Chapter 7- The Battle Turns

The sounds of sirens and alarms pulled Lena's eyes from the blips covering the screen. Only the Force could save them now as everything went on crimson full-alert. "Luke, go in your X-wing. Wedge and Rogue Squadron is going to need you," Lena said quickly to her brother.

"Sure enough, little sister. They saw it too. Crew's yours," Luke said as he left the bridge for his X-wing.

"Papa, you and Cora keep trying to make contact through the Force. We should be able to reach something," Lena said/

"We are doing that, Lena," Talon said as a wail of pain broke through as Lena stretched out again with the Force. It nearly felled her.

"Lena? I felt pain," Cora said, her dark eyes wide with anguish and watery.

"I know. I felt it too. Papa, did you?" Lena asked, looking back at her father.

"Yes, it sounded human, but I didn't feel anyone. It felt like a droid," Talon said, wrinkling his light eyebrows in concentration.

Lena felt herself let go of her awareness and sink into the Force. It was the only way this could be explained. Lena felt a cry in the Force and she concentrated on it. It had been someone and that someone was in pain and was wishing that the pain was over. Lena then thought at the screaming voice before it died away all together. But a good death is better than life enslaved to hatred and peace is better than anguish. It was Lena's way of telling the scream that they were sorry that they had to destroy it. Lena felt herself jolt as the ship altered it's course and rammed into the ships fighting with it. Lena broke from the Force, breathing hard and sweat running down her face.

"Lena?" Talon's hand stroked at her face as a cheer from other pilots filled the ship. Her father's concerned blue eyes locked on hers and before Lena could think about it, she flung herself into her father's arms, sobbing on his chest like she used to when she was very little.

Lena raised her head as Wedge's and Luke's ships shot past and Manchisco looked at her with the same concern her father had. "Master Jedi Skywalker, are you all right?" The woman asked, her voice as concerned as her eyes.

"I will be. Give me a minute," Lena said, resting her forehead against Talon's broad shoulder.

"We may not have a minute, Master Jedi," Manchisco said as the BAC blinked and heavy bombardment hit the Flurry. Lena pulled away from her father, the despair gone.

"Okay. Let's see what else we can do," Lena said.

"Engineering can't give us any more power. Got any more tricks up your sleeve, Master Jedi?" Manchisco asked. Lena fought back a smile. The woman was asking if there were any more Jedi stunts that she, Luke, Talon, and Cora could pull off that would get them out of this mess they had found themselves in. Manchisco was as cocky as Leia's boyfriend and Lena wasn't sure if they needed cocky right now. The navigator gargled something in his language. "No. Stay your station," Manchisco snapped.

"All squadrons, Flurry needs reinforcements," Lena said into her comm on the chair as another blast rocked the ship.

"That's it. Shields are gone. Now we'll see how strong the hull is," a crew member said as the lights blinked.

Lena watched out the viewscreen, not a single good idea going through her head. A sense of relief washed through her as Han's ship filled the viewport. "Figured you needed some help, Princess," Han's cocky voice filled the bridge.

Lena drew a breath of relief as she looked at her father and Cora. "Thanks, Han. Nice of you to drop by," Lena said, feeling a twinge in her leg and she sat down.

Fighters swarmed by and red lights switched on and turned to amber. "How many d'you owe me now, Princess?" Han asked.

"Several," Lena said. But then again this might have been her sister suggesting Han come to their aid. Since finding out that she, Luke, and Lena were brother and sisters, she had been feeling the Force more often; an odd conundrum since she still wouldn't admit that Anakin Skywalker was her father too.

Lena felt the battle slow in pace. The numbers on the BAC slowed as well, but Lena refused to look at them. She decided to immerse herself in the Force once again. "Red Squadron, ease into position beneath that cruiser. Come across it's bow. Turn it insystem," Lena ordered.

