Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 2, Part 2: Birth of a Jedi
Chapter 2: Field Training
A/N: Greetings my friends, Shanesnest here with the new chapter of the new part of the… oh forget it, you know what I mean. Anyways, Chapter 1 definitely had the effect I intended, although as before I'm writing this from an undisclosed location, the reviews from Nerwen Aldarion and Tinuviel Undomiel should explain why. As for Kyle and Jan getting back together, prob'ly. No seriously, put away the pitchforks! I'm going to work on things with them and believe me, it will be an emotional ride. But for now, we have a mission to accomplish and some back story to fill in. But before that, the shout outs!
Tinuviel Undomiel: I'd say I'm the most at fault, since the whole thing was my idea. Vinial is definitely at fault for a lot of this, but it's also going to serve to bring some deeply buried issues with Kyle and Jan to the surface so they can be dealt with, more on that later. Oh, there is going to be a mediator and Luke may be involved, but he's not the main one. The Leia/Han scene was fun to write, although I was kinda nervous since I didn't want to screw up the essence of either character. Leia is definitely concerned for Luke, but she can't exactly stop him, superior officer or no. Get them back together you ask? Hmmm… we'll see. Ouch! Hey! Stop! All right! All right! I'll take care of it!
Nerwen Aldarion: I am now officially scared of you. Forensic Anthropology, I had no idea. Yeah, I think I need to move, to an island, far, far away until I resolve the Kyle and Jan issue. Maybe there I'll be safe, maybe. How could I? In all honesty, I don't know! I was writing the one evening and bam, the scene came to me, you should have seen me writing it, I swear I was feeling the emotion right along with the characters. But as for why, I could give a number of answers, I wanted conflict, I wanna write another reunion scene for them, the story wasn't angsty enough, etc., but none of these is the complete answer. As for the song, maybe something like with Charlie Daniels "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" or maybe that "Love is a Battlefield" song. Heck, you could almost substitute Vinial's name for Blaze's in the original song. Glad you liked the Han/Leia scene, I was nervous about it, but it turned out well. Yeah, don't think I'll be sleeping for while. Kidding! I promise you this, it will work out.
Phygmalion: You're telling me! When I was writing it, I could almost feel the emotion. Hey, join the club on accidental alienation. Been there, done that. But yeah, Kyle and Jan took it to the nth degree.
Ovall Aocrog: Shoot! I didn't see it coming either; it just came to me on the spur of the moment! Of all the reviews so far, you have a superb insight about Kyle and Jan. The Han and Leia scene was definitely fun and yeah, action is coming on the Fuel Station level.
Manus Dei: No, they certainly don't. You're so right about the counseling; it'd be a major battlefield. You make an excellent point about their emotional bruises, its part of what caused the separation now, and will need to be dealt with for them to get back together.
A/N: Well, this chapter has certainly done its job of gettin' to y'all. Hope you like this one as well. And now, let's go!
New Republic Command Ship Intrepid
Mon Mothma's Briefing Room
Three Days Earlier
"Excuse me?"
"Kyle and I have decided that we don't want to work together anymore," Jan repeated.
"I understood what you said, Jan. But I'm a bit confused. Why this sudden change?"
The Rebel leader stared into the operative's face, trying to see behind her placid expression, but Jan betrayed nothing.
"We discussed the matter, and while we think that we can still be effective agents, it's best if we work separately."
"Kyle? You agree with what Jan has said?"
She saw a brief flash in his eyes, but then it was gone. The operative nodded almost mechanically.
"It's just as Jan said, Mon Mothma. We feel that it'd be better for us to not work together any longer."
"Why?"
"Ma'am?" Kyle asked.
"Why do you want to do this? The two of you are a superb team, and have worked extremely well together in the past. So why do you want to change things now?"
"We just felt it was time for a change," Jan said.
"That's it exactly," Kyle echoed, nodding a second time.
The Rebel leader stared at the two operatives coldly for several seconds, trying to see past their words, their expressionless faces. When this meeting had begun, she was anticipating a discussion of the plan to infiltrate the fuel station outside of Barons Hed. But now…
"What about the mission, Kyle? Without Jan, you're short a pilot."
"With your permission, Mon Mothma," he said smoothly, "I've asked Wexter to fill that role. He knows the Crow well enough to pilot it."
Feeling exasperated, Mon Mothma turned to the third person in the room. "Luke?"
"Kyle and I discussed this yesterday afternoon," the black suited Jedi said, "I was just as surprised as you were, Mon Mothma. At the same time, I feel that Mr. Wayfarer is well qualified to be the pilot."
