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Skywalker Resurgent Ch.6: A Necessary Battle
Something the movies, shows, and books like to gloss over is time. It's no secret that a galaxy is a big place, especially when interstellar travel is involved. It would be several days until even the speedy Millennium Falcon made the trip to the Alliance base on Yavin IV, as Leia had helpfully provided us the base's location as a place where we could run to and drop off the plans Artoo was still holding onto.
I had asked Leia if she thought moving straight for Yavin was a good idea. I'd pointed out that if we were being tracked (which I was fairly certain we were), we could easily take a random hyperspace route to a random planet, land, locate the tracker, and be on our way from there.
"We're risking a lot by going straight for an installation the Empire can track us to," I argued calmly. "We can always coordinate a strike on the Death Star in a few days or weeks. It'd give us plenty of time to plan and bring in more support."
"Luke, that's just not an option," Leia snapped at me, clearly getting frustrated by my continued prodding on the subject.
"Well, why not?" I asked, feeling frustrated myself. "Can you explain it to me?"
"You don't understand," Leia said, standing up to pace. We were in the lounge area and were alone, with the notable exception of Artoo, who was remaining quiet and was simply observing our conversation. Han and Chewie were in the cockpit right now while Kenobi was resting in one of the bunks and likely would be for most of the trip. I had no idea where Threepio had gotten off to.
I remained seated and waited for Leia to continue.
"We can't let that thing remain active," Leia began firmly. "We need it destroyed as soon as possible and now, we have the means to make it happen. This heap of scrap will get us there well ahead of the Death Star and let us lure it in for our fighters to strike at."
"But that doesn't explain why we have to lure the Death Star to the base at Yavin," I protested. "Why force a confrontation so soon?"
"We have to do it because they're scared, Luke," Leia admitted angrily, stopping her pacing and not turning to look at me. "They're all scared. The Alliance has already suffered serious losses trying to fight that thing and the galaxy can't afford for them to be indecisive on this."
That statement just hung in the sudden silence in the compartment. Surprised by her answer, I didn't say anything as Leia seemed to collect herself after her outburst and turned to sit herself in the chair, facing me on the couch.
"An Alliance fleet group already went off and tried to damage or destroy that blasted thing," Leia admitted. "We lost some of our best naval assets, including hundreds of fightercraft and our biggest capital ships. We didn't even scratch it in return. Command ordered that no further attempt was to be made until the Alliance could acquire some sort of advantage or detailed plans for the station with which to plan an attack. We've already theorized that a surgical strike with fightercraft can work, we've just never had the opportunity before. With the Death Star following us to our main planetary base and our detailed plans of the station's layout, as well as the fighters we have on hand, it should all be sufficient to commence an operation before the base is destroyed."
"And how will the rest of Alliance Command react once they find out about this?" I asked her, my tone inquisitive but not judgmental. I was starting to see where she was coming from, even if I didn't wholly agree.
"What they think won't matter," she informed me, surprising me with her words. "I'm also a member of the Alliance Command Council in my father's stead and I have the authority to make this decision. Whether the others stay or flee doesn't concern me. We won't get a better shot than we have right now and I'm making this decision on my own authority."
"They'll have no choice but to agree to a plan of action with the Death Star coming in hot on our heels," I said aloud, nodding in understanding.
"That's why we're headed right for the Alliance base at Yavin," Leia said, unashamed of her motivations. "That... that damned monstrosity won't exist for one day longer than necessary. What it did to Alderaan will not be repeated. I swear it."
I stared at Leia as she glared back at me challengingly. Reaching through the Force, something I'd been doing a lot more often of late, I looked for any insights into her emotional state. I sensed anger and a deep hatred of the Empire for what they'd done... but overriding that was a powerful determination. She wanted that station destroyed and for the Empire to pay, but more because she believed it was the right thing to do than for personal revenge. Oh, revenge was certainly a part of it, but I believed her desire to see that the Death Star was destroyed was far greater than simple revenge. This was about slaying the dreaded monster, and that was all the reason needed to act in her mind.
I also sensed she was waiting for me to keep arguing or to give her some kind of reprimand for her motivations, but I wasn't going to do either of those things.
"Okay."
Leia's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden acceptance.
"Just like that?" she asked.
"Just like that," I nodded with a smile. "You know the stakes and you know the Alliance better than I do. If this is what you say needs to happen, then I believe you."
It didn't hurt that I know her plan has a chance of succeeding but even if I didn't, I couldn't deny that she had a point. That station had to go.
"And besides," I said, standing up. "I happen to want that station destroyed as well. That thing's a weapon of terror placed in the hands of those who are far too willing to use it. You can count on my help when the time comes."
I held out my hand to shake, as an affirmation of my promise. Leia smiled and grasped my own hand in hers. Her grip was firm and I could feel the sense of relief pouring off of her. I suppose she was especially grateful that I hadn't judged her motivations a moment ago when she'd bared her soul like that. While it may not have been for entirely honorable reasons, I agreed with the motivations one hundred percent.
Also, Leia did know the state of Alliance politics better than I did. If she was confident that this was necessary, then I wasn't going to argue without some strong evidence that contradicted her.
For now, we just had to rest up as much as we could before we arrived at Yavin. Things were only going to get busier once we arrived.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
A little over an hour after our discussion, it seemed Leia tried to explain the same thing to Han or perhaps tried to sell the virtuous cause of the Alliance to him. I caught the tail end of the argument as I walked towards the cockpit, nearly bumping into Leia as she was exiting the cockpit herself.
"Your friend is quite the mercenary," she informed me with a scowl. "I wonder if he cares about anything. Or anyone."
With that parting shot, Leia left. I could almost feel the sting of that last comment as Han didn't so much as turn his eyes away from the console in front of him, but kept his shoulders hunched and forward.
Choosing not to comment directly on what just occurred, I sat down in the empty copilot's seat. After about a minute of neither of us saying anything, I decided to try and address the bantha in the room as delicately as possible.
"Friendly disagreement?" I asked lightly.
"Yeah," Han snorted. "You could say that."
"She's just passionate about her cause," I told him. "Emotions are running a bit high right now, given recent events. I'm sure she didn't mean that."
"Whatever," he grumbled.
He didn't add anything further to that and I chose not to either.
"Still..." he said finally, trailing off. "You've got to admit that she's got spirit."
Han let that sentence hang there as I chose not to respond and just looked at him.
"I don't know, kid," Han said, leaning back in his seat. "Do you ever think a princess and a guy like me could...I don't know...make it work somehow?"
"Stranger things have happened," I replied. "Trust me on that."
"Well yeah, but...I don't know...just forget it," Han trailed off again, sighing.
"Han," I said turning in my seat to face him and give my response. "If you want to give it a shot, then go for it. If you're looking for affirmation from someone else, then all I have to say is to be certain of what you'd be getting into and don't do it halfhearted. You're a decent enough guy by my reckoning and Leia's not so terrible herself, if just a bit passionate on certain subjects. If you're looking for encouragement, then I say give it a shot. You two already argue like you're married anyway."
