As the Avatar raced deeper into the planet's gravity well, Tigellinus stared out the viewport and tried to mark the tiny starfighter on which all his hopes depended. As yet they were still too far out; his naked eye only picked up the Magic Dragon and Reprobation against the wintry swirls of Peralta's southern hemisphere. Yet his tactical screens noted it clearly: one tiny yellow wedge weaving elegantly through space, evading attempts by Takel's TIE fighters to box it in.
The Avatar had launched its own TIE squadron, which was howling to intercept. Skywalker was stalling for time, and for obvious reasons. The Avatar's long-range sensors were also picking up large and medium-sized transports rising from the North Antea spaceport. As yet they hung in the air beneath the protective shield dome but they'd run the second it fell.
His sensors also showed that the Hell's Hammers had brought their heavy armor through the hills and were moving for the spaceport now. In minutes they'd be within mortar range of the shield generators and could bring that dome down before the Rebels got all their ships aloft.
That was exactly what he needed. Tigellinus said, "Comm, hail the Aethersprite. I need to speak to that pilot right now. Personal link."
Again he stalked to the very front of the bridge. He'd barely kept his composure during his talk with that oaf Takel, and if it slipped now he didn't want his crew to see it.
The link opened. "This is Skywalker."
"This is Grand Admiral Tigellinus. My battalions have reached the spaceport and will destroy your shields on my command. Neither I nor Takel will hesitate to vaporize those ships before they breach the atmosphere unless you land on my Avatar."
"Is that a promise? It sounds like you and your partner can't agree on much."
"He is not my partner," Tigellinus sneered. "Fly straight for my destroy immediately or I will bring down your shields this instant."
Just a heartbeat's pause. "All right. I'm heading your way now. What about Takel?"
Tigellinus glanced over-shoulder at the tactical holo. Sure enough, that Aethersprite's yellow mark was cutting a straight line toward him. Two groups of TIEs raced to intercept.
"Maneuver for the TIE squadron approaching you head-on. They'll protect you."
"Understood. But if those shields go down-"
Then he'd still be trapped in orbit, surrounded by Imperials who wanted his hide. "Rest assured, your people will have time to evacuate."
Tigellinus immediately killed the link. Striding across the bridge he said, "Comm, get online with the Hammers. Tell them to cease all attacks at once. You heard me. Stop the advance!" To the tactical lieutenant he said, "New orders for the advance TIEs. They are to protect that Rebel fights at all costs and escort it here. If Takel's TIEs try to interfere, they are to open fire."
The tactical lieutenant blinked in shock but relayed the order. More subtly, Captain Ruddiger sidled next to his admiral. "Sir, are you suggesting we fire on other Imperials?"
"They'll be warning shots," he soothed.
"But they're Imperials… Grand Admiral, sir… what's so special about that little ship?"
"Nothing I can speak to at the moment, but rest assured, once we claim it, we will all win the Emperor's favor."
That brightened Ruddiger's face. "I understand, sir." He didn't, but he'd do his job like any soldier with a promotion dangled in front of him. And that would be enough.
-{}-
Takel nearly gnashed his teeth as he watched that little Aethersprite race away from his TIEs. The ship had passed Reprobation in lower orbit and was now cutting a straight line toward the Avatar. It seemed Skywalker had made his choice. Tigellinus had sent a full squad to intercept and the two clusters of TIEs were on a collision course.
Despite his anger, Takel felt a rush of admiration. Tigellinus must have made the boy an offer he couldn't refuse, and he was willing to risk much to secure it. But would his TIEs fire on Takel's? Would he really kill fellow Imperials just to claim Skywalker?
Takel would, without hesitation. But for some reason he'd never thought Tigellinus could be so bold, bordering on reckless. He couldn't afford to be one-upped by a would-be court dandy.
"Helm, adjust direction," he commanded. "Take us toward Avatar. Full engine burn. Get us away from the planet as quickly as possible."
Helm obeyed, but his tactical officer frowned. "Sir, what about the Rebels?"
"What about them?"
"They're fleeing the city, sir. Dozens of ships. They just dropped shields and are climbing toward orbit."
"Have Reprobation deal with them."
"I'm sure the strike cruiser can get some of them, sir, but-"
"But nothing!" Takel tried to reign in his anger. By every loving god, he needed spice right now. Anger and adrenaline were no substitute. "All right, fine," he waved a hand. "Send three squadrons of TIEs to attack the convoy. Send two more toward Avatar."
The officers around him all stared. It was an ensign who said, "Sir… are we attacking Grand Admiral Tigellinus?"
Because he had no answer to that question, not yet, Takel said, "Just follow orders as I give them. That's all you're meant to do."
-{}-
Twelve TIE fighters in close formation filled Luke's heads-up display, and he had to battle his instinct to wrestle his joystick to flee. Holding the Athersprite on course for the Avatar, he watched the TIEs get closer and closer, until they finally soared around and past his fighter, just barely veering to void a crash.
New lights winked on his sensor screen. Laserfire was going off behind him and he watched, captivated, wondering if these Imperials were actually going to start killing each other to get him. When he'd listened to the two grand admirals argue over the comm he'd been struck by how ravenously hungry both sounded. One voice had a wild edge to it, the other an aristocrat's self-conscious dignity, but in both he'd heard a gluttonous desire for him; not Luke Skywalker the man, or even the symbol, but the might and favor his capture would gain.
For a split-second he had to wonder: was Darth Vader like those men, blinded by power-lust? Or, as Starkiller had believed and maybe died for, was there more to him?
