Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Chapter 4: Battle in the Base
A/N: Things have gone from hopeful to bleak rather quick. With Kyle probably dead inside the base and an Imperial vessel approaching, Jan is running out of options. But I imagine she's not done yet.
Jan's shock at what was happening faded, replaced by a surge of rage. The Imperials had taken another life, and this time she wasn't going to let it go. Activating the weapons, she spun the Moldy Crow around to face the Imperial ship. Stabbing down on the firing stud, Jan sent four lances of red light at the Patrol Cruiser.
The Imperial pilot, caught by surprise, tried to pull away, but two of the shots hit home. One side of the Imperial vessel exploded and it dropped from the sky, smashing into a nearby building.
Jan smiled fiercely, but her smile faded as she realized that Katarn wasn't coming and she needed to get out of there right away. She reached for the throttle, taking one last glance at the building below her. Her eyes went wide as she spotted him on the roof below, waving his arms frantically, calling at the top of his lungs, trying to get her attention.
Using the repulsors, Jan lowered the Moldy Crow as quickly as she could and opened the canopy. He ran forward and jumped, landing on the starboard wing. Scrambling across, he hurled himself into the cockpit. Thunderstruck, Jan glanced behind her to make sure it was indeed Kyle, that she wasn't just imagining it. He stared at her wide-eyed.
"What are you waiting for!" he yelled, "Get us out of here!"
Grasping the control stick, Jan pulled the nose up so the Moldy Crow now stood on its tail, repulsors holding it in place. Jan shoved the throttle forward and the ship blasted upwards, a trail of blue fire left behind as it boosted for space, clearing the atmosphere of Danuta in seconds. Jan looked back at Katarn, who appeared okay, although his jacket was gone and the body armor was dented and burned in several places.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"A little worse for the wear," he answered, "but I think I'll survive."
As much as Jan was glad to see him, she found her joy turning to anger. "What in Sith happened to you, Katarn?" she said, "I nearly got toasted by an Imperial Patrol Cruiser waiting for your signal. I almost didn't see you back there. Why didn't...?"
In answer, Kyle handed his communicator to Jan. She immediately saw why she had never received his signal. Where the transmitter's face had been was now a blackened hole. Jan looked back at Katarn, who raised his brows questioningly. She handed the destroyed communicator back to him.
"I see."
"Exactly," he said, slumping back into his seat, "if you hadn't seen me when you did..." Katarn trailed off, the implication clear.
"Okay then," Jan said, "I understand why I didn't get your signal. But what about the rest of it? What exactly happened to you? Did you get the plans?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he Kyle, holding up his hands. "If you'll let me catch my breath, I'll explain exactly what happened."
While he did so, Jan activated the hyperdrive. Outside, the stars became lines, disappearing entirely as the Moldy Crow flashed into hyperspace.
Jan waited a few more minutes to confirm the course heading, then turned in her seat again. All right, Katarn," she said, still torn between feeling grateful that he was alive and angry at him for making her think he was dead, "you've had time to catch your breath, what happened?"
"You know, Jan. I do have a first name."
"Talk, Katarn."
"Just wanted to make sure you knew." Taking a deep breath, he began by telling Jan of his entrance into the airshaft and encounter with the first Imperial.
"It was strange." Kyle said, "I heard myself speak the words, but I don't remember thinking them. Then, when the Imperial turned away, it was as if my body acted independently of my mind. My blaster was suddenly in my hand, I fired, and the Imperial went down. Then, when the other approached, I fired and hit him too."
"It doesn't sound like you had any other options," Jan said, a bit taken aback by what Kyle was saying. But, she reasoned, a lot of soldiers had said similar things about battle situations, not exactly what Kyle was describing, but close enough that Jan was not concerned about it.
"Probably not, " Kyle admitted, shrugging, "but this... this was different. I mean...
He trailed off. "What?" she pressed.
"Jan, I knew both those shots were kill shots even before I checked the bodies."
"You were in a life and death situation, Kyle," she said seriously, "you don't shoot to wound."
"I suppose," he replied, his tone clearly indicating that he was not convinced.
"So, after determining what level you were on, you opened a door to find two stormtroopers there and...?"
