Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall
Book 1: Rise of a Hero
Part 2
Chapter 10: Danger Has Many Faces
A/N: Shanesnest bows to the four points of the compass. Thank you, thank you and thank you! I am delighting in all the reactions to Chapter 9! I knew y'all were going to like it! The minute I posted it, I thought to myself that I couldn't wait to see the reviews! And you have not disappointed me in the least.
Now on the story…
Coruscant / Imperial Center
He gazed at the figure before him. He was angry to be sure, but that anger was also mixed with disappointment. He was not accustomed to having this happen. And judging from the reports, his operative may have not been totally at fault. Still…
"You have failed me," he said accusingly, purposely making the words harsh.
"Yes, Master," came the reply.
Good, he thought. No excuses, no arguments. He had come to expect that from this one. He continued, "My instructions were clear, were they not?"
"Yes, Master."
"And yet you failed.
"Yes, Master."
"Why?"
A pause. "Master?"
His anger increased slightly. "It is a simple question. Why did you fail?"
The operative considered how best to answer. But how could failure be explained? Every answer that came to mind seemed more like an excuse than an explanation.
"Your Majesty?"
Lifting his head, the Emperor considered the newly arrived figure. Ah yes.
The man saw the Emperor gazing at him, but saying nothing. The silence grew, becoming uncomfortable
"You summoned me?" he ventured
"Yes, physician," the Emperor replied, motioning for the man to approach.
The physician crossed the wide expanse of the room towards the raised dais. The Emperor's throne room was vast, taking up nearly an entire floor of the Imperial Palace.
"I require your assistance. My Hand has been injured."
The physician reminded himself not to react to those pale spidery appendages, veins of purple crisscrossing them. But no sooner had he taken a step forward when the Emperor stopped him.
"Not me, you fool." A bony finger pointed. "Her."
The physician glanced to his right. He said the kneeling figure as he moved towards the throne and while curious, knew better than to ask. The figure's head was down, face cast in shadow.
"Rise, my dear. Let the physician see you."
She rose in one smooth motion, betraying no sign of injury or pain. He began to wonder exactly what was wrong when her face came into view. The physician gasped. Red-gold hair framed an oval face that was familiar. But where a pair of jade green eyes should have been he could see the sclera and iris were filled with blood, the dark spot of the pupil like tiny black island surrounded in an ocean of red.
The physician grimaced. Mara Jade's eyes were severely damaged. The pain had to be quite severe. So how then was she standing here? A better question was why? But he would not ask them.
"As you can see, physician, my Hand needs your skill to repair her sight. Is it possible?"
"Yes, Majesty," he said, "but in order to perform the procedure, I request that the Emperor's Hand accompany me to the medical facility."
"Very well," the Emperor replied.
The physician bowed to the Emperor, "Your Majesty."
Amazingly, he watched as Jade turned back to face the Emperor and bowed also. "Master."
Moving closer, the physician reached out, intending to take Jade's arm and intending to help her from the room. With surprising strength, she shook it off.
"Now, now, my dear," the Emperor said, "the physician only wishes to help you. Allow him to do so."
"Yes, Master," Jade said. The physician took hold of her arm again, and this time she didn't resist.
"I will expect an answer to my question when you return, Mara Jade."
"Then you shall have one, Master."
"And physician?"
"Yes, your Majesty?"
"Do your work well. I expect my Hand to be able to see again as she did before."
"Yes Majesty. It shall be as you wish."
"Then go."
Their footsteps faded as Jade and the physician made their way to the room's single turbolift. As it closed behind them, the Emperor spoke again.
"You may come out now."
No one answered him. Nothing moved.
"I can sense your presence, Lord Jerec. Do not test my patience."
Seeming to materialize from nowhere, boots clicking against the decking, Jerec stepped from a shadow-wrapped alcove to the Emperor's right. He moved to stand before the throne, inclining his head. Black robes swirled around the Dark Jedi, masking his body from view. Only his head could be seen, egg-shaped and pale, a strip of black cloth across empty eye sockets.
