Guarded (#2 Post-Order 66 Series)

Guarded - Part 6

Tech was up late once again, this time resting on the couch in the suite's sitting room, one arm propped behind his head as he held his datapad in the other hand, scanning the notes he and Echo had collected that afternoon as they'd debriefed the witnesses to the attempted assassination. The guards had managed to recover the body of the shooter. Crosshair had hit him square between the eyes. There had been no identifying information on his body, and no other indication of additional threats, but the incident had shaken everyone.

Wrecker had been upset, but after sitting and talking through it several times with Captain Typho and Hunter, it seemed they had gleaned all of the details they could from him. Tech and Echo had sat in on the debriefing, noting any details that Wrecker could remember from the moments just before and just after the attempted assassination. Tech could tell something was nagging at Wrecker. He assumed it was just the incident itself, but he wasn't entirely sure. Crosshair's absence made him believe that there had been another disagreement, but about what, he couldn't be certain. After finishing with Wrecker, they'd interrogated anyone that had been in the vicinity, trying to collect as many details as possible, which unfortunately, were few and far between. Hardly anyone had noted anything out of the ordinary before the blaster bolts had started flying, and even less after that. By the time they had finished with the interviews and returned to their suite, it was late and Wrecker and Crosshair were already presumably asleep. It didn't take long for Hunter and Echo to follow suit, but Tech's mind was once more working overtime, and he had opted to stay up and review their notes.

A soft rustling just outside the door caught Tech's attention, and he noted a shadow pass in front of the door and pause. He cautiously slid his blaster into its holster and slipped his boots back on before leaving his datapad on the table and creeping out into the hallway.

Kestia was waiting for him. He resisted the urge to step forward and wrap her in his arms when he saw how troubled her face was, but she managed a meager smile. The incident had shaken him as well, more than he'd care to admit, but seeing her here, in front of him now helped calm the twist he'd been feeling in his gut all day.

"Can't sleep," she said quietly.

"Understandable."

They stood awkwardly in silence for a few moments. "I'm glad you're safe," he said gently.

"Yeah. Me too," she joked dryly, but he didn't miss her shudder.

"Would you like to take a walk in the gardens to clear your mind?" he offered. He and Kestia had started to make a habit of meeting at night when they couldn't sleep, chatting as they walked through the greenery about whatever was on their minds. It had actually been very helpful in getting him to sleep, and he was hoping it could help again tonight, but she shook her head.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not be out in the open just yet. Still a little shaken from this afternoon and feeling a bit exposed. Besides, I have another place in mind that I think you'll also enjoy." A bit of the familiar gleam returned to her eyes, and he managed a small smile. Without warning, she slid her fingers into his and started leading him down the hall, missing the crimson that crept up his neck to his cheeks at her touch.

Kestia led Tech down all sorts of passages and corridors to the point where he wasn't even sure he could recreate their path if his life depended on it. Finally, she stopped in front of a massive carved door. She carefully pulled a key from her pocket, unlocking it. Tech noted it was one of the few non-powered doors they'd encountered in the palace, and he wondered what could possibly be held behind it to warrant such antiquated security. Kestia pressed her weight against the door, and it creaked open slightly. She reached back, taking his hand again and leading him into the room beyond the door.