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Topic:
The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OCs, OT, complete 6/17 (extras 6/24)
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Thumper09
Registered:
Dec '01
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Date Posted:
3/18 6:31pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/18
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This chapter is more of a normal length. Also, the next update will take place on Sunday since I'll be without Internet access the rest of that week.
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Chapter Four
The first thing Chase became aware of was the disgusting taste of bacta in his mouth.
It brought him back to consciousness more effectively than any audible chrono alarm could have. He squeezed his eyes shut harder, grimaced and opened his mouth to get that taste out of--
"Chase?"
He recognized his name.
"Chase? You awake? You okay?"
He recognized the voice now too, though it was sounding nervous, a far cry from how it usually sounded. Chase slowly pried his eyes open and turned his head a bit. Sure enough, sitting there in a chair beside the bed was Radek with his big eyes even wider than normal. His head was tilted to the side somewhat.
It was much warmer here, though he still felt chilled deep within. Chase pulled his bed's blanket up some more.
"Radek?" he managed weakly. "You're dead too?"
Radek tilted his head more as Chase spoke and furrowed his brow in concentration, then after a short pause he replied a bit loudly, "Did you ask if I'm dead? Hell, no, I'm not, and you're not either."
That didn't make sense. "What happened?"
"Well, I knew your TIE didn't explode from that hit, but I couldn't tell if you were still alive before we had to pull out, and you were out of range of Nashtah's tractor beams. We regrouped and were doing damage control and repair when a smaller Imperial ship contacted us about a day later and said they had found you near the transfer point, but they didn't have the capability to bring you onboard. So then Commander Wiantance convinced the captain to send a rescue shuttle back for you. You were in pretty bad shape when they found you: hypothermia, frostbite, some broken bones and a bit delusional. It didn't look like you were going to pull through. They confirmed your identity with DNA testing, then you were in bacta for your bone and frostbite treatment, and they pulled you out not too long ago."
"So I've noticed," Chase muttered, smacking his lips. "So...I'm not dead." It was a welcome yet almost foreign concept to him now, and larger than he could wrap his mind around at the moment. Maybe that was why he didn't feel as happy as he would have expected. Chase mustered the strength to move to a different topic. "Are you okay? How many people did we lose in that fight?"
"You bet I'm okay. It takes more than a little dogfight to get rid of ol' Radek. Right? Right?" Radek smiled a bit, but it seemed forced. After a pause, he continued in the same slightly louder tone but in a more serious voice, "We lost six: Bridger, Hailen, Fikri, Rostecek, Arliss and Eairrsidh. The 487th lost four. A couple more, like you, are down for injuries here in medbay. They're trying to get some more TIEs sent here for the backups and other shift pilots to fly so we can be back to a full fighter complement soon. Sorry, but they did the memorial services while you were in bacta."
Chase nodded and allowed the news of their lost squadmates to sink in. Damned Rebels, fighting dirty. Ten good men were dead because of it. Ten good men would never return to their families because of it. Well, no more.
Radek looked past Chase, and then he said, "Uh oh, the doctor's giving me that look, the one all the bartenders give me right before they throw me out. I think he wants me to let you get some rest. I better do that before he pokes me with something sharp." Radek at least didn't sound as nervous anymore. He stood and said to his wingman, "Take it easy, and I'll come by to see you later, okay, Chase?"
"Sure. Thanks for the visit."
Radek gave a grin in reply and walked out. Chase suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, Radek, wait a second," but Radek never stopped or turned around. Apparently the letter to Lataise to let her know what happened would have to wait.
Chase pulled the covers up to his chin and tried to warm up. The Navy would notify Lataise that he'd been injured, but until he could tell her himself that he was all right it would only worry her needlessly. But that would have to wait. He was tired, and sleep sounded like a good thing. He shivered and pulled the blankets around him more tightly.
*****
Chase Barton stared at the ceiling through the darkness while he lay in bed two nights later. The medbay recovery room was quiet enough to be loud in his ears with only the soft, hypnotic hum of the ship's systems breaking up the deafening silence and keeping him from losing his mind. The other patients in the beds beside his had long since fallen asleep, but try as he might, he just couldn't follow their example.
He knew he needed to. The doctor had said that if his exam went well in the morning, Chase could be released from medbay and go on light duty for a few days. In that scenario, Chase would be performing the same type of administrative and light work that his brother had been doing for his own squadron ever since Kane had gotten injured. He'd been thinking about Kane a lot since he'd been stuck in medbay. His brother would understand what he was going through, but Chase's letter to Kane still sat unfinished on a datapad on the small table beside the bed.
The chrono on the wall plodded through another half hour. The pilot sighed and covered his face with the thin pillow in aggravation. Maybe he should ask for some sleep meds. He wanted so badly to fall asleep, but he couldn't; he kept expecting the battlestations alarms to sound at any moment. The Rebels were out there somewhere, waiting to ambush them again. What the hell type of galaxy was this? There was no protection from the damn Rebels, no security, no place that was safe from them. Was this the sort of galaxy his child had to grow up in? That was completely unacceptable. He could not allow that.
There had to be a way to fix things, to make the galaxy safer. If the Rebels played dirty, he would play dirty too if it meant getting rid of them. There had to be a way to bring the Rebels down once and for all, no holds barred: the next suspicious Y-wing he came across would be blown out of the sky even if he caught it flat-footed. Taking chances was a luxury he no longer had.
He would definitely have to fix this.
Chase returned his pillow to its proper place and mulled things over in his mind, wondering how to accomplish his goal. He knew he needed to get some sleep, but this was more important. Besides, who could sleep when it was freezing in that room like it was?
*****
"This is so unfair!" Radek exclaimed as he stomped after Chase down the corridor. "I should be flying with you, not Daetwyler!"
Chase took a deep, aggravated breath and wondered if it would be better to respond to Radek or ignore him. He didn't need this now, not mere minutes before his first non-sim flight since he'd been put back on active duty. The few days of performing administrative and light duties for the squadron had driven him stir-crazy, and he couldn't understand how his brother could do it as his permanent job. Apparently Kane was better than he was even with simple things like that. Maybe that was why Kane was in a squadron in the Core while Chase was way out here out of everyone's way. In any event, Chase needed to do something, and this little patrol around the fleet to requalify him for combat flight duty was just fine with him.
