Red Squadron
The hanger bay on Delaya was filled with noise, good-byes, whispers of good luck, and the thrumming of machines as they moved the X-wing fighters into position for take-off. Astromeches were set into their posistions in the top of the ships. The four wing, quad engine fighters were the most suitable for the attack. The pilots received last minute instructions from the commander before they grabbed their gear, snapped on their helmets, and jumped into the cockpit of their assigned X-wing fighter.
Lavi ran a quick pre-flight check, scanned the instruments, and fired up the main sub-light engines. The hum of the engines vibrated throughout the fighter and shook loose something from the ceiling of the cockpit that fell on her head.
Over the commsystem, the order was given and one by one each flight of X-wings took to the sky. The hanger filled with smoke from the burned fuel. The three squadrons of X-wings moved into attack formation as they cleared the planet’s gravitational pull. The communications channel between ships remained open.
"This is Red Leader. All wings prepare to enter hyperspace on my mark." The lead pilot lined his X-wing up with the corridates from the navcomputer. "Three....Two....One-Mark!" All the pilots pulled back on the hyperspace lever and one by one each fighter entered the mysterious swirl of hyperspace.
It wasn't long after that when Red Leader again came over the commsystem to announce the end of the hyperspace flight. The pilots pulled back on the hyperspace lever to end the short journey to Yaga Minor. Starlines compressed into indevidual, distant points of light.
All fighters reported in, calling off by their flight number. "This is Red Leader," the human in the X-wing at the head of the squadron informed the other pilots. "Stay in formation."
We passed by the red dwarf Y14. Its iridescent light cast an eery, red-orange glow throughout the cockpits.
The fleet was quickly approaching their target. Lavi's computer locked onto it before she saw it through the forward viewscreen. The base was an Imperial shipyard. The gigantic mass of scrap metal loomed overhead as even now it continued to produce the deadly Star Destoyers for the remaints of the Empire.
"This is Red Leader. Red Six, get ready for your attack run.” Red Six hit a few switches and keys on her command pad and took the ship down towards the shipyard. She launched a sequence of proton torpedoes as Red Seven and Red Eight flew in behind her to back her up. The torpedoes hit the shipyard and put the short range ion cannon out of commission, as planned.
Red Six maneuvered under an arch and pulled away just as a blast from the enemy shipyard ripped apart Red Seven’s ship, exploding it in a massive collage of yellow and orange fire. A second blast hit Red Eight. "I’ve lost my..." he screamed as he plunged into the tower and was cut off.
Red Six shot for the sky, but not quick enough. She, too, was engulfed in a fiery ball.
Red Twelve and Red Ten broke away from the group and tried to draw the shipyard’s fire. Two other fighters broke off and flew in the opposite direction, circling the shipyard. The men on defensive opperation were shooting for all they were worth. Green lasers zingged past Lavi's viewscreen.
A blast erupted from a gun station and Red Twelve flew back to rejoin the fleet, his engines visibly smoking. Green bolts of energy ripped through space and Red Twelve’s ship erupted into a ball of flames, taking two other X-wings with it.
"Nooo!" A scream shattered the silence over the commsystem. It was almost inhuman, but Lavi knew it to be Gemi, Red Fifteen. She and Red Twelve had grown up together.
The Imperial shipyard sent out TIE fighters and the Rebels were engaged in full battle. "Red Sixteen, cover me!" Lavi could hear, in her voice, the cry of revenge. Nevertheless, she flung her ship into a hard roll to port, just missed the fire from a TIE on her, and pulled out on Red Fifteen’s tail to cover her.
CONTINUE
Jedi have read Lavi's cool story!