Mimban: A Star Wars Story

by sectorisclear

A trooper named Vos Raynge fights on the battlefield of Mimban, from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Follow him through the battle up until his death. This story does not feature any main characters from the movies.

MIMBAN: A STAR WARS STORY

It's been almost ten years since the end of the

Clone Wars and the Emperor's reformation of

the Republic into the first GALACTIC EMPIRE!

And since then, multiple organizations have

attempted to rise against the cruel Empire.

One of these uprisings is fought on MIMBAN, a

muddy swamp planet in the Expansion Region.

There, mudtroopers and Mimban Stormtroopers

fight to bring peace to the Empire, aided by AT-DTs

and several other walkers. It has been long since

the start of this conflict, and it doesn't look like

it will end soon . . .

Mud. Mud everywhere. Mud in everything and everything in mud. He saw dead troopers partially buried in it, and some were already covered in it completely, to the point where it would take weeks for the Empire to find those dead bodies. No wonder they didn't bother to take any dead bodies to the crematorium on Coruscant. The air was foggy and you could barely see at certain places on the planet. A better view was from the air. This fight's been going on for months, maybe even years. He didn't bother to keep count. All he knew was that it was a long time ago when he joined the army.

[Flashback]

"Is this the Imperial Recruitment Center?", he asked the Imperial officer in a sleek, dark grey uniform. His rank insignia would have informed him, that he was a lieutenant, but he didn't know that yet. The officer turned his gaze onto him and away from the console. He had a bored look, as he was typing in others' information in the computer all day.

"It is. You want to join the Empire?" That question was really un-needed, as the visitors were mostly people seeking for a military job.

"Yes, and more specifically, I'd like to join the army, to fight the enemy on the front lines." Since he was a child, he had always wanted to be a clone trooper. However, as indicates by their names, he couldn't join. Still, that didn't prevent him from buying soldier toys such as the infamous Clone Scout Trooper with a light-up action feature. He had loved that you as a kid. On occasions, he wore clone trooper costumes, he had always loved their design. When the Republic became the Galactic Empire, his dream would be able to come true. And indeed, today on his 21st birthday, the lowest age one could have to join the army, he came to apply to his dream job.

However, it would seem this wasn't the officers preferred job. Not that he would disagree. He'd be done with the job the first day. There is no action and excitement when you're an officer who has to file datacards all day.
"Hmmph. Uhh, name?"

"Vos. Originally from Coruscant, now here on Corellia."

"From Coruscant to Corellia?! I can't possibly imagine why you'd want to leave just to get to this dying hole. Anyways, second name?"

"Oh right, Raynge. It's Vos Raynge."

"Oh, I've heard of the Raynges. A somewhat wealthy family, a rarity on here. Did the old folks tell you to come, or else they'd kick you out?" By the way he said it, the case was usual for people.

"No, actually it was my own decision to join. Heard of the Campaign at Salient a few years ago, but that was already won by Tarkin. Now I want to participate in the Berch Teller Campaign in the Outer Rim." The campaign at Salient involved a group of smugglers, who were being aided by the people of the world. In the campaign, locals destroyed their own technology rather than accepting an occupation by the Empire. Even Zerpen suffered the destruction its headquarters on Epiphany, in the Salient system. After about six months the campaign concluded with a slight blow to Tarkin's reputation.

The officer didn't want to believe that it was his decision, but it didn't sound like a lie. So he dismissed his question and his statement entirely.

"Then you'd must have some idea what other info you need. So instead of me asking you every time, please just complete this questionnaire." As he finished his sentence, he noticed a small compartment open below the glass in which he was seeing the officer. He picked up the datapad and began filling out the empty spaces.

