Troopers - Book 2

Rebel base one

"Fine. Troopers are you ready?" Thorne looked over at the pair.

"Yes sir!" they both answered, not quite as certain as their voices started.

"Aasith, once they are in position I want you to give a five second count down. I'll be concentrating on holding them steady." Thorne stated

"Yes sir" came the calm reply

Thorne extended his hands towards the pair, first palms outwards and then he slowly twisted then so that they were palms up. He slowly raised his arms, the two troopers began to raise as well. The cargo bay ed in complete silence. As they approached the roof they're bodies moved from the vertical you the horizontal. Soon they were almost at the ceiling, they both engaged their wings, with a 'whump' they had a large wing span extended from there back packs. The was a slight scratching of metal on metal and the pair held still.

"five...four...three..." aasith counted "two...one... Go!"

They dropped.

They plummeted straight for the floor. Five meters gone in an instant, another five slightly slower, then eight, then twelve metres of space above and only three below, two meters to impact.

And they stopped, mere centimeters from the ground, Olwen stretched her lips out and kissed the floor.

"A meter from the floor?" Thorne looked over at Thoth.

"Manual stated an instant stop, not to calculate deceleration." Thorne held up the offending data stick.

"Looks like we're learning on the bounce" Sergeant Oakham stated.

"Why? the repulsor lifts are working." Eastre stated

"No, I'm holding you up. They engaged, but did not slow you enough." Thorne stated. He let go with his mind they dropped, the few centimeters flat on the floor.

"Thoth, Medb, and Morrigan. Start making the conversions to the paragliders, we've not got long till we arrive. First spray, them then add the attachments. The rest of you memorize the floor plan." Thorne stated and moved to leave the hanger.

"You heard the major, get a move on." Oakham reiterated.

*

Thorne was standing at the entrance of the cockpit looking over Jesters shoulder. He was practicing his stealth as a part of his psychic skills. The holocron called it Force Stealth, a method if shrouding ones aura. He coupled that with a mild mind control so that Jester would only look through the view port but not at it and therefore never seeing his reflection. He'd been standing there for nearly ten minutes before his concentration wavered.

"What the...!" Jester exclaimed suddenly stung the reflection of Thorne in the cockpit view port.

"Just come to see the world we're landing on." Thorne said

"How long have you been standing there?" Jester has spun his chair round to look at Thorne, his anger didn't work against him, as he had to look up Thorne.

"A moment or two no longer" he lied

"Well, we're on final approach now if you want to look." Jester turned round and began to pilot the vessel toward the atmosphere.

Thorne looked out at a world of dusty yellows and reds. Only a few splashes of blue and hardly present wisps of cloud. It was towards the southern sides of one of these splashes that the encounter would take place. They would approach on their gliders from a high level, come round the mountain further south and drift in slowly. If they have been given the correct details they should be able to land on the roof and be in the compound before an alarm is triggered. Then with Tarkin and his fleet arrive, it should make for the distraction they need to get to the data core. Getting out would not be as easy though.