Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Chapter 19: Many Paths, Once Choice
A/N: After nearly freezing to death in the ice field and ticking Jan off by being a typical guy, Kyle has successfully entered the Anteevy face. But the stormtroopers have found and there are more dangers in the base. Read on to see!
As he crashed onto the conveyor belt, Kyle cried out as part of his body struck the missile launcher hanging from the back of his weapons belt. There was a sudden jolt, a whooshing sound and then his back blazing in pain as the launcher fired.
Devsk looked, seeing a flash from beneath the intruder's body. He had just enough time to register that a missile was heading his way when it impacted, obliterating him and the stormtrooper.
With the conveyor moving him forward, Kyle heard the explosion before he saw it. Rolling over, he saw a column of fire rise into the air, followed by black smoke. Reaching behind himself, he grimaced as he felt the burned place where the missile launcher's muzzle had come into contact with him. I must have fallen right on the trigger, he thought, smiling at the absurdity of it. Oh well, Father always said to never look a gift horse in the mouth. The conveyor continued to move him away from the scene of destruction.
Another right turn brought him to a second straightaway. But ahead the conveyor ended in a closed door and Kyle could see another pair of blockhouses. Pushing himself up, he checked his blaster, then got ready in case there were more Imperials. However, in focusing on that, he failed to notice a gun turret hanging from the overhead part of the structure.
Looking left, then right, then back left again, he watched for movement, the glow of white armor. But it was the sound of a servomotor that brought his gaze forward just as the turret fired. Kyle screamed as fire erupted in his chest. The blast lifted him off his feet and threw him back several feet. Only the conveyor belt saved him from a fatal fall.
His eyes shut, chest on fire, barely able to move, Kyle's mind told him he was moving forward again, back towards the gun turret. He tried to push himself backwards, but his legs responded sluggishly and for every inch of ground he gained, he lost two more.
Faintly, he could hear the servomotor again. That's it, he thought, I'm toast. But even as he thought this, Kyle felt his right hand move from cradling his chest to the weapons belt. He felt the grip of the missile launcher, pulling it free and pointing it. His body sat up, his finger depressed the trigger and the weapon bucked once, twice, three times. A heartbeat later, there was an explosion somewhere above and ahead of him. Despite the pain, Kyle forced his eyes to open and felt them go wide as he observed the gun turret, now a smoking hole with pieces dangling from the mounting. It was obviously the explosion he had felt, and he held the missile launcher. But it didn't make sense. How had he done it?
Further ruminations were interrupted as he heard a voice call, "Drop your weapon!" Kyle looked to his right, seeing three stormtroopers in the blockhouse there, weapons drawn and pointing at him. Another voice called, "Don't move!" To his left were two more stormtroopers. He was in a cross fire, no way out.
He was about to raise his hands in surrender when a thought dashed across his mind. No, not a thought, something else; almost like a voice. And from it, he kept hearing the same word, relax, relax.
And as much as this seemed the worst time to do so, Kyle found that he did want to relax, to rest, if only for a moment. His body hurt and he wondered how much he would have to endure to complete the mission. Yes, he would do that. His eyes drifted closed for a moment, then re-opened but only halfway. He seemed to watching a movie of himself as his left hand flew down with lightning speed to his weapons belt, coming up with the blaster rifle in his left hand and the missile launcher in his right.
His arms stretched out to either side, fingers depressing triggers. The weapons jumped in his hands as red bolts and missile fire arced towards the blockhouses. The stormtroopers opened fire but found their shots missing as the intruder lay back on the conveyor belt, still firing his weapons. The right-hand blockhouse exploded as three missiles hit it, the stormtroopers in the other dropping down, smoking holes in their armor. His body sat back up, head turning just in time to see a control panel in the left-hand blockhouse.
Kyle couldn't see it, but somehow he knew there was a button on that panel that would open the door ahead of him. The blaster spoke once, the shot striking the panel on the mechanism. The door opened and Kyle rolled through.
"And so you begin to see, Kyle Katarn," said the voice, audible now, "you are beginning to understand."
Understand? Understand what?
"Farewell," said the voice, beginning to fade now, "we will speak again."
