The Rebel Plan

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Luke's X-Wing, along with 29 others, cut easily through the thin upper atmosphere of Yavin 4. The X-Wing was the pinnacle of Rebel ingenuity, with 4 mounted lasers and two proton torpedoes mounted on a highly agile single man fighter. Their mission was simple: Infiltrate the Death Star's Outer Defenses, cruise down the trench, and release the torpedoes down to the reactor core.

But every plan, no matter how great, has its flaws. First off, the actual penetration of the turbo laser towers on the Death Star is an almost impossible task in itself. That, linked with outmaneuvering enemy TIE Fighters, should assure that less than half of the assaulting force actually makes it through to the Trench Run itself.

When inside the Death Star trench, the fighter will have less than 3 feet to maneuver. At the same time, a pilot will also have to be dodging the frequent attacks of yet again, more TIEs. But if the pilot somehow manages to tough out the entire trench, they will be faced with the most pressing obstacle of them all. The actual shot on the exhaust port.

Scarcely more than 3 feet around, the exhaust port that leads to the reactor core is faintly shielded, which negates the option of using lasers to fire on it. A pilot must line up directly in front of it, and fire off the shot at precisely the right time, traveling at just the right speed, and only then will you have a 10% chance of success.

Nevertheless, the confident and calm Rebel pilots flew at Mach 6.1 (a slow speed for an X-Wing), so as to have the least interference possible in the radio transmission that was about to ensue.

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