Chapter Text
On the tropical planet of Aynaboni, the atmosphere over one certain island was tranquil, quiet and serene. The distant calls of sea birds could be heard on the light breeze and the smell of sea salt lingered in the air. It was a peaceful existence…until the sound of a roar sounded in the distance as Echo, Hunter and Wrecker of Clone Force 99 came sprinting out of the trees and onto the beach. Echo suddenly lost his footing and fell face first into the shallow water, but Hunter was quick to pull him up to his feet.
“Go, go, go, go, go, go!” Wrecker cried out urgently as he went running with a giant crate in his hands.
Just as the three of them resumed booking it down the beach, a pod of six giant Aggrocrabs came charging through the trees, chasing after the three Clones who were trying to evade them. They were a good few yards behind them, but they were moving pretty fast.
Echo chided Wrecker as they ran, “We went over the plan five times.”
“I got the package, didn’t I?” Wrecker asked in return.
“Just keep moving,” Hunter ordered from behind them.
Elsewhere on the island, the squad’s ship, the Marauder, was docked on a large, flat rock just on the edge of the ocean. The door to the ship was open and the ramp was out partway, giving Omega a place to sit outside as she looked over her datapad with different ship schematics on it that she was studying. However, being outside and enjoying the fresh air was distracting her and she briefly decided to put the datapad down and lie on her back for a moment, taking it all in. Then she heard a splash from the water below and peeked over the edge of the ramp to see if the line they’d dropped down from the ship had caught anything.
Her moment of respite was soon ended by the sound of her brother, Tech, coming to the doorway and questioning as he picked the datapad off the ramp, “Does this unscheduled break mean you are fully versed in every ship in the Imperial fleet?”
Annoyed, Omega complained, “Do I have to do this right now? We’re on a mission.”
“That does not give you a pass on your studies,” he said back, holding out the datapad.
Omega rolled her eyes and asked as she took the datapad, “How come Kimber gets to take a break and I don’t? That’s not very fair.”
From above them, they heard a female voice reply, “I’ve already finished my studying. Now, listen to your brother, Omega.”
The young girl just groaned back.
Up on the roof of the Marauder, the final member of the squad, with her sniper rifle at her side, was lying on her back and taking in the warm sunshine, sighing contently to herself. This was Kimber Sallaros, the human woman who had joined their squad. In over the past six months since the destruction of Tipoca City, she and the rest of Clone Force 99 had continued to do mercenary jobs for their employer, Cid, on Ord Mantell, but they were doing their best to ensure they remained under the Empire’s radar since they had been presumed dead after the attack on Kamino. So far, there had been no signs that the Empire’s forces were aware of their survival. They kept busy quite often and Kimber was taking a moment to just relax, even if it was brief. They didn’t get very many moments like this. Or, at least, they hadn’t recently. Even though she wasn’t entirely fond of the fact they were on a tropical ocean planet--being afraid of water and unable to swim and all--it was still nice to take in the stillness of the atmosphere.
She heard a grunt close by and saw Tech pulling himself up over the edge and onto the top of the ship next to her. “Why do you insist on climbing up to the roof of my ship, KImber?” he asked her.
“Because this way, I have a better vantage point for when the others make their way back,” she answered, sitting up and moving beside him.
“Yet I see you are clearly neglecting your duties as the lookout,” he pointed out.
“Relax, Tech. Hunter will comm us if they need anything,” she said casually back. “Besides, you’ve been inside the ship this whole time. How would you know if I’ve been slacking off?”
Pushing up his goggles, he simply stated, “I have my methods.”
“Oh, shut up,” she said through a chuckle, nudging him with her shoulder.
The two of them sat together staring at the ocean silently for a short moment before Tech spoke up, asking, “May I be frank with you?”
“Of course,” she said.
He pointed out, “This particular aquatic planet happens to remind me of Bestine, where you and I took an amiable flight together over the ocean quite some time ago.”
Looking back out at the blue water before them, Kimber chuckled good-heartedly. “You know, you’re right. I can see some similarities,” she agreed. Then a reminiscent smile crossed her face. “I remember that day well. That was one of the first times you and I ever spent time together.”
“It was, indeed,” he said back.
Then she realized aloud, “We haven’t gotten as much time together like that just you and I since then, have we?”
