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"Wraith Squadron": Book 5 in the X-Wing Series


Jedi Cool
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chapter 26:

 

Grinder wakes up in Sickbay where Wedge, Face, Phanan and Tainer look over him. They are afraid he had a fit and Wedge wants him to remain here so they can determine whether or not he’s fit to fly. Grinder tries to explain about the dangers of the Storini Crystal Deceiver, but nothing is found in the ship’s computer about either of them, so Wedge thinks he’s freaking out.

 

After everyone leaves but Face, Grinder tries to convince him. Then Face pulls out a gadget that emits a scratching noise. He’d found the bug in his cockpit but thought it was Phanan’s, who had also swiped an insect from the medical facility. When they got back to base, they found Phanan’s was still in the box so it had to be someone else who was responsible. After eliminating everyone else who had access to the ship’s cockpits, he settled on a code slicer. In fact, despite his claims to not appreciating pranks, it’s been Grinder all along who was responsible for the pranks plaguing the Wraiths, such as Falynn’s and Kell’s locker attacks.

 

The data on the Crystal Deceiver is fake. There is no such thing. Phanan made it up, Kell rigged the noise gadget and the one at his door, as well as killing the power in his room. They were tired of the pranks, too, and decided to get Grinder back.

 

Grinder is angry that Face drugged him, but Face insists that he didn’t do that. Grinder fainted all on his own. Grinder agrees to no more pranks, but, after Face leaves the room, finds that the scratching gadget was left behind.

 

The Night Caller rendezvoused with the other ships before they jump to hyperspace together toward the Morobe system. Face is stuck impersonating Captain Darillian in case Trigit needs to communicate with him during the battle. Trigit has noticed the modifications to the Caller, such as the shuttle and the escape pods. Face explains they got the shuttle from pirates and the pods are actually TIEs which reduces the amount of time it takes to deploy.

 

They could attack Trigit’s fleet now, but that could expose their identity and put them at risk if one of the ships gets away. It’s better to handle it at the target where the rebels can be blamed.

 

Not far from the exit to Talasea, Lt. Gara Petothel tells Trigit that she has noticed unusual activity from the Moort parasite droids. The data sent by 22 units could only have been done by ships entering and exiting the Morobe system. This means that the rebels are on to them and they are likely flying into a trap.

 

Trigit agrees, orders his ship to exit hyperspace now and comms the others to tell them that Talasea is a trap.

 

The ships come out of hyperspace with the exception of the Implacable. Hrakness advises the Caller’s crew that Trigit has figured out the ambush and isn’t coming. The other two ships are turning around to head back. They will have to hold them here until Alliance forces arrive.

 

Face recommends venting the atmosphere and opening the hold door which will allow them more proton torpedoes to launch at the Provacateur. He races out of the comm. center hoping he can reach the bow before the atmosphere is vented, but finds he’s too late to jump into his ship.

 

The others are waiting to fire. Kell Tainer has to shut up the voice in his head telling him that this is a real live fire mission much tougher than the Blood Nest. The fighters begin firing on the Provocateur which had been gathering up its own TIEs. The two Imperial ships begin firing back.

 

While the X-Wings fire on it and the Constrictor, Face heads toward the bridge when the ship is jolted. He sees the door metal red and a hissing sound emanating from it. He calls for anyone on the bridge and gets no answer.

 

Kell gets the message that the bridge is gone. The Caller is drifting. Face’s fighter was in the hold, but he wasn’t in it. Kell tries to get someone from the ship to respond.

 

Wedge gets the Constrictor to surrender when he’s told the Night Caller is in trouble.

 

Face finds his way to the auxillary bridge and gets Grinder to give him the passcodes he’d already sliced into secretly. He transfers all command to that bridge and gets the maintenance crew to get up to the main bridge and seal it off before it loses integrity and blows half the ship up with it.

 

Kell notes that the Provacateur is trying to escape with its TIEs since the Caller is unresponsive and the Wraiths haven’t been able to hit it. He calls the ship again and gets Face. After Face gives him the location of the most vulnerable part of the Provacateur’s shields, the Wraiths pound it with torpoedoes until it splits into two pieces.

 

Kell’s hands won’t stop shaking.

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chapter 27:

 

General Crespin is sorry his forces weren’t there in time to deal with the attack, but it seems that all they needed was the Wraiths. Wedge admits that the Implacable would have made victory much harder if they hadn’t had the Rogues and Crespin’s other ships.

