Star Wars - Love is a Warm Blaster - Unpublished Read Online Free Page B

behind, Daniera realized what he was doing. “Stay out of the blast sphere, you lunatic!”
    Love waved in annoyance back at her. He had been pacing his run all along and she was disrupting his counting.
    “Two. One!” Love cried just as the silver sphere clinked against the wall far ahead of him. There was a small flash and then the detonator’s particle field expanded outward at blinding speed and the blast sphere vaporized the wall, most of the celling, and part of the floor.
    With the newly created observation platform, Love and Daniera had an unobstructed view of the proceedings occurring in the alley below.
    A struggling young girl was being dragged into a waiting speeder truck by two more of Mah-Luu’s scarlet-cloaked Rodian enforcers. Three rickety-looking speeder bikes, each carrying a Rodian rider, were warming up alongside the speeder truck.
    Of course, everyone was now looking up at Love and Daniera in complete surprise. The amazement was temporary. The two mercs hustled Induki inside and the speeder truck abruptly made tracks into the Undercity, followed by one of the bikes. The Rodians on the remaining two bikes took aim with their blaster carbines.
    Love was already pulling out his hand-held blaster artillery. He quickly aimed and fired twice. The roaring bolts missed their mark, but Love was sure the mercs were having second thoughts about engaging in a prolonged firefight.
    The heavy blaster whined loudly as it recharged, and the lead Rodian took the opportunity to engage in a hasty retreat while his buddy lagged back to provide some cover fire.

    Daniera clipped off a half-dozen shots at the lead bike, but the range on her hold-out was limited at best. Most of the blasts fell far short of their mark, so she turned her attention to the remaining Rodian.
    Love took careful aim and sent another thunderous blast hurtling toward the departing merc. The shot hit the speeder bike’s rear, the concussive force spinning the vehicle 180 degrees and right into the side of a crumbling building nearby. The colorful explosion sent fiery debris raining down over the area.
    The second rider wasn’t sticking around for another demonstration, but just as he started moving, three of Daniera’s crimson bolts slammed into his back. The impacts blew the Rodian right off his vehicle. The now riderless bike shuddered to a quick stop as the automatic kill-switch engaged, leaving the vehicle hovering motionless above the ground.
    Love immediately took a running jump off the ragged ledge. He dropped toward the bike and landed with surprising grace atop the empty seat. After taking a second to be impressed with himself, he turned back to shout up to Daniera. “I’ll be back for you!”
    Love was shocked, however, to see she was no longer atop the ledge. Then he was jostled forward as Daniera landed on the seat behind him.
    He turned to look at her with complete astonishment.
    Daniera merely slapped his shoulder and barked, “Just shut up and drive this thing.”
    “Yes, ma’am!” he laughed and gunned the bike’s powerful engine.
    “You know something, Love, you are crazier than a berserk bantha!”
    “Thank you.”

    “There they are,” Daniera shouted.

    “I see them.” Love quickly accelerated, at the same time dipping the nose of the bike to avoid a large elevated crosswalk blocking their path.

    The speeder truck had lost most of its head start in the twisting maze of decay that was Coruscant’s Undercity. The vehicle’s size and bulk were hindrances in the ancient highways and twisting corridors. Here the bikes held the distinct advantage.

    Love deftly maneuvered the speeder bike through the chaotic jumble of fallen girders, crumbling walls, and overgrown toadstools. Daniera continued taking potshots at the remaining Rodian, who could not shake the tenacious pair from his tail.

    The merc twisted around to fire off a blast from his carbine, but the shot went wide. It did, however, slow him down enough for