reborn § cal kestis

12

   After discussing the plan, Sadira and Jase said a quick goodbye. She watched him disappear into the fog, then turned and advanced towards the rebel base. Just as she approached it, she heard the familiar battle cry of a TIE fighter as it glided through the air above her head.

  Cursing, she sprinted towards the base. The majority of the rebel ships were gone, and she looked up to see one pass by, pursuing a TIE fighter. She rushed in and found Cere, tapping away at a datapad. Upon seeing her, Cere ran over and pulled Sadira into a tight embrace. "We were so worried about you," she scolded.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"No, there's no time. The Empire began sending down some of their fleet a few minutes ago."

"I noticed. What can I do to help?"

"Greez is mapping their moves, Cal is taking down the fighters." Guilt creeped it's way into Sadira's mind at the mention of Cal's name. "Aari and Merrin are preparing the infantry. You're good at long-range, right?"

Sadira nodded. "It's my speciality."

"Good." Cere's speaking was hurried. She reached behind her, then pushed a headset into Sadira's hands. "Make your way up to the towers. Try to shoot as many TIE fighters down as you can. When troopers arrive, focus on them."

"You can count on me."

  There was a loud crash behind them as one of the rebel ships went down just in front of the base. Sadira took this as her signal to join the battle.

  She sprinted away from Cere, towards one of the watchtowers. Three of them were occupied, with one left empty for her. As she ran towards it, she passed Greez, who waved at her with one of his hands. She greeted him with a quick salute, then continued on her way.

  She stared up at the tower as she reached the bottom of it. From up close, it looked taller and weaker. Only a flimsy pole with a small platform; Sadira didn't imagine that the thing would withstand very many hits. Nevertheless, she grabbed onto one of the ladder's rungs, then began to climb.

  When she reached the top, she marvelled at the view as she attached her headset. The fog still cloaked most of the landscape, but she now noticed all of the flowers and greenery that the rebels had planted, and the base that they had built. It really was remarkable.

  Above her head, a fighter relentlessly followed an X-wing. Sadira reminded herself of her duty, and quickly began to examine the weapons before her. One was a sniper rifle balanced on a tripod, and the other was a missile launcher. This will be fun, Sadira thought as she studied the controls and settings.

  When she was ready, she took ahold of the launcher's handles and scanned the sky for TIE fighters. She spotted the one from before, which was still chasing the X-wing. The X-wing was badly damaged, and it's only option was to dodge the fighters' shots. "I can help with that," Sadira spoke to herself. She aimed the launcher at the fighter, following it's course. It's dark exterior allowed it to easily be spotted, weaving in and out of the fog. Sadira held her breath, then pulled the trigger.

  She missed. Cursing, she tried to find the ship again. When she eventually spotted it, she felt her stomach churn. The fighter was no longer hunting it's prey. Sadira glanced down at the ground, and saw the X-wing in flames.

  Panic bubbled in Sadira's gut. She wasted no time in taking hold of the launcher again, shutting one eye to keep her aim perfect. Then, as the TIE fighter slowed for a second, she fired. The missile glided through the air and clipped the side of the ship. Sadira whooped in excitement as she watched it's wing burst into flames. The ship tipped to the side, then toppled to the ground and exploded.