Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Chapter 6: Hope Lost
A/N: From feeling more betrayed by the Alliance than the Empire, Kyle has discovered something of Mon Mothma's character. The question is, will Mon Mothma and Jan forgive him? Come and see!
As Kyle and Bastro explained their "accident" to Dr. Berth, Mon Mothma and Jan had their hands full. Shortly after his departure, a "ding" issued from the table's control panel. She pressed the receive button. "This is Mon Mothma."
"Captain Detter here, Mon Mothma. We've receiving a transmission from our people on Tatooine."
"Patch it through, Captain."
"At once," he said.
The comm clicked once as the communication signal was switched. "This is Mon Mothma, please go ahead."
"This is Jab Jelson on Tatooine, Mon Mothma. We've had a problem here."
"I'm not sure I understand," she said, forehead wrinkling in confusion. "The Princess was supposed to have rendezvoused with you four hours ago."
"Yes, she was," said Jab, "but as of right now, the rendezvous has not taken place."
Jan could see that Mon Mothma was getting frustrated. Her brow was furrowed and her lips compressed into a thin line "Mr. Jelson," she said in measured tones, her voice serious, "perhaps you should explain exactly what has happened."
There was a pause from the other end, then, "Reports are still sketchy. But it appears that the Empire learned of our plans."
Mon Mothma's eyes went wide and she drew in a quick breath. Jan shared her expression.
"The Tantive IV successfully intercepted a transmission from Rebels on Toprawa containing the Death Star plans," Jelson continued, "However, an Imperial Star Destroyer was sighted as the ship broke orbit and went into hyperspace. Apparently, the Imperials knew where the Tantive was going because the Star Destroyer was waiting when our ship came out of hyperspace over Tatooine. They attempted to run, but the Star Destroyer locked a tractor beam onto the Tantive and captured it.
Shock gripped Mon Mothma. She looked to Jan who gazed back at her; eyes wide, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. Shaking her head to clear it, Mon Mothma found her voice. "What about the crew and passengers?"
"From what we've been able to learn," Jelson said, "several of the crew were killed in a gun battle while attempting to hold off a boarding party of stormtroopers. Others were taken prisoner. As for the passengers..."
"Yes?" Mon Mothma said, her voice insistent.
"I'm afraid..." Jelson trailed off.
Mon Mothma opened her mouth to demand an answer when Jelson spoke again.
"The Princess was also taken prisoner, Mon Mothma. Reports are that the Imperials are transporting her to the Death Star for interrogation."
As if she were a puppet whose strings had been cut, Mon Mothma dropped into the chair behind her, mouth open but no words coming forth. Jan sat there thunderstruck. She wanted to say something, anything Mon Mothma. But she couldn't find the words.
"And the plans?" Mon Mothma said after a moment, her voice almost a whisper.
"We received no transmissions from the Tantive IV before the Imperials captured it. There was a report of a few escape pods being jettisoned, and stormtrooper patrols have been sent to investigate them. But, our monitoring of their transmissions has indicated they've found nothing other than a plating ring from a droid."
"I see," said Mon Mothma, her voice still soft and almost toneless, "please continue to monitor the situation, Mr. Jelson. And report in should you learn anything more."
"Understood, Mon Mothma," said Jelson, "and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"So am I, Mr. Jelson, Mon Mothma said, signing off, "so am I."
The room was completely silent for a minute, two.
Finally, Jan spoke up. "Mon Mothma, was that...?"
The older woman nodded, "The Tantive IV was tasked with obtaining the second set of Death Star plans."
"The technical data." said Jan.
"Exactly," said Mon Mothma, "and without those plans, we have no hope of finding a way to damage or destroy the Death Star." She sighed mightily, rising from the table. "If you will excuse me, Jan." Her shoulders slumped; the Rebel leader left the room, the air of defeat all about her.
As the doors closed behind Mon Mothma, Jan struck the table again. How could everything be going so wrong? She thought of Kyle, the look betrayal on his face as he stalked out of the room. Part of her wanted to find him, to explain, to apologize, anything to show him that Danuta had been about more than a test of loyalty. It had been about the future of Alliance.
But another part of her was angry. Angry with Mon Mothma for involving her in this, angry with Kyle for the way he had spoken to her, angry at the Empire for making all this necessary. There was only one thing to do. Getting up, she left the briefing room headed for the hangar bay. Maybe working on the Crow would help straighten all this out.
