Shades of Gray - Chapter I

Time : 1800 Hours
Location : Office of the Commander, Personnel. G1 Department.

"Hashi Shiyun. Gunnery Sergeant. Formerly of Jester Squad, Storm Platoon. Awoled from unit. Insubordination charges. Assault charges. Also attached, a case involving the suspected murder of a civilian over disputed possession of a speeder bike which you apparently stole from him," mused the officer clad in his brown tunic behind the desk. He paused, ostensibly to file the thick wad of papers on his desk, barely hiding a thin smile on his pallid face.

"My my, Gunny. You do have a prolific criminal profile. What are you doing here in HQ? You should be facing a tribunal for your offences," he asked, eyebrows raised mockingly. When I kept silent, he probed me on further, "I have a good mind to hand you over to the military police instead of letting you rot on my reserve holding list."

I bit my lip and spoke through clenched teeth, "Sir. You know full well why I am here. I wish to return to active duty with my squad and serve-"

"But what of the charges? May I remind you that you had simply disappeared from base, unseen for eight months till you reappeared, here, in my office. Being AWOL is a serious offence, Gunny. It is fairer for me to give you a dishonorable discharge rather than a return to your unit," cut the officer in, sharply. "You have forsaken your squad, and now you wish for redemption?"

At this accusation, I hung my head in shame. His words sliced to the bone. Nothing hurts more than the truth at times. Bile began to build up bitterly in my throat. The steely gaze of pale Major Yans Dela, Commander-in charge, Personnel, of the barracks, fell upon me across the desk. Defiantly, I looked up and met it. He fingered his collar, his gaze still lingering. His fingers rapped the ivory desk. Ivory. Rank sure has its privileges.

"What should I do with you, Gunnery Sergeant Shiyun?" he asked, a statement of genuine puzzlement.

I shrugged. Enlisted personnel such as myself do not decide our own fate, as I have painfully discovered. The moments passed by, slowly but surely, agonizing me. All I wanted was to get back to the unit. Eight months spent in sleazy hotels with whores for company and excessive consumption of alcohol had left me convinced that my life was a meandering wreck since I went AWOL. I was no more than a petty criminal in the streets, vicious but wretched. It is funny how when I was here I wanted out. But when I was out, it dawned on me how my soul was forever tied to the Stormtrooper Corps. I had a calling to answer. And a mission. My own mission, one for the seeking of truth.

The tense silence was broken abruptly by the Major, when in a brisk business-like manner, he explained the sentence he decided to administer on me, "But I will plead leniency for your case. Your combat track record shows that you are still a valuable asset to the war effort. Know that I desire to give you a shot to regain the honour you once had and now lost. Better damn well appreciate that."

Apparently, he already had something in mind concerning my fate. A slight pause, deliberate and mocking, before he continued, "I am assigning you the 25th Infantry Regiment stationed on Khe Sanh, out in the Quang Ti system. The regiment has suffered heavy casualties in the recent insurgency against Imperial rule there. I am sure the Commanding Officer will find you of some use there."

I stared blankly at him, my eyes hollow and dead. My mind was in such a mess that I had trouble comprehending what people said these recent days. Khe Sanh? Quang Ti? Never heard of the place. Must be some shit-hole out in the Outer Rim. Never really heard of the twenty fifth either. They were probably just a battalion of line troops. Army grunts. Not the elite Stormtroopers I was used to working. I guess I would have to do alot of reading up on this unheard of destination and unheard of battle. I am guessing what was happening there was probably one of the thousands of low-intensity conflicts endemic to Imperial backwater systems now that the Empire is in disarray.

The words seemed caught in my throat. The Major stared at me, obviously perplexed at my muteness. I must have looked liked I was staring off a thousand yards beyond him. Trying to snap back into my senses, I muttered off a question.

"When do I report.. sir."

He observed me quietly for a moment, "Oh six hundred hours tomorrow morning. Get your gear packed. Report to Hanger 24. Further orders will be given then. You'll be joining some draftees heading there as replacements."

My lips curled slightly at the thought, but I gave him an affirmative nod anyway. It was a rough deal. To be condemned to the middle of nowhere, with a regiment of nobodys, fighting for nothing. I suppose it was a form of justice for me, somehow. But that did not make it any easier to stomach. So I was not returning to Jester squad, much less Storm Platoon. Hell, I was not even officially in the Stormtrooper Corps anymore. I was being seconded to some sorry-ass line formation. But I had wanted a mission, an assignment. And for my sins they gave me one.

There was nothing left to say. I got up back to my feet and headed for the door after giving Major Dela what passed as a salute but qualified more as a lazy wave of the arm. He stopped me as I was just about to step out of his cozy posh office.

"Be advised, Gunnery Sergeant. Should you disappear in the field again and I guarantee that you will be facing a firing squad. That's not too nice a prospect, is it? Dismissed."

I snorted in reply and slouched away.

I could not have cared less over such empty threats.

I had a mission, and that was good enough for me.

End of Chapter I.