Star Wars: Heir to the Sith (Part 3)

Chapter 18: Pina's Veteran Wing of TIEs was sweeping into action.

"The Awakening is in position!" Bauhaus screamed. "Our fighters are leaving the hangars now - all seventy-two of them."

Pina stared fixedly at the scene before him. Between the Malevolent and the Assassin, the Awakening had appeared seemingly from nowhere. Already green streaks of fire were erupting from the Mon Calamari ship, all focused on the Malevolent, just above its armoured hull, targeting the weak points in the Star Destroyer's stern section.

He didn't even need to give the order before his own turbo lasers opened fire. A full broadside, already aimed and computed, poured toward the Malevolent at the same time, targeting the starboard shield generator that Maltster's intelligence had revealed as potentially faulty.

If they could knock that out in the first few seconds they would have a chance . . .

Bauhaus was shouting again: Commodore Sarn's captain had issued a command, ordering Pina to stand down.

Pina swallowed, ignored the order, and called over to Lieutenant Triem-mar, the Reaver's sensor officer.

"Are Malevolent's shields up?"

He watched as the green blaster streaks closed on the target.

"Yes sir!" the officer replied. "They've just raised them!"

"Damn it! That was sharp work from their bridge officer." Pina peered as his broadside hammered the Malevolent. The great shield dome sparkled over the distance as immense energies contested their power. Layers of shielding shimmered, gave way, and reasserted themselves in the nanoseconds after impact, but weaker than before.

"Commodore Sarn has sent a signal sir," a voice shouted from the pit. "There are hostages on both ships. He will kill them if we don't withdraw–"

"Continue concentrated firing at the shield dome!" Pina snapped immediately. "And issue my declaration to Sarn and his officers asking for their surrender."

His pre-recorded broadcast was sent, promising a fair trial and exemption from execution if Sarn and his senior officers surrendered.

"First wave of fighters going in now sir!" Bauhaus observed.

"Let's hope they can hit their target - this is the only chance they will have before Sarn's fighters get involved. They can't afford to waste this free run."

He turned his gaze from the actual fighting and down onto the display of his command console. Two of his TIEs had already perished, brought down by the Malevolent's fire, but they had managed to make it to the Star Destroyer before the first of its fighters had launched.

Pina concentrated on the twelve fighters that broke formation and moved toward the stern of the Malevolent, targeting the weak spots that Malaster had highlighted. Each one was equipped with a proton torpedo, and each pilot had trained for hours in a simulation for where they should target their payloads.

He watched as the first of his fighters launched its torpedo several hundred metres from the stern of the Malevolent. Within a few seconds, the other eleven had launched. Twelve tracks of yellow and white light burned against the darkness of space, pummelling the rear of the Star Destroyer just above the glow of its engines, consuming it in an eruption of orange flames that were tinged with green and blue explosions as the many elements of the ship were consumed.

Pina's eyes seized on the sensor reading of the Malevolent. Its bridge deflector shields dropped quickly, and continued to reduce for some seconds after the initial impact.

But even now Pina's Veteran Wing of TIEs was sweeping into action, flying close in to the Malevolent's hangars on the ship's underside. Even as the first squadron of enemy TIEs left the safety of their bays, several were intercepted by the veterans and destroyed before they even had a chance to fire a shot of their own. The rest were scattered, flying off in a solo panic. They would be easy pickings for his Veteran Wing having sacrificed their formations.

Pina felt a sudden excitement of growing confidence, and then forced himself back to reality. So far, almost all of their effort had been pitched against the Malevolent, seeking to knock her out of the battle in the first few minutes, and to cause Sarn to react to that tactical reality.

And his plan all depended on just how the commodore responded.

So far, all the initiative and surprise had been on Pina's side. He had planned his offensive with full knowledge of his enemy's disposition and weaknesses.

From below him, another wave of green cannon fire raced out toward the Malevolent and its starboard shield generator, followed a second later by several blue streaks that signified the Reaver's ion cannons opening up.

Surely, he wondered, how much more could she take?

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