A strong wind blew gusts of sharp snow fractions into his visier. Fives lost count of how many times he had wiped the HUD with his hand in the last twenty minutes. Even though they were taking cover in a valley between two peaks, the wind found its way to smash hail onto their armour. From what he could see, conditions down below, amid the battle, weren't much better. Fives adjusted his scope and leaned out to get a better view of the large field that would soon enough turn into a pit.
"How many more droids can they have?" Jesse asked after sitting down next to Fives. Three more battalions just headed out from the Separatists' facility which now, based on their resources, seemed more like a weapon factory.
"Not my problem as long as they're outside the base." Dozer spat from behind the rock formation where he was checking his equipment with Lester. The task of blowing up the main reactor from inside fell upon the four brothers and they were now waiting for the battle to get rolling so they could sneak inside.
"I hope General is as convincing to clankers as he was at the briefing." Lester remarked lightheartedly though a few foul words escaped his mouth as a cap of heavy snow tumbled from the hillside right atop his head.
"Time for us." Fives cut their chatter decidedly after calculating the situation developing at the foot of the mountain. Droids have already passed the middle of the lake which meant they should move too.
The brothers threw their heavy, filled to the brim with explosives, backpacks over their shoulders and carefully slid down the slope toward the facility. The snow underneath their footsteps was covered in a thin layer of ice which didn't seem to melt even though the hazy morning already progressed into noon. The only advantage of this harsh weather was the biting wind which blurred the surroundings into mush, them included. Even though they didn't have to worry much about sneaking, the road was still a tough climb and it took a while before they were met with cold durasteel walls. Their electricity-suspending devices managed to temporarily slow down the huge ventilation fan so they could pass through it. They made it to the ladderway which somehow was even colder than the outsides. In the long tunnel, each step echoed prominently but no amount of caution could've stopped the sound completely.
"Good luck." Fives said over his shoulder when the corridor forked, forcing their team to split up. The hope was that they'll all eventually meet at the main reactor.
"You too." Dozer nodded tightly and with Lester, they disappeared into the dark tunnel.
With scanners set to detect heating pipes, Fives and Jesse continued their climb, which later turned into crawling and squeezing through narrow ventilation shafts, until they reached a dead end. The only way now was down, into the main corridors, where keeping their presence secret wouldn't be as simple. Fives lifted the hatch and peeked out to scan the hall.
"Clear." He murmured to Jesse and in a moment two pairs of heavy boots landed on the flooring.
They strolled through the corridors quickly - the sooner they got out, the less chance they'd run into any stray droid units. From the very beginning, Fives didn't believe the task would be easy. As confident as Skywalker was, there was no way the outpost would be left unattended. However, after safely passing the third corner, Fives started to put more faith in the strategy. That was until the first blaster bolt swished past his helmet.
"Get down!" Fives warned harshly, simultaneously taking cover by the pillar.
Now that he could look at the situation from a relatively safe position, he saw it was a unit of standard B1s - nothing they couldn't handle. Both blasters in a firm grip, Fives shot forward, sending bullets straight at their targets. Jesse didn't stay behind, quickly joining the fun. Not much time passed before the ARCs were the only ones left standing.
"That'd be all in terms of coming in quietly." Jesse said ironically, looking around at the sparkling electricity litter.
"Don't know 'bout you but I took care of all the witnesses." Fives retorted, kicking the severed head of the battle droid laying at his feet. He cockily spun blasters in his hands before tucking them into holsters. "C'mon, it's only beginning of this splendid mansion." He retorted sarcastically, already moving from his spot to continue the journey interrupted by the fight.
"Volunteering to act as a tour guide?" Jesse mocked as he matched Fives' step. "You seem quite lost to me." His words bounced back from the steel wall fencing passage.
"Then wipe your visier." Fives countered. He plugged into the system and fidgeted with the panel control, trying to get the door open. When the sprocket finally let go and started turning, Fives straightened up and indicated the moving hatch with a wave of his hand. The gesture held an exaggerated amount of fake courtesy but Fives had to make up for the raised eyebrow hidden underneath his helmet. "Sceptics first." He turned his head towards the unveiling corridor. His boast barely left his mouth when he was met with a unit of droids. Again. He sighed heavily. "Kriff."
