The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 47 - Battle of Starkiller Base

The flight through hyperspace was uneventful.
When the X-wings of the Resistance reached their destination, they re-entered real space and saw the gigantic Starkiller Base in front of them. The Millennium Falcon was just a tiny dot in the distance, already about to enter the planet's atmosphere.

Nomi listened to Poe's orders and the pilots' responses over the battle frequency. They flew to the base and there to the oscillator structure. With Poe's black X-wing in the lead, they began dive-bombing the oscillator. So far there was no defensive fire, but Nomi knew all too well that it would start soon and that they would send TIEs as soon as those in the base realized what was going on.
There was the young commander's voice again.
"Almost in range! Hit the target dead center, as many runs as we can get!"
"Approaching target," Snap replied.
Nomi and her family followed the others and began their strafing runs. They caused huge explosions on top of the oscillator.
Poe was satisfied when he saw this and gave a new order.
"Let's light it up!"
Nomi could feel the adrenaline in her body, and she was sure it was the same for the others.
Dameron dive-bombed the oscillator and hit it dead center in quick succession.
"Direct hit," the Jedi heard Lieutenant Bastian say.
"But no damage," Ello Asty stated laconically.
"Yes, we gotta keep attacking it! Another bombing run! Remember, when that sun is gone, that weapon will be ready to fire! But as long as there's light, we have a chance."
It was Poe's words that gave the pilots a further boost of motivation.
Despite the oncoming TIEs, the X-wings returned for another attack run.
"Blue 8! Watch out! There's one behind you!"
The pilot with the Blue 8 callsign dived, turned, flew behind the attacking TIE and fired. One less enemy to worry about.
They were engaged in a fierce dogfight with the TIEs. More and more enemy fighters fell victim to the X-wings of the Resistance.
Nomi fired at an oncoming TIE and it exploded. Seconds later, she saw Poe's fighter almost collide with an enemy fighter. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the commander's maneuver to avoid the collision.
"I've got one behind me. See him?" The Jedi heard Temmin Wexley.
"Yeah, I'm on it," was Jess Pava's reply, before firing at the pursuing TIE.

And then defensive fire from the ground began. A heavy cannon emplacement fired a missile that shredded an X-wing fighter.
"Furillo's been hit!" Jess cried out.
"Watch out for ground fire!" Came the warning from Snap, but it came too late for the just vaporized pilot.
The Resistance pilots had to use all their skills to dodge and shoot down the enemy fighters as well as the oncoming missiles. It was a deadly dance.
All of a sudden, Nomi sensed that there was something dark in the oscillator. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it continued to linger in the Force. But she had to concentrate on the task at hand. She didn't have time to think about what the darkness she had sensed might mean.
The X-wing fighters were still trying to find an opening in the structure. As she dodged enemy fire and fired, Nomi heard the voices of her comrades.
"We just lost R-1!"
"We're overwhelmed! What do we do? It isn't working!" There was despair in Jess Pava's voice.

The Jedi saw the structure of the oscillator being shaken by explosions inside, and she wasn't the only one to see it, then she heard Yolo Ziff's voice over the comm.
"Black Leader, there's a brand new hole in this oscillator. Looks like our friends got in."
But it wasn't just the oscillator that was shaken.
The Jedi sensed darkness, conflict and pure hatred in the Force. She struggled to dampen the wave of these emotions that threatened to distract her.
"Red 4! Red 6! Cover us!" This was a new order from Dameron.
Lieutenant Bastian and Ello Asty confirmed the order. A few seconds later, Poe gave his order to the other pilots.
"Everybody else, hit the target hard! Give it everything you've got!"
Nomi dived down together with the other pilots and shot at the oscillator.

Two X-wings, including Poe, flew through the trench leading to the oscillator structure. While the other X-Wings carried out their strafing runs.
"I need some help here! I need some help!" The Jedi heard Poe's voice again.
"I'm coming in!"
Lieutenant Bastian's fighter came to aid.
"Watch out!"
But Jess' warning came too late.
"I'm hit," were Ello Asty's last words as his fighter was blown to pieces.
But there was no time to mourn.
"All teams - I'm going in! Pull up and cover me," Poe said.
"Copy that, Black Leader. Good luck, Poe," came Niv Lek's reply.
The trailing X-wings took off, while Poe's black fighter swooped into the fiery breach.
Nomi looked at the horizon and realized that the sun had almost disappeared.
The Jedi saw Poe's X-Wing fly through the rift and then heavy explosions could be heard as Poe fired torpedo after torpedo. Shortly after, he came out again.
The remaining X-wings, including Poe's, blasted the place and the structure began to collapse, forming a deep crater.

Suddenly, Nomi saw the Millennium Falcon rise from the nearby forest. The remaining fighters followed the freighter while First Order TIEs and shuttles ascended, trying to escape the inferno as the planet imploded.
"Our job's done here. Let's go home," Poe said once they were in orbit and safe.
After reaching the jump point, they simultaneously jumped into hyperspace.