Test Pilot by Kuja (http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=264) Ch. 1: Wolf "All right Wolves, we're going in, we're going in hot!" announced the squadron commander. "It's just like training. Remember that you're more maneuverable than they are." Will you just shut up, thought Rob Cloudrunner. The young Ensign, fresh out of flight school, tried to catch his breath as the TIE squadron closed in. He tried to wipe his forehead, but his hand bounced off his suit helmet. That angered him, so he focused his frustration on the Rebels up ahead. "All right, BREAK!" The TIEs fell out of formation as red and green bolts of light filled the vacuum. Wolf Seven, Rob's wingman, caught a torpedo and exploded. Rob juked left and right, searching for a target. It came in the form of a Y-wing taking potshots at other TIEs. Rob dropped in on the Ys exhaust and fired twice, collapsing the fighter's rear shields. The Y-wing juked and cut away to port, but Rob stayed with him. Another shot pierced the starboard engine, and the fighter detonated. "This is Wolf Five, I could use some help here." Rob turned in the direction of Mike's distress to see an X-wing tailing his buddy. Without enough time to circle around and drop in, Rob came in from in front and below, his lasers tearing into the surprised X-wing's belly. "Thanks, Eight." "Anytime, Five. Where's Six?" "All over space." Rob cursed. "Stay with me, then." The two fighters moved into a wide loop, coming in behind a pair of Headhunters. They each vaped one, then red bolts shot past between them. "Whoa! We've got an X-wing on our tail!" "I noticed. Hang on." Rob hit the brakes and the foot yolks, pulling up and nearly coming to a stop. The X-wing shot past, still firing at Mike. "Careless idiot," the Ensign grumbled. A few blasts later, the X was floating debris. "This is Eleven, there's something out here! It's a fighter I can't identify. I can't...quite...get a lock. Assistance?" "Five and Eight en route," Rob answered. As they approached, they saw Eleven tailing what appeared to be a streak of light. Rob frowned. He'd never seen this type in training. It was compact, with a bubble-style cockpit and a pair of engines almost as big as the fighter. Suddenly, the fighter pulled up, over, and dropped in behind Eleven, who immediately started bouncing around. The mystery fighter fired...and its guns moved to track the TIE and blow it apart! "Jeez, did you see that, eight?" "I saw." Rob's heart was racing. "Mike, we can't let leave this fighter alone to keep slaughtering TIEs." "I read that." Mike juked to port and initiated a volley of laserfire, which the quick fighter dodged. Rob tried to drop in, but the fighter goosed its engines and began to pull away. "Mike, I've got an idea." Rob told him the plan. "That’s crazy. But, I doubt we have a choice. Let's rock." Rob broke off and pulled back, while Mike dropped in and laced the fighter's aft shield. Sure enough, the fighter broke straight up and back in a loop; the same move that had finished Eleven. However this time, Rob's fire caught it right in its bow. The small fighter exploded. Suddenly, Rob's nervousness left him. He'd just gone up against a fighter he’d never seen, and won. Nothing could stop him now. Turning back into the thick of the battle, he caught a Y-wing coming straight at him. "Head to head? You're on!" The two closed rapidly, Rob staffing and juking while the Y-wing came straight in, firing relentlessly. The two hit each other simultaneously. Rob felt his TIE jerk and shudder as he lost his port solar panel, but his shots pierced the Ys cockpit, killing the Reb instantly. Out of control, the fighter went into a slow roll that would carry it far into deep space. The remaining Rebels realized that they were outgunned and began fleeing into hyperspace, all except for a couple X-wings that stayed and were vaped almost immediately by Rob and Mike. Strike and Wolf squadrons came about, seventeen TIEs surviving out of the original twenty-four. "OK, Wolves," Wolf Leader said. "I want your reports." "Two. One kill, no damage." "Three. One kill. Ive got a hit to the starboard brace." "Can you land?" "Yes sir." "Four." "He's dead," someone said. "Five. Three kills, no damage." "Six?" "Hes gone sir. So's seven." "Damn. Eight?" "Just a second sir, I took a hit, I'm trying to reconfigure." "Alright." The commander got the reports from the others, then dropped in next to Rob. "Oh, man. You won't be able to land normally with that kind of a hit. We'll have to tractor you in." "As long as I get in somehow, sir." The commander laughed. "Ok, how many?" "Sir?" "How many kills, eight?" "Uhh...seven, sir." "What?" "Seven, sir. Two Y-wings, three X-wings, a Headhunter, and some kind of interceptor that took out Eleven. Here's the data." "Damn!" said the commander, thoroughly impressed. "Seven kills, on your first mission! Well, without trying to be psychic, I'd say you have quite a career ahead of you, Cloudrunner." "Thank you sir." Ch. 2: Career Change Rob set the TIE down on the deck, aided by the tractor beam in the main bay of the strike cruiser Fury. As soon as it was shut down, he awkwardly climbed out, removed his helmet, and ran a hand through his short brown hair. Suddenly, he was lifted into the air by Mike, Jered, and Andy. "Three cheers for the first-mission-seven-kill ace!" Mike yelled. His whole squadron surrounded him, plus some nearby techs. Rob started laughing. He couldn’t believe this. A few hours ago, he'd been ready to bite off his own tongue and swallow it rather than fly into real combat. Now, he'd buried that fear and was an ace. "All right, that’s enough!" said Commander Harrak. The crowd calmed down. "Now, see to the damage on your fighters and report it to the techs. Rob, Telle, we'll have you on support until we get replacement parts." Telle's cockpit wall had been damaged. If it hadn't been for his flight suit, he'd be dead. A week later, a Lamba-class shuttle landed in the Fury's primary hangar. While on free time, Rob and Mike went to check it out. Hiding behind a crate, the two peeped out at the shuttle, which was guarded by a pair of stormtroopers. "Man, that's nice," Mike whispered. "She's got a fine ass on her," Rob said, mesmerized. "Absolutely gorgeous." He turned to find Mike giving him a sidelong look. "You are weird." Rob shrugged, and the two went back to looking at the Lambda. "Man, just imagine sliding into one of those seats, right in front of that shiny control panel, cleaned just that morning?" "With the Moff sitting right behind you, casually remarking to his aide about how smooth the flight is?" "Yeah." "Can you scope a name?" Rob squinted. "Uh, I see REV." "The shuttle's name is Rev?" "No. It must be R-E-V-something. R-E-V...damn it, the wing's covering it up. R-E-V-" "Actually, it's the Revealer." A voice from behind made both pilots jump. A tall, blond-haired man in an Intelligence uniform stood behind them. His nametag read Artsan, and his green eyes sparkled merrily as the two Ensigns scrambled to their feet and hastily saluted. "And you two gentlemen are...?" "Ensign Mikeyl Stethral, sir." "Ensign Robert Cloudrunner, sir." The man's smile shrank. "The seven-kill pilot?" "Yes, sir." "Ah, so you're the young man we're here to see." Rob's heart jumped into his throat. Intel, here? For me? "Um..." "Please come with me." Artsan turned to walk away, and with a fond parting glance at the Revealer, the two ensigns fell into step behind him. They walked nearly half the length of the Fury, eventually coming to a small briefing room. Artsan knocked, and the door opened. "Stay here, Ensign Stethral." Mike swallowed and stood at attention by the door as the other two entered. Rob blinked a few times. The room saw sparsely lit, and as far as he could tell, he and Artsan were alone. Then, the lights at the head of the table came up, revealing a seated man. His hair was dark, and contrasted with his piercing blue eyes. "Is this the pilot, Lieutenant?" he asked. Artsan saluted. "Yes, Colonel Ipord." The Colonel motioned for Artsan to sit beside him. The Lieutenant did so. "You are Robert Cloudrunner." It was not a question. "Yes sir." "Born on Tatooine twenty years, four months, and three days ago." "Yes sir." "Joined the Imperial Starfighter Corps two years ago. Completed that training three weeks