Work Text:
There have been several of what Rex would call “warning signs” already, and Echo knows it’s probably wise to heed them, before it’s too late. Just down the dim street, a crowd has been gathering for the past half-hour and what was at first two seedy individuals is now at least seven and growing. There’s a pale green light just a few paces from Echo that keeps flickering out and then rebooting itself, casting the whole street in and out of shadow and making it difficult to see what the crowd is up to. He’s resisting the urge to contact Gregor – it might blow their cover – but it’s becoming increasingly clear that they’re no longer welcome.
A chilly breeze kicks up, whistling down the dark street and rattling the creaking sign over the bar Gregor disappeared into forty-minutes ago. Echo’s joints are beginning to ache in the wind, and he tries to shift his weight subtly from one leg to the other, hoping not to draw the crowd’s attention. There’s a sudden shout from down the street, and a couple figures burst through the bar’s second entrance, rolling into the street amidst yells and jeers from the growing crowd. Echo tries to get a reading on the combatants – even from this distance, he can tell neither is Gregor. Good. He’s not really concerned that Gregor would try something so risky but given the tension that’s steadily building in this corner of town, it pays to be on alert.
A voice behind him. “Hey, ready to get out of here?” He turns, surprised Gregor got behind him without a sound. Gregor’s form is already moving off down the street in the opposite direction – he pauses and motions over one shoulder for Echo to keep up.
“You’re done?” Echo falls into stride behind him. “How’d it go?”
Gregor shakes his head. “Let’s talk when we get back to my ship.”
“Right.” He moves to follow Gregor into a side alley, but something makes him pull up short. “Your ship? I thought you said you didn’t want a claim to it after it fritzed out on you!” He’s slid his hand to his blaster, one finger on the trigger. This isn’t Gregor.
Whoever it is freezes. “Yeah, well I guess I’ve changed my mind.”
The figure who isn’t Gregor whips around and Echo’s already drawn his blaster to meet them when he feels something cold and sharp sink into his left shoulder, and he’s thrown off balance. He slams against the cold stone wall, his vision vaguely spotty, aware that he has at least two armed attackers that he cannot see. Hoping for the element of surprise, Echo pushes off the wall toward Gregor’s imposter’s last position only for someone’s arm to slip around his neck in a choke hold. What feels like a needle sinks deeper into his shoulder, his vision fading rapidly, and on instinct he reaches for his comm.
“Gregor, get out of here now!”
Things slide out of focus.
And back in. Echo shifts, his shoulder throbbing softly as if he’s been hit with a stun blast. Somewhere above him, he can feel cheap metal binders around his wrist and attached awkwardly to his scomp, holding him in a standing position. He opens one eye. A milky white wall materializes centimeters from his face. He stumbles backward, banging into another wall. He’s surrounded, probably in a pod of some kind, and his heart is beating too fast and he’s trying not to think, not to let his mind connect the dots. This is different, this is happening right now. But it’s already too late – he can feel all the walls he’s built up since Skako Minor beginning to collapse.
He’s trying and failing to steady his panicked breath when a clkk sounds from somewhere outside, and the white wall swings away from him and a face comes into view. It’s Human, with pale skin, few wrinkles, and bright green eyes that stare at Echo, a look of concern in them.
“Too much for you? Just a minute, we’ll get you out!”
Echo’s having trouble making sense of what’s happening as the green-eyed man unclips the binders from over his head and pulls him out of the pod. He tries to right himself and finds the man’s arm beneath his, supporting his weight.
“Hang on, let’s just get you somewhere more comfortable.” He leads Echo across what seems to be the floor of a warehouse, toward some kind of workspace that’s illuminated in a warm gold light. The green-eyed person maneuvers Echo into an old flight chair with the stuffing spilling out. “Just sit still.”
Two more figures appear at the edges of Echo’s vision, a stocky protocol droid and a tall Nautolan dressed in a huge leather coat. It occurs to Echo that the air must be cold – each time the Human has spoken, puffs of vapor have formed from his breath. Echo’s having trouble processing it though. He’s feeling strangely disembodied, as if the effects of the sedative haven’t yet worn off.
