"Roger."

The ship's struggling to get point defense toward them - it's not a very coordinated response just yet - and there's a massive number of ships pouring out of assorted hangars - 

Anathema times all her shots apparently perfectly, so long as Ellaita can line them up, and they get covering fire from several other TIEs as enemies try to get on their tails. A few TIEs peel off to go after the turbolasers farther from them.

"Are you talking to them? I don't hear any chatter."

"Telepathic," she says, voice a bit tight, gaze darting around. "This's a bit more than I've done before."

"Shit, is everyone in this uniform superstitious? First you come to Jakku on a ghost hunt, now you're using telepathy."

She snorts. "Once we're clear I'll have some of my friends fly funny patterns for you," she says, cheerfully. Then a squint, and a cluster of allied TIEs breaks apart in a complicated maneuver, taking down several enemies that had been approaching them.

"You have got to be kidding me- I'm suddenly a lot more reluctant to go back to Jakku if Vader's ghost actually is hanging around down there."

"Oh, so that's who Lord Dumbass was after?"

"All he would talk about, really- Incoming at two-ten!"

She flips her guns over, shoots it down - "So were you trying - " another blast from her guns - "To beat us to her?"

"Beat you to whatever, really. Resistance didn't have much intel, just a location." She spins the TIE to line up another shot.

She fires again, and again - the other TIEs keep moving in their complicated patterns, assisting, and they're just about winning, have nearly entirely destroyed the ship's ability to trivially pursue them - 

"So I guess - " fire " - you wanna get that info back to them?"

"That'd be ideal. Also that, y'know, they're using clones."

"Mind if I come with?" she asks, sending off another quick burst of shots.

"I don't see why not. You're a fair shot."

"Been told I'm a good navigator, too." They have a clear stretch now, approaching the last turbolaser. 

"Think you can plot us a course down to that planet there?"

There's another wave of enemy ships - the response seems to be getting coordinated - Anathema shoots another ship, then: "I'll try."

"I can make it down on my own if you're busy..." She flips them out of the way of incoming fire.

"A bit."

The enemy ships seem to have somehow concluded they need to shoot down Ellaita and Anathema in particular. It's very obnoxious.

Just a bit.

But she has always wanted to put one of these things through their paces from the other side of the fight.

They get clear of the ship, winding toward the planet - Anathema seems to be focusing now on outright disabling the First Order's Star Destroyer, any ability to strike at Jakku, any ability to send pursuit after the fleeing stormtroopers - the two of them aren't the only ones who'll have to land and seek passage out, after all.

Explosions ripple along the Star Destroyer - Anathema flinches a few times, face drawn and unhappy, but she keeps shooting down any enemy TIEs with an almost nonchalant efficiency - their allied TIEs are breaking off with them, keeping near enough to defend, the handful of allied ships capable of jumping to hyperspace split between doing so and turning to join the TIEs in their descent (determined by how full they are, it'll be best if they can just regroup the TIE pilots - )

(Rocket dies, still on the Star Destroyer - she hadn't planned to leave, and a massive explosion tears out from the armory, from her body - )

Anathema flinches hard and misses her next shot.

Their enemy doesn't.

The bolt collides with their TIE - another, right at the weak points. Hull integrity isn't compromised, not yet, but steering to a graceful landing will be nearly impossible, and they need a few more seconds before it's safe to eject -

"Going down!" she snaps. "Helmets!" She grabs hers and jams it on. A second with her hands off the yoke isn't going to matter at this point.

She's gasping, shaking - her focus disrupts at several other points, she's scrambling to keep her people together, still coordinated, to keep the last dregs of rebellion on the ship alive as long as possible - doing as much damage as possible, they're going to die and they know it but she promised to make it worth it -

It almost doesn't occur to her that she needs to keep her usual body alive, too. Ellaita's words register in her brain shallowly - but just enough, and Anathema shoves her helmet on purely through muscle memory.

The altimeter dings, almost lost amid the general uproar as she attempts to wrestles the TIE onto a course that gives them the best of "soft" and "close to shelter" known as "survivable".

"Punch out!" she calls. "Punch out, punch out!"

It takes her a moment -

She reorients herself, gives a warning and then withdraws her mind from all but the most essential -

She punches out, feeling like she's in a dream.