Pilot Archive
Thread: X-Wing: The Nalera Conflict
Message Edited by S-1-l2-H-C on 09-22-2005 10:09 PM
Darn, guessed wrong. Hal...you did that on purpose I know you did 
. *fears psychic powers are draining*
This is cool though.
The station itself was equipped with an array of a full dozen tractor beams, used to keep the asteroid field from collapsing in on and crushing the station. The tractor beams were an automated system--simple, yet elegant. Any object approaching within a kilometer of the station without either an IFF transponder or an active ion drive was pushed back into the asteroid field. The system could also be overriden by someone in the command center with the proper access codes--otherwise, Halyn's disabledZ-95 would've been pushed back into the asteroid field and crushed.
"I suppose I'd be willing."
jimbrown wrote:
if it wasnt 4AM, i would have read all of this rather than half or so as i did... but great writing! ill have to read the rest tomorrow
) and it pwned pretty hard. good quality reading there 
((Sorry, tis a short one since I don't have a lot of time right now but I thought you guys wanted a bit more story ))
The hanger was filled with the hum of welders and the electronic squeals of droids of various types. The Rebel Headhunter had been pulled off to the side of the hanger and was currently hanging from cables extended from the ceiling. Several repair droids had pulled out cables and linkages and were busily working to refit the modified snubfighter. A lone figure welded a replacement wing into the brackets to replace the control surface lost during Halyn's forceful departure from the asteroid field.
Three pilots were clustered around the other two Z-95s in the hanger. Swing wings? Those things are mark ones! the Zabrak realized. Those things are older than I am.
As A'Lerris and Halyn descended from the catwalk that encircled most of the hanger to the floor via a railed stairway, the Rebel noted with a smile that his R2 was chirping instructions to the repair droids working on his Headhunter. Deuce has the schematics, so I guess that makes sense. Apparently the droid has suffered no long-term damage as a result from the snubfighter mishap. Then again, power drain is the least of the accidents that tin can has been through.
"Captain Lance, I'd like you to meet the members of Raptor Flight," A'Lerris said with a smile as she led him toward the three pilots among the Headhunters.
Halyn nodded at the group.
"This is Elle," A'Lerris said, gesturing to the blue-skinned Twi'lek woman. "She's my wingman. That," she said, nodding to a small, furry figure, "is Brein Ki'er, our resident Bothan and troublemaker, who flies as Three." The Bothan smiled toothily. "And, of course, this is Four," she finished, pointing out a purple-hued Rodian. "Hiori is his name, but everyone calls him Snout, for the obvious reasons."
The Rebel pilot smiled. "You don't mind?"
"I've been called worse," Snout replied easily.
The person working on the Z-95, Halyn noted, had just finished rolling up the cords from the welder and was starting to head towards the group. "Where are the rest of your pilots?" he asked.
"Talon Flight is down to three members right now. Seven and Eight are escorting a convoy out to the jump point at the moment, and, well, Five's coming right now." A'Lerris nodded at the approaching figure.
Five was a dark-skinned Zabrak, slightly taller and heavier built than Halyn. His tattoos, a dark blue, blended nearly perfectly with the earthen tone of his skin. "This," A'Lerris said, "is Argus Sanshir, the leader of Talon Flight, and my lieutenant. He's second-in-command for security operations."
"Ah..." Halyn stammered. He was saved from having to formulate his thoughts by Argus's right cross to his chin, sending him sprawling across the deck.
Argus dove at him, but he rolled mostly out of the way, and the other Zabrak hit the deck hard. It didn't seem to phase him, though, as he swung at the Rebel pilot again. The blow grazed Halyn's forehead, dazing him slightly. The pain still hurt, though, and he drove a knee into Argus's stomach and pushed him away. As he shoved his foe back, he rolled away and sprang to his knees, slightly dizzy and with the taste of blood in his mouth. A warm trickle slowly crept down his forehead--blood froma cutfrom the grazing blow Argus has delivered on the decking.
"Lieutenant Sanshir, stop this at once!" A'Lerris shouted, eyes blazing. "What's the meaning of this?"
Argus didn't answer, only staring daggers at Halyn. A'Lerris stepped between them, looking back and forth between them. "Is someone going to explain this?" she asked softly, dangerously.
"We've, ah, met before," Hal answered dryly.
Woohoo! Keep it coming.
I hope you kick that other zabrak's ass.
Extremely good writing and a very compelling story - ever thought of asking Lord George if you can fit into his vision?
Can't wait for more - consider it stickied.
why not?
Lucas could just modify Episode 4 and include Halyn's stint on the Nalera outpost as a sidestory, maybe work Han Solo into it for a minute!!
He has altered the films before
I appreciate the compliments, but I doubt Hal is ever going to star in a feature film. 
And on with the story...
"'Met before?'" A'Lerris echoed. "What are you talking about? Where did you meet?"
Both Zabraks stood silently. Argus's expression was somewhere between anger and murderous rage, while Halyn's expression was stone, unreadable. The security officer's hand twitched towards his blaster. A'Lerris spitted him with a stare. "Lieutenant, I gave you an order to stand down. Do it, now!"
Argus shook his head, still wordless.
"I wasn't asking, Sanshir," Verata continued, her voice colder than vaccuum. "Stand down."
