"No."
"Yes."
"Nooo."
"Yess."
"Nope."
"Yep."
"Uh-uh not happening,"
"So happening," quips the teen Jedi.
"So not!"
"So too!"
"Cheeky kath hound,"
"Nerf herder!"
The Stormtrooper and the Jedi were at a standoff once more. They'd been bantering all day and had long left the Imperial base. The reason behind their row was that Alena had a found a pair of cuffs and wanted the Stormtrooper to put it on. Naturally, he didn't like the idea.
"Cmon," she whines, "You're my prisoner, you need to be cuffed so that the resistance won't see you a threat when you meet them."
'Not happening, kark your resistance.'
The Stormtrooper instead blew a raspberry at his captive, the vocoder on his helmet giving the sound an electronic baritone edge.
"Did you just-"
"Yes, I did." He blows the raspberry once more.
"You're my prisoner of war, and as your captor I demand you put it on already!"
More raspberries.
"Ugh, are you sure you're not a youngling underneath that armor?"
"Ngaww! Awena! I thought you wiked widdle me this way," teases the trooper, earning a facepalm from the Jedi. "Mhmm, definitely a child."
"Waah! Widdle Jedi angwy!"
"Stop it, or I'll make you."
"How? Let me guess, space wizard magic?"
"Don't underestimate the force," teased the Jedi though he knew she was far from jesting.
"Well make me then, oh great wizard." chides the trooper, arms crossed. A taunting smile hidden underneath that bucket helmet.
Alena stops and looks at her prisoner, a smirk plastered onto her face. Jiyad frowns, 'Okay, what kinda tricks has she up her sleeve?'
Waving her hand around his face, her tone became very soothing, almost hypnotic. "You will put on those restraints and be more cooperative."
Jiyad's posture immediately straightened as though given a command from a superior. "I will put on those restraints and be more cooperative."
"You will remove your helmet and let awesome princess Alena look at your face."
He regurgitates her commands and does as told. Eh, not that bad looking, everything Alena expected a Stormtrooper to look like. Military cut though his was spiked into a faux hawk with a side fading shave. No scars though, just little pockmarks and a sheen of sweat dotting the forehead.
He had a boyish look though within a few years that may change. Blank dark brown eyes look back at her, deeply under her thrall.
'What the-no! What am I doing! Stop it! Stop it! Damn you Jedi!' Jiyad raged within the confines of his mind, unable to control himself from undoing his actions.
With the restraints on, Alena beams and waves her hand a second time, ending her spell.
The first thing he did was to put the helmet back on. "Not a word," he snarls and stomps off, a cackling Alena right behind him.
They didn't speak till nightfall.
"My ship's at the bottom of this knoll. Once we're in Alliance hands, stay close to me. I'll make sure no harm comes to you."
"..." TK-2208 says nothing and continues to poke at his combat rations. Rage bubbling and boiling within him. Alena sighs and places a hand on his shoulder plate, he flinches.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're still mad about this afternoon." He shoves her hand off with a roll of the shoulders and stomps off into the forest without a word.
'I hate force users!' Screams the trooper within the confines of his mind. He had no idea where he was going, just that he wanted to be far from that witch. He hated the situation he was in. Captured, cuffed and mind tricked by a kriffing girl! He was the best there was, and this nobody comes into the picture breezes through his platoon and takes him prisoner. He can't wait to get out of here.
He came to the far end of the knoll and sits down, eyes gazing at the carpet of green beneath him. With a sigh he removes a small dataslate smothered beneath the chest piece. It was a holo pict of him and his friends in Stormtrooper armor.
He smiles at the memory. Feels like a lifetime ago.
It was graduation day.
6 months of grueling Stormtrooper training and they'd survived. Their families and friends came to watch the parade. They had their helmets off, all smiles and there was a small neon blue aurebesh writing below. 'Jiyad, Nidan, Sheed and Dza. Brothers in arms, comrades for life!'
Thick as thieves, they grew up together in the same city, and when Dza made the decision to enlist they all tagged along, eager for action and adventure.
"Hey guys," he sniffs. "Miss yall." He keeps the picture close to his chest, reminiscing their shenanigans in high school, fishing by the city outskirts late at night, sneaking into red light districts just to buy-
"Friends of yours?"
Krif!
He slots the dataslate back under the chest piece as fast as he can. "Piss off!" He moves and she follows, eyebrows furrowed.
"Teekay," she cries out. The trooper stops a few feet away, back facing her.
"I'm not here for a fight."
"Then what are you here for?"
She bites her lip. What was there to apologize for? Her using her abilities on him? Or for having him cuffed?
