Shattered Empire: A Star Wars Story (DISCONTINUED)

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Hanger Room, Exile
Dar Havon, 61st Stormtrooper Battalion

      To say it was a mess, would be an understatement, a shit show would have been more appropriate. Most of the crew, were sprawled out on the ground, either dead or seriously injured. Those few that could stand up, just seemed out of it, walking like the living dead. 'What the hell happened here?'

       One of those laying down, an officer, who was clutching her side, her head resting against the wall. Still she managed to grit through the pain, and was moving towards me. "Trooper come here" she said in what was almost a hushed whisper. "Ma'am what do you need" I asked as I offered her my hand, which she took gratefully. Though any words she was going to say, had long since been lost. "Ma'am?" there was no response. She was gone.

       I let my hand go, as I stood up. Now that I look at it, most of the crew probably won't make it. One of the medical crew, rushed past me and began to treat one of the wounded. It was pointless, couldn't he see it. I made my way towards him, carefully walking past the soon to be dead. "He's not gonna make it" the medic just ignored me and continued to pay attention to man. I got closer "Did you hear me". He just continued, what he was doing, now performing compressions, desperate to save his life.

I just watched him, as he was trying to prevent the inevitable. Without saying anything, I just grabbed the medic's shoulders and tossed him to the other side of the hall. With a heavy thud, he hit the wall and dropped to the ground near instantaneously. "Didn't you hear me" I turned my head to the medic, who was struggling to get up on his feet. I looked back at the man, he was attending to....dead; just like the officer I saw before.

       "I...could have" I turned to see the medic now standing up. "I could have saved him." He was looking at me with eyes of pure hatred. I could somewhat understand, but he was just wasting his time at that point. "You bastard....you absolute bastard, you killed that man" he said his finger pointing at me. "He was already dead to begin with" he didn't seem to like those words. "How do you know that...what do you know about saving a life!!" I remained quiet and advanced, until my visor was just an inch away from his face. "I know enough to know that he is beyond saving. It would have been merciful to just shot him." The medic said nothing, and walked away but not before he shoved his shoulder into mine.

"Don't blame him" I turned to see another one of my squad members, Singer looking at me. "Why shouldn't I" I said as I turned my full attention to him. In response, he pointed his finger towards the medic, who was again trying to save another life...trying the impossible yet again. "He's just doing what he was taught, he's meant to try and save them; we are meant to end them." I was confused at his way of thinking, "That's a unique way of thinking things." He just shrugged it off, "It's easier if you think like that."

I chuckled at his response, Singer was always the man who tried to simplify things, no matter how complex they were. "So what's left" I asked him, knowing he was the last one with Raz. This time it was his turn to laugh, "Always so serious when on missions, huh?" "Well it should only be the hanger, blast door was stuck" Singer let out a small chuckle "heh took Marby several minutes to pry it open"

TIE Fighter Storage, Exile
Rayla Alkie, 10th Imperial Flight Wing (Disbanded)

        My ship was completely trashed, part of hanger collapsed onto it. The cockpit was smashed, and the left wing was virtually nonexistent. 'Fuck today and this ship' I continued to try and salvage what was left. Wasn't much, I could maybe save the energy cells from the blasters. I just sighed and looked around me, Hadrix and Wexlee were doing the same thing, trying to unfuck the mess that is our fighters.

"I'm sorry about all this" Wexlee said as he was hugging..well as more like pressing himself onto the fighter. Wexlee didn't seem to care, about his unnatural behavior, as continued to flatten himself as much as he can. That was until Hadrix took notice of him, looked like he's has enough as he walked up to the oblivious pilot. To oblivious it seems, as I the Captain try several times for Wexlee to get his attention. Finally he just grabbed him by the ear, and pulled it as hard as he can.

That seemed to snap him out it, as he focused more on the pain of his ear, rather than his fighter. "Pull it together, Wexlee and stop acting like your on deathsticks." Hadrix just held his ear roughly tugging every so often for good measure. I then saw him turn to one of the engineers with us. "Is the door open yet?" The engineer was still at the control panel trying to open it. "Not yet" he said as fiddled with the power tool some more.

       "Just great" I muttered as I turned  back to the hulk of my fighter. "Wait wait the door is opening" the engineer called back to us. We all turned to see the door, was finally opening....at least we won't die here. The stormtroopers quickly entered the room, blasters drawn, scanning the wreckage of the room. 'Fucking Stormtroopers....fire first ask questions later' "Let's try not to ruin this hanger anymore than it is", Hadrix said to our new guests. "Sorry, just standard procedure, we need to evacuate everyone" one of them said as they lowered they're blaster "We can't just leave our ships" Wexlee snapped at the stormtrooper.

The Stormtroopers ignored Wexlee, as they spread out, leaving only 2 to guard the entrance. "That wasn't a request" the leader said as he asserted his authority mainly towards Wexlee. I just looked Hadrix, he was the squad leader after all. In response he just sighed, and butted in between the troopers and Wexlee. "Ok ok we'll do as you ask" this seemed to satisfy the troopers, only altering a second glance before exiting the hanger.

         "What the hell was that!!!??" Wexlee said as soon as the troopers were out of sight. "Saving your ass from getting a severe ass whooping" Hadrix replied with a hushed tone. "He did save your ass" I chimed in after silently enjoyed the whole scene. "Don't tell me, you agree with Stormtroopers" Wexlee snapped at me, clearly not pleased at my statement. "I dislike Stormtroopers just as much as you, but look our TIE's are trashed." I tried to reason with him. "Bullshit I can still save it" this time I just stepped in front of him. "Move" he said not bothering to look at me. "It's gone" I said raising my tone, Wexlee seemed to back down from this.

          "Fine you win this time Rayla" with that he turned his back and left the hanger. 'Stubborn as always' Hadrix soon followed, but not before beckoning me to follow, which I did. No way in hell I'm staying here. I took one last look at my TIE, the final thing that reminded me of Dagger Squadron. I don't know how long I stared at it, but eventually I left it, and everything it meant behind.

"Rayla??"

Not a second after I left the hanger, someone just called out to me. I didn't need to turn around for me to know who spoke to me. The voice gave it away, another one of those "Bucketheads" But how did he know my name.....unless. I turned to face the trooper, he was standing in the middle of the hallway, just staring at me. He didn't seem like anyone special, just another soldier clad in plastoid armor. The question was how did he know my name? Dagger Squadron had never been stationed near Kedala, except during our stay at Xaphen.

We just stared at each other, both of us not making a sound, ignoring the fact that there were others in the hallway. Finally I spoke up, "how do you know my name?" Without saying a word, he put his hands on the base of the helmet and began to push it off his head. Safe to say, it was a face that I hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Dar"

After all these years, I never thought I would see him again. Last time I heard from him was years ago, back when we we're still naive young fools. Now here he is after all these years, standing right in front of me. But before I could say anything, another voice presumably his squad mate called out to him. "TK-106, our job here is done, we need to report to the Sarge" With that and he put back on his helmet, and walked away with his squad.

'Good seeing you too'