Chapter Text
The stench of blood was heavy in the air as Cassian dashed down the hill. It seemed to be a tangible force, filling his nostrils and throat so dreadfully that he had to repress the urge to gag. He gripped the handle of his machete too tightly. He could feel the hilt grate against his palm and fingers, making them tingle.
He spotted a pile of bodies blocking the path down the hill and cursed under his breath. He glanced behind him and grabbed the hand of the slave girl who was following him.
“We must climb down. Be ready.”
She gave a nod of acknowledgement, her heavy pants taking too much air for her to verbally respond. Cassian led her to a rocky ledge just off of the main path and sheathed his weapon to free both hands and make his descent, about seven feet down. Once he was on flat ground again, he held out his arms for the girl to jump down. She squealed as she fell the short distance down to meet him, but Cassian gave her no time to recuperate. He grabbed hold of her hand again and yanked her behind him toward the main gate. It was lucky for her that she wasn’t required to wear a collar. She might be the only slave left standing, once the attack upon The Fort was over.
Cassian and the girl passed countless legionary corpses as they made way for the gate, many mutilated and abused so badly that the identity of the dead would be impossible to determine. The slave began to softly cry.
“We’re almost there!” Cassian cried as they rounded the corner for the exit. “We’re-”
The legionary fell silent as he came face-to-face with the end of a shotgun. He held his arms out to prevent the slave girl from running on ahead, making her bump into his back. She blurted out an apology before craning her head around to see what had halted them, a shaky gasp leaving her as she realized they were about to die. Cassian felt her fists twist to cling to his tunic as she started to sob again.
The shotgun lowered to point at Cassian’s feet. He met the shocked gaze of a red-haired woman, her jaw slack as she examined the legionary and slave alike.
“Well, fuck me! Boone, call in Six!”
A shudder crawled up Cassian’s back as an NCR ranger appeared from behind a jut of sandstone near the main gate. The soldier sighed as he used his shirt to clean off his sunglasses, his attention not yet on them.
“What the hell for, Cass?”
The ranger squinted as he looked up to see what had the red-haired woman disturbed. The soldier blinked at the sight of Cassian and the slave, his face in an eerily neutral mask as he pulled a walkie-talkie out from one of his pant pockets. “Six, we’ve got two kids down here by the gate. A male, about fourteen, and a little girl, about thirteen. The boy’s armed.”
The slave girl pulled tighter on Cassian’s tunic, her hands shaking as she cried out, “Please, don’t hurt us!”
“Shut up, Serena!” he hissed over his shoulder. The young legionary fixed his gaze on the ranger to his right. The red-haired woman was armed as well, but Cassian knew the ranger posed the greater threat. If he could kill the NCR soldier, they just might have a chance…
As quickly as he could, Cassian unsheathed his machete and took a wild swing at the ranger’s abdomen. The profligate narrowly missed a finishing blow, his eyes going wide as the blade sliced within an inch of his belly.
“Stop!” the red-haired woman shouted. “We don’t want to hurt you!”
Cassian slashed at the ranger over and over again, but each time the soldier backed away and outmaneuvered him. On one of his twists, the soldier took Cassian by surprise and suddenly launched his whole body forward. He grabbed hold of the legionary's wrist and dug his thumb into Cassian’s veins, making him groan as he dropped his machete to the ground.
Despair crashed over Cassian like a wave, forceful and totally engulfing. So stupid! How had he let a bit of pain disarm him? He snarled before lunging right back at the ranger, sending them both tumbling in the dirt.
“Run, Serena!” he screamed. “Get away from them!”
The ranger grunted as he tried to shove Cassian away. “Damn it kid, get off me!”
The legionary struggled to hold the NCR soldier pinned, but he used every bit of energy he had remaining to keep him down. He knew the ranger and woman would kill him, but at least someone would escape the massacre. Hopefully Serena would be able to make her way to Cottonwood Cove. Surely some of Caesar’s Frumentarii had survived and would find the slave girl waiting there. They could take her back east and sell her to a new master. That, at least, would make Cassian’s death meaningful.
The young legionary had just managed to get one of his hands around the ranger’s throat when a sharp, blinding pain bloomed on the back of his skull. He cried out in agony and fell off of the NCR soldier, the ache in his head growing each second.
Cassian blinked as he faced the great blue sky above him, the bright midday sun stinging his eyes. The red-haired woman and slave girl appeared on either side of him, both of their expressions twisted with frowns.
The legionary heard the ranger push himself up from the ground with a groan before he appeared at Cassian’s head. “Jesus Six, did you have to hit him so hard? I think he’s going to pass out.”
As the corners of his vision faded to black, Cassian saw another figure come into view at his feet, an aging man with long gray hair and a fiery red scar at the center of his forehead. He looked down at Cassian disdainfully, his mustache twitched up on one side as he gave a sneer.
“Good. It’ll make it easier to take him with us.”