January, 3980 ABY
Imperial Prison Barge, Interrogation Chamber, Moments Later
The door slid open again. Trax stepped inside, calm but alert, the faintest smirk playing on his lips as if he'd seen this all before.
"Still playing with fire, Alexander?" Trax's voice was low, almost teasing, but edged with steel. "That holocron isn't salvation. It's a leash."
Alexander's molten eye flicked to Trax, a sardonic grin curling beneath the scars. "Salvation? Nah, Trax. That's for the weak who pray for miracles. Me? I make my damn fate."
He flexed his broken arm, metal servos whirring softly beneath scarred flesh. "This, this carcass of mine? It's a testament to what happens when you piss me off."
Trax shook his head but didn't argue. "You're not invincible. You take that path, and the Pale Father owns you. Whole."
Alexander laughed, a harsh, dry sound that echoed off the steel walls.
"Owned? I am the reckoning, the storm that broke the system. The Pale Father's just another bastard who forgot who's really in charge."
He stepped forward, eyes blazing with ruthless certainty.
"Give me power, or give me nothing. I don't do half measures. I don't beg. I take."
The holocron pulsed, hungry for his touch.
Trax raised a brow. "You're betting everything on that? Your pride's gonna be your death."
Alexander's grin widened, razor sharp.
"Then let it be. Pride's the only thing left that's mine."
With a swift motion, he snatched the holocron, its dark energy flaring in his grip like a beast unleashed.
The Pale Father's eyes burned crimson, fury boiling over.
"Fool. You'll regret this defiance."
Alexander's laugh was cruel, dripping with contempt.
"I regret nothing. I'm not your pawn, your weapon, or your failure. I'm the nightmare you never saw coming."
He broke the chains effortlessly, stepping over the shattered steel with predator's grace.
Trax holstered his blaster, falling in step beside him.
"Then let's go make sure they all remember."