Chapter 70 Disclaimer: Same as before. I do own Ari, her family and Tem. The others belong to Lucas AN: Thank you everyone for the great reviews! I apologize for how long it has taken to update, but I hope it was worth the wait. Please continue to read and review! The base was abuzz with activity, and Ari found herself a part of it. She found that even though Luke and Wedge had been given control of her squadron, minus a few like Cal, who were doing other things, her men still came to her. They all had questions or inquires to make, and to get orders direct from her. She reassured them and had just given another evacuation suggestion to a pilot when her comm sounded again. "Lieutenant Narabe," she asked briskly as the pilot hurried off. "It is me," Leia's voice came over her comm. "Star Destroyers just came out of hyperspace. We have less time than we first thought. I will be briefing all the pilots in five standard minutes in the main hanger." "I'll be there," Ari quickly reassured her. "And I will tell any of the other pilots I see." "Alright, I will speak with you then." With that, connection was dropped. It seemed almost impossible that just a short time ago, she and Leia had been talking, and had a sort of kinship from their losses. This time, it was very different. Ari couldn't help but wonder if it would always be like this. All the Rebels being friends one moment, and the next moment, ranks would be showing as orders were given. However, it was her duty, and she would do what was needed to help the Rebellion. She contacted a few others and relayed the information about the upcoming meeting before she noted the time and rushed to the main hanger. The group was already coming together, all the pilots forming a circle around Leia, who was pacing like a caged animal, and the look in her eyes seemed to have the same look. Determined and yet underneath that rough exterior, Ari knew she was scared. They all were. The urgency in her voice was clear as she called all the troops together. She and Ari shared a grim look, and Ari noted that she had been mistaken. The chain of command was apparent, but the kinship was still there. It was just second to the evacuation. However, that slight amount of relief made her feel better and her nerves calmed enough so that her hands were not shaking like they had before. That is because her muscles were so tense, that there was a slight shaking in her hands. This was different than the Death Star and the Battle of Yavin. They hadn't had time to be nervous. Now they did. And Ari was in charge of the lives of others, not just her own. It was a bit responsibility, and one she would not take lightly. Glancing at her chrono, Leia looked at the group before she started and everyone could hear the urgency in her voice. "All troop carriers will assemble at the north entrance. The heavy transport ships will leave as soon as they're loaded." A group of pilots came rushing in at this moment, and they filled in among the gaps in the group. Ari offered a smile to some of the ones she knew. "Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy shield can only be opened for a short time, so you'll have to stay very close to your transports," Leia continued. At one point, she was giving Ari one of her intense looks, with the blonde haired girl returned. Everyone knew how difficult this would be, and it seemed as if the looks that the pilots wore said more than any words could possibly convey. "Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" one of the pilots asked. His name was Hobbie, Ari remembered. "The ion cannon will fire several shots to make sure that any enemy ships will be out of your flight path," Leia answered his question, before her eyes traveled back to the group surrounding her. Without missing a beat, she continued, this time addressing the whole group. "When you've gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?" In response, there was a chorus of affirmative answers, along with a few pilots nodding their heads. "Good luck," Leia finished with a shrug, dismissing the troops. Bren Derlin, who was a captain, was quick to take charge. "Okay. Everyone to your stations. Let's go!" The pilots all gave a few shouts of encouragement to each other and took off for the fighters. Ari found herself moving with the other pilots, running for their fighters. She knew that Cal and a few of her other friends were on the fronts, ready to face the snowtroopers that would attempt to infiltrate the base. There were others on board the transports to help with the equipment, while others were flying in the snowspeeders with her. Everyone she knew would be at risk, and she knew, as hopeful as she was, that some of the Rebels she had gotten to know, would never get off this icy planet. Pushing these thoughts away, she reached the snowspeeders and saw the first of the fighters flying out of the hanger to a prearranged area. That was where the pilots would leave the snowspeeders to get in their fighters to meet at the rendezvous point. The rush of pilots paused for just a moment as an announcement came over the loudspeaker. The first transport and the fighter escorts had taken off. Had they made it? "The first transport is away." Cheers