CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Anakin surged through the raging conflict in the Lady Vader, blasting TIE fighters into oblivion with each turn, roll, and loop. Scanning the battlefield in the Force, he sensed that the Republic warships were performing admirably. Yet without a decisive action soon the larger Vyhrragian fleet would take the advantage. He reached out into the Force, hoping for guidance. Nothing answered.
He lifted his left hand away from the control stick to toggle the communications frequency. "How are you doing, Mara?"
After a second she clicked over to the feed with him. "Fine, Master," she said quickly, her voice filling the cockpit from the open speaker.
"You and Luke seem to be having some success."
"Yes, Master."
"Is everything alright?"
"I'm sorry, Master?"
"It's just that usually he'd be the last person you'd be teaming with," he suggested gently. "If you want to fly with me instead, just ask."
She laughed lightly. "Thanks, Master, but that won't be necessary. At Xixus we had great…" She paused to destroy a TIE. "Great teamwork. It's working well now too."
"Very good, Mara." He paused, deciding this was not the time for further discussion about this development. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you, Master."
---
Obi-Wan had a TIE fighter on his tail. Relying on the Force, he rolled and looped and dove to evade all of the incoming laser blasts. Nevertheless, he couldn't seem to shake the enemy pilot. He tried another evasive maneuver and still the TIE was locked on to him.
A stream of bolts skimmed the rear of his X-Wing and sailed only inches over the transiparisteel cockpit canopy. Even after dozens and dozens of combat experiences, Obi-Wan flinched.
"Blast! This is why I hate flying!"
He snap-rolled in a loop to port, keeping the TIE off-balance. He climbed away sharply from another attack, then pondered what to do next.
Suddenly an X-Wing dove in from above, almost hit Obi-Wan's starfighter with a volley of blasts aimed at the trailing TIE, and then nearly collided with him. As the enemy exploded, the new arrival crowed triumphantly.
"You were starting to worry me there for a moment, Master," Luke's voice laughed in Obi-Wan's helmet.
"Really? I had him right where I wanted him!"
"If you say so, Master."
"I do say so." Then Obi-Wan chuckled. "Get back to work, Luke. You have more important tasks than protecting me from my own incompetence."
"Yes, Master."
---
The Hand of Justice swung around and opened fire on one of the Republic cruisers. A half dozen gigantic laser blasts flew from the dreadnought's main cannons and smashed violently into the cruiser's shields. The cruiser wobbled from the impact, then returned fire at the massive warship. The Hand of Justice unleashed another barrage, this time with several smaller guns as well. The shields absorbed the first few shots, then collapsed. The cruiser erupted in a massive ball of flame, lighting the battlefield with a ghastly pyrotechnic display.
All the Jedi pilots grimaced and cringed at the huge loss of life projected into the Force. Once again, however, they relied on their training to restore their focus and return to their duties.
On the bridge of the Invictus Admiral Mirkalla stood over the battle assessment table with great concern. He crossed his arms over the front of his gray uniform and blew out a deep sigh before he turned over his shoulder toward the command console behind him. "Status?"
"One cruiser lost on each side, Admiral," an ensign explained.
"No losses in Red Squadron," added another. The Jedi pilots were having little difficulty flying against ordinary opponents.
"Losses in Gold Squadron at ten percent," the first ensign reported. Although Special Forces soldiers were Army
units, not Navy, they nonetheless were required to be excellent pilots – their
missions often required starfighter combat as well as infantry strikes or
covert operations.
"Losses in Blue and Green Squadrons about twenty percent each, Admiral, and losses to the enemy squadrons estimated at twenty-five to thirty percent." The X-Wings and Y-Wings were inflicting more casualties than they suffered, which was an acceptable rate of attrition.
Admiral Mirkalla knew, however, that the battle would not be decided by the starfighter dogfights. It would be decided by the dreadnought and the destroyer. And the dreadnought was on the move again.
