Rebel Pilot: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 7

Anakin continued to take calming breaths as they flew in formation towards the Death Star's surface. He continuously reminded himself that Luke was going to be fine .

And if anyone dared go after his son, they were going to blow up real quick, Anakin thought darkly.

As they approached, features of the battle station became clearer and clearer. Despite his experience throughout the Clone Wars, Anakin had to admit he had never seen anything like this before, and for the first time possibly ever, felt almost truly overwhelmed.

"Look at the size of that thing!" the pilot Luke had been talking to earlier, Wedge, exclaimed.

"Cut the chatter, Red Two," said Red Leader over his headset. "Accelerate to attack speed. This is it."

Continuing to move closer, Red Leader moved his targeting device into position. "We're in position. I'm going to cut across the axis and try to draw their fire." Despite the cool calm of his voice, Anakin could feel his apprehension in the Force.

Anakin and the rest of the fighters on his side of the formation peeled off, diving towards the surface of the fortress. Laser bolts streaked through the sky, massive beams coming from enormous guns on the ship. He smiled. This part was always fun for him, for some reason. Obi-Wan had never quite understood.

"Heavy fire, boss!" Wedge exclaimed. "Twenty degrees."

"I see it. Stay low."

"The guns are very large," Anakin said, "and our fighter ships are small. I don't know exactly how technology has advanced, but weapons of that size shouldn't be easy to move. As long as we stay way out of the line of fire, we aren't likely in too much danger."

Anakin could feel the minor comfort that seemed to give the pilots in the other fighters. "You heard General Skywalker," Red Leader said. "Put as much distance as possible between your ships and the lines of fire from their weapons."

"Hang on," said a voice Anakin didn't recognize. "Did you say General -"

"Now isn't the time for this," Anakin interrupted as their x-wings zoomed across the surface of the Death Star. "Focus on the battle."

"I - yes. General."

Luke nosedived suddenly, and Anakin knew exactly what he was doing. "This is Red Five, I'm going in!" He was being a Skywalker and acting without orders or a plan. In Anakin's experience, it tended to work, so he didn't say anything.

Laserbolts streaked from Luke's weapons, hitting the Death Star and causing an explosion. He had actually caused a good amount of damage, but the fireball from the explosion was going to hit him if he didn't get out of the way.

"Luke, pull up!" Anakin recognized the voice as Biggs, Luke's friend.

Luke's ship emerged from the fireball, thankfully alive but with scorched wings.

"Luke, you alright?" Biggs checked.

"Got a little cooked, but I'm okay."

The rest of the rebel fighters were continuing to damage the surface of the Death Star with their weapons, though the damage probably wouldn't hurt the Empire much on a large scale. Still, a sense of foreboding settled over Anakin, and he sensed danger in the Force.

He was pretty sure he knew what it was. "They know their turbo-lasers aren't working," Anakin said. "Their military is led by Vader, right?"

"Correct..."

"He'll send out individual fighters to take us out one by one," Anakin said grimly.

"How do you know?"