Part 11 (1/2)

Kyle awoke to pain, more pain than he had ever felt before and more pain than he wanted to feel again. So much pain that it took a moment to realize that it belonged to him - and not his alter ego, Tal. The Rebel opened his eyes, saw stars twinkling high above, and felt cold night air enter his lungs. He tried to sit. What felt like a six - centimeter-long needle pa.s.sed through his skull and entered his brain.

He groaned and leaned on an elbow. That's when Boc shuffled forward - and Kyle realized that others were present. His heart sank. The Imperials had entered the Crow and dragged him clear.

The worm-head? It didn't matter. The female was present, her mouth pressed into a hard straight line, as was the Jedi Kyle had battled on Sulon and subsequently spared. The same one who had located the missing patrol? Yes, the personality felt the same. Their eyes met, held, and broke as Boc brought a lightsaber out from under his cloak.

”My, my such a nasty crash You're lucky to be alive... or are you? Oh, what's this? A lightsaber - no, not just any lightsaber, but your lightsaber, and a pretty piece of work it is.”

Boc placed the weapon on a flat piece of shale, grabbed a rock, and raised it over his head. Kyle tried to rise, made it to one knee, and paused as pain filled his head.

Boc grinned.

”Yes? Did you want something? No? Well, let's see how st.u.r.dy this saber really is...”

So saying, the alien Jedi brought the rock down with all his strength. There was a crunching sound, and pieces of saber flew in every direction. Boc chuckled.

”Blast! They just don't make 'em like they used to... Oh well, it's not as if you built the weapon yourself. That would take brains.”

Sariss drew her weapon and flicked the switch. The air popped and sizzled.

”Enough... Tell Jerec that we located Katarn and put him down.”

Boc glanced from Sariss to Kyle and placed a hand over his mouth.

”Oops! That doesn't sound very promising, does it? But what did you expect? Milk and cookies?” The Jedi broke into peals of laughter, turned, and shuffled away.

Sariss turned toward Kyle and raised her weapon. Kyle looked into the glow and thought about Jan. Was she dead? Would they be together?

Sariss tightened her grip and brought the weapon down.

Yun saw everything in slow motion, felt himself respond, and wondered why. Had he made a decision? There was no memory of one... Not a single decision, anyway, just a long chain of seemingly minor decisions, which, taken together, added up to an important decision. The lightsaber seemed to ignite on its own.

If his aim was good, if the training paid off, he would nick his mentor's arm. She would miss - and Katarn would be spared. Not for long, probably - but he couldn't control that. Blood flew as energy sliced through flesh. Startled by the attack, and reacting instinctively, Sariss turned. Her lightsaber rose, fell, and sliced through Yun's shoulder. The younger Jedi looked surprised, gave a gasp of pain, and sank to his knees.

Sariss was horrified. Yun, her best student and the closest thing she had to a friend, was dying. Why? It was impossible, yet there he was, kneeling before her. She screamed for a medic, and the echoes seemed to mock her. Yun's head came up. His eyes saw through her.

”Sariss, can you see the light? How bright it is?” Then he was gone.

He leaned forward until his forehead touched the ground and then fell on his side.

Kyle saw Sariss turn her back in his direction, saw Yun drop the lightsaber, and used the Force to ”grab” it. The weapon made a slapping sound as it hit the palm of his hand.

The Rebel pushed up through the pain, fought a wave of dizziness, and thumbed the unfamiliar switch.

Each lightsaber was as unique as the sentient who built it - and Yun's was no exception.

It came equipped with what Kyle's fencing instructor would have called a ”modified pistol grip” - meaning that carefully cast projections echoed the human hand and gave his index finger a place to rest. Not only that, but the grip was made from a highly malleable ”live” polymer that explored Kyle's hand and morphed into a solid, highly customized grip.

Kyle had never dreamed of such a thing but immediately fell in love with it. The Rebel raised the weapon into the traditional ”on-guard” position and could almost hear the Academy's fencing instructor.

He had a squeaky, high-pitched voice: ”Keep your head up, look at your opponent, and check your balance. The point should be at eye level - or slightly lower - like so...” A steel blade differs from a lightsaber, of course... but many of the same techniques apply.

Sariss turned. Her eyes burned with anger. There was more than enough time. No cut would be fatal in and of itself, but each added to all the rest would result in a painful death.

