Life in the Corps

"Still I can't understand we we have to put up with these conditions... Why not send droids to fight instead of troopers. Especially when it comes to environments as extreme as this."

"Pff... Stop whinning. We've been here for hardly three weeks."

The two men starred at each other, leaving the howling wind do the talking. At minus fifteen degrees, snow and ice barraged this barren land day and night all around the year. A planet in the outer ring of the vast Pavalak solar system. Too far away from the three suns that burned bright in the center.

"And to answer your question... We do not send droids to fight for us, because droids are stupid. The Clone Wars made that pretty clear; how inefficient they are that is."

"Ok I give you that. But why send us in this forsaken world for training. It's not like we are snowtroopers or something"

"You wish you were."

"Yes, you wish were!"

The two men were startled by the voice talking to them trought the intercom.

"Less talking and more guarding cadets!" the voice continued "Oh... And try to enjoy the cold while you can... Savor it... When your training is done here I am sending your unit to Mustafar. Let's how you like guarding pools of lava instead of piles of snow..."

"Yes sir!" the men replied...

They remained silent for a moment. Make sure the Taskmaster was not eavesdroping like before...


"*Sigh*I should have joined the Navy..." said the first trooper.

"Agreed..."

"Where the crap is the bridge... Fuck the schematics. This ship is bigger than the town I grew up...Oh it's no use..."

The young ensign stood before a small group of stormtroopers, patrolling one of the hundred corridors the Star Destroyer housed.

"Excuse me sir... It seems that I can't find my way to the bridge. Could you point me out the direction?"

The group leader stopped the unit before the cadet.

"You're new here?"

"Yes sir... Only two days here."

"Don't worry. We get a lot like you from the Academy."

"Actually, I graduated from the War College."

"The War College?! You must a real something... Anyway, take the elevator to deck 7, walk to sub deck 23 and turn on the left. The Bridge should be right infront of you."

"Aye sir! Thank you!" said the young man while saluting. After that he turned his back and started fast-walking towards the elevators.

"Um, sir... You do know that you sent him to the cargo bay?" said one of the stormtroopers behind the unit leader.

The officer in charge didn't bother to turn his head.

"Do you want someone who can't find his way to the bridge giving you orders, trooper? Do you want him commanding a ship like this one day? Have your life on his hands?"

No one replied.

"If he wants to become a commanding officer one day, he should learn not to trust anyone but himself. I just taught him a valuable lesson... Now move on! We are behind schedule."

"Group 53, class 29. Cadet 1st Class Kenan Turr commanding. Execute simulation 66... now! Good luck cadets!"
In an instant the holo room turned into a Star Destroyer's bridge. The screening officers were running about trying to find their positions, while the Captain and the other commanding officers took their places around the holo screen which projected the battlefield.

"Mission brief!" said the cadet in command.

"Aye,sir! We are to intercept a group of pirates terrorizing sector 9 for the past months. We managed to scrumble a distress signal from an Imperial Commerce ship, giving us the location of the pirates."

"And the ship?"

"The signal went black after a while sir..."

Ofcourse everyone knew what that ment...

"...Understood... Prepare the ship for battle and jump to hyperspace as soon as possible."

"Yes sir! All units are now operating under a "code red" directorate... Jumping to hyperspace!"

The howling of the engines overclocking to achive speed of light was as real as the cadet's sweat running down his forehead. Proving victorious in this battle scenario could be his greatest achivement yet, or his greatest failure. Studying the Tarkin Doctrine, he knew that it didn't really matter if he captured these made up pirates or not... Actually it did, but that's not what matters the most. It matters how you do it. Having a fully equipped Imperial Star Destroyer guarantees certain victory. Anything else would be viewed as incopentance or stupidity, at best... Treason and lack of will at worst... There is something theatrical about how the Empire opperates. Simply executing an order and obeying blindly won't get you far as a commanding officer. You are not a trooper for that matter... No! You have to take it a step further... Be creative, as to what your superiors expect from you.

The ship's battle screen turned blue for a moment. Typical of high speed traveling. It's was less than 5 seconds and the ship dropped out of hyperspace, having traveled something less than a million miles away. Sector 9 of the Xl9 solar system. A small commerce planet and a moon with a mining facility. Nothing fancy about the landscape...

"We are scanning the sector sir... The pirate ship appears to be trying to hide behing the dark side of the moon sir..."

"Anything else?"

