by Calista Skye
“I know, Kira. And that’s why I couldn’t just leave without …. Storm Squadron is flying into a trap.”
“Yeah, going up against a destroyer and a full fighter armada.”
“It’s worse than that, Kira. They’ve pierced the cloak on the Vendetta. The Rebel convoy won’t be safe until the jump to hyperspace.”
Kira swore. “Gods dammit, Reina. What else did you give them.”
“It wasn’t me. They figured it out on their own. But that’s not the worst part. Their destroyer is outfitted with an antimatter cannon that can wipe out the entire fleet. The Kamarans have been developing it in secret for years. The ultimate bargaining chip, in case anyone tries to defy them. They’re going to fire on the fleet unless you can stop them.”
Kira’s heart raced, pounding against her chest. She didn’t want to believe it. She scrutinized Reina’s voice, searching her inflection for any hint of duplicity, any pattern of language to suggest that she was bluffing. She found none. Reina’s words rang true.
“How do you know all this?”
“The same way I was able to contact the Empire with the location of the Dennegar Base. I’m good at systems, Kira. I discovered the orders in an encrypted database after I transmitted the location of the Rebel base. You need to get in there and stop them. You have to take down that destroyer before it locks on to the Vendetta.”
“I’ll radio Ja’al, and …”
“No, Kira. None of Ja’al’s pilots will ever get close enough. Every single one of them is being monitored and tracked. It has to be you—you’re the only one they won’t recognize.”
Kira’s mind raced. It didn’t make sense. “What’s to stop them from singling me out the moment I enter the fray?”
“Tyrus’ chip,” said Reina. “I installed his program in your ship before I left.”
Kira swallowed hard, her eyes searching the controls for signs of tampering. Sure enough, she found the chip, plugged into the scanner.
“Tyrus figured out a way to mask your ship’s energy signature. To make it read like a Kamaran fighter. Even if he …” she paused, changing directions. “There wasn’t time to install it everywhere. And it would have been suspicious if they didn’t see any Rebel ships on their radar. This was meant for you and you alone. You’re the only one Tyrus trusted to pull it off.”
She thought about Ja’al leading a hopeless attack. Sacrificing himself for a doomed Rebel fleet. She didn’t want to believe it. “Ja’al was willing to give his life to save them.”
“Not them, Kira. You,” said Reina. “This was about saving you.”
“I won’t lose him,” she said. “I’m not going to let him die.”
“Damn right you’re not,” said Reina. “You have to destroy that cannon before they can fire. All the targeting information you need should be there in your system. Courtesy of the Empire—consider it a parting gift. A last shot at redeeming myself. You didn’t deserve this, Kira. None of you did.”
“Thank you, Reina,” she said. “I don’t know that the Rebellion will be so quick to welcome you back, though. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to find a way to make things right. Somehow, some way, I’ll make it up to you. Now stop wasting time and go save the fleet.”
Chapter 17
Kira banked her craft around, laying into the accelerator as she sped toward the Imperial fleet. There was no time to second guess it. There was no room for doubt. A chance to make things right and prove that she belonged with the Storm Squadron.
Iridescent bursts of blaster fire lit up the blackness of space. A series of explosions burned as the enemy fighters danced and wove through the maze of asteroids, hunting the Rebel pilots.
Invisible to the enemy’s radar, Kira’s approached went undetected. She loaded the schematic that Reina had passed along into her targeting system, projecting an image of the destroyer onto her HUD. She needed to locate the ship’s antimatter cannon before they had a chance to fire.
The weapon was small. Much smaller than she expected. If Reina hadn’t tipped her off, she would have missed it. True, the senator’s daughter was responsible for their current predicament, but she may have just saved them all. Kira shook her head and steadied her focus on the battle unfolding in front of her. This was no time for philosophy.
She turned her ship’s comm system to the Storm Squadron’s frequency. An alarmed shout rang through the speakers:
“…coming around the cold side. One more down!” Ja’al’s voice strained with intensity, a mixture of exhilaration and focused presence that captured the warrior’s essence.
