Cad

It was just an average day at the echo camp. Everybody working for the rebellion had already known that the force had just not been with us the past few months. Not only was it tough having to be stationed on the freezing planet of Hoth, but living inside a secret base made life just boring. Not to mention, we foot soldiers were told absolutely nothing about the Empire. Rumors had begun to spread that the Empire discovered our location, and were landing on Hoth with a fleet of AT-AT fighters. However, what made everybody lose hope wasn’t the rumors or the living conditions; It was the fact that our hero, leader, and symbol of hope had been missing: Luke Skywalker.

I remember fixing one of the etheric rudders of a damaged X Wing fighter plane. Days passed and Skywalker had finally been found by rebel leader, Han Solo. My squadron was never told why Skywalker went missing when he returned. His return did brighten the mood around the echo base, but the rumors were spreading more. It was just days after Skywalker’s recovery that I heard the thud. The thud that would shape me and every single person working in that echo base’s lives forever.

Turned out that a random viper droid dropped by the Empire on Hoth discovered the rebel location. The base shook after the big thud. Everyone went into a panic, and General Carlist Rieekan ordered everyone to prepare for combat. The only thought running through my head at the time was the power and evil I heard from that thud. I saw my fellow squadron member and best friend, Cad, signaling me to move out into the snow trenches. I scurried out the door with hundreds of rebel soldiers behind me, and we held our ground in the snow trenches. It was the most chaotic, terrifying, and saddest moment of my life sitting in that trench. Rounds upon rounds of plasma cannons smashed into the trenches, throwing rebels through the air. Rebel fighters zipped through the air over our heads firing at the AT-AT walkers. Cad’s orders were to man a plasma cannon to defend the base. He glanced at me with a soft smirk, and gave a small nod of confidence. And a split second later, his cannon was obliterated by a plasma round. I heard it again from the walkers: Thud, thud, thud. I never looked back after that moment. It wasn’t anger, or sadness, or hatred that I was filled with; it was actually hope. Every time I saw a rebel go down, I could see the snow speeders take out a walker. I discovered the cause for the rebellion, and that discovery made me realize the heart of what Cad, the other rebel fighters, and myself were fighting for: the peace and prosperity of the galaxy and those that inhabited it. I saw how quickly life can change, and how drastically it can be wasted. I was no longer a footsoldier working for the rebellion; I was the rebellion, as was every single man and woman on that battle field. We were the rebellion of peace.