The Hex Wing Series Chapter Six

 

“Sir, ship ID says it’s the Retaliator.”

“Karktisses command?” The Officer frowned, “Have they forwarded their command codes?”

“Yes Sir, ship code checks out, Officer code identified as Senior Lieutenant Mango Maus. They report heavy damage and request docking clearance.”

“Get me the Advocate.”

“Patching through now Sir, channel open.”

“Advocate this is Admiral Janson of shipyard defence force, ISD Retaliator is requesting permission to dock.”

“This is Grand Admiral Karktiss, that crew committed mutiny, deny them clearance and destroy them.”

“Sir, they claim the mutiny was put down, a Captain Honsou is being held in the brig along with other mutineers. A Senior Lieutenant Maus claims to be in command.”

Karktiss considered it for a second before responding. “Admiral Janson, tell the Retaliator to hold position and prepare to be boarded for inspection. Any refusal or hindrance to the boarding party and the ship is to be destroyed.” He turned to the commander of the Royal Guard, Ria Tamak “I want your best on that shuttle, any resistance and the entire crew is yours to do with as you please. But Honsou is to be delivered to me.” The loyal Imperial nodded and left to assemble his boarding party.

“Admiral Janson, launch your fighters now and ensure they keep the Retaliator at a distance from the shipyard. I will have the Advocate take up a rear support position, when will the Arbitrator be ready to launch?”

“Aye sir, launching fighter screen now, Arbitrators crew report completing final checks now and getting ready to cast off.”

“Very well, as soon as they are ready have them take up a forward defence position and recall any other Imperial ships to the system.”

“Sir?”

“I suspect Rebel influence Admiral, that crew mutinied against me in the middle of a battle with Rebel forces. I find it odd that they managed to leave that engagement and arrive here without assistance.”

“Very well sir, requesting any Imperial forces to return to this position.”

 

“They’re not buying this Honsou.” Mango cautioned as the orders to remain at distance came through.

“I agree. Erisi, fighters and a boarding party in bound.”

“I heard Honsou, ok get your crew ready to cut engines and board the Vestige. All fighters prepare to launch on Hersy’s mark” Sticks answered and addressed the waiting fighters.

“Vestige ready to go, first passengers boarding now.” Omothi checked in from the Vestige, he and Faricho directing the arriving Imperials to seats as they boarded the hammerhead.”

“Castell Shipyards, we are having technical problems, power surge in the engines and we have lost manoeuvring thrusters!” Mango tried to make the communique urgent as Honsou pushed all power to the Star Destroyers powerful rear engines before shutting the reactor down, the brief surge enough to start propelling the ISD towards the shipyard.

“Retaliator, slow down and pull back! You are not cleared to proceed on this heading!” the reply from Admiral Janson sounded pretty impatient, the ISD still far enough out that he didn’t perceive it as a threat.

“Castell Shipyards, reactor down, we have no propulsion control. Request immediate assistance!” Mango looked at Honsou and shrugged. “You said sell it.”

“Let’s get out of here. Honsou to crew, abandon ship make your way to the Vestige. Sticks, reactor is down, ship is drifting towards the yards but we will have incoming, fighter screen is launching. There’s another destroyer in dock as well and it’s powering up.”

“Alright Honsou. Hersy, as soon as you got everyone on it’s your show. Fighters wait for the signal.”

“You got it Sticks. Omothi, how many more?”

“Just Honsou and Mango. Faricho you better go forward and help Hersy.”

“You got it, make sure they disengage those clamps.” Faricho left Omothi to supervise the last of the Imperial passengers and moved forward to the bridge. He slipped in to the navigators chair and started powering up systems, projecting a holo of the Retaliators course and the Castell Shipyard. “You ready for this?” he asked Hersy.

“Are you kidding? I’m going to push a Star Destroyer from its guts in to an Imperial shipyard!” Hersy grinned back.

