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A New Fascination

Tech isn't sure why Phee fascinates him so, but when she tells him about an intriguing creature by the shore, he takes a chance to further investigate things. Fluff, the teensiest hurt/comfort, long conversations, and several firsts all wrapped in a bow; TechPhee and a little bit on Tech & Crosshair. Canon-compliant, set after Pabu. 8100 words.

---

Tech sat in the boughs of the great weeping maya tree, recording sounds. Omega’s morning flying lesson had been bracing, her inexperience and bravado combined nearly enough to cause him to ponder his own mortality, and now that they were safely back on solid ground he thought he would focus on less potentially deadly pursuits.

He always cataloged new sounds as he came across them, but the challenge came in when they were layered and stacked and interlaced with each other. Wingbeats of the fluttering jeweled finches were swallowed up by the sounds of their vocalizations, mixed with rustling leaves and the voices and footsteps of passersby. His datapad did a fine job of sorting things on a cursory level, but it often required manual input for greatest accuracy. Up here, higher above the colonnade, the sounds were crisper and easier to parse.

He had pleasantly lost himself in this pursuit for some time when a voice broke through his focus.

“Didn’t take you for much of a climber, Brown Eyes.”

He lifted the visor up with its stream of data, peering down at her through his goggles, the leaves, and the afternoon shadows. She stood ten feet below, shading her eyes and gazing up at him.

“It is the best area from which to collect direct recordings of the local avians. The jeweled finches, particularly.”

She sat on the large bough beneath him, grinning. “Sure you don’t want to listen to them from down here?”

Tech frowned. The recordings would contain more interference and ambient sound the further away he was from the canopy the birds frequented. However, coming down would provide a better opportunity for conversing with Phee. And Phee was fascinating in her own right.

He paused. He had not yet determined why Phee so fascinated him, but she did. His initial hypothesis had been that her treasure hunting, or “liberation” as she colorfully put it, required a wide subset of skills, an ability to quickly adapt, and a nimble intelligence. That was certainly part of it. But he had met many intelligent and skilled people throughout the galaxy, his brothers, certain reg clones, people like Romar, and none of them had inspired this type of interest from him before.

He had considered pheromones as a possible trigger, though human pheromones were significantly weaker and less effective than those of many other species. He could not discount them, though, or how else could he explain the way he enjoyed being near her for no apparent reason?

“You coming?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said determinedly, climbing down. He sat beside her and she gave him a bright smile, tilting her head to one side. It was a smile that was full, easy, beaming. It was new, having such a smile frequently directed at him, but it was… very nice.

Of course, he had also considered the fact that she was objectively beautiful. Warm brown eyes, a musical laugh, luxurious hair, a sleek and strong figure… he was not blind to these things, and appreciated them as he would any source of beauty. He simply wasn’t used to appreciating beauty in the form of a curious and clever person who seemed to appreciate him, too.

Perhaps that was why he always felt slightly off-kilter near her.

His datapad chimed, finishing its collation of data. He took off his helmet and set it beside him, then hunched his shoulders to get a better look at the screen. He needed to sort the information he had gathered before it became less fresh in his mind.

“Whatcha got there?” she asked, scooting closer so that she could lean over his shoulder, nearly touching him. His heart beat more quickly.

“Samples of the finches, separated out from the sounds of the weeping maya, the wind, and the marketplace,” Tech said. “I find it engrossing work.”

“What are you saving the recordings for?”

“For?” Tech pondered the question. While there had been times his recordings had been extremely helpful on missions - Skako Minor came to mind as a particularly memorable instance - most of the time the data was simply stored, saved carefully where it could be retrieved at a moment’s notice. “I enjoy collecting sounds. It could be considered a hobby.”

Phee chuckled, apparently surprised by his statement. “I like that. Everyone needs a hobby. And I, of all people, understand collecting things.” She looked out at the busy marketplace, concentrating as if listening. “You know, Pabu’s got its share of interesting wildlife. Do you like nature sounds the most? Or any sounds?”

“All sounds are interesting,” said Tech, raising his eyes from his datapad to look over at her briefly. She was looking at him with curiosity, her full attention focused on him. He quickly turned back to his datapad. “Machinery generates patterns that can easily form a type of music. Battle sounds are both highly varied and highly predictable, depending on the situation. Natural sounds provide some of the most unique samples, though. Animals with different vocal apparatuses and anatomy can produce a nearly infinite variety of sounds. Some are not even made with mouths. Have you ever heard the sound of a winnowing wood-snipe from Batuu?”

“No, I can’t say that I have. I’ve been to Batuu a few times, but only to the outpost,” Phee said. “It wasn’t exactly crawling with wood-snipes, whatever those are.”

Tech quickly found the pertinent file and played it. Ghostly, high-pitched twittering emitted from the datapad in waves. Phee looked intrigued.

“That wasn’t an animal call?”

