Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN et al. own Buffy. George Lucas, LucasArts,
LucasFilm etc. own Star Wars and everything else. Raven made Jedi
Knight II.
Title: Keeping True To Ones Self
Author: Paradigm Shifter
Rating: PG-13.
Feedback: Since this is going on Tenhawk's XanderZone, why not borrow a line? It's the Coin of the Realm... kind of like salt at one point...
Notes:
Continuity: Xander the Jedi, Sunnydale Jedi, any others that get bunged in the middle, 'To Learn of the Past' and any other side-pieces. And the 'Dark Forces' computer game.
Rating: PG right now. May go up. I'll see.
"Open up!"
The banging on the door increased in volume.
"Open up in the name of the Emperor!"
Xander spun on the spot, drawing a blaster pistol as he did so, and motioned for Kyle to drop to the floor. They crawled over to each other; meeting in the entrance to the small kitchenette that Xander had been making some Caf in.
Kyle rolled onto his back. "If they follow Standard Operating Procedure, they should be shooting the lock, right about..."
Xander whispered as just as the whine of a blaster carbine was heard, "Now!"
Kyle looked at him in surprise.
"Hey, the thing is..." Xander stopped. "Ah... shove it, you'd never believe me if I told you..." He pulled a small transmitter out of his pocket, and pressed the single button on it as a Stormtrooper appeared in the doorway of the lounge, scanning for their target.
The detonation flung the Stormtrooper against the opposite wall, and collapsed the roof of the passageway, blocking the other Stormies.
"Great, hotshot!" Hissed Kyle, "now how the hell do we get out?"
Xander smiled slowly. "The truth will be revealed, young one..."
Kyle stopped dead. "Young? I'm older than you are!"
Xander smirked. "No, you're not. I just... age gracefully." A shout from outside turned his head. "Come on! We haven't got long!"
Kyle followed Xander into the corner of the kitchen, and gaped as the wall opened up in front of them.
"And how are the Stormtrooper's not going to find that if they get in?"
Xander looked over his shoulder. "I doubt that they'll find it... they don't have the... ability..."
Xander motioned with one hand. "You first, mon Capitan."
Kyle started, and looked at Xander suspiciously. But he complied. As he stepped forward, Kyle had one thought running through his mind: How the hell does he know that?!
Xander smiled at the back of Kyle's head, and followed.
Jan hit the Comms console of the Mouldy Crow with her fist when it refused the connection for the fifth time. "Damn it!" she shouted at the hardware, "Work, why won't you work!?"
Finally she gave up venting at an inanimate object, and slid out of the chair in front of the console. "Kyle... where are you? You should have checked in by now."
Kyle had more important things on his mind at that moment, foremost among them not being captured by the Empire's Stormtrooper's. "Where the hell are we going?" he asked to the man behind him.
Xander pointed past Kyle's shoulder with his blaster. "Its just down there... follow the tunnel system until you reach the water treatment plant, and then hang a left. Go to the end, where the exit-flow leads, and there's a slipway through to another tunnel. This one is the waste disposal for the facility you want. It stinks, but unless you want to go in the front entrance, it's the only way..."
"And you know this, how?" Kyle asked.
"Who do you think blew the hole through between the two systems? None of the Stormies know about it yet, but once you're in, I'll be sealing it up with some toys of mine... so once in, you can't use the same way to exit."
"I'll keep that in mind... Jan should be able to pick me up in the Crow."
Xander stopped and turned Kyle with one hand. "It's still flying?"
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, it's still flying. Why, you sound surprised..."
Xander smiled at the suspicious look Kyle gave him. "I should be surprised, the last time I saw that ship, it was pretty much scrap after one particularly... rough landing."
"Did a friend of yours own it?"
"No. I did."
Kyle's eyes bugged at that revelation.
Xander continued, "Anyway, it's nice to see the old girl in the hands of someone who'll look after her... Fo... Gods know she deserved better than me flying her..." Xander had to consciously stop himself from mentioning the Force, lest it open the gate once more. He had nearly slipped. The last thing he wanted to do was give the Jedi Hunters another person to go after. Then he realised: he had slipped. In avoiding mentioning the Force, he had mentioned home, instead. Damn.
For the sake of the few remaining Jedi; Ta'ania and her unborn babe, Ben, Valin and his baby son... and the Skywalker twins, he must never be found. The ultimate prize for a Jedi hunter... the one man who knew the names, aliases and locations of every remaining Jedi in the galaxy...
