Chapter 3

Note: Alliance mechanic Nera Kase and the hanger bay details were featured in a short story by Greg Rucka called "Grounded" that can be found in the book of short stories about A New Hope called Star Wars From a Certain Point of View

The Second Battle of Yavin

Ensign Nera Kase looked around the hanger bay inside the former Massassi temple on Yavin 4. Most of the fighters and freighters were gone, evacuated to the new base on the planet Hoth. Several droids idled in standby mode. Fuel lines snaked along the floor from hastepumps and fuel cells. Empty ordinance crates that housed torpedoes and bombs were stacked against walls. Parked loadlifters, cargo trolleys and service vehicles were lined up ready to be loaded on the last transports to Hoth.

The 27-year-old chief mechanic had a youthful face and a small figure that caused new arrivals to mistake her for much younger. Thanks to her parents she had grown up in the Phirmist tradition of the Force. She was an only child born on a freighter that ferried cargo back and forth from the Core Worlds to the Outer Rim to the Mid Rim and back again. She was a daddy's girl and from him she learned the ins and outs of ship mechanics.

One incident that was only seven minutes long changed her life forever. That's how long it took for Stormtroopers to board their ship, kill her parents and impound the vessel. In so doing the Empire had a new enemy for life. She was imprisoned on a Star Destroyer for three years but finally escaped by stowing away on a trader's vessel. Nera then found a way to join the Rebel Alliance.

Kase sighed. She was beyond exhausted. The mechanic had been awake for more than 72 hours preparing X-wings and Y-wings for the assault on the Death Star. Then she worked on the damaged craft that returned preparing them for the evacuation to Hoth.

Turning back to her repair and fabrication station she chose the next set of tools and parts to repair the lone Y-wing. She had made quick time of the repairs to its repulsor engines and ion thrusters. It was almost flight-ready in less than 24 hours from the time the fighters she had so lovingly maintained destroyed the Death Star.

Suddenly, there was static then a computerized voice over the loudspeakers, "Enemy craft approaching, enemy craft approaching!"

The few remaining ground personnel ran to their battle stations. Because of the small size of the rebel forces all had been trained to operate the canon defenses mounted high on the temple. Some of the larger guns needed four people for operation. Most of Nera's crew ran up the spiral staircases to man the defenses, but two mechanics and a third rebel ran to Nera.

The pilot was Captain Lars Dodonna the son of the general.

"They've almost got this U-wing ready. What should we do?" he said.

"Keep working," said the hanger chief. "We'll put up a better fight with the U-wing in the air."

The three ran back to the craft. It wasn't long before she heard it power up and ascend out of the hanger.

Kase's Y-wing was almost ready as well, but there was no one to pilot the craft.

The distinctive whine of TIE fighters roared from the bay entrance. Laser fire rained down on the temple. In a spilt second Nera decided she would pilot the Y-wing herself.

Besides, she thought. I know every square inch of that cockpit. Automated take off won't be much of a problem. I'll worry about landing later if it comes to that, she thought somberly.

Suddenly a loud boom as the whole temple shook and massive chunks of the ceiling debris fell.

She ran inside the nearby pilots' quarters and found the smallest flight suit and helmet. The suit was too long, but she snapped its wrist and ankle bands tight then returned to the fighter.

A few more adjustments to the ion thrusters and Nera would power up. One last twist of a wrench and … There! The Y-wing was flight-worthy.

She woke up the gold astromech droid designated R4-L4 and he beeped to life. Rumor had it that the old droid had been assigned to Jedi Master Obi Wad Kenobi during the Clone Wars. She connected the magnetic lifter and raised him into place just behind the cockpit.

"Alright R4. It's you and me."

R4 answered with several beeps and boops.

She used the detachable ladder to climb into the cockpit. Here goes. The engine whined, sputtered then came to life.

She used the flight computer to engage automatic takeoff and the Y-wing lifted off.

