CHAPTER TEN

Jag hurried through the narrow corridor of the Polar Wind. The first wave of warships in the Achebian invasion fleet had crossed into the neutral zone minutes ago, which meant Vikova's defenders had only minutes left before the battle would begin. There was no time to waste. They had to launch the fighters now.

Shawnkyr ran up to him from the opposite direction, then swung around on her heel to match his pace as they headed toward the battlecruiser's main hangar bay. "The modifications are completed," she told him. "Communication between the clawcraft and X-Wings is optimal."

"Well done," Jag said. "And just in time."

"Yes. And I suppose I should mention that I have already ordered the pilots to their ships."

"One step ahead of me as usual. I don't know what I would do without you, Shawnkyr."

"You would fail miserably." Shawnkyr met his gaze. Her face was serious as always, but there was a twinkle in her red eyes. "Sir."

Jag chuckled. "You're probably right, my friend. You're probably right."

They burst through an open portal into the main hangar bay. The cavernous room was a hive of frenetic activity, with Chiss pilots and support crew scurrying in all directions to prepare the bay to serve as a facility for refueling and repairs on the fly, even in the thick of the fighting. The six Jedi X-Wings were readying for takeoff, along with the Vikovan delegation's shuttle.

Jag's eyes sought out the distinctive colors of Jaina's X-Wing, and he located his target in an instant – but Jaina was nowhere to be found. It sure seemed like they had a lot to talk about, but now was not the time for any of that. No, not now. As good as they both were as pilots… Well, this was still a battle. And in battle, nothing was ever certain. Nothing.

Jag needed to tell Jaina that he loved her, and that the Force was with her. Just in case.

He didn't get more than a few more long strides toward the Jedi ships when a musical voice called out to him.

"Ambassador Fel!"

He stopped and turned. Surrounded by her intimidating – if not downright menacing – guards with their quite visible repeating blasters, Iliana was standing at the base of her heavily armored shuttle. Jag motioned Shawnkyr ahead to perform the status checks in the hanger, then walked toward Iliana. "Your Grace?"

She waved the guards apart and strode to meet him. She stopped a step closer than he had expected. "I believe the Chiss have a saying – Clear skies."

He tipped his head. "Thank you, Iliana."

"I am confident you will lead us to victory."

"I will do my best."

Iliana reached out to take his hands in hers. Then she leaned in and kissed him, lightly and briefly, once on each cheek. "Fly well, Jag. Be safe."

"I will," he said sincerely. "I promise."

Iliana squeezed his hands, then released her hold and stepped back. "If you'll excuse me," she said with a teasing grin, "I had best make my exit before the unpleasantness begins."

Jag grinned back. "I understand."

He watched Iliana glide back to the boarding ramp until the swirls of her white gown vanished inside the shuttle. Shawnkyr no doubt would have completed the status checks by now, so all he had to do was find her and –

Abruptly Jag felt a spike of cold in his back, as though a frozen vibroblade had been impaled right through him. Instinctively he spun around –

To find Jaina's brown eyes fixed on him from across the hangar with a stare so icy the chill now ran all the way up and down his spine. Before he could react, before he could figure out what to do or say, Jaina narrowed her eyes, shook her head in disgust, and sprang up into the cockpit of her X-Wing in a single Force-powered leap.

"All clear in here," Shawnkyr called from behind him, "and the clawcraft are ready to launch. We have to go. Now."

"All right," Jag replied. A final glance toward Jaina showed her cockpit canopy already closed, and her attention solidly directed on takeoff procedures. There was nothing more he could do. Maybe once they were up there… "All right," he said again. "Let's go."

Together they ran to the clawcraft's docking bay, and arrived there just as the other ten pilots in the Chiss squadron charged across the wide floor and clambered into their waiting starfighters. Jag and Shawnkyr barely had made it to their own ships when the others began to lift off and head toward the open bay doors into space.

Jag bounded into his cockpit and sealed the hatch behind him. He snapped on the restraints with one hand and flicked switches and adjusted controls with the other. The next second he was feathering the repulsors and lifting off, then firing the engines to propel him out to join the others. He emerged from the bright docking bay into the stark blackness of space, and swung his fighter around the Polar Wind's hull to the point off its bow where the dozen clawcraft and six X-Wings were forming up into their shielding trios.