erupted all over the base, and Ari saw a familiar figure rushing over to the speeders. Luke. He was dressed in his flightsuit, helmet under one hand. He looked better than he had even that short time ago in the med center. He glanced one way and then the next, but even though Ari just two vehicles over, she was unable to catch his eye. However, she offered a silent prayer to whomever or whatever was listening, asking that Luke would be kept safe. It would tear her apart to lose him. He was the only family she had left. She then offered another prayer for all the other Rebels, especially Leia, Han, Chewie, Cal, Wedge, and the other Rebels she had gotten close to. Getting into her snowspeeder was simple and she swung herself in with ease, then pulled on her helmet strapping in. Another Rebel, Tem, leapt into the opposite seat, belting in. "Are you ready to take on some Imps?" he asked Ari, using the nickname some used for the Imperials. "As ready as I ever will be," Ari answered and flexed her hands over the controls. She was the pilot and Tem had proven well in the simulations as a gunner. They had never worked together though, so they would have to learn to cooperate in battle. She could only hope that they would survive. She waited almost impatiently to take off, and then noticed that what she thought was just shaking in the ship, was the shaking of the entire base, as she saw a chunk of ice from the ceiling fall. At that same moment, there was a communication from one of the officers in the trench. "We have spotted Imperial walkers!" The communication controller of the base relayed this information immediately after, to stress this fact. "Imperial walkers on the North Ridge." This was the moment that all the pilots and gunners had been waiting for. They knew this was coming, and they were ready to take on the walkers and the ground troops. They had to get the transports to safety. That was the main objective. Ari pushed the accelerator further as they flew in a tight formation, leaving the hanger at an almost reckless speed, followed by a few others. "I hope you are ready to start shooting," she told Tem, and got a small sound back in response, like a nervous laugh. There was no more conversation to be had then, and Ari decided to let both of them concentrate on their tasks at hand. "Echo station Five-Seven. We're on our way," Luke relayed to base as they snowspeeders flew toward the walkers, which started out looking like mere specks in the distance. As they got closer though, the Rebels could see just how large these walkers were, as well as how heavily armored they were. Ari felt dread in the pit of her stomach. Would they really be able to destroy one of these walkers? Let alone a group of them? They flew over the trenches at breakneck speed and Ari glanced down for the briefest of moments, seeing that they were already shooting at the walkers. "All right, boys, keep tight now," Luke told them, and Ari didn't even think to correct him and remind him that there were girls as well. She was the only one. "Luke, I have no approach vector. I'm not set." Dack spoke up "Steady, Dack. Attack pattern delta. Go now!" Luke's voice was firm and authoritative. He had changed since they had left Tatooine, Ari noticed. They both had. Ari gave a nod to herself and flew right through two walkers then turned to the left, hard. "All right, I'm coming in," Ari heard Luke announce as he turned to one of the walkers. She could still hear him, even as she and her wingmen went to attack another of the heavily armored walkers as it shot at another snowspeeder. "Hobbie, you still with me?" she heard Luke asked as she swept under the belly of the walker, after blasting at its legs and the underside. She had hoped those two areas would be less protected, but she found out that the armor seemed to encompass the entire vehicle. The air was now full of blaster fire, streaming from the walkers and the troops in the trench, as well as some of larger equipment the Rebels were using. Red bolts flew through the air, hitting some targets while others seemed to be just wild, random shots. Only direction of the blasts determined if the Rebels or the Imperials were shooting.
All a sudden, Ari saw an explosion out of the corner of her eye and flinched. The first of their snowspeeders had been hit and it crashed into the ice and a final explosion erupted and then only a thin trail of smoke showed where the snowspeeder had crashed.
No one even mentioned this loss, as they were all trying to avoid the same fate as the walker's heads seemed to follow them with an endless supply of blaster fire power.
"That armor's too strong for blasters," Luke announced and Ari agreed. Even the legs seemed to be protected. They were not getting any closer to destroying the walkers as they were when they started. "Rouge Group, use your harpoons and tow cables. Go for the legs. It might be our only chance of stopping them," Luke announced and Ari immediately knew what he was planning. It was ingenious and she had a feeling it would work. It had to work. They had no other choice. "Force be with us," Ari murmured. She had thought she had said it quietly, but Tem had heard her, and added to it. "And not with the Imps."