ago, and were assigned to the Strike Cruiser Fury three weeks ago." "Yes sir." "First saw combat one week ago. Earned seven kills, an instant ace, one of which was an unknown, highly maneuverable fighter." "......yes sir." Rob was getting nervous. What was the Colonel building up to? Colonel Ipord took in a deep breath, leaned forward, and placed both hands on the desk, his glare burning. Rob recognized the posture and braced himself for a massive chewing out. What did I do to deserve this? Instead, Ipord smirked. "Tell me Ensign, have you ever considered a career in Military Intelligence?" Ch. 3: Welcome to Hades "Um...Intelligence, sir?" Rob was put off by the question. "Yes, Mister Cloudrunner." "Well, I've always been interested in piloting, sir. I have no idea about Intelligence gathering." The smirk grew to a smile. "Have you ever heard of Hades Installation?" "No sir." "Which is exactly the way we like it. Hades is a large space station orbiting an uncharted M-class planet in the Mid Rim. Most of the system is full of asteroids, which make it a great place to keep a secret. The purpose of Hades Installation is...testing." "Testing, sir?" "Yes, ensign, testing." Artsan leaned forward. "Hades receives starfighter concepts and prototypes from R&D, and the pilots there fly them and suggest modifications." Rob’s heart raced, and his eyes opened wider. Are they suggesting what I think? Ipord chuckled. "Yes, ensign. We are." Rob started to gasp, but Ipord waved him down. ""I saw your reaction, young man. Yes, we want you to be one of these test pilots. You’ll earn good pay, a good bunk, and an advanced starfighter." "I...don't know sir. I've only had one-" "Yes, one mission. One mission in which you downed a Headhunter, four X- wings, and three Y-wings, any one of which could have brought you down. There are pilots that retire with those kind of numbers. You also brought down one of the Alliance's new A-wings, quite a feat for any pilot." Rob looked at his feet, his mind running in every direction at once. "Well, what if I accepted, sir?" Artsan took that one. "You'll have two hours to shit, shower, shave, pack up, say your goodbyes, and depart with up aboard the Revealer." Rob hesitated, but he didn’t know why. He knew what his answer would be as well as he knew his own name. "Intelligence? Wow!" Jared said. Rob had shoved most of his few belongings into a bag and now wore his dress blacks, including his pilot's beret. He checked his chrono. He had ten minutes. "I still can't believe you're on the fast track, Rob," Andy added. "I can hardly believe it myself. You two take care of each other now, you hear?" "Got it, man," they said in unison. Walking out the door, Rob met up with Mike. The two walked in silence for a minute. "Well...it's been crazy, man," was all Mike could say. "Yeah. Ill miss ya." "Bye." Mike stopped at the entrance to the hanger, watching Rob approach the shuttle. Artsan stood at the base of the Revealer's ramp. "Welcome aboard, Ensign." "Thank you sir." "I'm looking forward to a smooth flight." Rob started. "What? Sir?" Artsan rubbed his chin as a ghost of a smile crept across his face. "Yes, you're flying us to Hades. Don't worry. If you screw up, your copilot will tell you what to do." Rob slowly slid into the soft pilot's chair, the glossy control panel winking. It was exactly the way he'd imagined. Slowly, he reached out and brushed the control yoke. "Wow," he said, barely able to hear his own voice. "Do you like it?" the copilot said softly. "Yes sir." "Good. Respect for the machine is a must-have quality at Hades." Ipord and Artsan came into the cockpit and strapped in. "Everything's ready, Ensign Cloudrunner. Take us out." "As ordered, Colonel." Rob’s eyes played over the instruments, all of which read green. He took the control yoke and pulled back, feeling the Revealer majestically lift off the deck. Slowly, he rotated the shuttle to point towards the hanger exit, where a tech was motioning the 'all- clear' signal. Applying forward thrust, Rob brought the shuttle out into open space. "All right, lower wings...mark." Rob hit the switches, and Revealer's wings dropped into flight position. "Bring us around to four-point-two- mark three." Once again moving slowly, he brought the shuttle around to point in the direction indicated. "Smooth flight," Ipord remarked to Artsan softly. "He’s a natural," Artsan responded. Rob's cheeks burned as his earlier fantasy came true. "Hyperspace on my mark," the copilot said, bringing Rob's attention back to where it was supposed to be. "Three...two...one...mark!" Rob hit the lever, and Revealer disappeared into the stars. Roughly two hours later, the shuttle entered the orbit of a world that had been deleted from every star chart and databank in the galaxy. "OK," the copilot said. "Bring the nose up..." Rob did so...and actually gasped! Imperial Installation Hades glimmered above his head. The expansive station hovered over the blue-green ball of a planet like a beautiful diamond. It had to be at least six kilometers wide and four klicks tall, and small points of light that Rob knew to be TIEs buzzed around it like electrons around an atom's nucleus. The metal it was made of was a dark violet, blue in some places, and the lights coming off of it made it look like a building on Coruscant. "Impressed, Cloudrunner?" "It's...incredible sir...I...there's no words." Ipord chuckled. Suddenly, a flashing red light caught all four men's attention. "Oh no. Colonel, Lieutenant, you two had better brace yourselves. I'm initiating evasive maneuvers." "Why?" asked Artsan. "What's wrong?" "I don't know how, but the Rebels have followed us here!" Ch. 4: A New Fighter "Hang on!" Rob shouted as the Rebels initiated a strafing run. Three fighters screamed past. The Revealer's main computer identified them as Balmorran Mark-5 drones: two laser cannons, no shields, tough armor, and a Class 2 hyperdrive. "I'm requesting reinforcements!" the copilot shouted. They won't get here in time, Rob thought. Guess I'll just have to take care of these guys myself. He pressed several buttons, bringing the shuttle’s laser cannons online, along with the missile launcher. Even as he did so, the drones made another pass, stitching his shields with their laserfire. Rob yanked back on the controls, banking to port to bring the drones into his sights. The Revealer responded sluggishly, far slower than Rob's old TIE. Then, he squeezed the trigger, and green laser bursts erupted from the Revealer. The bolts slammed into one drone, and it exploded. The other drones broke in opposite directions and came at the Revealer again. The shuttle rocked under the bombardment. Rob immediately broke off and made top speed (which wasn't much) towards Hades. Suddenly, he began to slow down. "What are you doing?" Ipord demanded. "I'm bringing them in closer." "You're gonna do WHAT?!" the copilot shrieked. The drones continued to pound the aft shields, as Rob made no attempt to evade. Suddenly he hit the brakes. Unable to compensate in time, the drones flew past. Rob hit the trigger, and blew the second drone away. The last moved out on a long swing. Bringing up the missile targeting system, Rob worked to get a lock. The beeping became steady as the Revealer locked on to its prey. Rob grinned darkly. "Gotcha." Two concussion missiles dropped away and screamed towards the drone, which turned to run. This was a huge mistake, because it gave the missiles that strongest possible lock on the drone's thrusters. The drone paid for its foolish mistake with its 'life.' Rob checked the scanners to make sure there were no other enemies. All was quiet. "That was close. "I'm taking us into Hades Installation now!" "No rush," Artsan said. "You got them all." "Lieutenant, where there's some, there's more. And now Hades' cover's been blown, so-" "There won't be any more, Ensign," Ipord said in a strange tone of voice. Both Intel officers were looking at him, smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths. Rob's copilot also looked amused. Rob got it. "That was some kind of test, wasn't it?" Artsan nodded. "And you passed. Congratulations." Rob strode out of the Revealer and into the Hades hangar bay. About a dozen people were there to greet him, clapping. He blushed. One of them, a short, dark-haired man, strode forward and