His eyes closed again; then snapped open. The feeling of relaxation disappeared as quickly as it had come, and the pain returned. But, despite the discomfort, Kyle puzzled over what just happened. It had seemed like a dream.
But turning partway round on the conveyor belt, Kyle saw the wreckage of the gun turret and blockhouses through the open doors. Somehow, he thought, I did that. No, he correct, the voice did it, somehow, using his body. But how? With the pain he was in, he was just able to move now, how had he destroyed the gun turret and taken out the stormtroopers? He looked down at his hands, the missile launcher and blaster still clenched in his fists.
Just then, he noticed the conveyor belt coming to an end. It entered a tall structure with a single opening and simply stopped. He'd have to think about what had happened later. He quickly reloaded the weapons, returning the missile launcher to the belt, blaster held at the ready.
Approaching the end of the conveyor, Kyle saw it was only a short distance to the decking inside the structure. Putting his legs out in front of him, he allowed the conveyor to roll him off and onto his feet. His right leg nearly buckled under him as he stood up. Looking down, Kyle realized his heavy winter gear was partially burned away. Patches of armor showed through the shredded material. He stripped down to his shirt and pants. The armor beneath would give him some protection from the elements, but not enough.
Well, he thought, this is just wonderful. I might succeed in the mission only to freeze to death on my way back to the Crow. He'd have to hope Jan would be willing to come get him. Dropping the nearly destroyed clothes, he moved into the structure and around a corner, blaster preceding him.
He heard a familiar sound and turning the corner found another conveyor belt, moving nearly opposite to the one he had just been one. However, this one looked to be going deeper into the base. The structure continued and he could feel the temperature increasing. This conveyor was built low, enough so that Kyle could sit on it for the ride, but able to jump onto the decking safely at a moment's notice.
And so, feet dangling off the edge, he sat on the conveyor, letting it guide him deeper into the Imperial base. The belt moved forward, turning right around another corner. Another door appeared, this one with a plaque on the door reading, "Processing."
Suddenly, the belt stopped, and Kyle had to put a hand down to keep himself from being thrown forward. What's going on, he thought. There was motion above his head. A section of the ceiling above him began to move. Instinctively, he rolled off the conveyor just a crusher descended from the ceiling. It pulverized the Phirk metal sitting there.
Processing, he thought sarcastically, right. After a few seconds, the crusher began to ascend, returning to it position in the ceiling. The belt began to move forward again, the door ahead opening automatically. Kyle sat back down, letting the belt carry him into the next room. The belt stopped again, just in time to keep him from being carried over the edge and into a small pit about three meters below.
The pulverized Phirk metal was being collected there, but why he didn't know nor really care. He looked around and spotted another conveyor a short distance away. He heard the crusher pressing into the belt in the room behind him and knew he only had a few seconds.
Standing up, Kyle backed up as much as he could, then jumped across the pit to other belt. He cleared the space, landing solidly on the other belt. The motion of it brought him to one knee as he worked to balance himself.
This belt took a couple turns, moving into a larger open area above another pit of Phirk metal. After the last turn, Kyle noticed this belt was ending too. But across the way, he could see another. However, as he drew closer, Kyle could see the other belt was moving towards the pit as well. He could jump to it, but would have to move fast in order not to be pulled into the pit.
He stood, getting ready to jump just as a blockhouse came into sight, containing an Imperial officer and four stormtroopers. Kyle had just enough time to notice them and they him as he jumped.
"Halt, Rebel scum!" called one of the troopers. Yeah, right, Kyle thought, like I have a choice. He sailed across the gap, hitting the other belt just as the first shots from the stormtroopers crossed the space where he had been. He was still on his feet, fighting to not fall as the belt tried to pull him towards the pit.
Kyle executed a half jump, half lunge off of the belt, landing on a section of decking. The solid metal almost felt good to him. He had barely noticed the hallway to his left when he heard the clatter of stormtrooper boots. It must connect to the blockhouse, he thought, considering what to do.
Kyle was about to reach for his blaster when his hands came across the thermal detonators he carried. He grabbed three of the six he carried, arming them and rolling them into the hallway. He ducked down, moving as close to the conveyor as the detonators went off, the explosion nearly deafening in the enclosed space. Drawing his blaster, Kyle waited as smoke filled the area around him. He waited, not moving, waiting for the smoke to clear.
