ENTER THE STALKERS 2: SCOUTS HONOR The Merry Prankster



CHAPTER FOUR: ROAD TRIP



Spaceship, "Nubian Raider"

Voyage to Tauri Alpha V

Star Wars Universe

Seven months from end of Phantom Menace

The sleek, silver spacecraft swept through the upper atmosphere of the city-planet Coruscant. Outside the cockpit, the view changed from blue sky to the blackness of space. Wins looked over to his friend and fellow soldier and pondered the changes both had undergone since that liftoff from the U.S.S. Essex., nearly a year ago. It wasn't that long ago when I was in the co-pilot's seat and Saint was piloting the craft.. Anthony "Saint" Christopher just looked out the window as a sense of wonder covered his face. The ship left orbit and flew to the edge of the system. Wins punched in a few commands into the navicomputer and pulled the lever, mounted on the front console. Time seemed to slow down for a few seconds. A high pitch whine filled the interior of the craft as it made the jump into hyperspace. Outside the stars turned into streaks of bright light that flashed by the craft as it accelerated toward it's destination.

Wins looked up as Qui Gon Jinn entered the cockpit. The master Jedi tapped Saint on the shoulder. He looked over at Wins and all three moved into the common area. Qui Gon handed Saint a long silver handle and activated a training droid. The silver ball rose up on it's repulser jets and moved toward Saint. Taking a two handed grip, Saint activated the weapon with a press of the button located on the handle. A beam of green light extended from the handle as the American waited for the droid to attack. Two yellow beams shot out from the floating ball toward the young American . He dodged the first but was hit in the seat by the second. To his surprise, his former co-pilot doubled over in intense laughter.

"Man, I wish I had a camera right now. Sorta reminds me of the time that waitress in Los Angeles nailed you with the beer can."

A red faced Saint was about to respond with an appropriate comeback when Qui Gon spoke up.

"Your eyes can deceive you. Feel the Force flow through your body. "

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Saint mentally prepared himself for the droid's next move.

The silver ball floated to the right of the Jedi-in-Training and fired another three shots at him. Saint quickly blocked the three beams. A twisted grin formed on the young American's face as a unique idea ran through his mind. Upon shooting a fourth beam the droid moved back and waited. This bolt was parried and shot towards its new target. Wins was enjoying the scene when the fourth beam hit him in the seat.

"YOW!!! WHAT THE.." Yelled out the enraged co-pilot as Saint began laughing.

"As they say back on Earth, my good friend, PAYBACKS A BITCH". Chuckled Saint.

"That was uncalled for. A Jedi does not give into such emotions." Chided Qui Gon.

"But he was asking for it." "Anthony.."

"Sorry, Qui Gon" responded a slightly embarrassed Saint.

The Master Jedi only shook his head in response. It was going to be one of those days.

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Planet Tauri Alpha V

Outer Rim

Star Wars Universe

The planet had once been the center of a thriving civilization of human origin. However, that was in the past. Recent history had not been kind to the people of Tauri Alpha V. The climate had shifted from an extreme case of global warming brought about by discharge from various factories and mines. The icecaps had melted and were accompanied by the rise of oceans and the growth of jungle forests. Now, thousands of years later, the population had dropped by 80% and most of the earlier civilization had been swallowed up by the encroaching jungles. It was in this setting that Wolfgang Blackmoore and Darth Sidious had set up their Force stealing operation.

So far, the operation had been proceeding according to plan. By their own calculations, the Sith Lord and his Black Mage underling will have accumulated enough power to seize control of the Republic within ten years. Unfortunately, some snags had crept up here and there. The most serious was the shutting down of their child kidnap ring on Corscant. If they didn't find a fresh source immediately, the time table could be set back as many as twenty years. Sidious had made it clear to Blackmoore that he expected the operation to be back on schedule soon. Otherwise, one Black Mage could find himself gasping for air while dancing around the room, Force Lightning coursing through his body.

Blackmoore had just entered the main control room when the communication unit began announcing an incoming call. Flipping a switch, the image of the Dark Lord appeared in the center of the holocom unit.

"What is the status of the operation?" asked Sidious.

"My Lord, we are on schedule. The last batch of children should provide us enough power for the next four months. However, we need to acquire a new source if we are to keep on schedule."

"I am well aware of your difficulties and will get you your raw material. However, I am calling you to notify you that the Jedi are aware that something is happening on your planet and have sent a team to investigate."

