Battle of Romegan
Nomi and Dash reached the troop transport on time despite the usual heavy traffic.
Wedge Antilles and the other Rogue Squadron pilots were already on board. Everyone cheered when they saw the couple enter.
Gavin Darklighter went to his sister and brother-in-law.
"I knew you both would go on the mission," he said after giving his sister a hug.
"You know us too well, little brother," Nomi replied with a big grin.
She dropped her backpack and sat on the bench for the short flight to the Mon Calamari Cruiser Home One. Her husband and brother sat next to her.
"Wedge told me you were already there," Gavin began. "Is it true that Strombol is on Romegan?"
The young man looked at them expectantly as he twirled his mustache absently.
"To be honest, we're not sure it's him," Dash replied, stretching out his legs. "But we know for certain that there are Imperial forces on Romegan."
His brother-in-law nodded thoughtfully.
"That means we're going in blind," Gavin said with a sigh. "It's not the first time, but that doesn't mean I like it."
They felt the vibrations of the shuttle as it took off and made its way to the waiting Home One.
Fifteen minutes later, the shuttle landed in the cruiser's main hangar. The Rogue Squadron pilots exited their transport and chatted idly, but the tension was still palpable. They moved into quarters near the ready room and settled in for the long flight to Romegan.
"I never thought we would be here again," Dash remarked, throwing his backpack in the corner and sitting on the cot.
"Life is full of surprises, darling," his wife replied, sitting down next to him. "But on the other hand, we're reunited with our comrades. And that's a damn good feeling."
Her husband gave her a lopsided grin.
"Don't let Luke hear that, honey."
Nomi laughed and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms behind her head.
"Luke isn't here and I doubt he doesn't miss his former comrades from Rogue Squadron."
They felt the change in the ship's vibrations and knew they had jumped into hyperspace.
It wasn't long before they heard a knock on the door. Dash stood up, opened it and saw his brother-in-law standing in front of him. He made room for him and the young man entered the quarters.
"Tycho has smuggled some jet sprit on board and I should invite you to a little welcome party. The simulator training and the briefing will not take place until tomorrow and so we can afford that," Gavin said with a smile and nodded to his big sister.
"Do you know what happens if we get caught?" Nomi asked, already standing up.
Her brother knew it was just a rhetorical question. Until now, their superiors had always acted as if they didn't notice anything and let the pilots do what they were doing. As long as they were ready when it mattered, everything was fine.
They left the quarters together and made their way to the place where the party was taking place.
Nomi and Dash were greeted with cheers and it was as if they had never left. The small party was not only a welcome for old comrades but also an outlet for the tension of the pilots, who didn't know what to expect at their deployment location.
Wedge Antilles had just taken a sip of jet sprit and passed the bottle to Dash.
"To a successful mission," the squadron commander said after swallowing the alcohol that burned his throat.
"To a successful mission," Rendar replied, taking a sip from the bottle and handing it to his wife.
Nomi also took a sip without making a face as the alcohol burned in her throat. One by one, the Rogue Squadron pilots drank to a successful mission after the newcomers had settled on the hangar floor.
During the evening there were many conversations between Nomi, Dash and their comrades. It was like a homecoming.
When they parted ways, it was already late and the jet sprit was gone.
The next few days were filled with simulator exercises and briefings as Home One and Silent Water continued towards their destination in the depths of hyperspace. Not knowing what to expect, it was difficult to prepare for the upcoming battle.
But the exercises ensured that the pilots would perform flawlessly under all circumstances.
The members of Rogue Squadron were summoned to the ready room before the Mon Calamari Cruiser was about to exit hyperspace. Everyone was in full gear and the tension was palpable. Adrenaline was already pumping through their bodies.
Wedge Antilles stood before them, cleared his throat and waved his hand for silence.
"We will reach our destination in a few minutes. Admiral Ackbar wants us to escort the shuttles that will deploy our ground troops."
There was a murmur.
"I know it sounds like babysitting but it's a vital task. We will do our best as always. Man your fighters and may the Force be with us."
The commander put on his helmet before climbing the ladder and entering the cockpit.
One by one, the other pilots boarded their X-wings and prepared for takeoff. Then they waited for their leader's signal.
The signal came as soon as the Home One re-entered real space. After passing the magcon field, they waited for the Silent Water to deploy the troop transports they were supposed to escort.
A look at the tactical display only showed blue dots, but they knew that could change quickly.
Minutes later, the troop transports took off and made their way to Romegan's surface, followed and flanked by Rogue Squadron. Where minutes before there were only blue dots, red ones suddenly appeared.
