Star Wars_ X-Wing 04_ The Bacta War - Michael A. Stackpole [58]
Wedge opened a comm channel. “One and Two Squadrons, S-foils in attack position.” Both the X-wings and the Deathseeds responded to his order, causing their stabilizers to split and lock. The fighters spread out on their previously assigned approach vectors, but they held back from closing with the freighters.
He shifted the comm unit over to the frequency the Ashern indicated the Thyferrans used. “This is Wedge Antilles. I have two squadrons of fighters here. We intend to have your cargo. If you cooperate you will be given a course, be able to drop your cargo, and then go back home unharmed.”
Nervous tremors shot back through the voice that answered him. “Antilles, we were told that if we went with you, we’d be destroyed. We have family back on Thyferra.”
That comment sent a chill down Wedge’s spine, but he fought against the ideas it planted in his head. “Your families will not be harmed. Isard can’t kill families of pilots and expect any more shipments of bacta to go out. It’s a bluff that I have to call. If you decide not to go back to Thyferra, I’ll help you get your people to safety. You’re going to lose your cargo, you might as well save yourself some pain.”
One of the tankers began to move away from the others. Mynock, Wedge’s R5 droid, tagged it as Xucphra Rose. “This is Bors Kenlin in the Rose. We’re yours, Antilles.”
“Kenlin, don’t go. You have a wife back on Thyferra.”
“Isard will be doing me a favor if she kills her.” The Rose drifted further from the other two ships. “Where am I going?”
“Stand by, Rose.” Wedge shifted his comm unit over to the squadron’s tactical frequency. “Nine, you and Ten and your two Deathseed friends will escort the Rose to Halanit. Isard has threatened dependents on Thyferra if the crew goes along with us, so find out who their people are so we can transmit the data to the Ashern and try to save them.”
Corran’s voice came back strong. “As ordered, sir.” Two X-wings broke from formation and made a quick flyby on the Rose. In the first pass they downloaded to the Rose’s navicomp the course for their run to Halanit. As they came back around, the Rose moved on the exit vector with them and two Deathseeds fell in behind. In the blink of an eye all five ships went to lightspeed and vanished.
Wedge looked back at his monitor again. The remaining ships were Xucphra Alazhi and Xucphra Meander. Wedge suspected the first voice he’d dealt with was on the Alazhi. Since the ship was named after a key component in bacta, he assumed the captain had seniority over the other two. Wedge shifted his comm unit back to the Thyferran frequency. “Meander, what is your decision?”
A woman’s voice answered him. “Meander is unconvinced the crew will be safe from Isard’s reprisals.”
“Meander, your cargo will be bound for Coruscant. If you can’t lose yourself there, you can obtain transport to anywhere you want to go from there. I guarantee you that your cargo will alleviate an incredible amount of suffering.”
Xucphra Meander began to drift away from Alazhi. As it did so, the Alazhi began to roll to bring its turbolasers to bear on Meander.
Wedge shifted over to his tactical frequency. “Three and Four, neutralize Alazhi. Five and Six, pick up Meander and head to Coruscant.”
Gavin and Shiel broke their X-wings out of the formation and sprinted in at the Alazhi. They kept their fighters moving in a grand spiral, which made them very difficult to track, especially as they dipped below the turbolasers’ ability to depress sufficiently to shoot at them. Green laser bolts shot out in pairs at the incoming fighters, but they always came in above or. below the X-wings.
Coming up on a turn in the spiral, Gavin’s fighter rolled and spat laserfire at the freighter.