BenRan Chapter 1: Intruder Alert

Private Mendoza shouldered his E-3 Assault Blaster, double-timing it down the corridor towards the reactor of the Sector Alpha IX Imperial Outpost. He was on the right flank of an officer, along with four other storm troopers, mirroring the left flank, also with five stormtroopers. As he walked, he thought about the danger this officer was walking them into, all the while muttering under his breath about things like, "Inept stormtroopers... faulty blasters... inefficient perimeter defenses."

The group of eleven walked like they had a purpose down the ramps and stairs that made up the spider web of connections in the reactor area. Finally they reached their destination: a small rectangular room with two doors on opposite sides. The door behind them was where they had entered the room. In front was where the intruder would be entering any minute.

When there had been no sign of anyone for over fifteen minutes, the stormtroopers began to slack off, some leaning against the walls, others sitting against them. A higher-ranking soldier, marked with a yellow shoulder pad, approached Mendoza. "You ever fought against a jedi?"

"Nah," Mendoza replied, trying in vain to steady his shaking hands. "You?"

He pointed to his shoulder pad, "That's how I got promoted. Me and a couple of my ex-platoon members ran into two of them a few weeks ago. It was awful, but we came out on top. We snuck up on 'em and my platoon leader took out one with a Golan Arms, and I took out the other, but not before he took out the rest of my group."

Mendoza shook his head in disbelief; "You took on two Jedi at once? I don't believe that! What's your name?"

"Lt. Cyara. You should have been there, they're not as tough-" but he was cut off by one of the doors sliding open with the sound of rushing air. Two brown-cloaked figures stepped in the room and whipped out small silver cylindrical devices. Before any of the stormtroopers could react, a shiny emerald blade erupted out of one of the cylinders, a sapphire one out of the other.

Private Mendoza had just enough time to look over at Lt. Cyara's face, contorted in fear, before Cyara's left arm was severed, and he was slashed through his middle by one of the figures. His Heavy Repeater clattered to the ground. Finally, the soldiers came to life and began recklessly firing their blasters. Both of the cloaked intruders expertly deflected all of the red discharges. Mendoza was still frozen, staring into the lifeless, glazed-over eyes of Cyara, whose helmet had rolled off when he hit the floor. He surveyed the situation, watching two more stormtroopers fall, hit by their own blasts being deflected off the lightsabers.

The imperial officer in command was edging backward, towards the door, yelling into his com-link, "We need reinforcements! We need reinforcements! Start shooting Mendoza!" Suddenly Mendoza realized that the superior imperial officer who had ordered them to defend that room hadn't really expected only ten stormtroopers and an officer to take on the jedi; they were just supposed to be the alarm for the rest of the base.

Mendoza watched as in the blink of an eye, four more stormtroopers fell, with limbs severed and weapons dropping. One of the jedi suddenly leapt across the room, a full twenty yards, and plunged his lightsaber into the chest of the officer, who slowly turned his head and stared at Mendoza blankly before dropping to the ground, eyes still open. The remaining two soldiers fell as the blue lightsaber-toting jedi chopped through their armor, causing one to be decapitated and the other to lose his hand.

The Private looked at his feet as something bumped them. He found himself looking at the head of the decapitated stormtrooper. Mendoza fixed his gaze on the two jedi, his eyes wide open, and raised his blaster to his own temple.