Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Chapter 13: The Rescue
Author's Note: With our hero at one of the lowest points of his life, Jan learns of a captured Rebel informant so important he must be rescued or killed. Meanwhile, Caston Droum visits Kyle and gives him a needed reality check. But before he can take time to consider his emotional state, Jan approaches Kyle with a new mission, to rescue his former teacher and mentor, Crix Madine.
To Jan he said, "So he's a general now. How about that? So when do we leave?"
"Whoa there," Jan said, holding up both hands, "don't think I didn't see that look, Katarn. And I know how you know the general. Mon Mothma anticipated how you'd react."
Kyle took a breath and considered what to say next. Jan knew enough that he couldn't bully his way through this. But maybe…
"And that is why," she continued, "I will be in overall command of this mission. You will take your orders from me and I expect them to be obeyed. Clear?"
"Sure," Kyle said, not looking at her. Suddenly, he felt his chin gripped gently, but firmly. Jan raised his eyes to face hers.
"I said, are we clear?"
Her blue eyes were ice cold and bored into him. He knew he couldn't fool her. So he surrendered.
"We're clear."
Jan studied him for a moment more, then let go. Kyle rubbed his chin absently.
"Then let's go. Your gears' still in the ship."
Five hours later
The Moldy Crow exited from hyperspace above the planet Orinackra. It was sandy-colored world made all but uninhabitable due to the constant dust storms all over the planet's surface. That the Empire had been able to built and sustain a base there was a testament to Imperial engineering.
"I'm bringing us in below the equator," Jan said, seated in the forward cockpit, "we'll be coming in low and fast. The dust storms should screen us from their radar."
"Okay," said Kyle, uncomfortable in the rear cockpit unable to do little more than watch Jan pilot the ship.
"Also," Jan said, "Once we get to the base, you'll have about two minutes to get inside."
"Two minutes!" Kyle said, angry surprise in his voice, "that's not much time."
Turning round in her seat, Jan glared at him.
"If you check your instruments, Katarn, you'll see the wind speed down there is about 15 knots, with gusts over 50. You stay exposed in the open exposed for more than two minutes, you'll get your own guided tour of the atmosphere just before gravity reasserts itself."
Kyle checked his panel and confirmed the readings. "Quite a vivid description," he said.
"I thought so," Jan said, but there was no humor in her voice.
She pushed the nose over and the Moldy Crow dove for the surface.
As they penetrated the atmosphere, Jan felt the ship begin to buffet. The hull began to pop and squeak as the wind driven sand blasted into it.
Jan glanced at the shield display. Without them, the sand would penetrate the hull in minutes, pounding the Moldy Crow into oblivion. Fortunately as Jan saw, the shields were holding fine.
Just then, the ship rocked violently to one side as a patch of sand hit it. The shield indicator blinked, power indicator dipping to 98.
Not good, Jan thought, I'll have to keep on them. They go below 50, we'll have to abort. As the Moldy Crow dropped lower, she considered whether to tell Kyle. No, she decided, he's got enough to think about.
A display showed the surface approaching and Jan leveled off. She considered adding power to the engines, but hesitated for fear of the increased speed straining the shield even more. Just then, the indicator dipped again, to 94.
Checking the tactical display, Jan could just see the base. They were less than a minute out and closing fast.
"You ready back there?"
"Yes," came an emotionless reply. Jan again considered whether it was wise to have brought Kyle on this mission. But, she realized that he would've come either with her or on his own.
Now Jan could see the base through the cockpit windows. "Ten seconds," she said.
As they had done on Danuta, Jan hit the braking thrusters hard, stopping the Moldy Crow right over the base.
Activating the repulsors, she lowered the ship until it was less than ten feet above the base.
"Get ready, Kyle. I'm about to intiate the maneuver."
"I'm ready."
Hauling the control stick hard over, Jan rotated the ship until the Crow was upside down, cockpit facing the base. Kyle hit the cockpit switch and his canopy opened. Undoing his restraints, he half fell, half tumbled out of the cockpit.
