Scenes from Ord Mantell
I am still going insane if anyone was wondering. I started this today on a whim and played through all of the Trooper prologue to get it right. anyway: behold! sometimes you plop your asshole smuggler into the trooper story and it brings out the daddy issues in him. I've got to cut Nalyan a break but instead I made him bond emotionally with Tavus. oops (technically??? spoilers??? for the very very start of trooper class story?)
“Before you go, Sergeant. A word.”
Nalyan gritted his teeth. He’d been having words with commanding officers as long as he’d had commanding officers to deal with. None of them had said anything new yet, or particularly inspiring.
“Commander,” he said as neutrally as he could.
“You’ve got quite an interesting record,” said Tavus.
“Are you talking about the time I disobeyed orders to save a town full of plague-ridden civilians or the time I punched my commanding officer?”
To Nalyan’s surprise, Tavus smiled.
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re a good shot and a genius at field medicine. You don’t respect anyone who doesn’t earn it, do you?”
Make them earn your respect, his uncle had warned them all once. Hand it out freely, and you end up like us.
“I think that’s pretty standard,” Nalyan said. “We’re in a Republic, right? We vote. Whole point is that we get to decide which leadership is worth our time.”
Tavus actually chuckled at that. So much for getting discharged on Ord Mantell. The guy seemed to actually like Nalyan.
“I can understand reserving judgment,” Tavus said. “But my duty is to my squad first. All right? I don’t intend to let you down.”
My duty is to them, Nalyan’s dad once shouted. I don’t have any fellow soldiers to look out for, but I have these kids.
He was getting really sick of the memory lane. He’d have to avoid talking to Tavus in the future, if this was how he was all the time. The stupid soldier rhetoric was starting to get to Nalyan.
“Thanks, Commander,” Nalyan said. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
-
There were too many people waiting for Nalyan when he got back. He set his jaw, prepared to hear the usual scoldings.
“You spent a lot of time with those civilians,” Needles observed.
“She was dying,” Nalyan said. “He wasn’t looking so hot, either. And that medicine wasn't going to do anything if it wasn't mixed and dosed properly, which you ought to know -”
“It was hardly a concern -”
“Needles,” said Tavus. He jerked his chin toward the rest of the squad. Blank-faced, Needles retreated. Nalyan looked between Tavus and Jorgan, unsure what this meant. Was he still about to get chewed out? The rest of Havoc was obviously watching.
“You lost a lot of time out there,” Jorgan said. Nalyan clenched his fists, hating the way his gloves creaked. Even his anger was starting to remind him of his father.
“They didn’t,” he snapped.
“That bomb –“
“Should never have been made in the first fucking place, and what the hell is the point if we’re not actually protecting civilians?” Nalyan interrupted.
“Do you have any idea how many people will die if the Separatists set it off?” Jorgan hissed. Nalyan shook his head.
“This planet is theirs, Jorgan,” he said. “They’re a bunch of idiots, but they have to live here. The Separatists can't afford to destroy their own families and homes and infrastructure. Maybe, maybe, they come for Fort Garnik. But with the number of refugees? You’d have to get one hell of a loose cannon in charge of that bomb before someone makes that call.”
“They’ve already proven they don’t give a damn about the refugees,” Jorgan said.
“Enough of them see themselves as freedom fighters that there’s no way –“
“Lieutenant Jorgan, give me a minute?” Tavus interrupted. Jorgan growled under his breath. The only thing stopping Nalyan from doing the same was the desire to be as far removed from Jorgan’s cold-hearted banthashit as possible. He barely kept himself from rounding on Tavus by remembering what the commander had said before. The guy understood where Nalyan was coming from. He wouldn’t have brought him on otherwise.
Tavus sighed.
“What brought you to the army, Celi?”
He was never going to get used to hearing his old surname. Nalyan gnawed on his lip, trying to think of a good lie.
“It was… something my sister would believe in,” he said slowly. It wasn’t a lie. “I needed a job. And I know what I’m good at.”
“Well, it’s not taking orders,” Tavus said with a chuckle. Nalyan didn’t laugh. Tavus was slowly earning his respect, but that didn’t mean Nalyan was going to show it easily. Tavus sighed again.
“People are going to get hurt in a war, Celi,” he said. “I’m glad you’re not letting the rules get in the way of what’s right, but you can’t get distracted.”
Well, that was a whole lot of nothing. Nalyan kept his face blank.
“Sure, Commander,” he said. Tavus reached out to squeeze his shoulder. Nalyan felt a flash of irrational anger. The last person to do that had been his dad, and Nalyan had pushed his hand off. Because he could, and because his dad would never punish him for that. Tavus could do anything he wanted, but not because he’d earned it; he was just the bastard in charge.
“I know it’s not right, the Republic always turning its back on the people it’s supposed to stand by,” Tavus said. “But this isn’t how to change it.”