"I came to say sorry. I know you're angry about something else, aside from what happened earlier today but if you'd tell me I can help-,"
"No you can't. In fact, you don't know bouma-shite! Just kark off and sit by the campfire and eat ya kriffing rations!" He yells, startling her. Oh hells no he didn't!
'He did not just raise his voice at me!'
"I know you're sour over being captured." She begins, voice raised.. 'How did she-'
"I know you're angry at losing your entire platoon to me and I know you hate losing, to a girl no less."
'I never told her all of this! How does she- its that magical bouma-shite! Stang!
"We force users can tap into the minds of other people if we want to. That wasn't what I wanted to tell you. You wanna know what I think? That you're just angry cos your ego took a bruising! TK-2208's pissed off cos he lost to a girl in a fight and decides to throw baby tantrums!"
In 2 strides he closes the distance between them and struck her hard in the cheek. The impact of a gloved palm against skin echoes loudly in the quiet darkness of the forest.
Realizing what he'd done the trooper stumbles back.
No! Maker, no!
He just wanted her to shut up, he was just so angry and-
'What have I done!?' He backs away. Her eyes. Fierfek her eyes! The blues in them portraying a hurt he had never seen before. She turns and runs deeper into the forest, back to their camp.
"Stang! Alena!" He runs after her, careful not to trip on tree roots or fall off the ridgeline. This was a knoll and one wrong move he'd be tumbling to his doom.
'How the hell is she moving so fast!' He grunts, trying to keep up with the Jedi.
'Damn it I lost her! Camp's that a' way so if I keep going that direction. I'll find her. Probably.'
He makes it back to the campsite to see her huddled up against the fire. His audio receptors within the helmet could pick up faint sobbing sounds coming from the petite form. He sighs and removes the helmet. Comforting a grown man over the loss of his squad mate? No biggie. But a woman after being slapped by him? Ugh, real piece of work.
He scratches his head unsure of how to proceed. "Skak it," he decides. 'It's my mistake, I have to fix this.'
Taking a deep breath, the Stormtrooper sits down beside her sobbing form. "Go 'way!" Her muffled voice squeaks and with a gesture of her hand sends him flying a few feet back. As he was flying mid air, he can't help but feel she sounds adorable.
Jiyad lands with an "Oof! Agh, damn it!" He tries again, resulting in him being tossed around the fireplace like a ragdoll. Jiyad had considered stunning her but then she'd wouldn't be awake to hear his apologies. On the 6th try she stopped flinging him around.
"Ahem, hey."
No response, she stopped crying too. "Alena, I-" he stops, unsure of what to say. 'I'm sorry for hitting you because I can't handle the truth that I'm such a sore loser, that I'm jealous of you force users and your abilities that make us seem useless. I'm sorry for sounding like a massive mysoginistic dwang because I probably am. Yeah that'll work.'
"I know there's not really much I can say, other than I'm sorry. I was angry, I lost control. I-I hate losing. Especially to women," he pauses.
'It's best if I just focus on my wrongdoings,'
"I've a bad history dealing with women, okay?" She snorts, probably muttering bouma shite under that blanket. "But that's no excuse for what happened just now. Agh I'm just so terrible at this! I'll be going now. Just gonna be by the fire if you need me. Uhm, goodnight." He stands up and lets her be, feeling like poodoo.
He awoke to the sound of thunder rumbling over the horizon. "Huh? Wha-what?"
'Funny, I don't remember falling asleep. What time isit?'
His helmet displays the chrono as 0317 hours. Ah, this must be the monsoon season the initial briefings had brushed on months back, no surprise there.
'Stang, we've got no shelter.'
"When it rains, it pours," he muses. The camp fire had gone out, only the prone form of Alena wrapped up in her cloak was left.
"Kriff, Alena! Hey! Hey!" The Jedi woke with a mewl, stretching her limbs. Jiyad smiles at this.
"Wha- isit raining?" She holds her hand out and watch in amazement as water droplets splash onto her rubbery gloves.
"Yeah, we need to get to shelter. I don't plan on getting pneumonia from the cold."
"I agree. Lets move!" She throws off her robes and slings her belongings.
"Hey! Wait!" The Stormtrooper silently curses the cuffs on his hands.
They dash downwards to the Jedi's ship, the heavy rain right on top of them. The stormtrooper's night vision mode allowing him to navigate better than his captor. Up ahead, 50 meters was a small ship, probably a light transport designation.
Alena had already popped the hatch. "Hurry up!" She hollers with a swing of her arms. The downpour was in full swing now, thunder and lightning cracking and lashing from the heavens.
