The Clone Wars had been raging for two horribly long years. The Separatists and the Republic battled each other across the galaxy, from system to system, on one planet after another.
Resources were stretched thin and casualties had been very high. Currently the Jedi and the Army of the Republic were scattered far and wide. General Obi-Wan Kenobi commanding a forward deployed expeditionary force in the Hoth system paced the command post. His breath came out frosty in the chilly air.
The planet Hoth was deadly cold most of the time but fortunately for this campaign they were there at a warmer time of year; temperatures ranging from 20 to 50 degrees below freezing. Cold but with the right gear troops could operate outside.
Another month and it would be impossible for the soldiers to survive the numbing cold. Even the Separatists' Droid Army would be affected. The extreme cold could turn lubricants to jelly and shatter seals.
The busy command post, half buried underground to insulate it from the relentless wind, hummed with activity and efficiency. He came to a stop in front of the holographic image of the battlefield that hung suspended in the center of the room.
His eyes scanned the placements of all the units. One unit in particular caught his interest. It was a small intelligence cell operating on its own just inside the Separatist held area.
He turned to the Operations Officer and asked, "Captain, what is the current status of this unit?" The officer replied, "General, that is our forward Intel unit, code named Silent Saber, commanded by Colonel Organa, they are not due to make a report for another two hours, that's when they should be back behind friendly lines."
The captain punched up the data and continued, "The Colonel's last report of three hours ago indicated they were about to cross into the Separatist area. They reported very low visibility but the blowing snow was providing excellent cover and Silent Saber was making good progress with no reported casualties."
General Kenobi nodded, "Thank you captain, let me know when the commander from that unit reports in." The officer gave a crisp "Yes sir" and went back to his work. The General surveyed the room. Everyone knew their jobs and did them well.
Outside there were hundreds of soldiers under his command. Right now his thoughts were of one in particular. His wife was behind enemy lines as the commander of Silent Saber. Hours earlier he had given the orders that sent her there.
He went to her quarters prior to her departure. As he stood in the doorway she finished organizing her pack. She looked up and gave him a smile, "General…I know you want to say something. Perhaps you should come in and close the door."
He didn't answer her but stepped inside the room and the door closed on its own. She sat down on the bed and looked up at him, "What is it Ben?" He replied, "If there was anyone else I would not send you."
She smiled, "We work on rotation and our numbers are dwindling. You gave the order and my number came up. Besides it's my job and my duty, no different from any other commander."
He paced the room, "The last unit suffered 70 percentcasualties. The commander did not make it back…I don't like those numbers." She stood up from the bed and walked over to him. Taking his hand in hers, "I agree the numbers aren't very reassuring but that changes nothing. The intelligence they recovered was valuable and gave us an edge, I have to go."
He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, "but if something happens…I gave the order." She embraced him back, "It will be alright. My team knows their job. We'll get the intel you need and be back before you know it."
She pulled away from him and smiled, "Now kiss me General I have a pre departure briefing with my team." He leaned forward and kissed her urgently, pulling her once again into his arms.
When he released her he said, "I love you…May the Force be with you." She grabbed her pack from the floor, opened the door and turned to look back at him, "I love you; I'll see you later."
That had been nearly six hours ago. Now all he could do was wait for her next report. He left the command center and made his way to his quarters trying to silence the little voice inside his head that kept saying, 'I've got a bad feeling about this.'
Their marriage had remained a secret and for the past two years he had been able to manage being a Jedi, a General and a husband, but it had become more complicated lately.
The Jedi were stretched thin across the galaxy fighting on dozens of different worlds. As fortunate as it seemed to have her within his command, he had to order her into harms way more often than he liked.