Defect

iiii

I signaled my team to move out, getting on our Speederbikes to travel to a good vantage point a few miles away from where we saw movement. I immediately dismounted, gathering my gear; I used the scope of my E-11s Sniper Rifle to get a better look with FN-91 doing the same with his binoculars. It was a small group; one was our target, and at least four others brandished the resistance orange jumpers.

"That's our man," I spoke eagerly, looking over at AN-308 and FN-180, who were still positioned on their Speeders

"I need you two to get around to the other side. They must be waiting for a ship to arrive. If we can flank them, we might be able to intercept, allowing the ground team the opportunity to engage."

"Yes, Ma'am!" they both spoke in unison, taking off across the barrage of trees.

"Come in, Commander; we have a visual on the escapee."

"Report, Captain, what do you see? Is he alone?"

"Negative, sir. He is accompanied by what appears to be four rebel soldiers. It seems that they are waiting for a vessel. " I zoomed in my scope, keeping a close eye on the group

"We have pinpointed your location; we will be there briefly, keep them from boarding anything before we arrive."

"Yes, sir!"

Lowering my com, I glimpsed a small flicker of light; it was a signal from the others notifying me that they made it to an optimal position, perfect. The trees were suddenly being blown violently as A ship began to descend, meeting the party. I cursed softly, looking over to FN-91, giving him a nod as I began speaking into my radio so the other half of my team could hear me as well.

"On my mark, takeout the others; if we start opening fire, they will hesitate to land!"

"Yes, Ma'am." They all said together,

"Ready..." I rested my Sniper rifle on a dilapidated trunk of a tree, giving myself more support for my weapon and cover just in case if we experienced retaliation.

"Fire!" I shouted,

We all shot simultaneously, connecting with each mark we had locked on. The ship hovered in the air, halting its descent; the bay doors of the ship opened, with someone hanging out. They shouted something to the prisoner, possibly another solution for extraction. I wish I had heavier artillery to bring that damn thing down; where the hell was ground support? Finally, the ship departed; you could see panic had stricken the target as he began to run in the direction of the vessel. Did that fool think he could make it on foot? It was almost comical.

"Should we engage the target, Ma'am?" FN-180 questioned, standing by.

"Yes, spread out, now that we postponed his rescue, we can intercept the prisoner. Take out any of the resistance that might surface, as we know that they won't leave their companion behind." I hopped on my Speeder, looking over to FN-91

"Yes, Ma'am. Be careful out there."

I nodded, taking off at top speed, racing through the trees to find my goal. He may have gotten a head start, but there was no escaping me this time. My vision was tunneled, keeping my focus narrow, preventing me from noticing a large branch hurling directly at me; from a convenient bush. My Speeder smacked right into one of the dense trees, exploding on impact. The makeshift weapon knocked the wind out of me, making it difficult to breathe.

I laid on the ground, trying to regain the proper function of my lungs. My eyes darted irately, with the darkness of the night shrouding everything around, with only the fire from the crash illuminating my limited surroundings. When the world around me stopped spinning, I could make out a figure looming over me, holding a large stick in its hands, ready to strike. My reflexes kicked in, prompting me to properly roll out of the way before I was struck again.