 

Still, they were able to prevent any messages from getting out so, as soon as the Night Caller gets repaired, they’ll come up with a heroic story of their escape to Zsinj. Crespin tells him that there is news coming in regarding Garik Loran and, since he’s never cared for the man, he wants Wedge to know it had nothing to do with him.

 

Wedge accepts this and goes to check on his squadron. The Provocateur is unsalvageable, but the Constrictor and the Night Caller are being repaired. Wedge wants the repairs to look sloppy and hasty so that it will match what one crew could do in a few hours. He still wants to go after Trigit quickly, feeling that the more time the admiral has to think, the more likely that he will figure out he’s been deceived.

 

Ackbar approaches him and thanks him for his kind words regarding the death of his niece. He would also like to meet the pilot who worked so hard to save her. Then he gives Wedge a case, explaining that the Wraiths’ exploits have finally reached the New Republic .

 

Wedge meets with his team and presents the awards the New Republic has for them. X-Wings have arrived so Tyria can have her fighter back, owing to her accomplishments over the last few weeks.

 

As the sole survivor of the Caller’s officer complement, Tabanne is promoted to captain of the ship. Both Face and Kell are promoted to lieutenant; Kell is given the Kalidor Crescent in acknowledgement of his brave efforts to save Jesmin Ackbar. Wedge notes that Kell often comes up with unusual strategies that are meant to save his comrades as opposed to gaining glory for himself.

 

He and Janson note privately that Kell doesn’t seem particularly excited about the Crescent, despite the fact that it proves he’s not a coward and restores his family’s honor. He confuses them. Janson suggests they kill him.

 

Tyria goes to Kell’s quarters and confronts him. He tells her that he still blames himself for Jesmin’s death. And, even if he showed bravery that one day, he’s still frightened all of the time in the cockpit. The time will come when he will panic and rush off like his father did and someone will have to shoot him down.

 

As a child, he used to think that there’d been a mistake. That his father had been a spy or had been hallucinating or some other situation where he was shot down by accident. But then he went to pilot training where some of the pilots of that mission talked about it, not knowing he was Doran’s son. Some were scornful, some were regretful, but he realized that his father truly was dead because of his own lack of bravery and not for any other reason.

 

Fearing he will eventually harm his comrades, he wants to resign. Tyria tells him that he was wrong before about his father and about Lt. Janson. He is wrong about this, too. She asks if he trusts her with his life and he does. She asks him to go a step further and trust her that he’s wrong about himself.

 

The Caller arrives at the original rendezvous point to the predictable absence of the Implacable, then sends off a message to Zsinj explaining their own miraculous survival and the abandonment by Admiral Trigit.

 

Then they head to the next stop of Obinipor where they prepare to buzz the place with TIEs as they did on Viamarr. The Intelligence team already there sends them a packet of information when they get a message on the HoloNet.

 

Wedge guesses it’s Trigit as Zsinj likely contacted him to get his side of the story first. Face, posing as Darillian, takes the transmission, starting off with blasting Trigit for betraying them.

 

The admiral understands that Darillian is upset but he had sent the warning message and had his own ship to think about, as well as his own instructions from Zsinj. Face complains that his bridge is gone and that he now has officers who are not trained.

 

Trigit conferences in Zsinj on another HoloNet line to explain the situation. This concerns Face as the Caller’s computer must now work twice as hard at this charade and he fears that he could lose image integrity.

 

Zsinj explains that the loss of the Provocateur is bad, but that just puts Darillian closer to command of Implacable. Doubtless, he’s offered Trigit something better, too. He also lets him know that they’ve identified the pursuers as being Rogue Squadron. Once Darillian completes his mission to Obinipor, he will hide behind one of its moons with Implacable until Rogue Squadron arrives. Then it will be destroyed as thoroughly as Talon Squadron was.

 

Face hears a muffled sound outside and worries that Donos was happening by at the time. Neither Imperial seems to have noticed the sound. Face suggests that they actually lure the Alliance to a target that will cause them to commit more forces to attack. In that way, they can ambush even more ships.

 

Trigit thinks it’s overly-complicated. The loss of the Rogues will be a blow to the morale of the New Republic as much as it will be a loss of ships and pilots. In addition, they don’t know how the Night Caller is being tracked. Zsinj thinks the plan has merit, though.

