"Tipper!" Cutup cries in relief as his friend approaches. He can hardly believe his eyes.

"Hey, Cutup! Need a hand?" Tipper says confidently, tilting his head just a little. Cutup knows that he's grinning underneath his helmet. Tipper unsheathes a knife from his belt and deftly cuts Cutup free from the restraints. Across the room, Zeer goes to free Droidbait. Jesse hurries to Fives' side, lightly tapping at his cheeks.

Tipper sheathes the knife and offers Cutup a hand once all the straps are cut. Cutup takes it and lets Tipper pull him slowly up to a sitting position. His head throbs as he moves.

"Force," he gasps, swaying ever so slightly. Tipper hovers over him in concern.

"Hey, I can't wake Fives up!" Jesse hisses in alarm.

"He's… he's fine, they just sedated him," Droidbait explains as Zeer cuts him free. "How the kriff did you even know we'd been taken?"

"I mean… the shinies stole this ship right out of one of the side hangars. It wasn't exactly subtle. They did a good job of getting away before we could follow, that's all," Jesse says as he starts to cut Fives' restraints.

Cutup feels dizzy. He leans against Tipper's side to ground himself. Tipper remains steady, silently offering the support.

"Alright, Echo?" Zeer asks suddenly. When Cutup glances over Echo is flinging the severed straps off of him as he sits up with a look of disgust on his face.

"I'm okay," Echo huffs. "It just brought back some unpleasant memories, that's all. The shinies—they'll alert Kamino that they're under attack, we've got to—"

"They won't be able to get any transmissions out," Zeer interrupts. "Captain Rex thought it best to jam their communications before we boarded."

Echo blinks. A slow smile spreads across his face. He rolls his shoulders as he gets to his feet.

"Thank the Force for Captain Rex, then," he mutters gratefully. There's something fond and heartfelt in his words. It makes Cutup grin. "How did you guys even find us?"

"Well, since most of you were out of armor, we were worried that we wouldn't be able to track you at all," Jesse says, tossing a DC-17 to Echo. "The shinies got out through a side hangar and jumped to hyperspace before the comms deck could hail them. They must have disabled the ship's locator, because it dropped offline pretty soon after. But Fives still has his comm and his locator. The moment they dropped out of hyperspace we could pick up his signal again. They went just far enough that we couldn't have found them without a locator, but not far enough that we weren't able to catch up. We couldn't figure out why."

Cutup looks over at Fives, whose head is lolling as Zeer slowly lifts him off of the gurney. Zeer slings Fives over his shoulder with a grunt. The comlink on Fives' limp wrist looks innocent enough, but Cutup is suddenly overcome by gratefulness that Fives had insisted on going to the range instead of getting rest like the rest of them. All of them would have been armorless if he hadn't.

"So his stubbornness is what saved us," Echo comments quietly, and then chuckles. "That doesn't surprise me."

"The shinies?" Droidbait asks worriedly. "What happened to them?"

"The General and Captain Rex went up towards the cockpit to deal with them," Zeer answers. "We need to regroup as soon as possible." Droidbait nods, reaching out to accept the pistol that Zeer offers him with his free hand. Tipper taps Cutup's shoulder.

"Here. Take your pick." Tipper offers Cutup a DC-17 with one hand and a DC-15S carbine in the other. Both are already set to stun. Cutup hesitates.

"You'll be more handy in a fight. I'm exposed," he says, gesturing down to his armorless chest. "Keep what you're better with."

Tipper shrugs.

"My efficiency will be the same with either one," he answers carefully. It isn't boastful at all, just stated as an honest fact. Cutup feels a pang of longing. He knows that they won't ever have the time to go through real ARC training, but Echo and Fives' crash course hadn't taught them nearly as much as they would have learned on Kamino.

"You're better than me now," Cutup jokes weakly as he plucks the carbine out of Tipper's hand. The familiar feel of the gun in his hand is comforting. "But probably not skilled enough to beat me at sabacc. I bet you haven't been practicing at all."

Tipper groans. "I was too tired during ARC training to even think about bluffing my way through a game of sabacc. I slept during almost every minute of free time we got. I'm rusty," he bemoans. Behind them, Zeer's helmet tips in what must be an eye-roll. Cutup snorts.

"General, we have them," Jesse reports into his comm. "How are things on your end?"

"We're alright, Jesse," General Skywalker replies. It's a relief to hear his voice. Cutup lets out a long exhale. Tipper knocks their shoulders together gently. Cutup offers him a small smile. "We've secured the cockpit. Some of the shinies made a run for it and escaped, but Rex and I are going after them. You should be clear to take Domino back to the Twilight."

"No, we—hang on, hang on," Droidbait protests suddenly. "We can't leave yet. She's going to figure out that something's wrong if they don't check in and then this will all be for nothing! She told them to send the scans once they were finished—"

"Who?" Zeer asks. Echo scowls.

"Nala Se," he answers. "Jesse, lend me your comm."

Jesse arches an eyebrow at him but obliges, holding out his arm so that Echo can speak into his comlink.

"General, this is Echo. Before you arrived, the shinies were scanning us for evidence of the chip. They were supposed to contact Kamino and report their findings once they'd checked us all over, and Kamino is still expecting that call."

General Skywalker lets out an impressive stream of Huttese curses.

"Well, there's got to be something we can do in order to—Rex, behind you!"

There is a loud crash that nearly shorts out the speakers of the little comlink. Cutup hears the telltale sound of blaster bolts pinging off of a lightsaber, and then someone lets out a cry. There's a heavy thud. Cutup tenses.

"Sir!" Echo says in alarm.

"We're alright," General Skywalker replies evenly. "Two shinies tried to get the jump on us, that's all. Rex stunned them. Head up towards the cockpit as fast as you can. We need to regroup, and then we'll figure out what our next move will be."

"Copy that, sir," Echo replies quickly. Jesse pulls his arm away from Echo and raises his blaster.

"Let's get moving," he says. Tipper nods and motions for Cutup to move with him as he makes his way to the door, movements fluid and easy. His steps are silent. Cutup grins—that actually is something he'd been taught. He adjusts his weight so that he moves just as soundlessly as his friend.

He still feels horribly exposed without the top half of his armor, and he can't imagine how Echo feels in just blacks, but it's so much better now that he's got a gun in his hands. Cutup and Tipper take point, leading the way, and Jesse is in the back. Echo, Droidbait, and Zeer stay in the middle of the group. Fives dangles helplessly from where he's slung over Zeer's shoulder.

A strange metallic sound echoes through the halls around them. Cutup slows his pace, raising his gun to stare down the barrel at the intersection in front of them nervously. He can't tell if the noise had been close or far away.

"The General?" Droidbait whispers tersely. Not likely. They're still a ways from the cockpit. Their little group closes ranks, tightening their formation as they move forwards. Another little sound, like a boot scuffing against the floor, reaches Cutup's ears. Someone is close, and it doesn't sound like the General. General Skywalker rarely bothers with subtlety in situations like this.

