"It has begun…" the thought flashes.
"Papa, what happened?" Concerned Terra came to me and took my hand.
"Oh, nothing… we finally have long-awaited but unwelcome guests. Let's go."
While we were descending from the training area on the fortress roof to the system operational information center, the alarm had already turned on over the city, and the army moved into a mobilization stage. At the very approach to the center, I crossed paths with Irbis, to whom I handed over the little ones.
In the command post, Hadiya and Ves were already waiting for me, while Mom was stirring up trouble in the troops.
"What do we have?" As soon as the door opened, I asked the officers gathered around the round table. A small room, about the size of a classroom in a school, with terminals and consoles where operators were scurrying about, constantly passing new data "to the common table."
"Three giant ships of unknown design have entered our system," one of the officers blurted out, handing me a datapad with an image of the filmed ships. Where the shots were taken from was no mystery: the Fury station, built to monitor the entire system and adjacent territory.
Taking the datapad, I saw an image of three elongated vessels. In the center of each was a sphere, with elongated, enormous beams attached to the left, right, and top. Moreover, each ship had sizes that were just huge by our standards and at a guess could carry up to several tens of thousands of xenos.
"Where are they heading?"
"To the Fury station. But…"
"But what?" I look at the hesitating officer.
"Their speed is too low and their course is wrong for them to fly directly to the object. We don't understand where they came from at all. One moment they weren't there, and now—they are. Most likely, the unknowns have a different travel technology."
"You're right, Captain Der. They have such technologies, and moreover, their developments are much more advanced than ours."
"What are the instructions?"
But I didn't have time to answer.
"Mistress, new data has been received!" called out one of the operators to Hadiya. "The enemy has just performed an ultra-fast jump to the Fury station. The station itself has stopped responding to our requests. According to preliminary data, it has been destroyed."
"What about the fleet?" Hadiya asked grimly.
"The ships are being taken out of mothballs. It takes thirty-five hours to launch the ships, Mistress."
"We don't have those hours," I shake my head, looking at the datapad, which now showed a map of the system with the enemy positions instead of photos. Damn… what a crappy feeling, seeing the enemy and not being able to reach him.
"What do you suggest?"
"We have no options; we must wait. The initiative is not on our side…" I approach the table. "We don't know where they will strike, which planet will become the priority target, but… we can make assumptions." The people looked intently in my direction. "If we assume they took prisoners at the Fury station, they might find out that a whole fleet is currently being hastily launched exactly on Shikaakwa."
"You suggest they will choose us as the main target?"
"I'm leaning toward that. And since the large ships are only being prepared for takeoff, I suggest equipping the starfighters with nuclear charges."
"But Lord Aero…" an officer called out with concern. "That will mean the end for them. Small craft won't be able to withstand the consequences of the explosions, and all squadrons participating in the battle will eventually be doomed. If they survive the electronics being fried, the radiation will finish them."
"Yes. But for now I see no other way out. If you have other thoughts—voice them."
The people hesitated. Operators glanced at us every now and then, while the officers hid their eyes. Looking everyone over, Hadiya drew the line:
"Launch the aircraft. If we become the target, they will be the only screen."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Hadi."
"Yes?"
"Start the evacuation of the cities."
"Where to lead them?" the Twi'lek didn't understand.
"Away from military objects. Orbital strikes haven't been canceled."
"You heard," she passed the order to the officers.
"Ves, be so kind as to go to the children."
The Cathar, who had been standing silently until then, just nodded and left.
"Who is responsible for controlling the overall combat capability of the sector?" I look over the people, but silence is the response. "All right, someone take this on and send all the data to my datapad. I need to know exactly where, what, and how many."
"Yes, Lord."
"And tell Aala to report to the Citadel…"
So, controlling the situation and giving instructions, Hadiya and I stood opposite each other in the control center. Along the way, when I received the general data, I learned that the Je'daii were much better off with a fleet; every second one of them flies a personal ship, and launching this whole crowd into the air wasn't a problem. Also, they partially adopted our theme with nuclear charges on starfighters—electronics play a secondary role in their ships, and even those are isolated. And the ships themselves are stronger, so for the pilots it won't be a one-way trip.
