ITOD Home > RS Tour 3 (XvT Retro Tour) > RS 310b: Fuel 'R Us (RgF 110)

The hyperspace funnel around Hermus Dogan's A-Wing erupted into long streaks of light before rapidly coalescing into a vast tapestry of stars. A Mon Calamari Star Cruiser hung in space in the distance, small specks of light flashing around it betraying the existence of starfighters on patrol. It was the McGrath, home to Gold Squadron. Dogan could just barely discern the portal to the cavernous main hangar on its starboard side, beckoning to him like a beacon of hope.

A brief electrical discharge erupted from the hyperspace control, prompting Dogan to snap his head to the side to protect his eyes. Once the sound of the discharge dissipated he looked to his console, confirming that the hyperdrive was out of action. It was only the latest in a string of system failures the A-Wing had suffered since sustaining damage. A TIE Interceptor had managed to punch through the shields of the A-Wing during a battle just before Dogan destroyed it. The weapons were the first systems to go, leaving the pilot extremely vulnerable. After a short inspection of the hyperdrive control to determine the status of that system he triggered a micro jump to safety. followed by two more before laying in his final course to the McGrath.

During the faster-than-light journey home, Dogan witnessed systems failing one by one. First the shields, then sensors, the port engine, and finally targeting. Even his flight suit was damaged; an electrical discharge fried the suit's life support box when one of the sensor screens blew. A dangerous situation, but there was little he could do. It was a miracle that the hyperdrive lasted as long as it did.

Dogan activated the communicator. "Gold Leader to McGrath."

The response was immediate. "McGrath here. Reading extensive damage to your craft, Gold Leader. Are you still able to land?"

"Affirmative, McGrath. Port engine is out, but the starboard engine and maneuvering thrusters are still in the green. Requesting permission to land."

Silence was the only reply for a few moments before the comm officer responded. "Permission granted to land in the secondary hangar, Gold Leader. Primary is currently recovering one of the patrols."

"I copy. Altering course to land in secondary hangar." Dogan eased the A-Wing's throttle to two thirds while firing the maneuvering thrusters a bit to maintain a straight course. The lack of the port engine extended the time required for the starfighter to accelerate, but the pilot was willing to be patient. The McGrath grew larger as he approached, his gaze divided between the cruiser and the A-Wing's status readout, which turned out to be a wise precaution. The starboard engine's icon abruptly switched from green to yellow.

The comm crackled to life. "Gold Leader, we read a drop in power to your remaining engine."

"I copy, McGrath. Looks like the damage is starting to affect that, too. Rerouting power to compensate." Dogan redirected some of the power going to the useless port engine for the task, returning the starboard engine's status icon to green. He looked up again to see the McGrath filling most of his view, the entrance to the secondary hangar just ahead.

Dogan adjusted his course a bit before looking back at the status display. The icon for the remaining engine switched to yellow, then red, then flashing red in the span of a few seconds. The life support icon suddenly turned black, joining the list of dead systems. He sneered at the display, wondering what else would go wrong. A sudden crack and whistling sound answered him.

"Gold Leader, we're reading power fluctuations now. Break off immediately and wait for pickup."

The pilot shook his head and slapped the response button. "Negative! Just lost life support and the cockpit seal. My flight suit's life support equipment was already gone. I need to land before all the atmosphere leaks out."

"Confirmed. Initiating emergency landing pro-"

A glance at the status readout told Dogan that the communications system had died. "What a surprise."

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Continued in the XWA 'The Yaga Minor Shipyards' narrative. http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/itod/narrative?id=652