THE FIRST STORMTROOPERS
Part One
By Eric Wardell
After the conclusion of the Clone Wars and the birth of The Empire, new human recruits began integrating into clone ranks of the Imperial Military. The Emperor was quickly replacing his clone officers and senior troops with "more qualified" humans. Two of these soldiers are Tayn and Viruf. Both are from Coruscant and fresh out of The Basic Imperial Military Training Center. They have been chosen to enter one of Commander Neyo's 91st Reconnaissance Corps' divisions currently deployed to Saleucami.
…
Saleucami's largest city and spaceport has been captured after months of fighting and is now the main base camp and home to Commander Neyo and his recon troops. Even though the planet has come under Imperial control, Neyo has remained to maintain compliance and to break up any resistance from the local population.
Hundreds of lights and many fires light up the spaceport in the cold night of Saleucami. A small hangar at the edge of the spaceport is the division's motor pool. Two young men in coveralls work on one of the many BARC Speeders there. This is Tayn and Viruf. Viruf is average height and build with dark, almost black hair, and sharp features. Tayn is much taller than the average man or clone and has blond hair. He has much more muscle mass than Viruf. Not far from them, a large fire and a group of about 60 men are donning their clone armor.
TAYN: This is crap. The top two graduates get sent to an elite unit just to turn wrenches like a couple of support goons? I thought we were gonna be special ops, that is why we turned down Officer Training right?
VIRUF: Relax, we just have to prove ourselves and then we can get into the action.
TAYN: By then it'll all be over. They should have sent us to the 501st man. I heard they've been hunting down Jedi and stuff like that.
VIRUF: (sarcastically) Really? A lot of guys don't come back from ops like that. You're better off here, holding my light.
TAYN: (laughing) Shut up.
An older clone in armor and holding his helmet in one hand and a slung satchel in the other walks up and interrupts with an older-brother tone.
CLONE: Get'cher gear and form up with me by the officer's fire. And why aren't your weapons slung? You wanna get caught with your pants down when those Resistance fighters hit us with swoops again? Hurry up, you've got ten mikes.
…
The two approach to the group of jocked up clone troopers standing in a semi-circle around a large fire. None of them are wearing helmets for the briefing. Tayn and Viruf are now dressed in their basic armor and hold their helmets that are noticeably different than everyone else's. They find a gap and wait for the word. Several clone officers, including Commander Neyo and his Captains, walk up and fill in the circle. The group quiets.
NEYO: Whiskey-One has reported a company-size force grouping in the abandoned village of Ishem. These Resistance groups keep moving and growing and if we don't clean them up now, they're eventually going to be a big problem for our small group. We're gonna hit them tonight with an overt raid. Whiskey-One will be our sniper element. Captain Riffen's boys will wake them up and hopefully draw them out with BARCs while the rest of us move in and clean them out one room at a time. Any questions for me?
No one speaks. He turns to one of his Captains.
NEYO: They're all yours.
He and several Captains walk away. The group begins to talk, ask questions, and disperse.
…
A quiet village in the middle of the desert sleeps in the dark. It is nestled between tall mountains to the southwest and rolling sandy hills to the northeast. A few lights from dying fire pits illuminate the buildings. Out of nowhere, two clones on BARC speeders scream by the village and then disappear again. After a long pause some movement can be seen inside of a bombed-out building. A silhouette of a three-eyed creature appears to be peaking out of a window frame. The wine of the speeders can be heard returning to the village and the silhouette vanishes. One of the two BARC troopers puts his hand to his helmet while receiving a transmission.
SNIPER (V.O.): Building, far south side, two-stories, roof missing, bottom floor. Marked with I.R. narrow.
BARC TROOPER: Check.
The two speeders buzz the building, this time getting very close and tossing a thermal detonator inside a broken window. They speed off into the darkness. There is a lot more movement inside the building now and silhouettes dart in front of windows. Suddenly, the quiet is interrupted by a huge explosion. Debris, orange flames, and black smoke shoot into the air. The building burns and lights up the night sky.
Commander Neyo and two Captains lay on their bellies looking at the village from a hill with electro-binoculars. They are lit up by the orange glow.
NEYO: Excellent! Go ahead.
One of the Captains transmits through his helmet.
CAPTAIN: Two, hit 'em.
Six BARCs loaded down with satchels and two riders each come out of hiding and race for the village. They spread themselves out in a line and enter the village streets and ally-ways, tossing satchels into buildings and parked speeders. Blaster bolts can be seen coming out of several buildings towards the BARCs as they dart by. The troopers riding on the back hurry to unload their satchels. One sees a row of swoop bikes and flings a satchel that lands nearby them. All the BARCs leave the village and take off for the hills. As they leave one of the troopers press his radio detonator. Explosions rock the village, blowing apart walls and speeders.
…
Tayn and Viruf lay in the rocky sand with Sergeant Orin in the hills east of the village, their Team Leader. The Sergeant has the unique Neyo-style helmet with red symbol. The two new troopers have standard helmets with no markings.
ORIN: Nice! Get ready you two. We're about to follow Echo in.
The two hold their blasters and wait for Orin's command.
ORIN: Don't worry, just stay behind me and try not to shoot me or any of the good guys.
They nod and wait for Orin to move. They aren't as confident as when they were fixing BARC speeders but they are brave and determined. Clones start getting up and running toward the village.
ORIN: Okay, lets go!
The three run after the others, down the hills, to the village. The sand is loose on the hills and they sink ankle-deep as they descend. By the time they get next to the outside buildings, the first teams have already begun their assault. Blaster bolts can be seen flashing in the nearby buildings. The sound of yelling and blasters drown out anything else. Sergeant Orin points to his team members one by one.
ORIN: One, two, three, four, five, and six. Lets go!
After the head-count, Orin and his fire team (plus Tayn and Viruf) cautiously move up a street, hugging walls and peeking into windows. Orin directs his pointman who walks in front. Tayn and Viruf closely follow Orin. The trooper behind them carries a heavy-repeating blaster rifle and another trooper brings up the rear and watches the team's back.
POINTMAN: Movement, crossing!
The team pauses their movement.
ORIN: Blue! Blue!
He waits for a reply…
ORIN: Light 'em up!
They open fire on the individuals running across the road in the distance. The alien bodies are cut down by the blaster bolts. The team ceases fire and wait for a split second before moving again. Orin turns to Tayn.
ORIN: Keep an eye on them.
The group continues up the street and stops again by a large two-story building.
Hotel-Four creeps up behind them. Lieutenant Stone is leading this team. He whispers to the rear-security trooper.
LT STONE: Hotel-Three?
REAR SECURITY TROOPER: Yes sir.
LT STONE: Where's Orin?
REAR SECURITY TROOPER: With the Nugs.
He points to Orin by the door of the building. The Lieutenant creeps along the stack and kneels next to Orin.
LT STONE: What's up?
ORIN: I was about to call you guys. I need another team and a breecher for this building. Echo's clearing the west side right now.
LT STONE: Ok, we'll lead you in.
He signals for his team and they sneak up behind him. The breecher moves to the front and knocks down the front door with a large battering ram. The ten troopers rush, one by one, into the building. They move quickly along the walls, blasters at the ready. The first floor is abandoned and they move for the stairs to check the second floor. One of Stone's troopers sees a blur dart by the stair well above them.
TROOPER: Movement, south stairwell!
LT STONE: Keep on it!
Stone's crew cautiously, but quickly, move up the south stairs as Orin's boys go up the north side stairwell. Orin finds a locked cage door blocking the hallway at the top of the stairs.
ORIN: Got a cage! Stone I need a saw!
His boys pass the word back.
TROOPER 1: Need a Saw!
TROOPER 2: Need a Saw!
TROOPER 3: Need a Saw!
Stone's breecher runs across the bottom floor to Orin's stairwell and races up the stairs.
BREECHER: Coming up!
He has a giant vibro-blade saw he has removed from his back. Orin and his troopers hug the wall and the breecher moves to the front of the stack. He turns on the saw and runs it down a side of the cage barricade. Sparks fly in all directions and the noise of the metal cutting over powers the blaster fire and shouting going on outside. The breecher cuts a nice rectangle around the border of the cage door and it falls with a loud metallic bang. He turns off his saw as Orin and his team are already ducking through the cut hole and entering the hallway. The breecher follows in behind.
LT Stone and the two other troopers with him have been crouched at the top of the stairs across the hall providing security. There is a cage located there as well but since the majority of the men are located with Orin, Stone waits and watches the hallway.
Orin's group moves down the hall, kicking in doors and searching rooms. Stone realizes the crossfire hazard and tells his two troopers to relocate.
LT STONE: Go down and around and cover the hallway from there.
Stone remains to catch any escaping enemy while the two troopers run down the stairs and up the north side, watching the hall as Orin's group push toward Stone.
Orin waits for his group to finish their rooms before moving to the next door. He kicks it but it doesn't budge. He signals the breecher who comes running while removing a sack from over his shoulder. He unwinds a fat cord and sticks it to the rim of the door. The others move into cleared rooms and wait. The breecher activates the timed fuse and runs into a cleared room as well.
BREECHER: One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four…!
BOOM! The door is ripped into thousands of shards that fly into the un-cleared room. Orin and his team run through the smoke and enter the room to find a nest of resistance fighters. A dead Gran and a wounded Twi'Lek lay on the floor. Behind a barricade of furniture, a Gran and three Weequay pop up with blasters and begin shooting at anything and everything. Orin's pointman is hit in the shoulder. His armor shatters and cracks and he falls to the floor. Orin, while moving to the left nearby corner, fires three times at a Weequay. Two bolts hit him center mass and the third in his face. The Weequay falls dead. Tayn and Viruf stop in the doorway and open up on the barricade. The three fighters duck down as their cover is slowly shot up. The trooper behind Tayn and Viruf push them both out of the doorway and into the right-side corner of the room. He then raises his heavy repeating blaster and unloads it into the Gran has risen up to shoot at the doorway. He is knocked back through a window and falls with the shards of glass to the yard below. Tayn and Viruf, meanwhile, shoot and kill a Weequay crawling for a dropped blaster. Orin kills the last Weequay fighter when he emerges to shoot at Tayn and Viruf. They check the room for others and find no one. The rear security trooper is crouched over the pointman, checking his wound.
HEAVY WEAPONS TROOPER: All clear!
The troopers throw red glow tubes on the bodies, marking the dead for other teams. The injured Twi'Lek is dead now as well. Orin walks over to the wounded trooper.
ORIN: You okay?
POINTMAN: Yeah, the armor got most of it. I'll be fine.
ORIN: Good, lets go.
They form up and move out of the room. The team checks the remaining two rooms and find nothing. Orin meets up with Stone and the other troopers downstairs.
LT STONE: You get 'em?
ORIN: Yeah they put up a fight and nearly killed Raif but he'll be fine. My goons got one too.
LT STONE: Really, both of them?
ORIN: Yeah it was a team effort. They couldn't stand the thought of loosing each other.
LT Stone pats Tayn and Viruf on the shoulders.
LT STONE: Good work. We'll get you two your marks after all. Just don't get yourselves killed.
The heavy weapons trooper comes up behind them.
HEAVY WEAPONS TROOPER: Just don't ever stop in a doorway like that again. It's a tunnel of death cus they always shoot the open doorway. What are they teaching you guys now anyway? That's basic stuff.
REAR SECURITY TROOPER: They teach 'em how to march and expect us to teach them how to fight.
ORIN: Alright lets form up.
LT STONE: We're gonna head up this road and take those last small buildings. Go ahead and take these backyards and check for hides.
ORIN: You got it sir.
The two teams split again.
…
Commander Neyo and a Captain arrive at the large building in the center if the village on BARC Speeders. They meet several team leaders grouping up as they finish their searches.
CAPTAIN: Sir, most of the teams are finishing up now. There have been several firefights, so far three wounded, nothing serious, and no deaths.
NEYO: I'd say we've had a pretty good night.
A trooper dressed in his black under suit with no helmet or armor walks up to Neyo. He holds a long sniper blaster rifle.
WISKEY-ONE LIEUTENANT: Yes sir?
NEYO: Nice work Lieutenant. How was the over watch?
WISKEY-ONE LIEUTENANT: One of my snipers got two fighters trying to escape to the south on foot.
NEYO: Excellent. You guys feel up to a ceremony?
WISKEY-ONE LIEUTENANT: Sure thing sir!
…
Back at the main base camp, which used to be Saleucami's spaceport, Neyo and his men celebrate their success in the spaceport's cantina. Everyone has drinks and wears comfortable clothing. Tayn and Viruf on the other hand, are in their armor from the waist down but naked from the waist up. They stand at attention in the middle of the room. Neyo stands, sets down his drink and walks over to them. The group quiets down slightly.
NEYO: The Lieutenant tells me you boys handled yourselves pretty well. Even got your first kill together.
The two say nothing.
NEYO: You see that mark on their chest?
He points to several troopers on guard duty, still wearing their armor but with no helmets on.
TAYN and VIRUF: Yes sir!
NEYO: That means they belong to me. Completely loyal and trustworthy and proven in battle.
The group laugh and yell jokes and taunts.
RANDOM TROOPER: Trusted to lie, cheat and steal!
Neyo laughs and then gets right in the boy's faces.
NEYO: This isn't the fleet boys. If you'd rather scrub a cruiser top to bottom or fix something that isn't even broke just say the word and we'll get you out of here in no time.
Neyo paces in front of them.
NEYO: It sucks but it's a lot safer. The war's over out there. Or, if you want, we could put you in one of those fancy rainbow units like the 501st and you could get all the glory. Are you sure you would rather stay here with us and get the worst, dirtiest jobs and no recognition? You'd have to be crazy!
His men laugh and drink to that.
VIRUF: Then they sent us to the right place sir!
Neyo laughs. He turns and raises his arms to his men.
NEYO: I think they want to stay!
His men rise to their feet and cheer. A soldier brings out an elaborately decorated case to Commander Neyo. He opens it and Neyo takes out a lightsaber. He shows the hilt to Tayn and Viruf.
NEYO: A gift, from a General.
He ignites the green blade in front of their faces.
NEYO: Take a knee!
The two drop to one knee. The scene looks like a knighthood ceremony.
NEYO: If Neyo's mark is what you wish. That is what you will receive.
He stands in front of them with the saber extended. He points it at Viruf's chest and touches his skin with the blade. It burns Viruf's flesh. He clenches his teeth and squints his eyes from the pain. Neyo burns Tayn's chest as well. They are left with two symmetrical semi-circles burned into their skin. The mark is crude but recognizable as the symbol of Neyo and his men.
NEYO: Stand up!
The two rise. They are sweating and in pain but remain still. The crowd raise their drinks and cheer. A Captain brings Neyo two helmets. These are Neyo's special reconnaissance style helmets with his symbol painted on it in red. Neyo hands them to Tayn and Viruf and shakes their hands.
*Stay tuned for Part Two: Tayn joins the 501st and hunts Jedi with Lord Vader. Viruf follows Neyo to Kashyyyk to lead the 41st Elite Corps against the Wookiees. Neyo's unit and the 41st Elite Corps are combined into the Imperial Scout Troopers but Neyo, Viruf and several other loyal troopers rebel against the Empire and are hunted in the woods of Kashyyyk by The Emperor's most Elite units.*