watching us, there’d be no way to get the suits back here from the port without being seen,” Skeet said, shaking his head as he stared at the man outside. “We could wait until dark, but by then we won’t be able to afford to waste the extra time. Every minute will count. We go in on foot.”
The next several hours were spent pacing around the tiny hotel room, reviewing the notes they’d compiled on the Durutian compound, and drawing up a plan for approach. Skeet had studied their nighttime arrangements the previous evening as Aroska had moved all their supplies from one hideout to the other. Unlike during the daytime hours, all of their soldiers remained in the apartment complex at night, though there were at least three of them standing watch at all times. Assuming their patrol patterns remained the same – which was likely if the group had indeed been on the planet for an extended period of time – it would be possible for the two of them to get close enough to see in through a few windows. After a bit of reluctant consideration, it was decided that they would split up, enabling one of them to theoretically escape should the other be captured. They would be armed, but lethal force was only to be used in the direst of circumstances.
The two of them set out two hours after nightfall; with Zylka’s long days and short nights, there wasn’t a moment to lose. They left their room illuminated so it might appear occupied to anyone lurking in the street. If their previous observations were any indication, none of the Durutians should be spying at this hour, but they treaded carefully regardless, not wishing to take any chances. They went their separate ways the moment they hit the street, with Skeet circling around toward the far side of the apartment complex and Aroska heading down the street toward the observation post he’d used the day before.
“Comm check.”
Aroska reached up to touch his earpiece. “I hear you.”
“Let me know when you’re in position.”
He turned down the first side street he came to, opting to approach his post from the rear. There weren’t many people out at this time of night, making it easier for him to spot any suspicious activity but also for anyone suspicious to spot him. He checked all reflective surfaces he passed and paused periodically in the entryways of any stores that were still open, studying his surroundings and searching for anything that had changed since he’d passed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and somehow that unnerved him.
With a sigh, Aroska ducked down the next alley he found and wove back and forth between buildings for several minutes, keeping his eyes and ears open. It wasn’t long before he reached a rusty set of steps he recognized from the previous day. He ascended on light feet, wincing as the metal nevertheless squealed under his weight. The stairs took him to a small landing area on the roof of the building, a loading zone for the business below. He jogged across to the far side, stepping onto the lift that lowered cargo into the store. With a small roof over his head and a protective railing on three sides, he was well-concealed and invisible to anyone passing by in the street. The buildings across the way were shorter, giving him a nearly unobstructed view of the apartment complex where the Durutians were holed up.
Skeet’s voice crackled in his ear. “I’m all set. Where are you?”
“Just got settled in,” Aroska replied. He lifted his spotting scope to his eye and zoomed in on the Durutians’ compound, sweeping the area with the scope’s night optics. As far as he’d been able to tell during his previous investigating, the entire complex was occupied by their group. There were three buildings, each with five units, situated in a U-shape around a dusty courtyard. A small landing pad lay on the far side, closing off the circle.
From his vantage point, he could see one of the sentries pacing back and forth along the front of
The next several hours were spent pacing around the tiny hotel room, reviewing the notes they’d compiled on the Durutian compound, and drawing up a plan for approach. Skeet had studied their nighttime arrangements the previous evening as Aroska had moved all their supplies from one hideout to the other. Unlike during the daytime hours, all of their soldiers remained in the apartment complex at night, though there were at least three of them standing watch at all times. Assuming their patrol patterns remained the same – which was likely if the group had indeed been on the planet for an extended period of time – it would be possible for the two of them to get close enough to see in through a few windows. After a bit of reluctant consideration, it was decided that they would split up, enabling one of them to theoretically escape should the other be captured. They would be armed, but lethal force was only to be used in the direst of circumstances.
The two of them set out two hours after nightfall; with Zylka’s long days and short nights, there wasn’t a moment to lose. They left their room illuminated so it might appear occupied to anyone lurking in the street. If their previous observations were any indication, none of the Durutians should be spying at this hour, but they treaded carefully regardless, not wishing to take any chances. They went their separate ways the moment they hit the street, with Skeet circling around toward the far side of the apartment complex and Aroska heading down the street toward the observation post he’d used the day before.
“Comm check.”
Aroska reached up to touch his earpiece. “I hear you.”
“Let me know when you’re in position.”
He turned down the first side street he came to, opting to approach his post from the rear. There weren’t many people out at this time of night, making it easier for him to spot any suspicious activity but also for anyone suspicious to spot him. He checked all reflective surfaces he passed and paused periodically in the entryways of any stores that were still open, studying his surroundings and searching for anything that had changed since he’d passed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and somehow that unnerved him.
With a sigh, Aroska ducked down the next alley he found and wove back and forth between buildings for several minutes, keeping his eyes and ears open. It wasn’t long before he reached a rusty set of steps he recognized from the previous day. He ascended on light feet, wincing as the metal nevertheless squealed under his weight. The stairs took him to a small landing area on the roof of the building, a loading zone for the business below. He jogged across to the far side, stepping onto the lift that lowered cargo into the store. With a small roof over his head and a protective railing on three sides, he was well-concealed and invisible to anyone passing by in the street. The buildings across the way were shorter, giving him a nearly unobstructed view of the apartment complex where the Durutians were holed up.
Skeet’s voice crackled in his ear. “I’m all set. Where are you?”
“Just got settled in,” Aroska replied. He lifted his spotting scope to his eye and zoomed in on the Durutians’ compound, sweeping the area with the scope’s night optics. As far as he’d been able to tell during his previous investigating, the entire complex was occupied by their group. There were three buildings, each with five units, situated in a U-shape around a dusty courtyard. A small landing pad lay on the far side, closing off the circle.
From his vantage point, he could see one of the sentries pacing back and forth along the front of
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