"And you have no idea of the reason behind this change?"
Luke shook his head.
The Rebel leader looked back to the composed expressions of Jan and Kyle. She studied them intently, but saw not the slightest flicker of change in their faces.
"Well," she said, clearly annoyed, "I will approve of the change in the pilot, but I find this highly irregular. I do not understand what has gotten into you two, and I find this behavior of yours thoroughly unprofessional and irresponsible. No matter your personal feelings, you two are under my command and if I decide that you will be on a mission together, I will expect you to comply. Am I understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kyle said.
"Of course, Mon Mothma," Jan said, "we would never disobey orders."
This only served to incense the Rebel leader further.
"Fine, then. Jan, you're dismissed. Kyle, I expect you and Luke back this afternoon for the operational briefing , understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She stared into his eyes a moment more, then with a wave of her hand dismissed him. The Rebel leader watched as Jan proceeded through the doors with Kyle only a few steps behind. Outside, the two operatives moved in opposite directions, not saying a word to each other.
Back in the briefing room, Mon Mothma blew out a breath. "Luke, can you explain to me exactly what is going on with those two?"
The black suited Jedi shrugged. "I wish I knew. When Kyle came to see me yesterday, I questioned him closely. But all he would say was that, 'Jan and I have decided not to work together anymore'".
"What about the training sessions?"
"He's been to everyone and is working as hard as ever. But…"
"Luke? What is it?"
The Jedi looked uncomfortable. "I hesitate to say this. You're not going to like it."
"What?"
"Since Kyle told me he wasn't working with Jan anymore, I have sensed a sort of 'peace' inside him. I hate to say this, but it's like this has helped him somehow."
"Are you sure?"
"His performance has improved and his mind is clearer than ever. I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you want to hear."
"It's not your fault, but there is something going on. Those two were as thick as thieves and now they won't even look at each other."
"I can't say for sure, but I think the situation with Vinial may have had something to do with it."
"Vinial? How?"
"I'm no psychologist, Mon Mothma. But I do know Jan was in severe mental anguish after the damage done to her room."
"But why would she be angry with Kyle? He had nothing to do with it."
Luke shrugged his shoulders. "That's the part that confuses me as well. There's something larger at work here. But what it is I have no idea."
"Well," Mon Mothma said, squaring her shoulders, "for now I'll leave it alone. But once you two complete the fuel station mission, we'll take another look at this."
"Understood."
"And Luke?"
"Yes?"
"Are you absolutely certain about going on this mission? If Kyle is growing unstable…"
"He's anything but unstable," the Jedi replied, "if anything, I feel the mission will go even better now."
Mon Mothma looked at him a moment, then sighed. "Well good luck and be careful. If anything happens to you, Leia will never let me hear the end of it."
Luke chuckled.
"Me either."
Planet Sulon
Fuel station outside Barons Hed
Present Time
After sweeping the immediate area for any Imperials, Luke and Kyle walked up the gray permacrete ramp to a low structure with a flat roof that sloped down at the sides. In front of it, holding a large wrench, was one of the uglier creatures Kyle had encountered. The Ugnaught was a small creature, barely 3 feet tall and with a face that looked like someone had taken a pig and smooshed its snout and other features together. It wore a brown and khaki workers uniform with red piping on the upper arms and around the legs. The men could hear its odd high toned twittering speech as they drew closer.
Kyle shook his head. "I know a lot of languages, but not this one."
"I might have an idea," Luke said.
Moving forward, he knelt next to the creature, who reacted with surprise at the Jedi's sudden appearance. It began to rise, but Luke extended a hand and spoke gently to it.
"Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to ask a question."
For a moment, it seemed that the Ugnaught would break and run, but then it seemed to relax and after nearly a minute, Luke drew his hand back and smiled.
"Thank you."
"Don't tell me you 'talked' to that thing?"
"In a way," the Jedi answered, rising to his feet, "you need to learn that all life has its worthiness, Kyle, even this one."
"Maybe," the operative said off-handedly, "but more importantly, what did it say?"
Luke looked a little disappointed, but answered after a moment. "He doesn't know anything about 8t88, but a recent fuel order came in…"
"For that ship?"
Luke nodded.
"Then let's get going!"
The operative cast about for a moment, then turned to his left, crossing the small courtyard and finding a set of stairs on one end.
"This way," he said, calling to the Jedi.
As Kyle mounted the stairs, Luke smiled and shook his head.