Xander turned as he heard booted feet hit the Permacrete of the sewer system. Making his way slowly to the corner, he pressed up against the side, and listened for more sounds.
"Great..." he muttered, "Stormies, just what I need to round my day out and make it complete..."
Readying a Concussion grenade with one hand, he checked the charge on his Blastech E-11a carbine with the other.
"Sir, there's someone round the bend..." reported one of the Stormtroopers that had been assigned to following an anonymous tip about two rebels
The Captain replied through his helmet microphone. "Thank you, private. Do you wish to take point?"
The private nodded. "It would be an honour, sir." He stepped forward, and was taken off his feet by the rapid-fire discharge of a blaster carbine.
The now dead Stormtrooper landed in the sewer water with a splash, and sank below the waterline; his armour pulling him down faster than the body should sink.
The Captain pulled himself against the wall next to him, and motioned for the rest of his squad to do the same. "This is Bee Kay Four Four One reporting rebel presence in the..."
He trailed off as his eyes came to rest on a small object that had just rolled in front of him. "Grenade!" he screamed, before the explosive detonated, vaporising the nearest members of the squad and flinging the more distant ones backwards, and in some cases, into the water.
Xander poked his head around the corner, and nodded as he saw one Stormtrooper struggling to reach the side of the sewer. "I'm afraid your luck just ran out, Stormie." Depressing the trigger on the carbine, a burst of energy was released, cutting through the armour of the Stormtrooper instantly.
The white armoured enemy stopped struggling, and sank like his comrades below the waterline.
Xander rolled each of the bodies that hadn't fallen in into the water with his foot, and looked around.
"Kyle better be as bloody good as Dodonna said he is. 'Cause the rebels aren't gonna get a second shot at this... the Empire will be ready for the next sortie."
He ran backwards for a few steps, before spinning on the spot and charging off down the tunnel in the same direction that Kyle had gone earlier. If he didn't seal that hole, Kyle's life would quickly become one that was both full of pain, and very short...
Kyle scanned the area ahead of him with his eyes, pointing his blaster rifle wherever his eyes moved to. He keyed the radio mic wrapped around his throat. "I'm in."
A haggard and tired voice responded. "Great. Now I can seal you in, and get the hell out of here... the Stormies can't take a hint."
"I could have told you that..." Kyle responded. "Take care... I want you to explain just who in the galaxy you are..."
A dry chuckle was the only response.
Title: Keeping True To Ones Self
Author: Paradigm Shifter
Rating: PG-13.
Feedback: Since this is going on Tenhawk's XanderZone, why not borrow a line? It's the Coin of the Realm... kind of like salt at one point...
Notes:
Continuity: Xander the Jedi, Sunnydale Jedi, any others that get bunged in the middle, 'To Learn of the Past' and any other side-pieces. And the 'Dark Forces' computer game.
Rating: PG right now. May go up. I'll see.
"Open up!"
The banging on the door increased in volume.
"Open up in the name of the Emperor!"
Xander spun on the spot, drawing a blaster pistol as he did so, and motioned for Kyle to drop to the floor. They crawled over to each other; meeting in the entrance to the small kitchenette that Xander had been making some Caf in.
Kyle rolled onto his back. "If they follow Standard Operating Procedure, they should be shooting the lock, right about..."
Xander whispered as just as the whine of a blaster carbine was heard, "Now!"
Kyle looked at him in surprise.
"Hey, the thing is..." Xander stopped. "Ah... shove it, you'd never believe me if I told you..." He pulled a small transmitter out of his pocket, and pressed the single button on it as a Stormtrooper appeared in the doorway of the lounge, scanning for their target.
The detonation flung the Stormtrooper against the opposite wall, and collapsed the roof of the passageway, blocking the other Stormies.
"Great, hotshot!" Hissed Kyle, "now how the hell do we get out?"
Xander smiled slowly. "The truth will be revealed, young one..."
Kyle stopped dead. "Young? I'm older than you are!"
Xander smirked. "No, you're not. I just... age gracefully." A shout from outside turned his head. "Come on! We haven't got long!"
Kyle followed Xander into the corner of the kitchen, and gaped as the wall opened up in front of them.
"And how are the Stormtrooper's not going to find that if they get in?"
Xander looked over his shoulder. "I doubt that they'll find it... they don't have the... ability..."
Xander motioned with one hand. "You first, mon Capitan."
Kyle started, and looked at Xander suspiciously. But he complied. As he stepped forward, Kyle had one thought running through his mind: How the hell does he know that?!
Xander smiled at the back of Kyle's head, and followed.
