You looked through your medical bag, taking mental note of what equipment you had. The ship was quiet for once, the only sounds being light conversation from the cockpit. Currently, you were heading for a Republic Command Ship to deliver weapons. You were in hyper space and would reach your destination in a couple hours.

"Do you have a moment?" You jumped a little at the sound of Tech's voice. You turned to face him as he approached you.

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?" You asked. He grimaced as he shifted his weight off his left leg.

"My injuries are acting up again." He sighed. "Do you mind taking a look?" You shook your head and gestured for him to take a seat on one of the cargo crates. He let out a grunt as he sat down and you placed yourself next to him, digging through your medical bag.

"What kind of pain are you experiencing?" You asked him as he removed the armor on his upper leg.

"Aches mostly."

"Any bleeding or swelling?"

"No." He said as you removed the bandages. You looked over the wound. He had gotten a nasty cut on his leg a few days ago. You squinted as you examined it. By the look of it, it was healing well. No sign of any infection.

"It looks fine so far. Rest up and try not to stand too much, okay?" You advised. He nodded. Before either of you could say anything else, the ship lurched to a stop, throwing you both to the ground with a shout. Your head swam for a second as you sat up, letting out a groan.

Tech let out a frustrated sigh as he stood, offering a hand to help you up. You accepted and he pulled you to your feet.

"We've got a problem!" Hunter called. Both you and Tech made your way into the cockpit.

"What now?" Wrecker complained as Crosshair rubbed his temple. Hunter gestured to the ship's radar.

"We're picking up some ships in our path." Hunter explained. You all exchanged a look.

"Are they Separatist or Republic?" Crosshair asked. Hunter narrowed his eyes.

"I... don't think they're either." You all looked ahead. Your eyes widened when you saw multiple ships heading toward you.

"What's going on?" You asked. Tech narrowed his eyes.

"They appear to be pirate ships."

"Well, what are they doing all the way out here?" Wrecker asked. Before anyone could answer, blaster fire flung toward you, colliding with the shields. They all gripped whatever was closest as the pirates barraged the Marauder. Alarms blared as Hunter threw the ship forward. But before he could find an opening to jump, the starships intercepted his path.

"I'm guessing they're after the weapons!" Tech called as the Marauder lurched to the right to dodge a string of fire.

"Crosshair, Wrecker! Man the guns and clear us a way out of here! Tech, get ready to scramble our signal!" Hunter ordered.

"Yeah! Let's light 'em up!" Wrecker pumped his fist as he charged out of the cockpit, Crosshair on his heels. Tech sat down and pressed a string of buttons as you took the seat Crosshair was in, breathing hard. You watched through the window as multiple starships circled you. They were met with blaster fire as Wrecker and Crosshair held them at bay.

"Our shields are failing!" Tech said. "If we don't jump soon, there won't be a ship left to scramble!" Another barrage of bullets hit the Marauder, knocking out one of it's thrusts. The ship leaned as Hunter tried to regain control. You flinched, gripping the edges of the seat until your knuckles turned white as Hunter spun the ship.

"What's the hold up!?" Hunter snarled, firing at one of the starships. Crosshair and Wrecker focused their fire on the closest vessel. Finally, it's shields gave out and one of it's engines was hit. It leaned to the side, leaving a small gap. Hunter guided the ship toward the opening.

"Hold on! It's going to be close!" Hunter said before making the move to jump. You gritted your teeth and shut your eyes as the Marauder launched into hyperspace, just squeezing between two of the pirate's fleet. As soon as they jumped, Tech hid the Marauder's signal. The energy in the ship slowly bled out as you opened your eyes and tried to control your breathing. You let out a sigh, finally relaxing, only to tense when Wrecker barged into the cockpit.

"Did you see that? We really threaded the needle on that one!" He said in a fit of laughter.

"Would you stow it already?" Crosshair sighed as he followed him. "You're giving me a headache." Crosshair paused and sharpened his gaze when he saw you in his usual seat. Seeing his glare, you let out a sigh and stood, moving to stand behind Tech. When the ship finally dropped out of hyperspace, Tech was able to run a proper diagnostic on it.