 

He advises them both to wait for the location of the ambush and ends the transmission. Trigit points out that Darillian would make a good Star Destroyer captain if his ambitions don’t get him first.

 

After that ends, Face finds Janson and Donos waiting outside. Janson congratulates him on his bluffing.

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chapter 28:

 

Zsinj tells Captain Darillian that they will break off their mission at Obinipor and head to Ession. He will have to deal with Vanter Raffin but should coordinate actual efforts with security chief Hola Paskalian.

 

Night Caller and Implacable will wait behind the moon for the Alliance to attack. He wants Darillian to work well with Trigit on this. Face assures him that he’s over his initial anger and wants to get back at those who deserve it.

 

The Wraiths find that a Sienar factory that was originally used to build TIEs is there. Sienar sold it after the Emperor died and it builds utility vehicles now under the name Pakkerd Light Transport.

 

Pakkerd is likely another Zsinj identity. Since they’ve identified both Raffin as chief officer and Paskalian as security chief, it sounds like that’s their actual target. Just in case there are still fighters being built there, they might want to use some commandoes to prevent that from happening. Donos is very intense and decrees that, this time, they won’t get away.

 

Two days later, the Implacable and Night Caller are waiting together on the far side of the moon at Ession where Face finds himself sitting in the comm. center, bored, to deal with Trigit’s calls.

 

He’d already convinced the admiral to put up a dish on the mountain to mask the signal of the two ships. Doing that had required some work with Pakkerd Light Transport. With the arrival of a shuttle in system signaling half-an-hour until the entry of the New Republic forces, he gets another irritated call from Trigit who wants to be sure that Darillian lets the Rogues follow him.

 

Face assures him that there shouldn’t be a problem with that, although he couldn’t be too obvious lest the New Republic’s Intelligence team see through it. Trigit notes it as a simple game of follow best.

 

Face doesn’t recognize the phrase, but nods and goes on with other details. Trigit doesn’t give up and persists with the follow best theme. Face’s monitor finally gives him an Imperial catchphrase that he repeats in response. But Trigit is interested in knowing why it took Darillian so long to respond to what is second nature to everyone else.

 

Face puts on a performance of a lifetime. He says he’s not the same man who left home over two years ago. His adored wife was killed in the destruction of their building on Coruscant when Ysanne Isard took the Lusankya off the planet. He waxes on about how he loved his wife, but thought of Isard as a goddess that he would have sacrificed anything for. He reminensces about her beauty and the scent of her perfume until Trigit lets the issue go.

 

The crew of the Night Caller applaud and cheer this improvisation.

 

When the cargo carrier Red Feathers enters the system, Janson recognizes it as the Blood Nest. It’s a miracle they got it flying after the Wraiths had hit it. The pilots are sent to their fighters, but Tabanne addresses her concerns to Wedge about the relay dish.

 

Part of the reason it was set up is so that it makes targeting the Night Caller difficult for the Implacable. Tabanne is to move the ship away once the Wraiths are clear, but she is worried that the Imps will destroy the dish right away.

 

Wedge has a maneuver to counter that which Tabanne isn’t sure she is good enough to pull off. She’s got someone in mind who’s better.

 

Falynn is surprised when Captain Tabanne shows up at Wedge’s TIE instead of him. She tells Falynn that they’ve traded in order to divert a problem.

 

Kell checks in as do the other X-Wings pilots. Wedge, Janson, Piggy and Falynn will be flying TIEs. He blows Tyria a kiss, but feels the shakiness starting again.

 

On the Implacable, Petothel notices the carrier and wonders if it’s full of X-Wings. Trigit has speakers opened and listens to the transmission between the cargo ship and the Ession Control. The Red Feathers is claiming imminent destruction, but assures Control that the cargo is not dangerous to the planet and that an escape pod will be jettisoned. They have a five-minute countdown going.

 

Trigit asked where the ship will be in those five minutes in conjunction with Pakkerd Light Transport. When it’s determined they will be very close, he tells Petothel to award herself a pass and then has fighters scrambled.

 

The Red Feathers ejects an escape pod before it falls apart, cargo containers drifting in space, heading toward Ession’s atmosphere. In their midst is Rogue Squadron, General Salm’s Green Squadron and General Crespin’s Blue Squadron.

 

When the Implacable launches its TIEs, Wedge orders the Gray Squadron TIEs launched, too, but not before noticing a tremor in Tainer’s voice.

