New Blood Strikes Back

By Michael Weyer

Blood on the Snow

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At the heart of the Executor, like the center of a black web, was the meditation chamber of Darth Vader. As General Veers entered, the large black cylinder at the room's center opened to reveal Darth Vader sitting cross-legged on its surface. His black helmet was focused on Veers as the man walked down the short steps.

"General," Vader rumbled. "Something is wrong. Tell me."

Veers tried to keep himself calm as he spoke. "Lord Vader. The fleet has moved out of light speed. All ships made the reversion without incident. However…that is…"

"You will pay a terrible price for your next hesitation, General," Vader hissed.

Veers swallowed. "Comscan has detected an energy field surrounding a sizeable area of the sixth planet of the Hoth system. The field is strong enough to deflect any bombardment."

Vader's eyes narrowed. Such a shield would require massive amounts of raw power. There was no way the Rebels could operate it constantly. Which meant…"The Rebels are already alerted to our presence," he intoned. "Admiral Ozzel came out of light-speed too close to the system."

Veers licked his lips. Like Vader, he knew the standard plan for an attack would be for the fleet to come out at a distance and thus be able to coordinate a sudden strike to make a fast bombing run. "He felt surprise was a wiser course. There is a give and take to any battle plan, my Lord and-----"

"He is as clumsy as he is stupid," Vader interrupted. "This will be no easy victory."

"No, my Lord," Veers was forced to agree. "The Rebels are well encased in ice caverns. From our scans, it seems they have turned that part of Hoth into a veritable fortress." He quickly brought himself up. "But we have the men and the equipment. In the end, we will crush them."

"But at what an idiotic waste of Imperial resources!" Vader snapped. "A simple act of conquest now becomes a needlessly costly battle." He leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, Veers, do you regard that as wisdom?"

Veers felt his throat go dry as sweat flowed at his brow. "My Lord…Admiral Ozzel is my superior. Admiral Ozzel is…"

"Finished, General," Vader snapped. "Prepare your troops for a surface attack."

"Yes, My Lord," Veers said, bowing and then turning to walk out as fast as he could. Behind him, Vader turned his seat around to face a section of the chamber. At his command, a viewscreen activated to show a view of the bridge with Ozzel, Piett and Angelus standing together.

Piett was the first to see it and came to attention. Ozzel turned, nodding and smiling. "Ah, Lord Vader," he said in that smug tone of his. "The fleet has moved out of light speed. We are now----"

"You have failed me for the last time, Admiral," Vader interrupted. "Captain Piett!"

Piett was startled but stepped forward. "Yes! Yes, my Lord?" Ozzel frowned, not knowing why he was being pushed aside like this. He missed the smile on Angelus' face as the vampire realized what was about to happen.

"Spread out the fleet," Vader ordered Piett. "Make ready to land our forces outside the energy shield so they may march in. Have the fleet encircle the planet so no ships escape."

"Y…yes, my Lord," Piett said. "With respect, Lord Vader, the other captains may question my commands…"

"Simply inform them that you are in command now…Admiral Piett."

Both Piett and Ozzel started in surprise at this sudden promotion. Before Ozzel could blurt out his objections, Angelus grabbed him, his face contorting into his demonic visage. With a savage gleam in his eyes, Angelus buried his fangs into Ozzel's throat. The man cried out as the vampire bit down and drank, thirsting on his blood. Everyone around was stunned but knew better than to interfere. Angelus held the body until the admiral stopped twitching and let it drop.

Piett just stared in contained horror, finally swallowing as he faced the screen. "It…will be done, my Lord." As the screen winked out, he made a motion to some guards to take care of the bloodied body of the former commander. He looked up to where Lord Scourge's face had returned to normal and he wiped his lips. "Damn, I've been wanting to do that for a while," he said with a grin.

Piett was aware of the gazes the crew was leveling at him and felt a chill as he realized he had just replaced Ozzel as the prime candidate for the officer death pool. As much as he liked his new position, Piett was realizing the true disadvantages.

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As much as the majority of the Rebels had disliked the conditions of Hoth, the news they would need to evacuate was not met well. However, they had known this situation was a great possibility and were thus prepared. The entire base was in a rush as preparations were made for an immediate evacuation and the plans to cover them were quickly being made.

Leia stood before a collection of pilots as she paced, calm and collected as she laid out the situation. "The transport ships will leave one at a time as soon as they're ready. Two fighters will escort each transport. The shield will only be open for a few seconds so fighters, stay close to your transports."

"Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" a pilot named Hobbie asked, not masking his doubt.