"We are also picking up the electronic signal from the Imperial ship sir... Yet, there is none alive above..."

"Deploy TIE fighter squadron 11, 9 and 3... Hail, the pirate ship."

"Yes captain. Deploying fighters... Communications ready."

" This the captain of the ISD Subjugation. You are under arrest for attacking an Imperial Commerce ship and other criminal activity. Stand down or be destroyed."

The cadet waited for a moment...

"No response sir... They are trying to make a run for it!"

"So! Order the TIE-Fighters to speed up and intercept!"

"Already did sir! They are not going to get there in time..."

So, what options did the the cadet have... With a moon blocking his crossfire and his interceptors to slow to be of any use...

"That's it! The moon!" the cadet thought.

"Use our long range explosive rounds to bombard the moon. Target the area thats closer to the pirate ship. The turbulance will slow the down long enough to capture them..."

The Number One stayed quite for a second not being able to understand what he was ordered to do...

"But sir... The mining colony... Will be decimated... Are you sure that..."

"Victory above all else commander. Now execute my commands or suffer the consequences!"

The young cadet stunned by the prospect of defeat, in a measle simulation no less, pulled himself back together and nodded to the weapons user...
Immediately, the "cannons" started firing like crazy... You could see pieces of the small moon being torn of the surface by the blunt force of the explosions. The mining colony started hailing the Imperial Ship... Everyone ignored it. The TIE-Fighters taken by surprise started evasive actions to avoid friendly fire... needless to say some got destroyed...

"We... got them sir... We have incapacitated them..."

"Good... Destroy them now..."

"Sir the pirate ship is hailing, are you sure that you don't..."

"Blow them away!!! NOW!"

"ISD to TIE leader... Destroy them..."

And with that the simulation ended... All the cadets exited the holoroom growling and frowning on the young leader... Sacrifice all that... To destroy them?! Everyone knew they have failed... And it was his fault... The Kenan was the last to exit the holoroom... Every one formed a line and awaited their evaluation. The Drill Master was soon before them...

"Your mission was to capture the enemy pirate ship... In the process of doing that you killed more than fifty imperial citizens in the mining colony plus ten TIE-Fighters pilots who got caught in the crossifire... And in the end you destroyed the enemy ship that you so hard tried to capture... Why you did that cadet?!"

The cadet took a step ahead and saluted his superior.

"Sir! Given the situation I thought that was the best way to act, the battle terrain..."

"Not what I asked class leader!"

The young man took a deep breath and tried again...

"I...I didn't want to lose, sir..."

The Drill Master grinned and turned his back.

"And why you destroyed the pirate ship?"

"An eye for an eye sir..."

"Good... Congratulations cadets. You pass with flying colors... That was not a test of skill or competance... but of conviction... Seventy percent of cadets let the pirate ship escape as they are terryfied of the collateral damage. Another ninty percent of the cadets that manage to capture the enemy ship deliver it to Imperial authorities; admirable but not perfect... What many of you fail to understand is that the Empire will ALWAYS strike back at it's foes! No matter the cost in credits, manpower or civillians... We have plenty of those already. Our authority is absolute and none should forget that... Or else..."

I was awake from really early today. I felt somenthing... I was uneasy... Nervous... I tried to find something to kill my time. With the last speedrunner I had finished all my projects for this week. Nothing to do... At least the credits will keep food on the table for 10 days or so... And speaking of food, I should head to the market to fill my stock. Yes, a walk to the market will help me calm my nerves. I walked out of my house and starred at the sun. It's 35 degrees but I am not feeling hot at all. After a couple of years on Dantooine you learn to appreciate these nice and cool winter temperatures. I grinned and kept walking. Everywhere you look there is sand. Sand and rocks. The spaceport was a couple kilometers away from where I was. Whoever founded this city, hunderds of years ago must have been a complete idiot! It's literally in the middle of nowhere. Why build it here and not somewhere else? I mean, every place on this rock is completely the same... Hmmm, maybe that's why the spaceport is here in the first place...

My thoughts were interrupted again... What's with this feeling... I feel... Fear? Cold. I haven't felt like this... before.My feet froze in place, sinking a little into the sand. Someone was behind me. I wanted to look behind but... Why was I so afraid? I braced my self and turned my back. Who is this man? An all black uniform. I couldn't see his face. He seemed to be human... An Imperial? He was staring at me through his faceless mask, his hands behind his back...

"Don't try to hide it...".
I was horryfied just by the way he talked...