He's so headstrong. Might be what gets him in trouble so much.
He followed the operative up the steps and the pair soon found themselves before a massive pipe, the sound of fuel running through it creating a cacophonous sound. Moving to where the landing they stood on ended, they lowered themselves down to a larger space, empty except for the walls bordering the space. A short distance away, they could see some of the massive fuel tanks that comprised the station. Finding an opening, Kyle was moving towards it when Luke grabbed his shoulder.
"I sense a presence."
"Oh yeah?" Kyle said, smiling eagerly as he pulled out his blaster.
Luke was about to say something else, but decided not to. Instead he watched as Kyle flattened himself against the near wall and slid towards the opening. Then, with a quick move, he swung around and leveled his blaster.
"Oh Sithspit!"
A moment later, the operative dived to the ground as a blue-white orb shot overhead and struck the closest wall, exploding with a large flash and equally loud sound. Kyle covered his head with his arms as pieces of the wall rained down on him.
I need the rail gun!
Reaching to his belt a bit frantically, the operative found the weapon and pulled it out just a growl-hiss came from nearby. Looking ahead, he saw a Transdoshan standing there. The reptilian wore a yellowish jumpsuit capped with a white vest and it held a large rifle easily as big as the rail gun. To his horror, Kyle realized the muzzle of the weapon was pointed right at him and the Transdoshan would be able to fire before he could get the rail gun into place.
Oh man, not again.
Suddenly, the reptilian's eyes widened as something struck it, sending the alien flying back. It landed on its back, quickly scrambling back to its feet only to have a rail charge strike it in the chest. The incendiary went off and with a loud, high scream the Transdoshan fell, dropping its weapon. Pushing off the ground and back onto his own feet, Kyle turned to look at Luke, who stared back at him placidly.
"Was that you?"
Luke nodded.
"Well… thanks. But I had it handled."
"Mmm hmm," Luke said.
"What?"
"Kyle, this is exactly what Mon Mothma was talking about. You had this situation handled about as much as I know how to yodel."
"You know how to yodel?"
"Don't change the subject," Luke said firmly, "seriously, if I hadn't been here, you might've been killed. You certainly would have been wounded."
"Oh yeah?" Kyle challenged, "Well, my shield would have…"
It was then the operative realized the shield wasn't activated. But instead of conceding the point, he went on the attack.
"So what's your point?"
"I'm not the enemy here, Kyle. I just want to help. Can you imagine Mon Mothma's reaction if you come back from this mission badly hurt?"
Kyle chewed on his lip for a moment, the nodded. "She probably wouldn't be happy."
Luke nodded. "So, will you let me help?"
"I suppose," Kyle said, exhaling loudly, "I'm just used to working alone is all."
"Now that I understand."
"So, what now, teach?"
"Don't be flip. You already know the answer."
Kyle nodded a bit hesitantly. "I should've activated the shield first and had a heavy weapon ready just in case."
"See? That wasn't so hard."
"Now who's being flip?" the operative said.
"Touché," Luke said.
With that, Kyle activated his shield and with Luke trailing moved to where the Transdoshan lay.
"What's that?"
"No idea," Luke replied.
Kyle picked up the weapon lying next to the reptilian's body. It was a bit larger than the rail gun and seemed to be almost all barrel. A large muzzle was visible at the end of the largest barrel with a smaller one slightly above and to the right. Behind the barrels was a square structure that seemed to comprise the electronics and loading mechanism for the weapon. Behind this was a dual trigger mechanism and a rectangular stock jutting out. In addition, there was a stubby projection jutted out from the left of the square shape.
"Never seen a gun like this before," Kyle said. He picked the weapon up and found it was even heavier than the rail gun.
"Not exactly a hand weapon," Luke observed.
"Wait a sec," Kyle said and, holding the trigger area with his right hand, reached to the stubby projection with his left. After a moment, he smiled. "Hey, there we go."
"What?"
"This handle here," Kyle indicated where his left hand was, "helps to balance the weapon." He swung it experimentally.
"Very impressive," Luke said.
"Let's see what it does," Kyle replied.
"Just be careful," Luke cautioned, "a wrong shot here and…"
He mimed an explosion.
"Good point," Kyle replied and pointed the weapon towards a distant wall.
"Here we go," he said, and pulled the trigger.
The weapon bucked so strongly the operative found himself actually pushed back a few steps. A blue-white orb, similar to what he had seen earlier, leapt from the weapon with a concussive sound. When it struck the wall, the projectile flared brightly, scattering its deadly affects in all directions.