“Yes, I myself have made that observation,” he affirmed. “It is understandable, of course, as I know I am not usually the first person you would choose to spend your time with. Hunter, naturally, would be your first choice as you are romantically involved with him. Then Echo, you are closest to after him. Wrecker and Omega also offer more joviality than I do and--
“You're saying that like you think you’re my least favorite of the squad and I wouldn’t want to spend time with you. That isn’t true,” she interjected.
He just casually shrugged and said, pulling out his datapad, “It does not bother me, as I am content to busy myself with other things.”
However, Kimber watched him closely and noticed his avoidance of eye contact and the fact that his facial expression, despite his attempt at hiding it, was giving away that he wasn’t being fully honest. “You know, you’re a terrible liar,” she said. When he kept his eyes on his datapad and refused to respond, she thought she’d coax the truth out of him by asking what she thought he wanted to hear: “Tech…do you want to spend more time with me?”
He hesitated and then ever so timidly answered, “I…would not be opposed to the notion.”
Hearing his answer, she felt both touched at his vulnerability, but also a little guilty that he’d been hesitant to admit such a thing in the first place. “Oh Tech, why didn’t you ever say anything?” she said back sympathetically. “I would gladly do that, you know I would.”
Tech looked back at her, a pleased look in his eyes that showed even through the lenses of his goggles, but then the moment was interrupted by his comm beeping, followed by Hunter’s voice speaking, “Tech, we’ve got the cargo, but we could use some firepower.”
With a roll of his eyes, Tech responded, “Wrecker woke the pod, didn’t he?” Then he slid over the edge and down the side of the ship, landing on the ramp just beside Omega, who was still there studying, before retreating back inside the cockpit.
Hunter responded, “Yeah and they’re not happy.”
As she grabbed her rifle and then slid down the ship after Tech, Kimber replied back into her new wrist comm, “Didn’t we go over the plan, like, five times before you all left so this wouldn't happen?”
Then Echo’s voice responded, clearly unamused, “That’s exactly what I said.”
“We need a pickup,” then said Hunter.
Omega confirmed, “Copy that. We’re on our way.”
Kimber took up her rifle in her hands in a ready position, peering through the scope to see if she could see the others anywhere in the distance while Tech got the ship powered up. She didn’t get much of a chance to look as the line in the water started to jerk.
“Tech, we caught something and I think it’s big,” Omega cried out, coming back out from in the ship with her new helmet cap on and her energy bow on her back.
“Release the line. We do not have time to reel--” Tech started to answer, but then the ship jolted as all of a sudden, two more of the crabs came climbing up onto the front of the ship. To try and get the crabs off, he started pulling the ship off the ground.
To keep her balance, Kimber braced her hand against the doorway and Omega tried to bring up the line, but then it jammed and caused the ship to tilt downward as another crab appeared out of the water, pulling the line. The force of the pulling caused Omega to fall off the ramp.
“Omega!” both Tech and Kimber called out.
Luckily, she managed to grab the line and slid down enough that she was still out of the crabs’ reach as more began to appear. After reassuring the other two that she was okay, Tech pulled the ship higher, letting the wings unfold fully, but it wasn't going anywhere since the crab on the ground still had a grip on the line. The two crabs on the hull of the ship were starting to tear into it with their pincers.
“They're wrecking the ship!” Omega called up.
“I cannot shake them,” Tech responded.
Kimber found herself in a quandary. She wanted to help Tech, but she also wanted to keep Omega out of danger. She could potentially hit the crabs on the ship, but her line of sight was partially blocked by the ship's walls. When she looked back down to see Omega slowly sliding down the line, she then came up with a plan, trusting that Omega would put the extra training she'd been receiving over the last few months to good use.
“Omega! I'll go low, you go high!” she cried out, taking up her rifle and aiming it at the crab below.
The young girl gave her a quick nod and then let herself slide faster down the line towards the ground. Kimber lined up her shot and fired at the crab holding onto the line. The crustaceous creature immediately let go of the line, ducked its head down and raised its pincers over its head, letting the blaster bolt ricochet off its hard outer shell. It seemed as though their shells were resistant to blasterfire. Once the line was released, Omega let go, jumped off of the crab’s shell and tumbled over its back, withdrawing her bow as she turned and lined up her shot. She took two shots at each crab and managed to hit them on their underside, knocking them off the ship. She kept firing as the others turned towards her and they reacted the same as before: lowering their heads and covering them with their pincers. Up above, Kimber happened to notice more crabs emerging from the trees further inland. Just as she realized it, so did Omega.