Cutup sees a slight movement out of the corner of his eyes. He lets his eyes dart across the hall to Tipper and focuses on the faint signs Tipper is flashing him: Something around the corner. Cutup flicks his fingers in acknowledgement.

Move in?

On my mark, Tipper signs. Three, two, one—

Cutup moves at Tipper's signal, launching himself around the corner at Tipper's side. He sees white armor and hesitates instinctively for a moment before he kicks himself mentally and fires. The three shinies making their way hurriedly down the opposing hall cry out in alarm at the sudden attack. Two get stunned before they can even raise their weapons. The third dodges Cutup's second shot, but his dive puts him right in the path of Tipper's second stun bolt. He goes down as well. It's over before Cutup can even draw breath.

"You got them?" Echo asks, peering around the corner blaster-first. Cutup nods as the rest of the group catch up with them.

"Yeah, they're stunned. Kriff. How are we gonna carry them back to the hangar? We'll have our hands full, and we don't know if there are more shinies around."

"We can come back for them," Tipper says quietly. Droidbait winces at the suggestion, turning to Tipper with a deep frown.

"We can't just leave them—"

"We will come back for them, Bait," Tipper says firmly. "But we've got to wait until after we've made it to the rendezvous with General Skywalker." There's a hint of steel in his voice that Cutup's never heard from Tipper before. It's something strangely ARC—a steady undertone that makes Cutup believe every word he says. Cutup reaches out and nudges Droidbait gently.

"Come on. They'll be alright. We'll meet with the General, find out what we're going to do, and come back," he reassures his batchmate. Droidbait nods a bit unhappily but takes his spot next to Echo again as they move past the shinies for the time being.

They arrive at the hallway that leads up to the cockpit and find two more shinies, out cold on the floor. Footsteps sound behind them. Jesse lets out a sound of alarm, and everyone whirls—only to relax a moment later when Captain Rex and General Skywalker come around the corner. General Skywalker is carrying two unconscious shinies behind them with the Force.

"Captain, General Skywalker!" Echo says. His shoulders slump. Cutup grins in empathy. Nothing brings the assurance of escape and safety faster than the sight of a lightsaber and jaig eyes.

"Force, it's good to see you boys," Rex says in relief. He steps forward to press his helmeted head gently against Echo's forehead for the briefest of moments before he draws back.

"I'm glad you're alright," General Skywalker tells them as he lays the shinies onto the floor. "I wish I could give you a moment to rest, but if what Echo told me is true we don't have much time. Does anyone need immediate medical attention?"

"We're not hurt, General. Fives is unconscious, but that's it," Cutup answers. He straightens just a little as General Skywalker's gaze falls on him and softens minutely.

"Good. I don't think Ahsoka would forgive me if anything happened to you four. She's already upset enough that I didn't let her come with us."

Cutup thinks of his helmet and the Togruta markings he's painted carefully across it. He's grateful he hadn't been wearing it when he'd been abducted. He suspects that he wouldn't have gotten it back.

"Sir. We left three unconscious shinies in the hallway on our way up here," Tipper reports. Behind him, Zeer gently lowers Fives to the floor. "There was no sign of others, but there definitely could be."

"Good. That makes seven." General Skywalker raises his arm to speak into his comlink. "Artoo, scan the ship and let me know how many lifeforms you come up with. We can't be too careful. Now—Echo, explain to me what happened with the shinies contacting Kamino."

Echo gestures at Droidbait. "Ask Bait, sir, he was awake." Droidbait shudders.

"General… the chief scientist of Kamino was in contact with these men. She asked me what I knew about the chips, and I… I played dumb. Then she said that clones could lie, and ordered the shinies to run scans on all of us to check the status of the chips. They were supposed to contact her once they had the results. She's waiting to hear back from them right now."

General Skywalker scowls.

"If she doesn't hear from the chipped men it's just as condemning as it would be to show her that the chips have been removed," the Jedi growls. "She'll know that something is off."

There's a moment of silence while they mull over their options. Cutup has no idea what to do, but after a moment Echo opens his mouth.

"If… if we scan these shinies, we could change the CT numbers on their chipped records to match," Echo says haltingly, glancing down between the unconscious shinies and the various members of Beta squad around him.

"We've got nothing to lose," Rex says grimly, latching onto the idea. "General?"

General Skywalker nods. "It's worth a shot. We'll have to be quick about it. But she's expecting a comm, not just records."

Echo raises a hand.

"Sir. I could attempt to impersonate one of the shinies."

General Skywalker frowns.

"If you're sure, Echo." When Echo nods, the General raises his hand and lifts two of the shinies from the floor with the Force. "Good. We'll fetch the other three from the hallway and get down to the medical bay. We can send the scans to the ship's main terminal so that they can be accessed from the cockpit. Rex, Echo, Droidbait, Cutup, stay here. Tipper, Zeer, Jesse—with me. Artoo has a lock on three remaining life signals, we can pick up the rest of the shinies on our way down."

"Yessir!" Cutup says along with his brothers. General Skywalker hurries out of the room.

"Cutup, DB, help me. The longer we wait, the more suspicious we'll seem," Echo calls, darting over to one of the remaining shinies. Cutup hustles to his side to help as Echo begins to tug off the shiny's armor and put it on.

"Kriff, this is crazy," Cutup says nervously as he hands Echo a chestplate. Echo shrugs. Cutup is still worried for him, but there's no time to ask him how he's doing now.

"It's either risk getting caught lying right now, or not responding and having her find out anyway," Echo mutters.

"How are you going to explain the delay?" Droidbait asks. Echo clenches his jaw, pausing in uncertainty.

"You can say that a solar flare from a nearby star briefly shorted out communications," Captain Rex offers quietly as he comes closer. He settles one hand on Cutup's shoulder and the other on Droidbait's, squeezing gently. Cutup relaxes, comforted by Rex's steady presence. "We're close enough to a star that even if she has a way to locate this ship, it's a believable excuse."

"Sir… if she uses one of the chip's orders, I don't know how she'll expect me to react," Echo says unhappily.

"We can't control everything. If she catches us in the lie, we'll figure something else out," Rex tells him determinedly. Echo sighs.

"Right. I'll do what I can, sir."

Rex's comm goes off. He picks it up immediately. "Yes, General?"

"We're sending the scans up to the main terminal," General Skywalker says. "You should be able to access the first one by now. We're scanning the other three as we speak."

"Copy that, sir. I'll see what I can do."

Rex makes his way to the cockpit and disappears inside. Echo straps on greaves and pulls on a pair of boots.

"Echo, when you talk to Nala Se—they called her 'doctor'. Not sir," Droidbait says, eyes wide with worry. Echo nods as he pulls the shiny's bucket over his head. It's strange to see him without the iconic blue stripes on his helmet.

"Thanks, DB." Echo glances at them, tilting his head. "Just to be safe… one of you should put on the other set of armor. It might be more believable if there's more than one of us."

