A green glow rose from the preliminary scanners from the hundred or so Republic craft on screen, and then there was the occasional red blip, totally over shadowed by the green forces. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Imperial<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->-Class Star Destroyers were in abundance around the Imperial space, it was like the warlordic days of the Empire, when forces would rather fight each other for power, than be willing to serve under one rule, than fight mutual enemies. Enemies who only now were stepping up to the plate against the now chaotic forces. Commander Trevelan was amused.
With the Emipre's ultimate struggle against the "forces of light", much needed warships were benig plummeted to battle against the New Alliance, totally oblivious to an only imminent attack.
Daren Trevelan, the commander and refounder of Rogue Squadon, held no true favoritism in the Battle of Dantooine, neither side wast ruly good nor evil, despite what the other faction thought. Instead they wre two of the biggest kids on the block, one expanding through means of diplomacy, the other through armed force, both ultimately had the same goal, but with different ideals along the way.
Of course it was not the Empire whom accepted the ace pilot's application, it was not the Empire who offered any true hope, who would not allocate his ace skills to an atrocity comewhere. The Empire would have seen him as another tool, another person to move down the assembly line with. The TIE Devil -- the new mainstay of the Empire -- was a perfect example of his greatest fear in the Empire. Daren did not want to be "a fighter pilot". Daren is going to be <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
the<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> fighter pilot.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
"Attention on deck!" Lt. Pelyan yelled as she saw her commander enter the breifing room. He wore a scarlet augulette around his arm now, in addition to his several ribbons upon his chest.
"As you were," he responded to the now standing twelve-man squadron. He was interested to see the formerly retired Wedge Antille. The man was getting old no doubt, but his fighter prowess had yet to be tested. He moved behind the podium and cleared his throat.
"As all of you know, we have exited hyperspace in the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Jenova<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, and are presently in the heat of battle at the Imperial planet of Dantooine. The Rogue Empire has recently signed a no-fire treaty with the Republic forces, and the Empire are now on their own, with the exception of one major ally. Somewhere around five minutes into the battle, our allies, the Inner Sanctum of the Sith, betrayed us.
"With thus the Empire has twenty four more <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
IMPERIAL<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->-Class Star Destroyers to back them up. Our flagship, the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Jenova<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, has come under heavy fire, specifically around the super laser. However, we cannot let this fact derive us from our primary goal. These orders came directly from high command.
"In a squadron of six B-Wings and X-Wings, along with squads Blue, Red, Yellow, Magenta, Gold, and Tango, all in B-Wings to help ward off the enemy, we are going to target and knock out the main reactor to the Massassi Home Ship. Taly, Wedge, you're with me in X-Wings, we need to keep the fighters off their backs. We have no back up for this mission.
"We're going to stick close together, but not TOO close, the Empire has some strange star fighter dubed a 'TIE Devil', individually it couldn't down an asteroid, but the Empire has thousands, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
thousands<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->. Adjust your missiles to fire at their exact range, and fire no closer than that unless you have no choice. Dummy fire them directly into the middle of their swarms, they have been modified to produce extra shrapnel and shock waves. If you get seperated, yell, allocate laser power to engines and make a mad dash for the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Jenova<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> until I find you. If there are no questions?" Daren paused and looked around at his squad, admiring them. "Ok then, dismissed."
**********************************************
Trevelan exhaled nervously, he'd never fought such ferocious fighter odds. The Republic were going to win this battle, no doubt, but was he going to lose his life in the process? Was he going to lose Taly? How many of his men were going to fry alive in these @#%$ pits? But these were daunting realizations that were unhealthy to think seconds before battle. He was expected to crush a fleeing ship of traitors, and he had to do that at <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
all<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> costs.
"Three, two, one....you're a go Commander!" the flight officer reported, but already his quad engines ripped into action and he was out of the Eclipse Star Destroyer's fighter hangar.
The rest of the squadrons were already waiting for them, Commander Trevelan taking command and pulling in front of all of them. So far it seemed like it was going to go smoothely, the enemy TIEs were too far out to cause any damage, but there were droid fighters already surrounding the Massassi Home Ship.
"Ok Boss we're ready," Taly said, and Daren could just picture her wink to him.
"Ok then, loose formation, let's get going!" Daren demanded, and pulled himself ahead of the rest of the fighters. "S-Foils in attack position." In unison with one another, the X-Wings' wings retracted open, while the countless B-Wings' wings too opened, and their hulls rotating by ninety degrees. "Attack speed, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
go<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->!"
Rogue Squadron, like they had in the old days, soared past the amount of space between the Sith and the Republic forces, wasting no time in arriving his forces in firing range of the enemy fighters.