Planet Danuta
Imperial Base
So much for this getting any easier, Kyle thought, seeing the stormtroopers before him. Centering the crosshairs of the rifle he had taken from the dead Imperial on one of the troopers, Kyle fired, catching the man square in the back. The blast lifted the stormtrooper off his feet and threw him into the room beyond. Kyle barely had time to register this as the second stormtrooper swung around, bringing his weapon to bear.
"Halt!" he cried.
Before he could fire, Kyle shot him in the chest, watching as the trooper fell, his armor smoking. Clutching the rifle, Kyle hurled himself into the next room, diving and rolling, bringing himself up to one knee with rifle held out, ready to fire. The sound of distant power generators created a low, steady hum. A whooshing sound brought Kyle around fast only to see the door he had come through slide closed.
Glancing around, Kyle could see he was in some kind of large hallway, walls extending up at least twenty feet. Coming out of his crouch, Kyle began to move forward when he heard the metallic voice of another stormtrooper call out,
"Halt! Don't move!"
Kyle looked around him, but could see no one. Pain exploded in his back as a blaster bolt struck him. It penetrated through his jacket, hitting the armor beneath. He fought to concentrate despite the pain. Another blaster shot struck the ground near him.
"Drop your weapon!" came the voice of the trooper again.
Kyle swiveled his head, trying to locate the owner of the voice. Still nothing! Where is he?
The memory of an old lesson from the Academy filtered into his mind just then. "Gentlemen," the instructor had said, "in order to survive in battle, you must always be aware of the enemy's position. And remember, always think in three dimensions, not two."
It dawned on Kyle what he was overlooking. Turning his gaze upwards, he caught a fleeting glimpse of the stormtrooper on the balcony overhead, lining up another shot. Kyle ran for the far wall, moving to a position where the trooper couldn't see him, much less fire on him.
"Surrender!" called the stormtrooper.
Taking two quick breaths, Kyle counted to three and ran back into sight. The trooper caught sight of him and brought his rifle up. But this time Kyle was ready. He began firing even as the trooper took aim. One shot found its mark. Crying out, the trooper fell forward and off the balcony. Kyle's eyes went wide as the man plummeted, striking the ground with a sickening thud.
Though he knew the man had to be dead, Kyle felt like he had to check, to be sure. Moving towards the fallen trooper, Kyle didn't catch sight of another coming at a run, firing. The next thing Kyle knew, he was spun around as a blaster bolt caught him in the left shoulder. As the impact of the shot brought him around, another struck him high in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Gritting his teeth, Kyle fought to bring his other arm around as the stormtrooper slowed his approach, blaster trained on him. Kyle let him get closer, keeping his eyes closed.
The trooper stepped up to the prone form. Kyle fought not to react as the trooper prodded him with his boot. Apparently satisfied that the quarry was neutralized, the trooper turned away and activated his helmet comlink.
"Unit SC486 to control."
"Reading you, 486," came the reply, "status?"
"The intruder has been located and terminated, control," the trooper said, failing to see Kyle began to stir. "He got 483, 487 and 485 before I could get here."
"Very well," said control, "bring the body in. We'll see what we can learn."
"Roger, control," the stormtrooper said, "See you in a few minutes. 486 out."
Satisfied, the trooper turned back to the body of the intruder and let out a squawk of surprise to find Kyle awake and alert, left arm behind his head, the other holding his rifle straight out, aimed right at the Imperial, a smug smile on his face. "How..." the Imperial began, only to have the intruder cut him off.
"Sorry, all questions must wait until the end of the tour."
The stormtrooper made a motion towards his weapon, but Kyle saw it. "Now, now, that's not very friendly. Tell ya what. Why don't you drop that gun on the floor?"
"And if I don't?" the Imperial asked. Kyle shrugged, then nodded at his gun, still trained on the trooper.
He's wounded, the trooper thought, seeing the hits on the intruder's armor. And he hasn't gotten up. He must be bluffing, the trooper concluded, reaching for his gun. Kyle pulled the trigger on his rifle and... nothing happened.
Kyle's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of shock as he turned his gaze to the rifle. The display showed that the rifle's power cell was completely drained.
