The morning was nice and quiet.
Well as quiet as it could at a Imperial training facility with a large airfield located just outside. If one were to ignore this fact then it would be considered very peaceful. In the facilities mess hall that fed hundreds of mouths a day was the entirety of the Zulu squad. Each of them had bags forming under their eyes and looked dead on their feet. Something that Lucia didn't leave unmentioned when Romeo Squad had arrived in the mess hall for their breakfast.
"Whoa. What happened to you guys?" Lucia said as she and the rest of her squad sat down at the bench table with their trays.
On it was today's meal; tasteless oatmeal with fruit and vegetables grown in the facilities biosphere which seemed to make the food even more tasteless that the oatmeal. This was still eaten however because food served at Stormtrooper Training Facilities were said to be much worse and the head chef said that those who complained could learn the difference themselves as the base held very long lasting field rations in cold storage that were served to Stormtrooper Cadets.
The members of Zulu could only moan as they tried to stay awake.
Only Bruyere was foolish enough to use what little energy in his body to respond.
"Security and Captain Lawrence found out about the storeroom incident. Since we didn't really damage anything that was important the Captain gave us a light punishment."
As punishment, Captain Lawrence had made the squad take up the night guard the day of the incident.
It was only meant to last for three hours until three in the morning. But there was the rule that for every time someone fell asleep the Captain would add an extra twenty minutes. This was after heavy lifting in the storeroom and taking out an old probe droid. The squad by that point already felt dead on their feet. Zachary was the first to fall asleep.
How he did it standing they didn't know.
The other five members have stopped asking how he does the things he did after the second week.
When the original time was over Captain Lawrence came to them carrying a cup of coffee. Slowly sipping it in front of them. Taunting them. When it was revealed that Zachary was asleep standing up straight Captain Lawrence looked at the Private with intrigue and temptation. The next thing they know Zachary was shot by a small taser that the Captain had borrowed from security as a 'tool of learning.'
They learned many things that night.
Such as the sound of the normally laid-back Private Zachary Smith screaming in pain. As well as relearned the fact that Captain Lawrence loved his job more than an officer that worked at a training facility should. After that and just before the Captain left he told them that, "Your squad is one. One in mind and being. As such you will not sleep this morning as Private Smith has slept for all of you."
Despite his nap, Zachary was someone who needed a full night of sleep.
Which was why he was tired like the rest of his squad. "He made us stand outside of the storeroom all night. We just walked here. No point in getting out of our armor." Bruyere finished.
"That sucks. Just be lucky that Falynn isn't a part of your squad. I heard from Rachar, Hest, and Amilia that she doesn't tolerate sleeping in or on time. She makes them get up half an hour before their alarms and makes them run laps and do drills." A.J said as he ate.
"Thank the Emperor for small mercies." Bruyere said.
The two squads were almost finished with their meal when Victor Squad finally showed up. Unlike the first week when they would arrive completely out of breath and panting like dogs, the members of the Victor squad were only lightly panting. Behind them walking simply at a fast pace was Sergeant Falynn Pyxis.
As she passed her squad, her eyes lingered on them for a moment showing a small amount of approval. The squad soon acquired their breakfast and sat at the same table as the rest of Platoon.
"Skywalker, Enshire, good morning." Falynn said as she began to eat her food.
"Good morning Falynn, training hard?" Marcus asked while Luke muttered a quiet 'hello' as he got up to dispose of his tray. Falynn paused for a moment following Luke with her eyes before answering.
"Of course we were. We ran laps around the inner perimeter of the landing fields wall." She said. "I think that some of us might want to think of doing the same." Falynn added, her eyes still watching Luke as he returned to his seat. Marcus gave her a strained smile.
"Well I'm sure that Luke and his squad are just tired from last night." The Second Lieutenant of the platoon said. Falynn just frowned and went back to her meal.
The rest of the day went on as it normally would. After breakfast the platoon began training with Captain Lawrence.
Today they were in the simulation room. It was modeled after the old training rooms that the clones on Kamino had to do. Only instead of B1 and B2 battle droids it was a mixture of BX Commando Droids, two Imperial State Viper Probe Droids, and a IG series Assassin Droid.
Every Platoon had to do this training before graduation a total of five times. Each time harder and harder as the number of droids change. On the fifth and final time they had to fight an additional five Magnaguard Droids. However this time was… different.
The droids were less creative and there were destroyer droids also known as Droideka's. There were also a much larger number of defense towers as well. Despite this the Platoon adapted to their situation. Everyone laid down covering fire for both Oliver and Tangie so the two could get out of cover and shred any droids that were in their sights.
