Chapter 23: Breaking the Line

*Section 22: Breakthrough*

“Hold on tight!” Murt gripped the controls of the YT-1000 freighter, slamming the throttle forward as the hatch sealed shut. The ship surged like a wild bantha, rocketing toward open space.

From the ground, a barrage of blaster bolts lit up the sky, but the small-caliber blasters couldn’t threaten a ship at this altitude.

On several mountain peaks, camouflaged hatches disguised as icy rock slid open. Massive turbolaser turrets rose from hidden bunkers, swiveling to track their target.

Murt deftly spun and juked the freighter, dodging the fire-control radars’ attempts to lock on. A few turbolaser blasts scorched past, close enough to make Ventus break out in a cold sweat.

The ship broke free of the atmosphere, entering the void of space. But the Munificent-class frigates, which had ignored them on their approach, were now moving in fast!

Dozens of Vulture droid starfighters detached from the frigates’ hulls, their mechanical claws morphing into sleek, pointed wings. They screamed toward the freighter like a flock of predatory birds.

“Kunto! Get back here and help!” Murt bellowed.

Kunto scrambled out of the turret and slid into the co-pilot’s seat. “But what about the turret?”

Spad was stuck in the engine room, keeping the ship’s systems running. The T-850 had just dragged Semid out of the wrecked speeder and was guarding him. Ventus didn’t hesitate. “I’ll take the turret!”

He dove into the turret’s seat.

“Listen up,” Spad’s voice crackled through the headset. “Left screen’s your fire-control radar, right screen’s target data. Foot pedals spin the turret, then pull the trigger to fire. Congrats, you’re now a gunner. Start blasting those Vulture droids!”

“I’ll do my best,” Ventus said, gripping the turret controls and squeezing the trigger at the incoming Vulture droids.

Zwoosh! A green laser bolt lanced out, missing wide and hitting nothing.

The Vulture droids rolled and weaved with eerie precision, dodging his shots. They opened fire, scarlet blaster bolts hammering the freighter. Murt twisted the ship through evasive maneuvers, but a few shots still struck, absorbed by the deflector shields.

The droid swarm buzzed past the Lancer, then looped around to pursue from behind.

“We’ve got to break through this blockade to escape the gravity well and jump to hyperspace!” Murt shouted, jinking the ship to avoid more fire.

Seven thousand kilometers ahead, the three Munificent-class frigates were turning to face them. Their turbolaser turrets unleashed a storm of fire. Unlike the Vulture droids’ blaster cannons, a single hit from these heavy weapons could vaporize the freighter.

Luckily, the Munificent’s design funneled most of its firepower toward the bow, giving Murt a narrow window to dodge while the frigates maneuvered.

Sweat beaded on Murt’s forehead as he pushed the ship to its limits. “I can keep us clear of the frigates’ guns, but I can’t deal with those fighters! If we don’t take them out, we’re done!”

“I said I’m trying!” Ventus snapped, firing again but missing his mark.

“What the hell did Semid do? The entire Makito planet’s forces are after us!” Kunto yelled.

“You think anything Black Sun’s boss personally hires us for is small potatoes?” Ventus retorted, firing wildly but barely grazing the agile Vulture droids.

Zzap! Zzap! More blaster bolts struck the shields. Spad’s voice roared from the engine room. “Shields are about to give out!”

“Divert all shield power to the rear!” Murt ordered. “Administrator! You’ve awakened your power! You can do this! Our lives are in your hands!”

Right. Calm down… stay calm. Ventus forced himself to focus, taking deep breaths. I’ve awakened the Force. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses.

It was a strange sensation. The freighter seemed to vanish, and he felt like he was floating in the dark expanse of space. It was… almost like the dream he’d had when he first arrived in this universe.

He became an observer, watching the battlefield from a lofty vantage point, as if the entire cosmos was laid bare before him.

His eyes snapped open, pupils dark and swirling like twin vortexes. He nudged the foot pedal, rotating the turret seven degrees. His hands adjusted the firing angle with surgical precision, all in less than half a second, smooth as flowing water.

He pulled the trigger. A green laser bolt tore through the void, catching a Vulture droid mid-maneuver as if it had flown straight into the shot.

The droid exploded silently, its frame superheated and detonating into a fireball that scattered across space. Vulture droids were no match for a direct hit from a laser turret. In this galaxy, bigger meant more power, tougher structures, and deadlier weapons.

The 28-meter-long YT-1000 freighter outclassed the 3.6-meter Vulture droids by a wide margin—one shot, one kill.

“Yee-haw! Nice one!” Spad whooped through the headset.

But Ventus’s face remained emotionless, his mind cold and focused. In his vision, the chaotic swarm of Vulture droids was no longer random. Their flight paths traced clear, predictable arcs.

He could see how they’d move, how they’d dodge, when they’d fire—all of it was laid out in his mind. He could only predict a second or two ahead, but that was enough.

A droid on the left was closing in. One below would accelerate and fire. The fourth droid on the right was about to launch a missile. Murt would bank the ship 17 degrees right and decelerate sharply…

A flood of predictions crystallized in his mind, and he calculated the optimal response.

He fired. A Vulture droid disintegrated. He let the shields absorb a blaster hit from below, then swung the turret right, intercepting a missile the instant it launched. The explosion’s shrapnel blinded another droid’s sensors, leaving it vulnerable.

One by one, Ventus picked off the Vulture droids with terrifying efficiency. In less than a minute, he’d destroyed 13 of them. The pressure on the Lancer eased, letting Murt focus on dodging the frigates’ fire.

In the engine room, Spad stared in stunned silence, forgetting to cheer. Then he snapped back to his duties, shouting into the comms, “Shields are about to overload!”

“That’s enough! Kunto, engage the hyperdrive!” Murt roared.

“Hyperdrive, online!” Kunto shouted, slamming the button. The stars outside blurred into streaks of light as the ship jumped to hyperspace.

In the higher-dimensional realm of hyperspace, nothing was visible.

The Lancer slipped away under the noses of the three Munificent-class frigates, vanishing into the void.

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*[Easter Egg Chapter Image 1: Vulture Droid Starfighter]*