Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 5

Wrecker was the most nervous he'd ever been in his entire life. He'd battled battalions of clankers against insurmountable odds, nearly been eaten by creatures of various species multiple times, and survived countless crash landings, but standing at attention in a room full of politicians was making him break out in a cold sweat. He had tried to stand perfectly still, blending into the shadows cast by the enormous columns in the room, but he still felt eyes boring into him every time someone passed him. I stick out like a sore thumb.

He went over Typho and Hunter's instructions in his head again. Stand at attention, but do not make a spectacle of yourself. Keep the queen within your eyesight at all times. Never allow her to get more than twenty meters from you. If anyone acts suspiciously, report them immediately via your comm. Your shirt should be tucked into your gloves and your pants should be tucked into your boots. It was a lot to remember, and it made him feel even more anxious as the queen cast another look at him. He wasn't sure what expression he was supposed to wear, so the one he gave her was embarrassingly blank.

Queen Nodala excused herself as the meeting dispersed, walking up to Wrecker, who looked around even more nervously as she approached. "Come along, trooper. I think the next thing will be more your speed." Wrecker nodded nervously, falling into step next to her.

He waited until they were further down the hall before he quietly spoke up. "If you don't mind me askin', what is the next thing?"

She smiled up at him. "I hear you're good with children."

"Who told you that?"

"Hunter."

He immediately thought of Omega. The kid had been a welcome addition to the crew, and he had bonded with her in a way none of them had anticipated. Sure, he loved being around Cut and Suu's kids, but that was different. When Omega had a recurring nightmare about being in a tube in Kamino, he'd been the one she'd woken up. He'd always scramble down from his bunk, carrying her and Lula back to her makeshift bedroom in the gunner's nest onboard the Marauder, assuring her that they'd never let that happen. All of them had agreed that leaving her on Yavin-4 was for the best, but Wrecker had taken the most convincing. Even now, he knew some of his reasoning was selfish, but he missed her presence and her camaraderie. She'd always seemed to understand him a little better than his brothers did, and while most of them would chalk it up to their shared childlike nature, Wrecker knew it was because she didn't talk down to him or think of him as childish; she just thought of him as Wrecker, and he loved her for it. He'd never considered the option of having a younger sister when they were growing up, but now he couldn't imagine what his life would have been like without her.

He flexed his enormous hands nervously at his sides, and the queen noted it. Turning to glance over her shoulder to ensure they were alone, she reached over and rested her hand on his arm. "Wrecker, you're doing a fine job. Don't be so nervous."

Wrecker smiled self-consciously. "I'm just not used to covert stuff."

She grinned. "I understand you normally have quite the affinity for explosives, so I have to imagine this is quite dull."

"It's a job, and I just want to do it well."

"As I said, you're doing fine. Now, our next appointment is with children from the local political program. It's the same program I and many of our other elected officials participated in, so having them meet the elected ruler of the entire planet is quite important."

Wrecker nodded. "It sounds very important."

She smiled up at him. "Some of them also go on to become members of our security forces in time, so I think it would be good for them to meet you as well."