Take Me Far That Road

Epilogue

Author's Note: This is the end! And no, we will not be doing a sequel. Open endings are nice, too. :)

~ Amina Gila

We have another fic idea of a similar plotline, though it's both Wrecker and Crosshair who get left behind together. If you're interested in reading it once it gets posted, let us know. :D

~ Rivana Rita

"All of the regs were transferred off-world," Echo relates once they're sitting together in the Marauder, heading back for Ord Mantell. "There was no destination listed."

"So, they're still alive," Hunter deduces finally. The conversation unsettles him almost as badly as having seen Kamino destroyed in the first place. Echo was right that they needed to know what's happening, but going there gave more questions than answers, and it worries him.

"What would the Empire want with the clones?" Omega asks quietly. Worriedly.

"I am uncertain," Tech answers, "They were evidently careful to keep that information hidden."

That worries Hunter even further. He has no idea what the Empire could want with the clones, and that they're doing this is definitely something Rex needs to know about. "Send the information to Rex," Hunter requests, "This is something he needs to know about."

"Whatever the Empire is doing is going to come back at us eventually," Echo points out.

"What do you want to do about it?" Hunter queries.

"Not sure there's much we can do," Echo admits, "But I'm not going to stop fighting." There's a fierce determination to him that Hunter knows so well, and is so, so afraid of where it'll lead him. They can't follow Echo into some suicide mission. Crosshair made him finally understand that, and Hunter won't back down when he knows he's right for the first time in months.

"That won't be a fight we can take with you," Hunter says, exchanging a fleeting glance with Crosshair.

"I know," Echo replies, "And nor will I ask you to. I've been thinking about going to work with Rex, to help the rest of our brothers, but I want to see you safe, first."

"You're going to leave?" Omega asks, and she looks hurt.

Hunter glances at her, then looks away again. He needs to talk to Omega somehow, to reassure her that she... belongs here, like he and Crosshair have been talking about all this time. Hunter might be wary, if not outright afraid, to accept Omega as one of them, but she is in every way that matters. She's their sister, another non-reg who doesn't fit anywhere else.

"There are others out there who need our help, Omega," he tells her, "This is something I have to do, but not yet. And I'll be back."

She still looks hurt, though. Wrecker pats her shoulder. "What about us?" Omega asks, looking up at Hunter.

"If the Empire's doing something to the regs, they'll be after us, too," he answers, arms crossed. He's been thinking about this from the start. "We have to lay low. We'll have to talk to Cid. Kamino is gone which means the bounty hunters after Omega will be called off. No one knows about us, and I'd rather not test our luck with Cid. The galaxy's changed, and... so have we." He looks at Tech, who's watching him in silent approval. Tech has been there, a silent support the entire time. Tech understands it better than maybe anyone else – he was terrified of losing Wrecker after Crosshair.

None of them want to risk that happening again.

He looks to Wrecker and Crosshair, sitting side-by-side like they used to a lifetime ago. This is his family, and Hunter's not going to let them come to harm again.