I call to the dropship, a Republic Assault Gunboat “This is Mynock 1 calling RAG 7, come in RAG 7”
A voice floats back “Hearing you loud and clear Dancing Mynock. We are on our way to the pick up zone.” Dancing Mynock?!?! I am going to kick the heck out of WK 315 when we get back to base.
I quickly scan the arc of the horizon. Nothing…Wait I see something coming over the plains. It three STAPs and their battle droids moving in fast.
I aim for the head of the middle one, but then drop my aim about 8 cm left of the center of the chest. I shoot and the battle droid explodes, taking out the other 2 with his explosion. I must have hit the motivator.
“How in the heck…?” I think to my self
Then at the cave entrance I see WK 315, W775, FH 451 and the Lt. Cmdr moving like a Rancor was in pursuit. 20 meters outside cave all four turn and drop on the ground. The first 3 Super battle droids are meet will a hail of blaster fire; the next 4 are hit by me. Each of my shots seems to find a weak point on the droids.
Combined we drop about 19 of them. More are pouring out of the cave, including 3 Droideka with shielding.
I slap in the ion round and fire away. One goes down after 4 shots. Before I can get a line on the next a ships blasts over head, begins firing at the droids and comes to a stop a meter from the Lt. Cmdr’s team.
The ship and I provide cover fire. The ship turns and flies towards me, firing at the remaining droids.
I scramble aboard, moving as fast as my stiff legs can carry me. WK 315 and FH 451 grab my hands and pull me aboard. I lie on the deck panting.
We rocket toward space. Whatever happens now it, it’s up to the pilots.
The Lt. Cmdr yells at me over the whine of the engines “Damm Tak, I thought you were going to be a D.I.P. (die in place) unit for a moment there.”
I glance up at the team with a smile, “What happened to going in silent and keeping it that way”
A cacophony of voice breaks out. Best I can tell from the next five minutes of good natured shouting, finger pointing and blame laying is that FH 451 fire his weapon by accident shortly after the Lt. Cmdr had hacked the system and covered her tracks.
They spent the better part to of the last fourteen hours either hiding out or in running gun battles with droid units. I am reminded often that I had the easy job and must have enjoyed my nap time. I let them give me a hard time, because I am pleased they all survived. (Not that I let them know that.)
“So I see up upgrade worked on you” the Lt. Cmdr say. “I loaded the most recent schematic on as many different battle droids as I could find. Not bad if I do say so myself.” I think that may be the smuggest smile I have seen in quite a while.
“So that is why you wanted me as sniper?” I ask. I don’t like the phrase upgrade, make me sound like a droid.
“Yeah, that and I was tired of looking at your mug’ she says with a laugh
WK 315 pipes up, “But we all look the same, how could you…Oh, that was another of your jokes…right, it was joke.”
We all just sit back and enjoying being alive.
Epilogue
We are back on the star cruiser heading to Coruscant. We should be back to base in 18 hours. It’s about 0200 and I am in the officer’s rec room. No one is here right now, which is a blessing.
I am franticly painting a picture. It is almost done and it is not bad. I recognize the style as Nabooian and know who is to blame for my new found “talent”.
“Oh no Tak, I won’t doing any thing like the dancing thing again...Of course Tak, it’s only something to help you in battle.”
Oh well, payback will be fun.
I finish up with the painting. It’s really is good. The likeness is well done, with just enough of my own views and feelings of the subject coming through. Dang, I am sounding like an Alderaan artist.
I smile to myself at the humor in this and think of some fun revenge tricks. If the other troopers ever see me painting, I will not live it down. Well at least it’s not knitting.
I take the painting to the nearest incinerator and drop it in. Shame, because it is quite good.
I have the feeling I will be having a few more late nights like this.
6 comments:
You're pretty good with that Rifle, Tak, That's the only blaster I've ever laid my hands on, and I still have a spare on my ship.
Aw man, that painting could be worth a lot after you died!
Painting? I like paintings. Let's see, a trooper that paints, sounds like a droid and looks like everyone else. Quite the imagination!
Here via Michele's.
Thanks for visiting my site -- next time I will ask for permission before I post about your family. Quite the talent you have -- I always wished I had an imagination to write like this :)
Great story. Michele says hi!
What's wrong with knitting? It's fun, and you get to make blanket out of yarn.
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