"It's ironic. Clones wanted names instead of numbers, yet now people are signing up to be given numbers," Echo gruffed from his chair.
"It's ingenious," Tech admired while leaning against the rim of the comms system. "You could create a database to identify anyone in the galaxy."
"Glad you're impressed, but where are we gonna find the data for these chain codes? And the disks?" Echo turned around to face Tech and Cass—who had absentmindedly found their way next to each other.
"We already thought of that. Clones control the spaceport now. We can tap into their network and replicate the codes from there," Cass explained.
Echo furrowed his brows. "And how do you suppose we do that?"
"Well...that's the part you're not gonna like," Cass pursed her lips.
"Hunter said they're tagging ships inside their impound facility. That is our way in," Tech added.
Echo's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Are you suggesting we call the authorities and have them seize our ship?"
Cass held back a chuckle while Tech didn't bat an eye.
"That is exactly what I am saying," Tech shrugged his shoulders.
"We can hide, wait until it's clear, then grab the disks. Without any complications, we'll be in and out within a few minutes," Cass explained a little more of the plan to ease Echo.
"I guess if they think it's abandoned, that just might work," Echo nodded unsurely and stood up.
Tech immediately alerted the authorities of one "abandoned ship" and began preparing for the code transfer. Cass quickly wandered around the shuttle, trying to find places for them to hide once the troopers showed up. She saw two panels above her head and swiped a hand, the panels shifted open and she stuck her neck out to get a better look.
"What about up here, Echo?" she called out.
"That'll work," Echo replied quickly and holstered his blaster.
The loud whir of the impound ship dragged above them, and soon the Havoc Marauder was magnetized and in the air.
"Hunter," Tech commed in. "We needed to get into the spaceport undetected so we had the ship impounded."
"You did what?!" Hunter's voice crackled through the communicator. "Tech!"
"This was the simplest solution," Tech answered frankly.
"Getting our ship impounded is not my idea of a solution," Hunter growled.
"We'll meet you at the spaceport with the chain codes," Tech directed.
"Don't worry, we have this under control. I won't let things get out of hand," Cass reassured him.
"It's not you I'm worried about. You three have a much bigger problem. Omega's on the ship!"
At his words, all of them looked up to the gunner's nest, where Omega's distinct blonde curls poked out from behind.
"I think it's a good plan guys," she swiveled around to face them and waved timidly.
"So much for simple," Echo murmured.
"We'll be fine, it'll be fine," Cass said calmly to Echo—though she was talking more to herself—and motioned Omega towards her. "But we'll be grounded on the lot anytime now so we need to hide."
"Indeed," Tech nodded, and the four of them began piling into the overhead vent.
Cass easily jumped into the vent first, then laid on her stomach to reach out a hand. Tech lent Echo a knee to stand on and Echo grabbed Cass' hand. She pulled him up into the vent with her, then reached out to take Omega from Tech's arms. Finally, Cass and Echo reached out and hauled Tech into the vent. Cass then closed the vent and squatted beside Omega.
"Omega, what were you doing in here?" she whispered and leaned closer to the kid.
"I didn't want to stay on the farm," she shrugged sadly and wrapped her arms around herself. "Hunter's mad at me."
The Jedi sighed. "He's not mad at you," Cass reassured and brushed a hair out of Omega's face. "He's just not used to having to handle things delicately."
"Well...I'm still sorry," Omega curled her legs to her chest and dropped her head.
"I know," Cass patted her back, causing the kid to deflate and sigh calmly. "Once we get out of here, you'll be back with Hunter and it will be like it never happened, alright?"
Omega nodded unsurely and pursed her lips. Tech and Echo just observed the two, unsure if they should try to say anything reassuring or just stay quiet altogether.
In the end, remaining silent was for the better because they soon heard a couple troopers walk onto the ship. Cass raised a finger to her lips and looked to Omega, who nodded and gave a thumbs up. Cass leaned away from Omega and drifted to Tech's side.
As she shifted, her hand landed on top of his and they both tensed up. Neither could peep out an unnecessary flustered apology, so the buzz of their touch lingered in the air. He turned away to avoid her eyes, which gave her the opportunity to notice how close he was to her.
