Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Omega flew out of the cave and up into the cool, clear light of Pabu’s moon. She didn’t look back, didn’t dare let herself make room for any doubt about the path she had chosen as she exited the planet’s atmosphere. And then, as soon as she was able, she turned the stars around her into starlines.

She watched the hyperspace lane flash by, momentarily reminded of the first time she’d seen this view all those years ago. She’d had her brothers around her then, and now she was flying solo. 

But she wasn’t alone. Not really. For one thing, she had Gonky with her, the stalwart droid who’d gone through so much with them. But even more than that, Omega still had all of her brothers with her—her memories alongside them, their teachings, all of the skills they’d taught her, and the love they’d given her. She reflexively touched the goggles that adorned her dashboard. And this wasn’t a goodbye, either. She’d see them again. She had no doubt. And besides, she wouldn’t be flying solo for long.

It took her just under three days to reach Pantora, touching down at the spaceport just as dawn was breaking over the city. And when she lowered the Havoc’s ramp, she was met with a pair of familiar and very welcome faces.

“Echo!”

Omega flew down the ramp and into her brother’s waiting embrace.

“Whoa!” Echo said with a laugh. “Careful kid. You’re going to knock this old man over if you’re not careful. I’m not as young as I once was.” But his words were belied by the strength of his arms around her.

With a final squeeze, Omega let go and stepped over to the pantoran woman standing beside him.

“It’s so good to see you again, Omega,” Riyo Chuchi said, welcoming the younger woman's hug. 

“Is he behaving himself?” Omega asked mock-sternly.

“I'm not the one who has to behave,” Echo chuckled. “Riyo is far more of a firecracker than most would give her credit for.”

“I take that as the highest praise.” Riyo smiled up at Echo and wrapped one arm around his waist. Echo mirrored the movement, the smile on his face one of contentment and deep love.

“And how is my favorite sister-in-law?” Omega asked, grinning broadly at their show of affection. 

“As well as I can be, considering you’re whisking my husband away and back into the fight.” She squeezed Echo a bit tighter.

“We never left the fight, Riyo,” Echo said consolingly. 

“Yes, but we’ve been on the political battlefield, away from blasters and bloodshed.” 

“And we’ve been handed loss after loss on that front,” Echo countered gently. Omega could tell this was an argument they’d had many times before. “The Senate is a shell of its former self and doesn’t have the same power like it once did. You know that as well as I do. We need to do something more.”

She looked into his eyes, deep concern written all over her face. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Echo leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “You won’t. I promise. Besides, I’ll have Omega and Rex looking after me.”

Riyo turned towards Omega.

“I’ll keep him safe,” the younger woman said.

“I’m holding you to that.” Riyo took a deep breath. “Alright. You’d best be off, then.” 

She leaned down and picked up the pack that had been resting by Echo’s feet. As he took it from her, she kept hold of his left hand while he slung the pack over his shoulder with the new prosthetic right hand he had gotten some years earlier. Gripping tight, she stared up at him, as if desperate to etch every detail of his face into her memory.

“I love you.”

Echo pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. “And that makes me the luckiest man in the galaxy,” he whispered, cupping her face and wiping away a tear with his thumb. “I’ll keep in touch,” he promised as he turned to follow Omega up the stairs of the Havoc.

“You’d better.”

“How’d they all take it when you told them you were leaving?” Echo asked.

Omega grimaced. “I didn’t,” she admitted. “I’ve told you how many times we’d fought over me joining the Rebellion. They were never going to go along with it. So…I thought it would be easier this way.”

Echo nodded. He knew Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair well enough to understand that being separated from Omega would be an almost impossible thing to ask them. Especially with her leaving to jump back into the danger they had worked so hard to help her escape. 

“But Hunter knew, of course.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “He was there to see me off.”

“Heh, there’s very little that gets past those senses of his,” Echo agreed. 

From behind them, a soft “gonk” came from Gonky as the trusty droid voiced his agreement.

Omega winced slightly. “I do feel a little bad leaving him to have to explain it to the others.”

“I’m surprised I haven’t already gotten an angry call from them asking if I knew anything about this,” Echo mused.

Omega chuckled wryly. “Oh, I’m sure you still will.”

Because, of course, he had known. He’d been her partner in crime, helping her prepare for this, after all, and it would come as no surprise to their brothers.

Omega had been thinking of joining the Rebellion for years now. Even though Pabu was remote and free from the struggle going on in the galaxy around them, word of what the Empire was doing and the Rebellion’s actions against it still reached them. Some they’d seen firsthand during the occasions when they’d go off world. Others they’d heard from Phee when she’d come back after one of her adventures.

Once Omega had begun working on her ship and had gotten her long range comms working, she’d begun talking with Echo and listening to what was going on out there. And what she heard broke her heart. There was so much suffering. So much pain. So much death! So many people who were forgotten, left to face these struggles on their own. She knew she had to do something. She and her brothers had a good life; they were happy and lived on a peaceful planet. She wanted that for everyone! And for that to happen she had to act. 

And then she’d heard Senator Mothma’s transmission and heard about a battle that had wiped out many Rebel ships. Times were getting desperate. The Rebellion needed help. And she could give it. 

Omega wasn’t surprised when her brothers had vehemently objected to the idea, and they’d had several very animated shouting matches over it. But even in their most heated arguments, she understood they were only worried about her safety. She knew their concern came from the love they had for her, and she couldn’t fault them for that. But she couldn’t let that stop her, either.

So she’d toiled away in earnest, spending hour after hour working to get her ship space-worthy, all the while secretly planning her departure with Echo. Though out of active fighting, he and Riyo were still trying to make a difference through policy and humanitarian efforts and, occasionally, covert operations. 

For the first few years they’d focused on helping the clones find new homes and purposes so they could live their lives as they wanted, escaping whatever horrible fates the Empire had for those they didn’t simply cast aside, and trying to rescue those who were caught in its clutches. 

But then the Empire’s grip on the galaxy as a whole had started growing tighter and tighter, causing so much turmoil and destruction that Echo and Riyo and several others, such as Senators Mothma and Organa, had widened their efforts to match its scope. But they were so few against an evil so vast. Which was why, as Omega had explained to her brothers time and again, every single person counted, and the training they’d given her would help so much in this fight.

The fight she had finally set off to join.

Chapter Text

The journey to Yavin 4 was a long one, and made even longer when a pod of purrgils got too close to their hyperlane less than an hour away from their destination. Omega was forced to make a jarring exit from hyperspace to avoid hitting them, one that sent lights flashing and alarms blaring. She strained on the yoke, getting as far away from the large creatures as she could before bringing them to a full stop.

