Who�s afraid of a Stalker? Cor was gazing out the viewport at all the Destroyers leaving the planet. The Separatists had given up, and they were moving on to their next mission. None of them were talking, silently suffering from headaches or exhaustion, but Fletcher found strength enough to come over to Cor. �You know, you can take off your helmet when you�re inside.� �I�m going to miss this planet. Why did Geegee leave?� �I don�t know. Probably because of the massive hangover he got the next morning.� �He was the first person we�ve met who liked the Darkness as much as I did�� �He won�t forget about us, Cor. He still has his cape.� �Yay� shit, I didn�t get to finish my message. I wonder does he remember much about last night�� �I�m sure he does, Cor, I�m sure he does. There�s a rumour going around that Fishy wants to hand us over to someone else. He�s sick of us, apparently.� �Where�s he sending us?� �Somewhere in the Mid Rim, I think.� �That sucks. I�ve only ever been in Coruscant once.� The Star Destroyers in front of them all started entering hyperspace. Fletcher knew what was coming. The intercom sounded. �Would the ARC squad N-17 please report to the general�s quarters immediately.� �DAMN YOU ALL! IT�S ARSE SQUAD!� Rio was o his feet, glaring at the intercom. �I�LL SAY WHATEVER I WANT, R-10!� �SHUT YOUR FUCKING SPEAKER!� Reggie threw Rio the hammer he had used earlier. Rio hurled it as hard as he could at the offending intercom. It knocked it off the wall, before landing on it. The points were sticking into the now silent box. Fletcher opened the door at the far side of the room. �Great. Now all the intercoms are against us. Come on, Fishy going to tell us we�re being transferred.� Reggie raised his hand. �Is that a bet?� �Have it your way. Fifty credits says I�m right.� �Deal.� They all filed out, Finn bringing up the rear. He had his fingers crossed and was muttering. �Please don�t be a water planet, please don�t be a water planet.� General Fisto was pacing as they entered. �Well boys, I guess you know what I called you here for?� The squad nodded, concealing grins. Kit stopped pacing and faced them, his expression unreadable as always. �We�ve had a good few weeks together, and we�ve learned much about the Separatist army and it�s all thanks to you. You are a great�asset, to the Republic, despite�never mind.� Finn restrained from tapping his foot. �We could never have won possession of this particular system-� He gestured at the system behind them. �-Without your help. Our assignment was successful and General Grievous has been forced to retreat. We still have half the army left, and-� Cor attention started to wander. Finn caught his eye. �-Assist the Republic forces on other worlds, who were not as fortunate as us and need reinforcements quickly.� So get to the point quickly, Fletcher thought. I want my credits. �I will be going to Mon Calamari, Master Yoda has appointed this mission to me, because of my experience and natural advantage under water.� He sighed and continued. �But because of recent�incidents, I�m afraid you will be assigned to someone else. You�re new general will arrive shortly and I will board one of the other cruisers. Unfortunately, since I have to leave now, you are in charge of this cruiser and its crew. You�re dismissed.� Fletcher grinned under his helmet. While Kit was talking, Finn was silently communicating with Cor. He slowly started counting down on his fingers and Cor started unhooking his kama. They were the lasts to leave, and then Kit made the vital mistake. He turned around, about to head back to his quarters. Cor brought a well-practised arm around and delivered a final arse-whip. It made a delightful �snap� on contact. It was soon drowned out about Kit�s reaction. �YYEEEEOOOOW!� Cor and Finn ran out after the others, laughing maniacally. When they caught up with the others Fletcher was already arguing with Reggie. �It was fifty credits Reg, just admit it!� �Well, I heard fifteen!� �Finn, what did you hear?� �It was fifty, Reg.� Reggie mumbled something and dished out the money. Fletcher happily pocketed it. �Did you get him?� Cor was humming again so Finn answered. �Cor got him real good. Did you hear him yell?� �Of course. The whole cruiser must�ve heard him screech. Has Fishy left?