Saturday, May 20, 2006

SWG FanFic

The morning mists were just starting to burn off the grasslands in whispy ghostlike streamers. His bones ached. Every muscle in his body felt as if it was trying to rip itself off his frame with cramps. The flies, at least, hadn't homed in on him yet. For that at least he was thankful.

From even a few yards away it would have been difficult to spot the hide. Low in the grass, built over a natural dip in the ground, the ghillie suit and scrim net had been interwoven with local grasses to break up their outline. Looking for all the world like another rats nest, the hide had been home to k'alum and his observer te'lia for the past week. The rats that scavenged round the edge of the hide looking for food scraps or worse added an air of authenticity to the disguise.

He dipped his face down onto the dirt beneath him, slowed his breathing and listened. First close, then far. The regular sound of his own breathing was matched by that of his sister, the only other twi'lek k'alum would have trusted to work with him like this. Outside the nest he could ear the rats scurry and then much further out he detected the sounds of the Rorgungan camp stirring.

The unmistakable sounds of soldiers waking in early dawn. Coughing, hawking, passing wind and laughing among themselves, safe in the knowledge that their patrol droids would alert them to any danger. Metal clanged against metal as ration packs were heated and served out. The warm smell of freshly reconstituted meat stew travelled far on the wind.

The rumbling of their stomachs startled both twi'lek into full alertness. "Drink, now" he gestured with his lekku. They both sipped carefully at their own liquid rations, warm from their body heat, alive with bacteria and tasting like nectar as the protein soup trickled into their guts.

A gentle tap on his shoulder alerted him to the presence of a larger figure in the Rorgungan camp. Their target had risen and was walking amongst his men, slapping their backs and laughing loudly, his dark eyes skittering about watching the horizon for any signs of danger. The lack of chatter from the patrol droids had disturbed him, though they were reporting in regularly and didn't seem to have come across anything. The small comms pack in the twi'leks lair made sure that the droids kept on their patrol routes, made sure they only found what the twi'lek wanted them to.

A small glowing green dot to the edge of his vision flashed twice to signify an incoming message. k'alum slipped the mini-HUD into the retaining band on his headress, touched a finger to the pad in his palm twice to indicate he was able to take the message. The green dot blinked out and was replaced by a red dot. The go signal was about to come in. A gentle kick withthe side of his foot alerted his sister who slipped forward a few inches, raised the disruptor rifle on its stand and looked intently through the scope.

"Three, unarmed. East and west of the main tent. One, sentry, armed, south. Facing away. He's... " she laughed quietly "he's getting rid of last nights beers, uch the smell.... Target is centre of camp, seated. Reading a map?"

"kay kay" her brother hissed. His own rifle, a long barrelled, heavily modified blaster was already trained on the forehead of the target. The Rorgungan officer drank his tea, consulted his maps, listened to the chatter of his own comms, totally unaware that barely 90m away two assassins lay in deep cover. Waiting.

The steady red dot blinked twice, steadied, twice, steadied then burned bright green. "Go"

Two clicks, pause, two clicks. The green dot blinked out. "We're on our own now..."

"As always"

A flick of a button on the HUD changed the display to show the nearby hostiles as red dots surrounded with a red circle. Aggressive and deadly. Perfect. Two waymarks glowed, the first showing the camp, the second showing their exit route. There would be no time to think once the target was down, just run and hope the waymarks held up.

In the camp the Rorgungan stood, folded his map, dropped it on the field table and stretched. His great fat green face filled the scope as k'alum gently squeezed the trigger, stopping just halfway to the point of full travel. The officers head tipped forward, his eyes swivelled towards the lair, directly towards the muzzle of his assassins rifle.

There was a flash of light, a barking sound as the highly charged bolt of energy leapt towards its target.

With barely a pause to check that the officer was falling, his head split by the release of energy against unprotected flesh, both twi'lek flicked to full automatic and spreyed the camp with a hail of suppression fire. The patrol droids erupted in balls of flame and shards of metal as the demolition charges blew them into the camp.

Not one shot in retaliation. Smoke and flames burst from tents and bodies as the twi'lek raised themselves to their knees, still firing, and then fled back from their nest, back from the rats, back from the bloody mayhem they'd unleashed. Long legs carried them effortlessly towards the treeline, heavy weapons were slung over shoulders, small spraysticks were readied for any unfortunate encounters and, withthe press off a thumbswitch, a small minefield extending from inside their lair and out for 20m in all directions went live.

"That'll keep them busy, heh?"

Sprinting up the near sheer escarpment the two Antarian Rangers seemed gifted with unnatural speed and elegance as they leapt into the waiting shuttle.

"Good hunting, k'alim?"

"Aye sir, as ever..."

"Grand!! You have both served the Alliance well, this will be long remembered, you will be rewarded a hundred times when the war is over...."

"To be honest sir, I'd settle for some real food, a bath, and a chance to get out of these combats for a day or two" grinned k'alim

The rodian officer turned, smiling to himself, "I've never understood the twi'lek. Marvellous hunters, expert marksmen, and yet you're happiest when you are dancing??"

From out of the breast pocket of her ghillie suit t'elia was already unfolding a pair of hotpants "Somebody mentioned a dance??"

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