A Star Wars Story: Not Our Time: Shadow Corps the Green Squad

Chapter 3

            Commander! Commander, wake up!
            Evadne groaned. She pried her eyes open. Everything was blurry. And her head was killing her. She could hear distant shouts and explosions. "What's... going on?" she couldn't tell if she said that out loud or not.
            Commander! You have to get up!
            Someone was shaking her. She blinked a few times, clearing her vision. She was greeted by that dark, emotionless visor staring back at her.
        "Commander!"
         Suddenly, everything came back into clear focus. The smell of blood and smoke filled her nostrils. The cacophony of screams and blaster fire hit her ears.  Bright light blinded her as she tried to look around. It was too much. Squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears, she curled up into a ball.
          "Whoa, whoa. Hey, it's ok." A hand gently came up to grasp her shoulder.
            Evadne cracked one of her eyes open and looked up at the helmeted man. It was the one with red markings. She frowned at him "My head..." She buried her face in her hands.
            "Hey," he shook her again. "Can you walk?"
             Evadne looked at him again. She sat up slowly. "Yeah, I can try," she replied.
             He helped her to her feet. Pain split her head apart. Her hands shot up to hold it. If the trooper wasn't there to catch her, she would've crumpled back to the ground.
              "Ow..." Evadne grumbled.
              "Let me see your pupils," the man gently lifted her face so he could look at her. "Yeah, you're in no shape to fight," he stated.
               Evadne frowned. "Why not?"
               "Well, you have a concussion. We can't really tell how much internal damage there is until we get you to a medic though."
                "Splendid," Evadne shook her head. She rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe the throbbing pain.
                  "Captain! Get her and the rest of the injured to safety!" Evadne looked up to see her Master blocking blaster bolts with her yellow blades.
                   That's when Evadne realized just how dire the situation was. They were surrounded by both Geonosians and droids. And they were closing in, fast.
                     "But, Master, you won't be able to hold them off by yourself!" Evadne protested.
                      "She's right, General," the trooper, who Evadne assumed was the Captain, chimed in. "At least let me stay with a few of my troops who can fight."
                       "But, we need someone to escort and protect the injured," Ingrid said in between blocks.
                      "Lieutenant ARC-4233 can go with them. I'll stay here," the Captain handed Evadne off to a trooper nearby. "Ratchet, take care of the Commander."
                     "Yessir!" The trooper put an arm around her back, supporting her weight. She put an arm around his shoulders and glanced past him as she watched the Captain and her Master side by side, holding back the enemy.
                      The trooper with blue markings ran up to them. "Come on, get a move on!" he yelled. They started moving. The ARC lieutenant stayed back, firing at any droid or Geonosian that got too close. The trooper carrying her did the same every now and then.
                      Evadne looked behind them, watching as the figure of her Master got smaller and smaller. "They'll be ok," the modulated voice of the man holding her came. "Trust me, the Captain is good. He can find a way out of any situation."
                      Evadne looked up at the man. His voice sounded just like the Captain's and Lieutenant's. She tried imaging what they looked like under those helmets. But her head hurt too much to think clearly. She shook that thought off, there was something else she was curious about. "Ratchet?"
                      He looked down at her. It was subtle, but she could sense his surprise; a small spark of excitement rippling through his arua. "Yes?"
                     "Is that your name?" Evadne tentatively pushed.
                     "Yes."
                     "Do all of you have names?"
                     The Lieutenant jogged past them. "There's a shortcut going through a cave tunnel just up ahead. It should lead to a place where we can get a signal out and call for a gunship to pick us up." He led the small group to the left, the rocks getting more jagged and taller as they went on.
                      Ratchet trailed behind at the back, picking up where their conversation had left off. "Yes. Well, most of us do."
                      "Oh. Sorry, I was just wondering because the Captain had called the other guy by a number."
                      "-No, no. It's ok."
                       It went silent between them as they trudged on into the mouth of a yawning cave. It was dark and wet. Ratchet turned on a headlight on his helmet to light the path in front of them. 
                     "What's the Captain's name?" Evadne continued.
                     "Sparrow."
                    "And the Lieutenant's?"
                   Ratchet took a moment to think. "I don't know. This is the first time I've been under him."
                    "Oh, ok."