� Cor glanced back. �He�s �gone.� �Score.� They ran to the main control room. Fletcher grabbed the intercom. �Attention all troopers. You are hereby ordered to GO NUTS!� Troopers all around the ship looked at each other in confusion. A few stopped working. Fletcher shook his head. �Come on people! I want to see some dossing!� The troopers all left their consoles/vehicles, and headed for the vending machines. Fletcher shrugged. �Fair enough.� He turned the intercom off. �What do we do until the new Jedi arrive?� Cor jumped on top of Fletcher. �PAINTBALL!� Soon, all five were scattered around one level of the Destroyer, double-checking possible hideouts, accidentally hitting regular troopers and dashing for cover every time they heard a sound. Fletcher had been hit once by Cor, Rio twice by Fletcher and Cor, Reggie was on four, each of the others had hit him once and Cor and Finn hadn�t been hit. Cor was currently crouched on top of a door, waiting in ambush. The first to come by was Finn, who was forever paranoid during this game and had suspected. Cor opened fire, but Finn dived and rolled to the side and returned fire. Cor was hit and dramatically fell from his perch. Finn paused. �Cor?� �GOTCHA!� Cor had used the momentum of his fall to tumble across the floor and get Finn between the legs. �YOU�RE LUCKY I HAVE ARMOUR THERE!� He began chasing Cor down the hall. Cor kept changing direction, doubling back and crouch running. He was too quick for Finn and in vain Finn shot at him. On the other side of the cruiser, Reggie was having similar problems. He had been following Fletcher, but the wily Sarg had lost him. He walked cautiously down the deserted corridor, feeling edgy. He gulped, remembering how bad he was at sneaking. Sure enough, he was so busy with these negative thoughts that he tripped over a small memo droid and fell. �Not again! Fucking droid-oops.� Fletcher and Rio appeared from opposite doors and shot at him as he tried to get up. He gasped and flung himself back on the floor. The paintballs past over him and got the other two. �DAMN! SO CLOSE!� �SHIT! I�M ON THREE!� �TOO BAD!� Reggie scrambled to his feet and ran. Fletcher gave chase and caught Reggie on the head. �Aaaah!� Reggie toppled and lay sprawled on the ground. Fletcher towered over him. �You�re out, Reg.� He was suddenly distracted by Rio, who got him on the hip. Cursing, he turned from a dazed Reggie to face an angry Rio. Suddenly Cor, then Finn flew around the corner. Cor leapt over Reggie and took his paintgun. He landed in front of Fletcher and Rio and shot them both on the arm, causing them to drop their guns. He yelled in triumph, but was quickly silenced by Finn�s shot to the arse. �YAAAA-OW!� �HA HAA! GOTCHA BACK!� The door beside the troopers suddenly slid open, catching all of them by surprise. Two Jedi emerged. It was Agen Kolar and Shaak Ti. They viewed the scene in front of them with mild curiosity. Agen looked at each trooper in turn. �You must be the�Arse squad?� Fletcher was subtly pushed forward by Rio. �Yes we are. You are the new generals?� The Sergeant voice was back. �You guess correctly, Sergeant.� Cor had a sheepish look on under his helmet. As soon as Shaak had walked in, he had a fleeting image of his �message� on Grievous� cape. Now Shaak was speaking. �We are most grateful for your assistance. We plan to win back Brentaal 4 with your reinforcements. Our own troops were overwhelmed last time. General Fisto has told us of your�unorthodox battle tactics and in this case, they are greatly needed. Brentaal is an important trade route and we can�t afford to lose it.� �We�ll do our job well. By the way, did General Fisto say anything else about us?� Agen and Shaak glanced at each other. �Well�he warned us to keep on our toes�� �So what do you think of the new Jedi?� The squad was back in their room, scrubbing paint off their armour, and Fletcher and Finn were talking. �Should be easy targets, they don�t seem to know much about us.� �True.� �So what do we do first? Can we put signs on their backs? We haven�t done that one in ages.� �No, it wouldn�t work. They would see each other�s signs and take them off. That means painting their faces in the middle of the night won�t work, either.� �Still, there�s nothing wrong with a good arse-whipping, is there?