The life of an Imperial Assault Gunboat pilot is fraught with perils, but.......

"Captain Azrael"
By Webdragon

This is just a on-the-spur thing.  In reaction to the upcoming Star Wars
movies!  Do any of you know the game "Tie Fighter"?  For the computer?
You're a pilot on the Empire's side and your sacred mission is to erase
Rebel Scum from the Galaxy.  Sounds cool, ne?

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        "Mission critical craft under attack!!"

        Those five words jolted me out of my reverie as I contemplated on
the virtues of using lasers or concussion missiles to put this poor Z-95 out
of his misery as I followed him on his six.  

        Rebel scum.  They're attacking the ISD Judicator again and spoiling
my fun with my new playmate.

        I veer off and throttle up to max, charging up my laser batteries
and diverting power to my shields.  Ahh...the welcome sight of double-tiered
shields around my Assault Gunboat.  Never fails to warm my heart.  Targeting
ISD Judicator....let the computer find out who is attacking MY
ship...ahh...a squadron of four X-Wings, weaving in and out of the
turbolaser blasts coming from the Star Destroyer.  

        I imagined the look on their faces as an Assault Gunboat bore down
on them with ion cannons blazing.  Red 1 was unlucky enough to bear the full
brunt of my assault and he was down to 50% systems from my ion blasts.  Heh.
Now to finish the Rebel Rat.  I swoop about and let him have it with my
lasers and I sighed in appreciation as he exploded.  Good old lasers never
fail......

        The other three X-Wings started to fire at me, as my OTIA indicated
with the red light, and I swept my Gunboat towards the stars and put my
shields on aft.....

        A quad of red laser fire shoots past me and disappears into 
the vastness of space.  Pressing a button, the image of the X-Wing firing
on me pops on my CMD.  Shields, 100.  Hull, 100.  Systems, 100.  Good.  
He's untouched.  It'll be my pleasure to show him how to fly!

        I pull back on the stick and weave left to right.  He follows me
doggedly, wasting laser power in futile shots.  Rookie.  A sudden shift 
down on my stick and a reduction of my throttle from 100% to 33%, and my
Gunboat is suddenly out of his LOF.  He speeds on ahead, taking a few
seconds to realize that he was no longer on my six.  

        That few seconds was more than enough for me to get on his tail,
throttle up to his speed, and open up with my ion cannons, to conserve my
laser power for the kill.

        His shields took a hit and dropped to 75%.  My OTIA lights up with
a red dot on the left indicator and I instinctively strengthen my shields
with a little laser/ion power.  Red 3 is on my tail and Red 4 is at my
twelve.  What to do..what to do....My shields took a hit, then another, 
and another....even as Red 4's shields took hit after hit.  At this rate,
I'd probably be crippled before Red 4 could expire.

        I target Red 4 with my concussion missiles and let loose with a 
dual salvo and I immediately pushed down on the stick right after.  On my
CMD, I watch in satisfaction as Red 4's shields dropped from 35% to 0 and
his hull from 100% to 18%.  Now...the finale to that act....

        I yell in victory as Red 3's laser blasts, which were meant for me,
slammed into Red 4 and created a fireball.  Red 3 immediately swung for me
and radioed his buddy.  Both X-Wings then began to pursue my Gunboat and I
led them on a merry chase.....