Chapter 9: Did You Ever Wonder
"Red Flight, we have skips in the asteroid field," Wedge announced. "You see em, Tych?"
"I see em, but I've never seen so many away from a warship analog," Tycho replied. "It has to be a trap."
"Wes, Hobbie, what's holding you two up?" Wedge asked.
"It seems another strike force is here," Wes replied. "The Falcon is tangoing with it."
"More Yuuzan Vong?" Tycho asked.
"No, it's a ship of unknown type," Wes replied. "It's not alive, I can tell you that much. Its huge, and it doesn't have many fighters."
"But its weapons could blow the falcon out of space with one shot," Hobbie announced. "We're not gonna die, .. yet."
"Why, that's the most positive thing I've ever gotten out of Hobbie. Ever," Wedge announced.
"Tycho, what have you done with Hobbie, and who is this imposter?!" Wes yelled.
"Cut the chatter, Red 3. We're entering the furball," Wedge announced.
"Which one?" Tycho asked.
"Both," Wedge replied. "The Falcon and the unknown ship have entered the asteroid field.
***
Han had thought that it would be an easy run. All he had to do was run into the system, take some readings, and then run right out. Who knew that the mysterious ship would be there waiting for him. Now, he was fighting the unknown ship, as well as the Yuuzan Vong garrison.
Han put the ship through a corkscrew and a power dive, never keeping the ship going on any single course for more than a second. This made it harder for Jacen and Luke, who were in the gunwales, to hit skips, but their Jedi reflexes had allowed them to take out quite a few skips so far.
"Red Flight is entering the furball," a voice announced over the comm.
"Wedge?" Han asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I was on patrol when we had to blind jump out of a Yuuzan Vong trap," Wedge replied.
"Yah, that's happening more and more often these days," Han replied. "How many you got?"
"It's just me, Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie," Wedge replied.
"Watch out for that ghost ship," Han replied. "It packs quite a punch."
"Is that Luke and Jacen in the gunwales?" Wedge asked.
"Yep," Han replied.
Two skips latched onto the Falcon and started pounding it with shot after shot. Han tried every maneuver he knew, but he still could not shake the skips.
"Someone get these skips off me!" Han yelled. "This group must have an elder of a yammosk to have such well coordinated skips!"
Suddenly both skips exploded in balls of fire.
"Looks like you could use a little help," Mara announced.
"What are you doing here?" Han asked.
"I felt something was wrong, so I came over to help," Mara replied. "When I left in the Jade's Shadow, Jaina, Corran, Gavin, and Ooryl followed me. Those were Corran and Jaina's shadow bombs."
"We're going by the designation Jedi flight to avoid disruption," Gavin announced. "We got a plan?"
"Don't die," Wedge announced. "And take out anything that shoots at you."
Gavin clicked his comm and order, "Jedi flight, break by wing mates and fire at will."
Gavin and Jaina dove into the center of the furball, and then corkscrewed to the left to avoid fire from a frigate analog.
"Sticks, we've got that frigate analog," Gavin announced. "I'll distract it with one of my torpedoes while you unload as many shadow bombs as you need."
Jaina clicked her Mike as she separated from Gavin and dove under the frigate analog.
Gavin waited three seconds before firing a proton torpedo and looping away from the frigate. As the frigate analog exploded, Gavin put all power to his engines and rode the shockwave away from the quickly disintegrating furball.
***
"Has anyone seen Jaina or that ghost ship?" Han asked.
"I was her wingman, but we got separated after she blew that frigate analog," Gavin announced.
"She didn't blow the frigate analog, Gavin," Corran announced.
"If she didn't, what did?" Gavin asked.
"The ghost ship fired something at the frigate analog. Ooryl is not sure what it fired, put it looked like some sort of particle," Ooryl announced.
"That means she is still out there!" Han exclaimed. "She could be dead in space! We have to get her!"
"Calm down, Han. I saw her floating in space and picked her up," Mara announced. "She got hit by one of the skips before she could fire her shadow bombs."
"I'm alright, dad," Jaina announced.
Suddenly the nearest asteroid exploded into a thousand shards of rock.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Han yelled as he brought his ship up to combat speed. "Everyone out of the asteroid field."
"Anyone who took damage, get out of here!" Wedge ordered. "You will only be targets for this unknown ship!"
"Han, I've been watching this ship," Corran announced. "It can only fire from the front and rear. If we keep out of its front and rear arcs, we can avoid all its fire."
"It's a plan," Han announced.
Suddenly, a large tye-dyed cruiser entered the system through a gap in space.
"Reinforcements?" Han asked.
"I don't think so," Corran replied as the cruiser demolished the ghost ship with one salvo. "That looks like Jimi's flagship."
"Jimi Hendrix? You know him?" Han asked in amazement.
"We're best buds," Corran exclaimed.
"You, Corran, baby. Is that you?" Jimi asked.
"Sure is, Jimi," Corran replied.
"You sure are foxy, Corran. Jus for your information, that foxy ship I shot down was the Starship Enterprise," Jimi replied. "Anyway, I've got to go. I took a wrong turn somewhere, and I have to get to a concert. You know how to get to Wayland, baby?"
"Sure do, Jimi," Corran replied. "Just make a left at Hoth and go straight."
