========================================================================= Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 11:41:00 CST Reply-To: sraghava@ST1.CLC.CC.IL.US Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "Vatsan \"Kinslayer\" Raghavan" Organization: College of Lake County Subject: Tricks of the Trade, Part 2/?? X-To: thezorker@aol.com, nbarja1@icarus.cc.uic.edu Tricks of the Trade Part 2/?? => A Highlander fanfic by Vatsan "Kinslayer" Raghavan Really, Really sorry for the delay, I've been kinda busy. The Highlander concept is the property of Rysher Entertainment as is Connor Macleod, I think. I make no claim to them. I only claim the idea of Vijay Shankar and the other immortals in these stories 'cept Connor, Duncan, Ramirez, etc .. . And the saga continues . . . Enjoy. -------------------------------* * *---------------------------- Madras, India. Tinagar District. Police Precinct 2:00 pm "Here, sir. Your one free phone call." "Thank you, officer." Vijay had to think for a while, who could he call? I had to be an immortal, and it had to be someone he could trust, someone who could and would help him through is _minor_ dilemna. Patrick O'Brian? No, he had his own problems with Kurdt VonHoffer, so . . . Connor Macleod!! Albeit, granted, they hadn't seen each other in 55 years. But they were still good friends, he hoped. <> <> "This better be damn good, it's 3:00 in the goddamn fucking morning." "Sorry, Connor. It's Vijay." "Vijay!! I haven't seen you since the French Resistance in World War II. What have you been doing with yourself?" Vijay paused, he would have to phrase his next statement carefully. "Connor, I need your help. I've been accused of murdering a child. One of our kind, or at least he would have been, given a couple of years." "Well, did you?" "Connor!! You know me better than that!" "Sorry. I'll be there. Give me . . . 2 days. You're still in Madras, right?" "Yup." "Good. Bye." <> ----------------------* * *----------------------------------- Madras, India. Tinagar District. September 2nd, 1683. Vijay felt the buzz and knew that another had come to his abode. He turned to his latest student, a 30-yr old Chinese girl from a small village on the outskirts of Beijing. "Stay here, Chum Sei. If I do not return within a half hour go to the church across the street and stay there. And when you can, go to Paris. You'll meet an immortal priest named Darius, he'll protect you in my steed." "Yes, sire. But I'm not worried, we both know how good a swordsman you are." "Ha, ha, ha. Child, the first thing you must learn is that we all have our limts. I know mine, you have yet to learn yours." "Yes master." Vijay walked down the staris and carefully entered the main veranda expecting attack from any direction. He slipped around the corner and put his sword on the neck of a brown-haired man wearing a kilt. "Tell me, who are you, and why should I not kill you now?" "I am Connor Macleod of the clan Macleod." "Ahhh, yes. You were born in the town of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. I have heard ALL about you. Your clansmen Duncan speak a little too freely when drunk." Connor's eyes widened in anger. "Yes, so I have noticed." Vijay adjusted his gaze to the sword held loosely in Connor's hand. "Duncan did not mention THAT. What are you doing with the Katana of Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez? If you were the one who killed him, you are dead where you stand." Connor's eyes widened even further, if such a thing were possible. "Do you mean to tell me if you have not heard? He was killed in the Scottish Highlands by the Kurgan nearly 100 years ago." "Vijay sighed sadly. "Information travels slowly, and most of it in rumor and hearsay. I knew that he had died, but not WHO killed him. Would that I think I could win, I would hunt down the Kurgan myself. Ramirez, you Egyptian dog, I shall miss you greatly." "You knew him too? How?" =======================================>>>>>>> (Author's Note: Cool, huh? Flashback within a flashback.) A small village on the Ganges River, India. 328 B.C. (To become Pakistan in 2,273 years.) When Vijay was 18 the village elders decided he was old enough to join the local militia organized by the close knit group of villages in the area. The 'army', if it could be called such, was a ragtag group of approximately 200 boys and men who were created nearly 100 years ago to protect the villages from bandits, pirates, and wandering thugs. Vijay had now been doing this 'job' for nearly 5 years now. Therefore he had become one of the most experienced of the group. He had become, the equivalent of what would, these days, be considered a Colonel. "Sir, the scouts have reported back in. Alexander's army is at the other side of the valley, nearly 2 miles away." The 'lieutenant' sighed. "Sir, you are of course aware that until now no one has stopped the army of Alexander the Great, ever." Vijay closed his eyes, a tear dropped from his eye. "Would you rather they ran through your villages, rape your sisters and mother, then kill you and your father? They might get past us, but I'll be damned if we don't make them pay for it. For every one of us they kill, we'll kill ten of them. By the Gods, I SWEAR IT!!", exclaimed Vijay pounding his hand on the table on his right that contained maps of the area. The 'lieutenant' smiled, proud of his commander. "Yes, SIR." "Ramesh, round up the men. We've got to prepare for the upcoming battle. All we've got to do is stall Alexander's army for a while, we have to keep them busy until the king's army arrives and backs us up." "And how long should that take, sir?" "According to the lastest reports sent by the king, a couple of hours." "Sir, you can't be serious. The scouts report nearly 3000 men in Alexander's army. They outnumber us 15 times over. We'll be lucky if we last an hour." Vijay sighed. "We do what we can, Ramesh. I'm full willing to give my life for my family." "Of course, Vijay. We all feel that way. I just wish that there was a hope of winning. To know that we will all very likely die and still the chance that all our families will still die, It's . . . well it's depressing." "Get ready Ramesh, they'e coming." And so they were. The men were ready, willing, and able. They were almost all veteran soldiers, they had experienced battle before, seen death before. They were ready for this. Vijay screamed, hoping everyone could hear his voice. "Wait until they are 2000 feet before launching the first volley. Fire arrows on my command. . . Ready . . . Get set . . . They're getting closer . . . On my mark . . . 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... FIRE!!" And the arrows flew. With the first volley nearly 15 men fell down dead. The second set flew almost immediately after the first. The militia had killed nearly 40 men before hand-to-hand combat was necessary. Vijay's people fought well, he came close to keeping his word with the Gods. Every one of his men gave up their lives dearly. In a battle the size of this one, each man was forced to fight individually. Vijay did no less, he was on the far end of the valley defending the lives of everyone he loved and everything he believed in. <> those were his thoughts for a while. Eventually conscious thought stopped and instinct took over. <> Vijay's men could not hold up for long. No matter how good they were, 15 to 1 odds were unfair under any conditions. While blocking one man's sword he was stabbed through the back. He stared down at the sword piercing through his chest, clutched it with both hands and laughed. > ----------------------------------* * *------------------------- End Part 2. ==> What a cliffhanger, huh? :-) Do you like the flashback in a flashback idea? Part 3 on Friday(?) Send all comments, criticisms, and non-flame mail to: Vatsan "Kinslayer" Raghavan sraghava@st1.clc.cc.il.us "What can I do to make you believe that I'm mortal?"-Q -"Die."-Worf --"Oh very funny, Worf. Eat any good books lately?"--Q.