If only Radek would let him do it.
"I mean, Daetwyler doesn't know anything!" Radek continued his rant in a loud voice, and Chase ground his teeth a little bit. "And now he's the one who gets to fly with you? Didn't you tell the commander that I should get to go? You should've!"
Chase came to an abrupt stop, and he got the impression that Radek almost ran into him from behind. Completely ignoring the other people moving past them in the corridor, he spun around to face the younger pilot and raised his voice a little as well. "Listen, Radek, it's pretty damn hard for you to go flying when you're on medical leave. In fact, it's damned impossible."
Radek tilted his head to catch the words better, and he crossed his arms even more tightly. "But I shouldn't be on medical leave. There's nothing wrong with me! I can fly fine!"
Chase gave a short, incredulous scoff. "Nothing wrong with you? You can hardly hear anymore! You're well under the minimum medical requirements to fly a starfighter."
Radek's expression darkened as it always did whenever someone brought that up. Chase had learned that after his own TIE was damaged, a glancing hit on Radek's TIE from a Y-wing's ion bolt during the dogfight had caused a powerful feedback surge over Radek's helmet headset. No one could tell yet if the hearing reduction was permanent, but the doctors had worked hard and Radek's hearing had improved slightly over the past week.
"I don't need to hear every single little thing to do my job," Radek snapped. "The only thing hearing is good for in space is the stupid comm system. The damn thing is what got me into this mess. I can work around it. I don't need it."
"Don't tell me comms are useless," Chase retorted, bristling at the unwelcome reminder. "Look, you've got to settle down about this. So you need to wait for the more specialized care back on Craci Four. So what? It's one more week. It's not the end of the galaxy!"
Chase's words just seemed to be making Radek more upset. Radek took a deep breath, looked down at his overly polished boots and then shook his head in disgust at the conversation before returning his attention to Chase. "Maybe it's not the end of the galaxy for you, Mister Perfect-Home-Life. Mister This-Is-Just-My-Job-But-Not-My-Future. But it is for me if they don't let me fly again!"
"Are you serious? Your whole existence cannot revolve around flying starfighters. There has to be more to your life than that. What, did you think you were still going to be a TIE pilot when you were 35? 40? 50?" Chase asked. "Didn't you ever think you'd need to retire sometime and do something else? Transfer to another job? There will come a day, if it hasn't come already, when you'll take your last starfighter flight. It's normal. There is life after TIEs. The galaxy will not end. If you truly think it will, you need to open your eyes and grow up."
Something changed in Radek's expression, though his glare remained intact. "Well, I guess it's abundantly clear then that I can't be a TIE pilot forever," he said. "That's all the more reason to fly as much as I can now. I won't let this stupid injury shorten my already limited time in a cockpit!"
Chase let out an exasperated sigh but tried to keep it quiet enough so Radek wouldn't hear it. "You're overreacting. And besides, what are you yelling at me about it for?"
"You're the only one who listens," Radek said.
"That's because you haven't stopped complaining about it for the last week and everyone is sick of hearing it," Chase informed him.
Radek's eyes narrowed again, and then he looked away. "I know the others won't, but you could be a little more sympathetic, you know." The words were intended to be a mutter but still came out at a higher volume than normal.
Chase paused a moment and tried to extend his shortened patience. It was true that when he had learned months ago that his brother had been injured by Rebels, all of his emotions had centered on concern for Kane's well-being. Chase would have expected to feel the same thing now for Radek, but he didn't. Instead, when he had heard what happened to his wingman it had just been one more log on the fire of Chase's anger at the Rebels; he didn't care about the effects any more, only the causes. Radek just had the unfortunate timing to be the first victim of his shifted priorities.
"Maybe," Chase conceded with an effort to even out his voice. "How about I'll try to be more sympathetic if you give me a reason to and stop feeling so sorry for yourself. Go in the sims or something. Damn it, Lieutenant, you're an Imperial Naval officer: start acting like one. Now I've got to go. I'll see you later." Chase turned and continued walking toward the hangar, and he didn't hear Radek's footsteps behind him any longer.
Inside the hangar, Lieutenant Daetwyler was waiting for Chase by the new replacement TIEs. "Lieutenant Barton. Ready to go?"
The man was amiable enough, but it was hard for Chase to put up with his monotone voice for long periods of time. The argument he'd just had with Radek did not help his tolerance level either. "Yes, sir, I'm ready."
"Good. Mount up and tell me when you're set." Daetwyler headed off to his own TIE.
Chase was greeted by his crew chief as he climbed into his new cockpit, then he donned his helmet and took a few moments to adjust the seat and restraint straps to comfortable positions and lengths. Everything felt normal. Chase powered up and reported ready.
He followed Daetwyler through the magcon field into the inky vacuum of space, and suddenly everything no longer felt normal. Cold sweat trickled down his neck and back, his heart pounded and his throat tightened. Chase tore his eyes away from the infinite depths of space and plastered them on his cockpit instruments instead.
Daetwyler must have noticed the second TIE's faltering. "Coming?" he asked.
Chase hesitated before forcing out the only acceptable answer. "Yes, sir." He sped up and settled closer than usual on Daetwyler's wing.
Over the course of the patrol, Daetwyler took them farther from the fleet than Chase liked, but he said nothing about it. Instead, he relieved his tension by making sure he had working two-way communications with Daetwyler every few minutes. That knowledge was the only peace of mind he had when every flashing light and every odd reflection off his windows seen from the corner of his eye made Chase think the despicable Rebels were dropping out of the sky and ambushing them again.
That feeling of a constant threat lurking out there somewhere was something that would always be present as long as there was one Rebel left alive, and that feeling was something he couldn't let his wife and child endure.
He would truly, definitely need to fix this. Soon.
The patrol was short, but Chase was exhausted when they finally landed.
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"Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method." -Karen Eiffel The Way--Imperial pilot OCs, OT: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28104637 OC X-wing fics: http://www.coronasquadron.com/corona.html
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Idrelle_Miocovani
Title: Solar Power loving Scattergories Hostess
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
3/18 6:41pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/18
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I can't believe I didn't catch this earlier! 
Fantastic story, Thumper! I've recently developed a taste for fics featuring OC pilots (Imperial or otherwise), so this is quite a gem!  I love your OCs. Wonderful character development so far; I'm looking forwards to more!