                    "He's an Alpha ARC, " Ratchet quickly added, like it was supposed to help clear things up. It didn't. Evadne could sense unease from the trooper, so she decided not to press any further.
                     "Hey, you two, shut it," the voice of the ARC growled. "This cave is filled with bugs. They're dormant, but they won't be for long if you guys keep chattering away."   
                      Evadne looked around them. The surrounding walls were too far away to be seen in this lighting, but she could hear the slight distant rattle of wings. Evadne shivered.
                      From the sounds of it, there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Geonosians surrounding them. Evadne held her breath. Even with her head throbbing she could come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be any good if they woke up. But, why weren't they bothered by the lights that were coming from the troopers helmets? I have a bad feeling about this...
                      Evadne brushed off that feeling, trying her best to keep her focus ahead of her. The sight of injured men, a few on stretchers, didn't help with the growing anxiety inside of her. But, the growing light from the exit helped give rise to hope.
                      She winced and buried her face into Ratchet's shoulder as they came back out into the sunlight. But she let out a sigh of relief anyways. They'd made it out safely. Thank the Force.
                       As her eyes slowly adjusted to the light, Evadne noticed that they were on a narrow ledge of a small gorge. Peeking over the edge, she saw that there was a gradual slope to the ground. She could see sandy red dunes at the bottom. Something skurried on the other side.
                     Ratchet's hand gripped tighter around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Be careful," he whispered.
                     "I was just looking," Evadne pointed out.
                      She jumped when a bony hand suddenly grasped around her ankle. A small yelp escaped her mouth as she was pulled down with a surprisingly strong yank. She felt Ratchet catch her arm, but she'd already started falling. There was  enough momentum to drag him down with her.
                      Evadne's back hit soft sand. Ratchet landed on her as they started to tumble. The world spun until they settled out at the bottom of the gorge. The weight of Ratchet on top of her pinned Evadne to the ground.
                     "Didn't I tell you to be careful?!" He scolded her.
                     Evadne looked up, ready to apologize. She was surprised to see, instead of a black visor, dark brown eyes were staring back at her. She could barely register that his helmet was off before he yanked her up, just missing a blast of blue light. "Kriff, it got my gun!"
                 Evadne turned around to see a Geonosisian bug struggling with Ratchet's weapon. She didn't know if the thing was trying to comprehend how they'd dodged the shot or if it was still trying to figure out how the gun worked. Still, she didn't want to waste too much time thinking about it. She outstretched her hand and used the Force to pull it out of the bug's hands. Evadne had underestimated her own strength. The gun hurtled at her. She ducked as it flew over her.
            It landed in the sand behind her. Ratchet ran to retrieve it. "Watch out!" he yelled.
            Evadne looked up to see the bug descending upon her. She tried to dodge its attack but it caught her by her hair. She screamed as it pulled her by it.
            "Hey! Di'kut! Catch this!" Ratchet called, throwing his blaster with his full strength.
             It hit the bug square in the face. It screeched and let go of Evadne's hair. She collapsed, rubbing her aching head.
             Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Ratchet ran past her. He tackled the bug down. A loud snap of the bug's wings startled Evadne. 
            She got up on one knee as she watched from a distance.
            The bug thrashed around as it struggled with Ratchet. He stumbled over a rock and fell backwards into the dune. The bug raised its clawed hand. And with one swift movement, it came down again, slicing Ratchet's face open. A scream left the soldier as he brought a hand up to cover his face.
            Evadne jumped to her feet. The Goenosisian grabbed Ratchet's face again. His blood glistened in the light as it ran down his face. The bug raised its claw again. Evadne could tell where it was aiming this time. His neck.
            She sprung from her spot. With her lightsaber in hand, she closed the distance between them. Her lightsaber ignited. As she got closer, time seemed to slow. She was suddenly aware of the waves of fear and adrenaline coming off of Ratchet. The primal rage from the bug. And her own determination drowning out both. She raised her blade.
            Bringing it down, the head of the bug plopping to the ground. Evadne panted as she watched it roll away and the body collapse onto Ratchet. He pushed it off and looked up at Evadne. His face was covered in blood.
           Evadne turned off her lightsaber and outstretched an arm towards Ratchet. He took it.
            Ratchet balanced himself on Evadne, keeping his eyes on hers. "You saved me," he breathed out. "Why?"
            Evadne was taken back by the question. "Because, I- didn't want you to die!"
