"We're going back, Delta squad."
"Delta, Imperials, up ahead!"
"I've got a way out for you, and your squad."
"Why Sev, Boss?"
"I don't know, Scorch. It could have been any of us."
Years had passed since Sev had died.
However, the two bodies the Empire had brought in were not those of Sev and Train, but of regular Imperial Commandos.
Scorch had never really gotten over it, but tried to keep his cheerful demeanor.
As the years passed, he was becoming more acclimated to the Imperial regimes.
Fixer was the same, unchanged, and still followed orders like some clanker.
"Scorch. More weapons training. Let's go." Fixer said, methodically checking his gun, to see if there were any repairs needed.
"Yeah, yeah. Same old story. Run, roll, shoot. Repeat a million times." Scorch muttered, and grabbed his DC-17m rifle.
"Scorch," Fixer said warningly, remembering when Scorch had openly rolled his eyes at the trainer with his helmet off.
"What?" Scorch asked, clueless to Fixer's worry.
"Just... Just remain calm." Fixer muttered, leaving.
Scorch sighed, saying, "Roll your eyes once, and you're marked for life."
Boss met Scorch as he exited, and said, "Ready?"
Scorch nodded shortly, and said, "Ready as I'll ever be, Boss."
The three commandos reached the firing range, but DeGriz, the Admiral, pulled them aside.
"Boss, you have been assigned two more Commandos, brinnging your squad up to five, instead of three." Boss nodded, and glanced over at the two new clones.
The first was their new sniper, IC-1245, Cal.
They had watched him training, and they had talked a few times, and were glad that they had a new sniper.
Cal was good, efficient, but, as Boss and Scorch agreed, he was no Sev.
The other was Spider, IC-1599, a new class of Commandos the Empire had made.
The new class were specifically designed for covert operations, more so than the ordinary Commando.
Using Mandalorian technology, the Covert Commandos were equipped with a stealth field generator, andsilenced DC-15s Blaster pistol, along with the normal weapons.
Spider, similar to his class, was taciturn, and sometimes seemed invisible, as he would sit back in a corner, and listen to the others, interrupting them to point out a flaw in the enemy's encampment, or in their plan.
"Train, get to know each other, and be ready. We're attacking the Rebel base on Hoth soon."
The five commandos saluted to Admiral DeGriz, and he nodded, striding away.
The next month passed as a whirl of activity, constant training, becoming more familiar with their new squad mates.
Boss ducked behind a crumbled wall, readying a smoke grenade.
He tossed it, and it exploded, giving him a glimpse of Spider, as the invisible Commando rolled away.
Scorch jumped out, firing quickly, the stunning bolt hitting Fixer, who had just seen Boss, and was lining up.
Boss fired, taking out Scorch, before he felt a presence behind him.
He swung backwards, crashing into Cal, who was readying the stun baton they had been given in place of their knives.
Call dropped, and Boss stunned him with his own weapon, before falling as Spider flickered into view behind him.
The Imperial Ship Terminator fell into orbit around Hoth, following a score of Star Destroyers.
It's pilot, Alpha 11, or Kevin, broke off of the fleet, per Lord Vader's instructions, and dove for the surface.
Terminator swept in for a landing, and the passengers disembarked.
Boss led off at point, with Scorch and Fixer guarded their sides, and Cal kept the back safe.
Spider disappeared into the snow, but Boss knew that the silent Commando would remain near.
Following them were Admiral DeGriz, Kevin, and seven other Clones, Niko, Reed, Vin, Tread, Will, Hyde, and Ed.
"Delta, we're the advance force for the rest. Our goal is to find a way into the base, as it appears to be underground." DeGriz said.
"Well, stuck in the cold until we find an entrance that may, or may not, be there. Oh wait, dreams really do come true." Scorch said, grinning.
"Do you ever shut up?" Cal groaned, and Scorch smirked back.
"Not when I'm awake."
"Cut the chatter, Delta-62." Fixer snapped, and then the group headed off.
Spider, meanwhile, had proceeded forward scanning for the opening.
He climbed over a low hill, and then saw a man glance around, then close a door set into the side on the adjacent hill.
He turned around, and saw a massive beast standing there.
He had heard of them, but had never seen a Wampa, especially not one that was two feet away, and coming closer.
He rolled away, and the Wampa continued on, allowing Spider to head back to the rest of Delta Squad.
