38

Tech led them down into the valley.

It was a hard descent. With no natural path, they'd had to do a bit of scaling – which was tricky when parts of the rock face crumbled beneath their hands. Twice, Saedii had to use the Force as Wrecker and Echo nearly fell the hundreds of feet to the bottom. Catching them and placing them back on the wall.

The journey didn't get any easier once they got to the bottom.

Very quickly, the valley lead through the maze of canyons and gorges etched into the Ipsidon landscape. Down here, there was nothing but hard dry dirt to lead their path. The ground cracked beneath their feet, baked to a crisp from the intense heat. Without the wind from the storm, it felt far hotter than it had up above.

Sun burned against Saedii's brow. She could feel the skin of her face growing hot and flushed. Burning. Echo had offered his helmet for some coverage, but she'd turned him down. As the palest one there, he needed it the most.

Saedii's cloak hung over Omega's head, giving her shade. At the first spots of red on Omega's cheeks, Saedii had insisted she wear it. It had to be hot underneath, but at least the hood gave Omega's skin some protection. It didn't make sense for both of them to burn.

Sweat beaded on Saedii's forehead. Along her cheeks. The back of her robes were soaked and heavy as it dripped a path down her spine.

Even the guys looked hot. Their thermo-regulators provided some level of reprieve, but in heat this intense, it wasn't enough. They needed real shade. Real cover.

Omega stumbled, movements slow. Weighed down by the heat.

Wrecker held out his water jug for her.

"Here." Hunter held his out for Saedii. Hers, much to her chagrin, was still stashed on board the Marauder.

"I'm ok." Between the seven of them, they only had three jugs of water. They needed to save it in case the trip stretched out longer than they expected.

Hunter kept it out. "We have enough."

Her willpower wasn't as strong as usual. Without another word of complaint, she took the jug and allowed herself a sip. The ice cold water in her mouth felt too good.

"Thanks." She held it back to him.

He took a sip before clipping it back on his belt. The two of them lingered in the back, keeping an eye on the rest. Up at the front, Tech and Echo were quietly debating their route as they both looked over the holopad. Crosshair lingered behind them, offering a comment every now and then.

The two of them had kept far apart. Still angry. Saedii couldn't help but glare at his back every time she caught sight of him.

"We'll get the ship back," Hunter said quietly. Misinterpreting the look Saedii was sporting.

She blew out a breath. "Not in time for Cid's timeline."

"Probably not. But we'll still get paid."

"Not twenty percent."

"All I care about right now is getting us safely off world. We can worry about cuts later."

That was what Saedii should be worried about, too. But her mind was on the ipsium. On Cid's timeline, which was slowly counting down. And thousands of lightyears away, on Wolffe and the others.

If she and Crosshair hadn't been arguing, they would have made Cid's timeline. It was his fault...and hers, too. She knew he'd just been baiting her, and she'd given him exactly what he'd wanted. A reaction.

"Why is Cross so mad at me?" Saedii asked suddenly. She kept her voice down. Quiet enough that Crosshair wouldn't hear from up front.

Hunter slowed his pace, letting the distance stretch between them. He sighed. "Cross is just jealous. The bond you have with Wolffe – he knows you'll never have that with us."

"But you're my family –"

"I know." Hunter held up a hand before Saedii could get too fired up. "The rest of us understand, ok? Cross has just never been good at sharing. He just wants it to be the seven of us."

Saedii rubbed at the burnt expanse of her forehead. "He seemed fine the past few weeks on Teth. Why is he being such a dick about it now?"

If Hunter took offense from her language, he didn't make a comment. "Because you were made a Knight."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"He understands that you might want to take on more responsibility now."

"You mean...responsibility that takes me away from the group?" Saedii said slowly.

Hunter nodded.

That would explain why he hadn't been excited for her. He thought she was leaving them. Leaving him.

From what little Saedii knew of their upbringing on Kamino, that would hit a sore spot for him. The other Clones had never wanted the Batch. They'd never been chosen for a legion or assigned to a Jedi. The four of them had been all they'd had.

"After everything that we've been through, does he really think I'd just leave you guys?" Hurt laced her tone. And a little bit of anger, too. Did he truly think so little of her?

But a strange look passed Hunter's face – one that made alarm bells ring in Saedii's head.

A loud crack of thunder sounded nearby, followed almost immediately by a shiver in the earth under their feet. Saedii and Hunter both turned together, listening with their own respective senses. Tracking the storm.

It had gotten closer in the past few hours. It churned the Force around them, tossing it into a frenzy. Brief glimpses of dark clouds and lightning stirred in Saedii's mind.

"How close?" Saedii asked just as a gust of cold wind whipped down the gorge, stirring the stray hairs around her face.

"Too close," Hunter said a moment before Saedii caught a glimpse of the dark clouds at the far end of the canyon.

It was like a solid wall of grey – clouds so thick with rain and wind that the only thing visible within were the flashes of lightning racing along the edges. A harsh hissing sound hinted at the sheer power of the rain falling within. Ozone and sulfur filled the air – the smell of lightning brewing.

Hunter slipped his helmet on. "We need to move!" he ordered, urging Saedii along to catch up with the group.

As the rest turned to face them, fear curdled across Omega's face as she caught sight of the storm.

