THIRD PERSON POV
Fern and Echo were gone for another thirty minutes before returning to Romar's home. Upon reentry, Fern noticed the owner and Tech sitting together to the right and Omega was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Omega?" Echo beat Fern to it.
"She, was just here." Tech said quietly, realizing she was gone just then. Fern smacked her forehead. "Are you kidding me, Tech? You had one job!"
"My repelling cable's gone." Romar uttered in a concern tone.
"I suspect then she went after the war chest." Tech said.
"You suspect?" Fern growled, clenching her fists and turning to Echo. "Go and find her. With luck, the Empire doesn't find her first. I will help Tech and we'll catch up as fast as we can." Echo nodded and bolted out the door. Fern, with an angry scowl on her face, rushed to gather their belongings, cursing under her breath. Tech watched her hasten with a frown. "I'm, sorry, I did not see her sneak out." he sighed.
"I'm not angry at you." Fern grumbled, throwing her backpack over her shoulders and rising to her feet. "But Omega isn't going to be so lucky when we find her and get off this planet."
"She, does a tendency to wander off, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, and causing trouble when we are already in deep enough." Fern huffed, holding out both hands. "Come on, we have to hurry the best we can."
"You two won't get far in his condition." Romar said.
"We can manage." Tech and Fern said in unison, made eye contact and back at Romar. Fern then bowed her head to the old man. "Thank you for your help. I hope things turn out better for you in the future." Romar only returned the gesture, rubbing the back of his head.
Tech accepted Fern's help and the two began their long hobble back to the war chest site, with Tech's left side leaning into her right and her hand gripping his around her shoulders. She supported him around his torso the best she could, but she wasn't as strong as Echo, so their progress through the dark woods was more or less stagnant. Tech's grunting and panting did not ease Fern's already engrossed mind. She squeezed his fingers. "Just a little further, Tick. You got this."
"Your, attempt, to stimulate our current rate using words of encouragement," Tech groaned. "is ironically making this ordeal much more unbearable."
Fern rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Wired-Brain. Next time, I will go with Echo and leave you to crawl your way back. Promise." Her eyes observed their surroundings, searching for any unnatural movement. Ahead, she could see the clearing where they first climbed up the cliffside. "We're almost there. Just a— Oh, no..."
"What is it?"
"Over here." Her voice dropped into a whisper and pulled him to the left behind a colossal tree that was so immense in its circumference the two of them could hide easily side-by-side. "There are troopers already at the site. I don't see Echo or Omega, so they must down in the container. I'm going to get a closer look." Fern ordered in a low voice, then stared at the injured clone's leg with a grimaced line across her mouth. "If you hear blaster fire, stay here."
"Fern, I do not think that is wise—"
Fern ignored him and curved her body around the tree's trunk, the bark digging into her back. With her single blaster in hand, she stealthfully maneuvered herself closer to the treeline, crouching behind the natural barriers to remain unseen. There were not many clones—she counted only three—and she aimed her first shot at the trooper who was assembling an E-web automatic rifle. The moment she stunned him, the other two quickly engaged and she was forced to retreat back the way she came.
Meanwhile, Tech received a call from Hunter. "Fern, send your coordinates."
"Transmitting." Tech beeped in his location on his datapad.
"Where's Fern?" Hunter asked when the female clone did not respond.
"She is preoccupied at the moment."
"We're heading your way. Hang tight."
With the automatic rifle discharges echoing in the distance behind him, Tech pulled out his blaster and heaved himself to his feet by scooching his back up the tree's trunk, not an easy task with a pack on. If you hear blaster fire, stay here. Fern's order emulated in his ears. He stared down at his injured leg, and began questioning his ability to reinforce Fern...
At that moment, Tech heard her scream...
His body moved by itself. Agonizing pain and adrenaline roared in the muscles of his lower half and heart as he pushed himself towards the treeline until he caught sight in the speckled moonlight a trooper had tackled down his friend and they were wrestling while reaching for the blaster mere inches from their clawing fingers. Tech stunned him and kicked him off with his good leg. Instantly, he collasped into Fern's waiting arms.
"Tech! I told you to stay where you were!" She laid him down on his stomach and realized there was still one trooper left.
She glanced around the tree, only to come face to face with him. Her instincts activated, grabbing hold of his hands and redirecting his aim towards the sky. Her foot kicked his knee out from under him and once he was down, she twisted his wrist to relieve him of his weapon and ended the brawl with a low roundhouse blow to the head, knocking him out cold. Tossing aside the blaster, her attention went back to Tech. "Tech, you have to wake up." She slipped her arm underneath his chest to lift him, but he was much heavier when he wasn't helping her. "Come on..."
"I got him." Romar appeared by her side.
Fern gasped. "What are you doing here? It's not safe." Tech regained consciousness and stirred in her arms. "Tech!"
"Come on, Ace." Romar assisted Fern getting the injured clone to his feet.
"What, are you doing here?" he repeated Fern's question, but with lots of strain in his voice.
"I heard blaster fire." the old man said. "Thought you might need some help. And it seems I was right."
"Stay here with him." Fern ordered, and before either men could object, she raced into the clearing and to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, she found the ledge had collapsed, taking the container full of priceless treasures with it. Clinging the cliff-face, were her squadmates. "Echo! Omega!" she shouted. They looked up at her as she waved. "Hold on!"
Her eyes darted around the clearing and found the repelling cable they must've used to get down there. There was still enough length to reach them. She worked on tying one end to a speeder that the troopers had and sent the other end cascading down to Echo and Omega. "Hang on!" she warned, and set the speeder in reverse. Suddenly, her ears perked up and she gazed across the valley where an Imperial ship was charging right at them at eye level. "You've got to be kidding me..." She muttered a curse word.
The ship began firing, its shots zipping just above her head. But Fern couldn't leave her post, she had to guard the speeder to retrieve Echo and Omega. Just as she armed herself with his single weapon, a volley of blaster fire from behind caused the ship to spiral into the cliff, exploding on impact. Whipping her head around her shoulder, she found Tech manning the automatic rifle. Behind him, Imperial reinforcements had arrived. Romar showed up by the female clone's side to guard the reversing speeder so that she could take them out. Two shots each sent the speeders tumbling and taking out their drivers.
At last, Echo and Omega reached the top. Fern rushed over to Tech and helped him to them, just in time to see the Marauder heading their way.
"That, would be our ride."
The ship hovered just at the cliff's edge and the ramp lowered in its platform state with Wrecker waiting for them with a grin on his face. Echo and Omega were the first to board. Before Fern and Tech joined them, they both turned to Romar. "Thank you, for your help." Fern smiled. The old man handed her a small bronze object. "Give that to the kid. Tell her to remember what I said. She'll understand."
"I will."
"What about you?" Tech genuninely asked.
"I'm a survivor, remember?" Then, with one last nod, he sprinted back into the trees to make himself scarce in case more troopers were coming.
"Let's go, Tech." Fern adjusted her hold on him. "You are getting heavy again."