THIRD PERSON POV
As the tram pulled out of the terminal under Echo's override command, Fern stared at Tech in a deadpan manner, shifting her weight from one hip to the other.
"So," She summed up his explanation into one statement. "this Saw Gerrara is an extremist."
"Precisely." Tech sighed.
What are the odds? she pondered, her chin lowering to the left. There is no way this could be coincidence—Gerrara could have targeted any Imperial compound on any planet... According to Tech, he's just intending to wipe out some high-ranking officers to, essentially, send a message... Or maybe, he was aiming for someone specific, and knew where and when that person would be...
Suddenly, it hit Fern. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she jumped to the side window and looked back at the fortress through the slanted metal visors. Simultaneously, a battery cannon from the fortress attempted to shoot down an escaped shuttle; a moment later, a series of explosions erupted throughout the bottom half of the compound, particularly in the hangar where the clones had just departed...
"No..." she breathed. Her body abruptly depressed, as if her bones cemented into lead and her blood congealed into jelly. Her trembling fingers clutched the doorframe as she concentrated on regulating her accelerated heartbeat; her labored breath shuddered through her nose.
We failed...and because of a random third party. This Saw Gerrara...is no ex-Republic fighter... He's a liability. He prioritized harming a handful of expendable Imperials not only over extracting vital data, but also potential allies' survival—and he ultimately achieved nothing besides destroying the compound's hangar, and sabotaging our mission...
That bastard...
Thick, black smoke billowed from the compound as the twin tram cars zipped away. The clones had reached the horizonal portion of the track, when suddenly, blue electrical sparks crackled across the entire rail line and shortcircuited the power.
Screeeeech...
The tram slowed to a dead stop...
"What's happening?" Fern articulated with apprehension, her eyes veering to the front. Her chest heaved inward. Through the caged window, she noticed another tram on the parallel line also halting due to the power loss. The stormtroopers in it were forcing the slide doors open and readying their weapons.
"This is going to be a problem." Tech stated bluntly by her side.
They were trapped inside a gridlocked tram, suspended thousands of feet above an unseen abyss, with the enemy directly in front of them.
Problem? This was exactly what Fern had been afraid of since the beginning...
"Wrecker, help me get these doors open." Hunter said. The two of them wrenched the heavy slide panels apart. Everyone gathered at the edge and glanced down. Fern gulped when she once again discerned the jagged, snowy peaks of mountain ranges beneath the cloudy blanket.
Mountains beneath the mountains...
"This is not ideal." Tech added.
YOU ARE READING
FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO
Fanfiction*SEQUEL* to my first TBB fanfiction titled "Stealth and Track" The adventures of Fern, Omega, and the boys of the Bad Batch continue after the destruction of Kamino a few months prior. While the idea is to lay low now that they are all presumed dea...
