A/N: The first part of this chapter felt a little slow, but it really picks up later on. Anyways, I estimate there will be another two chapters or so before the fic is finished! So, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
As the Tie-fighters escorted them off of Delthqar, Hunter stared out of the viewport anxiously at the approaching wall of clouds. In moments, they were engulfed in the thick smog, and he had to strain to see the vague outlines of the Ties flying by their sides.
Despite the dull pain which was gradually returning to his injured arm, Hunter flexed his right hand, itching for his vibroblade so that he might have something, anything else to focus on. Unfortunately, they had all been forced to sacrifice certain parts of their kit in favor of blending in with the utilitarian uniforms of the stormtroopers. An oversized vibroblade might have stuck out a little.
Right after Ezra had told them Omega was on the cruiser, Hunter had quickly contacted Hera to tell her of their rather abrupt change of plans. Of course, Hera had explained the situation on their side as well and told him that she would send in backup as soon as she could. It was dangerous, making such a rash decision. He knew that, and the others knew it too, but Hunter wouldn't– no, couldn't– lose his girl to the Empire. Not again.
"We are exiting the atmosphere," Tech announced, and Hunter immediately noticed an unnaturally tense tone to his little brother's voice.
The stress of the mission was weighing on all of them, even level-headed Tech. Hunter, himself, could feel the beginnings of a stress-induced migraine building in his temple. Hopefully, they would be out of there before it really hit him. If not… Well, it wouldn't have been the first time he had operated out in the field with a migraine. In all honesty, he was surprised he hadn't felt it sooner, with all the stress the entire squad had all been under over the last few rotations.
Then, the transport emerged on the other side of the cloud cover. The others gaped, and Sabine couldn't hold back a stunned, "Woah…"
Hunter's jaw tightened.
Just outside the atmosphere of Delthqar raged a furious battle between the Empire and the rebel fleet. Tie-fighters and rebel pilots in X-wings, Y-wings, and a motley assortment of other fighters streaked across the wide patch of space visible through the viewport, locked in intense dogfights. Already, chunks of shrapnel and debris littered the area. The burned husks of fighters floated aimlessly through the vacuum of space.
As a Tie spun past, trailing metal and fire, the concern came into Hunter's mind that there was a possibility that they could get taken out by the rebels themselves, if Hera hadn't warned them that they were infiltrating the cruiser. If they were targeted, there was nothing they could do. For now, they would just have to pray to the Force that they weren't—
"Hostiles inbound," the voice of one of the imperial pilots crackled over the comms, and Hunter internally cursed himself. As the Tie-fighter to their right peeled off to face the rebel fighters, he honestly wondered why he was even surprised.
"Where are they?" Sabine asked no one in particular, searching for the direction of the fighters. Just then, the Tie-fighter went whizzing by, pursued by a pair of X-wings, and went up in a fantastic blaze of glory.
"Oh. There."
Hunter bounded forward, grabbing hold of the back of Tech's seat. "Get us out of here!"
"Affirmative," Tech said with a nod. Then, the technician practically slammed the throttle, and the transport shot off. A series of thuds, a dull crash, and several surprised yelps from the hold told Hunter that Ezra and Crosshair had, evidently, not braced themselves quickly enough. Tech jerked the controls of the transport, banking into a sharp right as one of the X-wings began its pursuit.
Craning his next to try to spot the fighters out of the viewport, Hunter caught a brief glimpse of one of the Tie-fighters before it disappeared behind the transport. Then, alarms began blaring loudly from multiple systems on the ship, and Tech's brows furrowed further.
"They have a lock on us! I can't shake them!"
Hunter braced himself for the ship to go up in a ball of fire. But the blast never came.
"They're leaving!" Sabine said incredulously, and Hunter craned his neck to try to locate the X-wings. Why would they be leaving now, when they had them locked in their sights?
But Tech obviously was not so worried as to why, as he did not hesitate to put on another burst of speed. In moments the transport was rapidly approaching the hangar bay of the arrestor cruiser.
Both Crosshair and Ezra appeared in the doorway, shaking their heads and rubbing the backs of their necks after their fall.
"What happened? Where did the fighters go?" Ezra asked, voicing all of their questions.
Hunter shrugged. "Good question. Tech?" he asked, knowing his younger brother would likely have a hundred and one theories about it already. It did seem like they should all be floating through the vacuum of space right now.
