//------------------------------// // Primitive Hovel // Story: STAR WARS: Harmony of the Force // by Queen Sanguine Dreams //------------------------------// Outskirts of Primitive Hamlet Mission Time 00:32:47 "Hey Eighty-eight, do you still have that E-eleven on you?" Seventy-one asked, currently holding onto his helmet to prevent it from falling off. The two scout troopers were still listing lazily above the ground and wrapped in a field of energy from the purple creature and the rainbow one constantly chattering. "Yeah, but I don't want it to get turned to scrap like our blaster pistols. What's your plan?" Eight-eight replied while looking over their shoulder to ensure their rifle was still in place. "Well, these creatures didn't know our blasters were a threat until we used them, so maybe they don't know what your E-eleven is yet. If they let us go, or there's a chance to use it when they're distracted, we should blast our way out of here and report back." Seventy-one shrugged, his head now upright. "Unless there's a whole village of creatures like purple over here." "The rainbow one is chattering to the purple one a lot, so maybe the purple one is their leader?" Eighty-eight guessed, swinging herself around to get a better look at the second creature. "This one only has wings, so maybe its like a second in command?" Seventy-one scoffed, "Yeah, and they got a government and a princess to lead them like Naboo." He then pointed with his arm to the approaching cottage, "Look at this place. I doubt they have running water, let alone a unifying leader." "Hey, the Ewoks had leaders and they make a mess out of Endor by just existing. Those tribals didn't have whatever this energy field is either, so lets just hope we aren't on our way to a chopping block." Eighty-eight pointed out. "If it comes down to it, we can set a distress communication and deal with a cranky lieutenant. I don't plan on dying to small colorful quadrupeds today, even if we're scrubbing manifolds for a month." Seventy-one grumbled. "Come to think of it, why haven't we killed off all of the Ewoks on Endor?" Eighty-eight thought aloud. "If they cause so much trouble, why not get rid of them?" "They keep out the other critters and wildlife where ever they set up, so they're the lesser evil. Ewoks aren't interested in power cables and blast doors, but some of the animals have a deathwish when it comes to generators." Seventy-one explained. "Besides, who knows what these things must be keeping in check, right?" he added, pointing to the purple creature. Outside of Fluttershy's Cottage Ponyville Outskirts 6:00 AM "Do these two ever stop talking? Their voices are giving me a headache." Rainbow Dash complained, giving the thinner of the two giants a glare of annoyance. "We're almost to Fluttershy's, and if anypony can talk to these two it would be her." Twilight explained. "Maybe she can tell us what they're saying?" "Yeah, well she's not gonna be happy about..." Rainbow Dash yawned, "How early it is." "She's actually already awake. She has a lot of animals to care for, and some of them get up really early. She had me help a few times." Twilight explained, knocking three times on the door to Fluttershy's cottage with her hoof. "I just hope she isn't out in the fields right now, or we'll have to sit with these two until she comes back." Rainbow Dash groaned loudly, "Do I have to stick around for that? I'm already going to be late to help Applejack at this rate and I want to get in maybe ten minutes of shut eye before I have to work. You've handled a lot worse than these two by yourself." "I'm sure if you explain everything to Applejack she'll understand, Rainbow. Just let her know what happened and get some rest. I've got this under control." Twilight smiled reassuringly, giving her friend a pat on the back before the colorful Pegasus took to the skies with a quick thanks. The two white and black giants seemed to take notice of this, because Twilight couldn't hear them talking anymore. They were floating in awe, trying to straighten each other out by holding on to one another at arms length. This made Twilight realize that she hadn't been focusing on keeping them vertical, and it was probably what was causing them to talk so much. Using her magic, she re-orientated the two giants to be head up and feet down, while still floating above the ground. The two giants looked to her and nodded, scratching out what sounded like thanks with their strange voices. "Fluttershy?" Twilight called out to the door, knocking on it again. "I need your help!" Primitive Dwelling Mission Time 00:37:14 "Did you see that!?" Seventy-one gushed with awe. "How did that