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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 3623074" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 483: Fondor“Kark me...” Adria Harken’s voice cut through the rest of the chatter on the comm system as everyone got their bearings.    Rulae felt the need to reprimand her on that, but couldn’t help but agree with the feeling. The planet Fondor and its orbital shipyards were nearly impossible to see through the mass of objects that, according to the sensors, was the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. There were at least a hundred ships from transport size all the way up to some that were about the size of a Star Destroyer. Adding in the tiny dots and objects that were undoubtedly Coralskippers made it even more overwhelming.    But Rulae simply needed to turn his head to both sides to feel a bit better. To his X-Wing’s starboard side was Adria, currently designated Zephyr Two for this mission. Zephyr Three, Rea, and Four, Loro, were just slightly behind and above Rulae’s position. But beyond Adria’s X-Wing, Rulae could see even more starfighters. X-Wings, A-Wings, E-Wings, and even a few Y-Wings.    When he looked to his starfighter’s port side, Rulae could see more fighters. But there was also a sight he’d never seen with his own two eyes. That one ship, alone, an old, beat up looking CEC YT-1300 was a thing of legends. The Millennium Falcon. A symbol of the New Republic. But, truthfully, it was only one ship. The real morale booster for Rulae and the others wasn’t this wall of starfighters charging in at the Yuuzhan Vong lines, but what was behind them.    The New Republic fleet wasn’t as large as the Vong’s, but it was close. Star Destroyers, Mon Calamari Cruisers, gunships, and so many other large ships were heading in with them. For the first time since the war had started months before, it actually felt like a fair fight.     “Alright, Zephyrs,” Rulae pulled in his amazement at the situation thanks to a quick transmission of their orders that had just shown up on his HUD, “Fondor’s reporting that the Coralskippers are actually ramming the shipyards like giant missiles. They’re flying straight through the defenses and hitting the ship and anything they can. We’re going to push through that big group of Vong ships and help defend the shipyards.”    “That’s a tough push, sir,” Loro commented, his watery voice getting an added depth thanks to the scratchy sound of the comm system.    Rulae nodded, despite the fact that the Mon Calamari wouldn’t be able to see it, “Correct. So form up tight on me and we’ll overlap our shields. Stay close and we’ll go straight through.”    And the blackness between the New Republic ships and the Yuuzhan Vong fleet suddenly lit up. The Vong ships had positioned themselves in such a way to fire both on the shipyards and on the incoming fleet, firing their molten-red energy blasts towards the wave of starfighters. As the mass of small ships suddenly broke up into hundreds of small formations to avoid being taken down, the New Republic capital ships opened fire, sending green and red turbolaser blasts across the gap.    Some of the fighters were taken out in that initial salvo. Most avoided the first wave, though, and continued to head straight into the Vong fleet at full speed, just waiting to get in range to open up with their own weapons. The fire from the capital ships on both ends did not stop, and experience said that it wouldn’t until the entire battle was over, but instead, a new attack joined in, and it was one that was currently more dangerous to the starfighters.    Coralskippers.    They seemed to come out of no where, appearing like little chunks of the larger ships just falling off then flying in, spitting fire as they flew. Chaos erupted the second that the Coralskippers joined in. The comm channels were filled with cries. Some cut off abruptly, others spouted orders, and most called for help. A great many of the fighters broke off into dogfighting with the Coralskippers, focusing fire to overwhelm the dovin basal defenses of the Vong ships.    But Rulae held his course. He could see an opening between the Vong ships. A straight shot through the formation and to the shipyards which were still being pummeled. A sudden, bright flash in front of Rulae’s X-Wing caused him to react by banking to port. Thankfully, the others reacted with him, as they were flying close enough to easily collide if they weren’t careful.    “Sir, two of the cruiser analogs are firing on us!” Rea’s cried out over the comm as more bright flashes began to occur. Vong shots impacting the shields. They were only holding due to the strength of all four combined. Even then, they wouldn’t hold long.    “A group of skips coming in from behind us,” Adria cut in.    Rulae did what he was good at and took the entire situation in, then made a quick decision on how to achieve the necessary goal, “Change course. Bearing three one seven, mark two.”    Another flash, but this time it caused Rulae’s X-Wing to shake violently. The shields weren’t liking this beating...    “There’s a small cruiser directly in that path, sir,” Rea’s voice was hard to hear through the sounds around him, but Rulae had learned early on how to focus his hearing in combat.    “Arm torpedoes,” Rulae answered the unsaid question as he juked his X-Wing to the new course, the others falling behind a short second before catching up, “As soon as we’re in range, fire everything you’ve got at that cruiser. If we overload those damned dovin basals we can take it down.”    “And the skips?” Loro asked, sounding worried, “They’ll be within firing range in a few seconds.”    