|
The Mild
Bunch 2003/2004
short story by Mark Newbold Two years after Episode IV – A New Hope Telfen City, Entall Two years
after the Battle of Yavin
The
ground trembled as the All Terrain Armoured Transport smashed its way down
the main street of Telfen, the fourth largest city
on Entall. Walls shook, masonry,
plaster and bricks rained down, trees shook free their leaves, birds tumbled
confused from the skies as the impact of the Imperial assault blistered
through the streets. The populace ran
in all directions, confusion clouding their minds as shock troops of
Stormtroopers and buzzing blurs of speeder bikes swirled around in all
directions. From above T.I.E fighters
and bombers threw down laser fire upon the city, as punishment for its
refusal to yield beneath the Imperial war machine. It was the purest portrait of chaos
imaginable. Huddled
together under the remains of a large swoop shelter five elderly men hunkered
down, as close to each other as they could stand so as to hear each other
speak. The first, a frazzled looking
old coot called Elgendy cupped his hand over his ear to distil the other
men’s words through the hail of destruction outside and shouted a question. “So?
What do you think?” He
received an angry frown for his troubles from a tall and impossibly thin
human known only as the Corporal. “What do I think? You’re even crazier than I thought, and
believe me, that’s saying something.” The
third man, a professorial type called Mixer scratched his head and twirled
the piece of chak root between his teeth as he
fumbled through a batch of flims and shuffled them into order. “I believe the statistical possibility of
such an attack happening on Entall after recent Imperial activity, coupled
with increased Rebel Alliance attacks and reports of
smuggling in the locality is in the area of 2750-to-1. Which I needn’t remind you is analogous to
the possibility - ” “Of you shutting up!” yelled the Corporal
angrily, casting a glance at the destruction outside their shelter. He grabbed the arm of the man next to him,
a rotund man with a permanent smile etched across his face. “Rikkles, can you make a diversion?” Rikkles’
cheeks grew even redder as he stifled a belly laugh and nodded his head
enthusiastically. “Oh I guarantee it! I’ll make those Imperials forget what
century they’re in!” “Good, good, that’s what we want to
hear.” The fifth, a self-important man
named Tofff nodded slowly and gazed around the rest of the grouping. “We’ll make those Imps rue the day they
ever set foot on Entall.” “I’ll make them wish they’d never been
cloned.” Said Elgendy, peering out again and watching the hind legs of the
walker stomp down the street. He
turned back to his friends. “Remember
our gambit on Yotil? When we tried to
take out Jostenn at his Canopy Base?” “I remember it well.” Said the Corporal, a glazed look of
pleasure landing on his otherwise red and angry features. “We showed him who was boss.” Elgendy
nodded enthusiastically. “Right.
Well what’s say we do the same here.” Mixer
paused his nervous flim shuffling and furrowed his eyebrows. “Need I remind you the odds on that.” He dug a
small computer from his deep pockets and began furiously tapping numbers and
equations into it while his four companions collectively rolled their eyes
and tutted in annoyance. “This isn’t a
rag tag smuggling fleet, this is the Imperial Army.” He turned the screen of the mini-comp to
face his friends. “And with the best
will in the galaxy I don’t think even we can argue with odds like that.” The
Corporal glanced at Mixer, and then round at Rikkles and Tofff who all shared
the same expression. He knew this gang
of soldiers as well as he knew himself.
They were the original members of the Fighting Indigos, and had been
together for over eighty years. Their
motto wasn’t In They Go! for nothing - if
there was a way, they’d find it and that even if the odds were stacked highly
against them, they had the smarts and the know-how to pull through. After all, they always had before. Renegade droids, rogue Jedi, ganglords,
Clonetroopers, Stormtroopers: they’d all fallen before them, in one-way or
another. And with almost four hundred
collective years of military knowledge stored in their skulls the Corporal
didn’t fear the huge war machine that stamped its way into downtown Telfen. In fact he
pitied it. “The Yotil Gambit it is then.” He stood to a crouch and his compatriots
followed. They all watched the AT-AT’s rear section lurch down the street and nodded at
each other as they hunkered in.
“Alright gentlemen, let’s remind ourselves of the plan.” Canopy Base, Yotil, Seventy-four
years ago The year Duze Jostenn took
control of the Setnin Underworld “It’s too big,
we’ll never take it down!” The
Corporal threw a glare at his frazzled subordinate Elgendy and frowned. “You take too much stock in what you can’t
achieve instead of what you can.
