Operation: Slave Ruse, a Star Wars Fanfic

Operation: Slave Ruse Part 7. The Men of Valor

Abandoned Apartment High Rise. Location: Entertainment District, Nar Shaddaa. Time: 1100 hours.

For the past seven hours Gek kept quiet and still as he watched vigilantly over the Entertainment District of Nar Shaddaa. Like a predator stalking its prey from the treeline on a forest or jungle world, he remained perfectly still as the environment outside the abandoned apartment structure was filled with exotic and alien life. From where he was he could see hovering speeders zipping down the street while citizens and droids casually traversed past the closed nightclub. Discreetly as he could, Gek shifted his scope of view as he continued his surveillance of the primary target location. He was interfaced with Bolt's sniper attachment of his brother's DC-17 rifle, and could see clearly with the enhanced vision his helmet provided. So far nothing out of the ordinary had occurred since he took over for Arson at 0400. Diligent, however, the clone commando kept a detailed record of everything he saw during his watch just in the event it could be used later to assist in their mission, no matter how insignificant. As the mid-morning sun seeped into the darkened apartment unit, casting the room in natural light, Gek kept himself low and out of sight behind an overturned couch; for the moment it gave him the best cover despite being cast in the morning light. Gek knew it was wise to remain hidden even in broad daylight, a lesson he and his squad had learned while training on Kamino with the aid of artificial simulations. He wasn't a sniper by nature, in fact it was rare for his own rifle to be configured into a sniper, but as a commando he knew how to handle all of the configurations that a DC-17 could be adapted to.

Unlike most clones, commandos were of a different breed; a breed that had been conditioned and trained to endure and adapt quickly to ensure the success of any mission assigned to them. This mission, however, Gek knew was different, but knew that in order to achieve success, he would have to adapt just like the rifle he held in his hands. He noted the light of the sun creeping into the dark apartment, and adjusted accordingly to stay out of sight. He moved from the overturned couch and took cover behind a nearby island counter which offered better coverage, but decreased his range of view. He flicked to another setting to compensate for the lack of visual he had. Thankfully, during the night, he had mounted additional cameras to the outside wall of the apartment building to assist Valor in the overwatch position. Through the enhanced helmet setting, Gek saw twenty or so civilians walking along the street, and about ten hostiles through a wall into the nightclub; then a Toydarian emerged from the building.

"Ah, the steward I met last night." Gek softly whispered over the secure channel. "Now, where do you think you're going, my buzzing friend?"

Gek kept a careful watch as Bozta paused outside the nightclub entrance. The Toydarian was alone, no guards or escorts to protect him. The clone commando wondered if he was running errands for the hutt or just getting a fresh breath of polluted air. Perhaps he was just trying to escape the hutt's presence, or retiring before returning for another night of Nar Shaddaa debauchery. Either way, Gek knew that he couldn't kill the steward, lest he give away their position. As Gek kept the buzzing, blue-skinned Toydarian in his sights; watching his target closely as the alien lit a death stick and took a hit from its addictive chemical ingredients, he thought it wise to hit him with a listening probe. Due to their lack of ability to communicate with Ri and Nika, unable to know what's happening from the outside, Gek swiftly switched out the ammo loadout of the rifle. With a quick sleight of hand he inserted a listening probe inside the barrel.

A small transport whizzed overhead outside the apartment window. The sound of the vehicle's engines vibrated the old building, but not enough to stir either Arson or Bolt as they slept in the adjacent room while HQ kept watch over them. Gek repositioned himself to deflect the round off the wall to strike his intended target before losing this opportunity. He aimed down the scope. On the point of firing he remembered the ruddy great big silencer - a rookery mistake. The clone commando slid it on and re-aimed. He checked the wind speed and the distance and adjusted accordingly. Poised to strike a non-fatal blow, more like an irritating sting, Gek turned off the safety and pulled the trigger. A dull wisp of a hiss resonated from the barrel of the rifle as it fired the listening projectile from its inner workings. A slight ping quickly filled the air of the apartment unit as the projectile rickoseid off the wall and struck the unsuspecting Toydarian right on the outer seam of his Dewback hide-vest.