Star Wars: The Trooper Caught in the Storm

Part 1: The Cadet.

"Again, cadet Benly!" The instructor called in her high-pitched voice as the armored trooper cadet shot again at the moving targets. Not missing a single one.

Spinning the blaster, he holstered it with a prideful smile creeping to his lips. His light brown hair was matted to his sun-tanned forehead and the sweat was stinging his hazel eyes that were hidden beneath the helmet he had tightly on his head. He was of average height and build and was standing as tall as he could.

"Good. Now line up cadets!" She snapped walking the length of the cadets, eyeing each one in turn. She stopped suddenly and faced a tall lanky boy, "Cadet Dan. That was one lousy performance. If it weren't for your father, you would be out of here!" She sneered in his face causing Dan to flinch away.

Dan's father is a high-ranking Imperial officer who worked closely with some of the head people. He got Dan in, and threatened to kill anyone who tried to get him out.

"I will do better ma'am!" He called standing straighter, his hand visibly shaking with fear and anger.

"You better!" She sneered moving on to the next cadet who was shorter but fit. "Cadet Saffer. Your performance was mediocre. If it doesn't improve, I will be forced to send a statement to the general overseeing your training and ask that you be removed."

"Removed?" Saffer asked carefully, his back straight. Not looking the viper in the eyes.

The viper hissed, "You know what I mean! Don't make me do it."

"You would remove a cadet due to a mediocre performance?" Benly asked, breaking the rules, and speaking up.

The instructor turned her eyes on him and walked towards the boy. "Cadet Benly." She mused. "You did an excellent job," her face fell into a sneer, and she snapped, "But you never speak to me, unless I first, speak to you."

Benly straightened his back and eyed the instructor through his helmet and said with a slight edge to his voice, "Yes ma'am." He didn't approve of her threatening the other cadets just because they did "Mediocre", but he was in no position to argue with her.

After a time, the cadets were excused to go back to their barracks where Saffer threw his helmet down, revealing red curly hair, matted to his head by sweat. His green eyes shining with anger as he rubbed his pale freckled face with his gloved hands. Benly pulled himself up onto his bunk in the corner of the room where he could easily see everything.

"I am going to be removed!" He snapped at no one in particular. "How could they do that? I am a perfectly capable human who could become a great trooper if they just give me time. And Mediocre? That isn't bad!" he waved an angry arm at Dan. "He does worse than me and he isn't going to be removed!"

Dan glared at him, calmly removing his own cadet helmet, and holding it in the crook of his arm. His black hair still pretty dry and shiny, and his tan skin smooth. The amount of effort he put into training very obvious. "I will choose not to kill you because I know you're mad, but I must be better than you. At least she thinks so." His eyes were two different colors, His left eye and bright blue, and his other a golden brown.

Benly observed from his bunk, carefully cleaning his blaster.

"Oh Ya!" Saffer snapped, "You haven't hit one target since we got here! I hit at least forty percent of the ones assigned to me!"

Dan took out his blaster and took aim and shot. Saffer didn't even flinch as it missed him by about two feet.

"Put that away, Dan." Benly said sharply, sliding down from his bunk, leaving the blaster behind. "We are not shooting our team. It won't help anyone but get us all kicked out."

Saffer looked triumphantly at Dan who met the look with a murderous one. Benly shook his head slightly and hissed. "Stop it! Both of you."

"Benly, stop being all high and mighty. We know you top the class, so go back to your corner and watch like you always do." Saffer muttered.

Dan snickered and teased. "I am pretty sure Benly prefers the term, Observe." Saffer opened his mouth, but Dan held a finger up to Saffer's mouth and said with a slightly pleading look, "Hey High and Mighty. Would you be willing to train us?"

Benly gave him an unamused look and whispered, his eyes darting around knowing this was not allowed. "What you are suggesting is capable of getting all of us removed."

Dan nodded. "I know, but we need help."

Saffer scoffed. "More like just me and Benly. You have that umbrella over your head keeping you safe from that...that-,"

"Viper." Benly offered then sighed. "I'll try to help you, but you have to promise me I won't have to worry about either of you two shooting each other. We need to work as a team, or we risk getting caught. And if we are caught, it is game over."

"Viper." Saffer mused smirking. "I like it."

Benly landed a strange look on him. "It wasn't..." he shook his head and smiled slightly. "Never mind."

Dan smiled and whispered. "When do we start?"

Benly looked around once more, some of the other cadets arriving now. "Meet me tonight at the changing rooms once everyone has fallen asleep. We'll talk more then." With that, he went back to his bunk and climbed up and sat, his back against the wall, his hands cleaning his blaster once more.