Pandora's Box Part 2
by Raven, Foxfire, and Storm
Written and originally posted in 1995
A small forward from the Loremaster:
This is the "modified" version of this story. Raven graciously provided his copies, and similarly was a good sport regarding my wish to make some small edits. Some of these edits were just to correct syntax errors, but a few of the edits were to ensure that this and other Gold stories would fit within our group's "canon", and therefore be able to exist as our "history" within our "reality", rather than being relegated to the "Legends" section of older tales that contain too many lore-breaking items that the stories would be completely different from their intended purposes if we made the changes required.
This is not to say the original writers were bad, as they weren't! It's just that many of these stories were written in serialized form on the old CompuServe forums, which can lead to some interesting contradictions or jarring transitions. Also, being written BEFORE the prequels were even discussed can lead to some interesting contradictions as the original writers did their best to predict what some nebulous mentions were in the history, to sometimes very humorous situations. I don't think anybody knew what the clone wars were, really, until the prequels explained them, but the writers of these stories did their best to make sense of it all.
Such a Legends page WILL be created to house the aforementioned tales AS WELL AS the completely unedited version of this (and other tales that were slightly modified to fit). A proto-version of this page can be found HERE (https://renegadewing.com/lounge/legends.html) and you may enjoy those and other stories that exist as, "fiction" shall we say, in our "real" version of the Star Wars universe. Imagine as if you are sitting in your favorite reading nook and reading some fiction during downtime between CAP shifts to decompress as you read the stories posted on the Legends page.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy this story!
Bearcat, Renegade Wing Lore Master since 2020
[Last week we saw the ominous gathering and preparation of the might of Alpha Wing. How can our small band of Rebels hope to survive this horrific onslaught of the Empire's men and machines? (Hint: they all have long term contracts). Things look bleak for our heroes as the forces of the Imperium attack!]
On board the Alliance Corvette Slipstream, alarm klaxons were sounding. Gold Squadron's Executive Officer, Wraith Jackson, sat in the Captain's chair listening to the reports coming in from the duty stations.
"Navigation reports two Imperial Star Destroyers entering the system."
"Greyhound reports they're picking up a number of TIE fighters, could be a reconnaissance patrol."
"Another Destroyer, Victory-class, moving just outside the system."
"Two Imp frigates entering the system."
Wraith knew he had to move fast and began to issue orders. "Turn off the beacon at the facility. Flash the Greyhound, she's to launch everything she's got! We have to pull back before we're cut off. Launch our remaining A-wings."
"Sir, we have TIE fighters on an intercept course, bearing 227, azimuth 30 degrees!"
"K-Shields up!" Wraith punched his comm, "Greyhound, move out-system towards planet 5, all fighters provide cover..."
[On board the Star Destroyer Surtur...]
"Admiral," the Operations officer reported. "Devil's Recon reports an Alliance freighter and a single corvette in system. The corvette is in orbit around planet 4."
"Very well, notify the Valiant and Avenger that their target is planet 4. Navigation, plot an attack course to that corvette. Notify the Slayer as well. Detail a flight of TIES to attack the freighter. Notify all groups that I want prisoners!"
[In the middle of the increasingly chaotic furball in space...]
Storm tried desperately to keep track of the ships buzzing around the Slipstream. "Foxfire!" he called. "You've got two Avengers on your six! Break, break!"
"Missile launcher is jammed," returned Foxfire. "My port engine is fluctuating. Storm, I'm in trouble..."
Storm punched his A-wing for all it was worth. He lined up on one of the enemy fighters on Foxfire's tail. He started pounding on the shielded variation of the TIE Interceptor, dubbed the Avenger. Suddenly his threat indicator flashed to lock and he got two quick missile warnings. His shields were too low to take a dual hit and he was forced to break off his attack and jinx the incoming missiles.
[Onboard a TIE Avenger...]
Michael "Vyper" Stauber saw the A-wing break off and breathed a sigh of relief. He renewed his assault on the Rebel craft in his sights. With Imperial-trained precision, he carefully hulled the Rebel ship without destroying it. The Grand Admiral wanted prisoners, and he literally aimed to please. The ship he was pursuing seemed to be having trouble when it veered to port so he kept pressure up on its starboard side.
[In the smoking A-wing cockpit...]
Foxfire fought her craft desperately. She couldn't maneuver and took another series of hits. Her shields failed and most of the A-wing's controls burned out. The eject light flashed and she held her breath as her seat was blown clear of the A-wing and she was ejected into space. The sight of a massive Imperial-class Star Destroyer bearing down on her did not give her any comfort at all. She took a deep breath, glancing up at the looming ship. "Some people will do anything for a date..."
Another wave of Imperial fighters swept through the zone, cutting off any hope of rescue for Foxfire. "Gold 7 to Gold 3, Storm, did Foxfire eject okay?"
"Roger Gold 3. She got clear, Raven, but we can't get to her. There are Imp fighters everywhere. We have to pull back to support the Slipstream."
On board Raven's A-wing, he heard Rory parting his massive jaws and issuing a deep bass rumble over the comm. "Don't worry, pal," said Raven. "We'll get her back."
[A short time later...]
