Baddies?
Alright, so, question. Have you ever had the sudden realization that you were the baddy? Because I'm starting to feel like it's just me. In retrospect I probably should have seen the signs earlier, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
My name is Liam Shinjiki, I was born on Brentaal, but by the time I was eight I had volunteered for the Imperial Army with my parents' permission and was selected to study at the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. Once I had completed my training, I opted to take a yearlong deployment as a stormtrooper, mistake, and after that received my promoted to midshipman and transferred to the Kuat Drive Yards Assertor-class Command Dreadnought Dominance in the Tion Cluster.
It was here in 4ABY that I learned the Imperial Army might not be the great peacekeepers that the vids and posters had always claimed.
Every unit on the Dreadnaught had been called in for a surprise inspection which could mean only one thing. Sure enough, once the inspection was complete my department along with half of the ship's crew were told to form up in the ship's main hangar bay in preparation for the arrival of a high-ranking guest.
This was a pretty common occurrence. We did this for the Captains of our Bellator-class escorts, whenever they returned from their system patrols, or whenever an admiral decided to pay us a visit. I even got to see one of the Moffs once.
This time though I knew something was different the moment I saw the ship floating into the hangar. Instead of the normal the Sienar Fleet Systems Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, we were greeted by a dark red Twin Ion Engine Interceptor starfighter.
I always felt a bit of anxiety during these ceremonies, but the moment I saw the ship I knew who was in it, and I almost passed out. Luckily the fear of punishment kept me standing as the ship landed and out stepped a red clad Emperor's Royal Guard. He wore a long robe that covered his entire body, and a large mask that came down to cover his shoulders. I had never seen one in person. In fact the only ones I had seen were in photos or videos of the Emperor.
The Admiral of my ship, Admiral Annula approached the Royal Guard as they climbed out of their ship, saluting the Royal Guard as they turned to face him. The two exchanged words I was too far away to hear. Normally when standing at attention like we were we were supposed to keep our eyes forward, but I could not help but let my eyes wander over to them.
The Admiral was by no means a small man, but he was absolutely dwarfed by the Royal Guard in both height and build. Seriously, the Royal Guard looked like he could bench his TIE/IN. Not only that but it was impossible to figure out what he was feeling or saying with the mask covering his features. Luckily it did not take long for the Admiral to motion for him to follow as they made their way through the hangar.
Normally, they would merely walk across the room so the guest could see the troops and then exit on the far side. Instead the two walked to the center of the room and stood there for a moment as the Admiral whispered into his commlink. There was a brief pause before the section of floor beneath their feet began to rise, elevating them above the crowd so everyone could see them.
There was a call of present arms, and we all saluted the two men until the Admiral waved his hand and we returned to attention.
"Imperial Soldiers of the Dominance," Admiral Annula said, his voice projecting through the many speakers spread throughout the hangar. "We have a special guest with us today, a member of the Emperor's Royal Guard." He motioned at the man clad in red. "They have informed me that they have an extremely important message for us all, so please, give them your undivided attention."
The Admiral stepped to the side and began to clap, causing the room to erupt in applause as we all joined in. The Royal Guard stepped forward, standing so still as we clapped that I honestly could have been convinced the suit had locked up and he was frozen in place. "Soldiers, pilots, sailors, citizens," he began once the clapping had completely ceased, his voice sounding double digitalized as it was projected through his mask's then the hangar's speaker. "I do not come with good tidings."
I felt my entire body go cold. Had we done something wrong? Well I hadn't. I've been doing really good at my job… except for that one time when I modified my bunk and it ended up floating me into the ceiling fan, but that can't be the reason he's here… right?
"Our great Emperor has been assassinated."
There was a collective gasp of shock from the room. Personally I let out a sigh of relief at learning we had not done anything wrong. Then I too gasped as I realized the large imposing Royal Guard definitely had done something wrong considering the Empire's Emperor, was dead. Then I gasped a second time, once again nearly causing myself to pass out, because the Emperor was dead.
"With him, the Rebellion also destroyed the second Death Star, killing millions of our brethren."
This time some people did pass out. I was just surprised to hear there was a second Death Star. Also, stars millions of people!
"The Rebellion traitor rats within the senate have also taken this opportunity to finally make a grab for power and have declared themselves the New Republic."
A ripple of anger washed over the crowd. Firstly because, I have to assume at least one other person was thinking about how unoriginal 'the New Republic' was as a name. Secondly because, we were still there. The Empire still exists without the Emperor. There was a whole line of succession and everything, even though the Emperor was supposedly immortal. Thought that last part had apparently been proven false.
The Royal Guard bowed his head. "I have failed you all. It was my duty to keep our Emperor safe so he could lead us through these troubled times. Now he is gone, and for that I am truly ashamed."
I mean, he was technically right, but I was not going to be the one to throw technicalities at him while within speaking range.
"However," he said straightening back up. "There is still hope."
This definitely regained the attention of the audience, me included.
