The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 21 - Back to Duty

It was a boring time in the med bay and despite the fact that she got visitors frequently; Nomi Darklighter was relieved when 2-1B told her that she could leave and resume her duties as a pilot.

As Nomi entered the hangar bay, her brother Gavin looked up from his work, wiped his greasy hands at a cloth and came over, followed by Fuzzy who whistled happily. The young man hugged his big sister tightly. After a while he let go.
"I'm glad you're back, Sis," he said and pointed at Fuzzy who stood at his side, giving a stream of excited whistles and beeps. "The little fella here missed you too and I'm glad you can take care of him now. Frankly, he was a nuisance."
Nomi chuckled and patted the astromech's dome.
"Fuzzy is very special," she finally managed to say and tried to imagine how the droid was going on her little brother's nerves.
"This for sure," her brother said with a lopsided grin. "Therefore you're such a good team. I missed you being out of patrol. It wasn't the same without you being my wingman."
Brother and sister hadn't noticed that the other Rogue Squadron pilots had approached them.
But then they clapped and Tarik pulled Nomi in an embrace. Wedge Antilles stood there with a big smile. He was glad that the young woman was out of the med bay. The argument with Dash Rendar and the mercenary's reproaches were still nagging at him.
"Welcome back, Nomi," he said and the gathered pilots clapped again and cheered.
They weren't only comrades but family to Nomi and she was happy to be back.

The daily routine was interrupted a few days later, when the sirens onboard blared and the pilots of Rogue Squadron headed for their X-wings. It didn't take long and they launched.
Wedge Antilles cursed loudly when he saw what just dropped out of hyperspace. A single Victory class Star Destroyer which seemed to have found them by pure coincidence. The commander knew that the comm staff on duty would jam the enemy vessel's communication already, so there wouldn't be any possibility to send the coordinates and more Imperial forces would show up. Rogue Squadron was deployed to engage the TIEs they had just launched and the Destroyer itself.
"Rogues, S-foils in attack position and fire at will," Antilles' voice was heard in his pilots' headsets.
One by one the pilots did as ordered and picked their targets.
Nomi got a lock andfired, but then she had a feeling of danger before the proximity alert sounded.At the last moment she went in a steep dive and the laser beam, which wouldhave pierced her cockpit, missed. She breathed a sigh of relief, but this wasneither the time nor the place to chew over what could have happened. Shepicked her next target and carried on.

Commander Wedge Antilles preferred a rather unpredictable approach in combat,which was very different from what he had learned at the Imperial Academy backthen. He knew that only a few Imperial squads did the same. Most of themexecuted specified attack patterns which made them predictable and vulnerable.Predictable didn't mean that they fell like Neimoidian Mistflies, but it madeit a bit easier to defeat them.
He picked his targets carefully and took them out one by one. When he cast aquick glance out of the side window of his cockpit, he saw one of his pilotsbeing in danger.
"Rogue 3, a TIE's tailing you," he said calmly.
"I can't see anything, Leader. My scanner doesn't work," they heard Rogue3's voice, as he began to fly evasive maneuvers.
But everything the pilot tried was in vain. Flames came out of his X-wing'sstern after a direct hit. It wasn't fatal, but enough to take him out of thebattle. Slowly he drifted to the frigate with an engine failure.
Even though they lost Rogue 3 they kept up fighting and took down several enemyfighters. Suddenly Nomi Darklighter noticed something as she cast a glance ather readouts, after she evaded the aftermath of the explosion caused by the TIEshe just hit. Shards of destroyed and damaged fighters were drifting everywhereand it became more and more difficult to maneuver.
"Leader, there's something odd on my readouts," she called Wedge, while weavingher way through the debris.
"I noticed it as well, Rogue 10," the commander responded and shot down anotherenemy fighter.
"Do you think the same as me, Leader?"
"I bet I know what you think. We're going in, Rogue 10. Rogues, keep theTIEs busy and out of our necks and don't let the Destroyer come in firing rangeif it comes to the transports or the frigate," Antilles responded andsteered his fighter towards the Destroyer followed suit by Nomi.

They met heavy defensive fire, but their shields held so far. Finally they werein firing range and took advantage of the mistake the Destroyer's commander made.He had concentrated the whole power on the rear shields instead to divide itevenly on the shield projectors all over the capital ship. Nomi's fingerlingered over the fire button, waiting patiently to get a lock on one of theDestroyer's vital sections. Her commander did the same and when the signalindicating a lock came both pushed the button and sent the proton torpedoestowards the Destroyer. The torpedoes hit their targets and a chain reactionwent through the ship. It didn't take long and it listed to starboard while itbroke apart.
Some of the TIE fighters nearby were caught in the explosion and in itsaftermath.
"Good job, Rogue 10," Wedge said and the members of Rogue Squadron cheered whenthey witnessed the downfall of the Victory class Destroyer.
To mop up the rest of the enemy fighters was an easy task now and minutes laterthe battle was over.

When the victorious fighters landed onboard the frigate, Nomi saw Dash Rendarstanding at the Outrider. A smile litup the man's face as the woman he loved left her X-wing and climbed down theladder. Fuzzy activated his repulsors and went down to the floor to follow hispilot when she walked over to her fiancé.
"Welcome back, my love," he said and bent down to give her a kiss. "I willleave soon to search for Boba Fett, who has Han Solo, but before this there issomething very important."
Nomi nodded her head. She remembered what Luke had told her about what happenedin Cloud City.
"I don't want to wait any longer, Nomi," he continued. "Let us marry as soon asSolo is freed."
"Yes, I agree on this," the young woman responded with a smile. Then shetiptoed and kissed him. "I'm looking forward to being your wife."
The mercenary smiled and caressed her cheek.
"I must leave, but I'll be back soon, I promise," he said and turned to hisship's access ramp.
When he reached the hatch he turned and waved goodbye. Then he entered andminutes later he was on the way.