AN: Well I had a load of fun, but I am glad to be back! Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing and for your patience. Well here you go!! Enjoy!!
Ari couldn't see them but held her breath, her attention in two places at once as she blasted another TIE.
Luke shot after the TIE, quickly closing in on him. When he was in his sights, he quickly blasted a laser at him. It exploded instantly, flames erupting in a massive fireball. "Got him!" Luke cried.
Ari let out a sigh of relief and for a moment was able to take another TIE in her sights and shot him down before she heard Biggs call out. "Pull in! Luke...pull in!"
Luke glanced around quickly, trying to spot the ship tracking him. "Watch your back, Luke!" Wedge cried. "Watch your back! Fighter's above you, coming in!"
Luke set his jaw, soaring away from the Death Star, finally spotting the tailing TIE fighter.
"Luke!" Ari called to him, her heart stopping for a moment, as she scanned for him, barely missing a volley of blaster fire
Suddenly, there was a roar in Luke's ears and a shaking as the TIE fighter scored a hit on the right side of his X-Wing causing a fire to break out almost instantly. After the shaking subsided a little Luke cried out "I'm hit, but not bad!"
"How bad is it?" Ari asked, concerned more for her friend than anything else at the moment.
Luke glanced around, seeing smoke billow out from behind Artoo. "It's alright Ari, don't worry about me. Artoo see what you can do with it. Hang on back there."
"Be careful," Ari whispered, as she then threw herself back into battle, but in the back of her mind she felt something bother her, but she couldn't tell what it was just yet.
Luke nervously worked at his controls. Ari, hang tight. "Red Six...." came the Red Leader through his head seat. Can you see Red five?"
"Luke where are you?" Ari called into her com, only using her reflexes to blast another TIE that had started after Green Leader.
Red Ten came over his headset. "There's a heavy fire zone on this side. Red Five, where are you?"
Luke finally spotted the TIE fighter behind him, still on his tail, and soared away from the surface. "I can't shake him!"
"I'm on him, Luke!" Wedge shouted.
"Hurry Wedge," Ari shouted. She winced visibly as Green Eight erupted in a giant ball of flame.
"Ari, don't focus on me, focus on you!" Luke yelled through the headset.
"Hold on!" Wedge cried, and he could see the small dot of Wedge diving across the horizon towards him quickly.
Suddenly panic overtook Luke as he looked around frantically." Blast it! Wedge, where are you!?"
Ari bit her lip, but knew that it would do no one, especially Luke, any good to get killed. She kept herself alert to what was being said as her squad leader's voice came over the com for a brief moment.
"Break formation and just do what you can," he ordered, voice tight
Luke stared at the screen for a moment, watching for Wedge's ship. "Keep your head, Ari!" he called through his headset. The dot was suddenly joined by another dot, another X-Wing. They both began firing and the TIE fighter exploded. "Thanks Wedge!" Luke cried in relief and in excitement.
Ari bit her lip in frustration at the entire situation, as she blasted another TIE out of the sky. "Good shooting, Wedge!" Biggs congratulated the man before Gold Leader spoke up.
"Red Leader...This is Gold Leader. We're starting out attack run."
"I copy, Gold Leader. Move into position," Red Leader responded through his headset.
Luke twisted his ship around into a spiral again, sending blaster fire as he did so on several TIEs that exploded into balls of fire upon impact.
"The exhaust port is marked and locked in," Gold leader announced and Ari breathed a small sigh. This was it.
Luke blasted a few more TIEs, wondering where Ari was. "Ari, how you doing?"
"Doing alright, I think. It just seems like we finish blasting five and ten more appear." As if to prove her point she did a tight roll to avoid blaster fire that just skimmed across what was left of her shields, her R4 unit kept showing any hits and damages from each time.
Luke still tensed up when he heard her response, though he was relieved to hear her voice. "Ok Ari, keep it up. Stay safe!!!"
"Switch power to front deflector screens," the Gold Leader's voice came through his headset, and Luke held his breath. Ari!! he cried in his head. Stay calm and focused.