No sooner had he done so than Jan closed the cockpit to kept the sand from penetrating into the ship. She saw Kyle strike the permacrete surface of the base's roof. An entryway was less than a hundred feet away, but he wasn't moving towards it.
"C'mon, Katarn, get moving."
She checked a display. He had less than a minute before an approaching gust would strike the base and carry him off.
"Get up, Kyle!" she shouted, "Get inside, now!"
On the roof surface, Kyle stirred. The fall had stunned him, and he was fighting to stay conscious. Aboard the ship, with less than thirty seconds to go, Jan saw him stir. He rose to his feet and signaled Jan he was okay. Seeing her frantic gesturing, Kyle glanced at the entryway through slitted eyes.
His jacket billowed about him and the driving sand felt like someone was driving knives into his skin. Struggling to see and keep his footing, he started towards the doors. He was halfway there when the wind began to pick up.
Realizing that a gust was approaching, Kyle lunged ahead, reaching for the doors, but he was too far away. Suddenly, a swirl of wind struck him. He tried to drop down, make himself prone, but it was too late. With a whipping sound, the wind picked him up and pulled him up and off the roof.
In the Crow, Jan saw the wind grab Kyle.
"NO!" she screamed, "NO!"
Jan pounded the console in helpless fury as she saw Kyle being carried away. She had warned him, told him the winds were dangerous. But it had done no good, and now he was gone.
But even as she thought it, Jan saw Kyle's right arm shoot out. His flight away from the Imperial base was suddenly halted as he snapped to a stop in mid-air. How did he…? Jan started to think, then a smile of hope came to her face.
The grapnel! She had forgotten about it. Fortunately, Kyle had not and as she looked, Jan could see the triple tines firmly embedded in the permacrete of the roof. But could Kyle hold on? She could see he was struggling. There's got to be something I can do, she thought.
Hanging in mid-air, Kyle gritted his teeth and put every ounce of energy into holding onto the grapnel. His arms screamed with pain at the sudden stop he had put them through and know holding on was agony. But he couldn't let go, he wouldn't. Try as he might, however, he was unable to reach the retract button on the grapnel.
The wind jerked at him from a new direction and Kyle felt his grip start to slip. It was only a matter of minutes, his mind said. But his heart and iron will refused to admit that. Suddenly, the roar of the wind was replaced with a new one, a familiar one.
Squinting, he could just make out the shape of the Moldy Crow moving towards him through the haze of sand. What was Jan doing? The ship drew closer, beginning to turn. It was then Kyle realized the pull of the wind was slackening, just a bit.
The Crow got closer, then rotated as Jan used the entire width of the ship to act as a windbreak. It worked, and Kyle felt the wind slacken even more. With a cry of desperation, he pulled himself forward and mashed his right hand down on the retract button.
The machinery obediently began to wind the cable onto its reel, pulling him back towards the roof. Jan followed his descent, moving the ship to keep it between him and the wind until his feet touched the roof once again. Before releasing the grapnel, Kyle moved to the entryway doors and opened them.
Then, with a look of sincere gratitude up at Jan, he entered the base, retracting the grapnel the rest of the way and reattaching it to his belt.
Likewise, Jan smiled triumphantly as she saw Kyle enter the base safely. It had been close, too close. Now, she had to find a close to hide the Crow until Kyle signaled her. A beep from the console brought her attention to the shield display. Her eyes widened as she saw it.
Using the ship as a windbreak had drained the shield further, down to 79. Jan realized her earlier plan to fly the Crow into high orbit and wait there would have to change. A high-speed ascent followed by a descent to retrieve Kyle would surely drain the shields even further.
No, she couldn't risk it. She had to protect shield power as long as possible. Pulling away from the base, Jan studied it. It was a three-story affair arranged in a rough hexagon and sitting on several pillars driven into the sand.
A thought came to her and she brought the ship lower and closer to the base. Suddenly, she saw it, a space between three pillars that formed a protected alcove under the base. Carefully, using the repulsors with a minimum of thrusters, she guided the Crow into the space and touched down, the landing skids sinking slightly into the sandy surface.
