Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 58

Chewie and Lando plunged the Falcon below a group of TIEs and flipped sideways, allowing Jannah a perfect opening to shoot.

A TIE bomber thundered towards them as the Falcon righted itself and Finn swung around peppering it with laser cannon fire. The bomber managed to twist and pivot around the laser bolts, skimming beneath the Falcon and getting a hit on its underside just to left of Finn's gun turret.

"That was too close," he snapped down the comlink.

"Everything is too close," Lando replied, as they spiralled them upside-down, "Coming in range of the Star Destroyer ion cannon targeting system."

Above them, Jannah was swivelling rapidly trying to deal with the incoming TIEs constantly swarming them.

Finn focused as he aimed and fired, but the detonation had no effect.

"I didn't get it," he said, "Chewie come about and give me another pass."

A grumbling roar replied as the Falcon made a long wide arc shadowed by TIEs.

Maz glanced away from her turbolaser along the corridor of the cruiser.

Each of the children was sat in on a small raised platform, with a massive gun in front of them and a large viewport to the outside. The operator had complete control, able to move along a limited pathway and shoot incoming targets. There were large black screens with schematics on it that gave them a wider view of fighters as they passed.

Kyra was finally getting the hang of the unfamiliar system, just missing a TIE as it flew by her viewport only to be destroyed by the next gun along.

"They've got shielding!" someone yelled the end of the row.

"The first time in history they actually gave TIEs deflectors," Kyra muttered under her breath.

Tantive IV flew in front of them, destroying a TIE bomber as it went out of sight.

Maz slid in her seat as she targeted an approaching bomber. She took a deep breath and let it get closer before pressing the trigger and it blew apart.

"Aim for the fuel tank cap on the underside of the body of their fighters," she shouted over her shoulder.

Kyra saw an incoming TIE flying directly towards her, shooting repeatedly at her viewport. Aiming swiftly, she let out a sequence of red lasers and hitting the bottom of the vessel. It erupted into a huge explosion that collided with the cruisers deflector shield, eddies of yellow flame causing blue energy ripples out from the impact.

Wrobie and Zorii were taking out the surface cannons on the top of a Star Destroyer, twirling intricately between them.

"Fighter on your tail," Zorii said over the comlink.

"I see it," Wrobie said, peeling her A-Wing to the side and flying close to the Destroyer. She made an abrupt turn behind a cannon turret and the TIE fired taking it out.

Zorii coiled her Y-Wing about, "I'm right behind you."

They formed a narrow chain with Wrobie just ahead of the TIE as Zorii pursued.

"Babu," Zorii said, "Target their hyperdrive."

He babbled in response.

They passed beyond the Destroyer and into open space, their path jagged and irregular.

The Y-Wing moved close behind the TIE.

Babu made a cheerful cry and took the shot.

The TIE exploded and split in two, Zorii's ship storming through the ball of fire and out the other side.

"Good work, Babu," she said.

"Thank you," Wrobie said as they turned back together, "Now, let's get back to work."

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Zorii said.

Poe made a fourth run at the autocannons of the dreadnought.

"I am close to getting out and kicking this damn thing!" he snapped over the com, "Nothing is working!"

"You're wasting your time, Poe," Snap said, "We're not taking them out today. They must have modified their deflectors."

Poe advanced away from the dreadnought and took out a TIE as he curved behind a bomber and blew it to pieces.

"We're barely scratching them!" Seftin said, dropping his A-Wing towards Poe.

"Use torpedoes, missiles and mag-pulse warheads," he said.

"Copy that, Black Leader," he replied gliding upwards and following an enemy fighter. He targeted the main body of the TIE, fired a torpedo and successfully blew it up, "Good call, Poe worked a-"

Laser fire from an intact gun turret clipped his wing.

"I'm hit! I'm hit!"

"Pull away from the Destroyer!" Snap yelled.

"I don't have much control," he said setting a collision course with an approaching TIE.

Poe watched in horror, "Draw back!"

Seftin's A-Wing smashed into the TIE, the blast pluming outwards.

Snap shifted his X-Wing and shot at the turret.

BB-8 beeped at Poe as he tightened the hold on his controls and grimaced before taking out a passing TIE bomber.