Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall

Book 1: Rise of a Hero

Chapter 20: The Smuggler's Moon

A/N: So now you've met Blaze and I've got a number of reactions, not all of them positive, which makes the character all the more fun to write. But things are taking a decidedly bad turn. The next mission for our heroes is to Nar Shaddaa, better known as the Smuggler's Moon. All Star Wars fans will recognize the place. So hang on, because here we go!

Thunderstruck, no one spoke. Seemingly as one, Jan and Blaze looked to Mon Mothma, who nodded.

"We can't go to the Smuggler's Moon," Jan said.

"I'm afraid there is no other choice, Jan.

"There has to be, Mon Mothma. You said it yourself. Kyle has a price on his head. And taking him to Nar Shaddaa is thrusting him right into the wolves' den."

"Okay, Jan," Kyle said, raising his head to look at her, "We get it. Price on my head. Bounty hunters after me, maybe Boba Fett among them. But if going to Nar Shaddaa means we stop General Mohc and his Dark Troopers, then I'm willing to take the risk.

Jan turned towards him, her eyes locked into his. They blazed so intensely he almost looked away. Standing, she leveled a finger at him."

"You listen to me, Kyle Katarn, and listen good. Nar Shaddaa is home to more smugglers, bounty hunters and criminals than any other place in the galaxy. And every one of them is looking to make a quick buck. Not to mention it's a stronghold of the Hutts. If there's any planet in the galaxy where you need to avoid, Nar Shaddaa is it."

"Look, Jan," he began hotly, " I can…"

"And if you think I'm going to wait in the ship while you go get yourself killed," she continued, "you…"

BANG!

The sound instantly silenced both of them. Turning, they saw Mon Mothma standing, her right hand laid firmly on the table surface where she had struck it.

"Enough," she said, her voice still calm, but firm.

Her gaze raked both of them and Kyle found himself looking down, away from those eyes, they were even fiercer than Jan's.

"Mon Mothma," Jan stared to say, "I…"

"Sit down, Jan."

Realizing it was an order and not a suggestion, she closed her mouth and complied.

"Now, I have outlined the basics of the mission. Your job is to go to Nar Shaddaa, locate the Nav Card and bring it back with you. Am I understood?"

Blaze nodded, as did Kyle and Jan.

"And Jan, I share your concerns. That is why I have assigned Blaze to provide additional backup for Kyle on this mission."

"But…"

"Blaze is going on the mission, Jan, and that is final. Do you understand?"

A long moment passed.

Jan nodded.

"Good. Then I will leave you three to discuss out the mission. Have your plan on my desk for review in two hours."

Rising to her feet, she turned and headed for the door.

When it had closed, Kyle looked at Jan, then Blaze. Slumping back in his chair, he let out a breath.

"Whew!"

"Me too," said Blaze.

"That was definitely not fun." Jan said.

"Well," Kyle said, sitting up, "guess we oughta get to work."

"You're right," Jan said, "but I want you both to know that I still think this is a mistake."

"Noted," Blaze said, eliciting a glare from Jan.

For the next two hours, the three labored together to form their plan, speaking to each other only when necessary. Jan's voice was almost emotionless. But as for Kyle and Blaze...

He pointed to a section of the holo map.

"What if we come in this way?"

"That's possible," Blaze said, noting the location, "but there's one big problem with it."

"What?" Kyle asked.

"That," she said, consulting a datapad, "happens to be the Imperial's main hangar bay."

"Oh," Kyle said, "so I guess that won't work after all."

"Sure it will," Blaze said, a sarcastic smile on her face, "as long as you don't mind the TIE fighters, deck crew and stormtrooper guards."

"Well if that's all," Kyle said with mock seriousness, "then what's the problem?"

"Kyle?"

"Yes, Blaze?"

"Shut up."

"Yes, Blaze."

She laughed.

"What?" Kyle said, starting to laugh himself.

Blaze took a playful swing at him, which he dodged. She tried again, but Kyle ducked.

