5 BBY, somewhere in the Mid-Rim.
Aboard the Imperial Arquitens-class cruiser Enforcer it was another quiet night escorting convoys. Most of the crew had gone to sleep and the bridge was quiet. Senior Lieutenant Dain poured himself a cup of caf and returned to the bridge to supervise the night shift while the captain was asleep. The ship was one year into guarding convoys on this route and there has not been a single incident during that period.
The crew is getting complacent and lazy. The officer thought to himself. I might have to talk to the captain about running some more training exercises.
Of course, everyone on the crew had heard about the growing number of attacks by small rebel cells, but those where far away in more important parts of the galaxy. Thinking of the increasing number of attacks and raids worsened the Dain's mood, It has been fourteen years since the end of the Clone Wars when Emperor Palpatine brought peace and security to the galaxy, discarding the dying Republic and reforming it into the Empire. Fourteen years of peace besides a few separatist holdouts. And now these rebels now dare to disturb that peace? Over what? A few nonhuman species being oppressed?
He shook himself and refocused on looking out he bridge window at the convoy he was escorting. The six cargo ships and the other escort, a Gozanti class, were still cruising towards the next hyperspace point.
Dain took another sip of caf hoping it will do the trick help him stay awake. Looking back towards the clock again, still another four hours until his bridge shift was over and he could go to sleep. This is going to be a long night.
All thoughts of boredom disappeared as soon as he heard the proximity alarm sound off.
"Sir," the bridge sensor operator yelled. "I have a contact heading towards us at high spee-, no make that six contacts. Wait, picking up more."
"Sound the general alarm!" Shouted Dain, "and someone go wake the captain up!".
Throughout the ship, the dreaded general alarm rang out, waking up crew who were fast asleep. Chaos was unleashed as every ship member scrambled out of their sleeping racks trying to get their uniforms on and get to their stations as fast as possible. In the commotion, people were getting in each others way, tripping over equipment and bumping into each other. We really have gotten lazy and complacent, Lieutenant Dain thought as he watched people running onto the bridge and taking far too long to get to their stations.
He rushed over to the sensor station to get a better grasp on the situation. "What are you picking up?"
"Sir, we have twelve small contacts, likely fighters bearing down on us. Shit! They have launched warheads!"
"Why are those shields not up yet?" Dain demanded, only to see the shield operator scrambling to activate them.
"Lieutenant Dain, what the kriff is going on?" Dain turned to see the captain, only half dressed, quickly approaching him.
He snapped to attention and briefed him on the situation. "Sir, we have twelve fighters bearing down on us, they have launched missiles sir"
"Get our fighters out there now!" ordered the Captain, "And turn us to engage them."
"Sir, proton torpedo impact imminent!" Shouted one of the bridge crew.
"Brace for impact!" Yelled Lieutenant Dain as the torpedoes began impacting the shields. As impacts shook the ship, Dain found himself thrown to the floor.
Kark, we can't take much more. He swore to himself as he scrambled back to his feet. Only to look out of the bridge window to see the distinct red glow of another torpedo inbound. He saw a monetary flash of light and he knew that the ship's shields have failed, overwhelmed by the barrage of torpedoes. The glowing warhead grew closer, and time seemed to slow down as he noted the bridge crew panicking and running for the bridges exit in a desperate attempt to flee. The torpedo impacted the bridge and exploded, ripping apart the windows and bulkheads keeping the atmosphere inside.
Kriff. Was the last thing Dain had time to think before being sucked into the vacuum of space.
"Great job Gold Squadron, the Arquitens is down. Now focus on that Gonzanti and the rest of the convoy. Green Squadron, engage those TIE fighters the Gonzanti just launched."
Orlen Amar took one last glance at the triangular cruiser as explosions wracked its hull, before turning his A-wing fighter to join up with the rest of his squadron. The four tie fighters the Gonzanti cruiser launched were quickly approaching. Four TIE fighters vs six A-wings was comically lopsided with both quality and quantity on the rebels side.
As the two groups of fighters approached each other, they let loose their laser cannons. Green and red streaks of plasma flashed between the two opposing sides in a brilliant display of light.
One of the TIE fighters was blasted apart as they flew past each other. Orlen switched his targeting computer to the next fighter and pulled hard on the controls as his fighter maneuvered around to bring his blasters to bear on the enemy fighter.
