Here's a bit of action that some were looking forward to, but you may just like it because Xen gets her… well just read and find out. Hint: More characters are introduced here. And I'll be using Mara again soon. Also thank you for all the kind reviews, I haven't had a bad one yet so keep 'em comin!
Chapter 10: Hoth
Xen Stryker sat in the pilot chair of the lead Imperial walker several miles now from the rebel Echo Base. She dialed in a frequency on the walkers internal comm system and a blue static filled transparent image materialized on the dashboard in front of her. It was of a man dressed in an imperial pilot's suit with a helmet on. He was the head captain of the small AT-ST group they had brought down to scout ahead.
"Start up your machines captain, I want to know what kind of resistance we're going to deal with. Take your group now but stay within visual of me."
"Yes commander."
"Good, Stryker out."
She switched off the communicator and punched in another frequency. Just were the captain's image had been appeared an identically blue and static filled image of Piett.
"Yes commander Stryker?" He asked.
"I have sent the AT-ST's into position. I'll contact you when I have the shield down, alert Lord Vader."
"Very good, Piett out."
His image too disappeared and Xen started up the hydraulics of the AT-AT's legs, ready to go. She and her group headed out, the AT-ST squad ahead just barely in eyesight. After about fifteen minutes of walkers trudging through snow things got interesting. The comm in the head of Xen's AT-AT chimed. Her co-pilot looked to her.
"Well answer it you imbecile!" She snapped. She nodded and flicked a switch. A transparent image of the AT-ST captain appeared for the second time. The connection was full of static and not all of what he said came through.
" Encountered… istance comman… er… rebel speeders coming… fast… armed with lasers and… ow cables."
"Tow cables?" Xen asked.
"Yes."
"Kill 'em all! I don't want anything to stop me from getting to the generator!"
Before the captain could reply however the communication turned to full static. Xen looked out the view port again in time to see his and three of the other four AT-ST's go down in a heap of smoke. She could also see the shield generator just over the smoking heap, still not close enough to target though.
"How the hell did that happen? How did they bring those down?"
"They used harpoons and tow cables to wrap around its legs." Her co-pilot said.
"And how did you come up with that stupid laser brained idea?" She snapped.
"Because they're doing it again ma'am."
"What!"
Xen looked back out the view port, indeed one of the speeders was wrapping a cable around the walkers legs. Seconds later it let go, the walker fell and exploded.
"Shoot them all down!" Xen cried as the speeders headed their way. There were about seven against four AT-AT's. Good odds for her.
"Can we target the shield generator yet?" Xen asked. One of the ships that was incoming was hit in the wing with an incoming laser blast. It spiraled into the snow and exploded like the AT-ST before it.
"Yes, we can now." Her co-pilot said.
"Target it now and destroy it, forget about the damn speeders."
"Alright." He said pressing buttons and flicking switches madly. Xen looked down at her screen. A picture of the generator sprang up with crosshairs imprinted over it.
"Blast it!" Xen cried. The co-pilot pressed a button on his control yoke and a huge energy beam shot from her AT-AT and hit the shield generator causing to explode in a burst of fire power. Xen dialed in Vader's personal comm. Audio only.
"Lord Vader, the shield is down you may start your landing." Xen said through the wire mesh speaker.
"It is already being done, Vader out."
The moment she cut the connection she wished she hadn't, because at that exact moment two little figures came over the snowy white hill in front of them. One was a tall many in a robe with long hair, but that was all she could see. The other was smaller, barely going past the first man's shin, he wore a different more simple robe. But it did not bother Xen that they wore robes or the little one was unusually short. What worried her is that both carried a lightsaber, green in color.
"Target them!" she cried to her co pilot. These two Jedi could be a major threat, if they got close enough they could literally cut down the AT-AT group. A picture of the Jedi sprang up on her screen, crosshairs marking them. She got a closer look now and she recognized both Jedi from her days as one. The tall man was Qui-gon Jinn, master of Obi-wan Kenobi and Vader. The second was Yoda but she got no time to study them because the moment the Jedi were locked they sprinted inhumanly fast toward the AT-AT's and there was no way to get a lock.
"We could not achieve a lock commander." Her co pilot said. Was he inept, as if she didn't already know that.
"I can see that you moron." She snapped. "Patch me through to Vader again."
"He's turned off his comm."
"Get me Piett."
The co-pilot nodded and another image of Piett flickered to life.
"Commander, one of our legs it not responding." He whispered. In irritation Xen called upon what little of the Force she could and tossed the man out of the view ports.
"Yes commander Stryker?" Piett asked.
"Two Jedi are attacking out walkers. Mine is not responding, I cannot move."
XxX
Piett stood on the bridge of the Executor looking at a holo image of Xen, and noting how irritated she seemed.
"What about the others?" Piett asked.
"My radar shows them all down! Damn my other leg is gone."
"Vader will be there shortly, just hold your position."
" I can't! Damn it I just lost leg three! I have to go out there and kill those Jedi."
"Be careful." Piett warned. Xen did not reply and the connection went blank. Piett hurriedly contacted Vader's shuttle.
"What is it Piett?" Vader asked as his image sprang up.
"All the Imperial walkers out down milord." Piett stated. "It seems two Jedi have destroyed them. Stryker is confronting them now."
"Two Jedi? Yoda and Qui-gon! She'll never defeat them, tell her not to."
"I cannot, I have lost the connection."
"Damn it!" Vader cursed.
"Is everything alright master?" Padmé asked stepping into the view of the camera so Piett could see her.
"Alert me if anything else happens." Vader snapped. He cut the connection.
XxX
Xen landed on the snowy ground of Hoth just as Qui-gon sliced off the last leg of her walker. It fell to the ground with a booming thud. Qui-gon stepped out from behind the wreckage and looked at her. Yoda came up beside him.
