Chapter 5: Operation Diffused

Sweat trickled down Elara’s forehead, an unending occurrence ever since they had stepped foot on Tatooine. With nothing but sand and shimmering heat as far as the eye could see, Elara had to wonder why anybody decided to settle down here. She wiped her hand across her forehead, pulling her desert cap a little lower to shade her eyes. 

After dealing with some protocol droids implanted with explosives, they had been contacted by Fuse, the very person they were here to track down. The lieutenant’s initial impression of the demolition specialist appeared to have been accurate to an extent, because Fuze practically begged them to help disrupt the plans the Imperial contingent on Tatooine had put into motion.

Fuse had explained his reluctance to defect, but had followed Tavus, believing there was a deeper plan than simple revenge against the Republic. When it became clear that Tavus was going to stop at nothing to strike back at his former allies, including killing innocent bystanders, Fuze decided he could no longer follow his commanding officer and had anonymously leaked his location. This was the information that had brought Havoc Squad to Tatooine.

Now the two of them were trekking through the desert, making their way to an abandoned homestead that had been taken over by the Empire. Currently, it was occupied by primarily Geonosians, a bug-like species that was building the bombs being used in the attacks. Elara hadn’t ever encountered a Geonosian, but she knew their homeworld was also hot and arid, so they must be having a better time on this planet than she was.

At the top of the next sweltering dune, they laid eyes on their destination. Nothing about it stood out; it looked almost identical to the myriad other dwellings that they had seen thus far. Tan walls, blending in with the desert, arched doorways, domes dotting the roof, and moisture vaporators along the perimeter, sucking what little water there was out of the air to purify for drinking.

The only difference was the inhabitants. From their position, Elara and the lieutenant were able to see several patrols of Geonosians, their wings occasionally fluttering as they strutted through the desert terrain. Elara pulled out her binocs, zooming in on one of the roaming pairs. The individuals had long faces with bulbous eyes perched on either side of their head. Their skin looked as if it was made of leather, folding in on itself to create ridges and valleys along their body. One of the Geonosians held a long spear, and the other held a very strange looking blaster that seemed to bubble with a dark green energy at the end.

The patrolling Geonosians were fairly spread out, which wasn’t surprising given the remote location and general secrecy of the operation. No doubt that the Imperials didn’t deem a heavy security presence necessary, which worked to Havoc Squad’s advantage. Elara and the lieutenant lowered themselves to the ground, limiting their potential for being spotted. Given how little information they had on this particular location, it was imperative they gather whatever intel they could before moving in.

  Several hours ticked by as they watched, noting the path of the patrols, how many enemies entered and exited the building, and how often shifts changed. They’d draped a reflective tarp over themselves to limit their exposure to the sun, but could only do so much. Elara felt damp and disgusting all over, her underwear sticking to her ass and chest uncomfortably. The idea of stripping off her gear and stepping into the shower was a dream, but she pushed it to the back of her mind, knowing they still had to assault the impromptu factory before they could take a break. She ran through the data they’d gathered so far, putting her focus back on the mission.

  Lt. Lacroix couldn’t have been faring any better than her, but was also keeping it to herself. Occasionally she would shift and once Elara thought she heard her let out a grumble, but that was all. Again, another aspect of her new leader that she duly appreciated. She was a staunch believer that if somebody was in a commanding role, they should be capable and willing to do anything they required of their subordinates. Elara could count on one hand the number of her previous commanding officers that would be lying here in the heat next to her, drowning in their own sweat.

  “I think we’ve got enough to make a plan.” They’d been silent for so long the lieutenant’s voice was almost deafening. “Give me the rundown.”

  Elara closed her eyes, recalling everything she’d committed to memory over the stakeout period. “Between 15 and 20 guards, changing patrols approximately every 30 minutes. At change, there is a gap in coverage on the northeast corner. Unknown how many individuals are inside, but only a dozen have entered or exited and based upon the layout of the facility, it looks to be a small operation, probably no more than 10 personnel assembling the bombs. No other Imperials have been spotted, and it is unlikely any would be inside given the hands off nature that this location appears to have been designed around. There’s a shuttle dock on the far side, probably where the bombs are picked up.”

  “Understood. I’m thinking that our plan of attack is to wait until patrol change and approach from the northeast gap. Quickly and quietly take out the patrol at that corner and move into the building. Once inside, our objective is to eliminate the bomb makers and destroy anything that looks like plans or components. If there’s time, we plant proximity explosives on the dock before exiting. With luck, the remaining patrols will not have seen us, but we have to assume that they will have noticed that the other patrol is missing. Shoot to kill, but no need to fully exterminate the enemy presence. Primary objective is disrupting the bomb production capability.” The lieutenant turned her head to look at Elara, her face hidden behind the blue tinted visor. “Thoughts?”

  “Sounds like a good plan, ma’am.”

  “As always, plan for it to not go to plan.” She shifted backward on the sand, sliding a little bit further down behind the dune they were on. Elara followed suit, and they quickly packed away their stakeout gear and began their weapons and equipment check before the infiltration. Elara checked the charge on her pistol, then slipped it into its holster and took a pull from her canteen. Resecuring that, she tightened the chinstrap on her cap. A tap on her arm caused her to look up, where she saw Lacroix holding out a short blade.

