Chapter 16
Seven days later Jaina sat ramrod straight as she stared out of the side viewport of the old BTL-S3 Y-Wing that would carry Kyp and her to the surface of Geonosis.
Kyp finished the preflights and quipped "Hope this bucket gets there and back. This hunk of junk is older than me."
Which was nearly true. The two-man fighter/ bomber dated back to the early days of the Galactic Civil War. It was chosen because it was less likely to raise suspicions as it snuck into the Geonosis system. The smugglers and pirates that comprised the Moorex Pirates set up shop in the outer orbit of the planet just outside of the asteroid belt that made up the planetary ring. Pirates and smuggling groups had a long history of using older cast-offs from the government and private sources. Or they would cobble together ships from different sources calling the strange combinations "uglies."
The plan that was proposed by Kyp to the Jedi Council over a month ago was finally under way. A team of Jedi including Corran, Valin and Jysella Horn, Doran Tainer, Kyle Katran, Jaina and Kyp, along with the Military Intelligence crew of Sunrise, an equally old Marauder-class corvette, came into system two days ago to stake out the system from its hiding place behind the Geonosis primary. After deciding on the best route, Kyp and Jaina were to sneak into the flurry of ships around Geonosis and then get under the planet's defenses at the north pole of the desolate desert world. From there they would literally skim the surface to the factories. There they would find a way in and sabotage the factory's main computer.
The plan called for downloading a destructive computer virus which would corrupt the droid brains of the manufacturing robots as well as be transmitted from the command center to any activated droids rendering them useless. The team was also instructed to upload any data regarding the Moorex and its head Marolosa for use against them and their supporters in the governments of worlds like Tatooine and Naboo.
Intelligence was able to get much of the needed information regarding the Clone Wars facility on Geonosis from the Imperial Remnant which the slicer Ghent used to create the virus. The computer bug, as he explained it to Kyp, Jaina and Luke, was very similar to a biological virus because it could mutate and change according to what it came up against in order to complete its destructive intent.
Jaina only hoped the actual doing was as easy as the planning briefings made it sound. She still had the disturbing vision and she could feel the fear it caused creep into her thoughts as the mission became a reality.
Kyp's voice brought her out of her thoughts and she turned her head towards him. He was to pilot the Y-Wing while she acted as gunner and co-pilot from the backward facing seat behind him. "What?"
He turned to look at her and half-heartedly grinned, "I said, I hope this crate gets us there. It has to be older than I am."
She returned his smile but it never reached her eyes, "Yeah, and we all know how ancient you are."
Kyp didn't get a chance to refute the remark, as the speakers came to life with the voice of Jysella Horn who was acting control officer, "Trickster II, you're all go. May the Force be with you."
"Copy, Sunrise. And may the Force be with you," Kyp replied.
Kyp had named the Y-Wing in honor of Jaina's goddess ruse during the Yuuzhan Vong War. She had vehemently argued against it but Kyp eventually won the argument by tickling her into agreement.
Kyp lifted the ship from the hanger of the old corvette and headed out. Once free of the sun's gravity they made a short jump out of system only to jump back in at the northern pole side of the planet. Kyp guided the fighter down the gravity well and quickly got under the planet's defenses. He then skimmed the rough surface literally only meters from the hard ground. "Well, that wasn't too hard," Kyp said as they reached the surface.
"Yeah, but I thought that was the easy part." Jaina said as she watched the monitor that had been modified for her to act as co-pilot and not just as gunner. The ship did not have an astromech droid and she preformed many of the scanning tasks it would have.
After several minutes of relatively easy flying, Jaina warned, "Watch out for that crevice ahead. Kyp, watch out!" she yelled when he didn't seem to be paying attention. He then quickly pulled the ship to its side and slid through the narrow opening.
"I saw it. I saw it," he gritted out. He had to maneuver the ship through two tight twists both of which brought gasps from Jaina. As they came out of the other side of the long gorge, he said, pleased with himself, "Not to bad, if I do say so myself."
"Well—Kyp!"
He instantly pulled up on the yoke to slide up the side and over a two kilometer high cliff face. All the while Jaina held her breath. Only when they cleared the top did she let it out. She shook her head and said, "Next time, I do the flying."
He banked the ship starboard to avoid a boulder half the size of a star destroyer then said through gritted teeth as the g-force pulled on them, "I asked you if you wanted to be pilot, remember? And you told me that since it was my mission I could fly." He jinked the ship flat again just in time to bank portside to avoid another large piece of rock. "So no complaints," he added testily.
She winced as he pulled the ship the other direction and scoffed, "Well, I didn't realized you were going to pilot this piece of junk like you do your speeder!"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" He pushed the stick down and the repulsers screamed as he cut them slightly to drop with the sharp cliff as the plateau dropped to nothingness for two or three kilometers.
"You figure it out, Durron." She gritted her teeth against the sudden increase in G's as the ship dropped. The Y-Wing really wasn't designed for flight so close to the surface.
As Kyp leveled the ship out again they found themselves flying over a low flat dune sea and they both sighed a breath of relief. However, the easy ride was over way too soon as another two or so kilometer high cliff face loomed before them. And to Jaina's displeasure the resulting plateau was just as hazardous as the one they had left before.
They were coming up onto the factories and Jaina began scouting out for a place to land. Finally, she found a depression in the terrain and yelled to Kyp as she pointed out the portside viewport, "There!"
"See it," he replied and pulled hard on the stick bringing the ship to port. "Looks like some kind of exhaust port."
"We should be able to hide there. Doesn't seem to be any activity anywhere down here. I'm not picking much up in way of life forms."
"Yeah, and I'm not getting much from the Force," Kyp added as he brought the ship over the vent. "How about those emissions? Are they safe?"
Jaina scanned the data and nodded, "We'll be okay. They appear to be nothing but water steam with low concentrations of carbon and iron." She paused and added as he lowered the ship into the hole, "and a bunch of other things but all low in toxicity."
Kyp continued to lower the ship and put it down on the ledge next to the vent port.
"Wonder what this is used for?" she idly asked as she moved her hands over the controls to put the ship in standby and looked out of the viewport at he white fluffy steam as it lifted for the orange hued sky.
"I have no idea." Kyp finished with his controls and unfastened his crash harness. He opened the canopy and said, "But I really don't want to find out either. That steam will be hot, watch yourself."
"Yes, Master," Jaina replied sardonically then added her voice softening despite trying to keep it sarcastic, "You, watch yourself."
They leapt from the ship and threw their helmets back into the cockpit. Their eyes met and, although Kyp responded flippantly with, "Yes, Goddess," their eyes held nothing but sincerity.