Saga A Skirmish in the Snow (Essential OC challenge, OC's, Battle of Hoth, War, Vig) CO-WINNER!

Title: A Skirmish in the Snow
Author: yodas_waiter
Genre: War

This is my response to the Essential OC challenge called "Snow Wars" which was to depict a battle on a snowy planet through the eyes of an OC. Hope you enjoy it!

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?Keep your eyes peeled,? Djorik said as he paced up and down the trench. ?We know the enemy is out there and they are coming for us,?

He stopped and faced the snowy field which lay in front of him. There was a haze in the distance which made it hard to see. Djorik didn?t like it.

?The weather seems to be against us,? Djorik said as he resumed his pacing. ?We won?t be able to see them until their right on top of us. Perhaps we should send out scouts,?

?No, everyone should stay in the trench. We must defend the base,? someone said behind Djorik. He turned around to see who had said it. The voice belonged to Sly. Sly seemed to always disagree with Djorik out of principle.

?Our defence is no good if we don?t know they?re coming,?

?Is our defence going to be any better if we send out two scouts that will be taken down anyway?? Sly said, coming up close to Djorik and staring him right in the eyes. ?Besides, who made you the General??

?I got the most last time,? Djorik said.

?No you didn?t and that?s not how it works!? Sly protested. ?Everyone gets a turn,?

?Well, then it?s my turn,?

?You?ve already had your turn,? Sly said and turned to the rest of the boys. ?Who hasn?t been the General??

Three boys raised their hands and stood up. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors determined who would be the general.

?Who won?? Sly asked.

?I did,? a boy named Frei said, holding up his hand.

?Who?s your second??

?I guess you can be my second, if you want,? Frei said.

?And what do you think about sending out scouts?? Sly asked, turning to Frei but glancing at Djorik with a small smile on his face.

?I don?t think it?s a good idea,? Frei said.

?Fine,? Sly said. ?Anything else??

?Well, we could use some more snowballs,? Frei said as he looked around.

?Okay, everyone! You heard the General! Make more snowballs!? Sly turned to Djorik. ?That means you too, soldier,?

*

?That means you too, soldier!? Djorik barked at the soldier, a Private, standing just in front of him. The private jumped and looked up at his Lieutenant.

?Sorry sir,? the Private said, looking all jittery. ?I guess I?m nervous,?

?Show me someone who isn?t,? Djorik said. ?Still, we must do our job and that includes you. Now, set up that repeater-turret,?

?Yes sir!? the Private said as he got quickly to work.

Djorik kept on pacing up and down the trench, supervising the preparation his troops were making for the coming onslaught.

Onslaught.

Some would call him a pessimist but Djorik used that word because he found it the most fitting. Brave and passionate as they were, his troops did not have a chance in hell of repelling the Imperial invasion. The fact that the evacuation of Echo Base already been started proved as much. Their job was simple, to hold of the Imperials long enough for evacuation to get under way. To act as living roadblocks. Djorik did not doubt his men?s ability to hold the Imperials off for a while, but he doubted that they all would escape alive. Of course, Djorik did not utter a word of this and instead walked around encouraging his men as they set up their defences.

?How is everything looking, Lieutenant?? Captain Siles asked as he entered the trench.

?Looking good, considering the circumstances, sir,? Djorik answered.

?I know what you mean,? Siles sighed. ?They really want us to prove our mettle, don?t they??

?I wouldn?t be doing anything else,? Djorik answered.

?That?s the spirit,? Siles chuckled and patted Djorik on the shoulder. ?I hear that General Skywalker is prepping Rogue Squadron. Perhaps they might cover us when we?ve done our bit,?

?Let?s hope,? Djorik said.

?Well, I shouldn?t be holding you any longer,? Siles said. ?Get

 

Djorik woke up in his own bed. His mother was sitting next to him. He had a patch over his left eye. Djorik touched the patch tenderly.

?Mommy. What has happened??

She smiled yet had a concerned look on her face.

?A naughty boy threw a snowball with ice in it and it hit you in the eye,?

?Am I blind??

?No,? she shook her head. ?The doctor has taken a look and he believes he can fix it. We?ll be going there after the weekend. Meanwhile, you should keep that bacta patch on it,?

?Can I still play snowball warfare??

?Yes, you can,? she said, but she did not look pleased. ?But not for a while,?

?Okay,? Djorik said with disappointment in his voice.

?Do you want some hot chocolate?? she asked.

?Yes!? Djorik smiled.

She gave him a stern look.

?Yes please,?

Her facial expression softened instantly.

?You?re my little soldier,? she leaned over to kiss him on the fore-head. ?A little battle-scarred perhaps but you live to fight another day,?

Loved this, especially the ending!

 

Thank you

The ending was hard to write since there was a lot to convey but I didn't know how, so I'm pleased you liked it

 

Chilling! Way to go Y_W!

Once a soldier always a soldier.

 

It took me a few changes to "get" the scene changes, but once I did...

Awesome, loved it!

 

Awesome story! The scene changes from Djorik's childhood to adulthood were great, and I loved how they paralleled each other and at the same time could each stand independently as stories, if that made any sense. The emotions and the descriptions of how the cold and snow felt were very well done.

Great job!

 

Thanks guys. I'm glad you liked it

Thumper, living in Sweden, I've been a fair few snowball fights. So the whole of Djoriks childhood sequence is based on my own experiance having massive snowball warfare in the woods. As you might imagine, I also am very familiar with how it feels to roll around and be forced down in the snow