I'm not dead! Hope you all enjoy!

I see the scrappers a split second before the others. 

  The hooded figures, hidden in the shadows of a smaller junked ship, it's dumb wing providing them shelter. There is no more than three, almost invisible in the inky darkness. One is holding binoculars, spying on us, and it's rim catches the light. I instinctively tuck Omega behind me, about to raise my rifle, but Echo holds out his hand to stop me, gesturing for us to continue walking. 

  Clicking my rifle to stun, I obey him, keeping my eyes on the ground. 

  "I know. We've got eyes on us." Echo says grimly, nodding towards the shadows. Wrecker nods behind us, his fingers tapping a rhythm into his helmet.

    "Yeah, I see them." Wrecker confirms, a bit of excitement in his voice. I understand his need-- to feel useful again-- especially after the accident on the cruiser.

  "How many?" Omega whispers, gripping my hand. I give her a comforting squeeze.

  "Just three, my love." She glances up at me, brown eyes speckled with slight worry. We have been through some tough things together, yet she still get's a bit shaken up. 

  "Just act casual, girls." Echo says. "Wrecker, you ready?"

"Waiting on you." Wrecker says, following after his brother as Echo breaks into a run, slipping on their helmets. I pull Omega behind me, raising my rifle to my uninjured shoulder, firing a stun shot towards the Scrappers. They scramble out of their hiding spot in panic, scurrying away from us like rats. I start to jog, Omega next to me, my helmet banging against my armored thigh.

  She is fast, easily keeping up with me as we head to where the boys disappeared. 

  "Oh, no you don't!" We hear Wrecker cry in the distance, and our pace only quickens. Sounds of blaster fire and Wrecker's shouting bounces off the metal, amplifying and echoing through the canyons of the shipyard. 

  We turn a corner, and I barely have time to pull Omega out of the way as a speeder flies past us, Wrecker dangling off the edge. The speeder is a circular model similar to the one we saw earlier, made of orange metal, a brilliant color against the dull and faded complexion of the surrounding ships. The hull of the speeder is loaded with boxes, crates, and corroded parts. Wrecker dangles off the edge, gripping to the iron railing. 

"I've got this under control!" He cries, his voice slowly fading as the shuttle moves farther and farther away from us. My breath catches in my throat. I glance towards Echo, and he has the comm raised to his lips. 

  "Hunter, Tech, we got spotted by scrappers."  He catches my gaze, seeming to read my mind, and nods. I turn towards Omega.

     "Stay with Echo." I say, twisting on my heels and breaking into a sprint, clambering up the metal of a nearby cruiser. It feels good to run again, and I unclip my helmet, sliding it onto my head. I flip my heat reader over my right eye, shouldering my rifle.

  I run along cruisers, my shadow dancing along besides me. I jump across dark gaps between ships, not even bothering to see how far the ground is. Wrecker's screams and yells aren't hard to follow, and I see flashes of orange as the speeder weaves through the paths below me, their heat signatures playing peek-a-boo. I am traveling  in a straight line, while the speeder can only go where it fits, giving me the advantage. 

 Ahead, an old transport shuttle sits propped on it's side, it's wing sticking at an angle into the air, and I increase my speed, charging up the metal and pulling myself up. 

  Standing on the thin column, I aim my rifle as the speeder flies below me, sniping the Scrapper Guild member in the head. He slumps forward, the hovercraft immediately breaking into a spin, Wrecker flying off and landing with a cloud of dust. Echo and Omega trot down the path, Echo giving me a thumbs up.

   I nod, carefully sliding down the ship's wing, keeping my injured arm tucked closely to my body. 

  "You okay, big guy?" I call to Wrecker, my voice amplified by the metal walls of spacecraft around us. 

   "Yes, are you okay?" Omega asks hurriedly, placing a hand on her friends shoulder. He chuckles, dusting dirt off his visor. 

   "Yeah, uh, I- I was just waiting to make my move." Wrecker says, tilting his head to look at me. "But Delta stole my thunder."

  I give him a two-fingered salute, a smile on my face. 

  Echo sighs, sounding like a tired mother. 

  "Let's head back to the cruiser. I don't want to be spotted by other Scrappers." He says. 

  "I like that idea." I say, holding out my hand to Omega.

 ***

I'm not going to lie, my heartbeat speeds up at the sight Hunter waiting for us. Him and Tech are waiting outside one of the main doors of the Cruiser, Tech fiddling with some kind of device. Omega bolts ahead, and he gives her a hug, talking to her. 

 "Hey, kid. Did Wrecker teach you how to defuse a bomb?" He asks, his brown eyes crinkling at the corners because of his wide smile. Omega frowns.

 "I don't want to talk about it." She mutters, causing the sergeant to chuckle.

 I take off my helmet, shaking out my hair as I hold a hand out to Echo, helping him up a section of slipper metal. His artificial legs struggle with terrain that doesn't have much traction, and we all have silently agreed to help him, even though none of us mention it.

 Wrecker jumps up behind him, carrying the passed- out scrappers, bound at their wrists and ankles. He walks by us, and I wipe hair out of my face, walking towards Hunter. 

  "There's more scrapper patrols then normal. I don't know if it's safe to stay here." I say, tucking my helmet under my arm. His brown eyes look me up at down, as if assuring I'm okay, before nodding.

"Rex warned us about the scrapper patrols on Bracca. We should leave." Echo says, his voice lined with worry.

  "In our present situation, we need money. And we have the chance to make a lot of it right here." Hunter says, turning to look at his brother, a hand on his hip. Omega plops down on the floor, looking curious. I plop down next to Tech on a piece of ship, sighing.

  "In this dump? How?" Wrecker asks, confused.

  "Tech, what's the potential haul inside this cruiser?" Hunter says, turning to the brother sitting next to me.

  "My scans indicate that the armory and the artillery bay have not been full off-loaded." Tech taps away at his device, squinting and adjusting his goggles, before looking up. "The dianoga must have kept the scrappers away." 

  I shudder at the thought of the octopus like monster, running my fingers along my helmet.

"Just a few of those weapons should clear our debt with Sid." Hunter says thoughtfully.

  "But we're soldiers, not arms smugglers!" Echo says raising his hands in the air. I cut in.

  "The republic is dead, Echo. You used to be soldiers." I shrug. "But not anymore."

  "Exactly. We don't have the republic to rely on. We're presented with and opportunity here, we have to take it." Hunter speaks, nodding. 

"I would also add that the intel from the bridge's central system has the possibility to be worth far more than any weapon." Tech says, sliding his goggles up his nose. 

  "Eh, not to me!" Wrecker remarks, making me laugh. 

  "Tech, get to the bridge and get the power online and whatever intel you can gather." Hunter says, stepping towards me and holding out his hands. I place mine in his, and he pulls me to my feet. His eyes are staring at my face, and I stick my tongue out at him, making him smile. 

  "Uh, what do we do about them?" Omega says uncertainly, gesturing towards the the scrappers piled up behind her.

"We'll be gone before they wake up." Hunter says, pulling on his helmet. "Let's move out, team."

Hope you all are still with me! 

 - Kena