STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y-T H R E E

FERN'S POV

The inside of the Jedi cruiser was much more dangerous than the outside junkyard it resided in. It was pitch black without torches. Every step was a creak and a groan. I kept a very close eye on those around me in case one wrong step led to someone falling through the level, which Rex almost did when we literally stumbled upon a large chasm between us and our destination. Below was more of that nasty water. Finding a large cable, slinging it across the gap, one by one we crawled across. I may or may not showed off my balancing act, performing a flip once I reached the other side.

"Show off." Echo rolled his eyes.

Omega was the second to last person to cross and Rex caught her as she dropped down safely. "Nicely done." he commented.

"Can I try what Fern did next time?" Omega half-joked, and Hunter shot it down quick. Kill-joy.

Lastly, it was Wrecker's turn, who completely objected the idea. "Uh, you know what, my head doesn't hurt so much anymore. I'm fine. You guys go without me."

"Just keep your eyes on the cable!" Omega cheered him on.

"Nothing to it, you big oaf!" I shouted, too, but I was a little less optimistic about the weight distribution. "Just don't look down!"

"Ugh..." Wrecker was very wary as he climbed on the cable, and the moment his last foot left the ledge, he and the cable plummeted almost six feet, the makeshift tightrope strained underneath his weight. Then, it snapped.

"Wrecker!" Everyone exclaimed as the largest clone shot down, his foot getting tangled, and bungeed. Eventually, he was left dangling upside down above the water. 

"Are you okay?"

"No! Smells awful down here!" Wrecker complained.

"Well?' I whipped my head at the boys standing around. "What are you all waiting for? Pull him up!" The clones began hauling Wrecker up while Omega and I shined our torches down and assessed their progress. A moment later, a giant shadow waded below the surface.

"What's that?" Omega whimpered.

"Guys, pull faster." I immediately sprang to my feet and grasped the cable in front of Hunter. "Wrecker!" I shouted. "Start climbing!"

"W-why?!" His voice cracked.

The looming, aquatic creature surfaced. Its whipping tentacles sprang and a reptilian tongue snatched Wrecker's torso. It sucked him under, still attached to the constricted cable. The creature's reverberating snarls echoed throughout the cruiser's ruins as its tentacles continued to wrestle with the flailing clone. Rex, the rest of the boys, and I tug-o-warred with the monster only briefly, when suddenly the cable went limp, causing all of us to stumble back due to the lack of tension; I collapsed right between Hunter's legs. And then, everything was quiet...

"Wrecker?" Omega cried, shining her torch down at the rippling water.

"Wrecker!" Rex and I called. My heart sank only briefly, thinking we had lost him, when his body emerged, and he began climbing. However, the monster was still there as well. Instead of taking up the cable again, I snatched Hunter's blaster from his belt and fired down at the creature's tentacles and gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, forcing it to recoil back where it belonged. Finally, Wrecker reached the top, heaving and panting. 

"Makes you miss battling clankers, doesn't it?" I joked with a smile before rising to my feet.

"Heh, yeah." Wrecker scoffed.

We couldn't rest and eventually found the medical bay. It was just as busted and trashed as the rest of the abandoned cruiser, with some harmless Braccian creatures still scuttling about. Rex shined his light around and nodded, "This will do nicely."