“No, no, no!” Omega’s hands flew over the buttons and switches in front of her, turning off the alarms and trying to find the problem that had caused them. After a few seconds, the results of her diagnostic scan appeared on her display.

“Krif!” she shouted. “The hyperdrive motivator burned out! We can’t get into hyperspace until it’s fixed, and I can’t do that from inside the ship.” 

She continued pouring over her controls, not looking up as she called back to Echo who was sitting in the chair behind her by the navicomputer. “See if you can find someplace close by where we can land.”

When she didn’t hear a response or the sound of buttons being pressed, she glanced back to find Echo…smiling?

“What?” she asked, perplexed and a little irritated that he wasn’t helping her.

“Seeing you like this… You remind me so much of him.”

Omega froze. She didn’t need to ask who he meant. Slowly, her eyes drifted to the broken goggles on her dashboard.

Tech.

She thought about him every day. When she looked at those cracked lenses, she could so easily imagine his eyes looking out through them. They were her constant reminder and motivation. She didn’t think the dull ache of grief would ever truly go away, but most of the time she thought back on her memories of him with fondness, grateful for the things he’d taught her and the time they’d had together, however brief it was.

But that dull ache turned into a sharp twist of all-too familiar pain just then. Omega slumped back into her chair, all thoughts of repairing the ship abandoned.

“There are times I’m sure I can hear his voice,” she whispered into the silence. “Instructing me while I work on the ship. Pointing out some random fact about some random thing.” She huffed a small laugh.

“You were his favorite, Omega. He would be so proud of you.”

The words made Omega’s heart clench a bit in her chest. She slumped in her seat, moisture brimming in her eyes. It had been seventeen years since Tech had died. More than half her lifetime. Though his loss hurt less and less over the years, sometimes it sprang back to life, hitting harder, like it was still fresh. 

“We will figure out a solution, as we always do.”

It wasn’t uncommon for Tech’s words to speak to her from the past as they now, guiding her in what to do.

She wiped at the tears that had fallen down her cheek.

“Well then, I’d better not let him down. Where’s the closest planet?”

With one last fond smile, Echo turned his attention to the navicomputer and started a search. It didn’t take long to find the answer.

“Yavin is the closest terrestrial object for light years. We’ll have to get there using sublight engines.”

Omega groaned.

“That’ll take us over two more days to get there!”

“Then we’d best get going,” Echo said. 

The rust-colored gas giant slowly grew into existence and Omega maneuvered them around it until the small green moon that was home to the Rebellion’s base stood before them. Once they got in range, they sent out a communication to notify the rebels of their approach and requested landing permission. Upon receiving their confirmation, they locked onto the coordinates for the base, and came in for a landing.

Numerous large pyramids rose above the dense jungle, the space in front of the largest two providing room for them to land among the rest of the ships. There were more than Omega had expected, and of a wide variety of styles, including a few X-wings she was excited to finally see in person.

The base was a buzz of activity wherever she looked. Droids rolled this way and that; beings from a wide collection of species busied themselves with various tasks. But standing among all of the hustle and bustle, serving as the sole member of their welcoming party, was Rex himself.

Omega had been happy, and none too surprised, to learn that Rex was helping the Alliance. Once Omega and Echo had made the decision to join, the latter had contacted Rex, who then gave them the coordinates for Yavin 4.

“That can’t be the same little girl I met back on Ord Mantell,” he said with a grin as Omega rushed to greet him.

“Rex!” She flung her arms around the old clone’s neck just as she had Echo, excited to see her brother again after all these years.

Rex returned her hug with strong arms. 

“I’m glad you’ve come,” he said.

“I couldn’t stay away, not when you need help.”

“And what about your brothers? Are they tired of paradise yet?"

Omega huffed a laugh. “Not even close. They weren’t exactly happy I left, but if push comes to shove, we can count on them.”

“Their skills would be a big help to the Rebellion,” Rex admitted. “But I think it’s safe to say that with everything they taught you, you’re just about as capable as all of them put together. We’re lucky to have you.”

“And what about me?” Echo quipped as he walked up to join them. “Am I just a sidekick?”

Rex chuckled. “I’d never say that about an ARC trooper.” The two grasped hands. “And what about Riyo? Is she okay with you getting back into the thick of things?”

“She said I wouldn’t be the man she loved if I didn’t,” Echo said with a shrug. “Not that I needed much encouragement.”

“You’re a lucky man.” Rex turned to Omega. “I hope you didn’t run into trouble on the way here. We expected you a couple days ago.”

“Just a small Purrgil problem,” she said. “But I need to fix the motivator on my ship.”

“I’ll send a technician to come help show you around,” Rex offered. “In the meantime, Echo, I’ll introduce you to the top brass, get you two your marching orders.”

Ten minutes later, Omega was standing under the Havoc, the top half of her body swallowed inside the guts of the ship as she worked at repairing the hyperdrive motivator. The base didn’t have precisely the parts she needed to fix it, but with a little ingenuity, she was able to make it work.

“I’ve never seen a ship quite like this one before,” a voice said from somewhere nearby.

Omega smirked. “It’s my own design, repurposed from an old modified Omicron attack shuttle.”

There was an extended moment of silence and Omega thought the speaker had walked away. But then…

“Omega?”

Omega jerked her head around in surprise, but only succeeded in hitting it against the inside of her ship. Placing her hand on the sore spot with a hiss of pain, she ducked out from under the Havoc and saw a very familiar-looking green Twi'lek woman. Her eyes went wide and a smile split her face, mirroring the one on her old friend.

“Hera?!”

The two old friends closed the distance between them and embraced, large smiles splitting their faces, and for a moment, they felt like those two little girls again who had met on Ryloth’s moon.

Suddenly, Omega pulled away as she remembered just how dirty she was after working on her ship.

“Oh no! I got grease all over you!”

Hera laughed. “Nothing I haven’t done to myself dozens of times over the years.”

“Do you have your own ship now?” 

“I do! I finally got to fulfill my dream and live aboard a starship!”

Omega’s eyes swung around the large landing pad. “Which one is yours?”

“The Ghost is parked out back to make room for my squad’s Y-wings.” Hera jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the collection of ships currently being refueled.

Omega’s eyes pulled even wider.

“You have your own squad?!”

Hera nodded.

“But most of my main team, the crew of the Ghost, is on a mission of their own right now. They should be back soon and I’d love for you to meet them.” A soft smile touched Hera’s face. “They’re like family to me. And speaking of family, where are those brothers of yours? Did they come with you?”

“Echo did, but the others are retired. They’re enjoying a much-deserved new life away from the war.”

