A Weequay rushed at Tech, and he ducked, pulling Quinlan to one side so that Wrecker could take out their adversary.
"More coming," the Jedi said shortly. "Dverik?"
"He isn't dead," Tech replied.
Four new enemies rushed down the stairway into the hall. Tech took down one, then let Wrecker handle the rest while he glanced back at his squad mates.
Crosshair was running towards him, but he kept pausing every couple of steps to stun or disable another enemy. The sergeant hadn't exactly made what one could call headway, either – he stopped to fight at close quarters instead of just shooting the enemy.
Quinlan staggered, and Tech steadied him and shouted, "We have to get to the shaft!"
"On our way!" Hunter replied. Spin kicking a Trandoshan, he ducked the return blow and added, "Anyone know where our weapons are?"
Tech pushed the Jedi up against the wall for support and checked the schematics on his datapad. "They are most likely in the room where you originally found Dverik. Ahead and to the right, just before the stairs."
Crosshair drew and tossed his pistol in one smooth motion. Hunter snatched it from the air and discharged two stun rounds into the Trandoshan, who dropped like a stone.
"I'll get 'em, Hunter!" Wrecker yelled. "You guys get up there!"
More men entered the room at a dead run, and Tech increased his pace. They'd made it only a few steps when Quinlan started coughing in short, pained gasps. After a moment's thought, Tech holstered his pistol, pulled Quinlan's left arm across his shoulders, and slowed down to accommodate him. Rather inconvenient for both of them, but they managed.
Naturally, the instant Tech put his gun away, a Trandoshan charged at him. Then Crosshair sprinted into view, dropped to his knees, and skidded in a sharp turn, shooting down the Trandoshan and a human before reaching up to catch his pistol as Hunter threw it back.
Tech rolled his eyes and walked faster. His squad mates really did seem to have a particular love for needlessly flinging weapons about the battle field. Hunter could just as easily have moved aside so that Crosshair could stun their enemies, but no. The two of them had a remarkable tendency to be unnecessarily elaborate about close-range fighting.
The Jedi coughed again.
"Not much farther," Tech assured him.
"Joy . . . agh, Tech –" Quinlan slowed again, and Tech waited for him to catch his breath before moving forward.
Based on Quinlan's behavior, Tech thought it reasonable to assume that he had sustained a significantly painful, if not serious, injury to his ribs. He hoped they were not actually broken – it was dangerous to move strenuously with broken ribs. The sharp ends could pierce a vein or the heart, collapse a lung, severely damage the liver, spleen, or kidneys . . . Hm. That is not ideal.
Tech cast a concerned glance at Quinlan, who was clutching at his left side, just below his chest. At least that meant the lowest ribs weren't seriously injured – they were the hardest to break, and also the most dangerous.
He paused to check his memory for any helpful tips. "Do not twist to either side," he said. "It will aggravate your condition."
"Yeah – got that –"
"Oh." As they reached the shaft, Tech ushered Quinlan inside. "Will you be able to climb up the cable?"
"Uh – sure, yeah . . ."
Tech highly doubted the veracity of that statement, so he leaned out into the hallway and shouted, "Will one of you stop fooling around and get over here!"
Hunter joined him, leaving the remaining two enemies to Crosshair. "What is it?"
"He is not doing well." Tech gestured from Quinlan to the cable.
The sergeant cast a quick glance behind him as Wrecker entered the hallway. "Yeah, I think that last hit broke some ribs. What are our options?"
"Wrecker can carry him, or we can take the stairs," said Tech.
"Or I can climb," the Jedi said. His face was suddenly back to normal, and he straightened far more easily than he should have been able to. "I'm good, thanks."
Before either could protest, he grabbed the cable and hoisted himself up. He was already two meters from the ground when the faint light from the opening high above them was suddenly cut off, and Quinlan froze. "Guys – guys, out of the shaft. Move!"
Hunter yanked Tech out with him, and the Jedi dove after them just as something clanked off the walls of the shaft and bounced to the floor.
Wrecker grabbed the piece he'd cut out earlier and slammed it back up in front of the opening. A jet of heat and light blasted out around the edges, and the metal buckled.
Not seeming to notice Quinlan's surprised look, Wrecker tossed the bent metal aside and dusted his gloves off. "Looks like they're watching the shaft. That's not gonna work."