"An Empire that cannot protect its Emperor, does not deserve to persist. That is why our great Emperors left us with one final Contingency. With this dreadnought, we shall meet with the new Imperial Warlord and begin our campaign of retribution. We shall not allow these rebel scum, false saviors, and vagabonds to take over what we have spent years forging, advancing, and defending based on lies and deceit."
The room erupted in applause and shouts of agreement from seemingly everyone in the room save for two. Me, and the Admiral who was looking at the Royal Guard apprehensively.
"We shall show the rebels our fury, and the people who would join them what happens when you decide to bite the hand that feeds you."
The roar of the room became louder, forcing me to clap along in order to not be the only one not contributing to the noise.
"It is time to begin, the final war of the Empire!"
The room shook with the cheers of those assembled, even the most stoic of the officers cheering at this point save for the Admiral.
I was not the only one to notice his lack of gusto though as the Royal Guard turned around and the Admiral was just a moment to slow to replace his expression. The Royal Guard froze, staring at him for several moments before he took a step towards him. The cheering was still nigh deafening, but whatever voice projection system they had up there was still active as the Royal Guard leaned in and said to the Admiral. "Why so distraught, Admiral."
Admiral Annula visibly gulped at the question as the Royal Guard stepped closer. "I'm just… It is sad to hear the Empire will fall," he said, his voice not being projected as the Royal Guard's was, but I was at a good angle to read his lips.
"Sadder than the loss of the Emperor, Admiral?"
"It…" he trailed off as he looked around at the mass assembly of people. "I believe I need time to process that question. Would you mind asking me again later once I have had time to think on the matter?"
Despite the politeness of the question, the Royal Guard seemed to grow larger with anger as he stood nearly chest to chest with the Admiral. "You speak as one who does not have the strength of will to do what must be done, Admiral."
The Admiral shook his head and straightened his back. "I will do what is deemed best for the Empire."
"The Empire is dead," the Royal Guard said, his voice becoming almost like a growl.
Admiral's face went pale, and to my surprise, shock, and horror the Royal Guard drew a vibroblade dagger from under his cloak and stabbed it into the Admiral's chest.
Yeah, that was definitely the moment I realized I was one of the baddies. Especially since unless someone had changed Galactic common behind my back, the Royal Guard had just said we were going to destroy the Empire, including the people who lived in it, which I believe I were the people we were supposed to protect. Which definitely sounded like what Rebel's always claimed we did, but that was just propaganda… right?
Also, you'd think that other people would be as surprised, shocked, and horrified by the Admiral being stabbed as me, but I guess I missed the memo because everyone else seemed perfectly fine with it. Well except for Jim, but Jim was one of the first people to pass out, so he didn't know yet.
The platform was lowered, and the Royal Guard approached the assembly of Senior Officers, bloody blade still in hand, then pointed to one of them and promoted them on the spot.
After that we were all dismissed, I fast walked back to my shared quarters and climbed into the closet for a bit so that I could calm down. The closet wasn't very big, really only just big enough for me to fit in it with my uniforms and armor. Maybe I was overreacting a bit, but I mean that all sounded really bad right? Plus the Royal Guard just killed the Admiral. That was not an appropriate response according the the Imperial Officer's Handbook.
We're the Empire. We exist to protect the citizens from the murderous Rebels who would rather slit our throats in our sleep than actually interact with us. Right?
I stayed in there for quite a while, taking deep calming breaths until my communicator suddenly went off in my pocket, causing me to jump and bash my head on the roof of my closet. I pulled it out of my pocket and for the second time today felt my blood go cold as I saw the direct message.
'Midshipman, report to the Admiral's office immediately.'
What did I do? I hadn't done anything! Maybe that was the issue! Did I not clap convincingly enough? I couldn't think about it now. When they said immediately, they meant IMMEDIATELY. So I climbed out of the closet and made my way to the Admiral's office. The ship was just over six miles in length, but luckily the Admiral's office was only a few floors up and slightly more central than my quarters. I moved just as quickly as I had when escaping to my room with an infinite amount more dread.
Once I arrived, I straightened my uniform then paused, not sure who I was about to see on the other side of the door. I mean the Admiral was dead. Was this the new Admiral? A collection of the higher ups? HR? Did we still have an HR? I wonder how they felt about the execution of the Admiral. I stood their lost in my thoughts until an MSE-6 droid bumped into my leg bringing me back to reality then wove its way around me.
I finally knocked on the door which slid open in time with the third knock. The office was nearly three times the size of my room, which I shared it with three other Midshipmen. It had a massive window on the far side of the room with a great view of space, a desk so massive it bordered on the ridiculous thought the chair on the other side was empty. I took a tentative step into the room, confused by the emptiness for a moment until my eyes fell on a quaint sitting area with a comfortable looking chair and small table alongside a massive bookshelf which lined the wall.
Now, I probably should have scanned the room a little more since obviously someone had to have been in there to open the door… However, the site of that many books was very distracting and without thinking about it I walked up to the shelf and started reading the titles on the spines.
