“Running Scared”

It was a cool spring night on Xerios IV when Teri Marca saw Slave I touch down in the meadow of Clearpatrick Forest. The thrusters burnt with an angry hum and the ship descended into the forest with a steady grace.

Teri had never been more terrified in her life, she knew why the ship had come and she knew who the owner of that ship would be pursuing. Her.

Being barely 19 seasons old, Teri still lived with her parents. So she knew she would have to sneak out of the house before Boba Fett came to look for her. Quickly she packed a bag and donned a pair of heavy duty overalls that were a perfect green to match the foliage of the forest.

So with her stash of supplies, Teri snuck out and made a mad dash for the forest she knew like the back of her hand. With the stealth of a mountain ranglercat Teri stalked her way to the hidden caves of Mt Drucid. The thick branches of lineka vines dangled from the limbs of the tall trees that diluted the sky with their lush canopy, blocking out the light of the moon that would expose her to the hunter.

Teri was looping a lineka vine around her arm in preparation for climbing up a steep stretch of rock face when she heard the piercing cry of a nontrel lark. Being a creature who regularly visited the forest, Teri knew that cry meant that something had disturbed the nontrel's territory. It was a fierce bird of prey that would surely kill any threat that entered its domain.

A series of cries suddenly followed the first and then the stinging boom of a large blaster rifle sounded. Silence returned and Teri tried to ignore the sound of her thundering heart.

After a moment of listening to the echoing silence Teri resumed her course. With the strength in her arms she pulled her way up the smooth rock face. Once she got her balance at the top she glanced down as she stood motionless, listening for any possible threats. Once she was convinced she was safe to proceed she paced her way through the thinning trees.

It was as Teri reached the fringe of the tree line that she started to hesitate in her course. Scattered rocks were the remanets of a long dead river; each stone had a smooth exterior and were prone to move when stepped on.

But the call of salvation overruled her caution. Across the scattered rocks were the mouths of several caves and the safety Teri sought. Slowly Teri placed her feet carefully in the unstable rubble that could sound at any move. Each step had Teri on edge as she waited to hear a thundering echo that would sound throughout the dark forest.

As she reached the far bank of the dried up riverbed Teri almost jumped into the yawning mouth of the comforting cave. Once she was safely nestled in the deep shadows of the cave Teri scanned the moonlit surrounds. There was no threatening sounds and no visible dangers but Teri was not about to drop her guard.

Teri backed away from the cave entrance and slid her backpack off her shoulders. She was about to sit down when she felt a cold metal circle touch her temple. "Don't move." A chill ran down Teri's spine as the deep voice spoke with deadly intention.

A faint crunch of rock grinding rock sounded from outside of the cave. The gunman pressed the blaster harder against Teri's head, "Stay silent." He whispered with urgency.

Teri's initial fear that she had been captured by Boba Fett suddenly vanished. Whoever held the blaster to her head was not the notorious bounty hunter. The desperation in his voice was enough to assure her of that.

Staring out into the moonlit void between the trees and the caves Teri tried to find the source of the noise. She squinted her eyes but was not able to detect anything in the dark environment.

Behind her, Teri could hear the rapid breaths of the gunman. His fear must have been escalating into pure terror. Teri found it strange that she didn't seem to be affected too badly by her fear, instead she was determined to escape and hide.

Another faint crunch came from the dry riverbed. This time it was closer, the gunman panicked and turned his blaster muzzle to fire at the shadows outside. The bright flash of red bolts made Teri's eyes water at the sudden change in light. She quickly turned her face away from the burning blasts and shut her eyes.

The gunman stopped firing and listened. The wind gently whistled through the trees but no other noise was audible.

Teri blinked her eyes as they adjusted to the dark again. A shadow moved near the mouth of the cave. Instinctively she ducked and rolled to the stonewall of the cave.

In a heartbeat there was a flash of blinding light and then a shadowly figure was standing in the cave, his figure encased in Mandalorian armour.

Fortunately Teri had been in the process of rolling and had been sheltered from the blast. As she looked up Teri felt her blood freeze in her veins, their stood Boba Fett in all his dark glory. Teri took notice of the silver slashes on his armour and wondered if he'd obtained them fighting off the nontrels.

Fett raised a fist and aimed it at the gunman, from the gauntlet on his wrist came a tiny dart that penetrated the gunman's throat and dropped him like a sack of vorba potatoes.

For the first time Teri was able to see the gunman. She was surprised to see he was wearing the uniform of an Imperial Admiral, suddenly she wondered if she was really Fett's target.

Boba Fett gave her a once over glance before walking over to the still body of the Admiral. He bent down and grabbed one of the Admiral's ankles and dragged him out of the cave.

Teri watched from her seat on the dusty floor as the environment outside the cave was suddenly lit up by the floodlights on the underside of Slave I. The ship landed and Fett entered with the limp body of the Admiral dragged behind him.

Rising on unsteady feet, Teri walked out of the cave and watched as Slave I took to the sky. Her dark hair was blown across her face for a moment and Teri couldn't help but smile. Her secret was safe; no one had discovered she was a Rebel agent.

With a spring in her step, Teri made her way home.