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

Cool!

 

Wow good job.

 

Thanks.

 

Sure!

 

Luke is more diplomatic here then in most books. I like it.

 

That was great! Luke's character is well written. Post soon.

 

Going to the top.

 

Going to the top again. Please post.

 

Luke made a final checkout on his systems, then sat back in his ejection seat and waited for the hyperspace timer to hit zero. Rogue Squadron was flying modified Z-95 Headhunters. Thanks to Verpine technical skill, the Z-95s were faster, more maneuverable, and had greater firepower than a normal X-wing. Thus, they were more than a match for the Viraxo fighters or a TIE Interceptor.

The only thing that the Z-95 didn?t have an advantage over the X-wing was in one region: the Z-95 had no slot for an astromech droid.

As a result, Luke was left without a companion to talk to, or an assistant to help with flight checklists.

Battles have been won or lost on the absence or presence of an element. Now, the absence of an astromech was not likely to affect this simple raid the costumed Rogues were undertaking, but a nagging feeling of dread filled Luke.

As the hyperspace tunnel broke up into a normal star field, Luke pushed that fear aside, and concentrated on what lies ahead.

?Red Four reporting.? That was Tycho?s call sign, but computer voice-enhancement made it impossible for Luke to know it was Tycho if he had not known before so. ?The Viraxo convoy is in projected coordinates. Looks like a half-squad of shaves and two Corvettes escorting 12 bulk freighters.?

?Acknowledged, Red Four.? Luke replied. ?Five, Nine, report in on your flights.?

?Two Flight, standing by.? That was Biggs Darklighter, an old friend of Luke from Tatooine.

?Three Flight, standing by.? That was Corran Horn, a fellow Jedi Knight, and a damn good friend.

?Good, One Flight is green. Time to see if they?ll see sense.? Luke changed to the Viraxo general frequency. ?Viraxo convoy, this is General Polter of the Red Squadron Independent Space Force. Cut your engines, power down weapons and shields, and prepare to have your cargo liberated.?

A sharp voice replied. ?This is Viraxo convoy Zero-Delta-Two-Niner. We do not recognize your authority to give us orders.?

?You will, Convoy. Believe me, you will.? Luke switched over to the squadron frequency. ?Two and Three Flights, hit their Corvettes. One Flight, we?re on the fighters.?

?Copy, Red Leader.?

?Good, Nine. Go to it.?

Luke goosed more power to the engines, and switched over to the One Flight tactical channel. ?All right, Red group, hit them hard, hit them fast. Call if you need help.?

?Copy, Red Leader.? That was Red Three, Major Baron Soontir Fel. He was aboard the Castrator when it defected, and decided to go along with it.

?I?m on your wing, Lead.? Red Two was Ace Azameen, a young kid who could fly.

?Targets in mind, Leader.? Tycho pumped cool confidence into his voice, even through comm distortion.

Luke picked the commander out in the Viraxo formation. ?I?m on the leader.?

He armed his concussion missiles, then moved his crosshairs over the fighter. Beeps went off in his cockpit as the targeting computer began computing trajectories. The beeps resonated into a solid tone when the crosshairs hit red. He launched a pair of missiles, then announced. ?Red Leader, missiles away!?

His warheads hit their target, and reduced the Viraxo fighter to scrap.

He picked another target, but didn?t wait for a target lock. Luke simply launched the missiles when the distances between the two craft were so small that Luke could see scraps of paint on the hull.

Although it burned a lot of his forward shields, the result was far more damaging to the Viraxo ship. To Luke?s relief, the pilot ejected, but to Luke?s grief, the pilot was a torched crispy cinder. Damnit, that was probably some kid on his first mission?

Luke looped around, and saw that there was no more fighters left to engage. He switched over to the Viraxo channel again. ?Viraxo convoy, this is Red Leader. Your starfighter cover is eliminated and we can run at your Corvettes with impunity. I recommend you surrender without any more bloodshed.?

The same voice replied to him: ?Negative, General.?

?All right, Convoy. We?ll see if your choice chan

 

That good?

