Chapter Text
Imperial troopers circled the Havoc Maurader . It was only a few moments ago that they had first landed on this planet for a small routine supply run. Hunter had gone with Tech and Omega to the market, Tech going ahead of them to look for ship parts while they got the rest of the supplies.
Crosshair was there, and Hunter ran.
He didn’t stop until he was in the Maurader’s cockpit, carrying Omega and comming to Tech along the way. Echo was already prepping the ship to go by the time they got there.
“We need to go, now!”
Hunter wished they could, but not yet.
“Tech isn’t back yet.”
Echo whipped around in the chair. He looked around as if just now realizing Tech’s absence.
“Well, where is he?”
Hunter couldn’t answer that. He didn’t know where Tech had gone, just that he had his shopping list. He would’ve gone looking for him if Hunter had seen Crosshair first and not the other way around. As soon as he caught eye contact with the sniper, Crosshair chased. Hunter had no other choice but to grab Omega and run.
Hunter grabbed his comlink. “Tech! Where are you?”
No answer.
“Tech, report.”
Nothing.
“Tech?”
“Something’s wrong,” Wrecker cut in. He hovered behind Omega at the door. “Tech always answers.”
“We need to go back!” Omega shook Hunter’s arm. “What if he needs help?”
The sergeant examined the outside area through the ship’s viewport. Troopers were coming in from all angles he could see. If they don’t go now, they’ll be captured.
“Tech…” Hunter tried one more time. “Tech?”
“Tech isn’t here.”
Wrecker and Omega’s gasps masked his own. The comlink shook in his grip at the voice of the wrong brother.
“Where is he?” Hunter demanded, intimidating, but all he felt was fear.
“You’re surrounded, Hunter.”
“What did you do with him?”
Tech wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be, not Tech. Crosshair wouldn’t.
Would he?
“He’s alive.”
Hunter let out a quiet, shallow breath, not wanting the others to hear- especially Crosshair.
“If you hurt him-”
“Your move, Hunter, or are you going to leave Tech with me?”
The ship beeped, but it’s background noise to Hunter. Echo pressed a few buttons to stop it.
“Scanners are picking up several ships headed our way.”
The warning was clear. If they don’t leave now, they won’t leave at all. Not of their own free will at least. They can’t fight their way back to Tech, at least not now. Crosshair made sure of that.
He turned to Echo, signaling him to go. With a nod the reg turned, but he hesitated at the sight of the empty pilot’s seat. Hunter watched the hard scowl form on Echo’s face before he sat down.
He flinched at Omega’s cry and the way he gripped his arm, begging them not to leave.
“We can’t just leave him!” Tears threatened to pour down her face. “Wrecker!? Echo!?”
None of them could meet her eye until Hunter finally knelt in front of her as the ship began to lift. He rested his hand on her small shoulder.
“We are going to get Tech back, Omega, but we can’t do that if we stay here. We’re no good to Tech if we get captured too.”
The look in her eyes told him she didn’t believe him.
“We’re going to find him,” he told her. “I promise.”
Tech didn’t need to compare any data to his current situation to know that he wasn’t going to get out of this. Still, it didn’t keep him from running. He turned into a dark alley, jumping behind a dumpster that reeked of the foulest smell. He could hear the footsteps of his pursuers fade away from his hiding place.
Tech relaxed against the dumpster, preparing to run again when a streak of burning red flies by merely an inch from his face. He flinched away and ran in the opposite direction of the bolt’s trajectory. He deeply regretted leaving his helmet in the Maurader with his blasters. Of course, the only day Tech chose to take them apart for cleaning would be the day he was being chased with no backup.
How inconvenient.
There was a small vibroblade strapped to his boot. It will have to suffice. He gets hold of the blade and turns a sharp corner. A blaster aimed at his chest held by a trooper standing merely three feet away. Tech halted and took a step back.
“Drop your weapon.”
The command wasn’t a suggestion, but Tech took it as one. He did not want to go with the Empire today.
“I think not.”
He flung the knife at the trooper. His aim was nothing like Crosshair’s and Hunter was far more superior with this type of weaponry, but Tech hit his mark. The vibroblade embedded itself into the trooper’s shoulder, right between the two armor pieces. The imperial stumbled back but it didn’t stop them from pulling the trigger.
The bolt grazed his arm. The proximity made it almost impossible for him to move fast enough to dodge it. A burning sensation flared through his arm, causing a sharp hiss to escape him. Tech ignored the pain as his opponent yanked the vibroblade out of his shoulder and swiped it at him.
He backed out of the blade’s reach, catching the trooper’s hand when he struck again only for him to punch Tech in the abdomen. He felt the breath leave him, but he recovered quickly. Tech twisted the trooper’s captured wrists until the knife fell from his hand. He caught it as it fell, moving to strike at the trooper when a wave of pain washed over his entire being.
He was paralyzed.
Tech watched helplessly as the vibroblade fell from his hand. There was just enough time to conclude that he’d been stunned before collapsing to the ground as darkness filled his vision.