Shadow of the Force: Balthazar

by ForceWriter

Balthazar has fallen from grace. An ex member of the Imperial Shadow Guard now demoted to a Scout Trooper regiment on the front line following a a rebel attack on the Emperors life. Balthazar struggling to understand his place in life finds comfort in the awakening of the force inside him.

Shadow of the Force Fanfiction By Jim Parkhill

Chapter 1: The Mission

The pain reminds me I'm not dreaming.

I drop the chisel onto the tiled floor and watch the blood run down my hands, onto my fingers and drip onto the changing room floor.

I am not dreaming but no longer do I feel alive.

This sick form of self-mutilation is the only thing that keeps me feeling human. This horned demon must be removed.

As I stand in the shower with the lukewarm water washing the blood out of my jet black hair and onto my face I try and go over the situation that lead me up to this point. Was it my fault? Why wasn't I strong enough? Do I even deserve to wear this uniform?

My thoughts muddled. Unable to think straight with all this noise in my head, I lean my head onto the cold tiles and feel the water run down my spine. Is this the end of my military career? What would my Uncle think of me? So many question ringing though my head, I need to pull myself together I'm being deployed in the next couple of hours.

The alarm sounds to fall in. I take one last look in the mirror at the man I have become for dawning my scout helmet. Our scout team fast paced matched to line up before General Rohn for inspection.

"Attention."

The General bellowed at us. His voice cuts through my mind like shards of glass. My head still not on the job in hand with my thoughts swamped by unanswered questions, I need to clear my thoughts, be mindful of the force and get my head in the game for the task at hand.

"Troopers, name and number."

The General walks slowly down the line with each trooper shouting proudly their family name and identification number. Before I realise General Rohn is standing in front of me.

"Trooper! Are you awake in that bucket?" His face so close that his breath steams up my visor for a second as he shouts and sprays his question at me with venom.

"No Sir. Tarkin- TR… I mean TB3411." I stumble my words as I try to remember my newly inherited identification number.

"So you're the reject then? I see your fall from grace hasn't been too kind to you Tarkin. I hope you have heard that I do not give troopers second chances. You fail me and you fail the empire, and that is unacceptable and you will pay the punishment with your life. You must have friends in high places to only get a demotion and not executed. Your story is well known to me trooper, let me not hear of you again unless it's good things." The General walks on towards the next trooper, I stand at attention with my arm raised and fist clenched in salute. My fist clenched so tight that my arm starts to shake and my fingers go numb. I want to kill this Rohn so bad, I feel beads of sweat stream down my face leaving a salty taste on my lips.

The General fires off one last order before turning and marching across the Destroyers flight deck "Fall out and onto your transport, you will be debriefed by your commanding officer on route to the mission. FOR THE EMPIRE!"

As we strap into our seats in the back of the imperial shuttle Sargent Dak walked down the gangway and into the cock pit with his head held high. This was my first mission out with 431 Scouting Company and the first time I have served with Sargent Dak's squad, but I had heard all the stories, then again I'm sure he had heard all the stories about me and if not I'm sure he has his own questions after General Rohn's outburst on the flight deck.

Sargent Maxus Dak, the drunkard, the coward, the disgraced war hero from the Clone Wars. Dak has lost more men under his command than any other squad leader in the forces, if you're a poor trooper or have upset an officer this is normally where you end up, under Dak's command. That's probably the only reason they keep his squad around, the expendable troops, cannon fodder for the greater good of the empire. I can now see why I have been tasked with serving with this squad, dishonourable discharge would look bad on the Tarkin family. I'm sure Uncle had something to do with this. Grand Admiral Tarkin could never let his name be dragged through the mud like that, a death in the line of duty in a much better fitting end for me then a failed discharge in his eyes. I would be treated as a war hero among the family and stories told of my valour over drinks around the fire in the grand dining hall. At least myself and my mother may finally be accepted by the rest of the Tarkin family since my father's death.

My father Payto Tarkin the farmer, the younger brother of the highly military decorated Grand Admiral Tarkin. The failure of the Tarkin family, Payto married a young farmer's daughter from a nearby village called Aya. Payto who was never interested in the politics or military career that the Tarkin family expected it members to pursue. He was a man of earth; he was fascinated with cultivating land, producing food through hard work, poetry and way of the force. A weak cowardly man in the eyes of the rest of the Tarkin family, a stain on their heritage and not worthy to be seated at the family table.