The green-eyed man bends down and, to Echo’s surprise, removes the binders from his scomp arm. Before Echo can so much as move, he’s snapped them to the chair arm and the other man in the coat is fastening his right arm to the chair with a length of torn cloth. Echo’s not sure what’s happening, but it’s pretty clear that it’s nothing good. He yanks at the cloth and tries to catch the man in the coat’s eye.
“What are you doing to me?”
The man shrugs. “Guess you’ll find out.”
Echo grits his teeth. “Right, well that’s not exactly helpful. If you told me, it might be easier to comply. At the moment, I’m feeling a little suspicious.”
The green-eyed man laughs. “Sure you are! I would be too if I were you! Don’t worry though,” he shoves at Echo’s head in a gesture that might be playful. “We’ll be quick - we’ve been around the block a few times, haven’t we, Five-tee-oh?”
The protocol droid shuffles forward uncomfortably and moves to Echo’s right side, flicking on a lamp fastened to its forehead. Echo can hear the droid’s joints creaking as it approaches - its plating doesn’t look like it’s in good shape. He watches as 5T0 begins to run its fingers up and down his scomp arm, examining the attachments and connections and muttering to itself. Echo tries to catch 5T0’s eye, but the droid won’t let him, though whether through fear or hostility he doesn’t know.
Well, he’s gotten his answer at least. They’re after his arm, which is probably quite the commodity now that the Empire’s cut down on open-source technology and trade. If they manage to take it, though – and it looks as if they will – Echo will have no way of getting a replacement. He glances around to get a better sense of his surroundings, taking in the vague shape of a door far off to his left, a few tiny windows overhead running parallel to a wrought iron railing on the floor above. But then again, there’s one of him and three of them and at least two of them are probably armed.
He’s just noticed a stash of tools strewn across one of the nearby tables when his eye catches movement on the balcony above. A figure has just dropped from one of the windows and is silently making their way along the railing. The movements are calculated and familiar and Echo tenses. Gregor can probably see him from there, so he nods subtly and begins to strain at his bindings.
5T0 yelps as Echo’s arm slides out of its grasp and the other two turn from the quiet conversation they’ve been having.
“Whoa now!” The green-eyed man takes hold of Echo’s shoulders. “You think you’re going to get away? That’s cute – now hold still.” His grip tightens and Echo catches his eye for a moment and their gazes lock.
Echo narrows his eyes. “I don’t think so.” He slams his forehead into the green-eyed man’s, knocking him backward into Gregor’s stun blast. The man in the coat is already sprawled on the floor, and 5T0 seems to be too afraid to put up much of a fight.
Gregor chuckles. “Well, that works. Sorry it took me so long – you just disappeared!” He snatches a tool off the table and rips off the binders and cloth. “Looks like they were gonna take your arm or something – nasty smugglers!”
Echo nods as Gregor helps him up. “That was their plan. Good timing.”
Gregor laughs again and then cuts himself off. “Are you alright?”
Echo’s just seen the white pod, its door hanging open, empty. His breath has become tight, and his vision feels a little spotty.
“Echo? Echo, is everything okay?”
Echo tries to nod again, which makes his head spin. He shuts his eyes.
There’s the sound of a minor explosion and something goes hurtling past Echo’s face. He opens an eye. The wall where the white pod stood a moment ago is blackened, and Gregor crouches beside him, one arm on his shoulder. He’s laughing.
“Sorry, didn’t mean it to get so close. You want to get out of here?”
Echo lets Gregor pull him to his feet. “You blew it up?” His eyes are narrowed.
Gregor’s turned to look at him. “It seemed to be bothering you, and I had a grenade on me. Should I have left it?”
“No, I…” Now Echo’s laughing too. “You blew it up. Gregor, what the hell?”
Gregor shrugs. “It made sense to me. Thing won’t be bothering you anymore. Neither will these guys.” He aims a kick at the sprawled smugglers.
Echo rolls his eyes. “Gregor, let’s get back to the ship.”
“Your ship.”
“Right. My ship.”