though his balance had tilted nearly seven degrees. His brothers weren't allowed to hold him up. They were only to prevent a fall. And Tech dared to hope he was done falling.

"The goal for today," AZI stated, "is to walk to the tree."

The point in AZI's earlier statement was that Tech's muscles had weakened without use. Tech could feel that in the instability of his ankles. He righted himself and took another step. They were small steps thus far. Weakness made things feel heavy. Lifting a leg more than a few centimeters off the ground was tiring. At this rate--he took another step--it would take 153 more steps to reach the tree.

Well, one made oneself stronger through resistance. To that end, strength training was after the morning meal. Movement was after the midday break. Evenings were in the bay. There was both less and more resistance in the water. If he moved to fast, the water tried to block the movement. His legs, however, weighed less in the water, so exercise was easier overall.

He was a quarter of the way across the plaza. Omega and Phee were waiting with smiles on their faces. Tech tried a bigger step, putting the forward foot all the way in front of the still foot. He managed to have his heel match the base of the still foot's toes. An improvement, though not to the point of his effort. Still, that had reduced the remaining steps to 124.

"A somewhat wider stance will provide more stability," AZI suggested.

Two directions at once. Tech concentrated, trying to force his conscious mind down below his spinal column and past the device to his legs. He shifted his weight to the forward foot and lifted his back foot, bringing it beside the other. He then moved it outward roughly ten centimeters and settled his weight between both feet. He was steadier already.

Tech decided maybe he needed to stop letting his mind wander and apply physics. In walking, one's weight and balance shift from foot to foot fluidly. One foot must balance all as the other is lifted, but some weight moves forward as the forward foot moves and meets the ground. Then the weight shifts to that foot, moves forward to the other and so on.

He moved one foot, moving his balance forward as he set his foot down. But then, he realized that he hadn't managed to lift his back foot to the point of its launch forward. And that caused him to list fifteen degrees to that side. Righting himself was not easy. He had to push against Wrecker with his arms, but he didn't fall.

"Nice try," Hunter whispered close to his ear, "but I don't think you're quite there yet."

Perhaps continuous stepping was a stretch. Halting, unsteady steps would still cross the distance.

Omega stood and walked up to him--as if it was the easiest thing in the galaxy. "Did you ever watch the toddler clones back on Kamino?"

Wonderful, Tech thought. He had reverted to a toddler. He nodded. "I walked past the créche four times. Their weight was too far forward, for one thing."

"It kept them stepping or they'd fall." She became thoughtful, "Though you were the first of your brothers to figure it out. My point is that toddlers don't wait for perfection. They were just happy to be up and moving."

"I see your point," Tech admitted. Sloppy and halting it was then. He took another step, balanced himself, then took the next.

It took another sixteen minutes to reach the tree, and his legs felt a bit like rubber when Wrecker lowered him to the grass. Phee handed him a glass of water, and he drank it up rather quickly. "Baby steps," she teased, having heard the whole conversation with Omega.

AZI sounded cheerful. "You have made excellent progress today."

Hunter noted the ship just coming through the clouds. He ran to the Marauder to run a scan and smiled when it had finished. He exited and waited to greet Echo as he landed.

The ship sat down and the hatch opened. Hunter waved at Echo who waved back. "You've gone native, I see," Echo teased.

Hunter harrumphed it a playful way. "Most days. But Omega still wants to adventure now and then. I was hoping Crosshair might be with you."

"And I was hoping to see Tech," Echo replied. "How is he doing?"

Hunter led Echo to a bench so they could sit. "I think he's in water therapy for the moment. He'll be at dinner though. He's finally starting to walk."

Echo leaned back. "Starting, you say? Well, I suppose Gregor wins the bet."

"Bet?" Hunter turned to better look at him.

"Crosshair bet he'd be walking in a week. Rex figured it was more than a cycle. There was a whole pool--everyone who knows Tech or 'the man inside.' Those who knew him like that had a varied view, given Tech's long game on Tantis."

Hunter leaned back and shook his head. "Did they not factor in the cycles he spent recovering before the surgery. His muscles had atrophied. What was your bet?"

"I didn't have one," Echo answered. "If it was only up to Tech's mind, it would be sooner, but it was more up to the device in his back and the atrophied muscles. Making it later. He'd walk when he walked."