Red bolts ripped through stiff air, battering the walls where ARCs were standing merely seconds ago.
"Great work, Fives." Jesse sneered between his shots as he leaned in and out from a shelter of the corridor's fork. "I'll pass on your guidance in the future."
"Providing there is one." Fives grumbled sarcastically to himself, deciding to only lower his own morale. "Any ideas?" He asked the man, audibly this time. Fives was pressed against the wall, mirroring Jesse's position but he knew that it wouldn't last long. B2-series droids weren't as lousy as standard clankers, they wouldn't play around.
"Let's draw back." Jesse said after pointing to the sealed doors to his right. "We'll worry 'bout nucleate once we get out of this. Cover me." He shouted and ran up to the panel control, leaving Fives to handle the droids alone.
Fives fired at the droids from his shelter for as long as it was effective until the machines' feet levelled off at the corner he was hiding behind. He threw a quick glance at Jesse but the man was still hunched over the lock. A short curse left Fives' lips to release some of the tension in his body, then in a swift motion, he pierced the closest droid with bullets and grabbed the heavy corpse to use as a shield. This time there was no Ahsoka to guard his back, deflecting any bolts that might harm him.
"Jess?!" Fives shouted, grabbing the next droid by the arm to redirect its blaster away from his own head, while firing at another a few steps away. "Now 'd be the time!" He ripped the blaster from B1's grip and pierced its head with blue bolts.
"I'm working on it!" Jesse shouted back but his promissory were getting less and less reliable with each passing minute.
"Is it too late to exchange you for astromech?!" Fives threw the remark over his shoulder. He tried to counter the attack but with the new droids still coming, he was forced to retreat.
"Don't know; ain't too late for me to leave you here." Jesse retorted. His voice was followed by the swoosh of the durasteel hatch which Fives managed to hear even despite the rain of blaster bolts flying his way. "Get in, 'got ya!"
Fives stepped backwards with his fingers still tight on the triggers. His feet had barely crossed the entrance, joining Jesse as the hatch closed shut right in front of his face. Just as he was about to sigh in relief, his lips twitched due to the rasp of durasteel behind him. Fives suppressed a roll of his eyes at the familiar sound of bowling droideka. Kark. He turned around just in time to dodge blaster bolts aimed at his head.
The retreat was not an option, they didn't have time to search for another way, supposing there was any. With each mishap on their part, they forced hundreds of brothers fighting outside these walls to stall for time with the highest stakes - the kind that even Fives would never dare to bet on. There was no choice at this point. He reached to the inside of the bag hanging on his shoulder and took out two explosives.
"Jesse, take cover!" Fives shouted, and once he received a nod of confirmation from his brother, he quickly threw bombs into the corridor from which the droids were coming.
He barely managed to get any cover when the ground shook and he heard metal parts flying in all directions to then bounce off the walls they had hit. The screen he cowered behind wasn't much of a shelter - the force of the explosion sent him to the ground where flaming red sparks fell right next to his face. Though Fives was still in better shape than the droid whose head had just landed by his foot.
Once he was sure that no delayed explosions were creeping for him, Fives scrambled to his feet and looked around in search of his companion. He quickly spotted Jesse laying against the opposite wall but in comparison to Fives, the man wasn't showing any will to rise from the heated flooring. In four big steps, Fives found himself on his knees next to his brother.
"Jesse?" He shook his shoulder. "Jess, say something." Fives reached out and removed his brother's helmet as the wait for an answer was getting too long. Once freed from the bucket, Jesse's head limply rolled to the side, his eyes closed. Fives pressed two fingers to his neck and was relieved to feel a steady thump of blood coursing under his palm. From what Fives deduced, Jesse also had been trashed against a wall as a result of the explosion, with the difference that the impact had knocked him out for an indefinite period of time. A time that Fives did not have.
