Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 (Final)
Available also on AO3
When CT-9904, the clone that would one day become "Crosshair", was first pulled from his birthing tank, he did not cry.
This was by design.
Engineered to become a “stealth soldier”, 04's vocal cords were shaped so that he could not raise his voice above a frustrated rasp. It was often muted by his incubator.
CT-9903, who would one day adopt the moniker "Tech", was also silent, but this was always a cause for concern. When 03 was quiet, he was most likely attempting his next escape. He had kicked the latch off his first incubator. He had poked the hinges off his second. By the third, Nala Se had nowhere to put the baby escape artist.
Putting 03 in 04's incubator was supposed to be a temporary solution.
A week later, when the new, reinforced incubator arrived, she picked up 03, and found his hand locked with 04's with an iron grip.
CT-9903 cried.
CT-9904 hissed.
And so, the ever patient Nala Se left 03 where he was there. There were no more escape attempts after that.
One day, CT-9903 began to cry.
Nala Se was in the middle of calming 05 who was trying to wreck the changing table with tiny, but mighty fists.
"Omega, see to 03, please, he needs to be changed."
Omega slid off her stool and without looking up from her datapad she said. "It's 04 who needs changing."
"How do you know?" Nala Se asked.
"03 cries louder when 04 needs help."
***
Too bright. Too loud. Deafening silence. Sudden isolation. Stimuli deprived and overloaded. Nothing. Everything. Relentless. Overwhelming.
Even if Crosshair did have the capability to scream, he'd never give the science officers the satisfaction. Let them wonder the limits of his body and the sanity of his mind.
He lost count of how many experiments they put him through, but one thing always remained the same: He gave them no data to work with.
Until today.
Omega didn't see him. The stormtroopers were moving her and Nala Se towards the lifts, and the glass chamber he was kept in was too far from the main hall, and there were too many other cells and test subjects between them. But there she was, shooting defiant looks at the troopers as they shoved her along.
It broke Crosshair in a way these scientists couldn't.
He tried to call out to her, but his throat was dry, his vocal chords ached, and his very DNA denied him. All he could do was let out a raspy growl.
The scientists took note of the sounds. It was the first reaction they had received from him. They congratulated themselves on their findings.
Omega disappeared into the elevator. She never looked back.
A science officer turned a dial. There was a lightning strike of agony. And Crosshair passed out.
***
It was dusk when Crosshair woke up in his cell. An obsidian eye gazed unblinkingly at him. Egg's caw was subdued. It usually was on lab days.
He shakily rose to the window with his plate to share his corn and bits of unidentifiable meat, when he saw something that wasn't there for him this morning: a travel biscuit.
Tech came by. Crosshair told him not to, but he still-
Suddenly, Tech popped up in the window. "You're back!"
Crosshair was mid-bite into the biscuit and choked, turning away to cough. "Tech, dank farrik!"
"A human cough,” Tech declared, “has the estimated speed of a hundred and sixty kilometers per hour. A wookiee cough averages two hundred kilometers an hour."
"I told you to stay away."
“You did,” Tech said simply, breaking his own biscuit in half to offer to Egg. “But I disregarded your request. Consider this revenge for ignoring my wish for solitude when my legs were being reset."
“You carry grudges that long?" Crosshair asked, his amusement outweighing his exhaustion. "I just wanted your dinner roll."
“I see…” Tech said, then reached into the cell to snatch the biscuit out of Crosshair’s, hand. He took a bite, then handed it back. “Now we’re even.”
"Tech…Omega is here,” Crosshair murmured.
Tech’s face fell for a fraction of a moment, before it gave way to an analytical frown. “How long has she been here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Were they experimenting on her?”
“Not that I could see.”
Tech was quiet for a moment. “When our brothers-”
Crosshair slammed his hand against the bars. Egg ruffled his feathers and let out a craah of protest. “I swear on the kriffing stars if you finish that sentence I’ll-” he stopped himself, not because he physically couldn’t do anything, but because the devastation in Tech’s eyes obliterated the empty threat. "If they do come, let it be for her. Let me rot here. I made my choice. I deserve-.”
"Give me your hand." Tech said, evenly.
“What? Why?”
Tech removed his glove and slipped his bare hand through the bars. “Because you need it.”
Crosshair stared at the hand, his memories drifting to the first record-shattering storm on Kamino he had ever experienced.
