Star Wars: Duel of the Fates

Chapter 2

A group of six stormtroopers waited as the cargo shuttle landed. Two more came out pulling a large black box on a levitating cart.

The officer approached them, "Manifest."

The newcomer squad leader stepped forward and held a small tablet out towards him.

He took it and read briskly, "Why do we need new couple manifolds for the control panels? They're operating to expectation."

"We don't make the orders, we just follow them," he replied.

A heavy sigh sounded through his helmet, "ZH-0408 take them to the control room and see that the major confirms this order."

"Understood," he said pointing his blaster towards a door on the far side of the hanger, "follow me."

The walk was long and slow, passing through the various parts of the training facility.

There must be at least two hundred children and teenagers at the different stages of reprogramming: the small clear cubicles where they were bombarded with images and propaganda; their re-education of the First Order's version of galactic history in classrooms; lastly every possible type of combat training from hand to hand to flying TIEs in simulators. A small facsimile of a young army in the space of one building.

They reached a set of closed blast doors. ZH-0408 went up to a panel on the wall and typed in the entry code; the doors opened silently into the floor and ceiling.

The three stormtroopers passed into the control room, a vast space covered in computer screens and counters monitoring the progress of the children. Numerous officers were milling from console to console, muttering readings and asking soft questions.

ZN-0408 advanced towards the major, "New couple manifolds, sir."

He was a large man, stood in an aggressive stance.

"Show me the order," he demanded.

The newcomer stormtrooper moved to the back of the black box and fumbled with something.

"Where's the order?" the major snapped.

"Sorry, sir, just one moment, sir," he replied, "I got it, here it is, sir."

The major snatched it from his hands and began reading, "This doesn't make any sense. It says that I requested these but I most certainly did not."

"Oh really?" the squad leader said coming towards him, "Are you sure, sir?"

"Of course I'm sure. Not a single thing comes into or out of this base without my personal approval."

"That is strange," he said standing beside him, and before the major could even regard him suspiciously he was shot in the side by one as the other hit the button to close the blast doors.

The rest of the room stood too stunned to draw their own weapons, giving them time to take out three more before they returned fire. Everyone took cover as the communications panel was blown to pieces.

The two new stormtroopers hunched behind a solid control panel, removing their helmets to reveal Finn and Poe.

"I really do not like this armour," Poe complained, "Does it even stop blaster fire?"

"Not that I've ever seen," Finn replied.

Shots were exchanged as they darted up and aimed blindly, sometimes finding a target, more than likely shooting one of the many computers on the walls.

It came to one last stormtrooper holding his ground behind the main central unit.

Poe gestured for Finn to stay put and that he would go around the far side. Finn nodded and threw a piece of broken metal across the opposite side of the room. The stormtrooper shot at it uselessly as Poe slowly crept from counter to counter. Finn slid back and forth, shooting from two different vantages.

Poe took a quiet breath and came out behind the stormtrooper, shooting him through the head.

"All clear," he said, "Finn: you're up."

He dragged the black box over to the main computer. Carefully he detached the side of the box to reveal a repurposed white Sentry droid before pulling out two thick grey cables that he attached into the wall ports.

Moving swiftly around the room, Poe placed charges on the main consoles.

"Come on, come on," Finn mumbled to himself, "Do your magic."

The droid's cuboid head turned from side to side over its equally cuboidal body.

A series of beeps from it caused Poe to nod, "It's working, buddy."

"While we wait, are you finally gonna tell me who our source inside the First Order is?" Finn asked.

"You know I'm not going to do that," Poe said, "The fewer people that know the safer our source is. And given the information and kit we're getting through them...we need them safe."

"Fine."

The droid beeped again.

"Fire alarm procedures enacted," Poe said as the sprinklers in the room turned on and a long, slow alarm began.

"Ok, that should do it," Finn said disconnecting the droid and tossing blue arm guards over to Poe, "Take off your squad leader shoulder strap and put these on...then we need to get the hell out of here."