Star Wars, X-Wing, Solo Command

Starfighters swarmed from the sides of the Mon Calamari cruiser Mon Remonda like insects from a deep-space nest. They formed up in four groups two X-wing, one A-wing, one B-wing and descended toward Levian Two, the world Mon Remonda now orbited.  From this altitude, it seemed stony and orange and impossibly inhospitable, but the comm chatter the pilots were picking up suggested otherwise.

"Entering Delta Sector. More of the same. I'll map-flag locations of survivors."

"Ravine Six here. Repulsorlift is out. I'm going to have to attempt a high-speed landing."

"Ravine Six, switch to ten-oh-three. You've got your own controller standing by."

"Beta Sector Base, this is Beta Ten. I read unknowns descending, four groups."

"Beta Ten, this is Base. There are some TIEs in the unknowns but they're mostly friendlies."

Wedge sighed and activated his comm unit. "Beta Sector Base, this is Rogue Leader. You've got Rogue, Wraith, Polearm, and Nova Squadrons in descent to your position. Looks like we're a little late to the party."

"'Fraid so, Rogue Leader. You've missed a Raptor raid. They blasted out of here half an hour ago. We've got settlements and facilities hit all over this hemisphere. Could we interest you in some search-and-rescue action?"

"Glad to oblige. Give us vectors for twenty search pairs and we'll get on it."

"Ships dropping out of hyperspace!" It was Mon Remonda's sensor officer, Golorno, a human young enough not to be able to keep his voice level in times of stress. "I count four, five, six capital ships!"

Han Solo abandoned his armature-mounted chair and moved to stand behind Golorno. He turned to his communications officer. "Recall the starfighters now." Then he leaned over Golorno's shoulder. "Details, I need details," he said.

"Uh, uh, two Star Destroyers, one Imperial-class, one Victory-class. One heavy cruiser, a Dreadnaught, I think.  Two light cruisers telemetry says probably

Aaron Allston was the New York Times bestselling author of thirteen Star Wars novels as well as the Doc Sidhe novels, which combine 1930s-style hero-pulp fiction with Celtic myth. In addition to being a writer, he was a game designer, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame. Allston died in 2014.