HOTH, 19 BBY

As the turbulent Clone Wars ravage the galaxy, Jedi and clones wander the galaxy to fight for freedom. On the desolated and despondent planet of Hoth, Jedi Master Drakus Jaelin and his Padawan Halo D'Qar advance to battle the Separatist Army.

"Master Jaelin!"

A blue Twi'lek sat up from his uncomfortable perch on the rocks with a poorly concealed sigh as one of his scouts caught movement.

"The Separatist troops are about two klicks away. They are crossing over those snow dunes as we speak.", the clone called, briefly glancing at his leader before returning to his macrobinoculars.

The latter didn't need to. They could all hear the distant but unmistakably distinct rhythm of the droid feet.

"About four hundred of those clankers!", the trooper added. In the distance, in the midst of a cloudy wisp of snowflakes, the trooper noticed a couple of assault vehicles and walkers accompany the dim-witted mechanical droids down the snowy hills. At the pace they were advancing, the Galactic Republic and the Separatist troops would meet in thirty minutes.

"What an odd planet for a battlefield...this planet was mostly deserted when we did an espionage mission around the orbit of this planet.", mentioned Drakus Jaelin, a Jedi who served the Galactic Republic. A fortnight ago, his tactical unit had circled around this glacial orb and caught sight of a droid factory in the making. It baffled some as to why the Separatists would want to set up a base in such a dull planet with no resources to harbour or facilitate any life.

"This is the Outer Rim, sir. In this sector, the only other planet that neighbours this one would be Bespin I suppose. Any other planet would be quite a distance from here."

"That explains it!", exclaimed Drakus as he rubbed his chin. The Twi'lek Jedi Master pensively peaked above the trench.

"Explains what? Hmph.", interjected Halo D'Qar, a young Zabrak. He was usually a proud, bloodlusted individual but this mission on Hoth had really nettled him and rendered him silent. The cold weather and the whistling winds were not easy on his ears. His tone was quickly picked up by his master Drakus.

"Bespin is a gas giant. The gas is a rare resource called Tibanna gas which is used as a coolant for massive starships. The Separatists most likely want this planet as a base for their operations."

"Why not attack Bespin directly?", questioned another trooper.

"I am assuming the Separatists have some sort of diplomatic relations with whomever is in control of Bespin. It would be unwise and foolish if they raided and bombed a mine holding a valuable resource.", explained Drakus. He once again peered from the snowy peak where his squad was situated. The Separatist faction was now on the minima of the peak and if they climbed the hill in front of them, they would meet Drakus' army. Surely, Drakus felt his team should be ready for them. Yet, on scanning his support, he noticed that they were severely understaffed. A hundred clone troopers and five repulsor tanks were all that he had on his side. Including a moody, adolescent Zabrak Padawan who seemed least enthusiastic about the job. His Padawan's goggles served the eyes and nothing else on his face. His middling blunt horns atop his black, hairless head were adorned with crystals of the wintry environment. His pout was the only feature that stood out on his scrunched-up face. Drakus turned to his men.

"They are at the low point. We have an altitude advantage. We can smoke them if we act fast before they make their way uphill."

"A surprise attack?!", asked Halo. The young adult's face suddenly lightened up. If there was anything that could make this mission tolerable was a decent chance to fight some battle droids.

"Yes. But not you. This is something for the boys in white to take care of."

"I implore you, Master...I have been training for this. I can definitely try and-"

"No, Halo. You have to stick close with me. We both are part of the Jedi Order. We cannot allow ourselves to be exposed so quickly, you hear me? There is a plan that needs to be set in motion otherwise things can go awry."

"Are you sure I can't just-"

"No, Halo. And that's final. You can fight when I tell you to fight.", replied Drakus sternly.

"Sorry kid.", whispered a trooper in pity as he heaved a machine turret up the slope.

In a split-second, he regretted his abrupt tone and softened himself by putting his hand on his apprentice's shoulder. As he bent, his twin appendages that adorned his head, hung down below his shoulders.

