The X-Wings peeled off from the Y-wings and went in closer. They were able to easily dodge the incoming turbolaser fire, darting about nimbly while the Imperial troops inside desperately tried to zero in their cumbersome guns.
"This is Red Five, I'm goin' in." Luke said before angling his fighter down in a divebomb, his X-Wing's laser cannons going full burst.
"Luke, pull up!" Biggs called over the radio. "Luke, are you okay?!"
"I got a little cooked, but I'm good."
...
The audience breathed a sigh of relief. Luke definetly takes up from his father if he was this reckless to begin with.
Within the Death Star, troops were running all over the place. A military officer quickly found Darth Vader to relay the situation to him.
"My Lord," he said with a bow, "We count thirty Rebel ships out there, but they're so small they're avoiding our turbolasers."
"We'll have to destroy them ship-to-ship. Get the crews to their fighters." Vader ordered.
"Oh no...", Ahsoka muttered in fear for her Master's son.
"He had already taken Master Kenobi. I fear the worst for young Luke.", Luminara added in worry. Anakin on the other hand, couldn't bear to see Luke becoming one of Vader's victims.
"Have faith in him, Master Unduli. The Force is with him.", Obi-Wan assured her.
Outside, the battle was heating up for Red Squadron.
"Watch yourselves," Garven said, "There's a lot of fire coming from the left side of that deflection tower."
"I'll take care of it." Luke said.
"I'm going in." Biggs said, "Cover me Porkins."
"I'm right with ya, Red Three." The fat pilot said. They quickly buzzed the tower, firing as they went, and destroyed it.
"I really hope that's his real name and not a nickname." Caleb whispered to his master, who giggled a bit.
"I got a problem here." Porkins said.
"Eject." Biggs told him.
"I can hold it." he said.
"Pull up!" Biggs yelled, seeing that he couldn't.
"No, I'm al-AGH!" his fighter blew up in a gout of flame, for seemingly no reason.
"The Rebel base will be in firing range in seven minutes." The bridge officer said as Tarkin tensely watched the unfolding battle.
"They have a few minutes left. And their presence is needed, and fast.", Shaak Ti urged, fearing the worst.
"Squad leaders," the commander back on the Rebel moon said, "We've picked up a new group of signals. Imperial fighters headed your way."
"My scope's negative, I don't see anything." Luke said, checking his radar.
"Keep your eyes open." Garven ordered, "Here they come." Half a dozen TIE fighters descended upon the rebel fighters, breaking formation to engage in one-on-one fights."Once you pick one up, watch it!" Luke warned.
"I can't see it! Where is he?!" Biggs yelled. "He's on me tight. I can't shake him."
In the hangar, Vader walked up to a pair of pilots. "Several fighters have broken off from the main group. Come with me." He ordered, leading the pilots to a different hangar.
"Do you think he has caught on?" Ahsoka whispered to Rex.
"More likely he's just reacting as best he can." He replied.
"Pull in, Luke! Pull in." Biggs said as a TIE fighter began tailing Luke.
The enemy managed to hit one of Luke's starfigher, but thankfully, he didn't blow up.
"LUKE!", Anakin, Ahsoka and Padmé called out to him. But to their relief, he was all right.
"I'm hit, but not bad. Artoo, see what you can do with it. Hang on back there!" Artoo whistled as he began to perform what maintenance he could.
"Red Seven, can you see Red Five?" Biggs asked.
"Negative, barely able to dodge all this fire." Red Seven replied "Red Five, where are you?"
"I can't shake him!" Luke yelled.
"I'm on him, Luke. Hold on." Wedge said, gaining sight of Luke.
He didn't have to wait long before another X-Wing screamed past his directly at his pursuer and blasted him to bits. "Thanks Wedge."
"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader." Gold Leader relayed, "We're starting our attack run." The Y-wings soared into the trench, dodging laser fire left and right. "The exhaust port is marked and locked in. Switch all power to front deflector screens. Gold Five, how many guns do you think there are?"
"I'd say about twenty. Some on towers, some on the surface."
"This is even riskier than the time I did this.", Anakin recounted at that memory when he was nine years old.
"As said earlier, this is a near-suicidal bombing run. And they would need luck if they're gonna get through this.", Plo Koon said in a grim tone.
They continued to dodge laser fire as the Death Star passed the five minute mark.
"Switch to targeting computers." Gold Leader ordered. A metal box moved forward and dropped into position next to his eye. It displayed his distance from the target ticking down and a pair of vertical lines moving closer together. No sooner had they switched did the lasers cease fire.
"They suddenly stopped.", Kit Fisto noticed.
"No. This isn't a ceasefire...", Anakin said while gritting his teeth, feeling something bad is going to happen.