Sickbay
"And… there," Berth announced, placing the final bandage across Kyle's nose. "Give that a day or two and it should heal just fine. As for that leg, try not to put much weight on it for at least two days."
"Thanks," Kyle said.
"As for you, Bastro, you've got some bruising and a few contusions, but nothing that won't heal on it's own."
"Appreciate it, Doc."
The men started to get up.
"Just a minute. Before you two go, I'm going to ask you one last time. What really happened?"
"It's like I told you," Kyle said, "The leg went out from under me. When Bastro found me, he tried to help and I guess he slipped or something."
Bastro nodded.
"Very well," the doctor said, not convinced, "but in the future, try to watch where you are going."
"You got it," Bastro said.
When the doors to sickbay closed behind, both men burst out laughing.
"That was close," Kyle said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"You're telling me," Bastro replied, still chuckling. "It's a good thing he let us go. I couldn't have kept my face straight much longer."
"Me too," Kyle echoed.
"So where are you heading? Bastro asked.
"To find Jan and Mon Mothma. I've got an apology to deliver."
"Good to hear you say that. As for me, I'm headed back to my quarters to rest. I'm still achy. You sure know how to deliver a kick, Katarn."
"I was motivated."
The men smiled at each other and clasped arms.
"See you later."
"Until later," Kyle said and began to hobble down the corridor, cane clicking against the duracrete. Berth had insisted he use it or he wasn't letting Kyle leave sickbay.
Now, if he could just find Jan and Mon Mothma. Making his way to the briefing room, he keyed the door chime. After a minute with no response, he tried it again. Still nothing.
"Can I help you, sir?"
Kyle turned to find himself facing of the New Hope's crew. He was a relatively young man, not much more twenty, Kyle estimated.
"Yes, I was looking for Mon Mothma and Jan Ors."
"I'm not sure where Mon Mothma is at the moment, but I passed Miss Ors a short while ago. I believe she was headed towards the hangar bay."
Something's happened, Kyle thought, then wondered where that had come from.
"Sir? Is something wrong?"
Refocusing his attention on the crewman, Kyle said, "No, nothing. Thanks for the help."
"You're welcome, sir."
When Kyle reached the massive hangar bay, he looked about for any sign of Jan.
"Can I assist you, sir?"
Kyle turned to face the owner of the voice and was momentarily taken aback. It was his first encounter with a Quarren.
"Um… yeah, I'm looking for Jan Ors."
"She's over in repair bay 2."
"Oh, okay, thanks."
"Is there something else?"
Kyle realized he was staring.
"No," he stammered, "no, I just…"
"It's all right sir, your face looks equally strange to me."
The Quarren made a strange sound. It took a moment for Kyle to realize the alien was laughing. Smiling back at him, Kyle turned away and walked towards the repair bay slips. A Y-wing sat in repair bay 1; it's port engine detached and lying on the ground. As he approached the entrance of repair bay 2, he could hear movement. Okay, he thought, taking a deep breath, here we go. He stepped into the repair bay.
At first, Jan didn't see him. She was in the forward cockpit, checking the engine readouts. The port repulsors' energy reading was still off by 5. Jan frowned. She had already adjusted it twice and diagnostics confirmed her power settings were on the line. But when she engaged the repulsors, they were still off by the same amount. Jan swiped at the control panel. The Moldy Crow was proving to be a temperamental ship. She had just stepped out of the cockpit when she caught sight of him.
They stared at each other for a long moment, both knowing they should say something. But the words wouldn't come.
"Hi," Kyle said.
"Hi," she replied.
She noticed the new cane and bandage across his nose.
"What happened to you?"
"I fell down again," Kyle said, smiling.
Instead of the smile he had expected, Kyle saw her face cloud.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"It's a simple question, Katarn. Why were you looking for me? Come to insult me some more?"
"No," he began, "I…"
"Because if that's the case, I don't have the time to listen to it. I've got work to do."
"Jan…"
"No," she said with finality, "I heard all I want to hear from you, Katarn. You made your feelings clear back in the briefing room. Now if you'll excuse me…?"
"Could you use an extra hand?"
"What?" Jan was surprised by the question.
"I can see you're working on the ship. Could I help? You know I'm a good mechanic."
Jan stared at him, torn between telling him to go away and leave her alone or talking to him about the incident in the briefing room. In the end, she did neither.
