Jedi Knight 1. Chapter 1

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 1: The Changes**

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars (Disney does, yuck!) nor any part of it. This work is strictly for the entertainment of the readers.

A/N: Well, where do I start? I know it's been some time since the conclusion of the last story. I honestly wasn't sure I was going to write any more. And, as you might imagine, life got in the way over the last several years. However, I have returned from the stygian darkness of non-production to present to this preview/teaser of my upcoming Kyle Katarn continuing the tale and going through the events of the Mysteries of the Sith game. I hope everyone who gives this a look enjoys it and please send me a review.

The multi-colored tunnel of hyperspace resolved itself into lines which became stars as the _Shrike _exited hyperspace. In the cockpit, Mara Jade pushed away a strand of hair as she studied the planet before her.

"So that's it," she said.

Dromund Kaas, third planet of the Dromund system in the Esstran Sector. It had once been the capital of the Sith empire, the spires of Kaas City jutting into the sky, reflections of the powerful ones who called it home. But over 2000 years had passed since that time. Now it was all but a forgotten world, an ugly, bluish gray sphere circling the Outer Rim.

Checking her sensors, Mara saw the air was breathable, although the ambient temperature and abundant jungle also meant that it would be humid as well. She sighed, resigning herself to the conditions that would make her hair cling to her skin and sweat running everywhere.

Just then, a display lit up, drawing her attention. She read the information displayed.

"So he _is_ here," she said, "or at least the shuttle is."

Turning to the communications panel, she opened a channel.

"This is the _Shrike_ calling. Do you read me?"

She tried twice more, but received no response.

_Guess I've got no choice but to go down there and find him._

She'd come to this place in search of her master, the man who was training the former Emperor's Hand in the ways of the Jedi. He'd been out of touch for some time and while she had little doubt the man could handle himself, it was unlike him to be out of contact like this.

"Wait a second, Jade, "she muttered to herself," aren't you forgetting something?"

Closing her eyes, Mara reached out with the Force, calling out, reaching, trying to…

_Mara…_

The voice was faint, but unmistakable.

_Master, I'm here. _

A pause and then…

_Mara?_

_Yes, Master, it's me._

_Mara… I…_

Her brows knitted in concern. His voice sounded strained, perhaps even… in pain?

_Master, where are you? Are you all right? I…_

_Mara!… _came back a strident reply, _leave here. Run while you can, it's not…_

The voice trailed off.

_Master! Master, answer me!_

But there was no reply.

She tried several times more to contact him, but received no response. Opening her eyes, Mara settled back in the pilot's couch, taking several deep breaths.

It was clear that her Master was in trouble, the tone of his voice alone indicated that. But the warning, the admonition to flee… should she listen?

"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "Run away, that really sounds like something I'll do."

Figuring she could always apologize later, Mara scanned the surface and found a landing area several kilometers from the shuttle. Grasping the control stick, she sent the _Shrike_ down, towards the planet.

_I'm coming, Master._

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Hangar Bay**

**Two Years Ago**

Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors stood near the main docking bay of the vessel, watching as the alabaster hull of a Lambda-class shuttle cleared the lip of the hatch, its wings having been set to their landing position.

"There it is," he said.

Jan looked over and snickered.

Head snapping around, Kyle glared at her.

"What?"

"You'd think Princess Leia herself were on that shuttle, the way you're acting," Jan answered, grinning.

"I'm _fine_," he intoned seriously.

"Tell it to someone who believes it, Katarn." she replied.

He continued to glare, but after a few moments, the look lost its intensity. He sighed.

"Fine, so I'm a little nervous," he admitted, "I mean, this is kind of a big deal."

"Granted," Jan said, reaching out and taking his hand, "Quit worrying, you're going to be just fine. How many times have you told me that Luke wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think you were ready?"

Kyle gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Jan."

She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him.

"You're welcome."

Kyle's smiled widened, even as he shook his head. Jan Ors was one of the most unpredictable women he had ever known. She could go from clinging to his side affectionate to full on; ready to tear his head off angry in the time it took him to activate his lightsaber.

A low bang echoed across the hangar as the shuttle settled onto its landing skids. Relief valves began to evacuate the residue from the atmospheric scrubbers in clouds of white vapor. A mechanical whine came as the boarding ramp under the nose lowered.

At first, no one appeared, and then the sound of footsteps came. A figure appeared on the ramp, slightly obscured in the clouds of steam.

"Kyle!" a voice called.

"Well, that's a surprise," Jan said.

"Luke didn't say he was coming," added Kyle, "Still...

He raised a hand in greeting as he and Jan moved forward towards the shuttle. They also noticed a second figure standing next to Luke, wearing a cloak.

"Luke," Kyle said, shaking hands with his friend, "this is a surprise. We weren't expecting you."

"Sorry about that," the Jedi offered, "there were some things that happened that necessitated my coming along."

"Am I right in assuming this is Kyle's student?" Jan asked, indicating the cloaked figure.

"That's right," replied Luke.

"And you are…?" Kyle asked.

There was no answer from the figure.

Both Jan and Kyle looked to Luke, who looked uncomfortable. Then, with a sigh, Luke spoke to the figure.

"Please lower the hood and let them see you."

Hands appeared from the folds of the cloak, reaching up to the hood and pulling it back.

Kyle and Jan's faces went from curious to shocked as the face came into view

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Quarters of Kyle Katarn**

**Six Months Earlier**

"A student?" Kyle asked in surprise, "Are you serious?"

Luke Skywalker nodded, taking a moment to swallow the bite of food he'd taken before answering.

"Quite serious."

Kyle looked to Jan, whose expression showed just as much surprise as his own.

"Is there a problem with that?" Luke asked.

"Well… no," Kyle said slowly, trying to come up with answer, "it's just that… well, I didn't think I was ready for something like that. I… I guess I assumed I still had a ways to go."

Luke nodded again.

"I understand, and if you don't feel ready, we don't have to do this."

Kyle hesitated before answering.

"You're sure I'm ready?"

Luke blotted his mouth with a napkin, and then looked directly at the other man.

"Kyle, you engaged and defeated seven Dark Jedi, including a Master. You've been tempted by and refused the temptations of the Dark Side. And since then, you've exemplified the best qualities of the Jedi. I couldn't be more pleased or prouder of you and what you've done. Taking on a student and training them in the ways of the Force is the next logical step."

Feeling his cheeks warm, Kyle didn't answer right away, but Jan did.

"Now look what you've done," she said, grinning, "you've gone and embarrassed him."

The comment only served to deepen the flush in Kyle's cheeks. Laughing, Jan moved over to him.

"Just kidding," she said, moving to his side and hugging his arm.

"Well, you see what I've got to deal with here," he said, indicating Jan.

All three of them laughed.

"Seriously, Luke," Kyle said, "I won't lie and say I don't feel under-prepared for this, but if you think I can handle it…"

A nod.

"Then let's do it."

Luke smiled and nodded.

"Excellent. Thank you Kyle."

"So, do I get to pick whom I'll be teaching?"

"Actually, "Luke replied, "I have some in mind already."

Kyle nodded.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

The trio ate silently for a time and then Luke spoke again.

"There is one other matter I'd like to discuss," he said, his voice hesitant.

"Uh oh," Jan said, "this sounds serious."

"It is," Luke confirmed.

"Is it something the two of you need to discuss privately?"

"That's up to Kyle."

"I don't keep secrets from Jan, Luke," Kyle said after a moment.

Nodding, their friend took a deep breath before speaking.

"There are some specific concerns about you I'd like to address, Kyle."

"Go ahead."

Luke gestured.

"Specifically that."

Kyle followed his friends' gaze.

"My lightsaber?"

Luke nodded.

"What about it?"

"I am concerned about how safe it is for you to continue using it."

"I don't think I understand," Kyle replied, "I've had this lightsaber ever since the one my father left for me was destroyed. Why is it a concern now?"

Luke took another deep breath.

"Kyle, you know as well as I do whom that lightsaber used to belong to."

"Of course, Yun."

"Who was a Dark Jedi."

"Wait a second, Luke. He saved my life. If it hadn't been for his blocking Sariss, I wouldn't be here right now."

"I understand that and believe me, Kyle, this is not a conversation I want to have. But I feel strongly that I need to warn you."

"Again, warn me of what?"

Luke let out a sigh.

"Kyle, reach out with the Force with me. I want you to feel your lightsaber, sense it."

"Okay, but I don't…"

"Please, Kyle."

Seeing the earnestness in his friends' face, Kyle closed his eyes and reached out, feeling the indescribable connection with the Force. Feeling it wrap its energies around him, he envisioned his lightsaber.

"Good," came Luke's voice, "now go deeper, past the surface, to the very essence of the crystal that powers it."

Kyle did so, his mind passing through the metallic shell of the hilt, past the inner workings and then…

"There it is," he said in his mind, seeing the yellowish crystal at the core of the lightsaber.

"Reach inside," Luke said, "feel the very essence of the crystal."

It took some effort, the crystal almost seeming to fight him, not wanting to grant him access, but then Kyle passed through its outer shell. An instant later, he was assaulted by a multitude of image and sound. Pictures flashed by too quick to see, sound was everywhere, it was nearly overwhelming.

"Concentrate," Luke said, "make the stream flow as you wish it to."

For one terrible moment, it seemed as if it would not work, but then the images began to slow, their rapid pace becoming a more passive stream, the sound too growing quieter. However, as the images began to resolve themselves, Kyle found himself wishing they had not. He watched as Yun used the lightsaber to take life after life, Force powers being used to crush, rip apart and destroy beings. Their screams of pain and terror echoed in his mind. The lightsaber crystal not only knew the taste of blood, it seemed to enjoy it, the horror it inflicted, and the destruction it wrought.

Unable to stomach any more, Kyle retreated, backing away unless his eyes opened and he saw Luke sitting before him and a concerned Jan leaning in from the side.

"Kyle," she was calling, "Kyle, answer me. Blast it, Katarn, say something!"

"It's okay," he managed to say, mind registering that he was breathing heavily, "its okay, Jan. I'm all right."

"No you're not," she challenged, "you're sweating and breathing heavy. What happened?"

"He saw the essence of the crystal that powers his lightsaber," Luke said, also breathing heavily, but in control."

"Why did you make me watch that?" Kyle growled, glaring at his friend.

"Forgive me, Kyle, I hoped to spare you that horror. But you had to know, you had to understand just what this lightsaber represents."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jan, gaze darting between the two men.

"That lightsaber," Luke said, pointing "has a strong connection to the Dark Side of the Force."

"Yun used it to save me," Kyle countered.

"I don't deny that," Luke replied, "but it does not mean that it is not dangerous."

"So what do you want me to do?" Kyle asked.

"Destroy it immediately."

"De… destroy it? Are you crazy? I'm not going to just…"

"Kyle," Luke said his voice even, "please listen to me. This is no arbitrary request. I do not desire to demean Yun's sacrifice nor obscure the fact that the lightsaber has served you well. But, it is still a Dark Jedi weapon and represents a danger."

"And if I do what you want," Kyle answered, "and then it is lost to me forever. What is a Jedi without his lightsaber?"

"A Jedi still," Luke said emphatically, "but just as I did after losing my father's lightsaber, I would like to offer my help in building a new one for you."

Kyle considered the offer, but ultimately shook his head.

"What happened in the past with this lightsaber is just that, the past. It is mine and I will continue to wield it."

The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Luke dropped his eyes, nodding.

"Very well, I cannot say I agree with your decision, Kyle, but the choice is yours."

"So am I out of the club now?"

Taking the olive branch, Luke smiled, shaking his head, "No, you are still a Jedi and I would still like to consider you my friend."

Kyle smiled back and the two men shook hands.

"Look, Luke, I'm sorry if I was harsh. I just…"

"There's no need for that, Kyle," Luke said, holding up a hand, "all I ask is please keep aware and if ever there be a concern…"

"I'll let you know immediately."

"Good."

"Listen," Jan announced, "unless you two are gonna kiss or fight or something, can we get back to dinner? The food's getting cold."

The two men looked at her and laughed. Soon, the oppressive mood had lifted as the meal resumed. Discussion resume of Kyle's new role as teacher. Luke promised to notify both Kyle and Jan once he'd chosen the student.

As he departed the _Intrepid_, the last thing Luke said was,

"I'm glad you're choosing to do this, Kyle. I wouldn't have asked you to if I didn't think you were ready."


	2. Chapter 2

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 2: The Student**

A/N: Sorry about taking so long to post this new chapter. I've been playing through the first four levels of Mysteries of the Sith and then quickly writing down what I've seen. Want to take a quick moment to thank all previous and new readers for giving this story a try. And with that said, it's time for the shoutouts!

Tinuviel Undomiel: Thank you, it's great to be back. And as far as resurrecting that wonderful song, we'll see.

Phygmalion: Yes, it's been while indeed. I did consider skipping Mysteries of the Sith, but it's such a neat story and given what happens to Kyle in it, I decided I wanted to cover it. Sorry the game didn't work for you. I had to make some adjustments to my graphics settings for it to work properly, in particular the screen resolution.

Hitman Nx: Sorry you're not able to play the games, but my opinion of Apple products has definitely changed for the positive since I've encountered the iPad and iPhone, very awesome products, now if we could just do something about the price. You've guessed right and I hope this chapter explains more of the why behind, at least how I think it worked out.

Nerwen Aldarion: Well, here's hoping the ride continues to please you.

Zedile: It's delightful to hear from you. It makes me happy to hear you enjoyed my previous writings.

A/N: Well, this has been great hearing from everyone. I remember how much I used to look forward to the reviews. Ah, who am I kidding? I still do! Before you delve into the new chapter, I was hoping I could get everyone's opinion on the overall flow of the story. The reason I'm asking is that after the first four levels of the game, Kyle "disappears" and the game focus shifts to Mara as you guide her through a number of missions before she goes in search of Kyle. What I'd like to know is would you like me to cover those missions as part of the story or skip them. It's fine with me in either case.

I am planning on a scene where Jan confronts Mara over Kyle's disappearance and there's gonna be one heck of a fight!

And now, please enjoy chapter 2 and please send me your reviews!

Shanesnet

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Hangar Bay**

**Six Months Later**

In the moment it took to recognize the figure before them, Kyle's lightsaber was drawn and activated even as Jan drew her blaster and aimed it squarely, for the person standing before them was none other than she who had been the Emperor's Hand, Mara Jade.

Blood might have been spilled, but before either could move to attack, Luke had drawn his lightsaber and moved in front of the figure.

"Kyle, Jan, wait a moment," he said, his expression tense, though his voice was calm.

"What _is_ this, Luke?" Jan said angrily, "what is _she_ doing here?"

"I can explain…"

"Of all people," Kyle growled, "You expect me to train _her_?"

"If you'll both just calm down…"

"She nearly killed us both!" Jan yelled, tightening the grip on her weapon. "As far as I'm concerned…"

As if by an invisible hand, the blaster suddenly flew from her grip, flying through the air until it struck the deck with a clatter.

Kyle moved to step in front of Jan, saber at the ready.

"Luke…" he warned.

"Kyle, I am _not_ going to allow either of you to harm this woman. There is a reason why she is here. Now, can we agree to calm down and lower our weapons?"

"Is she armed?" Jan asked.

In response, Luke took one hand off his lightsaber and reached to his belt.

"Here," he said, displaying a metal cylinder, "this is Mara's lightsaber; and no, she is not carrying any other weapons. Now, please Kyle, Jan, let's not make this any worse than it already is."

"It can't get much worse," Jan stated.

Eyes locked on each other, neither man said anything for a long moment. And then, Luke deactivated his saber.

Kyle waited a moment more, and then deactivated his.

"All right then, now let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, Luke" Jan said, moving out from behind Kyle and leveling a finger at Mara. "She should be dead or in prison."

Luke sighed heavily.

"Can't we talk about this rationally?"

Jan's face morphed into a look of incredulity as she laughed aloud.

"You can't be serious."

"Kyle?" Luke said, his tone somewhat pleading.

Looking from Jan to Luke to Mara and back again, Kyle hesitated a moment.

"Jan and I are going to have to talk about this before anything else. I really don't understand what you were thinking, Luke."

He pointed a figure at Mara.

"Jan's right in that she tried to kill us both. I don't see how you expect us to see past that."

"If you'll let me explain…"

"Not right now, Luke, not right now. And unless you want to create an even bigger mess than you already have, I'd recommend you keep her in the hangar bay for the time present."

He turned to Jan.

"Let's go."

"And do what?" she challenged.

"Talk about this," he answered.

"There's nothing to talk about," she said.

He leaned in close to her.

"Please?"

Jan said nothing, but as Kyle turned away, she went with him.

"Kyle, Jan" Luke called, "I'm sorry."

Pausing in mid-step, they both turned to look at him.

"You _should_ be," Jan said.

After they had departed, Luke let out breath.

"Well, _that_ could have gone better."

"I told you this was a mistake," Mara replied.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Maintenance Hatch #14**

**Thirty Minutes Later**

"I already told you, Kyle, there's nothing to discuss."

"I get it; Jan, you've made that abundantly clear."

"Then why are we still talking about it?"

"Because, Luke is our friend and although he's made a huge mistake, there's a reason behind it and I think we should find out what it is."

"What does it matter what his reasons are? You know as well as I do what she did. She's a threat to both of us."

"Then why is she here with Luke?"

Jan rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"That doesn't matter, either. She would have seen both of us dead before. And Luke is insane for bringing her here. Why are you trying to defend him?"

"I'm _not_ trying to defend him. I just want to know why he's done this."

"And as _I_ just said, why does it matter?"

"Because, like_ I_ just said; Luke's our friend."

"He's not _my_ friend, not anymore, not after today."

"Jan…"

She stepped forward and laid a finger on his chest.

"I'm done talking about this, Kyle," Jan said, "I can't even believe we're even having this conversation. Luke was wrong for doing this, period. There's nothing else to talk about or discuss. As far as I'm concerned, he needs to have her imprisoned or at the very least, get her off this ship."

With that, Jan turned and began to walk away.

"Well, _I'm_ going to talk to Luke and see what I can find out."

Pausing in mid-step, Jan turned around, giving him an incredulous look.

"I can't believe you. Didn't you hear one thing I said?"

"Of course I did, Jan. But I still think…"

Moving back to where Kyle stood, Jan began to jab a finger into his chest.

"There… is… nothing… to… talk…about," Jan said.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I don't agree."

"I thought we were a team," she accused, "partners."

"We _are_," Kyle replied.

"And yet, you're going to talk to Luke about bringing _that_ woman here, asking you to train her."

"I'm not going to train her, Jan. But I think it's only fair to talk with Luke and find out what's going on here."

"What's going on here is that Luke has made a foolish mistake. And in bringing that woman here, he's inflicting pain on both of us. Can't you see that?"

"I'm not denying any of that, Jan. Seeing Mara here has brought all of it back to me. I'm just as angry at Luke as you are."

"Then _why_?"

"Because Luke Skywalker is my friend and he deserves my being willing to listen to him."

"He _deserves_ a punch in the nose."

Kyle couldn't help but give a short bark of laughter at that.

"Well, maybe you can deliver that later on."

"I'm not laughing, Katarn."

The two of them looked at each other for a long moment.

"Jan, I _have_ to talk to Luke. I have to hear his side of things."

"Katarn…"

"And once I do, if things are the way you're saying, then we'll take care of things your way, okay?"

Jan hesitated.

"Promise?"

"Of course."

Another pause.

"I don't like this, Katarn."

"I don't either, but…"

His voice cut off as Jan placed a finger on his lips.

"Don't say anything else," she said, her voice suddenly calm, but with a hint of warning, "Go do what you have to. Let me know what you find out."

Kyle nodded.

"Then go, get out of here," she said.

Kyle moved past her, heading for the room's exit.

"You're a real pain sometimes, Katarn," Jan called after him.

"Love you too, Ors," he called back.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Mon Mothma's Briefing Room**

While Jan and Kyle were talking, Luke had arranged for a meeting with Mon Mothma. And while she had insisted on heavy security for it, she had granted his request.

"I hope you understand that I find this a very poor decision on your part, Luke. Bringing the Emperor's Hand onto this vessel without notification beforehand is a stunt more reminiscent of Captain Solo than you."

"I do understand, Mon Mothma," Luke began, "however, there is a…"

"I was not finished speaking," Mon Mothma interjected, "security risks aside; Mara Jade has been responsible for numerous deaths, including the assassination of many in the former Rebel Alliance hierarchy. She is a convicted war criminal and by all rights, should be subject to imprisonment if not execution. Now, would you care to explain why she is here and what you were thinking in bringing her here?"

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but Mara spoke first.

"Mon Mothma, all you've said is true. I _was_ the Emperor's Hand. I _was_ the Emperor's personal assassin. And yes, I've killed both Rebels as well as traitorous Imperials. I would do whatever the Emperor asked of me. And while it is true that I was partially freed from the Emperor's control when he died during the battle of the second Death Star, I was left with a final mental command to kill Luke Skywalker."

Luke nodded in acknowledgement.

"In time, Luke helped me to free myself of this command without killing him. And since that day, I've been forced to take a hard look at my life, who and what I was and am. I know without a doubt that I cannot make up for the past, nor even begin to atone for it."

"Then explain to me why I should not have security escort you to the brig right now?"

"Mon Mothma…" Luke began, only to be cut off by an upraised hand.

"I am speaking to Miss Jade, please do not interrupt." 

She spoke the words with conviction, the warning in them implicit.

Mara shook her head.

"I could give you a thousand reasons why you shouldn't and you could counter every one of them. What I _can_ tell you, Mon Mothma, is that I have seen what the Dark Side of the Force made me into, what it enabled me to do, who I was then. It is _not_ what I want to be. It is not _who_ I want to be. At the same time, I'm not some starry-eyed idealist like Skywalker here. I'm not going to sit here and beg you for my life."

"Then what would you have me do?" Mon Mothma asked.

"Give me a second chance," Mara replied.

Hesitating before responding, the elder statesman studied the young woman seated before her. While she had no connection to the Force, Mon Mothma had a keen eye and a discerning mind. And it was those qualities that spoke to her now.

She turned to Luke.

"Is there something you would like to add?"

Luke hesitated before responding.

"Only that Mara has earned my trust. She has turned away from her past, Mon Mothma."

Acknowledging this with a nod, Mon Mothma turned her gaze back upon Jade.

"_Can_ I trust you, Mara? Are you willing to become a part of the New Republic and join us in bringing law and order back to the galaxy?"

A lopsided smile came to Mara's face.

"I'm not exactly a 'law and order' type of person. But I've seen what the Empire represents and I'm considered a traitor as far as they're concerned. I won't be your enemy."

"But will you be our friend?"

Mara's lips drew together and she took a moment to consider her answer.

"Friendship and trust don't come easily to me. But if the need arises, I _will_ fight with you."

Taking time to evaluate what had been said, Mon Mothma look from Luke to Mara and back again.

"I am not certain this is the best decision, but I find that I _do_ believe what you are saying, Mara. However, I am concerned about you being accepted as one of us. There are a number of obstacles."

"Mon Mothma," Mara said with a sigh," can I just lay it out in plain Basic?"

"Please."

"I'm not one of 'you' and probably never will be. I'll be carrying the burden of my past for the rest of my life. I'm not sure I even believe in this New Republic of yours. But if you're willing to give me a chance, I promise you will not regret it."

Mon Mothma smiled to herself. This was what she had been hoping for, an honest and direct response. This was the true Mara Jade, past all the defenses and shadow, this was the true her.

"Very well," Mon Mothma said, "you have asked me for a second chance and I am willing to grant it. Understand that I will hold you to the words you have spoken here today. Do not give me cause to regret my decision."

Standing, she reached out a hand.

With a look of utter surprise, Mara took a moment to stand and offer her own hand.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

The two of them stood like that for a moment before letting go and a noticeably subdued Mara Jade resumed her seat.

"Now," Mon Mothma said, "to this other matter you mentioned, Luke, regarding Mara's training, I wonder perhaps if you have made another grave mistake in selecting Kyle for this. Of all those in the galaxy I can imagine he'd be less happy to see, I would say Mara is close to the top of that list."

Turning to Mara, she added, "No offense intended."

"None taken, "Mara replied, "I feel the same way and told Skywalker the same thing."

"Luke?"

"While it may not appear so," he answered, "I did consider the effect of Kyle and Mara meeting once again. However, I did underestimate the vehemence of his and Jan's anger."

"What did you expect?" Mara challenged, "that they'd be like, 'oh hi, Mara. We've forgotten all about you're trying to kill us before.' You can be so naïve at times, Skywalker."

"I thought perhaps we could discuss things rationally without it becoming overly hostile," Luke offered.

Mara scoffed and shook her head.

"And we saw how well _that_ worked out, didn't we?"

"Luke," Mon Mothma said, "perhaps you could explain you're reasoning for choosing Kyle to train Mara."

Offering a grateful look, Luke began to speak.

"Mara is a former Dark Force user. Kyle has had several struggles with resisting the Dark Side. Together, the two of them can not only learn to grow stronger in using the Force, but also in resisting the lure of the Dark Side."

"You're assuming I need his help," Mara countered.

"The lure of the Dark Side is strong, Mara," Luke responded, "You once obeyed its call without hesitation. Can you honestly say you wouldn't be tempted once more?"

"I can handle it."

"I know your will is strong," Luke said, "but even the most strong-willed of the Jedi have struggled with the Dark Side and fallen. You are no less susceptible than they were. Kyle can teach you how to become aware of those moments and how to defend yourself against them."

"Assuming he doesn't fall and take me with him."

"Mara…" Luke said, sighing.

"I think we are getting away from the point here," Mon Mothma said, "all this is assuming that Kyle is even willing to train Mara. And at this time, that seems unlikely at best."

Luke nodded.

"I need to speak with both Kyle and Jan, try to make them understanding my reasoning for this."

"And if you are unable to?" Mon Mothma asked.

"In that event," Kyle answered, "Mara and I will leave and I will find another student for Kyle."

"Mara?"

"I thought this was a bad idea from the start," Mara answered, "if it was up to me, we'd leave now."

Just then, Luke's communicator gave a low beep. Checking the display, he smiled.

"Kyle's trying to contact me."

"Very well," Mon Mothma said, "then I will leave it with you to speak with Kyle. In the meantime, Mara, do your best to remain out of your sight."

"Trust me, I will."

After exchanging parting pleasantries, the two Jedi left the room. Settling back in her chair, Mon Mothma let out a breath slowly.

_Luke is taking a big risk. I can only hope it doesn't blow up in his face. And Jade… I pray I've made the right decision. If this is some kind of ploy…_

Just then, a series of electronic beeps interrupted her reverie. Studying the display on the droid's body, Mon Mothma responded to the question.

"No, I don't believe Kyle is going to very happy either, Wee Gee. And as for Jan, I pray Luke has not irreparably damaged his friendship with her."

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Hangar Bay**

**Aboard Luke's Ship**

After communicating with Kyle, he and Luke had made arrangements to meet onboard the shuttle, both men agreeing they needed to talk.

Coming into the hangar bay, Kyle found Luke standing near the top of the shuttle's boarding ramp.

"Luke."

"Kyle, thank you for coming."

"Well, I kinda had to. I'm not sure what's going on in your mind, Luke, but I figure there's gotta be a reason for all this."

"There is, Kyle, I assure you. I'd like to talk to Jan as well if I could."

"No you don't, Luke, not now."

"I see," Luke said after a moment, "if you'll come with me?"

Together, the two men moved into the passenger section of the shuttle. Seated in one of the couches there, Mara looked up as they entered. Kyle tensed as he caught sight of her.

"Does she have to be here?" he asked.

"She's not safe anywhere else aboard, Kyle."

"I'll go wait in the cockpit," Mara said, getting up.

"No," Luke said firmly, "Kyle, I realize this is difficult having to be in the same room with Mara, but I'm going to have to ask you to bear the discomfort for a time, all right?"

The men stared at each other for a moment and then, without saying anything, Kyle took a chair, as far away from Mara as possible.

"All right then," said Luke, "to begin, I'm truly sorry for how things have gotten out of control, Kyle. I didn't mean for this to happen or to cause you or Jan pain."

"Kinda too late for that."

"We can rehash that if you want," Luke said, "or you can allow me to explain why I've brought Mara here."

"All right," Kyle said, "I'll listen."

And so, as he'd done with Mon Mothma, Luke laid out his plan for Kyle training Mara as well as his reasoning behind it.

"And that's why, Kyle. I thought that you would be the best trainer for Mara. Perhaps I've underestimated the impact of the history between you two and if so, I apologize and I am willing to find another student for you.

"May I say something?"

Both men turned to Mara, who'd spoken.

"Kyle?" Luke asked.

Eyeing her suspiciously, he nonetheless nodded.

"Go ahead."

Standing up, Mara looked directly at Kyle.

"I won't continue to sit here and be browbeaten by you and Jan for what happened before. What happened in the past is done. I do regret what happened and I know I can never make up for it. Frankly, I think Luke choosing you to train me is a huge mistake. He seems to think we can complement because of our brushes with the Dark Side, but where you've struggled to maintain control, I've already achieved it. I have more combat and weapons experience than you do and a whole lot more training. To be blunt, Kyle Katarn, I don't need your help."

"Is that so?" answered Kyle, "well, Mara, I could care less what you think about me. Your opinion of who I am doesn't matter for anything. And I'm not going to play games with you. So here's the facts."

Kyle began to tick off on his fingers, "Fact, you lied and deceived both me and Jan. Fact; you tried to mess up my relationship with Jan. And fact, you tried to kill us both. And now, I'm expected to train you? The way things are now, I wouldn't turn my back on you and I don't see how I could ever trust you.

"Well, at least you've learned something about trusting," Mara said.

"Luke," Kyle said, "this is a waste of time. There's no way I can train her."

"Can't or won't?" asked Mara.

"What?"

"You heard me," she replied.

"What are you saying?"

"What I just said," Mara said," I don't think you're capable of training me; there's nothing you have to offer me."

"And I just told _you_ I don't care what you think of me."

"All right, that's enough!"

Both Kyle and Mara turned to Luke, eyes widening in surprise at the angry look on his face.

"I have tried to make you both understand. I have been patient and done my best to explain to you two about why I wanted this to happen. But it seems that words are not enough to convince you two."

"So," Mara said after a moment, "are we leaving then?"

"No," Luke replied, "not yet."

Sighing audibly, Mara shook her head at Luke.

"Don't tell me, you have a plan."

"As a matter of fact, I do. A lightsaber battle between you and Kyle."

"What?" Kyle said incredulously, "are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. We will set both your lightsabers to low power so that any contact will not do permanent damage, but you'll know you've been struck."

"And what happens when I win?" Mara asked.

"_If _you win," Luke said, "then we will leave immediately and I will find Kyle another student. However, if Kyle wins, you will agree to be his student. And Kyle, you will agree to train Mara."

Already shaking his head, Kyle responded, "This is a bad idea, Luke."

"I agree," Mara said, "this whole thing is a waste of time."

"Well, look at that," Luke said, "you two finally agree on something."

Kyle looked to Mara, and she looked back.

"Well, what do you say?" she asked, "You wanna do this thing or just admit defeat now?"

It was clearly a feint, but Kyle was too annoyed to see the tactic for what it was.

"Fine, but first I'm going to talk to Jan."

"More waiting? Jeez, what is she, your mom?"

Getting to his feet, Kyle leveled a finger.

"You need to close your mouth and stop talking."

Mara also rose to her feet, meeting Kyle's angry gaze.

"You wanna make me?"

All this time, Luke was watching.

"Then what do you two say about having the battle right away?"

"Fine," they said simultaneously.

In retrospect, Kyle would later realize this decision was the beginning of all that came to pass later.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Training Room**

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

After arriving, Mara and Kyle moved to separate areas, reprogramming their lightsabers to still emit the meter-long shafts of energy, but at a power level that would deliver at most, a mild shock. As Luke had indicated, it _would_ hurt, but not cause permanent damage.

"Are you two ready?" Luke asked.

"Ready as I'm going to be," said Kyle, already regretting having let Mara get to him. But as much as he wanted to, there seemed no way to put things on hold enough to call Jan.

From the other side, Mara just nodded.

"Sabers at the ready."

Both Luke and Mara activated their sabers, the double _snap-hiss_ echoing in the space, Kyle's orange beam contrasting against the Mara's purple-colored one.

"Interesting shade," Kyle commented.

"Anyone ever tell you you talk too much?" Mara said and then charged at him.

Caught by surprise, Kyle moved to a defensive posture as her overhead blow clashed against his blade. But even as he worked to push her blade away, Kyle was staggered by a kick Mara fired into his midsection. Staggering and try to recover his breath, Kyle was unable to defend against the follow up attack. Mara used the opportunity to land two blows to his sword arm and right leg before Kyle was able to flip away.

Coming to rest and taking several deep breaths, he looked across the way at Mara, who was shaking her head at him.

"If this had been a real battle," she said, "it'd be over already."

"I thought," Kyle said between breaths, "this was supposed to be… a lightsaber battle… not hand-to-hand."

"You've got to be kidding," Mara said, a contemptuous smile on her face, "you think combat has rules? I'm amazed you've lasted this long. "

She turned to Luke.

"I'm not going to waste any more time here, Skywalker. There's nothing this naïve fool can teach me."

"We'll just see… about that," Kyle said, launching himself forward, saber at the ready. He struck at Mara, but she deflected his attack, knocking the lightsaber down and away. Kyle recovered and sliced upwards, but she caught his blade and knocked it to the side this time. Removing a hand from the saber hilt, her fist shot out, striking Kyle full in the chest. Spinning on her heel, she fired a kick that caught him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Fighting against the pain, Kyle looked up to see Mara bending over him, her lightsaber held lazily at her side.

"You really have no idea how to fight, do you?" she said.

Feeling anger rising inside him, and for a moment, he almost let it take control. However, experience from the past had impressed its lessons upon him. He channeled the anger, using it to help him focus.

"Maybe not, but I'm a fast learner."

The words were punctuated with a kick that Mara didn't see in time that got her in the stomach. Staggered and surprised by the force of the blow, she was completely was unprepared as Kyle executed a leg sweep, knocking her off her feet. By the time Mara recovered, Kyle was back on his feet, grinning at her.

"Well? Is that all you have?"

Mara's smile disappeared, replaced by a venomous look.

"Not by a long shot."

Kyle sensed the Force Push an instant too late and was knocked off his feet. Doing his best to focus, he was able to use the Force to cushion the impact of the landing somewhat. He had started to regain his feet, but found that Mara was already upon him, launching saber strikes along with more kicks and punches. She was moving so quickly, utilizing her Force abilities to overwhelm him.

Kyle tried to marshal his own energies, but the pain from Mara's previous attacks was disturbing his focus. Mara landed two more strikes with her lightsaber, one to the thigh, the other across his midsection. This was followed with two more punches and another kick. Staggered by the ferocity of her attack, Kyle tried to mount a defense, but it wasn't enough. He stumbled to one side and a saber blow intended for his shoulder sliced across cheek, leaving an ugly mark. A follow-up kick sent him toppling to the ground.

"Mara, stop!" Luke called, "that's enough!"

If she heard, Mara gave no acknowledgement. She held her saber pointed down, the tip inches away from Kyle's throat.

"You're beaten," Mara said, "surrender and we can end this."

Lying on the ground, bruised and hurting, Kyle saw that he was in real trouble. He'd underestimated Mara's strength and abilities and overestimated his own. She was a true warrior, clearly his equal in combat if not his superior. Winning the battle was not longer in the realm of possibilities; he was hoping to just survive the battle.

Closing his eyes, Kyle drew in a painful breath and was about to offer his surrender, but then he felt it, the call of the Force, the connection. Looking up at Mara, Kyle felt the anger that had coursed through him since her appearance fading away. He realized at that moment that his anger at Mara was the reason why she was beating him; he was limiting the power of the Force within him. He had to let go and truly surrender, but not to her.

"Well?" Mara prompted, eyes widening in surprise as Kyle's opened and he looked up at her, a smile coming to his face.

The Force Push caught her completely by surprise, lifting Mara off her feet and knocking her away. She struck the floor hard, rolling to her side and back onto her feet.

_What just happened? He was beaten. _

And indeed it had appeared that she'd won, having had Kyle at her mercy. Fighting to regain her feet, she found he was standing upright, still smiling at her despite his wounds. .

"You're good, Mara, _very_ good. I won't make the mistake of underestimating you again."

"This isn't possible," she replied, "You were beaten."

Shaking his head, Kyle replied.

"You have much to learn."

Incensed by the comment, Mara charged at him her teeth bared, saber swinging. But unlike before, she found each strike she tried, each attack she made repulsed. Kyle's lightsaber was there each time, meeting her purple one each time it got close. When she resorted to physical attacks, she found those were blocked as well. Kyle's defenses were somewhat clumsy, but effective at keeping her at bay. 

"So…" she said between blows, "looks like… you can fight… after all."

"You won't be able to beat me, Mara," Kyle said, barely showing any strain on his face, "not now."

"We'll see," she said, circling her blade away and bringing it down in a double handed blow. But instead of having her blow blocked, Kyle knocked her blade to the side, then circling his own blade in and around, bringing it up towards Mara's face. Forced to back away, she found herself under assault as Kyle struck out at her. He switched between different saber combat styles at random, forcing Mara to constantly adapt. She was forced to retreat under the strength of his assault. Alternating Force Pushes and Pulls kept her off balance, unable to maintain a solid focus.

She tried to access the Force, to force it to obey, to bend it to her will, but it was as if it refused to respond.

_I can still beat him. I have more experience in lightsaber combat._

Blade crashed against blade, parry and riposte, thrust and guard, advance and retreat. No matter how hard she pressed Kyle, Mara found all of her moves matched. Suddenly, Kyle leapt into the air, rotating in mid-flip and coming down directly behind her, his lightsaber just above her the shoulder of her sword arm and inches away from her neck.

"It's over," he said, "surrender."

_He's beaten me, _Mara thought, _he's actually beaten me. Maybe I _have _underestimated _him_._

Pressing the control to deactivate her saber, Mara relaxed her muscles.

"Okay," she said resignedly, "you win."

"Are the two of you all right?" Luke asked, rushing over to where the pair stood.

"Oh, I imagine I'll be paying _another_ visit to Sickbay," Kyle said, "but yeah, I'm okay."

"I'm fine," Mara added.

"So, Mara, Kyle, do we have an agreement?

Kyle hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"I still think this is a bad idea. But a deal's a deal."

"It's _definitely _a bad idea," Mara echoed, "but there's definitely more to Katarn here than I first thought. Maybe getting trained by him won't be so bad."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he replied.

"You're welcome."

"All right then," Luke said, "with that settled; we'll need to make arrangements for quarters and Mara…"

"Already ahead of you, Skywalker," she said, "I'll come up with a disguise by the time you're ready to leave."

"And I need to go talk to Jan. I don't think she's going to be very happy with me."

"You have a real gift for understatement, Katarn," Mara said.

"Do you need help?" Luke asked, "Maybe if I come with you…"

Kyle shook his head.