Meanwhile, I thought that I had just condemned several hundred souls to kamikaze tactics. Unpleasant? Yes. Moreover, it's disgusting, but there are no other options at this stage. If only I were wrong and none of this were needed…
But alas, I was right. Partially. A few hours later, the enemy ships split into two groups. One vessel jumped to us, the other two to Tython. By this time, the starfighters were already in space, and the large ships were more like support for them.
Or targets. It depends on how you look at it. Having performed the jump, the enemy ship essentially burst into the defenses. Dozens of laser beams struck in all directions, simply sawing our ships into pieces. Small craft burst out of the hangars, and the main gun fired directly at the planet.
Contrary to my expectations, the target wasn't the troops, but a city. Just one of the cities, which was clearly visible on the dark side of the planet, ceased to exist in the blink of an eye. The strike was so powerful that even we felt the power that hit the planet under our feet. And from the side of the explosion, the Dark Side of the Force wafted.
"Lord, the enemy is dropping troops on the planet!"
"Ships, don't get distracted; concentrate all fire on the main vessel. Tell the ground troops to receive the guests."
"Acknowledged."
"Shift the thirteenth squadron to the starboard side. Where are the damn torpedo bombers?!"
"First, second, and third flight are entering space. Fourth, fifth, and sixth are on approach, Lord."
"Assign the forty-third and fifty-second squadrons to cover; the missiles must reach the target at any cost!"
"Acknowledged."
In parallel with me, Hadiya was also giving commands, but in a different area…
"…move the second battalion into square 151-471. Dale, where are your guys?"
"In the southern part of the city, Mistress."
"Break them into groups, create pockets of defense. We can't allow one bombardment to sweep everyone away."
"Yes, Mistress."
"Felix, where is the seventh unit?"
"Preparing anti-aircraft installations in 'Anderon.'"
"They should ALREADY be ready!" Hadiya snapped at the officer, hitting the table with her fist. "Immediately deploy all complexes; their sector is the first to be hit!!!"
"Yes, Mistress."
"And why do I see our artillery still within the city limits?!"
"My fault, Mistress…"
In our background, Mom was scurrying about, but she was mostly walking between operators and pulling reports on losses, and also monitoring reserves and reporting what was available and what was lost, in parallel giving orders to prepare certain units.
A few more minutes later, reports of the first skirmishes began to rain in. The bombers aimed at clusters of life forms, making no distinction between military or civilian. And right after them flew landing shuttles, which didn't land but literally fell to the surface of the planet, releasing dozens of hideous monsters. The very ones I saw in my vision…
Enormous, three-fingered, with bright yellow-red eyes pointing in different directions. Getting the first shots of these creatures, I caught a stupor, and a chill ran down my back. For a moment it seemed that the events from my vision had already happened, that there, we had already lost, but… looking at Hadiya and the zeal with which she strives to repel the threat, I return to normal. No… nothing is lost yet; everything is just beginning!
"Mistress, the enemy has landed in sectors 151-471, 152-512, 150-312. Anti-aircraft systems have already been destroyed; the enemy is about to organize a breakthrough point. New shuttles are already heading there."
"Tell the survivors to take cover; let the artillery work on the sectors. Aala, redirect reserves there."
"Understood."
"Yes, Mistress…"
The women continued to fight for control on the planet, giving the enemy not even a chance to establish a foothold, but in space, things were going many times worse. There were too few large ships, and they quickly fell out of the battle; only small aviation remained, which bit the enemy flying city like fleas on a dog. And meanwhile, this machine was relentlessly approaching the planet.
Suddenly my heart stopped, my instinct screamed, and I only managed to shout:
"Down!"
Another main gun strike fell on our city. The Citadel shook, dust and debris fell from the ceiling, lamps were torn off, some instruments failed, but on the whole, we stayed okay. Only, looking at the map, I could only be horrified, for a third of the city was gone. One moment it was there, and the next—it wasn't… only a residual dark veil of the Force. Sticky, nasty, which you want to get rid of…
"Khk-khk, Lord Aero, the torpedo bombers managed to damage the gun at the moment of the shot," one of the operators reported to me, rising to his knees and looking at the monitor. "The ship is damaged, the port side is burning, and the left prong has broken off. But it is still in the line; we can't knock it out."
"Concentrate fire on the engines; let that crap crash into the planet if we can't blow it apart."
"Executing."
"Mistress! The enemy shuttles have changed course. They are going to drop troops in the city at the point of impact."