“Tech, fly along the beach,” Kimber called inside the ship. Then she yelled down, “Omega, start running!”
Both of them did as Kimber ordered without hesitation. Tech turned the ship and flew along the waterline while Omega took off running away from the Aggrocrabs over the rocks and down to the beach. Over the comm, Tech told Omega to grab the line just as he maneuvered the ship a couple paces ahead of her. She took out her bow and expertly fired at a crab coming towards her, causing it to duck down, and used that to her advantage by climbing up its back, leaping off of it and catching the line mid-air before clipping it to her belt. Seeing that Omega was now secure, Kimber grabbed onto the line with one hand and leaned into the turn as the Marauder started rounding a corner of the beach.
She heard over her comm Wrecker asking, “Tech, where are you?”
Just as they came around the bend, she then spotted the others ahead, running in their direction with another huge group of Aggrocrabs chasing them. Seeing the number of them, it was no wonder they needed a pickup.
As Tech started shooting at the crabs with the ship’s guns, Kimber heard Hunter demand over the comms, “Why is Omega hanging off the ship?”
“It is an unscheduled study break,” Tech simply stated back.
Now that they had found the remainder of their squad, Kimber activated the mechanism that reeled the line back up, pulling Omega back to the open ramp of the ship. She unhooked herself from the line, sent it back down to the other Clones and resumed firing at the crabs at Kimber’s side, the two of them providing cover for their squadmates. Below, Wrecker took the giant cargo crate he was carrying, tipped it on its side and hooked the line onto one of the handles. After that was done, he, Hunter and Echo all climbed up onto the crate and rode it as the line pulled them up to the ship, firing down at the crabs that tried to jump up at them. They came up beside the ramp and Omega offered them a welcoming grin while Kimber greeted them with a smirk, saying, “Fancy meeting you here.”
Hunter stepped up on the ramp, reached out and lightly touched her cheek before going inside the ship. Echo followed him and then Wrecker, now with the crate back in hand, went inside. Kimber signaled for Omega to go in before her and then she went in last, closing the door behind them as the Marauder took off away from the island.
Echo and Hunter had dropped into the two chairs in the main area of the ship, breathing heavily, and Wrecker collapsed on top of the cargo crate, complaining, “I thought the beach was gonna be relaxing.”
Removing his helmet, Hunter looked at Omega and remarked, “Appreciate the backup…but try staying inside the ship next time.”
“I’ll try…but it was still pretty fun,” Omega replied, still grinning gladly.
Hunter couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, which Kimber noticed right away. Still a gleeful glint in her eyes, she retreated to the back of the ship and climbed up into her makeshift room in the gunners mount.
“You should’ve seen her, darling,” Kimber said, kissing Hunter on his brow. “She was amazing. Her intensive training is paying off.”
“So I noticed,” he replied. Then he reached up and grasped her hand, looking up at her adoringly. “You were amazing yourself, as always.”
She just smiled gratefully and tightened her grip on his hand. Her eyes wandered down to the red scarf he now wore around his neck. A few months back, they had all determined as a squad that, in order to keep from being discovered by the Empire, they had to change their appearances, specifically their armor. They all got some new leather armor to wear underneath, but they couldn't get whole new sets of battle armor as that would definitely arouse suspicion no matter where they went, so they decided to just repaint and change up their current armor. With the help of their friend, Kida, from the Koriena Force, they all gave themselves new paint jobs with different colors while still keeping it relatively uniform: Kimber and Hunter had gone with light gray, teal and orange, Tech did white and orange, Echo had done white, gray, orange and red and then Wrecker had gone with gray, orange and yellow. On top of changing their armor, however, Hunter and Kimber both had found scarves for each other to wear. She had found his first in a market when they were looking for new clothes for Omega; a red scarf with a few thin, white stripes and thought it would look good on him. That and he thought it would come in handy for disguise purposes, if necessary. She had then made a joke about needing a scarf of her own to match him and, naturally, he took that seriously and found one for her, as well. It was a darker red-orange in color that buttoned together over her left shoulder and had curled gold embellishments sewn in along the edge. He said the gold curls reminded him of what she had worn on their Imperial masquerade gala mission, which she found incredibly sweet.