"What the hells? No we don't!" Han denied.
"Sure, sure," I smirked.
"Wipe that smirk off of your face, kid," Han warned me. "I've met her type before and I'm not exactly a fan of the whole 'your royal highness' attitude. She's rather full of herself on a good day, so far as I can tell. That, and I don't go out for big causes like she clearly does. Frankly, she's bad news and a bad time for someone like me."
"Then why are we even talking about this?" I asked, still smiling.
"I-" Han cut himself off before starting to speak again a moment later. "We're not anymore."
"Then I guess we're not," I agreed.
"Right, exactly," Han said.
"Precisely."
"We're done."
"Sure."
Silence reigned again in the cockpit as Han frowned in annoyance at the warped star streaks of hyperspace outside of the cockpit. I kept a smile on my face as I admired the view alongside him.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Despite it's descriptor of being a moon, Yavin IV was actually the size of a normal planet. Just because it was in orbit of a gas giant instead of a star apparently didn't mean it had to be small like Earth's own moon or other planetary satellites I was familiar with. In hindsight, that made sense. There are a fair few complications in setting up a base in a low gravity environment that were never mentioned before in the books or movies.
Our approach to the rebel base went uncontested once Leia transmitted her clearance codes. I admit that the facility was well hidden beneath the ruins of one of the ancient Massassi temple complexes. It was practically indiscernible from the terrain and the ancient ruins. I couldn't see clear signs of activity until we were right on top of it.
Our receiving party only consisted of four armed guards, all wearing helmets, combat webbing, and carrying decently sized blaster rifles. The rest of the group was made up of what looked like three staff officers being led by two older men who stood out in front of the group. They weren't wearing any discernible rank so far as I could see, but I got the impression that they must have been pretty high ranking by the way the four guards stood protectively near them rather than the three supposedly more junior officers behind them.
Leia led the way down the Falcon's ramp, letting them get a good look at her first before jumping to any conclusions about this being a ploy of some sort. This seemed to be the right call, as everyone immediately relaxed and smiles broke out among the Alliance members as they recognized the princess.
"You're safe!" the man said, relieved. "When we received word about your ship and then Alderaan, we had feared the worst."
"Regretfully, there's no more time for sorrows, commander," Leia said. "The tactical data for the station is stored in the R2 unit. We can use it to plan our attack."
Nodding, the officer gestured to two of his men to move forward for Artoo. Giving the little astromech a pat on his blue dome, I told him it was alright to go with them and that we'd catch up later. Beeping in acknowledgement, he rolled off with the two Alliance troopers.
Introductions had apparently already begun while I was distracted.
"General Jan Dodonna, this is General Obi-Wan Kenobi," Leia said with a gracious air. "General Kenobi, this is General Jan Dodonna. He's one of our best generals and one of the Alliance's greatest assets."
Jan Dodonna was an older man wearing tan clothes with a longcoat over his uniform. It had white accents on the sleeves and inner lining, which actually managed to compliment the man's white hair and beard. He had firm, but smooth lines on his face which showed his many years of experience.
"General Kenobi, it is an honor to have you among us," Dodonna greeted formally. "I was an admirer of your deeds during the Clone Wars and am happy to hear whatever input you have to offer."
"The pleasure is all mine, general," Kenobi bowed in return. "I look forward to giving whatever aid I can. However, I believe my student will be of just as much interest to you as I."
Turning their attention to me, Leia spoke up again. "General Dodonna, this is Luke Skywalker. He's a jedi as well and currently studying under General Kenobi in the ways of the Force."
"This is wonderful news!" the old man exclaimed happily. He reached out and shook my hand with a strong grip. "Mr. Skywalker, we're all excited to have you here. For too long we've had a distinct lack of jedi among our ranks. I know I speak for everyone when I say; welcome to the Alliance."
"It's an honor, general," I said to him. I was genuine in my praise to the man. I remembered that Dodonna was basically the father of the Alliance's starfighter doctrine. The Alliance's strike craft only succeeded as they did because of this man's contribution. His emphasis on hyperdrive capable ships was what gave the Alliance a competitive edge against the Empire's superior numbers and firepower.
Together, we all walked into the base as we continued talking. I noticed that Han and Chewie hadn't been introduced, but Leia wasn't preventing them from following us either. I still wasn't very good at reading Chewie's expressions, but Han kept a disinterested look on his face as he followed with the group. Still, I noticed his eyes taking in everything and was certain he was paying attention to what was being said.
Leia told Dodonna to call for a briefing to discuss a serious situation about the Death Star. Dodonna agreed and said that he was sure they would be happy for any information she could provide.
Something tells me they weren't going to be so chipper when Leia broke the news that the Death Star was on the way here.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
As expected, they didn't take it well at all.
There was the expected surprise, anger, and panic as the news settled in with the officers. Some of them wanted to evacuate immediately, while others were attempting to berate Leia for her recklessness. A difficult task, given how unrepentant she was and the stubborn authority she carried with her. While the ranking structure here was unfamiliar to me and seemed rather nebulous, it was clear that Leia was higher up in it than almost everyone else in the room.
And it didn't hurt that anyone who might outrank her, was clearly on her side.
Dodonna and Kenobi were both among the few in that category. Their combined presence, rank, and reputation kept the others from completely losing their cool as the panic began to overwhelm some of them. They assured everyone that with the plans Leia had provided, they'd have everything necessary to make a surgical strike to either disable or destroy the station with the fighters they had on hand. Artoo was already feeding the plans to the Alliance technicians and they'd confirmed that they had everything they'd need to plan an attack.
Once the meeting had calmed down, Kenobi and I were formally introduced to the group gathered. It wasn't the whole Alliance Command, but it was a significant fraction of them. Gathering everyone in one place was an almost unheard of event and nearly impossible with a galaxy-spanning conflict going on. I could tell that Mon Mothma, Bel Iblis, and a few others whom I knew made up the Alliance leadership weren't here.
I was also introduced as 'Kenobi's Padawan,' which I found a bit annoying. I'd have preferred it if they'd called me his partner instead, but that didn't carry the same implications as 'padawan' to these people. Maybe it was because I was much older than I looked or because I had a problem with being labeled as 'the student,' but it was a bit aggravating to be looked at like the followup act to Kenobi's greatness. Although, I had to acknowledge that he was the one with the reputation here. Right now, I was just the farmboy from the backwater world. That would certainly change in time, but I'd have to just bear with it for now. Besides that, there was an undeniable advantage to being an unknown. It'd let me build my own reputation with these people in time.
As the meeting began to break up and people went to handle different tasks, I was approached by Leia and someone I didn't recognize.
"Luke, there's someone I want you to meet," she said. "This is Commander Garvin Dreis. He's in charge of Red Squadron."
The commander held out his hand to shake. He was a man of average height with short, curly blonde hair and light green eyes. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties, although indications of age were often misleading in this galaxy. He greeted me with a friendly smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, commander," I said, shaking his hand.
"Pleasure's all mine, Skywalker," he said. "I've been speaking with her highness about you and you've certainly accomplished some impressive things already. By chance, are you related to Anakin Skywalker?"
