//------------------------------// // Part 5: The Trooper // Story: Queen of the Empire // by Cardinal Dan Productions //------------------------------// The air was cold, but at least it was still. Without the howling wind blowing little chunks of ice into her face, Chrysalis felt a small sense of relief. She glanced quickly around the cave at the stormtroopers that surrounded her. A quick count determined that all were present, though the group seemed a little bigger than when they had started out. Chrysalis dismissed the thought as her imagination getting the best of her. They looked nervous, but at the same time, they too felt a bit of respite to have a wall of rubble between them and the frozen wasteland outside. The captain approached her with his blaster lowered. “Commander, we can move the rocks in order to escape this cave, but it will take time. What are our orders?” Chrysalis’ eyes darted around the cave. From the ceiling to the floor, everything looked unfamiliar. It wasn’t one of the many hidden entrances to her old nest, that much was certain. “Hmm... I suppose we move in the only direction we can.” The trooper looked down the cave, into the darkness. “Commander, I’m not sure that’s the best action to take right now. Some of the men are badly wounded, and it might be better to rest for a while.” The monster that had attacked them outside was probably still lurking about somewhere outside the cave, waiting for them to emerge once more. Chrysalis knew this, and she also knew that if they stayed in once place for too long, it would find a way to get them, or the cold would take them. Either way, resting meant death. “Captain, I don’t think you understand just how dangerous this place is.” Chrysalis loomed over the trooper menacingly as she bared her teeth as a show of dominance. “Either we move deeper into the cave, or we freeze.” The entire squad of stormtroopers was completely silent. After a few moments, several gathered their gear and shuffled across the cave to stand by Chrysalis. One of them stopped in front of her and glanced at his officer. “Sir, the commander is right. She knows this place more than us, and if we’re going to make it out alive, we should do what she says.” Chrysalis was surprised by the support that came from the trooper in front of her. With the way he moved, his hands seemed to almost speak for him. The captain appeared persuaded, and he raised his blaster at chest level. “We’ll do what she says...” Pleased with himself, the trooper turned to face Chrysalis and fired a sly ‘nod’ her way before walking ahead. The rest of the stormtroopers followed suit and marched after him and Chrysalis as they ventured deeper into the cave. The farther they walked, the darker it got until the changeling’s horn was the only source of light illuminating the cave. The trooper marching ahead of her, the same one that had supported her, seemed to be the only one that wasn’t the least bit concerned about their condition. The way he walked and carried himself promoted confidence and strength, something lacking in the rest of the squad. Then, there was his armor... All of the other stormtroopers looked clean and sleek, while this one looked like he had endured the Frozen North for a far longer period of time. She kept her observations to herself, but she was almost certain that there was something off about the trooper. While the rest of the squad followed behind, Chrysalis approached the trooper and cleared her throat. “Ehem...” He glanced over his shoulder at her, peering through his white helmet. “Yes, commander?” She didn’t know how to advance. Any ideas for confronting the strange trooper hadn’t fully developed in her mind before she had gotten his attention. She opened her mouth to speak, but a chill that traveled down her spine stopped her. The trooper must have sensed something was wrong too, because he raised his blaster, keeping a finger on the trigger and pointing it into the black abyss. “Hold that thought, commander... I think we have company.” The rest of the squad got into position silently, kneeling next to the walls of the cave and pointing their weapons in the same direction. Chrysalis faced the darkness, and eight glowing eyes peered back at her. It was a Berg Spider, a massive arachnid native to the Frozen North. Standing almost to the ceiling of the cave, the eight legged creature lunged from the shadows and attacked the stormtroopers. Chrysalis dived out of the way, just narrowly missing the monster’s fangs. Of course the cave they stumbled into wasn’t a part of her nest, it already belonged to the spider, and they’d soon be caught in its web. “Open fire!” A barrage of red lights lit up the entire cave. Most of the shots missed, but a few did manage to make their mark on the spider, causing it to hiss. Chrysalis got back to her hooves and stood in between it and the stormtroopers. She felt a wave of energy swelling inside her, and she lowered her horn. With a flash of green, a bolt of magic was expelled from her horn and sailed across the cave, hitting the spider dead on and crippleing one of its legs. The trooper beside her pointed his blaster at the arachnid, but the spider was no longer interested in a fight. “It’s running!” He threw down his blaster and shot to his feet before taking off into the cave after the spider. Chrysalis, still feeling drained from summoning so much power, tried to call out to the trooper but found that her voice failed her. Luckily, the captain was there to do it for her. “Trooper, stop right there!” The trooper didn’t stop though, and he kept running until he vanished into darkness. She turned to the captain. “Go back to the mouth of the cave and wait for me... I’ll bring him back.” The captain nodded his head. “Right, commander. Good luck.” As the rest of the stormtroopers turned around and ran for the exit, Chrysalis faced the darkness again, this time to find a lost trooper, one who was far more than he appeared to be. ***Up Next: Ezra Bridger***