"I believe we have either Hera or the Empire to thank for that. Hera could have informed the rebel fleet as to our current activities. Either that, or the range of the Cantwell-class Arrestor Cruiser's repulsor-tractor beam emitters discouraged the pilots from coming any closer to it."
"Does it matter, as long as we're still breathing?" Crosshair asked sardonically.
"Yes, it does matter," Tech replied, without looking up from the controls.
"Hey," Sabine interjected before either Tech or Crosshair could continue, nodding towards the viewport. "We're here."
Hunter took a slow step forward with a steely expression as the shadow of the arrestor cruiser loomed over them, blotting out the wide expanse of space. Deliberately, Tech piloted them towards the gaping hanger in the underbelly of the ship, and Hunter felt his stomach tighten.
They were, quite literally, flying straight into the belly of the beast. Hunter took a steadying breath as their last hope for a quick escape vanished with the final patch of space in sight, and they entered the hanger completely.
The ship's communications system crackled to life again, and the stuffy voice of an imperial officer said, "transport D-2706, prepare to dock. Your prisoners are due on level 3, cell block 7."
"What a warm welcome," Crosshair scoffed as soon as the officer had abruptly cut the connection.
"Better to have less attention on us," Hunter said. He turned to Tech and Crosshair. "Time to get you two to level 3, cell block 7."
Grumbling, Crosshair reluctantly offered out his wrists for Hunter to reattach the handcuffs, while Sabine did the same for Tech. The devices reactivated with a quiet beep, and Hunter gently bumped Crosshair with his shoulder.
"We'll be out of here soon enough," he reassured him as Crosshair continued to glare down at the cuffs. "And we'll be bringing Omega out with us."
If Hunter had been anyone else, he wouldn't have noticed how the sniper's eyes softened minutely for a fraction of a second when he said Omega's name, before turning harsh once more. He raised his icy gaze to look at Hunter.
"Let's just get this over with."
With a nod, Hunter replaced the helmet of his disguise, and listened to the soft hiss of its seal just as the transport jolted slightly under his feet. He was more than aware of his brother's experience with the Empire. Coming here was probably the very last thing that he wanted to do. He'd said it before himself, he would rather shoot himself than end up back with the Empire.
Hunter felt a pang of guilt for dragging him along, but he knew his brother. If Crosshair hadn't been willing to come, he wouldn't have heard the end of it. The sniper was known for being more than vocal about things he didn't agree with. Hunter should know, he'd dragged Crosshair, kicking and screaming, through enough missions.
So it must have been for Omega. Even if he denied it, Crosshair did care about the girl enough to risk falling into the Empire's hands again, no matter what he had been through before. The thought caused Hunter's chest to tighten painfully. It was just another reminder of his many shortcomings as a sergeant. As a brother.
"What about the bucketheads?" Sabine asked, referring to the stormtroopers and the two pilots who were currently sprawled out on the deck of the ship. Hunter mentally smacked himself for not thinking of that sooner. If anyone so much as peeked into the ship, their cover would be blown.
There was a monumental crash on the other side of the doorway. Hunter, Tech, Crosshair, and Sabine simultaneously peered out into the hold to see Ezra struggling to shove blasters and ammo packs back into a narrow but deep supply closet.
"Sorry!"
Crosshair's mouth curled into a mischievous smirk, before all four of them got to work.
When the forms of the former crewmembers had been jammed haphazardly into the storage closet, Hunter gave the ship one final inspection before nodding with satisfaction and gesturing to the others to follow his lead.
Shifting his blaster into rest position, Hunter hit the button for the ramp and watched it lower slowly. To his relief, no one came up to meet them, likely too occupied with the current rebel assault to bother with a couple of prisoners. Behind him, the others came down the ramp, closing it again when they reached the bottom.
"So… which way is cell block 7?" Ezra asked, peering around the wide, open hanger that was bustling with Imperials.
"Tech?" Hunter prompted, not even needing to ask whether Tech was familiar with the layout of the cruiser. He kept a careful eye on their surroundings, hoping fervently that no one would notice their standing in one place for this long. So far, no one had given them a second glance, but in his experience, you could never be too careful.
Tech replied unwaveringly, "First, we will need to find a lift to ascend to level three. Once there, I can easily direct us the rest of the way there."
Sabine pointed towards a cluster of Tie-fighter docking ports on the opposite side of the hanger. "There!"
Sure enough, as Sabine had said, Hunter could just spot a lift through the hectic traffic of supplies and personnel.
"Alright then," Hunter said, giving his squad a final, quick glance over.