Above him, the trooper gave a snort of satisfaction. Pulling his gun from the holster, the Imperial aimed and was about to squeeze the trigger when Kyle threw his useless gun at the stormtrooper's helmet. It struck, knocking the vision system in the eyepieces offline, rendering the Imperial blind. Dropping his weapon, the trooper fought to remove his helmet.
Kyle was already moving, rolling past the confused trooper towards the body of the one that had fallen from the balcony. Coming out of his roll, he spotted the dead trooper's blaster rifle lying alongside his body. Snatching it up, he rolled over to take aim on the other trooper who had just succeeded taking his helmet off. Having no time to aim, he pointed the weapon in the general direction of the trooper and squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked in his hand as it discharged shot after shot. One of the blasts hit the trooper in the chest, and he fell.
Scrambling to his feet, Kyle started to move away, but then returned to body of the stormtrooper. Looking down, he spotted a cluster of power packs for the rifle on the trooper's belt. Pulling them free, he stuffed as many as he could into the pockets of his jacket. It was then he caught sight of the stormtroopers face.
A new wave of shock and surprise enveloped Kyle as he realized the stormtrooper was Tiev Kelen, one of his classmates from the Academy. They had trained together as potential stormtroopers, where Tiev had shown an aptitude far above what the instructors expected. While Kyle's performance indicated he needed further training, Tiev had done well enough to secure an assignment as a front-line stormtrooper, having his pick of assignments in some of the Empire's most important sectors and bases. Kyle remembered how happy Tiev was upon learning the news that he was shipping out.
He had shook Kyle's hand so vigorously it seemed that it might snap off at the wrist. "You'll get your posting soon," Tiev said, all smiles and confidence, "and someday, somewhere, somehow, we'll see each other again, Kyle Katarn, count on it."
Well, Kyle mused, they had seen each other again. Except now they were on opposite sides. And now Tiev was dead. What a waste he thought; taking a last look at his former classmate and friend. "I wish things had gone better for us both, Tiev."
Turning away, Kyle moved further down the hall, keeping himself out of sight of any other Imperials on the balcony above. The steady beep from the mapper strapped to his leg began to increase in speed. It indicated he was getting close. Kyle kept moving ahead, listening as the beeps grew faster and faster, until they became a solid whine. He stopped to check his position and was startled to find that he had ended up exactly where he had started, at the same door he had come through to enter the hallway.
This hallway must be circular, Kyle thought. Checking the mapper, he saw that he was very close to the entrance to the Imperial secure room. But how can this be? The mapper had indicated nothing of the sort when he had first entered the hallway behind this door. So how could the secure room be there? Deciding he had to at least check it out, Kyle pressed the door switch and stepped into the smaller hallway where he had been only a short time ago. The bodies of both Imperials he had shot were still there as well.
Kyle realized that the steady whine of the mapper had changed back to the slow beep. Grabbing it, he scrutinized the display, which now indicated the secure room was some distance away. Puzzled, he moved back towards the sliding door, which had closed behind him. As he approached the door, the slow, steady tone of the mapper suddenly became the solid whine again. Kyle backed away from the door and the mapper went back to the slow and steady beat. Of course, he thought, realization dawning, there must be a secret door here somewhere. And it's shielded which explains the readings from the mapper.
But where was the secret door? Turning round, Kyle spotted another hallway, shorter than the one he was in leading to another door. Maybe, he thought, glancing at it. His weapon at the ready, he made his way down the short hallway to the door.
Finding the activation switch, he keyed it, but nothing happened. He tried again, but there was no response. Oh great, he thought, realizing why the door wouldn't open. It's probably keyed to open only to the recognition signals broadcast by stormtrooper uniforms. Kyle had a sudden thought. Perhaps he could use part of the armor from one of the dead stormtroopers in the circular hallway?
Shaking his head, Kyle abandoned that idea in short order. The idea of removing the armor from one of the bodies was too unnerving. And if another stormtrooper spotted him and activated an alarm, he knew he wouldn't have a chance of getting to the plans much less remaining alive. But then how to get through the door? Kyle searched his mind for an answer. Then, as had happened when he encountered the first Imperial, something seemed to take control of him. He watched as his left hand rose and struck the door, one, twice, three times. After a moment with no response from the other side, he struck the door once more.
