Star Wars: The Korasa Trial
Chapter 5:
'The shield over the dome can be breached from the inside, through the top-hatch', Yasue had said. She had said it with no discernible worry in her voice or expression, and the confident authority of having done so many times before. Looking between the vast wall below, and her plainly eager expression, Kagen was sure she had; but this did not make the ground seem any closer.
Exactly one hour and four standard minutes after the shield's activation, by Obee's count, communication was restored. Yasue had exchanged rapid-fire orders with the rest of her party; lent to another captain, while Tem translated for the Padawan's benefit. The Hunters were to cover the 301st to 014th sectors, including 'dead' sectors, and the Inner Divisions were being deployed over the remainder.
Tem had let the uncomprehending silence stand for a moment, before the vaguely hopeful expression fell. Sighing, he'd pulled out a datapad and sketched a large circle labelled 'Gaara'. A thick blacked out section – the Rift – covered the equator, with a dotted line bisecting each hemisphere. These were the Mid-Gates, near and far, then vertical lines were drawn in, dividing the moon into sectors. Technically, he'd drawn three, gotten bored and explained that they carried on all the way round, defining 504 sectors, each about 8 kilometres across at their widest. And some of those, dead-secs, were no-go zones, unless one had an enviro-suit because they had been vented and sealed at some point during the course of a 1st through to about the 130th battle of the said sector.
All of these battles had taken place in the Maintenance Level; although huge bulkheads defined the Mid-Gates on all levels, only the uppermost two had intermediate gates, all of which had been sealed for nearly two decades. The levels below – the 4th having never been completed, was considered as one in the same as the 5th – could be divided by the energy walls that activated during a full lockdown, or whenever a sector was compromised by an atmospheric leak or toxin. The shields ran the full length of the hemispheres, but also ran horizontally in intervals of just under 100 kilometres.
Local geography established, Yasue had led them under the interior dome, and its pulsing generator. The chamber seemed so much smaller, a dazzling blue shield veiling the machinery responsible for the outer energy field. It blazed a metre over Zea's head, impenetrable, but for the narrow service shaft that ran up inside the wall.
The Kaminoan made no complaint, despite the fact he was to be left behind; their intended means of escape were beyond him. He stood silently aside while Yasue detached one of the wall panels to reveal the shaft. Some instinct warned Kagen not to press any further, but the lieutenant hadn't bothered to conceal his presence in the Force. Bare threads of discontent encircled him, neither growing nor shrinking; but that composure slipped entirely when Tem, bringing up the rear, accidentally switched his comlink back on. Blaster fire rang out, accompanied by a strangled cry before he shut it off, but in that window, Kagen felt a wave of contempt breaking from the alien, an unanswerable bitterness, that had not been diminished by time.
Then the calm mirror slid back into place, the momentary distraction dismissed. Yasue's white-wrapped feet reappeared; for some reason the standard grey of her jumpsuit had been replaced from just above her ankles down.
"Keep in contact; if Vessel is still around here somewhere he might make a run up this sector and I don't want you to get killed Lieutenant."
"Tae-dana, Sir," Zea acknowledged the order in as neutral tone of voice as had ever been. He stared over the Padawan's head as he and Tem passed, the pulsating light of the shield reflected in his eyes.
The service tunnel was unlit, but it grew lighter as they climbed, the shield's incandescent generator beam finally coming into view, too bright to look at directly. The last few metres of the shaft were almost horizontal, but ceiling rose sharply nearer the centre; a greatly scaled-down replica of the chamber, except that the column of light ran from the floor up to the ceiling. A mostly transparent field contained the raw energy, looking almost like static in midair.
Yasue ignored it, pulling a panel from the ceiling to reach the firmly secured hatch that opened onto the dome's surface. A discordant beep sounded behind Kagen, and he hurriedly crawled into the space to let Obee drift past.
It was Tem who actually lifted the heavy trapdoor, bracing himself against the floor. Yasue slipped out of the tight opening, whitish light filtering in. Then the hatch was pulled ajar, Yasue backing carefully down the sloping dome, and Tem standing up to take most of the weight. She reappeared in the opening, a black silhouette against the brilliant shield.
"Climb through. Don't stand up." Kagen did so, feeling quite awed by his surroundings. At about his head-height, had he not been bent over, the energy beam hit a wide dish suspended from the cavernous ceiling above, dispersing into the hemispherical shield. It was purest white, painfully so at first, but faded to an electric shade of blue, far below.
