Chapter 25 - Turning Point [Continued] (1/2)
Part 2
Alpha Site, Ryloth
So far, the scouting exercise went without a hitch. That in itself was troubling. We met no resistance at all. No booby-traps either.
The village appeared empty, which was making me nervous. A company or two of droids should have been able to bleed and slow down any attacker unwilling to level the settlement.
The only other good place to make a stand would be the chokepoint between two cliffs, leading to the small plaza where the cannons were located. It provided nice, long and clear fields of fire, but that worked as a double edged sword. Any attacker who secured the village would have some cover, not to mention that a spread of missiles would be all it would take to disable the few CSI tanks seen by the recon flights.
Well, if I was an arrogant idiot, I might have presumed that the droid in charge of this little slice of Ryloth were lacking in programming and thought that deploying all it's forces at the small pass was a good idea. However, with me instead being a paranoid bastard, me and my troopers were searching for the surprises prepared by the Separatists for any uninvited visitors such as us.
Boil and Waxer were stalking down the street in front of me, their heads snapping in all direction, scanning for possible threats. At least those two were turning out to be competent scouts, with more talents than just their commendable reliance on overwhelming firepower. As the folks at a forum dimensions away would say, there were very few problems that couldn't be resolved by deployment of sufficient Dakka! Not that there was such a thing in existence, of course...
I sensed a tiny presence in the Force couple of seconds before we heard something shifting a bit of rubble. The sound came from a small alley to our left. There was someone alive here, beside us.
My soldiers turned their weapons in the direction of the sound and moved out, taking positions to the sides of the alley.
I frowned. I felt anxiety and fear coming in waves from the unknown person.
I nodded at Waxer who had his head turned in my direction. I didn't expect a threat, but better safe than sorry. We weren't playing a game on a training field after all.
My men darted into the alley, with their weapons at the ready. I followed suit, thinking that such actions would be made much safer by the addition of short ranged drones. Just another thing to add to the list. At this rate the R&D boys and girls would be busy for years after the end of the war.
”A little girl!” exclaimed Boil.
I walked behind the clones who were looking at a child who couldn't be older than five. She was cute little thing with light green skin. She was examining us with huge brown eyes. Fear and curiosity were fighting within her tiny hear which was fluttering within her ċhėst.
I wondered how those two men, who still had their mental conditioning made by the Kaminoans would react to the kid.
”What are we going to do with her?” Waxer wondered aloud.
”We shouldn't do a thing. We have a mission to complete!” stated Boil.
”We can't leave her! We should take her with us!” exclaimed Waxer.
”Are you kidding?! She'll slow us down! Right, sir?”
”Perhaps.” I muttered. ”What do you two think we should do?” I asked innocently.
”Look at her! She's terrified of us.” pointed out Boil.
”Not from us. Take cover!” I snapped quietly and pressed my back in a shadowed corner. The Chameleon paint on my armor made me melt into the darkens.
The clones followed my example, hiding behind nearby columns, while I projected a small Force field which I hoped would made us appear nonexistent to life-signs detector. It would work only on crappy sensors but it was the best I could do short of disabling the droid.
Boil agreed with my reasoning and said so.
”We can't leave her here! Not with the clankers searching for us!” Waxer disagreed.
I could clearly sense Boil's confusion. He stared at the kid for few seconds before reaching a decision.
”Fine!” he snapped at his friend. ”I'll carry her.”
Before any of us could say a thing, he went to grab her and to Waxer's and my amusement, she growled at my subordinate and clamped her teeth at his index finger.
”Ouch! She bit me!”
I went behind Boil and slapped the back of his helmet.
”Ow! What was that about!? Sir?” he grumbled.
”You are scaring her!” exclaimed Waxer.
”The child either thinks we are droids or she just don't like you.” I smirked at Boil, who shook his head in exasperation.
”I wonder why...” muttered Waxer.
He removed his helmet and grinned at the kid.
”Hey little one! See, we are made of flesh just like you!”
I could almost see Boil rolling his eyes at his buddy's antics, before his shoulders slumped.
”I think she's starving. Here take this.” he retrieved a piece of a field ration and handled it to his friend.
Waxer presented it to the girl who looked him warily, before carefully sniffing the food. She glanced at each of us in turn before grabbing the meal and taking a small bite off it. She smiled and started eating the food.
Boil removed his helmet too and massaged the back of his head, where I slapped him.
”Definitely starving. No way she would eat a piece of MRE otherwise.” I muttered.
Those things kept you alive and that was their only redeeming quality. The less said about the taste the better...
”Nerra! Nerra!” The girl cheerfully pointed at the clones, then she looked warily at my masked face.
”No, sweetie. I am Waxer and he is Boil!” he tried to correct her.
I chuckled at her antics.
”Congratulations!” I cheered my men. ”You were just adopted as big brothers!”
”Joy...” grumbled Boil.
I knelt next to the kid and removed my helmet.
”Hi! I bet you know all the fun hidden places around here...” I said.
She had to, in order to evade the droids since the invasion began.
”Can you show us how to sneak to the plaza where the droids are gathered?” I asked in Twi'leki.
She eagerly nodded, with her head-tails swinging wildly.
”Wouldn't you know, the short stuff's useful for something.” muttered Boil.
”Waxer, please.” I nodded at my other subordinate.
He smirked and slapped his friend at the back of his head.