Doomsday

Chapter 7 - Bonding

Author's Note: I know, I know, the timing of this kinda breaks Canon because Corellia clearly happened literally right after Pantora, but that kinda slipped my mind, and not everything's gonna be exactly the same, anyway. :P

~ Rivana Rita

He feels surprisingly more rested than he has in a long time when he finally starts waking up, well, aside from being sore in a ridiculous number of places. Crosshair pushes himself up and shoves Wrecker off him the moment he realizes where he is. Echo's fallen asleep on Wrecker in a position that could not possibly be comfortable.

Tech is already waking, and instantly pulls his goggles back on. He only takes them off when he's sleeping, and that's only on occasion.

Wrecker rolls over, grumbling as Echo shifts beneath them and pushes himself up.

"I have no sympathy if you're sore for hours," Crosshair tells him and takes off to the 'fresher before someone else can get up. Plus, it's the most convenient way to avoid the awkward moment of when everyone realizes they did, in fact, spend the entire night snuggling together.

Not as though anything is wrong with it, per se. It's just that they've always been trained as soldiers. They have always been told not to act on emotions, even for each other. They never had. Never had a reason to.

The regs do it, and that is... really what made them start distancing themselves from emotions. Not that they don't care. They do. It's just... different, because they've always had each other. They don't pettily bully people out of misplaced jealousy. Though Clone Force 99 has always had one thing the regs entirely lack that made them as good as they are: unity.

Rex had gone after Echo, had followed him to Skako Minor merely out of desperation. It's... not always bad.

"Oh, I don't blame you. I would've left him for dead, too."

On hindsight, he probably deserved it when Rex hit him for that. Seeing how Rex was talking to Hunter – it made him angry. He lashed out. Besides, it was high time that someone mentioned how it could've been a trap. They all could have died there, but instead, they got Echo.

Sometimes, Crosshair still finds it hard to look him in the eye when he remembers that.

They've chosen a different life for themselves, one nothing like what they grew up knowing. It's... different. Just different. Though he is grateful to not be on Kamino anymore.

They used to call him hot-tempered, there. Maybe he was, a little. If jumping to his brothers' defense every time the regs started bullying them counts. It's not as if anyone not part of them would understand it, could understand how they had to stick together, covering each other, even on Kamino, when they were supposed to be safe, their entire lives, or what it would mean to stay on constant high alert, never knowing when and how someone else would...

Anything.

So yes, not being on Kamino anymore is relieving. The only part that makes it not... good is that Hunter's not here.

Once Crosshair would've been right beside him the entire time, lashing out at anyone who questioned his brother.

It still hurts. He doesn't think the pain will ever go away.

In a quarter hour, they've gathered in the back of the Marauder. It's obvious enough now that it's finally time for the conversation everyone has been avoiding since Kamino. Except, of course, even now that they're here, no one wants to start talking.

"We will need an official leader," Tech says at last.

Everyone immediately looks at Echo, who does not look happy.