This time, a harsh voice came from the other side. "Enough! Quit pounding on the door!" Kyle's hand, poised to strike the door again, dropped to his side. But he still had the strange feeling of not being totally in control of himself.
"Who's out there?" the voice demanded. "Unit SC486," Kyle said, the words seeming to come by themselves, "I've got the prisoner, but my helmet is damaged. I've got no visual systems or recognition signal. I need you to open the door."
"Ah yes, the intruder" the voice answered, a hint of malevolence in it now, "you're sure he's dead?"
"Definitely," Kyle answered.
"Pity," the voice said, "we might've had some fun getting him to talk. Stand by."
Seconds later, Kyle heard the lock disengage and the door began to slide open. The feeling was still there, but stronger now, more like a presence. Then, as if someone was standing just behind him, a voice said, "As soon as the door is open, begin firing."
Kyle didn't understand at first, but as the door slid open completely and the smiling face of an Imperial officer appeared, he knew what he had to do. Seeing Kyle, the man's smile disappeared and he began to cry out for help when Kyle snapped the rifle up and fired point blank. The Imperial's uniform didn't so much melt as disintegrate, the beam slicing completely through him. Any time Kyle had to consider what to do next was cut short as two more officers ran in through another door on the far side of the room, drawn by the sound of blaster fire.
Kyle turned, aimed and nailed one before the Imperial could even draw his weapon. The other officer, however, dodged away leaving Kyle's second shot to splatter harmlessly against the controls for the other door, causing the mechanism to jam with the doors only partly shut. From behind them, the Imperial snapped off a shot before Kyle could find his own cover.
The blast caught him in the left leg about mid thigh, dropping him to his knees. Kyle tried to rise his feet, but the shock of the blaster bolt had left his legs numb for the moment, he couldn't move. The Imperial officer peered from behind the doors, seeing the intruder on the ground, struggling to move. An evil smile came to the man's face as he moved forward, blaster trained on the wounded man. This was going to be fun, he thought, I'll make him tell me everything he knows, and then kill him. Maybe.
Kyle heard the man's snicker as he approached. He fought to move, to do anything, but his legs still refused to respond. The presence spoke again to him, "Move, Katarn."
"I can't" said Kyle through gritted teeth.
"Yes, you can," the voice said with firm assurance, "and you must. Move Katarn. Or die." Kyle put every ounce of strength he possessed into one final, desperate attempt to move.
To Kyle's and the Imperial's surprise, he did move, or so it seemed. The motion was imperceptible at first, then more pronounced as Kyle realized he was falling forward onto his belly. "Get your weapon up, Katarn," said the presence, "now!"
Fighting the instinct to try and prevent his fall, Kyle instead wrapped both hands around the rifle, holding it out in front of him.
He fell onto the floor belly hitting first, then his chest. Kyle turned his head to keep his nose from striking the floor although his left cheek hit with stunning force. Part of him wanted to stop, to surrender to the pain, if only for a moment. But the presence called to him again, hard and unyielding.
"No time!" it said, "the Imperial is coming. Fire!"
Not even taking the time to aim, Kyle squeezed the trigger. The rifle jumped in his hands as a flurry of shots issued forth, two striking the stunned Imperial before he even realized the intruder's gun was aimed at him. Kyle heard the sound of something slumping to the ground. Raising his head from the floor, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the Imperial before him, dead, two smoking holes in his chest.
"Now get up!" said the presence, "you still have work to do!" And as suddenly as it had come, the presence was gone, along with the feeling of being controlled. No, Kyle realized later, not controlled, directed.
Setting his gun aside for a moment, Kyle pushed himself off the floor, moving to a sitting position. Every part of his body seemed to hurt, from his scraped cheek to the blaster strike to his leg. He wanted to rest; his body was asking for it. But he shook his head, dismissing the idea. There would be plenty of time to rest, if and when he completed his mission.