"One team will be no problem for my security forces and even if they get past them, I will destroy them."

"Do not be so sure of yourself. The two being sent are Master Qui Gon Jinn and Anthony Christopher. They are frowned upon by the Jedi Council as being too unconventional. However, Christopher is one who took down the operation in Coruscant. Be very careful. They pose a threat to our plans and will need to be eliminated. I am sending more battle droids. Use them wisely."

"Yes, my master" replied Blackmoore as the image flickered out.

Hmmm, Christopher. Where have I heard that name before? Thought the Black Mage. Then it hit him, Of course, he's that American soldier who helped foil the operation on Naboo. I thought I was through with meddling white knights when I left Earth. Looks like I'll have to eliminate him sooner rather than later.

Turning back to the com unit, Blackmoore placed a call. A mysterious figure answered.

"What do you want?"

"I have a job for you. I need you to eliminate a Jedi Master and his apprentice. Time is importance. "

"It will cost you 1,000,000 for each target. When the credits are placed into the specified account, you will be contacted by my agents." Replied the figure.

"Good, I'll transfer the amount today." Replied the Black Mage.

Turning off the com unit for the last time, the Mage turned around and left the room.

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Swamps outside Theed

Planet Naboo

Outer Rim

Star Wars Universe

The command staff of the 'Blue Army' was clustered around an insect mound in the middle of a clearing. Mist rose from the surface of a nearby pond that was matched by the sweat rolling off the assembled soldiers. Sergeant Shepherd had organized this set of maneuvers as a graduation exercise for the newly formed Nubian Army. Wearing BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform) covered in a green camo pattern, the soldiers presented a far different appearance from their predecessors who liberated Naboo from the Trade Federation. Shepherd stood up and outlined the setup and objectives for the exercise, code named: Swamp Fox.

"Here's the situation. Within the last two months, Red Army has invaded Naboo; a Trade Federation invasion force backed up by an amphibian race armed with a mixture of archaic and modern weaponry. Upon being defeated in the initial assault, the surviving Red forces have retreated to this swamp area to refit and regroup. Yesterday, a reconnaissance bird detected Red soldiers in the area outlined on the map. Blue Army has been ordered to find the enemy and kill them. Simple orders. Your three companies will be landed by drop ships onto LZ (Landing Zone) Theed. There, you will secure the perimeter, send out patrols to locate the Red Army, and eliminate all enemy forces in the area. A specially trained team of umpires will observe and evaluate your performance. Good luck gentlemen."

The meeting broke up as the officers went to their respective units to outline their part in the exercise. The initial landing will be made the next morning at first dawn.

The whistle of incoming artillery shattered the morning quiet as training rounds flew toward LZ Theed. As the dust settled, stillness covered the area for a few seconds. That calm was then interrupted by the whine of repulsers from the initial wave of drop ships. Since they were coming from a nearby base, the ships stayed low on the run in. Daniel McGyver, the former crew chief of "Super 6-4" was flying the lead bird. Upon recovery from his injuries, sustained in the Blackhawk crash, McGyver had taken flying lessons. He was now the lead drop ship pilot on this operation. Pulling out a cigar, he had been chewing on, he keyed his mike:

"Two miles out. Dropping to Nap of the Ground."

Following the American's lead the rest of the formation dove from the cruising altitude to tree to level. The formation hugged the hills on their high speed run toward the LZ. In fact, some were so low that they collected tree branches in various nooks and crannies.

As he touched down on the LZ, McGyver could not help but compare the scene before him to news films from Vietnam. As soon as I get back, I'm hooking up speakers and a tape deck to the ship. Then, I'm going have to make a copy of Wagner's 'Flight of the Valkyries' and play it during each assault.

The ships shot over the landing zone and dropped onto the clearing, door gunners spraying the surrounding woods with repeating blasters. As each bird touched down, soldiers leapt and moved out to secure the perimeter. The ships lifted off immediately after unloading their troops and left to pick up the second wave.

On the ground, leaders took charge and had the perimeter set up within minutes. Under the watchful eye of the observers/judges the Blue Army sent out patrols to fix the Red Army's positions. One patrol, chasing after a scout ran into an ambush. Sensors attached to the soldier's web gear began sounding as the low powered lasers hit them. As soon as they were hit, the "Dead" were led off by the judges to a collection point.