"Fine, I'm trying to get the power balanced on the repulsors. The port one keeps giving me off readings."
Kyle smiled at her, a genuine smile. "Sure, just give me a sec to get over there."
Jan had to look away as he passed out of sight. The smile had touched her, melting some of the ice inside. Maybe… no, she quickly dismissed the thought.
Later
"How's that?" Kyle yelled.
Over the whine of the repulsors, Jan called from the cockpit, "port repulsor is still reading off by 5!"
Aw c'mon, Kyle thought, stepping forward to adjust the energy feed to the repulsorlifts. He and Jan had been at work for the last hour, trying to repair the Crow's repulsors. But the system was being stubborn.
He adjusted the feed to deliver more energy to the starboard repulsor. "How 'bout now?" he called.
"Off by 10 now!" Jan answered.
Throwing down the adjuster tool he was using, Kyle yelled in frustration, kicking the side of the ship as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the move put all of his weight on the bad leg. It gave way and he tumbled to the deck, landing flat on his backside. Kyle tried to rise, but without something to lean against, he could do little more than rise up to one knee. The cane lay on the deck, but too far away to be of any use.
"Katarn!" Jan called from the cockpit, having felt the impact of his kick to the ship. When he didn't respond, she called again, "What's going back there, Katarn?" Still no response. Turning round and leaning out of the cockpit, Jan was ready to admonish Kyle for not answering her when she spotted him on the deck, trying to stand.
Shaking her head in aggravation, Jan vaulted out of the cockpit and walked over to Kyle. While they had worked, Jan had decided that she would give Kyle a second chance. What he had said earlier had been done in a moment of unfocused anger. He had felt betrayed, and had struck out. It didn't make his words any less painful, but Jan could see now that, if it had been here, she would have probably reacted the same way.
Stopping just in front of him, Jan put her hands on her hips and looked down at him, a half smile on her face.
"Trouble, Katarn?"
Kyle looked up at her and said as convincingly as he could, "No, no trouble. Just taking a break."
"Uh-huh" Jan said sarcastically, "Here." She reached a hand down to him. Kyle grasped it, letting Jan help him to his feet. Throwing her left arm across his back, Jan helped Kyle limp over to the Moldy Crow's starboard wing and sit down.
"So" she said, crouching beside him, "did you fix the repulsors?"
"More like they fixed me. Listen Jan, I need to tell you something."
Folding her arms across her chest, she nodded for him to continue.
"I was looking for you because I wanted to apologize, to you and Mon Mothma. I regret the things I said to you. I was angry and upset. I thought you and Mon Mothma had betrayed me the same way the Empire did. But I've since learned that you had your reasons. And whether I agree with them or not, what you did was necessary in order to protect the Alliance."
She said nothing.
"Please Jan, I'm really, really sorry." He held out a hand to her.
Emotion welled up inside her. It was so strong that it took nearly all of her self-control to not show it. Her face grew hot even as her eyes stung. No, she wasn't going to cry, not in front of him.
Blinking the tears away, Jan looked down at him. His eyes were so sincere. "Thank you," she said, her voice just above a whisper, "I…"
Her eyes stung again. Willing the tears to go away, Jan cleared her throat.
"Look, I can't talk about this right now."
"But Jan..."
"Not now, Kyle." Jan interrupted. "Please."
"Okay. But can I ask you something else?"
"Maybe," she said, brushing away the tears and reasserting her self control.
"Has something happened?"
The question took her aback. "What do you mean?"
"I don't really know," Kyle admitted, "When I couldn't find you and Mon Mothma, I got a… a feeling that something was wrong."
Jan hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should share the events over Tattooine with him. It's not like telling him is going to jeopardize security, she thought.
"You're right, something has happened." She went on to describe their conversation with Jab Jelson and what had happened to the Tantive IV.
When she finished, Kyle's face was a mask of shock. "Has there been any further communication from Jelson?"
Jan shook her head.
"What about the plans we retrieved from Danuta? They've got to be worth something."
"They're only one half of the puzzle," Jan replied. "The technical data has specific information on the Death Star's defenses."
"Well, phooey."
"That's just how I feel," said Jan.
Neither of them said anything for a long while.
"What about this Princess Jelson mentioned?" Kyle asked, changing the subject.
"I've never met her," Jan said, "but I have heard of her. Princess Leia Organa of the Royal House of Alderaan."
