Well I thought it was obvious ✨

I'M SO HAPPY 😭😭😭💖💖💖

A strong, gloved hand moved a chunk of metal blocking the exit out of the way. Hunter staggered out, arm around his torso as his breaths came out shallow, trying to make sure his broken ribs didn't puncture a lung. Omega held onto him as her legs shook, blood trickling from under her helmet and her broken nose. Echo followed, limping slightly, his prosthetics damaged, his unbruised eye searching for something- no- someone through his shattered visor. His voice was panicked as he limped over to the other part of the railcar.

Echo: "Tech! Tech! "

Time seemed to stand still until a familiar groan rang out from inside. Wrecker climbed out... with his good arm around Tech as he helped him up. Echo sighs, relieved. Wrecker and Tech walked over to the others, Tech holding his own jaw as he re-socketed it. Hunter came over with Omega, and she ran over and hugged Tech, her fingers digging into his bruised back. He winced slightly, moving his hand to her back to comfort her. Wrecker spoke through heavy, pained breaths.

Wrecker: "... what... what happened? "

Tech sighs.

Tech: "... a variable we were not prepared for. Saw... Saw Gerrera and his forces were at the base. Hunter and I ran into them while trying to infiltrate Raven's Peak. They planned to bomb the site. Kill every... hh... everyone at the summit."

Echo and Wrecker exchanged glances.

Tech: "... I am sorry. I should have been quicker. There was a 3.62 second variable between when the V-Wings arrived and when I reached for my blaster that... agh-"

Tech made a small, pained sound as he shifted his weight. Hunter put his free hand on Tech's shoulder.

Hunter: "It's okay Tech. We're still together, and we're still alive. That's what matters."

Tech looks down. Echo shifts his damaged prosthesis.

Echo: "We need to get back to the ship and find another way to get to Tantiss."

Wrecker nodded. Omega let go of Tech, wiping her eyes and the blood on her face off with her bandana. Tech took out his datapad, the screen cracked, but still functional. He pressed a couple buttons with his shaking thumb before pointing to a certain direction.

Tech: "F-Fourteen klicks north."

They all start heading that way, moving as quickly as they can to get there.

~

30 minutes later, they had to stop. They needed to tend to each other's wounds the best they could if they were gonna make it the rest of the way. Hunter had helped Omega tie her bandana around her head to stop the bleeding from her hairline, but there was nothing to do about the broken nose at the moment.

Hunter had a few broken ribs, which would most likely heal on their own, but the bruising on his back was gonna hurt for a while. He was lucky not to have broken a vertabrate.

Wrecker wasn't letting anyone touch him, and was more focused on helping Tech. He had a large gash across his right cheek, a limp wrist, and he winced each time he turned his head. Still, he didn't let anyone help him. He had to stay strong. For them.

Tech's goggles had shattered from the fall, but he could still see somewhat through what was left. Unfortunately, he had twisted his right ankle pretty bad and re-fractured his left femur halfway. He was having a hard time standing. Wrecker would most likely have to carry him.

Echo was probably the luckiest of them. Only his left prosthetic leg and arm had gotten the brunt of the damage.

As they were all standing up to go, Wrecker lifting Tech up onto his shoulder, Omega steadied herself on a tree, her voice quiet.

Omega: "So... we're just not gonna talk about it?"

Tech: "About what?"

Omega: "Oh don't give me that bullshit, Tech."

They all froze, staring at her.

Tech: "... excuse me?"

She scoffs.

Omega: "Tech, you aren't stupid in the slightest. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Tech: "Whatever it is, we can talk about it back on the Marauder. We only stopped to tend to our wounds. Now that we are done doing so, we can-"

Omega: "No we're not! "

Tech: "Oh? And what injuries have we not tended?"

Omega searches for a moment, before her eyes land on the tree next to her. Suddenly, she starts punching it, ramming her right fist into the rough, sharp bark. Hunter immediately rushes over, pulling her away.

Hunter: "Omega! Omega stop! "

She pushes away from him, catching her breath, tears forming in her eyes, her glare filled with rage as blood dripped from her now raw knuckles.

Omega: "See? One of us is still injured."

Hunter: "What is wrong with you?! "

Omega: "Me?! What's wrong with ME?! Oh, I dunno, probably the fact that we were so close to getting Crosshair back, this-"

She puts her bloody thumb and index finger up, barely a centimeter apart.