saluted. "Welcome to Hades, Lieutenant." Rob assumed he was a friend of Artsan's and stepped aside. Ipord grabbed his shoulder. "Well, answer the nice man." "But, he's not addressing me sir, he's-" "Oh, yes! I forgot to mention that part. It was part of your deal. The moment you stepped onto Hades Installation, you became Lieutenant JG Cloudrunner of Imperial Intelligence." Rob felt lightheaded. "Really? Sir?" Ipord nodded. After a moment, Rob regained his composure and returned the man's salute. "Thank you sir. It's an honor to be here." The man smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Commander Delth. You'll be operating under my authority in Skull Squadron, although I'm sure you'll find that regulations here are a bit looser than most places." "Good to meet you sir," Rob said, pumping the Commander's hand. "So! I guess you'd like to like to see your new toy? Come with me, I'll give you the five-cred tour." The Commander took Rob all over Hades. Rob had to admit, it was as impressive on the inside as on the outside. Everything was sparkling clean, thanks to the small army of druids kept on retainer. Rob went to see the mess, the workout room, and several fighter bays that were chock full of all kinds of starfighters, not just TIEs. When asked about the variety, Delth replied, "we get everything here, Cloudrunner. Any crazy TIE variant, and hype-capable prototype, hell, anything with an engine and a gun. We get it, we test it, we report back." He paused in front of one particular door. "Now, here's our pride and joy." He opened the door and Rob nearly had a heart attack. It had to be the slimiest, grimiest, dirtiest, most littered place he'd ever seen. Gutted fighters and shuttles sat everywhere, their innards spilled across the deck. Spare parts were piled above his head, with no attempt made to sort them. A walkable path had been cleared through the debris. It was the biggest pile of junk anywhere on the station. He loved it. "So what's this for?" "Anytime you need a part we can't find, anytime you want to build something on your own time, you come here. But for now-" he looped an arm around Rob's shoulders "-we've got to show you your own set of thrusters." The two walked to another bay, this one a mix between the junkyard and the first hanger. Although fairly clean, the occasional deck stain made it clear that the pilots made their modifications here. "Well, there she is!" The Commander gestured, and Rob thought he was going to faint. An X-1 Interceptor sat on the deck, in pristine condition, awaiting its pilot. "She's incredible!" Rob ran over to the fighter, tapping the transparisteel, poking his head in the cockpit, inspecting the solar panels, even reaching into the engine housing. "Well, look at that. Rob you look as happy as-oh! Hey, Rob! You're about to meet one of your saquadmates!" Rob clambered up to the top of the fighter to see his new partner...and it took all of his concentration not to fall off. Walking his way, smiling, was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen! Ch. 5: The First Test "Hi!" she said. "I'm Haman!" She was tall, with a great body, enchanting green eyes and dark bond hair, trimmed fairly short, but enough to frame her face. Commander Delth suddenly cleared his throat, and Rob caught himself. "Oh! Hi! I'm Rob, the new guy." You IDIOT! He hammered himself. He half jumped, half stumbled from the fighter to the deck. He extended his hand. "Ens...Lieutenant JG Cloudrunner, ma'am." She took his hand, smiling. "Still getting used to the shock, huh? Lieutenant Haman Calle." "Are you a pilot?" "Are you a boy?" Rob laughed nervously, not sure what to make of the comment. "I was just giving Rob the welcome tour," Delth broke in. "Oh really? Mind if I join you?" "Sure! I mean, I don't think the Commander'll mind, er do you sir?" Rob tried to cover his awkwardness with a goofy smile. "Oh course not. I'm sure Rob'll appreciate the extra input about his room, since that's where we're heading." Rob and Haman looked at each other and both blushed. A week later, it was time for Rob's first flight with the Skulls. Rob's breathing was even, but his eyes darted here and there, scanning the area around him. He'd been slapped up into a flight of three Headhunters with two other pilots. Req was a big, dark-skinned man with a perpetual smirk and a booming laugh. Cenrif Threal, who introduced himself as 'Hiss' was short, even shorter than Commander Delth, and had a scar across his pale throat. Unable to speak above a thick whisper, he told Rob that his TIE had been damaged and he'd been hit by shrapnel. "All right you three," Delth had informed them. "Your opponent is a new prototype TIE fighter. It's faster and more maneuverable than your standard TIE. You'll enter the combat zone and attempt to destroy it. Questions? Then good luck." Rob took a deep breath. The battleground was full of drifting wreckage that looked like it had been torn, chunk by chunk, from a Star Destroyer. "I have something," Hiss said. "An energy contact, bearing two-mark- seven." "Ok gentlemen," Req said, "hit it!" The three hit their thrusters, rapidly closing with Hiss' contact. "I'm reading it too," Rob said. "I've got visual contact." It was a TIE, but its panels were shaped more like daggers than blocks. "OK. Hiss, go in quick. Rob and I'll lay down cover fire." "Yes sir," the three hunters opened up with training-style lasers, but the TIE barrel rolled and disappeared behind a huge metal plate. "Damn it, Hiss, don't lose him!" Req moved to follow while Rob popped up and over the plate, towards where he guessed the TIE would be. His lasers tracked and hit, but the computer informed him that it was only a glancing blow and had done no damage. The TIE broke right, moving a lot like the A-wing had done. "Hiss, I've got an idea. I've fought an opponent like this before. Just stay behind him." "As ordered." Hiss dropped in as the TIE juked and rolled. Come on, Rob thought. Break up. You'll die if you don't. The TIE broke...then cut left and fired on Req! "Damn," Req said. "I'm out." Son of the Sith, that was great flying! "OK Hiss, close it up. Let's get this guy." Silently, his wingman complied. "Can you see him?" "No." "Pick up your visual scanning." Suddenly, the TIE appeared in his aft arc! "Break! Break!" Rob and Hiss banked in opposite directions. The TIE chose the older pilot and opened fire. "Keep going, Hiss, I've got another idea." "My shields won't last much longer." "They won't have to." By now, the two pilots had nearly gone full circle, and Rob could see Hiss just by looking up a little. Three seconds, two, one, and Rob fired! Three bolts struck the TIE's cockpit just as the sim reported Hiss' death. "Good shooting, Rob," Delth's voice said. "You four can come back now." The TIE zipped away ahead of them while the three hunters fell in, Rob in the center. "Rob, I'm impressed," Req said. Good aim, good flying, good instinct, and good leadership after I bought it." "Thank you sir." "You can cut that 'sir' out. However, you should know that Hiss was in charge, since he is your senior." "Oh. Sorry." "No." Hiss said. "You're good." By the time they set down, the TIE's pilot was walking over to see them. Rob doffed his helmet and strode up to the pilot, who was still wearing a full flight suit. "Hello, sir. You're one hot hand." By way of answering, the pilot removed his helmet. What the? Haman?! "Oh! It's you!" "Nice to see you too, Cloudrunner." Haman smiled and ran a hand through her hair. Rob instantly reverted to swooning teenager mode. "Uh, thanks. I'm glad to see you're such a good pilot! I mean, I'm sure you're a good pilot if youre here, but you're pretty good!" WHAT?! "Not good enough to beat you, though," she said with a sly grin. "Uh, well, hey, you got two, and I only got one, so you must've been doing some crazy flying! I mean, you were flying great, but...anyway, what's this TIE called?" "An Interceptor. Personally, I like the X1, but I think they'll put these into mass production." "Really? Why?" "Well-" "Later kids," Req said as he butted in. "Debriefing first." "Oh," they said together. Two hours later, Rob wandered into the mess and grabbed some food. Looking around, he wondered where to sit. He didn't recognize many people in the large room. Over in one corner, he spied Haman leaning on one