Shadows and Shades (#4 Post-Order 66 Series)

Shadows and Shades - Part 16

A/N: HEADING INTO THE HOME STRETCH NOW, FOLKS! Heads up for mention of abortion, pregnancy, and Chuckles being real tired of everyone's shit.

Iden breathed in the night air sharply, the coolness of it biting her lungs and setting her nerve endings alight as she took in her surroundings. Alarms were beginning to blare around them as Senna and Chuckles led them outside with Nisa covering their rear.

Inhale. Exhale. Be alert.

Crosshair's breathing was labored next to her, his teeth clenched against the pain from the wound in his shoulder, but even with his injury, his eyes hardly left her. She couldn't decide if she found it endearing or annoying and wasn't currently graced with the time to figure it out, so she nudged him in his uninjured shoulder. His hand slid to the small of her back protectively, and she leaned into his touch.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm not the one that's been shot."

"Iden."

"I'm fine. If you're going to fret over me for the next few months, I'm going to hide out on some remote moon until the baby is born. Now, focus up or else I'll be giving birth in an Imperial prison," she muttered under her breath.

"The hell you are."

"Oi! Less chatter, more running," Chuckles snapped from up front.

"You know, you're not as jovial as your name would imply," Iden jabbed dryly. Chuck just glanced back at her, but she assumed he was absolutely scowling at her beneath his bucket.

They quickly crossed the rear yard of the facility, reaching the outer fence just as they heard shouting near the backdoor of the building. Senna pushed Iden and Nisa behind a stack of crates before striding to the gate to work on the control panel. Chuckles and Crosshair flanked the stack of crates, their eyes scanning the area for the first signs of movement. Iden tried to reach for the Firepuncher that was dangling from Senna's back as she passed, but Crosshair shoved her back down. She glared at him.

"You. Are. Pregnant," he gritted out quietly.

"Yes, not useless," she snarled. "You seemed perfectly satisfied to let me fire a blaster before you knew."

"That was different."

"Wait, you're WHAT?" Chuckles exclaimed.

Iden huffed, catching Senna's eye and raising an eyebrow. The Jedi shrugged, and Iden bit the inside of her cheek to avoid making a remark that would reveal what Senna was. Of course she sensed it. She glanced over at her sister, who hadn't appeared to note the exchange.

Suddenly, a shout rang out in the dark. "YOU THERE! STOP!"

Crosshair pushed Iden lower behind the crates next to Nisa as the troopers approached. He ducked into the shadow, and she watched as he drew the pistol Senna had given him from where he'd tucked it into his belt, taking aim at the approaching troopers. Chuckles shoved him back against the crate, stepping around him and walking towards the squad.

"We're securing this gate. What seems to be the problem?" Chuckles asked.

"We were ordered to secure the gate."

"That can't be correct. We were directed here by Commander Vena herself," Chuck replied evenly.

Nisa swore silently under her breath and Iden clapped a hand to her forehead.

There was a pause. "Did you just say Commander Vena?" the trooper asked.

Chuckles didn't immediately reply, clearly fumbling. Nisa swore again, gripping her sidearm and standing, swinging her blaster around to face the troopers. "It's Commodore, you idiot." She fired off three quick rounds, striking the first two and downing them. Crosshair aimed and peppered a few more with Chuckles finishing off the last few.