---
Han and Chewie steered the Falcon into a steep dive to avoid the attacks of a trio of TIE fighters who had descended upon them without warning. The maneuver was so sudden that neither Lando nor Leia could react in time to hit any of their opponents.
"Cutting it pretty close there, buddy," Lando's voice chastised over the intercom.
Chewie growled indignantly. "What he said," Han spat.
"If you need me to come down there and fly this baby for you…"
"No way," Han interrupted. "Less talk, more shooting."
The Falcon looped around and charged the three TIEs that just had attacked. The front cannons took out one, and the two gunners got the others.
Han shook his head in surprise. "I'll admit it, Princess. You're pretty good at this."
"There's quite a bit you don't know about me, Captain," she laughed.
"Stay sharp!" he said quickly. "More bogies mark two-one-five."
"Roger," Lando responded.
"They just keep coming, don't they?" sighed Leia deeply.
"I'm afraid so," Han admitted reluctantly. "Hang on tight! Here we go."
---
Bryon stared at his forward display in consternation. No matter how many TIEs his A-Wings killed, there seemed to be more arriving. They were trained to deal with situations like this, but the odds seemed to be turning more and more against them with each passing minute.
He sent a stream of orders through the microphone of his helmet. "Gold Three, mark three-six. Gold Four, mark two-zero-four. Gold Five, mark one-two-five." Wings led by Krannar, Pryzill, and Allitisi would engage the three incoming TIE fighter wings. "Gold Two, stay with me." His and Will Graff's wings would defend the remaining two cruisers against a swarm of TIEs that had regrouped to harass them.
"Copy, Gold Leader," his sergeants all responded quickly. Bryon trusted them fully and knew they were doing their best to defeat their Vyhrragian opponents. Nonetheless, the Special Forces squadron already had suffered a high number of casualties, at least by their standards, and victory did not seem to be anywhere in sight.
As he looped his A-Wing around on a pair of TIEs, he clicked off his comlink. "Die!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. One TIE exploded. He took aim at its partner. "You too! Die!"
---
Anakin swooped around a dogfight, blasted two TIEs while he passed, and brought the Lady Vader into position off Obi-Wan's starboard wing. "How are you holding up, old man?"
"Been better, been worse."
"Sounds about right. I don't like the way this battle is developing."
"Nor do I."
"Any suggestions?" Anakin swerved away for a moment to incinerate another TIE fighter.
"Unfortunately, no. Tactics have never really been my specialty."
"True."
Obi-Wan took a deep breath before gunning down a TIE. "I think when this is over we need to talk to our Padawans about the battle."
"I've sensed it too."
"They're dismissive, almost cavalier. They don't seem to appreciate how horrible this is."
"I agree. Their lack of insight is disturbing."
"Back at the Temple, then? We'll talk to them together?"
"Done." Anakin sensed an exposed formation of three TIEs to the rear off his port wing. "For someone who doesn't like flying, you've more than carried your share of the burden."
Obi-Wan chuckled as he watched the Lady Vader execute an astoundingly difficult reverse loop-and-roll to get position on the three TIEs. "I don't mind flying, Anakin. But what you're doing…"
"I've heard it all before, Obi-Wan. Just be glad you're not in here with me."
"I am, my old Padawan. I most certainly am."
---
"One second," Luke said quickly. He zoomed away from Mara into a steep dive, then swooped sharply to port and blasted two TIE fighters who had been chasing another X-Wing.
"Thanks," Danaé's voice said in his helmet.
"No problem." Luke steered into a swift climb, arriving on Mara's wing again in time to assist her in blasting a pair of TIEs.
"She's all grown up now, you know," Mara's voice chuckled. "She doesn't need your help."
"If you think I'm ever going to stop protecting my baby sister, you're crazy."
"If I had a credit for every time you told me I was crazy…"
He laughed. "If I had one for every time you had to get the last word…"
"Watch it!" she called suddenly, as a quartet of TIEs abruptly changed course and charged them.
