Classified Imperial Base
Level Balcony
Daro
LST: 00:00:00 // DAY: 20
Taipan
Taipan finds herself wandering the different levels of the base. Much like Sycorax, it's a maze of hallways, corners, and junctions. The cold metal walls remind her of home.
She takes the turbolift down staring out the back window. Squads of stormtroopers march the level balconies. She can almost see Wookie gladiators moving supply crates. The beast tamers struggling against the rattling chains binding a Nexu as it slashes at them with claws the size of daggers. She can faintly hear its raspy chatter purr in the back of its throat as the cage door slams shut.
The turbolift lurches to a stop. Taipan steps out as a commando and his squad of TK-troopers march in. They part around her as she walks through as if they are afraid to touch her. She looks back at their emotionless, faceless helmets. She tilts her head as the lift zips up the levels. Curious... She continues her walk around the balcony. She carries the standard issue DC-15A now. She was unfortunately not allowed to keep the DC-17m. She rests the boring blaster on her shoulder safely pointing the muzzle pointed up.
Two stormtroopers march by nodding at her. She nods back.
Then one of them calls after her. "Wait, trooper."
She turns confused. "Yes?"
"A-Are you TK-Seven-Sixty?" He says adjusting his grip on his blaster rifle. His voice sounding vaguely familiar.
Nervousness radiates from both troopers. Their involuntary head turns and fidgeting of their feet give them away.
Taipan narrows her eyes behind her helmet. "Why?"
"Rumor is, she took out a whole pack of massiffs singlehandedly. Then—"
"Then cooked them up and ate them!" Says the second trooper cutting off the first. The voice is female and also strangely familiar.
The first trooper elbows the female. "Rodriguez, I'm telling the story," he says through his teeth.
She elbows him back. "Rojas."
"Well," Taipan says shrugging her blaster so it isn't digging in between her torso strap and shoulder plate. She smirks to herself realizing it's Blue Two and Blue Three from training. "The Captain she was with took out half the pack too."
"Yeah, but he's a clone trooper," says Blue Two— Rojas—, "She's a stormtrooper."
"Firstly, they're commandos, not troopers. Secondly, you say 'clone troopers' and 'stormtroopers' like they're two different things," Taipan says feeling the need to defend the clones. "We're all just soldiers conscripted to fight in wars created by people who could care less about the lives on the line."
Rojas stays quiet for a moment.
The female, Blue Three— Rodriguez— chimes in. "Maybe someday we can be just like her."
"Without the biting out throats though," says Rojas.
"Combat tip." Taipan turns and hears her mentor's voice again, Combat Rule #5, "If the enemy is in range, so are you."
Taipan takes a few steps away from them when Rojas says, "Wait, who are you?"
"Just another stormtrooper." Taipan shrugs and keeps walking away.
She figures they're going to pursue her but when she glances over her shoulder they've turned and started marching the other way.
"Rumors are just another way of lying," she says out loud as a mouse droid zips between her feet. "Hey!"
YOU ARE READING
THE RECRUIT
FanfictionBOOK 01 They were all fighters, but what distinguishes a warrior from a killer is what they fight for. Bred for combat. Built for war. Republic Commandos braved the impossible. So, when they were ordered to turn their sights to the Jedi, most did wi...
