"That's the fighter the empire was building at that facility I just attacked. You've seen it before?" Cham questioned in alarm from behind Hera.
Hera nodded in affirmative, her hands moving swiftly to the Ghost's controls, engaging the engines and lifting the vessel off of the ground and into flight.
"Thrawn's been building them. Highly experimental fighter equipped with shields, a hyperdrive, and blasters capable of punching through capital ship hulls." Miara informed the elder Syndulla, allowing Hera to focus on what was to come.
She would definitely need it.
Pulling the Ghost upwards, Hera spotted the Defender circling above her, before angling down towards the rebel craft.
"We are being hailed?" Miara questioned suddenly, her dashboard lighting up in response.
"Let's hear it." Hera replied. Perhaps whatever the imperial pilot had to say would distract him long enough for Hera to escape.
Miara tapped a switch on the dashboard, allowing the communication to come through.
Seconds later, a familiar voice spoke.
"Rebel craft, this is Commander Vult Skerris of the Imperial Navy. You are once again harbouring a wanted criminal of the empire. Surrender, and your lives will be spared!"
Hera rolled her eyes before speaking.
"Not this jackass again!"
Beside her, Miara chuckled.
Hera had run into Skerris before, during their mission to escort Mon Mothma. Back then he had also been flying a TIE Defender.
But this time, she didn't have the support she had from Ezra and Gold Squadron, nor did she have a nebulae to use against the prototype fighter.
Instead, she would have to rely solely on her skills as a pilot, and try to outmanoeuvre the Defender.
A feat easier said than done, especially with someone like Skerris flying it.
"If you want my father, come and take him." Hera replied over the comm link, before disconnecting it.
Seconds later, the Defender opened fire on the Ghost, pulling in behind it.
Hera swerved the Ghost as best she could, evading the cannon shots.
"Miara! Father! Get to the guns!" Hera called out to her comrades, to which the two obeyed, Cham heading to the battery on the top of the freighter, Miara heading to the nose gun.
This was going to be a tough fight!
Commander Vult Skerris angled his TIE Defender in behind the rebel ship known as the Ghost. This may have only been his second encounter with the ship itself, but he was familiar with its design, as well as its pilot.
When Thrawn had contacted him to be a part of his Defender program, Skerris had done his research on those who were actively opposing him. It was nice change of pace from teaching at the Skystrike academy.
And in his research he had come across many things. References to Jedi, Mandalorians, and even Lasats.
But one thing stood out to him. The pilot of the Ghost itself must have been incredibly skilled to achieve what they had.
Skerris would never admit to having an ego, but if his research was true, then Hera Syndulla was almost a good a pilot as he was.
Almost.
He hadn't had time to properly test his skill against her last time they had tangled. He was too busy dealing with the escort Y-wings.
But this time, it was just him and her.
And she wasn't willing to surrender.
So Skerris would force her to, or destroy her in the process.
Hera would freely admit that she was having a hard time evading the continued cannon fire from the Defender. Skerris was nothing if not persistent, so Hera opted for a new tactic.
"Hold on everyone!" Hera called out to her crew, both now stationed at their gun batteries.
Pulling the joystick upwards, Hera angled the Ghost upwards, into the clouds above Ryloth, and then back down out of the clouds, completing a complete loop.
Her hope was that Skerris would follow her and get lost in the clouds, emerging later to allow Hera to pull in behind the Defender and open fire on the prototype fighter herself.
Seconds later, Hera's hope became reality, as the Defender pulled down out of the clouds after pursuing the Ghost upwards, and emerged in front of the Ghost.
Hera wasted no time. "Blast him!" She called out to her comrades.
Both Miara and Cham complied, and a hail of laser fire erupted from both the top and bottom of the Ghost, straight towards the Defender.
Skerris had to give Hera Syndulla credit. She had pulled off a clever little manoeuver, and had effectively fooled him. Unfortunately for her, Skerris would remember that, and anticipate further dastardly moves in the future.
The Defender shuddered lightly, as a few cannon shots from the Ghost impacted on the shields of the prototype vessel.
They would hold, for now.
Quickly analysing the situation Skerris opted to copy Syndulla's earlier tactic of weaving, avoiding the majority of the shots fired from the rebel craft. Those that did hit their target had little to no impact.
"Rebel scum!" Skerris muttered to himself, his hands reaching out to a nearby control switch.
Pushing it down, Skerris braced himself for a risky tactic, but one that allow him to regain full control of the situation.
Moments after pushing to control down, the power for the Defender abruptly shut off, ceasing the engines.
Skerris felt the ship enter into a freefall, descending at rapid speed, faster than simply flying down. And at the vertical angle the ship was falling, there was no way for the Ghost to effectively follow him.
Skerris counted to three, before once again pressing the switch, restoring all power to the Defender's systems, reigniting the engines in the process. Quickly regaining control of the situation, Skerris pulled the Defender upwards, levelling off behind the Ghost.
In the time his fighter had been falling vertically, the Ghost had sailed straight overhead.
