Chapter Text
For the first time in weeks, the long-range holotransmitter started beeping.
Omega and her brothers had finished dinner and were watching a short holoprogram together in the living room.
Wrecker had dozed off almost immediately. He was usually as excited to watch a holoprogram as Omega, but he’d gotten up early to help one of their neighbors move and then came home to make dinner.
Crosshair, who got up earlier than anyone to start spearfishing, wasn’t too far behind Wrecker in the dozing-off competition.
When the transmitter started flashing and beeping, Omega, Hunter and Batcher instantly sat up.
“Who’d be calling at this hour?” Hunter asked. “We’re not expecting a call from Phee, are we?”
“No,” Omega answered. “If it’s not Phee, that means … it’s Echo!”
She leapt out of her chair, as Hunter ensured both Wrecker and Crosshair were awake. Crosshair blinked rapidly, and Wrecker yawned.
As the three brothers extricated themselves from their chairs, Omega pressed the button to answer the call. A life-size holoprojection of Echo appeared in the living room.
“Echo!” Omega shouted.
“It really is him,” Wrecker said, hitting Hunter’s shoulder excitedly.
“Hey, guys,” Echo answered. “How are you all doing? Everyone alright?”
“We’re good,” Hunter said. “How about you? We haven’t heard from you in … what? Two months?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry it took me so long to check in. I’ve been off the grid on a covert mission. I’ll have to tell you all about it when I see you next, because it was a real doozy. But I wanted you all to know that I have good news.”
“Did you find us a new ship?” Omega asked.
“We … acquired about 40,000 credits recently,” Hunter said, with a glance at Omega. “So, if you found us a good one, we can actually afford it now.”
“Oh, I bet there’s a story there,” Echo said, noticing that Wrecker and Crosshair had looked at Omega too. “You’ll have to tell me later. But no. Actually, the good news is that I found a doctor who’s willing to fit Crosshair with a top-of-the-line robotic hand.”
Crosshair simply stared as the others in the living room yelled out: “What? Really? Wow!” It was hard to discern who said what.
“You didn’t let me finish,” Echo continued. “Yes. It would be custom-made with synthetic skin and everything. And that’s not all. The doctor is willing to do the procedure pro bono. And I found a benefactor to cover the cost of the materials.”
It would’ve been hard for anyone to top the shock from the first bit of news, but Echo had found a way. Everyone stood in complete silence as they processed it — Crosshair most of all.
Finally, Omega asked: “So, the hand, the procedure, everything would be free? Completely free?”
“Yes, it wouldn’t cost you a credit,” Echo said to Omega before looking directly at Crosshair. “They said they wanted to help you for your service in the Clone Wars, and for your help locating and destroying Tantiss Base.”
Crosshair couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even find the words. So many thoughts were spinning in his head.
“But,” Echo said, “there is a downside.”
Wrecker put a hand on Crosshair’s shoulder as all four of them looked at Echo’s holoprojection with anxious expressions.
“You’d have to travel to Alderaan.”
The living room turned into a cacophony of “What?!” Even Batcher let out a few small barks, as she sensed everyone’s excitement shift to worry. Crosshair, still processing the first bit of news, couldn’t open his mouth to say anything. But his family was more than happy to do it for him.
“Alderaan is a Core World,” Hunter said. “It’s part of the Interior. It’ll be swarming with the Emperor’s new stormtroopers.”
“Yeah,” Wrecker said, crossing his arms. “You might as well ask him to go to Coruscant.”
“I know, I know,” Echo answered. “But that’s where the doctor and our benefactor are based. And they’re both high-profile enough that they can’t really leave the planet, especially for somewhere as remote as the Outer Rim, without drawing attention.”
“There’s gotta be another way, Echo,” Omega said, clearly thinking aloud. “What if … what if we met them on another planet, like Pantora? Maybe Senator Chuchi could help us?”
“It would still draw too much attention,” Echo told her. “Plus, all the necessary equipment and materials are already on Alderaan.”
“Well, if this doctor’s so high-profile,” Hunter asked, “won’t they take notice if someone from off-world visits him?”
“Our passes will say we’re locals.”
As everyone continued contemplating possible workarounds, Echo looked around the room and said, “Hey, I know it’s not ideal, but it is the easiest solution.”
Echo then explained how the people of Alderaan — or at least the ones he’d met — were playing their cards right regarding the Empire. They’d realized that systems that openly rebelled only saw more severe occupations. So, Alderaan was keeping its head down, paying lip service to the Empire and seemingly cooperating with its plans.