"No, this was my decision. And I'm the one who has to deal with the consequences."

"Listen," Mara said, "you mind some company on the way to Sickbay?"

Caught by surprise at the request, Kyle considered for a moment before responding.

"I guess not."

"I'll meet you back at the ship, Luke, okay?"

The Jedi hesitated, and then nodded.

"All right, but be careful, Mara. If someone spots you…"

"Don't worry," she replied, "no one will."

And so, she and Kyle left together, Luke watching them until they passed through the hatchway.

Taking a deep breath, the Jedi took a moment to evaluate the events which had passed.

_Things seem to be progressing. But bringing Mara here has certainly strained things with Kyle and Jan. I can only hope that, in time, they are willing to forgive me._

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Some Random Corridor on the way to Sickbay**

**Aboard a repulsor scooter**

"I'd forgotten how large the inside of one of these is."

Kyle nodded in response to her observation.

"I can't imagine what it'd be like if we had to walk. Getting between locations would take hours, if not days."

They rode in silence for a time until Kyle had finally had had enough.

"So Mara…"

"Kyle, I…"

They both stopped speaking and looked at each other. Kyle was the first to snicker before both laughed aloud.

"I can't believe that just happened," Mara said.

"Me neither," Kyle said, "Especially when you consider… things."

Mara nodded.

"Look, Kyle, there's something we need to discuss. It may not make any difference at all, but I need to tell you this."

"I'm listening." 

"What I said before in the shuttle about the past being the past, well that's not completely true."

Kyle turned his head and saw that Mara's face had none of the sarcastic look that it did on the shuttle.

_She's serious._

"Go ahead."

"Like I said, this might not mean a thing, but what happened before, when I was Blaze and working with you and Jan, none of that was meant to be personal."

"Really? You could've fooled me," Kyle answered.

"I know and I deserve that," Mara replied, "but as I said, it was supposed to be just another job for the Empire. My initial assignment was to infiltrate your group and determine just how much of a threat you and Jan were."

"I didn't know we rated so highly."

"You'd be surprised," Mara said, "you were already on the Empire's radar for turning traitor. But after you managed to steal that copy of the Death Star plans, you two went up right up to the top ten list of major threats."

"To be eliminated," Kyle concluded.

"That's right," Mara advised, "once I had you two in the right place, I was to kill you both and bring your heads back to confirm your deaths."

"Nice, but so far you're not telling me anything I didn't already know."

"I needed to set up the background first," Mara said, "as I said, it was a job, an assassination, nothing I hadn't done before or so I thought."

"Y'know, Mara, this isn't helping things between us. If you've got a point to make…"

"I'm getting to it," she said, "the point is, I had any number of opportunities to eliminate you both, but I didn't."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"And?"

"You're probably not going to believe this, but I found that I was kind of enjoying the time I spent with you two. Both you and Jan accepted me at face value and for a time, I felt like part of the team."

"Uh-huh," Kyle said disbelievingly.

"It was during the mission to retrieve the Nav Card that I had a real crisis. I was struggling between the need to complete my mission and my feelings about you two, particularly you, Kyle."

"Is that why you invaded my dream? Were you trying to make fall in love with you?"

"Frankly, yes," Mara admitted, "I found that I was growing very attracted to you, Kyle. And, I thought I could use my powers to make you feel the same way."

"Well, you were wrong."

"I understand that. I didn't realize it at the time, but I've learned that your will was far too strong to be manipulated and your feelings for Jan too great to be overshadowed."

"That's right."

"And, well, I suppose that 'upset' me a little. And so, when I caught you on the landing platform after you defeated Fett, I wasn't exactly in my right mind…"

Kyle stopped the scooter and turned to Mara.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Do I really have to explain it?" she asked.

"You were… jealous?"

"Well, how about that?" she said with a smile, "got it on the first try."

"So you almost killed me and Jan because of… jealousy?"

"It wasn't the sole reason, but it did give me extra motivation."

"And precisely why are you telling me all this, Mara? I don't see the point."

"The point is, ever since Skywalker proposed this little venture, I've been reading up on you and Jan. And while I wasn't exactly looking forward to this meeting, it's given me the opportunity I've been looking for."

"And what opportunity is that?"

"To apologize."

Kyle stared at Mara for a long moment, his expression incredulous.

"What did you just say?" he finally managed.

"You heard me, Kyle, and I'm not saying it twice."

"I…I don't believe this. I don't believe you. After all that happened, you expect me to believe this?"

"Go ahead and use the Force to see if I'm lying," she invited.

"You're not serious."

"I don't waste time on meaningless lies, Kyle."

"You're actually willing to let me look into your mind?"

"About this, yes," said Mara, "but don't look anywhere else, all right?"

"How do I know this isn't some kind of trap?"

"I guess you'll have to take a chance," Mara replied, "it's your choice, I won't force you."

Kyle hesitated, uncertain.

"Look, it's taken a lot for me to reach out like this. If you're not willing me to meet me at least halfway, then I might as well leave with Skywalker, bargain or not."

Kyle studied her for several more moments and then closed his eyes, reaching out with the Force. Recalling his lessons about reaching into other's minds, he did his best to touch Mara's gently, focusing his probe on the truthfulness of Mara's statement about wanting to apologize. Instead of the trap he'd feared, what Kyle found was a well of regret, anguish over lives taken without cause and a strong desire to make even the smallest inroad towards repairing the damage done.

His own heart ached at what he was sensing. Suddenly, he felt himself pushed away and a moment later, his eyes snapped open as he saw Mara glaring at him.

"I think you've seen enough," she said.

"Mara," Kyle said, his voice full of emotion, "I had no idea, you've endured…"

"Please don't say anything more," she asked, "I've carried this burden for a long time and I'm not interested in sharing it with anyone. The point is; do you believe me now?"

"Yes, I do," Kyle said without a hint of doubt in his voice.

Mara smiled in relief.

"Thank you," she said.

Silence descended as Kyle put the scooter back into motion.

"I wish Jan could see this," Kyle offered, "I think it might change her mind about you."

"Maybe," Mara said, "but I doubt it."

Nothing more was said until they reached the scooter depot near Sickbay.

"I'm going to head back," Mara said.

"Will you be safe?"

She smiled mischievously at him. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to distract people, I'll be fine."

"All right then," Kyle said, "I'll be in contact with you after I speak to Jan."

"Good luck," Mara said, "you're gonna need it."

And with that, the two parted ways, Mara taking control of the scooter as Kyle moved towards Sickbay.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Sickbay**

**A Short Time Later**

Doctor Berth gave a loud sigh upon seeing Kyle.

"I thought you weren't going to come into my Sickbay looking like this again."

Smiling at the jab, Kyle assumed a gesture of surrender.

"Would it help if I said it wasn't my fault?"

"When is it _ever_ your fault?"

"Doc…"

"Oh, get over and let me have a look at you. Anything broken?"

"Not this time," Kyle replied, waiting as the doctor scanned him.

"Well," Berth said, "I'm rather surprised. Looks like nothing than a few cuts, some bruising and one rather nasty burn. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes to address."

"I appreciate it, Doc."

"So, care to tell me how you managed this latest spate of injuries?"

"Okay if I talk while you work?"

Berth nodded and Kyle explained what had happened, careful to omit Mara's name.

"She sounds like a real hard case," Berth said, "but if she truly regrets what she's done in the past..."

"She is and she does," Kyle replied.

"And you're still going to train her?"

"I said I would."

"Does Jan know?"

When Kyle didn't answer right away, the doctor sighed again.

"Why do I have the feeling you're going to end up back here quite soon?"

Kyle shrugged in response.

"Let's hope you're wrong."

Berth gave him a sarcastic look as he finished applying dermal regeneration bandages over the largest wounds and the burn on Kyle's cheek.

"Well, you're set for now. Give those spots a day or two to heal."

"I will, Doc, thanks."

"Mind if I recommend something to you?"

When Kyle nodded, Berth added, "Start the conversation with Jan off with, 'I'm sorry'".

Leaving Sickbay with a chuckle, Kyle headed for his quarters.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Quarters of Kyle Katarn**

**An Hour Later**

"What in the nine hells happened to you? And where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for over an hour."

"Whoa, slow down a second, Jan. I can explain."

"You'd better."

"Can I sit down first? I'm kinda tired."

Having found Jan waiting in his quarters, Kyle felt tension building inside him. Jan didn't reply nor objected as he moved to a chair. She moved to the couch directly opposite, leaning towards him.

"All right, Katarn, start talking."

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"First off, I'm sorry for being out of contact. I've been with Luke and Mara this whole time."

"Doing what exactly? I can't imagine that conversation taking this long."

"Well, we did talk. And then..."

He trailed off, fearing what was to come next.

When he didn't continue right away, Jan leaned forward.

"And?"

Looking into her eyes, the impact of what he was about to say was fully impressed on Kyle and he began to feel very uncomfortable.

"Okay, look, I probably should have talked to you beforehand, but there really wasn't time."

Jan expression changed, moving from curious to concerned and angry.

"What did you do, Kyle?"

Unable to meet her gaze, Kyle found a spot on the floor where he focused his eyes as he explained what had transpired.

"And so," he concluded, "I went by Sickbay to have my injuries treated and then I came here."

Jan said nothing in response and the silence between them grew until it became uncomfortable.

When Kyle finally found the strength to look up, he found Jan's eyes on him, glaring with disbelief and betrayal.

"You really did this?" she asked quietly, "you actually agreed to train her?"

"I made a bargain with Luke, Jan. And by winning the fight…"

"I don't care what kind of bargain you made!" she shouted, "I simply cannot believe you agreed to train her. Have you forgotten what happened? What she did to you? To us?"

"No."

"And yet you can sit there and tell me you're going to train the woman who came this close to killing you?"

"But the deal, I couldn't just welsh out on it. I…"

"Don't you even try to justify this, Kyle! And as far as Luke's role in this, he had no right to even suggest it, much less expect you to keep up your end. That woman has no right to even be on this ship, much less expect anything from anyone! And how dare you agree to train her! Do you care so little about how I might feel about this 'bargain'?"

"I wanted to contact you, Jan, but..."

"But what? Why didn't you? Why didn't you tell Luke and that woman that you needed to speak with me before making any such 'bargain'? I'll tell you why. Because you didn't want to look weak, you didn't want to explain that you needed to talk over things with your partner before making such a decision. And especially because you knew I would say no."

"Jan…"

"Shut up, Katarn! I cannot believe you! Of all the foolish things you've ever done, this one has to be the worst! Did you even stop for a second to consider my feelings?"

When Kyle didn't answer, Jan plowed ahead.

"You and I made a _commitment_ to each other, Katarn. You looked me in the eyes and told me you loved me. And part of that commitment means we don't keep secrets from each other nor do we make decisions that will affect us both without discussing them first. Did you forget about that?"

Again, he made no response.

"Well, it seems to me there's only one answer to unscrambling this mess you've created. Let's communicate with Luke and tell him you've changed your mind, that you won't train that woman. He needs to leave the ship with her and then you and I can work on getting things back to normal."

"May I say something?"

"Finally! I was wondering if you'd forgotten how to talk."

"There's something else you don't know."

"Oh there's more?" Jan said in exasperation, "wonderful. I can't wait to hear this."

And so, Kyle told her of his and Mara's discussion on the scooter.

"And you believe her," Jan said once he'd finished.

"I do," Kyle said, nodding.

"Katarn, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you've lost your mind. Either that or you are being impossibly naïve. How can you believe one word that woman says?"

"I used the Force to look into her mind, Jan. She's telling the truth."

"And have you considered the possibility that she showed you exactly what she wanted you to see so she could deceive you?"

"That's not possible."

"Look, Katarn, I may not be Force-sensitive, but I've learned enough from you and Luke to know the Force doesn't mean that you're all knowing or all seeing. It all depends on who wields it."

"And you think I'm that blind?" he countered.

"I don't know! Maybe. You're certainly delusional for even agreeing to talk to that woman."

"She has a name, you know."

"I'm perfectly aware of that."

"So nothing I've said has made the slightest impression on you?"

"Aside from thinking that both you and Luke are crazy; not really."

Kyle shook his head.

"I can't believe your acting like this, Jan. You're usually more opened-minded than this."

"Well, excuse me if I don't to be within a sector of someone who tried to kill both me and you, Katarn."

"And the apology she offered?"

"Isn't worth a thing! She lied to and deceived us before. Now is no different. I can't believe we're even discussing this. You're not doing this, Kyle! You're not going to train her!"

"Oh, and I'm supposed to do this because you say so?"

"You made a decision that affected both of us without involving me or even asking my opinion. You're all but conspiring with someone who tried to kill us both and you actually have the gall to try and defend that decision to me. So yes, Kyle, I am telling that you're not going to do this. Now, are you calling Luke or am I?"

Kyle said nothing for a long moment.

"Well?" Jan pressed.

Kyle looked at Jan, his friend, his partner, the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. At the same time, he thought of Mara, who'd made herself vulnerable in order to try and make up for her past. No matter what he chose, someone was going to be hurt.

"No," Kyle said, rising to his feet.

"What?"

"I said no, Jan."

"No _what_, Katarn?"

"I'm not contacting Luke."

Jan's face twisted in confusion.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I'm going to do what I said I was going to do. I'm going to train Mara."

The confused look turned into a severe glare.

"I don't think I heard you correctly, Katarn."

"Yes, you did. I'm sorry, Jan, but I'm going to do this."

"You're sorry?" Jan said angrily, "You're sorry? You make a decision like this and then when I try to get you to see reason, you tell me that you're going to go ahead anyway? And you expect me to what? Just deal with this? Go along with it?"

"I'd hoped you'd give Mara a chance."

"Give a traitor and a murderer a chance? Katarn, you've lost your mind."

"Think what you want. But I'm tired of you yelling at me. I've made my decision and that's that."

For a moment, it seemed Jan might hit him. But then, she blew out a breath, her expression cold.

"Then you can do this without me, Katarn."

She started to move past, but Kyle blocked her way.

"And just where you are going?"

"Somewhere you aren't."

There was something in her tone that he didn't like.

"What are you saying, Jan?"

"I think that should be clear, Katarn, even to someone as deluded as you are."

Kyle's eyes went wide as he understood what was being said.

"No… Jan, don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything, Katarn. This is all you."

"Jan," Kyle said, his voice becoming desperate, "We've been together for over a year. Are you really going to throw that all away because of this?"

"You're the one who's throwing it away, Kyle. You've chosen that woman over me. And you should know all too well that decisions have consequences."

"Jan, please."

"Move, Katarn, or I'll make you move."

He stared into her eyes, seeing in them just how serious she was. To have Jan leave, to lose her like this. He hadn't anticipated this happening. And now…

"Katarn…"

Kyle moved aside and Jan moved past him without a backwards glance. The sound of the door opening and closing was like a death knell.

Turning away, he nearly fell over the chair, ended up sprawling in it, his mind awhirl. Had he just really said goodbye to the woman he loved? Was their relationship over just like that? It didn't seem possible. He nearly ran after her, determined to win her back, the price of his decision seeming too high. But no, he decided, the decision had been made. He could only hope that, in time, Jan would somehow understand. Still, he didn't move from the chair for several hours nor did he sleep that night, his mind awash in regret and recrimination.

**New Republic Star Destroyer **_**Intrepid**_

**Quarters of Jan Ors**

Though she all but moved in with Kyle, Jan had kept her own quarters, more as a place to store things between missions than to sleep in. She'd enjoyed his bed for some time now and the two of them had considered his quarters as belonging to both of them.

At least, they had until now.

Forcing herself to maintain control under the door had slid shut behind her and luck, Jan threw her head back and screamed; then came the tears. She sat down and sobbed, pausing only to curse Kyle, to curse Luke and especially to curse Mara Jade. She's ruined everything, her very presence disrupting the comfortable and happy life she and Kyle had had.

_How could he have agreed to train her, agreement or not? Why had he done it? Does he care so little for me that he doesn't care how I feel about this? She'll betray him just like she did before and maybe this time, she'll finish the job._

She thought of that terrible day, seeing Kyle, crumpled and helpless on the landing pad, Jade preparing to deliver the killing blow.

_If I hadn't blinded her with that shot…_

She turned the problem over and over in her head, trying to see things clearly, but her personal feelings for Kyle and her anger were too much to allow it. All she could see was him walking into yet another trap.

_I know Kyle said she apologized, but it rings so hollow. It'd just be like Jade to fool him into thinking she's regretted her past, get him in a vulnerable spot and then…_

Images of Kyle, shot to death with a blaster or sliced with a lightsaber flashed across her head. For a fleeting moment, Jan considered using the comm to reach him, to try one last time to explain to him, to make him see what she was seeing, the obvious ploy, the trap just waiting to be sprung. And then she thought of the conversation she'd just had with him.

_He's so thickheaded, there's no way he'll listen to me. And I'm not going to waste my time the way he's behaving._

Jan made her decision, nodding to herself.

_You're on your own, Katarn._


	3. Chapter 3

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 3: Losses**

A/N: Hello, everyone! Sorry for another late posting. Issues on the job front had my time occupied more than I counted on. But, I've got a new chapter all ready for you here along with a promise that this will be the last of the heart-wrenching stuff for a while. I realize the last chapter along with this one have had some heavy stuff. But the first mission of the game starts in the next one. Additionally, I've been reading your thoughts about the Mara missions and have come to a conclusion on them. I'm going to cover them, but not in the same amount of detail as I do with Kyle's missions. I want to hit some highlights that I think you will find interesting along with a confrontation scene between Jan and Mara. So let's move on to the shoutouts.

Nerwen Aldarion: Sorry for torturing you. It will get better soon.

Zedille: Yeah, it does have to happen, but they won't be apart forever.

Loke Groundrunner: Thank you very much! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story. I'm kind of going with your idea about highlighting Mara's mission without too much detail. You're right in that it's never been discussed how Kyle found out about Dromund Kaas and yes, I've come up with an idea of how he found. You'll see it either in Chapter 4 or possibly 5.

Ovall Aocrog: So wonderful to hear from you! I do recall being an important character in the Timothy Zahn trilogy. I absolutely 100% agree with you that the decision to make all those stories non-canon is a VERY poor one.

All right! Thanks for the reviews and comments everyone! I read them all and treasure them! Looking forward to what you think of this new chapter!

For the next month, the former partners and lovers did their best to avoid each other, neither one willing to give an inch, to be the one to extend the olive branch of forgiveness. Kyle spent nearly every moment he wasn't eating or sleeping training Mara. Despite his early concerns, Mara was an eager student and while she did ask a myriad of questions and offer nearly as many observations, Kyle was finding them useful and instructive.

Their mock battles were intense and despite his "promise", both of them made the occasional visit to Sickbay. He was also learning there was more to Mara than what he knew of her from before. After one particular battle where he'd gotten the better of her, the two of them sat on the floor, she working to recover her breath. Looking over at Kyle, Mara saw that his legs were crossed and his hands lying loosely in his lap. With eyes and his breathing regular, he had the appearance of being asleep. However, as she'd found out from an earlier time when attempting a sneak attack, Kyle was aware of his surroundings and capable of reacting in an instant.

"How do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Kyle spoke, only his lips moving.

"Fall into the Force like that. I've seen you do it in our battles. It's like…" 

"I just let go," he replied, "let the Force take control."

Mara took a moment to consider that.

"I was always taught that the Force was something to be controlled, a tool of sorts."

"Then you've been missing out on so much more of what the Force has to offer."

Mara shook her head, scoffing. "The Jedi I encountered used to say stuff like that. 'You know nothing of the Force, child'. It drove me nuts at times."

"This is probably going to sound kind of cryptic," Kyle offered, "but for me, it's like the more I understand of the Force, the more I realize how much I still have to learn."

"Circular reasoning," Mara said dismissively.

Kyle nodded. "It would seem so. But give it enough time and you'll see what I mean."

Drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Kyle opened his eyes.

"Ah, I feel better," he said, rising to his feet, "Ready to go again?"

"Are you serious? We've had five battles already today. You ever hear of taking a break?"

"We just did," he said.

"For five minutes?"

"You asked me to train you. That means we play by my rules."

"Okay," Mara said, "first off, I _never_ asked you to train me, Skywalker did."

"Granted."

"And second, I know a fair amount about lightsaber combat. Are we going to cover anything else?"

"You told me you wanted to know more about using the Force," Kyle said.

Mara nodded.

"That's right."

"It's in battle that you'll learn best how to let the Force take control, to quit trying to doing everything yourself."

"So meditation, lifting objects with your mind, you don't do any of that?"

"Nah. Too boring."

"Ah… well," she said, "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

Kyle chuckled.

"If you really want, we can do some of that this afternoon, but for now…"

With a groan, Mara rose to her feet.

"We go again."

"That's right," Kyle said.

The pair moved to opposite sides of the mat.

"Ready?"

"Let's go," Mara said.

Sabers activating with a double _snap-hiss_, the two circled before Mara charged forward. Saber blades met and the two were engaged.

"So, you talked to Jan yet?"

The question came out of the blue, throwing Kyle off balance, the question breaking his concentration. Taking advantage, Mara pressed her attack and knocking Kyle's sword arm out to the side, leveling her blade at his chest.

"Gotcha."

Expecting Kyle to smile or make a joke, she was surprised to see his face twist in anger. She felt the rush of Force energy a second too late. The Force Push sent her flying away. Even as she tumbled, a Force Grip ripped her lightsaber from her hand. She landed hard, breath gone. An instant later, Kyle was standing over her, his lightsaber blade held downwards; ready to plunge into her chest.

"Stop!" she managed to cry.

It was as if a cord had snapped. One moment, Kyle's face held an angry look, the next; his face softened, and then took on a look of surprise and horror. Deactivating his lightsaber, he backed away.

"Mara… I… I'm sorry."

"Guess I hit a sore spot," she said, slowly rising to her feet.

"No," Kyle said quickly, a little too quickly, "no, not at all. I just... I... I lost focus."

"Uh-huh," Mara replied.

"Listen," he said, "maybe we ought to take another. I… I need to go center myself. I'll catch up with you later today."

And with that, he gathered his gear and left the room, leaving a stunned Mara Jade staring after him.

_What was that all about_?

The day passed without any further training, except for a message from Kyle advising her to meditate that evening and then meet him for training the next morning. Mara tried contacting him, but never received a response.

**Training Room**

**The Next Day**

"Sorry about yesterday, Mara," Kyle said as he entered the room, "I should know better than to let you make me lose focus like that. I hope I didn't hurt you."

She shook her head.

"I'm fine."

"Good," Kyle said, "good. So, ready to begin today?"

"Sure."

She'd considered asking him more about yesterday, but if he didn't want to volunteer anything about it…

And so they began their first lightsaber battle of the day, her purple blade clashing against his orange one. It was during the battle that she decided to see if what happened yesterday was as Kyle was saying, losing focus.

"So, are you and Jan talking yet?"

And just as it had happened yesterday, she felt Kyle's anger light up like a fire in the Force. His attacks began to intensify; pushing her back until one strike nearly tore the lightsaber from her hands. She leapt away, executing a Force Push as she did so, but it was as if Kyle didn't feel it. He leapt after her, clutching his saber in both hands.

"Kyle!" she called

And just like that, his face morphed, from surprise to horror to regret. Touching down and deactivating his lightsaber, he looked over at her, eyes still angry, but no longer with the murderous expression from a moment ago.

"So I _am_ hitting a sore spot," she said confidently.

Kyle said nothing, looking away.

Sensing regret mixed with anger, Mara started to reach out a hand.

"Listen, if I'm upsetting you. I want…"

Kyle turned to look at her and in the Force; Mara felt the warning before he spoke it.

"Listen to me, Mara. I don't want to discuss the relationship between Jan and I, so drop it."

The two of them stared at each other, neither one saying anything for a long moment.

"Understood, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He nodded.

"Just don't do it again."

They continued to train and while he gave every appearance of being calm and peaceful, Mara could feel the underlying current, a mix of sadness, frustration and anger.

A few days later, she accompanied him to the _Intrepid_'s weapons testing lab, where he was presented with an armored suit. Though Kyle protested that he no longer needed armor, a combination of peer pressure and guilt tripping finally made him gave him.

"Not exactly the most attractive color," Mara said, noting the ebony finish.

Kyle shrugged. "Plus, it's a waste of time and resources. The Force is all the armor I need."

And then came the fateful day. Called to an emergency briefing and bringing Mara with him, Kyle was advised along with the rest of the senior staff that the _Intrepid_ was being dispatched on a rescue mission to defend a convoy under attack by an Imperial Star Destroyer. A tactical officer explained that Kyle's role would be as backup to the main fighter squadrons depending on how hot the battle got.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a ship for you."

"That's not a problem; I'll have the _Redemption_ on standby just in case."

A modified Lambda-class shuttle, the _Redemption_ had once belonged to Jerec, coming into Kyle's possession after he'd defeated the Dark Jedi. With the _Moldy Crow_ little more than a twisted, burnt out hulk, Kyle had made the decision to keep the shuttle as his personal vessel. The dark black hull had been painted over to match the color of other Lambda-class shuttles, although Kyle had had the Rebel crest placed on the center tail fin.

Deciding to cancel training for the day, he and Mara had gone to tactical, primarily to observe as the _Intrepid_ was prepared for battle. Slicing neatly into hyperspace, the sounds of both man and machine made for a steady buzz as the vessel headed for his destination.

When the shock of deceleration came, everyone, including Kyle and Mara were thrown off their feet as the_ Intrepid_ was yanked roughly out of hyperspace. Resuming their consoles and stations after the initial jolt, the voices took on some urgency as reports started coming in.

"Sir! Sensors indicate an Imperial Interdictor vessel positioned near the main hyperspace point."

"That explains what happened to us," said the senior tactical officer.

"Sir!" cried a technician, "we have multiple incoming! At least two Imperial-class Star Destroyers!"

"Inform the Bridge at once."

Kyle looked to the main threat board, unable to repress a sound at the nearly solid mass of red covering the upper part of the display. He looked to Mara and then grabbed for his communicator.

"Jan, Jan do you read me?"

No response.

"Jan, its Kyle. We've got multiple incoming Imperial ships. I could use your help aboard the _Redemption_."

Still no response.

"C'mon Ors, answer me. We've got work to do."

He waited a minute more, and then angrily returned the device to his belt.

"Look, "he said to Mara, "There's no time to waste and I need a gunner. Can you handle the tactical systems aboard a Lambda-class shuttle?"

She nodded.

"All right," Kyle said, moving to the exit," let's go."

The pair were headed for the _Intrepid_'s hangar bay when the ship gave a jolt.

"That didn't feel good," Mara observed.

Kyle said nothing in response, focusing on getting to the hangar bay. He was feeling a sense of dread building inside and could only assume it meant things were not going well. Finally reaching their destination, the pair took a moment to notice the multi-colored light show outside as laser fire passed by the docking bay entrance.

Racing up the ramp of the shuttle, Kyle bypassed the preflight sequence and began feeding power directly to the engines. Engaging the repulsors, he left the shuttle into the air even as the engines came to life. Ignoring the chatter coming from the hangar bay control office, Kyle sent the shuttle moving towards the entrance and out into space, deploying the wings into flight configuration. No sooner had they cleared the _Intrepid_'s hull than Kyle saw what the Force had been telling him.

Aside from the Interdictor some distance away, there were three Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, their turbolasers pouring green fire into space. And nearly every shot seemed directed at the _Intrepid._ The Rebel Star Destroyer was returning fire, its orange-red beams striking out at its attackers. Fightercraft seemed everywhere, X-Wings, Y-Wings, A-Wings and B-Wings up against the might of the Imperial fightercraft.

"Okay," Kyle said, "we're going to have punch a hole through to those capital ships and then disable that Interdictor so the _Intrepid _can escape. I'll fly, you shoot."

"There's an awful lot of them," Mara said.

Kyle nodded, and then added, "But we've got an advantage they don't."

Closing his eyes, he reached into the Force, working to allow it to guide his hands as they moved over the controls. The _Redemption_ carried considerable armament for a shuttle, with 8 laser cannons in front, two aft, and two of those in front were set on rotating turrets. Mara began to work to direct the shuttle's weapons, selecting targets and firing. Two TIE fighters exploded and the aft cannon nailed an Interceptor, but several more shots missed completely.

"There's too many," she protested, "I can't keep up with them all."

Without opening his eyes, Kyle turned to her.

"Stop trying to do it all by yourself and let the Force guide you."

Nodding, more to herself than at him, Mara tried to concentrate, to reach into the Force. She nailed three more ships, but her fire was still erratic and ill-timed.

"You're trying too hard," Kyle said; his voice low, "quit trying to make the Force obey you."

_Easier said than done_, Mara thought. She'd been taught all her life to treat the Force as tool, something to be bent to her will. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she tried reaching out again.

Kyle put the shuttle into a spin and as it rotated, Mara's fingers reached out. The shuttle's cannons reacted, spewing bolts of crimson, each one finding a target. The area around begin to fill with explosions.

"Good," Kyle commented.

With laser cannons firing, the _Redemption_ began to cut a path through the Imperial fighters. But then…

_Kyle?_

_I feel it too. Hang on._

Having moved some distance from the _Intrepid_, both Kyle and Mara had sensed and then heard via the comm of a group of TIE Bombers approaching the _Intrepid. _Bringing the _Redemption _around, Kyle fed as much power as he could to the engines, blue fire leaping from the nozzles as the alabaster vessel rocketed back towards its mother ship.

They heard a whoop of victory as one of the Bombers fell prey to a concussion missile from an A-Wing, but several others managed to drop their payloads before breaking away. A swath of proton torpedoes moved towards the _Intrepid_. Two were blown up and one X-Wing flew into the path of another, destroying both vessel and torpedo.

_We're too far away_, Kyle realized, _we're not going to make in time_.

The side of the Rebel Star Destroyer lit up as the torpedoes impacted against the shields. It seemed, for a moment, that the _Intrepid_ might be safe, but then one of the energy panels flared and died, the next torpedo exploding against the hull.

Comm chatter indicated more torpedo attacks from the other side. Trying to stay calm, Kyle began to steer the _Redemption_ towards the next group of Bombers when a shadow fell over the shuttle. Looking up, he could see one of the Imperial Star Destroyers, impossibly close, moving past, tilted so all of its starboard side turbolasers rained fire down on the _Intrepid._

Explosions began to appear along the Rebel Star Destroyer's surface, turbolaser emplacements exploding.

"Kyle? I have a bad feeling about this."

"Me too," he said and then both had to cover their eyes even as the forward screen darkened. A concentrated attack by X-Wings and Y-Wings had taken out one of the Imperial Star Destroyers, the stricken vessel turning like a sick Whaladon as explosions appeared all over the hull until the last, a giant flare that once it had dimmed, revealed nothing more than wreckage and debris. Still, laser fire continued to strike the _Intrepid_.

"If it wasn't for that blasted Interdictor…" Kyle growled.

Returning to fight, he and Mara continued to blast Imperial fighters from the sky. But it seemed for each one they destroyed; two more took its place. The comm revealed a group of B-Wings had been dispatched to disable the Interdictor. Their initial attack took down the vessel shields. Beginning to move, it seemed the vessel that had pulled the _Intrepid _from hyperspace might be leaving the area. Hope began to blossom in Kyle's heart as he heard one of the pilots give a whoop, reporting that one of the gravity well generators had been destroyed and the Interdictor was indeed moving away.

_Good, now the Intrepid can get to hyperspace and…_

"Kyle, "Mara reported, "There's a group of shuttles exiting the hangar bay."

He turned to look, his heart sinking. Indeed, a group of three-Lambda class and two assault shuttles along with half a dozen escort fighters had exited the _Intrepid_'s hangar bay. Turning his eye to Rebel capital ship, the hope in his heart died. Explosions had ripped ugly rents in the Star Destroyer's hull. Two of its main engines were crumpled wrecks and one of the shield generators was a blackened mess.

"Sithspit, they're abandoning ship."

An image of Jan flooded into his mind and he stabbed at the comm panel. Using the private frequency they'd agreed upon months ago, he called out.

"Kyle Katarn to Jan Ors, come in please."

No reply.

"I repeat, this is Kyle Katarn. Can you read me, Jan?"

Silence.

"Jan, answer me! Please!"

"Kyle…" Mara said softly.

"What?!"

She pointed, drawing his eyes to the _Intrepid_, which tumbled in space in the midst of its death throes. The forward screen darkened once more as the vessel exploded.

After a time, the blast faded, showing a space laden with debris where the _Intrepid_ had been

"JAN!" Kyle screamed, and then slumped against his straps. Next to him, Mara had too felt the deaths. But her former training as an assassin allowed her to push the pain aside. Suddenly, a laser blast struck the _Redemption_, shaking the vessel.

About to turn to Kyle, Mara recoiled as he sat up, his face twisted in a look of hatred. Waves of anger pulsed out from him, so strong as to be nearly overwhelming. The shuttle was suddenly moving, its laser cannons firing. Trying to regain her focus, Mara started to reach for the panel in front of her.

"Don't."

The voice was Kyle's and yet was so full of anger that it was almost alien to her ears. In the next moment, she was thrown against her straps as Kyle jerked the shuttle around, the cannons firing all at once. Six TIE fighters became fireballs.

The shuttle turned again, a mixed group of Interceptors and Bombers ahead. Flying over them, Kyle flipped the shuttle upside even as he mentally commanded the laser cannons. All the ships save one exploded, the last spiraling away, half its fuselage gone. And then, they were headed towards one of the remaining Star Destroyers, cannons firing seemingly at random, but each one finding an Imperial fighter.

Understanding what he was intending; Mara knew she had to make an attempt to reach him.

"Kyle? Kyle, do you hear me?"

She felt momentary surprise at seeing tears coming from his eyes. And this time, when he spoke, his voice was choked with both anger and sadness.

"They're going to pay," he said, "they're going to pay for killing her. I'll destroy every last one of them."

And as if Kyle's pain and anger had reached out to the others, Mara heard the comm come alive as the remaining Rebel ships launched a renewed attack, other pilots expressing their desire for revenge. The Interdictor had disappeared into hyperspace but the two Star Destroyers were still there. Even as Kyle wheeled the shuttle about, laser fire all but continuous, the Alliance fighters were finding their own targets, the Imperial fighters becoming clouds of gas as they were struck. The heavy assault vessels, B-Wings and Y-Wings together, focused torpedo attacks on the capital ships, protected by screens of A-Wings and some X-Wings.

A cry of victory echoed as one of the remaining Star Destroyers erupted in a large explosion, the victim of multiple torpedo strikes. Attention was focused on the remaining Star Destroyer, but despite a massive assault, it managed to escape into hyperspace.

For a moment, the communications channels were completely silent. Then they began to fill with voices, some shocked, some angry, some crying out in frustration. Mara looked to Kyle, seeing that his eyes were closed now, although his white-knuckled grip on the controls indicating he was still troubled, his pain and anger radiating in the Force.

"Kyle…" she began.

"Attention all Alliance Forces, this is Mon Mothma."

His eyes snapped open, face showing surprise.

"This is a sad day for all of us. Our command ship, the _Intrepid, _has been lost. But we can all be grateful for the lives that were saved due to quick thinking action by the ships' crew. Sadly, those actions also meant the loss of many of our friends."

With a flicker of pseudomotion, a Mon Calamari cruiser appeared, its' bulbous hull a welcome sight.

"The Mon Calamari have graciously sent one of their vessels to assist us. Please set course for it and we will gather aboard to mourn the loss of our comrades."

Reacting as if he were a puppet with his strings cut, Kyle slumped against his straps once more, hands slipping off the controls. Mara could still feel his anguish and pain, but the anger had faded. Looking at him, it was as if the end of the battle had taken with it the last of Kyle's strength. She reached for the control panel, transferring the flight controls to her station and then set a course for the Mon Cal cruiser, joining a long convoy of fighters, transports and shuttles.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

Once safely docked aboard the vessel, Kyle seemed to come alive, but didn't argue against the help that was provided to him on getting out of the shuttle.

Arriving in Sickbay, he heard a voice call out,

"I thought you were going to stay _out_ of my Sickbay."

Kyle opened tired eyes to see Doctor Berth, eyeing him with mock disdain. The doctor sported a bandage across the top of his head but otherwise, appeared none the worse for wear.

"Doc," Kyle managed, "you're alive."

Berth nodded.

"They almost had to force me at gunpoint, but my entire staff was evacuated."

"How many did we lose?"

"That's a conversation for another time. Now, let's see what's wrong with you."

Reaching out a hand, Kyle grabbed the doctor's wrist.

"Please, Doc, I have to know."

Berth paused a moment, then nodded.

"Too many."

"Was Jan…?"

"Oh," Berth said, surprised, "I thought you knew. She was with Mon Mothma when the evacuation began, personally escorted her off the _Intrepid._"

The despair Kyle had felt since seeing the _Intrepid_ explode faded in an instant faded in an instant. Relief replaced it, bringing renewed hope.

"I thought… I tried contacting her, but…"

"I saw her earlier," Berth said, "she's fine."

"Thank the stars," Kyle said with a sigh.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

**Mess Hall**

**Three Days Later **

"To all those we lost," said Caston Droum.

Kyle lifted his glass with the others, and then drained the shot in one gulp, the liquor tracking fire down his throat.

"Smooth," someone said raspily, eliciting low laughter from the table.

Kyle looked about him, the people sitting or standing, clustered together.

_So many_, he thought, _so many still here, too many gone._

It seemed everyone had lost someone on the _Intrepid_, some more than others. Kyle reminded himself to be thankful he'd lost so few.

Bjrn Fallqvist raised his glass in acknowledgement as Kyle's eyes moved past him. Seated nearby and consoling each other were Tinuviel Undomiel and Nerwen Aldarion. Catiene Tails stood off ways a bit, but smiled as Kyle raised a hand in greeting. Two men almost alone in their sadness were Mach Farcon and Atarn Daman. They'd been removing equipment from the weapons testing lab when a bulkhead had given way, crushing Chief Brolly underneath. Manus Dei, Fensta and Luntic Pandora were all recovering in Sickbay, but Doctor Berth had sent word all were doing well. He'd lost both a colleague and friend in Tyrene Ghynner, who'd become trapped behind fallen debris and couldn't get out in time. Zetton Wineglass and Dav Flamerock raised private toasts to Commander Thonas, who been caught on the Bridge when a blast had exposed it to space and Puan Gell, who stayed at his post trying to get every ship that could fly out of the hangar before an explosion had taken the entire bay.

Sitting two tables away, he spotted Jan, who had raised her glass in toast to her dear friend, Wexter. It had hit Kyle hard when he'd learned the old man had refused to leave his post, even as the ship was falling apart around him. He'd made sure nearly everyone else on the engineering crew had gotten out, working to keep power flowing until an explosion wiped out the engine room.

He'd asked Mara to come, but she had refused, bluntly stating that these were his friends, not hers.

"Kyle?" twin voices spoke in unison.

He turned.

"We both wanted to say we're sorry about Wee Gee," said Nerwen Aldarion.

"He was a hero right to the end," added Tinuviel Undomiel.

