FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

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

FERN'S POV

"Oh, how I have missed you." I sighed blissfully, hugging my arms after I slipped on my snug bomber jacket with the sky-blue detail. Not long after the Marauder zipped into hyperspace, I jumped from the co-pilot's seat and dashed to the corridor cabinets where my belongings were stored. Folded neatly on top was my prized possession. Strolling over to the main cabin, my eyes fluttered close as my insulated body heat warmed my arms and torso. My left hip leaned against the console. When I inhaled, I felt another pair of arms wrap around me. Reclining back into his chest, I hummed with content. "Yes, I will always miss you more than a jacket."

"That is good to hear." Hunter chuckled in my ear. I rubbed up against him and arched my neck back as I rolled around in his embrace. My forehead pressed underneath his chin and my nose inhaled again. He smelled of the outdoors, as always. As I wrapped my fingers around his scarf, I noticed he had shed his armor and changed into his more casual, padded vest and shoulder guards. "Didn't you say you and Omega were going to get some sleep?"

"I did," I sighed again, but this time with annoyance. "but I also said we have to contact Cid first, and I am procrasinating."

Hunter unfurled his arms and caressed his hands down my biceps, looking down on me with those handsome, dark eyes that cured all my worries with just a blink. He spoke in a low, calm tone in our close proximity, "You are considering we should cut ties with Cid."

"I warned her, Hunter." I said, the corner of my lips cheeked to one side when he verbalized my thoughts. "She has disappointed me for the last time. I'm done. But it is not up to just me; you all get a say in this as well. It's our lives at stake, so everyone gets a vote."

"I am with you." Hunter said, dropping his hands. "I'm not happy with our situation with Cid just as much as you. Unfortunately, we don't have many other options...I would prefer we find an alternative first before we move on."

"That's understandable." I nodded. I then picked myself up on my toes and kissed him. Then, another, deeper one with my hand cupping his stubbled jawline. When I went for a third peck, Hunter craned his neck back from my reach, chuckling. "You're still procrascinating."

"And you're complaining?" I smirked before backing away from him and throwing my hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with."

All five of us gathered in the cockpit. Tech and Wrecker had also dressed down into their comfortable attire. Omega shook out her blonde hair after removing her leather headgear. Settling myself down in the co-pilot's seat with her and Hunter on either side of me, I activated the signal to contact Cid. The hologram switched on and the Trandoshan woman greeted us with crossed arms and a grimaced disposition, as if we were the ones who abandoned her on a desert planet. We reciprocated with our own disappointed expressions.

"What are you all sneering at?" she chided.

"I could ask you the same thing." I retorted, raising a brow. "You look like someone who was just put in a timeout."

"I've got a lot going on here, Princess!" she snapped, to which I blinked, confounded by this oddly-aggressive behavior. However, her reptilian, yellow eyes glared at me for only a moment before receding to a neutral stare. My own narrowed in suspicion. Whenever Cid claimed to have a lot on her plate, it was difficult to differentiate whether she was exaggerating or not. Right now, it did seem she was troubled by something. "I see you got your ship back. And got off that planet. See? You didn't need my help, after all."

"That's not the point." Hunter stepped in.

"We needed your help." Omega said with the same tone. "We needed you, and you left us."