Unsurprisingly, Crosshair still appeared less than happy with the situation. Tech, on the other hand, appeared almost delighted to be right in the middle of an Imperial arrestor cruiser, his gave behind his amber-tinted goggles darting around curiously to inspect all manner of ordnance and machinery.
The two kids, Sabine and Ezra, were also looking around the hanger, but not with so much enthusiasm as unease. He didn't blame them; they were right in the middle of a hive of Imperials.
After checking their path was clear, Hunter made a brief hand signal, advance, before leading the walk across the hanger to the lift.
As before, they walked through as though they were invisible, until they came to a stop at the lift. Hunter's eyes searched the control panel until his finger found the correct button- level 3- and waited. All five of them stood stock still, watching the location monitor tick down through the levels- Four, three, two…
With a quiet hiss, the door opened to reveal an Imperial officer dressed in standard attire along with two stormtroopers flanking her. Hunter tensed and could sense the others do the same just behind him. The officer, a young woman with dark hair and pale, shrewish features, looked Hunter up and down, before her gaze drifted to Tech and Crosshair. She wrinkled her nose as if they had personally affronted her, and Hunter's fist tightened around the grip of his blaster. He had to physically fight the urge to lunge forward and choke her himself. No one looked at his brothers like that and got away with it.
For a single, tense moment, they waited in a standoff, and oh, how Hunter almost hoped that she would say something to give him an excuse to wring her neck right now. But the only woman sniffed once, lifted her chin, and strode past them, hands clasped behind her back in a haughty manner. The stormtroopers gave them one look before following.
This time, Hunter couldn't contain the revolted huff that left him as he entered the lift with the others. Doubt she's ever even seen a real battle, he guessed. But then again, maybe it was better that she thought herself too far above them to bother asking any questions.
The lift took them upwards until it reached level three, the detention level, and the doors slid open again. Unlike in the hanger, the two guards stationed at the monitors immediately looked up, taking in them and their two "prisoners."
But before either of the guards could react, Hunter shot both with his blaster while Ezra and Sabine swiftly took out the security cameras in the corners of the room.
"Come on," Hunter said and rounded the corner of the monitors to stand in front. Without a word between them, Tech was at his side immediately, inspecting the screens and controls with his wrists outstretched. Hunter quickly removed the handcuffs again, bent down to grab one of the guards' discarded blasters, and tossed it to Crosshair, who caught it with his now unrestrained hands.
Already, Tech's hands were flying across the controls.
"You have to find Omega, and do it quickly," Hunter said, looking anxiously at the door to the lift and the three other doors positioned around the four lengths of the room. They hadn't exactly been quiet about getting in. It would be only a matter of time before the Empire sent reinforcements, even with the distraction of a battle raging outside the ship.
Sabine backed towards the control panel, while still keeping her eyes and her blaster trained on the doors. "What about Hera? She said she'd give us an evac, but the Ghost can't get close with that tractor beam."
Hunter hesitated. Okay, maybe this plan could have used a bit more thought to it. Then Ezra stepped forward.
"I can disable the tractor beam," he said with determination.
"On your own?" Hunter shook his head, remembering his unspoken promise to Kanan. "Not on my watch."
"So, Sabine can come with me."
Kriff, this kid was stubborn. It reminded him distinctly of Omega.
Well, there went any hopes of refusing him. And he did have a point. Someone needed to disable the tractor beams or else Hera and the rebel fleet would never be able to get close enough to the arrestor cruiser to take it down, much less give them an evac.
Shaking his head reluctantly, Hunter caved. "Fine. You and Sabine will disable the tractor beam. Controls will be in the engine room on the lowest deck."
Tech confirmed with a distant nod.
"But be careful."
Ezra gave Hunter a short, two-fingered salute. "Will do." Then, the two turned and reentered to the lift, the doors sliding shut behind them. Force he hoped they'd be okay. He had taken something of a liking to the two of them. Maybe it was because they so reminded him of Omega in her younger years.
Maybe it was also because he understood the care Kanan felt for them.
Trying his best to dismiss his anxiety, Hunter turned back to Tech, whose attention was focused solely on sifting through the detainment logs trying to locate Omega's cell. "Anything yet?"
"Not yet, although I am close."
Then Hunter heard it. The pounding of boots on the corridor to their left, the right of the lift they had entered from.
"Well hurry up," Hunter said, anxiety creeping into his voice as he continued to listen carefully to the approaching footfalls. He paced to the other side of the room, taking position next to Crosshair behind the console. "We've got company."