"Wow," Kyle said, "quite a kick."
"You okay?"
"Fine," the operative said, "think I'll take this thing along with me."
As he secured the weapon, Kyle noticed something.
"Hey, Luke, look at this."
The Jedi moved over and read the words embossed into one side on the weapon.
"Stouker. That mean anything to you?"
"Probably the manufacturer," Kyle guessed.
Leaving the issue of the rifle's heritage for a later time, the men made their way towards an imposing gray building with what looked like red air vents arranged close together on its surface. In the lower right corner of the structure was a metal door, glinting dully in the sunlight. But when they approached it, the door refused to open.
"Great," Kyle said, "locked."
"And no sign of a key," Luke added.
"You'd think it'd be around here. I mean the workers here need to get in."
"True," said Luke, "let's take a look around."
To their left was angled section of rust-colored wall with another of the massive, gray fuel pipes about midway up, permacrete supports holding the pipe in place. It was Luke who found the opening in the wall.
"Over here," he called to Kyle, who slid in next to the Jedi.
"Guess we should see where it goes."
Luke nodded and moved into the opening; quickly finding he needed to crouch to move forward and that it was pitch black inside."
"I've got a luma."
"No need," Luke said, unclipping his lightsaber and igniting with a snap-hiss. While not as bright as a luma, the emerald beam provided enough light for the men to see where they were going.
"Handy," Kyle observed.
With the low ceiling of the chamber impeding them, the two men duck-walked about ten feet when light became visible ahead and to the right. They emerged into a mostly featureless space of gray permacrete walls with a few small alcoves. In one sat two fuel drums with an Ugnaught seated atop one.
The men exchanged glances and a collective shrug. It took only a few minutes for Luke to learn that the key to the door was in a building nearby. Moving ahead and through a left hand turn, the pair soon found themselves facing a sudden drop to the mottled permacrete beneath.
"Don't say it," Kyle interjected, "we need to be careful here."
Luke laughed.
Lowering himself over the lip until only his upper arms were supporting him, Kyle let go and dropped the remaining distance, making sure to bend his knees to cushion the impact. Still, it proved jarring. Even more annoying to the operative was how Luke looked down and simply jumped, landing on both feet without the slightest hint of effort.
"Okay," Kyle said pointedly, "how did you do that?"
"You can do it, too," Luke said.
"With the Force."
"Exactly."
Not quite believing, Kyle moved forward with Luke close behind. Their objective was close by, a building that seemed to be comprised of a shiny sheet metal and sitting atop on two thick pillars. A set of ramps led from the ground up into the structure.
"Do we go inside?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Luke replied, "but from both sides."
"What?"
"You take the lower ramp. I'll meet you inside."
And with that, Luke crouched and leapt. Kyle watched as the Jedi rose into the air and landed on the upper level ramp. Not knowing what to say, the operative settled for confirming his shield was activated and pulling his blaster out. He moved up the ramp and into the first room of the building, smiling as he found a yellow-colored key sitting in an alcove on the wall. The sound of footsteps came, moving towards his location.
It's probably Luke, but just in case…
Training his blaster on the entrance opposite the one he had come in, the operative waited as the footsteps grew closer and into the doorway stepped the familiar form. He halted upon seeing Kyle, and then nodded.
"Good work. You were ready in case it wasn't me."
"Thanks," Kyle said and held out the key, "guess we can go back now. But there's something I want to say first."
"And that is?"
"You have got to show me how to do that jump."
"I thought you already knew how," the Jedi observed.
"Not with that level of precision."
"It's really not about precision, Kyle. The key is deciding where you want to land and executing the leap."
"Mental discipline then."
"You got it," Luke confirmed.
Exiting the building, the pair moved back to where they had dropped down. Kyle reached out and touched the surface of the wall.
"Too smooth to scale, my grapnel won't work here."
"Then just do it this way," Luke said, executing a Force Jump and landing inside the opening above Kyle's head.
"I don't know…"
"Kyle, you have the ability. You just need to concentrate."
"Still…"
"You've got to learn how eventually," Luke observed.
The operative sighed. "You're right. Okay, here goes."
Reaching out to the Force, Kyle felt it respond and began to imagine jumping up into the opening. Taking a deep breath, he crouched and then, as he exhaled, pushed off. His feet left the ground a second later and he found the opening before him in the next moment. But right after that…
CRACK!
