Repairs
With the night came wind and ice. "Just when you think it can't get any colder," mumbled Sparks from the front of the craft as increasingly large chunks of ice pelted the windshield. "It's nearly negative a hundred Celsius out there!"
"Seriously?" Tyro asked, pulling himself forward to see the temperature reading.
"Seriously," Sparks confirmed, sounding just as amazed. "This can't be good for the ship. She's held up impressively so far but I don't think she can take much more."
"No she can't," Splinter agreed darkly.
Right on cue there was a loud ca-chunk! followed by a clatter of metal as the ship rocked roughly to the side. Within an instant at least six lights began to flash red.
"What was that?" Splinter asked slowly, forcing calmness.
"Damn jinxed it is what it was!" Tar spat loudly in a sort of terrified anger. Tyro stared down at the man's hands, clenched tightly to the seat.
"Tar, it was bound to happen at this rate," explained Sparks in a calm tone that might have almost been mistaken for optimism.
"Confirmation bias," Splinter added nonchalantly.
"Curse, you mean!" Tar countered. "And what do those flashing red lights mean huh? What are you going to do about it?"
"I'm looking for a place to land now." No sooner had Sparks spoken then an alarm started to sound.
"What did you do to my ship?" A voice yelled from the back. Well, Roller was awake now.
"The question should be what I plan to do with it, and the answer is land somewhere moderately sheltered and repair it," Sparks spoke evenly, fiddling with the controls.
"Looks like there's a peak up ahead that's perpendicular to the current velocity of the wind, want me to set coordinates?" Tyro asked, staring at the navsreen.
"Good idea Commander," Sparks agreed, sounding a bit something on the outside of ship started to rattle.
"Is it supposed to make that noise?" Tracks asked gruffly.
"No..." grumbled Roller. "Here, let me pilot."
"It's too unstable to switch over now," responded Sparks in an analytical calm, watching the screen and windshield. "Just let me take this. You can have it back after I make the repairs, but for now let concentrate on landing this thing, okay?"
Roller looked a little offended of Sparks' offhand use of the word "thing" but otherwise shut his mouth and sat back.
Tyro sat back as well as the ship started to shake. The engines and stabilizers were working overtime to compensate for the damage. It was unnerving, but it was just the sound of the ship doing its job. They should have plenty of time to land still. A harsh whispering joined in with the other noises, Tar was uttering what seemed to be some kind of prayer in Mandalorian.
"Tar, it's fine," Tyro tried to calm him, though Tar took no notice. Once again, Tyro was reminded didn't have Gavyn's presence.
Tar barely contained a yelp as the ship shook violently, pushing them all forward as it came with a loud thud.
"That's it, we're landed," said Sparks, hopping up from the cockpit. He gave Tar, now curled up in a ball, a mocking pat on the shoulder as he passed. "I'm going to go out and see what's going on. I can't tell you how long it will take without seeing what needs repairing, but it shouldn't be too bad," he announced, putting on his helmet and grabbing a box of tools. "Roller, stay on your comm, I might need you to test functions from inside while I work."
"Roger that."
"Hang on Sparks, I'm coming too," Tyro called after his friend, finding his coat and snow gear.
Sparks turned to him as though he might reply, but Stitch spoke up first. "Commander, the temperature is dangerously low out there, I'm not sure your equipment can hold up to it. Sparks is designated to manage this kind of situation."
"I can manage this on my own Commander, you don't have to worry about it," Sparks shrugged in agreement.
Tyro stopped himself from immediately answering to consider their words. Was the risk worth it? "We're here to find Ace and Champ right? For all we know they're out in this weather too. The longer we spend fixing the ship, the longer they're stranded. I can at least half our time out there if I help Sparks. Repairs were my thing before I ended up here," Tyro countered.
"Furthermore this ship is our only hope of getting back, it needs all the attention and respect we can give it. And in this weather we'll need to make sure none of the systems are compromised and fix them quickly if they are. This is not a cold weather vehicle, any exposed parts are in danger of failing and we risk losing electricity and heat, endangering anyone inside anyway."
Tyro looked around at the others but he was met with no opposition. "I'll come in and warm up if it gets too cold," he promised, pulling on his the rest of his snow clothes.
Walking out into the cold air felt like getting slapped, even through the layers and layers of thick snow clothing he was wearing. Tyro gasped only to realize how much breathing hurt out here as well.
"You okay, Commander?" Sparks called back to him. Thankfully the peak they had landed behind provided good shelter from the wind and ice being blown about and Tyro could hear him despite the storm.
