"What just happened?" Hunter shook his head and looked to the ground, dumbfounded.
Tech took a few deep breathes in attempt to slow his heart rate, but it was to no avail. He tried to focus on his data pad and the information it was spewing out instead.
"The comm channel is repeating one directive. Execute order sixty-six," Tech informed the group, yet it still didn't seem to make sense to any of them.
"Yeah I heard that too, what's order sixty-six?" Wrecker asked.
Tech swallowed hard, feeling foolish that he didn't have the answer. "I...am not certain," he sighed.
"Echo, Tech, talk to the reg captain. Find out what you can. Crosshair, you and I will track down the kid and Cass and make sure nothing happens to them. Wrecker, stall anyone who tries to follow us," Hunter gained enough composure to fall back into sergeant mode and direct orders. Everyone nodded and parted, though Hunter made sure to send Tech another reassuring look to ease him.
As the clones began to search for answers, Cass and Caleb had found their way to the highest trees they could find. They squatted on the branches and leaned against the bark, breathing heavily and fighting the tears that brimmed their eyes.
"Are we safe?" Caleb whispered and looked to Cass defeatedly.
"I...I don't know," she mumbled and bit the inside of her cheek. She closed her eyes and reached out into the force, in search of anyone—anything, that could help. And of course, it brought her right back to the very thing she was running from.
She cursed under her breath as she disabled the tracker from her comm, then raised it to her mouth.
"Tech? You there?" she feverishly muttered.
"Cass?" Tech's voice crackled through the comm and Cass sighed in relief. By the way Caleb stared at her incredulously, she wasn't sure if contacting him was extremely stupid or their only means of answers. Perhaps both. But if she could trust anyone there, it was Tech.
"Yes I'm here."
"Are you alright? Are you somewhere safe?"
"I don't know...maybe? For now," she hurried and watched out for any movement below."Tech, what is going on?"
"Echo and I are about to speak to the regs-"
"It's alright Cass," Echos worried voice chattered over Tech's. "We are going to figure this out."
Cass bit her lip and looked to Caleb, who was even more distraught. "I hope so."
Cass shut her communicator off quickly as she heard the rustling of branches below. Caleb made the mistake of readjusting his position, which in turn caused the snow from his branch to flitter to the ground. Hunter and Crosshair came into sight, running towards them as soon as they noticed the snowfall.
"Come on down! We're here to help!" Hunter called out.
Crosshair didn't hesitate to raise his rifle and shoot at Caleb, causing a curse to escape Hunter's mouth. Caleb jumped to the ground and out of the way, and Cass dropped in front of the padawan. They ignited their lightsabers out of instinct, though Cass could sense the hostility was only coming from Crosshair.
"Liar!" Caleb cried and began running the opposite direction. Cass fought off a couple of Crosshair's bolts, then shoved him into the snow long enough for her to catch up with the boy. She could hear the clones arguing as she ran, her lightsaber whooshed in her ears as her arms swung in sync with her legs.
Another shot flew by her, inches away from Caleb's head. They spun around and continued deflecting until Hunter physically tried to force down Crosshair.
"Stop! Crosshair, stand down!" Hunter growled.
The sniper shoved Hunter off of him and lined up his weapon. Caleb sprinted towards Crosshair with his lightsaber drawn, and Cass' eyes grew wide.
"Caleb, don't!" she cried.
Before she could get any closer, Caleb had sliced off the end of Crosshair's rifle and force shoved him hard against a boulder. Crosshair landed against the rock with a bitter sound and Cass feared for the worst.
"Take it easy kid, I'm on your side," Hunter turned away from Crosshair and raised his hands.
Cass was so concerned that Caleb may had just done something irreversible, she almost didn't notice the padawan hide behind her. They backed up together until they were forced to stand along the edge of a ravine.
"Stay back," Caleb threatened from behind the knight.
"Just hear me out," Hunter lifted his helmet from his head and dropped it to the ground. The new white paint Cass had added almost looked grey next to the icy white it laid against.
"No! You killed her!" Caleb pursued and Cass held a hand out behind her, ensuring he didn't misstep.
"The others did. I'm just as confused as you are," Hunter took a step forward, and he was dispirited when Cass inched back.
Caleb looked beyond Hunter and stared at Crosshair, who began to stir himself awake. Making his final decision, Caleb jumped across the ravine and landed with a thud. He scrambled to his feet, expecting Cass to be right behind him, but she stood motionless on the other side.
"What are you doing? Jump!" the padawan pleaded.
"Get out of here!" she commanded as she blinked back angry and confused tears. Her lip quivered and her eyebrows furrowed, and her mind was going about a parsec a second. "What is going on?" she pushed with a forceful tone, though Hunter didn't miss the way her voice cracked at the end.
"The Jedi..." he hesitated and swallowed. "The Jedi have committed treason against the Republic."
Cass' jaw clenched and she motioned her lightsaber towards Hunter.
"So you've been ordered to kill us?!" she gripped her weapon tighter.
"The regs were given the order, not us!" Hunter became somewhat defensive. "Just come with us and we can figure this out together," he readjusted his tone and pleaded with her.
"Look around, Hunter, I can't! Crosshair tried to kill us! Kill me!" her lightsaber wavered in her hands as she pressed on, a lone hot tear ran down her cheek.
The voices of a clone squad echoed through the forrest. "I'm sure they went this way, come on!"
"It's not safe for you here," Hunter sighed heavily. He understood that she couldn't go with him, but he didn't want her to think he was giving up on her. He pleaded with his eyes and with one look, it reassured her heart that he would be back for her.