Droidbait and Cutup exchange a look. Droidbait still looks a bit unnerved. Cutup swallows and steps forwards.

"Yeah. I'll suit up," he says. He starts to remove the bottom half of his own armor. The blue highlights would be a dead giveaway. Droidbait sighs and reaches for the other shiny to start removing the white plates.

Cutup is settling a blank chestplate over his blacks when Rex sticks his head out of the cockpit.

"Echo, come look at this. We've got all four scans. I've replaced the CT numbers with yours, but I want another set of eyes to make sure the edits look believable."

"Yessir," Echo responds. He heads into the cockpit.

There's a clatter of footsteps as General Skywalker and the rest of the clones return. General Skywalker nods at the sight of Cutup in the new armor.

"We stunned three more shinies on the way back up here," he announces. "Artoo found them on the lifescanner. We've got the full squad now. Is everything ready to go on your end?"

"I think so, sir," Cutup answers. "It depends on if Captain Rex and Echo are done."

"We're as ready as we'll ever be. We can't stall much longer," Echo interjects as he and Rex rejoin them. Echo is holding a communicator that he'd taken from one of the shinies. Droidbait gasps.

"Is that—the shiny that had that, was it CT-5385? He was the one receiving her orders. Fives… Fives called him Tup."

General Skywalker drags a hand down his face.

"Force. Okay, we need to find that shiny, then. We need to make the call from his specific comm. I can head back down to the medbay to check—"

"No—sir, it's alright. He's here." Echo leans over one of the unconscious shinies. There's a little bun on the top of the kid's head. General Skywalker frowns.

"Are you certain? We should check his ID chip at least. Artoo can come down—"

"I'm sure, General," Echo says slowly. Cutup tenses. They need to be careful. Fortunately General Skywalker doesn't question it, but he does narrow his eyes. Echo exchanges the comm in his hand for the one that Tup had been carrying.

"We've gotta make the call," Echo says quietly. "Any longer and even a solar flare wouldn't explain the wait." General Skywalker nods.

"Good luck, men," General Skywalker says. "We'll be ready for whatever happens. I'll tell the Resolute to stop jamming comms." The Jedi uses the Force to pull the shinies and Fives away with him. The rest of the group leaves as well to disappear around a corner down the hall. Droidbait lingers a moment longer, fidgeting anxiously. Cutup shoots him a reassuring look before he leaves as well. Then Cutup is left alone with Echo and the commlink.

"Cutup… let me do the talking. Try to stay out of frame unless I signal it," Echo says. He does sound tense, but there is also a firm determination in his voice. Cutup nods. Dread twists his insides into knots as Echo taps the communicator. It had all happened so fast. There's no time to waste, but Cutup feels as if his head is spinning anyway.

Nala Se appears within seconds of activating the comm. Echo goes to a stiff attention. Cutup sucks in a sharp breath that he hopes isn't audible to the Kaminoan.

"Clone. Why has there been a delay in your report?" she demands immediately. Cutup feels a chill run down his spine.

"Apologies, doctor," Echo says in a neutral voice. "A nearby solar flare briefly prevented us from sending out any transmissions. We have moved out of its range. The scans that you requested have been transmitted. You should be able to access them at your convenience."

The Kaminoan thankfully seems to accept the excuse. She inclines her head to tap at the datapad in her hand. Her eyes go wide as she looks over the mislabeled scans. She searches through them with careful flicks of her finger. Cutup's heart is lodged in his throat, beating fast and furious.

"The inhibitor chips seem to be intact and fully functional. There's no sign of degradation or tampering." She looks up and studies Echo for a moment, looking a bit disconcerted. "And the units at risk have not spoken of the chips either?"

"No, doctor," Echo replies simply. Nala Se tilts her head.

"Hm. Even if CT-782 discovered the chips, it appears as though that knowledge died with him. He would not have withheld such information from his batchmates. The clones are predictable, in that regard," she muses. Cutup almost chokes on his next inhale.

The information died with him—

No. No, no, no. That can't be right.

Echo is very, very still.

"As you say, sir," he intones, voice completely blank. Cutup staggers, barely managing to stay on his feet. He has to fight to not make noise. He barely even registers Echo's slip-up of sir instead of doctor. Fortunately Nala Se doesn't seem to, either.

The information died with him. Does that mean Hevy is...?

"Very good, CT-5385. Destroy this ship and yourselves along with it. No evidence of your involvement can remain. The disappearance of CT-782's batchmates will be one more unsolved mystery of the Republic."

"Of course, doctor," Echo says. His hand twitches as if he can't decide whether or not he needs to salute. He seems to decide against it, and cuts the transmission instead.

Cutup wants to scream. It must be a lie. It must be a lie. Nala Se disappears from view. Echo sags with a quiet curse. Cutup raises his hands to pull the helmet from his head.

"Echo—Echo, Force, she said that Hevy—!"

"I know," Echo whispers dully. "I heard it too."

"But—that can't be right," Cutup says. His head swims. "We would have—someone would have told General Skywalker, he would have mentioned it to us—!" He threads a hand into his hair helplessly. Echo shakes his head and tears his own helmet off with his free hand. He lets it drop to the floor. It clatters as it skips and rolls across durasteel.

"General Plo Koon was supposed to help them," Cutup whispers. He feels like he's drowning. He can't pull enough air into his lungs.

Tipper pokes his head around the corner to ensure that they aren't still speaking to the Kaminoan. His eyes go wide at their horrified expressions. He hurries into the open, followed by the rest of the group.

General Skywalker scowls as he approaches. "What did that Kaminoan scum do?" he hisses.

"No, she didn't do anything. It… it worked," Echo says. His breath catches on a shaky inhale. "She no longer suspects us. She ordered us to destroy all evidence of this assignment, ourselves included. But she also said—" Echo cuts off and closes his eyes. Droidbait steps forward, something almost knowing in his stricken gaze as he opens his mouth.

"Did something happened to Hevy?" he breathes. Rex halts in his tracks. Jesse jerks, looking between Cutup and Echo. The ARCs stiffen.

"She said that Hevy's dead," Cutup chokes out. Droidbait recoils.

"No. No, that can't be true," he whispers.

"Why would she lie?" Echo says hoarsely. "She doesn't know who we are. She thinks we're the shinies."

Droidbait's expression crumples even further. General Skywalker reaches out before anyone else can move and puts a hand on Droidbait's shoulder.

"I have faith in Hevy and Flak. I also have faith in Master Plo," the General says firmly. "Until we hear from him, I refuse to believe it. The Kaminoans must be wrong." Droidbait exhales harshly. Cutup bites his lip so hard that he tastes blood. He desperately wants to believe the General's words, but a cold feeling of despair is still settling deep in his gut.

"Yessir," Droidbait says in barely more than a whisper. General Skywalker nods.

