Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 4

Echo stirred in his sleep fitfully. He'd never really readjusted to life with mechanical limbs, and his time on Skako Minor still haunted him, making sleep elusive at times. He heaved a frustrated sigh as he tried to readjust again and doze back off, but sat bolt upright when he heard the front door of their suite open. Looking over, he noted Tech's bed was still empty. What in the Force is he doing? Echo slid out of bed, slipping his yellow guard tunic back over his head and sliding his blaster into its holster out of habit before creeping back down the hall.

Tech was seated at the table, the glow of the datapads reflecting off of his goggles. He turned at the sound of Echo's footsteps. "I apologize if I woke you."

Echo shrugged as the tension in his body eased. "Not like I was getting great sleep anyway. What were you doing out and about at this hour?"

"Getting information that I think you will find most helpful. Or troubling. Perhaps both."

Echo pulled up a chair next to him, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. "What is it?"

"I just had an interesting conversation with Queen Nodala and-"

"With the queen?" Echo interrupted. Tech had always had the ability to look beyond titles and honorifics, but social interaction had not necessarily ever been his strong suit. Echo had noted how Tech had nervously swallowed when they'd met the queen that afternoon and the slight pink tinge that had emerged on his cheeks when their eyes met. He wondered how long Tech and the queen had been talking and made a mental note to watch their interactions more closely going forward, if nothing else but for his own amusement.

Tech cleared his throat. "Yes, the queen and I had a discussion. Apparently, she also struggles sleeping on occasion."

"Uh huh."

Tech took no note of Echo's raised eyebrows, instead standing with his datapad and digging through one of the pouches on his utility belt. Finding a tool that resembled a small wand, he connected it to the datapad and began pacing the room, waving the wand in the air at random intervals.

"What are you doing?" Echo asked, leaning back in the chair to watch his brother.

"Scanning the room for any potential transmitting devices or bugs. The information I'm about to share with you is incredibly sensitive. In fact," he paused, turning to face Echo, "you may want to wake the others."

Echo rubbed his face, grumbling about how dangerous it was to wake Wrecker from a dead sleep before plodding off down the hall to do as he was asked. Hunter and Crosshair were easy enough to wake, but just as he feared, Wrecker wrapped him in a hug in his sleep with Lula falling to the floor, rolling until Echo was trapped underneath him squirming. Wrecker didn't wake until Echo started swearing loudly at him and managed to land a punch to his side.

The squad assembled in the sitting room just as the sun was beginning to softly illuminate the room, not quite cresting the horizon. "What's all this about? I was having a nice dream," Wrecker grumbled.

Tech was just finishing his sweep of the rooms and returned apparently satisfied that they weren't being listened to. "I have obtained information about the threat to Queen Nodala that I think will help clarify why we are here." He launched into the conversation he'd had with Nodala, relaying the information about the mysterious resource dispute and who the real culprit behind the threat was. Echo felt his jaw clench tighter. Of course it would be the Empire. Couldn't just be a simple escort duty. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at Crosshair as he shifted nervously up against the wall. They'd largely managed to avoid the Empire since his rescue, and he could see the discomfort in Crosshair's posture at the understanding of the threat they were facing. This was no longer just a simple mission for him either; he was standing against the entity that he had sacrificed everything for and been betrayed by. Echo couldn't even begin to fathom how his brother was feeling, but he knew better than to acknowledge it, particularly when Crosshair caught his eye and glared at him.