Welcome to Gaia! ::

"It is unfortunate, but I fear it can't be helped," Zendia sighed in agreement. With that, Jakar's words brought a sobering point home.

Being an Alderaanian, she had quite the distaste for war. Yet, there she was in the thick of a battle. But ... does it really make it right? she pondered.

With that, another sobering thought came to mind. If father had not been taken by the Empire, I most likely would be dead, as well. With that, another TIE appeared on her starboard side.

Still, she was faster, squeezing her trigger. And the results were yet another destroyed TIE, it's pilot cooked beyond recognition, and ball cockpit shredded. Another one down. she thought darkly as the remnants of the TIE fell to Kessel's surface. A little bit more payback for Alderaan,

"Great shot, Seagull!" Zendia commented as another TIE became expensive scrap. And then, she picked up a squad of bombers on her radar. "Bogeys at two o' clock high - seems like dupes," she said.

She then took her fighter to the quartet, zeroing in on the leader. As she did so, she thought of her father yet again. Of course! Those men our troops are rescuing are someone's fathers, husbands, brothers and sons. Still, she realized that there was nothing she could do for her father immediately, assuming he were still alive. Nor her late brother and mother. However, she would certainly do what she could for the troops on the ground, and the captives they would liberate.

I'll do what I can to make sure they get to go home. And the Force help any Imperial who tries to stop me! she thought, matching the dupe move for move.

He was good.

However, Zendia was better. She had to be.

And the dupe fell to Kessel's surface in flames.

(( Allright people! Let's get these captives home. ))

Zendia commed the shuttle, as a beep sounded. That isn't good! she thought. A glance at her read-out indicated that her fuel was running low. A half hour, then we have to boogey out of here, she grimly mused.
"Fuel's running low, Big Bantha. What's your status, over?"

"I said bring only the people we needed, we don't have space for everyone, what's this broken person you're bringing on my ship?" Orrin asked a soldier about the collasped man. Before he could respond, Orrin pulled a blaster over the soldier's shoulder, and fired several shots, and noticed the general bodyshape.

Oh great. So that's where he went.

"All right, bring everyone back on board, we're leaving this wasteland, even if it means we leave some behind to sacrifice to the imperial gods."

The soldier looked a bit odd at Orrin, who was already heading towards the cockpit. He knew the pilot would take off, whether he obeyed orders or not, as he put the code to retreat came in. A few soldiers hopped in, as the doors closed, leaving around twenty prisoners behind as the ship lifted off.

"Big Bantha here, we're airborne. We are preparing our escape, cover us."

"Yes Ma'am!" Owen said, wheeling his X-wing around to be near the shuttle in ideal covering position. "Bring 'em on." he said, almost silently, waiting for the TIEs to approach.

"Let's expand those shields, people," Zendia said. "Particularly those of you close to the shuttle."
With a sigh, she said, "No showboating or heroics. Just keep any Imps from getting any ideas."

With that, a quartet of squints came from the front. "Saving their best for last, I see," And, on the ground, a pair of AT-STs.
"These guys are playing for keeps," she commented. "I say it's time to climb some sky, yes, gang?" And, with that, she charged her cannons, fixing on a squint whom came too close for comfort to the shuttle, shredding the ball-cockpit with lasers.

(( all righty *nixes the AT-AT* ^^;; ))

"Roger that, Big Bantha," Zendia replied. "Everyone, get your escape vectors going. Like the man says, scatter - we don't want the Imps to come knocking once we get home!" she said, taking her own X-wing spaceward in a north-western direction. "If you have enough fuel to make a micro-jump, do so as soon as you can - gotta confuse 'em good!"

"Alright." Owen said, screen on the monitor glowing softly as Rw-D17 calculated the necasary microjump vector. "See y'all back at base." With that said, the calculations stopped, and with a theatrical flourish just for fun, pulled the lever, sending him on his way back to the rendezvous point.