� �I suppose not. Come on, guys we have to think of someth-� Their cruiser started going into landing mode and anyone who was standing (including Fletcher) was knocked off their feet. �For fuck�s sake! Why didn�t the intercom warn us?� �Sarg? It�s because it�s still broken.� They rushed to the viewport to get a first look at the planet. The sky was grey and stormy, and they couldn�t see the landmasses yet. Fletcher pulled out his electrobinoculars �I can�t see a thing through those clouds. It looks like we didn�t bring the weather with us.� Reggie took the binoculars off him. �Cloud, cloud, cloud, cloud, UFO, cloud, cloud, cruiser, cloud. cloud-� �UFO?� �Yeah, over there.� Finn took the binoculars. �That�s not a UFO! That�s a Separatist cruiser, Reg!� He whacked Reggie on the head. �But where are all the others?� �On the planet, I guess. Get ready for the bump.� They hung onto any thing heavy as the cruiser neared the surface of the strange planet. It all looked quite advanced, once they were through the clouds. Huge cities dotted the landscape. They came down next to about a hundred other Venator-class Destroyers. �Aaand� Here it comes!� The Destroyer landed heavily, jolting everyone about two feet into the recycled air. Cor got up first. �I WANT TO GO AGAIN!� �Who the hell is driving this thing?!� �I DON�T CARE! I WANNA GO OUTSIDE!� �Alright, alright, we�ll go outside-� �YAY!� �-Later. I SAID LATER, YOU �COR, COR!� But he was already gone. Fletcher scrambled to hid feet and ran after him, and after grasping the situation, so did the rest. They came out by the main hangar, barely ahead of the countless troopers, AT-TEs and gunships. They caught up with Cor who had stopped, at a loss of what to do next. �Damn, they didn�t bring the walkers.� �Cor, don�t DO THAT!� �But I want to explore.� �I know you do, but sometimes you have to wait for your team mates to get ready. We�ll wait for the scouts to come back, then we�ll go, ok?� �Too LATE!� Cor was off like a bullet. Fletcher remained calm. �Who brought the fishing rod?� �Got it right here, Sarg.� Rio set it up quickly. �I think I can reach from here.� �Get him.� Rio swung it back and cast it forcefully. It caught up with Cor and incredibly, it latched onto his belt. �NNOOO!� Cor fell and Rio was helped by Fletcher to reel him in. Cor was digging his hands into the dirt, putting up a good fight. Finn had to help too, and finally, Cor was dragged back. �Quick, Reg get his legs.� Reggie grabbed his ankles, while Fletcher held his wrists. �LET ME GO! I�LL BITE!� �You can�t bite with your helmet on, genius.� Cor started thrashing wildly; Rio and Finn had to help to bring him back inside. By the time they had reached the hangar Cor was exhausted, and was silently fuming. He looked back over his shoulder and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar cruiser in the distance� Cor could hear the others snoring softly on their couches. Perfect. He climbed quietly off his couch and proceeded to get dressed. He double-checked that he had everything: electrobinoculars, Deece, stereo, a copy of the Darkness� new single, �One Way Ticket To Hell And Back�, along with a camera, just in case. He tiptoed to the door. He was reaching for the padlock when a powerful torch beam hit him. �Busted. Where are you off to?� It was Rio. �Nowheres in particular.� �Really. �Cause that�s where I was going.� Cor suddenly noticed that Rio was dressed too. He grinned. �Coming?� �Yep.� They left their squad mates behind and crept down the length of the Destroyer. There were a couple of tense moments when a door opened or shut unnecessarily loud, but they got outside without incident. They raided the hangar and found two speeder bikes. Now Cor was leading the way along the outskirts of a large city, still teeming with nightlife. They knocked over all the dumpsters they found, scaring the living daylights out of the passers-by. Rio got level with Cor as they cleared the city. Wide, flat plain spread over the horizon striped with old roads and air traffic controllers. Cor took a sharp left, and Rio followed suit. They could both see things on the western horizon. Enemy ships. As they drew closer, they abandoned the speeders next to a closed down diner. They walked right into the moonless shadow of the nearest cruiser. The huge planet in the night sky lit the way better than any moon. Cor ventured further underneath the ship, while Rio kept watch. He listened closely. He thought he heard something from the other side of the cruiser, just opposite from him. He couldn�t recognise it, and his curiosity got the better of him as he approached the sound. Finn woke with a start. He thought he heard speeders. He could see nothing through the dark, so he whispered to Cor. �You awake?