 

Atril, Falynn, Janson and Piggy launch in their TIEs.

 

Wedge watches the TIEs launched from Implacable toward the Red Feathers’s debris field. Then he asks the young officer on the Caller if he’s ready for tractor duty.

 

Then the Wraiths board their ships with Face reminding them not to activate their targeting computers until his mark.

 

The Implacable notices the Night Caller headed toward Ession so Trigit assumes Darillion is trying to hoard all the glory and orders a query sent to determine his intentions. Wedge orders Talon Strike to commence.

 

At this, Atril heads toward the Implacable and fires. Kell activates his targeting computer and launches his own torpedoes at the ship. Admiral Trigit orders shields up but not before the viewscreen bursts in and the atmosphere blows it all out toward Ession.
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  • We remember General Salm and his Y-Wing Bombers from the Rogue Squadron books.
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chapter 29:

 

Trigit crawls into the security foyer, followed by a few officers, such as Petothel. He orders bridge functions transferred here and asks about the shield status. He’s told the generators are down.

 

As the Wraiths clear out and Cubber takes the shuttle, Wedge engages the thrusters, with the tractor beam on the moon, and kicks up dust from the moon up over his ship.

 

Atril and Falynn take down the ship’s communications tower. Face and Phanan fire a couple of torpedoes into the hole in the Implacable’s underside.

 

Trigit orders the TIEs recalled. There might be some on the planet to utilize but the factory is the least of his worries when he has to keep his ship intact. He realizes he should have gone with his instincts when speaking with Darillian, but had allowed himself to be persuaded by the man’s obvious personal knowledge of Isard.

 

He wants weapons trained on the Night Caller but is told they can’t see the ship.

 

Wedge orders a lateral drift and the ship groans in response, kicking up more dust. He then has the bow guns transferred to his station.

 

Kell and Runt take another shot at Implacable to soften it up for another run by Atril and Falynn. Wedge then fires at the ship with a torpedo barrage. It’s difficult to do as he’s as blind as the Implacable is due to the dust cloud. He is also continually moving his ship so that it is less of a target.

 

Trigit finds out that Republic commandoes knocked out the launch tubes at Pakkerd so the TIEs there cannot leave. Y-Wings are bombing the facility now. Trigit knows Zsinj will be furious and considers that Implacable might be operating as an independent after today.

 

Kell freezes. There are so many of them. He asks for a visual check and is told there’s just debris out there. He cannot control his stick. He heads out of the line of fire.

 

Atril gets hit. Falynn tells her to punch out but TIEs don’t have ejection seats. Her inertial compensator is damanged and she begins spinning.

 

Grinder hits the Implacable again to show Night Caller where to go. Kell gains control of his stick again and the starfield in front of him is relaxing. The battle is behind him.

 

Janson lets Wedge know that the shuttle Narra has a tractor on Atril. Falynn wants to head into the hole in the Implacable and do internal damage. Wedge won’t let her risk it but she starts talking about her comm. unit. They try to reach Grinder to stop her but get only static from him, too.

 

Kell is jolted to reality by the targeting lock on him. He asks Runt if he’s going to shoot him down. Runt tells him he’s not but only wanted to get the attention of Kell’s bad mind. He’s going back to the fight.

 

Kell has it clear to hyperspace and sees no ships pursuing him. He knows they will come some day to shoot him down and wonders who it will be. The thought that Tyria might be the one to be sent occurs to him and he realizes he cannot let her have to lose another person she loves. He returns to the fight.

 

Falynn and Grinder head into the hole. Falynn knows that no one has ever taken out a Star Destroyer this way. She will be number one at this. Number one for the first time in her life.

 

Phanan shoots an interceptor off Face while Janson and Piggy start to take on the squadrons of TIES coming at them. Donos has to give up on his attack on Implacable and begins firing with Tyria.

 

General Crespin’s A-Wings join the fight and Wedge gives him the profiles of the four TIEs that are friendly. Kell rejoins the fight and explains to Face that he had to take his sister’s birthday present to her.

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chapter 30:

 

Petothel tells Trigit that they are going to lose the Implacable because of the internal damage occurring in the ship. Trigit will not give his ship to the Alliance to repair and use against the Empire, regardless of the lives that will be lost here.

