What if...At The Battle of Yavin, Yavin 4 Was Destroyed?

The trench of the Death Star filled Luke?s cockpit window. Far behind him, his wingmen were bravely holding a wave of enemy TIEs back. Bless them, he thought, holding on just for me?

?I?m hit! Luke, I can?t stay with you.?

Luke sighed, man?

?Get clear, Wedge, you can?t do anymore good back there.?

?Sorry.?

On his aft scopes, Wedge?s fighter disappeared. You did well, friend. Don?t feel sorry.

Precious time passed. Kilometers of trench flied past, and the TIEs grew closer to Biggs. No, Luke couldn?t let that happen. Biggs was his friend for so many years. They had done everything together on Tatooine.

?Wait, wait!? No, Biggs was in trouble.

?Biggs, lasers to aft shields!?

Another breathless minute passed. ?Thanks, Luke. Uh, oh??

?What, Biggs??

?Luke, the Death Star?s cleared Yavin.?

Oh, damn?

Use the Force, Luke?

What, was that Obi-Wan?

Let go, Luke?

The voice was from the grave, like in the hangar bay?

Luke, trust your feelings?

Luke leaned over to his right, and hit a switch that turned off his targeting computer. Here goes?

?Luke, your computer?s off, what?s wrong??

?Nothing, I?m all right.?

?Luke, turn on your computer.? That was Biggs.

?Biggs, I?m fine.?

He stretched out, felt warmth and comfort, then recoiled in reflex at the power of the Force.

?Yeeeeehhhhhaaaawwww!? Several explosions marked the demise of the TIEs pursuing them. ?You?re all clear, kid, now let?s blow this thing and go home.?

Luke streched out again, and again recoiled in shock. He thought he heard an, ?Uh, oh.? But he ignored it. The next thing that filled his cockpit was open space.

?Luke, we lost Yavin base.?

Luke checked his scopes, and when the blast of the Death Star died down, he checked again. Yavin 4 wasn?t on the scopes.

He collapsed into his seat. Because of his mistrust of the Force, because of his failure, he had lost everything. Yes, the Death Star was gone, but another loss over-shined that: Leia was dead.

There was no way to stop the tears from Luke?s cheeks.

 

Oh, check out another fan-fic by me at:
Forum9/HTML/001770.html Forum9/HTML/001770.html

 

Hey, anyonr there...?

 

I'm here!

 

I'm here!

 

Thanks, whad do think of it?

 

Sweet! Write more dewd.

 

?Well, although it is terrible that such a large percentage of our forces were lost, the blow to the Empire was much greater.? Biggs, Luke, Han, and Wedge were in front of Admiral Ackbar?s desk in his Command cruiser Home One. ?You did well, men. You should be commended.?

?Admiral, forgive my disrespect, but if we were that good, then Yavin 4 would still be in orbit, and some damn good people would still be alive-?

?Luke,? Biggs cut him off. ?We?ve been over this.?

Luke paused for a second. Biggs, once again, was right. He was right about his lack of caring when the Empire was enslaving species. And he was right about so many other things; it was impossible to keep track.

It was just that his alleged success had come at so high a price. Ben, Porkins, Red Leader, Pops, hell, all of Gold Squadron, General Dodonna, Leia?

DON?T BREAK DOWN INTO TEARS, LUKE!

Luke stepped back, ?Forgive me, Admiral.?

?That is quite all right, Captain Skywalker. The loss of our fellows is as indeed as crushing as an alga growth in a crystal pond.? He glanced down for a second, muttered something like, ?Rest well, old man,? then brought his head back up. ?Now, to the crux of the matter. You have brought plans for a new unit, particularly well-suited to missions of Yavin-scale importance and difficulty.?

?Yes, sir.? Biggs spoke. ?This squadron would be the best of the best, well-trained, well-equipped, well-suited to any type of mission thrown at it. This unit would be able to operate independently for months at a time, with little or no support. It would be able to infiltrate enemy bases on ground, and escape in stolen fighters. It-?

?Thank you, Commander.? Ackbar cut him off. ?Your plans are very intriguing. Assemble your pilots, and begin training. Report back when you have a squadron developed.?

?Yes, sir.? Biggs said.

?Now, if I may, I have a question. Captain Solo, what is your role in this new squadron??

Han, who hadn?t said anything for about three weeks, finally faced the Admiral. ?Sir, I was part of the group that attacked the Death Star twice. Leia was, and Luke is, my friend. I think Princess Organa would want me to help out Luke.?

?Very well, Captain. Now, is it true that you have a price on your head??