Retrieving the rifle, Kyle rose painfully to his feet and made a check of his equipment. Everything seemed to be in order until he checked his communicator, cursing under his breath as he examined it. The shot to his leg had hit the device as well, smashing the face and burning through to the power cell.
Great, he said to himself, just great. Though the plan he and Jan had come up specified that she was to return for him in three hours, signal or no, Kyle knew how important the communicator was to the mission. Should anything happen to delay him or if the roof access was blocked or unusable, he was relying on having the communicator to keep Jan posted on his status. Now...
Kyle smiled ruefully to himself. Well, he thought, guess I'd better be on time then or it's going to be a long walk back. Chuckling, he checked the rifle's power cell and finding it three quarters full, made his way across the room to the far door. The mapper, thankfully, was undamaged and although it indicated that he still had some distance to go, the display confirmed he was on the correct path.
Passing through the jammed door, Kyle walked through another hallway, finding a lift at the end of this one. Examining the controls, he discovered that the lift was programmed to go to only one, specific, preprogrammed location. But would it take him to the secure room? Only one way to find out, he thought. Boarding the lift, he hit the activation switch only to have nothing happen.
What the... he said to himself, hitting the switch again, still no response. Then Kyle saw it, a keycard slot in the panel. The lift would only work when the proper keycard was inserted. And where am I supposed to find a keycard? Kyle thought, throwing up his arms in frustration. Staring at the keycard slot, he tried to think of some way to bypass the controls when a flash of insight hit him. He rushed back down the hallway to the control room he had just come from.
Inside, Kyle swiveled his head this way and that, checking the bodies of the Imperials. Then he saw it. The uniform of the last Imperial he had shot was black, the color signifying the man as an Imperial commander. And commanders were invariably assigned to hold all keycards on Imperial bases. Bending down and trying not to look at the man's wounds, Kyle searched the man's belt, finding a holster, power packs and... There it was! A green keycard dangled from a metal loop on the man's belt. Grabbing it, Kyle ripped the keycard free and dashed back up the hallway to the lift.
The keycard slid in smoothly and the lift came to life, beginning its descent before Kyle could press the activation button. Blank walls passed by as the lift descended, only the slight hum of the machinery breaking the stillness. Moments later, doors appeared before Kyle as the lift slowed and stopped. The doors opened automatically and he found himself facing a hallway leading to another door beyond. But this hallway was different than the previous ones. Gleaming white walls and a highly polished floor greeted him.
Kyle stepped forward, studying the scene. Lights winked off and on from displays and controls embedded in the walls. Grabbing for the mapper, he looked the display. It showed that he was less than ten feet away from the room with the plans. As Kyle got closer to the far door, he spotted a window next to it, giving a view of the room inside. Flattening himself against the wall, he leaned around just enough to see inside. Another control room was there, multiple displays and a central station just barely visible.
There were no stormtroopers, but he saw at least one Imperial commander and suspected more men were inside. As he reached for the door switch, Kyle was surprised to not feel the presence come on him this time. Maybe it was just my imagination after all, he thought, pressing the switch.
The door whooshed open and Kyle stepped inside quickly. At the station, an Imperial officer looked up, caught sight of him and called a warning. Kyle, his rifle already in position fired, catching the man first in the shoulder, then directly in the face. The officer crumpled, falling out of sight behind the station. Red bolts wizzed past Kyle as the Imperial Commander he had seen rose up from behind a display where had been crouching.
Dodging behind another display, Kyle leaned out and fired a series of shots. But the Imperial had ducked down again. Kyle flattened himself as much as he could as a flurry of shots struck the wall, blowing out pieces of the display. He leaned out to take aim on the Imperial, but when he squeezed the trigger, nothing.
Dumbfounded, Kyle had just enough time to see the power cell had gone dry when the Imperial fired again, catching Kyle full in the chest. The impact knocked him back into the wall, his head striking it with stunning force. His armor smoking, Kyle bounced off the wall, falling forward. Reflexes, honed by hours of training on Carida took over, and he turned the fall into a forward roll, ending up behind another display opposite where had just been.
As he fought against the pain, Kyle realized the smoking armor had set his jacket on fire. He ripped it off as fast as he could, crying out as his tortured body reminded him just how many times he had been hit. The power cells he had been carrying thudded to the floor as he removed the jacket. Grabbing one, Kyle slammed it into rifle, the display now reading 100.