arm, drawing something. Problem solved. "Hey!" he said as he set down his tray. "Oh, hi!" "So, you were saying about the TIE?" "Oh yeah. Well, it's cheaper and it's got no hyperdrive." "What's wrong with a hype?" he asked, chewing on a piece of meat. She leaned in closer. As she did so, he realized that her flight suit was unzipped far enough to give him a fair view of her cleavage. He swallowed. Hard. "Well, the Navy is afraid to buy fighters with hyperdrives. They don't want to slash their capital ship budget." "Oh. That makes sense." "Yes, but it makes the TIEs totally dependant on a nearby ops base. The rebels can jump in and out whenever they want, but we're not so flexible." He leaned back. "Guess you've gotta take the good with the bad." She shrugged and went back to her flimsi. What'cha drawing?" "An idea for my X1. It's to round out the firepower on strafing runs. Does yours have torps?" "Only four, but better than nothing." "Here, take a look. It's a swivel cannon." He looked at the flimsi. The cannon was mounted just below and behind the cockpit, which would lead to flexibility problems... Suddenly an idea occurred to him. "Hey. Hey! I've got an idea." He grabbed the writer she'd been using and began drawing lines. "Hey! That's mine!" He grinned. "Trust me, you're going to love this!" Ch. 6: Malfunction "Do you think this thing'll really work?" Req asked. Rob looked up from where he sat on his TIE's frame. "Yeah. No X-wing'll dare drop in behind me now." "IF it works," Haman reminded him. He chuckled nervously. The two of them had become virtually inseparable over the last week as they worked on Rob's TIE. Several pilots were placing bets on when they'd start dating, but they hadn't gone beyond friendship so far. Rob's inspiration had slowly manifested itself in the form of a rear-facing, topside- mounted laser gun. "So, this thing'll let you shoot back?" Rob frowned. "That was the idea at first, but it's really only got enough power to shoot down incoming torpedoes." "Have you tested it?" Hiss asked. "Actually, gonna do that in a little bit. Test fired it a couple times, but in-" he checked his chrono "-five minutes, I'm gonna fly out, and give one of the missile launchers some practice." At Hiss' raised eyebrow, he added "with dummies of course." Five minutes later, Rob was suited up and ready to go. "Ready?" Haman asked. "You bet." To his surprise, she gave him a quick hug. "Good luck. Hiss, Req, and I'll be watching from the gunnery station." Now there's motivation not to screw up. Haman ran into the cramped room just as Rob's TIE appeared in the viewing port. "There's your boyfriend," the gunner remarked. "Why, you! I'm not even looking," she said cuttingly. "For none of us seeks to live alone, and none of us seeks to die alone," Hiss said, half to himself. "Oh, shut up, the lot of you." "My, feel the camaraderie," said a voice. All four snapped to attention as Colonel Ipord strode in. "I heard about an unofficial test, so I came to see." "Uh, yessir," the gunner said. He punched a few buttons. "Lieutenant Cloudrunner, are you receiving?" "I'm receiving, all right. Are we starting or what?" "One minute." The gunner turned reached up, and inserted a small cable into a ceiling panel. "That tells the missiles not to arm, cause it's an exercise," he explained. "OK, let's rumble!" A missile blasted out, closing with Rob's TIE. "Notice that there's no beeping, because it's not counting down to arm itself." the gunner said. They all nodded. As the missile closed, Rob initiated evasive maneuvers. He needed to know if the gun could compensate for sudden turns and breaks. As the missile continued closing, green bolts started to fly from Rob's fighter. Two of them hit the missile, which detected the hits and shut down. "It works!" Rob crowed. The gunnery room echoed with a loud "YEAH!" "All right Rob. I'm setting the computer to launch ten missiles over a span of time. Ready?" "Bring it on." The first missile fired, and Rob started some lazy evasives. The second missile launched just as the first was shot down. "Aw, sithspit." "What's wrong, Rob?" "Malfunction in the gun. It won't fire." "No problem. The missiles'll just bounce off your shield." The third missile fired...and started beeping! "What in hell?" the gunner shouted. "That missile's active! All eyes turned to the 'dummy' cord. It was hanging loose! The gunner hastily reinserted it as Haman gabbed the comm. "Rob, you've got a live one coming in!" "I know! The lock detector's screaming its head off!" Rob's lazy evasives became swift and desperate, but the missile continued closing. "This is Colonel Ipord to control, we're going to need a rescue boat out here! Ensign, detonate that missile!" "I can't! It's not designed to be!" All eyes watched in helpless horror as the missile closed...and went off!" Rob's fighter was thrown across their field of vision by its proximity to the blast. "No...no!" Haman cried out. "Rob..." Hiss said softly. A med runner swooped into view and rapidly closed in. After a moment, a white-suited tech leapt out and latched on to Rob's crippled fighter. "This is medical to Colonel Ipord." "Ipord here. Do you have him?" The voice hesitated. "Yes sir." "What's his condition?" The next words were almost as crushing as possible. "Colonel, I think we have a situation here." Ch. 7: The Darkest Day The silence of the room weighed heavily on all of them. Finally, Ipord managed to whisper. "What do you mean, medical?" "I mean he's unconscious." "Is he injured?" "He's probably got a concussion, but otherwise, he's in one piece." Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding. They watched as the meds pulled Rob out of his fighter and took him aboard the runner, then set up a tow line to bring the TIE in. "Colonel, he's got a major concussion. He won't be flying for a while. "Just as long as he's alive," Hiss said. Haman's breathing was ragged, and everyone noticed the tears running down her cheeks. "We're bringing him into Bay 3." Haman was out the door before anyone else could even turn around. Haman burst into the hangar at a full run. Her eyes locked onto Rob's, who was now awake and walking with the aid of a medic. She threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder. He smiled wanly and draped his free arm around her. "I'm okay, Haman. I'm okay." "I thought we...I thought I was going to lose you." "Hey." He pulled her shoulders back and looked her in the face. "Don't worry. I'm fine." The other four then ran in and surrounded Rob. "I'm glad you're all right, Lieutenant," the Colonel stated. "Colonel Ipord." He managed a weak salute. "Nice to see you again, sir." "You sure gave us quite a scare, Junior," Req said. "Yeah. What happened?" Hiss folded his hands. "We don't-" "Uh, I can explain, sir," the gunner said. "I know." "What?" Req said. "Well-" "Out with it, Ensign," Ipord said in an authoritive tone. "What happened?" "I checked the cord before I left," he said softly. "It was worn. It didn't have the friction to stay in the ceiling socket." Silence. "Whatever, just get me to sickbay." As Rob and the medic started up again, Rob clapped the gunner on the shoulder. It's not your fault, man." Two days later, Rob was back to working on his fighter, albeit with a bacta patch on his temple. Haman spent even more time with him. One day, Req and Hiss were playing chess in the mess hall when Req saw them together. "Man, when are they just going to start going out?" "She's not sure about him." Hiss stated it firmly as he moved his Imperial Guard to take one of Req's Stormtroopers. "How can you tell?" Req asked, moving an AT-AT to challenge the Guard. "Watch them. Watch her." Hiss took the AT-AT using Darth Vader. Req did for a while. "Well?" One of his Commandos took up a new location. "Check." "She keeps tensing up and pulling away. It's cycle: relax, tense, and relax again. She's not sure. My guess is that she likes him, but she doesn't want to get involved with someone in the squadron." A Stormtrooper took the Commando. "Huh. Did you minor in psychology or something?" The other AT-AT took one of Hiss' Guards. Hiss smiled. "Human relations." He picked up a Commando, then set it down in another square. "Checkmate." Two days later was the fateful day. All four were sitting around Rob's fighter when the call came. "All staff, to the