Competition: Sun, Sea and...Sand People

Finished

Sun, Sea and...Sand People

After the gruelling adventures in the far South of Tarthos Kojiro has taken it upon himself to award the clan with a small warm holiday before the onset of the upcoming War.

So kind is he indeed that he has decided to have the Clan forces, with the approval of course, to Tatooine to participate in desert warfare training.

Your character has been tasked with one of the following two mission:

Find and assess the local population of Tusken Raiders, remain undetected and observe them for at least a week surviving purely on what you can gather. You have been advised that should you be discovered then you may either vacate the area or dispatch the Raiders anyway you chose fit.

Locate and hunt one of the canyon Krayt dragons of the planet. These smaller variations of the Great Krayt dragons should be easier to deal with. Who knows perhaps you may even discover one of the fabled pearls that many hunters spend years attempting to obtain.

Both of these missions will require skill, determination and perhaps some luck. You can write them as either full fictions or as a journal documenting the days your character spends on their task.

Minimum word count, as usual, is 500 words and like the last fiction, Possessions will be taken into account when marking is being done.

Competition Information

Organized by: Duke Kojiro Keibatsu Sadow
Running time: 2017-09-12 until 2017-09-26 (15 days)
Target Unit: Clan Naga Sadow
Competition Type: Fiction
Awards: Third Level Crescents and Clusters of Ice as per VOICE guidelines
Participants: 3 subscribers, of which 1 has participated.

Results

1st place

Bentre Stahoes

Member

Bentre Stahoes

Textual submission

Why did I ever agree to this? Tusken Raiders are about as pleasant as Ewoks, but at least with Ewoks you can fit them into your nearest overhead luggage compartment on a standard shuttle.

I stifled a chuckle as I peered through my macrobinoculars. I was growing painfully stiff by this point, but I struggled to remain as still as possible. I know that I could have trusted that the holoshroud would have kept me cloaked if I moved, but that felt lazy. It was easy to slip up when you didn't practice discipline. I wish that I could instill that truth in the likes of my apprentice and some of my Clan fellows, but I guess it didn't really matter that much in the end.

I could feel my throat drying again, but I had to resist the urge to reach for my canteen again. I had to wait until the sun went down before I could scrounge up some vegetation for moisture. It wasn't the most efficient way of getting water, but I found that the constant thirst kept my mind focused on the task at hand. I just had to keep lying to myself. Laying prone on the ground didn't make it any easier.

Just a little longer.

I could see movement from the Tusken camp. It looked like they were assembling a hunting party. I tried to scour my brain for what they could be hunting on Tatooine. Nothing came to mind though. I turned my head a bit, trying to focus on the large bantha that bore one of the Tusken Raiders. There was a solemnity as they gathered. There was a purpose. The Raider on the large Bantha seemed to be rallying or leading his fellows. Well, at least I think it was a he.

As I considered the scene, a feeling of unease settled in my stomach. There was one possibility that I really did not want to consider. I was too far from the *Iron Wolf II* to make a free run back to the freighter. Was it possible that I had been detected? I dared to turn my head to look off to my left. The sand stretched out in that direction, offering little in the way of cover. There was little in the other direction to consider either.

More potential complications arose in my head as I considered my limited resources. My intent had been to go undiscovered to report back. It was looking less possible, which left two options. I could either run, or I could start shooting. I dropped one hand from my macrobinoculars and fingered my security pistol on my belt. I could take out five, maybe ten if I took my time. That assumed I wouldn't get noticed. I slowly pulled the weapon from my belt. Fingers slipped from the weapon as the muzzle snagged on my belt.

I was an idiot. I could have gone slower. As the weapon hit the ground, the blaster discharged. A bolt flew over the heads of the Tuskens. They began looking about from the source of the disturbance. I could feel their eyes rolling over me as they searched. I knew they didn't necessarily notice me yet. That could change very quickly though.

I would have to make a break for it. If I turned back enough to fire a couple of times I might scare them a bit. Or I might piss them off. I wasn't sure and concentrating was getting harder. Force help me, I really should have brought a lightsaber with me or something. This was going to be sticky.

Placement

1st place