Omega: "THIS close to getting him back and being a family again, and some- some STUPID PIECE OF CRAP FROM SOME SHITWATER PLANET CALLED ONDERON JUST TAKES THAT AWAY FROM US BECAUSE HE WANTS TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF SOME IMPERIAL BASTARDS?! HE THINKS HE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO THAT MORE THAN WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO FINALLY ALL BE HAPPY TOGETHER?! Oh, and did I mention TECH just tried to FUCKING KILL HIMSELF?! OR DID EVERYONE JUST FUCKING FORGET THAT TOO?! "

Echo: "Omega, calm down."

Omega: "NO! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE DON'T GET TO TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU LEFT TO SAVE WHO KNOWS WHO WITH BIG OL' MIGHTY MR. CAPTAIN REX AND HIS CHUMS, AND YOU DON'T SEEM TO HAVE DONE SHIT TO FIND TANTISS! I MEAN REALLY, WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING, GETTING BLACKOUT DRUNK AFTER EVERY DAMN SUCCESSFUL MISSION?! "

Echo was stunned by her outburst, unable to do anything but stand there and choke on his words. Hunter reached out to her.

Hunter: "Omega, your hand-"

Omega smacks his hand away.

Omega: "DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME! I'm DONE keeping quiet about all this- all this BANTHASHIT! Especially YOURS! The FIRST day you had me, you tried to give me away to Cut and Suu! Oh, and you think I don't heard those little things you said about me, but I did. I'm the problem, aren't I? Don't lie to me, that's all I've ever been to you all, right?! I was the reason Echo LEFT because YOU were too much of a PUSSY to actually DO SOMETHING to HELP because of ME you... YOU-...UGH! "

She threw her bow down and buried her face in her hands, screaming into them as she crouched down. It all went silent after that. It was like the forest itself was too scared to speak, as if it would anger her too.

Wrecker: "...Mags? Are... are you okay? "

Omega takes a deep breath, before standing up, tears in her eyes. She shook her head no, her voice breaking.

Omega: "... we were so close... we were so close... and it all went to hell..."l

She sobs, standing there, her knuckles and nose bleeding. Just then, she felt an arm wrap around her, followed by a scomp arm wrapping around the other side. Omega buried her face in Echo's shoulder as he held her. He gently took out a kerchief from his pocket and tied it around her injured hand before he picked her up, gently cradling her on his right arm. Echo and Hunter exchanged worried glances, before he looked back down at her, sighing.

Echo: "... you're not the problem, kid... I promise..."

Omega kept her face in his shoulder, crying softly. Hunter picked up her bow. They had to keep moving. They had to get to the ship.

~

An hour later, they all stood at the edge of a rushing waterway, catching their breath on the stony riverbed. Omega was on lookout duty, perched on a small gathering of boulders nearby. Hunter looks at Tech.

Hunter: "... Tech... how far away is the ship now?"

Tech, who was sat against a large rock, checked his broken datapad, trying to read it through the cracks in the screen and his goggles.

Tech: "9 klicks."

Hunter: "Okay... Okay, we're making good progress. We need to keep moving. Which way is the ship from here?"

Tech hesitates, before pointing northward... straight across the river. Wrecker groans.

Echo: "How long will it take for us to get across?"

Tech: "Well, going through the water is not a feasible option due to the speed, width, and depth of the river, plus our combined injuries and the waterproof nature of your cybernetics being compromised."

Echo: "Are there any bridges or dams nearby?

Tech: "Considering that we are near a private military base in the deep wilderness... no.

Omega jumps down next to her brother.

Omega: "Going around isn't an option either. I can't see either end of the river, even from the shore."

Hunter sighs.

Hunter: "... we need to find somewhere to lay low until we can get a transmission out to Rex."

Tech: "I do not believe that would be the best idea. Rex may not be available, and we may put him in danger of being discovered by the empire."

Wrecker crossed his arms.

Wrecker: "Well who d'you suggest then?"

Tech: "Phee, of course."

Omega: "But I thought she didn't know about this mission?"

Tech: "I told her, just in case we needed an assist, or a rescue in this case."

Hunter: "And you did this without consulting the rest of us, or even telling us beforehand?"

Tech: "I did not feel I needed to, since I was not aware that we would need it. Plus, even if I did not, Lyana would have likely talked to Phee about it, since Omega told her."

Hunter gave Omega a confused glance. She rubbed the back of her neck, averting her eyes as her face heated up.

Omega: "I was helping her fix her boat, it just happened to come up."

Hunter sighs. Of course they had a backup plan for their backup plan.

Hunter: "... good job you two."

