Anakin Skywalker shielded his face from the blinding snow. Hunched down to receive a softer blow from it, he marched on forward with a platoon of clone troops behind him.
The harsh, near constant snow storms of Hoth made it nearly impossible for any army, let alone a single person, stay there for too long. There were no Republic nor Separatist base out here because of this. However, there were recent reports of a CIS outpost on one of the moons of Hoth, and some of the Republic generals believed there to be valuable minerals on those moons that could possibly help the enemies' war effort, and any attempt to stop the Separatist war machine took top priority.
"Come on men! We're almost there!" Anakin shouted amidst the heavy winds.
"General, can we take a moment to regroup? We've already lost one man to the storm, and several more are suffering from frostbite! These snow suits don't have much left in them." Clone Commander Cody said through an intercom link that was located inside his helmet.
"If we stop now we won't be able to get to the temporary outpost that earlier troops have set up for us! According to my recent calculations, it's only two more miles from here." Anakin knew better than to stop in the middle of harsh weather conditions. Even though his own snow suit was starting to wear down, he figured that once they were inside the base they could ditch these ones for a better model. Their current snow suit was one that was used during the beginning of the war, and was used for less dangerous snowy planets like Uthar. Hoth was a completely different beast however. Another couple hours in these conditions, and it's likely that everyone except for him would succumb instantly to the harsh cold. Anakin himself would only last a little longer, as not even the body warming technique that he learned from Obi-Wan would save him.
"Yes, but sir if you recall we've only been marching about a mile a day, and that's only when it hasn't been snowing! We seriously need to find a cave or something of the like fast!"
"Trust me, it'll be all right Cody! When has my intuition ever gotten us in a near death situation?" Anakin could sense his clone commander ease up his tension a little. Often called the 'hero with no fear' by the Galactic press, he knew never to give up even in situations like these. There was always some chance that fate could be swung differently to benefit him and those that he cared about. At least that's what he thought before the incident.
"I hope you know what you're doing on this one sir. There hasn't been a signal from some of the other recon units for a while now. It seems that we may be the only unit left down here." Those words sent chills down the Chosen One's spine. The twenty recon units that had been sent down were the elite of the elite. If they were the only ones left, then what chances did they have to make it out alive? Anakin shook those thoughts from his mind. Stay positive Anakin. Remember what Obi-Wan has always said, 'doubt is the number one killer amongst soldiers in battle. If there is a little doubt, think instead at what could lay ahead. There's always another way out Ani.' Obi-Wan had spoken those words to him when he was just a Padawan learner. Years later they still resonated within the Jedi Knight's mind as a code to live by.
A little while later they had climbed one of the biggest snow mounds in their sector. The snow had started to settle down, and they could start to see a bit farther, maybe a mile according to their helmets.
"Look men there's the base! It appears to be less than half a mile away now!" Anakin said, sending a shockwave of revival among the remaining solders. Though amidst all of the cheering, something just didn't feel right about it. A wave of dread washed over him. The base looked too dark, as if who'd ever was living there before had left a while back, and hadn't fixed anything. On the contrary, the exterior of the base looked pretty normal, and no cracks or rusted paint were seen.
"Come on men let's move forward! If we hurry we can make it to the base by sundown!" Cody said, leading the charge. When they were just getting down from the mound, Anakin stopped everyone. He sense a gargantuan something moving underground that started to shake the earth under their feet.
"Uh Cody, I don't remember a lot of seismic activity being reported here. Is this normal-"Suddenly the creature descended upon them, knocking the whole squad off their feet. Anakin was the first to get back up, and pulled his lightsaber to his hand with the Force. Igniting it, the sizzling sound from the blade caused the beast to look directly at Anakin. Snarling at him, it charged at a lightning speed like a bull.
"Hey there big fella. How does a Force lunch sound to ya?" Anakin let the Force flow from the inside of his body towards his free hand. With a loud cry, he used up a lot of his remaining energy in one giant Force Push that would kill most creatures. The snow monster looked unfazed, and kept charging. Anakin rolled out of the way at the last second, and the monster screeched to a halt. The other clones started firing at it with their blasters, but those were of no use as well.
"Sir what do we do? This thing is immune to the Force and our blasters." Cody ducked as the monster leaped at them and took another swipe. Anakin quickly drew out his lightsaber, and swung at the creatures legs, but missed.
"I don't like our chances Cody, but there is one thing that I think can get us out of this jam." Anakin said. The clone commander's eyes widened as he thought for a moment on what that might be. Commander Cody was one of the more knowledgeable clone troopers when it came to lightsaber forms and tactics, and had a feeling of what his General had in mind.