Hunter nodded. "Wise bet. Crosshair still shooting lieutenants?"

"Lieutenants, sergeants, colonels, whoever he needs to. He's definitely an asset to our cause. However, the more clashes we have, the stronger the response from the Empire. We've lost more than we've rescued. Clones are being forced out of their positions as more humans are being trained to replace them. Always humans. Seems they don't favor diversity."

Hunter shook his head. "I'm not surprised. Our adventures include helping families who've been pushed out their homes on their planets because an Imperial was set to take over. Some are hostile enough to charge their predecessors with crimes and then lock them up. We get them out, Tech forges new identities, and then we take them someplace to start over."

"Risky," Echo commented.

"Yeah, but we've learned to be more covert," Hunter reassured him.

Echo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Wrecker, covert?"

Hunter chuckled. "No, he stays around here most of the time. It started with carrying Tech around. Then it was helping to rebuild from sea surge and expanding the island for new residents or facilities. He's the muscle." He grinned. "And the ladies do love to watch."

"Speaking of rebuilding and expanding," Echo said. "I don't think I ever got a full tour of your island when I was here last."

Hunter stood. "Well, you're at the top. We'll work our way down."

AZI had dried him fairly well, but Tech still felt damp. He really wanted to walk and run again, to have the same strength he'd had before the fall, the skills he'd had during the war and right after. Even if he was ready to not be a soldier anymore. Not a soldier but not entirely out of the fight. He knew Hunter and Omega took on rescue missions that Phee identified. And she had her own missions still, finding artifacts for Pabu's residents.

He still wanted to help in other ways, and he had thought about that while he had laid in the shuttle recovering, and in his downtime from physical therapy. Ending the afternoons in the water was relaxing. Once he was out and dry, his time was his own. And that was even more relaxing.

When Phee was away, he was usually alone, tinkering on something he was working on. If he could get a connection to Imperial bases while here on Pabu, he could cause some mischief and possibly help the clones. He'd asked Phee and Hunter to keep a look out for certain scrap components he could work with. He had a prototype transponders very nearly completed. He also spent some time thinking about improvements to the island, calling on his memories of Tapoca City for reference.

When Phee was home, she usually met up with him in the hours before dinner. She'd tell him about her adventures with her usual exaggerated flair. He found it entertaining. It was more exciting the way she told her stories. They'd discuss the different planets they'd visited. They'd talk about other things as well, such as her life before becoming a pirate, and his before they'd met. She was particularly interested in his childhood. While he remembered most of it, Omega filled him in on the earliest bits. They talked about what life might be like after the Empire, if it could ever be defeated.

He knew she loved him, as she'd told him so. He also spent time trying to decide if he loved or could love her back. He did find himself looking forward to their discussions. He enjoyed his time thinking and tinkering, but he did sometimes feel a bit alone. Did that mean he missed her when she was gone? Perhaps.

Sometimes during those alone times, he pondered why exactly she loved him. He often saw some women watching Hunter for his looks. They watched Wrecker for his muscles. No one but Phee had ever looked at him that way. Not being as attractive as Hunter, nor as strong as Wrecker, or having weaker eyesight then Crosshair had ever bothered him. They each had unique advantageous defects that made their squad the best at what they did. He was never concerned with his looks. His mind was his defect.

Was that it? Was she drawn to his mind? He thought differently than everyone else he knew. His mind found connections faster than others. He analyzed different solutions to equations or problems and deduced the right solution while others were still asking the question. That had been very useful as a soldier. It still was as an engineer or architect of the reconstruction and even an inventor. And it definitely was of great use on Mount Tantiss.

But relationships and feelings were not as objective as facts and figures and situations. They weren't logical. They were subjective and difficult to compute. Starting with the relationships he'd had all his life, he knew he loved his brothers. He would, and nearly did, die for them. He'd grown to accept Echo as a brother, even if they annoyed each other often. Omega was an oddity at first, a child with wide-open feelings. But he'd grown to feel a need to protect her, to teach her. The fact that he loved her hadn't so much registered with him until Nala Se told him that jumping after her without hesitation was an act of love. He did love her. She was his sister, and oddly older than him at her young age.

