Outer Sectors Chapter 29 - Blackened is the End

[Lenanor]

10 ~ Jansen
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Outer Sectors Chapter 29 - Blackened is the End

By Ensign Delon Lenanor

Iota Squadron had been flying patrol near the Yaga Minor shipyard for three hours, and Ensign Lenanor was bored. Apparently, the "threat report" had been spurious; no rebel forces were in sight. 2LT Drazhar wasn't too happy about it, either; the entire mission had been nothing but wasted time, and he knew Iota might be needed elsewhere soon.

Without warning, three Nebulon-B frigates dropped out of hyperspace. While originally developed for the Imperial Navy, Nebulons were frequently used by rebels as well, so one could never be too careful. Before Lenanor had time to determine the new arrivals' allegiance, swarms of X-wing starfighters emerged from the ships, heading straight for Iota's gunboats. For the pilots, that was identification enough. Lieutenant Drazhar gave the order to attack, and the squadron headed into battle.

Despite being short on pilots, Iota wasn't too badly off; the X-wings' pilots were clearly inexperienced and their craft were in poor condition. Ensign Lenanor's combat skills weren't great either, but he managed to destroy one of the fighters and damage several others, and nearly all of the X-wings were gone or hopelessly damaged when Drazhar gave the order to concentrate fire on the frigates.

Lenanor and the rest of the squad flew in formation toward the ships, and were shocked to find that they were being completely ignored. The three massive vessels hardly even moved, let alone fired on the approaching craft, and Lenanor was getting worried. This looked like a trap, and he was fairly sure the Nebulons were the bait.

Nevertheless, Iota could still hope to take out at least one of the ships. Lenanor reached for the controls to arm his heavy rockets and was immediately told by the onboard computer, "No weapons present."

Confused and more than a bit angry, he tried again with the same result. He quickly notified 2LT Drazhar: "Lieutenant, my rockets appear to be missing."

The acting squad leader's voice came back; plainly, he was also puzzled and annoyed. "Likewise. Iota, we can't handle the frigates without weaponry. Get out of their range; we're going to have to leave them."

Lenanor turned on the enemy vessels, unhappy over his inability to do anything about them, and mulled over the latest turn of events. Why were the rockets missing? Error, or sabotage? And without the weaponry they had been counting on, what options did Iota have besides retreat?

Without warning, the onboard computer chimed, breaking into his thoughts. New orders. Iota was needed at Geonosis, where a large rebel force was expected, and they were needed quickly. Lieutenant Drazhar's voice over the comm confirmed what the console told him; they were to abandon Yaga Minor and hyper-jump to Geonosis.

Lenanor tore his eyes from the screen angrily. First their weapons were missing; now they had to abandon their mission altogether. That wasn't how he had hoped this would turn out, not that he had much choice.

A shape appearing out of nowhere directly ahead of him startled Lenanor half out of his seat. It was the shape of a ship, and Lenanor recognized it instantaneously. An Interdictor. They were trapped. There would be no entering hyperspace now - they would have to fight it out, and without rockets.