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Thrawn opened his eyes. The shuttle was shaking violently as it hurtled towards the surface of the planet beneath them, the vast swaths of green plainsland rapidly coming into sharp focus. His head ached; the asteroid had been very small, but it impacted the craft with enough force that it had knocked them off their intended flightpath and sent them tumbling from their seats violently enough that he must have hit his head, though he didn’t remember sustaining the injury itself.
“I have to jettison the fuel,” Eli yelled over the blaring alarms, his face illuminated by the flashing red and yellow lights. “If we hit with full tanks, this thing’ll be nothing but a fireball.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Thrawn called back, turning to look out the viewport at the joist of the shuttle’s wing. Something had been severed, and he could see the faint arcs of electricity within the crevices. “There are sparks on the port side.”
“We have to chance it, Sir - take the risk of death now, or get crispy on impact and die for sure.”
Thrawn didn’t argue. He watched as Eli hit the fuel switch, every muscle in his body tensing as he prepared for whatever would come.
For a few moments, nothing happened, and it seemed like Eli’s decision had been the right one. Just when both men had started to relax, however, they heard the dreaded whoosh as the dumped fuel ignited. There was no time; nothing they could do to stop the inevitable. Everything went white, and then black.
****
Thrawn opened his eyes. The shuttle was shaking violently as it hurtled towards the surface of the planet beneath them, the vast swaths of green plainsland rapidly coming into sharp focus. His head ached; the asteroid had been very small, but it impacted the craft with enough force that it had knocked them off their intended flightpath and sent them tumbling from their seats violently enough that he must have hit his head, though he didn’t remember sustaining the injury itself.
“I have to jettison the fuel,” Eli yelled over the blaring alarms, his face illuminated by the flashing red and yellow lights. “If we hit with full tanks, this thing’ll be nothing but a fireball.”
Thrawn blinked. This seemed familiar - like it had happened before. “No!” he said, and shook his head, wincing at the stab of pain. “That’s too risky.”
“Sir, if we don’t take a chance, we will blow up on impact. I can’t steer this thing to the water. We’re too close,” Eli said, and flashed him a small, worried smile. “Trust me.”
Thrawn watched helplessly as Eli hit the fuel switch, then twisted in his seat to look at the port-side wing joist. This time, he saw the wall of fire as it consumed everything in its vicinity. There was no time; nothing they could do to stop the inevitable. Everything went white, and then black.
***
Thrawn opened his eyes. The shuttle was shaking violently as it hurtled towards the surface of the planet beneath them, the vast swaths of green plainsland rapidly coming into sharp focus. His head ached; the asteroid had been very small, but it impacted the craft with enough force that it had knocked them off their intended flightpath and sent them tumbling from their seats violently enough that he must have hit his head, though he didn’t remember sustaining the injury itself.
“I have to jettison the fuel,” Eli yelled over the blaring alarms, his face illuminated by the flashing red and yellow lights. “If we hit with full tanks, this thing’ll be nothing but a fireball.”
A cold realization set in when he heard those words - this had happened before. How many times had it happened? He couldn’t tell, but his gut was screaming that pressing the fuel switch would bring disaster. “No!” he shouted, and reached out to grasp Eli’s hand before he could reach for the switch. “Don’t do it. We’ll die if you do it.”
“What is the matter with you?” Eli said, and jerked his hand away as he gave Thrawn a concerned look. “Trust me, ok? It’s a risk we have to take. we’ll die if we don’t!”
“We have to figure out another way. There’s sparks near the release valve, and they’ll ignite if you jettison.”
“Just, please, trust me,” Eli said, and flipped the switch before Thrawn could stop him.
This time, Thrawn didn’t look back. There was no time; nothing they could do to stop the inevitable. Everything went white, and then black.
***
Thrawn opened his eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. The shuttle was shaking violently as it hurtled towards the surface of the planet beneath them, the vast swaths of green plainsland rapidly coming into sharp focus. His head ached; the asteroid had been very small, but it impacted the craft with enough force that it had knocked them off their intended flightpath and sent them tumbling from their seats violently enough that he must have hit his head, though he didn’t remember sustaining the injury itself.
“I have to jettison the fuel,” Eli yelled over the blaring alarms, his face illuminated by the flashing red and yellow lights. “If we hit with full tanks, this thing’ll be nothing but a fireball.”
Thrawn didn’t even lift his head from the headrest of his seat. He knew what was going to happen, and nothing he had done had changed the outcome. For a moment, he considered just letting it happen - to say nothing, and wait for it all to happen again and again and again - but instead, an idea seized him. He silenced the alarms then pushed out of the chair, kneeling down beside Eli’s. He reached out to cup the other man’s cheek; Eli turned his head to face Thrawn, his face awash with surprise.
“Eli, listen to me. You can’t save us. We’re going to die regardless. If you flip that switch, we’re going to die instantly.”
Eli opened his mouth, brows furrowing together, but Thrawn cut him off with a shake of his head. “No questions. I need you to listen.”
There was so much he wanted to say, all of it rushing to the forefront of his mind in a tangle as though vying to be the first out of his mouth. But really, what could he say?
“Thrawn, if you’re gonna say somethin’, then say it. The ground’s comin’ up fast.” There was a note of panic in Eli’s voice now.
Thrawn sighed, refusing to look out the viewport. “Eli, you are the best friend I have ever had. It has been the highest honor of my life to serve with you, and the galaxy would be a better place with more people like you in it. This is going to happen, so what I want you to do is look at me. Don’t look out of the viewport. Just look at me.”
Eli swallowed, then nodded; he had heard the words that Thrawn didn’t say as much as the ones he had, and he reached out to place his own hand on the Chiss’s cheek. Thrawn and Eli gazed at one another as the ground rushed up to meet the shuttle.
At least now there had been time; they hadn’t needed to try to stop the inevitable. Their world crashed and careened around them, then everything went black.