The Nut Gatherers

The Nut Gatherers
The Painter's Honeymoon
the polish rider
The Sacrifice of Abraham painting
"Stay on target," admonished an older voice. "Stay on target." Red Leader took Pops's words like tonic, but it was all he could do to ignore theclosing Tie fighters as the two remaining Y-wings continued to streak toward thetarget. Above them, Vader permitted himself a moment of undisciplined pleasure as hereadjusted his targeting 'puter. The rebel craft continued to travel a straight,unevasive course. Again Vader touched finger to fire control. Something screeched in Red Leader's helmet, and fire started to consume hisinstrumentation. "It's no good," he yelled into his pickup, "I'm hit. I'm hit…!" A second Y-wing exploded in a ball of vaporized metal, scattering a few solidshards of debris across the trench. This second loss proved too much even for RedFive to take. He manipulated controls, and his ship commenced rising in a slowcurve out of the trench. Behind him, the lead Imperial fighter moved to follow.