Chapter 9: Choices

[Fel]

Captain Fel removed his helmet, his hair damp from the sweat that combat brings, despite the chilliness of the cockpit of the X-Wing during combat. Beside him, other members of Obsidian squadron were doing the same. Post-flight debrief was coming up soon, and he was waiting for all members to have their post-flight checklists done before leading them to the briefing room.

The attack by the VSD Adamant had been repelled, but it had been costly - those were GE troops they were forced to fight against, and it had ended very badly for the Adamant. Fel was certain that Grand Admiral Daemon would be less than impressed by this, but he knew it had to be done for the mission.

Flight Officer Renzen looked especially displeased. The squadron's ISB agent, or so it was thought, he must have thought that the previous battle could have gone better, from the perspective of the Empire.

The last of the pilots were aboard, and it was time to get the ship underway on the next leg of the journey, and the ship's engines began the tell-tale hum that always preceded a jump to lightspeed. Through the hangar, Fel could see the stars shift and merge as they were becoming the tunnel of hyperspace...

The Pike shuddered to a halt suddenly, in that distinctive way a ship does when it is pulled unexpectedly from hyperspace. Fel's mind jumped to two conclusions: Interdictor cruiser and engine failure. Last time, it had been engine trouble.

Captain Ilven came on the comm channel, ordering fighters to scramble. So much for it being engine trouble.

The hangar deck exploded with activity as postflight checkups became preflight warmups, fuel was rushed into starfighters, helmets thrown on, pilots threw themselves back in their fighters.

Fel turned on the targeting computer. The words he read were the sort that froze his heart in his chest.

INT Red Claw II.

Fel knew then that his inflitration mission could end in only two ways...

He could spare the Interdictor, fail his infiltration mission, and most likely be executed by the Rebellion... or he could succeed at the infiltration, destroying the Empire's only Interdictor cruiser, and be executed upon his return to the Empire...!

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TIE: ERS220-TIE
XvT: ERS221-XvT
XWA: ERS222-XWA
GB: Fiction
EaW: Fiction
(Apologies to EaW but CD Mar has been unable to make missions this past round...)