Skerris was once again behind the Ghost, and in full control of the situation.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Hera heard Miara exclaim in anger.
Internally, Hera felt similar, but she also felt some strange level of admiration. It had been a bold move cutting off the power to the Defender in order to get behind them, but it had paid off.
Clearly Skerris was more skilled than Hera had anticipated.
Once again Hera found herself swerving the Ghost from side to side, performing various barrel rolls and other eccentric moves in order to avoid the lethal shots from the Defender.
If just one hit…
"Hera, we aren't even making a dent in that thing! Its shields are too strong." Cham called out from the turret atop the Ghost, firing wildly back at the Defender. The blasts seemed to merely be shrugged off by the shielding of the fighter.
Hera had known from the second that the Defender had shown up that she would have to play this cautiously, as well as unorthodoxly. There was no out-muscling a TIE Defender.
"Just hold him off a little longer guys, I've got an idea!" Hera called out to her crew.
Her plan was crazy, but it might just work.
The Defender's shields might be able to withstand blaster fire, but Hera doubted it would be able to withstand being rammed.
Skerris watched as Hera Syndulla pulled out some manoeuvres with the Ghost that he had never seen a freighter pull before.
Sure, barrel rolling and the like were easy to accomplish, in a fighter!
'That speaks well for Syndulla's skill'. Skerris thought to himself, pulling the trigger again, unleashing another volley of blasts at the rear of the Ghost.
The turret on top of the freighter continued to fire back at the Defender, shots harmlessly being deflected by the shields the prototype sported.
"You're going to have to do better than that Captain Syndulla." Skerris muttered, pulling the trigger again, releasing another barrage.
This time, the shots met their mark.
The Ghost shuddered violently under the barrage of cannon fire, a direct hit being scored on the underside of the vessel as it pulled around from another roll.
Hera tightened her grip on the joystick that controlled the Ghost, even as the various consoles around the cockpit sparked, smoke rising from the interior workings.
Skerris had evidently managed to hit something critical, a theory that was confirmed moments later.
"Hera, weapons are offline!" Miara called from the nose gun, panic in her tone.
Blocking out any further distractions, Hera proceeded with her plan.
Out of the window, a short distance away were a series of stone columns, rising up into to sky. The natural rock formations were no exactly large, but created a nasty hazard for any unskilled pilots.
Unfortunately, Skerris was clearly a skilled pilot, one who would not crash into the columns by mistake.
So Hera opted for a more dangerous alternative.
The Ghost shuddered again as another shot hit the hull, collapsing the shields and damaging the ship's exterior.
Anger built up inside of Hera. No one damaged her ship!
It was times like these that she wished Chopper was around to run maintenance and repairs during combat. But alas, he was off with Ezra, so Hera would have to make do with what she had.
Pushing the Ghost to its limit, Hera charged the ship directly towards the side of one of the stone columns, hoping that Skerris would predict where Hera was going.
From the readout she had before her, the imperial pilot did.
The Defender, whilst still on her tail, altered course slightly, aiming to head around the opposite side of the column to the Ghost, flanking the rebel freighter.
Hera smirked. Skerris had played directly into her hand.
Vult Skerris watched from his Defender as the rebel ship known as the Ghost headed straight towards a series of tall stone columns. Clearly Hera Syndulla was hoping to trick him into crashing in such a small space.
"Think again captain!" Skerris snarled, changing the course of his own fighter in the process.
As the Ghost began to pass by one side of a column, Skerris headed to the opposite side, hoping to ambush the Ghost and land a direct hit on the bridge.
Skerris watched as the Ghost disappeared from view behind the column, no doubt heading deeper into the maze of columns that lay beyond.
Pushing the Defender forward, Skerris aimed around the other side, hands resting on the trigger ready.
Any second now he would be back behind the Ghost, and then he would…
"WHAT ON THE?!"
Panic filled Skerris. The Ghost had not gone further into the maze of columns.
Instead, it was heading straight at him!
As the Ghost passed by the column, Hera pulled the controls round, forcing the freighter into a sharp turn.
Circling round the column, pulling a one hundred and eighty in the process, Hera found herself heading straight towards Skerris' TIE Defender.
Hera witnessed as Skerris tried in vain the pull the Defender upwards, out of the way of the Ghost. But it was too late, and the Ghost was approaching at a too rapid speed.
Rather than risk a head on collision, Hera angled the Ghost on its side moments before impact.
The two vessels collided, bouncing off one another violently.
Hera could hear the hull of the Ghost buckle somewhat due to the impact, but otherwise the freighter would be fine.
The Defender however, was not so lucky. The impact had sheared off one of its three wings, and the prototype fighter was now spinning dramatically in the air. Hera could almost imagine Skerris desperately trying to regain control, but it would be a futile effort.
Without all three wings, the Defender had lost its streamline structure, and the engines had clearly cut out too.
Hera watched as the ship spun and spun, before scraping the edge of another stone pillar. The second impact sent the Defender barrelling towards the ground at high speed, before smashing into the ground in a cloud of dust and metal fragments.
