Aboard a Random Star Destroyer.…..
Two storm troopers were patrolling the walkways talking to each other.
"So, uh….What's up?" One asked the other.
"Just patrolling the halls….."
"Really….wow, that's interesting…yea…so uh…what's your name?"
"TK2345, you?"
"JT1292."
"Right…I'll have to remember that."
"Hey, you know, I got to thinking the other day, what if we were clones?"
"You can't be serious?"
"Think about it, we all look the same, we have an assortment of numbers and letters for names…"
"That's insane."
"But you sound just like me!"
"No I don't! My voice is so much higher then yours!"
"How about the fact that no one cares when we die?"
"That's just because the world kills people for fun. You know, I heard they made some kind a game where you go through a campaign of the Empire's control for the hold of the galaxy."
"Really?
"Yea, it's like called 'Star Wars' or something."
The other trooper laughed, "Star Wars…that's a good name for this Imperial reign over the galaxy."
"Tell me about it, my son's friend got it for his birthday. What's even cooler is that a stormtrooper is on the front cover."
"Sweet... hey, you got a son?"
"Yea, why do you?"
"Yup, and a wife too.
"Me too!"
Aboard the Tantive IV….
Two men were in the bathroom taking a wiz….
Then they become nonexistent because there is no bathroom on the Tantive IV. It's true!
So in the….newly constructed mess hall….Two men sat around eating something called 'food.' It sorta was a mix between baked beans and apple sauce. With some gravy. And pork rinds. One was Arkan, who was a soldier. A newly recruited soldier at that. This was his first assignment, to escort Princess Leia back to the rebel base at Yavin 4. The other, Jaden, a veteran smuggler, specialized in repair and sabotage. Jaden had worked many missions before, knowing almost all there is to know about war.
"Have you noticed this food sucks?" Said Arkan.
"Arkan, no one cares. You'll get used to it."
Arkan decided that no one really did care and went back to eating.
Arkan remembered the first time he had met Jaden. It had been aproximately3 minutes ago, when Arkan boarded the Tantive VI as reinforcements via a Corellian Transport. Arkan walked through a dull grey hallway and into the mess hall where he got a tray of food, sat down, and introduced himself. They've been best friends ever since.
When they were all done, they got up, and headed for the door. Arkan reached for the door handle when his friend pushed him back.
"What are you? Insane?" His friend screamed out.
"Relax, Jaden, sheesh. What's the big deal; I was just opening the door."
"Just opening a door? Do you know what's on the other side of that door?"
"Oh I don't know, a hall?"
"Not just any hall my friend, here take these," Jaden handed Arkan some dark visors, "Put them on."
Arkan watched as Jaden put his on, and did the same. Jaden then opened the door. Arkan screamed and quickly closed his eyes.
"Ahh! I'm BLIND!" Arkan screamed as he fell to the floor.
"That's what I was trying to tell you, the Tantive IV has the cleanest halls in the galaxy. They're so god damn white you just can't help but squint. But don't worry you'll get used to it."
"My god…..I hope I do….sheesh…"
Suddenly, a small explosion could be heard by the main door…hatch….thing.
A squad of soldiers ran ahead of Arkan and Jaden down the hall to the explosion. Instantly, their bodies were blown back and collided with the wall. Arkan and Jaden just stood there. In the corridor ahead, the Storm troopers advanced and came into view of the two soldiers. Unfortunately, the troopers' armor blended in with the walls.
"Should we really be standing here?" Arkan asked.
"I guess not, I just want to know what happened…."
One of the storm troopers leaned over and whispered to another, "Why are they just standing there?"
"I don't know. Do you think they are surrendering?"
"Should we ask them?"
"I say we shoot them," said one behind them.
"Hang on, let me ask." The storm trooper turned its head to the two rebel soldiers, "Are you guys, like…..standing there for a reason?"
Arkan jumped, "What? Who said that?"
"We did, in front of you."
"What? I don't see anything." Arkan looked around but still couldn't see them.
