“Even at full speed, it will require two hours for our ships to engage each other. Our snubs won’t be traveling at full speed, and our Star Destroyers will be pulling back. It will appear to the Eviscerator that we’re running from it or, at the very least, are reluctant to engage it. When the Eviscerator moves into position within the system to engage us, our ships will go to light speed. The Star Destroyers will head for Ord Mirit while the fighters will head for Borleias. The Eviscerator will be unable to follow our Destroyers immediately because of its position in the system and the presence of planets that act as natural Interdictor cruisers.”
Ackbar’s eyes half shut. “Then the Eviscerator goes to Borleias.”
“Without her fighters?” Salm shook his head. “The TIEs cannot enter hyperspace by themselves the way our fighters can. They will have to be recovered and that will take time. Borleias can take care of itself, and the feint at the Venjagga system will be obviously intended to keep the Eviscerator away from Ord Mirit.”
The Admiral gave Salm a wall-eyed stare. “Why would the captain of the Eviscerator believe there was anything of value at Ord Mirit?”
Wedge smiled. “We were thinking that there are some Bothan slicers who seriously want to redeem themselves. We want them to plant information in the Imperial networks that suggest a newly discovered, previously secret facility on Ord Mirit may possess the key to finding the Katana fleet.”
He felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw the effect of his words on Ackbar. The Katana fleet had once been real enough, but back before even the Clone Wars it had passed into legend. Over a hundred ships that were slave-circuited together, the fleet had jumped into hyperspace and had never been seen again. With the Empire crumbling, possession of that fleet would make its owner the power in the galaxy. If the Alliance found it, the New Republic would become invincible. If an Imperial officer found it, a new Emperor would be born.
“No sane officer could truly believe the Katana fleet could be found.” Ackbar’s mouth gaped open in a grin. “But no sane officer could refuse to take the chance that it could be found. The Eviscerator would have to go to Ord Mirit and Ord Mirit is, what, twelve hours at flank speed to Borleias?”
“Add the four from Venjagga to Ord Mirit and we have sixteen hours at the very least to take Borleias.” Wedge nodded solemnly. “The beginning of the raid on Borleias will be very simple. Rogue Squadron goes in and blows the conduit. Going in and coming out we expect to attract a lot of attention because while we’re fighting, Lieutenant Page and his commandos, as well as a number of similar units, are going to use the conduit to get into the Borleias base and disable it. They’ll also hit the Biotic station’s spaceport. If they do it right, the TIE pilots sent up to engage us won’t know there’s been a change in ownership until they come home. Once the commandos are down and in, my people head out home.”
“The arrival of my Defender Wing and the other fighters from Venjagga will provide the Borleias base with enough of a distraction that Page’s people can take things down in short order, without having to damage anything we’ll need to use to defend the base.”
Ackbar’s barbels twitched. “Security will need to be very tight for this return to Blackmoon.”
“Yes, sir, but we have some advantages here. Derricote won’t think we’ll be coming back because the moon is in position to block our escape route. We are preparing a simulator package that hides the identity of our target. The run across the lunar surface will be disguised as a run through an asteroid belt, leading our people to believe we’re moving against a ringed planet.” Wedge smiled. “This time our pilots will not know where they’re going, but they won’t be in the dark about that they will face when they get there.”
The Mon Calamari nodded. “You will have to hide your location from your XO.”
“I know, so does he. He’s not part of the operation, so he accepts not knowing.”
The Mon Calamari stood slowly. “I think this plan is a good one, and can be made better. I do have one concern, however. It concerns your Rogue Squadron, Commander Antilles, and the commandos.”
“Sir?”
“If the operations are launched simultaneously—and I must assume they will be so an alarm raised by the Eviscerator will not put Borleias in a heightened state of alert in time to disrupt your effort—there will be at least four hours before we have more forces arriving at Borleias. Flight suit life support lasts for three hours. Anyone left behind will die.”
“I know that, sir.”
