Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Part 2
Chapter 5: Battles & Piggy-Back Rides
A/N: From worrying who was going to get to me first, Tinuviel or her sister, Nerwen, I am basking in the glory of Chapter 4, which was a lot more fun to write. I've said this before, but I'll say it again and probably again some other time, but I enjoy the reviews even more than writing the story. It's so cool to get the reactions, insights and advice. I appreciate y'all more than I can say.
Now, when we last left Jan, Kyle and you-know-who, Kyle had rescued Jan from nearly being killed by an Imperial interrogator. Unable to walk, Kyle's forced to carry her, which I don't imagine he minds that much. However, they're still on Jabba's ship, alarms going off. What will happen next? Let's find out.
"How long does it take to check one corridor?" Jan muttered.
Blaze had been gone for over five minutes now, leaving her and Kyle standing there, waiting.
Jan shifted in his arms. "Let me down for a second. I want to see if my legs are any better."
"Are you sure?"
She turned her face to his, eyes flashing. "Put me down, Katarn."
"Okay," he said quickly.
Crouching, he leaned to the left as he allowed her legs to slide out of his grasp. As her feet touched the deck, Jan felt a surge of confidence. She could feel the deck under her feet this time. As Kyle straightened up, she began to put weight on her legs. A second later, they buckled. Crying out, she began to fall.
Reacting instantly, his eyes wide with surprise, he reached out, catching her. They stayed like that for a moment, both breathing hard.
"Thanks," Jan said, "guess I'm not ready yet."
"No problem," Kyle said, moving his left hand down to scoop up her legs again. As he did so, Jan pulled her left arm free, moving it so it lay against the outside of his right arm.
"Guess you're just gonna have to carry me for a bit longer, Kyle."
He couldn't help himself, "As the lady wishes."
Jan chuckled at the remark, looked up, into his face.
"Did I thank you for coming to get me yet?"
He thought for a moment, shook his head. "I don't think so. But it's okay."
Jan's eyes didn't leave his. "No it's not okay. You saved my life back there. Saying thanks is the least I can do."
Reaching up, she encircled Kyle's neck with her arms. As he stood there, she hugged him, putting her face against his chest for a moment.
"Thank you, Kyle."
He knew he should say something, but what? His mind seemed incapable of forming words for him to say. The reality of what was happening was all he could think. The warmth of Jan's skin against his neck, the feeling of her face pressed into his chest. His own skin began to warm.
Releasing him from the hug, Jan looked into Kyle's face again, smiling as she saw his neck go red, the blush creeping up into his face. He's embarrassed! She wanted to say something, wanted to laugh. Granted, they were in the middle of an alien ship with who knew how far to go to get to the ships, but at the moment, Jan's focus was on how cute Kyle looked as he blushed. A thousand ideas about what to do next raced through her mind. But before she could decide on any of them, the sound of blaster fire reached their ears.
Kyle snapped out of the trance he was in, combat instincts kicking in. He looked down at Jan. "You heard that?"
She had also gone into soldier mode, "Sounded like it was coming from the hallway."
"You don't think…" he began, just as several shots struck the opposite wall of the corridor. Kyle began to reach for his blaster, but halted himself even as the thought came to him. He had to protect Jan, and right now, with a double armful of her, he couldn't get to his weapons.
As if she read his mind, Jan's cast her eyes downward, reaching her left hand down to his belt. The hand came up holding the blaster.
"You can't be serious."
"You have a better idea?" Jan said, "I need you to carry me and there's no way you can do that and use your weapons."
"But…"
"No buts, Katarn. Just hold me as steady as you can and I'll blast anything that comes our way."
"How am I going to protect you? What if you get hit?"
"Then we're in trouble. That's why I'm counting on you not to let us get hit."
He still looked unconvinced.
"What? Don't you think I can do it?"
"No," he said immediately, "but this is too risky."
"This from the man who defied orders to rescue General Madine, nearly getting himself killed in the process."
"That was different, I…"
She cut him off, annoyance in her tone. "Fine, Katarn, whatever you want. Set me down and go help Blaze. Just don't forget to come get me."