main hall. All staff, to the main hall." Instantly, everyone was on his or her feet and running. A few minutes later, they were at the main briefing hall, which rapidly filled up. "Wow, everyone's here," Rob commented. "Wonder what's going on," Haman said. "Something big," Hiss answered. All discussion ended as General Seth stepped up to the podium. Seth was the man in charge of Hades, and Rob had only seen him once or twice. "My fellow servicemen," he stated. "We have lost a two true heroes to the Rebellion. Yesterday, Grand Moff Tarkin and Regent Lord Bail Organa were assassinated. No one could contain themselves. Even Haman's hands flew to her mouth. "Sometime yesterday morning, Grand Moff Tarkin was on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan, a mission which involved the recent dissolution of the Imperial Senate. Several hours later, the Rebels showed up with some kind of prototype battle station." Seth hit a control, and the screen behind him displayed a picture of a spherical battle station. It looked menacing. "The Rebels threatened to hold the system hostage with this ship, but neither Tarkin nor Organa would negotiate. They called in the entire sector fleet. The Rebels sent this as a response." The picture of the station dissolved into the image of Mon Mothma! "We of the Rebellion have always opposed the Empire in a militarily upright manner. But if this is all that can get you to see reason, then so be it!" The image snapped off. "Our arriving fleet recorded...this." The massive station powered up and...destroyed the helpless planet! There were outbursts all over the room, cries of pain, and rage. The image of Mothma returned. "Now you know the depth of our resolve. We shall not stop until the Emperor had left the throne. With this, the Justice Star, we can and will destroy planets deemed to be worthy of attack." General Seth sighed. "Our fleet moved into attack position, but the station jumped into hyperspace. Calculating their last known trajectory, the fleet, led by Darth Vader himself, followed it to the Yavin system. There, the combined total of three fleets attacked the so-called Justice Star. Just when hope failed, Lord Vader himself fired a proton torpedo down a thermal exhaust port. The Justice Star was destroyed." Some cheers, but Seth waved them down. "Yes, yes, a victory, but a costly one. Even thrown together, the remaining ships from the battle equal less than half of one sector fleet." The room quieted as people realized the inhuman toll the Empire had paid for the victory. "We must not forget this!" Seth suddenly cried out. "We must not forget the leadership of Grand Moff Tarkin, nor that of Lord Organa. And we must never forget the valiant sacrifices made by those at Yavin! Even when faced with an enemy of unbelievable power, they did not back down! The Empire will not-can not be defeated, so long as we have the valor of our armed forces! LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" Instantly, everyone was on their feet and shouting. The shouts turned into the Imperial Anthem, which was sung five times running. Finally, the manic energy left the room, and people quietly began filing out. Ch. 8: Fury's Requiem "I can't believe it!" Req shouted, pounding his fist on the wall. "All those people," Hiss agreed. Haman sighed. "I knew the Rebels were reckless, but this goes far beyond anything I expected." "It goes beyond anything anyone could've anticipated," Rob said softly. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Haman, who leaned into him. "Skull Squad to Briefing Room Seven," the dispassionate PA announced. "Sithspawn!" Req said. "Now what?" The four took off. "Gentlemen," Colonel Ipord began, "less than an hour ago, we received an urgent distress call from the Strike Cruiser Fury. Rob's heart leapt. My old ship? "She's been attacked by the Rebels. They fought them off, but the Fury's reactor has become compromised. She's drifting into an asteroid field, and we're the closest friendlies. In ten minutes, we'll mount a rescue operation. The Carrack cruiser Redeemer will leave Hades, accompanied by Skull Squadron. Your objectives are as follows: one, protect the Fury. Two, protect the Redeemer while she uses her tractor beams to stabilize the Fury. Third and final, if any Rebels are detected, eliminate them with extreme prejudice." The final objective pleased the squadron. After hearing of the mighty battle fought, they were eager to teach the Rebels a lesson. As the briefing broke up, Commander Delth clapped Rob on the shoulder. "So, you ready, kid?" "Yes sir!" "Glad to hear it. You'll be flying as Skull Two, my wingman." "I'm honored, sir." As Skull Squadron dropped out of hype, they realized that the Rebels had beat them to the punch. Already, there were fighters engaged all around the Fury. "This is One, break and engage by pairs!" Rob and Delth immediately hit their thrusters and dove into the battle. Closing in, they fired almost simultaneously, obliterating an X-wing. "Hey, the cavalry's here!" someone said. Rob smiled as he recognized the voice. "Am I pulling your ass out of the fire again, Mike?" "Rob! Damn good to see you, man!" Even as he spoke, Mike's fire tracked a Y-wing, driving it right towards Rob, who popped it. In the distance, two more Rebels fell under the guns of Skulls Five and Six, Hiss and Haman. "Looks like that's all," Req said. "Redeemer entering system in three, two, one-" He fell silent as the Carrack struck like a dagger into the system. "Redeemer, you are free to begin operations as soon as we finish recon," Delth said. The Carrack's Captain acknowledged. "One flight, our sector's clear." "Two Flight, all clear," Hiss said. "Three flight says go," Req added. The Carrack began maneuvering to grab the Fury, and Rob realized how beat up his old ship was. The cruiser was just barely hanging on as gouts of fire gushed from various decks and pieces of her steel skeleton poked through holes in the hull. Rob estimated it to be at roughly 39 percent integrity. "She's beat up bad, Commander." "I know. They hit her hard, and more than once." "Right on both counts, sir," Mike's voice said. The young man's TIE pulled up alongside the two larger X-1s. "This is the third attack we've shaken off. Strike and Wolf squadrons are both in rough shape" As they watched, the Redeemer grabbed the Fury and pulled her into a more stable orbit. "This is the Fury, we're stable. Ten minutes until we're hyperspace- capable." "Roger that, Fury. Redeemer assuming topside guard." "OK, gentlemen, we're on vanguard. Two Flight, set up fifty klicks out in front." "Roger that, sir," Hiss said. Rob couldn't help but smile. Hiss' X1 was equipped with a tractor beam. He could just see Hiss in combat, manipulating the small joystick with the skill of a surgeon, to drive an enemy into the ground or into position for a blast of laser cannon. Rob shook his head. Only Hiss had that kind of control. He was, by all means, a genius. His mind worked with blistering speed, at all levels, slowly hemming the enemy in. "Fury here. Five minutes left." "Rebels in Sector Five! Estimate one squadron X-wings, one squadron Y- wings." "Everyone engage!" Delth yelled. "Protect the Fury!" Wolf, Strike, and Skull squadrons all rushed into battle. Rob's first kill came from a torpedo hit on a Y-wing. An X-wing launched a torp at him, but his newly refinished gun took care of that. The Rebel pilot was so startled at the sight, he drifted right into Haman's fire. Ahead of Rob, a fighter exploded, and a chunk hit Delth's fighter. "Are you alright, sir?" "Yeah, it just grazed me." Suddenly, three Y-wings broke off and headed in at the Fury. "Watch out, they're making a run!" Rob and Delth swooped in from the side. The Y-wings launched their torps. "No! We've gotta stop 'em!" Rob changed course, angling in ahead of the torps. "Rob, what-" "Just get the fighters, sir." Rob dropped in ahead of the torps, and his gun did what it did best. Rob flipped over and fired, taking out the one Y-wing that Delth hadn't gotten. "Smooth flying, Lieutenant." The two men flew over the Fury to the other side or the battle. Here, the Rebs were really getting pounded, thanks to the intuitive flying of Two Flight and its leader. "Skull One, this is the Fury. Only two minutes left, but if we take one more hit to the reactor, we're