Summary: Rogue Squadron heads back to Hoth to defend an Intelligence Unit. But they get more than they bargained for.

Disclaimer: Star Wars, Rogue Squadron, and the rest are not mine. I write this for my own amusement. Jesina is my own, original creation.

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Chapter 19: Storm

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Jesina crawled slowly back toward the rest of the group lest more of the tunnel floor give way. She bit back a cry as she put her knee down a little too hard, aggravating what was already becoming a bad bruise. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tycho doing the same. Once she felt she was far enough away from the edge she stopped and turned around, rubbing her knee gingerly.

Wes was pulling Corran back literally a centimeter at a time. He was in a more precarious position than she and Tycho had been and the ground continued to crumble under his weight. Just as she thought Corran was safe to start moving on his own – as, apparently, did he, since he rose to his hands and knees, more of the floor gave way. Wes and Tycho both lunged for the Corellian, Wes catching one of his legs and Tycho catching a handful of the vacuum suit he was wearing. He was now in a worse position than before, his torso hanging over the edge, and he could see Iella's prone form on a ledge about forty meters down.

Jesina felt something being pressed into her hand. Looking over, she saw that Ooryl was handing her a cable, the type used to tether space walkers to their ships. "Ooryl, you're wonderful." He gave her a curt nod and drew back as she passed the end of the cable to Tycho who fastened it to the ring at Corran's waist.

She attached the other to, for lack of anything better, herself and motioned for the others to anchor her. Corran wasn't a large man, but what little size he had was muscle, so she knew he was heavier than he looked to be. Still, with Donos, Tekha, and Malat anchoring her – the three men who weren't otherwise occupied – she knew she'd be okay. Besides, it was only a safeguard in case he started to fall. Wes wasn't exactly planning on just letting go of him.

Slowly, Wes crawled backward, pulling Corran with him as Tycho mimicked his motions, shifting his grasp to the cable. He didn't share Jesina's apparent certainty that she wouldn't be pulled over with Corran if he fell, and wanted to cut down the possibility of that happening.

After what felt like a short eternity, Corran was back with them, this time having let them pull him back the entire way with only negligible effort on his part. He sat pressed against the wall, eyes closed, barely breathing. Jesina glanced at Tycho. "What's he doing?"

"Meditating, I think. He's probably trying to sense Iella."

They watched in silence for a moment until Corran opened his eyes and proved Tycho's assessment correct. "She's alive. She's hurt badly and unless she gets medical assistance soon, she won't make it."

Jesina felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't have a whole lot of experience with Jedi. She believed in the Force but didn't understand it and the idea of Corran being able to sense his old partner and how badly hurt she might be was foreign to her. And a little unnerving. "Can you tell where she is?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, but I don't need to. When I almost fell, I saw her. She's on a ledge thirty or forty meters below us."

Jesina massaged her temples and sighed. They needed to reach Iella – that much she was sure of. But this passage could hardly be described as stable. They couldn't exactly walk to the end and then lower someone over the edge. "How do we—?" she started but stopped when a strange expression came over Corran's face. "What?"

"We're in trouble."

A second later she heard footsteps. "Sithspit," she muttered. The sound was coming from behind them, and they had absolutely nowhere to go.

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Jesina, hands clasped behind her head, was at the front of the group as they were herded back the way they'd come and through a maze of other camouflaged tunnels that they likely would never have found. After reaching what had to have been a manmade chamber, they were ordered to remove their vacuum suits and were given gas masks. Then their hands were bound with thick rope, but a vibroblade was left on a shelf at least ten meters off the ground.

Which made, she thought, absolutely no sense. "Why would they leave us a way to get out?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Tycho met her eyes and glanced at Corran, who had his eyes closed and wore a pained expression. "Corran?" she asked softly.

After a long moment he opened his eyes. "Whoever we're dealing with knows more about us than they should," he mumbled.

"I don't follow you," she said, confusion and concern in her eyes. He seemed distressed, and she couldn't figure out why. Unless he was sensing Iella's pain again.