Both hands reached to his head as he hit the ceiling and then fell to the ground. Sharp exhalations escaped his lips along with grunts of pain. Luke looked down at him sympathetically. Minutes passed as Kyle's throbbing head calmed. When he could finally speak, the operative was not happy.
"Thanks a lot, Skywalker."
"Kyle?"
"I told you I wasn't sure and look what happened."
Expecting the Jedi to respond angrily, Kyle was surprised when Luke spoke gently.
"Kyle, this wasn't my fault. Your jump was fine, you just went too high."
"But why? I did what you said, envisioned the jump and everything."
"What about the landing?"
"Huh?"
"The landing, Kyle, did you visualize the landing?"
"Well… no."
"Kyle, you have to see the whole picture. Not just the jump, but the path of flight and especially the landing."
"But the Force…"
"… cannot read minds, Kyle."
"You coulda told me that before."
"I thought you knew," the Jedi said, extending a hand, "think you can stand?"
For a moment, Kyle just stared, and then he chuckled and accepted the proffered hand, letting the Jedi help him up.
"Well, so much for coming back from the mission without getting hurt."
"You get to explain it to Mon Mothma," Luke said.
"Oh, I don't think so. You had a hand in this, Skywalker."
"No one said you had to listen to me."
"Geez!" Kyle exclaimed, "you're worse than Jan! Last time I was with her, we…"
The operative's voice trailed off.
"Kyle?"
"Let's keep going," Kyle said flatly.
The pair moved back through the dark tunnel and went to the metal door once more. Kyle found the locking mechanism and inserted the key. A moment later, the door slid open. Ahead was a large, empty and fairly dim space consisting of permacrete walls and a mottled metal floor and ceiling. A ways ahead, a checkerboard pattern appeared about halfway up the walls. Moving further in, the two men saw where the dimness gave way to bright sunlight due to an octagonal opening in the roof. An enormous red fuel tank with silvery support bars dominated the space. The men had barely moved another three steps when Luke grabbed Kyle's shoulder strongly. A single look told the operative why.
"How many?"
"Three," Luke said, "One straight ahead and two off to the left. We also need to watch those fuel drums."
Kyle nodded, having already noticing the three orange drums arranged in a rough pyramid.
"You need help?"
"I don't think so," Kyle said, pulling out the Stouker concussion rifle, "just stay back and watch me work."
Luke was tempted to snicker, but instead watched as Kyle positioned himself behind the drums, using them for cover as he advanced. The operative raised his head only long enough to confirm the first target. Several feet away, standing near what looked like a control panel was another Transdoshan, holding its own concussion rifle. It was walking in Kyle's direction, but after a half dozen paces, it turned and went the other way. The operative chose that moment to move out from behind the fuel drums and level the weapon. A pull of the primary trigger sent the blue-white orb arcing towards the Transdoshan. The reptilian turned at the sound of a weapon firing and then uttered a tortured scream as it was hit.
"Hold it right there!"
Hearing the all too familiar call of a stormtrooper, Kyle turned to his left and spotted the white armored figure, with an Imperial officer standing nearby. Both opened fire and Kyle was forced to retreat as multiple bolts struck his shield.
"You okay?" Luke called, hurrying over .
"Fine," Kyle replied, "but I need you to get out of the way."
"Huh?"
"I said move, Skywalker!" the operative said stridently, "now!"
Luke asked no more questions, only complied; moving towards the door the pair had come through as Kyle continued to retreat. As the Jedi watched, the operative holstered the concussion rifle and brought out the rail gun. The stormtrooper and officer came into view, moving towards Kyle, still firing. Beginning to worry, Luke was about to say something when Kyle fired the rail gun. At first, the Jedi thought his friend had gone nuts and would blow them both up. But instead of an immediate explosion, the rail charge struck one of the fuel barrels and stuck inside, smoke beginning to trail from it. It was then that Kyle turned and ran.
"Outside, now!"
Unsure, Luke nevertheless obeyed the command and ran towards the door, which slid open at their approach this time, sliding shut behind them. Luke used the Force to calm his racing heart and ease his breathing as Kyle bent over, taking a number of deep breaths.
"What was th…" the Jedi began.
BA-KOOM!!
Turning to look in the direction of the sound, the Jedi figured out what the operative had done just as two more explosions sounded. Just barely audible over the noise was a pair of screams. When the echo of the blasts died away, Kyle turned to Luke.
"Question?"
When Luke shook his head, Kyle smiled and led the way back inside. The floor where the fuel drums had been was blackened and covered with shards of metal as well as two bodies. Moving past them, Kyle studied the surrounding area and noticed the path leading off to the left. He briefly pointed in that direction and Luke nodded, following. They moved ahead, seeing where the metal ramp they were on turned to the right.
