Star Wars_ X-Wing 07_ Solo Command - Aaron Allston [127]
The communications officer called up, “Communications lost with Serpent’s Smile.”
Zsinj scowled down at him. “Nonsense. We still have data feeds.”
“Sorry, sir. I meant bridge communications.”
Zsinj looked at the enhanced view of the battle zone. The top hull of Serpent’s Smile was afire, with much of the flame concentrated around the command tower. Increasingly, the old destroyer looked like something a giant beast had chewed upon.
“We’re getting communications from their auxiliary bridge. They’re requesting orders.”
Zsinj felt a sense of loss as he realized what needed to be done. “Tell them to lock down their current course, launch all starfighters, and abandon ship.”
“They say they can save her, sir.”
“Do as I ordered.” Zsinj turned to Melvar. “It’s a heavy loss. But now they can’t flinch.”
Melvar nodded.
Solo watched as the stern of Serpent’s Smile slid ever closer to the bow of the oncoming Stellar Web. He was unconscious of the fact that he was rocking forward and back in his seat. Games of head-to-head between capital ships tended to result in disaster for both participants, and disaster was almost upon the two ships he watched.
“They’re going to hit,” Onoma said. “They cannot avoid it now.”
Stellar Web finally vectored, her bow turning slowly away from the oncoming destroyer wreckage. Solo waited for the inevitable collision between ships, but Serpent’s Smile seemed to slow as it approached the Interdictor. Stellar Web shot away from the destroyer, her course taking her dangerously close to Crynyd, then vectored away from that vessel as well. Suddenly she was headed out to space, away from the surviving Imperial Star Destroyers.
“How did she do that?” Onoma said.
“I’m not sure,” Solo said. “But if I were driving a dragship in that situation, I’d reverse the gravity-well generators so they pushed instead of pulled. That would give me extra propulsion to bounce away from any mass in the area. Must have wreaked havoc with the ship’s artificial gravity, though. She can’t be set up to do such a thing normally.” He couldn’t keep dull disappointment out of his voice. Stellar Web’s course was now at an angle to Iron Fist’s. Distance increased between the two ships. “Weapons, how soon before we overtake Iron Fist?”
“They’ll be within firing range in thirty-eight seconds,” the weapons officer said. “Within effective damage range in a minute ten.”
“Sensors, how soon, assuming optimal piloting by Stellar Web, before Iron Fist is out of her projected mass shadow?”
“Two minutes fifteen, sir.”
“Weapons, ready your guns.”
Wedge brought the Rogues around for another pass. Casualties had been high in his group owing to the sustained effort against Iron Fist; of the Rogues, Hobbie had been hit by an ion cannon and his snubfighter was out of combat, though he was undamaged, and Asyr Sei’lar had been forced to punch out when turbolaser damage sent her X-wing into a fatal spin toward Iron Fist’s hull. A shuttle off Mon Karren was now endeavoring to pick her up. Losses had been even more severe among many other squadrons, especially the slower-moving Y-wings and the Cloakshape fighter squadron off Battle Dog.
But Iron Fist was starting to look bad, portions of her deck gouting flame. Mon Remonda reported Serpent’s Smile destroyed, and Red Gauntlet sustaining heavy damage from the two Imperial-class Star Destroyers she faced.
“Rogues, stay on her bow,” Wedge ordered. “Solo’s group is coming up off her stern and we don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.” He rolled toward the Super Star Destroyer, evened out his shields, and opened fire once more.
His lasers plowed into Iron Fist’s shields and through—he saw hull plates explode out under the pressure of the atmosphere they’d once contained. As he looped around from this side-to-side strafing run, he saw the guns of Mon Remonda, Mon Karren, and Mon Delindo chewing away at Iron Fist’s stern, the destroyer’s batteries returning fire against the Mon Cal cruisers.
Then Iron Fist became a single streak of light leaping out into space. A moment later, the