It had been a bit hard for all of them to change their armor, having to paint over or scratch out the Clone Force 99 skull that had come to mean so much to them; that had symbolized who they were as a squad. It felt like erasing part of their identity, but it's what needed to be done in order to keep their cover. To the Empire, Clone Force 99 was dead…and so they had to think the same. It was taking some getting used to still, but they were adjusting better than they'd anticipated.
Kimber then glanced over to the cockpit where Tech was flying the ship and, recalling their earlier conversation, decided to go join him. “You boys stay back here and rest. I'm going to go sit with Tech,” she said.
Hunter wasn't going to argue against that and just gave her a tired nod, his eyes already halfway closed as he leaned his head against the back of the chair. Wrecker just groaned and gave a thumbs up and Echo was already fast asleep.
With that, Kimber walked up to the cockpit and she asked Tech as she came up behind him, “What’s the damage report on the exterior hull?”
Tech tapped a few keys and brought up the ship’s system readings as he replied, “Nothing too substantial.” When Kimber leaned down to take a closer look, he went on, “The interior system damage is minimal, but nothing critical. We should make it back to Ord Mantell without issue.”
“Will the ship still be okay to make the jump to lightspeed?” was Kimber’s next question.
“Absolutely. The force of hyperspace should not affect the damaged hull,” Tech affirmed.
Letting out a sigh of relief, she said as she sat in the co-pilot's seat, “That’s reassuring.”
A few moments later, they exited the planet’s atmosphere and flew back into the starry vastness of space. Tech put in the coordinates back to Ord Mantell and soon, they made the jump to hyperspace. Even though she’d seen it many times, Kimber still couldn’t help but marvel in awe at the sight of the stars zooming past them and transforming into the blue tunnel of hyperspace. It amazed her every time and the sight of it never got old.
After putting on the ship’s autopilot, Tech then inquired, turning his chair to face her, “Kimber…do you have any interest in learning to pilot the ship?”
The question caught her off guard for a moment, but she replied, “I’ve thought about it, but between the rest of you already knowing how and Omega currently learning to fly, I figured we had enough pilots to go around.”
“That may be so, but it is still an important skill to learn, should you ever find yourself in a situation where you yourself must fly a ship,” he stated. His facial expression turned lightly timid briefly before he straightened up and asked outright, “To coincide with the notion proposed earlier of us keeping each other’s company more often, would you perhaps consider taking flying lessons under my tutelage, once I have concluded teaching Omega?”
That brought a smile to her face at seeing him open up to her like that. She could tell he actually was eager about the proposed idea and she found that even more endearing. With a glad smile, she replied, “I can think of no greater instructor to learn from. I would love to, Tech.”
He grinned, pleased with her response.
“But don’t feel like you need to rush Omega’s lessons,” she added. “Take your time to make sure she learns properly. I’m more than willing to wait.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
“Until that time, would you mind if I stay up here with you on the way back to Ord Mantell?” she asked kindly.
Tech grinned again. “I do not mind at all.”
Then Kimber suggested, gesturing to the console, “Maybe you can tell me about the Marauder’s system specifications. Give me a bit of a headstart on the technical part of flight training while I wait for the actual flying.”
“An excellent idea,” he agreed.
After that, Tech proceeded to start listing off the different ship specifications in the cockpit and Kimber listened intently to every word, enjoying this time with him on their way back to Ord Mantell.
The doors swished open to Cid’s parlor on Ord Mantell and Kimber couldn’t hold back a light groan. Even though she was now used to coming back to this place at this point, she still didn’t like it. It was better than being destitute and constantly running, but she wished they didn’t have to keep working for Cid, whom she couldn’t stand.
As they walked in, removing their helmets, they were met by AZI-3, the medical Droid they had rescued from Kamino, floating up to them and carrying a tray of drinks for a couple patrons. “Greetings,” he said, “I am AZI-345211--”
“Yeah, yeah, we know,” Wrecker grumbled as he pushed past him with the cargo crate.
“You are all quite late,” AZI observed. “Mistress Cid has been extremely vocal about her displeasure.”