He was already shaking his head.
"It's the only other solution. Put me down."
"No."
"I said, put me down, Katarn."
"And I said no," anger in his voice. "I'm not leaving you."
Just then, Blaze came flying around the corner, firing shots blindly behind her. The return fire tore more scars in the wall.
Jan drew back a fist. "You've got two choices, Katarn. Set me down or I make you set me down."
Blaze saw the two of them. From the way Jan was holding her fist, she guessed Kyle had done or said something to tick her off.
"Could you two rein it in for a second?" she called, "in case you hadn't noticed, we're under attack."
They turned to look at her, then to each other.
"You'd better be right, Jan."
She gave him a quick smile. "I usually am."
Rolling his eyes, Kyle took a step towards Blaze, Jan holding the blaster. "What's the situation?"
"We've got at least five guards between us and a turboshaft that'll take us to the airlocks," Blaze reported, "All armed. They spotted me just as I finished overriding the shaft's computer."
"Are you all right?" Kyle asked, noticing a tear in Blaze's tunic.
"Oh yeah," the other woman, nodding at the spot, "one of 'em got off a lucky shot. How are we going to do this? They're not exactly marksmen, but enough wild shots means one of us is eventually going to hit."
"Hang on a second," Jan said, reaching down to Kyle's belt again. She came up with a silvery orb. "We use this, then rush 'em. The blast should take out one or two and the rest should be confused enough that we can take them down before they can get off a shot."
"Risky," Blaze said, "you two aren't exactly mobile. What if you get hit?"
Jan and Kyle looked at each other, sharing a smile. "We've been in tougher spots," he said, "besides, Jan is going to make sure we won't get hit."
Blaze shook her head. "You two are nuts. But okay." Taking the grenade from Jan, she armed, then threw the device sidearm down the hallway. More blaster fire greeted the little orb as it bounced and rolled down the corridor. There was nothing for a moment, then a series of cries just before the thermal detonator. The corridor flashed with orange-white light, followed less than a second later with a loud cracking sound. Another second and a pall of black smoke issued from the corridor.
"Go!"
The acrid smoke made all three of them cough as they charged into the corridor, blasters at the ready. They were about halfway down when Blaze, in the lead, held up a hand. She waited, listening. With a look over her shoulder at Kyle and Jan, she motioned with her thumb towards the walls. Understanding, Kyle moved until his back was flat against the wall. He began inching down the corridor, Jan pointing the blaster ahead of them. The wisdom of Blaze's idea became evident as streak of red light blazed down the middle of the hallway, followed by another, then another.
"At least two of them," Jan said to him.
Opposite them, Blaze also moved down the corridor, scanning for the source of the shots. The smoke was finally beginning to dissipate, revealing the snout of a blaster. The two women fired at the same time, eliciting a cry from the holder of the blaster. The sound of a body hitting the ground reached their ears, followed by the blaster clattering to the deck. Kyle took another step forward, eyes scanning for any more of the enemy.
"I'm not seeing..." he began.
"There!" Blaze cried, pointing her weapon and mashing the trigger, an instant too late.
Catching sight of the second gunman, he watched in horror as the man aimed his blaster and fired, the bolt streaking towards him and Jan. His worst fears realized; Kyle kept his promise to protect her. Clutching Jan tightly to his chest, Kyle pivoted on his left foot and spun, presenting his back to the gunman. Barely had he completed the turn when the bolt struck slicing into his side just below his ribs.
He cried out as white-hot pain seized him, his scream long and loud, echoing in the confined space. He head Jan and Blaze screaming too, calling his name. His vision tunneled, began to gray. No! Can't black out. Gotta protect Jan. Dropping to one knee, Kyle managed to lower Jan safely. She rolled out of his grasp and onto the floor. Using his free hand to prevent his own fall to the deck, he knelt there.
Even as she saw the blaster fire and felt Kyle begin his turn, Jan called out to him, "No, Kyle. Don't!" But her pleas were too late as the bolt sliced into him. She heard his cry of pain; saw his eyes beginning to lose focus.