Consequently, the Empire offered its people more latitude, and Echo said many of his contacts were using that to their advantage, secretly working to overthrow the Empire and restore the Republic.
Granted, it had been over a year since Crosshair served in the Imperial forces, but it seemed to make sense to him. He’d mostly been assigned to worlds that were in some stage of open rebellion, like Onderon or Desix. He’d rarely been assigned to a “peaceful” world that was “loyal” to the Empire.
Still, any Imperial presence would be an inherent risk.
When Echo had finished telling them about Alderaan’s sociopolitical situation, he saw that Crosshair’s furrowed brow hadn’t lifted a millimeter. If anything, it seemed worse. His arms were crossed too.
“Crosshair,” Echo said. “I know it’s an intimidating proposition, but I was planning to take you there myself and help you through the whole process. I’ve been going in and out of Alderaan without issue the last few months. I have the proper landing codes and know how to avoid the Imperial checkpoints, so we should be fine.”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said, looking between Echo and the others. “It still seems risky. And we don’t always have the best luck with things going according to plan whenever we leave Pabu.”
Omega’s eyes widened as she recalled her recent trip to Boracho, but Crosshair barely heard it. Hunter noticed and took a half-step toward him, giving him a light tap on his forearm.
“Crosshair, what do you think? It’s your hand, after all.”
Everyone’s eyes were on him. Crosshair hated that feeling, now more than ever.
“I—I don’t know,” he answered. “It’s … a lot.”
Hunter, Wrecker and Omega looked at him with something that was between concern and reassurance.
“Unfortunately,” Echo said, “I need to let them know within the next rotation, so they can start the preparations if you’re interested. But it’s your decision, Crosshair.”
“Echo’s right,” Hunter said, patting his brother on the shoulder. “Whatever you decide, you have our full support.”
Omega gave him an encouraging smile, while Wrecker loudly said, “Yeah!”
It didn’t help.
All Crosshair could do was stare blankly at the floor. It was getting quite dirty from all the sand and pebbly soil they tracked in from the island’s various beaches. Crosshair always took his shoes off before he entered the house, but Omega and his brothers didn’t always bother despite how many times he’d told them to.
He was lost in thought when Echo recalled his attention by clearing his throat. Crosshair lifted his head, but he still had no response.
Echo glanced at the others and asked: “Hunter, Wrecker, Omega, do you all mind if I talk to Crosshair alone for a bit?”
Hunter and Crosshair exchanged a look, and the latter shrugged.
“Sure,” Hunter said, turning from Crosshair to Echo. “We’ll go for a quick walk. Maybe stop by Shep’s while we’re out.”
Hunter and Wrecker both gave Crosshair a pat on the shoulder as they filed outside with Batcher. Omega stayed a little longer with big, almost pleading eyes and a knit brow. Crosshair had the impression she was about to ask for something, but he didn’t want to know what it was.
He just smirked slightly and nodded toward the door, saying, “Go on, Omega. It’s alright.”
Before he had time to react, she’d zipped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, just underneath his crossed arms. Then, just as quickly, she unwrapped her arms and ran out the door after Hunter, Wrecker and Batcher.
*****
With his family gone, Crosshair turned back to the holoprojection of Echo, who’d been patiently waiting in the interim.
“What’s wrong, Crosshair? I knew the others would have concerns about Alderaan, but I figured you’d be … well, more open to it.”
“It’s just … too much, Echo.”
“What? Going to Alderaan? Dealing with Imperials again?”
“No. I mean, it’s not ideal, but …”
He trailed off and started staring at the floor again. Maybe if he got everyone house slippers, that would prompt them to take off their shoes before they came in.
“Are you worried getting a new hand will dredge up everything that happened to you on Tantiss?”
“No,” Crosshair answered automatically. “Well, yes. But that’s not … what I’m …”
“What is it then?”
His tone was concerned and curious, rather than frustrated or judgmental, as Crosshair had expected.
“I told you,” Crosshair said. “It—it’s too much.”
He stared at Echo.
“It’s too much,” Crosshair repeated as his voice changed to a near-whisper.
“Why? I thought you all were hoping to find someone in the Outer Rim. What’s the difference in a hand from Alderaan versus a hand from the Outer Rim? Except that the one from Alderaan is better — much better than anything you’d find out there.”
“Exactly! A custom-made, top-of-the-line robotic hand, completely free? I can’t accept that.”
Crosshair turned away again.