As her eyes scanned the frenzied battlefield, she spotted the fiery explosion where the Imperial ship had been. She reigned in her desire to congratulate him—no need to take his focus away from the battle. And she had a job to do.
Weaving through a gap between two rotating asteroids, Kira sped towards her target.
The destroyer was massive. A foreboding behemoth of a ship, far more threatening than the replicas she’d faced in the simulators. A shiver ran down her spine as a swarm of Imperial fighters erupted from the destroyer’s flight deck like blood-sucking insects after the rain. They scattered through the blackness, spreading out to hunt their rebel prey.
Glancing down at her targeting screen, Kira thanked the gods that they hadn’t seen her yet. She nodded her head, relieved that her ship’s cloak held, and that Reina hadn’t deceived her.
Still, the moment she revealed her allegiance and opened fire on the Imperials, all bets were off. Surprise was a fleeting advantage. She needed to use it wisely.
As she neared the destroyer, a cluster of Storm pilots broke through the dividing line of the belt, emerging into open space. Immediately, the Imperial swarm tightened and sped towards them. Bursts of cannon fire filled the air as the rebels spread to divert them.
Kira shook her head. Leaving the cover of the belt was insane. Storm was only supposed to buy the escaping rebels time. The only reason they’d fly out into the open was to attempt an assault.
She looked on in horror as the lead pilot kicked his thrusters into overdrive. The radiant burst of blue emerging from the tail glowed brightly for an instant that seemed like an eternity before launching his ship straight into the destroyer. It exploded in a flash of light as it crashed into the hulking battle station.
“Their shields are down,” said Ja’al over the comm. His voice was solemn. “Let’s take advantage of it.”
“Sir,” said Jomanak. “Do you think we can actually take this thing down?”
“Only the gods know that. But we have to try. We have to buy the fleet as much time as we … shit! I’ve got one on my six.”
Kira grabbed the yoke and banked her ship into the fray. She spotted Ja’al’s fighter as he broke formation, scrambling to shake the weapon lock of the pursuing Imperial JRV.
The minute she opened fire, the Kamarans would mark her as an enemy. But that didn’t matter. She’d find another way to hit the antimatter cannon. There was no way she was going to let Ja’al die. His life was worth the cost.
Kira wrapped her hands around the flight stick, steadying her ship as she kicked the thrusters into overdrive.
The sudden acceleration threw her body back against the seat as she leaned into the throttle. She was still too far out for cannons, and she couldn’t get a lock on his pursuer. She’d have to line up the shot from behind.
“I can’t shake him,” said Ja’al, desperation seeping into his voice as he rolled his ship violently, fighting to outmaneuver the Imperial pilot and regain the tactical advantage.
Kira looked on as he angled his ship back towards the destroyer. Hold on Ja’al. Just a bit longer. She closed the distance between them, praying that Ja’al could evade the fighter’s missile lock.
Almost there. Kira’s thumbs twitched, her nerves on edge as she raced on.
Just then, Ja’al’s fighter rolled hard to port, disappearing behind a massive asteroid at the edge
of the belt, the Kamaran fighter tight on his tail.
It might buy him some time. But she couldn’t see where he had gone. If he course-corrected or made any sudden movements behind the asteroid, she’d lose her approach angle.
Kira thought back to the flight maneuvers Ja’al had taught her months ago. Before she’d joined the Storm Squadron. Before she’d fallen in love … Kira shook her head. It was a little insane to think that Kira, the easy-going, free-spirited girl from Tarksis would ever fall for someone like Ja’al. But there was a depth to him, beneath the rugged exterior. A warmth and caring side he’d never dared to show to anyone before her. Why he’d chosen her was anyone’s guess.
She snapped back to reality as an explosion of debris lit up the darkness outside her window. Another Rebel fighter ripped to shreds by Imperial cannons. She had to keep her wits about her.
