It is three years after the Rebels have destroyed the first
Imperial Death Star. Since this victory they have been
beaten severly at several major engagements. Luke
Skywalker has formed an elite unit of pilots from the
survivor of that battle, other Rebel units and Imperial
defectors called Rogue Squadron.
Tycho Celchu is among these pilots. He is a former
Imperial TIE pilot. He has become a trusted member of
the Rebel Alliance. Tycho will do what is needed for the
Rebelion to survive and to avenge the death of his
fiancee who was killed in the Death Star's attack on
Alderaan before the Battle of Yavin IV took place.
TheRebels have just been defeated badly since their
victory at Yavin. Supplies scheduled to be dropped off
at a outlier system Derra IV, were ambushed. Rogue
Squadron lost seven of its tweleve pilots. A stroke of
luck allowed the Rebels to succure supplies from an
ancient Alderaanian ship. This brings is now what
happens to the rest of Rogue Squadron that day when
they withdrew from Hoth and Lord Vader's wrath...
Copyright © 1998 Paul Joseph BarnardHe just stared at her. Her white gown clung loosely over form. It accented the
fact she was female. It was drawn tightly over the waist allowing her hips to slowly curve
out then down into the bottom half of an hourglass. He continued staring in her eyes.
They are darker than his. He could see right through her. He knew what she was thinking
at any one moment. They were four months away from their wedding. Then that day
came. The Empire decided that his home of Alderaan was to be an example to defying the
will of the Emperor. It was shattered by the Death Star. It took three second from it's
superlaser's impact to total death. That wouldn't have meant a thing to him, except he saw
her face over the Holonet. He had just been promoted to leuteniant in the Imperial Navy's
TIE Fighter Pilot Corps. She died infront of his eyes.
<<Clang, clang!!!>>
He snapped back to reality. It was the present, nearly three years after he saw her
that last day. He was now on Hoth, the Ice planet in the Rim Territory which housed the
secret Rebel base. It was cold and sterile here. This was definitely the last place the
Empire would look for the Rebels. The environment here was too much like themselves.
He knew that when Hobbie Kilvan came to get him it was important.
Hobbie was original member of the squadron. He was his wing. He would only
get him from his moment of peace if it was important. Hobbie was wearing his flight suit.
He was out of breath. This obivously was important. The Rogues were going to be called
upon this day. Since protocol was broken, that is not announcing over the Echo bases
loud speakers or using the Commlinks, this mission was very delicate indeed.
"Rogue Squadron, we have a surprise for the Death Fleet. Three transports are
flying in on the opposite side of Hoth, have landed just outside a few hundred kilometers
from base. We fly out to where our boys are, we do as much damage as we can, and fly
these T-47's to there," Lueteninant Wedge Antilles spoke in Commander Skywalker's
absence.
Tycho Celchu had joined the Rogues just after the battle of Yavin. He had been
trained by the Imperials to do what he was going to be asked, no compelled to do. He
was going to be asked to lead Two Flight. The Rogues had been hard hit at Derra IV.
Vader laid down the hammer there. Seven of the twelve didn't make it back from that
one. Lt. Belinda Farlander who asked the survivors of Red and Gold Squadron to form
Rogue Squadron was gone. She took six squints with her though. She and Luke
Skywalker defended him, the ex-Imperial TIE pilot to the rest. She was his wing, now she
was gone.
Farlander was the first woman he'd even thought about since her death. He had
almost allowed himself to feel towards her. He wasn't sure that he could anymore. He
attenended the Imperial Academy so he could help restore law and order to the Empire.
What he soon learned is that the heroes he worshiped in the Empire, Grand Moff Tarkin,
Lord Vader, and the Emperor Palpatine were actually the butchers who made her and his
world to die.