"Take heart, men. It's not over yet," General Skywalker says fiercely. Cutup brings his hand up to his face and drags it down his cheek. He feels sick. He doesn't know what he'll do if it's true. It takes effort to remain on his feet. Suddenly all he wants to do is curl up into a ball and hide, but they've got to get out of here first.

"We have no way of knowing if Kamino is tracking this ship," Rex says into the silence that had fallen. "If Nala Se has ordered that we destroy it, it might be best to go through with that."

The General makes a sound of agreement.

"Tipper, Zeer. I want you two to plant thermal detonators in the reactor, then make your way to the Twilight," he orders. "The rest of you—let's pick up Fives and the shinies. We'll carry them to the ship. As soon as this is over, we'll get back in contact with the 104th to find out what's really going on."

Fives drags his eyes open with effort. His entire body feels sluggish and heavy. He lets his head loll to the side, licking his lips in confusion as Echo comes into view. His brother hovers over him with a concerned look on his face.

"Fives? You with us again?"

Fives blinks at him slowly. His brain feels foggy. It takes a long moment, but he finally wraps his mouth around syllables.

"Yeah," he grunts, huffing in frustration when his tongue curls clumsily over the word.

"He's up," Echo calls. Fives hears relief in his voice. He reaches a hand up to grab Echo's arm and draw his attention. It feels like he's moving his limb through syrup.

"Echo. What…?"

He remembers all at once. He'd been pinned down. The shinies had been taking them somewhere, and—and—oh Force. Tup. Tup. And then he'd been sedated—!

"Where are we?" Fives groans, clutching at Echo's wrist. "There was—I remember Tup—"

"The one with the bun, right? He's alright, Fives. He's gonna be okay," Jesse reassures him as he comes into view. Fives' jaw goes slack.

"Jesse?"

"Don't sound too surprised," Jesse says with a wry grin. "You didn't think we'd leave you four to get carted back to Kamino, did you? General Skywalker had us coming after you almost as soon as you were gone."

Fives huffs in relief. "Who else is here? I don't… kriff, the shinies—!"

"We've got them, don't worry," Echo replies gently.

"It's me, Rex, Tipper, Zeer, and the General," Jesse says. "The ARCs and Rex are up in the cockpit with the droid. You're fine, Fives. Just rest."

Fives' skin crawls. He remembers the feel of restraints keeping him down and shakes his head. Rest is the last thing he wants right now.

"No. I wanna sit up. Echo—"

"I've got you," Echo promises. "You're good. Come on, then."

Echo and Jesse help Fives into a sitting position. Fives finally gets a good look at his surroundings. He's on the floor in the lower cargo bay of the Twilight. Ten chipped shinies are similarly laid out around him, packed tight like sardines in order to fit in the small space. Their armor is piled up in a corner. There's barely any room to move around without stepping on someone. Droidbait and Cutup are on the other side of the room, seated next to each other by the wall. They both look grim, but they manage weak smiles when Fives looks at them. They can't come closer without jostling the shinies. Fives wants to ask what's wrong, but he feels… off. He's having a hard time focusing.

"No one was hurt?" he asks.

"We're okay," Echo answers. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll live," Fives grunts. His eyes trail from Droidbait and Cutup to the shinies. He finds Tup's bun almost immediately, near Droidbait and Cutup. He relaxes a little at the sight. He looks further across the room and frowns when he notices a second familiar haircut as well.

His laugh comes out sounding more like a cough. He's missing the tattoo across his face, but Fives still recognizes Dogma easily.

"Of course Dogma would be here too," Fives mutters. Jesse's eyes go wide.

"Wait… Dogma? Isn't that… I remember that name from when you told us about your other life. He's the one that tries to get us kriffing executed, right?"

Fives snorts, and then regrets it when he suddenly feels out of breath afterwards.

"Yeah, that's him. Never far from Tup."

Jesse wrinkles his nose. "Well, try and change that part, won't you? I'm not really looking forward to that."

Echo lets out a weak laugh.

"We'll give it our best shot," he says. His voice sounds strange, like his heart isn't in it. Fives shoots him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?"

Echo takes a deep breath. "Fives…"

Fives stares at him, then glances back over and Droidbait and Cutup. They're acting strange too. What could have happened that would make them—kriff.

"Hevy?" Fives breathes fearfully. Echo purses his lips.

"We had to fake a report to Nala Se in order to get away without causing suspicion," Echo reveals grimly. "It was a success. We blew up the shuttle, and the Kaminoans think that's the end of this mess. But Nala Se… heavily suggested that Hevy and Flak didn't make it off Coruscant."

Fives' heart skips a beat. He swallows and clenches his fists, resting them across his lap.

"The 104th?"

"We haven't heard from them. We don't know anything for sure," Echo tells him in a controlled voice.

Nala Se is a worm-ridden liar, but Fives still feels cold fear settling in his stomach.

"We need to get into contact with the 104th to ask, then," he grits out, half-rising to his feet and grinding his teeth when Echo shoves him back down.

"Stay there," Echo tells him sharply. "You're coming off a sedative, you should sit still until your body finishes adjusting—"

A low moan from the floor interrupts him. Everyone looks down at the shinies. Fives feels a thrill of surprise when Tup starts to sit up, clutching at his skull.

"What the—where…?" Tup opens his eyes blearily, and then freezes when he sees the rest of the shinies unconscious around him.

"Bait, Cutup—!" Echo starts to say, beginning to leap to his feet. Tup lets out a shout of alarm and scrambles to stand, nearly tripping over the clone next to him in the process. His eyes are wild. Jesse swears.

There's a flurry of movement. Tup darts for the door, but Droidbait tackles him before he can get there. They scuffle for a moment, but Tup is a shiny, and Droidbait has plenty of experience to draw from. He gets a hold of Tup's elbow and uses an armbar to pin the younger clone face down on the floor. Tup's head slams into the durasteel surface. He goes limp for a moment. Fives winces in pity. Droidbait does too, but he still tightens his hold.

"No—no! What… what have you done?" Tup chokes out, ragged and desperate. Droidbait shifts to keep Tup trapped while the younger struggles, failing to throw off Droidbait's weight.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You're gonna be alright," Droidbait tells him sorrowfully.

"The sedatives!" Jesse calls, pointing frantically at a medpack across the room. Cutup leaps over a shiny as he charges for it.

"Let go, let go!" Tup shouts. "Traitors—soldiers—good soldiers...!" His eyes roll back in his head. Fives' heart nearly stops.

Tup is strapped down to the gurney, gasping and convulsing. Fives pounds his fists on the glass that separates them, because they're killing him, can't they see? Fives shouts but no one seems to hear or care. Fives has to get to him before it's too late—!

Fives drags himself to his feet. Echo grabs at him worriedly, but Fives barely even registers the movement. He stumbles and trips over another shiny, who stirs with a weak groan but doesn't rise.

"Fives—Fives, wait—!"