"Yeah, but you weren't kidding mate, this is cold."
"I never kid, Commander," Sparks teased lightly as he made his way around the ship. "Let's just get this over with quickly."
Tyro followed as quickly as he could behind Sparks, hugging himself against the cold, boots squeaking loudly in the snow. "See anything?"
"No, not yet."
"I'll check on the other side, make this go faster," Tyro called back.
"Sounds good, Sir." Sparks' reply was followed by the scraping of ice. It was absolutely caked onto the ship.
Noting the technique Tyro began to scrape away at the ice as well. "You know, you probably don't have to call me 'Sir' and 'Commander' and stuff when it's just the two of us," Tyro mentioned, glancing over at Sparks.
Sparks shrugged. "Well, Sir, you are leading this mission. It is your rank. Why should that make you uncomfortable, Commander? It's an honor and a privilege not many get, Commander. Besides, the more I use it, the more you get used to it, and the less you ask me to stop, Commander." Tyro could hear the smile in Sparks' voice. "Really though, what's wrong with being okay with what you are Commander?"
Tyro looked back to the ice he was scraping at, thinking. The statement made sense, and it was somehow made even more deep by the fact it came from a...clone. Clones had no choice in what they were or could be, yet accepted it anyway. He disliked even thinking the word, but now that he thought about it, the others didn't seem to mind so much.
Sparks regarded Tyro before continuing. "If you make it your own, people can't use it against you, you gain its strength"
Tyro thought about that. Worded differently it was a sentiment he often held. What he knew, he knew he knew. And part of that was knowing that if you respect yourself, people would be more likely to respect you. It was the reason why he decided he could dye his hair green and do whatever with it he pleased. It was also the reason why he could stick to his convictions. It was why he had been able to turn in his former master. He could apply it to being a Jedi-he could should it to this as well. "Thanks Sparks."
"Any time, Commander," Sparks replied, tone radiating with positivity. It was enough to almost make Tyro forget the cold.
Smiling, Tyro looked back to the ship. "Oi! Found it! Check it out, this panel's been dislodged. Look at all the crap in here."
"Good find, Sir," Sparks yelled from the other end, hopping down from where he had climbed up onto the ship. Tyro turned back to his work as he heard Sparks' boots squeak through the snow. Then suddenly there was an ear-piercing squeal, followed by a loud crack.
Danger. Tyro looked up quickly, heart racing. Sparks had stopped walking, looking around quickly. And then, just like that, he was gone in a thunderous crash and loud roaring of snow.
Tyro quickly jumped back, saved only by his reflexes and the force as the ground opened up where he had just been standing. Scrambling to gain his footing he spun around.
"Sparks!" Tyro's scream echoed off the mountain but he was met with no other reply. All that was left was an empty dark chasm and a mist of snow thrown into the air.
As the sky grew darker and darker, Ace moved quickly to try and scavenge as much shelter as he could. Without tools, he could only tear apart the pieces of the speeder that were not bolted down - which didn't leave a lot. Ace ripped apart the seats, piling the cushions in the dryest corner, next to Champ. Everything that could be burned, Ace gathered together. This was do or die now. They weren't going to survive another day out here, without the sanctuary of the enclosed speeder. Nothing else mattered aside from staying alive as long as possible, and making themselves as visible as possible.
The snowfall, at least, had slowed down, which meant that the speeder didn't quite fill up with heaps of snow as fast as it might have. Regardless, night had fallen by the time Ace managed to shovel the majority of the snow out of the speeder with a twisted scrap of sheet metal. It cleared enough space for him to start a small fire with the seat cushions. The plastic and foam filled the air with thick black smok that crept up through the hole in the roof. At least it would keep more snow from blowing in, even if Ace couldn't feel any difference in the temperature.
An alert in Ace's hud went off. He tried for a moment to get on edge, but his body was too exhausted. Fortunately, he realized the alert was for Champ coming to. Ace leaned over his comrade excitedly.
"Champ! Hey." He patted his comrade's shoulder. There was nothing but a groan in response. He was slipping in and out.
"Take it easy, buddy. Sleep it off." Ace tried to encourage. He wasn't exactly feeling one-hundred-percent either. His whole body ached. He was starving, but already feeling chilled, so he didn't dare remove his helmet again for food. Hypothermia was a far more imminent threat than hunger. Ace was thankful for his HUD, because his vision kept blurring in and and out from exhaustion.
Sliding to the ground next to the fire, Ace's limbs felt heavy. "Just sleep it off." He repeated, knowing full well that he shouldn't fall asleep. He may not ever wake up again.