STEALTH and TRACK: BOOK ONE

C H A P T E R T W E N T Y-S I X

THIRD PERSON POV

"Give me that." Fern snatched the datapad from Tech and punched in a code to block Crosshair's scanners; this way he and his battalion wouldn't be able to detect them. "This won't stop them, but it'll buy us time. Let's go."

They met halfway with the rest of their squad to quickly devise a plan. Wrecker and Echo were loaded with weapons and supplies that could be sold. "We got what we came for." The former shouldered a proton torpedo. "Let's get back to the Marauder."

"By now, they are already on board the cruiser." Fern shook her head. "We need a covert way out. Any ideas?"

"They'll most likely do a forward-to-aft sweep. We can alternate corridors. This way." Echo pushed the hover cart ahead of the squad, guiding them through the damaged labyrinth. The main power was still operational; exposed wires and panel doors sparked and malfunctioned everywhere the clones turned. Using their torches, they maneuvered towards the closest exit point, which would be the hangar. The atmosphere around them was eerily quiet.

"Talk to me, Tech." Hunter asked in a breathy voice for any updates.

"I'm trying to tap into the regs' comms so we can monitor their movements." The intellectual clone responded. Somewhere in the distance, a banging echoed through the hollow corridors. They all quickly switched off their lights and pressed themselves against the walls just before more clone troopers turned the corner, weapons ready. They passed Clone Force 99 without noticing them, and the latter continued their escape.

"I'm in." Tech announced and his pad whirred with comm chatter.

"All squads." Crosshair's nasal voice was the first to sound. "Push the targets towards the hangar. We'll pin them down."

"Aren't we heading to the hangar?" Omega questioned worriedly.

"Not anymore." Hunter stated. "We'll cut through the artillery deck." 

A few corridors later, they arrived. With all the sudden movements throughout the cruiser, there was an endless sequence of creaks and groans of metal echoing about the ship. Fern was shocked they had not been tracked down with all the clamoring. The deck was illuminated by the moon's light that streamed through gaps in the ceiling and the mouths on the exterior wall where archaic cannons faced out.

"I knew it." the female clone grumbled as she peered out one of the massive slots. "We're way too up high, and I don't have a grappling line that will support us all plus the supplies." She eyed Wrecker, who was in complete agreement not to go for other reasons. "Hunter," She approached the sergeant. "I think we should find a shaft of some sort—something that would lead straight down and lower the risk of being followed."

"The closest one from here would be next door, where they would keep ammunition." Hunter nodded in agreement. Both of them gazed at each other for a moment, realizing it had been awhile since they experienced that feeling of the two of them hatching a plan together.

Their moment and plan were interrupted unfortunately when Crosshair and his forces burst through the doors on all sides and quickly surrounded them. Hunter pushed Omega behind and him and Fern. They and the rest of his squad formed a circle and pointed their blasters, but they were highly outnumbered. Crosshair, the former member of Clone Force 99, stepped forward, now donning new soldier armor. His helmet no longer displayed the target emblem that match the tattoo around his right eye...

"Tapping our comms to track our movements?" His voice sneered through the helmet's modulator. "So predictable."

"Nice to see you, too, Crosshair." Wrecker scoffed.