thing move so fast?" "That shouldn't be possible!" Eighty-eight agreed. "Our speeders can't even reach that speed! You'd have to bring a TIE fighter for something like that, and they're way too small a target to hit." "You know what this means?" Seventy-one replied with quiet realization. "We're still scouting, and now we're getting intel on the locals for the fleet. Technically, we're doing our jobs!" "Chew on that, Lieutenant Krandel!" Eighty-eight quietly cheered with a closed fist towards the sky, trying not to spook the purple creature below her. The creature knocked on the entrance to it's dwelling a third time, now revealing a light yellow creature that peeked through the doorway with sensitive blue eyes. It's voice was far softer than the other two's had been, and its eyes were wide with caution when it stared at the scout troopers. "Think that's purple's mother?" Seventy-one joked, hitting Eighty-eight on the shoulder with the back of his hand while pointing to the new creature. "No, it doesn't have a horn. Maybe its the jailer?" Eighty-eight returned sarcastically, also lightly hitting Seventy-one. "With eyes like that? No, can't be." Seventy-one replied. "Maybe its their doctor? It seems a lot more likely." "Who knows, Seventy-one. Maybe yellow here is their cook." Eighty-eight joked, looking down at the yellow creature. It seemed shy, but after some chattering between the two creatures it slowly emerged from its home and walked carefully towards the two troopers. "What's it doing?" Seventy-one asked rhetorically. "Taking measurements?" "Measurements?" Eighty-eight questioned. "Yeah, like for when you're butchering a Nerf. What cuts make the best meat..." Seventy-one replied, only half joking. Before Eighty-eight could reply, the yellow creature made soft cooing noises, drawing closer to Seventy-one with an outstretched hoof. The two troopers shared a nervous look, and the small winged yellow thing continued to make soft, non-threatening noises to them. "Oh...kay, this is wierd." Seventy-one stated. "Are you feeling strangely at peace with the world right now?" "Um... yeah." Eighty-eight replied, checking themselves for anything out of place. "This doesn't feel right. Is it messing with our minds?" The soft noises continued, and the yellow creature used its wings to hover at eye level with both troopers, with a smile across its face that worried the them. "Uh oh, that doesn't look good. Smiles are never good when it comes to aliens." Eighty-eight worriedly announced, trying to pull herself away from the creature. The creature's smile vanished, and it redoubled its efforts to coo at Eighty-eight. The trooper was already alarmed at this point, the proximity driving her to further alarm. "Get away from me, alien!" Eighty-eight shouted, kicking with what strength she could on the yellow creature, sending it backwards into what looked like a box of straw. Fluttershy's Cottage "Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, running after her friend towards the hay bale she had been launched into. "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." Fluttershy replied hazily. "I didn't know they were so strong, Twilight. They could have really hurt you if you didn't hold them in your magic." She added softly, holding her head. "I probably scared them, too." "What should we do with them?" Twilight asked, still holding the two giants out of arms reach. "We can't really just let them go, can we? What if they wander into town?" "I tried to talk with them, but I couldn't understand anything they were saying." Fluttershy replied with a pout. She pulled herself from the hay bale with some assistance by Twilight, and pulled some straw from her hair with her mouth before setting it on the ground. "Maybe they're hungry?" Looking at the two giants, who were once again talking quickly, Fluttershy gained an idea. "I know! Maybe Spike can help us." Twilight was skeptical. "Spike? What could he do?" "Well, He could send a letter to Princess Celestia for us while we take care of these two giants, and maybe she's seen something like these two before!" Fluttershy explained excitedly. "Maybe they're just lost, and from a really far away place and trying to get home?" "I don't know if we should get Princess Celestia involved with this, Fluttershy. I'm a Princess myself now, and I'm supposed to be able to handle things like this on my own." Twilight reasoned, unfolding her wings. "That's what these were for, remember?" Fluttershy was a bit disheartened at that. "Oh, Twilight. We can't handle everything on our own, and this is something she might have experience with. She's been around longer than anypony; maybe