Saving One for Later

Setting

One year before the Battle of Yavin (34:4:31) in space in the Corulus system.

Characters

Lieutenant Marvin Bates, Lieutenant Dakim Brakem, Commander Synn Del-Malykk, Lieutenant Joshua Drake, Lieutenant Rand Dulaney, Lieutenant Nyv Gammond, Lieutenant Darking Garish, Sub-Lieutenant Bival Rhett, and Ensign Zan Shelby.

Sub-Lieutenant Bival Rhett stared out of his cockpit canopy tensely as they approached the mission target with quite a few more fighters than usual. Ziggy, his astromech, kept a chronometer counting down for him, while he watched the swirling patterns in the hyperspace tunnel dissolve into the pinpricked blanket of space around Corulag. Ziggy chirped at him from his slot behind him, presenting data from the area around him as it came in.

Ensign Zan Shelby glared out of his cleaned X-wing cockpit canopy relaxed as he began to clear the tunnel of which was Hyperspace. Zan felt more in tune with the glorious machine that he was encased in, and R5-D4 had seemed to have gained his trust finally. Ensign Shelby had been looking forward to flight since the last skirmish he had been involved in, in which he had received his first air-to-air kill.

Lieutenant Dakim Brakem rocketed to a stop, reentering real space, and immediately checked his gauges and computer readouts. Dakim looked over his power distribution settings and shouted back to his astromech droid, "What are you doing, changin’ my shield distribution ... how many times have I told you that I like it the way it was? Change it back."

Lieutenant Joshua Drake rattled the cobwebs off, as the recently repaired YT-1300 Transport cleared the tunnel, just outside of the combat area. He had been extremely busy lately, and needed all the extra time he could get, to plan his escape routes.

Ziggy beeped and pointed out an Imperial Space Cruiser in the sector. Bival perked up a bit and reoriented his X-wing toward it.

Dakim fingered the communications unit and broadcasts to the other fighters, "Okay guys, let's swoop in and take down this Imperial transport."

Ensign Zan Shelby talked gently over the comm, "Two Reporting in, Seven- you awake there buddy? Tonight is that night." Zan checked around his cockpit for any odd activity in the area, "R5-D4, do a quick scan of the combat area for enemy patrols." Zan Shelby then spotted a Space Cruiser on his sensors and replied over the communications channel, "Corsair Two proceeding with attack."

Dakim switched his comlink again, "Approach to lock range and set S-foils to attack position."

"R5-D4 arm proton torpedoes for attack," Zan locked his S-foils into attack positions and centered the large transport on his heads-up display. He had a dead on lock on the target, "Fire away R5-D4."

Bival locked his S-foils into attack position as his new flight leader had ordered, finally confident in having leadership since Fenig had left. He could look after a wingman, but there was no way he could manage more on his own. He just was not prepared for that kind of responsibility. "This is Seven, I'm goin' in," he called over the comlink. He activated his targeting computer and locked onto the shuttle. Two proton torpedoes loaded into the launch tubes. A moment later, Bival received a tone and squeezed the trigger, firing two proton torpedoes at the shuttle. "Hits away," he called as two azure plumes raced toward the shuttle.

Dakim approached, looking onto his target and flipped the lever to open his S-Foils. He then flipped the cover on the top of his flight stick. "This might be almost too easy...," he then depressed the button, launching his loaded proton torpedoes at the ship, "Fire in the hole!"

The Imperial Space Cruiser, after being rocked by torpedo after torpedo, listed to the side, erupting into a silent fireball in space. But as if on cue, the area resonates with a deafening sonic boom as a lone Nebulon-B Frigate exited out of hyperspace directly above the rebel fighters, engines blazing and heading past them. On the side of the ship, near the bow, the words Tempest were emblazoned in flaming letters, ominous and violent.

"Slow us to deployment speed, number two!" the baritone voiced Commander of the ship, Commander Synn Del-Malykk, ordered, the ship's engines deepening to a dull hum. "Axis rotation counterclockwise: ninety-degrees in 3...2...1...!!" he added, and so the ship began to turn, and when it did, those flaming words faced the insurgent pilots, almost with glee. The ship seemed to roar at them, a tiger just waiting to strike. What was worse: it looked like the ship was smirking at them. Soon, the hanger side of the ship faced the rebel scum, gates open and ready to deploy. "Deploy the fighters! Charge shields and ready guns!" Del-Malykk said, pacing the bridge slowly and calmly. He was in control. No need to fret ... unless you were on the wrong side.

