Kashyyk- The Aftermath

I stared at the face that was looking back at me from the cockpit of the A-wing that had saved my ass in the battle over Kashyyk. Looking down at me was the face of my old academy roommate. The Sullustan went by the nickname Mouse, and though I know his real name I could never pronounce it correctly so he was always referred to as Mouse.

"Mouse! You dirty rat get down here. How ya doin? Hey lets go get some lunch and sit down and talk" I yelled over to him.

"Hey Jek. Good to see ya again. Lets go eat" he said in his native Haya tongue, which I fortunately learned while at academy. "I know you got to be starving after that."

So off to the cafeteria we went, carousing down the corridors and making boisterous conversation the entire way. We seated ourselves at a table that overlooked the hanger bay.

"So what brings you out to the Independance?" I asked. "Republic High Command gave my squadron orders to make this our base for this tour. They said you might need the help." he replied. A whole squadron of A-wings. This must be a critically important mission. I proded further, "Damn, a whole squad of shiny new starfighters. That must be nice." He retorted, "There's one out there for you, if you want. We lost a wingman a few weeks ago and need a replacement. I told them I know one of the best starfighter pilots in the galaxy. So if you chose, Blue 3 could be your new callsign."

Wow, me in an A-wing. The speed and agility of them is renowned, but could I just up and leave Red squadron like that? "I'll have to think about that one, can you give me a day or so?" I asked. "Of course, just come find me when you've made a decision."

I walked around the huge Mon Calamari cruiser for the rest of the day.

Kashyyk- The Battle

"Watch your back, Red 3"

"I can't shake him!"

"Don't worry. Just hold him off for a few moments and... There we go. That got him!" I yelled over the comm as my rickety old X-wing flew through a cloud of exploding Imperial junk.

"Thanks Jek, that's another one I owe you" was the reply from Red 3's pilot, Kork.

"We'll worry about that when we get back to the Independance's bar" I said. But the celebration was short lived, for by the time I had finished saying that I watched a green laser bolt burst through the cockpit of Kork's ship and splash through where the pilots seat should have been. The starfighters controls ignited as the doomed vessel began to spiral to its explosive fate. I watched in horror as one of my best friends was engulfed as his ship slammed into the bridge of a star destoyer.

"Red 6 to Red leader, we lost Kork" I screamed as I frantically turned to search for the TIE responsible for the fatal laser blast.

"I know, Jek. I saw it too" was the reply from the squad leader. "We all know the dangers of being out here. Such a fate is inevitable for some of us. Just don't allow yourslef to succumb to such a destiny. Wait, I see an interceptor- 5 o'clock high."

"I'm on it. He's all mine" I said with more than a hint of revulsion in my voice. I knew that by that point I was a danger to myself. My anger toward the Imperials at this time was out of control, I knew that if I made it out of this one I would be lucky. Recklessness let loose within me. I increased throttle and veered off in the direction indicated by Red leader. There he is! His wingmen already blown away, just skirting the edge of the battle, taking shots as opportunity gives. 'Well not any more,' I thought to myself as the distance closed between his location and my battle-scarred fighter.

He must have saw me coming and zoomed away just in time to avoid my concentrated laser blast. He circled around, trying to maneuver behind me. This was a dangerous situation for me, pitted against a faster and more mobile enemy. I shirked his shots, attempting to get the quick little thing in the sights of my laser cannons. He was just to fast, though.

"This is Red 6 to Red squadron. I got a bogey on me and could use an assist" I yelled into the comm as I continued to evade the green lasers bouncing all around me. With the deflector shields giving way fast and the hull in the condition it was, I highly doubted I would get out of this situation.

"Red 6, this is Blue 2" come over the comm. "Give me just a minute to get a lock on this bastard." I looked behind me and saw an A-wing giving chase to the TIE Interceptor that was causing my woes. The A-wing was designed to match the speed and agility of TIE models, but with shields and greater firepower. As I watched Blue 2 fired 2 concussion missiles which tore apart the flimsy TIE. "Thanks, Blue 2" I said and he buzzed past my cockpit. "Red 6, command says you got yourself a new wingman. I await your orders" was his reply. I was getting a wingman? This was quite an honor! We assisted cleaning up the few TIE squadrons remaining and returned to the Independance once the star destroyers were no more. I set down my bruised and battered ship next to the shiny new A-wing that had probably saved my life. As the tinted cockpit slid open and the pilot removed their helmit I saw a face that I definately didn't expect. So, if you'll excuse me, I must go talk to this new face. Maybe over dinner. Mmm... bacon...

Kashhyk- The Briefing

It's been roughly a week now since the liberation of Kessel. We're just arriving in the vicinity of the Kashyyk system, where it is believed that a detachment of Imperial star destroyers is still loyal to their corrupt cause. Our purpose in the system was to put an end to the fighting between the Wookies and the Imperial stormtroopers- by any means necessary.

We dropped out of hyperspace just shy of the star destroyers sensor range, hoping there would be no scouts that far out. A suprise attack on the star destroyer fleet could potentially decimate them, if executed properly. Fleet command prompted all pilots be present for a briefing in the Independance's war room, and that the attack would commence immediately following that.

As is usual, the hanger bay was a flurry of activity, with squads moving about to fuel and arm the fighters we would be using. I gave my X-wing a thorough check to ensure everything was in proper order then headed off to the briefing. Once all the other pilots were assembled the fleet commander, General Ackbar, began speaking on the importance of the upcoming mission. The various squadrons were assigned combat roles by our tactician, General Dodonna. My beloved Red squadron had the task of taking out the TIE's that would be launched so that Gold's Y-wings and Green's B-wings could make bombing runs at the star destroyers shield generators.

All in all this briefing took only about 5 minutes. Very concise, but very neccesary. So the pilots all headed toward the hanger bay and strapped in to their respective fighters. This is going to be one hel of a ride.