Trooper

Escape Plan

A Stormtrooper is never as helpless as they are when there are ships battling all around them in space, we're stuck inside waiting to see if we live or die.

At least if it were a fleet vs. fleet conflict there'd be the boarding parties to run, enemy ships to overtake, some way to at least feel like I had something to contribute.

But not today. I haven't heard many details about what's going on, but what I have heard is that the rebels have just launched an attack against the Death Star, with fighters! I don't claim to be an expert at military strategy or to have a solid grasp of Rebel psychology, but honestly, what outcome could they possibly hope to achieve with this?

So I wander the corridors. Mostly to try and distract myself, but also for the off-chance that I could be somehow useful. Besides, I'm still wrapping my head around my whole experience with Darth Vader. There hasn't been any contact with him since then. I've almost convinced myself that it was all in my imagination, caused by exhaustion and stress. It's been a tough few days.

I can feel the reverberations of turbo laser fire through the deck as I walk. A small maintenance crew scurries past and disappears through an open hatch. When I look through the hatch I see a long row of giant cannons, each with a bright green power core, all firing in rapid succession. I see that the team from the corridor is working away on one that appears to have overheated, as it's spewing sparks and smoke everywhere.

"Trooper, make a hole!" I hear from behind me. Turning to look, I see another, larger, crew hustling towards my position. I take a step back from the hatch to let them pass, I don't feel there's anything I can do here to help, so I continue on down the corridor.

A squad of TIE pilots rushes past me in the corridor, things must really be escalating outside if we're launching fighters. Surely a station of this size would have enough turbo lasers to ward off any offensive the rebels could mount? Is it possible that the rebels have developed a strategy that actually poses a risk to this battle station? That seems unlikely.

It's quieter now, suddenly aware of how much noise was coming from all that turbo laser fire earlier in the battle. I overheard one officer reporting that we were making progress and that the rebel fighters would be eliminated shortly. It seems there was now even less for me to contribute than before now that the battle has moved entirely off the station. I decide to head to a nearby mess to grab some food before the rush of the pilots who will be returning shortly.

For a moment I feel weightless as the floor of the corridor drops from beneath my feet without warning before jumping back up to meet them, hard. The force is enough to throw me off balance, though I'm quickly able to stabilize myself against the corridor wall. "What was that?" I ask myself, not sure if it's only in my head. There are a few distant alarms ringing now, what could the rebels have possibly hit us with to have that sort of effect on a station of this size? A moment of helplessness washes over me as I realize I'm still not able to do anything about what's going on outside, at this point I'm simply along for the ride.

An officer's escort rounds the corner and is moving in my direction down the corridor. Without thinking my body snaps to attention, my back squared to the corridor wall, breath held firmly in my chest as he passes in front of me. A few steps past me, an ensign runs up behind the group with a datapad. I can clearly hear their conversation,

"Sir, we have analyzed their attack plan, and have found a weakness." The young ensign reports.

"Have you informed Grand Moff Tarkin?" the senior officer asks.

"I have sir, his exact response was: 'Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances.'"

"Well then, the Grand Moff orchestrated the construction of this battle station, I suggest you trust his judgment in this matter, ensign. Dismissed."