Jedi: Sins Of The Mother

by Logic Flip

Flashback #1: A Meeting Of The Minds

24 years ago
Planet: Crispin
Forward Base #26-Alpha
Seven years before the end of The Caribou Wars...

A thick fog filled the air, covering the swampland and forest in a white blanket that mixed with the blackness of night. Borne of a light breeze, the mist made it look as if the trees were breathing. From the ground, the dense forest was just a shape, a black indistinct curtain rather than individual trees, though if one looked close enough past the trees, they would be able to make out a large fort, guards both patrolling the tops of the walls and the ground below them, rifles laid tensely over their shoulders. The reason for it was clear. There was extensive damage done to the Permacrete buildings and the walls surrounding them. Even the sounds of the walls and barriers of the Republic base being rebuilt were subdued and quiet.

No animals scurried along the wet ground and nor did any animal cry out.

All was eerie, a half silence that was both deafening and tense all at once. The air of a coming battle.

"Shit." Private Rolling Thunder cursed as his hoof sunk into the mud for the fifth time during his patrol.

"What?!" The brown earthpony marching at his side immediately stopped and shouldered her weapon, aiming at the forest. "Is it them?" She hissed.

"Just more Devine's damned mud."

"Fuck." With a click the rifle powered down. "Don't fucking scare me like that man."

"Sorry, Polish." Thunder shook his head, moving to give his friend a comforting tap on the shoulder. "I didn't mean to..." He stopped as Crystal Polish jerked away from him with a growl, the cold fear projecting from her eyes making the unicorn's heart freeze for a moment.

The earth pony continued his march Thunder gave a heavy sigh and followed right after him. Polish had been like this since this Tartarus of a Military operation had started and was progressively getting worse. Caution turned into nervousness into paranoia, and she wasn't the only one. Everyone in the base was jumping at their own shadows, bags under their eyes from lack of sleep. Panic attacks and moments of psychosis were a bi-daily occurrence.

Hell, there was a betting exchange going on in the mess hall about who would break next.

And they were into their third week.

The worst part out of it all?

This could have been avoided if Admiral Long Sight hadn't tried to be a gloryhound. Thunder scowled at the thought of the stallion who's name was now attached to one of the worst defeats in this war so far.

"Sorry."

Thunder blinked, his attention taken from his thoughts to Crystal Polish. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry." She repeated, as they began to march to the other end of the wall. "I acted like asshole. Just was scared, ya know? Shit is fucked."

The unicorn shrugged in agreement. "I probably would've done the same. As long as you don't call me a Sight, I'll be just fine."

Nopony in the rank and file knew the whole story about what had happened up there. Only that when the enemy had shown up on their doorstep demanding surrender and 24 hours to decide Sight opened fire on them without consulting anypony on the matter. It had been such a breach of protocol that Thunder hadn't believed it if it wasn't for the fact that he had been in the command room with his captain at the time.

These Caribou will not take another planet, Long Sight had said over the coms before opening fire. Against the whishes of all assembled. We will hold the line here.

Yeah, hold the line against two Star Destroyer capital ships with a measly five corvettes and a frigate. Crispin wasn't even that important in the scheme of things compared to the other's in the system.

Idiot. What a fucking idiot. Given more than enough time to plan some kind of strategy or a full retreat and he wasted every ship they had in some glorified suicide run.

They lost their slight air superiority, ability to retreat, and in one fell swoop. Not to mention the fact communications had been cut, not only from the planet but to the other bases on the surface as well as destroying the planet's only radar station before bombarding them and possibly the other bases, leaving them deaf and blind.

It was suffice to say that not a soldier in the fort that didn't curse Long Sight's name. Hell, it was becoming a insult here at the fort.

Hey, don't drop that! What are you, a long sight?

What are you? A soldier or a long sight?

Polish chuckled. "Not unless you really fuck up." They about-faced to march back along the wall, silence taking over the air before the earth pony spoke again. "Think the techies got through tonight?"

Again, Thunder shrugged. "Probably not. We would've heard by now." He was sure about that. Ever since the first day, General Mellow Step had every technician and engineer could be spared from working on the walls and essential duties to jury-rig the local network back up and running. The hope that somepony, somewhere was still out there. No one knew what was happening to the other bases. The smaller ones were probably destroyed in the initial bombing but the larger ones could still be holding out like them.

Right?

They couldn't be the last ones or the Caribou would have stormed them all by now.

Polish nodded. "Let's pray they do soon." She said and Thunder didn't miss the tremor in her voice when the next words came out of her mouth before fading. Nor did he miss the way she curled in on herself as they marched. "I don't know what I'll do if they come b-but I can't let them..."

Thunder felt his stomach shift uncomfortably, suddenly and very acutely aware that his best friend was a mare. Not that he had forgotten, just that they had been friends so long that he never saw her as a mare. She was a soldier, a comrade, a friend even before they had put on the armor, but now...

They all heard the stories of the Caribou's no quarter policy when it came to battle. The common tales of cruelty that rescued soldiers or the lucky refugees back on Canterlot told of. The instant execution of leaders followed by brutal to the point of savage punishments for anyone who resisted. It was the kind of stuff that would turn even the strongest minotaur white.

But of all the stories the unicorn had heard there was one common theme out of all of them. The females of any species under their thumb got it the worst.