The ion engines of Lieutenant Nyv Gammond's TIE/ln shrieked to life, ghostly and ethereal. He maneuvered his ship to the hangar gates, pushing the throttle lever forward and rocketing his ship out of the hangar at a breakneck speed to take up the lead of the formation, the beautiful sound of twin ion engines shrieking across the starlit void of space like wraiths out of Hell.

Lieutenant Rand Dulaney powered up the ion engines that gave the TIE/ln fighter its distinctive sound, and took control of his craft gliding it out of the hanger after the bomber, flying a sort of escort.

Lieutenant Darking Garish pulled his TIE/ln out of the hangar to engage the enemy as quickly as possible. He pondered the ensuing battle and the vital role he would be playing in the destruction of the Rebel Alliance.

Lieutenant Marvin Bates held onto the flight stick of his TIE Bomber starfighter, TE-47-3, tightly as he emerged from the hangar of the Tempest. His vessel actually shook slightly, indicative of the haste in which the vessel was prepared for launch. The dual-pod craft angled solar panels gleaming in the light from the nearby solar system's star. The writing on the side of the craft: TE-47-3, was in the same colored lettering as the typeset on the Tempest. The pilot of the Bomber settled in quickly behind the three TIE/ln fighters, firing up his communication system, weapons charging. His hand gripped the flight stick tightly, aligning the prow of his craft toward the nearest X-wing.

"Let's see how you like it from behind!" Nyv said, smirking with glee as he pressed the triggers and sent two neon green flashes of energy toward Zan's aft side.

Zan felt blindsided as he felt the sudden blaster shots coming from his six. Shields took the majority of the damage as usual. Good shields, got a scratch on his hull though. "Damn," he cursed over the communications channel.

"I will show no mercy, and take no prisoners!" Darking said as he fired his lasers at Zan's ship.

Zan braced for impact after the sudden jolt shot through out his X-wing. Zan thought to himself, "Come on Baby. Hold together".

Rand smiled as he came around right behind Darking, dropped under him slightly and launched a laser volley at the same spot Darking targeted.

Zan felt another strong jolt from a passing TIE, but his ship held out the storm. And now it was his turn to return the hellfire. Zan replied to his action over the communication channel, "time to give them Hell brothers." Zan decided to attack the first TIE/ln that had blindsided him, "Time to pay your due, punk". Zan went for a head-up display lock, and replied to R5-D4 quickly, "maximum Firepower R5-D4". He had the first tie in the center of his HUD.

Lieutenant Gammond winced as his craft rocked from the blast. He patted the dashboard of his craft, as if petting it would do any good. The outside showed signs of damage, but the craft was still working like a charm, even if it had gotten a little hotter inside.

With a grin under his black helmet from ear to ear, a small cover was thumbed open on the TIE Bomber's flight stick to reveal the small red button underneath. A warble tone filled his ears as the bomber's targeting sensors began to acquire a lock ... a sly grin crossed Lieutenant Bates face as the prow of his vessel aligned on the crippled X-wing. With a laugh that almost seemed to penetrate space a concussion missile leapt from the bulbous bomb bay, racing to try and slam into the X-wing and obliterate it from Imperial space.

Zan saw the missile coming from his six, and quickly ordered R5-D4 to deploy countermeasures and pulled out of harm's way.

"Damned Rebel!” Bates cursed loudly while his eyes glance at his HUD to check the status of the last two X-wings.

"Corsairs, retreat. Get out of there, Two!" Bival called over the comlink as he punched in his first destination while evading the TIEs. Ziggy's mournful warble guilt him into hanging around for a few moments more.

"These kriffing Imps...," Dakim cursed under his breath. He then fingered his comlink and spoke, "be glad we got that transport guys. At least we have one victory today. Got no choice but to retreat." He banked around, to retreat from the battle field. Corsair Squadron, full retreat," he said. Dakim turned the lever setting his S-foils in the closed, locked position and programmed his return course. Once out of range, he fingered the switch to enter hyperspace.