"Kyle!" she cried, again and again. But he didn't answer. Amazingly, he managed to lower her to the ground. Using her arms, Jan pushed herself free of his grip, rolling onto her stomach as she met the deck. She caught sight of the gunman who was lining up a second shot at Kyle. Rage boiled up inside her. This wasn't supposed to happen! Her eyes narrowed, her teeth clenched, Jan aimed the blaster she had managed to hold onto and fired.
Blaze had never felt so helpless. She saw the gunman, saw his weapon turn towards Kyle and Jan. She trained her own weapon on him and fired, but not soon enough. Her eyes went wide as Kyle spun on his foot, taking the laser blast in his side. She watched his head go back, heard his scream of pain. A moment later, she was screaming too, both her and Jan as Kyle crumpled to one knee. But somehow, she didn't know how, he was able to lower Jan safely to the ground. She rolled out of his grasp and onto her stomach; face morphing into a look of such rage it frightened Blaze. She saw Jan raise her blaster and fire on the gunman. Blaze was already firing.
Jobar Redlen grinned triumphantly as he watched the man take the shot he fired in the side, his cry of pain music to Jobar's ears. But, somehow, the man didn't fall, didn't crumple to the deck. The intruder went to one knee and lowered the woman he was carrying to the deck. She rolled free, and Jobar readied a second shot. He'd finish off the man, then take out the woman. He heard them scream, calling the man's name. Jobar smiled evilly as he aimed his weapon. But a moment later, he found himself facing the business end of two blasters. The woman on the floor looked at him, a look of such hatred it frightened him. They fired.
Even after the first six shots had pierced the gunman's skin, Jan continued to fire, pouring out her rage. The gunman's body jerked spasmodically as shot after shot hit him. Part of Jan's mind told her to stop firing; she had done enough. But she couldn't do it; her finger wouldn't come off the trigger.
Blaze managed three hits of her own before she stopped shooting. It was enough. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the gunman's body jerk once more, again, and again. She looked to Jan. The woman was still firing, her finger unmoving as it held the trigger down. Her face was a mask of such rage.
"Jan! Jan, that's enough! Stop!"
But no matter how times she called, Jan either couldn't or wouldn't listen. She kept firing, riddling the gunman's body. Blaze didn't know what to do. If she tried to stop her physically, in the state she was in, Jan might turn the blaster on her. But after two more shots, the solution came as the blaster's power cell, now completely drained, shut down. The weapon ceased firing, although Jan continued to hold the trigger down. The gunman's body, barely recognizable now, fell to the deck with an ugly sound.
"Jan?"
The other woman didn't answer.
"Jan, it's over. You got him."
Still no answer. Blaze wondered at what to do next, she had to get through to the other woman somehow. Then it hit her.
"Jan, Kyle's hurt. We have to help him."
The look of rage in Jan's face subsided and her eyes, focused on the view before her, blinked once, twice. Shaking her head as if coming out of a trance, Jan tried to raise herself off the floor, but legs still refused to respond. The best she was able to manage was rising onto her knees. Looking over her shoulder, seeing Kyle kneeling on the deck, one hand planted firmly to hold himself up, Jan's expression morphed again, to a look of intense concern.
"Kyle!" she cried, pulling herself over to kneel in front of him. His head was down, face obscured. She could hear his breathing, but it was ragged, pain evident in the way he exhaled each breath. Her eyes moved to the wound. Kyle's thin shirt had been burned away, exposing the flesh underneath. The blaster bolt had gouged a long tear in the skin, blood issuing from it. An instant later, Jan could tell someone else was kneeling nearby. She looked up to see Blaze, a mixture of horror and apprehension on the other woman's face.
"How bad is it?"
"A blaster shot against unprotected skin?" Blaze said, "Could be pretty bad. I need to clean some of that blood away to check."
Jan nodded. Turning to face him again, she said, "Kyle, can you hear me?"
There was no answer at first, then his head dipped once. Yes.