"How's it look?" Hunter asked. Tech adjusted his glasses before looking at the Sergeant.

"Not good." He said. "One of our thrusts has been destroyed, our engine is damaged, and our fuel tank was hit."

"Can we make it to the Command Ship?" Hunter questioned.

"I'm afraid not. And there are no inhabited planets nearby." Tech replied. "We're going to have to send out a distress signal to the Command Ship."

"Great." Wrecker complained. Hunter shook his head with a scowl.

"Is there anywhere we can land and do some repairs?" He said and Tech examined the ship's map.

"There's a planet nearby we can land on that has a breathable atmosphere." He responded. "I'll input the coordinates." There was silence for a few minutes as the Marauder limped toward the planet and made a clumsy landing on its rocky surface. The ramp opened and Tech stood.

"Wrecker, I'll need your help." He said.

"On it." They headed for the ramp while Hunter attempted to make contact with the Command Ship. Deciding you might as well stretch your legs, you made your way out of the ship. You were met with a gentle breeze as you stepped outside and skimmed your eyes over the landscape. It was mostly rocks and mountains. The peace was interrupted by a loud grunt and a heavy clang. You approached the back of the ship to see Wrecker pulling broken metal pieces out and Tech used a plasma torch to weld what he could back together.

"Don't strain yourself, Wrecker." You called.

"I'm fine. This is nothin'." He assured you as he heaved another metal part out. You smiled but it faded slightly as you looked at Tech. Hopefully all this wouldn't irritate the wound on his leg. The day passed slowly and the sun began to set. Hunter still had no luck contacting the Command Ship. You were watching the sunset as Crosshair cleaned his sniper, your eyelids growing heavy. You stretched and stood, making your way to the cargo hold to grab some rations. You grabbed a pack and entered your room. Hopefully by the time you ate and got some shut eye, the ship would be up and running.

***

You cracked your eyes open to loud conversation. You let out a sigh and sat up, rubbing your eyes. Getting to your feet, you opened the door and stepped out.

"You haven't contacted the Command Ship yet?" Crosshair hissed.

"I haven't been able to!" Hunter snapped back. "The signal's too weak."

"Are you sure that's what it is? Maybe you aren't doing it correctly." Came Crosshair's sarcastic response.

"Yeah? How about you give it a shot?" Hunter growled.

"Can you guys be quiet for five seconds?" You groaned loudly as you walked past where Wrecker was snoring, blinking in the early morning light.

"Don't like it? Feel free to sign off when we get to the Command Ship." Crosshair said. You shot him a look before scanning around.

"Where's Tech?" You asked.

"He's fixing up the last of the repairs." Hunter answered. "You should check on him. It looked like his leg was bothering him again." You gave him a nod and stepped out. You walked outside, your medical bag slung over your shoulder, and made your way to the back of the ship. You could hear Tech finishing up the welding. Everything was put back into place and a metal cover was welded over the gas leak.

"Tech?" You called.

"What is it?" He replied as you rounded the ship. He was standing by the thrust, attaching the last of the parts.

"Hunter said your leg was bothering you again. Did you need me to check on it?" You asked.

"In a moment. I'm-" He paused to yawn. ",almost done with the repairs." You raised an eyebrow at him. He looked a bit pale. You approached him and he glanced at you.

"What?" He asked. Even from behind his glasses, you could see the dark circles under his eyes.

"When was the last time you slept?" You asked. He turned back to his work.

"The repairs took priority."

"So you haven't gotten any rest since we landed?" You said.

"I'll get some sleep in a moment." He replied. You knitted your brow and placed a hand on your hip.

"And when was the last time you ate anything?" He paused to think and that made you let out a groan. "Aren't you starving?"

"I haven't noticed." He said with a shrug. "But I'll be done in a few minutes." You eyed him before reaching into your bag.

"Fine, but at least take this." You handed him a flask of water. "You won't be able to fix the ship if you pass out from dehydration." With a nod of thanks, he took it and you left him to his work. The sun climbed the sky and there was still no luck contacting the Command Ship. Everyone was growing more and more frustrated. Even Crosshair's sarcastic remarks stopped. You stayed out of his way before, but with that furious glint in his eye, you didn't so much as say a word to him.