“Do your people know that?”
Wedge shook his head. “They will before they go. I’ve got six operational ships. This will be a volunteer mission.”
“And a very bold one.” Admiral Ackbar nodded solemnly. “Let us go over it again and guarantee the gain will be worth the likely cost. Right now I believe I could sell it to the Provisional Council, but some modifications will make this a certainty. And if things go well, the way to Coruscant will finally lie open to us.”
29
Corran half hid his face behind his left hand, daring only to stare that the floating hologram of the mythical world of Phenaru Prime with his left eye. Aside from the addition of an asteroid ring, an ocean where the southern continent was, and some adjustments to the coastlines, it looked exactly like Borleias. The computer-projected world slowly spun above the cylinder in the well of the pilots’ briefing room. It looked calm and almost peaceful, especially without the air-current overlays Whistler used to project onto it.
As peaceful as it looks, it’s not where I want to die.
Wedge continued his briefing. “Our objective is a ferrocrete pipe roughly four meters in diameter and forty meters long. It’s reinforced and has suspension cables helping to support the weight. A single proton torpedo should be able to destroy it, but we’re not sure how well it’s going to show up on the targeting computers. If we get a lock, it’s likely to be at point-blank range.”
Nawara Ven stroked the tip of one of his brain tails. “Run up this rift valley and hit something the third of the size of an X-wing, without the benefit of a targeting computer? That’s impossible.”
Gavin shook his head. “That’s nothing. Back home in Beggar’s Canyon …”
The youth’s voice trailed off as Wedge raised an eyebrow in his direction. “I don’t think any pilot from Tatooine ever found a mission tough, especially when it involves racing through a canyon.”
“Well, the target’s not really that small, sir.”
Corran laughed. “It is the size of a reclining Hutt, give or take a couple of meters. The conduit can probably move faster, too.”
Even Wedge laughed at the comment, but Corran knew it wasn’t because of the weak humor in his statement. Everyone in the room, the nine surviving pilots from Rogue Squadron and Tycho Celchu, knew the mission being presented to them was difficult. Their laughter came from the nervous tension of staring death in the face and knowing death was likely to win this one.
“The real sticking point on this mission, people, is time-over-target. We’ll be coming in and using a meteor shower as cover for our insertion to the atmosphere. This means we’ll have to maneuver through the asteroids to get into Phenaru and get out again. We also have a long run up to light speed so we can make the jump out of the gravity well. All this means we’ve got a half hour over the target. If we burn too much time and fuel fighting, we don’t get out.”
Bror Jace scratched at the pale stubble on his chin. “That’s cutting it rather fine, isn’t it? The valley run should take a third of that. If only six of us are going in, that’s one pass per flight element.”
“He’s right, Commander.” Rhysati frowned. “Can’t we get auxiliary fuel pods for our T-65s?”
Wedge glanced over to where Emtrey stood. “Last check of our inventory didn’t show we had any and a check of the Alliance requisition system shows a backlog of requests. That’s what you said, wasn’t it, Emtrey?”
“Yes, sir.” The droid raised a ha
nd and tilted his head to the side. “However, sir, we now have some.”
“What?” Wedge frowned. “I thought you characterized requisitioning them as an exercise in futility.”
“I did, sir.” The droid shrugged in a most un-mechanical manner by bobbing his head up and down on his neck. “I saw we needed them, so I scrounged ’em.”
“Scrounge?”
“They cost a couple suits of the stormtrooper armor we had left over from Talasea, the cold weather gear we are not using here on Noquivzor, and some spare parts for which we have little use.”
The squadron’s commander stared at the droid for a moment. “How many did you get?”
“A half dozen.”
Wedge shook his head. “All that only got you six auxiliary fuel pods?”
“Sir, when scrounging merchandise you can get it fast, in good condition, or cheap: pick two.” The droid’s clamshell head righted itself again. “They’re here and Zraii is ready to fit them on ships. He’s fitting them with a quick release so you can jettison them when they’re empty. It’ll kill the drag when you’re fighting the squints. These pods give you half again the time-over-target.”
