Imperial Entanglements

[Sanis Prent]

The color drained from my face a bit as what followed me home finally punched into realspace.

"Shit."

Dominating the space ahead was a shape nobody in the galaxy could mistake: an Imperial Star Destroyer.

"Rogue Thirteen to Valiant Actual, enemy contact. I'd give coordinates, but just look out any window."

My left hand nervously drummed along the pilot console as I kept the throttle wide open, eventually slinging us about 180 degrees, heading toward the massive capital ship.

"Cirr, double front deflectors. Put everything and the galley sink into my sublights."

At this, MARCUS sprang to life.

"Sanis, I highly recommend changing your course of action. We have no hope of survival against a star destroyer in a frontal assault."

I yanked the droid module off my console.

"Don't you have something nice to say you fatalistic tin can?"

I chucked the MARCUS module over my shoulder, hearing it clatter on the floor behind me. He was right though, I felt a burning hole in my stomach as we thundered ahead towards a problem I didn't know my way out of.

[Lowrook]

The space in front of the Berserker went from the blackness of space to the stark whiteness of Imperial Death. An Imperial Class Star Destroyer had found them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, the Berserker was right on plane with the bridge tower. Thinking quickly, Captain Brandt acted. He knew that there was a few seconds between arrival in real space and activating shields.

“FIRE!!!”

The Berserker and accompanying fighters quickly fired on the command bridge. Streaks of Turbolaser Fire and a dozen torpedoes shot out, instantly covering the distance between them and the bridge.

“Come on… come on…” muttered Brandt. This first attack was crucial. If the barrage was quick enough, it would damage their bridge and possibly their sensors. While they would recover, it would take time to get the auxiliary bridge up and running and transfer commands. Time that the Jedi could use to get away. If the CO was quicker, then the shields would be up and their first barrage would just slam into the shields. While it would deplete some of the energy in them, it would become a slugging match and that was something the Imperials would win. It would be the equivalent of a Rancor in a pen with 5 Gamoreans.

“Madclaw Flight, this is Berserker, set course for their communcations array. If we can’t destroy them, then maybe we can make them mute so backup doesn’t arrive.”

“Copy that Berserker. We’re on it.”

The grimness in pilot’s voice was mirrored on Brandt’s face. Three fighters against an ISD and there fighters which were sure to launch was a suicide mission. But if they could destroy their communications, then the Wheel could jump out without the ISD reporting their position to waiting Imperial forces.

The missiles got closer.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

"Cirr, double front deflectors. Put everything and the galley sink into my sublights."

Cirr, mouth agape at the comm box, could only manage to do what was asked, allocating power to prepare for...what? Getting pulverized?

"He's jinsane!"

Worry twisted Cirr's features as he worked in cramped quarters, with Akrabbim, the crazy illusionist wizard, standing beside him.

With barely enough time to slip out of his jacket and blood-soaked shirt, Cirr slapped a rudimentary bandage around his chest before they pulled out of hyperspace. He wore that, and a sleeveless shirt draped over that which was already starting to moisten with perspiration as Cirr hunched over a console to crunch the power requirements.

"No prroblem. Just attackjing a Starr Destrroyerr. Bjiggest thjing we've everr seen. No prressurre..."

His ears hung low at the thought.

Layla thundered ahead, ducking low where Berserker pressed high, and ran the gauntlet along the massive ventral hull of Decimator as anti-starfighter batteries here and there opened fire. To Sanis's credit, he was able to shake and bake past a lot of the point defense, at last rocketing toward an emerging vanguard squadron of TIE Interceptors that were probably more intent on clearing their moorings than immediately expecting to dodge a furious quad laser hit and run.