Poe settled in the command chair on the bridge of the Organa, his nerves tighter than they had ever been yet this war. His eyes focused on the HUD in front of him that allowed him to see every ship in his fleet and their location. He quickly tapped in a change in ID for his X-Wing. She wouldn't be part of any squadron, but he knew every squad leader out there was ready to claim her as theirs.
He looked up and out the viewport; he could see them, the whole Traagmol fleet. At least five capitol ships, twelve smaller cruisers, and dozens of fighters. "Connix, can you send a transmission to Rapier and Rogue Squadrons. Tell them to drop out of hyperspace early, then do a micro jump to Section 15."
Kaydel nodded, looking at the tactical screen as she did so. He knew she was already figuring out that his order would put the two squadrons behind the Traagmol once they got here.
He watched as his fighters engaged with the first wave of enemy fighters. His screen was a jumble of movement, but he was pleased to see several of the enemy fighters disappearing off of it almost immediately. He listened to the chatter over the comm, not saying anything as the squad leaders knew more than he did right now and could direct them better. "Sandstorm One, you've got four on your tail!" Sweeton called out.
He looked at the HUD, watching as the one fighter he was most interested in seemed to suddenly reverse its position and end up behind the fighters tailing it. One by one, the enemy ships blinked out. He knew exactly what maneuver she had pulled, as he had done it several times himself.
"Hey, Sandstorm One, that was a smooth move!" Sweeton acknowledged. "Wonder who taught you that?" he added sarcastically.
"He might just teach you cool stuff like that, too, if you'd keep your trap shut long enough to listen, Sabre Four," was Rey's response.
"Oooh!" Jess shouted. "Score one for the Jedi!"
Poe bit the inside of his cheek, but when he saw Kaydel grinning at him out of the corner of his eye, he allowed the smile to happen. He shook his head. "Commander, I think it's time to invite our friends to this party."
"On it," she told him with another grin. Immediately, she was sending out several coded transmissions that she and Poe had already set up in anticipation for this event. It was time to bring the full New Republic Fleet into play.
Suddenly, his HUD showed 24 new ships situated behind the Traagmol fleet. Rapier and Rogue Squadrons had arrived. "Nice of you to join us," Poe told them. "Why don't you guys hit those capitol ships as you make your way over here? Look for any weakness in their shields, but don't stay around long enough to become targets."
"On it, boss!" Rogue Leader replied.
"You know, I've never seen these buggers from the back before," announced Rapier Leader. "They have the ugliest ships ever, from any direction!"
Poe would have told Kaye to can it, but he knew for a fact the man could have three conversations at one time and still shoot a blaster and hit the bullseye at the same time. He was the king of multitasking. The fact that Poe had trained almost all of these pilots during his year-long stint as Flight Instructor for the New Republic went a long way in helping him judge what they could and could not do.
He glanced at the HUD again, briefly watching as Sandstorm One continued to remove more and more enemy ships from his screen. Some of the Traagmol fighters had reached the Organa and had started blasting away at her, but his gunners were on them in flash, their accuracy far better than the enemy; after all, both Rogue and Rapier arrived to the main part of the battle without losing any of their fighters to the Traagmol ships.
Once more, his HUD suddenly came alive with even more ships, dozens of them converging on the battle from at least five different directions.
"Hey!" A familiar female voice said over the comm. "We heard you guys were having a party. Are we still invited?"
Poe grinned. "Absolutely, General Syndulla," he told her. "Welcome!" This felt almost as good as when he had first heard Lando's voice at the Battle of Exegol, announcing the arrival of hundreds of ships. Almost.
Legendary Rebellion hero Hera Syndulla and her equally famous ship the Ghost appeared off the port side of the Organa, and next to her was the even more legendary Millennium Falcon. "Chewie!" Poe shouted. "You made it!"
Chewbacca growled over the comm, and Poe could hear other similar voices in the background. Apparently, he and his crew of Wookiees wouldn't have missed this for the worlds.
"Okay, listen up everybody," Poe called over the comm. "As horrible as it sounds, I want you all to wipe these guys out. I know for a fact they will not back down easy, and we want them out of here. Today. They show no mercy, so neither can we. Let's make them regret ever coming here!"
"You got it, General!"
"Understood, General!"
"Let's do this!"
Poe looked at his HUD again. It was harder to find the fighter he wanted to see in the midst of all the craft now on his screen, but he found her. She was silent, but still picking off enemy ships one by one. Then he focused on the view outside.
It was time to end this war.
XXXXXX