“I hope I get a chance to meet them again,” Hera said. “I want to tell Tech that his lesson on masking a ship’s signature has saved my life on more than one occasion.”

Omega’s smile faltered.

“Oh no. Is he…?” Hera asked, noticing the change in her friend’s expression.

Omega nodded. “About a year after we met.”

“I’m so sorry. The cost of fighting this war has been high for all of us.” At Omega’s questioning eyes, she explained. “My mother.”

“Oh, Hera. That’s horrible. And…your father?”

Hera sighed deeply.

“We don’t see each other much anymore. He’s only interested in liberating Ryloth while my focus is on helping the Rebellion stop the Empire. Tension had been building between us for some time, and then with my mother…”

“You needed distance.” Hera nodded. A small smile played at Omega’s mouth. “Is that why your voice is different?”

“Heh, one of them. But our relationship has gotten better recently, thanks to my second family, actually.”

“Hera!”

Both women looked over to see a large Lasat walking towards them.

“And here’s one of them now,” Hera said, her own smile returning.

“Wedge is looking for you,” the Lasat explained as he got closer. “Says he wants to go over a few points about the mission before you lot head out.”

“I’ll be right there. But first, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Hera put a hand on Omega’s shoulder.

“Zeb, this is Omega. She’s an old friend of mine.”

Omega’s face split into a brilliant smile as she looked up at him.

“It’s nice to meet you! I’ve never met a Lasat before.”

Omega’s enthusiasm and excitement brought a touch of heat to Zeb’s purple cheeks. He rubbed at the back of his neck.

“Well, any friend of Hera’s is a friend of mine.”

“And here come some more friends.”

Omega followed Hera’s eyes to where Echo, Rex, and another man were walking towards them.

“When I heard that ‘General Syndulla’ was here, I wasn’t expecting the little girl we’d met on Ryloth.”

Hera smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Echo. And I see you’ve already met Kallus.” She turned to Omega. “This is Captain Alexsandr Kallus, a new ally of ours.”

“Heh, and former pain in the rear,” Zeb chuckled, punching Kallus’ arm good-naturedly.

At Omega’s confused look, Kallus explained.

“I used to be an ISB agent. But luckily, thanks to Zeb here, my eyes were opened and I found a different path.”

“My brother, Crosshair, went through something similar,” Omega said.

“The one with Rampart on Ryloth?” Hera sounded surprised. “He defected from the Empire?”

“It’s a long story, but yes. He came back to us.”

“And it’s a story that’ll have to wait for another time, I’m afraid” Rex interrupted. “We have an assignment for you two.” He indicated Echo and Omega.

“Us? But we only just got here!”

“I’ve received intel that the council wants to act on soon,” Kallus explained. “And Rex says that you and your brother might be uniquely qualified to help.”

“I need to go and talk with Wedge, anyway,” Hera said. “We’ll catch up once we both get back.”

“I look forward to it!”

With one last hug, Omega followed Echo, Rex, and Kallus into the temple.

Her time in the Rebellion had officially begun.

Chapter Text

The room was dark, the light from the holotable illuminating the six people surrounding it.

Omega and the others had arrived to find two people waiting for them. One was an older man with white hair and beard, introduced to her as General Dodonna. The other was Chancellor Mon Mothma herself.

“Thank you for coming,” Chancellor Mothma said, her smooth and controlled voice leaving no doubt that she was the one in charge. “Your willingness to join the Rebel Alliance and aid in our efforts is greatly appreciated. I had hoped to give the two of you time to settle in and go through a full orientation, but something has arisen that cannot wait.”

She nodded to Kallus, who pressed a button on the table. The holo image of a Zeta-class cargo shuttle hovered in the air.

“I’ve received word from one of my sources that this imperial transport has departed from a research and development facility on the planet Scarif.” 

He pressed another button and the ship was replaced by a blue ocean planet dotted with small land masses. Omega started. It looked a lot like Pabu.

“Scarif is home to a data center that houses information on many of the Empire's secret projects,” General Dodonna put in. “It is also where the Death Trooper Program is located.”

Omega frowned. She’d never heard of these “death troopers” before, but long-ago memories of shadowy clone assassins flashed through her mind’s eye. She shuddered.

“These troopers are largely a mystery to us, even to me,” Kallus said. “Rumor has it they’ve been given surgical enhancements, making them almost superhuman in their physical and mental capabilities.”

“Every time we cross them we come out the worse for it,” Dodonna added bitterly. “That’s why it’s imperative for us to learn as much as we can about them—their skills and limitations—so that we can find more effective ways of fighting them.”

“The Rebellion has long wanted access to the information on Scarif, but the planet's security is virtually impenetrable,” Mon Mothma said. And indeed, Omega could see the outline of a shield surrounding the entire planet. 

“That's why this shuttle is so important,” Kallus continued. He pulled up the image of the ship again. “Occasionally the Empire will clear space for new or updated projects, data, and material by sending those that are old and outdated into storage. This shipment is one of those, and my source says that there’s intel about the Death Trooper Program onboard.” 

“So is the plan to intercept it?” Omega asked. 

“Unfortunately the security around these ships is too tough to penetrate as well," Dodonna said. “At the first sign of the ship being compromised, they take measures to make sure nothing is salvageable.” 

“That sounds familiar,” Echo muttered. He'd experienced something similar when he and his old clone rebellion task force had rescued several of their brothers from the Empire. 

“Except they do more than just wipe the ship's data now,” Rex put in. “The entire ship is rigged to explode, taking all information, personnel, and intruders with it.” The gravity in his voice and tone told Omega that they’d learned that the hard way. 

“So what we need to do,” Dodonna explained, “is access the shipment after it's reached the storage facility and download any pertinent information.” 

“That's where you two come in,” Kallus said. 

“But why us?” Omega asked. Surely the Rebellion wasn’t so short-handed that they had to rely on two brand new recruits, no matter how skilled they were. 

“It has to do with its location,” Kallus said. 

Another planet appeared above the holotable, one covered in thick forests and mountains. Something about the sight of it made the back of Omega’s neck prickle. Those mountains…

“I’ve been able to provide the Rebellion with the coordinates of the planet. It’s said that the facility is virtually a maze. I’ve never been there myself…” He let the sentence hang in the air.

Rex looked at her with something close to sympathy. “But you have.”

Omega felt her stomach drop. No. Surely it couldn't be…

Kallus pressed another button and a singular mountain loomed before them. 

“Tantiss.” 

Omega stared at the holo image, her mouth dry and heart beating out of her chest. It had been half a lifetime ago since she’d left that place, and it had taken many of those years for the nightmares to stop and to heal from the ordeal she'd gone through. 