"Listen...Halo. The battlefield is a deadly place. You are not yet ready for this. As a Padawan, your duty is to train for this. But now we are in a time of war. This is not some gang intervention or some assassin hunt. This is galactic war. It would be painful for me to lose a student like you. And plus, I don't get what you don't like about this planet."

"I mean...it's blue."

"Quite a contrast from your homeplanet Dathomir. You know, blood-red and all. Anyways, you stay here by my side. I'll promise you that you will fight. Don't worry."

"Um sir... the battle plan? They are almost about to reach the base of our hill."

"Ah yes." The Twi'lek Jedi cleared his throat.

"Alright, listen up. It will take time to haul the tanks up the hill so we have to bombard them on our own. I want five teams of two to get in those tanks and go in five separate directions about the hill and surround them from all sides. Remember they shouldn't see you because the rest of us shall be their distraction. The ninety of us that are here shall split and form a line of offense on this hill and rain gunfire."

"And if they retaliate?", retorted a clone voice from among the crowd.

"Well that is expected. I can temporarily stop their blasts with the Force but I can do it once. We have to make use of the time I give you and rain as much fire as you can on them. I want the sniper unit to aim for straight for their walkers' muzzles. Blow them up on the inside. We cannot afford to be wiped out by their ground vehicles."

"All clear sir. I think we are ready for em'."

"Alright then. Blow those scraps of metal out of the snow."

Succeeded by the faint sound of footsteps up the hill, the troopers throw a flurry of detonators and grenades at the enemy below. The bombardment alerted their walkers to the troopers' presence but several craters were made with battle droid parts strewn across its depth. Equal concentrations of the Separatist Army had been affected and they went into a state of momentary disarray.

Not more than half a minute did the enemy gauge the situation and fired back with full force. Drakus immediately leapt in front of his clones and held his palms out. His joints cracked and his fingers were kept straight. His eyes closed and for a moment, the sound of war disappeared. This peaceful yet fleeting moment allowed him to think and concentrate on bringing out the universal and sentient power that resided within him. And before the blasts could touch the clones' armour, they stopped in a suspended fashion. The clones gazed at the site with childlike wonder. Amidst the clear blue sky, a penetrating hail of red "needles" were halted by the power of one Jedi. With a forceful grunt, Drakus pushed mightily ahead and the Separatist faction became victim to their own offense as they suffered a shower of blasts. The power of one Jedi was not to be taken lightly.

Having endured two consequent bombardments, the walkers began to make their way up the inclined slope of the hill. The first line of clone defense was taken down by the walkers. Their blood-stained bodies fell into the snow and rock below.

Now, this was a problem.

If the clones dropped grenades on their own hill, the foundations of the hill under all that snow will give way. An avalanche could roll them down to the enemy's territory. Shooting the walkers directly afront would also spell defeat as close confrontation is not recommended either. They had to be taken down from the inside. Drakus knew that his repulsor tanks should be in range in a few minutes where they would surround the inferior battle droids. Yet it would all be for naught if the foot-soldiers suffer heavy losses. He didn't think it would be so early for him to step in but Drakus felt no other choice. It had to be done swiftly. A clone would have no chance in getting past the walkers' fire.

He unfastened his fur cloak where sleek brown robes covered a beige vest. He grabbed his lightsaber that hung from his belt, hidden away in the darkness of his attire. A flashy high-pitched vibration echoed though the frost. It soon descended to a low-pitched distinctive hum. From the base of the hill, the battle droids and walkers stopped to notice a single warrior make himself visible to all. And what separated him from the clones, was a long blue saber that was wrapped around by his fingers. A Jedi's trademark. An elegant weapon for a more civilised age. He plunged into the snow and rapidly trudged along the steep incline, deflecting blaster shots from the walkers. He darted sideways and flipped into the air at times to make it harder for the walker to aim. Unlike a walker, Drakus lacked grip. The snow could make him tumble. With his pace, he was unstoppable now. There would be no breaking force that would stop him from meeting the Separatist party that longed for him at the base of the hill. He deflected one final shot and pounced on the hatch atop the walker. He cleanly penetrated his saber into the hatch providing him entry. It did not take long for him to throw the piloting droids out of the hatch and take the vehicle for himself. He put his communicator on and sought a frequency with his Padawan.

