FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R T H I R T Y-N I N E

THIRD PERSON POV

DAY TWO

"What do we have in terms of rations?" Athena asked, biting a chunk off a fiber bar. While she stomped out the last embers and fanned out the smoke, Crosshair knelt to one knee and rummaged through his pack. "I count two days. I also have one full cannister of water. How about you?"

"Minus this?" The bounty hunter waved her meal between her fingers with a smirk. "I, too, have two days of provisions plus a full canteen myself. I also have one smoke grenade, a medical kit, two flares, and—oh! Check it out!" She scooped out a small purse and bounced it in her palm. The jingling of credits filled the air. "A necessity, of course."

Crosshair rose to his feet and secured his equipment, including his rifle, on his back. Athena finished extinguishing the fire and shouldered her bag. The two of them then exchanged glances before parting to observe their surroundings. Every angle of their current location looked exactly alike: dense, vibrant-green, temperate forest beyond the eye could see.

"So..." Athena pursed her crimson lips, batting her eyes over to the elite clone. "which way do we go?"

"You're asking me?"

She shrugged and shifted her weight on one hip. "Well," she started, then fished out the holo-projector from her bag that contained the Imperial base layout. She switched it on, but it was a useless effort. There was no other information about the planet nor coorinates of other bases. She shut it down, tossed it away, and crushed it under her boot heel. She then raked her fingers through her curtain bangs, huffing, "We better getting going on finding a spaceport. Maybe there is a village nearby. At least we could ask for directions if we find one."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Crosshair cocked his head to the side. "but are you actually implying we pick a random direction and just mindlessly walk?"

"I don't hear you suggesting alternatives."

Crosshair straightened his posture as his chin lowered. "Fine. Which way will we go, then?"

The bounty hunter scanned the area. "My instincts tell me to follow the ridge here." She pointed at the jagged rock wall. "We'll eventually exit the ravine and get to higher ground. We can work out the next step then." Crosshair's eyes lined up to where she was indicating, then skimmed down the natural enclosure — its end was nowhere in sight. While anyone else would have received an uneasy feeling about their odds, the soldier sensed Athena's hunch was the best course of action. He nodded in agreement, to which she cheeked a proud grin. "Alright, let's follow that trail we blaze!"

———————————————————————

Crosshair learned fairly quickly that Athena Quinn was a terrible travel companion...

They had been trekking in silence for hours. At high noon, the humid temperature was unbearable. Both clones were drenched in sweat in the matter of minutes. Athena shed her bomber jacket and stuffed it in her bag; the thick fabric bulged out its opening. While they sought to conserve their limited water supply, it was a vain attempt. There was still no end of the ravine in sight, and they both had a quarter of a canteen left. Athena, as boredom weighed her down the longer they walked, was urged to strike up unwanted chatter:

"What is the most daring mission you ever completed during the war?"

"I know it looks impossible, but do you think we can scale this wall to reach the end of the ravine quicker?"

"Do you think our ship was stolen, or our pilot abandoned us when the base exploded?"

"Enough with the questions." Crosshair groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Let's walk in silence."