“Ok guys, all on board, clamps are off.” Omothi joined them on the bridge and strapped himself in to the command chair, opening up a comm channel, “Ok everyone, make sure you’re strapped in back there. Hersy, make this thing move.”

“You got it!” Hersy pushed the throttle slowly and the hammerhead corvette began to creep forward.

“30 metres to impact,” Faricho called out, “20, 10, brace brace!”

Hersy controlled the large corvette perfectly, though it seemed minisucle in comparison to the scale of the star destroyer. Its curved bow bumped up against the bulkhead of the docking bay and he applied the power bit by bit, using side thrusters to maintain position, the rear propulsion units began to glow brighter and brighter as powerful reactions inside the reactors ignition chamber poured more and more power in. “Come on, come on..” he muttered to himself.

“Retaliator picking up speed,” Faricho commented, the image on the holoprojector in front updating as it began to creep closer to the shipyards, “fighter screen in bound.”

“Ignore them,” Omothi said, “they’ll be firing on the ISD, and they won’t know we’re here yet. It’s that boarding shuttle I’m worried about.”

“Roger that, shuttle still some way off but closing fast.”

“Retaliator halt your progress or you will be fired upon!” The dockyards officer came across the open channel again.

“Shut that thing off!” snapped Hersy, “I’m trying to push a giant bantha with a flea here, while trying to hit a wamprat.”

Omothi shut down the open comm channel, leaving only the fleets secure comms open. “Channel off, waiting your mark.”

The Vestiges hull creaked and groaned, metal shrieked across metal as the two ships bucked and tried to resist one another. Still Hersy kept the power up, forcing the retaliator to try to give way to the Vestiges defiant push, proximity alarms and damage alerts wailed and flashed all around the bridge. A large hollow bang sounded as something gave way and the three Remnant members looked at one another. “Well we still have pressure.” Offered Omothi, “Honsou,” he called on the ships internal system, “don’t suppose you could...”

“Already got a small team up here, forward hull is holding, must be something on the Retaliator that gave way, but it sounds like the bowels of hell down here.”

The sounds of structural damage, creaking metal, crushing durasteel and popped rivets sounded much worse from Honsou’s position as he spoke on the comm channel and Omothi grimaced. “Thanks Honsou. Close forward hatches and keep your people back, just in case.”

“We’re still 2 clicks from the shipyards, speed increasing.” Faricho updated, “Fighter screen now in position around the Retaliator, boarding shuttle rounding the nose now.”

“That’s close enough for me. Sticks?”

“Agreed Omothi, Green Squadron, Gamma Squadron, launch.”

TIE Fighters and Interceptors immediately began to launch from the Retaliators launch tubes, narrowly missing the vestige as it continued to force the Retaliator towards the shipyard. The forward bulkhead of the docking bay was beginning to buckle and fold in around the bow of the hammerhead corvette. None of the TIE pilots could see it from the narrow field of view offered by the round viewport of the TIE’s cockpit, but back in the hangar where Remnant waited in the X’s and Y’s, Sticks and the crew could.

“Green Squadron, break in to wing pairs and intercept that boarding shuttle.” Ari commanded the newly launched TIE’s.

“Sorry Green Squadron, I always wanted to test myself against this Royal Guard.” Tu’Rus of Gamma Squadron cut in, his TIE Interceptor cutting past Ari’s Tie Fighter with another two in classic Imperial formation behind it. Bright yellow stripes were painted down the solar panels of each ship, almost a mocking imitations of the Royal Guards habit of painting blood red stripes on their own fighters.

“Green Squadron, correction, lets go shoot some TIE’s. Good hunting Gamma.”

 

“Incoming fighters! Shields up!” On the shuttle ‘Protector’, Ria Tamak gave his orders and glared at the ships that had been launched from the Retaliator. So much for loyal Imperials, Karktiss had been right, it was a rebel trap. “Protector to Advocate, Grand Admiral, the traitors have launched fighters against us, as you predicted it was a trap. We are returning to…wait, what was that?” He had seen something out of the side window of the Lambda’s cockpit and strained to look, “Turn back!”

