At the Naval Intelligence headquarters on Coruscant, the creation of a conscripted army has triggered the forced retirement of some of the remaining clones.

On the frigid world of Barton IV, Crosshair accompanies Imperial Lt. Nolan to an Imperial outpost to secure some high-value cargo. Of the squadron stationed there, only three men remain: Commander Mayday and his troopers Hexx and Veetch.

The depot has recently come under attack by opportunistic raiders who are able to breach the perimeter due to degraded equipment, Mayday explains. Coupled with the native predators and freezing conditions, it's been an unforgiving environment.

Suddenly, the raiders attack! Crosshair levels his weapon as an insurgent darts around the shuttle. As he locks on his target, the shuttle explodes, blinding him temporarily.

Crosshair tracks a blood trail in the snow, leading to a hidden tunnel. "So, that's how they snuck past our defenses," Mayday says.

Mayday mourns the loss of his last two soldiers, killed in the ambush. But Nolan doesn't seem to care. Two crates were stolen during the incursion. "Recover the cargo," he orders.

In the tunnel, Crosshair and Mayday come across the body of the wounded raider. A few paces beyond, a faint click signals that Crosshair has stepped on a pressure mine. Luckily, Mayday has learned to improvise without proper equipment; he gets to work hammering three L-spike clips around the pressure plate, allowing Crosshair to safely step forward.

At last, they make it to the insurgents' hideout. After disarming the two guards, they toss a stun grenade toward a dozen others milling around. After an exchange of blaster fire with the survivors, Crosshair takes aim at a store of pressure mines and puts an end to the skirmish.

They find the cargo spilled out in the snow after the brief battle: brand new stormtrooper armor. "Gear?!" Mayday exclaims in disbelief. "We've been risking our lives to recover equipment we could've been wearing this whole time?!...After all the clones have done, after all we sacrificed."

Before he can make sense of the Empire's betrayal, the mountain rumbles, an avalanche triggered by the conflict below. They race to get out of the path of the churning ice and snow, but Mayday is pushed into a crag while Crosshair is swept further down.

Crosshair is the first to burst through the blanket of snow. He finds Mayday buried nearby, and securing the other soldier's helmet, helps drag him through the blinding snow.

As night falls, they find a brief respite — a rocky outcropping that provides some shelter from the blistering winds.

In the morning, they continue their arduous journey with Mayday using Crosshair's sniper rifle as a makeshift crutch. An Imperial cargo ship has arrived in their absence, and a detail of freshly-armored stormtroopers are loading the remaining crates onto their vessel when Mayday and Crosshair arrive.

Lt. Nolan is cold and compassionless, berating the men for failing their mission to retrieve the crates. But Crosshair remains loyal to his brother. "He needs a medic," he says. "Help him."

Nolan sneers. "That would be a waste of the Empire's resources." Crosshair watches helplessly as the badly injured Mayday gasps his last breath. "He served his purpose," Nolan tells Crosshair. "He is expendable, as are you...clone."

Crosshair struggles to his feet. As he beckons Nolan to turn to face him, he levels his blaster and fires, flattening the Imperial before losing consciousness next to his fallen friend.

Crosshair awakens under the blinding light of the laboratory inside Mount Tantiss on Weyland. Doctor Emerie Karr stands over him, observing the clone. "Remain calm," she says. "Cooperate and you might survive."