finished." "Roger that. We'll keep you safe." Even as the words left Delth's lips, a piercing wail made itself known. "Behind us!" Indeed, the last of the Y-wings had fired a pair of torps. Before Rob could believe it, Delth had broken back, firing wildly, making a beeline for the torps. Firing over and over, Delth released a terrific howl...and slammed into the torpedoes. "Commander?" Rob said, barely able to believe what he'd just seen. "Commander? Are you there? Commander? Commander!?" Ch. 9: Farewell, Commander Hiss' voice. "He's gone, Two." "No. No, that can't be...that Y-wing...he's DEAD MEAT!" Suddenly full of anger, Rob hit his thrusters and flew through the wreckage of his commander's fighter, targeting the Rebel pilot. There! Now you're a dead man! Rob launched his torps, which hit the Y-wing right in the cockpit. "Rot in Hell." Suddenly, he came back to his senses. "This is Two, I'm taking control of the Skulls." No protests came though as Rob scanned his threat boards. "Two flight, take care of those X-wings. Strike Squadron, Wolf Squadron, disengage and get back on the Fury. You need to jump as soon as possible." "Skull two, you don't have the authority-" "NOW! If there's another attack, the Fury won't survive! Get back to your hanger and don't waste time!" A minute later: "Skull Two, this is the Fury. We've got all our fighters and we're ready to jump. Condolences on your loss. Good luck." The Fury became a streak of light. "This is Two Flight, we've taken care of the last X-wings." "Skulls, form up on the Redeemer. Let's go home." Shock. Pain. No one wanted to look at anyone else. Delth had been a friend, a leader...and now he was gone. Hiss sat in the mess, playing chess against himself and not speaking to anyone. Req drank himself into a stupor. Haman threw herself into working on her fighter, while Rob just sat and thank. A few days later was the funeral. All of Hades installation turned up. Rob, in full dress uniform, stood beside the casket, which was draped with the Imperial flag. "Commander Delth was a good man, and a good pilot. He was also a good friend. He embodied many, if not all, of the qualities the Academy looks for in a leader. He believed in the Empire, and believed that as long as we held to our principles, we would win." Rob swallowed, aware that his squadronmates' eyes were on him. He took a deep breath and continued. "Even in his last moments, he held true to his words. He had never served on the Fury, had never met her captain, had never walked her halls, yet he did not hesitate to give his life so that the Fury might escape. All of us should remember this man, and hope that somehow, we could bring ourselves up to his level." He stepped back and nodded to two MPs, who removed the flag and folded it. "Atten- TION!" Everyone snapped to, their backs ramrod straight. "Present, ARMS!" They all snapped to salute. A tech manipulated a tractor beam, gently pushing the coffin out into space. The coffin slowly accelerated towards the sun, until it seemed to be a streak of light. "Farewell, Commander," Rob said. "To us, you'll always be a shooting star. Atten- TION!" They all dropped their salutes. "Dismissed." As people slowly filed out, Colonel Ipord approached Rob, who hadn't moved. "How do you feel, Cloudrunner?" "Don't hand me a blaster, sir." Ipord tried to smile, failed, and took a breath. "It's never easy to let a friend go." "And never should be." You're right." He sighed. "Rob, I'm hereby promoting you to Lieutenant Commander, and putting you in charge of Skull Squadron." Rob did not react. "Thank you sir." The Colonel tried to discern sorrow, pain, anything in Rob's tone, but couldn't. Finally, he realized that there was nothing he could do. "Carry on." Rob did not turn as Ipord left. That night, Rob awoke from a terrifying nightmare. It was a replay of the fight of the Fury, but...wrong. The Fury was a living thing, it's structure its bones, and it was crying out as the Rebel wasps stung it over and over. Rob tried to fight them, but there were more, always more. The Commander rammed one, but the Rebel just laughed. He woke up with Fury's screams echoing in his ears. Sith, have I lost it? I need to talk. To Haman. Right now. He strode down the hall, which was darkened to give the Installation a sense of night and day. He found her in the hanger, working on her fighter. "Hey, Haman!" he called softly. She stiffened, but refused to turn around. "Hey, Haman, it's me!" He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she spun around. Sith! Her face was covered in cuts leaking blood, and her skin was eaten away, to the bone in some places! "HAAAMAAAAANN!!!" Ch. 10: Strength Together "HAAAMAAAAANN!!!" Rob shrieked as he sat up. He was still in his bunk. He slapped himself. Across the face, on the chest, everywhere. He was awake. "Rob? Are you OK?" Haman stood in the doorframe, the door opened halfway, a look of concern on her face. Emperor's Black Bones, she looked beautiful! Rob collapsed back onto the bunk. "Yeah, just a bad dream. You heard me?" "Mm hmm." She entered, closing the door behind her, then crossed to kneel by his bunk. "I had a nightmare, too." He reached out and took her hands. "No. Let's not bring those up." She shuddered. "Good idea." She freed one of her hands and rested it on his forehead. "I can help you put that to rest. Close your eyes." He did so, without questions. He trusted her. Suddenly, he felt much calmer, his mind at peace. Then, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed Haman's arms, pulling her up onto the bunk. She gasped at the sudden movement. "Rob, what-" "You're a Force user, aren't you, Haman?" "I have no idea-" "Don't lie! Answer me!" His eyes were burning. "Yes," she whispered. Rob's eyes opened as far as they could go. Suddenly, he released her, stood up, and stalked to the center of the room. "You know, there's a reward for Force-users out there. By all rights I should turn you in." "No, Rob. You-" "But I won't. Do you know why?" She shook her head, and his voice softened. "Because I'd have to turn myself in with you." Suddenly, she realized he was levitating! He was four inches off the deck! "Rob! You know how to use the Force? And all this time, I had no idea!" He smiled as he set himself down, then came over to sit next to her on the edge of the bunk. "Wanna hear a crazy story?" he asked, putting an arm around her. She smiled. Her eyes were so honest. "Yes," she said, leaning into him and putting her own arms around him. "Centuries ago, a group of Jedi decided to leave the Order. It was shortly after the Council decided that Jedi should no longer have family attachments. Well, these Jedi didn't like that idea, so they took their families and struck out for the Outer Rim. They eventually came to a remote, sandswept planet called Tatooine. They befriended the local miners and moisture farmers and set up small towns called 'Mos's. Each family decided to take a new name to symbolize their break with the Jedi Order. Eventually, they named themselves after to Force skills that ran in their family. The Darklighter family could accelerate particles and cause themselves to glow. The Stonewallers were skilled at Force Shielding. The Sandskimmers could run and leap at fantastic speed. The Skywalkers and Cloudrunners were adept at levitation. The Fardreamers were precognicient. Thus, each family honored both their heritage and their new beginning." "That's beautiful," she said softly. Who told you that story?" "My grandmother. Very few people remember it anymore. The families married with the other people on the planet, and slowly our force skills dwindled. The Skywalkers died out, as far as I know, and when the Emperor purged the Jedi, all the records were lost." "I'm sorry." She held him closer He shrugged. "What's done is done. You don't have to apologize." He smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss her. Her lips met his, and for long minutes, they were lost in time. Slowly, her drew her closer, both in body and in the Force. <> he said in her mind. <> Ch. 11: Beginning of the End Hiss and Req walked down the corridor. "Think she'll be up yet?" Req asked. "She usually is by now." Hiss smiled and looked at the bottle of Whyren's Reserve he'd bought. They'd decided to try and bring their friends out of depression, since Haman hadn't been sleeping well and Rob now had a lot to face up to. Req knocked on her door. "Yo, Haman!" No answer. He knocked again. "Hey, you awake?" Still no answer. On an impulse, he tried the door. It swung open, revealing an empty room. For a moment, both of them tried to process what it meant. Then they snapped around and stared at each other. "No way," they said together. A pounding on the door woke Rob. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was, or even who he was. Then, he felt Haman's warm body next to his, and he smiled. Her angelic face seemed like the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. Then the pounding resumed. "Hey, Rob! We know you're in there! Open up!" The pounding woke Haman this time. She looked insufferably cute as a confused expression crossed her face. "We've got company." <> She grinned. "You answer it." <> "You look better than I do." <> "From a certain point of view." He laughed and sat up after giving her a final kiss. Throwing on some clothes, he made sure Haman was out of sight before opening the door. "Morning, guys-" "Took you long enough!" Req said. "Uh, well, I was asleep-" "All right, where is she?" "Huh? Who?" "Where's Haman?" asked Hiss. "Well-" "I'm right here, Cenrif," she said. She'd thrown on a mix of Rob's clothes and her own and now stood beside him. Rob couldn't help a chuckle as Req's jaw hit the deck and Hiss' eyeballs threatened to burst out of his skull. "You? Her? Together? Now?" Req's brain seemed to be running on half power. <> <> She pulled him against her for a long kiss. "Uh, here." Hiss said, shoving the Reserve into Rob's hand. "For the celebration." Then he gabbed Req and the two took off. "Well. Whyren's Reserve." <> <> Rob couldn't stop the smile, nor did he want to. He and Haman had connected on more levels than most humans could deem possible. Grabbing a pair of glasses, he uncorked the bottle. "Here you go," he said, filling her glass. "What do you want to toast to?" "Oh, I don't know." <> <> "To the legacy of Tatooine. May it never leave the galaxy, invisible though it is." He nodded, his expression somber. "I like that." They touched their glasses, then each took a sip. <> <> They each drank deeply, draining their glasses...only to spit it out as the alarms stated blaring their heads off! "All combat personnel, to Briefing Room Two. All combat personnel, to Briefing Room Two." "This can't be good!" she cried out. "Come on, let's go!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her down the corridor. The pair of them drew more than a few eyes as they rushed into the briefing room and sat down next to Hiss and Req. Hiss glanced over at Haman, who smiled sweetly and blew him a kiss. He flushed a deep red and turned back to the projector. "Ladies and Gentlemen," Colonel Ipord suddenly started. Everyone shut up. "I'll put it bluntly. Hades Installation is now in its final hours." CH. 12: The Battle of Hades <> Rob wondered. <> Haman replied. "Ten minutes ago, we detected a Rebel battle group dropping out of hyperspace. It consists of several Blockade Runners, a pair of Nebulon-B Frigates, and a Mon Cal Cruiser." The silence was oppressive as everyone digested these words. "We have here, four squadrons of assorted fighters, a Carrack-class cruiser and the base's defenses themselves. We are outnumbered and outgunned, and because of the Rebels' positions in the system, we cannot make a run. We have roughly fifty minutes until they enter firing range. We have only two choices. First, surrender. Second, evacuate all nonessential personnel to planetary orbit and engage the Rebels here." "I should put in," General Seth added, "that we really have no chance. We've sent for reinforcements, but we'll need to hold the Rebels off for nearly an hour before they arrive." "We can't hand this station over!" Rob suddenly said. Ipord gestured for him to continue. "It would be spitting on the graves of the men who sacrificed themselves at Yavin." A lot of murmured agreements. "Very well," Seth said. "A show of hands, all those who wish to fight." Every hand went up. Seth clapped his hands together. "Emperor bless you all! All right then. You have thirty minutes to prepare yourselves, grab a quick bite, or record a message for your loved ones. Good luck. Dismissed!" Twenty-five minutes later, Skull Squadron was assembled in the hangar, preparing for what could well be their last mission. Rob had brought the Reserve, and everyone was taking a swig. "For our victory," Hiss intoned. "For a last chance at glory, before we die," Req said. "For the safety of those we protect," Haman whispered. "Mind if I join you?" came a voice. Rob turned to see Colonel Ipord, wearing a flight suit, the helmet under one arm. "Sir! I didn't know you were a pilot." "Yes, I am. Skull Squadron is one short, so I thought maybe-" "Absolutely, sir!" Rob grabbed the bottle and offered it to him. Ipord took it wordlessly and drained it, then chucked the empty bottle out into space. "All right Skulls, hands in." Everyone in the squadron put their own hands atop Rob's. "We might be might be outnumbered and outgunned, but we're not outmatched. We are the best there is in the whole Empire. We can and will hold them off until reinforcements arrive. Everyone got that?" All of them nodded. "All right, to your fighters, and good luck!" The whole squadron split up, but Rob held Haman for a moment. "Good luck, Haman," he said softly. "And may the Force be with you." "May it be with all of us. We need it." She tilted her head up, inviting a kiss. He kissed her fiercely, then broke off and ran to his fighter. "She prepped?" "Topped off and ready for a fight, sir. Good luck!" Rob dropped into the cockpit. "Skull lead here, everyone report status." "Skull Two, a bit rusty, but ready for flight," Ipord's voice came. "Skull Five, standing by," Hiss said. "Skull Six, ready to rock," Haman said. "Skull Nine, I'm ready," Req reported. Once all of Skull squad was ready, Rob grinned. "Let's go!" Aboard the Mon Calamari cruiser Stalker, Admiral Schonour rubbed his chin barbels. "So, they're willing to put up a fight after all." "You didn't honestly expect them to surrender, did you?" asked his XO. "No. Launch our fighters. Inform the Lightslash and Beacon to do the same." He steepled his fingers. "This is going to be interesting." "How so sir? We've got enough firepower to blow them back to Coruscant." "Don't forget, these are ace pilots. Furthermore, they're fighting for their very existence. It's the kind of motivation that's helped the Rebellion get along so far." Skull squadron, along with their fellow pilots of Hades, screamed out to meet the Rebels. All up and down the attack line, green and red bolts of energy began to fly back and forth. Rob took a snap shot at an A-wing, destroying it. They might be fast, but they're fragile. A couple seconds later, he outguessed an X-wing by breaking right just as it did and destroying it. In his previous battles, he'd only touched the Force on occasion. Now he relaxed into it, feeling it calm him. Ipord fired, his shots ripping through a Y-wing. "This is Req, I got one on my tail! Can't shake it!" "Hang on Req." As Rob brought his fighter around, Hades and the Redeemer suddenly started spouting sheets of green and blue fire at the oncoming fleet. Rob and Ipord flew through the melee, searching for their comrade. Rob spotted the X-wing tailing Req and launched a torp at it. Too late, as the X-wing's final laser bursts tore through Req's fighter. Req...I'm sorry. That was the third down for the Skulls. Fang had already lost four, but their crazy bombers, no two alike, had brought down one Corvette and were now pounding a second. As the battle continued, more fighters on both sides began to drop. "Rob! Break left!" A split second before Ipord said the words, Rob realized his danger and broke. Ipord tore the X-wing apart. "I'm glad you're flying with us, Colonel." "Same here! Feels good to stretch the muscles!" Haman and Hiss formed up with them, making an impressive wall of firepower. Three X-wings and a Y-wing fell before them. "This is the Redeemer! We need support now! The Nebulons and another corvette have us boxed in! Our shields won't last much longer!" "Let's get 'em!" Haman said, and Rob heard the excitement in her tone. Easy, Haman. The four hit their