Operation Arrakis: Attack of the Aliens

By Sylvana Lorrdain (with a bit of help from Josh Nolan)

"Well, Eight's a whole lot closer to Seven than Eleven is," Sylvana said with a sigh as they approached the docks.

"Yeah, but just think of the fun you can have misspelling it! You always did like that Tolkien stuff," Her brother Arrek replied.

She shrugged as they reached the small 'liner they'd worked to get to Mendellia. "Who knew when we found that brochure we'd end up doing this, eh?"

"Other than God? Probably nobody." Arrek said as he pushed past her up the ramp.

They soon reached the service quarters they'd had on their way over, and grabbed their already-packed bags. Sylvana hooked her bow and quiver to the side, as usual, and followed her brother out and down. "Up for a bit of exploring?"

Arrek grinned as he slung the travel-guitar he'd aquired on their travels over his shoulder. "If I wasn't, would I have gone on this little world-jaunt of yours?"

Sylvana bapped her brother's shoulder and they wandered toward Mendel City's mainstreet. The siblings found all sorts of interesting little shops, including a few selling ewok-made goods. That caused them to laugh, and they each, as a whim, bought an ewok hood. Who knew when it'd come in handy for a good joke? They bought some lemon suckers, and kept window-shopping, ignoring the odd looks coming from people staring at the two wearing their ewok-hoods.

"Look! A Gag and Gift shop!" Arrek pointed at the garish logo down the street, and the two headed in that direction from the bookstore they'd just spent money in. "Gotta find something to do on the way, right?"

Sylvana chuckled as she followed her brother into the shop, when her eyes fell on something she just HAD to have. "Squeaky aliens!" She looked at her brother and a glint appeared in her eyes as she grinned.

"You've _got_ to be kidding."

In response, she picked up two. Neon green, and Neon blue. "Do I kid?"

He looked at his sister evenly.

"Much?" She chuckled and bought the two. Once out of the shop, they started heading back to the castle, and she handed her brother the blue one as she began inflating the green.

"What are we supposed to do, duel with them? The Major 'Zed' said there wouldn't be much room on our trip."

Syl shrugged and finished up the squeaky alien, handed it to her brother, and started blowing up the blue one.

"I bet you wouldn't dare challenge anyone to a duel with these things."

"Bet I would," his sister responded automatically before going back to inflation.

"I'd bet cash money."

She ignored him a moment and finished blowing up the neon blue alien. "We just got recruited to something we've always dreamed of, you really think I'm going to ruin that by getting in trouble over-"

"I _dare_ you."

She snapped the blow-hole shut, and tore off the ewok hood, "How _could_ you?"

"I just did."

Sylvana half growled while stuffing the ewok hood into her bag, and grabbing the other squeaky alien. "Who am I supposed to challenge?"

"The first person we encounter back at the castle."

Sylvana groaned.

*******

Not quite ready to retire yet, the Lorrdain siblings wandered the castle, soon finding themselves in the area known as the Bat-cave. There, they ran into the victim, one Captain Josh Nolan.

"Oh no," Sylvana groaned.

"You're not backing out on a dare, are you? I'm shocked!" Arrek pushed her forward.

She spun around, spitting him with a glare as she handed her pack and bag to him, then turned and began walking over to the captain, one alien under her arm, the other in that hand, as her left hand fiddled a bit with the 'inivisible' weapons in her braid. She sighed, brushing her fingertips across the scarred tip of her ear, then took the blue alien from beneath her arm with her left hand and walked straight up to him.

Planting herself firmly before him, she waited until he looked up. "C'n I help you, Madam?"

She tossed the blue squeaky alien at him and sighed. "I challenge you to a duel, or something like that.... To the pain!"

"A duel?"

"Yes."

"To the pain?"

"Yes."

"With squeaky aliens?"

"Yes."

"You're Weird."

"Thank you."

He grinned, "You're on."

"Let's go!" Sylvana squared off with her neon-green squeaky alien, bapping the Captain once on the head. **WHEEP!**

"Two can play at that game!" the Australian shouted as he went after her with a **Wheep-a-WHEEP!**

"I thought that was the point!!!" **Wheep wheep wheep!**

A tallish man wearing a Lieutenant's flightsuit uniform wandered into the cave at precisely the wrong time, as he would soon find out.

"Seven! Get over here and observe!" the Captain shouted before landing his 'weapon' on her head.

"Yow!" **Wheep** "This... is how..." **Wheep wheep** "You do things!" Sylvana shrieked with two final bapps eliciting another **Wheep wheep!** from her 'weapon'.

Arrek stepped out of the way as he watched, laughing his head off. Lieutenant Cochran wandered closer, trying to figure out just what was going on. Arrek raised an eyebrow, the man looked familiar to him and, he was sure, once his sister was done having fun with the dare, she would find him familiar as well. She'd probably remember from where, too.

"Oh look, a bat!" the Aussie pointed. As Sylvana turned automatically, he pounded on her with a **wheepawheepawheep wheep**.

"Gaah!" She threw her arm over her head and dropped down, bapping at his legs with her 'weapon'. "Not fair!" she chuckled as she hit him a few times. **Wheep wheep wheep!**

"Aaargh! Not the legs! You'll pay for that, young lady!" **wheepawheepawheep** He leaned down and whispered, "On the count of three... take PSB."

"Who?" Sylvana whispered back.

"The Lieutenant. One... two... three...." He jumped up, "YAAAAAAAH!"

With a squeal of laughter, Sylvana jumped up and ran with him at the Lieutenant, wheeeping on the unsuspecting man, "Ahha!" Then she turned and bapped the Captain one, "And who you callin' young? I'm older'n you!"

Nolan bapped her back, "Learn to take a compliment!"

"Wheeeeeee!!!" Sylvana gasped out as the two assailants wheeped on the Lieutenant.

"I get enough of that from my droid! Stop it!!!" Cochran yelled. "You two are crazy!" He pulled away and ran from them, passing by Arrek on his way.

Sylvana was, by now, laughing so hard she'd fallen on the ground gasping for air.

Nolan wheeped her, "Up, you! We've got an American to attack with squeaky aliens!"

She pushed herself up to her feet, still laughing helplessly, "Well let's go then, Aussie!"

The two rushed past Arrek after Lieutenant Cochran.

*******

Later that evening, Sci was caught wondering why a Captain and one of the newly recruited Field Agents, laughing maniacally, were chasing a Lieutenant through the High palace.