"I know what you are... I can feel it. Jedi..."
I couldn't grasp his words anymore... He kept talking but I was too dizzy to answer... Jedi? I haven't been called that for a long time... And I was glad about it. I just wanted to live my life as I wanted! Live peacefully away from wars, away from the Order... When I escaped from the temple on Corrusant it was the happiest day of my life...

"I don't understand what are you talking about officer... I know no Jedi. I am but a small time mechanic here at the spaceport. Sure there has bee-..."
My words have been abruptly interrupted by a feeling of pressure around my throat... Like someone put a noose around it and started pulling upwards. I was... choking...I pulled he head up trying to breath, brought my hands to my throat in a helpless attempt to free myself from this invisible grasp... I looked at the man... His hand was turned to my direction... Could it be?

"Wh-o... are...you..." I said while fighting for some air.
The man turned his hand down immediately releasing me from his grip...

"I hate it when they ask me that... I am an Inquisitor. An Acolyte of the Empire who hunts Jedi and force sensitive individuals... You see where this is going..."

At this moment the man pulled out of the back of his belt what it seemed to be... a lightsaber? It's been many years since I last saw one of those. I was 16 when I run away from the order. A year after hell broke loose and the Empire came to rise. It's been 10 years since then... I thought I was the last one, a remnant of a lost race. I was ok with that... I never wanted the life of a Jedi anyways. I hated it. All I wanted was to be normal. Not a hero. Not a savior. Just a mechanic...And now after all I have been through was I to perish here? Killed by a Sith? As I was sinking into my despair the Inquisitor was slowly walking into my way with his lightsaber lit up, ready to slay... What a vivid color... Scarlet... So red. It was mesmerizing.

"I...I just want to live..."

"You lost that privilage the moment you where found by the intelligence... Die now!"
The Sith started running towards me. I had no means of defending my self. The fear... It was overpowering. So many emotions all at once... The Jedi trained us to be gray. Feel nothing. Keep our cool at all situations. But I had forsaken those teaching long ago... As my end was nearing... I had never felt...so alive.

"No...NO!"
I was so angry! I wanted this man dead! None is going to take my life away from me...NONE! I raised both of my hands at the Inquisitor.

"Wha-..."
His fierce charging was put to a halt by what apperead to be an invsible force holding him suspended to the air... My head was about to explode with rage.I pulled his lightsaber to my hands and slammed him to the ground. The Force... I never thought I could do something like that.I turned my sight to the Imperial. With the lightsaber drawn out I started charging at him in a frenzy.I jump to the air ready to impale him, the sword aimed at his head. But...

"Ah...AHHH!!!"
I screamed as I was pushed away with incredible force while still on the air. I was sent at least 10 meters away from where I was,crushing violently to the sand. I still had the red saber into my hand. I tried to pull my self up. But the moment I did I was pushed down on the ground,unable to move. My body was crushing by the force this man was exerting. It was like I was weighting a ton. I fought desparately to get on my feet... But to no end...

The Inquisitor rose from his knees and started walking towards me slowly with his hand extended to my direction. His palm was wide open as if he was pushing an invisible weight down to the ground. When he was close enough he extended his other hand pulling the saber away from me and into his grip.

"This is the end..." I thought. Despair filled my heart and mind. I just wanted to live as I wished. I tried to run away but in the end my past caught up to me; exacting its revenge for concealing and rejecting it. I was breathing heavely as I was fighting to get up. No one can just come to terms with their own demise. One fights till the end in order to preserve his existance.

It was not long before my pursuer was above me, looking down at as if I was a piece of trash...

"Time to die Jedi."

I braced myself for what I thought was the end of me. Angry and bloodthirsty I raised my head to look my pursuer in the eyes as he administered the last blow. The last sweep that would take away all I have. I looked at him so intently as if I was dissecting him with my gaze. I wanted him dead so bad... I saw him raising his lightsaber in the air. Its heat was so profound I could almost forget about my crushed bones... I wouldn't move my eyes away from him. I wasn't going to give him the pleasure... But then...

"He... stopped."

The Inquisitor lowered his sword and starred back at me...

"Those eyes..." he whispered. "It seems there is... still hope for you Jedi."

He sheathed away his blade and put his two hands in his helmet... His grip on me was loosening... But I was too weak and helpless to do anything.
He took out his helmet revealing his face. A Mirialan male... A greenish face covered with tattoos. Fairly young; maybe younger than me.