IMPERIAL RECRUITMENT CENTER 4X56B: CORELLIA

RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:

DO NOT DISTRIBUTE CONFIDENTIAL IMPERIAL INFORMATION

NAME: Vos

SECOND NAME: Raynge

GENDER (CHOOSE ONE):
[MALE] [FEMALE]

AGE: 21

HOMEWORLD: Coruscant

CURRENT WORLD OF HABITAT: Corellia

ADDRESS: Palpatine road 1996

RECRUITMENT TYPE (CHOOSE ONE):
[ARMY] [NAVY] [SPECIAL CORPS]

SIGNATURE:

_RAYNGE V._

IMPERIAL CERTIFICATION STAMP:

After he filled out all the questions, he put the datapad back into the little compartment which slid back into the officer's space. Meanwhile he was filling out the questionnaire, the officer talked with another person, who was now filling out the questionnaire as well.

"Very well, you may proceed through the door, the officers beyond will have been notified of your approved recruitment."

Beyond the door, he saw Stormtroopers and several officers leading several lines to sentinel-class shuttles, which would take them to a Star Destroyer above for armouring and training. He heard someone mention his name.

"Raynge? Vos Raynge?"

"Here."

"You have Shuttle 89C, please move into this line." As the officer with what seemed to him, a funny looking black smooth helmet in the shape of a modified flower cup, pointed to a queue, he moved to it and so his journey to the army and then Mimban, started.

[Back to the now]

The front hasn't moved for at least two months now. The Imperial forces were equally well trained and numbered to counter the similar numbers of the occupationers. As several blaster bolts flew near his head, he hid behind a fallen head of an AT-DP walkers. How he wished, this one worked, like the several others that were probably matching as he spoke, somewhere else, on another front of this damned forsaken planet, because it had been the will of the Emperor, that AT-DP walkers shan't be delivered to this front, as it had been apparently "already won". But in fact, the demotion from defense pods to defense turrets, which could be taken out by a simple shot to the pilot's unarmed head, was a bad decision, as it led to the enemy's advancement. A request to return AT-DP walkers was still pending. Meanwhile however, they had to be happy with the AT-DTs. He crawled inside the fallen defense pod and found out that apparently, it's main cannon was still operational. He aimed it at some enemy soldiers and scored multiple hits, as the targets were still paralysed, by the fact that, an old downed Imperial walker was still able to shoot. They quickly regained consciousness though, and started firing at the turret, but he was safe behind the view port of the walker's "eyeball", but then, a soldier came up with and ion grenade that finally disables the walker and so he was forced to come out. On the ground next to the walker he saw an E-22 blaster rifle and switched it out for his DLT-19 heavy blaster, which was quicker, but much less powerful. And on this battlefield, power means victory. And the DLT-19 was much more clumsy because of its length.

With the help of some fellow troopers, over time they managed to capture a checkpoint from the enemy. He tapped his comlink on his helmet and contacted the commander.

"Sir, we've captured a command point, requesting moving the front forward." He waited in silence, and in the silence he heard distant roars of the TIE fighters, blasters firing at different rates and he swore he heard a thermal detonator explode not far away from where he was. Suddenly, a wing from a TIE/ln starfighter dropped and cut the floor, barely missing him. It reminded him, how chaotic this battlefield was. The commander finally answered after a few seconds.

"Acknowledged and accepted, all troopers will be notified to move forward. The camp will be moved fifty metres from the point."

He resumed from his conversation to the battle and took out three approaching enemy soldiers, one shot blew straight into the throat of one of them. A heavy gunner appeared in front of him, having climbed up from the trench, with his BlasTech-A-13 heavy repeating blaster in his hands. He quickly tried to hide and dodge, but one of his shots got him in the shoulder. Most of the damage was absorbed by his cape, but the knock of the blaster bolt was still powerful enough to knock his blaster out of his hands. It now pay a few metres away from him. If he wanted it back, he'd have to first kill the soldier, so he took out his smaller SE-14r light repeating blaster and shot the gunner straight in the head; the gunner stunned, that his enemy was still armed after just separating him from his weapon. Yet, that moment of shock had been enough to give him a chance to kill him.