� No answer. Finn whacked his fist off Cor�s silent covers. It sunk through them. �Great.� �What are you doing, Finn? It�s 5 am.� �Cor�s not here.� �Wonderful. Just let him roam free, then he won�t bother us when he comes back.� �I think Rio�s gone too.� Fletcher grumbled. �Fine, get Reggie up and we�ll follow them.� Now that Cor was nearer, he could hear voices. One was interrupted by a cough every now and then. He recognised the cough. It was General Grievous�. Intrigued, he stepped closer. He was on the other of the cruiser now. Another step, and Grievous was in sight. He was sitting on a rock with his cape off looking bored. He was twiddling a lightsaber hilt between his fingers. There was a small group of bushes in front of Grievous and he seemed to be staring at them. ��You�re WHAT? No, no, no, no, no. Fucking hell, are you INSANE?� Cor then realised he was talking into his commlink. He heard an answering voice. It sounded familiar, but Cor couldn�t think of who it was. �I am coming. I know you want me to. I can READ YOUR THOUGHTS�� �If you could read my thoughts, you would BUGGER OFF!� Grievous started hacking loudly. The voice on the commlink came through again. �We have to get those lungs checked. You sound terrible.� Grievous answered gruffly. �I�m fine. Don�t change the subject!� �If you don�t want me to come, then why are you waiting?� Grievous paused. ��couldn�t hear �.your breaking up�� He cut the transmission and sagged with relief, giving a small cough. Cor saw his chance. Rio was watching too, from across the cruiser. Cor stepped out. �Hi again.� Grievous spun around, eyes flashing angrily. �YOU? AGAIN? ARE YOU STALKING ME OR SOMETHING?� Cor raised his and tried reassuring Grievous. �Whoa, calm down. I�m not on duty, and neither are you by the looks of it. And I�ve got no beef with you. I just came to give you this.� He held out the CD. Grievous stared at it, his annoyance ebbing. �One Way ticket To Hell and Back?� �The very same.� �Why are you giving this to me?� �Because you like the Darkness and I had a spare. Go on, take it.� �But I tried to kill you.� �Yeah, but you didn�t, and I got my revenge yesterday. It�s quits.� Cor had his arm out, still holding the CD. When Grievous still eyed it suspiciously, he sighed. �Ok, fine. I�ll put it on the ground and back slowly away.� �No don�t.� Cor wasn�t expecting that. Grievous reached out and took the CD and inspected it. �Are you going to say thank you?� Grievous looked at him with scorn. �Alright, I won�t ask for a thank you. Too much too soon. Well, better be going. I�m Cor, by the way.� Cor turned, ready to leave, when he was hit with inspiration. �Can I have your commlink frequency?� �No.� Grievous was looking pissed off again. They both turned as they heard a rustle in the bushes. Grievous looked from the bush to Cor. �Get out of here, if you value your life!� Cor�s job was done, so he hurried off, back to Rio. He glanced at Grievous. He whipped out his camera and Rio came over. �What happened?� �Watch.� Jedi Master Shaak Ti had just emerged in front of Grievous. She had her hands behind her back and was smiling at Grievous. �I�m here. Happy now?� �No. I told you to fuck off.� �Got everything?� �YOU�RE NOT LISTENING! I. SAID. NO.� She giggled fangirlishly. Shaak grabbed a hold of his wrist. �Oh come on! Dooku won�t be hear for ages, he won�t notice you�re gone!� �The droids will.� �Fuck them.� Grievous tried wrenching his hand away and Shaak let go. He started backing away, reaching towards his hips. Shaak smirked. �Looking for these?� She lifted up his cape, complete with four lightsabers. Grievous had backed straight into a rock. Cor and Rio were shaking with silent laughter as they watched through the camera. �This is great blackmail.� �Yeah, priceless.