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wild-karrde · 3 months

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Guarded - Part 2

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A/N: HI HELLO HOWDY. I know it's been a minute, but I'm STILL WORKING ON THIS REWRITE! And HERE IS THE NEXT PART! Just a reminder that if you get antsy, you can still read the rest of this fic (I'm leaving all the chapters on the master list). I'll just be updating them as I go, and the "Next Part" of the new chapters won't link to an old one so you can see where I am with the update. As always, thank you to the stupendous @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading this for me!

Chapter Rating: T

Warnings: language

Word Count: 4.4k words

Captain Typho led the squad of clones down the elaborate hallways, their boot heels clicking on the flawless marble flooring. Stained glass windows tinted the sunlight shining in, casting various shades of reds and purples across them as they walked in silence.

Crosshair took in the environment around him silently, his eyes scanning every inch of the palace they walked thorugh. It was breathtaking, particularly after he’d spent most of his life on Kamino, then starship after starship, and then of course the Imperial prison that he’d been placed in after attempting to return to the Empire. He shuddered slightly at the memory of the cool, dark cell that he’d been locked in. The single member of his Imperial squad that had escaped from Tipoca City had sealed his fate in the Empire’s eyes.

Traitor.

Rampart’s words echoed in his mind. He remembered hanging his head, studying his boots as the realization of his fate sunk in.

A traitor, but to who?

He was grateful that his brothers had rescued him from the prison, but he was also angry with them, angry that they didn’t come for him sooner, angry that they’d abandoned him in the first place. It seemed like anger was almost all he could feel anymore, but most of it was directed internally.

How much of it was the chip, and how much of it was me?

The Empire had told him his chip was removed from the start, claiming that they’d removed it to test his loyalty as a soldier rather than enhancing it, strengthening it so that he would be helpless to resist it. He’d never questioned that, even as he shot Wrecker while his brothers had tried to escape. He had planned on killing them all, drawing them out one by one, and not for a second did he question this sudden change in loyalty.

Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the traitors.

The enhancements to the chip had been so thorough that nothing in his mind had noted the difference. He’d heard Wrecker talk about trying to fight the chip when his own had activated, but Crosshair hadn’t even known to try. He fought back in some ways, but he always thought it was an internal struggle, his “severe and unyielding” nature, as Tech had put it pushing back against something else.

He hadn’t realized that the chip had been damaged by the Venator’s engines, hadn’t known that he’d been able to resist it after that. He just assumed he still had control, unable to differentiate where his own will ended and the chip’s programming began. He hadn’t even noticed the difference in how he viewed his brothers, how he no longer wanted to just kill them or the sudden remorse he felt for shooting Wrecker. He’d always just assumed it was him being conflicted and changing as the Empire evolved.

The most painful thing for Crosshair was that while he hadn’t noticed the abrupt change within himself, neither had his brothers, the ones that knew him best. Of course they’d initially suspected the chip, but when he told them that the chip had been removed, as he believed it had, they didn’t question it. They just believed him, believed that he was capable of the things that he’d done, and that was what tortured him at night as his brothers snored around him.

They thought I was a monster.

His chip had continued to degrade in the prison, and the headaches became more frequent. By the time Tech and Hunter had burst through his cell door, he’d been curled in a corner, rocking back and forth in agony as his brain felt like it was throwing itself against the inside of his skull. Tech had scanned him as soon as they’d gotten back to the Marauder, finding the bright abnormality in his brain immediately. The look of guilt that they all shared when they saw it crushed him as he realized what they’d thought of him. Now, his fingers absently drifted to graze the uneven scarring pattern on the right side of his head as he rehashed the memories.

Of course I was loyal to the Empire. I had nowhere else to go. And then, when they gave up on me, I had nothing. I still might have nothing, just the illusion of their trust.

Now, it was as if he was a complete stranger to them, no one knowing the way forward after what they’d endured. Hunter had tried to fall back into their normal routine, almost as if he refused to acknowledge Crosshair being gone in the first place, but it just made the disconnect even more apparent. Wrecker was borderline clingy, constantly trying to joke him out of his foul moods and playfully shoving him to try and regain some sort of normalcy. Echo very clearly had no idea how to be around him, and Tech was, well…Tech, going about his business as normal, but with the occasional guilty look when he thought Crosshair wasn’t looking. Crosshair suspected he felt the most remorse for not putting the pieces together sooner.