The second wave arrived and Blue Army began its push toward the Red base camp. Five hours later, the observers decided that Blue Army had achieved its objectives and won the battle. Sergeant Shepherd gathered up the officers for a final debriefing that night.

"Gentlemen, you did well today. Based on results from today's exercise, I would say you have graduated. It has been a pleasure and an honor to work with you these last few months. We will now move into a pattern of regular schedule of exercises to keep your edge sharp. It's becoming a dangerous universe out there and we need to be prepared. Now go get some rest."

As the crowd left the building, Shepherd could not shake the feeling that his men would be seeing real action sometime in the near future. But as that Jedi, Qui Gon Jinn used say, "The future is always in motion."

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Spaceship, "Nubian Raider"

Voyage to Tauri Alpha V

Star Wars Universe

"You know, I was thinking about that guy in charge of that kidnapping ring back on Coruscant." Mused Saint.

The flight to Tauri Alpha V had been going pretty smoothly and the group had settled in the common area for refreshments. Wins and Qui Gon turned to look at their friend.

Wins was the first to break the silence, "What do you mean?"

"Ever since we took out that guy, I've had the strangest feeling that I had run into his kind before."

"The Force often lets us know important information, if we know how to listen." Offered the Jedi Master.

"But Saint, the only encounter you had with a bad guy in this universe was that red faced lunatic back on Naboo."

"It wasn't Naboo where I had run into his type before. I mean, it's like a long buried memory from back on Earth. In fact it feels...... I GOT IT!!!!" Saint blurted out. "It was during my high school experience back in Sparta and it involved my former teacher."

Qui Gon prompted his young friend to continue.

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State Fair

Sparta, Mississippi,

Planet Earth



"Get in or we leave you behind." Yelled out JD.

A screen door slams, fifteen-year-old Anthony Christopher runs to the car and jumps in the backseat beside his girlfriend Katie Heart, daughter of Sparta's Chief of Detectives. Anthony and Katie had met up soon after the beginning of the school year and were soon hanging out. They had been to the mall with their friends but this was their first real date. He had asked out the young lady earlier that week and she agreed to it as long as it was okay with her mom. Following the next day's sword practice, Anthony was sitting down and catching his breath when his mentor handed him a glass of water.

"Not bad for a beginner, keep this up and you won't be a danger to yourself." Quipped the detective.

"Can I ask you a question? I mean you're a woman an everything."

"I'm glad those health classes are helping out. What do you want to know?"

"I've met this girl at school and asked her out on a date to the Faire. I figure we'll go on a few rides play a few games and come home. Only thing, is she has to get her mom's okay. How should I handle this?"

"What's the girl's name?"

"Katie"

So this is the kid, Katie wants to go out on a date with . JD waits a few moments before letting him off the hook. "You can take her to the faire on the condition that Bubba and I drive you there and chaperone."

"You, uhh you're Katie's mom?" stuttered the shocked teenager. Oh, shit

JD growled, "That's right. I like to know whom my daughter's dating and give him the parent talk. You're a nice kid but if you do anything to hurt Katie, you will be in a world of pain. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am. Then, you will tell my parents and I will get from you, Bubba, mom, dad, and any other nearby relative."

"I'm so glad we understand each other. I'll talk to your parents. I will pick you up at 5:00pm. Now, go hit the showers."

It was a night of fun and excitement. Rides and attractions had been set up to attract the many kids of all ages. Being a Friday night, the Fair was experiencing it's largest crowds of the week. The biggest attraction was the roller coaster. Under the watchful eyes of Sparta's finest, the teenagers visited many of the attractions. They visited the shooting gallery with the teenagers challenging the grownups. To JD's surprise, her young student had proven to be a crack shot. Katie leaned over and whispered in Anthony's ear.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"My dad taught me. He used to fly choppers in Vietnam and we used to spend every Saturday morning on the firing range. In a few years, I will be an army pilot like my dad."

Anthony's stock just went up in the eyes of his girlfriend's mother. She was about to speak up when she noticed two couples sneaking behind one of the tents.

"You kids wait here, I have something to take care of, police work." Ordered the detective. Cutting off any protest from her student.

"I need you and Bubba to keep Katie safe. You up to the job?"

"You can count on me. I'll put up my life to protect her."

