Jaina Solo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sticksofthejedi) wrote2013-12-12 02:00 am
sticksofthejedi) wrote2013-12-12 02:00 am
Entry tags:
Memory 81
Memory: Leading squadrons to free prisoners being transported to sacrifice on Coruscant; stingcrawlers are OP.
Received: Day 305, late night
Form: Memories come in the form of tiny baggies of jungle slime. Eat the slime to get your memory! . . . it tastes like peanut butter even if it doesn't look to appetizing, and also goes well with bread. One use.
Summary: Jaina manages three squadrons in a rescue operation that doesn't go right due to the unveiling of a vicious new enemy ship design. They get away with half the prisoners, but at great cost.
--
The operation is to rescue loads of people captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and being transported to the Vong-held planet Coruscant for sacrifice. At start there's thirteen ordinary ships, remnants of the poorly-named Peace Brigade, five Vong warships and two squadrons of coralskippers, the Vong starfighter-equivalent. The rescue operation pops out of hyperspace while the prisoners are being transferred from the collaborators to the Vong ships. Jaina's in charge of three squadrons: her own Twin Suns (X-wings), Scimitar (A-wings) and Taanab Yellow Aces (a mix of volunteers, meaning the squadron is fairly hodgepodge, primarily A-wings and E-wings). She assigns Scimitar to rush a Vong carrier, Taanab to handle enemy gunships, and takes her own squadron after the enemy lead, which is still attached to a Brigade freighter. There's three other star fighter squadrons with the good guys' fleet.
There's a bit of pre-fight banter, and Kyp teases her in the Force about her relationship with Jag. But the Brigade ships are starting to rev up for hyperdrive. Jaina says they don't get to leave without their permission. They engage, losing three star fighters; three of the brigade ships escape. Things get intense for a bit, but the remaining ships are soon captured. The alliance moves in to board and grab the prisoners, the Millennium Falcon and Jaina's parents included. The operation isn't perfect, but it's gone about as smoothly as possible to that point.
The alliance is only going to get half the prisoners, though: the Vong sent a distress signal, and it isn't long before reinforcements are on the way in. Jaina's star fighters find themselves going from aggressors to defenders. Jaina reflects momentarily that she's been told the final stages of a war are often the worst.
The Vong reinforcements are eighteen new versions of coralskippers. The first clue it's a new design is they came in on their own, when regular coralskippers aren't hyperdrive capable. When the new enemies are in visual range, it's a bit intimidating -- they're obviously going to pack a punch. One of Jaina's pilots observes over the comm they look like Azuran stingcrawlers. Jaina plays it safe and orders the squadrons into a tight formation with the fighters in the worst shape safe in the center. Jaina makes a decision she'll regret: she lets a shot hit her to see just what they're up against. It halves her shield capacity and she has to dodge two followup shots. She tries shouting a warning, but the comms are already in chaos. Seven Alliance pilots get wiped out before the enemy has passed the squadrons and makes a straight line for the transports.
She tries to get her squadron back into formation to chase the stingcrawlers down. Scimitar squadron is calling for backup shortly. There's problems coming in to help: the Vong are taking up positions so it's hard to shoot at them without risking stray shots hitting allies or the transports. And then it manages to get even WORSE as the enemy capital ships that went silent during the capture start opening fire again. One of the transports explodes, and Jaina notices the Falcon is starting to take heavy fire. She and three of her pilots breaks off to cover them. Jaina takes another hit, and while her fighter is reeling she watches two of her pilots get shot down.
She orders everyone to unload their heavy ordinance, desperately pulling out the stops.
Among the fireworks, Jaina's watching the Falcon almost come apart, and she can picture what must be going on in the cockpit, and is counting down to its escape to hyperdrive -- accurately, I might add. It takes a worrying and spectacular hit just as it makes the jump. With that jolt, no one is certain where the freighter has jumped to, and Jaina does check with them. She clamps down on her worry and orders her people to move to covering other transports on retreat. The stingcrawlers, in one lucky break, do not pursue much further, instead returning to keep the alliance from trying to grab any more of their prisoners.
