Jedi under Siege

18

In space, the Second Imperium fleet fired their weapons.

Ackbar shouted, “All personnel, battle stations!” The Calamarian admiral gestured with his flippered hands. “Shields up! Prepare to return fire!”

The two front-most modified Star Destroyers lunged forward, their turbolaser batteries blazing. Brilliant green streaks sliced out, zeroing in on Ackbar’s flagship.

Jaina stood beside the Calamarian admiral and squeezed her eyes shut as the blinding flashes shattered against their forward shields. “The Second Imperium must have been building their fleet in secret,” she said. “Those ships look like the construction was rushed.”

“But they are still deadly,” Ackbar said, nodding solemnly. “Now I know why they stole those hyperdrive cores and turbolaser batteries when they attacked the Adamant.” He turned to his communications systems, bellowing orders in his gravelly voice. “Shift target from the Shadow Academy. That training station is a lesser threat than the new battleships. Target the Imperial Star Destroyers.”

The weapons officers working at their command stations called out in alarm and dismay, “Sir, our targeting locks won’t match! Those ships are broadcasting friendly ID signals. We are unable to fire.”

“What?” Ackbar said. “But we can see the Star Destroyers.”

“I know, Admiral,” the tactical officer shouted. “But our computers won’t fire—they think those are New Republic ships. It’s built into the programming.”

Suddenly understanding, Jaina exclaimed, “They stole guidance and tactical computer systems during their raid on Kashyyyk! The Imperials must have installed them in their own ships just to confuse our weapons computers. We’ll have to change our targeting locks, or else we won’t be able to fire. The ‘Identify Friend or Foe’ fail-safe systems will prevent it.”

Lando Calrissian had been listening on the open channel; his voice now boomed over the comm. “Since my ships from GemDiver Station use different computers, I guess the first round is up to us.”

Lando’s hodgepodge group of independent ships swept in on the Star Destroyers from all sides, firing a barrage of proton torpedoes at key points to dilute the overall shield strength.

“A little trick I picked up,” Lando explained over the comm unit as Jaina stood beside Ackbar watching. “This whole thing reminds me of the battle of Tanaab.” Then he gave a whoop of triumph as another volley of torpedoes detonated at once, two of them penetrating the shields and leaving a white-hot chain of flames along the side of one Star Destroyer. Lando’s ships kept firing and firing, but now the Imperials began targeting the smaller craft, leaving Ackbar’s vessels alone.

“Admiral,” Jaina said, “if the Second Imperium is so clever that they can use our own computer systems to trick us, can’t we turn the tables—use our computers against them?”

Ackbar turned his enormous round eyes on her. “What do you have in mind, Jaina Solo?”

She bit her lower lip, then drew a deep breath. The idea was crazy, but … “You’re the supreme commander of the entire New Republic fleet. Isn’t it programmed into the computers that they must accept some sort of override signal from you in cases of extreme emergency—like this one?”

Ackbar stared at her, his mouth gaping as if he needed a drink of water or a long breath of moist air. “By the Force, you’re right, Jaina!”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” she said, rubbing her hands together. “Let’s get reprogramming.”

After destroying his own student Norys to rescue Jacen Solo, Qorl’s insides felt deadened, as if the rest of his body had turned into a droid … just like his mechanical left arm.

After all his years of training and loyalty, he had betrayed the Second Imperium. Betrayed! He had allowed his heart to decide, rather than following blind obedience and cold ambition.

But young Jacen had been kind to him, had helped rescue him, had shown him warmth and friendship, though Qorl knew he had done nothing to deserve it….

He had taken the twins prisoner, threatened their lives, forced them to repair his crashed TIE fighter so he could return to the Empire. Since then he had made small, secret gestures to repay them, such as when he’d cautiously helped them to escape the Shadow Academy. But killing his own student to protect them …

Qorl had committed a grave mistake by making decisions on his own. He should have known better. It wasn’t his place to make decisions. He was a TIE pilot, a soldier of the Second Imperium. He helped instruct other pilots and stormtroopers. His allegiance was to the Emperor and his government. Soldiers didn’t have the luxury of making their own minds about which orders to follow and which ones to ignore.