She watched his chest go up and down, then noticed the little tufts of hair that peeked out from under his helmet. She could see the skin of his neck and her heart sped up. She wanted desperately to nuzzle herself into him and take in his scent, perhaps rub her hands along the back of his neck and trail a finger to his jaw. She clenched her teeth then turned away and tried to shake the thoughts from her head. Perhaps she wouldn't try to fight her feelings so much if she knew how much he was fighting too.
"It's a mess. No wonder it was abandoned," they heard one of the clones grumble, then leave the ship entirely.
Echo opened the shutters slightly, then leaned over and poked his head out. When the coast was clear, he opened the doors all the way and jumped back down into the hallway of the ship. Tech leaned over Omega and waited a moment to ensure Echo was safe. He swiftly flipped over the kid's head and landed effortlessly at the bottom. Cass hid the blush on her face from seeing his smooth acrobatics—to which she found surprisingly attractive.
Tech quietly motioned to Omega to jump, and Omega quickly followed his direction and vaulted into his arms. He set her down gently, then glanced up to Cass. She effortlessly leaped down and landed beside him. And though he knew she was quite capable of more than just jumping from a vent, he still instinctively offered a hand for stability.
"So far so good. Now, how can I help?" Omega beamed at Tech.
"You've had enough action for today. We'll handle this," Echo answered from the cockpit and examined the impound lot outside.
"You can just stay with me, alright? We'll be safe here," Cass patted Omega's shoulders, though the Jedi could still feel her shoulders were tense. Cass glanced down and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You'll get your chance, I promise."
Omega nodded disappointingly and stayed close.
"Go to the security kiosk. Scomp in, copy the data, and grab the blank disks for me to program," Tech instructed.
"Roger that," Echo answered and headed out of the ship.
Cass observed Echo bobbing and weaving around the cargo scattered throughout the bay. Omega sided next to her and watched with a worried gape. They both blew out a sigh as Echo safely made his way inside the kiosk.
"I don't see any discs, Tech," Echo informed through his comm after a few moments.
"They'll be locked in a safe compartment," Tech answered.
"Ah, found 'em."
"Excellent," Tech affirmed and nodded to Cass.
Cass moved over to the comm chair while Tech sat across from her, and they waited for Echo to relay back to them. When Echo silently arrived at the ship, he eagerly handed over the blank discs and control system data pad. Cass and Tech worked back and forth. Cass input the information for each person, then Tech encrypted it in Imperial code.
"Tech, we're in the spaceport. What is your status?" Hunter's voice buzzed through.
"In progress," Tech tapped the side of his helmet. "Encryption shouldn't be a problem."
"Hurry up. We need those chain codes to get them on the shuttle or we're going to have to blast our way out of here."
"Don't worry. I can slip through security unnoticed and deliver the disks to you momentarily," his voice answered calmly.
A loud alarm sounded throughout the impound lot, and Echo was quick to run towards the cockpit to get a look outside. Swarms of troopers began circling and lining up outside the gate.
"No chance you're getting past them undetected," Echo shook his head and pointed at the troops.
"We can't get caught with these chain codes," Tech shrugged.
"We can't get caught at all! What are you talking about?" Echo yelled and threw his hands up. "If we get tied up in a blaster fight, they're gonna lock down the whole port!"
"Well we need to find a way to get these disks to Hunter or else we run the risk of getting shot down for nothing," Cass reminded him.
Echo pushed past her and looked around the comm center. "Where'd the disks go? And where's Omega?"
Cass panicked and ran up beside Tech to look out the window. She deflated when she saw a blonde head moving cautiously through the sea of cargo.
"Found her," Tech pointed.
Echo looked over his shoulder and sighed gruffly. "This great plan of yours is looking really lousy about now."
"Hey, it's not his fault. He was supposed to get us the chain codes and he did," Cass argued.
"You're right. But he also got us trapped in this kriffing bay!" Echo gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
"None of that will matter if Omega gets hurt," Cass shifted past him and raised her wrist to her mouth to activate her comm. "Hunter, the chain codes are en route with Omega."
"By herself? You let her go by herself?" he muttered.