All around her the sand blew, driven by the wild wind. But here, only an occasional gust would strike the ship, rocking it slightly. It was the perfect hiding place, she thought, right in plain sight.
Two Hours LaterStill nothing. Jan sat in the cockpit of the Moldy Crow anxiously awaiting a signal, a word from Kyle as to the progress of the mission. It was unlike him to be out of touch this long. Perhaps the base had shielding blocking all but official transmissions. Maybe Kyle's communicator had been damaged or destroyed again.
Or maybe…
No, Jan said to herself, I won't think that. But she couldn't help but consider it.
She checked the time display. Their plan had been that unless Kyle signaled within three hours of entering the base, Jan should consider him either captured or killed and abort the mission. With only an hour left, she couldn't help but worry.
What if he had rushed headlong into a squad of stormtroopers? He wouldn't have much of a chance. Okay, Ors, she thought, enough. You're wasting energy.
Just then, the comm speaker crackled. Jan started to mash the "Transmit" button, but stopped herself. If Kyle was captured or killed, the Imperials could be listening in. No, she had to wait.
There was another crackle, a sprinkle of static, then a voice.
"Jan?"
Jan's heart leapt with renewed hope and she started to answer, but stopped herself again. The voice sounded like Kyle, but low, almost too low to hear. She had to be sure.
"Katarn to Moldy Crow, please come in."
There was only one way to be sure. Pressing the "Transmit" button, she said a single word.
"Authenticate."
There was no response at first. But then, through more static came the reply.
"Hope never dies."
"Kyle!" Jan called into the mike, her heart soaring all over again, "Kyle, this is Jan. Do you hear me?"
"Yes, I do," he said, his voice still low.
"Are you all right?"
"As a matter of fact, no."
It was then Jan realized why Kyle voice was so low. He was in pain; she could hear it now.
"What happened?"
"Squad of troopers ambushed me as I came out of a lift on one of the prison levels."
"How bad?"
"Well, I've lost feeling in my right leg completely and I think a couple ribs are broken. I'm also having trouble seeing out of my left eye."
Jan gasped as Kyle enumerated his injuries. He was in no shape to continue the mission.
"Kyle, you've got to abort the mission."
"And leave here without Madine?" he said, "Not on your life."
The sympathetic pain Jan felt evaporated like a cloud. She feared this would happen
"Now, you listen, Katarn," she said, her voice iron, "I am in command of this mission. And I am ordering you to abort."
"I'm not leaving," he said, voice calm but with the same icy demeanor as her own.
"You will," Jan said, "or I will come in and get you."
"Not if you can't find me."
"What?"
"Talk to you later, Jan."
Lying on the hallway just outside the lift he had exited a short time ago, Kyle deactivated his locator signal. There was no way for Jan to track him now.
"Kyle!" her voice came through the communicator's speaker, full of anger. "Kyle, you come in right now!"
"Sorry, Jan," he said quietly, switching the communicator off, "but I have to do this."
In the Moldy Crow, Jan called uselessly into the mike, trying to get him back. But his communicator was off; there was no way to reach him now.
She hit the control panel with a fist. This is stupid! He's in no shape to continue. I should go in and get him. But without the locator signal, she could spend hours searching the base. And if she was caught…
"Be careful, Kyle," she said quietly, "and come back."
Inside the base, Kyle carefully rose to his feet, using the blaster rifle to support him. Every part of his body hurt, and the temptation to sit back down and rest was overwhelming.
But thinking of General Madine, about to be executed, brought fresh determination to rescue him. Slowly, dragging his numbed leg behind him, Kyle began to limp down the hallway.
His explorations had revealed the base had two sets of elevators and only one went to level 6, where the most dangerous prisoners were kept. Before being attacked, he had reasoned that the two lifts shared a common floor. It was as he got off on that floor that the troopers had spotted him and attacked.
Now, with his wounded body fighting him, he limped across the hall to the far side where another lift door awaited him. Spotting the control panel, Kyle reached for it. His left eye was filling with blood and made it hard to determine distance. After missing the panel twice, he touched it and the door to the lift slid aside.
