Chapter 29
AN: Like I said before, special thanks to Steph in my absence and to Emily for helping me with this. J
Luke turned his X-Wing slightly and fired at a careening Imperial ship, wondering in the back of his mind where Ari was. "Ari you there?"
"Sure am," she answered, letting loose a volley of blaster shots, causing a TIE to explode.
Luke's heart gripped slightly, as the ship he'd been firing at exploded as well. "Good." Luke turned his ship again sending some more fire towards another enemy ship.
Ari wanted to stay close to Luke but knew her job as she rolled and saw there was a TIE right on her tail. "I have a fighter on my tail!" she shouted over her com, not able to shake him after a few sharp turns and spins.
Luke stiffened as he heard her shout. "Ari!" he cried desperately, realizing how far away she was from him. He had a target in his sights and he couldn't get to her.
Ari swung right desperately when another Y-Wing shot the TIE and it exploded in a roaring fireball.
"I got him," the pilot responded, the grin in his voice obvious.
"Thanks Green three," she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm okay," she responded, more for Luke's sake then anyone else
Luke felt the tension go out of him, letting out a sigh, as he turned his ship quickly to avoid more laser fire. "You sure?"
"I'm sure," she responded, starting to already track after another TIE. "Just worry about blasting up that space station and we can go home," she replied. "But be safe," she added
Before Luke could respond, the Red Leader's voice came over the com. "We're in position. I'm going to cut across the axis and try and draw their fire." A dot on his screen veered off away from the group, and Luke began blasting away at more fighters, as they began diving towards the Death Star.
Ari found that if she could push aside her fear she could do better as she flew the air. All of a sudden a Y-Wing to her port side exploded with a cry. "We lost Green Five," Green Leader reported sadly
Luke turned his ship, then, and began nose-diving sharply towards the Death Star. "This is Red Five; I'm going in!" Laserbolts streaked from his weapons as he traveled at top speed along the surface
Ari quickly called out for him to be ok in her mind as she looped over and got another TIE fighter.
Keeping up his barrage of laser, he suddenly stopped as his lasers created a huge fireball explosion on the Death Star, and suddenly he was terrified. The fire was coming straight towards him, and he didn't think there was anything he could do. "Luke, pull up!" came Bigg's frantic voice over his headset.
"Luke!" Ari shouted, glancing around for him though she was far from him.
Luke yanked on his controls looping himself around and gunned the engine. With a huge roar of the fire and his engines in his ears he shot out towards the rest of the X-Wings along with the fireball and finally emerged.
"Are you all right?" Biggs asked, concerned
"Luke..." Ari asked, frantic, heart in her throat
"I got a little cooked, but I'm okay." Luke responded, adjusting his controls. He breathed a sigh of relief.
Ari sighed in relief. "I thought I told you to be careful," she started to remind him and then an explosion hit her shields rocking her ship as she flew hard to starboard and blasted him
"It's all fine here Ari...you just keep your promise and be careful. I want to see you on the ground." he responded.
"You will," Ari replied as she saw another explosion erupt. Green Four this time. It was without any cries and she reported the news sadly, though she didn't really know any of them, beside Luke and Biggs. Only numbers and faces, yet she still felt somewhat close since they were all fighting for the same cause.
Luke turned back to continue blasting with the rest of the X-Wing's at the surface of the Death Star.
"Luke, let me know when you are going in," Red Leader told him.
Luke readjusted his controls. "I'm on my way in now..."
"Watch yourself! There's a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower," Red Leader announced
"I'm on it," Luke replied assuredly, and flung his X-Wing in a twisting dive towards the Death Star.
Ari finally blasted another TIE and smiled to herself, seeing they were almost gone but groaned as another wave came in.
Shots blasted out of Luke's guns on the surface of the Death Star, the huge gray shape coming closer and closer to him. A few small radar emplacements erupted into flam, and then even more laser fire erupted from another tower.
"Squad leaders, we've picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters coming your way." a voice from the command center on Yavin told them.
"We can't handle anymore," Ari muttered. There were just too many, coming in too fast
A big smile swept across Luke's face, excitement and a sense of success ripping through him as he maneuvered his craft through a wall of laserfire, and then peeled away from the surface again..."What's that Ari?"
"There are more fighters. The Y-Wings can't hold them all off," she repeated as she threw her ship into a tight barrel roll, R4 letting out a scream of protest.
"Be careful Ari!" he shouted back as he looked around to spot these new fighters. "My scope's negative. I don't see anything..."
"Keep up your visual scanning. With all this jamming, they'll be on top of you before your scope can pick them up," Red Leader ordered.
At that moment another cry came over Ari's com. "We lost Green Two," someone replied and Ari bit her lip. They had started with eight, and were now down to five. There were just too many ships, all which were coming in fast and fierce.
Suddenly, almost as soon as the warning came out, the Red Leader's voice was heard on the com again. "Biggs! You've picked one up...watch it!"
Luke glanced around trying to locate Biggs's ship.
"I can't see it!" came Biggs's voice. "Where is he?"
Ari held her breath as she could only listen unable to help as the TIEs continued their attacks.
"He's on me tight, I can't shake him...I can't shake him," Biggs' panic was clearly heard and Ari wished desperately that she could help
Luke, in the middle of a dive, turned his ship right side up, spotting Biggs diving towards the Death Star, a TIE fighter closely on his tale. "Hang on, Biggs, I'm coming in!!" With that, he took off after him.
AN: R&R guys!!!! Come on I love feedback!!
