STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

BONUS CHAPTER 2: Alternate Ending

TIMESKIP TO THE ARRIVAL ON KAMINO...The squad has travelled through the tunnel and arrived to Nala Se's secret lab. Once breached, they arrive in the equipment room underneath the Training Facility, where the comm is beaconing where Hunter is...

FERN'S POV

After we arrived the equipment room, my heart was racing. The training room was open ground and we could easily be picked off. Every single one of us knew it was a trap, too. I wouldn't be shocked if an entire battelion was waiting for us right above our heads. Echo noticed my nervousness and patted my shoulder in silence.

"We will enter through the lift." Tech said. "That should give us a slight advantage." I couldn't help rolling my eyes. Well, my conscience inquired. Do you have a better plan? I'm sure the boys would love to hear it. Unfortunately, I did not, but...

"Omega, wait here." Echo ordered.

"No, we should stick together." The little girl objected. I ruffled her hair and shook my head. "Afraid not, Half-Pint. Echo's right. Crosshair wants us, not you." I knelt down next to her and clasped onto shoulder as she pouted with her head hung low.

"If things go south, we'll send you a signal." Echo stated. "Get back to the ship and contact Rex. Fern, let's go."

"I'm coming." I nodded to him, but before I departed from Omega, I leaned in, posing as an embrace, and whispered in her ear. "Signal means droids." I then winked at her before joining Echo, Wrecker, and Tech onto the lift. "Alright, boys. Let's go get caught."

"Your optimism is supreme, Fern." Tech rolled his eyes and activated the lift. Upon entering the training room, surprise surprise, we were greeted with a squad of Imperial troopers pointing their blasters at us like fish in a barrel.

"Well, I guess you were wrong about that." Wrecker scoffed.

My eyes locked immediately with Hunter's, who was standing next to Crosshair, his wrists cuffed. The sharpshooter was armed with his own hand blaster right into Hunter's back. He tossed a comm device towards us, the object bouncing and rolling to a stop, as if to elude us it was a trap all along, jesting, "And here we all are, together again. You won't be needing your weapons."

When Hunter gave the nod to obey Crosshair's suggestion, my mouth twisted in disappointment. As I and the rest of the boys tossed aside our weapons, including my vibro-knife, I scoffed, "Why don't you show your face if you're so happy to see us?"

"Fern, you were always the joker, weren't you?" I could feel his eyes rolling behind that Imperial helmet. "Unfortunately, I don't take orders for you. Seems like you all finally figured it out, though." He then scanned us and questioned, "Where's your little sidekick?"

"You think we'd bring her here?" Wrecker chuckled, lifting his helmet to where it sat above his brow. "We're smarter than that."

"Lying was never your strength, Wrecker." Crosshair said.

"It seems like things have gone south for us, huh?" I said, giving Echo a side-eye glance and he got the message, activating a signal to Omega. She was a smart girl, so I knew she would pull through with our plan. Crosshair ordered one of his troopers to find her, so Omega needed to hurry.

"You hurt her and I beat you to a pulp." I growled, I began to step forward to approach Crosshair and Hunter, and the troopers surrounding us locked their aim on me. "What?" My aggravation intensified as I shot my eyes at them. "Come on. I dare you."

"Fern, stand down." Hunter ordered in a firm voice and I couldn't help but grimaced. "Why? He's not going to execute us. He would've done it already if he wanted us dead. Isn't that right, Crosshair?"