"You don't know who this man is," Argus finally said, voice so low the pilots in the hanger had to strain to hear. "He..."
Klaxons blared deafeningly in the hanger. "Attention, pilots--we've got a hot situation outside the asteroid field," the public announcment system shouted. "An enemy flight of pirates has engaged the escort, and the incoming freighter is in danger. There's at least another squadron of pirates inbound.Scramble fighters. Scramble fighters."
The message began to repeat itself, but Argus and Halyn still stood facing each other in silent confrontation. "We don't have time for this!" A'Lerris shouted over the confusion. "I don't care who you think this guy is, Argus, but he's been reliable so far, and we need him now." She turned back toward the rest of the pilots who were running towards their craft. "Everyone run the abbreviated preflight! You have two minutes to get up and running before I order the hanger opened to vacuum!" The security chief turned back to the standoff. "Five, knock it off! Get to your fighter, now! Lance, take one of ours--we've got a couple spares. Move!"
Argus gave Halyn one last nasty look before turning and sprinting for his fighter in the secondary hanger. Halyn shook his head wearily, then picked outone ofthe Mark I Z-95s that wasn't being used.Sprinting across the hanger towards the cold fighter, the whine of repulsorlifts running through pre-flight checksrattled him all the way to the bone. Damn, those things are loud. Leaping towards the cockpit, he caught the edge of the cockpit easily and pulled himself up. He barely had the canopy shut and locked down before the hanger went dark.
There was a rush of air as the hanger depressurized. For a moment, the Zabrak worked by touch alone as his hands danced across the old familiar Subpro control boards, not unlike the more modern X-wing's Incom systems, lighting up his fusial thrust engines and arming his weapons. Triple-blasters, he noted with a sigh. Damned Mark Ones. Nice thing about laser cannons is that I can hit from range. With these blasters, I have to get nice and close before they'll do any decent damage. Swing-wings won't help me in vacuum, either.
The Rebel pilot tried to ignore the scrambled thoughts and emotions running through his mind. "Don't have time to worry about Argus, Hal," he muttered aloud. "Even though he can...no, no thinking about it." Interrupting his own thoughts, he continued surveying his new fighter, his hands automatically flashing through the snubfighter's preflight. These old Mark Ones are as tough as they come. They can take a hell of a beating.Bubble canopy means I have great visibility--better than anything else I fly. Swing wings won't matter unless the battle's in atmosphere, so I might as well leave them locked back for minimal head-to-head profile. Triple blasters should be able to cut through anything if I can get inside the effective range. No missiles. She isn't as fast as an X-wing or as agile, so I have to be extra sharp on my maneuvers. Can't afford to waste a shot or opportunity. Gotta cover my wingman and hope he covers me.
The display lights were beginning to flash green as the hanger doors, with a nerve-wracking squeal conveyed by the solid material of the hanger to the snubfighter cockpit, ponderously began to slide open. Systems still half-down, including his shields, Halyn slid into formation behind the other Headhunters and shoved the throttle forward. His sublight drives, still cold, screamed in protest. The five Z-95s roared out of the main hanger while Argus's snubfighter rocketed from the secondary hanger, swinging around to form up with the other fighters.
The situation splashed over the snubfighter's aging tactical display, and Hal's blood ran cold at the numbers. Seven and Eight, the pilots who had escorted a convoy out and were bringing a fuel ship back, were engaged with six fighters--a mix of old Cloakshape fighters and Y-wings. The fuel freighter suffered continual barrages of laserfire from another pair of Y-wings determined to force the ship to surrender. The entire furball was six kilometers out from the Nalerian base, well out of range of any defenses the mining station could mount, although the freighter was dragging the battle closer all the time.Eighteen kilometers on the other side of the furball, another flight of fighters--a group of IRDs--was moving fast to join the battle.
"Alright," A'Lerris's voice called over the comm. "Two, stay with me. Three, Four, you're together. Lance, you're Six--play nice with Five. If one of you winds up dead, the other one will be dead when we get back to the mining station." The snubfighters accelerated recklessly into the asteroid field surrounding the base. "Stay with your wingmen, people. This is going to get ugly."
She hesitated for a moment, and Halyn longed to give her tactical advice. We have to play this her way, though--I don't know how her people fly.
"Five, Six, you two try to get Seven and Eight out of their scrap."
The range ticked down. Halyn's stomach lurched as he rolled over the top of an asteroid and was forced into a dive to avoid another. Compensator's set at .9--whoever the last pilot was liked the ride rough.
"One Flight, we're going after the Y-wings first. Let's try to clear the battle before those IRDs get here."
The Z-95 scraped slightly against another massive chunk of rock. The control stick tried to jerk itself out of Halyn's hand, but the pilot clung tightly to the controls. A moment later, though, the snubfighters cleared the asteroid field and reformed behind Verata. Am I ever going to actually get to negotiations? the Rebel wondered idly. All I've done since I got here is fly.
One kilometer away from the freighter, A'Lerris's last pre-battle ordersang across the comm. "Five, Six, break. One Flight, let's take the Y-wings."
The four Z-95s leading the formation headed for the beseiged freighter. The other two Headhunterspealed off and headedfor the lagging Seven and Eight, barely holding their own in their furball.
