Thump thump—Thump thump—

She could feel her small frame rattle around in the First Order armor that was simply too big for her. Even worse was the feeling of her heart bang against her rib cage. It was so easy to hear it beat over the whirring fans in her helmet that kept her air oxygenated.

Every bump that the transport ship went through sent electricity down her spine and made her nauseated. Every moment spent dreading the approach to the old Rebel base. Her first mission off of a Star Destroyer. So far her time as a soldier for the first order she's been lucky; she's only had to work in sanitation. But, with the Final Order being raised, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren sent out every trooper to destroy all remnants of the Rebellion.

Her first mission.

She pretended she could remember home. It made her feel like maybe someday there would be something else, even as unlikely as it was. Her only memory of anything familiar was the wafting scent of wildflowers on the breeze. Though, the First Order took her so long ago, she wasn't able to tell if that was something real or something she made up.

Steam rose off of the bodies out from the armor of the other troopers. The temperature dropped rapidly as they approached Hoth's forgotten base. She spent her time thinking how, 'Those Snowtroopers were so lucky to be bundled up,' 'I'm sure they'll be safe from hypothermia,' and 'how cozy they must be in their fluffy jackets,'.

Her body heat escaped her armor from a gap between her helmet and neck seal. Her grip on the rail above her head tightened to where she could feel her nails gouge her palm through her gloves. She could spot a few other soldiers bouncing foot to foot, just as anxious as her. Most of the garrison, however, were battle worn veterans hardened by the fall of the Empire.

Turbulence rattled their land, as well as rattling her again against her armor. Ice crystals in the atmosphere struck the sides of the transport, each time making sounds like it was ripping the hull apart.

Thud.

Stormtroopers unloaded from the carrier, running into the old base, smashing and salvaging anything for the First Order that they could.

Battle worn droids lay broken and strewn about the frozen ground. Crates of supplies unopened from the Great War. Blasters that looked like they wouldn't even be able to fire anymore. It was a perfect time capsule of a place where hope never died.

She left the area to wander through the base to find more obscure supplies, although she really just felt strange about watching all of the destruction. They already fell, their was no point in adding insult to injury.

Under a pile of rubble, an ancient looking repurposed HK unit's eyes fell on her, and she noticed. While it didn't look like much, it did look like it had a slight chance of being repaired. She'd prefer to do that than to destroy it.

She lingered in her own world, unburying and busy working to fix the droid while everyone else scoured the base. A spark lit behind the HK's eyes. It stood up tall, watching her. She had to stand on her tiptoes to feel like she was safe next to it. They stood in a silent stalemate. Neither sure what to say to one another.

Blaster fire rang out from the main cavern of the base. With the HK unit, she ran to the echoing screams and blaster fire from the large hangar area.

A commanding officer stood with his blaster pointed at the backs of a line of troops. This was not a salvage mission. With Sith Enforcers by his side, the firing squad took out the Garrison, and then the commanding officer. She watched in horror as they looked through the ship's log. They knew they had a few stragglers to kill as well.

Thump thump— Thump thump—

She could only hear her heart again, everything was so hard to focus on, she could feel her knees going weak.

A blaster shot shattered her silence. Another soldier was shooting at the Sith Enforcers. A rebellion within the troops? She didn't understand how could this be happening, there was never a chance for rebellion. But there it was in front of her.

They shot him down as if he were made of paper. That last act of resistance snuffed out.

The HK unit's voice function shut on very suddenly, "A TRANSMISSION FROM THE RESISTANCE. THE FINAL ORDER'S FLEET HAS BEEN DESTROYED, THE FIRST ORDER HAS BEEN DESTROYED. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU."

The Sith Enforcers lost all interest in the other trooper and started to shoot at her and the HK unit. Hands shaking on her blaster, she shut her eyes tight and pulled the trigger. A blaster shot. Silence. Fearfully, she opened her eyes and found why she had not died.

The laser bolt hung in the air, tremorring as if it were static.

Another shot. A thud as another body hit the ground. The HK unit's blaster oozed steam from the heat of its shot. The Sith Enforcers began shooting again after they regained their focus. She ducked under the petrified laser bolt and clung to the HK unit's legs as it shot automatically.

Little ice crystals floated in the air like little wisps. Everything was still and quiet. The Enforcers were dead. Her garrison was dead. The First Order had fallen. She hadn't the slightest idea about what happened with the laser bolt.

A voice cut through her thoughts, "Can you find her for me?" His voice was clear, in her mind, and coming from no speaker. Images flashed through her head; heat, desert, the dual suns, and coordinates to the middle of nowhere.

"Please find her."

The moment's stillness ended, and she pulled herself to her feet with the help of the HK unit. "What's your name, droid?" Her voice quiet as she took of her helmet, her voice no longer amplified.

"HK13, I have been reprogrammed by the Rebellion to act as a Battle Droid," it looked her over, "Are you wounded? I am not a Nurse Droid and cannot help you with an injury."

She stretched out her stiff muscles, taking off armor to her under suit and stealing the cloak off one of the Sith Enforcers.

"I don't think I'm injured, just shaken up maybe... and cold."

"You are beginning to suffer from hypothermia. I cannot help you as I am not a Nurse Droid." Her teeth started to chatter. She could feel the frost eating at her fingers. "However, under my programming, I cannot let you die."

HK13 picked her up and carried her like a baby; her small, shivering, underfed frame made her look more like a child than a defected stormtrooper. He carried her into the outside terrain, and she had no energy to stop it from taking her wherever. She had to use every last bit of effort to keep her eyes from sliding shut.

"What should I call you, Stormtrooper?"

Her voice was soft, barely audible against the sound of the snow whipping around them, "My Identification is FN-4417."

"You are safe to rest, FN-4417." She doubted that, she was almost sure if she slept she wouldn't wake back up. Despite desperately struggling against the lull of sleep, she was rocked to sleep by the steady even walking of HK13.