Leia Organa sat silently before the huge display screen on which Yavin and its moons

were displayed. A large red dot moved steadily toward the fourth of those satellites.

Dodonna and several other field commanders of the Alliance stood behind her, their

eyes also intent on the screen. Tiny green flecks began to appear around the fourth

moon, to coalesce into the small clouds like hovering emerald gnats.

Dodonna put a hand on her shoulder. It was comforting. "The red represents the

progress of the Imperial battle station as it moves deeper into Yavin's system."

"Our ships are all away," a Commander behind him declared.

A single man stood alone in the cylindrical hold, secured to the top of a rapier-

thin tower. Staring through fixed-mount electrobinoculars, he was the sole visible

representative of the vast technology buried in the green purgatory below.

Muted cries, moans, and primeval gurglings drifted up to him from the highest

treetops. Some were frightening, some less so, but none were as indicative of power

held in check as the four silvery starships which burst into view above the observer.

Keeping a tight formation, they exploded through humid air to vanish in seconds into

the morning cloud cover far above. Sound-shadows rattled the trees moments later,

in a forlorn attempt to catch up to the engines which had produced them.

Slowly assuming attack formations combining X- and Y-wing ships, the various

fighters began to move outward from the moon, out past the oceanic atmosphere of

giant Yavin, out to meet the technologic executioner.

The man who had observed the by-play between Biggs and Luke now lowered

his glare visor and adjusted his half-automatic, half-manual gunsights as he checked

the ships to either side of him.

"Blue boys," he addressed his intership pickup, "this is Blue Leader. Adjust

your selectors and check in. Approaching target at one point three…"

Ahead, the bright sphere of what looked like on of Yavin's moons but wasn't

began to glow with increasing brightness. It shone with an eerie metallic glow

utterly unlike that of any natural satellite. As he watched the giant battle station

make its way around the rim of Yavin, Blue Leader's thoughts traveled back over the

years. Over the uncountable injustices, the innocents taken away for interrogation

and never heard from again—the whole multitude of evils incurred by an increasingly

corrupt and indifferent Imperial government. All those terrors and agonies were

concentrated, magnified, represented by the single bloated feat of engineering they

were approaching now.

"This is it, boys," he said to the mike. "Blue Two, you're too far out. Close it

up, Wedge."

The young pilot Luke had encountered in the temple briefing room glanced to

starboard, then back to his instruments. He executed a slight adjustment, frowning.

"Sorry, boss. My ranger seems to be a few points off. I'll have to go on manual."

"Check, Blue Two. Watch yourself. All ships, stand by to lock S-foils in

attack mode."

One after another, from Luke and Biggs, Wedge and the other members of Blue

assault squadron, the replies came back. "Standing by…"

"Execute," Blue Leader commanded, when John D. and Piggy had indicated they

were in readiness.

The double wings on the X-wing fighters split apart, like narrow seeds. Each

fighter now displayed four wings, its wing-mounted armament and quadruple engines

now deployed for maximum firepower and maneuverability.

Ahead, they Imperial station continued to grow. Surface features became

visible as each pilot recognized docking bays, broadcast antennae, and other man-

made mountains and canyons.

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