If Ja’al maintains his course …. No, he wasn’t going to do that at all. Ja’al was going to use the surface of the asteroid to build angular momentum and throw off the pursuer. He’s going to use its gravity to accelerate through the turn.
It was a crazy plan—the kind of thing she might try—that she’d hear a lecture about later. Would Ja’al attempt something that risky?
She didn’t have long to mull it over. If she was going to intercept them, she had to pick a direction fast.
Trusting her intuition, she slammed the yoke to starboard. Her stomach lurched as the JRV rolled through the turn pressing her into her seat. The lines and numbers displayed in her HUD spun wildly in her peripheral vision.
When she steadied herself, she readied her thumbs on the torpedo trigger. If she’d guessed right, Ja’al’s ship should crest the horizon right about ….
Relief washed over her as her targeting sensors beeped, glowing green as her cross-hairs locked onto the Kamaran ship. Kira squeezed the trigger, launching her torpedo through the blackness.
The Imperial JRV exploded in a blinding flash of light and debris, filling her view port as she banked her ship back toward the destroyer.
“What in hell?” said Ja’al.
“You’re welcome, Commander,” said Kira, breaking the radio silence between them.
“Kira!” said Ja’al, the deep baritone of his voice a mixture of elation and surprise. “You’re …”
“Not going to let you die to save me, Ja’al.”
“Thank the gods,” he said. “But I thought you’d be long gone by now. Safe with the rest of the fleet.”
“That’s just it. The fleet isn’t safe. That’s no ordinary destroyer—those bastard Imperials have a new weapon system. An antimatter cannon. And they’ve got a read on the Vendetta. They’ll obliterate us all and end the Rebellion with a single shot.”
A long silence filled the airwaves. “You’re sure?” Ja’al asked at last.
Kira swallowed hard against the burning dryness in her throat. Kira noted that he didn’t ask for the source of her knowledge. Wherever the information came from, he trusted her judgment. She knew that he was about to make a decision that would seal the fate of the fleet.
The odds of surviving this mission were never good for the volunteers of Storm Squadron, but at least when their plan was to delay and distract, there was a chance. Mounting a full attack against the heavily armed destroyer could cost them all their lives.
Her stomach churned as she weighed her answer. Would she be willing to stake her life on Reina’s word?
Not just her life. The fate of the rebellion, hell, the entire galaxy. Without the Rebellion, the Empire would devastate the lives of everyone in the sector, their corrosive power and oppression spreading unchecked.
Maybe Reina had sold them out even more than she knew, and this was another ruse. One last act of duplicity to win her daughter’s freedom.
Kira shook in her seat, searing waves of doubt coursing through her body.
No, she thought. No. Reina wouldn’t do that. Not this time. In spite of everything that had happened, Kira believed her. The message was honest; Reina’s remorse was genuine. She wanted redemption.
“Kira,” Ja’al said again. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Kira said. “We have to take it out. I’m sure of it.”
Ja’al’s image vanished from the HUD in front of her as he redirected his voice through the primary comm channel. “Alright team,” he said. “We have a new plan. We have it on good faith that taking out this destroyer is our only hope of survival. I’m leaving it to your squad leader to brief you on the new plan. Kira, the comm is yours.”
She scanned the readout in front of her, studying the positions of the rebel fighters. “Hello, everyone,” she said to the tune of cheers and enthusiastic cheers from her squad mates. A smile crossed her lips as she listened to them welcome her back into the fold. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but their faith in her leadership infused her with confidence.
“Glad to have you with us,” said Jomanak, cutting above the din of cheers.
“You might not think so when I tell you what’s going on,” she said. “We have to take down that destroyer,” she said. “The only way to do that is with a full forward assault. We’ll have to leave the cover of the belt, exposing us to their weapons. It’s going to be dangerous. Some of us might not make it.”
Silence on the line.