“No. It was created by small, uniquely-shaped feathers at the base of the bird’s tail. When soaring and diving, the airflow creates these noises,” said Tech. Reading of the bird’s description beforehand had not fully prepared him for the startling nature of its sounds. “There are thousands of such examples of unique adaptations across the galaxy.”

“Hey, now that’s all right,” Phee said, nodding, clearly impressed. “I would’ve never guessed that wasn’t a song. Not sure there’s anything quite like that here, but there’s still some interesting wildlife, especially down near the shore. I remember Shep telling me about some creature that sings near the caves. Want me to get some more info and get back to you?”

Tech paused. She did not need to bother herself. “I could also ask Shep, if you are busy.” It did sound interesting.

“Suit yourself,” Phee said, “but I don’t mind asking as a favor.” She smiled again, then clapped a hand against his shoulder. Her touch was brief, but electric.

Ah. She wants to do it. He nodded, not wishing to discourage her. “If you would like to find out more information, I… would be grateful.”

Another of those bright, beaming smiles. He tried one back, though it was nowhere near as wide and carefree. She nodded, looking pleased. “I’m on the case.” She swung her legs off the bough, slipping back down to the ground, and waved goodbye. “See you around, Brown Eyes.”

---

She found him the next morning attempting to clean up after some much-needed repairs to the Marauder. Another flying lesson with Omega had been… bracing. He sat amidst a pile of spanners and tools, covered in engine grease, sorting the tools to put away when he wasn’t distracted by the sounds of the finches. There was a new vocalization he could hear -- perhaps young birds begging to be fed -- and he had left his datapad inside. He switched on the auxiliary recording function on his goggles, making a note to import and analyze the sounds later.

“In the middle of something, I see. Those flying lessons out there looked a little rough this morning,” Phee said, casting an eye over the tools strewn around him.

“Omega is still mastering the concept of incline control,” Tech said. “It’s creating some extra wear and tear on the engine, but nothing I cannot repair.”

“Never doubted that.” She dropped down to squat beside him, idly picking up a spanner. “That’s a solid one.”

“Standard Republic issue. I have since seen some of the Imperial repair kits, and they are inferior, clearly turned out quickly to keep costs down.”

“Sounds like the Empire all over,” Phee said, sighing. “Quantity over quality. I guess you’d know all about that.”

Tech nodded. The Empire had discarded the clones similarly, of course.

“So, I talked to Shep about this creature. He said it’s something the people here call a sea ghost.”

Tech made a face. “A rather whimsical name.”

“Not much for whimsy?” Phee asked, looking amused by his response.

“It is not remotely descriptive,” Tech complained. “Is it mammalian? Avian? Some type of cartilaginous or bony fish? ‘Sea ghost’ does not give us any indication as to what kind of creature could be expected.”

“Well, I’m guessing it lives by the sea with a name like that,” Phee laughed.

Tech gave her a look. She had him there.

“He said it lives down near the northwest cove, whatever it is,” she continued. “It goes out to sea sometimes but often comes back to sing in the caves. He said its song is supposed to be hauntingly beautiful. Hence the ‘ghost.’”

“If it sings in the caves, it may be taking advantage of the area’s natural acoustics,” Tech mused. “Is it sentient?”

“Not exactly, I think. More like a wise animal is how he described it. People here used to tell stories about it, long ago.”

Tech wiped his hands off on his thighs, smearing the fabric with oil as he got to his feet. “Well, I am game to search for this creature if you are. Give me a few moments to gather these up and we may go.” Hunter’s intense aggravation the last time Tech had left his repair work for later would be an irritating way to start such a promising day, and he had no intention of letting that distraction interfere.

“You want me to come?” Phee asked, raising an eyebrow with a sly smile. “Not Shep? He’s actually seen it, you know.”

“Shep may be best suited to finding the creature,” Tech said, adjusting his goggles. “But I am asking you because I would like for you to be there.”

He hoped he had not miscalculated. He thought that it was what Phee had been intending all along, that this would be a time for the two of them to be alone during an enjoyable and interesting activity, but for a moment, he was unsure. It was one thing to calculate his own thoughts, responses, plans. It was quite another to attempt to guess what Phee might desire. He swallowed, watching her closely, hoping he had read the situation appropriately --

She grinned. “Why, Brown Eyes, I thought you’d never ask.”

---

They took the winding stairs down to the beach, passing islanders as they went. Several nodded or said hello to Phee, and a few said hello to him as well, perhaps remembering their efforts from the night of the sea surge a few weeks ago. Tech nodded to them as they passed, surprised they remembered him. He commented on it to Phee.

“You and your brothers don’t exactly blend in,” she said. “You might all be clones, but here you’re the new kids in town, and that makes you easy to remember.”

“I suppose that would be the case in a place with a relatively small population,” Tech said. “It is still unexpected.”

They rounded a corner and ran into Hunter, Wrecker and Omega, carrying woven bags of foodstuffs and supplies. “Tech! Phee!” Omega said. “We’re going to try some new recipes for lunch. Are you coming back up?”