Could I be added to the PM list? 
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It takes an awfully long time to not write a book. "We're actors! We're the opposite of people!" Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead This Time Around (time travel, RotS AU): http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27062943/p1/?2 Padawan of DarthIshtar
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Arcalian
Registered:
Mar '05
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Date Posted:
3/20 7:32pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/18
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Fooled me. I thought the Rebels were going to find him, and he would learn they didn't do "horrible things to their prisoners". It's very likely he won't learn better until after the battle of Endor....if he survives that long. And even then he might go into the ever shrinking Imperial space.
As for his "Buddy" Radek, it's real simple. He wants to live fast, die young and leave a martyr to the Empire's cause. Flying is all he knows.
The TIE versus X wing stuff was good, reminding me of the old stoires about F-15s versus MiGs. The TIEs are more maneuverable, sure, but much less stable. Hard to control.
Never saw a proton torpedo used in ship to ship combat before, but that is perhaps not surprising as I've not read much X Wing or TIE pilot fiction before this. Kudos!
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Thumper09
Registered:
Dec '01
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Date Posted:
3/23 4:42pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/23
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Idrelle_Miocovani: Welcome to the wild and crazy world of OC Pilots.  Be careful: once they have you, they never let go. Thank you very much for reading and for your compliments! Hopefully the character development will not disappoint. I'll add you to the PM list. 
Arcalian: Very true. The Rebels don't mistreat their prisoners, but even if they were decent to him I think Chase would be expecting an ulterior motive.
You hit the nail on the head--flying is all Radek knows or really cares about.
I don't remember where I first saw the torpedo salvos in a dogfight, but I think it was in the X-wing novels (which I highly recommend everyone read if they haven't already ). Wherever it was, though, I think of it as a standard Rebel starfighter tactic and I use it a lot. I think it's meant to whittle down the numbers of the TIEs quickly to even things out more before the dogfight starts.
Thanks for reading and replying!
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Here's the promised Sunday update since I'll be offline the rest of this week. The next update will be back on the normal schedule next Tuesday or Wednesday (4/1 or 4/2).
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Chapter Five
Chase's countdown reached zero at long last, and after a couple days' delay they were heading back to Cracian space.
The return flight seemed longer than the flight out, and during his off-duty hours Chase restlessly stalked the corridors of the Victory Star Destroyer that was transporting them back to the Corporate Sector. Like on the outbound trip, the squadron was using the return trip to get themselves oriented to the local time zone of their destination, and this time it meant Chase's daytime took place during the Victory's night cycle. It felt a bit strange to think the temporary assignment was actually over and he'd soon be back in Legis Bay with its normal, laid back, day-to-day life. He couldn't wait to be with Lataise again.
The various moods of the rest of the Fireburners underscored the fractured state of the squadron since they had lost their six pilots. Some wanted to stay out on the front lines and exact revenge for their fallen squadmates. Some wanted to put it all behind them. All of them were still trying to cope and mentally recover, but Chase knew that as Imperial officers, not a single one would admit to such a weakness. He wouldn't either.
At the end of their journey, Wiantance still didn't allow Radek to fly down to the base in a TIE and instead was ordering him to go on a transport. Radek was angry almost to the point of insubordination, and Chase quickly pulled him aside and shut down Radek's outburst before he said one word too many. Wiantance had been insisting on stricter discipline since the loss of their pilots, and if he caught wind of Radek's attitude and anger during the flight preps, it would lead to a confrontation, a chewing out and yet another landing delay.
Though even with as floundering and fragmented as the pilots were, it was hard to tell anything was wrong from an outside perspective based on the smooth way the Fireburners all formed up outside the Victory in Cracian orbit and flew down to Legis Bay Imperial Naval Base in perfect formation. The familiar landing racks were a welcome sight to Chase when his fighter broke through the grey clouds of the late afternoon.
After the squadron landed, he secured his fighter with the help of a temporary replacement technician from another group. Transports were landing, and the base around them was alive with activity to receive the pilots and support crews who were returning.
Commander Wiantance gathered all the Fireburner pilots together, then he waited for a sulking Radek, another injured pilot and the other shift pilots to disembark from their transport and join them. He began to go over the schedule for the next few days, when and where the pilots were expected to report next after some time off, and other information.
Chase waited with growing impatience as the commander spoke. They could have been out of there already if the commander had just typed all this up and sent it to the pilots for them to read. He couldn't stop fidgeting, and at one point Wiantance stopped his talk and looked directly at him.
"Lieutenant Junior Grade Barton, is there a problem?" he asked sternly.
Chase willed himself into stillness at the warning. "No, sir."
"Do you want to be the last one out of here?"
He'd be angrier than Radek if that happened, and he fought to keep his expression and voice neutral. "No, sir."
"Then settle down and pay attention." Wiantance continued his mini briefing, and with an effort Chase tried harder to stop being so antsy.
At last the commander dismissed them. Chase hurried to the locker room and went straight for the comm unit on the wall before any of the other pilots had a chance to reach it. He entered in Lataise's comm frequency.
She answered it immediately with a hopeful-sounding, "Chase?"
"Yeah, it's me," he answered. "Damn, it's good to hear your voice."
"I saw all of you land. When are they going to let you guys go?"
"They just did. Where are you?"
"Right where we left off."
"I'll be there in a minute."
"I'll be waiting."
Chase closed the transmission and peeled himself out of his life support equipment in record time. His heart was pounding in his head as he wove as fast as he dared through the crowds of people in the operations building, and finally he was through the door and looking once more into the eyes of his wife.
Lataise jumped into his embrace, and Chase held on for dear life. Neither one spoke for a minute, but then Lataise whispered through tears, "I'm so happy you're back. I missed you so much. And when we heard about the six... Ella and Moyne and Shanitra are still so devastated. I was so afraid I'd get that same news about you. Just hearing you were injured was too much."
Chase squeezed her a little more tightly as she mentioned the wives of three of the pilots who had been killed. "It's okay," he whispered back. "Everything's all right now."
Except that it wasn't. It almost had been Lataise going through that pain now. His squadmates had been killed by the Rebels, and the Rebels were still out there, endangering everyone and everything. He suppressed a shudder at the vivid memories of being stranded in his TIE, face-to-face with the end of his life and the loss of all he had. For the first time Chase didn't feel safe in Lataise's arms, and he knew she shouldn't feel safe in his either. He couldn't protect his family from the Rebels unless he did something more drastic than endless system patrols on the edge of the Corporate Sector. He hated thinking he was so powerless and so worthless that he couldn't even keep the people he cared about safe.