Forty-five minutes sounded like forever, and in some ways it was. In atmosphere the engines gobbled a lot more fuel than they did in space because of the friction and drag. X-wings were a better fighter in atmosphere than TIEs, but the two squadrons on the ground outnumbered the Rogues four to one. Long odds and we ran through the last of our luck on the previous visit to Blackmoon.
Rhysati raised a hand. “Any defenses in the rift valley?”
Wedge shook his head. “None that we know of, but it’s possible there are some. Whoever goes in first has got to be careful. First run probably won’t nail the prize.”
“I can believe that.” Corran scratched at the back of his neck. “Are Page’s folks coming down while we make our runs?”
“If they were, Lieutenant, the answer to that question would be classified.” Wedge hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “It’s a logical assumption to make, though. Regardless, any of us who gets left behind will be in severe straits—out of fuel and out of luck long before the assault for which we’re doing the prep work will hit.”
Bror Jace slowly nodded. “This is a suicide mission.”
“No, I want it to be anything but a suicide mission. The facts do point to this being very dangerous.” Wedge folded his hands together. “We’ve got six ships and eight pilots. I’m sorry, Ooryl, but without a proper prosthetic fit, I can’t consider you healthy enough for this mission.”
Corran’s wingmate sagged a bit in his seat. The Emdee droids had fitted him with a odd device that capped his stub with what looked—and smelled—like a boiling pot of bacta. Below it a rudimentary prosthetic arm ended in a pair of pincers that snapped open and closed. “Qrygg offers apologies for Qrygg’s failure.”
“Your feelings are understood, Ooryl.” Wedge folded his arms across his chest. “Three of you are fit to fly but you don’t have a ship. We do have Lujayne’s X-wing ready to go. If all of you volunteer for this mission, I’ll choose one of you at random to fly that ship. If anyone else opts out, you’re up. Do you all want to go?”
All three of the pilots nodded.
“Emtrey, randomize a choice here.”
The droid hummed for a moment. “Nawara Ven.”
Shiel growled and Erisi shrugged in Rhysati’s direction.
Wedge smiled. “Welcome aboard, Mr. Ven. You’ll fly with Mr. Jace, assuming he volunteers.”
The Thyferran shot a quick glance at Erisi, then nodded. “It shall be my pleasure to bring glory to the Thyferran people as their representative on this mission.”
“Mr. Darklighter, this isn’t Beggar’s Canyon …”
“I know, sir. It’s bigger and this won’t be for fun.” Gavin smiled slowly. “I’m in.”
Wedge looked over at Rhysati. “And you, Ms. Ynr.”
“Someone has to break up the boys’ club.”
Wedge turned to Corran. “Need I ask?”
“You want to know if I’m willing to fly to an enemy-held planet where I’m to race through some eroded ditch and pop a sewer pipe with a proton torpedo while Interceptors are swarming around, and do all this with no hope of rescue if I slip up?”
Wedge’s reply came cold and calm. “That’s what I want to know.”
Corran’s mouth soured and his stomach tightened. Despite Gavin’s protest, Nawara Ven had been correct—the mission was impossible. Performing any one of the feats mentioned might have been possible, but doing them all would push every pilot to his or her limit. Failure by some was inevitable—only who and how many were in question.
They all knew that. They knew it as well as he did, yet each one of them had volunteered without a second thought. The mission needed doing, and they were going to do it. It wasn’t a question of survival, but a question of how best to make certain the mission succeeded. Each of them decided they were up to the task and now it was up to him to come to the same conclusion.
“Overwhelming odds, tough target, scant chance of survival—business as usual for Rogue Squadron.” Corran nodded. “I’ll go on one condition.”
“Go or stay, Mr. Horn, no special deals.”
“Then think of this as a tactical consideration.” Corran sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m first into the valley.”
