Trek to Theed
Have you ever gone into a city and were just awe struck? Theed is such a place. Old regal buildings, wide avenues, large open areas, all the amenities that a large city should have, but without having the sterile look and feel that a city like Coronet on Corellia has.
When you walk out of the Starport in Theed, on Naboo, you can’t help but gawk, it’s that beautiful to look upon. A wide-open square with a large fountain located smack dab in the middle. Buildings surround the square, large hotels, bridges on the perimeter to take you across the many free flowing rivers. Many people set up areas to barter and trade goods here, Sentient species of great diversity can be found offering their skills and training at reasonable prices.
I stood in front of the starport, remembering. A lot has been coming back to me over the last several days since leaving the hospital in Coronet. When I left my house in Eden’s Grief, I had decided to walk rather then take a shuttle or my swoop into Theed. I figured the time spent just making the trek would help me to assimilate what I have found in my house.
It was on this walk that I discovered a few things. One, just because you have an assortment of weapons, doesn’t mean you know how to use them, and two, make sure you know how to take care of yourself when you find out about number one.
I had crested a low hill, and was making my way across a small ravine, when out of the brush jumped a Shaupaut. These things look like a cross between a monkey and bear, and will try to sample anything that wanders into their area.
I staggered back just in time to keep from taking a swipe of its clawed paw to my head. I frantically back crawled up the side of the ravine kicking with my boots as it tried to gain purchase on my legs. One kick landed square on its snout, sending it tumbling back to the bottom, giving me a chance to gather myself up and reach the top.
Adrenalin pumping, I looked around for anything that I could use to defend myself. I found a stout branch and prepared to take on this creature dropping to a defensive stance. It was then that I remembered the rifles in my pack. Hastily I pulled one of the rifles from it. A wicked looking weapon, it was also very complicated. I fumbled with it trying to work its safety interlocks and couldn’t get it to work. By this time the Shaupaut had managed to extricate itself from the bottom of the ravine and was doing its best to climb up to where I stood.
I threw the first rifle at the dang thing and pulled a second rifle from the pack. I was really starting to get a bit apprehensive by this time, for the shaupaut was almost upon me. I raised the rifle and pulled the trigger, “click”, nothing happened. I glanced at the LED reading for the power pack, it indicated full. “Click” still nothing!! “What the Kark!!” I had just enough time to shove the barrel of the rifle into its belly, making it double over.
Throwing this rifle also at the shuapaut, I backed stepped more and pulled one last weapon from the pack, this time when I pulled the trigger it bucked! I missed it by no less then 10 meters! And the next four shots I managed to get off, faired no better! “Uh oh!” was the only thought I had time for before the blasted thing was upon me.
It plowed into me at full stride, knocking the wind out of me and sending me flat on my back. Before I could recover it was all over me, snarling and nipping at my hands and arms. I fought as hard as I could, but I knew this was a fight I wasn’t going to win, so I did what I think most would do given the situation, I played dead.
It’s a good thing that shaupauts have a short attention span, for it wasn’t long with me just lying there that it lost interest and wondered off back into the brush. When I was sure it was gone, I sat up and took a look at my wounds. I found nothing to serious, just some nasty bite marks and a few cuts and scrapes I received form the tussle.
I remembered seeing a self deploying camp kit in my pack, but for some reason I couldn’t make the dang thing work. Some hunter or markswoman I turned out to be. I felt that maybe the vision I had back at my house meant something, but after my performance in the face of an actual fight, I was pitiful.
I found some bacta patches in my pack and went about applying these to my wounds. As I was doing this my thoughts drifted to what had happened. When the shaupaut first surprised me, I didn’t feel scared. I had instinctively gone into a defensive stance, and sought to defend myself. When I remembered I had some weapons in my pack, it was like I knew what to do, just that I couldn’t get it done. Then as I finally found a rifle that worked I couldn’t hit the karking thing! But I knew I could! I just seemed blocked in my mind and couldn’t get my hand and eyes to follow suit.
I promised myself, that when I got to Theed, I would seek out a person skilled in the art of weaponry and see if they could help me to defend myself. I also thought I better find someone that could reacquaint me with camping.
Feeling a little better, medication applied, I again started to the city, but this time I had re-programmed my data pad to alert me to anyone or thing within a 128 meter circle of myself. I wouldn’t be caught off guard again.
