A Trooper's Tale

"A Trooper's Tale" is a short comic story published in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic 6.8 and later in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Magazine 5.
==Plot summary==
As the Clone Wars escalate, casualties have also been increasing. On the planet Sacorria, a clone medical facility and rehabilitation center has been constructed to help treat the injured. Under Yoda's instructions, Jedi General Kit Fisto and Padawan Ahsoka Tano have been sent to meet with a wounded clone scout trooper. Tano bemoans to Fisto that this feels like a waste of time, and Fisto reminds her that it was not Anakin Skywalker's decision to send her on this mission, but Yoda's. Tano says that, as Jedi, they should be out fighting, stopping the people who force them to build centers like this in the first place. Fisto tells her not to make snap judgements; that there is more to this assignment than meets the eye. A 2-1B surgical droid tells the two of them that they can enter the patient's room, but to be careful, as the injured trooper is still very weak. Tano and Fisto enter the room, only to be shocked by the state of injury that the trooper, Sergeant Marrt of the 182nd Legion, is in. He tells them not to worry about it, and that he has information for their ears only - and to allow a broken soldier to share his last battle.
Marrt explains that three weeks prior, he and his squad of four men were dropped on Belgaroth, to investigate a claim that a Republic weapons factory was trading with the enemy. The other men who had been a part of the squad are also introduced: Knuckles, a brawler who preferred fighting with his hands to with a blaster, Chatter, a clone named for his love of code-breaking and that he never shut up, and Recon, who was legendary even among scout troopers for his attuned sense of imminent danger. The four of them had been laughing at one of Chatter's jokes, when Marrt had told them to quiet - they had reached the Czerka factory.
The scout unit overhears a conversation between Reep Tonith and Tarin, wherein Tarin is apologizing to Tonith that the shipment would not be ready for another twelve hours. Tonith tells him that they had a deal: Tarin would make the requested units, and the Banking Clan and Count Dooku will make him very rich. Marrt's head was reeling from this reveal, but he is still cognizant enough to investigate further and find out what it is Tarin is producing - FEX-M3 nerve gas grenades, which had been banned by the Senate the previous year. Marrt takes one of the grenades as a sample for evidence, and attempts to slip away undetected, but is spotted by a B1-Series battle droid. Tarin gives the command to all droids to open fire, and the clones are chased into the woods. Tonith berates Tarin for letting them escape, but Tarin reassures him - there are worse fates in the woods than droids for the clones. He mentions in particular the Droidbreaker, who has grown accustomed to eating plasteel, telling Tonith that it will chew the armor right off their backs.
The four clones find themselves in a small, foggy clearing, with their pursuers lost. Recon asks Marrt for clarification as to what happened back there, and Recon explains that it is a case of double-dealing, saying the Muun Banking Clans are trying to give Dooku an edge in the war. He asks Chatter to comm HQ, but Chatter tells him he can not raise a signal, as the fog is interfering. The clones hear a noise, and Knuckles wonders if it could be more droids. Recon says he is wrong - that it's something large, approaching quickly. He turns out to be right, but not fast enough to avoid the Droidbreaker, who kills him, Marrt's yelled warning coming too late. Chatter screams at the Droidbeaker as it chews on Recon's blaster, and Marrt tries to tell him to calm down. He begins to tell his men that they are in the creature's natural habitat, and that they need to get out of the swamp, just for the creature to attack them again, this time killing Chatter.
Knuckles forfeits his gun altogether, attacking the Droidbreaker with his bare fists, and distracting it for long enough for Marrt to come up with a plan, though it cost Knuckles his life. He climbed a nearby tree, and shouts at the creature to draw its attention, before throwing the nerve gas grenade he had taken earlier for evidence at it. The creature caught the grenade in its mouth, and Marrt opened fire with his pistol. Most of the shots glanced off of the creature's plating, but one struck the grenade, killing the creature. Marrt buries his brothers underneath the Droidbreaker's head, and swore to himself that he would see the shipment of nerve gas grenades burn before letting it leave the planet.
After that, Marrt waged a one-man battle on the factory, one that lasted several hours. Reep Tonith was able to escape, but Marrt was able to shackle Tarin, though the fight cost him his legs. He concludes the story by telling Tano and Fisto that it was worth it. Tano exclaims that it was not worth it - that Tarin did not know the identity of his superiors, and that the real traitors were still free. Marrt tells her and Fisto that he suspected that might have been the case - which is why he had extracted a set of company data records before setting fire to the building. Looking through it, Master Fisto states that it shows that two influential senators had been involved in arms dealing to the enemy - but not anymore, as he confirms to Marrt, thanks to the troopers' heroism. Fisto and Tano leave Marrt to his earned peace.
On their way out, Tano tells Fisto that she is sorry for doubting the importance of the mission, and that she clearly has a lot to learn still. Fisto tells her that Marrt taught them that one being can influence the lives of many; and that that is an important lesson for the Jedi to remember over the course of the war, if they are to succeed. They leave the base, on their way to confront the senators responsible for the arms dealing.
==Appearances==
==Sources==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Star Wars Comic UK comic stories