Wedge shook his head. “That position’s already filled.”
“You need a wingman, Commander.” Corran jerked a thumb at the other pilots. “They’ve had practice using someone else’s telemetry to make a run, I haven’t. We’ll make the first run together.”
Wedge looked away for a moment, then back at Corran. “Glad to have you with us, Mr. Horn. Shiel, Ms. Dlarit, you’ll work with Captain Celchu and provide opposition for us while we do the simulator runs on the operation. You’ll have to do your best to kill us before we go. If you can’t, maybe, just maybe, we’ll be able to come back and thank you for your hard work.”
30
Corran leaned against the body of the simulator and gave Wedge a weak smile. “We got it that time, boss, but only just barely.”
“That last cut is very sharp. Banking is the only way to make it, but leveling out for the torpedo shot is tough.”
The junior officer nodded. The one time he had tried to make the last turn to the target by applying rudder and skidding around the turn, his X-wing slammed into a canyon wall. Making that turn and escaping a crash required very fine manipulation of the throttle. He could do that, but by the time he had negotiated the turn and recovered, he was past his target.
“I like the idea of popping up over the last turn and gliding on down in, but that might attract some of the TIEs the bacta boy is lighting up.”
“I agree that going up and out of the valley to avoid that last turn is probably the most simple way of handling the problem, but we go in first to provide the data for others to make their runs. Mr. Jace and Mr. Ven will decide if they want to hop past the last turn or go through the valley.”
Bror Jace came out from around the corner of Corran’s simulator with his wingman. “Valley, I think, unless our fuel estimates are lower than expected because of dogfighting.”
Corran winked at him. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep them off you while you squirm your way into the tunnel.”
“I’ll do the job.”
The Twi’lek laid a hand on Bror’s shoulder. “We’ll do the job.”
Wedge smiled. “Only because our near misses will weaken the structure for you.”
“Of course, Commander.” Bror looked at Corran. “Even clean misses must ionize the air and do some harm.”
The Corellian Lieutenant levered himself away from the simulator. “Last I looked, I’ve hit more targets than you.”
Gavin and Rhysati joined the group. “If not for me not holding my end up, Corran would be winning your contest, Bror.”
The Thyferran waved that comment away.
“Corran has one more kill than I do. If this simulation is at all accurate, I will eclipse his mark by three kills.”
“So it’s just you and me, head-to-head?”
Bror looked down at Corran. “Just you and me. Head-to-head. As it has always been.”
Wedge stepped between them. “At ease, gentlemen. Let me remind you of two things. First, Gavin’s got the best record for hitting the tunnel, which means the second flight didn’t do so well. Second, that tunnel is our target, not all the eyeballs and squints flying around.”
He rested a hand on each man’s shoulder. “I’ve not discouraged this contest because there’s no way to stop you from keeping score. It’s given you a competitive edge which is good—neither of you has allowed the other to become complacent or bored. A bored pilot gets overconfident, careless, and, rather quickly, dead. And, in spite of planning and promoting this difficult mission, I don’t want to see any of us die.”
Wedge took a step back and folded his arms. For the barest of moments he looked far older than his twenty-seven years. Corran saw the weariness as Death’s fingerprints. Death’s never gotten Wedge, but it’s been close enough to leave marks on him. There’s undoubtedly a nightmare for every pilot Rogue Squadron has lost, and I bet he runs through them far more regularly than he’d like.
The squadron commander forced a smile onto his face. “Back when I first welcomed you to this squadron I told you that most pilots die during their first five missions. We were very lucky in our first three, but it all caught up with us on the run at Blackmoon. Looking at the numbers there is no reason to assume it will go any better for us this time.”
Corran nodded and fought the shiver coursing up his spine. In the first run they had eleven ships to take against Blackmoon’s fighters. They engaged two squadrons then and would likely face that much opposition this time. While the best pilots in Rogue Squadron were going in on the mission, fuel considerations limited their ability to perform.