• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

“No?” There was surprise in Fel’s voice.

“Must not be. Ewoks dumb. Not under-stand astro-navigation. Not under-stand power-up check-list. Dumb.”

“Sad.” The six red-striped interceptors moved up alongside Wedge and Dia.

“Sad. Kettch not have mate. Ewok females too dumb.”

“Even sadder.”

“Fel have mate?” There it was, the question Wedge wanted to ask, had to ask. What was the fate of Fel’s wife, Wedge’s sister Syal?

“Oh, Fel have mate.”

“Smart mate?”

“Smart mate. Actress. You understand actress?”

“Like storyteller. She good mate?”

“Good mate.”

“Fly with you on big island ship?”

“No, she has her own projects. You understand projects?”

“Under-stand. Make bombs, fix star-fighters, stab humans.”

“Something like that.”

This brought them to the leading edge of the engagement zone. Wedge could see that the battle had not gone well for the Vibroaxes, who were down to six active combatants; they and the four Hawk-bats there were still facing fifteen TIEs.

Wedge said, “Stick with Kettch. Kettch teach good.” He rolled out and dove toward the thickest patch of the fight, where three pairs of TIEs were battling Face, Kell, and the Vibroaxe command vessel, a heavily reinforced combat shuttle.

“Fel doesn’t need Kettch to teach. Fel is best human pilot.”

“No. Other humans say other name is best.” Provoke him; maybe he’ll get angry and say something in an unguarded moment. Wedge held off from firing. The enemy TIEs hadn’t yet reacted to the new arrivals, and every second of approach improved his shot.

“Luke Skywalker, then. Rebel scum, but a good flier.”

Dia finally broke in, speaking in her silky Seku voice: “Actually, we’ve been telling him about Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron.”

An explosion of laughter from Fel. “Antilles? Oh, he’s luck incarnate, to be certain, but he really can’t fly worth a damn.”

Despite himself, Wedge felt a wash of anger. At optimum range, he opened fire on the nearest TIEs, the ones pursuing Kell.

Fel opened fire at the same instant. Their sudden strafe hit both TIEs, detonating them within milliseconds of one another.

Wedge veered off to approach the rear of Face’s opponent. Fel paced him. The two of them swooped in difficult circular patterns, like tiny planets orbiting an invisible sun, and fired upon Face’s enemies, annihilating them with similar merciless efficiency.

Antilles and Fel, brothers-in-law, flying together again for the first time in years, since Fel’s disappearance. But it wasn’t a cause for joy. Fel seemed at ease in his role as Zsinj’s ally, and had obviously lost all respect for Wedge in those intervening years.

They turned toward the Vibroaxe shuttle, but there were gas-and-shrapnel clouds near it, with Dia and Fel’s wingman on a course to rejoin them.

The sensor board showed the remaining enemy TIEs turning back toward another Imperial Star Destroyer. Not Mauler; that vessel had passed the engagement zone at a considerable distance, come within range of Iron Fist, and traded long-range blows with the larger vessel. Mauler was now in a slow, uncorrected spin along her long axis, flame venting from half a dozen spots along her hull. There were no escape pods launching; the ship’s commander doubtless thought he could bring the damage under control.

Mauler’s absence was cause for celebration … but a dozen or more Imperial Star Destroyers were still coming on toward them.

“Hawk-bats, Vibroaxe, One Eighty-first.” It was Melvar’s voice. “Fall back, fall back. We are nearing the launch zone.”

“Good flying with you, Kettch.” Fel abruptly veered away toward the rest of his unit. “We’ll do this again.”

“Yub, yub.” Wedge managed to convey more enthusiasm than he felt.

It sounded as though Fel was happy in Zsinj’s service. Perhaps irredeemable. That meant the next time they flew together Wedge might have to kill him.

Iron Fist, now trailing Razor’s Kiss by a considerable distance and acting as the center of her defensive screen, was under attack as the Hawk-bats approached Sungrass. The mighty Super Star Destroyer had taken some blast damage to its port side. The