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Battle for Salaris IV
By Col. Ryen Kordova
As the sun was just rising on the planet of Salaris four, Delmi Magre opened his eyes and looked out the window. He had just enough time to catch a few more minuets of sleep. He was just closing his eyes when there was a knock at the door. He sighed and went over to the door. He touched the intercom.
"Yes who is it?"
"Delmi its Rusbri let me in."
"ok," Magre yawned as he opened the door and Derpe stepped in.
"What do you want waking me at four in the morning?" Magre studied his friend's face, by the look on it this was no social call. He said one word:
"Thrawn."
Magre stared at him for a moment.
"What do you mean Thrawn? He’s dead."
"He's coming" Magre's eyes went wide "what?" "Yep" Derpe said with a trace of humor coming to his eyes. " I just checked the sensor room and was just on my way to meet with General Antilles and thought I would tell you. even though," he said with a smirk "you would find out sooner or later."
Magre quickly got dressed and joined Derpe in the base's war room. General Antilles was there with a few commanders of the base's fighter squadrons. General Antilles stepped in front of the room. He raised a hand and the room grew silent.
"As you know we are gathered here because of the threat that has come knocking at our door." He lowered his voice "Grand Admiral Thrawn is going to attack our base in a short time and I know you are wondering why we are not out in space fighting with him now. Well it is because he dropped out of hyperspace about an hour ago. since then we have been creating evacuation plans."
He looked around the room scanning every ones face they were all set in a grim resolve. They were as Wedge noted all business before play.
"Now let’s get down to business..."
Ten Minuets later, Wedge wrapped up the briefing.
"We will be going into space as three groups. When we break the atmosphere we will divide into our respective squadrons" Wedge said in closing. "Questions, No? Then may the Force be with you. There is one more thing..." He cleared his voice; "what is being sent to you now, is your pilot roster. The command list goes as follows; I will be leading Rogue Squadron up first and will be followed by Cobra Squadron led by our newly commissioned General Delmi Magre.
Derpe turned to Magre, “your commanding Cobra Squadron and you didn't even let me know?" Magre looked at him and flashed a smile "I was going to tell you but I figured that you would find out sooner or later...."
Derpe rolled his eyes. Wedge finished reading the list and asked if there were any further questions. There were none so he stood up, saluted and briskly walked out the door.
Rogue Squadron lifted of the landing pad in their sleek X-wings. Magre in his ship an X-wing prototype that he personally modified himself lifted off landing pad with the rest of Cobra Squadron. As they cleared the atmosphere, Magre called over the comm. “Lock S-foils into attack positions assume attack formation.” The fighter’s wings split apart into their well known X formation. A voice came over the comm. “Cobra leader this is Rogue leader were starting our run on the lead Destroyer.” Magre checked his instruments “Copy Rogue leader we’ll cut across their axis and try to draw their fire…”
Magre shifted his controls down and towards the ebony white hull of the Stardestroyer. Not seeing the rest of the X-Wing's, the destroyer's gunners tried firing at Magre's group as they flashed past. Wedge's Rogue's took advantage of the situation and set up their rocket run the first rockets launched tore through the bridge shield generators then the second volley destroyed the entire bridge itself. The destroyer continued to travel forward as a derelict before the crew regained control in the auxiliary bridge then prepared to make an emergency jump to hyperspace before the Rogue's could finish the job. But, before the jump could be made, the Alliance Nebulon B Frigate Yane jumped in and delivered a full ion blast into the destroyer's stern fully disabling the ship.
From the hangar five transports deployed, full of Alliance commandos that docked in several places on the hull. The entire operation lasted for just five minuets. The commandos took key decks and holds. They captured several officials then strategically placed charges then evacuated the ship. As the transports entered the frigate the timers on the charges expired and several chunks of the destroyer, including the Solar Ionization Reactor exploded in a blaze of white light. It was Cobra Squadron's turn to attack the next enemy capital ship. The ship a frigate was a little wiser than the stardestroyer. It turned broadside to the Rogues and Cobras and launched its two squadrons of TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors. The fighters of both sides spread out to engage each other in spectacular dogfights and searing laser blasts, zipping through and between the broadsides being traded from the two frigates as they faced off. Magre raced through a maze of turbolaser fire weaving and dodging while being pursued by a trio of TIE’s. Suddenly Magre saw a speck of light and then before he could react all around his ship the space turned red.
Magre opened his eyes after a second and realized that he was still alive. He looked at his sensors two of the TIE’s were destroyed and the third was being chased by an A-Wing. He looked over his shoulder and recognized the markings of the ship riding near his starboard top S foil. A voice came over the comm.
“Hey skipper you all right?”
“Fine Rusbri, thanks back there.”
“No big.”
Magre grinned as he twisted his ship around and brought it back to the battle. The slugging fest between the two frigates was almost finished. Both ships hulls were alive with flames and small explosions. Several fighters and several shuttles and transports escaped from the hangar bay as the Yane set a collision course for the Imperial frigate. The Imperial craft continued to pour broadsides into the Yane until it collided with the frigate and both craft vanished in a great explosion that temporarily blinded Magre and Rusbri. As the explosion dimmed, they found themselves in the debris field.
“Keep tight boys and watch for pieces of…”
An out of control A-Wing caused Magre to stop what he was saying and maneuver out of the way. He turned just in time to see the A-Wing collide with a piece of the communications tower and cease to exist. Magre swore loudly and twisted his ship out of the debris. There was one more capital ship in the vicinity and Magre wanted it gone more than anything else at that point. He opened a frequency on the comm.
“Cobra Leader to all squadrons, if you can form up on me I need a direct assault on the flagship destroyer. If we fail then all those on the ground are screwed.”
There wasn't much of a reply to his call to duty except a couple of grumbles about this being suicide. But to his astonishment, three squadrons worth of fighters rallied up around him.
“All Right! This is what I’m talking about. Arm all rockets and torpedoes. Redirect all laser energy to the shields. Hold formation no matter what. Fire on my signal.”
The combined squadrons of 36 fighters flew ahead. Magre looked right and saw that Antilles was next to him he threw a curt wave and in responce, Wedge waggled his wings. Magre returned to his instruments and lined up his shot. Once they passed over the ship they'd have to tangle with the fighters again. All their Sabacc cards were on the table, the pot was all or nothing, and this attack was the wild card that sealed their fates. Flak from the destroyer bufeted their ships as they pressed on. Magre waited another two precious seconds longer.
"Fire."
Magre let loose the last of his missiles and watched the others do the same. He tracked their progress and saw the detonations on the shields then on the hull. But strangely it looked as if nothing had happend. Magre heared multiple curses and felt his spirits sink into his boots.
"That was that I guess," he mumbled to himself. But on the tagreting viewfinder he saw something that looked out of place. He zoomed in on the area and found that a lagre crack was splitting the hull where several missiles had hit. He switched over to the comm. All fighters have permision to engage enemy fighters. He switched channels
"Derpe and Wedge form up on me I found a weak spot!" The three X-Wings peeled off from the group and dived in towards the mortaly wounded flagship. "Target these coordinates and fire at will." The X-Wing's spat out megajouls of hot coherent light that disolved hull plates on impact and ate at the ebony white paint job. Large explosions erupted from the hull as Wedge's shots hit a primary power converter/stabilizer and the back quarter of the destroyer exploded in a ball of flames before being smothered by the lack of oxygen. The Rebel fighters peeled away from the deck and watched their handy work from a safe distance. The Stardestroyer exploded in all of its ill gotten glory and seemed as to the pilots on the side of freedom and justice a trubute to the glory of the Rebel Alliance.
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