“Recipes?” Tech asked. “None of us has ever shown any aptitude at cooking.”

“We’re going to try,” Hunter said heavily. He appeared dismayed at the prospect. “Wrecker’s promised to eat anything that goes horribly wrong.”

“It’ll be a sacrifice, but I’ll make it happen,” Wrecker said. He narrowed his eyes, looking between Phee and Tech. “You two going somewhere?”

“Phee has informed me there is a creature with an unusual song that visits near the beach,” said Tech. “We are going to investigate.”

A wide, eager smile stole over Wrecker’s face, and he was about to speak until Hunter elbowed him subtly in the side. He closed his mouth again. “Uh, that sounds nice,” he said.

Tech was certain that had not been what he was originally going to say.

“Good luck,” Hunter said, giving them an odd look that Tech did not know how to interpret. “If there’s leftovers later, you’re welcome to try them.”

“But Hunter,” Omega asked, “wouldn’t you be able to help them track the creature?”

Hunter paused, searching for words. “Ah, they don’t need my help, Omega. And I promised I’d help you with this recipe of yours. They’ll be fine without us.”

“We appreciate the vote of confidence,” Phee said. “Bye, boys. See you, Omega.”

“Bye, Phee! Bye, Tech!”

Phee and Tech continued down the stairs. “That’s cute,” Phee said.

“What is?”

“Wrecker wanting to tease you about me, and Hunter trying to play it cool,” she laughed. “Reminds me of my cousins growing up. They used to tease each other mercilessly. Especially if there was a boy or girl involved.”

“Wrecker often attempts jokes at my expense,” said Tech. “Though… this is certainly the first time a ‘girl’ has been involved.” He felt a flicker of warmth in his cheeks, that funny sense of being wrongfooted that he seemed to only feel around Phee.

“I thought that might be the case,” Phee said. She turned to him, laying a hand on his arm and keeping him from descending the next flight of steps. “Look, Tech -- I think it’s clear we like each other. Right?” One of those warm, sunny smiles again. He nodded at her, feeling slightly lightheaded. “But if this is all new to you, I don’t mind taking our time, you know? You’re worth doing this right.”

His mouth seemed incredibly dry. With a great effort he swallowed, managing to find enough saliva to speak again. “I -- I will take that under advisement.”

Phee snorted. “Glad to hear it.” She nodded towards the last set of stairs. “Come on, we’re nearly there. Let’s go find this ghost.”

---

The path to the cove was hidden and cunning, half-covered by tidewaters or stretches of exposed seagrass. Tech thought that even Hunter would have had a difficult time picking his way through the stretches of rocks, sand and shallow water. Phee led him through a narrow cleft in the rocky wall, both of them forced to turn to the side and creep through, hands scraping the rocky surface. At one point Phee’s hand brushed his, and she paused for an instant before she pressed forward once more, to Tech’s disappointment. He would have liked it had her hand lingered.

She led him around a bend and a large pool of gently lapping waves, sheltered from the main beach, lay before them. Beyond that Tech could see the entrance to a cave, carved out from the rocky walls as if by invisible hands. Phee stared appraisingly at the pool.

“We’re going to have to wade for it,” she said. “Shep said with most low tides this water’s receded, but some are lower than others. Guess we got lucky.”

Tech nodded, sitting down in the sand to pull off his boots. While they were water resistant, they had not been designed for complete submersion, and he did not relish the idea of walking the return path in soaked boots and footwear. That had been troublesome enough after the underground river on Ipsidon.

He peeled off his socks and rolled up his blues to his knees. At least his datapad was waterproof, so that would not be a problem.

Phee pulled off her own boots, then removed her jacket and blouse, revealing a skin tight sleeveless shirt in a pretty blue color. She folded up her clothing and stuffed it into the bag she had brought. He gazed at her bare shoulders, her toned arms, the curve of her breasts and waist, until he heard the sound of a throat clearing. “Ready to go?” Phee asked, with a look on her face that suggested she knew he had been staring at her, and didn’t mind.

He turned away, nodding. “Yes. I’m ready.”

He followed her into the pool. The water was warm and gentle, a perfect temperature when combined with the soft cool breeze blowing in from the sea. It came up to his knees, then his thighs, then past his waist. Phee waded beside him, one hand holding her bag safely above the water, the other swirling random patterns in the surface of the water with every step.

“Ever do much swimming?” she asked as they made their way through the pool.

“Swimming proficiency was mandatory for all clones,” said Tech. “Kamino is a waterbound world and it would be laughable to fail to instill swimming skills in that setting. There were also special clone commando units with additional training in underwater operations, though our squad had only cursory training in that department.” He paused at the look on her face. “But yes, I am an adequate swimmer. It is not my specialty.”

