-
You scanned the shadows, counted, watched. Where was the talking pet? You thought you caught movement near a beam, but the foggy edges of your vision kept you from being certain. Your own movements remained low, steady, Do not linger in any spot too long, do not allow him any opportunities to discover you once more. Even as the plan formed it faltered, and a low growl rung under your mask at the use of that particular epitaph. You shook it off, you had to. No time to let yourself be distracted.
"The Authorities here are not a concern." You rumbled out, making sure to let your electronically accented voice echo against the ceilings and mask where you hid. "You, however..." You snapped low and sharp, vicious hatred coating each word. "You can either leave, scramble back and inform Tomas and Revea that this futile hunt is over, or I can skin you and wear you as a pelt."
He had been by the beam, but had moved. Their actions mirroring two pieces of a Dejarik board as they looked for the opportune moment to strike, you had always hated Dejarik. It was a slow game, a thinkers game. The kind of game he would have played, strategy and misdirection. You preferred a more direct path, and as soon as you had that path you would be on this little lint ball, and this would be over.
The vials you had thrown before were merely to help light up the area, though they did have a slight paralytic effect, it wasn't enough to take down this creature, but it should assist you in being able to make your first, and final, attack once you knew where to jump down at. The other vial you had palmed was nothing as benign as your little 'glow sticks,' and if you could merely get him within breathing range you could be rid of this little irritation.
-
Fook cursed the chemical glow from the three burst vials, as they radiated not only light, but heat, making his thermal imaging overlay all but useless. Worse yet, they didn't seem to be dying out as quickly as he would like, still flaring with light, compromising multiple avenues of approach. And without knowing where his target was, his tranq rifle would be useless - not to mention a second dart could possibly prove fatal, as it had been rated for her body size and weight, and too much could induce heart failure. So it was stun pistols, and possibly lightsabers if it came down to it. The bounty said alive; maimed was still technically alive. Not exactly the desired approach, but if it meant bringing her in, and getting out of this still breathing, it was an option Fook would entertain.
Entertain. The thought brought about an idea. On his belt was a small portable speaker, the kind meant for some good tunes while hanging around on stakeout, without fully blocking your ears. Not the sort of thing useful for actual bounty hunting, but it did provide him with an opportunity.
"Yo, G-Dawg, can you pipe to my jambox?" He whispered inside his mask.
"NATURALLY, SIR! IT WOULD BE SIMPLE ENOUGH TO ROUTE A SIGNAL TO-" Guan Yu's booming voice in his earpiece made his ears flick with annoyance.
"Yes or no's all I needed, G. Do it, set volume to max," Fook replied. "Pick up from my mic, got it?"
"UNDERSTOOD. NOW LINKED."
The wah said nothing in reply, even keeping his breathing quiet as he edged around to a post. There, he removed the speaker from his belt, and used its built-in magnet to attach it to the durasteel beam, before slipping away, and darting between crates and other pillars in the darkness until he was on the other side of the warehouse. Eyes trained on the rafters, he re-enabled his thermal HUD with a lower opacity on the overlay, and scouted for any signs of heat. Nothing, she must be hiding well. Okay, now to draw her out.
"Dag, yo. You humans be straight jelly 'bout fur. Always wantin' to wear a brother like that. Shit is whack, homegirl. That shit is straight whack." While spoken at normal volume in his facemask, it came much louder from the speaker attached to the pillar across the way. Raising his stun blaster pistols, Fook watched for any sign of movement. Anything to take a shot at.
-
You bristled against the nickname it had given you. Homegirl. You quickly moved to calm your anger, focus it for your hands around it's fuzzy little throat. Do not become distracted. It had positioned itself behind a beam, the voice strong and clear and... you tilted your head ever so slightly to listen. Too clear. The fuzzy little thing had been wearing a rebreather or mask of some sort, had it not? Your eyes narrowed in thought. Had it removed it, or were you simply misunderstanding what you were hearing. No visual, only audio clues to his position. It was a risk, but the risk was necessary. You had to end this stalemate.
You could throw the vial from your position, pop up long enough to engage and then sink back into your hiding places amongst the rafters - that was the smart play - but you wanted your hands around it's throat, you wanted the pleasure of seeing the life drain from it's eyes for forcing you into this situation. Of taking out your rage and frustration toward Tomas and Revea on their chosen avatar. Besides you needed close, direct contact to insure the full effects of the chemicals. No opportunity for it to run or stumble away enough to avoid the gas and fumes. Your own mask would filter it, it had been designed to do so - but there was no telling how much effect it would have through his. You had to get close enough to strike.
You took a deep breath in, a deep breath out and focused on your mantra.
Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
Through Victory my chains are Broken.
The Force shall free me.
In an instant you were up from your crouched position, hands wrapping against the metal of the beam and using it as a brace to launch yourself at the location of the sound, even as you descended your vision widened. You had expected some sign of life there, even if hidden. Instead as the corner finally came into view there was nothing but open air, metal and a small electronic box. You swore at yourself beneath your mask and immediately committed yourself to hit the ground running so as to acquire a new defensive position.
Fair move, throw rug, your point.