Following the couples, JD noticed the two men had their female companions up against tables. Both females had fainted. Ridges appeared on their faces as eyes changed colors and fangs descended. Noticing the detective, and figuring an after dinner snack had just appeared one vampire approached the detective. JD pulled out her swords from her duster and quickly eliminated one of the attackers. The second snarled and rushed the detective while she glanced at the dust pile at her feet. Swirling around, she decapitated the second vampire, which turned to dust.

"What the F....."

JD turned around and stared at Anthony. From the look of astonishment on his face, it was obvious he had seen everything.

"I thought I told you to stay put."

"Bubba had everything under control and I followed to see if you needed backup." Quickly composing himself, Anthony continued "I swear the quality of the bad guys is slipping. Look at this, they just go to pieces over a beautiful woman."

JD couldn't keep smiling after that last remark. Looks like the kid is stronger than I gave him credit for. "This never happened and you never saw those bad guys. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am. Can we increase the pace of the training? The world just became a scarier place and I want to be prepared." Countered the sober faced teenager.

"Deal"

Anthony could barely hear JD mutter something to herself as she walked off.

"I had to open my big mouth and here I am training another damn white knight wanna be. JD you need to learn when to keep your mouth shut."

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Spaceship, "Nubian Raider"

Voyage to Tauri Alpha V

Star Wars Universe

Leaning over the table, Saint continued his tale. "I learned many of the things that bumped in the night were real and no longer fairy tales. The situation had taken a turn for the surreal and I never forgot the look of those creatures and the feeling I got from them."

Interested, Qui Gon inquired into what his young friend had witnessed that night.

"They were vampires, undead blood sucking creatures of the night. Because they are technically dead, the bodies turn to dust when the demon is killed. The feeling I got from around them mirrored that from that guy in the black robe. In both cases you could feel the evil pouring off them."

Noticing the solemn tone, taken on by his friend. Wins decided to change the subject.

"Was that Katie the same girl you introduced to me to before we shipped out to Africa?"

Pulling out a locket, he showed the picture to his friend and mentor. A soft smile appeared on his face as he sat back and continued his story.

"Yes, and that was her mother sharing the table. Katie and I dated off and on back in high school until her family moved to California. We kept in touch and remained friends afterwards. However, she was in California studying to be a veterinarian, and I was off to the army to become a helicopter pilot. So that's as far as we got."

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Cheyenne Mountain

Colorado, USA

Planet Earth



"Got any idea what's going on?"

Colonel Jack O' Neill walked into the briefing room. The team had been assembled on very short notice. Major Carter had been on leave to Hawaii when all leaves were cancelled. She turned toward O' Neill and shook her head no.

"Not a clue, but General Hammond is due in any minute. He will let us know. Besides, the general wouldn't have cancelled all leaves for something minor."

The assembled group rose up as one with the entrance of General Hammond. Lights were dimmed and the projector lit up the screen at the front of the room.

"Yesterday, the Stargate began throwing off strange energy readings. It was as if someone was attempting to open it from another gate. We managed to block them this time and secure the portal. However, we have been getting minor fluctuations in the system for the last two weeks. At the time, we assumed they were normal glitches and thought nothing of it. Now, this latest incident puts the whole package in a new light. We have located the intruder's origin. Colonel Neill, you will take your team to the intruder's coordinates, investigate, and eliminate the threat."

Major Carter spoke up. "General Hammond, do we have any idea who is behind this?"

"Not really, that is why you are going. However, we do know that the planet where this stargate is located has a sub tropical climate. Make your preparations accordingly. Dismissed."

O' Neill, Carter, and the rest of the team left the conference room to get ready. An hour later the team assembled in front of the portal. Leading the mission was Colonel O' Neill and Major Carter. Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, and a squad of soldiers stood by. Looking down from the control booth, Hammond nodded in approval. Each person on the team wore woodland pattern battledress and enough food and ammunition for two weeks in the bush. In addition to the normal complement of FN P-90 sub machine guns, there were two M-203 grenade launchers strapped to M-16A2 assault rifles. Another trooper carried a M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon, the standard light machine gun for the United States military).

Taking a quick look at his watch, O 'Neill gave the command to move out. The eye of the stargate opened and the colonel stepped in. One by one, the team entered the vortex and vanished from the installation. Upon the entrance of the last team member, the vortex closed.

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Spaceship, "Nubian Raider"

Voyage to Tauri Alpha V

Star Wars Universe



Wins walked back to the rear of the cabin and pulled out an unusual looking blaster rifle. To Saint's trained eye, it appeared to be a cross between a normal beam weapon and the old M-203 grenade launcher from back on Earth. Taking another look, he spoke up.