"The ion cannon will let out short bursts with each transport," Leia explained. "That should clear the path for you to escape. When you're free, get into hyperspace and meet at the rendezvous point as fast as you can."

"What about the ground troops?" Kasen Moor asked.

"They'll pull back at the last minute."

The pilot was dubious. "It'll be rough for the ground staff at the end. What happens to them?"

"We'll set the ion cannon on automatic and leave on the last shuttle. And if it helps, that's the one I'll be on." She looked around. "I won't pretend this is a victory. Our goal today is not to defeat the Empire. It's to make sure the Alliance survives. Understood?" After a general show of nods and murmurs of agreement, Leia let out a breath. "Then get to your stations."

As the pilots made their way, Willow came up to Leia. "They're nervous."

"I know," Leia said. "But we have to hold the line as long as it takes to get the critical data and materials out."

Willow nodded as they started to walk to the command center. "This is going to be bad, right?"

Leia brushed at her braided head. "It may well be. But at least we have some manpower to handle it all."

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Buffy finished zipping up her orange flight suit and hopped down from the bed to grab her helmet. Luke was nearby, getting his own items as Too-Onebee observed them. "It will take considerable time to move the T-47s," the droid intoned.

"We may need to leave behind the heavy equipment," Luke said. "We may be able to get the smaller modules on the transports."

If a droid could frown, Too-Onebee would do so. "It seems a shame to discard them."

"Would you rather they end up with the Empire?" Buffy asked.

"I am a medical droid. My political programming is minimal. But I did practice at an Imperial clinic once and must agree."

Buffy smiled and tapped his arm before she headed out. "Hope to see you soon, Too-Onebee."

"Good luck to you both," the droid said as they headed out. The two paced through the large hanger area where pilots and technicians rushed about. They came to where the Falcon was sitting, Chewbacca and Xander both on the ramp as the two came up. "Good luck to you guys," Buffy said. She was startled when Chewbacca embraced her, coughing a bit at his grip. "Easy!"

As he let go, Xander came over and made a smile at her. "Seriously, take it easy out there."

"You know me."

"That's what I'm saying," Xander said with a smile. He gave her a short hug as Han moved down from his place on the hull of the ship. "Hey, you two keep it easy out there."

"It'll be a challenge," Luke said. "Word is, we're facing a whole Starfleet."

Han snorted. "Why else you think we got four tools in each hand? Not like the Empire would send out the second string." He shook his head. "You always said the Force favors freedom. Here's a final exam."

"Not sure it works that way," Buffy said.

Han sobered. "Seriously…you two be careful. No heroics, just fly and bring it safe."

"What happened to 'just because you're good doesn't mean it pays?'" Buffy asked. "Getting soft on us, Solo?"

"Out," Han said. There was a sudden sound like thunder that made them all look about. "Sounds like the ion cannon's made its first shots," Luke stated.

Han took that in with a concerned look. "Hey, what transport are you guys gonna be on?"

"Last ones out," Buffy said.

Han nodded. "Hear the command center folks will be in it too."

"And so will she."

"She who?"

"Think about it. Chewie will let you know when you're close, right?"

Han just pointed with a half-smile as Luke and Buffy raced to the speeders. As they ran, the loudspeaker crackled with an announcement. "The first transport is away! Repeat, the first transport is away!" A loud cheer went up as a new boost of confidence hit the troops.

Buffy nodded to Luke as she headed to her speeder. "Look after that Dack kid. And come back safe!"

"You two," Luke said. "Hate to have to do this Jedi training alone." Buffy smiled as she headed to her speeder. In the front seat, facing outward, Kasen was already firing up the engines. She nodded as Buffy slid into the rear seat behind her. "You feeling okay?"

"Five by five, to quote someone I once knew," Buffy said as she pulled her helmet on. "No offense, but I'd prefer to be with Luke."

"They wanted to spread the pairings out a bit," Kasen said as the cockpit shield started to shut. "Just keep it focused. If we're up against what I think we are…this is going to be a fight."

Buffy frowned, craning her head around as the speeder's engines warmed up. "Why? What do you think it is?"

"In this weather and considering the terrain we're facing…" Kasen let out a long breath. "I'd put in Walkers."

Buffy closed her eyes and once more made the mental note to stop asking such questions.

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When creating his force's armies, Palpatine had deliberately ensured that not only would they be heavily armed and prepared to bring as much destruction as possible but they would also be designed to bring fear and intimidation just by their appearance. The way of the Sith was to win through fear; when an enemy was made afraid with one look, the battle was half-won.