“You’re like me. Flying’s really where we shine, right?,” said Phee, wading towards the shore. The cave’s entrance rose up before them, and Tech could see the reflections of blue and white from the water’s surface painting the walls of the cave. “But I can swim if I need to. Once I had to retrieve an artifact from a Naboo battlefield over an old Gungan settlement. Place was boobytrapped to high heaven with battledroids, but not in the water. Turned out the droids were the least of my worries. You ever been to Naboo?”

“No,” said Tech. “There were no clones in service during the battles on Naboo. Kaminoan production only began in earnest shortly after that time. My brothers and I had not yet been designed, let alone decanted.”

Phee shook her head. “Clone aging… that’s still a hard one to wrap my brain around.”

Tech shrugged. “We age at roughly double the rate as unaltered humans. It is simply a fact of life for us.”

Phee was quiet for a moment, a hint of something sad behind her eyes. Her mouth twisted to one side. Then she shook her head again, and continued. “Well, anyway -- Naboo’s a nice place. If it wasn’t for the Empire, I’d say you should try to visit sometime. But avoid going underwater, there are some freaky things down there, and I don’t mean the Gungans. Nearly got eaten by five different giant creatures.” She shuddered. “Got the artifact, though, so it wasn’t all bad.”

“I am glad you were not eaten,” said Tech. “It sounds as if it would be most unpleasant.”

She reached the shore, climbing up but slipping for a second on a rock. Tech closed the distance between them, reaching out to steady her with a hand on her shoulder. She refound her footing and clambered up, turning back to him with a grateful smile. “Thanks.”

He followed her up, water dripping down his legs, running in rivulets down his feet. Phee was just as wet, her clothing clinging to her in a way he quite liked. He turned his attention back to the cave, listening closely.

“I do not hear anything.”

Phee screwed up her face in concentration. “Me neither, but it might be in deeper. This cave system goes in for a little ways. I don’t feel like getting deep into spelunking for this, but there might be something in one of the near chambers.”

She carefully picked out a path on the rocky shore as they entered the cave. There was a narrow spit of rocks encircling the water, and they climbed atop this, looking down into the water below for signs of movement. Light dancing on the water’s surface helped to light the cove, as did glimmers of sunlight peeking in from up above them through small gaps in the rocky ceiling. They were quiet for a few moments, concentrating on their footing and the gradually dimming light within the cave.

Phee was surefooted, leading the way without hesitation, occasionally pausing only to study the water beneath them. He watched the water too, but his attention was divided between the gently lapping waves and Phee herself. She moved with an easy elegance that was intriguing; long graceful neck shifting to allow her a better view, hands held out to her side to steady herself, legs balancing adroitly on the uneven rocks. He followed in her footsteps, occasionally startled when he noticed her looking back at him with a similar focus.

The light dimmed further, and up ahead was largely darkness. She stopped her, sitting down on a rocky outcropping and resting her arms on her legs. She gave him a nod, and he sat down beside her at the invitation.

“Seems like as good a place as any to wait,” she said.

“What else do we know of this creature?”

“Not much,” Phee said. “Last I checked, Pabu doesn’t have a marine biologist, and it’s not exactly a place that’s been extensively studied. One of the disadvantages of being so out of the way.”

“I could change that,” said Tech thoughtfully. “If we’re to spend more time here, I would like to continue learning about the local ecosystem and culture.”

“I think you might be the most curious person I’ve ever met,” Phee said quietly. “I like that about you.”

“I have never understood a lack of curiosity,” he said. “There is so much to learn and understand in this galaxy. I could never begin to come close to learning all of it, but I would like to try.” He smiled. “You, of course, also seem to be a very curious person. I… like that about you, too.”

She smiled brightly at him. Her brown eyes glinted with the dappled blue and white light reflecting off the water. She leaned in, listening to him.

He wondered, suddenly, what it might be like to kiss her.

“I guess I’m just a curious soul,” Phee murmured.

His heart seemed to be beating rather faster than normal, and he searched for something to say. “You have asked me a great many questions about myself, for example.”

She laughed quietly, the sound echoing sweetly off the water and the walls. “I’ve just never met anyone like you before. You’re one of a kind, Brown Eyes.”

Perhaps she was teasing him. He leaned back, shaking his head. “That is blatantly incorrect. While I am unique in being a genetically modified clone, I am still one of millions --”

She reached out, fingertips brushing his cheek, her touch feather soft. “No. There’s no one like you, Tech.”

Oh.

He stared into her eyes, frozen.

And then he heard it, faint in the distance, coming closer. A sound, haunting, beautiful, delicate piping layered with echoes of reflected notes building upon each other. Phee dropped her hand, focusing intently as Tech quickly pulled out his datapad and started recording.

“The ghost, there --” Phee started, pointing past him. He reached out quickly and took her hand, holding it closely within his own. She turned back to him and he made a shh gesture with his free hand. She nodded, staying quiet and still as the creature swam into view.