When you walk out of the Starport in Theed, on Naboo, you can’t help but gawk, it’s that beautiful to look upon. A wide-open square with a large fountain located smack dab in the middle. Buildings surround the square, large hotels, bridges on the perimeter to take you across the many free flowing rivers. Many people set up areas to barter and trade goods here, Sentient species of great diversity can be found offering their skills and training at reasonable prices.
I stood in front of the starport, remembering. A lot has been coming back to me over the last several days since leaving the hospital in Coronet. When I left my house in Eden’s Grief, I had decided to walk rather then take a shuttle or my swoop into Theed. I figured the time spent just making the trek would help me to assimilate what I have found in my house.
It was on this walk that I discovered a few things. One, just because you have an assortment of weapons, doesn’t mean you know how to use them, and two, make sure you know how to take care of yourself when you find out about number one.
I had crested a low hill, and was making my way across a small ravine, when out of the brush jumped a Shaupaut. These things look like a cross between a monkey and bear, and will try to sample anything that wanders into their area.
I staggered back just in time to keep from taking a swipe of its clawed paw to my head. I frantically back crawled up the side of the ravine kicking with my boots as it tried to gain purchase on my legs. One kick landed square on its snout, sending it tumbling back to the bottom, giving me a chance to gather myself up and reach the top.
Adrenalin pumping, I looked around for anything that I could use to defend myself. I found a stout branch and prepared to take on this creature dropping to a defensive stance. It was then that I remembered the rifles in my pack. Hastily I pulled one of the rifles from it. A wicked looking weapon, it was also very complicated. I fumbled with it trying to work its safety interlocks and couldn’t get it to work. By this time the Shaupaut had managed to extricate itself from the bottom of the ravine and was doing its best to climb up to where I stood.
I threw the first rifle at the dang thing and pulled a second rifle from the pack. I was really starting to get a bit apprehensive by this time, for the shaupaut was almost upon me. I raised the rifle and pulled the trigger, “click”, nothing happened. I glanced at the LED reading for the power pack, it indicated full. “Click” still nothing!! “What the Kark!!” I had just enough time to shove the barrel of the rifle into its belly, making it double over.
Throwing this rifle also at the shuapaut, I backed stepped more and pulled one last weapon from the pack, this time when I pulled the trigger it bucked! I missed it by no less then 10 meters! And the next four shots I managed to get off, faired no better! “Uh oh!” was the only thought I had time for before the blasted thing was upon me.
It plowed into me at full stride, knocking the wind out of me and sending me flat on my back. Before I could recover it was all over me, snarling and nipping at my hands and arms. I fought as hard as I could, but I knew this was a fight I wasn’t going to win, so I did what I think most would do given the situation, I played dead.
It’s a good thing that shaupauts have a short attention span, for it wasn’t long with me just lying there that it lost interest and wondered off back into the brush. When I was sure it was gone, I sat up and took a look at my wounds. I found nothing to serious, just some nasty bite marks and a few cuts and scrapes I received form the tussle.
I remembered seeing a self deploying camp kit in my pack, but for some reason I couldn’t make the dang thing work. Some hunter or markswoman I turned out to be. I felt that maybe the vision I had back at my house meant something, but after my performance in the face of an actual fight, I was pitiful.
I found some bacta patches in my pack and went about applying these to my wounds. As I was doing this my thoughts drifted to what had happened. When the shaupaut first surprised me, I didn’t feel scared. I had instinctively gone into a defensive stance, and sought to defend myself. When I remembered I had some weapons in my pack, it was like I knew what to do, just that I couldn’t get it done. Then as I finally found a rifle that worked I couldn’t hit the karking thing! But I knew I could! I just seemed blocked in my mind and couldn’t get my hand and eyes to follow suit.
I promised myself, that when I got to Theed, I would seek out a person skilled in the art of weaponry and see if they could help me to defend myself. I also thought I better find someone that could reacquaint me with camping.
Feeling a little better, medication applied, I again started to the city, but this time I had re-programmed my data pad to alert me to anyone or thing within a 128 meter circle of myself. I wouldn’t be caught off guard again.
posted by Ebe Lightcloud at 3:18 PM
1 Comments:
One word Ebe,
Awesome!
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