Having been recovered by an Imperial transport, Foxfire sat and studied the gray walls of her detention cell aboard the ISD. How nice, she thought. This is what it must have been like for Raven during his court-martial. She didn't have time to become bored though. The cell door flew open and she was bound and escorted to the Surtur's operations deck. She found herself standing before a massive seat on a raised dais. The room was in shadow except for two lights, one shining on her, and the other shining on the chair. Seated in the chair was an aged man in a gleaming white uniform of a Grand Admiral of the Empire's dreaded Star Fleet.
Grand Admiral Jonathan Sachs folded his hands and studied Foxfire for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he spoke, "Rebel, I have no patience for histrionics. I will let you become acquainted with Imperial Intelligence if you are anything other than forthright with me. Now, I would like very much for you to tell me what your people have found in this system."
All the while the Admiral had gazed at Foxfire she had been studying him. He was old. Very old. Probably served in the Old Republic navy; maybe even fought in the Clone Wars. From his face and manner she'd guess he already had a very good idea of what was on Pandora 4. And her hunch was that he was as repelled by it as she was. If she could get through to him... Well, she thought, when in doubt try the straight forward approach.
She met his eyes evenly. "It's a Clone Master facility," she said into the silence of the room. "It's powered, and to the best of our knowledge, operational. The automated defenses are formidable and we were unable to destroy it from the ground."
Sachs looked at her thoughtfully. "Destroy it, Rebel? Yes, rather than let it fall into the hands of the Empire, you Rebels would try to do that. It's a shame that you could not have taken this prize for your precious Alliance, is it not? Think of what your Ackbar could do with this one facility. You Rebels would be able to finally gain some numerical equality, even superiority..."
"No!" Foxfire retorted angrily. "It was our intention to destroy this facility all along should it have turned out to be what we suspected. And it turned out to be all we feared and more. What's down there is far more monstrous than even your failed Death Star, Grand Admiral. If it is used, the technology will spread again, no one will be able to stop it. The horror of the Clone Wars will be unleashed again on the galaxy. Entire systems in flames..."
The Admiral went pale with rage, his voice strained as he replied, "Don't tell ME about the CLONE WARS, Rebel! What do you know of that time!" He fell silent, staring off into space. He closed his eyes and shook his head as though trying to shut out some memory from long ago. He looked at Foxfire with anger. "Were you on hand as the Seppie fleet rained death on the Troy system planets from 100 kilometers out?" he yelled. "Did you see the carnage of the Battle of the To'bruk Binary?" Sachs was on his feet now, almost screaming with rage. "And I suppose you studied the aftermath of the siege of Grissig, saw what the droids had been programmed to do to the general populace if their supplies were cut off!"
"Do you want to see it again?" Foxfire asked, her voice going cold. "You will, if that facility isn't destroyed. Every dormant droid facility in the galaxy will go into overdrive if news of this surviving facility spreads. And if this technology were to leak into, say, the Crimson Dawn syndicate ... well, you won't just have the Rebels to worry about..."
The tirade stopped as suddenly as it began, his fists were clenched and the veins in his neck stood out. Foxfire, still meeting the Admirals eyes, saw the effort he made to get himself under control. The Admiral returned to his seat and again studied the captured Alliance pilot carefully, his face completely expressionless.
"So you would destroy this remnant from another age, would you?" he said at last. "I'm afraid you are too late for that, Rebel. The Emperor has ordered that this planet be secured for the glory of the Empire! And secured it shall be."
Foxfire took a deep breath, feeling a little sick at the images his words produced. "Then a lot of people are going to die," she said softly. "Not just my people, either. Even if you manage to destroy the Alliance through this, it won't stop there. Once your Emperor reactivates this 'remnant' as you call it, you will not be able to contain it. There will always be internal enemies within the Empire, "order" to maintain, new territories to conquer. And how better to accomplish this but with ready made armies? Then some psychopath will steal the technology and decide to challenge the Emperor. Oh yes, the Clone Wars will rise again; you won't be able to stop it." She broke off, shaking her head. "Admiral, that facility isn't a weapon like the Death Star. It doesn't take tremendous resources to create, just the magic formula. Destroy it or we may never be rid of it. "
The Grand Admiral sat in silence staring at Foxfire for several minutes. Then he pressed a button on the arm of his chair and an aide appeared. "Summon security. Have this prisoner transferred to the corvette Hunter immediately. She is to be transported to Coruscant for a full debriefing."
Foxfire felt drained as she was led away by two Stormtroopers.
******** Part 10 ********
[In our last exciting episode the beautiful Foxfire was shot out of the sky by the Imperial Black Knight, Vyper, and was taken prisoner by the Empire. Ordered to Coruscant things look dark for our heroine. Even darker for the rest of the Alliance as they were getting the stuffing beat out of them last week, because, if you were paying attention and taking notes you'd know that...]
The Imperial task force attacked the Pandora system in force.
Aboard the Imperial Task Force flag ship the Operations Officer reported. "The Rebel corvette is making a run for it, sir. Our forward batteries fired on it but we were not able to damage it."
"Hold our position here," said the Grand Admiral. "Keep us in sight of Pandora 4. Have the recon teams from the Valiant found anything yet?"
"Not yet sir. They report no discernible power emanations from the surface. The planet is mostly jungle."
"Perhaps I was a bit hasty in sending our prisoner to Coruscant. Signal the Hunter, have them return the Rebel to the Surtur."
A warning alarm sounded. The Admiral turned in his seat to the position board. "Report!" he barked.