she can speak with them?" "Well who's gonna watch these two while I run to Spike? They don't seem that well behaved..." Twilight cautiously replied, staring sideways at the floating giants behind her. "I think I can manage, Twilight. Maybe they were upset because they're being held by your magic?" Fluttershy offered sensitively. "I think when they're on the ground again, they might feel more comfortable." Twilight's ears folded back with epiphany. "Oh." She grumbled, before smiling apologetically to the two giants. "My mistake." "You can bring them inside, and I'll see if they want something to eat." Fluttershy suggested, walking slowly back to her cottage's front door in order to hold it open. "I won't be alone with them long; I know you're a good flyer now, Twilight." "Well, you should've seen what they did to a Timberwolf..." Twilight shuddered. "I know they're predators, but still... One moment it was there, then it was on the ground... and they just..." "Twilight, If I know anything about animals, is that some animals eat other animals to survive." Fluttershy explained. "I don't hold anything against the giants for defending themselves, even if it was hard to watch." "You're right." Twilight sighed, "Just be careful, okay?" She added, unfurling her wings once again and releasing her magical hold on the two giants, sending them to the ground with the unexpected drop and causing a cloud of dust from the impact. "I'll be right back!" Outside Primitive Dwelling Mission Time 00:47:18 Status: Dusty Both troopers yelped with surprise from their sudden release, landing on their rear ends and receiving a small jolt from the impact. As soon as they had recovered, they jumped to their feet, backing away from the yellow creature. "Blaster time?" Eighty-eight asked, her right hand already reaching for the E-11 long rifle on her back. Seventy-one's hand reached out to Eighty-eight's chest plate. "Not yet. We don't know what they're doing. If they make a move, go for it. For now, just keep the blaster ready." Eighty-eight slowly pulled the long rifle from her back, pointing the barrel of the blaster to the ground for safety. "Well, it's your call team leader." She replied with doubt. Keeping his hands in front of him and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible, Seventy-one slowly approached the yellow creature standing at the doorway to its home. "Hey there, tiny thing. We're not gonna hurt you, alright? Take it easy..." The yellow thing gave Seventy-one a raised eyebrow of confusion for his efforts, and made soft cooing noises while pointing to the inside of its home. Eighty-eight raised a free hand to her mask, making an effort to stifle the filtered laughter coming from her communicator. "Hey, I think you got married to a critter here, Seventy-one." Seventy-one swiveled on his heels to point at Eighty-eight. "Don't you dare say something like that, Eighty-eight. It might come true, and I'll throw you out of an airlock the second we get back on the cruiser for it." "And I'll come back from deep space to haunt you for all time." Eighty-eight countered playfully, cautiously approaching the doorway to the small home. "Think they got the holo-net in here?" "I really doubt it, Eighty-eight." Seventy-one chuckled. "At best they'd have re-runs of Nal-Hutta info-mericals." Following the yellow creature into their home through the small doorway, the two troopers were stunned by the amount of wildlife inside of the dwelling. Avians, mammals, reptiles and others that they had no classification for were scurrying around the inside of the home. There were tiny houses built specifically for some of the flying creatures, and others had small pillow buildings that reminded the troopers of sandbags. One small, fuzzy and white creature in particular looked very unhappy to see them. It seemed like its arms were crossed, and it was tapping its leg on the floor while giving the troopers a sour expression. "Get a look at that critter, Seventy-one." Eighty-eight pointed out. "Remind you of anyone?" Seventy-one's helmet swiveled to where Eighty-eight was pointing and had to pull away almost immediately; scattered giggles emitting from his communicator. "Pfft, it's like a tiny Krendel!" The creature didn't take kindly to their behavior, walking up to the laughing trooper to stomp down on his foot. "Ow!" Seventy-one yelped, giving a very aggressive response by knocking over the small creature with a shove from his injured foot. The creature flopped over on their back a few feet away, causing the yellow creature to rush between them. Fluttershy's Cottage "Oh no!" Fluttershy blurted, placing herself between the giants and Angel Bunny. "Are you okay, Angel?" She asked worriedly, her attention split between the two newcomers and her bunny friend. Angel was very upset, brushing off their ears from gathered dust and dirt from the giant's boots. He shook a small paw at the two giants before hopping away to safety. Fluttershy was now faced with the possibility that these two giants might cause more problems, and one of the ways she knew that would calm down angry creatures was giving them food. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to make you something to eat... although I'm not sure if you do eat with mouths like that." She nervously stated, pointing to the giant's smooth white faces. "Maybe they're a mask?" She added to herself, already walking off. What would a giant eat? Thought Fluttershy. Well, maybe they'd like something to drink? Every animal needs water, so maybe I'll make them tea! Primitive Hovel Mission Time: 00:53:17 "Well, looks like the critter is distracted with something." Eighty-eight pointed out. "You gonna need a week in a bacta tank for that, Seventy-one?" She added jokingly, pointing to her partner's foot. "Hey, that thing might be tiny but it packs a lot of power in that body." Seventy-one replied defensively. "You try getting kicked by it and see if you're so jolly afterward." "Think we should have a look around?" Eighty-eight asked, taking in the sights of the small hovel. "Might be able to find out something about the natives." "I think we've found out enough already. They can fling us around with some kind of energy, and their animals hurt like a Ronto." Seventy-one grumbled, nursing his foot. "If you want to upset these things, go right ahead. I'm going to take a seat in one of these tiny chairs and hope that it doesn't break under my weight." Eighty-eight watched her partner walk around the small table in the center of the room to loom over a tiny couch near the far wall. Still holding her rifle in one arm like a cradled child, she covered the communicator on her helmet with the other hand just in case Seventy-one did break the couch. "Careful there, big boy." She teased, her voice muffled by her hand. "Wouldn't want to upset the missus." Seventy-one turned to glare at Eighty-eight through his helmet, causing a scene for only a moment before he unceremoniously dumped himself onto the small couch. Flinching in anticipation of a wooden snap, Eighty-eight was only slightly disappointed when the couch didn't break into a mess of splinters. "See, I'm not that heavy." Seventy-one sarcastically jeered. Tapping his armored chestplate, he added "It's all that high speed traveling and intense 'running-from-blaster-fire' workout routines, you know?" At that moment, the yellow creature returned with a wide plate holding what looked like a container and several cups of liquid. Standing in the room and looking between the two troopers, it seemed confused as to why they were apart from another. It then made soft cooing noises again, motioning to the table as it set down the plate. "Well, don't leave a critter waiting, Eighty-eight." Seventy-one motioned to his partner with an upturned hand. Pointing to the couch opposite him he added, "It's clearly time for food!" Eighty-eight tilted her helmet sideways with skepticism. "Or it could be trying to poison us. How do we even know we can drink whatever that is?" She asked, pointing her free hand at the liquid. "We could do the old taste test." Seventy-one replied, taking up the tiny cup with his comparatively large hand. His fingers wrapped around the outside of the cup entirely, and the handle would've been fit for his gloved pinkie finger. "You know, just an officer's ration." "You're insane, Seventy-one." Eighty-eight sighed, making her way around the couch to join her partner. Tapping the side of her helmet, the visor swished upwards to reveal her face in the same moment that Seventy-one had done the same. "If we die, I blame you and your stomach." "Why of course, my dear." Seventy-one replied in his best imitation of a smug and snooty Imperial Officer. "Only the finest Corellian wine for you." He added, offering one of the tiny cups to Eighty-eight. The two troopers clinked their cups together through small openings between their fingers and looked to the small creature sitting opposite to them. Sharing a look of worry, Eighty-eight asked "Why is it looking at us like that?" Fluttershy's Cottage Fluttershy was staring wide eyed at the two giants. She was right that they had been wearing masks, but she hadn't been expecting what was underneath. Almost squished faces, free of hair, tiny eyes, small noses, thin lips, and brownish skin. They were adorable!