"Where in the galaxy did you shoot us to?" Wrecker complained as Hunter tried once again to establish a connection.

"Stow it." Hunter grunted as you stepped into the cockpit.

"Any luck?" You asked.

"No, not yet." Hunter said. "We need to boost the signal. Is Tech finished with the repairs?"

"Yes." Tech's voice sounded as he stepped into the cockpit. You narrowed your eyes as he knelt by the control panel.

"Finally." Wrecker said as Hunter stepped back.

"Tech, maybe you should get some sleep before doing anything else around the ship." You stated.

"I'll just be a second." He said. You felt frustration bubble in your chest but you didn't protest. Instead, you sat down and waited for him to finish. In a few minutes, he got to his feet.

"Try now." He said. Hunter nodded and tried to make contact with the Command Ship. A voice crackled through.

"Is that you Sergeant?" he said. "Where are you? Are you alright?" Hunter smiled in relief as he replied.

"We're fine, sir. Just had a run in with some pirates. But we're going to need a pick-up." He said. As Hunter gave his report you turned to Tech. You could tell by the way he limped that his leg was definitely bothering him. You followed him as he grabbed his datapad from his desk.

"Did you want me to take a look at that wound?" You asked.

"If it wouldn't be any trouble." He said. You both sat on his bedside. He started to mess with his datapad as you checked the injury. You sighed as you noticed swelling around the cut.

"You need to stay off this leg, Tech." You told him as you changed the bandages. He didn't answer. When you finished, he stood and started to leave his room. 

"Didn't you say you were going to get some sleep?" You called.

"I just need to run a final diagnostic on the ship." He told you. You sharpened your gaze as you followed him.

"Tech, I know you want to get everything back in order, but you're pushing yourself too hard." You said.

"I understand your concern, but I need to make sure everything is operational. When we reach the Command Ship, I'll have plenty of time to recover." He said before entering the cockpit. You let out a frustrated growl as you turned away. You restocked your medical bag and stepped out of the ship to watch the sunset. The crisp air calmed you down as you took a deep breath. You worried enough about them as is. The last thing you needed was their recklessness. You watched the sun slink away until it disappeared behind the jagged peaks.

The stars glittered gently as you got to your feet. You were starting to get tired as you made your way into the ship. Before you walked into your room however, you paused and looked down the hall. Narrowing your eyes, you made your way to Tech and Crosshair's shared room and the door slid open. You peeked inside. Crosshair was fast asleep but Tech was nowhere to be seen. You felt your frustration give away to anger as you shut the door and made your way to the cockpit. You stepped in and you were about to call out to Tech when a soft snore reached your ears.

You paused and quietly made your way to the pilot's seat. Tech was fast asleep, his datapad resting on his chest. Your anger melted and you smiled. Carefully, you pulled the datapad from his hands, setting it on the seat beside him. He stirred but didn't wake up. You then grabbed an extra blanket from the cargo hold and carefully wrapped it around him. You took a moment to look at him. The lights of the ship illuminated his face. He was kind of cute when he was sleeping. You shook your head to clear it as you prepared to leave. Just before you did, you paused. An idea popped into your head and you glanced at the datapad with a sly grin.

***

Tech stirred, shifting for a moment, before opening his eyes to early morning light. He blinked in confusion before realizing he'd fallen asleep. As he moved to sit up, the blanket slipped from his shoulders and he paused. He didn't remember getting a blanket. He then noticed his datapad was missing. His eyes widened and he looked around, only to take notice of a ration pack, a note, and a water flask on the panel in front of him. Squinting he picked up the note and opened it. 

"Hey, Tech, glad to see you finally got some sleep. You're probably wondering where your datapad is. Don't worry, it's safe. And I'll give it back as soon as you've eaten and had something to drink."

A small smile played on his lips as he set the note down and grabbed the ration pack. He watched the clouds drift across the sky. Part of him wanted to take another look over the diagnostic but for now, he decided he'd take time for himself.