Jan hit the Comms console of the Mouldy Crow with her fist when it refused the connection for the fifth time. "Damn it!" she shouted at the hardware, "Work, why won't you work!?"
Finally she gave up venting at an inanimate object, and slid out of the chair in front of the console. "Kyle... where are you? You should have checked in by now."
Kyle had more important things on his mind at that moment, foremost among them not being captured by the Empire's Stormtrooper's. "Where the hell are we going?" he asked to the man behind him.
Xander pointed past Kyle's shoulder with his blaster. "Its just down there... follow the tunnel system until you reach the water treatment plant, and then hang a left. Go to the end, where the exit-flow leads, and there's a slipway through to another tunnel. This one is the waste disposal for the facility you want. It stinks, but unless you want to go in the front entrance, it's the only way..."
"And you know this, how?" Kyle asked.
"Who do you think blew the hole through between the two systems? None of the Stormies know about it yet, but once you're in, I'll be sealing it up with some toys of mine... so once in, you can't use the same way to exit."
"I'll keep that in mind... Jan should be able to pick me up in the Crow."
Xander stopped and turned Kyle with one hand. "It's still flying?"
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, it's still flying. Why, you sound surprised..."
Xander smiled at the suspicious look Kyle gave him. "I should be surprised, the last time I saw that ship, it was pretty much scrap after one particularly... rough landing."
"Did a friend of yours own it?"
"No. I did."
Kyle's eyes bugged at that revelation.
Xander continued, "Anyway, it's nice to see the old girl in the hands of someone who'll look after her... Fo... Gods know she deserved better than me flying her..." Xander had to consciously stop himself from mentioning the Force, lest it open the gate once more. He had nearly slipped. The last thing he wanted to do was give the Jedi Hunters another person to go after. Then he realised: he had slipped. In avoiding mentioning the Force, he had mentioned home, instead. Damn.
For the sake of the few remaining Jedi; Ta'ania and her unborn babe, Ben, Valin and his baby son... and the Skywalker twins, he must never be found. The ultimate prize for a Jedi hunter... the one man who knew the names, aliases and locations of every remaining Jedi in the galaxy...
Xander turned as he heard booted feet hit the Permacrete of the sewer system. Making his way slowly to the corner, he pressed up against the side, and listened for more sounds.
"Great..." he muttered, "Stormies, just what I need to round my day out and make it complete..."
Readying a Concussion grenade with one hand, he checked the charge on his Blastech E-11a carbine with the other.
"Sir, there's someone round the bend..." reported one of the Stormtroopers that had been assigned to following an anonymous tip about two rebels
The Captain replied through his helmet microphone. "Thank you, private. Do you wish to take point?"
The private nodded. "It would be an honour, sir." He stepped forward, and was taken off his feet by the rapid-fire discharge of a blaster carbine.
The now dead Stormtrooper landed in the sewer water with a splash, and sank below the waterline; his armour pulling him down faster than the body should sink.
The Captain pulled himself against the wall next to him, and motioned for the rest of his squad to do the same. "This is Bee Kay Four Four One reporting rebel presence in the..."
He trailed off as his eyes came to rest on a small object that had just rolled in front of him. "Grenade!" he screamed, before the explosive detonated, vaporising the nearest members of the squad and flinging the more distant ones backwards, and in some cases, into the water.
Xander poked his head around the corner, and nodded as he saw one Stormtrooper struggling to reach the side of the sewer. "I'm afraid your luck just ran out, Stormie." Depressing the trigger on the carbine, a burst of energy was released, cutting through the armour of the Stormtrooper instantly.
The white armoured enemy stopped struggling, and sank like his comrades below the waterline.
Xander rolled each of the bodies that hadn't fallen in into the water with his foot, and looked around.
"Kyle better be as bloody good as Dodonna said he is. 'Cause the rebels aren't gonna get a second shot at this... the Empire will be ready for the next sortie."
He ran backwards for a few steps, before spinning on the spot and charging off down the tunnel in the same direction that Kyle had gone earlier. If he didn't seal that hole, Kyle's life would quickly become one that was both full of pain, and very short...
Kyle scanned the area ahead of him with his eyes, pointing his blaster rifle wherever his eyes moved to. He keyed the radio mic wrapped around his throat. "I'm in."
A haggard and tired voice responded. "Great. Now I can seal you in, and get the hell out of here... the Stormies can't take a hint."
"I could have told you that..." Kyle responded. "Take care... I want you to explain just who in the galaxy you are..."
A dry chuckle was the only response.
