Short Story
by
CMDR/MAJ Mortu/Lamed/Wing IV/SSSD Sov
Warning lights flash all over the control board. My hands jerk wildly at the joy stick as I try to dodge glowing laser arrows from Republican craft. My shields are gone and laser/ion cannons are smothered, as barrels melted from over-heating and enemy laser hits. The sensors are long gone and the cockpit is filled with cracks and micro-holes, leaving me dependent only on my suit life support.
It is a miracle of Force that I am still alive, barely avoiding fire from Rebel craft, vastly superior to my old Defender. The rest of the strike force had been destroyed, in a suicidal mission to distract NR sector defense, while the real threat is racing for the capital. We all knew that we’d die here, yet we still came. An hour ago we were a battlegroup consisting of SSD Avenger, five Imperial II Star Destroyers and five full fighter wings. Now the capital ships are destroyed by the Rebel Death Star, which in turn was brought down by our trench runners.
Twenty years ago, our craft were state of the art, able to devastate any and all resistance, now they were barely enough to attract a Death Star, on course to defend Coruscant from our Esclipse and Sovereign class battle cruisers. I remember when TIE Defenders were untouchable, when we sliced through A-Wings and X-Wings like a knife through the butter. Now it is different.
Rebel Quad Ion craft are faster, stronger. When most of ours were buried in the Death Star explosion the rest never had a chance. I am the last one remaining. Years of experience and mastery of the Force kept me alive through seventy minutes of hell… yet soon it will end…
My fuel is gone, and I eject, hurling myself in a futile attempt to reach the enemy with my light saber… too slow, the QI dodges me with ease and I see a flash of red…
Major Mortu woke up in cold sweat. Again, the same dream occurred. He sighed with resignation. If this was the way he was destined to die, at least it was a good death. Meanwhile Lamed was waiting…
CMDR/MAJ Mortu/Lamed/Wing IV/SSSD Sov
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