Nalyan didn’t say anything, too distracted by the urge to twist one of Tavus’ fingers until he took his hand away. At last, the commander let him go.
“Is all this just a speech, or are we going after that stronghold?” Nalyan asked.
Something in Tavus’ face seemed to tighten a bit.
“How do you like Havoc?” he asked.
“The squad or the people in it?”
Tavus shrugged.
“Whatever comes to mind.”
“I’m going to be honest,” Nalyan warned him. “Commanding officers usually don’t like that.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” said Tavus. “But not me.”
“Wraith’s too quick to torture or kill. Needles is a disgrace to medicine. Fuse seems nice, but he’s a pushover next to them. The only guy I’d actually trust to take care of civilians is Gearbox.” Nalyan could admit that maybe such a rapid-fire dismissal of the team wasn’t the best idea, even if he wanted Tavus to think he was too much trouble, so he added, “And you. Commander.”
Tavus nodded, looking solemn.
“Havoc will be moving out,” he said. “But you’re observing the op here with Jorgan.”
There it was. Nalyan nearly laughed.
“This isn’t a punishment, Sergeant –“ Tavus said.
“I couldn’t care less, Commander,” Nalyan said. Tavus frowned at him.
“It isn’t,” he said, as though he couldn’t comprehend Nalyan not particularly wanting to get himself killed inside a mountain for somebody else’s war. “If we had more time, the chance to build cohesion and trust between you and the rest of the squad, you’d be first on my list. You’re damn good at what you do and you’ve got a better head on your shoulders than almost any soldier I’ve met.”
Nalyan hadn’t been looking for praise, but it cracked open his chest a little anyway. He swallowed down thoughts of his sister and his father and smiled weakly at Commander Tavus.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “I understand. I really don’t mind.”
Tavus seemed to search his face for a few more seconds, then he nodded and clapped Nalyan on the back.
“Maybe another time,” he said. “You’d be a good addition to the team.”
Before Nalyan could muster a response, he’d turned to the rest of Havoc and shouted for them to move out. Bewildered, Nalyan sat beside Jorgan.
“I have to admit I’m a little surprised,” Jorgan said quietly as he opened the comm channel to Havoc Squad. “Not that I’ve been too impressed with your attitude, but Tavus seemed to like you.”
“Thanks,” Nalyan said. “You’re warming my heart.”
The noise Jorgan made was almost, almost a laugh.
Nalyan tuned out what little chatter they got as Havoc headed for the stronghold, only checking back in when Tavus reported that they’d breached the perimeter. He was leaning back, head sprawled awkwardly over the back of his chair, when the technician made a noise of alarm.
“Sir! I’ve lost contact with Havoc Squad – with everything!”
Nalyan bolted upright, his throat dry. Jorgan barked orders at the tech, poorly concealing the frantic edge to his tone. Nalyan got to his feet, thinking it all over.
“I should go after them,” he said.
“It’d break Tavus’ orders,” Jorgan said. Before Nalyan could snap out anything rude about orders, he added, “But if it comes to that –“
“I can’t get them back. I think we lost them for good, sir,” reported the tech.
“All right, people, I’m not letting this mission fail! Lucky for us, we still have one Havoc trooper left.” Jorgan looked at Nalyan levelly, and for once there was no contempt in his eyes – for once Nalyan had his respect. Nalyan set his jaw and nodded, not about to waste this on a glib comment.
“You’re going in there, Sergeant,” Jorgan said. “The ZR-57 must not fall into Separatist hands.”
Tavus’ laugh was still fresh in Nalyan’s mind, and the way he’d reached out to Nalyan just like his father always had. That bit about earning respect.
“What about the squad?” Nalyan said. “We can’t leave them. If they’re in trouble –“
“The ZR-57 has to be the priority,” Jorgan said. “When it’s taken care of, we’ll see what we can do for Tavus and the others.”
Nalyan wanted to argue, but he knew how this went. He’d faced these choices before. And Jorgan wasn’t wrong – that bomb, in the hands of people who’d use it, meant a lot more lost lives than one missing squad.
“Sir,” he said, the word tasting foul in his mouth. “What’s the plan?”
-
“I hate to say it, Jorgan, but I think you told me so,” Nalyan said in an undertone as he crept past the latest patrol. “I’m seeing Imperial armour, and they would blow up Ord Mantell.”
“Glad you see it my way,” Jorgan muttered, though he didn’t sound nearly as grateful as Nalyan thought somebody should upon hearing one of his rare apologies. “Focus.”
“Do you think I’m not?” There would be no sneaking past these Separatists. Nalyan sighed and lifted his rifle. A couple dead freedom fighters later, he was stepping over bodies and onto a lift.
“What I want to know is who sets up a base in a volcano? Wouldn’t the heat fuck up all their tech?”
“Cut the chatter.”
Nalyan rolled his eyes.
