"Hold formation." Ruby called over the radio, keeping her X-wing locked together and racing across the ocean below her. Twenty other X-wings flying either next to or just behind her all in formation together.
"So what's the difference with atmospheric flying?" One of the pilots asked.
"Shits heavier. Can't move as much or do as hard turns as you can in space. Just eliminate all Empire ships." Ruby replied back.
"Oh fuck, contact. Lots of enemy contact being picked up." Another pilot shouted.
"Stay in formation and locked, let them pass between us." Ruby ordered, her helmet displaying what she needed to see as she kept her aircraft holding steady and close to the water.
"They're firing." Another shouted, scared.
"Evasive actions but remain together." Ruby replied, keeping her pilots under control.
"I'm hit….ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." Ruby heard screamed over the radio as she saw one of the X-wings get destroyed.
"Hold steady. Let them pass." Ruby told them all as they evaded the tie fighters going between them.
"They're turning around. I've got one on my tail." A pilot called.
"Foils in attack position. Weapons free." Ruby ordered, her speed dropping drastically as she unlocked her wings and slowed her engines down as she let the tie fighter that came behind her end up just in front of her.
Pulling the trigger Ruby destroyed the fighter without a second thought and banked around to help out her pilots.
The sky above the blue ocean erupted in red and green laser fire as Rebel X-wing fought against Empire tie fighter. The vicious dog fighting saw losses from both sides as the ships erupted in fireballs.
"Blue Five, bank hard left on my mark." Ruby stated, coming right behind the tie fighter.
"Hard left now!" Ruby shouted and the pilot followed instantly as he banked his aircraft hard and to the left giving Ruby a clear shot at the tailing tie fighter.
Flying through the exploding fireball Ruby pulled up hard and straight towards another tie fighter, firing once more she took down a second in a matter of seconds.
"Reaper One, Pink One. Attack vector locked in, no sign of trouble." Neo called out over the radio to Ruby.
"Copy Pink One, air forces tied up here. You are clear for attack." Ruby replied as she destroyed yet another tie fighter.
There was no reply as Neo, piloting a small squadron of Y-wings were lining up their bombing run on an Empire base on the surface.
"Reaper squadron, break off and form up on my wing." Ruby ordered, leaving the other pilots to continue taking out tie fighters while she and her four fighters in Reaper wing followed her.
"Inbound, thirty seconds to run." Neo called out, warning every one of the attack.
"Reapers, form up in defence of the transports. Keep them safe." Ruby ordered as she brought her x-wing to the front of the line of four transports.
The transports were from pre-empire. Republic Clone LA/AT gunships and transports. The squadron of four X-wings plus Ruby's own one that made up the five pilots of Reaper Squadron.
"Bombs away. Good hit. Pulling back to home base." Neo called out.
"Confirm. Moving in with ground troops." Ruby replied back, watching as the LA/AT's landed and the soldiers inside disembarked out and started to attack the remaining Empire storm troopers.
"Reaper Squadron secure the air space. Reaper Lead moving to support ground forces." Ruby replied, bringing her ship around she landed on the opposite side from the Rebel ground troops.
Climbing out she told the droid to keep the ship secure as she ignored the calls coming from a worried Neo.
Climbing out Ruby's red cloak flared out and her helmet was left inside the cockpit. She managed to just walk forward unhindered as the base defenders all ran to the main threat that was until they started to notice Ruby walking towards them.
Seemingly unarmed and having no sort of armour on underneath that cloak, about five storm troopers opened fire at her.
Ruby vanished from the sight of the storm troopers who were all left confused as all they saw was some rose petals floating in the air where Ruby was standing.
The confused Empire soldiers moved towards the rose petals but they didn't notice the cloaked figure moving around to the side of them.
"You're mistake." Ruby said darkly, one of her two lightsabers ignited and slashing immediately at the five storm troopers.
"JEDI!" Another one called out, spotting Ruby and the dark purple lightsaber in her hand.