"We're taking the stairs," decided Hunter. "Come on!"
They raced up to the third level. Tech stayed close to Quinlan, just in case, but the Jedi seemed to have utterly recovered from what should have been a debilitating injury.
It had been a debilitating injury. It was extremely unlikely that it had been suddenly healed. Tech had read about Force-healing, and it seemed to take a good deal of concentration, and a lot of time. Still pondering this, Tech lifted both pistols and shot out a small turret gun before it could activate.
"Hunter!" called Quinlan. "The opening –"
"Already on it," replied Hunter.
Two guards sprang out at him from pillars on either side of the hall. Hunter twisted, skidded between them, and grabbed the human across the neck, jabbing one knee into his side before flinging him against the Weequay.
Crosshair stunned them both. Wrecker tossed Hunter his knife and pistol, then handed the other two vibroblades to Quinlan.
"Thanks," said the Jedi, slipping them back into their sheaths. "Tech – enemies?"
Tech had initiated a scan the instant they stopped running. "Eight near the stairs leading to the second level. Three beneath us. None on the first or second."
Hunter broke into a run, Wrecker close behind.
"That doesn't make sense," Crosshair told Tech. "There should be more opposition than this."
Tech cast him a quick look as they ran after Hunter, the Jedi between them. "Yes, and I expect we'll run into it before we can escape."
A sudden racket broke out ahead of them, and Tech slowed, perfectly willing to let Hunter and Wrecker take down the remaining enemies while he checked on his other contingencies.
Quinlan knew his two companions were talking, but he'd pretty much stopped paying attention to their words – it was taking nearly all his focus to channel the Force through himself, numbing the flames in his side and chest to a level that would allow him to keep moving and breathing.
He hoped Tech and Crosshair had some sort of backup plan, because running around Dverik's stronghold, hoping no one would catch them, was just – a bad idea.
As they ran, the commandos exchanged quick comments and ideas, but Quinlan didn't catch any of it. They had this part of the mission handled, but the next . . . He sank deeper into the Force, focused on the thin flickers of red in his mind that showed those who were actively threats –
Oh.
He had to make a conscious effort to speak. "New group coming. Loading dock."
"Aw, great!" grumbled Wrecker.
They all came to an abrupt stop, and Quinlan looked around, slowly coming out of his daze. They were on the second level, directly beneath the hole he and Hunter had cut into the upper floor.
The sergeant jumped and caught the edge, then swung up to the next level, drawing his knife as he landed. Twisting to look at them, he said, "Clear for now. Let's move!"
He leaned down to pull Tech up after him, and the other two followed on their own.
Quinlan crouched and leaped, landing unsteadily on the edge of the hole, but Tech caught his elbow and pushed him forward. "We are nearly there," the commando said, hurrying forward through the severely damaged hallway.
An angry shout from directly beneath them caught Quinlan's attention. "Oh, good," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Because I think that was Dverik I just heard."
"I stunned him four times," Crosshair said disbelievingly.
Tech ducked beneath a trailing wire. "He is a Devaronian. They are naturally resistant to fire and even lasers. I hardly think –"
"There they are!" yelled Dverik from behind them.
All five of them broke into a run.
"– that four stun shots were sufficient," finished Tech.
"Tech!" Hunter gave a disbelieving huff. "Less talking, more running!"
They sprinted through the cantina and into the loading dock, and Crosshair locked the door from inside before shooting out the control panel.
The external doors were wide open, though, and a speedertruck full of enemies was slowly approaching.
"Incoming!" warned Hunter unnecessarily.
Crosshair, already halfway to the wide doors, skidded to a halt. "New plan?"
"No!" called Tech. He ripped the cable attachment from his belt and threw it to the sniper. "We will cover you!"
Wrecker also tossed his cable to Crosshair, then dropped to one knee, firing a continuous spray of lasers at the heavily armored speedertruck.
Without a ranged weapon, Quinlan was useless for the moment, so he made his way across the dock to Crosshair, keeping behind the crates for cover. "What's the plan?"
Instead of answering, Crosshair brought his rifle to his shoulder and fired. A cable streaked across the airway, ten meters above the rushing traffic, and embedded itself into the roof of the Havoc Marauder, which stood directly in the center of the roof of a dark building opposite to him.
