Skye Legacy Ep. 1 | "Malachor"

An even longer time ago, in a galaxy just as far away...

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Cecilia lightly drums her fingers on her pilots' helmet as she looks at the tactical board in the ready room as her and her flight wait for the ship to drop out of hyperspace and for the scramble order. She looks over her pilots as she does a quick final check of how ready they are regarding equipment and mentally, as she smiles slightly as she is happy with what she sees from them before she turns back to the flight controller as they finish the briefing.

"Ok, then pilots, in recap Skye's Shadow Squadron is going to flank through the asteroids while the rest of the squadrons engage the main body of hostile strike craft and draw them away. This will be our best chance to knock the enemy cruisers out as the quickest. Any questions?"

The flight controller looks around at the assembled pilots as they shake their heads to the question moments before the combat siren begins to sound.

"Attention all flight personnel report to your craft immediately. All flight personnel report to your craft immediately. Exiting hyperspace 5 mikes. Exiting hyperspace 5 mikes. Scramble, Scramble, Scramble."

And with the scramble order received Cecilia stands as she quickly adjusts her flight suit as she looks at the assembled pilots.

"Well you heard the scramble order, let's get a move on!"

The fleet drops out of hyperspace into a clearing in the asteroid belt as they cool down their hyperdrives. The fleet is composed of a Quasar class carrier in the centre of the formation with five GR75's around the Quasar, and with a Nebulon-B slightly in front of the GR75's and Quasar along with three CR90s along with a number of fighter and bomber flights.

On the bridge of the Nebulon-B, the command ship of the fleet, the officer operating the sensors turns to look back at the General.

"General, I had a blip on the sensors for a second, but it's gone now. It was probably just an asteroid reading odd."

"Good work with the heads up anyway, controller directs an A-Wing flight to take a look just to be on the safe side why don't you."

"Yes General."

And with that, the flight controller starts to give their orders as the formation changes slightly as the A-wings break off to investigate the sensor blip that was detected. The A-Wing flight carefully navigates around the asteroids as they begin their final approach on the sensor blip.

"This is Blue five, approaching the location now...oh bugger...I have visual confirmation on Imperial probe droid."

"The is Control; please confirm probe droid."

"Control, probe droid is confirmed."

"A firm, all flights commence...Proximity alarm! Imperial ships are dropping out of hyperspace! Detecting a single ISD and three support cruisers...they are launching fighters!"

As the rebel fleet scrambles into action with more flights of a mix of X-Wings, Y-Wings and A-Wings being launched from the Quasar carrier. While the Empire is launching their strike craft with Tie Fighters, Interceptors and Bombers departing in mass from the hanger bays, with Skye's Shadow Squadron breaking off to flank through the asteroids on the right side of the Imperial battle line.

Shadow Squadron is made up of the elite pilots of the squadron in TIE Avengers along with a bomber group for heavy hitting; there are four bombers and 12 Avengers in total in the formation. As the other squadrons from the Star Destroyer group engage the Rebel fighters in battle, the Y-wings attempt to break past the TIEs as they go for the cruisers and the Interdictor preventing the rebel fleet from jumping to hyperspace.

While the vanguard of the TIEs begins to exchange rounds with the rebel fighters, Shadow Squadron manages to move through the asteroid belt without being detected. Due to the main focus of the rebel fleet being on the Star Destroyers and the pack of TIEs, and with them hiding behind the asteroids as the move it makes it harder for the rebel sensor sweeps to pick them up. However, as they approach the edge of the asteroids and the Rebel fleet they are detected by a small Rebel fighter group of a few X-Wings and A-Wings who had been held back in reserve as the rebel fighters quickly move onto an intercept course with Shadow Squadron.

"Shadow lead to Shadow Squadron. Look alive; we have Rebel fighters inbound, protect the bombers and let's show these Rebels what these new fighters can do."

A chorus of acknowledgements of her words follows the end of her transmission as her squadron moves into combat formation, with her flight in front with the other two flights to either side and slightly behind her flight with the bombers in between them. The rebel fighters move into attack position with the X-wings locking their X foils into position. As the fighters make their first pass the TIE Avengers of Shadow squadron open fire split seconds before the rebels do with a devastating effect on the rebels, with the initial losses being on the Rebel fighters as they are surprised by the TIE Avengers with their deflector shields and speed. Shadow squadron inflicts quick losses on the first head-on pass from the rebel fighters before they break off to start dogfighting where the Avengers get to use their increased speed and manoeuvrability to defeat or route the remaining opponents before continuing to the rebel fleet.

"Shadow Squadron remember your orders, shoot to destroy the ships. Bombers you go after the carrier and the Nebulon-B, Avengers cover them and take out the transports."

Following a series of acknowledgements from the pilots the Imperial craft breaks off into their flights as they go after their targets, with the Avengers strafing the GR75s as their lasers pierce the hull plating on the first one as its engine core starts to detonate, while the bombers commence their bombing run on Quasar carrier. As Shadow squadron attacks the rebel fleet and begins to destroy the undefended transports the rebel CR90's start to turn back towards their transports try and defend them as X-Wings and A-Wings start to double back on them self as well. Shadow squadron continues its attack on the rear of the rebel fleet with their bomber flights bombs punching through the Quasar class shields and critically damaging it as two of its hanger bays explode. The bombers then leave the listing Quasar class as they turn to begin their attacks on the CR90s and the Nebulon B as Cecilia and the rest of the fighters link up with them after destroying or crippling the final transport. It was at this moment with the rebel fleet in disarray with the sudden and devastating strike from shadow squadron from the rear with the numbers of TIEs before them that the Malachor opens fire. With the main batteries of her heavy turbolasers, that tear a hole straight through the remaining rebel ships as they expose them self to the fire. The Nebulon-B takes the brunt of the initial volley as it splits at the neck, as explosions ripple up the length of its hull from the engines, the Malachor focused her fire on the Nebulon-B as the two Arquitens light cruisers open fire on the fleeing CR90s. The combined fire of the fleet and the bombers make short work of the remaining rebel ships, and the remaining fighters soon follow.

"Attention all craft the is Malachor, full recall of all craft, say full recall of all craft. All flights return to hangers. Prepare for debriefing and hyperspace jump."

As the TIEs receive the recall order and start to return to their hangers, the Malachor and her three support cruisers begin to turn away from the asteroid belt as they prepare to enter hyperspace, as soon as the final TIEs have docked in the fleets hangers the ships quickly make the jump to hyperspace.

A while after the Imperial ships have entered hyperspace, three old Republic Venators drop out of hyperspace at the scene of the ambush with an escort of X-wings and Y-wings.

"This is Falcon leader to MacAlpine, it's not looking good...not picking up any distress beacons..."

"Afirm Falcon leader, keep your eyes peeled as we search the area, but it looks like we were too late again."

"Aye, it does..."

A note of anger enters falcon leaders voice as they resume speaking.

"Damn it! We need to catch the Malachor and Shadow squadron, we need to stop them from ravaging the area!"

"I hear you Falcon Leader, but there they are somehow keeping a step ahead..."

As the flight controller on the MacAlpine stops talking, Falcon squadron breaks formation away from the Venators along with a couple other wings as they fly into the wreckage to look for survivors.

As the fly off Falcon leader looks out the cockpit of ther X-Wing in horror as they are still not used to the devestation left behind when ever the Malachor strikes.

"We will catch you..."