Omega had oddly been the most tolerable. He hadn’t forgotten what she said as they escaped Tipoca City, and neither had she. She’d been quiet in her attempt to reintegrate him into the team, never really pushing him. The first day back, he’d been sitting quietly in the back of the ship, chewing on one of his fingernails to try and calm his nerves as his eyes darted around the space he’d once called home. Omega had approached quietly, offering him a toothpick from his pack that they’d kept aboard the Marauder. He’d snarled at her as he took it, but immediately popped it between his teeth, chewing it as he mulled over what his future would hold.

But she stayed.

After that, she’d sometimes just sit by him quietly tinkering on something or reading on her datapad while he cleaned his rifle, never attempting an unnecessary conversation, but just existing near him in a way that the others seemed incapable of. She’d occasionally ask questions about his weapon, and he’d reflexively be annoyed, but it never seemed to deter her, and after a while, he gave in, describing the modifications he’d made and how the weapon worked. He’d noted Hunter watching them at times, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, which just annoyed Crosshair more.

He would never admit it, but he missed the kid, even if she was safer in the place she was now. They’d left her at the fledgling rebel base on Yavin 4 to continue her medical training beyond what she’d already learned on Kamino. She was eager to help the rebellion in any way she could, and Crosshair found that admirable, especially in one still so young.

The sniper was snapped out of his own thoughts as he ran into Wrecker’s back. He was immediately annoyed he’d let his thoughts get the better of him and even more annoyed when he noted Wrecker’s wide-eyed wonder. The large clone had stopped to stare up at the stained glass window that they’d just walked past. A woman with dark hair in a long red gown was depicted. The gown appeared to be fur-lined with massive amber gems accenting the hem. A golden headpiece framed her face as her long hair hung down her back. Her expression appeared solemn and, in Crosshair’s opinion, someone grief-stricken. At least as much as a stained-glass depiction could be.

“Is that-”

“Former Queen Padmé Amidala,” Tech stated. “After serving both of her terms, she served as a senator for Naboo, who died-“

“Serving her people,” Typho interrupted him. The captain’s face was stony, but Crosshair didn’t miss the clench of his fist at his side nor the sadness in his eyes.

“I apologize. You were in her service at the time of her death, correct?” Tech asked.

“I was.”

Hunter stepped forward. “I’m sorry. We never had the privilege of meeting the Senator, but by all accounts, she was kind and fought the good fight. Moreso than a lot of her political counterparts.”

Typho nodded, gazing at the window for another moment before turning wordlessly on his heel to continue down the hall.

Crosshair knew that look. It was one of a man that felt he had failed, one of guilt that he carried like a brand on his soul. It was a feeling Crosshair was all too familiar with.

They turned down a few more corridors before arriving in a hall that split off into multiple dormitories and suites.

“The queen’s suite is this door here,” Typho said, indicating a large carved wooden door to their left. The door was ornate and seemed mostly decorative, but Crosshair noted the blast door slats that were hidden along the edges of the frame, likely intended to seal in the event of a palace breach. The keypad to the right of the door seemed to be a straightforward biometric interface, one that could likely be overridden by a select few such as the captain in an emergency.

“Will we be allowed to inspect it for security purposes?” Echo asked, interrupting Crosshair’s observations.

“You may once we get you situated. We had an…incident a few rotations ago, which is the reason why you’re here.” Crosshair noted the captain’s eyes darting towards the keypad as he nervously flexed his fingers at his side.

He must have had to try out those emergency overrides the other night then.

Typho continued down the hall to the next door down. “This is the handmaidens’ dormitory. And this,” he said, backtracking to the door closest to the main hallway, “is where you’ll be staying. We’ll give you the codes to get in and out.” Reaching down, he punched a four digit code that Crosshair immediately memorized. Glancing over, he could see Tech noting it in his datapad as well.

The clones followed Typho into the common area of the suite, which had a set of couches gathered around a low table. There were several bedrooms branching off the main gathering area, and Crosshair rolled his eyes as Wrecker raced into the first bedroom.

“It’s got its own ‘fresher and everything!” he exclaimed gleefully, poking his head back out of the door with a wide grin.

“Two beds per room, so I’m afraid you’ll have to share,” Typho said apologetically.

