The convoy cut through the frozen landscape of Kaiser like a steel serpent.
A long line of Imperial cargo transports glided silently across the snow-covered highway, their dark armored hulls reflecting the pale winter sunlight. Unlike the wheeled vehicles used on countless other worlds, these transports never touched the ground. Each one floated nearly a meter above the specially constructed roadway, held aloft by powerful gravitic projectors embedded both within the transports themselves and beneath the transit route.
There were no wheels crunching through snow.
No engines struggling against ice.
The convoy simply drifted forward with effortless precision, maintaining tremendous speed despite the harsh terrain.
The road beneath them had been one of the Empire's first construction projects after occupying Kaiser. Massive gravitic generators had been buried beneath the highway every few hundred meters, creating an invisible field that allowed specially equipped vehicles to travel almost without friction.
Even during the worst snowstorms...
The transports rarely slowed.
Towering snowbanks rose on either side of the route, some reaching nearly twice the height of a man. Beyond them stretched endless forests blanketed in white, their ancient pine trees standing silent beneath layers of freshly fallen snow.
It was beautiful.
Commander Garrick stood near the front observation window of the lead transport, studying the terrain as it rolled steadily past.
He knew this valley well.
Every narrow pass...
Every cliff...
Imperial reconnaissance teams had spent weeks mapping the entire region.
More importantly...
They had mapped where rebels preferred to fight.
His eyes drifted toward the steep slopes rising on both sides of the highway.
Perfect ambush positions.
"Let's see if our information was correct."
Behind him, the heavy doors slid open with a soft mechanical hiss.
Commander Garrick immediately straightened.
"My Lord."
Darth Vader entered without a word.
The towering Sith Lord moved with slow, deliberate steps before stopping beside the observation window. His black cape hung motionless despite the gentle vibration of the transport, while the polished armor covering his mechanical body reflected the pale light filtering through the reinforced transparisteel.
The rhythmic sound of his breathing filled the compartment.
For several moments, neither man spoke.
Both simply watched the frozen landscape sliding past outside.
"The visible escort consists of only thirty-two clone troopers."
He enlarged the display.
"Enough to convince anyone watching that this is an ordinary supply convoy."
Everything had been carefully arranged.
"The reports from our spies arrived this morning."
Vader turned his helmet slightly.
"They've done their work."
A faint smile appeared on the commander's face.
"The rebellion believes this convoy carries food, medicine, winter clothing, and engineering equipment intended for the northern mining settlements."
"The information spread exactly as we hoped."
Vader remained silent.
The commander understood that silence well enough to continue.
"If they believed we were transporting mining machinery..."
"They would destroy the convoy from long range."
"They've done it before."
He looked back toward the valley.
"They know they can't win a direct engagement."
"So they'd simply eliminate the cargo."
"But this is different."
Vader's mechanical breathing echoed softly through the compartment.
"They are hungry."
"They lack medicine."
"They are running out of winter supplies."
Commander Garrick nodded.
"Which means they won't destroy the convoy."
He looked toward the transports stretching behind them.
"They'll try to capture it."
Vader finally spoke again.
"They will come close."
The commander bowed his head respectfully.
Silence settled once more.
Outside, snowflakes drifted lazily through the air, carried by a gentle mountain breeze.
The convoy continued deeper into the valley.
The mountains gradually closed around them.
Steep cliffs rose on both sides of the road, while dense forests climbed their slopes almost to the peaks. Fresh snow covered every branch, giving the entire landscape the appearance of untouched wilderness.
Only someone who knew where to look...
Would notice the countless places where armed men could hide.
Commander Garrick looked toward one particularly narrow section ahead.
"We're approaching the kill zone."
Vader neither answered nor moved.
He slowly closed his eyes.
The Force spread outward from him like invisible ripples across still water.
The frozen mountains offered no resistance.
The snow.
The trees.
The rocks.
Everything became part of the current flowing around him.
Then...
He felt it.
Fear.
Hope.
Excitement.
Hundreds.
Scattered across both mountainsides.
