Hey everybird! What's up!?

Still having a slight tooth ache, but it's getting better.

I hope you're ready for this chapter, because the ending is going to be worth it…

Chapter 21: Against All Odds

"Quick, everyone bot up your hyperdrives!" I shouted, but that order was useless as Tiago reported back.

"Too late, Ashley says the Interdictor has already powered up its gravity projectors." Tiago revealed as I cursed inside my head.

(Author's note: Ashley is Tiago's droid)

I went through the options as Alex beeped at me that there was an incoming message on the open frequency, most likely from the Imperials.

"Blue Flight, accept the incoming message." I ordered as we all listened.

"Attention rebel ships, this is the captain of the Interdictor, you are heavily outnumbered and have no chance of escape, surrender and we wouldn't kill you." The captain of the Imperial warship addressed all of us.

I turned off the open frequency and told Alex to get the rest of the fighters and Kipo.

"Blue Flight, Kipo, listen up, I'm not surrendering, what about you guys?" I asked, making sure to get everyone's approval.

"Bad odds or surrender…" Tiago started and paused for a second. "I pick bad odds." Tiago answered in a determined voice, Blue Seven and Eight giving a similar response.

"Kipo?" I asked the smuggler.

"I'm not getting paid to get caught by the Empire, so I'm not giving up." The smuggler replied. "I'm in this fight for now too."

"Alex, get me the Imperial captain." I told my droid as he got switched to the open frequency. "This is the acting commander of the "rebels", you want us… Come and get us!"

"Well, prepare for your deaths than…" The Imperial captain shot back as I looked at the Interdictor, a squadron of TIEs coming out.

"Only one… a bit cocky." I smiled, knowing an Interdictor cruiser carried two squadrons of TIEs. "Blue Flight, accelerate to attack speed and Alex, try not to get shot again, I don't want to have to send you to the mechanics a second time." My droid giving back an annoyed beep at me.

As the flight tightened up and closed the distance with the TIEs, I noticed Kipo's ship heading towards the Interdictor.

"Kipo, what's wrong?" I communicated to the smuggler.

"That cruiser has a tractor beam lock on me, I'm trying to break it, but it's too powerful." The smuggler answered.

Well this changes things, but presents an opportunity… From training I learned that the tractor beam projectors are always located right next to the hangar of Imperial warships, if we struck the tractor beams, than the hangar might get damaged, resulting in a double blow.

"Blue Flight, listen up, if you find an opening to attack the tractor beams, do so right away." I ordered as the TIE squadron came within firing range.

The two groups of fighters exchanged fire, however since we had shields, we could take hits unlike the shieldless TIEs, which three of them immediately blew up when hit by our red laser fire, one by me. Only as the fight became a mess did the remaining nine TIEs put up their fight as they still outnumbered us.

Weaving my way through the exchange of fire, I spotted a lone TIE moving into attack position on Blue Eight. Locking onto the TIE, which danced around in targeting scope, I steadied my aim and waited, but not long for a solid shot and once I got it, I sent several bursts of fire, which resulted in the TIE's ball cockpit erupting in a ball of fire as the wings separated and flew off.

As I smiled at yet another kill to my list, I checked Kipo's ship, getting more and more closer to the hangar of the Interdictor. Kipo tried his best I could see, putting as much power to his engines to break the lock and escape, to no avail. I was soon enough distracted as another TIE started firing at me, his shots going above my cockpit.

"Oh no, you're not getting Alex again." I said as the TIE came up below me and ate away at my shields. "Alex, hang on!" I shouted as I did an upward loop, causing the TIE to fly past as we could literally see each other from our cockpits, as I was now behind the TIE, I once again fired several bursts of lasers and the TIE, much like his squadmate, exploded.

"Lisa, I see an opening!" Tiago communicated to me as there was an open spot through the diminishing TIE Squadron, only as soon as he said that…

"This is Blue Seven!" A panicked voice entered the comms. "I got two TIEs behind me and they don't seem to like me too much!"

"Tiago, go help Blue Seven, I'll take the opening!" I told my wingman as he went to help Blue Seven.

(Tiago's POV)

"Ashley, locate Blue Seven, fast." I told my droid, which she did as I looked to see my squadmate running away from a pair of TIEs above the Interdictor. "Hang on Blue Seven, I'm right behind them!"

