Star Wars_ Rebel Force 01_ Target - Alex Wheeler [17]
Except…
"There's no one inside," Luke reported, after examining the Preybird wreckage. Black scorch marks scraped across what was left of the hull. "At least we know he's not dead."
"Not yet." Han pointed toward the large, inhuman tracks leading toward and then away from the ship, disappearing into the hills.
A thin groove in the dirt followed the footsteps, as if the creature had dragged something behind it.
The groove was stained with a trail of blood.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Blood seeped through the bandage. A crimson stain spread swiftly across his shirt. He'd slashed himself deeper than intended, and could feel the life pumping out of him with each step.
No matter.
They would find him when he was ready to be found. And when that happened, a graver injury could only work in his favor.
No one would ever guess that the gashes had come from his fire blade rather than the crash.
X-7 had waited an hour before activating the distress beacon—and in the meantime, he'd been busy. After laying the trail, he'd doubled back, lying in wait for his "rescuers" to arrive. Now he shadowed them as they followed the tracks he'd laid, leaving the Wookiee and the little R2 droid to guard the ship. He watched closely as the princess forged ahead, the two men scrambling to keep up with her.
So the princess was foolhardy, her friends powerless to stop her from blundering into trouble.
Interesting.
X-7 filed it away for future reference. He tread silently and stayed close. From a few paces behind, he could hear them bickering, could hear the protocol droid complaining, could hear the two men dither over which way to go as the tracks faded.
They didn't look like much of a threat.
Still, X-7 knew better than to trust his first impression. Many men had made that mistake when encountering him. Few lived to make it a second time.
Wincing at the pain in his shoulder, he drew out his dart shooter. Took aim at the taller male, and fired.
The man slapped at the back of his neck, then examined his palm, likely looking for the insect that had bitten him. Then shrugged, and continued walking.
X-7 paused, letting them get further ahead.
He didn't want to be too close when the pheromone dart did its job, releasing a scent that would draw the nearest reek. When the beast found a group of humans instead of a potential mate, X-7 suspected it would be rather…displeased.
Once the creature attacked, X-7 would draw closer again, watching them defend themselves. It would be the best way to gauge their weaknesses. And, if the beast was able to slaughter the one exuding the pheromones, so much the better. X-7 would intercede before it could harm the princess.
She could hardly refuse to trust him after that.
There was a faint roar in the distance. A moment later, the ground began to shake.
Here it comes, X-7 thought. Let the games begin.
Luke grabbed hold of the nearest boulder, trying to keep his balance as the ground rumbled. "Moonquake?" he asked.
Leia shook her head, pointing a finger over his shoulder. Luke whirled around. A giant beast lumbered toward them on legs thick as tree trunks. Its hunched back rose to nearly three times Luke's height. A horn stuck out of each side of its face, while a third spurted from its forehead, sharp as a knife and thicker at its base than a human torso.
"It looks like a reek." Luke drew his lightsaber. The Hutts on his home planet sometimes used them as execution animals. "They're mostly herbivores, but…"
" But? " Han yelped, lunging out of the way as the reek swiped at him with a trunk-like leg.
"But when their skin turns all reddish brown like that, it usually means they've got a taste for meat," Luke admitted.
Han whipped out his blaster and took aim, but the blasterfire bounced