"This is White leader to all squadrons on this net," Harrier called, glancing left and right to check on the other Y-wings in his squadron. "We are go for our new tasking, launching an attack run on one of those cruisers. We're going to need an escort."

"Roger that, White leader," another clone replied. "Dirk squadron is flying close cover on you, we're three seconds behind you and twenty degrees below."

"Copy that, Dirk lead," Harrier said. "What's a dirk?"

"Is this really the time?" Pinion called, from the gunner seat – then his turret opened up, blazing away at the nearest buzz-droid from a scatter that had been launched in their direction.

"Dirks are a kind of blade, White lead," the other clone said, sounding amused. "We're off the Scabbard, all our squadrons are named for old weapons."

Harrier laughed, then swung his bomber to the side. The twin nose cannons fired in a staccato blaze of light, and the rest of White Squadron followed suit just a moment later.

The combined volley cut down three Vulture droids, opening a hole in the formation ahead of them, and Harrier rolled his bomber through the gap.

"Report in," he called, weaving his fighter back and forth around its base course. There were so many ships battling in the skies over Coruscant it was hard to keep track of what was even happening, but he was fairly sure all his fighters were still there…

"White four to lead, I have some damage to my left engine cap," Garnet said, after a few seconds. "My R3 thinks we're good unless we take another hit on that engine."

"Copy that," Harrier replied. "White four, white six, switch places."

The complicated dance took place behind him, and Harrier didn't need to look – which was good, because all his attention was focused on the gun duel ahead. A Lucrehulk battleship was heavily engaged with a Republic heavy cruiser, battering down the shields, and shots were landing home on the beleagured friendly ship's hull.

"White three to lead, do we fire?" Decade asked, from White Three. "If we don't do something the Sun Shadow is going down!"

"We have our mission," Harrier answered, glancing between his weapons displays and the fight, then cursed. "Fine – guns only, do not adjust base course! Try and take out one or two of those turrets, but save the torpedoes and keep moving!"

Pinion's turret slewed around before he'd finished speaking, and ion bolts and laser blasts did the best they could to chip away at the Separatist battleship's turrets.

Twenty crowded seconds later, White Seven was down, but Dirk Squadron had chased off the rest of the tri-fighters that had tried to pounce them. Only one two-bird element of Dirk Squadron remained for top cover, but that had to be enough – they were nearly there – and Harrier flicked his targeting computer online.

"All White elements!" he called. "Slave your targeting computers to mine, we need a precise salvo if we're going to get through the shields!"

"Roger that!" Decade confirmed.

The other clones of White Squadron were complying as well, carets appearing in Harrier's computer one after another as the Y-wings deferred to his on launch orders, and Harrier swallowed.

This was the most dangerous point in the entire run. They had to run straight and level to give the computers a good course… his shoulders hunched, knowing that at any moment a fighter could smoke them or a capital ship gun could rip them to shreds.

"Crink," Pinion murmured. "Is that the Negotiator?"

"Is what?" Harrier replied, then his computer pinged and he hit the firing switch.

There were six bombers left, and each ripple-fired two of their four torpedoes. A single twelve-torpedo salvo ripped out towards the bridge tower of their urgent target, the CIS dreadnought Prosperous, and Harrier threw his ship into a left swerve to avoid colliding with the enemy capital ship.

"What is it, Pinion?" he asked, looking around. "Reinforcements?"

"I mean General Kenobi!" Pinion replied, sounding awed. "And I think I see Skywalker's fighter, too – they're heading for the same ship we just fired on!"

In his peripheral vision right, Harrier saw the bridge tower of the CIS dreadnought exploding.

"Who fired those torpedoes?" General Skywalker demanded, on an open channel. "All concerned, who just fired those torpedoes?"

"...which torpedoes, General?" Harrier asked, on the same channel.

"The Chancellor's been abducted and is being held on the CIS dreadnought Invisible Hand!" Skywalker replied. "We just saw a torpedo volley impact on the ship – hold fire, we need to rescue the Chancellor!"

Harrier had a sinking feeling.

Wasn't the Invisible Hand another Providence-class, like the Prosperous?

"...oops," he said, lamely.

AN:

An attempt at some starfighter-combat stuff, naturally.

I don't think they'll be getting a medal for that, regardless of if they should...