The cloaked man waited until most of the troops were distracted, then sprinted for the crater near the bar, his cloak making him nearly invisible, only an occasional flash of his boots visible. He fired two shots at Yeerk troops as he ran, and they dropped to the ground as if they'd been punched in the stomach. Once he'd reached the crater, he slid down inside as quickly and quietly as possible, then glanced at his gun. He cursed. The sustained shot had cracked one of the stabilizing blades. That would take a while to repair. This was just not his day. He began to look over what remained of Thienal's wooden ship. It was, surprisingly, mostly intact, and wouldn't require too much in the way of repairs, though landing it normally would probably prove difficult next time. He set to work
***
Thienal continued watching the area through his rifle scope from the roof of the bar. He saw Ikakek's ship swoop low over the cloud of smoke, but suspected that he wouldn't see the human in there either. The Yeerk troops were surrounding the area where the decrepit ship had exploded, though it was clear they weren't sure where the human would have blown it up from. Two of them, Elriss 490, the one in the blond human woman, and Elriss 491, the large, timid bladed one she liked to spend time with, approached the wreckage as cautiously as possible. He noticed the commander inching towards the large transport they'd brought, as if he were afraid the target could be hiding just about anywhere, ready to shoot with whatever otherworldly weapon he'd chosen this time. Which, Thienal had to admit, was probably a very rational fear.
Thienal shook his head. He was going to find this human and make him pay for trashing his ship.