There! He heard the clatter of an approaching trooper just as the man became visible. Kyle fired and the stormtrooper dropped. Minutes passed, the smoke finally beginning to dissipate. Getting up, Kyle moved into the hallway, blaster in one hand, and a fresh detonator in the other. He came upon the bodies of two more stormtroopers in the hallway just outside the blockhouse. The final stormtrooper was inside the blockhouse, also dead. But where was the Officer?
Kyle searched the small blockhouse, finding no trace of the Imperial. He looked out, considering whether the man had been thrown into the pit by the explosion. In the midst of the roiling metal, he saw a brown cap, the same one worn by Officers. Well, guess that's that. He turned to leave just a door in the side wall opened and the Officer stepped out, holding his gun. Kyle leveled his blaster at the man. After a moment, he spoke.
"Standoff, Imperial."
"Not so, Rebel," the man said, smiling in an evil way. He held up a communicator, his thumb resting on the "emergency" button. "One push on this and I'll have all the backup I need."
"Well," Kyle said, lowering his gun, "that would seem to change things."
"Drop it," The Imperial said, grinning savagely. Kyle did so. "Now…" he began, reaching for the gun.
"But not enough to make a difference!" Kyle yelled, bringing the thermal detonator into view and hurling it at the man. The disarmed device, struck the Imperial in the face. The man cried in pain, disoriented. Snatching up his gun, Kyle brought it around and down, striking the Imperial smartly in the head.
The man's eyes lost focus and he dropped to the deck, unconscious. For a moment, Kyle considered eliminating him, but killing a helpless man, even an Imperial was not something he was prepared to do.
Instead, he stepped into the room the Imperial had come from. It appeared to be nothing more than a storage closet. But then, on the wall to his right, Kyle noticed a button highlighted in red. Reaching out, he touched the button, watching as it changed from red to blue. He heard a sound from outside. He whirled around, blaster at the ready, expecting a squad of stormtroopers and found, nothing. Kyle took a step forward, casting about for what had made the sound, but there was nothing.
He stepped back into the closet just as the button's color changed back to red. He heard the same sound again. Again, he checked the blockhouse, finding nothing. This button is doing something, he reasoned, but what? He pressed the button again, hearing the sound. This time, he looked around, less for an enemy than the source of the sound.
There! On the wall of the blockhouse to his left and slightly above, a section had slid aside, revealing an unlit space. Kyle peered inside, but couldn't see anything. He heard the sound begin and watched the panel slide closed. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. The opening had to lead somewhere. Pressing the button for a third time, Kyle pulled himself into the darkened space and promptly dropped down.
The fall was short, however, and Kyle felt his feet strike deck after a few seconds. He still couldn't see anything, the area around him pitch black. He could hear air moving, and that gave him the answer. Must be a maintenance tunnel for the ventilation system. And, since maintenance personnel don't work in complete darkness…
He reached out, finding a wall to his right. Feeling along it, he encountered a pressure mechanism. He pressed and set of lights blazed on. The sudden illumination caused Kyle to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment until they adjusted. Once he could see, Kyle determined he was indeed in a maintenance shaft for ventilation. Now, if only these maintenance tunnel can lead me to the main part of the base.
He began to walk down the tunnels, turning left and right as he hit dead ends or locked doors. He had heard the faint sound of heavy machinery as he started into the tunnels and now, as he headed down another, the sound got louder. Using the sound to guide him, Kyle emerged into a tunnel leading to another dead end.
However this dead end, unlike the others, contained a gate through which Kyle could see the giant ventilation mechanism. It was turning rapidly, a sign on the gate warning him to keep away. Kyle walked up to the gate and studied the mechanism. It sat in a large tube-like structure. Looking up, then down, he could see it extended nearly the entire length of the shaft.
Wait a minute, he thought, looking down again. He wasn't sure, but there appeared to a section of decking at the bottom of the shaft. He tried to open the gate to get a better view, but it was locked. Must be a way to open this. Turning around, Kyle noticed a button on the wall next to him marked, "Ventilation Control."
