Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

FIVE DAYS AFTER

But… I want to stay with you.

Every choice you’ve made since Kaller has been wrong.

Not all of us, brother.

You’re becoming a liability.

I won’t let them take you!

When have we ever followed orders?

They’re all going to die here because of your failed leadership.

Hunter woke with a shuddering gasp.

He was out of the navigator’s chair before he could even fully straighten from where he had slumped over the console. The ship was a blur as he stumbled his way to the refresher, his gloved hand slipping on the lock panel. The door hissed open and only snapped shut when Hunter had crossed the threshold and managed to secure it.

Then, and only then, did he empty out the little he had eaten over the last day or so into the vacc tube.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and this was just a fraction of the reason why. The bigger problem was that nothing except cruel, painful hauntings awaited him in slumber. True rest was more effectively achieved in the waking hours these days.

The retching didn’t last long, and Hunter was quick to drag himself back onto his feet by taking a firm grasp on the ledge of the small spout beside it. He stared into the bowl as he washed his face and his mouth, though everything still had yet to gain its normal clarity.

That normalcy was starting to feel like a distant memory more and more each day. At the same time, it was also becoming an unattainable goal that was too far out of reach.

Hunter would never feel whole again. Even when—because when was his only option—he brought the missing light back into his life, there would always be a piece of him that was gone. Sheared. Ruined. Destroyed.

Because this was different from Crosshair, and that had been bad enough for Hunter. Still bad. Haunting his sleeping and his waking moments, tormenting him with the words, the truth, he could never say aloud.

At least Crosshair was still out there. Tech wasn’t. He was gone.

Crosshair, gone.

Omega, gone.

Tech, gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Gone.

Hunter squeezed his eyes shut as he tightened his grasp on the rim of the spout’s bowl. He wished he had Wrecker’s strength right then. It would feel really good to destroy something. Something other than his own family, that was.

He dared to lift his aching head enough to see his own image in the reflector. Disheveled was a nice way of describing what awaited him there. The dark bags under his eyes had grown even more somehow, and the rest of his tattooed face looked hollow and sunken. His eyes were still bloodshot from the restless nature of his slumber and the vomiting, and his hair was only one good tangle away from being a womp rat’s nest.

But what taunted him the most was the bright red bandana that continued to stand out against his paling skin, defined by the bold image of a white skull that sat just above his left eye.

The symbol of Clone Force 99. Hunter still fondly remembered the day they had decided on that imagery. Tech had described it as “rather crude” at first, but once he had created a digitized version of it for his own armor, he was on board with the others.

Tech hadn’t realized it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy one day. A skull. A mark of death. A death Hunter didn’t save him from.

Hunter snatched the bandana and ripped it free from his head, only allowing himself a quiet grunt of pain as it tore through some of the knots in his hair. He stared at the material in his gloved palm, most pointedly the skull that stared up at him.

The blurry sheen over his eyes transformed it into that digitized skull, but only for a second. Hunter blinked, and it was gone.

Hunter tightened his hand into a fist, crushing the material of the bandana within his unrelenting grasp, and rested his forehead against it. He closed his eyes, silently pleading for the mercy of not having to see those same hauntings that had plagued his dreams behind his eyelids.

He was rescued from it by something more jarring, a knocking sound at the door that made him jump and snap his head up.

“Hunter!” Wrecker’s worried voice boomed through the durasteel barrier. “You alright in there?”

Hunter composed himself with a breath. He could control his breathing easily enough, just like he had taught Omega what felt like ages ago now. “Yeah, Wrecker. I’m fine.” He quietly cleared his throat. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

It was embarrassing, knowing that Wrecker was going to have to see this version of him. Hunter had tried so hard over the years to keep anyone in his family from seeing him like this. Even in those days when the war had weathered him down to the bone, forcing inescapable images of death and destruction upon him, Hunter had held strong. He had to. He was the one leading them, after all.

Look where that’s gotten you.

Hunter wasn’t sure if it was the haunting of Crosshair’s voice or his own that taunted him like that.

He at least tried to rectify what he could before he slipped out of the refresher. He untangled whatever knots of hair he could with just his gloved fingers, and he splashed his face with just a bit more water to make himself look more alive.

The only thing he couldn’t bring himself to do was put that bandana back on. He would have to find, or make, a new one. He still had a small surplus of a darker crimson material lying around somewhere that he had used to cover his gauntlets.

It was something Omega had begged to emulate on her own wrist. Hunter doubted the Empire allowed her to keep that for long.

Hunter shoved the thought away as he lumbered towards the door. He straightened himself, ignoring the quiet protest from his healing side, and tapped the lock panel. The door slid open, and Hunter braced himself for interrogation.

Wrecker’s brow was furrowed, adding more wrinkles to the scarred half of his face, and it didn’t loosen when he laid eyes on his brother. He uncrossed his arms and set a large yet gentle hand on Hunter’s unarmored shoulder. “You okay?”

An unintentionally loaded question. Hunter would have scoffed if he wasn’t so focused on holding himself together, refusing to let his brother see the shattered fragments that had just been spilled across the floor.

But Wrecker didn’t mean it like that. He was smarter than a lot of people gave him credit for. He was well aware that neither of them were really okay. This wasn’t his attempt at digging deeper.

At least, Hunter hoped it wasn’t.

“Fine. Just a migraine.” Hunter stepped away, causing Wrecker’s hand to slide off his shoulder. He continued towards the cockpit, right where he had been before. There was still work to be done there, work he had accidentally fallen asleep doing. “I’m not used to looking at vidscreens this long.”

Because Tech always did that for us.

Wrecker was following him. “Is that what made you…” he winced quietly, “yak?”

His wording at least drew a genuine chuckle from Hunter’s tight chest. He’d gladly take the excuse. “Yeah.”

Hunter plopped down into the navigator’s chair again and studied the star charts in front of him. With it only having been five days since they had left Ord Mantell, they hadn’t gathered any leads on Hemlock yet, and Hunter was eager to get started. He was trying to find the best place to do that.

Wrecker, however, was more stubborn than Hunter gave him credit for. Just like himself. “It didn’t last that long.”

Hunter looked at him, confused. “What didn’t?”

Wrecker, frowning, gestured with his chin towards the refresher. “That.”

Hunter let out a humorless huff and turned back to his work. “You really heard all that? Giving my senses a run for their credits.”

Wrecker also wasn’t amused. “You’re not eating.”

It was more than just an observation. It was an accusation. It was as sharp in Wrecker’s tone as the blade that continued to sit heavily inside Hunter’s gauntlet.

Hunter tensed. He was instantly defensive. “That’s not true.”

Wrecker didn’t back down. “You’re not eating enough.”

Hunter looked down at his lap, where he was still clutching the crumpled material of his bandana in his grasp. He grunted. “Does it matter? We’re clean out of rations, and I’m not taking advantage of what Rex needs for his own men for much longer.”

Wrecker let out an unsatisfied sound. “Fine. Then I’ll tell Echo, and he can talk to Rex about—.”

Hunter spun around in the chair so fast that it made his ever present vertigo worsen even more. “Don’t.”

That was firm. That was an order.

Wrecker at least seemed to recognize that. His face softened from frustration into concern, and a certain amount of sympathy that made Hunter’s stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot, as his eyes met Hunter’s. “You’re not sleepin’ either, are you?”

Hunter’s jaw tightened. “I just was.”

He really didn’t want to be talking about this. He was spiraling enough as it was.

“I see it too, you know.” Wrecker wrapped his arms around himself the best he could. Somehow, it made his imposing frame look smaller. “When I’m asleep. The railcar slippin’ out of my fingers.”

Hunter closed his eyes. “Wrecker...”

“Tech fallin’ behind it…”

“Wrecker.”

Wrecker fell silent. Hunter steadied his breathing again, using those same techniques he had passed on to Omega, and only opened his eyes when he knew he wouldn’t betray the violent storm within himself.

Wrecker had sat upon the deck of the cockpit, his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his arms. Hunter’s heart somehow splintered even more.

“Wrecker.” Hunter’s third utterance of his brother’s name was much softer than before. He abandoned his own burdens in the navigator’s chair as he shifted to sit beside his brother on the deck. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Wrecker shuddered a quiet breath. “I’m the strong one. I was supposed to hold on. To get ‘im on board. Like you said.”

Hunter’s nausea returned. He hadn’t realized how his order had come across in the moment. Did Wrecker really think Hunter had made him responsible for this?

“I was just desperate, Wrecker.” It wasn’t easy for Hunter to admit his own lack of stability in such a crucial moment as a soldier, never mind a leader. But he’d do it any day to save Wrecker from such torment. “I had exhausted all other options. I think I knew what was inevitable, but couldn’t really come to terms with it.”

Hunter placed a hand on his brother’s back.

“I never meant to make you feel responsible for it.”

Wrecker lifted his head and looked over at Hunter. His eyes were wet with tears he refused to shed. “You didn’t.” He worked his jaw. “That’s just my job. To hold stuff. To catch everyone.”

“And that’s exactly what you were doing.” Hunter really, really didn’t want to revisit this moment any longer, but again, he’d bleed himself dry if it meant comforting a brother in need. “Tech made a decision. He fired the shot. That doesn’t mean you failed.”

What Hunter didn’t tell Wrecker, mostly because he didn’t want the pity that would inevitably come from it, was that Hunter had been the one to get Tech up on that rail line in the first place. Hunter knew Tech’s actions had saved them all from certain death, but there wasn’t a single second that passed by where Hunter didn’t wish that he had made himself go out there and do it, and have Tech guide him remotely somehow.

Leaders were supposed to give themselves the most dangerous tasks, not their squad members. Hunter had always been grateful for their unique skill sets, but right then, he wished for nothing more than a galaxy where he had been the only one who could have gotten up on that rail line and rerouted the power.

They had all known Plan 99. They had all crafted it together. Hunter had even been ready to use it himself, as recently as that blasted job on Dallow. But he had never wanted it to be one of his brothers. Only himself.

He figured the same was probably true for the rest of them.

Hunter realized too late that he had been silent for too long. Wrecker had snaked his arm across Hunter’s shoulders, and he was offering him a sad smile as he spoke softly. “It doesn’t mean you failed either, Hunter.”

Should Hunter have been more accepting of the very same words he was genuinely trying to convince Wrecker of? Probably. But that wasn’t how he operated.

He was their leader. He had to take responsibility for his squad, in both their victories and their defeats. Hunter had never been good at having to receive harsh truths, but there was no better time than the present to start getting used to it.

Hunter still took the easy route and ignored Wrecker’s reassurance with a swift change in subject. “I think I know where we’re going first.”

Wrecker’s eyes lit up. Clearly, he wasn’t too miffed by Hunter moving on so quickly. “Yeah?” He then furrowed his brow again. “You sure you’re ready to go?”

Hunter raised his own brow, challenging him. “Are you?”

Wrecker shrugged. “You know me, boss. I’m always ready for a mission.” He let out a dry chuckle. “I think it’ll make me feel better to actually be doin’ somethin’ again, too.”

“I agree.” Hunter started to stand up, causing Wrecker’s arm to roll off his shoulders. His vision darkened dangerously as he straightened, and he flung his hand out to catch himself on the back of the navigator’s chair as he did so.

Wrecker was right next to him a heartbeat later, steadying his other side. Hunter was too embarrassed to even give his brother a sheepish look.

“Well, we’re not goin’ anywhere until you get a meal in you.” Wrecker held Hunter even tighter. “Got it?”

Hunter sighed. He wasn’t used to taking orders, but… then again, a lot of things had changed around here lately. “Fine.”

“Good.” Wrecker’s tone turned more lighthearted as he let Hunter go, though Hunter still felt his eyes on him as he sat in the chair and turned towards his datapad and star charts. “So, where’re we goin’ first?”

“Back where we started.” Hunter pointed at the Mid Rim planet. “Ord Mantell.”

Hunter spared a look back at Wrecker. He wrinkled his nose up in hardly concealed disgust. “Really? But… why?”

“It’s our only lead right now.” Hunter growled. “She called them in. Who knows what they might’ve told her, or what her comms systems might have picked up on whenever she did it.”

Wrecker grunted. “I don’t even wanna see her face again.”

Hunter grimaced. “Neither do I. But I’m not letting even a single stone go unturned. If she has information, we’re getting it. Full stop.” His gaze flickered down to the hilt of his blade. “No matter what it takes.”

Wrecker nodded at him. Hunter turned fully towards him in the chair and wrinkled his brow when Wrecker didn’t move.

“Are we going, then?” Hunter gestured with his chin to the hatch behind Wrecker. “Better get that meal and tell Echo we’re off.”

Wrecker blinked. “Don’t you, uh…” He tapped his own head. “Wanna take care of that?”

It was only then that Hunter recalled both the pieces of hair brushing along his bare forehead and the fabric of his bandana wrapped around his hand. “Right.” Hunter sidestepped Wrecker to walk out of the cockpit. “Give me a minute.”

Hunter slipped into his quarters. It had never been anything over-the-top, just a bit of additional storage space along with his bunk, but it was no doubt where he could find at least a temporary replacement for this bandana. It didn’t feel right to wear it anymore.

He opened one of his smaller gearboxes and found the crimson material he had been thinking of before. He solemnly set the brighter red bandana, the one he’d been wearing for countless years, into what was likely its final resting place. He picked up the crimson material before he could think too much about it.

Using the blade inside his gauntlet, Hunter sheared off a sizable chunk of the material. Before testing it, he found a nearby hair tool and tamed his mane the best he could. He then tied the material the way he always had. It was like second nature, no matter how different this particular one felt.

Satisfied, Hunter stepped out of his quarters and strode back towards the cockpit. Wrecker was still waiting for him there, though he was openly studying Hunter’s work with the star charts. He looked over at Hunter upon his arrival and offered him a nod. If he noticed the new bandana, he didn’t say anything about it.

Hunter let Wrecker lead the way off the Marauder. The hangar on Coruscant where Echo had taken them was mildly busy with various clones milling about. Some had purpose, no doubt already working as a part of Rex’s growing team, while others looked lost, still recovering from various rescue efforts.

Hunter didn’t think too hard about the fact that this could’ve been them. Had Echo failed to intervene the way he did on Ord Mantell, who knows what would have happened to him and Wrecker under Tarkin’s personal interrogation on Eriadu.

Maybe it was cruel, but a part of Hunter wished that had been his fate. It would be better than this, a gaping emptiness in his chest that rivaled any blaster wound. He would know. He had been shot there before.

Wrecker guided them towards the makeshift mess, a collection of various crates for clones to sit upon as they ate. It was sparsely populated—it was still very early in the day, Hunter realized—but luckily enough, one familiar face was already there.

“You’re up early.” Echo stood from where he was sipping his caf and approached them. He set his hand on Wrecker’s shoulder and looked at Hunter. “Everything okay?”

Hunter was getting real tired of that question, no matter how well-intentioned it was. He glanced at Wrecker, who answered for them.

“Just hungry.” He narrowed his eyes at Hunter. “Especially this one.”

Echo’s brow shot up. “Oh, yeah?”

Hunter sighed. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to face Echo. “We’re heading out after this.”

Echo’s hand fell from Wrecker’s shoulder. “Really? We only just finished the repairs on the Marauder.” He quietly cleared his throat. “Don’t you want more time to…”

“We’re ready.” Hunter ignored whatever Echo was insinuating. “You don’t have to come with us. I wasn’t expecting you to.”

Hunter was surprised to see Echo deflate at that. “I want to. Rex does, too. There’s just a lot to attend to over here.”

“I know.” Hunter stepped forward. This time, he was the one to lift a hand to Echo’s shoulder, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I understand. If we get a real lead, or if we’re in a bind, we’ll reach out.”

Echo relaxed. He nodded and blew out a quiet breath as he turned to Wrecker again. “Well, you two are lucky. Gregor’s just finishing his ‘early bird’ special, so you’re gonna get it while it’s still fresh.”

Wrecker rubbed his hands together. “Perfect.”

Echo invited them to sit with him. Wrecker was more than happy to be indulged in some light chatter, but Hunter couldn’t bring himself to join in. He couldn’t even keep his focus on listening to what they were saying.

Instead, he reached out with his senses, grounding himself to his reality as he foolishly hoped he would somehow stretch himself far enough to pick up on that light, rhythmic heartbeat that instantly calmed him with its mere presence. All Hunter got in response was the familiar hum of the Marauder’s electrical systems, along with both the waking and sleeping heartbeats of countless clones.

A sudden hand on Hunter’s shoulder made him jump, and he snapped his head towards it. Rex stood at his free side, offering an apologetic smile as he sat beside him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I thought you would’ve heard me coming with your… you know.” He circled one of his own ears with his finger.

Hunter swallowed down his embarrassment, because he really should’ve sensed Rex’s approach, and instead indulged him with a small smile. “No apology necessary, Captain.”

Rex returned the smile, but only for a moment. It started to fade as he folded his hands together and rested his elbows upon his knees, leaning closer to Hunter as his voice lowered. “How’re you doing?”

Hunter fought the urge to slam his head against the table. He was tired of being asked about feelings he had no intentions of confronting. “We’re shipping out after we get a meal.” He gestured with his head back towards Wrecker behind him.

Rex’s eyes widened. “Already?”

Hunter lifted an eyebrow. “It’s already been five days. We can’t wait much longer.”

Omega can’t wait much longer.

“Sure, but…” Rex suddenly paused, his eyes flitting between Hunter’s before he let out a heavy breath. He nodded in resignation. “No, I get it. It’s even harder to sit with it when there’s nothing else keeping you busy.”

Hunter was at least glad Rex didn’t identify the it he was referring to. After his and Wrecker’s discussion on the Marauder, he really didn’t want to recap any of it again anytime soon. He had relived it all enough in his dreams. “Sorry we can’t be of more help to you right now, Captain.”

Rex shook his head. “Don’t be. Especially because you are helping.” He glanced towards the rest of the hangar. “You already know it’s more than likely that wherever Omega’s being held by Hemlock is also where the other clones are.”

Hunter managed a nod. “Right.” He didn’t have the heart to tell Rex that Omega was his only priority. If he could help the other clones, too… if they could somehow even find Crosshair in all this… then Hunter would, but none of it would come at the cost of Omega and her safety.

Maybe that was selfish. Maybe it made Hunter a bad leader, or even a bad person. But he couldn’t find it in him to care. Omega’s greatest fear was being trapped somewhere like Kamino again, and so long as she was in the Empire’s clutches, she was being forced to experience it every single day.

Hunter wouldn’t rest until he rescued her from it. Everything else—even his own wellbeing—was secondary.

“So.” Rex flagged down a nearby clone who was handing out water. He held up two fingers and received two cups, one of which he handed to Hunter. “Where are you two headed first? Did you get any intel?”

Hunter grimaced and shook his head. “No. We’re not that lucky.” He took a sip of the water and let it soothe his scratchy throat. “We’re just rolling our chance cubes and heading back to Ord Mantell.”

Rex’s brow rose. “Really?”

Hunter shrugged. “That’s all we have right now. She’s bound to know something.”

