FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R S I X T Y

"Indubitably." I bit the inside of my lip to avoid spitting out an untimely quip. In reality, I was concerned on a number of levels.

"You are dismissed."

"One more inquiry, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Ensign Quinn?"

"On this particular mission, do I have to wear the uniform?"

Lerga chuckled. "Veritably, I would advise you to bring your most thermic clothes. The subzero temperatures of the planet may impede on your productivity, so it would be wise to dress accordingly."

Subzero temperatures?!

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I exited the Imperial Military Base and strolled across the landing platform. While I managed to refrain from sprinting to my assigned shuttle, I could not resist the occasional skip in my step. It'd been close to twenty rotations since I'd last saw him...and before long, I swiveled a corner and spotted the handsome elite clone from afar. He stood in full uniform with his helmet tucked under his arm and his rifle propped at his side. His intense eyes were slowly scanning his surroundings.

I halted in my tracks as my heart palpitated exponentially. Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum. My lips uncontrollably spread into a wide grin as jitters rippled down my spine to the tips of my toes. I was bundled up in a number of layers for the mission, and upon sight of Crosshair, I was sweating from how warm my body kindled its anxiety. It required an immense amount of constraint to pull myself together before I initiated first contact with him since the day we kissed... After all, I had a reputation to uphold and protect.

"Long time, no see, Crosshair." I smiled as I bravely approached him. He turned to me and his toasted-amber eyes widened. Then, he chuckled, shaking his head as he grasped the thin piece of wood in his mouth between his fingers. "Am I correctly assuming you requested my attendance on this mission as well?"

"Actually, no." I snapped my fingers before scrunching my nose and pointing at myself. "In fact, I think I was the afterthought this time." I paused, taking in his familiar presence. I'd forgotten how open-minded I felt when I conversed with him in person. "It's g—"

"Why are you dressed like that?" he interrupted me, eyeing my wintery uniform with one brow raised.

"Oh, this?" I patted my light-grey parka that was buttoned up to my sternum; my gloved fingers fluffed out the fur-lined hood around my neck. Underneath was my prized bomber jacket and my full-body, skin-tight thermal suit with a high neck collar. I wore black, fleece leggings over the suit and three pairs of wool socks stuffed into my combat boots. The top layer of my raven hair was pulled up into a messy bun with a thick, warm headband hugging my forehead and ears. A pair of winter goggles dangled on top of my collarbone. I then hiked up the knapsack on my shoulder with a sarcastic bob of my head. "I am not a fan of the climate on the planet we are going to spending a week on."

The corner of Crosshair's mouth pulled to his left with a soft scoff through his nose, twisting the toothpick between his canines. He then fished out his small tin case, popped it open, and held it out for me to select my own. I beamed and plucked one from the bunch. As I placed one end on my tongue, I felt my face flush. The last time he made such a gesture, I initiated and performed a passionate kiss with him in the corridor.

Does Lt. Lerga know about that? I suddenly recalled the blonde neat-freak's awareness of my and Crosshair's connection. She knew about our 'private' conversations these past couple weeks... so it was completely plausible and she chose to refrain from sharing that detail.

"Something on your mind?" Crosshair snapped me back to the present. His intense eyes locked on me, and ironically a wave of comfort washed over me. There was also a sense of responsibility to spare him from being the wiser...Before I could come up with a fib, however, a poshed accent addressed the elite clone.

"CT-9904?" We both turned to find a middle-aged, pale-skinned man with sharp, blue eyes and blonde hair stuffed under a strange helmet. His thin lips seemed to be frozen in a permanent scowl. "You're out of uniform."

At first, Crosshair and I are slightly stunned by the man's asperity, but nonetheless Crosshair flicked away his toothpick, donned his helmet, and poised himself in attention to the officer. Dank ferrik... I thought to myself, manuevering my own pick with my tongue as I frowned. They really do take these uniform ethics seriously...

"I'm Lieutenant Nolan, your commanding officer for this mission. We're heading to the Imperial Depot on Bar—"

"With all due respect, I have already been briefed by Lt. Lerga, so I do not a recap." I smirked, reaching up and clapping a hand on Crosshair's shoulder. "I will be sure to inform this commendable soldier on all he needs to know. Thank you."

"And who are you?" Nolan glared at me.

"Ensign Athena Quinn."

"Ensign, is it?" Nolan's scowl deepened into a full glower. "You best learn your place quickly before I have you removed from this mission before it has even begun. And take that thing out of your mouth; you are not a woodland rodent gnawing on timber."

Out of utter astonishment he had the audacity to speak to me as such, I daintedly plucked the toothpick from my mouth, but instead of discarding it, I deposited it in a side pouch on my parka with a brow raised with plight attitude. I then parted my lips to retort, when two regular clones walked passed the three of us. One sighed, "At least it's a field mission." The other responded with the same sentiment. "No kidding."

Nolan sighed with disgust. "Fantastic. More clones."

"Problem, sir?" Crosshair questioned, his voice jeered through his helmet's modulator.

"Yes," The lieutenant stated bluntly. "I don't like used equipment." He then pivoted on his heel and boarded the shuttle. Viscerally, my fingers wrapped around my vibro-knife's hilt. While I was not innocent in my discriminatory nature towards clones in the past—mostly encouraged by the reality I was one but not serving my purpose as one—that didn't mean I was going to stand by and allow it to continue by others—especially not from this pompous jerk of a lieutenant.

Crosshair subtly grasped my wrist, however, and firmly held it in place. When I looked up at him, he was staring straight ahead. "He's not worth it." he said coldly. Reluctantly, I agreed with him and loosened my grip on my weapon, in which he responded by releasing me. I then retrieved the toothpick from my pouch and smugly stuck between my teeth before shrugging, "I have a feeling it's going to be a long week," Digging my fists into my parka's pockets, I strolled towards the shuttle to board and nodded my head, gesturing him to follow. "But at least, we'll have each other's company, huh?"

As I hiked up the ramp, I caught Crosshair's amused scoff, and I smiled to myself. I heard his footsteps clicking against the metal behind me. My heart thumped in sync with every step. There I am, doing it again...Making compromises just so I can be by his side. Right now, more than ever though, we needed each other. It is clear we are being watched and eavesdropped, which is all the more reason to be vigilant...Maybe my foresight is evolving mentally, because for some reason, I had a really bad feeling I was going regret something...

What would I regret, I could not say, until it was too late.