The latest data scrolled past on Jag's cockpit viewport. "Vanguard Squadron, set course for mark one-nine-zero," he ordered into his helmet's comlink. "Enemy fighters moving in fast."

His seventeen pilots double-clicked their confirmations, and the six trios of one X-Wing and two clawcraft sped away from the Polar Wind.

Jag clicked over to a private channel. "Jaina?"

"What?"

"Look, I need to –"

"Not now, Jag," she hissed. "I don't need the distraction."

"But it's not –"

"Not now."

Jag sighed. "All right. May the Force be with you."

Jaina's only reply was a click closing the private channel.

Jag switched back to the squadron feed and took a deep breath. He didn't like the way this was starting out. Not one bit.

After a moment the voice of Garrett Trace snapped Jag's focus back to the battle at hand. "How's it look, Vanguard Leader?"

"See for yourself, Jedi Five," Jag said. He flicked a switch on his console and sent the stream of data to Shawnkyr and the six Jedi.

"Roger, Vanguard Leader," Garrett said.

"Vanguard Leader," Alema asked, "are we still keeping a rearguard of just the Y-Wings and the Imminent Reward?"

"Roger, Jedi Three," Jag replied.

"You really think that's enough?"

"No," Jag said. "But we don't have any choice."

"It doesn't look so bad in warships," Valin pointed out. "Our one cruiser and three frigates against their two cruisers and four frigates. That's manageable enough, right?"

"I suppose it is," Jag said. Fortunately the direction from which the Achebians had chosen to attack had allowed the Vikovan forces to shift two frigates and two squadrons into position at the last minute. Otherwise the prospects would have been grim indeed.

"We're still outnumbered almost two-to-one in starfighters," Garrett reminded them. "If we don't find a way to deal with that fast, the Hawkbats will hit our warships hard and that'll be that."

"He's right," Jaina said. "If we don't solve the numbers game, this'll be over in a hurry. And we won't like the way it ends."

Jag just barely managed to bite back his retort about the underwhelming brilliance of Garrett's "insight" before it left his mouth. He had enough problems right now without insulting Jaina on top of it. "Enough talk," he ordered. After months with his Chiss pilots, he'd forgotten how annoying it could be when Rebels wouldn't just shut up and fly. "Attack formations. They're almost here."

Jag checked his readouts and confirmed that the Polar Wind was moving fast to join them. Quickly he looked back over his shoulder at the formation of three dozen Vikovan starfighters escorting Iliana's shuttle down to the planet. At least that was taken care of. One less thing to worry about.

A glance to one side showed Lieutenant Gorsk's clawcraft in position off Jag's starboard wing, and to the other side…

"Horn! Have you lost your mind?"

"I'm sorry, Vanguard Leader?"

"You fly my wing."

"But… the trios… I thought –"

"Not this trio, Jedi Six," Jag said over the kid's rambling protestations about what Jaina had said and battle melds and who knew what else. "Are we clear?"

"Roger, Vanguard Leader," Valin said, sounding a bit flustered.

Before Jag could say more, Shawnkyr's voice intruded. "Enemy fighters fifteen seconds away."

"Vanguard Squadron, stay in formation for the first pass," Jag said. "See how they respond."

Affirmative clicks sounded in his ears as the final seconds before the battle ticked away. The swarms of onrushing Hawkbat fighters sped toward them outside his viewport.

And then it began.

Jag lined up the lead Hawkbat in his sights and squeezed his triggers. The first green bolts from his laser cannons slammed into the enemy fighter's shields – and the next ones brought them down. Jag squeezed the triggers again and the Hawkbat incinerated in a ball of flame.

"Wow, great shot!"

All around him more Hawkbats exploded as the Chiss and Jedi pilots opened fire with an intense barrage against their opponents.

"Cut the chatter, Jedi Six," Jag told Valin on his wing. "Time to get serious."

Besides, even if it was helpful to know that it only took a few laser blasts to rip down a Hawkbat's shields, it still was much more efficient to hit the weak points around the engine compartment. But that wasn't an option in a straight charge – only in dogfights.

