Howzer stole our hearts when he appeared in TBB S1 E12, and I wanted to write a bit of a backstory for him. It begins with his newbie days during The Clone Wars and stretches to where we last see him in The Bad Batch. Enjoy his character arc and som...
"That was a good run today, boys. Clean up and prepare for tomorrow; we're going to take their supply station. Dimissed," Sprint said with a loud, clear voice.
Howzer pulled his helmet off along with the rest of the troops around him, breaking formation and scattering to their individual plans. He fell into step next to Sprint as they walked toward the barracks. "Is it true that Syndulla and his team will be there tomorrow too?" he asked.
"Not sure," Sprint shrugged, "That's above my pay grade. But I'd guess he'll be with the Jedi and Captain Keeli's squad, so probably not." He looked stately with his new teal green pauldron which matched the paint he had decorated his armor with. Howzer had initially made fun of it but gave up once he realized he wasn't going to get a rise out of his friend.
"Hmm. I'd like to work for him," Howzer continued, "Now there's someone who gets stuff done."
"Yeah, there are mixed opinions of him," Sprint answered. "Some say he's too radical, others say he does what's needed. Who knows. Maybe we'll get to see for ourselves someday."
"Maybe," Howzer agreed. "You coming to the cantina tonight? These Twi'leks are spicy when it's a full moon..."
Sprint shook his head with a small smile, waiting for the day that Howzer wouldn't feel the need to always have something like that to say. With a nod, they parted ways for the evening.
***
21 BBY - Ryloth
***
"Left flank! Move in!" came the orders, and Howzer gripped his DC-17 tightly. They charged into the ravine, taking cover behind the rocks amid the chaos of flying laser bolts and taking turns shooting at the approaching droids.
"Aerial team, in position?"
"Yes sir!"
"Go."
Shots rained down on the Separatist army from all directions as a squad of troopers popped out of their hiding places along the ridges of the ravine. Fueled by the element of surprise and the resulting disorder, Howzer and his brothers ran in, mowing down the rows of metal with surprising ease. Almost... too easy.
"Droidekas!" Sprint announced, "Fall back!"
The troopers ran back to the cover of the rocks as the droids rolled into position, expanding their ray shields and beginning to fire.
"Grenades!"
A few blasts flashed on and around the droids, but they remained impervious to damage.
"You've got to roll them slowly!" Sprint yelled in the comm, "Second wave!"
But before they could toss the remaining grenades, a deafening roar was heard as a herd of large creatures descended from behind the droid army. A vicious array of Twi'lek warriors charged in on their blurrg mounts, wiping out droids left and right with spears and blasters.
"It's Syndulla!" exclaimed the clone next to Howzer, as they peeked over their rock. He marveled at the ferocity and efficiency of the team as they tore through the ranks.
"Let's finish them off!" Howzer cheered.
"Stay in formation," Sprint ordered.
But Howzer was filled with adrenaline. This was his chance to make an impression on Cham Syndulla, the legendary "Hammer of Ryloth". It was his chance to take one step closer to his aspirations. He broke free from his rock cover, charging in to face the remaining battle droids. He dropped two of them with two shots, yelling in victory, and ran across a clearing to finish off a few more. What he didn't see was the commando droid flipping over his head, landing behind him and targeting him with its blaster.
"Howzer!" Sprint yelled, watching the situation unfold, "Behind!" He raised his own blaster, running forward into the clearing and peppering the droid with a few shots. Yet somehow it still stood, pivoting in a complete 180 and firing toward Sprint. He dove sideways, narrowly missing a bolt to the chest, and flung an EMP toward the commando.
Then everything happened simultaneously: the commando droid sizzled in a bright flash of blue as Howzer charged at it, unaware of the Twi'lek mount leaping over the rock behind it toward the remaining droideka. The commando droid dropped, leaving Howzer facing the blurrg, and he dodged at the last minute. But he was not quite fast enough -- a swinging Twi'lek spear met the side of his face with a sickening sound, and his head snapped sideways, followed by his body. His fall was broken by a jagged rock, catching his chin on the way down, and he landed in a crumped heap as everything faded to black.
***
Howzer woke up in the medical wing, face wrapped almost entirely in white gauze. He heard the steady beep of machines and squinted, attempting to see clearly with one of his eyes partially covered. A medical droid hovered near a trooper in the next bed, and Howzer sat up more fully to look around, immediately regretting the movement as it caused a stabbing pain in his head.
"Hello CT-2420," said the medical droid, flying over to run a scan over his face. "You have sustained significant trauma to the parietal and temporal areas of your skull, as well as a series of lacerations to your cheek. It is uncertain whether or not your brain function has been impaired."
"It was impaired from the start," Sprint said suddenly, pulling back the curtain and coming to stand next to the bed. He smiled, placing a hand on Howzer's shoulder, who rolled more slowly this time to focus on him with his uncovered eye. The teal splashes on white armor were a welcome sight.
"Whh hmmfn?" the sound was as much of a surprise to Howzer as it was a comical sight to Sprint, who chuckled at the muffled attempts at speech through the immobilizing gauze wrapped around Howzer's cheeks, chin, and head.
"You disobeyed orders, that's what. Nearly got me shot and earned yourself a nice smack to the face. I'd put you on leave, but it seems you've received a consequence already."
"Mff" was the only reply, as Howzer lifted a hand to his head.
"You wanted to show off for Syndulla," Sprint accused, crossing his arms. "Howzer, I'm serious. I know you have big dreams, but you're never going to be a captain if you don't get a hold of yourself."
Howzer remained silent, eyes dropping to the foot of his bed. Sprint gave him one last pat on the shoulder, "You've got it in you, brother. Being a good leader isn't about bravado, it's about doing the right thing. Sometimes that includes heroic actions, like those of General Di and Captain Keeli... Maker rest their souls... But more often, it's about considering the whole picture and not just yourself. Now rest up."
"Hmmph."
***
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