"Greetings, my Emperor. It is a delight to…"
Waving a hand, the Emperor cut him off. "Spare me your false pleasantries, Lord Jerec. I know you have been here for some time. I do not like being spied upon."
Moving like smoke, the Emperor hands shot out, tongues of blue lightning issuing from the fingertips. Despite having no eyes, Jerec rolled to his left, dodging the first strikes. In a single, swift motion, the Dark Jedi was on his feet, lightsaber out and activated. Energies crackled and sparked as Jerec held the saber in front of him with one hand, shielding himself from the Emperor's attacks.
For nearly a minute, the two seemed equally matched, but with a flick of his wrist, the Emperor changed tactics. Jerec felt the change in the Force and tried to defend himself, but was a heartbeat too slow in bringing his other hand around. The saber was ripped from his grasp, crimson blade describing an arc as it sailed through the air and into the Emperor's hand.
One last bolt struck Jerec full in the chest, knocking the Dark Jedi back.
"You fight well Lord Jerec, but you rely too much on your skills with the lightsaber. How many times must I remind you that no weapon can equal the power I wield?
Smoke rose from the front of Jerec's robes as he picked himself up. Once again, he had underestimated the Emperor, and the lesson had been hammered home painfully.
"Yes, my Emperor."
"Now, why are you here?"
Jerec paused, considering how best to explain himself.
"Ah," the Emperor said, "I see. And why is Kyle Katarn's fate occupying such a significant portion of your thoughts?"
Mentally cursing himself for allowing the Emperor to get into his mind, Jerec forced himself to speak calmly.
"I have met this Kyle Katarn before, many years ago, at his graduation from the Imperial Academy."
"Yes, I know," the Emperor said impatiently.
"Katarn feels the Force, my Emperor."
There was a pause then, "Impossible."
"It is true, my Emperor. I felt it in him."
"You felt a flicker of the Force in him, Lord Jerec. Katarn has never exhibited habits that would indicated he has any knowledge of the Force."
"His connection was in its infancy then, my Emperor. But I believe it has grown. And I believe Katarn is becoming more and more aware of it with each passing day."
"Explain."
"Consider the missions he has been on, my Emperor. He has succeeded despite being wounded and outnumbered. The few stormtroopers that have survived his attacks report that he has talked to the air on more than occasion. And how else could he have penetrated the base on Danuta and stolen the Death Star plans?
Silence descended as the Emperor thought about what Jerec had said. It made sense. And if Katarn was only learning about the Force now then perhaps…
"What is it you wish, Lord Jerec?"
"To find Katarn and offer him the same choice I gave his father."
"And if he refuses?"
"Then he will die," Jerec said simply.
The Emperor smiled, began to laugh. It was a harsh, ugly sound that echoed in the room.
"Very well, Lord Jerec. Proceed."
"Thank you, my Emperor."
"But be warned. Should you fail me, as Mara Jade has, her suffering will pale in comparison to yours."
"Yes, my Emperor."
Cape swirling about him, Jerec turned and left the room. He began to smile. His plan was working perfectly.
Rebel Command Ship New Hope
Kyle Katarn's quartersHow long had she been kissing him? He wasn't really sure but didn't really care either. Kyle marveled at the sensations he was experiencing. The touch of Jan's lips on his: the soft touch of her hands as she cradled his face.
Slowly, Jan pulled back, their lips parting, her hands lingering. He opened his eyes to find her looking at him, a smile on her face.
"Wow," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Wowee?" he offered.
"Kyle," she began, "there's something I want to…"
BOOM!
The sounded echoed through the walls even as the room shuddered. Kyle was thrown away from her, head striking the wall as he fell onto his bed. He heard Jan cry out as she hit the floor hard.
"What the…"
Emergency klaxons began to sound, filling the air with their strident sound. Picking himself up off the bed, Kyle looked for Jan. She was sitting up, elbows holding her in place. They glanced at each other, asking the same silent question. The answer came as the room's speaker crackled to life.
"Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel! We are under attack. Repeat, we are under attack. This is not a drill. All fighter pilots to your ships. This is not a drill!"