It’s not the size of a thing that determines strength, it’s the
intent. You think a well-placed shot
can’t take out a bantha?” He checked through the sites of his rifle
and shook his head. “Think again.” Mixer
leaned forward towards the Corporal and rustled a bunch of flims as the
shadows above grew darker and the volume louder. “Just a brief reminder that a freighter of
that size and configuration is designed to withstand the heavy rigours of
constant hyperspace travel. A shot
from a blaster rifle will likely cause nothing but a scratch to the paint
work.” The
Corporal shook his head again as he squinted through the sights and began to depress
the trigger. “You have such little faith. We’re the Fighting Indigos. I don’t know what detachments you boys came
from, but I’ll wager you haven’t seen much action.” Tofff
puffed out his chest as he gripped his blaster and adjusted his sitting
position. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been
involved in a number of major engagements.”
He paused for a second before remembering his station. “Sir.” “I’m sure you have,” replied the
Corporal. “But seeing a battle
and being actively involved are two entirely different things.” He glanced at Rikkles, the only other
previous member of the Fighting Indigos, who sat smirking beside him. “It sure is sir. A world of difference.” He held back a chuckle as he looked up at
the freighter flying directly above, swinging in for a landing at the Canopy
Base of Setnins newly crowned ganglord Duze Jostenn. The Corporal took aim once more and let fly
with a shot that buzzed as it passed through shields designed for blaster
bolts, and at once his men realised that he was using a slug thrower. The shot hit hard, cutting through the
plating and hitting vital systems inside.
The freighter began to veer and career from side to side, unsteadily
losing its trajectory and swaying towards the sharp rocks that surrounded the
main cover of Canopy Base before suddenly slamming into the ground and
exploding in a conflagration of flame and metal. The group all ducked for cover as the
explosion swept over their heads, and Elgendy peered out to see stunned and
concussed operatives of Duze Jostenn lying on the rocky ground. The Corporal checked his four men and
nodded over his shoulder, back towards their waiting drop ship two klicks
away, and safety. “Come on.
The Yotil government will be more than satisfied with our work
here. Jostenn is dead and his threat
to peace and order is nullified. Let’s
go.” They
all stood to leave and began to run down a shallow hill back towards their
ship when first Rikkles, then Tofff and Mixer stopped their run. The Corporal and Elgendy both turned and
glared at them. “Come on men, are you mad?” whispered
Elgendy loudly as he waved for them to follow. “We haven’t got time to sight-see.” “I believe that we’ll have plenty of time
to see the local attractions.” Said Tofff sadly as he motioned towards the
eight men on either side of the ridge that ran along their path, heavy
blaster weapons trained directly at them.
Elgendy looked at the Corporal as his superior lowered his rifle and
slowly did the same. “Well I envisaged a better ending for us
than this.” Said Tofff as he
straightened his jacket and paced the small cell again. Rikkles twiddled his thumbs and raised his
eyebrows, smiling at some personal joke as Elgendy ran his fingers through
his thinning hair. “Nothing’s ending. We work for the government. We’re soldiers.” He turned a look at the Corporal. “We’re the Fighting Indigos. We’re merely being detained. Governments sign conventions for situations
like this you know.” “And I doubt people like these have heard
of them.” Said the Corporal wearily as
he stood to his feet and walked to the cell door. They’d been holed up for three hours,
marched here in silence as the flaming wreckage of the freighter continued to
sporadically explode in the distance.
He hoped, for the sake of the Setnin Sector, that Duze Jostenn had
been aboard and the threat to sector security had been eliminated. But he also knew how slippy
characters like Jostenn could be, and how elusive and charmed their lives
were. More than likely a double had
been terminated, and the real man was weighing up his security options. Mixer motioned for the others to listen. “I estimate a seventy eight percent chance
that Jostenn is alive and well and deciding what to do with us this very
minute.” “And what do you think he’ll do with
us?” asked
the Corporal, turning back to his men with an angry expression on his
face. “Pummel us into submission with
statistics?” Mixer gave this C.O a
sorry look and lowered his head. The
Corporal chided himself for his own lack of control and clasped his hands
together. “We’re soldiers, held under
duress in a secret stronghold. The
Yotil government knows who we are and why we’re here. Believe me, there is nothing to concern yourselves about.” “What do you mean they’ve never heard
of us?” exploded
the Corporal as he gripped the bars of their prison cell and gritted his
teeth. “They hired for this
mission.” He gave the guard a look of
utter confusion and disbelief. “Call
them again. Tell them the Fighting
Indigos are being held against their will.”
The
man looked blankly back at the Corporal as if he was insane. “Listen, this is a prison, not a phone-in
request show. If Mister Jostenn wants
you to contact anyone, then you’ll be told.”