" . . . Good plan," said Quinlan. "I approve."
"Good, I was worried," lied the sniper. Turning, Crosshair ejected the opposite end of the cable into the dock ceiling, then promptly attached the second cable to his rifle. He stepped to the side and was just repeating the process when a hiss of overheated metal sounded from behind them.
"Dverik's cutting through!" yelled Hunter.
"We cannot take down the truck!" shouted Tech. "It is going to land!"
The speedertruck's engines flared with sudden power, and the vehicle lurched forward, aimed directly for the center of the room where Wrecker and Tech were standing.
Hunter shouted a warning – they were already running for cover, but wouldn't make it in time –
Quinlan ran towards the commandos as Crosshair fired. Crosshair's shot hit the speedertruck's starboard engine, which burst into flame. Lurching sideways, the vehicle dropped the meter to the floor, leaving a wide path of damage in its wake as it continued to swerve. At the same instant, Quinlan summoned the Force in a powerful blow that sent Wrecker and Tech sprawling just before the speeder would have hit them.
The top of the speeder retracted, and a dozen heavily armed men jumped out. From the other side of the room, a loud, metallic crash sounded, and Dverik entered the loading dock.
Everyone stopped moving for an endless instant. Crosshair and Quinlan stood side by side near the edge of the loading dock; Dverik and his two guards stared at the wreckage before them while Hunter hesitated several meters away, knife in one hand; across the room, and separated from the others by the speeder, Tech and Wrecker aimed at the new reinforcements.
Dverik glanced at each of the teammates, then laughed.
Calling on the Force for strength, Quinlan silently drew his knives and cast a look at Crosshair, tilting his head toward the reinforcements. The sniper's sharp eyes glinted, and he whipped his rifle up, firing rapidly.
As the first mercenary fell, Hunter leaped into the air, aiming a sideways kick at Dverik's chest. Dverik lurched back. Hunter landed in a crouch and lashed out with his blade as Crosshair sprinted the length of the dock, drawing the mercenaries' fire. Wrecker charged into them, catching them completely off-guard. Tech added his own shots to the battle as Quinlan grabbed one of Dverik's guards from behind and slammed his head into the wall.
The other guard was already down. Dverik glanced between his two opponents and struck at Quinlan, who jumped away, stumbling as he landed.
When Wrecker flung the last two mercenaries across the room, the firefight came to an abrupt halt. Dverik backed away from Hunter, gnashing his teeth in anger as Wrecker and Crosshair moved toward the cables.
Hunter and Quinlan attacked just as Dverik activated his shield again. Quinlan reacted in time, but Hunter was jolted back against the wall, and Crosshair's laser bounced off the ray shield, missing the Jedi by centimeters.
Dverik advanced, and Quinlan backed steadily towards Wrecker, focusing the Force on the Devaronian's shield controls in an attempt to deactivate them. No luck. Dverik probably had them keyed for fingerprint-recognition only. Oh well, too bad for the Devaronian that the Force could be used in other ways. Once again, the Jedi dragged Dverik's attention to himself and kept it there.
Behind Dverik, Hunter got up. Quinlan met his eyes, then glanced briefly toward the cables. To his surprise – and relief – the sergeant obeyed, slipping across the room to join his squad.
"Okay." Quinlan grinned mirthlessly up at Dverik. "I think we're headed out. Thanks for your hospitality."
Dverik cracked his knuckles in a disturbingly Wrecker-like manner, and Quinlan rotated his right-hand knife to a reverse-grip, willing Dverik to stay focused on him. Guys, get out of here already!
"Tech, come on!" shouted Hunter. "What are you doing?"
Belatedly, the Jedi realized that Tech was still across from the others, setting something against the base of a crate.
"Come on, let's go!" yelled Wrecker.
"I'm coming!" Tech called. He ran towards the others. "Wrecker, I linked the final charge to your –"
A shot rang out, and Tech spun completely around and dropped on his stomach, one pistol flying from his hand. It skittered along the duracrete, loud in the sudden stillness, as the mercenary who had fired got to his feet, still aiming at the fallen commando.
Crosshair shot him twice as Hunter raced towards Tech.
