droids? Been a while since I’ve seen those, sir.”
“Launch when ready,” Vader said to the squadron as the antigravs lifted his ship off the deck. Dozens of V-wings followed suit.
The commander synced the fighters’ identifications with the bridgecomp, so they could be easily distinguished from the incoming vulture droids and mines.
“Clear to launch,” said the bridge officer.
“Lord Vader,” Luitt’s voice said over the private channel. “The shields are at sixteen percent.”
“Understood, Captain,” Vader said, engaging his ion engines. His interceptor accelerated out into open space.
CHAPTER SIX
“Can you magnify on the launch bay?” Cham asked, and Kallon, still muttering, made it happen.
One of the screens on the wall gave a close-up of the Star Destroyer’s belly launch bay, and, through the glowing net of the dying shields, they watched dozens of V-wings pour out of it. Cham had anticipated a fighter contingent. A third of the vulture droids would engage with the V-wings. The rest would continue on their mission.
“Status of the shields?” he asked Kallon.
Kallon shook his head. “Too far out for accurate readings, but…”
As they watched, the net of lines surrounding the
Perilous
flared and expired. The shields were down.
“Well,” Kallon said, sitting back in his chair and grinning. “I think we have an accurate reading after all. They’re down.”
“Yes,” Gobi exclaimed, and slammed his fist on the table, spilling his caf.
Even Cham couldn’t contain a smile.
—
Vader saw the shields flare and fail even before Luitt’s frantic call came over the comm.
“Shields are down, Lord Vader.”
Scores of mines, drawn by their attractor arrays, floated toward theship, gradually picking up speed, and hundreds of droid fighters chewed up the space behind them, swarming toward the vulnerable ship.
Vader wheeled his interceptor toward the mines and the oncoming vulture droids. He sensed a greater threat in the droids than he did the mines.
“Free all batteries to fire on the mines, Captain.”
The V-wing squadron commander’s voice carried over the comm. “Ten seconds before vultures are in range. Target the mines in the interim.”
Vader fell into the deep well of anger that sat in his core, used it to center him in the Force, and flew entirely by feel. He targeted a mine, fired, watched it vaporize, and flew through the flames. Wheeling right, he targeted another, and another, destroying a mine with every shot. The explosions sometimes set off nearby mines, and space was soon filled with a network of concurrent detonations. Vader spun and whirled through the chaos.
“There are too many to get even half,” said one of the pilots.
“Droids closing,” the squadron commander said.
“Break off and engage the droids,” Vader commanded.
Around him the Star Destroyer’s formidable batteries of weapons scribed lines of ionized plasma on the velvet of space. Mines exploded to Vader’s left and right. He circled wide and up, buzzing the
Perilous
’s bridge as he fired on another mine, another. And yet there were too many.
The first of the mines reached the hull of the Star Destroyer, latched on to the bulkhead, and blossomed into fire—two, eight, a dozen, a score. The explosions shot long tongues of flame into space. Debris and bodies flew out of the blast holes and into the vacuum. Vader could imagine the fires, the death, the blaring alarms.
Vader flew above the huge pyramid of the ship, hugging
Perilous
’s superstructure and destroying three mines before they could connect to the hull and focus their blast into the ship’s bulkhead. Their explosions did superficial damage but didn’t breach the ship.
“Droids in range,” the squadron commander said. “Regroup and take attack formations.”
—
Cham stared at the screens, his jaw clenched, his shoulders hunched, as the forces closed. The fighters looked tiny against the backdrop of the Star Destroyer,
“Launch when ready,” Vader said to the squadron as the antigravs lifted his ship off the deck. Dozens of V-wings followed suit.
The commander synced the fighters’ identifications with the bridgecomp, so they could be easily distinguished from the incoming vulture droids and mines.
“Clear to launch,” said the bridge officer.
“Lord Vader,” Luitt’s voice said over the private channel. “The shields are at sixteen percent.”
“Understood, Captain,” Vader said, engaging his ion engines. His interceptor accelerated out into open space.
CHAPTER SIX
“Can you magnify on the launch bay?” Cham asked, and Kallon, still muttering, made it happen.
One of the screens on the wall gave a close-up of the Star Destroyer’s belly launch bay, and, through the glowing net of the dying shields, they watched dozens of V-wings pour out of it. Cham had anticipated a fighter contingent. A third of the vulture droids would engage with the V-wings. The rest would continue on their mission.
“Status of the shields?” he asked Kallon.
Kallon shook his head. “Too far out for accurate readings, but…”
As they watched, the net of lines surrounding the
Perilous
flared and expired. The shields were down.
“Well,” Kallon said, sitting back in his chair and grinning. “I think we have an accurate reading after all. They’re down.”
“Yes,” Gobi exclaimed, and slammed his fist on the table, spilling his caf.
Even Cham couldn’t contain a smile.
—
Vader saw the shields flare and fail even before Luitt’s frantic call came over the comm.
“Shields are down, Lord Vader.”
Scores of mines, drawn by their attractor arrays, floated toward theship, gradually picking up speed, and hundreds of droid fighters chewed up the space behind them, swarming toward the vulnerable ship.
Vader wheeled his interceptor toward the mines and the oncoming vulture droids. He sensed a greater threat in the droids than he did the mines.
“Free all batteries to fire on the mines, Captain.”
The V-wing squadron commander’s voice carried over the comm. “Ten seconds before vultures are in range. Target the mines in the interim.”
Vader fell into the deep well of anger that sat in his core, used it to center him in the Force, and flew entirely by feel. He targeted a mine, fired, watched it vaporize, and flew through the flames. Wheeling right, he targeted another, and another, destroying a mine with every shot. The explosions sometimes set off nearby mines, and space was soon filled with a network of concurrent detonations. Vader spun and whirled through the chaos.
“There are too many to get even half,” said one of the pilots.
“Droids closing,” the squadron commander said.
“Break off and engage the droids,” Vader commanded.
Around him the Star Destroyer’s formidable batteries of weapons scribed lines of ionized plasma on the velvet of space. Mines exploded to Vader’s left and right. He circled wide and up, buzzing the
Perilous
’s bridge as he fired on another mine, another. And yet there were too many.
The first of the mines reached the hull of the Star Destroyer, latched on to the bulkhead, and blossomed into fire—two, eight, a dozen, a score. The explosions shot long tongues of flame into space. Debris and bodies flew out of the blast holes and into the vacuum. Vader could imagine the fires, the death, the blaring alarms.
Vader flew above the huge pyramid of the ship, hugging
Perilous
’s superstructure and destroying three mines before they could connect to the hull and focus their blast into the ship’s bulkhead. Their explosions did superficial damage but didn’t breach the ship.
“Droids in range,” the squadron commander said. “Regroup and take attack formations.”
—
Cham stared at the screens, his jaw clenched, his shoulders hunched, as the forces closed. The fighters looked tiny against the backdrop of the Star Destroyer,
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