STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R F O R T Y-S E V E N

FERN'S POV

The three of us conveyed to the training center. Crosshair was now gripping my right bicep and shoving me along while pointing the blaster at Hunter's back. The heavy cuffs around my wrists seemed to constrict tighter and tighter with every step, to the point I couldn't lift my hands without effort. My limited number of opportunities to persuade the former Clone Force 99 member to give in to his delusion was dwindling. At this point, I had one more shot...

"Do you really believe we were the ones who betrayed you?" I breathed softly, presuming a more direct approach would be unproductive. "How do you think we felt when you called us traitors and aimed your rifle at us in that hangar, when all of this began?"

"Shut up," Crosshair warned with a growl. It reverberated like a very serious threat through his helmet's modulator.

"You can't tell me," I continued, managing to remain calm within my tone and words. "that you watched us escape Kamino from your frontal assault and conceived it as 'They left me'..."

There was a moment of hesitance before he tightened his grip on my arm. "I suggest, Fern, you stay quiet before I silence you. For good."

"If that's what you wanted," I glared over my shoulder with skeptic eyes. "then you would've already done it." With those last words, I did as I was told and sealed my lips, knowing my window was now closed, but perhaps cracked...

We at last reached the training center. The last time I was in this large facility, I had saved Hunter's life by hurling my vibro-knife into a live-ammunitioned droid. I wished I had that weapon on me now, but it hung on Crosshair's belt. My beloved gauntlets, were gone. After we halted near the heart of the massive room, a squad of four troopers joined us and lined the elevated perimeter around the center divot, in which the rectangular lift was already lowered one floor down. Crosshair was predicting our squad would "sneak in" through there.

And he was correct. Soon enough, we heard the whirling of the lift rising, revealing Tech, Echo, and Wrecker, weapons drawn, yet quickly realizing they were outnumbered. I instantly noticed Omega was not present.

"Well, guess you were wrong about that." Wrecker stated, and I stifled a laugh in my throat, sensing Tech would assume they'd had some form of the element of surprise. 

"And here we all are, together again." Crosshair proudly tossed the comm device that led them here. He donned the arrogance he'd already won the battle; like a hunter playing with his prey before delivering the inevitable final blow. "You won't be needing your weapons." While I shook my head to not surrender, Hunter nodded the order and the three of them obeyed.

"See?" the sharpshooter quipped. "Following orders isn't so difficult." He paused, scanning the clones once over. "Where's your little sidekick?"

"If you touch her, you're a dead man." I whipped around to shove my cuffed hands into his chest, but I had momentarily forgotten his still clutched my arm, resisting my attempt. "You'll have to do better than that, Fern." He gestured to one of his troopers. "Find the kid. The rest of you, hold your positions."

"But, we are running out of time, Commander." One trooper insisted.

"I said, hold."

"So, this was your grand plan?" Hunter huffed. "Bring us here, and kill us?"

"It's like Fern said," Crosshair said. "if I wanted you dead, you would be. Not that it wouldn't be justified." At this point, he finally released me, allowing me and Hunter to turn our full attention to him as he continued, specifically addressing the sergeant. What I heard next, my heartbeat escalated while my chest tightened inward. "You betrayed everything we stood for...and for what? The Republic?"