"Alderaan?" Kyle said, surprised, "but it's supposed to be a peaceful planet. We learned at the Academy that the people there hate war and value peace above all."
"That's true," Jan answered, "and officially, Alderaan is a member of the Empire. But the Princess... she's different. She is one of the few Imperial senators, other than Mon Mothma, that have spoken in opposition to many of the Emperor's policies and edicts. It's earned her a reputation as a maverick."
"Okay," Kyle said, "but why is she helping the Rebellion?"
"The Princess," Jan said, "while not always agreeing with the Emperor's decisions, was committed to affecting change within the system. That is, until the Ghorman massacre."
"I remember reading about that," said Kyle, "The story was a group of insurgents overthrew the legitimate government on Ghorman and was holding hostages. When the Empire tried to bring a peaceful solution to the situation, the insurgents killed themselves and the hostages."
He looked over at Jan who was shaking her head. "What?" he asked.
"That's the story the Empire put out over all the news nets, Kyle. But it isn't what really happened. The entire dispute was over increased taxation of the people of Ghorman. The people protested against the increased taxes and staged a peaceful rally at the landing field where the ship containing the tax collectors was to land. The protestors positioned themselves so the ship couldn't land. But then, without any warning whatsoever, it landed anyway."
"Oh man..." Kyle said.
Jan nodded. "Nearly a thousand were crushed to death and many more injured by blasts from the ship's engines and repulsorlifts."
Kyle ran a hand down his face, shocked at what he had just heard. But, at the same, he wondered if he should be. The Empire had already lied to him about so much, why should it be so surprising that it would lie about the Ghorman massacre as well?
"Wait a minute," he said, "wasn't the commanding officer charged with murder?" "There were calls for it to be sure," Jan answered, "but the Emperor ruled it an accident and refused to hold the commander responsible. It was shortly after that Princess Leia contacted Mon Mothma about providing support and aid to the Rebellion."
Just then, her communicator went off. "Jan here."
"This is Mon Mothma, I need to meet me in Tactical immediately. There have been some additional developments regarding the situation earlier."
"On my way." Jan said, "I've got to go. Will you be okay if I leave here?"
"No," he said, "because I'm going with you."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Kyle."
"Probably not. But I owe her an apology and now's a good time as any."
"After what you said, you'll be lucky if she doesn't throw you in the brig."
"Maybe," Kyle said, "but I have to try."
"Can you even walk?" she asked.
"I think so," Kyle answered. Pushing off the wing, he took a step forward and nearly pitched himself to the ground.
Grabbing for him, Jan help Kyle back to standing position. "Guess I might need some help after all," he admitted sheepishly.
Smirking, Jan shook her head at Kyle. Looping her arm through his, the two of them made their way out of the docking bay and through the New Hope's corridors until they reached Tactical.
The doors before them parted and the two operatives made their way into a small room dominated a by a large circular table to one side, banks of equipment covering the walls. Three technicians were at work as Jan and Kyle entered, their voices low and indistinct. At the table, Mon Mothma stood by herself, hands on the railing. She spotted the pair and gestured for them to come over to where she was.
With Jan's help, Kyle moved to a position opposite Mon Mothma and grabbed the railing to help support himself. Jan let go of his arm and took up a position next to him. She gave them both a disapproving look.
"I called for you, Jan."
"Please, Mon Mothma," Jan said, looking directly at her, "Kyle has something to say to you."
"I have heard what he had to say earlier. And I do not wish to continue that conversation."
"Yes, but…"
"I have work to do, Jan. And while I need your assistance, Kyle is not involved. Please escort him out."
"Mon Mothma…" Kyle began. She cut him off. "I will call Security if I have to."
He was on thin ice here. Mon Mothma was apparently unwilling to listen to him, and given what he had said, who could blame her?
He turned to go. "Forgive me for interrupting. I'll leave now."
Mon Mothma watched him go until the door slid shut behind him.
"Now Jan…"
"Mon Mothma, I…"
"Jan, I will only say it once more. There is important work to be done here. If you are incapable of performing your duty, I will get someone else."
Realizing this might be her last chance; Jan tried once more. "He came to apologize."
Aside from the background hum of the computers and the muted voices of the technicians, silence reigned in the room for a solid minute.
"Wait here," Mon Mothma said, moving past Jan to the door. Outside, she caught sight of him moving down the corridor.