"No cover here," Kyle muttered.
"So what do we do?" Luke asked.
The operative thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"Take it slow and watch for Imps."
"Okay."
With Kyle taking point, the two edged around the turn, noticing the metal ramp slanting downwards and, at the point where it leveled out, a structure coming into view. It was not unlike a blockhouse. The operative held up a hand and spoke.
"Stormtrooper down there."
Luke looked and saw the opening in the blockhouse where the upper torso of the trooper was visible. Before he could ask another question, Kyle took two quick steps forward and pulled out the rail gun. Finger coming down on the secondary trigger, the operative watched as the rail charge shot forward, striking the stormtrooper in the chest. The Imperial cried out in pain from the impact and then, spotting Kyle, began to fire. But three seconds later, the laser fire was cut off as the rail charge exploded.
"Problem solved."
"Not bad," Luke said, following Kyle as the operative moved down the ramp and towards the blockhouse. There was an orange-colored door before them and the operative was about to open it when he suddenly froze. Luke started to ask why but the operative held up a hand, asking for silence. The Jedi stepped close and whispered.
"What is it?"
"Thought I heard something."
"Kyle, this isn't exactly a quiet place."
This was true, the sound of machinery and fuel moving through various pipes and tanks created a discordant cacophony.
"I know, but…"
Luke's eyes widened as he saw Kyle pull out his lightsaber.
"What are you going to do?"
"Make sure. Stand back, will you?"
Luke complied, watching as Kyle keyed the door open and took a step inside. In the next second, the brown uniform of an Imperial Officer appeared, holding a blaster.
Blast! Luke thought, reaching for his own saber.
A moment, the familiar snap-hiss reached his ears, but it wasn't the Jedi's lightsaber. Instead, a separate shaft of green light appeared, slashing upwards and cutting the Imperial across the chest. As the attacker fell, Kyle closed the lightsaber down as Luke stepped forward.
"Where did you learn to do that?"
Kyle considered the metal hilt, and then looked at Luke. "I may not know a lot about lightsabers or the Force, but I know how to use a blade."
Luke almost said something, but stopped himself, deciding it could wait until later. Instead, he followed Kyle inside the blockhouse, noticing that the mottled gray floor had changed to a set of rust red tiles seemingly laid at random. Kyle found a smaller interior room where the stormtrooper he had shot lay. Coming out, he spotted a narrow hallway comprised of dark gray permacrete leading to another, larger room. He moved down the hallway, blaster leading the way. Emerging into the room, he spotted an Ugnaught and another stormtrooper just as the latter called for him to halt. Kyle aimed his blaster and was about to fire when he spotted three large fuel drums in the room as well.
Oh man, if I hit one of those…
The stormtrooper, however, did not echo Kyle's concern and was about to fire when Luke's voice called out.
"Kyle! Duck!"
The operative complied, dropping to one knee just as the sound of a lightsaber blade passed overhead. Craning his neck, he watched as the emerald blade struck the trooper, neatly slicing off the Imperial's right arm. A sudden impulse filled the operative and, angling his weapon upwards, he fired a single shot into the trooper's helmet. The Imperial cried out once more and fell.
"You all right?" Luke asked.
"Fine," Kyle said, then looked away, "I didn't mean to hesitate. It was just…"
"It was probably the right decision," Luke said, "but had you been by yourself…"
He left the thought unfinished.
"You're right," Kyle replied, "thanks for the assist."
"Anytime," Luke returned.
With the stormtrooper dispatched, the men began to explore the room, the Ugnaught having fled at the first sign of weapons.
"Luke, take a look at this."
The Jedi moved to where the operative was standing near a large display panel. On it were images of two objects connected at the bottom by what looked like a connector of some sort. Kyle pointed to the one on the left.
"That looks just like that tank outside."
Luke perused the image and then nodded.
"So then the other one is an additional tank?"
"I think so," Kyle replied, "and unless I'm way off, I'll bet it's the one that's being used to fuel that cargo ship."
"So what now?" Luke asked.
The operative shrugged. "We keep looking for now."
Nodding in agreement, the Jedi followed as the operative pressed the control for another orange-colored to the right of the panel. It slid open and Kyle moved outside, the mismatched rust red metal floor gave way to the mottled gray path from before. Seeing that it turned to the right, he was moving that way when a new enemy appeared.