The Imperial Commander, having seen that his foe's weapon was out of power and hearing Kyle's cries of pain began to reassess his strategy. He knew that could keep the intruder at bay until reinforcements arrived. But if he waited, then any credit for the capture would be given to someone else. And if he was able to apprehend the intruder, it could mean great rewards, perhaps even a promotion to Imperial Space Forces.
Not taking the time to consider the alternative, the Imperial came out from behind the display he crouched behind and ran for Kyle's position, intending to catch him by surprise. But as he rounded the wall where the intruder, he was met with the muzzle of a blaster rifle. Before he could react, Kyle fired, and the Imperial dropped.
Kyle stepped from behind the display wall, breathing heavily, adrenaline coursing through his system. I can't take too much more of this, he thought. His left arm was beginning to go numb, his legs felt like lead weights and his cheek burned. Limping slightly, he moved forward past the bodies.
A green glow off to his right drew his attention. Turning to the right, Kyle's breath burst from him, his eyes going wide. There before him, rotating silently was a computer representation of the Death Star. Kyle recognized it from the briefing with Mon Mothma. A depression in the upper equator of the model indicated the location of the superlaser.
As Kyle studied the computer model, it occurred to him that if he was seeing this image, then the plans had to be nearby! A wave of fresh strength surged through his body as he turned away from the computerized Death Star and moved further into the room. It ended in an L intersection, a new hallway to Kyle's right. Blaster rifle at the ready, Kyle moved down the hall, looking for any more Imperials. But the way ahead was clear, ending in another room with a low desk off to the right and a blank wall to the left.
Kyle recognized the room from the intelligence briefing. Moving over to the desk, Kyle reached down for the switch that would open the door to the room where the plans were. He pressed the switch, but nothing seemed to happen. Resetting the switch, he activated it again, but there was nothing, no wall opening, no hatch or alcove. Checking the switch, he could see that it appeared to be working correctly. So why wasn't something happening?
Panic began to grip him. What if he wasn't in the right room? What if the intelligence was wrong? What if the plans had already been moved? Okay, Katarn, he said to himself, calm down, it's the right room and you know it. Now, try it again.
Taking a breath to calm himself, Kyle activated the switch and listened intently. There, the sound of either a door opening or a wall going up. But where was it? Standing up, Kyle turned around, letting a bark of surprised laughter as he saw the wall that had been to his left upon entering the room was gone now. In its place was a raised box surrounded by four pillars.
On the box sat a data card, the very same data card that the intelligence collected by the Rebels said contained the Death Star construction plans. Kyle started to chuckle at his own foolishness, remembering an early lesson at the Imperial Academy. "Situational awareness, gentlemen," the tactics officer had said, "always know where you are and your surroundings."
Kyle's chuckle turned into a laugh, the tension of the moment fading somewhat. He threw his head back and laughed; the sound of it feeling good to his tired and injured body. It took remembering that he still had to get out of the base in one piece and meet up with Jan to help Kyle to re-focus.
Stepping forward to the box, he reached between the pillars and grasped the data card; it's casing fitting easily into his hand. Drawing it from between the pillars, Kyle was caught by surprise as the box began to descend into the floor. Oh no, he thought, a pressure panel!
Before he could do anything to prevent it, the box descended into the floor, a panel sliding closed over it. The scream of an alarm sounded in the room. Probably in the rest of the base too, he thought. I need to get out of here now. Recalling the briefing once more, Kyle moved back towards the low desk and looked to his left, catching sight of another doorway. Moving to it, he keyed the door open, finding exactly what he had hoped to.
The lift inside whisked him upwards, stopping on the level just before the roof. The door slid open and Kyle stepped out, blaster leading the way. The hall he stood in extended both left and right away from him, but which way to the roof? Reaching down to the mapper, Kyle brought it up, accessing the program he had installed for his exit. The display showed he was in the right place. He looked around and... There it was! Moving off to the right, Kyle made his way down the hall until he spotted the door marked, "Emergency Exit".
