Chapter 17

A Daring Rescue

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Ryan Kentic had to close his eyes and reopen them about twenty times before he finally realized to himself – though the evidence thus far had been overwhelming – that he was indeed alive and well. He was sitting inside of a Jedi Starfighter which belonged to his son, who was now a father and a Jedi Master. He was looking out into the orange-red cloudscape that was Bespin, a planet that he had become quite accustomed to in his early days as a child in the cinema.

In the interim between death and life, a lot of life had passed him by. Life that was full of war, family, climactic events, and he hadn't forgotten yet that his son had mentioned that he, James, had perished as well. But, there he was. Alive and well. That was a lot to unpack.

In truth, Ryan could only remember the vaguest of memories. He remembered one part very clearly. He was having lunch with his wife, Peri, in the Jedi Temple as they did most days if they didn't choose something outside of the Jedi's myriad of food choices. Sometimes, they had chosen to go to a restaurant in Core Square. He, Peri, James, and Jake used to have lunch or dinner with each other once or twice a week. As his lunch that day had ended, the Temple was attacked and soon, they were overrun by armored men that looked like black-armored clone troopers.

It wasn't long before they were in their custody, being transported away as the black clone's prisoners. In that moment, Ryan had cursed himself for not letting his son train him better in the art of lightsaber combat. When the fighting had started, a Jedi Knight had been killed beside him, so Ryan had picked up his weapon and tried to continue the fight. He was defeated with a blaster shot to the arm, scorching his right shoulder as he and his wife were taken. Soon, David's family were also captured and joined them.

As they were almost at the outer doors of the Temple that led to a landing pad, where Ryan was sure a shuttle was awaiting them, James had burst through the floor, cloaked in Force energy with two blades weaving. He cut down trooper after trooper before one of them stepped forward, a thermal detonator in his hand with explosives strapped to his chest.

Ryan had tried to reach out through the Force to rip the detonator away from his assailant to no avail. He cursed himself for his weakness and turned to look at his son. James was bounding through the air, his own hand extended in a gesture that was some type of attack, but that was the last thing Ryan had seen: his son.

There was a deafening crack and all of what he was, all he'd ever been became nothing at all.

Then, as if from a long dream, he awoke to find his son again, this time much older with more defined facial features, a new battle attire affixed to his person, and a look of confusion in his eyes. Ryan had been confused too. Hadn't he just died? He was sure he did. Minutes later, James had explained to him what happened. That, somehow through means that still confused him, Ryan's body hadn't actually died that day as first thought.

Years prior during their first introduction into this world, Ryan and his family had been subjected to torture and brainwash by a powerful device called the Dark Influence. It created a secondary consciousness over his personality, resulting in the first iteration of his Sith personality. When James finally freed them, Ryan thought that dark part of his life was over. Though, in all honesty, this second iteration of darkness was partially responsible for his survival, so he couldn't be too upset at it.

But, he could be upset at a few things. One, there was now a hole in his heart that his wife had passed. They had their own problems throughout their marriage, some that had caused enough strife to almost split the pair, but he had still loved her. Two, the Reys were also gone, save David. Three, he could feel something dark and foreboding itching at the edge of his mind. It was as if there was a leak in the bottom of a bottle that only let a few drops out at a time before it was noticed. While he was glad to be alive, his resurrection hinted at something far more sinister.

He looked at the control panel on the inside of the starfighter and sighed, "At least I remember my sessions on the flight simulator."

The display in front of him, a circular blue glass monitor flashed in front of him, a sentence of Basic running across from left-to-right.

"Also glad I can read that." Ryan said to himself more than anything before reading the screen.

[It is good to see you again, Mr. Kentic.] R9's message came through along with his tweets and whistles from above. [It has been quite a while since we conversed.]

Ryan gave a small smile, "Good to see you too, R9. Did you get a response from Obi Wan or Anakin?"

R9 whistled, his dome spinning from left to right, [Indeed. They are sending a transport with a fighter escort. They are enroute. By my calculations, they should arrive within the next three to six hours depending on the hyperspace lane they are using, which would depend on where the transport is coming from.]

Ryan nodded, "Good." Then, he sighed, "I wish my son would have let me come with him."

[From what I've been able to gather, your return is nothing short of a miracle. Master Blaze wanted you safe. That is why he left you with me.] R9 tweetled.

After reading the response, Ryan clenched a fist, "And, while I love my son for doing that for me, he's gone to rescue his daughter. That makes her my granddaughter. I should be there to help him. It's not like I've done much good since I've been here. Since I got to this world, if I'm being honest."

