[Friar Corridor, Near Bretanya System]
Four X-Wings burst out of hyperspace, breaking the peaceful tranquility. They all had Red Squadron markings, two clean as whistles without even one kill marker on them, of the other two, one was full, while the other had some, showing that he was a seasoned pilot at least.
"Reds Five and Eleven, how you doing back there?" asked the flight leader, Second Lieutenant Chris "Pip" Layne. He didn't have to ask Red Eight, Flight Officer David "Wild Cat" Fate, who was on his second mission with Pip. The other two, Flight Officers Dern "Sapphire" Works and Jirk "Squid" Sepacnir were just out of flight school and sent into Red Squadron.
"Just fine, Red Six." Replied Squid (Red Five), who was a Quarren. Pip received a double click from Sapphire (Red Eleven), a human from Taanab.
"Nice to know. Patrol formation by wing pairs. Five with me, Eleven with Eight." He ordered them. This was Pip's first mission bringing in new pilots, even though technically only two of the three needed to be brought in. Wild Cat was just mostly here to get flight time and experience.
"Red Six, I read the convoy coming up behind us. They want to know if this area is clear." Said Wild Cat.
"Copy that, Red Eight. Give them the all-clear. This place is more quiet than a Gamorrean Strip Club."
"Please, Sir," That was Sapphire, "That wasn't a pleasant thought."
The other three pilots chuckled.
The convoy came in from hyperspace just after they stopped laughing. It wasn't a large convoy, but it had it's importance. It was heading to Bretanya, a world hit by horrifying plague that had had it's medical support taken from the Empire for Rebel sympathies. The convoy was lead by the Alliance Frigate Archer, and had four Bulk Freighters, two conveyors, and dozens of other smaller cargo ships.
"Red Squadron, ETA for reaching the next jump point is ten minutes. Make sure we get through unharmed." Said Captain Yuleburry. "Form up a patrol."
"This is Red Six, leader of this Flight. You can count on us." Replied Pip.
The Archer's replied was short, "I hope so, Red Six, I hope so."
With that, the communication was cut off and the four X-Wing kept patrolling, looping around and inspecting each craft to make sure they were all perfectly fine. After all the convoy had been checked, they had five minutes to kill.
Or so they thought.
"Red Flight, I have multiple contacts coming at us from all sides. Ambush! Keep them off us while we run!"
Pip was suddenly alert. "Copy that, Archer! Reds Five and Eleven follow us. Same wing pairs and use every trick you know. Save your torps just in case we run into capital ships. We've got two whole squadrons of Gunboats closing in. You know what you have to do. Let's move it Reds!"
Pip saw Red Five roll over into a position right behind him, as he'd been taught in Flight School. Let's hope their teaching is up to standard!
He linked his lasers up to quad and set his lasers to medium recharge. Transferring laser into his shields to make sure they were at 200%, he aligned himself up with his first victim in Rho squadron. "Five, get the wing, I've got the lead."
"Copy, Six!"
"Whoo hoo!" yelled Sapphire, celebrating his first combat kill.
As soon as his HUD went green, Pip shot away, eating down his shields in a few shots and them giving the Imperial pilot a few scorch marks along the side of the fighter as the GUN pilots swerved out of the way. Expertly, Pip followed the pilot on it's course, sticking to him as if he was sticking to his normal wingmate, Zoom, on a normal mission. He hit the trigger and he hit the GUN right on the left rear engine and then again on the next. He saw the GUN pilot poop out just as Pip finished off the Gunboat. One point for Pip! "Whoo hoo! Got one!"
"Copy, Six! I just got one on this side."
Selecting another one, he flipped his X-Wing around to meet it, who was targeting one of the FRTs. Pip thought about using one of the torps to each down the Gunboats shields and have an easier kill, but then he'd be contradicting his own orders. He decided to do it the hard old way.
"First one, Six! First one!" celebrated Squid as Pip concentrated on the battle.
Seeing that his lasers were fully charged, he squeezed the trigger and let out a few shots into the back of the Gunboat, who ducked downwards and rolled left. Pip over flew his target, cursing. He did a quick turn that brought him coming down from on top to the Gunboat. He squeezed the trigger a few times and lowered the GUN's shields. A few more shots and the Gunboat was history. "There goes another!"
Suddenly, Pip felt his ship lurch forward as a pair of Gunboats came onto him from behind him. As his shields began dropping and he cursed and looked at his sensor board. Two were closing in on him. Rolling his craft quickly to the right and then juking to the right, he lead them on a loop, hoping that Squid would be able to peel at least one off of him. "Five, a little help?"
"A bit tied up myself, Six. I'll come when I can!"
"Copy, Five."
Launching a pair of flares, he blinded the lead one, forcing it to pull off and then continue the chase, giving Pip a few seconds to get the other one. In battle, seconds were hours.
He cut his engines and then throttled up pointing left, turning around and coming up behind the one "supposedly" on his tail. A few well placed shots brought his shields down and a few more had the pilot ejecting the Gunboat. He didn't have time to celebrate, as he had to pull on his stick hard to the left to avoid an oncoming Gunboat, the one he'd lost earlier.
Coming around, he expected to find the ship there, and Pip was very surprised when he found the bastard right behind him, hitting him with the ion cannons. Pip cursed as he juked best he could, with Fate shrieking behind him. He fired a flare at him, which help him get from under the Gunboat. Pip did a sharp u-turn and went straight for the Gunboat's face, shooting madly, and breaking off at the last instant.