"Jeez, Blaze," he said, egging her on, "how're you going to protect me when you can't even hit me?"

He ran around to the side of the table opposite her. "You'd better run," she said, coming after him.

"If you two are finished, we do have a mission to plan."

The pair looked at Jan. Her eyes moved between them, her expression serious.

"Sorry, Jan," Kyle offered as he came back around the table to his chair.

She didn't answer.

Blaze sat back down, but not before throwing one more punch that connected with Kyle's shoulder.

"Ow! Jeez, that really hurt!"

"Told you you should have run," Blaze said, smiling at him."

He rubbed the spot thinking, man, she hits hard. The last time I got hit like that was the time Jan decked me. Maybe Blaze has got the goods after all. She definitely has the looks.

Forcing their attention back to the work, the trio finally completed the battle plan and presented it to Mon Mothma. She pronounced it risky, but approved it.

"And can I trust the three of you to work together?"

Kyle started to speak, but Jan beat him to it.

"Yes you can, Mon Mothma. And I apologize for my earlier outburst. I was concerned about this mission and the risk to Kyle."

"Understandable. And Kyle?"

"Yes, ma'am.

"I am placing Jan in overall command of this mission. You will obey her orders to the letter. No going off on your own, no "manipulations" of your orders, no bending of the rules at all. Am I clear?"

"As transparisteel."

"Good, then I will see you all when you get back. Dismissed."

Thirty Minutes Later

After moving her ship closer to the Crow, Blaze made a final check of Black Gold's systems, then moved to assist Kyle and Jan in their own preparations. While Kyle gratefully accepted her assistance, Jan rebuffed her every attempt to offer the smallest amount of assistance.

When the final item was stowed and Jan and Kyle outfitted, Blaze excused herself for a moment to, as she put it, "go change."

"Don't take too long," Jan said, "we're ready to go."

Blaze tossed a wave over her shoulder, grabbed a large bag from Black Gold's cockpit, the moved into one of the hangar support rooms.

"Jan."

She said nothing.

"Jan, I need to say something to you."

No response, she wouldn't even look at him.

"New Hope to Jan Ors. Please come in."

She gave him a sour look, then turned back to her work.

"Okay then."

Watching from the corner of her eye, she saw Kyle duck under the ship, moving away.

"Where are you going?"

"To see if Puan will let me use the public address system."

"You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

He kept walking, and for a moment Jan considered letting him go. But, if Mon Mothma heard…

"Okay, fine. You win."

The grin he gave her was almost enough for to tell him she changed her mind.

"What do you want to say?" she asked, when he was beside her again.

"Two things. I'm sorry and I promise to be careful."

The words were sincere, his expression matching them. She was about to speak when another voice rang out.

"Okay," Blaze called, "I think I'm ready."

The two operatives turned, sharing looks of surprise.

Blaze had changed out of her non-descript clothes. She now wore a bodysuit of green and gold material. Gauntlets partially covered her forearms. Around her waist was a belt not unlike Kyle's, but of a highly polished material. Several weapons dangled from the belt and armor plating covered portions of her knees and calves. Finally, a reddish headband arced in front of her eyes.

Jan raised an eyebrow at the collection of clothing, armor and weapons. It was unusual to be sure, but looked effective to be sure.

"Wow," Kyle said, eyes roaming over her, "you look… ready."

Oh great, Katarn, he thought. Real swift. You look ready. The fact was that the outfit only accentuated Blaze's body, highlighting its curves and swells. Okay Kyle, get ahold of yourself. He forced himself to look away.

"I recognize most of that," Jan said, stepping forward, "Reflective armor, modified weapons belt. But what's with the headband and gauntlets?"

"They're actually fairly old technology," Blaze said, "from the days of the Old Republic, although they've been modified to my specifications. The gauntlets contain shield emitters and the headband serves as a targeting computer, as well as allowing me to see in light bands all across the spectrum.

"Wow," Kyle managed to say, "got one in my size?"

"Sorry," Blaze said, "this is a custom job. However…"

She trailed off, eyes focused on him.