He pressed it. The sound of the ventilation mechanism suddenly quieted and as he watched, it began to slow, stopping after a few minutes. Kyle smiled at the result. Now, if I can just get the gate open. He cast about, but there was no other control or button. He walked up the hall, checking. Near the entrance to the tunnel he had just come out of was another button. Kyle pressed it and turned around to see the gate open.
He walked to the opening and looked down. Sure enough, there was decking down there. With luck, he would find the processing plant down there. But how to get down there? The interior walls of the tube were smooth, no handholds. Kyle decided to jump the short distance across to the mechanism and see if he could lower himself from there. He cleared the short distance easily, but upon landing found the surface of the mechanism equally smooth. His feet slipped, going out from under him. Kyle grabbed for something anything to assist, but the smooth surface slid out from under his hands.
Not again, he thought, feeling himself fall. But just as suddenly as the fall began, he felt a change in the angle of the wall. It was turning, leveling. His headlong slide began to slow. Then just as suddenly, the shaft turned vertical again and he fell… only to have his feet strike decking about two feet below him. He dropped into a roll to cushion the blow, ending up on his backside.
The sudden turn and twists of the "ride" had disoriented and Kyle took a moment to regain his bearings. Looking around, he could see that he was sitting at the bottom of the ventilation shaft, in an area of shade. To his left, the space opened out into a large room. His heart began to beat faster as he noticed power conduits coming down from the ceiling. Moving out of the shade and into the large room, Kyle smiled broadly and pumped a fist in the air.
There before him, were the three main primary conduits for the base. Around each was a moat of molten Phirk metal. Definitely discourages visitors, he thought. He was in the processing center, exactly where he needed to be. Extracting the sequencer charges from his belt, Kyle powered them on, then began to walk around the edge of the first conduit.
If he remembered the briefing correctly, there should be… Yes! There it was! One side of the conduit opened into a small space used to perform checks and perform maintenance. It also made a dandy place for a bomb. However, he had to traverse the metal moat. But the jump was a small one and he made it easily. He placed the first sequencer charge into a power connector, confirming it was solidly attached. That done; he armed the device. The second charge went in just as easily and Kyle moved to the third and final conduit.
Once all three charges were set and he had escaped the base, a radio signal from the Crow would set of all three charges simultaneously. He placed the last sequencer charge, confirming the arming sequence. Now, I just have to get out of here, he thought.
Just then, he heard the sound of a door mechanism activating. Turning round, he saw the wall behind him start to lift. When it finished, there stood something Kyle had never seen before. It was easily eight or nine feet tall, gray paint covering all its extremities except for the gleaming weapon it held. The face was roughly like that of a stormtrooper, but this thing was bigger than any trooper. The briefing hadn't done it justice. It took a step forward, studying him.
"Intruder," it said.
"And you must be a Phase 2 Dark Trooper," Kyle said.
"Intruder," it said again.
"Are you sure?" Kyle said, trying to bluff, "I could be maintenance."
"Intruder," it said for the third time.
"Okay, then," Kyle replied, beginning to reach for his blaster.
In a flash, the thing raised its weapon and fired. The wall next to Kyle flashed with the impact of weapons fire, an ugly, black scar appearing.
"Warning shot," the thing said.
"Got it," Kyle said, moving his hand away from the blaster. "So what now?"
The thing seemed to consider that for a moment.
"Surrender."
"Sure," Kyle said, "I'll accept your surrender."
It raised the weapon again.
"Surrender."
Gambling that he could fool the thing and get away, Kyle raised his hands as he backed against the wall of the small space.
"Okay, I'll surrender."
It lowered the weapon.
"But not today!"
Pushing off from the wall, Kyle jumped the gap of molten Phirk metal and sprinted as fast as he could away from the thing. Weapons fire traced his path, barely a heartbeat behind him. It stopped firing as Kyle rounded the side of the conduit and was lost to sight.
Leaning against the surface, he panted, recovering his breath. The thing, whatever it was, probably didn't want to damage the conduits. All he had to do was keep them between him and the thing until he could find a way out.