"We'll rest here for the night. Then head to an Alliance base for resupply," Alena says as she powers on the system, Jiyad dumbly nods, unfamilliar with all the blinking lights. "I'm not taking the risk of navigating through this weather. In the meantime, there's some food and water out back, medical supplies in the lower left drawer. I'll be here on the pilot seat and don't you dare try anything funny. Goodnight," her voice ventured on cold, almost vicious. Clearly she hasn't forgiven him.
"Night." He sighs. First woman he ever makes a connection with and it ends with him recieving the cold shoulder.
He checks the distress signal his armor had been sending out, no dice.
"I shoulda just died in that damn base."
He shakes his head and sits against a humming engine. An hour goes by and all was well, both Imperial and Rebel were fast asleep.
Sniffle.
Sniffle.
'She's crying again.'
"Noo!"
'Oh, just a nightmare. I should do something.'
The trooper weighs his options. Intrude on her personal space and end up dismembered or go to sleep and let things run it's course. Hmm decisions, decisions.
"Master, don't leave me!"
Sniffle.
'Kark it!' He makes his choice.
He gently sits beside her and removes the bucket. As his hands were cuffed, everyday tasks were now a challenge to him.
Once the helmet was off he proceded to gently stroke her hair, admiring how clean it was, no grime, no dead leaves or twigs entangled. He rubs her back and travel up to the hair whispering encouraging words to her.
"Shh, shh, shh, it'll be okay."
'Please don't cut me in half, please don't cut me in half.'
Most surprising of all was when her arms suddenly snaked around his neck and pulled him close to herself.
'Fierfek she's strong!'
He dares not struggle, 'if she wakes up and sees this. Oh man I'm-'
"Mmmf!" She nuzzles against his chest eliciting an amused smile from the Stormtrooper. His hands race across her hair, down her nose, 'Such a cute button nose,' then scratches the back of her ear. She moans in delight, a smile now visible and her head pressing deeper against his chest piece.
'I can get used to this.' Smiles the Imperial. 'Just me, her and the rain keeping us in. No wars, no damn rebels messing up order in the galaxy, no prat officers-'
He nearly fell of the co-pilot seat upon seeing a pair of blue eyes glaring right back at him.
'Stay calm. Stay calm. Emperor's sake don't panic!'
"Err, you had a nightmare I..couldn't just sit back and watch." Was all he could say. Instead of dismembering him like he'd feared, Alena sighs and nuzzles once more into his chest. "Thank you." She whispers.
"Don't mention it. Welp, now that you're okay I'll just go-" he thinks of a way to gently extricate himself from her.
"No," a slender gloved hand hangs on to his elbow. His eyebrows widen in confusion. "Stay." Jiyad blinks, unsure of her request.
"Please."
He nods and nonchalantly removes a strand of hair away from her face, blushing at how absolutely gorgeous she was.
'Shush! She might hear our thoughts!'
'Our thoughts?'
'I'm your conscience so technically I'm you and you're me!'
Upon seeing the angry purple reddish bruise below her left eye, he frowns. He'd struck her there. A feeling of shame and anguish nearly drives him to tears at such a cowardly move.
"Teekay," she calls him that. 2208 sounded too droid like and she refused to call him that hence, Teekay.
"Yeah?"
"Will you tell me your real name?" Ocean blue eyes bordering on green stare into his tired dark browns.
He pauses.
Should he? The Alliance might use his name and track down his family for a ransom then he'll be forced to go rogue and take down the rebs holding them hostage as well as avoiding the ISB hot on his tail. What? He's watched enough action holos to know where this would lead.
But life wasn't a holovid. Especially not his.
"Jiyad. My name is Jiyad."
She repeats his name again and again, trying to familiarize with such a name few has ever heard of before.
"It sounds so foreign, does it have a meaning?"
"It does actually, on my planet it means struggle."
"Really?" A smile on her face. That's one more thing she's learnt about her Stormtrooper captive.
"Yeah, the struggle to do the right thing."
"Sounds awfully close to dilemma now don't you think?"
"No-no. A dilemma happens when you can't make a decision between either this or that. Jiyad means to do good no matter what even if it might not lead to you benefitting from it."
"Sorta like the Jedi-"
"Don't start with that crap." He cuts her off, annoyed.
She blows a raspberry and hits his arm. They stare each other down for a few tense moments before breaking down into giggling fits.
"Can't we ever go a day without arguing?"
"I have no clue but you gotta admit it Alena. It's fun when we do."
She blows another raspberry and he responds with his own. He runs a thumb against her bruise and she winces in response.
He frowns.
"I'm sorry." He's sorry for a lot of things.
She looks away.
