"What do we do now?" Harke asked. Going in wasn't an option, but turning back didn't feel any safer either—they were caught in a tight spot.
"What do we do now?" Harke asked.
Going in wasn't an option, but turning back didn't feel any safer either—they were caught in a tight spot.
Faced with what was likely the iron-eaters' main nest, Harke didn't dare take a single step forward.
"I've never seen iron-eaters this vicious before. And there are way too many of them," he muttered, frowning.
"Step back a bit. I have an idea," Amir said, a thought striking him.
He pulled a small cylindrical metal object from his pack.
"What's that?" Guli Gena asked, intrigued.
"A compressed sonic charge," Amir replied with a slight grin. "I almost blew myself up while making it."
"Can that actually kill them?" Harke asked. Sonic charges were typically used to incapacitate, not eliminate.
"I modified it. Boosted the internal pressure and charge. The sonic wave is strong enough to kill small lifeforms," Amir explained quietly. "The blast radius drops off after five meters, so the equipment should be safe."
"That's brilliant, Amir. You never fail to surprise me. Always dependable," Harke said, clearly impressed—though still whispering, his expression comically excited.
Amir raised his right hand, and the sonic charge floated into the air.
Guided by the Force, the cylinder drifted slowly toward the metallic nest.
He kept it steady and slow to avoid alarming the creatures inside.
There was a large hole at the top of the metal mound—almost as if it had been made for this purpose.
Amir positioned the charge directly above it and gently lowered it down.
"Cover your ears," he warned. The sonic wave might damage their hearing.
Below, the iron-eaters stirred restlessly.
But they had no time to react. Amir triggered the internal detonator with the Force.
Unlike the seven-second delay that came from pressing the surface button, the internal mechanism bypassed the countdown altogether.
A tiny spark flared—too small for the eye to catch.
But it was enough to ignite the compressed charge.
BOOM!!! A thunderous explosion erupted from the storage room, followed by a long, droning hum.
Flames shot out from every hole in the nest, reaching outward in violent bursts.
"Wait—can sonic charges even do that?" Harke asked, stunned.
"I said it was modified."
They waited. The iron mass began to sag, its surface slightly melted. The nest had gone silent.
"May the Force forgive me," Amir murmured, and headed for the equipment in the corner.
Harke finally shook off his shock and began inspecting the machines.
Guli Gena, unfamiliar with the tech, stood guard. Thankfully, the blast hadn't drawn more iron-eaters.
Amir spotted another data port nearby—likely another link to the station's main database.
He didn't hesitate. Extending the connector from his left wrist bracer, he plugged it in.
The processor kicked in automatically, downloading the data.
In a matter of moments, the database had been copied to his wrist device.
While Harke continued his inspection, Amir began reading through the files.
The first entries were work logs. He scrolled to the most recent—a standard medical procedure, unremarkable in every way.
But that was the last log. After that, the station had gone completely dark. No further records.
Unsatisfied, Amir dug deeper.
Then his eyes widened. He found something.
A scientific report—on a genetic modification experiment involving iron-eaters.
By itself, the data wasn't too surprising. But the name listed on the document was.
"Boris Ascot."
Amir whispered the name. The image of the old man resurfaced in his memory.
Three years ago, the man had approached him on the street, asking if Amir knew who he truly was. Amir had said he didn't.
The man told him to attend the Imperial Academy. "You'll learn everything there," he'd said.
At the time, the man had still looked somewhat composed—if visibly weary, his eyes filled with pain. He resembled one of the many hollowed-out souls wandering the depths of Coruscant.
Amir had asked for his name.
"Boris Ascot," he had answered, placing a hand on Amir's shoulder and locking eyes with him. "Listen to me."
He'd looked at Amir for a long time... but in the end, he said nothing more. Just sighed, turned, and walked away, vanishing into the crowd.
Shaking off the memory, Amir opened the experiment file.
It appeared routine. No significant findings.
But Amir was convinced there was more to it.
Maybe the experiment itself had been innocuous—but Boris Ascot had surely done more than what was written here.
Closing the file, Amir turned to Harke.
He seemed to have found the device they were looking for and was testing it.
"How is it?"
"This one's probably it. But looks like it's slightly damaged."
"Let's take it anyway. There's a gravity sled in the corner," Amir said, pointing it out.
There were three machines in total. Harke started pushing the largest, while the other two were loaded onto the sled. Guli Gena volunteered to guide it.
Amir took point once more. This time, he didn't retrace their earlier path—instead choosing a shorter route.
They'd taken the long way before to reach the control center and restore power.
Now, the return was smooth. No further incidents.
They opened the control room door and transported the equipment to the ship. All three of them let out a breath of relief.
Harke and Guli Gena had come in an old G-series freighter. Still spaceworthy, but far from combat-ready.
That was the current state of the resistance. But with luck, that would start to change.
The holorecorder from before might contain locations of decommissioned fighter bases. Not ideal, but better than nothing—it would give them more options.
"Let's head back to base. I want to check on the kids," Harke said.
But Amir hesitated. What he had just discovered gave rise to troubling questions. He needed answers. And they still didn't know where Lango had been taken.
He turned to Guli Gena. "Can you describe what it feels like when you have visions? I'd like to try learning."
"Hmm? I'm not really sure... I learned it little by little as a child, guided by the village elder."
She paused. "But I still remember the steps she taught me."
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