Playlist:

❶ "He's Here for Us" — Rogue One OST

Wei'ahtt sipped water from his canteen and wiped the beading sweat from his brow. He sat on the turf under a tree while Corporal Darvan explained the next challenge in the Fyrnock.

"The Fyrnock, a manuever named after a bat-like creature that is harmless during the daytime but vicious at night, is the last exercise before you recruits graduate to the rank of specialist." The corporal huffed and swatted at a fly. "It lasts fifty-six hours. Battlefield conditions—little sleep, two MREs, and one canteen of water."

The sun was dropping behind the red cliff as Corporal Darvan said, "You have twenty minutes for the first challenge of the Fyrnock. Scale that wall in full gear."

Wei'ahtt swallowed another sip as he pulled himself up. During the last ten weeks since Naluma had escaped, there had been no hint of any kidnapping ring. The only issues that he had uncovered were the selling of narcotic death sticks to the recruits. He planned to expose the culprits during his report after breakfast tomorrow—if he survived this grueling night.

The squad stood around squabbling about how they were going to do this. Tired and grumpy, the Jedi stepped forward, taking leadership for the first time in these last ten weeks.

"You got something to say, Gundark Breath?" Holzum asked, a recruit from Arbooine.

Wei'ahtt groaned at the nickname Naluma had given him during the first week. "Yeah, I do. You two, I'll boost you up." Wei'ahtt pointed at two recruits with incredible upper body strength and long arms. "Lishatt, Parwood, sit on the top of the wall, facing each other. I push, you pull, they hop."

Holzum nodded before asking, "What about the supplies?" Crates of dummy thermal detonators lay around the vicinity.

"Easy. We'll make a chain. Man on my shoulders. Man on the ground hands to man on my shoulders. Lishatt and Parwood pass over the wall to another man on another shoulder. At the end, they hop over." Wei'ahtt looked at his chronometer. "We just wasted two minutes. How 'bout we stop talking and start moving?"

Wei'ahtt approached the wall, boosting Lishatt by the foot. Determined to complete the exercise in fewer than ten minutes, the Jedi tossed the soldiers up with a little help from the Force.

Nine minutes later, the Jedi jumped while levitating himself to the extended hands of his comrades on the wall. 

❶ As he posed himself to tumble to the ground, blaster fire erupted from the trees to their left. Wei'ahtt leaped from the wall and rolled across the hard-packed earth as a barrage spewed across the intervening space.

The entire squad hit the deck. One man, took a bolt to the chest and collapsed. Holzum said in a harsh whisper, "Get up, Spefud. They're only stun bolts."

Lovnick, one of the few females in the squad, lay closest to where Spefud fell. After touching his neck, she whispered back, "He's dead."

"That's impossible," Holzum said as his eyes grew bigger in the dim twilight.

Parwood and Lishatt jumped down from the four-meter wall, risking a broken leg or neck. Wei'ahtt stretched out his hands slowing their descent with the Force.

The two men scuttled on their bellies to Wei'ahtt as the Jedi reached out with the Force for Spefud's signature. "Holzum, Lovnick's right. He's dead."

Wei'ahtt wiggled on the ground, reaching his hand under the back of his shirt where it tucked into his camouflage pants. He motioned to Parwood on his left, held up three fingers, and tapped his helmet. He did the same to Lishatt. As they passed the message down the line to the other members of the squad, each changed the frequency on their helmets.

Wei'ahtt ordered over the helmet comm, "Squad, check-in."

"Holzum."

"Lovnick."

"Lishatt."

The list continued until the remaining eighteen recruits verified over headset.

"Listen up, squad. We've got unfriendlies in the woods. I'm gonna give us cover as we charge them as a group."

The squad moaned over the helmet comms.

"This ain't no sim. They got live weapons set to kill, and they're gunning for us. Disarm them and pull them into the clearing. If they give you any trouble, kill 'em." Wei'ahtt drew his lightsaber.

Holzum glared at Wei'ahtt. The Jedi frowned at the man as he Force-lifted himself into a fighting stance and ignited his green saber. As the blaster fire focused on him, he swung the sword, deflecting the bolts back to their origins. At least two of the enemy groaned as their own weapons' bolts struck them.

Parwood and Lishatt followed in tight formation behind Wei'ahtt, giving him room to work but staying in the lee of his saber arc. Other troopers joined them, creating a triangular wedge behind Ahhzteen as he advanced on the enemy.

