On the outskirts of the Kestrel Nova, the crew designated for the mission was meeting.

Wag Too: - All set. We can go out whenever you want. -

Icarus: - Very good. Alpha, Delta, to the controls. Where is Captain Boil? -

Boil: - Here I am. - He said as he arrived at the place.

This time, wielding the iconic DC-15S blaster, and wearing his iconic white armor with gold patterns, only with a new insignia painted on his helmet, an insignia he never thought to wear in his life. The separatist badge.

Icarus: - All ready. We leave immediately. -

Miraj: - Will you leave without saying goodbye? Tova has been waiting for you for a long time. -

Icarus: - Unfortunately, we don't have time to waste. Take care of her and explain the situation to her. -

Mira: Very good. I will do what i can. Take care, sweetie. - He told the lurmen.

Wag Too: - Same you. We'll be back before you can miss me. -

Icarus: - Wag Too. We're leaving. - He said from inside the ship.

The lurmen rushed inside, and the Kestrel Nova took flight as Miraj waved farewell from the landing platform. Within seconds they were in Gwori orbit, ready to make the jump to Felucia. And without wasting time, they entered the mysterious plane of hyperspace.

Wag Too: - What do we know about that place? -

Icarus: - Felucia is an inhospitable planet covered with vegetation. Or at least it was five years ago. And it was a very important stronghold for the Separatist Alliance during the Clone Wars. The place is famous for its huge carnivorous plants. So you have to be very careful. - The lurmen swallowed dry. - The entire planet is covered by a humid jungle, and is recognized for its huge mushrooms that grow several meters. -

Wag Too: - Wow. It must be hard living there. -

Icarus: - The Felucians live in a primitive way in the jungle of the planet. They are short reptilian beings. They are not warriors by nature, and are usually quite peaceful. Hence my surprise when I heard that there was a war on the planet. Any news on Mirana? -

Alpha: - Negative. We have tried to make contact on multiple occasions, but no response. -

Icarus: - Very good. Keep trying and try to discover his whereabouts once we get out of hyperspace. -

Alpha and Delta: - Roger. Roger. -

Wag Too: - And... Any idea what we'll find? -

Icarus: - Negative. We have no information on what is happening. I'll have to strategize once I have knowledge of the battlefield. -

Wag Too: - We are blind then. - Sigh. - Well. I'll go check on the droids and get them ready. I don't want any unforeseen events once we arrive. -

The lurmen turned and retreated towards the cargo hold, where the Vulture droids and Punitive Unit commandos were located. To get there, I had to go through the long metallic corridor that adjoined the different premises. Until he passed by the kitchen.

Wag Too: - Hola Tova. -

Tova: - Hello Wag Too. - They greeted each other innocently.

The lurmen stopped after realizing what had happened. She turned back to the kitchen, only to look at the little Nelvaanian calmly making herself a jam sandwich.

Wag Too: - To... To... Tova? What... what are you doing here? -

Tova: - I saw that they were going out again. And I wanted to go with you. -

Wag Too: - That's crazy. You can't come alone. -

Tova: - I'm not alone. Titan is with me. -

The lurmen looked up only to see the huge B2 droid behind the little girl.

Titan: - Hello. - He said as if nothing had happened.

The lurmen put its hands over its face as it scrubbed vigorously, hoping that what it was seeing was just a hallucination. But not. There was Tova with the huge droid on his back, right in front of him.

Wag Too: - Icarus... We have a... situation. - He said over the communicator.

Needless to say, the super tactical droid was surprised to see the girl on the verge of this dangerous mission. And it was not for less, because he spent more than thirty minutes scolding her for her blunder. But they were already too far away, and they were about to reach Felucia. So he ordered her to stay on the ship at all times, after punishing her with thirty days without video games, of course. Which annoyed the little Nelvaanian quite a bit.

A reasonable amount of time had passed, and the Kestrel Nova was about to exit hyperspace. The droids were ready. The Vulture were warming up. And the rest waited somewhat nervous at the command post. But when they saw the planet of Felucia right under their noses, they got quite a shock.

Boil: - But what...? -

Icarus: - Evasive maneuvers. Already. Circle the planet and try to land in the southern forests. -

Alfa: - Roger. Roger. -

Wag Too: - What is that thing!?

Boil: - It's an Arquitens class command cruiser. We should feel lucky that it's not an Imperial destroyer. -

Icarus: - Lucky is not the term I would use. Any trace of the Trident? -

Delta: - Negative, Commander. Radar can't pick up your signature anywhere in this sector. -

The Kestrel Nova did its best not to get too close to the Imperial cruiser, in order to avoid being captured by the traction beams. Little by little, they circled the planet in order to avoid being seen by the command post of the enemy cruiser, but that was not going to work.