"Are you serious? We're right in front of you! Can you believe these guys?" He laughed.
"Yea, I know, haha, can't even see us….ah….that's hilarious."
They each started laughing hysterically.
"No seriously guys, where are you?" Arkan was still baffled at how some mysterious voices were speaking to him. "You here them to right Jaden? I'm not going crazy or anything?"
"No, no, I hear them too…."
Just then, another squad of troops ran in from behind them. The leader stopped next to Jaden.
"Hey, what happened? I heard there was a break-in."
"Really? Well, there doesn't seem to be anyone lurking about." Jaden answered.
"Well what's that laughing I hear?" The leader looked around curiously.
"We've been trying to figure that out myself, sir."
"Well it's starting to tick me off. Must be a Bothan stow away that got on the ship, those guys are really annoying. Someone shoot a round off, maybe he'll shut up."
A soldier shot off a round as ordered. The blast hit a trooper in the arm.
"Ow! Snap, what was that for, G?" He cried out.
"Yea, don't hurt TW1312!" Said another in his defense.
"What the hell?"
"No wait, don't tell me, you can't see us either."
"See who? What's going on?" The Leader asked perplexed.
More laughter came from the troopers. Then an Imperial Officer came in from around the corner and saw the rebel soldiers just standing there.
"What's going on!" He yelled, "Why are you laughing? You should be killing these rebel scums!"
Attracting all the attention, the rebels were able to spot the grey suited officers clearly.
"Imperial Officer! Fire!"
The rebel soldiers shot at the officer, with some troopers being killed in the crossfire.
"Kill the rebel scum!" The officer shouted out.
A flurry of laser blasts shot out from the large squad of troopers narrowly missing Arkan and Jaden.
"Whoa! Get down!" Jaden dived and pulled pushed Arkan with him behind a box.
"Wow, I didn't see that coming." Arkan said dumbly, "Thank the force for these extremely large containers that are conveniently the size of us, or they would have shot us!"
"Yea, these boxes are great, now let's focus on warning the princess." Jaden pulled Arkan up and ran into a room next to the box.
The room they entered was the engine room. In the control bow in the upper corner of the room, the Princess was standing trying to in the middle, a giant turbine generator blocked the platform leading up to the controls by a green beam shooting across it.
"What the heck? Why would they have a strange beam shooting across the walkway?" Arkan moaned.
"Don't ask questions. Just shoot." Jaden replied
"Shoot what?"
"Those turbine controls." Jaden said pointing to a nearby control counsel.
Arkan shot the counsel and it blew up extinguishing the laser blocking their path. The two ran up the walkway to the control box to meet with the princess. Halfway up the stairs, Arkan stopped.
"What's wrong, Arkan?"
"No, no...I was just thinking, isn't destroying the turbines bad for us?"
Jaden shook his head, "What did I tell you? Don't ask questions, now come on!"
They ran up the flight of stairs and met up with the princess.
"Princess! C'mon, we have to get you out of here!" Jaden yelled to her just as an explosion sounded behind them.
"You low life nerf herders! I can handle myself, go kill the troopers!" The princess broke free of Jaden's grip and ran across a walkway, down a ramp and through another door leaving the two behind with remnant troops marching through the under region of the engine room. They took a look at the incoming troops, saw there was over 20 troops entering the room, then ran through the door following Leia.
"You know, you don't have to be so mean princess!" Jaden said running after the princess with Arkan close behind.
"Stop following me, they'll find me!" She shot back.
"Fine! Be that way!" Jaden stopped, pulled Arkan by him and threw him into the open doorway and jumped in after him. Jaden quickly shut the door.
Arkan was on the ground groaning, "Did you have to throw me? Sheesh, I could've walked in."
"Get use to it, you'll be diving a lot in war. Now be quiet, the storm troopers will be walking by soon."
In a few moments, the soft sound of footsteps could be heard outside the door. Once the troopers walked by, Arkan spoke again.