Tech pats Omega on the back softly, giving her an approving look. She returned a lopsided half-smile. Hunter crouched down, picking up some sand and feeling it between his fingers. He tried to find somewhere to hide in the forest, focusing despite the pain in his chest. After a moment, he stood up.

Hunter: "There's a cave nearby. We can rest there."

Omega helped Tech up, Wrecker going over to his other side to help support him. Hunter started leading them to the cave, making sure to check every couple minutes that everyone was still with them.

~

A while later, they made their way through the bushes in front of the cave. It wasn't that deep, but it was enough to keep them safe for now. Tech took his helmet off and started messing around with his datapad as soon as he sat down, using the not-so-shattered tools in his pockets as best as he could to try and boost the signal. For a minute, it was silent between all of them, except for the sound of Tech's tools.

Wrecker: "... so... we just wait?"

Echo: "Not much else we can do. I'm gonna see if I can find anything that could help us in here."

Hunter: "I'll go keep watch."

Hunter left the cave, going to stand guard. Echo went to go explore around the cave. Omega and Wrecker were left alone with Tech tinkering in the corner. Wrecker took his helmet off, looking at the broken bottom right side. His helmet hadn't been broken like this since the explosion...

He put his hand up to the right side of his face, wincing a bit as his fingers accidentally grazed the scratch on his cheek. Omega reached up and moved his hand away.

Omega: "Careful, don't want that getting infected."

Wrecker: "Yeh, you're right..."

He continues to look down at his broken helmet. Omega put her head on his arm, holding his hand.

Omega: "We'll fix it together, okay?"

He smiles a little, before wincing as he tries to look at her. Concern seeped into her expression as she saw that.

Omega: "What's wrong? What hurts?"

Wrecker: "Nothin' kid, jus-"

He let out a pained hiss as he tried to move his head again. Omega quickly got up.

Omega: "Hey, hey, hey, don't move, don't move. Keep your neck still."

She walked back behind him, checking the back of his head and neck for any injuries. Almost immediately, she saw the large purple and yellow bruise in the middle of his neck. Omega cursed under her breath, starting to take off her jacket.

Omega: "You should have told us you experienced whiplash."

Wrecker: "What? Wha's that? Is it bad?"

Omega: "Only if you don't want to risk paralysis from the neck down, since I'm pretty sure you've fractured one of your spinal vertabrate."

Wrecker's fists tightened. That's when he felt the cloth of her jacket touch the back of his neck.

Wrecker: "W-Woah, hey, what're you doin'?"

Omega: "Making a makeshift neck brace until we can get you a real one. Don't worry, it'll be loose and just support the back of your neck. You just can't move your head for a while."

Wrecker: "But you're using your jacket- y-ya need that or else you'll get cold!"

Omega: "Wreck, I'll be fine. I've survived worse than a little bit of a chill."

Wrecker was gonna retort, but realized it was no use. It was true after all, and even if it wasn't, there was no talking her out of it at this point. He let her work, glancing out of the corner of his good eye at Tech, who was too focused on his current mission. Wrecker fiddled with his fingers for a moment.

Wrecker: "... y'know, uh... in that whole little... that little rant you went on earlier... 'm surprised you didn't mention me in any of it."

Omega: "Why would I? You haven't been saying anything behind my back, and you've made me feel the most welcome out of everyone..."

Wrecker: "Really? Heh, thanks kid."

Omega: "I'm just telling the truth, no need to thank me."

There was a pause in their conversation after that.

Wrecker: "... Mags?"

Omega: "Yes?"

Wrecker: "Hunter, did he..."

He hesitates.

Wrecker: "... did he really try to-"

Omega: "Yes."

Wrecker tried to look back at her, but forgot he was supposed to keep it still, and grimaced from the pain.

Wrecker: "Owww..."

Omega: "Hey, easy. It's gonna take some getting used to, but-"

Wrecker: "Mags, he tried gettin' rid of ya! "

Omega: "True, but he didn't succeed."

Wrecker: "He also didn' tell any of us that he was gonna do that! "

Omega froze. She took a deep breath, steadying her hands.

Omega: "Well, you do know now. That's something, right? "

Wrecker crossed his arms. Omega sighs, patting her brother's shoulder.

Omega: "Don't get on him too much for it, okay? It's been a long day for all of us. Just wait until we're back on Pabu."

He hesitates for a moment, before groaning softly.

Wrecker: "Fine. Jus' don' expect me to go easy on him."

She smiles softly, kissing the side of his head.

Omega: "Screaming matches only, okay?"

He reached up and ruffles her hair.

Wrecker: "No promises."

