Call It Freedom

Chapter 14 - To Someone So Distant

Author's Note: Regrets? Never heard of 'em. :D

Probably should give a warning for panic attacks. :)

~ Amina Gila

They make it to the artillery deck in record time, but... unlike last time, they're spotted on the way, which means the second half of their trip there consists primarily of running while shooting over their shoulder at their pursuers. The artillery deck is... high. Very high, and Hunter feels a wave of vertigo wash over him at the sight. He lets out a shaky breath, lowering his blaster slightly. From here, they can trek back to the Marauder pretty quickly and quietly, but... it is a long. Way. Down.

"Okay, I'm not going out that way," Wrecker says flatly, stepping back.

"I'm not too keen on it, either," Hunter replies dryly, choosing to ignore the concerned look Echo throws at him, "But we'll have to make do." Still, as he reaches for his grappling hook to secure it to something, he can't quite hide the way his hands are shaking.

And they're running out of time. Majorly.

Even if they temporarily threw the regs off their trail, they'll catch up in minutes.

"You okay?" Echo asks quietly, and Hunter can't ignore it anymore, or the way Omega is looking at him, brown eyes wide and fearful.

"I'll live," he says, huffing out a breath. "It's not – it's not the same as before."

"Since when are you afraid of heights?" asks Tech, confused. His movements are a little jerkier now, not quite as precise as normal, as the effects of the stim shot wear off.

"I fell off a mountain, among other things," Hunter answers, shaking his head. "It... was far from pleasant."

Crosshair is watching him again, but he doesn't say anything, and not for the first time, Hunter wonders what he's thinking. Still, he doesn't ask as he secures the grappling hook in much the same way that he did when he and Wrecker were on Serenno, ready to toss down the line when the others are ready.

And predictably, that's when the regs show up.

He senses them right as they come through the first door, and he's shooting before the first trooper has even had time to register them. They spread out, trying to surround them, giving them more targets to deal with, firing at them with stun bolts – obviously, Tarkin wants them back alive. But they can't do the same, not when they're so outnumbered. That doesn't mean Hunter really likes having to kill the regs. It's never sat well with him, or any of them, but this is war, and they'll do whatever they must to protect their family.

"Omega, stay down," Hunter orders, ducking down next to Tech. Crosshair, Echo, and Wrecker are a short distance away, behind another source of cover. Crosshair is alternating between lifting his head to snipe at the regs and using his reflector disks, tossing them out and firing bolts at them to take down the enemy troops who are rapidly closing in. Hunter can use his senses to pinpoint them, each shot hitting a target, but it's still not enough.

Tech ducks up to fire again, but he doesn't move quick enough to evade a stunbolt. It hits him square in the chest, and he goes down. Omega yelps, scrambling to his side and ignoring Hunter's previous orders to her as she frantically tries to shake him awake, calling his name. Something inside Hunter snaps when he sees it, remembering the way she'd screamed Tech's name as he fell, the way he sacrificed himself so the rest of them can get out, and he can't let it happen again.

If – he wonders if they'll all be able to get out of here, with more regs converging on their position every moment, and they don't have time for this. Maybe they won't all make it out, but there's no way he'll let it be one of his brothers who is left behind.