Chapter Text
‘Sometimes, it’s good to be totally confused about the goings on around and ten not try to kill those closest to you.’
“We’re going down!”
A panicked voice informed over the comms.
The klaxons were blasting all over the ship, their warning lights flashing red.
“Engines are going critical.”
The same on duty officer counted.
“All personnel to the escape pods!”
The Venator-class cruiser had been shot down by enemy fire and it was descending fast.
Most of the escape pods having already been launched with just the few of the troopers remaining on board, having made sure the others managed to escape before taking off themselves.
Wolffe, Comet, Sinker and Boost were all headed for the hangar bay when the shock wave of the engines having blown hit them. Hard.
Causing the forward moment of theirs to grind into a halt. The sheer power of the force of the wave hitting them being impossible to do anything about, but to let the flow of it catch them and throw them wherever they just might land.
It was all happening so fast.
As the wave grabbed a hold of the four, sending them flying through the air. Only to land some distance away on the floor of the corridor they had been on moments ago. On their way to the shuttle and towards safety.
Their limp bodies thudded onto the floor. Their minds having shut down too, all four of them laying unconscious in the midst of the plummeting ship. Moving fast towards the surface of the planet they had been orbiting around.
Boost was the first one of them to come to. Shaking his head, his eyes fuzzy and his helmet gone.
Lying on the floor next to the floor to him, Boost felt a sting in his head. As if a needle had been struck through it just then. Chucking it all off to the hit if the blast wave and having been thrown around like a rag doll, he was quickly up and on his feet. Feeling woozy while getting up too quickly. But he knew there was little if no time to get off the ship as he could already see the surface of the planet closing in from the windows.
Boost glanced around and saw Sinker, Comet and Wolffe lying a little farther away.
Making haste to get to them, Boost was beside the three, shaking them. Seeing they too had lost their helmets and most likely suffered at least a concussion if not worse. The pressure of the wave hitting them all hard.
“Sinker, Wolffe, Comet!! Please wake up. We need to go! Like right now!”
Because one he could carry, two maybe, but three? It was impossible. And Boost wasn’t about to decide which one he was to save.
“Wha… what happened?”
Wolffe was already up and rubbing his head,
“The engines blew before we got to the bulk of the wave hitting us and hurdling us through the air.”
Boost was at Sinker’s side helping him up as Wolffe and Comet managed to get up on their own.
“How are you holding up love?”
Boost asked of Sinker, seeing the man a tad more dazed than he or Wolffe were.
“I, um…”
Sinker felt the sting not un-similar to what Boost’s had felt, thriving through his head just then.
“Ow!!!”
He exclaimed holding his head with his hand.
“Yeah, I felt it too.”
Boost touched Sinker’s temple lightly.
“Must’ve been the shockwave raising havoc on our minds.”
Boost deduced then.
“Commander, how are you holding up?” Boost asked Wolffe, seeing him too holding his head.
“Yeah, I am getting there. Must be the shockwave raising havoc on our brains.”
Wolffe agreed to Boost’s earlier assessment of the sudden sting and following headache.
“Mine too.”
Comet interjected, holding his head like the rest of them.
“We need to get out of here before the ship crashes through the atmosphere.”
Boost reminded the others then.
“Can either of you walk?”
“I can.”
Wolffe told him.
“Yeah, I can manage.”
Sinker was in a worse shape of the four of them though.
“Here, lemme help you up.”
Boost helped Sinker back to his feet. Supporting the shaky legged man.
Wolffe joined Boost in his efforts as the four of them started running towards the hangar bay to get to the shuttle and out before it was too late.
*
They had managed to reach the shuttle just in a nick of time. Now safely in space, or as safe as they could be with the Separatist ships still around them. Gunning for them.
“I could use some help over here!”
Boost was manning the rear gun, with Wolffe and Sinker at the helm, all four of them having regained their momentum finally after the the shock to their brains relenting for the most part.
“I will go.”
Comet volunteered.
“You two man the helm.”
