"Defeat and Separation"

Being held by thin, robotic limbs wasn't the most comfortable position to be in but it was better than feeling the snow stinging Kvetina's skin for the second time on this frozen rock. Around her were the remains of battle with a few fires still burning from the wreckages of vehicles. In front of her was Wire, holding a bag of medical supplies looted off of one of the clone's bodies no doubt as the bag bore the insignia of the Republic. Behind him were a dozen battle droids sweeping the sea of blood and scrap for any survivors be them droid or vat-grown soldier alike though from the looks of it the cost for the Confederacy was far greater than their Republic opponent. The bandage around her head had felt a little tighter, likely due to being replaced while new ones had appeared around her abdomen and left arm. The cold air certainly didn't help the feeling of the cold, jelly-like feeling of bacta seeping into her fresh wounds which stung but would ultimately be the critical factor in the Captain being patched up to good health. Meanwhile Sparks held a chunk of ice to his owner's cheek to keep the swelling of a bruise down but was ever careful not to let frostbite take hold on her exposed skin. The Captain, struggling to keep her eyes open by speaking a string of gibberish with the occasional swear and could only see a blurry view of the dull, plain, white landscape as a light snowfall had begun once more. Upon realizing her awakened state Sparks was the first to acknowledge it.

"Are you awake Captain?" Sparks asked as he looked down on the officer in question.

"Am I?" She questioned, unsure herself whether she was still dreaming or not. Remembering her task, she looked to the commando droid, "What happened during the battle?"

"We were defeated Captain, being unable to adapt to the changing battle nearly all droid forces were wiped out. It is fortunate the casualties were enough to force a Republic withdraw however we did not fare any better." Being carefully propped up against Sparks's knee, Kvetina tried to get herself up to her feet but was held back down by both her droids and the sharp, burning pain from the two blaster shots she took and managed to survive.

"Captain," Wire started, "I recommend you to stay put. I have already called a transport for our pick up, any further actions may cause permanent damage and that I cannot allow." Trying to resist was useless, the droid's owner loosened up and gave in to Wire's instructions, relaxing as much as she could given the circumstances of pain and in need of medical attention. Thinking more about her recent battle Kvetina had come to realize that this was the first defeat in an otherwise series of victories over the Republic and their Jedi Generals; and it was hers to bare alone. Looking out once more to the remains of the battlefield among the dead and debris was the familiar hilt and dull grey blade of her vibroblade impaled into the snow and ice while her blaster was nowhere to be found.

It took some time for the transport to finally arrive and in that time the Confederate officer had managed to retrieve her weapons with the aid of her droids. Being held up by the two droids didn't lessen the pain but without them she probably wouldn't have made it so easily to the ship which itself was crewed by half a dozen of her own droids; each colored with a blue designs and schemes to make them stand out when compared to the surviving B1s that too boarded the transport. Carefully, Wire laid his owner to rest knowing how fragile her body was compared to the durable metal of a droids, likewise Sparks stood guard as to protect her from a non-existent enemy aboard the ship, but that did not stop him from trying. "Shall I contact the General, Captain? I was to inform him once you were awake." Wire asked, holding out a comm ready for the word. She allowed him to proceed in which it only took seconds for the holographic image of the Super Tactical Droid to appear in a blue hologram.

"Greetings Captain. I will not hesitate to say you have failed in developing an effective strategy against the Republic." 'Right to the point' Kvetina thought. "Your droids have informed me of only nine surviving units including yourself."

"General-" She began before the droid raised a hand to silence her. She could tell from his posture and tone alone that he was disappointed in her which brought with it a feeling of a little shame much like when her father used to scorn her whenever she did something careless many years ago.

"You led your forces to a nearly one hundred percent loss rate and gained little to show for it." Seeing as the remaining droids could all fit in one transport, the Captain was expecting her leadership role stripped from her which was agreed upon back on the General's ship.

"Your failure to achieve an acceptable victory condition has led me to suspend your access to our already limited forces. It is fortunate you had at the very least succeeded in your mission however, I will be taking full control of the Agamar Campaign. Any leading roles given to you will be left to infantry forces only. It is ashamed Captain, I had truly expected much from you but it would appear you are currently unfit for a greater command role."

"Y-Yes General, what are your orders?"

"From what your droids have informed of me you are unfit for even light combat duties. You are to remain aboard your ship until you meet minimum recovery status, your droids shall take your place for the time being. Is this order clear?"

"Yes General." Kvetina said in defeat.