Received: Day 305, late night
Form: Memories come in the form of tiny baggies of jungle slime. Eat the slime to get your memory! . . . it tastes like peanut butter even if it doesn't look to appetizing, and also goes well with bread. One use.
Summary: Jaina manages three squadrons in a rescue operation that doesn't go right due to the unveiling of a vicious new enemy ship design. They get away with half the prisoners, but at great cost.
--
The operation is to rescue loads of people captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and being transported to the Vong-held planet Coruscant for sacrifice. At start there's thirteen ordinary ships, remnants of the poorly-named Peace Brigade, five Vong warships and two squadrons of coralskippers, the Vong starfighter-equivalent. The rescue operation pops out of hyperspace while the prisoners are being transferred from the collaborators to the Vong ships. Jaina's in charge of three squadrons: her own Twin Suns (X-wings), Scimitar (A-wings) and Taanab Yellow Aces (a mix of volunteers, meaning the squadron is fairly hodgepodge, primarily A-wings and E-wings). She assigns Scimitar to rush a Vong carrier, Taanab to handle enemy gunships, and takes her own squadron after the enemy lead, which is still attached to a Brigade freighter. There's three other star fighter squadrons with the good guys' fleet.
There's a bit of pre-fight banter, and Kyp teases her in the Force about her relationship with Jag. But the Brigade ships are starting to rev up for hyperdrive. Jaina says they don't get to leave without their permission. They engage, losing three star fighters; three of the brigade ships escape. Things get intense for a bit, but the remaining ships are soon captured. The alliance moves in to board and grab the prisoners, the Millennium Falcon and Jaina's parents included. The operation isn't perfect, but it's gone about as smoothly as possible to that point.
The alliance is only going to get half the prisoners, though: the Vong sent a distress signal, and it isn't long before reinforcements are on the way in. Jaina's star fighters find themselves going from aggressors to defenders. Jaina reflects momentarily that she's been told the final stages of a war are often the worst.
The Vong reinforcements are eighteen new versions of coralskippers. The first clue it's a new design is they came in on their own, when regular coralskippers aren't hyperdrive capable. When the new enemies are in visual range, it's a bit intimidating -- they're obviously going to pack a punch. One of Jaina's pilots observes over the comm they look like Azuran stingcrawlers. Jaina plays it safe and orders the squadrons into a tight formation with the fighters in the worst shape safe in the center. Jaina makes a decision she'll regret: she lets a shot hit her to see just what they're up against. It halves her shield capacity and she has to dodge two followup shots. She tries shouting a warning, but the comms are already in chaos. Seven Alliance pilots get wiped out before the enemy has passed the squadrons and makes a straight line for the transports.
She tries to get her squadron back into formation to chase the stingcrawlers down. Scimitar squadron is calling for backup shortly. There's problems coming in to help: the Vong are taking up positions so it's hard to shoot at them without risking stray shots hitting allies or the transports. And then it manages to get even WORSE as the enemy capital ships that went silent during the capture start opening fire again. One of the transports explodes, and Jaina notices the Falcon is starting to take heavy fire. She and three of her pilots breaks off to cover them. Jaina takes another hit, and while her fighter is reeling she watches two of her pilots get shot down.
She orders everyone to unload their heavy ordinance, desperately pulling out the stops.
Among the fireworks, Jaina's watching the Falcon almost come apart, and she can picture what must be going on in the cockpit, and is counting down to its escape to hyperdrive -- accurately, I might add. It takes a worrying and spectacular hit just as it makes the jump. With that jolt, no one is certain where the freighter has jumped to, and Jaina does check with them. She clamps down on her worry and orders her people to move to covering other transports on retreat. The stingcrawlers, in one lucky break, do not pursue much further, instead returning to keep the alliance from trying to grab any more of their prisoners.