Cutup skids to his knees next to Droidbait and Tup just as Fives reaches them. Tup tries to thrash away from the hypospray that Cutup holds up to his neck, but Droidbait holds fast. Tup jerks as Cutup injects him with the sedative. His struggles grow weaker.

"Tup," Fives croaks. Tup is lacking the tiny tear-drop tattoo he'd been so proud of during their last life, but it's still him. Fives reaches out to grab him carefully as Droidbait gets to his feet. Across the room, another shiny has started to wake up. Cutup goes after him with a second sedative.

Fives has barely thought of Tup—couldn't bear to, didn't want to relive something so closely tied to his failure to bring the chips to the Republic's attention or remember the aching pain of yet another brother succumbing to the war. Tup's fate truly had been undeserved, and Fives had been too slow to save him.

Tup's entire body is wracked with shivers. Fives grabs his shoulders as Tup's eyelids droop.

"Force, Tup, I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. You were my best friend, and I—I failed you, I…"

Tup can't hear him, and he wouldn't have any idea as to what Fives is talking about even if he could. The words come from Fives' lips anyway, as if torn from his throat. This is an apology he never knew he would be able to give. Fives just needs to let it out—it doesn't matter if Tup doesn't understand yet. He hears voices behind him, but he doesn't pay them any attention.

"Fives—"

"I could have done something," Fives says. His heart clenches painfully in his chest. "I could have fought them, I could have protected you better. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve any of it last time—"

"Fives!" Echo hisses frantically. Suddenly he grabs Fives and hauls him to his feet. Fives almost fights him for a moment on instinct, but then he shakes himself and turns to his batchmate. Echo's eyes are wide. Fives frowns. Suddenly he realizes that the room is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The other clones are all staring at the door. Fives freezes once he identifies the cause of their silence.

General Skywalker is standing in the doorway. He's staring straight at Fives.

"I came down because we heard shouting," the General explains slowly, removing his hand from his lightsaber. He narrows his eyes. "Fives… what was that all about?"

Fives swallows. Kriff. How much had the General heard? Fives hadn't said anything blatantly revealing… or had he? He isn't sure, still can't quite get a handle on his own thoughts.

He should lie. He has to lie. But it all depends on how long the General was standing there, or how deeply he's looking into whatever Fives had said.

Fives has hesitated for too long. He straightens as much as he can.

"Uh, sir, uh, I… what do you mean?"

General Skywalker crosses his arms over his chest.

"I think you know exactly what I mean, Fives."

Fives goes tense. Echo takes a step forward, coming to his defense.

"Sir, he's still coming down from the sedative. He's not really coherent, I don't think he knows what he's saying right now."

General Skywalker steps into the room completely, allowing the door to slide shut behind him.

"Ever since Obi-Wan pointed out to Ahsoka and I how different you four feel in the Force, I've been paying better attention. If there's one thing I've learned from that, it's that you never tell the full truth. I want answers," the Jedi says firmly. Fives' stomach drops all the way to the floor.

For a long moment, no one says a word. Cutup and Droidbait seem frozen. Jesse's jaw is clenched. Echo's eyes are darting around the room as if he's looking for an escape route.

Fives doesn't know what to do.

There's frustration in the General's gaze. Fives can also see determination. He knows from experience that when General Skywalker looks like that, he won't ease up until he gets what he wants. This isn't good.

"Sir…" Fives tries to begin, but he has to stop, because he doesn't know what he's going to say. General Skywalker waits. Fives swallows nervously. "Sir, we can't tell you." There's no point in lying. Fives isn't good at it, and he thinks that the General will know if he tries.

"Why not?" General Skywalker asks. Fives shakes his head. They can't tell him. General Skywalker is too impulsive, too reckless. He's too close to the Chancellor.

"You have gone too far, Fives! The Chancellor is incapable of what you claim!"

The door slides open behind the General to admit Captain Rex, Tipper, and Zeer. The General's droid must be piloting the ship. Rex immediately goes still upon sensing the tense atmosphere.

"General Skywalker… is everything alright?" he asks carefully. General Skywalker exhales harshly as he glances at the Captain.

"No," he answers bluntly. "I want to know what's going on. They're hiding something. They have been for a long time."

Rex does an impressive job of keeping his expression neutral.

"Sir?" he says in a measured tone. It's not enough. General Skywalker suddenly rounds on him.

"You know what it is, don't you," he accuses. Rex frowns.

"I'm not at liberty to say, sir," he replies. General Skywalker scowls.

"Well?" he growls in frustration, staring at the assembled clones again. The men spend a panicked moment glancing at each other. Fives can barely breathe. General Skywalker watches them, and then deflates without warning.

"You don't trust me," he realizes quietly. "Is that it?"

"No!" Cutup looks offended at the very thought. "No, sir, that's not right! We… we would tell you if it was safe to, but we can't—"

He cuts himself off, horrified by his unchecked outburst. Fives takes a deep breath and drags a hand down his face. His fingers are trembling. He looks down at Tup again and bites his tongue.

Would it truly be so awful to tell General Skywalker what happened? They can't tell him about Palpatine. Not yet. But if they could at least explain the time travel…

They'd talked about explaining their situation to Jedi before. They'd hoped to speak with more… prudent Jedi before coming to General Skywalker, though.

Fives turns and glances at Echo. Echo just stares back at him, clearly just as torn as Fives. Fives glances over at Droidbait and Cutup. They're waiting for Fives to make the call.

Not good when Fives is just coming around from a sedative. Fives closes his eyes for a brief moment. He tries to center himself, to find the peace that the Jedi always mention when they're practicing meditation. He's never been the best at meditating. Even though he does his best, the stifling atmosphere of the room prevents him from finding what he wants. When he opens his eyes, General Skywalker is watching him carefully. The Jedi comes a bit closer.

"Sir," Fives mutters.

General Skywalker looks down. His expression shifts from focused to concerned when he sees the way Fives' hands are still shaking.

"Fives? Are you…alright?"

Fives hesitates. He's really not.

"General," he manages weakly. "I'm—"

Without warning General Skywalker steps closer and pulls Fives in for a hug. Fives freezes.

"I don't know what I've done to make you lose your faith in me. But I'm sorry." General Skywalker sounds crestfallen. Fives slumps a bit in his hold.

Something warm and otherworldly blooms in Fives' chest. He closes his eyes as the feeling grows, sending goosebumps shivering across his skin.

The Force.

Fives inhales shakily. Does that mean they should tell General Skywalker everything? Does that mean that they should withhold the information about Palpatine and explain everything else? Is the Force saying that the General has changed? Or does the sensation mean something else completely?

Fives appreciates guidance from the Force, but he would prefer it to make sense instead of confuse him even further. He's never wanted to be a Jedi more than he does in this moment, if only so that he can understand whatever the kriff the Force is trying to say. He wants a specific answer, not a vague sensation of warmth.

But… it is the Force. That part is undeniable. It's telling him to do something. Fives pulls away from the General and looks at his batchmates.