Omega remembered when Hunter had promised her she’d never have to go back to Kamino. Except she had, in order to save him. And here she was again, being sent back to a place that was inarguably worse; a place she’d never wanted to set eyes on ever again.

But this time she wouldn’t be going as a captive of the Empire, but as a rebel on a mission to fight against it.

“We’re sorry to ask this of you, considering your history there,” Mon Mothma said softly. “But you are our best chance of this mission being a success.”

“And we need a win right now,” Dodonna put in. “Too many of our missions of late have been failures or have cost us far too much to be considered true victories.”

There was an urgency to his voice and a sense of desperation that made this less of a request and more of a demand. Rex shot him a look before he turned back to Omega with softer eyes.

“What do you say, kid?”

Omega looked around at all of them, their eyes staring back at her. They all wanted her to agree to this mission, to walk back into those nightmares. And she realized that she had a choice. She could say no. But did she want to?

She had chosen to stay with her brothers as a child, to be a soldier like them. Then, just a few days ago, she had chosen to take up the mantle again, and she realized that she’d already made her decision.

“I’m in.”

Chapter Text

Echo stood in the back of their stolen Lambda shuttle they were using to infiltrate Tantiss, donning the Stormtrooper armor that would serve as his disguise.

Even though Yavin was the Rebel base, there were only so many resources it could house. Both the ship and their disguises had had to be acquired off-world from a thief sympathetic to the Rebel cause.

Echo, Omega, and Kallus had been dropped off on a nondescript moon mere hours after their meeting, the Rebel High Command not wanting to waste any time. Looking like nothing more than a large rock with just enough mass to have gravity and atmosphere, the well-stocked cache of illegally-obtained goods was hidden away in a series of tunnels and caves below the moon’s surface.

Entering into the initial cavernous chamber that acted as a hangar bay, they’d been greeted by a young man with dark hair and two rectangular bars tattooed on his throat. He oozed a proud cockiness, no doubt confident in his abilities as a thief. And certainly, Echo had thought, eyeing the variety of ships, arms, and other valuable goods around them, he had earned it. But the self-assured smirk he wore had broken into an astonished smile as he’d watched them approach.

“Omega?!”

The young woman had gasped in delighted surprise, her eyes going wide.

“Benni?! Is that you?”

The two of them had rushed forward, each talking a mile a minute. Echo might have remembered Hunter grumbling something about a boy named Benni years ago, but whatever their history had been, they’d obviously parted on good enough terms.

He had laughed to himself. Omega and the Batch had traveled all across the galaxy during their time working for Cid and had met a wide variety of beings. Leave it to Omega to have made so many friends along the way.

“Echo!” Omega had said as he and Kallus closed the distance between them. “This is Benni! We met when Cid sent us to retrieve ipsium from her mine.”

“And by ‘met’ she means that I stole their ship,” Benni had added, that cocky grin back on his face.

This time it'd Echo’s eyes that went wide. His evaluation of this kid’s skill had risen a couple more notches. To get the best of Clone Force 99 was no small feat.

“I can see you’ve continued to put your skills to good use,” Echo had quipped back, indicating the various ships in the hangar.

Benni had seemed to preen a bit, his eyes shifting back to Omega.

“Glad to see you finally took me up on my offer.”

“Better late than never. But why aren’t you still at the mine?”

Benni’s light-hearted mask had fallen just a bit, and Echo saw a depth of sorrow hiding behind it.

“The Empire,” he’d explained. And wasn’t that always the answer, Echo thought. “They took control of the entire planet, commandeering our mining facility. They let us stay on to work and it was good for a time… But in the end they were worse than Mokko. 

“One day, we fought back. We knew we couldn’t re-take the mine; they were too powerful. We just needed to get out of there. And most of us did…but not everyone.” The sadness in his eyes had deepened. “We stole a couple of their ships and never looked back. The Empire was growing and every other mining operation out there, every other anything, really, was quickly being taken over by them.” 

He shrugged. “So I did what I do best: I became a professional thief. I stole to survive, but also to be a thorn in the Empire’s side. So anything you need to help bring those tyrants down, you got it.”

What they needed was a ship, two Imperial officer uniforms, two suits of Stormtrooper armor, and him.

In order to look genuine, Omega and Kallus (disguised as a lieutenant and captain respectively) would need to be accompanied by two troopers. The Rebellion only had so many people to spare on this mission, so they’d called on Benni to come with. Luckily, he’d been more than willing, if only to “make sure I get my ship back.”

They’d also required an excuse to come to Tantiss.

Echo looked at the large crate sitting on a hover cart in the back of the Lambda.

Benni had thrown together a few things he could afford to sacrifice from his stockpile, knowing he wouldn’t be getting them back. That, along with the transfer order the Rebellion’s slicers had been able to forge, should be enough to get them into the mountain.

And they would find out soon enough if it would work.

Echo walked up to the cockpit as they left hyperspace, giving Gonky a pat on the head as he passed him. Omega had insisted that they bring him along, arguing that he was part of the team, too. And Echo couldn’t argue with that; the old, defective droid had saved their skins on more than one occasion. 

Echo stood next to the pilot’s seat, Wayland looming ominously through the viewport. He looked down at Omega. Her knuckles were white as they gripped the controls and he noticed her jaw tighten as she swallowed.

“You okay, kid?” he asked softly. Kallus sat in the copilot’s seat, speaking with ground control as he relayed their forged identification and got landing orders.

Omega took a deep, steadying breath.

“I just…never thought I’d ever be back here.”

“Coordinates received,” Kallus acknowledged. “Lieutenant, bring us in.”

“Yes, sir,” Omega replied, instantly slipping into character, and followed the TIE escort that had flown up to meet them as they guided them towards Tantiss. Her unease was gone, replaced by the confidence of an Imperial officer. 

‘That’s my girl,’ Echo thought as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze before taking his place with Benni by the crate.

It was nearing the end of the night cycle on this part of the planet, but it was still dark as they approached the mountain. The top of Tantiss was illuminated, the rings of light around its peak highlighting the platform where they’d been instructed to land. Setting the ship to standby mode, they took their positions and descended the ramp—Kallus in the lead, Omega one step behind him, with Benni pushing the loaded hovercart and Echo flanking in guard position.

They were met in the hangar by an older Imperial and a protocol droid. The man had likely been taken off of active duty and relegated here to wait out the years before his retirement.

“Orders,” the Imperial, a major based on his rank plaque, said without any preamble. Omega stepped forward and placed her datapad in his outstretched hand.

He looked it over with both a critical and almost lazy gaze. He was obviously very used to doing this sort of thing. Which made Omega nervous. What if he found something amiss? What if there was some detail out of place? What if—

“Everything appears to be in order,” the man said, typing instructions into the datapad as Kallus had said he would. Omega blinked, pulling herself out of her worried thoughts in time to grab the pad as it was handed back to her. “Follow the droid.”

