Title: Inner Demons, Outer Evils

Summary: A tragic event sets Rogue Squadron on the path to the truth...and sends one of the Rogues on a collision course with himself.

Disclaimer: Star Wars is, quite clearly, not mine, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is not written for profit.

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Chapter 12: No Guarantees

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The next night she was suited up before the others came out of their hiding places. After quickly reviewing where everyone would be and when, they set out.

For Jesina's team it was a repeat of the previous nigh, only more smoothly and with a few added concerns. Would Kirney Slane be able to cut the power on time? Would the rest of the team get caught? Would Slane and the others be there to get them out on time? Would their air support arrive, if they were needed?

A thousand questions ran through Jesina's mind, but she managed to push them all aside from the moment they entered the tunnel. Both piloting and her intelligence training had taught her how to focus, even in the most chaotic of situations, and now she was grateful for the practice.

They made it to the point where they'd stopped the night before, reaching the cameras by 2240. And at 2243 she heard a click on her headpiece's comlink and smiled in spite of herself. That was the signal from Slane that she'd brought the power down. They were in the clear – for the moment anyway.

As quickly as she dared, Jesina led the group past the cameras and to the end of the corridor. The five of them gathered next to the wall, and Kell pointed up. "We need to cut through there. It'll bring us in inside the door, but the guards will probably notice."

"Well, do what you can to not have them notice," Wes said, "And the rest of us will have to be ready."

He stepped back next to Jesina to give Kell room to work, as the Wraith pulled the laser welder case from his pack. After taking the tool out, he set it on the ground. The hard case would give him the extra height he needed to reach the ceiling.

As Wes moved out of the way he drew his blaster. Then, suddenly, he turned to Jesina and kissed her quickly. "For luck," he whispered in her ear. In the dim light the welder gave off as Kell powered it up, she could see his smile. It wasn't the trademark Janson grin, and the look in his eyes made her wonder if he'd been plagued by the same anxious feelings she'd been suffering.

"For luck," she repeated back to him, then drew her own blaster and held it ready, aimed at the spot they'd be going through in a few moments. With her other hand she clicked her comlink, a signal to everyone outside that they were in position. "Okay, do it."

The whole time Kell was cutting into the ceiling, Jesina felt herself growing tenser. By the time he pulled the panel down, she fully expected the man to be blown away by waiting stormtroopers.

Then she heard Kell curse, and stared at him, startled. "What is it?"

"This doesn't take us directly in. There's a crawl space between the ceiling here and the floor above. Probably has access grates in some of the rooms."

"That's bad why?" Gavin asked.

"If they're expecting someone to try this way – which it looks like they were – they'll probably have the access gates rigged to blow. Which means more work for me, more danger for us, and more time necessary to pull this off."

"Can we just cut through the floor?" Inyri asked. "Like we planned to?"

"That'll bring whoever might be waiting straight to us," Jesina muttered with a frown. She looked at Kell. "You'll be able to disarm anything they rig?"

"If it's a bomb, should be able to. If it's a security device, probably." He made a face. "No guarantees, though."

"If we can do that, we might be able to get our prisoner out without a light fight."

"Don't bet on it," Wes muttered, "but let's do it."

Kell nodded and hoisted himself through the opening he'd just created. He could feel the heat on the metal even through the thick gloves he was still wearing. "Careful," he called softly. "The edges are hot."

"We'll give it a few minutes to cool," Jesina called up to him softly. "Unless you need one of us up there to help."

"I can manage, for now." They heard him move away, and stood in uncomfortable silence. A few moments later he returned and poked his head through the hole in the ceiling. "Yup, it's rigged. Local explosives, enough to kill anyone in the immediate vicinity, but not anyone else. I can disable it but I'm going to need some help. Who's got the steadiest hands?"

Jesina looked to Wes. "That's probably you."

He nodded, and squeezed her shoulder, then positioned himself under the opening. "Can I use those gloves?"

"Sure." Kell pulled them off his hands and dropped them down to Wes. The Rogue slipped them on and then stepped onto the welder case. A moment later he disappeared into the darkness.

Tense silence overtook Jesina, Gavin, and Inyri as they waited below. For her part, Jesina kept expecting to hear the explosion that would signal the deaths of two good men. But it didn't come.

After what seemed an eternity, Jesina heard shuffling above her head. Reflex brought her blaster up, ready to fire, but she relaxed when she saw that it was only Wes. "You guys joining us?"

She nodded and returned her blaster to its holster for a moment, and then climbed up beside him. Inyri and Gavin followed suit, and she followed Wes down the narrow space.

Gradually the crawl space grew wider and by the time they'd reached Kell, it was wide enough for her and Wes to kneel side by side. Kell was leaning back against the wall, and a few meters away Jesina saw the grate that he must have just disarmed.

As they gathered around him he said, "It goes into a room that's actually on the same level as the tunnel we came in through. My guess is that this is our prisoner's room." He looked at Jesina. "Thought you'd like to do the honors."

She nodded curtly and moved past him to the grate. It was secured by clasps on either side, but she was able to slip her fingers through the openings and release it. Very slowly she pushed it out and turned it so she could pull it back in towards her. Silently, she set it down and then peered into the darkness.

"There's a door directly across from us," she whispered. She frowned thoughtfully, then said, "Wes, come in with me. The rest of you stay up here and be ready to cover us if anyone comes in.

Then she switched her comlink to the lowest setting. "Rogue six, come in. This is seven."

"Read you, seven," Hobbie's voice came back. "Are you ready?"

"We haven't encountered anyone yet and we're at what we think is where the prisoner is. If we get lucky, we won't run into anyone, so don't take anyone out until you get the signal from me."

"Read you. Six out."

"Seven out." She paused for a second to gather her bearings. "Let's go."

She crept past where she'd placed the grate and swung her legs over the side. Eyeing the distance below she dropped – almost soundlessly – to the floor. She moved to the side, staying pressed against the wall, and heard Wes land with a soft thud beside her.

"Take a look around," Jesina whispered. She watched him pull his goggles over his eyes, and she did the same.

A moment later she heard Wes whisper, "Over there." He pointed toward the corner and she nodded. Casting one last glance around the room, she made her way in that direction.

As she moved away from him, Wes drew his blaster to cover her. He knew that if the figure he'd seen was an Imperial instead of the prisoner they thought he was, Jesina could be dead before he even knew what was happening. But the familiar weight of his modified blaster was a comfort to him.

She knelt beside the person slumped in the corner, then jerked around, eyes wide.