Chase pulled back and briefly wiped his eyes, and Lataise let him go. "I couldn't wait to come home," Chase told her. "I missed you every single day."
Lataise looked him over and asked, "How are you feeling? You look good."
"I'm fine," Chase replied, trying not to think about the injuries he had had and what had caused them. "Everything is healed, and nothing is so much as sore. How are you? How's the baby?"
"Just fine. The doctor said everything is going well." Lataise gave him a huge smile and wiped away her own tears while she said, "All this excitement is making me lightheaded. I've got your favorite meal planned for dinner tonight in celebration, and we can open all the windows in the house or eat outside. I figure you've been missing this fresh air while you've been stuck on the ship." She pulled him into a kiss.
Chase broke it a few seconds later, and then he shook his head. "We don't need to open the windows anymore," he said softly. "It's too chilly of a planet, especially with that wind coming in off the water. But I can't wait for that meal."
*****
The sudden loud beeping noise in the middle of the night snapped Chase out of his light sleep and made him bolt out of bed in a cold sweat. He stubbed a toe and fell sideways against a wall in his off-balance scramble before he heard someone anxiously calling, "Chase?"
The room lit up, and Chase saw Lataise in bed with one hand on the bedside lamp and her fearful eyes on him. As his brain tried to reconcile that sight and its implications, the loud beeping came again. Still confused and unnerved, he jumped and looked around for the threat he should be responding to.
Lataise quickly came to him. "It's just the holoreceiver, Chase. It's fine."
Anger and embarrassment pushed the panic down. "The holoreceiver?" he asked incredulously as his cheeks flushed. "The holoreceiver?" Chase silently cursed at himself and took a deep breath just as the loud noise sounded again. Sure enough, now that he was paying attention it was obvious that was the holoreceiver's familiar tone, not something indicating an imminent attack. "Wonderful. Sorry for waking you up. I'll see who's comming."
"I can answer it," Lataise offered. She began walking to the living room, but Chase stopped her.
"No, I got it. I'm awake now anyway. Go back to sleep."
Grumbling, Chase subconsciously smoothed out his sweatsuit as he sat at the holoreceiver in the living room a moment later and turned on the holo unit. Lataise watched from the bedroom doorway. "Hello?" Chase said, making only half an effort to not sound cranky.
Two familiar faces greeted him as the holo resolved into being. "Hey, you are back! Welcome back, Chase!"
Chase closed his eyes momentarily and let out a small, aggravated sigh. "Mom, Dad, it's the middle of the night here. I had just gotten to sleep. I've told you a hundred times about the time difference between me and you." In his peripheral vision, he saw Lataise go back into the bedroom now that she knew it wasn't an emergency.
"Sorry, but we couldn't wait to talk to you. Lataise commed us earlier and left a message saying you were back, and then her parents commed later on and said the same thing. We just couldn't believe we hadn't heard from you yet," his mother, Nari, said.
"I just got back this evening, and I was going to comm you first thing in the morning. I'm pretty tired," Chase replied. Lataise had told him that she'd contacted everyone while he was in the shower earlier.
"So how are you doing?" asked his father, Edik. "You all healed up? You gave your mother quite a scare when you said in your letter you'd gotten hurt."
"I'm fine, Dad. Back to normal."
"How are Lataise and the future grandbaby?" Nari asked. "Did they do okay while you were gone?"
"Yeah, the doctor said everything's going well. Lataise seemed to do just fine while I was away." The house was in great shape, the bills and paperwork were all in order and she'd made progress on the baby's room. Even though he knew it shouldn't, all of that rubbed Chase the wrong way. It was like he wasn't needed for anything and was expendable around here too. "Look, I appreciate the comm and everything, but can we continue this tomorrow? As in my tomorrow? I'm beat."
"Oh, sure, we won't keep you up. We were going to get Jina on the line too, but she's in some big high-level business meeting. We think. You know we can never keep track of where she is. I'm sure she'll call you when she gets in," Edik said. Chase secretly doubted that. "But there is one more person who'd like to say hi. We coordinated with Kane and got him on a carrier signal from his base. We'll sign off and switch over to him now."
"Kane's on the line?" Chase asked, feeling a little crankiness dissipate. "Sure, yeah, switch him over. I'll talk to you two tomorrow. My tomorrow."
"All right, Chase. I'm so happy to see you back safely! Love you." Nari closed their transmission.
That holo was replaced a moment later by one of a man very similar in appearance to Chase with darker hair and wearing an Imperial naval uniform. Kane grinned at him. "Hey, little brother, how you doing? Back home?"
"Yeah, just got back a little while ago. It was a hell of a time. It's good to see you." Chase grinned a bit himself.
"I'm glad those Rebs didn't make nerf food out of you. Oh, that reminds me, I got your letter from when you were in medbay."
"You did?" Chase said. "Good. I don't want to do it now, but I sure would like to talk to you more about it sometime, seeing as how you went through something similar."
Kane laughed a bit. "Something similar? Come on, Chase, you only broke a couple ribs. You call that an injury? It's not an injury if you heal from it; that's just a scratch. Did you at least destroy the Rebels that hit your fighter like I did, or did that little scratch get in the way?"
Chase was taken aback. "No. I told you I couldn't because my TIE was--"
"Right, you couldn't fix your TIE. I remember now. Listen, you're fine. Compared to what could have happened, nothing happened to you. No one's going to take you seriously as an officer or as a fighter pilot if you start complaining about little scratches. Don't make that mistake. That's the best advice I can give you, little brother. If you want to be a better pilot and if you want that promotion to full lieutenant, that's what you have to do."
Chase couldn't believe Kane brushed off his ordeal in that fight so quickly. He was too disappointed and confused to know how to respond, so there was silence for a few seconds while Kane looked off to the side at something else happening near him. When Kane turned back to the holocam he said to Chase, "I've got to go. We've got a big mission coming up soon that we've got to get ready for." He grinned in anticipation and obvious importance. "Glad you're back safe, Chase. Have fun way out there on your little far-flung planet." The transmission closed.