The pilot obeyed and pulled the shuttle about once more, shots now starting to hit against the shuttles shields. Ria Tamak saw the Vestige and gasped. “Admiral, the ship is derelict! They are trying to push it forward with an old hammerhead corvette!”

“Castell shipyards, order one flight of TIE’s to cover the Protector, all remaining fighters are to attack that Rebel ship!” Karktiss responded over the Comm channel.

“Aye sir, 3 flight, cover the Protector, all fighters engage.”

 

Tu’Rus brought the nose up perfectly and the Lambda filled his view once again, his targeting computer beeped to confirm range and lock and he squeezed the flight yokes triggers, sending a splash of lasers towards the shuttle just as it jinked and avoided the blasts. He cursed, pulling and twisting the yoke to send the Interceptor spiralling down and round to pick up his target again. The wingmen on either side following his every movement like the well-oiled team they were. “These Royal Guard are good, not easy to make a shuttle move like that.” He grunted

“Fighters.” One of his wings replied, pinging 4 ships heading towards them.

“Escort group. The shuttle is no further danger. Leave them and the escort, protect Vestige.”

The two wingmen squawked back an affirmative and all three interceptors broke off their attack and wheeled around, outpacing the inbound TIE Fighters, they hurried back to join the growing dogfight around the hangar bay.

 

“1.5 clicks, can’t we go any faster?” Faricho asked as he updated on their position.

“Faster? Really? Maybe if you get out and push. I am pushing 50 million tons with engines designed to push 68 THOUSAND tons.” Hersy lifted his hands off the controls and began to gesticulate wildly, “Maybe you can’t do the maths but the fact we haven’t blown up the reactor yet is actually pretty incredible. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure this would work but...”

With no one controlling the Vestige it began to side slip against the Retaliator and the shrieking from the protesting hulls grew worse. “Hands on Hersy, you’re losing her!” Omothi cautioned.

“I’m not losing her,” Hersy retorted, “I was making sure we could break free and we can. So its all going to plan ok?”

Shots began peppering the Vetiges shields, the explosions and impacts sounded and felt through the ship. “Taking fire,” Faricho cautioned, “shields at 80%.”

“We need a clear path to get out guys” Omothi called out through the comm to Green and Gamma.

“Working on it!” retorted Ari, pushing a burst through an Interceptors pylon, detaching the solar panels and sending it spiralling against the Star Destroyers hull. He pulled round on another target but broke off as he caught sight of a set of bright green lines painted down it. “Hard to pick a target out here, we all look the same.”

“Reset your targeting computer,” advised Tu’Rus, “select protocol 3, that will designate all Retaliator ships friendly all others will be hostile. It is used for battle exercises against other fleets.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that earlier!” grumbled Ari.

“He did!” called Adalla, “you just don’t listen.”

“Game face guys, no idle chat.” Chided Omothi.

“Twigs, fighter trio inbound to Vestige.”

“I see it Kidd, with me.”

“Right behind you.”

Twigs and Kidd swept below the hull of the Retaliator, the lack of fire from its anti-starfighter turrets alien to both of the Alliance pilots. They kept a light touch on the flight yoke, the TIE’s were very responsive craft and it took very little input to take them off their current intercept course.

“In range, target the lead ship,” Twigs called the shots and counted them down, “Firing in 3, 2, 1, Fire!” Both pilots synchronised their shots and the dual blasts instantly blew through the lead Fighters bubble cockpit, the sudden explosion shearing the large wing panels away and out, causing the ships on either side of it to veer off their attack course.

“Good kill Kidd.”

