Z was nauseous. She had been the entire walk back to the Marauder. The noise wouldn't fucking stop. Once they reached the ship, she folded into a squat, placing her head in her hands. Her helmet hadn't done kriff to block out the noise.
"At least with the Republic we knew where we stood. Tarkin and his Empire are a different story." Tech said decidedly.
"I can go puke on them." Z mumbled as Hunter leaned over to place a hand on her shoulder.
"You good?" He asked quietly.
"Never better."
"Why are we debating this? we need to complete the mission." Crosshair was persistent, Z would give him that.
"Wake up, Crosshair. They sent us to eliminate innocent civilians." Echo argued.
"Wrong." Z chimed in, still crouched. "They sent us to eliminate the ex-Republic fighters who are currently planning to attack their Empire. Not that unreasonable. The civilians were just witnesses; we could have dealt with the fighters and let the civvies go."
"When did you get pro-Empire?" Echo asked sharply.
"When they got anti-nausea medication in their med bays." Z replied just as harshly.
"Besides, who said they're innocent?" Crosshair added.
"What is wrong with you?!" Hunter asked Crosshair angrily.
"Me?" Crosshair asked, "I'm following orders."
"Exactly. "Hunter said, a sense of finality in his voice.
"Those insurgents are plotting against the Emperor. If you don't have the stomach to do what needs to be done, then you aren't fit to lead this squad." Crosshair was being unreasonable, at best. Z shoved herself to her feet, ignoring the dizziness and nausea for the moment.
"You absolute pathetic piece of shi-" Z cut herself off as she lost her balance, Echo and Tech grabbing her arms to steady her as she slammed her eyes shut. There was a snapping of a branch, and a warbling noise she had heard once before. Hunter yanked out a blaster, shooting into the trees. The noise halted suddenly, and there was a loud crash.
"Tarkin's spying on us now?" Wrecker asked, eyeing the probe.
"The Jedi never did that." Echo glanced at the Sergeant.
"Not that you know of." Crosshair sneered.
Hunter furrowed his eyebrows. "Omega."
"What about her?" Echo asked.
"She warned me about the mission. And Tarkin. She said not to return to Kamino, that it's not safe for us anymore."
"Maybe she's right." Wrecker grunted.
"She's definitely right." Z replied as Tech pulled her up the steps to the Marauder. Tech stopped on the top step, and Z sat down next to him. Her head was still driving her crazy, but she knew from experience that the feeling would fade in an hour or less. Sometimes the costs of enhanced hearing outweighed the benefits.
"We're taking the word of a child now?" Crosshair scoffed, crossing his arms.
"I would not discount Omega's insights." Tech replied, staring down at his datapad. "A state of heightened awareness is not unusual for an enhanced clone such as herself."
Wrecker bellowed a laugh, "Good one Tech! You almost had me!"
"When Nala Se spoke of six clones, Tarkin assumed she meant us, but Echo's a reg. The Sixth is Omega. I confirmed my suspicions after analyzing her DNA while we were in the infirmary." Tech explained.
YOU ARE READING
The Shadow
Fanfiction"She's one clone, she can't be that much trouble." The recruit said harshly, and Crosshair pinned him with a stern look. "I trained her. Wherever you are, you are not safe. You stay behind cover, and you might just survive." --- CT-9900, the firs...