"They must have calculated it by the intensive radio exchange…" clicked one of the officers.
"I'll take care of them," Mom immediately responded, and with a nod from Hadiya, she left the room.
Expelling the dust from the room with the Force, I return to work. There is no time to worry; action is needed. And to my surprise, we even started to achieve something. The starfighters really did manage to knock out the enemy's engines, and one of the uniques even managed to throw a bomber into an enemy hangar and blow a nuke in it. Despite everything, the vessel remained combat-capable and continued to fire back, but at the same time, it went into an uncontrolled fall onto the planet.
Having rejoiced at the flyers' success, I catch an earful of problems from Hadiya. The ground groups couldn't withstand the onslaught of the enemy's strike units. Only large calibers could stop a monster rushing at you; ordinary assault rifles and pistols were of no use.
And I was already about to meet the guests personally, but it wasn't required. Mom successfully cut through one group after another, and behind her followed a convoy of several armored cars with heavy machine guns for support.
Fires of shots flew over the ground every now and then; the surviving anti-aircraft guns continued to fire somewhere into the dark sky; the roar of artillery didn't subside even for a moment. Looking at the reports, I realized that this wasn't just a war, but some kind of cleanup. The enemy soldiers destroyed everything in their path, not hesitating to snack on civilians right on the move.
But their feast didn't last long. As an invisible shadow, Mom glided between the enemies. Lightning flashed periodically, the monsters' bodies were torn to pieces, others flew apart in pieces with perfect cuts. Hadiya corrected her movement in real time, directing her from one group to the next. And so, when the last monster fell cut in half, she stopped.
In parallel with this, the other battles on the planet began to subside. The point was set by the crashed enemy ship, at which the last surviving starfighters and bombers were immediately sent. And looking at the statistics, I could only clench my fists in anger. Barely a tenth part of all the starfighters is currently in the sky. I mean out of all of them. And how many civilians? How many ground losses in general? One only remains to count. They say truly, one death is a tragedy. And the death of a million—statistics.
"Is this… victory?" Hadiya asked uncertainly, wiping away sweat. Conversations in the hall quieted for a moment, and everyone looked at me.
"No, Hadi. This is only the beginning. Two more ships went to Tython. Do we have summaries for it?"
"No, once the battle began, we lost contact with Tython," one of the operators shook his head.
"Prepare the remaining forces. Mother and I are flying to Tython. You and Ves will stay here, is that clear?"
"Yes," Hadiya didn't even try to argue.
"And send a search and rescue group into space. I hope we find survivors there…"
Leaving the command post, I head to pack my things. The Curator had participated in the battle and stayed there forever, but my Peacemaker was here. Sending a message to Mother that we were heading to Tython, I check in on Vessira and Irbis. These two were like being on needles, and as soon as I entered, they fixed their gazes on me. The children turned out to be more emotional and unhesitatingly threw themselves onto my neck.
"Everything is fine, dear ones. Now everything is fine."
"Well, what's there?" Irbis nodded at the ceiling.
"Our battle is ours."
"And we didn't doubt you would win!" Terra exclaimed importantly.
"Yes. Mama said you would never lose," Saros added seriously. "True, Aunt Vessira and Uncle Irbis didn't really believe us. Now do you see?" Striking a maximally important face, like, "Well, who's right here?!" Saros looked at Irbis and Vessira.
"Yes, yes, we see," Ves smiled, crouching beside us. "Shade, what now?"
"Mother and I are flying to Tython, and then… then we'll see."
"Mm…"
"Ves, you and Hadiya stay here…"
"But—" the Cathar broke off under my gaze. And then, I rubbed my cheek against Terra, who was clinging to me, without taking my eyes off Vessira. Biting her lip and with tears appearing in her eyes, she nodded.
"Irbis, you also stay here."
"And we stay?" Saros immediately clarified.
"Yes, buddy. You, too. And I'm assigning you both a very important task."
"What kind?" Terra perked up her ears.
"I want you to keep an eye on everything here in my absence. We're short on hands, and you'll be very helpful. Can I count on you?"
"Yes."
"Of course, Papa!"
"Splendid," hugging the children once more, I stand up. "Ves, help me pack quickly. I still have to prepare the ship and assemble the fleet."
"Yes… yes, right away," the Cathar collected herself, answering with a slightly trembling voice.