Ruby just smirked at them, activing her second, golden yellow lightsaber and holding both in reserve holds, she deflected the blaster bolts coming towards her with ease.
"I am no Jedi." Ruby stated, firing electricity out of her, catching one of the storm troopers killing him near instantly.
Ruby cut the electricity as she spotted her soldiers moving forward and she leaped into the middle of the surviving storm troopers.
Blades spinning and moving at unbelievable rates as she deflected blaster bolts back at their firers, sliced through thin armour and even removed the heads of some storm troopers as well.
With the last ones dying at her hands Ruby turned to the assembled rebels and ordered, "Fan out and search the area. Secure any and all information you can." Ruby ordered as she deactivated her lightsabers and hid them at the small of her back.
The Rebels all fanned out searching the area, with a few scatters shots being heard in the distances as they finished off surviving Empire soldiers.
Ruby stood at the centre of all the destruction, seeing the once proud Empire base now in ruins, dead Empire soldiers all laying on the ground.
Ruby reached out with the force, feeling the invisible energy flowing out of her body and into the surrounding area, feeling the death all around her she sighed out in response until she felt someone come up to her.
"What is it?" Ruby asked as he approached.
They were interrupted by screams and the sound of blaster fire but she felt pain and terror running off of the people around her and Ruby launched into action.
Coming upon the area of the screams Ruby took note of an Empire soldier holding a sword with several dead rebel soldiers around him.
"A blade master. Those are rare, even rarer are those wielding Vibroblades. It shall be an honour fighting you." Ruby said taking note of the weapon and appearance of the normal looking empire soldier.
Drawing her purple blade Ruby held it in front of her with two hands, bowing to her opponent slightly before ordering, "No one is to interfere." Ruby stated.
The man didn't speak but just swung the sword towards Ruby, who deflected the blow away from her and followed it with a punch to his face.
Reeling he just about got the sword in time to block Ruby's next strike but she was too fast as she plunged the blade into his chest. "May the force guild you through to the next life." Ruby replied coldly as she drew her blade away and dropped him to the floor.
Removing the weapon out of his grip she attached it to her waist and turned to the soldier who ran after her, "Report." Ruby stated.
"Um no Empire soldiers are alive, and we've taken the intelligence. You should take a look." The man informed her.
Taking the offered datapad Ruby read through the information briefly while asking, "Do they know about this?" She asked.
"Not that we know of." He replied.
"Forward them the data and let's get back, it seems we'll be needed elsewhere." Ruby said and the rebel soldiers quickly went about getting onto their transports again while Ruby returned to her X-wing.
Climbing inside Ruby with the other Rebel aircraft escorted the gunships back to their home base, the large pre-empire ship that was used during the Clone Wars.
The middle hatch opened up along the length of the ship to allow the aircraft access to the hanger, and as soon as the last one entered the hanger closed up and the large ship started to power up engines, pulling away from the planet and the atmosphere into the space above.
Climbing out of her aircraft she felt her anger from the surface and as she turned around her head was throw to the side at the sharp slap delivered by Neo's hand.
"You're not fucking supposed to be on the ground. You're a fucking pilot now not a fucking soldier or have you forgotten about your injury?" Neo basically screamed at Ruby.
Ruby waited patiently for Neo to finish before speaking up, "I do remember it but I needed to be down there. There was a blade master, the troops wouldn't have dealt with him as quickly if I wasn't there." Ruby replied softly.
"You're lucky that I love you or else I'd be ripping you a new one." Neo replied, having calmed down after her anger was released.
"If that's what happens when you love me, I'd hate to see what happens when you hate me." Ruby teased back, stealing a kiss from Neo.
"So what did you find down there? And where are we headed because of it?" Neo asked.
"Jakku. Something's happened we're making best speed there." Ruby added.
"Are we going more active? Not using code names and hiding from the main Rebels and Jedi?" Neo asked.
"We are. We're going to Jakku to start our journey, the same place where the Empire ended theirs." Ruby replied.
"Jakku. Sounds like a shithole." Neo replied, walking with Ruby back to their room.