Bival closed the S-foils on his X-wing as he completed the run up to lightspeed. When the chronometer reached zero, he pulled back the hyperdrive lever and disappeared from the battlefield.

Lieutenant Nyv Gammond had just about enough of this. They had lost a Space Cruiser, this fool's buddies had just left and that pitiful Rebel just put a dent on his dark blue baby! This ended now. "Cover me!" the flight leader said. With one hand, he eased up on the throttle level, took a small dive, and then cut the power completely. It was seconds before all the ties, and the X-wing, had passed in front of him giving him a clear shot. He put on the throttle again, now on Zan's tail. Lining up his sights to the bothersome X-wing, he smirked a bit inside his helmet, opening the public channel, "and that, my friends, is the sound of inevitability." Both hands on the steering yoke, his thumbs pressed the red buttons that marked his weapon controls and sent two green beauties straight up Zan's tail.

Zan knew the risk he took from attacking rather retreating. He had gambled and lost, it was now only unavoidable that he would be captured once.

"This is it" Rand thought to himself as he slid around his comrades tail. His aiming sensors beeped, letting him know he was locked on. Without any emotion Rand pressed down hard on his firing controls, releasing another lovely volley of green at Zan's X-wing.

Before ejecting off into space, Zan placed a small tracking device on his ankle. He then quickly ejected and said goodbye to his third droid in his flying career.

"Nice kill, Rand!" the Lieutenant said, "all TIEs, return to base." With that, the squadron would head in triumphant formation, all four of them with minimal damage, save for Nyv's ship, back to dock with the Tempest.

Upon the destruction of the X-wing, Lieutenant Bates quickly checked the sensor display, noting all enemy X-wings had either fled or were destroyed. He blinked after a moment, noting that the enemy pilot had ejected. He reached to his communications array, flipping it active. "Negative! Lieutenant, we have a live one out here, signal the Tempest!"

Lieutenant Gammond did a double take on that one. Why would these rebels not just die?! So utterly frustrating. "Alright then. I'll signal base. Stay on patrol. My craft needs repairs," with that, the Lieutenant turned his craft toward the Tempest's aft section hangar bay, all the while signaling it with the data.

"Yes, Sir," stated Darking over the comlink.

Bates nodded, though he knew Gammond could not see it, "Acknowledged." He reached over, switching to the TACCOM frequency the Nebulon-B Frigate was on, "This is TE-47-3, to Frigate Tempest...," he continued, grinning the whole time, "we have a live Rebel pilot out here, who could surely use a ride back to the Warspite. Advise, Tempest."

"Commander Del-Malykk!" Ensign Kal Barron of flight control exclaimed. "TE-47-3 with a message. Rebel pilot alive and kicking. What would your orders be?"

Commander Del-Malykk smirked and rubbed his chin, pleased, "turn the ship towards the distress signal we picked up. Use the tractor beams and usher our friend in, won't you? Open a channel with the pilot." Communications did what they do best and opened a channel with poor old Zan. It was never his day, was it?

"X-wing pilot of the rebel insurgents ... this is Commander Synn Del-Malykk of the Nebulon-B Frigate Tempest. You may now consider yourself a prisoner of the Galactic Empire. Prepare to be pulled in. I trust you will find me a very ... hospitable host," and with that, the Tempest, inched its way to the prisoner and pulled Zan in with its tractor beam. It was a highly uncomfortable feeling, to put it lightly. Careening and spinning in the void towards an enemy ship was not a nice way to spend the day.

It was not long before Zan would find himself in a decompression chamber. After that uncomfortable process, he would be surrounded by Stormtroopers and escorted into his new bedroom.

With the capture of the rebel pilot, now safely within the gullet of the Tempest, Bates and the remainder of the TIE/ln fighter flight entered the hangar of the massive Nebulon-B Frigate for some well deserved rest and relaxation.

Drake whipped his YT-1300 Transport around and punched it, heading straight for hyperspace. "Damn," he said shaking his head, "no chance to get in there and get him out." A few moments preparation, and with another rumble and the roar of ten sonic booms, the ship was off into hyperspace.