I was shocked and taken off guard by the sudden question. After a moment of debate with myself, I told him.
"Yes, I am," I said, not hiding my surprise. "I'm his son. How did you know that?"
"I had the opportunity to fly with your father during the Battle of Virujansi," he informed me. "Best damn pilot I'd ever seen in my life. If you're anything like him, I'll be glad to have you on my wing in this assault. If you're a lot like him, we'll all be glad to have you out there with us before this thing is through."
What followed was a trip to the flight simulators. A separate room set aside with plenty of empty cockpit modules so that a whole squadron could train together in virtual reality. Commander Dreis explained that they had to conserve as many resources as they could, so a lot of training had to be done in simulators to avoid wearing down what we had. Besides, all of the fighters they currently had were being prepped for action and they didn't have any to spare for 'hands on' experience.
Dreis explained that they had to see what I could do first in the simulator before they let me try out an X-wing. An elaborate series of simulated missions were lined up for me to prove myself on. Dreis said he'd be in the next room with some of the other members of the squadron to check on my progress and make adjustments to the program when necessary. He told me to just do my best and not worry about passing or failing and that he was sure I'd do fine regardless.
To make a long story short, I nailed it.
They threw waves of TIE fighters at me, had me take simulated strike runs at planetary targets, had me make maneuvers through complex formations, and the bane of all gamers; they had me do an escort mission.
On that last one, I figured someone must've decided to make one of those 'adjustments' to the program the commander mentioned. An Imperial Star Destroyer jumped out of hyperspace right in front of the convoy. Not panicking beyond one surprised curse (since it was just a simulation), I gave orders to the rest of the computer generated fighters in the convoy to screen them from the TIEs while I took my wingman (another computer simulated character) straight in to make a close up run on the star destroyer's turbolaser batteries to give the convoy more time to escape.
I took my fighter under the belly of the star destroyer and avoided almost all of her primary weaponry in the process. Upon passing her engine block, I cut my engines and made a zero gravity turn before rising and putting myself directly behind the ship in what I knew was its blind spot. Accelerating to my craft's top speed, I made an attack run on the ship's port turbolaser batteries. I skimmed only a few meters above the hull and landed devastating, if simulated, blows to the ships armaments. It probably would've been more impressive if my computer generated wingman had managed to follow me. As it was, it had been destroyed trying to mimic my maneuvers. Nevertheless, the digitally rendered convoy managed to flee along with most of the fighters, ending the simulation.
With the simulation over, one of the techs instructed me to go ahead and climb out of the simulator capsule. As I did, I saw Commander Dreis came out of the control room, along with a familiar face.
"Biggs?" I asked, surprised. "Biggs Darklighter, what the hell are you doing here?"
Biggs was an old friend from Tatooine. I remember that he'd left Tatooine nearly a year and a half before I did and had gone to one of the Imperial academies to become a pilot. He'd returned to Tatooine to say his goodbyes, as he'd instead been recruited to join the Alliance before even completing his first assignment. He'd encouraged me to come with him or at least follow in his footsteps, but I'd declined at the time. I'd wished him luck and we'd parted ways there. It seems that just like in the original story, he'd ended up here.
"Doing my part in order to save the galaxy, of course!" he said, stepping forward and pulling me into a manly embrace. After a few backslaps, Dreis stepped forward and spoke up.
"Darklighter has been on Red Squadron for a few months now," he explained. "I just caught up with him in the computer room over there and told him that we were testing a new recruit. He just about fell over when I told him your name."
"Probably just out of relief that I'm around again to watch his back," I laughed, giving Biggs a friendly punch in the arm. "Hell of a small galaxy that you and I both ended up here!"
Biggs grinned at me. Despite being only slightly older than me, the young man had managed to grow a thick, dark mustache to match his equally dark hair. Biggs was always a good friend and I had memories of growing up alongside of him and the good times we'd had together. Our friendship hadn't really changed after I became the 'new' Luke Skywalker and I was glad he'd apparently done well for himself, if the lieutenant's insignia on his flight suit was any indication.
"Keep telling yourself that, Skyboy," Biggs brushed off. "Although I did tell the commander that we'd be missing out on a hell of a good pilot if he didn't get you into a flight suit as soon as possible. You're a pretty decent pilot and we could use your talents around here."
"'Pretty decent?'" I parroted back. "Excuse you, but who has the better flight scores here? I seem to recall someone frequently coming in second place whenever we raced through the canyons and it certainly wasn't me. Or are you going to tell me that academy you went to did the impossible and made you a better pilot than me?"
"Head out of the clouds, Skyboy," Biggs said without any heat. "You're not as good as you think you are."
"Still good enough to outfly you, Darklighter," I smirked.
"That a fact?" Biggs responded, a challenging look in his eye.
"He's pretty damn good in the simulator, at least," Dreis said. He'd been watching us with a wry smile on his face. "And didn't someone just describe him as the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim territories a few minutes ago?"
"Someone, eh?" I said, smirking at Biggs who rolled his eyes and didn't meet my gaze. "That same someone also wouldn't have been responsible for a freaking star destroyer jumping on top of that convoy in the last simulation, were they?"
"Darklighter said we were going too easy on you," Drevis confirmed to me. "Usually, it's just a light cruiser or two. From what I saw, he was right. That was an excellent maneuver you pulled back there. You went right for that Imperial-class' weak spot and took advantage before any TIEs could catch up to you. That was damn excellent flying, from start to finish. Do all bush pilots practice maneuvers like that on Tatooine?"
"Well," I began, a bit abashed by the older man's praise. "I'll admit that I was hoping to join one of the flight academies at some point, so I practiced against lots of types of ships and studied their layouts for vulnerabilities. Those recruitment videos really have an impact on an impressionable farmboy from a planet in the middle of nowhere, ya know?"
Both men nodded in understanding. "You've got to hand it to the guys who run their PR department; they're good at what they do," commented Biggs. "It's how they got me to join after all."
"Right?" I agreed. "Anyway, I'm guessing I passed?"
"With flying colors," Dreis confirmed. "Welcome to Red Squadron, Red Five."
My answering grin must've been stuck to my face for almost an hour after he said that.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Years Ago...
Kenobi had joined me today at the airfield at Tosche Station. We had rented one of the small simulator booths the owner kept in the shed and I intended it to be the focus of today's lesson. I had even payed a little extra to the owner to ask that we not be disturbed as we rented the simulator he kept in one of the small, one room shacks and out of sight of the other customers. Kenobi had agreed to meet me here for another lesson at my request. He thought I was just here for some extra practice, and he was right...to an extent.
"You want to learn how to use the Force while piloting?" Kenobi asked.
"Force sensitive individuals make excellent pilots," I explained. "There are countless examples of otherwise ordinarily skilled pilots being capable of feats that should otherwise be impossible. Stuff that goes well beyond what natural talent or experience alone should be capable of. My own father is a prime example of what a Force user is capable of if they're both skilled and strong in the Force."
"Anakin was easily the best pilot I've ever seen," Kenobi agreed with me. "Whenever the occasion would come up, I practically had to drag him away from some new ship or machine in order to get his complete attention. And whenever we actually flew in something, he achieved feats that still amaze me to this day."
"So you think it was mostly his natural talent?" I asked.
"There were many Jedi with some measure of natural talent for flying," Kenobi explained. "Your father was one of the few people I thought might be as skilled, if not more so, than the average Jedi pilot without using his connection to the Force."
"And using the Force likely only enhanced his abilities," I mused.
"It made him the best," he admitted. "With the Force as his ally in the cockpit, I don't believe there was anyone capable of matching him in a battle of pure skill."
"So, training with the Force can enhance one's piloting skills. Could you teach those techniques to me?" I asked.
"Already preparing for your later adventures?" Kenobi asked wryly.
"The problem with being the best skyhopper pilot on Tatooine," I explained. "Is that nobody who doesn't live on Tatooine cares. Tatooine isn't exactly a good sample size, nor is it good training for going up against people who fly starfighters for a living. With the Death Star to consider, as well as how the Alliance will likely want me to commit to being one of their 'star' fighter pilots afterwards, pun intended, I'm going to want every advantage I can get."
"Very well," Kenobi gave in. "We can spend some time reviewing techniques and working on utilizing your reflexes while piloting the speeder as extra practice. You may have to practice with actual aircraft on your own time."
There actually wasn't too much to it once you realized the techniques were all simple enough to employ. Much like personal combat, it involved sensing danger and reacting to it. The real trick was getting experience and maintaining that awareness. Also in getting a feel for the aircraft through the Force and feeling what its capabilities were as well as learning to avoid actions the Force told me might lead to death or danger.
I was quite fortunate that I had any number of friends and local teens from nearby farms and towns willing to take me on as a challenger if I said the right things. Pride motivates a lot of young egos.
Let's just say I did a lot more flying through Beggar's Canyon, bullseyeing womp rats, and targeting boulders that looked to be about two meters across, smaller, or maybe sometimes starfighter-sized. It got to the point where some of my friends were kinda sick of trying to compete with me one-on-one and instead started to form teams against me or make me take handicaps in our little competitions.
It didn't help them as much as they thought it would.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
Present...
The final briefing began with little preamble, with Dodonna and a few of his staff entering the briefing room, greeting the assembled pilots, and activating the display in front of us. Once the display had finished loading, it showed a basic wireframe outline of the Death Star, with sensor data depicting defensive stats along the side.
Wasting no time, Dodonna got right into it.
"The battle station is heavily shielded and carries firepower greater than half of a sector fleet," he explained. "It's defenses are designed around a large scale assault. A small, one man fighter should have little trouble penetrating the outer defenses."
The display shifted, highlighting one particular area of the Death Star's surface as it zoomed in and greater details began to show up on the display.
One pilot raised his hand and asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Pardon me, sir," he said. "But what good are snub fighters going to do against that?"
"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small, one man fighter to be of any threat," Dodonna explained. "Otherwise, they'd have built a tighter defense net around the station."
That actually fit pretty well with the Empire's approach to combat. They invest almost nothing in their fighter and small craft designs and production while using those funds instead for overwhelming firepower and capital ship production. As I recalled, it was part of that asinine 'Tarkin Doctrine,' which basically proclaimed that every problem, no matter the size, needed a sledgehammer approach whereas a scalpel or just talking could've probably done the job just as well.
"Thanks to the plans acquired by Princess Leia, we've been able to locate a weakness in the battle station," the general continued. "The approach will not be easy, but is possible."
The display shifted again and demonstrated a POV shot that moved into a long trench. Turbolaster towers were highlighted alongside the trench as the shot moved forward until it came to an abrupt end, highlighting an opening against the trench's ending wall.
"You'll be required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface until this point," Dodonna elaborated. "You'll need to give your targeting computers enough time to calibrate for the shot, so entering the trench at a suitable distance will be critical. The target is an opening only two meters wide. It's a small, radiation exhaust port that serves as a backup for the main exhaust."
"However, this one has a design weakness we can exploit. The port has a shaft leading directly to the main reactor system. A direct hit should trigger a chain reaction, destroying the station by detonating the main reactor."
"That's impossible, even for a computer!" one pilot beside me protested.
"Not impossible," I corrected. "Just very difficult. Bush pilots on Tatooine make bullseye shots on womp rats using civilian-spec T-16's all the time. With X-wings using their superior speed and targeting capabilities, it's still possible."
"Precisely," Dodonna nodded to me in gratitude. "Pilots making the run on the trench will have to give themselves enough time for their targeting computers to break through the ECM and jamming that will be surrounding it. In order to ensure the torpedoes make it, we'll be specially modifying the proton torpedoes you'll be firing to ensure they travel all the way to the reactor before detonating."
"Are there any other questions?" Dodonna asked. There were a few about the status of evacuating unnecessary equipment and personnel and our planned launch time, but Dodonna quickly answered those and the briefing room was once again silent.
"Pilots," he finally said. "Man your ships. And may the Force be with you."
Everyone stood and began to file out of the room as the briefing ended. Before he could get too far, I reached out an arm and tapped one of my fellow pilots on the shoulder. He was the one sitting beside me who had called the mission impossible.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name," I said, holding out my hand to shake.
The man sighed and reached out to grasp my hand in his. "It's Wedge," he said. "Wedge Antilles. I'm Red Two."
"Good to meet ya, wingman," I said with a smile, not overly reacting to the name. "I'm Luke Skywalker and I hear I'll be partnered with you as Red Five."
"Yeah, the Jedi kid her highness brought in," Wedge answered, although not maliciously. "Word travels fairly quick around here."
"Not that much of a kid," I objected in a friendly tone. "I managed to zip up my own flight suit in the locker room! And I even put my boots on the correct feet on my first try."
Wedge barked out a short laugh at that and I saw some of the tension go out of him at the same time.
"Sorry if it seemed like I was a bit of a prick back there," I apologized. "I know getting the shot on target will be hard, but I didn't want you or anyone thinking it was impossible. I might've phrased it better though."
"Nah, don't sweat it," he waved off. "I realize it's not impossible to make that shot, but..." he trailed off and let out a sigh. "I just feel like we may loose a lot of pilots on this mission for a target we really should have more support against."
"We'll make it happen," I assured him. "Whatever the price at then end of the day, I promise you it'll be worth it to see this thing gone. I've seen what that thing did to Alderaan at a low power setting and I don't want to think what a full blast will do to a planet. I've got a good idea of what the Empire might use that damn thing for in the future and it's nothing good. This fight is worth it."
"Well damn," Wedge chuckled. "Didn't expect the rookie to have that kind of confidence and determination on his first mission. Although, with a jedi involved, I probably should've in hindsight."
"Well don't go asking for miracles just yet," I admonished him, laughing a bit. "I'm technically not a full jedi, yet. Best I can probably do right now is the incredible."