Echo rolled his eyes. “Well, there’s a surprise,” he said sarcastically.
Kimber snickered. “You’re starting to sound like me,” she pointed out.
They made their way to the back room where Cid’s office was and sure enough, she was standing in front of her desk, her arms folded.
“Well, well, well. The space lugs decided to finally show up,” she spat.
Then, to the Bad Batch’s surprise, they heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice say from behind Cid, “Better late than dead, I always say.”
When Cid moved aside, sitting in the chair and with her legs propped up on the desk, holding a drink in her hand, was a human dark-skinned woman. Her dreadlocks went up and over one side of her head and she wore a blue headband across her brow as well as a light brown overcoat. The Clones and Kimber had never seen this woman before, but something about her demeanor made them all slightly suspicious.
“And who are you?” Hunter questioned.
The woman simply smirked and asked back, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She stood up from the desk and then said as she walked around over to them, “So this is the top team you’ve been talking about? The rogue Clones on the run from the Empire, huh? How juicy.”
Hunter narrowed his eyes at Cid. “You told her?”
Dismissively, Cid waved a hand and rebuked him, “Don’t get twitchy. Phee’s a friend. She’s the most trustworthy pirate I know.”
“Is that supposed to be comforting?” Echo asked in disbelief.
Kimber put a hand on her hip and gave Cid an incredulous look. “The words ‘trustworthy’ and ‘pirate’ aren’t words I would put together. Besides, anyone that you consider a friend, I automatically don’t trust,” she stated.
The new woman, Phee, seemed to pay no mind to anything Echo or Kimber said as she then proceeded to say aloud, “Aren’t Clones supposed to look alike? So much for quality control.” She looked at Wrecker and then Omega and then Hunter. “This one’s too big. This one’s too small. This one’s got a face tattoo. Yeah, real subtle,” she remarked sarcastically. Then she got to Kimber and her eyebrows furrowed. “And this one ain’t even a Clone at all. What’s a random beauty like you doing with a group of Clones?”
There it was: the usual question Kimber was always asked. Most times, she didn’t mind it; she’d gotten used to it, but certain times like this with people she didn't like or trust, it was just annoying. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” she replied, echoing Phee’s words while maintaining eye contact with her.
Phee smirked deviously. “Mmm spunky. I like you,” she responded, looking Kimber over.
Kimber just frowned back.
Right then, Phee happened to look over Kimber’s shoulder at Tech and suddenly, her expression changed, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh…hey now. You got a name, brown eyes?” she asked, a flirtatious grin crossing her face.
With a small adjustment of his goggles, he answered, “Tech. However, the phenotypic eye color for all Clones is brown. Iris pigmentation was not affected by our mutat--”
“Well, as fascinating as this has been,” Phee interrupted him, already bored, “I have places to be.” She finished up her drink, dropped her cup into Cid’s hands and then approached Wrecker. “You, let’s see those muscles in action.”
For a second, Wrecker seemed unsure if he should go with her, so he looked to Hunter for affirmation. After Hunter gave him a nod, he nervously answered, “Uh y-yes, ma’am.” Then he picked up the cargo crate from off the ground.
Before she walked out, Phee turned back around and said, “And, Cid, that intel is not free. I expect a cut if your ‘top team’ comes through.” With that, she walked out of the office, followed by Wrecker.
The rest of them looked back at Cid apprehensively.
“What is she talking about?” Hunter questioned her.
“Your next mission. You lot are heading to the Outer Rim,” Cid responded. She then pulled up a hologram of a large fortress with an oval-shaped tower in the center.
Tech then observed, “That is Castle Serenno, the former home of Count Dooku.”
“Who’s that?” Omega inquired.
Echo was the one who answered her, saying, “A Jedi who betrayed the Republic and led the Separatists in a war.”
Then Cid explained, “With him being dead, Dooku’s entire war chest is up for grabs. The Empire has already started pillaging his palace, but there’s still time to strike before it’s all gone.”
“Of course, it’s all about the money with you,” Kimber complained, rolling her eyes.
Hunter then stated in response, “Too much of a risk. You want that war chest? You go after it.” Then he turned on his heel and walked for the door.
Following him, Kimber then said to him quietly, “Wow, now you’re starting to sound like me, too.” The door opened and then closed behind them as she went on, “You know I support your decision.”