Raping, beatings, slavery of sexual and nonsexual kind, and that was just to the civilians. What they did to the female soldiers...Divines, save him.

Save Crystal Polish.

Save them all.

The dull navy unicorn wasn't sure if he shivered because of the gob of mud that worked it's way down the inside of his boot or what his friend was implying. He was tempted to kick his hoof against the wall before the wet sludge got inside his boots, but his instinct fought against it.

He gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting but tense, ready to snatch it back just in case. She jumped a little but didn't shy away from him. She didn't look at him either.

"I swear, I won't let anything happen to you." He said, squeezing her shoulder and giving her the best reassuring smile he could manage. The earth pony didn't look all too convinced but gave a slight smile in return.

"Okay. I'll hold you to that." Polish adjusted the rifle on her shoulder, gaze turning to the forest. "Plus, they would have to be insane to come from this side."

"Yep." Thunder agreed, pulling a little bit ahead of her so he could get a better look around at the rugged terrain that was their advantage.

26-Alpha was built in the most extreme change of terrain on Crispin. It was surrounded by thick forest-like swamp which immediately cleared after a certain distance from the base which also was a uphill climb to the walls.

Their station, the east wall, was the one with the most damage. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the huge chunk blown from it in the first bombardment would make tempting target for the Caribou. Hell, it was facing where the forest was the thickest. However, right before the wall was a long uphill climb from the dense forest beyond where there was nothing but the longest stretch of open muddy ground. A good hundred yards of it. It would give time for the rest of the base to rain fire down on them, with no difficulty whatsoever.

It would be a killing ground.

Polish chucked, sounding just a little bit more confident as she spoke. "I mean, what kind of crazy commander would be stupid enough to charge a well fortified uphill ba-HUK!"

At first Thunder thought earth pony had coughed. The weather had been miserable on Crispin lately and colds were common. He had been standing slightly ahead of her when she made the noise too. As he turned to face her the wind changed to blow in his direction bringing with it the smell of burning flesh and ozone and then...

Then the world stopped.

Polish's smile hadn't left her face, even though the upper quarter of it was missing and her remaining eye seemed to stare into his very soul, pleading for help yet looking at peace. Rolling Thunder knew he would wonder for the rest of his days if that was the moment she realized she was dying. Slowly, the world began moving again. Her whole body swayed, knees bulking and halting for a moment as if she was trying to correct her balance after stumbling.

Then she crumpled and Thunder lunged to catch her, her name strangled on the way out his mouth. He knew she was dead. She would have dead if she hit the ground regardless but...

He staggered, his arms unprepared for her weight but he refused to drop her. Her head lolled to the side with the jarring and what wasn't burnt in place fell out.

As if her brain hitting the sodden ground was some kind of grisly cue, battle cries filled the air. The unicorn's eyes shot to the forest as caribou came charging out.

He had never seen the Republic's number one enemy until today and they were about as monstrous as the stories told. Every single body he could make out was tall. No less than six feet at a minimum and their monstrous antlers added to their considerable height. Not even the distance of a hundred yards seemed to make them appear shorter as they flooded up the hill en masse, weapons ready.

It took the sight weaponry to pull Thunder out of his stupor, and her drew the flare gun from his side, aimed up, and pulled the trigger. The darkness gave way to an angry red glow, and as Thunder shouldered his rifle, the huge charging mass became individuals.

Without hesitating, he fired at the first one that was in front of his rifle. The bolt flew and struck the center mass, knocking him right off his cloven hooves. He took aim again, not even dodging as a green bolt whizzed within inches of his cheek, getting the next one right between his eyes.

By now the alarm was raised, floodlights on the walls above lit up the hill like the sun and gave the other guards something to shoot at. Blinded and distracted, the caribou now aimed at the walls, trying to shoot out the lights and gave Thunder his chance to scoop up Polish, who felt considerably lighter now, and get into the base.

He ran as fast as he could, sprinting along the wall and around the corner, stumbling as a green flash scorched the duracrete where his head had been.

It wasn't until her got into the walls did her recognize that an armor plate on his shoulder had been shot off.

Author's Note:

I've mentioned the Caribou Wars on a few occasions. Decided to do flashback chapters for the facts and history I won't be able to fit in the story. Plus I think the past should be explained.

Please like and comment. I enjoy finding out what my readers think.

Comments

[Logic Flip]

5564603 If you're talking about the chapter, I have no clue, dear.

[Krozairofequestria]

You know..... making a Flashback Chapter at this point is evil and just torture? If this war don't play a big role in the main story, and could be explained in some small Flashback scenes then pleas make it this way, or write a side story. reading two separated story lines in the same story is just not funny. But if this things and Character of the past have an impact on the actual story line, then i say... go fore it, but don't focus to much on them.
But this story is just great, so i hope to see more of an actual chapter soon ^^.

[Logic Flip]

5564800 Trust me when I say that the Flashbacks have relevance to the main story. While it will sometimes focus on other characters more often than not these other characters WILL have relevance to the main plot. There will even be flashback chapters of our main cast. If there is a side story, it will be a completely different thing.

[Logic Flip]

5564800 And the Caribou Wars play an important part in the story.

[Krozairofequestria]

5564853 well then it is great ^^.
Just to say it, i only know of the movies of star wars, so i maybe ask some time some questions ^^.