"We're picking up several contacts ... the Cerberus reports a Calamarian Star Cruiser outside the system. The Cerberus is engaging the Cruiser. New contacts..." A proximity alarm sounded. Looking out the main view port the Grand Admiral could see two large ships decelerating from hyperspace right on top of the Surtur's and Slayer's position.
The Tactical Ops Officer looked up in surprise. "Sir, two Dreadnoughts have engaged us."
The Admiral watched the two ships that were once the mainstay of the Old Republic Navy slow down as they coasted, decelerating into normal space. "I see them Lieutenant." The massive ships started rotating as the turbo lasers began firing into the Surtur and Slayer. "Return fire, have our fighters be alert, the Rebels will be sure to have a surprise or two up their sleeves. Most impressive, I'd have said their entry maneuver was impossible if I hadn't seen it myself."
[On board the Alliance Dreadnought Fortunate...]
Commander J. P. McDonald watched as the two Star Destroyers turned to engage him and the Dreadnought Lucky Strike. He checked the status board, saw that the Calamari Cruiser Suri'Bachi had tied up the third Destroyer as the Alliance frigate Beowulf moved in to cover the Greyhound. As he watched, the fighters of Gold Squadron popped out of hyperspace at the edge of the Pandora system's gravity shadow and slid into attack position.
[The Imperials seem to be caught by surprise...]
"Vyper to Stiletto! Du hast einen Jaeger hinter dir! Rebel fighters coming in behind us!"
The Black Knights Commanding Officer watched his screens. "Roger, Vyper. Black Knights, break into attack groups. Keep those bloody X-wings off the frigates!"
On board the Raider Sparhawk the sudden arrival of the Alliance forces caused no small concern among the command staff. "Launch all Dark Riders!" the ship commander said.
On the launch deck it was controlled panic as the fighters were readied for launch. Sitting in his TIE Avenger, Crossbow, Dark Rider 15, hurriedly strapped in and ran his preflight. The Deck Officer waved his ship clear and he engaged his repulsors and swung his craft out into the dark sky. "Crossbow to Icewolf, I show Alliance fighters popping up all over." He opened up the throttle of his ship. "I am attacking the nearest formation." Crossbow and his wingman banked and headed into the battle.
The Alliance counter-attack took the Imperial fighter groups by surprise as they found themselves suddenly on the defensive as the X and A-wings of Gold Squadron broke through their formations. Still the Surtur and Slayer should be more than a match for two Dreadnoughts.
The Grand Admiral watched the battle unfolding around him. "Signal the Slayer. Captain Manyard is too close. With Dreadnoughts it is best to keep one's distance."
On board the bridge of the Slayer, the Comms Officer relayed the Admirals suggestion. "Nonsense!" retorted the ship's commander. "We shall destroy this antiquated relic of the Old Republic. See, even now their shields weaken. There! Secondary explosions from her stern. We will crush them!"
[The Rebels continue to push forward against the odds...]
Lieutenant Commander Brian Bink listened to the damage control reports coming into the bridge of the Alliance Dreadnought Lucky Strike. "Sir," the Duty Officer reported. "That VicStar continues to close with us. We have fires in the stern bays and shields are at 30%."
"Acknowledged," replied Bink calmly. He switched on his direct-link to the Fortunate. "Bink here J. P., I am abandoning ship. Standby to recover our transports. Contact Debris and have Gold Wing provide cover from enemy fighters." He pressed the inter-ship comm channel. "Abandon ship, abandon ship! All hands to the transports."
[The Imperials regain their confidence...]
In no time the Lucky Strike had launched her armored transports who made their way towards the Fortunate. "You see! The fools, the cowards! They still have shields and yet they run. They have doomed their ship!" cackled Captain Manyard. "Close and destroy them!"
On board the Surtur, Grand Admiral Sachs watched the screens and viewports. "What is Manyard doing? That Dreadnought still has shields up. Something is wrong!" He walked to a comm station. "Slayer, this is Grand Admiral Sachs, break off your attack at once! Acknowledge!"
The face of the Captain of the Slayer appeared. "Admiral, the Rebels have abandoned ship. Our scanners show that there is no crew aboard. That Dreadnought is dead in space. Our turbo-lasers will make short work of it, rest assured." The Slayer continued to close on the stricken Alliance ship.
[The Rebels seem calm in the face of defeat. Almost too calm...]
On board the Fortunate, Commander McDonald watched the Slayer closing on the inert Lucky Strike. He turned to Lieutenant John "Ash" Bartos, Gold 6, who was leading the special bridge team. "Lieutenant, is your Gamma Team ready?" The Gamma Team specialists were sitting at dual duty stations at each major console on the Fortunate's bridge.
"Yes sir!" Ash replied. "Gamma Team! Stand by for orders!"
McDonald nodded. "Very well, then raise shields on the Lucky Strike to 100%, shut down the smudge pots in the stern bays and turn her 20 degrees to port, azimuth minus 5 degrees. Engines ahead to one-third. All batteries to begin firing, pattern Delta-1, on my mark. Now!."
[The Grand Admiral suspects a trick...]
On the Slayer, Captain Manyard was still arguing with Admiral Sachs when suddenly the abandoned Dreadnought came to life. On the Fortunate, Gamma Team activated the master circuits and took full control of the slave rigged Lucky Strike. Passing beneath the Slayer the Lucky Strike's ion cannons tore through the shields of the massive Imperial warship and her turbo-lasers fired directly into the gaping launch bay. Caught unawares, Manyard tried to swing out of the line of fire. But he played right into the intricate plan developed by McDonald and Gold Leader. Manyard's maneuver brought the Slayer between the Surtur and the Fortunate and now both Dreadnoughts fired on the stricken Star Destroyer. As the shields on the wedged shaped craft failed, the Fortunate fired a salvo after salvo of torpedoes, finishing off the huge Imperial warship.