He cocked a half smile. “You’re just saying that because it means we don’t have to do another job for Cid.”
“I mean, yes,” she admitted, “but I also understand why you don’t want to go to Serenno. The Empire already has their forces going for that war chest. We’d be putting our safety on the line going there and I’m not willing to risk that just so Cid can get her claws on more credits.” She took a hold of his hand. “It’s not just your job to look out for our squad. It’s mine, too.”
He brought her hand holding his up to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I’m glad to have you looking out for all of us.”
“Always,” she said back.
The two of them stayed out in the parlor area for the next few minutes until everyone else came back from Cid’s office. They all took a spot at a nearby table and Omega sat herself on a barstool in front of Hunter. Within a few minutes, the two of them started reviewing different classes of spaceships. Along with Tech, Hunter had also undertaken giving Omega lessons both in combat as well as different academics. To Kimber, it was endearing to see Hunter taking on much more of a mentor role with his sister.
Although, not long into their lesson, Kimber and Hunter overheard Cid talking to the others in the squad in not-so-hushed tones and their ears perked up. Curious about what was going on, they left Omega to continue her studies at the bar and started walking over to the others.
“Then we’re all in agreement,” they heard Cid say. “Now, all we gotta do is convince dark and broody and the Missus.”
“Convince us about what?” Hunter asked, approaching the table with Kimber next to him.
Hesitating to make eye contact, Wrecker told him, “Uh, well, we took a vote…and we wanna go after the war chest.”
“It’s unanimous,” Cid then put in. Gesturing to Echo, she added, “Even Killjoy over here agreed.”
Echo, however, seemingly had no idea that was what Cid called him and didn’t seem too amused by it.
Frowning, Kimber looked at the Trandoshan and said, “Cid, I don’t think you know what the word ‘unanimous’ actually means. If Hunter and I aren’t on board, then that’s not the right word for this situation.”
“Oh, can it, Dollface. You're sounding like Goggles,” Cid retaliated.
Kimber’s jaw clenched and Hunter could sense her building frustration, so he laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her from blowing up. Then he stated, “Serenno is Imperial occupied. We’ve stayed off the Empire’s radar since Kamino. Why chance it now?”
“Because the contents of just one of those containers would be worth more than all the jobs you pulled for me combined. You can buy your freedom,” Cid told him.
“We’re already free,” he said in reply.
“It’s cute you think that,” she responded.
Kimber pursed her lips. “Since when did you actually care about our wellbeing?” she questioned.
Cid just humphed at her and then said, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Dollface.” Then she pointed between Kimber and Hunter. “Clearly, neither of you are paying attention to what’s happening out there, but I am. It’s only a matter of time before the Empire comes here and then my little operation is over, which means no more jobs for you.”
Tech then spoke up, “She does have a valid point.”
“You wanna really be free? Then pull off this heist and you’ll have the means to disappear,” Cid went on. “No more risky missions. No more living hand to mouth. You can have a future. Isn’t that what you’re after?”
Unfortunately, Kimber knew Cid made a good point. It turned out Cid didn’t want the money from the war chest for herself; she uncharacteristically wanted it for them so they didn’t have to keep living the way they were. If they even had just a small portion of it, it could be enough for them to move on to something better; a peaceful future they all yearned for. She looked up at Hunter and found he was looking another direction: over at Omega. From the look in his eyes, she could tell he was having the same change of heart as she was and remembering Omega only furthered it for Kimber. Omega deserved to live a normal life and just be a normal girl. That’s what they both wanted for her. A few seconds later, he turned to face Kimber and they shared a knowing glance, relenting against their previous resentment of the mission.
Sighing in defeat, Kimber stated, “Well…it’s unanimous now. Looks like we’re going to Serenno.”
During the long flight to Serenno, Hunter sat at the computer console in the main area of the ship, scouting out possible planets they could hide out on once the mission was over and Kimber was in the chair across the aisle from him cleaning her rifle. The flight was silent for a good little while until Echo came into the back with them from the cockpit. He stole a quick look up at the covered gunner’s mount where they all knew Omega was resting.
Then Echo looked down at Hunter and said, “I know why you agreed to this mission…but we can do better things with Dooku’s fortune than hide, Hunter.”
