Hoth: Blood and Ice

[Hacha Tsuko]

“Of course they set a trap for us at the hyper limit.” Hacha grouses as he scurries around the belly of the Turtle’s engine room. “Where else are they going to set a trap for us? But no, it’s never Nudie’s fault that we get hit, or Pip’s fault for not shooting enough, or Durasay’s fault for-”

The words catch in the Duros’ throat as he scurries around, his readouts of the situation becoming progressively grimmer. “Ten gunships and starfighter complement just for little old us? I suppose that I should be flattered.”

The ship rocks from another direct hit and the old warning sirens are joined with the new, creating an orchestra of doom.

“Well just you wait, we’re about to hit the hyper limit in five, four, three, two-”

A red light flashes on a monitor and Hacha balances.

“No. Nooooo no no no no no.” He rushes over to the panel. “Hyperdrive offline” A few more taps. “And backup too. No astromech to calculate a jump just-”

In spite of the noise around him, Hacha falls completely silent. He places a hand on a durasteel beam of the ship and dips his head against the monitor. “Me. Just me. I’m the backup.”

He waits a beat, running the numbers before nodding to himself. “After all, I’m the best.”

He scurries at his work, opening the panels and splicing the data links to the best computer he knows: his cyberbrain.

“Well Boss” he says, knowing that the rest of the crew won’t be able to hear him. “At least if this doesn’t work, you won’t be around to be annoyed with him. And if it does...I’ve been living on borrowed time.


Hacha presses a button. “Initiating uplink for jump calculations.”

There is a flash.

Hacha is watching Durasay set down one more time, waving goodbye as he heads off the ship with the rest of the “Marauders” that have begun flocking around him. No further records are detected.


Hacha is back on Hoth, rolling his eyes at the newest goat shenanigans that the Pipka’s herd has blundered into, and pretends not to notice the corner of a smile on Songbird’s (as she will always be known to him) face. His high score on Hell Mode in the Cantina is still unbeaten.

Hacha is howling with victory as the new guy, Pipka, shreds a Dread Master patrol with an extremely well placed shot. He tries to compose himself, but as he looks around the bridge he can see the same expression on Pip and Durasay’s faces. Even Lana and Nudie share a look, and their lips begin to quirk in a smile.

Wait a minute...were those two a couple?

The thought is washed away, Alderaan becoming a blur other than a rush at pulling off a job while stealing a speeder. He never did find a way to put good use of those parts. The pull is growing stronger, the destination becoming apparent.

The enemy flagship is crashing, and Hacha smiles at a job well done in spite of the wounds in his chest. Survival is impossible, he knows that, but he knew that once before didn’t he? This moment, to be exact. It’s been eleven years, and in that Hacha has done more in his previous life five times over. Fourteen years after this? It’s a gift. Fourteen years with a family? Even more so. Wiith a home?

No question.

The Vizsla flagship crashes into the water, surrounding Hacha in cold and darkness. There is quiet.

Hacha is looking at a wreck of a ship. Maybe it’s a step down from what he’s used to, but it’s a lot of potential. And hey, no creditors will be hounding him for this thing, even if he needed to run away to a warzone to get away.

“It’ll be a pain…but I’ll do it.”

Hacha looks back over to a now pristine ship to see a smiling Durasay standing before him.

“Well I hope so. Someone has to keep her running until the rest of them get here.”

Hacha smiles back at his friend turned family. “Well, I expect to be well compensated for my efforts. You’ll have to remind me of my genius a lot.”

______

The jump through hyper is a rough one, especially due to the incredibly circuitous route that was calculated. The landing was especially rough, as there wasn’t a mechanic to do any patches. But the Turtle limps out of hyper over the plant of Bankor, looking down at a peaceful surface.

Safe.