"She doesn't believe in you," Saros shook his head disapprovingly.
"She does believe, she's just afraid!" Terra stood up for her mother. "But we're not afraid. Because you'll do everyone like this…" Grabbing a training saber, she swung it several times, almost hitting Irbis on the forehead. "…and like this…"
Looking at this, I couldn't hold back a smile. But laughter aside, I need to work, so I also pack my things. Since Mom had been flying on my ship until now, my things weren't there at all, and everything had to be packed from scratch.
When it came time to say goodbye the next day, I looked the Cathar straight in the eyes and tried to cheer her up and instill confidence. After all, this is just my next business trip, no more dangerous than previous escapades. Especially that business with the portal. Ves only shook her head at this and, taking a promise to return soon, let me go.
So, Mother and I left Shikaakwa already on my ship as part of the fleet; luckily, many ships remained untouched, and the fleet remained itself rather than a scrap as was with the starfighters.
Only, as we went, our anxieties grew. For contact with Tython never appeared. The only thing that comforted us was the sense of life on the planet. We felt that there were survivors there, that not everything was lost, and the battle for Tython was continuing. But when we arrived, a distressing view opened.
An enormous Force storm covered part of the planet, while in other places tracks of orbital strikes and bombardments could be seen directly from space.
"F*ck…" escaped me as I looked at the planet.
"You can say that again. Radio silent?"
Clicking the frequencies, I just turn to Mother.
"Understood. One thing is good: no enemy ships are in sight."
"There are no ships here at all."
"What do we do?"
"I suggest looking around," turning on the general communication transmitter, I broadcast to the fleet: "Veles, D&G, Rush, join us for reconnaissance. The rest, spread out across the orbit and maintain positions."
Having received affirmative answers, we headed to the planet. Since we were coming from the sea, we tried to find Mahara Kesh, but to our surprise the temple wasn't there.
"Mom, could we be lost?"
"No, Shade… it should be somewhere here."
"It can't be that it went under water…"
Exchanging glances, we flew a little more and then turned toward the land. And there were traces. Traces not even of a battle, but of a massacre. Landing directly inside a small village, we stepped out of the ship, paying no attention to the storm. Destroyed houses, hacked bodies, both of the attackers and the locals. Mostly bitten and in places gnawed locals.
And judging by the bodies, the smell, and the residual Force background, the battle here had been going on at least half a taked ago. Exchanging glances with Mother, we split up. There was no life in this settlement; we already checked. But… it was worth looking around. Contrary to the rational thought that it was pointless, we still hoped to find at least someone. But it couldn't happen. There were no survivors here.
This place was very similar to what was in my vision, but only similar. The Je'daii couldn't lose, and they didn't lose. Mother and I felt them. Но at the same time, we didn't understand where the enemy had gone. They didn't retreat, did they?
Completely by accident, I stepped on one of the deactivated Forcesabers. The enemy used such weapons everywhere, but this one was of my design. It was evident from the design. And beside the saber lay, apparently, its owner as well. A very young Force-user, effectively just a student who had barely turned fourteen. Apparently, the Je'daii had started mass production of my sabers. I had made a stockpile of these weapons, just in case, of course, but there wouldn't have been enough for everyone.
Here it seemed to me as if someone called out to me. Turning around, I look at the kicked-in door of the nearest house. Becoming alert and taking the saber in my right hand, I approach and look in. No one. Only chaos and ruin, and inside the house, the bodies of its inhabitants. A Sith torn to pieces, and there, in the corner, apparently his spouse and children.
"Lord Aero! Lord Aero, there is—we found them!" suddenly the comlink turned on.
"Who? Where?"
"We are in the Enil Kesh temple; there are many survivors here."
"Understood, we're on our way."
Returning to the ship, we headed to Enil Kesh in silence.
***
A bit later. Enil Kesh.
Paying no attention to the downpour and thunderstorm, I sat on the roof of the science temple with my head lowered and my mask laid beside me. Despite the Dark Side of the Force spread around, it seemed that the Force shared my mood, which was expressed in the Force storm.
Yes, we found survivors, and to our luck, there are quite a lot of the latter. It's just that in the course of the battles and mass EMP strikes, most of the electrical equipment was destroyed, so Tython found itself cut off from the rest of the world. But that, as it turned out later, was exactly what prevented the enemies from calling for help, so there was no cloud without a silver lining.