"Red Flight, we have skips in the asteroid field," Wedge announced. "You see em, Tych?"
"I see em, but I've never seen so many away from a warship analog," Tycho replied. "It has to be a trap."
"Wes, Hobbie, what's holding you two up?" Wedge asked.
"It seems another strike force is here," Wes replied. "The Falcon is tangoing with it."
"More Yuuzan Vong?" Tycho asked.
"No, it's a ship of unknown type," Wes replied. "It's not alive, I can tell you that much. Its huge, and it doesn't have many fighters."
"But its weapons could blow the falcon out of space with one shot," Hobbie announced. "We're not gonna die, .. yet."
"Why, that's the most positive thing I've ever gotten out of Hobbie. Ever," Wedge announced.
"Tycho, what have you done with Hobbie, and who is this imposter?!" Wes yelled.
"Cut the chatter, Red 3. We're entering the furball," Wedge announced.
"Which one?" Tycho asked.
"Both," Wedge replied. "The Falcon and the unknown ship have entered the asteroid field.
***
Han had thought that it would be an easy run. All he had to do was run into the system, take some readings, and then run right out. Who knew that the mysterious ship would be there waiting for him. Now, he was fighting the unknown ship, as well as the Yuuzan Vong garrison.
Han put the ship through a corkscrew and a power dive, never keeping the ship going on any single course for more than a second. This made it harder for Jacen and Luke, who were in the gunwales, to hit skips, but their Jedi reflexes had allowed them to take out quite a few skips so far.
"Red Flight is entering the furball," a voice announced over the comm.
"Wedge?" Han asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I was on patrol when we had to blind jump out of a Yuuzan Vong trap," Wedge replied.
"Yah, that's happening more and more often these days," Han replied. "How many you got?"
"It's just me, Tycho, Wes, and Hobbie," Wedge replied.
"Watch out for that ghost ship," Han replied. "It packs quite a punch."
"Is that Luke and Jacen in the gunwales?" Wedge asked.
"Yep," Han replied.
Two skips latched onto the Falcon and started pounding it with shot after shot. Han tried every maneuver he knew, but he still could not shake the skips.
"Someone get these skips off me!" Han yelled. "This group must have an elder of a yammosk to have such well coordinated skips!"
Suddenly both skips exploded in balls of fire.
"Looks like you could use a little help," Mara announced.
"What are you doing here?" Han asked.
"I felt something was wrong, so I came over to help," Mara replied. "When I left in the Jade's Shadow, Jaina, Corran, Gavin, and Ooryl followed me. Those were Corran and Jaina's shadow bombs."
"We're going by the designation Jedi flight to avoid disruption," Gavin announced. "We got a plan?"
"Don't die," Wedge announced. "And take out anything that shoots at you."
Gavin clicked his comm and order, "Jedi flight, break by wing mates and fire at will."
Gavin and Jaina dove into the center of the furball, and then corkscrewed to the left to avoid fire from a frigate analog.
"Sticks, we've got that frigate analog," Gavin announced. "I'll distract it with one of my torpedoes while you unload as many shadow bombs as you need."
Jaina clicked her Mike as she separated from Gavin and dove under the frigate analog.
Gavin waited three seconds before firing a proton torpedo and looping away from the frigate. As the frigate analog exploded, Gavin put all power to his engines and rode the shockwave away from the quickly disintegrating furball.
***
"Has anyone seen Jaina or that ghost ship?" Han asked.
"I was her wingman, but we got separated after she blew that frigate analog," Gavin announced.
"She didn't blow the frigate analog, Gavin," Corran announced.
"If she didn't, what did?" Gavin asked.
"The ghost ship fired something at the frigate analog. Ooryl is not sure what it fired, put it looked like some sort of particle," Ooryl announced.
"That means she is still out there!" Han exclaimed. "She could be dead in space! We have to get her!"
"Calm down, Han. I saw her floating in space and picked her up," Mara announced. "She got hit by one of the skips before she could fire her shadow bombs."
"I'm alright, dad," Jaina announced.
Suddenly the nearest asteroid exploded into a thousand shards of rock.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Han yelled as he brought his ship up to combat speed. "Everyone out of the asteroid field."
"Anyone who took damage, get out of here!" Wedge ordered. "You will only be targets for this unknown ship!"
"Han, I've been watching this ship," Corran announced. "It can only fire from the front and rear. If we keep out of its front and rear arcs, we can avoid all its fire."
"It's a plan," Han announced.
Suddenly, a large tye-dyed cruiser entered the system through a gap in space.
"Reinforcements?" Han asked.
"I don't think so," Corran replied as the cruiser demolished the ghost ship with one salvo. "That looks like Jimi's flagship."
"Jimi Hendrix? You know him?" Han asked in amazement.
"We're best buds," Corran exclaimed.
"You, Corran, baby. Is that you?" Jimi asked.
"Sure is, Jimi," Corran replied.
"You sure are foxy, Corran. Jus for your information, that foxy ship I shot down was the Starship Enterprise," Jimi replied. "Anyway, I've got to go. I took a wrong turn somewhere, and I have to get to a concert. You know how to get to Wayland, baby?"
"Sure do, Jimi," Corran replied. "Just make a left at Hoth and go straight."