A\N: Sorry this has taken so long to do and send in. I've been really busy with classes and, now that summer is here, I am just now getting back to feeling up to writing this.
After Ty and Jacen set their private quarters up, they decided to go to the mess hall and get something to eat before their training mission would begin. According to Captain Vuroan, they would have plenty of time to get something to eat if they went on. So, together, the two friends walked through the seemingly same corridors until they came to the mess hall. They stood in line, grabbed some trays, got their food, and sat at an empty table in the far right corner of the room.
"I wonder what this training mission will be like?" Jacen asked.
"I don't know," Ty said and began eating. "Probably won't be much to it though, whatever it is. Can't expect to go straight into the battlefield, I guess."
"And that's too bad, I want to get these rebels as soon as possible," Jacen said with deep resentment in his voice.
Of course, that type of resentment towards the rebellion was normal for any loyal Imperial soldier, but to Ty, Jacen sounded much more angry when mentioning the Rebel Alliance than normal.
"Um, yeah," Ty replied. "I don't see why they would want to restore the Republic. I mean, I'm not old enough to remember how things were before Emperor Palpatine became Supreme Chancellor and declared himself emperor, but from what my parents tell me, things weren't that great."
"That's what my parents always use to say," Jacen said. He paused and took a bite of his food. "They often told me stories on how most of the senators became corrupt and pretty much looked out for what was best for them. Like the Jedi did."
Ty suddenly broke eye contact with Jacen and began eating his food nervously.
"What is it?" Jacen asked.
"Nothing," Ty replied without looking up. "Don't worry about it."
"If you say so," Jacen replied. Jacen could tell the mention of Jedi made Ty uneasy, so he figured it was best not to pursue the matter.
Then, a black haired young man approached the table carrying a tray. He was about average height, very thin, and a slightly rounded face.
"Hi," the man said. Ty and Jacen greeted him. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Go ahead," Ty said. "Got a lot of empty seats here."
"Thanks," the man said as he placed his tray down and sat. "I'm Ian."
"I'm Ty," Ty said, followed by Jacen's introduction.
"Stormtroopers, right?" Ian asked.
"Yeah," Jacen said. "You were a pilot trainee on Carida, weren't you?"
"Yeah," Ian replied.
"Fighter, transport, or AT-ST\AT specialized?" Ty asked.
"Fighter," Ian said. "I've been interested in joining the Imperial Navy for years."
"Dangerous times for Imperial soldiers these days," Jacen said. "With the rebels and all."
Jacen wasn't lying about that. With the massive loss of Imperial soldiers aboard the Death Star, it went without saying Emperor Palpatine would pursue the rebellion even harder and in return, drive the rebellion to go with more surprise attacks. Anyone claiming loyalty as a soldier to the Empire could very well be dead before long. So was the nature of anyone who wanted to take the galaxy back to the conditions as it once was.
"Yeah," Ian replied. "I don't know why anyone would want to rebel against the Empire. I mean, minus the rebellion, things are safer now than ever."
"Who knows with these rebel types," Jacen said. "Just like with that Trade Federation when they blockaded Naboo. Did the Republic do anything to them afterwards? No, they just let them off with not even so much as a slap on the wrist! Not Emperor Palpatine though. No, he made sure the Trade Federation was disbanded and the druids completely shut down."
Ty just simply sat there eating as he listened to Ian and Jacen talk about how great things were under Emperor Palatine's control. Secretly, he didn't care much for the Empire, but at the same time, he was glad the Empire was in place and the galaxy wasn't on the same path as with the Republic in the later years. He had never thought it was ok with oppressing aliens, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. In fact, as a kid, a few of his friends had been aliens. Unfortunately, he had no choice but support the Empire.
The three men continued conversing for the next few minutes as they ate. After a little over an hour, Captain Vuroans' voice broke in over the Star Destroyer's comlink.
"All Stormtrooper trainees report to the briefing room," Captain Vuroan said. "You're first real mission for the Empire will begin shortly."
"Well, that's us," Ty said as he stood. "I guess we'll be seeing you later."
"See you later," Ian told Ty and Jacen. "Good luck on the mission."
After saying farewell to Ian, Ty and Jacen placed their trays away and hurried to the briefing room. Upon entering the room, they saw most of the other Stormtrooper trainees had already arrived and sitting. The two friends walked to the back of the room and sat in two empty seats next to each other. Shortly after, Captain Vuroan walked into the room.
"Welcome to the briefing room," Captain Vuroan said. "I'm sure you're all anxious to get your first mission out of the way, so fortunately, this won't take long. Needless to say. this mission is a rather simple one. In a few moments, you will be sent to the surface on Tatooine. Mos Eisely to be exact. The Imperial moff has been reporting a few local businesses have not been paying their taxes to Emperor Palpatine as required. When the moff tried unsuccessfully to resolve the matter peacefully, the owners simply told him the taxes were unfair and plainly refused to pay. So, your job will be go to each owner of these businesses and get them to pay their taxes. If they still refuse, arrest them. Your Stormtrooper commander will fill you in on the way to the surface and direct you as to where to go. Now, go put your armor on and get to the shuttle."
"Time to show these people why it's not wise to go against Emperor Palpatine," Jacen muttered to Ty.
The soldiers shuffled down the hall, entered a room, and placed their Stormtrooper armor on. Finally, they promptly headed to and boarded the shuttle where the Stormtrooper commander was awaiting their arrival. After everyone boarded and safely secured, the shuttle undocked with the Star Destroyer and began its trip to Tatooine. As the shuttle traveled, the Stormtrooper commander began telling everyone where to go.
"You two," the Stormtrooper commander said motioning to Ty and Jacen, "take care of the cantina. You'll see it as soon as we enter the city."
Once the shuttle landed, a dozen white armor clad Stormtroopers walked off and headed to their designated places. Silently, Ty and Jacen walked through the entrance of the cantina and looked around. No sooner than they did, the entire group of patrons fell silent and stared at the two friends as they walked towards the bartender.
"I believe you know what we're here for," Jacen said as they approached the bartender. "And we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Take your choice."
"I'll tell you like I told Moff Gyion," the bartender said. "I am not paying these taxes! They are too high! I was barely able to pay the taxes before Emperor Palpatine raised them and still make a living! I can not pay!"
"The only other option is we arrest you," Ty said.
"Then you must simply arrest me," the bartender replied. He was obviously nervous, as he was beginning to sweat quite a bit.
"Look, none of us want to go through the process of placing you under arrest," Ty said. "So, why don't you make it easy on all of us and--"
Suddenly, Ty was interrupted by the familiar sound of laser blasts being fired. Seconds later, the Stormtrooper commander's voice broke in on their helmet comlinks.
"Rebel forces are in the area!" the Stormtrooper commander yelled. "We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack by rebel forces!"
Ty and Jacen looked at each other. If facial expressions could be seen through the helmets, both would have a scared look on their faces.