Poe's squadron had done pretty well with their bombing mission on the Beta star destroyer. The First Order had caught on to their technique after about four runs and had changed their orders toward a pursuing tactic. Poe had managed to catch the change quickly enough, his nimble sense able to see the pattern, and to change his own strategy. He had all the fighters circle around the destroyer in the same circuit. The TIEs then pursued the Resistance fighters in one direction, while proton torpedoes constantly were dropped into the shields.
The First Order then changed their maneuverings again into alternating pursuit runs in opposite directions. Poe then switched his attack to circle the destroyer at a perpendicular angle, causing only brief engagements with the TIEs. As a result, the shields were constantly being weakened, but at a slow rate.
Poe became impatient. This bombing mission was never intended to destroy the ship, rather to weaken its defenses; but to Poe, taking a destroyer out was preferable.
"Yellow Leader, Red Leader," Poe contacted the other squadrons assigned to Beta. "What is your squadron status?"
"Two X-Wings down, Three fighters left, Rapier Leader." Yellow Leader responded.
"One Y-Wing down, Rapier Leader." Red Leader radioed.
Poe quickly analyzed the situation. The longer it took to break the shields, the weaker their own squadrons would become, even if they were flying well.
A TIE streaked in front of him. He fired casually and blew off one of its solar panels without effort, causing the TIE to spiral out of control away from the destroyer. Then Poe got an idea.
"Rapier Squadron, stop bombing the shields." He ordered.
The squadron fighters responded with compliance.
"What should we do then, Rapier Leader?" Rapier Two inquired.
"Follow me, Rapier Squadron," Poe said.
He flew toward a group of TIEs nearby that were pursuing the Yellow Squadron. Turbo laser's continued to dart past his fighter, close enough to sliver off stabilizers if Poe had flinched. He obtained a target lock on one TIE but did not fire immediately, fatal laser blasts getting dangerously close and lighting up his face with an eerie glow as they flashed. The TIE pilot, detecting the target lock, began to fly erratically, trying to break the target; and the rear gunner began firing unevenly on Poe. Poe's shields took a hit, but he did not fire. The TIE cornered away from the destroyer and then back toward it. Poe fired his laser cannons. He clipped the top starboard solar panel, causing it to tailspin and crash into the destroyer's shields, a blue ripple emanating outward and flickering as the powered shield wavered at the hit.
"Rapier Squadron, did you see that?" Poe radioed.
They did.
"Let's throw their own ships at them," Poe ordered.
….
Leia Organa, the general of the Resistance, stood in the command center of the Alderaanian asteroid station, monitoring the Holovid. Admiral Statura, an experienced official that was implemental in the destruction of the Starkiller base, stood to her right. Finn, a captain of the Resistance and former stormtrooper of the First Order, stood at her left. Two commanders and C-3PO were near the Holovid as well; and R2-D2 was positioned behind them along the wall, with Chewbacca, the faithful and loyal friend of Leia, who had not left her side after Lybeya.
They watched the Holovid display in front of them as it showed the current battle unfolding. The First Order destroyers were getting closer and their laser blasts were beginning to cause significant damage to the station shields. Many of the snub fighters were destroyed, as about one hundred of the three hundred fighters had fallen. The amount of First Order casualties were three times as high, but there were still at least five hundred more TIEs filling the battlefield. With them, there were the ten star destroyers and the super star destroyer also. The numbers were not in the Resistance's favor and Leia knew it.
"It is almost time," Leia said. "In a moment I want you to ready the retreat of our ships, Admiral Statura."
"Yes, General," Statura replied.
"But we haven't damaged any of their fleet, and the asteroids are swarming with TIEs ready to fire on any escaping vessels," one of the commanders commented.
"That will be taken care of shortly, Commander Kale," Leia answered.
She turned to Finn. "After I contact General Hux, you must coordinate the evacuation of the station and set the charges."
"Yes, General," Finn said. "As long as I can get out of these asteroids. Promise me, no more asteroids after this."
Leia smiled and then returned her attention to the Holovid display and hailed the Finalizer. She waited only a moment before General Hux's blue gray holographic form appeared, standing on the Holovid table.
"It is not like you, General Organa, to seek terms for surrender," Hux taunted.
"For your surrender, General Hux," Leia smiled.
Hux laughed, "It seems after the Lybeya battle, you have succumbed to delusions of grandeur. You stood a better chance then. What makes you think you will fare better now?"
"I've come to understand you better. I hope you have come to know me better as well and heed my warning." She said cryptically.
General Hux smiled. "You are delaying. You are preparing your evacuation and using your fighters to keep our destroyers at bay. Soon your men will be fleeing the station. Your position is precarious among those asteroids. Only small escape vessels can leave, and we will easily prevent that. You see, I know your plans, General."
"No, you have miscalculated. I'm not trying to delay you. I am giving you a chance to save the lives of your Fleet. This is your last chance, Hux. Surrender now, or die."
"What!" Hux ejaculated. "I think you overestimate your chances! If you will not surrender to me, then we have nothing left to discuss. It will be fitting for you to die here in the graveyard of your destroyed planet; the princess must join her people."
His hologram disappeared.
Leia turned to Admiral Statura and Captain Finn. "Let's go. Ready the Endurance."
"The cruiser?" C-3PO questioned. "Weren't the engines badly damaged in the Lybeya system?"