Kyle looked down at his glass for a moment, then back up at the twins.

"Thanks, ladies… I appreciate it."

It had been the cruelest blow to Kyle, the news that had hit him the worst. His faithful droid, Wee Gee had been destroyed while making sure Mon Mothma safely reached her shuttle. Part of the ceiling had given away, imprisoning the droid. Mon Mothma had tried to have him freed, but it was no use.

"And what about Jan?" asked Tinuviel, "Is there anything we can do?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Nerwen.

Kyle started to answer, thought better of it, started again.

"Ladies, uh… look, I… whew… I thank you both for wanting to help. But there's really nothing that can be done."

The twins looked at each other for a moment, and then both nodded.

"She won't talk to us either," said Nerwen.

"She says it's none of our business," added Tinuviel.

"She's not talking to us either," said a new voice and Kyle turned to see Restall and Plana standing nearby. Large beings from a heavy gravity world, both towered over the assemblage, oversized glasses held in their hands. The two of them had worked to evacuate as many survivors from the Bridge and Tactical until it became clear that they needed to leave.

"I don't think she's talking to anyone," Kyle said.

"She can be quite stubborn, that one," Plana said.

"Stubborn's one thing, Restall said, "she's being pigheaded, as you humans say."

Kyle smiled briefly at the attempt at humor, and then stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go to my quarters."

"Already?" said Caston, moving in from the side to fill Kyle's glass.

"Yeah, I've got training with Mara tomorrow."

"I'm sure it could wait."

"Look Caston, I'm not letting get me drunk. I can still remember the last hangover."

Caston shrugged and then smiled.

"All part of the fun of enjoying a good libation, Kyle."

"Well, count me out this time."

With that, Kyle rose and headed for the exit. Just before passing through the door, he looked towards Jan and was surprised to see her looking back at him. For a moment, he thought she might give him a chance, but then she turned away.

_I see_, Kyle thought, moving into the corridor.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

**Quarters of Kyle Katarn**

With the sudden influx of personnel aboard the ship, quarters had been arranged hastily. Several of the crew were sharing space with those formerly of the _Intrepid._ Offered private quarters because of his status in the Alliance hierarchy, Kyle had refused them, instead opting for shared quarters like so many of his fellows. Fortunately, the room's other occupant worked on the night cycle and so was on duty when Kyle was asleep. So far, the arrangement was working out well.

Stepping into the room, Kyle found the message light blinking on the communications console. After verifying the message was for him, he called it up. The message, surprisingly, was from Mara.

"Kyle, I was wondering if you had a few minutes to talk."

Using the return call option, he soon had her face on the small screen.

"Is everything all right?" he asked her.

"That's what I wanted to ask you," she replied.

"Oh-kay," said Kyle, "I mean, I'm fine, Mara. If that's what…"

"Kyle, I need to talk to you, right now."

The urgency in her voice surprised him.

"If it's that important…?"

"It is," she said.

Shrugging, he replied, "Then please come by if you wish. I'll be waiting."

Mara's face disappeared as she disconnected the call without saying anything further.

Feeling not a little curious, Kyle settled back and waited for her to arrive.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

**Corridor outside the quarters of Kyle Katarn**

Jan sighed once again, rolling her eyes.

_You need to quit this, Ors. You're almost like some lovelorn schoolgirl._

Despite the condition of their relationship, the loss of the _Intrepid_ and especially of Wexter had hit Jan hard. She'd lost people before, but Wexter's death had left a big hole in her heart and right now, she wanted to be comforted.

Realistically, it seemed impossible. She'd left, walked away from him, all but ended their relationship. So why was she thinking about him now? Why, off all people, did she think of turning to him?

Still searching for answers, she'd learned where his cabin was. Now, drawing near, doubt and fear warred inside her. She tried to rehearse what she'd say to him, but everything kept coming out that it was his fault, not hers and right now, that wasn't the discussion she wanted to have. She just wanted someone to talk to and maybe even, someone to hold her.

She'd just turned the corner nearest his door when she saw Mara coming the other way. Quickly hiding herself, she peered around to see the door open and Kyle move into view.

"Hello, Mara," he said.

"Hi Kyle, thanks for seeing me on short notice like this."

"You sounded pretty concerned on the comm."

Moving aside, he gestured for her to enter.

"Come on in. Can I get you some caf?"

The door closed, cutting off Mara's reply.

Jan stood there; head down, only peripherally aware that her hands were shaking.

_This can't be_, she thought, _it just can't be. Not only does Katarn agree to train that woman, but now he's inviting her into his quarters? Could they…? I mean, would they…?_

An image of Mara in Kyle's arms flashed across her mind.

She almost barged into the room, determined to find out what was going on.

_And to give Katarn a knuckle sandwich for doing this to me._

She took a step forward, then another.

It made sense.

She deserved to know. Of all people she _deserved_ to know.

But instead of continuing, she stopped, shaking her head.

_No, I'm not doing this. I'm going to go in there and make a spectacle of myself. Besides if those are really…_

She quashed a fresh image in her mind of Kyle and Mara together.

_No, its fine, _she decided._ If that woman is so important to him, so important that he'd walk away from me, then so be it. I won't be made a fool of or let him have the satisfaction._

Turning on her heel, Jan headed back to her own quarters, a plan forming in her mind.

The decision, but had Jan decided to take the risk, she would have found a much different scene in the room.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it, Mara."

"We'll we're going to talk about it, Kyle," she countered.

"It was just a slip," he said, annoyance in his tone, "I can handle it."

"Really?" she said mockingly, "then how come I can't even mention Jan without you flying off the handle?"

"That," he said, gritting his teeth for a moment, "is a personal matter between me and her. It doesn't concern you."

"Kyle, you're supposed to be my Master, the person training me, the one I can count on when I'm struggling. But lately, it's been the opposite."

"Look, I said I will handle it, so…"

"Don't make me have to call Luke."

That brought Kyle up short. A single communication would bring Luke here and he would start asking questions, questions Kyle didn't want to answer at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and forced himself to calm down.

"All right," he said, holding up his hands, "all right, I get it. You don't have to call Luke."

Mara said nothing in reply.

"Look," Kyle said, "I'll admit that things between me and Jan have compromised me emotionally. And when I think about it, it's hard to maintain focus."

"You still care about her, though."

Kyle nodded.

"As much as I'm angry with her… yes, you're right. I still care."

"And what happened on the shuttle was a product of that?"

"Yes," Kyle said, "it was. I thought I'd lost her and… well, I couldn't stand the thought of that happening."

Mara considered for a moment.

"You really care about her, even with things the way they are?"

Kyle nodded.

"Then why allow things to continue this way? This is the perfect opportunity to reach out to her, to make things the way they were."

Kyle was already shaking his head.

"Is what caused the problem between you two such that you won't even try?"

"She's never going to understand," said Kyle.

"About me?"

He nodded.

"So you're willing to sacrifice what you've built with her over me?

"It's more complicated than that, Mara."

"How?"

"That's something I don't…"

"Fine, I'll just go ask Jan myself."

Kyle started at her in surprise, and then his lips curved into a crooked smile.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?" she countered.

"She'll never talk to you, Mara. She hates you."

"I know that," she said, shrugging, "and maybe, before the _Intrepid_ was destroyed, that hatred would have kept her from talking to me. But are you so sure it's the case now?"

He didn't answer.

"Fine," Mara said with another shrug, "I'll go find out myself."

And with that, she headed for the exit. As the door opened, she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

"You have no idea what you're sacrificing."

And then she was gone.

Kyle almost went after her, wanting to convince Mara she was on a fool's errand. But he'd seen enough of her during training to see that once she'd made up her mind, nothing would change it.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

**Quarters of Kyle Katarn**

**Two Days Later**

Practically bursting through the entrance to the hangar bay, Kyle ran towards the group of people clustered around the shuttle.

"Jan!" he called.

He continued to call her name as he ran across the hangar, drawing a number of stares. At first pretending not to hear him, Jan finally turned in his direction, nodding at the others with her that it was okay.

"What do you want, Katarn?" she asked flatly.

Even with the Force helping him, Kyle was a bit winded. Taking a moment to recover his breath, he spoke.

"What's going on here? What's with this message?"

"I thought I was perfectly clear," she said, "even for someone like you. I'm leaving."

"But… but… I don't understand. Where are you going? In fact, why are you leaving at all?"

"I've been asked to provide assistance on an Alliance operation."

"And?"

"And that's all you need to know, Katarn. I told you in the message that this assignment is classified. Simply put, I'm needed elsewhere."

"And what about me? About us?"

"What about it?"

"Look, I know we didn't part well the last time. But I thought… I thought we could talk, resolve things."

"Maybe you should have thought of that a lot sooner," she replied, turning away, "and now, if you'll excuse me…"

Kyle reached out, grabbing her hand.

"Let go, Katarn."

"You can't leave," he said, "please Jan. You can't just leave."

"Well, I am."

"I don't want you to go," he said, his voice becoming desperate, "please Jan, don't force me to…"

Unhooking her blaster, Jan placed the muzzle on Kyle's chest.

"Don't you even _think_ of using the Force to stop me; Katarn."

"Jan," he said, tears appearing in his eyes, "please, I love you. Please don't go."

Her eyes widened slightly, Kyle's words ringing true in her mind. She looked at him, the pitiful state he was in.

Leaning close, she spoke quietly.

"I love you too, Kyle. But right now, that's not enough."

And with that, she holstered her blaster, removed her hand from Kyle's loosened grip and turned away. Without a backwards look, she boarded the shuttle. Repulsors coming online, the craft lifted into the air and moved towards the docking bay entrance. Kyle watched as it passed through the force field and disappeared from sight.

_She's gone, she's really gone._

In a daze, he walked back to his quarters, where he allowed himself to give way to his emotions.

**Aboard the Mon Calamari vessel **_**Peacemaker**_

**Mon Mothma's Office**

**One Week Later**

"You're sending us where?" Mara asked.

"An outpost on Altyr 5," Mon Mothma repeated.

"And exactly _why_ are we being sent there?" Kyle asked.

"The reason is twofold," Mon Mothma said, "first, the commander of the outpost has intercepted several coded transmissions by Imperial forces. Your role is to assist in determining if there is a potential threat and to provide any needed assistance."

"And may we assume that I am the second reason?" Mara asked.

Mon Mothma nodded.

"Indeed, Mara, it is just as you say. Since your presence aboard the _Peacemaker_ has become common knowledge, unrest has been spreading throughout the ship. And while you have given no cause for suspicion or otherwise, it has been agreed that the best solution is to put you off the ship at the earliest opportunity."

"And what's to keep the same thing from happening to us at the outpost?" Kyle asked.

"I have already spoken to the base commander about this and he has advised that, while some of his men are not happy about the arrangement, the majority have decided that Mara deserves a second chance."

"Well, that's a surprise," Mara said.

"Indeed," Mon Mothma replied, "and I would strongly recommend that you take every advantage to show the personnel stationed there that you have indeed turned over a new leaf."

Mara nodded in understanding.

"How soon?" Kyle asked.

"As the saying goes," said Mon Mothma, "the sooner, the better."

After leaving the meeting, Mara and Kyle both agreed to leave the _Peacemaker_ as soon as possible. After packing their things, the two headed to the hangar bay where Kyle boarded the _Redemption_ and stowed his gear.

"I'll see you out there in a few minutes," Mara said, turning to her ship, a gift offered and delivered by the smuggling boss Talon Karrde, with whom Mara had once worked. Designated the _Shrike_, Mara's vessel was a modified Incom Alpha-52 starfighter created as a prototype but never put into production.

The vessel was ungainly-looking, sitting there in the hangar bay, its wings set at a 35-degree angle with the control pod hanging between them. Its rust brown paint job gave the craft the appearance of something much older and in disrepair, but was actually camouflage to hide its true capabilities. Even the black design painted on the wings was part of the subterfuge, the insignia for a squadron that did not exist.

As Mara boarded the vessel and began powering up its systems, Kyle radioed for and received clearance for the vessels to depart. Powering up the repulsors; he lifted the _Redemption _off of the deck and guided the vessel towards the exit. Behind, the _Shrike _lifted off and followed. After passing through the force field, Kyle deployed the shuttle's wings, locking them into flight configuration even as Mara pressed the control that caused the _Shrike_'s wings to rotate forward until they locked into place, parallel to the control cabin.

"Sending you the coordinates for the hyperspace jump," Kyle radioed.

After reaching a safe distance from the _Peacemaker_, both vessels activated their hyperdrives and with the flicker of pseudomotion, disappeared into hyperspace.


	4. Chapter 4

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 4: Interruptions**

A/N: Greetings, my friends and fellow Star Wars fans. Shanesnest is back with a new chapter for you. I've been working through the Mara missions in Mysteries of the Sith and creating some content from them that I hope you will enjoy. As I mentioned before, I won't be covering her missions in full detail, but hitting what I consider the important parts as well as the fun stuff. I'm also seeing that this story is going to end up being significantly shorter than my first Kyle Katarn story. But as I've read the reviews, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to do Jedi Outcast as well. So be looking for that in time.

Now, as I also promised last time, this chapter is going to be nearly drama free. I realize I've put some of you through the emotional wringer and for that, I'm sorry. But in this chapter, I'm going back to the tried and true model of Kyle beating the snot out of Imperials. But before we get to that, there's shout outs to do!

Phygmalion: To be 100% honest with you, I hadn't considered that Kyle had the power of Battle Meditation. I remember reading about how Nomi Sunrider possessed the ability in the Dark Horse comics. But yes, I suppose he does. Glad you liked seeing all the "old" cast.

Loke Groundrunner: Before I begin, I want to say thanks for how you get what I'm trying to say. It's rewarding as an author when some understands what you're saying you so well. For example, the Anakin-like vibes is exactly what I intended to convey. Despite his "maturity", Kyle still moments of weakness when the Dark Side is still a danger to him. And yes, it's a lot like what Bill Dietz wrote, how can a Jedi who doesn't really have a Master be trusted completely? And yes, there will be a bad fall; I can't wait to show it to you.

I agree with you 100% in how the creators of Mysteries of the Sith took Kyle's character in such a different direction without any explanation of why. I've wondered for a long time about that and hope I gave an adequate explanation. And yes, where the heck did Jan and WeeGee go? Thanks, MOTS writers for leaving that glaring plot hole! Actually, part of the idea for what I wrote came from an article two other writers on this site (Tinuviel Undomiel and Nerwen Aldarion) told me about.

Ovall Aocrog: My man, Ovall, a delight to hear from you. Yeah, it is déjà vu with Kyle and Jan. Its like, haven't we been here before? I agree with you about Kyle training Mara. I figure it's about training her to go light side as opposed to dark side. So what's Ovall's opinion, you ask? Well, you've actually inspired a new scene involving said character that will be coming up. As for Nester Shane, still try to decide if there's a place for him in this story or not.

A/N: One last thing before we begin. I am in the process of crafting a Jan/Mara confrontation scene that comes before Mara goes to Dromund Kaas to look for Kyle. No spoilers, but I think the Mara haters, and you know who you are, are going to like it. Think about this for a moment. Mara does have a lightsaber and the Force, but Jan's been with Kyle a long time, so maybe she knows something of battling a Jedi, hmm? All right then, on to the story, hope you like this chapter and please continue with the reviews!

**Republic Base on Altyr 5**

**Three Months Later**

Fifth planet of the Altyr system, Altyr 5 was a rocky world full of plateaus, rock formations and jagged landscapes with the New Republic base was set atop one of the largest plateaus. Work droids had hollowed out the rock, allowing the residents of the base to build an extensive structure, boasting twin hangar bays. The commander of the base, a veteran of the Rebellion named Corax Vannis, welcomed Kyle and Mara upon their arrival. However, some among the base contingent found the presence of the former Emperor's hand troubling. It seemed than an incident was all but guaranteed to happen until there was an accident one day.

Working on placing an A-Wing into the docking clamps of the second hangar bay, a malfunction in the door circuitry had resulted in an explosion. Two men working nearby were blown off the landing platform and would have certainly died had it not been for Mara. With Kyle in the midst of a meeting with Commander Vannis, she had been watching the work crews when the explosion occurred. Reacting in an instant, she had run to the edge of the landing platform and saw the men falling. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, calling to the Force to obey her mental command.

At first, there was no response, the Force seemingly oblivious to her call. Realizing she was approaching the situation as she had so many times in the past, Mara took a deep breath and tried again, forcing herself to change the direction of her request.

_Please, _she said in her mind, _they're going to die. Let me help them._

The Force's answer was like a gentle embrace. She felt the connection, the sensation so different from what she'd known in her past life. Below, the two men stopped in mid-fall, then rose. Hands palm down, fingers spread, Mara continued to concentrate as the two figures ascended towards the platform, clearing the lip. Stepping back, she brought them forward until they were above the rock that comprised the landing platform. Lowering her hands, Mara opened her eyes to see the men standing before her, both wearing looks of shock and amazement.

Just then, a new voice called out.

"Someone get a medic! We've got wounded here!"

Turning without a word, Mara used the Force to augment her speed as she ran back towards the hangar. She found a group of soldiers and technicians circled around a figure. Coming close and pushing her way through, Mara saw it was one of the female technicians that had been vocal in her opposition to the presence of the Emperor's former assassin. The woman's ebony skin was burned in several places and it appeared at least one of her legs was broken. Breathing shallowly, eyes closed, she seemed in dire straits.

A man was kneeling next to her, trying to minister to her wounds.

"Where's the blasted medic?" he yelled.

Scanning the scene and not seeing the base doctor, Mara knelt, reaching out.

"What are you doing?" the man challenged.

Ignoring him, she reached out in the Force. In her mind, she could see the woman's life force, an orb of energy that was fading.

"I said, what are you doing?" the man repeated.

Eyes turning to focus on him, Mara spoke plainly.

"This woman is dying."

"I know that," the man returned, "so unless you're a medic, I want you to…"

"I can help her," Mara said, cutting him off.

"You expect me to trust you?"

Lips narrowing, Mara looked the man directly in the eyes.

"I don't care one way or another. But she's going to die right here and now _unless_ you let me help."

The man hesitated, looking to the others crowded around, then back at Mara. Backing off a little, he gestured.

"Go ahead, but I swear, if you hurt her…"

Ignoring the threat, Mara closed her eyes again and reached out with her hands. Secretly, she felt far less certain than her words had said. Healing techniques were something she had only limited knowledge of. Luke had worked her on them, but she had little practice actually using them.

_I got no room for doubt. I either do this or this woman is going to die._

This time, the Force seemed to be waiting for her, answering her call right away. Seeing past the dimming light of the woman's life force, Mara saw the body in a myriad of colors. Focusing on the areas where an ugly red showed, she worked to heal, to repair the damaged organs. Fear and doubt nipped at the edges of her conscience, saying she didn't know what she was doing, that it wouldn't work. Mara pushed them away, focusing every bit of her attention on healing the damage. When the voice spoke to her, it took her a moment to respond.

"Mara."

It sounded almost like an echo.

"Mara, you can stop. The medic is here."

No, not an echo, this was a voice, a voice she knew. Turning her head, she saw the black armor. Looking up, she saw the bearded face, smiling down at her.

"It's all right, Mara. You can stop now."

Registering the presence of the base doctor kneeling opposite her, Mara realized she was sweating and breathing heavily. Pulling back, she saw the woman's eyes had opened, and were staring at her in confusion. Closing her eyes once more, Mara saw the woman's life force was now shining strongly.

Feeling relieved, but also very tired, she sat back, and then saw the hand reaching down to her. Taking it, she allowed Kyle to pull her to her feet.

"Kyle…"

"You did just fine, Mara. Come on, you need to rest."

Nodding, she allowed Kyle to guide her inside the base.

The next day, after having slept for several hours, she had been called to a meeting with Kyle and Commander Vannis.

"Mara, I cannot begin to express my gratitude for what you did yesterday."

Surprised at the outpouring of praise, she looked from the Commander to Kyle and back again.

Unable to keep himself from laughing, Kyle filled her in on what had happened and how her reputation among the crew of the base had undergone a dramatic change.

"Simply put, Mara," Commander Vannis said, "my people consider you one of them now."

Nodding, she acknowledged the statement.

"I'm glad I was able to help out."

"I'm very proud of you, Mara," Kyle said, "You've just taken a huge step towards becoming a Jedi."

And so, with the issue of Mara's presence dealt with, she and Kyle were able to focus on training once again. An unfinished room with a couch and communications terminal on the north side of the base made the perfect training space.

Lightsaber clashed against lightsaber, Kyle's orange blade against Mara's purple one. He moved to attack, but she met his blade in mid-strike, blocking the blow and turning it back towards him. Allowing her blade to slide along his, Kyle moved to strike overhand at Mara's left shoulder, but she spun on her heel and brought her blade crashing against his, blocking the blow. Static crackled as the energy blades moved back and forth. Smiling, Kyle pulled away, deactivating his saber.

"Excellent, Mara, you're becoming very adept at using the Force to anticipate my actions. Someday, that insight may save your life."

Deactivating her own lightsaber, she smiled at the compliment and was about to offer a response of her own when a large explosion sounded and the room shook, nearly knocking both of them off their feet. Exclaiming in protest, Mara looked about them.

"What's going on?"

As if in response to her question, the base's public address system came to life.

"Captain Katarn, report to Ops immediately! Captain Katarn, report to Ops immediately!"

Without a word, the pair turned and sprinted out of the room.

**Altyr 5**

**New Republic Base**

**Operations Room**

Having been designated with a temporary captain's rank, Kyle raced into the room unimpeded, Mara at his heels. They moved to the main display where Commander Vannis was eyeing a group of objects even as a new explosion sounded.

"Commander, what's the situation?" Kyle asked.

"We detected two asteroids approaching our atmosphere," Vannis said, "and thought they'd break up on contact. We became alarmed when they took up a geosynchronous orbit and began bombarding our shields. They appear to be some new sort of Imperial weapons, disguised as asteroids to take us by surprise."

"Looks like they were successful," Kyle observed.

"It's not something you typically see in an asteroid," Mara added.

"Sir!" called a technician, "our long range outpost on Delta 3 has picked up an Imperial strike force entering hyperspace. Using their last known course and speed, we estimate their arrival here within three hours."

Looking troubled, Vannis stroked his beard for a moment.

"We can't get our evacuation shuttles off the ground with those asteroids pinning us down! And once the primary force arrives, we're done for."

"Sensors detect Imperial troops landing just outside our shields," the technician reported.

"Send squads 2 and 5 to Blue Sector!" ordered Vannis," tell all troops to prepare for ground assault!"

Mara turned to Kyle, about to offer a suggestion where she noticed he was deep in thought. After a moment, he spoke.

"We may still have a chance. I'm going to see if I can 'borrow' a shuttle from our visitors, then I'll see what I can do about those asteroids."

"What about the _Redemption_?" Mara asked.

"No good," Kyle said, shaking his head, "there's not enough time to change her transponder codes to look like an Imperial vessel."

"Well, I'm going with you," Mara said gravely, "you're gonna need…" 

"No, Mara," Kyle said, interrupting, "I need you to stay here to coordinate the base defenses. I'll signal you when it's clear to begin the evacuation."

She gave him a look that communicated her displeasure with the decision clearly.

"Better make it fast," said Commander Vannis, we have less than three hours. And Katarn…"

"Yes?" 

"Good luck."

"Thanks, I have a feeling I'm gonna need it."

And with that, Kyle turned and ran from the control room, heading towards the hangar. A lift took him into one of the gray, permacrete corridors used to help shield the interior of the base from the heat outside. The metal gray floor echoed slightly as he moved ahead into a room one level above the hangar. An opening had been cut here to allow supplies to be moved from the hangar to other parts of the base. He was just nearing the entrance when Commander Vannis' voice came over the speakers.

"Imperial troops have entered the base. Repeat; Imperial troops have entered the base."

_They've cut through the shields then,_ thought Kyle.

A cry from below drew his attention to the hangar. Normal procedure had been to leave both hangar doors open to allow air to circulate. Now it proved a terrible liability as a Lambda-class shuttle which had landed just outside, lifted off, having deposited its cargo of stormtroopers. Laser fire began to crisscross between outside and the confines of the hangar. Republic troops and stormtroopers alike cried aloud as the energy beams found targets.

Seeing one of the soldiers firing down at the assemblage of white armor, Kyle decided to check the second hangar. Moving through an opening to his left where a connecting hallway led to the second hangar, he saw the A-Wing that had been set in the launch cradle there. A crew was working desperately to get a pilot inside as even the echo of a TIE fighter sounded, the craft roaring past.

_If they can get it into the air, _he thought, _we might have a fighting chance._

Turning, he moved back into the connecting hallway and down a flight of stairs into the observation room where angled windows allowed a view of both hangars. The transparisteel had been shot out already. Communicator dinging, Kyle reached for it.

"Katarn here."

"Kyle, we need you to close the blast doors in the north hangar. We've got to stem this incoming flow of stormtroopers."

Looking left and right, he spotted the controls for the hangar doors and raced to them, hitting both. With the sound of machinery, the doors began to slide shut. Just then, a sound came that Kyle recognized all too well. He went to grab onto something, but it was too late. What followed was a series of explosions that rocked the entire base. Unable to maintain his balance, he fell out of the nearest window.

Panic roared a warning, but Kyle didn't listen, reaching out to the Force. He heard laser fire and people yelling, which spoiled his concentration. He hit the floor harder than he'd intended, pain radiating through his legs and back. Working to stay focused; he rose to his feet only to have two laser bolts strike his armor, knocking him back down. Rolling over, Kyle saw he was in the south hangar, the A-Wing above him and a group of stormtroopers drawing close.

_Well, this is all too familiar, _he thought.

Forcing himself to focus and reaching out to the Force, he rolled forward and onto his feet. An instant later, his lightsaber was in his hands, the orange blade shining brightly. He was about to attack the troopers when the sounding of rending metal came from overhead. Looking up, he saw one of the docking clamps had failed and the other was about to give way.

Looking to his right and seeing the open space connecting the hangar, he used Force Speed to dash forward. Behind and above, the remaining docking clamp gave way with a groan and the A-Wing fell to the deck, crushing the stormtroopers underneath. A roar of hot air and explosive gases filled the north hangar as the fighter exploded, scattering debris everywhere. Ducking behind a bulkhead, Kyle saw he was no safer here. Despite the explosion, at least a dozen stormtroopers continued to battle the Republic soldiers. A look at the hangar door did nothing to lift his mood as he saw the door was hanging half in-half out of its tracks, bent at an angle.

"It's no good!" called Commander Vannis over the comm., "a TIE Bomber has blown the door. "

With the shaking nearly constant, explosion after explosion, Kyle narrowed his focus, determined to do whatever he could to help the others. Brandishing his lightsaber, he ran forward and swung. Stormtroopers screamed in pain, some with limbs lopped off, others run through with the energy blade. It took only a few minutes till the hangar bay was clear of them.

"Thanks for the help, Captain," called one of the soldiers, "we thought we were done for."

Nodding, Kyle ran to the opening created by the damaged door and checked the plateau outside for any more stormtroopers. A few other soldiers were there as well. As they stood upon the sandstone-colored rock, two TIE fighters went flying past. For a moment, Kyle considered taking a shot at them, but shook his head, dismissing the foolish idea. The Imperial ships disappeared into a gap between the plateau the base sat on and a sheer rock wall opposite. Moving back inside, Kyle felt a warning from the Force. Using Force Speed, he moved towards the central corridor between the hangar bays and towards the room containing the base's secondary tracking and sensor room. He was just inside when the wall a few feet to his left, exploded, taking two soldiers in the room with it. White-colored uniforms began to come through the hole, one of the troopers spotting him.

"Drop your weapon!"

Kyle instead executed a Force Push, knocking several of the troopers over and bottle-necking the hole. Dashing forward, he went to work, dispatching trooper after trooper with the lightsaber. But as he stared through the hole, he saw a descending corridor in the rock leading to a circular plateau below. Both a Lambda-class shuttle and Imperial troop transport were just lifting off, having deposited more of their living cargo.

Seeing them, Kyle gathered himself, and then using Force Speed once more, dashed down the corridor and outside. High rock walls around a circular space opened to the sky. Crimson bolts began to reach for him, the saber deflecting them away. He slashed with the blade, decapitating one trooper and slicing another through the waist. Screams of pain began to fill the space followed by the odd clanking sound of stormtrooper armor falling to the ground. Suddenly, the ground exploded in front of him, throwing Kyle off his feet. Executing a partial backward flip, he landed on his feet only to hear the familiar hissing sound of a rail gun charge on its way. Looking back towards the opening leading onto the plateau, he saw three stormtroopers all holding rail guns.

_Right outside the entrance, _he thought, _rookie mistake, Katarn. _

As the troopers fired, Kyle spared himself further chastisement and ran forward. But instead of a second Force Push, he executed a Force Pull. One of the stormtroopers uttered a squawk of surprise as his weapon flew away and landed in Kyle's outstretched hand. Letting go and taking advantage of the confusion, Kyle ran up to the troopers, executing a throat slash that took out all three.

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath and to wipe the sweat from his eyes, Kyle glanced at the rail gun. Once, such a weapon had been part of his own arsenal. And while the lightsaber had proved its effectiveness more than once, there were times he missed the weight of the weapons on his belt. Moving back up the rock corridor and back into the sensor room, he saw a R5 droid still working at its station. It turned its dome towards him and gave a string of beeps and whistles. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Wee Gee. Though the droid had become more Mon Mothma's than his, losing it had been hard.

"Wish I knew what you were saying, little guy," Kyle said, giving the droid a pat on its dome. Suddenly, it gave a shrill whistle even as the Force called a warning. Without thinking, Kyle dived forward as a rail charge struck the floor where he had been standing. Remembering that there was an observation area above the room, he took a moment to plan.

On the platform above, the stormtrooper looked down, trying to find his target. Perhaps the man had been hit by the rail charge, but still…

Movement caught his eyes and he turned his weapon only to spy a shaft of orange light moving towards him at incredible speed.

Kyle caught the lightsaber as the stormtrooper, his helmet a smoking mess, fell to the floor. He turned to the droid.

"Thanks."

It whistled back at him.

Wondering if there might be more than one Imperial, Kyle crouched down; then used the Force to lift him onto the platform. Once used as an observation area, the space had been abandoned after the primary sensor grid had been installed. An opening had been cut through the rock, allowing access to the highest point on the base. Nearing it, Kyle listened intently.

"You hear something?"

"Probably Caval nailing another Rebel."

This was followed by a chuckle.

Feeling a flash of anger, Kyle leapt upwards and through the hole, surprising a pair of stormtroopers standing in a squared off space surrounded by rock walls. They opened fire, but he deflected their shots. Landing on his feet, he took out one with the lightsaber, and then used Force Grip on the other. Hands going to his neck, the trooper struggled against the invisible grip.

"So you like shooting Rebels, huh?" Kyle said, using his power to lift the trooper off the ground. Turning, he moved the thrashing body over the lip of the space.

"Give my regards to your commander," he said, letting go. The stormtrooper gave a strangled scream as he fell, the sound of his armor smashing against the rocks fading as he fell.

Turning away, Kyle jumped back down through the hole and to the main level. Other Republic soldiers were there now.

"Captain Katarn, are you all right?" one asked.

"Fine," Kyle said flatly, moving past the man without a glance. Looking about, he saw other personnel were already manning the control panel and display behind it. A short corridor to his right led to a dead end where a mass of permacrete and rock prevented further progress. Turning round and moving through an access door to a second control room, he found two soldiers there along with a group of dead stormtroopers.

"We're okay in here, sir," one offered, seeing Kyle's lightsaber.

Calming a bit due to the lack of an immediate threat, Kyle looked to his right where a raised platform, outlined by low rust-colored guardrails displayed a group of computers, tell tales flashing off and on.

"What about the secondary passage?" he asked.

"It's also clear, sir," said the soldier.

"Good," said Kyle, moving up onto the platform and turning right. Beyond was a narrow passage carved from the rock and outlined in gray permacrete. Moving through the passage and turning to the right, Kyle found the emergency one person lift, a circular row of lights in the center of the silver-gray space. Kyle was about to step onto it when his communicator called for attention.

"Yes?"

"We need you back in Ops!" Commander Vannas called, a note of strain in his voice, "they've got us pinned down!"

Hearing the urgency in the Commander's voice, Kyle stepped onto the lift, which delivered him to a monitoring station. There seemed no other way to proceed until he looked up and saw the grate covering part of the air handling system. Having to crouch as he moved towards it, Kyle used his lightsaber to slice it open and move inside. The space was cramped and the metal created no small torture for his feet knees and elbows. Coming to a vertical drop, he sliced open another grate and used the Force to cushion his drop onto the floor below.

Upon seeing him, a group of soldiers brandished their weapons, but immediately lowered them upon seeing his face. Looking about, Kyle saw he was in the main part of the base, the hexagonal center that left to several different spaces.

"Sir, can you help us? The stormtroopers have taken over the barracks section."

Kyle's heart sank. The barracks area was spartan at best, small spaces carved out for the soldiers to sleep in, but it had become one of the most popular social areas on the base. He could remember well a number of gatherings there, including one where he'd been convinced to use his Force powers to execute some tricks, including making some blasters float and turn in mid-air and pulling objects to himself. While he thought his father might not approve, it had all been good fun. And now…

"Let's go," he said grimly.

With the soldiers backing him up, Kyle followed the corridor around and to the right, and then through a door on the left, which rose up, presenting the entrance to the barracks. A stormtrooper, caught by surprise, stood there. A moment later, he was smashed against the wall, victim of a Force Push.

Moving to the left around another wall, Kyle signaled the soldiers to wait while he took a quick look. At least a half dozen stormtroopers were milling about in the barracks and he could see what looked like a body on the ground.

"Go!"

The group came around the corner, blasters firing even as the stormtroopers caught sight of them. Four went down immediately. Kyle moved forward as the soldiers adjusted their fire so as not to him. His lightsaber took down the remaining stormtroopers with two quick slashes.

Moving through and into the common area where most of the meals were held and weapons were kept, the group found a hole blown open in the far wall. Half a dozen stormtroopers were milling about outside, and were dispatched with both laser fire and lightsaber strikes.

After making sure no more Imperials were present, the space was examined and six bodies found, all in stages of dress, some clutching pistols.

"They tried to put a fight," one soldier said.

Closing his eyes, Kyle worked to find control as anger rose within him. Turning away from the soldiers, he left the barracks area, moving through another door opposite, but on an angle to the door he had come through. Moving through, he found himself observing a firefight between Republic soldiers and Imperials. One end of the long corridor had been blown, a troop transport taking off. Kyle waded into the battle, lightsaber striking out, Force powers disabling or destroying Imperials left and right. He was still keeping his anger in check, but each battle was only adding to it.

Turning down a corridor leading back towards Ops, he passed walls where heavy reinforcement struts had been employed to hold back the rock. Reaching the space, he found more stormtroopers where he, Commander Vannis and Mara had been standing a short time ago. The far wall had been blown open he could see a troop transport outside.

There was no sign of the others and for a moment, he thought they might be captured or dead. It wasn't like Mara to let something like that happen, but…

The Force Push he executed sent all the troopers in the room slamming against the walls. Two screamed aloud and fell, not moving. The others turned towards Kyle and leveled their weapons. Moving with Force Speed, lightsaber slashing, he cut them all down, bodies dropping one after another. Pausing for a moment to scan the room, he didn't see the troopers coming through the hole until laser fire struck him from behind. Knocked forward and onto his knees, Kyle gritted his teeth, rolling to one side, and then forcing himself up.

"It's a Jedi!" cried one Imperial.

"Blast him!"

"Not today," Kyle said, rushing forward, using both Force Push and Force Pull to rip the weapons from the grasp of the troopers, then smashing them against the most convenient surface. Additional laser fire came down from above, striking the troopers as well. Ignoring it for the moment, he moved through the hole in the wall just as the troop transport lifted off. Half a dozen more troopers were there and soon were scattered about the space, unmoving, all victims of Kyle's lightsaber.

Turning back to the control room, more laser fire came from above, nearly striking him. Rolling forward, Kyle rose to one knee, ready to attack this latest threat.

"Captain Katarn!"

Looking up, he saw a man standing on the second level of the operations room, quickly recognizing the face as Lieutenant Commander Giker. There was a lift nearby, but Kyle decided to execute a Force Jump instead, landing right next to the surprised officer. He also saw a half dozen Republic soldiers, two nursing blaster wounds

"I'll never get used to that," Giker muttered.

"What's going on here?" Kyle asked, "Where's Commander Vannis?"

"He and Mara had to abandon this location," Giker replied, "But they are safe."

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, Kyle nodded in relief.

"Good, what's the status here?"

"Sir," Giker said, "we've lost control of just about everything. But if you can get to the communications room, you can jam their sensors so they won't know you're coming."

"You okay here?"

"No problem, sir," Giker said, brandishing his blaster and gesturing to the soldiers, "we've got things handled here."

Moving through a door at the back of the room, Kyle entered a corridor with computer panels on one side and flat gray on the other. Nearing the end where a right turn awaited, Kyle found himself face-to-face with a stormtrooper. The white-armored Imperial raised his weapon to strike at Kyle, but was a bit too slow as Kyle sliced his right arm off and then cut him across the midsection. The corridor beyond was a mix of permacrete along with steel struts holding back the rock. Dispatching three more stormtroopers, Kyle moved around a corner, hoping to spy into the next room.

Unfortunately, a scout trooper spotted him first, calling a warning to the others. Retreating for a moment to gather himself, Kyle charged into the room, saber swinging. Bracketed by multiple shots, he felt two hit him. Spinning round, he took care of the attackers, and then moved to a corner to listen. Hearing nothing, but taking no chances, he dashed to a lift across the way, rising to the second level of the two-story room. Getting off, he found himself in the communications control room where another Republic officer was pounding on a console in frustration.

"What's going on?" Kyle demanded.

Turning round with an expression of irritation on his face, the officer took a moment to compose himself before speaking.

"Captain Katarn, we've lost power to this section."

"The auxiliary generator?"

The officer shook his head.

"The Imps fried the controls. We need you to get to the generator and switch us over to auxiliary power. We're also dealing with stormtroopers all over the place."

Just then, laser fire issued from a space to Kyle's left and the officer's right and two soldiers appeared, one struck by the laser fire and falling with a scream. Turning, Kyle moved to the opening and saw a group of Republic soldiers fighting off a sizeable force of Imperials. A metal ramp led down into a room where an opening in the floor had enabled the emergency evacuation of the operations room. Holes had been blown in the ceiling and one wall. White-armored Imperials seemed to be everywhere. Glancing around at the few soldiers that weren't wounded or dead, Kyle could see some fear, but overriding that, anger, a need for revenge.