Rex hummed thoughtfully and watched the water circle the rim of his cup. “She won’t give up anything she might have easily.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

Rex’s movements slowed, his gaze steadily assessing Hunter. He might’ve been in rough shape, but Hunter wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the fact that Rex was wary of what Hunter was implying. Again, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

After a few tense seconds, Rex let out a soft breath and scooted closer to Hunter on the bench. He set his free hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Listen, Hunter, I get what you’re going through. It was similar to how I felt when I worked with your lot for the first time.” Rex’s gaze cut behind Hunter, no doubt focusing on Echo. “Just… be careful. Okay? That’s a slippery slope to be on, and it’s a long fall down to the bottom.”

Rex gave Hunter’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. Hunter’s gaze remained downcast towards the hangar’s deck.

“You’ll want her to still recognize who you are by the time you’ve gotten her back.”

Rex didn’t have to elaborate. Hunter got the message loud and clear. He wouldn’t say he was exactly ready to take it to heart yet, but the sentiment at least was appreciated.

There wasn’t anything Hunter feared more than becoming someone Omega didn’t want to be around.

“We’ll be fine, Rex.” Hunter looked back up and caught Rex’s stare. The captain’s concern didn’t quite fade. “I’ll be fine.”

That satisfied Rex some more. “I know. But if anything comes up…”

Hunter waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. I told Echo the same.”

Rex chuckled. “I’m sure you did.”

They didn’t get the chance to chat any longer. Gregor emerged with hearty bowls of food that smelled better than anything Hunter had ever had outside of Pabu. Despite the lingering, ever-present nausea that had stuck with Hunter ever since Eriadu, he couldn’t deny how much he wanted this meal. It was gone in minutes.

Hunter stood as soon as all four of them were done, and the others followed his lead. He let Echo and Rex escort him and Wrecker back to the Marauder, though Echo announced a brief detour before he would return to bid them farewell. Hunter leveled Wrecker with a look.

His brother shrugged. “I told Echo we were outta’ rations.” He bobbed his head. “And a few other things.”

Hunter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Wrecker, I told you. I don’t want to be taking—.”

“You’re not taking anything.” Rex’s voice was almost sharp enough to make Hunter snap to attention, and that was saying something as a soldier who had often been more lax around commanding officers. Hunter’s hand lowered from his face. “We’re giving you the supplies you need to do this.”

Hunter’s resolve withered. His shoulders hunched as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You have your own men to worry about, Rex.”

Rex clapped a hand on Hunter’s back. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re my men, too.” Rex offered him a firm nod. “You brought one of mine back.” He glanced in the direction where Echo had disappeared. “This is the least I can do to thank you for that.”

That at least earned the captain a small yet genuine smile from Hunter’s lips. It was the first he could remember showing ever since Omega had woken up on Ord Mantell.

Echo returned with a hovercart full of crates. Together, the four of them loaded them onto the Marauder, working in peaceful silence as they did so. Once that was done, they all stood by the ramp of the ship, clasping hands and patting each other on the back.

“Comm me if you need me.” Echo gave both Hunter and Wrecker a stern look. “I mean it.”

“We will.” Hunter nodded and briefly set a hand on Wrecker’s shoulder. Wrecker obeyed the silent order, following Hunter up the ramp into the Marauder’s cockpit. It sealed behind them, and Hunter wasted no time preparing the Marauder for takeoff.

He lowered himself into the pilot’s chair and tried not to think too hard about whose seat it usually was. This was Hunter’s first time flying since… before. Their first ever flight with him acting as the primary pilot. Their first flight since leaving Ord Mantell.

And they were going straight back.

As Hunter pulled back on the yoke, easing the Marauder out of the hangar and into the heavier air traffic of Coruscant, there was only one thought he dwelled upon, one truth that rang true throughout his mind and heart that kept him alive in a chair that didn’t feel like his own.

I’ll find you, Omega. We’ll find you.

Chapter Text

The trip from Coruscant to Ord Mantell wasn’t terribly long, but it was definitely long enough to necessitate catching up on sleep. Not that Hunter had any intentions of doing so. He’d seen enough the last time he had accidentally fallen asleep, and he’d rather keep the remnants of Gregor’s warm meal where they belonged.

Still, the last thing Hunter wanted to do was worry Wrecker more, so he remained inside his quarters to maintain the illusion of slumber. He didn’t have to stretch his senses far to hear Wrecker’s snoring from his own bunk. That was good; if Wrecker’s breathing pattern changed, Hunter could hear it and wake him, freeing him from whatever torment was no doubt plaguing his dreams.

In the meantime, Hunter at least laid on his bunk. He balanced a utility knife on the tip of his finger and tried not to think too hard about the last time he had done this very same thing inside these very same quarters. The ship had been much fuller. She had been here. He had been here.

Of course, it wasn’t as if Hunter playing with knives in his quarters was anything new. This was always how he had chosen to pass the time until, or after, missions. None of them slept well with pre- or post-mission adrenaline, Hunter least of all. He could never quite sit still.

While Hunter busied his fingers with the knife, he busied his mind with planning their arrival. Flying directly into their usual hangar in the heart of the city wasn’t an option. Cid would know. She’d either find them herself or someone would tell her.

After all, wasn’t that exactly how she betrayed them before?

It wouldn’t be too big of an obstacle to overcome, though. One of the rare benefits from remaining under Cid’s cruel thumb for so many months was that they had gotten to know the city well—and how to get into it unseen. Wrecker wasn’t going to like it, but Hunter had already decided that the old mining tunnels were the way to go.

Cid’s hubris wasn’t hard to predict, either. She no doubt figured them as good as gone when Hemlock had him and Wrecker arrested inside her parlor, which meant she wouldn’t be expecting them to return. Not even through her own back office.

It wasn’t going to be easy to see that office again so soon. Hunter’s last memory of it was him comforting Omega before begging her—no, ordering her—to escape. She could have. She almost did.

Why did she have to be so brave? So bold? So resolute and unyielding, just like himself?

Hunter’s spiraling thoughts were split by the sound of a familiar chime from the cockpit. They would be dropping out of hyperspace in just a few minutes.

He flipped the knife over and caught the handle in his grasp without much thought. He then sat up and discarded the blade, pushing himself off the bunk and opening the door. Hunter stepped through the threshold and approached Wrecker’s bunk.

Hunter shoved his brother’s leg with his boot. “Hey. We’re almost there.”

Wrecker let out a groan and pressed his fists against his closed eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Just gimme a sec.”

Hunter waved him off and strode towards the cockpit. He took his new place at the controls in the pilot’s seat, toggling a few of them as he prepared for the drop from hyperspace. He had just gotten everything set when something else flashed, accompanied by a beeping sound that worsened Hunter’s anxiety.

It was their long-range comms. Hunter recognized the code. It wasn’t Echo or Rex, or anyone else who would have the information they needed, so it could wait.

“Who’s that?” Wrecker’s voice made Hunter jump as he turned in his chair to face his brother. Wrecker’s brow furrowed as he lowered himself into the copilot’s chair. His gaze flashed when he got a better look at Hunter’s guilty expression. “It’s Phee again, ain’t it?”

Hunter grimaced and tried not to flinch at each continuous beeping sound. “Yeah.”

“I mean… maybe we should answer.” Wrecker’s armored shoulders tightened in Hunter’s periphery. “It’s been a while, and it’s not the first time she’s tried to reach us.”

“No.” Hunter shook his head. “I know what she’s gonna ask, and I am not telling her over a holotransmission. It’s not right.”

Wrecker grunted. “Neither is ignorin’ her.”

Hunter didn’t have a good answer for that. Thankfully, the sudden drop from hyperspace saved him, and he wasn’t expected to respond as they instead focused on piloting the Marauder towards Ord Mantell’s atmosphere.

“So, uh…” Wrecker spared Hunter a glance. “What’s the plan?”

This… was unusual. Before, Hunter would have had their family all briefed well before the drop from hyperspace. But only having Wrecker was enough to get him out of the habit. Hunter hadn’t even thought of it.

“Right.” Hunter adjusted his grasp on the yoke. “We’re landing outside the city and entering through the old mining tunnels. That’ll get us right to Cid’s office without being seen.”

Wrecker held his breath. “You mean, the ones with those bugs?”

“Well, there aren’t any others, are there?”

Wrecker let out a pitiful groan. “Aw, I hate those things!”

Hunter shot him a look. “Then we’ll have to stay quiet enough that we don’t wake the nest this time.” He sighed, and his armored shoulders grew heavier. “That’s our best option.”

Wrecker softened. “I know.” His sympathy was grating on Hunter’s determined self-deprecation. “I’ll be fine this time. Promise.”

Promises. Hunter wanted to scoff at the very notion of them. How many of those had he made to Omega, just for them to go completely unfulfilled? Kamino was just the first. Hunter couldn’t bring himself to think about the others.

Instead, Hunter continued with the plan. “We’ll wait until she’s in her office. I’ll be able to sense her. I’ll secure her before she can get anywhere, and you’ll guard the door.”

“I can do that.” Wrecker huffed as Hunter began to set down the ship. “Part of me wishes I had your job, though.”

Hunter understood. Wrecker wouldn’t completely admit it out loud, but it was clear that he was just as eager as Hunter was to enact some revenge upon the Trandoshan who had long since been putting their family in unnecessary danger. The desired brutality of that act of revenge was likely different between the two of them, though.

Hunter couldn’t bring himself to care.

He powered down the Marauder and stood from the pilot’s chair. Wrecker followed closely as the two of them headed to midship and geared up in silence.

It hadn’t always been the case, but this was usually a time when Hunter and his brothers, and later on Omega, would pass the shared adrenaline between themselves by either cracking jokes or making bets that would somehow help them focus harder during the mission.

This was far from that. This was something even more grim than those rare times spent in silence with more of Hunter’s brothers, gearing up before a mission that was more than likely to keep at least one of them from coming home unscathed. This… this was quieter than the prep for Eriadu.

Part of Hunter wished he had known what was going to happen in that moment before they left the ship on Eriadu, just so he could have treasured it a little bit more. The other part of him knew that he should have treated it like their last moment together regardless of the outcome.

Hunter had gotten too comfortable. Pabu had been too promising. Phee’s reassurances had been too easy to believe. His gut had been screaming at him to say no to that mission, but between both his willingness to let the others have a say and his own desperation to bring Crosshair home, he had ignored it.

But it wasn’t on them. Hunter would never blame his family for this. He was the one who made the call in the end.

He had always known their flawless success rate would come to a screeching halt one day. He had just selfishly hoped that if anyone wasn’t going to come back home because of it, it would be him.

“Hey.” Wrecker’s armored shoulder jostled Hunter’s, tearing him free from his spiraling thoughts. “You good?”

Hunter blinked a few times from where he’d been staring into space and nodded. “Yeah, yeah.” He stepped over towards one of the lockers. “We’re leaving our helmets here.”

Wrecker made a confused sound. “Okay. Um… why?”

Hunter grabbed two ponchos, including the one that was big enough for Wrecker’s imposing frame, and tossed it to him. “The helmets make us stand out. We’re trying to blend in.”

Wrecker’s brow pinched even as he pulled the poncho over his head, disguising most of the armor on his upper body. “But Cid and the locals already know our faces.”

Hunter adjusted the poncho as he pulled the hood over his head. “Hopefully the shadows will be enough, then.” He checked his weapons one more time before nodding. “Ready?”

Wrecker returned his nod, and Hunter led the way once again, taking them through the cockpit and down the open hatch. He secured it closed behind them and instantly made a break for the nearby city.

The memories lurking in the dark shadows of Ord Mantell’s dusk skyline were haunting. Hunter couldn’t escape them in the various terrifying images of his nightmares during the handful of times—if that—he had accidentally fallen asleep since their escape. Coming back here was difficult, but not impossible.

Nothing was impossible so long as Omega was still in the Empire’s hands. Still out of Hunter’s reach. All she had wanted was for them to stay together, and that was a wish Hunter was going to grant her, no matter the cost.

Hunter and Wrecker walked in a single-file line, with Hunter having a bigger lead to maintain some healthy space between them. The smells of the city were all-too familiar, and Hunter relied on those keen senses to guide him towards the entrance to the old mining tunnels. It had been many months since they had last entered them, but there wasn’t much Hunter didn’t remember.

That was both a blessing and a curse. Right then, it felt like a healthy amount of both.

Hunter managed to inconspicuously slip into the entrance to the tunnels first, and after a minute or so, Wrecker followed. There was only one mining cart that hadn’t been damaged by their unfortunate firefight last time they’d been down there, but between the two of them, it was easy to get it working and send them off.

Hunter wasn’t used to Wrecker being quiet for so long, but then again, his brother was terrified of waking the nest. He didn’t mind the silence in these circumstances, as he was preoccupied with both sensing the bugs below them and thinking through the questions for his interrogation.

Above all else, though, Hunter was trying not to think about the fact that Omega could have escaped safely through these tunnels.

Once they had reached their destination, Hunter and Wrecker silently slipped out of the cart and made for the ladder. Hunter went first, his focus sharpening more and more with each rung he ascended. He pushed his senses past the durasteel barrier above his head, wrinkling his nose at the reluctantly familiar feedback he received.

Still, something—no, someone—was missing. “She’s not in there.”

Wrecker groaned and glanced down. “How long are we gonna wait?”

Hunter shot him a look. “As long as it takes.”

Wrecker looked as if he was about to complain again, but then thought better of it. “Can I at least put my feet on the ground until it’s go-time?”

Hunter relented with a nod. Wrecker was quick to descend the ladder and touch the ground again, but Hunter stayed where he was. He didn’t care if he hung there until his muscles grew sore; this was, so far, their only lead, and he would wait as long as it took to follow through on it.

If this was a dead end… well, Hunter would have no problem tearing the galaxy apart to find another new lead. Even if he became collateral damage in the process.

Enough time passed for Wrecker to sit down and lean against the ladder before Hunter finally heard the telltale whoosh from above that indicated Cid had entered her office. He froze, attuning each and every sense to what was happening inside the room as the door closed and the Trandoshan took her place behind the desk.

Hunter whistled lowly, grabbing Wrecker’s attention. His brother glanced up as Hunter gestured upwards with his head. Wrecker stood and ascended the ladder once again, waiting for Hunter’s cue. With a deep breath, Hunter briefly visualized what they were about to do, and then he acted.

He got the hatch open, pushed aside whatever crate had been settled on top of it, and all but shot up from the hole in the floor. Hunter slammed his hand against the door’s access panel, and before Cid could so much as look up from whatever she was studying on her datapad, he closed the distance, pulled his vibroblade from its sheath, and vaulted himself over her desk.

Wrecker was close behind. By the time Hunter had snatched Cid by the material of her tunic and slammed her against the nearest wall, Wrecker had already closed the door to her office and shot the access panel, rendering it useless. He held his blaster rifle and stayed on guard as Hunter pressed his humming blade against Cid’s neck.

“What—How—?” The Trandoshan, for once, was at a loss for words.

“Quiet.” Hunter added more pressure to the blade, just enough to let a thin line of green blood trickle down her neck. “You’re lucky I haven’t slit your throat already.”

Cid’s eyes went wide with fear. Hunter drank in the satisfied feeling it brought him.

“Here’s how this is gonna go.” Hunter relaxed his tightened jaw just enough to speak. “You’re gonna tell us everything you know about that Imperial scientist you ratted us out to, and we’ll consider letting you live.”

Cid shook her head. “I don’t even know who that guy is!”

Hunter sneered and added just a bit more pressure onto his blade, reminding her of its presence with another small cut. “If that’s true, and I’m not convinced it is, then you’re gonna tell us exactly how you tipped them off and give us everything you have about where they came from and where they were heading.”

Cid scoffed. “How could I possibly know any of that?”

Hunter wasn’t in the mood for this. The hand not holding his blade tightened its grasp on her tunic as he raised his voice louder than he probably should’ve, given the delicacy of this operation. “Tell us!”

Cid’s eyes blew wide again. “I just—the generic tip line, I don’t know! The descriptions of you fellas were being blasted everywhere, I don’t—.”

“You have endless connections everywhere, but can’t remember exactly how you turned us in?” Hunter growled. “Don’t waste our time. I’ll gladly rid the galaxy of your filth in a heartbeat.”

Wrecker spoke for the first time since they entered Cid’s office, and his tone was a low and gentle warning. “Hunter…”

Hunter didn’t heed it. Instead, he deepened his scowl and used the precision of his trained fingers to etch another new line of green blood against Cid’s tightened throat.

“Easy, Bandana, easy! I can’t talk if you cut out my vocal cords!”

“You don’t get to decide how this goes, and don’t think I can’t still find ways to make you talk without your voice.”

The fear returned in full force to Cid’s eyes. Hunter yet again took brutal pleasure in the sight of it.

Good. You messed with the wrong family.

“It’s like I said before. A general tip line. They were asking about you lot because of whatever mess you’d gotten yourselves into that brought you here, the same one that got Goggles—.”

Hunter slammed her harder against the wall before she could get the words out, making the Trandoshan wince. “Mention him again, and I’ll forget the information and just drop you right where you stand.”

Wrecker’s warning was more harsh this time. “Hunter.”

Hunter spared his brother a quick glance over his shoulder. His scarred face was pulled tight in a disapproving grimace. Ordinarily, that might’ve been enough to sober Hunter up to the reality of his actions, but it wasn’t then. Not with the toxicity of the hatred that flowed through his veins.

Whether that hatred was aimed fully towards Cid or himself was unclear.

“That was it.” Cid continued with a slight tremor to her voice. “I submitted my tip and they showed up. I don’t have a clue who that guy was.”

“You just took the credits and somehow continued to sleep peacefully at night. Isn’t that right? Just like always?”

Cid’s gaze lowered at Hunter’s words. The guilt in her eyes enraged him.

“How did you make contact? Where did they answer from?”

Cid managed to point at the desk behind Hunter, which he’d somewhat messed up when he’d slid across it. “The holotransceiver.”

Hunter gave Wrecker another look. “Grab that. It’s coming with us.”

Wrecker was quick to obey, even if he was still fixing Hunter with a cautious look. He ignored it and turned back to Cid.

“You got anything else for us that you just happened to forget about until now?”

“No.” Somehow, Cid had found the gall to be fed up with the situation. “I don’t work with the Empire, so I don’t know what you’d expect me to have on them.”

Hunter bared his teeth. “Don’t give me that bantha-piss. You’ll work for anyone who’s willing to pay.”

“It wasn’t long ago that you did the same.”

Hunter growled. They had already gotten what would no doubt be their best chance at tracking down Hemlock, and Cid clearly wasn’t going to offer anything else up that easily. Add to that the ticking chronometer of when someone would inevitably come sniffing around to see what was going on inside that office.

Hunter had to make a decision, and he wasn’t afraid to be honest about what he desired. “I want to kill you.”

Cid’s green scales paled. She couldn’t get a word out as it was, but even if she had, she would have been drowned out by Wrecker’s protest. “Hunter, don’t.”

Hunter glanced back at his brother again. “You’re telling me you don’t want the same?”

Wrecker frowned. “Never said that.” The tight grasp he had taken on his blaster rifle softened simultaneously with his expression. “But I know why you want that, and you and I both know she wouldn’t.”

The pain Wrecker’s words brought Hunter was worse than a blaster shot.

