FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N

THIRD PERSON POV

The promenade to the archives, located five floors down and a few corridors over from Rampart's office, was stale to say the least. In the lift, awkward silence filled the close airspace. Crosshair stuck a thin toothpick in the corner of his mouth and manuevered it with his tongue. Athena requested one, like she had done on Desix, only to receive a glance before he rolled his toasted-brown eyes back ahead. The bounty hunter stared at his profile, her eyes trailing over to the burn scars webbed around the side and back of his skull. The bright, white light of the lift prominently etched into the crevices of the skin tissue.

Athena cleared her throat, the sound echoed densely in the tight space. "How did you get your scars?"

As she had to come to learn in the short while of being in his presense, Crosshair never responded immediately. It was as if he always debated the conversation before it even happens. Nevertheless, he sighed, "An ion cannon."

"An i—what?" Athena blinked. "What were you doing around an—You know what, I like a mystery."

"Wise—"

"Nope," Athena changed her mind, hopping on her toes to face her whole body towards him. "You have to tell me." Her burst of energy caused Crosshair to flinch — her firey dark eyes shimmered with such voracity, he questioned her intentions of inquiry. Fern had never made that expression before...

"I was hunting down insurgents on Bracca."

"That junkyard planet?"

"Mhmm," Crosshair nodded and straightened himself once Athena stepped back. "My men and I managed to trap them in a Venator's ion engine, so I ordered for it to be activated with them in it."

"How could you have possibly been able to activate it?" Athena questioned. "I've been on Bracca before, and those demolished star-destroyers are beyond rebooting power."

Crosshair's jaw clenched; the toothpick's sharp tip elevated. "Unless you know how to rewire it..."

"Whomever these insurgents were," Athena scoffed. "they had skills. So what happened next?"

"They managed to denonate the cylinder of the engine and break away before the cannon ignited." Crosshair explained. "When it did, I was caught in the blast. I was exposed for maybe a few seconds before I could take cover."

"And the insurgents?"

"...They got away."

The lift suddenly halted and the panel door slid up. Crosshair stomped off first. Athena hurried after him. While she paced herself with him, she eyed his belt and noticed he was still in possession of her dual vibro-knives, but she waited until they reached the transparent sliding doors to the archives before pointing to them and saying, "I would like those back. I am going to need them on this mission."

"What exactly is your mission?" he inquired, using two fingers to shift the pick in his mouth from one side to the other.

Athena hesitated. She could deduce enough that the elite clone was once part of this Clone Force 99 she was now tasked to eliminate. She figured it wouldn't be wise to let him in on the details. "I'm afraid that's classified. Orders of Admiral Rampart."

"Vice Admiral Rampart."

"Whatever." Athena rolled her eyes, then held out her hand. "My weapons, please." Crosshair gave the vibro-knives to her with a grim expression. The bounty hunter clipped them in their rightful place and gave the clone a two-finger salute. "Well, it's been a real slice." Her eyes only softened for a moment before she winked mischievously. "I bet we will be seeing each other a lot once I get back."