Chase closed his end a few moments later and stared at the air where Kane's image had been. Finally he stood up and went to the kitchen. It would be a while before his mind would quiet down enough to get back to sleep after that discussion.
He was heating up water for some Kosh Tea when he heard bare footfalls. He glanced up and saw Lataise slowly entering the kitchen.
"You have enough water in there for two?" she asked softly.
Chase nodded and got a Kopi Tea packet out of the cabinet for her. They waited in silence for the water to warm up until Lataise said, "It sounded like you were talking to Kane just now." Chase nodded again. "How's he doing?"
"He's doing great," Chase answered honestly. He went to get some mugs.
"Did you have a nice talk with him?"
"Yeah. I always do."
Lataise pressed on. "Did he say something that got under your skin?"
Chase looked sideways at her and then began pouring the water. "No. He was just trying to help me out with some advice. Is there a reason we're playing the question game so late at night?"
Lataise sat at the table with her tea packet. "I'm just a little concerned. Kane's 'advice' isn't always the best thing for you. I hope you're not taking whatever he said and automatically assuming it'll fit you."
"He's just looking out for me and wanting to help," Chase repeated. Even though Chase didn't really like what his brother had said, Kane was the one with the great piloting skills in a Core squadron, not him. Kane had to know what he was talking about.
"Okay." Lataise dropped the subject and thanked Chase for the mug of hot water he gave her. He sat down at the table across from her, and they both prepared their tea.
Lataise watched him for a couple minutes like she was expecting him to say something, and then she ventured, "I understand if you don't want to yet, but if you ever want to talk about the last five weeks, I'm here to listen."
"Thanks," Chase said. Though apparently he shouldn't make a fuss about a little scratch.
They sipped their tea while Lataise caught him up on a few more things that had happened during the time he was gone. Some of her friends had helped her around the house, she had come up with a few more baby names for him to consider, and she threw in a few stories from her job. She'd even met someone whose baby had just outgrown most of its newborn clothes. This person was going to sell the clothes to her for a great bargain.
Chase tried to put Kane's words out of his mind and instead listen to the normal, everyday things he had missed so much. With every story, though, he just grew more uneasy. These normal, everyday, ordinary things would be the first casualties if the Rebels weren't stopped. That was bigger than a little scratch, and even Kane would have to see that.
---------
-----signature-----
"Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method." -Karen Eiffel The Way--Imperial pilot OCs, OT: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28104637 OC X-wing fics: http://www.coronasquadron.com/corona.html
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Idrelle_Miocovani
Title: Solar Power loving Scattergories Hostess
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
3/23 4:52pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/23
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Thank you for the PM! Twas quite an interesting note. 
Except that it wasn't. It almost had been Lataise going through that pain now. His squadmates had been killed by the Rebels, and the Rebels were still out there, endangering everyone and everything. He suppressed a shudder at the vivid memories of being stranded in his TIE, face-to-face with the end of his life and the loss of all he had. For the first time Chase didn't feel safe in Lataise's arms, and he knew she shouldn't feel safe in his either. He couldn't protect his family from the Rebels unless he did something more drastic than endless system patrols on the edge of the Corporate Sector. He hated thinking he was so powerless and so worthless that he couldn't even keep the people he cared about safe.
It's really cool to see things from the Imperial point of view. We're so accustomed to seeing the Rebels as the good guys because that's what George showed us in the OT. We're so used to picturing them all as "bad guys", but really, they have feelings too and they're fighting for something just as much as the Rebels are. I love your depiction of this. It's so realistic -- wonderful!
Wonderful scene with Chase. I'm liking him more and more as this fic develops.
-----signature-----
It takes an awfully long time to not write a book. "We're actors! We're the opposite of people!" Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead This Time Around (time travel, RotS AU): http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27062943/p1/?2 Padawan of DarthIshtar
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LordGoldenArrow
Title: Retired Chapter Rep
Melbourne, FL USA
Registered:
Jan '02
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Date Posted:
3/23 7:31pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/23
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I want to be on this mysterious PM list!
Great job Thumper! Awesome work. I'll send you my comments by email as always.
Please write more!
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Arcalian
Registered:
Mar '05
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Date Posted:
3/25 5:58pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/23
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Home isn't what it was, eh? I feel sorry for you my man, I really do. But going back out wont help, especially since you're so afraid every time you fly.
Lots of people beleived in the Empire, yes. Lots of people beleived in the Separatist Confederacy, too. Sad, isn't it?
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The_Face
Title: Fan Fic Manager, now with more real butter flavor
Registered:
Feb '03
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Date Posted:
3/29 5:26pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 3/23
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Oh dear I missed some posts.
Great work with Chase lost at sea – er, space. The desperation and excruciating wait aren’t easy to get across on the page but you did an excellent job; I think the slightly extended length helped in that aspect.
Speaking in my capacity as a guy who doesn’t really go for “hard” sci-fi, I’m enjoying the level of realism in this fic relating to the role of a TIE Fighter pilot and the setting you’ve put him in. You’ve struck a pretty good balance where it adds to the richness of the story rather than distracts.
And some of the reason behind that we see particularly in the next chapter: You treat the characters right. Good work with Radek and Chase’s shifting dynamic, and before that Chase’s shifting attitude toward the Rebellion. It all really rings true.
Man, rough chat with Kane though big brother didn’t notice. No wonder Chase has confidence issues.
Brilliant chapters, Thumper!
-----signature-----
If mercy falls upon the broken and the poor Dear Father, I will see you there on distant shores * Galaxy of Suspects, a CorSec Mystery: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28083207&brd=10476
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Thumper09
Registered:
Dec '01
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Date Posted:
4/2 6:10pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
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Idrelle: (Is it okay if I call you that, or do you prefer your whole screen name?) Doing things from the Imperial side has certainly been an eye-opener for me. I agree with you: Imps are people too. I'm very glad it's coming across as realistic, and please let me know if it ever stops being that way--we're starting to get into the bigger after-effects of Chase's combat experience. Thanks for reading and replying!
LGA: There's nothing mysterious about the PM list, except for me trying to figure out the ins and outs of it. I'll add you, and thanks for the comments. Two quick answers will be at the beginning of your PM.
Please write more!
NO! I REFUSE!