Kira froze, wondering whether she’d made a mistake. Without the support of the team, there was no way they’d be able to pull it off. They had to work together. Committed to a singular outcome. Accepting nothing less than victory.
“I’m with you, Thorne,” said Jomanak. “We all are.”
“What’s the plan, Kira?” asked Ja’al.
“Our Imperial friends outfitted this destroyer with a new brand of weapon, a non-linear anti-matter cannon. It can trace back along our ships and destroy the rest of the fleet. And they’ve got a read on the Vendetta’s position. Our job is to destroy this thing before they have a chance to fire.”
“Sure, no sweat,” said Yamao.
“The good news,” she continued, “is that charging the weapon requires a heavy power draw from the rest of the ship’s systems. At the moment they’re getting ready to fire, there will be a lapse in their shield coverage. It gives us a brief window to slip a well-placed torpedo into the ship’s power core.”
“How long is the window?” asked Jomanak.
Kira glanced down at the readout on her screen, staring at the power readout numbers she’d calculated from Reina’s intel. “We should have at least thirty seconds,” she said. “It’ll take at least that long for the weapon to charge, and it’ll leave their shields compromised until the blast fires. But we’ve never faced a weapon like this so we can’t know for sure. We need to be ready for anything when the time comes.”
“Not to put a wrinkle in your plan, Kira, but I don’t think that hitting the power core, even with the shields down, is going to be enough to take down an Imperial destroyer,” said Jomanak.
Murmurs of agreement filled the airwaves.
“He’s right, Kira,” said Ja’al.
Kira paused, running over what she knew. “It’s a game of Traps,” she said. She knew something they didn’t. Something the Empire hadn’t counted on her knowing. And she was going to call their bluff.
“This isn’t a game, Kira. You’re risking our lives. You’re risking the fate of the Rebellion.”
“There’s no time,” she said. “You have to trust me. Am I your squad leader, or not?”
“You’re right. Let’s do this,” said Ja’al.
Kira mapped out the attack plan for the team, dictating the series of maneuvers that would line them up for a run at the power core. Her ship’s computer interpreted her dictation as she directed the wing leaders through their contrasting approach vectors, transmitting the image to each of their screens.
With the casualties they’d already suffered at the hands of the Imperial fighters, they lacked the numbers to overwhelm them the way Kira had hoped.
“Glad to have you with us, Jom,” she said. For once, she appreciated the bravado. He’d need it. Anything less than unwavering faith in himself would cause him to hesitate. And she needed everyone to be on point.
“For Storm!” he said, calling the rallying cry into the comm. The cadre of pilots joined their voices in unison, repeating the cheer, growing louder as they moved into position around the outskirts of the destroyer.
Kira raised her voice to join them.
The moment the battle cry escaped her lips, the gaping maw of the floating battle station opened wide, launching a second wave of fighters towards them. Like a starving pack of Viran wolves, the ships leapt forward towards the approaching rebel fighters.
A brilliant white arc of electricity leapt from a spike at the bow of the destroyer, illuminating the massive cannon perched at the ship’s stern.
That’s it ….
“There! Keep moving,” said Kira. She pulled her targeting visor down over her eyes, allowing her to keep a close eye on her target in the distance.
“We’ve got incoming, Thorne,” said Jomanak.
“I see ‘em,” said Kira. “Don’t let them rattle you. We’re only going to get one shot at this. Let’s show them what the Storm Squadron can do.” It was a bold statement, and she made it as much for her own benefit as for anyone listening.
She trusted her squad mates to do what was necessary. Trusted them to clear the path forward and open a lane for Kira to take her shot at the power core.
“When we hit the power core,” she said, “the energy field around the antimatter cannon will destabilize. With nothing suspending the payload, the destroyer will be swallowed whole.”
“This is fucking insane,” said Jomanak. “I love it.”
“Stay focused,” said Ja’al, banking his ship out and around a blast of cannon fire from the approaching Imperial fighters. “We’ve got to split their forces if we’re going to make it through.”