Quinlan's distraction cost him. Before he'd quite realized that Dverik had shut off the shield, the Devaronian was lifting him by the throat. The Jedi stabbed his forearm, and Dverik dropped him. As he landed, Quinlan struck out with both knives, one up towards Dverik's heart and the other over-hand, aimed for his throat.
Dverik dodged the first knife and caught the second, allowing the blade to sink straight through his palm. Before Quinlan could release the hilt, the Devaronian's huge fingers closed over his hand, crushing it as he forced him to his knees. Dverik's other fist crashed into the side of his face, twisting him around. His vision flashed.
"DVERIK!" yelled Wrecker, barely audible through the pulsing roar in Quinlan's ears.
Dverik released him and stepped back, activating his shield again. Quinlan reeled, grabbing at the wall as he thought, I really need to get up. Now. Then Wrecker lunged past him and launched a heavy kick directly into the shield protecting Dverik – then another, then another, forcing him repeatedly back against the wall. The shield hit the wall and rebounded, throwing Dverik forward into Wrecker's next blow. The towering commando barely seemed to notice the flickers of red lightning that struck him.
Quinlan stumbled to his feet and backed away, sheathing his remaining knife. As soon as he could draw a breath, he shouted, "Wrecker – you're gonna kill yourself!"
To his utter disbelief, the shield sputtered and died. Wrecker slammed a final kick into Dverik's stomach, and there was a crunch as the shield emitter broke. Even when the Devaronian reeled back, Quinlan's knife still through his hand, Wrecker didn't stop. He picked up Dverik by the front of his jacket and punched him repeatedly in the face before hurling the unconscious Devaronian to the ground.
"Wrecker!" shouted Hunter.
The big clone ignored him, stepping purposefully towards Dverik, and Quinlan grabbed Wrecker's wrist with his good hand. "Stop! We've got to leave! Wrecker!"
Wrecker stared down at him, then shook his head slightly. Breaking free of Quinlan's grip, he stalked back to the dock's edge, leaving Quinlan to follow. The desperate fight had felt lengthy, but it couldn't have taken more than twenty seconds – Crosshair and Hunter had just reached the cables again, supporting Tech between them.
"He okay?" demanded Wrecker.
Hunter's face was expressionless. "I don't know yet. Cross, get us to the ship."
Crosshair whipped a length of cable off his belt and slung it over the two leading to the shuttle. He kept hold of one end, twining it around his hand. "We'll have to carry him."
Hunter nodded and took the opposite side of the cable in his left hand while Quinlan watched uncertainly. Surely they weren't intending to slide down the cable to the ship while carrying Tech . . .
When Wrecker held Tech between the two of them, the shorter clone slumped bonelessly against Hunter. He'd never be able to hold his own weight – he wasn't even conscious.
"Hunter?" Quinlan asked, wondering if he should try to Force-jump over the airway instead.
The sergeant ignored him. Crosshair slipped his free arm beneath Tech's knees and got a tight grip on Hunter's gun belt. Hunter put his free arm across Tech's chest, winding his fingers through the sniper's bandolier, and Wrecker positioned Tech's arms over Hunter's.
Quinlan stepped back, watching in silent surprise. He would never dare to even attempt what they were doing, but they seemed confident – as though they'd practiced dozens of times before.
A flash of red filled his mind, and he jolted. "More guards. They're approaching fast."
"Cover us," Hunter ordered. He and Crosshair kicked off the loading dock together and slid down the cable, across the twenty-meter gap towards the Marauder. As they neared the ship, they leaned back, bracing themselves against the shuttle's roof for a moment before simultaneously releasing the cable. Still carrying Tech, they landed on the boarding ramp and disappeared into the ship.
Quinlan let out a quick sigh of relief. "Okay. Got another cable, Wrecker?"
"Yeah . . ." said Wrecker uncertainly. "But – uh, Quinlan, I think –"
Oh, no.
Wrecker collapsed, and all Quinlan could do was jump out of the way to avoid being crushed. He dropped to his knees and leaned forward, chest searing as he fumbled for the commlink on Wrecker's wrist and switched it to speaker output. "Hunter –" No, Hunter didn't have a commlink. "Crosshair! Crosshair, you'd better be receiving."
"What happened?" the sniper demanded.
