ITOD Home > Hammerfall - XWA > Fallen Ramparts (XWA)

The last images of beautiful alien beaches and exotic local girls vanish abruptly as the alarm klaxon pulls me rudely out of the dream. Once, just once, I’d like to get ambushed during my shift, after I’ve already finished a cup of hot caf.
The briefing is rapid and straightforward: get out there and shoot down everything in sight, especially if it’s carrying proton torpedoes. My squadron is assigned to take B-wings to assist in driving off the capital ships as well; sounds like we’ll have plenty to keep us busy.
Negotiating the hurried scramble of pilots and ground crew swarming the flight deck, I climb aboard my designated fighter and punch in the emergency start sequence. In my peripheral vision I notice Nicolai Ginofev dropping into the cockpit of an ancient Y-wing; he certainly has courage. (What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?)
Clearing the hanger magcon field, I don’t have long to wait before the pair of Star Destroyers flickers out of hyperspace. Redemption immediately opens up with salvos of scarlet turbolaser fire as the space between the capital ships becomes thick with fighters. Prioritizing the bombers inbound on Redemption, I link all six of my energy cannons and begin triggering off precise, deadly bursts, shredding the poorly protected TIES with grim efficiency. Plunging into the target-rich melee as the flights of Imperial and New Republic starfighters converge, I proceed to take targets of opportunity, noticing with satisfaction that my fellow RS pilots are also blasting TIES with ruthless efficacy.
Dropping in behind a convenient flight of bombers, I target one near the center of their formation and switch my firing control over to proton torpedoes, sending the warhead off with a trail of brilliant blue fire. I would never hesitate to shoot down any craft bearing the Imperial insignia; nevertheless, I do sometimes feel some pity for the poor souls who get stuck in the cockpit of a TIE bomber. Bomber duty must always get assigned to all of the most incompetent and expendable pilots. But then I remember what their load of warheads can do to my comrades, and to the New Republic, and any reservations I have instantly vanish. The torpedo slams into my intended target and obliterates the entire flight.
Turning my attention to the Victory-class Star Destroyer, I find it to already be swarmed with New Republic fighters, and taking heavy fire from the Redemption. I trigger a few proton torpedoes off for good measure, but it’s clear that the demise of the VSD is imminent.
As the VSD disappears in a brilliant flash of flame and debris, the Imperial-class Destroyer begins to ponderously maneuver onto an escape vector. Well, these Imperial dogs are not getting away, not if I can help it. With green turbolaser blasts flashing past my cockpit, and occasionally splashing on my shields, I make a series of runs on the shield generators, smashing the spherical projectors under a deluge of cannon fire. With no shields and its fighter screen obliterated, the Destroyer quickly succumbs under the onslaught of warheads and laser fire.
The flight deck crew will have lots of silhouettes to add to my fuselage today. Meanwhile, I have a beach to get back to.