Hardly a minute had passed when the door opened to release a hail of blasterfire. Adrenaline flooded Hunter's veins as he saw Tech standing completely exposed to the bolts, and he quickly began to lay down cover-fire along with Crosshair. He was so focused on the stormtroopers attacking from their left that he didn't notice the second wave of stormtroopers coming in on their right until they were practically knocking on the door.
"On your right, Tech!" Hunter bellowed only a split-second before the other door slid open. A laser collided with the control panel, shattering Tech's concentration and forcing him to duck down behind the side of the console across from them. Beside Hunter, Crosshair retreated under a fresh hail of blasterfire, teeth bared in a furious snarl.
"We're pinned!"
"Tech!" Hunter barked over the din, "Did you get Omega's location yet?"
"I just need one more moment!" He called back, eyes glued to the datapad now lying abandoned on the console.
To his right, Crosshair's shoulder brushed up against his. For a moment, their gazes locked, before Crosshair said, "I call left."
"And I'll take right," Hunter replied, then dashed under the lasers to the other side. Seamlessly, he and Crosshair sprang into action and began returning fire, allowing Tech to rush for his datapad, plugged into the console. But with every stormtrooper that fell under their sights, it seemed two more replaced them. They were being overrun.
Narrowly dodging a blasterbolt aimed for his head, Hunter stood up to get off several clear shots. "Tech!"
"I am finished!" Tech blurted, ripped his datapad from its port, snatched up the last remaining blaster, and dropped down next to Hunter, already firing. "Omega is being kept in cell 14B."
But before Hunter could respond, a massive tremor shook the deck underneath him. The lights flickered, and alarms began to sound. For a mere fraction of a second, the blasterfire ceased. It was enough of an opening for them.
"GO!" Hunter bellowed, he and Tech simultaneously vaulting over the console and diving into the fray. Caught off guard, the stormtroopers fell into disarray. Hunter ducked out of the way of a blast, and it struck the stormtrooper behind him. With a feral war cry, Hunter charged forward, slamming into the trooper's stomach. Another fired blindly in Hunter's direction, hitting the Stormtrooper instead.
A final, brave – or maybe just extremely stupid – stormtrooper rammed the butt of his blaster into Hunter's head, and Hunter stumbled backwards, vision spinning. In the moment it took him to reorient himself and raise his blaster again, he realized with panic that he was staring up the barrel of the stormtrooper's blaster.
Then, a precise bolt collided with the trooper's helmet, and the blaster dropped with its owner. Hunter peered over his shoulder in time to see Crosshair send him a loose salute.
With a grunt, Hunter dragged himself to his feet. The room was a sparking mess, and his senses were assaulted by the distinctive smell of electrical fires and smoke, but it was clear all the same. Alarms continued to blare as Hunter peered around the room in confusion. Why had the stormtroopers stopped their assault? They had just been about to overwhelm them.
Then, a voice announced over the intercom,
"All personnel to the escape pods! Repeat, evacuate to the escape pods."
"Fierfek," Crosshair muttered. "They're abandoning ship!"
That must have meant that Sabine and Ezra had disabled the tractor beams.
"Ezra, Sabine," Hunter said into his comms, "do you copy?"
After a moment of static in which Hunter felt his heart pick up speed, the comms crackled to life.
"Yeah, we copy," Ezra replied, and Hunter felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
"Good job, you two. Not get to the escape pods. Hera will—"
"What? No!" Sabine protested before he could finish. "We're coming to help you get Omega."
Shoving down a groan of frustration, Hunter shook his head. "Absolutely not. The ship's about to go down, and I won't have you two going down with us."
"We're coming to help." Ezra insisted.
Yep. Exactly like Omega.
Another shudder ran through the deck, and Hunter made a decision. They were wasting time arguing like this, while Omega was still trapped in her cell. If he couldn't stop the kids from coming back, then he could at least make sure they had enough time to evacuate afterwards.
"Fine. But if I Hera comes to give us an evac, and we're still not done, you go. Is that understood?" Hunter asked, donning his strictest sergeant voice for the job.
"Yes, sir," the two voices chorused over the comms.
Satisfied with their answers, Hunter turned to Tech. It was time to get their own kid back.
"Lead the way."
A/N: Woohoo, another chapter I thought would be shorter! Still, I don't think it messes with the number of chapters I'm estimating. The next chapter is already a long way to being completed, so buckle up! It's going to be one heck of a finish.