A pale gray shape skimmed the water’s surface, its form rounded, plump and smooth-skinned. As it drew closer Tech realized the dappling on its back was not only due to the reflections in the water, but also due to speckles of white and darker gray spotting its skin, crisscrossed with the shapes of faint scars. The creature was sirenian in nature; he remembered a similar manatee-like animal that had swam and played in the pooled waters of the vast wroshyr root system on Kashyyyk. But the alshyyyr of Kashyyyk had had no voice like this.

Phee leaned in close to him, her bare shoulder brushing against his, and he realized he was still holding her hand. His focus shifted from the fluting calls filling the cavern and back to Phee. Her face held a look of wonder as the ghost sang, its ethereal music resonating with the water and the stone, but that had fallen into the background for Tech.

Phee’s hand was soft in his, but strong; his thumb glided over her knuckles, the back of her hand, mapping fine hollows and ridges, tracing small old scars. She gently squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, marveling at how such a small motion could be so engrossing.

She nudged him, slightly, and he looked back up at her. “Sea ghost, remember?” she whispered, winking.

Tech nodded, gazing back at the ghost and its sweet singing. He closed his eyes to listen to the music, alien, haunting, singular. He was grateful they had found it, and glad that he was recording it to analyze and assess later. Of course he should be studying the animal after their work to get here.

But Phee’s hand in his fit perfectly. He liked holding it. Liked touching her. This new thing between them, smiles and stories and laughter and touches, was truly what he had come here to investigate, and the sea ghost, lovely as it was, took a distant second in his concentration. He could not explain it, even to himself; it was confusing. It was new and strange.

It was mesmerizing.

---

They listened to the music of the sea ghost for nearly an hour before the dappled gray creature dipped below the water and vanished into the dark. They waited for a few more minutes, but at last Phee turned to him and said, “I think it’s taken its leave. We should probably go too, before the tide comes in further.”

Tech nodded, turning off his datapad and slipping it back into its pouch. He felt a little disappointed at seeing the creature go; though how much of that was due to the ghost’s departure, and how much of it was due to the fact that this moment between him and Phee would end?

They made their way back along the rocks, Phee following along behind him. His bare feet gripped each rock tightly. It was slick along here as the tide had begun to come in and water had splashed on the rocks. He picked out his path carefully while he led them back to the mouth of the cave, deep in thought.

He narrowed his eyes as they stepped out of the cave. The sun was now in full afternoon brightness, and even with the adaptive settings on his goggles it was still difficult for his eyes to adjust after the dark quiet of the cave.

“Phew,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “It didn’t seem that dark while we were in there, but that is intense.”

He turned to her once the brightness of the sunlight no longer forced him to squint. “Thank you for coming with me. I would not have been able to find this on my own.”

“Everything you were hoping for?” Phee asked, crossing her arms. “I have to say, that was some concert we were treated to.”

“I am looking forward to analyzing the recordings of the sea ghost,” said Tech. He turned to her, smiling faintly. “But I also enjoyed spending this time with you.”

Her face creased in a grin. “Me too, Brown Eyes. This getting to know you thing? It’s all right.” She waded into the deep pool between the cave and the rest of the shore, the water rising up to her chest. He followed her, the warm water rising up past his waist within a few steps. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure at first if you were interested. And I didn’t want to scare you off if this was all new for you.”

“It is new,” Tech admitted, taking another step behind her. “But that is not a problem. It is very intriguing.” He hesitated. “You are intriguing. And… I wish to learn more, if that is also what you want.”

He reached out, and took another step --

Pain. Blinding, searing, lancing pain shooting up his right foot and leg. He groaned and stumbled, falling forward, the water closing over his head.

“Tech!” There was a frantic scramble of limbs and splashing of water, and after a few confused, agonizing moments he realized he was back on the sand, Phee kneeling beside him and pulling something out of his foot. “Ahh, kriff, you stepped on a shore urchin. That would do it!” She tossed away a shard of bright purple material. “How’s it feeling now?”

Tech blinked, his head swimming, though he wasn’t sure if that was from the sting or from Phee’s look of concern. He tried experimentally to move his leg. The pain was receding, leaving a buzzing, prickling sensation rolling up and down his foot and shin. He stared down at the leg, realizing that the right foot was already approximately twice the size of the left.

“Ah,” he said sagely. “It seems to be venomous. Fortunately, the venom also seems to have an anesthetic component. The blinding pain has stopped and I can no longer feel my foot at all.” He let out a long hiss of breath, trying and failing to wiggle his toes.

“Well, I gotta love the optimism,” Phee said, her face a mixture of amusement and worry. “I know it looks bad, but it’s not serious. Your foot’s gonna blow up like a puffer pig for a day or two, but it’ll be all right. Happened to me once.”

“Really?” Tech asked. The knowledge did bring a small measure of comfort.

Phee gave him a guilty look. “No, I was just trying to make you feel better. But hey. I really have heard of people stepping on these things and being fine.”

Tech reached up, disengaging his goggles to wipe them on his shirt. He squinted up at her. “This is an inauspicious end to our afternoon together, unfortunately.” He slipped his goggles back into place, blinking.