  “You know your way around a knife?”

Taking the blade, Elara nodded. She hadn’t ever had to use one in combat, but she had trained in close quarters fighting in the academy. She might be a little rusty, but they were using the blades for the initial ambush, so ideally the enemies wouldn’t be fighting back. Slipping it into her vambrace, she checked her chronometer, noting that they were only about five minutes from a patrol change. All she had to do was tap the face of her chronometer and the lieutenant nodded, both of them scurrying back up the dune to wait for their moment.

—

The Geonosian slumped to the ground lifeless as Elara flicked the blood off of her knife. The lieutenant had already pushed open the door to the compound, checking for additional targets. When none were forthcoming, the two of them slipped inside, creeping through the sandy arid corridors, listening for any indication of activity. The building wasn’t too large, so it wasn’t long before they could hear the clicks of the Geonosian language coming from a doorway up ahead. 

Quietly they approached, keeping close to the wall with their weapons at the ready. Knives had been stowed, as there was little likelihood of eliminating the rest of their targets with stealth given the scenario. Lacroix held up a hand as another voice was heard coming from the room, this one speaking in Basic.

“I’m expecting the next shipment of bombs by tomorrow at sundown.” The voice had the accented speech of an Imperial, and the haughty attitude to match. “I take it that won’t be a problem?” The query was answered with a series of clicks and grunts. “Oh, and I have gotten word that there are some Republic forces sticking their noses into our business. I would suggest informing your guards to be on the lookout, in case they somehow find your facility.”

A bit too late for that, Elara thought.

“No, don’t bother capturing them. Just kill them. Rumor has it they are some special forces unit and I’d rather leave anything to chance by bringing them in alive.” The Geonosian responded, and then there was silence, followed by footsteps leaving the room. Lacroix gestured for them to move in, and the two of them crept forward, inching around the doorway, blasters raised.

The room they entered appeared to be a communications center, and was void of any personnel. There were two other exits to the room, but the acrid smell of singed wiring coming from the door on the right gave a good indication of where they should be heading. The doorway led into a hallway, and the smell was joined by various noises: the clanking of metal, the hissing of blowtorches, and the clicking of the Geonosians themselves. The two of them posted up next to the door frame, same as before, the lieutenant in front and Elara right behind her. Lacroix quickly peeked around the door and then retreated, flashing a series of hand signals to Elara.

Seven targets, three on the left, four on the right. Six of them were busy assembling bomb components, with the seventh, presumably the one who had been talking with the Imperial, standing at the far end of the room. Another series of gestures. Elara watched intently, then nodded. The lieutenant would take out the far Geonosian first, after which she would take out the remaining three on the right and Elara would target the three on the left.

Resting her finger on the trigger of her blaster pistol, Elara tensed up her muscles, ready to spring into action. Lacroix tilted her head around the corner, then in one smooth movement stepped into the opening, raising her rifle and firing a pair of bolts. Immediately Elara moved in. Darting through the doorway, she quickly identified her targets. The three of them had barely even had time to register that something was happening before she had already taken one down. Although they had the element of surprise, she kept moving, not wanting to take the risk of being a stationary target in case any of the Geonosians managed to get their hands on a weapon.

Another two squeezes of the trigger and her second target fell, slumping forward against the workbench, wings fluttering weakly. By this time her final target had realized the danger and was attempting to do something to protect itself. Whether the Geonosian didn’t have a weapon nearby or was just too frazzled to remember, it opted to throw one of the bomb components, hurling a bent piece of metal with surprising accuracy. Elara darted her head to the side, but not far enough, feeling the projectile scrape across her cheek. Another pair of bolts and the thrower was eliminated, and Elara pivoted on the ball of her foot, checking the other occupants of the room.

As was to be expected, the lieutenant had taken out her targets while Elara had been dispatching hers. The two of them did a brisk sweep of the room, confirming that there were no further dangers waiting. When they confirmed it was clear, Lacroix lowered her rifle.

“I don’t imagine we’ll have long before one of the patrols comes to check on the blaster fire.” She reached into her pack and pulled out the detpacks that they had brought along. “We’ll set these as quickly as we can, then leave the same way we came in, hopefully before any reinforcements. I’ll set up the explosives on the loading dock, and you can - oh shit, did you get hit?”

It took a moment for Elara to latch on to the lieutenant’s sudden topic change. As her words sank in, she felt a sting in her cheek. Reaching up, she touched the spot and her fingers came away tinged with red. “One of them threw a piece of metal, didn’t realize it had nicked me quite as good as it did. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Be sure to clean that up when we get out of here. Wouldn’t want it to get infected.” With that, the lieutenant grabbed a pair of detpacks and disappeared through the door to the loading dock.

For a moment, Elara just stood, letting the words of the lieutenant wash over her. She wasn’t sure why they were affecting her so much. Maybe it was a combination of things: the genuine concern at her injury, but tempered by Lacroix’s respect and trust of Elara’s self evaluation. 

Letting out a long breath, she grabbed her own detpacks and began placing them around the room. Once again, she was in grave danger of cultivating feelings that would need to be addressed in a way she wasn’t prepared for. And what was even more concerning is she didn’t know whether she wanted them to fade or blossom.