Wei'ahtt focused on the center of the fire blasts as he entered the woods. The squad huddled behind him as about a half dozen enemy continued to fire.

After two more of the squad fell, the Jedi jumped across the intervening five meters. Slicing the man's blaster with his saber, Ahhzteen wrapped his arm around the his neck in a chokehold and said, "Cease fire, or you all die. This one's first."

The green blade hummed in the darkness as Wei'ahtt lifted the man's head by his chin and brought the saber close to his neck. "Don't sneeze," the Jedi warned.

For a long moment, every person in the grove stood still with weapons frozen and all eyes on the enemy leader.

The leader, indistinguishable from the others in the gloom beneath the trees, said, "Drop your weapons, men. We surrender."

The six men surrounding them dropped their blasters to the forest floor. The squad looked to Wei'ahtt for direction. He jerked his chin at the enemy. "Don't just stand there. Grab their weapons and take them into custody. We've got a long march ahead."

As they moved out of the grove to the clearing, Wei'ahtt said, "Holzum, get some of the men to pick up those thermal detonator packs. We're heading out."

Holzum approached the Jedi, staring him in the eye. "The men are exhausted. Marching them throughout the night is going to kill off more of the squad."

"We have enemy captives. We march," Wei'ahtt said. "Chow's at the end of this march. Think you can press through?"

Some agreed while others whined.

Wei'ahtt shoved his prisoner forward with his knee on his back. "Don't get any funny ideas, Captain. I can throw this saber through your chest before you realize it's left my belt. Cooperate, or I won't waste my time holding you captive. Got it?"

The captain nodded in resignation. "Yes, Jedi."

"Move it."

After a six-hour march, the battered squad arrived at HQ at 0200, three hours ahead of the exercise schedule. Wei'ahtt dragged the captain with him and banged on the CO's residence for almost five minutes.

When Colonel Keelu opened the door, the Kel Dor said, "What is it?"

Wei'ahtt said, "Our squad took enemy fire during our Fyrnock maneuvers."

Keelu looked over the six men in custody. "They're not base personnel."

"No, sir. First Order operatives."

"How would you know?"

Wei'ahtt drew his saber hilt. "Jedi Knight Wei'ahtt Ahhzteen sent in to flush out the ring."

Keelu lifted his eyes to the rest of the squad in the jagged light of the compound. "Very good, Ahhzteen. I'll take over now." The Colonel stepped down the stairs of his bungalow, waving his sidearm at the squad. "Give me their blasters." Keelu walked through the ranks and pulled the guns away from them.

"Now, you all head over to the mess hall and have yourself a good breakfast. You men have earned it. I'll take these over to security for processing." Keelu motioned with the guns toward the dining hall. "The Republic's indebted to you, men."

The squad headed toward the promised meal, walking a few feet away. Wei'ahtt had only a split moment before it was too late. As the Force clouded in darkness over Keelu, the Jedi turned back to see the colonel handing the blasters to the captives.

Wei'ahtt extended his arm and pulled the weapons away, igniting his lightsaber in one smooth movement. Using the Force, he pushed each man in succession to the ground, cracking their heads on the hard asphalt.

Wei'ahtt left the colonel standing but paralyzed. "Colonel Keelu, you are under arrest for conspiring with the First Order and assisting in the kidnapping of Republic forces."

The colonel opened his mouth to retort, but Wei'ahtt cut him off. "Quiet. Anything you say will be used against you in your court martial."

Fatigue setting in, Wei'ahtt was grateful when the squad returned. Holzum brought the MPs, who took the colonel and the First Order personnel into custody.

Gundark Breath's squad enjoyed their elaborate breakfast, as well as telling a not-so-embellished story of last night's adventures. The pinning ceremony later that day held more meaning for the squad than the rest of the troops in the compound. 

Did you know ...

● Obi-Wan Kenobi fell into a nest of gundarks, from which Anakin Skywalker rescued him.

● Kel Dors used a breathing mask because their home atmosphere was ammonia-based instead of oxygen-based.

● While researching the basic training sequence, elements from US Navy SEAL training as well as Marine Corps basic training were incorporated.

Tell me what you think ...

● What was the first indication that this was not a standard training exercise?

● Why did Wei'ahtt not assume leadership during boot camp before this exercise?

● Why would Wei'ahtt have decided to finally use the Force in completing one of the challenges in this final exercise?