Sith, they're getting too close. Vickie quickly ended her transmission to Kristy. Hopefully she'd said enough to get Josh to come as soon as possible. She put the comlink away and dropped her lightsaber into her hand as she looked out the window at the approaching man.
He was light-skinned and looked European. Her eyes tracked his every movement. He held a walkie-talkie to his mouth and spoke, "I see no sign of anyone here."
Her eyebrow raised as she recognized the language as Russian. From what she could translate using the Force, he hadn't seen them. Movement behind her drew her attention. She turned to see the sisters crawling towards the back of the deserted store. Stop. You leave now and you will blow our cover! she said into their minds.
"Don't yell," Naira said loudly. After realizing what she had done, she slapped her hands over her mouth.
Both Vickie and Eti shook their heads in exasperation. The Jedi moved to the sisters and brought them to their feet. She concentrated to mask their appearance.
A moment later, she saw the Russian peek into the store through the window. She could feel the sisters holding their breath. The seconds ticked away like minutes. Soon, the man frowned and headed down the street.
All three released their breath. Vickie held a finger to her lips to keep them both quiet. Reaching out with the Force to choose a direction, she led them out the back door and down the alley.
The dark figure stirred on his "throne". He had sensed a presence nearby. "What news?" he asked the man sitting at a table nearby.
The man used the mouse to open several windows on his computer. He observed the men he had sent out to find the woman who had stolen their property. "Nothing yet, Master," he said in a Middle Eastern accent.
The figure shook his head. "They are there and they now have help. Prepare a vehicle. I must attend to this myself."
"Yes, Master." The man stood quickly and ran from the room.
Vickie felt a tickle at the back of her mind, like someone was scanning her with the Force. She shook it off as being Josh and moved on with the sisters. Luckily, they had remained quiet so far. She stopped at a corner near a main thoroughfare and looked around. Several of the men were standing in the road talking. She sighed and turned to the sisters. "We have to try another way."
"Why do they want us?" Naira whined.
"Because what Eti found was a part of a shield that could protect an entire country. If certain countries were to get the shield, even the armies of the entire Allied nations would not be able to penetrate it."
Eti's eyes widened. "Oh grace. I never knew. I only knew it was important, just not that important." She sighed, humbled.
Vickie hid the smile threatening to crack her features. "Well, we better get moving before..." Her sentence was interrupted as a blaster bolt struck the wall beside her head. "Oh sith. They've spotted us. Take cover in that alley." She pointed to the small alley behind them.
The sisters turned the corner to find themselves about 300 meters from a wall. "Vickie, we're trapped," Eti said frantically.
There was a snap-hiss as the Jedi ignited her lightsaber. "We'll just have to keep them back until the others arrive." She tossed her blaster to the younger sister. "Just point and shoot. Oh, and keep behind me as much as you can." She watched them both nod before moving around the corner.
Three men appeared at the end of the road, all holding blasters aimed at her. She pulled her lightsaber up into a defensive position. The men looked confused for a moment until one finally fired. Soon, she was facing a barrage of bolts. Taking a deep breath, she slipped into her battlemind and was at one with the Force.
Not a single shot got through. The sisters were amazed at the woman's skill. Never in their lives had they seen such a spectacle. Naira soon grabbed her sister's arm and pointed. "Look! There are more men coming. You have to fire."
Eti, a grim and determined look on her face, nodded and peeked around the corner. She held the blaster in two hands like she had seen on television. She fired and fell back into Naira. The weapon had kicked back against her and she wasn't prepared. Scrambling to her feet, she tried again.
The men before her finally spent their blaster packs. Vickie took a deep breath and noticed the others approaching. Spinning her saber menacingly, she growled. "Bring it on."