[Flashback LTC] Snow specialists on Hoth

[Editor’s note: The framing of this flashback occurs during the return to the Godspeed on Ator Hollos.]

“How about you, Druffin?”

Druffin looked up in surprise and hooted involuntarily. The tall, shaggy initiate had been quiet for most of the evening, including all the stories his fellow initiates had been sharing about where they had come from, how they had been invited to join the Jedi Order, and why they’d accepted the offers.

<<No one wants to have to listen to me through this… thing>>  he said, nudging a nearby datapad with his foot.

A moment later the datapad translated his voice - musical hoots and trills - into vernacular Basic. It was stilted and mechanical. It was also nothing like the smooth baritone they were used to hearing when Druffin had use of his - currently broken - vocodoer. Part of the reason for returning to the crashed Jedi starship, The Godspeed, was to retrieve parts to trade with the Jawas to repair his vocodoer.

“Go on, man. It’s not like we're going anywhere!” The speaker, Jamidua, gestured at the dark woods surrounding them. “You’ve had to listen to my boring tale of life on Haruun Kal. Ha. It’s the least we can do.”

Genuinely touched by the man’s insistence, Druffin began his tale…

”I actually first met Master Skywalker long before he restarted the Jedi Order, and to be honest he probably doesn’t even remember it. Back then, he was simply “Commander Skywalker”.

My clan had been fighting the Empire for years on Alzoc III, without much success. My chieftain eventually decided we should join the Rebel Alliance - for resources, munitions and training. It was a deft diplomatic move.

Me and several of my clan traveled to Hoth for training. We got more than we bargained for though, when the Empire invaded and we had to defend the icy trenches. Still, nothing like learning on the job they say!

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Master Skywalker - well he wasn’t the greatest pilot as he was shot down; I’ll stick with you Asa for piloting lessons - but he still managed to take down one of the hulking, walking death machines with his lightsaber and a simple grenade. Inspirational guerrilla warfare for novices like us.

Years later, of course, it was that training that led Master Katarn to seek us out when he came to Alzoc on a mission of his own. Now that is where my Jedi journey really begins…”

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