Pip broke upwards, and the Gunboat to the left. Days later, Pip would lay in bed cursing that turn.
The Gunboat turned and smashed into Squid's X-Wing fighter. If the Quarren had been more experienced, he might have been able to avoid the collision or get out with minimum damage. They hit full on; the Gunboat went immediately, while it sent Red Five flying. Two Gunboats peeled off from their attack run and saw the X-Wing fighter nearly dead in space, and each launched a pair of missiles.
"Five!" Pip was shrieking, "Eject! Eject! Pull the lever! Pull, pull, pull!"
"Can't! Malfuncti--" Squid's answer was cut short as the two missiles met his X-Wing Fighter.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"
He felt a tear wet his cheek as he pulled away, targeting one of the killers of Squid. He pulled up behind the Gunboat and fired like mad, taking out the shields with amazing speed and popping a torp at it's un protected back. With a dead silence he turned and did the same to the other killer of Red Five. Those two were for you, Squid! "Red Group, form up on me! I want quick reports!"
"Red Eight here, 190% shields, no hull damage six kills."
"This is Red Eleven. Four kills, 200% Shields, no hull damage."
"Copy that. 167% shields. No hull, five kills." He paused. "Five went down. I hit them, don't worry. He had three kills, four of you could the one he smashed into."
Part of this report was to see how many fighters were left, which was six. Two for each. "Let's finish these Gunboats and get outta here!"
"Six, the convoy is almost out." Reported Wild Cat, "Should we start running while we can?"
Pip thought about that, it was saner than flying a fragile craft at an enemy that outnumbered them. But, at the same time it was all in a day's work. Plus, if the convoy didn't get through, people would die because of them. "Neg that, Eight. We've got to duke it out with the Gunboats. We get two each. Sapphire, if you get your two you get to pay double the drinks!"
"Why?"
"First kill and ace!"
Both of the pilots chuckled as they moved to where the Imperial Gunboats had regrouped for a final attack at the convoy.
Pip targeted his first one and brought it into his sights, weaving though some shots directed at him. He had his hand light on his stick, as well as on the trigger. The smallest "bleep" would make him fire. He came within a klick and a half of his target before getting a good shot, grazing it across it's left side.
It naturally ducked to the other side, trying to get it's attacker away from it so it could continue it's attack run. It wouldn't be that easy. He sprayed fire in the gunboats direction, only half of the shots getting the gunboat, whose shields were dropping steadily.
After another shot, the shields were down and Pip on him, and after a few more shots the fighter had blown up. "Got him!"
"Uh, mayday, I've got about three gunboats on my six...can't peel them off..."
"Copy that, Eleven. This is Six moving your way. Eight, get that stray one making a run for the convoy."
"Copy, Six. Making a run. Gonna torp them and then I'll come and help you two out!"
"Hurry...damn! That was a good hit!"
"What is it, Eleven?"
"Hit my upper right engine, it's down."
"Copy. Duck and weave, Eleven."
As Pip came to Sapphire's X-Wing, he saw the scorch marks on it clearly, and the small fire coming from one of the engines. Damn! First mission that I'm in command and I'm going to lose not one, but two!
Then another voice from inside said, But one's not dead yet. Not if you can help him.
Pip's mind became determined that he wouldn't loose Sapphire. Slamming the stick to the right, he rolled until he came right behind the Gunboat that was shooting at Sapphire. He started shooting at the rear end of the fighter, not letting go of the trigger. He felt the two Gunboats shooting him from behind, making his shields fall to critical levels.
Cursing, he pulled off, the Gunboat nearly dead. He couldn't help Sapphire by dieing. He brought up shields a little but dumping all he lasers into his shields and switching over to torps while his lasers recharged. He targeted the gunboat and fired when the HUD turned red.
The blue streak slammed almost instantly into the enemy Gunboat, blowing it apart. Pip slammed to the side, trying to get at some of the others that were coming behind Sapphire, but he wasn't quick enough.
"Sorry, Six. Not your fault, I should have flown bet--" static filled the comm. Pip cursed. Looping around , he looked for Wild Cat, the only other of the four that had started out alive. He found him where Pip had ordered him.
"Wild Cat, get outta here when the convoy jumps, I'll follow you shortly."
"No."
"You want this to be an order, Flight Officer?" he said strictly.
"I'm staying, Six. You can't report it to Zoom if you want." Then he added. "Plus, there's only two left."
Got me there. "Doesn't matter, Eight."
"Well, if you sit there arguing with me, you won't be alive enough time to court marshal me."
Pip double clicked his comm and selected the nearest enemy, one targeting himself. He switched from torps and back to lasers, seeing that they were charged. Swerving out off the way from the oncoming GUN, he moving to get behind Sapphire's killer. He gritted his teeth and squeezed the trigger a few times before the pilots got out of the way.
He followed the gunboat in the roll, taking a few shots at him, missing all of them. Then the fighter halted and Pip took advantage, pumping it with laser-fire until it exploded. "Got it!"
He saw Wild Cat nail the last gunboat and then moved off into formation. They reached the convoy when they jumped into hyperspace, and both soon followed. But first, "WC, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have forced you away...but...you know what happened to Sapphire and Squid..."
"I know, Pip. I guess it's hard on you, first mission, first deaths." Said Wild Cat.
"Well, thanks for staying anyway. Get ready to jump to the Bretanya system. Three, two, one, jump."
Two X-Wings jumped into hyperspace, leaving the system, how it was, in a peaceful silence.
El Fin