A/N: Thanks to the readers for having the patience to bear with . As an apology and compensation, next few days are gonna be total marathon for updates.
And for patreon users, I am really thankful for your continuous support over past few weeks and really apologize for not being able to give advance chapters to compensate you guys, I am gonna update next chapter over there before next 12 hours passes, promise!
___
The twin moons of Tatooine cast long, skeletal shadows from the dunes, painting the desert in shades of blue and silver. Down below, nestled in a crater like a festering wound, a collection of orange fires flickered. They were the only signs of life for kiloters around.
I lowered the macrobinoculars, the plastic cool against my sweaty palms. The night air was surprisingly still, carrying only the faint scent of sand and sothing vaguely like burnt at. Huh. So this is what peace on Tatooine slls like.
"They're just… sitting there," I muttered, more to myself than to the old man crouched beside .
Obi-Wan lowered his own pair of binoculars, his face a mask of grim concentration in the faint light. "Are you certain this is the place, Ezra? This is a significant risk to be taking based on a hunch."
I picked up my helt from the ground, dusting off a fine layer of orange sand. "Clans, as in multiple clans. And yes. I've spent the last forty-eight hours running sensor sweeps and pattern analysis. This isn't a hunch, it's a high-probability assessnt. The overall plan was mine, but the data collection was a—"
"Ezraaaaa." His voice was a low, warning rumble, like a distant thunderstorm.
"Ahem," I cleared my throat, pulling the helt on. The HUD flickered to life, overlaying a grid on my vision. "Right. So, as I was saying, I'm 87.3% sure this settlent is the primary congloration point for Hett's forces. Life signs are nearly three tis the standard for a single clan, thermal signatures indicate a large, shared cooking fire, and their periter patrols are synchronized in a way that suggests a central command structure. A dozen other factors, but I have a feeling they'd just make you go yawning."
Obi-Wan shot a look that could curdle milk. "So I can take that as a 'yes, I am sure'?"
"Yup! Oh, found it!" I turned away from him, kneeling by the backpack I'd stashed behind a rock. I rummaged past the ration bars and spare power cells, my fingers closing around a smooth, tallic object. I pulled it out.
It looked like a high-tech Roomba. A sleek, dark gray disc about a foot in diater, with no visible seams or controls.
Obi-Wan stared at it, his skepticism practically radiating in the cold desert air. "And that is the thing you've been talking about? The crux of our infiltration?"
"Absolutely!" I said, a little too excitedly. I set it down on the sand. "et Arachnae v1!"
I tapped a sequence on my wrist-mounted datapad. A low whirring noise emanated from the disc. The smooth, seamless exterior plates fragnted, retracting into the body to reveal an intricate network of indented lines. Six circular ports opened across its chassis, and from each erged a small sphere. The spheres unfolded like chanical eyelids, revealing a faint purple glow within. They blinked in perfect synchronization.
*Piiiin... piiiin.*
As the outer plates fully retracted, the device's body lifted. Six stubby legs erged from its sides, unfolding with a series of soft clicks. They were sharp, articulated, and ended in points that dug easily into the sand. The body rose a few inches off the ground, balanced perfectly. From the front, two smaller, more delicate appendages extended, looking like a cross between tweezers and manipulator arms.
It wobbled for a second, finding its balance, then its purple eyes swept across the landscape. When they landed on , it let out another series of squeaks and scurried over, rubbing its smooth top chassis against my leg.
*Piiiin piiiiin!*
I couldn't help it. A grin split my face. "Who's a good girl!? Yes, you are!" I rubbed the top of its chassis, and its six eyes did a little happy dance, the pupils shifting from dots to wavy lines. *>>>.
User Comments
0 comments from readers