"Jesse, don't do this now. Come on, buddy; get your sorry ass together and wake up." Fives shook his brother's shoulder in the hope it would bring him back to consciousness but to no avail. "Kriff it." Fives swore, realising it was as good as banging his head against a brick wall. After putting the helmet back on his head, Fives threw Jesse's bag over his shoulder and then did the same with its owner.
Gritting his teeth, Fives rose to his feet, trying out his stability with the additional weight messing up his balance. After a few steps, once he got used to the new burden on his shoulders and the ringing in his ears slowly ceased, he was able to set a steadier and faster stride, but that didn't change the fact that the situation wasn't ideal. Fives grunted at the weight on his back - with a bitter sigh, he recollected a not-so-distant memory of carrying Ahsoka in his arms. He missed the sweet pressure of her body against his chest, the way his muscles tensed at even the slightest of her movement. He especially yearned for the sweet feeling of her fingers brushing against his bare skin. Fives shook his head. He had to focus. He wasn't sure if it was right to wander in this particular memory but if there ever was a right time and place to do so, then the middle of a mission in the Separatists' base was definitely not it.
What Fives hadn't thought of before setting the corridor on fire was the fact that he was supposed to trace the main reactor based on the heat pipes under the flooring. So now, with the flaming tongues still lingering on the metal parts, his scanners were screaming in confusion. He tried dialling Dozer and Lester but both their comms were not responding. Fives hoped they were doing better than him, preferably busy planting explosives on their real target. He tossed Jesse on his shoulders as his body began to slide off his shoulders. Kriff, what else could have gone wrong?
Thankfully, after entering the next halls, the scanners became useful again and Fives felt he was back on track. He even managed to make it through three more turns without encountering any stray droid units.
"Damn, I'm doing better on my own than with you walking around." Fives remarked sarcastically to his unconscious companion - or rather passenger. "But you're gonna pay me later for the courtesy of travelling on my…" Fives broke as he unsealed the hatch and a huge hall appeared in front of his eyes. "...back."
An exhale rolled from his mouth, the sound followed by countless echoes in the vast space. The room he found himself in was circular in shape, stretching out at least twenty yards upwards and twice as much gaping under his feet, ready to swallow into the darkness anything that might come. Every six metres there were four entrances on each side, connected by narrow bridges that converged to a main reactor in the centre. The humming core emanated a bright red light that led Fives to the objective of his mission.
The incomprehensible void below was intimidating but Fives didn't slow his stride until he reached the nuclear. He swung Jesse off his back and, as gently as he currently had the strength to do, he laid him on the ground. Fives took down the bags full of explosives and quickly set to work attaching them to the central reactor. Each device clicked when set on the durasteel surface and lit up with a bright red light, announcing its readiness to detonate at Fives' request. As satisfied with his work as Fives was, he felt uneasiness creeping beneath his skin. He didn't like being either ungrateful or pessimistic, but usually when things were going well for him, there was a price lurking behind his back, as if the galaxy was urging him to pay off his debt.
Fives dialled Dozer's frequency once more, hoping that this time he'd respond with something more than silence. Maybe now that Fives was done with his task, he'd be able to help them, wherever they got stuck. His communicator hummed quietly inside his helmet, indicating that it was realising the call but simultaneously, a similar sound came from another direction. Fives frowned in confusion, immediately blaming his mad brain for holding onto the remaining ringing from the previous explosion. But two seconds later, the sound returned, and by the way it echoed through the vast hall, Fives was certain that his head wasn't to blame. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine and he very slowly raised his head. His eyes searched the bridges hovering above, but from where he was standing, he could see nothing but their underside.
Reluctantly, Fives took a step forward, then another one. The high-pitched sound of an unanswered call continued to echo and, to his frightened ears, seemed to grow louder and louder, surpassing the turmoil of the reactor and piercing into his skull. Fives tried to locate the source of the sound but it turned out impossible as it bounced off every surface, driving him mad. He was taking the next, cautious steps to round the main reactor, blasters already in his tightly clenched hands. With guns held up high, he took the last necessary step to unveil the higher bridge to his eyes. His whole body jolted as he was met with a blank stare of brown eyes - the same ones he owned. Fives involuntarily took a step back. His breathing escalated as blood pounded deafeningly in his ears, but that still couldn't drown out the sound of the pressing call. No matter how insistent it was, there was no way to wake up from death.
