X-Wing: Pirates Fall

Chapter Five

This story was written for the sole purpose of entertainment. No copyright infringement or harm is intended. Any characters that have appeared in the books or films are copyright of Lucas arts. Do not repost this story without permission from the author!

Corran kissed Mirax on the cheek and then bent down to kiss Valin. As he stood up, his four-year-old son wailed.

"Don’t go, Daddy. You stay with me and Mommy."

The pilot looked down at his son.

"I can’t. You know I’ve got to go down with the Rogues." He smiled as an idea struck him. "One day, you can come with me in your own X-wing. But, because you’re such a good boy, today you get to go in the Pulsar Skate.

At once the toddler's demeanour changed.

"Yay!" Valin screamed as he danced around. "I get to go in the Pulsar Skate, I get to go in the Pulsar Skate."

Corran heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Ooryl, his Gand wingmate, standing there.

"Are you ready Corran?" asked Ooryl. "We’d better see those new pilots in our flight."

Corran flicked his head towards Valin.

"Just finishing our goodbyes."

Valin let out a squeal of delight.

"Unky Oorly! Unky Oorly!"

Ooryl clicked his mandibles in the Gand equivilant of laughter.

"I am glad to see you also, young one."

"Come on Valin, we’ve got to go," Mirax cut in. Valin immediately attached himself to Ooryl’s foot.

Corran bent down until his face was level with his son’s.

"I’ll tell you what. If you let go, I’ll take you to meet a very special person on Corellia. But only if you let go. Otherwise I won’t."

Valin looked at him.

"Promise?" he asked.

Corran nodded.

"I promise."

Valin let go and went to stand by Mirax. Corran smiled at his wife.

"I’ll see you on Corellia."

She smiled mischievously.

"I’ll be there, Corran." She and Valin walked over to the turbo-lift.

Corran grinned at Ooryl.

"You know, that was one of those times that I really wish I could use telekinesis."

"Some of us wish we could even begin to use the Force but we know it’s not possible."

"Good point. Now, let’s go and meet those pilots."

As the two aces walked over to the pair of brand new X-wings, they caught sight of the tall woman and the hooded Shistavaenen. The wolf-woman sniffed the air.

"Jenos Idanian?"

Corran stepped forwards.

"Your nose is as good as ever, Caet. And good to see you too, Timmser."

The two women looked around, confused.

"Forgive me Corran-or rather Jenos, for my ignorance," said Ooryl, "but Ooryl does not understand."

"What the...?" interjected Timmser. "You mean, you’re Corran Horn? Jenos Idanian was Corran Horn?"

"Dead right." Corran smiled. "Back when you were with the Invids, my wife, Mirax, got kidnapped by Tavira’s Force-wielding bodyguards to use as bait for capturing me. To find her, I infiltrated the Invids, and then with Ooryl, Master Skywalker and Elegos, rescued her."

Caet raised her eyebrows.

"So Skywalker was the Jedi on Courkus after all?"

"No."

"Then who was it?" asked the albino.

Corran tapped his nose.

"Later. Right now we’ve got X-wings to fly and some dignitaries to meet. Let's go."

Corran jogged over to his X-wing, clambered into his cockpit and started up the engines.

"Whistler, are all systems online?" he asked the droid. The little R2 unit beeped indignantly.

"I know you would have told me if they weren’t. And, no, before you ask, I am not asking stupid questions just to annoy you. Let's just get this crate off the ground and up in the air, shall we?"

Corran lifted the X-wing up off the deck using the repulsor-lifts and rotated the ship till the nose was pointed out of the hanger. He flicked a switch and engaged the sublight engines, sending the X-wing out into space.

Ooryl, Timmser, and Caet sped out in quick succession and Three flight formed a perfect diamond, completing the Rogues' arrowhead formation.

"Okay, Rogues. We’re going to Corellia, and we’ve got a posh version of the fleet's annual dinner and dance. Your astromechs have got the itinerary; I suggest you look over it whilst we’re in hyperspace." Wedge cleared his throat. "Gavin, the co-ordinates."

The route appeared on Corran’s screen and he punched it in to his navcomputer.

"All set, Whistler?" he asked.

The droid beeped an affirmative.

"Good. Who knows, we might meet a few old friends," he said. And I’ve got a gut feeling that we’ll get some old enemies thrown in as well, he thought as he pulled a lever, sending his craft into hyperspace.

*****

The Rogues came out of hyperspace and immediately formed up in an escort formation around a shuttle containing General Han Solo, General Garm Bel Iblis, and Chief Diplomat Leia Organa Solo.

Wedge’s voice came over the comm.

"Okay, Rogues, here’s the drill. S-foils stay locked. Prep your torpedo launchers and be ready to fire on my mark." The squadron’s techs had fitted the proton torpedo racks with small, luminescent missiles that harmlessly exploded in showers of golden sparks.

"Home, sweet home, wouldn’t you say, Whistler?" Corran mused. "And as with everything sweet, there’s more than likely gonna be ore than a few sugar-flies."

The green and white droid chirped.

"Alright, Tin Can, I know we’re about to smash into the planetary shields." Corran eased the ship through the atmosphere.

"Our destination’s Central plaza. At five hundred metres turn on your shields and prepare to launch torpedoes."

The Rogues flew until they were exactly above the plaza, and then cut the engines, using repulsor-lifts only to float down to the surface. At half a kilometre, Corran flicked on his shields.

"Ready, Rogues?" came Wedge's voice. "Three, two, one...launch!"

Corran thumbed the trigger. A pair of glowing white missiles leaped out and impacted harmlessly with Wes’s shields, exploding with such brightness that Corran’s cockpit’s flash suppressor darkened the canopy. When the ships landed, the golden halo was gone, but it must have looked spectacular from the ground.

Smiling at the mass of beings crowding the plaza, Corran saw a multitude of holo-cam flashes. I’m betting our pictures will be all across the galaxy by tomorrow morning. Corran heard Governor-General Marcha’s voice boom over the loud speakers.

"Pilots of the New Republic, we welcome you to Corellia with open arms. I am not therefore, going to indulge the great political tradition of giving a long, dreary speech that bores the flight suits off all present." Corran saw Wedge raise an eyebrow at Leia Organa Solo, who grinned back at him.

"I will therefore," continued the Drall, "cut the waffle and invite you all to a dinner of state, to be held this evening."

Corran nudged Ooryl.

"Who said politicians had to be as bad as old Borsk anyway?"

Continue on to Chapter Six.
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