Rapidly shunting energy to his shields, Drake swung around and angled at the lead Corvette. Just inside six kilometers the targeter began to beep as Lednar started to acquire a target lock. The reticle went from yellow to red and a steady whine filled the cockpit as Drake sent a pair of torpedoes streaking out on jets of blue flame. He held his course and repeated this twice until six torpedoes sped towards the helpless Imperial Corvette, then he pulled the X-Wing around in a snap-roll, cutting the throttle as he pivoted, and accelerating out of the turn.

Drake curled his lips in a mirthless grin as he stared at the oncoming Assualt Gunboats on his radar. "Come on, then!" he roared, but then several things happened all at once. Lednar whistled triumphantly, there was a dull whoosh and roar behind him as the Corvette snapped in half and exploded, and four B-Wings zoomed into existence off Drake's starboard side. To his surprise, Drake heard a voice over the commlink: "Newly arrived B-Wing craft, this is the Interdictor Free Enterprise. If you surrender your craft now you will be spared from harm." Drake arched an eyebrow. They hadn't communicated with him! Presumably they hadn't considered him enough of a threat and therefore were simply going to kill or capture him. The B-Wings, on the other hand, they were apparently wanting to take without a fight - a fight that could spell bad news for the mercenaries.

Even as Drake felt his face go red with anger, the answer came back loud and clear: "Interdictor Free Enterprise this is Shok'wave, Commander of White Squadron. We have no intention of surrender and order *you* to surrender or leave immediately. Reinforcements are on their way."

Inside her cockpit, Shok'wave bit her lip nervously. There were of course no reinforcements - her patrol detail had been caught in the Interdictor's artificial gravity well. There was a loud guffaw from the Interdictor captain. "Surrender?! Surrender??!!" he roared. "I gave you the chance to live! Die instead!" Several seconds later a fresh wave of Interceptors, dupes and gunboats poured from the Interdictor's hull or burst in from hyperspace, respectively. Shok'wave switched channels.

"Unidentified X-Wing, this is Shok'wave, Commander of White Squadron of the Rebel Alliance. Identify yourself."

"Roger, White Leader. I'm called Drake, Commander, and I've come to join your squadron."

"Have you indeed? We'll see about that - once we get out of here! Form up, then we'll head in closer to those Imperial Corvettes."

"Closer?!" Drake asked in disbelief, and Lednar chirped indignantly.

"Yes, closer! The turbolasers on those ships will give the mercs a hard time - the Imps will shoot at their gunboats and TIEs. Don't shoot the Corvettes! Let the mercs take them down. Concentrate on the gunboats - whether merc or Imperial. Whites, lock S-foils in attack positions!" The four Whites complied and their ships blossomed into the familiar upside down sword as they hurtled past Drake, who promptly swung his ship around and trailed in their formation.

"Watch it Drake! You've got one on your tail!"

"Thanks for the advice, White," Drake snarled as his aft shield display darkened and turned red. "I'm on him," said another voice, calm and controlled. "Drake, break hard right on my mark....three..two..one..mark!"

Drake furiously pumped laser energy into shields and flung his X-Wing onto its starboard foil, dimly aware of a blurred shape racing over his cockpit and dropping behind him, going in the opposite direction. Abruptly the laserfire from behind him ceased as the gunboat was forced to deal with a new enemy.

"Lead, how are we..." Drake started to ask, but was interrupted by loud cheers on the radio. Lednar shrilled urgently and Drake looked behind him at the Interdictor, now dwarfed by the hulking mass of a Mon Calamari cruiser. Reports began to scroll down his screen; three A-Wings and three Y-Wings..."Ahh, this aught to even things out." Drake grinned to himself.

"Alliance craft, this is Captain Norska of the Cruiser Reliant," he began. "If necessary, cover the Y-Wings as they make torpedo runs on the Interdictor and Corvettes...the A-Wings will provide some relief."

"Thank you, Captain," came Shok'wave's reply. "Eight, Nine, cover those Y-Wings. Three, Drake, you're with me."

"I copy, Lead."

"As ordered, Lead."

Two B-Wings peeled off from White Squadron and streaked back toward the Interdictor, the remaining TIE Interceptors hot on their tails. Drake turned his attention back to the swarm of gunboats in front of him. "I count ten, Lead," he found himself saying. "I've got Rho 2 tagged and ready to go." Shok'wave acknowledged him and Drake dove after the gunboat.

The Calmari cruiser Reliant continued to pour red turbolaser and heavy turbolaser bolts into the Interdictor cruiser, which was beginning to roll to minimize shield damage and spread it across the entire shields. Lednar beeped urgently at Drake. "Lead, the Free Enterprise is powering down her gravity well projectors! She's leaving!"

Shok'wave switched to the Alliance tactical frequency. "Blue Leader, this is White Leader. The Interdictor is preparing to hyperspace! See if you can disable it immediately!"

"Copy, White Leader. Blue group, use your ion cannons - disable that ship!"

Drake glanced quickly back at the Interdictor, which was starting to turn slowly and move forward. "Ledner," he snapped, rolling his X-Wing to avoid a burst of fire, "see if you can plot any holes in the Interdictor's shields. Relay the data to those Y-Wings!" Ledner beeped his compliance and Drake concentrated again on the gunboat which sailed in front of him.

He pulled the X-Wing hard over behind it, but started indignantly as an A-Wing soared in from his starboard quarter and sat right in front of him, then began firing at the gunboat.

"Unbelievable!" Drake thundered, and furiously brought his X-Wing to bear on a new target.

"Reliant, this is Blue Leader... target disabled!" There were several cheers over the commlink as the Interdictor slowed to a halt and sat dead in space. "Whites, attack those Corvettes!" Shok'wave ordered, and before Drake could respond twelve bright blue dots streaked towards the remaining Imperial ships. "White Squadron, your efforts are greatly appreciated," Captain Norska said over the radio. "You may return to base at any time - we have transports already dispatched to capture the Interdictor, and I believe that the Assualt Gunboats are leaving."

Drake glanced at his monitor. It was true. The range between his and the enemy's ship was increasing at an impossible rate as it streaked away into hyperspace. Likewise, the remaining mercenary gunboats followed suit, the Imperial ones still locked in combat with the A-Wings.

Shok'wave's cool voice came over the comm: "Thank you again, Captain, for your help. We have a patrol to finish, and a visitor to escort. Whites, let's get on with this patrol. Drake, if you really wish to join us, then follow us....the nav data's being downloaded to your computer now."

"As ordered, Lead," Drake answered coolly. This had worked out fine! He had found White Squadron at last and had helped the Alliance capture an Interdictor at the same time. He grinned hugely as he pulled the lever and they burst into hyperspace together.

THE END