The Limmie Daylights/Chapter 7

The Limmie Daylights

Chapter 7

The Thranta Region of Alderaan was a large Business District. Many companies had office buildings and factories there. Scattered sporadically throughout the Region were areas that consisted of parks with grassy fields and plenty of fauna to enjoy. One of those grassy areas was completely destroyed when MI5 visited it five years ago. There were also several buildings that were damaged or destroyed, including a popular hotel called Royal.

The four MI5 operatives, along with Kara, headed for the edge of the Thranta Region toward the Dirtlander home. It was a rather large mansion in a ritzy area. When they approached the elegant doorway, a 3PO-series protocol droid answered. "Hello," the droid said in a masculine voice. "I am Marx. How may I help you?"

Bont said to the droid, "We're looking for Mr. and Mrs. Dirtlander. Are they home?"

"Might I inquire who is asking?" the droid said politely.

Bont flashed an identification. "MI5."

From behind the droid, a Human entered Bont's view. "MI5?" the Human repeated.

"Are you Stark Dirtlander?"

"Yes, I am. And we don't want MI5 here. We remember what you people did to this Region five years ago."

Stark seemed a bit angry.

Bont stepped through the door and pushed the droid aside. "Mr. Dirtlander, we fear your life may be in danger. We're here to protect you."

Pandolfo, Shasta, Europa, and Kara all filed in behind Bont.

"What's the meaning of this?! What are you doing?!"

Stark's wife Yasmine came around the corner. "Honey, what's going on?"

Europa said, "We're very sorry to barge in like this, ma'am. But, to make a long story short, there's a murderer killing those who were involved in the move of the Daylights limmie team. We fear you may be the next target."

Shasta was surprised Europa put it so bluntly. She was always the kind, sweet one. Saying something like that was more Shasta's style. Maybe she was rubbing off on the younger woman.

"Oh my..." Stark was speechless.

"We're gonna get you and your wife to safety," Shasta added.

- - - - - - - - - -

On the rooftop of a nearby building, Bozak was lying on his belly looking through the scope of a sniper rifle. He watched MI5 enter the Dirtlander home. "Damn it," he muttered to himself.

He removed one hand from the rifle and reached into his pocket to pull out a comlink. "It looks like MI5 is already there. They're trying to protect the Dirtlanders."

"Sithspit," the male voice said through the speaker. "Just take the damn shot and get the hell out of there."

"You got it," Bozak responded, getting a new grip on the rifle.

- - - - - - - - - -

Back inside, Bont was ushering the Dirtlanders toward the front door. "We have a safe location nearby. You have to come with us."

Shasta caught a glimpse of a red dot on Mrs. Dirtlanders chest. "Get down!" Shasta yelled as she leaped at the woman. The two of them hit the floor as a blaster bolt fired through the window, shattering the glass, and ended up in the wall behind them. Everyone else ducked as well, with the exception of the protocol droid who was flailing around in a panic.

Bont peeked his head around through the window and quickly glanced at the balconies and rooftops. He saw movement on one of them. "Gotcha," he said. Bont turned to Stark Dirtlander. "You have a speeder nearby?"

Stark pointed into the house. "Yeah, it's out on the landing platform."

"Get them to safety," Bont told Shasta as he got to his feet and made his way through the house.

"Bont, wait!" Shasta yelled, but Bont didn't respond. "Damn it. He's gonna get himself killed." She turned back to the others and said, "Come on. We've gotta get outta here."

On the opposite side of the Dirtlander home, Bont exited out on to the landing platform where he saw a bright red Narglatch AirTech speeder. Its classy and sleak design was modified to seat four beings comfortably. Bont cracked a half-smile when he saw it. "Sweet," he commented as he hopped into the pilot seat.

- - - - - - - - - -

Bozak made his way around to the opposite side of the rooftop and tossed the weapon and the comlink into the passenger seat of his two-seater airspeeder and climbed into it. Starting it up, he took off heading away from the building. Merging his way into the traffic lanes over the Thranta Region, a couple blaster bolts whizzed past him. He turned his head to see a Zeltron in a bright red airspeeder following him. The Zeltron was aiming a blaster at him.