Suddenly, from the other side, he heard a roar.
Oh no, it couldn't…Leaning around the conduit, Kyle saw his fear confirmed. A column of vapor had appeared behind the thing. It had a jetpack! And now it was rocketing its way towards him, weapon at the ready. He might be able to outrun it on foot, but with a jetpack? No way. He suddenly remembered the missile launcher. He had brought it along in case he encountered any of the Phase 1 Dark Troopers. Now it appeared as if he was going to get to field test the weapon against a Phase 2 Dark Trooper.
The roar increased, the Dark Trooper getting closer. Holding the weapon in both hands, Kyle stepped around the conduit. It was flying right at him. He fired twice, the missiles striking the Dark Trooper dead on. It was thrown backwards and Kyle felt a smile coming to his face. But when the smoke from the twin explosions dissipated, the Dark Trooper floated there, supported by its jetpack, its armor sporting only a single shallow dent from the missiles.
It raised its weapon before Kyle could move. And even as the impact threw him backwards, all he could think was, this is not good.
As he flew back, Kyle body twisted in mid-air, part of his mind realizing he was going to hit face first. A force seemed to grab his head, pushing against it. Having no time to think, he didn't resist as his head was pushed down, chin almost touching his chest. His hands shot out, palms slapping solidly against the permacrete floor. Wrist pivoting, he spun on his outstretched arms and pushed off the floor. A second later, his feet struck the floor and he had to pinwheel his arms to keep the remaining momentum from dropping him onto his back. A thought flashed through his mind, how did I do that?
But there was time to reflect on this as the wall next to him erupted in fire and smoke. Kyle turned to see the Dark Trooper advancing on him. He ran, ducking behind one of the massive pillars support the power conduits. His mind raced, what can I do to defeat this thing? Two dead-on missile hits had barely dented the armor.
The roar of the jetpack grew louder.
Wait a minute! Remembering the not so advanced logic the Dark Trooper had shown, Kyle reached down, grabbing a few small pieces of splintered permacrete. He saw the head of the Trooper appear around the corner of the pillar. Drawing his arm back, he threw the piece of permacrete as hard as he could. It sailed past the Dark Trooper, striking the wall to its left. Immediately, the Trooper turned at the new sound.
"Acquire secondary target," it said. Kyle watched as it scanned the area. Less than a minute later, it turned back in his direction. "Secondary target not present. Reacquire primary target."
Kyle threw another chip of permacrete. Again, the Dark Trooper wheeled around, moving towards the source of the sound. He grinned. The Empire might be able to build 'em bigger and stronger, but they didn't make 'em any smarter.
But, this was a temporary solution at best. It would only distract the Trooper for so long. Even now, it began to turn back towards him. He threw another piece of permacrete. But this time, the Dark Trooper opened fire on the area of the sound, blasting the deck and wall. A chunk of the wall crumpled and fell to the ground. An idea flashed across his mind. Throwing another chip of permacrete near the last one, Kyle saw the Dark Trooper blast the wall a second time, causing a small avalanche of debris.
I might just have a weapon to use against this thing, he thought. Moving around the far side pillar until he could see the open moat of Phirk metal, Kyle brought out the missile launcher, pointing it towards the ceiling. He squeezed the trigger and a projectile shot out, arcing upwards. It struck the ceiling and exploded. The Dark Trooper, seeing this, turned towards it and fired its weapon, the blast striking the ceiling, causing it to bubble and crack.
Kyle studied the damaged ceiling. It hadn't given way, but another shot like the last one and it just might. He re-aimed the missile launcher and fired again.
As if anticipating this, the Dark Trooper fired its weapon at the projectile about halfway through its flight. It was caught in the energy maelstrom and obliterated. But several shots missed it and struck the ceiling directly overhead. He looked at the ceiling again. Still not enough, he thoughtAnd if he fired again from this position, the Dark Trooper would just blast the missile again.
So let's try the direct approach. Kyle rounded the pillar, swinging the missile launcher up even as the Dark Trooper caught sight of him.