“After everything,” he said so quietly that Echo could barely hear him. “All the terrible things I did for the Empire. All the pain I caused, the people I hurt, the lives I destroyed. I—I don’t deserve it.”
“And what about all the worlds you liberated, the people you helped, the lives you saved?” Echo asked, gesturing with his scomp arm. “Who decides what you deserve, Crosshair? You made mistakes, but you’re on a better path now. You helped us destroy Tantiss, rescue our brothers and the children, defeat Hemlock, and save Omega. She might not be alive right now if it wasn’t for you.”
Crosshair shook his head. Even all these months later, he couldn’t bear to think of that moment on the bridge. If he’d missed…
“Think about it this way,” Echo continued. “If Hunter had been in your shoes, if his inhibitor chip had activated instead of yours, and he had made all the same choices you did — good and bad — and he lost his hand, but people offered to give him a new one… what would you tell him?”
“I’d tell him … ” — Crosshair closed his eyes and shook his head — “… that it was his decision.”
“And what if he was like you are now: with a family to feed and a kid to look after?”
Crosshair sighed. Echo had a good point.
How much better of a spearfisher would he be if he had two hands? How many more fish would he catch? How much more money could he earn on a weekly, or even daily basis?
Hunter had promised Omega they’d take a family trip to a neighboring island when she wasn’t grounded anymore. Well, the second her penance had ended, she started begging to go, and Crosshair knew Hunter had been putting it off partly because of the expenses.
Crosshair, weirdly, was his family’s main source of income right now, and he didn’t even make that much.
In their first few months after permanently settling on Pabu, Hunter had taken occasional gigs with local fishermen. The problem was they didn’t need him full-time. There were already so many fishermen on the island and only so many boats to use and fish to catch.
So, Hunter had started learning woodworking. While he had built some of their furniture when they’d moved into their new home, he wasn’t good enough at it to make money. Crosshair figured he would be soon, as long as he didn’t get discouraged. But he often did.
Hunter and Crosshair sometimes brainstormed what kind of job Hunter could do to make a decent living. There was certainly no need for a former soldier or mercenary. Really, other than fishing or making something, there didn’t seem to be a lot of career options on Pabu. In that way, Hunter had bemoaned, the wider galaxy sometimes had its advantages along with all its flaws.
Wrecker had spent their first four months on Pabu building their house. With it done, though, he had started doing odd jobs around the island — fishing, building, moving, or anything that required serious muscle. However, he mostly did so in exchange for food and drinks. And, because he ate so much, he basically earned enough every day to feed himself and maybe Omega too.
Hunter had suggested he start charging a flat rate, but Wrecker said he couldn’t do that. The people of Pabu had already given them so much. He couldn’t charge them money after everything!
Their family had a roof over their head and food on the table, and that was enough for him, Wrecker said. He didn’t need or want any more. After all, they had Omega’s 40,000 credits if they ever needed to splurge on something.
But Hunter in turn reminded him that was set aside for buying them a new ship and/or getting Crosshair a new hand.
In the end, each brother had a strong argument.
Even though their family wasn’t rolling in credits, they had plenty to get by day-to-day. But, if they wanted to splurge on something, like a cross-planet trip or Life Day presents, it would be difficult as many vendors didn’t accept fish as payment.
Crosshair and his brothers were content with that kind of life, but Omega had done so much for them and worked so hard. She deserved something special from time to time. And Life Day was coming up…
Echo’s voice momentarily brought him back to the present and the offer before him.
“Like I said: it’s your choice, Crosshair. I just wanna make sure that, whatever you decide, you’re doing it for the right reasons, and you don’t end up regretting it.”
Crosshair stared down at his stump, trying to imagine what it would look and feel like if it was whole again. Lifting it to his chest, he traced his fingers back and forth over his empty wrist, remembering what he’d told Hunter after returning from Boracho:
We can’t keep Omega on Pabu forever. When that day comes, we’ll need to be ready.
A fight was coming. Echo had just said so.
Alderaan and other systems, whether they rebelled openly or secretly, would rise against the Empire. And, when they did, Omega and Crosshair’s brothers would inevitably want to join them, just as he would.
But would it be months, years or decades from now? There was no way to know, so Crosshair needed to be ready.
He couldn’t let Omega and his brothers down. Not again.
As he turned to face Echo’s holoprojection, Crosshair wore a changed expression. His brow was no longer furrowed; his eyes no longer downcast; his heart no longer conflicted.
Echo smiled and asked, even though he could already guess the answer: “So, what do you say?”