Rolling to one side and onto her feet, Jan grabbed her comlink, thumbed it on. A cacophony of voices issued from the speaker, overlapping each other. Try as she might, Jan couldn't get anyone to respond. She looked to Kyle, who was on his feet.
"C'mon, we need to get to the bridge, find out what's going on."
The room shuddered again.
"I think it's pretty clear what's going, Jan. "We're being attacked."
"But by whom?" she countered, "No one's supposed to know we're here."
"Good point," Kyle said, "and later, if we're still alive, we can discuss it. But for now, we should head to the hangar bay."
"The hangar bay?"
He indicated the overhead speaker. "You heard the orders. All pilots to their ships. I'd say the Moldy Crow qualifies."
"I don't think so, Katarn."
"And why not?"
She didn't answer, pointed at his hands.
Kyle looked down to find they were shaking. With an effort, he made them stop.
"So?"
"Kyle," she said, exasperated, "don't do this. We both know you're in no shape to fly, much less fight."
"Am too."
"Are not."
"Am too."
"Are not!"
"Am too infinity!"
"Are not infinity plus one."
"Am…" he trailed off, realizing she had beaten him.
BOOM!
The ship gave a large shudder, and the klaxons seemed to grow more strident.
Jan tried her comlink again, but still couldn't get through.
Just then, a familiar voice came over the loudspeakers.
"This is Mon Mothma to all personnel. We are under attack from an Imperial Star Destroyer. I need all able-bodied pilots to their ships immediately. Your job is to hold off the Imperials until we can jump to hyperspace. Repeat, all able-bodied pilots to your ships immediately."
The speaker clicked off. Kyle looked to Jan, shrugged. "Look, I won't fight. But you heard her. I think…."
"Oh shut up and let's go, Katarn," she said, giving him a quick smile.
He grinned back at her, following as they left the room and ran for the hangar bay.
Hangar BayThe scream of repulsorlifts and ion engines washed over them as they entered the cavernous room. Y-Wings and Z-95s darted across the hangar and out into space. Reaching the Moldy Crow, Jan and Kyle hurled themselves into their couches, powering up even as they strapped in. The repulsors lift off with a cough and the Crow rose from the deck, engines coming to life with a roar that filled the hangar bay.
"Moldy Crow to hangar control."
"Thought that was you, Jan," Puan Gell said.
"What's the sit-rep?"
"Gold Leader reports at least two squadrons of TIE fighters coming from an Imperial class Star Destroyer."
"No Interceptors or Bombers?" Kyle asked.
"Not so far," Puan said.
"Well, someone's feeling overconfident."
"What?" Jan said, perplexed by his reaction.
"ImpStars carry at least six squadrons of TIEs. Standard attack procedure calls for Bombers to be launched at the target vessel with Interceptors providing escort. So, like I said, someone up there is feeling overconfident."
"Does it really matter how many ships they send?" Jan said, "We're still outnumbered."
"Good point," Kyle admitted, "do you think Mon Mothma has sent a distress signal?"
"Probably," Jan replied, "but if the Imperials are jamming us, it may not get through."
"Which they probably are."
"In any case," Puan said, "you're cleared. Good hunting."
"Thanks," Jan said, opening the throttle.
The Moldy Crow blasted from the hangar bay on a column of blue fire. Jan angled the nose upwards, so she and Kyle could now see the attackers.
The massive triangular shape of the Star Destroyer hung above them, alabaster white against the blackness of space, its' hangar bay facing towards the New Hope. They could see alternating flashes of red-orange and green, laser fire from the Rebel and Imperial vessels. The comm came to life, overlapping transmissions from the fighters.
"You're sure you're ready to handle this, Kyle?"
In the rear cockpit, he looked down to find his hands shaking again. Concentrating for a moment, he was able to still them. Enough of this, he thought, I've got to stay in control.
"Ready as I'm going to be," he answered.
"Good," Jan said, "'cause here they come." She yanked the controls, turning the Crow away as three TIE fighters blasted the space they were just in. Spinning around, she got on their tails.
Kyle focused on his targeting display. A TIE danced just outside the center box. Jan adjusted the course slightly and it the symbol fell into place.
