Star Wars_ X-Wing 07_ Solo Command - Aaron Allston [112]
“Don’t be distracted, Petothel,” Fel said. “Stay with the primary target.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, and opened up again on the Falsehood.
Fel’s wingman veered away in pursuit of the A-wing.
On the bridge of the Reprisal, the captain and crew watched the Falsehood’s movements.
“He’s vectoring to sweep around us,” the weapons operator reported. “He’ll probably return to his primary course when he’s clear of our guns.”
“Order the TIEs to herd him back in toward our side,” said the captain, a burly man who could not return to his home on Coruscant until Rebels like Han Solo were purged from the galaxy. “We can’t keep Fel from firing on her, but maybe we can steal the kill. What’s the status of that debris?”
“On a collision course with us,” the sensor specialist said. “But its speed and tonnage are insufficient to do us harm. Our shields will repel it.”
“Very well,” the captain said.
Lara and Fel continued to pour laser fire into the Falsehood’s stern, all the while dodging with the mad speed and maneuverability of which only TIE interceptors were capable. The remaining TIEs swept out ahead of the Falsehood, forming up in her path, dictating a run through their gauntlet or a turn—either toward space, along the Dreadnaught’s flank, or back toward the planet.
But Dorset Konnair in her A-wing flashed along behind the line of TIEs, firing her blaster cannons continuously, vaping two of the TIEs before she emerged from the other side. Fel’s wingman pursued her, firing at maximum range, unable to overtake the starfighter.
Donos kept up ineffectual fire at Lara whenever she was under his sights, while trying with all his skill to tag Fel whenever that pilot came within view. He had no more success hitting the pilot he wanted to kill than he did the one he wanted to miss. And shot after shot from the pursuing TIEs rocked the Falsehood, sounding alarms as shields threatened to fail.
Chewbacca veered back toward the escape course short of the gauntlet of TIEs. His maneuver left them too close to the Dreadnaught; the Falsehood would be running under the guns of the Reprisal. Donos shook his head and stayed focused on his more immediate problems. If the Reprisal hit them, he’d be dead before he felt anything.
Zsinj watched the Corellian freighter’s run. He rapped his knuckles against a bulkhead, trying to bleed his nervousness away with activity. “Why isn’t Mon Remonda jumping in?” he said. “Petothel said that these Millennium Falcon missions had cruiser support.”
Melvar said, “Maybe she was wrong. Or they changed tactics.”
“No, it makes sense. He just isn’t calling in his cruiser. Why isn’t the Reprisal dealing with that debris?”
Melvar glanced at the data feed from the Dreadnaught. “It’s not real ship’s construction. Too light. Their shields will handle it.”
Zsinj glanced away from the transmitted view from the Reprisal’s bridge to the data feed. Cold suspicion clawed at him. “Contact the Reprisal! Tell them to blow that debris now!”
The tumbling piece of space junk that had been attached to the Falsehood made contact with the Reprisal’s bow shields.
Inside, a sensor attuned to sudden shocks and gravitational variances registered impact. It triggered the large cache of explosives fastened within the debris’s hull.
The bomb, originally intended for a drop onto one of Zsinj’s production facilities on the surface of Comkin Five, exploded with far more force than the Dreadnaught’s shields could withstand.
A bright glow washed over the Falsehood from the side. Donos glanced away from Lara’s TIE interceptor to look.
The entire bow of the Reprisal seemed to be awash in bright light and flame.
His comm unit crackled. Squeaky said, “We have good news to report. The Wraiths are incoming.”
Squeaky turned off the comm mike and glared at Chewbacca. “You didn’t tell me it was a bomb.”
Chewbacca rumbled a reply.
“No, now is the time to talk about it. You’ve made me a participant