Star Wars_ Death Star - Michael Reaves [153]
TIE X1 MERIDIAN TRENCH
Vader and his two wingmates flew the trench, the last three X-wings dead ahead.
His wingmate fired, hit one of the Rebels. The wounded ship pulled up, out of the fight.
“Let him go,” Vader commanded. “Stay on the leader!”
One of the ships hung back, obviously trying to delay Vader and his pilots. He focused on it. Lined up.
Fired.
The ship exploded.
One left. Vader moved to engage him. “I’m on the leader,” he announced.
The TIE x1 screamed down the length of the trench, hot on the X-wing’s tail. Closer … almost there …
Vader felt energy coming from the pilot in almost palpable waves. “The Force is strong in this one,” he said, more to himself than his wingmates.
Strong, but not strong enough to stop Vader. Not strong enough to prevent the man who killed Obi-Wan Kenobi from doing what had to be done.
Vader triggered his guns.
He hit the fighter’s R2 unit, saw the smoke and flames erupt from the hit.
Good.
Now, he thought, we finish this.
COMMAND CENTER CONTROL ROOM, DEATH STAR
“Rebel base is in range,” the voice from the comm said.
Elated, Tarkin turned to Motti. He kept his voice calm. “You may fire when ready.”
TIE X1 MERIDIAN TRENCH
Slowly, Vader crept up on the last X-wing. The Force swirled about the mysterious pilot; eddies, clouds, a vortex of powerful energy. Who could this be? This was no Jedi, of that Vader was certain, but he was steeped in the Force like one.
The target danced back and forth across his screen. Then, finally, a lock!
“I have you now,” Vader murmured. He moved to thumb the firing buttons. Then, suddenly—
His starboard wingmate’s TIE exploded.
“What?” Vader twisted about, trying to see through the cockpit’s transparisteel while simultaneously reaching out with the Force. Enemy fire was coming in from a totally unexpected direction. But how? There weren’t any more enemy fighters in the vicinity!
Then he felt the attacker—approaching from above, to the port side. Vader couldn’t see it, but his remaining wingmate could. He screamed, “Look out—!”
The port wingmate’s TIE collided with Vader’s ship and was knocked spinning, out of control. The x1 ricocheted off the wingmate, sending the latter to a fiery doom against a trench wall. Vader’s ship was hurled out of the trench and sent, pitching and yawing, into an uncontrollable series of flips.
At one point, he caught a blurred glimpse of the unexpected attacker. He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the battered old Corellian freighter he’d investigated earlier, which had escaped just after his duel with Obi-Wan.
No time to wonder about that now. Vader fought to stabilize his craft, but the control surfaces were damaged. He had to use his drive pulses.
His TIE continued to spin, however, and he realized he was an easy target. He managed to get the spin under control and then ready the little ship for the jump to light-speed. A second or two would be enough. A couple of light-seconds would put him more than half a million kilometers away and give him a chance to get the TIE under control.
But, he realized grimly, whatever that pilot who was one with the Force planned to shoot, he was now going to have a chance to hit it.
74
SUPERLASER FIRE CONTROL, DEATH STAR
Tenn heard the order as if he were at the bottom of a deep mine shaft. It echoed over him:
“Commence primary ignition.”
His crew threw switches, adjusted rheostats, pushed buttons. The status reports came in one by one, like pronouncements of doom.
All too soon, it was down to him. Slowly, Tenn lifted the incredible tonnage of his right arm. His hand trembled on the lever. He saw his CO watching him through the smoked lens of the blast helmet. He could read the man’s mind: Shoot, Chief! Shoot!
Tenn wasn’t a believer in anything more than he could see and hear and touch, never had been. But now he prayed for a miracle—for something, anything, to deliver him from the burden of so many more deaths. For something to stop it, somehow. With his free hand he