The Grand Admiral watched in wonder as the Slayer began to break up. "Navigation, break off the attack. Pull us back towards Pandora 4 and have the Valiant and Avenger move in to support our position. Our adversaries are clever and resourceful. But our weight in numbers will carry the day for us.
[While on board the Alliance Dreadnought Fortunate...]
"Sir," the junior Comm Officer said to the commander of the Fortunate. "We intercepted some Imperial traffic as we entered the system. We've decoded it and it appears that an Alliance prisoner is on board a corvette that was moving out of the system. The ISD has just recalled it."
"Very good," replied J. P. "Transmit this information to Commander Empson. He may want to launch a rescue operation."
[Shortly, Gold Leader was having a discussion with Golds 3 and 7...]
"Storm, Raven, it looks like we've located the ship where Foxfire is being held," said Gold Leader. You two are the closest A-wings so I'm having J. P. send you the coordinates, it's a corvette named 'Hunter'. You'll have to stop it from entering hyperspace or rejoining the Impstar. I'll send Debris with some Gold Wings for backup and an armored transports as soon as I can. Good luck."
******** Part 11 ********
[The tree of crime bears bitter fruit. What evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Rory knows, hahahahah! In our last episode those intrepid heroes of the Rebel Alliance were nearly overwhelmed by the attack on the Pandora system by the dreaded Alpha Wing and the Empire's Task Force, commanded by an Imperial Grand Admiral. Luckily, the location of the captured Foxfire has been discovered. Let's join Raven and Storm as they attempt her rescue...]
Having slipped through the Imperial fighter screen, Storm and Raven went in hot pursuit of the corvette, Hunter, that was carrying the captured Foxfire. Traveling at maximum speed they are soon within striking distance of their quarry.
"Gold 3 to Gold 7, we'll need to hull damage that corvette if the plan is to work. As soon as we're in range fire all your missiles and then start in with lasers. You concentrate on the engines, I'll take out the laser turrets. Once they've shut down their engines we'll have to interdict until the reinforcements arrive and the A-Tran can board and deal with the crew."
"Roger Gold 3. I'm getting a lock now, stand by to fire." As Raven got the lock he began firing dual sets of missiles, and kept firing until his rails were empty. He had already switched to linked lasers and set their recharge to maximum as the first of the missiles from his and Storm's ships began to hit the corvette. Avoiding the turbo laser turrets the two A-wings made tight strafing loops pounding the enemy ship with laser fire. Storm quickly took out the gun turrets and then helped Raven disable the engines.
Raven picked up his comm-link. "Gold 7 to Fortunate, we have ID'd and damaged the target corvette. What's the ETA on our backup and that Armored Transport?"
"Gold 7, this is McDonald. Things have heated up back here. You and Storm are on your own at present. We'll try to get you some support but things don't look good. Acknowledge."
"Roger Commander, Gold 7 out."
"Damn," said Storm. "We're hung up out here, mate. It won't be long till that corvette whistles up some help. Any ideas?"
"Just one," replied Raven, smirking as he spied a familiar shuttle moving in. "Keep an eye out for unfriendlies while I initiate a little private boarding action." Raven maneuvered his A-wing to the rear of the disabled corvette and slid under the aft maneuvering thruster assembly. He spied a break in the hull from his and Storm's assault. Gesturing with his free hand, he rolled out of the way and took up a covering position.
The gangway of the shuttle slid down, something that rarely happened in the dark of space except in the rarest of combat recovery situations. However, rather than reeling in a stranded pilot, the furred figure of Rory leapt out of the opening and soared directly into the breach Raven had spotted.
"This is what I suspect you were bred for my friend. Now sic 'em boy," said Raven as he watched his companion disappear into the wrecked portion of the hull. A puff of escaped air later, and all signs of Rory had passed.
[On the bridge of the Imperial corvette...]
On board the Imperial corvette Hunter, the Captain turned to the Communications Officer. "Has the Surtur acknowledged our distress signal yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, sir. With all the fighting going on it's possible that our signal did not reach them. All our long range comm systems are out, but shouldn't take more than half an hour to get them back on-line."
"Navigation, what are those Rebel scum doing out there?" he asked the man seated at the nav-station.
"One A-wing is circling us, sir. I've lost the other one, wait there it is, it was just passing under us." A light began flashing on the board. "We've got thruster damage, a line is open and we're venting reaction mass. The A-wing must have broken off a thruster assembly as it passed us. I'll get engineering on it."
The Captain considered this for a moment. "Why would a rather fragile A-wing get that close to us? We're dead in space. Lieutenant, sound boarding stations. They're after our prisoner I'll wager. Have security bring her to the bridge. We'll have her tell them just what will happen to her if they set foot on this ship. And have them secure her properly this time!" The Captain rubbed the bruise on his left cheek where Foxfire had popped him when she was first brought aboard and he had gotten a bit too familiar with her.