"Kyle!"
He stopped, turned around.
"Come over here for a moment."
She waited as he made his way back to her. "Jan said you have something to say to me."
Kyle smiled. She was giving him a chance.
Kyle smiled. She was giving him a chance.
"I came to apologize to you, Mon Mothma. When you told me the truth about the mission to Danuta, all I could think was that you had betrayed me just like the Empire had. And in that moment, I reacted out of blind anger. I know I can't take back any of the things I said, but I deeply regret them. While I didn't appreciate being used, I can see now why you did it."
"Do you, Kyle?" Mon Mothma asked, hope beginning to gather inside her, "do you really?"
"Yes, I do," he said with sincerity, "the security of the Rebellion is vital. And, in preserving that security, you did what you did out of necessity. You needed to know whether you could trust me or not."
"Can I?"
Kyle didn't respond, only looked at her intently.
She smiled at him. "Thank you, Kyle. I'm glad to hear you say this. Understand that there was no joy for me in what I did. And if you had been killed on Danuta, I would have regretted it all the more."
He smiled back at her. "I appreciate that. It's good to know someone cares."
She held out a hand to him. "Welcome to the Rebel Alliance, Kyle."
He shook her hand.
"Thank you, Mon Mothma. Now, Jan told me what happened. What can I do to help?"
The Rebel leader gave him a look of surprise, then smiled again. "I suppose you would have found out sooner or later. Come."
She preceded Kyle back inside, indicated he should join at the table.
Jan smiled at them both. At least one crisis was solved.
"All right then," Mon Mothma said, "We've been receiving a number of transmissions over the last few hours since the initial report from Tatooine."
"What kind of transmissions?" Jan asked. "Initially, a broadcast sent over all the news nets that the Tantive IV had encountered some unknown problems and sent out a distress signal."
Jan and Kyle traded disbelieving glances, knowing the report to be false.
Mon Mothma continued. "Another transmission was sent to the Imperial Senate informing them that, despite the best efforts of a Star Destroyer sent to assist, all aboard the Tantive IV had been killed and the ship destroyed."
"But that would contradict Jelson's report that Princess Leia had been captured and taken prisoner," said Jan.
"Exactly," Mon Mothma replied, "which means the Empire does not want the Senate nor anyone else to know about the capture Tantive IV.
"But why?" Kyle asked.
"The Imperial Senate is not completely supportive of the Empire. If they learned the truth of this, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion and create an uproar in the Senate."
Kyle understood where Mon Mothma was going with this. "And you plan to have Jelson's report leaked to the news services."
"Exactly. If we can get the Senate to examine this situation, it could result in..."
From behind Kyle and Jan came a voice. "Mon Mothma, we're receiving another transmission over the news nets." "Play it," she said. A speaker over the table came to life and the voice of a newsman came through.
"Repeating our breaking story. Citing the Emergency Powers Act and the growing threat posed by the Rebellion, Emperor Palpatine today has taken sweeping action to dissolve the Imperial Senate. Sources close to the Emperor report, 'we have evidence of traitors within the Senate and, as such, taken action today necessary to preserve the security and stability of the Empire. Until such time as the Emperor reforms the Senate, all regional governors will have direct control over their respective systems.' We will have more for you as reports come in. Repeating our breaking story, the Imperial Senate has..."
Mon Mothma signaled the technician to cut the transmission. "It appears the Emperor has anticipated our actions and made a preemptive strike."
Kyle and Jan watched as she leaned forward, palms flat on the table, shoulders slumping in defeat, but only for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Mon Mothma squared herself and pushed back from the table, meeting their eyes.
"We will have to create a new plan. I find it unlikely that the Senate will disband without protest. And this may offer us an opportunity. Kyle, Jan, I need you both to stay here and help monitor incoming transmissions."
They both nodded.
"Contact me the instant you hear anything involving the Senate or the Princess. I will be on the bridge." Mon Mothma left the room, as Kyle and Jan moved to stations near the other technicians. Donning headsets, they were each given a set of frequencies to monitor.
An hour later, Kyle found himself fighting boredom. There had been no additional news, and most of the comm traffic he was hearing held little interest. He was about to suggest taking a break to Jan when the voice of Jab Jelson came through.
"Jelson to New Hope. Something is happening here. The local stormtrooper garrison has called in two more squads. They're conducting a search of the spaceport and the surrounding area, including the moisture farms."