But the door didn't open as Kyle approached, and he couldn't find any kind of access panel. Well, he thought, guess I'll have to open this the hard way. Stepping back, Kyle pointed the rifle at the door and held the trigger down. The rifle jumped in his hands as red fire struck the door. At first the door held fast, but as the rifle continued to pour fire onto it, the metal glowed, turning orange, then red, then white as the door finally gave way with a loud explosion, fragments flying everywhere.
Kyle threw one arm over his eyes to shield them from the debris. As the smoke began to clear, he stepped towards the door as the whine of a blaster sounded from nearby. Turning to his right, Kyle saw a squad of stormtroopers coming at him at a run, blasters firing. A fresh wave of blaster fire brought his head around as he spotted another group of troopers coming from the other end of the hallway.
Oh boy, Kyle thought, a new surge of adrenaline crashing into his system, time to go. Dashing through the door, he found a set of stairs leading upwards and dashed up them as fast as he could. Reaching the top, Kyle found himself halted by another door, this one also locked. A keypad nearby refused to respond as he frantically tried to activate it. Leveling his rifle, he aimed it at the keypad and fired. In the resulting explosion, the door slid open and Kyle went through it. He was on the roof now, the sky of Danuta above him.
Using a keypad on the other side of the door, Kyle was able to get it to close. He blasted this keypad too, effectively keeping the door from opening until the pursuing stormtroopers were able to blow it clear. With the door secured for the moment, he scanned the sky for the Moldy Crow, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Kyle automatically reached for his communicator; then remembered it had been destroyed. He scanned the sky once again, but still nothing. Where was Jan? Kyle thought. She should be here, but... Images of the Moldy Crow on fire and smashed into the ground flooded his mind. No, he thought, Jan's okay. She's coming. But as Kyle kept scanning the sky and seeing nothing, his hope began to fade.
The sound of a blaster shot from behind brought him around fast. The door behind him was still closed, but the sound of blaster fire began to echo from behind it. The door began to glow, a ruddy orange at first, beginning to brighten.
Suddenly, the light wind moving across the roof seemed to gather itself and blasted across the roof with incredible force. Kyle dropped to one knee as the wind struck, threatening to blow him right off the roof. Grit and sand flew everywhere, striking the exposed parts of his hands and face. As quickly as the wind had come up, it started to slacken, enough that Kyle was able to stand up again and look around. The combined roar of ion engines and repulsorlifts drew his gaze upwards. And there above him, seeming to have appeared from nowhere was the Moldy Crow. No ship had ever looked so beautiful.
But, instead of descending to where he was, the ship hung there, help in place by its repulsorlifts. Jan doesn't see me, Kyle realized. He began to wave his arms above his head frantically and call at the top of his lungs.
"Jan!" he called as loudly as he could, "Jan, I'm down here! Right here! C'mon, Jan! You've got to see me!" But still the ship didn't move.
Suddenly, Kyle heard the roar of another ship. Looking to the far horizon, his eyes went wide with fear as he caught sight of an Imperial patrol ship, heading towards the Moldy Crow
"Jan!" he called, still waving, "Jan, look out! Jan! You've got a patrol ship coming right at you!"
But his warning was too late as the vessel opened fire, the blast striking the right side of the Moldy Crow, knocking the ship sideways.
"Jan, get the shields up! Get them up now!"
But instead of hearing the hum of shield activation, Kyle watched as the Moldy Crow turned to face the Imperial patrol vessel, which was coming on hard and fast. Kyle threw his hands over his head and ducked down as the laser cannons of the Moldy Crow opened up, sending lances of red fire at the Imperial patrol ship.
The sound of an explosion brought his Kyle's head up. The patrol ship was on fire, falling out of the sky. It disappeared from sight, hitting against a nearby building and exploding. The roof shook and Kyle fell onto his side. When the shock of the explosion dissipated, he scrambled back to his feet, looking up to see the Moldy Crow still hovering above him. He began to wave and call again.
"Jan!"
"Jan, please! You've got to see me!"
But the ship did not move, neither descending to where Kyle was nor ascending back into orbit. His hope began to fade. Jan couldn't see him or was looking the wrong way. It seemed that despite everything he had done, everything he had gone through to complete the mission was now lost.