Stepping forward, she studied the outfit he wore, his usual combo of loose fitting pants, shirt and jacket, with his armor underneath.

"What are you wearing under there?" she asked.

The question was so unexpected, so brazen, Kyle couldn't form a reply.

She waited a moment for him to respond, then with a shrug of her shoulders, took a hold of his shirt and pulled it up.

Dumbfounded, Kyle stood there as she examined him.

"Hmmm, modified stormtrooper armor. Probably stops most blaster bolts, right?"

Still unable to speak, he nodded.

"But there's no way to cushion the impact. So I imagine when you get hit, it must hurt."

"It sure does," Kyle found himself saying, his brain clicking back on again, "sometimes…"

There was a cough from Jan, who now stood just behind Kyle.

"Okay," he admitted, "most times, after five or six shots, it hurts a lot."

"And you're completely unprotected against projectile weapons."

"Oh yeah," he replied, the memory of missile impacts from previous missions still fresh.

She pulled his shirt back down and stepped back.

"I'm not completely sure, but it might be possible to install a shield emitter in there."

"But wouldn't that add to the weight of the armor?" Jan asked.

"Not necessarily," Blaze said, "we're talking about an emitter strong enough to provide a personal shield, no more."

"It sure would be a help," Kyle said, "I can use all the protection I can get."

"Then let's do this," Blaze said, "after we get back, you and I can check this out some more, see if it'll really work."

"I'd like that, Blaze," he said sincerely, "thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Y'know, I hate to break up this precious moment," Jan said, "but we do have a mission to complete."

"Right," Kyle said, "Blaze, we'll see you on Nar Shaddaa."

"Not if I see you first," she returned. She moved away, head to her ship.

Kyle likewise turned and moved to the Crow's rear cockpit.

"Where do you think you're going, Katarn?"

He turned to see Jan, hands on hips, glaring at him.

"Um… getting on board like you said."

"Ah," she replied, "and just how am I supposed to fly the ship from the back?"

"I don't under…" he started to say when it hit him.

"He gets it!" she exclaimed, "Well, will wonders never cease."

Jan knew how Kyle enjoyed flying the Moldy Crow. Besides, she had some thinking to do.

Five minutes later, the Crow and Black Gold blasted free of the hangar bay, engines burning brightly in the darkness of space. Then, with the Crow going first, the ships jumped to hyperspace.

Two Hours Later

Kyle pulled back on the twin levers and the blue-white tunnel of hyperspace disappeared, replaced by glowing streaks that resolved themselves into stars. Seconds later, Black Gold slid into place just ahead and to the right of them.

"Ready for approach?" called Blaze.

"Affirmative," said Kyle," but are you sure about…"

"Kyle, the Imperials have your picture and vital stats. And since you attended the Academy, they'll have your voiceprint on file too. You get on the radio and this whole thing will fail."

"You're right," he admitted.

"Trust me," Blaze said, "I've done this before and they haven't caught on yet. Today will be no different."

"Okay," he said, then looking ahead, "is that it?"

"No," Blaze replied, "that's Nal Hutta, the Hutt homeworld."

Kyle studied the planet they were approaching. From here, the planet looked nice, a mixture of blue and green. But as they got closer, he spotted the swatches of brown mixed in, making the planet look, for lack of a better term, dirty.

"Not exactly pleasant to look at," he said.

Blaze echoed his comment. "The atmosphere's breathable, and the spaceport facilities are pretty good. Beyond that, it's not a place I'd want to call home. But the Hutts love it."

Moving around the bulk of Nal Hutta, they finally caught of their destination.

Kyle took an instant dislike to Nar Shaddaa as it came into view. It looked less like a planet than a ball of dirt, it's atmosphere a muddy brown that seemed impenetrable.

"We're going down there?" he asked.

"Yep," Blaze answered, "the view does get a little better in the lower atmosphere, but not much."

"Kyle, we're almost in detection range," Jan spoke from the rear cockpit.

