"Rescue Attempt"

Thrawn didn't smile.  He almost never smiled.  He was, nonetheless, pleased with the way things were unfolding.  The Enterprise-D, which had just moments ago escaped from the docking bay of the Vindicator, was almost completely under Imperial control.  Their technology would definitely enhance the war machine of the New Order.  

Glancing across the bridge at the energy-cloaked form of the Emperor, Thrawn shook his head in amazement.  The android had nearly cut the man in half, but even that deadly blow had failed to end Palpatine's life.  The Dark Side was truly a powerful ally, and the Grand Admiral felt something akin to jealousy inch into his thoughts...he almost wished he himself could reap that power.  He'd learned over the years, however, that relying too much on one source of strength would lead to defeat.  His mind's ability to adapt and absorb had saved him many times...unlike so many other, ill-fated Imperial conquerors.  Once you let something into your mind, no matter how much you gain from it, it inevitably exacts its own price.  One look at the Emperor's grotesque features was enough to confirm this.

  The Rebel fleet and the SDF-3 were trying to keep their distance from the Vindicator and the Eclipse.  Even with the main cannon disabled, the Eclipse still wielded enough conventional firepower to reduce capital ships to slag.  Thrawn's eyes narrowed...these Rebel scum would pay dearly for their transgressions.

  "We've got to do something!" shouted Han.  He knew Luke was in trouble, he would have been in touch by now.  "Stormtroopers are probably swarming all over that ship by now.  We can't give Palpy a chance to retake it."

  "I have no intention of letting that happen, General Solo," Rick Hunter flashed on the conference screen.  "The SDF-3 may be damaged, but we still have plenty of mecha at our disposal.  I propose a diversionary attack.  We'll send Skull Squadron into the holding bay of the Vindicator itself, to inflict as much damage and chaos as we can.  Then you can make a run for the Enterprise-D to drop off some troops and help retake the ship from the Empire."

  Han nodded thoughtfully.  "Sounds like a plan, Rick.  Let's do it."

  Admiral James Kirk flashed into the conference and added, "Yes...let's.  I heard your conversation.  The Enterprise stands.... I mean, the Enterprise-A stands ready to assist."

  "Excellent, Admiral...I'm sure we'll need all the help we can get.  But we should warn you...those Imperial ships are pretty nasty...some of the most powerful ships in their fleet," Rick intoned.

  Kirk grinned.  "Rick...we've got a few tricks up our sleeves too."

  "Admiral Thrawn, there are fighters on an intercept course...ETA 3 minutes."

  "Launch the perimeter defense TIE squadrons."  

  The Vindicator's multiple hanger bays spouted forth a swarm of TIE Interceptors, which took up formation and dove in at the oncoming Veritechs of Skull Squadron.  The Veritechs were outfitted in the Super-Veritech configuration, giving them huge rocket boosters for extra speed, more armor, and, most importantly in this particular situation, large missile batteries.

  As the Interceptors closed and began to open fire on the nimble Veritechs, a cloud of swirling, intertwining missiles erupted from the mecha.  The TIE pilots still weren't used to the intelligent behavior of the reflex weapons, and they broke formation to evade the missiles.  With little effect.  As the TIEs twisted and banked, pushing their ion engines for all they were worth, they still couldn't evade the deadly, protoculture-driven missile swarms.  In rapid succession, the TIEs were blown out of space.

  Skull squadron went on at full throttle...and the Vindicator's main holding bay yawned wide before them.  Turbolaser batteries began to open fire in a last ditch effort to repel the mecha, but the tiny fighters were too nimble.  Entering the bay, the lead Veritechs transformed into Battleoid mode and unleashed the remainder of their missiles.  The interior structure of the SSD erupted into flames and explosions.

  "Skulls 12-20, stay outside and keep those fighters off our tails!" Max Sterling ordered.  All around him, Veritechs opened up with missiles and their guns, blowing bigger and bigger chunks out of the interior of the Vindicator and killing thousands of Imperial troops.

  To add more misery to the Imperials plight, the Enterprise-A streaked past, beaming photon torpedoes directly inside the Vindicator.  The huge detonations shook the great vessel, and Towering Infernos blazed up from the surface of the SSD.

  The Enterprise-A didn't escape unscathed, though.  Hundreds of turbolasers and ion cannons impacted on the shields, overloading them with raw energy.  Some of that surplus energy snuck through the shields, sending Kirk and crew flying across the bridge.

  "Just like the old days, eh Mr. Spock?" Kirk hauled himself back into his chair and adjusted his toupee.

  "Indeed," Spock replied, arching an eyebrow.

  The diversion was working.  With the Vindicator now quite busy with its own problems, the Mon Calamari sent troop transports to dock with the Enterprise-D, still being towed, and unload crack Rebel troops to deal with the Imperial infestation.

  Their job done, the Enterprise-A banked away, and Skull Squadron began to emerge from the fiery holding bay.

  Suddenly Skull 14 froze in space.  "Woah! I can't move!  Skull 12, see if you can-" Skull 14 was blown to smithereens by an ion cannon blast from the Vindicator.

  And as chaos ensued, Veritech after Veritech was suddenly frozen is space and instantly blown apart.  Thrawn was not about to sit idle and let his enemies damage his ship and then waltz away.  He'd had the tractor beams reprogrammed to work in consort with the gun emplacements...locking the fighters in a tractor beam, negating their maneuverability, and then destroying them.  Max got away, but the rest of his squadron was either annihilated or pulled back into the ship and captured.  Further fighter runs against Thrawn would be suicide... 

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