“When will it be over?” Crosshair had snarled, curling around his cadet rifle on his bunk while the storm raged outside.
“By my calculations," Tech said, laying in the bunk below him, "another three hours and then the winds will carry it Southward.”
“I hate your calculationsss,” Crosshair hissed, pressing his cheek against the cool metal surface of the rifle barrel.
“You can’t hate calculations,” Tech said, climbing onto Crosshair’s bunk. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”
Crosshair said nothing, hiding his face in his pillow.
“Give me your hand.” Tech said, laying down on the other side of the rifle.
Crosshair wanted to say no, but just then thunder shattered the sky outside as if trying to get into their room and pull them all into the sea. Crosshair’s hand shot out and clasped his brothers.
“The fear of thunder and lightning," Tech said, "is called Astraphobia. It isn't an irrational fear as an ocean storm is the most vast and dangerous sort of storm. We, however, are in a structure designed to withstand a storm twice this size,” Tech said. "It is safe."
It is safe…
Crosshair looked at his brother's hand extended to him through the bars. Scarred and callused like his, familiar and different, but always safe.
“We aren’t leaving without you both," Tech said, his hand suspended patiently. "I’m not leaving without you. You have my word."
Crosshair clutched Tech's hand and Tech pulled him forward slightly, giving Crosshair's hand a sturdy jerk as if to shake loose any resistance to his words. "Do you trust me?" Tech asked.
Crosshair tried to summon a biting reply, something to chase away the comforting relief this simple contact created.
Instead he pressed his head against the cell bars and squeezed Tech’s hand tightly. “I trust you.”
***
A week later, when Tech woke up, he didn't know the Marauder was coming to Weyland the following morning.
Even if he did know, it wouldn't have changed his plans for the day. Egg still would still screech in his face, urging him to get up. He still would make the trek back to the facility.
The last few days Crosshair seemed to be in better spirits all things considered. Today was lab day, Tech was determined to make it back to Crosshair's window before then, travel biscuits stocked on the window sill, hand ready to hold.
Until then, Tech and Egg were on a mission.
There were other windows to look into. Tech had looked into most of them searching for his sister without success. Today, he was down to his last four windows.
The first two were empty, the last one had a pair of Devronian hands clutching the bars. The third, however, a tuft of blonde hair could be seen and little else, as if a very small humanoid was gazing up at the cloudy blue sky.
It was then that Tech executed his three-phase mission:
Phase One: Establish that he is alive and well.
Phase Two: Inform Omega that Crosshair is also in the facility.
Phase Three: An ongoing phase. Tech would do his best to split his time between Crosshair and Omega. This may prove difficult, both in travel times…and the length of time away from his brother.
Even now, Tech found himself wishing he was at Crosshair's window, waiting for him to return. Waiting to be reassured his brother had survived whatever the science officers put him through that day. But Omega may need him, too. He would do whatever he could for his siblings, with his limited resources of travel biscuits and various informational tidbits.
Phase one began similarly to how he presented himself to Crosshair: A neatly carved message on a piece of wood light enough for Egg to carry.
Egg made himself comfortable on Tech's shoulder, sometimes watching with keen interest and other times preening Tech's unruly hair.
The message read [Tech Lives].
Seemed direct enough.
Egg flew up to the window and Tech could hear his sister's startled gasp followed by an inquisitive voice. "Oh hello! Are you a crow? Where'd you come from? What do you have there?"
Tech used to ask questions like this to every single person and animal he met. He wondered if they both received this inquisitiveness from Jango Fett or perhaps Omega picked this up from Tech.
Oddly enough, he hoped for the latter.
"What?" Omega exclaimed, evidently reading the message. "Who gave you this?"
Tech raised a finger. "That would be me."
The whole point of this gently revealed plot twist was to avoid any loud outburst that may rouse a guard.
It didn't work.
"Tech!!!" Omega shouted.
Tech grimaced, but he waved. "We should keep our voices at a reasonable volume."
"I knew you were alive! I knew it! I kept saying 'we never saw a body. He's still out there!"
Tech touched the side of his temple, missing his goggles immensely. "The 'No Body, No Death' Theory is not an exact science, Omega."
"It is for us," Omega said, stubbornly.
Tech smiled. "Are you alright?"
