FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

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

THIRD PERSON POV

Fern meditated.

She did so while leaning her back against the built-in ladder directly underneath the gunner's mount with her legs crossed. Resting her wrists on her knees, she inhaled deeply through her nose, held her breath for approximately five seconds, and exhaled with the intentions to clear her mind of any detachment for the mission ahead. She needed to be fully committed in her duties if they were going to succeed—it was proving, however, to be wishful thinking, as reminders of why she was against it all flashed in her conscience like lightning. Her bottom lip quivered as every possible outcome she'd fabricated shuffled like a deck of cards—the good, the bad, the unimaginable, and the perfect...and the all in between.

"Since when do you meditate?"

Fern slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head back until it lightly bumped into a ladder rung. Her neutral disposition wavered into one of uncertainity when she found Echo towering over her. He didn't question her change in manner—he wasn't exactly expressing a cheerful grin himself.

"Since today." Fern sighed, almost in a whisper. "I'm not exactly in the appropriate mood to execute a delicate operation such as this one."

"Yeah..." Echo briefly turned his head away to determine his next words wisely. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he knelt to one knee in front of the female clone. "Look, I want to patch things up between us before we arrive on Eriadu, if you are open to talk."

"That will depend on what exactly you want to talk about." Fern chided monotonously. She remained unmoved, except for her eyes, which pointed downward when Echo lowered himself to her level due to her inclined chin. The cyborg clone chewed the inside of his bottom lip as his jaw shifted.

She had insinuated a stern demand for him to mince no words.

Reluctantly, he decided to oblige.

"If he had not turned on those Imperial officers in the training facility, we would have died anyway—execution-style, no doubt." Echo defended the sharpshooter.

"Your defense on his actions make him seem even more of a maniac." Fern rolled her eyes, bringing her knees together and pulling them close to her chest. "If he had not brought Hunter and me to Kamino in the first place, none of us would have been near the planet when the cities were obliterated. And now that I really reflect... That whole situation started when Rex haphazardly called us and handed us that rescue mission that made Cid's jobs feel well-equipped and stocked with intel."

"You blame Rex?" Echo blinked, stunned. His tone then deepened with aggression. "Had we not helped Rex, Gregor would still be a prisoner under the Empire, or worse. He has been a tremendous asset to the cause. It was the right thing to do."

"It's always about doing what is right with you, Echo." Fern shook her head, the redundant topic weighed exhaustively on her shoulders. "I used to think that was your greatest strength, but now I've come to realize it gives you tunnel vision as well."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about perspective, Echo." Fern said calmly. "On one hand, yes, we saved Gregor and the consequences regarding him have been beneficial. On the other, Hunter and I were captured, brought to Kamino by Crosshair, and the rest of you were lured into a trap—all in the attempt to convince us to join him and the Empire with no regard to the stress and pain both of them caused us up to that point..."

She lifted her shimmering eyes to the ceiling and allowed her legs to stretch out flat, crossing her ankles and resting her hands in her lap. "I—hmm—The moment I stepped foot on Kamino in restraints, I sought to reach Crosshair—open his eyes to the truth, and bring him home. Even after learning his inhibitor chip had been removed, and despite being absolutely furious and heartbroken, I tried...so hard...to understand his perspective, his place among us and within the Empire, to convince him that maybe—" She stopped, surrendering before she digressed to the point of redundancy.