The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 49 - Assault on Nar Shaddaa

An uneventful week had passed, but the day came when the people of Nar Shaddaa had to realize that peace was deceptive.

In the morning, Nomi and Dash weren't woken up by the triplets, but by the wailing of sirens. Surprisingly the babies weren't disturbed by the noise and still slept soundly. Their parents hastily dressed and made their way to the headquarters' command center, confident that they would be back soon. When they reached their destination, everyone in the room was in a frenzy. Talon Karrde stood at a tactical display and waved the two pilots of Rogue Squadron over. He pointed at the display showing dozens of dots representing enemy fighters and capital ships. "It seems the Empire isn't quite dead yet, my friends. We have unwanted visitors who try to get a foot in the door. We're not just going to watch, we're going to fight. Are you with us? We have some reserve fighters, nothing special but reliable," the smuggler said, looking expectantly at his friends. Both pilots nodded their heads. "Of course, Talon, we owe you one for welcoming us with open arms," Dash replied, almost out the door to head to the hangar. "I'll take the Outrider!" Karrde turned his attention to Nomi, knowing that leaving the babies behind wouldn't be easy for her. "You can still stay behind, Nomi. I would understand given the circumstances. But if you want to fly with us, I'll have someone look after your sons." It only took a split second for the young woman to answer. "I will fly and fight, Talon." Nomi's friend wasn't surprised by her answer. "Then come with me." He turned and walked towards the hangar, followed by Nomi. Along the way, he pulled out his comlink and contacted someone he could trust to babysit the triplets.

By the time they reached the hangar, it was already swarming with smugglers ready to defend their home. Karrde's people were manning the fighters standing there, while Dash and Leebo just entered the Outrider. Talon looked at Nomi who was glancing at the hodgepodge of the various fighters. Some of them were antiques and it seemed questionable whether they would still be spaceworthy. "Do you want to fly with Dash and Leebo or do you prefer to fly a fighter? However, I can only offer you an Ugly or a Z-95 Headhunter." The Rogue Squadron pilot cast a glance at the Ugly, which consisted of the cockpit and engines of an Imperial TIE and the wings of an X-wing fighter. "I'm pretty sure Dash and Leebo can do without me. You could use more fighters I think. Give me the Headhunter, Talon." "Alright...good luck out there, my friend," Karrde said before heading to an Ugly. "May the Force be with you," the young woman replied, climbing up the ladder and entering the Z-95 Headhunter. She hadn't flown such a fighter in a long time, but she remembered that it wasn't as agile in combat as an X-wing. But it was still better than an Ugly. There was no time for a pre-flight check and so she just turned on the engines and launched. When the Uglies and Headhunters ascended in Nar Shaddaa's orbit, Dash was already there with the Outrider.

The smugglers' attack formation was a bit disorganized, but although most of them weren't military-trained pilots, it looked passable. Nomi heard her husband's voice in the headset. "Enemy fighters incoming...stay sharp." Looking out of the cockpit window, Nomi saw several TIEs approaching in close formation. She bit her lower lip as she realized that it wasn't going to be an easy battle. Fighting highly skilled Imperial pilots with pilots who might never have fought together seemed almost impossible, but she would see it. The young woman looked for the Outrider, but the YT-2400 was nowhere to be seen. Seconds later she recognized the familiar silhouette and couldn't believe her eyes. Dash headed straight ahead and at full throttle towards the Imperial Star Destroyers lurking in the background that had launched the TIEs. Nomi had figured it would stop him from doing such stunts now that he's a family man. But was she any different? If she was honest with herself, she must admit to being cast in the same mold. But there wasn't much time for brooding. Enemy fighters came at full throttle, splitting formation just as they were almost in firing range.