"Very well Captain. Dismissed." Said the droid before ending the connection with the push of a button.

Aboard the Indomitable, repairs to the hull had been complete with the damaged walls of the interior contrasting greatly with the older looking parts that managed to evade destruction. Although there was plenty of other patchwork to finish the Munificent was more or less back to its full fighting strength although it wouldn't have to be as careful with engagements anymore now that it had been merged with an entire fleet. Back on the bridge with its angular glass and design, Kvetina sat in her chair and simply admired the view of pitch black space which was dotted with millions of tiny, visible specs and the white-blue planet below them outshining everything except the system's star itself. To add to the view was the great number of Separatist ships surrounding every side of her vision, from other Munificent frigates and Providence cruisers (which were the only two classes she had ever seen with her own eyes) to newer vessels she had learned of such as the Recusant-class, and of course Kalani's flagship which was itself a sort of supply ship for the fleet. Nevertheless, the Confederacy fleet remained idle as both its leader and enemy wouldn't dare try to venture close to one another for fear of an immediate defeat which was just fine for the injured Captain of the Indomitable. After ensuring their owner's safety, Sparks and Wire followed the General's orders and returned to the surface after a brief 'farewell'. Without being able to do much herself Kvetina could only ponder what went wrong and how she would correct it, her over-confidence in her ability was already clear to her after seeing what was left after the battle, especially with her superior's remarks on her failure, but otherwise she couldn't determine how much else to improve her future planning. Growing tired of her own thoughts Kvetina closed her eyes in order to catch up on proper sleep all while assuring herself that her two companions would be just fine without her.

General Kalani's orders were clear: Eliminate another Republic outpost that was dug in within a large crevasse however, without their owner in charge the role of command fell upon a tactical droid. The General had already made a basic outline of a strategy which left any changes to the tactical droid in charge. At the moment the 'fort' was composed primarily of makeshift ice walls with other equipment such as wires, crates, and the Republic's forward command center haphazardly scattered about in preference to digging in first. The Separatist attack group had been told that the base was part of the Republic supply line to the main front and capturing it would set back the enemy a good week or two which was more than enough for the droid General in orbit. What made matters better for the droids was the sun setting over the horizon and the coming night. Unlike the clones, droids- at least Sparks and Wire- could see without too much issue in the dark; an advantage the two commando droids had used frequently.

"I spot an enemy patrol of five." Said Wire with a pair of binoculars zoomed in on the clone troopers. "What is our plan?"

"If they split up to patrol the perimeter the two of us shall ambush one group and infiltrate inside." Sparks responded.

"Is that all?" Wire looked to his other expecting more.

"We have not been given any further instructions from command aside from those orders. We could cut their communications however I expect that would bring more Republic reinforcements instead."

"Perhaps we should sabotage their sensors and allow our forces to arrive undetected." Wire suggested as he kept watch on the clones who were now conversing about who goes where.

"Agreed, however we will have to blend in for some time."

"They are departing, two pairs with one left guarding the entrance." Noted Wire before putting down his blaster and equipment. "Leave everything here." The two left their position and stalked their targets keeping just out of their sight lines. While watching over them the two clones kept a conversation going about the state of things from the quality of their food to the conditions on the icy planet; not that the droids paid much attention to their enemy's complaints. Sparks was the first up being the more combat oriented of the two, he carefully made his steps match the clones as to hide the fact of a third pair of feet was present with the crunching of the snow. With the element of surprise on his side Sparks grabbed the clone in front of him and snapped his neck to the side which caused the other to turn around and see his comrade killed by the droid. As he drew his weapon to fire Wire pulled the clone to the snow with hands clasped around his neck. Once again in panic the trooper tried to bring the blaster up but he had his forearm stepped on by Sparks. It didn't take long for the last breath of the clone to finally come to an end.

"We should be quick, I suspect these two are supposed to return soon." Commented Sparks who returned to the first clone body. "Do we have an escape plan?"

"If we are figured out then we can only flee however we can." Wire said while stripping the fallen of their armor and weapons. After the two finished their disguise Sparks put a hand to his neck like a person would when clearing their throat. Instead of the low, monotone, and slightly robotic voice that was common among commando droids it instead mimicked that of a clone and asked Wire:

"Does this sound convincing?"

A.N.: Thank you for waiting (To those you bother reading these end notes), Chapter 09 will be posted tomorrow! If you're reading this after it's posted then it's already up I guess? As always, enjoy!

~Firetoast312