He waved them off, walking towards a door Omega assumed was either his office or sleeping quarters without so much as a backwards glance. The droid led them to a large freight elevator, but remained behind as they descended into the bowels of Tantiss.

And just like that, they were in.

Chapter Text

As soon as the door was closed and the elevator started moving, they got to work.

Echo knelt by the control terminal and raised his right hand. A scomp attachment extended from his wrist and he quickly inserted it into the port.

Years before they’d met her, Phee had befriended an Anzelan who was particularly adept at prosthetic work. After they’d all returned to Pabu from rescuing Omega and the other clones, Phee had called in a favor to get Crosshair fitted with a new hand. Omega had convinced Echo to agree to an upgrade as well.

She was glad she had, she mused as she waited for Echo to find the location where the death trooper materials were being stored. Infiltrating Tantiss would have been a lot harder if they’d had to explain why one of their stormtroopers had a scomp link instead of a hand.

In a matter of seconds, Echo found what they were looking for.

“Sublevel X, Section 83,” he said.

Benni changed the elevator’s destination and Omega rewrote the orders that the major had put into her datapad. If they were stopped at any point, they didn’t want to be caught in the wrong location.

The elevator doors opened to a long, coldly lit corridor, identical to so many others in Tantiss. The painfully familiar sight made omega shudder. 

She was here. Again. Her nightmares come true. But, she had to remind herself, she wasn’t here as a prisoner or experiment. There were no cells, no blood draws. No hypervigilant guards watching her every move. In fact, it struck Omega just how…empty it all seemed.

During the months she’d been imprisoned here, there’d been scientists, troopers, and clones everywhere. The whole mountain had been buzzing with activity. Now, the barren hallways echoed with their footsteps. She supposed it made sense, though; this facility was used for storage now, not research. There was no reason to have a large number of staff on hand. And whenever they did pass someone, most of the time it was a droid—walking, rolling, or hovering along to see to whatever tasks they did here.

But among the droids was the occasional person—all older officers like the major. And every time they passed one, she couldn’t help but feel like they’d be able to see through her disguise and uncertainty, that they’d somehow know she and the others weren’t supposed to be there. If they were found out, if they were captured…

“Just breathe,” she heard Kallus say under his breath. His words were almost inaudible and when she slid her eyes over to look at him, his face gave no indication that he was speaking to her. “The key is to act like you belong here.”

Omega took a deep breath and squared her shoulders trying to give off an air of superiority and dismissiveness that oozed off of every Imperial she’d ever met.

“Well done. You’re doing just fine.”

She was glad Kallus was here. This all came as second nature to him and his presence added to their credibility, as well as gave her more confidence in their mission.

It struck Omega then how lucky they were to have Kallus not just on this mission, but on the side of the Rebellion. He’d been a high ranking and trusted member of the ISB, privy to many secrets and with access to vast amounts of information. And now he was using all of that knowledge, all of his skills, to help the Rebellion. And not only that, but he was kind, too, as his words of comfort and encouragement just now proved. Ones she very much needed.

They continued winding through the maze of corridors, Omega directing them through the twists and turns. This was why she was here, after all. She knew this place better than anyone in the Rebellion.

“We’re almost there,” she announced.

And indeed, as they turned yet another corner, they were greeted by a large “83” painted above a ray shield.

“And how are we supposed to get through that?” Benni asked.

“Easily.”

Echo once again knelt down and scomped in, disabling the ray shield as quick as anything.

Benni stopped and stared at Echo for a moment as the rest of them walked through the threshold before he hurried after them.

“Say, I don’t suppose that when this is all over you’d want to come with me on a job or two? You would come in very handy. Uh, no offense or anything.”

“Stay focused, trooper,” Kallus ordered, emphasizing the role Benni was meant to be playing right now. Even though the corridor was empty, that didn’t mean someone couldn’t appear at any moment.

“I’m focused,” Benni said defensively. “In fact, I’m focused on where exactly we’re going to find what we’re looking for. I don’t suppose you got a room number?” He directed that last question at Echo, but it was Omega who answered.

“It will be the door at the very end.” At their questioning stares, she explained. “Each section like this has a central hub that acts as the control station and focal point for the rest of the rooms. It’s a way to keep things contained but separate. Since we need to download the information for the Death Trooper Program, that should all be stored in the computer inside the—”

“Central hub. Got it.”

And she was right.

They reached the computer without incident. Not one living thing, mechanical or biological, had crossed their path since they’d entered Section 83 and Omega was grateful…but couldn’t help feeling worried. Things never went this smoothly. There was always something that went wrong, no matter how small. 

As Echo and Kallus busied themselves with accessing and downloading the information onto a data stick, she and Benni worked on finding a place to put the crate they’d brought. Beyond the hub, a cavernous room stretched out around them, row after row of shelves stacked with crates creating a well-organized jungle housing untold secrets.

Parking the crate in an open spot, Benni looked around and whistled softly, his helmet distorting the sound.

“Don’t suppose there’s a chance I can bring any of this stuff back with me, is there?”

“We can’t risk it," Omega replied. “The only thing we’re leaving here with is the information we came for.”

And our lives, she added grimly to herself. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen at any minute. The sooner they got out of here the better.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her comm link beeped.

“The transfer is almost complete,” Echo said. “You two should head on back.”

“Copy that. We’re on our…” Omega’s voice drifted off as something caught her eye at the far end of the room. It was a soft blue light that cast long shadows on the floor.

“Omega? What is it?” Echo’s voice was on full alert and drenched with concern.

“Hang on,” she sent back, already making her way quickly towards the light. “There’s something here I want to check—” Her words cut off in a sharp gasp.

Omega froze, eyes and mouth agape. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The comm link fell from her limp fingers, Echo’s voice screaming from it as it clattered to the floor. But Omega could barely hear it. His words sounded distant. Everything was distant, as if the only things in the universe right now were her, and…

“Tech?”

Chapter Text

Echo raced from the control hub as quickly as his aging body would allow.

Something had happened, he thought. Something always happened. But he would not make his sister face it alone. They would all get out of here, he vowed. Alive.

He saw the telltale white of Benni’s stormtrooper armor and moved in the direction he was heading. Echo didn’t hear any blaster fire, any shouts or sounds of fighting, which he hoped was a good sign. He was further put at ease, though just barely, as he caught sight of Omega standing in front of a large box suspended on the wall, illuminating her in a soft blue light. Thick cables hung from its sides and snaked across the floor.