"Do we tell him?" he asks out loud. He sees no reason to hide the question. Rex shifts in the corner of Fives' vision. Fives glances at him. Rex seems contemplative. He shrugs his shoulder as if to say, "whatever you think is best," which isn't helpful. Fives looks back at Droidbait and Cutup. There's a tense silence as Fives' batchmates consider the proposal.

"I think…" Droidbait begins, fidgeting slightly, "that we should tell him what's important."

What's important, as in, what they can tell General Skywalker without revealing the Chancellor's involvement. Cutup nods in agreement. Fives glances at Echo.

"Yeah," Echo says. The word sounds more like an exhale than a syllable. "It's time. We're going to need help with what's coming."

General Skywalker's comm goes off. He raises an eyebrow as he answers.

"Master!" Commander Tano blurts out immediately. "My team—my men, are they alright? Did you get them?"

"We've got them, Snips, don't worry," he reassures her. "They're alright."

"Oh thank the Force. I was worried," Commander Tano gasps. Fives can't help the smile that tugs at his lips.

"We're on our way back right now, Ahsoka. We should be getting back in a few minutes," General Skywalker continues. Commander Tano makes an excited sound.

"Actually Master, I didn't just call to check up on you. We just got a comm from Master Plo! He says that they were able to find Hevy and Flak! They're on their way back to the Resolute right now!"

Droidbait lets out a weak sound of relief, running a hand through his hair. Echo's shoulders relax. Cutup lets out a laugh, momentarily distracted from the conversation at hand.

"Nala Se lied. Or she didn't know any better," Cutup says triumphantly. The rest of the men seem just as relieved by the news. Fives lets his head tip back. Of course Nala Se lied. It feels like someone's removed a bag of bricks from his shoulders.

Hevy is alright. He and Flak are on their way.

General Skywalker smiles.

"I knew they'd be able to make it home," he says into the comm. "Tell Master Plo that we are indebted to them for their help."

"I already did! Tell my squad that they need to get back here before Hardcase blows up something important!"

Fives chuckles. The success of Hevy's rescue is the best news he's heard since the decision to arrest Krell, but now that he's no longer worried about that, the full force of the decision they're about to make sinks in.

General Skywalker says something else to the Commander, but Fives doesn't hear it. Echo taps his shoulder to call his attention. Cutup and Droidbait drift closer as well.

"I feel something, but I don't know what it means. Is this…what we're supposed to do? Is this right?" Cutup whispers nervously. It's good that Fives' batchmates feel the same way, but it doesn't give them any answers. Fives shrugs.

"I…I think so. But I don't know for certain. He is different now that he knows about the chips."

"I think it's time," Echo repeats quietly. "Omitting some of the more sensitive details, of course. But we need to wait until Hevy gets here to explain. He should have a say in whether or not we tell him too."

"Yeah," Droidbait agrees softly. "And that gives us some time to plan what to say, as well."

They fall silent as General Skywalker finishes talking with his apprentice and turns back to them. Fives lifts his chin.

"General, we'll explain what's going on. But we need to wait until Hevy gets back. He's just as much a part of it as we are."

General Skywalker inclines his head. "Alright. I can wait until then." He pauses for a split second, brow furrowed. "...Thank you for trusting me. I can see that whatever this is, it's something very important to you."

Fives doesn't know how to respond to that. He desperately hopes that they're making the right choice. If not, he doesn't know what will happen.

The spiralling blue glow of hyperspace is the most welcoming thing Hevy's seen in a long time. Flak seems equally transfixed, sitting up straight in the pilot's seat of the shuttle that they've borrowed from the 104th to stare numbly at the vortex surrounding them.

There hadn't been much spare time with the Wolfpack. General Plo Koon had been perfectly willing to shelter them for as long as they needed to stay, but they were still too close to Coruscant for comfort. Hevy and Flak had eaten a quick meal in the mess hall, showered, stepped into fresh armor from the supply offices, then gotten onto the shuttle. The trip to the Outer Rim is a day and a half of hyperspace travel. Hevy and Flak had decided to sleep while they're en route to the 501st instead of nap with the 104th and delay their arrival any longer.

"Home free," Flak mutters under his breath. When Hevy turns to look at him, the pilot is curling his fingers fondly over the controls in front of him. "That's it, then. Just a little longer and we'll be with our brothers again."

"Yeah," Hevy says. A grin springs to his lips before he can stop it. He misses his batchmates.

Flak heaves a sigh and slumps in his chair. "Part of me didn't even think we'd get out of there," he admits quietly. "I really—I mean, I know it's not the most optimistic view, but after we crashed… I thought we were done for. I thought it was just a matter of time before…"

He trails off. Hevy shivers. Flak sounds almost apologetic, but Hevy can't say that he hadn't had the same doubts. The same kind of situation had killed Fives, a lifetime ago. Fives, the best of Domino squad, and Hevy is still having trouble comprehending that they'd survived what had eventually killed his batchmate.

"I didn't know what to do either. Not until the General showed up," Hevy mutters. "I kept thinking of Fives, and trying to imagine what he would do. It didn't help that much, but we got out anyway. Force knows why."

The Force probably does know why, Hevy thinks wryly. If the Force can even think. Hevy's not sure how that works, exactly.

"I dunno," Flak comments with a shrug. "I don't think Fives would have known what to do either. He's good, but not that good."

Hevy blinks at the pilot and frowns. Realization sinks in a moment later. Hevy tips his head back with a groan loud enough that Flak makes a face at him.

"Kriffing—sithspit. I can't believe this." Hevy wants to smack himself. Flak has known about the chips since Geonosis, like the rest of the 501st, but Hevy has never confided in him about the time travel. It had slipped his mind amidst all the planning that he and Senator Amidala had put into their Senate presentation.

"You alright?" Flak asks, raising an eyebrow. Hevy shakes his head.

He doesn't have to think twice about telling Flak the full truth. He knows that his brothers would approve. Flak has been through just as much as Hevy at this point, and he deserves to know what's happening. Now is as good a time as any to tell him. They don't have anything else to do in the meantime.

"I'm fine. I just need to explain a couple… uh, a lot of things," Hevy answers sheepishly. "But it might take a while. Sure you don't want to take a nap first?" They have a little cot set up in the second compartment of the ship to take turns resting during the journey. Flak frowns at the offer.

"Well, now you've got my attention. What's going on?"

Hevy suppresses a wince. He's never been the one to explain this before. "My batchmates and I… did you ever hear any rumors about us before we started running missions together?"

"Hawk told me you were intelligence agents for General Shaak Ti before you came to the 501st," Flak says casually. "Later they told us that was true. That's how you found out about the chips, right?"

"Not exactly. It's kind of a long story. We aren't intelligence agents. But we know things that are going to happen already, because we've already lived this life once. We died and then came back."

Flak jerks in surprise.

"You—you what?"