Arcalian: Yes, unfortunately Chase's home life is a bit different now than what he had, and his regular piloting job is hard too after what happened. That doesn't leave much that he feels he knows and is comfortable with, unless things get better. But on the bright side, from his point in time the Empire is still in the prime of its life, its glory days. Nothing to worry about. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Face: I'm glad the "lost at" section worked for you. Trying to figure out the pacing on that was a nightmare, especially with the first part being so fast and then the last part being so insanely slow.
Thanks for the compliments on the balance and the character dynamics. This Project has certainly been a challenge with trying to keep in line with the characters through it all, and I hope it continues. (Okay, that sentence made more sense in my head...)
The dynamic with Kane is sure a convoluted thing to try to figure out, LOL. But yes, one big effect of it all is Chase's confidence issues, particularly when they relate to his brother. Thanks for reading and replying!
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Chapter Six
Learning to live with a pregnant woman just entering her second trimester was challenging in ways Chase hadn't fully anticipated.
"Chase, are we out of fertilizer for the outdoor plants?"
"Yeah, I used up the last of it yesterday. I wrote it on the list to get more."
"You were right by the base's store today at work! Why didn't you stop and get another bag?"
"Because it's raining and we wouldn't be using the outdoor fertilizer today anyway. I didn't see any reason to. The plants won't need it for a couple weeks."
"Didn't you ever think that maybe I was planning on doing some yard work tomorrow on my day off? I was looking forward to that, and now you ruined it!"
"It's supposed to rain tomorrow too."
"That's not the point!"
Learning to live with a fighter pilot who had just come off a near-fatal combat duty was challenging in ways Lataise hadn't fully anticipated.
"Not the point? Lataise, don't you think I have more important things to do than jump on every little task you decide you want done? I get enough of that from my CO! Blast, it's like I'm in Basic Training again."
"What important things? All you do is sit around or roam the house."
"Maybe because I'm still trying to realize I don't have to constantly worry about eating a torpedo or inhaling vacuum!"
"It's been a couple of weeks already! How much longer is this 'realization' going to take?"
"If I have to duck and cover at every one of your mood swings so I don't get my head bit off, it's going to take a little bit longer!"
That was why, on one particularly challenging day, Chase was relatively relieved to be inside his TIE cockpit and out flying a routine system patrol. He'd been forced to fly in space so much after getting back to the base that that activity was very slowly becoming tolerable again. It helped the most when he could avoid thinking about it too much, and today most of his thoughts were on his latest argument with Lataise anyway. Chase had even snapped at Radek once before he'd realized what he was doing and forced himself to stop taking things out on his wingman. Chase wished he could remember how he had previously managed to focus primarily on his duties after having an argument with Lataise, because he was finding it next to impossible to find that focus now.
At least Radek was happy, if the way his TIE was dancing along beside Chase's fighter was any indication. A couple weeks of treatment planetside had returned most of his hearing, though his right ear still had some loss. It was considered as good as he was ever going to get without rather invasive surgical procedures, and despite being marginal with the medical hearing requirements Radek had been put back on active flight status. This was one of his first non-sim flights since his status was restored, and Wiantance had told Chase to take it easy with Radek for a few days.
"Damn, Three, I missed this," Radek told him. "But see, those blasted Rebels couldn't keep me down long. Right? Right?"
"That's right. And I'm glad you're back," replied Chase. He was, too, even if the feeling in general was more diluted than it would have been before everything happened. In fact, lots of things seemed that way now. He'd heard of other people who had lived through near-death experiences and said that life was a million times brighter and sweeter and better afterwards. For some reason, Chase had seemed to go the opposite way after his. He shivered and turned up the heat flow within his cockpit, then tried to keep his sights more on his navigational instruments rather than out his viewport.
About an hour into their patrol, a YT-1300 appeared on Chase's scope. It was not in a standard navigational lane, and something about it seemed off to Chase. Smugglers would often try to sneak through the system outside of the navigational lane in hopes they wouldn't be spotted and identified. "Four, heads up," he said. Then he transmitted over an open frequency, "YT-1300--" He checked his scope for the name showing up via the YT's IFF--"Tight Beam, this is Lieutenant Barton, Fireburner Three, Imperial Navy. State your business."
A reply came back a few moments later. "Lieutenant, this is Tight Beam. I'm a cargo hauler departing the Corporate Sector. I just refueled on Craci Three and am en route to Troiken."
Something about the words sounded nervous. Anxious. Something wasn't right, and Chase was in no mood to be fooled or messed with. He narrowed his eyes a bit and said, "I'm sending you the coordinates of our docking station. Dock there. I'll be boarding and inspecting your ship. Out." He closed the voice transmission and sent the coordinates. This freighter had picked the wrong day to try to sneak through the system.
The two TIEs followed the YT-1300 the short distance to the docking station while Chase remotely queried their dirtside database for any past information on this ship and its current flight records. Then he told Radek, "Stay out here, Four, and watch for anything suspicious."
"Copy that, Three, but when am I going to have a chance to do some of the fun stuff? You'd promised you'd start letting me get some experience with boarding and inspections."
"Maybe the next one. Think of it as more time you get to spend in your TIE since your return." With that, Chase rendezvoused with the small structure and docked his TIE while the YT-1300 did the same.
The docking station was little more than a large, specialized airlock that allowed a TIE pilot to leave his fighter and enter another ship. All pilots were required to remain in their full life support gear until they were onboard the other ship in case the other ship tried to prematurely disconnect after docking.
The docking went smoothly, and Chase soon walked through the cold of the structure into the starboard docking ring's airlock on the YT-1300. The outer hatch closed behind him, relieving some of Chase's anxiety, and through his helmet Chase faintly heard the circulation of air. A small, round man opened the YT-1300's interior hatch after the circulation noises stopped. "Lieutenant, I'm Captain Nehanda. Tight Beam is my ship."
"Captain," Chase replied. He walked inside, exhaled, took off his helmet and faced Nehanda. "Are you aware that you were not flying in a standard navigational lane through this system?"
Nehanda's brow furrowed. "Uh, no, Lieutenant, I wasn't aware there was one. I apologize."
"Now, you see, I find that a bit hard to believe since the coordinates are posted in every Cracian spacedock and are available from any Corporate Sector controller. Plus, this ship has come through here four times in the last year, and each time it was in the proper navigational lane." Chase watched the man's reaction closely.
