Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

90:

The second shot slammed into Thread's exposed chestplate before any of us had time to react more than a shout, the force of it knocking him backwards and he crashed to the ground beside an unmoving Nemec.

"Thread!" I started to reach for him at the same time Howzer went for Nemec, only for Crosshair to shove both me and Howzer out of the way of the next few shots and return fire on the sniper, the same one that had attacked us in the base.

"Get down!" He snarled at us, urgency making his words harsher than intended. I forced myself to shake off the shock, tearing my eyes away from Thread and Nemec's bodies and aiming a blaster over the top of the rock. I hated it, but there was nothing we could do for either of them. They'd been dead before they hit the ground. I could feel it.

The sniper's shots shifted upwards, towards Rex and the others doubling back to support us and forcing them to dive for cover behind the nearest boulders as well. He had us pinned down, and none of us could return fire without sights on him. Except Crosshair.

Blue and red intermingled in the air as the two snipers exchanged a flurry of shots, Crosshair ducking down behind the nearest rock to avoid being hit. "I'll draw his fire. Get to the rendezvous."

"I don't like that idea!"

"Too bad." He switched off his comms before Omega could protest again, directing his last words at me before he disappeared into the trees. "Make sure she goes!"

"Go! Now!" Rex's order had me up and running towards them - Hunter has already taken hold of one of her hands, pulling her along insistently as I took up a defensive position behind her, a hand on her shoulder forcing her to move even as she stared worriedly after Crosshair.

"We can't just leave him!" She objected loudly, though she made no move to jerk her hand from Hunter's.

"We're not. Crosshair can handle himself. We won't leave without him."

But I'd spoken too soon - more blaster shots sparked off the spire behind us, drawing our attention just as Crosshair and the sniper tumbled off another rock, grappling for control over a single rifle. Right into the rapidly moving river below.

The look Omega gave me was nothing short of disparaging as she turned back and ran after Howzer and Rex. I cursed under my breath and followed her as well with Hunter and Wrecker, hurrying to the edge of the stream to peer over the edge.

Both of them swept past us in a blur, only their packs visible in the dark water - the currents were a lot faster than any of us had anticipated, and we followed them downstream, forced to slow our steps when the cliffside dropped sharply away. The river plateaued out below us, now shallow enough to stand in before dropping away into another waterfall, this one much taller than the other. Crosshair and the shooter from earlier were still locked in combat, but Crosshair was beginning to tire. Even from this distance it was clear that his punches were becoming sluggish, and it was all too easy for the other sniper to knock his blows aside and strike back with crippling strength.

Crosshair's head snapped back and he fell back into the water, his combatant immediately locking both hands around his throat and shoving him under the water before he could get up again. He hammered away at the sniper's arms, his blows growing more feeble by the second. He was running out of time.

"Get me down there." I nodded at Howzer's request and shoved out with the Force as he took a running leap off the boulder we perched on, blasting him towards the river and jumping after him, landing with a splash and immediately turning for the sniper with blasters raised. Now that I was closer, it was easier to see that the sniper was another of those shadows, the design of his armour clearly recognisable even from the back.