Dear Stranger,
I licked the double cheese nachos off my fingers. My video was off and I was muted lest the Dark Lord should hear slurping noises or watch my greedy lips (for food, dirty minds!).
“None of you are actually serious about the enterprise! I see you all relaxed and unconcerned about where our troops are headed. We are slackening.”
Slackened. Relaxed. Eased. I have heard these words for so long that the moment I think of sleeping at 3 in the morning (to wake up at 8 am the next day), I feel guilty. The Dark Lord plays more mind games than Freud probably could.
Sometimes, there is that red liquid in my body that boils but then I drink some liquids of my own to mollify it.
“What is the target you are taking for the day?”
The Dark Lord boomed.
“Ten million, my Lord!”
Kiss his a*s, you mofo. I wanted to say but then I glugged some more.
Only one creature can make such absurd claims. Kylo effing Ren.
“Excellent, Ren! I better see that happening, mind you.”
“Of course, I have my troops aligned. They have been at it since last night.”
Oh yeah, they don’t require sleep or food or rest. They are beyond such petty needs. Kylo Ren tried to make it seem as if he was already an inhuman. Which he was, for the record.
Because he drove his troops like slaves. He was not just the best slaver but a great slave as well. Kudos, Kylo! Here is something you are actually good at.
“RG1?”
Aww shucks. There goes.
“Yes, my lord.”
“What is your plan for the day?”
That dratted question. Every single day.
“We will achieve a million, my Lord.”
Yeah, I am only a revolutionary at heart. I have to eat too. And live. Else, I would have joined the resistance.
“Only a million? Gina, your aspirations disappoint me. What stops you from achieving an unprecedented fifty million, say? Or is that too small a number?”
Umm, what stops me? Maybe the fact that the economy is in shambles and people cannot really buy the weapons I am selling? The fact that people come begging to me to join the Dark Side, just to feed their dying child or sick mother? The fact that the ruling government has turned the planet barren, inhospitable and divisive? They don’t really have a choice, do they? Either they join the Dark Side to avoid starving to death or join the elusive resistance.
The only reason why I joined the Dark Lord is because I didn’t want to take sides. The Dark Lord is devious, scheming and dark but there is one thing I admire about him. He is fair. He is shitty to everyone evenly. Although I doubt that at times, looking at Kylo Ren.
Besides, how does he think claiming something will change the truth? Will aspiring higher and talking with enormous spirit make any difference despite knowing that only a certain realistic number is feasible?
I hate it but then I realize that I am a slave too. I only dream of freedom.
However, one day, I will be free.
One fine day.
“We will do it, my Lord.”
“How many new troops have we recruited, RG1?”
“I interviewed fifty new soldiers over the past week.”
“Gina, you have to be slightly selective. You cannot send me those who do not even have the balls to sell/pick the weapons or the strength to beat their opponents in open combat. I will not accept substandard warriors in my team. They must be hungry to achieve. They must be prepared to beg, borrow, steal or kill.”
Maybe, I have to take a relook at the effulgent praise for the Dark Lord that I spewed a while ago. After all, he belongs to the Sith. He may have been a Jedi once upon a time, but I couldn’t find a single trace of it now.
“I want fifty strong warriors ready for the attack next week.”
And so, I surrender. My week will be spent with these recruits. Getting them ready to attack, teaching them to be ruthless, playing with deadly viruses and such.
“You should take cue from Kylo. Look how well he has got his team together. His planning is detailed. His work is thorough to a fault. ”
The red liquid within me boiled once more but I managed to keep it down.
“My Lord, I have observed certain gaps in the way of functioning in RG1’s team.” Kylo butted in exactly the wrong time. “There are too many fights between RG1’s Lead Troop A and my Lead Troop X. LTA sends his soldiers to pick up the weapons’ crate even though he knows it belongs to me. I will not accept this lawlessness!”
Lawlessness. Look who is talking about it. Now let me explain the situation.
Kylo is given a headstart of five hours to collect the weapon crates dropped from the other planets. These weapons are then used to arm the earthians who the Dark Lord wants to turn to the Dark Side in his inhuman project to convert them into pseudo troops. The weapon coordinates are sent to the four teams (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and mine) only after five hours. My team, especially LTA, has discovered a method to hack into his system to figure out all such weapon delivery signals. And I have given him free rein to do so. Since the Dark Lord trusts Kylo more, giving him an unfair advantage, I need to make sure that my targets are met nevertheless.
“RG1, you know we cannot afford these misses!” The Dark Lord thundered. “Such cases where both troops reach the coordinates can easily confuse the alien groups. The weapon crates need to be picked up stealthily. Let’s not squander our time in all this pettifoggery.”
“My lord, Kylo’s soldiers beat up my soldiers once–”
“RG1, I need you to talk to your team and ensure they follow the protocol.”
“My lord, my team is following the rules. Kylo uses unfair means—”
“I am done here, RG1. I don’t have time for such pettiness. Let’s utilize our energies in more productive pursuits, shall we?”
The red liquid within me had reached boiling point. But there wasn’t much I could do at the instant.
I would have to bide my time. I would take Kylo head-on someday soon.
Seething within,
The Rogue Stormtrooper