What if Omega had been standing there with them right then? What if she had watched Hunter etch the bloody lines into Cid’s neck like this? It was different with strangers, especially people who had done much worse things. But this was someone they knew, someone they had once, against their better judgment, trusted.

This was someone Omega herself had saved. Hunter hadn’t been there, but he’d been filled in on the Safa Toma disaster. Omega had always stuck up for Cid, right up until they ultimately decided to part ways with her.

Wrecker was right. Omega wouldn’t want Hunter to kill her. Even after turning them in.

“I think you should hear Muscles out.” Cid was clearly attempting humor, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her fear.

Hunter turned back to her. His scowl hadn’t subsided, even if his resolve had. “You’re lucky I love that kid.” He tightened his grasp on the handle of his vibroblade. “Or else you would’ve died here.”

He retracted the blade from her neck just to snap the hilt against her temple. Cid collapsed to the floor in a green, bleeding heap, and even if Hunter could still detect her heartbeat, the illusion of lifelessness within her was satisfying enough.

But Hunter couldn’t look away. He froze in a way he never really had, maybe only in those first few seconds after the rail car started moving and his brother’s image faded into the Eriadu clouds. He couldn’t even bring himself to sheathe his blade.

“Hunter.” Wrecker sounded as if he was stuck underwater, a secondary sound to the drumming of Hunter’s own heartbeat and the whining of various frequencies around him. “Hunter?”

Yes, this was satisfying, to be the one who finally held power over her. To enact some type of revenge upon her for hurting their family—not just when the Empire arrived, but even before that.

But something about it also screamed wrong. It was a voice that had only grown louder in the days and months following that fateful day on Kaller. It was a voice that Hunter could hear and identify plainly within his mind. That he’d give anything to hear out loud right now.

“Hey.”

Wrecker grabbed Hunter’s shoulder, forcing him to turn towards his brother. He then lifted a hand to the back of Hunter’s head and pressed their foreheads together. Hunter was forced to look Wrecker in his organic eye, and he tried not to dwell upon the worry and concern that swam within the brown depths that were identical to his own.

“We need to go.”

That was all it took. Hunter blinked a few times and nodded, suddenly freed from his stupor as he sheathed his knife and stepped away from both Wrecker and Cid. He yet again took the lead in shuffling towards the open hatch, though he paused before he descended. “You got the holotransceiver?”

“Yeah.” Wrecker tapped something on his belt underneath his poncho. “But we gotta’ be careful, you know. These things can be tracked.”

“I know.” Hunter hopped down onto the ladder. “We’ll get what we can from it and then we’ll destroy it.” He paused as Wrecker joined him on the ladder. “Don’t forget to close the hatch.”

Wrecker obeyed, sealing them back inside the mining tunnel as they hopped down and jumped inside the mining cart. The galaxy was still fuzzier for Hunter than usual, but he paid it little mind as he instead focused on getting back to the ship in one piece.

The nest remained unbothered on their way back, and Hunter and Wrecker both kept a quicker pace on their trek back to the Marauder than they had on their way into the city. As soon as they were on board, Hunter wasted no time getting them in the air, and he only somewhat relaxed once they had launched into hyperspace.

There was no set destination, but that was fine. That was what Hunter wanted. They would be harder to track that way through the holotransceiver, and he intended to tear it apart for information straightaway.

The only thing Hunter bothered discarding was his poncho before he settled at one of the consoles midship, taking one of Tech’s old datapads and hooking it up to the computer. All the while, Wrecker had been following like a much-too quiet shadow, and Hunter turned to him with a furrowed brow.

“The transceiver.” He held out a gloved hand.

Wrecker’s thoughtful expression didn’t change even as he grabbed the holotransceiver and handed it over. Hunter could feel the warmth of his brother’s gaze on him even as he turned back around in the chair and got to work.

The silence between them didn’t last long. Hunter heard Wrecker settle himself on a bench before he addressed the bantha in the room. “Are we gonna talk about what happened back there?”

Hunter’s jaw tightened, though he tried not to let any of his ugly feelings show. “What do you mean?”

Wrecker let out a mirthless chuckle. “Fair point. There’s a lot of stuff I could be askin’ you about.”

Hunter sighed. He really didn’t want to be playing these kinds of games right now, especially not when he was trying to focus on something Tech could have accomplished in sixty seconds flat. “Just say it, then.”

“You froze.”

Hunter tensed, even if he tried to fight it. “That can happen sometimes.”

“Not to you. Not like that. I ain’t ever seen anything like that happen to you before.”

Hunter’s irritation began to bubble over as he shot Wrecker a look. “What do you want me to say?”

Wrecker was frowning, but not in anger. It was concern, with a healthy dose of frustration. “I want you to be honest with me and tell me that you’re not okay.”

Hunter flinched. He’d asked for it, sure, but he hadn’t expected Wrecker to be so… direct. “I…” He let out a quiet scoff and turned back to his work. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.”

Hunter grunted. Why won’t he just drop this already? “Why?”

Wrecker didn’t answer right away. Hunter took his silence as an opportunity to focus on what he was doing with the holotransceiver and the datapad, even if a significant part of him was filled with concern as Wrecker’s silence stretched on.

Wrecker was more thoughtful than Hunter had heard him in a long time when he finally answered Hunter’s question. “Why do you ask for our status on missions?”

Hunter stopped what he was doing in pure confusion. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “That’s standard military protocol. It enables me to keep track of where everyone’s at and what they might be dealing with.”

“Right. And what if someone doesn’t give you their status?”

Hunter’s stomach tied into an uncomfortable knot as the logic behind Wrecker’s questions became more clear. “Then I won’t know what’s happening with them or their part of the mission.”

“Right again.” Wrecker let out a sigh and stood from the bench. Hunter remained frozen where he was as his brother walked to his side and set a hand on his shoulder. “It’s just us now, Hunter. If you don’t tell me what’s going on… how am I supposed to help?”

Hunter couldn’t bear to look at his brother. He kept his gaze fixed on the datapad’s flickering vidscreen and gave his head an aimless shake. “I don’t think this is something that can be helped.”

“Not easily, no.” Wrecker gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Especially since you don’t like talkin’ about your feelings.”

Hunter grimaced and bobbed his head. “Not sure that’s gonna change anytime soon.”

Wrecker huffed. “Probably not. But it doesn’t hurt to try, does it?”

Hunter finally looked up at his brother. His brow was lifted in a hopefulness and lightheartedness that Hunter had found himself sorely missing. It was hard to deny him. “Guess not.”

Wrecker offered him a small smile. His hand fell from Hunter’s shoulder, and he tried to focus back on his work. Wrecker still lingered, though, and Hunter sensed that he had more to say.

He was right. “You said you love her.”

Hunter froze yet again at that. His chest tightened uncomfortably as he spoke around the sudden lump in his throat. “I did.”

“Never heard you say that before.”

Hunter tried to keep his voice from sounding like a threatening growl. “Your point?”

Wrecker crossed his arms. “You think she knows that?”

His brother really knew where to deliver the most devastating blows. Hunter quietly winced to himself as he watched one of his hands tighten into a fist on top of the console. “I hope so.”

“Tell you what.” Wrecker nodded. “You work on talkin’ about your feelings, and you can tell her yourself when we get her back. Yeah?”

Hunter wasn’t sure how he felt about being gentle-parented by his younger brother, but nonetheless, he conceded—because he was right. Hunter wanted to get to that point one day. He wanted to make sure she knew for sure. “Yeah.”

That must have finally satisfied Wrecker. He patted Hunter’s shoulder one more time before stepping away. Hunter wasn’t sure where he was going at first, but he soon heard the crinkling of a ration bar and realized he was having his usual post-mission snack.

Hunter threw himself headfirst into his work once again, unable to come fully to terms with the conversation he and Wrecker had just had, especially when he was so eager to try to bleed any information from that blasted holotransceiver. Like Cid, however, it was stubborn. It had nothing to offer.

She’d been right. It was a generic channel, and it couldn’t be traced back to a specific source—at least, not anything outside of Ord Mantell. And Hunter knew for a fact that Hemlock was not based on Ord Mantell.

He kept at it for at least a standard hour. That was when Wrecker returned, holding both a ration bar and a canteen that he set down next to Hunter’s makeshift work station. “Got anything?”

Hunter sighed and shook his head. “No.” He handed both the datapad and the holotransceiver to Wrecker. “Feel free to give it a go, but… I don’t think we’re gonna get anything from this.”

Wrecker’s shoulders sagged as he held the two devices. “Yeah. I had a feelin’ you’d say that.” His gaze met Hunter’s. “What now?”

Hunter ran the back of his thumb along his forehead and closed his eyes. “I’ll have to tell Echo. He and Rex might get a new tip soon if they’re starting to run missions again.”

“And until then?”

Their long-range comms picked the perfect time to go off once again. It beeped from the cockpit, splitting the air almost like a siren. Hunter was fairly confident it wasn’t Echo or Rex, and there wasn’t anyone else it could be other than the usual suspect.

Still, Hunter stood and strode into the cockpit, checking the comm codes to verify his suspicions. He was correct.

With a sigh, he lowered himself into the pilot’s chair and charted a course, speaking up loud enough for Wrecker to hear as he did so. “We’re heading back to Pabu. There’s… something we need to do.”

Chapter Text

Hunter didn’t sleep on the way to Pabu, either. He was tempted to, more than once, but he fought each drowsy wave with a task that could properly busy his tortured mind.

The first thing he did was organize the ship. It wasn’t exactly a disaster post-Eriadu, but it had seen better days. The new supplies they had picked up from Echo and Rex hadn’t been put away yet, so Hunter took it upon himself to do that.

It used to be one of Crosshair’s favorite tasks. And then Echo’s. And then Omega’s.

Wrecker hadn’t been shy in letting Echo know what they were running low on. To be fair, Echo had probably seen a lot of that for himself when he joined them on the Marauder for their disastrous mission. Whatever Wrecker had filled him in on before they left Coruscant was just added to the tally Echo had already taken note of.

From food to medical supplies, a lot of what the squad had been burning out of, especially after leaving Cid’s employ, had been replenished to a stock healthier than Hunter had seen since they first went on the run from the Empire. He would be lying if he said it didn’t relieve him.

Once he had finished that, Hunter decided to continue tidying the rest of the ship. He avoided the hard things and places first, most notably Omega’s makeshift room in the gunner’s nest and Tech’s shattered goggles sitting haphazardly on his untouched bunk.

For a while, Hunter was torn. He sat on a bench and stared between both places with burning, bloodshot eyes. Whether the sensation was from a lack of sleep or pushing back tears, he didn’t know. He just continued to fight both off anyway.

Eventually, though, he stood and approached Tech’s bunk first. There wasn’t really much he wanted to touch. Preserving it the best he could was the closest they could really come to memorializing him. Especially when there had been no body to bring home. Or even go back to.

Hunter swallowed the lump in his throat and instead focused on picking up Tech’s goggles. He set them on a bare shelf midship, just beside Tech’s favorite console, and moved on to the last place he had to touch.

The curtain to Omega’s room had already been pushed aside, and as Hunter ascended his way up the ladder and into the small space, his chest tightened uncomfortably. Omega’s bed was still unmade, with both Trooper and Lula sitting on top of it. The ball the Lawquane kids had gifted her was also tucked away in the corner.

Part of Hunter wanted to take Lula and offer her back to Wrecker, but… they would both admit that it felt wrong. Lula had belonged to Wrecker for a long time, but he had intentionally given her to Omega. She now represented everything innocent and childlike about Omega, a kid that the galaxy was constantly trying to harden.

Hunter held the stuffed tooka between his hands and stared at it, remembering each and every time when he had delicately set the toy into Omega’s arms when she had finally managed to fall asleep after particularly intense missions.

He resolved to set Lula up against the chair of the gunner’s mount, where she would still be visible from midship. Hunter wanted her to be one of the first things Omega saw when she got back. Everything else, however, was neatened along with her bed, ready for her first night back.

Those two tasks had used up a lot of their travel time. All the while, Wrecker was doing what Hunter should’ve been. His snores provided the kind of white noise that would have annoyed Hunter under different circumstances, but had instead become a shred of normalcy that he and his senses latched on to.

Hunter passed by his quarters and instead entered the cockpit, securing the door closed behind him. Early on in their trip, he had tried to make contact with Echo, but he hadn’t gotten a response. Apparently, the ARC trooper had already set out on another rescue mission, or maybe even a data pull. If it had anything to do with Hemlock, though, Hunter would have already known about it.

Still, Hunter tried again. He wanted to keep Echo, and Rex by proxy, as in-the-loop as possible. That way, they would return the favor. Hunter couldn’t bear the thought of any kind of potential intel slipping through his fingers.

Plus… Echo was family. And Hunter worried about family, now more than ever before.

To Hunter’s surprise, Echo actually answered. His image appeared in holographic light as he raised his brow. “Have to say, Hunter, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

Hunter grunted. “I wish I had better news.”

Echo grimaced. “Cid didn’t have anything?”

Hunter shook his head. “All we got was the holotransceiver she tipped the Empire off on. The channel was too generic, though. Came locally from Ord Mantell. There’s always the chance we could infiltrate whatever Imperial outpost might exist on-world to comb through their systems, but…”

“That’s a risky mission for just the two of you.” Echo hummed in consideration. “I’ll talk to Rex about it, see if he thinks it’s worth trying.” He crossed his arm and his scomp over his chest as his brow furrowed. “Unfortunately, they probably wipe data like that on the daily.”

Hunter sighed. “That’s what I thought, too.”

“You still have the transceiver?”

“Yes and no.”

Echo’s brow shot up.

“We didn’t want to be traced. I let Wrecker destroy it once we got whatever was useful out of it. So, if you’re looking for the scraps, yeah, we have it.”

Echo huffed. “That’s not gonna be useful anymore, but thanks.”

Hunter let out a chuckle, but it was more half-hearted than he would’ve liked. Echo seemed to notice, if his narrowed eyes were any indication.

“What’re you up to now, then?”

Hunter squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he fought off a growing migraine. Whether it was from sleep deprivation, stress, or a lack of sustenance… well, it was probably all three. “We’re headed to Pabu.”

The corners of Echo’s mouth pulled tight. “Finally telling Phee?”

“And the rest of them.” Hunter reopened his eyes and crossed his arms over his unarmored chest, leaning back further in the pilot’s chair. “They… were both a big part of the community.”

“Seems to me like you all were.” Echo’s tone lightened. “And still are.” That note of positivity vanished quickly as he lowered his tone even more than before. “How do you think she’s gonna take it?”

Hunter gave his head an aimless shake. “Don’t know. She’s used to bad news and things going to druk, especially if our latest outing with her was any indication of a typical day in her life, but something like this…” His lips tightened into a thin line. “I just don’t know.”

Echo’s expression softened. “They were that close?”

Hunter shocked himself when a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You should’ve seen them. She was always more forward than he was, of course, but he definitely reciprocated.”

“That’s… definitely not what I would’ve expected. I wish I could’ve seen more of them together before we headed out.”

“They’ve been together more often than not in the last few months.” Hunter blinked a few times as he forcibly pulled himself out of the blissful past and back into his harsh reality. “That’s why it’s harder to predict how she’ll react.” He blew out a heavy breath. “Part of me thinks she already knows.”

“And the others?”

Hunter swallowed hard. “The friends Omega made probably won’t take it well. But there’s not much we can do about that right now.”

Echo’s expression morphed into genuine sympathy. “I really don’t envy you, Hunter. Being the bearer of bad news is never easy.” Concern shone in his gaze, strong enough to be identified even through the flickering holographic light. “Just make sure you’re taking it as easy as you can. Alright? This is a lot of stress for one person to be carrying.”

Hunter scoffed quietly. If that wasn’t the understatement of the millennium.

Echo’s eyes narrowed. “I mean that.”

Hunter shifted uncomfortably under his older brother’s well-intentioned scrutiny. “I know you do.”

“Good.” Echo glanced over his shoulder and sighed. “Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta’ go. We’re about to head out for a rescue op.”

“That briefing’s why you missed my call earlier, eh?”

“Yeah. We don’t get many breaks ‘round here.” Echo’s arm and scomp fell back to his sides as he faced Hunter more seriously. “I’m gonna be busy for a bit, but you know I’ll get back to you with anything we might have. Do the same. Okay?”

Hunter nodded. “Be safe.”

“Aren’t I always?” Echo offered an amused grin before he added one last thing. “And I want to hear how it goes on Pabu. Send Phee my best.”

“I will.” Hunter offered him a two-fingered salute. “Havoc-One, out.”

“Havoc-Four, out.”

The transmission fizzled out. Hunter stared into the blank, dark space for a few seconds too long, his protective urges and tendencies worsening more than ever before.

Echo was an ARC trooper. He had survived in the war long before he had even crossed paths with their squad. But he was family, and Hunter had lost too much of that recently.

Was this how everything was going to be now? Hunter worrying endlessly about brothers who were more than capable of defending themselves, all because fate had finally caught up with one of them?

Hunter ran a hand over his face and closed his eyes. He was so tired already. He’d been tired before, but it was worse now. Especially with him actively avoiding sleep.

He didn’t have a choice. He was lucky the Kaminoans had engineered them all as soldiers who pushed on no matter the circumstances. Otherwise, Hunter would’ve crumbled into nothing long ago. He had already wanted to fall apart after Crosshair.

He still did.

The Marauder chimed to alert him of the upcoming drop from hyperspace just before the door to the cockpit slid open. Hunter opened his eyes and turned in the chair, watching as Wrecker stretched on his way to the copilot’s seat. His brother plopped down and nodded at the comms. “Was that Echo?”

“Yeah. You just missed him.”

“Shame.” Wrecker toggled some of the systems in front of him. “What’d he say about our Cid situation?”

Hunter did the same on his side of the controls. “Mostly what I expected. He’s gonna talk to Rex about running an op on Ord Mantell’s Imperial outpost, but he thinks they wipe the data regularly, so it’s probably pointless.”

Wrecker grunted. “Means we don’t have a lead anymore.”

Hunter nodded. “He’s headed out on a rescue op, though. Maybe he’ll pick something up like he did last time.”

Wrecker perked up at that. “Well, here’s to hoping, eh?”

The Marauder chose that moment to drop out of hyperspace. The endless stretch of stars thinned out as they began their approach towards Pabu’s welcoming blue atmosphere. It was the first time Hunter was somewhat dreading the sight of it.

He wasn’t alone in that line of thinking. “It’ll be nice to be back, but…” Wrecker huffed. “I ain’t looking forward to this.”

Hunter gripped the yoke just a bit tighter. “Neither am I.”

He steered them towards the island in tense silence. Pabu was the closest thing to a home they had ever had outside the Marauder itself, even more so than Kamino, but it had also become a cruel reminder of the life they could have had. Of the life even Crosshair had tried to get them to hold onto by sending them that message.

How ironic that it was their loyalty to each other that had gotten one of them killed.

Hunter eased the Marauder down in its usual place. He could already make out two figures emerging from the Archium, and he didn’t have to stare long or hard to know exactly who they were. Hunter wondered to himself how long they had been waiting. If they would’ve waited forever if it came down to that.