             Ratchet's brows furrowed. "Well, thank you... I'm glad you did." He gave her a small smile.
            "Are... you alright?" Evadne asked, gesturing to the wound on his face that blood was oozing from.
            He brought his hand up to cover it. "Yeah. It'll heal."
            "We should get you to safety," Evadne said, starting to lead Ratchet back up the slope they'd fallen down a few minutes ago. But her body decided to reminded her that it wasn't doing well either. Sharp pain split through her whole being. Stumbling and falling to the ground, she grabbed her head.
              "Kriff, I don't think either of us are in any condition to go back up that way..."
              Ratchet knelt down beside her. "Don't worry, I'm sure ARC-4233 and the rest saw us fall. They're just trying to find a safer way down here."
             Almost on cue, the sound of someone approaching them caught her attention. They both looked up. It was the Lieutenant, striding with hurried feet towards them. "Kriff, really? Another injured person to worry about?"
          Ratchet tensed up. "Sorry sir, I-"
          The ARC waved away Ratchet.
          "Don't worry about it. You kept the Commander safe and that's all that matters." He helped Ratchet to his feet. "We were ambushed, but were still able to call a gunship to our concordiants. They should be here any minute." He hesitated for a moment before helping Evadne up. "You two and the rest of the injured will be brought to a medical facility to heal. The rest of us will go back to retrieve the General and Captain." He looked at Evadne.
            It suddenly dawned on her that he was taller than Ratchet. Way taller  A small tch came from him as he handed her back to Ratchet. 
             The familiar sound of gunships in the distance made Evadne relax a little. The Lieutenant turned from them and placed a hand on the side of his helmet. He nodded like he was talking to someone, and with a final glance back at them, the ARC strode away towards the other men that were making their way down.
              Evadne looked up at Ratchet. Even though his face was covered with his own blood, she could finally see his face in detail.
              He looked young, maybe around his early twenties. His well defined cheekbones glistened red. Her eyes trailed down the open wound that disrupted his tan skin. It ran over his broad nose and stopped on the other side. It looked painful, she didn't understand how he was handling it so well.
              Her eyes met his dark brown ones. They turned a fiery amber where the light hit them. His gaze was cool and gentle. He was relatively calm after what happened.
             Evadne was grateful he was staying calm. She felt the opposite. She could feel her whole self crumbling. But he was a stable rock, anchoring her to reality.
             This was her first battle. And as a Jedi, she wasn't trained for war like this. She was struggling to keep her composure in front of someone she supposedly was now the Commander of. But she couldn't control her throat tightening and the tears that rolled from her eyes. 
             Ratchet's eyes widened. "Hey, it's alright," he said. "We're going to get out of here soon."
             Evadne buried her face into her hands, the silent cries shaking her fragile frame. Ratchet nervously pulled her closer in a weak hug.
             The wind ruffled her hair and robes as the gunships came to settle around them. "Ratchet?"
             He stayed silent.
             "Can we be friends?" It came out as barely a whisper. But she was certain he heard it.
             He was silent for a long time. Evadne looked up to see his wide eyes and mouth agape. Ratchet's look softened when he saw her small face peering up at him. "Y-yeah, sure," he let out in a shaky breath. He was about to say something else but he shut his mouth and smiled at Evadne. 
              The doors of the gunships opened and two stretchers were rushed out. Evadne backed away from Ratchet, drying her tears with her sleeves. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
              "No, it's ok..."
              Evadne pressed her lips together in a tight smile. She sat down on the edge of her stretcher. Ratchet followed suit, sitting across from her on the other stretcher. "I hope you have a fast recovery," Evadne said.
              Ratchet weakly smiled. "Thanks. I hope you do too."
              Evadne returned it, wincing  as she slowly lay down on the cot. She stared up at the helmeted faces that were shining a light in her eyes and carrying her into the gunship.
              As they took off, Evadne closed her eyes. She sighed. I should rest.
             But she couldn't relax. The growing knot in her stomach made her restless. She couldn't stop thinking about Ratchet. Evadne knew she'd get to know other troopers. In fact, she was eager to know more about them. But, she wasn't sure how she'd feel if she never saw him again.
            Her eyes grew heavy. The weight of the two busy days started to catch up to her. What a birthday gift... she thought to herself as the hum of the gunship's engine slowly lulled her to sleep.