Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Keeper's Arena

Chapter 7 - Members of District 9

"I'm finding a way in there," Hunter growled, and he took off.

Jade lunged to grab him, but it was too late.

"Hunter! Stop!" Jade yelled desperately.

She didn't want to follow him. If she were captured again, she wouldn't just suffer from PTSD. But she couldn't let him go alone. Jade went after him, hearing the startled cries of the audience as she ran past. She tapped a number into her comm, hoping it was the right channel.

"Echo, Echo can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?" Jade breathed a panicked gasp.

There was a moment of silence, and Jade cursed under her breath. She could just see Hunter up ahead, charging up the stairs. He shoved a guard out of the way, sending him tumbling in Jade's direction. She had to throw herself to the side to avoid being taken down with him, then continued.

"Jade? What is it, what happened? The champion is close to Omega, too close!" Echo's voice finally came through.

"There's always a survivor, always!" Jade reassured, even though she spoke loudly.

"What if he's changed the rules?" Echo asked fiercely.

"No, he wouldn't, he -"

She yelled, exasperated.

"Just stay put! I'm following Hunter. He snapped, he's trying to find a way into the Arena, but he's going to get himself caught!"

"Shouldn't we assist you?" came Tech's voice in the background.

"No!" Jade said, hoping yelling would make her point crystal clear.

"If this idiot gets himself captured, you guys are our only hope of getting out. Just... don't be as reckless as he is right now."

She swerved past a large family and raced down the level floor, seeing Hunter come to a stop as five guards burst through an opening ahead. He changed course, heading for a tunnel down another flight of steps. That left Jade to be a perfect target for the guards. They immediately attempted to stun her, and she had to take the rows higher up, hoping they would follow her. Her swerving kept her safe from the stun blasts coming her way but landed on a few people in the audience, causing the crowd to cry out in alarm. Jade set her own blaster to stun and slid down the rail on the other side of the rows, leaning back every now and then to avoid fire. It was jarring and highly ungraceful, but Jade didn't care. She stumbled to her feet, and Echo's voice returned.

"A drone is heading over to Omega's position, but the champion is only a few platforms below her," he explained.

"Good! That drone will activate a protective force field," Jade cried, grunting as she entered the tunnel that Hunter had entered.

There were a few barricades, but he had shot his way through them, making it easier for Jade, but also anyone else to follow them.

"The drone won't make it in time!" Echo said, and Jade shook her head.

It had to. It just had to.

"Echo, will you shut it? Unless you want another member of your team to go down, by all means, keep interrupting me!" Jade finally shouted, and Echo didn't speak after that.

Absolutely livid, now, Jade turned the corner and spotted Hunter down the hall, trying to get a locked door open. It was very near to the Arena, and he obviously hoped it would be his ticket to saving Omega.

"The drone made it, but the champion is bringing his sword down!" Echo's voice trailed off, and Jade hastily lifted her arm.

"Echo? Echo! What happened?"