"Now!' he cried, stabbing down on the trigger. The Crow's lasers spoke and the TIE disappeared in a flash of orange and white. Jan lined up the second TIE and Kyle fired again, slicing one of the solar panels off. His next shot pierced the engine and the TIE exploded. They were just turning back towards the Star Destroyer when it happened.
"Gold Five, evade!"
"I don't see him. I don't…"
There was a scream, cut off as one of the Y-Wings, pierced by a TIE's lasers, shattered.
"Bastards!" Kyle yelled.
The tone of his voice sent a chill through Jan. It was the same angry tone he had used back on the New Hope.
"Kyle, are you…" she began, only to be cut off as the Crow suffered a hit. The ship shook around them, but the shields held.
"He's diving behind us! Come around to 285 fast!"
Complying, Jan brought the ship around. Before the turn was even completed, Kyle began firing, filling the space ahead of them with laser fire.
"What are you doing?"
"Watch," he said confidently.
Jan watched as the lasers came close to the TIE, trailing just behind it.
"Almost there," Kyle said, "get ready. On my mark, change course to 351."
"Kyle, what…"
"NOW!"
Jan brought the nose around the other way just at the TIE turned also, veering opposite of its original course, running right into Kyle's curtain of laser fire.
"Yeah!" he shouted as the TIE exploded. "Okay, Jan. Find me another target!"
Her worry began to increase. He was getting angrier, more aggressive. She was about to consider heading back for the New Hope when a new signal came through.
"This is Gold Leader to all ships. Prepare to regroup and retreat. New Hope reports they'll be ready to be jump in five minutes. Try and stay close."
A series of acknowledgements came over the comm.
"You heard the man, Jan. Let's knock out a few more before we have to go."
"Kyle, I don't think…"
"Listen, the more we take out now, the less we have to worry about when we retreat."
That did make sense, but she still had a bad feeling.
"Green Three to Gold Leader."
"Go ahead, Green Three."
"We've got a problem. The Imps just took out Green Leader. We're down to just me, Green Two, Seven and Nine.
"Affirmative, Green Three. Stand by one. Gold Leader to Moldy Crow."
"Go ahead," Jan said.
"Jan, I'm putting you with the remains of Green Squadron. We need to try and keep the squads together. As soon as you receive the recall signal, break off and return to the New Hope."
"Got it," she said, "Moldy Crow to Green Three. Rendezvous on me and form a wedge. We can overlap our shields on the next attack."
"Affirmative, Moldy Crow, we're on our way."
Kyle watched as the four Z-95s zoomed in and formed up on either side of the Crow.
"Okay, Green Squad," Jan called, hitting the throttle, "let's go!"
They boosted forward, moving closer to the Star Destroyer. More TIEs moved in, laser reaching for the Rebel ships. But as Jan had surmised, their overlapping shields help offer more protection, deflecting several shots. A number of Imperial ships roared past them.
"Almost there," Kyle said from the back, "almost…"
"Break!" he and Jan cried at the same time.
Three of the Z-95 peeled away, diving in behind the TIE that had passed them. Whoops and war cries began to fill the comm as the Z-95 pilots knocked TIE after TIE out of the sky.
"Yeah!" Kyle said, pumping a fist, "nice work, guys!"
A frantic cry. "Moldy Crow, look out!"
Jan and Kyle turned at the same time to see a lone TIE falling towards them. One of its solar panels was gone, the guts of the ship hanging out, sparking in the velvet blackness.
Jan fed more power to the engines, began a hard turn away from the TIE. But, she could see it wouldn't be enough. It was going to hit them. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact. The deafening sound of a nearby explosion caused her to open them. The TIE was gone, rapidly dissolving into a ball of incandescent gas. She saw Green Three streak past, missing a collision by less than a meter.
But whatever sense of victory she might have felt disappeared as a chunk of debris flew out of the explosion. With the horrible shriek of metal on metal, it slammed into the Crow's aft section. All three engine displays went red as the control stick wrenched itself from Jan's grasp. She and Kyle were thrown against their straps as the ship began to tumble.