He worked on powering the ship down as Wrecker stood beside him. Hunter only paused when Wrecker’s hand fell on his unarmored shoulder. He looked up and met Wrecker’s soft yet intense gaze. “I’ll head out there first.”

Hunter’s lips parted in surprise. He was so used to having to be the one who broke news like this that he hadn’t even considered the idea that Wrecker could, or would, do it for him. Dread still pooled in his gut, but a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders as Hunter nodded at him.

Wrecker nodded in return. He squeezed Hunter’s shoulder and strode towards the hatch to lower the ramp. Before he could step out into the Pabu sunlight, Hunter spoke up loud enough to be heard. “Wrecker?”

His brother paused, sparing Hunter a glance. Hunter took a deep breath and fought to let at least some of what he was feeling show on his face.

“Thank you.”

Wrecker smiled at him, a real smile, and nodded once more. He then turned back to the open hatch and descended into the Pabu sunlight.

Hunter continued to sit where he was, swiveling back to the viewport in front of him and staring out into the seemingly endless Pabu horizon. He could tell by the position of the sun that dusk would be quickly approaching, but blue still overpowered the majority of the colors in the sky.

It looked too vibrant, too alive, to be real. Hunter knew straightaway what was starting to eat away at him, even if he wanted to deny that it existed at all.

He felt guilty for being here. For being one of the few to make it back to this beautiful, ethereal place. Tech had a million more reasons to be the one who made it back home, and the biggest one of all was currently having a muted conversation with Wrecker outside the ship.

Survivor’s guilt was as certain and familiar in a clone’s life as the battles they were trained to face, but Hunter had never experienced it like this, with a member of his very own squad. His very own family.

Hunter leaned his head back against the chair and let out a heavy breath. He couldn’t take too much time collecting himself. Wrecker might have been willing to be the one to deliver the bad news, but Hunter didn’t want to leave him to it for too long. He couldn’t hide inside this ship forever.

Hunter prepared himself for Phee’s understandable anger and resentment as he stood from the pilot’s chair and headed towards the open hatch. His movements slowed as he took the brief opportunity he had to survey the scene.

Things looked… better than expected. Wrecker was still talking to Phee, with Shep lingering nearby. Her expression was serious, though not as grave as Shep’s, and when Hunter looked even more closely, he caught concern in her eyes as she studied his brother.

That look of hers intensified when her gaze flickered over to Hunter’s.

He bristled, tensing in preparation for a fight, and forced himself forward down the stairs of the Marauder’s ramp. Wrecker followed Phee’s gaze, and his eyes flashed in understanding as he took the opportunity to step away and approach Shep. The two of them shared a friendly yet somber embrace, but Hunter remained focused on Phee.

Hunter couldn’t hold her gaze for long. As soon as his boots hit the ground, his hands tightened into fists at his sides, and his stare darted around at anything except the woman his late brother had been more than likely intending to spend the rest of his life with.

“Phee, I…” Hunter hesitated on an uncertain breath. He wasn’t any good at this. “I’m sorry. For not answering your comms. For losing him. Them. I…”

He willed more words to come, but they wouldn’t. Hunter and Phee had fought about a lot less before; he was more than ready for her to tear him apart for this. For not doing the one thing he should’ve been able to do as this squad’s leader: bring them all home safe.

But that’s not what she did. Instead, before Hunter could even make sense of what was happening, Phee stepped forward into Hunter’s space and wrapped her arms around him, inviting him into her embrace.

Hunter was frozen in shock for a few solid seconds. All he could do was stare over her shoulder and blink into the distance. Phee, the same Phee he bickered with like a sibling, was hugging him. Even after all the times they had fought before. Even after she knew what had happened to his brother.

But what surprised Hunter the most was the realization that he needed it.

Hunter wrapped his arms around her in return and let out the breath he’d been holding. He held Phee gingerly, as if a tighter embrace would make her realize what she was doing and pull away from him. Still, she held him longer than Hunter could have ever expected, and he found it more and more difficult to stave off the emotions welling up inside of him the longer it went on.

There was a solid lump in his throat when Phee finally pulled away. She set her hands on his shoulders, her lips curled up in an amused smile as she ignored the tears that sat upon her own waterline. “You look like druk.”

Hunter huffed in genuine amusement. “Thanks.”

Phee let out her own chuckle and patted one of his shoulders before lowering her hands back to her own hips. She gestured with her eyes to his forehead. “I see you’ve got a new look.”

Hunter shrugged, his gaze averting hers again. “It was time for a change.”

“I get it.” Phee stepped close enough to set a gentle hand upon Hunter’s back as she started to guide him towards Wrecker and Shep. “C’mon. Let’s get a real meal in you.”

Hunter didn’t have the heart to tell her that food was the last thing on his mind, but he wouldn’t deny her. Not after he had, quite literally, let her future with his brother slip away from his grasp. So he let her guide him, and if she insisted on him eating, well, he would do that, too.

Later, when twilight had settled over the island, Hunter found himself sitting alone on the Pabu shore. His knees were drawn up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. It’d been a long time since he’d positioned himself in such a way, making himself smaller to the galaxy around him, but it somehow soothed him right now. He knew why, but couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge it.

Their meal had gone without issue. Phee and Shep knew what the right questions to ask were, avoiding anything too painful while also satisfying their curiosity about what Hunter and Wrecker’s next steps were. Hunter forced himself to be more talkative than he would’ve liked to, if only to throw them off his scent about the true storm that still raged within him.

Wrecker was the one who had closely monitored Hunter’s plate. Between his own meal, however, and the darkness sparkling overhead, Wrecker had been lulled back to sleep. Hunter had encouraged him to settle inside the Marauder for the night and assured him he wouldn’t be out long.

Hunter wasn’t sure coming out here alone was a good idea, but he also needed the space. It gave him a lot of dangerous room to think, even if it helped him breathe easier, especially with the comforting tang of sea salt in the air.

It reminded him of a conversation he’d had with Tech just a night or two before they left for Eriadu. Hunter had thought he was truly alone in wanting to stay on Pabu long-term, but… Tech had all but confessed right then that once they brought Crosshair home, he would stay, so long as Phee was there.

She really was going to be his brother’s forever. But forever didn’t last long for him. For them.

“You’re catastrophizing again, aren’t you?”

Phee’s voice made Hunter jump as he looked up from where he’d rested his chin upon his own knees. He continued to hug his legs even as he turned his head to watch as Phee sat beside him on the sandy shore. Though her tone had been amused, her gaze was earnest, sparkling in the last lingering lights of the dusky sky.

Hunter managed a huff at her words and shook his head. “Seems to be my lot in life.”

Phee hummed at that. She didn’t say anything else right away. Hunter had a feeling she was easing him into her presence, gearing up for a conversation he probably didn’t want to have, but knew he needed to.

There were details they hadn’t given her yet. She’d want to know them. And as reluctant as Hunter was to recount them, she deserved to have them.

“I knew.” Phee glanced up at the starry sky, even as Hunter carefully studied her schooled expression. “Don’t know how, but once a day had turned into two, and then three, and Brown Eyes still hadn’t updated me with a mission success…” She shrugged. “Something in my gut told me it was him.”

Hunter shivered at that and hoped she didn’t notice. “And the rest of us?”

Phee shook her head. “That was what was scaring me the most. I just had to hope you were tied up with something else. And, well, I guess I was right, wasn’t I?”

Hunter tipped his head towards her. “You were.”

Phee let out a quiet breath. He could feel her eyes on him, even though he’d turned his own attention to the stretch of rippling water ahead of them. She spoke more softly than he could ever remember hearing when she broke their brief silence. “I’m sorry about Brown Eyes, Hunter.” She paused before going on. “And your kid.”

Hunter rested his chin upon his knees again and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Ordinarily, he might’ve just said it was fine and tried to move on, but it wasn’t, and they both knew that. It was tearing him apart, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Like any physical injury, he continued to fight through it. That was part of the job for a soldier. And as badly as Hunter had wanted to move on from that life, he was still in it. Their mission wasn’t over yet.

Phee gave him time, but eventually, she started to press in the way Hunter had predicted. “Wrecker couldn’t tell me how it happened.”

Hunter’s eyes fluttered open as he let out a worried breath. “He thinks it’s his fault.”

“I’m willing to bet he’s not the only one.”

Hunter shot Phee a look. Her brow was raised, wordlessly daring him to tell her she was wrong. He couldn’t, and so he focused back on the darkening horizon, circling his jaw and holding his knees just a bit tighter. “It was all going to plan until it wasn’t.”

He didn’t want to relive this. Force, he really didn’t want to relive this.

“Someone else attacked the compound while we were inside. We got caught in the crossfire. A power outage trapped us on the rail line, and they sent in air support.” Hunter ignored the growing tremor in his voice and hoped Phee was doing the same. “Tech hopped out to bring the power back online. He… didn’t make it back.”

Hunter wanted to leave it there, but he couldn’t. It wouldn’t do proper justice to the sacrifice Tech had made to save the rest of them.

“He was suspended from the other half of the car that was ripping us from the track. Wrecker tried to pull it up, but it just wasn’t possible. We all would’ve fallen if he didn’t… if he hadn’t…”

Hunter had to stop there. Even if he wanted to go on this time, he couldn’t. Bile rose to match the hardened lump in his throat, and he clamped his jaw shut, wishing the memory away as if it was nothing more than a nightmare.

Phee hummed again, though the sound was more somber this time. “He shot himself down with that half of the car to let the rest of you get away safely.”

Hunter nodded. His heart was beating way too fast for someone who was just sitting on the ground, but there was little he could do to stop it.

Phee remained quiet as she let the words sink in. It took a few beats for her to say anything else. “Was that one of your many contingency plans?”

Hunter’s voice was nearly inaudible as he answered. “Plan Ninety-Nine.”

Phee clicked her tongue. “I always wondered what the coveted ninety-ninth plan would be. Brown Eyes had only just started to teach me the first thirty or so.” She hesitated, no doubt reluctant to push Hunter further, but also needing to satisfy her own aching curiosity. “And Omega?”

Hunter shuddered. He blamed the sea breeze for that. “She was injured when we lost control of the railcar. Most of us were. The medical droid AZI was still at Cid’s on Ord Mantell, and I knew he could give her the help she needed.”

“Cid.” Phee practically spat out the name in a way that instantly earned Hunter’s respect. “Let me guess. She turned you boys in?”

Hunter nodded. “We were all over the Imperial channels. There was no way she could resist whatever price tag they put on us.”

Phee glanced over at Hunter, confused. “But why Omega? She’s just a kid.”

Hunter didn’t like to think about the potential answer to that question. “The scientist, Hemlock, just mentioned that she had to be returned to Nala Se. But they killed the Kaminoans when they destroyed Tipoca City, so… I don’t know.”

“It must be hard not knowing.”

What an understatement. It was killing Hunter slowly not knowing exactly why she’d been taken. It was maybe the only thing that managed to match the devastation of not knowing where she was.

What were they doing to her there? She wasn’t safe, that much was clear, but just how unsafe was she? How much would she have to suffer each day that passed without them finding her?

Those thoughts were enough to threaten dispelling the meal Hunter had shoved down earlier, but since he wasn’t alone, he forced himself to calm down with a slow and steady breath that he exhaled through his nose. He still couldn’t bring himself to speak, though.

Phee noticed. She shuffled just a bit closer to where Hunter was sitting, silently reminding him of her presence before she spoke again. “We’ve talked about this before, Hunter. Times have changed. In your head, you’re still leading them, but they’re all making their own choices, too.” Her hand found his shoulder. “This isn’t your fault.”

Hunter closed his eyes and turned his head away from her, pressing his tattooed cheek against his knees. His voice wavered dangerously. “Phee…”

“Hunter.” She squeezed his shoulder. “I know you’re hurting. It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend you’re not.”

Hunter’s face screwed up in both indignation and a valiant effort to fight the burning behind his closed eyelids. The lump in his throat grew tighter, clawing at him like shrapnel.

“Brown Eyes knew I hadn’t been around long enough to know your family’s dynamics, so, naturally, he explained it to me. You want to know what he said about you?”

Hunter tensed as the warmth of a single tear escaped one of his eyes. His voice was barely a pitiful whisper. “Phee…”

“He said they wouldn’t be alive without you.”

Hunter buried his face in his arm and hoped she couldn’t hear the muffled cry that escaped him.

“He was always worried about you. Worried about your tendency to take personal responsibility for all of them and their safety. It was his way of asking me to help him monitor it, especially on our, um, outing.”

Hunter would’ve chuckled at the memory, or at least jokingly insisted that Phee had taken on that role a little too heartily, but he was too busy trying to keep himself from fracturing completely. He couldn’t stop the tears now that they were flowing, but he could at least keep them hidden, letting them stain the fabric that covered his arm.

“I have full confidence that if Brown Eyes was here right now, he’d want to remind you that it was his choice.” Phee’s hand shifted from Hunter’s shoulder to his back. “I don’t blame you for it, Hunter. I know Wrecker doesn’t, either. None of them do.” She gently patted his back. “So you should stop blaming yourself, too.”

Hunter shook his head. It just wasn’t that easy. Sure, the logic made sense, but no one else knew what it had been like to keep them all alive on Kamino, when everyone was holding their breath and waiting for them to fail. Keeping them alive during the war had been even harder. Their flawless success rate constantly breathing down his neck, ticking like a chronometer he could never actually see…

Then, the war actually ended, and things somehow got worse. It was as if every decision Hunter made for his family was just wrong enough to put them all at risk.

No, he couldn’t absolve himself of the blame. Not yet, anyway. If ever.

Phee didn’t challenge him, though. She was sparing him. He knew that. She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but she sat here with him anyway, pretending not to notice that he was still silently crying into his own sleeve.

Hunter was so preoccupied with somewhat holding himself together that he barely noticed Wrecker’s approach until his brother’s familiar form was already lowering at his side. Wrecker slung his arm over Hunter’s shoulders in a show of support that was just as silent yet reassuring as Phee’s on his other side.

Phee must have silently commed him. Hunter couldn’t bring himself to care, even if it would’ve made him angry in another circumstance. Phee had become family in a way, but he needed his brother more than he cared to admit.

Maybe it was time to start caring about things like that a little bit more. After all, like Wrecker had said before, they only had each other now.

Hunter had no idea where they were headed next, but at least he knew he wasn’t alone. Not completely. And for right now, that would be enough to keep him fighting another day.

Chapter Text

ONE MONTH AFTER

Hunter, I need you!

The memory of Omega’s voice was so viscerally real that it made Hunter sit up straight in his bunk with a volatile rush of adrenaline and just enough air to half-gasp and half-cry out to her. “Omega!”

But it wasn’t real. There weren’t any noises around him—no struggles, no comm interference, no true danger lurking. There was nothing. Just the hum of the Marauder in hyperspace and the quiet, raspy panting of his own breath.

Worst of all, there was no Omega. There hadn’t been for quite some time, now. Too much time.

Hunter pulled his knees towards his chest and braced his forearms upon them. He buried his sweat-coated face against his arms and reminded himself to breathe, breathe, and ground himself to reality rather than whatever galaxy he had disappeared to in his dreams.

These days, he really couldn’t decide if that galaxy was better or worse than the one he was currently living in. He was either experiencing the life he had dreamt of before Eriadu, sometimes even before Kaller, or, most times, he was just failing his family again. And again. And again.

This time, it was solely the latter.

Hunter heard the telltale swish of the door to his quarters activating, but he didn’t lift his head from where he still had it buried in his arms. A steady weight shifted the blankets on his bunk as a familiar, grounding presence settled at his side, as certain as the large, gentle hand that splayed upon his back.

Wrecker didn’t have to say anything. This was far from the first time this had happened in the last month. It was their new normal, a routine that was becoming as regular to the remnants of their family as gearing up before a mission.

The combination of Hunter’s careful breathing and the small, soothing circles Wrecker’s hand drew on his back lulled him into the present moment. Hunter let out a quiet sigh and lifted his head just enough to rest his chin upon his uppermost arm, though he kept his eyes closed as he did so.

After a few more beats of silence, Wrecker finally spoke, his typically booming cadence lowered to something so soft and tender that it pulled at Hunter’s tightened chest. “You wanna sleep some more?”

Hunter shook his head. “Won’t be able to, anyway.” He cracked his eyes open and turned his head just enough to face Wrecker. His brother’s expression projected calmness and comfort, but Hunter could plainly see the worry, concern, and genuine sympathy that darkened his gaze. “How far out are we?”

“Still got a couple o’ hours. You saw how far we were when Phee first sent the coordinates.”

Hunter let out a huff. “Yeah. It’s not far from where we first started.” He was torn between a flicker of amusement and his overwhelming weariness as he went on. “Crossed the whole galaxy in just a month. Gotta be a new record.”

Wrecker chuckled as he gently patted his brother’s back. “Bet we can do it even faster next time.” He stood from the bunk and slid his hand onto Hunter’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he did so. “I’ll make us somethin’ other than rations if you wanna freshen up.”

All Hunter could supply in response was a nod. The lump had returned to his throat, and it was unyielding to the words he wanted to say, the same words he had already said to Wrecker a thousand times. He would more than likely say them to him a thousand times more.

Wrecker stepped out of Hunter’s quarters, letting the door slide closed behind him. Hunter exhaled a heavy breath and willed the weight of his guilt to escape with the air from his corrupted lungs.

It shouldn’t have been like that. Hunter was their older brother. Their sergeant. Their leader. He was supposed to be the one taking care of Wrecker, sitting by his side after nightmares and offering to make him a meal while he recovered. Instead, it was the other way around.

Hunter had to pull himself together. And not just for Wrecker, but also for Omega. How could he expect to take care of her again when he couldn’t even do the same for his brother?

This was the thought that pushed Hunter off his bunk. His routine was mechanical, with each action blurring into the next until he had reassembled every physical part of himself aside from his armor. Hunter forced everything else into a blur, too, until he was a messy mosaic of the man he used to be. Enough of a man to actually do something without acknowledging the cracks in his own fragile composure.

Hunter stepped out into midship to see Wrecker finishing up by their makeshift galley, plating something that already smelled much more promising than their bland-tasting rations. He joined his brother at their makeshift table, who grinned as Hunter sat down across from him.

“This is somethin’ I borrowed from Gregor.” Wrecker shrugged and offered Hunter a utensil. “Not sure if mine’ll be any good, ‘specially given our limited stock here, but… anything’s better than another one of those rations right now, eh?”

Hunter let out an amused huff and nodded. “Smells great.” He offered his brother a small smile before he dug in, and instantly, his taste buds were happier than they’d been in days, weeks even. Since the last time they’d been on Pabu, really. “Tastes great, too.”

Wrecker’s shoulders lifted as he beamed. “Glad to hear it.”

The two of them continued to eat in comfortable silence, allowing the tension from the earliest part of their day to melt away. Hunter, however, still clung to some of it, most notably what rubbed against the most tender parts of himself until they were raw. He needed a balm for it, but he seeking it would likely cause him even more discomfort.

Still, Hunter wanted to try, at least this time. As he gently pushed his empty dish away on the makeshift table, he let out a soft sigh and looked his brother in his one good eye. “Thanks, Wrecker.” He gestured with his gaze to the dish. “For this, and…” he paused, fighting past the uncomfortable lump within his throat, “before.”