Gesturing at the troopers, Kyle reached deeply into the Force, executing a strong Force Push that sent nearly every stormtrooper tumbling. Rushing forward, Kyle swung his lightsaber, slicing off arms and legs, cutting through armor and eliciting scream after scream of pain. As the soldiers got in their own shots, some noticed a smile on Kyle's face, a savage smile as he cut down the Imperials. Two troopers carrying rail guns opened fire. Leaping into the air, Kyle executed a somersault, landing between them. The orange blade sliced out, cutting one trooper in half and slicing the other across the chest. Looking to the Republic soldiers, he saw the remaining Imperials had been dispatched.

Dashing back towards the communications control room, Kyle approached the door leading towards the generator room. As the door slid up, he moved forward, approaching a corner as the corridor curved to the left. The lights here were either out or flashing on or off, making it hard to see. Hearing the sound of a craft lifting off, he moved past the corner and into the next room where half a dozen stormtroopers and scout troopers had just disembarked from a troop transport. A hole had been blown through the wall, looking almost if a door were being added.

"There he is, stop him!" one Imperial cried, the others turned to open fire. Laser fire began to arc towards Kyle. He was able to deflect most of it with the lightsaber, but a few shots made it through, striking the armor. Fighting to concentrate, Kyle executed a Force Pull, yanking some weapons away and pulling some of the troopers off their feet. Dispatching the closest of the troopers, Kyle spun and swung his blade, taking care of the rest.

As the last fell in a clatter of armor, the weariness of battle caught up with him and he paused to draw in a couple of breaths. Becoming aware of the anger he had been feeling, he took a moment to calm himself.

_I can't lose control. I have to stay focused on the mission._

Turning to a control panel nearby, he called up a map of the base, gratified to see the generator room was close.

_Okay, let's get to it. I sure hope Mara is safe._

Moving through the next corridor which also curved to the left, he nearly missed a stormtrooper standing just beyond the corner, the Force calling a warning even as the Imperial raised his blaster. Without thinking, Kyle brought the lightsaber up and back behind him, the blaster shot deflected back right back into the trooper, who fell.

Moving forward, Kyle found himself in the generator control room. Some consoles had been shattered by blaster fire, but the troopers were trying to access others. Concentrating, Kyle drew his saber back and threw it, the blade becoming a spinning arc as it sliced into the Imperials. One by one, they fell. Moving to a control panel, Kyle found the generator access controls had been destroyed. Turning to his right, he saw the doorway to the room containing the base generator. Moving through and following the path around to the right, he found another stormtrooper standing in front of the alcove containing the generator, manipulating the controls.

"Hands off!" Kyle yelled, extending a hand and executing a Force Pull that pulled the Imperial away. Thrusting the saber blade forward, Kyle cut the trooper down. Moving to the control panel and finding it undamaged, he checked the generator and saw the main power circuits had been destroyed. Adjusting one of the controls, Kyle watched as the generator slid to the left. The circuits beneath came to life, power pulsing through them. With the sound of the generator winding back up, the lights above steadied and brightened.

His communicator, which had been silent up till now, came to life and a welcome voice issued from it.

"Kyle, come in. Kyle, this is Mara, come in."

Grabbing for the device, he pressed the transmit button.

"Mara! Are you all right?"

"Just fine," she replied, "listen, comm station reports power's been restored; we're jamming all communication and sensor frequencies."

She paused for a moment, another voice speaking, but indiscernible.

"Okay," she continued, "we've jammed their sensors, now we're going to stage a diversion in the south hangar. We've learned of a Lambda-class shuttle on the north plateau. If you can steal it, it's your ride up to the asteroids."

Just then, he heard laser fire over the speaker.

"Make it quick, Kyle," Mara said gravely, "we can't hold them off for long."

And with that, she was gone.

Nodding to himself, Kyle left the generator room and headed back for Operations.

"Sir!" said a noticeably happier Giker, "we've confirmed auxiliary power is engaged. We're bringing up systems as quickly as we can, but the Imps are doing all they can to sabotage our efforts."

The sound of a blaster striking the closed door behind them interrupted the report.

"And it appears they're here," he said.

"Not for long," Kyle said, brandishing his saber, "open the door when I say and I'll take care of them."

Moving to the door control, Giker prepared to press the button. At Kyle's signal, he pressed it. Hand outstretched, palm facing out, Kyle sent a Force Push through the opening the instant the door slid open. A stormtrooper on the other side was hit, nearly knocked to the ground. Running forward, Kyle made sure the Imperial never had a chance to recover. The hexagonally shaped corridor had wide glow panels in the ceiling where seepage had discolored the metal walls. Following the path which bent to the left, then right and left once more, he found three more stormtroopers, who opened fire upon spotting him. Deflecting the shots with his lightsaber, Kyle angled several of them back towards the troopers, taking down all three.

At the end, dark gray metal doors had been pried open, allowing access to an additional control room. A trooper stood, trying to slice into the terminal, turning as Kyle approached. Dashing forward and using his powers to execute a low jump, Kyle came down next to the man, driving the saber into him. The Imperial uttered a low cry, followed by an exhalation of breath as he fell. Moving into the rooms comprising the north hangar bay, he joined two Republic soldiers in dispatching another group of stormtroopers. Moving to the hangar entrance itself, he moved through the doorway only to be confronted by the massive form of an AT-ST.

"Oh Sithspit."

The walker's twin turbolaser cannons fired and Kyle had to dive away as the space he had occupied erupted in an explosion.

Taking a deep breath, Kyle reached into the Force, recalling the times before when he'd dealt with such a situation. And back then, his powers had been in their infancy. Using Force Speed, he dashed into the room, moving past the Scout Walker before it could fire again. Moving to the blind spot behind the cockpit, he began to strike at its legs with the lightsaber. The armor blackened, burned, and began to peel. Exposing the circuitry beneath, he drove the blade of the saber into it. Drive systems exploding, the walker weaved drunkenly, and then toppled to the side and fell, the control cabin erupting in flames.

With the walker destroyed, it seemed that Kyle had no further to go as all that was left beyond the hangar bay door was the landing platform. Scanning the room, he found a vent for the air handling system. Cutting it open with his lightsaber, Kyle moved inside, but quickly found himself at a dead end. Backtracking, he felt air moving past his face, drawing his gaze upwards where the shaft continued upwards into darkness. Jumping up into it and using the lightsaber to light the shaft, Kyle followed it around two right turns and, after cutting open another grate, found himself in the main air shaft. A wide space with conduits running overhead and honeycombed steel supports sent at angle to support the large space, the shaft helped distribute both heat and cold throughout the base.

Moving quickly to the other end, Kyle sliced open another grate and followed the shaft until encountering a vertical drop-off. Using the Force, he dropped down, ending up in a room where a large, three bladed faded rotated before a large, octagonal shaft light by intervening rectangles of red light. A force field glowed, designed to keep objects from getting into the shaft and possibly clogging it. After examining the control mechanism and finding no way to shut it down, Kyle drew his saber. Moving forward, but being careful to stay clear of the rotating blades, he hacked away at the force field's power source. When it blew, the resulting shock knocked him back against a wall, taking the breath from him. Falling to one knee, Kyle worked to recover his breath.

_Okay, don't need to do that again._

Using the Force to restore himself, Kyle approached the shaft and climbed inside. Moving up a steep incline and around a left hand turn, he found himself in a room overlooking the north plateau with second fan ahead of him. With the force of the wind blowing strongly against his face, Kyle squinted as he got as close as he dared to the whirling blades, peering outside. He spotted two stormtroopers below along with a Scout Walker clanking loudly as it moved about.

Backing away, he studied the fan for a moment. Using the lightsaber would take out its power source, but the resulting explosion could injure him. Reaching into the Force, the answer came to him. Grasping the saber with the Force, he set the blade spinning, and sent it arcing towards the fan. The spinning blade struck the power source once, twice, three times. With a flash of orange light, it exploded. Calling the saber back to his hand, Kyle stepped through the opening and onto a small platform beyond.

Unfortunately, one of the stormtroopers below spotted him. Kyle heard the hissing of a rail charge heading his way, Flattening himself on the platform, Kyle heard the charge strike the wall above him, showering him with pieces of rock as it exploded.

_No good staying up here, I'm too vulnerable._

Deciding to do the unexpected, Kyle rolled off the platform, saber at the ready as he fell, using the Force to slow his fall. Two more rail charges rocketed past him even as the Scout Walker opened up with its turbolaser cannons. Nearing the ground, Kyle allowed himself to fall the rest of the way, using the momentum to drop down and execute a forward roll. Coming back onto his feet, he ran forward, the first cut with the saber slicing the barrel of the rail gun. Reversing his grip, Kyle brought the blade back across, cutting the trooper down.

The sound of the Scout Walker stepping forward drew his attention as its turbolasers rotated and fired. Too late to dodge, Kyle held the saber horizontally and braced himself. The twin blasts struck the energy blade, the impact nearly driving Kyle to the ground. Energy warred against energy as the Walker's blasts tried to penetrate past the lightsaber. For one terrible moment, it seemed that Kyle's defenses were not enough. Fear began to enter his mind, but remembering the lessons of the past, he reached deeper into the Force, refusing to allow his fear to have control. Grip tightening on the saber hilt, Kyle angled the blade and pushed forward and up.

The green lances of the turbolaser blasts skipped off of the lightsaber blade, arcing up into the sky. Smiling both in relief and victory, Kyle used Force Speed to dash forward, moving behind the walker where he cut at its legs until the circuitry exploded and the walker tumbled, crashing to the ground.

With the latest threat taken care of, Kyle turned to his left. A triangular opening in the rock some 200 yards away showed the unmistakable outline of a Lambda-class shuttle. Two stormtroopers stood nearby, obviously guarding the vessel.

_There's my ride._

Using Force Speed, Kyle ran towards the shuttle. The troopers opened fire as he approached.

_Don't they ever get tired of this?_

Deflecting their blaster shots with his lightsaber, Kyle ran past one trooper, then the other, cutting down both. Fortunately, the shuttle's boarding ramp was deployed. Stopping before it, he grabbed his communicator.

"This is Kyle," he said, "I've captured the Imperial shuttle. I'm preparing to lift off for the asteroids. I'll contact you when I have them neutralized."

"Understood," Mara replied, "make it fast. Their primary force will be here in no time."

_Like I needed reminding, _Kyle thought, returning the communicator to his belt.

Moving up the ramp at a run, Kyle entered the cockpit and began an emergency startup sequence, powering up the repulsors. The shuttle lifted into the air, its wings deploying to their flight position. Pointing the vessel's nose skyward, he hit the thrusters hard. Passing through the cloud-filled sky and with the transponder codes convincing the Imperial ships still flying around that he was one of them, Kyle guided the shuttle into the ebony blanket of space.

Spying the asteroids, he made for the nearest one, an ovoid-shaped mass of brownish rock. Lances of energy issued from somewhere on its surface, reaching out to the planet.

_I've got to do something about that cannon or whatever it is._

_**Kyle**_.

At first, he thought there might be someone else aboard the shuttle, but a visual inspection showed he was the sole occupant.

_**Kyle, you **_**will **_**come to me.**_

_Who?_

And then he realized.

_Who are you?_

_**You already know who I am.**_

_What do you want?_

_**You will come to me, Kyle Katarn. **_

_Where are you?_

_**You will find me, Kyle Katarn. You will come to me.**_

_I don't understand. Who are you? Where are you?_

He called again and again, but did not receive a reply.

Shaking his head, Kyle tried to focus on the immediate.

_Get your head back in the game, Katarn, or all this is going to be for naught._

Forcing his attention back to the present, Kyle guided the shuttle closer to the asteroid. Assuming he could find a place to land out of sight, he was hoping there was a re-breather aboard the shuttle to provide him with oxygen. Otherwise…

But as he glanced at the sensor display, Kyle's eyebrows lifted in surprise.


	5. Chapter 5

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 5: The Problem with Rail Guns**

A/N: Greetings, everyone, Shanesnest here with the latest chapter covering the Mysteries of the Sith game. I've been on working to get through Mara's missions and am almost to the point where she leaves for Dromund Kaas to find Kyle. One of the questions I'm trying to answer is how did Kyle fall to the Dark Side once he was there? I think I have a good answer, but we'll have to see what you all think after reading it.

Now, to this chapter, we continue on with the mission to deal with the two Imperial asteroids in orbit of the New Republic base. It's a bit short, but please trust that there's method to my madness. And as most of you noticed, Cliffie Cliffhanger has struck again! Buwahaha! But before you get to the dramatic, okay semi-dramatic, reveal, let's do those shoutouts!

Ovall Aocrog: Okay, okay, I'll do Outcast! Seriously though, you're in that it's a much better story and I'm looking forward to working on it. On the whole rank thing, it confused me as well. I kind decided to just go with what the game script says, whether it made sense or not. Yeah, I've come with an idea for your character I think you will like. I know, I know, I am the evil cliffhanger-creating person. Thanks for the compliments!

Phygmalion: Sorry you never got to play the game, think you would have enjoyed it. I like your comparison of Jedi with Captain America. Aside from the Force, they are quite similar. You make a great point about Order 66. It was the combination of overwhelming force and the element of surprise that doomed so many of the Jedi. So, you think the lightsaber has something to do with Kyle's fall to the dark side, eh? Not saying yes, not saying no, you'll see in time. I do like your thought process about it, very similar to my own. The whole asteroid siege platform seems to have been an idea by the game creators as I've never seen it elsewhere. Agreed about the propulsion exhaust, makes me think of Uhura's line in Star Trek 6 about the Klingon ship, "the thing's gotta have a tail pipe".

Zedille: Yeah, I think I've irritated the Jan fans in the audience. I hope to win them back with a confrontation scene that's coming involving our two female leads. After all the emotional stuff earlier, I wanted to have some action for a while, was fun to write.

Loke Groundrunner: You are very welcome! I can recall the first chapter of the first book I wrote about Kyle Katarn and how nervous I was about it. I try to write each mission level with enough detail to recognize what's going on without getting bogged down, glad you liked it. On the Bryar Pistol, I didn't man to exclude it. In the game, it's such a slow firing weapon that I never used it. Let me see if I can't fix that.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! Not only are they fun to read, but it really helps me to see what's working and what needs tweaking. Now, regarding Phygmalion's question on how I feel about Disney's decision to declare all those books non-canon. I think it's an absolutely stupid decision. All those books, all that work by those authors and now, it's just wiped out? Shame on Disney for doing this! It's a huge mistake and very frustrating. Let's just hope they don't mess up Star Wars 7. And with that, enjoy the new chapter!

**Local Space near one of the Impeiral Asteroids**

_There's atmosphere down there. In fact, pretty much all throughout the asteroid. Well, that'll make things easier. _

Smiling to himself, Kyle flew the shuttle over the asteroid. So far, his presence appeared to have gone undetected.

_Must be too busy to worry about verifying the approach of a single shuttle_.

The sensors were detecting a number of spacecraft aboard the asteroid as well as several suitable landing areas.

_Best bet will be to land on one of the outer areas and make my way in on foot. Hopefully, I can sneak in before I'm noticed._

Using the sensors to find a crevasse on the outlying edge of the asteroid, Kyle flew the shuttle over, decelerating and transferring power to the repulsor grid. As the shuttle's wings rotated up from their flight position, Kyle extended the landing struts and set the craft down gently. Shutting down the engines, he deployed the boarding ramp and stepped out on the surface.

The first thing he noticed was the top of the crevasse was open to space, but the shimmer of a forcefield and the fact that he was able to breathe indicated he was safe, at least for the moment. All around him were walls of dark brown rock. After making a survey of the area, he found a triangular opening directly in front of the shuttle which led to an opening in the floor.

Dropping down into it, Kyle followed a path cut through the rock to a lopsided opening at the far end. As he drew near, his eyes caught sight of a set of large buildings.

_Must be part of the installation the Imps have here. _

But with no discernible way to descend safely from the spot he was in, thanks to the sheer face of the cliff outside, Kyle decided to retreat for the moment and look for another way. Reaching the shuttle, he moved to its left and found a second opening. Climbing up into it, he moved through until it ended and he was forced to drop down into a larger space. Given the option of going left or right, he chose right, but soon found himself at an opening similar to the earlier one, offering a view of the scene below, but no way to descend.

Turning round and heading the other way, Kyle negotiated a path across dips and rises in the rock until he reached a spot where part of the floor had been cut out and ahead was a large rock partially blocking his way. To his right was an opening in the rock, but soon ended against a sheer face. Casting about, a sound came to him, causing the Jedi to draw his lightsaber, but not ignite it. Moving towards the opening and glancing around the edge, he saw a short corridor and at the end, a stormtrooper.

Shoulders slumping, Kyle cursed his luck.

_Thought I'd have a bit more time before I ran into any of them. _

Taking a moment to calm himself, Kyle considered his option. He glanced around the edge a second time.

_Looks Like it's just one and as long as he doesn't raise an alarm…_

Moving silently, Kyle made his way into the opening just as the trooper turned and spotted him.

"Intruder! Drop…"

That was all he got out as a Force Push hit him, smashing the Imperial against the rock wall. Dashing forward, Kyle ignited his lightsaber and drove it into the stormtrooper's chest, finishing him off.

Moving back into the main part of the room, Kyle decided to see if he could jump to the top of the rock ahead and see what was beyond. Backing up several steps, he launched himself forward and was able to land atop the rock only to find a group of stormtroopers and biker scouts below.

Rolling his eyes in frustration, Kyle drew his lightsaber, the orange beam flaring into existence. Crimson bolts of energy began reaching out and he angled the blade to deflect them. Suddenly, a trooper appeared with a rail gun.

With no choice, Kyle jumped down directly into the fray as a rail charge soared over his head and exploded against the rock. Lightsaber swinging, he dispatched three of the stormtroopers, then used Force Speed to attack the rail-gun toting one, slicing him through the chest. A combination of Force Pushes and lightsabers strikes eliminated the remaining Imperials.

Turning to survey the room he now stood in, Kyle found a triangular shaped building to one side. Dark gray in color, with a metal hatch and two slits for windows, the structure was an incongruity in the space. Curious, he moved towards it only to have a laser bolt whiz by the side of his head, missing him by inches. Diving away, Kyle moved to cover where he could observe the building safely. That's when he spotted an Imperial officer glancing out one of the slitted windows, a laser pistol by his side. Moving back towards the building, but staying out of sight of the Imperial, Kyle was able to get a partial look inside.

There was a control panel at the back of the space and just above it, a power conduit.

_I could use that to knock out the power here and probably open that door, but my lightsaber…_

The weapon was useful in combat, but for a precision shot like this…

Backing away and moving to one of the bodies, Kyle picked up a blaster. Moving back to his position at the side of the building, he crept forward until he was just under one of the slits.

"Hold it right there!"

He looked up just in time to see the Imperial Officer standing on the other side, blaster pistol aimed. Both men fired simultaneously, the Imperial's shot glancing off Kyle's armor, but the Jedi's shot striking the Imperial squarely, the body falling to the floor.

Blowing out a breath, Kyle stood up and after making sure the Officer was dead, aimed his blaster at the conduit. His first shot missed, as did the second. Frustration began to fill his mind, but he pushed back at it.

_Need to calm down, it's been a while since I used a blaster. I'm just a little out of practice._

Taking a pair of deep breaths, he raised the blaster and aimed. This time, the crimson bolt struck the conduit, frying its electronic innards. Sparks flew from it even as the door slid upward with a mechanical whoosh.

_That's the way, _Kyle thought, moving into the building. Stepping over the body of the Imperial Officer, he observed more sparks issuing from the destroyed conduit. The control panel at the back of the room was locked down and inaccessible.

_So much for that._

But as the Jedi turned to his left, he spotted a video screen with a black Imperial symbol displayed on its pale green face. Two small control towers sat to either side of the screen.

_I wonder…_

Pressing a control, Kyle found himself staring at an image of the space outside, including the building he now stood in. He tried moving and saw the image of himself on the screen also move.

_Looks like I've got access to the internal security cameras. Let's see what else I can see._

Pressing the control again, he found himself rewarded with an image of the large buildings he had seen earlier along with a number of stormtroopers moving about. The next view showed the same location, but appeared to be from somewhere on the upper part of the structure, showing the ground outside the structure. The next view showed the same, but from a different angle. The next screen next showed a makeshift hangar bay, the floor dotted with recharging stations and landing ports. A TIE fighter and Interceptor were visible along with stormtroopers and a group of black suited individuals.

_Imperial fighter pilots_, Kyle thought, recognizing the armor.

Another press of the control showed a glassed-in hatchway and at first, didn't make any sense to him until he recognized the massive shape of an AT-AT.

_So they've got more than just Scout Walkers, _he thought, _probably planning on deploying them to get into the base. _

After pressing the control and seeing the building he was in once more, Kyle ran through the camera views once more to be sure he hadn't missed anything. Making a mental note to keep an eye out for any other stations like this one, he turned away from the screen and was about to exit the building when his foot struck something, nearly tripping him. Glancing down, he saw what looked like a gray cylinder. Kneeling down and picking it up, he turned the item over in his hands.

On a hunch, he raised the blaster pistol and found he was able to successfully attach the device to the top. Lowering his eye, he was rewarded with a close up view of the wall.

_A sniper scope,_ he realized, _I haven't seen one of these since the academy._

Leaving the scope attached to the blaster, Kyle made his way out of the building and after, looking around, moved through a triangular cut in the wall, leading him into a darkened space. After tripping twice and nearly falling at an unexpected dip, he called to the Force, his Force Sight power lighting up the space in a soft blue glow. Moving forward, he negoiated several dips, rises and turns in the path. As the way ahead began to brighten some, Kyle closed his eyes and when he opened them once more, his vision was normal again. The space ahead was dimly lit from the starlight above, but was enough for Kyle to see a ridge just below and to his left. And on one side, he spotted a group of stormtroopers at the far side of the room.

_Too far away... or are they_?

Raising the blaster, Kyle looked through the sniper scope, a field of red appearing before him. Adjusting the view, he saw the stormtroopers, the scope zooming in on them. Placing the crosshairs directly on the space between the chest armor and helmet, he pulled the trigger.

For the trooper, the bolt came out of nowhere, striking him in the vulnerable spot. Without the slightest cry, he dropped to the ground. The other two troopers observed this and began to react, but not in time for Kyle's second shot to find its target. The remaining trooper spun and fired wildly, head swiveling, seeking the source of the laser fire. He never saw the streak of crimson until it sliced into him.

Smiling in satisfaction, Kyle lowered the blaster as the third trooper fell. He was about to try a Force Jump down to the plateau when a loud clanking reached his ears. He turned just in time to see a Scout Walker move into view, the wall to his left having obscured the machine. Twin turbolaser cannons swiveled, opening fire even as Kyle tried to retreat, the blast striking the ceiling above him, showering the Jedi with rock and dust.

Coughing, he backed away from the opening until certain he was no longer visible to the Walker's pilot. Calming himself from the sudden shock, Kyle assessed his options. The Walker was too far below to mount an assault with the lightsaber, not to mention exposing himself to its cannons. That's when he remembered the rail gun toting trooper from earlier. Moving back into the room with the triangular building, he found both corpse and weapon, taking the latter and finding it loaded. Going back to the opening, Kyle assessed how best to approach. He wasn't sure this idea would work, but had seen the damage the rocket-powered projectiles could do, as long as he didn't get killed in the process. Flattening himself against the right hand wall, he moved towards the opening, the Walker's alabaster hull coming into view.

_Got to get closer, _he thought, _at this angle, there's a chance the projectile will imbed himself into the wall and that would be bad. _

Advancing forward, he finally had the Walker in the right position just at its pilot spotted him and turned the machine. Mashing the trigger, Kyle managed to get off two shots before a blast from the Walker struck nearby. Retreating, he paused to catch his breath.

_Well, I've given away my position and that Walker pilot is going to be waiting for me. So what now, Katarn?_

There really wasn't any choice.

Reaching deeply into the Force, Kyle gripped the housing of the rail gun and used Force Speed to dash to the opening. The Walker came into view, facing towards him, its cannons pointed up. Kyle fired off two more shots with the rail gun, then dropped to one knee and loosed two more. An instant later, turbolaser fire from the Walker struck the wall behind, the explosion knocking him down, the rail gun flying from his grip. From below came the sound of additional explosions, followed by rending metal as the Walker, mortally crippled by the rail charges, toppled to the ground with a loud crash.

Lying on his side, breathing slowly, Kyle came to the realization that, despite the nearness of the explosion, he was still alive. Sitting up, he cried out, then gritted his teeth as his body let him know it had been wounded. Moving with care, he assessed his condition. The armor was still intact, but there was pain from left arm and both legs, along with his back. With the knowledge he was on a deadline prominent in his mind, Kyle closed his eyes and reached into the Force, seeking its power to heal him. Minutes passed as he felt energy coursing over him, repairing damage and relieving pain. When he opened his eyes once more, the Jedi was able to rise to his feet without discomfort.

Moving to the opening, he observed the twisted mess that had been the Scout Walker, feeling a touch of sadness as his eyes caught the equally twisted form of its pilot.

_Not the way I'd want to go._

Turning his gaze to the plateau below and judging the distance, Kyle reached out to the Force once more, executing a Force Jump that landed him onto the angled surface. Moving carefully, he crossed the plateau and found an elongated triangle shaped opening. Moving inside, he found the interior of the space was large enough to allow him to stand up. Following this latest corridor, he found the right side ended in a dead end while the left side dropped somewhat precipitously to an outcropping below. Beyond was an opening large enough for him to see the buildings he'd encountered earlier. Using the Force to allow him to drop to the outcropping safely, Kyle moved forwards to the opening, able to see the buildings in greater detail. It now appeared to be a single massive structure rather than separate ones, towers at either side and in the middle and what looked to be a hatchway on the far side. Several stormtroopers and Officers milled about below, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

_That'll change soon, _Kyle thought, chuckling to himself.

He also spotted a number of turbolaser cannons scattered about the structure, but none had targeted him. He considered trying to take them out, but was concerned about attracting the attention of all that incoming fire. Looking about, he saw an opening to his left where the rock described a space from which he could see more of the area below. Moving into it, Kyle felt renewed hope. Not only did he still have an unparalleled view of the space below, the rock before him provided cover and protection from any incoming laser fire.

_That just leaves the question of what weapon to use. _

Recalling the advantage the sniper scope had given him, Kyle pulled out the blaster and sighted through the device. His first target was a stormtrooper standing near one of the turbolaser emplacements. With the crosshair sighted perfectly, he squeezed the trigger, the stormtrooper crumpling and falling to the ground. Locating his next target, Kyle sighted the Imperial through the scope.

_This is almost too easy, _he thought, squeezing the trigger once more.

Once the troopers and Officers within sight had all been dispatched, Kyle turned his sights to the turbolaser emplacements, firing on each one until they exploded in a flash of light.

With all the immediate threats seemingly taken care of, Kyle moved to the end of the area he was in, finding an opening in the floor that dropped several feet towards a space at the bottom. Using the Force, he jumped into hole, landing on angled piece of rock at the bottom and finding himself under attack by three stormtroopers hiding in the shadows. Their combined laser fire sent Kyle smashing against the wall, his armor rattled with multiple impacts. Without time to reach for his lightsaber and the blaster still in his hand, Kyle mashed the trigger and fought to aim even as more blasts struck him.

Several of his shots missed, but two of the troopers went down and the third began to back away, giving Kyle the time he needed to reach for his lightsaber, the orange beam igniting with a _snap-hiss. H_urting and angry, Kyle leapt forward, landing on the ground outside the space he had landed in. The stormtrooper fired, but Kyle deflected every shot. Shifting the saber to one hand, he extended the other. The Imperial gave a low cry as he dropped his weapon, hands grabbing for the invisible fingers clutching his throat. He had enough time to cry out in pain as Kyle closed his fist and the trooper dropped to the ground, lifeless.

With the threat dispatched, Kyle felt the pain from his wounds return, driving him to his knees.

_Maybe… getting rid of my shields… was a bad idea. _

It took time, but he was able to use the Force to heal himself again. Standing up, he used Force Sight to help him see the cavernous room he was in, dark except for the space around the buildings. Making sure no more Imperials lay in wait, Kyle moved to the hatch he had spotted earlier. The door was closed, however, and resisted his attempts to open it. He thought about using the lightsaber to cut through it, but that would take time, time he didn't have.

Feeling his anger rise once more, Kyle worked to keep it from taking control, trying to keep his mind clear. There had to be an answer to this. He walked about the room, searching for any other way to get inside the buildings. The sound of a door opening caused him to spin around.

The closed hatchway was now open.

He started to move towards it only to see the door slide shut once more.

_What the…_?

Moving to the door once more, he found it closed and locked. After trying a few times to open it, he resumed his pacing only to hear the door open once more. Turning round, he confirmed it was indeed open. But as soon as he stepped off the rock ledge he was standing on and onto the floor, the door slid shut once more.

_Wait a sec…_

Without taking his eyes off the door, Kyle stepped back until he stood upon the rock ledge once more. At first, nothing happened, but then the door slid open, exposing the interior. Taking a moment to consider what was happening, Kyle happened on a possible answer.

_There must be some kind of security grid in the floor that recognizes the Imperials, but not me. If there's a power source nearby…_

Taking out the blaster and looking through the scope, Kyle cast about for a time until he spotted what looked like a power conduit just inside the door. Focusing the scope tighter in on the image, he grasped the trigger.

_Let's just see what happens if I blow that…_

Squeezing the trigger, Kyle watched through the scope as the conduit was struck and exploded, sparks flying from it. Holstering the blaster, he stepped down, waiting to see if the door would close once again.

It did not.

"Got it! This is exactly what I needed!"

Grinning in pleasure, Kyle dashed across to the doorway and stepped inside. The room turned out to be the bottom level of an elevator shaft. Stepping onto the platform, Kyle pressed the activation switch and held his saber at the ready as the lift ascended. At the top, he found himself in a room nearly identical to the one below. Moving up a short set of stairs to a hatchway, he keyed it open, finding a metal catwalk leading to the center building. Crossing it, Kyle keyed opened another hatchway, finding a silvery-gray corridor with light panels arranged along the floor and ceiling. Another hatchway was visible to his left and a second one at the far end of the hallway. Keying open this hatch and stepping inside, he found himself under attack once more. Two Imperial Commanders were in the space, their elongated headgear covering their heads. Had it not been for having the lightsaber already out, Kyle felt certain they would have killed him with their combined laser fire.

Even with the lightsaber to deflect their own shots back at them, the thick armor the Imperials wore protected them. Frustration reared its head once more and this time, Kyle was unable to resist its siren call. Bringing the saber over his head, he leaned forward and threw it hard, using the Force to control the blade, making a spinning disc of deadly energy. With nowhere to go, both Commanders were sliced open by the blade, their bodies dropping to the deck as the saber flew back to Kyle's waiting hand.

"Such is the fate of all who oppose me," he muttered.

Even as the words left his lips, Kyle paused.

_Did I just say that_?

He took a moment more to consider, then, with a shake of his head, exited the room, moving to a hatchway on the other side. About halfway across he noticed an opening to his right, but decided to forego exploring it for the moment. Moving through the hatchway and across another catwalk, Kyle found himself in a room just like the one he had found at the top of the lift. Finding nothing of interest, he retraced his steps until he reached the opening in the wall he had passed earlier. A group of four fuel drums stood just inside the space and he used the blaster to ignite them before dashing into the room to find a dazed stormtrooper whom he dispatched with his lightsaber. A doorway off to his left led to a brightly lit room that contained an armory. Given the problems he'd run into on this mission, Kyle availed himself of the available stock, charging the blaster to full power as well as grabbing some medpacs along with ammunition for a rail gun, assuming he could find another one.

Exiting the armory, Kyle found two openings in the rock wall at the back of the room. One led to a shaft several meters in diameter and just as deep. With no other pathways available, Kyle retreated and move to the other opening, following the path to a set of stairs carved out of the rock and covered with metal. Ascending the staircase brought him to a new location where an Imperial Probe Droid opened fire. Fortunately, there was also a large fuel drum in the space and with two blaster shots, it exploded, taking the probe droid with it. Emerging onto a plateau of sorts, Kyle found a place in the rock which showed a substance not unlike volcanic lava.

_Is there an active volcano on this asteroid_?

Deciding such musings were for a later time, Kyle checked the rest of the plateau, but found no way to proceed at first. Moving to the edge of the plateau, he did spot a narrow trail angling up onto a space above where he was. The problem was there was a large gap between where Kyle was and the path.

_A Force Jump should get me there, but if I miss…_

Concentrating, Kyle took a running start and leapt into the air. When his left foot struck the path, it seemed he had made it, but then his weight shifted and he began to tilt to the right, towards the abyss below.

Desperately throwing his weight to the left and reaching out, Kyle felt his hands strike the rocky surface. Without pausing, he commanded his feet to move, all but sprinting up the path until he flew off it at the top and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Rolling onto his back and sitting up, it took a minute for the Jedi to realize he had indeed made it and for the moment, was safe.

_I _do not_ want to do that again._

As his racing heart calmed, Kyle scanned the space he was in and saw one whole wall was comprised of the lava-like substance he'd just seen. The area ahead angled up and as he moved that way, he was forced to crawl as he reached an opening in the floor that led down a long shaft to a large box at the bottom.

_Even with the Force, this is probably gonna hurt…_

Sighing, Kyle dropped into the hole, landing atop the box. Allow his body to compress, he rolled off the box onto a smaller one and finally onto the floor. Knees and calves crying out for rest, Kyle was forced to ignore them as a voice cried out.

"Drop your weapons and stay where you are!"

_Oh great._

Rather than engage in battle right away, Kyle chose to use the group of boxes for cover. Listening as footsteps approached, he peered around to see an Imperial office drawing near. Though it pained his legs to do so, he executed a Force Jump, flipping over the large box. The Officer looked up just in time to see the lightsaber blade swing, cutting into him. Spinning around in response to a cry from the Force, Kyle raised the orange blade just in time to deflect a laser blast.

A short distance ahead, near an incline in the rock stood an Imperial fitted out in the garb of an AT-AT pilot. Angling the lightsaber, Kyle deflected more shots at him until the Imperial fell with a cry. With no further enemies in sight, Kyle took a moment to use the Force to bring healing to his aching joints, then moved up the incline, crouching low. About halfway up the ramp, he saw some small, black-colored boxes to either side of the path. An object was visible off to his left and after a moment, he recognized it as an Imperial repeating blaster cannon, the control seat empty.

Lifting his head, then quickly ducking down, Kyle recognized the place he was in. It was the hangar bay he'd seen on the video screen earlier, the Imperial fighters in place and several Imperials milling about the room, far too many to take on without risking his life. But as he looked at the blaster cannon once more, an idea came to him.

Hauling himself up from the path and crouching behind the boxes, Kyle waited for an opportune moment, then jumped into the control seat. It took only a moment more for him to power up the weapon.

Just then, a shout went up.

"There's the intruder! Sound the alarm!"

Swiveling the seat, Kyle took aim on one of the figures, depressing the twin triggers. The cannons four barrels spit diamond-shaped lances of energy. A stormtrooper caught by the blast barely cried out as his armor was ripped apart. Turning to another Imperial, Kyle mashed the triggers, then opened up on the fighters, reducing both to pieces of burning slag. It was not until his eyes detected no further movement that he released the triggers.

Stepping down from the blaster cannon, Kyle observed the destruction he had wrought, and for some reason, it felt good. Seeing an elevator at the far end of the room, he moved towards it, passing the corpses of dead Imperials without so much as a second glance. Activating the lift controls, he was whisked to the second level, where the hatch door revealed the Imperial AT-AT Walker he had seen earlier on the video screen. But with no way to access the machine or any other exit, he turned round only to find himself standing in front of the Walker pilot. The Imperial was standing in a small corridor just off the area Kyle was standing in. Caught by surprise, neither man said anything for a long moment. It was only when the Imperial went for his blaster that Kyle drew his lightsaber, dispatching the Imperial.

Passing back through the hatchway and intending to take the lift back down, Kyle was surprised to see a large group of stormtroopers enter the room. They spotted him almost instantly. Drawing his saber, he prepared himself to deflect blaster fire only to have a rail charge fly in and lodge itself in the wall.

_Sithspit!_

Desperately keying open the hatch, Kyle dived inside just as the rail charge exploded. Fortunately, the hatch absorbed the brunt of the blast. Getting to his feet, he Kyle took a moment to reassess his approach. Rail gun carrying troopers changed things, if one of those charges lodged in his armor…

Kyle shook his head at the mental image.

Keying open the hatchway and risking a look outside, Kyle saw that only a few stormtroopers were still visible, others having taken up positions as the far corners of the bay.

_Probably waiting for me to emerge so they can alert the others; big mistake._

Drawing the blaster and sighting through the sniper scope, Kyle took out both Imperials with precision shots. But that still left the others, including the one with rail gun. Stepping out onto the lift platform, he looked around, but couldn't see them. And then it occurred to him.

_They couldn't be directly below the lift, could they_?

Just then came the hiss of a rail charge, followed by an explosion as it struck the bottom of the lift.

Face twisting in sudden anger, Kyle reached for the lift controls.

_Well, if that's how they want it…_

The lift descended and as it reached the bottom, Kyle heard the shocked cries, followed by screams of pain from the troopers trapped underneath. Leaping off, he turned to see them struggling to get out from underneath. Amazingly, the trooper carrying the rail gun managed to get off a shot, but it was wild and exploded harmlessly against the ceiling. Moving forward, Kyle reached down and yanked the gun away.

"I need this more you do."

Mechanisms straining, the lift continued to push until the mass underneath gave way and with a cry that cut off suddenly, the troopers were crushed underneath. Kyle stood there for a time, staring at the lift, holding the rail gun, a vicious grin on his face. It was only by remembering his mission and that he was running out of time that caused him to turn and leave the hangar bay. Descending the ramp back to where he had entered the space, Kyle found a set of steps liked the ones he had ascended earlier, although this set led down. Moving down the circular staircase, he reached the bottom to find two more stormtroopers. They opened fire even as he raised the rail gun and squeezed the trigger, the charge striking one of the Imperials and exploding. The second advanced, still firing. Still wearing the vicious grin, Kyle raised his hand and used Force Pull to yank the blaster away. Amazingly, the stormtrooper continued to advance, raising his fists.

Pulling the secondary trigger on the rail gun, Kyle launched a charge that lodged in the trooper's armor. Backing away and up the steps, Kyle watched as the charge exploded and the lifeless body was hurled against the wall.

"Fools," he said, "you thought to challenge _me_?"

Again he paused.

Where had that come from?

Had that really been his voice?

What was going on with him?

_I need to talk to Luke._

Satisfied with that thought, Kyle moved forward to a hatchway and through it. In the small room beyond, a lift rose to meet him. Stepping onto it, he was taken down to a lower level . A sense of danger from the Force prompted him to holster the rail gun and have his saber out and ready.

Sure enough, no sooner had he stepped off the lift than a turbolaser cannon in an emplacement on the far side of a large shaft opened fire. Angling the blade, Kyle deflected the incoming shots, sending them back towards the twin-turreted gun. But instead of striking it, the blasts were deflected anew by a shield over the opening in the rock. After confirming the shield was not weakening despite repeated impacts, Kyle looked about, spotting a large crate, a fuel drum and some outcroppings in the rock that could be used for cover. But without a way to disable the turbolaser, it was just a matter of time.