"On it!" He rolled his X-Wing to avoid the incoming fire, then snapped into a loop that brought him around on their tails. In an instant the TIEs exploded.
As she destroyed her pair, she cursed colorfully in frustration. Then her irate voice spoke in his helmet again. "This is really starting to…"
"…make me angry," he finished for her with a vicious scowl on his face.
"We're almost to the dreadnought. We have to do something. Quickly."
"I know. But what?"
---
"I don't like the look of this at all," Jenny frowned. "We're outnumbered, outgunned…" Her voice trailed off and she shook her head in dismay.
"It looks like Red Squadron is almost to the dreadnought," Sarré commented quietly, pointing a finger tentatively toward the group of starfighters approaching the enemy's flagship in the multi-colored, three-dimensional holographic display above the battle assessment table. "That will help."
"I hope so," Padmé sighed. "So many have died already. It's such a waste."
Sarré looked down at the floor, at a loss for words about the gravity of the loss of life so far – and the battle seemed far from over.
Jenny looked up at Padmé with a stern gaze. "The Republic didn't start this, Padmé. We have to defend ourselves against this madman."
Padmé nodded solemnly. "I know. But if you knew all the condolences Queen Amidala had to deliver personally when the blockade crisis ended…" Her eyes began to well up. "It doesn't matter that this is a just war. Not to me. It's still a terrible tragedy. And this time it's not battle droids we're fighting. Families on both sides are suffering." She wiped her eyes to keep from crying. "On both sides."
They were startled by an outburst from Admiral Mirkalla on the other side of the table. "Strengthen the shields! All excess power to the shields!"
Threepio, who had been uncharacteristically quiet behind them, finally reverted to his ordinary state of hysteria in such circumstances. "Oh my! A bombardment! We'll all be killed!"
Sarré whipped her head around and glared at the protocol droid with such intensity that for once he actually ceased further exclamations of their impending demise.
Padmé was afraid to ask, but she did. "What's happening, Admiral?"
"The dreadnought's found it's next target," Mirkalla replied grimly. "Us."
---
On the bridge of the Hand of Justice the Vyhrragian general shivered when he heard the boots approaching. Reluctantly he turned around to see a tall man in a black flight suit flanked by two shorter, identically dressed pilots. The Sith Lord held the officer in a sinister stare while his black-gloved fingers stroked his short black goatee.
"I have had enough of this, General," snapped Darth Nefarious. "You will not be able to stop the Jedi."
"My Lord, we will…"
"You've had your chance, General." Nefarious spun on his heel and waved to the two elite pilots with a flick of his wrist. "Come with me."
Outside the broad viewport of the dreadnought's bridge, the wedge-shaped fore of the flagship moved into position and began to open fire on the Invictus. Blasts from the Hand of Justice's large laser cannons slammed into the shields of the Republic destroyer. Bursts of crackling energy from an ion gun also dissipated against the shields in a spectacular electric display. The Invictus returned fire, but in a contest of attrition the greater number of cannons on the Hand of Justice held a distinct advantage.
---
Danaé swooped her X-Wing around on a TIE and incinerated it with a quick squeeze of her triggers. Artoo toodled proudly. "Thanks, Artoo. I guess that was a good shot."
As the battle raged around her, however, Danaé's feelings only became increasingly troubled. Each death, whether friend or foe, poked her mind with a sting of pain. The number of tiny pierces she had experienced through the Force was enormous. A quick deep breath cleared her mind a little, pushing her roiling emotions to the side temporarily. Then she looped into position behind another TIE and braced herself for the next stab of pain to come.
---
A wave of over twenty TIEs swarmed toward the Republic cruiser Optimus. "Gold Squadron, mark two-one-zero. Now!" ordered Bryon into his helmet's mouthpiece.
