The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 54 - Near the Unknown Regions

The Aquarius and the Outrider emerged from hyperspace at the rendezvous point.
"No one to see," Dash Rendar said to Biggs, who was looking at the readouts.
His son shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe they're just late, Dad. Look, there's Mama and Junior."
Dash smiled as he watched his wife's battered freighter drift near his YT-2400. He activated his comm.
"Outrider for Aquarius... Hello, sweetheart."
Dash Jr. chuckled as he answered his father's call.
"It's not sweetheart, it's your son, father. Is everything okay with you two over there?"
"Of course," came his father's reply. "Where is your mother?"
"She went to rest after we re-entered real space. To be honest, I'm a little worried about her."
"Worried? There's no reason to be worried. Your mother is stronger than you think, Junior."
"I think she's tired of being on the run. Mama mentioned that happened to you two during the Civil War. I barely remember that time and she rarely talks about it."
"Like almost all veterans of war. Those who brag about their heroics are usually not the heroes they see themselves as, son. Some of them didn't even fire a shot. That's a shame."
Dash Jr. thoughtfully looked out the viewport at the stars.
Like their mother, their father hadn't told them much about what they had done during the Galactic Civil War. And none of them had dared to ask. Now they found themselves in the middle of a war. A war that already seemed lost. Too few resources, too few personnel and too little support, because those who had helped had died when the Starkiller Base destroyed the Hosnian system. And now the First Order had also discovered the base on D'Qar.
The young Jedi sighed. Fighting for a lost cause was not to his liking.

Meanwhile, Biggs was keeping an eye on the Outrider's sensor readouts when the proximity alarm sounded. The monitor showed three dots marked as enemies.
"Great," the young Jedi muttered to himself. "Just what we need right now. Father!"
His father glanced at the monitor.
"They're still out of range, Biggs. There's no need to rush." Dash leaned back in his seat and contacted his wife's ship. "Aquarius for Outrider. Three hostiles inbound."
"I see them, father," Dash Jr. replied as the siren could be heard in the background. "Time to wake up Mama, I think."
"You don't have to wake me up anymore, Junior." Nomi dropped into the pilot's seat. "Are the shields up?"
"Of course," her eldest son replied.
The Civil War veteran studied the readouts and frowned.
"One freighter and two escorts, marked First Order. Easy prey, if you ask me." Nomi hailed her husband. "Dash..."
"Yes, honey?"
"You've seen the readouts? What do you think? Shall we take them on?"
"Of course, my love," the former mercenary replied with an amused undertone.
His fingers moved over the controls as he activated the Outrider's weapon system. Nomi did the same aboard the Aquarius. Dash fired a shot across the bow of the enemy freighter and hailed it.
"Unknown freighter, you have just entered Republic space. State your designation and cargo."
There was no reply, only static. Dash hailed the First Order freighter again.
"Unknown freighter, respond or we'll shoot right through it instead of across your bow."
"Republic?" He finally heard a bored and arrogant voice. "There is no Republic. You are nothing but pirates."

The two escorting First Order TIEs began their approach at full throttle.
Dash Rendar switched to combat frequency.
"Enemies approaching, Nomi. Stay sharp, darling."
The Jedi's fingers danced across the console, pushing buttons and pulling levers.
"Junior, all energy to the forward shield."
Her son did as she told him.
"They're coming fast, Mama."
Nomi gritted her teeth and let her hands linger over the fire controls. Dash Jr. steered the Aquarius in the direction of the TIEs to meet them head on.
Aboard the Outrider, his father kept a close eye on the enemy freighter.
"Two dorsal laser cannons. That's all they can fire at us. We should be able to take them out quickly."
Biggs looked at his old man, grinned and steered the YT-2400 towards the First Order vessel.
"Keep the hunters at bay, Nomi."
"I'll do my best," his wife replied as she fired at the first enemy fighter.
"I hate those shields they have," Nomi muttered under her breath.
Dash Jr. turned the ship around and his mother fired at the TIE again. The TIE pilot at the yoke knew his stuff and went into a steep dive. At the same time, the second TIE appeared behind the Aquarius and fired. The young Jedi cursed as the freighter shuddered under the blast, but the shield held. He pressed a button to transfer power from the front shield to the rear shield.

Dash Rendar saw what was happening.
"Sithspawn! Looks like they're in trouble."
The experienced pilot turned the Outrider around.
"Fire at will, Biggs, don't let them fry your mother and brother."
"I'm on it, Dad," his son replied, hitting the fire button as he saw the first TIE in the crosshairs.
The hunter's shields had already been crippled by his mother's hit and could no longer absorb the shot. It exploded in a fireball.
Biggs let out a cry of triumph. Dash Rendar glanced at his son.
"Excellent shot, kid. But don't get cocky. There's still one left."
He steered the Outrider towards the remaining enemy fighter.
"Junior! We'll encircle it," he said over the comm.
"Roger that, father," came the reply from his eldest.
Dash Jr. flew a corkscrew maneuver and set the Aquarius behind the TIE as the Outrider came at it head-on. Nomi and her husband fired simultaneously.
The laser beams cut through the TIE's cockpit as the combined firepower overloaded the shields, and the pilot died a quick death as his fighter exploded.

"Now we'll see if the First Order guy is still stubborn," Dash muttered to himself and hailed the freighter again. "Unknown freighter, prepare to be boarded."
Instead of a reply, the freighter's laser cannons swung in the direction of the Outrider. The war veteran sighed and nodded to his son.
"Fire!"
Biggs pushed a button and two proton torpedoes were on their way to the vessel to take out its shield generator.
"Shields are down."
Hearing this, Dash cautiously approached the freighter when Nomi and her sons suddenly sensed something.
"Turn around and get away from the ship, Papa. They've activated the self-destruct," Biggs said calmly.
Without hesitation, Dash turned the Outrider and flew away from the doomed First Order freighter at full throttle. Not too soon. A chain reaction of explosions went through the ship until it disappeared in an inferno. Dash's YT-2400 narrowly escaped the aftermath of the explosion.

Nomi sighed as she saw and sensed that so many people had died for nothing. She unstrapped herself, stood up and wordlessly left the cockpit to go to her bunk.