He fired three shots before having to duck back behind the pillar, the Trooper's weapon fire barely missing him. Kyle heard its jetpack activate just as the missiles struck the ceiling. The explosion ripped apart the permacrete, crumbling it. Several large chunks fell, hitting the Dark Trooper just as it began to move. He risked a look around the pillar.
The Trooper was attempting to bring its weapon to bear on the falling chunks, but too late. The room rang with the sound of permacrete striking the Troopers' armor. Rounding the pillar again, Kyle brought the missile launcher to bear on it. He mashed the trigger, sending missile after missile into the Dark Trooper. When the launcher expended its last, he dropped it and brought up the blaster rifle.
The Trooper was reeling, its jetpack smashed and useless, gun being battered into a shapeless mass. With a sound not unlike a scream, it fell, crashing to the deck with such force the sound reverberated around the room. Not taking any chances, Kyle advanced on it, blaster at the ready. He had just taken a step when something exploded inside the Dark Trooper. Its armor shattered and Kyle dropped to the deck as pieces of it flew overhead.
When he was able to rise, little was left of the Dark Trooper but scattered sections of gray armor. Kyle allowed his tired and wounded body a brief rest. All he had to do now was escape the base and get back to the Moldy Crow. They'd set off the charges from there. But that left the problem of how to get out. He sure couldn't go back the way he came.His entrance through the ventilation system had been a one-way trip.
Taking a moment to reload the missile launcher with the last of his thermal detonators, he was about to begin searching when it occurred to him that the Dark Trooper had to have entered the base from somewhere. Moving to the place where it had entered from, Kyle felt a smile come to face as he found a door. It slid open at his approach, revealing a space so black at first, Kyle was sure it had to be a dead end. Then, he spotted the lights arranged on either side of the walls as well as above and overhead. A maintenance shaft, he guessed, although it really didn't matter what it was as long it lead him out of there.
He stepped into the shaft, taking a moment to let his adjust to the sparse light. The corridor smelled of infrequent use but at first glance, appeared to be cared for. Making his way down the passage, Kyle walked only a few feet before the passage ended in another door. But unlike the one behind him, the one was locked and there was no visible way to open it. He was considering whether it'd be possible to blast it open when noticed a second passage to his left.
Stepping into it, Kyle found himself in a junction leading to another passage. This one lead to a dead end as well, but another junction brought him to a third passage. His confidence grew as he walked through the passage, confident he'd be outside in short order. But when he found the dead end of this passage, there was no accompanying junction.
For a moment, his mind considered if there was a way out of here. But there had to be, how else would maintenance personnel or inspection teams get in here. Turning round, Kyle began to retrace his path to see if he had missed a junction. Near the one he had come through, a light caught his attention. On the wall to his right was a square halo of blue surrounding a patch of gray metal. Instinctively, Kyle placed his hand on it and pushed. The pressure mechanism responded and he heard the sound of a door sliding open behind.
He turned round to see a section of the shaft had disappeared and beyond was the stark white metal walls of the base. With hope restored, Kyle confidently made his way towards the door. He was halfway through it when he heard something, a sound that was both alien and familiar at the same time. Turning to his right, Kyle's eyes went wide with shock as he spotted a Phase 1 Dark Trooper standing in the hallway, even now swinging its blade-arm towards him.
Hurling himself forward, Kyle dived and rolled, the blade missing him by inches. He twisted halfway through the roll, pushing himself up as fast as he could. The Trooper, little more than a collection of droid parts with a shield and blade welded onto its framework turned to face him, raising its weapon. Kyle brought the missile launcher out only to stare in surprise as the Trooper brought its blade down, slicing through the launcher.
The weapon broke in two, the shells inside exploding. Kyle was thrown back, dropping to the deck. He screamed in pain. The exploding weapon had sent shrapnel into him, slicing into his hands, legs and face. His right hand was scarlet with blood and burns from the explosion. Forcing himself to concentrate, Kyle frantically grabbed for the blaster with his left hand. He brought it up and was just squeezing the trigger as the Dark Trooper sliced upwards and through the blaster. It exploded.
More pain, his entire world was pain. The sickening smell of burning flesh told him his left hand was in a similar state to his right. Blood oozed from cuts all over his body, his clothes nearly shredded. He lay on the deck, trying in vain to control the pain, knowing the Dark Trooper wouldn't be interested in giving him a time out to recover.
