ITOD Home > RS Tour 3 (XWA Retro Tour) > RS 311a: The Yaga Minor Shipyards (IBG 111)

Continued from the XvT 'Fuel 'R Us' narrative. http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/itod/narrative?id=651
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Hermus Dogan lifted his head to watch the rapidly approaching portal to the McGrath's secondary hangar, routing more power to the starboard engine while easing back on the throttle. The battered nose of the A-Wing breached the magcon field of the hangar, leading the way for the rest of the starfighter to follow. No personnel could be seen in the hangar, confirming that the flight crews had evacuated. Dogan activated the repulsorlifts before shutting down the straining starboard engine, allowing the A-Wing to hover as it landed. Dogan adjusted his grip on the flight stick and began the descent.

At just over a two meters off the hangar deck, the bow repulsorlift cut out. The A-Wing's nose immediately responded to the law of gravity and dropped like a rock, crashing into the deck plating and exacerbating the starfighter's damage. The status display flashed and went black along with the other displays. Dogan heard a mangled grinding noise before the reactor went silent and deprived the remaining repulsorlift of power. The A-Wing teetered for a moment before the aft end plunged to the deck. Dogan's head slammed into the side of the canopy, his helmet bouncing off the transparisteel surface. Dazed, he unfastened his seat restraints and pushed on the canopy, but was unable to open it more than a few centimeters before it ground to a halt. He wasn't going anywhere.

The doors across the deck opened to allow a torrent of personnel back into the hangar. Several grabbed tools and swarmed over the A-Wing, quickly removing the canopy to free the trapped pilot. Dogan crawled out of the cockpit with some assistance and leaned heavily on the starfighter's hull as a medical team rushed over to inspect him. A familiar figure stepped forward to approach the pilot. Dogan waved the medics aside and stood to attention, a bit unsteady on his feet.

Captain Goa Lawah waved away the formality. "At ease, Captain Dogan." The McGrath's commanding officer ran a critical eye over Dogan and the remains of his A-Wing before shaking his head and smiling. "Quite a landing."

Dogan leaned back against the starfighter and formed a weak grin. "It wasn't quite as entertaining from my perspective, sir."

Lawah chuckled. "I suppose not." He glanced at the medics for a moment before continuing. "As soon as the medical staff gives you the green light you'll report to my office for debriefing. I need to know what happened out there."

The pilot nodded. "Yes, sir."

As Lawah turned and left the medics surrounded Dogan and began scanning him with their equipment. He watched them work for a moment before looking back at the A-Wing. The damage was extensive, even before the crash. The pilot had often maligned A-Wings for their fragile nature, but this particular craft had proved surprisingly tough until the end. Perhaps he had underestimated the agile little starfighters.

The ranking medic called for his attention. "You'll be fine with a little rest, Captain Dogan. You're fit for that debriefing."

Dogan thanked the medics and stood up again, a bit more steady than before. He took a few cautious steps to ensure he wouldn't fall over before assuming a normal pace on his way out of the secondary hangar. Delivering his flight suit and helmet to the maintenance staff was his first order of business before reporting to Captain Lawah's office.