In the middle of darkness, only the pale light of Askarre's two moons revealed the shadowy silhouettes crawling between rubble and snow. Quiet and slowly they climbed, chest on the ground, until they arrived on top of a small hill of debris and ruined walls. Then they stopped, and waited. One of them, CT-9860, took his binoculars and gaze at the terrain. There appeared to be no enemies in sight. Ironically, that made him even more anxious.
"I see no one, general. It's hard enough when you see clankers shooting at you, but not knowing what are they up to is even worse" he murmured.
"They are there, Sixty. I feel it in the Force" answered Ferro Gatté. Then, he grabbed the hilt of his lightsaber, and gritted his teeth. "Tell your men to prep the repeating blaster, and to keep quiet. Nobody shoots until I give the order. We'll set the ambush here."
"Right away, general". The clone rose his arm and signaled the rest of the squad with a quick hand gesture. The troopers rose slightly, and aimed forward with their blasters. Their white armor was a perfect camouflage in the snowy ruins. Behind the dark-skinned Jedi Master, Koto Ran touched her forehead. She was sweating, the tension was taking its toll in her.
"There is no emotion, there is peace" she prayed. Koto tried to focus on the Living Force. Then, she felt it. The anticipation of the troopers, who were about to face death once again. The tension of Sixty, who was focused on keeping his boys alive for another day. The soothing calmness of his master. The fast beatings of her own heart. "There is no emotion, there is peace" she repeated to herself. And then she felt again, deeply and further away.
"Master, they are approaching. At least two dozen droids, and a vehicle. I think they are about to enter the street from the north."
"Have they detected us?"
Koto closed her eyes for a few moments. "I don't think so", she answered to Gatté.
"Then we wait".
The short haired padawan nodded.
The weather ended his brief truce, and it started snowing again. The snow wet Koto's shoulders, and made a mess of her robes. She started shivering, and hug herself trying to get warmer. The Padawan learner felt a flinch of jealousy towards the clone troopers around her. While their armor wasn't as flexible as her garment, at least it would keep them dry and reasonably warm. The clone armor was designed to be sealed and even void-proof, after all.
She also admired their stoicism, their calmness. She had trained all her life to become a Jedi Knight. But this war… this was something completely different. And this was her first real fight. I hope it doesn't become the last too, she thought to herself. Koto forced herself to abandon that line of thought. Focus on the now, and on the Force. Master Gatté and the squad are counting on me.
Sure enough, after a minute that felt like hours to Koto Ran, a AAT tank crossed the corner and entered the snowy street, escorted by a column of B-1 battle droids. They were barely visible, but the mechanic noise of their walk gave them away completely.
Slowly but surely, they moved closer and closer towards the hidden Republic fighters, unaware of the trap that awaited them. Koto hid behind cover, waiting, until the droids came so close than she was able to see their glowy red eyes.
Like a sudden lighting, a green flash of light put an end to darkness, revealing the droids' position. It was Gatté's lightsaber.
"For the Republic!" cried the Jedi Master, his voice like thunder. Bolts of blaster fire decimated the first ranks of the separatist patrol. Then, he ran forward, deflecting enemy fire with his Jedi weapon. Koto ignited her blade, and followed her master without a second thought. Seeing this, the squad of clone troopers charged forward, guns blazing, and yelling the same warcry as their Jedi commander. Only the heavy weapons team stayed on place, firing their repeating blaster with deadly accuracy.
Half a dozen battle droids fell to the snowy ground reduced to scrap metal, before the mechanical soldiers started firing back. Even so, the clumsy Federation droids were no match for the battle-hardened clones of Jango Fett, and even less so for the Jedi Knight Ferro Gatté and his Padawan learner Koto Ran.
Koto swooped her lightsaber left and right, cutting down two more battle droids. Following that, she used the Force to throw another one onto a wall, breaking the machine in half a dozen separate pieces. Suddenly, a deafening noise struck behind her, and she felt in the Living Force the death of three clone troopers. Blood and guts flew away in all directions, and Koto felt sick. She looked behind her, and saw a fuming crater. That's what was left of the repeating blaster and the clones who manned it.
"Master, we need to take down that tank!" yelled.
"Take Sixty with you and disable that thing, Ran" Gatté answered. "Men, take cover and keep firing!"
"Acknowledged, General", said CC-9860 while running forward, brandishing his blaster pistol on the right hand and a thermal detonator on the left one. Koto Ran jumped toward the enemy tank, using the Force to propel herself, and landed right on top of the turret. She nailed her lightsaber onto it, and the yellow blade cut through steel like it was butter. Sixty primmed the detonator, and throwed it at her.
"Catch" he warned. The Padawan grabbed the explosive with the Force, and dropped it onto the tank through the hole she had just made. Finally she jumped away, but it was too late. The AAT tank became in an instant a hell of flames and scrap metal, and Koto was thrown away by the force of the explosion. She fell to the street floor, and everything went black.