[In the bowels of the stricken corvette,,,]
Rory moved down the line against the pressure of the reaction mass to the first seal and clawed his way through the tube lining. He was near the engine room and as soon as he tore through the bulkhead the ship would begin to fill with reactant. He braced himself and getting a good purchase with his claws he split the seam, and thruster reactant began to flood the engine room. Alarms sounded and the emergency doors snapped down and sealed the engine compartment. The crew trapped inside were caught off guard and those not killed by the sudden leak were quickly dispatched by the intruder. The ship's computer compensated pressure in the engine room and Rory made his way to the emergency air-lock. Damage control had not yet responded so he managed to cycle himself through the airlock without notice. He was in the ship proper now.
[Back on the bridge...]
"Now what?" demanded the Captain as the new alarm sounded.
"Sir, we have a breach of some kind in engineering. We're trying to equalize the pressure and get the trapped crew out. Damage control is responding."
"Get an armed team down there as well. Something is not right here, not right at all!"
[Aft crew maintenance access...]
Rory was very familiar with the design of the CR90 Blockade Runner class Corellian Corvette having spent so much time on the Slipstream. He disappeared into the smaller workmen accessways and using his acute sense of smell quickly located where Foxfire was being held. He made his way to the vent leading to the room his nose pointed toward.
Foxfire was trying to figure out if there was anything she could sabotage with a hair barrette. She heard a faint jingling. She swung her legs off the bunk and stood up, ignoring a dozen sore and protesting muscles, a result of some rough and tumble with a couple of armored Stormtroopers after she had decked the Imperial Captain shortly after being brought on board.
"Too soon for the Corellian Holidays," she said to herself and walked to the large cold-air return vent and peered down into the darkness. She could hear a low hissing sound, and after a moment's confusion, recognized it for what it was.
Just then the door opened and two armed Stormtroopers entered the small room. "Get back Rebel!" barked the first trooper, motioning with his blaster towards the back of the compartment. Foxfire did just as she was told; after the stories she'd heard, she didn't want to be in the way when Rory came through that grate.
"Hold out your wrists, we're taking you to see the Captain." Turning to his companion he said, "Put the binders on her."
Foxfire raised both eyebrows in mock surprise. "Really? And here I was just about to conjure up a furry space monster to tear you limb from limb. Do you suppose your Captain can wait?"
The trooper paused. "Is that Alliance humor, Rebel? It escapes me. Now hold out your wrists."
"It may escape you, but you won't escape it," she said with a grin.
******** Part 12 ********
[Last week we saw that Foxfire was being held on an Imperial corvette and was being returned to the Surtur for more questioning by the ruthless Admiral Sachs. But Storm and Raven managed to disable the prison ship, and Rory has boarded it in an attempt to rescue the beautiful pilot from Praying Mantis Squadron (him being a real sucker for a pretty dame). Having made his way to where Foxfire is being held, the genetically engineered gundark was about to do the voodoo that he do best. No, I mean next to drinking and guzzling caviar...]
The room suddenly got quite crowded as Rory burst through the vent, scrambling right up the side of the nearer Stormtrooper and snapped his head off, helmet and all. His tail struck the second trooper, slamming the man into the bulkhead and crushing his spine. In seconds it was all over but the mess, which grew somewhat as the first trooper's headless body pumped a goodly amount of blood into the compartment before its internal organs got a clue and shut down.
"Eewww," said Foxfire as she picked up a discarded blaster. "Okay my savage friend, what's the plan?"
Rory turned to her. "Leave," the gundark hissed. They made their way to the corvette's small hangar without being discovered. They could see from their hiding place that there were no starfighters on board. But there were a handful of Stormtroopers with assault rifles set up to repel boarders.
"Well, if we had this place all to our lonesomes, Raven could just land and pick us up. But I think our hosts might object to that. They look like they're expecting company."
"Sssstay here," hissed Rory and disappeared into the nearest maintenance access panel.
It wasn't long until Foxfire heard blaster fire from somewhere aft of the landing bay. One of the troopers held his hand to head as he listened to a call on his comm-link. He then ordered the entire squad to form up and moved out through the aft hatch, rifles held at the ready. The sound of fighting got louder. From her hiding place, Foxfire saw a single trooper come back through the aft hatch. His helmet was gone as well as his weapon. Blood welled from three deep cuts that stretched down the left side of his face and his armor was splashed everywhere with red gore. He struggled across the bay but collapsed near the duty station. Foxfire cautiously moved to the fallen man and checked his pulse. "Dead as a door nail," she said to herself. She took a handheld comm-link from his belt pack and switched it on. The inter-ship circuit was a jumble of voices yelling and calling back and forth.
"Fall back, fall back! It's trying to flank us!"
"We can't! It's cut us off, I aggghhhh..."
"This is the Captain, all crewmen retreat to the bridge, repeat, fall back to the bridge. The Stormtroopers will try to hold it at corridor C..."
Very effective, this gundark, thought Foxfire. I hope he eats that captain. She really hadn't liked the captain very much at all. Since it appeared she would be uninterrupted for a while, it was time to think about leaving. She studied the controls at the duty station and adjusted the magnetic shield setting, then set the comm-link to the Alliance battle channel.
"Foxfire calling. Hey, I could use a lift. It seems that the central landing bay is available at the moment so anyone want to give a girl a ride?"
Almost immediately Raven's A-wing slipped into view. It passed through the atmospheric shield and settled down on deck. "Let's go!" he yelled to Foxfire as he opened his ship.
Foxfire was confused. "Uh, there's no way we're both fitting into that cockpit..."