"Well we didn't let her go, she ran off on her own," Cass corrected him. "But she's too far away for us to go after her. Have Wrecker go and make sure she gets to you safely."
Hunter groaned on the other end and shut off his comm.
Cass had yet to see Omega handle a situation herself so a wave of anxiety washed over her, but she had faith that Wrecker would ensure she was safe.
"If Omega makes it to them, we're going to need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Echo, try working on getting the boot off the ship," Tech instructed.
Echo nodded and rushed out of the ship to try to manually get the electric boot off the landing gear.
"Couldn't we just blast it with an EMP?" Cass looked to Tech after a few minutes of nothing.
She was sitting in the co-pilots seat nervously bouncing one knee and rubbing her palm. "Or I could even use my lightsaber to cut it."
Tech shook his head and frowned. "Unfortunately, any damage to the interior hardware would trigger a security alarm and the boot would short circuit the ship to render it useless."
Cass cursed under breath and raked her hands through her hair.
"What is taking so long with the boot? Are you trying to get caught?" Tech contacted Echo to check on him.
"I'm doing my best. You wanna come out here and give it a try?" Echo grumbled.
Tech rolled his eyes and turned off his comm. Cass heard some commotion outside the ship and peered out the window. She silently motioned for Tech to take a look, and sure enough there was a clone battering Echo with questions.
Tech quietly smuggled his way through the door and inched behind the clone to stun him. At the sight of the small blast, the clone forces outside of the gate caught on and began huddling up and marching towards their ship.
Cass leaned out of the entryway of the ship and groaned at the sight. "Oh great."
"That is not ideal," Tech sighed.
"We're in agreement on that one," Echo griped while still hunched over.
"How's it going guys?" Wrecker yelled as he hurdled over fences and cargo boxes while the troopers began firing at the squad.
"How do you think it's going?" Echo rolled his eyes and dodged a shot.
Cass rushed out of the ship and squatted beside Tech. She attempted to grab her lightsaber before Tech reached out to stop her.
"You can't ignite that here. If the Empire sees it, they'll forget about us and send all troops after you," he yelled over the shots being fired.
"But I need to help! Give me one of your blasters or something!" Cass thrusted her empty hand towards his.
"Are you a good shot?" Tech questioned and relayed the pistol from his left hand.
"No idea," she shrugged and firmly grasped the blaster, then propped up on her knees so she could protect her chest and rest her arms against the cargo box. She missed the first time, then the second time she hit someone's shoulder. At the third time, she barely missed Hunter's head but nonetheless hit one of the clones in the chest.
With every shot—her heart sped up, and the whirr of the blasts passed like a blur.
"I've seen worse, I suppose," Tech acknowledged.
"They don't exactly...teach you how...how to shoot at the temple," Cass breathily explained in between shots. She seemed to lose control of her respiration at an increasing rate with each blast that flew by her head.
Flashes of memories sparked in her mind with each blazing shot that roared in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment in an attempt to blink back the images that crept into her head.
The last time she was being shot at was when Crosshair tried to kill her.
She opened her eyes and shot another two...three times. Her chest felt heavy and Tech's voice made her flinch. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but all of the clones' shouting only made the feeling escalate. She quickly sank down and rested her back against the cargo and squeezed her eyes shut again.
The screams of Master Billaba being ruthlessly killed by clones like these seared through her mind as if she was there again on Kaller, reliving it all over again. Cass wasn't exactly sure of what was happening, but all she knew was that she wasn't about to perform a reenactment.
A distorted voice called out to her, but her blurred vision and muddy perception of the moment made it difficult to decipher who the voice was coming from.
"Hunter, we have worn out our welcome. We need to go right now," Tech warned sternly as he nervously watched Cass writhe into a ball beside him, her eyes darting around wildly.
"On my way," Hunter affirmed.
Without an end in sight, Tech reached down to help Cass up. He hurriedly grabbed her arm and she flinched back.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed and yanked her arm from his grip, but when she met his eyes she instantly regretted her venomous tone.
Tech fired another few shots then kneeled beside her. He kept his hands to himself and maintained a calm and collected expression.
