Tenebrific
(adj.): Producing darkness
Black zero, black zero, black zero. Imperial I-Class Star Destroyer Devastator requesting immediate assistance. Ship evacuated due to reactor damage, dead in orbit over Onderon. Crew and other personnel evacuated. Be advised, be advised, unconfirmed reports of volatile toxins onboard. Proceed with caution. Do not attempt hyperspace jump in immediate vicinity. Approximately ten crew still remaining onboard in attempt to stabilize damage. Repeat, ten members of Devastator crew still onboard vessel. Zero life support available onboard. Broadcasting on all Imperial frequencies. Black zero, black zero, black zero.
She sighed, her breath fogged up the visor of her helmet for a moment before dissipating. It was colder than she remembered, though she was certain that it was colder outside than it was in the room with a machine that could produce the energy equivalent to a medium-sized sun. She grit her teeth and continued working, praying that the atmosphere filter was working properly. Radiation sickness didn't really appeal to her. Around her, five other yellow and black suits floated around in the zero gravity, assessing for further damage. In her HUD, she could see what they saw through the eyes of each member's video feed. Five other spotlamp beams cut through the otherwise pitch-blackness of the main reactor core, searching. The suits weren't exactly up to Commando specs, but they did their job, which was keeping the engineers alive during space walks and keeping them in contact.
She found herself thinking back to Jax and the relief she had felt when his captain, Ado, had returned her tools to her, stating that he had been evacuated safely. It calmed her and allowed her to work without extra worry weighing on her shoulders.
'But you are worried.' Said the small voice in her head. 'You're worried that you're getting attached.' She shook her head, hoping that would discourage that one section of her brain from interfering with her current task. Cold welding wasn't exactly as straight-forward a chore as its superheating counterpart. She had to keep her head in the here and now. So she focused.
"So, how long does the life support in these suits last?" came a voice over the comm.
"Probably best not to think about it, Kaul." Haskit instructed from his post at the bridge. "We have a plan, and we'll stick to it like a Nemoidian leech. First person in the red speaks up and we're bugging out in the direction of the escape pods." A chorus of various affirmatives sounded from the rest of the crew. Voxx checked the oxygen indicator in her HUD. Still in the green. She continued working.
Every time she thought about Jax, she would bite down on her tongue to help stomp it down and keep her mind on her work. She did the same with the snide voice that seemed to taunt her each time his face appeared in her mind.
"Breathe, Voxx." Haskit said over the comm. "Your heart rate is too high. Conserve your oh-two." She looked quickly at her indicator and saw that she was indeed on the margin between green and yellow.
"Copy that." She said. She began inhaling in short bursts through her nose and drawing out her exhales. She could feel her heart calm down and returned her focus to the crack she was cold welding shut. She didn't have much more to do.
"Heads up!" came an urgent voice over the commlink. She looked up just in time to see Kaul hurtling towards her, unable to stop in the zero gravity. She couldn't move, so she braced for impact. He hit her, knocking her sideways. The magnetic anchors on her harness held fast and she came to a halt almost immediately. Without thinking, she reached a hand out and caught Kaul by his arm. Better he remain stationary than hit someone else in this environment.
"Thanks." He breathed, taking a hold of a small control panel and magnetizing one of his anchors. Voxx let his arm go.
"Don't mention it." She said, just grateful that nothing more serious had happened.
"Oh…Voxx…"
"I said don't mention it, Kaul." She said more sternly. She had work to do and limited time to do it.
"No, Voxx, your suit…" She snapped her attention back to Kaul, then to his point-of-view cam. Her blood ran cold.
"Oh, fekk." A large tear had opened up in the tough, rubber-like fabric right below her breastplate on her right side. She looked away from the feed and back at Kaul. His face was pale and his eyes were wide. She knew he was seeing the same fearful expression mirrored on her face. She could smell ozone.
"Voxx, I'm so sorry."
"What's going on down there?" Haskit demanded.
"Voxx's suit has been breached." Kaul said, his voice quaking. "I repeat, we have an exosuit breach!"
"Drop what you're doing and get to the escape pods! Everyone, that's an order!" Haskit yelled. Cold dread pooled in Voxx's gut, and she found herself wondering if it was actually dread or the radiation attacking her body. Instead of moving as she was told, she turned back to look at the progress of the welding job. She was almost done. She had to finish it.
"Come on!" Kaul yelled at her. Everyone was making a beeline for the escape pods. No, she told herself, see it through; you're almost there. Her vision was starting to distort. It was becoming a chore to breathe.
"Voxx!"
Copy that, Devastator. Victory-Class Battlecruiser Ravager responding to Black zero. Standing by for possible elevation to Red zero status. ETA fourteen minutes. Hang in there, Devastator. Over.