 

It's good. Very good in fact.

 

Yep, very good.

 

Very good indeed. Better infact. It was excellent.

 

Right as Luke tried to get through the week?s intelligence report from Colonel Hal Horn and Gil Bastra, the door chime sounded. In fatigue, he sighed, and put the data pad down again. ?Come in,? he said loudly.

The whoosh of a door opening was followed by the warm tone of Tomaas Azameen entering. ?I hope I?m not disturbing you, Colonel Skywalker.?

Luke smiled. ?Not at all, Mr. Azameen.? He rose to his feet, ?Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink??

?No, no, that?s quite all right. Please, sit down.?

Luke followed through, and waited for the older man to do so before he spoke again. ?What can I do for you this fine day, Captain??

?Well, Colonel, I just wanted to thank you for this opportunity you?ve provided Twin Suns transport. The chance to hit Viraxo shipping, increase revenue, and support a good cause makes this all very worthwhile.?

?Any time, Captain. How are things at Twin Suns, anyway??

?Well, the loss of some of our freighter pilots is a bit tough, but we?re pulling through. The repair yard is pulling in a lot more customers. Apparently, a pirate band is out there, hurting civilian shipping. But, it?s good for business.?

?Good revenue is not good humanitarianism. Something has to be done about them.?

?I agree.?

?Did the crew give any reports on the size of this operation? What?s the number of ships they use on these raids??

?We?ve got a squadron of Tri-Fighters and six Skipray Blastboats confirmed. But, long range sensors show something like a Bulk Cruiser and 4 Assault Transports near the edge of sensor range.?

?Probably support incase the Imps pop in. Or, troops for their boarding parties. Which, by the way, gives me an idea.?

?What is it??

?Something I?ll have to pass along to High Command for approval. But, it just may pay off extremely well in the long run. In the mean time, try and keep tabs on them. What tactics they use, what their strength is, what direction they come from, the like.?

?Got it. I?ll see to it.?

?Good. And enjoy the credits that come in from your increased customer base.?

Tomaas threw back a laugh, a type of laugh Luke hadn?t heard in a long time. It was a laugh Uncle Owen used to congratulate good works, and with humor just between men. ?So, Colonel, Aeron tells me you?ve gotten rather close to her.? Luke gulped big time. ?Don?t worry, Luke, I?m not going to kill you. In fact, I?m grateful you?ve fallen in with her.?

?You are?? Luke asked, a little unsure of Tomaas? hidden intentions.

?Sure I am. You and her make a great pair. Keep at it, Luke, there?s a great future ahead of you.?

Relieved, Luke finally exhaled. ?Thank you, sir, I will.?

?Thanks.? Tomaas rose to his feet. ?Well, I have to go.?

?Mr. Azameen,? Luke said, rising to his feet in tandem with the older man. ?Would you care for a bottle of Whyren?s Reserve??

?You have a bottle of Whyren?s Reserve whiskey??

?Yeah, part of the cargo we heisted had seventeen crates of the stuff. Big crates about as big as this room. Well, sir, we?ve gotten rather drunk over the stuff, and I?d thought I?d share the goods, so to speak.?

Tomaas smiled. ?Thanks, Colonel. That?ll bring some joy to the boys back home.?

?That?s my job, Captain.? Luke appropriated a bottle, and handed one off to Tomaas as he went out.

Again, he sat down, and resolved to get through the Intelligence report. Then, he set it down again, knowing perfectly well that in five seconds, Ace Azameen would bolt through the door.

Four?Three?two?

The door whooshed open, and Ace just bustled in without any regard for protocol. ?Colonel!?

?One. Well, it was close enough.

?Yes, Captain? What can I do for you??

?Well, that?s the thing, sir.? He began to pant, apparently out of breath from a long run. ?The boys?well?they?re beating me up.?

?Beating you up??

?Yes, sir. I was in a sabacc game with?Hobbie and Janson, and I bet three?hundred credits on?the hand. And?well, I didn?t have?three hundred credits?to bet, and they?had a little?to

 

LOL *sigh of contintment* this is SOOOOO Awesome.