"You've been hit, we don't how bad. Blaze needs to clean the wound in order to examine it. Can you handle it?"
There was a pause, then his head dipped again.
Looking to Blaze, Jan nodded.
Removing the last of her medpacks, Blaze extracted a small spray bottle. "I'm going to start Kyle, this might sting a bit."
Depressing the trigger on the sprayer, she sent a thin stream of water onto the wound. Kyle's reaction was immediate. He sucked in a pained breath, trying but failing to fight the desire to twist away as fresh pain crashed into his brain. Blaze quit spraying even as his body convulsed. She looked to Jan.
"He's got to stay still. I can't work if he moves."
"All right," Jan said. She turned to him again. "Kyle?"
She expected the head bob again and so was surprised when he whispered, "Yes?"
She took a moment, then said, "I know it hurts, but we've got to check how bad the wound is." She paused again. "Will you trust me?"
"What?" he murmured.
"Will you trust me?"
He waited only long enough to suck in another breath. "Jan, what..?"
She cut him off, "Answer the question, Katarn."
He paused a moment more, then between breaths said, "I trust you, Jan."
She smiled faintly, then reached down with both hands until she could feel the line of his chin. Gently, she pulled, raising Kyle's head until his face came into view. His hair was damp with sweat, and his eyes while clear, were full of pain. The mouth was open slightly, gritted teeth visible.
Jan waited until his eyes were looking into hers. "Kyle, listen to me very carefully. I want you to look into my eyes and no matter what happens, keep looking at me. All right?"
She could see the question behind his eyes, but a second later, he whispered, "Okay."
Adjusting her grip so she had a firm hold on his chin, Jan cast her eyes to Blaze, giving her a nearly imperceptible nod.
"Keep looking at me, Kyle," she said even as Blaze sprayed the wound again. Body trembling, he started to move.
"Kyle," she said, holding his head firmly in place, "Try not to move. Don't think about the pain; don't think about what Blaze is doing. Concentrate on me, Kyle."
He wanted to, he knew Blaze was trying to be careful. But it hurt so much. He couldn't stand the pain. Sweat poured off of him as he tried to fight the pain.
"I can't," he whispered, the trembling increasing.
Then, in the midst of all of it, the pain, the heat, the trembling of his body, Kyle felt something touch his face. It was cool, soft, gentle. Forcing his half-lidded eyes open all the way, he found himself almost nose to nose with Jan. She had moved so close he could feel her breath on his face. It was like a soft breeze. He felt the touch again, so wondrously cool. Her eyes were still locked on his, so close he could see the deep cobalt blue of the irises.
"Keep looking at me," Jan prompted, stroking his face. His face was slick with sweat, but the pained look had eased. She ran her hand down one side of his face, moving across to the other side, feeling surprised that the sensation was rather pleasant. Stubble on his face rasped against her skin, but not uncomfortably.
"How it's going?" she said to Blaze.
"I can see the wound," the other woman answered, a lighter note in her voice. "He was lucky. The gash is pretty long, but shallow. Once we get back to the New Hope, the doctors should be able to fix this up in short order.
"Good," Jan said, refocusing her attention on Kyle. "You heard that?"
"Yeah."
"I've just got to get the wound closed, then…" Blaze's voice suddenly cut off.
Jan waited for her to continue, but after a minute of silence, she pulled her eyes away from Kyle to glance at the other woman.
Blaze was frantically rummaging the medpack, cursing softly.
"What's wrong?"
The other woman turned to look over her shoulder. "The medpack. A number of items are missing, including the laser scalpel and container of synthflesh."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I can't close the wound."
"What?" Jan exclaimed.
"It must have happened when Kyle used the medpack to knock his blaster free. The container opened when it hit the deck. I thought I had gotten everything, but apparently I was wrong."
"You can't do anything for him?"
"I've got bandages and gauze," Blaze said, "but without closing the wound, I can't keep it from bleeding. And as soon as he moves, it'll get worse."
"How much worse?" Jan asked apprehensively.
"He could die."
"Jan?"
She lowered her head back to him. "Yes, Kyle?"
