Under the cold, never ending rain of Thebeska farmers and miners alike clutched to the clumps of ground to avoid sinking in the moat of stench, trash filled water reaching their knees. Every couple of minutes a shelling would disrupt the silence the soldiers were beginning to grow accustomed to. Every so often, right as their nerves completely subsided return in the loudest of roars. The groans of the wounded pushed aside or lay in "No Man's Land" begging to whatever higher calling they've believed in. Men of no faith brought to their knees looked up to the dreary sky in hopes of their suffering to be brought to a merciful end.
"I wish I could put them out of their misery." One scraggly looking man, named Jennings, said, his eyes peering over the trench. "But I don't have the courage."
"Those damned Imperials can't give us a break!" A woman, named Pera, cursed. Her voice rough and scratchy.
Captain Hyatt ordered his men to resume their posts and to not lose concentration. Nearly impossible given the situation. Everywhere they looked a reminder of the hellish surrounding provided a distraction to their regular duties. "Eventually we have to go get them." Hyatt theorized, referring to the wounded. It was the basic code of conduct for war. Of course, the last conflict of consequence between two organic armies took place thousands of years ago. Maybe the chivalry is lost on their foes.
"Forget it, Captain. Any attempts to establish communications with the other side has been met with aggression."
"Ah, I see." The men were as good as dead anyway. But the Empire wanted to see their enemies suffer, to squirm on the wet, dirty ground covered in the filthiest of insects before croaking out their last breath.
"Sir, you have a communication from the opposing side." This immediately brought life to Hyatt's droopy eyes, who were just as grey as the very day.
"Patch him through." Wasting no time Hyatt was escorted to the nearest communications port where a slick blonde haired, handsome man stood upright and proud.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Captain." Commander Leon raised his Imperial cap and held it over his heart, as a disingenuous show of respect.
"If you really meant that you won't have spent the last week rebuffing my attempts to contact you." Hyatt sees through the ruse. "But let's not mince words. Perhaps my time with you is short. I wish to surrender. Effective immediately."
"Oh?" Leon could not contain his visible glee, a smirk and snarky expression in his eyes placed on his clear face.
"Yes. My men are tired and are sick. We have wounded that need medical attention and have spent days getting infections."
"My heart bleeds, Captain, let me assure you. But I cannot accept your request for surrender."
"Wha-"
"Unless!" Leon interjects, knowing he holds control of the room even if he's inside a Star Destroyer high up from his adversary. "You meet a condition customary to me."
At the end of his rope, desperate to bring an end to the suffering he's shown unable to shield his men from, Hyatt leaped. "Name it."
"A duel." Leon brandishes his pistol as a show he was definitely serious. Hyatt did not want to believe his lying eyes or ears.
"No." He said breathlessly.
"No?" Leon believed to take this as a rejection.
"No, I mean... yes. Name the time."
"Today. I can be down in the hour." The transmission abruptly ends.
"You're not really going to play into pipsqueaks game are you?" Jennings contends there was nothing to gain from this besides fodder for Imperial propagandist.
"No. This is the only way." Hyatt assures and requests time by himself to get his pistol.
By the time the two leaders met in No Man's Land, Leon had let the majority of the bodies - many of them decaying corpses by now - by taken and pushed to the side. "Didn't think you'd show." Hyatt howls from the opposite side of No Man's Land.
"Why do you say that?" Leon asks.
"Because your profession lacks courage." He smiles.
Unfazed, Leon announced on three they'd draw. The rain fell harder and harder, showing no sign of stopping. Leon began to get unnerved by the unbearably strong stench of decomposing bodies and makeshift latrines.
"One..." His fingers, as did Hyatt's danced over their respective pistols holstered at their hip, Leon had his gun positioned at his right side; Hyatt to his left.
"Two..." Leon mimicked firing early, showing a sly smile before resuming the count. Hyatt did not flinch.
"Three!" The men who watched could only make out the loud bangs and the fall of one of the two combatants, just not which one.
"Ours." Jennings sorrowfully announced. Now what are they to do? There are no replacements to Hyatt. No second in commands to the now fallen Captain. All there was left to do was run. Run madly into the woods. Into the nearest towns. Board the nearest transports to escape the watchful eyes of the Imperial.