Tycho looked arround him. They were young. Cmdr. Skywalker wasn't much
older than 21, Lt. Wedge Antilles was only 22, he was just 24 as were Lt.'s Wes Janson
and Hobbie Kilvan. He knew his gunner the Wookie Qurallra was considered young for
his species at only 82. He couldn't tell how old the wolfman Lak Sivrak was or his
Lamproid consort Dice Ibegon. They seemed to know the Commander from an earlier
time. It was a time just before he became a wanted man. They said they could sense the
commander's presence. He hoped that was enough because the Mon Calmarian Refenda
was only 16 and 16 in any culture is too young to be sacrificed Tycho thought. Dak was
just 18 and had the look that he was ready to die for his beliefs. Expierence tought Tycho
that this would kill not only the individual but his wing and his flight and leave his
squadron decimated. Finally Dash Rendar. He was a mercenary who found a cache of
weaponry on an old Alderanian Battle Cruiser. The smuggler said he could be trusted.
That was what was to bee seen.
"Due to short training, Gen. Reikan will be only launching launching two flights of
T-47's. He want's the first group to be the expierence to go after possible walkers. Two
flight is to create chaos. Tycho you'll be taking charge of two flight with Qurallra in
Rogue Five. Lak, you'll be gunner with that guy who brought in the Last Chance. Dash
Rendar, welcome to Rogue Squadron as Six. Hobbie and Refenda are in Rogue Four.
Give 'em a chance to get to those transports.
"One flight Dack, when Commander Skywalker is done in the bacta tank you'll be
his gunner. Zev and Dice are Rogue Two. Janson you're with me in Rogue Three. We'll
be going after the walkers themselves. General Riekan, please."
"We'll be performing a holding operation. Nova ground squadron has volunteered
to go in the trenches for this. I want Two Flight to give them the most cover they can.
One Flight's job is to slow their walkers down," the Alderanian General said. "I've just
sent a signal to Admiral Ackbar and Mon Monthma. I wish I could say it is good, but I
need the other squadrons to cover the transports. Your X-wings will be with the final
trasports for Nova squadron survivors and your T-47's. That's all."
General Riekan, please report to Central Command. General Riekan to Central
Command.
Wedge and Commander Skywalker's protocol droid continued with the briefing.
Tycho was sick. For the first time ever he was about to do something more than fly a
mission and shoot the red blips on his HUD. He was going to fly to extend the survival of
everyone who wasn't going to be on the frozen field that day.
Probably what made Tycho the sickest is that he knew the men of Nova Squadron.
They were from Alderaan as well. They were going to be dead as the planet they came
from by the end of the day. Dying on a frozen ice field instead of a flash as their home
had.
"Irony...She died in front of me twice now. Now those boys are going to die in
front of me. Next thing I'll hear is that the smuggler will take off and romance Princess
Leia into marrying him."
Imperial Walkers on the North Ridge! Repeat Imperial Walkers on the North
Ridge!
Tycho could see Wedge motioning. That was it. The Imperial fleet was here. He
knew that they had only one goal, anhilation of the Aliance this day. As they ran down the
frozen hall way a blonde haired figure joined them. It put him at ease. Knowing Cmdr.
Skywalker was with him gave him confidence in Rogue Squadron's motto: To do the
impossible even when you know you aren't going to live.
He could see his wedge like T-47 Combat Air Speeder. Since they landed here, six
weeks ago, Aliance engineers had been working to get the speeders to work in the
sub-zero climates of Hoth. The T-47 was aproximately twelve meters long, and nine
meters wide. It was a trapezoidal wedge. It had two forward mounted heavy blaster
cannons and one rear mounted blaster/magnetic cable harpoon.
He crawled in. Qurallra rumbled the equivalent of two engines green, blasters
green, secure cockpit and go. He looked over the squad one last time. The last time he
had ever looked over a squadron was the his last TIE mission. The one were he flew his
Interceptor from the 181st Squadron under Baron Fel. He'd just gone to a wedding earlier
that week. Fel married a young Corellian girl named Antilles. In three days time, he'd see
a pilot who was younger then him nearly try to kill him for saying he had seen a wedding
of the Imperial squadron that was the equal of the Rogues. If Tycho and anyone else got
off this iceball today, they'd have to deal with the 181st.
"That's it. Had we not gone after that refugees from the Alderaan system on that
mission, I would have flown right back into the Executor's bay and recieved my mission
debriefing and new pilot scores. Instead, something changed me. I was no longer
TIE-4567K. I was Tycho Celchu and those were my people I slaughtered. Never again.
