Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 16

POOF!

"KRIFF!"

The smoke bomb detonated right in the man's face as he sat back on his haunches, swearing and wiping soot from his cheeks and forehead while Wrecker roared with laughter. "Shouldn't lean over it right before it explodes! That's how you get one of these," he chuckled, pointing at the massive scar radiating across the side of his head.

"I almost had the damn thing," the soldier muttered, fanning the smoke away from his face and pulling the ruined bomb towards him to inspect the damage. "What the kark did I miss?"

Wrecker leaned over his shoulder, peering intently until he identified the issue. "You did a good job disconnectin' the main power supply, but it's got back-up power lines that you missed here," he said, pointing at two wires that were sneakily fed underneath the power converter. The young man sighed, swearing softly under his breath, but Wrecker grinned, clapping a hand on his back. "You'll get it. Just takes time is all."

The large clone surveyed the rest of his students, a group of around ten that had assembled after he had volunteered to show them how to arm and disarm explosives. His crash course had started off as just a few, but the crowd had grown, particularly once the more hands-on exercises had started. Even Saré had asked to join, and much to Wrecker's surprise, she'd caught on quicker than most of the others and was now able to disarm a thermal detonator in less than five seconds.

He and Hunter had agreed to impart as much of their knowledge as possible to the militias that were local in the hopes that they would pass it along, but Wrecker could sense that Hunter was still worried. It won't be enough. Not against the Empire. While Wrecker was always one to take on the long odds with gusto, he was able to recognize how outmatched they were.

"Wrecker. It's time."

He turned to see Hunter waiting for him at the back door of the cabin. He nodded, turning back to the group. "Keep workin' at it. Saré, you take charge. Show 'em how it's done." The young handmaiden seemed surprised but gave a determined nod. Standing from her crouched position, she moved among the soldiers, giving minor corrections where they were needed. Wrecker turned back to Hunter with a big grin. "She's a natural."

"I think we'll need several more like her if we're going to stand a chance," Hunter said with a pained smile.

Wrecker followed Hunter into the cabin and down to the cellar where Typho and the other local militia leaders had gathered around a holotable. He could see Tech and Kestia's holos on one side of the table and Echo, Crosshair, and Iden on the opposite side. A large map of the planet glowed blue in the center of the table with several red points flickering across the surface. Wrecker took a seat in the back. He knew his size usually did a good job of blocking people's views, so he normally tried to be conscious about staying in the back. Hunter approached Typho, giving him a nod.

"Alright everyone, listen up." The room grew silent at the captain's words, and once he was satisfied that he had their attention, he nodded at the queen.

"Where are we with the militias, Captain?" she asked.

"All told, we've put around fifteen different factions on alert. There are three near the capital in the surrounding communities, and most of the others are in smaller villages scattered around the planet. We've asked an additional unit to meet us here in Vis, and another is headed to Fellen to tag up with Iden and her team there. While many of them are scattered, they all have transports available and are prepared to move out at a moment's notice."

"Very good. What kind of firepower do we have available?"

"Nothing too large. I'm afraid it's mostly blasters and explosives, although we do have a wide array of bombs and detonators, and with Wrecker's knowledge, we'll be able to build more, although we're not likely looking at large volumes by any stretch."