Chapter 3 - The massacre of Tuanul (1/2)
FN-2187 felt his blood boiling and he could feel the adrenaline filling up his system. He would lie to say that he was not nervous. He was absolutely terrified, but the training he had been put through since childhood showed the results in this moment. His terror fed his focus and his nerviousness cleared up his useless thoughts.
- ”Landing in approximately 30 seconds”- claimed the voice and he knew it was time to show what he could do.
- ”Just remember your training and don't give them the chance”- said the Leader of his squad- ”For the First Order!”
Everyone shouted in response and then FN-2187 felt the ship where they were touch the ground with a big impact.
- ”Forward!”- shouted the leader and the doors of the transporter opened.
FN-2187 training was definitely of great help since a normal person would have immediately gone to his knees and maybe dirtied his pats in the same situation. However, no training could ever have prepared him for the reality of combat. As soon as the door opened multiple blaster bolts flew inside and immediately some stormtroopers in the first line died without the possibility of even move.
- ”Move faster!”- the squad leader who had been one of the lucky ones in the frontline jumped out of the ship and knelt behind a box- ”Take cover and shoot back!”
FN-2187 knew he had to get out of the ship immediately or it would be his coffin, so he ran as fast as he could and for some reason his body made his roll as soon as he felt his foot on the ground. This move saved his life since an energy bolt passed over his head a second later and hit a stormtrooper behind him.
- ”Teams A and B, advance to the center of the village as fast as possible in fan formation!”- said the Squad leader- Team C, cover fire and watch our backs!
FN-2187 was in the team C, so he started to look for his objectives to shoot but the chaos around him was just too overwhelming. In the moment he tried to take a peek above his cover he saw blaster bolts flying like mosquitoes and he saw many fellow stormtroopers who he had eaten and talked with to fall down next to him to never stand again. ”Slip” ran next to him shooting to the enemy like trying to cover him.
- ”Team A requesting for support”- said a voice for the intercomm- ”casualties increasing by the second.”
The defense of the village was unexpectedly well prepared. The stormtroopers were having serious difficulties in taking the village which was supposedly to be defended by civilians. He could see the enemy and he was absolutely sure that he could shoot them down from this distance. He rose his blaster and aimed at one of the defenders. It was a clear shot and he placed his finger on the trigger. And then he thought again in what he had just mentioned before.
- ”Civilians...”- he whispered and he saw the face of the person he was going to shoot. It was a woman who was dressed as a farmer and who may be in her forties- ”she is just a civilian...”
He doubted again and could not pulled the trigger. These people were not soldiers, they were just villagers trying to defend their homes and families. Why were they attacking them? If they were soldiers of the Republic or members of the Resistance he would be more than ready to shoot but this was something that was not correct.
- ”Team C”-the voice of the leader sounded again- ”A X-wing starfighter has been found in the sector B4-35. Go and destroy it. There may be members of the Resistance, so be prepared to fight.”
- ”Objective found!”- shouted one of the members of the team- ”it's about to take off... shoot!”
The team started to shoot and FN-2187 knew that the blaster bolts would be innefective on the highly resistant armor and he knew that they would have more problems as soon as the pilot activated the shields. He calculated that they had 15 seconds before it would be impossible to stop the enemy. This time he did not doubt since this person was a trained soldier. He aimed his blaster and shot at the only place that could affect the internal mechanisms of the fighter. He shot to the turbines which were still igniting and he aimed specifically to the internal burners and fuel conductors.
- ”Excellent shot!”- said Slip following his example and after just a few shots the turbines stopped working and they exploded destroying the internal circuits for good.
The starfighters would not fly again and the rest of the team advanced with confidence knowing that the pilot was already trapped.
- ”Stop!”- shouted 2187 trying to warn them- ”take cover!”
However, it was already too late. The torpedo shooter from the X-wing activated and turned around pointing at the team. 2187 could only grabbed Slip and pulled him to the ground behind some rocks in the area. Immediately after he heard the gun shooting at them and the area was blasted away by the powerful torpedoes that could cracked even the armor of a tank. 2187 found himself flying in the air before hitting the floor very violently. He felt all his bones to be about to crack and he thought he had lost conciousness for some seconds before reacting again.
- ”Are you Ok, 2187?”- he could hear the voice of Slip who was some meters next to him-. he was also on the floor but he seemed to have recovered- ”I think the team was destroyed.”
2187 did not stand up immediately. He made sure he could move every part of his body and that he did not have anything broken. He thanked the people who had build his armor and then he stood up and went to where Slip was.
- ”Thank you”- Slip said passing 2187 his blaster which had flown many meters away- ”if you hadn't pulled me out... I would have...”
2187 was going to tell him that this was not the moment when there were more explosions near his positions and FN-2187 got distracted and then he heard ”Slip” uttered a painful wail. When FN-2187 turned around to see his friend, he saw that he had fallen and he had a huge hole in his ċhėst armor. A blast bolt had destroyed his armor and also had destroyed his right bracer. He rushed to him desperately trying to help but he only could hold him powerlessly. Slip raised his hand which was bleeding profusely and touched his helmet trying to say something.
- ”I... wanted... to help...”- said with a weak voice before dying in FN-2187 arms.
Even though he had seen many of his comrades fall, he did not feel much since he had been trained to accept the possibility of death on his missions, but when Slip died, it was different... more personal. He remembered all he times he had helped Slip and then he remembered how he had tried to cheer him up while the rest had isolated him. He felt great fury combined with sadness but then desperation clouded the rest of the emotions and it was as if something broke inside him.
- ”Where...?”- he started to look for the pilot who was near wanting to take him down in revenge for Slip, but the enemy was not around and 2187 supposed he had already escaped- why...? why...?
He stood up and saw around in confusion looking at the battle who was ocurring not very far from his position. He saw the bodies littered around the battlefield. Villagers and stormtroopers were together there and he realized it did not matter which side you were, once you died it was meaningless.
- ”Am I going to die like that too?”- he wondered and then he realized that all this was meaningless- ”What am I doing here?”
One day he would die and he would be just like Slip and those many corpses around him. He would just stayed behind and then... what else?
- ”Why...?”- he asked to someone that was not presence- ”why am I fighting? why am I risking my life? Why is the First Order attacking civilians? what do I gain from it?”
He had been taught since childhood that the First Order wanted to bring Peace and Order to the galaxy but in his two missions he had only seen the First Order bring death and suffering. He remembered the eyes of the representative of the miners and the eyes of the civilians fighting against him now and he realized that he was not a hero, in those eyes he was reflected as a monster.
- ”Why am I doing this?”
He felt a great wave of dizziness. He had forgotten he was in the middle of the battle. He didn't know what to do and all his training has been forgotten and he just stood there like a statue waiting for something to happen.
- ”Advance FN-2187. Don't be in the way”- he heard his Liutenient on the comm and then he felt he was being pushed. This took him out of his confused state and he just noticed his surroundings.
The battle had ended and the surviving villagers were being gathered in the center of the village. He then noticed that Captain Phasma was there in her Silver armor next to Lord Kylo Ren who was the right hand of the Supreme Leader who was wearing his typical black armor. It was the first time that 2187 saw him and he felt an aura was more dangerous than the one he felt from Captain Phasma. If Captain Phasma made him feel like he was a mouse in front of a cat, then now he felt being an ant in front of a lion.