The guard stepped away from the bars and checked back. “Indigo you say? Like, in-dey-go?” “Precisely. In they go. We get sent on the jobs others are too
cowardly to attempt.” “Or too smart.” Said the guard as he
closed the outer prison door. The
Corporal let go of the bars and moved away back to his men. He managed to contain his annoyance and sat
in silence on the edge of one of the three beds next to Rikkles. Finally, Mixer broke the quiet. “Well at least we know one thing.” “And what’s that?” replied Elgendy with a
tired edge to his voice. Mixer
shuffled his handful of flims and cleared his voice. “Jostenn is alive.” The
Corporal gave Elgendy and Tofff a resigned glance. “So we even managed to fail in our
mission.” Elgendy
looked between his feet to the floor below. “Cold comfort if we end up dead anyway.” The
Corporal snapped a hard look at his new second officer. “We’re soldiers. We get paid to die for causes. Any honourable soldier should be prepared
to die for a cause.” “Even if it’s one you don’t believe in?” “You don’t believe in freedom from
tyranny?” Elgendy
stood and stared down at his C.O. “I don’t believe that a gangster is a
threat to the stability of the sector, no.
His actions won’t affect the lives of everyone in Setnin, that’s
absurd.” He shook his head at the
Corporal. “You’ve lost perspective.” The
Corporal snapped his head around and glared a hole
right through Elgendy. “One day this galaxy won’t be so
safe. What will you do then, eh?” The Corporal gritted his teeth as he
stepped towards his subordinate, and Tofff edged closer to the two men,
anticipating trouble. “Will you make a
stand, or sit back and leave the action to better men than you?” At
first Elgendy gave the Corporal a quizzical look, as if he couldn’t believe
what he had just said, and then threw out a hard fist right onto the jaw of
his C.O, knocking him flat to the floor before diving on top of him and
raining punches onto him. Tofff moved
in to pull them apart, as did Rikkles.
Mixer remained on the bed shuffling flims and watching as the guards
assembled at the end of the hallway and approached with nightsticks and
restraints. “Here come the percentages.” He coughed as
the barred door was unlocked and four guards poured in, grabbing collars and
yanking the men apart. Elgendy’s face was a picture of rage and he struggled in
the guards grip. “I’ll not have him say those things about
me! Not him, not here!” He lurched forward towards the Corporal. “I won’t have him call me a coward!” “Take a good look in the mirror and see
one for yourself!” replied
the Corporal, yanking himself free of the guard. The four guards exchanged glances,
preparing to handcuff the group, and turned to see Mixer stand from the bed
and raise his hands in the air. “I have it!” he laughed, clasping his
hands as they lowered from above his head and grinning at his friends. Rikkles returned the grin and shook his
head in confusion. “Have what?” “The answer, the answer!” Mixer moved around the eight men in the
centre of the cell and when out of eye line with any of the guards gave the
Corporal a quick wink. The Corporal
knew what that particular gesture meant – they were in the clear. Silently he swung a punch at the closest
guard and watched his three men do the same to their opponents. Four bodies slumped to the ground, all
decked by sweet punches, and Mixer checked the corridor again. “Fifty four percent chance that we’ll all
get into the guard uniforms before the next shift arrives in,” he checked the
chrono on the wall opposite. “Four
minutes forty seconds.” Mixer stepped
across the corridor through the open door and into the guards’ quarters,
lifting a spare uniform from a hangar that was hooked over the top of the
door. Elgendy
nodded as he began to undress the guard and glanced up at the Corporal, who
was nursing an increasingly swelling bruise on his jaw. “You knew that was a ruse, right?” The
Corporal nodded and gave his underling a sly wink. “Of course. We don’t rehearse this nonsense for
nothing.” It was
darkening outside as the five uniformed men walked cautiously out of the cell
area, Mixer in the centre tapping away at his statistical probabilities, and
strode briskly towards the hangar area where they hoped a suitable transport
would be available to steal. The
Corporal scanned the area with hawk-like eyes, spotting potential obstacles
and enemies as Rikkles and Tofff checked behind them, aware that an attack
would likely come soon when the unconscious bodies of the guards were
found. Elgendy steered the troop
towards the entrance to the hangar area of Canopy Base, his eyes on one of
the four towering pinnacles of the natural formation that were draped with an
enormous tarpaulin that covered a collection of buildings, huts, permanent
and temporary shelters, all circled around Duze Jostenns main building and
his outdoor work area, raised like a dais in the very cool centre of the
canopy. Elgendy could see two guards
lazily leaning against the doorway, one smoking a cigarillo and the other
engrossed in a datapad. They scarcely
acknowledged the five as they coolly walked through the doorway and into the
long, narrow hangar area. Mixer glanced
around and motioned towards a low, broad speeder that would accommodate them
all. The Corporal nodded and the five
swung towards it. “Any idea how we’re going to evade our
pursuers?” Asked Elgendy as he watched
Rikkles crack the lock and slide into the main seat. The Corporal shook his head and checked
around. “Maybe luck is on our side and we won’t be
pursued.” Tofff
gave them both a weary glance. “Your sense of humour is admirable sir.” “Well we’ve got to come out of this job
with something intact.” They
began to clamber in to the speeder, though not so fast as to draw
attention. Once inside, The Corporal
slid the canopy shut and gunned the engine.