R9 let loose a low beep, [Self depredation does no good for anyone, Mr. Kentic. He willed us to remain here because it is the safest option for us.]

"But, not the most effective option." Ryan said, looking at the lightsaber at his side. "What if he needs backup?"

[Then, he will communicate that with us. He will know if it is too much for him.] R9 responded. [However, Master Blaze has assured me that even if it came to a fight between himself and Shira Brie, also known as Lumiya, he would easily come out the victor.]

Ryan thought about that and said, "My son has become very strong. I can sense that much."

R9 gave an affirmative noise, spinning his dome to Ryan's gaze, [He is perhaps the strongest person in the entire galaxy. His powers are immeasurable.]

Ryan felt comfort in that response. If he wasn't able to help James, then he could at least find some peace in the fact that his son had grown to become so powerful in the Force. Ryan had seen his fight with Darth Hadeth and was convinced that the fight was drawn out on purpose so that James could get information. But, he was sure now that James could have easily dispatched the doppelganger if he had wished.

Perhaps, being in this starfighter was exactly where he needed to be.

He leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes again, "Maybe I'll just wait for them to return."

R9 didn't respond right away, then a line of text ran across the screen, causing Ryan to open one eye to look at it. Once he did, he sat straight up.

[My sensors are picking up the Millennium Falcon on a retreat vector a few klicks away from our current location. It is being pursued by a squadron of unknown starfighters.]

Ryan looked around, not seeing anything around him, "Are you sure? I don't see anything."

R9 whistled, [Yes. Vector 18 by 23-10.]

Ryan opened the hatch and turned around completely, squinting his eyes as he peered into the distance. Using the Force to enhance his vision, he focused on what was directly in front of him.

There, he saw them. The Falcon. It was trailing smoke, firing its cannons backward towards its pursuers but hitting nothing but air. If that continued, then it would be destroyed. And, he could guess who was on that ship. Kane, his son's clone, had mentioned that Leia Skywalker had gone after Han Solo and Chewbacca, who had been in danger themselves at the time.

All at once, Ryan knew that he was exactly where he needed to be. All that was left to do was perform his duty as…as a Jedi. Because, after all this was over, he would tell his son that he was ready to begin his dedication to becoming a Jedi.

Ryan sat back down, closing the hatch with a button to his right. He then pressed the ignition button and the sub-light drives on the starfighter pulsed to life, letting out a rumbling hum. The instrument panel in front of him lit up green and R9 nearly screamed at him.

[Mr. Kentic! You have not been cleared to take this vessel into battle!]

Ryan gave a shrug, strapping his crash harness in, then taking the two control yokes in his hands, "Doesn't matter. I remember how to fly a ship like this. They need our help, R9."

[We could end up doing more harm than good. Plus, Master Blaze will have me deactivated if I bring you to possible harm.] R9 beeped dejectedly.

"My son will understand." Ryan said, pulling up on the yokes and the ship started to rise, "After all, he gets that from me."

[Being reckless?]

Ryan smirked, "I'll pretend you didn't say that."

He pulled the ship around, banking to port as the engines fired, blue fire erupting from the rear as his momentum pushed him forward. The starfighter soared, screaming through the air as Ryan increased engine power by thirty percent to chase after his new foe and to save his allies.

Within half a minute, he was in decent range of the chase and it was worse than he first thought.

The Falcon, a sight for sore eyes, was smoking in half a dozen places while the aft cannon continuously released red gouts of plasma at its pursuing targets. He could see now that they – and there were six of them – were a hybrid mixture of what he remembered a TIE Interceptor was and the, lesser known to him, Z95 Headhunter. The frontal part of the fighter, however, was more oblong shaped instead of angular, giving it a frighteningly more menacing look. As if it came out of someone's twisted fantasy.

The enemy fighters were fast, almost coming within point blank striking distance of the Falcon if not for Han Solo's legendary flying maneuvers. Now, when he had been alive prior to the incident in the Temple, he hadn't met Han Solo and neither had his son or the Jedi for that instance. Which meant that his involvement with the Jedi was something that had happened after the fact. And, if Leia was with him then their connection must have run much deeper than a recent run in.

So, when Leia went to save Han and Chewbacca, she was doing it because at this point her and Han are together. Not only that, but as he approached the attack vector, he also realized that the fighters pursuing the Falcon shouldn't have really existed. Not like this.

Yet, Ryan remembered that James had changed the flow of time, stopping Anakin Skywalker from turning into Darth Vader. That, it would seem, had many diverse consequences along the path forward. Not all of them positive it would seem. Because, even with his limited ability to control the Force, Ryan could feel that the pilots of those starfighters had a touch of the Force themselves. They weren't automated nor were they droids.