Growing up I would rarely see my grandparents, aunts or uncles apart from uncle Moff. He was the only one that still saw us as family, the only one that saw any potential in me and planted the military seed in my impressionable child mind. He used to tell me grand stories of battle, honour, victory and war heroes of the great wars past. I was hooked I wanted to be one of these people who was praised and idolised as a hero, have songs sung about my battle victories for years to come. This displeased my dad who used to have me working on the farm and expected I followed suit and took over my family's farm. I considered him weak. A man that would not stand and fight for what he believed in, a man that would rather lay down his arms and talk his differences rather than bleed for his beliefs, but I was more like my father than I thought. Like he I rebelled against what I was born into and the steps my family thought was best for me and what turns I should take in my life. The first time I saw uncle T in his imperial uniform I knew that this would be my future.

"Right, helmets off troopers." Was the order from Sargent Dak in a stern threatening manner as he emerged from the cock pit of the shuttle.

"Our mission today is to protect Fandu Murr a Gerb Political leader from the Yavin system and his hunting party who are apparently very important to the empire while they hunt in a private nature reserve on Kashyyyk. This is a low importance mission as we will be on a private nature reserve that has its own security team as well which is why you bunch of mess up's and rookies got this detail.

We are only here to look after Fandu Murr and his party while hunting in the forest, the private security team is responsible for him at all other times. Mission is set to last between 5-6 hours our shuttle will then collect us the next day from Kashyyyk space port so you all get a night out on the town as a reward if all goes well. The local girls are a little hairy but can always show you a good time, just be at the shuttle bay at 0900. Any Questions?" Sargent Dak glairs at all six of us with glazed eyes, he looks drunk already and we haven't even got on the surface of the planet. Silence. Seems like a simple mission can't see why anyone would possibly have any questions about the babysitting job.

"Sir, what was General Rhon talking about on deck when he mentioned TB3411's fall from grace?" the trooper opposite me asked. Everyone turns and stares at me, I stare at the cocky looking young boy of a trooper. He looks like he has seen very little battle, minimal combat experience from the clumsy hand grip of his E-11 blaster. A sarcastic smirk plastered across his face from ear to ear as his curiosity grows with anticipation of some trooper gossip he can sink his small brain into.

Sargent Dak laughs and then responds to TB3552's question while a smile on his face and a high pitched voice. "Well if we are swapping stories let's start with you TB3552 trooper Trout." The smirk on TB3552's face vanishes and is replaced with a look of terror and embarrassment of what Sargent Dak is going to say next. The Sargent continues "Trooper Trout TB3552 was in a Sandtooper regiment based on Tayoonie, he is here with us after he fell asleep while on duty letting a group of Jaws dismantle and take an AT-ST from right under his nose." There are sniggers and small laughed from the other troopers as TB3552 head shrunk into his chest armour unto he couldn't get any lower in the seat. The Sargent wasn't finished there and took a deep breath "But I do agree you should all know who you're fighting alongside and trooper TB3411 Tarkin probably has the more interesting back ground out of you sorry bunch. I would stand up here and humiliate a second trooper but how about I leave that for you to do yourself Tarkin? And if I feel you have left anything out ill add it in at the end."

At least he's giving me the grace to tell my own downfall story to the rest of the company or it could just be that he has only heard rumours his self about me and doesn't know the full story. Do I tell everything or do I lie? If it gets back that I'm speaking out of line about Vader I'm sure it will get back to him and next time he won't be so forgiving.

"I'm Balthazar Tarkin TB3411, nephew of Grand Admiral Tarkin, formerly TR1984 member of Emperor Palpitane's Shadow Guard." As I look around at the Sargent and the other five troopers I see their faces sink and their eyes widen in disbelief.

"I was tasked to protect Emperor Palpitne while on an inspection of a secret research centre. The rest is classified information that I cannot repeat." No sooner had I finished did Sargent share his comments on my past with the troops.

"Rumour has it you nearly got the Emperor killed, only reason Vader didn't choke you out was because of your Uncle. So everyone watch there back around Balthazar. Oh and Trout your partnering up with him on this mission for opening your mouth."