A control panel to her left suddenly exploded and Jan threw her arms up to protect her face as bits of metal flew across the cockpit. When the barrage ended, she sighed with dismay. The Crow's damage control system was the one that had exploded. They no longer had any way to assess the ship's condition or determine what systems had been damaged by the collision.
"Jan?"
"Yeah?"
"I saw something blow up there. You all right?"
"Not exactly." She went on to explain what had happened.
"So what you're saying is…"
"We're in trouble," she finished.
"I was afraid you were going to say that."
Despite the laser fire buffeting his craft, Quell Harness managed to line up another TIE in his sights. As his lasers chewed it into pieces, he took a moment to check on his team.
"All wings report in."
The calls came back and Quell fought not to let his voice show what he felt. Green Squadron had lost two more ships and his own had been whittled from ten ships to four, including himself.
He glanced briefly at the New Hope, willing the hyperspace technicians to hurry and get the ship ready to jump. He was about to swing around and engage another TIE when a new transmission came through his headset. He smiled as he heard the words he had been waiting for, then called to the other ships
"Gold Leader to all ships. Signal Echo-Lima-Rho! Everyone break off and head for the New Hope. We've got about a minute till she jumps!"
The remaining Rebel fighters acknowledged and Quell turned his nose back towards the New Hope, looking forward to getting back on board. His headset crackled again.
"Gold Two to Gold Leader."
"Go ahead."
"Sir! The Moldy Crow! She's still out there! I think she's been hit!'
Quell confirmed it a moment later. The Crow was some distance away, tumbling end over end through space. Cursing under his breath, he called to the other ships.
"All right, everyone. Green Squad! Gold Squad! Reform on me! We're going after the Crow!"
But even as he boosted his ship towards the tumbling vessel, Quell could see a group of TIE fighters approaching as well. He realized with horror that they were going to reach the Crow first.
Inside the spinning, tumbling Crow, Jan and Kyle worked feverishly. Without the damage control computer, they had to check nearly every system by hand.
"Weapons are still online," he called.
"Same for the engines," Jan said, "except for the starboard one. I'm not getting any response from it."
"What about communications?"
"I'm trying," Jan replied. The comm's memory core had been damaged, erasing all the settings. She was having to program them in by hand.
"Jan! I think I can see some of the Y-Wings!"
"They heading this way?" she said hopefully, not looking up from her work.
"I don't think so, I…. Jan! They're heading for the New Hope!
That's not good, she thought. That means the ship is ready to jump and they're just waiting for us. Just got to get this last relay programmed and…
"There! Got it! Give it a try, Kyle!"
Mentally crossing his fingers, he reached for the power switch, flipping it on. At first there was nothing, then with a loud pop; the comm came alive again.
Jan started to reach for the "Transmit" button when a voice sounded in the cockpit.
"All right, everyone. Green Squad! Gold Squad! Reform on me! We're going after the Crow!"
Quell had his hand pressed firmly against throttle, as if holding it would make the Y-Wing go faster. But, try as they might, the TIEs were getting closer.
Suddenly, a voice sounded in his headset. Static crackled loudly, but he was able to hear a voice say, "Moldy Crow to Gold Leader."
He looked ahead, confirmed the ship was still tumbling through space.
"Gold Leader here. That you, Jan? Are you and Kyle okay?"
"We're fine," came back the reply, "the Crow's taken some damage…."
He cut her off. "Jan, listen to me. You've got a group of TIE fighters moving in on you fast. We're coming, but I think they're going to get there first. Can you maneuver?"
There was a long pause, then, "We'll try."
"You heard," she asked.
"Better than that, I can see them," Kyle responded. "Quell's right. They're going to get here first.
Jan tried the engines, the repulsors. As best they could tell, both systems had power, they just wouldn't respond.
"Jan?"
"Yes, Kyle?"
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"If I'd listened to you, we'd still be on the New Hope."
She turned in her seat to face him, reached out a hand. He took it.
"It's okay," she said, smiling at him. "At least we're together."
Almost there, Quell thought. Just need a few more minutes. But the TIEs were already circling the Crow, preparing to fire.