Vader opened his eyes.
"They're here."
Commander Garrick instinctively reached for the blaster at his hip.
"So soon?"
"They have been waiting."
The commander immediately keyed his communications unit.
"All units."
His voice remained calm.
"Maintain formation."
"No one breaks ranks."
"Continue exactly as planned."
A chorus of acknowledgments answered him.
The convoy rounded another gradual bend. The valley narrowed even further. Towering cliffs blocked both sides. There was nowhere to maneuver. Nowhere to retreat.
It was the perfect place for an ambush.
Commander Garrick slowly lowered his datapad.
"They've chosen well."
Vader's helmet turned slightly toward the mountains.
"So have we."
The convoy continued gliding smoothly through the snow as though completely unaware of the danger surrounding it.
Then—
A brilliant green blaster bolt tore through the stillness.
Commander Garrick never even saw where it came from.
BOOM!
The lead escort speeder erupted into a ball of fire.
The explosion echoed through the valley.
For a single heartbeat, the valley was silent.
Then the mountains erupted.
Green and red blaster bolts poured down from both sides of the valley like a deadly rainstorm. Hidden bunkers concealed beneath the snow suddenly opened, revealing heavy repeating blasters that unleashed streams of energy toward the Imperial convoy.
Explosions shook the frozen slopes.
Snow cascaded from the cliffs in great white clouds.
The peaceful mountain pass instantly transformed into a battlefield.
"Attack!"
A powerful voice echoed from somewhere high above the valley.
"For Kaiser!"
"For freedom!"
The cry was answered by hundreds of voices.
"For Kaiser!"
"For freedom!"
Rebel fighters burst from concealed trenches dug into the mountainsides. Others emerged from caves hidden behind curtains of snow, while dozens slid down the steep slopes using wooden sleds specially designed for winter warfare.
Many carried stolen Imperial blaster rifles.
Others wielded hunting weapons, homemade explosives, or old military carbines salvaged from old battlefields.
They weren't a professional army.
But they were determined.
The visible Imperial escort reacted immediately.
Clone troopers dropped behind the gravitic transports, using the armored vehicles as cover while returning disciplined volleys of blaster fire.
"Contact front!"
"Enemy on both ridges!"
"Suppressing fire!"
Their blasters fired with practiced precision.
Several charging rebels fell before they had taken more than a few steps.
Yet more appeared almost immediately.
From inside the lead transport, Commander Garrick watched the battle unfold through tactical holodisplays.
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Everything was happening exactly as planned.
The rebels had committed nearly all of their available forces.
"They took the bait."
Vader remained completely motionless.
He could feel the battle through the Force.
Every frightened soldier.
Every determined rebel.
Every life extinguished.
The entire battlefield unfolded before him without needing a single tactical display.
Outside, another explosion rocked the convoy.
A gravitic escort vehicle spun violently through the air before crashing into a snowbank, flames pouring from its ruined engines.
The escort commander immediately opened a communications channel.
"My Lord!"
"We're taking heavy fire!"
"Enemy numbers exceed our estimates!"
Commander Garrick calmly replied before Vader even acknowledged the report.
"Maintain your positions."
The clone officer obeyed without hesitation.
The firefight intensified.
Blaster bolts streaked through the valley in every direction.
Snow exploded beneath repeated impacts, filling the air with clouds of white powder that made visibility increasingly difficult.
The rebels advanced relentlessly.
Soon, several visible Imperial personnel appeared to retreat in complete disorder.
From the rebel perspective...
The Empire was collapsing.
High upon the western ridge, the rebel commander watched through a pair of macrobinoculars.
A broad smile spread across his weathered face.
"They're breaking."
One of his lieutenants looked almost disbelieving.
"We're actually winning."
The commander lowered his binoculars.
"Push forward."
"Capture the supplies."
"Leave nothing behind."
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"The Empire brought us everything we need."
"We simply have to take it!"
A tremendous cheer answered him.
The rebels surged forward.
Their earlier discipline dissolved beneath overwhelming excitement.
