A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Chapter 17: The Bet

"Mando, are you in there?" There's a loud banging on the refresher door.

I just finished rebraiding my hair and brushing my teeth during my one of two designated refresher times. It still makes me nervous that they know when I could be exposed, but they haven't taken advantage of it yet. I'm starting to think they may not, no matter how badly they want to see me naked.

"Yes. I'm just finishing up." I call back to Vicrul.

"Scavenger and Skywalker have been spotted!" He shouts. I jump into action right away. "Took out half a squadron of troopers on Kashyyyk. We'll land in fifteen- we were already in this sector."

I slide my glove on as the refresher door opens, but Vicrul is already off to track down everyone else. I get my armor on at top speed, double checking the charge on both my wristcomm and my blaster. Knights are running past me between their quarters and the armory, yelling at each other and tugging on jackets and boots. I take thirty seconds to look up the specks of Kashyyk. I know its brutal history with the Empire, and recently the First Order, but I wrinkle my nose when I look at its climate. This won't be fun.

We wait at the top of the ramp for the slight bump to tell us the ship has landed. But this time, Kuruk comes running out of the cockpit. Not with his sniper rifle, but with two long barreled blasters. He runs right up to my side as the ramp descends and we sprint out. Sticky heat seeps through my skin before I even get to the bottom of the ramp.

"Can't do much sniping in a fucking jungle," Kuruk says through comms, his voice a little breathy.

If I didn't have an oxygen filter, I'm not so sure I'd be able to breathe. I can feel how heavy the air is, see the wetness clinging to the dense greenery around us. We really are in the middle of thick jungle. Buzzing insects land on my visor before using my body as a springboard to fly away. My ears are full of panting from the Knights around me.

We rush through the thick foliage, plowing it down in our haste to reach a site of stone rubble covered in moss that's just barely visible up ahead.

"Why were stormtroopers out here?" I frown.

"Got 'em patrolling potential sites on all First Order controlled planets." Vicrul pants into his helmet.

We make it to the base of the destroyed temple, chucks of stone piled high, covered in moss and vines. Three of the sides are pushed up against a cliff, giving us access to just one. Big lizards scuttle around the surfaces. Laying on the ground before us is ten black and white masses. Dead stormtroopers. Flies swarm with a desperation to reach the flesh of the dead. I look up in search of an entrance to the decimated sight, seeing just a small black hole near the top.

A movement catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. My head turns just as a giant creature leaps forward at us. It has a huge, round body, white-ish with a pattern of red down the middle. It's much smaller round head is covered in eyes. Eight legs. It has eight legs. And it's bigger than me!

"Fucking spider!" Someone shouts into the comms.

With a look of disgust, I lunge sideways out of the way. It leaps on top of the Knights, trying to scuttle with its disgusting, long, spindly legs. It looks like it was headed for the dead bodies, but we got in the way. There's shouting and the sound of a canon fire. Grey goo splatters over my entire body as the creature explodes, coating my helmet and blocking my view.

A loud clicking noise comes from behind me. I wipe my visor with the back of my arm. The goo smears, but I get enough off to see a little. Another spider. And this time, I can't leap out of the way. Its two front pointy legs press down on my shoulders, and its pinchers open wide, revealing dagger sized fangs. My blaster points right at its face, just in time for it to sink its fangs into me.