"Wrecker passed out." On the other side of the room, someone stirred, and Quinlan jerked around. "And – kriff, Dverik's waking up."
"Hold position," Hunter cut in. "We're coming to you."
Almost holding his breath, Quinlan watched as the Havoc Marauder's engines roared to life. Hunter appeared on the ramp, slashing through the cables sunk into its roof, and the ship lifted off just as voices drew closer in the hall outside. Remembering that he and Wrecker were completely exposed, Quinlan reached for Wrecker's blaster.
The ammo clip was empty. Of course it was. Quinlan dropped the gun and started searching Wrecker's jacket pockets, muttering to himself. "This is the last time I leave my lightsaber behind, I swear . . ."
Four men entered the room and stopped short. Quinlan chanced a quick look over and saw that Dverik was on his knees, breaths coming in audible rasps.
Lifting his head slowly, the Devaronian met Quinlan's gaze. His orange eyes sharpened to a glower and he snarled, black blood dripping between his teeth. "I'll kill you," he growled.
"You'll try," muttered Quinlan. His fingers closed around a small object in Wrecker's jacket pocket just as the lights of the Marauder drew close, casting long shadows across the room. The boarding ramp extended to hover just over the edge of the loading dock, and Hunter jumped down, firing a spray of lasers that sent the new guards diving for cover.
With a roar, Dverik wrenched the blade out of his own hand. "Kill – them! I want their heads!"
The guards started forward, but ducked back to cover when a blast from the Marauder's small turret blew up a couple of crates. Snatching Wrecker's gun, Hunter clipped it and his own weapon to his belt, then grabbed Wrecker under the arms. Somehow, he managed to drag him towards the ramp, but there was no way he'd be fast enough . . .
Quinlan stood up, prayed to the Force that he'd understood Tech's last sentence correctly, and pressed the detonator.
The opposite end of the loading dock exploded in a blaze of fire and heat that sent Quinlan staggering backwards. He caught his balance a meter from the edge of the dock and turned to help Hunter.
Between them, they dragged Wrecker up the boarding ramp and inside. The instant they cleared the doorway, Hunter slapped the control panel to seal it and dashed for the cockpit. "Cross, get us out of here!"
The ship tilted sharply, and Quinlan dropped to his hands and knees. The vibrations in the floor increased as more power was added to the engines.
Tech, who lay on the floor a few paces away, shifted as the ship made another sharp turn. Quinlan crawled forward and grabbed one of his arms in an attempt to secure him. The ship swung again. Wincing at the grinding feeling in his chest, the Jedi drew on the Force again and ignored the mild buzzing of warning that he was nearing his limit. He had to remain ready, able to act on a moment's notice –
"They've broken off," Hunter's voice said suddenly. "They're leaving."
"They have?" Quinlan shoved himself against the wall and let himself slide down to a seated position. "Oh. . . Good."
Their pursuers left as Crosshair approached the Prince's hideout, and Hunter moved swiftly back into the cargo hold. After positioning the Marauder above the platform, Crosshair initiated the landing sequence. He cut the engines almost before they'd touched the platform, then hurried after Hunter.
Wrecker lay just inside the doorway, and the Jedi was slumped against the wall near Tech, face pale beneath the paint he'd used to disguise his tattoos.
The sergeant had already opened the medkit and was scanning Tech. Crosshair glanced at Wrecker, then at Vos. "What happened?"
"What?" The Jedi's gaze flickered up to meet his, and Crosshair jerked his chin at Wrecker.
"Oh," said Quinlan. "Think it was a delayed reaction from overloading Dverik's shield."
The effects would be the similar to those from a stun baton, then – though probably a lot stronger. Crosshair checked Wrecker's pulse, then wrangled him out of his jacket and looked over at Hunter, who still hadn't commented on Tech's condition.
Tossing the jacket aside, Crosshair joined him. "Why isn't he awake?"
"He hit his head when he went down." Hunter reached for the burned fabric along Tech's right side, then hesitated. "That shot cauterized the blacks to his skin. I'll have to cut around it."
Sitting cross-legged, Crosshair hoisted Tech's shoulders into his lap so Hunter could work more easily. "Think we can treat this ourselves?"
"I'd rather not. . ." Hunter reached for the medical shears and set to work snipping carefully around the injury. "Hey, Quinlan, you know of any other options around here?"
