Episode I: Part 7

The roll of thunder followed by a distant howl in the jungle woke Lieutenant Dison Kells. He rubbed his eyes and recounted silently the harried hours since they set down on Aldair IV. Losing contact with fireteam Alpha on the station, the droid ambush outside the overgrown colony ruins, the running firefight through the jungle until he and his seargent, TK8822 "Deuce", could dig in at a defensible location. Specifically a small set of caverns almost two kilometers from the colony ruins. So far it had not been the best of missions.

"Status Seargent?"

"Intermittant sensor sweeps a few minutes ago, LT. Encryption matches the droids we encountered outside the ruins."

"Any now?"

"No, sweeps stopped thirty minutes ago local time."

Kells sat up from his rocky bed and brushed at his uniform to straighten it. "Anything on the others?"

"Nothing since capture. Best to assume that they're separated from their comlinks or dead."

"Understood. I'll take the first assumption. So, let's get to work, we've troops to liberate."

Seargent Deuce smiled. Ever since he had left the training facility on Corscuant, the clone had served under a handful of officers that ranged from experienced veterens of the Clone Wars to green ones fresh from the Imperial Officers' Academy. Kells had cut his teeth fighting slavers, pirates and smugglers along the Outer Rim for his first duty station. Three promotions for innovative thinking and two demotions for insubordination left him assigned with Corona Squad. Deuce could not think of another officer he would rather serve under. The lieutenant would move sky and planet to get the rest of the squad back.

The clone looked out over the jungle canopy as if it would tell him where the missing troopers were. The jungle replied with the occasional sound of wind, falling rain and animals in the brush. Deuce snapped his fingers and adjusted the tactical scanner.

"I've seen that look, you've an idea." Kells commented.

"Yes sir. I've been looking for active comlink signals. If they're caught we assumed they or whoever has them might use the comlinks. Something we know now they're not doing. But, even an idle comlink has a passive connection to a neighboring comlink."

Kells stood and walked over to the seargent. "Of course. We home in on those, and that leads us to the troopers."

"Yes sir. Best to assume their comlinks were removed though. Despite that, if the comlinks are close enough to the troops we could even get their bio readings and see what shape they're in."

"Good thinking. How soon?"

"Already getting responses." Deuce frowned when the numbers rolled across the small screen. "Confirmed contact ten klicks northeast. One confirmed contact one klick west-northwest."

"Who's our lost sheep?"

"3422."

"Clang? Escaped perhaps? Either case, its a long trip from where we started to here." Kells withdrew from his tunic a palm sized tactical scanner much like Deuce's. "Mark me a rondevouz and lets collect our lost sheep. I'm eager to know how he managed to escape. Perhaps he knows something we can put to good use."

Deuce transmitted the map and telemetry to Kells palm computer. The lieutenant glanced at the map coordinates then slipped the computer back into a breast pocket.

The seargent ran through a quick inventory of his personal gear. Satisfied he had everything he should, Deuce donned his helmet, picked up the tactical scanner and chuckled. "Escaped? Not bad for a Greenie."

****

Clang and Doc raced through the wind and rain while wet branches, leaves and vines graped at them.

"I thought you locked the door!"

"Negative! Logic would dictate you were to secure the door."

"Why me?"

"You were the last one through."

"Damnit, ok. I thought that creature would be more than enough to keep those stupid message droids busy if they showed."

"An overcharged stun bolt is quiet impressive when used on a rapaging beast. I understand its a favorite technique among ivory poachers hunting Krayt dragons on Tatooine."

The pair slid to a stop and looked around.

"Ok, I'm lost, you?"

"Negative on location. I need time to reorient."

A crimson bolt from a blaster whined between them and scored an ugly hole in a tree just ahead.

"Run now. Reorient later!"

"Run to where?"

"Away! To cover, someplace..." The clone's voice stopped and he grinned when he looked over at a thick stand of reedy bushes. The kind often found near a lake or a river. "Someplace unexpected. Follow me."

"Roger roger."

The pair slipped beyond the reeds to find themselves at the bank of a swollen river.

"Your systems sealed against water?"

"I'm equipped for a multitude of environments."

"Good!"

Clang shoved the droid into the water and followed a moment later.

Several meters downstream, Clang washed ashore onto a gravel outcrop that had not been claimed by the floodwaters. Doc, assisted by inflatable bladders in his torso, followed a moment later.

"You could have mentioned you had those."

"Affirmative, but then you also pushed me before asking."

"Damn droid."

Doc deflated the small bladders once out of the water. "Shortsighted human."

The whine of a blaster rifle shot striking a nearby stump stopped the argument short.

"Shut it! You two sound like an old married couple." Deuce said with a grunt while he stepped out of the underbrush.

To the seargent's right, Dison Kells stepped into view, hands clasped behind him. "Since I doubt you took a wrong turn, I'm eager to hear how you escaped our droid pursuers and were fortunate to locate the first unarmed droid to be found in this system. Also, I'd like to know why he's not already dismantled. He's a potential security risk trooper. He could have any manner of tracking systems inside him."

Clang and Doc exchanged a glance before the trooper cleared his throat. "I really can explain, sir."

Kells raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? You have my complete attention."