Halo suddenly heard a static hiss followed by his master's familiar voice.

"Is it my time?" Halo sighed. It was almost itching him to not whip his lightsaber out.

"It isn't much but do you want to steer a walker? I think I will take care of clankers till the repulsor tanks are set in position. Shouldn't be long, you know?"

Something is better than nothing. Halo was accompanied by a few troopers as he switched places with Drakus. It was his first time maneuvering a land vehicle and he was just getting used to the controls. In front of the Zabrak's eyes were a wide array of panels with several buttons, toggles, switches and levers. He hesitantly pressed a lever which ended up jolting him forward. Alright, so that means moving forward. He hastily tapped a button on the pair of joysticks sticking from the dashboard in front of him. He felt a recoil as a blast emerged from the muzzle. It aimlessly hit the layer of snow a few feet away from Drakus.

"You have no idea how to operate that thing, do you?"

"To be fair, I have never been taught to ride one."

"Ride one? You don't 'ride' a walker. It's a vehicle...not a bantha. You steer it. The joysticks help in aiming and fire. The lever on the right will be your sense of movement. The gear shift on your left shall be your sense of direction. That should be enough for now. And for the love of god, please do not kill me."

"Understood...no need to be snarky. It is definitely way more cosy in here."

Having assimilated his master's instructions, he stomped and shoved on the snow with his trigger-happy fingers and blasted his way through the battle droids. A few clankers attempted to climb into the vulnerable open hatch but the clone snipers effectively flicked them off. Droids flew as the stolen walker created storms of dust. Halo aimed his muzzle in line with the muzzle of another walker. A standoff. Halo's fingers were faster though. He fired a shot straight into the tube of the enemy walker's muzzle, blowing it up from the inside.

A battle droid with a black stripe flung his hands about in what might be their defeat.

" πš†πšŽ πš—πšŽπšŽπš 𝚝𝚘 πšœπšžπš›πš›πšŽπš—πšπšŽπš›! πšπšŽπšπš›πšŽπšŠπš!"

Another dropped its weapon on hearing their ruthless leader's name.

" π™±πšžπš πšπš‘πšŽπš— 𝚠𝚎 πš πš˜πšžπš•πš πš‘πšŠπšŸπšŽ 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 π™ΆπšŽπš—πšŽπš›πšŠπš• π™Άπš›πš’πšŽπšŸπš˜πšžπšœ! ", another droid howled with a robotic frenzy in its voice.

" π™Ύπš‘ πš›πš’πšπš‘πš! πšƒπš‘πšŠπš πš’πšœ πšŽπšŸπšŽπš— πš πš˜πš›πšœπšŽ. π™Ύπš‘ 𝚐𝚘𝚍! π™Όπš’ πš‹πšŠπšπšπšŽπš›πš’πšŽπšœ πšŠπš›πšŽ πš˜πšŸπšŽπš›πš•πš˜πšŠπšπš’πš—πš πš˜πš— πšŠπšŒπšŒπš˜πšžπš—πš 𝚘𝚏 πš–πš’ πšπšŽπšŠπš›!"

Drakus smiled on the chaos ensuing in front of them. His pupils oscillated between the repulsor tanks that finally came into position on each side, effectively surrounding them. Perfect.

Halo could see the tanks too. Their mission would soon be over. All that would be left would be to get more intel on the Separatist Army's next plans and return home to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where they would briefly rest before heading out into the warzone again. He stood in standby position as signaled by his master. It would be safe to watch the fireworks from afar.

