Episode IX The Legacy of the Sith

The Endurance

 Poe's squadron had done well with their bombing mission on the Beta star destroyer. The First Order had caught on to their technique after about four runs and changed their orders toward a pursuing tactic. Poe managed to catch the change quickly enough, his nimble sense able to see the pattern and change his own strategy. He ordered all the fighters to circle around the destroyer in the same circuit. The TIEs then pursued the fighters in one direction, while Resistance proton torpedoes constantly dropped onto the shields.

The First Order then changed their maneuverings again into alternating pursuit runs in opposite directions. Poe again recognized the pattern and switched the attack to a perpendicular circuit around the destroyer, causing only brief engagements with the TIEs. As a result, the shields were constantly being weakened, but at a slow rate.

Poe became impatient. This bombing mission was never intended to destroy the ship, rather to weaken its defenses; but to Poe, taking a destroyer out was preferable.

"Yellow Leader, Red Leader," Poe contacted the other squadrons assigned to Beta. "What is your squadron status?"

"Two X-Wings down, Three fighters left, Rapier Leader." Yellow Leader responded.

"One Y-Wing down, Rapier Leader." Red Leader radioed.

Poe quickly analyzed the situation. The longer it took to break the shields, the weaker their own squadrons would become, even if they were flying well.

A TIE streaked in front of him. He fired casually and blew off one of its solar panels without effort, causing the TIE to spiral out of control away from the destroyer. Then Poe got an idea.

"Rapier Squadron, stop bombing the shields." He ordered.

The squadron fighters responded with compliance.

"What should we do then, Rapier Leader?" Rapier Two inquired.

"Follow me, Rapier Squadron." Poe said.

He flew toward a group of TIEs nearby that were pursuing the Yellow Squadron. Turbo laser's continued to dart past his fighter, close enough to sliver off stabilizers if Poe had flinched. He obtained a target lock on one TIE but did not fire immediately, fatal laser blasts getting dangerously close and lighting up his face with an eerie glow as they flashed. 

The TIE pilot, detecting the target lock began to fly erratically trying to break the target; and the rear gunner sprayed green blasts unevenly at Poe. Poe's shields took a hit, but he did not fire. The TIE cornered away from the destroyer and then back toward it. Poe fired his laser cannons. He clipped the top starboard solar panel, causing it to tailspin and crash into the destroyer's shields, a blue ripple emanating outward and flickering as the powered shield wavered at the hit.

"Rapier Squadron, did you see that?" Poe radioed.

They did.

"Let's throw their own ships at them," Poe ordered.

....

Leia Organa, general of the Resistance, stood in the command center of the Alderaanian asteroid station, monitoring the Holovid. Admiral Statura, an experienced official that was implemental in the destruction of the Starkiller base, stood to her right. Finn, a captain of the Resistance and former stormtrooper of the First Order, stood on her left. Two commanders and C-3PO were near the Holovid as well; and R2-D2 stood quietly behind them along the wall, with Chewbacca, the faithful and loyal friend of Leia, who had not left her side after Lybeya.

They watched the Holovid display in front of them as it showed the current battle unfolding. The First Order destroyers were getting closer and their laser blasts caused significant and increasing damage to the station shields. Many of the snub fighters were already destroyed; about one hundred of the original three hundred fighters had fallen.