?Yes, sir.?

?Well, Captain, I recommend that you take care of your affairs if you are to support this squadron.?

?Yes, sir.?

?Good luck, to all of you.?

 

That what you lookin' for?

 

Keep it up! I love it!

 

Well, it looks like one person likes it.

 

Luke leveled out on his roll, and triggered a quad burst of laser fire that brought the squint down. As he blew through the explosion, he moved to pounce on another fighter.

?Sithspit, that?s good flying, kid.?

Luke smiled; Han was in the simulator too, apparently just arriving from his payment to Jabba the Hutt. ?Thanks, Han.?

He fired again, missing his intended target but vaping his wingman, then blew the other TIE into oblivion. As he leveled out and looped back, Luke got a great view of the simulated battle.

His squadron was ripping apart The last TIE Fighter defenses the Imperial base had, while a half-squad of Y-wing bombers was cratering the AT-AT Walker production facility. The Millenium Falcon was flirting around, covering the bombers but racking in some kills of their own.

?Green Leader, Gold One. The factory is gone, mission objectives accomplished.?

Luke vaped another TIE, then nodded. ?Green boys, cover the Y-wings, vape your pursuers, and let?s get out of here.?

He heard acknowledgements on the squadron channel, and then the simulator cockpit went dark and lifted up, the bright light of the sim complex flooding his eyes with bright light.

?Good flying, Luke. You?re better than on Tatooine.?

Luke pulled himself up to the floor. ?Thanks, Biggs. What was my score??

?1500 out of 1250, damn good flying and leadership skills.?
Unconsciously, Luke touched his lightsaber, ?Or the Force.?

?Or the Force.? Biggs nodded. ?Come on, we?ve got some new recruits coming in. Hobbie Klivan, Wes Janson, and a Corran Horn.?

Luke frowned, ?Corran Horn? I don?t remember him on the recruit list.?

?You shouldn?t. He isn?t.? Biggs helped Luke to his feet, and led him out to the hangar bay. As they walked through the vast tunnels of the training complex, they continued their conversation. ?Apparently, Hobbie caught him outbound, and by some trick of fate, the Imps thought he was escorting the freighter. Thing is, Hobbie had loaded in some souvenirs, and they were at a market value of 50 thousand credits. The Imps opened fire on Corran, and he really had no choice to defend himself.?

?Poor guy, he?ll never get that one off his record. The Imps get close enough to scan the freighter??

?Not that I know. He might be able to pull it off as helping the Rebellion, and that wouldn?t rankle him if it became public opinion.?

?Certainly would give him a bounty on his head. Maybe he could find solace in taking out some scum bags.?

?Maybe.?

The two Rebels made the rest of the way to the hangar in relative silence, each primarily thinking about the effect Corran would have in the squadron. After about two minutes of pretty rapid walking, they got to the vast cave-like hangar bay buried deep in Folor?s surface.

As they entered the room, a Corellian YT-2000 freighter with an Y-wing and an X-wing in tow entered the hangar and gracefully set down. Biggs and Luke made their way through a pathway of piping, hoses, and tools to arrive when the pilots of each craft were exiting from their respective craft.

Biggs halted a few meters away from the freighter, and Luke fell in step behind him. As they waited for the new pilots to fall in to meet him, Biggs kept a stone face, until Hobbie shook his hand. Then, he fell into a big, backslapping hug.

?Hobbie, how the hell are you??

?Great, Biggs, this the kid Luke??

?Yeah, he?s also your superior officer.?

?Great. Honor to meet you, Luke, Biggs told me a lot about you at the Academy.?

Luke smiled and shook Hobbie?s hand. ?Good to meet you too, Mr. Klivan.?

Wes Janson came up, and extended his hand to Biggs and Luke. ?Wes Janson, Tierfon Yellow Aces.?

?That was Piggy?s group, right?? Luke asked.

Wes nodded. ?Yeah, is he around? I?d like to talk to him again.?

Biggs? gaze hit the ground. ?Uh, he?s dead. We lost him a few weeks ago, at the Death Star battle.?

?The Death Star? That thing?s operational??

?Was operational. Luke here blew it. We lost Yavin, and most of our pilots.?

Wes and Hobbie grew melancholy. ?That?s a pretty big hit.?

?Right, wh

 

Are my posts too long? Anyone having trouble following what's going on?

 

Hello?

 

I'm loving it! Why are you stopping this soon?

 

Keep it coming!

 

Mainly because I've got a HUGE Biology project due on Friday, stoneheart. I'm kinda neck-deep in **** over that....