He almost jumped in his seat. Jan had been uncharacteristically silent throughout most of the trip, responding only when needed with one-word answers or, at times, grunts. He had tried to draw her into conversation, but she rebuffed him.

Finally, she told him she needed time to think and for that, to be left alone. He had complied, and her voice now was the first time she had spoken since then.

Sucking in a quick breath, he replied, "Got it, Jan. Blaze, we're going radio silent. It's your show."

"Affirmative."

Flipping switches, Kyle deactivated the Crow's radios, transponder signal and radar, leaving only a low frequency line open to Black Gold. He and Jan would be able to hear Blaze as well as any transmissions from the Imperials, but that was all. They couldn't communicate with her or anyone else. The idea was to prevent any active transmissions from being picked up by the Imperials. Hopefully, they'd fall for the plan.

There was a sudden "thunk" as Blaze activated the tractor beam. With luck, the Imperials would think she was towing the Crow.

"This is Planetary Security to incoming vessel. You have entered Imperial space. Identify yourselves immediately.

Although Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa were Hutt worlds, they were still part of the Empire and though Y'Toub was a backwater system, the prevalence of smugglers, pirates and others demonstrated to the Imperials a need for a strong presence in the system.

"This is Independent Vessel One Chance to Planetary Security, pilot Klessa Haskel here requesting deactivation of the planetary shield."

There was a pause.

"One Chance, we have no record of your ship in our files. What is your clearance code?

"Clearance code Green-Alpha-One-Seven," Blaze replied.

Another pause.

"Your clearance code checks out, One Chance. But our scans detect another ship in orbit with you. We can detect no signals from it."

"Sorry about that, Planetary Security," Blaze said, sounding sincere. "I found this hunk of junk adrift a few systems Coreward from here. There was no one aboard and I thought it might make good salvage."

"Stand by, One Chance. We need to perform an active scan of the other ship."

"Standing by, Planetary Security."

Inside the Crow, Kyle swore. An active scan would detect any energy emission. They'd be found out.

From behind him, Jan said, "We've got to kill everything. Engines, life support, everything." She began to flip switches.

"Um… Jan?"

"What, Kyle?" she said, more harshly than she intended.

"If we cut everything, how are we going to survive?"

The realization cut through Jan like a knife. If she did cut everything, they'd run out of air before Blaze could tow them into the atmosphere.

"Okay, okay. Cut everything, but tie life support into the emergency batteries. With luck, the Imperials won't detect the emissions."

"Okay," Kyle replied, "but with just life support, it's going to get pretty cold in here."

"You got a better idea?"

"Nope."

Frantically, the pair flipped switches, pushed buttons and turned dials.

The blue-white glow from the Crow's engines died away, going dark. The cockpit lights dimmed, then went out also. What little illumination remained came from the tractor beam.

A minute passed, two, then three. Meanwhile, the temperature inside the Crow was dropping fast. The remaining air was fogged with each breath from the pair. They huddled in their seats, arms wrapped around themselves, trying to stay warm.

"Planetary Security to One Chance. Active scan is complete. We're detecting some emissions, but it could just be whatever residual energy is left in the batteries. Besides, that wreck doesn't look like it's going anywhere."

"Why don't you come up here and say that?" Kyle muttered.

"Sssshhhh," Jan hissed.

"You're cleared One Chance. The shield will be deactivated in thirty seconds. Welcome to Nar Shaddaa."

"Affirmative, Planetary Security."

Accelerating, Blaze guided her ship into Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere, the Moldy Crow trailing behind her.

Inside, the temperature had finally begun to rise, but not by much.

"Jeez, it's cold in here," Kyle said, shivering.

"You can say that again," Jan replied.

"Jeez, it's…"

"Kyle…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Shut up, Katarn."

Despite the cold, Kyle found his eyes draw to the surface of Nar Shaddaa. As far as the eye could see, structures of various heights dotted nearly surface. Tall thin towers, fat blocky buildings, circular domes. They were a number of other ships in the sky, including a few TIE fighters. But to his relief, they were some distance away, orbiting a needle-like structure.