He rose from cover and grabbed his E-22 and continued onward. He saw troopers behind him, which did come in handy, as a group of around twenty soldiers came up from the trenches, ready to defend whatever they were defending, until the last man came down. The Stormtroopers began to fire, killing two or three of them, before they turned on their shields. The Stormtrooper's blaster bolts would now be useless against them. So they charged and began to use the butts of their blaster rifles to knock out and damage the enemy, something the shields couldn't repel. But it turned out this was the enemy's tactic as they began to pull out, what looked to him, blades of devaronian origin. They began cutting the Mimban Stormtroopers down, the blades penetrating their armour and deep into their flesh. He saw body parts on the floor and a helmet he knew still had a head inside. He was able to quickly retreat and took a blade from a fallen enemy soldier. He had been trained in several melee techniques, although not a blade, but weapons similar enough, that he was able to use this devaronian blade. He blocked his enemies' attack again and again, but in a moment of unawareness, the enemy bladesman was able to swing at his arm. Luckily, his cape prevented him from fully penetrating the armour, but still knocked him back onto the mud floor. The enemy lifted his blade, ready to strike down and cut him in half, he remembered his blaster and quickly shot him into the chest. The enemy, been surprised and regret that he forgot about the other weapon, fell down onto him, but he was able to roll over to the left, so that the blade, still in the enemy's hands, wouldn't fulfill it's master's decision. He threw away the blade he took earlier and continues to fight on, but the troopers's numbers - decimated.

After what must've been at least two straight hours of combat, they returned to the command center. His cape was all torn apart and the armour was all muddy, although that was the usual for everyone and everything on this planet. Even the TIE/ln starfighters and TIE/sk x1 Experimental Air Superiority Fighters in the air were somehow all dirty. He walked among the trenches and over the "monster pit", as his fellow troopers have started to call it, although he never knew if there really was something in there. He and his squad of Mimban troopers stood and waited for the commanded to assign them new orders. In the meantime, other mudtroopers, officers and troopers in Imperial officer battle armour with breathing apparatus, joined the group. They were conversing about the battle, when he saw the commander come out from the tent.

"Sorry for being late, but I had just received orders from Coruscant. We are to push to at least the northern ridge over there," he pointed, "and overtake the hidden enemy bunker that has been spotted from the air by one of our fighters. And then good news is, Imperial High Command has partially accepted our request and will be sending in two brand new AT-ST walkers, to test their power on a real battlefield." The troopers all cheered, as this was something they were all looking forwards to. Besides, it never hurt to have some extra guns when fighting.

When the troopers cleared and walked to their tents, the commander approached him.

"Lieutenant Trooper Raynge, a moment of your time, if you will."

"Is this about my request?"

"It is. It's been accepted as well, although I thought you looked forward to seeing the news walkers in action."

"I was. Still I do accept the transfer in proposed. Where am I being sent?"

"Sadly, you'll have a peaceful life on the planet of Scarif, part of a garrison to protect the Data Tower there. I've been told it's the most secure place in the galaxy so there's no real battles." Indeed this was something he wasn't expecting. True, he had grown tired of the too exciting battles here, something he would've killed for when he joined, but now he was hoping for something less of a failure and a desperate attempt to claim an already lost world. Still, he hadn't expected that he be transferred to somewhere forgotten. He would most likely never see a fight again.

And so he accepted the transfer. He had heard that the AT-ST test on Mimban was successful, but the walkers had to be taken back to factory for further development. Over time, the Empire lost on Mimban and left rather than retreated, not even bothering to carry its troops out of that mud hole. Contrary to his beliefs, Vos did in fact see another battle, which was also his last. He had served as a Coastal Defender Stormtrooper, otherwise referred to as a Shoretrooper in the Battle of Scarif, the rebel's first major victory. In the battle he had managed to take out a stolen Imperial Zeta-class shuttle by a detonator, but was killed soon after by Baze Malbus.