"Corran's Force strength manifests itself in mental capabilities – manipulating what people think they're seeing and such. Telekinesis isn't his thing."

"Only when I'm angry." Corran's voice was strained.

Suddenly, it made sense. She didn't know a whole lot about the Force, but she knew enough to figure out what was going on. Whoever had them was either using or working with a Force adept. Iella was injured, probably dying. And they were giving Corran a choice between remaining true to the light side of the Force or saving Iella and risking a fall to the Dark Side. "They want to turn you."

He nodded, prompting a query from Donos. "How do they know? I thought only a few people knew you were a Jedi."

"And even fewer know about my lack of ability with telekinesis." He shrugged. "I don't know how they know, but they do."

"But they couldn't have planned for Iella to fall, could they?" Teril asked.

"No, but some Jedi often have visions about future events, and most have them every once in a while. It's possible that the Force-user we're here to find saw this happening." He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall.

Jesina could see the storm of emotions on his face. She couldn't imagine having to choose between staying true to philosophical principles and saving the life of someone as much a part of her as Iella was of him. She knew what choice he needed to make – if he chose to save Iella their lives were probably forfeit – and she knew he knew that. And she knew that was probably what he would do. She didn't think she could make the same decision if she were in his place. She tried to imagine herself in his position, with Tycho's life on the line. She couldn't.

Corran could actually see Iella, still on the ledge. He could hear her shallow breathing, feeling it through his body as though there were a weight on his chest. He could feel the physical pain radiating from her, feel it so intensely that he almost cried out. And he could feel her fear – real, palpable fear. Help me, Iella, he pleaded with her. Show me what to do. I can't make this decision alone. But all he received in reply was another wave of pain.

He reached out slowly toward the vibroblade, trying, hoping, to channel her anguish in the hopes that perhaps the intensity of an emotion other than anger could have the same effect. He felt the essence of the weapon, saw it shifting in his mind. But when he opened his eyes, it remained where it had been when he'd closed them.

Slowly, he allowed himself to sink into the anger that was threatening to overwhelm him. Anger at Iella's pain, at being manipulated this way, at being made to make this choice. And anger at not being strong enough to make the right choice. He could literally feel the darkness washing over him, but no longer cared. It was giving him the strength to save Iella, and that was all that mattered.

Then a voice cut through the dark veil, a force signature he recognized but could not place. "You mustn't do this, Corran. The risk is too great. I have been there. I know. You must not take this chance."

I have no choice. She'll die.

"Then she will die. Better one life sacrificed for a greater cause than eleven lost and one destroyed. And more lost beyond that, because of that destruction."

I cannot accept that. He reached out again, channeling his anger, allowing it to flow through him and felt the vibroblade begin to move toward them.

Jesina's eyes widened. Oh no. "Corran," she began, but Tycho shook his head.

"He needs to make this choice on his own."

Jesina could have sworn she heard a voice whisper in her ear, "Not on his own."

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Corran felt as if he was trapped in the swirls of a storm. He no longer had control and no longer cared that he didn't. He let himself sink deeper into its depths, reveling in the feeling of power it instilled in him. He'd never felt anything like this before, never felt such strength.

"Corran, you must not do this." The voice had returned. "There is another way. You must come back to the light before you destroy all for which you have fought. If you do this, you will be beyond my help."

What help can you offer? he thought back scornfully. You can do nothing for us now.

"Trust in me, Corran. Trust in the Force. It would not betray you. It would not lead you astray. Others manipulate you, but it holds the truth. Come back to the light, Corran."

He felt as if his eyes were being forced open. His tenuous hold on the vibroblade faltered, sending it clattering to the floor. Gasping from exertion, he saw the others staring at him, not a little fear in their eyes. He could feel the dark side energy running through his body.

Uncomfortable under their stunned stares, he looked away from Jesina and Tycho. But Wes, Teril and Donos were on to his left, Ooryl and the intelligence team to his right. And he realized that the Jedi who had just reached out to him – whoever it had been – had literally been trying to open his eyes. And he had, forcing him to see who he would be sacrificing to save Iella.