This maneuver worked well.
The two heavy weapons troopers of the Twin Star Platoon fired at anything on ground level that moved and was a droid with the assistance of Romeo Squad while the rest of Victor and Zulu squad focused on anything in the towers that could target them since their higher position gave the training droids a greater advantage. When all of the droids were gone the platoon had begun to advance to their target.
However from behind them two Droideka's rose from the floor. This had caught the platoon off guard and had lost A.J, Francis, and Terrence when they began to fire on the platoon.
The platoon tried to adapt but in the end it took almost ten minutes of constant firing to take out both of the Droideka's as they were not given any form of weapons that could take out a large amount of enemies in an area like a grenade, during which half way through another wave of droids came from behind them.
They lost Oliver, Lina, Rachar, and Tangie.
The rest of the training exercise was slow and taxing. By the time they completed their objective they had lost Amilia and Zachary.
They had lost half the platoon.
While some were happy that training for the day was over and that they had succeeded in their mission, their victory felt bittersweet. Yes they completed their objective, but at what cost? Half the platoon?
This exercise weighed heavily on the minds of Marcus and Luke. They both assumed that Falynn felt the same way but knowing her she wouldn't speak about it unless they forced her too.
The rest of the day went on as normal.
This was the time when squads were given assignments to help around the base. While most thought that they were given these as some sort of punishment-in some cases they are-that were to make squads to better but it was actually a way to instill discipline into the squads.
Neither the Galactic Empire or Imperial State of Terra needed thousands of soldiers just standing around, using up resources wherever they go and armies that they might never actually need to use. As such it was a way to give them purpose.
A way to say that we all need to work together, despite what you signed up for. However it was still seen as cadets and soldiers as their superiors gave them busy work that no one else wanted to do. As such the Twin Star Platoon split up for the next two hours.
Zulu Squad was assigned to base perimeter watch. Arguably the best place in the base to be assigned. While at other facilities standing on a wall for two hours would be mind numbing-ly boring, at the Imperial State Trooper training facility it was anything but. Everyday the older soldiers who were in their final months of training did environmental exercises. With a new batch of cadets and soldiers arriving and leaving each month, training exercises were constant.
A part of these environmental exercises were beach landings.
This was when the entire division would be put into TIE/rp, be ferried to a Venator in high orbit, then be sent back down where an entire training droid force would be waiting. This was considered a joint exercise with the navy because the pilots of the transports were also cadets.
The droids were given anti-air batteries that were set up by the engineering corps. The batteries fired non-lethal rounds of paint. By the end of the day those who were 'shot out of the sky' had to clean the transport that they rode in.
The entire exercise is always an interesting spectacle to watch.
Romeo Squad had perimeter watch the other day and were switched with Zulu Squad. They were now in the base out of their armor and in more comfortable cadet uniforms as they moved boxes and cataloged the equipment within said boxes.
While it's not the glorious job on the base, it was just as important.
Last but not least was Victor squad.
For the last week and a half they were on patrol duty.
The most boring job of the three.
You couldn't stop, you were made to speak through the radio of your helmet, and you were in your armor walking around the base in pairs.
Normally it wasn't all that bad but with Falynn Pyxis as your squad leader-may Victor Squad rest in peace-or emperor forbid your patrol partner-poor, poor, Hest, we will always remember him-then the assignment was not the greatest.
After their assignments the platoon met up with each other during lunch.
They shared stories about their day, or things that they heard from a passing officer.
Other than the Rec. Room, gossip and other forms of oral communication were the only forms of entertainment on the base.
After their lunch break they were about to go back to their given assignments when they were called into Captain Lawrence's office.
They were confused at first.
Normally the Captain would speak to the squads separately.
Some are worried.
Others are oddly excited.
Or indifferent to the summoning of their platoon.
Either way, all eighteen cadets of the Twin Star Platoon made their way to their Captains office.
Marcus, who was standing at the front of the group, knocked on the door.
"Enter." They heard from the other side. Not wanting to be punished by keeping the man waiting, Marcus placed his code cylinder into the door's coded lock. The blast door rose with a hiss. The cadets entered the office. Marcus, Luke, and Falynn stood in front of their respective squads who stood behind them in a rank of three rows of five. In front of them Captain Lawrence was writing something on his desk.
"You called us Captain Lawrence?" Marcus asked. His arms crossed behind his back as he stood in attention. Captain Lawrence continued to write for a moment until he finished. Putting his pen down he leaned back. His eyes moved from cadet to cadet. Searching for something.
"At ease, all of you." The Captain said as he stood up. A few of the cadets let out a breath that they didn't know that they were holding. "I called you all here because I wish to tell you something that has happened in the last week."