"Katarn!"
It was the voice again.
"Katarn!"
No, not just the one voice, both of them.
"Katarn, you must rise!"
"I can't!" Kyle cried through gritted teeth.
"You have to!" said the harsher of two, "or you will die!"
"You must!" said the kinder, "you must not die!"
Kyle tried to focus, to bury the pain, force it out of his mind. He struggled to move, to rise. Rolling first left, then right, he managed to roll onto his side, feet sliding and slipping as he tried to get them underneath, to get him up.
A fresh wave of pain ripped through him and he nearly fell back flat onto the deck.
"I can't!" Kyle cried, "The pain, it's too much!"
"He must not die," said the kind voice.
"He will, unless…" said the harsh voice.
"Unless you allow me to help him," concluded the kind voice.
"This time only," said the harsh voice.
"Very well," said the kind voice.
The voices went silent and a second later; Kyle felt energies seize him. They were conflicting at first, working at cross-purposes. The pain began to abate and he was able to gain solid purchase with his feet. But when he attempted to rise, pain returned, so strong he nearly collapsed.
"Stop fighting me!" said the kind voice in a firm tone.
"Very well," said the harsh voice, its tone one of defeat.
The energies grew, seeming to fill him up, until Kyle could feel nothing except them. He pushed against the deck and this time, he was able to rise. Slowly, he came to his feet, the energies coursing through him. The oozing blood began to slow, and Kyle's burned hands stopped smoking, although they were still horribly burned.
"Katarn," came the kind, sounding strained. "This is nearly all I can do for you. You must escape."
"Yes," said the harsh voice, "you must go, now."
With that, the voices faded and the energies left his body. Pain returned and Kyle ground his teeth against it. It was bad, but he was able to concentrate, just barely. With his weapons gone, there was only one choice. Turning round, Kyle ran away as fast as he could. Behind him, the Dark Trooper hesitated for a moment. Its programming considered the enemy's actions. It had calculated a 93.75 chance that the enemy would attempt to attack again, not run away. But the solution came within seconds, pursue and destroy.
Kyle ran down the corridor and around a corner. He knew the Dark Trooper would be coming soon. He had to find a way out, and soon. The approaching wall brought him up short. The corridor was a dead end!
"Oh c'mon!" he shouted, "This isn't fair!"
His eyes frantically scanned the wall and… there it was! Bending down, Kyle pressed a button about halfway down on the wall. A section slid aside, revealing a passage just large enough for a man to enter. It was dark, but Kyle could see the outline of another door a short distance ahead.
Stepping inside, Kyle made his way down the passageway as quickly as he could. The door ahead of him slid aside and Kyle shut his eyes against the glare from the sunlight reflecting off the ice and snow outside. When he felt he could safely do so, he opened his eyes, squinting against the glare. The permacrete of the base extended a short distance beyond the door, ending in a small shelf of ice. Stepping towards it, Kyle could another shelf of ice just above and to his right. Looking up, he realized that a set of steps had been carved in the ice, leading upwards, possibly towards the infamous ice shelf that had nearly claimed his life. A glance down confirmed that it was indeed the same place.
A clanking sound brought his head around. The Phase 1 Dark Trooper was approaching the passageway. Looking back at the ice steps, Kyle made a quick calculation. With his wounds, he could possibly make it about halfway up the steps before the Dark Trooper emerged from the passageway. And then…
He shuddered at the thought of what would happen. But he had to chance it. Stepping onto the ice, Kyle was about to move to the next step when a thought came to him. He remembered his own difficulties with ice. His ice cleats gave him purchase now, but before, he had little traction. What if…?
The plan came together in a few seconds. It'll work, he thought, at least I think it will.
The Dark Trooper stepped through the passageway, its' metal feet clanking with each step. The enemy was surely just up ahead. It crossed onto the first section of ice and stopped, momentarily surprised at finding its quarry sitting on the just above, gazing at the Trooper. This made no sense, the Trooper thought. First the enemy had attacked, then retreated and now seemed to be waiting for it to come find him. But, whatever the reason, the Trooper had an objective to complete, destroy the enemy. Raising its blade arm, it struck out at the man, only to have him stand and jump to the next step.