The arc of the dome was broad enough to obscure the exact point at which it met the ground, the slope increasing to a straight drop before the end. Tem wore a suitably anxious expression, but Kagen could sense the reckless grin lurking unseen at Yasue's core. The top-hatch shut with a very final sounding boom, and then there was only one way left to go.
"The opening will only last about thirty seconds; slide down and jump. It's not as hard as it looks. I'll make sure you land safely." Kagen appreciated the effort, but Yasue's dubious encouragement might have been more reassuring left unsaid.
Heat radiated down from the dish, and the throbbing sound of the shield made it difficult to think. Yasue had placed a thin rod in one of the evenly spaced holes that ran around the generator beam, and held it gingerly in her prosthetic hand. In one smooth motion, she extended the pole, up into the shield itself. The shield split like water around the tip, but water had never made such a sound; a raw tearing that made Kagen's teeth rattle. He saw the sparks blossoming from beneath the plating on her arm, but the sound was drowned out entirely.
Already, the tip was glowing orange, tiny rivulets of molten metal running down the shaft, but solidifying before they reached the ground. Grey ceiling was visible through the widening slit; a finger's breadth where the rod had connected, but easily wide enough to escape through by the time it reached the dome's base.
Tem pushed off first, sliding along the smooth metal, followed by Yasue. Trying not to think too much, Kagen launched himself down the side. Obee floated alongside him, issuing a low 'wooo', before he lifted easily of the gap. The little droid glided away in a lazy spiral, but the Padawan paid him no mind. He was picking up speed very rapidly, pushing out with the Force on both sides to stay within the opening. The air was thinning too, rushing past too fast to breathe.
Ahead of him Tem began to fall in earnest, 10 metres from the ground. Yasue stood up and leapt; aided by the Force she moved almost too fast to follow. She landed neatly, a languid flick of her hand halting Tem's descent. Steadying himself, Kagen threw himself off the dome, his momentum carrying him further and higher than he had intended. He rolled on landing, expecting a moderate to severe amount of pain, but with another vague gesture, the young captain slowed him down as well.
She wasn't even looking at him, rubbing absently at the fresh burn marks on her armguard. Her face was hidden, but she moved sharply, every muscle still taut with the sheer exhilaration of their flight. Behind him, Kagen heard the smooth hum as the gap in the shield closed.
The lockdown was still in effect, glimmering domes visible through the sector barriers. These shields could not be broken as easily; compared to the dome shields, they were eerily quiet and more transparent, but the air seemed to shimmer as they approached. To demonstrate, Tem tossed the empty food packets at it. They didn't so much burn as they disintegrated, the dust vanishing before it could hit the floor.
Yasue set a slower pace this time, not running, but a speed they could maintain without tiring too much. Her limp returned within the hour; Kagen, ignoring the example set for him, had to ask.
"What?" she said distractedly, not bothering to turn around. "I'm not injured." She walked a little faster as if to prove it, falling into a practiced stride that was only a little lopsided. "Well, my arm's a little fried, but I can fix it later," she added, in concession to the mechanic limb, cradled against her chest. Tem drew level with the Padawan, and tapped his shoulder.
"Long story, involves a few large droids a long time ago; don't ask again or she'll knock you down and carry you for a few kilometres to show you that she can," he said quietly. Seeing Kagen's sceptical expression, he shrugged. "I can get away with asking because I know her, and I'm heavier than both of you."
They passed between the shadows of old construction droids, each stripped down to the metal bones. One retained a single photoreceptor, dangling on a thread of wire. It flashed once, when Obee went past, reflecting the green light and giving off a momentary illusion of autonomy.
The darkness around them seemed to be deepening; there were no more domes ahead, but Kagen could see the Rift. It was defined by the pinkish glow of blaster fire, and stars. The sound of the battle reached them a moment later, somehow different from the Padawan's previous experience. There were no voices, only the shrill noise of blaster weapons; a lone scream rent the air, lingering and strange.
Kagen drew in a slow breath, the Force brushing against him; he had drawn on it continuously, stretching the thin air to sustain him fully. With the harsh noise growing ever louder, it was becoming difficult to concentrate, and the air was only getting thinner. He wondered briefly how the others could stand it; until he saw Tem watching him, patiently holding out a breather to match the one in his mouth.