Their target cruiser, which was directly ahead now as they passed over a much larger, rounded Vong ship that was taking heavy fire from the New Republic’s capital ships, seemed to notice the four X-Wings coming at it. The teardrop-shaped cruiser, roughly the size of a Corellian Gunship, turned to bring its port side cannons to bear on the fighters and was already firing.    “That should keep the skips off of us!” Rulae said as he began to fall into his instincts. Now it was going to be impossible to stay close. All four of them were banking, juking, and spinning to avoid the shots from the cruiser ahead of them and, suddenly, one above that had taken notice. The one good thing about it was that any Coralskippers that tried to pursue could get caught in the shots, too.    “Aft shields down!” Adria yelped, but a noise suddenly drowned her out. A loud beeping sound.    The cruiser was in range.    Suddenly, the X-Wings that were moving wildly on their push forward let loose with their laser cannons. Arcs of red-orange answered the shots of the cruiser, most of them being sucked up by the miniature black holes that were the dovin basals. But some got through, thanks to the four of them firing on different areas and stuttering the shots so that the dovin basals couldn’t capture each of the shots.    Catching another flash in his eyes, Rulae wrenched his X-Wing to port hard, a shot from the cruiser singing his lower shields. Seeing he had a straight shot, and still holding down the trigger for his laser cannons, Rulae’s thumb shifted to hit another switch. Again, the X-Wing shook...once...twice...a third time. But these were Rulae’s doing. Mixing with his laser fire were three proton torpedoes, all on different paths and streaking towards the rapidly growing cruiser.    “Torpedoes away!” Rea called out a second later. While the other two said nothing to that effect, Rulae soon saw a good twelve or so bright blue objects joining the chaos.    Two of them were hit mid flight by stray shots from the Vong ships. The other half of them were sucked up by the cruiser’s dovin basals. But the rest hit. Five of the proton torpedoes slammed into the rock-like hull of the Vong cruiser, and the relatively small ship began to break apart from the force of the blasts.    As it broke up, small explosions rocked the interior before it finally stopped firing. Shards and chunks of the Vong cruiser flew in all directions, and Rulae quickly mapped out, in his head, a safe course through the wreckage to the shipyards beyond.    “Those skips are still on us!” Loro’s voice was strained, “Two on me!”    “Hold on, Four,” that was Rea.    Rulae managed a quick glance to his port to see an already battered X-Wing suddenly decelerate and drop back at the same time. Idealistic little...she was going to get herself killed.    “Two,” he said, hitting his comm switch, “Stay on my wing.”    “Right with you, sir,” Adria said as her ship pulled in a bit tighter.    Then, after ducking under a large chunk of the destroyed cruiser, Rulae looped around. Adria’s X-Wing followed, and the second they were facing the other direction, the two Coralskippers pursuing Loro were easy there. There were only a few short milliseconds before they shot under Rulae, but he managed to squeeze his trigger with some quick aim on one of them. His own fire was joined by a series of shots from his side, which meant Adria had done the same.    He didn’t even see the thing explode, as it had gone past already and Rulae was pulling hard to whip his X-Wing back around and get the other skip off of Loro’s tail. To the Mon Calamari’s credit, he was very, very good at not getting shot. By the time Rulae was looped back around, he was behind both the Coralskipper and Rea’s X-Wing, which was opening fire already.    Rulae pulled up above her and joined in, firing down on the small ship. The Coralskipper quickly banked away when it took a few hits, but Adria anticipated its direction and was already firing where it was flying to. There wasn’t an explosion, but the skip simply burst into pieces.    “Form up tight again while we can,” Rulae ordered as he put more power to his engines to catch up to both Rea and Loro, “Do what you can do get more power to your aft shields. Some of those Vong ships are still taking a liking to us.”    “Sir!” Rea’s voice sounded like she’d been shot, but since Rulae was still behind her, he’d have known if she’d have taken a direct hit, “I’m picking up one...two...seven...more...by the Force a huge fleet just dropped out of hyperspace!”    Immediately, Rulae looked down to his own sensor board. Sure enough, the already crowded screen got even more crowded. But they weren’t Vong. After a long second of a delay, the new arrivals turned green...broadcasting friendly IFF signals. And it was then that he realized the main comm channel was now filled with cheers.    He also realized they weren’t taking fire from the larger Vong ships anymore.    Rulae got his bearings and checked the sensor board again. Realizing where they would be, he looked to his starboard side and saw another new sight and something that was altogether wonderful. It was another fleet. They’d jumped in close, too. Hundreds of them. Some of the ships were round, and spinning as they spit turbolaser fire into the Vong ships. Others were like arrows, charging in already and firing everything they had. Battle Dragons and Nova Cruisers.    Hapan ships.    A Hapan fleet.    “I can’t believe it!” Adria was actually laughing. Truthfully, Rulae felt the same way.    But this time, the Commodore in him took over, “Zephyrs, eyes ahead. Those shipyards are still taking shots and it looks like there are still skips ramming them. Lets get them some cover while we have the chance. Its not our place to get in the way of the Hapan’s greeting of the Vong.”</blockquote>

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