Suddenly, his proximity alarm came alive, warning of a new ship entering the area. Probably another Star Destroyer, he mused disgustedly.
But when, with the flicker of pseudomotion, the new ship appeared, it was clearly not Imperial. It took him a moment to recognize it. And when he did, Quell let out a whoop.
"Here they come," Kyle said simply.
"Should be any moment now," Jan said.
They looked at each other, knowing the end result.
Suddenly, a new ship flashed into existence, slicing past the Crow with incredible speed.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I don't know," Jan said, "some kind of ship." She pointed. "And there's another."
Kyle followed her finger, seeing the new ship. A moment later, two more flashed into existence.
"Wait a minute," he said, feeling a surge of hope. "Jan are those what I think they are?"
"Yes, they are!" she shouted happily, "X-Wings."
The comms of both the Moldy Crow and Gold Leader's Y-Wing crackled.
"This is Commander Luke Skywalker to all Rebel ships. Looks like you've got a bit of a problem here. Anything we can help with?"
Skywalker. Kyle knew the name all too well. It had been Skywalker who had been aboard the Millenium Falcon when the Death Star had captured it. Skywalker who had flown with the now famous Red Squadron. Skywalker who had single-handedly launched the torpedoes that had penetrated the Death Star's exhaust port, resulting in the battle station's complete destruction.
Mon Mothma responded. "Luke? Is that truly you?"
"Sure is. Me and the rest of Rogue Squadron were returning from deep space patrol when we picked up a garbled distress signal. We homed in on the frequency and here we are. Are you all right?"
"We're nearly ready to jump to hyperspace but still need to get our fighters are aboard. Can you help?
"We're on it," Skywalker said, "All right Rogues, S-Foils in attack position. Let's get to work!"
He and Jan watched in mute fascination as the double wings split apart, forming the shape that had given the X-Wing its name. Separating into pairs, they streaked into the midst of the TIEs, laser cannons firing.
It's like watching one of the mecho-harvesters on Sulon, Kyle thought, as TIE after TIE exploded. The Imperials tried to return fire, but were always a heartbeat behind the speeding X-Wings. In less than five minutes, the area around him was practically free of Imperial ships. He spotted two X-Wings as they maneuvered towards the damaged Crow
"This is Rogue Two to damaged vessel. Do you read me?"
Reluctantly disengaging her hand from his, Jan reached for the comm. "Loud and clear, Rogue Two. This is Jan Ors aboard the Moldy Crow along with my partner, Kyle Katarn. You sure showed up at the right time. Thing were getting 'uncomfortable.'"
"Thing still look uncomfortable for you, Moldy Crow. You need some help getting out of that spin?"
"We might, Rogue Two. We've got engine power, but the blasted things won't light. Hang on, let me give them another try."
"Standing by."
Reaching for the controls, Jan began the start up sequence. "Here we go."
The engines wound up, and with a slight shudder, activated.
Kyle and Jan exchanged glances of surprise, then shrugs. "You never know with this ship," he said. Rolling her eyes, Jan moved to inform the X-Wings, but it turned out they already knew.
"Rogue Two to Moldy Crow. I'm reading activity from your ion drive. How's it look?"
"We appear to be up and running," Jan said, "repuslors are coming online. I'm going to try and maneuver us out of this."
"Roger, we'll back off a bit."
Jan began increasing power to the engines, then pulling it back. She fired the repulsors in a seemingly haphazard order, trying to counteract the tumbling spin. Behind her, Kyle monitored the ship's attitude, watching for the slightest indication of a problem. It took several minutes, but with one last push from the repulsors, the Crow stabilized, at relative rest.
"Looks good, Moldy Crow. Think you can maneuver back to the New Hope?"
Jan advanced the throttle, testing the engines. The port and middle ones responded readily, but nothing from the starboard one. "I've only got two engines, but they should be enough."
"Confirmed, Moldy Crow. We'll escort you back. I… Oh, bloody hell."
"Rogue Two," Jan called, "what's wrong?"
Kyle saw it first. "Jan?"
"Yes?"
He pointed "If we were in trouble before, I think we're really in trouble now.