Star Wars_ The Dark Lord Trilogy - James Luceno [87]
The droid fighters swooped in to meet them halfway, and the tight formations observed by both sides dissolved into dozens of separate skirmishes. Those Republic starfighters that managed to steal through the chaos drew into tight clusters and continued their fiery advance. The rest became embroiled in swift attacks and evasive maneuvers. Local space became a scrawl of scarlet lines and white spirals, punctuated by expanding explosions. Craft of both camps came apart, tumbling and spinning from the arena, wingless or in flames.
“They’re being shot to pieces,” Red Seven said over the net.
“They know their job,” Anakin responded.
That job was to buy Red Squadron enough time to skirt the main action and race down Tythe’s gravity well.
A burst-transmission from survivors of the assault on the Republic’s small base had confirmed Dooku’s presence on the surface. But on the possibility that Tythe was a calculated diversion, Palpatine’s naval command staff had agreed to committing only a single battle group from the Outer Rim fleet. In the view of those same naval commanders, invasion was senseless; a Base Delta Zero attack, justified. In the end it was decided that saturation bombardment, augmented by limited starfighter engagement, would send Dooku fleeing, in keeping with the Republic’s strategy to force the Separatists deeper into the galaxy’s spiral arms.
The Jedi had insisted nevertheless that an attempt be made to take Dooku alive.
Obi-Wan and Anakin didn’t need to be reminded of what had happened only weeks earlier on Cato Neimoidia when they had gone after Viceroy Gunray, but they were not about to forgo a chance to capture the Sith Lord.
Red Squadron’s intended insertion point was twenty degrees south of Tythe’s north pole, where the Separatist line was most dispersed. With droid fighters still pouring from the curving arms of Trade Federation Lucrehulks, and the recoiling barrels of Commerce Guild cannons filling local space with storms of unleashed energy, Anakin led the starfighters on a weaving course through the heart of the enemy fleet.
“No signature for Grievous’s cruiser,” he said to Obi-Wan. “None of the ships of the Separatist leadership are here.”
Obi-Wan glanced at the wire-frame display of his threat-assessment screen. “All the more reason to believe that Dooku was ordered here by Sidious.”
“Then where’s everyone else?”
Obi-Wan was troubled by the thought, but didn’t admit to it. “Dooku will know,” he started to say, when the starfighter’s proximity scanners stammered a warning. “Techno Union star-ship is veering to intercept us.”
“Droid fighters are away and locking on,” Red Three added.
Obi-Wan acknowledged. “Angle shields. We can outfly them.”
“We’ll end up too far off course,” Anakin said.
“We’re almost at the insertion point,” Obi-Wan said.
“That starship isn’t just going to move aside. Form up on me. We’ll show them how well we improvise.”
There was no time to argue the point. Rolling to port, Obi-Wan fell in behind Anakin and fired his thrusters. Trailing behind, Red Squadron accelerated and banked for the narrowwaisted vessel.
“Ready proton torpedoes,” Anakin said. “Sow them just above the fuel cells.”
Point-defense turbolasers sought the starfighters as they fell on the ship, needling space with outpourings of gaudy energy. Corkscrewing missiles claimed Red Ten and Red Twelve, both of which disappeared in angry blossoms of fire. Sensing its sudden vulnerability, the huge vessel launched additional droid fighters. In the instant it lowered its shields to route power to the sublight drives, Red Squadron attacked.
Tight on Anakin,