"Wins what do you have there?"

"When I heard that the council was sending you and Master Jinn on this mission, I remembered how you always find some kind of trouble to get into."

Taking on an exaggerated innocent expression, Saint silently mouthed "Who, Me" back at his friend.

"Yes you. Then, add in the fact that Master Jinn has a reputation of being a rebel of sorts and very unconventional.

Qui Gon, looking intrigued, lifted both eyebrows as if to say "Who, me?"

"Yes you. I decided that it would be a good idea to bring along the party favors including Sgt. Shepherd's latest toy, the Mauser 960 Assault System. Remember how back on Naboo we were talking about the low rate of fire from normal blasters?"

"Yeah, and then we started thinking about our ideal weapon. It would combine the energy of a blaster rifle and the rate of fire of a modern assault rifle. You don't mean...."

"You got it, buddy. The Mauser 960 is a pulse laser rifle with an integral low light/ultra violet scope attached. You also have the option of attaching a vibro blade when it's time to do some close action." Saint let out a low whistle as his friend continued. "Also, two men in every squad will have an automatic grenade launcher attached to their Mausers to provide fire support. The launcher fires the usual mix of High Explosive, smoke, and Anti-vehicle rounds. You choose the mix."

Saint was practically drooling over the new toy when Wins dropped the final bombshell.

"And, I have two of the grenade launcher versions here on board. One for you and for me."

Grinning broadly Saint looked up from the weapon he had been holding.

"Remind me to get Shepherd something really, really, nice this year for Christmas."

Suddenly, bells started sounding announcing the ship's arrival in the Tauri Alpha system and the imminent drop back into normal space. All three strapped into their seats and got ready for landing. Wins contacted the spaceport on Tauri Alpha V and requested landing instruction. Upon receiving the instructions, Wins sat the ship down in docking bay 36CV. The door on the ship opened and Saint walked onto the planet. Taking a deep breath he called back.

"We're here. Wonder where's the welcoming committee?"

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Planet Tauri Alpha V

Outer Rim

Star Wars Universe



The area around the other stargate was a scene of total chaos. The previous quiet was broken by the crack of automatic weapons and blasters. It was as if SG1 had stepped into 'Dante's Inferno'. Robots, armed with some kind of energy weapon poured into the clearing firing at SG1. The Americans took cover and began firing back. However, the increasing numbers of robots were slowly driving the Americans away from the portal.

Ducking behind a fallen tree, Sam shouted out to Jack.

"What the HELL is going on here?"

"I don't know I had just arrived and all of a sudden these robot things came onto the scene and started shooting. " "There's too many of them Colonel. We have to break off from the enemy and regroup." Responded Teal'c.

"Colonel O' Neill, I spotted what appeared to be a settlement about two miles east of us. From the readings taken prior to the ambush, I would say humans and high technology inhabit it."

"Okay, Matthews, Bird, Gretsky, and I will hold off these robots while the rest of the team gets away. Major Carter, take the rest of the team to that settlement and find a place where we can rally and regroup."

Major Samantha Carter nodded, slapped in a fresh magazine, stood up a yelled out.

"My team move out"

O'Neill's group kept up shooting at the advancing droids until the rest of the team was safely away. He then commenced leap frogging away from their mechanical attackers. Two men shooting while the other two ran to a new firing position. That way, the enemy was always under fire. Finally, they reached the safety of the woods and broke contact.



TBC



Authors Notes: To all my reviewers, THANKS. After reading the reviews, I decided to respond and give you, the reader what you want. First, I have focussed more attention on the other crewmembers of 'Super 6-4'. Those Naboo soldiers being trained by Shepherd will be making a BIG contribution to what will occur in Chapter 5. Second, as per popular demand, the Stargate SG1 team shows up for the first time. Third, I will probably be posting on the Wandererverse site once this story is completed. I have been coordinating with Erica Marr, the creator of JD Heart so there will be more tie-ins with that universe. So, I hope that answers many of your questions. Check out Chapter Five. Purple Haze for lots of action and suspense as Saint and Qui Gon investigates, meets up with SG1, gather a strike team, and take down the black mage. Needless to say, bullets will be flying. Keep up that feedback. Tell me what you liked and didn't like. And always be prepared for more action in the continuing saga of the Saint.

Merry Prankster-Out