Its blade arm gouged into the ice, the tip penetrating. The Dark Trooper tried to pull it free, but found the weapon stuck. It pulled harder, but the blade refused to budge.
"Got yourself stuck?"
The Trooper swiveled its head back towards the enemy, who was gazing at it again, and smiling. It pulled at the blade again, but it would not come free.
"Well, I'd love to stay and see what happens, but I've got a ship waiting for me. See ya."
The enemy waved a hand at the Trooper and turned to go. Battle protocols came on line and the Dark Trooper brought its shield arm down on the blade arm, severing it. Sparks flew, and the Trooper had to take a moment to cut power to the damaged limb. And in that moment, Kyle struck.
Stepping down to the first step, he sat his back up against it and kicked out with both feet. Hitting the Dark Trooper about waist high, Kyle watched it stumble. It tried to regain its footing, but the ice was too slippery. Feet going out from underneath it, the Trooper fell. Kyle watched until it struck bottom, metal skeleton shattering.
Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to allow his rapidly beating to slow, then turned and climbed the ice steps. The last one ended just below the level of the snowfield he had been on before falling onto the ice the first time. It took a few tries, but Kyle was finally to pull himself up onto the top of the shelf. He wanted to rest, but there would be time for that when he got back to the ship.
With the cold thankfully numbing his exposed skin, Kyle was able to reach into his jacket. Finding the communicator, he had just keyed it on when a voice sounded from behind him.
"Hold it right there, Rebel scum! Hands up!"
Kyle's heart seemed to stop. He went still for a moment as his brain confirmed what his ears had processed. There was a stormtrooper behind him, probably armed. He didn't know where the Imperial had come from, although it didn't really matter now. The trooper was here, and Kyle had no weapons.
"I said, hands up!"
Kyle raised his hands, the comlink held high.
"Turn around!" the trooper commanded, "slowly."
He complied and found himself indeed facing a single armed stormtrooper, blaster leveled.
Well, that's it, Kyle thought. He was caught, and there was no way out this time.
The relative quiet of the ice shelf was suddenly shattered by the sound of repulsors.
From behind Kyle, the Moldy Crow rose from the chasm, snow blowing all around it.
Jan's voice rang out, "Drop your weapon, Imperial."
Stunned at the sight of the ship hovering just above and behind the intruder, the stormtrooper complied, tossing his rifle into the snow.
Without a word, Kyle moved to the weapon and picked it up. "Thanks."
Turning round, he found Jan had settled the Crow's nose onto the snowfield, holding the rest of the ship aloft on the repulsors. The cockpit opened and Jan looked to see Kyle coming towards her. She fought not to react; he looked horrible. His face was cut in several place and his clothes were in tatters. As Kyle placed his hands on the lip of the cockpit to pull himself in, she caught sight of them, eyes going wide.
He settled into the rear cockpit, barely stifling a cry of pain. But Jan saw his face and knew he was hurt. Without a word, she closed the cockpit and lifted the Crow off the snowfield. The stormtrooper, still feeling quite dumbfounded, watched them go.
"Detonator." It had been just above a whisper.
"What?"
"Detonator," Kyle managed to say a bit louder this time.
The detonator! She had nearly forgotten. Seeing Kyle in the shape he was in had pushed the mission right out of her mind. She pressed a button on the control panel and a green light confirmed a lock on the charges he had set.
Feeling the ship rock slightly, Jan turned round in her seat to see Kyle with his face nearly touching the starboard viewport.
She was about to ask, but Kyle beat her to it.
"Want to see."
She almost refused. The plan had been to take the Crow into low orbit and then set off the detonators. But given what he must have faced… She pressed the "Activate" button.
Kyle watched, seeing the base shake as the charges went off. Then as the power feedback went into overload, the entire base exploded in a brilliant white-orange flash. The Crow rocked again, buffeted by the blast wave.
Jan watched as Kyle nodded, then slid back into his seat, eyes closed.
Feeding power to the engines, she guided the ship out of Anteevy's atmosphere, jumping to hyperspace minutes later.