Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 1

She could feel it, something in the darkness, just out of reach, creeping towards her. Not another dream. The presence shifted, and with it, her certainty that she was in fact imagining it. DANGER. The word flashed in her mind like a siren. She rocketed to a sitting position, her hair sticking to her face and neck with sweat that was pouring from her brow. A dark figure loomed in the corner of her room, body half in her window. Their eyes met and his widened at the understanding that his quarry had detected him. Oh, Maker.

Diving out of her bed, she rolled behind one of the ornately carved nightstands as a blaster bolt ricocheted off the light that stood on it. She coughed from the smoke as she yanked open the drawer on the front of it, pulling her blaster from its hiding place. Her assailant advanced, firing at her as she ducked further behind the nightstand. She heard him chuckle darkly as he stepped up onto her bed to get a higher vantage point. She was exposed.

Without thinking, she launched herself from her crouched position, tackling the intruder. Her shoulder slammed into his ribcage, and she heard him grunt as her momentum carried them both to the ground, his helmeted head smacking hard against the floor. He's dazed at best. Got to keep moving. She somehow still had her blaster in her hand and tucked it against the attacker's exposed throat. "Make a move and I will kill you without hesitation," she panted. She heard the same low chuckle again.

Suddenly, his wrist wrapped around hers as he tried to roll on top of her, but he had underestimated her strength. She squeezed the trigger once, twice, and the bolts hit him in the clavicle and throat. He gasped and wheezed, rolling off of her. She stood, her hair hanging in her face as she leveled the blaster at him again. "Who sent you?" she demanded.

"It doesn't matter...more...will...come..." he wheezed before falling silent. She knelt down next to him, feeling for a pulse that no longer beat and cursed silently as there was a sudden banging on her door.

She stood, tucking her hair behind her ear as her door burst open and the room filled with guards. The captain stood next to her, gently taking her arm to turn her towards him. "Are you hurt?" he asked, attempting to hide the fear in his voice.

"No, I'm fine. Can't say the same for our friend here."

The captain's brow furrowed. He snapped out a few orders to the guards, and they all rushed to comply. "They're growing bolder. This is no longer safe, and you know it," he whispered quietly.

"Gregar, we can't let them win."

"If you die, they win, and they came close tonight."

"You don't give me enough credit."

"Oh, I think I give you plenty. But I'm making the call."

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Beep. Beep. Beep.

Three chimes echoed throughout the darkened ship. Only one of the clones was awake, and he didn't move in his bunk, hoping one of his brothers would get it.

Beep. Beep. Beep. The comm panel was insistent.

Peering over the edge of the bunk, Hunter could see Tech was asleep at the comm station, his feet propped up on the console and his neck tipped back over the chair at a perilous angle. How does he even sleep like that? No wonder his posture is terrible. He could see the flashing indicator trying to tell them they had a new message, but Tech's snores continued uninterrupted.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Hunter sighed in frustration. He's clearly not getting up. He looked around in the bunk for something to throw at his sleeping brother but was unsuccessful. Groaning one more time as he stretched his shoulders above his head, he rolled out of the bunk taking care not to step on Wrecker in the bunk below him and made his way over to answer the message. He could see Echo asleep in the copilot seat in the cockpit and Crosshair was stretched out on the floor in the back of the ship. Hunter wasn't sure how long it would take him to re-integrate with the team, but it seemed like the sniper was determined to keep his distance for the foreseeable future, even when he was sleeping. He sighed before moving over to the comm console, a slight pang in his chest at seeing his brother still so isolated.