//------------------------------// // Assault on the Death Star // Story: Cinematic Adventures: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// Rebel fighters continue to strafe the Death Star’s surface with laser-bolts. Inside the station, walls buckle and cave in. Troops and equipment are blown in all directions. Stormtroopers stagger out from the rubble. Standing in the midst of the chaos, a vision of calm and foreboding is Darth Vader. One of his Astro-Officers rushed up to him. “We count thirty Rebel ships, Lord Vader,” The Astro-Officer informed. “But they’re so small they’re evading our turbo-lasers!” “We’ll have to destroy them ship to ship,” Vader spoke. “Get the crews to their fighters.” <> Smoke belches from the giant laser guns as they wind up their turbine generators to create sufficient power. The crew rushes about preparing for another blast. Even the troopers’ head gear is not adequate to protect them from the overwhelming noise of the monstrous weapon. One trooper banged his helmet with his hand attempting to stop the ringing. Meanwhile, Red Leader flies through a heavy hail of flak. “Luke, let me know when you’re going in,” Red Leader spoke. The Red Leader’s X-wing flies past Luke as he puts his nose down and started his attack dive. “I’m on my way in now…” Luke answered. “Element Three got your back, fly buddy,” Rainbow added. “Watch yourselves!” Red Leader warned. “There’s a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower.” “We’re on it,” Luke acknowledged. “Just let ‘em try!” Rainbow scoffed. “I can outfly or outshoot them anytime!” “Talk is cheap Rainbow,” Luke replied. “Only if you can’t back it up!” Rainbow bragged. “I’m going in,” Biggs spoke. “Cover me, Porkins.” “I’m right with you, Red Three,” Porkins responded. The X-wings fire their lasers toward another tower, blowing it away and sending stormtroopers back by an explosion. The Empire fires back with their laser cannons toward the ships. Unfortunately, Porkins’ was having problems with his X-Wing. “I got a problem here,” Porkins spoke. “Eject!” Biggs commanded. “I can hold it.” “Pull up!” “No, I’m alright—AHH!!!” A deflection tower struck the X-Wing and Porkins was shot down in a fiery blaze. <> Governor Tarkin looked on intensely inside the Death Star. The visual display shows the Rebel base nearly in range. “The Rebel base will be in firing range in seven minutes…” The Imperial Speaker informed. <> Luke flies his X-wing into a twisting dive across the horizon and down onto the dim grey surface. A shot hurls from Luke’s guns, as laser bolts streak toward the onrushing Death Star surface. Several small radar emplacements erupt in flame. Laser fire erupted from a protruding tower on the surface. It was then Luke heard a rather familiar voice. “Luke, trust your feelings,” Obi-Wan’s voice spoke. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash found herself pursued by two imperial TIE fighters that were currently firing all cylinders at her x-wing. “I’m taking on fire here!” Rainbow yelled, over the intercom. “Need any assistance?” Biggs asked. Rainbow looked from the control panel back at the pursuing TIE’s, trying to find a means of escaping this. Looking straight ahead, she spotted two more fighters rapidly approaching from up front. It was then a tiny invisible lightbulb went off in her head. “No need Biggs, I got this!” Rainbow grabbed the controls and went full speed at a 90 degree angle. The two pursuing TIE fighters quickly changed direction, following her directly. Soon as Rainbow reached a high enough altitude, she suddenly jerked the controls and went for a nosedive. “Going down!” She yelled. The Two TIE’s quickly maneuvered downward and now they were all barreling downward. Rainbow observed as the other two fighters were not coming at her from the front again. Her own ship was just racing in their direction. “Not just yet…” Rainbow whispered to herself. “Wait for it… and…” Suddenly, she jerked the controls to the side causing the x-wing to spin into a rapid barrel roll. Rainbow held on for dear life as she spun out of control towards the two fighters. Just as they were upon her, the intense spinning actually gave her a tiny little opening where she flew right between the gap of the fighters. Unfortunately, that also meant the two fighters chasing her crashed right into the two others and they collided in a massive explosion. Rainbow took control once more, pulling her ship back up into a steady flight of passage. “WOOHOO!!!” <> The blurry Death Star surface raced past the cockpit window as a big smile swept across Luke’s face at the success of his run. Flak thunders on all sides of him, as Luke maneuvers his craft through a wall of laser-fire and peeled away from the surface of the superstructure toward the heavens. The thunder and smoke of the big guns reverberate throughout the massive structure. Many soldiers rush about in the chaos, silhouetted by the almost continual flash of explosions. Biggs dove through a forest of radar domes, antennae, and gun towers as he shot across the Death Star surface. A dense barrage of laser-fire streaks by on all sides. Imperial star pilots dashed in unison to a line of small auxiliary hatches leading to Imperial TIE fighters. <> Inside the war room, Princess Leia, surrounded by the Equestrians, her generals, and aides, paced nervously before a lighted computer table. On all sides, technicians work in front of the many lighted