"Sir if it's the incident in the store room then I take full-" Luke spoke out only for Captain Lawrence to stop him.
"No Sergeant. It's not that. Like I said, this pertains to all of you. Not just Zulu Squad." The Captain said again.
"Yes sir. I apologize for interrupting." Luke said.
"It's okay, Sergeant. As I was saying, two days ago, ISB agents arrested senator Orn Free Taa." Captain Lawrence said. This got a reaction from a few of the cadets. A Senator was arrested? You would think that they would have known about this.
In the back, Ce`na who was a Twi'lek herself was conflicted. She was glad that he was arrested because the gluttonous senator Orn Free Taa had allowed the slavery of his own people during the time of the Republic and in the beginning years of the Empire before the Imperial State of Terra had taken control of the Out-Rim systems in the galactic south. Her mother, Oola, was a slave to Jabba the Hutt before being freed by the Imperial State Troopers.
Her mother was kidnapped from the Twi'lek capital city of Lessu after the Republic took the planet back from the Separatists. Under Orn Free Taa's 'rule' her mother was sold into slavery. Ce`na had heard the rumors about the senator. The positive ones were small in number compared to the negative ones. On the other hand she was worried for her peoples planet.
Ryloth had come so far under the guidance of the Imperial State of Terra. How would this change the planet?
"Under what charges exactly?" Ce`na asked. Captain Lawrence looked into her eyes. He could see that she wasn't trying to defend the senator but simply wanting to know what he was arrested for.
"Former Senator Orn Free Taa was arrested for illegal dealings of substances and materials. Further investigation had also added trafficking of sentient beings, slavery, assassination of several political rivals, and the newest one from the Emperor himself, Treason against the Galactic Empire." Captain Lawrence listed.
Everyone's eyes were wide. To think one senator was convicted of all of that. Who knows what other senators are hiding.
"As a result of his arrest, those loyal to Orn Free Taa on Ryloth rebelled against the Empire. They have taken over the planet's biospheres, hoarding the planet's major food storage for themselves. They have also taken several lightly secured bunkers owned by the Imperial State of Terra. These had weapons and ammunition as well as medical supplies. While the number of them are unknown, what we do know is, is that the loyalists have forced a large number of civilians from neighboring villages and towns to join their side out of fear since they currently hold the only local source of food for the planet. According to Imperial State Troopers who were garrisoned on the planet, Orn Free Taa had been funneling a lot of money into planetary defense. We have lost two entire military bases to these rebels and we risk an entire planetary uprising if this continues. The only sure Imperial holdout on the planet is the capital city of Lessu. Even if it isn't everything outside of the city is considered as enemy territory." Captain Lawrence explained.
Everyone listened silently.
This would be the first uprising in the Galactic South since the Second Sieges; a year after the rise of the Galactic Empire.
"Sir, you said that this pertains to us… what do you mean by that?" Luke asked.
He wanted to help the people of Ryloth and show these rebels their place but at the same time.
They were just cadets.
The training exercises from the morning were still playing in his head.
"An old friend of mine is leading the assault on the planet. His name is Mathious Salem, he was an Imperial State Marine who rose through the ranks of command. I was a Trooper. But that is a story for another time. The point, Sergeant Skywalker, is that this platoon has shown results and scores not seen in this facility for nearly two years." Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but smile, despite the serious situation.
"I recommended your platoons service to him and the assault on Ryloth." Captain Lawrence said.
Everyone was stunned. They had been cadets for almost two months and their Captain had recommended their platoon to partake in the largest operation since the Second Sieges.
Marcus, Falynn and Luke looked at each other and nodded. Stepping forward, Marcus said:
"We will gladly accept this mission sir, we won't let you down."
"Good to hear Second Lieutenant Enshire, you leave tomorrow afternoon. Dismissed."
(A.N. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank god 2020 is finally over am I right? Anyway I just wanted to say that: I'm a Liar! I had ideas for the Ryloth part of the story but I sort of forgot that I need to transition the story between this so then there wasn't a random jump. I mean I could have done that and added flashbacks but I'm bad at those.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, If you haven't checked it out already then I implore you to read my other story The Imperial State of Terra: Encyclopedia. Its a small side project of relatively short chapters about some things that I have mentioned in the story that I either haven't gone into detail yet or just briefly mentioned.
"The Twin Star Platoon has been sent volunteered by Captain Lawrence as extra soldiers in the Assault on Ryloth! What role will they play? Can Ryloth and its people be freed in time or will hunger turn the populas against the Empire and its Allies? Find out next time on The Imperial State of Terra!")