"Great shot Green Three, you are really racking up your kill count. Oh shit, make that two. Leave some for the rest of us."
Orlen let himself smile at Green Fives comments and decided to taunt her. "Don't worry, one day I will leave some scraps for you."
Before Green Five could respond, Green leader cut in. "All TIES are gone. Green Two and Three on me and watch for any Imperial reinforcements. Green Four, Five, and Six, assist Gold squadron on finishing off that convoy."
As Orlen formed up with Green Leader and Green Two, he looked towards the convoy to see the Gonzanti was already destroyed, and that the Y-wing bombers were already most of the way through disassembling the convoy in a violent fashion.
This was the third convoy this month they had raided, and the furthest from base they have struck out yet. This is too easy, he thought. We have been raiding convoys and outposts for months now and the imperials have not made any changes to how they run things. These convoys are easy pickings. I know bureaucracy is slow, but this is ridiculous, do they just not care?
Almost as if karma was mocking him, he felt as if a great smothering weight fell upon him and he felt his ears twitch in a way he hasn't felt since That Day fourteen years ago. The intrusive memory of a blue blade cutting down his friends returned.
Suppressing his flashback, he refocused on the present and the danger he felt they were all in. Before he even had a chance to tell the others, his fighters sensors warned him that something massive was exiting hyperspace near them.
The imposing sight of an Imperial class Star Destroyer emerging from hyperspace was enough to send most sane ship captains into a panic. The advanced triangular warship was among the newest and most powerful of the Empire's navy. And this one was sitting right between them, and their hyperspace jump point. On top of that, the massive sixteen-hundred-meter-long warship was already deploying swarms of TIE fighters and they were heading straight for them.
"Shit, all fighters make for the hyperspace jump point. Green Two and Three, initiate plan red, Green Four, Five and Six, stay with the Y-wings till they get out."
Following his squadron leaders' orders, he accelerated with the two other A-wings towards the Imperial forces. With perfect timing, the three fighters launched all their concussion missiles at once towards the approaching TIE fighters.
With the swarm of missiles inbound the TIE fighters broke their formation and scattered desperately trying to shake the missiles. Most failed and exploded, opening a hole for the rest of the rebel fighters to escape.
As he, along with Green Leader and Green Two engaged in a dogfight with the surviving TIE fighters Orlen still felt as if the hammer had yet to fall. He should not feel this scared, yet his instincts were screaming at him that something was coming for him. He was almost tempted to reach out with That to find out what it was. No, that life is behind me, using it will only attract unwanted attention.
Unfortunately for Orlen, a hunter was already on his trail. Launching from the Star Destroyer was a more advanced TIE fighter.
While a regular TIE fighter was a cockpit connected to two vertical solar panels making a H shape, this one was sleeker with the panels curving inwards. As soon as it was clear of the hanger it set a course directly for the fleeing fighters, quickly catching up to them and with supernatural skill, easily destroyed four of the Y-wings and As well as Green Four and Six.
"Orlen, me and Green Two will keep the rest of the fighters busy, you go and help the others."
As soon as Orlen saw that strange fighter, he knew it was after him. Master Kenobi warned him that they may eventually find him. Perhaps he was using It subconsciously and someone caught on? Orlen refocused on the present situation. Doesn't matter how they found out, survive this first, then you can figure it out.
"You can do this Orlen, man up and do it." He reassured himself before transferring all power from his shields to his engines.
As the fighter blasted forward, Orlen was pushed back against his seat from the acceleration. Though dangerous and reckless, the extra power to engines let him quickly catch up to the remaining rebel fighters and their pursuer.
Breaking his promise to himself, he reached out and embraced a power he hasn't used in fourteen years. Confirming his suspicions, the strange TIE fighter immediately turned around and flew right for him, its pilot clearly able to sense the giant "I am here!" sign he put on himself.
As the two fighters flew straight at each other, Orlen transferred as much power to his laser cannons and let loose a volley straight at the oncoming fighter. With an insulting casualness, the TIE fighter rolled and avoided the bolts of plasma before fighting its own blasters at Orlen, aimed at his starboard engine. With no shields on, there was nothing stopping the blaster bolt from impacting the engine. The fighter shook as chunks of metal flew from the small fighter.
"Kriff!" shouted Orlen as he felt his fighter losing speed.