Just then, Kyle saw Jan's head bob above the lip of the cockpit, her brown hair cascading around her face. Kyle waved all the more frantically and yelled as loud as he could. His heart soared with joy as the Moldy Crow began to descend towards the roof.
When the starboard wing was close enough, Kyle got a running start and leapt, landing flat on the wing. Finding his feet, he hurled himself towards and into the now open cockpit. He caught sight of Jan looking back at him, her face a combination of worry and happiness. Why aren't we moving? Kyle thought, seeing the roof door, glowing red now, beginning to buckle.
"What are you waiting for?" he yelled, "Get us out of here now!"
Jan said nothing in response, but the cockpit closed and the next thing Kyle knew, Jan had stood the Moldy Crow on its tail. From behind him, he heard the muted rumble of the engines change to a thunderous roar as the ship boosted up and away from the Imperial base. The G forces kept Kyle pinned to his seat until the Moldy Crow cleared the atmosphere.
As the atmosphere of Danuta faded, replaced by the black of space, Kyle heard the hyperdrive power up. The stars before him turned into lines then disappeared as the Moldy Crow leapt into hyperspace.
"That's everything, Jan," Kyle said, taking another deep breath, sinking further into the seat, exhaustion beginning to overcome him.
In the forward cockpit, Jan turned to stare out at the whirling color of hyperspace, her mind awhirl; taking in everything Kyle had told her. She had known while planning the mission that it wouldn't be easy to accomplish, but what had happened to him was almost beyond belief.
How he hadn't been seriously wounded or killed was a miracle in itself. Regret filled as Jan considered how she and Mon Mothma had selected this mission in part as a test of Kyle's loyalty.
She turned to look at him again. He was moving around in the seat, trying to find a comfortable position. But each movement caused him pain, she could see it in his face.
"Are you all right?" she asked, instantly regretting the question.
Kyle turned his gaze on her, his eyes going cold and hard. "What do you think?" he said angrily.
Jan fought not to react, a retort coming to her lips. For a moment, the two just stared at each other. She took a deep breath, allowing some of the softness she felt come into her expression.
"Listen, Kyle," she said, her voice still a bit clipped, "I know you're hurt. And right now, we're both... upset." Jan searched her mind for the right words. "Let's concentrate on getting safely back to the New Hope and getting you some help, okay?"
As she spoke, Kyle could sense Jan was trying to alleviate the tension and anger of the moment. He softened his own expression.
"You're right, Jan. Things were just really... serious at the end there. But I won't forget how good it felt to see you and this old rust bucket of a ship. Oh, by the way, you might be interested to see this."
Kyle extended the data card with the Death Star plans on it. Jan's eyes went wide as she realized what he was holding. "Is it...?"
He nodded.
Jan took the data card and examined it, a smile coming to her face. "The construction plans to the Death Star. This might give the Rebellion the chance it needs."
When Jan looked up, Kyle was smiling at her. "And thanks for coming to get me, Jan."
Jan's smile widened, but she couldn't resist a last jab at him.
"Like I was going to explain to Mon Mothma how I lost my newest operative on his first mission."
Kyle began laughing, punctuated by an occasional grunt of pain as the laughter shook his aching body. Jan joined him and for a time, the Moldy Crow resounded with the relieved laughter of the two operatives.
Three hours later
The Rebel command ship New Hope floated serenely in the velvetiness of space. Other than an escort of ancient Koensayr Y-Wings, no other ships were nearby. Suddenly, from the space near the port quarter of the cruiser, a ship emerged from hyperspace. It turned, angling towards the New Hope. Two of Y-Wings peeled off from their escort formation and moved towards the incoming ship.
"Gold 1 to Gold 6" said the pilot of the first Y-wing, "incoming ship is broadcasting no transponder signal. Assume attack formation and charge weapons and shields."
"Roger," said Gold 6, "are you thinking it's Imperial?"
"Maybe," said Gold 1, activating his comm. "This is Gold Leader to unidentified ship. Identify yourself immediately or be fired upon."
He waited for a response, but there was none. "Okay, Gold 6, assume attack formation. Let's go."