And that's when Kyle noticed a collection of fuel drums just below the turbolaser emplacement.

_Those things always turn to follow their target. Maybe I can get it to blast those drums._

With saber at the ready, Kyle moved to the far side of the cavern, the turbolaser tracking him all the way. When he went as far as he could, the Jedi saw the turbolaser was now firing into the fuel drums. After two blasts, they exploded, the blast destroying the gun emplacement and sending a shower of flames over the edge. Having noticed a lift shaft set into the opposite side with a platform sitting stationary, Kyle noticed the explosion of the fuel drums had not only destroyed the turbolaser, but had affected the lift as well. It began to move, but erratically, beginning to move down, then suddenly changing direction and going upwards.

"The controls have been blasted," he mused, "it must have damaged the lift as well."

Looking at the room across the way, Kyle considered there might be something useful there to help him figure out how to disable or destroy the asteroid's prime weapon. However, there seemed only way across.

"Doc Berth is gonna give me hell the next time he sees me," Kyle said with a grin.

After using the sniper sight to destroy a large fuel barrel sitting on the lift, he reached into the Force even as he watched the platform, timing it until it gone down as far as its track would allow and was beginning to rise. With a running start, Kyle leapt into the shaft, falling towards the lift. Unfortunately, he misjudged the speed of the ascent and hit hard, the impact driving him onto his knees and then onto his side, rolling until he struck the lift track. For a moment, it seemed he might roll off the side, but he was able to get a grip on the side of the lift, holding on for dear life.

Taking a moment to catch his breath and let his aching legs have a break, Kyle rose slowly to his feet, working to maintain his balance as the lift jerked and stopped, rose and fell. Spotting the room he had seen from across the way, Kyle waited until the lift was just above it and jumped into the room, executing a forward roll that absorbed some of the shock. Coming to his feet, he heard a voice call.

"Drop your weapons!"

To his left were two fuel drums, but he could see movement behind them.

_Great choice for cover, idiot_, Kyle thought, drawing his blaster and firing on the drums. The scream of an Imperial joined the explosion as both drums went up.

Finding nothing in the room behind where the drums had sat, Kyle was about to walk across to another room across the way when he saw a figure coming through the arched door

"Hold it right there!"

Whirling around, Kyle saw an Imperial Commander emerge from a room, brandishing a blaster. Gesturing with his hand, Kyle hit the Imperial with a Force Push that sent him sprawling to the ground. Following up with his blaster, Kyle was able to finish the Commander off.

Suspecting more Imperials might be inside, he kept the blaster at the ready, not using the lightsaber since the hum of the blade could give him away. Inside the room, he found another viewscreen like the one he had used earlier. To his right were twin alcoves containing banks of equipment. Turning the corner, he found himself face-to-face with an Imperial Officer. The Imperial went for his gun, but Kyle was far faster.

Beyond an arched doorway, he found a small control panel set into a low post and two corridors arching off like spokes on a wheel. Moving down the first, Kyle found alcoves to either side, some more equipment panels, but little else. As he entered the second corridor, he thought he heard a sound, but it came and went so quickly he dismissed it as a figment of his imagination. However, as he stepped into the first alcove, Kyle discovered the sound had been real as a cluster of Imperial interrogation droid floated in front of him. One started to advance, its injector arm leading the way. Gripped by a wave of fear that quickly turned to anger, Kyle threw out both hands, gripping all three machines and mashing them together until they exploded.

Pieces of shrapnel cutting into his exposed skin, but he barely felt it. Feeling a bit shaky from the sudden adrenaline rush, Kyle started to turn when he felt a gun press against his neck.

"Don't even think of moving," a voice warned, "drop your weapons, now."

Feeling his anger surge once more, Kyle responded by using the Force to press the activation stud on his lightsaber. The meter long shaft of energy materialized, cutting through the leg of the person standing behind him. As the man screamed, Kyle drove an elbow back behind him then spun to find two Imperial Officers within kissing distance. The lightsaber was suddenly in his hand and he swung, decapitating both Imperials with a single slash.

Stepping over their bodies, Kyle moved out of the corridor. Reaching the spot where the small control panel was, he noticed one of the controls blinking. Without considering what it might do, he pressed it and… nothing happened.

"Huh, wonder what that did?"

Leaving the panel, he moved to the video screen and activated it. The first three views didn't show anything helpful aside from places he'd already been, but on the fourth click, he was shown a view of some kind of structure he didn't immediately recognize. It was oddly shaped, triangular on side, rectangular on another. Dark-colored, it seemed to be attached to the rock wall behind, a slender tube snaking out of the bottom of the structure and disappearing from sight. Still pondering the structure, Kyle noticed a transport vehicle sitting nearby.

_If I can somehow get that thing up here…_

Moving outside the room and spying a control panel near where he had entered the room, Kyle moved to it. It seemed to be a mechanism for controlling the malfunctioning lift outside. Going on a hunch, he pressed a control and almost instantly felt a warning cry from the Force even as an alarm went off.

"Uh oh, I think I made a mistake. Someone's coming."

He turned away from the panel just in time to see the black-colored transport rise into view, carrying a biker scout and an Imperial pilot with it, both opening fire.

Ducking behind cover, Kyle cursed himself for the error.

"Looks like I've got company."

Neither his blaster nor lightsaber would provide for an effective attack. But there was still one more tool in his arsenal. Grabbing the rail gun, Kyle put his finger on the secondary trigger and stepped from cover. Aiming quickly, he fired the weapon, sending a projectile rocketing towards the biker scout, who cried out in surprise and pain as the charge lodged in his armor.

Kyle ducked back behind cover, hearing the Imperial scream as the charge went off.

_One down._

Stepping back into view, he executed the same technique with the Imperial pilot. Once the second charge had gone off, Kyle stepped out from behind cover to see the transport floating sedately in place.

_Oh boy, here we go again_, he thought with a sigh.

With a running start, he leapt into space, managing to land in the transport's passenger area. Giving himself a moment to recover from the landing, Kyle clambered over the seats, placing himself in the driver's seat. After studying the panel, he pressed the control that sent the transport descending back to where it had come from. Lightsaber at the ready, Kyle waited as the transport exited the shaft and descended into a large room. Moving sideways towards the structure he had seen on the video screen, it came to rest with a gentle bump.

Stepping out, Kyle found himself under attack once more by a pair of stormtroopers.

_Okay, let's see if you guys can actually hit me._

Reaching into the Force, he used Force Speed to dash away from the transport, using the breadth of the room to make it harder for the troopers to track him. As laser blasts reached out for him, Kyle turned in, holding his lightsaber out the side. The trooper he passed barely saw the blur of motion as the energy blade sliced him in two. Heading for the other, Kyle headed directly, then came to a stop inches away. Caught by surprise, the stormtrooper never had a chance to raise his gun before the lightsaber cut into this armor.

With the Imperials taken care of, Kyle took some time to explore the room. The slender pipe issuing from the oddly shaped structure snaked across the floor to a wall that seemed wholly comprised of the lava-like substance Kyle had encountered earlier. A machine was connected to it and as he drew near, Kyle understood what was happening. The Imperials were using the asteroid's own energy to power their primary weapon.

_If I could find some way to sabotage this…_

But even as Kyle began to look for a way to disrupt the power source, he heard the distinctive sound of a rail charge rocketing through the air. Two charges landed nearby and only a quick application of Force Speed saved him from getting blasted. Looking about, Kyle spotted two stormtroopers on the far side of the room, moving towards him.

_I've got to get out of here._

Spotting an opening in the rock wall, he ran towards it and into a darkened space. Unfortunately, it quickly ended in asheer cliff face. Meanwhile, the stormtroopers were continuing to fire rail charges. Several lodged in the ceiling and floor, their concussive blasts striking Kyle. Unable to defend himself against them, he tumbled out of the opening and into space.

_I thought I said I wasn't going to do this again._

When the impact came, it was completely overwhelming. He tried to reach out to the Force, but unconsciousness claimed him first.

Way above, the stormtroopers examined their handiwork.

"There's no way he survived that fall," one commented, then keying his radio, called, "Base, this is TK8252. We have eliminated the intruder. Repeat, we have eliminated the intruder, out."


	6. Chapter 6

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 6: Countdown**

A/N: Greetings to one and all! Shanesnest here with the continuation of Kyle's mission aboard the asteroid. Oops, I guess I should have called spoiler alert first. That's right, he's not dead yet, although I imagine most, if not all, of you knew that. Oh, before I forget! IMPORTANT UPDATE! I have finished writing the scenes covering the last of Mara's missions. And what's comes next I think will please many of you, especially all the Mara-haters. She and Jan are gonna fight, and if I can craft it as well as what I've got in my mind, it's gonna be a knock-down, drag out battle, one for the ages.

This chapter will have the beginning of Mara's first mission in the game and will continue through two more chapters, at least, although I'm guessing on that. But, before I realize to more Kyle blasting Imperials mayhem, let's do some shout outs!

Loke Groundrunner: I'd say both as Kyle's mouth gets him into more trouble than he's prepared for. Thanks for the compliment, I've tried to make the story as close to the actual gameplay without getting overly detailed or dull.

Zedille: Exactly, these are not the first stormtroopers to think they've taken care of Kyle, and they won't be the last. You've got it exactly, the dark side is slowly wrapping its tendrils about our hero. Your last comment here brought a huge smile to my face! I'm so glad my writing is conveying what the game is like to you. I hope you continue to enjoy!

Ovall Aocrog: Yes, indeed, the dark side is rising. I'm not sure what the KOTOR creators were thinking either. For me personally, I like Rebels. Ezra gets on my nerves every now and then, but I love the byplay between Kanan and Hera. Zeb is both awesome and funny, excellent one-liners. And Sabine is just plain nuts at times. And lest I forget Chopper, he's like the grungier version of R2D2. Overall, the show is great, I'm DVRing it.

A/N: Really enjoyed reading your comments on Disney and EU. Makes me wonder that if Star Wars 7 does really well, maybe the fan base can pressure Disney to reverse its decision? Guess we'll see. Well then, enjoy the new chapter and please send me your reviews! Oh, one last thing I wanted mention. I've been reviewing the story stats on and I wanted to give a special shout out to those from Australia and the Russian Federation checking out my stuff. Thank you!

Kyle Katarn floated in a space of absolute nothingness, not even aware of his own body. The darkness was so complete he could not tell if his eyes were open or not.

_Am I dead_?

_**Kyle.**_

The sound seemed to come from everywhere, the voice a low rumble.

_**Kyle**_, it called again.

Reminded of an encounter not unlike this one, he answered the call.

_Rahn? Is that you_?

_**You will come to me, Kyle.**_

He recognized the voice as the same one he'd heard on the shuttle.

_You're not Rahn. Who are you_?

_**You must come, Kyle Katarn.**_

_Come where?_

_**Follow the path that I have laid and you will know.**_

_Who _are_ you_?

_**Come find me, Kyle Katarn, and all your questions will be answered. **_

A spot of light appeared from overheard, penetrating the darkness. Squinting against the sudden brightness, Kyle tried to say more, but the light grew, intensifying until…

Eyes opening, Kyle grimaced and bit his lip, trying not to let forth a scream. His entire body hurt, pain radiating from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Unable to focus, he moved his hands slowly, finding the pouch of medpacs he taken earlier. Jabbing a healant and then a stim shot into his thigh, he waited and then sighed gratefully as the medicine spread through his body, numbing the pain to a point that he was able to sit up, then rise to his feet. With his mind clearing, Kyle was able to reach into the Force and seek its healing power. The pain faded even more, becoming a distant echo.

Looking around, he saw that he was standing atop what look like a gray pipe attached on either end to walls of rock. Looking up, he couldn't make out the ceiling and looking down showed no hint of a floor. If he hadn't landed where he had…

"Gravity is a harsh mistress," he muttered.

There seemed to be no other building or installations in the area and as he moved to one end of the pipe, no hatches were visible. Beginning to feel concerned, he moved to the other end and felt relief at an octagonal opening in the pipe. Below was a corridor of sorts with red and white glowpanels arranged along its surface. Lowering himself into the opening, Kyle let go of the lip and dropped a short distance to the floor.

Noticing what looked like a droid at one end of the corridor; he started towards it, but felt a warning from the Force. Drawing his lightsaber, but not activating it, he waited as the droid's "head" swiveled in his direction and with a stream of unintelligible beeps, it began to move towards him, firing.

_Wonderful, now a droid wants me dead._

With the lightsaber now activated, he intercepted the droid's incoming fire, deflecting some of it back towards the automaton. Surprised to see it unaffected by the laser fire, Kyle decided to test the droid's mettle. Moving towards it, still deflecting the incoming fire, he hit it with a Force Push. The droid staggered a little, but did not fall. Force Pull produced a similar result. Next, he tried a new technique he'd learned while training with Luke. Concentrating, he extended his hand and felt a sensation of energy running through fingers. A bolt of blue-white lightning leapt from his fingers, arcing through the air and striking the droid.

It staggered, uttering more of its odd sounds. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Kyle rushed forward, swinging the lightsaber. The first strike cut off what looked like a photoreceptor mounted on the droid's body. The second cut into its armor and with an explosion that echoed loudly in the space, it fell to the ground in a rain of metal.

Feeling drained from the Force Chain Lightning attack and ears ringing from the explosion, Kyle turned around to make sure no other enemies were nearby. He found two stormtroopers stood at the opposite end of the corridor, but neither was making a move to fire.

_Well, if they're just going to stand there…_

Switching the lightsaber for the rail gun, he pulled the primary trigger and watched as the charge rocketed towards the troopers. It had nearly reached them when it seemed to strike an invisible wall and explode.

_Force field! No wonder they aren't firing. _

Noticing what looked like a control room beyond where the troopers stood, Kyle decided to try and find a way out, lest reinforcements showed up. Turning around, he ran past the smoldering remnants of the droid to the other end of the corridor, finding a lift panel there, its glowpanels were covered in dirt and grease. Praying it was still working, he stepped onto it and was rewarded as the lift began to descend. Noting the shaft was no cleaner than the lift itself, Kyle wondered briefly why the Imperials allowed this area to fall into such a condition.

His musings were interrupted as the lift came to a halt. Stepping outside, he heard the same unintelligible sound as before. Turning, he saw another droid like the one he'd just destroyed standing there. Wasting no time, he drew out the lightsaber and drilled the orange beam through the droid's innards before it could fire. As it crumpled, Kyle turned to observe the space he was in now. It was quite cavernous, the ceiling better than twenty feet above him, the shaft he just descended through had been had been drilled through the rock. Ahead, he saw what look like a walkway of sorts. Advancing carefully, he dispatched a stormtrooper standing below the walkway by using the sniper scope. Stepping out into the main room, he saw a Y-shaped tower supporting a large platform overhead. The rock here had been cut so it rose upwards at an angle. The walkway itself was arranged on beams so it sat about a foot of the rock floor.

"Stop where you are!"

Turning to his right, Kyle saw a stormtrooper standing in the shadow cast by the platform. A rail charge was rocketing towards him in the next instant. Dropping down onto the floor, Kyle reached for his own rail gun, sending a charge flying towards the trooper. It hit, and with a cry, the attacker fell. Standing back up, Kyle moved in the direction of the platform, eyes peeled for any more Imperials, the rise in the rock kept him from seeing all of the walkway. Circling around the thick shaft of the tower, he started up the rise until the walkway was fully in view. Finding no other enemies, he moved to where the walkway had been welded into the rock face. There was a doorway here, but the closed hatch prevented him from proceeding any further.

Turning around, he scanned the platform below. It was wide and flat, the center area a lighter gray color than the rest. Standing on the far side was another of the attack droids he'd encountered. However, it was motionless, seeming not to have spotted him aside from it's "head" turning this way and that. Moving under the walkway and using it as cover, Kyle brought out his blaster and sighted through the scope until he had the crosshairs directly positioned on the droid's body.

It took two shots before the droid exploded, its remains falling to the ground. With the threat dispatched and curious about the platform, Kyle made his way down towards it. No sooner had he placed a foot on the light gray area than he heard a click and with the sound of machinery activating, it began to descend.

_A lift._

With the sound of the mechanism filling the shaft, the lift descended smoothly, eventually exposing an opening that reminded Kyle of the barns constructed by the old-timers on his homeworld of Sulon. Of course there was one major difference. The barns on Sulon didn't have two stormtroopers waiting at the far end. Hopping off the lift, Kyle engaged them, lightsaber deflecting the incoming blaster shots. From behind, he heard an unwelcome sound and by turning his head a bit, confirmed the lift was rising back up the shaft.

_Great, I'm trapped here._

Once the second Imperial fell with a scream, victim of the bolts deflected back at him by the lightsaber, Kyle began exploring the space he was in. As he turned to the left, he stepped back in surprise to see an Imperial Officer and a Commander staring back at him through a transparisteel window. Spotting a doorway nearby and fearing having one of the Imperials raise an alarm, Kyle opened the door, following the short corridor beyond as it turned to the left, then had to retreat as twin fingers of laser fire reached out for him. A Force Push knocked the Officer off his feet and caused the Commander to stagger. Moving in quickly, Kyle dispatched both with lightsaber strikes.

As the bodies fell to the ground, he took a moment to examine the room he was in. It appeared to be a control room of sorts, with twin actuator panels mounted into the shelf underneath the transparisteel. But what drew Kyle's attention was a video screen. Keying the control underneath, he was shown what look like a corridor, but with no real identifying marks. The second view showed the interior of the octagonal tube he'd dropped into earlier, while the third view showed what appeared to be the room at one end of the tube. The next view showed the tube itself and a stormtrooper walking atop it. Clicking the control again, Kyle saw the platform and lift he'd just descended from a camera several feet above. The next view showed another control room with an Imperial Officer standing by a large video screen. Kyle was about to click to the next view when he noticed the symbols on the screen. There was a targeting symbol outlined in yellow and two smaller orbs outside the large one in the middle.

_That's the base! And those smaller objects must be the asteroids. If that panel controls the firing mechanism for the prime weapon…_

Feeling encouraged by this, Kyle next moved to the actuator panels, hoping one of them would bring the lift back down. Trying the one on the left first, he heard the sound of a door mechanism opening, but saw no activity from the lift. Curious, he exited the control room and peered around the lip of the entrance. Where had been a wall was now an opening, exposing the first control room he'd seen on the video screen. Given that he'd seen Imperials within the room, he cautiously approached; lightsaber at the ready.

Stepping into the room, he was immediately under attack, an Officer and a Commander opening up on him as well as laser fire from somewhere overhead. Quickly assessing the layout of the room, including a walkway leading up to the second-story level, Kyle moved into action, using Force Speed to dash past his attackers and onto the walkway. Leaping into the air with the aid a Force Jump, he brought out the blaster and in the midst of a somersault, opened fire. Caught by surprise, both Imperials were bracketed and soon struck by a pair of shots. Bending his knees to absorb the shock as he landed, Kyle looked up to see another officer moving down the walkway, firing at him. Exchanging blaster for lightsaber, he reached into the Force before drawing the orange beam back and throwing it. The lightsaber described as spinning arc as it flew upwards, the blade slicing through the Imperial as it completed its course and returned to Kyle's waiting hand.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he explored the large, two-story room. Floors of medium and dark gray contrasted with a mishmash of gray and tan on the walls, along with several banks of equipment. Finding a video screen on the second level, Kyle tried it, but unlike the others, this one kept showing the same view, that of the interior of the octagonal pipe he had seen earlier. There was a hatchway one on end of the L-shaped floor, but it refused to open. Kyle did note twin view screens angling down from the ceiling, one showing the view he'd seen earlier of the target symbol on the base along with the images depicting the asteroid. Another showed what appeared to be the flow of power from the station he'd seen earlier to the prime weapon.

_There's got to be some way to disable that thing._

Returning to the ground level, Kyle paused as his eyes caught something under the walkway. Moving closer, he saw a grate underneath the walkway. Finding the space large enough to stand in and curious about it, he cut the grate open with his lightsaber and stepped inside, finding the space beyond was comprised of a dark-colored, mottled metal that curved to the left before opening up into a large room. Kyle was just about to step outside when he heard the unmistakable sound of an Imperial probe droid.

Crouching, he could see the spindly legs of the droid hovering nearby. Bringing out his blaster, Kyle aimed for what he felt would be the droid's underside and fired. He heard the first shot strike home and the second penetrated through the droid's armor. It exploded, parts raining down onto the floor. Stepping into the open, Kyle found a triangular shaped bulkhead blocking his way. Moving past, he found the room was quite large, the ceiling several feet overhead and comprised of two racks of glowpanels bordering multiple conduits and wires. Turning to his right, Kyle noticed a dark gray panel imbedded in the wall with what appeared to be a recessed hatch. It was such an odd thing in the midst of all the light gray walls surrounding it that he was instantly suspicious. Bringing out the lightsaber, he turned to face the panel as he backed into the room.

Turning to look behind for a moment, he saw a lift at the end of the corridor. Suspicion growing, he stepped onto it, then looked back at the panel.

Nothing happened.

Finding the lift's control, he pressed it, listening to the whine as the lift rose, depositing him on an upper level. Stepping off the lift, he found himself in a similar corridor as the one below, bending to the right and back to the left. Starting around the first turn, Kyle had just spotted a similar dark gray panel when an alarm went off. Caught by surprise, he was casting about when the panel opened and the snout of a turbolaser cannon appeared. Sensing it a heartbeat too late, Kyle screamed in pain as the blast caught him in the back. Instinct took over and he let himself fall to the ground, eyes scanning for cover. But the corridor provided none, an ideal killing zone.

Another turbolaser strike hit the ground near his feet, the cannon's servomotors adjusting to correct its aim and find its target. Teeth grinding together, Kyle tried to fight through the pain and focus, knowing he had only seconds before the next blast found him. With an effort that ripped another scream from his throat, he rolled onto his wounded back and brought up the lightsaber just in time to intercept a blast from the turbolaser cannon. The shot bounced off the lightsaber beam and struck a wall. With his back all but screaming in pain itself, Kyle did his best to focus on intercepting the shots from the cannon, sending each arcing away. As he battled against the weapon, his eyes caught what looked like a power conduit imbedded in a panel ahead and to his right covered by a grate.

_Maybe._

Angling the lightsaber blade, he tried to direct its blasts towards the conduit. It took several tries, but with the sound of electronics shorting out, the panel was exposed and the conduit destroyed. However, the turbolaser cannon didn't stop firing, Instead it went wild, rotating madly.

_Must've nailed its logic circuits. _

Spinning like a dervish, the cannon continued to fire until one of its shots bounced off the enclosure it sat in and struck the housing. The cannon exploded in a flash of fire, the space in sat in now a blackened mess. Finally able to concentrate enough to reach out to the Force, Kyle sought its healing powers.

_If Jan could see me right now, _he mused and then caught himself. It had been some time since he'd thought about her. Their last meeting had been anything about amicable and while he wasn't happy about it, Kyle had resigned himself to never seeing her again.

But now, in this moment…

He shook his head.

_I can't think about this right now._

Feeling better, he rose to his feet, the alarm still blaring. After some more investigation, Kyle decided the room had something to do with the base's power systems and the cannon had been set up in the event an intruder should gain access to the area.

Nodding to himself, Kyle moved back to where the lift had deposited him. Finding no controls to bring it back it up, he used the Force to safely drop down to the floor below. The panel he'd seen there was now open; exposing a control switch. On a hunch, he pressed the button. The alarm cut off as suddenly as it had begun to sound, a panel sliding into place over the button.

_Probably too late to keep from alerting more stormtroopers, but at least I don't have to listen to that thing anymore._

Retracing his steps, Kyle made his way back through the grate he'd cut open and into the control room.

The door leading out of the room was still open and Kyle made his way back to the control room with the twin switches. Trying the other, a sense of relief filled him as the lift that had brought him into this place began to descend. Exiting the control room, he waited for the lift to complete its descent.

Unfortunately, the lift brought unwelcome cargo with it in the form of a pair of stormtroopers. One of them carried a rail gun and upon seeing Kyle, attempted to use the weapon as a club. The Imperial was soon screaming in terror and pain as his arm went sailing into the air, victim of Kyle's lightsaber, the second strike finishing him off. Using a Force Push to smash the other trooper against the wall of the shaft, Kyle was about to move forward and onto the lift just as it began to rise. Surprised to see that the Imperial was still alive, Kyle readied a new attack, but found it unnecessary as the stunned trooper managed to stumble across the lift and fell, managing to land atop his blaster and shoot himself with it.

Shaking his head, Kyle held his lightsaber in a guard position, ready for any additional attackers. But as the lift came to a stop in the room with the elevated walkway, he saw none. Moving up the elevated walkway and around the left hand bend, Kyle saw the hatchway he'd encountered earlier was open now and beyond was an octagonal-shaped corridor leading to a room on the other end. Spotting a stormtrooper there, Kyle used the sniper sight on his blaster to take care of the Imperial. Moving down the corridor, with its composition of white and red glowpanels, he entered the room and found he was standing in the room he'd seen on the video screen with the targeting display. There was also a window providing a view of another octagonal tube with exposed panels, allowing a view of particles flowing through it.

_That must be part of the prime weapon._

Turning back to the targeting screen, Kyle noticed a set of controls next to it. After studying them, he lifted up on a blue lever, rewarded with seeing the target symbol on the screen switch from the New Republic base to settle on the other asteroid. At the same time, a computerized voice spoke.

"New target acquired."

"These are the firing controls!" Kyle said in surprise, "Well, let's see how the Imps like having their own weapon turn on them.

Finding the firing control, he mashed the button. The room shuddered as the weapon fired and the targeting icon flashed as the second asteroid was struck. However, the symbol remained in place.

"Minimal damage to target," the computer voice said.

Moving to the targeting display, Kyle noticed the problem right away. The weapon's power indicator was down in the yellow range.

"I'm not doing enough damage. I need to increase power to the weapon. Now I just have to find the controls controlling _that_."

Turning round, Kyle noticed a hatchway at the back and attempted to pass through it, only to have the computerized voice speak again.

"Safety door sealed. Access denied."

Remembering an opening in the ceiling of the corridor leading to the room, Kyle retraced his steps and found it, Force Jumping through the opening and landing atop the large pipe. Seeing that there was a cavernous drop off to his right, Kyle ran forward, but then an alarm went off, the sound alerting a group of stormtroopers to his presence. He also heard the sound of a turbolaser emplacement opening fire. As the Force cried a warning, he dropped down, flattening himself on the pipe just as the shot went by overhead. Hearing the sound of the troopers from his left, he looked to the right and found a plateau only a few feet below. Dropping down to it and taking a deep breath, Kyle listened to the frustrated calls of the stormtroopers trying to locate him. He was also able to see a panel exactly like the one that had nailed him earlier at the far end of the pipe.

_I know I can take out that turbolaser using my lightsaber, but I've got to deal with the troopers as well._

Recalling how the turbolaser blast had missed him when he'd flattened himself on the pipe, Kyle came up with an idea. Clambering back onto the pipe on his belly, he brought out the rail gun and sighted it on the turbolaser emplacement. Bracing himself for the recoil, he sent two charges rocketing towards the weapon.

Both hit home, but didn't destroy the turbolaser. Instead, it began to weave about and fire randomly just as the other had done. Kyle grinned as he heard the troopers calling out warnings. Taking advantage of the confusion, he rose to his feet and fired two more charges at the troopers. One of them lodged in an Imperial's armor and the other exploded near a group of three, killing all of them. Sliding down to the ground, Kyle heard the explosion as the turbolaser emplacement went up. Taking out the remaining pair of troopers with a combination of Force powers and lightsaber, he was able to survey the area.

There were a number of lighted support panels, probably for an upper level of the base and some storage crates. In one corner was a darkly colored space with an opening. Stepping to it, Kyle noticed a switch sitting inside a recessed panel. Hoping it would work like the one he'd used earlier, he pressed the switch, the strident alarm cutting off.

Inside the box-like space, Kyle found a lift and took it to an upper level. Stepping off, he noticed the shaft extended somewhat above the rock. Curious why this was, his attention was soon diverted as he caught sight of astormtrooper standing some distance away. Kyle shot him using the sniper scope. But as stealthy as he'd been, the sound of the falling body had draw unwanted attention.

"What was that?" a voice called.

The mechanical tone indicated another stormtrooper close by. Surmising that the Imperial was in the space under the lip of the lift shaft, Kyle dropped down quietly and made his way around the side. Sure enough, another stormtrooper was standing just underneath the shaft and once again, the sniper scope proved it worth as the Imperial fell in a clatter of armor. Moving to stand atop the lift shaft once more, Kyle saw a massive boxy structure supported by three large support beams extending out from the rock.

_Might just find something useful in there_, he thought.

Making his way up to the entrance, Kyle keyed the hatch open and stepped inside. Using his lightsaber to make short work of a pair of stormtroopers, he examined the room, the hum of a forcefield identifying it as the one he'd seen when he'd dropped through the opening in the pipe earlier. He also found the power systems controls for the prime weapon. After studying them for a moment, he found and manipulated a switch.

"Weapon set to full power," said a computerized voice. And on the screen, the power indicator was glowing a bright green.

"Okay" Kyle said, "now let's see what this thing can do."

Retracing his steps back to the weapon control room, he confirmed the target setting before mashing the fire button again. The room shook once and on a display screen, Kyle watched as a tongue of blue-white flame reached out to the second asteroid, obliterated it.

Allowing himself a quick smile of victory, the Jedi considered his next move.

"That takes care of one of them. Now to set the self destruct and get out of here."

The question was, how?

It occurred to Kyle that a weapon this large had to generate a great deal of heat and so, would need an equally massive cooling source.

_I need to find the power system controlling that cooling source and disable it. Without a source of cooling, the weapon will overload and the resulting blast should take out the entire asteroid._

Nodding to himself, Kyle tried the door that the computer had barred him from using before. With the weapon having been fired and its cooldown phase, the lock had been released and the door opened without difficulty. The catwalk outside, however, ended after a short distance, leaving Kyle with a precipitous drop on one. Panic began to rear its ugly head until Kyle saw a ledge a few feet below him. Dropping onto it, he heard the sound of a laser gun firing followed by a warning call.

"Drop your weapon!"

Unable to see his attacker and with panic threatening to take control, Kyle acted, letting his instincts guide him as he brought out the rail gun and mashed the secondary trigger. The projectile flew from the weapon and found its target in the form of a stormtrooper standing several feet below, partially concealed behind a rock wall. Feeling somewhat relieved, Kyle moved forward carefully, his eyes noticing sudden movement from the area below. Switching the rail gun for his blaster, he peered through the sniper scope, spotting another of the attack droids like the ones he'd dealt with.

_I don't have time for a battle, _he thought, _beside, one bad step here and…_

Centering the crosshairs on the droid's "head", Kyle fired twice and smiled as he saw an explosion.

_Got him!_

Finding no more enemies at hand, Kyle carefully negotiated his way down a path in the rock until it dead-ended against a sheer wall. Looking around, he spotted the pipe he'd seen earlier with the energy flowing through. However, with the prime weapon not active, the chamber was clear and momentarily safe.

Judging the distance, Kyle sighed.

_Here we go again._

Concentrating, he leapt into space, the Force helping soften the landing quite a bit, although it still jarred him. Examining the space, he noticed grates covering chambers on either hand of the pipe. Checking, Kyle found all of them were made of reinforced metal, except for one that sported a number of cracks.

It easily fell to the lightsaber's touch.

Stepping through, Kyle found himself in a room with a large fan to the left blowing cold air into the shaft. Taking a brief moment to enjoy the brush of air across his face, Kyle also noticed an ovoid-shaped opening beyond the fan. Moving through, he found a stormtrooper monitoring an equipment panel. After taking him out, Kyle studied the panel and saw it was a monitoring station for power flowing to the cooling system. In addition, a map showed where the primary power interface was and Kyle headed that way. Moving across a hatch set into the floor and climbing up through a path carved through the rocks, he reached a doorway carved into the rock. From there, he carefully descended of set of very steep stairs cut into the rock until he reached an entryway where two stormtroopers stood guard.

Using the sniper scope to shoot both of them, he stepped into the room where he found the main power conduit for the cooling system. A single slash of the lightsaber destroyed it. A moment later, a computerized spoke.

"Warning. Cooling module failure. Initiating backup system."

_Not for long, _Kyle thought, _the backup system is my next target. _

Climbing back up, Kyle found the hatch in the floor was now open. Dropping through it, he landed atop an angled structure where pipes and conduit wormed their way underneath. He also heard the sound of a rail charge rocketing towards him and spotted a stormtrooper about halfway down the structure. The low ceiling overhead and a long drop to either side left him nowhere to go. And with less than a second to think, he extended both hands and closed his eyes, sending the strongest Force Push he could manage.

Amazingly, the rail charge arced upward as if yanked by an invisible string and struck the ceiling before exploding. Kyle also heard a scream and saw the stormtrooper, also hit by the wave of Force energy, stumble, then fall of the structure and into space.

Not waiting to see if the Imperial hit bottom, Kyle moved down the structure and through a hatchway, entering a large, circular room with a permacrete dome in the center. A mottled gray walkway ran around the perimeter of the room with part of extending to the dome where Kyle was standing, although there was no entryway. A pool of water ringed the inner of the room, the surface showing ripples. Three stormtroopers appeared, weapons firing. Caught in a crossfire; Kyle leaned forward and dived into the water, reaching for his blaster pistol. As the troopers began to fire into the water, Kyle swam away, then fired up, the blasts from his weapons lancing out of the water to strike the stormtroopers. One by one, they all fell into the water, their lifeless corpses bobbing to the surface.

Swimming around to the opposite of the dome from where he had entered the room, Kyle saw a walkway extending out to an entrance into the inner part of the dome. But as he bobbed to the surface, a turbolaser cannon mounted on a pole extending down from the ceiling opened fire. Diving down just as the blast struck the water, Kyle was driven towards the bottom, but was otherwise not hurt.

Resurfacing a safe distance from the opening, he climbed onto the walkway and drew his lightsaber. With the orange beam of energy at the ready, he moved back towards the entrance to the inner part of the dome, deflecting the shots from the turbolaser back towards it until the emplacement exploded in a ball of fire. Dropping down into the water in the inner part of the dome, Kyle noticed four power stations set into the floor, their surfaces dark.

_There's gotta be some reason these are here. Let's see what we can find out._

Deciding to see what happened if he powered all four on, Kyle tried a switch on one, seeing the display come to life. But when he tried the next time, it refused to power up and the first console had powered on as well. After trying this a few more times, Kyle surmised the consoles had to be powered up in a specific order. It took time and a bit of guesswork, but he was eventually able to get all four stations powered on. With the sound of a mechanism unlocking, a panel set in the middle of the four stations began to descend.

Uncertain, Kyle returned to the surface for a breath of air before diving back down, chasing the panel as it continued to descend. It was perhaps ten seconds when an opening appeared to his right, exposing a passageway beyond. Glancing into it, Kyle heard the panel come to a halt and then begin to rise. With little time to decide, he swam into the passageway as the rising platform blocked off any avenue of escape. With his air fading, Kyle looked about for somewhere to surface to, finding nothing at first. With fear nipping at the edges of his mind, he spotted a hexagonal opening in the ceiling of the shaft.

Swimming up into it, Kyle took a grateful breath of air. The space he was in was less than a foot tall, with a heavy duty grate preventing him from going any further. Taking several deep breaths, he worked to calm himself before dropping back down into the shaft.

Seeing that it continued on for some distance, Kyle noticed a pair of raised platforms.

_Wonder what those things are_?

Surfacing, he took two more deep breaths before dropping back down and swimming ahead. Reaching the closest of the raised platforms, Kyle smiled as he recognized what it was. The design was identical to the power conduit for the cooling module he'd destroyed.

_I'll bet _this_ is the backup system._

Drawing out his lightsaber, he pressed the activation stud. A fountain of bubbles began to rise as the meter-long beam of energy materialized. Swinging down, Kyle sent the blade slicing into the conduit, watching as the twin glows of blue energy faded and more bubbles came up as the conduit shorted out.

But unlike before, there was no warning or alarm.

Swimming back to his breathing hole, feeling confused and frustrated, Kyle considered what to do next. If disabling the conduit didn't work, then what was he to do next? With despair threatening to overwhelm his mind, the answer that came was so simple he chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner.

_It's a backup system, Katarn. You think they'd rely on a single conduit_?

Dropping back down and swimming further into the passageway, he eventually discovered three other conduits. Deploying the lightsaber, he began to destroy them one by one.

It was after he destroyed the first of the three that the computer voice spoke.

"Warning. Cooling system malfunction. Core temperature increasing."

As the last one went off in a shower of sparks and bubbles, an alarm began to sound and Kyle heard the computerized voice call out once more.

"Warning. Cooling system malfunction. Core temperature approaching critical levels."

As the voice faded, he heard a sound like a hatchway opening. Remembering one he'd swam over earlier, he returned to the spot to find it slowly opening. As soon as he could fit through, Kyle swam down into it, encountering a long passageway that led to a room with a large circular glowpanel on one side. Spying an opening in the lower corner of a wall, Kyle swam through, entering a room where three ovoid rectangles opened into a vast circular room where the core of the asteroid's prime weapon sat in a deep pool of water. As he swam towards it, Kyle noticed a large hatch in the ceiling above him, making a mental note that it might provide an avenue of escape.

Swimming past the core, Kyle noticed it was beginning to glow red, the cooling system no longer working to keep its temperature under control. Coming to the surface, he found himself under attack by a group of stormtroopers. Submerging so as to avoid their laserfire, he took out four from underneath the water. Noticing that the water was getting warm, he resurfaced and climbed out just as the computerized voice spoke again.

"Warning. Cooling system failure. Core temperature approaching critical."

An elevated walkway with twin ramps led up to twin control stations facing each other. Making his way up into one, Kyle found a control panel showing the core temperature rising and a control for a hatch. Activating the control and playing a hunch, he ran across to the room where a stormtrooper was monitoring the core readings.

"You're not allowed…" was all the trooper got out as Kyle sliced off the arm holding a blaster, then jabbed the blade through the Imperials' chest armor. Seeing an identical control panel here, he hit the hatch control just as the computerized voice announced,

"Warning. Cooling system failure. Core temperature critical."

Feeling a sense of urgency from the Force, Kyle dived from the top of the walkway and into the water, which he instantly noticed was very warm, bordering on hot. Swimming back the way he'd came, Kyle heard and saw the ceiling mounted hatch slowly opening.

Swimming up into it, he found himself in a room with a transport nearby. Jumping into it, he moved to activate the controls, but they refused to respond.

"Warning! Core temperature critical. Evacuate immediately."

With the announcement only adding to his urgency, Kyle looked about and saw a small platform below. Unfortunately, an attack droid stood on it, firing up at him. With his urgency turning to anger and quickly escalating to fury, Kyle drew his lightsaber and leapt out of the transport. The droid was still firing, but Kyle deflected every shot. Landing right next to the droid, he brought the saber over his head, then swung down hard, bisecting the droid, the two halves falling away. Looking ahead, Kyle spotted a narrow passageway to his right, partially blocked by some support beams.