"It is quite the collection isn't it?" an unfamiliar voice said from the far end of the room just as I started picking up a book titled Ships of the Old Republic and the Stagnation of Interstellar Ship Design.
The sudden comment caused the book to slip from my grasp as I started jumping to attention, but I couldn't just let the book fall so I changed course, barely managed to catch it as it became level with my knees.
I heard footsteps on the far end of the room as I came up to attention. My eyes were drawn to one of the far corners of the room where the red clad Royal Guard stepped into the light. I found myself questioning how the room could be so well lit, yet still have a corner dark enough for me to have missed him. Which was good because if my mind hadn't been distracted by that thought I probably would have been freaking out.
We stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds until I realized he had asked me a question and was waiting for my response. "OH! Sorry. Right, yes it is. Very nice. I didn't know we had this many physical books on the Dreadnought."
The Royal Guard walked over to the chair behind the desk and took a seat. "Yes, I've been told the Admiral was not a lover of electronic documents," he said motioning at the area in front of the desk.
I marched over, returning to attention once I was standing before him. It felt weird not being able to see his face. I couldn't tell how he was feeling, which felt extremely important considering less than an hour ago I had watched him stab an Admiral.
He motioned at one of the two guest chairs before the desk. "Take a seat, Midshipman."
I did so without hesitation and to my surprise, the Royal Guard reached under his helmet, undid a clasp, and removed his helmet. I'm not the best judge for other men, but I would have described him as handsome. He was clean shaven with a jawline that looked like it was chiseled out of stone, short black hair in military cut, and very intense green that felt like they were staring straight into my soul.
"You seem nervous," he said, sitting straight backed so that his broad frame made the chair look as though it were made for a toddler as his eyes remained locked on me.
My first thought was to say 'yes', but I was too nervous to be that honest. My main worry was that he somehow seen me during the ceremony and knew how I reacted. I mean I know I was really far away from him, but these officers uniforms did not hide my face at all. "Nervous for the future sir. I never thought I would see this day come to pass," I said, being honest in more ways than one.
The Royal Guard nodded his head. "I could not agree more. So, I will not keep you guessing as to your purpose here," he said his tone becoming serious. "We are about to enter a difficult time. Once we have completed the main objective of our mission, we will be moving the fleets into the outer rim, where we will begin to rebuild ourselves after we have culled the traitorous rats."
I nodded my head, half to show I was listening, half to hide the terror I was sure was showing on my face.
"You have talents, Midshipman Shinjiki," the Royal Guard said, opening a drawer in the desk and pulling out a small folder with my name written on it. "Talents I believe will serve us well in the coming years." He opened the packet and spoke as he read. "Top grades in your class at the academy. Rated proficient in piloting all models of TIE, and shuttle platforms. Rated Marksman with the E-11, E-11D, E-11S, and E-22. You were awarded the Armorer's Pin for weapons proficiency. Trained in explosive ordnance. You were offered an engineering position based off of your grades and proficiency but turned it down for a delayed Naval Officer appointment after volunteering for a year of Stormtrooper duty. Did I miss anything?"
I was also forklift certified, but I didn't feel like that was the kind of thing he was looking for. "No sir, I believe that is everything."
He closed the file and returned it to its drawer. "Well, then we shall be watching your career with great interest, Lieutenant Shinjiki."
My brain went in several directions at once. The first thought was 'that's not my rank' but was quickly overshadowed by the realization I had just been promoted. Which half excited me, while the other half of my brain reminded me of everything else not happened today. Including the destressing though that I was now one rank closer to being killed by one of my comrades. Not the greatest feeling in the world.
"Thank you, sir," I eventually said, channeling as much of the excited half of my brain as I could.
"Don't thank me yet," he said rising from his chair and walking around the desk. "This promotion will come with many new responsibilities, and the next few months will be difficult."
He motioned for me to stand, and I did as he approached. He towered over me, making me feel like a child standing before their parent.
"We will be required to show more strength than ever before," he said as he pulled my rank off my uniform. "But we will do so for a brighter future. For your future." He pinned on my new Lieutenant rank. "Conduct yourself as you have been, show your unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, and you shall go far." He clapped me on the shoulder, nearly taking me off my feet as I stumbled to the side.
"Thank you, sir," I said as I recovered from the hit.
"Your promotion information has already been sent to your communicator," he said turning and walking back around the desk. "Take tomorrow off to move into your new quarters and be at your station the day after. You are dismissed."
I saluted. "Thank you sir. Glory to the Emperor," I said, altering from the normal 'Glory to the Empire' farewell.
He paused at the change then smiled before returning the salute. "Glory to the Emperor."
With that I turned and made my exit. Before today, I would have actually leapt with joy once the door had closed behind me. Now, I stood in the hallway contemplating what I had heard. I pulled out my communicator and found my new room number and slowly started to make my way over there.
As I walked my thoughts began to solidify. There were a lot of questions I did not have any answers to, and a few answers I did have might not have been completely accurate. The only thing my conversation with the Royal Guard had proven beyond the shadow of a doubt was the Empire I knew, or thought I knew, was gone.