Hunter chuckled. “After spending so much time tripping over each other on our ship, that won’t be an issue, Captain. We appreciate the hospitality.”

The captain nodded. “These uniforms are what you shall wear around the palace while you are protecting the Queen.” He gestured at a table where the uniforms had been laid out by the palace staff. Crosshair did his best to not immediately wrinkle his nose at the yellow fabric and brown, seemingly leather armor.

Those chest plates wouldn’t stop a stiff breeze. And they look like they weigh a ton.

Wrecker appeared to be far more enthusiastic about their new wardrobe, immediately reaching for the largest helmet, and letting out a whoop when it slid easily onto his head.

Typho smirked. “We’ve had larger guards in the past, although ones your size are few and far between. However, I’ve been assured that this uniform should fit you, Wrecker.”

“Thanks!” the large clone exclaimed.

The captain glanced around one more time at each of them before turning to Hunter. “I’ll leave you to settle in and get changed. I have other duties I must attend to. I’ll stop back by in a while to brief you further. Until then, I must ask that you not leave this suite unless escorted. There’s a signal pad by the door to summon an aide should you require anything further.”

Hunter nodded in acknowledgement, and with that, the captain slipped his helmet back on and departed with only the hiss of their door marking his exit.

“Well, this all seems…weird,” Echo said, picking up one of the Naboo armor pieces to inspect it.

“How so?” asked Hunter, neatly stacking his clone armor in one corner before pulling his shirt over his head.

“Well for starters, the queen’s older than I expected,” Echo noted, setting aside the new armor to start working at the latches on his own chest plate. “I thought all Naboo queens were teenagers. Senator Amidala was only fourteen when she took the job if I remember correctly.”

Tech already had the yellow tunic on and was cinching the provided belt around his waist. “You would be correct, Echo. Typically, the Naboo elect significantly younger queens. However, there have been some exceptions, such as Queen Réillata, who succeeded Senator Amidala. I believe Queen Nodala is actually the oldest monarch elected. She ran on a very anti-occupation platform, stating that she wished to protect Naboo’s sovereignty, which aligned with popular sentiments. Her opponent was much more lenient towards the Imperials. Nodala’s election actually was taken as quite the rebuke of the Empire, which has likely contributed to her ongoing troubles with them.”

“Sure, fine. But why are we here then? They’ve got a whole Palace Guard. What could we be needed for?” Echo muttered, finally managing to get his armor undone. It took him more time to get out of his kit with one hand, but he’d adjusted remarkably in the time since he’d joined their squad, and they all knew better than to offer to help him.

“I can answer that,” came a voice from behind them. They all turned to find the lieutenant from the throne room standing in the doorway.

Iden, Crosshair noted mentally. Short. Confident. Observant.

He’d noticed how her eyes hadn’t stopped scanning them since she’d first been introduced to them, and even now, she appeared to be mentally taking notes as she glanced around the room. He tried not to glare when her eyes passed over him, one eyebrow raising slightly in appraisal before she turned to address Hunter.

Bit of a bitch, but maybe that comes with the territory of being short in stature and having an authority position.

“Glad to see your uniforms fit,” she said with a grin, extending a gloved hand to Hunter. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Lieutenant Iden Vena, chief of the Palace Guard and head of security under Captain Typho.”

Hunter clasped her arm, and the rest of them nodded their acknowledgements, introducing themselves one by one.

“So, what is it you need us for?” Hunter asked. “So far, we’ve been given almost no information.”

“You are required because you can operate outside the bounds of the Naboo guard, even if you’ll be dressed like them,” Iden replied, eyes still roving over the group. “Many of our officers are volunteers, and even though they receive excellent training, it’s become increasingly apparent recently that additional help is needed if we are to protect the queen.”

Hunter nodded. “Captain Typho mentioned a recent incident.”

Iden’s mouth hardened into a thin line. “Did he now?”

Crosshair watched as her jaw twitched.

This was personal to her, he thought. Somehow, she feels the failure is hers. And she really doesn’t like feeling like a failure.

Iden took a deep breath, clearly weighing how much to tell them without her commanding officer present. Finally, she sighed, meeting Hunter’s eyes. “There was a lapse in our security. We have not completed the investigation yet, but it appears the rotation schedule was tampered with, although we have yet to identify how. Either way, an assassin was able to breach our external perimeter, scale the outer walls, and make it into the queen’s private quarters through a window.”

