FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

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

"Nice bedside manner, Commander." Athena raised a brow.

"In your case, Ensign," he said. "I wouldn't leave the platform. If the snow doesn't soak right through those layers, then you will for sure go numb from the wind alone. It would be unfortunate for you to pass out while—"

Suddenly, the comms erupted with blaster fire.

"Commander, raiders spotted inside the perimeter." One of Mayday's men alerted.

"I'll cover the west." the commander directed. "Crosshair, take the east. Ensign, circle around the farside. We'll surround them and cut them off."

Athena sprinted across the platform. The wind stung her face as she pumped her arms, blaster in hand. Her hood fell back, and her raven hair whipped in the wind. Alarms blared across the complex. In her pursuit around the bend, she collided with another person, both of their bodies spiralling across the metal surface. Athena rolled onto her stomach and jerked her head up to find herself locking eyes with one of the attackers. His tinted goggles glowered at her, then slightly down. She mimicked him, and spotted her blaster lying between them. Her brows furrowed. Her palms pressed into the platform.

Tick.

In a blink, Athena tucked her head and somersaulted, then swerved her upper body as the raider snatched and fired the blaster, just as she foresaw. Her hands clasped onto his outstretched arm and yanked it back, dislocating his shoulder. The blaster dropped out of his hand and clattered. Athena side-swept her leg into the raider's gut and scooped up the weapon simultaneously.

Pow! She killed the intruder point-blank.

Without hesitation, she scrambled to her feet and raced around the main depot, only to evade a speeder hauling two supply crates. She aimed and fired repeatedly, but only managed to snag the rear rider. Then, they were out of range...

KA-BOOM!!!

An explosion quaked the entire platform under Athena's feet. On her left, she saw a black cloud of smoke engulf the air from behind the east of the depot.

Crosshair...

"Ensign!"

Mayday called to her as he jogged over. "Veetch and Hexx are dead. Did you see the intruders?"

"I killed two of them, but the others escaped with two crates." Athena updated, her eyes locked on the dispersing smoke. She stuffed the flying strands of hair in her headband; her half-up bun had unraveled. She then pulled up her hood with a huff. "I need to get back."

"I'm on your six." the commander nodded.

They charged back the way Athena came and discovered a destroyed shuttlecraft, a few clones' bodies, and a trail of smeared blood leading to the edge of the platform. At this point, the wind had diminished, expanding Athena's horizon perception. She examined the first splotch of the crimson-red body fluid closely and scanned her eyes up to the watchtower thirty yards away. A sniper shot had inflicted such a wound to expel this much blood...but there was no body, and thus...

Crosshair missed?

Something had thwarted his precise calculations in the seconds it took him to decipher the correct angles, trajectory, distance, depth, wind speed, and timing before he pulled the trigger. She deduced it had something to do with the explosion...

Where was he now?

"I need to go find him." Athena would have bolted and followed the trail of blood if Mayday hadn't snatched her shoulder. "Hold on there. I think it'd be best if you reported to the lieutenant."