glass walls. Dodonna watched quietly from one corner. One of the officers working over a screen spoke through his headset. “Squad leaders, we’ve picked up a new group of signals. Enemy fighters coming your way.” “WHAT?!?!” The group shouted, in unison. <> Luke looked around, trying to spot the approaching Imperial fighters. “My scope’s negative. I don’t see anything.” The Death Star’s surface swept past, as Red Leader searched the sky for the Imperial fighters. Flak pounds at his ship. “Pick up your visual scanning,” Red Leader instructed. “With all this jamming, they’ll be on top of you before your scope can pick them up.” “Picking up bogeys boys!” Rainbow shouted. “Here they come!” Silhouetted against the rim lights of the Death Star horizon, six ferocious Imperial TIE ships dove toward the Rebel fighters. Two of the TIE fighters peeled off and dropped out of frame. The remaining two TIE ships accelerate at another angle. “Watch it! You got one on your tail,” Red Leader warned. An Imperial TIE fighter was in pursuit of one of the rebel pilots. Despite his best effort, the Rebel could not outshake the TIE fighter as its pilot proved relentless. “I’m hit!!!” And just like that, the Rebel ship was blown apart and another rebel blew into dust. “Holy… buck!!!” Rainbow gasped. Things looked pretty dark for the Rebels. Biggs panicked when he discovered a TIE ship on his tail. The horizon in the background twisted around as he peeled off, hoping to lose the Imperial fighter. “Biggs! You’ve picked on up… watch it!” Red Leader shouted. “I can’t see it!” Biggs looked around. “Where is he?!” Biggs zoomed off the surface of the Death Star and into space. An Imperial TIE fighter followed close behind, firing several laser bolts but missing every shot. Biggs could see the ship behing him and swung around, trying to avoid him. “He’s on me tight, I can’t shake him.” Biggs flew at a high altitude, peeled off and dove toward the Death Star surface. Unfortunately, he’s unable to lose the TIE fighter, who stuck close to his tail. Seeing his friend in danger, Luke flew upside down and rotated the ship around to normal altitude as he emerges from his dive. “I’ll be right there!” Luke called out. Biggs and the tailing TIE ship dove for the surface, now followed by a fast-gaining Luke. After Biggs dove out of sight, Luke pursued the Imperial fighter. In the foreground, the Imperial fighter raced across the Death Star’s surface, closely followed by Luke in the background. Just then, the Imperial looked back for a second before Dash’s ship appeared. “PEEK-A-BOO!!!” Rainbow shouted. Shots fired from Dash’s X-wing exploding the TIE fighter in flames, and she pulled up just before flying into Luke’s ship. “A little warning next time Dash!” Luke called out. “You’re welcome,” Rainbow smirked. <> Inside the Death Star, Darth Vader strode purposefully down a Death Star corridor, flanked by Imperial stormtroopers. “Several fighters have broken off from the main group,” Vader informed the troopers. “Come with me!” <> Back in the War Room, a concerned Princess Leia, Threepio, Dodonna, and the Equestrians stood around the huge round readout screen, listening to the ship-to-ship communication on the room’s loudspeaker. “Pull in!” Biggs shouted, over the speaker. “Luke… pull in!” “Watch your back, Luke!” Wedge shouted. “Fighters above you!” Rainbow shouted, over her headset. “Coming in red hot!” Luke’s ship soared away from the Death Star’s surface, as he spotted the tailing TIE fighter. The TIE pilot took aim at Luke’s x-wing, scoring a hit on Luke’s ship. A fire broke out on the right side of the X-wing. “Luke, are you all right?” Rainbow called out. “Talk to me buddy, what happened?” Luke looked out his cockpit toward the flames on his ship. “I’m hit, but not bad.” Smoke poured from behind R2-D2. “R2!” Luke’s voice called. “See what you can do with it. Hang on back there.” Green laser fire moves past the beeping little robot as his head turned and he quickly went to work on the damage. Meanwhile Luke nervously worked his controls. “Red Two…” Red Leader shouted, over the headset. <> In the war room, Leia and the girls stood frozen as they listened and worried about Luke. “Can you see Red Five?” Red Leader asked. “There’s a heavy fire zone out there,” Wedge answered. “Red Five, where are you?” <> Luke spotted the TIE fighter behind him and soared away from the Death Star Surface. “I can’t shake him!” Luke’s ship soared closer to the surface of the Death Star; an Imperial TIE fighter closed in on him in hot pursuit. In the meantime, the Death Star whipped below Wedge. “I’m on him, Luke!” Wedge spoke, over the headset. “Hold on!” Wedge dove across the horizon toward Luke and the TIE fighter. Wedge moved his X-wing in rapidly. Luke reacted frantically, as he searched the starry skies. “Blast it! Biggs, where are you?” Luke muttered. The fighter pilot in the TIE fighter watched Wedge’s X-wing approach. Another X-wing, Rainbow’s, joined him, and together they both unleashed a volley of laser fire on the Imperial fighter. The TIE fighter exploded into white light. Luke’s ship could be seen in the far distance. Luke himself felt quite relieved. “Thanks, Wedge. Thanks Dash.” “Now was that so hard?” Rainbow replied. <> Leia, 3PO, Storm, the Equestria Girls, Dodonna, and other Rebel officers are listening to the Rebel Fighter’s radio transmissions over the war room intercom. “Good shooting, Wedge!” Biggs congratulated. “Red