Stepping inside, Kyle checked his blaster and finding the power gauge at 75, hefted it as he pressed the button for level 6. The door slid shut and the lift moved swiftly and soundlessly upwards. I hope this works, he thought. Jan had a point; he was hurt badly. But there was no way he was going to let the Imperials kill Madine. He was not only Kyle's former teacher and friend, but also a fellow Rebel. That was more enough for Kyle to continue.
The lift stopped at level 6 and the doors slid open. He edged forward, blaster leading the way. But there was nothing, no laser fire to greet him or the rough metallic voice of a stormtrooper. He leaned out just enough to see the room ahead. It was empty, a corridor off the right.
Stepping out of the lift cautiously, Kyle checked the corridor and finding it empty as well, made his down it. His leg had begun to wake up and he wished it hadn't. The pain from it indicated he had injured it as well. Jeez Katarn, he thought, you're a mess. That brought a smile to his face as he turned left at the corridor's end only to find four stormtroopers standing in front of a single cell.
Not again!
Before Kyle could duck back behind the wall, the troopers caught sight of him.
"Halt!" one called.
"Who goes there?" said another
"Drop your weapon!" called the third.
The fourth chose to say nothing, but drew his blaster and fired. The shot struck Kyle in the side just as he disappeared behind the wall. He felt a third rib give way, sending new fire along his side as the shock of the blast threw him to the floor.
Realizing the stormtroopers would be coming soon, Kyle forced himself to roll onto his back and slide around so he could aim his blaster around the corner. Each movement brought new pain, nearly overwhelming him. It was only the strength of his will and commitment to rescuing Madine that allowed him to continue.
Sliding forward a bit more, Kyle pointed his blaster around the corner and fired a series of shots. But they were poorly aimed and missed. Another blast from the troopers struck the deck near him. The concussion from the blast knocked the gun from his hands and threw him back into the wall.
This time, the pain was too much. Kyle realized he wasn't going to win this one. He had tried, but it just wasn't enough. I'm sorry, General, he thought, I've failed you.
Blackness began to creep in at the edges of his vision and this time, he didn't fight it.
As he slumped against the wall, Kyle reflected that while he didn't want to give up, it did feel good to rest his tortured body. His eyes, only half open closed the rest of the way. He could hear the clatter of the stormtroopers' boots as they approached his position. A part of his mind said he had to do something, but his body refused to act.
"Kyle."
He could hear a voice, low and distant.
"Kyle."
He stirred slightly; the voice seemed to be growing louder.
"Kyle."
Yes, it was getting closer
"Kyle!"
The loud shout brought him to a semi-wakeful state, his good eye opening just enough to see the troopers coming closer. But of the owner of the voice there was no sign.
Oh great, he thought, it's back again.
"Kyle," it said again, lower this time.
"What do you want?" he said, speaking aloud.
"To help."
Kyle scoffed at the answer. "You're too late."
"No," the voice said gently, "I can help you, if you will let me."
"What, you're not going to take control of my body like before?"
"No, I won't force you."
It was upon hearing this that Kyle realized this voice was not like the one he had before. Its tone was kind and gentle.
"Will you let me help?"
The tone had changed slightly, almost pleading now. Kyle still wasn't sure what to think, but he had to give an answer.
"Yes."
Instantly, he felt a surge of energy enter into him. It was totally unlike the times before. Like the voice, the energy was soft, gentle and kind moving across him and through him with delicate care.
He realized that his pain was beginning to fade. His broken ribs caused fire to course through him with each breath. But now, his breathing came easy, without pain. His left eye, completely filled with blood, started to clear. The numbness and pain faded from his left leg. He was healing. Whatever the voice was, it was healing him. He was able to see through his eye again and new energy coursed through his limbs. It was then another voice sounded in his head, a familiar one.
"NO! Leave him! He is mine!"
As quickly as it had come, the healing energy disappeared but the work had already been accomplished, Kyle was completely healed.
"You again," he said to the second voice.
"Do not listen, Katarn," it said, "the other is a liar and deceiver who will lead you astray."
