The actuality in certain facets of our daily lives are primarily translucent to some people. No matter what planet, no matter what city, and no matter what species you originate from, the individual creatures that lurk around us always seem to think they are the center of the universe. However my time as an officer in the Empire has shown me something different from what subconscious perceptions of reality constantly fool us into believing-we are not at the center of all things. I know this to be a fact now, but for years I had thought different.
In youth the Empire was always at the finish line of my life. For hours I would dream of fighting rebels in the vast vacuum of space laid before me as a Grand Admiral, or atomizing my way to the downfall of unruly insurgencies hiding in their holes on Tatooine as a Baron.
Such illusions of retaining any grand position in the pantheon that is the Empire have plagued me up until my time of reckoning had come at the academy. But to my surprise I was nothing but a flea to my peers, an unintelligent, weakling. My past as a farm boy played a part in that indecent faculty, but I ached to prove them wrong. The constant studying and dedication to becoming better than any of those "fools" was as strong as the Empire itself. As it can be imagined, victory in this affair was most rewarding to my person. I achieved everything that I was pursuing at the academy, but the outcome was unexpected. For I had not became the great man I dreamt of becoming, but instead was exposed to a truth I had lived all my life. I was an officer now.
Not a great and powerful Grand Admiral, or an extremely prevalent Baron, I was an officer. Thus, all the dreaming, all the aspirations for the future, all my ambitions came to a halt. Because I was an officer, an insignificant speck of nothing within the grand Imperial military. The fact that I had risen from a child working on a farm, to its military equivalent struck me like a bolt of super- heated plasma in the face. The moment I graduated from the Imperial Academy I realized that the universe didn't turn in my respect, nor for the hundreds of other officers at the graduation ceremony. I was no Emperor, or high ranking official, I was an officer.
"Officer 47-Gamma, report to the command center for briefing on Level Blue." retorted the communication device on the side of my belt.
Sighing, I proceeded to follow the command of the soulless machine and got up from my bed, while still carrying the weight of my title with me, after all I was an officer.
As the door before me slowly slid open, I took note of all the activity that unfolded before my being. Strormtrooper squads were always on the move in the facility, and today was no exception. After the recent assault on the Academy the base has been on high alert, and of course this is being taken advantage of. There are now more patrols on the streets more than ever before, and with the emplacement of martial law, Stormtroopers now have even greater authority over citizens.
But I must not get to lost in thought to forget my duty, which right now consists primarily of getting to the command deck. I needed to be swift in this regard, and as an officer, I had no time to make small talk with those around me.
Passing through the waves of highly coordinated groupings of soldiers and lower ranking Imperial servants, I was almost at the end of the hall. The meeting must have been of the utmost importance, why else would they stage it so early in the morning? This is highly unusual even by the Empire's standards. Could something have occurred while I was sleeping that I was unaware of?
I suppose such speculation doesn't matter since I will be briefed momentarily. The elevator was now within my reach, a quick ID check is all that would be needed for me to proceed.
The scanners were swift in recognizing me, and I quickly made my way out of the corridor and into the elevator.
The metal doors laid before me swiftly opened after a few minutes, leaving me to inspect the scene before me. The current state of the level was normal. Other Officers commanded our legions of peace keepers from their consoles, Stormtroopers guarded the doors, and the Ironclad efficiency of our military was, as always, top notch.
But I kept my scrutiny to a minimum as I made my way to the central office of my superior, down the hall.
When I had arrived, the door quickly identified me, and the doors opened. However, what I saw before me was quite peculiar. An image of a massive sphere, with a great variety of detail including a disk shaped pit in the northern hemisphere of the… Death Star? What a strange label, is it a planet or small moon perhaps used by the emperor as a second home?
"Officer" uttered the figure which was my commander "It is unfortunate that you had to see that."
The next few motions were quick, but I could recognize such an action anywhere. He was calling his guards. Over the next few seconds two Stormtroopers had entered the room.
"Trooper , put him on his knees"
The soldier did as the commander said, and quickly put me down.
"What you saw, my dear assistant was a classified piece of information, and as you know, we cannot have loose ends"
Water formed in the now shocked bounds of my eyelids as I pleaded.
"But sir… I have served you faithfully for nearly a year! You know my loyalties to the Empire!"
"That may be true. But like I said before, the information can only be known to a few." he quickly turned his back to me before saying "Besides, I'm not loosing anything here…"
I was going to open my mouth to speak before I realized he was right. I was an Officer. And thus I closed my eyes, before hearing the commander one last time.
"Execute him."