But only for a split-second. Artoo chirped, and Luke checked his scanner again. Where he'd once had six of Takel's TIEs pursuing him, there were now four falling back. Eleven of Tigellinus's fighters were forming around the Aethersprite, creating a protective blockade of black solar panels.
The other three TIEs must have been destroyed. Imperials were killing Imperials, all for want of him. Luke felt slightly sick.
"Artoo, tell me this is worth it," he muttered. "Is the evacuation airborne?"
R2 whistled affirmatively.
"And they're past the shield?"
His astromech confirmed it. Luke slumped in his seat and wiped sweat from his brow. "Okay, Artoo. Just a few more minutes, and this will all be over."
-{}-
The deadly skirmish between TIE squadrons had cast the Avatar's bridge into a grim silence. Tigellinus glanced at the faces of his crew and saw the same thing on each one. Each man wondered what was on that Aethersprite, whether it was worth the cost, and whether the Magic Dragon would let them leave with it. The Rebels funneling up from the planet in their ragtag freighters had become an after-thought.
Takel hadn't commed since the destruction of two of his TIEs, but the Magic Dragon was racing toward them, burning blue ion thrusters to push away from the planet. He'd yet to raise shields or attain a weapons lock. Tigellinus guessed the glitbiter was acting on impulse, going wherever his anger led him. That wasn't to neglect his threat; on the contrary, his drug-addled mind made him more unpredictable and dangerous.
Whatever happened, Tigellinus was sure he could stand it so long as he got Skywalker.
When he walked toward the viewport he could finally see the object of his desire with his naked eye. There it was, hanging off Avatar's bow, wrapped in a nest of TIEs: one antique starfighter, wedge-shaped like a microscopic destroyer, painted anachronistic Republic-red.
Victory was in sight, but Tigellinus wouldn't let his guard drop now. Rebels were notorious for their tricks. "I want a full sweep of that ship. Weapons? Life signs?"
The reply came seconds later. "That ship's unarmed," Roddiger reported. "Power readings steady. No shields. One life sign, looks human."
"Excellent." Tigellinus clenched fists. "Comms, tell him to kill his engines. Tractor beam, get a lock and reel it in."
The crew hurried to comply. Tigellinus watched as the TIEs broke formation and scattered. The Aethersprite shut down thrusters and glided toward the Avatar until tractor beams caught it and pulled it beneath the ship's bow, out of view.
Almost there, almost there. Tigellinus looked at the tactical array. Magic Dragon was still seven minutes from firing range. Once they had Skywalker, the Avatar could turn and run for the end of the gravity well, then jump to hyperspace. All those fleeing Rebels were Takel's concern. This was, Tigellinus thought with a sadistic satisfaction, his planet and his mess. The reprobate would never live down two failures in one day.
Then Roddiger spoke. "Grand Admiral, we've received a report from the hangar."
Tigellinus asked urgently, "Is the ship secure? And its pilot?"
"The ship is fine, sir… But the pilot..."
"Yes? Out with it!"
"This is strange, sir, but the deck crew says she's been stunned and restrained."
"She?"
"Yes, sir." He looked at his admiral in confusion. "She wasn't flying the ship it all."
-{}-
When his heads-up display went blank and R2-D2 whined in relief, Luke slumped in his seat and released his own sigh.
"You did great, Artoo," he said. "Now, start running preflight checks. We've got to get our own bird flying or we'll be left behind."
R2 whistled and went to work. Luke spared a moment to stand up in the open cockpit of his Headhunter to stretch his arms and legs. The hangar yawned empty before him; the only things left were piles of stray equipment and the remnants of the other Z-95, which he'd cannibalized to make his current ship and the Aethersprite operational.
When he'd pitched his mad idea to use the old Jedi fighter as a distraction, he'd told Juno he'd wanted to borrow a tactic from a fallen hero: not Starkiller but PROXY, who'd used short-range comm relays to puppeteer three other droid bodies during the attack on Shenandor. The connection Nevetts had rigged between R2-D2 and an old spare R4 unit had been more powerful but also simpler. No holographic shrouds were required, nor lightsaber duels. R2 hadn't even had to make choices on his own; he'd merely held up the relay connecting the sensors and control suite of Luke's grounded Headhunter to the Aethersprite in orbit.
It had been Juno's suggestion to put Drasca aboard the Aethersprite. The Imperials weren't fools, she'd pointed out. Either with life-sensors or naked eyes, they'd notice if their prize ship had an empty cockpit. Thanks to that finishing touch the gambit had worked.
Luke couldn't dawdle for long. This Z-95, unlike the Aethersprite, had a built-in hyperdrive, but the Rebel convoy was pulling out of the atmosphere and he needed to catch up and help defend them.
He dropped back into the cockpit and put the helmet back on. He tapped his comm back on and said, "Juno, are you still on the ground?"
"Barely. Where are you?" She sounded pained
"Getting ready for takeoff. Package delivered, by the way."
"I never doubted it."
"Are you alright?"
"Moving isn't as easy as it used to be. I'm okay. I'm almost at my ship."
"You have something ready?"
"Yes. Go on without me, Commander. That's an order. I'll be right behind you."
Though her voice was tinny in his headset, he could tell it was not that of a woman planning to die. "All right, I'll see you in the air."
He closed the link, strapped himself in, and began turning on all the Z-95's flight systems. The old snubfighter hummed, coughed, and gurgled to life. Well, he'd flown worse.
"Artoo, how's it looking back there?"
The response was an affirmative warble.
"Good answer." Luke punched his console and the engines roared. "Let's get out of here."