Nera activated the flight sensors, and the screens flickered on. The system had two circular screens showing all craft in front of her and what was behind. Seeing clusters of red dots all over she shuttered at the number of enemy fighters in formation. The TIEs roared and blasted as they swooped overhead.

She got clear of the hanger bay and looked back at the temple. Several defensive weapons were on fire and the temple had already collapsed on one side. The few remaining rebels were being slaughtered.

Nera punched her thrusters and wasn't prepared for the G-forces that pressed her back into the seat.

I'll have to get used to this.

She ventured a few maneuvers back and forth with the stick also engaging the side thrusters to do a few barrel rolls.

Pressing a button, the mechanic targeted the closest TIE fighter. The Y-wing was much slower and cumbersome, but what it lacked in speed it made up for in protection and firepower. Its shields could take far more hits than the TIEs. Also it was equipped with six radar-controlled proton torpedoes that would lock onto selected targets. Most standard TIEs had no shields and few missiles. But she also saw the angled wings of some TIE interceptors, much faster and equipped with shields. No matter. She would do her best to fight her way into space to get a clear shot for entering light speed.

"Gold Seven to Blue Five, Gold Seven to Blue Five. Lars do you read me?" she said.

Static crackled over the COM. Lars Dodonna said, "Gold seven is that you Nera?"

"It's me. What's your twenty?"

"I'm at your three o'clock high. Stay on course and I'll come to you."

Nera saw a single green dot in a sea of red indicating the position of the friendly U-wing.

"Roger, I'm going to target a TIE while I'm at it."

She maneuvered toward the one targeted earlier.

"R4 use flight sensors to help me target this TIE."

"Beep-weeeeee," came the answer.

She switched her trigger from lasers to torpedoes and struggled to get him centered on her screen. Beep, beep, beep, beep came the sound of the targeting system as the dot turned from red to yellow. She pitched and yawed and tried to keep the target in her sights. Coming in on his tail she heard a steady beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep as the target turned green. The system had a lock on the TIE. She fired and watched the blue dot of the torpedo follow closer and closer then … Boom! The fighter exploded and disappeared from her screen.

Nera could hardly believe it! Her first kill!

To her starboard side she saw Lars' U-wing slow down and fly on her wing.

"Alright Gold Seven follow me in formation," he said.

"I'll do my best to stay with you Blue Five."

The TIE fighters swarmed like gnats. Engines screamed and lasers flew. She heard electric hisses as several blasts hit her rear shields. She quickly redistributed shield power evenly around her craft and used some of her thruster power to recharge the shields.

Switching to single laser fire Nera blasted away, left and right guns alternating quickly in front of her. The TIEs were coming in so thick in front of her that a few of her blasts hit home. One shot sheered off the wing of a fighter sending him spinning into a second one and both exploded.

More and more blasts were raining down on her sheilds.

"I have to break formation and maneuver," she said.

"Roger Gold Five. I'll do my best to cover you."

The U-wing punched his thrusters and did a loop coming up behind Nera and blasting the TIE on her tail.

Nera moved the stick back and forth and around doing her best to shake the trailing TIEs. In a loud hiss her rear shields gave way as a few blasts hit her right engine. Looking back she saw it smoking and felt the drain in power.

"Lars, I'm hit in the engine!" she said over the comm.

"R4, see if you can put out the fire get the engine back to full power."

R4 activated his extinguisher toward the blaze then moved a small arm into the engine compartment.

The Y-Wing flew much slower now an easier target for the TIEs. She corkscrewed and dipped and re-centered her shields as blasts continued to hit.

With shields in the red it she couldn't take many more hits.

Suddenly she felt a surge in power. R4's engine repair worked!

"Thanks R4, you've got it," she said as she continued to maneuver evasively.

"Nera, aim high!" said Lars.

Both of the rebel craft flew at a steeper angle through the atmosphere. The blue sky turned darker and darker until they burst through into black space.

They saw several Star Destroyers and the huge Dreadnought, Vader's Executor. The ships were raining huge blasts of fire down upon the rebel base. Kase realized that no one could survive that onslaught. The temple would be reduced to rubble.