"Stay in formation for another pass," Jag ordered. "They're not prepared for it."

The clawcraft and X-Wings swung around and surged straight toward the Hawkbat squadron they had just engaged. The second enemy squadron was closing rapidly, but they still had time to decimate the first. Probably – if the next pass could be as successful.

The Hawkbat fighters weren't nearly as maneuverable as the clawcraft or even the X-Wings, so the enemy ships hadn't been able to loop back around into their defensive formations. More importantly, the angle of attack left their engine compartments exposed. This was just the advantage Jag's pilots needed – and he knew he didn't have to say a word.

Jag targeted the nearest Hawkbat and squeezed his triggers. The green bolts lanced through the weak point in the craft's shield coverage and blasted the fighter cleanly in two. Jag watched as Valin's quad cannon bolts tore apart the Hawkbat right behind.

"Nice shot, Jedi Six," Jag said. The kid hadn't deserved to be snapped at earlier.

"Thanks, Vanguard Leader," Valin said even as he followed Jag's clawcraft in a swift arc to chase down another Hawkbat.

The enemy pilot dove to port, and Jag followed. Valin and Gorsk had no problem keeping up with him. They swerved again, three fighters hot on the Achebian's tail.

Jag had an idea. "Jedi Six, next time he turns –"

"– hit him on the long side," Valin finished.

Only a split-second later the Hawkbat climbed into another evasive maneuver to port. Valin fired a burst from his quad cannons that slammed into the Hawkbat's shields. Jag fired right after, aiming for the same spot. The nearly simultaneous hits were too much for the enemy craft's inferior shields, and Gorsk's shots sailed straight into the Hawkbat's unprotected hull and blew the ship to pieces.

If Jag had wondered about Valin Horn's skills as a pilot, he didn't any more. Jaina was right – the kid could fly.

"Enemy squadrons in range," Shawnkyr barked.

Jag looked at his sensors. Although only three Hawkbats remained from the first enemy group, two more squadrons were right on top of them.

"Split up! Outfly them and pick them apart," Jag said quickly into the comlink. "Jedi One and Four, mark zero-two-five. Jedi Two and Five, mark one-four-four. Jedi Three, you're with me."

With Jocell and Hop'tu on her wings and Garrett Trace's trio right behind, Jaina's X-Wing swerved away. On Jag's other side the trio with Jacen and Shawnkyr as wingmates – that had been Jaina's suggestion – followed Tyria Tainer's trio in the opposite direction. A quick glance over his shoulder showed Alema Rar already in position on his aft.

Jag charged toward an incoming group of Hawkbats. "Jedi Three, take the ones to port. We've got starboard."

"Roger, Vanguard Leader," Alema replied. The X-Wing and two clawcraft surged around from behind him and squared up on the enemy fighters.

Jag turned his attention back to his designated Hawkbats and readied his hands on his control stick. He held course for a few heartbeats longer, then swerved his clawcraft into a sudden dive, roll, and climb. The less responsive Hawkbat was no match for the swift maneuver, and now Jag had a clear shot at the enemy ship's vulnerability. Instantly the target lock beeped, and Jag squeezed his triggers. The burst of cannon bolts ripped through the Hawkbat's shields and blasted the fighter to bits.

Scanning quickly past the fiery nova of the explosion, Jag saw Valin and Gorsk execute matching loops, then combine their cannon fire to obliterate another Hawkbat. A quick check of the sensors showed that Alema's trio had taken out two more, and the other trios had managed to make similar reductions in the enemy's numbers.

It wasn't enough, not nearly, but it was something. It was a start.

"Another squadron on the way," Shawnkyr announced. "Watch your backs!"

Jag spared another glance at his sensors. A fourth squadron of Hawkbats was indeed bearing down on them. "Ktah!"

He switched over to the broader battle map to check on the final two Achebian squadrons and found that fortunately the two Vikovan squadrons had flown into position on the flanks and were keeping them occupied. That stalemate was a welcome relief, but it still left Jag's pilots facing off against nearly three full squadrons of Hawkbats.

"Stay sharp!" Jag tightened his grip on his control stick. "Keep your trios together!"

