Star Wars: The Bad Batch - Keeper's Arena

Chapter 12 - A Beacon of Hope and Worry

The crowd gasped again, and Jade looked towards the tower in the middle, wondering if Keeper simply planned to kill them all. The sun glared in her eyes, and Jade lifted the communication device. The others would have a better view of everything than she would.

"Where is it?"

She wanted to ask for advice, but she wasn't quite sure how to word it. Thankfully, Tech provided more than enough information.

"It is difficult to tell, but I believe it is moving away from your position, at least for the time being. You and Hunter managed to climb some of the tallest trees; my suggestion would be to stay put."

Hunter watched her, but they couldn't exactly communicate.

"Before you label me as a heartless, cold-blooded murderer," Keeper announced, smiling at the crowd. "I assure you; these captives have an opportunity. They just haven't noticed it yet."

"What does that even mean?" Jade scoffed, scanning the waters more intently.

"Jade," Wrecker said, warning in his tone. "I think it's coming back around."

Jade took a deep breath. There was only one way to be sure of both Wrecker's remark and Keeper's words of advice – she submerged herself in the water again, still holding on to the branches as if they were her only lifeline; a ladder to safety. The creature was circling around trees in the distant blue, turning its face whenever it needed to see clearly. Jade hoped that meant it had poor eyesight. She also figured out what Keeper meant by a solution. On the ground and near the trees were glass domes – raised slightly for someone to swim under. The dome could fit more than one person, but they weren't large enough for a group. Jade assumed the water would drain out once they closed. Would it really hold up against the creature? The creature swiveled with expert maneuverability, and Jade remained as still as possible. When she felt relatively safe and her lungs began to ache, Jade resurfaced, moving around the tree to face Hunter. She had to shout to make herself heard, but it didn't matter, now.

"Glass domes," she called, pointing at the water. "I think we're supposed to get in them. There's one between us; I say we go for it."

In actuality, it was a bit closer to Hunter, but Jade wasn't going to share that particular detail. She wasn't even going to think about it. She was sure she could hold her breath more than long enough; Keeper hadn't made it too difficult. If you were to ignore the creature, of course. Hunter seemed slightly hesitant.

"How are we going to avoid that thing?" Hunter asked, pointing to the water.

It was a reasonable concern, and Jade shook her head, just as unsure as he was.

"I don't know. It's better than waiting to get attacked, though."

Jade didn't like following through with a hasty plan, but it was the best one she had. Besides that, they were running out of time. She let out a slow breath in preparation, then looked at Hunter in determination.

"Ready?" Jade asked, and Hunter nodded, shifting to a different spot in the branches.

"There are glass domes we're going to try and reach," Jade lifted the communication device and spoke into it. "You won't hear from us again until we get inside – Keeper put them at ground level."

"Are you sure about this?" Echo asked.

"Not really," Jade responded, and with a nod aimed towards Hunter, Jade took a deep breath and dropped into the water.

She sank fast, but it wasn't fast enough. The creature was coming far too close, sensing movement. Jade used the tree to help push off, but for the most part... she was exposed and vulnerable. Jade wondered if Hunter was sinking faster due to his armor, and her chest tightened in protest the lower she sunk. When a low growl sounded, Jade turned her head. Her body froze, but she continued to fall gradually. The branches were inches away, but so was the creature. He didn't see her yet; he was making a pass around the tree. His scales glided past her face like a train, and Jade kicked back as carefully as she could. When the creature's tail disappeared, she picked up the pace and glanced at Hunter, who had also slowed. He was pulling out his blaster. It would do little damage, but the laser would still glide through the water. When he motioned for her to swim even further back, Jade looked over her shoulder again and noticed the very tip of the creature's nose, his jaw gradually opening.