Then, after his life force had been released and his blood had mingled with the sand, she would take his head. Not that it would compensate for the pain in her arm or the ache in her heart.

Kyle swallowed, knowing his opponent was more experienced than he, and then suddenly reeled under the impact of a mental attack. This battle would be fought on two planes. One mental, the other physical - just like the ones in his ”dream.”

The Jedi accessed the knowledge gained from the long-dead Tal, blocked the mental strike and answered with an attack of his own. He launched a head cut from the third position, flexed his wrist, and extended his arm. Though a good deal lighter than its metal counterpart, the Jedi energy weapon possessed similar characteristics. It could penetrate like a rapier and cut like a saber. A double-edged saber.

Sariss blocked the mental blow, wondered where Katarn had garnered such knowledge, and found herself under attack. Her opponent's skill was a surprise - and reminded her that this was no ordinary Rebel. There were various ways to defend against his attack. Sariss chose parry five followed by a well-practiced riposte. Her blade pa.s.sed under Katarn's, buzzed as it pa.s.sed through the outer corona of the field created by his blade, and lunged toward his chest. Energy crackled and popped as the agent intercepted her blow - and disengaged.

The attack had failed, so Kyle selected another. The point-thrust was a relatively simple evolution. He dropped the point of his saber, extended his arm, and lunged. Sariss saw it coming, blocked the other Jedi's blade, and spotted an error. Katarn's wrist was too low, a little below the shoulder, opening the Rebel to a head cut.

She lunged as he pulled back, saw a thin red line appear on his right cheek, and felt a sense of satisfaction. The upstart had been lucky - but she would literally cut him down to size. Yun would be revenged.

Kyle saw a flash of color and heard the blade sizzle past his face. His nostrils were filled with the odor of burnt flesh. His own. Pain followed. Pain layered on pain. He knew the cut was a harbinger of things to come. He was tired, hurt, and less experienced.

The Dark Jedi intended to wear him down. What he needed was a quick, decisive conclusion.

The agent a.s.sumed the on-guard position and called upon Tal's knowledge. What would the ancient Master do if confronted with a similar situation?

Sariss sensed the other Jedi's hesitation, mistook it for fear, and launched a feint.

It was directed at Kyle's belly. He fell for it, saw her pull back, and knew the lunge would follow. He managed to parry, felt resistance as her saber clashed with his, and found the answer he'd been searching for... Tal had been a student of another no-less-formal school of swordsmans.h.i.+p that was half-physical and half-spiritual in nature. There were many evolutions, and many ”cuts,” but only one that ”sang” with the moment. ”The Flowing Water Cut” was for use when going blade-to-blade with an opponent.

Timing was everything... and as Sariss withdrew... Kyle knew that he should ”expand,” following with body and spirit, like water into a vessel. And there, within the calm, to cut slowly and release Sariss from her body. Action followed thought. His blade strobed through thee other Jedi's chest and the point emerged between her shoulder blades.

There was very little blood since the wound was cauterized as it was made. Sariss looked surprised. Her eyes went down toward the point of entry, up toward his, and then were gone. She fell over backward, hit the ground, and skidded on loose gravel.

Kyle just stood there, swaying slightly, struggling to absorb what had occurred.

He was alive, still alive, which both amazed and pleased him.

But what next? Find Jan? Search for Jerec? Both ideas had merit, but how?

Cliffs stood hard and black off to his left, but the sun had started to rise, throwing soft pinkish light onto a pinnacle of stone. The shadow fell downward - and pointed to the Valley below. Suddenly, and without knowing how he knew, Kyle knew where to go. He said good-bye to Yun, who had sacrificed his life for something he had just started to understand, and wished the Jedi well.

Gravel crunched under the agent's boots as he followed the shadow toward the opening and that which waited below. There were sentries to contend with, and a patrol on its way out into the badlands, but Kyle ignored them. A Commando saw him and stepped forward.

”Halt! Who goes there?”

Kyle extended a hand.

”You have seen me many times before - and are aware of my authority.”

The Commando nodded.

”Sorry, sir - I didn't realize it was you.”

The Jedi nodded and proceeded on his way. The area around the opening had been cleared of debris. The stairs were wide enough to accommodate four men walking abreast. They were cut from solid stone and followed the curve of the wall. The light improved as the sun rose and sent rays of light down into the chamber.