The Jedi rubbed one sleeve over his eyes, removing most of the face paint in the process. "I wouldn't trust the so-called doctors, if that's what you're asking. What's the holdup?"
Hunter pushed the cut edges back from around the burn and grimaced faintly. "I know something about field care, but not much. Aren't there any medical droids around?"
"If they are, they'll be worth their weight in credits." The Jedi pushed himself to his knees with a grunt of pain and glanced at the injury. "Oh. It's not too serious – I can treat it."
The sergeant studied him for a moment. "You done this before?"
"Not on someone else." The Jedi limped over to Hunter's side, dropped unsteadily to his knees, and reached for the disinfectant.
Crosshair frowned. He couldn't tell whether Vos was serious or joking. Shifting Tech back to the ground, Crosshair went to check the scanners. There were no nearby lifeforms or vehicles. He set the proximity alert to notify them if anyone came within a hundred meters.
When he returned to the cargo hold, Wrecker was still out like a light. Then again, it had only been a few minutes. Crosshair pulled him onto his side, situated him in a recovery position, and injected him with a relaxant.
"I can't debride this without water," the Jedi said.
Hunter hurried into the galley and returned moments later with a couple of sealed drink pouches. "Will this work? It's purified."
"Yeah." After turning Tech onto his uninjured side, Quinlan poured water over the burn and said, "Give me the forceps."
Hunter handed him the small tool, but it took a couple of tries before Quinlan's shaking fingers could actually grasp it.
Narrowing his eyes, Crosshair took a step closer, ready to demand that Vos wait until he was steadier – but then the Jedi closed his eyes and drew a slow breath, and the tremors stopped immediately.
"Okay," Quinlan said, voice back to its normal volume and strength. "Is he still out cold?"
"Yeah," said Hunter.
"Good." Without further ado, the Jedi set to work. He moved deftly, removing bits of charred material from the burn with one hand and blotting away the resulting trickles of blood with the other. "Keep an eye on him – tell me if he starts to wake up."
Crosshair hesitated, then went to the bunkroom to get a couple of blankets. He wasn't too familiar with anything beyond basic field care, but keeping the injured person warm was always near the top of the list.
When he returned, Tech was lying on his back and muttering incoherently, arms crossed over his chest as Hunter held his wrists.
"Almost done," the Jedi said.
Without warning, Tech opened his eyes and looked right at Quinlan. "The final charge is linked to Wrecker's detonator!"
Vos snorted, still focused on his work. "Don't worry, I set it off."
". . . Oh." Tech tilted his head back to look up at Hunter. "Hunter, what are you doing?"
"Holding you still."
"Why?"
"You were shot. Quinlan's trying to get the material out of the injury."
"It is called debridement," Tech said absently. "Where are Wrecker and Crosshair?"
"I'm here," said Crosshair. "Wrecker's near the door."
"Oh." Tech stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Where are we?"
Crosshair raised an eyebrow, and Hunter gave Tech a concerned look. "We're in the Marauder."
"Of course we are." Tech actually rolled his eyes. "But where is the Marauder?"
"Back at the landing pad."
"Oh." Tech pulled against Hunter's grip, then huffed a little. "You can let me go now."
"No, he can't," interrupted Quinlan. "I don't want to be hit in the eye."
"Why would I hit –?" Tech paused mid-objection to cast him a suspicious glance, then twisted sharply towards him. "What are you –?"
"Hold still." Setting aside the forceps, Quinlan reached for the disinfectant. "I still have to clean this and put a bacta patch over it."
Crosshair was sure that Vos would offer Tech a painkiller, so he tossed the blankets next to Hunter and hurried behind him to Tech's other side.
Sure enough, the Jedi said, "You're probably gonna want a painkiller. Let me grab –"
"No!" Tech jerked up, nearly hitting a surprised Hunter in the nose with the back of his head.
Quinlan, who already had the hypo in one hand, sat back on his heels and stared quizzically at his suddenly active patient.
"Tech . . ." said Hunter.
"No." Tech jerked his arms free and tried to push himself into a sitting position. "I am fine, I do not need –"
"Quiet," Crosshair ordered sharply, catching Tech's arms. "Vos, put that away."
Quinlan blinked, gave his head a quick shake, and obeyed.