Leader…” <> Gold Leader peeled off and started toward the long trenches at the Death Star surface pole. “This is Gold Leader,” Gold Leader spoke. “We’re starting our attack run.” Three Y-wing fighters of the Gold group dove out of the stars toward the Death Star surface. <> Leia and the others group around the screen, as technicians move about attending to their duties. “I copy, Gold Leader,” Red Leader spoke, over the speaker. “Move into position.” <> Three Imperial TIE ships in precise formation dive toward the Death Star surface. Darth Vader calmly adjusted his control stick as the stars whipped past in the window above his head. “Stay in attack formation!” Vader instructed. <> In the War Room, technicians are seated at the computer readout table. Gold Leader’s voice echoed over the speaker. “The exhaust post is…” <> “… marked and locked in!” Gold Leader declared. Gold Leader approached the surface and pulled out to skim the surface of the huge station. The ship moved into a deep trench, firing laser bolts. The surface streaked past as laser fire returned from the Death Star. Among Gold Leader’s team was Gold Five, a pilot in his early fifties with a very battered helmet which looked as if it been through many battles. He looked around to see if enemy ships are near. His fighter was buffeted by Imperial flak. Gold Leader raced down the enormous trench leading to the exhaust port. Laser bolts blast toward him in increasing numbers, occasionally exploding near the ship causing it to bounce about. “Switch power to front deflector screens,” Gold Leader instructed. Three Y-wing skim the Death Star surface deep in the trench, as laser bolts streak past on all sides. An exterior surface gun blazed away toward the oncoming Rebel fighters. “How many guns do you think, Gold Five?” Gold Leader asked. <> “I’d say about twenty guns,” Gold Five answered, over speaker. “Some on the surface, some on the towers.” Leia, 3PO, the Equestrians, and the technicians view the projected target screen, as red and blue target lights glow. The red target near the center blinked on and off. “Death Star will be in range in five minutes,” The Intercom voice spoke. “Come on Dash,” Applejack silently prayed. “Just get Luke in fer that moment and y’all can blow that hunk ah metal tah bits.” Close by, Storm Shield’s eyes were also closed, breathing in and out as if he were meditating while standing. As if deep down, he too prayed for the rebels knowing that time was not on their side. <> The three Y-wing fighters raced forward, through a hail of laser fire. Gold Leader pulled his computer tracking device down to the level of his eye. Laser bolts continued to batter the Rebel craft. “Switching to targeting computer,” Gold Leader informed. Gold Two, a younger pilot about Luke’s age, pulled down his targeting eye viewer and adjusted it. His ship shuddered under intense laser barrage. “Computer’s locked. Getting a signal.” As the fighters began their approach to the target area, suddenly all laser fire ceased. An eerie calm clung over the trench as the surface whipped past in a blur. “The guns… they’ve stopped!” Gold Two observed. Gold Five looked behind him in his cockpit. “Stabilize your read deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.” “They’re coming in!” Gold Leader informed. “Three marks at two ten.” Three Imperial TIE ships, Darth Vader in the center flanked by two wingmen, dove in precise formation almost vertically toward the Death Star surface. Darth Vader calmly adjusted his controls tick as the stars zoomed by. “I’ll take them myself! Cover me!” “Yes sir,” One Wingman spoke. The three TIE fighters zoomed across the surface of the Death Star. Vader lined up Gold Two in his targeting computer. Vader’s hand gripped the control stick as he pressed the button to fire. The cockpit exploded around Gold Two, sending his head forward. As Gold Two’s ship exploded, debris flung out into space. Gold Leader looked over his shoulder at the scene, as the three TIE fighters raced along the trench in a tight formation. Gold Leader started to panic. “I can’t maneuver!” He gasped, through his mic. “Stay on target,” Gold Five advised. The Death Star raced by outside the cockpit window as Gold Leader adjusted his targeting device. While Gold Leader was really panicking, the oldest pilot (Gold Five) remained calm. “We’re too close!” Gold Leader insisted. “Stay on target!” Gold Five repeated. “Loosen up!” Vader calmly adjusted his targeting computer and pushed the fire button. Gold Leader’s ship was hit by Vader’s laser, exploding into a ball of flames throwing debris in all directions. Now it was all up to Gold Five, as he moved on toward the exhaust port. “Gold Five to Red Leader…” Gold Five began. Luke looked over his shoulder at the action outside his cockpit. “Lost Tiree, lost Dutch,” Gold Five finished, over headset. “I copy, Gold Five,” Red Leader confirmed. “They came from behind…” One of the engines explode on Gold Five’s Y-wing fighter, blazing out of control. He dove past the horizon toward the Death Star’s surface, passing a TIE fighter during his descent. Gold Five, a veteran of countless campaigns, spun toward his death. Luke looked nervously about him at the explosive battle. Rainbow too looked on as Gold Five’s fighter crashed directly into the Death Star. This battle was certainly becoming more dangerous by the minute. “This is going to be harder than I thought…” Rainbow thought to herself.