Upon arrival at the temple, we learned how the battles went and what it all turned into. It turned out that the Je'daii did manage to shoot down one of the two ships and damage the second, during which it made an emergency landing. And that was where the ground confrontation began, as both sides lost aviation in the Force storm. Though the attackers suffered first, because they simply had more starfighters.
Then came ground battles, which stretched over a whole taked, and only recently was it possible to take Tython under control. The war here ended before our arrival, and its final chord was the capture of the enemy faction's leader. He hasn't been interrogated yet—things are just a bit busy—and then we arrived, so I have every chance to speak heart-to-heart with our… new neighbor.
But first, I'd like to get my thoughts in order. Because I couldn't be angry anymore. I just wanted to take and strangle the beast in the most painful way possible for him and enjoy the pain of this scum, and I couldn't even vouch that I wouldn't do it just by crossing the threshold of the cell.
Now, sitting apart from the scurrying Je'daii, I was seeing off my friends. Ramira, Zeng, Feng—their entire family hit the blow. They had decided to live here on Tython to be closer to the children who were supposed to go to Padawan Kesh. But… no. That will never happen now. Tsikuna was in that battle; she told me all this. And she handed over their Forcesabers. Even Ramira took up this terrible weapon, but it didn't help. It's hard to stand when a steamroller is pushing at you, and the attack could be nothing other than—Rakata, as it turned out. Yes… these beasts, it turns out, are called Rakata; the captives repeatedly mentioned the greatness of their race and that we would all face retribution for disobedience.
"Beasts… just beasts," I growl to myself, clenching our dandelion's saber. Without a doubt, the best member of our squad. I know perfectly well what the girl had to go through to take this weapon in her hands. With her kindness and sense of compassion… and the twins. Reckless guys for whom the sea is knee-deep and mountains are shoulder-deep. Who were always ready to climb into the furnace just for you, just because. And the thought that they are now with the Force didn't comfort but only pissed me off. Too early… they left too early, and yet I knew about this attack, I knew, I prepared, but still I couldn't protect them. Neither them nor many others.
For the Je'daii losses in this war were monstrous; Shikaakwa looked quite light in comparison. Mahara Kesh went under water; it was hit from the orbit, as was the Bodhi temple. Tsigun Kesh was leveled with the ground by bombardments; the other temples were hit to a lesser extent, but also not weakly. And where the main spaceport should have been, a crater now gapes. And how many settlements were cut down? Just cut down and eaten like cattle. And the thought that someone thus ate Rami and the guys too…
Yes, it wasn't for nothing that I visited Force nexuses. Restraining someone else's anger soaking you is hard. But it's even harder to restrain the one that is your own. Luckily the Force is with me and helping.
But then I felt a touch. As if someone touched my shoulder. Jerking, I see no one, and when trying to look around, I notice three familiar silhouettes standing opposite the temple across the chasm. Because of the rain, their faces weren't visible, but that wasn't necessary. I knew exactly who came to my grief.
After playing a bit of a staring game, the shortest silhouette kind of nudged its own chin with a finger, lifting the face higher and clicking itself on the nose. Not being able to hold back, I laughed quietly. So many years have passed; I had already managed to forget this gesture.
And then, I saw how for a moment the face became clearer and Ramira, pulling back her right eyelid, stuck out her tongue at me.
"Shade, come in," Mother's voice suddenly sounded from the comlink. From the surprise, I involuntarily jerk and almost drop the saber.
"Yes, here."
"The Masters and I are going to talk to the prisoner. You should be present too."
"Yes… I'm on my way."
Turning off the comlink, I return my gaze to where the ghosts were, but their trace had vanished. After hesitating a bit, I stand up and return to the balcony.
"Thanks, Rami," I whisper, wiping my cheeks and returning the mask to my face. "Rest peacefully, friends."
Mother and I crossed paths halfway to the prison block and walked the rest of the way together. Surprisingly, my development on "restraining" Force-users bore fruit and the Je'daii were able to make a prison. Who could have thought it would be useful so soon, and for such special "guests"?