Tech stared through narrow eyes at Crosshair, who said, "We won't give you one, but don't say we didn't offer. Now hold still."
Hunter, who seemed perfectly fine with letting Crosshair deal with this next part, went to check on Wrecker, then vanished into the cockpit.
The sniper frowned after him. Hunter had always been a little squeamish when it came to medical treatments . . . especially when it came to medical treatments on people besides himself.
Crosshair had always thought it was better to just get it over with. Fortunately, it appeared that the Jedi felt the same. He cleaned the burn without hesitation, not pausing when Tech jerked away, reflexively digging his fingers into Crosshair's wrists. Crosshair flinched, but didn't say anything.
"Okay," said the Jedi, tossing aside the gauze. He applied a bacta patch to the burned area and considered his work. "You should be all set."
No sooner had he said that than Hunter promptly reappeared. Coward.
Crosshair rolled his eyes at him, and Hunter replied with an apologetic and slightly embarrassed shrug.
"Ah. Thank you," said Tech, starting to sit up.
Crosshair poked his uninjured side. "Stay down."
Tech flopped back with a put-upon sigh. "Crosshair . . ."
"Tech . . ." he mimicked.
"Cross . . ."
"Tech . . ."
"Crosshair!"
Hunter shut his eyes, then reopened them. "QUIET. Vos, what about you?"
"What about me?" The Jedi stood up, rubbing disinfectant over his hands. "Are we safe for now?"
"Yes," said Hunter.
Tech stopped trying to break free of Crosshair's hold and blinked up at the Jedi. "You were suffering from broken ribs," he said, almost accusingly.
Quinlan shrugged. "Yeah, I was."
"You couldn't possibly have healed that quickly."
"Nope." The Jedi smirked, Tech frowned, and Hunter looked like he wanted to smack both of them.
Before he could do more than fold his arms, though, Wrecker shifted. "Ow . . . Hey, uh . . . what – where's Tech?"
"On his way to the bunkroom," Hunter said firmly.
Tech looked mutinous, but didn't actually argue. Crosshair released him and got up, noticing that his own hands were shaking slightly. Probably from all the adrenaline of the past half-hour.
Wrecker got up slowly, wincing with every movement. Hunter tossed him a painkiller, which Wrecker jabbed it into his neck almost before he'd noticed what he was doing. "What happened?" he asked.
"You passed out," said Hunter shortly. "Because you decided to take out Dverik's shield with brute force."
"Oh, yeah." Wrecker glanced at Quinlan, who gave him a feeble grin. "Well – it worked, anyway, right?"
Hunter's eyes flickered with annoyance, and Crosshair could tell he wanted to shout at his older batchmate for being such an idiot. All he said, though, was, "Go get some rest, all of you. I'll stand guard for now."
Wrecker nodded, cracked a few joints, and said, "Want me to bring Tech?"
"Yes," said Hunter.
"No," said Tech.
Wrecker picked Tech up, and the shorter commando glowered, looking like he'd reached the limits of his patience. "You are all being incredibly annoying. I can walk!"
"Not right now, you can't!" Wrecker, as always, had recovered his usual obnoxiously cheerful attitude within half a minute of waking up.
Hunter set to work cleaning up the medical supplies. Quinlan, looking strangely pale all of a sudden, faltered his way to the nearest wall and leaned against it for support. "Well, that was fun . . . not," he said.
The sergeant's only reply was a huff.
After collecting the blankets he'd tossed on the floor, Crosshair wandered after the other two. Tech was still arguing with Wrecker, who'd put him in Hunter's bunk, and Wrecker was being entirely too cheerful in return.
He did this every time they had a narrow escape. Some people got quieter, and Wrecker got louder and . . . happier. It was annoying.
Crosshair unfolded a blanket and tossed it over Tech's head. "Shut up and go to sleep already. Wrecker, you too."
Wrecker grumbled, but obeyed. Tech gave Crosshair a defiant glare, once he finally managed to get the covers off of his head, but Crosshair ignored him and shut off the light.
He returned to the cargo hold with the half-formed intention of bullying the Jedi into sitting down, but his idea came too late. He'd just stepped into the room when Vos, his expression distantly surprised, clutched the opposite door frame, stumbled sideways, and dropped to the floor.