The All Terrain Armored Transports were the pinnacle of this design mentality. Each one was over a hundred feet high and resembled giant beasts on four legs. The head housed the main cockpit with several high powered guns resting at the "chin." The main body was covered by plating to house several stormtrooper platoons. While slow and lumbering, they made up in power what they lacked in speed.

Already, they were unleashing their arsenal on the trenches holding the Rebel troops, heavy blaster bolts striking gun turrets and power couplings. The snowspeeders flew over the trenches, heading toward the Walker fleet, zipping past the blasts of cannonfire.

"Keep it tight, Rogues," Luke said. "Watch that crossfire."

Kasen turned her speeder in tight moves to avoid the cannon blasts as Buffy adjusted the gun behind her. She could see Luke throwing his speeder into a tight turn to blast at the legs and body of a walker but only sparks where the blows struck.

As Luke turned away, he called out on the communicator. "Rogues, that armor's too strong for blasters."

"Could have told you that myself, Skywalker," Kasen snapped into the comlink. "Got any other ideas?"

"Use your harpoon and tow cables," Luke said. "We'll try to trip them up."

The speeders began to shift their plan, moving in new flight patterns. One moved a bit too far to the left and took a cannon blast that tore it to pieces. Buffy let out a short yelp as Kasen threw the speeder into a sharp turn to avoid some firepower. She glanced over to see a glancing blow strike the rear of Luke's ship, causing sparks. "Luke, you okay?" she called out.

There was a pause before he answered in a somber tone. "I lost my gunner. Wedge, you'll have to take the first run."

"Roger, Luke," his fellow pilot said. His speeder zipped down low, moving to the side enough for his gunner to fire a harpoon cable to the walker's leg. Wedge quickly began to circle the speeder around the walker, the powerful cable wrapping around the legs. "One more pass," Luke said over the comlink.

Wedge made it and detached the cable on Luke's orders. As the speeder flew off, the walker's front legs made to move forward. However, with the heavy cable blocking it, the legs stopped, the momentum pushing and with a loud roar, as if it truly was a beast, the walker crashed forward.

Buffy could see some troops in the trenches cheering and thrusting up their arms. Kasen threw their speeder into a tight downward turn, aiming the front at the Walker. Her eyes narrowed until she recognized the spot she was looking for. She fired, bolts of energy ripping into the "neck" of the machine. Just as she planned, there was a chain reaction and the walker blasted to a million pieces, debris flying about.

"One down!" Buffy yelled out.

Kasen nodded as she turned to the other walkers. "Just keep it together, Summers. Still plenty to go around."

"Good," Buffy said as they flew back into the fray. "I love mixing it up."

"That's what Willow says," Kasen muttered as they went back to battle.

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Willow yelped and ducked as a piece of ice fell from the ceiling before her. She stumbled as she made her way toward the command center. Most of the personnel had evacuated but Leia and Reeikan were still there. "I don't know if we can guard two transports at once," the general was saying.

"It's risky but I don't see that we have a choice," Leia said. As if to prove her words the center rocked from an incoming blaster bolt. Reeikan nodded as he moved to give the order.

Leia turned to Willow. "Shouldn't you be at the rendezvous point?"

"I need to make sure you're okay," Willow said. "Threepio is the same way." The golden droid was nearby, fighting to keep his balance in the rocking motions of the center. "You should get to your own ship."

"Not just yet," Leia said, turning back to the main control screens. She leaned in toward the technician. "Get the ion cannon to increase its rate of fire!"

Willow sighed. In so many ways, Leia reminded her of Buffy, far too stubborn for her own good. Then again, she was sticking right by her, so what did that say? She crossed her arms and hoped for the best as the battle continued.

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Kasen cursed as she saw another speeder blasted by the walkers. The loss of the first one had alerted them to the Rebel strategy and they were ready to prevent such a loss again. Thus, the blaster fire had increased to keep the speeders from getting too close. "Crossfire is too strong to get to our target!" Kasen said.

Luke's speeder was flying in close to her. "I copy that. Zev, you read me?"

The other speeder had taken a glancing blow earlier but seemed okay. "Copy, Rogue Leader," Zev said, his voice showing some pain.

"Can you handle this run?"

"Roger," Zev said as he threw his speeder forward. "Watch it, Rogue Two," Luke cautioned. Zev was moving his speeder close when a hail of laser fire turned it into a fireball. Debris struck Luke's speeder and Buffy could hear him cry out. "I'm hit…I'm going down!"

"Luke!" Buffy yelled as she saw his speeder go down, a trail of smoke flowing behind it. She winced as it smacked into the hard snow down below. "Kasen, get us down there!" she ordered.

"Firepower's too much," the pilot argued. "No way we can land down there!" She banked the speeder away from the oncoming walker, blocking Buffy's view of Luke.

