52

The Marauder touched down on Eriadu with a gentle jolt. Nearby, a flock of dark brown birds took flight – the only sign of their landing on the Empire-held planet.

Warm scents of pine and wildflower blew in through the filters, playing along Saedii's face. Next to her, Hunter inhaled deeply, reading the scents that were too faint for Saedii to catch. Omega leaned between them to lay eyes on the forest-covered planet.

"It looks empty," she commented. Her voice, Saedii noticed, was flat. Still angry.

"Governor Tarkin has a mountain-side base six clicks from here," Tech reported.

Saedii scrunched her nose. Of course Tarkin had been promoted. She'd met him only once, but it had been enough to give her a clear image of the man. He was someone who would do anything for even the barest scrap of power.

Crosshair was a ghost behind her. The brush of his hurt in the Force was nearly enough to turn her stomach. When she tried to catch his eye, he turned away.

"Why are we here again?" Omega's tone sharpened. Definitely still angry.

Hunter's lips thinned at the sound as Echo answered, "There's a high-ranking Imperial summit happening here to discuss Project Stardust. Rex hasn't been able to learn much about it. He's hoping we'll catch some valuable intel."

At the word valuable, Omega's brow drew down.

Tech held out his hologram. "There is something else. A rumor that Padme has heard through her sources. Apparently, there is a secret sector of the Empire that may be detaining Clones for illegal human experimentation."

"What?" This was the first time Saedii was hearing of this. She looked sharply to Echo and Hunter – the later of whom looked down.

"It is known as the Advanced Science Division," Tech continued as Saedii looked at the image on the screen. "Rex has learned it's headed by a scientist named Dr. Hemlock. Does that name sound familiar?"

"No." Saedii observed the picture. The doctor was young and rather plain. If she'd met him before, she didn't remember. Faces on Coruscant and onboard cruisers had tended to blend together after a while.

"Senator Chuchi has reported two separate encounters with modified Clones we believe are from this division. They were far stronger and faster than usual, and had a concerning level of obedience to their mission objective."

"And this Dr. Hemlock is going to be here?"

"Yes."

Omega's frown deepened. "How are we supposed to abandon the Rebellion when we know Clones are being hurt?"

Echo crossed his arms and looked away. Hunter let out a low breath. "We'll talk about it later. Now's not the time."

By the look that crossed Omega's face, she wasn't planning on letting it go. They would have a very awkward flight home to look forward to.

Wrecker gently guided Omega towards the exit ramp. With a downturn to his lips, Hunter slid his helmet on and followed them. The rest weren't far behind.

Outside, the terrain was far rockier than Saedii had anticipated. Towering cliff faces loomed above the low cloud coverage. Tech had rested the Marauder at the edge and when Saedii peered down, she was met with a vast sea of grey.

They fell into a tight formation as Hunter led them straight into the pine-laden forest. At the back of the group, Wrecker's head brushed the lowest branches while Omega walked right beneath, clearing them by inches. Beside him, Crosshair was scouting the surrounding terrain through the scope of his rifle.

"How are we getting in?" Saedii asked into the quiet.

"Quietly," Echo said pointedly, turning to face Wrecker. "No tanks and no explosions."

Wrecker groaned. "Fine."

"There is a railcar system up ahead," Tech reported from Hunter's side. "From my scans, they are the only viable entry and exit points into Tarkin's compound."

That would complicate things, but they'd had riskier entry points. "Motion sensors?"

"Undoubtedly."

Another complication. Those would need to be disabled unless they wanted Tarkin to know they were there.

Pebbles skittered beneath their feet as the ground switched from soft earth to hewn rock. The trees began to thin as they approached the edge of the forest and up ahead, through the leaves, the sun glittered off something shiny. A distant hum reverberated through the air.

Hunter held up a hand – their signal to hold. The group pressed in, crouching around him as he knelt down to observe the sight that waited for them in the air above the jagged cliff face.

Built into the edge, standing nearly a hundred feet high, a bright red motion sensor gave a low brr-brr-brr as it spun in a slow circle, surveying the surrounding landscape. Beyond it, hanging thousands of feet above empty air, a massive sky rail wound between the craggy cliffs. Winding straight towards the tall, spear-like building in the far distance.

