Bid Against the Thunder || ONC 2020

Chapter 8 - Live Like Legends

 In the fresher, Tabraile's arms trembled as he supported himself over the dirty sink and stared at himself in the mirror. Covered in sweat and grime, he struggled to keep from passing out on the floor. Slowly tilting his head back, he closed his eyes and poured the last of their emergency water ration over his face and hair to cool off. According to the thermometer, he was running a fever, but he knew his body temperature was elevated from sitting inside the cockpit of a TIE Advanced for six hours while the fierce sunlight of Greleus 9 recharged the solar panels to boost the fighter's power-starved systems.  

It was dumb luck to find a partially intact fighter on the perimeter of the base. The TIE Advanced had suffered a direct hit to its wing mount, which forced the fighter down into a controlled crash. Discarded as wreckage by the Imperials and scavengers that came after the occupation, the fighter's distinctive white paint had dulled to a steel gray. Time and the harsh environment had worn the craft down, draining what was left of its power and reserves.

His limbs were heavy with fatigue from five desperate hours picking through the wreckage of the shuttle to salvage parts to outfit and repair the fighter. He was at his breaking point. The insecure voices in the back of his head told him to simply succumb to fate and be captured, but he refused to be broken.

"Tabraile?" Anayera called from the other room.

Licking his chapped lips, Tabraile sighed. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine."

RK-O9's subdued whistle concurred with her concern.

Hands trembling, he opened the door and stared out at them. Anayera and the droid had taken shelter behind the blast doors as the last rays of the planet's white sun fell below the mountains, leaving only the shadows.

"Tabraile, please," Anayera whispered, gesturing for him to come closer. "Sit down before you fall down."

"The Rebels will be here soon." He felt her hands tugging at his tunic. Though he wanted to sit down beside her on the berth, tired as he was, Tabraile resisted. "I can rest when I'm sitting in the flight chair." He pulled the thermal blanket over her shoulders. "Still not sure how this is going to work. The TIE Advanced wasn't made for two people. It's going to be a tight fit in there."

RK-O9 whistled softly, pressing itself against Anayera's thigh.

"And we don't have enough boost to break out of orbit." Tabraile put his hands on his hips to control the shaking. "We're going to have to use the atmospheric elevator."

Anayera's stared at him incredulously. "You said it was designed for weather balloons?"

"It is, but the TIE will fit. Just barely. Once we clear the atmosphere, the engines, as they are, will break orbit and then the hyperdrive can take over."

"What if the Alliance sends fighters?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "We have enough power for the engines and shields."

"What about life support?"

"That's the tricky part. Helmets make great souvenirs for scavengers. I found one, but it's damaged. Had to jury rig it to make the life-support systems work. We'll have to share it."

"Share a helmet? While you're trying to dodge X-wings? Tabraile, don't be absurd."

"Have you got a better idea?"

"I actually do. It's called hibernation, a deep mediative trance. When I enter such a state, for brief periods of time, I don't not need to eat or drink. Breathing slows to a standstill."