𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙇'𝙎 𝘼𝘿𝙑𝙊𝘾𝘼𝙏𝙀 • 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

THIRTY-SIX*

 
  
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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The Mad Stormtrooper
   
   

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THE SANDS OF TATOOINE WERE COARSE, ROUGH, IRRITATING, AND GOT EVERYWHERE.

And so, while it was a pleasant trip away from the Death Star, returning was like a sigh of relief. 

"I'll speak to Krennic," Vader stated once we were back in his office. "Find out what they had planned for you. What they did to you that day in the medical ward."

"No," I said curtly, my eyes wide. "Knowing him, he'll have a convenient answer lined up for you, and the rest of them will corroborate with him. This is something I need to do myself."

He let out a scoff. "And risk your life?"

"It is my life to risk, after all," I told him stubbornly. "Besides, you're Darth Vader. If you start asking questions, they'll do everything they can to hide the truth. I'll do it myself."

With a huff, he gave me a nod, and I was grateful that he had finally realized that when I wanted to do something, it wouldn't be easy for him to stop me.

The outside of Krennic's office was colder than most of the Death Star. Being in the Advanced Weapons facility felt like being on a different planet, with the workers in different uniforms than the rest of the guards and troopers.

I snuck into his thankfully empty office with nothing but a vibroblade strapped to my thigh. Not sure what I was looking for, I scanned the surroundings, taking in the minimal decorations. War medals and prototypes hung up high, and small souvenirs from planets sitting on shelves. It felt wrong to be there, but I shook the shivers away and prowled through his papers. They were simply informative reports on weapons and new technologies that the team had been working on, which I moved to the side in search of something relevant. I wasn't sure what I was expecting to find; perhaps a big red document with my name plastered on the front in huge font.

When the initial reports showed nothing interesting, I took to digging through his drawers. Random items and scrap materials took up most of the space, and I was surprised that such a highly revered weaponry specialist was seemingly so unorganised and messy. After a few more minutes of filtering through the rubbish, I finally found something that made my heart jolt. The date was recent, yet it was at the bottom of a pile of generic scrap. My eyes read over the words hurriedly, driven by my need to know exactly what it was about.

PROJECT BLACKWING

Founders: Krennic, O., Fyko, P., Cull, C., Frotis, V.

Obj: New Advanced Weaponry

After flicking it open, I flipped through the first few pages which held unimportant information about the founders and the reason for the project. I stopped when I saw a familiar number on the fourth page.

SUBJECT ONE: Stormtrooper TS-812

Experiment Status: Unsuccessful

I read the number over and over again, until I remembered where I knew it from.

It was Aim's number.

Whatever the experiment was, they had tested it on Aim and it had failed. It made me curious as to what the experiment was - until I saw the date of it.

Two weeks after his death.

Before I could read any more, I heard voices in the hall outside. I rapidly put the project folder back at the bottom of the drawer, covered it with the scraps and slammed the drawer shut. But it was too late- someone was standing right outside. When I heard the unmistakable voice of Krennic, I knew I was done for.