Jedi Fugitive (The Bad Batch)

33:

Astera:

The damage got worse the deeper we ran into the hallways, supports having collapsed completely into the corridors, large chunks of debris littering our paths. I could still hear explosions from outside, occasionally rocking the compound again. The lights had died long ago - flashlights now lit our way, beams bobbing up and down as we dodged yet another myriad of sparks thrown by broken wires.

A shot hit the building directly above us, the resulting explosion spitting fire next to us and shaking the hallways yet again. We were all rocked to the side, scrambling for balance before we were thrown to the floor completely. I caught myself on both hands as I fell forward, sending a lance of pain through my injured shoulder. The rush of adrenaline in the training room had worn off - I could now feel every stab of pain as acutely as if my shoulder had been dislocated for the first time.

"We need to find cover!" Hunter pushed himself back into a stumbling run, hauling up Tech and Echo beside him. I bit down hard to muffle my gasp as I forced myself back up again, desperately ignoring the agony of my shoulder as I dragged my feet after them. Escape first. Then I could deal with my shoulder.

The Force stirred to life in my gut, the bad feeling that had dictated so many decisions for me flaring intensely out of nowhere. Something was going to go wrong. My mouth opened, to call to them, tell them to stop...

The second explosion erupted in our faces.

The only thing I felt was the hard impact of my back against the cold hard ground, barely aware of the others on the floor beside me. My eyes were clouded with stars, ears ringing so loudly it blotted out the sounds of anything else. Blinking furiously to clear my vision, I registered Omega crawling onto her hands and knees next to me, coughing inaudibly, and Crosshair still unconscious behind her. Hunter and the rest of the Batch were already on their feet, staggering as they attempted to regain their balance.

I felt it when the lasers pierced the metal supports the city stood on, felt it in the way the building listed dangerously to the side, the screech of metal as it buckled under its own weight. The hallways blew up behind us for a third time and sent us all back down yet again, only this time the compound tilted at a horrifying angle, sliding us down the hallways with more debris raining down around us. It was going into the sea. And we were going down with it.

My bad shoulder crunched as my side slammed into something heavily, white hot agony bursting up the joint. This time I couldn't hold in the choked noise, not when Omega landed on top of me, my good arm automatically hooking around her before she could fall again. We were both tilting now - forcing me to grab onto the nearest hold I could with the other arm, injured muscles shrieking in protest. Stars exploded in my eyes again, but I desperately held on anyway, determined not to let her fall.

"Hunter!" She reached for him as he skidded past, fingers brushing his before he was carried too far, scrabbling for any hold on the smooth floors of the compound. Wires snapped and sparked dangerously on either side of us, cutting off his answering shout as a blast door closed between us. Sealing Omega and I in.

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"Omega! Omega!" The tinny shouts of a droid forced me awake, a hand going to my head as I sat up, groaning. I couldn't remember losing consciousness. Had something hit me when the blast doors had closed? Debris had still been raining down around us; it seemed likely something would have knocked me down. The sounds of explosions had gone abruptly silent - the cruisers had left. Leaving the sinking ruins of the city in its wake.

"Omega, wake up!" AZI shook Omega again, the younger girl moaning and beginning to rouse under his forceful administration.

"Hmm? AZI?" She mumbled, twisting to find me also shaking off unconsciousness beside her. "Ashe?"