Wrecker’s brow furrowed in sincerity as he also pushed aside his empty dish. “You don’t gotta’ thank me for any of it, Hunter.” He nodded. “You’re my brother. It’s what we do.”

Hunter let out a sigh. “Yeah, but…” He floundered, his gaze searching as he tried to put his complex thoughts into more delicate words.

“Hunter.” Wrecker’s stern tone caught Hunter’s attention. His lost stare found his brother’s again. “You’re our leader, sure, but you’re still my brother. And I take care of my brothers, no matter what.” He stood and clapped a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Just like you always have.” Wrecker gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Let me return the favor. Yeah?”

Hunter chewed on his words for a long moment before he ultimately, albeit reluctantly, conceded with a small nod. Wrecker patted his shoulder before he took both the empty dishes and washed them out in their makeshift galley.

Hunter might have been satisfied with Wrecker’s words were it not for the fact that Wrecker was also hurting just as badly as he was. This wasn’t something that only affected Hunter alone. That was what kept eating away at him every time he had to fall under the care of his younger brother.

He couldn’t sit still, especially not with these thoughts bouncing around in his mind, and so Hunter stood and at least began retrieving their gear from their lockers. By the time Wrecker had finished and joined him, he was smiling in a way that was half-genuine and half-over-enthusiastic—another effort to soothe his brother.

“Thanks, boss.” Wrecker clapped a hand on Hunter’s back more gently than he would have even just a month ago. He joined Hunter in assembling his kit. “Echo’s not coming, right?”

Hunter nodded as he secured his gauntlet. “They’re still between bases.”

Wrecker grunted and let out a quiet breath. “Can’t be easy, tryin’ to move all that resource from right under the Empire’s nose.”

Hunter scoffed. “The Empire’s always inescapable until you’re actually trying to look for them.”

He felt Wrecker’s sympathetic gaze pinning him, but Hunter wouldn’t look up from where he was securing the armor on his legs. They were both already frustrated from their inability to find Hemlock and Omega, but there was an element to it that Wrecker would never understand.

He wasn’t engineered like Hunter was. To track. To search. To find. And he couldn’t even do that.

“They can’t hide forever.” Wrecker was as optimistic as ever, and while it might have been grating or even insincere coming from anyone else, Hunter knew his brother well enough to understand and appreciate his words of comfort. “Not from us.”

Hunter huffed, a small yet genuinely amused sound that even tugged at the corners of his lips in a way he had forgotten he was even capable of. “True.” He spared his brother a quick look. “But one day, that line of thinking is gonna get us…”

Killed.

Whatever fraction of a smile Hunter was wearing dropped from his face instantly.

Wrecker was more graceful in conversations like these than many people gave him credit for, but even he couldn’t salvage this. The two brothers froze and stared at each other in horrified silence that lasted for too many heavy breaths. It stretched on in a way that made the Marauder’s filtered air whistle through Hunter’s ears like the clouds on Eriadu, stretching the bounds of the ship into an endless chasm of dark, dreary skies…

Wrecker cleared his throat and focused back on his armor. “Well, far as I can tell, you ‘n’ me are still here, so we get to boast about it.”

Was Hunter here, though? More often than not those days, it felt like he had left most of himself in that destroyed railcar. But even before then, he had left a piece of himself on that landing pad on Kamino.

And now, the best part of himself was locked away in some lab they couldn’t find.

So all Hunter could really offer his brother was a noncommittal huff. It didn’t feel right to lie to Wrecker after everything he was doing to keep the two of them afloat, but he couldn’t let the truth spill out, either. He had to settle for some middle ground.

Wrecker spared him this time. Whether it was intentional or not was unclear, but Hunter would take whatever he could get. They resumed in more comfortable silence until Wrecker had found an appropriate topic to switch to. “So, Phee’s gonna meet us there?”

“Uh-huh.” Hunter snapped his vibroblade into its sheath. “At least, that’s what she said.”

Wrecker’s brow shot up at that. “You don’t believe her?”

“Oh, I do.” Hunter fixed his brother with a look. “But with the way things went last time we teamed up, I’m not expecting anything to go to plan.”

Wreckler chuckled and shrugged. “Hey, at least it all turned out for the best, eh?”

Hunter also shrugged, even if he more than agreed with the sentiment. “We got lucky.” He gave his head a subtle shake and lowered his voice to a murmur. “We always do.”

Wrecker came close enough to knock his armored shoulder against Hunter’s. “It ain’t luck. It’s skill. And it’s saved our lives more times than anyone could ever count.”

Wrecker didn’t continue, but his last few words hung in the air between them. Even Tech.

Force, did Hunter miss him. And not just for what he had to offer their squad in terms of skill. Hunter just missed his brother; the constant, steadfast presence at his side that soothed him more than he had ever realized. Not until it was too late. Not until the pillar that served as his foundation had crumbled into dust and blown away with the wind.

He was so, so tired of having brothers to miss. But at least he still had one.

Hunter settled for a grimace as he patted Wrecker on the back, a show of support and a sign of reassurance. Having finished with his kit, Hunter stepped forward into the cockpit, taking his place in the pilot’s chair and letting his fingers dance along the controls. He waited until Wrecker had joined him to enter the comm code that was as familiar as any one of his brothers’.

Phee answered almost immediately. “There you are, boys. Thought you might’ve gotten lost in space for a bit there.”

Hunter gave his head a shake as Wrecker chuckled. “We weren’t exactly close when you sent the coordinates, Phee.” He gestured to her holographic image with his chin. “You already there?”

Phee bobbed her head. “Almost.”

“Well, we’ve got a few hours yet.”

Wrecker checked something on his side of the controls. “Just ‘bout two more, Phee.”

Phee hummed. “Yeah, I’ll definitely beat you there.”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed. “Where exactly are we going?”

Phee waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just a port.”

Hunter’s brow shot up. “A port?”

“Yes, Hunter. A port.”

“And what’s this port called?”

Phee set her hands on her hips. “Does it matter?”

Hunter crossed his arms. “If it doesn’t, then you shouldn’t have a problem telling us.”

Wrecker gave Hunter a look that begged for him to drop it, but he wouldn’t. If they had a few hours of the trip left, then Hunter wanted to spend that time researching this place to see what exactly Phee hoped to get from it.

Phee rolled her eyes, though the gesture lacked the ire it used to have before Eriadu. “Port Borgo.”

Hunter mulled on the name for a few drawn-out seconds. “It’s a pirate port, isn’t it?”

“It’s…” Phee sighed. “It’s a port, Hunter.”

“A pirate port.”

“A port for pirates. But anyone can go there.”

Hunter grunted. “What exactly do you think we’re gonna get from a pirate port?”

Phee gave him an incredulous look. “What wouldn’t you get from a pirate port? Clearly, you’ve never been to one.”

Hunter scoffed, though the sound was mostly coated in amusement. “Clearly.”

Meanwhile, Wrecker was as judicious as ever, punching his fist into his hand as he let out a triumphant chuckle. “Sounds fun!”

Hunter shot him a look. “‘Fun’?”

Wrecker leveled him with one in return. “Yeah, Hunter. Fun.” Wrecker gave his brother’s shoulder a shove. “We can still have that sometimes, y’know.”

Hunter wanted to argue, but he saw it lingering in the depths of Wrecker’s organic eye, a desperation for him to just relent and let him have this. Just as he relied on Wrecker overlooking the true depth of Hunter’s own devastation and instability, Wrecker relied on Hunter letting him act the way he always has to ignore the unhealed wounds within himself.

Hunter wouldn’t deny his brother that. Especially not after everything he’d been doing for him.

He conceded with a light sigh and nodded. “Fair enough.”

Wrecker’s shoulders lifted as the tension in his face melted back into enthused anticipation. He turned back to Phee’s holographic image with a bright smile. “They got good food there, Phee?”

Phee made a face that she quickly disguised with some facade of excitement. “They definitely have food.”

Hunter huffed, now thoroughly amused by Phee’s deflection. “I take it that pirate food isn’t exactly ‘good’ food?”

Phee tilted her head at him. “It’s just food.”

“No, it’s not.”

When Hunter failed to elaborate, Phee’s brow shot up. He kept them in anticipation for just a moment longer.

“It’s pirate food.”

Phee groaned and rolled her eyes. “Hunter…”

Wrecker let out the loudest laugh Hunter had heard from him since Eriadu. The sound of it brought a genuine smile to Hunter’s lips. It was a foreign expression, especially those days, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

If only he could enjoy it without reminding himself that he had no right to smile, or laugh, or feel anything other than determination and despair with so little of his family left to protect.

Wrecker steadied his breathing enough to talk. “Well, ‘s long as it’s better than rations, we’ll take it.”

“My point exactly.” Phee narrowed her eyes in Hunter’s direction and grumbled. “‘Pirate food’. Unbelievable.”

Hunter shrugged, clinging to the remnants of his satisfied smile before it faded from his expression completely. He let out a sigh and leaned forward in his chair. “We’ll make contact once we arrive, meet you there, then gather our intel. We can do a sweep for supplies along the way.”

Phee nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” She looked between the two brothers with a more serious look than Hunter was used to seeing from her—at least, before they had left Pabu that fateful day. “Try to get a little more rest before you get here. Yeah?”

Hunter made no promises, but Wrecker offered her a nod. “Sure thing.”

Phee returned the gesture. “See you boys soon.”

She cut the comm from her end. Hunter let out a quieter breath and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he visualized the upcoming mission as best as he could without knowing exactly where they were landing.

A gentle hand on his shoulder made Hunter reopen his eyes. Wrecker was standing above him, offering a kind smile, one that wasn’t aimed for reassurance but certainly provided some sort of comfort. “I’m gonna get some more shut-eye, I think. Wake me up when you have to.”

Hunter nodded. He read between the lines of Wrecker’s words quite plainly. He wasn’t just talking about their arrival.

Wrecker gave his shoulder a squeeze before letting his hand fall away. He strode out of the cockpit, leaving Hunter in his lonesome as the sergeant stood and relocated to the navigator’s chair. He pulled his datapad and leaned forward on his elbows, willing himself to read whatever he could get on this Port Borgo with at least half the reading speed as his late brother.

“Hey.”

Wrecker’s voice was so soft that Hunter could barely tell it was his boisterous brother. He opened his eyes, blinking, and lifted his head from where it had somehow gotten buried in his arms on the console in front of him. Wrecker had yet again secured a hand on his shoulder as he looked down at him with a soft smile.

“We’re about to drop outta’ hyperspace.”

Hunter nodded stiffly as he took stock of what had happened. He must have drifted off during his research, which had proved quite fruitless without someone as thorough as Tech leading the charge.

More importantly, though, it was his first dreamless sleep since Eriadu.

But Wrecker’s slumber must not have been as productive. Hunter saw the darkness lurking in the depths of Wrecker’s gaze, and a tension in his posture that he didn’t have before. It worsened when Hunter pushed himself out of the navigator’s chair, and Wrecker made a subtle move closer to him, as if to catch him if he fell.

Hunter waved him off with the most reassuring smile he could manage before he pivoted towards the pilot’s chair. Wrecker followed quietly and lowered himself into the copilot’s chair, assisting as faithfully as ever with the drop from hyperspace and entrance into the starport.

Hunter’s brow rose as he observed it from afar. The port was built into the side of what had once been a massive asteroid, with several still clustered around it. There were several ships docked close to it, but not close enough to grant them their own landing pads or hangars. In fact, Hunter didn’t have a clue how they would actually get to the port itself.

As Hunter brought them in closer, he searched for the Providence. The starship was sporting a new paint job, and Hunter’s chest tightened as he realized what it resembled. The colors of his late brother’s armor streaked across the hull, an eternal memorialization of the life he and Phee could have had together.

Hunter swallowed hard and instead focused on bringing the Marauder into an open spot just beside the Providence. As soon as they had settled, Hunter raised Phee on the comms once again.

Phee’s image appeared with her arms crossed over her chest. “I take it you’ve made it.”

“Sure did.” Wrecker was grinning from ear-to-ear, now, his past hauntings hidden beneath the veil of wonder as he looked out of the Marauder’s viewport. “This place seems fun!”

Hunter hummed, unconvinced. “How do we get there?”

“A ferryman should be on their way. If you docked near me, which I’m gonna assume you did, then it’s probably gonna be that same Teek fellow.”

Hunter blinked at that. “A Teek ferryman.”

“That’s right.” Phee made a grand gesture with her arms. “Welcome to Port Borgo.”

Hunter shared a look with Wrecker, who shrugged as he continued to relish in his newfound delight. Hunter rolled his shoulders, willing the tension to fall away with the gesture, and focused back on Phee. “Where should we meet you?”

“I’m not far from the docks inside the starport. I’ll be here when you’re portside.” Phee patted her own pocket. “Don’t forget some credits for the ferryman.”

Hunter offered her a quick, two-fingered salute in acknowledgement. “Be there soon.”

He cut the comm and powered down the ship. Sure enough, a ferry was already on its way, and Hunter accepted the docking request somewhat reluctantly. He wasn’t fond of the idea of a stranger docking with the Marauder, even a creature as harmless as the Teek, but he had fair reason to be cautious.

After conducting a quick weapons check along with Wrecker, Hunter opened the airlock and led the way into the connected ferry. Just as Phee had predicted, their ferryman was a small Teek who squawked at them dully.

“To the port.” Hunter reached into a pocket on his belt and tossed the ferryman half of the credits they owed. “Make it quick, and you’ll get the rest.”

The Teek simply turned to complete his task, breaking away from the Marauder and guiding them through the open space between the ship and the bustling starport. The closer they got, the more Hunter’s general unease grew, though that wasn’t necessarily anything new. Hunter’s anxiety had only been growing in the days after the Jedi Purge had been enacted, and it wasn’t getting any better with their recent circumstances.

Hunter had traded one invisible, ticking chronometer with another. Their squad’s survival success rate had died with Tech, and instead of counting down, the newest chronometer was constantly counting up to the amount of time they spent apart from Omega. The amount of time she was trapped. Afraid. Alone.

Hunter must have shifted his weight one too many times, because Wrecker was breaking their silence with a wondrous tone that was all-too similar to Omega’s. “I wonder what kinda’ stuff they specialize in here.”

“Pirate stuff.”

Wrecker guffawed and knocked his shoulder against Hunter’s. “Don’t say that around Phee again. I don’t think she liked that joke much.”

Hunter shrugged. “It’s true.”

Wrecker leveled him with a slightly more serious stare. “Well, right now, pirate stuff’s our best bet at findin’ a new lead.”

Hunter exhaled quietly at the unfortunate truth in his brother’s words. Is that really what it was coming to? Relying on the galaxy’s most famed liars for the information they needed most?

“And who knows?” Wrecker was relaxing once again as he clapped his large hands together and rubbed them. “Maybe we can get a good drink or two along the way.”

Hunter huffed an agreement to that. One thing pirates certainly did do well was their liquor, and while Hunter was never truly indulgent in the galaxy’s wide array of alcoholic libations, he did like the idea of having at least something to dull the sharper edges of his anxiety on this mission.

Because that’s what it was. A mission. Not an excursion, nor a trip, nor anything that could be misinterpreted for a leisurely outing. Everything was a mission when Omega was still out there on her own, trapped in the Empire’s cruel clutches.

They eventually made it portside, and Hunter gave the ferryman the rest of his promised credits before they stepped out. Hunter was far from getting a solid read on the place when Phee made her promised approach.

“You know, I always planned on bringing you boys here someday.” Phee wore her usual smile as she stopped in front of them. “And of course Omega, too. She’d love this place.”

Hunter lifted an eyebrow. “You really think it’d be safe for her?”

Phee shrugged. “You’ve had to bring her to worse places. Brown Eyes mentioned Safa Toma once.” She raised both hands in disgust. “I wouldn’t even step foot into that same system.”

Wrecker grunted at that. “That one was courtesy of Cid.”

“Shocking.” Phee’s tone dripped with sarcasm before she relaxed again and waved a hand to their surroundings. “And here we are! It’s not so bad in person, right?”

Hunter was finally given time to make an assessment on the ground. It didn’t look much different from a typical starport, other than the fact its populace was certainly rougher around the edges in the way any good pirate should have been. He closed his eyes and inhaled steadily, sorting and identifying the various scents that struck his sensitive senses. Most of them were unpleasant, even if some were unmistakably tied to something edible. Or meant to be edible.

Constant energy hummed around the starport, though not in the way most ports or marketplaces did. The asteroid was undoubtedly responsible for that; it wasn’t possible to build an energy system as elaborate as Pabu’s within solid rock.

“Looks ripe for explorin’.” Wrecker punched his fist into his open hand and flashed his signature smile. “You got a plan, Phee?”

“Sure do.” Phee’s gaze flickered towards Hunter. “If broody here’s willing to let me lead this one time.”

Hunter nearly retorted about the recently proven ineffectiveness of his own leadership potential, but decided against accidentally earning pity he truly didn’t want to receive. “Just this one time.”

Phee grinned at that. “It’s a miracle.” Hunter huffed in amusement as she went on. “I’m sure the travel time’s worn you both down, so let’s find something mostly edible to eat, and then I’ll look for my contact.”

Hunter’s brow furrowed. “Sure they won’t already be looking for you?”

“Won’t a problem.” Phee hesitated, but only for a heartbeat. “She likes to, uh… scavenge.”

Hunter gave her a more cautious look. “Scavenge what?”

Phee glanced between the two of them before her shoulders tightened. “Pockets.”

Hunter’s tone was flat and unimpressed. “She’s a pickpocket?”

“Not necessarily. She’s just… well, she’s charming.” Phee pointed a finger between the two of them. “Make sure you can resist it, and we’ll all be golden.”

Hunter resisted the urge to sigh out loud at that. There was never an easy day, nor a reliable contact, it seemed. Though he would take a pickpocketing pirate over a bloodthirsty enemy any day.

“But we’ve got time to prepare.” Phee turned towards the port and waved her hand at the two brothers. “C’mon, we’ve got food to find.”

Hunter at least gave in to one self-indulgent urge. “Pirate food.”

Phee’s head snapped over her shoulder, and her narrowed eyes pierced him. “Food food.”

Wrecker laughed at the exchange, and that was enough to put Hunter more at ease. The anxiety wouldn’t completely fall away—Hunter wasn’t sure if it ever would in any situations, especially those days—but it was more manageable with both Wrecker and Phee at his side.

Pirate food was the least of his problems, anyway. Hunter refused to leave the port without something they could use in their search for Hemlock and Omega, even if he had to tear the entire place apart to make that possible.

Not even the Force would be able to help whatever, or whomever, stood in his way.

Chapter Text

Port Borgo was exactly what Hunter would have expected out of a pirate port. As he and Wrecker followed Phee towards whatever edible food she could find, Hunter witnessed at least four different skirmishes over credits. His keen ears could have listened in on a variety of colorful conversations if he didn’t instantly tune out upon what he heard.

Even that wasn’t as bad as the various smells that waltzed into his sensitive nose uninvited. Hunter wasn’t a stranger to bad smells—his squad had always made sure of that during their training and the war—but these were a different type altogether. There were only pockets of goodness that Hunter had to attempt to latch onto.