Echo’s eyes swept the surrounding area, but as far as he could tell no one else was around, no Imperial personnel or droid that could pose a threat. So what, then, was happening?

“Omega?” he called across the distance between them. “Omega, what is it?”

But Omega didn’t look at him. He wasn’t even sure if she’d heard him. He watched as Benni reached her side and took his helmet off, he, too, staring up at what was looking more and more like a stasis chamber the closer Echo got. Sudden memories of his time as a captive of the Techno Union flashed across his mind, but he quickly squashed them.

“Omega, what is going on?” he asked, more puzzled than anything as he at last got close enough to see Omega’s face clearly. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked like she’d seen a ghost. She still hadn’t moved a muscle as Echo cautiously walked the last few steps until he was by her side. But even a hand on her shoulder couldn’t snap her out of the spell she seemed to be under. Even Benni remained frozen where he stood.

Echo finally craned his neck up to see what they were both staring at…and he felt a jolt of shock run through him as he gazed upon the impossible.

“Is that who I think it is?” Benni’s voice broke the silence.

“It’s…” Echo swallowed past the lump that was quickly forming in his throat. “It’s Tech.” His eyes flicked to a small screen on the door he recognized as a vitals readout. “He’s alive.”

Omega’s breath hitched as if Echo’s words had just confirmed that what her eyes were seeing was indeed true.

“But…why is he here?” Benni asked. “And why does he still look the same?”

It was true, Echo realized, staring at the man, his brother, whom he thought they’d lost all those years ago. Tech didn’t look a day older than he had on that fateful mission to Eriadu. But he did look different. He was paler, more gaunt… and again those blasted memories came rushing back.

Echo nearly jumped out of his skin when his comm beeped.

“What is going on down there?” Kallus asked. “The download is complete and we need to get out of here.”

“Change of plans,” Echo responded. “This is now a rescue mission.”

“What?!”

A minute later, Kallus stood with them in front of Tech’s stasis chamber and Echo gave him a brief explanation. Omega, he noted, had recovered from her shock somewhat, but she still seemed shaken and overwhelmed. Echo couldn’t blame her; he felt largely the same.

“We need to find a way to get him out of here,” he concluded.

But Kallus sighed and shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “There’s no way to take him back with us. We can’t risk it.”

Omega rounded on him, eyes ablaze.

“We’re NOT leaving him behind!” They were the first words Echo had heard her speak since finding Tech and they were filled with indignation and resolve. She turned back to Tech, her voice now coming in a whisper. “Not again.”

“But how are we going to get him out?” Kallus asked. “We only came with drop-off orders, not retrieval. Not to mention the fact that we don’t even know how to get him down from there.”

With a sinking feeling, Echo realized he was right. His own rescue from Skako Minor was only possible because Tech had known what to do. But Tech was on the other side of the situation now. How were they doing to do this?

“What are you doing down here? You don’t have authorization to be in this section.”

Echo acted on instinct.

In a fraction of a second he turned towards the source of the unexpected voice and fired a stun blast that sent the hovering droid that had snuck up on them crashing to the ground.

“Omega, Plan 32!”

But he needn’t have said anything; the young woman was already kneeling by the droid. Opening a side panel, she got to work reconfiguring the wires inside and linking its command matrix to her datapad. In less than thirty seconds, the droid was back in the air.

“How may I assist you?” it asked, oblivious to what had just happened.

“Where did she learn to do that?” Kallus asked, astonishment clear in his face and voice.

“From him.” Echo gave a quick nod towards Tech, but his full focus was on the area around them, alert for any more surprise visitors, blaster at the ready.

“I can see now why you two came so highly recommended,” Kallus said, joining Echo in his vigilant watch.

“Not to be that guy,” Benni interjected, “but we still don’t know how we’re getting Tech down from there.”

“Yes we do.” All eyes turned towards Omega. “The droid can do it.”

She pressed a few buttons and the droid flew up to the top of the stasis chamber. Echo noticed that her hands, while confident in their movements, were shaking slightly.

“This is a maintenance droid,” she explained as the droid got to work. “And its programming states it’s specifically designated to this section. Which means…” There was a hiss and thunk as the stasis chamber was released from the wall and lowered to the floor. “It can do that for us.”

“Well that's one problem solved,” Kallus admitted. “But we still have no way of getting him out of here.”

Benni coughed theatrically.

“Have you forgotten you brought a thief with you?”

The kid’s smug face was almost punchable if they weren’t so desperate for a solution, Echo thought.

“It’s simple,” Benni continued. “We just take him out in the crate we brought. It’s big enough to fit the whole chamber inside.”

“But how do we get it past the major?” Omega asked, her voice tense and shaking. “What excuse do we give for taking it back out? If someone stops us and looks inside the crate then it’s over!” Her composure was close to breaking.

Echo stepped in front of Omega, placing a hand on her shoulders.

“Take a breath, kid,” he said gently, knowing the turmoil she must be feeling right now. “It’s going to be okay, but you have to calm down.”

Her breath shuddered. “I don’t know if I can,” she said in a strained whisper.

“It would actually be better if you didn’t,” Kallus said, a curious smile splaying at his lips. “It will make this next part much more convincing.”

Major Crahin groaned as he got up from behind his desk. The freight elevator doors had opened to reveal the party from earlier returning from their delivery. But strangely, he noted, they still had their crate with them.

“Hang on there,” he said, walking towards them, his droid following silently behind him. “What’s the meaning of this? You weren’t authorized to take anything out of this facility.” At least he didn’t think they were. He had been half asleep when he’d scanned the orders on their datapad.

And speaking of that datapad, it was now being clutched tight against the chest of the lieutenant who’d given it to him. She was trembling, her face was pale, and her wide eyes kept darting to the crate. What…?

“We came all this way with the wrong crate. Isn’t that right, Lieutenant?” The captain practically spat the word at the poor girl.

“I-I’m sorry, sir,” she managed past quivering lips.

“Not nearly as sorry as you will be. You had one job, Lieutenant. One! And you couldn’t even manage that. I’ll have you demoted so far that this droid will outrank you!”

The girl ducked her head as the captain’s heated gaze bore into her.

“Now get this thing back on the ship and prepare us for takeoff. Assuming you can do that much.

“Yes, sir.” She hurried off, one of the troopers pushing the hovercart behind her while the other remained standing by the captain.

“What is the Empire coming to if that’s the sort of officer they’re releasing from the academy?” the captain lamented bitterly.

Crahin grunted.

“I prefer droids, myself. Cuts down on human error. Better company, too.”

“Perhaps,” the captain agreed, giving a brief salute before he and the second trooper boarded the ship. Crahin shook his head as he watched it lift up into the air, disappearing quickly into the clouds illuminated by the rising sun. 

