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Final Flight

Second Lieutenant Mia StormChaser reviewed the mission briefing as she climbed aboard her TIE Interceptor assigned for this mission.
‘Great...’ Mia muttered as she examined the cramped cockpit of the Interceptor. A decade ago maybe, the Thorn 4 had been the pride of the Imperial fleet, but it was showing it decade long service history now. The cramped flight seat was worn by the countless pilots who had spent time aboard and was rather sticky and lumpy from what Mia assumed was at least several different lifeforms.
Still, Mia couldn’t help smiling thinking that this once iconic Imperial starfighter was now spending its retirement patrolling for the New Republic. And Thorn 4 appeared to have seen quite a lot of service as well Mia noted. It looked like the Thorn must have been one of the original production run models from the planet Lianna, as it had laser cannons located on each wingtip, rather than the later model blaster cannons. This baby had seen some action alright.
Mia only hoped that the Thorn was up to the task before it, as some bright spark in command had assumed that she could successfully clear a minefield, on her own and in an unshielded ship. It would certainly be a challenge to her piloting skills, and the young Lieutenant sent up the first of many prayers that she would come back from this mission alive.
‘Ready when you are Lieutenant.’ came the laconic voice of the pilot of the Assault Transport Brier which was to tow her to the mine field co-ordinates, which once cleared, the Brier would move in to remove a Nav Buoy at the site.
‘Easy for you to say mate’…, Mia thought to herself, ‘…you’re not in this bucket of bolts.’ Completing her pre-flight checks as carefully as possible, she had to admit though, that the Thorn could still shift itself when needed, as she eased the throttle forward and quickly left the safe confines of her command ship.


* * * * * *


‘Nice release Thorn.’ the Brier pilot’s voiced crackled into her helmet after the Assault Transport and its passenger had reached the buoy site without incident. It had only been a short hyperspace trip, but Mia felt distinctly queasy looking out from her cockpit at the streams of the stars spreading out infinitely long on their passage into the system, and had been glad when they arrived.
‘Thanks Brier, hold position here please and I’ll start clearing the mines as soon as possible. You can collect the buoy and the Thorn and we can all go home.’ Mia ordered. Fast and accurate the name of the game would have to be she thought, if she was to clear all of the mines and still keep her hide in one piece.
Moving to attack speed, Mia transferred as much of the laser cannon power as possible into her twin ion engines, and soon covered the seven clicks to the nearest group of targeted mines.
As soon as she approached however, they started up an intense firing, forcing Mia rely on her visual scanning rather than her targeting computer, as she jammed the Thorn through a series of evasive manoeuvres that her training instructor, Commander Ta'Ré Djo would have been proud of, and took out each mine as it came in visual range.
Mia had noticed that some of the mines were of a different configuration, and soon found out why, when after destroying one of the new types, the incoming missile alert had sounded, blaringly loud in the durasteel confines of the Interceptors cockpit.
‘Emperor's black bones!’ swore Mia as she twisted the now protesting Thorn into ever tighter evasive turns, trying to outrun the missile. Already the venerable TIE had taken a several minor laser hits from the remaining mines, but the incoming missile would finish her in a matter of minutes unless she acted now.
‘The CO’s gonna kill me…’ Mia sighed as she abandoned attempts to dodge the closing missile and tried to get some distance between her craft and the remaining mines. Pressing the pilot eject button, Mia was instantly catapulted from the Thorn seconds before the warhead tore into the hull of the old craft, destroying it instantly. Propelled away from the explosion, Mia blacked out, thrown into the dead of space.


* * * * **


‘A close call Lieutenant.’ Mia came slowly round, recognising one of the crew of the Brier looking down at her.
‘The mines?’ Mia raised herself up on her elbows questioning, wincing at the pain from bruises just making an appearance.
‘Gone, it took some doing, but we cleared the remaining mines with the help of a friendly Y-Wing from Gold Squadron.’ The crewman replied, smiling.
‘That’s a drink I owe you lot and Gold squadron as well then’ Mia said, closing her eyes in exhaustion. Scratch one Interceptor.