 

However, he does indicate to Petothel that he has some Interceptors in reserve that he and she can use to get away from this mess. She was never trained to fly one of them, so he suggests she get to the hangar and take a shuttle. Petothel explains that neither of them represent a government so the rebels will not exchange her. She will be tried as a spy and executed so she will stay here.

 

He accepts that and announces he’s headed to the auxillary bridge to complete their victory and orders his presence not to be announced as he wants to surprise the officers there.

 

On the way, he activates the Implacable’s self destruct for five minutes from now.

 

Face notes Phanan’s X-Wing ablaze and tells him to punch out. Phanan ejects and Face tells Cubber to bring the Narra around and pick him up.

 

Petothel leaves the security foyer, heads to the admiral’s quarters and uses an override to get in. His personal bodygards are gone, doubtless preferable as escort pilots for him. The man obviously doesn’t care about the loss of thousands of crewers on this ship. She strips down and puts on civilian clothing, removes her wig and the fake mole, injects herself with an illicit substance and then triggers the hatch to Trigit’s personal escape pod that no one but him is supposed to know about. She carries with it a case that has several identities to choose from.

 

Wedge doesn’t see the three Interceptors leave the Implacable due to the cloud of dust.

 

Petothel orders the crew to abandon ship.

 

Runt warns Kell to roll before he’s hit by a blaster that kills his engines. He cannot affect a cold start and Thirteen cannot help him. Kell watches his fighter begin to move toward the moon and thanks Thirteen for everything before he ejects.

 

The ship crashes on the moon but does not explode as he flies up into space and watches the brilliance of color around him.

 

Wedge quickly tries to move the Night Caller out of the way as the Implacable above him begins to fall. He orders Falynn and Grinder out of the area.

 

Falynn realizes the ship is coming down and tries to get out, but her wing gets stuck. She tells Grinder to get out now, then engages her thrusters to full power. Her ship slams against a bulkhead and cracks her viewport. Grinder flies out into space but his ship is destroyed by one of the Implacable’s turbolasers.

 

Janson watches it happen, the turbolaser turns on him and Piggy destroys it. Janson calls to Falynn who tells him she’s hung up in there and can’t get out. He should not try to come in after her or she’ll fire on him. She shoots lasers out of the ship to prove her point.

 

As the Implacable falls, the Wraiths watch for Falynn’s TIE fighter to emerge, but it doesn’t. A female voice does hail them and lets them know that three TIE Interceptors launched from the ship recently include Admiral Trigit.

 

Wedge offers the TIE fighters the chance to break off and leave the fight, but the captain who responds refuses. Another voice jumps in, telling the captain to accept Antilles’s offer. The man refuses as the owner of the voice is only an observer, then is vaped. The order comes in anew for all TIEs to break off.

 

On the bridge, the weapons officer thinks Wedge knew the voice. Wedge explains it was the voice of Baron Soontir Fel.

 

All but five ships obey. Three TIEs head out of the Ession system with a Blue Squadron and a Wraith after them.

 

Kell finds himself on the Narra with Atril. He is saddened at the loss of Falynn, Grinder and Thirteen, but relieved that Tyria is alright.

 

Donos thought he would lose himself with the loss of Falynn. But he’s still here. He knows the others are worried about him, but he is going after Trigit now. He tells Commander Antilles that the three Interceptors are not following the command to stand down. He doesn’t want the A-Wing in front of him to get in the way of his lasers.

 

Crespin orders the Interceptors to stand down, but Trigit isn’t having it. Crespin lasers one Interceptor, before Donos sends out two proton torpedoes that destroy the other two.

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  • So did Petothel plant that stuff in the admiral's quarters? Because I can't imagine why they'd be in there any other way.
  • We first met Soontir Fel in chapter 12 of The Hutt Gambit. He made his original debut in Dark Horse Comics Rogue Squadron series.
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chapter 31:

 

The surviving members of Wraith Squadron vacation on Borleias. Kell visits Phanan who has had his spleen removed, knowing that the others forgive him for his incident as they had forgiven Donos for his.

 

Admiral Ackbar approaches him and thanks him for his efforts to save Jesmin. Then the Admiral approaches Wedge and asks why he’s not joining his team in their more relaxed beach gear. Wedge admits he’s more comfortable around the Rogues. Ackbar asks then, if he doesn’t feel like one of the boys, maybe like a general.

 

Wedge thinks his Wraiths have proven their worth. Ackbar reminds him the three months aren’t up yet.
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The End.

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