Ryan reached deep inside his being, grabbing onto that small pinpoint of light that was the power of the Force, letting it fuel him, letting it fill him up completely. His focus became sharper, his senses more aware, and he could feel the energy of the universe surrounding him.

Then, he attacked.

"R9, increase power to forward shields but give me full control over the frontal blaster cannons." Ryan said, watching the response as it came across the display.

[Affirmative.]

Twin streams of blue fire erupted from the forward cannons and, guided by the Force, struck one of the pursuing fighters with precise accuracy. A gash of molten metal discharged in a fiery display, panic rising through the Force from the pilot before he realized that it was too late. Half a heartbeat later, the fighter exploded with a crack, then a boom as it dissolved into pieces.

The other fighters were now aware of his presence and two banked, moving to starboard to cut off his advance. Again, Ryan was reminded that these weren't just any pilots, and he himself was a bit rusty at flying a starfighter. Quickly, he quelled his rising fear and pushed the throttle forward, increasing his speed to confuse his targets.

Then, as impact was surely destined for all three of them, he rocked the fighter downward, pushing so far on the yokes that the metal creaked under his fingers, sending him into a dive. The other fighters mimicked his tactic, gaining on his flank before he could register that they were there.

R9 squealed in alarm before Ryan sent the fighter into a barrel roll, almost losing his lunch as he did so. Green lasers flashed by his cockpit and he was now dimly aware that Bespin was a gas giant. The farther down he went, the thicker the atmosphere would get and soon his enemy's craft, as well as his own, would soon see the effects of what high density gas would do to an airborne starship.

"R9, prepare to cut all power to the engines and then once we are clear, fire two concussion missiles at their backs." Ryan said, preparing himself for a twisting maneuver once the power was cut. "Three…two…now!"

True to his programming, R9 obeyed and all power to the engines ceased, and Ryan pulled hard on the yokes from left to right, throwing the ship into a spiral as the enemy fighters flew past him, confusion expelling into the Force.

Once clear, two missiles cloaked in blue light raced towards their targets, hitting engines and creating two balls of fire with their pilots' presences in the Force winking out violently. Ryan lamented having to kill, but he knew that it was necessary. They were the enemy. They were trying to kill the good guys. It was up to him to stop them.

Ryan reignited the engines and looked up through the cockpit, seeing that the Falcon was trailing more smoke, but two more of the pursuing fighters were gone, meaning someone had hit home. That was good. Two less fighters to deal with was one step closer to saving those aboard the old Corellian freighter.

Ryan shot after the last two fighters, catching up within half a minute, but then he paused. If he fired now at such close range, there was a good chance he was going to miss and hit the Falcon. If he did that, he could be responsible for ensuring his enemy's victory. And, he was sure the pursuing fighters knew that too.

Suddenly, a static echoed throughout the cockpit and Ryan looked down to see a soft yellow light flashing on the instrument panel right above the sensor board. He depressed it and the communication channel opened up.

"This is the Millennium Falcon. Who is this? I'm not saying I don't appreciate the assistance, but I'd like to know who's lending me a hand." Han Solo's ever recognizable voice echoed through.

Ryan couldn't help the smile that rose to his face, "Millennium Falcon this is a friend. I'll explain more once we get these fighters off your tail."

"You could just say your name now." Han argued, grunting as a blast exploded too close to the pilot's cabin.

"My name's Ryan." Ryan said, veering as one of the fighter's rear cannon sent a bolt of plasma his way. "What do you say we get these bastards off your tail."

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Han said.

Ignoring the irritation in Han's voice, Ryan said, "Right. Any good ideas?"

"Not really. You?" Han asked.

"No. But, I've got a bad one." Ryan said, then asked, "How strong are the forward shields on this starfighter at full power, R9?"

[Strong enough to take several barrages of laser fire without a scratch.] R9 responded. [Beyond that, structural damage is almost certain.]

Nodding, Ryan turned back to the comm unit, "Millennium Falcon, turn your ship up and push your engines to full power when I say so."

"What?"

"You'll know why when it happens." Ryan said, pulling back on the control yoke to stop his pursuit. "Do a 180 degree turn in ten seconds, then come straight for me."

"Again, what?!" Han exclaimed, "You want me to ram my ship into yours? Are you crazy?"

"Just do it, Solo!" Ryan finally said, voice rising, "This is the only way to get them off your tail."