One rebel reached the nearest transport and slammed the emergency release mechanism.
The heavy cargo door slid open.
Inside...
Crates.
Hundreds of them.
Every one clearly marked with Imperial medical symbols.
His eyes widened.
"Medicine!"
The shout spread almost instantly.
"They really brought medicine!"
Another group forced open a second transport.
Their reaction was even louder.
"Food!"
"Canned rations!"
"Dried meat!"
"Fresh grain!"
A third transport revealed neatly stacked winter blankets, insulated clothing, portable heaters, and survival equipment.
The cheering became deafening.
"We've done it!"
"We actually did it!"
"Hurry!"
"Move the wounded!"
"Get the sleds!"
"Load everything!"
Men and women rushed toward the transports.
Some embraced one another in celebration.
Others laughed openly for the first time in months.
Several immediately began loading supplies onto waiting sleds.
For few glorious minutes...
The rebels believed they had won.
The valley echoed with laughter.
Hope.
Then...
A loud mechanical clang echoed across the battlefield.
One of the rebels turned.
"What was—"
BOOM!
The armored side door exploded outward.
Steel fragments blasted across the snow, forcing nearby rebels to throw themselves to the ground.
Smoke poured from the opening.
Everything became still.
Out of the darkness...
A towering figure stepped forward.
Black armor.
Flowing cape.
Polished helmet.
Every rebel recognized him instantly.
Even before the crimson blade ignited.
Snap-hiss.
The familiar scarlet light bathed the snow in blood-red brilliance.
The celebrations ended as though someone had silenced the entire valley.
One terrified rebel stumbled backward.
"...Lord Vader."
The whisper carried farther than anyone expected.
Several rebels instinctively lowered their weapons.
Others simply stared.
The impossible realization spread through their ranks with horrifying speed.
It had been a trap.
Vader surveyed the battlefield without speaking.
His crimson lightsaber remained steady in one hand.
Then...
He slowly raised his left hand.
It was the signal.
Every transport in the valley came alive.
Heavy side panels slammed open simultaneously.
False cargo floors collapsed inward.
Hidden compartments unlocked with sharp metallic clicks.
Rows of clone troopers emerged from places that had appeared completely empty only moments earlier.
White-armored soldiers poured from every vehicle with flawless discipline.
At the same instant, reinforced cargo containers burst open.
Dozens of battle droids activated together.
Blue photoreceptors flickered to life.
Mechanical heads turned in perfect synchronization.
"Targets acquired."
"Combat mode engaged."
"Engaging hostile forces."
The cheerful atmosphere vanished completely.
The rebels looked around in horror.
Clone troopers formed firing lines with astonishing speed.
Their rifles came up as one.
Commander Garrick's voice echoed across every Imperial frequency.
"First platoon!"
"Secure the eastern ridge!"
"Second platoon!"
"Cut off their retreat!"
"Third platoon!"
"Protect the convoy!"
Commander Garrick's final order had barely left the communications channel before the valley erupted into violence once again.
"Fire!"
Hundreds of clone blasters answered as one.
Perfectly synchronized volleys of crimson energy ripped across the snow-covered battlefield. The newly revealed firing lines advanced with mechanical precision, each squad covering the next exactly as they had practiced countless times before.
The rebels had no time to recover from their shock.
Only moments earlier they had been celebrating.
Now they found themselves trapped between clone formations and steep, snow-covered cliffs.
The battlefield had changed completely.
"It's a trap!"
"Fall back!"
"There is no way back!"
At the center of the road...
Darth Vader began walking. Blaster bolts streaked toward him from every direction. Without breaking stride, Vader's crimson lightsaber flashed .
One bolt deflected harmlessly into a nearby rock.
Another returned to strike the rebel who had fired it.
A third ricocheted into a heavy blaster emplacement hidden among the snow, reducing it to twisted metal and burning debris.
The road filled with crimson and green streaks of light.
None reached him.
One young rebel crouched behind a snow-covered boulder, breathing heavily as he desperately reloaded his rifle.