Hera didn't know if Skerris had survived, but she didn't stick around to find out. Instead, she angled the Ghost upwards, and flew into orbit.
"Well that was fun!" Miara's voice was the first thing that Hera heard when she entered the common room of the Ghost. The hyperdrive still worked, despite the damage sustained in the fighter with the Defender. The ship needed dire repairs, and thus Hera had set course for Yavin Four.
"My daughter sure seems to have developed a knack for dangerous flying." Cham voiced next as he spotted Hera enter the room, a warm smile on his face.
Hera had explained to Cham what their mission was, and Cham had readily agreed, especially once he learned about the threat posed by the empire's superweapon. It was clear he was thinking about the safety of Ryloth first and foremost.
Plus he would never turn down an opportunity to fight alongside a Jedi again.
"Dangerous flying huh? You're more than welcome to try yourself next time father." Hera quipped, settling into the seat next to her father, who laughed at her statement.
"Oh no Hera, I'm far more useful on the ground than in the air."
Hera smiled lightly, nodding in understand.
Cham had been a revolutionary since Hera was a child, and he had many supporters, both on Ryloth and off of it.
And whilst he would usually prefer to stay and help Ryloth, when told of the plan, both Numa and Gobi had agreed to take charge in his stead, until he returned.
'There's a chance none of us will return.' Hera thought grimly, before shaking off her doubt.
No, they would do this.
Settling back in her seat once again, Hera talked with her father and Miara, spending the time before reaching Yavin Four with her friends and family.
Author's thoughts
Hera is a badass. Enough said.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I hope I did the dogfight alright and that it was easy to follow/picture. It was a fun chapter to write, and helps certify why Hera is so awesome.
Also, welcome to the team Cham Syndulla, let us hope you make it out alive. :)
So next time round is another intermission style chapter, this time focusing on what Ahsoka and Kaeden have been up to since Kashyyyk. And oh boy, do things get interesting.
As usual, comment and speculate at will.
Speaking of comments:
LukeDude: Cham knows all about trying to assassinate Palpy. Let's hope his experience pays off huh?
While not stated in this chapter, the Defender model featured is the Elite. And it seems you were right about who was piloting it huh?
Question time:
1. K-2 is back on Yavin 4 with Cassian, Kallus and AP5. They will feature in an upcoming chapter. As for who has gone with Maul, there is only one other person we have yet to see again in this story.
2. Other clones? Wait and see. And I'm keeping the idea that Cody continues to serve the Empire after Order 66, as you will see in the one shot when I write it.
3. No mining guild, aside from maybe a namedrop or two.
4. Nor will the Kuat shipyards appear. Again, maybe namedropped, but they are not significant to the plot.
5. Lothal is in a similar state as in season 3. It is not yet burned, at least not where Ezra went anyway.
6. TIE Striker... doubtful, but you never know.
7. People eating star wars food. Yes... one of my most anticipated chapters to write will include space waffles. :D
8. Maul's legs have been fully repaired between stories. (still metal though)
9. Slavery... yes. That is all.
10. Vizago is off doing his own thing right now. But he is around still.
11. Clone War technology? Does Rex count? :)
12. AT-ATC... maybe. :)
13. Flametroopers?! Do you want everyone to die?!
14. Zeb will use his bow-staff yes. And Kallus might acquire a similar one too.
15. Victory class Star Destroyers might appear, just not sure where yet.
Mogor: I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Cham in the action, and I hope you liked the confrontation between the Ghost and the Defender.
FossilQueen1984: The final confrontation edges ever closer... very slowly that is. I hope I don't let you down with it. Cham=Explosions? That sounds about right. :)
WolveHulk: I hope the dogfight was worthy of the title 'epic'.
Mysterious Guest number one: I'm glad you like the hints of the Kanan/Hera relationship, as well as seeing Cham again.
Travis Middleton: I'm glad you enjoyed the return to Ryloth, and the bond between father and daughter. I hope the dogfight was up to expectations. As for your questions:
1. Darth Sidious corrupting Ahsoka. Oh boy will you love the next chapter.
2. The alliance leadership will begin to deduce what Ahsoka is doing, and the reaction will be shocking.
3. Thrawn vs. Ahsoka... they will talk, but not fight directly. By this point, Ahsoka's adversary is Sidious, not Thrawn.
4. Rukh will feature in a one shot yes. As will Thrawn. :)
SLE's fave guest: No need to worry about missing a chapter. It happens. :)
It was pure conveniance that I released the chapter the same day we finally got Kanera, so :).
Oh jeeze, I'm sorry if you are worrying about Hera dying. I'm not the sort to flesh out a character just to kill them off (usually) so she might be safe... she might not. (that doesn't help does it... sorry.)
Thrawn might rebel, he might not... wait and see.
jamese765: Oh boy, sorry that you didn't like the fact that it was a cliffhanger. Still, I hope the resolution to it was worth it. :)