Alarms and warning indications started to sound off. Engine two still worked but barely as the temperature was climbing alarmingly fast. Just need it to last long enough to get out of here, Orlen thought as he pushed his fighter to the limit to try and out turn his hunter.
Both fighters danced around each other, unable to get the other in their gun sights. This did buy time for the rest of the rebel fighters to get far enough away from the nearby planet's gravity well to escape to hyperspace.
Orlen was trapped in a dog fight with the other TIE fighter, if he made a break for it, he would be a sitting mynock and be quickly spaced. He also knew he could not keep this dogfight up much longer with one of his engines about to fail and seeing that the Star Destroyer had launched a second wave of fighters.
Trying one last trick, he surged his fighter's thrusters and got inside the turn of his opponent. He would only have one chance to get a hit and he did not intend to waste it.
At that moment, his damaged engine finally gave out and Orlen knew he was finished. Having no choice left, he transferred power from his weapons to shields and his remaining engine and disengaged.
Breaking off from the dogfight, the crippled A-Wing made a run for the hyperspace point. Orlen knew it was futile, but it was his only chance left.
As the A-wing was fleeing, the TIE fighter casually took up position behind him and established a target lock. Orlen knew he was finished and all his frustrations at his lot in life quickly started welling up. Before he had a chance to stew in his frustrations and regret, he saw red flashes out of the corner of his eye. All his negative thoughts vanished in an instant as he turned his head to see Green Leader coming to his rescue. The Tie fighter was forced to break its target lock to dodge the oncoming attack, giving Orlen a chance to escape.
"Kid, get out of here! I'll hold this Sithspit off until you can make the jump."
"Sir, bu-." Before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, he was cut off.
"Don't worry kid, I got this. Once you make the jump, I'll be right behind you"
Orlen could clearly hear the lie in his squadron leader's voice and chose not to waste the chance he was given. "Thank you, sir, when we get back to base, drinks are on me."
"I'll hold you to that kid." Green leader responded as he began dueling with the strange TIE fighter.
Orlen was getting close to the jump point; the navigation computer already finished the hyperspace calculations and was ready to go. All he needed was a few more seconds and he would be safely away. That was when his missile warning system announced two missiles incoming.
Green Leader did a fantastic job distracting the advanced TIE fighter, however once the second wave of regular TIE fighters arrived and engaged Green Leader, the TIE pilot was able to break off and gain a missile lock. Two concussion missiles blasted form the fighter and quickly closed the distance between the TIE and the crippled A-wing.
Orlen desperately launched countermeasures to defend form the missiles and felt relief when the closest missile was destroyed. At that moment his navigation computer announced it was clear of the nearby gravity well and can make a hyperspace jump. Wasting no time, Orlen engaged the hyperdrive and a sense of relief flooded over him. I'm going home, he thought to himself as the familiar stretching of light filled his vison and felt himself accelerating into the subspace tunnel.
At that moment the second missile detonated, sending shrapnel and high velocity proton particles right into his fighter's hyperspace engine. An electric surge blasted through the fighter wrecking subsystems and shocking Orlen, knocking him unconscious. The last thing Orlen saw before blacking out was not the familiar blue of hyperspace, but a deep purple.
The Seventh Brother clicked his tongue in annoyance as he destroyed the last rebel fighter. His quarry had escaped when he was frustratingly close to killing him. He knew that he would be punished severely for letting another jedi criminal escape, maybe even be executed for his failure by Lord Vader or the Grand Inquisitor. His TIE Advanced approached the glowing rift the rebel jedi escaped into. Reaching out with the force he could sense that it was some kind of crack in spacetime and was quickly closing again. Turning to look at the trophy hanging on the wall of his cockpit remembering the thrill he felt when his took it from his last victim, he made a decision.
It was a reckless decision, but he was likely going to be killed for his failure so without hesitating he accelerated his fighter into the rift just before it closed. Reaching out with his senses again, he could feel the trail his prey left behind and knew he could follow.
At a hidden rebel base, orbiting a red gas giant the mood among the starfighter personnel was grim. Twelve fighters left for their mission, only four returned. The empire had caught onto their tactics and adapted. Perhaps they were being too aggressive and predicable. Either way they would have to change tactics again. The pilots raised glasses to their fallen friends and returned to the grim task of resisting the Empire.