"Where are we, it's really dark in here." Jaden switched on the lights, and they found they were in another grey corridor with a ramp leading down.
"I think this leads to the escape pods, we can get out in those." Jaden said, "Wait, I heard something..." Jaden lifted his gun toward the source of the sound. It was coming from outside. Arkan and Jaden lifted their guns at the door. The door opened, but nothing was on the other side.
"Don't shoot!" said an invisible source.
"Your more of those storm troopers aren't? You and your mystical ways of blending into walls...I say we shoot everyone around!"
Arkan cocked his gun.
"No, I'm just a Bothan is all!" said the Bothan now revealing himself.
Jaden shot a threatening glance, "You stowed away didn't you?"
"Would you believe me if I said no?"
"No." Jaden reached for the door controls to lock him out.
"Wait! You mustn't! If the troopers find me here, I'll be killed!"
"Then turn invisible with your awesome powers, and walk past them." Arkan said.
"It's not as easy as that you see...well, I guess it is as easy as that, but the story would be a lot cooler if I joined along with you!"
"Story? What are you blabbering on about. What story?" Jaden asked thinking the Bothan was insane.
"The story Into the Frey."
"What?"
"It's a book I'm writing, explaining the horrors of war. I think I'll get it published later." The Bothan said proudly.
"Fine whatever, just get inside before more troops show up."
So the Bothan followed the two down the declining ramp and into a circular room with a column in the middle, a healing and ammo droid on the back wall, and escape pods, untouched and unharmed, just waiting to be used.
"Let's get one of these open," Jaden said to Arkan.
"But you're a mechanic, can't you?"
"Fine, fine, then just guard the door and make sure no one comes through while I open a pod." Jaden immediately got to work using his fusion cutter to pry open the hatch. The Bothan ran to the side of the corridor leading up the ramp they just had walked down, and Arkan to the door in front.
"So what's your name?" Arkan asked the Bothan.
"I'm uh...I'm Benthlo." He answered back hesitantly.
"That's an odd name...But then again, so are most of the names made up in this generation...I knew I guy named Wedge once. I mean, Wedge? Who would name their kid Wedge...You know, I don't even know why I'm named Arkan!"
"Arkan! Focus on the door!" Jaden ordered from the back.
Arkan turned toward Jaden. "You know, I highly doubt that a stormtrooper is going to run through that door and go shooting around him killing us instantly."
"Arkan! The door!"
"Think about it, what are the odds?"
Jaden had just ripped off the hatch, "Arkan, get over here now, and if a stormtrooper comes running in shooting everything before he even knows what's on the other side of the door, and just so happens to haphazardly shoot you, that's not my fault! Now cover us as we get in the pod."
Jaden climbs into the escape pod, with Bents waiting outside the hatch. As Jaden climbed in, Bents crawled nervously into the pod. Arkan scanned the room, saw nothing of danger, then turned his back to the doors. He bent down and headed in. Then, out of the blue, a stormtrooper came running in shooting in every which way the moment the door opened. A stray shot hit Arkan in the back of his head knocking him to the ground. Jaden quickly shot his Golan Arms Flechette at the trooper knocking him back into the wall. Arkan laid on the ground moaning.
"My head hurts..." He said.
Jaden grabbed onto Arkan, pulled him into the pod, shut the hatch, and pushed the button, ejected them out of the ship and into solar system.
"Don't worry Arkan, that shot to the head is nothing a medical droid can't fix up." Jaden said.
"Shouldn't I be dead though? Being shot in the head and all?" Arkan said still rubbing his head.
"Don't question things, you'll get used to it."
Back on the Star Destroyer that ominously was hovering right over the Tantive IV...
"Sir! Another escape just launched out of the the Rebel Blockade Runner!" An Imperial Engineer reported.
The Imperial Officer looked at the scanners that had scanned the ship.
"Let it go, scanners show of no intelligent life forms, now get back to work!"
It still is a mystery to me why being shot in the head doesn't kill you instantly...
Oh well. Hoped you enjoyed it.