Han was silent for a few heartbeats before he said, "Copy that. Turning around in five...four…"

"R9, direct all power to the forward shields after a short full power engine burst on my command." Ryan said. "We're going to be an unstoppable force for the moveable object."

R9 sent a message through the display, [There is a 50% chance that the shield will not hold to the extent you desire them to, Mr. Kentic.]

Ryan felt sweat curl at the back of his neck, "Still, that's a 50% chance for this to work."

R9 whistled disappointedly, [I don't think Master Blaze would like it if you were to perish, with me as well, right after coming back.]

"My son also knows this is exactly what he would do in this position." Ryan said, angling the starfighter accordingly as Han finished his count.

"…one!"

The Falcon jerked and came about, its thrusters howling as the ship created its 180-degree turn. The attacking fighters were not swayed in the least and copied the tactic, coming within striking distance in less time than it took to blink. Emerald rays of light flashed past the hull of the Falcon, red furrows of damaged metal burned in its path from hitting a sensor dish.

Once they were within range…

"Drop, Falcon!" Ryan shouted, then immediately commanded, "R9! Surge boost to the thrusters!"

R9 complied and their starfighter shot forward at tremendous speed just as Ryan allocated engine power directly to the forward shield, but at that time they now had the momentum to use their ship as a battering ram. The Falcon dropped, going into a nosedive, their pursuers flashing past where they had been just a mere second before.

But, they couldn't react fast enough.

They collided with Ryan's starfighter in a blaze of glory. Now, each pilot did try to pivot away at the last moment, using the Force to try to adjust their vector by at least a few degrees to make sure that the impact was only scathing and not severe, but their efforts were in vain. One wing of each attacker was sheared off by the shields alone, sending each of them spiraling down, their craft covered in flames before they collectively exploded in low atmosphere.

Ryan had closed his eyes and felt his teeth shake and his head rock as the impact knocked him back into his seat. His head rattled in pain, but he was completely aware. That was a good sign. He stole a look at the display and saw that three red warning lights were flashing. All his shields were gone and the control core for the shield generator was damaged.

Well, that was much better than dying a second time.

Ryan quickly grabbed the control yokes, pulling the fighter upright when he noticed that they were actually descending downward. That's when the Falcon passed by, slowing its approach just enough for Ryan to see the people in the pilot's deck.

In the pilot's seat sat Han Solo. Co-pilot was Chewbacca. And in the seat behind him was Leia Skywalker. But, in the seat next to Leia sat a dark-skinned man dressed impeccably in black and gold attire with a hard-to-forget mustache. It was Lando Calrissian.

Ryan tapped the comm button, adjusting his throat, "Falcon, do you copy?"

The comm static resolved itself into dulcet tones, "We read you. And, we owe you. That was one hell of a gamble you just pulled off. Thanks."

"Don't think anything of it, Captain Solo." Ryan said, feeling a swell of pride rise inside of him for taking the initiative. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes." Han said. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"Your transponder is reading that of the ship of the Grandmaster of the Rebirth Jedi Order, Blaze Marko. And, I'm sure it's the same ship as I've seen it more times than I can count. So, while I appreciate your help in getting those shavits off our tail, I have to ask why you're flying his ship." Han said. "So, before I vape your ship due to my own suspicion, and Leia says I shouldn't, can you explain?"

Ryan sighed, releasing anxieties into the Force, "It's a long story. I promise I'm a friend."

"Keep it simple then. Explain more when we land. But, I need some type of answer now." Han said.

That was reasonable, Ryan concluded and said, "Blaze, as you know him, is my son. He rescued me and had to find Mara, but I saw you all were in trouble, so I jumped in to help."

Over the comm, Leia joined in with surprise in her voice. It was the voice he did not remember but the one he expected at this time, "Mr. Kentic?! Is that you?"

"Hello again, Leia." Ryan smiled to himself as he pulled the ship around to follow the Falcon back to the landing pad. "It's good to…well, it's good to talk to you again. But, I haven't spoken to you since you were six, I believe."

"Yeah. That's right. I knew I recognized your voice! I thought you…I thought you died when the Shadow Brigade attacked the Jedi Temple on Coruscant." Leia said softly. "Uncle Blaze was…that day changed him."

"I saw it in his eyes." Ryan said, lowering his eyes for a moment with the sadness of a father who knew that his son had suffered for far too long. "And, it seems I'm alive again. But, I don't know anything really about what happened after the bomb went off at the Temple."

"We can fill you in once we land." Leia said warmly, then added, "The story is pretty long and tenuous."

"Well, luckily," Ryan said as he saw Cloud City start to approach rapidly. "I've got a lot of time and a lot of catching up to do."