Omega: "Fine, no broken bones."

Wrecker: "Now that I can do."

Omega chuckles a little before sitting down next to her brother again, leaning against his side. Wrecker put his arm around her, almost protectively. In that moment, it almost felt as if, no matter what happened in the past or future. They had each other's backs.

~

The clock read 22:46. It was an hour later back on Tantiss, or so he had calculated. Honestly, he was just glad that the whining bastards that called themselves General Romodi and Commander Krennic were gone. It was much easier to think this way. As he stood in the scorched remains of the hangar on Raven's peak, he was approached by a stormtrooper with a datapad.

Stormtrooper: "Doctor Hemlock, sir?"

Royce turned to them, his icy blue eyes and unnaturally calm voice making the trooper feel a chill shoot through their spine.

Hemlock: "Yes?"

Stormtrooper: "I-I- w-we found the crash site, and we believe they may have survived."

Hemlock: "Hm... good. Send out a search party. I want them back alive."

Stormtrooper: "But sir, we were ordered by the governor-"

Hemlock: "That was before we were made aware that there were clones on that railcar. They are under my jurisdiction."

Stormtrooper: "We weren't ordered-"

Their voice was quickly silenced as Hemlock wrapped his gloved hand around their neck. The trooper tried to pry his fingers off their throat, but it was no use. He brought them down so they were both face-to-face, his voice a cold whisper.

Hemlock: "Your orders have changed. You will send a search party out to find these rogue clones and bring them back intact. Am I understood? "

They barely choked out a reply through their nearly closed windpipe.

Stormtrooper: "...y... yes... s-sir-! "

He dropped them, leaving them gasping for air on their knees. Hemlock fixed his glove a bit, not looking back at them.

Hemlock: "You are dismissed, trooper."

They scrambled to their feet and ran off, clearly not wanting to get on his bad side anymore. Hemlock watched them scramble off, almost feeling satisfaction from seeing it. He turned to face the entrance to the hangar. The clouds had mostly dissipated, leaving a view of the jungle below. He walked right up to the edge and gazed across the mountain range. The air was freezing, but he didn't care. He could see his breath as he started to whistle that familiar tune.

~

It was just as Tech had watched Hunter went to go switch watch shifts with Omega that he heard blaster fire and two stun rays hit. He immediately looked at Echo, who seemed to have heard it too. Wrecker had just been woken up by the sound and was already reaching for his blaster. Echo put his hand out to stop him and shook his head. Echo quietly limps over to help Tech up while Wrecker got up on his own. They all made their way deeper into the cave.

As they made it into a small offshoot, they heard the troops finally enter the cave.

Wrecker: "What do we do now? "

Tech: "Well, the good news is that we can contact Phee. I need to make a couple more minor modifications and we will be able to send out a signal."

Wrecker: "Bad news? "

Tech: "We need to be outside to do so."

Echo shifts his grip on Tech a bit.

Echo: "There's another exit at the end of this tunnel. Come on."

They did their best to keep their footsteps as quiet as they could, but with the dark environment, it was hard to see any rocks or dips in the floor. Tech continues to make the adjustments to his datapad as they walk.

Suddenly, they heard a shot ring out behind them and Wrecker collapsed, stunned. Behind them were 2-3 stormtroopers.

Lead Stormtrooper: "Stay where you are! Hands up!"

Echo: "Run! "

Echo pushed Tech forwards, towards the end of the tunnel. Tech looked back and saw Echo dodging the stun blasts as he drew his own pistol. Tech leaned against the wall as he limped as fast as he could towards the exit. Halfway to it, he heard Echo cry out and fall. He was sprawled out on the floor, his blaster damaged. Tech's gaze snapped to the exit. There was no way he would make it there at his current pace.

He had no choice.

It was up to him now.

Tech sucked in a breath... before he took off running, squeezing his eyes shut. Pain seared through both of his legs, making him want to scream, but he forced his jaw to stay shut so he couldn't. He was running on pure adrenaline. He had to make this all right. He had to fix his mistake.

As soon as he felt the cold air engulf him, he jammed his finger into the button, sending the signal off into the sky. He fell against a nearby tree, catching his breath, looking up at the clear, starry sky. He sighs, smiling softly, his pain and worry almost immediately forgotten as he gazed up at the billions of tiny lights that twinkled at him. He never thought that something as simple as the stars in the sky could be so... so beautiful...

Just as he was about to look back down at his datapad, he felt the ring of electricity hit him. Everything went black as his body fell limp to the ground, signal still beeping and pulsing out into space.