PIETT LEARNS THE IMPERIAL WAY
Written and submitted by Aaron Wee

The cold durasteel doors of the transport closed behind Cadet Piett. All around him he could see the anxious faces of his fellow cadets. Some of them had barely passed the age requirement. Piett's wizened features suggested a much older man, not fit enough for the rigors of training one would expect from the academy. In truth, Piett too had just slipped under the wire.

The bulky and unarmed transport buckled as it took off from the safety of the landing pads. Piett peered through the transpisteel openings and noticed the scenery change from dull, gray durasteel to lush greenery of the planet, Jevris. Soon the green turned to pitch darkness. The once majestic forests of Jevris now looked smaller and smaller. The ship shuddered as the ship made the jump to light speed. The star lines streaked by and what was there now is not.

The ship shuddered again as it re-entered real space, many light-years from Jevris. Strange, thought Piett, We shouldn't have come out this soon. Maybe they upgraded the engines. Piett gave a quick scan of the faces of his colleagues. Most were asleep, but those who weren't did not share the same concern as the quick-witted cadet. Soon everyone was alerted. not by Piett, not by their officers, but by a clatter of alarms and the shining of a huge red light marked "ALERT".

Piett looked out of the transpisteel window. A massive ship, nearly 600 meters, filled the baron expanse of space. Several fighters and boarding craft spewed from the belly of the craft. Piett once learned that only a ship with gravity-well technology (a then relatively new technology) could pull ships out of the solace of hyperspace.

Unlike the other already bewildered and frightened cadets, Piett suppressed the great urge to turn into a raving lunatic. The ships came closer. Not many options left. Piett looked at his fellow would-be officers and then at the supply cabinets at the back of the ship. Not much time left.......

"......We who pledge our lives to the greater glory of the Empire will always carry their honor high with pride. And until you graduate, never, never forget our motto. 'Service. Fealty. Fidelity.' It may be the first time you have heard this, but once you graduate, you will never forget it again." The opening speech of Fleet Admiral Holt's rallied the assembled cadets into a state of fervor unseen since Palpatine took power.

Two stormtroopers escorted the young Piett to the Fleet Admiral's office. Piett was trembling. He urged himself not to do anything foolish. If it was about the boarding party......

"Ah. Cadet Piett, I presume." Holt said.

It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes sir." Piett answered anyway.

"What you did back there, in the transport. No one had ever thought of that before. What inspired you?'' Holt asked.

Damn it. I'm dead. Piett thought.

"Sir? Oh. It was n-natural sir. An, an officer goes d-down with his ship, sir Admiral Holt sir." Piett squeezed the words from his throat.

"We have need for people of your type. If the Academy was filled with people like you, training time could be cut in half! Good work cadet. Dismissed! "Admiral Holt said.

"Thank you sir!" Piett said while throwing a perfect salute before turning around to join his row.

Got by that one. Piett thought If that was just a simple test, I would hate to think of Level 5 tests.

As Piett walked back to his Row, he caught a glimpse of his transport and took note of the holo-projecters, those which fooled him and the others, nestled casually in a "star field". Piett also noticed the slight burn marks at the door from the pocket blaster he cannibalized from the cabinet. He suppressed a smile.

So far so good.