"On the contrary," said the first voice, "I will free him, if he wishes."
"It did heal me," Kyle said.
"A trick!" cried the second voice, "a trick so that you would not hear me anymore. Do not fall prey to its smooth talk, Katarn. It will ultimately destroy you."
"You are the destroyer," said the first voice, "as he will learn."
"Begone!" screamed the second voice, "Be silent and torment him no longer! He belongs to me!"
Kyle felt the war of wills in his head. He wanted to believe the first voice. Every word it said sounded true to him. But the other voice had been there for him, had helped him out of several scrapes and saved his life more than once.
He had to choose, and did.
"All right," Kyle said to the second voice, "I'm listening."
"Good," it said, calmer now, "and as for you, pretender, leave. Katarn has made his choice."
"For now," said the first voice, "but there will come a time when he may choose again."
And with that, the first voice departed.
"Good riddance," said the remaining voice, "now listen closely, Katarn. We have less than a minute before the stormtroopers reach you."
Squad leader Belder Renx edged his way carefully around the corner, blaster held out in front of him. His shot has surely knocked out the intruder, but one couldn't be too careful.
Turning round, he signaled the rest of the squad to approach.
"Ready?"
The others confirmed they were.
"Now!"
As one, the four stormtroopers rushed around the corner, weapons trained on the target before them.
But the intruder didn't react to their presence. He was slumped against the wall, head on his chest. Belder couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. But whatever the case, the intruder was incapacitated.
"We got him," he said, holstering his blaster, "radio in to Central and advise that the intruder has been captured."
"Yes, sir," said one of the troopers, changing the comlink frequency in his helmet and reporting in.
"Sir, Central wants the intruder brought to holding for interrogation and processing."
"Okay, men," Belder said, smiling beneath his helmet, "well done. You two take the prisoner."
Two of the squad grabbed Kyle under the arms and hoisted him up, his feet dragging on the ground. A groan escaped his lips.
"So he is alive," Belder said, his smile widening.
"More than you think!" Kyle yelled. Gaining his feet, he pushed off from the floor and kicked straight out.
Belder felt his chest armor cave slightly as the kick threw him into the opposite wall.
With the voice guiding him, Kyle reacted as the troopers holding him let go and reached for their weapons. He got there first, ripping the blaster free of the holster and smashing it into the helmets of the troopers, dropping them both.
A warning cry from the voice and Kyle dodged just as a blaster bolt from the fourth troopers' gun struck the space where his head had been a moment ago.
"Fire, Katarn!"
"I need to aim first!"
"I will guide you! Now fire!"
Kyle mashed down on the firing stud. A moment later, his arm jerked up, then right, then left as shots bracketed the fourth trooper, one drilling him through his eyepiece. He fell, dead before he hit the ground. The remaining stormtroopers were struggling to their feet, two of them raising their weapons. But Kyle spun on his heel, the blaster spewing red death in every direction. All three were hit and fell.
The voice returned control back to him and Kyle's arm fell to his side as his finger came off the firing stud. He was breathing hard, shock and adrenaline whipping through his body in equal quantities.
I should have been afraid, Kyle realized, I just took on four fully armed stormtroopers and beat them. But rather than fear or even concern, he felt good. No, not just good, he felt powerful.
The voice laughed in his mind. "Well done, Katarn, well done. Now complete your mission." And with that, the voice was gone.
Despite the feeling of power inside him, Kyle realized that the voice's laugh had scared him. It was a laugh of joy or victory. It sounded… evil. But there was no time to ponder this now.
Stepping past the bodies, he made his way to the cell door. Rather than waste time deciphering the lock, he blasted it. Sparks issued from the door as it slid aside.
Inside his cell, the sudden light blinded Crix Madine. He held up a hand to shield his eyes while they adjusted. Not again, he thought. He'd been the Imperials' "guest" for ten days now. At first they tried to convince him to talk, cajoled him, threatened him. But when none of that worked, they brought the interrogation droid.
