Frost Impressions

Posted on Wed Feb 12th, 2025 @ 2:38pm by Trooper Barrick "Nomad" Rask & Major Babs Betany

1,493 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Some Like It Hoth
Location: Starfighter Hangar
Timeline: Day 1

Major Babs Betany could often be heard before she could be seen. In Frostpoint there were no carpet to muffle the marching tread of her heavy combat boots. And so her entrance to the Starfighter hangar was accompanied by the echoing drum beat. "Trooper Rask." She greeted as she approached one of the few starfighters which hadn't been stripped down to get the generator up and running. Running on fumes and defensives stretched thin, there had been a tension to the Base Commander's shoulders since they arrived. "How are the birds holding up against the cold?" She asked, patting the starfighter as she came to a stop. "Is now a good time to speak?"

Somehow, even after working on his fighter for hours, Rask's uniform still looked fresh-pressed. There was not a spot of plasma on anything besides his hands, which he methodically wiped away with a folded rag. "It has been a challenge to calibrate the efficiency of the power distribution in below freezing temperatures. The metal takes a new shape after it warms up." He neatly folded the rag and sets it on the corner of crate. "The alloys react differently than..." He paused. "...what I'm used to." His hands clasped behind his back, showing his readiness for the conversation.

Babs nodded as she listened, one pink eyebrow lifting at his final comment. “Ah yes, than what you are used to… that’s one of the reasons I wanted to speak to you.” She took a moment to look around and make sure they were relatively alone in the hangar. What she was abo it to say she didn’t want getting around the base. Task had enough people breathing down his neck waiting for him to fail, last thing he needed was additional rumours. “I’ve read your file.” She said the words without any tension, just stating facts at this point. “How are you settling in since your… transfer?”

"You may speak it plainly," Barrick said unnerved by anyone's presence. "The moment anyone hears the accent, they make assumptions." His hand slid across the hull of the Flashfire. "Although I am not projecting my past, I am also not hiding it. If I am to serve alongside the Frostpoint complement, I would like to do so without falsehood." He crossed his arms across his chest. His tone shifted to a quicker pace. "I find this outpost lacking. The starfighters are old. The icewalls are cracked." His eyes scanned the hangar. "The Empire would never have a base so ill-equipped."

His eyes fixed on the Major. "But it is not a cell. I get to move relatively freely. I get to breathe in fresh air, even though it freezes my sinuses. And I get to fly again." For the first time in the conversation, there was a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. "Though it may take some time before I can get this vessel undetectable to Imperial or Chiss scanners."

Babs had to stop her lips twitching at the corner. "very well, in that case let me speak plainly. You are not on an Empire base. We have enough food to last us a week, and after that, unless we find a solution we will starve. Once you have ensured the cold will not damage your ship, your priority is not Imperial or Chiss scanners, it is working with the rest of the base to ensure our safety and survival. Is that clear trooper?" Bab's tone was stern, but not unkind.

"You are not working alongside the Frostpoint complement, you are now part of the Frostpoint complement. You may find it serves you well to remember that. I'll give you the same respect you give me. You get trouble for your past, you don't respond in kind, you come to me. I hear you are causing trouble, you can trust you will be hearing from me. Is that clear?"

Barrick stood upright, his eyes focused beyond the Major. "Yessir," he said. After a beat of silence, his shoulders sunk slightly. He spent three years in solitary. His only socialization was investigators and the Wookie that was across the hall. The Empire encouraged critical comments. Though, it seemed that the Republic would rather stifle their frustrations, not mentioning the crumbling walls while shoring them. It felt... disorderly to Barrick.

Tact would keep him in the skies and not in a work camp—even though Frostpoint seemed one and the same. He had abundant time to detach himself from the Empire, but had no chance to learn the culture of the Republic. "I apologize. If there is any way I can assist in getting this station... operational, then let me know where I can start. It seems that a stable food source would be our highest concern, yes?"

Babs does smile a little seeing Barrick sharpen up a little. he was well-trained at least, and that she could appreciate. "I don't need your apologies Barrick, I appreciate your honesty. But I want you to know you're as much a part of this base as anyone else. And even if you don't feel that yet, I expect you to behave as such and put the welfare of the whole base first.
Criticise it if you like, but I'd prefer to hear solutions alongside the complaints. You are right it's a frozen shit hole of a base, but we have orders. So let us try to make the best of things hmm?" Babs eyed him up and down with bright, calculating gaze.

"We are going to need food, that's right. Might be that there are ration packs left in some of the ships in the graveyard not far from here. Does that star fighter you've been mooning over take more than one person?"

"This one's has a rear-facing console for a WSO," Barrick said, pointing to the cockpit. "I am not used to flying with another operator in the craft. But, until I get the spot converted for a droid, it can sit two." His brow raised. "Are you suggesting that we embark now?"

Babs shook her head. "You think I can leave the base on a whim? No, unfortunately I am quite busy right now. I want you to find someone to go with you. I trust you are experienced enough to know what skills you need. If you can't find anyone then I can assign someone, but I think it will be good for you to start understanding your colleagues." If Barrick continued to remain alone it would only make his transition harder, so Babs knew that she would have to find a way to force the man out of his shell.

"I'd like it to be a request, but if you are more comfortable I can make it a direct order. What do you say?"

Barrick raised a hand. He said: "No need for it to be an order." But in his head, he was thinking: "I hate group projects." He took in a steep breath. The mist from his breath leaked out of his nose slowly. "I have not made acquaintances with the others in the outpost. Is there any who would be particularly useful for the outing?" Besides his Flashfire and now Babs, Barrick minded only himself. It was easier for him this way. He had to remember what freedom, or at least mostly freedom, was like.

"Thank you Rask." Babs inclined her head in an almost stately manner. "I appreciate that immensely. As for who you want to fly with, I will leave that entirely up to you. If it helps, it will not be a long journey at least." She grinned, perhaps sensing some of his reluctance. "Talk to people, may I suggest meal times are a good way to reach out. But if all else fails, look for the Twi Jedi. She seems capable enough." Babs couldn't help but think that perhaps a person outside of the chain of command might offer Barrick a more neutral experience. And the Jedi Master seemed to understand the world in shades of grey. She hoped it would mean Rask would at least be given a chance.

It was an unfamiliar concept to Barrick, for mealtime to be where you meet your fellow crewmates. It must be a Republic tradition. "Very well. I will seek out a willing copilot." He straightened his posture. "I'm sure my presence here will bring unwanted conflict. You had every right to deny my assignment, but you didn't." He showed a moment of relief, or was it vulnerability? He couldn't tell. "Thank you, Major."

Babs shrugged and then stood up a little straighter, her eyes like two chips of ice. “It takes a lot of guts to do what you did. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m willing to bet my reputation on you.” She grinned. “It was never worth much anyway. Don’t let me down pilot.”

 

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