"Wedge, can you see him?" Buffy asked.

"Not…wait, I see him!" Wedge responded. "Looks he got out of his speeder just before the walker crushed it!"

Buffy let out a sigh of relief. "Here's hoping he can make it to the launching spot."

Kasen snorted. "With Skywalker? He'll figure a way to cause trouble. He's a lot like you in that regard. No wonder you like him."

"Yeah, I….wait…" Thankfully for Buffy, Kasen avoiding a new burst of flak cut that line of thinking short.

As Kasen turned their speeder around, they saw the lead walker aiming its head at the power generators in the distance. The two women both cursed, watching helplessly as the walker unleashed its guns on the generators. A massive explosion filled the air, forcing Buffy to shut her eyes. When she opened them, only smoldering metal was left where the shield generator had been.

"They've taken out the shields," Kasen breathed. "Which means they can start landing troop shuttles at will."

Buffy leaned in to the communicator. "Rogues…give the ground troops as much cover as you can before getting to the evacuation point." The other speeders complied, realizing the battle was lost but allowing the troops to retreat was the best they could do.

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Willow yelled and grabbed at a console for support as the command center was rocked by a massive explosion. Leia was still there with a technician, barking orders. She looked up to where Han entered. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard the command center was hit," Han said as he stumbled through the room. Several of the consoles were smashed by falling debris and the smuggler had to be careful as he came up to Leia.

The princess glared at him before snapping. "You've gotten your clearance to fly, Solo!"

"We're going," Han said. "But I'm going to make sure you get on your ship first."

Leia made a short laugh. "You mean you actually got that bucket of bolts working? Will wonders never cease?"

As another blast shook the center, Willow stepped in. "Leia, we have to move!"

"Your highness, Mistress Willow is correct!" Threepio said. "We must leave now!"

Leia ignored them, talking to the technician. "Send all available troops to the landing site to protect the fighters and transports!"

The sound of walker fire and rumbles of their steps echoed through the base. "Leia, this is it, don't you understand?" Willow called out, reaching to her.

Leia smacked her hand away as she spoke to the controller. "Have the outer rim troops get back as soon as they can. Tell the speeders to-----"

Han grabbed her, turned her around and got right into her face. "Leia, you run and live or you die right here! Decide!"

She was stunned by his treatment but it seemed to be just the thing to make her realize the situation. As if to punctuate his words, the speaker crackled overhead. "Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have----" The rest was lost in a blare of static.

Leia took a deep breath before leaning in to the technician. "Give the evacuation order. Then get to your transport!" Han grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the corridor as Willow and Threepio followed as best they could.

"Will you stop dragging me?" Leia complained. "I can walk!"

:Just making sure you don't decide to double back, Princess," Han said. "Relax, tunnel is up ahead."

"I'll make sure it's okay!" Willow said as she raced ahead of them toward the exit tunnel leading to the evacuation area. She had made a few steps before an explosion erupted behind her. She was thrown to the floor, getting back to her feet and turning to see the tunnel behind her blocked with ice. "Leia!" she yelled, racing to it and pounding on the rocks.

Her communicator buzzed and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"No way we can get through this," Han said. "Tell the transport to take off. I'll get her out on the Falcon."

Willow let out a breath. She could try a fire spell to melt the ice but that would take too much time. She hated the idea of leaving Leia but knew Han would do his best to get her out safely. Brushing back her hair, she headed to the tunnel, pausing to grab a coat, fur cap and gloves before venturing into the waiting snow.

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"Mara!" Xander yelled as he made his way to the cockpit. "Han's coming and he's got Leia and Threepio with!"

Mara frowned as she stuck her head out of a nearby doorway. "Why the hell is she coming with?"

"Han figured it's great for a romantic cruise, I don't know!" Xander yelled. "Just lock that paneling down, we gotta move!"

She cursed and went back to it as Xander headed to the cockpit. He saw Han, Leia and Threepio coming up the ramp, the droid just managing to duck his head as the ramp closed. Xander cursed as he flicked switches for the engines but nothing was clicking. "Mara!" he called back.

The redhead was already checking a console. "I'm working on it!" she called back. She checked the console as Han moved in, Leia catching her breath behind him. "Why is life just one big footrace when you're around?" she asked.

Han ignored her as he looked to Mara. "We set?"

"We had to rush a few things," the redhead answered. "We don't know if it's all good yet."

"Oh, wonderful," Leia said. "You still don't have this bucket of bolts in flying shape."

