Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, etc.
Chapter Six
War! Part II
Panting from exertion, Astrid relentlessly pushed forward through the green thicket of vines and towering trees of Kashyyyk while Pavel and the rest of her squadron followed close on her heels. The distant sound of sporadic blaster fire grew more and more intense until it became all but deafening in volume; seeming as if they would all be engulfed and swallowed up whole by the rampant war at any moment. Luckily, a wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience had, to a certain extent, allowed Astrid to steady her breathing pattern and somewhat calm her nerves. This, she knew, was not an advantage that all of her unit would benefit from. As a decorated Captain, she had been involved in more skirmishes than she cared to count; perhaps only Pavel rivaling her in the sheer number of missions that she had loyally and faithfully carried out for the Rebellion. They had both shed their own blood, and spilled the blood of others on almost a daily basis since the rise of Chancellor Palpatine's unlawful Empire. The same thing could not be said for many of the less experienced men and women advancing just behind her. In a way, she pitied them for it.
It wasn't long before they found themselves on the frontlines of a brutal war raging between those who strived to restore peace and justice to the galaxy, and those who fought to destroy any remaining vestiges of the Old Republic. Chaos unfolded in all directions. Blasters blazed wildly as members of the resistance and Imperial clone troopers alike fell dead where they stood. Earthshaking explosions tore through soldiers from both sides and sent powerful tremors through the ground beneath their feet. Dark smoke and debris filled the air; choking and stinging Astrid's eyes as she hastily gave her orders to move in and engage the opposition.
"No retreat!" she cried out as she led the charge. "It's up to us, now! This ends today!"
Spreading out to take cover behind the abundance of surrounding Worshyr trees, enemy fire was soon sent flying in their direction as they made their presence known with a sudden ambush concentrated on the nearest battalion of clone soldiers. Several of the troopers were taken out within seconds, but those who managed to survive the unexpected bombardment quickly displaced and began to return fire. Astrid ducked behind the tree she had been using for cover just as a shot intended for her head struck its side; splintering and charring the wood fragments, and violently blowing its bark away on impact. Beside her, Pavel narrowly avoided another incoming barrage from inflicting any major bodily harm as he did the same. A single shot grazed his leg, but he miraculously managed to escape the clones' onslaught, for the most part, unscathed. Wincing in pain, he clutched the flesh wound while more rapid blaster fire followed.
"We're in serious trouble here!" he exclaimed over his shoulder. "We're outnumbered ten to one!"
"Did you see Vader anywhere?!" Astrid questioned, ignoring his remark and flinching as blaster fire continued to assail them.
"The only thing I can see is my life flashing before my eyes!" Pavel shouted in return.
Pinned down and unable to move from their susceptible position, Astrid knew that it would only be a matter of time before their adversaries would commence a more direct counterstrike. Once they did take the offensive, the Imperial troops would be in a prime position to swarm and overrun her squadron. They would find little difficulty in massacring every last one of them if they couldn't somehow regain a foothold in the battle. At the moment, they were far too vulnerable and exposed to withstand a full–scale assault. The clones had, much to Astrid's dismay, significantly diminished their forces in a relatively short period of time. As far as she could tell, it appeared as if they had already lost nearly a third of their manpower stationed in the area.
"It looks like they brought half the Imperial army with 'em!" Pavel yelled as he attempted to peek around the corner of the tree.
"They were ready for us! They knew we were coming!" Astrid shouted back. "I don't know how, but they knew! We walked straight into a trap!"
Despite the gravity of their situation, Pavel flashed his Captain a grin. "And here we thought we were the ones springing the trap! Ironic, huh?"
Once again, Astrid ignored her subordinate as she racked her brain to come up with a new plan of attack. Suddenly, she turned with a start when a massive explosion erupted and promptly dispatched the clone soldiers closing in on her squadron. The cavalry had arrived. Emerging from the jungle, Commander Amidala took point while a steadfast regiment of Rebel fighters followed in tow; fearlessly storming and encompassing the unsuspecting troopers. Even from the distance, Astrid could see the strength and grim determination burning in her commanders' eyes like hot embers glowing against the bleak darkness of night. It was then that she firmly straightened her shoulders and turned to her unit. She would not let Padmé down…she had a job to do, and failure wasn't an option.