He didn’t envy the girl. He didn’t envy anyone still out there running around in the Imperial Navy. No, he would much rather be here, guarding a mountain of obsolete things where nothing ever happened. It was safer and simpler that way, he contemplated as he walked back to his office where his caf was waiting.

Chapter Text

The light of hyperspace shone through the door of the cockpit where Omega stood over the stasis chamber at the back of the shuttle, the vortex of color and shadow resembling her own mind. 

Things had happened so fast inside Tantiss that she hadn’t had time to stop and think. Now, with nothing to do but wait until they got back to Yavin, all Omega could do was think.

Tech.

She stared down at his face, frozen behind the glass, frozen in time. It was all Omega could do to remember to breathe. It was him. Here. Alive! She tore her eyes away from his face just long enough to check the screen that displayed his vitals. Yes. He was still alive. 

As soon as they’d entered hyperspace, a problem had arisen they hadn’t considered when they’d disconnected him—those cables had connected the chamber to its power supply, and whatever battery it had of its own wasn’t going to last for very long. Omega thanked the stars that they had brought Gonky along. The boxy droid sat next to her, a power cord connecting him with the chamber. He may have been defective, but that had never stopped the Bad Batch from doing what needed to be done.

Omega looked back at her brother’s face.

The last time she’d seen it had been a lifetime ago, getting smaller and smaller as he fell into the clouds of Eriadu. The face she thought she’d never see again, the one she’d missed so much over the years, was right here in front of her, not having aged a day, as if transported through time.

She’d always known they were her little brothers, chronologically, though their accelerated aging had made it easy to think of herself as their little sister. But even though she and Tech looked roughly the same biological age now, seeing him again like this made her feel like a little girl again. It was so strange. So surreal. So wonderful.

All of the grief that had gripped her so tightly all those years ago suddenly threatened to swallow her up again. No matter that he was here now, the loss of him, the loss of all the time they could have spent together, was still very much real. But at the same time her heart surged with hope and happiness and the sheer joy of having her brother back.

Tech.

She felt someone standing next to her and knew without looking that it was Echo.

“It’s really him.” Her words came out as barely a whisper. She felt Echo’s hand rest on her shoulder. She looked over at him, eyes finally welling with the emotions she had been too shocked and too pressed for time to let out before.

She saw a similar shimmering in the eyes of her normally unflappable brother.

“If anyone was going to come back from the dead, it would be Tech,” he said with a bewildered shake of his head.

Omega couldn’t help but laugh at the truth of that statement.

“When we get back to Yavin,” she said, “we’ll need to contact Hunter and the others. They need to know.”

“We’re not bringing him to Yavin,” Kallus said from the door of the cockpit.

Omega looked at him, completely taken aback. “What do you mean? Of course we are! We need to get him out of this thing and make sure he’s alright!”

“I’m not suggesting we don’t,” Kallus said, raising a warding hand. “But we don’t know if he poses a security threat. We cannot risk our base until we know more.” His words weren’t harsh, but they left no room for argument, either.

Echo sighed. “He’s right, Omega.”

“But—”

“Tech would agree with me,” Echo continued. A faint, reminiscent smile touched his features. “Did I ever tell you that when I was first rescued from the Separatists, Tech didn’t trust me?”

Omega shook her head.

“I was a prisoner of war, giving the enemy tactical information to use against the Republic for nearly a year. Tech couldn’t be one hundred percent sure I wasn’t still an asset to them.”

“But you weren’t,” Omega argued.

“No, but he couldn’t have known that. He didn’t know me.”

“But we know Tech! He wouldn't do that! He wouldn’t work for the Empire.” How could Echo suggest such a thing!

Echo turned her to face him fully, placing both hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

“Omega. Focus. Neither Tech nor I would work with the enemy willingly. No one is saying that. But you and I both know the Empire has ways of turning clones.” He looked at her meaningfully.

“But Hemlock’s CX program was destroyed,” she reasoned. “Along with all his other research. And there haven’t been any CXs seen since then.”

“It’s been seventeen years, Omega. The Empire has many resources and many scientists at its disposal, and one of them could have recreated Hemlock’s research. For all we know, the death troopers could be the result of that. We just don’t know. And until we do, until we’re sure, we have to be careful. Just like Tech was with me.”

Omega screwed up her face as she looked back at Tech, seeing the logic in Echo’s words but also recoiling from the idea that Tech could be controlled by the enemy. They’d just gotten him back. She couldn’t lose him again.

“But if he were working with the Empire willingly, why would they keep him like that?” Her words didn’t have the heat they’d held before. She spoke softly, almost desperately, grasping at any bit of hope she could find. 

“I don’t want it to be true, either, Omega. And no matter what happens, we are getting him back. Whatever it takes.”

Omega continued looking at Tech, her mind at war with her heart.

“So if we don’t trust him to be on Yavin, that means we shouldn't bring him home, either.”

The admission hurt to say, but she couldn’t ignore reality. She needed to be strong now. For Tech’s sake.

“That would be for the best,” Echo said gently. He gave her shoulders a slight squeeze before dropping his hands and bracing them against the stasis chamber.

“So if we can’t bring him to either of those places, where do we take him?” Omega asked.

“We need a secure location with proper medical equipment away from the eyes of the Empire, but that won’t jeopardize the Rebellion if things…take a turn,” Kallus reasoned out.

“Oh, is that all?” Benni quipped grimly from the pilot’s seat.

Suddenly, Omega stood up straighter.

“Kamino.” She turned to look at all of them, the fire in her eyes returned. “We can take him to Kamino.”

“Kid, all of the cities were destroyed. We were there.”

“They only attacked the cities they knew about. The Kaminoans had several smaller underwater structures they kept secret from outsiders, so I doubt the Empire knows about them.” 

“It’s true,” Kallus confirmed. “Kamino no longer holds any interest for the Empire, though they have kept an eye on it to ensure the few survivors rebuilding there don’t restart their cloning projects. But I’ve never heard of these underwater structures. It should be a safe option.”

Echo nodded, moving past Kallus to sit at the navigation station. “I’ll reroute the ship,” he said, fingers flying over the controls. Every clone knew the coordinates to their home planet by heart.

“I’ll contact the others to meet us there.” Pausing for a single heartbeat to send one more look down at Tech, Omega left his side for the first time since they’d found him and sat down at the communication console.

“Get ahold of Emerie, too,” Echo put in. “It’ll be good to have her medical knowledge to help bring Tech out of stasis and get him stable.”

Omega nodded, about to press the button that would send her call to Pabu, but Kallus stopped her.