Ari could hear the Gold Squadron but didn't reply as more TIEs joined the fight. Her heart sank. Half her squadron was gone already, and she didn't know how much longer they would last. She paused for only a moment when she thought she heard Luke. Stay calm and focused. It wasn't him talking through her helmet though. "I must be insane," she muttered to herself as she launched an attack on the approaching TIEs
"How many guns do you think, Gold Five?" came the Gold Leader's voice came again through Luke's headset.
"I'd say about twenty guns. Some on the surface, some on the towers," came Gold Five's voice.
Trying not to focus entirely in Ari, Luke twisted sharply to avoid another TIE's fire, blasting rapidly as he went.
"The Death Star will be in range in five minutes," Ari heard someone call out. She bit her lip; they were cutting it close
"Switching to targeting computer," came Gold Leader's voice in his ear again. Luke twisted around in his seat, trying to spot Ari again, but failed and was drawn in once again to an intense spar with an oncoming TIE...
"Computer's locked. Getting a signal." Gold Two's voice came over the com. Ari tried to peak over to where the fighters should have been, hoping Luke was okay as another TIE screamed towards her
As the fighters got closer to the exhaust port the guns all of a sudden stopped firing.
"The guns...they've stopped!" Gold Two exclaimed, nervously.
"Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters!" Luke swiveled around watching intensely for a moment.
Then came another voice. "They've coming in! Three marks at two ten."
All of a sudden Ari felt something cold and it made her shudder. She had no idea what it was though and she shivered as she hit the side of another TIE and watched as it spun out of control before exploding
Luke felt something pass over him, his thoughts immediately going to Ari. "Ari?" he asked tensely, automatically.
"Yeah?" she finally managed, voice somewhat tight
"Just checking again...making sure you're still around," Luke answered.
"Yes, we're fine," Ari responded as she tagged another TIE with her guns. "Just be careful, Luke."
Luke grinned weakly to himself. "That's your job, Ari," he answered back before he was interrupted.
There was an explosion that had been Gold Two and a moment later Gold Leader came on, panicked. "I can't maneuver!"
"Stay on target!!" Came Gold Five's confident voice through his headset. Luke heard a bunch of noise and then a huge explosion cut off Gold Leader from the rest of the group as he too met Gold Two's fate.
Only Gold Five remained. "Gold Five to Red Leader. Lost Tiree, lost Dutch," he reported sadly
"I copy, Gold Five!" Luke's heart sank slightly. They had lost so many already. At least Ari and Biggs were okay
"They came from behind!" Came Gold Five's voice over the com before he suddenly was hit and flew into the Death Star with flaming engines in a huge explosion.
Luke looked nervously around him, before yelling through his headset..."Ari? You still doing okay?"
"I think so," she replied nervously. At that moment Green Leader exploded with a howl and Ari winced.
Trying to keep his own fear out of his voice, Luke responded. "Stay focused, Ari. Don't let it shake you."
"Alright.. Luke I..." she started but was cut off. "Red Group this is Red Leader."
"Rendezvous at mark six point one," Red Leader continued. Luke readied himself.
"This is Red Two. Flying toward you," came Wedge's voice and finally Bigg's, "Red Three, standing by."
"Copy, Base One. Luke, take Red Two and Three. Hold up here and wait for my signal...to start your run." Luke nodded to himself, and he, Biggs and Wedge began flying in formation high above the Death Star.
"This is it!" Red Leader announced.
"Go get them," Ari encouraged
"Thanks, Ari! Be good," he couldn't help but grin waiting for her response.
"Aren't I always?" she replied with a small smile.
Luke peered out of his cockpit, a low nervous chuckle in his throat. "Just stay in touch Ari."
"I'll try," she assured him, as a TIE screamed by her
"We should be able to see it now," Red Ten stated.
"Keep your eyes open for those fighters!" Red Leader instructed
"There's too much interference!" Red Ten exclaimed.
The three X-Wing fighters started for the trench. Ari mentally crossed her fingers as she saw them, hoping they would have more success.
AN: You know what I normally ask for. J