“I’m killing people out here, Jorgan, I don’t think complaining about lava is the most unsubtle thing I’ve done today.”
Jorgan didn’t reply.
“Of course, if you just don’t want to hear my voice, you could say so. Can’t imagine why. I’m a delight.”
That was definitely a growl. Nalyan grinned to himself. Jorgan certainly wasn’t Shiny, but he was predictable just like her. He’d be glad to get out of the Lieutenant’s hair, but he would regret never getting to see his sister and Jorgan meet. That would be funny.
Taking down the Separatists guarding the controls he needed was too easy. Nalyan kept his mind fixed on new ways to annoy Jorgan, just so he wouldn’t consider the dead Separatists too hard. Imperials were one thing, and he certainly didn’t appreciate that the locals he’d been trying to defend had sold out to the Sith, but he’d been a freedom fighter. He’d been a terrorist, technically. He knew what would drive a person to violent revolution.
At least he could rest easy knowing that deactivating that bomb was unequivocally good, and that no one would be able to use it again. He pulled his comm out.
“There’s definitely Imperials here,” Nalyan said as soon as Jorgan picked up the holocall. Jorgan looked unimpressed, and Nalyan realised belatedly that he’d been about to say something.
“I was going to congratulate you on your work,” Jorgan said. “We saw the Imps. We need to know how deep the connection goes. Finding your squad is priority one now. If they’ve been captured, they may be able to tell us more.”
“Finally, a reasonable priority!” Nalyan said. Jorgan growled at him.
“Don’t push your luck, Sergeant,” he said. Something almost like concern crossed his face. “You’re going to need all the luck you have.”
“With these skills?” Nalyan said. “Yeah, probably.” He ended the call and cracked his neck, ignoring the little voice in his head that sounded like his dad telling him not to. He’d done a hell of a lot worse, and he would do even more before the day was out.
Time to rescue Tavus.
-
The depths of the fort were almost entirely Imperial, no more Separatists to be found. Nalyan had pretty much given up on his sympathy for the local rebels, if this was the kind of person they threw their lot in with. The answer to bad governance was not worse governance, that was for sure. At last, he found what seemed to be the heart of the operation, though not in any way he wanted.
A hangar had been carved into the back of the mountain, and it was this that Nalyan walked into. A large ship emblazoned with Imperial markings sat, obviously awaiting the payload Nalyan had just rendered unusable. A group of armoured people stood there, talking, and Nalyan’s blood ran cold as he realised he recognised the armour. Mostly white, with gold symbols denoting squad and rank, Havoc’s armour was unmistakeable.
“Commander Tavus,” he said. He should have just shot, but there was a distant possibility it was a ploy. That was the kind of game his family had to play all the time, pretending to be passing information to the Imps or hiding amongst real Stormtroopers. There was still a chance.
“My orders were clear, Sergeant,” Tavus said. “You were to remain at the base.”
“Tell me this isn’t what it looks like,” Nalyan said, raising his rifle. Wraith and Needles both lifted their own weapons, aiming at his head and heart, and he slowly lowered his blaster. Clearly, his hopes were about to be dashed.
“No, Wraith,” said Tavus. “The sergeant deserves an explanation.”
“You’re damn right,” Nalyan snarled.
“Celi, I hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” Tavus said. Nalyan couldn’t hold back his flinch. “You’re a good warrior. I’m just afraid the Republic no longer values her warriors.”
“I know a lot about that,” Nalyan said through gritted teeth. “But you’re a damn idiot if you think the fucking Sith will treat you any better. Going off to play nice with tyrants? With the people who order massacres? I don’t care about being a warrior and I never have, and the warriors –“ He sneered the word. “That I know would have died before throwing their lot in with the people you’re working for now.”
“I thought you would understand,” Tavus said. “If we’d had more time together, you would see. You were already so close –“
“Close?”
The only thing that kept Nalyan from shooting Tavus then and there was the fact that Wraith and Needles both had clear shots on him. He'd put his life at risk for a lot of things in his time, but he didn’t want to die before he got his sister back.
“I’m the worst damn soldier you’ve ever met and I’m proud of it,” Nalyan said, voice shaking more than he’d ever admit. “But I am never going to be a traitor.”
Tavus frowned coldly. His expression was so much like the disappointed look Nalyan’s father used to give him that Nalyan wanted to hurl.
“It’s a shame,” he said. He called to the Imperial officer nearby as he stepped backward, boarding the shuttle just as the engines whirred to life. Wraith and Needles joined him.
“Kill him,” Tavus ordered. Nalyan sprang for cover as the wind from the shuttle picked up. He made short work of the three Imperials left behind, but it was nothing to be proud of. He’d lost the traitors, he’d lost the massive hunk of radioactive material that they could probably reactivate given time and effort, and worst of all – he’d been exactly the kind of man Tavus thought would be on his side.
