As a grunt in the ranks of the First Order, I don't have much to say. I'm the commander of my tactics squad, L1, and a veteran of war. I fought on the side of the Empire back in the day, I have a wife and a daughter, and I'm still not aging. I started this log in the hopes that I have some kind of a mark on the galaxy, but that must be futile.
My tactics squad, consisting of 12 soldiers and I, are in fact all from the ranks of the Empire, we posted our camp is posted near the old Rebel Alliance's base on Hoth. It was raided and destroyed after the rebels destroyed our weapon, The Death Star, and we're here keeping about any Resistance soldiers looking to salvage ships or spare parts.
We throw a bit more wood on the orange flames as Tread, a veteran from the battle of Endor, recounts his tales of his time in the Empire.
"So as I was on my speeder bike, dodging trees and gunning down rebels, and Ewok jumped me!" Tread chuckles, obviously getting close to the punchline. "So I elbowed him off me, and he hit a rebel!" My regiment members laugh into the night, enjoying themselves.
I stand up and walk out on a ledge overlooking the desolate, ice covered desert. The fallen, broken AT-AT look as if they're crying into the frozen ground. As I look into the blue moon dipping below the snowy mountains, I spot a movement. What I thought was just a landslide, I decipher now as 15 Resistance troop carriers speeding across the field.
I yell at my men, "up! We've got Resistance troops coming in, about sixty!" The veteran soldiers stand at attention, blasters at the ready. The troop carriers land twenty feet in front of us. They come out waving white flags as yelling for us not to fire. We keep our guns at the ready, but are prepared to listen.
"Sniper!" someone yells. We all hit the ground and roll off into a snow bank. I shoulder roll forward and peer around the corner. The rebels charging toward our position are soon put to an end and silenced. We advance forward, knocking down a few other soldiers in our trek towards the camp.
About two thirds of their troop carriers have landed in the hanger and are starting to sweep the premises for any threats. We force our way into one of the ships and take control. I tell Kahn, a veteran from the battle of Tattooine, to signal for reinforcements. A few troops we could handle, but fifty or sixty… I don't like our odds.
We clear out of the ship and make our way up to the shattered base that was once a thriving operation. The Rodian sniper we spotted earlier makes no appearance, but as we make our way to the wreckage of a snow speeder, we're spotted. The rebels open fire, and we quickly take them out. A makeshift alarm rings out through the still night. More troops flood out, and, we're outnumbered! My second in command, Dare, gets a laser in the leg and has to take a knee, but still fires.
We gun down a few, but more just take their place. I pull the cord and chuck a thermal imploder at them. An implosion rings out as the grenade sucks them in and throws them away. We take cover behind a few metal walls and wait, not daring to even breathe. A hear blast of energy and a rippling humming sort of noise. I peer over my cover and my heart almost stops. Standing there is a Jedi master, light saber drawn. I hide myself before he sees and press the silent panic button on my communicator.
My heart is running a marathon around my ribcage as a cold sweat breaks out. I hear a blast. One of my men has opened fire. "No you idiot!" I scream. It's too late. The Jedi lunges forward, ending three of my men's lives right before my eyes. Ruben, Tack, and Thinker. A piece of my heart shatters within my chest.
Ruben, the red haired, freckled face likable charmer with a breathy laugh. We ate lunch everyday, right next to one another. Tack, the boy, barely looked eighteen, dense green eyes, always with a few wisps of facial hair, they guy everyone picked on but loved like a brother. And Thinker. Thinker. I can't begin to describe how much Thinker is to me. He's the one I confided in out in the field. He's the one who always cheered me up. Slapped me on the back for doing a good job. Even cleaned up the messes I clumsily made. We were posted on Endor together. Riding speeder bikes together, eating lunch, sharpening up at the range…
I remember this one time, we climbed a tree to eat our dinner and were gazing into the forest, when we spotted a pond. The next day we got our rods and fished all day. Thinker was my friend. More than that, a real brother I could trust, love, and be beside every day. I see his helmet, a burning, sizzling, blood covered hole in it. And I snap.
The Jedi swings for me next. I knock his hand out of the way with my blaster, grab the old man's shoulders, and bring my knee up. When I hit him where the sun doesn't shine, he gives a breathy squeal and crumples to the ground. He's in the fetal position when he freezes.
Kylo Ren's modified voice booms, "that will be enough, L1789. I can take the prisoner from here." Kylo Ren orders 5 troopers to escort the Jedi back to his ship. He then turns, and follows. First Order stormtroopers quell the remaining rebels and start to salvage the troop ships. My and my remaining nine men pack up camp and board our troop carrier. Back to base, back to home, back to Tattooine we go.
When the ship lands, I'm tired and ready to sleep. A captain directs our tactics squad towards our quarter block. We shower, dress in casual drabs, and crowd around the small metal table in our minuscule room. We lay our mementos on the table, a scarf here, a torn and bloody glove… The silence in the room reflects each of our emotions. Depression, mourning, and overall questioning.
After the respective session, we climb into our bunks, three of which lay empty, and doze off into the comfort of sleep. Upon my awakening I can instantly see I'm dreaming. I'm in a deep cave with a few wreckages around me, a Tie Fighter wing here, a piece of the Death Star there, and a few ships I've never seen. A man wearing a brown robe sits hunched in a circle of light. I can't move, so I try to call out. He flinches and turns on me, rising.
"Go!" he screams, "run! Get the hell out of here! Can't you see it coming?" Behind him a loud roar resonates through the cave. "It's too late!" A massive set of claws tears through his body and drags him back into the darkness, and the light dissipates. I awaken for real this time. I can tell because I'm groggy and hungry.
My squad and I eat breakfast, shower, put on our armor, and join the ranks for morning role call. The officer takes roll and then directs us to General Phantasma. The General takes position.
"Troops!" She begins. "Today marks a turning point in the galaxy!" She lets the words sink in. I look around the room. A high ceiling, steel all around, First Order banners hanging on all the walls. "Today, the First Order will conquer all of the planet of the two suns! Will shall rule Tattooine!" We all stomp our right foot twice in consent. We're all directed into the court yard to where we'll be assigned our missions. Mine and three other groups are given coordinates to a small village.
We board the troop carriers and prepare the long ride to our operation. When we arrive, I'm directed to stay in the carrier with my squad until we were needed.
We sit in the darkness, telling a few jokes but mostly waiting in suspense. We here gunfire, explosions, screams, but no call. Finally, the door opens and a commander ushers us out.
As we storm out into the desert, I freeze.
The village we've been assigned to is where my friends, I, and my family live.