Fives forced a slow exhale, trying to calm his nerves but the air was escaping his mouth in ragged gasps. He tore his eyes away to take in the rest of the scene but still couldn't break free from the burden of his fallen brother's heavy stare. Dozer was laying on his side with a hole burned in his skull and blood seeping from his mouth. His helmet must have fallen to the vast void below since Fives couldn't spot it anywhere else. He turned around in search of Lester, trying to prepare himself for a gruesome display but his lungs collapsed anyway. On the opposite bridge, there was a body splayed under unnatural angles, vibro-daggers protruding from the bleeding chest. The armour was smeared in crimson so profoundly that Fives couldn't make out anything of the blue markings that he knew were hidden underneath. Lester's arms were frozen in a tight grip on the bag full of explosives. The ones that got away were surrounding the lifeless silhouette, red diodes flickering brightly but not enough to compete with the intensity of the blood's taint.
After heavy minutes of staring helplessly at the dead corpses, eventually Fives' racing heartbeat reminded him that he should move too, and move fast. Two wavering steps backwards before he managed to turn and find his way back to where Jesse lay unconscious. Quickly throwing the man over his shoulders, Fives darted toward the exit, leaving his fallen brothers behind. He dialled the frequency on his comm to the person he fervently hoped was still alive - someone so dedicated to the regs that would answer the call even from the grave.
"Captain Rex, do you copy?" He barely recognised his own voice through the unfamiliar tremor. "The explosives are in place." Fives went on, in too much of a hurry to wait for confirmation. "We're on our way out-" His voice was broken by a blaster bolt that ripped through the air by his helmet, missing by merely an inch.
Fives ducked, instinctively avoiding incoming shots and letting go of Jesse's arm to draw his weapon and sent a volley of his own. He spun around, his HUD searching for a target in the prevailing dimness, but the red laser streaks came first to help him establish the enemy's position.
"Fives, where are you?" Rex's voice sounded from the comlink. His timing couldn't have been worse, as Fives was currently more than a little occupied.
Commando droids came fully into his view, one carrying a heavy rifle while the other two wielded glowing vibroswords. They were rapidly closing the distance that Fives had so desperately tried to broaden by retreating across the narrow bridge. Firing with only one hand, his chances were slim, but he feared to reach for the second blaster as he could already feel Jesse's body slowly sliding off his shoulders.
"Fives, are you there?" Captain inquired again, battle sounds accompanying his strained voice.
More bolts fired towards Fives and he had more and more trouble dodging them. Not only did he have to care about his own skin but also look after the body hanging from his shoulders. He sped up his stride, but with bolts heading for his chest and burden outweighing his balance, Fives collapsed to the ground.
"Fives do you-" He didn't hear the rest of the sentence as his head whacked against the durasteel floor with a deafening thud. Jesse's limp body tumbled further down the bridge and Fives heard his own scream as his brother rolled too close to the edge. The man's arm slid over the edge, toying with gravity, playing whether it'd tip the scales and drag Jesse to his death.
Fives rolled to avoid incoming bolts, hissing from pain as one ray grazed his arm. He reached out for his blasters and with a fast volley, pierced the droid into useless junk which slumped into the void. Fives got to his feet, fighting himself between defending against droids and running for Jesse. His dilemma was cut short when BX closed the distance and swung his electro blade at Fives' neck. The man blocked the attack with his blaster barrel but the metal screeched at the contact and it definitely wasn't a battle cry. A groan escaped Fives' lips as a steel fist punched him in the stomach. He gritted his teeth and pushed the blaster further to jank the blade out from the droid's grip. His gun fell to the ground with a rumble but the sword replaced its place in Fives' hand and, in a swift motion, pierced the steel chest with a sharp edge.