"I'm such a scumbag. I never meant to hurt you, please believe me, Alena, how can I make things right again?"
She looks at him once more, her eyes lost in thought deciding on something. Then, she bunts her head against his arms. "Tell me what's wrong."
"I thought you knew why?"
"Yeah but you'd feel better if you said it. Get it off your chest."
"Okay. Truth be told, I'm jealous."
"Of my force abilities?"
"Yeah,"
"Why?"
"Because...you know, like, agh how do I put it," he runs his hand up and down her back. She waits patiently for his answer.
"Well its like this, I've spent my whole military career training to be the best. I barely made through the Academy. 6 months I endured and some of the things they did to us some could say were inhumane. With what I went through all this time I felt like I earned the right to be called the best. Then you come along, and suddenly everything feels so...insignificant. All that training, all that equipment just seems kriffing useless."
"Is that so? Well Jiyad, I don't think you're useless at all."
'I could get lost in those eyes as well, and that body-'
She gave a sly grin. She knows.
'Uhm, moving on.'
"Oh cmon, I'm good with a blaster but that matters next to nothing if you can just send my shots back at me. And your reflexes, maker you're fast!"
She smiles at his attempt of an underhand compliment. "Give yourself a little credit, you survived fighting me remember? And you're kinda smart. Trying to overwhelm me with full automatic? That takes initiative."
He shrugs, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips.
"My abilities weren't easy to master either, it took me 4 years just to be able to lift a rock the size of my palm," she gently lifts her hand to show her palm. "I'd like to think I'm lucky I didn't kill you otherwise-"
"Otherwise there'd be no one left to cuddle with,"
She playfully punches his arm.
She yawns, suddenly, "Mmmf, sleepy." He continues gently stroking her hair, massaging her forehead with his thumbs. "Shh shh, go to sleep we can talk more in the morning."
She s8ghs in agreement, enjoying his gloved hands over her scalp. "Wait, tell me, tell me one more thing."
"Nah, time for bed kid,"
"Nooo!" She whines. "And stop calling me that! 'm 20 okay!"
"Off to bed or no ice cream for you young lady!"
She starts beating against his chest, whining and bunting against his shoulder plate.
He sighs, and finally relents.
"One more. Then we go back to sleep,"
"Someone's eager to see me asleep I wonder if he has ulterior motives."
"N-no!" He sputters at the smirking woman.
"I live for my naps and one of the most important skills Stormtroopers acquire in the academy is the ability to nod off anytime, anywhere."
She rolls her eyes while watching him giggle.
"So."
"So?"
Then she starts with a serious tone albeit muffled, she's trying her damned best not to doze off.
"Why do you fight for the Empire? They take your name, your freedom and they turn you into these mindless killing machines, don't you think that a society which thrives on the suffering of others be opposed? Or if need be, stopped?"
He frowns. Yes, some of what she said held some truths. The Empire was xenophobic, held zero tolerance for treason and had no qualms butchering men, women and children in the thousands. Yet for all its shortcomings, there were a fewl redeeming qualities the Empire had such as a strong emphasis to general welfare of its subjects, security, employment and education. Not to mention a large portion of the senate wanted to be a part of the Galactic Empire. TK-2208 carefully lays out his answers.
"Well, for starters they took my name and gave me a number to remind me that I'm no longer an individual but a part of something bigger, something greater than myself. And I'm proud to be a part of this massive organization dedicated into bringing order and peace in the galaxy. I told you a bit of my past back at the base we fought right?"
She nods.
"It was a kriffing cesspool back then. Crime, drugs, murder, arson you name it but nobody could touch these scum. Friends in the senate, all that-"
"Bouma-shite?"
"Reading my mind again, Alena?" He narrows his eyes, a coy smile plastered.
"Nope, its your catch-phrase." He shrugs, "Nah, plenty of people in my battalion uses it. Our RSM started the trend and pretty much everyone keeps spewing the word 'bouma-shite. But back to the story. So the Empire came and uplifted my people. We could walk the streets safe again, foreign talents were interested in investing again, schools could finally open, subsidies were given, Imperial credits poured in by the trillions to restore our economy and infrastructure. All they asked in return was loyalty and we gave it wholeheartedly. I was young, a 17 year old fresh out of High School, you do know what that is right?"
"I know what a school is, Jiyad, I'm not stupid-"
"Didn't mean you're a stang simpleton, Jedi, I meant if you know what's High School."
"I'm guessing its a school for teenagers?"
"Yeap,"
"Must be real stressful,"
"You have no idea, but I enjoyed the crazy stuff we did. Used to hide in the toilets just to pop a narco stick with my friends just to name one example. Young and dumb we were,"
"That's so you."
