The beginnings of the currently untitled Chapter 38. Check out the page here: https://facebook/groups/411096732297288/ A calm, still morning broke in the wake of the previous day and night’s savage blizzard. The air was crisp, and clear, and light. Winds that had raged violently just hours prior were all but gone, evident now only in timid, occasional breezes across the sparkling, freshly drifted snow. As he stepped off the turbo lift into the main hangar, Luke could see a deep blue sky and troops clearing snow outside the open shield doors. Beyond them sat a barge-style freighter, its deck crowded with Incom T-47 air speeders, still strapped down from the journey. A hover sled filled with flight crew members and mechanics rushed past him, headed out to unload them; their faces stained with concern. Even at this distance they could see that the speeders were clearly in need of work before any cold weather modifications could even begin to be attempted. The part of him that still longed to hang out at Tosche Station talking T-16 engines with Deak, Windy and Fixer wanted to race after them. The part of him that was struggling to become what he thought a Jedi should be, with very little direction to base his journey on, decided he needed to remain behind. He had given Leia all the information he could remember about cold weather conversions for them. Now it was time to let the crews do their job. * A little over a half a kilometer below the surface of Hoth, in a gouged out cavern-like recess in the ice, a team of ‘droids was preparing to bring the ion cannon’s power generator online. This would generate power for the rotation of the cannon, the retraction of the firing tip and it’s permacite blast doors, and the generation of the energy shield that would encompass all of the exposed exterior dome and firing mechanism. One of the astromechs sounded a bleeping alarm, as it sent a silent electronic signal to the other 4 ‘droids in the team. Each rolled forward, between the reinforced pylons supporting massive capacitor banks above, connected their data arms to their assigned interface and entered their unique password string. As the last digit passed through the character recognition processor, the giant power generator began to cycle up in a steadily climbing hum that became a loud whine, not unlike the sound of Rogue squadron preparing for liftoff. Far above, one of the two stolen reactors was simultaneously brought online by a second team of ‘droids, perfectly synchronized with the team below. Repulsor pads beneath the swiveling cannon sprang to life, lifting it on a cushion of energy, slightly elevating it above its supporting cradle. As it did, electric arc couplers that would charge the weapon for firing sparked and sprang to life, their energy crackling and throwing a staccato purple light into the dim chamber. It was a shame only one of the two cannons had made it to them, but one was better than none, and it was a decent long-range weapon. General Rieekan lingered on the reactor’s maintenance platform long enough to be assured by one of the gun operators that the system was up and running properly before exiting and heading for the fire control and targeting station in the command center above. Across the base, a slightly larger reactor had been online and functioning perfectly for the last two days without a hitch. It was now time to test the shield doors and scanning arrays to check for any fluctuations in performance. Eventually it would also power the nearly completed circle of perimeter sensors being placed by the daily patrols and the hydroponic gardens. * Torynn Farr lay on her back, half on a gridded deck plate, and half on the ice beneath one of the communication consoles in the command center. This sensitive equipment was never meant for this type of environment, she thought to herself. Her small hands moved over the settings as she calibrated all of the comm bands for the base; personal communicator frequencies, ship frequencies, ‘droids, command center to ion control, command center to launch control, and a hard-coded evacuation signal that would broadcast to all, should they be discovered and the need arise. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw a pair of boots walk past her, then came back and stopped. Lowering himself to a crouch, Dack peered under the console at her. “Good morning. Hey, you want to get something to eat?” A smile lit up her face when she saw him. Before she could respond, a second pair of boots appeared alongside Dack, and a voice sounded from above the console, “Torynn, I have your ion cannon fire control access.” It was Rieekan. Dack stood up sharply, snapping to attention as Torynn slid out from under the unit. “At ease” Rieekan quickly offered to Dack. Dack spread his stance slightly, cradling his helmet in one hand, the other moving behind the small of his back. Torynn rose to her knees and Rieekan helped her stand. He spoke as she straightened up, wiping snow from her clothing. “Torynn, you are the communication specialist, so you’ll be monitoring the fighter group, shuttle, and transport ship chatter. You’ll also coordinate ion cannon bursts, should they become necessary. If we are in that situation, your console controls will be slaved to the targeting array.” He handed her two silvery metallic cylinders. “These code cylinders work together to unlock ion cannon fire control. You place them firmly into the console ports here, and here.”, he said pointing at the console, “Once inserted, you unlock the system, and then remove them. Each has a unique base and will only fit its port. The system will remain live while you are seated at the console. If you get up to leave, the code cylinder proximity lock will automatically re-arm itself.” He slipped the pair of them into the narrow pocket on the shoulder of her left sleeve. “Keep them with you always. You never know when we’ll need them.” “Yes sir” she replied. Rieekan nodded once, then turned and briskly walked out. She looked back at Dack. “I’m starving, let’s get that food now.” * * *
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 20:28:31 +0000
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