Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or anything related to it, other than my OCs. Star Wars belongs to Disney.
The cold was bitter and endless. Snow fell heavily from the sky and carried along by the strong gusts of howling wind. Spires of ice towered above and pocketed the flat, barren landscape. The crisp crunch of snow being packed into the ground was bliss to Shiv as he patrolled the perimeter of the outpost, Glid Station.
He shone his visor spotlight over the ground. He took of his helmet, hearing the faint hiss as the seal broke, and placed it in the crook of his arm. He sucked in the non-filtered air with great relief, and gazed at the waves of light that filled the night sky.
A faint tinkling could be heard, forcing Shiv to cock his head to hear past the wind. He located the sound and kneeled down to pick up a glass ornament, still in pristine condition, snagged on a small jag of ice. He observed it, turning it over in his hand, and noticed the minuscule engravings.
Shiv smiled as the object glittered in the light magnificently, an array of colors splashing on the snow and forming a mysterious symbol. He slipped it into his pocket and placed his helmet back on before making his way back to the outpost, where another brother would take his place.
He nodded at the clone and entered the base. The hangar floor was plated with durasteel while the ice walls were polished smooth. The gimmicky CK-6 swoop bikes were being maintained and engineered by fellow brothers.
"Hey Shiv, help me out over here!"
Commander Mag was leaning over one of the bikes, annoyance evident on his face.
"Problem, sir?"
"Yeah. This hunk of scrap metal isn't working. It won't start." Mag said, gesturing at the vehicle. Shiv looked it over.
"Engine troubles?"
"No."
"Messed up wiring?"
"No, none of that at either," Mag sighed and shook his head. Shiv gave it a strong kick and the bike suddenly thrummed to life. "What a piece of junk." Mag muttered, waving away Shiv.
Shiv laughed, finding a pack of rations, and popped one into his mouth as he resumed observing the ornament on a nearby crate. Who would've had it? No one lived on the desolate planet from what he knew, except the ice men. Mag drew him out of his thoughts.
"Shiv! One of our sensors isn't reading data correctly. We need to fix it."
"Yes sir," Shiv hopped into his Freeco bike and turned it on with the flip of a switch. The hatch closed and they flew out, Shiv following close behind the commander. Melted snow from the heat of the engine sprayed water on the hatch, blurring his vision.
Minutes later, they arrived at the glitched sensor. Mag ran his scanner over it, checking for faults in the system. He rammed his fist into the sensor. "The thing's jammed with ice. Do you happen to have anything sharp?"
"Yeah, here," Shiv tossed him a viroblade and he caught it easily.
"Thanks…and…got it. That should do it."
In the short time of their arrival, the pair of Freeco bikes had frozen over in a thin solid sheet of ice, fully incapacitating the vehicles. Mag swore and radioed Glid Station. The blizzard had grown and now, nothing could be seen.
Static filled Shiv's comlink, forcing him to turn it off from intercepting long-range transmissions. Mag cranked up his speakers for Shiv to hear him past the wind. "We… need to… set up… camp!"
Shiv nodded and slipped off his pack of supplies, pulling out a portable tent. They struggled to place it but finally they had it set in place. The pair slid inside, the roar of the storm reduced.
"We need a fire. Otherwise we're going to freeze to death before we get outta here. Do you happen to have an igniter in there too?"
"Yes, sir," Shiv fumbled around for the lighter in the near darkness. "Here!" he gave him the lighter and a cylinder container of fuel. The fire casted a warm glow against the stark white of the tent.
Mag crouched down and had his hands extended toward the fire.
"Alright, with these ice men attacking our patrols, I'll be on guard duty for every two hours. Then we rotate." Mag stopped as he was at the exit the tent, his hand on the flap. "And get some sleep, will you? That's an order."
Shiv nodded. "Yes sir."
And with that, he was alone. He tried to take the commander's advice. No, his order – to rest, but the snowtrooper was too uneasy. He pulled out his datapad, bringing up a new tab, and wrote.
Hey Flanker, I know you're not much for letters, but writing them relaxes me. Remember how we used to joke that after all that desert training, one of us would get shipped to a water planet? Yeah, well, that didn't turn out. I got assigned to a completely frozen rock. It's pretty cold. Actually, its kriffing freezing out here, it gives me the shivers. Hey, get that. 'Ol Shiv has the shivers. Heh.
But I don't mind it here that much. Keeps me on my toes; never knowing if you're gonna get stranded and die of hypothermia. Yeah, talk about the golden days of my career, huh? Mostly it's just sitting around tinkering with Freeco's (CK-6 swoop bike) and other gear we're testing; nothing at all from being on the front lines.
Our food wasn't shipped in insulated containers, so we had to boil down our rations. My squad hasn't come across any droids though, but we've stayed in shape.
Flanker, things aren't going extremely well now. Commander Mag and I were inspecting an outer sensor, but our Freeco bikes froze solid. The weather has taken a turn for the worse, so we're stuck here until morning so a larty can pick us up. And on top of that, there's been a mystery species that has killed our patrols.
I'd rather be spending some time back at base, but like you would say: 'A little adventure never hurt anyone.' I guess I was getting kinda bored anyway.
Mag came back through the flap, the fire glinting off his T-shaped visor. "You're supposed to be bunking out. I want you wide awake when it's my turn to snooze." His tone was slightly annoyed, but mostly good-naturedly. He peered at the datapad Shiv held and took it from him. "What are you doing?"
"Uh, nothing, sir. Just checking up on some things."
"Really?" Mag tilted his head in question as he scrolled through the notes. Shiv shook his head shamefully, "No. Not really. I'm writing to a close brother; Flanker."
"Flanker, eh? Hatchmate, I take it. Where's he at?"
"He…he, uh, died on Christophsis, sir."
There were a few moments of silence. Shiv cleared his throat, ready to speak, when the tent suddenly was shredded open and a spear impaled Mag. Angry growls echoed.
Shiv frantically reached for his blaster pistol when he felt something slice into his abdomen. He gasped out as the fleeting images of the ice men and the glass ornament vanished. Darkness and silence engulfed the camp, nothing but the wind whistling could be heard.
Shiv's grip on his blaster slacked. The two bodies, covered in snow, now forgotten forever.
Author's Note: This was set right before the events of the episode, "Trespass". Much of the dialoge has been taken from various sources and placed here. I do not own Shiv & Commander Mag. Thank you for reading! As always, reviews are appreciated.