I was a good enough pilot of course, Lisa was better than me since I was mostly her backup, but to be on my own was a bit hard. I calmly, but quickly started getting a lock on the closer of the two TIEs to me, waiting for the solid lock and to avoid hitting my own squadmate. Once I got it, I pulled the trigger, sending yet another TIE up in flames.

Only as I tried getting the lock on the second one, I was too late as the second TIE's fire burned through Blue Seven's shields and shot the back of the X-Wing, the fighter's S-foils shredding off as Blue Seven's fighter was in flames.

"Blue Seven! Come in!" I tried calling him, no answer, he was gone, but I couldn't let his death consume me now, putting away any potential tears, I got a lock on the second TIE and shot him to pieces. "Die, you Imperial scum!" I cried through teary eyes.

(Lisa's POV)

"Alex, any TIEs coming in from behind?" I asked my droid, to which he replied negative. "Good, switching to proton torpedoes."

Targeting the tractor beam projectors, I knew I only had one shot, if I waited any longer, than Kipo's ship would probably be caught in the blast. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the trigger, sending out two missiles. Streaking past Kipo's ship and barely missing it, the missiles hit the projectors, knocking them out. And it was just in time, because the Imperial captain must have been shocked at our resistance, since Alex reported that the second TIE squadron was starting to leave. Now they wouldn't be able to, leaving us free to rain fire on the Imperial warship.

"Blue Flight, tractor beam projectors and hangar bay successfully destroyed, check in." I communicated to the others.

"Blue Six here." Tiago answered.

"Blue Eight here." The other alive member answered.

"Where's Blue Seven?" I asked.

"I'm sorry Lisa, I couldn't save him in time." Tiago answered in a punishing way to himself.

"It's not your fault Tiago, now come on, we got to target the bridge to cripple the ship and its gravity projector." I ordered what was left of us.

The three of us formed up in a loose triangle formation as the Interdictor tried shooting us down with its laser cannons to no effect as we were too small and fast for them to get a lock on us. I can imagine the shocked look on the Imperial captain's face as we got within proton torpedo range.

"Blue Flight, fire!" I ordered as I fired two more missiles, four more joining my two as they hit the warship's bridge, exploding as fires broke out in the bridge and lightning started flowing through the entire hull, Alex beeped at me that the gravity wells were shut off, meaning we were free to escape.

"Okay Blue Flight, Kipo, we're free, lets go home." I smiled as we turned back to Kipo's ship, ready to make the jump into hyperspace.

And it was just in time too, for a Star Destroyer came out of hyperspace and two squadrons of TIEs launched from the hangar bay and were speeding towards us. They just started firing when we punched the hyperspace button and were on our way back to the fleet.

As we arrived back, I opened up communications.

"This is Blue Five of Blue Squadron, mission accomplished, but we lost Blue Seven." I announced as I was thankful to who answered back.

"Welcome back Blue Flight, and don't worry his sacrifice is worth it now that we have the intel the rebellion desperately needs." Commander Blu answered. "Come to the hangar and I'll take the intel to the bridge.

"Roger that sir." I replied.

Once we landed down and I opened my cockpit and removed my helmet, I saw that Kipo was already standing by my fighter by the ladder.

"That was some nice flying kid, never knew you had that in you." Kipo commented.

"Well, I can be full of surprises, and besides you saved me and I just saved you, so we're even now and thanks for not giving up." I replied as I climbed down the ladder and as soon as I was down, Commander Blu was there.

"Well down Blue Five, I feel like it's about time to give you a promotion." Commander Blu smiled as he turned to Kipo. "The intel please."

"Here you go, as I was paid to deliver." Kipo replied as he handed Blu the datafile.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours, Captain Roberto will gather the squadron for the news on what the intel contains.

And so I and the rest of the squadron waited in the rest area of the ship, wondering what the secret weapon was now that it was revealed. I literally counted down each second and each second brought my anxiety up more and more, luckily I had Tiago right next to me to keep me calm. Eventually Commander Blu came back and we all stood at attention as the commander had a very pale face, almost ghost white one could say. We didn't know what to do, but one of us had to say anything, might as well be me.

"Sir…" I began as I took a step froward. "What's wrong? Is the intel wrong?"

"No…" Blu began in a slow, breathless voice. "It's right… The secret weapon… It's… Another Death Star."

(Starts humming the Imperial theme)

And so begins the chapters on the Battle of Endor! Hope you all are excited!

See everybird in the next update!