After retreiving his X-wing, Luke heads for Tol Ado alone. Gideon and sidney await his return just beyond sensor range. He is unsure how he will get Erling off Tol Ado, since the X-wing has no room for a passenger, but he will worry about that problem when he gets to it.
A thousand kilometers before the X-wing reaches the sensor shield, Luke knows the Imperials have identified him. His flight computer shows the TIE fighters scrambling from orbital stations to meet him. The scramble looks like a swarm of stingfliers leaving their warren. Luke angles his shields forward, determined to waste no time dogfighting.
The TIEs start firing at long range. A dozen energy bolts leap out to meet him even before he sees the firepoints of their exhaust ports. Their shots strike his shields, then dissipate harmlessly. As he hoped, Tol Ado’s garrison is so strong that the pilots have no experience defending it.
Luke activates the targeting computer, then returns fire. His bolts streak toward a target still indistinguishable from Tol Ado’s black background. Only a tiny fireball lets him know the shot found its target. If he can continue shooting like that, he just might penetrate the Imperial defenses.
By the time he finishes selecting his second target the TIEs have closed to medium range. He can see their tingy, insect-like forms buzzing straight at him. Another volley of TIE fire flares from the swarm. Luke would not call it a formation, for the enemy tactics are so sloppy they are almost non-existent.
This time, the TIE bolts rock the X-wing. Artoo reports the shields felt that hit. Luke begins dodging the X-wing back and forth to make it more difficult to hit. He fires, and four bolts turn another target into a fireball.
Luke turns back to the targeting computer. He has no trouble finding targets – more TIEs join the swarm every second, and nobody seems interested in dodging. He selects the closest, then fires again. When he looks out of the canopy, another fireball greets him.
So do fifteen double-winged balls of terror. The TIEs have closed to minimum range. More energy bolts than Luke can count criss-cross his path. He quickly evens the shields, then fires based on visual targeting; he can’t help but hitting something.
The X-wing lurches, jolts, then shakes, bouncing Luke around like the ball in a baby’s rattle. The instruments flicker off, then return. Something hisses in the back of the cockpit.
Artoo whistles, then displays a message on the vidscreen.
“What do you mean, ‘beat it?'” What kind of language is that for a Droid?
Artoo elaborates with a long report. Luke concentrates on the things most important to him: canopy seal broken, life support system down, and targeting computer in need of re-calibration. He doesn’t need to be told again. Luke breaks hard to port, and seals himself in his vacsuit. This plan is failing miserably.
Six energy-clouds open over the canopy, slamming the X-wing so hard that Luke’s right shoulder pulls the safety harness from its mounting. A wave of pain runs through his body and his vision blacks out. When the vision doesn’t return, he knows he has only moments before passing out. He opens the thruster to maximum, then gasps, “Take us home, Artoo.”
Even Luke Skywalker can’t sneak past 124 TIE fighters, as he has just discovered. Back at the Rebel base, his squadron commander makes sure he understands that.
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