I watched her die as I was talking to her on the holonet. That made Tycho emerge. That
mission made me comeback for good," Tycho thought.
He glanced behind him at his alien gunner. She was just under two meters in
height. She wore a flight suit, but didn't seem comfortable in it. Since he'd been working
with her over the last three weeks since Derra IV, he'd begun to pick up a basic
understanding of her growls and roars.
"Two flight, let's go after the walker's support. We hit any AT-ST's that get too
close to Nova Squadron's escape zone. That will force the AT-AT's to the main door's of
Echo base." Procedure that the enemy had taught him that if a planetary shields were up,
a bombardment by large capital ships, Star Destroyers was impossible. The Imps would
need to stage a landing out side the shields protective area. This meant they had time to
spare. Unfortunately on a place like Hoth, any lifeform or technology outside of the
shield's range painted a large target upon themselves. This meant he would see the All
Terrain Assault Transports (AT-AT's) and All Terrain Scout Transports (AT-ST's).
"Got that, Tycho," Dash said.
"I read you Five. Cpt. Rendar, call us by number. The Empire has a price on
every Rogues head as well as your's. We don't want a consript getting a huge bounty, "
Hobbie chimed in. All six repulsors whined of Tycho's T-47 came to life. They lifted off
heading out. After two minutes in the air the call from Station 57 came in.
Rogue Leader...Incoming! Point Zero Three.
Echo Station Five-Seven, we're on our way.
"Two flight, break with me. Qurallra, find the nearest AT-ST," Tycho chirped.
Tycho knew that these eight meter tall mini-walkers were what he needed to kill. They
weren't as big as the AT-AT's, but still a dual blaster canon mounted to the sides of a boxy
head mounted above a hydrolic
"Five, I got a Chariot LAV on screen. Tefendra, bag it and tag it!" Hobbie said.
"Firing on an Scout Walker! Smoke it wolfman!" howled six. It was amusing in
the situation. One was screaming lunatic and the other was screaming Shivrestrian battle
cries.
All right, Dack. Attack pattern Delta...Go now!
Tycho flew over the next ridge. There were six AT-ST walkers. The little chicken
legged artillary were a nasty little Imperial ploy. They had speed. They had enough fire
power to hit and decimate life.
Tycho saw what they were doing. This was the Nova's fall back position and
personel. They were being blasted in half. The frozen air carried the ozone scent even to
his cockpit. Tycho was sure that Qurallra's keener sense of smell could probably pick up
the scent of innards scattering the field. The trenches ran red. Not with the blood of
fighters, but with that of medics, radio technicains and mechanincs. The Imps weren't
trying to capture them and find out were the leaders were or were there fleet was massing,
they were out to destroy the Alliance today on Hoth.
That armors too strong for blasters. Rogue Group, use your harpoon and tow
cables and go for thier legs. It may be our only chane.
"Clever of him," Tycho thought. He banked hard right, while Qurallra howled
some battle cry. The four shots landed squarely on where the boxy head of the AT-ST
joined the leg chasis. An orange flash errupted in the white background.
"Five, this is six," Lak said in broken basic. "Something's wrong with One"
"Can't do much, Six. He can take care of himself"
I lost my gunner. Wedge, you'll have to take this shot.
Dak, the Nova techs. How could have Tycho once had been one of these
monsters. They had taken his only true love and the only person he could find comfort in
after losing her. Tycho initiated a snap roll. Qurallra snarled the equivalent of take it
easy.
"Shut up and shoot, you hairball or we won't have to worry about getting airsick!"
He intiated another snap roll back to his original position. Qurallra painted another six
shots on another scout walker with the same results. This time Tycho flew his T-47 into
the cloud. In the brilliance he pulled up hard and aimed at the next scout. Dash was
following on the vecor right behind him at the next AT-ST. It never saw the howlers in
Rogue Six ignite it straight to hell.
The screaming coming over the Comm channel was not even noticed by Tycho as
Hobbie performed a loop from the outermost scout to hit the lead of the point. Tefendra
painted her target.