Without hesitating, he leapt to the path and began running, jumping over or ducking under each of the beams, ending up at an opening in the wall that, at first, seem to access only a sheer drop. But then he spotted a cross shaped platform several feet below.

"Danger! Core condition critical. Evacuate immediately."

_No choice_.

With the alarm practically blaring inside his head, Kyle tried to concentrate and jumped. The landing was rough and for one terrible moment, he thought he was about to roll of the edge of the platform. It was only by managing to grasp the ledge that kept him from falling.

"Owww," he said, rising to his feet, "_That _hurt."

"Danger! Core overload imminent."

With this new warning ringing in his ears, he cast about, looking for the next part of the path, but couldn't find it. Below the platform was a drop where the walls faded to blackness. But as he looked up, Kyle spied another transport floating several feet overhead.

_Maybe I can use that thing to get out of here._

That's when he noticed four controls mounted at the end of each arm of the platform, all dark. Moving to one, Kyle pressed the activation switch and the panel lit up. But as he looked up, he could see the transport hadn't moved an inch. He was just moving towards another darkened console when there was a sound like a click and, as he turned to look at the first console, seeing that it had gone dark again.

Recalling a similar setup he used to get down to this place, Kyle moved back to the first console, activated it, then quickly moved to the second and activated it as well. Repeating this action with the third and fourth consoles, he was able to get all of them powered up. Hearing the sound of a repulsor grid activating, he looked up to see the transport moving down towards him, but at an infuriatingly slow pace.

"Danger! Core overload in 60 seconds."

_I can't just stand here waiting for it._

Positioning himself to one side of the platform, he called upon the Force once more and jumped, sailing past the transport. Changing his angle, he managed to land just behind the pilots' seat, the rubberized material helping his landing to be less rough. Clambering over the seat, he fairly stabbed at the controls, fortunately hitting the right one as the transport stopped, then began to ascend. Moving through a brightly lit shaft, Kyle found himself near an area where he had first entered the base. Using Force Speed, he raced down the shaft.

"Danger! Core overload in 30 seconds."

Feeling a renewed sense of energy at the sight of his shuttle, Kyle ran up the ramp and into the cockpit. Fingers flying over the controls, he bypassed the preflight and engine warm up sequence, sending power directly to the repulsors. An alarm went off, but he quickly silenced it. The shuttle began to rise, but the pace seemed far too slow.

"Come on, come on," he said impatiently, willing the shuttle to move faster. As the seconds ticked away, the vessel finally cleared the lip of the crevasse. Kyle redirected energy to the main engines, ignoring another alarm and warning message from the computer. Tongues of energy lanced from the thrusters as the shuttle shot forward. In the cockpit, Kyle was pressed back into his seat by the sudden acceleration. Activating a screen mounted into the console and switching it to the aft view, he watched with apprehension as the asteroid began to recede in the viewer.

_About ten seconds left, I think._

The asteroid seemed to shudder and a ball of orange-white flame flared into existence, covering one whole half of the object. Other explosions appeared until the entire asteroid vanished in a final, violent conflagration.

Feeling equal parts relief and victory, Kyle turned to the comm system and opened a channel.

"Mara, this is Kyle, mission accomplished. It's clear to give the evacuation codes."

"Way to go, Kyle," Mara replied happily, "I'll meet you at the hangar."

"See you there," Kyle concluded, closing the channel and settling back into the pilot's couch, grateful he'd survived. But then this mind turned to the voice he'd heard earlier.

Who was it?

Where was the person?

What help was needed?

As he thought on this, Kyle closed his eyes and reached out.

_I'm here. Can you hear me? Where are you?_

_**You must find me. **_

_I want to, _Kyle replied, _but where am I to look_?

_**You must hurry, Kyle.**_

_Please! I want to help, but wh…_

_**Dromund Kaas, that is where you will find me.**_

_Dromund Kaas?_

He waited, but there was no further reply.

_Are you still there? Can you hear me?_

_**Come find me, Kyle.**_

All the way through guiding the shuttle into the atmosphere and towards the New Republic base, he tried over and over again to reach out to the voice, but it did not respond.

_Dromund Kaas, _he mused_._

Turning to shuttle's computer, he put in an inquiry regarding the name, his eyes widening as the results came back.

_I know what I have to do_.

With the base in sight now, Kyle brought the shuttle to a gentle landing near the damaged hangar bay door. Spying Mara, he returned her wave as he placed the shuttle's systems on standby and extended the boarding ramp.

"Great work, Kyle," Mara said, her grin wide, "when we saw the first asteroid go up, I told the Commander it was only a matter of time before the second one was destroyed."

"Thanks," he replied, "how's the evacuation proceeding?"

Smile fading a little, Mara gestured at the soldiers, technicians and other members of the base moving about.

"Behind schedule, there's concern we may have to leave some of the equipment behind. Meanwhile, the Commander was hoping we might assist in checking a new world to establish the base on."

"That's fine, but why don't you take the _Shrike_ and head out ahead of me?"

"Oh-kay," Mara replied, eyeing him quizzically, "but why take separate ships?"

For a moment, Kyle considered whether or not to tell her. Though she was proving to be capable student and very strong in the Force, he wasn't sure how she would take to him explaining that he was hearing voices.

Still, lying to her wasn't an option. Mara was far too aware to fall for such a tactic. Instead, he elected to tell her part of the story.

"Because I've discovered some references to a hidden temple on the remote planet of Dromund Kaas. Something I don't think the Empire wanted anyone to see."

"Are you gonna investigate?" she asked.

"I feel…" Kyle paused here, trying to find a way to make her understand, "as if I have to."

Lifting one eyebrow, Mara's face morphed into a somewhat mocking expression.

"And I suppose you have to do it alone."

"Mara, I need you to stay here. The New Republic needs you…"

"But my training!" she said in exasperation, then paused to take a deep breath, visibly calming herself.

"Yeah," she said, blowing out a breath, "I understand. Look, you know where to find me."

Seeing her like this was painful. Kyle knew he had to do something to try and encourage her.

"You've learned all you can from me. May the Force be with you, Mara."

With that, Kyle turned and headed for the shuttle, Mara watching as he powered up the repulsors and lifted the craft into the air. For some reason, seeing him leave, she had a bad feeling.

"Try to stay out of trouble, Kyle."

Turning back to the base, she moved inside to see what help she could provide with speeding up the evacuation.

**Several Hours Later**

**Aboard the New Republic Corvette **_**Kaian**_

**Bridge**

The door slid open and Mara stepped through. Spotting Commander Vannis standing by a computer screen, she headed that way, passing the main sensor display, a circular object that took up nearly one whole corner of the bridge.

"You asked to see me?"

"Yes, Mara," the Commander said, "I have need of you for a mission."

Brows knitting in surprise, Mara moved to lean against a control panel, her eyes studying the floor.

"You _do_ realize I don't work for you?" she asked, a warning in her tone.

Vannis sighed, he had been expecting this.

"Mara, the New Republic is still in desperate need of supplies, and we aren't always able to locate them through 'honest channels' ".

_I've been a smuggler too, _she thought, fighting the urge to sigh.

Vannis continued.

"Ka'Pa the Hutt has agreed to sell us these items in exchange for a certain degree of how shall I say, 'amnesty'?"

"Hey," Mara said, the tone of her voice expressing what she thought of the Commander's explanation, "if you wanna do business with the slug, it's none of my concern, but why me?"

"Mon Mothma asked for you personally. She felt that because of your prior smuggling affiliations, that he might trust you more than any of our other envoys."

_Fat chance of that_, she thought, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Also with Kyle gone," Vannis continued, his tone grave, "we need your help more than ever."

She almost refused, not wanting anything to do with the New Republic or any of its dealings. Her whole purpose in tagging along had been to receive training from Kyle. The only problem with that was that her Master had taught her more than just how to fight. He had also taught her the importance of helping others.

Unable to keep herself from sighing this time, Mara responded.

"All right, I'll do it."

After getting information on where to find Ka'Pa, Mara headed for the hangar bay.

Minutes later, the _Shrike _sailed out into space.


	7. Chapter 7

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 7: Perspectives**

A/N: Well, color me embarrassed for sure. Yes, in case you didn't know about it already, I managed to post the wrong doggone chapter last time. Soon as I realized it, I fixed the error, but also gave an unintended preview of things to come, which I really didn't want to do. Oh well, such are the things that happen. Moving on, I've been playing Jedi Outcast and already getting some ideas for the next book. I had forgotten some of the great voice work done by Jeff Bennett. He really does a great job!

All right then, let's do some shout outs then!

Phygmalion: Yeah, didn't meant to show you all that, but it gave you an idea of what's to come. On Dromund Kaas, I've learned that it was a very important planet to the Sith way back in the past and was once the home of a previous Emperor. But in timelines of Mysteries of the Sith, it's pretty much a forgotten world. Sorry about the screwup on the earlier posting.

Ovall Aocrog: You call it exactly, and boy, did I feel dumb! Dromund Kaas is coming, can't wait to see what you think!

Zedille: Disney + Star Wars = Morons messing with what they should leave alone. You ask a good question, how is Disney going to deal with the rabid fan base? Seems to me they don't really care. You're exactly right about Dromund Kaas, it's a dangerous world. Kyle does see the danger, but the voice plus his own curiosity is overriding his caution.

Loke Groundrunner: Thank you and truthfully, after researching for some time, I couldn't determine what planet Ka'Pa's palace is on. It sort of looks like Tatooine, but we all know that's Jabba's territory. So, what did I do? I made up a planet as you'll see.

A/N: Allrighty then. Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I'll try and be more careful before posting so I don't mess up again. I really like the questions! It's fun to answer them, even when the answer is, "I don't know". Enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!

By the way, on the Jan/Mara fight scene, I'm adding to it as my wife says it's not violent enough.

And even as one ship rocketed into hyperspace, the _Redemption_ reverted to realspace, its nose coming around until it was pointed directly at the planet ahead.

"There it is," Kyle muttered, "Dromund Kaas."

Since leaving Altyr 5, he had been poring over every scrap of information he could find about the place, learning about its history, it significance in the galaxy and why a voice would be calling to him from it through the Force.

Dromund Kaas had once been an important world, the capital of the Sith Empire nearly five thousand years ago. Afterwards, its very existence had faded into legend until it was rediscovered during the Clone Wars and a battle had been fought on its surface. The last reports Kyle had been able to find showed a number of man-made structures on the planet, but nearly everything had been consumed by vegetation. Where cities and temples had stood was now a collection of jungle and swamps. The atmosphere showed as breathable, but with a high level of humidity. Additionally, the atmosphere was so charged with electricity that streaks of lightning, visible even from space, danced across the surface constantly.

_Real vacation spot._

All in all, Dromund Kaas was a place Kyle Katarn would just as soon have not come to.

Drawing closer, he checked the control panel and saw that the shuttle's sensors confirmed the atmospheric and climate readings. The planet almost seemed to be flashing as the lightning sparked and died.

_Now if I can just figure out where to land_.

_**Kyle.**_

In his mind, the voice, the one he'd hearing.

_I'm here._

_**I know. I can feel your presence. You did well to come to this place. Now, you must find me.**_

Kyle lifted one eyebrow in surprise at hearing the voice confirming his presence above the planet.

_Whoever... or whatever is calling me must be very strong in the Force._

_**Kyle, you must hurry. Come find me.**_

_But where are you? I don't..._

As if a beam of light had shot out from the surface, Kyle felt the touch in his mind, an image forming. There was a place on the surface, a platform of sorts nearly covered by jungle growth, but still discernible.

_**Come to this place. You will find me not far away.**_

Nodding, Kyle fired the thrusters and guided the shuttle towards the surface.

_I'm coming._

**Planet Mekta 2**

**Directly above Ka'Pa the Hutt's audience chamber**

Securing the last of the explosives, Mara positioned her thumb over the detonator switch.

_Not exactly the way I wanted to introduce myself, but there wasn't any other choice._

After leaving the _Kaian, _she'd taken her ship to Mekta 2, thinking she'd be able to talk her way into the audience chamber of Ka'Pa the Hutt, but she'd been stopped at the front entrance when the gate droid refused to admit her.

"Mara Jade," it said, "you were once a powerful smuggler, until you turned to the way of the Jedi. Unfortunately, after what Skywalker did to poor Jabba, Ka'Pa does not wish to see you."

Her protests falling on deaf ears, Mara had searched the area and found a path that looked promising. She'd encountered several Tusken Raiders who, despite their primitive appearance, proved fairly accurate with the blasters and bowcasters in their posession. Making her way past them, she managed to find a back entrance to the palace. Not wanting to give her presence away to the gate droid, she had used her lightsaber to damage a pumping mechanism outside the doorway, then hid nearby.

_Hopefully, they'll send someone to fix that thing._

Moments later, the door did open and an Ugnaught passed through, speaking to itself as it moved to work on the damaged pump. With its attention occupied, Mara had easily slipped past and into the palace. However, any hope of a leisurely walk to the audience chamber had quickly vanished as she found herself under attack by several of the palace residents. More Sand People, along with Grans, Rodians and a few Hammerheads and Gamorreans had challenged her. Managing to find a disguise in the form of Sand People garb, she'd gotten past the gate droid and further into the palace until she'd found herself here, atop the raised glass dome of the audience chamber.

Now, with a simple press of a button, the intricately carved dome shattered, pieces dropping down into the room below. Mara fell with them, using the Force to cushion the impact of her landing. Directly before her sat the massive worm-like form of Ka'Pa, eyes wide with surprise at the sudden blast. Around him, several guards had drawn their weapons and were aiming at her. Drawing her own blaster and leveling directly at the Hutt, she called out.

"Tell your men to back off! Back off!"

Speaking in panicked Huttese, Ka'Pa did as she asked and the guards relaxed, though none put their weapons away.

"Look," she said, "I came here to make a simple deal. But no, you wanted to do things the hard way."

"Wait!" Ka'Pa said, his voice noticeably calmer, "this has all been a misunderstanding. Perhaps we can still work something out."

Mara stared back, her expression disbelieving.

"I admire the tenacity and resourcefulness of the great Mara Jade," Ka'Pa continued, "I could have use for someone like you in my operation."

Mara's brows furrowed together.

"I'm not here to work for you!"

"Just one simple job," Ka'Pa said, "As a sign of good faith."

_He's trying to draw me into his web. Time to remind this sleazeball just who's in charge._

Adjusting her aim, she responded.

"You're in no position to negotiate."

"Neither are you, Jade," Ka'Pa replied.

And at that moment, a dozen more guards poured into the room, all well armed and weapons trained on her.

_And clearly he's the one in charge here_, Mara observed.

Lowering her blaster, she responded.

"Very well," she said airily, "what do you propose?"

"A simple task for a Jedi such as yourself," Ka'Pa said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "my rival, Takara, has stolen a valuable piece of surveillance equipment, which he uses to listen in on my operations."

The Hutt paused a moment before continuing

"Since Mon Mothma won't sell me the military countermeasures I need, you must get it back for me."

"Fine," Mara said flatly, "where is it?"

Ka'Pa chuckled, an ugly sound.

"That's the trick, isn't it? It's hidden deep within his stronghold. But as you have shown here, that should be no problem for a powerful Jedi such as yourself."

_Oh please._

"Return the equipment, and I will supply the New Republic with all the supplies they need."

Mara sighed heavily.

"Why do I feel like I'm gonna regret this?"

Ka'Pa responded with a huge laugh, then ordered one of his guards to provide the information he had on Abron Mar, along with his present location at the Katraasii Space Port.

Arriving back at her ship, Mara lifted off and set course.

**Katrassi Space Port**

Closing the channel with traffic portal, Mara maneuvered the _Shrike_ to a position over the docking bay she'd been assigned. Engaging the repulsors, she lowered the ship, the wings rotating from flight position to landing. As the ship descended, she reviewed her objective in coming here.

"Ka'Pas' agent said that Takara's lieutenant, Abron Mar, hangs out at the spaceport cantina. Hope when I find him I can 'convince' him to be cooperative".

A low metallic bang echoed in the cockpit as the _Shrike _came to rest.

"Now, if I can just find the cantina and avoid all the unsavory characters along the way..."

Mara smiled to herself. When Kyle had left, the last thing she'd said was for him to stay out of trouble.

Here she was all but begging for it.

As she stepped down into the hangar, a pair of Ugnaughts came into view. One attached a fueling tube to her ship while another carrying a wrench stared at the vessel, scratching its head. After a moment, it turned away.

_Good_, she thought, _the last thing I need is one of them messing with my ship._

Finding a walkway descending to street level, Mara moved through a hallway leading to a hatch. Passing through it, she encountered a group of three stormtroopers. Tensing, she prepared herself for combat, but they simply walked past her. Surreptitiously, she glanced over her shoulder as they continued to move away.

_I guess the Imperials don't know who I am yet, good._

Feeling relieved, Mara began explore the buildings, shops and cantinas of the spaceport. It didn't take long for her to find trouble. She had just entered a building containing several shops when two Grans dropped from a hole in the ceiling and opened fire. Ducking behind one of shop counters, Mara returned fire, killing both attackers. But any relief she felt was mitigated as one of the shop keepers went running outside, screaming.

_Great, just the kind of attention I really don't need right now. If Abron Mar hears of it, he'll escape and I'll never find him._

_Soooo, _she thought, a cruel smile coming to her face, _I'll just have to make sure he can't leave_.

Recalling the location of another hangar bay nearby, Mara decided to take a chance that Mar's ship would be there. Passing through the hatch, she encountered a guard standing by the ramp leading up into the bay. Seeing Mara, he opened fire, but she was able to duck behind a nearby crate. A brief exchange of blaster fire ended with the guard falling to the ground.

Two more were waiting in the bay, one speaking into a comlink. Trading the blaster for her lightsaber, Mara hit both aliens with a Force Push, one of them smashing into the hull of the ship sitting there. He fell to the deck and didn't move. The second rose from where he'd fell and aimed his blaster only to watch his arm go flying into the air as the purple blade cut through it. A second later he too, was dead.

_I've got to hurry, _Mara thought, _if that guy was able to alert Mar..._

Fortunately, the bay contained what she'd been hoping for, an R-41 Starchaser, the very one that Ka'Pas' agent had told her Mar used.

_Okay, so I found it. Now how do I keep it from leaving_?

She considered trying to disable the ship, but there was a large contingent of Ugnaughts in the area and the fight between her and the guard had already sent them into panicked scurrying. There wasn't enough to damage the ship enough to keep it from being able to fly. Casting about, she looked and saw the opening in the roof of the hangar. She could see where the space doors had been retracted and a low level force field was keeping the bay pressurized.

_If I can find a way to close those doors..._

She moved to the other side of the bay. Two equipment panels were there, along with a hatch that opened as she keyed the panel next to it. Stepping inside, Mara found the controls for the space doors. Grinning, she turned the dial from "Open" to "Closed". Almost immediately, the sound of machinery filled the space. Stepping out of the room, she observed the space doors deploying and moving together until they closed with a bang that echoed loudly.

_All right then, now I just need..._

" Stop right there!"

"Drop your weapons!"

Turning, she spotted a large group of stormtroopers entering the bay.

_Well, the Imperials know I'm here now._

Outnumbered, Mara took full advantage of the Starchaser's presence, using it as a shield as she darted about the bay. With her lightsaber deflecting the incoming fire, she used her Force powers to knock the troopers off their feet and then rush forward, taking them out. But even as the last fell with a scream, Mara knew time was no longer on her side. If Abron Mar hadn't been alerted to her presence before, he would be soon.

_And any good smuggler has more than way out of a situation._

Finding another group of stormtroopers on the lower level, she used the crates there as cover while systematically taking out each one of her attackers. When the echo of blaster shots finally ceased, Mara moved from her cover, checking to make sure no one else was lying in wait.

Leaving the hangar bay and emerging into the spaceport, she continued her search for Mar, encountering more Imperials.

_Geez, the whole place is gonna know I'm here before long. _

Frustration growing, she had just taken out two Imperials standing before a large entrance when she spied a covered doorway off to her right. Approaching it, she found stairs leading upwards.

_Didn't see this place before_.

Moving up the stairs carefully, she encountered a pirate lying in a small alcove to her right, snoring heavily.

_Guess someone had too much of a good time_.

Turning to her left, Mara saw a sign over a doorway.

_The Starlight Cantina. This is the place that they said that Abron Mar character is supposed to hang out._

Moving inside, Mara found herself in a cantina where low music was playing and patrons were clustered in groups, some drinking, others chatting. She looked around, but didn't anyone matching Mar's description. Moving further in, she saw a second serving station to her right. Moving into this space, she turned and there he was!

Guarded by a pair of Grans, Mar had a drink container halfway to his mouth when spotted Mara. Dropping the glass, he turned and quickly moved away through a triangular opening in the wall, its many glowpanels allowing Mara to confirm without a doubt that it was Mar.

But any chance of pursuing was soon curtailed as two more Grans joined the first two. One began throwing something. At first, Mara couldn't tell what it was. But as a metallic object struck the floor nearby and rolled to a stop, her eyes widened in horror.

_A thermal detonator!_

Quickly retreating, she got out of the space just as the explosive went off, leaving a black mark on the floor. The Grans advanced, the one still throwing the silvery orbs while the others opened up with blasters. Forced to retreat, Mara exited the cantina and moved down the stairs back into the main part of the spaceport. She started to run and find some cover when she spotted a shop with a low counter nearby.

Running that way, she vaulted the counter and landed on the floor, flattening herself. The surprised shopkeeper was just beginning to utter a protest when Mara noticed, along with the other objects she knocked over, a sniper scope. She grabbed it, attaching the device to her blaster. Sitting up, she placed her elbows on the counter as the Grans, making a lot of noise, came into view. Activating the scope, she sighted through it.

_Smile._

Pulling the trigger, she saw one of the Grans fall. Quickly switching targets, she shot two more, including the one throwing detonators. As he fell, the alien dropped one last orb, which exploded, taking out the last Gran.

Standing up, Mara vaulted the counter once more and was moving when the shopkeeper called in an angry voice.

"Hey! Who's gonna pay for all this?!"

Without turning round, Mara replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, put 'em on Ka'Pas' bill."

With the immediate threat dealt with and knowing Mar wouldn't be able to leave using his ship; Mara resumed her search for the elusive alien. Moving down an angled street to a lower level, she spied a lighted doorway that hadn't been there when she come through the space earlier. Moving into it, she found herself in angled hallway with another doorway at one end. Moving to it, she readied her blaster. The door opened to reveal a large, darkened space. And there, at the far end, with two pirates guarding him now, stood Mar. Seeing Mara, he turned on his heel and ran away, a large hatch closing as he moved through it.

After taking out both guards using the blaster sniper scope, Mara moved to the large hatch, but found it locked. Feeling frustrated at letting Mara get away twice now, she moved about the room, trying to find a way to open the hatch. An air car sat in the space, floating on its repulsor grid. There was also a control room, but the panel inside was dark, no power. About to try using her lightsaber to cut through the hatch, Mara noticed an object just outside the control room. It looked to be a connector mechanism of some sort.

_You don't suppose..._

Flipping the switch on a nearby control box, Mara watched as the two pieces of the connector slid together. From the control room, she heard a sound. Moving back into the space, she found the panel was active. However, its configuration was unfamiliar.

_Let's see what I can figure out._

She began to press buttons and move controls in random sequences. When a large, red-colored button came to life, she pressed it as well. A sound outside drew her attention as the air car rose into the air and then rushed forward.

_Uh oh._

Dropping down, Mara braced herself as the air car struck the hatch and exploded, the shock reverberating throughout the room. Fortunately, there were no residual explosions, and as she rose to her feet, Mara saw there was no fire. What brought a smile to her face was the large, jagged-shaped opening that had been rent in the hatch.

Moving past the wreckage of their air case, she emerged into a new part of the spaceport. Feeling a little giddy, she looked around the space, feeling confident she would find Mar no matter where he hid.

"I love this job!" she said.

She soon found reason to regret her statement as she found the area crawling with pirates and Grans as well as a Trandoshan carrying a concussion rifle. Only a well timed Force jump kept Mara from being struck by the powerful blast. A Force push accompanied by a hail of laser shots dispatched the attacker, leaving his rifle for her to take. As she continued to search for Mar, Mara determined that she was in the residential area of the spaceport and the inhabitants were none too pleased with her presence.

As she made her way through a bedroom and out into the hallway, taking out a Gran nearby, an angry woman called after her.

"Can't you just leave us in peace? Go bother someone else!"

"Hey!" Mara replied, angered by the comment, "I'm tryin' to help here!"

Continuing her search, she found herself at a dead end, inside a cantina of all places.

"Um, has anyone seen a really creepy looking crime boss?"

Her question was ignored by the patrons and with nowhere else to go, she was forced to backtrack until she found a partially hidden grate. Slashing it open with her lightsaber, Mara found a new path which took her in another part of the spaceport residential area, but found herself blocked once more.

"They've closed the traffic gates, wonderful," she said sarcastically.

Forced to take her search to the rooftops, Mara employed a number of Force leaps and careful descents as she made her way. More Grans, pirates, Rodians and Trandoshans attempted to impede her progress, but one by one, they all fell. Turning a corner and leaving the residential area, she found herself in a corridor which led to three hangar bays, the first containing a YT-1300 freighter. A Force Jump allowed her to see into the cockpit, which was unoccupied. However, in the next hangar, she found a similar vessel under attack by stormtroopers. Using her blaster to take out the attacking Imperials, Mara watched as the vessel rotated around, the pilot giving a grateful wave. She waved back, watching as the craft rose up, then accelerated away, engines firing.

"Pirates, I wonder if it's anyone I know."

Shrugging, she left the bay and moved into the third one, finding a pair of Ugnaughts at work and an air car sitting near a wall. Noticing a grate on the upper level of the space, Mara found a switch and activated it. Hurrying to the air car, she stepped aboard just as it rose into air, its repulsors providing a steady ride until it came to a stop just below a walkway. Jumping up onto it, Mara slashed open the grate with her lightsaber and continued to another rooftop, finding more attackers. After taking care of them and descending to street level once more, she found herself before an all too familiar building.

"_Another_ cantina?"

Just then, she heard a cry from inside, followed by a man's voice and then the rough language of a Gran. Moving into the space slowly, Mara saw a man on the floor, bleeding from his nose. A Gran stood over him, fists raised; all but daring the man to stand up. A short distance away, a woman was being held by another Gran while the third was attempting to catch a child who had hidden under a table.

Seeing this, Mara was instantly incensed.

"Hey; slimeballs!"

One of the Gran turned just in time for a blast from Mara's gun to lance through its head. As the alien fell, the second Gran turned and gestured for the other to go after Mara. As it advanced, she brought out her lightsaber, the purple blade igniting with a _snap-hiss_.

The Gran paused, but too late as Mara drew the blade back, then thrust it forward, severing the Gran's head from the rest of its body. The third thrust the woman aside and drew a blaster. With her lips parting in a savage grin, Mara cut the blaster in half, then thrust the energy blade into the Gran's chest. It cried out, then slumped forward, Mara withdrawing the blade and stepping back as the lifeless body crashed to the floor.

"Are you all right?" she called to the three humanoids, extinguishing the lightsaber and moving towards them.

"Stay back!" the man cried, having risen to his feet and moving to protect the woman.

"It's all right," Mara said, trying to reassure him, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Just then, the child stepped forward, eyes wide.

"Playka!" the woman cried, "come back here!"

The child seemed not to hear, moving to stand before Mara.

"Are you really a Jedi?"

Lowering herself to one knee, Mara smiled at the child. She considered telling the small one the truth, but looking into those eyes...

"Yes, yes I am."

"I knew it!" the child said excitedly, turning to look over her shoulder, "it's okay! We're safe now! Only Jedi carry lightsabers and they're the good guys!"

"Playka," the man said gravely, "do as your mother says."

The child hesitated, then reluctantly backed away, moving to where the woman was able to grab her.

"Playka!"

"It's all right, mommy," the child said, "I told you, she's a good guy."

"What do you want from us?" the man asked, still eyeing Mara suspiciously.

"Not a thing," she replied, "I'm here on a mission. I'm looking for Abron Mar."

Even as she spoke the words, Mara considered that she'd just made a mistake. If these people were in league with Mar...

"Abron Mar?" the man echoed.

"That's him," the woman said, "he's the one who came through here. He's brings all those ruffians with him, won't let decent people live their lives."

"What are you going to do?" the man asked.

"Capture him," Mara asked, "his boss stole something."

"Then you'll take him with you?" the woman asked.

Mara nodded.

"Please do," she said, "we're just trying to live our lives here. We don't need any more hardship."

Seeing the anguish on the faces of the adults, Mara felt her heart wrench in sympathy.

"Don't worry," she said confidently, "I'll take care of Mar."

Just then, an idea came to her. Reaching to a pouch on her belt, she extracted a small satchel.

"Listen, I know it's not much, but I have 10,000 with me. You're welcome to it."

The man still looked suspicious, but his expression eased somewhat.

"Credits?"

Mara shook her head, opening the satchel to show him.

"Gold."

Shock appeared on the faces of the adults.

"You're just going to give this to us?" the woman asked.

Mara shrugged.

"I have enough for myself."

She could see the two adults wanted to take it, but didn't trust her. And so, she knelt again.

"Playka," she called, "would you come take this and give it your parents?"

The child looked up at her mother, who hesitated, then gave a small nod. Playka came forward and Mara handed the satchel to her before standing up.

"I need to go."

"Why?" the man asked, "why are you doing this? Don't you want something in return?"

Mara shook her head.

"That's not how Jedi operate."

She turned and began to exit when the child called one last time.

"May the Force be with you, Jedi."

Turning to look over shoulder, Mara smiled.

"May the Force be with you too, Playka."

**New Republic Base**

**Undisclosed Sector**

"Commander?"

No response.

"Commander?"

Still no response.

Raising his voice a little, the officer called again.

"Commander?!"

Turning from her station, Jan Ors shook herself out of the daydream she'd been having.

"What is it Lieutenant?" she said brusquely.

"Admiral Drayson requests you to report to his office, sir."

Jan nodded.

"Um... sir?"

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Um, pardon me for asking, sir, but... are you all right?"

"Perfectly fine," Jan replied, "why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, sir," the officer said quickly, "I was just..."

"I asked you a question, solider," Jan said gravely, "I want an answer."

"Sir, please, I didn't mean..."

"Now."

Caught by her withering gaze, the lieutenant realized he wasn't going to get away easily.

"Yes, sir, sorry, sir. I just... I... you looked a little out of it, sir."

"Out of it?" Jan echoed.

"Well, the whole team has been working very hard and I thought... actually, sir, forget I said anything, sorry to have brought it up."

"That's what I thought," Jan said, rising from her chair, "return to your duties, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" the officer said, his relief obvious.

Moving through the short corridor to the hatch at the end, Jan pressed the call button.

"Yes?"

"Commander Ors, sir, you asked to see me."

No reply came, but a moment later, the door slid aside, revealing the office of Admiral Hiram Drayson, a compact mustachioed man that was a stickler for rules and protocol.

"Take a seat, Commander Ors," Drayson said, not looking up from the piece of flimsiplast he was reading.

Taking the room's only other chair, Jan sat but did not relax.

Drayson looked up, his deceptively placid gray eyes meeting hers.

"What's the status of our early warning monitor stations?"

"Sir," Jan said, "Red and Blue have nothing new to report. Yellow Team has advised they have a possible anomaly and are investigating it. Commander Joven reported that he will deliver an update in four hours."

"What about Green Team?" Drayson asked.

Unable to contain a sigh, Jan replied.

"Sir, Lieutenant Commander Frenz reports his team is still compiling data. At present, we do not have an ETA on when he will be providing an update."

"Still?" Drayson said, only a hint of annoyance in his tone, "he's had three days since the last delay. What's taking so long?"

"The Lieutenant Commander says his team is working very hard, Admiral, but that they need more time."

"Well," Drayson said, "his time's up."

He studied her for a moment.

"Jan, I realize this is out of normal procedure for you, but I wonder if I may ask your assistance."

She smothered a grin, already knowing what the Admiral was going to ask.

"May I infer that you wish me to inform Lieutenant Commander Frenz that any further delays will be unacceptable?"

Drayson's lips curved slightly.

"Perhaps a bit more than 'inform', Jan. What I want is for Frenz to understand that I will have his data today or I'll have him."

Jan couldn't help but smile now.

"And may I also infer that I have my choice of what tools I may use to 'encourage' him, sir?"

"Indeed you may. You've already proven to be a capable officer, Jan. That's why I'm trusting you with this."

Rising from the chair, Jan saluted the Admiral.

"I'll go immediately, sir."

Drayson nodded, picking up another piece of flimsiplast.

Dismissed, Jan turned and left the office, headed for the station's hangar bay.

_Frenz is going to wish he'd done his job by the time I'm through with him. Besides, it'll distract from thinking about... him._

Though she'd been certain this assignment was exactly what she'd needed, Jan was now finding that she was having second thoughts. It wasn't the work really. She liked working for Admiral Drayson and helping to ensure the safety and security of the New Republic.

Still...

_I never thought I'd miss him this much. Even with what happened..._

She hadn't been able to forget Kyle's face as she'd boarded the shuttle that day, the pain, the despair she'd seen. She closed her heart to it that day, but now...

_There's no way I'm going to apologize to you, Katarn. I wasn't wrong then and I'm not wrong now._

Still...

_Oh, blast! Fine! I know you can't hear this, but I miss you, Kyle. I want to see you again._

**Dromund Kaas**

Guided by the voice, Kyle had managed to set the shuttle down in a space where rock walls seemed to go on forever and what looked like trees sat at strange angles. A hard rain pelted the windscreen. Near constant flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder created a maddening cacophony. There was a moment, just after he had landed that Kyle had almost hit the thrusters hard, intending to rocket away from the planet as fast as he could.

He'd overcome the urge, but he still felt uncomfortable.

_There's something strange about this place. I..._

There was a faint tremor in the Force, almost like an echo. Closing his eyes, Kyle tried to focus on it, but the noise outside made it difficult. For a fleeting moment, he thought he heard a voice, but not the one that had led him here. No, this was a different voice.

_Jan_?

The tremor faded, leaving Kyle even more concerned. Was Jan somehow trying to call him? Or perhaps Mara? But no, neither one made sense.

_Mara should have gotten the message. She needs to move on, there's nothing more I can teach her. As for Jan..._

An image of her face appeared in his mind, the day she'd left, how she'd told him that his love for her wasn't enough.

_Who needs her, anyway_? _I've got more important things to concern me, like this mission. Maybe, after I finish her, there's still more I can teach Mara..._

And that's when a very evil thought entered his mind.

_That'd be something, wouldn't it? If I returned with Mara in tow and made Jan think we were together. I know I could talk Mara into it. It'd be such great fun, watching as Jan tried to pretend it didn't bother her._

Kyle smiled at the thought of toying with Jan's feelings.

_Maybe I _will _do it. After what she said to me, it'd be just desserts._

As he continued to play out the fantasy in his mind, Kyle realized only peripherally that the rain had stopped. And in his mind, he heard a low chuckle.

_So you think it's funny too, don't you_?

_**It brings me pleasure to see you this way, Kyle. Now, come, quickly, my strength is beginning to wane.**_

Rising from the cockpit couch, Kyle pressed the control for the boarding ramp. A blast of wind sent a wave of humidity into the shuttle.

_Just like I thought._

Stepping off the ramp, Kyle felt his boots sink into the mud. A few feet away, part of the path dissolved into murky water. Lightning continued to flash, the thunder echoing.

_I'm coming, _he called to the voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 8: Dark Side's Rise**

A/N: Hello, readers and reviewers, Shanesnest here. First off, sorry for another long hiatus. I won't attempt to offer excuses beyond to say being an adult can be a real pain sometimes. But I said I would finish this and I will. So here's the latest chapter. I'm working on completing the rest of the story and am hoping to finish it by the end of this year. So let's do the shoutsouts and on to the story!

Zedille: I think the situation is like it is with so many other Jedi. Overconfidence in their skills. Kyle thinks he can handle this situation even as his own instincts are telling him different. I had fun including Admiral Drayson as you don't see a lot of him in the graphic novels or other published materials. And you're right in that Jan may have had that change of heart too late.

Ovall Aocrog: I always wondered about those Grans. It's like, okay, let's just hang out up here until whenever. Mara's line about loving the job is pretty weird, wonder what the game writers were thinking.

Loke Groundrunner: Glad you like that additional scene with the family. Wasn't sure if it would work or not.

A/N: Thanks to everyone for your reviews. Please enjoy the new chapter and let me know what you think!

* * *

><p>As Mara came to, she winced in pain, her body echoing with the effects of rough treatment. As her eyes came into focus, she noticed the rough rock wall before her. Beneath her was an equally rough metal floor. Sitting up, it took only a moment more to figure out she was in a cell. A quick check revealed that all her weapons, including her lightsaber, were gone.<p>

_Abron Mar, that slimy worm._

It took some time, but she was able to reach out to the Force to seek its healing powers. As the discomfort faded and her mind became clear, Mara was able to recall what had happened. After leaving little Playka and her family, she'd battled her way through more of the spaceport residential area and across a long bridge. After one doorway had led to a dead end, the second had revealed a Trandoshan, whom she'd dispatched and then discovered a cargo area where Abron Mar was hiding.

The alien was just moving to exit the room when Mara appeared.

"So, it seems the rat has run out of places to hide," she'd said.

Noticing that Mar seemed not the least bit concerned, Mara began to get suspicious. Only when she heard a sliding footstep did she start to turn, but far too late. She felt her consciousness slip away as a stun bolt enveloped her.

As the woman fell, Abron Mar grinned. The plan had worked perfectly.

"Who's the rat now?" he said with a chuckle, "you walked right into my trap."

Appraising the unconscious Mara, Mar shook his head derisively.

"Is this the best Ka' Pa has to offer?"

He turned to one of his men.

"Let's find our rat some suitable accommodations. I'm sure Takara will some questions he'll want to ask her. "

And so Mara found herself locked away, awaiting whatever ministrations Takara had to offer.

_Or so it appears. No way I'm just going to wait here._

Moving to the bars, she touched them experimentally, surprised to find they weren't electrified. Hearing the sound of a Gran nearby, she looked across the way and saw another cell where one of the three-eyed aliens stood. Wondering what had the being so agitated, Mara heard a sound almost like a drain backing up. From her right, a Gammorean moved into view, carrying a massive battle axe.

_Ah, so here's our jailer._

As the porcine alien moved past, Mara noticed an oddly shaped item hanging from its waist.

_A key_? _Well, there's one way to find out_.

The Gamorrean disappeared from view as it moved beyond her cell, but returned less than a minute later, going the other way. As it passed, Mara extended her hand. The Force Pull drew the item to her and she saw it was indeed a key.