The pain had been incredible, far worse than he had imagined. He had seen interrogations before while serving the Imperials, but first hand experience showed him the cruel efficiency of the Empire's methods of torture. But, as a former Imperial officer, Madine had been trained to resist questioning and torture. His will was strong and that, along with the knowledge of the danger of leaking the secrets locked in his head, kept him from talking. However, after four straight days of torture and interrogation, his resistance was wearing thin. He knew it was only a matter of time before he talked, and heaven help the Rebellion when he did. But for this moment, he was still strong and resilient. And he would resist the figure silhouetted in the doorway.
"General Madine?"
"What do you want? I told you I'm not going to talk."
The figure didn't reply, instead stepping forward. Madine caught the unmistakable shape of a blaster held in the figure's hand. So, he thought, this is it. Well at least my secrets will die with me.
But the figure didn't raise the blaster. It came closer until Madine could make out a face. It wasn't a stormtrooper and he didn't wear the uniform of an Imperial officer.
"Who are you?"
"Sir, it's me, Kyle."
Madine's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, then it dawned on him. "Kyle Katarn?"
"Yes, sir."
"But how…? Where…?"
"We can talk later, sir. Right now, I need to get you out of here. Can you walk?"
Madine was on his feet in less than a second. "What do you think?"
Kyle smiled. "Let's go."
With Madine following, Kyle made his way out of the cell and back towards the lift. As they passed the bodies of the stormtroopers, he dropped the dented blaster and grabbed two fresh ones.
"You did this? Madine asked.
Kyle nodded.
One man against four stormtroopers, Madine thought.
"Not bad."
As Kyle keyed the lift open, he passed one of the blasters to Madine.
"You still remember how to handle one of these?"
Madine's sour look was all the answer Kyle needed.
Entering the lift, Kyle hit the button for Level 2. As they began to descend, he snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot!"
"What?" Madine asked, concerned.
"This," Kyle said, pulling his communicator off his belt. He turned it and the locator signal back on.
In the cockpit of the Moldy Crow, Jan alternated between checking the shield display, the time display and the wind driven sand. An hour had passed since she had lost contact with Kyle. The book said that she should leave, that Kyle was likely captured or killed. But Jan decided she would wait another half hour. If she didn't hear from him by then…
The comm speaker crackled to life and the indicator for the locator signal came on as well.
"Katarn to Moldy Crow."
The voice sounded like Kyle's. But rather than sounding wounded, his voice was loud and strong.
"Katarn to Moldy Crow. Jan, do you read me?"
It could be a trick, an impersonator or if Kyle had been captured, they could be forcing him to contact her.
"Moldy Crow, come in please. C'mon Jan, acknowledge."
"I don't understand why she isn't answering," Kyle said, "The plan was for Jan to take the ship into high orbit and wait for my signal."
"Maybe the sand storms are interfering with the transmission," Madine said.
"Maybe," Kyle responded, "it wasn't a problem before."
Their conversation ceased as the lift stopped and the doors opened. The two men edged out slowly, blasters leading the way, checking both directions.
"Clear," Kyle said.
"Clear," Madine echoed.
Making their way over to the other lift without incident, they entered and Kyle was about to press the button for Level 1. Once there, it would take them only a few more minutes to reach the area where he had entered the base.
But how were they going to get out? The unpredictability of the winds made the original plan useless. It was then he noticed the display just above the lift's buttons. Of course, he thought, how didn't I see it before.
There on the display it read, "Sub Level 1, Hangar Bay."
Keying his communicator again, Kyle spoke. "Jan, I hope you can hear me. I'm heading for the hangar bay on Sub-Level 1. Meet me there." But there was no response.
Kyle remembered Jan glancing at the ship's shield display. If something had happened to them…
A vision of a shattered Moldy Crow and a helpless Jan Ors came to his mind came, unbidden, into his mind. No, Kyle said to himself, Jan's okay. She has to be.
It was then he remembered the prearranged signal. Cursing himself for forgetting it, Kyle called into the communicator again.
"Katarn to Moldy Crow. I have the package and we're heading for the exit."
