The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 15 - Battle of Fondor

A few days after her conversation with Wedge concerning her relationship with Dash Rendar, Nomi was called to the command center.
When she entered the room followed by her faithful astromech, the whole Rogue Squadron was gathered there already. Nomi found a spot between Tarik and her brother Gavin and waited patiently. It didn't take long and Princess Leia Organa entered the room. Nomi inclined her head only, since she knew that the princess, like Wedge Antilles, put no value to any formalities.
The princess cleared her throat before she began to speak.
"We still have difficulties with our snowspeeders as you know. Now we found out that the shipyards at Fondor have the spare parts we need. General Rieekan wants you to give air support for our strike team," she looked expectantly at the gathered pilots and especially at their commander, who stood there with his arms folded over his chest.
"The Imperial shipyards used to be well guarded. It won't be an easy task, Princess," he said and cast a glance at his pilots. "But it will be doable."
Princess Leia nodded thoughtfully.
"We are well aware about this, Commander," she responded. "Sadly there is no other way to get what we need. There would be the shipyards of Kuat or Corellia as well, but they are even better guarded. It would be too great a risk to try it there."
"Understood, so Fondor it is. When will we go?" Antilles asked, making plans how to proceed already.
"The General wants you to go tomorrow. It should be enough time to prepare for the mission," Leia answered his question. "If there aren't further questions you are dismissed."
Wedge looked at his pilots who had listened in silence, but nobody lifted a finger.
"No questions, Princess," he said with a lopsided grin, turned and left the room.
One by one his pilots followed him, leaving Leia alone in the command center.

Nomi headed for her quarters where Dash was sitting at the table cleaning his blaster. He looked up from his work when the young woman entered.
"So what was this important, my love?" He asked, looking expectantly.
"A new mission," she answered and sat down opposite of him. "Air support for a strike team."
Dash Rendar raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you were sitting here, hiding from the Empire."
His girlfriend shrugged and watched Fuzzy approaching the loading station to plug in and recharge for the flight lying ahead of them.
"We need parts for the snowspeeders, Dash, since they still aren't functioning," she said and poured a mug of tea. Then she took a sip of the hot liquid and smiled at Rendar.
"You will give air support for a strike team? It sounds like you want to attack an Imperial shipyard. This is suicide, Nomi. I don't want you to take part in such a mission."
The mercenary slammed his fist on the table. This crazy rebellion had cost too many lives already and he wasn't ready to lose the woman he loved.
Nomi nearly spilled the tea when she gave a start because of Dash's reaction. In the fraction of a second she glared at him.
"You have no right to question orders which are given to me. As an officer of the Alliance I have to follow them. The choice is yours, either you accept this or this is where we part company."
The red haired man stared at the small woman who was glaring at him and couldn't believe what he just heard. He swallowed hard.
"I never thought that you are such a fanatic," he said with a flat voice. "Do what you must do, but come back to me. This is all I ask of you."
He stood up, removed his weapon belt and walked over to cot where he laid down. Nomi followed him and slid under the blanket. Dash wrapped his arms around her and she enjoyed the closeness.
"I'll come back, Dash," she said silently and closed her eyes. Minutes later she slept soundly while sleep was avoiding Dash for a long time. There were too many thoughts in his mind and memories of the past haunted him.

When Nomi woke the next morning, Dash was still sleeping. She left the cot and prepared everything for the mission in silence, eating some ration bars. Fuzzy unplugged from the loading station and rolled out of the quarters heading for the hangar. When the pilot had finished her preparations she gave the sleeping Dash a gentle kiss and left as well.
On the way to the hangar she met her brother and Tarik. Together they walked in silence. All of them knew that it wouldn't be an easy mission. Usually Imperial shipyards were well guarded and Fondor wouldn't be an exception.
Wedge Antilles was already waiting for them, leaning at his X-wing. Some of the other pilots were there already as well. Nomi inclined her head in greeting and clapped her brother on the shoulder.
"May the Force be with you, Gavin."
The young man smiled at his sister and walked over to his fighter, as Tarik took Nomi in a hug.
"I'll have your back out there, partner," he said, and then he let go of her and walked away to man his X-wing.
Nomi heard an excited whistle and looked over to where her fighter was standing. Fuzzy was already in his socket and waiting for her. The pilot hurried over and climbed up the ladder. After she lowered in the seat, she donned her helmet and gloves, buckled up and closed the hatch. She trusted her astromech but made a quick preflight check by herself, before she started the engine. The course was fed already to her nav computer, so she had only to wait for Wedge's order to launch.
It didn't take long and the order came. One by one the rebel fighters launched and headed for the jump point after passing the asteroid belt, shortly after they were on their way to Fondor.
Fuzzy beeped agitatedly knowing that they were flying in combat. Nomi knew that everything would depend on Rogue Squadron if the mission to obtain the spare parts would be a success. The strike team was counting on them. She knew some members of it since she had trained with them. The young pilot looked out of the cockpit window where she saw the whirls of hyperspace. Only one more micro jump and they would have reached their destination.

When they finally fell back in real space theysaw the planet Fondor and its orbital shipyards.
As Wedge had said to Princess Leia during the briefing, Imperial facilitieswere usually heavily guarded. To Nomi's astonishment there was only oneImperial Star Destroyer in orbit.
So it was true that most parts of the Imperial navy were bound in the searchfor Alliance outposts and bases.
She heard Antilles' voice in her headset giving last orders, after she hadswitched to the battle frequency.
"Shields up, Rogues and fire at will. We're going in to buy time for the striketeam."
He steered his fighter toward the ISD, hoping that it would take a while untilthey would be discovered. But this hope was in vain.
"Incoming enemy fighters," Rogue 6's voice was to be heard.
Nomi saw TIE fighters launch from the ISD and soon the display showed herseveral blips marked as unfriendlies. She checked her shields quickly. When shesaw that they were up and running she steered the X-wing toward the first TIEcoming in her direction. After getting a lock she fired. The laser beams hitthe TIE right in the cockpit and it exploded.
"Gotcha," the pilot muttered under her breath and steered away from theexplosion's aftermath.
Nomi heard the voices of the other pilots, most of them engaged in dogfights.
"We'll cover for you."
"We're right above you!"
The more enemy fighters they took out the more came toward them.
"Watch out, Toby! Increase speed...you're tailed!"
"They're coming in. Three marks at two ten."
Suddenly she heard her commander's voice.
"I can't shake him," he said without panic in his voice. It was just a matterof fact he stated while flying daring evasive maneuvers.
Nomi saw a TIE right after him, being almost in firing range. She aborted herown attack run in order to come to Wedge's aid, followed by Tarik.
"I'm on it, Leader, hold on," she said, being in hot pursuit.
"Blast it, where are you?" Wedge responded, still trying desperately to avoidbeing hit.
Tarik and Nomi were finally in firing range and got a lock on the enemyfighter, just the moment where the TIE pilot got a lock on Antilles' X-wing.The two rebel pilots hit the fire button a fraction of a second before theenemy was able to do the same. The volley they fired tore the right wing apartand the TIE lost direction tumbling away in a mad whirl.
Commander Antilles breathed a sigh of relief and steered his fighter toward thenext target, when the voice of the strike team's leader was to be heard.
"We have what we were coming for and are on our way back to base. Good job,Rogues."
Then they saw a flicker and were sure that the strike team was on its way backto base.
"It's time to go home as well," Wedge said. "Abort your attack runs and headfor the jump point. I'll see you back on base."
The Rogue Squadron pilots did as ordered, followed by enemy fighters in hotpursuit, but they managed to outrun them and to make the jump to hyperspace.