"Luke! Loo…"
That was all he got out as the reptilian fired its concussion rifle, the blast striking Kyle. His shield absorbed most of the energy, but the impact was so great it caused the operative to stumble back until one of his questing feet met air. He cried out as he began to fall and then grunted in pain and effort as his hands smacked against the metal ramp.
"Kyle!" Luke called, stepping outside.
"Watch for the Transdoshan!" the operative yelled back.
Lightsaber igniting a second later, the Jedi stepped out onto the metal path just as the Transdoshan fired another shot. The blue-white orb arced towards Luke. Despite his predicament, Kyle was able to watch as the Jedi set his feet and caught the energy blast on the saber blade. Energy crackled and sparked and then, to the operative's amazement, the Jedi sent the blue-white orb shooting skywards. And before the reptilian could fire another blast, the Jedi had darted forward with lightning speed and brought the humming green blade down in a diagonal slash, cutting the Transdoshan from shoulder to waist. A high pitched squeal hiss escaped the alien as it fell. Turning round, Luke quickly returned to where Kyle was hanging on.
"Hold on, okay?" the Jedi said, taking a deep breath.
"Not like I have much of a choice," the operative replied.
He watched as Luke's eyes closed and he extended his right hand. His brow knit in effort and then the operative felt the most curious sensation as his body rose up and over the lip of the ramp. A moment later, his feet cleared and with a slight forward motion, he was standing on solid ground once more. Luke exhaled strongly and opened his eyes.
"You all right?"
"Fine," Kyle said, amazed once again at his friends abilities, "that was… incredible."
Luke smiled as he continued to breathe deeply.
"Hey," Kyle said, concerned, "are you all right?"
"Fine," Luke said between breaths, "using the Force can take a bit of effort sometimes."
"You need to rest?"
The Jedi shook his head. "Just give me a few more seconds."
And it was only a few seconds before the Jedi's breathing returned to normal.
"Don't tell me," said Kyle, "the Force again?"
Luke nodded. "Levitation and speed are only a small part of what you can do through the Force, Kyle. It can also heal you."
"In battle?"
Luke nodded again.
"I need to learn how to do that," the operative said emphatically.
"You will, just give it time."
"Well let's go then."
Following the ramp as it angled down, the men reached the spot where the Transdoshan lay and beyond the body, sat another large fuel tank.
"Wish I'd seen that."
Luke looked at the tank.
"And if it had set off a secondary explosion, like in this bigger tank?"
"Oh," Kyle said, seeing in his minds eyes what that would be like, "right, bad idea then."
The operative retrieved the power pack from the other concussion rifle and then looked ahead, seeing where the path now sloped upwards.
"Check that out. Not exactly a lot of sense to this place," he commented.
Luke shrugged, and then followed as the operative surmounted the ramp and came to a halt before a raised opening in the corner of the floor. After peering over the edge, he turned to Luke.
"Looks like a room down there."
"Any guards?"
"Didn't see any, but that doesn't mean anything. Watch my back?"
Luke raised any eyebrow. "I thought you said before that you could 'handle' it."
Kyle wasn't fazed in the slightest. "Hey, a good operative makes use of all his resources."
He's quick, Luke thought, reaching for his lightsaber. "Ready when you are."
Reaching to a control in the wall, Kyle pressed it and a moment later, there came the whine of a motor as a platform rose towards them. When it came to a halt with a loud catching sound, the two men stepped onto it, Luke igniting his lightsaber and Kyle pulling out his blaster and the repeater rifle. The catching sound came again followed the motor as the platform descended. Both men noticed the next lowest level pass by as they descended to a large room that had all the looks of a control room. Ahead of them were two small platforms with short staircases leading up to them and viewports that allowed a farily unimpeded view outside. The walls and floor were a mixture of medium and dark grays, unbroken save for checkerboard patterns here and there and what look liked vents near the ceiling. But at the moment, the greater concern for both men were the two stormtroopers who saw their entrance and now raised their weapons. Additionally, the platform seemed to sticking, trying to move but unable to.
"Move!" called Kyle as he jumped off to the right, landing on both feet and letting go with a double shot that took out the first stormtrooper. Two quick slashes were all Luke needed to kill the second. With the immediate threat taken care of, both men looked back towards the platform which was still trying to complete its descent. They gasped in horror as both saw an Imperial officer who had somehow gotten beneath the platform and was now struggling against it downward force.
He'll never make it, Kyle thought and then saw Luke staring.