In the cockpit, Jan heard the words. It was Kyle! He was alive! And he had Madine with him.
But no sooner did she feel elation about Kyle surviving than she remembered the stunt he had pulled. Her anger at him resurfaced. If they got out of this alive, she was going to have a talk with him. And he wasn't going to like it.
Gritting her teeth, she pressed the "Transmit" button.
"Moldy Crow to Katarn. Your transmission received. Be advised that our schematics do not show the location of the hangar bay."
Kyle heard the ice in her voice and instantly knew he was in trouble. Madine saw the look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm in trouble."
"What do you mean?" Madine asked.
"It'd take too long to explain, sir. But trust me, I'm in trouble. We need to get out of here."
Kyle pressed the button for Sub Level 1 and called into the communicator.
"Affirmative, Jan, good to hear your voice. We're on our way to the hangar bay and will signal you from there."
"You'd better," Jan said, "Moldy Crow out."
"Y'know, Kyle. If she's as mad as she sounds, it's not too late to go back to my cell."
"No good, sir. She'd track us down and rip the door off with her bare hands."
"Ah, I see."
The lift came to a halt and the two men exited slowly, sweeping the area with their blasters. Finding nothing, they headed down a corridor. It dead-ended into a left hand turn.
Kyle signaled for Madine to wait and peered around the corner.
"I can see the entrance to the hangar, but there's two stormtroopers guarding it."
"Well," said Madine, "what's your plan?"
"Plan?" Kyle said incredulously, "What plan? I'm making this up as I go."
"Then, permit me," Madine said, hefting his blaster.
"Right behind you, sir."
Together, the pair raced around the corner, howling at the top of their lungs. The stormtroopers both jumped at the sound and grabbed for their weapons. But even as they did, Madine and Kyle opened fire. The troopers dropped, their armor smoking.
Unfortunately, as one of them fell, he hit the alarm switch. Red lights began to flash in the corridor, and an alert siren began to sound.
"Well, isn't that just perfect," Kyle muttered.
"Next time, have a plan," Madine said.
The hangar doors slid open as they approached. Once they were inside and the doors closed, Kyle blasted the controls, jamming them. Turning away from the doors, he examined the hangar.
It was a large circular affair. Racks of TIE fighters were visible on one side as well as a few sitting on the deck, in various states of repair. Two Lambda class shuttles were also visible. Despite this grouping of ships, there was a lot of open space in the hangar. This gave Kyle an idea.
"Sir," he said to Madine, "if we can get the spacedoors open, Jan can probably fly the ship in here to get us."
"Good idea," said Madine, "the question is, where are the controls for the spacedoors?"
Kyle blew out a breath. "I was wondering the same thing.
Suddenly from behind them came a banging sound, someone pounding on the entrance door. From behind it came a voice.
"Open this door immediately!"
The pounding resumed.
The two men looked at each other.
"Well," said Madine, "at least they trying to be polite about it."
"Maybe we should open the doors," mused Kyle.
Together, they said, "Naaah." And with that, they separated and began searching the hangar for the spacedoor controls. The pounding at the entrance door ceased and now they could hear the sound of laser fire being directed against it.
It won't take them long to burn through, thought Kyle as he searched the area around the TIE fighters.
Over by the shuttles, Madine's voice called out.
"Kyle! Over here!"
Following the voice, Kyle made his way over and spotted the general at a small control panel sitting between the two shuttles. Drawing closer, Kyle smiled as he read the words, "Spacedoor Access Panel"
Madine looked at him and Kyle nodded. The older man pressed a single button on the panel and instantly and computerized voice said,
"Attention, spacedoor release has been initiated. Spacedoors will open in thirty seconds."
The sound of laser fire from the other side of the hangar grew more intense. The two men noticed the metal beginning to glow red.
Kyle grabbed his communicator and called into it.
"Katarn to Moldy Crow. We're inside the hangar bay and have activated the space doors. They'll be open in less than thirty seconds. How's that for a signal."
"It'll do," came the cold reply, "I'm on my way."
"Kyle?"
"Yes, sir?"
"You're right. You are in trouble."