Omega shrugged. "They brought me here to push Nala Se into working on a project. I've been assisting her. Don't know exactly what we're doing yet, but it involves clone science and advanced genetic manipulation."
"It may or may not have something to do with whatever they are doing to Crosshair here."
"Crosshair is here?!" Omega bounced up and down, presumably on a bed. "Is he okay?"
"No."
Omega's pained expression made Tech wish he could have presented that answer gently. "But he will be," he added.
"Is this crow a friend of yours?" Omega asked, stroking Egg's chest feathers.
"More precisely Crosshair's friend. His name is Egg."
"Because he likes eggs?"
"Evidently."
"I've missed you, Tech." Omega hoisted herself up to get a better look at him. "I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm also glad you're well. My advice is continuing your work with Nala Se. Don't raise a ruckus and-"
"And our brothers will find us! Soon!" Omega said with far more confidence than Tech felt at this point.
"My thoughts exactly."
"There's something else you should know." Omega said, stroking Egg's feathered chest. "There's a scientist here. She's a clone, too…I don't think she was made on Kamino, though. She might have been born here."
"That's unsettling. Jango's genetic code has been depleted as far as I know. She would be a very distant relation to us."
"She's not one of us," Omega said, venomous. "If she was, she wouldn't be hurting our brother."
Tech wished he had his goggles, more importantly the camera attached to it. He could have provided Crosshair proof that his siblings care about him, indisputably.
"I'm inclined to agree."
"If Crosshair's not okay, Tech, you should go back to him."
"You don't need me to stay with you?" Tech asked.
"I'm with Nala Se. I'll be fine. Go back to Crosshair."
Tech nearly left immediately, but his concern for his sister lingered. "Are you sure, Omega?"
"He needs you," she said, with a knowing smile. "And you need him too. It's always been that way."
Tech frowned at the pointed statement…and frowned further at the truth of it.
He didn't have time to ponder, he needed to get back to Crosshair.
He needs me. My need to know he's alright is purely a coincidence.
Tech climbed up to Crosshair's window, ducking out of sight just as the droids dumped his brother onto the metal floor of his cell. Tech wasn't prone to anger, his logic cooled his temper before it could boil, but he felt the light crunch in his hand before realizing he had crushed one of the travel biscuits in his trembling fist.
He waited for the sound of marching droids to fade away, then he sat up and set the biscuit on the sill. Then he waited.
Egg cawed. Incessantly at first. Then mournfully. Then sat quietly and waited, too.
Dusk turned to night.
Tech felt a knot in his gut as he gazed at the stars. There was a time when he and his brothers would lay out on the roof of Kaminoan science center, watching for the clouds to part just long enough to see stars.
Tech would try to identify as many planets as he could before they disappeared again.
Crosshair would make up planets to annoy Tech and they'd get into a slap fight.
Wrecker insisted they were just dumb little lights.
Hunter swore he'd visit every single planet before the war was done with him.
It wasn't so long ago, but it was several lifetimes ago. They were different. The galaxy was different. Tech knew it was useless to grieve for the past. Life is ever changing and evolving. He did wish he had spent more time cherishing those moments, however.
They are over too quickly to quantify.
Egg flapped and let out a soft craah.
"Tech…"
Tech's glove was already removed when he sat up, reaching into the cell to clutch Crosshair's hand. "I'm here."
"You're late," Crosshair sneered, tiredly.
"So are you."
"Omega?"
"She's fine. They aren't hurting her. I believe she's leverage to press Nala Se into the Imperial service. She asked about you."
"Course she did," Crosshair said, dryly.
"Believe it or not, Crosshair, I'm not the only one who mourned your loss to the Empire."
Crosshair grunted in response.
He fell quiet. His grip on Tech's hand was weakening. When he spoke again, his voice sounded hollow…distant… "I'm tired, Tech. I don't know how much more I can take."
Tech tightened his hold on Crosshair's hand. "Think of it as a sunk cost fallacy. You've come this far. You've endured this much. You might as well keep going until-"
Crosshair's hand slipped suddenly from his.
"Crosshair?"
He heard Crosshair collapse on the bed.
"Cross?!"
Tech pressed his face against the bars, but could only see a blurry darkness.
Egg tapped the bars insistently, letting out a distressed chitter.
Then they both fell quiet.
And listened.
Faintly…Tech heard a very light snore.
