Star Wars_ Episode VI_ Return of the Jedi - James Kahn [73]
A score of Rebel fighters made the first turn-off into the power shaft, followed by twice that number of TIEs. Two X-wings lost it right away, careening into a derrick to avoid the first volley of laser fire.
The chase was on.
“Where are we going, Gold Leader?” Wedge called out gaily. A laserbolt hit the shaft above him, showering his window with sparks.
“Lock onto the strongest power source,” Lando suggested. “It should be the generator.”
“Red Wing, stay alert—we could run out of space real fast.”
They quickly strung out into single and double file, as it started becoming apparent that the shaft was not only pocked with side-vents and protruding obstacles, but also narrowing across its width at every turn.
TIE fighters hit another Rebel, who exploded in flames. Then another TIE fighter hit a piece of machinery, with a similar result.
“I’ve got a reading on a major shaft obstruction ahead,” Lando announced.
“Just picked it up. Will you make it?”
“Going to be a tight squeeze.”
It was a tight squeeze. It was a heat-wall occluding three fourths of the tunnel, with a dip in the shaft at the same level to make up a little room. Lando had to spin the Falcon through 360 degrees while rising, falling, and accelerating. Luckily, the X-wings and Y-wings weren’t quite as bulky. Still, two more of them didn’t make it on the downside. The smaller TIEs drew closer.
Suddenly coarse white static blanketed all the view-screens.
“My scope’s gone!” yelled Wedge.
“Cut speed,” cautioned Lando. “Some kind of power discharge causing interference.”
“Switch to visual scanning.”
“That’s useless at these velocities—we’ll have to fly nearly blind.”
Two blind X-wings hit the wall as the shaft narrowed again. A third was blown apart by the gaining Imperial fighters.
“Green Leader!” called Lando.
“Copy, Gold Leader.”
“Split off and head back to the suface—Home-one just called for a fighter, and you might draw some fire off us.”
Green Leader and his cohort peeled off, out of the power shaft, back up to the cruiser battle. One TIE fighter followed, firing continuously.
Ackbar’s voice came in over the comlink. “The Death Star is turning away from the fleet—looks like it’s repositioning to destroy the Endor Moon.”
“How long before it’s in position?” Lando asked.
“Point oh three.”
“That’s not enough time! We’re running out of time.”
Wedge broke in the transmission. “Well, we’re running out of shaft, too.”
At that instant the Falcon scraped through an even smaller opening, this time injuring her auxiliary thrusters.
“That was too close,” muttered Calrissian.
“Gdzhng dzn,” nodded the copilot.
Ackbar stared wild-eyed out the observation window. He was looking down onto the deck of the Super Star Destroyer; only miles away. Fires burst over the entire stern, and the Imperial warship was listing badly to starboard.
“We’ve knocked out their forward shields,” Ackbar said into the comlink. “Fire at the bridge.”
Green Leader’s group swooped in low, from bottomside, up from the Death Star.
“Glad to help out, Home-one,” called Green Leader.
“Firing proton torpedoes,” Green Wing advised.
The bridge was hit, with kaleidoscopic results. A rapid chain reaction got set off, from power station to power station along the middle third of the huge Destroyer, producing a dazzling rainbow of explosions that buckled the ship at right angles, and started it spinning like a pinwheel toward the Death Star.
The first bridge explosion took Green Leader with it; the subsequent uncontrolled joyride snagged ten more fighters, two cruisers, and an ordnance vessel. By the time the whole exothermic conglomerate finally crashed into the side of the Death Star, the impact was momentous enough to actually jolt the battle station, setting off internal explosions