"We have... the same eyes..." he said as he kneeled before me. He looked directly at me... His eyes... So yellow. It was sickening.

He got back to his feet and put his helmet back.

"I have proposal for you human... One that you cannot turn down of course... Instead of perishing here you can join the Empire, train under our master and become an Acolyte... Maybe even join the Brotherhood...someday."

All kinds of thoughts swirled through my mind in an instant. My life as far as to this point. My life as if it's going to be from now on... My life...My alternatives were...none. But I was given a choice. I was offered a stay of execution... My answer was obvious...

"I...accept."

The Inquisitor put his hands behind his back and shook his head a little.

"Good." he said kind of boringly. "As of today you have no name... You shall be known as... the Thirteenth Child."

"Yes my lord... Our riot police is trying to suppress this uprising as we speak."
"It's been three days Governor. Three days! I expect you to have dealt with this by the time I return. Or else..."
"Understood, Vizier Tross."

A man walked into the room and stood before the woman. She turned off the holocom and put her hands against her desk.

"Did you hear that Agent Sturm? The Vizier is going to have my head on a silver plate if I don't deal with this in the next 2 days. But rest asurred that I'm going to have yours a lot sooner if you are not bringing me some good news!"

" Governor, our forces are trying their best to contain the situation but you should know that this uprising is like no other... The hecklers movements are nothing but random. They are organized. They are trying to capture key facilities. Most of them are armed and they operate as military units. This is not just a riot. It looks a lot more like a rebel-."

"Dare to say that word and I'll have you hanged for treason!"

"It is what it is Governor..."

"Ha! So what you're saying is that a bunch of plebs, armed with knives, rocks and laser pistols, at best, have an entire unit of 3000 highly trained commandos on the run. Unable to do anything but watch as the capital gets burned to the ground... Maybe I should have rest my trust with the Intelligence instead of the Bureau after all."

"That is another thing I wanted to discuss with you Governor... Our forces are trained in riot war. In arresting criminals and protecting areas of interest. The spaceport, barracks and this very building still stand because of our ISB officers."

"Get on to it Agent."

"Our forces are streched thin between protecting the city and arresting the criminals...Give me command over the Intelligence's forces and I shall end this in less than 2 days."

"Ah! There you go... Again with your interservice rivalries. Even at the brink of goverment collapse you find time to triffle with such petty matters."

"Well Governor, you should know that Intelligence officials made it more than impossible to cooperate after you put me in charge of handling this mess. Their ego may cost you your planet, your status..."

"Your life."

"Our lives Governor..."

The two of them remained silent for a moment. The Agent waited for an answer as the Governor was looking down at the burning city.

"Tell you what Agent. I will give you what you ask from me. And even more. Get me my city back and the planet's internal affairs are on ISB hands from that moment. I don't need two Agencies who can't cooperate with one another. The Vizier can arrange that if I talk to him. However... Fail me and I will put ISB out of business on this planet. Making a fool out of you and your Bureau in every corner of this Galaxy..."

"You won't be dissapointed Governor..."

"... Also, I'll have you executed."

"I haven't forgotten ma'am..."

The black clothed man waited in the hangar along two stormtroopers to greet his guest. The shuttle has just landed and the important passanger was slowly walking down the ramp. His steps as heavy as his breathing... The air inside the room seemed to get more and more cold and stagnant the further he moved.
The man on the black was getting anxious. This frustration was getting on his nerves. He was annoyed by this unannounced visit by this "esteemed" guest. But he had to endure what was coming... He had no choice.

"Lord Vader. What an unexpected surprise..."
"Spare me the pleasantries Inquisitor. I understand your prisoner has finally talked."
"Yes, as I have already informed the Emperor. I don't see why you needed to come all th-..."
"The Emperor needed to make sure that the prisoner was properly disposed off."
"The Emperor should know that I'm perfectly capable of severing a Jedi's head my self."

Vader remained silent and waited for the Inquisitor to get the message. After a moment he started walking reluctantly towards the brig. Ofcourse the Jedi needed to be disposed properly; the Emperor would have it no other way. What if the Inquisitor decided to train the Jedi as his own apprentice? The Emperor wouldn't suffer such rivalries. There can only be two...
The two men, now alone entered the containment area. Something was off about the Inquisitor. Vader could feel it. Fear... Anxiety... Something was bothering him. It wasn't Vader meddling in his matters nor the lack of faith the Emperor displayed at him... He has done something...