"Look away!" he called, but it was too late. With a heart-rending scream of pain, the officer fell. A moment later came the sickening sound of his body being crushed under the platform.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Kyle said disgustedly, shaking his head, "he never shoulda got under there."
"Oh… my," Luke said shakily. Kyle looked his way and saw that the Jedi was visibly shaking. Quickly he moved in front of the man.
"Luke," he called, but no response.
"Luke it's me. Look at me. Don't look at anything else, okay? Just look at me."
Seconds passed before the blue eyes turned Kyle's way.
"Look man, I know that was horrible, but you've got to push past it, okay?"
"I've seen death before," the Jedi said, his voice shaky, "but not like that. He had no chance at all."
"Luke, he was dead the moment he got under the platform. It was a colossally stupid move. But I need you clear, okay? Don't focus on it. C'mon."
Leading the Jedi over to one of the stairs, the operative had him sit down while he checked out the remainder of the room, finding little more than four small fuel drums and a doorway that led out to a catwalk overlooking the main room. When he returned, Luke was back on his feet.
"Whoa there, not so fast."
"I'm all right, Kyle. That was a horrible thing to see, but I'll get used to it."
Kyle gave him a sympathetic smile and put a hand on the Jedi's shoulder. "Trust me, you never do."
It was then the operative's eyes caught something he hadn't seen before. On the far wall, at floor level was a half-height door.
"Didn't see this before." Crouching, he found a control and pressed it. A moment later, the door slid upwards.
"Kyle," Luke said, "do you think you should?"
"Might as well find out," the operative said, shrugging.
Lowering himself onto his belly, Kyle crawled through the narrow opening and disappeared. Luke stood nearby, waiting, watching and listening. Time passed, and he began to worry. He was able to call out when the operative's arm came into view, something clutched in his hand.
"Here, take this."
Luke did so and, after a few seconds, the rest of Kyle slid out of the door and stood up.
"What is it?" Luke asked, examining the objective.
"Key of some kind, I think.
Just under a foot tall, the object had a rounded light gray base and a T-shaped handle done in alternating stripes of black and dark orange.
"There's some kind of maintenance area in there "Kyle said, "catwalks, work stations and a rather surprised Ugnaught."
"You didn't…"
"C'mon, Luke, give me some credit. After he screeched or whatever that sound was, I moved past without saying or doing anything.
"Sorry," the Jedi said, "I keep forgetting you're not Han. He would have just blasted it."
"Shoot first, ask questions later type?"
"Sometimes," Luke said, "again, sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Let's just find '88 and get outta here."
"Agreed," Luke said, "I can see now why Leia didn't want me to come."
Kyle was tempted to comment on this, but let it go, deciding that Luke was talking less about Kyle himself and more about the mission.
"Hey look," Kyle said, "another display panel."
Luke came over and nodded. "Just like the first one."
"And showing the same image."
Kyle scratched his head. "I might just be guessing here, but what if I'm wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I assumed 8t88 was someone here on the fuel station, but this place isn't exactly built for guests."
"Agreed," Luke said.
"So, what if the shuttle we saw in the briefing going aboard that cargo ship means '88 is there?"
Luke motioned for him to continue.
"Well, we saw that ship being fueled up. So if 8t88 is there, then…"
Luke's eyes widened and he nodded. "I see your point."
"And, while I'm still guessing, what if one of the tanks on this display is the one that ship's fueling from?"
"Not quite sure where you're going, Kyle."
"Well, if we wanted to 'delay' that ships' departure for a bit, we oughta be able to muck the fuel works."
Luke nodded again. "I see now. But how do we do that?"
"Simple," Kyle said confidently, pointing at the oddly shaped tank on the display, "we turn off the fuel flowing to this tank and then use it to get to the cargo ship."
"Wait a minute," Luke said, "are you suggesting we crawl through the fuel lines connected to the cargo ship so we can find this droid?"
Kyle nodded.
"Now I know why you come back from missions so badly wounded. You're insane, Kyle."
"Been called worse," the operative returned, "but seriously, Luke, this will work. Once we cut off the fuel and drain the lines, it should be pretty simple to just walk through 'em to that ship."
"And if doesn't work?"
"Then '88 gets away. I'd rather not chance that."
"I don't know…"
"Your choice," Kyle said, "I can call Wexter to come pick you up. But I'm going on."
Luke strongly considered accepting the offer, but something in the Force whispered to him.
"I have a bad feeling about this, but I'm with you."
There' still plenty more to the mission to come in Chapter 3. I'm also going to look in on Jan and trying to figure out exactly why she went all postal!