The A-Wings raced to the defense of the cruiser, engaging the enemy fighters in teams of four. The Vyhrragian pilots were skilled, but the Special Forces pilots were better. Soon the number of TIEs had been cut in half. Yet the A-Wings paid a heavy price as well, with five more of their men lost.
Eight surviving TIEs dove away from the cruiser and looped back toward the Vyhrragian formation.
"After them," Bryon commanded. "Kill them!"
The private officers' comlink clicked on. "Bryon?" came Will Graff's voice. "Shouldn't we let them go?"
"You heard me," he snapped viciously. "I want them. Every single one."
---
Darth Nefarious soared into the battle in his specially modified TIE fighter, the top and bottom of its solar panel wings bracketed in at angles. Immediately he charged directly toward his hated enemies: the Jedi in Red Squadron.
"Stay in attack formation, but give me distance," he directed his wingmen. "Do not reveal my presence by flying too closely. Cover me. That is your only responsibility."
"Yes, my Lord," the two pilots replied confidently.
With a few short dives and arcs Nefarious appeared just off the tail of an X-Wing. The Jedi pilot tried to shake him with a series of rolls and loops, but the Sith Lord had no difficulty in matching them. After a few more failed evasive maneuvers, Nefarious squeezed his triggers.
---
"We've lost Red Nine," Obi-Wan reported calmly into the comlink. He had tried to intervene, but the enemy ace had fired too quickly before swooping out of Obi-Wan's range. Rather than attempt a pursuit he knew probably was likely to fail, he climbed away to continue to do battle with other TIEs.
---
"Did you see which one it was?" asked Luke into his mouthpiece. He and Mara continued to communicate on the private channel.
"No," she responded. "And I don't know how we'll find him in this mess."
"Try to watch for unusual patterns in the Force, I guess."
"Yeah."
He swerved around and blasted a TIE. "Mark four-five," he said quickly.
"On it." When she arrived seconds later, she saw the formation of a dozen TIEs he had designated for destruction.
---
Admiral Mirkalla had begun to fidget and pace apprehensively beside the battle assessment table. The smaller warships seemed to be holding a stalemate with their enemy counterparts, but that left the Invictus on its own against the Hand of Justice. This situation could not possibly lead to a favorable outcome.
"How are the shields?" he asked the ensigns at the command console.
"Sixty percent, Admiral," a young man replied. "Holding for now, but weakening."
"What can we do, Admiral?" Padmé wondered aloud, her usually level voice wobbling.
"Nothing, I'm afraid," he sighed. "We must have faith in Red Squadron."
Padmé met the anxious eyes of Jenny and Sarré and tried to smile. If their fates depended on having faith in Anakin, then it was nothing she hadn't done many times before.
---
Darth Nefarious destroyed another X-Wing flown by a Jedi, then turned his attention to two more close by. He focused first on the starfighter trailing to port of its lead. The pair of Jedi rolled and dove to avoid the bursts of laser fire he sent at them, but immediately it was clear he was the superior pilot.
Nefarious locked his targeting computer on the trailing Jedi and chuckled darkly. "May the Force be with you," he sneered mockingly. A squeeze of his triggers annihilated the X-Wing.
The remaining pilot swerved sharply through the dogfights raging around them. While not a stellar pilot, he clearly was strong in the Force. Quite strong.
"Who are you, I wonder?" Nefarious said aloud to himself. After another series of rolls and loops he was in position. "No matter. You will die regardless."
An instant later the X-Wing exploded in ball of flame.
---
Jaytoo whistled a sorrowful message.
Anakin hollered a string of ferocious Huttese curses he rarely had spoken since his childhood. A Vyhrragian ace already had killed one quarter of his squadron. Red Nine, Red Ten, and Red Eleven, three Padawan aces, were gone. An even greater loss to the Order was Red Two, Master Krint, whose X-Wing had been destroyed only moments ago.