Feeling exceptionally foolish, Kagen took it. Yasue had disdained one for the moment, and was blithely ignoring the exasperation of the soldier behind. The energy shield came to an abrupt end, the upper levels terminating in a smooth wall, metres short of the battle-scarred verge below. They passed out of the massive shadow and looked over the edge of the platform to the vicious conflict in the depths.
Byaven, white-striped masks striking in the gloom, poured out a steady rain of fire, blaster rifles discharging until they were spent. When a weapon failed, it was thrown aside, another quickly acquired from the dead. They fell in droves, soundlessly, but replaced in moments. Hunters moved in the shadows, outnumbered ten to one, never faltering, weaving around the stinging red darts. Their painted faces took on a savage realism, the red designs seeming to shift in the rising smoke.
"This is the advance guard; at the worst we should have to hold for an hour before the Inner Divisions arrive. Tae-Heron should be coming down the 302nd sec, So-Bateru the 320th." Yasue spoke flatly, flexing the metal fingers of her left hand. Two didn't move. "Kagen, you can go hide if you want, but try not to die."
Tem swung the blaster rifle off his shoulder; he attached the barrel extension in a fluid motion, making the weapon longer than he was. Kneeling down, he dropped targets one by one with unhurried ease. There was another Hunter nestled beneath the overhang; his shots were less precise, but the bolts he fired off were as thick as the man's wrist, and sounded something akin to cannon fire. Assaulted for the 4th time in not as many days, Kagen's ears merely throbbed.
He saw Yasue step out into the air, dropping onto a twisted girder, avoiding the single shot that came her way, and moved instinctively aside. Two steaming holes appeared where he had been, and directly across the Rift, a yellow-masked clone lined up another shot. The Force surged around him, but then the man dropped, falling over the edge.
"Yeah, watch out for Amaven," Tem shouted, similar pockmarks drilled into the metal floor beside him. He was scanning the opposite platform, systematically shooting down the clone snipers. Swallowing back a stab of fear, Kagen opened himself to the Force, leaping down after Yasue. She was nearing the bottom, and deftly twisted the new power cell into her stun baton mid-jump.
Navigating the metal debris was treacherous, but Kagen saw each foothold clearly. For a moment he could lose himself in the dance, running down the near-vertical slope of a fallen piece of decking and flinging himself out towards another beam. Blaster fire pinged against the smooth surface, some shots ricocheting towards him; never connecting.
Beneath him, a clone reeled back from an invisible chop across his windpipe, before Yasue rolled over him, her restored baton slipping into the gap between his body armour and helmet. Two more fell down before Kagen landed, bright charge sinking into their chests. Then he was in the thick of it, his lightsaber humming as the green blade cleaved the ranks of Byaven.
He was fighting harder than he ever had in his life, and the weapon had never felt so balanced in his hand. Hunters fought beside him, some wielding lightsabers won from bested Kouven, and a green Twi'lek with a pink-flecked mask held a solitary blue blade. The noise was filtered out; there was only the Force, prompting him to strike, fall back and strike again.
Abruptly, there was no one left in his path, his peripheral vision littered with the dead. A wave of exhaustion swept his limbs, clouding his vision. There were others around him, locked in combat; one Kouven disengaged and sprang at him. Kagen brought his lightsaber up, catching the red blade. The man was strong, taller than the young Jedi, and swung again. His parry was sluggish, almost too slow, and Kagen was forced to step back to avoid the next.
"Kagen!" The cry carried the weight of the Force, distracting both combatants, and a man in bright white armour drilled a fist sized hole into the Kouven's chest with single burst from his blaster rifle. Behind him, Dahy waded through the clones, his lightsaber carving into them with brutal efficiency. The Jedi Knight's face was streaked with grime, an ugly welt on his forearm where his cloak and robes had been torn away.
They had been fighting for some time; blood covered the exact markings on the clone soldier's headgear, but his face was familiar and he spared the Padawan a wan salute as he blasted out a path for them. The Jedi followed, green blades working in tandem to reach the relative cover of a ruined transport.
"I hate this place," Dahy said brightly, deflecting a stray blaster bolt. Kagen nodded, his saber working with renewed energy. Great booming ion cannons began to sound overhead, and a battered freighter flashed over the Rift, so low to the station's surface that the lower laser canon had been shorn away. It was close enough that they saw the red stripes of the Republic's diplomatic craft, before it crashed over the rim of the far side and out of sight.