Logic did nothing to soothe Tech's nerves at this moment. He was tired too. He was also hungry. Starving actually. Travel biscuits didn't have enough nutritional value for a full day's energy and he saved most of the biscuits for Crosshair.
They were both on borrowed time.
Tech leaned against the wall beside Crosshair's window, then slowly slumped over, curling up as best he could.
In addition to being uncomfortable sleeping on the concrete slab it was also dangerous to fall asleep on a high ledge. He didn't care. Tonight, just for tonight, he needed to be near his brother.
***
Crosshair awoke to what sounded like a sarcastic rooster mocking the morning sun.
It was Egg. Of course it was Egg. And it was most definitely sarcastic.
When Crosshair slowly rose from his cot, still sore from the previous days experiments, he didn't see Egg's scrutinizing gaze, however, he saw his tail feathers.
"Egg," he wheezed, holding his aching side as he struggled to stand on the cot. "What're you looking at?"
Tech was curled up on the ledge. His brother slept here all night.
Crosshair didn't remember much when he came back to his cell, his mind foggy from the drugs and his body pushed to a limit he didn't expect.
He must have passed out. And it must have scared the dank out of Tech.
He sighed and picked up the half eaten biscuit left on the sill. There were a few peck marks but it seemed Egg left most of it for him..He threw it at Tech, which bounced off his cheek.
Tech didn't move. Crosshair rolled his eyes.
In their cadet days, Crosshair often had to physically roll Tech off his bunk to get him up. Tech didn't just sleep, he'd pass out. There was no such thing as a steady sleep schedule for him and every few days his body would crash.
Crosshair had been so wrapped up in his own situation it didn't occur to him that Tech was more alone than he.
…and what else has he eaten besides travel biscuits?
The droids had already dropped off his stale hash brown and eggs this morning. Crosshair took two bites, gave a little egg to his crow and set the rest aside for Tech to wake up. That would be their routine from now on, he decided. Crosshair could live on very little food, he'd give the rest to his brother.
His brother who needed him.
Something distant in the cloudy sky caught Crosshair's gaze. At first he thought it was another crow, though he hadn't seen another since Egg showed up.
It wasn't a freighter either. Not an imperial one. And it was coming in at an odd, off-kilter angle, something Hunter often did when flying covertly under radar, though not nearly as gracefully as Tech.
Hunter…
"Tech!" Crosshair wheezed. "Tech, get up!"
Tech shot up, hair sticking up every which way, his cheek creased from laying on the rough ledge. "CT-9903 reporting for…duty…."
He blinked and looked up at Crosshair. "What happened?"
Crosshair smirked. "G'morning, sunshine." He nodded to the horizon. "You were right."
Tech followed his gaze, shielding his eyes from the sun. "They found us?"
Crosshair couldn't stop smiling if he tried. It was a thin smile, almost a sneer, and it made his cheeks ache. It felt good. "You sound surprised."
Tech whipped his head back at Crosshair, squinting and smiling. "Not surprised, just…shocked…that it took so long."
"Uh huh…Hunter and Wrecker aren't exactly the brains of our operation. You and I were always the smarter ones."
"I would never say that."
"You always say that."
Tech adjusted his non-existent goggles. "Perhaps…occasionally." He stretched and winced. "I better go meet them and give them the intel."
Crosshair dryly. "I'll stay here and watch the place."
Tech smirked. "Rest. Eat. We'll be together again soon."
Crosshair's jaw tightened, trying to summon the pessimism that kept his sanity stable, but he was tired, and in pain, and full of kriffing hope.
"Fine," Crosshair said, quietly.
Tech started to leave, legs swung over the edge of the platform. He paused. "Cross…?"
Tech rarely called him that. Just as Crosshair rarely called him "Techie". The names were reserved only for the rare moments fear and rarer moments of sentimentality. The last time he was called Cross, Wrecker had blown himself up with his own damn grenade.
When they left behind cadet training and dove head first into combat missions neither of them could afford childish fear or vulnerabilities. They left the nicknames behind with their childhoods.
"After you're free, Tech said, "we will drop you off wherever you want to go…" Tech's eyes seemed bigger even without the goggles magnifying them. "But I hope you stay with us."
Egg clicked indignantly at Tech.
"Egg, too?" Crosshair asked.
"Of course."
"I'll let Egg decide. He's the real brains of this operation."