"Bozak!" Bont yelled at him, his left hand on the speeder controls, his right hand aiming a blaster. "Stop!"

Bozak swerved his speeder and veered into the oncoming traffic. Bont did the same, following him into the lane. Oncoming speeders were turning out of the way.

Bozak suddenly hit the brakes and made a u-turn trying to lose Bont. Bont did the same, narrowly missing an oncoming airspeeder.

After a chase that weaved around the buildings, a siren could be heard behind them. Bont turned to see the local Alderaan authorities following him. "Great," Bont said, shaking his head. He continued on after Bozak.

The chase continued, now dipping down toward ground level. They were now on the northern border of the Thranta Region, speeding past the tall business buildings. One brand new building up ahead was the main office of Cotati's Blueprints. It was a company owned by a Twi'lek named Cotati who produced holo-blueprints for speeders, submersibles and other vehicles. It was one of the buildings that was destroyed when MI5 visited five years earlier. The place had been gutted during that time, and in the following years had been rebuilt. Little did Cotati know that it was going to get destroyed again...

Bozak was racing toward the building, but swooped around it at the last possible second, circling around instead of smashing into it. Bont, on the other hand, decided to take a short cut. He headed for a large window and smashed the speeder right through it. Glass and debris went flying and the bright red speeder zoomed through the large room. Chairs and desks were blown to the sides from the repulsors in the speeder. Bont then smashed through the window on the other side, sending debris on top of the pedestrians below.

A few stories up, Cotati felt the rumble in the floor below him. He raced to the window and saw the red speeder exit the building. "No! No! No! Not again!"

The Alderaan authorities following Bont attempted to take the same route through the structure. But when the side of the speeder clipped the twisted durasteel sticking out of the window opening that Bont just created, the speeder flipped and smashed into the upper floor, exploding.

Having taken a short cut, Bont now found himself closer to Bozak's speeder. They were rapidly approaching a lake up ahead. Bont took aim with his blaster again and fired a few times at Bozak. One bolt hit Bozak in the back of the shoulder. Bozak grabbed his wound and lost control of the speeder. It spiraled down and crashed on the large rocks lining the edge of the water, causing an explosion. Bont tried to pull up over the explosion but couldn't quite make it. The fire hit the underside of the red speeder and caused it to malfunction. Sparks popped out of the control panel in front of Bont and the speeder began to nosedive.

Fearing being caught in an explosion, or drowned from the crash, Bont jumped just before the speeder hit the water. The speeder entered the water and quickly sank to the bottom. Bont safely splashed down in the water after it.

- - - - - - - - - -

Not far away, a private luxury yacht floated in the lake. The owner, a wealthy young Human woman named Allara Besha was laying on the deck in a bikini sunbathing. She had a drink in one hand and a comlink in the other. "I'm so bored here," she spoke to her friend through the comlink. "Nothing ever happens on Alderaan. I need a new home."

She listened to what her friend said in response.

"You're right," Allara said. "Maybe I do just need a good man."

Suddenly a wet hand grabbed the edge of the vessel. Allara turned to look. The Zeltron Jace Bont pulled himself up out of the water and on to the deck. Allara jumped up in surprise.

Bont pulled his communicator out and realized it was soaking wet. "Damn." He tossed it overboard and grabbed Allara's comlink out of her hand. "She'll have to call you back," he said into the com and then ended the transmission. He proceeded to key in an encrypted code to contact Shasta.

"Who are you?!" Allara blurted out.

"Name's Bont, Jace Bont," he responded, still dripping water all over the deck of the yacht.

Shasta's voice came through on the comlink, "Bont? Where the hell are you?"

"Out on a lake somewhere."

"What happened to Bozak?" Shasta asked.

"The situation got a bit...rocky, but I handled it," Bont quipped.

"Bont, you better not have killed him."

"Don't worry," Bont said. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous in an hour."

Looking at the Zeltron, Allara realized this could be the man she had been needing. She attempted to hand him a drink. "Won't you join me?"

Bont looked Allara up and down. He then responded to Shasta on the comlink, "Better make that two."

Chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Epilogue