Kyle called to Jan over to where he was. He told her about Jelson's report.
"Strange," she said, rubbing her chin, "an increased stormtrooper presence indicates they're searching for something on Tatooine. But what?"
She snapped her fingers as it came to her. "The Princess could have hidden the plans in one of the escape pods that ejected from the Tantive IV."
"Or the Empire suspects she did." countered Kyle.
Jan nodded thoughtfully as she moved back towards her post.
An hour and a half later, they had both received additional reports from Jelson and other Rebel spies as well as the news nets.
"Let's contact Mon Mothma," Jan said, She needs to hear this." Kyle nodded as Jan called Mon Mothma on the bridge and requested that she rejoin them.
When she entered the room, Kyle and Jan were waiting for her at the circular table.
"What have you learned?"
Jan went first. "Jelson reported that several more stormtroopers were called in to Tatooine. They began searching the space spaceport city Mos Eisley, then moved out to the surrounding moisture farms. Half an hour later, a trooper unit radioed in that they were hot on the trail of suspected Rebel spies. They attempted to capture one or more persons and a gun battle ensued in one of the spaceport docking bays. A freighter called the Millenium Falcon took off without departure clearance and was presumed to be carrying the spies. It avoided a capture attempt by two Star Destroyers and escaped safely into hyperspace."
"Excuse me," Mon Mothma said, holding up a hand, "but what does any of this have to do with our situation?"
Kyle spoke this time. "Because shortly after the Millenium Falcon escaped, every stormtrooper on Tatooine except the permanent garrison was called off planet. Jelson thinks that whoever is on the freighter either has the Death Star plans or knows where they are. We've also learned that the Death Star has left the Despayre system, destination unknown."
Mon Mothma nodded. "If you're right, then the plans may still be safe. Is there any way to get in touch with this Millenium Falcon?
Kyle looked to Jan who shook her head. "Communications has tried, but there's been no response. If they're still in hyperspace, then we'll have to wait till they come out."
Mon Mothma nodded, a trace of a smile on her face. "Continue sending. If we can intercept the freighter and determine where the plans are, we may still have a chance."
Just then, one of the technicians walked over, his face ashen.
Mon Mothma's smile disappeared as she caught sight of the man.
"What is it, Glef? What's wrong?"
The man didn't answer for a moment. Then taking a deep breath he said, "We just received a transmission from automated sensors in the Alderaan system. The Death Star arrived there forty minutes ago."
Jan gasped in surprise and Kyle's furrowed brow matched Mon Mothma's.
"Well, now we know where it was heading," he said.
"Let me see the transmission." Mon Mothma said, fearing the worst.
Glef nodded and returned to his station, manipulating controls. A holoprojector built into the circular table came on, the image showing space in the Alderaan system.
Kyle watched as the view shifted, focusing in on a blue green sphere. The view tightened and he was able to distinguish individual continents surrounded by blue oceans, white clouds drifting across the sky.
"That's Alderaan," Jan said, pointing.
The view widened back out and shifted again, this time focusing on a dark gray orb. As the view tightened, Kyle's eyes widened as he realized he was looking at the Death Star. It moved across the camera's view, moving silently.
As he stared, Kyle realized that the massive orb was slowly rotating as it moved forward. As it did, he caught sight of a wide, circular depression on the surface of the battle station. He recognized the superlaser dish from the computer model he had seen on Danuta.
The view now widened out to show that the Death Star was approaching Alderaan. Kyle was about to ask what they were intending to do when a stab of light caught his attention. Around the perimeter of the circular depression, six lances of light stabbed forth, meeting at a point somewhat ahead of the battle station. And from where the laser beams crossed, a single beam of issued forth. The green lance of light shot away from the battle station and moved towards Alderaan.
"Oh no," Kyle began, "they're not going to..."
The green light struck Alderaan, spreading out to cover the surface of the planet. When the explosion came, all three of them had to look away. The light dimmed and Kyle was able to look at the display once more. The green light was gone and where Alderaan had once been was now an expanding cloud of debris. The planet had been completely destroyed.
Kyle stared at the image until it winked out, the transmission ending. His eyes wide with disbelief, he looked over at Jan who had turned away from the image. Mon Mothma stood stock still, not moving or saying anything. The same question was in all their minds. How are we supposed to fight that?