He remembered when Omega asked him why he didn't care about Echo being gone. In hindsight, he could admit it had been asked in an accusatory tone. But he had taken it as a valid question and given her an honest answer. And that one statement had changed her mood. Their relationship grew stronger.

Did Phee feel that way? Did she like that he was nearly always honest? He didn't exaggerate or tell his stories with her flair. She was caring and brash and flirtatious and made even the mundane seem exciting. He was logical and didn't emote openly. Her flirts had missed him completely at first. But he recognized them now. She didn't flirt with the others. She never had. So perhaps her first attraction was that he didn't know she was flirting. They were opposites. That seemed to be what worked for her. Perhaps someone with the same exaggerated flair would have felt like competition.

Now that he did recognize when she was flirting, he found he enjoyed it. Maybe because she only did it with him.

Omega hugged Echo as soon as she saw him. She and Lyana had been out on her boat that afternoon. Shep welcomed them all to dinner. Omega sat next to Echo and asked about how the clone rebellion was doing. He told her it wasn't the best discussion for dinner and he'd catch her up later.

Hunter was already seated, and Wrecker wasn't far behind. Phee was away on one her missions, so the only one missing was Tech. Shep had just finished setting all the food out when Tech arrived. He had a spot near the end of the table for his chair.

"It's good to see you again, Echo," Tech said. "Are you here long?"

"I can stay a few days," Echo told him.

The conversation picked up and Wrecker joined in boisterously, but Omega was only halfway listening. Tech seemed distracted, pensive even. And he wasn't holding his tablet. He stayed quiet and out of the conversation as he ate. Omega hoped he wasn't depressed again. He'd made so much progress already, and Echo was back. These were good things. She left her seat to sit by him. "Lost in thought?" she whispered.

"In thought, yes," he whispered back, "but not lost in it."

"Without your tablet?"

Tech turned to face her. "Not that kind of thought." His eyes softened. "Do not be concerned. I'm merely reflecting on certain past experiences."

"Then you're alright?" she pressed.

"I assure you I am fine."

She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. Then she went back her seat beside Echo and tried to catch up on the conversation.

"I didn't just come to visit," Echo was saying. "We've managed to acquire a good amount of scrap tech from our raids. I thought Tech might like to see what he could make with it."

Omega watched Tech as he popped out of that reflection. "What kind of scrap tech?" he asked.

"All kinds," Echo told him. "Communications, propulsion, a full computer comparable to the one in the Marauder. Needs repair though. "We can go through it after dinner."

Tech pulled out his tablet and plugged it into his port. Omega chuckled. Now it was that kind of thinking, and that could only be good.

Echo didn't have everything on his ship. The computer was there, as were several containers of smaller components. Tech was excited. He told Echo about his prototype transponder and what he wanted to do with it.

"You'd need someone to slip your transponders into Imperial computers," Echo told him. "I suppose we'd have to add that sort of mission. What do you think you could do from there?"

"Supplies," Tech replied. "I still haven't worked out all the logistics. But I hacked nearly every requisition that went out of Mount Tantiss since he hooked me up. I could add things here and there. I haven't yet worked out how we get those supplies to Rex or here to Pabu. We'd need a neutral depot but a valid one to the Empire. Then we could just go in and get our supplies from there. Barton IV would work, except that it's been decommissioned. Unless those supplies come in unmanned transports, someone would have to be there to accept the supplies from the transport's crew. Someone official."

"We might be able to manage that," Echo offered. "Crosshair said there was a crate of stormtrooper armor out in the snowfields. It was lost in an avalanche. If we could find it, we could get a couple clones to man the base. Could you make it look recommissioned?"

"I'll give it some thought."

"Crosshair also mentioned it was incredibly cold on Barton IV."

"Insulated undergarments then," Tech replied, adding it to his tablet.

Echo brought up another issue. "The natives there might not like seeing an Imperial presence again. They attacked the base quite often when it was up and running."

"We could get them supplies, too," Tech suggested. "Starting with food. Perhaps that would open a dialogue so we could better know their needs."

"This is sounding promising" Echo commented. "I'll get Wrecker to carry everything. Here's a list of the bigger scrap." He handed Tech another tablet. "Let us know if it's anything you can use and we'll get it here."

Tech looked over the list and his thoughts started racing. He was still tapped into his tablet, and he starting listing possible projects.