"Red Five to Blue Leader," he reported. "Aborting run under heavy fire.

TIE fighters dropped on us out of nowhere. I can't-wait-"

     Astern, a silent, remorseless enemy was touching a deadly button once

more. The first bolts struck just as Pops had risen high enough to commence

evasive action. But he had pulled clear a few seconds too late.

     One energy beam seared his port engine, igniting gas within. The engine

blew apart, taking controls and stabilizing elements with it. Unable to

compensate, the out-of-control Y- wing began a long, graceful plunge toward

the station surface.

     "Are you all right, Red Five?" a troubled voice called over the

intership system.

     "Lost Tiree... lost Dutch," Pops explained slowly, tiredly. "They drop

in behind you, and you can't maneuver in the trench. Sorry... it's your baby

now. So long, Dave-"

     It was the last message of many from a veteran.

     Blue Leader forced a crispness he didn't feel into his voice as he

tried to shunt aside the death of his old friend. "Blue boys, this is Blue

Leader. Rendezvous at mark six point one. All wings report in."

     "Blue Leader, this is Blue Ten. I copy."

     "Blue Two here," Wedge acknowledged. "Coming toward you, Blue Leader."

     Luke was also waiting his turn to report when something beeped on his

control board. A glance backward confirmed the electronic warning as he

spotted an Imperial fighter slipping in behind him.

     "This is Blue Five," he declared, his ship wobbling as he tried to lose

the TIE fighter. "I have a problem here. Be right with you."

     He sent his ship into a steep dive toward the metal surface, then cut

sharply up to avoid a burst of defensive fire from emplacements below.

Neither maneuver shook his pursuit.

     "I see you, Luke," came a reassuring call from Biggs. "Stay with it."

     Luke looked above, below, and to the sides, but there was no sign of

his friend. Meanwhile, energy bolts from his trailing assailant were passing

uncomfortably close.

     "Blast it, Biggs, where are you?"

     Something appeared, not to the sides or behind, but almost directly in

front of him. It was bright and moving incredibly fast, and then it was

firing just above him. Taken completely by surprise, the Imperial fighter

came apart just as its pilot realized what had happened.

     Luke turned for the rendezvous mark as Biggs shot past overhead. "Good

move, Biggs. Fooled me, too."

     "I'm just getting started," his friend announced as he twisted his ship

violently to avoid the fire from below. He hove into view over Luke's

shoulder and executed a victory roll. "Just point me at the target."

     Back alongside Yavin's indifferent bulk, Dodonna finished an intense

discussion with several of his principal advisors, then moved to the

long-range transmitter.

     "Blue Leader, this is Base One. Double-check your own attack prior to

commencement. Have your wingmen hold back and cover for you. Keep half your

group out of range to make the next run."

     "Copy, Base One," the response came. "Blue Ten, Blue Twelve, join with

me."

     Two ships leveled off to flank the squadron commander. Blue Leader

checked them out. Satisfied that they were positioned properly for the

attack run, he set the group to follow in case they should fail.

     "Blue Five, this is Blue Leader, Luke, take Blue Two and Three with

you. Hold up here out of their fire and wait for my signal to start your own

run."

     "Copy, Blue Leader," Luke acknowledged, trying to slow his heart

slightly. "May the force be with you. Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up."

Together, the three fighters assumed a tight formation high above the

firefight still raging between other rebel craft of Green and Yellow

squadrons and the imperial gunners below.

     The horizon flip-flopped ahead of Blue Leader as he commenced his

approach to the station surface. "Blue Ten, Blue Twelve, stay back until we

spot those fighters, then cover me."

     All three X-wings reached the surface, leveled off, then arced into the

trench. His wingmen dropped farther and farther behind until Blue Leader was

seemingly alone in the vast gray chasm.

     No defensive fire greeted him as he raced toward the distant target. He

found himself looking around nervously, checking and rechecking the same

instruments.

     "This doesn't look right," he found himself muttering.

     Blue Ten sounded equally concerned. "You should be able to pick up the

target by now."

     "I know. The disruption down here is unbelievable. I think my

instruments are off. Is this the right trench?"

     Suddenly, intense streaks of light began to shoot close by as the

trench defenses opened up. Near misses shook the attackers. At the far end

of the trench a huge tower dominated the metal ridge, vomiting enormous

amounts of energy at the nearing ships.

     "It's not going to be easy with that tower up there," Blue Leader

declared grimly. "Stand by to close up a little when I tell you."

     Abruptly the energy bolts ceased and all was silent and dark in the

trench once again. "This is it," Blue Leader announced, trying to locate the

attack from above that had to be coming. "Keep your eyes open for those

fighters."

     "All short- and long-range scopes are blank," Blue Ten reported

tensely. "Too much interference here. Blue Five, can you see them from where

you are?"

     Luke's attention was riveted to the surface of the station. "No sign

of-Wait!" Three rapidly moving points of light caught his eye. "There they

are. Coming in point three five."

     Blue Ten turned and looked in the indicated direction. Sun bounced off

stabilizing fins as the TIE fighters looped downward. "I see them."

     "It's the right trench, all right," Blue Leader exclaimed as his

tracking scope suddenly began a steady beeping. He adjusted his targeting

instrumentation, pulling his visor down over his eyes. "I'm almost in range.

Targets ready... coming up. Just hold them off me for a few seconds-keep 'em

busy."

     But Darth Vader was already setting his own fire control as he dropped

like a stone toward the trench. "Close up the formation. I'll take them

myself."

     Blue Twelve went first, both engines blown. A slight deviation in

flight path and his ship slammed into the trench wall. Blue Ten slowed and

accelerated, bobbed drunkenly, but could do little within the confines of

those metal walls.

     "I can't hold them long. You'd better fire while you can, Blue

Leader-we're closing on you."

     The squadron commander was wholly absorbed in lining up two circles

within his targeting visor. "We're almost home. Steady, steady..."

     Blue Ten glanced around frantically. "They're right behind me!"

     Blue Leader was amazed at how calm he was. The targeting device was

partly responsible, enabling him to concentrate on tiny, abstract images to

the exclusion of all else, helping him to shut out the rest of the inimical

universe.

     "Almost there, almost there..." he whispered. Then the two circles

matched, turned red, and a steady buzzing sounded in his helmet. "Torpedoes

away, torpedoes away."

     Immediately after, Blue Ten let his own missiles loose. Both fighters

pulled up sharply, just clearing the end of the trench as several explosions

billowed in their wake.

     "It's a hit! We've done it!" Blue Ten shouted hysterically.

     Blue Leader's reply was thick with disappointment. "No, we haven't.

They didn't go in. They just exploded on the surface outside the shaft."

     Disappointment killed them, too, as they neglected to watch behind

them. Three pursuing Imperial fighters continued up out of the fading light

from the torpedo explosions. Blue Ten fell to Vader's precision fire, then

the Dark Lord changed course slightly to fall in behind the squadron

commander.

     "I'll take the last one," he announced coldly. "You two go back."

     Luke was trying to pick the assault team out of the glowing gases below

when Blue Leader's voice sounded over the communicator.

     "Blue Five, this is Blue Leader. Move into position, Luke. Start your

attack run-stay low and wait until you're right on top of it. It's not going

to be easy."

     "Are you all right?"

     "They're on top of me-but I'll shake them."