"Weave, now!!!" This was a manuver Tycho brought from his past. Since TIE
pilots didn't have shields on their ships, vetran TIE pilots, meaning those who survived to
fly another time, had developed. The wedge formation began advancing in the last two
scouts. Tycho and Qurallra opened up first. Then he banked hard right. Hobbie and
Tefendra on Tycho's right banked hard left taking up Tycho's last position and fired two
shots of their own. They continued in their leftward direction, as Dash and Lak moved to
the right. Tycho then rolled his T-47 back to the left to resume his lead. They continued
to weave four more times until the last AT-ST went down.
Cable out!
Detatch Cable! Wow!!! That got 'em!
I see nice shootin' Wedge!
"Five this is Four. That should be the right flank we just downed. Let's cut across
the walkers themselves and cut off their immediate support."
"No, it's too cold here for speeder bikes. Let's cut behind them and shoot their
landing zone. Let's see how many stormtroopers transports we can get before they hit
Echo Base."
They flew toward where the Imperial landing zone was. It wasn't that long of a
flight. They could see the fire works of to the side of them. Luke, Wedge, Zev, Janson,
and Dice were holding five walkers relatively still why Nova squadron tried to buy time.
They knew they couldn't do damage.
Tycho didn't understand it anymore. Alderanian units in the Alliance seemed too
eager to volunteer. They always took heavy losses.
"Damn fools," he thought. "It's almost like they want to join the rest of them.
Don't they realize that the more of us stay alive, the longer our story will live. We don't
deserve this anymore. Our lives must mean something. They all fight to return to their
planets to return to peace. I fight for my people to find a new home. I fight because we
are dead. That is why we fight, because we no longer have anything left to lose."
A cry of pain coming from Six. Fire errupted towards anything Imperial. AT-ST's
were getting hit with blinding furry.
"She's gone!" came in over broke basic. "She's gone for that they will pay!"
"Six here. He's lost it. Blaster coolant is redlining. Advise."
"Shut 'em off Six," Tycho came in. He knew what Lak had meant. Lak now knew
his pain. He checked his HUD. What should have been Rogue Two's signature had
vanished, as had Zev and Dice's existence.
Hobbie I've been hit!
That was the code that'd been worked on before. Cmdr. Skywalker was to
announce a member of another flights name if he was to get shot down. Rogue Squadron
was famous for one thing, it's pilots were immortal, but they died young.
"Two flight, this is Two. Join me for this party. We've got four walkers
advancing on the power generators,"
"Two, this is Five. Where's Three? Scope only shows one friendly in your area."
They all banked hard to an attack vector on the advancing juggernauts.
"Five, I'm it. Three was vaped. Got hit in crossfire between lead AT-AT and one
he' was going after."
"Nine kliks out," Tycho thought. "We'll get there, to watch them kill Wedge.
Nova squadron is only left to those who are cowering in the trenches. Cower there boys.
Live long enough to tell our story. We will die for the galaxy in order to allow a few to
live. Seven kliks."
"Boost engine power, boys" Hobbie came in.
"Re-route blasters to engines," Tefendra came in. "It'll allow them to cool and
recharge."
"How we going to slow down, Four?" as Dash's voicecame in over the howling
Lak.
"Power them back on," the female MonCal said. "Just like the X-Wings. Add
power to one, it slows down the other."
"Two kliks. Nova, Farlander, Zev, Luke, Dak, Dice, and her. When would it
stop? Will it stop? Today, it is for her. In her name, I let others live to leave this place.
For her, I fight that our people may live."
"What's that under that one?" Janson yelled. Tycho picked up his head to see a
blue rod flash from an orange spec underneath one of the AT-AT's. Soon, black whisps
emerged from the rear of its large boxy body. Then as Dash and Lak flew by, a the head
on the AT-AT ignited. Shrapnel flew out.
"You see the head go on that baby? It had to be Cmdr. Skywalker!" Tefendra
yelled at Tycho.
"Yeah, he did. And when he stops, we stop."