"Sir, you don't mean that you're going to use that form are you?"
"It's the only thing that is going to keep us alive at this point Commander. I know the Council forbids its use even in battle, but at this point if it's going to get the job done then I have to." Anakin nodded grimly. This forbidden style was called Mou Kei. It required the user to dismember multiple limbs of a being's body during a single swipe. Many Jedi refused to use such a technique as they found it too gruesome to use on a living being.
"Alright, just don't stray too close to the Dark Side. We don't want you turning into another Dooku." Cody replied.
Anakin nodded, and turned around to face the creature head on. In the calm of battle he studied the creature for a moment. Standing at its full height now, it appeared to be at least two stories tall, and its arms were built like good sized tree trunks. The beast clenched its fists, and roared a deafening battle cry before charging once more.
Seeing how he couldn't lunge at the gigantic creature head on, Anakin used the Force to help propel himself over it, landing by its backside. Igniting his lightsaber once more he was ready to preform Mou Kei on it, but pulled back at the last minute when he saw the creature surge its claws at one of his clone troopers.
"Get away from my brother you big bastard!" Cody screamed, pulling a standard grenade from his utility belt. Anakin turned, shocked by his commanders brave stupidity. He shrugged his shoulders. He thought it seemed strange at how this monster was driving everyone insane this quickly. Could this thing have tapped, or been created by the Dark Side?
"Cody, don't! Your blasters didn't do a damn thing so why would a grenade!?" Anakin ran towards his comrade in arms to try and stop him.
"It's the only thing that I can think of at this point General! That beast just killed one of my brothers, and is currently swiping at several more, what else can I do?"
"You can wait for me to try and slow it down. I don't want to get anymore of you guys killed today! Stay behind me the entire time, and you'll make it out of here just fine I promise!" Anakin moved closer towards Cody, the clone commander unaware of his presence. The Jedi put a hand on his comrade's shoulder, but he shook it off. The creature then tore the body open of one of the clones, and then threw it alongside the two, who exchanged horrified looks.
"You're right. I guess we don't really have anything less to give but our lives today. Doesn't mean that you have to kill yourself for it!"
"What other option is there Sir? If I can slow him down for just a moment for you to get in for the kill, that's all that matters!" His hand closed tighter around the grenade that he held. Anakin looked at his friend in the eyes. The determination in them that he saw gave the Jedi Knight no other choice. Commander Cody was a great commander, and an even better leader. If it took him to sacrifice his life for the betterment of the company, then he'd do just that. Anakin knew, and trusted Cody that this last decision of his was going to be the right one.
"Alright if that's what you want to do, then I'll let you. It's been a pleasure fighting alongside you my friend."
"Same to you Sir." The two exchanged nods, and Anakin moved his way behind the creature, managing to avoid its sharp claws. Cody took a deep breath, and activated the grenade. He felt a warm sensation sharpen in his hand. Knowing he had a very limited amount of time to take action, he let out a battle cry, and charged at the beast. He told the remaining clones to duck out of the area, then took a giant, forceful leap towards the thing. With one last roar, he planted the explosive onto the creature, the grenade piercing into its skin. Seconds later a gigantic explosion occurred before everyone's eyes. The creature then fell to the ground with a thunderous thud, but was still alive. Anakin saw it struggling to get its balance.
"Sir, the Commander's sacrifice weakened it. We can make it to the base safely now!" One of the clones said in earnest.
"You guys go up on ahead, this thing needs to die!" Skywalker turned off his communication device, and ignited his lightsaber. Eying the creature, he raised his blade, letting the Dark Side of the Force flow throughout him. With this technique, not even the Light Side would have been able to vanquish this monster. Anakin knew that he had to take the risk of temporarily going over to the Dark Side to kill this thing, but he had done it before, and knew his limits.
He formed a snowball with the Force, and threw it, striking the creature near its head causing it to turn around. It roared loudly, causing Anakin to step back a little. He took a deep breath, and gripped his lightsaber with both hands. Launching himself at the creature, he let the Force guide him, allowing him to glide across the snow at speeds well beyond his normal capabilities. He eyed the monstrosity dead in the eyes. The creature stared back at him, and leapt. With a huge surge of energy he raised his blade. The blade connected, cutting through the creatures two rear legs. He took another swing, cutting of its head like a guillotine. Smiling he took one final swing, a victory swing, and stabbed the now grounded creature in its back.
Getting off of its back, Anakin admired his handy work before looking at his men who were running into the base. He took another deep, satisfying breath and followed suit.