"The guns, they've stopped." Gold Five said. A growing anxiety blossomed in Gold Leader's gut. Why? Why would they let up their suppressing fire? It was likely that the enemy analysts had figured out their attack pattern, and if that were the case, the best option would be toincreasethe barrage, not stop it completely. What the hell were they playing at?
"Stabilize rear deflectors." Gold Leader ordered. "Watch for enemy fighters."
"Here they come!" Gold Five reported. "Three marks at 210!"
A pair of TIE fighters flanked another fighter with a different wing design.
"Stay in attack formation. I'll take them myself." Vader ordered.
"You've gotta be kidding me!", Anakin cried out while holding the sides of his head.
"At the worst time of all places...", Obi-Wan muttered.
The enemy trio fell in behind their quarry and waited. Once Vader had acquired a lock, he fired on the Y-Wing on the left, destroying it.
"It's no good, I can't maneuver!" Gold Leader said out loud.
"Stay on target." Gold Five said.
"We're too close!"
"Stay on target!"
"Loosen up!" Gold Leader ordered before Vader turned his guns on him and he was no more.
"Gold Five to Red Leader." He said as he pulled out of the trench. "Lost Gold Leader, lost Hutch. They came from behind- " was all he could get out before Vader finished the job.
"So Vader is also a skilled pilot in his own right. This cannot be good..", Saesee Tiin said grimly, inwardly admitting the Dark Lord's superiority over him.
"If he was able to defeat several fighters in a matter of moments, he is a force to be reckoned with.", Plo Koon added.
On the bridge, the deck officer walked up to Tarkin, who was far more relaxed now that Vader was out there and the battle seemed to be going in their favor.
"We've analyzed their attack, sir, and there is a danger." He told him, "Shall I have your shuttle standing-by?"
"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph?" Tarkin looked at the man as if he had taken leave of his senses, "I think you overestimate their chances."
The audience all had one thought: your arrogance will be your undoing.
Anakin and Ahsoka in particular, wanted to see Tarkin pay for all that he had done; to the Padawan, to Princess Leia and to all those who died on Alderaan.
"Rebel base three minutes and closing."
Outside, Garven took overall field command. "Red boys, this is Red Leader. Rendevous at mark 6.1"
"This is Red Two, headed your way."
"Red Three standing by."
"Red Leader, this is Base One. Keep half your group out of range for the next run." The commander ordered.
"Copy that, Base One. Luke, take Reds Two and Three. Hold up here and wait for my signal to start your run."
A trio of X-Wings began their run and it went much the same as Gold Squadron's run; they were bombarded but easily dodged the turbolasers, which promptly stopped after a time. However, this time, Red Squadron was ready.
"Here we go...", Rex said in ancitipation.
"A lucky shot and it's all over.", Ahsoka added.
"Keep your eyes out for those fighters." Garven said.
"There's too much interference." His wingman said, "Red Five can you see them?"
"Not yet," Luke said, scanning the trench line, "Wait, there they are."
"Come on, Luke. Keep your head in the game...", Anakin urged his son.
"I see 'em." The wingman said while Garven activated his targetting computer.
"Almost in range, just hold' em off for a few seconds." Garven said, looking into his targeting computer.
As Garven closed in on the objective, Vader's squad tightened up their formation while Vader himself took aim. Vader took one down, then one of his wingmen took out the other, leaving Garven on his own. But they had bought him enough time. His computer went off and he fired his torpedoes.
"X away!" he cheered, pulling out of the trench as the torpedoes exploded, rocking that section of the Death Star and sending the crew there falling to the ground.
"Red Leader, please confirm." The commander ordered.
"Negative." Garven reported, "Negative. It didn't go in. Just impacted on the surface."
Luke looked down and saw the modified TIE fighter on Garven's tail. "Red Leader, we're right above you. Turn to point 05, we'll cover you." he said.
"Negative. Hold your position, I just lost my starboard engine. Get set up for your attack run." He ordered. Vader fired and hit him in one of his engines. Garven yelled as he struggled to keep his X-Wing in the air. The last Luke saw of him was an explosion that tore across the surface of the station as he crashed.
"Just how much does that this man hold?!", Ahsoka called out in frustration. He had been responsible for the death of her master, wiped out the Jedi Order, killed Master Kenobi, and is clearly a formidable starpilot for Luke to handle.
"Too much if he has done too many. I can only hope the Force would be able to assist them..", Plo Koon added, also worried for the Rebels because of Vader's presence.
...
Hey guys I would really appreciate it if you could leave some reviews and give power stones to help elevate the ranking.
...
if you want to read ahead of the public release, you can join my p atreon :
p atreon.com/Darkness013