That won't be me, she thought. I'm going to live.

"We need to make sure we don't lead them to Hoth," Captain Dodonna said, "On your hyperdrive enter the coordinates for the planet Vandor first. Then we'll jump to Hoth. Let's try to clear a path for us to make the jump. See if you can corkscrew around me. Engage side thrusters 75 percent."

Ensign Kase did so and the two fighters were soon blasting away in a corkscrew pattern, and it did indeed clear a path.

"When I give the signal fire your remaining torpedoes," came the instruction from Blue Seven.

The closest TIEs ahead continued to explode and ricochet.

Lars said, "Three, two, one. Fire torpedoes!"

Both craft let loose the barrage of ordinances clearing a way straight ahead.

"Engage hyperdrive!" said Lars.

The stars in her view stretched into long lines then giving way to the familiar bluish, spinning tunnel of hyperspace.

Ensign Nera Kase breathed a sigh of relief knowing her mission was complete.

In defiance of the Empire two rebel fighters had survived what became known as The Second Battle of Yavin.

A bungled mission

Darth Vader watched the explosions on the surface of the moon but saw no large rebel craft attempt to escape. What he said next was practically a rhetorical question.

"Where is the Rebel fleet, Admiral Ozzel?" Vader asked. The cowering officer answered it anyway stating the obvious.

"It appears that most of the Rebels have already evacuated, my lord," said Kendal Ozzel sheepishly. "We were too late."

"You have failed me," Vader turned and pointed a finger at Ozzel raising his voice. "I told you to dispatch your forces immediately and you waited nearly 24 hours!"

Ozzel stammered, "Lord Vader the preparations could not be done at a moment's notice. Our fleet was ready at the earliest—"

Vader cut him off, "I don't want excuses, Admiral. I want results!"

The Syth Lord's cape swung as he turned away. It was all he could do to keep from murdering the man then and there. But the admiral came from a wealthy family from the planet Carida, well-connected among Empire leadership.

So Darth Vader uncharacteristically let politics guide his decision to use restraint and keep Ozzel in command.

It wouldn't be the last time that Kendal "He's-as-Clumsy-as-He-Is-Stupid" Ozzel bungles an operation. And the next time would be far more consequencal for him.

A meeting with the Emperor

Lights and a small hum came from the small circular platform when Darth Vader knelt and bowed toward the large hologram machine. A flickering, three-dimensional image of Emperor Palpitine's hooded head appeared in the center of Vader's Executer chambers.

"What is thy bidding my master?" Vader asked.

The leader also known as Darth Sidious replied, "The destruction of the Death Star has troubled me greatly. More so the fact that we did not foresee the occurrence."

"A rebel fighter named Luke Skywalker was the one who made the fatal shot," said Vader. "He is strong with the Force. Obi Wan has taught him well."

"I too have felt a disturbance in the Force. Strange that you have been able to pinpoint the source and I have not."

"Yes, my master," Vader said. "We must destroy this young Padawan before he can become a Jedi."

"Destroy him or use him?" asked the Emperor. "Can he be turned to the Dark Side of the Force?"

"I don't know." Vader replied.

"He is still unschooled in the ways of the Force. His feelings are not disciplined. There is something familiar about him that I have not yet been able to see. I will mediate and use the Dark Side to reveal his true identity to me. Obi Wan protected him. Now that the old man is one with the Light Side he will be able to influence Skywalker further. The sooner I can face him in battle the better."

"Yes," said the Emperor. "See if you can learn about him and report to me. What are you doing about the Rebels who escaped?"

"We are hunting them throughout the galaxy as we speak."

"Do not be content to merely send out search parties," said the Emperor. "Send as many probe droids as you can to the far reaches of the galaxy. The Rebel scum likely relocated to an un-colonized system in the Outer Rim. Pay special attention to remote systems.

"And concerning my battle station, Lord Vader, do not fail me in such a way again."

"Yes, my master."

The image flickered off.