Sticks and the others in their fighters on the Retaliators watched the battle outside, Splashes of green lasers flashed across the shielded hangar bay as it stared out in to space, the engines of the Vestige lighting them up as it continued to force the Retaliator on. One of the docking arms of the Shipyard began to creep in to view from below the forward bulkhead of the docking bay.

“1 click out!” Faricho called, Hersy grunted in reply.

“Ok, time to try and turn this bitch.” He hit the reverse thrusters and pulled the hammerhead back from the hangar bays bulkhead, torn metal fingers scraping against the hull as he did so, once he had enough clearance he began to pirouette the ship so it now pointed up towards the Retaliator then piled on the throttle again. Once more the Vestige pressed up against the Retaliators hull and began to push.

“Course correcting, nose moving down ¼ degree… ½ a degree…”

“Yes, Yes!” Hersy coaxed the corvette, “little more, little more.”

“1 degree nose down, course confirmed, she’ll hit.”

“What about that other Destroyer?” Omothi asked.

“Thrusters coming online now, she’s trying to leave dock.” Faricho answered, glancing at the sensor readouts.

“How long until we hit?” Hersy asked, working the controls to bring the Vestige level with the Retaliator again.

“20 seconds, they won’t make it out. We need to get gone too.” Faricho said, starting to look nervous.”

“Hersy, get us out. Sticks…”

“I heard, get out. Remnant we launch at ten seconds from impact.”

“OK, good luck guys. Green, Gamma, clear a path we’re clearing the hangar.”

“Copy that Omothi, sweep the skies Green.” Ari answered, pinging his Squadron to reform and clear a path aft of the Retaliator.

“You heard them Gamma, don’t let them outscore you!” said Tu’Rus, his own squadron pulling round to cover the Vestiges retreat.

 

“All hands abandon shipyard!” Admiral Jansen was already making his way to the hangar and his private shuttle. “Grand Admiral, the Empire will not forget your lack of participation in this battle!”

 

“Shut him off.” Commanded Karktiss. “Open fire on the Retaliator.”

“It’s too late Sir, we cannot stop it now.”

“But we can limit the damage.”

Ria Tamak, now back on the bridge answered the Grand Admiral once more. “I am Ria Tamak of the Emperors Royal Guard and you are no Grand Admiral. Your decisions have cost lives and the Emperors resources.”

“The Emperor is dead.” Replied Karktiss, emphasising each word, “I am the Empire now.”

“No,” answered Ria Tamak, an alarm sounded as another ship exited hyperspace in to the system, “but he is.”

 

“Vestige clear, almost at the gravity projectors now then we’re jumping,” Called Omothi.

 “Remnant launch now!” commanded Sticks, the group exiting the Retaliators hangar in their X and Y-Wings, the launch window now capturing the full view of the Castell shipyards below them as they dropped from the Retaliator. The nose of the kilometers long ship was already making contact with one of the shipyards delicate docking arms, ploughing through the fragile lattice structure without resistance. Small explosions popped along the arm as fuel lines and oil pipes fractured and ignited.

“Sticks, new target, Another Star Destroyer has entered the system.”

“Got it Leaph, lets focus the Advocate for now. Vestige?”

“Reached our jump point now, signalling Defiance then you’re on your own until she arrives.”

“Ok Remnant, Green, Gamma status….WOW!”

The Retaliator had continued its course and had reached the ISD Arbitrator as it tried to slip away from the dockyards. In an attempt to protect itself it had opened fire with its heavy turbo laser batteries but it was too late. The left side of the Retaliator crushed through the Arbitrators shield generators and continued down, flattening the bridge, the force of the impact pushing both ships back in to the ships yards. Explosions rocked the dockyards, flaring as hull breaches vented out to space, or gas and fuel lines ruptured. Splits along both star destroyers opened up and explosions rocked along those ships too, eventually mixing with the dockyard to create a flurry of rapid and massive fireballs that engulfed the structures around.

Sticks opened a comm channel. “Karktiss, this is your last chance to surrender.”