"While I can't argue with that as he was the reason I found you, how do we know what he will-"
Egg flapped noisily with a shrill squawk and landed on top of Techs head, seating himself and screeching pointedly at Crosshair.
Tech grimaced, careful not to move. "Well….that seemed evident to me. Do you concur, Cross?"
"I concur…Techie," Crosshair smirked. "Now get me the hell out of here."
---
Thank you so much for reading. I’m grateful for the kind words, memes, and I loved the fanart of Egg!
If you enjoyed my writing, please consider checking out my book “Error: Detective Not Found (A Cake Pop Noir)” at ellyhazel.com
So MASSIVE The Bad Batch Season 2 spoilers, but I’m really looking forward to Season 3 opening with a lone Tech, having lost his glasses, Mr. Magooing his way around a planet absolutely crawling with Imperial Stormtroopers.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 (Final)
Available also on AO3
All Crosshair could do was roll his eyes and offer a snippy reply. Anything more real than that and he feared he’d crumble under the weight of false relief.
This wasn’t a rescue. He was still a prisoner, a lab rat, property of the Empire. Tech being here didn’t change that.
But something had changed. Egg was the first tilt in Crosshair’s resolve, pressing upon him with that shrill, incessant cawing that he wasn’t alone.
And now Tech was here, in the flesh, giving him that mildly smug smile and clear-eyed honesty that Crosshair desperately needed…
…and painfully missed.
He pressed his forehead against the bars, watching Tech climb the vines rooted in the wall. “You’re going to get caught,” Crosshair growled. His chest tightened as if to keep the following words in, but his stubbornness blurted. “Get out of here.”
“I have no intention of getting caught,” Tech said, hoisting himself onto the ledge in front of the window. He sat, cross-legged, eye-level to Crosshair. “And unless you decide to turn me in, I believe I am safe. I will leave before they give you your next meal.”
“Or when they take me away for the next round of experiments.”
“When will that be?”
“Day after tomorrow. It’s every three days.”
Tech lowered his gaze, almost as if there was a datapad in his hands. Reflexively, Crosshair looked too, but found his brother’s hands clenched into fists briefly, then relaxed. “I’m sorry, Crosshair.”
Crosshair frowned. “For what, exactly?”
“We…I knew your inhibitor chip kept you tethered to the Empire, yet after it’s removal, you still stayed with them. I can only conclude that you saw something in the Empire that we, your squad…your brothers…lacked. If I had any part in your decision…” Tech’s voice broke and he quickly cleared his throat and soldiered on. “…then I am sorry.”
Crosshair wanted to sink onto his bed, curl up, and hide from the fact the rift between him and his brothers was his own making. But leaving this window sill meant not being able to see Tech. And he needed this, more than he needed to hide from the pain in his brother’s face.
“It wasn’t you, Tech. It was never you.”
If Hunter was here, he would have demanded an answer. “Then why? Why would you choose the Empire over your own family?” Hunter had a way of making Crosshair feel small despite the fact he had towered over him for most of their lives.
But Tech wasn’t like that. “Whatever your reasons, it doesn’t matter. You may join us if you wish, and only if you wish.”
“You aren’t going to try to convince me to come back?” Crosshair asked, skeptical.
“You made your decision to leave us. If not for the Empire, perhaps there would have been another reason. I don’t want you to join us if it will make you unhappy..”
Crosshair looked away, but in doing so he faced Egg’s complete lack of personal space. The crow had pressed his head between the bars and now clicked his beak at Crosshair which he swore sounded more like a “tsk tsk tsk”.
“Egg agrees with me,” Tech said, with a small trace of a smile.
“Kraytspit,” Crosshair hissed. “You don’t know Egg like I do.”
“Regardless of what you choose, Crosshair,” Tech said, reaching up to adjust his non-existent goggles. “It’s good to see you. Not joining us doesn’t mean it has to be goodbye forever.”
Crosshair sighed. “You’re talking like I actually have a life outside of this cell.”
“Our siblings are coming.”
“They aren’t,” Crosshair snarled.
“As much as I’d love to get into a thrilling debate of ‘yes, they are’ versus ‘no, they aren’t’, it would be useless. In truth, both of us are operating on assumptions and only time will tell.”
“So, what are you going to do in the meantime?” Crosshair asked, and his stomach dropped. “You should leave.”