The rest of the flight we all sat in silence and again I see the scenario play over and over again in my head plaguing me into madness, maybe Vader should have ended me, or does the force have other plan's for me. I feel it when I close my eyes, all around me pushing and pulling at my very soul and existence. I wish I could control my connection with it, flow with it and understand its movements instead I just tap into the surface scraping away at the scraps I can decipher from the endless current of feelings it bombards my senses with like a raging river of power and information.

After we land we are met by a team of the Kashyyyk security forces ready to take us to the game reserve. Three humans and two towering Wookies make up the security detail. This was the first time I had ever seen a Wookie in the flesh or should I say fur. Massive and intimidating I can see why the Wookie armies of Kashyyyk were so greatly feared around the galaxy.

We arrive at the game reserve and meet Fandu Murr and his imperial interpreter droid. That's two new species in one day I have meet now Wookie's and now a Gerb. Fandu stood upright with his chest puffed out like his was trying to display dormancy over us, a large fury creature with long upright ears, whiskers and backwards facing knees that look like his legs were made for jumping. His artier looked like he was a tribal leader, darkened war paint on his cheeks. No armour but coverings made from animal skin a small vest and pants complete with belts over both shoulders covered in a verity of hunting blades and his waist belt draped with skulls of creatures I was unfamiliar with. In his right paw he held a long spear stained with past kills blood on the wooden shaft. I wasn't expecting this, these weapons where so primitive compared to what our squad was kitted out with, but maybe that's why we were here?

Fandu's interpreter droid steeped forward. "I am E-3PO protocol droid assigned to Grand Leader Fandu Murr. The Grand Leader would like me to inform you that he did not wish for your assistance today but Emperor Palpitane has made it clear how important the Gerb cooperation is for both parties and doesn't want anything unfortunate to come of Grand Leader Murr and is assured that no harm will come to him while under the protection of the Imperial Scout Troop. For this he thanks you. I will not be accompanying you as I will be unable to keep up on the terrain but have interfaced with your communication units in your helmets so I can continue translating. Grand Leader Murr would ask that you do try and keep up and enjoy the hunt."

With that the large doors of the reserve swing opening in front of us and Fandu takes off at lighting pace bounding on all fours in a hopping like movement. The Sargent gives chase bellowing at us "Right men let's try and keep up with this thing, keep on guard and don't mess this up. Everything goes well and I'll buy everyone's first dance with a lovely female Wookie at Madam Flunda's drinking hole."

We all give chase into the forest after Fandu, barely able to keep up as we keep losing sight of him into the woods. When we finally catch up to him as he is stood still leaning over two impaled creatures on his spear starting to remove them and hang them on his belt. We are all glad for the short brake as all I can hear in my intercom is the heavy panting of the whole squad as we try to catch a breath from trying to keep up with the astonishingly fast Gerb.

No sooner had we caught our breath and Fandu was off again bounding through the trees. We all gave chase again, I struggle to see which way he has gone as we move through the forest. As I'm running I close my eyes, I feel Fandu's presence like catching a scent in the air, I feel his movements like a creature stuck in a web small vibrations running through the air and into my body. This must be the force, for the first time I'm using these feelings to my advantage. With my eyes closed my mind laying out a visual map of the trees and Fandu's trail, I break off left from the group. Trout notices my sudden change of direction he yells to the others to follow, his voice through my helmets intercom sounds distant and layered behind the visual mind map that's playing in my head so strong and so clear like I could reach out and touch it. I come to a crashing halt next too Fandu my armour smashing into a fallen tree trunk that Fandu is crouched behind shortly followed by the rest of 431 squad.

Fandu speaks softly followed by E-3PO translating through our intercom. "Something's wrong! The trees are moving strangely like something not there standing in front of them. I smell more like you."

Trout very confused like the rest of us at E-3PO's interpretation of Fandu's words is first to speak out. "What the hell does that mean you useless droid?"

Sargent Dak follows sounding just as confused.

"3P0, ask Fandu what the hell he means by that. There is nothing out here I can't see a thing in front of us but woodland.

TB6111 front and centre with the long range scope and check the horizon."