"I lived an entire life, and I died to protect Kamino from the clankers. When I woke up, I was alive again, as a cadet. And I knew things before they happened, because I'd already lived it once. The same thing happened with all of my batchmates."

Flak studies Hevy's face for a long moment as if expecting a punchline. At first his expression is confused, but it shifts to disbelief and then awe the longer Hevy waits.

"You're…actually serious."

Hevy nods. "Yeah. I know it sounds crazy. But I'm not joking. Not this time."

"Tell me everything," Flak demands, swivelling in his seat to face Hevy. Hevy takes a deep breath and obliges him.

It takes a while to get the full story out. Flak has a lot of questions that Hevy doesn't know the answers to. There are plenty of details that Hevy doesn't remember perfectly without his brothers with him to fill in the gaps in his memory, but he does his best. When Hevy finally finishes telling him the abridged story of their first lives and the changes they've attempted to make in the second, Flak is eyeing him pensively.

"...You know, this actually explains a lot," Flak says suddenly. Hevy raises his eyebrows at him.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Just…you five. You always find ways to survive. And you're close—closer than most other batchmates are. My own batchmates aren't around anymore, but I was never as close to them as you are with yours."

"Sorry," Hevy tells him, a flash of sorrow and pity echoing through his chest. He doesn't want to imagine not being close to his batchmates. Flak shrugs one shoulder.

"It's alright. I have Hawk and Axe and Tucker and all the other pilots to watch my back now." He pauses for a moment, and then gasps. "Hang on, so you've been lying about working for General Shaak Ti this entire time? How has no one figured that out yet? She knows?"
"No, she doesn't know," Hevy replies. "She's kept our cover for some reason, though. We spoke to her once right after we woke up for the second time. She said that she thought something was different about us, but she let us go into the field anyway. We promised her…" Hevy pauses. Flak narrows his eyes.

"Promised her what?"

"That she'd be the first to know the truth, once we decided we were ready to explain," Hevy says softly. He feels a flash of guilt. That conversation feels like it had happened centuries ago. "But we forgot. I guess we didn't keep that promise."

"I'm flattered that you're telling me before her," Flak mutters with a huff of amusement. Hevy sighs.

"None of the Jedi know yet. It's… complicated. We don't have concrete proof of everything yet, and we don't want the Jedi doing anything that puts the de-chipping operation at risk. We've talked about telling them sometime soon, but nothing's decided yet."

"Then there's still room to keep your promise, isn't there?" Flak tells him. "So maybe she's not the first person to know, but she could be the first Jedi."

Hevy purses his lips. "Yeah, you're right. I'll have to remind my batchmates when we see them." Hevy rubs his palms together briskly. They've managed to pass some time, but there are still many hours to go before they're scheduled to come out of hyperspace.

Across from him, Flak stifles a sudden yawn and almost looks offended at the involuntary motion. Hevy chuckles.

"You should go get some sleep."

Flak frowns at him. "You need sleep just as much as I do."

"But you need to pilot us into the hangar when we arrive, and that won't go over well if you're falling asleep in the pilot's seat. I'll take the second turn. It's fine. I'm not that tired." Flak rolls his eyes, but he rises to his feet and stretches languidly, reaching his arms over his head. His knees click loudly as he moves. Hevy winces at the sound, but Flak just smirks at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Wake me up in a couple of hours, alright? Or if something goes wrong."

Hevy shoots a wary look at the controls all around him. He has very basic piloting skills, but that won't do him any good if something goes wrong while they're in hyperspace.

"I wouldn't even know where to start, so yeah, I'd call you. Expecting something to happen?" Flak waves a hand dismissively as he makes his way towards the door.

"Nah, we're probably good." He pauses in the doorway suddenly. Hevy watches as the pilot's shoulders draw up. "Hey, Hevy?"

Hevy tenses at the sudden gravity in his voice.

"Flak? You alright?"

Flak exhales loudly. He turns his head just enough so that Hevy can see the side of his face. All humor has disappeared from his expression.

"From what happened in your first life…do you have any idea what's going to happen to the Guard? And Senator Amidala?"

"I… I don't know. This didn't happen the first time," Hevy replies. His stomach clenches nervously at the admission. "The Senator can take care of herself, I think… and we'll be going back for the Guard. We're not leaving them there if I have anything to say about it."

Flak closes his eyes for a moment and raises a hand to support himself against the wall. Exhaustion weaves its way across his face. Hevy winces in sympathy.

"Get some rest, Flak," he tells his friend. "We'll figure it out."

"Yeah," Flak agrees softly. He disappears through the door, leaving Hevy alone with hyperspace spiralling out in front of him and a knot in the pit of his stomach.

They've only been off of Coruscant for four hours. It still doesn't feel quite real to Hevy. It had happened so fast.

He wants to comm Senator Amidala to ask if she's alright, but he doesn't know if that's safe.

He wonders what will happen to the Coruscant Guard. There's no way of knowing how many of the Guard were affected by the order that sent them after Flak and Hevy. Part of him is tempted to comm Byte to see if the intelligence worker is similarly under the control of the chip, but that's too much of a risk as well.

There's no way to know what's going on until Senator Amidala is able to contact them again. Hevy pinches the bridge of his nose. For a moment, he fights back a surge of sorrow that leaves him blinking back tears. He reaches up and brushes his fingers gently over the side of his head, where the scar from the chip-removal surgery lies hidden beneath his hair.

It's not fair. It's tragic and terrifying all at once. Hevy's friends had been stripped of their personalities and their agency. He had watched it happen, and hadn't been able to do a single thing to help.

That is the fate that Palpatine and the rest of his twisted minions would have Hevy and his brothers suffer, if they get their way. Hevy clenches his jaw so hard that his teeth ache. The more he and the rest of Domino squad try to fix things, the more they're able to see how far-reaching the web of deception really is.

Hevy remembers what Flak had said about General Shaak Ti and frowns pensively. He leans back in his chair. They're going to need so much more help if they're ever going to free the rest of the GAR from the chips' influence…and Kamino seems like a good place to start.

The cot isn't comfortable, but it does its job. Hevy crashes once Flak wakes up and sleeps dreamlessly for a long time. When he wakes up, they're still several hours from their goal. Hevy feels jittery with nerves and anticipation. He can barely sit still for the last few hours of the trip. When they're under an hour away from docking, he starts pacing the tiny length of the cockpit—which makes Flak glare at him incessantly, but Hevy can't help himself.

Flak forces Hevy to sit down before they exit hyperspace, mostly so that Hevy doesn't get flung around the cockpit at the sudden change in velocity. When the blue fades away, the Resolute sits in front of them, regal as always. Hevy's heart leaps into his throat. Flak is grinning wider than Hevy has ever seen before. He reaches for the comm as they soar closer.

"Resolute, this Nu-class shuttle 4887 requesting a landing sequence," Flak says into the comm. The answer is immediate.

"We hear you, shuttle 4887. Flak, Hevy, good to have you back onboard!" a communication officer replies cheerfully. "They're expecting you in the main hangar, dock six. You're clear for landing."