"We are not leaving on it, 3PO. That is a parting gift from the late Admiral Ackbar. Come on. Get everyone out of here." Leia ordered as she quickly walked out. Admiral Statura informed his fleet of the orders.
Chewbacca, knowing that in battle no life is guaranteed, ran to Finn and hugged him.
"Thanks, fella," Finn said as he returned the hug. "I'll see you soon, don't worry."
Chewbacca then turned to follow Leia.
Finn left with R2-D2 to facilitate the evacuation and final steps of Leia's plan.
C-3PO still standing there trying to process what Leia had meant, uttered to himself, "a parting gift?"
He then realized that he was alone, jolted and turned to follow Leia.
"Oh, my," he said as he rushed down the hallway.
….
The Mon Calamari star cruiser detached from the Resistance station. It was a heavily damaged and battle-worn cruiser that had seen its last glory in the escape from Hux six months prior. That battle had cost the Resistance many lives. Yet this cruiser had survived, barely, its scars and open wounds were evidence of that.
The cruiser slowly moved away from the station. Asteroids, fitted with thrusters shifted outward, creating a cylinder of asteroids for the cruiser to exit. The cruiser passed through the asteroids. The thruster-equipped asteroids then closed behind it.
The cruiser exited the asteroid field and soon after began receiving hits from TIEs in the area. A few Resistance squadron's flew in to protect it. It began its trajectory directly for General Hux's ship, the Finalizer.
….
The First Order fleet was drawing nearer to the asteroid belt, and the battle was getting more crowded with bolting dogfighters and deceased ship skeletons. General Hux saw the Mon Calamari ship and recognized it at once.
"So you are going to try to ram me again." He said under his breath, referring to their last battle in the Lybeya system. "It won't work this time."
He ordered his command bridge to direct all fire at the star cruiser. The cruiser did not return fire, but its shields held. It drew nearer. The shields weakened.
An intelligence officer approached General Hux. "Permission to speak, General," the man stated, his hands behind his back but fidgeting.
"Granted. What is it, Colonel Winn?" Hux did not look at Winn but continued to watch the laser and ion blast hitting the cruiser.
"Sir, I am concerned about the behavior of that ship. I would suggest we evade."
"How are the cruiser's shields?" Hux called to the captain, half ignoring Winn's comment.
"They are almost down, General," the captain responded.
"Sir," Winn started again. "That ship is not firing, not changing direction. There is no change in its thrust and no alteration in its shield focus."
"Captain, tell me our shield status," Hux again half ignored Winn.
"Eighty percent, General."
Hux turned to look at Winn. "What are you trying to say, Colonel? That you have a bad feeling about this?"
"Well, yes, General," he answered. "I don't think that ship has anyone on it."
"General," another command officer yelled out. "One of our star destroyers on the starboard just went down. They destroyed the command bridge, sir." Poe's strategy had worked.
"No matter," he said to the command officer. Then he directed his comment to Winn. "Our shields are almost at full capacity. The cruiser's shields are almost down. In a few blasts, your feelings won't matter. Return to your station."
After a few more direct hits from the Finalizer, the cruiser's shields did fail. It was still about a kilometer away, the damage to the hull was seen as laser fire tore pieces off, the already pockmarked frame. Suddenly the cruiser exploded, but it was not the typical flash of vaporized gases. The ship simply erupted into debris and shrapnel.
"There," Hux stated. "Now resume the attack on the station."
"General, something is approaching us from the cruiser debris," the captain notified him.
The captain enlarged the view of the debris field. Thousands of small spherical objects had emerged from within the cruiser and were headed for the Finalizer.
"Magnetic mines," Hux muttered and then cursed under his breath. "Shoot the mines!"
All turbolaser fire was directed at the mines. Even though hundreds were destroyed, there were still more than enough to damage the Finalizer.
A dozen of them hit first, but there were no explosions, no convulsions; it was as if the hadn't even contacted the destroyer.
"General," the captain started. "They are shield mines."
Shield mines attached to a ship's shields and redirected the shield energy to other attached mines until the shields were filled with holes in between them, like a net.
Hux looked around for Resistance fighters that would take advantage of their growing vulnerability. All the fighters were moving away from the Finalizer. Some were even jumping to hyperspace.
"What are you doing, Organa? There is no one to take advantage of your plan?" He said to himself. Then he saw it. The asteroid field that was around the Resistance station was moving toward the Finalizer at an incredible speed, each asteroid having been fitted with thrusters.
"Evasive action!" He shouted. "And shoot those asteroids!"
The Finalizer began tilting to port, but it was too late. The first asteroids began to impact the forward starboard side. Everyone on the command bridge lost their footing for a moment. There were too many. Great fireless holes were being ripped into the side of the Finalizer.
General Hux barked orders to the scrambling crew who were frantically trying to move out of the path. He looked up at the open view port and saw one massive asteroid heading for the command bridge from the right. The open holes in the shield were too small for the asteroid to pass, but the net-like nature of what was left of the shield simply broke it into three big asteroids that continued toward the bridge. The officers and crew on the bridge began to scream and run from the room. General Hux, realized the futility of the situation and resigned himself to his fate. He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back and stared defiantly at the asteroids as they impacted the command bridge. His smile was gone, but his bitter striving vanished as well.