He gave a laugh, "Alright so where was I?"
"You just graduated this High School."
"Yeah and eager to put my mark on the galaxy. One of my friends made the decision to enlist and we all decided to join him. The pay was good, we'll get to see the galaxy, do some good you know?"
"I bet you were in for quite a shock huh?"
"Can't say I wasn't but we did some good too. We busted drug operations, invaded slaver strongholds though we never bothered taking prisoners I mean who'd ever miss these scumbags?"
"I disagree, I believe if an enemy combatant surrenders they're entitled to be treated as humanely as possible at least until they've been properly judged for their crimes. Just like how I spared your life. You can't just kill indiscriminately, life is a precious thing that can't be replaced like your Star Destroyers. They're people too with families and loved ones of their own."
"But they chose to murder, to rob, to steal, tell me if they didn't deserve retribution or that their victims don't deserve justice?"
"You're talking about revenge, its not justice. You're just gunning them down in cold blood just to make yourselves feel better. And you're one to talk about retribution. Shouldn't you be getting some for all the crimes your comrades have been committing galaxy wide?"
"Trust me, none of us enjoy blasting non-combatants but for order and peace to prevail certain sacrifices had to be done and good soldiers follow orders, we'll burn Corusant to the ground if it was asked of us."
She shakes her head at this, angry and disappointed. Clearly he's been brainwashed by the Empire and seduced by its lies into total and complete loyalty, she wonders if there's any hope in turning this misinformed trooper over to her side, the right side.
"Droids follow orders too but even they question orders when it goes against their logic engines."
"Droids don't make good cuddle buddies,"
"Kark off, I'm serious." She deadpans.
"Me too,"
"Ugh! Kriffing Imperial,"
"Rebel scum."
She yawns again and this time Jiyad covers her mouth with his cuffed hands, a small smile on his face.
"Thanks,"
He yawns as well and she repays the favor with a giggle of her own.
'Stang she's adorable!'
"Don't mention it, Stormy,"
"Aww so cute,"
"Knock it off," her eyes were half lidden and her voice barely a whisper. "And what about your family? Were they okay with you signing up? Do they know about the things you did?"
"Of course mom didn't like the idea, who wouldn't be? Your son halfway across the galaxy having his sheb shot off. But dad supported me. He was a customs officer and to see how the Empire made his job easier sat about right with him so he fought her all the way till she let me go. Last time I ever saw them was at the spaceport with the other enlistees. And no, they don't know much of what we do, we're not supposed to give away classified info out to the public. That's a kriffing one way ticket to the detention barracks, or worse. Enough about me, what about you? Oh."
She'd fallen asleep.
Slowly he extricates himself from her and sighs. "If only you weren't a rebel." He pulls the sheets closer to the sleeping Jedi. Slipping the helmet on, TK-2208 ventures out into the jungle
The storm had whittled away into a gentle downpour by the time TK-2208 made it to the extraction point. There he was promptly welcomed at blasterpoint.
"Identify yourself," warbled their commander.
"TK-2208, 3rd Battalion, Aurek Company."
"Remove your helmet trooper," Jiyad complies with a grunt, annoyed at this prat. These idiots can't seriously doubt someone would steal his armor would they?
"He's clean, commander. Bio scanners are clear, its him alright." Pipes a trooper to the left holding a scanner.
The commander nods and waves a gesture, the blasters lower.
Two troopers came up and wrenched his cuffs free. "Sheesh, rough night?"
"Yeah, was a maker damn firing squad back there. They took me alive cos they needed someone with access to the hard drives, bantha poodoo for them." One trooper acting as rear security turns his head towards TK-2208.
"Anyone on your tail?"
"Nah, those krifheads fell asleep so I just upped and walked out," As the troopers shared a laugh, the Stormtrooper Commander stood in his place glaring at the only surviving trooper of Akan facility. Something about his story seems off. Rebel agent masquerading as the TK-2208 under that armor? No, the bio scanners in his helmet cleared him. A deal with the rebels? Maybe, it's possible but if so, what would he exchange for his freedom to walk away?
The Commander's musings were cut short as his com link beeped.
"387, Go ahead,"
"387, this is Compo. Have you found the survivor, over?"
"387, Affirmative, over."
"Compo, very good. Return to the Heart Of Iridium and bring TK-2208 in for debrief, over."
"387, wilco, out."
He watches with a rising suspicion as the trooper in question steals one last glance towards the direction he came from. Yes, he'll be keeping a watchful eye on this one.
"Wrap it up here. We're dust in 2 mikes!"