It was not often that a member of the Jedi Council was lost in combat. Anakin had no intention of losing any of the remaining three Council members in his squadron, or any of the other pilots for that matter.
"Red Squadron, regroup. Regroup," he spoke into the open comlink microphone in the cockpit of the Lady Vader. "We need to stick together."
His Force perceptions were focused and intense. Yet the massive battle boiling around him was complex, frenetic, and utterly without organization or patterns. As attuned as his mind was and as fiercely as he concentrated, he could not trace this particular ace's path through the battlefield – and he was confident he knew why. The best he could do was stay with his squadron and hope the ace would make another move.
Then Anakin would kill him.
---
The Falcon sped past a formation of TIEs on its way back to its wingmates. Leia rocked her quad cannon around and opened fire on the enemy starfighters. She hit one.
This time, however, she did not feel any surge of triumph. The extended duration of the fighting was beginning to wear on her, and the realization of how many lives she had taken today was starting to sink in. And the isolation of the gunner pod was becoming nearly overwhelming. It seemed like an eternity since she last had heard a voice other than those of her companions on the Falcon.
"Nice shooting, Leia," Lando said over the freighter's intercom.
"Thanks," she answered distractedly. "Han, what's the status? Is the battle almost over?"
He was silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. "Four of the Reds are gone," he finally sighed. "Not yours, Princess," he added quickly. "And the dreadnought is really pounding on the Invictus. We've been ordered to regroup with the squadron. Maybe there's a plan now or something."
"I hope so," she replied. Otherwise the battle probably is almost over. And we'll lose.
"Almost… there…" Han said quietly.
Leia's targeting computer blared a piercing alarm. "More TIEs coming up on us!"
---
Admiral Mirkalla's anxiety was building. Although the tide of the battle had not yet turned against them, it also had not shifted in the Republic's favor. And the longer the fighting continued, the more the odds favored their more numerous opponents.
"Shields?"
"Forty percent, Admiral," an ensign replied nervously.
Mirkalla turned to the ensigns on the other end of the command console. "Tell the gunners to target our fire on their front port quadrant. See if we can drive our way through their shields if we focus our attacks."
"Right away, Admiral."
Padmé glanced at Sarré on her left, then Jenny on her right. They looked even more worried than she felt. She reached out her hands, took one of each of theirs, and squeezed reassuringly. "Anakin will think of something. I know he will."
---
With a satisfied smile Darth Nefarious watched the Jedi squadron fall into formation together. His kills had caused them to stop flying alone.
"So you have come to fear me," he chuckled. "As well you should." He increased his speed and set his course for the group of X-Wings bracketed by a strange starfighter and a junky freighter.
Nefarious dialed up his targeting computer and adjusted his hands on the control stick. He rolled his head from side to side and stretched his neck and shoulder muscles. Then he swerved around on the Jedi formation. For good measure he whispered one of the many incantations from his lessons.
"Fear is my ally."
---
Luke watched in horror as the massive cannons of the Hand of Justice continued to pound the faltering shields of the Invictus. They did not have much more time. While he steered his X-Wing around on another TIE he stared at the bridge tower of the Hand of Justice in the distance, knowing he had to take action quickly. He squeezed his triggers and incinerated the enemy starfighter.
Simultaneously Arfour adjusted the shields to absorb a stray laser blast from a different dogfight.
In that instant Luke perceived that the Force had shown him the winning strategy.
"Mara," he said quickly into his headset, "come with me." He concentrated and flashed her a split-second vision of his plan in the Force.
"That just might work!"
Luke swung his fighter into line with the Hand of Justice as Mara arrived on his wing. He clicked over to the Red Squadron frequency and addressed his father and his Master. "No time to explain," he apologized. "You'll just have to trust me." Then he took a deep breath slammed the drives to top speed.
"This is Red Five. I'm going in!"
---
Watching in the Force the Padawans' blazing run toward the Hand of Justice, Anakin took a deep breath. "Red Squadron, stick together," he ordered crisply. "Let's keep the bogies off their tails."
