"Battle on Ice"
Space around the Agamar was quiet. Even with the constant clanking of battle droid feet and beeps of the consoles the silence slowly crept up on the only living soul rested, waited for her next move. Were she back home this would not be an issue as the constant battles, tedious raiding missions, barking of orders from the brass, everything kept her mind busy and occupied. Now she was restless, eager to do something other than stand idly by while the rest of the galaxy continued on without her. She tapped her foot impatiently as her eyes fell upon her commlink hoping Sparks or even Wire would report back with something new. As it stood her orders were clear but she felt she had already failed, the forces she was sent to reinforce were likely either annihilated or their numbers dwindled down slowly into the double or even single digits. Kvetina's thoughts started to go to her parents, contact with her father had been spotty at best as he had been busy commanding some ship apart of a CIS fleet somewhere at the frontlines, meanwhile her mother was in a similar situation but instead was focused on rebuilding their destroyed homes. Though they may be old, having lived good long lives they still had the will and fire of their younger selves and even she could see up until before the war came to their doorstep. Since then age started to catch up with them but that did not stop them from living as they had, she couldn't contact them either seeing as the only communication she had was through military channels and similar frequencies.
"Captain, our scouts on the ground have linked up with the remains of our forces," said a droid.
"How many left, do we have numbers?" Asked Kvetina. That they may have trapped the remaining Republic forces on the snowy surface below they well, still were there. The crew of the Indomitable and its shipment of droids were there as reinforcements not a rescue operation and that's what they would do though it the Confederate captain was sure it was only a matter of time before Republic ships were diverted to the system and dealt with the lone CIS vessel. Either way it was something for Kvetina to do and she would not deny the opportunity to leap into action.
"There aren't too many Captain, maybe a few dozen or so." The droid finished.
"Good, begin deploying all available forces and prepare to wipe out any Republic troops that stand in our way and dig in for the coming storm." Grabbing her comm, Kvetina contacted her two companions, "Sparks, prepare for additional reinforcements inbound on your position. Wire, as soon as you are finished with repairs make your way down to the surface." Both acknowledged her orders with the droids' signature 'roger, roger', "'4-Bit', I leave you in charge of the ship for now, if there is any sign of enemy vessels inform me but avoid engagement at all costs, we cannot lose this ship and be stranded as well."
After the short ride to the Agamar's surface, a wave of cool air immediately hit the woman as the transport's doors hissed open. Fortunately for her the cold was not harsh and the air was seemingly dry and still save for the light gusts of wind that would have gently rocked the grass if there were any. As Kvetina walked down the ramp she was met by Sparks who would follow behind her and on either side rows upon rows of droids were being deployed in the thousands. Half of their entire droid complement had been deployed to finish off the last of the Republic forces but problem was: The Republic had taken refuge in and outside their operating base. Sparks informed her that the troops realized their transports out of the system had been destroyed and decided to fortify every inch of snow they could. The captain marched alongside her army of tens of thousands, snow beneath her feet crunched with every step and the path ahead looked bleak and empty. In front of the army was nothing but a white sea that stretched so far it looked as if it met with the sky itself. Were a person to see this sight without direction they would surely wish for death than walking through this limbo of ice, but with a destination set and a goal in mind Kvetina pressed on to win a victory for the Confederacy of Independent Systems. A number of other droids stayed behind to watch over the camp, not to mention Wire would soon be on his way down should any clones get an idea to steal their ticket off world.
It wasn't long before their landing site disappeared into a speck, "Sparks, how much further is our target destination?" Asked the droid's master.
"The Republic forces dug in will be in sight just beyond the ridge ahead. Should we not request orbital support?"
"It's being repaired at the moment and shield batteries are recharging. Plus, it needs to be ready for us to flee should something worse arrive." She replied. Kvetina could only imagine the sight the clones below must have seen: legions of droids appearing simultaneously over the horizon. Halting alongside her, the captain wondered whether she could fully manage an army of this size. Previously her only experience in commanding was the single company of droids at her disposal but now she was left to command an army that should be under the watchful eye of either a tactical droid or an organized chain of command but being the only officer available she would have to cut corners somewhere and keeping track of each of her droids was nigh impossible with the sheer amounts at the disposal.
"Shall we begin the attack Captain?" Asked Sparks stepping ahead instinctively to shield her from any potential blaster shot.
"What droids do we have?"
"Only standard B1 Battle Droids and a number of B2 Super Battle Droids." The odds stacked against her more and more, no armor to use as cover, no terrain to hide behind, no advanced droids to open up options, the best she could do was to throw bodies (well, droids) at the problem and hope it would end well enough.
"All forces, advance." She ordered. At the command of their acting leader the legions of droids marched down the snow-covered hill. Their fight began with the first wave of blaster fire meeting one another. As she had expected the clones started racking up the count for their side as their white armor blended well with the snow, their makeshift defenses shielded them from some of harm's way, and every shot they made more accurate and deadlier. Kvetina could only watch from the same ridge as her droids fell by the dozens, inside she felt ashamed of sending them all off without any real plan but given the circumstances she knew she could do little to avoid throwing away valuable troops as many Confederate generals often did. Slowly the droids made ground toward Republic forces, passing the cover of the trenches the B1s alone made quick work of the clones unable to escape their dug graves while others continued to fight on in a trench not much further ahead. It was at this time the Confederate captain and Sparks made their way down passed the field of droid parts and the occasional clone body to join their comrades in the final moments of the battle, Sparks, with vibrosword in hand, charged through the hordes of droids until he himself was at the front of the battle slashing away at unsuspecting clones. Kvetina could not afford such risks, instead picking up an E-5 off a fallen droid and taking shots from the rear whenever she could with he only cover being a B2 she was behind. While the clones' numbers dropped one by one her droids still counted in the tens of thousands, no matter what tricks the clones had left they would be overwhelmed by the vast numbers and even then, were limited by their own will and strength but her droids would press on forever. The snow blow the Confederate captain faded to the back of her mind, instead of realizing its stinging touch she was zoned in on the battle at hand. She could not count how many clones were left, relying on her droids to look for targets themselves until finally she caught up to Sparks. His torso chassis was charred and snow dyed red stuck in some places on him but he looked as if he was untouched by the rigors of combat.
"All Republic forces in the vicinity have been dealt with captain. Any survivors will perish out in the wasteland or will be found by our troops." He attached the vibrosword to his back, rejoining his master at her side. As far as she knew for now the planet was under Confederate control, and with the remnants of the Agamar garrison merging with her own forces her previous objective was in a sense completed. All that would have to be done now would be to inform command of their victory and await further orders though she was worried the latter would not reach her in time should additional Republic troops arrive in the system.
"Very good, secure a perimeter and await further orders from command." Her first battle on another world had been a victory, but just as she was in orbit Kvetina was trapped on the icy planet with no orders or plans to prepare for the future.
AN: A bit late but the week has been busy, thank you reader for the patience! Enjoy!
~Firetoast312