“Well, they clearly didn’t succeed, so at least your security held up where it counted,” Echo attempted to counter, but Iden shook her head, seeming to cringe.

“Actually, the queen was the one who shot him. We arrived moments later. He died before we could interrogate him.”

Echo and Wrecker’s mouths fell open slightly and Hunter and Tech exchanged a look. Even Crosshair felt his eyebrow raise in surprise.

The queen can handle herself apparently.

“There have been other attempts on the queen’s life of course,” Iden continued quickly. “That comes with being the leader of a planet, but they’ve become more frequent and more well-planned. This was the closest they’ve come, and we fear there will be more, which is why we’ve brought you in.”

“Who would want to do this?” Hunter asked.

Iden gave him a hard look. “We have our suspicions, but we are still investigating who could be responsible. As for motive, all I can say is that it is a resources dispute.”

Crosshair’s teeth clamped down on his toothpick in annoyance.

She’s lying.

“Not telling us what’s going on makes our job harder. You’ve got to know that,” Echo grumbled, echoing Crosshair’s own thoughts.

“I understand, but that is all I am able to tell you at this time,” Iden replied curtly, glowering at Echo.

Definitely a bit of a bitch.

The tension grew as the silence stretched out until Tech stepped forward, datapad in hand. “We were told we would be able to inspect the queen’s quarters. I’d like to get an idea of what your surveillance system looks like.”

Iden shot him a glare as well, but Tech didn’t appear to notice as he continued punching buttons on his datapad. Echo tried a more gentle tack.

“It’ll give us a better idea of how we can help you.”

The lieutenant narrowed her eyes, giving Echo a once over before finally nodding.

“Very well. This way please.”

Iden led them back down the hall and through the large wooden door. She used a code to enter, which Crosshair found interesting.

They must only use the biometrics for emergency entry. That makes sense. Probably on a separate circuit as well. Harder to fake those than an access code.

He did find himself annoyed that Iden cast a glance back over her shoulder before she managed to block his view of the keypad completely. It made sense from a security perspective, but it only seemed to drive home the point that they were outsiders, others brought in to help while not being given the full weight of the Naboo Guard’s trust.

Fine then.

The room itself was simple enough with a line of windows that looked out over the private gardens on the palace grounds, a few decorative paintings and tapestries, and a large bed tucked against one wall with matching nightstands flanking it. There was a small hallway that led back towards a connected private refresher with a massive closet tucked next to it, and at the end of the hall was a small private office that the queen presumably used when it was more convenient than working at the desk in the throne room.

Tech and Echo spoke with Iden in hushed voices, going over the layout of the security system while Hunter and Wrecker inspected the various rooms. Crosshair leaned against the window, peering out at the grounds below. Remembering Iden’s description of how the attacker got into the room, he walked along the line of windows, trying to find the entry point of the assailant. At the place where the windows met the exterior wall of the room, he found where he believed the man must have climbed up. The windows ended near a decorative stone column that protruded off the building, framing the edge of an arch that extended over the windows. There was just enough of a ledge where someone could have a finger hold that would allow them to haul themselves up and through the window. As the sniper’s eyes scanned the architecture, he noted a small indentation driven into the stone.

They had climbing gear. They planned this well in advance and knew what they were doing.

Leaning up against the window, he looked down. It was about a fifteen story drop to the gardens below. There was a line of trees that probably would have kept the assassin concealed from view for the first few meters, but they still would have been completely exposed for a majority of the climb.

They must have scaled the wall quickly in order to not be seen by the incoming guards. Or the guards were too stupid to note someone on the side of the building.

He pressed his fingertips against the windows, glancing at the mechanisms that allowed them to open.

Locked from the inside, thick glass, wouldn’t have been able to shoot it out with a single blaster bolt, and they knew it.

“How did the assassin get through the window?” he asked, and the room went silent. He felt irritation twist his gut, but shrugged it off as his brothers and Iden all turned and stared at him. He’d rarely spoken to them unprompted since his return, so hearing him ask a question was understandably somewhat of a surprise. That didn’t stop him from being annoyed by their reactions.

They want normalcy, but when I speak, they act like I’ve grown a second head.

He clenched his teeth a little tighter around the toothpick, but said nothing further.