� Shaak started advancing on the poor trapped general. She spread her arms out wide. Grievous went rigid. �NOOO!� She threw herself at him, but he dived past her and started running for his life. �GRIEVIE! DON�T LEAVE!� She dashed after him, aided by the Force. Grievous flew past Cor and Rio�s hiding place. Cor dragged Rio to his feet. �Come on! We�ve got to follow them!� �I think they need some time alone.� �Nuh-uh. Do you know how much we could get if we broadcast this on the HoloNet?� They ran for their speeders and soon they were in hot pursuit. Grievous flew out of the clearing, his speed greatly due to being exceedingly freaked out. Shaak was gaining; she must be using the Force to help. This whole fiasco had started when she had gotten his commlink frequency from some hostage or something. She had started calling him at least twice a day. Then she started appearing at regular intervals during sieges and actual battles. Then she appeared at Hypori, and he hadn�t completely killed her, just injured her. After that she trailed him more than ever. He decided that he needed help. She was preparing to jump on him now; he could see her out of the corner of his eye. In desperation he yelled out the first thing that came into his head. �COR!� He paused, shocked. This gave Shaak the chance she was waiting for. With a great leap she landed on his shoulder blades and hugged him tightly. He swayed dangerously, trying to pull her off. Suddenly they froze, listening. Grievous stopped trying to dislocate Shaak�s arms and Shaak released her grip slightly. There were several speeders approaching. Fletcher spotted two silhouettes in the distance. �Up ahead. Accelerate, people!� They urged their speeders onward, Reggie accidentally breaking and reversing. �WAIT!� He regained control and sped after them. Rio was still filming the chase. Cor was making a revving noise. �Vrrmm... vrmm-what the-?� Fletcher had appeared beside him. He waved cheerfully at Cor just as Finn came up by Rio. �What�s up?� �This is FUN!� �I CAN SEE THAT. WHO�S UP THERE?� He pointed to Grievous and Shaak Ti. �Some old friends. Geegee needs help.� �I heard him call. You told him your name?� �A while ago.� �Why does he need help?� Cor shrugged. �I want to help cause I think Shaak�s molesting him, or at least trying to.� Fletcher�s expression as invisible but Cor guessed he was disturbed. �Shaak? As in General Shaak Ti?� �The city people don�t like me.� �Stop getting off the point Cor.� They reached the two figures. Grievous and Shaak both cursed in unison. �Oh, shit.� ��Mmpph.� The squad dismounted and Fletcher approached. �Ok, Geegee, just calm down. Shaak, let the guy breath.� �BUT HE LOVES ME!� There was an indignant noise from Grievous. �You admitted the you like me!� Grievous� eyes rolled in exasperation. The troopers glanced at each other. Grievous tried again to pull her off, muttering several inaudible curses. Shaak was immovable. Grievous started hard at the Cor, almost pleading with him to do something. Cor looked at Rio, Rio looked at him. Their eyes travelled down to Cor�s belt and the stereo strapped to it. Perfect. Rio took it off and Reggie, quite quick on the uptake for once, came up to him and handed him a strange CD from the depths of his backpack. He put it in and pressed �play�. They watched Shaak as the music came on. It was Queen. �I�ve fallen in love I�ve fallen in love for the first time And this time I know it�s for real I�ve fallen in love.� Shaak started singing along and swaying with the music. Grievous subtly lifted her off and placed her on the ground. He threw a grateful look at Cor before jumping on a speeder and flying off at top speed. Shaak was sitting cross-legged on the completely oblivious of her surroundings. Fletcher turned to the others. �Good work Rio, Reggie. Who wants to share bikes?� Reggie waved his hand in the air. �I�ll share with Shaak.� �O�k then. Who else?� �Me and Finn.� Finn hi-5ed Cor. �Yay! You have to show my that recording.� �Of course�Mwahahaha.� He gave Shaak an evil grin. �Alright, let�s go.� They mounted and sped off. Shaak, Reggie, Finn and Cor were all singing �Bohemian Rhapsody� all the way back. �I SEE A LITTLE SILHOUTTEO OF A MAN SCARAMUSH SCARAMUSH CAN YOU DO THE FANDANGO? THUNDER BOLT AND LIGHTNING, VERY VERY FRIGHTENING GALILEO GALILEO FIGARO! LET ME GO-OO-OO-OO!�
