Rogue One one-shot. There are many kinds of pilots in the Star Wars universe – three of them cross paths.
A/N: Still can't seem to settle down and write, or even pick a fandom of writing choice, for that matter. Then I rewatched Rogue One and this idea smacked me in the face. So, the usual: I was up late writing it and thus late to bed. Next night ideas came to include in it, necessitating getting up from where I had just gone to bed so I could jot them down. When do I get to the part of being a writer where I sit down at the computer during normal hours and write stories? Or is that a myth?
Pilots
"Something wrong?"
The pilot glanced up at his unit leader. "Sir?"
LS-19-3 didn't repeat the question, he just waited. He expected the pilots in his unit to respond when asked a question.
EA-24-17 shifted uneasily, perhaps realizing his error; he was still new to their ranks.
"I was just thinking about the fight at Eadu, sir."
"What about it? We routed the rebel scum."
"Yes, sir, but…well, I saw one of our unit get shot down."
"Some scum occasionally get lucky, or a pilot gets careless."
"I know, sir, but it looked like he got shot down by someone on the planet. The facility was under attack by the Rebels."
"Are you suggesting ground troops could bring down a Tie in the dark and rain? It would be impossible for them to hit a ship in the middle of a firefight without it being one of their own, and most handheld weaponry would not have the firepower. You couldn't have seen that happen. You are mistaken."
EA-24-7 momentarily considered arguing, but decided it was unwise to pursue this further. "Yes, sir. I'm sure you're right. Thank you, sir." To his relief, LS-19-3 departed, but his own turmoiled thoughts lingered. He knew what he had seen…
xxx
"It was the craziest thing. That Tie was right on my tail. I was sure he had me!"
"Yeah, yeah, so you've said, Gaul. And then it just mysteriously blew up for no reason! You are so full of it." Garven Dreis smiled as he kept eating.
"It did!" Gaul was now red in the face, both with embarrassment but also a good measure of anger. "I'm telling you no one was near me to help. And I've asked everyone who was there – they all say it wasn't them!"
Harb Binli shook his head and chuckled. "Come on, Pedrin, what else could it be? You think the bucketheads shot down one of their own or something?"
"I don't know. Wasn't Captain Andor on the ground? Maybe he did it."
Dreis assured him, "Andor is probably good at what he does – whatever that is – but pick off an enemy ship in the dark and rain without hitting a Rebel ship instead? No, not a chance. He doesn't carry that kind of firepower and even he couldn't be that good. As a sniper, maybe, but not what you're claiming."
"Maybe it was…was the Force, helping me. We always say 'May the Force Be With You'. Don't we mean it? Don't we believe the Force can help us?" Gaul glanced around the group, but didn't make eye contact with anyone. They'd already laughed at his claims of a protector saving him; they'd likely bust a gut with his talk of the Force.
The other pilots snickered in amusement. "Help us, yes, but not shoot down an enemy fighter, Ped. It was dark – you must be mistaken about what you thought you saw," Harb suggested. "Besides, there are no Jedi anymore. They're the only ones who could do what you're saying."
The snickering broke into raucous laughter. Zal Dinnes pushed away her dinner plate and stood. "Give Gaul a break, you nerf herders. If he wants to believe the Force could do that, then let him. Me, I'd rather depend on a quick trigger finger over the laser button and fast reflexes for maneuvering my ship. If the Force can help with that, I'm all for it."
Nearby, two men watched as the woman pilot left the mess hall.
"Why don't you just tell the poor fellow it was you?" Baze asked, taking another bite. He'd been too busy on his own, shooting troopers at Eadu, but he was sure Chirrut was behind this. His aim with that lightbow was uncanny. Besides, he had that smug look he got when he pulled off a trick of that magnitude.
"Perhaps I will – eventually. Let them enjoy the mystery a while longer. If it helps them to keep faith in the Force, it will serve them well. And very soon."
Baze paused from the bite he was about to take, his fork hovering, and stared down at his plate of food. It had been many years since he lost his faith, and ceased to act as a Guardian of the Whills. But he still had faith in Chirrut. The man was frustrating and wont to put himself needlessly in harm's way, but Baze trusted he had good reasons for doing so, even when he didn't like it very much.
He sighed and took the bite from his fork. Even knowing Chirrut had brought down that Tie, despite his blindness, Baze was no less in awe of it. Chirrut's skills and abilities were astonishing, and he could find no reasonable explanation for most of them. Maybe he needed to let that 'miracle' renew his faith also – to get him through whatever was to come as they followed Jyn Erso.
The End
7/12-7/13/19
Original Characters:
EA-24-17 – TIE pilot
LS-19-3 – TIE pilot unit leader
Actual Star Wars characters:
Garven Dreis – killed during Battle of Yavin
Pedrin Gaul – killed during Battle of Scarif – Luke Skywalker later took his callsign of Red Five
Harb Binli – killed during Battle of Yavin
Zal Dinnes – killed during Battle of Yavin
per Wookieepedia:
"To ingrain the concept of placing mission and Empire above self, TIE pilots' names were replaced with identification numbers (such as DS-61-2), and they were subjected to continual reminders of their craft's lack of integrated life support and combat deflector shields, use of the latter being viewed as an act of cowardice."