Sinker and Wolffe only nodded, trying to manoeuvre the small shuttle through the many of their enemy ships.
With Comet and Boost blasting away the enemies getting in their way, Sinker and Wolffe in perfect coordination managed to get the shuttle some distance away before they could be able to activate the hyperspace engines.
It took a few moments for the engines to come on line and then, they disappeared into the hyperspace corridor, leaving the enemy scratching their collective shebs in their wake.
Comet and Boost both joined Wolffe and Sinker in the cockpit. Taking their seats there, in the small size cabin.
“How are we all feeling?”
It was Wolffe asking, worried about the other three more than he was for himself.
“How are we all feeling?”
Boost chuckled, glancing at his partner, who looked worse for wear but still with them. Getting a nod from Sinker in return.
“We, are feeling fine.”
Boost glanced over at Comet who was rather quiet, clearly his head aching worse of the three.
“Comet?”
“I, will be okay.”
“Good.”
Wolffe simply responded, as there was nothing much they could do for the moment.
“We need to find our people. Report what happened over there and hope the Sith all those troopers managed to get to safety in the escape pods..”
“I am running a constant tracking signal on them and some of them are pinging back. Most likely travelling in hyper speed too as I cannot accurately pinpoint their location.”
Sinker told Wolffe then.
As despite his condition, the pounding headache, he was being the good trooper he was and doing what needed to be done. Getting their own ship to safety and scanning for the rest of their crew.
Sinker had input the location to the nav console of the nearest planets he knew the clones were battling their enemy, hoping only the others had faired better than their crew had. Finding safe haven.
“Well, then, we should reach our friends in a few hours.”
Sinker told Wolffe, Comet and Boost.
“Good, that will give us some time to recuperate. That blast sure hit hard.”
Wolffe was also still feeling the sting of the blast in his head as did the rest of them.
“Yeah, there isn’t a lot to work with in the shuttle, so guess taking a few meds and a nap will help?”
Boost suggested then, seeing as they all shared the same condition.
“Sounds like a perfect plan.”
Wolffe smiled then and went to the back to look for the med-kit.
*
The proximity alert of the shuttle alerted the crew they were approaching their troops.
Wolffe was already up and at the helm. Checking the instrument readings.
The other three arrived from the back, taking their places beside their Commander.
“I sent out a communication to our troops, but so far there is no response.”
Wolffe looked worried.
“The ships are there, all in tact.”
Sinker commented, all three of them were able to see several cruisers hanging in space, with no enemies in sight. Well, part from the blown up bits of Separatist craft hanging there after having imploded.
“Yeah, so what’s going on?”
Boost asked curiously, while checking scanners in the process.
“Life signs are as per excepted, so why aren’t they responding?”
“This is shuttle 347, Clone Commander Wolffe, please respond.”
Wolffe tried again.
“Nothing.”
They all exchanged glances and just as Wolffe was about to send another hail, they felt it. The blast on their small ship.
“They are firing? At us?”
Sinker exclaimed annoyed.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Boost could see another volley sent their way when Wolffe reacted and managed to steer their shuttle out of harms way.
“Karking kriffing hells bells!!!”
Wolffe spit out a row of profanities.
“Why are they firing at us?”
Not that the other three had the answer to the question.
Just then, the comms channel crackled to life and a familiar voice came through. But…
“All clones disobeying Order 66 shall be terminated.”
The tone, albeit a clone one, sounded, well, almost robotic.
“What the…???”
Wolffe managed and then, the same communique was repeated.
“We need to leave. Now!”
Comet pointed at the view screen, seeing the blaster fire coming in their direction again.
Wolffe was already plotting their course as clearly, something was wrong with their clone brethren. Repeating orders the four of them had no idea what they meant. But, the crew of the shuttle was not about to hang around and simply ask the other clones to understand the reasoning behind this odd behaviour either.
“We are in an agreement on that one!”
Wolffe pushed the hyperdrive levers and the shuttle took off with a shaky jump. Leaving just in time before the fire from their brothers in arms was about to hit them.