Star Wars: Lightforce

Chapter 6

"What are you doing?" Han shouted after her when he caught up. "Can you even fly an X-Wing?"

"Of course, it's just been a while," she shouted back over her shoulder, irritated at his question. She didn't have time for his cross-examination. She had flown something similar while serving at the Alderaan Military Academy. It had been a while since she had been in a small combat craft, but she was just hoping it would come back to her once she got in the cockpit. "I might be a bit rusty but we're all they've got," she added.

Reaching the hanger, she grabbed a helmet and headed for one of the X-Wings.

"Rusty?" Han exclaimed, suddenly seriously doubting this was in any way a good idea. "Maybe I should go instead," he suggested. She stopped dead and turned to face him, waving her helmet in the direction of the Falcon.

"Oh yes." She was sarcastic. "You fly the X-Wing and I'll take the Falcon." She raised one eyebrow, calling his bluff.

"No, it's fine," he agreed. "I'll take the Falcon." Leia resumed her route towards the fighters.

"Luke," she shouted. "You're the better pilot. I'll follow your lead." Luke nodded and unhooked his long cloak, dropping it to the floor as he grabbed a helmet for himself.

"Chewie, fire her up!" Han yelled into his com-link as he ran for the outside landing platform. "We're going for a ride."

Leia shot him a look as she climbed into her fighter and hit the switch to seal the cockpit. Making quick systems checks, she and Luke fired up the engines and activated the map display screens. She was relieved to find that the X-Wing controls were more or less in the same position as her training craft.

"Ready?" Luke's voice came over her helmet comm.

"Ready," she confirmed. Both X-Wings lifted off and exited the hanger, engines roaring and the heat from the after-burn causing haze in the moist tropical air.

"Gold squadron." General Madine's voice broke in over the comms. Leia quietly snorted at the ridiculousness of the call sign. Hardly a squadron, just two fighters and a customised freighter. She hoped when it came to it they could do the job of a squadron. "The squad commander informs me that the guns seem to be protected by some sort of force field. Their counter attack is ineffective and they're also under fire from Imperial ground troops. You'll need to locate the shield generator as a matter of priority."

"Copy that," Luke replied as they headed eastward along the mountain range towards the pass together with the Falcon that had now fallen in behind them. "Delta Squad, this is Commander Skywalker," he announced. "We'll be at your position with air support shortly. Find as much cover as you can and we'll try to knock out those guns."

"Good to hear that, Skywalker. Don't take too long," came the troop commander's reply.

"We won't." Luke reassured him. He studied his map and an idea came to him. "Leia. I'm sending you co-ordinates of a route we should come up on much earlier. If we take it, we would come out right in front of the gun turrets, but it means going through a bit of a narrow ravine first. It's a bit tight and there's no room for the Falcon so Han and Chewie, you'll have to go over the top and come down into the pass from above. I think it might give us the element of surprise." He locked in co-ordinates and sent them to the display in Leia's fighter as he spoke. Leia switched on her tactical display.

"Got it," she confirmed.

"You alright with that ravine?" he enquired.

"Yes," she assured him.

"I don't know, kid," Han sounded dubious. "You're flying with Princess Rusty." He was being sarcastic for her benefit but inside he was concerned. Leia put her X-Wing into a full horizontal 360 degree spin and levelled off again as if giving him a metaphorical rude gesture.