Unfortunately, the guard noticed what had happened, turning and moving towards her cell. With no weapons of any kind to defend, Mara began to feel apprehensive. But as the Gamorrean drew close enough for her to smell it, her fear was replaced with anger and determination.

Balling her fists, she waited until got close enough before firing a fist that struck him across his wide nose. Surprised by the blow and giving a squeal of pain, the Gamorrean backed away. Just then, the Gran across the way called out loudly. Turning round the Gamorrean moved to the cell. Mara heard the sound of punches being exchanged and then she saw the guard draw back his battleaxe before swinging it forward.

"No!" she cried, hands fumbling as she tried to get the key into the lock. Finally, she made it, the cell door rising slowly, too slowly. From across the way, she heard the Gran cry out, followed by the sound of a body falling. Dashing ahead without thinking, Mara grabbed at the guard.

"Stop!"

The Gamorrean turned, making a sound of surprise. Able to see into the cell, Mara eyes widened in horror. The Gran was lying on the floor, bleeding from a chest wound. Just then, she felt a brush of fetid air as the Gamorrean exhaled, speaking in its strange language. It was still gripping the battleaxe and while Mara didn't understand the words, she was certain that she was to be the next victim. Pain and anger filled her, fomenting into a blinding rage.

Backing away, she raised both hands, fingers pointed at the Gamorrean.

"Die," she said coldly, reaching into the Force and commanding it to obey her.

A moment later, blue-white lightning leapt from her fingertips, lancing into the Gamorrean. At first, the alien only grunted, but the sound quickly turned into a scream as Mara continued to send bolts of energy into the being. A terrible smell began to fill the space as the alien's skin began to burn. It dropped the battleaxe, which hit the floor with a loud clang.

Finally, with a cry of absolute agony, the Gamorrean fell to the ground, its' flesh burned and scarred. Ending her Force Lightning attack, Mara dropped to one knee, the effort expended in the attack having drained her. Working to calm her breathing, she remembered the wounded Gran. Her strength returning, Mara rose to her feet and walked into the cell. The alien still lay there, its breath coming in labored gasps. Kneeling next to it, Mara tried to reach into the Force one more, but it was as if a door had closed in her mind.

_Obey me! Do as I say or..._

Hearing the words in her mind, Mara stopped, a memory of a lesson with Kyle coming back to her.

* * *

><p>"You can't just bend the Force to your will, Mara."<p>

"Why not? It's always worked. The Emperor relied on it."

Kyle shook his head.

"That's relying on the Dark Side, Mara."

"So what? You keep saying the Force is a tool. So how come we can't use the Force like we use a tool?"

"That's not all I said," Kyle replied, "I also said the Force is a companion, a helper, a friend. Would you bend the will of a friend to your own devices?"

Mara hesitated, not wanting to say what she was thinking.

"The Force's true power comes when we work cooperatively with it, Mara. Yes, there are times we do need to use it as a tool and some instances we need to command it. But doing that all the time just won't work."

* * *

><p>Realizing she'd let her anger get the better of her, Mara tried to calm himself as she called out in her mind.<p>

_Help me, please. You helped me save a life before. Help me now._

This time, a response came, but not one she wanted to hear.

Looking down at the alien, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

She wasn't sure if the alien understood, but one of its eye stalks continued to look at her until, with a final ragged breath, the lid slid closed.

Renewed pain and anger filled her, but this time, Mara refused to let either have control.

_I've got a mission to complete. One way or another, I'm going to get out of here._

Just then, she heard the sounds of more voices, all Gran by the sound of it. Emerging from the cell, she saw that the other cells had somehow and the prisoners were attacking the remaining Gamorrean guard. Though outnumbered, the porcine alien refused to give up, managing to lift its battle axe twice, with deadly results. In time however, the numbers prevailed as the guard fell. And that's when the remaining Grans turned their attention on Mara.

_Not good_, she thought as they advanced, quickly surrounding her. Two of them moved into the cell she'd come from. With no avenue of escape, Mara wondered if this jail would be the last thing she'd ever see. But then, the circle was parted as one of the Gran moved towards her. It spoke to her, the words unintelligible and then pointed at one of the now open cells. It took Mara a moment to understand it was telling her to go that way. Feeling confused, she moved out of the circle.

As she moved towards the cell, Mara glanced back once, seeing the Grans were clustering around the one cell where the body of their fellow lay.

_I wonder if he was their leader._

Further consideration of this was put on hold as she entered the cell, finding a hole in the back wall. Moving towards, she spotted a pry bar and decided to grab it. Crouching to move through the hole, she emerged into a space where a broken pipe revealed a river of brown-gray water.

_Maybe it leads somewhere_, Mara thought.

Dropping down into the water, she was nearly overcome with the smell.

_Great, a sewage pipe._

Working to keep her gorge down, she swam into pipe, but found both ends of it blocked by a grate. Swimming back up and stepping out of the pipe, she shook what the water out of her hair and face and marveling once again at the odor from the pipe.

_I'm never going to get this smell out. _

Forcing her attention back to the matter at hand, Mara glanced around the room, noticing an alcove a short distance away. Heading that way, she found a control panel with a droid interface. At first, there seemed no way to access it. But as she looked at the pry bar in her left hand, Mara had an idea.

_Not sure if this is gonna work, but it's not like I have a lot of options here._

Jamming the thin end of the bar in the interface, she turned it, trying to find the right sequence. Suddenly, the panel sparked, electricity shooting into the bar. Letting go with a cry of pain, Mara watched as the panel overloaded, the displays winking once before going dark.

_Great, so much for using this thing._

Just then, her eyes caught a sound.

_Is that..._?

Moving back to the pipe, she dived into water and swam forward. Top her delighted surprise, the space where the grate had been was now open. With hope filling her, Mara kicked with her feet, swimming forward and following the curve of the pipe until she encountered a T-intersection. Seeing that the left side was blocked off, she swam to the right, but only went a short distance before encountering two tunnels.

_Which one do I choose_?

With her air beginning to run out, Mara chose the closest one. Swimming into it, she was just beginning to wonder if she'd chosen wisely when the pipe suddenly ended and she found herself in an underground lake. Just ahead, she saw land. With her air nearly gone, Mara swam towards the land. When her head burst free of the fetid water, she inhaled the air deeply, then coughed, her lungs working to refill themselves. Though the air was dry and stale, it tasted like the finest wine she'd ever sampled. After a series of deep breaths had calmed her aching lungs, she took a long around the space she was in. It was dimly lit, fading to black after a few feet.

Rising to her feet, Mara began to search the space, hoping to find an exit. She'd gone perhaps a dozen steps when a low growl echoed from somewhere in the darkness.

_What in the pit is that_?

The answer came as footsteps began to echo, plodding steps drawing closer. Finally, a massive shape came into view and Mara felt the burgeoning hope she had felt since escaping the jail fail. For standing only a few short feet away was the colossal form of a Rancor.

"I knew I was gonna regret this," she said, thinking back to the moment she'd accepted this mission.

* * *

><p><strong>Dromund Kaas<strong>

Having made his way through the swamp, Kyle managed to locate the entrance to temple. Despite the obvious age of the structures within, several of them were in decent shape. But as Kyle moved deeper inside, he'd still been unable to find the source of the voice that had drawn him to this place.

He also had the feeling he was being watched. Since entering the swamp, Kyle hadn't encountered any wildlife, though he could sense them in the Force. And now, here in the temple, the sensation was even stronger. Turning a corner, he entered a room with a large statue at one end along with four human-shaped ones at the corners.

_I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about this._

He'd been calling out in the Force since entering the temple, but had received no response.

_All right then, I'll try once more and if I don't hear anything, I'm getting out of here._

Closing his eyes, he reached out into the Force.

_I'm here. I've come as you asked. Where are you_?

He waited as time passed with no response.

"Guess that's it then," he muttered, turning round.

Sudden movement to his left drew Kyle's attention that way, towards one of the human-shaped statues. Each was standing, hands cupped together over the hilt of a sword. Now, a _snap-hiss_ echoed in the space as the sword seemed to come to life, glowing orange-yellow, the same as Kyle's own lightsaber.

There was another _snap-hiss_and he turned to see the second statue's sword come to life. As the other statues' swords also came to life, Kyle's apprehension grew.

"What's going on here?"

As if responding, the four statues stepped off their pedestals, lighted sabers held in their right hands, moving towards him. As they drew closer, Kyle hit each one with a Force Push, knocking them to the ground. But each rose back up, continuing their advance. He knocked them down again, but they rose again, seemingly unaffected.

"Okay then, if that's how it's to be."

Drawing his own lightsaber and igniting it, Kyle used Force Speed to launch an attack on the closest statue. Amazingly, it managed to block his initial strike, although its movements were slow and clumsy. After landing a third strike to the stone skin, the statue broke apart with a blinding flash of light. Turning his attention to the others, Kyle extended his hand, lightning shooting from his fingertips. The second statue staggered a bit, then shattered into pieces. After knocking down the others with a strong Force Push, he drove his lightsaber into them, both shattering into pieces.

Standing up, Kyle looked for the way he'd entered this room. It was time to go, he'd decided. Whoever or whatever had brought him here, the Jedi was slowly coming to the conclusion that he'd walked right into a trap.

Laughter, seeming to come from all directions at once, filled the room. Kyle turned, trying to find the source. The laughter continued, a cruel sound.

"Where are you?" he demanded, "and for that matter, who or what are you?"

There was a pause and then the voice answered, betraying none of its previous weakness.

"You have grown strong, Kyle Katarn, but you are still a naive fool. Leading you here was child's play."

"Who _are_ you?" Kyle repeated.

As if in response, a new statue appeared, of the same type as the ones Kyle had just destroyed. But where their skin had been golden-colored, this one was a rough gray. And as it drew near, the face became discernible.

Eyes going wide with surprise and shock, Kyle shook his head.

"No, no it can't be. You're dead."

The stone face's expression morphed into a capricious smirk.

"You may have killed my body, Katarn, but my spirit lives on. And now, I shall have my revenge."

"No," Kyle said, voice growing panicked, "there's just no way. I destroyed you, Jerec. Your spirit was released into the Force along with all those other captured souls."

The statue shook its head derisively.

"You truly know nothing of the Dark Side, Katarn. But you will, oh yes, you will."

"What are you saying?"

"I brought you here for a purpose," Jerec said, "while it is true my body was reduced to ashes, my spirit is even stronger with the Dark Side, strong enough to find and inhabit a host body."

Kyle stared in disbelief.

"You can't mean me."

Jerec laughed coldly.

"Oh, but I do mean you, and what delicious irony this will be. The great champion of the light side of the Force, replaced and inhabited by the very essence of the Dark Side."

Kyle was already shaking his head.

"You can't believe I'm just going to let you do this, Jerec. My body is my own. Even if what you say is true, I'd rather kill myself than let you take over my body."

"Just as I had foreseen," Jerec replied, "which is why I lured you here, to a place filled with the power of the Dark Side. Your Jedi powers will not be enough to stop me this time, Katarn."

Recovering from the initial shock, Kyle smiled back at the statue.

"You really think you can beat me one on one? I'm much stronger than the first time we battled, Jerec. There's no way you can win."

"Perhaps, but exactly when did I say I would fight you alone?"

Distracted by the conversation, it was only now that Kyle heard the sound of several footsteps. Turning to look over his shoulder, his eyes went wide once more as he saw a veritable army of statues, all of them armed with lightsabers. And among them, faces he recognized, Boc, Sariss, and...

"Yun," he whispered.

The statue with Yun's face smiled nastily back at him.

"No," Kyle said, "no, this can't be true. Yun died saving my life."

"Ah yes," Jerec said, "Sariss' weak-willed apprentice who failed at the critical moment. But all that has changed now. He is one of us now."

Turning back to face Jerec, Kyle gripped his lightsaber tightly.

"I won't surrender, Jerec."

The eyes of the statue Jerec seemed to glitter.

"Not yet, but you will, Katarn."

Deploying its own lightsaber, Jerec began to advance, even as his army of statues drew closer.

Encircled, with no avenue of escape, Kyle prepared himself, sparing time for one last thought.

_I'm sorry, Jan, I love you._

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere within Takara's Palace<strong>

As the guard fell, Mara took a moment to take a deep breath and calm herself, the adrenalin rush still whipping through her.

_Get ahold of yourself,_ Jade, she chastised herself.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw the staircase she ascended from the space where she'd encountered the Rancor. Somehow, she managed to kill the massive beast, though it had been a near thing. With no weapons, it seemed she'd be its latest meal, but then she'd spotted a corridor off to her left. Using Force Speed to reach the space, she'd been able to get a few precious seconds to gather herself. Standing there, with the Rancor blocking the opening, but unable to enter, Mara contemplated how she was going to get past it and find an exit.

That's when her eyes spotted an object sitting on a crate on the side of a narrow gate. Stepping closer, she nearly exulted.

It was her lightsaber.

Reaching out, she used Force Pull to draw the metal cylinder to her, the feel of it smacking into her hand filling her with renewed hope and energy. Turning back to the Rancor, she ignited the purple blade.

_Okay, big fella, nothing personal, but you're in my way. _

Employing Force Speed once more, she ran down the corridor and past the Rancor. To her surprise, Mara found the Rancor was able to move quickly, its claws at one point a mere hairsbreadth from cutting into her flesh. She used her Force enhanced speed to get behind the beast, hacking away at its rough hide with her lightsaber. The Rancor cried out in pain several times, its roar filling the space. But despite landing several strikes, the beast seemed none the worse for wear.

_This thing's gotta have a weak spot, so where is it_?

Moving around the front, she tried hacking at its legs, but this strategy proved no more effective. Suddenly, the Rancor stepped back, then surged forward, lowering its massive head, its jaws open as if it intending to swallow Mara whole. With only seconds to decide, she stepped forward and jabbed upwards with her lightsaber. Her movement caused the Rancor to just miss her and at the same time allowing the lightsaber blade to penetrate the skin of the lower jaw. Sinking deep, the blade cut through flesh, muscle and sinew, the smell of burning flesh nearly overpowering. When the Rancor screamed this time, it was a higher pitched sound, filled with far more pain than anger.

Sensing she might have found a weak spot, Mara pulled the blade out, then thrust it back in, drawing a long furrow across the Rancor's throat. Dark blood flooded from the wounds, nearly covering her in its contents. As the Rancor screamed once more, Mara thrust upward again, pushing the blade nearly to the hilt. A sound almost like a whimper came from somewhere inside the beast and to her horror, its legs buckled, the massive form threatening to drop on top of her.

Only Force Speed accompanied with a Force Jump got her clear as the Rancor's body crashed to the ground. Spinning round, lightsaber ready, Mara studied the inert form, waiting several minutes until she was sure it was dead. She was just about to find a way past the body when she saw a Gamorrean guard emerge from the corridor, it's eyes moving from the dead Rancor to Mara and back.

With battleaxe in hand, it started to move towards her, its intent clear.

_You really think I'm just going to stand here and wait for you?_

Executing a Force Jump, she landed right next to the Gamorrean, lightsaber slashing, neatly removing the alien's head from the rest of its body.

Seeing that the gate she'd encountered earlier was now open and with an adrenalin rush filling her, Mara headed that way.

_You'd better hope I don't find you again, Mar._

Using the Force to calm herself and focus her mind, Mara retrieved a blaster from the body of a guard along with a number of energy rounds. Following the only available path, she moved into a main area where doors to either side lead to rooms, one of which contained a conveyor system where pieces were being conveyed into a furnace. The other room contained a large warehouse and connected to an underground lagoon and control station. With the aid of a droid arm she'd found, Mara was able to open the main door in the warehouse, which exited onto the rocky cliffs outside the structure comprising Takara's stronghold.

Diving into a large lake, Mara swam through its waters until she located a narrow cut in the rock. Force Jumping from the water, she used Force Pull to send a Gran standing nearby flying into the lake. Following the path as it ascended, Mara found herself in a space where, after dispatching another Gran and a pirate, she unsuccessfully attempted to open an access door. After Force Jumping to the top of the structure, she found a grate that she was able to slice open with her lightsaber. Dropping down and slicing through another grate, she found herself in a storage room. After taking of the pirate guarding the space, she found an enclosure.

"Aah," Mara said, allowing herself to smile, "the GCT device."

The box comprising the listening device Ka'Pa valued so highly was surprisingly light. Transferring the device the device to her left arm, she was about to exit the room when an alarm went off.

_Great, just the thing I needed to bring more guards to the party. _

Reaching for a comlink she'd taken off the body of another guard, she dialed in the frequency she'd been given. Keying the transmit button, she spoke into the device, hoping someone was listening on the other end.

"This is Mara. I'm in the stronghold and I have the GCT device."

There was a brief pause.

"That's good news, Ka'Pa will be pleased. Now, where are you?"

Feeling both relieved and a little surprised, Mara replied.

"Still inside the base, anyplace you can recommend to pick me up?"

"Our spies advise there's a dock on the north side of the stronghold. Contact us when you get there."

"Right," Mara said, closing the channel.

Moving to a door on the opposite wall, Mara found herself on the second level of the warehouse. After Force Jumping to the lower level, she stepped out into the main corridor and found herself confronted by several guards.

_I should've known this wouldn't be easy._

Lightsaber in hand, she stepped forward, swinging the blade. It was hard fighting with one hand, but one by one, her attackers fell. Moving around a curve and up a low set of stairs, she emerged into a large room where another indoor lagoon was. Struts had been set up here, looking somewhat haphazard, but what drew Mara's attention was the electricity spiking across the water.

_Wonderful, if I drop down there, I'll be fried in an instant._

Adding to her complications was a Trandoshan on the other side, wielding a rail gun. Ducking behind a crate to her left, Mara checked her own meager inventory.

_One blaster about halfway charged, three thermal detonators and a repeater rifle with maybe forty shots left. _

In any other circumstances, her chances would have been poor, at best. But Mara was no ordinary warrior. Reaching into the Force, she formed a plan. Setting the GCT device on the ground, she stepped out from behind the crate, brandishing both the repeater rifle and the blaster. As the Trandoshan opened fire, Mara depressed the triggers of her weapons.

Angling the barrels, she crossed the twin streams of fire, forming an X shape that she guided towards the alien. Rail charges rocketed towards her, but Mara found that with the slightest nudge from the Force, the projectiles could be diverted. And so they were, each one turning away to explode against a wall, the floor. All this time, Mara kept the X of weapons fire moving forward until it touched the Transdoshan. Bracketed, the alien staggered under the combined weapons fire, the flight suit it wore no barrier to the energy weapons. With a coughing sound, it fell.

Dropping the exhausted weapons, Mara picked up the GCT device and, finding a lift nearby, she took it down to the first floor, then used a narrow walkway to cross to the other side of the room. Rounding a curve, she fought more attackers with her lightsaber, but soon found herself at a dead end. Entering the only doorway she could, Mara found herself in a room with a view of a submerged generator and three control switches. It took a bit of time, but she eventually deciphered which switch controlled the power.

Behind her, the halo of energy surrounding the generator faded. Moving back to the room with the lagoon below her, Mara saw that electricity no longer arced across its surface.

_Let's just hope there's some kind of exit down there._

Dropping into the water, she looked about, spotting an opening in the wall. Swimming into it, Mara emerged into a cave hollowed out from the rock. Moving through, she exited into an open space where a dock extended out into the water. Grabbing for her comlink, she called into it.

"I'm at the dock and I'd appreciate a fast pickup."

"We're on our way," came back the reply.

Minutes passed and with the alarm still sounding from inside the base, Mara knew it was only a matter of time before more of Takara's men located her.

_Come on, come on._

Just as she beginning to worry no one was coming at all, she heard the sound of a ship's engines. Moving into view was an Imperial troop transport, its repulsor grid coming on, allowing the ship to descend and hover just above the dock. A hatch opened in the side and a face peered out.

"You Jade?"

Mara nodded.

"Your ride's here. You've got the device?"

Holding it out with both hands, Mara watched as the man took the box, examined it, then set it down.

Wondering if she'd made a mistake by handing the device over first, Mara felt relief as the man extended a hand. She took it, stepping up into the ship. As the hatch slid closed, the man called out.

"Get us out of here, Fovkar."

A response came back in Rodian and a moment later, the deck tilted as the pilot angled the ship's nose upwards and hit the thrusters.

"Come on up," the man said, gesturing.

Following him to the cockpit, Mara took the offer of a seat behind the copilot's station. But she didn't relax until the view through forward windscreen change to the ebony curtain of space.

Letting out a sigh, she let her muscles relax, settling into the chair.

"Rough day?" the man offered.

"You have no idea," Mara replied, chuckling, "I almost feel like asking Ka'Pa for a bonus."

The Rodian said something in response.

"What'd he say?"

Now the man chuckled.

"He said you'd have a better chance of getting a stormtrooper to crack a smile."

After exchanging laughter with the two beings, Mara switched topics.

"Listen, Abron Mar captured me on Katrassi. My ship is..."

"Don't worry about that," he said, "our agents on Katrassi already told us what happened. We're having your ship ferried back."

Relieved at not having lost the _Shrike_ or having to explain the loss if it to Karrde, Mara posed one last question.

"How about letting Ka'Pa know we have the device?"

"We're taking care of all that," the man said, "why don't you relax for a while? The reports we received indicate you've been through quite the ordeal. Ka'Pa asked us to make sure you were cared for until we returned."

"Really," Mara said, unable to hide her disbelief.

"Ka'Pa takes care of his people," the man offered, "you might want to reconsider his offer to join us."

Settling back against the chair and closing her eyes, Mara responded.

"Not likely, but thanks."

"Suit yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>Dromund Kaas<strong>

Exhausted, his energies spent, Kyle Katarn fell to his knees, the lightsaber dropping from his hand. Around him lay the scattered remains of nearly a hundred statue warriors. Even so, he was still surrounded, the statues he'd destroyed replaced by a seemingly inexhaustible supply.

_I can't do it, I've got nothing left. _

Thinking that the assemblage would finish him off, Kyle watched as part of the circle opened and the statue that was Jerec moved to stand before him.

"Do you remember, Katarn? It was not so long ago that I knelt before you, my energy spent, my attacks defeated. I remember well you tossing my lightsaber back to me and what happened next. But where you thought to show mercy, I shall offer none. You have but two choices, submit or die."

Despite the exhaustion, Kyle managed to rise up enough to look into Jerec's face. He shook his head.

"I won't give in, Jerec. You'll have to kill me."

Instead, the once Dark Jedi smiled his cruel smile.

"Once perhaps; but there is a far better way."

* * *

><p>After arriving back on Mekta 2, Mara was escorted to the hangar bay, where she smiled at sight of the <em>Shrike. <em>And once the men she'd come with had conferred with a person she assumed to be in charge, additional personnel arrived and Mara watched with a careful and suspicious eye, they loaded supplies into the _Shrike_'s cargo bay until there wasn't even an micro-inch of space left. By her own estimation, Ka'Pa's men had provided nearly a year's worth of materials. The sound of a machine starting drew her attention as a repulsor crane moved forward.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, but did not received a response.

She was about to pull her lightsaber out when the crane positioned itself over the _Shrike_, lifting the craft into air. But even as she consigned herself to a fight, Mara saw the hangar deck crew move two large cargo containers into place, securing them to the underside of her ship with magnetic clamps.

"You've got nearly three years worth of supplies there," said a voice and she turned to see the person she'd assumed to be the dock master standing next to her. The heavyset woman sported a large, flat nose and greased-streaked hair, but her eyes were unusually expressive and she carried an air about her that eased Mara's suspicions.

"We'll be sending along a cargo ship within a day or two with more supplies," she added, "make sure you send coordinates for a rendezvous."

"I'll make sure it's taken care of," Mara replied after a moment, then added, "thanks for taking care of my ship."

The woman gave her a thin smile.

"All part of the package. You're all fueled up and can leave whenever you want."

With that, the woman strode away.

Watching her go, Mara shook her head in surprise, then moved towards the _Shrike. _

Minutes later, she was spaceborne, the coordinates for the closest hyperspace beacon already entered into the computer.

Just then, the comm panel chirped and Mara pressed a control to receive the incoming transmission.

"Hello, Mara," Ka'Pa's voice sounded from the speakers, "I hope my people treated you well. You really should reconsider my offer."

"Ka'Pa," she replied, "how nice of your men to recover my ship and load all the supplies for me. You keep this up and you might give yourself a good name."

Ka'Pa chuckled softly.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that. When can I expect my payment?"

"As soon as I get the supplies back, you'll get your payment," Mara said, then added, "Of course, first I will have to tell Mon Mothma about your illegal surveillance equipment. You know, being an honest Jedi and all."

Ka'Pa laughed louder this time

"Mara, you wound me. Perhaps we can just forget all this has happened, and consider the supplies my gift to the New Republic's cause."

_I thought you'd see it my way._

"Goodbye, Mara Jade," the Hutt, closing the channel.

With a wide grin on her face, Mara spoke softly

"A pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Aboard the Corellian Corvette Kaian<strong>

**One week later**

After delivering the supplies without further incident, Mara had been afforded a brief rest before being asked to take on a new assignment. A Jedi Holocron had recently been unearthed during an archaeological dig and at Luke Skywalker's request, was being transported to an undisclosed location to be studied. Mara was also to help provide escort for the _Kaian_.

And so, for the last three days, Mara had wiled away hours aboard the New Republic starship as it traveled through hyperspace. Despite occasional patrols, life aboard the _Kaian _had become routine. Having just arrived back aboard, she'd gone to one of the vessel's observation decks before reporting in.

"This is Mara. I've finished my patrol. Nothing to report, as usual."

She finished the sentence with a tired sigh.

"Thanks, Mara," came back the voice of Commander Vannis, "I know this feel like routine guard duty to you, but Mon Mothma wouldn't have asked if it weren't important. The Jedi holocron is an important artifact and it must not fall into the wrong hands."

_Like anybody cares about some dusty old cube_, she thought.

"We've got a full squadron for an escort, no one would be stupid enough to...

When the shock came, it was so sudden only the ship's inertial dampeners kept her from being thrown to the deck. In the space of a few seconds, the ship has suddenly slowed and as Mara ran to a viewport to confirm, had reverted to realspace.

"What the...!" cried Vannis, "we're dropping out of hyperspace!"

Hovering dangerously close to the side of a corvette was an Interdictor vessel. Suddenly, over the ship's speakers came an unfamiliar voice, speaking in oddly placid tones.

"New Republic transport, prepare to be boarded. Your hyperdrive will not operate while under the influence of our gravity well projectors. If you cooperate, this will be over quickly and painlessly."

As Mara continued to view the Interdictor, two fightercraft flew overhead.

_Quickly and painlessly, I'll just bet._

"Pirates," she said in an annoyed tone, but then an odd thought came to her.

"I wonder if it's anyone I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Dromund Kaas<strong>

Kyle Katarn felt as if he had been given new eyes. His mind, his being, his very essence felt as if it had changed. And never before had his purpose seemed so clear.

"How did I not see this before?" he asked.

"Because you were blind," Jerec said, "blind to the true nature of the Force, to the real power it offers."

"It's so clear now, who I am, why I was born, what I was meant to be. I can see it so clearly."

"You can feel the Force now, the true Force."

"Yes, yes I can."

To his surprise, Jerec had not killed him nor attempted to take over his body. Instead, with a group of statues guarding him, the once Dark Jedi had taken Kyle deep into the temple. There, he'd shown Kyle images of the past, of what the Sith had once been, the dynasty that had been forged.

At first, Kyle had tried not to watch, rejecting what he was seeing, not wanting to believe. But Jerec was relentless.

"You must watch, must see the truth. All that you have been blind to up till now."

And while a part of him couldn't believe it, the images, the stories, all of it began to make sense. Kyle began to see that while some of the Sith were truly evil and sought nothing but destruction, others had plumbed the Force's depths, seeking greater knowledge and wisdom, and power. He could see now that his own powers were nothing compared to the vast reservoirs the Force had to offer. Power beyond anything Kyle could have ever imagined, beyond anything Rahn or Luke had shown him. And the best part of all was that the power, while vast and deep, could be controlled. One only had to learn and have the strength to wield it.

"But what would you have me do with this power?" he asked.

"Why, whatever you choose, Kyle," Jerec said, "I confess that when I was alive, I allowed myself to become too entranced by the power, so much that I lost sight of my true goal. And many suffered for it; that I truly regret."

"You regret what you did? You?"

"Is it so hard to understand? To believe? Those of the corporeal world who attain power fear one thing more than any other, and this to lose their power. I feared this, Kyle, no matter how strong I grew in the Force. I feared there would be one who would take away all that I had worked so hard to achieve."

"And I was that one."

"Perhaps," Jerec admitted, "but if not you, it would have been another, perhaps Sariss. Her ambition was strong, and she took no pains to hide it. I feared that one day I would have to kill her."

"I don't believe you, Jerec," Kyle said, "I think you're telling me things so I'll fall into whatever trap you've set."

Jerec said nothing.

"But on the chance that it is true, what do you want from me?"

"Only that you allow me to teach you, to guide you, to show you the vast power of this place, power that is only waiting for one thing, someone strong to possess and wield it."

_This still feels like a trap, _Kyle thought, _but what if it isn't_? _I've always suspected that both Rahn and Luke weren't telling me everything. And if I can truly control the power..._

"All right," he said to Jerec, "show me."

* * *

><p><strong>Aboard the Corellian Corvette Kaian<strong>

**Cargo Bay**

As she stepped into the cargo crate and pressed the control to close and lock it, Mara wondered again if she really knew what she was doing.

After the pirate vessel had penetrated the _Kaian_'s shields, boarding craft had swarmed in, penetrating the hull. Commander Vannis had called Mara on her comlink.

"The hangar doors are stuck. Can you see what you can do? We've got to get our fighters launched."

She'd taken a pair of lifts down to the hangar, finding a group of X-Wings with the engines running lined up at the hangar bay doors. Suddenly, the ship had given a severe shake that not even the dampeners could compensate for.

"Hull breach in hangar control!'

Moving to office that comprised hangar control, Mara winced in sympathetic pain at seeing the officers inside floating, the room exposed to vacuum. Fortunately, the automatic systems had sealed it off from the rest of the bay. The only problem was the control to open the bay doors was inside the office.

Concentrating despite the almost continuous shaking of the deck, Mara reached out a hand, executing a Force Pull. The lever she focused on remained motionless at first, then slid into position. Turning to her right, Mara smiled in satisfaction as the hangar door slid open. With a wave from his cockpit, the pilot in the lead X-Wing lifted his craft off the deck and guided it outside, followed by another, then two more.

_Good luck, you guys._

From the loudspeaker she heard a new announcement.

"We're being boarded!"

Her comlink dinged for attention and Mara pulled it off her belt.

"Get back here, Mara," said an anxious Commander Vannis, "the bridge is under attack!"

Not sparing the time to acknowledge, she made her ways towards the bridge, but arrived too late, finding the transparisteel window just outside the space shattered. After dealing with a pirate and an Ithorian that had gotten inside, Mara found a body.

"Sorry, Commander," she said in farewell. She'd actually liked the older man. He was one of the few that had accepted her as she was. Losing him was painful.

_There'll be time to mourn him later. Right now, I have to help deal with these pirates._

And so she had, supporting the New Republic troops as they battled against the raiding parties, many of the pirates falling as her lightsaber found its mark. But as the battle wore on, it became clear the pirates weren't attacking just to raid the vessel and its crew, they had a plan. Arriving at one of the _Kaian_'s cargo bays, the plan became clear. Repulsorlifts were at work, lifting crates off the deck and moving them elsewhere.

"They're stealing all the cargo," Mara said to herself.

With a sudden, sinking feeling, she hurried to the bay where the Holocron was being kept, only to find the enclosure that housed it empty.

"They've stolen the Holocron. I've gotta get it back.

And so, after battling more pirates, she'd gotten to another of the ships' cargo bays in time to find an open crate. With the pirates closing in and the cargo disappearing, she had to make a decision.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, but it's the only way."

Stepping inside, she hid herself in a dark corner and waited. As the shouts of the pirates and the cacophony of weapons fire died down, an automated loading droid stuck its bulbous head inside the crate and seeing nothing, sealed the crate.

_Something should be happening soon._

On the heels of that thought, Mara felt the crate lift up as the pirate's tractor system grabbed it. Seconds later, she had to brace herself as the ceiling and floor exchanged places. The bumping continued until the crate finally came to a rest several minutes later.

_Not exactly gentle, are they_?

* * *

><p>After stowing away aboard one of the pirate's shuttles, Mara went over what she'd learned since exiting the box. Apparently, the leader of the pirates, a man named Kaerobani, was a famed collector with a penchant for takingstealing what he could not buy. The Jedi Holocron was his latest target.

_So, all that happened, all the destruction and death was because this guy wanted the Holocron_?

Mara made a promise to herself that, should the opportunity arise, she would make Kaerobani regret his actions. Fortunately, the shuttle she had stowed away aboard was headed directly for the collector's main base.

* * *

><p>As soon as the shuttle landed, Mara managed to exit and conceal herself near a pile of dark-colored crates. Amazingly, the pirates seemed to not only to have not noticed her presence, but the security here was all but nonexistent.<p>

"Good thing for me these guys are sloppy," Mara muttered, thinking of her former smuggling boss, "Karrde woulda had 'em shot."

A smile creased her lips for a moment, then her expression grew serious.

"Now," she said, "To find Kaerobani's collection."

After dispatching a few guards in the hangar bay, Mara used the room's only door and followed a path of cut scones and manicured greenery to a room with a large fountain. Moving up a set of stairs and taking out two more pirates, Mara went through another door and found herself in the most strangest of places.

_What in the pit is this_?

To her left and right and stretching ahead was an area with all the looks of an open air market. Dome-shaped opening in the wall contained an arrangement of poles and drapes that described a stand, perhaps one marketing foodstuffs or other items. The sounds of merchants hawking their wares along with heavy foot traffic filled the space.

But there was no one there.

Moving forward with equal parts caution and curiosity, Mara looked for someone, anyone. But there was none to be found.

_This is getting eerie._

So caught up was she that she nearly missed the sound of an incoming rail charge. The explosive struck the ground a short distance away and went off. Mara cast about and finally looked up just a second rail charge was fired at her. It was only by diving into one of the vacant stalls that kept her from being hit. As the charge exploded, sending up a cloud of dust, Mara caught sight of her attacker. By the dress and goggles the being wore, it was one of the pirates she'd seen in the orbital station earlier. Looking around the space once more, she could not help but give grudging approval.

_It's a perfect setup. Someone comes in, gets distracted by the sights and sounds and never sees the attack until it's too late. And it almost got me._

Moving out from the interior of the stall, Mara saw the pirate react, adjusting his weapon.

_Not this time_.

Using Force Speed, she dashed ahead, moving around a corner and out of sight. Unfortunately, the cry of a voice told her she was still exposed.

"She's over here!"

Looking up, Mara saw two more pirates, one brandishing a blaster. She considered employing Force Speed once more, but...

_I can't run forever. Besides, I'm a sitting duck down here. _

With that thought, Mara dashed away from the space she occupied, but as she neared the closest wall, slowed, crouched and jumped, using the Force to enhance her leap.

As she cleared the lip of roof, she nodded to herself at the half dozen pirates, Grans and Rodians scattered about the roofs. Nearly all were pointing up at her, some readying weapons.

_Not this time. _

Bringing out her blaster, Mara depressed the trigger, sending lance after lance of red death at her attackers. As the arc of her leap turned into a descent, she employed the Force to cushion her landing, still firing. By the time she rose to her feet, the last attacker had fallen. Looking about, she began to investigate the roof, instinct telling her that the way into Kaerobani's base was nearby.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, her instincts were right, but the path proved quite treacherous. After negotiating her way through what appeared to part of the air handling system, she'd used Force Pull to help cross a swift moving body of water while activating switches that raised permacrete platforms she used to cross. The next room had seemed to be a dead end, until she'd found a grate in one corner that she was able to cut open with the lightsaber.<p>

Unfortunately, this also caused the room to be flooded with water within seconds. Overcoming the initial rush, Mara swam through the opening she'd cut and found herself in a massive artificial lagoon. A group of dangerous drugons was also there, but all eventually succumbed to sustained blaster fire. It was the last of red-colored creatures fell to the bottom that she noticed a structure within the lagoon. Extending out from one side, it looked to be some kind of underwater observation room. After climbing up onto the part exposed to air, she cut open another grate and dropped inside, dispatching a single guard.

Following the ornately carved and appointed walls, she encountered a new challenge in the form of a Noghri guard. Known for their physical toughness, tenacity and combat skills, it had taken three hits with the lightsaber for the creature to succumb. Mara had taken damage as well, suffering from a cut to her left arm and one to her right thigh. Neither were deep, but they stung mightily. Employing some of the healing skills she'd learned from Luke, she was able to deal with the pain enough to continue.

Traveling down another long corridor, she found herself in a square room at the end with two offshoots. One of them contained two pieces of Kaerobani's collection, an old stormtrooper helmet and...

_Could this be what I think it is_?

She'd never met the droid, but had heard enough stories from Kyle to recognize the droid head suspended inside the transparisteel.

It was the head of 8t88.

"Well, this looks familiar," she said, turning her attention as a curtain parted, revealing a new room and inside...

_The Holocron_!

Sitting inside the darkened space, hovering above a circular stand floated the box-like device.

Unfortunately, as Mara approached, she saw the stand was being held up by a device similar to a ship's repulsor grid. No bridge or connecting device allowed access to the stand and the drop beneath was substantial.

_There's not enough room to Force Jump, so how do I get over there?_

The answer came in the form of what appeared to be a shallow basin in the small room attached to the main one. At the bottom was a grate that yielded to the touch of the lightsaber and soon cast Mara into a room where a waterfall partially obscured the view and only by stepping out of it was she able to continue past two more guards and into the room directly underneath the circular platform containing the holocron.

A Force Jump enabled her to land atop it and she grabbed the holocron, placing it in a pouch attached to her belt.

"This is too easy," she said, and seconds later, regretted it.

"Too easy," said a rich, cultured voice from somewhere overhead," then perhaps I need to offer more of a challenge then."

Mara was wondering to whom the voice belonged to when the device holding the circular platform in place suddenly cut off and she and it plunged several feet, landing inside a circular water basin inside a circular where she was surrounded by three Noghri.

"So much for easy."

She considered trying to fight, but a better idea came to her instead. As the Noghri approached, she concentrated and crouching down, exploded up out of the water, flipping over the startled aliens as she landed on her feet and took off using Force Speed. The gray skinned aliens took several seconds to recover before running after her. Racing through a corridor bordered large, gray pillars set at an angle, Mara flipped over a small pool set into the ground and into a space with three large windows, showing a view from outside. The sun streaming in warmed Mara's skin and she took a moment to enjoy the sensation.

But then, from her right, a gray metal door opened and three guards came in, blasters at the ready.

"Over there!"

"It's the Jedi!"

"Drop your weapons!"

_No surprise there, now if the other half shows up..._

Raising both hands as if surrendering, Mara began to back up, moving towards the doorway she'd just come through.

"Hold it!"

"Stop moving!"