As TB6111 pushes his way past us to the front of the fallen tree and leans his E-11 sniper rifle over the top of our cover, E-3P0's voice echoes through our intercoms as he asks Fandu Sargent Dak's questions.

"Sir the horizon is clear; nothing to report from the tree line, no sign of movement." Just as TB6111 finishes his sentence a blaster bolt zips through the air form the tree line ahead of us narrowly missing my helmet, I try to turn my head to the side my helmet lens flares bright red and my vison obscured as I hear the blaster shot fizzle past my face, I can feel the burning intensity of the bolt as it passes my visor, I feel my heart palpate in my chest as everything feels like it's taken an age to pass, time moving in slow motion as I try and avoid getting shot in the face. As the red flare begins to clear from my lens, like a fading sunset, my full vison returns, just in time to witness Fandu's skull implode as it's struck square on by the blaster bolt, his brain matter and skull fragments splashing off my visor as I drop to all fours. Another blaster bolt hits TB6111 in the chest sending his lifeless body tumbling backward to the ground; two more squad members following in suit with the bodies crashing onto the soft woodland floor from devastatingly accurate head shoots. My ears ringing in my helmet, I can't make out the words that Sargent Dak is screaming through the intercom, my brain feels like it being continuously hammered. As blaster bolts shoot thunder into the tree we take cover behind and close by our heads, I feel the warmth and the fizz in the air as they crackle past us; we hug the floor for cover. Then the firing stops, a deathly silence falls over the forest as we lay huddled against the fallen tree, using it as cover, with the bodies of two of our squad members and the headless Fandu Murr just lying in the dirt next to us.

I close my eyes and tightly grip my blaster rifle; is this how I die? As my mind starts to settle a little, my body begins to feel weightless, a strange aura coming in waves over my mind, giving me pins and needles in my extremities. And then I see it. Outlines in the forest, like blips on a targeting screen but in a strange misty blue, I feel the life force of the forest plants and a fiery energy glow from our attackers as they advance slowly on our position. I quickly open my eyes and turn to Sargent Dak and Trout and whisper "We need to get out of here, they're moving towards us."

Then the same aura comes over me, but this time hitting me like a sledgehammer, almost knocking the wind clean out of me. I grab Fandu's spear that is laying on the forest floor next to me and turn thrusting the sharp end upwards, there is a cracking noise as it makes contact but there is nothing there, then a thud the weight of whatever the spear made contact with makes me drop the weapon; then it appears.

A shadow trooper! Its cloaking device deactivating as its body hits the dirt, the spear piercing through the side of the helmet. That's why we couldn't see them, but why are they here and why are they attacking us?

"Shadow troopers here why? Maybe they don't know who they're firing on?" Sargent Dak says to us as he starts to stand up from behind our cover, before I can grab Sargent Dak he's fully standing and shouting out across the forest.

"Ceasefire! We are imperial Scout Trooper regiment 43…." Before Sargent Dak can finish he takes three blaster bolts to his chest armour knocking him against a tree and his lifeless body hitting the floor like a child's toy.

I close my eyes, the same energy as before surges over me; searching the forest for the other Shadow Troopers. I see five more misty figures starting to head towards us but still some distance away, slowly advancing towards our position. I turn to Trout and whisper "Keep low, lay down some covering fire straight ahead, while I quickly get into the Shadow Troopers armour and let's hope the cloaking device still works."

I scramble in the dirt stripping the Shadow Trooper of his armour and putting mine on his body, I check the cloaking device luckily it's still active on the suit but communications are down in the helmet from the fatal spear blow. The Troopers belt pouches contain small food rations, a thermal detonator and a holocube. I need to think fast how we can get out of this alive; I feel the presence of the five Shadow Troopers, getting closer and closer. Then it hits me, it's a slim chance of an idea but it's all we have. I turn to Trout "I need you to stop firing, keep low, and crawl out of here. I'm going to drop a thermal detonator here and we head for that tree line, back the way we came. As soon as you get there, run! I'll be right behind you."