Wedge laughed again. I could feel the last of his tension seep out of him. Now, I could feel more of a sense of purpose in him as told me he had to get going to check on his fighter.
"See you out there, wingman," he called back, walking away from me.
My eyes followed him down the corridor for a few moments as the young rebel pilot walked away. Assuming we both survived this, I was looking forward to getting to know the man a little better.
'So that was the legendary Wedge Antilles,' I thought. 'Good thing he doesn't seem like a total prick. It'd be a real pain having to work with him if he was. Here's hoping we have many years of working together ahead of us.'
Now, it was time for me to get to the hanger.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
"So, you're leaving us?" I asked.
We were making our final checks before launch and I had one last thing to take care of. Han was still adamant about leaving and I really needed to convince him to stick around. True to her word, Leia had arranged payment for Han and had even thrown in a bonus for his troubles. In total, Han and Chewie were walking away from this 25,000 credits richer and were making off with some spare weapons and ammo the Alliance was willing to part with. It certainly made for a tidy sum, but now I had to convince Han to stick around even though leaving was definitely the smarter option.
"That's right," Han agreed, unashamed. "I got some old debts I've got to pay off with this stuff. Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?"
Chewie grabbed the last two crates and carried them off to the Falcon while Han turned to face me. "Y'know, why don't you come with us? You're pretty good in a fight. Chewie and I could really use you."
"Han, look," I began. "I know that you need this money and I'm not even going to suggest you don't take it. But are you sure there's not some part of you that doesn't want to stay and help?"
"A reward's no good if you're not around to spend it, kid," Han answered, walking back to where the Falcon was parked. "And I don't think you know me well enough to make those kinds of assumptions about me. I've told you before and I'll tell you again; I'm in this to get paid and go. I'm not one for believing in causes."
"You and I both know that's not entirely true," I told him, placing an arm in front of him and stopping him before he boarded his ship. "The man who ran off to be an officer in the Imperial Navy certainly believed in something. That was the same man who helped defend Nar Shadaa from the Empire and the same man who helped liberate those people on Ylesia from the Hutts. I know you've been burned by people you've trusted before, Han. I'm sorry that's happened to you and I wish I could change it. But I do think there's a part of you that still wants to believe in something."
"Okay, how in the Nine Hells of Corellia do you know about that?" Han demanded, slapping my hand down and jamming a finger in my face aggressively. "Just who the hell are you really, and how do you know so much about me? Are you some kind of spy?"
And wasn't that an accusation I had been worried about receiving?
'Perhaps a little honesty here could go a long way?' I though to myself.
"I'm still just Luke Skywalker, Han," I told him calmly. "I'm the same guy you escaped the Death Star with. I'm also a Force sensitive and that makes me a little more weird than the average person living in this galaxy. Even weirder is the stuff I've got in my head that seems simultaneously true, weird, fictional, and oddly specialized. Forget any broad strokes like me knowing you wanted to be an officer; that's just details. What it really tells me is the important stuff. It tells me that you're a good man, Han Solo. It's why I want you to stick around. It's why I think you want that too. But whatever me, Kenobi, or Leia would want, you have to make your own choices."
Han just stared at me for a few moments as he processed my answer. During this exchange, Chewbacca came back down the ramp and paused near us, apparently sensing the tension as he chose not to say anything or otherwise interfere.
"If you have some magic power that lets you know all this, then don't you know what I'll already do?" Han asked. He was a bit more quiet than he was a moment ago, but still didn't sound like he believed me fully.
"That's not how it works, Han," I told him. "You still have the freedom to choose here. I hope you'll make the right choice, but failing that, I hope you make the choice you're best able to live with."
Turning away from him, I faced Chewie to say my goodbyes to him. "Take good care of each other, Chewie. Han's damn lucky to have you around to look out for him."
The wookiee let out a soft yowl and surprised me by pulling me into a hug. I laughed, surprised by the sudden display of affection, but patted the larger being on the back as I appreciated the gesture. I wonder if all wookiees are so affectionate?
I walked away from them both at that point and headed to my assigned fighter. I was confident that if nothing else, I had made as good a case as I could have to ensure that Han stuck around. Either that, or I had just scared him off with my display of knowledge. I suppose we'll find out.
Ok, maybe dropping Leia's name there near the end was a bit of a dirty trick, but I stand by it and everything else I said. Han Solo really was a man with a heart of gold, even if it didn't seem like it at times. He grew up in a harsh galaxy and it drove home harsh lessons to him at any and every opportunity. Despite all that, I knew he still wanted to do good in this galaxy. Helping out with the Death Star was his way of trying to be a hero again. Someone he could respect more for being a good person than just another survivor when he looked into a mirror.
Shaking my head, I cleared my mind and began to focus on the task ahead as I approached my assigned X-wing, Artoo already being loaded into the astromech slot behind the cockpit.
"Luke, are you okay?"
I turned my head and saw Leia and Kenobi making their way towards me.
"It's just Han," I explained. "I tried convincing him to stay, but I don't think I got through to him as much as I'd have liked."
Leia frowned in displeasure, apparently annoyed with the Corellian once again. "Luke, he's got to follow his own path. No one can choose it for him."
"That is very true," I agreed. Kenobi nodded to me, conveying understanding of why I wanted Han to stick around. We'd discussed it before and had agreed that all I can do is nudge him towards a decision, not make it for him.
I was still confident that Han would make the right decision. I just knew better than to keep the topic going around Leia right now.
Switching tracks, I turned to Kenobi.
"So, what exactly have they got you doing around here, general?" I asked, smirking at my mentor.
"I'll be staying here, offering advice in the command center along with General Dodonna," Kenobi explained.
"I'm surprised they didn't try to shove you into one of these fighters," I told him.
"They did, actually," Leia chimed in, smirking.
"Yes," Kenobi said, sighing and looking just a bit uncomfortable. "I flatly refused. Flying daring missions from the cockpit of a fighter is a young man's game and I've been out of it long enough as it is. I told them that if they wanted a Jedi fighter pilot, then you're the one they're looking for, not me."
I smiled at the compliment and replied. "Well, I could've given you a refresher course while we were back on Tatooine, but you kept declining."
"And for legitimate reasons," Kenobi argued. "Flying combat missions is a young man's game. I was never especially talented at it and you're clearly far better at it than I. Besides that, they'd have to pull one of their already trained pilots out to give me a fighter, which I advised them not to do."
"Uh huh," I said, sounding unconvinced. Turning to Leia, I leaned in and stage-whispered the last factor he hadn't mentioned. "He actually hates flying."
"It's not a matter of disliking or liking piloting," Kenobi defended while I smirked at him.
"Sure, sure," I waved off. "I suppose neither of you are getting on the transports then?"
A lot of equipment and a number of personnel had already been loaded up on transports. Regardless of how this turned out, the Empire knew where we were and the Alliance couldn't hope to hold out with the full might of the Imperial Navy coming down on them. We were keeping enough personnel here to run the operation, but everyone else would be running to the transports the minute it looked like this wasn't going to pan out. Until then, those ships would be staying on the ground to help draw in the Death Star and make it seem like they'd caught us with our pants down.
"Not a chance," Leia affirmed. "This was my plan. I'll be here no matter what."
And really, what more could I say about that?
"And I shall be staying as well," Kenobi added. "Because I have complete confidence in your ability to succeed. And because I believe my presence will help inspire confidence in the others who will be staying."
"Thank you," I told him sincerely. Even though he had good cause to believe we could pull this off, I was comforted by his confidence in me.
"We just wanted to come over and wish you luck before you took off," Leia said with a smile.
"Uh oh," I said, chuckling. "Don't say that word around Kenobi! He doesn't believe in that word!"
"What? Why?" Leia asked, surprised by my reaction.
"Because in my experience," Kenobi remarked, stroking his beard once again. "There is no such thing as luck."
"Well then, what do you say instead?" Leia asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
"May the Force be with you," he and I both said at the same time. Except, I was smirking while I said it while Kenobi just looked a little smug.
"Then I'll say; may the Force be with you, Luke Skywalker," Leia said, stepping forward and giving me a hug. She finished it by giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek before stepping back.
"Thank you," I told her. "And with you both as well. I'll see you when I get back."
With a pat on the shoulder from Kenobi and a wave from Leia, the two left me. Likely, they were headed to the command and control center where they could monitor the operation.
After watching them go, I walked over to my assigned X-wing. Approaching it, I ran a hand along the slight bulge in the nose which held the sensor suite and various other electronic devices. Several red accents had already been painted onto its tan and grey hull, designating it as part of Red Squadron, just without any other form of writing or markings denoting personalization. I might have to change that later.
A pair of technicians were using a small, portable crane to load Artoo into the astromech slot located behind the cockpit. From there, Artoo would help manage my fighter's systems and assist in providing tactical support to me on the fly. He could even assist in minor repairs and help conduct workarounds for malfunctioning or damaged parts.
"This R2 unit of yours has seen some wear," one of the technicians commented on my approach. "You sure you don't want us to get you another one?"
"Not on your life," I told him. "That droid has seen more combat than this whole squadron put together and he's survived just fine. That's just the kind of partner I want at my side in a pinch. You up for another daring mission, Artoo?"
[Sure am!] he beeped back to me.
Spending all this time around Artoo had helped me improve my understanding of binary. Now, I was understanding a lot more than just 'yes' and 'no.' Perhaps it was also slightly influenced by the Force, but it was getting easier to parse out more complicated meanings whenever we spoke.
Threepio gave his own well wishes to Artoo as the techs ran their final checks and the cockpit canopy closed over me, blocking out the sounds of the makeshift hangar around me and being replaced by the lights and sounds of my X-wing powering up for takeoff.
'Time to get my game face on,' I thought wryly.
~Skywalker: Resurgent~
I entered my spot in the formation. We poured on the speed to circle the planet Yavin and come about the other side. As we rounded the planet, we saw it cresting over the horizon. From this far out, it really did look like just another moon. The only indicators from this far out that it was something more was the oddly uniform shape of it and our scanners lighting it up as they picked up the massive power source. There was a bit of chatter as the command and control network back at the base giving numbers for distance, power generation, speed, and most likely course direction. I only half listened as I focused on keeping my breathing steady and prepared myself for the coming fight.
Soon, I heard the call over the squadron frequency.
"All fighters; report in," came the order from Commander Dreis, Red One or Red Leader.
"Red Two, standing by." Wedge.
"Red Three, standing by." Biggs.
"Red Four, standing by." A pilot whom I hadn't met yet.
"Red Five, standing by," I keyed over the squadron frequency.
'Red October, standing by,' I thought suddenly with a thick Scottish bough. I gave a sudden snort of laughter, glad that my mic was turned off.
The rest of the strike force chimed in, including the flight of Y-wings which would be making the first attempt on the Trench. Our job would be to cover them to the best of our ability and get them a clear shot at that exhaust port.
"Lock S-foils into attack position," came the order from Red One. "Red Squadron, accelerate to match my speed ahead of the Y-wings. We'll be clearing the way for them and drawing off the initial response fire from their defenses."
I did as instructed, deploying my fighter's iconic x-shaped wing design into attack position to maximize maneuverability and my firing arc while sacrificing some speed. Unexpectedly though, my fighter soon began to rock as though we were hitting turbulence, which shouldn't normally be possible in space.
"We're passing through the magnetic field," came Red One's cautionary tone. "Hold tight! We'll pass through in a moment. All fighters, switch your deflectors to double front."
Again, I did as instructed. The 'turbulence' passed a few moments later as everyone's fighters steadied out. The Death Star was now filling my viewport and more details were becoming visible on the surface of the artificial moon.
"Look at the size of that thing!" Red Two remarked.
"Cut the chatter, Red Two," Red One ordered. "Accelerate to attack speed!"
We dived towards the surface, pouring on the speed as we came into range of the Empire's initial welcome; a hail of turbolaser fire. I spun my X-wing into a roll as I began evasive maneuvers to dodge it. This was perhaps the most dangerous part of the operation aside from the trench run itself, but it was the one we were most prepared to deal with.
The rest of the squadron accelerated and dodged beside me. The formation loosened, but kept its cohesion. Then, in a preplanned maneuver, the formation split into fourths and took off onto different vectors. As expected, enemy fire split as the Death Star's defenses attempted to compensate. Our seemingly randomized maneuvers kept the targeting computers guessing long enough to reach the surface with our superior speed. With the curvature of the Death Star itself, coupled with the proximity to the defensive towers and their inability to fire when we were too close and fast to land a clean hit, we enjoyed an incredible level of relative safety, in spite of our proximity.
Still, it wasn't all fun and games. The defensive towers placed strategically across the surface were still entirely capable of firing on us and we had a difficult time destroying them if we didn't approach them at angles and speeds that made us more vulnerable.
"I'm hit!" Red Seven called over the comms. "Sensors out! I'm-"
Red Seven's transmission cut off as his fighter disappeared from my scanner. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Red Eight had perished a minute ago and we were running out of time. In order to make our trench run, we had to get enough of these towers knocked down that the Y-wings could begin their own run without succumbing to enemy fire. We were making progress, just not fast enough.
"Squad leaders, we've picked up a new group of signals," Dodonna's voice came over the command channel. "Enemy fighters are coming your way."
I frowned, glancing around at my scanner and outside my cockpit.
"My scope's negative, I don't see anything," one of the other pilots announced.
"Pick up your visual scanning," Red Leader told them all. "Here they come!"
Cresting over the Death Star's artificial horizon, two whole squadrons of TIEs came at us. I could almost hear their famous scream as they closed in on us in their typical three fighter delta formations. While a TIE on its own was barely a threat to an experienced pilot that saw them coming, their coordination and tight formations made them deadly opponents for even the vaunted X-wings.
In a few moments, we were weaving and rolling as we maneuvered around the TIEs and did our best to get firing solutions on them. Soon, many of the TIEs had either been destroyed or had scattered their formations to chase us down independently. Wedge and I managed to wipe out a wing of the little bastards when my gaze caught something on my scanner.
"Biggs, you've picked one up on your tail, watch it!" Luke warned.
"I can't see him!" Biggs exclaimed.
"Hold on, I'm on my way," I told him, swinging my fighter around for an intercept.
"He's on me tight, I can't shake him!" Biggs stated. "I can't shake him!"
"Hang on Biggs, I'm coming up on him," I called, coming in fast and behind the pursuing TIE fighter. Biggs spun and rolled towards the surface, giving me a clear shot at the TIE chasing him. I opened fire, blasting away the TIE with a volly of fire the Imperial pilot couldn't hope to avoid. Debris fell, bouncing and scattering across the station's hull.
"Thanks, Five," Biggs said over comms.
"Anytime, Three," I assured him.
We swung around, heading back towards the designated engagement zone and where the main action was taking place. We knocked down several more turbolaser emplacements and knocked out a few ion cannons as well while we made continuous firing runs along the surface of the station. They made easy targets, given that their firing arc was much more narrow than the emplacements on the defensive towers.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for me to become a target in turn.
"Pull in, Luke! Pull in!" Biggs called.
"Watch your back, Luke!" came Wedge's voice. "Watch your back! Fighters coming in above you!"
I pulled sharply away from the surface, the TIE that had decided to make me its new target was getting too close for comfort as I tried to lose him, pulling every trick I could think of. But this pilot seemed quite a bit better than his buddies that I'd encountered thus far. He stayed with me as I tried skimming the surface around the destroyed and still burning wreckage of one of the defensive towers.
The Force screamed out a warning to me as blasts of green energy shot just over my cockpit, sending me into another dive down and around his fire to escape being hit.
'This is getting old,' I thought, gripping my control stick and trying to figure out a move to escape or gain the upper hand on this guy.
While I was fending off the tenacious TIE, the three Y-wings of Gold Squadron had already made their attack run and had failed to hit the exhaust shaft. They'd been finished off as the last surviving member had explained that they'd been snuck up upon by a wing of TIEs using the trench as cover.
Now, while battling waves of TIEs ourselves in the engagement zone above the trench, another wing had managed to sneak past us, despite our attempts to minimize such a thing from happening again. Red Leader had taken the last two X-wings other then myself, Wedge and Biggs and had started their own run down the trench. Now, we listened as they began to be picked off by what I was almost certain was Vader flying lead on his own wing of TIEs.
I wanted to scramble my group and get over there to help, but besides trying to pick them out of the trench itself, I knew that the minute I tried, I'd have TIEs chasing the rest of us and converging on the trench. We had to thin their numbers down a bit more before risk-
"It's away!" Red Leader called victoriously, pulling me out of my train of thought.
An explosion erupted from the surface of the trench. Hull armor from the station melted and warped as the torpedoes blasted off several chunks of armor. Too heavy to escape the station's gravity, even under the force of the explosion, they tumbled slowly across the surface as the low surface gravity didn't allow the bigger pieces of debris to reach escape velocity.
"Red Leader, pull back around and rejoin the rest of us on our new vector," I told him. "I'll cover you while we line up for another run."
"Stay right where you are," he ordered. "I've just lost my starboard engines."
There was a pause as we all processed what he was saying. No starboard engines meant he'd lost half of his ability to accelerate, to turn...to outrun enemy fire.
"Get set up for your attack run," he commanded.
A moment later, my scanners caught another wing of TIEs sweeping through the course Red One was flying on. Watching them sweep in on different vectors, it was like watching the sharks close in for the kill. Dreis wouldn't make it. Too slow to avoid them or maneuver out of their range, he made an easy target for their firing pass.
Too far for us to respond.
Too slow to dodge.
There was nothing we could do to stop it.
His fighter disappeared from scans a moment later, only denoted in the real world by a quickly perishing ball of flame on the Death Star's surface that we could see in the distance.
Commander Garvin Dreis, Red One, was dead.
A wave of sadness hit me as I realized that the friendly commander was gone. He'd welcomed me with open arms and had been very fair and kind to me since we'd met. Now, he was gone.
I'd come up here hoping to compete the mission. I knew I could do it, I'd trained myself for it, and that confidence had led me to wanting to do it better than the old Luke had before me. I'd been powerless to stop the waves of TIEs or the turbolaser fire that was so thick, it looked like I could've walked on it. I'd weaved and dodged better than many of the more seasoned pilots out here, but I hadn't been able to do more than delay the inevitable or change its details. I was unable to do anything.
Except one thing. I could do one thing and set all of this right. Make all of this worth it.
I steeled myself as my purpose became clear, my sense of resolve growing within me.
Let's blow this big bastard away.
"Reds Two and Three; saddle up," I ordered, yes ordered, the two more experienced pilots. "We're going in hard and fast and we're going to finish this mission. Wedge, take point and thin out that wing of TIEs coming up ahead of us. Biggs, cover him and mop up any of them that try to escape. Do not let them get a chance to circle back around and follow me. I'm taking my run on the trench alone and need you to cover me. Accelerate to engagement."
"We're on it, Five," Wedge declared, accelerating after the TIEs.
"Luke, at that speed and that close, will you have enough time to make the shot?" Biggs asked.
"Compared to Beggar's Canyon, this'll be a cakewalk," I told him.
My solution was, in theory, simple; I was going to enter the trench much earlier than was advised by the briefing and what should be too early for my targeting computer to hone in on the exhaust port. However, I wasn't going to use my targeting computer for this shot.
Good shot or no, I was basically going to be eyeballing a bullseye shot while travelling at the highest acceleration possible and without the use of my fighter's targeting computer.
In the vernacular of my generation; I'm about to do what's known as a pro gamer move.
"Artoo, I need you to divert all available power to the rear deflectors," I told him. "We might have company trying to sneak up on us while we make the run on the target."
[What about enemy fire from the front?] Artoo beeped.
"Let me worry about that," I told him. "Just trust me. I'm taking us in."
I didn't have the time to explain but I was going to be depending on the fact that the turbolasers along the trench would not only be too slow to get a lock on me, but that they'd stop firing once the other TIEs entered the trench and started pursuing me.
With the mission clock ticking down as the Death Star approached firing range of the moon, I dove my X-wing into the trench to make my solo run.
The dark shadows cast by the walls of the trench were unsettling to be submerged into. In space and without an atmosphere to cause light diffusion, the shadows had a strange and abrupt sharpness to them as they reflected off of the walls of the trench. Light didn't wrap around edges so much as it deflected off of them in sharp, crisp angles.
Green turbolaser fire rocked my fighter as I accelerated down the passage. My maneuvering was limited in such a confined space, but my speed kept any of the turbolaser batteries lined along the trench from making a target lock on me. This continued for nearly a full minute until suddenly and all at once, they stopped firing. An ominous peace settled over the trench as I immediately knew what it meant.
Vader's wing must be closing in on me.
But I was still closing in on the target.
Closing my eyes, I reached out through my connection to the Force. I felt the beginnings of what felt a lot like the beginning of a meditation trance as I slipped deeper into the feeling. Before getting too deep, I was interrupted by a voice over my comms.
