Episode IX The Legacy of the Sith

The Last Battle of Alderaan

Ten star destroyers, ominous and deadly, like spearheads ready to strike waited in linear formation in the same plane as the Alderaanian asteroids.  The lead star destroyer, the Finalizer, was a veteran ship to the First Order and had claimed numerous victories over the Resistance, most notably a piercing defeat against Leia Organa in the Lybeya system. Its dark silhouette partially obscured two other star destroyers behind it. Yet behind them all loomed a large command super star destroyer, dwarfing the Finalizer, boasting a girth three times its size.

A star battle raged as hundreds of TIEs and resistance ships darted about the star destroyers in the space between them and an Alderaan space station. However, the station was still well protected in the cover of the asteroids. This base was a combination of interlocking smaller stations, corridors, and decommissioned ships semi-permanently attached to each other. Precise blasts from the station's turbolasers pierced the asteroid field like a needle, most of the firepower directed at the Finalizer.

The First Order ships returned fire through the mist of swarming single-man snub fighters. Sometimes the star destroyer attacks fizzled out as they destroyed unlucky Resistance fighters and TIEs. Other cannon blasts destroyed masses of asteroids, burning them out in pops of green and red bursts; but a few bright green laser blasts made it through the human and natural barriers to strike the station shields.

....

General Hux stood erect, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched emotionlessly out the command bridge viewport of the Finalizer. The Finalizer shields were sustaining blows, but there was no appreciable danger.

He hailed Admiral Dentin. "Admiral."

"Yes sir," came the confident female voice over the Holovid as her image appeared.

"Direct all firepower at their turbolasers and continue to fire until you have cleared away all the asteroids in the way. We must cripple that station."

"Yes, sir. Should I then disregard any escape vessels, General?" Admiral Dentin was covering her liabilities, and General Hux knew it. He would not tell her to ignore them at the risk of incurring blame as well, but Hux would be sure to punish her for posturing at a later time. General Hux also understood the Resistance had closed themselves in with asteroids, so they would not be able to escape with their large cruisers.

"Direct the TIE squadrons to deal with them." His teeth glistened with saliva as he barked the order.

"Yes, sir," Admiral Dentin replied.

A few moments later a third of the TIE fighters maneuvered into the asteroid field and attempted to surround the station. Another third tightened up their defense patrolling closer to each destroyer. The last third was left to pursue Resistance fighters. They had been given Hunt-and-Destroy orders to choose one fighter and pursue it until it to the end before acquiring a new target.

General Hux did not miss the ingenuity of the admiral's plan as he observed it unfold. His smile betrayed that he would receive credit for the success of Dentin's plan. He ordered the commander of his ship to continue firing on the turbolasers. "I want troopers on that station in twenty minutes!"

....

Outside, hundreds of snub Resistance fighters darted about in an attempt to weaken the First Order's attack. Although it looked like random dog fights, in actuality each squadron of fighters was executing a specific order.

Poe Dameron, one of the best pilots in the Resistance headed one such squadron. He was no stranger to chaotic missions. His orders were to weaken or possibly destroy a star destroyer. A number of squadrons were commissioned with this purpose, three for each star destroyer.

His squadron consisted of three X-Wings and two Y-Wing bombers, with him in the lead X-Wing. They had been assigned to Star Destroyer Beta, a Resistance designation for the second star destroyer from the left of the enemy line. Two sister squadrons with the same instructions were assigned to SD-Beta as well.

They approached Beta head-on, after falling out of formation in the fray. The X-Wings dispatched TIE fighters and protected the bombers on the way to their target darting around them as if they were braiding wire. Poe recognized the unusual vigilance in the TIEs pursuit, not changing to new targets as normally was the case. Poe's squadron had to constantly rescue each other from pursuit. They evaded the last of the pursuing TIEs as one X-wing crossed in front as a decoy, while another came down from above. However, now they were close to the selected star destroyer; and a new group of defending TIEs approached, obviously fighting with a different tactic as they patrolled.

"Resume formation, Rapier Squadron," Poe said. "We need to make one circuit to analyze their defense pattern. Follow me."

"Yes, Rapier Leader," came the response from the four other pilots.

They circled the star destroyer, dodging turbo-laser fire as they went. A group of four TIE fighters broke from the destroyer to engage them. As Poe's squadron then passed from their zone to another, a new group of TIEs approached and the previous group returned to its patrol.

"It looks like zone patrolling, Rapier Leader." A voice over the HoloNet came to Poe from one of the X-Wings. Poe fired on one of the TIEs. It exploded in green electric vapors.

"I see it, Rapier Three," Poe returned. "We need to hop-n-pop 'em. On the next change-up."

"Yes, Rapier Leader," the squadron returned. Each fighter had to avoid fire from TIEs and the star destroyer but reset to formation after each maneuver. The three remaining TIE fighters from the previous zone fell back, as four new TIEs approached.

"Now," Poe ordered.

Rapier Two and Rapier Three, the other X-Wings darted to port and starboard, but first crossing in front of Poe's X-Wing. As they passed across his view, he fired on the incoming TIEs, shooting a solar panel off of one, then diving sharply toward the star destroyer, the bombers following.

Two of the remaining TIEs veered off to pursue Rapier Two and Three, and the last dove down after Poe and the bombers, spinning to right itself with them.

Poe fired laser blasts into the star destroyer's shields with little effect as small blue ripplettes radiated out from the impact. Poe then pulled up to loop behind the pursuing TIE fighter. The bombers released multiple proton torpedoes. One of the bombers suffered a glancing hit from the destroyer's turbo lasers and pulled up. The pilot rattled in the cockpit with the blast.

"You all right, Rapier Four?" Poe asked.

"Yes, Rapier Leader. Nothing you need to write home about," Rapier Four returned.

The remaining TIE fighter fired on Rapier Four, another hit glancing off his shield. Poe held his breath and plunged himself behind the TIE, settled and lined up the target lock as he had done millions of times before, sweat dripping from his brow; not in fear, but excitement. The target lock alarmed for a split second before Poe pulled the trigger. The TIE evaporated into nothing. Poe breathed out, remembering all the lives he had not been able to save.

"Don't joke about writing home, Rapier Four," rebuked Poe sternly. "Now let's get some distance and hit the next zone before they fill in this gap with more TIEs."

Poe had seen enough death in battle; but Roman, the Rapier Four pilot, was still young and fresh enough in battle to be ignorant of the true threat.

Rapier Two and Three returned to formation having eliminated their own TIEs and dropped a proton torpedo each into the shield. They moved away from the destroyer's turbo-lasers and prepared themselves for the next group of TIEs then repeated the maneuver.

Poe radioed Admiral Statura the success with his attack pattern, and soon all bombing squadrons were mimicking it. "It won't be long before those Order Flies figure this out. Keep your eyes open," Poe advised his squadron.