"I notice you're not above hitching a ride in it now and again, your Highness," Han noted as he headed to the cockpit. Behind him, Threepio was checking the console with interest. "Excuse me, Ms. Jade, I cannot help but note-----"

"Not now, droid!" Mara snapped, pushing him aside.

"Humans," the droid muttered.

Han made his way to the cockpit where Xander had powered up the lights. As he entered, the lights dimmed but a blow to the side fired them up again. "You'd have made a great car salesman, boss," Xander observed.

Han slid into the pilot's seat as he went through the procedures to get the ship's engines fired up. He cursed as they stalled. "I thought you were fixing this!"

"We were!" Xander snapped.

"You're supposed to be good with engines, Junior!"

"I'm from California! We don't do cold weather!"

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" Leia remarked as she entered.

"I'll hold the door open for you," Mara snidely said, coming behind her.

"Boss…" At Xander's warning, Han looked up to see a squad of stormtroopers entering the hanger bay. They were dressed in the bulky armor for cold weather conditions, helmets slightly larger and, for some odd reason, seemed to wear capes around their waists. Two of them were setting up a large blaster cannon to bring to bear on the Falcon.

Leia glared at Han. "So where's your famous solution now?"

Han ignored her as he punched a command key. A panel on the ship's lower hull opened and an automatic turret flipped down and began to fire in wide arcs at the troopers. The ones setting up the cannon were cut down, the cannon itself blasted apart and the others were forced to take cover among crates and ice blocks to avoid the fire.

"Chewie, fire it up!" Han yelled. The Wookie complied, hitting the button and the engines flared to life. Han quickly yanked on the controls and the Falcon rose, its landing struts retracting. With another push on the controls, the ship blasted through the open hanger doors and into the sky.

Han laughed. "Told ya!"

Leia didn't smile back. "Someday, you're going to be wrong and I just hope I'm there to see it."

Xander closed his eyes. "Oh if that's not a bad omen…"

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The evacuation point was almost empty, only one transport with a selection of X-Wings and Y-Wings left behind. Pilots were gathering as Jasen brought the speeder to a stop. She and Buffy were quick to join the dozen pilots milling around.

Buffy frowned as she looked about. "Is this it?"

Wedge nodded. "Injured have been put on that transport. The rest…" He didn't need to finish.

Buffy turned to see a final orange-suited figure coming up and smiled. "Luke!" The rest of the pilots felt their spirits rise as their leader stumbled through the snow toward them. Buffy moved in to give him a quick hug. She then pulled back and hit him hard on the shoulder.

"Ah!" Luke said, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

"Taking on a Walker by yourself?" Buffy demanded. "Going up by cable, throwing in a charge and then just taking that drop? Even I'm not that nuts!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Luke said, wincing as he joined the others. "It probably saved a few more lives."

Buffy couldn't come up with much response to that as Luke nodded to the others. "All right, let's get to our ships and get going. The Imperial fleet is going to be in force so I want three fighters guarding that transport. The rest of you, scatter to throw off pursuit and get into hyperspace as fast as you can."

"Hey!" The pilots turned to see Willow racing up to them, heaving for breath. "Willow?" Buffy started. "What are you doing here?"

Willow paused to catch her breath before speaking. "Collapse…in…ice cavern…Han said…he'd get Leia out…on the Falcon."

"I just saw the Falcon take off," Luke said. "So the Princess is safe."

"We'd better move," Wedge intoned. "It won't take the Imperials long to find the tunnel."

"Well, it actually might," Willow said. "Remember those Wampas nearby that we managed to round up into a chamber?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "You didn't…"

A wicked smile came to Willow's face. "Just ripped off the warning label on the door. Wish I could see the look on their faces when they open that up."

"Damn, Will," Buffy said. "You're getting lessons from Mara?"

Willow glanced to where they were sealing up the transport. "Ah, don't suppose there's any room for me in an X-Wing?"

"We've got one of the two-seat Y-Wings," Kasen said. "You can ride with me."

"Oh, um, sure," Willow said. She turned to give Buffy a quick hug. "I'll meet you soon."

"We can hope," Buffy said with a smile as the two friends separated for their own ships.

"Hope you don't mind if the ride's a bit rough," Kasen said as they came to the Y-Wing. "We might meet some resistance."

"Ah, rough rides and I go a bit back," Willow said. She paused and frowned. "Okay, maybe I've been talking to Mara too long."

Kasen just laughed as the ships fired up to leave Hoth behind once and for all…unaware that one of them had a different destination in mind than the others did.

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So I may have skimped on the battle a bit but hard to make such visual moments work in words. As you can see, this divides the group a bit in the space pursuit but don't worry. We'll still have a certain Jedi Master popping up soon…