Elgendy checked the console and eyed his superior. “Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer me to
drive? I am a class three rated
pilot.” The
Corporal gave a half grin as they began to pull away towards the tall hangar
doors and into the open area beneath the canopy above. “I think I can manage to take us two
klicks without much bother.” No
sooner were the words out of his mouth that a line of guards simultaneously
turned and formed a rough, swiftly tightening line that blocked their
path. The Corporal frowned as his
calmness evaporated and he gripped the steering vanes. Mixer leaned forward, flims as ever ready
in his hands. “If we attempt an escape now I predict a
seventy-six percent probability of success.
However, if we delay that ratio dwindles to…” He checked his
datapad. “Forty-two.” “Then it’s definitely time to go.” Shouted The Corporal as he revved the
engine and sped forward towards the line of men, sickeningly aware that the
huge hangar doors were beginning to descend. “The door sir!” Said Tofff calmly, prying the vice-like
grip of Elgendy from his arm, who gave him an embarrassed
glance. “Sorry.” “Alright old bean, no harm done.” The
door continued to roll shut, the light outside diminishing rapidly as beads
of sweat grew on the five men’s brows. “It’s been a pleasure men.”
Said the Corporal unexpectedly, and his compatriots all gave him a surprised
look as the swoop skimmed the very bottom of the doors, ripping the roof of
the speeder clean off, and sped away from the shade of the canopy and onto
the winding path that trailed away from Duze Jostenns Canopy Base. Elgendy gave his C.O. a long look. “Didn’t you think we were going to make
it?” The
Corporal smiled as the cooled air of Yotil rushed by and soothed him. They were the Fighting Indigos and nothing
could stop them. Not war, not deception, not even the passing of time. “Of course I did. I was simply telling you men what a
pleasure it’s been serving with you.”
He draped a hand out of the speeder as their transport rushed into
view. “And thank heavens it still is.” Telfen City, Entall, Seventy-four years
later Two years after the Battle of
Yavin “Aim above the knee joint, just on to the
thigh, that should weaken it.” Elgendy
tried his damnedest not to give the Corporal a filthy look as he lined up the
limpet mine deployer, a bazooka-style weapon that
would propel the mine onto the AT-AT.
He lined up the knee joint o his cross hairs and let fly, sending a
second one for good measure to land right beside it. The Corporal patted him on the shoulder for
his excellent aim. “Didn’t realise you’d loaded a second
mine. Good shot.” Mixer
checked his statistics again as the walker lurched forward another enormous
foot. “That second mine has improved our odds
significantly,” He checked outside as the AT-AT began to move past them. “Of course, it’s increased the odds of it
dropping onto us.” The
Corporal raised an eyebrow as the Imperial war machine cast a long shadow
over them in their hiding hole. “How long did you set the charges?” Elgendy
looked at Tofff who was busy scanning the area for other Imperial
troops. Tofff, sensing the quiet,
turned. “Ten seconds, just li
– “ The
explosion ripped the hind leg off the walker like tissue paper and the huge
machine dropped back onto its side and began to fall towards them. “Time to go!” shouted The Corporal as the
five elderly men scrabbled out of their hiding hole and ran for safer cover
as the AT-AT crashed to the ground with a heavy metallic thud. Confusion reigned as troops came from
nearby patrols to see where the attack had come from, sweeping the area with
the rifles, ready to shoot up the town if given any more provocation. But
the Fighting Indigos were already on their way out, ducking into the safety
of the sewer tunnels and wending their way towards their escape, like they
had done so many times before. Other
groups had taken their name, taken their ideas and succeeded their heritage
but there was no other squad with the experience and guile of the originals
and the best. The
Fighting Indigos. The Mild
Bunch 2003
short story by Mark Newbold Two
years after Episode IV – A New Hope Histories – The Wild Bunch meets Dads
Army is perhaps the best way to describe this tale, as we are introduced
to the legendary members of the Fighting Indigos, the precursors to what
became Squadron
Indigo in the Setnin
Sector during the Galactic
Civil War. This
two-period story shows their guile and excellence, and the fact that even the
elderly could have a hands-on role in the fight against the Empire. Cast
of Characters Elgendy The
Corporal Mixer Rikkles Tofff |