Several cages stood in the prison block, each with one prisoner sitting inside. Five Rakatan and one human. And I couldn't fail to recognize him: it was that same man with the "Zesh" symbol on his face. And what wafted from him wasn't love for his neighbor at all. Emptiness, no love, no pity, not a drop of compassion. An ideal killing machine. Comparing him to the Shikaakwa bandits, I was forced to admit that I had thought poorly of the latter for nothing. Those at least were alive, unlike this… creature.
"What is it, Shade?" Mother turned around, and Tsiuan-Yan and Tsikuna stopped too.
"Nothing. I just saw him." I shake my head, continuing to walk. For we needed the leader.
Walking to the right cage, Mother and Tsikuna open the passage with the Force and enter first. The Rakatan was already waiting for us. Anthropomorphic build, three-fingered paws, egg-shaped head, flat nose, eyes pointing in different directions. And despite his position, this beast felt like the master here! It was visible in his gaze; it was felt in the Force.
"You are late," the Rakatan growled in broken Tythonian.
"Is he always like this?" I glance at Tsikuna. The girl wasn't in the best shape; not only was she all bruised, but she'd also acquired a prosthetic left leg.
"Yes. Called himself Tul'Kar…"
"Predor Tul'Kar, scum!" the Rakatan growled, interrupting Tsikuna and trying to hit her with Force lightning, but it went into tutaminis.
"And kicks constantly," Tsikuna sighed, as if complaining under the Rakatan's growl.
"Tch. Apparently our friend hasn't realized where he ended up, but never mind. We'll teach him manners now," I shake my head, folding my arms across my chest, while Mother slugged the bastard right in the mouth. A loud "boom" of the body against the wall and the Rakatan flops onto the floor.
"Maybe we can talk now?" Mother suggested, flexing her fist, to which Tsikuna signaled "please," and Tsiuan-Yan, taking a few steps back, leaned his back against the wall.
"Hey, scum. I don't care who you are, but we aren't them," I nod back. "And you are choosing now: either you speak voluntarily, or I force you…" I began, leaning over the recovering Rakatan, but he tried to "put us in our place" with a wild roar. But none of us even moved, while the cage bent a little.
"Grr… you are strong. But that won't help you, and you will become my slaves!"
Exchanging a glance with Mother, I snort.
"I always knew the Dark Side had a bad effect on the brain," and I hit the Rakatan with lightning once. "So? Feeling better?"
To my surprise, he only laughed at that.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh… you don't even know what pain is… no, you don't. But you'll find out soon, for the rest will come for me. And you will all know pain… I feel how you suffer, how you mourn the dead, but they were lucky—they died quickly. You won't be so lucky…"
"Perhaps you are right," I crouch by the Rakatan. "No one is immortal. And you are right: I mourn. Many went to the Force before their time. But here and now your fate is being decided, Rakatan. You say you know what pain is, that you will make us suffer… you are right, your people can do that. But you don't know where and whom you've crawled on. Tythonians can also give you a smoke, and now I will show you what it means to become an enemy of Tython."
Applying my hand to the skull, I connect my aura and his. I don't even have to fight: the Unifying Force within me suppressed the Dark Side within the Rakatan. And I dropped mental pressure on top, instilling fear of myself.
"Look at me, Rakatan," I demand of the sweating alien who had lowered his head. Trembling, he lifted his head and looked into my mask's visor. "You say you will make us suffer. You can. Но I will make you and your whole people tremble in horror."
I increase the pressure and, dropping my hand, grab the Rakatan by the eye, as he tried to turn his head away.
"No… no…"
"Why did you fly here?"
"No… no…" the Rakatan kept saying over and over.
"Why did you fly here?"
"No… get… away!"
I feel how Mother joined me. Directly on top of my influence, she spread hers too, which made it even worse for the poor guy, and the question was already repeated by two voices:
"Why did you fly here?…"
"A-a-argh…" grabbing my hand, he was already falling to the floor, trying to ease the suffering. Veins bulged, vessels burst in his eyes, and his body was wracked with convulsions.
"Shade, we'll break him before we force him to speak," Mother said, releasing the pressure.
"You're right. It won't work like that," I exhale. "Then we'll do it differently."
"How exactly?"
"In a more traditional style, where mental resistance doesn't play a role," I shrug and, clenching my fist with the eye, increase the sensitivity of the nerve endings. Standing up, pulling the Rakatan with me, I knee him right in the face, tearing out the eye.
"Shade, we need him alive," Jarros pointed out.