"Red Five, your targeting computer is off. Is it malfunctioning?" A voice from the control center on Yavin asked.
"Everything's fine," I told them. "Preparing to make my shot. I need to focus."
There were no objections over the comm to what I had said. Either they trusted that I had some sort of plan, or perhaps Kenobi was there and telling them to let me focus. I could imagine at least one person panicking that the 'new kid' didn't have a clue what he was doing.
Slipping back into my focus, I felt the Force wash through me. Like stepping under a waterfall, I felt the currents and waves of the universe around me as my mind processed the information I was feeling and made as much sense of it as it could.
Feel for it...
Vader was approaching from behind. He'd abandoned his two escorts, accelerating past their ability to keep up with him in order to reach me. This was likely only possible due to the far more powerful specifications in his TIE Advanced fighter.
I could sense him, but he could also sense me. His dark imprint in the Force was noticeable, even amidst the combat going on above us still or the dark nature of the Death Star itself. I could almost see the evil that tainted it for what it had already been used for in its short life.
I sensed Vader's curiosity and surprise as he felt me through the Force. This was quickly replaced by malevolence as I sensed his determination. He wanted to kill me. No...he wanted to fight me. Not just for that trick I pulled in the hangar, but because he sensed I was a Jedi. All these years, and his anger still burned for the old order. Perhaps rekindled by his recent confrontation with Kenobi and myself...?
Further out...
More TIEs had been scrambled. A lot more. This wave included a few wings of interceptors as well as regular TIEs . At least four squadrons were sweeping over the artificial horizon of the station and were on an intercept with the trench.
Biggs and Wedge were still fighting desperately to keep the other TIEs off of my back. They were both excellent pilots and were doing extraordinarily well, but I could feel their hope waning as they knew time was running out.
The Death Star would soon be in range.
Focus...
The exhaust port was coming into range. I could see my awareness reach the target and suddenly, it was like watching lines slowly intersect on a math problem or on a computer program. I understood it completely and felt more than saw the intersecting lines and where I would have to be to fire.
Just a little more...
A warning echoed from behind me. Vader was closing in and was getting ready to fire. I felt a calm assurance as I also was aware that he wouldn't get his chance.
Red lances of fire came down from above, cutting over my head and at the TIE Advanced that Vader was flying. Vader, seemingly shocked by the sudden attack with his focus having been entirely on me, shot out of the trench barely in time to avoid the incoming fire.
A victorious whooping yell came over the comm as my savior let himself be known.
"You're all clear, kid!" came Han's voice. "Now, let's blow this thing and go home!"
Smiling, I felt just what I was waiting for in the Force reach me. Like a ripple in a pond, it washed over my form and I knew it.
My gaze sharpened as I felt the lines converge, giving me my opportunity.
I fired.
Not pausing to see the torpedoes go in, I yanked back hard on the control stick and pulled out of the trench. A residual wave of warning struck me as I sensed the Force practically shout that we were flying over what was now one giant bomb with a burning fuse.
I keyed up my comms to warn the others, not even caring about my volume as I practically shouted my warning to my allies.
"Everyone get the hell away from here! The station's going to blow! Maximum speed, move, move, move!"
I killed the transmission and directed my next words to Artoo as I ignored a passing TIE fighter, rocketing past it, and flew up and away from the station as fast as my fighter could take me. More fire came from the station's turbolasers as they were now able to target me again, but I ignored them too.
"Artoo, throw everything into the engines; we are leaving this party!"
[On it! Get us out of here!] Artoo whistled back in a slightly shrill tone.
Power was diverted from the deflectors and weapons as Artoo powered the engines to their maximum. The inertial dampeners were strained to their maximum as I was compressed into my seat.
Warnings popped up on my control dash as the systems reached their limit and advised slowing down before I burned out any of the systems. I ignored them, trusting Artoo to keep things in check if he had to and also knowing I only needed to keep this up for a short time longer.
I caught sight of the Millenium Falcon as Han and Chewie soared past me. Han wasn't kidding; that little freighter really was a speed demon when she had to be. I caught sight of Wedge and Biggs on my scanner, both accelerating just behind and alongside to me.
I spared a thought wondering how the explosion would look. How long would it take for those proton torpedoes to reach the bottom of the shaft before hitting the reactor? Hypermatter was damn volatile when detonated.
Were we still too close? Would the payload do enough damage to completely destroy the station or just damage it enough to shut it down?
My thoughts of 'what if?' were interrupted as the darkness of space was suddenly lit up as though someone had just turned on a spotlight behind us.
For an instant, it was as if a small star existed in orbit around the gas giant.
The light of the explosion dimmed and my fighter was rocked by the concussive waves coming out from blast. It was like riding a small boat on a choppy sea as I bounced in the cockpit. The only thing keeping me from bouncing out of my seat and hitting the canopy was my harness and crash webbing.
Cheers could be heard over the comms as I heard the victorious shouting coming from the control center back on Yavin. Biggs, Wedge, and even Han joined in on the laughing and cheering. I myself started laughing in relief as I felt the tension and adrenaline flow out of my.
"Great shot, kid! That was one in a million!" Han called out.
I let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in my cockpit seat. Laughter continued to spill out of me as I felt the immense relief run through me. This victory would be the first of many to come, but far from the most difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, I would relish this feeling for as long as it lasted.
Today, we had won.
AN: And that wraps up the events of Episode IV! What did you guys think?
While the events of Rogue One were pretty cool, I thought I'd swing events to include some of the other details of what happened with the Death Star. If you didn't care for Rogue One or wanted your own interpretation of canon events to be put in here, I left it kind of vague for now so that whichever version you're more comfortable with could be inserted. It doesn't really come into play much, so use whichever version of events you prefer.
We'll just leave it up to the imagination for now and I'll push on so we can get some more original content! Sound good?
If that attack Leia mentioned was unfamiliar to you, you should try looking up the details on Youtube or Wookieepedia. Basically, the Alliance sent a task force containing some capital ships and hundreds of fighters against the Death Star and they got their asses handed to them. It's an event that went a long ways to establish Tarkin's and the Empire's overconfidence in the station to overcome all but the greatest threats. I thought it made for a nice additional bit of lore that some ambitious Alliance admiral would make such an attack and pay the price.
How about that final assault? Sorry if the Death Star assault seemed a bit boring to some of you, but I tried to spice up the writing as much as I thought was reasonable. We've all seen that scene so many times and are familiar with the events, I tried to keep it interesting by changing stuff around a bit to reflect Luke's greater skill and awareness of things.
Looks like we'll also be keeping Biggs around...for now at least! I've got some ideas for how to use him and hope to get a bit more mileage out of his character than the original series did. And yes, he actually did call Luke 'Skyboy.' Kind of a callback to 'Skyguy,' right?
In the words of George Lucas, 'just like a poem, everything sort of rhymes.'
I've already made good progress on the next chapter while I worked through my writer's block with this one. Shouldn't be too long before the next chapter is up.
Until next time!