Nomi attempted to lock on to a TIE, but its pilot was very adept at repeatedly dodging her. He flew daring evasive maneuvers and tried to target the Headhunter. The experienced Rogue Squadron pilot cursed under her breath and continued to pursue the enemy fighter. Both fighters performed a deadly dance. Eventually she managed to get him in her crosshairs and pressed the fire button. The laser beams hit the TIE's cockpit and the fighter vanished in a fireball. At the same moment she heard Talon's voice. "Watch out, Nomi! There's one behind you!"
Immediately, the young pilot went into a steep dive and then made a turn followed by a corkscrew maneuver, but the Headhunter didn't respond to her steering motions as quickly as her X-wing. The TIE was still tailing her, matching her every move with ease. "I can't shake him, Talon." There was no panic in her voice as she still flew maneuvers to avoid getting hit. "I'll get him soon," Salla Zend remarked after destroying her opponent, flying towards Nomi's position. Seconds later, the TIE turned into space dust and Nomi heard Salla's whoop of joy. "Gotcha!" The Rogue Squadron pilot breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Salla." "You're welcome, Nomi," the smuggler replied laughing. "I wouldn't have liked it if your little ones didn't have a mother anymore." Meanwhile, the smuggler fighters and TIEs were engaged in fierce dogfights. The defenders of Nar Shaddaa were barely a match for the overwhelming Imperial forces. The Imperials were gaining the upper hand.

Glancing in the direction of the ISDs she noticed that the Outrider was almost in tractor beam range of the nearest capital ship. She switched to the freighter's comm frequency and hailed her husband. "Dash! Are you crazy? You don't stand a chance against this Destroyer! This is suicide! Veer!" There was no reaction at first, but then she heard her husband's voice. "Calm down, I know what I'm doing, Nomi. Trust me." His wife couldn't watch any longer. The short breather was over and several TIEs attacked her. She had to concentrate fully on dodging them and getting them in front of her fighter's laser cannons. Debris from TIEs, Uglies and Headhunters drifted around her Z-95, making maneuvering difficult. Both sides had already paid a high price in blood.

Suddenly, Nomi's cockpit was illuminated by a blazing light caused by the exploding ISD. The Outrider flew out of the rubble, narrowly escaping the aftermath of the blast. Dash made his way straight to his wife's position, who was waging a desperate battle against the TIEs attacking her. "May I rid you of your somewhat intrusive admirers, Nomi?" He asked in an almost joyful tone brought on by his recent success and the adrenaline coursing through his body. "Every help is greatly appreciated," her crisp reply came while she fired at the TIEs without ceasing, shooting one down and crippling another. Dash joined her in combat and now they fought side by side, taking out enemy fighters one by one. But when Nomi switched to the common battle frequency she heard Talon's voice. "We can no longer hold our position. Begin retreat. We have to evacuate the HQ." The surviving smugglers broke off the attack and flew towards the HQ, the TIEs hot on their heels.

In Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere, the Headhunters and Uglies had an advantage over the TIEs, which bought them time. After they landed at the hangar, Nomi ran to their quarters and entered. The triplets slept soundly in their makeshift crib under the watchful eye of a woman Nomi didn't know. Dash arrived shortly after her and together they thanked the woman, took the crate along with their few belongings and rushed back to the hangar where they brought their precious cargo aboard the Outrider. They lifted off immediately, were able to shake off their pursuers and reached Nar Shaddaa's orbit unhindered. There they faced several enemy fighters, but their smuggler friends were ready to fight again. With combined strength they managed to force their way and make the jump into hyperspace.

The survivors gathered at the coordinates Talon had set up for such cases. Their casualties weren't as high as they first appeared. Nomi and Dash hailed Karrde. "It's time for us to go, old friend," Dash said, smiling at his wife as he punched in the coordinates provided by Wedge Antilles. "Hey, Nomi, Dash. Thank you for your help. I owe you," Talon Karrde replied, wiggling his fighter's wings. "It was nothing, Talon. What are you going to do now?" Karrde hesitated for a moment before answering Dash's question. "Well, I think we'll relocate our HQ. I already have an idea. I know a nice planet called Myrkr that might be suitable. The Empire won't discover us there any time soon. And what are you going to do?" "Oh, we'll get in touch with the Alliance. They'll definitely be happy that we're coming back to them," Nomi answered instead of Dash. "Until our paths cross, Talon."

Shortly thereafter, the Outrider jumped into hyperspace and was on the way to the new Alliance base on Dagobah.