_Come on, come on..._

She was losing hope when the sound of the running Noghri reached her ears. The gray-skinned aliens were coming fast. Just then, a laser blast parted the air over her head.

"Stand right there!"

Halting her backwards movement, Mara watched as the guards drew near. Turning her head slightly, she saw the Noghri, only a few feet away. She counted to three and then drew on the Force.

For both the humanoid guard and the Noghri, it was as if their quarry disappeared, the sudden movement a blur to their eyes. But then, one of the grey-skinned aliens pointed skyward, to where the Force Jump had taken Mara.

Unable to keep herself from smiling, the Jedi reached out with both hands just as her momentum ran out and she began to fall. The Force Push struck the ground with tremendous force and expanded out, knock all who were nearby off their feet. By the time they were able to recover, Mara had landed safely and drawn her saber. The purple blade slashed and cut until the last of the guards fell.

Taking a moment to recover her breath, Mara moved past the bodies and through the door. Another corridor led to a large square of dark gray floor that turned out to be a lift that began to rise shortly after Mara stepped on it.

_Could this be a more obvious trap?_

Shifting the lightsaber to her left hand, Mara gripped the blaster with her right. Balancing her concentration between the two weapons was going to be tricky, but she had a sense she would need them. Within seconds, it became clear just how right she was as guard appeared from behind pillars along the "shaft" of the lift and opened fire. Using the lightsaber to deflect the incoming shots, Mara returned fire, screams filling the space as several of the guards fell from their perches.

As the lift neared the top, Mara leapt onto a landing and through a doorway, finding the exit blocked by a Noghri. Brandishing a long, wicked -looking knife, it began to advance.

"Sorry, big fella, but you're in my way."

Holstering the blaster, she hit the Noghri with a Force Push. It staggered, but did not fall. As the alien recovered its balance, Mara charged, sinking the blade of her lightsaber into its chest. For a moment, the Noghri stared at the glowing shaft of energy, then with a cry, its eyes became unfocused and it began to fall. Pulling the lightsaber free, Mara moved through the doorway to find herself on the second floor of a large room. Moving to the edge, she spotted a square-shaped fountain as well as half a dozen guards.

Going on instinct once more, Mara leapt over the edge of the second floor, using the Force to cushion her landing. She was up an instant later, lightsaber turning, twisting and flashing, sending blaster bolts arcing away. After dispatching two nearby guards, she was forced to pursue the others into a shaded area under the second floor balconies. It took time, but she was finally able to find the last guard and after he had thrown his blaster at her, sliced him through the chest.

Opening the door at the end of a large, wide corridor, Mara found herself near the bottom of a path she'd seen earlier. Looking around, she spotted the door she gone through before that had led to the fake marketplace.

_Don't tell I've just walked in a big circle. Now where do I go_?


	9. Chapter 9

**Kyle Katarn: The Rise & Fall**

**Book 2: Fall of a Jedi**

**Chapter 9: Conflicting Views**

* * *

><p>AN: Hello one and all, readers and reviewers alike. Shanesnest here with a brand new chapter for your reading enjoyment. I'm pleased to let you know that I'm very close to the end of the game, although that is not the end of the story. As players of Mysteries of the Sith and Jedi Outcast, there's a lot of unwritten history in the period between games. I intend to explore some of that territory, so stay tuned. Now, let's do the shout-outs!

Phygmalion: A delight to hear from you, my friend. No, definitely not abandoning. I've always commented how unfinished stories rankle me. Don't want to be the pot calling the kettle black. You pose an interesting point about the Noghri, but consider that they have resided inside a temple full of Dark Side energy, could they not be corrupted by it? The whole idea of the Jerec statue came from from what I observed in playing the game. If you Google some screenshots from the Sith Temple combat scenes, you'll see the statues bear some resemblance to Jerec. I allude to the reason behind why the statues exist in the story, will be interested to hear your thoughts.

Ovall Aocrog: I am so glad to hear from you once again and hope you will pleased with what you see in this chapter. I've tried to develop a reason for the statues in the story as the game does not provide any explanation, other than another enemy. My idea in involving Yun was that, despite his action to save Kyle, he was still a Darksider. I feel you about the way the EU has gone, not too pleased with some of the decisions made.

Zedille: A delight to hear from you as well! You're right in that Kyle just keeps getting himself in trouble. I think his decision to do what he did was sort of like what Luke did in the Dark Horse comic series. Mara is indeed doing well, but her greatest challenges are still coming. Looking forward to showing you what happens next.

A/N: One last quick note. I want to say thanks to all of you who are reading the story, but choose not to review. Thanks for giving me some of your time and I hope you are enjoying.

All right then, let's get to the story and please review!

* * *

><p><strong>Dromund Kaas<strong>

Kyle Katarn laughed aloud, feeling greater joy than he could ever remember experiencing. He raised both hands to the sky, feeling the power flowing through him.

"You can feel it."

Without turning to look at the one who had spoken, Kyle answered.

"Yes, yes, I can feel it. This sensation, it is truly glorious."

"So you see, there is no trap here, no danger, only opportunity."

Now Kyle did turn, a look of amusement and annoyance on his face.

"Do you really think I am so foolish as to believe you, Jerec? I know that were I to lower my guard, you would attempt to take the power from me."

"But why should I? I told you..."

"You are truly a fool to think I do not remember what transpired before, what you planned to do to me."

The statue's features could not quite manage the look, but Kyle was able to sense that Jerec was admitting his true plan had been exposed.

"Perhaps I did wish to, yes. But now, now that I see what you have done with the power here, I no longer desire to possess your body, Kyle. You are already far too strong for that."

Moving over to where the former Dark Jedi stood, Kyle's eyes flashed with a reddish light.

"Then what _would_ you have, Jerec? Do you wish me to return your life? Perhaps make you _my_ apprentice?"

Kyle seemed to consider this, then answered himself.

"No, I already have one apprentice. Even it were not for Skywalker's foolish code of only one apprentice, the Rule of Two is just as clear, and wise."

"Then, what will you do with me?" Jerec asked.

As the smile crept across Kyle's face, a cruel smile.

The _snap-hiss_ of the lightsaber echoed loudly.

"What I should have done back at the Valley of the Jedi."

Jerec attempted to move, but it was far too late. With three precise cuts, Kyle laughed as the statue fell to the ground, no more than a pile of rocks. And then, from inside, an orb of energy rose. Red and black, it pulsed as it hung there, containing what remained of Jerec's life essence, what had allowed the Darksider to regenerate.

Moving back a step, Kyle extinguished his lightsaber, then extended both hands. Force Lightning leapt from his fingertips, encompassing the orb. For a time, the orb and the lightning seemed to be coexisting, as if the energies were feeding each other. But then, the lightning intensified and with a final, ghostly cry, the orb shattered, the energy inside consumed by the lightning. Satisfied, Kyle lowered his hands.

It was over.

Jerec was gone.

Gone forever, never to return.

"That leaves only one threat to my dominion, Mara."

The question was, how to deal with her? She had been his apprentice and not one that could be fooled easily.

Or could she?

Smiling once again, Kyle reached into the Force, laughter rising from him.

* * *

><p><strong>Kaerobani's Base <strong>

Peering over the top of the large, red and silver crate, Mara took aim and fired, smiling in satisfaction as the last guard fell.

"All right then," she said, "I've gotta find a ship and get out of here."

Outside the entrance to the market area, with one direction blocked by a waterfall that dropped down hundreds of meters, Mara had ended up retracing the steps that had gotten her into this space, ending up in the very hangar she'd landed in earlier. Noticing a large door at the other end was open, she moved inside, finding herself in a cargo loading area. Dodging around boxes and cargo cranes, she'd exchanged fire with more guards until the loading bay had ended in another seeming dead end.

Frustrated and growing quite annoyed, she'd had to fight off another half-dozen guards before noticing a control station mounted in the ceiling. With an alarm going off and more guards taking pot shots at her, she'd managed to climb to the top of a stack of shipping crates and find an upper-level walkway. Moving across it, she found the entrance to the control station, a semi-circular space with a room towards the back and of course, more guards.

Fighting these latest annoyances with her blaster, she moved into the room at the rear and down a set of stairs that led to another hangar bay where, to Mara's relief, a pair of R-41 Starchasers sat. Holstering the weapon, she was about to move towards one of the ships when a form stood up from behind the second one, holding a large blaster.

"Just stop right there and don't move."

Thinking to ignore the person, Mara took another step only to have the deck just in front of her flash brightly and then disappear. She raised her head to look at who had fired, her eyes widening for a moment as recognition dawned.

"Do you like it? A holdover from the last Galactic War. Illegal of course, as all disruptor weapons are. I was fortunate to retrieve this one before it was destroyed."

"You must be Kaerobani."

"Indeed," said the lavishly dressed man, speaking with a cultured voice, "and you would be the infamous Mara Jade. I have heard of you."

"I'm flattered," Mara said sarcastically.

"You should be," Kaerobani said airily, "it's not often that a common person such as yourself garners even a little of my attention. Now, I belong you have something that belongs to me."

"Try again, buster," Mara replied, "what I've got is a Jedi artifact and the last time I checked, you weren't one."

"Just so," Kaerobani said, moving out from behind the fighter and into plain sight. Mara couldn't help but grin, fighting the urge to laugh. The garish red, black and gold outfit Kaerobani wore had epaulets on the shoulder and thin chains running from the top of his left shoulder to his right side. Flared pants ended in highly polished boots that gleamed in the light.

"You look like you're dressed for a parade or something," she said, unable to contain a derisive smile.

Looking down at himself, Kaerobani smiled and nodded.

"Perhaps you think so, but I find it rather striking. A creation of my own design, you know."

"You should try selling it."

"Perhaps I will," Kaerobani said thoughtfully, then his gaze hardened, "Now, the Holocron if you please, before things have to get 'messy' ".

Mara considered her options. She was completely exposed, no cover and no way to get to a weapon in time, even with using the Force.

_I can't just give up the Holocron, _she thought, _Commander Vannis and the others died to protect it. But if make a move..._

An idea came to her.

Reaching to her belt, Mara detached the pouch and held it out.

"All right, Kaerobani, you win, here."

"You think I am so foolish, Jade? Set it on the ground and back away. But have a care. One wrong move and not even your atoms will be left."

_Well, he isn't stupid, but neither am I._

Crouching slightly, Mara began to lower the pouch to the ground when she allowed herself to tilt too far forward. Stumbling, she allowed the package to fall from her hands as she worked to recover her balance.

"Careful!" Kaerobani called, rushing over to grab at the pouch as it struck the floor, "you clumsy woman! Do you have any idea..."

An instant later, the disruptor was ripped from his hands.

"What? How did..."

"Over here."

Kaerobani took his gaze off the pouch to see Mara standing to his right, holding the disruptor, a disappointed look on her face as she shook her head.

"You really should be more careful with your toys," she said, drawing the lightsaber with her free hand and igniting it," they might get broken."

With that, she tossed the disruptor into the air and with a single slash of the purple blade, cut the weapon in half.

"Nooooo!" Kaerobani cried, watching as the pieces fell to the floor, "what have you done? Do you have any idea what you've done?! There's not another like it anywhere in the galaxy!"

Unimpressed, Mara walked over, retrieved the pouch, then came close to Kaerobani, grabbing a handful of his shirt.

"You should be thankful that my Master taught me respect for life, even one as pitiful as yours."

Releasing the man, Mara hit Kaerobani with a Force Push that sent him hard against a wall. He dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Shaking her head once more, she moved to the closest fighter and slid into the cockpit. Having had flown one before, it took only moments for her to power up its engines and send the craft sailing out of the hangar bay even as a pair of guards opened fire from below.

_Too little, too late, boys._

Pointing the vessel's nose skyward, Mara hit the thrusters, anxious to leave the planet.

* * *

><p><strong>Dromund Kaas<strong>

Siting inside a chamber deep within the temple, Kyle opened his eyes, satisfied. It had taken some effort, but he'd managed to broadcast the mental call out into space. Assuming Mara wasn't dead, she would hear it.

_And then she will come here and I will train her._

He chuckled, thinking of how he had resisted Skywalker's request to train the former Emperor's Hand. Mara would be the perfect apprentice. She already knew something of the Dark Side and the small amount of training she'd had up till this moment would be simple to overcome.

_She is already strong in the Force. I will make her stronger. And together, we will rule the galaxy._

A worm of regret floated into his mind and Kyle took a moment to examine it.

_True, I would have preferred Jan. Our relationship would make her so much easier to train. She would willingly follow me anywhere. _

Kyle's expression turned regretful

_There is no choice, no matter how much I would wish it otherwise. There is too little of the Force in her. _

A new idea came to him.

_But..._

He considered it.

_Could it be_?

He continued to explore the thought until his face had changed from regret to thoughtful.

_It might be possible. Once I train Mara, Jan could be brought here and taught the ways of a Sith warrior. Her combat skills are already formidable._

The smile returned.

_Yes! Yes, it shall be as I have foreseen. First, I will train Mara as my apprentice. And then, I will bring Jan here and train her as well. Perhaps... perhaps we might even be close once more. _

Feeling satisfied once more, Kyle turned his attention to a new matter.

* * *

><p><strong>Random sector of space<strong>

**Aboard the **_**Shrike**_

Having flown back to the base where the _Kaian _had left from, Mara reported in and learned the Corellian Corvette had been located and brought back. The bodies of the officer and crew who'd been killed, including Commander Vannis had been retrieved. Plans were being made for a memorial service to honor their sacrifice.

After transferring the Holocron to a secure detail and receiving assurances of a safe conveyance to Luke Skywalker, she'd recovered her ship and left. Once she'd cleared the space, she placed the _Shrike _on autopilot and moved to the communications station in the back. Calling up a coded frequency, she watched as the display screen came to life and Mon Mothma's stern-looking face appeared on the screen.

After relaying what had happened aboard the _Kaian_ and her subsequent retrieval of the Holocron, Mara turned her attention to a new topic.

"I wasn't just calling to report in, Mon Mothma. I'm concerned about Kyle. Have you heard from him? He's been out of contact for quite some time now."

The older woman's expression gave the answer before she spoke.

"I understood he was on some sort of personal mission."

_So, he hasn't checked in or let Mon Mothma know what he was doing._

"He was investigating a lead he had regarding the ruins of a Sith Temple on Dromund Kaas, "Mara replied, "But if he hasn't communicated since then…"

"Mara, what is it?"

"I'm afraid something may have happened to him. I think I should check it out."

_Since I'm the only one who seems to know where he went._

Mon Mothma paused before replying. And when she did, her voice carried a warning.

"I can't afford to lose either of you. Do what you must, but keep in touch."

"I'll contact you as soon as I know anything, Jade out."

As the transmission ended, Mara considered what was happening.

_It's not like Kyle to stay out of contact this long. I know he's a Jedi and a capable fighter, but..._

_**Mara.**_

It was a whisper, so soft she nearly missed it.

"What the...?" she muttered.

_**Mara.**_

There it was again, louder this time.

Closing her eyes, she reached out with the Force.

_Who are you_?

_**Mara...**_

Shock and surprise filled her as she recognized the voice.

_Kyle? Kyle, is that you?_

_**Mara, help me.**_

_What is it_? _What's wrong_?

_**Come to Dromund Kaas, Mara. **_

_Dromund Kaas_? _But why_? _What's..._

When Kyle's voice spoke this time, there was pain in it.

_**Come quickly, Mara. I cannot...**_

His voice faded and no matter how many times she called out to him, Kyle did not answer.

_Okay, okay, I need to calm down, look at this rationally. _

She laughed at herself.

_Like any of this is rational._

She almost called Mon Mothma back, but thought better of it. After all, what actual information did she have?

_Just a single ghostly voice that sounds like Kyle asking for help. Yeah, that'll go over well._

No, calling Mon Mothma was only going to waste time.

And if Kyle was really in trouble, she needed to act fast. Accessing the navigation computer, she called up the planet Dromund Kaas. At first she could find nothing. It wasn't until she'd interfaced with the Jedi Academy's computers via a secure link that information began to scroll across the screen.

At first glance, Dromund Kaas looked like to be no matter than a backwater world located along the Outer Rim. The planet appeared to have nothing of value, nothing to attract settlers or smugglers.

"So why did you go there, Kyle?"

Looking further into the database, she discovered more of the planet's history, including its once prominent place in galactic history as world ruled by the Sith. But beyond whatever ruins or ghosts were left, she still could not see why it was so important for Kyle to go there.

"Whatever the case," she said to herself, "he's in trouble and I've got to help him."

She plotted a course for Dromund Kaas and was about to engage the hyperdrive when a thought came to her. Since the pirate attack on the _Kaian_ and the subsequent mission to retrieve the Holocron, she'd had only a brief rest not to mention a decent meal. Though it would mean more of a delay, taking the time for a short break before heading out made sense to her. She'd also be able to look for more information on the planet. Turning to the navigation computer, she located a New Republic base only a few hours away.

As she reviewed the data, she couldn't help but smile. Lapan 3 was a desert world not dissimilar from Altyr 5. Noting a high wind warning around the base, Mara set course for it.

* * *

><p><strong>New Republic Base<strong>

**Undisclosed Sector**

Standing outside the entrance to Admiral Drayson's office, Jan took a deep breath and worked to calm herself before pressing the call button.

"Come in."

The door slid open and she stepped forward into the office. Drayson looked up from one of the seemingly endless stacks of flimsiplast as Jan halted before his desk, standing at attention.

"At ease, Jan," the Admiral said.

Moving to parade rest, she did not speak.

"Well?" Drayson prompted, "You requested to see me, so let's have it. Are there further problems with Green Team?"

Shaking her head, Jan replied.

"No, sir, we are receiving data from Commander Frenz's team on a regular basis now."

"Well then, what is it?"

"I would like to request a leave of absence, sir."

Drayson's brows drew together in confusion.

"And the reason for this request?" he asked.

_Here we go, _Jan thought.

"It is a... personal matter, sir."

Not replying at first, Drayson let the silence hang until it had grown quite uncomfortable for Jan.

"That's all?" he asked, "that's all I get? A 'personal' matter?"

He shook his head.

"You're going to do have to do better than that, Commander."

_So much for plan A_, Jan thought.

"Sir," she said, "it has to do with the transmission we received between Mon Mothma and the operative."

"Ah yes," Drayson said, "the one concerning the whereabouts of Katarn."

"Yes, sir," Jan replied.

"Well? What of it?"

"Sir, I request permission to try and locate Katarn."

"I believe the transmission indicated that Jade is already taking care of that, Jan."

"Yes, sir."

Drayson's shoulder's rose, the Admiral's expression showing puzzlement,

"Then I do not understand why I should grant your request, Jan. What possible reason is there for letting you go to search for this man?"

"Sir," Jan said, adding emphasis to his voice, "I worked closely with Katarn for some time. I know how he thinks, how he approaches different situations. If he's truly missing, there's no one in the galaxy better equipped to find and retrieve him than I am."

Drayson considered this for a moment, then nodded.

"There's a shuttle waiting for you in the hangar bay."

Unable to contain her surprise, Jan stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at her superior.

"Sir?" she finally managed to say.

"Do you think I am so blind or cold that I don't understand what's happening here, Jan? Whatever the status of your relationship, it would completely heartless of you to not want to act in this situation."

A smile was slowly spreading across the Admiral's face.

"Now go, get out of here and go find your friend."

Coming back to attention, Jan saluted crisply, a grin splitting her lips.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The Admiral returned her salute and Jan turned to go.

"Just one more second," Drayson called.

Turning back, Jan gazed with curiosity at the Admiral.

"Understand that while I'm letting you go for now, I'm not completely releasing you from your duty, Jan. You're far too good an intelligence operative for me to lose you, remember that."

Nodding in understanding, Jan walked quickly from the room.

"Good luck," Drayson said after the door had closed.

Taking less than five minutes to retrieve her gear, Jan headed for the hangar bay at a fast walk.

Just as the Admiral had promised, a Lambda-class shuttle was ready for launch. After exchanging a few words with hangar control, she guided the vessel out of the hangar bay and into space. With radio silence required until she was a prescribed distance away, Jan consulted the navigation computer to find the closest New Republic base. Her intention was to contact Mon Mothma and learn everything she could about Kyle's last known location, then head there as fast as she could.

A grin creased her face once more as she found a destination already programmed into the navigation computer.

"Lapan 3," she muttered, "let's hope their hypercomm is working."

Powering up the hyperdrive, she advanced the lever and watched as the stars outside became lines, then disappeared as the shuttle entered hyperspace.

* * *

><p><strong>Unknown corner of space<strong>

The man finished packing his gear, stowing it aboard his vessel.

Sighing heavily, he shook his head for what seemed like then tenth time in the last hour.

_I can't believe I'm doing this. I promised myself after last time I wouldn't get involved, but..._

He considered the situation, the dreams he'd been having recently, realizing the dreams were more than that. The Force was showing him something, something that send waves of fear echoing through him.

_There's no other choice. If I don't help, the consequences..._

An involuntary shudder went through his body.

_I have to do this. _

Minutes later, his ship was spaceborne. Programming the jump coordinates, he engaged the hyperdrive and with the flicker of pseduomotion, his ship disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>New Republic Base<strong>

**Lapan 3**

**Three Days later**

Lieutenant Commander Zenticulous "Zex" Rydell took a sip of caf as he prepared for the afternoon briefing, letting another sigh escape his lips.

_Why me? Why _my _base? Why couldn't these people have showed up somewhere, anywhere else_?

Letting out a breath slowly, he took a moment to center himself.

_I mean, it's not like they're problem or anything. That woman, Jade, she's been here a day and all she's asked for is access to a terminal. Research, she says. It's also obvious she doesn't like that man who arrived two days ago. They've haven't caused any trouble, but I have this feeling..._

The door chime sounded.

"Come in."

The door slid aside, allowing a member of his staff to enter the room.

"Afternoon, Zex, you feeling any better?"

"I guess so, I just wish I felt better about our 'guests'."

Lieutenant Xira Mafoss gave her superior a sympathetic smile.

"I still think you're making too much too much of this. I mean, is it so strange to have two of them here?

Xira paused a moment before providing an answer to her question.

"Sure, it is. And while that guy hasn't exactly been civil, they're far from being a nuisance. "

Zex nodded.

"Believe me, Xira, I hope you're right. But I'll be a lot happier once they've left."

"That reminds me, "the blonde-haired humanoid said, "we received a transmission a few minutes ago."

"About what?"

Unable to keep from smiling, Xira replied.

"We've got another 'guest' coming."

Zex threw his hands up in frustration.

"Wonderful, that's just wonderful," he said despondently, "just what I need. So who's coming now, Mon Mothma?"

Xira chuckled before replying.

"No one as grandiose as that. Her name is Jan Ors and she's requesting to use our hypercomm for a transmission."

"Sure," Zex said, "why not? It's not like we have a use for it or anything like that."

"Please calm down," Xira said soothingly, "I've checked and verified she's got clearance."

"Oh?"

Xira held up a sheet of flimsiplast.

"From Admiral Drayson himself, asking that we provide every convenience and method of help at our disposal."

Zex gave a heavy sigh.

"When she's due to arrive?"

"Within the hour," Xira replied, "do you want me to handle it?"

For a moment, Zex almost said yes. But while the presence of so many strangers on his base was uncomfortable, he was still a New Republic officer with a duty to perform.

"No, I'll handle it, Xira. Let's just hope Miss Ors is a bit friendlier than the others. Anything else we need to address?"

"Nothing important, "she said, "Listen, why don't you let me handle the afternoon inspection while you greet our new arrival."

Giving the lieutenant a grateful smile, he nodded.

"That would be wonderful, Xira, thank you."

"It's not a problem, "she replied, "and seriously, Zex, relax. Everything's going to be just fine."

* * *

><p>Having received clearance, Jan descended towards the base, spotting the landing platform jutting out from a rock outcropping. With the shuttle's wings changing from flight to landing position, the vessel settled onto the deck, its repulsors kicking up some dust from the fine bed of sand covering the platform. Deploying the landing ramp, Jan exited the shuttle and started across the bay, noticing a form standing a short distance away. At first the dust obscured her view, but as it cleared, her eyes went wide with surprise.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Moments Earlier<strong>

Pushing back from the computer terminal, Mara stretched, reaching into the Force to relieve her cramped muscles. She'd been at this for six hours and other than learning a lot of history about Dromund Kaas had been, she hadn't found anything recent to indicate why Kyle found it necessary to go there. The planet had nothing of value, no mineral resources, no artifacts of value or worth retrieving.

Truly, Dromund Kaas appeared to be little more than a forgotten, backwater world and as far as Mara was concerned, it could stay like that.

_Except, _she thought, _there's something there that made Kyle take notice and find important enough to have to gone there, but what_?

Feeling frustrated, she deactivated the terminal and stood up.

_I need a break. I've been staring at that screen so long I'm surprised I can still blink. _

Moving through the base, she caught a view of the afternoon sun outside. A ray of light touched her skin.

_That feels good_.

She decided to head out to the hangar, intent on letting the light of the planet's sun wash over her.

Hearing the sound of a ship landing, Mara waited until the dust kicked up by its repulsors settled before moving outside. The light of the sun bathed her like a warm blanket and with eyes closed, she turned her face up to it, luxuriating in the comforting warmth.

A sudden tremor in the Force caused Mara to open her eyes and that's when she saw something she was not been expecting to see.

_What is she doing here_?

* * *

><p>Meditating in his quarters, Ovall Aocrog felt the approach of the shuttle, along with the identity of its pilot.<p>

_She's almost here._

Any doubt he had of what the Force had shown him faded when he'd seen Mara arrived at the base. Now, with Jan only moments away, he knew what he'd foreseen was coming to pass.

Uncrossing his legs and rising to his feet, the Jedi donned his cloak and exited the room, heading for the hangar bay.

* * *

><p>Jan almost couldn't believe her eyes, but when she closed and opened them again, the figure was still there.<p>

"What are you doing here?" she called.

* * *

><p>Any doubt Mara had had that she was seeing Jan Ors standing on the landing bay tarmac vanished as the woman called to her.<p>

* * *

><p>When the figure didn't answer right away, Jan moved forward, hands already tensing over her weapons belt.<p>

"I asked you a question, Jade. What are you doing here?"

At first Mara said nothing, then with a look of amusement, replied.

"Well, it seems you finally learned my name."

Feeling anger rising inside, Jan glared at the woman.

"I'm not playing games here. Why are you here? And for that matter, where's Kyle?"

The question surprised Mara.

_Does Jan know what happened?_

"I'm not going to keep asking you the same question, Jade. Or have you forgotten how to talk?"

Rolling her eyes, Mara responded.

"As insults go, that was pretty lame, Jan. What I want to know is why are _you_ here?"

Jan felt her infuriation ratchet up a notch. Just talking to Mara was bad enough, but it seemed that Kyle's apprentice wanted to play games.

"I don't have time for this, Jade. Tell me where Kyle is, now."

Feeling the waves of anger pouring off of Jan, Mara tried to resist the temptation to respond in kind.

"He's on some planet called Dromund Kaas," she said, "said something about investigating a Sith temple. I haven't heard from him since."

"You let him go off on his own?" Jan asked, "I thought you two were supposed to cover each other's backs, Master and Apprentice and all that."

Feeling a flash of anger, Mara worked to calm herself.

_You think I wanted to let him go off on his own? _

"He insisted," she said to Jan, "what was I supposed to do? Make him not go?"

Jan nodded.

"That's exactly what you should have done. He trusted you, Jade, heaven only knows why. And you just let him go."

"Look," Mara said, anger creeping into her tone, "I'm not about to stand here and be badgered by you. As for Kyle, I'm leaving to go rescue him."

"Well," Jan said disbelievingly, "isn't that convenient? First, you abandon him and now, you're going to head off to help. I don't believe a word you're saying."

"Believe it or not," Mara shot back, "I really don't care. At least I care enough about him to go after him, unlike you."

Feeling as if she'd been struck, Jan gripped the butt end of the blaster at her hip, hand trembling slightly.

"You need to shut your mouth right now, Jade. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Mara returned, a mocking grin on her face, "I was there, Jan. I saw what you put Kyle through, what it did to him. And then you just left, leaving him alone."

"Shut... your... mouth," Jan said through gritted teeth.

"Or what?" she said mockingly, "we both know you can't hurt me, Jan. Now why don't we..."

The Force called a warning and Mara reached for her lightsaber just in time to deflect the energy bolt that had been directed at her. When her eyes returned to Jan, Mara saw the other woman was smiling, the smile of a predator. Raising the blaster she held in her right hand, the operative gestured at Mara.

"You and Kyle may have the Force and your lightsabers, Jade, but you're not invincible. Now, unless you're willing to risk that I'll miss you on purpose again, I suggest you start cooperating."

Seeing the look on Jan's face, Mara felt a momentary flash of fear.

_She's not interested in talking. But if I let her draw me into a battle..._

Lowering her saber, Mara shook her head.

"I'm not going to let you bait me, Jan. Now, let's stop this before you get hurt."

She managed to get the lightsaber up just in time to deflect the next shot.

"I'm not the one who's going to get hurt, Jade."

* * *

><p>Standing in the shade created by the afternoon sun, Zex, Xiria and Ovall watched the unfolding drama.<p>

"We should do something about this," Zex said, fearing what was to come next.

"You want to stick your nose into that mess, be my guest," said Ovall, gesturing at the women.

"You can't just expect us to stand here and watch this," Xiria protested.

"Commander, Lieutenant," Ovall said, looking from one to the other, "I know you have no reason to, but please trust me. Let this play out for a while. "

"And then what?" Zex asked.

Ovall shrugged.

"We'll see."

* * *

><p>The two women circled each other, neither taking eyes off the other. When Jan moved suddenly, Mara Force-enhanced senses could barely track the movement. A flurry of shots leapt from the blaster, arcing towards Mara, who deflected each one away. As more came, she changed the angle of the blade, sending the lances of energy back at Jan.<p>

_I need to be careful, I only want to wound her, get her to stop this._

But as the first of the shots drew close, Jan extended her left arm and used the butt of the blaster to mash a button. The glow of an energy shield appeared, covering her forearm, absorbing the bolts. Looking over at Mara, she grinned.

"Didn't expect that, did you?"

Mara had to admit that Jan had indeed surprised her. And even as she reached into the Force seeking calm, her worry ratcheted up a notch as well.

The pair exchanged another series of deflected blaster shots, neither one able to penetrate the other's defenses. Then, as Mara watched, Jan cast aside the blaster and reached for a new weapon. As it came into view, Mara's eyes widened in surprise and a moment later, she had to bring lightsaber up to ward off a strike from the electrostaff Jan now held.

A weapon made popular during the Clone Wars, its length was slightly more than that of a lightsaber with orbs of electromagnetic energy at either end. The staff of the weapon was coated in an alloy known as phirk and was strong enough to ward off a direct strike from a lightsaber.

As Jan spun the weapon in a circle and jabbed at Mara, it was clear that Kyle's former mission officer had had extensive training with the electrostaff. Working to keep herself from being struck by the orbs of energy at either end of the staff, Mara was forced to retreat, unable to focus her mind enough to attempt either a Force Push or Pull. She finally managed to deflect one of Jan's attacks long enough to make a strike of her own, but the electrostaff resisted the bite of the lightsaber blade. But even as Mara initiated an assault of her own, Jan managed to block or parry each strike.

When Jan made to jam one end of the electrostaff into Mara's knee, the Jedi caught the end of the staff, bringing it up and around. Jan countered by continuing the movement, try to disarm her opponent. But Mara kept her blade locked with the staff until centrifugal force took over and with a wrenching of both their arms, both weapons flew from their hands, landing a short distance away.

Taking a moment to recover her breath, Mara opened her mouth to speak.

"All right, it's over. Now maybe we can..."

She got no further as Jan's fist slammed into her cheek.

Wincing in pain and backing away, Mara stared wide-eyed at the other woman.

"What's the matter?" Jan said, "You Jedi too weak to fight hand-to-hand?"

In that moment, the barrier of Mara's restraint cracked and gave way. Looking into her opponent's eyes, she smiled wickedly.

"You've just made a very foolish mistake, Jan."

Incensed by the grin, Jan charged forward, but the more experienced Mara sidestepped the attack, sticking out a foot.

Tripping, but not falling, Jan recovered and came at the Jedi again. This time, Mara moved to the side and grabbing at Jan's clothes, threw her forward and onto the ground. Rising to one knee, Jan turned to look over her shoulder at Mara.

Grinning at the surprised Jan, Mara shook her head.

"You're no match for me in this arena. I've got more hand-to-hand fighting experience, plus the Force to guide my every movement. You've got no chance."

But, instead of admitting defeat, Jan rose to her feet, fists clenched.

"I won't let you win."

Mara's response was to extend her right hand in a "come on" gesture. And so Jan did, but this time as her opponent moved to sidestep the attack, the operative spun on her heel, sending a kick into Mara's midsection.

With the force of the kick knocking her down, Mara closed her eyes as pain filled her mind. Reaching to the Force, she felt its healing energies restoring her. Opening her eyes, she saw Jan standing a short distance, smiling in victory.

"You Jedi rely too much on the Force," she said, "It makes you overconfident."

Looking at the woman, Mara felt her anger rising up. But this time, she did not try to quell it.

Leaping to her feet and charging forward with Force Speed, she landed a blow of her own, but was surprised as Jan counterattacked.

The spin kick struck Mara just above her right eye. Vision flaring, she felt her head rocked to the side. Grunting in pain, she tried to recover, but even as she was able to open one eye, Jan had darted forward.

Mara's midsection exploded in pain as Jan rammed a knee into the Jedi's stomach. With her breath gone and still smarting from the earlier blow, Mara was unable to mount a defense as Jan grabbed a double handful of her hair and drive the same knee into the Jedi's face. Stars flashed in Mara's eyes as she staggered back. Instincts hardened by hours of training took over and managing to get one eye open, she saw Jan move towards her.

This time however, Mara sidestepped her attacker and sent the side of her leg into Jan's, tripping the other woman. As Jan stumbled forward, off balance, Mara spun and managed to fire a punch into Jan's back. Crying out in pain, her opponent began to drop to her knees just as Mara grabbed a handful of Jan's hair and yanked viciously, smashing the operative into the ground. Looming over her opponent, Mara was about to drop a knee into Jan's chest when the operative, roaring in both pain and anger drove a fist into Mara's left knee. The leg buckled and Mara toppled, managing to land on her side. The next thing she knew, Jan was on her, hands and feet kicking, punching, gouging.

The women grappled, each fighting for advantage. Jan landed three punches to Mara's face, but received a knee lift to the midsection that stole her breath away. As one fell, the other would roll on top.

They pulled and tugged at each other's hair, screaming wordlessly.

And so it went as the women moved across the landing field, kicking and punching, falling to the ground only to rise up.

* * *

><p>"They're going to kill each other," Zex observed.<p>

"Maybe," Ovall said with a shrug.

* * *

><p>Both women had managed to rise to their knees and were punching each other in a morbid exchange, one hit and staggered, only to return the blow. Jan threw herself forward, grabbing Mara and smashing her head into the ground twice. Mara's throat punch came just short of crushing Jan's windpipe, giving her time to recover her own breath before firing two punches into the other woman's stomach.<p>

Both were breathing heavily, now, bodies pummeled, bruised and bleeding. But neither would give up.

* * *

><p>"Sir?" said Xiara.<p>

"What is it?" Dex asked in annoyed tone, anxious and fearful over what was going to happen to the two combatants.

"We've got another problem," she replied.

"What now?"

She pointed.

"There."

Dex looked in the direction she was pointing and felt his heart sink.

"Oh, no."

Like all other Republic bases, Lapan 3 required supplies, food and equipment. Supply shuttles came on a fairly regular basis.

And right now, one of them was descending towards the base, directly for the spot where Jan and Mara were fighting. Grappling with each other, neither woman had noticed the vessel's approach.

Reaching for his belt and realizing he had left his comlink back in his office, Dex raised both arms and waved frantically, trying to get the shuttle pilot's attention.

"Xiara," he said quickly, "get to communications fast. If we don't warn…"

"Too late," Ovall said.

Dex turned, eyes squinting as the blast from the shuttle's repulsors swept across the landing platform.

It was only as the blast struck them that Mara and Jan looked up. The next moment, both were blown off their feet and tumbled across the tarmac.

Unawares, the shuttle continued its descent, skids thumping as it touched down.

Mara and Jan continued to roll, nearing the lip of the landing field. Reaching the yellow markings of the safety barrier, Jan cried out as she struck one the safety stanchions designed to keep both personnel and equipment from being lost. Mara, however, continued to tumble, her legs going over the edge.

Calling out in mixed pain and anger, she managed to use the Force enough to stop her roll and throw herself back onto the landing field. Both women lay there for a time, recovering their breath.

But then, both rose, intent on continuing the battle.

* * *

><p>"By all that's holy," Xiara said, "aren't they ever going to stop?"<p>

Ovall nodded.

"Soon, I think."

As Jan moved forward and fired a punch at her face, Mara managed to avoid the blow, then lifted her left leg, kicking Jan in the stomach. Staggered, the operative backed away, cradling her hurting midsection. It was all the time Mara needed to recover and concentrate. A second later, Jan was hit with a Force Push, the blast of Force energy smashing her against a wall. Consciousness fading, she somehow found the strength to rise to her feet only to be grabbed again, this time by invisible hands.

Her throat was suddenly constricted, her windpipe compressing. She grabbed for the hand grasping her throat; but found nothing. It was then she saw Mara standing before her, one hand extended in a gripping gesture.

For Mara, a sensation of victorious vengeance filled her. How dare this insignificant being dare to strike her? She was Mara Jade, once the Emperor's Hand, wielder of the Force. She would not stand for anyone to strike at her, much less cause her pain.

_I will end this now._

She had just begun closing her hand when the _snap-hiss_ of a lightsaber activating reached her ears. An instant later, she saw the glowing shaft of the weapon, far too close to her.

"Let her go," Ovall Aocrog said.

Positioned behind and slightly to Mara's right, he held his lightsaber even with her neck. When she didn't respond to his order, he brought the blade closer.

"I said, let her go."

Amazingly, Mara was still defiant.

"Or what?"

Ovall shook his head in a derisive motion, then shifted the blade even closer.

"Don't think I won't do it, Jade. And don't try anything stupid."

Bring his mouth close to her ear, he spoke with deadly intent.

"Now, let her go."

For a moment, it seemed as if Mara would not comply, and then Jan collapsed in a pile on the ground, breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Good," Ovall said, "now, nighty-night."

Striking Mara across the back of the head, he watched as she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Turning to Zex and Xiara, he spoke.

"Commander, might I assume you've a got a place to store her?"

Zex nodded, adding, "I'm posting guards to watch her."

"Good idea," said Ovall.

"What about her?" Xiara asked, gesturing at Jan.

"It's up to you," Ovall said, "but she ought to be checked out by base doctor and then put somewhere secure."

"Guards?" Zex asked.

"Absolutely," Ovall replied.


End file.

Jedi Knight, Adventure, Sci-Fi