I trigger the thermal detonator and drop it by the bodies and we start crawling, faster then we ever crawled on basic training. Just before we get to the tree line the detonator goes off. We stand up to run but the blast force from the aftershock of the explosion knocks both of us to the floor again. "Quickly! Get up! We need to get out of here." I can't even tell how load I'm shouting with the ringing in my ears but Trout must have heard me as he sprints off ahead of me. My legs tremble as we just keep running until we come to a stream. "We can hide in that small opening by the water." Trout pants as we both stand hunched over, leaning on our legs; my lungs feel on fire and my heart is beating so fast I can hear the palpitations in my throat. We walk towards a small hole by the river bank and have to slide head first into the hole with our arm out in front, barely enough room to fit though. We crash into a larger opening, like a small borrow, maybe used by some sort of animal when it's hiding from predators, but still too small for us to stand up in. We sit in silence for what seems like an age, our armour thick with mud from the crawl through the forest then Trout breaks the silence. "How did you know where they were? How did you take that Trooper down? Why are they after us?"

My mind running at double speed trying to process all of this information, the situation we were in and the possible outcomes. I look up at Trout who has removed his helmet; he's pale and shaking, sweat dripping off of his nose onto the dirt. I need air; I remove the Shadow Trooper helmet and place it on the floor next to me. "I think I used the force. To be in a member of the Emperors Shadow Guard you need to be force sensitive. This was picked up by my training officer when I was a cadet, during my basic training to become a Stormtrooper. I was top of my class week after week and found the trials easy. One day I was asked to report to the Generals office, but the General wasn't there, just a tall human dressed in black wearing Sith armour. He called himself an Inquisitor. He looked through my file and gave me some puzzles to solve which I completed without fail. The Inquisitor said I was to be transferred to a new unit and I would be trained in the way of the force, to serve at the side of Emperor Palptine himself. It was a great honour, but the training was hard. We were shown how to use the force in small doses, but nothing like what I had felt today. It's like I awoke something inside of me with my pain and fear."

I look up at Trout, his mouth open, his stare intense. It takes a while to sink in but then Trout speaks, in a shaky, scared mannered voice, "well whatever it was force or luck, I'm glad you have it. Why were they trying to kill us? We are all fighting for the same team here."

I take the holocube from the belt pouch of the armour I stole, "let's see what's on this. We used to get our tactical orders on these when I was in the Shadow Guards."

I press the two side of the holocube and it activates a hologram of Lord Vader that starts to talk "Your mission on Kashyyyk can have no survivors. You will meet with your other five troop members at 09:00 make your way to this location and standby for Scout Trooper regiment 431 and target." Coordinates of where we were attacked display above Vader as he continues with the Shadow Troopers mission. "The Empire needs the Gerb leader assassination to look like a rebel operation. 431 Scout Trooper regiment are expendable and a necessary collateral damage for this operation to look like a rebel attack. Therefore, none of them can be allowed to live. Leave no trace of your involvement and meet back at Kashyyyk space port gate 13 tomorrow at 05:00, where an imperial transport will be waiting for your team. Don't fail me Troopers." The message ends, the rage starts to grow, I feel my grip tighten around the blaster and the holocube. Vader, he wanted us dead! Then it comes to me; our regiment was full of rejects, mess-ups, and wasters, the perfect expendable troop.

Startled, Trout mumbles struggling to get his words out after what he just witnessed "Why, why would the empire do this to us? Why kill this person they wanted us to protect? I can't…" he stops mid-sentence and grabs his helmet thrusting it back onto his head. "It's the translator driod communicating with Fandu's personal security team. They have found the bodies and there searching for clues and survivors, ill radio them now."

"Don't!" I snapped at him. "We don't know who's in on this, how far does this go? We need to lay low and get to gate 13 before that transport gets here. We are on our own now."

Trout removes his helmet and sinks to his knees, we both need a moment to process the situation we are now in.

I remember back to when I first met Vader; I was in the medical suit, right after the attack on Emperor Palpatine's life. We lost many Shadow Guards but a few of us were able to overcome the rebels and no harm came to the Emperor. But Vader wanted us dead there and then, as he marched into the room knocking the medic droid to one side. He looked me in the eye, with his dead, mechanical gaze and said if it wasn't for who I was related too he would have forced choked me out there and then. I was later transferred to 431 Scout Troopers never to see the other surviving Shadow Guards again.

Vader I'm coming for you. I will have my glorious revenge and you will once again know what it's like to feel pain; I promise you this.

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