Boss was scanning the frozen wasteland of Hoth, hoping to find the entrance fast.
Ever with the sealed armor, he was still getting cold.
He couldn't imagine what it would be like for DeGriz.
The Admiral was shivering, but was doing his best to continue searching.
Boss looked back ahead, then jumped back as Spider materialized right in front of him.
"I found the entrance."
"Delta, Form up. We're moving in." Boss said, and the group fell in behind him.
A minute later, the fourteen soldiers stood in front of the entrance.
Cal tried the door, and it swung open with a slight creak.
"Joy. Creaky hinges, and a dark tunnel. That's always good." Scorch muttered, and Niko chuckled.
"Come on." Boss said, and led the way into the tunnel.
"Close the door behind you, Admiral. There was a Wampa out there earlier." Spider called back, and DeGriz nodded, slamming the door shut.
The troop mover farther into the tunnel, the clones switching their helmets over to night vision, while DeGriz slid on a visor.
"Admiral DeGriz. Have you infiltrated their base?" Vader's voice crackled over his comlink.
"Yes, Lord Vader. There have been a few Wampa sightings, but nothing else."
"Good. I will be down shortly, along with the AT-ATs." The connection cut off, and DeGriz looked up.
"Let's move. Vader's on his way." The thirteen soldiers nodded, and moved forwards quickly, dropping behind cover.
"Imperial Troops have entered the base! Imperial Troops have entered the base!" The voice over the com alerted the rebels to the invasion, and Cal smiled.
"Vader's here."
Rebel soldiers ran down the hall towards the far entrace, the one Delta and the others had entered from.
"Fire!" Boss called, and the seven rebels that had rounded the corner collapsed as blaster fire tore through them.
"Go, go, go!" Scorch said, and Boss was pleased to notice that Scorch was back to his normal self.
He seemed the most at ease during firefights, and other times when his attention was completely directed at something.
"Slice that door! Delta, we need cover fire. Scorch, set up a grenade position there. Spider, stay back, then slip through when it's safe. Try to even the fight."
The members of Delta squad fell into their positions, while the clones used and shelter they could, and DeGriz and Boss stood to one side of the door.
"Fire in the hole!"
Boom. Boom.
The rebels, unprepared for the invasion from the back, stared in disbelief as Delta came through the door, followed by the troopers.
In the ensuing fight, a grenade thrown by Vin landed near some fuel barrels.
BOOOOMMMM
In the following silence, Spider, Hyde, and Kevin, who'd avoided the explosion by being in the next room, reentered the room.
"Boss! Admiral DeGriz!" Spider called, and Boss stepped out of the exterior chamber.
"The Admiral's fine. I pulled him out. Get to work reviving any of your surviving squadmates."
Hyde and Kevin bent over the fallen clones, while Spider revived Cal, and Boss got Scorch.
Soon everyone was back on their feet, except for Vin, who'd been killed by his own grenade.
The explosion had knocked in a wall, and Boss stared as he saw the stone tunnel.
Admiral DeGriz stared also, and the two leaders both stepped towards the tunnel.
As they entered, they noticed that it was clean, except for where their explosion had damaged it.
"Fixer, Scorch, Kevin, Hyde, Tread, come with me. Cal, Spider, the rest of you, go with the Admiral. Admiral, I say we check this out."
DeGriz nodded, and headed down the right side of the tunnel, while Boss went down the left.
Boss' group headed down the left side of the tunnel, as Tread examined the walls.
"Fascinating..." He muttered, running his fingers over the inscriptions.
He paused, trying to decipher the writing.
"The... Ice... should... Preserve... your... No, our... Secrets." He muttered, reading out loud.
He continued on, muttering under his breath, until he read one phrase that made him stop.
He reread it, making sure he'd translated it right, then turned, looking for Boss.
"Boss! Boss!"
The corridor was empty, and he reached for his neck.
His fingers found nothing, and he started fumbling with his helmet, trying to remove it.
"Having trouble?" He spun around.
Even as he turned, he gasped, and said, "You!"
He gasped again at a sharp pain in his chest, and dropped.
His attacker walked away, leaving Tread lying on the ground, dead.
"One down, twelve to go." The killer said, turning, and vanishing into a passageway in the wall.
Alive - Boss, Scorch, Fixer, Spider, Cal, Admiral DeGriz, Kevin, Hyde, Will, Niko, Reed, Ed
Dead - Vin, Tread