Saedii had ridden in one before. On a distant planet with Plo. At the time, she'd been mesmerized by the sheer height. The sight of silvery clouds waiting below.

Now, she looked at it with dismay. It was another complication. With those motion sensors around, any movement towards the car could trigger the security system.

Hunter and Tech both swung their binocs towards the distant compound.

"Heavily fortified," Hunter commented.

"There's a weak point in the rail line," Echo added.

Crosshair was observing it through the scope of his rifle. "Sensors are evenly spaced a click apart. The line is in their field of sight."

"We can hitch a ride on the bottom of the cars. Sneak under the sensors."

"You want to hang? Over that?" Omega asked incredulously, eyes on the drop beneath the rail. At her side, Wrecker nervously adjusted his weight.

Echo gave a little shrug. "It's the only way to get past those sensors."

Crosshair lowered his gun. "Of course it is."

"Can't we just disable the sensors and ride in the car?" Omega asked hopefully.

Saedii peered at the nearest sensor tower. "I could probably disrupt the signal."

"That would not be advisable. A broken signal would trigger an alert," Tech responded.

"Well, we'll still need to get onto the bottom of the car. How will we do that with the sensors on?"

"I might be able to temporarily disrupt the signal."

Tech peered straight up towards the sensor. His goggles reflected the flash of red as it lit up. His lips pressed tightly together as he watched it, timing the intervals.

"It should be fairly simple, but I estimate we will only have a window of thirty seconds to clear the zone," Tech finally said. "Anything longer and it may trigger a search of the area."

In the distance, a railcar rattled into view. By Saedii's best guess, they'd have a minute before it was close enough to jump for.

"That's too short," Hunter said gruffly.

"Not if we are precise."

As one, every single member of the Batch turned to look at Wrecker. His head leaned back with surprise and he glanced between the six of them, as if he couldn't understand why they were looking at him.

"What?" he demanded in outrage. "I can be precise!"

"As precise as the weather on Bracca," Crosshair quipped as he pulled a small rappelling gun from his belt and handed it to Tech.

At Hunter's signal, Tech fired, hitting his mark at the top of the sensor tower. The quickened sound of Wrecker's breath was close by Saedii's ear, though it was quickly being drowned out by the growing hum of the approaching car as Tech rappelled up top.

Saedii's attention turned towards the approaching car, mentally tracking its progress. Less than thirty seconds now. It was moving too fast. Tech wasn't going to get the sensor off in time.

As if he noticed the same, Hunter turned in her direction.

Holding out her hand, Saedii slipped into the natural flow of the Force. Following it hundreds of yards out into open space, until she felt the icy cold brush of metal against her senses. Her fingers twitched as she pushed hard against the car.

A shrill scrape of metal filled the air. She flinched as the power of the heavy car, moving at top speed, nearly pulled her off her feet. Her teeth gritted together as she urged the Force to push, to slow it down.

The car slowed. Marginally.

Vaguely, Saedii was aware of Tech plugging into the computer. Of him typing in the commands that would shut off the sensor. That would give them the window they so desperately needed.

The car surged against her, resisting the push. The scream of metal was growing louder. Saedii's head throbbed with the effort of slowing down the car even as the rail propelled it forward.

Finally, Tech's voice reported, "The sensor is down! Move in!"

Saedii let go of her hold on the Force, following Hunter as he led the group to the edge. The boys all turned their rappelling guns up as the railcar passed overhead. Wrecker scooped up Omega as their hooks made contact.

As they swung up, Saedii jumped, using the Force to guide her up, following the same path as the boys. She landed right beside Hunter, holding tight to the winding gears and pipes that marred the car's side.

A second later, there was a thud as Tech joined them. His holopad was already in hand as he tracked their progress.

Down below, the silvery press of clouds hinted at the distance below. At just how far the ground was. When Saedii reached out into the Force, she could feel the sheer emptiness waiting. Certain death if any of them were to fall.

Cool mist brushed Saedii's face. She held herself tight to the car as they passed by the next sensor. Up ahead, the outline of Tarkin's compound was growing swiftly closer.

"Halfway there," Tech announced a moment later as they passed beneath another sensor.

"This isn't so bad," Wrecker laughed.