Hunter didn’t struggle with sensory overloads often anymore, not since getting a firmer grasp on his enhanced senses throughout the war, but this place was practically begging for him to have one. He would be fine, though. The knowledge that they could be one step closer to a true lead would be enough to keep him balanced.

Wrecker nudged Hunter with his armored shoulder. “You alright there, Sarge?”

Hunter huffed at the nickname and swallowed back a retort about no longer holding such a rank. “Yeah. Just… watching.”

Wrecker let out his own amused grunt at that. “There’s a lot to see for sure.” His brother somehow managed to keep both his expression and his voice light as he went on. “The kid would love this place.”

Hunter stiffened. His gloved hands tightened into fists as he quietly exhaled and willed his sudden tension to ease with his breath. He spoke around the hardened lump inside his throat. “She would.”

Wrecker hummed at that. He offered Hunter a kind glance and subtly drifted closer to his side. “Guess we gotta bring her here once we get her back.”

Hunter was about to insist that Omega wouldn’t be stepping foot off Pabu ever again when Phee finally turned her head to look back at them. “You boys are not getting the credit for my discovery. If anyone’s taking her here, it’s me.”

Wrecker grinned. “Well, obviously you’ll be comin’ with us, Phee.” He reached forward to clasp a hand on her shoulder. “You’re family now, after all. Eh?”

Phee couldn’t hide the way she beamed at his words. That at least started to ease the anxious knot that had taken permanent residence within Hunter’s chest. There was so much he still had to make up for where Phee was concerned, since it was under his watch that her future had slipped through their fingers.

“And what a family we make.” Phee patted Wrecker on the back before they both lowered their arms and kept pace with one another. Hunter continued to hang back, clocking every eye that caught them as they stayed along their route.

They settled for some fruit and roasted meat, with Phee too hesitant to rely on the various concoctions that were being sold at wooden shacks throughout the market. Once they had all had their fill, Phee led the way again, though this time, she was visibly more tense.

“Remember what I told you boys before.” Phee looked between Hunter and Wrecker, who were walking on either side of her. “My contact’s charming. She’s gonna know all the right things to say. Our priority is getting you two that intel.”

Hunter circled his jaw. “That intel won’t be free. You got any idea what she wants?”

Phee shrugged. “Depends on what she has to offer. There might be something wherever she sends you that you’ll need to retrieve. She might want the credits you have in your pockets right now. Maybe she just wants a finder’s fee. Who knows?”

That wasn’t the reassuring answer Hunter was hoping to hear. He grimaced and flexed his hands, already crafting at least a handful of contingency plans for whatever would happen with this contact.

Phee set a hand on his shoulder. “I’m gonna handle it, Hunter. Don’t worry.”

Hunter hummed, his tone coated in genuine amusement. “Just like you handled Dallow?”

Phee rolled her eyes, though there was no true annoyance in the gesture. She pushed her hand off his shoulder with a light shove. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

Wrecker chimed in with a loud chuckle. “I think it was us who handled Dallow.”

That got an amused snort out of Hunter, but as usual those days, the warm feeling was short-lived. Thinking of Dallow made Hunter think of those who weren’t with them anymore, one of whom they couldn’t ever bring back home again. They would never be the same squad. The same family.

Hunter couldn’t wallow in his grief for long, though. Phee was soon straightening her shoulders and widening her arms towards someone Hunter himself hadn’t yet identified, not until Phee made a clearer approach towards her.

“Dalila!” Phee herself was as charming as ever as she called out to her contact.

The pirate in question was human, her pale skin a stark contrast to the flaming red curls around her shoulders that were adorned with various pieces of gold jewelry and other embellishments. That same red adorned her cheeks in freckles that made her piercing green stare stand out even more as Hunter carefully observed her.

Dalila’s attire was more fitting of a pirate’s than Phee’s own, but there wasn’t much else Hunter could read on her. At least, not yet.

He was shocked to hear Wrecker mumble something at his side. “Phee was right.” Hunter spared his brother a glance and saw him staring straight at Dalila with widened eyes. “She’s… charming.”

Hunter blinked once, then twice, as he processed his brother’s words. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice in warning. “Wrecker…”

“Here, let me introduce you.” Phee’s cue cut off Hunter’s reprimand as she waved a hand out towards them, gesturing the two of them closer. They approached as Phee looked at Dalila again. “These are my lawyers.”

“Oh, yeah?” Dalila sounded thoroughly amused as she turned her attention onto the two brothers. She kept her hands on her hips as she gave them both obvious once-overs. “They’re hirin’ soldiers as lawyers, now?”

She didn’t sound skeptical, but Hunter didn’t trust it. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at her, a silent challenge for her to question them further. She didn’t.

Instead, Dalila let out a laugh. “Tough crowd. How ‘bout we start over?”

She reached out for a handshake. Hunter simply stared between her hand and her gaze without flinching.

Phee hissed. “Hunter…”

Wrecker instead stepped in, offering one of his usual enthusiastic handshakes to the pirate. “Nice to meet ya’. I’m Wrecker.”

Dalila’s eyes brightened as she regarded him up close. “Oh, the pleasure’s all mine, sir.” She then shocked them all by lifting Wrecker’s gloved knuckles to her lips and leaving a kiss there, as if he was some kind of royalty. Dalila let out a giddy giggle and glanced back towards Phee. “How’d you know to bring my dream man here?”

Hunter was trying to hold back his sigh, he really was, but he made the mistake of looking over at his brother again and caught the red tinge on his cheeks. It was a futile effort to hold back his heavy exhale at that point.

“We’re not here for courting.” Hunter tapped his gloved fingers along his arms and dipped his chin towards Dalila. “We’re here for your intel.”

Dalila still hadn’t released Wrecker’s hand back to him, not that he seemed to care. Hunter itched to remind him of Phee’s warning, but this clearly wasn’t the time. She gazed up at his brother with a sweet smile. “Why not both?”

Hunter cast a pleading glance towards Phee, who was watching this all unfold with evident amusement—and a hint of something sadder. Hunter could guess what that was.

But really, he needed to stop bringing his brothers around pirates.

“Intel first.” Hunter’s brow rose in yet another silent challenge. “What do you know?”

Dalila let out a low hum, her gaze watching her fingertips as they traveled up the expanse of Wrecker’s arm until they found his shoulder. She took a firmer grasp there and leaned against him, propping her other hand back up on her hip and finally looking at Hunter.

He wasn’t encouraged by the dazzling light in her green eyes. “It can’t be said out in the open like this.” She gave their surroundings a pointed look, and even Hunter had to agree that there was way too much happening for this to be a confidential space. “We’ll discuss it over a drink. I know a bartender here who’s good with secrets.”

Hunter took a step forward and growled. “Why would they have to be good with secrets?”

Dalila remained undeterred by the threat in Hunter’s voice as she shrugged. “Just in case he overhears. Which he probably won’t.” Her expression softened as she looked up at Wrecker. “What do you think, darlin’? Drinks sound good?”

Hunter kept his own gaze on Wrecker, but he saw Phee flinch out of the corner of his eye at the nickname. Wrecker stammered before offering her a nod. “Sounds great.”

Dalila beamed. “Wonderful.” She patted his chestplate with her hand and waved them ahead. “It’s not far.” Dalila stepped away from Wrecker and returned to Phee’s side, where Hunter could overhear her asking a quiet yet earnest question. “Tell me more about your… ‘lawyers.’ Especially that tall one.”

Before he and Wrecker could follow them, Hunter held an arm across his Wrecker’s chestplate, stopping him in his tracks as he held his brother’s dazed stare. “Remember what Phee said about her, Wrecker. She knows what she’s doing. It’s a ruse.”

Wrecker hesitated, clearly reluctant to be convinced by the inevitable truth. “Maybe this time, it’s—.”

“Wrecker.”

Wrecker let out a dramatic groan and threw his hands up in the air. “Oh, c’mon! Just let me play along this one time, Hunter. You never know what’s gonna happen.” He gestured to Phee, who was now several paces ahead. “I mean, who woulda’ guessed Tech and Phee?”

Hearing his late brother’s name mentioned so casually out in the open like this was like a slap to the face. Hunter had to take a second to remember to breathe as he ultimately shook his head and frowned. “That’s different. They’re—they were different. We barely know who this is.”

Hunter studied his brother more closely. Wrecker was already on the cusp of fracturing the same way Hunter had been ever since this nightmare began, even if he was better at hiding it. He didn’t want to think about this, about her, being the one to shatter him completely.

“Just… be careful. Yeah?”

Wrecker visibly softened as he undoubtedly picked up Hunter’s genuine protectiveness. He took a gentle grasp on Hunter’s arm as he lowered it. “I will be, Hunter. Honest.”

Hunter attempted to steady himself with a quiet breath as he nodded. He still didn’t have a good feeling about any of this, but as Phee had so kindly reminded him what was now two months ago, he had to start being okay with not being in control of things.

The thought of Phee brought Hunter’s attention back to her. She was still ahead of them, walking alongside Dalila as they spoke in hushed voices, but she was tense again. Even more tense than before.

Hunter kept that observation in the back of his mind as Dalila led the way inside a cantina at one of the furthest corners of the port. Upon entering, Hunter immediately understood why the pirate had considered it the ideal place for a sensitive conversation.

The cantina was dimly lit, with booths that offered privacy from other parties. It was full enough to provide proper white noise to keep others from hearing whatever they would have to say, and if that still wasn’t enough, well… Hunter just had to hope Dalila was right about this bartender’s ability to keep secrets.

Then again, he’d heard that before, from a certain Trandoshan. Look how that turned out.

Hunter, however, was desperate enough to overlook the warning signs as he, Wrecker, and Phee followed Dalila over to her chosen booth. She waved down the bartender, a Weequay, and promptly took her place deep inside the booth, gesturing for Wrecker to sit beside her.

Before Phee could sit on Dalila’s other side, Hunter set a hand on her back and caught her gaze. He didn’t speak, all too aware of their audience, but she understood what he was asking all the same. Phee visibly softened and offered him a subtle nod, her stare sparkling with genuine gratitude. Hunter returned the gesture and sat across from Dalila.

The Weequay bartender greeted Dalila with a friendly smile, one that stretched quite oddly across an otherwise hardened face, and briefly acknowledged her small party. “Brought some new friends along, I see.”

“You know me.” Dalila tossed the bartender a wink. “I’m always good for business.”

The Weequay grunted in fond agreement before he glanced over them all once again. “What’re we havin’?”

Dalila waved her hand. “Let’s start with a round of my usual. Can’t go wrong there, huh?” She looked over at Wrecker as she wrapped her arms around one of his. “But let’s make his a double. I wanna make sure he gets to have the same experience as the rest of us.”

Hunter’s brow shot up at that. Was getting them all loosened up a part of her plan, some kind of sabotage that Hunter would have to be on the lookout for?

Wrecker didn’t seem to think much of it, based on his lack of a verbal response and the enthusiasm with which he regarded their new, albeit reluctant in Hunter’s case, companion. Truth be told, Wrecker would have ordered a double for himself, anyway. That was how it always was; his enhanced body needed at least twice the amount as the average person to feel anything at all.

The Weequay simply nodded and strided back towards the bar, navigating the dark space with the precision of familiarity. Hunter only watched him for a heartbeat or two before he focused back on Dalila. She had let go of Wrecker’s arm for now, but was still close enough to brush against him. Hunter knew better than to speak on it.

“So, you’re lookin’ for a scientist.” Dalila began their business dealing as if it was casual conversation.

Hunter couldn’t fight the urge to remind her it was anything but casual. “Hemlock. He’s with the Advanced Science Division. What is it that you know?”

Dalila giggled. The sound was grating on Hunter’s hot ire. “Eager, are we?”

Hunter resisted the urge to reach for the blade in his sheath as he instead crossed his arms and set them upon the table, leaning closer to the pirate. “I don’t recommend wasting our time.”

Dalila scoffed. “Please! This isn’t a waste of time.” She lifted a hand to Wrecker’s cheek and patted it. “I mean, we’ve already met because of it. I think that’s rich.”

Hunter closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sudden pulsing of a vein inside his temple. It was only the desperation that had lingered in his brother’s gaze when pleading for permission to go along with whatever was happening here that kept him from addressing it. “What do you want?”

Dalila tilted her head, much like a bird would. Her green eyes flickered with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not telling us your intel right now because you want something in exchange first. Just tell us what it is, and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Who says I want you out of my hair?”

Wrecker chose that moment to speak up with something as unhelpful as possible. “You do have really nice hair, y’know.”

Dalila beamed and glanced up at him. “Aw, darlin’, thank you!”

Hunter’s urge to bang his head on something had never been stronger.

“Dalila.” Phee finally spoke up, her voice bordering on chastisement as she raised her brow at the pirate. “I told you when we first spoke that this is a time-sensitive matter.”

“Right, that’s right, you did, Phee.” Dalila let out a dramatic sigh and leaned back further in the booth, her brow furrowing in contemplation. She spoke mostly to herself, but was still audible enough for everyone to hear. “But what do I want?”

Hunter simply couldn’t help it. “Must be hard to decide when you’ve already taken everything you’ve wanted from other people’s pockets.”

Wrecker shot his brother a warning glance, and Phee whispered harshly at his side. “Hunter.”

But Dalila just laughed. It was a genuine laugh, too, with no true animosity behind it. She waved a hand at him. “No, you’re right! You’ve got a point.” Dalila gestured to herself. “I can already take most of what I want.”

Hunter clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth as he willed himself to stay as calm as possible. “Then what could we possibly offer you?”

Dalila hummed, stealing a look up at Wrecker as she did so. Her green eyes suddenly lit up as she yet again brought her hand to his brother’s arm. “How about an evening alone with this fine gentleman?”

Hunter forced himself to wait one, two, then three heartbeats before responding. “You’re joking.”

Dalila raised a single eyebrow at him. “Why would I be joking?”

Hunter had no choice but to sputter as he willed everyone to see the massive flaw in logic here. “Because you offered up this intel to Phee, knowing it would come at a price, before you even met us! You wouldn’t have even known what you wanted at that point.”

Dalila simply shrugged. “The best deals are made in the moment. You don’t always know what someone can offer you until you’ve met them. And as you so kindly pointed out before, credits aren’t a problem for me. I can get them whenever I want. Hence not knowing the price until now.”

“And that’s it? One evening with my brother in exchange for this kind of sensitive intel?”

Dalila hummed. “You might be overestimatin’ what I have for you.”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed, but he wasn’t given time to question her. The Weequay had returned with four drinks in hand and distributed them appropriately, ensuring that Wrecker got his double. He then returned to his post at the bar just as Hunter was ready to interrogate.

But Wrecker spoke up first. “I don’t mind, Hunter.” He stole a look at Dalila. “Not at all.”

Hunter let out a huff. “Oh, I’m sure you don’t. But what’s all this about overestimations? You want us rethinking the deal?”

Dalila scoffed and waved a hand at him. “I never said that. I just don’t want you thinkin’ I’m about to drop the direct coordinates to whatever you’re looking for.”

Hunter’s patience was already worn thin, but now, the veil was all but torn as he growled lowly. “Then what do you even have for us?”

Dalila calmly looked at the glass in front of her as she wrapped her hand around it. She grinned as she lifted it and toasted it towards Hunter. “Do we at least have time for a drink first?” Dalila clinked her glass with Wrecker’s—who flashed a bright smile at the gesture—and drew a long sip. She set the glass back down with a sigh of satisfaction. “It would be such a shame to rush through the first round.”

Hunter couldn’t keep himself from scowling openly at her. He caught Phee glancing at him with a mixture of caution and concern, though he couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge her. The red haze of an anger he had always had trouble controlling encroached on the edges of his vision as he regarded Dalila with a voice as tight as his clenched fists. “This is just a game to you, isn’t it?”

Dalila cozied herself against Wrecker’s side as she lifted her glass towards her lips once again. “Who doesn’t like to have a bit of fun?”

Hunter’s unsteady composure snapped. He saw nothing but red as he slammed a fist against the table hard enough to make any glass sitting atop it bounce, including his own untouched drink. The three other occupants of the table tensed instantly as Hunter spoke in a venomous tone. “I don’t want fun. I just want my kid back.”

Every face around him fell at the confession. Hunter had even surprised himself with it. He had never intended to actually bring Omega into it, if only to protect her from any ill intentions of whoever they would have to barter with to get the intel they needed, but… it was the truth.

All Hunter wanted was Omega. He would do anything to bring her home. Anything.

Dalila’s already pale face had somehow paled even more as she stared at Hunter, her brow creased in hardly concealed distress. The upbeat lilt vanished entirely from her tone as she spoke in a much quieter voice. “This is about a kid?”

Hunter shifted, now uncomfortable in the face of his unexpected vulnerability, and nodded as he swallowed around the prickling knot within his own throat.

Dalila abandoned her drink on the table as her expression hardened in newfound severity. “Why didn’t you just say that?”

She glanced over at Wrecker, who was looking down at the table with his own amount of grief, and set a hand over his. Something about the action was much more gentle and honest than she had been with him before. Wrecker’s gaze found hers again, and Dalila offered him a sad smile before she looked at Hunter again and nodded.

“I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Hunter relaxed only slightly as Dalila remained true to her word. He was still on high alert, scoping out any potential signs of dishonesty he could find as she briefed them on her intel, but she seemed genuine. She had also been right in saying that there wasn’t much to go off of, even if Hunter was relieved to have something.

Hunter worked his jaw when Dalila finally finished. She treated herself to another sip from her drink as he collected his thoughts. “So… a former Imperial scientist turned pirate. That’s what we’re looking for.”

“Like I said, I’ve got coordinates to his last known location, so there’s not much lookin’ required.”

Hunter grunted. “And you’re sure he’s lost all loyalty to the Empire?”

Dalila scoffed. “He never had any to begin with. He only had faith in the Republic. When that started crumblin’ during the war, well… secretly pawnin’ off his creations and knowledge to pirates proved to be a much better line of business.”

Hunter was conflicted at the idea of it. If this scientist was so eager to betray the Republic at its end, before the Empire was even established, he wouldn’t have a problem betraying Hunter and Wrecker at any point.

But desperate times called for desperate measures, and just like when they first waltzed into this cantina, Hunter was willing to overlook the warnings that might’ve once stopped him in his tracks.

“You got the coordinates on you?”

Dalila nodded, reaching into her pocket and tossing Hunter a datacard. He caught it swiftly and studied it, as if any imperfections in the texture would risk their chances of seeing this lead through. He began to clutch it gingerly within his grasp.

“Just the, ah… outing with Wrecker in exchange, then?”

Dalila shrugged and glanced up at Hunter’s brother, who was evidently clinging to a bit of hopefulness as she pondered his words. “Only if he wants that. But I’m not requirin’ anything in exchange anymore.” She faced Hunter more dutifully. “Children don’t belong in laboratories.”

That was perhaps the first thing Hunter truly agreed with the pirate on. The words, however, twisted something deep and painful inside his chest, reminding him of the gnawing grief and guilt that tore new shreds inside him with each day that passed. All he could muster was a nod and utter two automatic yet meaningful words. “Thank you.”