She exhaled defeatedly and disabled her lightsaber, then flipped backwards to the other side of the ravine. When she stood, she nodded at Hunter and he returned the sentiment. She wished she had more time to figure everything out, but she couldn't spare another moment out in the open, so she began swiftly running through the forrest in search of Caleb.
"Cass? Cass, are you there?" Tech's voice came through her comm link. His voice was higher and more hurried than normal.
"Yes, I'm here," she spoke breathlessly as she ran. She scanned her surroundings in search of anyone lurking. "Is this channel secure?"
"Affirmative."
"Is Crosshair there?"
There was a pause, and a moment of worry waved over Cass. She heard the sound of an bay door on the other side of the comm, then Tech's voice again.
"Not anymore," he reassured her.
She sighed and slowed for a moment. She leaned her head back against a tree and finally realized how frigid the air actually was. Sweat seemed to frost against her temples, and the tip of her ears were starting to sting. Her breaths were rushed and unsteady, and her anger began to settle into sorrow. The loss she felt in the force was seeping through her skin and overtaking her system. Her lip trembled as the tears brimming her eyes finally rolled.
"Cass?" Tech repeated. Though he couldn't feel the tremor in the force from the onslaught that ensued, he felt a dull ache in his chest from her transferred energy.
"I'm...I'm alright," she answered bittersweetly and sucked in a breath. "But...alright seems to be a relative term at the moment."
Tech wished with everything in his body that he knew what to say then. But there was no fact or statistic that could comfort someone in the way she needed to be comforted. One thing he knew was that most people are soothed by physical touch like a simple embrace, or a touch of the hand—a reassuring kiss. He knew listening to someone's heartbeat could also ease anxiety. That was something he taught his brothers to do to battle nightmares, and eventually he taught Echo too. He yearned to have her with him so he could console her in the way he deemed most likely to succeed.
But there they were...on two opposite sides of a mountain range, talking through a comm link.
"Is what Hunter said true? What the Jedi did?" she continued, secretly hoping he would say no.
"I...can't say for certain," he sighed.
"I refuse to believe they would be capable of this. We've fought tirelessly for the Republic, alongside you and your brothers. It's not possible...it can't be," she trailed off hopelessly.
"Well you won't be able to get the answer for yourself if you stay here on Kaller. You have to leave and go somewhere safe," Tech warned sternly. He didn't mean to brush over the sentiments she spilled, but getting her somewhere safe was the only thing on his mind.
"But where? How?" Cass began racking her brain of every neutral system in the galaxy.
"There's a few small shuttles and fighters settled near the outskirts of the mountain range. You're going to have to steal a ship and get out of here as soon as possible."
"Okay," she swallowed and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. She bounced on her heels in an attempt to build herself up. "I can do that. What about Caleb? I need to find him."
"He's alive? Hunter said he died in the gorge."
"No. Between us and Hunter, he made it out. I just don't know where."
"In that case...I wouldn't suggest going after him," Tech mumbled.
"What? Why?" she questioned suspiciously.
"He's already presumed dead, the Republic won't be looking out for him. However, there are troopers everywhere, specifically looking for you. Going after him will draw more attention to yourself, and more importantly, you could be killed."
"But I can't just leave him here!" she gestured her hands eagerly and slightly raised her voice.
"I know you want to protect him and I wish you could—but statistically, there's a higher chance of you getting caught and executed in the process than there is of you finding him and escaping. The chance of you getting off this planet undetected is small enough as it is."
"I..." she began, thinking of all the ways she could protest. But he was right. Master Billaba was far more skilled than she was, and yet, she couldn't protect herself. Who was Cass to believe she could do what the master could not?
She didn't have time to mull over her choices, so she had to make a decision. She wouldn't be able to help Caleb eventually if she was dead. So she reluctantly accepted she would be leaving Caleb to fend for himself, and her heart ached for him. But she kept hope that he could find somewhere to take refuge, that she could be successful in her escape, and come back for him and keep him safe.
She squeezed her eyes shut and bit the inside of her cheek, shaking the idea of abandoning someone who needed her most. "Alright. Say I am able to find a ship and hijack it...where do you suppose I go?"
"Go to Saleucami. We have a contact there that will take care of you. There's a farm in the outskirts of town. I'll send his information and coordinates," he directed. "I'm not sure how long it will be before we can meet again but it's the best solution I can think of."
"And you trust them?" she furrowed her brows.
"Of course. I would never put you in danger," Tech reassured, his voice sounding steadier than before.
Another pause lurked between the two of them. They urged the force to somehow create a miracle, one in which they would suddenly be together in embrace. They needed the comfort of each other's presence, especially now. And without being strongly skilled in the force, Tech's shared energy with Cass would only get weaker as she left the planet. Soon, she'd be far enough she wouldn't be able to sense him. But they wouldn't find that out until she was long gone.
"Just...be safe," Tech swallowed hard and peeped out.
Cass closed her eyes and felt his heart beat against hers one more time before she had to leave for who knows how long. She only sensed worry from him and she somehow felt guilty for causing him such distress.
She forced herself to push those thoughts aside, for the quicker she left the planet—the quicker she could get back to him. And that was something she desperately wanted.
"I will."
. . . . . .
GUYS I DID IT
I DREW TECH AND CASS🥺
i did the goggles moment from chapter 3 where they get all blushy
i'm going to repost this on chapter 3 BUT I COULD HELP PUTTING IT HERE TOO FOR THE EXISTING READERS TO MAKE UP FOR ORDER 66
echo after the regs tell him what order 66 is:
"i would never put you in danger" "just be safe" TECH IS SO WHIPPED ALREADY AND HE HAS NO IDEA