"If the lightning in that storm catches the ipsium," Tech began. He cut off as a massive flash of lightning hit only a couple hundred yards away.

"Tech, find us cover now." Hunter ran to Omega's side, gently pushing her faster. "Everyone else, move."

They broke into a run, following the curve of the canyon as it wound south. The air around them was growing heavy and thick. Power curled along Saedii's fingers – the Force charged and agitated.

The storm was powerful.

And far, far too close.

As the clouds rolled in to block the sun, Saedii knew it was too late. They were going to get caught in its path. Her eyes went desperately to the ipsium strapped to Wrecker's back as the thick black clouds rolled down the gorge towards them.

Too late.

"Hunter!" Saedii called – the only warning as the storm engulfed them.

It was like being swallowed by the sea. Air whistled past so fast and thick that it felt like Saedii was inhaling water. She stumbled beneath the power of the wind, wincing as it whipped rocks at her unprotected back. Up ahead, Wrecker growled, "Hey!" as something heavy bounced off his helmet.

Blackness rolled over her. The clouds were too thick to see through. Saedii caught glimpse of a faint outline of Wrecker ahead of her, stumbling underneath the brutal whipping of the wind.

Rain lashed down, so powerful it stung against Saedii's exposed skin. It roared as it churned the dust at their feet, whipping it into a muddy, sloshy mess that sucked at their boots. Lightning flashed in the dark clouds over head. Bright flashes of light so intense that in the moment after it struck, Saedii found herself blinded with residual light that stung her eyes.

Saedii stumbled as a gust of wind nearly took her off her feet. A hand reached ou in the dark, keeping her upright. From the faint outline, it was Tech – though she could hardly see him in the gloom. His helmet was trained ahead of them, scanning the rock faces on either side. Searching for shelter.

"Tech!"

Only a step ahead, Hunter's form was nearly invisible in the gloom. The clouds had completely blocked out the sun, while the rain made what little Saedii could see seem hazy and unclear. She swiped at the water in her eyes.

Hunter was hunched over. A protective arm had Omega pulled tight to him, where she stood cowering beneath the onslaught of the rain. Her eyes were closed against the water that whipped at her face and she tried unsuccessfully to pull Saedii's hood over her eyes.

"Tech, we need cover now!" Hunter shouted, voice nearly lost in the howling of the storm.

"I'm working on it!" Tech's head swung towards either side.

Somewhere close by, lightning struck, sending out an eruption of sparks into the air. The ground shook violently, finally taking Saedii off her feet and even taking Tech down to his knees.

Echo yanked the two of them back to their feet as Wrecker bellowed, "The ipsium!"

Saedii spun around. Wrecker was sprawled on his belly, hand stretched out towards the center of the gorge. The pack that had been on his shoulders was now sliding in the mud, following a very gentle slope away from them.

The ipsium.

No! They needed that ipsum!

Without it, they'd be right back on another mission. Even if they didn't get the twenty percent, the money from that ipsium would be enough to keep her at Teth for a bit. Would give her the time she wanted with Wolffe and the others.

Wrecker lumbered to his feet, surging towards it. But Crosshair grabbed his arm, pulling him to an abrupt stop.

"Leave it!" Crosshair snarled as another bolt of lightning hit across the canyon. It was so close that Saediie felt the stray hairs from her braid raise. Felt the oily skitter of electricity on her arm.

"But we need –"

"Hunter! There's a break in the rock face up ahead!" Tech was pointing to a spot up ahead. A spot Saedii couldn't see in the raging storm. "It appears to be another mine!"

"Go!" Hunter ordered, pulling Omega along with him.

Wrecker turned another longing look towards the bag, but Crosshair shoved him forward.

Saedii hesitated. The Force around her was turbulent with the storm – so wild and unstable that she couldn't even feel the pack which sat only twenty feet away. When she tried to focus it, to beckon the bag to her, it was unyielding.

Ahead of her, the group was only just visible as they ran towards shelter. Saedii glanced back at the bag they left. At the millions of credits that laid unclaimed and forgotten in an old muddy pack.

Wolffe's face came to mind. The flash of disappointment as she'd told him she had to leave.

The ipsium would give them time.

She needed that ipsum.

Saedii turned, running for the bag. Even if she grabbed a few vials, that would buy her time with Wolffe. A day or two. She'd grab what she could, then join the others.

Behind her, only just audible above the screaming of the wind and rain, someone shouted her name.

The bag emerged from the gloom before her. Only a few feet away.

It would only take a minute.

The air suddenly grew heavy around her. The acrid scent of ozone and sulfur filled her nose, stinging her throat and eyes. Little hairs brushed her cheeks as they began to stand straight up.

She knew what that meant.

Lightning.

Saedii didn't have time to react. Not as the sky split above her and a fork of light charged down – too fast and too slow all at once. She threw her hands in front of her, pushing with the Force. Trying to stop it.

But it was too late.

Light and heat exploded around her. Blinding her. Consuming her. A wave of pure power collided with her body, taking her off her feet. Her ears popped in the sudden detonation of sound.

She was flying. Falling. Blinded by the light around her.

Her body slammed into something firm. Unyielding. Something cracked as her head snapped forward. Bones broke. The light dimmed.

And then...nothing.