Lena licked her lips and bit down hard on her lower lip; a habit that Dena and Aunt Breha tried to break her of and failed at epically. Luke's fighter went in, making Lena feel terrible that she couldn't join the. "Red Leader?" Lena transmitted to Luke.

"Going in now," Luke said. Lena felt like the fire of Mustafar had been dumped on her head. Next time her father or Leia could run this circus. Lena was going to bow out and help her brother and Rogue Squadron in an X-wing. It went all the way back to when Leia was a senator and she was Leia's aide. She hated all those times that she had to push forward a bill and Leia couldn't.

Through the Force, Lena then felt an explosion, followed by a flashing light. "Yes! Good job, Luke!" Wedge cheered exultantly.

"Well, done, big brother. But don't close your eyes yet. There's still plenty out there," Lena said, looking at the BAC and then the viewport.

"Right, Flurry," Luke said, before the X-wings went off in different direction, the only trace of them being blue dots on the BAC.

"Master Jedi Skywalker, drink of water?" Lieutenant Delckis asked at her elbow and holding a cup.

"Thank you," Lena said, grabbing the cup and swallowing it in one gulp. She looked at the BAC screen and nearly started. "Squad leaders, they are getting ready to jump. Stay out of their way and pick off any that try to attack you. Do you see that, Commander Thanas?" Lena asked, switching channels.

Lena looked at Talon worriedly when she received no answer. "He is fighting off these creatures too, daughter," Talon chided in a gentle voice.

Lena breathed a sigh of relief as the enemy vanished one by one. "That's it. We're done for now. Get the outer-system scanners up, Delckis. It's my guess they're not going far," Lena said.

"Yes, Master Jedi," Delckis said, saluting sharply.

Lena took another drink of water, feeling the peace that was the Force wash over her. "Lena, they're not gone," Cora said, her eyes as large as a surprised Gungan on Naboo, being interrupted in eating.

"I know. I feel it too, little sister," Lena said as Cora scrambled next to their father and grabbing his large hand.

"Master Jedi, you and Padawan Organa were right. They're already coming up, barely outsystem," Delckis said.

"Mm-hmmm. Code a message to Admiral Ackbar, Delckis. We need more ships. Include BAC recordings for that battle. They'll show him what we're up against. Can you have it off in half an hour?" Lena asked Delckis.

"Easily, Master Jedi," Delckis said.

"Thank the Force. Do it. Squad leaders, this is Flurry. Good work. Come on home," Lena ordered, barely suppressing a twinge in her leg again from the Force lightening.

On the BAC blue dots came back to the Flurry and Lena's comm crackled. "Alliance Commander, this is Commander Thanas. Do you have holonet capability?" Thanas asked.

"Yes, but it's slow. Give us five minutes. Tell me when you're ready," Lena said, looking at the communications officer. Delckis gave a brief nod.

"Ready, Master Jedi. Two-way," Delckis said after a few long minutes.

A man came up on the holonet. He looked about Talon's age, give or take a couple of years. He had a narrow face with thin brown hair that had a slight curl in it, but had been cut short. "Thanks and congratulations," Thanas said briskly.

"They haven't gone far," Lena said.

"I see that. We'll be on watch. You, ah, might want to move out of the battle zone. Those alien ships leave very hot debris," Thanas said.

"Hot?" Talon questioned.

"Ssi-ruuvi drones burn heavy fusionables," Thanas said. Lena stored the name away. It was a slight relief that now she had a name for the aliens. Of course the nagging thought was why did Thanas want to have a conversation like this over holonet? Either the man was spying or he thought the Rebellion had stolen this frigate and the equipment.

Lena looked at the golden dots on the BAC that was the Imperial Navy. "Analyze that," Lena ordered. The reading came back to reveal Thanas's cruiser had been damaged and his resources had grouped around the cruiser and the planet beneath. But if Lena had been Thanas she probably wouldn't have trusted Thanas like he didn't trust her or the Alliance. But they would see how things were as soon as they landed on the planet.