"Oh, that," Raven replied nonchalantly as he pressed a button on his datapad. Just behind his A-wing, a shuttle entered the small hangar and touched down.
"What about Rory?" Foxfire yelled back. "He's off terrorizing the crew somewhere."
Raven jumped out of the cockpit and slid down the nose of his fighter to the deck. He ran to a ventilator duct and pulling a small flask from his pocket, he poured the contents into the vent. He then ran back to his A-wing where he gently shoved Foxfire toward the shuttle, handing his flask to her as he passed. "I poured some vintage scotch into the vent. Rory should be right along ... it's his favorite brand."
Quickly, Raven prepped the A-wing for launch and sure enough, the blurred form of Gold's mascot soon scrambled up the shuttle's gangplank, snatching the flask from Foxfire as he whooshed past. Raven chinned his comms. "Just try not to step on his tail."
"Oh, I know better," she answered. "I heard what happened the last time somebody stepped on his tail. And have I mentioned how glad I am to see you?" a grin evident in the tone of her voice.
Quickly the Alliance craft slipped back into space. Storm called the Fortunate with news that the rescue operation was a success and the three ships headed back towards the battle.
******** Part 13 ********
[Having rescued Foxfire from the clutches of the Empire in last week's exciting episode, Foxfire, Raven, and Storm race back towards Pandora 4 and the battle raging around it ... but since they have not paid their Equity dues they will play no part in today's episode.]
Even as the rescued and rescuers make their way back to the battle around Pandora 4 the tides of war slowly turned against the Alliance. The surprise and ferocity of their initial attack gave them the first victory as they defeated the Victory-class Star Destroyer Slayer. But Grand Admiral Jonathan Sachs quickly re-deployed his forces, shifting elements of Alpha Wing to best utilize their skills.
The VSD Cerberus, reinforced by the Sparhawk, threw Phoenix Squadron into the fray by attacking the Calamarian ship Suri'Bachi, which lacked any significant fighter cover. The Imperials were inflicting heavy damage on the Star Cruiser. The Alliance frigate Beowulf was trying to support the withdrawal of the Suri'Bachi along with elements of Gold's Lucky Sevens.
Meanwhile, the Surtur had fallen back to a position supported by the Valiant and Avenger just outside the orbit of Pandora 4. The Black Knights and the Dark Riders were beating back the Gold A and X-wings. Rory dropped Foxfire at the Greyhound, where she'd hurriedly launched in a borrowed fighter. Just as she launched, the Greyhound took two torpedoes which took out the cargo bay she'd just exited. She grimaced thinking about the crews who were just killed. She dumped full power to her engines as she raced to assist the beleaguered Smoke and his Flying Tigers as they tried to support the Fortunate. She turned on her comm-link, wanting to know just how bad the situation was.
"Wraith to Pivot, we've lost more than 10 fighters and the Greyhound is almost out of commission. I'm moving the Slipstream up to engage the Valiant and will try to draw off some of their fighter cover. We are sorely outnumbered and without some heavy fighters are about to take a terrible beating. We need some Ys and B-wings and we need them now. Can we expect any more support from Alliance command?" asked Gold's Executive Officer.
Pivot pulled his A-wing into a tight loop as he made yet another attack run on the Star Destroyer. "Gold and the Suri'Bachi were the closest forces available, but the Star Cruiser was not carrying a fighter complement. Gray and Red Squadrons are being scrambled but may not get here in time. If the Imperials get a chance to disassemble any of that equipment and manage to get out of the system with it, we've lost. We have to give the Dreadnoughts a chance to hit that facility from orbit."
J. P. McDonald listened to the traffic between Gold Leader and the Gold XO. Bink and the crew of the Lucky Strike had transferred back to their ship and the two Dreadnoughts had moved into a ready position. He activated the beacon and got a ground fix on the Clone facility. Now if he could just move that Imperial Star Destroyer out of the way things would be grand.
[On the bridge of the Surtur...]
The Grand Admiral studied the 3-D projection of the system and the relative positions of the ships. The battle with the Calamari Star Cruiser had moved towards Pandora 4 and was near the northern pole. He punched several scenarios into his battle computer and checked each outcome on his private screen. "This Alliance commander is clever," the Admiral said to himself. "Now we shall see how clever."
"Operations," called the Admiral. "Contact the Cerberus, have them move to these new coordinates relative to the Surtur. Then have the Sparhawk move to support the Valiant, that Rebel corvette seems extremely tenacious."
The officer studied the new coordinates that Sachs had punched up on the tactical display and turned to the Admiral, "But sir, the Star Cruiser is heavily damaged. A bit longer and the Cerberus will destroy it."
The officer blanched as the Admiral rounded on him, his face a mask of rage. "Manyard wanted to debate my orders and he is dead which is no loss in itself, but unfortunately he took more than 37,000 loyal officers, crewmen, and a rather expensive Star Destroyer with him." The Admiral gestured to two Stormtroopers, "This man is under arrest, throw him in the brig. Now, you!" he stabbed his finger at a junior officer at the Ops station. "You are now the Operations officer, please relay my orders to the Cerberus and Sparhawk. Those Dreadnoughts are positioned for an orbital bombardment. We will protect the installation on this planet with every ship at our disposal. Have Tactical prepare threat estimates relative to the remaining Rebel ships. Reinforce the Dark Riders with Phoenix as well."