With an effective transmission, Drakus broadcasted a message to the droids.

"Well tinheads, you are thoroughly and shamefully surrounded. Surrender all your intel and weaponry or we will make sure you never see the light of day again."

A random battle droid eagerly stepped forward.

" π™Άπš•πšŠπšπš•πš’! π™ΆπšŽπš—πšŽπš›πšŠπš• π™Άπš›πš’πšŽπšŸπš˜πšžπšœ πš’πš—πšπš˜πš›πš–πšŽπš 𝚞𝚜 πšπš‘πšŠπš 𝚠𝚎 πš πš˜πšžπš•πš πš‹πšŽ πšπšŠπš›πšπšŽπšπš’πš—πš πšπš‘πšŽ-"

A battle droid commander swung his claw arm at his subordinate's head with a resounding metal clank.

"π™Ύπš πš -"

"πš‚πš‘πš‘πš‘πš‘πš‘ πš πš‘πšŠπš πš’πšœ πš πš›πš˜πš—πš πš πš’πšπš‘ 𝚒𝚘𝚞!? πš‚πš‘πšžπš πšžπš™! "

"πšπš˜πšπšŽπš› πš›πš˜πšπšŽπš›."

The commander turned to face Drakus. He carried himself like a brave warrior despite his appearance like a maggot among his feeble band of larvae.

" πš†πšŽ πš πš’πš•πš• πš—πš˜πš πšœπšžπš›πš›πšŽπš—πšπšŽπš› πšŠπš—πš’ πš’πš—πšπš˜πš›πš–πšŠπšπš’πš˜πš—! πš†πšŽ πš˜πšžπšπš—πšžπš–πš‹πšŽπš› 𝚒𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 πš πš‘πšŠπš πšŒπšŠπš— 𝚒𝚘𝚞 πš™πš˜πšœπšœπš’πš‹πš•πš’ 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 πš›πš’πš 𝚘𝚏 πšŠπš•πš• 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚜?"

"Look around you. At the behest of my command, all those repulsor tanks would blow your little party."

"πš„πš–πš–β€¦πš†πšŽ πš πš˜πšžπš•πš πš•πš’πš”πšŽ 𝚝𝚘 πš›πšŽπšŒπš˜πš—πšœπš’πšπšŽπš› πš˜πšžπš› πšœπšπšŠπšπšŽπš–πšŽπš—πšπšœ."

"Sorry. You seemed pretty sure of yourselves. Fire!"

The repulsor tanks annihilated the bulk of the Separatist Army and all their heavy machinery was taken out. The ones that were left scurried for refuge in the snow but the rest of the clones did a final sweep and left no droid whose head was still connected to its circuit. Halo hung onto the rim of the hatch and gracefully landed onto the snow in the middle of their victory. A mess obviously, but a glorious mess indeed. Drakus placed a hand on his apprentice's shoulder.

"You did well for a complete beginner at maneuvering walkers.", Drakus affectionately commented as he playfully poked a horn on his student's forehead.

"I am incredibly mad with you right now, Master.", Halo gruffly responded as he softly whacked his master's hand off his head.

Drakus broke into a light chuckle and his student soon joined in. The clone general marched to the scene to request for a battle report.

"I suppose it's a job well done. Not much casualties. No loss of ground artillery. No intel or extra information either. It seems like we are done here. Round up the other clones. Set trajectory for Corucsant." Drakus extinguished his lightsaber and tucked it underneath his coat.

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir.", he curtly addressed as he hurried to the main ship located in the caves beyond. However, a few steps away from the Jedi, among his fellow clones, he felt a buzz in his right pocket. His fingers grabbed hold of a holoprojector that began to blink red. An incoming transmission?

He carefully moved away from view where he apprehensively glanced at the Jedi and then suddenly turned to the crackling, sinister voice that caught his attention. L-Lord Sidious?

"The time has come. Execute Order 66."