"Tell Blaze to do whatever she can do to patch me up. We've got get out of here."
"You heard us?"
"Every word."
"Then you know why I'm going to say no. We've got to find a med bay. There's got to be one somewhere on this ship. Once you're treated, we'll escape."
He shook his head.
"You're in no shape to argue with me, Kyle. We're doing this my way."
"There may be another way," Blaze interjected.
Jan's eyes moved to meets hers. "You found something?"
"Yes and no," Blaze admitted, holding up a tube with a silver liquid inside it, "This stimulant won't repair the damage, but it might give him enough energy to get to the ships."
"The wound?" Jan asked.
Blaze shook her head, "I can't do anything else about that. And there is one other thing."
"I'm almost afraid to ask."
"With the blood loss and strain on his body, it's possible the stimulant could damage his heart."
"Great," Jan said, throwing up her hands in frustration.
"Jan?"
She bent down to him again.
"Tell her to give me the stimulant."
"No, Kyle, no way. It's too dangerous."
"Please Jan, I'm begging you. If I'm going to die, don't let it be here."
She looked into his eyes: saw the earnestness in them. No, she thought, I shouldn't do this. I won't do this. If he dies…
Fighting back sudden tears, she muttered to Blaze, "Give him the stimulant."
The injection, normally painless, caused a fresh tremor to ripple through his body. Jan continued to hold him, but her eyes were downcast as Blaze applied the bandages.
Hearing the stretching and ripping sounds of the surgical tape, Kyle felt the stimulant go to work inside him. His heart began to speed up, pumping fresh energy into his limbs. The pain from the wound became less and less so that he could hold himself still.
"There!" Blaze said, patting the last piece of tape in place. "Done."
"Okay," Kyle said, his voice a bit stronger, "let's see what happens." He began to move, but felt resistance.
"Um, Jan?"
"Yes?" she replied, still looking down.
"You can let go now."
"Oh!" she gasped, head coming up as she released her grip on his chin.
Moving slowly, Kyle pushed off with the hand planted on the floor, rising onto his knees. Fresh pain from the wound flared, but after a moment, it began to subside.
"The stimulant's helping," he said, getting ready to stand. Then it occurred to him, Jan!
Looking to her, he said, "Ready for another ride?"
She gave him a look of disbelief. "You're not suggesting that you carry me again?"
"Unless you're able to walk yet, yes."
"Well," she said determinedly, "we'll just see." After two tries, Jan was able to plant on foot firmly on the deck. But as she tried to rise, her legs wobbled. She tried again, nearly spilling herself to the deck. Despite her failure, she shook her head at him.
"You're not carrying me."
"Who else can?" he said, trying to reason with her, "Blaze?"
Jan gave the other woman a questioning glance, but Blaze shook her head no.
"All right then," she said, "put it this way. You can't carry me."
"So what am I supposed to do, drag you?"
"Whatever will keep you from aggravating that wound of yours," she said, pointing at him.
Kyle glanced down. Already a small red circle was visible through the bandage.
"See?" Jan pressed, "You're already bleeding through it. You can't carry me."
"Yes I can," he answered, "but not the way I did before."
"What do you mean?" she said, confused.
"You ever hear of a piggy-back ride?"
Jan thought for a moment, shook her head no.
"It's simple. You climb onto my back, holding onto my shoulders, then wrap your legs around my waist."
She gave him an incredulous look.
"It'll work. My friends and I used to do it all the time when we were kids, especially when somebody got hurt and couldn't walk."
"I'm not doing it, Katarn."
"Wait a minute," said Blaze. "This might just work."
Jan flashed her a cold look.
"Hear me out," she said, holding up a hand; "with your legs around Kyle's waist, you'll be able to put direct pressure right onto the wound. That'll help slow the bleeding."
Jan shook her head firmly. "No."
"Jan?"
"What, Katarn?" she said, anger in her words.
"A minute ago you asked me to trust you, and I did. Now, I'm asking you, please trust me."
She opened her mouth to speak, but he interjected, "I'm not dragging you."
