Chapter 4
I was lost in my thoughts when someone called my name, struggling to catch up to me. I looked down at Charin, sweating, and his eyes weary. "Smash, we need to stop. We're all worn down, even Nisha." I looked behind me. The girl did look tired, which was surprising, considering that she had more stamina than I had initially thought. I sighed and slowed my pace to a walk, and then stopped. "We can set up camp," I announced. Nitya, whose head was resting on my shoulder, woke, groaning. "Are we stopping?" "Yeah. We're setting up camp and getting some sleep." The sun had set three hours ago, but it was still bright, the moon providing enough light for us. She leaned her head against my helmet, sighing. I set her down carefully and turned to the others. "It's your choice whether you want to set up a tent or roll out your beds. Either way, I'll take first watch." I turned and walked away, to a tree lying on its side. I faced the group for a little bit, watching them discuss something, then Nisha helping Nitya roll out her bed, and then lay her own next to her sisters. I turned to face the woods, closing my eyes and listening to the soft sounds of the night animals. "My sister's grateful that you carried her. She wouldn't have made it otherwise." I opened my eyes, but stared straight ahead. "I'm a soldier. My duty is to help the civilians." I let bitterness creep into my voice next. "It's what I was created for. To serve." I heard Nisha sigh softly. "We're going to go through with my idea. To sneak past the Stormtroopers and get back to the north, instead of continuing on the run and risking getting cornered and caught." I grunted, but didn't say anything. "Aren't you going to spell out what a bad idea it is, and how risky it is?" I shook my head. "Like I said, I'm only a soldier. I take orders and follow them." Anger crept into her voice. "Well do you at least have any useful ideas to help keep us alive?" I looked over at her and watched her carefully for a moment. Her almond-shaped blue eyes were blazing with determination and anger, and the corners of her mouth were turned down in a frown. The light caught her cheekbones in the right places that she looked older than she was. Like a commander. I sighed. "It's going to be risky like this, but I had an idea earlier, when I was scouting them. If we spread out-" "No. Absolutely not. This is a-" I slammed my fist down on the log, cutting her off with the shock. I took off my helmet. "Look, you asked for an idea. Don't cut me off when I'm giving you what you asked for." She nodded, frowning again. "If we spread out, we have a better chance of slipping through undetected. They're spread out too, and they have people going back and forth, changing places. It's a strong tactic, but also weak. If we go through a place where we find weak, each of us, a different place, we're less likely to get caught. Go through all together in the same place, and we're likely to alert them that we're going through, and we're all dead." Nisha thought about it for a moment. "I hate to admit it, but it does make sense. How would we know where to meet up, though?" I thought for a moment. "We're far enough away from camp that they will be, too. We can meet up at our old camp, then we can leave for the north. We should only wait for three days, though, otherwise we risk getting caught. The first person to show up times it like that." Nisha nodded. "I guess we'll follow your tactic, then. You want to announce it?" I shook my head, replacing my helmet. "No. You're obviously the ring leader to them. I've got nothing to do with this group besides playing soldier, anymore. That's it." I heard Nisha's soft steps walking away, and I stared out at the woods again.
I sat crouched at the middle section of Stormtroopers headed my way, waiting for the right moment to sneak through. This was going to be the toughest spot to get through, but the others would have an easier time. Nitya was placed at one of the thinnest ends, while Nisha was placed at the others, letting them have the easy time. Hopefully. I spotted a mistake in their line, a spot left unguarded when the runner went one way or another. I waited until the runner was gone, and they were practically on top of me. I slipped through the bushes, the mud on my armor helping to keep me concealed. I kept down low and quiet, long after I had passed them, and they had passed me. That was easier than I'd imagined, I thought. Hopefully, the others had it that easy, and we'll all meet at the rendezvous. I grimaced at the thought of never seeing any one of them again, but quickly shook the thought away. We're all going to be okay, I thought. I'm going to see every one of them soon. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I set off at a dead run, memories making their way through my mind as I ran.