“Are you sure you want to tell your brothers now?” he asked in a low voice.

“Of course! Tech’s alive and they need to know!”

“But what if he’s beyond recovery?” he asked, tempering his words and the harsh reality they held with a look of concern. “If the Empire really has brainwashed him, or if the chamber is the only thing keeping him alive, then do you really want them to see him like that? Do you want them to have to say goodbye again?”

A bit of rage welled up inside Omega. 

“Of course they should see him! They’re his brothers. We didn’t get to say goodbye last time, so even if…” She took a steadying breath, not wanting to entertain the possibility but knowing it was one she had to consider. “Even if the worst happens, at least now we’ll have that chance.”

She locked eyes with Kallus, her resolve hardening like durasteel, daring him to contradict her.

“But we’re not going to lose him again,” she insisted. “No matter what the Empire has done to him. We’ll figure it out. Like we always do.”

The holo of Hunter flickered into existence.

“Miss us already?”

A smile played around his mouth and his dark eyes glimmered with amusement. 

Omega was clutched by a wave of overwhelming and unexpected nerves. What would she say? How could she prepare them for the life-changing news she was about to deliver? She’d been so excited to tell them but hadn’t prepared the actual words! She just sat there, mouth open, but with no words coming out. She could only stare at him.

Hunter’s face darkened with worry, the smile and glimmer replaced by that focused expression Omega remembered from their days of running dangerous missions for Cid.

“Omega? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

Omega blinked away the tears that had started to pool in her eyes. 

“I’m fine, Hunter,” she said, her words thick with emotion. “Everything’s fine. More than fine.” She smiled despite her tears. “Where are the others? I need to tell you all something.”

Hunter’s face was still a mask of guarded concern, but she saw his eyes shift to look at something in the distance. 

“They’re already on their way,” he said, eyes moving back to her as she wiped her tears away. “But Omega, are you sure—?”

“Yes, Hunter, I’m fine,” she said with a small smile. No matter how old she got, she knew Hunter would always be protective of her. They all would. And though she may roll her eyes every now and then when she thought they were being ridiculous, it was the best feeling in the galaxy.

“Omega!” Wrecker’s voice boomed over the comm, right before his beaming face appeared. “Why’d you leave without saying goodbye? When Hunter told us— Wait… Why are you crying? Are you okay?”

“Who do I need to shoot?” Crosshair said once he, too, came into view. “Just say the word and whoever made you cry will—”

“I’m alright, I promise,” she said, not able to hold back a laugh at her even more overly protective brother. “I just…I need to tell you all something. Something wonderful.” The three of them gazed at her expectantly. She took a deep breath.

“It’s Tech. He’s alive.”

Chapter Text

Omega had done her best to explain everything to her brothers and answer their questions. But if she was being honest, she was still as shocked and confused as they were.

They hadn’t been able to contact Phee yet; her current job required her to keep strict radio silence. As such, Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker had no ship to reach Kamino. But luckily, Emerie, who had been living on Alderaan these past years, had been able to provide them with transportation to Kamino. And they would be here soon.

Omega and the others had arrived the previous day to a hesitant and almost hostile welcome. The Kaminoans who were working hard to rebuild their lives wanted nothing to do with the clones who had cost them so much. It had taken quite a bit of convincing from Omega and Kallus, and reassurance that the Empire would be none the wiser of their brief presence here, for them to be allowed the use of a small corner in one of their hidden underwater facilities.

Hooked up to a proper power supply now, they wouldn’t try to open Tech’s stasis chamber before Emerie was there to make sure nothing went wrong. But until then, they had to wait. Or, at least Omega and Echo would.

Having gotten what the Rebellion had tasked them to acquire, Kallus needed to get the data stick back to Yavin. The sooner it was in their hands, the faster they could use it to help fight against the death troopers. Death troopers that had something to do with Tech. So as soon as they’d gotten situated, Kallus had left with Benni, who was eager to get back to his professional thievery, especially now that he knew the Empire had an entire mountain filled with all sorts of items he couldn’t wait to get his hands on.

But as for Omega and Echo, they’d spent much of their time waiting for the others in silence. They sat around the stasis chamber, alternating between staring at his face and the vitals readout, finding comfort in the steady rhythm of his still-beating heart. What else was there to do? What more could they say?

They each knew as much as the other did and neither of them had the answers they so desperately needed. They both had the same hopes and fears about what would happen once they got Tech out of the stasis chamber. But those answers and hopes and fears would be faced soon enough. And by all of them. As a family.

“It’s really him.”

Wrecker’s normally booming voice came out as a whisper.

He, Hunter, and Crosshair stood around the stasis chamber, staring down at Tech with looks Omega was sure closely mirrored hers and Echo’s back on Tantiss. But Crosshair’s face, she noted, held more pain in it than any of her brothers’. The guilt he felt over what had happened to Tech had never truly gone away.

“Is he alright? Will he be okay?” Hunter directed his questions at Emerie.

Their sister, whose greying hair now lay across her back in a loose braid, pressed a few buttons on the vitals display. The entire screen came off of the stasis chamber, revealing it to be a datapad.

“He appears to be in perfectly stable condition,” she announced, eyes scanning over one readout after another. “Whether he’ll stay that way once we get him out depends on his condition and what functions the chamber is providing him.”

“What does that mean?” Omega asked.

Emerie lifted her eyes from the datapad.

“We do not know what injuries Tech sustained from his fall or if they were fully treated. Without knowing what condition he was in before being placed in here, I can’t say whether this chamber is merely keeping him in stasis, or if it is actively keeping him alive.”

“And is that information on there?” Echo asked, pointing at the datapad in her hands.

She nodded.

“There are logs and medical entries dating back to the day he fell,” Emerie explained, continuing her review of the datapad. “I should be able to find all the answers, but it will take some time. There is a lot here.”

Omega swallowed. What else would they find on that datapad? A part of her wanted to know every detail, to have every question answered. But did she really want to learn all of the horrible things that had been done to him? Or the things that he had been used for? The horrors the Empire had unleashed from their experiments on him?

She was at war with herself, caught between unbearable ignorance and devastating truth.

Her face must have shown the battle raging inside her because Hunter, standing next to her, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. He didn’t need to say anything. A look was all that was needed to convey his message.

They were here, all of them, and there was nothing the Bad Batch couldn’t get through if they stuck together.

Omega nodded and took a deep breath before asking the question that plagued her mind.

“Will it also tell us…what they did to him? How he’s connected to the Death Trooper Program?”

Emerie was silent for a moment, fingers busily tapping on the datapad. Then she stopped, staring at something on the screen.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “From Eriadu to Tantiss. It’s all here.”