Luke and Mara raced forward at top speed, dodging laser blasts and swerving around other starfighter skirmishes. Only if a TIE was directly in their path did they open fire. They were closing distance rapidly, but perhaps not rapidly enough.
---
On the bridge of the Invictus Padmé looked sharply at Jenny. "What's he doing?"
Jenny shook her head. "I don't know."
"Whatever it is, it had better work," Padmé whispered.
The entire bridge rocked from another bombardment from the Hand of Justice.
Threepio braced himself against the table to avoid falling. "Oh dear."
---
Darth Nefarious immediately sensed the two Jedi break away from their squadron and charge the Hand of Justice. He could not detect their precise intentions but certainly knew their purpose. And he was not about to let them succeed, even if that meant a brief delay in killing the others. He swerved his TIE into a steep arc and slammed his drives to full power. With a quick check of the instruments he determined that he would cut them off well before they reached the dreadnought.
Their X-Wings swooped and dived as if locked together in formation. With Luke in the lead and Mara barely off his starboard wing, they surged into a mass of TIEs and blasted their way out. Now slightly off course, they swerved again and punched the overdrives into a lurching rush at the Hand of Justice.
Cloaked in the dark side of the Force, Darth Nefarious sailed through the roiling battlefield without attracting the attention of the two Jedi apprentices. After a few more seconds a long rolling loop brought him around on the two X-Wings. He flicked on the targeting computer to augment his Force perceptions. After a deep breath he chuckled darkly. "Now it ends, Jedi."
Simultaneously they sensed the arrival on their tails. "Where did he come from?" Mara growled.
"I don't know," Luke replied anxiously. "I didn't sense him either."
"And he outmaneuvered me," she complained to herself. "I shouldn't have been out of position."
"What's done is done," Luke said quickly. "Concentrate. Follow me."
Luke took the pair of X-Wings flying in unison into a steep dive, a sharp banking turn, and then a swift barrel roll. When he tried to shake the TIE from them with a sudden climb, the TIE simply broke the chase to adjust its angle and cut them off.
Darth Nefarious shouted in triumph. He squeezed his triggers and let loose a blistering barrage of laser blasts at the trailing X-Wing.
Mara reacted just in time to save her life. She snap-rolled away from Luke and avoided most of the incoming fire. But not all of it. One shot punctured a round hole through both of her starboard S-foils, and another shattered both starboard drives. Using the Force for strength, she pulled out of a tumble and tried to come around to Luke's aid again. "I'm hit," she gasped through her fierce concentration, as if he wouldn't have known.
"How is the damage?"
"Bad."
"Get clear, Mara," Luke ordered. "You can't do any more good back there."
"I'm sorry." It was all she could think of to say as she swerved away, hoping she could make it back to the fleet with one side of her starfighter threatening to disintegrate at any moment.
Darth Nefarious decided to the let the wounded X-Wing leave. No doubt other TIEs would finish it off. And in any case preventing an attack on the Hand of Justice was his top priority. He slammed his overdrive and raced up to the tail of the remaining X-Wing. Every evasive maneuver the Jedi pilot tried, he matched easily. "It is only a matter of time," he sneered. "Prepare to die."
Luke rolled and dived to avoid the incoming fire, but one blast nicked between the drives. A mournful electronic scream filled his ears. "I've lost Arfour," he announced into his headset.
---
"Shields down to ten percent, Admiral," reported one of the ensigns at the command console behind the battle assessment table.
"We're doomed!" Threepio exclaimed in dismay.
Admiral Mirkalla shook his head and gripped the edge of the table firmly. "May the Force be with you, Red Five," he prayed under his breath. "You're our only hope."
A few feet away Padmé continued to hold hands with Jenny and Sarré to either side. Their knuckles had long since gone white from the intensity of their grips.