“No. I am not leaving you. Not again.” He raised his finger and added. “Also I crashed the ship I stole from Eriadu. I am essentially blind when attempting to ship readouts without my goggles. A trip off this planet would be disastrous.”
“So you aren’t leaving.”
“Absolutely not,” Tech said. “I will stay with you until our siblings arrive.”
“What, every day?”
“Every day.”
“You don’t have to.”
“You’re right,” Tech said, narrowing his eyes. “I want to. I’m confused why you won’t accept this.”
“Because it’s me,” Crosshair argued. “I tried to kill you all, more than once. I turned away from you on Kamino. I’m an Imperial Soldier.”
“Correction: You were an Imperial Soldier. Now, you’re an Imperial Prisoner. Whatever happened prior to this moment, as far as I’m concerned, doesn’t erase the countless memories I have with you as a brother and as a friend.”
Crosshair gritted his teeth, pressing his forehead hard against the bars. “Tech-”
His words were interrupted by a bright yellow biscuit waved in his face.
Egg perked up, cawing in sudden keen interest.
“What?” Crosshair perked up as well. “Is that a travel biscuit?”
“From the shuttle. I have a case of them.”
Crosshair took the biscuit and nibbled on it, breaking off a piece for Egg. Egg set the biscuit on the sill, broke it into four pieces, and ate each piece individually. It looked like he was savoring it as Crosshair was.
“Fuck the Empire, but I love these biscuits,” Crosshair sighed.
“I’ll bring some every day.”
“You don’t ha-”
Egg let out a shrill craah, drowning out the rest of Crosshair’s words.
Tech’s smug smile spread across his face. “I’ve decided I like Egg very much.”
Egg accepted the second helping of travel biscuit from Tech and the three of them ate together in comfortable silence.
***
Tech kept his word and returned the next day just after breakfast, using Egg as a signifier that it was safe to approach.
“I brought you something else today,” Tech said, procuring the gift from one of his many pockets.
Crosshair snatched the toothpick from Tech's hand and popped it into his mouth. He took in a deep breath, then relaxed. "Where did you find toothpicks out here?"
"I didn't. I always carry extras with me in case you run low."
"I didn't know that."
"That's because you never seem to run out."
"There's a first time for everything," Crosshair said. "Thanks…"
Tech tilted his head. "Did you just thank me? I look forward to telling Hunter you’re capable of gratitude."
"He won't believe you.”
“Probably not, no.”
“How…” The question lodged in Crosshair’s throat.
“How what?” Tech asked.
He didn’t have a right to ask. It was useless to know.
“How…is he?”
“The last time I saw him was moments before I flew out of a monorail car. So, I assume he’s grieving over my apparent death.”
Tech thought for a moment. “He is preoccupied. He has appointed himself as Omega’s guardian despite the fact Wrecker and I both look after her with equal care. He puts her well-being on his shoulders and his alone. If she is in even a modicum of danger, he throws himself at the problem rather than approach it with preferable logic. His worry is unwarranted. She is self-sufficient, resourceful, and has become an equal part of our squad. His worry over her distracts him and it’s concerning.”
“He used to do that with Wrecker,” Crosshair pointed out. “Like the time Wrecker had that ear infection and couldn’t walk without stumbling. Hunter hovered around him like a buzz droid to keep him from tripping over himself.”
“And when Wrecker slipped off of the AT-TE cannon,” Tech added. “Hunter broke his arm attempting to break his fall.”
“I forgot about that,” Crosshair snorted. “Even back then, Wrecker was larger than all of us. He wouldn’t have hurt himself all that bad, but there was Hunter, lunging towards him like he was a hutt ball.”
“And…” Tech hesitated for a moment as if caught in the memory himself. “When the accident happened…”
Accidents happened a lot with the rowdy experimental clone cadets, but “The Accident” was a single event that shook them all to the core. It was the first time Crosshair had felt an acute fear that he may lose one of his brothers.
It was their first day of grenade building, but Wrecker had been sneaking parts out of the munitions locker for weeks building his own explosives. He got cocky and careless and paid the price losing an eye and hearing in his left ear.
Crosshair flicked the toothpick against his tongue in irritation. “That wasn’t Hunter’s fault,” he growled. “Wrecker had been sneaking parts out of the munitions locker for weeks to build his own grenades. We all turned a blind eye to it. We were kids and he said he knew what he was doing. We believed him.”
