Alex entered the hangar to see a massive banner of the Empire span 50 feet from the roof.
"Not the best decision for a place where ships fly in and out," he thought, "I'd hate to see a fighter get caught up in that and crash."
The constantly running troops didn't spare a single glance towards Alex , they all knew that the academy was recruiting new cadets, and the said cadets were attending a tour through the base. Alex could infer that they were either getting ready for a training exercise, or they were preparing to head off to battle, which was unlikely, considering that they were sitting on a desert planet where someone would have to be deprived of shelter to want to live in.
"This is the hangar," their guide told the cadets, " Currently our troops are undergoing a training operation. As most of you know, this base is not only an academy but also one of many Imperial bases."
Alex, who had not wanted to do anything but get off his planet since he learned there was more than just Tatooine, had learned about every ship he could read about, and had a dream to graduate from the Imperial academy in Coruscant.
The guide, who to the surprise of the trainees, was also a instructor, who was taking notes of the behaviour of every one of the children. Since the time they entered Academy grounds to the time they would leave, all their actions would be judged by a group of low ranking officers, who would give them points based on their actions. The trainees would then be examined in piloting, ranged combat, melee combat, one on one combat, knowledge, and many other fields. If any of them proved to be more than exceptional, they would be sent to Coruscant, otherwise they would either stay in Tatooine to train, or would fly out to other planets in the galaxy to train. Some trainees would even be rejected and removed from the program.
Alex hadn't stood out from the group, but the inquisitor stationed in the base had felt a force user in the vicinity, and he was an old inquisitor, with not enough power to locate the force user.
Alex followed the guide throughout the rest of the tour, soaking in all the different information and sights. At the end he left the base to find his brother, Cal, waiting for him outside of the base. With his short blonde hair practically reflecting the sunlight he looked like a golden protocol droid. When gotten closer to though, he looked nothing short of a handsome spice smuggler. He wore a pair of navy blue trousers with multiple pockets throughout to hold his various tools. He had a black Zelver jacket on. Alex knew he looked just like his brother, with the same thin yet muscular build, startlingly clear blue eyes, and tall height. The only thing different, was their hair, while Cal had wavy blonde hair, Alex had short, scraggly, brown hair.
"Ready to go?"
"Sure thing," Came the reply. I pulled myself onto the back of granddad's speeder. He told us it was his most prized possession, a possession of his from the clone wars, where he had served as a militiaman in General Rahm Kota's militia. Although the speeder was decades old, it still ran fast and strong.
The speeder flew over Sand dunes and around boulders, the wind pushed against Alex, hard. He felt exhilarated with adrenaline pumping through his blood. Alex had never flown before, and he really wanted to. The closest he had gotten to flying was an old flight simulator in a cantina in the town. As the sun set Alex spotted an Imperial transport approaching the ground in the far distance. Usually when he saw ships Alex got excited at the prospect of being in one. But this time an ominous feeling accompanied the arrival of this landing craft.
As if the planet agreed with him, a cloud blocked the moon, and he heard the sound of a shrieking Ronta in the distance. Alex suddenly glimpsed something in the back of his mind. Something evil, malicious. Something.. Powerful. It burned red, leaving a scar in the back of his mind. Alex had no idea how to explain what just happened. The red glow still visible in the back of his mind, Alex noticed that his brother was just fine. He still couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding though...