Finally, the forest cleared and the Marauder was found standing. Echo couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"Anyone there?"
Echo listened. "Yes, Kanan?"
He stayed quiet. "Are you at the Marauder?"
"Yes boss."
"Can you wait for me a while? I'm on my way and won't take long. I can see your footprints."
"Of course kid. Bring Hunter with you."
"Where will you bury him?" His voice was heavy.
Echo could feel his world crash around him. "What do you mean?"
"Echo..."
"Speak already, Jedi. We don't have all day." Crosshair, who was obviously clinging for news, snapped.
"Hunter's dead. And so is the Inquisitor who killed him."
"Alright, hurry up."
Echo could feel his brother close the comm link for him. Echo involuntarily leaned his head against Crosshair's shoulder.
At first, he stiffened, but then he let Echo snuggle against hi, even circling his arms around him.
"Come on," he told him. "Let's go home."
Echo didn't move.
"Vod", he said soothingly. "I can feel your pain. I am shattered too, I only met them less than two hours ago and now... I've lost them. Like Tech." his voice shook. "Let's go home and remember them there. They wouldn't want us to jeopardize Omega's safety for them, now, would they?"
His words willed Echo to walk.
"Speaking of Omega," Echo asked, regaining his voice, searching the ship, from the stairs, "where is she?"
"With us."
Crosshair whipped to see a man with dishevelled hair – if you could call them that – and burnt skin, but the same wicked smile.
"Surprised? I have the ability to survive better," Hemlock sneered. "Now if you're done gaping, we would like to go back with something of ours you had tried to steal."
Behind him, the ship's door opened to find a flailing Omega against a Dark-Trooper's arms.
"So long. CT-9904." Hemlock said, and followed into the ship.
Echo ran in, and powered the ship up.
"Crosshair?"
But he was already running.
"CROSSHAIR!"
But he wouldn't listen. He dashed and dashed, until he was near Hemlock's ship enough to use a grappling hook and stay attached to it. Echo could see the clone climb onto it and finding a vent to swing himself inside where Omega was.
"Oh, Force," he muttered to himself, as he ignited the engines and took off after the ship.
*****
Crosshair looked for a window, but he couldn't find one. He did, however, find a vent.
He carefully used his fingers to dig into the locks and pull it out. He could get a clear view from inside.
But while he was about to remove it, two hands grabbed him roughly and pulled him into the cockpit.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't out hero." Hemlock glared with a smirk. "Bring him to the opening."
He was dragged to the ship's door, while a terrified Omega stood near him, whispering his name.
"Please," she called to the doctor, "let him go. Take me instead."
"No." the doctor said with a strange finality. "Why settle for one when you can have two? Why be content on one when you can kill two birds with one stone? The time for bargaining has passed."
The door had opened. They pushed Crosshair to the edge, about to throw him off.
"Any last words, CT-9904?" Hemlock whispered, so near to his body. Crosshair looked at Omega. Jump with me, he mouthed. She nodded.
"I'm sorry, Omega. I hope, I have redeemed myself for all the torture I gave you. This is my parting gift to the world."
He dived next, but he grabbed firm hold of Hemlock and wrapping his legs and arms around his torso, he leapt with Hemlock.
Omega screamed.
*****
"You son of a gun" Echo exclaimed as he saw Crosshair and Hemlock plummet to the ground, wrestling each other.
All of a sudden, he saw their bodies separate. He swivelled the Marauder around to catch Crosshair's limp form. He was bleeding profusely, with violent gashes and bullet wounds to his body. He couldn't be saved now, Echo thought with dread as he remembered his ARC training. Death was certain for another of his brothers.
"What the hell were you doing? Couldn't you wait for me?"
Crosshair looked at him, smiled, but then looking alarmed, he coughed blood enough to soak two napkins and pointed towards another falling body. "Catch her!"
Echo didn't need to ask who was that falling body.
He used all the strength left in him to turn the ship around to an angle and released the grappling hook. Fortunately, Omega caught it and climbed on. She gasped at Crosshair.
"Echo, bring me the med pack." She commanded.
"Kid," Crosshair coughed, "you know as well as I do that I am a hopeless case now. So just let me at least die in peace, but don't leave me alone. Please."
The desperation in his voice brought tears to Echo's eyes, and he crouched beside his brother-in-arms.
"Echo, Omega, I'm sorry. For everything. If it's any consolation, I swear I wasn't in control of who I was."
"We know," Omega soothed him.
"I also killed a lieutenant on Barton-IV. That's why I was in prison. I did it for you, for all clones, for Mayday."
Echo didn't have the heart to interrupt him.
"And, as one last thing I tried to make it up with," Crosshair said, gasping for air, strangled noises escaping his throat, "I killed Hemlock. While falling. That's what...earned me...these gashes."
Omega was sobbing. "Crosshair, don't leave me. I order you soldier, don't leave me!"
Crosshair smiled, a tear rolling down his eye too. "One thing Omega, I have always loved you, even though I was hopeless in showing it, and I had remembered you when we returned home to Kamino. I didn't mean what I screamed at you in prison, and" he cupped a hand to her face, "if there's one thing I learned from you all, it's that good soldiers do not always follow orders. I'm sorry. Forgive me, Echo."
He gave one last two-fingered salute, and then his eyes went glassy and his breathing stopped. Echo covered his eyes as Omega hugged him and cried her heart out.
