Despite her latest mission leading her to a planet-wide prison full of rioting factions and practically every person on the surface trying to kill them, she was enjoying herself. A maze of walls and enforcer droids stood between the Imperial base and the cellblock market flashing on her nav. Instead of taking their chances with stealth shield generators, they had decided to skirt the walls, following the long route through the forest. For once, she had traded stealth for a beautiful sunny day. Trees towered above them, and the underbrush grew more dense as the prison walls receded, the sound of blasters growing faint.
Vector walked beside her, humming softly to himself and occasionally stopping to examine the plant life. He wasn't the subtlest choice. The prisoners she intended to free would no doubt slit her throat if they learned she worked for the Empire, and he practically screamed Imperial when you looked at him, but he had been so enthusiastic about the chance to see a new planet, even if it was a giant penal colony, she couldn't leave him behind. She might regret that later, but for now, his easy company made her feel almost…relaxed.
It was short lived. She reached out to shove an overhanging plant out of her path but froze with an involuntary gasp, a shudder creeping up her spine. Vector appeared over her shoulder.
"Agent, what's wrong?"
She reached for her belt, her grip tightening on the hilt of her dagger...not that it would do her any good. They should have taken their chances with the droids. Vector followed her gaze and reached toward the brush.
"Vector, no! Don't touch it!"
But it was too late. The massive bug was crawling into his palm, its spiny legs gripping his fingers. He held it up to inspect it in the dim light of the forest, his black eyes examining it curiously.
"It appears to be an emerald beetle. We understand them to be quite prolific on this planet." He stepped toward her, holding out his hand. "See the coloration? No doubt the source of the name."
She hastily backed away, nearly tripping over a tree root.
"Get that...thing...away from me."
He brought it close to his face, stroking a finger over its dark green shell.
"It wonders why you are so afraid, Agent. It means you no harm."
"No, don't...talk to it. Please, don't talk to it."
Vector turned his ear toward it.
"What? You wish to come with us? We see no reason why not. Think of all we could learn from each other."
"No!" she cried out frantically. "No bugs on my ship!"
She could already feel its spiny legs crawling over her, tangling in her hair, and visibly shuddered. Vector frowned and clutched his hand, still full of beetle, to his chest.
"Are we included in that statement?"
Horror swept over her as she realized what she'd said.
"Of course not!"
"Perhaps we should stay here with our new friend where we are wanted."
"Vector, I didn't mean you or the Killiks, I swear. I just don't like bugs. Real bugs, not sentient ones. I mean, I'd never..." She trailed off when he cocked his head, a smile playing around his lips. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"
"Agent, we must regretfully inform you that this particular beetle has no speech capabilities."
He tossed it into the air, and she shrieked, ducking to the ground and shielding her hair as it flew over her head. When she looked up, Vector was kneeling next to her.
"Mention this to anyone, and I'll have you court-martialed." She sat up, her heart pounding. "You think you're so clever, tormenting your commanding officer."
He grinned and held out a hand, pulling her to her feet.
"We did find it quite rewarding, though we are not sure what that says about us."
"It says you have a sense of humor I never knew existed."
He tilted his head, clearly listening to the trees around them.
"We did once. We had forgotten." His black eyes turned back to her. "But we hope we did not distress you too much in this discovery."
"I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been caught off-guard by a bug."
Heat rose in her cheeks as she realized she meant him. Only last week she had snapped at Kaliyo to stop calling him Bug Boy, and now she was doing the same thing. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. He laid a hand over his heart, bowing gently.
"We swear to protect you from all threats, Agent. Large beetles included."
She rolled her eyes, stomping past him into the trees. This was mortifying. Cipher Nine, afraid of bugs. At least Vector had been with her and not Kaliyo, who would no doubt never have let her hear the end of it.
"Harmless beetles," Vector called after her. "There are undoubtedly millions in this forest. Perhaps some even larger."
"I should have brought the doctor," she muttered.
They followed the perimeter of the prison up to a ridge of cliffs overlooking the cellblock. Vector went to scout the edge of the forest while she checked the prison below. Warden droids and men with blasters blocked the main entrance. They'd have to hope their stealth generators held up against whatever sensors the droids had or they'd be fighting their way through a wall of pissed off prisoners.
She met Vector in a small clearing, the setting sun sending green and orange shadows across his dark hair. He was about to report in, but she held up a finger to silence him. A strange chewing sound filled the air.
"What's that noise?" she whispered, suddenly tense.
Vector was staring over her shoulder.
"Agent, we would advise against turning around."
That was an invitation to turn around if she'd ever heard one, but she immediately regretted it. She stared in horror, backing away only to find herself pressed against Vector's chest.
"I...I think I'm going to be sick."
"We retract our previous statement about harmless, though it's possible it was already dead."
Hundreds of the green beetles were swarming over the corpse of a lurker, crawling through its rotting skin and tearing at the flesh. An explosion echoed through the trees, and Vector's arms closed protectively around her, pulling her back into the murk of the forest.
"We should remain out of sight," he murmured in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.
At least the shadows would hide her flushing cheeks, and he was hopefully too distracted by the impending danger to sense her heart pounding. If he did, she could only hope he attributed it to the bugs and not his surprisingly strong arms still holding her. This...was going to be a problem.