 

Top...and stuff....

 

Great story! Luke just can't seem to do his job can he? (I miss smileys)

 

Going back to the top.

 

Bravo!!! Very well written, you know Roque Squadron MUCH better than I do, of course, I haven't read the X-wing books yet...

Keep posting!

 

Neat Story....I like it.

 

this is good. Top.

 

Luke called the squadron to order. They were in the middle of the station?s hangar housing their X-wings. Normally, they would be in the briefing room for a meeting such as this, but in this matter, time was pressing.

?All right, boys, here?s our situation. The Imperial fleet is reinforcing in this sector. Primarily, that?s due to their suspicion of the Azameens assisting us raids on Imperial convoys. If they identify the Azameen freighters, then Twin Suns is effectively out of business. So, that means we cut back our pirate raids for a while, and hit the Imps fast and hard.

?Intel has discovered a major convoy full of personnel and supplies. They?re being escorted by three Imperial Star Destroyers, with a number of smaller ships in reserve. Our plan is to have a captured Interdictor cruiser bring the force out of hyperspace, then, when the Imps start deploying their fighters, our main fleet hypes in behind the convoy, and we hit them from behind. Rogue Squadron will be flying in that main fleet.

?Any questions? Yes, Mr. Raltar??

?Will we be simming, or going in blind??

?We?ll go through some runs when we get to our destination. Any others??

No one spoke up.

?All right, get to your fighters, go through pre-flight, and let?s get going. Dismissed.?

?


Fifteen hours later, the swirling tunnel of hyperspace around Luke?s X-wing broke apart into a million pinpricks of light. Beside him, the other X-wings of Rogue Squadron, and swarms of other New Republic starfighters were forming up to their targets. Behind him, a massive fleet, in terms of Alliance strength, was coming into the system with their silent roar.

Before him, was the Imperial convoy.

He keyed his comm, ?All units, this is Rogue Leader. Squad leaders, get telemetry on that Star Destroyer. Send it to your squadron, and fire on my command. Remember that we?ve got to do this as a mass-fire. Otherwise, those Imps will blow our torps apart piecemeal.?

The Colonel heard acknowledgements over the comm. He didn?t verbally respond, instead he targeted the Star Destroyer in question guarding the aft opening for the convoy. He got a lock, then transmitted the signal to his squadron. ?Okay Rogues, first salvo of two torps on three. One?two?three!?

A massive salvo of 24 advanced proton torpedoes shot out raced out toward the hulk of metal. Behind him, scores upon scores of torpedoes launched, and joined the Rogues? salvo in a massive hail of deadly power. The Imps could shoot down a few of the torps, but there was no way they could hit all of them. As a result, the entire aft end looked like a chewed piece of Bantha meat after a few volleys. More torpedoes compounded the damage done, and created new holes in the mid-section of the ship. In the end, the ships split apart, sending debris, and frozen human corpses everywhere into the local space.

Luke keyed the comm again. ?X-wings, hit the TIEs. A-wings, engage what fires on you, but concentrate on the freighter?s engines. Y-wings, B-wings, fire support for our capitals. Move, people.?

He goosed the throttle up to maximum, giving him distance from the Rogues and other fighters. ?On me, Rogues. Let?s rack up some kills.?

?Right with you, Lead.? Ace replied, strong and energetically.

The farmboy smiled, and opened up on a nearby squint. All four bolts converged on the cockpit viewport, melting the transparasteel away, and killing the pilot. The ship cruised through space in a straight-line flight, all lights down, no activity in the ship at all.

More scarlet red lasers pulsed out from the Rogues, and ahead, the lead TIE Interceptors were vaped. As a unit, the Rogues were experts at dogfighting, and thus, the Interceptors never really had a chance. The Rogues blasted through them, and continued to completely mutilate the trailing TIE fighters and Bombers.

Luke led the Rogues around for fire support missions against the Imps capitals, but no streams of laser fire were exchanged between them. He hit the fleet channel. ?Rogue Leader to

 

very good.

 

Thanks.

 

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