 

Bio now that gives me the creeps. Hope your teacher is better then mine.
Now about that post. We want another one.
What is with you thinking there too long. The longer the better.

 

padawan3, it's a big project, I just can't drop it aand blow off 2 test grades...


Man, I need an A on this thing, otherwise, my *** is grass, and my parents are the lawnmowers.

 

Wow, hold on a minute there. I never said forget it. I had a Bio project due two weeks ago. I know how those projects can be.I want you to write but not the expense of school or grades. I understand that school comes first. Bio is a pain in th @$$ thats all.

I was referring too your question asked on the 19th. Don't go putting words in my mouth. I said your posts were better long not forget bio and work on the story.

 

Thanks. I'll try and get an installment in today, if I can finish the project up early this evening.

Sorry for the words in the mouth thingy...

[This message has been edited by Return of the Wattowatta (edited 03-23-2000).]

 

Project's done, more story comin' up...

 

Cool! (To bad I cant read it until Sunady night!)

 

Months later?


Biggs, Luke, Wedge, Corran, and Kasan strafed the Imperial Landing Craft piloted by Moff Seerdon, forcing the gunners to focus their attention on them, leaving the missiles fired by Captain Solo completely off their attention readout. As a result of their divided attention, the shuttle blew apart; leaving hot debris scattered all over the Thyferran jungle. Seerdon?s last transmission consisted of a painful scream: ?AAAAGGGGHHHHH!?

?Good shooting, Falcon!? Biggs congratulated the Corellian Captain Solo.

?Hey, you guys did the hard part. I just got the kill.?

?Still, deserves a round with the fleet. Let?s go home, Rogues. Form it up, Luke, Wedge, report in.?

Snug behind Luke Skywalker?s cockpit, Artoo whistled and popped a tactical readout showing Two Flight all present.

Luke smiled. ?Thanks, Artoo. Shoot it over to Biggs.? While the droid occupied itself with the Comm transmission, Luke keyed his Comm, ?Chief, Two Flight?s all here. Ready to go when you?re ready.?

Biggs? warm voice, still coming through despite the Comm distortion, replied, ?Thanks, Five. Escort the Falcon back to the fleet. I?ll need to talk to you there.?

Luke nodded, ?Gotcha, Lead.?


?


They entered Admiral Ackbar?s office much like they had four months ago, nearly on the verge of collapsing into a long sleep right then and there, and deserving it after a hard-fought and costly victory. Biggs Darklighter, Luke Skywalker, Wedge Antilles, and Han Solo all entered the office, saluted, and took their seats upon return of the salute, in one case, on the way to the seat despite the Admiral.

?Well men,? the Admiral looked them over, ? Did you not celebrate sufficiently? I see no signs of hangover on you.?

?Well, sir, there aren?t any.? Commander Darklighter replied. ?We didn?t get anytime to on the transit to here from Thyferra, and most of the past 12 hours we were sleeping.?

?Understood very well, Commander. Your squadron is already underway here, so get some drink before they arrive.?

?Yes, sir.?

?Now that that is taken care of, shall we get down to business?? The Admiral smiled as best he could, and transferred files to the officers? datapads. ?You are receiving files on this man,? the Admiral hit some keys on his desk, and a holograph bust of a balding man in his 40?s appeared over the transparent furniture, ?Imperial Fleet Commander Zsinj. Quite possibly the greatest threat to our drive out there. He is strong-willed, brilliant, a master tactician, a schemer, and ready to depose Emperor Palpatine.?

Al present from Rogue Squadron was in shock, but the Admiral was cool-headed and solemn. Luke was expectedly the one to express his concern verbally. ?Admiral, how is that possible? The Emperor would-?

Ackbar nodded, ?I understand your concerns, Captain. However, with the dissolvent of the Imperial Senate, the local Moffs and Grand Moffs have been left in complete control of their territories. The Emperor is little more now than a figurehead, with the only unifying force being the Imperial Security Bureau?s agents and Darth Vader. And,? he hit another key, switching the holo to a rotating image of an advanced Imperial TIE Fighter. ?These: Imperial TIE Avengers. Their pilots are part of an elite group code-named Project Enforcers. Apparently, the Empire is on the verge of collapse, and these are what are holding the state together. Be thankful, the Emperor has made a critical error, and we must exploit it.?

?Whadya mean, Admiral?? Captain Solo asked.

?The Emperor has taken some of the best pilots off the front, and has used them to keep his rule together. We must exploit that instability, and use it to our advantage.?

Everyone was on the peak of their attention after that news bit.

 

There it is....