"We've got company, Rogues. S-Foils in attack position… enemy fighters approaching," they heard Wedge's voice in their headsets.
"Kark," Nomi murmured quietly as she let her fingers dance across the console.
The pilots prepared for battle, staying close to the transport ships they were assigned to protect.
More and more enemy fighters came from the surface. It seemed like the New Republic forces had indeed found Admiral Strombol's main base.
The TIEs went full throttle and opened fire as soon as they were within firing range.
"Defend the transports at all costs," Wedge Antilles ordered.
The proximity alarm blared and Nomi glanced at her display.
"More power for the front shields, Fuzzy."
Her astromech gave a confirming whistle and within seconds it was carrying out Nomi's command. It came just in time because one of the TIEs had targeted her X-wing.
The experienced Rogue Squadron pilot went into a steep dive, dodging the deadly laser beams. Being hunted wasn't to her liking, but she would quickly transition into the role of hunter. She knew it would be best not to let the enemy fighters near the transports, but to keep them at a distance. The TIE fighter pilots followed the usual attack pattern that had been taught at the Imperial academies for decades. Nothing had changed and that made them predictable.
Nomi's comrades broke formation, confronted the enemy head-on, and lured them away from their primary targets. Soon they were engaged in fierce dogfights.
But the Rogue Squadron pilots weren't alone on the battlefield, as two other squadrons stationed aboard the Silent Water had joined them. So they weren't outnumbered.
From time to time cries of triumph could be heard when an enemy fighter was hit. But there were also cries of frustration when a shot went wrong.
The Jedi saw Wedge Antilles take out one of the TIEs before performing a corkscrew maneuver that ended up putting him behind another enemy fighter.
"There's one chasing you, Rogue 10," Nomi heard her husband's voice, but she had already sensed the danger and avoided being hit by steering her fighter to starboard, rolling and firing. The laser beams penetrated the TIE's cockpit, killing the pilot in an instant before the fighter itself exploded.
"Gotcha," Nomi murmured quietly as she dodged the debris to take on the nearest enemy fighter.
"Excellent shot, Rogue 10," Dash said as he fired at another TIE which exploded in a fireball.
He would never understand why the Empire left its pilots so vulnerable. When he thought about it, he was glad he had been expelled from Carida years ago. Who knows if he would still be alive otherwise.
"The transporters are almost on the planet's surface," he heard Commander Antilles' voice, interrupting his thoughts.
A quick glance at the display showed Rendar that there were only a few TIEs left. There were no reinforcements for them and the New Republic pilots made short work of them.
Rogue Squadron had accomplished its mission and now it was up to the ground forces to capture Admiral Strombol so he could be brought to justice for his war crimes.
With the battle brought to the Admiral's doorstep, the pilots relaxed a little, but didn't slacken in their attention. It was always possible that more enemy fighters would come their way. But there was nothing. So they could only sit and wait for the outcome.
Hour after hour passed until the troop transports broke the atmosphere and headed for the Silent Water.
The pilots waited patiently to hear whether the mission was successful or not. But until they got back on board Home One, they wouldn't hear anything.
Nomi landed her X-Wing in the hangar, turned off the engine, opened the canopy and jumped out of the fighter. Dash was already waiting for her, smiling.
Together they went to Wedge, where their comrades were gathering. Everyone was eager to find out about the outcome of the battle.
Antilles cleared his throat before speaking.
"Admiral Ackbar has ordered us to the briefing room for the debriefing," their commander said before exiting the hangar.
One by one the pilots followed him. When they reached the briefing room, the admiral was already waiting for them.
Ackbar cleared his throat as he looked at the pilots he had come to appreciate over the years. The pilots he had sent into countless battles. The pilots who never disappointed him. He knew they wouldn't like what he had to say.
"As always, Rogue Squadron did an excellent job," he began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Nevertheless, the mission to capture Admiral Strombol alive failed."
The admiral was interrupted by murmurs. With a wave of his hand he ordered silence and continued.
"Our ground forces had gained the upper hand and had him cornered. When Strombol realized that his situation was hopeless, he committed suicide. I know many of you would have preferred to see him brought to justice."
Ackbar sighed and looked at those gathered.
"I wish I had better news. On the other hand, it's good that Strombol is no longer a threat to the New Republic. Dismissed."
The pilots left the briefing room discussing what they had just heard when they felt the ship's vibrations, indicating that Home One had just jumped into hyperspace. They were on their way back to Coruscant.