-3-
For a split second Harn was completely disoriented; but then an image flashed in his head and he swung his legs around, firing the boosters and miraculously straightening his body out so that he stopped in mid air for a few seconds. The boosters whined with the strain of even Harn's lightweight and Harn began to rise a little before he cut them off and dropped down right into the middle of the rodians. And they might have been drunk, but they were also not happy drunks.
Harn wore two blasters at his side and he suddenly decided this would be a good time to forget how guilty he would feel if he used them on some one.
The blasters seemed to leap from their holsters a second before Harn actually touched them and he dropped two of the four without actually having to aim, rushing through the sudden gap and diving ungracefully behind one of the heavy crates.
The explosive. they would surely leave him if he tossed the explosive, even if it didn't actually go off.
Harn lobbed the explosive, quickly activating its "wall" mode, which caused it to latch onto one of the containers and sink several metal hooks in to hold on.
There was some frantic squeaking and the sound of the roden's boots quickly faded as the sound of the big door being opened echoed through out the wear house.
With a self-satisfied grin, Harn stood and began to dust himself off. But then froze, watching the timer tick and his face turning to a mask of horror.
"10. 9. 8. 7." the timer beeped.
Spinning on his heel, Harn dropped his blasters into their holsters, launching what was left of his grappling hooks, and crouched down; giving an adrenalin aided leap, and activating his boosters, he pulled on the ropes, straining for all the speed and momentum he could get. The opening was too small. but some how he managed to make it through the hole.
Behind him there was a booming noise and Harn allowed his momentum to carry him on higher, cutting the grappler ropes and kicking the boosters on to the maximum, it was about to get very. exciting.
The shock wave didn't hit Harn too hard, he was already moving upwards and at a fairly fast speed. But he certainly wasn't going to be slowing down any time soon.
The city seemed so far below him, and it was actually a very pretty sight, but he had to focus and figure out what to do when he started going down.
Harn switched off his boosters; they were only taking him higher, and watched the city below him start to get closer. and closer. A lot faster.
"Please let me time this right." Harn prayed and saw that if he continued at this angle he would land on a roof, hopefully gently.
"Now!" Harn said to himself and reengaged his boosters, almost instantly slowing down. Well this was working out right, now all he had to do was keep from over-balancing and coming down smack on his head.
Two well aimed blaster-bolts smashed through Harn's leg rockets and a third one brushed his shoulder close enough to make his skin blister. The two rodian's who had gotten away no doubt. 'It's such a shame mom is gona have to find out this way.' Harn thought calmly, his heart still beating wildly but his mind clear enough.
Harn vaguely thought he saw someone else on the roof for a second before his legs connected with the surface of the roof and the first jolt of pain brought blackness.
"Well it was certainly quite a leap, I'd guess his legs are broken and. Blaster bolts, is he coming to already?" an odd voice drifted into Harn's mind as his eyes fluttered open, he didn't feel any pain, but then again he also couldn't feel anything else and trying to move his head only brought the slightest twitch of movement.
"It's alright." The deep voice of his former attacker was still as calm as ever, although now it seemed to hold a touch of worry. "We gave you painkillers but I'm afraid you won't be able to move for a few days. You would be dead now if you hadn't used the force."
"The force?" the words came out of Harn's mouth slightly jumbled and barely above a whisper.
"Yes, the force. I could feel you using it when you jumped onto the roof I was on earlier, I thought that only a dark Jedi would be using the force to jump from roof-to-roof and headed in my general direction. That's why I attacked you." A face came into Harn's range of vision and even though it was blurred, it looked friendly enough, a touch long but with wide smile- wrinkles.
"I." Harn's mind was still fuzzy and he couldn't think of what to say next, a Jedi? The force?
Another face appeared, the orange goggle-eyed face of a Calamari, and the high voice said, "Ah, but we will overwhelm him, do you have any family boy? Or anyone we should let know about this?"
"Mother." Harn whispered and tried to nod his head.
"Ahh, what is her name?" the Calamari asked, grabbing a data-pad and typing some things in.
"Elisina" the words leapt to Harn's lips before he could think them, where had that name come from? Wasn't it his mother's? He couldn't remember.
The Calamari nodded her fishy head and typed away at the pad for a moment before turning the screen so Harn could see it. There was a picture on the screen and it was his mother's face.
"Her." Harn affirmed as his eyes shut again and he slipped back into sleep.