The newly promoted Operations officer jumped to the task and soon the attack on the Suri'Bachi broke off. The Admiral suppressed a smile as the Imperial forces were re-deployed yet again. The Alliance Dreadnoughts were now completely cut off from a direct assault on the planet.
[On the bridge of the Alliance Dreadnought Fortunate...]
Pivot came onto the bridge, having left the mangled mess of his A-wing on the flight deck. "What's the situation?"
J.P. responded without looking up from the sensor display. "Not good. The Imperial fighter cover around the planet is too thick to attempt a landing with the A-T-Rs. The Imps have broken off the attack on the Suri'Bachi for some reason and appear to be reinforcing the main ships protecting the out-system approaches to the planet. We couldn't get a clear shot before, but it looks like they're really nailing the door shut now."
In silence, Pivot studied the display. "Odd. Verify the positions of this ship here and projected position of these two frigates here and here. I need to know how long it'll take them to complete this redeployment." Without waiting for a response Pivot turned to the comm station and took the seat from the officer there. "Fortunate to Suri'Bachi, this is Gold Leader, what is your status?"
A Calamarian face appeared on-screen. In the rough accent of his race he said, "We are not well, Commander. Our main reactors have sustained severe damage. We can maneuver but cannot manage a jump to hyperspace without extensive repairs. The Imperials have broken off their attack and withdrawn their fighter cover. The frigate Beowulf is still providing support..."
"Captain," Pivot interrupted, "can you evacuate your people from the Suri'Bachi? We can transfer as many as possible to the Beowulf and pack in what we can in the transports from the Fortunate and Lucky Strike."
The Calamarian focused both of his eyes on Pivot, "Yes, it could be done between our shuttles, life pods, your transports, and the Beowulf. Do you suspect that the Imperials will renew their assault on us?"
"No," admitted Gold Leader. "But I see a way to complete our primary mission objective." He paused as J. P. handed him a datapad with the information Pivot had requested. Pivot smiled grimly. "Please begin to get your crew off now, Captain, as fast as possible. You need to be clear in just under 2 hours."
"Sacrificing a Mon Cal cruiser..." The captain of the Fortunate gave a worried look. "A steep cost with our fleet already so outnumbered across the galaxy..."
Pivot turned to J. P. but ignored the comment. "We don't have much time. Have the Lucky Strike launch her transports to help with the evacuation of the Suri'Bachi. Put Ash in command of Gold Wing and have them fly support as they abandon ship. Then I want the Lucky Strike to engage the two Imp frigates in their new positions here. Use the Lucky Sevens for support, but don't commit them. I don't want to draw off that big Star Destroyer. Now, gentlemen, here's the plan..."
******** Part 14 ********
[This is it, the final episode! Gold Squadron has engaged the mighty Alpha Wing Task Force, Foxfire has been rescued and, oh, if you don't remember what has gone before, well, you'll just have to wait for the movie...]
On the bridge of the Imperial Star Destroyer Surtur the Grand Admiral watched the maneuverings of the Alliance ships with interest. "Anything to report?" he asked his staff?
The Operations officer saluted, "No sir, not since the Dreadnought broke off its last attack run. They are still evacuating the Calamarian ship which has passed off our screens behind Pandora 4. We have completed the redeployment you ordered and the Rebel scum are now completely unable to break through our interdiction," he concluded proudly.
The Admiral studied the young officer. "We'll see," he said. Returning to his command chair he punched a button on his vid-screen. The face of the Alpha Wing Commander appeared from the cockpit of his TIE Defender. "Commander Morrissy," he said. "We are now in position. You will order your squadrons to attack the Dreadnoughts as planned. Ignore the Alliance frigate for now, we can deal with it later. I want all the Dark Riders to concentrate on the two capital ships and the Black Knights to intercept the Alliance fighters. I think one massive coordinated strike will break them. Once all Rebel ships are engaged we shall start landing our ground troops and specialists. I've requested reinforcements as I am sure the Rebels have done. I hope to be away with the necessary technology before either arrive. Good luck Commander."
[The Alliance forces prepare for their last chance at victory...]
On board the Suri'Bachi the Mon Calamari Commander issued the last orders that would ever be given on his star cruiser. With his remaining officers he made his way to the launch bay and into the last transport which blasted off into space as soon as its hatch was sealed. The Suri'Bachi was now abandoned.
The fighters of Gold Squadron were formed up into their attack elements. Battle stations were manned and ready on the Alliance capital ships which stood poised to attack the Imperial Task Force. The calm before the final storm did not last long. On board the Alliance Dreadnought Fortunate, the Navigation officer sounded the alert. "Enemy fighters, I have 10, no make that 12 formations with more coming up from low orbit around the planet." Tactical reports began to stream in from the Beowulf and Lucky Strike.
Pivot and J. P. McDonald watched as the attack forces appeared on the screens. "This is it," said J. P. with certainty. "They're throwing every fighter they have at us. Without reinforcements we'll be overrun, and with their capital ships hovering over that installation we can't attack it. Pivot, I hope your plan works."
"Let's find out," Pivot said, hitting the all-hands circuit on the comm-link. "Gold Leader to all Gold pilots, Operation Ground-breaker is go! Stay within your assigned attack spheres." The groups of arrayed fighters began to accelerate towards the approaching Imperial ships. "Engage as the Imperial fighters close on your positions, but stay alert for the signal to break off. Greyhound and Slipstream, you are to pull out now, the Beowulf will cover your withdrawal. All Gold Wing pilots are to escort the Suri'Bachi shuttles and transports. Good luck starfighters. Gold Leader out." He turned back to J. P. "Contact Bink," he said. "The Dreadnoughts' attack has to be timed to the split second. The frigates are the main threat so they have to be fully engaged just before the Imperials realize what's happening. But we have to be able to disengage just as the Imps are fully committed. The timing is critical."