"Get out of there! She's gonna blow!" I ran away from a tank, a grenade set to explode any second now, while my brothers shouted desperately at me. We had lost so many, already. I ran as fast as I could, then my brother beside me fell. I stopped and turned around, lifting him to his feet. "Go," He choked. "We'll both end up dying if you stay." I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you here. We were both in that tank. If you don't make it, I won't either." He nodded determinedly, and we made our way faster. The tank blew up behind us, and we both got knocked forward from the shock. I covered my brother's body with my own and shut my eyes, gritting my teeth from the pain of the heat. "Trap?" I asked, once the worst was over. He grunted, then groaned. "Can't breathe- you're crushing me." I stood up and held out a hand for him. He took it, and I hauled him to his feet, biting back the pain. We looked behind us at the tank. The one that we had been in just less than a minute before. "We could have died in that thing," Trap said. I nodded, watching the flames eat up what was left of the tank. A couple of our brothers arrived on a speeder. "Are you alright?" They dismounted and rushed to our sides. "Yeah," I replied. "I'm fine. Take care of Trap first." Trap climbed on behind one of the troopers, while the other offered his hand from atop his speeder. I took it gratefully, wincing as the speeder jerked into motion. The medic was waiting for us as we arrived, a small med tent already set up in the area. Inside, brothers were groaning and crying out in pain. I stopped outside and shook my head. "I'm not going in. I don't need to take up any space." "Smasher, I'm not going to take this from you. You're going to end up inside, one way or the other." I shook my head again and sat down to one side of the entrance. "No way, Clip." He sighed. "I'll get you when I'm done with Trap. You will end up coming inside. Even if I have to drag you in." He left me alone, while I closed my eyes and tried to block out the sounds of my brothers' pain.
"Smash? Clip's waiting for you." I looked up and slipped off my helmet, suddenly feeling trapped. Trap must have seen the desperate look on my face, because he crouched down and gave me a sympathetic look. "It wasn't that bad. It didn't take long, either." I nodded, but pain suddenly shot up from my neck. I sucked in a sharp breath and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "Smash?" I rose to my feet slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm going." I took a step, then quickly fell of balance, and landed on my stomach. "Clip! Smash isn't doing so hot!" Clip came running out and crouched down next to me. He touched my neck after a quick look and groaned. I winced away from him at his touch, pain flaring where he laid his fingers. "Not something that happens often, but it's certainly believable, after the way you took that detonation." He motioned to Trap and together, they took my arms and hauled my to an empty cot, laying me on my stomach. I struggled to keep my head up as my vision began to sway and darken. I let my eyes drop closed. Once. Twice... "Smash. I need you to stay awake for now. You can rest in a bit, I just need to check out how bad this is. Can you do that?" I struggled to answer as my mind became a mess of static and dark places. I gasped as something twisted the skin on my arm, and I turned to look. Clip held onto my arm in a pinch, twisting the skin between his fingers. He smiled. "There we go. Now I've got your attention." I sighed and laid back down. "Tell me what happened, buddy. Just recount the things you can remember while I work on you." Clip began taking apart my armor, while I searched my mind for the story. "Trap and I were closing in on the targets," I started, my voice grating in my throat. I cleared my throat. "Two enemies rushed us, getting up onto the tank, and tossed a grenade in. We managed to evacuate while they made their retreat, and we got mildly far before Trap fell." I winced, while Clip tore the fabric around my neck, turning that part of my shirt into a rag. "I stopped and helped him, but we weren't able to get much farther before the blast went off. We were knocked down, and I climbed over Trap, to try to take the worst of the damage." Clip tsked. "Trying to be the hero, then? Eh, I should have known. I've seen you in my care more times than I would care to count. Always getting yourself into trouble, brother. Especially since..." He trailed off, working in silence for a moment, while I remembered Sharp, and how he died. I swallowed and closed my eyes, pushing down the nausea. "Look," Clip lowered his voice to where only we could hear. "I never said it, but I don't agree with what we're doing. To the Jedi, or to the Republic." I tried to look at him, but he held me down. "Don't move." He worked in silence again. "It's good to know that we weren't the only ones," I said finally. I bit back a cry of pain as Clip pulled something out of my skin, making a triumphant sound. "Finally. There's the problem. It was so hot, it cauterized the wound as it went in, so there was very little blood." He held it in front of my face, so I was able to see the item that he pulled out. It was shrapnel, to say the least, an inch long, and a half inch wide, covered in blood from being pried out of my neck. I grunted. "Yeah, thanks Clip. I really wanted to know what was buried in my neck, causing all my problems." Clip chuckled. "Not everything is to blame on this little thing," he said, dropping it in a pan. "Like, for instance, you addiction to trouble. I'll never understand that. There must have been a leak in your bacta tank, or something." I pressed my lips together for a moment before replying, "Very funny, Clip." He chuckled and applied something to my wound that hurt worse than the shrapnel did. I let out a string of colorful language while Clip quietly chuckled at my pain. "I'm all done here," He said after he wrapped my neck. "Rest, now." He gave me something, and immediately, I felt drowsy and started to fall asleep.
