Mace cursed as he swung his ship around to meet the new threat. His feeble forces were no match for the new enemy fleet that had just arrived.
"All fighters!" he sent over comlink to the remaining confused Jedi pilots. "Execute attack formation Gamma!" At once the eleven Jedi fighters converged in a U-shaped attack pattern, with Mace holding off the rear.
Mace noticed that the three Techno Union capital ships had launched all of their fighters. There were approximately three hundred. Mace sent another message to the Jedi. "Enemy flight at forty-three degrees angular! Attack maneuver x-over!" The squadron of Jedi starfighters split off into two groups, mirroring each other's actions. The fighters in the middle fell back for support, the ones in front sped ahead and attacked from the side, and the ones in back shot forward, engaging the squad of droid fighters at near point-blank range. In less than ten seconds, the flight of twenty droid starfighters had been reduced to charred scrap metal.
However, the Republic fighters were greatly outnumbered and soon the orderly attack dissolved into chaos. Dozens of droid fighters swarmed around them, guns blazing. The battle might have continued in this manner indefinitely if not for the arrival of yet another fleet.
"Sir!" the clone commander commed in from the Republic cruiser. "We have picked up ten capital ships entering the sector, deploying fighters! They carry the markings of Republic battle cruisers!" Mace looked at his ship's computer and saw the commander was right. He hailed the cruiser in the lead and opened a comlink channel to it.
"Republic vessel, this is General Mace Windu of the Army of the Republic. Requesting immediate assistance. We are outnumbered and the Separatists are taking the planet. Repeat, requesting immediate assistance!" Within seconds, the cruiser responded. "General Windu," said a voice as hard-edged as cold durasteel. "This is Commander Tarkin of the Republic assault cruiser Second Justice."
Mace recalled meeting Tarkin once at a conference of commanders. His strict and orderly style mirrored that of the Republic itself. Tarkin continued, " I have under my command nine additional cruisers and one hundred and fifty Jedi starfighters. I am dispatching three cruisers and fifty fighters to help you fend off the enemy fleet you are engaging. The rest I will take down to engage the invading forces. I am under orders from General Yoda himself, Sir," he added, in case Mace didn't like the idea.
Mace let out a sigh of frustration. He would have liked more, but it would do. "Very well, Commander Tarkin." Mace sent back. "After I am finished with this fleet, I will join you on the surface to tr-" But he never finished the sentence.
Three droid starfighters had come from out of nowhere, and before he could react, their weapons had left a massive fissure in the front of his wedge-shaped fighter. His engines failed, and the power in the cockpit died instantly. He found himself plummeting toward the planet below. 'Not again!' Mace thought.
He attempted to start the emergency thrusters, but the power was not about to come back on. By now he had reached the atmosphere and could see the forest below. He observed that he was only about half a standard kilometer away from the edge of the city.
Seeing as he was once more immersed in breathable air, he whipped out his lightsaber and carved a large hole in the transparisteel cockpit cover. Since the fighter was falling in a nose-dive, Mace climbed onto the now-horizontal computer console. Mace looked out and could see individual branches. If he had to jump, he had to do it soon.
He gathered the Force inside him, took a deep breath, and just as the tip of the wedge that was his crippled starfighter hit the first branch of the canopy, Mace... jumped.
"All fighters!" he sent over comlink to the remaining confused Jedi pilots. "Execute attack formation Gamma!" At once the eleven Jedi fighters converged in a U-shaped attack pattern, with Mace holding off the rear.
Mace noticed that the three Techno Union capital ships had launched all of their fighters. There were approximately three hundred. Mace sent another message to the Jedi. "Enemy flight at forty-three degrees angular! Attack maneuver x-over!" The squadron of Jedi starfighters split off into two groups, mirroring each other's actions. The fighters in the middle fell back for support, the ones in front sped ahead and attacked from the side, and the ones in back shot forward, engaging the squad of droid fighters at near point-blank range. In less than ten seconds, the flight of twenty droid starfighters had been reduced to charred scrap metal.
However, the Republic fighters were greatly outnumbered and soon the orderly attack dissolved into chaos. Dozens of droid fighters swarmed around them, guns blazing. The battle might have continued in this manner indefinitely if not for the arrival of yet another fleet.
"Sir!" the clone commander commed in from the Republic cruiser. "We have picked up ten capital ships entering the sector, deploying fighters! They carry the markings of Republic battle cruisers!" Mace looked at his ship's computer and saw the commander was right. He hailed the cruiser in the lead and opened a comlink channel to it.
"Republic vessel, this is General Mace Windu of the Army of the Republic. Requesting immediate assistance. We are outnumbered and the Separatists are taking the planet. Repeat, requesting immediate assistance!" Within seconds, the cruiser responded. "General Windu," said a voice as hard-edged as cold durasteel. "This is Commander Tarkin of the Republic assault cruiser Second Justice."
Mace recalled meeting Tarkin once at a conference of commanders. His strict and orderly style mirrored that of the Republic itself. Tarkin continued, " I have under my command nine additional cruisers and one hundred and fifty Jedi starfighters. I am dispatching three cruisers and fifty fighters to help you fend off the enemy fleet you are engaging. The rest I will take down to engage the invading forces. I am under orders from General Yoda himself, Sir," he added, in case Mace didn't like the idea.
Mace let out a sigh of frustration. He would have liked more, but it would do. "Very well, Commander Tarkin." Mace sent back. "After I am finished with this fleet, I will join you on the surface to tr-" But he never finished the sentence.
Three droid starfighters had come from out of nowhere, and before he could react, their weapons had left a massive fissure in the front of his wedge-shaped fighter. His engines failed, and the power in the cockpit died instantly. He found himself plummeting toward the planet below. 'Not again!' Mace thought.
He attempted to start the emergency thrusters, but the power was not about to come back on. By now he had reached the atmosphere and could see the forest below. He observed that he was only about half a standard kilometer away from the edge of the city.
Seeing as he was once more immersed in breathable air, he whipped out his lightsaber and carved a large hole in the transparisteel cockpit cover. Since the fighter was falling in a nose-dive, Mace climbed onto the now-horizontal computer console. Mace looked out and could see individual branches. If he had to jump, he had to do it soon.
He gathered the Force inside him, took a deep breath, and just as the tip of the wedge that was his crippled starfighter hit the first branch of the canopy, Mace... jumped.