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Inside the command post of the Arquitens, a navigator turns to address his superior.

Officer: - Commander Cress. We've detected another unidentified ship coming out of hyperspace. -

You think: - More insurgent garbage. What is it about this time? -

Said a young man with brown hair. Slender features and a refined military banner. He kept his chin up despite the news, looking only through the window of his ship at the planet he had to subdue in order to receive a promotion. He was young, but fearless. Quite smart and crafty, which allowed him to reach the rank of commander despite his young age and experience. Young Cress Wayler was a prodigy for his time, with high aspirations and a great future ahead of him in the ranks of the Empire. Although a bit ruthless, something he copied perfectly from his idol and tutor, Admiral Tarkin.

Officer: - It's a small ship. But it doesn't look like a fighter. The safest a civilian transport. -

Do you think: - Those rats think they will be able to escape by asking for help from anyone who flies by nearby. I won't let any of them escape. What is your status? -

Officer: - They are heading to the south of the planet. -

You think: - Hmm. Too far for our tractor beam. Well played. Send in the TIE fighters. -

Three TIE houses took off at high speed from within the Arquitens and set up a pursuit of the unrecognized ship that had invaded Felucian space. His orders were simple. Shoot down the ship at all costs and prevent it from reaching the mainland.

The fast TIE fighters moved away from their mother ship, disappearing behind the planet's horizon, to the area where the Kestrel Nova had attempted to flee, out of line of sight of the Imperial ship. Commander Crees was confident in the power of the TIE fighters, and surely they could shoot down a civilian ship without any problem, so he put the matter aside and concentrated on the operations of his troops on the ground. A serious mistake.

Delta: - Commander, the enemy has detected us. Three TIE fighters approach at high speed. -

Icarus: - Stay the course. And let the Vulture take care of them. -

Delta: - Understood. -

The doors of the Kestrel Nova slowly opened as the Imperial pilots wondered what was going on. They had never seen that model of a ship, and they didn't know what cheap tricks it might hide, but they never expected to see two speedy Vulture starfighters charging at them head-on, while blaster bursts and missiles fired from the droids charged at them.

TIE Pilot 1: - We're being attacked! -

TIE Pilot 2: - What are those things!? -

TIE 3 Pilot: - They look like droids. battle droids. Careful! -

Despite the screams that could be heard over their comlinks, the explosion from the TIE fighter on the right sent everyone else jolting hard.

The TIEs were intrepid fighters, the fastest the Galaxy had seen at that time. Small and compact, with great maneuverability and firepower. But with only two years of training and almost zero actual combat experience, the pilots did not have the dexterity or reaction time to take on two Vulture fighters, which had many years of experience and battles won behind them.

[The term "experience" is strange for a droid, but it was known that Vulture starfighters were able to "learn" from clone pilots' strategies and use them against them. Two Vulture droids that have survived the Clone Wars would certainly be as skilled as your average Jedi pilot. ]

Now in a close two-on-two fight, the starfighters locked in a pitched battle as the Kestrel Nova receded over the horizon. The pilots might not be very experienced, but their TIE fighters could certainly make up for it with their much better properties than droids.

https://youtu.be/GpDS7MwV6vQ

Being able to make tighter turns and have more speed, it was not very difficult to get behind the Vulture and try to shoot them, but the droids had in their arsenal various strategies and maneuvers with which they could throw off the novice pilots. And while the combat raged, the droids decided to strategize together.

A Vulture fighter swooped forward, appearing to be desirable prey to a hungry hunter. And it was just then that the younger pilot took the bait. With his fast TIE fighter he decided to give chase. Positioned on its tail, it was easy to keep up with the droid, as it fired incessantly even though it missed its target. What he didn't know was that the other Vulture fighter was right behind him.

TIE 1 Pilot: - Watch out! - He tried to warn his partner, but it was too late.

The fledgling turned quickly, only to see the blaster volley impact the rear of his ship, blowing it to pieces. In a rage, the other pilot set out to pursue the droid that killed his partner, doing his best to shoot down the enemy right under their noses. But such was his concentration that he failed to notice the first Vulture, which disappeared from sight and assaulted him from above, taking down the last TIE with a violent blaster volley.

And with another victory on their record, the droids turned and walked away from the battlefield victorious, to the rendezvous point where the Kestrel Nova was located.

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Back at Arquitens command post.

Officer 1: - Commander. We've lost contact with the TIE fighters that took off five minutes ago. -

Officer 2: - Those idiots. What are they doing? I should have been back a long time ago. A civilian transport is not a big deal. -

You think: - They won't come back. -

The commander's words left everyone in shock, assuming the worst possible case, but not Crees. The young man knew perfectly well what had happened, and without realizing it, he let out a slight smile on his face.

Do you think: - It seems that a great opponent has come to this battlefield. -