I slowed as I neared the camp, out of breath, and tired, my aching body protesting with every step I took. I was relieved to see Jayin sitting on a log around a newly lit fire. He looked up and nodded, then looked to the woods again, searching them. I took a seat against a tree at the edge of the small clearing of our old camp, starting my own search. It was sunset before Chakshu and Daksh came into camp, looking like they could fall down and sleep where they fell. "Hey, boys," I said quietly. The nodded in response, eyes bleary. Three here, three more to come, I thought. I was relieved to see them already here, but I was worried about Nitya, out there alone, farthest from the camp with her ankle sprained. We had fixed her a crutch- or as close to a crutch as we could get- but I was still afraid for her. I knew Nisha could make it, considering how strong she is, and Charin, Daksh's brother could make it, too, with just the idea of seeing his brother again. I hoped. Daksh was a lot younger mentally than he really was. He may have been the older brother physically, but truly, Charin was the big brother. I closed my eyes, listening for anybody else.
I woke late, the sun high overhead. I stretched and stood up, working my tired muscles as I looked around. I was the first one up, Chakshu and Daksh curled up by the fire while Jayin laid sprawled out on the log. I took off my helmet and looked around, breathing in the fresh air. After a quick glance at the boys, I walked out, deciding to walk the trail. It was quiet, and my soft steps sounded like trees falling, with the silence all around me. Then there was something louder. Footfalls. Someone was running through the forest. I replaced my helmet and scaled a tree, laying on a branch to look down. Nisha came into sight, sweaty and desperate, looking around. I dropped down in front of her, accidentally scaring her. She had taken the lightsaber off her belt and turned it on in a flash, pointing it at my throat. Recognition lit on her face and she turned the lightsaber off, hooking it on her belt. "Has Nitya arrived yet?" Her face was full of hope, and I regretfully shook my head. "Not yet. I'm sure she'll be here soon, though. Maybe sunset at the latest." Nisha nodded, looking fully disappointed. I put a hand on her back. "Why don't you get some sleep meanwhile? You look exhausted." Nisha nodded. "Okay." I led her back to the camp and piled more wood on the fire. Once she was settled and sleeping, I found the tallest tree close to camp, and climbed to the top, hooking a safety cable around the trunk. I could see the Stormtroopers in the distance, far enough away to not have to worry about, but still close enough that the sight of them brought up terrible thoughts. I closed my eyes and rested against the trunk, tucking a hand behind my neck, remembering the injury again.
"Hey Smash! You gonna fall out?" I jerked awake, falling sideways off the branch. I made a quick grab for the branch, but my hand slipped, and I fell another foot before my safety cable caught, and my belt held me. I groaned and grabbed onto the next nearest branch, putting my foot on the branch below for leverage. Once I was back on the branch, I looked down to glare at Nisha, who was grinning mischievously up at me. "Looks like you lost your grip, there," she laughed. I shook my head. "Very funny." I disabled the safety cable and climbed down the tree, moving swiftly, sure of every single move I made. I leaned against the tree with my arms folded when I got down, watching Nisha, who was still smiling. "You think that was hilarious, don't you?" She grinned. "Uh-huh." I noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and the puffy look to her eyelids. "You didn't get much sleep, did you?" She shook her head, her smile fading. "I'm worried about Nitya." She hesitated, looking like she was wanting to say more, but was uncertain about it. "What's wrong?" She bit her lip, then looked up at me. "Her and I had a fight before we left. I got mad at her and let her know how angry I was at her. Now I just hope we'll see each other again. I don't want out last moments to have been fighting." The regret was clear in her eyes, as well as the pain. I stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. "She's going to be fine. You two will see each other again, make up, and live to fight another day." Nisha worried her lip a moment longer, then nodded, turning away. "I hope you're right." She walked away, leaving me to watch her progress in the setting sun. I hope I'm right, too, I thought, closing my eyes.