"Cass-"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated instinctively and shook her head. "I didn't mean to-"
"Cassiopeia," his tone was too soft to be used in the middle of a blaster fight such as this. "Get on the ship now. Fire up the engine."
"But I-"
"I need you to," he nodded. "Once we manage to get the boot off, we are getting out of here, understand?"
Cass swallowed hard and nodded feverishly.
"Good. Now go," Tech ordered firmly.
Cass rushed from her spot and hurried inside the ship. She hastily started up the engines and prepared it for take off.
"Is...is Hunter back?" she anxiously watched the fight ensue from the cockpit.
"Right here," Hunter answered and saluted to Cass from behind a large cargo package.
"Glad you could make it," Tech quipped and shifted on his hip.
"What are we waiting for?" Hunter grunted as he dodged the next few incoming shots.
"The clamp's still magnetized. The system's not responding," Tech answered.
Wrecker disappeared from Cass' sight for a moment, then a metallic clank reverberated beneath her.
"It responded to that," Wrecker guffawed and lifted himself from the ground.
"Let's go," Hunter ordered and rounded everyone up to the ship doors.
Echo and Tech hurried in first. Tech sat next to Cass and pressed more buttons than Cass even knew about, while Echo leaned on the back of Cass' seat.
"Wait, Omega's not back!" Wrecker yelled from just outside the ship.
"Where's Omega?" Cass cried and peered out the window.
Hunter tried pushing his brother into the ship while firing back against the clones. "Wrecker, she's not-"
"Look!" Cass nudged Tech and pointed to a familiar head of blonde curly hair.
"Wait for me!" Omega waved her arms and caught their attention. Her voice drew more troopers towards her, far more than Hunter could take down himself.
"Omega!" Cass instinctively ran down the stairs and pushed past Hunter and Wrecker despite Echo's loud protests, and raced after the kid. The young girl got caught by a surrounding trooper, then tumbled to the ground. Cass pulled out her saber and sliced the clone's hand off—releasing Omega from his grip.
"Jedi!" Cass heard one of the clones yell and alert the others.
She pushed Omega behind her and deflected the rounds of incoming shots. Once there was an alert of her presence, swarms of men crowded the gates and clustered around their position.
"Cassiopeia, get back to the ship!" Tech's voice yelped from her comms as her saber whirred through the air.
She force pushed a group of clones clumped together, then triggered their blasters to shoot one another. When a lull in shooting lingered, she turned around and rushed towards the ship with Omega close by her side.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she intuitively spun on her heels. A fragmentation grenade spun in the air, aimed directly towards Cass. She struck one hand out to force the grenade towards the clones and used her other hand push Omega further away from herself.
The target blasted through a chain of clones, throwing bodies and cargo explosively in the air. Pieces of shrapnel scattered across her forearm and shoulder as she turned away from the blast, falling to the ground.
"Cass!" Omega cried and scrambled to her feet.
Hunter drew his blaster and tried to scoop Omega into his arms, but she pushed him aside and ran to Cass instead.
"Go! Go! Come on," Cass heaved her body up with Omega and Hunter's help, and scurried into the ship.
As soon as their feet hit the interior, Tech was immediately lifting the shuttle off the ground and launching it into space.
Cass and Omega collapsed to the ground, with Omega curling into a ball in her lap. They exhaled heavily as they tried to catch their breath. Cass planted a hand on the back of Omega's head and brought her close, not caring about the flustered tears that ran down Omega's face and onto her own chest, nor the blood that trickled the right side of her body.
"It's okay, I've got you," Cass whispered gently into her hair. "I've got you Caleb, I won't leave you again. I'm here."
Between her heavy breathes and muffled volume, neither Omega nor most of the batch caught her slip up.
But the one with heightened senses most certainly did.
. . . . . .
tech getting the ship impounded without telling hunter:
cass after tech did his flip:
I HAD TO PUT THIS GIF BC THE FLIP DOES SOMETHING TO ME
AND THE LITTLE HAND WAVE I-
hunter when cass said caleb:
this chapter was more filler-ish but THE NEXT CHAPTER—😳
epic tech and cass moment inbound❗️❗️❗️