The moment he looked up...
The massive rock before him shuddered.
His eyes widened.
The boulder slowly rose into the air.
Snow cascaded from its surface as it floated several metres above the battlefield.
With a slight movement of Vader's hand, the enormous stone shot sideways like an artillery shell.
It smashed into another rebel position, scattering men and weapons alike before breaking apart into hundreds of smaller fragments.
Nearby, a squad of rebels attempted to circle behind Vader. They moved quickly through the drifting snow, hoping to attack from his blind side.
Without even turning around, Vader extended one gloved hand.
The snow beneath their feet exploded upward in a cloud of white.
Invisible pressure wrapped around their blaster rifles.
Metal groaned.
Barrels twisted.
Within seconds every weapon had been crushed into useless scrap.
The rebels stared helplessly at the ruined remains in their hands.
Before they could react, several battle droids marched past Vader.
"Targets secured."
Blue stun bolts struck the unarmed rebels one after another.
Their bodies collapsed into the snow.
The rebels fought with desperate determination despite the hopeless situation.
Many understood exactly what capture meant.
Years in the mines.
Perhaps never seeing their families again.
So they fought.
One woman armed with an electro-spear charged directly toward Vader with a cry of defiance.
"For Kaiser!"
She thrust the crackling weapon toward his chest.
Vader shifted one step to the side.
His lightsaber flashed once.
The humming blade cut cleanly through the weapon before continuing its path.
The woman collapsed silently into the snow.
Another rebel emerged from behind an overturned transport carrying a shoulder-fired rocket launcher.
He fired.
The rocket screamed across the battlefield toward the center of the convoy.
Several clone troopers instinctively ducked.
Vader merely looked at it.
The projectile stopped in midair.
It hovered motionless only metres from its target.
The rebel who had fired it stared in disbelief.
"No..."
The rocket slowly rotated.
Its nose pointed directly back toward him.
His expression turned from disbelief to terror.
"No!"
With a sharp gesture from Vader, the rocket accelerated.
It returned far faster than it had arrived.
The explosion shook the entire valley.
Snow poured from the surrounding cliffs as the blast echoed through the mountains.
Even the rebels who had not witnessed it directly understood what had happened.
For nearly thirty minutes, the battle continued.
Gradually...
The blaster fire became less frequent.
The explosions ceased.
Until eventually...
Silence returned.
Only drifting smoke remained.
The once-pristine snow had become scarred by craters, burning wreckage, and scattered bodies.
Clone medics immediately moved among the fallen, treating wounded Imperial soldiers before assisting captured rebels whose injuries threatened their lives.
Battle droids secured prisoners with binders before escorting them toward waiting transports.
Commander Garrick approached Vader carrying a datapad.
He saluted sharply.
"My Lord."
"The battlefield is secure."
Vader remained silent.
"The casualty report?"
Garrick consulted the display.
"Our losses..."
He paused briefly.
"...twenty clone troopers killed."
"Thirty-four wounded."
He switched to the next page.
"The rebels suffered eighty confirmed dead."
"Forty-three captured alive."
"The remaining survivors escaped into the mountains."
Vader neither approved nor criticized the numbers.
Nearby, two clone troopers dragged a battered middle-aged man toward the command transport.
Though bruised, bleeding, and exhausted, the prisoner refused to lower his head.
His white winter cloak had been torn in several places, while dried blood stained one sleeve.
Even so...
His eyes still burned with defiance.
Commander Garrick nodded toward him.
"The rebel commander."
"He surrendered only after every remaining escape route had been sealed."
The prisoner looked directly at Vader.
Hatred blazed within his tired eyes.
"You've won today."
His voice was hoarse.
"But Kaiser..."
He drew a slow breath.
"...will never belong to the Empire."
Vader regarded him silently through the crimson lenses of his mask.
Finally he answered.
"No."
He slowly turned his gaze toward the frozen battlefield surrounding them.
"It will belong..."
His voice remained calm.
"...to whoever is strong enough to hold it."