Letting out a loud breath, she gave in. "All right, fine. But I still think this is crazy."
Kyle smiled at her. "Okay, come on over and reach your arms around my neck."
Jan pulled herself and complied.
"All right," he said, taking a number of deep breaths, "hang on."
Steeling himself, Kyle placed both hands flat on the floor. Then, in one smooth motion; he pushed off, rising to his feet.
Behind him, Jan began to slide off. He grabbed for her hands, catching them. But the strain of holding them was making the pain worsen.
"Quick! Get your legs up!"
"I can't!" Jan cried. She was trying, but her legs wouldn't respond.
Sucking in a deep breath, Kyle gave a loud cry as he let go of her hands, bent down and reached behind his back. As his hands found Jan's legs, he pulled them forward and up, encircling them about his waist. As he did, Jan got a firmer grip on his shoulders and pulled herself higher onto his back.
They stayed that way for a minute, both panting from the exertion.
"Are you two all right? Blaze asked.
"Peachy," Jan muttered, "what about Kyle?"
"I've been better," he gasped, eyes shut against the pain.
"Can you walk?"
"Give me a sec," he answered. After a minute, the pain began to abate, but his racing heart didn't slow.
"What's wrong?" Blaze asked, seeing the play of emotions on Kyle's face.
"My heart," he said, "it's beating so fast. I think something's wrong."
"I was worried about this," she answered, "the stimulant is overloading your system."
"Let me down, Katarn," Jan said, "we're scrapping this plan before it kills you."
His eyes snapped open as she said this, a look of fierce determination in them.
"No," he said, "we're leaving, now."
Before Jan could utter another word, Kyle took a step forward, then another, then another.
Blaze watched in mute surprise as Kyle made his way down the corridor, stopping in front of the turboshaft doors.
From over his shoulder, Jan called, "You coming?"
Her paralysis broke, and with an embarrassed look on her face, Blaze soon joined them. She hit a button on the shaft's control panel. A moment later, the hum of a repulsor field was audible through the closed doors.
"Figures," Jan muttered, "we go through all this, only to have to wait for the elevator."
Kyle chuckled at the remark, even though laughing made him hurt worse. Blaze emitted a bark of laughter, giving Jan a look.
"You always know what to say, Ors."
"Yep," Jan replied.
A moment later, they heard a sound as the turboshaft car slid to a stop at their level. With a "ding" sound, the doors parted. They stepped inside, Blaze hitting another button inside the car. The doors closed and the trio felt the sensation of descending.
"How are you doing, Kyle?" Blaze asked.
"I'll make it," he said. In truth, he was tired, so tired. The pain had served to keep him awake, but even with that, he felt his eyes trying to close. One of Jan's legs began to slip from his grip.
"Kyle!" she called.
Snapping awake, he moved his hand to get a fresh grip on her leg.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Just don't drop me, Katarn."
"Yes, Jan."
Just then, the turboshaft car slid to a halt, doors opening onto a new hallway. On one side was a row of circular doors.
"There's the airlocks," Blaze said, stepping from the car. Jan and Kyle followed, pausing as Blaze gazed into the airlocks viewports, searching for the ships.
"Here!" she cried, pointing.
Stepping over, both Jan and Kyle smiled as they caught sight of the Moldy Crow
"You know," Jan said, "I can't recall that ship ever looking so good before."
"Me too," said Kyle.
As it turned out, Black Gold was right next door. Fingers dancing over the controls, Blaze got the airlock doors open to both ships.
"Give me a moment," she said, "I want to make sure both ships are okay."
"Booby traps?" Jan offered.
"Exactly."
She and Kyle waited as Blaze checked her ship first, then the Crow.
"Everything looks okay," she said, emerging from the Crow's airlock. She turned to Jan, "You want some help getting down?"
Jan started to refuse, but considering the shape Kyle was in, "Please."
As Kyle released her legs, Blaze caught Jan under the arms, lowering her to the floor.
On her knees, Jan looked up at Kyle, a look of shock coming to her face as she spied the bandage. It was completely soaked through, blood starting to drip onto the deck.