Saedii turned to look at him, fighting a laugh as he looked down. Even with his helmet on, Saedii knew what expression had just passed his face.

"Never mind," he said meekly.

"Eyes up, big guy," Saedii said affectionately, reaching out to pat his shoulder pad. "We'll be there soon."

He gulped and brought his gaze back up. Keeping it purposefully forward as the car rumbled on its track towards the open cavern up ahead.

As they approached, Saedii coiled herself up, launching forward thirty feet into open space to tumble into the boarding platform. She rolled up to her feet, moving on instinct as she felt the two bodies waiting there turn towards her in surprise.

There was a flash of blue light as she struck out, taking down both stormtroopers in two quick swipes. By the time the car ground to a stop behind her, the platform was clear.

Hunter came over to join her, blaster drawn. "Nice job, kid."

She gave him a little smile.

Saedii and Hunter took point – Hunter using his advanced senses and Saedii using the Force to keep track of the paths ahead of them. Searching for more guards. The rest of the group fell in behind them, and Saedii could feel the anxious fingers that hovered over triggers.

The compound was exactly what Saedii would have pictured for Tarkin – all cold metal and rock. Dim lights glowed overhead, just enough to give a faint view of the empty, dismal hall that stretched before them. The only sound was the soft hiss of recycled air filtering in through the vents overhead.

Finally, the distant sounds of heavy machinery echoed from somewhere up above. Hunter slowed as they reached a door, turning a swift look to Saedii. When the Force revealed no one waiting on the other side, they opened it and slipped through.

Inside, a wide hangar bay stretched the entire length of the compound. Seven small shuttles rested at the edge in perfect order while a line of stormtroopers slipped between, running post-flight diagnostics. At the very other end, a hover cart was carrying stacks of building equipment towards a very long service tunnel.

Omega lingered in Wrecker's shadow, holding her plasmabow close. When she met Saedii's eye, her wide brown ones were intent.

Echo used his binocs to sweep the room. "I count two trooper squadrons. Probably more inside."

"We will need to access the control room. From there, I should be able to hack into the security feed and obtain the information Rex will need," Tech said.

"It's up there." Crosshair's rifle pointed up, towards a small room far overhead encircled in glass.

Hunter turned to Tech. "How do we get up there?"

There as a moment of silence as Tech pulled up some records. His eyes flashed across the screen. "There is a staircase up ahead. We can access it through there."

Saedii slipped out first, moving quickly but silently. She sensed the others behind her as she approached the door Tech had pointed out, opening it to reveal a long, darkened staircase. She fell back to let Hunter take the lead, lingering to keep eyes on the hangar as the rest of the group filed up the stairs. Once everyone was through, Saedii slipped in at the rear.

Up ahead, there was a faint burst of light in two quick successions. The sharp bark of a stun shot. When Saedii finally made it to the top, the forms of two workers laid on the ground, unconscious.

Echo and Tech had already plowed ahead, taking up the controls. Tech was leaning over a small screen, trying to sort through security footage, while Echo had pulled up docking reports for the vessels below.

"Tarkin is here," Echo reported. A pause. "So is Hemlock."

Wrecker peered down into the hangar, grip tightening on his gun. "There's a lot of explosives down there. A lot of guns on those ships, too."

When Omega ran over to get a look, Wrecker placed a massive hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. Keeping her away from the window.

"Then we'd better not let them know we're here," Crosshair said coldly. He'd taken up a spot near the door, where he had his weapon trained on the connecting hallway.

Tech slowed his search. "I have found the security feed for the briefing room. I will begin recording their meeting for Rex."

Hunter gave a nod of assent.

From the window, Wrecker gave a bark of laughter. "This mission is easy!"

At the console, Tech suddenly froze. His hands hovered above the screen, eyes glued onto whatever it was he'd found.

Hunter noticed and straightened. "What is it?"

"We may have a problem." Tech's eyes slid to Saedii.

Immediately, she knew what was wrong. The way he was looking at her, the way his eyes had gone tight with tension – there was only one thing that could have made him suddenly so tense.

"Don't tell me," she muttered, feeling a pit open in her stomach.

Tech's eyes were tight as he announced, "There appears to be an Inquisitor on the premises."

Karabast.

This mission just got a whole lot worse.