The commando's corpse fell to the ground with a loud clatter, but Fives didn't wait a moment and charged the remaining one. He made a run-up before sliding on his knees to get past the BX, aiming for the legs but ended up covering his own head from the blows. He stood up and backed closer to the reactor, fervently hoping to turn the commando's attention away from Jesse. The droid immediately followed him, a glowing sword in his grip - maybe Fives acted as convincingly as a decoy as Skywalker did. Or maybe the commando had already considered Jesse a dead man, which, given his half-hanging position above the abyss, wasn't that far from the truth.
A loud clunk echoed in the hall as two blades smashed together. Fives quickly realised that his blaster was useless in direct combat so he tucked it back into the holster and used both hands to stand against the artificial strength. But the fight wasn't equal from the beginning. Droid maintained its solid grip on the sword, at the same time punching Fives' head, knocking his helmet off his head. Fives didn't dare to spare a glance at the bucket but he did register the sound of it rolling over the bridge.
Pain blinded him for a moment and it was pure luck that he managed to avoid the next strike. The blade cut into the reactor, barely missing Fives' head and the bomb attached to the surface. A few more inches closer and it all would go to hell, taking him and Jesse along. Commando ripped his sword from the structure and swung it once more at Fives. Their blades crashed but this time the droid pushed him further, smashing Fives' back flat against the nuclear. Fives didn't have time to catch the breath that got knocked out of his lungs from the impact. The metal arm clenched his hand in a ruthless grip, trying to force Fives into letting go of his sword by breaking his hand into two. Neither intended to give up as they remained locked in a firm stranglehold.
Fives felt thick drops dripping onto the side of his head, then slowly trickling down his face, nearly avoiding his right eye. In the beginning, he thought it was sweat that had collected on his brow. Then, from beneath his lashes, Fives caught a glimpse of crimson running down his cheek. But Fives wasn't hurt. Even despite the enormous amount of adrenaline coursing through his veins, he would've felt a head injury. He took his eyes away from the droid pushing the blade into his neck and dreadfully shifted his gaze higher. On the bridge, right above him, lay Lester's still body but the blood from his cuts ran further, now sending the next heavy drops right in the middle of Fives' forehead. More streaks covered his face as the cold liquid trickled slowly, yet seemingly burning its trails on his skin.
Heartbeat accelerating, Fives looked back at the BX, though with one eye only as the other was shut to avoid the blood that tried to barge in. His muscles were shaking from exhaustion, every ounce of his body fighting despite surpassing his breaking point. A helpless groan escaped his lips as he tried to push away from the fatal hold but to no avail. That was it. He could feel his arm giving up against the artificial pressure; hear the hum of electricity swirling in his ears as the blade was nearing his throat. He swore he could hear the crack of plastoid on his forearm as the droid clenched his durasteel fingers further into his flesh. Fives felt a metallic taste as a droplet of blood fell from the tip of his nose onto his lips. He was going to die having someone else's blood on his tongue and hands.
Dying was one thing, he was created to fight and die on the battlefield; his very own existence was premised on death. But failure was never written into his genetic code. Giving up was not part of who he was. Fives gritted his teeth in utter despair, heart full of sorrows and regrets, as he watched the blade close on his neck. He choked the last growl when a blaster bolt shot towards his head.
A blue beam of light hit the middle of the droid's skull, burned wires were smoking as the heavy BX fell forward on his chest. Fives needed a second to register what had happened that he was still standing and the droid collapsed to the ground with clatter. He turned his head in the direction of the shot and saw Jesse with a withdrawn blaster still hanging in the air.
"You alright?" Jesse asked uncertainly, his chest heaving.
"Yeah." Fives breathed out. He wiped a trembling hand over his face and moved away from underneath the bloody waterfall. "Yeah, alright." His head was aching from the stroke, his forearm barely moving but besides that, he really didn't suffer any injuries.
In the meantime, Jesse bent down and picked up Fives' helmet from the battered flooring.
"Thanks, brother." Fives said as he walked up on the wobbly legs and took the offering from Jesse.
"From what I see, I owe you much more." Man replied while looking around, certainly not remembering how he even got here. Fives would give everything away to be able to forget.