Kimber looked up from her rifle and watched them closely. She knew where Echo’s point was going, considering this wasn’t the first time he’d brought something like this up to Hunter.
Sure enough, he proved her suspicions right by going on to say, “With what we’re up against, we have to be prepared to fight. That means numbers and weapons.”
“That’s not the kind of life this kid deserves,” Hunter replied.
Sternly, Echo retaliated with, “Our lives are like this because of Omega.”
“Echo…!” Kimber quietly chided him as Hunter immediately jumped up from his chair and moved Echo further away from the back where Omega could potentially hear him.
Echo kept going, keeping his sights on Hunter and his voice a touch lower now, “Taking her off Kamino was the right thing to do…but there are others out there who need our help.”
“We understand, Echo, but there’s only so much we can do,” Kimber interjected, moving up next to him.
He looked to her and then between the two of them. “We’ve seen what the Empire is doing throughout the galaxy. We should be doing more.” Not even waiting for a response from either of them, he retreated back into the cockpit, leaving them alone.
For a second, Kimber thought she saw movement up in the gunner’s mount, but when she looked, the curtain seemed to still be in the same position it had been in before, so she supposed she was just seeing things. Hunter looked conflicted regarding what Echo had said, so Kimber took him by the hand and wordlessly gestured with her head for him to come with her. Then she led him back to their bunk where they could have some privacy to discuss everything because she had some things she wanted to say.
She explained right away after the door closed behind them, “I’m on your side in all this, Hunter, but I do also understand where Echo is coming from. This isn’t the first time he’s been insistent on doing more to fight against the Empire. It’s just who he is. From everything I already know of him and from how Jesse once spoke of him from back in his reg days, Echo’s always been a devout soldier. He wants to finish what his fallen brothers started; he wants to carry on the Clone legacy and continue fighting. He wants to save as many lives as possible, which I can’t fault him for. If you remember, he and I are very much alike in our experiences: he was a slave who was freed from his captivity and was given a second chance at life, just like I was, and he doesn’t want to waste it. Even though the rest of us would be content with doing this last mission and then settling down somewhere, I don’t think that life would suit him for long. He’d get too restless, I know he would.”
Hunter sighed loudly. “I see his point, but I’m afraid putting ourselves out there will put us all at risk. We’ve gone through enough and I don’t want anything else to happen to our squad.”
“Darling, you and I both wish for that, believe me, but you have to understand: you can’t control everything that happens, not when we live the lives of soldiers,” she said to him. “We can protect the others, but we can’t stop everything from happening to them anymore than we can stop the suns in the galaxy from setting. It’s just a fact of the lives we lead.” She stepped closer to him and rested her hand on his tattooed cheek. “You’re doing all of this for Omega, which I fully support…but it might not hurt to consider what Echo talked about, too.”
Briefly, he remained silent, but then he finally nodded and replied, “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said.
“I just…,” he started to say before then pulling her closer against him by her waist, “we’re so close to finally being able to afford getting married and having the peaceful life we’ve always wanted. I don’t want to lose this chance at real freedom.”
In response, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him as his arms traveled up around her shoulders. “I know…I’ve thought about that, too,” she said. “It feels the same as the end of the Clone Wars: it’s something I thought wouldn’t happen for a long time and now, it’s just within our sights.” Then she gazed up at him with a bright gleam in her amber eyes. “We’ll get there soon, Hunter. I know we will. I can feel it.”
Brushing some extra strands of hair out of her face and tracing her cheek, he said back, “We’ll just have to keep being patient, which you’ve already been more than enough with me.”
“You’ve been just as patient with me, as well. Give yourself some credit.”
“You’re right.” Hunter gave Kimber a kiss on the forehead and then told her, “Come on, let’s go back out before the others think something’s wrong.”
“Or that we’re doing something we shouldn’t with everyone on the ship,” she teased, giving him a flirty wink.
His eyes narrowed slightly and a devious smirk appeared on his face. “Don’t tempt me,” he warned her playfully. “Besides, with how many times we’ve been interrupted when I’ve simply kissed you, I’m not risking anyone interrupting that.”
Kimber snickered, amused.
The two of them exited the bunk and returned to their previous activities, getting themselves ready for their upcoming mission on Serenno, that hopefully would prove to be their last before finally gaining the peaceful future they wanted and deserved.