Luke opens the trottle wide and accelerates at maximum thrust. He has a lot better chance of outrunning the TIEs than Gideon does of hitting them. The three TIEs on his tail follow closely, weaving and bobbing wildly to match his evasive maneuvers.
The Tredway asteroid rapidly grows larger as Luke approaches it. The assault shuttle still appears to be little more than a pinpoint of light hovering over what Luke can now see is a small complex of buildings. Every second or so, four energy bolts flash into the complex from the shuttle’s armament. The only answer from the surface is the firey cloud of an explosion.
A constant stream of red energy bolts zips past Luke’s cockpit, fading into the vast emptiness without effect. Luke knows it is only a matter of moments before the TIE pilots find their mark. He orders Artoo to channel 70% of the shielding power to the aft.
The Imperials have Luke in a bad position, but he is too busy to be frightened. Though he cannot fire at his pursuers, Luke constantly monitors the targeting computer, hoping to get a shot at the assault shuttle. At this range, he cannot destroy it, but at least he can give it something to think about besides bombarding helpless miners. He also varies his evasive swings and dips, for falling into a subconscious pattern is the the surest way to get killed by a tailing enemy.
Three seconds later, a fiery cloud opens atop the X-wing, jolting Luke so hard his teeth ache. At least one TIE has locked onto its target. A few more close shots will overload the shields. The flight computer shows all three TIEs in killing position on Luke’s tail. The Rebel pilot must shake them before they pummel his fighter into hi-tech confetti. But how?
His attempt to outrun the TIEs has failed, Luke realizes. He must rely on the X-wing’s superior maneuverability to escape. He can bank into a corkscrew climb, hoping the TIEs will hesitate to follow him away from the shuttle. Or he can loop straight back at his pursuers, hoping to catch one of them by surprise. This would also put him in position to seek covering fire from Gideon.
If Luke banks into a corkscrew climb, Click Here
If Luke loops back at the TIEs, Click Here