Suddenly the Polar Wind's batteries opened fire. The heavy laser cannon bolts and shimmering ion cannon blasts blazed through the maze of dancing starfighters and slammed into the shields of the first Achebian cruiser. The enemy warships returned fire, but neither their range nor their aim was as good as the Chiss battlecruiser's. The cruisers and frigates on both sides began to shift into combat positions, and the barrage of cannon fire between them continued.

Now the battle to defend Vikova truly was joined. Even after observing only the opening fusillade, Jag had confidence the superior skill of his crew on the Polar Wind more than made up for their slight numerical disadvantage in warships. Just as they'd thought from the start, this battle was going to come down to the starfighters. And those numbers weren't good at all.

Jag had to change the odds, and fast.

Valin and Gorsk formed up on his wings again, and the three of them raced after another pair of Hawkbats. Jag locked his concentration on the one to starboard, and pursued the enemy pilot with grim determination. Dive. Roll. Loop.

Valin took a shot at the Hawkbat to port, but the Achebian fighter spun away at the last moment. The X-Wing pursued with cannons blazing.

"Vanguard Seven, stay with Jedi Six," Jag said. Gorsk acknowledged with a double-click and took off after Valin.

Jag matched his prey's rolling climb, then swerved hard to shorten the angle. It only bought him a few degrees to shoot through, but that was all he needed. Jag slammed down on his triggers and hit the Hawkbat right on the weak spot atop its engine compartment.

Even before the explosion had faded Jag wrenched his clawcraft into a sharp barrel roll to send him back into the depths of the furball. Gorsk had baited an Achebian fighter into chasing him toward Jag. Without hesitation Jag dove his clawcraft down and around, ending up with a clear shot at the Hawkbat's exposed belly. The unsuspecting enemy pilot never saw the shots coming before his fighter exploded in a ball of fire.

Jag switched over to a private channel. "Lieutenant, where's Jedi Six?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, sir," the Chiss pilot replied.

Jag cursed under his breath and switched back to the squadron feed. Before he could open his mouth to berate Valin, however, triumphant yells from Jaina and Garrett Trace seized his attention.

"Wahoo!"

"Yeehaw!"

Even as Jag checked his sensors, the celebratory shouts continued.

"That was amazing, Garrett!"

"At your service, boss."

Whatever trick Trace had pulled off, he somehow had managed to wipe out three Hawkbats in a single pass. And apparently earned Jaina's admiration in the process.

And given himself more kills in the battle than Jag had.

Jag hissed out a breath. Even if Trace could repeat his little miracle – not likely – they needed to take out clusters of Hawkbats several more times before the numbers would be anywhere close to even. And they needed to do it right away.

There weren't many promising possibilities on the sensor readouts, but Jag kept looking. There had to be something. There just had to be.

A second later – just Valin suddenly reappeared on his wing – he saw it. "Jedi Six, Vanguard Seven," he said hurriedly, "mark one-two-zero. Clear me a path."

Two double-clicks confirmed the order, and the next moment Jag was following his wingmen across the battlefield. When they reached a formation of Hawkbats his escorts opened fire with their laser cannons and scattered the enemy fighters. Jag shot through the gap and pushed his ion engines to top speed. It didn't take long for him to find the group of Achebian fighters he'd picked out. Sure enough, the greedy enemy pilots took the bait – the chance to get the kill of a squadron leader was just too good to pass up.

Jag dove into a hard loop with six Hawkbats on his tail. Red laser cannon bolts flashed overhead and underneath as he juked and rolled to avoid the onslaught from behind him. His pursuers were no match for his skill, but fleeing from six at once was never easy. Jag narrowed his eyes and steeled his focus as he set a zigzag course through the frantic furball of clawcraft, X-Wings, and Hawkbats toward the vicious exchange taking place between the Polar Wind and two enemy warships.

"Jag!"

"Yes?"

"You're not doing what I think you're doing." Apparently Jaina had enough time to spare from flying with her new favorite ace to figure out what Jag had planned.

"Actually," Jag said, "I am."

"Have you gone mad?"

"We'll find out." He paused. "I love you, Jaina."

With that, Jag charged forward with the six Hawkbats dogging his tail and disappeared into the blinding barrage of cannon blasts volleying between the battlecruiser and the Achebian frigates.

9