---
Luke concentrated as fiercely as he ever had. He had to reach the Hand of Justice. To do that he had to evade the nearly constant stream of laser blasts from the single TIE glued to his tail. And with Mara unavailable and Arfour out of commission he now had to manually override the X-Wing's restrictions so he could carry out the entire plan himself. Flying with his right hand, he frantically pulled wires and flipped switches with his left.
Darth Nefarious hunched forward in his seat, his mind deeply enmeshed in the dark side of the Force. Something had distracted the Jedi pilot. The Sith fired again, only to see the X-Wing roll away at the last possible instant. He stayed directly behind, preparing to fire again.
Luke finished his improvised rewiring and took his fighter in two sharp loops. Still the TIE followed him. A volley of blasts sailed just over his cockpit canopy. The Hand of Justice was almost within range for his plan, and yet he was not at all confident he would live to implement it.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive field of laser fire erupted from directly above Luke and the chasing TIE. Although the TIE pilot managed to escape destruction, he was forced to into a steep evasive arc that left him irreversibly out of position for chasing Luke.
Over his headset Luke heard a victorious cheer. "You're all clear, kid," Han yelled. "Now do whatever it is you've got in mind before we're all space dust."
"Thanks," Luke laughed. "I owe you one."
Without a moment's hesitation Luke steered his X-Wing into a steep dive directly at the bridge tower of the Hand of Justice, which rose from the surface of the massive dreadnought near the rear of the wedge-shaped warship.
---
"He's headed for the bridge tower!" Sarré gasped in fright.
"Is he really going to sacrifice himself to save us?" Jenny asked in shock, her face turning utterly pale.
The ensign interrupted again. "Shields down to two percent, Admiral."
Mirkalla looked at Padmé sadly.
"He may have to," she whispered, a single tear tracing down her cheek.
---
Anakin had followed the course of the Padawan's charge at the Hand of Justice through the Force. The deadly enemy ace had reappeared and nearly had killed Mara and Luke, and Anakin had no doubt it was the same pilot who had decimated his squadron. And he also now was certain the pilot was a Sith.
"Red Four, Red Seven, with me. Now!" he ordered sharply. Jaytoo whistled affirmatively when the two X-Wings arrived moments later.
With Obi-Wan and Danaé on his wings he cut diagonally across the field of battle and arrived in perfect position just as the deadly TIE emerged from its escape arc. "Watch my tail. But leave him to me," he directed them.
---
As his dive continued, Luke closed his eyes and took a very slow and deliberate deep breath. Suddenly he remembered his promise to Master Obi-Wan after the briefing. He didn't mean to break it. Then he realized that maybe he hadn't broken it after all – this might be a stunt, but it was an excusable one. The Force would guide him.
On the bridge of the Hand of Justice the Vyhrragian general panicked. "Shields to the fore! Shields to the fore! Protect the bridge! Now!"
Sensing the emotions in the Force, his eyes still closed, Luke smiled.
---
Anakin sensed Obi-Wan and Danaé destroy the Sith's two wingmen, who had arrived behind him in an attempt to defend their lead.
The TIE dove and looped and swerved. Even immersed in the dark side the Sith was no match for Anakin. The Lady Vader easily kept pace with the enemy starfighter.
A grim scowl crossed Anakin's face and his eyes became cold. His breathing sharpened and the strength of his grip nearly shattered the steel control stick. "The Force is strong in this one," he whispered darkly.
---
The lone X-Wing plunged at full power toward the bridge tower of the Hand of Justice. Everyone across the battlefield who was aware of it – those on the bridges of the dreadnought and the Invictus and the Jedi flowing with the Force – knew that all their fates rested on the outcome of this single action. Each of them wondered whether the shields of the Hand of Justice would hold against the suicide attacker.
They never found out.
With a final deep breath Luke snapped his X-Wing from its dive only a heartbeat before it would have collided with the dreadnought's shields. In that split-second change of direction he skimmed just over the top of the bridge tower and squeezed the triggers.