"Copy that," Flak acknowledges, drumming his fingers over the controls in barely contained excitement. He steers them directly for the hangar. Hevy breathes through his nose and taps his feet as Flak slows them down so that he can run the landing sequence.

If Flak sets the ship down just a tad quicker than usual, Hevy can't find it in himself to blame the pilot. Hevy gets to his feet and freezes when he catches a glimpse of 501st blue through the viewport. Flak laughs.

"Ramp's already down," he announces cheerfully. Hevy doesn't waste another moment, hurrying for the exit. He barely takes two steps outside before he hears someone shout his name.

"Hevy!"

Droidbait meets him halfway down the ramp. His batchmate collides with him, wrapping his arms around Hevy's torso. Hevy nearly stumbles at the impact.

"Oh," Hevy says in shock, so softly that he almost doesn't hear the word come out of his own mouth. He wraps his arms around Droidbait's shoulders and swallows against a lump that suddenly forms in his throat.

"I missed you," Droidbait mumbles against Hevy's shoulder, voice raw. "Kriff. Kriff, Hevy. Oh Force. I missed you, I'm so glad you're okay—!"

"Hi, Bait," Hevy manages thickly. "Missed you too." Droidbait has more tally marks than last time Hevy saw him in person. Hevy feels a surge of pride. He glances over Droidbait's shoulders and nearly melts when he catches sight of the rest of his batchmates approaching. His breath hitches in his chest.

Echo gets to him next. Droidbait stubbornly doesn't let go of Hevy, just shuffles to the side a bit as Echo presses his forehead to Hevy's, firm and proud.

"Welcome back," Echo says with a watery smile. "You okay?"

"I am now, Echo," Hevy responds, something light and warm and elated soaring in his chest.

Cutup and Fives collide with them before Echo can step away. Droidbait yelps as Hevy staggers, almost pitching them all off the side of the ramp. Cutup laughs. He wraps his arms around both Hevy and Droidbait. Fives crowds in on the other side, something in his expression easing tremendously as Hevy reaches out to tuck his free arm around Fives' side.

Suddenly Hevy is surrounded by his brothers on all sides. The wave of relief that slams into him is so heady that he sways in place. A choked sound leaves his throat before he can stop it.

"Missed you," he manages.

"We've got you, Hevy. We've got you," Cutup reassures, grinning like a loon as Hevy slumps. Hevy's next exhale is ragged. He sinks into the embraces of his brothers and lets his eyes slip closed, revelling in the sensation of comfort and safety.

This is right. This is how it should be. His brothers fill the holes in his soul that he's been all too aware of ever since arriving on Coruscant. Hevy tilts his head back and lets out a huge breath.

Fives is quiet against him, and oddly still. Hevy glances down to meet his gaze.

"I'm alright, Fives. We got out."

"Yeah," Fives says hoarsely. "You got out. I'm glad." His voice nearly cracks on the last word. Hevy thinks of Fives, trapped and alone in the depths of Coruscant, hunted and killed by brothers. He clenches his jaw and squeezes his arm around Fives' side a little tighter.

"Next time you decide to go on the run, you either invite us or you don't do it at all. I don't think any of us would survive that kind of worry a second time," Droidbait mutters.

Hevy snorts. "I'll do my best," he offers, and grins as affection coils high in his chest. "No promises though."

"Um," someone says. "Can I get down the ramp? You're kind of…uh, in the way."

Hevy reluctantly pulls away from his brothers to offer Flak a sheepish look. Droidbait gasps.

"Flak!"

Flak grins at him. "Hey, Bait—whoa!"

Droidbait ducks under Cutup's arms and grabs the pilot in a bear hug. Echo follows to greet Flak as well. Cutup raps a knuckle against Hevy's shiny white chestplate. His grin is teasing.

"Force, what happened here? You're shinier than a star!"

"Alright, alright," Hevy says, batting Cutup's fingers away with a snort. "I'm repainting it the instant I've got some free time."

He glances to the side and looks at Fives again. Fives has a tight hold on one of Hevy's pauldrons. He keeps drumming his fingers over the plastoid. Even as Hevy watches him, Fives takes a deep breath. The lines in his face ease.

"I'm really back, you know," Hevy reminds him with a smile. Fives meets his gaze and returns it.

"Yeah, I know," he says. He tugs Hevy into a tighter hug. When he pulls back, there's a fond look on his face that makes Hevy's entire being sing in satisfaction. Fives slings an arm over Hevy's shoulder and nods purposefully out into the hangar.

"We're not the only ones glad to see you," he announces in a pleased voice. Hevy grins when he sees the rest of Beta Squad waiting patiently to greet him. Commander Tano, General Skywalker, and Captain Rex are there as well, accompanied by Hawk and Axe. The two pilots let out whoops as Flak finally steps past Domino squad to join them with a cocky wave and a spring in his step.

Hevy goes straight for General Skywalker. He salutes as sharply as he can. Commander Tano is practically wriggling in impatience.

"General," Hevy says quietly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect the Senator better—"

Two hands settle firmly on Hevy's shoulders. General Skywalker shakes his head.

"Thank you for protecting Senator Amidala," he says, staring right into Hevy's eyes. "And thank you for having the courage to appear before the Senate. I couldn't be more proud."

Hevy's mouth goes dry. He fumbles for words, and immediately loses them when General Skywalker steps back. Suddenly Hevy has an armful of Togruta. He freezes, unsure of how to react as Commander Tano wraps her arms around his waist with a bright smile.

"I'm so happy you're back!" she announces joyously. "I knew Master Plo would be able to find you! I just knew it! We need to think of some way to celebrate!"

She lets him go and gestures enthusiastically at where Domino squad has reassembled with the other members of Beta squad. General Skywalker chuckles.

"We do need to talk. But it can wait," he says kindly. "Go with your brothers."

Hevy doesn't need to be told twice. Beta squad cheers as Hevy turns on his heel and returns to his squad, heart lighter than it has been in weeks. He's finally home.

A/N: It's been almost two years since I've written all five domino squad members in the same place during this fic. It feels SO GOOD to have them back together again aahhhhhhhhh!

Thank you for being ever so patient with me! My readers are Seriously seriously the best, I love you guys. Summer classes are really hitting hard, but now that the first few weeks are done with I'm actually settling into a rhythm, and with any luck (no promises but fingers crossed) it won't be nearly as much of a wait for the next chapter. Yikes, the longer I don't update the more anxious I become haha!

HECK we're almost at 40 chapters oh gosh. The other long fanfiction I wrote is exactly 40 chapters long, and Dominoes is definitely going to surpass that. We'll have to celebrate somehow! I dunno how exactly but I'll think of something lol. I think in August this fic turns three years old too so maybe we wait until august to throw a party heh.

Thank you so much for the ongoing support! I really appreciate your patience and love and enthusiasm! Follow "meridiansdominoes" on tumblr for more!