“Well, it’s not over yet,” Phee chuckled. “We still need to get you back in one piece. I have a feeling your family would have strong words for me if I left you here for the birds.”

“The gulls would not be interested in me unless I had already died,” Tech pointed out. “I am far too large to register as a prey item for this species.”

“Ahhh, there’s that charm,” she said. “Here. Let’s get you situated.” She pulled her bag over her head. It was now soaking wet, which Tech realized must have happened when she dove in after him. She reached in and pulled out a spare kerchief, similar to the blue one she wore most frequently, and wrung it out until it was no longer sopping. She carefully bandaged his right foot, which scarcely resembled the left. It was now mottled an unappealing red, white and purple, though at least the anesthetic properties of the venom were holding.

She gathered their shoes they had left in the sand, putting his right boot into her bag. He wiped as much of the sand from his foot as he could before jamming the left boot back on. It was going to be an uncomfortable walk up the stairs, he wagered. But at least he would be in good company.

“All right. Let me help you up.” She held out a hand, bracing herself in the sand, and got him up. She pulled his arm over her shoulders. It was a very pleasant sensation having her so close, his arm draped over her shoulders, her arm slid around his waist. It would have been better without the prickling-numb swollen foot he was dragging, however.

“It is a shame we had to sever ties with Cid,” Tech mused. “There was no chance to retrieve AZI-3 from her bar before coming here to Pabu. He would have been particularly helpful in a time like this.”

Phee nodded, beginning to walk, going slowly so that he could hop along with her. “Well, I don’t think she’d be all that happy to see you if I brought you back there. But there’s first aid options here. Old Namira’s got a pretty good setup at her place for minor wounds and injuries, we’ll figure it out.”

“Thank you for the support,” Tech said, focusing on keeping his balance in the sand. “It is a pity it was my right leg that was affected. The left is still slightly weaker after I fractured it earlier this year.”

“Omega was telling me about that,” Phee said, concerned. “That must have been painful. Rough year for you, huh?”

“It was unpleasant,” Tech said. “Femoral fractures are intensely painful.” He shrugged, taking another hopping step, his left leg sliding in the sand. Phee stabilized herself against him, compensating for the uneven terrain. “Between AZI’s ministrations and the increased healing abilities of clones, I was only disabled for a matter of weeks. It was still not something I am eager to repeat.”

“Do all clones heal quickly?” Phee asked as they finally reached the first staircase.

“Yes, it is something we share with the regs. A sublimely useful modification by the Kaminoans, particularly for soldiers,” Tech said. They took the first step, and Tech winced as his dangling foot accidentally hit the first step. It gave a peculiar burst of sharp yet muted discomfort before fading back into numbness. He gave it an appraising look. “It appears to be swelling even more.”

“You good? Or do you need a rest before we start heading up? We can take a breather.”

“I’m all right. Let’s continue,” he said, adjusting his arm so it lay more evenly across her shoulders. Their cheeks brushed, and he swallowed. His senses buzzed, each small touch from Phee electrifying. This close he could smell her hair if he turned his head, and he caught the scents of a rich woody oil and the flowers of the weeping maya tree. It was intoxicating. He shook his head, trying to redirect his thoughts.

“You’re right,” she said, wincing. “It is getting bigger. I’m sorry, Brown Eyes. Not how I thought the day was going to go.”

“One never knows what hazards may be encountered in the wild,” Tech said. “It reminds me of something that happened to my brother. That was an insect envenomation and not an echinoderm encounter, but it triggered an intense hypersensitivity reaction. Not only did his hand swell up, he broke out in hives everywhere. Of course, he kept insisting he was fine -- up until his eyes threatened to swell shut.”

“Oh dear,” Phee said as they reached the next flight of stairs, breathing a little harder from the exertion. She readjusted her arm around him, pulling him closer. “Let me guess, Wrecker?”

“No, Crosshair,” he said. He could still recall Crosshair ripping off his helmet to reveal an appalling urticaria over his entire face, his eyes swelling until they could only see narrow slits, his hand barely able to bend over the butt of his Firepuncher, let alone pull a trigger. “Luckily, a few antihistamine injections were all we needed to reverse the effects. We knew that he would make a full recovery when he began complaining again.”

“Hang on,” said Phee, pausing. “Who’s Crosshair?”

Tech turned to her in surprise. “We have not spoken of him? ….No, we have not.” He looked up at the stairs above them, then at Phee, still breathing hard. “Here. We should rest a moment.”

She helped him get down to a sitting position on the stairs, then sat beside him and lifted his leg to rest it on her lap, keeping it elevated. She rested one hand loosely on his knee, another electrifying touch.

“That’s better,” she said. “Only… fifteen more flights to go. We got this.” She laughed. “But come on, who’s Crosshair? Another brother? You don’t talk about him. None of you do.”

