Soldiers of the Stars

Chapter 2: Well, We're Screwed

MYGEETO SYSTEM, ALBARRIO SECTOR

(CT-8737) CAPTAIN GUNNER

     "Alright, Rook. What's so important that you had to pull us away from reading reports." I announced as I entered the conference room, Winters following closely behind. All of the 239th sergeants, lieutenants,  captains, and even Colonel Ward were present. Whatever was going on, it was significant enough for Colonel Demetrius Ward to be here. Commander Rook stood front and center, a datapad in his hands.

     "Got some news, men. The 239th is being assigned its first Jedi General." Everyone in the room exchanged questionable glances. We all expected our new General to be a Political General like General Yensi, not a monk wizard with a laser sword.

     I cleared my throat and spoke out. "We've gone this entire war without a Jedi, so why assign us one now?" A unanimous agreement broke out. We were all thinking it.

     "Dunno, but it was direct orders from up top. Legions, battalions, almost everyone is being assigned a Jedi."

     Winters crossed his arms. "And the 506th?"

     "Will remain as it is. As for the 239th, our General is arriving today."

     "Any idea who it is?" Colonel Ward raised his brow.

     "It's probably some old geezer or kid Jedi." Rook replied.

     "You mean a Padawan," Winters interjected. Rook brushed him off, muttering to himself as he scrolled through his datapad. Individual conversations arose in the room. I studied the Commander's face. His eyes grew wide. I sensed his hesitancy. Everyone's gaze fell upon Rook.

     "Bryka Acrux." Acrux, the name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

     Sergeant Balao of Indigo Squad sighed. "Acrux, she commanded the 195th Assault Infantry under General Krell." The room fell silent. No one dared to speak. We all knew of Krell's reputation. An effective military leader, no doubt, but his success came with a high casualty rate. General Krell cared about one thing only. Victory. The lives of his men didn't matter to him. As far as he was concerned, all my brothers were expendable. His distaste for clones was no secret either. Why would his Padawan be any different? A somberness flooded the room.

     Rook broke the silence. "When the General arrives, you will fall in by Company for introductions at 0800. Pass this on to your squad leaders. Dismissed." Everyone promptly left the room, murmuring about the new General. Winters and I held back, waiting for the room to clear. Rook and Colonel Ward conversed in whispers. Rook caught my gaze. "Best get to your men, Gunner."

     I stepped forward. "Talk to me. You're holding something back."

     "General Krell is accompanying her," he grumbled. My stomach twisted.

     Winters furrowed his brows. "Why were we not informed of this earlier?"

     "Just got the word, and I'm not too thrilled about it either. But there's not much we can do now. Best not tell the men," he paused. "We don't want to cause any panic."

     Colonel Ward straightened his shoulders back, clearly unbothered by the news. Of course he was calm; he wasn't a clone. Respected the hell out of the guy, but his cushioned life on Coruscant made it difficult for him to understand my brothers and me, especially the importance of making a good impression on General Krell. "ETA?" He asked. Instantly, a T-6 Shuttle exited hyperspace. We all turned to look out port side.

     "Bout right now." Rook laid the datapad down on the table. "Winters, gather your men. You will go with Gunner's Company for introductions." With a nod, we left the conference room.

✮✮✮✮✮

     "Commander Acrux? Wasn't that General Krell's Commander?" One of the men cut in.

     "Wait, Commander Acrux is our new General?" One of the shiny's from Indigo Squad spoke out. The shakiness in his voice told me that word had gotten out already of who we were dealing with. I nodded. Chaos erupted throughout the briefing room.

     "Great. Well, we're screwed. It was nice knowing you, boys." A trooper named Bob declared.

     "Stow it!" I commanded. The hysterical pandemonium ceased. The men were already panicking, so it wouldn't make a difference if I told them or not. "General Krell will temporarily be joining her." A deathly hush fell upon the Company. "Lieutenants, escort your Platoons to the hangar."

     "Easy, on me," Winters called out to his Company. He threw me a concerning look. "Let's get this over with." I couldn't agree more. A migraine threatened the back of my head. I needed a drink, really, really badly. Able Company's medic, Trout, informed me four rotations ago that if I didn't ease off the liquor, my liver would be shot and I wouldn't have to worry about fighting clankers for much longer. Stupid liver. If I were to die by the bottle, this new General was going to be the cause of driving me to it. Sure, I didn't know her yet, but I've heard stories of her type. She wasn't a Jedi, just a General who abused their powers and held little respect for their troops.

     We marched into the hangar. The men fell into line, divided by Platoons. Winters stood beside me, on the opposite side of our companies. Commander Rook approached. The shuttle entered and docked. I took a deep breath, trying to soothe the aching in my head. Winters nudged me. "Relax, Vod. You're making me nervous." The corners of his mouth turned up.

     I narrowed my eyes. "Quit looking at me like that. Wipe that stupid grin off your face."

     "Yes, Sir," he mocked.

     The ramp lowered. Two figures made their way down. One, a Besalisk, towering, powerful, and walking with a haughtiness in his step. General Pong Krell. My blood boiled at the sight of him.

      The second, a woman. Immediately I was taken back. Her eyes were a vibrant sky blue, she had a round nose, and her long golden hair was loosely tied back. The black tunic she wore contrasted her Master's greatly. Her gray robe draped from her broad shoulders. As she came closer, I took notice of the patchy, lighter-colored spots on her skin and a scar that stretched from the bridge of her nose down across her right cheek. There was no mistaking, she was beautiful, but it was simply a disguise for the nightmare beneath. A Jedi is one thing, but a Jedi trained by Krell? Judging by the harsh expression she wore as she whispered to General Krell, I knew the 239th would never be the same.