For a split second Harn was completely disoriented; but then an image flashed in his head and he swung his legs around, firing the boosters and miraculously straightening his body out so that he stopped in mid air for a few seconds. The boosters whined with the strain of even Harn's lightweight and Harn began to rise a little before he cut them off and dropped down right into the middle of the rodians. And they might have been drunk, but they were also not happy drunks.
Harn wore two blasters at his side and he suddenly decided this would be a good time to forget how guilty he would feel if he used them on some one.
The blasters seemed to leap from their holsters a second before Harn actually touched them and he dropped two of the four without actually having to aim, rushing through the sudden gap and diving ungracefully behind one of the heavy crates.
The explosive. they would surely leave him if he tossed the explosive, even if it didn't actually go off.
Harn lobbed the explosive, quickly activating its "wall" mode, which caused it to latch onto one of the containers and sink several metal hooks in to hold on.
There was some frantic squeaking and the sound of the roden's boots quickly faded as the sound of the big door being opened echoed through out the wear house.
With a self-satisfied grin, Harn stood and began to dust himself off. But then froze, watching the timer tick and his face turning to a mask of horror.
"10. 9. 8. 7." the timer beeped.
Spinning on his heel, Harn dropped his blasters into their holsters, launching what was left of his grappling hooks, and crouched down; giving an adrenalin aided leap, and activating his boosters, he pulled on the ropes, straining for all the speed and momentum he could get. The opening was too small. but some how he managed to make it through the hole.
Behind him there was a booming noise and Harn allowed his momentum to carry him on higher, cutting the grappler ropes and kicking the boosters on to the maximum, it was about to get very. exciting.
The shock wave didn't hit Harn too hard, he was already moving upwards and at a fairly fast speed. But he certainly wasn't going to be slowing down any time soon.
The city seemed so far below him, and it was actually a very pretty sight, but he had to focus and figure out what to do when he started going down.
Harn switched off his boosters; they were only taking him higher, and watched the city below him start to get closer. and closer. A lot faster.
"Please let me time this right." Harn prayed and saw that if he continued at this angle he would land on a roof, hopefully gently.
"Now!" Harn said to himself and reengaged his boosters, almost instantly slowing down. Well this was working out right, now all he had to do was keep from over-balancing and coming down smack on his head.
Two well aimed blaster-bolts smashed through Harn's leg rockets and a third one brushed his shoulder close enough to make his skin blister. The two rodian's who had gotten away no doubt. 'It's such a shame mom is gona have to find out this way.' Harn thought calmly, his heart still beating wildly but his mind clear enough.
Harn vaguely thought he saw someone else on the roof for a second before his legs connected with the surface of the roof and the first jolt of pain brought blackness.
"Well it was certainly quite a leap, I'd guess his legs are broken and. Blaster bolts, is he coming to already?" an odd voice drifted into Harn's mind as his eyes fluttered open, he didn't feel any pain, but then again he also couldn't feel anything else and trying to move his head only brought the slightest twitch of movement.
"It's alright." The deep voice of his former attacker was still as calm as ever, although now it seemed to hold a touch of worry. "We gave you painkillers but I'm afraid you won't be able to move for a few days. You would be dead now if you hadn't used the force."
"The force?" the words came out of Harn's mouth slightly jumbled and barely above a whisper.
"Yes, the force. I could feel you using it when you jumped onto the roof I was on earlier, I thought that only a dark Jedi would be using the force to jump from roof-to-roof and headed in my general direction. That's why I attacked you." A face came into Harn's range of vision and even though it was blurred, it looked friendly enough, a touch long but with wide smile- wrinkles.
"I." Harn's mind was still fuzzy and he couldn't think of what to say next, a Jedi? The force?
Another face appeared, the orange goggle-eyed face of a Calamari, and the high voice said, "Ah, but we will overwhelm him, do you have any family boy? Or anyone we should let know about this?"
"Mother." Harn whispered and tried to nod his head.
"Ahh, what is her name?" the Calamari asked, grabbing a data-pad and typing some things in.
"Elisina" the words leapt to Harn's lips before he could think them, where had that name come from? Wasn't it his mother's? He couldn't remember.
The Calamari nodded her fishy head and typed away at the pad for a moment before turning the screen so Harn could see it. There was a picture on the screen and it was his mother's face.
"Her." Harn affirmed as his eyes shut again and he slipped back into sleep.