“No,” Tech said. “Hunter prefers not to. Wrecker and I do speak a little of him, sometimes; Omega would speak more of him, but she was only able to spend a small amount of time with him. He is our other brother, but as you have seen he is no longer with us.”

Phee covered her mouth with her hand, her brown eyes soft with pity. “He died? Oh, Tech, I’m so sorry.”

Tech’s eyes widened, and he adjusted his goggles hastily. “What? No, he is alive.” He amended that statement, as he could not be certain of the veracity of it. “Or, we hope he is. He has chosen to remain with the Empire.”

“Oh.” Her voice and her face shifted, a hint of coldness coloring her expression. It looked out of place on her. “Sorry to hear it. I guess that’s why you don’t talk about him.”

Tech frowned. He knew how Hunter felt about Crosshair’s decisions, but he could not fully agree with Hunter’s interpretation, and it seemed somehow important to him for Phee to have a better understanding of the situation. “It is difficult to explain,” he said. He took a moment, focusing on what he would like to say.

“The Empire built a failsafe into all clones as a means to control us,” he began. “With assistance, Wrecker, Hunter, Echo and I were able to circumvent this, but Crosshair was not. The Empire was able to use this to divide us, forcing Crosshair to do terrible things. But at some point, he chose to no longer be controlled -- yet continued to remain with the Empire.”

“Why would he do that?” Phee asked. “Surely he’d want to escape, especially if they were forcing him to do something awful.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to understand.

“I believe that the things he was made to do while under Imperial control disturbed him,” said Tech. Crosshair’s agitated behavior on Kamino, coupled with his desperation in attempting to convince them to join him, had suggested as much. “But Crosshair is a very proud man, and most unyielding. I suspect it caused less cognitive dissonance for him to believe he would have acted the same, with or without that control, than to accept that he had been forced into doing things against his will. So he has remained with the Empire rather than admit the Empire, and by extension himself, has done wrong.” He gave her a small shrug. “That is my understanding of what has happened.”

Phee looked horrified. “That’s terrible.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. “It must be difficult to feel like you’ve lost him, even though he’s still out there.”

“It is strange to know that he was once here with us, but is no longer,” Tech agreed. “I wish he could have chosen differently. But if he had, he would not be Crosshair.”

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Phee asked. “Even after all of that.”

“Yes,” said Tech. “I thought that was obvious.”

She gave him a small, sad half-smile. “I’m sorry. Maybe… maybe someday he’ll come back to you.”

“It’s possible. But it is difficult to imagine a path forward where he chooses to do so, unless he is able to change,” Tech said, looking out at the sea. It had begun to turn reddish gold in the late afternoon light, dancing with sparkles of white reflections. He thought of Omega, huddled in the blue dark of a cave on Ipsidon, reaching out to him for understanding. Perhaps what he had learned that day would help Phee understand. “Our… family… has not been the same without him. I have not been the same.”

“You were close?” she murmured. “Before?”

Tech nodded. “As you may have noticed, I often have a great deal to say. Crosshair was always an exceptional listener, no matter the subject. That is not to say he always remained quiet -- he could be quite cutting when he wished -- but there were many times he indulged my observations without complaint, even when I was particularly… exuberant.”

“Well, that’s something the two of us have in common,” Phee said, giving him a teasing smile. “I like your observations.”

“It has not escaped my notice.” He smiled slightly.

“Come on,” she said, patting his leg. “Let’s see how much further we can get before sunset. Up and at ‘em?”

“Yes,” he said. They continued up the stairs, one at a time. It was not easy work to do one-legged, even with Phee’s support, and he distracted himself by telling her more about Crosshair. He had not spoken so freely about their brother in some time, and he was surprised by how it gave him a sensation of something loosening within his chest. It felt good.

“So what was Crosshair’s role in your squad?” Phee asked, perhaps sensing the necessity of the distraction.

“He was an exceptional marksman,” Tech explained. “His enhancements included heightened visual acuity, improved depth perception, and the ability to calculate complex ricochets in real time. He is not proud without reason. I am a fair shot myself, but there were times it was simply enjoyable for us all to watch Crosshair set up a difficult shot and see him execute it to perfection.”

“I can see how that would come in handy. You’re all impressive in action, but it’d be interesting to see how a sniper in the mix changes things up,” said Phee. She whistled. “I’d have hated to be up against all of you.”

“We were indeed formidable,” Tech agreed. “Until the collapse of the Republic, we had had a one hundred percent success rate in our missions.” He sighed. “Of course, things have gone rather differently since then. We have been… adrift.”

“Well, maybe this is a place where you can find solid ground,” Phee said. “You all seem happy here.”

“We are,” said Tech. “It is something we have been discussing. Omega deserves a stable environment after all she has seen.”

“You do, too,” Phee pointed out. “Your whole life has been fighting. Maybe it’s time to find out what else is out there.”

“There are things that are worthwhile here,” Tech said. He paused, shifting to face her. They were so close. Her breath was a soft puff against his cheek. He searched her face, taking in her sparkling gaze, fixed on him, the way her lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Why, thank you, Brown Eyes,” she said, and before he knew what was happening, she leaned forward and kissed him.