Controlled chaos reigned on the bridge of the Fortunate as orders were issued and confirmations received. Massive ion cannon capacitors were charged, turbo-laser batteries were programmed with new targeting instructions. The battle was about to be joined!
[Meanwhile the Imperials make their final approach toward their prize...]
The Star Destroyer Surtur seemed to float above Pandora 4. The Imperials had managed to find the signal that the beacon on the planet was sending out and had pinpointed the clone base's location. Grand Admiral Sachs received the reports: General Amatta's ground troops, Landing Barges, and AT-AT Walkers were ready to be transported to the surface. The ground assault would be led by 3 commando teams who were filing into their transports. They would have little trouble with the automated defenses. "If it should be necessary," the Admiral said to himself. With a casual air he turned to the 3-D holo screen as if to watch the battle unfold as the overwhelming might of Alpha Wing hurled itself at the outnumbered Alliance ships.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched the numbers roll over on the mission clock. If he had correctly estimated the timing there should be ... just then the Navigation officer called out, "Contact! Bearing one-eight-zero, azimuth minus 63 degrees. Coming in from the nightside of the planet, very fast in low orbit. Scanning..."
The Admiral gave silent credit to the Alliance Commander of this operation. He was every bit as smart as Sachs had given him credit for. "Report!" he snapped.
The Navigation Officer hesitated, studying his displays. Finally he said, "It's the derelict Calamari Cruiser. It's in a decaying orbit, coming in on southern polar trajectory." There was a furor of activity in the Nav pit as the course of the Star Cruiser was plotted. "No danger of collision with our blockade," said the Nav Officer. "She's entering the atmosphere."
"What is her impact point?" asked the Admiral.
The Navigation Officer looked up with a shocked expression. "Dead center on the beacon. It will impact directly on the clone facility in 2 minutes 12 seconds."
Signals were coming into the flagship. Without looking up a comm-tech called, "Valiant and Sparhawk under attack, they are returning fire..."
"Intercept course NOW!" yelled Sachs. "Fire control! Lock turbo laser batteries on that Star Cruiser! Order the Valiant and Sparhawk to attack at once! Launch our reserve heavies to target and destroy that ship!"
The Tactical officer looked helplessly at the holo display as he listened to reports coming into his headset. "Sir, the Alliance Dreadnoughts have just engaged our frigates ... the Sparhawk reports damage. If they break off the Dreadnoughts will be able to fire on the ground base. Our fighters will not reach them for another 3 minutes. Our reserve bombers would never get into range, there just isn't time! Even a planetary battery could not stop that ship now. The threat estimate on that approach is zero; any ship coming in on that trajectory would burn up in the atmosphere."
"That ship is burning up in the atmosphere, Lieutenant," said the Admiral, his voice hard and his fists clenched. But his eyes were smiling.
[With their gambit in action, the Rebels hold their collective breath...]
On the bridge of the Fortunate, Gold Leader again hit the all hands circuit. "All Gold fighters, break, break, fall back by the numbers. Disengage, cover your mates and pull out. Once clear of the system hyper out to point Echo. Repeat, break off and jump to point Echo."
Flying with the Tigers in her borrowed A-wing, Foxfire double-clicked her comm to acknowledge Gold Leader's order. She had a clear path out-system from where she was, but took a moment to study the deployment of the Imperial ships that had let the wreck of the Suri'Bachi slip through their defenses. She was no strategist, but she thought she saw the hand of a certain Imperial Grand Admiral in this turn of events. She smiled to herself. "Good choice, Admiral," she said as she activated her hyperdrive.
The Dreadnoughts began to fall back, pulling out of the Pandora system as the Imperial fighters tried desperately to close to torpedo range. As they approached the jump point, the southern hemisphere of Pandora 4 lit up with a blinding white light. The twelve hundred meters of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Suri'Bachi impacted the Clone Master facility with incredible kinetic energy supplemented by her overloaded reactors as well as the armed munitions loaded into the inner holds. Heat and x-rays were generated in the instant the gigantic ship struck the planet. Gamma and hard radiation surged a microsecond later as the reactors and cargo exploded. Rock flashed to the melting point and 10 cubic kilometers of the planet was hurled up into the atmosphere in an incredible fireball. No trace of the last monument to the Clone Wars remained.
As the Fortunate and Lucky Strike made the jump out of normal space J. P. turned to Pivot and let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "It was lucky you spotted that gap in their coverage and thought of using the Star Cruiser as a kinetic weapon."
Pivot looked at his friend. "Lucky? Perhaps. I wonder though..."
[That's a wrap. The Rebel Broadcasting Corporation in conjunction with REBL 90.5 FM, have been proud to bring you this miniseries. The part of the Lone Ranger was played by Brace Breemer, Kerbe the small furred quadruped was played by Kerbe the small furred quadruped. The final secret message is 9 - 14 - 18 - 15 - 7 - 21 and 5. Special thanks to Ricochet for acting as Imperial Consultant on this POV. Remember, BUY WAR BONDS!]
******** The End ********