Iden stepped forward, pointing at the pane at the end of the line of windows. “We believe he used some sort of device to disable the window lock from the outside, although we haven’t been able to determine what yet.”

Tech walked up to the window, adjusting his goggles as he inspected the locks. “This would have required a rather simple apparatus to de-magnetize the locking mechanism and enable the intruder to open the locks. It would not even register as a perimeter breach in the system, so an alarm would never have been triggered.” He turned to look at Iden, who was clearly struggling with the “simple” part of his statement.

“We didn’t really anticipate someone scaling the side of the building. The locking is mainly to keep them closed should there be a concussive explosion near the palace during an attack. The glass is blast-proof.”

Tech said nothing as he contemplated the information for a moment. “And now? Have there been changes to protocols in light of these recent events?”

“We’re working on replacing the locking devices with something more sophisticated,” Iden replied, clearly on her back foot in this exchange and not pleased about it.

“Excellent.”

Echo and Hunter exchanged a look. “So, how did the rest of the incident play out?” the clone sergeant asked.

Just then, the door behind them opened, and Captain Typho entered. “Ah, good. You got started with the inspection.”

“I was just asking for the details on the incident you mentioned,” Hunter repeated.

Typho walked to the bed, turning to face the window. “The queen was asleep but was startled awake by the sound of the window lock disengaging and the window opening. She said she sat up, saw the intruder, got out of bed, and took shelter behind this nightstand.” He let his gloved hand rest on the wooden surface of the nightstand as he stepped through the scenario. Crosshair noted how small the nightstand was.

She would have had to crouch down very low and hug the wall tightly to hide. Either the assassin is a terrible shot or the queen is incredibly lucky. Perhaps both.

Typho continued. “The queen was able to retrieve her weapon from her nightstand drawer. The intruder got up on the bed, standing over her. At that point, the queen decided to…erm…tackle him.”

“Tackle him?” Echo asked, stunned. Wrecker let out an approving laugh, a smile creeping across his face.

“Yes. She managed to incapacitate him and hang on to her weapon. She attempted to subdue him, but he did not comply, and she was forced to shoot him. He died before he could be interrogated further.” Typho’s eyes rested on a particular spot on the floor, clearly replaying the moment in his head. Crosshair assumed that was where they’d found the assailant, and an amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he imagined the scene.

The captain must have been absolutely fraught, walking in on the queen in her nightgown with a dead man underneath her. It was obvious to him that the queen and the captain shared a close relationship, although to what extent, he couldn’t be sure. Close enough to where she’s fine pushing his buttons in front of unfamiliar company, and close enough to where he feels comfortable pushing back against her, however subtly. He flicked the toothpick between his teeth to the other side of his mouth as he pictured the amount of force the queen would have had to hit the assassin with in order to tackle him, much less subdue him. It was hard to imagine the woman they’d met in the throne room doing such a thing, but her being alive was enough of a confirmation of what she could do. A woman capable of that hardly needs a security force, he mused internally.

Hunter was stroking his chin as he considered the scenario. “I understand you’re upping your security system on the windows. What other measures have you taken since the attack?”

“Each rotation schedule is signed off manually now. We no longer rely on the automated systems to generate it, so there should never be another gap to allow someone to penetrate our patrol area. In addition, we’ve doubled patrols for redundancy. We have a team inspecting all of our other security measures to audit any other shortfalls we may have, and any changes we make are being kept confidential among the security force. We would welcome your input on that as well.” Hunter turned to Tech who nodded in agreement.

“And then there’s you. We’d like to have one of you stationed with the queen at all times during the day, and then of course, you’ll be right down the hall at night. We plan on installing a panic alarm on the nightstand here that would allow her to alert you should something occur.”

Hunter bobbed his head in understanding. “Alright. We will work up a guard rotation schedule and supply you with it.”

“That would be most helpful and appreciated.”

Crosshair noted Tech had wandered back to the window and was inspecting the locking mechanisms again. As his brother fiddled with the controls, he watched as the window opened slowly. One thing about the entire exercise caught his attention, sticking in the back of his mind.

The window unlatched without any sound at all.

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#karrde writes #guarded #star wars #the bad batch #tbb #echo #hunter #tech #wrecker #crosshair #angst #hurt/comfort #OC Kestian Nodala #OC Iden Vena

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