"Blue Team, on me!" she exclaimed as she resumed their advance. "Evasive fire! Pull together!"
Flanked by her squadron, Astrid charged forward to provide reinforcements while Commander Amidala's regiment slammed into the assembled clones like a battering ram. However, the momentary relief that she had felt only seconds before vanished an instant later when an entire company of Imperial soldiers appeared in the trees; armed to the teeth with blaster rifles and an arsenal of heavy artillery.
"Get down!"
Astrid didn't have time to react as a familiar voice bellowed a warning, and she was forcefully knocked off her feet. The trees directly behind her squadron were set ablaze just as she was tackled to the ground. Imperial cannons fired mercilessly and shook the jungles' very foundation while mortar shells detonated and wreaked havoc in all directions; leveling dozens of trees and killing a small group of resistance fighters in the process. Glancing back at the destruction, Astrid took a moment to catch her breath before shifting her attention to the man lying beside her.
"Red?!"
Sprawled out on his back, the aged computers specialist forced a weak smirk through his obvious pain. "Reporting for duty, Cap'n. I always did like to make an entrance…"
"Come on, we have to keep moving!" Astrid groaned, clenching her jaw as she did her best to shake off the effects of the sudden blow and clamber back to her feet. She froze when she noticed the deep gash in his abdomen. "Red, you're hit – you need a medic!"
"Got here just in the nick of time, huh?" he choked out as he grew increasingly pale and sluggish.
The battle continued to rage and escalate while Astrid feverishly pulled the fabric of his jumpsuit aside to better inspect the severity of his injury; his torso having been struck by a jagged piece of shrapnel. His intervention, she knew, had most likely saved her life. She could only hope that it would not turn out to be at the expense of his own. Unfortunately, a closer look at the wound soon dashed any of those hopes. She had seen similar injuries, and the victims had always met the same fate: death.
"We need to get you up!" she exclaimed, hastily reaching down and seizing his arm to haul him up from the ground, nonetheless. She paused once again when he lifted a feeble hand and motioned for her to stop. His eyelids growing heavier, he attempted to speak one last time before slipping into unconsciousness, but to no avail. "Red, what are you doing?! Hold on! You have to stay awake, Red!"
Astrid didn't tear her gaze away from the older man until a hand grabbed her by the arm and urgently yanked her away.
"Leave him!" Pavel shouted as he unceremoniously pulled her after him. "He's gone, Astrid! He's dead!"
Astrid opened her mouth to protest, but was immediately silenced by the unmistakable snap–hiss of a legendary weapon that had become virtually nonexistent since the barbaric decimation of the Jedi Order. Out of the corner of her eye, a crimson blur streaked through the air; causing an involuntary shiver of fear to run down her spine. Turning to the source of her newfound terror, she caught sight of a truly frightening scene. A dark, hooded figure leapt upward and deftly flipped overhead; maneuvering in what could only have been described as an awe–inspiring example of flawless grace and agility. Diving toward the ground and rolling to his feet, the figure skillfully swept his lightsaber with ease and cut down three Rebel soldiers in one fluid motion. Striking with swift, inhuman speed and precision, they hadn't even seen him coming until it was too late. Despite the considerable distance that stood between them, Astrid felt as if she could feel the heat of his blood red blade searing her skin. She could hear its hum reverberating in her ear as it cleaved through her fellow freedom fighters. Never in her wildest dreams had she anticipated such a reaction. As much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she was horrified.
His face may have been shrouded beneath the black hood he donned, but she knew his identity. It was him…he was really there. The successor to the Imperial throne, and possibly the most formidable threat that the galaxy had ever contended with, had come. He was no longer a distant image on the holonet, nor was he merely a name. He was real, and he was within her grasp.
Darth Vader had arrived.