"Boss, we got incoming!" Taly suddenly said panickly, her X-wing formation jittering slightly.
"Ok close comms to Rogue frequency, get back in formation Three. Guys these are only droids, don't worry, they aren't <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
that<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> good, we got spirit, they got...well...mathematics."
"Gothcya' boss."
"Roger."
"Yes Sir!"
And the lines broke, several enemy TIE Droids falling in the process as red lights smeered from the X-Wings and B-Wings, and in time to avoid the ramming, the squadrons pulled out. Hitting the "R" button, Daren had pulled up on his HUD the nearest TIE Droid, one dubbed Bogey 9. It was swishing and turning at impossible speeds and manuevers that would send a human pilot to his limits, and then some. However, it being a droid, it was also very predictable, its motives becoming too routine. Daren shot too shots to the starboard, then immediately yanked on his yoke, pulling his entire craft port and firing rapidly, two of the seven shots scoring a blow and shredding whatever there was inside to nothing.
"I'm hit!" suddenly screamed over the comm channels, and Magenta Two disintegrated into hazy smoke and flame.
"Stay on target, STAY ON TARGET DAMMIT!" Daren demanded. The comms were littered with traffic of orders and cries of help, most of the pilots being torn by laser fire. They were outnumbered, but not outmatched. "Magenta, Red, Three and Five, follow me, we're going for the enemy Home Ship!"
"Gotchya' boss!"
The B-Wings of Red and Magenta squadron withdrew from their dog fights, Taly, also known as Rogue Three, could not help but take out one more TIE before speeding back into formation.
"Ok, Three and Four, target the turbo lasers and open fire, see if you can't draw their fire, Magenta and Red, take turns in taking shots at the enemy crevice!" cried Daren as he pulled a barrel roll to the starboard.
Another B-Wing suddenly incinerated before the pilot could even scream, and there was another loss in Gold squadron. Trevelan could see the large gape in the bottom of the Massassi Home Ship, and no doubt he could fly right into it if he wanted to.
The B-Wings broke into several small attack groups, following the quicker X-Wing underneath, dodging massive turbolaser arrays, but only barely. "I've lost fore shields, reallocating," that was Red Seven, declaring that he'd taken one too many hits. Forces pulled to the under belly however, and gunshots quickly ceased.
"Ok guys fly in and start launching missiles, I'll escort you to drop off my own," said Daren, pulling into the infrastructure.
His targetting computer was switched on and two lines indicating the enemy reactor came up on the HUD, indicating range and lock on the enemy target. Daren knew the others must have the same things on. Speeds were intense as shields were allocated to engines until they were near the reactor.
"I got lock, I got lock!" cried Red 3, but he did not seem to realize so did the others. Twelve proton torpedos were launched, not counting the two shrapnel powered concussion missiles from Rogue Leader. Before they even hit, Trevelan pulled his ship around, as did the B-Wings.
"Flee flee flee! Expect an explosion!" he cried, shutting his S-Foils for more speed, a whole 120 MGLT was gained by the X-Wing and they were nearing the exit...he was all the while watching his HUD to see if his target had hit.
Indeed it had, and one of the B-Wings, who was more worried about his shields than speed, was sucked into the ever glowing flames of the ship. The reactor had been hit, the ship was useless now. The remaining soldiers managed to escape the seering tunnel of flamse, similar to when Wedge Antilles had destroyed the Death Star at Endor.
The B-Wings and X-Wings on the outside had secured space superiority, and most of the TIE Droids had been destroyed, thus paving the way for further attacks on Imperial and Inner Sanctum capital ships.
**********************************************
Trevelan noticed something was wrong, and the ship's explosions did not cease. Apparently, the reactor did not just disable the enormous craft...
"All groups, PULL BACK!" Daren suddenly yelled, knowing the intense shock wave would cost a life or two. He yanked hard on the throttle and boosted toward the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Jenova<!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> quickly, Taly close to him on one side, Wedge close on the other.
As they began their decent away from the Massassi Home Ship, small pieces of debris began tearing off and slowly soaring away from the main mass, until finally the entire under integrity could not handle it any more.
"She's gonna' blow!" one of the B-Wings from Magenta squadron yelled, and indeed she was right, there was an impending explosion, followed by flying pieces of debris and shrapnel racing left and right.
"Home Ship down, Hope Ship disabled, hangar off line, weapons off line, I'm reading a complete shut down of Massassi power output! The mass has survived, but its entire lower portion is gone!" Daren yelled and reported at the same time excitedly to the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START-->
Jenova<!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.