"Dark Side adepts are very resilient beasts," I comment, stepping on the prisoner's head. "Personally verified."
"A-A-A-AH!!!"
"Stop screeching, scum; answer the questions or I'll shove this down your throat!"
"DON'T!!!" the Rakatan screeched when I had already increased the nerve sensitivity on the second eye as well.
"I'm asking again. Why did you fly here?" I press the skull with my boot.
"Infinity Gate! We need the Infinity Gate. It is Kwa technology. We couldn't solve it, but with it our Empire will become stronger and not limited in jumps!" the Rakatan yelled, pressing a hand to his bloody head.
"Be specific."
"We felt its activation and flew here, orienting on it like a beacon!"
"The Gate is on?" I switch to Tsiuan-Yan.
"No. Once the Rakata arrived, we immediately turned it off."
"Are there other ways to find Tython besides the Gate?"
"A-a-ar-r…"
Pressing a little harder, I hear the answers:
"Yes! My Predor Skal'Nas knows about the gate and will look for it."
"Be specific!"
"A-a-ah… with the help of his Force Hound, he'll be able to find my Force Hound Zesh, thus he'll find the system much faster."
"How many of you are there?"
"A whole… Empire…" the Rakatan wasn't screeching anymore, but wheezing.
"Who rules you?"
"Council. Higher caste. Arch-Predor."
"What monsters attacked us?"
"Soldier caste. Flesh Raiders. Bred and modified for war."
"What caste are you from?"
"Ruler caste."
"Who knows about the Infinity Gate? Your whole empire?"
"Argh…"
Pressing even harder on the skull and twisting the sole, I force him to speak.
"No-o-o. Only Skal'Nas. We… have an internal struggle. Obtaining the hypergates will allow for a transition to the next caste! Skal'Nas is waiting for a report from me, but if there isn't one, he will send much more serious forces."
"Are there other reasons to fly to Tython besides the Infinity Gate?"
"Yes…"
"Well?"
"You."
"Explain!"
"We… use the suffering of Force-users for our technologies. Their pain, fear, desperation… they generate the Dark Side of the Force, on which our empire is built. I planned to carefully capture your planet, for you are a valuable resource, but I didn't expect such resistance."
"Good…"
"By all accounts, we don't have much time," Tsikuna said with concern.
"That's easy to clarify."
Removing my foot, I take the wheezing Rakatan by the second eye and lift him from the floor.
"Now look at me!" I shake him, forcing him to open his eye and look into my visor. "How much time do we have before the others arrive?"
"About one turn of your planet around the star."
Loosening my grip a little, I looked away. A year… about one year.
"That is too little," Tsiuan-Yan said, moving away from the wall.
"Depends for what," I whisper quietly, already running through my head a couple of ideas for a counteraction for the Rakata. "What didn't you finish saying?"
"Skal'Nas… he won't fly here to fight. I was supposed to prepare everything for him."
Despite the answer, I felt this scum continued to withhold something. Diligently hiding his gaze, he tried to turn away from my mask.
"Look at me, Arshshra!" After shaking him once, I drop Force pressure on the Rakatan. Но this time the target isn't his mind, but his darkness-filled soul. "Look into my eyes. What did you hide?"
To the mental and physical torments, spiritual ones were added too. I know for myself what it's like when they try to tear your soul to pieces, and now, with a directed stream of the Unifying Force, I pressed on his essence, literally twisting the Rakatan's mind inside out.
"That… was the plan. But if there are no reports… they will come in half the time."
"Subtracting the elapsed time, that is about ten takeds," Tsikuna added with concern.
"Yes. Which means we need to hurry."
Pressing the Rakatan further, I see in his gaze a fading, inexpressible horror and release my grip. The body, as if cut down, falls to the floor, drooling and emitting a veil of darkness like smoke from an extinguished fire.
"We learned what we needed; we can go," casting a glance at what remained of the Rakatan, I turn toward the exit. "That's how negotiations should be conducted!" I say to Tsikuna, handing her the Rakatan's eye.
"I'll pass this to Irbis."
"The eye or the quote?" Mother clarified.
"Both."
"Ladies, could you say something to the point?" the nervous Tsiuan-Yan cut in.
"Calm down. There is an idea how to put an end to this. But first, we need to gather the combat-capable members of the Order."
"This will be the shortest war."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan