CHAPTER 20 – LEISURE TIME
After dropping off our armour and blasters in the armoury, we all went to the mess to take our rations. Since our whole platoon was in the mess at the same time, it was very crowded and there was little space for us to sit. For the first time since Tatooine, our squad could not eat together. Yalasa and Harmony sat together at one table with troopers from other squads in our platoon. Meanwhile, I sat with Mandala, Bloor and Davos at a different table.
It occurred to me that I did not know Mandala, Bloor and Davos very well. After the untimely death of Speeler, I felt I should get to know the troopers I would be serving with. Especially, as I had lost all my usual companions. During our meal, we discussed our respective backgrounds.
Davos and I have similar backgrounds. We were both brought up on academy worlds. While I was brought up on Carida, Davos came from the world of Corulag. Both our mothers were teachers in the respective academies, giving guidance to the recruits on history, philosophy and politics. Both our fathers were in the imperial navy. While my father was a tie-fighter pilot, the father of Davis was a naval officer on a Star Destroyer. Both our fathers had died as heros of the Empire, fighting to maintain order and security in the galaxy.
Bloor came from the core world of Hemei IV which has a long tradition of loyalty and service to the Empire. Such core worlds were the first to declare obedience to the Emperor and give active support to the Empire after the Clone Wars. They were also the star systems which provided most of the recruits and supplies to the Empire in its current crusade to bring peace and security to the galaxy. Each of these worlds had basic training and assessment centres where the young men put themselves forward as candidates for the various arms of the imperial military. The populations of these planets were known to be vociferous in their support for the Emperor, with parents eagerly encouraging their children to join the imperial military or administration. Most stormtroopers in our platoon, including Timor and Skeen, came from core worlds.
Mandala told me he was brought up on a relatively poor world on the outer-rim. Although these planets are not regarded as disloyal to the Emperor, neither do they actively support the Empire's military effort to end the rebel threat in the galaxy. Their activity generally focusses on commerce, agriculture and/or industry. Most of the population from these worlds are more likely to be workers or traders than join the military. In fact, it surprised me that any recruits came from these worlds at all given the lack of basic training and assessment facilities available there.
Mandala also told me that Harmony originated from an outer-rim world. That was no surprise. The outer-rim worlds supply most of the few female recruits who join the stormtrooper corps. I assumed Yalasa was also from such a world. Core imperial worlds would rarely allow females to enlist in the military, understanding that they were neither physically nor mentally equipped for the rigours of combat. But many of the more marginalised worlds of the outer and inner rims have no hesitation in sending their women off to war. I suspected that it may be because the poor families of such worlds are simply happy to get rid of a useless mouth to feed. I could easily imagine that a daughter could be a burden for a poor family in the outer-rim.
But on the other hand, it also occurred to me that female recruits must have shown extraordinary determination to leave their home world and integrate themselves into the stormtrooper corps. Even though I doubted the capability of females to perform effectively as stormtroopers, I did not doubt their loyalty to the Empire or their devotion to serve the Emperor. In order to be accepted in the corps, these women must have pushed themselves to unbelievable extremes. It just demonstrates how devotion to the Emperor can bring out the best in us all.
There was no doubt that Yalasa and Harmony are completely devoted to the Emperor, just as all stormtroopers are. It occurred to me that all women in the Stormtrooper corps owed everything to the Emperor. He had given them a worthwhile existence of noble service, allowing them to escape from the desperation and misery of their trivial lives on their home worlds. And that perhaps explains why female stormtroopers never waver in their duty to the Emperor. Even if they are inferior troopers, I recognise that they are just as determined to enforce the will of the Emperor as any male trooper.
After finishing our meal, we all returned to our quarters where we were all allowed a few hours of leisure time. It was the first time that we had been permitted any free time since returning from Tatooine. There was not a lot to do in our free time. Most troopers talked, played card games, wrote up their journal, read approved imperial texts or listened to approved music.
At first, several troopers from our platoon crowded around Yalasa's bunk where we all talked for an hour or so, sharing our experiences from the Tantive and Tatooine missions. We related how fellow troopers were killed or wounded. We spoke of Skeen's madness. We spoke of the search for the droids and the failure of the final mission. We also spoke of Speeler's execution, but in a solemn and respectful manner.
The only thing we did not speak of was the treason of Zarin. We were still under orders to keep silent about that event. So we didn't mention it.
Some troopers were also eager to hear what had happened to Harmony. Harmony explained to us how she was wounded during the Tantive mission. In fact, she didn't even make it onto the rebel ship. Just as she was about to step onto the Tantive, she was hit in the stomach by a stray rebel blaster bolt and was put out of action. After the other stormtroopers in the assault force had cleared the area, the medical droids evacuated her to the medical centre. While we were on Tatooine looking for the droids, Harmony was recovering from her wounds on the Star Destroyer.
It occurred to me that a male trooper could have continued fighting if he had received a similar wound. Male troopers are only put out of action from mortal wounds. But Harmony seemed to have been put out of operation from what was probably a relatively light wound to the stomach.
After an hour or so, I left the group and returned to my bunk where I decided to write up my journal. Bloor and Davos also left the group shortly afterwards to play a card game. Eventually, only Harmony, Yalasa and Mandala continued speaking quietly by Yalasa's bunk. Occasionally, I heard the sound of laughter, as the girls giggled with Mandala.
A while later, Mandala and Harmony also left. They disappeared under the covers of Mandela's bunk where we heard the grunts, sighs and other sounds of physical interaction. This was no surprise. Both Mandala and Harmony had reputations for engaging in such activity. Although, it was probably the first time they had been with each other. As usual, the rest of us ignored them. I noticed that Yalasa sat alone on her bunk. Like me she took time to write up and file her reports and journal.
Just before the time set for lights out, Timor returned from guard duty dressed in his off-duty jump suit. He was just in time to see Harmony leave Mandala's bunk. Timor exchanged a few words with Bloor and Davos. Then when the lights-out was sounded, we all lay down on our bunks and went to sleep.