At that moment, something inside Six came to a head. Dash flew 45 degrees to
the side of lead walkers head on a collision course. Lak had talked the crazy man into a
suicide run.
"Six, break off!!!" Wedge ordered.
"Dash, bank right, bank right!!!" Hobbie came in.
Quarallra grumbled something behind Tycho that had to be the equivallent. But
the imbalance that had been present on the days leading to invasion. Lak would be happy,
he'd be with Dice. The walker reclined back, its head leaned towards the approaching
T-47. Two red beams cut through frozen air. Smoking the speeder. It spun out of
control.
Quarallra in rage that another Rogue was lost, opened up on the legs of the nearest
walker. It had no effect. Tycho circled around those same legs, low and tight. The
AT-AT was blind to him there. On his return to where he started the attack, he saw the
lead AT-AT straighten itself, freeze then open up a barage of fire at the horizon. In the
distance the lights from the generators exploding blinded him momentarily.
Qurallra roared at Tycho.
"I see them. Rogue group this is Five, I see Six. They are alright. They are
heading for T-65's." Tycho consciously mentioned the model that the Incom Corp. gave
their starfighters to at least keep the Imperials from heading that way for the consripts to
reptort to their superiors.
Begin Retreat. Get off planet. Holding Opperation over.
"That's it, boys" Wedge came in. "Let's get out of here." With that, the Rogues
headed off to their X-Wings, but as they started off, Tycho took one more run on that
AT-AT. With the retreat order given, the Nova boys left their trenches. Already stained
red, the snow field now became littered with thier bodies.
"Why head to back to the base's main doors? That's what they wouldn't tell me in
our briefing. Nova was to secure the lives of us all. No more."
"Qurallra, find any AT-ST near us on the way back. Let's cause some real
confusion as to where we're going." A growl acknowledged him. "Two, have AT-ST in
possible threat vector to staging area. Going to engage."
"Negative two, we need to get to our X-Wings and escort the last transports out
of here," Wedge came back.
"Not anymore," with that he pressed down on rudder, causing the sudden banking
of his speeder.
"Tycho, don't!" Wedge yelled.
"What's he doing ?!?" Hobbie came in next.
"Cpt. Celchu, where are you going?" Tefendra came in. The Alliance Comm
frequencies were jammed with the equivalent. Even Tycho's R2 unit from it's X-Wing
demanded to know if it should leave now, and decoy the Imperial forces before the rest of
the Rogues lifted off.
"One more second," he thought. He banked like a druken mynock. Qurallra was
howling that he was mad. "We'll get back. I just need to stop them. Then we'll head
back. You just open up, on my mark. Four, three, two, one, mark! Open it up."
Qurallra opened fire with everything the small speeder had. She whimpered the
equivalent of that she hoped she'd be flash fried when the blasters overheated and
exploded. Four shots hit the power junction underneath boxy head.
"For Alderaan and her son's," Tycho whispered. "Rogue group, I'm heading home.
Qurallra, turn the guns off, I'm going to fly this beast right into the transport." He touched
the rudder again, this time initaiting a roll. The speeder, only one minute delayed from his
comrades caught up to a staging area filled with relief.
He could see the X-Wings of Rogue Squadron next to two transports. Dash
Rendar's modified freighter, Outrider, just lifted off.
"Good. Now I can just watch the Imps and not my back." Tefendra, Janson, and
Hobbie were begining pre-flight visual inspections. Lak was howling, mourning Dice's
loss. Cmdr. Skywalker yelled something at his R2 unit and left. He landed his speeder in
the bay and ran to his T-65. Qurallra lifted off first.
"Four engines, green. Goldie (his R2 units designation), after we clear the TIE
screens, plot a jump to the Alderaan graveyard. I've got to say goodbye before we rejoin
the fleet." Switching over to his Comm frequencies, "Sorry about that, Wedge. Just lost it
for a moment."
"Tych, if you ever pull that again...Forget it, Luke just said he's going to escort The
Millenium Falcon out of here. We're already down three, so let's get these transports into
hyperspace and back to the fleet."
"Copy, two. Repulsors engaged."