A pair of proton torpedoes burst from the tubes, followed immediately by a second pair. The extreme heat of the unrestricted rapid firing burned the tubes, which sputtered into dysfunction before firing the third and final pair.
Without opening his eyes Luke pulled his X-Wing into a steep climb, slammed the drives to maximum speed, and wished with all his might that his plan had worked.
The first pair of torpedoes detonated against the shields on the rear of the bridge. At only minimal strength because almost all power had been shifted to the fore in the attempt to repel the plummeting X-Wing, the shields collapsed under the power of the torpedoes' explosion.
Following right behind, the second pair of torpedoes dropped directly onto the rear of the unprotected bridge tower.
---
The massive explosion on the Hand of Justice appeared over the battle assessment table. Its light was so bright that those assembled immediately raised their eyes to the viewport to see flames erupting into space from the incinerated bridge tower at the rear of the enemy flagship.
"Is he…" Jenny gasped.
"He can't be…" Sarré insisted.
"Admiral?" asked Padmé quietly.
"Red Five, check in," Mirkalla spoke into the intercom. "Red Five, check in."
There was a long pause.
A long, terrible, heart-rending pause.
"Command, this is Red Five," came Luke's voice over the speaker. "I got a little cooked but I'm okay."
Mirkalla pumped his fist in victory.
"He did it! Master Luke did it!" shouted Threepio excitedly.
The three women burst into tears and fell into a joyous collective embrace.
---
Obi-Wan and Danaé cleared off the few TIEs that had tried to interfere with Anakin's pursuit of the enemy ace. They swerved to position just off his wings again.
Anakin switched off the beeping targeting computer and drew solely upon the Force. His eyes shut halfway in a vicious stare and he leaned back arrogantly in his seat. When the TIE made another sharp evasive roll, Anakin countered with an even steeper roll of his own.
"I have you now!"
All six cannons on the Lady Vader opened fire simultaneously.
The TIE incinerated in a brilliant explosion.
Jaytoo blooped and toodled triumphantly.
In the Force the three Jedi sensed the piercing fire of evil that radiated from the Sith's death. For a moment the Force was calm. Then they felt another burst of dark side energy – a deep, vile, primal howl of rage and vengeance. Two Sith were dead. And yet the violent disturbance of the dark side in the Force now only had become stronger.
Anakin extended his perceptions and determined that with the Falcon providing cover, Mara had arrived safely at the Invictus.
He swooped back toward the battle behind them with his old friend and his daughter on his wings. His eyes opened fully again, his breathing slowed, his grip loosened, and his posture returned to normal. For a moment he released the control stick to run his fingers through his hair again. Two long, soothing breaths cleared his mind and calmed his spirit.
---
On the bridge of the Invictus Admiral Mirkalla looked out the viewport at the Hand of Justice. The enormous dreadnought listed to one side, flames and debris spewing from a gaping gash in its hull at the location of its former bridge tower. All its guns were silent. Glancing back to the battle assessment table, he saw his destroyer moving into position against the remaining Vyhrragian warships, its shields already nearly restored and its guns unleashing a barrage at the enemy formation.
"The gravity well is deployed, Admiral," a lieutenant announced from a side console. "They cannot escape."
"Very good," Mirkalla replied.
"Admiral," the communications officer interjected, "we are receiving a transmission from one of the enemy cruisers. And all of their vessels are broadcasting an unconditional surrender."
"Excellent," the admiral smiled. He spoke into the intercom again. "Attention all units. Cease fire. Remain on alert. Repeat, cease fire on alert."
When he looked up to speak to the three women, he saw only their backs as they ran out the door on the far side of the bridge, heading toward the turbolifts to the hangar.
"I apologize for my Mistress' rudeness," Threepio said quietly. "This is most unlike her."
Mirkalla only laughed at the protocol droid.