I Couldn't Pull the Trigger

Mandalore had been staging several riots for the past month. The Empire was finally responding to the distressed citizens, who kept falling victim to the violent protestors. What were they protesting? Imperial taxation, new laws, imported goods, anything that even stirred up an opinion was grounds for a riot.

General Miras was leading our battle group, his only orders being 'to keep the peace at all costs'. I'm TK-465, also known as Digger by my comrades. I used to be a simple farmer back during the Clone Wars, but, with the new Empire, I decided to join the Storm Trooper Corps, just to be a part of something bigger. It was my first mission, and I was scared, excited, and just plain nervous. I didn't want to screw up the mission for the rest of my team. I was counting on them, and they were counting on me. It's all I could think about.

The Venator came out of hyperspace right outside the planet's atmosphere. We loaded onto the landing craft, AT-ATs and AT-DPs loading on beside us. We launched, and reached the surface in minutes. We landed just in time, as another riot was breaking out. We worked quickly, stunning protesters with our E-11s. A man, about forty, with black hair and tan skin, came up to me and punched me square in the face.

Tarche! I thought in some alien language. How dare that man assault an Imperial Officer? I struck him with my E-11, ready to strike another blow, when a little girl came running up. She looked like she was six, with black hair. Her hair had some orange streaks along the front, and she had the same color skin as the man I had just hit. Was he her father?

The little girl's lips quivered, her father's hand in hers, and she began to cry for him in Mando'a. A woman came running up, (the mother?), yelling the little girl's name.

"Sabine! Sabine!" She shouted, then gasped, as she saw her husband lying motionless on the ground. She swiftly grabbed her daughter and held her close, as she too began to cry.

Dear Force, had I killed the man? He wasn't moving, but I wasn't seeing any blood. Oh God, I had messed up. I wasn't supposed to kill anybody! I panicked.

"Medic!" I screamed, as TK-426, "Clean Up", ran to my position. He quickly began working on the man. Meanwhile, the riot had died down, and several people had been arrested.

"What happened here?" A high, stuck up voice, belonging to a certain General Miras, spoke.

"This man assaulted me. I overreacted." I replied, hoping for this to blow over quickly. General Miras pulled out his pistol, and shot the man. 426 jumped, and stared at me, then at Miras. The woman gasped again, and the little girl started bawling. My heart started to sink. Miras motioned for Clean Up to leave. Then, he told me, "Dispose of them."

I stared through my visor in shock. Did he just ask me to kill a woman and child? What would Governor Tarkin say? I guess it was not my business. I shot the woman, and a part of me died with her. I aimed my blaster at the little girl. I just stared at her, and she at me. Watery brown eyes looked at me, frightened.

I slowly lowered my blaster, and walked away. I looked behind me. She ran. Smart kid. It was then I had feared the worst. I had been given an order, and I disobeyed. It didn't matter, I'd just lie.

"Well?" My cold hearted General asked. I steadied my hidden gaze, and spoke in a calm tone,

"My gun jammed, and the little girl ran." I answered.

General Miras nodded, and we boarded the shuttle. I wondered if I would ever see that girl again. Now, I'm sitting at a computer, watching the Empire's Most Wanted list, one of the name's being Sabine Wren.

Black hair with orange highlights, light brown eyes, tan skin, yep, this was the little girl. It figures, she ended up being a fugitive. But I can't help but think, the Empire's always trying to crack down on criminals, but sometimes, I think we create them, ourselves.