His mind in turmoil, he took his TIE fighter up toward orbit. Most of his squadron had fallen out of formation, attacked or destroyed by unknown defenses on Yavin 4. He should return and report to his superiors. He would have to decide whether to surrender or confess what he had done … and face Lord Brakiss’s retribution.

Qorl’s jaw clenched. Surrender is betrayal. How could he be willing to do this? His ship’s engines howled as he tore free of the atmosphere and headed straight toward the looming Shadow Academy station.

He saw with astonishment that he had stumbled into the middle of an enormous space battle.

New Republic warships had appeared unexpectedly, firing and firing upon the Shadow Academy. But then came the newly arrived fleet of Second Imperium ships, cobbled-together Star Destroyers, Imperial battle cruisers assembled from leftover pieces in reclaimed shipyards. The new fleet used the computer systems, hyperdrives, and turbolaser batteries that Qorl himself had helped to acquire.

But seeing the Second Imperium’s ships filled him with a sense of dismay. The new fleet lacked the grandeur and impressive presence of the original Imperial armada. Qorl had flown on the Death Star, served as part of Grand Moff Tarkin’s Imperial Star-fleet.

This new fighting force looked somewhat … desperate—as if people whose dreams stretched far beyond their resources had leaped into the fray.

Qorl saw the Second Imperium ships pounding the Rebel rescue fleet—but as he watched, the tide turned and clusters of nondescript ships attacked the Star Destroyers.

Then the Star Destroyers’ defensive shields suddenly and inexplicably went down, as if their own computers had switched them off. As if they had agreed to surrender!

Rebel battle cruisers fired into the opening at full strength, ripping great gashes in the hulls of the new Star Destroyers. What was going on? Why didn’t his comrades reestablish their shields?

As Qorl flew toward them, frantic to do something to help with the fight, fresh TIE fighters streamed out of the Star Destroyers and began to pound the Rebel ships, though they seemed no more than tiny gnats against Ackbar’s great fleet.

Qorl suddenly saw his chance to redeem himself. He had already been a traitor to his rescuers and friends and to the Second Imperium. No matter which choice he made, he would be cursed—he would never be able to live with either betrayal.

At the moment, though, Qorl could join the fight on the side of the Second Imperium and cause whatever damage he could … perhaps even die fighting. He was a TIE pilot. He had trained for this. Long ago, he had flown from the Death Star on a similar mission—and now he would make everything right again.

Qorl powered up his laser cannons, weapons that had last been fired against Norys’s ship to stop the bully’s murderous frenzy. Qorl could now use the weapons against his assigned targets: the Rebel Alliance.

His TIE fighter stormed into the fray from out of nowhere, firing on one of the Corellian gunships, leaving black scorch marks as he strafed along its side. Other TIE fighters joined him, flying in a barely recognizable attack pattern. These fleet members were obviously untrained, having spent very little time even in simulators. But the chaos served the new pilots well as the ships flew around each other, blasting and pummeling with no set goal but to cause damage.

The Rebel fleet responded with heavy turbolaser fire, lancing out in all directions. With a blinding glare, one of the Star Destroyers blew up, its command turret in flames. Another Star Destroyer went reeling, its defenses down; it turned in an attempt to limp away. The Rebel fleet pursued, all weapons blazing.

The Second Imperium was losing. Losing!

Qorl shot after the fleeing ships. Some of the TIE fighters sped off into space … though Qorl had no idea where they intended to go. Their flagships were destroyed and the Shadow Academy was under fire. Did they intend to give up?

“Surrender is betrayal,” he muttered to himself—and flew directly into the Rebel flagship’s line of fire.

Turbolaser bolts shot past, but Qorl dove forward, firing his insignificant laser cannons and diving down the gullet of the beast. He would never give up. This would be his final flash of glory.

The Rebels improved their aim—and the cross fire struck him. Qorl closed his eyes behind his TIE helmet, expecting to vanish in a bright puff of flame, a candle burning for his Emperor.

But the energy weapons had only managed to clip one of his engines and damage part of his power array.

Qorl’s TIE fighter spun out of control, away from the battle fleet. Even in his crash restraints, he was thrown from side to side inside his tiny cockpit. Qorl held on, expecting his ship to explode at any moment … all the while careening farther and farther away from the continuing space battle.

Still spinning, he saw that gravity had caught him. He was crashing again, plummeting toward the jungle moon of Yavin… .