thrusters and went to save the Redeemer. The Carrack was indeed trapped and the three Rebels capships were nearly through the shields. The Fangs were attacking one of the Nebulons, but the other was still pounding away. "Rob, do you see that Frigate?" Haman asked. "Yeah." "If we hit it hard enough just aft of the spar, it'll detonate." Rob checked his torps. "Haman, we don't have the strength to cause an explosion like that." "Yes we do." Haman suddenly accelerated. "Haman, you can't be serious-Haman!" Rob yelled as he realized her plan. "Haman, stop!" <> <> he pleaded. <> <> Haman's fighter plowed into the Nebulon and self-destructed, triggering a massive detonation in the stern section. Flames ran up the spar, eagerly consuming air and crewmembers. Finally, explosions in the forward section signaled the death of the Nebulon-B. Haman! "Haman! Haman! Haman, NOOOO!" The sudden emotion hit Rob like a tidal wave and erupted from him in a wordless howl of rage. The anger of Haman's sudden end built upon that from Req's death and that of Commander Delth. Rob had never been this enraged in his life. But at the same time, something felt wrong with the anger, just wrong. He knew what it was. It was the Dark Side. He did not care. Finale: The Last Blitz of Hades Rob was...angry. He'd just realized his love with Haman...and now she was gone! It wasn't fair! It's not fair! With a shuddering breath, he growled. "Rob!" Hiss said. "Rob, there's nothing we can do. She's gone." "They killed her," Rob said, the anger slowly filtering into his voice. "I'm sorry, Cloudrunner, but we can't help-" Rob cut off the Colonel. "They KILLED her. She's DEAD. I'll...I'll kill them." "What?" Ipord seemed at a loss for words. "I'll kill them. I'L KILL THEM! I'LL KILL THEM ALL! THEY'RE ALL WALKING DEAD MEN!" Suddenly, Rob lost it. With a berserker's scream, he hit his engines and tore into the battle. "DIE!" he yelled as his lasers blew an X-wing apart. "DIE! DIE! JUST DIE!" His lasers found one opponent after another, murdering Rebels who had no chance against his dark power. They quickly realized the danger they were in, and torpedoes flew at him. "Rob, watch out!" Ipord said. No less than three torpedoes slammed into Rob's fighter and exploded. Hiss and Ipord stared at the explosion, expecting the worst...and then Rob flew out! A frightening crimson shield surrounded his X1. "What in the Sith is that?" Ipord said, utterly stunned. "Lasers, torpedoes, Ion cannon, throw everything you want at me," Rob said over an open channel. "You can't hurt me!" Even as he spoke, his lasers destroyed another X-wing. It was the start of a truly frightening battle. The Rebel pilots threw everything they had at Rob, who laughed and continued killing. They even tried ramping up and slamming themselves into his unbreakable shield. The Stalker itself opened fire on the X-1, to no avail. "Now I'll cut you off at the source," he said. With an insane laugh, he flew towards the Cruiser. <> A voice screamed in his head. <> <> The battle around Rob seemed to slow, then stop. <> <> In his mind's eye, he saw her worried face. <> <> Tears ran down his face. <> <> <> <> He felt her presence leave him. He smiled, and it was the goofy Robert smile of old. "You're right Haman. I'll fight to defend. I'll fight for my friends. For the safety of those aboard Hades." The X-wings began to move again, slowly. "And for you. Haman." He looked out at the battle. "I'll fight for you. HAMAN!" The battle resumed, and once again, the Rebels were handed a shock. The bloody light from Rob's fighter was replaced by one of sky blue. The fighter also changed its tactics. Now, it only attacked the pilots who dropped in behind other TIEs. Finally, Rob realized he had to end the battle, before more of his friends died. He changed course, and once again zipped in towards the Cruiser, which was now pounding Hades Installation mercilessly. "Haman. This is for you. I'm not fighting for Hades. Not for Intelligence. Not even for the Empire. Haman, I'm striking the final blow in your name only. YYYEEEAAAHHHHH!!!" The fighter accelerated at a rate no other could match. It hit the Stalker head-on, blowing through from bow to stern in less than a second. Aboard the bridge, Admiral Schonour couldn't believe what had just happened. "Our reactor's been compromised! We'll go critical in less than ten seconds!" someone yelled. Schonour didn't hear him. He could only stare out the front viewport as his ship began to rumble. "I don't understand," he said softly. "How could a single fighter do...this?" Those were his last words as the flames reached out to claim him. The mighty Stalker blew apart in a brilliant explosion, and the remaining Imperials sent up a cheer, and attacked the remaining enemy forces. Without the Stalker, the Beacon, and two of their three Corvettes, the Rebels knew they had to run. Even as they formed up to do so, five massive Star Destroyers dropped out of hyperspace. The reinforcements had arrived! "Rob! Rob! Can you hear me!" Hiss said, straining his vocal cords. After erupting out the stern of the cruiser, Rob's fighter had slowed and continued on its course silently. "Rob!" "Hey," came his friend's voice. It was weak. "Rob, I'm bringing you in." Even as he spoke, Hiss' tractor latched onto Rob's fighter and began pulling him back home. "Looks like the reinforcements saved the day...huh?" "No Rob. If you hadn't done what you did, the Stalker would've finished Hades before they got here. It's all because of you!" "Good to hear." He's dying, Hiss thought. Hiss gently set Rob's fighter onto the deck, landed, tore off his helmet, jumped out, and dashed over to Rob. Throwing open the hatch, he pulled Rob out and onto the deck. "Hiss..." "No, Rob, don't talk." "Cenrif. Help me get this helmet off." Hiss gently removed Rob's helmet revealing his friend's frighteningly pale complexion and wan smile. "Thanks, buddy. Hiss...I'm going to die here." "No, Rob," he said, cradling his commander's head in his palm. "No you're not." "Quiet. Hiss, I used too much energy out there. My body..." he coughed thickly, "my body just couldn't take the strain I put it through. Hiss, make me a promise." "Anything." "Shoot straight. Fly true. And never, ever, doubt yourself." "I promise." "Hiss..." Rob's voice was even softer now, fading. "Hiss, never forget us. Me, Haman, Req, Delth. Promise me you'll remember." "Rob, I could never forget you. Even if I tried." "Hi-Cenrif, there's one last thing." Rob raised his head, and Hiss put his ear to Rob's lips. "Cenrif...the Force will be with you. Always." Hiss' eyes widened in shock. Then, Rob breathed one last time, and died. Hiss closed his eyes as they began to fill with tears. Rob. I'm sorry we couldn't have worked together in better times. You were courageous, honest, and friendly. You had all the traits you saw in Commander Delth. I'm sorry to see you go. Gradually, Hiss became aware of a lightening in his arms. Opening his eyes, he saw Rob's body fading. What the?! Rob's body was literally fading away to nothing, just like-Hiss' eyes opened as wide as they could. Now it all makes sense! His seven kills, the intuitive way he flew, and that shield! Was Rob some of Jedi? Hiss stood, holding Rob's flight suit in one hand. Rob, I will remember you. And I will never give up. Not as long as I have strength in my body. I'll fight for you, for Haman, for Req, and for the Commander! Always! Many years later, Hiss prepared for launch. The fleet had moved to trap the Rebels between its own ships and the mighty Death Star-the Empire was building its own. Now, Hiss launched into the fray. I wish Ipord was here, he thought. His wingman had perished a month earlier in a skirmish. As the fighter fleet moved forward, comm reports flooded the airwaves. One transport broke off from the Rebel fleet and headed towards the Star Destroyer Righteous. Hiss scanned it and realized that it was full of explosives. There's no way they can stop it in time. He smiled for the first time in years as he realized what he had to do. "Well, I hate to take after Haman's lead, but here I go!" He hit his thrusters, accelerating to slam into the transport's engines. "LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!" His fighter set off the reactor and the entire transport went up. He'd saved the Righteous. END