He pointed it out to Jan.

"Planetary Security," she managed through chattering teeth, "from there, the Imperials can monitor every ship coming in or going out."

The ships banked as Blaze adjusted her course. A new group of towers came into view. But unlike the ones Kyle had seen before, these looked different, wrong somehow.

As they drew closer, he could see why. Several of the towers had fallen over or were missing completely. Others were gutted, exposed ribs of metal and permacrete jutting out.

Wonder what happened here, he thought.

With a last bank, Blaze began to descend, guiding the ships towards a circular landing platform just at the edge of the first set of towers. Kyle could see other landing pads, their surfaces discolored with the marks of who knew how many landings and takeoffs. Strangely, he saw no other ships parked here.

"We'd better get some power on," Jan said, "or we're not going to be able to land."

Still feeling the cold, the pair managed to move, reactivating systems. The auxiliary power plant came online and with it, the heaters. Both agents sighed in relief as fresh air blew across their faces, warming them. The comm system came to life just as Blaze radioed them.

"Moldy Crow, come in please. Moldy Crow, this is Black Gold, please answer."

Switching to the private channel they had agreed on, Jan reached for the mike, but Kyle beat her to it.

"Moldy Crow to Black Gold. We're here, Blaze."

He heard her sigh in relief. "I was getting worried. I've been calling you for nearly ten minutes."

"Sorry 'bout that. We had to cut pretty much everything when the Imperials scanned us. We just now reactivated."

"Are you all right?" she said, voice full of concern.

"Got a little cold, but we're okay now."

"Good," Blaze said, "we're about to land."

"Acknowledged," Jan said, interrupting, "Kyle, lower the landing gear."

He complied, and moments later, there was a jolt as the Crow settled onto the pad.

Jan popped open the cockpit, and the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa flooded inside. It was much warmer, eliciting another sigh from the two agents. But then, Kyle coughed as something acrid bit into his lungs.

Jan started to ask what was wrong when she caught the scent as well.

Emerging from the Black Gold, Blaze came around to the Moldy Crow's starboard just in time to see both Kyle and Jan bent over, coughing. As if on cue, the pair made a "hockkkk" sound and spit onto the ground.

Blaze waited as the two agents caught their breath.

"What in heck was that smell?" Kyle said.

"I don't know," Jan replied, "but whatever it was, it was disgusting."

"Probably output from one of the industrial plants," Blaze explained, "the contents of the atmosphere on Nar Shaddaa make Nal Hutta look like a paradise in comparison. Don't worry, you'll get used to it before long."

"Speak for yourself," Jan said, "I don't plan on spending enough time here to get used to anything."

"Same here," Kyle echoed, looking around, "where are we anyway?"

"The outskirts of the Duros sector," Blaze said, "From what I've heard, it was heavily populated at one time. Then, one day, seemingly for no reason, people began leaving. These days, it's almost deserted, which made it a perfect staging locale for the mission."

"So where do we go from here?" he asked.

Blaze consulted her own mapper.

"Well, if our intelligence is correct, the card is supposed to be located in a building somewhere to the northwest."

"Hold on a second," Jan said, adjusting a control on her mapper.

She consulted the display for a moment, then said, "According to this, moving northwest take us right through one of the Hutt enclave. There's bound to be major security there."

"And how is this different from any other mission we've been on?" asked Kyle with a smirk.

Blaze smiled back at him, but Jan did not.

"The difference is, Kyle, that the Hutts employ some of the worst types, including bounty hunters. It's like walking right into the bad guys' front door."

"True," Blaze admitted, "but we have one advantage, they don't know we're coming."

"Okay," Kyle said, "this is all very stimulating, but let's concentrate on the facts. One, we need the nav card. Two, the nav card is here. So, let's get going, get it and get gone."

Blaze lifted an eyebrow at him. Then, shrugging, she said, "Okay."

"Right," Jan said, "let's go."

Kyle moved ahead a few steps then stopped and turned around.

"Where do you think you're going?"