Ah.

This was new.

His mind whirred with sensations. There was Phee’s mouth on his, her lips soft, smooth, slightly parted. There was the warmth of her cheeks pressed close to his. There was her arm around his waist, her other arm sliding around him, pulling him closer, keeping him balanced on his good leg. He responded in kind, arms curving around her as instinct drove him, an overwhelming desire to keep her close within his arms and simply hold her. The blood rushed in his ears and his heart stammered, beating a rapid new rhythm.

It was overwhelming. It was extraordinary.

She pulled back all too soon, her brown cheeks a little pinker, her eyes dancing. He blinked at her, then reached up and shifted his goggles, breathing rather too quickly.

“That was… fascinating,” he managed. Was that an adequate word for everything that had just happened? It seemed as if it did not even come close to describing the moment they had just shared.

Phee’s smile was the most dazzling he’d seen yet. “Care to give it another try?” she asked slyly.

“Oh!” Tech said, unable to keep from grinning back at her. “Yes, if you are amenable, I very much would.” He leaned in, closing his eyes, and lost himself in her again.

---

It was well after sunset when they limped up the final stairs to the colonnade, both of them exhausted. They had taken their time coming up the stairs. While Tech’s foot was starting to look better -- the swelling had gone down by half -- it still was not easy to take the stairs up without bearing weight on his right leg.

They had also gotten distracted, several times, by taking breaks ostensibly to rest and kissing through them instead.

“Thank you for your, ah, assistance,” Tech said. “It is most appreciated.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” Phee said, winking at him. “Now, how are you feeling? Your foot’s looking better, but we could still go swing by Namira’s if you want to get it looked at.”

“I believe it will continue to improve. If you would help me get to our ship, I will monitor it through the night,” Tech said.

“All right. But you know I’ll be checking in on you tomorrow,” she said, squeezing her arm around him.

“That would be most agreeable.”

They made their way to the ship beneath the rising moonlight, their pace slow and steady. He suspected part of it was that neither of them wished to break the physical contact they shared now. He reminded himself that she would be stopping by tomorrow. There would be additional opportunities to spend time with her then, to learn more about her, to share more about himself. He could not wait.

He had felt this way a hundred, a thousand times, eager to learn more and to explore and investigate a new subject. But he had never felt this way about a person before, and he did not know what to do with this feeling except to follow it as thoroughly and as passionately as he did for all things.

They reached the Marauder and Omega bounded down the gangplank to see them, Hunter and Wrecker emerging behind her. “There you are! Did you find the creature?” she asked.

The creature?

Phee nudged him in the side, and he chuckled. So much had happened since the song in the cave he had nearly forgotten their original purpose in going to the beach. “Yes,” he said quickly. “I would be happy to play you its song later. It was a most intriguing creature. Though our expedition was not without a slight mishap.”

“Your foot!” Omega gasped.

“Don’t tell me you broke it again,” Wrecker said, concerned.

“No, Brown Eyes here had an accident with a shore urchin,” Phee said. “Don’t worry, it’s already looking better. He just needs to stay off it ‘til the swelling goes down.” She let go of him and pulled his boot out of her bag, handing it back to him. “All right then, you take care of yourself, got it? See you around.”

“I… will see you too,” Tech said. She winked again, and turned to walk away beneath the moonlight. He watched her go until he felt Omega’s hand in his, pulling his attention back to his family.

“Come on in and get some rest,” Omega said, smiling up at him. “If you’re hungry, we’ve got leftovers!” Behind her back, Hunter mouthed the word “no,” shaking his head. Tech allowed her to lead him inside, gingerly starting to put a bit of weight on his foot again as he did so. It would be better by morning, he thought.

Omega let go of his hand as they reached the doorway, heading to the small refrigerant unit. Hunter turned to him and said under his breath, “You can give yours to Wrecker. Just let her down easy. She worked hard.” He gave Tech an odd look, then smiled. “Hm. Looks like you both had a good time.” He followed Omega, stepping back into the ship.

Wrecker helped him into the ship the rest of the way. “So… what’d you two really get up to, anyway?” he asked. “‘Cause something about you seems different, and not just your foot.”

Tech raised his eyebrows. “I believe that is between me and Phee, thank you.” Wrecker stared at him, mouth falling open, so surprised he wasn’t even able to make a joke.

Tech limped back to his bunk, smiling. There were a thousand thousand topics he could eagerly spend hours discussing, overwhelming even the most patient listener with minutiae and intricacies. He knew he would tell the others about the sea ghost in the quiet cave, play its songs for them, extrapolate on its lineage and life cycle and habits aloud. That he would happily share in all its detail.

But the rest -- Phee’s kisses, her hand in his, the way she had felt in his arms, her laugh, her smile -- that was something he was perfectly pleased to keep to himself.

#phee bad batch

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