"Let's get out of 'ere." He said quickly after slamming the helmet back on his head. Jesse nodded and led them out, having the courtesy of not asking Fives for any explanations.
Without the heavy backpacks, it was slightly easier to move through the facility. They retraced the road they had taken to get to the reactor and were halfway through when their communicators went off. Fives' blood ran cold at the sound, his mind immediately getting dragged back to the dark hall, even though he physically was a mile away.
"Fives! Jesse! What the hell is goin' on there?!" Skywalker's sharp voice sounded in their comlink channel.
"Explosives are set, sir." Jesse took on the task of answering, for which Fives was utterly grateful. "We're on our way out."
"Where are Dozer and Lester?" The man sounded calmer now that he finally received any information though his concern was still very audible. "They haven't answered my calls in a while now."
"Sir, they-" Jesse started but his voice failed on him. "They didn't make it." He ended flatly. There was a heavy pause, but Fives' muscles were too sore to bear another burden and break it.
"How long before you get out?" General asked finally.
"Ten minutes, sir. Though we're far enough to detonate already."
"Good. When shields go down, we'll pick you from the extraction point."
"Copy that." Jesse responded, ending the call. "Fives?" He turned to his brother, indicating the detonator with a nod of his head.
Fives pressed the button and not a minute later, the ground beneath his feet shook violently. No matter the effort, his body gave in and crashed into the wall. All the lights in the corridors switched to red emergency ones, a loud alarm signal reverberated through the halls and Fives knew that its looped noise was going to accompany them till their departure. Both men quickly recovered, pushed off the wall and took off as fast as they could. A few units of droids passed by but with all the commotion, the ARCs managed to sneak past unnoticed.
A left turn, two to the right, then another to the left until they found the passage to the tunnel. Clambering with his nearly crushed hand wasn't easy, but eventually, they made it to the top. Jesse got out onto the roof first, then held out a hand to Fives to help him up. The cold air outside scratched his throat painfully while the strong wind made his kama flap loudly. Republic starfighters flew past them and Fives had to dig in his heels to avoid being pushed back by the forceful blasts. He looked up just as the gunship descended in flight; its doors slid open and the ropes dropped to their feet.
The ARCs gripped the ropes tightly, their hands clenched till their knuckles turned white and then began to climb. On board, there were troopers ready to help them slip inside and just as Fives grabbed the handle hanging from the ceiling, the gunship moved violently, away from the fire destroying the facility. With a racing heart, Fives watched as more columns collapsed with rumble.
"Great job, troopers." General's voice snapped Fives from gaping at the rising fire.
"It was all Fives, sir." Jesse answered, not accepting the praise. "I got knocked out for the most part." He admitted truthfully and shifted his gaze at Fives, just like the General did.
"Reliable as always." Skywalker said sincerely with a shadow of a smile, looking at him intently to make sure he conveyed his recognition. But Fives felt nothing. He was completely empty. As if the essential part of him got left behind and was about to be buried unceremoniously along Dozer and Lester's bodies.
Fives couldn't force his throat to choke out any coherent word to respond. He barely managed a tight nod and only maintained an upright posture until Skywalker moved away to talk with Rex.
The gunship jolted at the strong gust of whistling wind. The army was retreating, bathed in glory as the starfighters finished destroying the facility that would soon sink deep into the water. Fives watched blankly as the cracks in the lake grew larger, tearing ice-cap apart and dragging next tons of durasteel underneath the frigid waters. The layer of dried blood on his face also began to crack, and the only thing that kept his composure seeming solid to others was the presence of the armour covering his body.
The battle was over. Republic's business on Hoth ended for the time being. He had done his part and now he could finally leave this karking hell. Fives was coming back to Coruscant, back to her. He'd be able to see Ahsoka again; able to satiate the very longing that had kept him going these past few days. Nothing else should matter. As the gunship rose higher, Fives even managed to catch a glimpse of a sunbeam, as if Hoth was trying to offer him a pleasant parting memento. Fives was indeed leaving the planet with baggage full of new memories. Echos of agonising screams, lifeless bodies and rivers flowing with blood. The kind of memories that tend to stick forever.