Trooper

Fatal Memories

Unknown Regions: 12 BBY
Inquisitor Fortress
Jess

    "Hey, you two, get to work. Just because we're on lockdown doesn't mean it's break time!" Another pilot crossed his arms, staring at them over the crates. Jess leaped to his feet and grinned sheepishly.

    "Right, sorry, Sir," he replied. The pilot rolled his eyes and stalked away. Jess picked up a crate and carried it towards some others. Axe followed him with a crate of his own.

Engines roared overhead and shouts carried across the landing platforms. Jess rolled out of the way just as the shuttle appeared and opened fire on the landing pad. Azie appeared in the cockpit and waved a pronged appendage.

The Purge troopers aimed their blasters at the viewports and began firing. Jess glanced at the one closest and jumped into a sprint. He tackled the trooper to the ground, pulled his blaster, and stunned him. Jess rolled as another trooper fired at him. Axe jumped into the fray and blasted Purge troopers. The shuttle lowered its boarding ramp.

Ahsoka appeared on it, wind blowing her lekku past her face. "Come on!" She shouted. "We're about to have company!"

"Go," Axe hollered.

Jess took a running start and jumped onto a stack of crates. He jumped again, reaching towards Ahsoka. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto the ship. Azie let out a shrill whistle.

"Axe, come on!" Ahsoka called again. Jess blasted at Purge troopers left and right. Ahsoka dodged a few of their returned shots.

Axe turned finally and ran towards them. Jess's eyes widened in shock. "Duck!" He shouted. Axe obeyed, instantly dropping to the ground. A grenade sailed over his head and detonated just beyond him. The pile of crates blew up into smoldering scraps.

Axe was up and running in an instant. Ahsoka inched closer to the edge of the boarding ramp. Azie whistled again and began pulling away from the platform. Axe reached the edge of the landing pad and leaped. Ahsoka's hands shot forward and Axe froze, suspended in the air.

Ahsoka's face strained in concentration as she drew him towards the ship. Jess kept firing at the Purge troopers, even as they drew farther away from the platform. With one final pull, Ahsoka dropped Axe onto the boarding ramp. The three of them slid inside and sealed the ramp behind them. Axe sprinted into the cockpit with Azie.

"We'll have TIEs on us as soon as we clear the atmosphere," he said.

"I'll program the hyperdrive. Where are we going?" Jess glanced at Ahsoka.

"Alderaan. I need to go to Alderaan. My daughter is there," she replied.

Jess nodded and quickly input the planet's coordinates. They burst through the atmosphere of the moon. As Axe had predicted, dozens of TIEs swarmed towards them. Azie opened fire on them. A few exploded into light and shrapnel. Axe flew towards an opening and activated the hyperdrive. They were gone before the Empire was on top of them.

    Jess leaned back in his seat with a sigh of relief. "That was close."

    "I'm impressed you managed to complete this mission," Ahsoka replied. "Not many could."

    Axe shrugged. "Honestly, I've had worse."

    "I haven't," Jess said. "Also, this uniform smells. I'm putting my own clothes back on." He stood and headed to the back of the ship. Jess quickly switched into his own clothes, then returned to the cockpit. "Here." He held the officer's cylinder out to Ahsoka. "You can probably find some use for this."