“Hunter still says he should have reported Wrecker the moment he found the grenades," Tech said. "We hadn’t been formally trained. It was against the rules.”
“Hunter likes to follow the rules when it suits him,” Crosshair hissed. "He can’t just pick and choose and then decide he’ll be a martyr when an accident happens.”
“It’s who Hunter is,” Tech said. “He looks out for all of us, even to his own detriment.”
Crosshair’s nerves crackled with anger. “Wrecker was unconscious for days and Hunter was sobbing, and he wouldn’t let us help him. He wouldn’t let me help. But that’s his problem, he-”
Crosshair flinched. His words echoing back to that night on Kamino…it felt like a lifetime ago.
“That’s your problem, Hunter. You take things too personally.”
“Don’t fool yourself,” Hunter had said. “All you’ll ever be to them is a number.”
Crosshair leaned his head against the bars of his prison cell. “Forget it.”
“He didn’t want to leave you on Kamino," Tech said, his voice going quiet. "He truly believed you would change your mind and come with us. When you didn’t…” Tech looked pointedly at Crosshair. “He did take it personally.”
“Yeah? Well, you leaving me behind was personal,” Crosshair snapped.
Tech sat up straighter and his hand reached for his goggles again before remembering their absence. “Crosshair…”
“Don’t.”
“If we-“
“I said don’t, Tech.”
Tech pursed his lips, then sighed. “To answer your question then, Hunter is not doing well, and until he finds a way to exist without burdening himself with the galaxy’s problems, the sooner he will live a happier life.”
“Good to know,” Crosshair said.
“You don’t want to know how Wrecker and Omega are doing?”
“Wrecker is fine. He is always fine. After he lost his eye he was ridiculously excited at having a ‘cool scar like Commander Wolffe’. And Omega…” Crosshair frowned. “I’m sure she’s fine. A big ball of kriffin’ sunshine and optimism, how can she not be?”
“So, you don’t want to know then?”
Crosshair was quiet for a long moment. Tech remained silent as well.
“How is she?” He asked, finally.
Tech smiled. “She’s growing up quickly even without age acceleration. I’m teaching her how to fly the Marauder and she is on her way to becoming an exceptional pilot.”
Crosshair sneered. “And how many times did you mention Skywalker?”
Tech bristled, as Crosshair hoped he would. “Only when it was necessary.” His finger went up as if to emphasize his next point. “I was his best student after all.”
“You had one flight simulation with him.”
“It was all I needed,” Tech retorted. "He said to me and I quote: ‘Great job, Tech! You know your stuff!’” Tech mimicking an Outer Rim accent was the funniest thing Crosshair had ever heard, and the first time he heard it, he thought he would hiss himself to death with laughter.
Today, he just wore a serpentine smile. “And you took that as a graduation, huh?”
“Just as you did that one instance Dengar was our guest instructor for sniper training.”
Crosshair took his toothpick out to point it at Tech. “He said I was a natural. I am a natural.”
Tech’s smile was less smug than Crosshair expected. “That you are.”
Egg suddenly ruffled his feathers, looking past Crosshair as they all heard the telltale footsteps of a service droid coming to deliver the prisoner's evening meal.
Tech took the cue and started to leave.
“Tech,” Crosshair called out, his stomach twisting in a knot. “Don’t come back tomorrow.”
Tech looked back, quizzically. “Why not?”
“Just don’t.” Crosshair snapped and disappeared out of view.
Outside, Crosshair could hear Egg fly away, but not Tech making his decent down the wall. Crosshair closed his eyes and drew his knees to his chest. He could still see the puzzled look on Tech's face. It's as close to "hurt" as he's seen him.
Just before the droid arrived, bringing with him some sort of meat stew, he heard Tech slowly climb down the wall.
It was for the better.
Tomorrow Crosshair would be in the labs all day.
Tomorrow would be a nightmare as it always was every third day.
I don’t need Tech seeing me like that. Crosshair thought, drawing his knees up to his chest. I don’t need him...
Everyone thinks Tech is short for Technician or Technically; when really Tech is short for Technetium
No one will ever change my mind. I die on this hill. My mans fucking punned his own name. He is to clever to not have.
Actually if you think about it there are two puns in the name. The obvious one in 99 and then the second one in the fact that most Technetium is man made and so are the clones XD
