A Nice Quiet Evening
By Elektra
(elektrasfic (at) yahoo.co.uk)
AN: This
was my first challenge for Nerfherder’s Playground –
show don’t tell. The idea was to have the details of the scene revealed as they
became relevant and avoid clunky exposition (like this AN). It actually matches
up with my minimalist style rather well and it triggered what is one of my few
stabs of action.
I’m kind of tempted to
continue this, although I fear Nair may head into Mary
Sue-dom.
The laser blast that sizzled
out of the darkness and into the wall above their heads caused both women to
duck.
“I thought you said this
would be a nice quiet evening?” muttered Nair, blowing a blonde curl out of her
eyes as she edged towards the end of the alley.
“I made no such promise, I
merely suggested it,” her companion replied, pressed flat against the wall
behind her, blaster in a well-manicured hand.
“Typical
politician’s answer, always hedging your bets.” The rough duracrete wall snagged
the silky fabric of her dress as she stepped delicately over a large pile of
rubbish.
Leia’s shorter legs made heavier work of the traverse, but
she was soon at her friend’s side, crouched in the shadow of a large bin.
“If I’d known we’d be in a
dump site I wouldn’t have worn open-toed shoes,” the princess groused, trying
to spot their assailant in the empty street beyond.
“Nothing to the right,” came the former commando’s reply, “and anyway, those
shoes are fabulous.”
“Clear to the left.” Leia was amazed at how easily she’d slipped back into the
role of soldier after months of politics. Although, as a breeze blew assorted
debris around her bare legs, she doubted the little black dress would catch on
as front line material.
“So either they’re smarter
than we think they are…”
“Not likely given that they
ran into the restaurant with guns blazing”
“… or they went after the
boys,” Nair finished. “Shall we go rescue our knights in shining armour?” She
rested her weapon against a red-clad shoulder and looked expectantly at the
princess who was checking the charge on her blaster.
Leia stood and nodded decisively. “Lead on Sergeant.”
“Captain, please. You
promoted me right after Endor, remember? In those
twenty seconds you weren’t in the Falcon ‘recuperating’?”
“And you wonder why I waited
until now to agree to this double date.”
***
“Got one!” The shout was unnecessary, Han felt, as the one that
Jaydan had ‘got’ was now sprawled over the tables
that were serving as their cover.
The heat from the firefight was making sweat trickle down through his newly
cut hair and he was grateful that he’d tossed aside his confining jacket.
“How many more?” he asked
the pilot as a vase on a nearby table shattered, spraying them with glass.
“Don’t know, I figured that
diving for cover was preferable to doing a head count!”
“You’re only allowed to be a
smartass if you can do it while shooting something!” Han punctuated his point
by picking off a couple of attackers who had been stupid enough to forget that
just because they couldn’t see him didn’t mean they weren’t out in the open.
“Yes, General Solo, sir!” He
pulled off the snappiest sarcastic salute Han had ever seen. The man radiated
military efficiency from the top of his regulation buzzcut
to the tips of his absurdly shiny boots and he was starting to get on the
former smuggler’s nerves.
“Shut up and shoot something
Telc!” Something in this wreck of a fancy restaurant
had caught fire and the acrid smoke was making his eyes water. He looked
towards the kitchen door that Leia and Nair had
managed to duck through at the last minute.
Jaydan noticed the direction of his glance.
“You think the girls got out
ok?” a note of worry in his voice. Han
suppressed a smile. He couldn’t think of two women who were more capable of
taking care of themselves than those two.
“They’re probably doing
better than us.” There was activity from behind the opposing barricade and it
was worrying him.
“Yeah, they’re sitting in
the front row of that cabaret sipping fancy cocktails wondering what the hell
happened to us.” A stronger blast hit the table in front of Jaydan,
causing the younger man to leap in Han’s direction.
Huddled into the corner, Han
could see the large muzzle of a portable laser cannon swinging towards him. Out
of the corner of his eye he noticed that the kitchen door was slightly ajar,
propped open by a well-manicured foot in open-toed shoes. Following the gap
upwards he saw the hand holding the thermal detonator depress the switch and
give it a well practiced flick toward the laser cannon.
“Get down now!” He grabbed Telc and pulled him backwards, causing the man’s last few
blasts to hit the ceiling.
It all went eerily quiet for
a moment and he heard a beeping turn into a high-pitched whine.
The world went white.