"Blaze," she called, "you'd better have a look at this."
"The other woman stepped over, shaking her head at what she saw. "It's no good. I'm going to have to take this off. Leaving it on would risk infection."
Jan nodded, mutely watching as Blaze peeled the blood soaked gauze off of Kyle. He cried out a few times as she pulled the tape free of his skin. The wound beneath was smeared with blood and small streams were issuing from it.
"Here," Blaze said, pulling one of Kyle's hands down to cover the wound. "Press that as hard as you can." He nodded.
"We need another bandage," Blaze said to Jan.
"Anything in the medpack?"
The other woman checked it, shook her head. "I've got one patch of gauze left and some tape, but no bandages."
The trio women stared at each other for a moment, then an idea came to Jan. Rising up onto her knees, she reaching down, grabbed a fistful of shirt and yanked. The material resisted for a moment, then separated with a ripping sound. Despite the state, Kyle couldn't help but watch as Jan pulled more of the shirt off, exposing her midriff. Her stomach was flat, with just a hint of muscle. The skin glistened with sweat from her recent exertions.
"Here," she said, holding the material out to Blaze. She noticed Kyle's stare.
"You looking at something?"
His eyes immediately left her, moving to look at the airlock. "No," he said unconvincingly.
Jan glared at him a moment more, then watched as Blaze pulled Kyle's hand away and placed the fresh bandage on top of the wound. He sucked in a breath, gasping in pain as she secured the bandage.
"Okay," Blaze said, after a minute, "it's done.
"Good," Jan said, "Now, could you give me a hand here?"
"Sure," Blaze replied, stepping over. Looping one of Jan's arms over her shoulders, she helped her stand. Together, they entered the airlock, moving to the now open cockpit of the Moldy Crow. With a final effort, Blaze got Jan into the forward couch.
"Thanks," Jan said, hands already moving over the controls, bringing the ship back to life.
"No problem. Be right back with your partner."
She stepped out of the airlock, returning a few minutes later with Kyle in tow. He was still able to walk, but his eyes were half lidded again. Stepping into the rear cockpit, he lowered himself into the seat, allowing Blaze to help him with the straps.
"Thanks, Blaze," he said, turning his head to look her in the eyes, "I owe you dinner when we get back."
"As long as you're buying, it's a date," she replied, smiling at him. She started to back away then, with a sudden impulse, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
"What was that for?" he said, a shocked look on his face.
"We'll talk about it later," Blaze said, giving him a mischievous grin as she made her way to the forward cockpit.
"He's all set."
"Good," Jan replied.
"How are we doing this?"
"Quick and dirty," Jan said, "don't wait for us. Just get clear and into hyperspace as fast as you can. We'll rendezvous later."
"Right," said Blaze, "see you soon."
She stepped away from the Crow and back into the airlock, sealing it behind her. Jan watched her go, a mixture of anger and surprise in her mind. She had seen Blaze kiss Kyle. Part of her was angry with the woman for doing it. But, she mused, why should she be angry? She had no claim on Kyle. Besides, what was it to her if Blaze wanted to kiss him? And yet, it bothered, very much. As if Blaze was taking liberties she didn't deserve to.
The argument was still going on inside her mind as the Crow's engines roared to life. The airlock computer, seeing nothing wrong with the ship powering up, obediently released the docking clamps. Dropping free of Jabba's ship, Jan dove the Crow down and away, pushing the sublight drive for all it was worth. With a confident roar, the ship responded, streaking away from the larger vessel. It took another two minutes for the computer to finish loading the pre-programmed jump from memory.
"Kyle?" she called, "how are you doing?"
"Glad to be out of Jabba's ship."
"I'm serious, Katarn."
"It still hurts pretty bad, but I think I can manage."
"Just hang on for a little while longer," she said to him, "in three hours, we'll be home."
The computer signaled it had finished verifying the hyperspace coordinates. Pulling back on the hyperdrive lever, Jan watched as the stars grew into lines, then disappeared as the Moldy Crow rocketed into hyperspace.