Nehanda didn't answer right away and looked uncomfortable. Finally he said, "Perhaps those were the times my brother was flying it instead of me. I'm not certain."
"Let me see a copy of your cargo manifest, please."
Nehanda handed Chase a datapad, and the pilot quickly looked it over and matched it to the one filed with the CSA for this flight. He made his way to the cargo hold with Nehanda accompanying him, and then he chose some listed items at random and compared their filed quantities to what was physically present in the hold. Some of the larger items were off by one or two from what was listed on the datapad, but Chase tried to not let on that he knew. There was only one explanation for Nehanda's behavior, unusual flight path and filing discrepancies: Chase was convinced this man was smuggling things. Another thought crossed his mind, one that said Rebels often employed the assistance of smugglers. Hot loathing flared up in Chase's gut as the implications hit him. Nehanda was working for the filthy Rebels.
Chase quickly turned toward a stack of crates so Nehanda wouldn't see his reaction. This man was helping the Rebels and therefore represented everything that was wrong in the galaxy. It was because of people like him that Chase had had to go through what he did, and it was people like him who made the galaxy a dangerous place for everyone else. And he was right here, in the same system as Chase's family. Nehanda was right here, in arm's reach.
He had to be stopped, right now.
Arresting him and getting the Empire involved provided too many opportunities for the bureaucracy and proceedings to mess something up and let this man go free, so the pilot would step up and deal with him on his own. That way he'd be sure it was taken care of, and that was nothing less than his responsibility.
Chase cleared his throat a few times, then he turned to Nehanda and handed back the datapad as casually as he could. His heart was pounding double-time, and it was all he could do to keep his voice sounding neutral and reasonable. "I'd like to see your navigational flight plan."
"Of course," Nehanda said. He led the way up to the cockpit.
Chase sat down in the pilot's seat and examined the navcomp's display. The stored flight plan did indeed say the destination was Troiken, and it matched the flight plan filed with the CSA. That made things much easier.
The Imperial glanced to his left where the environmental displays were. "Oh, Captain, it looks like you've got a small atmospheric leak. Might want to go check and make sure that outer hatch is sealed properly at the docking port."
"Thanks. I'll be right back." Nehanda left the cockpit.
As soon as he was gone, Chase quickly started going deeper into the navigation system's programming. He might be useless with communications systems, but he knew his way around navcomps and was considered the squadron's "go-to guy" for anything relating to navigation vectors. He got deep down to the lower levels of the programming that most people never saw or even knew existed, and there he saw the data of the navigational computer's plotted hyperspace route from the Craci System to Troiken.
Chase quickly traced the graphical route with his eyes, then he entered in a few commands. Those commands pulled the first section of the projected flight path over in one direction by small fractions until he was satisfied. He manually confirmed the changes, overrode numerous program alerts of the manual changes and hastily backed out of the lower levels of the navcomp's programming.
Finally, Chase typed in a list of coordinates showing the standard travel lane through the Craci System. The navcomp's destination still showed Troiken, and it was indicating the hyperspace flight path was confirmed and ready, just like it had before. The only apparent thing different about it all was that it now had the navigational lane information prominently displayed.
Chase left the cockpit and encountered Nehanda as he was returning from the docking port. "The leak indicator alert just stopped. How did things look at the hatch?" Chase asked him.
"I couldn't find anything wrong, but sometimes that cabin pressure sensor gets glitchy and says there's a leak when it's really not."
"Oh. All right. Just be careful. That probably should be on your list of parts to get fixed." Chase motioned back toward the cockpit. "I entered in the information for the nav lane here through the system so you can follow that until you jump to hyperspace. It's safer for everyone that way."
"You're right, and I do apologize. It won't happen again," Nehanda said.
"I'll let you be on your way now. Thanks for your cooperation."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Good day." Nehanda cycled the airlock for him after Chase donned his helmet.
Chase made his way back to his TIE and then reported in to Radek. Radek asked, "So what happened? You find anything suspicious?"
"No, nothing suspicious. He was just a little lost, that's all."
Radek gave a small scoff. "I told you nothing ever happens way out here."
"After those five weeks, you should be glad for that." Chase undocked his TIE and watched while Tight Beam also disengaged from the structure and maneuvered away. He kept an eye on it while he continued his patrol with Radek. Tight Beam stayed in the navigational lane, then increased its speed and finally jumped to hyperspace.
Chase smiled tightly. If all went as planned, those few little changes he'd made should adjust the hyperspace course enough to make the YT-1300 fly straight into a nearby star. The computer would detect the gravity well from the star and would exit the ship from hyperspace, but even that emergency exit would be too late; the ship would be unable to avoid getting caught and destroyed by the star. Then there would be one less helper for the Rebels in the galaxy. One less person to aid them.
He contemplated his deed while they continued on patrol. It was simple. Efficient. Bloodless. Untraceable. No holds barred. As dirty as the Rebels, but they had brought it upon themselves and so he didn't mind. He actually felt good at the small progress he made in eliminating the Rebel threat, even if it was just one person.
In musing about it some more, Chase's mind wandered until he realized the perfect way to fight back and cripple the Rebels. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before, but it was wonderful. It could be done, and he would do it.
Chase smiled big as he flew along with Radek and breathlessly figured out his new plan in his head. He couldn't wait to land and start working on this in earnest. He could cripple the Rebels. Now there would be hope for his life. For Lataise's. For his child's. Hope.
Here was a way to make life a million times brighter and sweeter and better.
-----
-----signature-----
"Like anything worth writing, it came inexplicably and without method." -Karen Eiffel The Way--Imperial pilot OCs, OT: http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/28104637 OC X-wing fics: http://www.coronasquadron.com/corona.html
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Arcalian
Registered:
Mar '05
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Date Posted:
4/2 7:54pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
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*stares*
Um. Chase isn't "people" anymore.
He's an evil imperial scumbag and he deserves to die.
I hope I get to see it.
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LordGoldenArrow
Title: Retired Chapter Rep
Melbourne, FL USA
Registered:
Jan '02
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Date Posted:
4/2 8:41pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
- Date Edited:
4/2 9:29pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
LordGoldenArrow
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But you said you wouldn't write more? Was that an April Fool's joke?
Email sent with comments. Bet you didn't expect that!