Dalila returned his nod, and Hunter took that as his personal dismissal. He pushed himself up from the booth, earning surprised glances as he slid the datacard into his belt. “I’m heading back to the ship. You can stay here as long as you want, Wrecker, but as soon as you’re ready, we’re shipping out.”

Wrecker’s expression softened in pure gratitude. He knew that Hunter granting him this time was nothing short of a mercy, especially with a fresh, new lead finally in their hands. Wrecker nodded and relaxed into his seat.

“I’ll walk you back to the port.” Phee, who had been too quiet for Hunter’s liking throughout this particular exchange, also stood from the booth. “You two have fun.” She slid her and Hunter’s untouched drinks towards the two of them. “But not too much fun.”

Dalila winked at Phee as she tugged the two glasses closer. “No promises.”

Hunter leveled his brother with one more protective look. “Remember what I said before, Wrecker.”

Wrecker offered him a small smile. “Got it, Hunter. See you in a bit.”

Hunter turned away with Phee at his side and strided out of the dim cantina. He didn’t like leaving his brother there, but he had to put his own wants aside for once. Wrecker had been his crutch for the last month, letting him cope however he needed to and catching him every time he stumbled, and Hunter would do what he could to return the favor, even if he didn’t like it.

“You know,” at least Phee had a smile back in her voice as she shot Hunter an amused glance, “I never expected Wrecker’s type to also be pirates. You boys got a secret pact I don’t know about or something?”

Hunter chuckled and shook his head. “If there’s a pact, then it’s one they made without me.” He exhaled a worried breath and gave Phee a more serious look. “You warned us about her charm. You think this is an act, or something real?”

Phee scoffed. “Oh, that’s real. You think I wouldn’t have intervened if it wasn’t?”

Hunter held his hands up defensively. “Just wanted to make sure.”

Phee let out a soft laugh, but her gaze grew distant as they walked on. She waited a few beats before saying anything again. “Rogue clones and pirates. I never would’ve guessed we’d make such good pairs.”

The ache in her voice struck the unhealed wound festering within Hunter’s own chest. He fought not to let out a strangled breath as he lifted a hand to her shoulder and squeezed it in silent support. If there were words to say, Hunter would’ve said them, but there wasn’t, and he didn’t trust his voice, anyway.

In a way, it was oddly comforting that Hunter’s grief wasn’t his own where his late brother was concerned. The guilt was his own to bear, even if Wrecker was trying to shoulder some of it, but to know just how many lives Tech had touched outside of war brought Hunter a strange sense of peace.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t also painful, though, especially where Phee was concerned. Hunter had never seen his brother as comfortable and eager to be in someone’s presence as he was with her. At least Tech had spent the last of his days immersed in that rare amount of bliss.

Hunter and Phee walked on in comfortable, contemplative silence until the distant port came into sight. They slowed their pace as Hunter turned to raise his brow at Phee. “Are you coming along this time, or no?”

Phee shook her head with a small smile. “You know I would love to join, but… I’ve actually got a lead of my own to follow up on.”

Hunter’s heart stuttered. He hadn’t known that Phee was still up to this. Something he’d learned during the war was that grief manifested differently from person-to-person, but he never expected Phee’s to take her on what seemed to be such a pointless, never-ending chase to nothing but further heartbreak.

His voice was thick with concerned caution. “Phee…”

Phee waved him off. “Just tying up a couple of loose ends.” She set her hands on her hips and gave him the best pointed look she could manage, even if Hunter still spotted the subtle cracks in her composure. “Don’t you start worrying about me, broody. I’m fine.”

Hunter didn’t know how to spell it out for her further, how he could properly express to her that there was just no way his brother could have survived such a fall. But here he was, no better than her with his own frantic search for Omega, who had become just as much of a ghost as Hemlock himself.

And maybe he was a fool for it, but Phee’s relentless quest gave him hope that he was wrong. That maybe she would actually find whatever, or whomever, she was looking for. If she did, Hunter would owe her even more than he already did.

“Alright, then.” Hunter stepped forward to clasp his hand on her shoulder. “Check in when you can.”

Phee smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She tugged him in closer for an embrace, and Hunter didn’t protest. It was becoming a more common gesture, and while it had been jarring that first time upon their return to Pabu, it made sense the more that Hunter sat with the truth of her being family.

Accepting that wasn’t easy, and it had nothing to do with Phee herself. It had to do with the fact that Hunter worried about family, and his fragile heart was hesitant to welcome in even more people he could inevitably lose.

Their embrace was brief, though Phee held onto both of Hunter’s armored shoulders as she nodded at him. “I will.” She leaned more into her characteristic mischief as she stepped away with a two-fingered salute. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

The least Hunter could do was play along. “That still leaves us a lot of options.”

Phee shifted her gesture into a single-fingered salute that was a stark contrast to the amused smile on her lips. Hunter watched her approach the ferryman by the Providence, the sight of her with the ship’s Tech-inspired paint job worsening the ache inside his chest.

He would never admit it out loud, but he would have really enjoyed a life where he truly got to call her his sister.

But that wasn’t their reality, and Hunter still had work to do to salvage the actual one he was living in. That’s what pushed him forward towards his own ferryman, the same Teek fellow from before.

After making the journey over to the Marauder and getting safely on board, Hunter stood inside the cockpit and pulled the datacard from his belt. He regarded it as if it was his sole tie to Omega herself, a singular line he could follow to find her on the other end. In a way, it was, because it was all they had.

It had been one month too long already. Hunter wasn’t planning on making it any longer.

Hunter held the datacard against his forehead and closed his eyes. We’re coming. I promise you, we’re coming.

She, and he, just had to hang on a little bit longer.

Chapter Text

Hunter turned in the navigator’s chair when he finally heard the next ferry on approach. He steadied himself with a breath as he rolled his sore shoulders and neck and rose from the chair. Hunter collected some of his scattered materials and equipment and neatened them as much as he could before his brother boarded the ship again.

Wrecker didn’t need to know how obsessively Hunter was planning over this mission. Plus… Hunter wanted to hear about his brother’s date. Genuinely.

Maybe there was a little humanity left within him, after all.

Hunter leaned against the cockpit’s threshold as Wrecker stepped into midship, beaming in a way he hadn’t seen since before Eriadu. That made the colorful, lip-shaped stain on his cheek stand out even more somehow, a sight that brought an amused warmth to Hunter’s tightened chest.

“So.” Hunter gestured to Wrecker with his chin, crossing his arms as the corners of his lips rose in a small smirk. “How was it?”

Wrecker shrugged, clearly bashful as he lifted a hand to rub along the back of his neck. “I, uh, I had a good time. We exchanged comm codes.” He flashed Hunter a genuine smile of appreciation. “Thanks for lettin’ me do that.”

Hunter nodded, ready for his reward as he stood and walked up to his brother. “Seems like you had a great time.” He patted his brother’s stained cheek twice.

Wrecker’s flush grew more prominent as he swiped at his face. Hunter laughed and punched his brother’s shoulder. Wrecker tried to swat his hand away, but Hunter dodged the maneuver with familiar practice.

Hunter then circled his own cheek. “Is that the only one?”

Wrecker fully pushed Hunter that time, but it only made him laugh harder as he stumbled back a few steps. It was a nice change of pace to see Wrecker’s face flushing from sweet embarrassment rather than exertion, or the pain of memories they could barely carry. “Yeah, yeah, you have your fun, Sarge.” It was Wrecker’s turn to flash Hunter an amused smile. “Just wait ‘til we find your pirate.”

Hunter’s face screwed up as he waved a dismissive hand. “No, thanks. I’ll leave the romance to you boys.”

If Wrecker noticed Hunter’s slip-up of including Tech, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he faithfully followed Hunter’s path up towards the cockpit, letting out a focused breath that charged the air. “What’d you find with those coordinates?”

Hunter shrugged, playing it casual as he gestured vaguely towards the navigator’s chair. “It’s a backwater world, not much to speak of. Shouldn’t take us more than a day to get there.”

Wrecker grunted. “Heading close to where we first came from?”

Hunter lowered himself into the pilot’s seat as he bobbed his head. “In a way. Just on the other side of the Core.”

Wrecker dropped into the seat beside his. “Does this count as the start of our next trip ‘round the galaxy, then?”

Hunter huffed, though the sound was more hollow than it had been before. “Guess so.”

He took the Marauder through its takeoff sequence, guiding them away from Port Borgo and towards the stars. Hunter had once been accustomed to living amongst them, especially as the leader of a special ops squad, but they didn’t bring him nearly as much comfort now as they had then. Not after he had found a forever home that he could no longer enjoy.

At least, not until he brought their missing piece of home back. The missing piece of his own heart, who had been lost to the stars for just over a month. Not that he was keeping track of every day. Nor every hour.

As soon as the stars stretched into hyperspace, Hunter let out a quiet sigh and rose from his chair. He clapped a hand on Wrecker’s shoulder and nodded at him. “I’ll fix us something to eat if you want to get caught up.” Hunter gestured with his chin to the datapad he’d left out on the navigator’s console.

Wrecker returned his nod, a grateful smile spreading on his lips before he turned away. Hunter lowered his hand from his brother’s shoulder and made his way to midship, setting aside the majority of his armor before he prepared what little they had into an edible meal.

Hunter tried, and failed, not to worry about Wrecker as he worked. His brother was distracted, something he continuously noticed when he stole glances at him reading inside the cockpit, and the heavier set of his shoulders meant it likely wasn’t because of his new affection for Phee’s pirate friend.

No, it was something that Hunter had been sensing within Wrecker for the past few days. He had hoped it would pass, but it only seemed to be getting worse, hidden beneath the veil of Wrecker’s successful attempts to instead comfort Hunter. He had suspected that his brother’s composure was fracturing, but a full-blown demolition was starting to seem inevitable.

Hunter quietly vowed to confront him about it after the mission as he finished the makeshift meal he was making. He set everything up at their small galley and raised his voice enough for Wrecker to hear him. “Come and get it, big guy.”

Hunter had only just started to sit when he paused at the silence he was met with. He froze, stretching out his senses to listen for his brother. He was met with nothing notable in return. Hunter’s brow pinched as he straightened up again and took a few steps towards the cockpit.

“Wrecker?”

Hunter was only halfway there when Wrecker’s gaze suddenly snapped away from the map he’d been studying. His brother blinked a few times before he chuckled and rose from his chair. “Ah, sorry. Got lost in my own little galaxy.” Wrecker patted Hunter’s shoulder as he passed him. “Thanks for cookin’.”

Hunter huffed, forcing himself to shrug off his concern for his brother’s sake, and joined him at their makeshift table. “Not sure I’d call it ‘cooking’.”

Wrecker rubbed his hands together before he started digging in. “Well, whatever it is, it’s better than endless rations.” He raised his utensil to Hunter in a toast-like gesture. “So thanks.”

Hunter shrugged. “It was my turn, anyway. You’ve been doing a lot of the heavy lifting around here for a while.”

Something about Hunter’s words made Wrecker’s shoulders tighten. Hunter’s eyes narrowed as he watched Wrecker force out a grunt. “You know I don’t mind.”

“Sure, but I think it’s about time I start pulling my own weight, too.”

Wrecker tensed even more, but said nothing. Hunter observed him carefully as he let an extended silence sit between them. He was tempted to follow through on his vow right away, but decided against it, sparing Wrecker for now as he instead switched to a lighter topic.

“So, tell me.” Hunter let the corners of his mouth rise ever so slightly. “Did you two stay at that cantina the whole time?”

Wrecker glanced up from his meal, visibly surprised by Hunter’s willingness to speak about the date. That shocked hesitance only lasted a heartbeat, as Wrecker was soon giving Hunter the entire rundown in excited detail. Something eased inside Hunter’s chest at the sight of Wrecker’s tightened shoulders finally growing looser.

It was only a temporary solution, but Hunter would give his brother anything and everything he had to offer. It was about time he buried his own pain to give his brother reprieve. Hunter thus ignored the splintering cracks in his own heart as he instead tuned into Wrecker’s animated story, setting aside every urge within him to focus solely on the upcoming mission.

Hunter needed to protect and save whomever he still could, despite his shortcomings with Omega, Tech, and Crosshair, and right now, that meant listening to Wrecker. Hunter could, and would, listen for hours if that was what it took to save Wrecker from whatever pain Hunter’s past mistakes had caused him.

Because, no matter what he was told, Hunter knew it was his fault, and that was a burden he was more than willing to bear on his own for his family’s sake.

The day of travel came and went. After Wrecker’s full story, the two of them had parted ways to seek more rest, and Hunter found that his slumber was yet again dreamless. He was too cautious to truly call that progress, instead suspicious of how much more severe the hauntings would be whenever they returned.

For now, though, Hunter made good on his rare amount of fortune and channeled his well-rested energy towards the upcoming mission. He refreshed himself as quickly as he could before leaving his quarters, set on looking over his materials yet again.

Instead, he found Wrecker lingering in the cockpit, bent over the navigator’s console with an unseeing stare. The rings underneath his eyes were darker than they had been before, almost as heavy as the invisible weight on his sagging shoulders.

Hunter’s concern flared dangerously within his chest. He let out a light breath and stepped forward, setting a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Hey.” Hunter gave him a light squeeze. “Did you get any rest?”

Wrecker grunted. “Wasn’t really that tired. Got lots of sleep on the way in.”

Hunter hummed, unconvinced, but willing to drop it for now. He instead focused on what Wrecker was doing at the console. “Getting some last minute studying in?”

Wrecker let out a huff and nodded. “Finally lookin’ over everything you got together. You’re right. It ain’t exciting.”

“He chose a good place to hide.”

“Seems like it.”

Hunter sighed. The lack of heart in Wrecker’s responses was chilling. His desperation for this lead to pan out was at an all-time high, but he wasn’t willing to sacrifice Wrecker and his wellbeing in the process. That, at least, was another shred of Hunter’s humanity preserved.

Hunter minced the words inside his mind before he spoke in a softer tone. “Wrecker, if there’s something else you need to talk about…”

Wrecker stood from his chair so suddenly that Hunter had to take a step back. His hand fell to his side as he looked up at his brother in disbelief. Wrecker blinked a few times, though his gaze avoided Hunter’s. “M’fine.”

“You’re not.” Hunter frowned and crossed his arms. “I thought you were the one who wanted to talk about… feelings.”

Wrecker grimaced. “I did. I do. But…” He sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “S’nothing. The mission’s more important.” Wrecker finally looked at Hunter and nodded. “Maybe after.”

Hunter’s brow rose. “Sure you’ll be okay until then?”

Wrecker shrugged. “Have to be.”

Hunter’s frown deepened, but Wrecker just brushed by him to head towards midship. He stared after his brother, watching as he found a ration bar and disappeared into his bunk. Hunter ran the back of his thumb along his forehead and let out a heavier sigh.

This was Hunter’s fault. This was the result of being too open about his own feelings, of showing Wrecker too much of his fragile vulnerability, even if he wasn’t necessarily speaking on it directly. Wrecker had been made to feel as if he couldn’t break because he was supporting Hunter, when it should have remained the other way around.

That wasn’t a mistake Hunter would make again. All he could do was hope it wasn’t too late.

But there wasn’t anything Hunter could do about it now, not when Wrecker was clearly trying to avoid it, so he forced himself to focus on the upcoming mission instead. He stepped forward and checked their travel progress on the navicomputer. They had just under an hour until their arrival, which was exactly enough time for Hunter to make their final preparations.

Hunter led himself through his typical warm-ups and channeled his focus onto everything they knew. There wasn’t much he could find about this scientist-turned-pirate aside from what Dalila had already revealed, but Hunter could safely assume that they would quickly outgun and overpower him if it came down to it. Hunter wasn’t afraid of things coming to such an extreme if they had to.

Hunter’s patience had already worn thin, and he wasn’t ready to be forced into another transactional deal with a pirate. He would do whatever it took to get that information as quickly as possible, even if it meant tuning up their blasters.

Time was narrowing down when Hunter finally started gearing up on his own. The absence of his brother at his side was unusual, a terrifying glimpse of what life would look like if Hunter had managed to fail his entire family rather than just the majority, but he didn’t have it in him to disturb whatever sleep Wrecker might have been getting in that moment. He had already delayed this process as much as possible in the hope that Wrecker would join him on his own.

Hunter had just clipped his helmet to his belt and snapped his vibroblade into its sheath when Wrecker emerged from his bunk. He looked slightly more well-rested, a sight that instantly soothed Hunter as he exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and pasted on a small yet reassuring smile. “That ration bar must’ve been better than my cooking if it put you to sleep that easily.”

Wrecker jostled Hunter’s shoulder playfully as he chuckled. “Food had nothin’ to do with it. Your cooking’s fine.” He paused as the amused smirk on his lips widened. “Mine’s still better, though.”

Hunter rolled his eyes as Wrecker laughed more loudly. Hunter’s previous smile then transformed into a sly grin. “Dreaming of Dalila, then?”

Wrecker shook his head, though the movement couldn’t hide the sudden flush in his cheeks. “I can go a few hours without thinkin’ of her, y’know.”

Hunter’s brow rose. “Only a few?”

That earned him a swat that Hunter barely dodged as he let out a curt laugh. Wrecker just shook his head again and tried not to smile while he continued gearing up.

The entire interaction at least calmed some of Hunter’s concentrated concern. Wrecker still wasn’t okay, that much was clear, but it was easier to believe that he would truly be able to manage getting through this mission when he was cracking jokes and suiting up with a genuine amount of familiarity.

Part of Hunter hated it, the fact that he couldn’t be there the way he wanted to for his brother right now, but it was a sacrifice they were both making for Omega’s sake. She was their priority, and that wouldn’t change. It couldn’t change.

Hunter stayed with Wrecker as he finished gearing up, despite the fact his full suit of armor was already assembled. It was only once Wrecker was ready that Hunter led the way into the cockpit and prepared for the drop from hyperspace.

The planet they were met with was just as dull as Hunter had found it to be in his own research. The atmosphere was a hazy gray, foggy enough to make visibility a concern as the Marauder soared above endless cliffs and valleys composed of nothing but dark dirt. If there was an upside to any of this, it was that the ship would blend in perfectly with the world’s dreary color palette.

“Ugh.” Wrecker seemed to share Hunter’s disdain for what they were seeing as his face twisted at the viewport. “I could live a lotta’ places, but this… this ain’t for me.”

Hunter hummed as he lowered the Marauder into a crevice near the coordinates Dalila had given them. “It’s the cliffs, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s also just…” Wrecker shrugged. “Boring.”

Hunter tipped his chin in his brother’s direction. “Seems like no one would mind any explosives going off here, though.”

“That’s a good point.”

Hunter chuckled as he focused on landing the Marauder. Once the ship was settled, he powered it down and rose from his seat in the cockpit, heading back towards midship to double check his gear. Wrecker did the same, easily falling into their usual routine—until Hunter went for their climbing gear.

“Oh. Oh no.” Wrecker pointed at a nearby cliff outside the viewport. “Don’t tell me we’re gonna…” He mimed a climbing maneuver with his hands.

“It’s the only way up.” Hunter tossed a grappling hook and line to his brother. “The faster we go, the less you’ll be thinking about it.”

Wrecker winced as he considered the hiking supplies in his grasp. “We really couldn’t have landed closer?”

