Isard's Revenge
| Isard's Revenge | |
| X Wing [8] | |
| Stackpole, Michael A. | |
| Random House Publishing Group (2011) | |
| Tags: | Star Wars, X Wing, 6.5-13 ABY Star Warsttt X Wingttt 6.5-13 ABYttt |
Sleek, swift and deadly, the famed X-Wing fighters have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force the hard way--first in battle, the last line of defense. Now they must make a deal with the devil herself--an enemy whose ultimate goal is their total annihilation.
It's the kind of mission only Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron would dare to undertake. Against impossible odds they will stage a daring raid into an enemy stronghold--only to be rescued from certain destruction by an unexpected ally.
Ysanne Isard, the ruthless Imperial commander, has appeared on the scene seemingly from out of nowhere. Now she proposes a most unusual alliance, offering to help Wedge rescue his captured comrades from Imperial Warlord Admiral Krennel's sadistic prison camp.
But her offer is not without a price. Wedge must lead Rogue Squadron in Isard's deadly struggle against an enemy made in her own image. It's an offer Wedge would love to...
HARD BATTLES
The lead Interceptor rolled to port and cut down past the curve of the Frigate’s hull. Corran caught a flash of red on one of the Interceptor’s wings and nodded. “Looks like he was once part of the One Eighty-first Imperial Fighter Group.”
Whistler blatted harshly at him.
“Yes, I’ll be careful. Neither one of us wants to know what Mirax will do to the survivor if we die.” Corran winked at the holograph of his wife fixed to a side panel in his cockpit, then rolled his X-wing and cruised down after the squint. He threaded a path through the turbolaser blasts the Frigate was pumping out, then swept past the ship out near its engines.
Even before Whistler could hoot a warning, the hiss of lasers splashing themselves over his aft shields caught Corran’s full attention. His secondary monitor showed the Interceptor dropping in on his tail.
Must have throttled back and hovered near the engines, waiting. This guy is good.
STAR WARS: ISARD’S REVENGE
A Bantam Spectra Book / April 1999
SPECTRA and the portrayal of a boxed “s” are trademarks of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
© 1999 by Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM
All rights reserved. Used under authorization.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-79652-3
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada.
v3.1
To Peet Janes and Peter Schweighofer
Thanks for providing me the opportunity to play in this universe in new and wondrous ways.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author would like to thank the following people for their various contributions to this book:
Janna Silverstein, Tom Dupree, Pat LoBrutto, and Ricia Mainhard for getting me into this mess.
Sue Rostoni, Allan Kausch, and Lucy Autrey Wilson for continuing to let me work in the
Star Wars
universe.
Peter Schweighofer, Peet Janes, Bill Slavicsek, Patty Jackson, Dan Wallace, and Steve Sansweet for material they created, ideas they encouraged, and advice they offered.
Aaron Allston and Timothy Zahn for letting me play with characters they created.
Paul Youll for another stunning cover.
Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham for the X-Wing and TIE Fighter computer games.
Chris Taylor for pointing out to me the ship in which Tycho was flying in
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi.
(It was the 2nd A-wing that flew out of the Death Star to lead off some pursuit.)
My parents, Jim and Janet; my sister, Kerin; my brother, Patrick; his wife, Joy; and Faith, my niece; for their encouragement and support.
Jennifer Roberson and especially Elizabeth T. Danforth for listening to bits of this story as it was being written and enduring such abuse with infinite patience and grace.
Contents
Introduction to the
Star Wars
Expanded Universe
Excerpt from
Star Wars: X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar
Introduction to the Old Republic Era
Introduction to the Rise of the Empire Era
Introduction to the Rebellion Era
Introduction to the New Republic Era
Introduction to the New Jedi Order Era
Introduction to the Legacy Era
D
RAMATIS
P
ERSONAE
The Rogues
Commander Wedge Antilles (human male from Corellia)
Captain Tycho Celchu (human male from Alderaan)
Flight Officer Lyyr Zatoq (Quarren female from Mon Calamari)
Lieutenant Derek “Hobbie” Klivian (human male from Ralltiir)
Lieutenant Wes Janson (human male from Taanab)
Lieutenant Gavin Darklighter (human male from Tatooine)
Lieutenant Myn Donos (human male from Corellia)
Lieutenant Khe-Jeen Slee (Issori male from Issor)
Lieutenant Corran Horn (human male from Corellia)
Lieutenant Ooryl Qyrgg (Gand male from Gand)
Lieutenant Asyr Sei’lar (Bothan female from Bothawui)
Flight Officer Inyri Forge (human female from Kessel)
Lieutenant Nawara Ven (Twi’lek male from Ryloth)
Support Personnel
Gate (Wedge’s R5 unit)
Whistler (Corran’s R2 unit)
New Republic Military
Admiral Ackbar (Mon Calamari male from Mon Calamari)
Colonel Kapp Dendo (Devaronian male from Devaron)
Captain Page (human male from Corulag)
New Republic Intelligence
General Airen Cracken (human male from Contruum)
Iella Wessiri (human female from Corellia)
Ciutric Hegemony Forces
Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel (human male from Corulag)
Ysanne Isard (human female from Coruscant)
Crew of the
Errant Venture
Booster Terrik (human male from Corellia)
Crew of the
Pulsar Skate
Mirax Terrik (human female from Corellia)
1
Sithspawn!
When his X-wing reverted to realspace before the countdown timer had reached zero, Corran Horn knew Thrawn had somehow managed to outguess the New Republic yet one more time. The Rogues had helped create the deception that the New Republic would be going after the Tangrene Ubiqtorate Base, but Thrawn clearly hadn’t taken the bait.
The man’s incredible. I’d like to meet him, shake his hand.
Corran smiled.
And then kill him, of course.
Two seconds into realspace and the depth of Thrawn’s brilliance became undeniable. The New Republic’s forces had been brought out of hyperspace by two Interdictor cruisers, which even now started to fade back toward the Imperial lines. This left the New Republic’s ships well shy of the Bilbringi shipyards and facing an Imperial fleet arrayed for battle. The two Interdictors that had dragged them from hyperspace were a small part of a larger force scattered around to make sure the New Republic’s ships were not going to be able to retreat.
“Battle alert!” Captain Tycho Celchu’s voice crackled over the comm unit. “TIE Interceptors coming in—bearing two-nine-three, mark twenty.”
Corran keyed his comm unit. “Three Flight, on me. Hold it together and nail some squints.”
The cant-winged Interceptors rolled in and down on the Rogues. Corran kicked his X-wing up on its port S-foil and flicked his lasers over to quad-fire mode. While that would slow his rate of fire, each burst had a better chance of killing a squint outright.
And there are plenty that need killing here.
Corran nudged his stick right and dropped the crosshairs onto an Interceptor making a run at Admiral Ackbar’s flagship. He hit the firing switch, sending four red laser bolts burning out at the target. They hit on the starboard side, with two of them piercing the cockpit and the other two vaporizing the strut supporting the right wing. The bent hexagonal wing sheered off in a shower of sparks, while the rest of the craft started a long, lazy spiral toward the outer edges of the system.