Loved the line "I have to duck and cover at every one of your mood swings so I don't get my head bit off, it's going to take a little bit longer!"
How many of us wouldn't mind saying something like that at work? or to love ones when we get into a fight? ;-) Bet you use it the next time someone gives you lots of editing to do on your story before you finalize it. ;-)
Totally turned in a different direction. Nice spin on things. So now we know how he gets through the day when he has a fight with his wife. Be evil.
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epithree
Registered:
Aug '06
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Date Posted:
4/3 2:26am
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
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Hey hi there.
Excellent job.
~e3
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'And so it is.'
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Idrelle_Miocovani
Title: Solar Power loving Scattergories Hostess
Registered:
Feb '05
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Date Posted:
4/3 7:19pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
- Date Edited:
4/3 7:20pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Idrelle_Miocovani
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(Is it okay if I call you that, or do you prefer your whole screen name?)
Oh, yes, of course! "Miocovani" is just a bit overly theatrical, after all. You can call me Idri if you want.
Learning to live with a pregnant woman just entering her second trimester was challenging in ways Chase hadn't fully anticipated.
"Chase, are we out of fertilizer for the outdoor plants?"
"Yeah, I used up the last of it yesterday. I wrote it on the list to get more."
"You were right by the base's store today at work! Why didn't you stop and get another bag?"
"Because it's raining and we wouldn't be using the outdoor fertilizer today anyway. I didn't see any reason to. The plants won't need it for a couple weeks."
"Didn't you ever think that maybe I was planning on doing some yard work tomorrow on my day off? I was looking forward to that, and now you ruined it!"
"It's supposed to rain tomorrow too."
"That's not the point!"
Welcome to real-life, Chase. This exchange actually reminds me of a story my uncle once told me about my aunt when she was pregnant with my cousin. She loves gardening and something similar happened to her. 
Chase smiled big as he flew along with Radek and breathlessly figured out his new plan in his head. He couldn't wait to land and start working on this in earnest. He could cripple the Rebels. Now there would be hope for his life. For Lataise's. For his child's. Hope.
This is the thing that I love about this story. It's so real! Yes, what Chase did was horrible, but your characterization is so true and realistic -- you gave him a reason for doing what he did to Nehanda. Excellent job! I love this twist on the story. I can't wait to see what's next.
-----signature-----
It takes an awfully long time to not write a book. "We're actors! We're the opposite of people!" Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead This Time Around (time travel, RotS AU): http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/27062943/p1/?2 Padawan of DarthIshtar
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The_Face
Title: Fan Fic Manager, now with more real butter flavor
Registered:
Feb '03
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Date Posted:
4/4 10:11pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/2
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Oh Chase, you'll be an evil nutter yet. 
Seriously though, you're continuing the excellent work with his characterization. I was wondering (still am, really) exactly how far he'll fall, and whether he'll be able to pull himself back up again - or even want to. It'll be interesting to see. The impersonal way he dispatched of that smuggler, the twisted logic that drove it... compelling stuff.
And contrasted with that bit of darkness (while supporting it in its own way) we see his argument with his wife.
Great post, Thumper! Thanks for the PM.
-----signature-----
If mercy falls upon the broken and the poor Dear Father, I will see you there on distant shores * Galaxy of Suspects, a CorSec Mystery: http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=28083207&brd=10476
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Thumper09
Registered:
Dec '01
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Date Posted:
4/8 6:47pm
Subject:
RE: The Way -- Imperial TIE Pilots, OC Project, OT era, updated 4/8
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woo hoo! Page 2!
Arcalian: It looks like I at least got the "villain" part down for Chase, huh? Unfortunately I'm not at liberty to say whether or not you'll get your wish. Thanks for reading and replying!
LGA: No April Fools joke. That part was already written.
Actually I think my cats think that line about me all the time. And just imagine what would happen if Chase got in a fight with both his wife and Radek on the same day! Thanks for reading and commenting!
e3: Thanks for the compliment and for reading and replying!
Idri: It's too bad Chase didn't follow the good example of your uncle in that similar situation. I'm happy to hear that the characterization is still working, since last week's events set a lot in motion and it all needed a decent basis to be...um...based on. Glad you liked the twist. Thanks a bunch for commenting and reading!
Face: Thanks for the compliments. The depths his high dive brings him to probably won't be the same as the other Project stories (I think he ended up diving into a different pool, that crazy Imp), but it remains to be seen if he even realizes he's going down. There's a lot of twisted logic in his head right now. Thanks for replying and reading!
------
This is the first of two parts for Chapter Seven. It's not meant to be split up, but somehow I figured I shouldn't do an eight-page update, so I found a stopping point about halfway through. Apologies in advance for the "talking heads".
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Chapter Seven, Part One
The one thing Chase really disliked about the Empire was its bureaucracy. There were always so many forms to fill out, so many approvals to obtain, so many rules and regulations and legalese that a person could go mad trying to sort it all out. Sometimes the Fireburners claimed that no one was allowed to breathe unless the appropriate form was filled out in triplicate. Chase thought that was something of an exaggeration, but the concept behind the example was sound.
The idea he had come up with was something that the Imperial military would want in its fight against the Rebels, but the problem was that too many people would start asking questions about it, asking if it was safe for this or that, who was going to pay for it, who was going to develop it, who was going to test it, and on and on and on. Then they'd bump the questions up to their commanding officers, who would in turn raise the questions to their superiors. It would be stuck in the purgatory of "almost approved" for months or even years before work on the implementation could even begin. His child would be born and growing up by then, making that sort of timeframe unacceptable for this. It had to be done now, and that meant he had to skip all the Imperial bureaucracy and take a different route.
Besides, it felt better to be actively working it instead of sitting around waiting for someone to review it. It was one of the few times Chase had felt genuinely good since his TIE had been hit.
It had been a week since he had come up with his idea, and during each of his morning workouts that week Chase had refined his plan in his mind. Each evening that week after he got off duty he would go and do the research that he needed to prepare his plan.
One day toward the end of that week, after he got off duty he quickly headed back home, strode into the house without a word and went directly into the bedroom to change out of his flightsuit, just like he had done the previous days.
"Chase? Is that you?" Lataise called from a different room.
"Yeah, it's me," he called back. He hung up his flightsuit and put on cargo pants and a heavy long-sleeved shirt. Most Crac | |