"Are you another one of the Emperor's dark Jedi protégé's?" Qui-gon asked. "Or are you simply a fool that collects lightsabers?"
"Neither." Xen snapped pulling her two polished saber hilts and activating the blood red blades. "I am Captain Xen Stryker of the Star Destoyer Phoenix."
"Mm, Xen." Yoda said thoughtfully. "A long time it has been, since last I heard that name. A Jedi you were."
"Correct gremlin. I was a Jedi. Was."
"And what are you now?" Qui-gon asked. "A mindless pawn to the Emperor and Vader who knows nothing but greed and power. If so you are following a worthless path of pain and suffering."
" I…."
"Cannot answer." Qui-gon finished. "Few that have been brainwashed by the Emperor can. It's not to late to turn away and help us."
"No." Xen said. "You're wrong, I am not pawn for the Emperor! I am someone who loves the Empire and will destroy the rebels against it."
"A hopeless fool." Qui-gon said.
"We'll see who is hopeless." Xen hissed. Before Qui-gon or Yoda could reply she was in the air, she flipped once and came down with a strike at Qui-gon's head. He parried and the two green and blue bars hissed as each owner pressed harder.
"So be it."
The lock broke and the fight began. Qui-gon wasn't so hard to parry, he moved with the grace of a bantha with is Ataru gymnastics but was a flawless swordsmen. Still Xen managed. Yoda however was entirely different. Had she been dueling Qui-gon alone she may have gotten in some potential hits but with Yoda at her back it was totally different.
He was unpredictable. First he was flipping and slashing at your head, then he was down at your feet, then arm, then legs again and then who knows what. She had to be on the offensive. That would have been impossible if she had only one lightsaber but it was starting to get difficult. Qui-gon launched a series of cuts and jabs at her head which she could deflect in her sleep but Yoda began strike from the next and below so she concentrated more on him.
This kept on for and long while and when nothing happened Xen decided it was time to alter the battle and switch things in her favor. If only she could get rid of Yoda. Her chance came. Qui-gon made another over head strike. Xen extended her blood red blade into the air and the two met and locked. Next Yoda came at her spinning with his saber held out as if the drill a hole in her. She raised her boot and if contacted with his little green head. He feel into the snow temporarily dazed. But it was enough time to get in a few tricks and cuts at Qui-gon. Ataru couldn't solely match Djem So. Luckily it was the second form Xen master, the other Soresu which was excellent against Makashi. Xen directed a couple of jabs at Qui-gon's gut. As she suspected he flipped up over her and landed with his back towards her. He would be like that for at least half a second.
Seizing the opportunity before he turned she thrust both of her sabers at is back but before they made contact she found herself flying forward and skidding onto the durasteel metal hunk of the AT-AT. A shard of protruding metal stopped her, and none to gently. It tore into her leather catsuit and sliced it from the chest area to the waist off revealing her belly button and her now sliced back. That would be an everlasting scar. With great effort she picked herself up. One of her blades was completely sliced in half. The other she had managed to hold onto. She reactivated it and sprinted to the ledge of the AT-AT's fallen head. Qui-gon and Yoda both stood ready for her. She didn't feel so good now, her cut hurt and her skin tight leather wasn't so skin tight anymore, the cold breeze of Hoth was blowing up through the missing section of the torso part. She smiled down at them never the less and leaped.
She attempted a back flip but found she could not do it, her cut back would not allow her. So instead she plunged down toward the snow and Qui-gon's lightsaber grazed through both of her legs and Yoda's through her right arm. Yoda's blade came up again and sliced into her abdomen. She landed in the snow and blacked out from the pain.
Yoda and Qui-gon deactivated their blades assuming her dead. The clipped them back onto their belt in time to see three transports shoot up from the base flanked by four X-wings and a Corellian smuggler ship called the Millennium Falcon piloted by Han Solo and a wookie named Chewbacca. Then two huge blasts of ion energy flew up out of nowhere headed to space with the transports to clear the star destroyers in their way. All part of the rebel plan. The Falcon however did not follow but came towards Qui-gon and Yoda, it landed and lowered its ramp. Both Jedi clambered inside just as three Imperial transports landed several meters away.
XxX
Piett stared in horror as two huge ion laser blots streaked through space from the planet Hoth. One whizzed right past the executer and came so close that is cause an electrical error in half the computers on the bridge but instead hit the Devastator somewhat behind Piett's ship. The other ion bolt smacked into the Phoenix and both ships floated downwards in space leaving a cleat path between the Executor and the Basilisk III the third of four other Basilisks. Then out of nowhere three rebel transports shot through and jumped into hyperspace leaving Piett confused. He quickly rushed to contact Vader.
XxX
Vader stepped out of his craft just as two Lambda class shuttles landed and the Falcon took off. He growled in rage and looked to Xen.
"Get a medical capsule quickly." He bellowed to no one in particular. He turned on his heel and entered the Lambda class shuttle, Padmé behind him. He strode into the cockpit and threw two crew members out of their seats.
"Take off and follow that ship." Vader hissed to the captain, his eyes a fiery yellow. The man dared not disobey and took off. Just them Vader's comm chimed and he ripped it out of his pocket and accepted the call. An image of a distressed looking Piett sprang up.
"Lord Vader star destroyers Phoenix and Devastator. The ion blasts."
"It's of no importance." Vader snapped. "Be on the look out for a junky Corellian freighter, I want it captured and the crew apprehended alive. I shall be returning shortly. Captain Stryker has been critically wounded see to it that the med bay is ready. She will need cyborg replacing parts and something hot to drink."
"Very well Lord Vader, Piett out."