Hunter fixed him with a look as he unclipped his helmet and lowered it onto his head. “You know better, Wrecker.”

Wrecker sighed heavily and tossed the equipment into his pack. “I do.” He rolled his shoulders and barely suppressed a shudder. “Doesn’t mean I like it, though.”

Hunter patted his brother’s armored shoulder. “We’ll make it quick.” He gestured with his helmet to the open hatch. “Let’s get going.”

Hunter led the way out, trotting over the dusty soil beneath their boots out of the crevice and towards the cliffside until they reached a suitable enough surface for climbing. He assessed it dutifully before he nodded at Wrecker and got his gear ready.

He made quick work of scaling the wall, being sure to check in on Wrecker as often as possible. His brother was just behind him, silent aside from his usual grumbling and groaning about how high up they were getting. Hunter was the first to reach the top, and he remained on standby to assist Wrecker as he joined him.

Wrecker was panting from both the exertion and his own anxiety as he and Hunter took care of their hiking gear. “I don’t know what’s worse, goin’ up or knowing we’ll have to go back down later.”

“Getting down is easier.” Hunter nodded at him. “And faster.”

“And scarier.”

A few months ago, Hunter would have rolled his eyes at his brother’s fear, or at least poked fun at it. Now, though, after the way in which their brother died… Hunter couldn’t do any of that in good faith. All he could offer was a noncommittal grunt before he took point and guided them to Dalila’s coordinates.

Given how barren this world was, it wasn’t difficult at all for Hunter to pinpoint exactly where the former scientist’s dwelling was. It was the only source of energy around for hundreds of klicks at least, and Hunter used that power as a homing beacon. He held up a fist to stop Wrecker when the actual makeshift hut came into view.

“Our approach needs to be quick and quiet.” Hunter kept his voice hushed even at their current distance from the dwelling. “Keep your blaster in reach, but don’t make it visible. We’re not trying to scare the guy.” Hunter exhaled a sharp breath through his nose as he glanced out at the hut again. “At least, not yet.”

Wrecker quietly grunted as an affirmative. “You sure he doesn’t have a ship?”

Hunter spared him a glance. “I scanned for one on the way in and didn’t find anything, but the rest is entirely up to your girlfriend’s intel.”

Wrecker sputtered. “My… hey! She’s not my—!”

Hunter swallowed back a chuckle and gestured to the way ahead. “Move in.”

If Wrecker had any more objections, he didn’t make them known, instead faithfully following Hunter’s lead as they steadily approached the scientist’s dwelling. Hunter strained his sensitive ears for any noises—gadget tinkering, breathing, a heartbeat, anything—but he was solely met with silence even as they grew closer.

That, more than anything else, unnerved Hunter more than he was willing to admit.

Hunter dared to hope for his own sake and Wrecker’s that Dalila wasn’t capable of betrayal as they walked up to the threshold of the hut. It was nothing more than a flap that could easily be pushed aside, but Hunter did what he could to seem somewhat friendly as he finally broke their silence.

“Pardon us, but is anyone in there? We’re looking for some directions.”

Wrecker gave Hunter a nervous glance that he could easily read through his brother’s helmet. That energy grew more shared between them as the silence stretched on, and Hunter was met with no response. His hands started to drift towards his blasters even as he spoke up again.

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

Hunter paused for one, two, then three heartbeats, though his sense of courtesy was short-lived. He glanced back at Wrecker, nodded, and tightened his hands around his pistols.

Hunter advanced through the hut’s flap, raising his weapons in a lightning-quick maneuver. Fortunately, there wasn’t a hostile on the other end of his aim. Unfortunately, there was someone there.

At least, there had been, but someone else had already taken care of him. Their scientist-turned-pirate was already dead from a darkened blaster wound in the center of his chest. By the look of it, and whatever smell was already barraging Hunter’s sensitive nose, the wound was already a few hours old.

Hunter growled and shoved his blasters back into his holsters before he removed his helmet for a better look. “Crik.”

Wrecker also grumbled as he followed Hunter’s lead and eased his grasp on his blaster. “Guess we weren’t the only ones lookin’ for this guy.”

Hunter tucked his helmet under his arm and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If we’d gotten here earlier…”

“There’s no use thinkin’ like that.” Wrecker didn’t bother keeping the bite out of his tone. “We’re here now, and he’s dead. Can’t be undone. Let’s just get what we can from his files and go before anyone sees us here.”

Hunter wasn’t sure whether Wrecker was defending his own decision to go on the date that delayed them or Hunter’s role in letting it happen, but either way, he appreciated his brother’s desire to get things moving. He hadn’t intended on shifting the blame onto Wrecker, at least not intentionally, but his frustration had made it dangerously possible. It was good that Wrecker stopped him when he had.

Hunter lowered his hand from his nose and stepped forward, but he froze in his tracks when he saw it. The pirate’s body was far from being the only collateral inside that dwelling. Each piece of technology that would have carried any useful information had also been destroyed to bits, some of it still sparking with the very same energy Hunter had sensed from the outside.

That kind of targeted destruction only lent itself to one logical conclusion.

Hunter cursed more colorfully that time and held his helmet tightly between his hands. “The Empire. It was the blasted Empire!”

He let out a frustrated shout as he threw his helmet against the dirt and crouched down with his face in his hands. It was far from the first lead they had lost out on over the past month, but Hunter had foolishly been investing too much hope in this one. He should’ve known better.

Hunter heard Wrecker moving around him, undoubtedly picking his helmet up from the dirt before setting his other hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “There might be somethin’ we can still salvage, Hunter. Let’s find the least damaged one and then check in with Echo.”

Hunter’s shoulders eased with the deep breath of composure he took before he nodded. He steeled himself against the dangerous swirl of emotions within him as he stood and accepted the helmet Wrecker held out to him, shoving it back over his head and approaching the desk of destroyed technology.

They had only just started to sift through everything when Hunter heard it. He held up a gloved hand to Wrecker, signaling him to freeze as he shifted his focus onto the outside of the hut. There were several footsteps crunching on gravel, approaching at a pace that made escaping impossible.

Hunter lowered his voice to a whisper. “We’re not alone.”

Wrecker tensed before he slowly started to reach for his blaster again. Hunter mimicked the movement with his own twin pistols, still keeping his focus on those who approached the best he could. From his best calculations, it had to be a group of at least five or six, not uniform enough to designate soldiers.

Hunter didn’t have to guess for long, as their guests soon made themselves known. “Hey! We’re back with the supplies! You better make good on yer’ word to give us extra for the good stuff!”

Hunter shared a look with Wrecker before they both turned towards the hut’s closed flap. Hunter considered each option they had, but the hut only had a single entry point, and they had no idea what they’d be running out into. The best option, at least for now, was to keep whatever ground they still had.

“Yer’ awfully quiet in there. Better not mean you’re no good on our credits.”

Hunter was getting tired of hoping, but he sure did hope that there were at least some credits lying somewhere around here, if only for their sake—because whatever this group, more than likely a band of pirates from the sound of it, was about to walk into wasn’t going to make Hunter and Wrecker look innocent.

Hunter glanced over at Wrecker and nodded once. Hold.

“We’ll come in an’ get ‘em! We’re not waitin’ all day!”

Hunter raised his blasters and braced himself for whatever would happen next. Only one thought passed through his mind before the flap finally opened: No more pirates, Phee.

A Weequay man stepped through the open threshold of the hut, trailed by a Nikto and a Rodian. All three of them stopped short in their tracks as they observed the scene, with the scientist’s dead body and Hunter and Wrecker standing just alongside it. They kept their blasters trained on the three newcomers, who had also raised their own weapons.

The Weequay’s look of shock soon twisted into a vicious snarl. “Who are you?”

“This wasn’t us.” Hunter knew better than to think his words would get through to the group, but it was worth a try, anyway. “We were here to make our own deal when we found him like this.”

The Weequay huffed. “Yeah, sure. While yer’ armed to the teeth with the same weapon that killed ‘im.” He paused before he let out a dramatic sigh and shrugged. “Well, ‘s long as you have our credits, I don’t really care what happened to the poor fellow.”

Hunter grimaced beneath his helmet. “If you want to dig up those credits, then have at it, but we don’t have anything to offer you.”

“Funny words comin’ from the fellow’s murderer.”

Hunter growled in frustration. “This wasn’t us. I’d imagine whoever did it took the money and ran, but that’s your problem, not ours.”

Someone from the outside spoke up. “What’s goin’ on in there?”

The Weequay shouted back. “He’s dead! Killed by two others!”

This time, Wrecker was the exasperated one. “Didn’t you hear ‘im? It wasn’t us!”

“Yeah, like we’re ‘sposed to believe that!”

Hunter didn’t need his genius brother to tell him that they were locked in a stalemate. All he could do was let out a quiet sigh and hope, yet again, that his next move wasn’t entirely a foolish one.

“Look.” Hunter slid his blasters back into his holsters and held up his hands, much to Wrecker’s chagrin at his side. “If you want to come look for the credits, we won’t stop you. We just want to head out and find somebody else we can make our deal with.”

The Weequay and his associates remained silent for now, instead shifting their focus onto Wrecker. Hunter’s brother cast one more look of disbelief through his helmet before he blew out a breath and shouldered his rifle, also holding his hands up in surrender.

The Weequay, evidently proving himself to be the leader of this group, looked at the Rodian and nodded towards the scientist’s dead body. “Look for the credits.” He then turned to the Nikto and gestured to Hunter and Wrecker. “And you search ‘em.”

Hunter tilted his helmet threateningly. “That’s not a good idea.”

The Weequay narrowed his eyes at him. “Oh, yeah? Why?”

“Because we don’t have what you’re looking for, and we don’t take kindly to unwarranted frisks.”

“There’s nothin’ to worry about if yer’ not hidin’ our money.”

All the while, the Nikto continued his approach in their direction. Hunter was getting too tired of sitting back on his heels, and if the man dared to make contact, well… Hunter was more than ready to make him, and the rest of them, regret it.

Unfortunately for the Nikto, he decided to be bold and start with Wrecker. All it took was one signature Wrecker punch to the Nikto’s throat to send him sprawling to the ground in an instant.

“Hey!” The Weequay shouted as he lifted his blaster again and started firing.

Hunter split off towards the Rodian, who he grabbed around the neck until the Rodian was acting as an effective shield for Hunter’s own body. Hunter tightened his arm more and more around the Rodian’s throat, listening carefully as the man’s breathing halted into nothingness. Hunter continued to hold him there until he had fully assessed the situation.

Wrecker had already dispatched the Weequay, and he looked ready to charge out into the open. Hunter refused to let him go alone. He shoved the Rodian into the dirt as he leapt forward, exchanging a brief nod with Wrecker before they faced whatever else awaited them outside the hut.

Hunter only saw four new faces before he and Wrecker were forced to roll away from one another to avoid incoming fire. Without a decent amount of cover, Hunter was too exposed to rely on his blasters, and he instead reached for his knife as he charged at the nearest target.

In the haze of the brutality that arose from Hunter’s own anger and frustration, he didn’t even get a good look at the man he ran his blade through. Instead, he used the deadweight as a springboard to leap towards his next target, who was at least sharp enough to dodge the attack as Hunter neatly tucked and rolled in the dirt.

Hunter glanced up and noticed it was yet another Nikto he was now running towards. The Nikto tried to raise his blaster, but Hunter knocked it aside without missing a beat. He started to swipe at the Nikto’s neck with his blade, but the man held his wrist tight enough to keep it in place. Hunter used his momentum to slam his helmet against the man’s forehead, making him release Hunter as he fell back a few steps.

That was all Hunter needed. He growled as he kicked forward to shove the Nikto into the dirt, and in just a few heartbeats, Hunter was upon him with a snap to the temple from the hilt of his vibroblade. The scent of fresh blood was sharp in Hunter’s nostrils as he pushed himself off his target and checked Wrecker’s own progress.

His brother had just finished dispatching the pair of pirates he’d been working on, his helmet on a swivel as he similarly looked for Hunter. The sweet feeling of relief swept over Hunter even in the midst of his battle-ridden adrenaline as he started to nod, intent on getting out of there as soon as possible.

But that relief was short-lived, because they had both missed the makeshift sniper on a nearby overlook.

The shot went off before Hunter could fully react. It impacted his right pauldron hard enough to send the piece of armor flying off the very same cliffside he had gotten much too close to—and was now ungracefully tumbling towards due to the momentum of the shot.

All Hunter could hear was his own gasp and Wrecker’s yelled protest as the dirt beneath him transformed into nothing but open air. He flung out his arms to try to catch himself on the rocky ledge, but it instead crumbled apart just as his injured shoulder failed him.

Hunter at least had enough sense to reach for his grappling hook and throw it, landing one of the luckiest shots of his life just as he secured the line to his belt. He gritted his teeth as the line quickly went taut with his full bodyweight, his right arm hanging limp at his side as his left hand grasped the line as tightly as he could.

Hunter chanced a look over at his right shoulder. His pauldron was long gone, lost to whatever valley laid far, far below where he was currently suspended, but that piece of armor had done little to absorb the pain of the impact. Hunter was fairly certain it was at least partially dislocated from whatever slugthrower the pirate had used, and undoubtedly wickedly bruised.

Worst of all, though, it was completely useless. Hunter couldn’t even try to maneuver his right arm up towards the line, much less pull himself back up it.

He shoved the pain of it aside for now, only releasing it in small, occasional whimpers and grunts, and instead strained to listen for Wrecker. He nearly hailed him over the comms before he saw Wrecker’s helmet appear over the ledge far above his head.

“Hunter!” Wrecker’s tone betrayed his worry as he yelled down to where Hunter was still dangling midair far below the cliffside.

Hunter managed to activate the comms on his helmet before he spoke. “I’m fine, Wrecker, but my shoulder’s no good.” He paused to let out another grunt of pain. “I’m gonna need you to help me back up.”

Wrecker froze, and Hunter was confused until it hit him, not unlike the impact of the shot that had landed him here in the first place. This scene, everything from Hunter hanging there to Wrecker’s role in pulling him up, was nearly an exact recreation of that fateful moment on Eriadu. The very same moment that had been haunting Wrecker endlessly.

Hunter cursed beneath his breath and spoke more gently. “Wrecker, it’s okay. I’m fine, and I’m gonna be fine. You’ll get me up there.”

Wrecker slowly raised his hand to his own helmet before he spoke over the comms in a trembling voice. “What if I drop you, too?”

Hunter shook his head. “You won’t. I promise you, you won’t.” He closed his eyes, steeling himself against a fresh wave of pain, and pushed on. “But we need to get out of here fast, before something worse happens.”

That at least seemed to kick Wrecker into action. Hunter watched carefully as his brother gingerly reached for the line and began to pull, easing Hunter back up the cliffside little by little. Hunter helped as much as he could, grabbing any handholds he could reach with his left arm and using his feet for leverage, but there was only so much he could do.

What Wrecker needed most, though, wasn’t Hunter’s actions. It was his words.

“You’re doing great, Wrecker.” Hunter nodded up at his brother and continued to speak, despite his growing breathlessness from both his exertion and the pulsing pain in his shoulder. “Almost halfway already. I’ll be up there before you know it.”

Wrecker couldn’t speak, and whether it was from his own exertion or the flashback he was experiencing, Hunter couldn’t tell just yet. All he could do was keep reassuring his brother and talking him through what once would have been Wrecker’s simplest task.

Hunter was about a quarter of the way from the top when he accidentally slipped on a faulty foothold. He barely fell, thanks to Wrecker’s trusty grasp on the line above him, but it was enough to shake Wrecker’s fractured composure even more. Wrecker spoke in a partial fearful whimper that Hunter hadn’t heard since his brother’s last breakdown on Kamino as cadets. “Hunter…”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m okay.” Hunter’s tone remained firm yet soothing as he hardened his jaw to keep his own sounds of agony from his jostled shoulder tucked away. “It was just a little slip. I’m fine. We’re almost there.” He took a deep breath, hoping Wrecker was doing the same, and nodded. “You can do this.”

Wrecker finally unfroze at that, once again resuming his motion of tugging Hunter’s line over the ledge. It wasn’t much longer until Hunter was close enough for Wrecker to grab onto, though Hunter couldn’t hide the pained yelp he let out when Wrecker held him underneath his injured shoulder. That still didn’t stop his brother from pulling him all the way up and setting him onto solid ground again, just to stare at him as if he’d disappear if he looked away.

This close, Hunter could hear Wrecker’s wheezing, unsteady breaths, as unsynchronized as the heaving in his shoulders. Hunter’s heart shattered within his chest, but he held it together for his brother’s sake as he rocked the front of his helmet against his brother’s.

“You did good, Wreck. Just like I knew you would.” Hunter’s left hand gently tapped the side of Wrecker’s helmet. “You were strong enough. You’ve always been strong enough.” He glanced back, looking nervously upon the bodies of the pirates around him. “We’ll talk about this more, but we’ve got to get out of here first. Okay?”

Wrecker nodded, a jerky movement that was barely a substitute for the gesture, but was enough for Hunter to lean back and guide his brother back to where they had first made their approach. Hunter wasn’t brave enough to ask his broken brother for support on the way down, so he made do with the one arm he had, no matter how badly it hurt.

There wasn’t even time to mourn the fact that a piece of his armor, something he’d had for countless years, was now lost forever. Especially not when his own brother had fractured right in front of his eyes, all because Hunter hadn’t been cautious enough to realize a weapon was being aimed at him.

Hunter was half-delirious from the pain by the time the Marauder was back in sight, but once he got the ship into the air and towards the endless expanse of stars yet again, he still channeled his focus solely onto his brother. Wrecker had already removed his helmet and sunk onto the deck in midship, holding his face in his hands as relentless, heaving sobs wracked his strong body.

Hunter knew from experience that all he could do was be right there with him, sitting at his side and resting his head upon his arm as a quiet reminder of his presence. He at least positioned his injured shoulder as comfortably as he could, but it was a small priority for the time being. He wouldn’t dare focus on himself when his brother was in such a broken, fragile state.

When Hunter found the words to say, his voice was as soft as he could make it, even as he spoke over the sound of Wrecker’s broken cries. “You couldn’t save him. None of us could.” Hunter closed his eyes and exhaled a shaky breath as his own flashback of that treacherous moment haunted his hazy mind. “But you saved me, Wrecker. You always have.”

That was enough for Wrecker, who leaned into Hunter more as his sobs eased into more gentle cries. It wasn’t a permanent fix, as this was something Hunter would be helping Wrecker through for longer than just a single night aboard the Marauder, but it was something that would at least start piecing his strongest brother back together.

They had hit another dead end with no real lead, rendering a month’s worth of travel around the galaxy useless, and as hopeless as that made Hunter feel, he forced himself to be grateful for the fact he still had his brother. He would do whatever it took to keep it that way, even if it meant truly sacrificing all of his own needs.

Hunter understood his role now more than ever before, and no longer would he cave to the brokenness that had hollowed out whatever goodness remained within him. Instead, he would shove it down as far as he could and push onwards, becoming the strong foundation for Wrecker that he should have been all along.

It was one month down and countless more to go until Hunter had truly brought all the broken pieces of his family back together—at least, whatever broken pieces he could truly salvage.