The New Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 69 - Last Stand on Crait

Corporal Brexon approached Corran and tapped him on the shoulder.
"We need you in the trenches, Rendar. Grab a blaster rifle and come with me. We don't have a chance, but we'll take it."
The young Jedi looked at Kaydel with a questioning expression. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to another task. Corran took a blaster rifle from a nearby shelf. The weapon was covered in dust, having not been used for decades. Brexon tossed him an energy pack, which the Jedi caught in midair. The corporal rolled his eyes as the young Rendar inserted it and examined the weapon carefully.
"We have no time, Rendar!"
The pilot ignored the corporal and continued to examine the weapon, trying to aim. He noticed that the sight was smudged and took a cloth to clean it.
"My life depends on this weapon, corporal, I want it to work properly," he replied calmly and continued to make the blaster rifle fit for combat.
It took a while before everything was to Corran's satisfaction, but then he shouldered the blaster rifle.
"Now we can go," he said, before heading for the exit.
The corporal followed him and shook his head. He resolved that the young man's behavior would have consequences and that he would see to it.

By the time Brexon and Corran made their way to the trenches, the battle was already in full swing.
First Order TIEs were flying strafing runs at the trenches and the ski speeders heading full throttle towards a superlaser siege cannon. And then there were the AT-M6s, gigantic four-legged war machines, firing at and into the trenches.
The odds of survival were extremely poor. Several dead Resistance fighters were already lying in the trenches.
Corran stepped over the corpses, avoiding setting foot on them as he hurriedly followed Brexon. The Jedi stared at the war machines the enemy was using against the nearly defenseless Resistance fighters. He sighed as they reached their position in the trenches. The noise of battle was deafening, so he couldn't hear the officers' orders. If he hadn't been demoted and there were still X-wings available, he'd blow those damn First Order TIEs out of the sky.
The young man cursed inwardly, took the blaster rifle from his shoulder and took aim, knowing full well that the blaster bolts would never penetrate the hulls of the huge AT-M6. He stopped thinking about the odds and fired. It was in vain, as he had expected. Still, he took aim again. But he didn't get the chance to fire his weapon.

At the same moment that Corran took aim, the nearby turret exploded in a fireball and debris hit everything and everyone standing there. The young Rendar, still hiding in the Force, didn't stand a chance and was hit by a large piece of debris and many small pieces that were as sharp as vibro blades. He cried out and dropped his weapon. There was a nasty gash on Corran's forehead and several other deep wounds all over his body. The pain was almost unbearable and he desperately tried to stop the bleeding with his hands.
Finally, he fainted from the pain and blood loss and lay on the ground among the debris, salt shards and his dead comrades, who had been less fortunate than him.