“H-how did you…"
Her voice jarred him back to reality. He pulled back and the wolf fell, then seemed to just sort of fade, his form dissolving into that ever-present energy field, absorbed by the Force. His brown cloak crumpled, leaving Niera standing there with the saber in his hand, staring into the red glow. He clicked the button and it shrank back into the hilt. The shiny metal was scorched black by the flames of the forge.
“I don't know…" he murmured, staring at the thing.
“It just flew into your hand," she said in awe. “Are you one of them?"
The words held as much fear as they did wonder now.
“He might've just been pulling it toward him and I happened to intercept," Niera said, though his shaky voice was unconvincing. “But I did… I felt something. I don't know how to describe it."
Captain Lethra took a breath, then straightened.
“We should get the CO medical attention," she said. “Get back to base. We can sort everything out there."
“Right," he said, nodding. He tried to draw on his training, focus and sharpen his mind, but he was shaken.
“Corex," she said sharply, and he found he'd been staring at the lightsaber hilt again. He quickly hooked it to his belt and walked over to where she was lifting up the commander.
They made their way across the temple, over the bodies of the rebels and their fallen allies, stepping on the cloak of the vanished Jedi. There was a clink of metal as Lethra's foot kicked something. She looked down, knelt, and picked up…
“Is that another one?" Niera asked, looking at the shining lightsaber hilt.
There was the familiar ignition sound and a blue blade emerged from the hilt.
“Apparently," she said. “Maybe that one was an upgrade?"
She gestured to the one on his belt. He shook his head, overwhelmed.
“Like you said, we'll sort it all out at base," he said.
***
Niera sat waiting in the briefing room, wondering what might happen next. What would any of this mean for his career, or his life? Would he be promoted? Was there some sort of elite program for soldiers who presented as Force-sensitive, or would they simply assume he was a jedi? He reached down to the hilt at his belt, but the door slid open with a hiss and he jumped.
“Captain Corex," came the stern voice of General Veers.
Niera stood at attention, but this did nothing to soften the look on the man's face.
“You return with two of your team dead, your CO injured, and for some reason, Captain Lethra insists we hear your side of the story before she presents her mission report. What do you have to say for yourself?"
In response, Niera took the lightsabers from his belt, the charred one he'd used and the shinier one found in the robes of the jedi, and placed them on the table. The General stared in shock, the hardness in his face gone, replaced with astonishment.
“There was a jedi, sir," he said. “I managed to take the lightsaber he was constructing and kill him with it."
“You killed a jedi?" he said, baffled. “With no training in the use of such a weapon?"
“I caught him by surprise," Niera said. “I don't think he expected it."
“Given what I've heard of the jedi, I find that hard to believe," Veers scoffed.
“I don't blame you, sir," Niera said, “but there's something else… I… felt something?"
The general blinked.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?" he said.
“I believe I may be Force-sensitive, sir," Niera said. “I believe this jedi sensed that and expected me to join him, which allowed me to get the drop on him while his guard was down."
The general glanced down to the lightsabers on the table.
“I see."
There was an uncertain pause.
“Will you need to confiscate these?" Niera asked.
“I don't believe that will be necessary. I expect you'll be sent to meet with Lord Vader, or perhaps the Emperor himself. They'll tell you what to do from here."
“Understood," Niera said.
The general turned promptly and walked toward the door, which slid open. He paused.
“Captain," he said. “I believe you're an ally to the Empire. They will see that. If they don't…"
Niera nodded.
“It's been a pleasure, sir," he said.
The general nodded and that was that.
Niera spent the next few minutes waiting in that room, the longest time of his life. Eventually, a low ranking corporal entered, standing straight in his light beige uniform.
“You're to see the Emperor immediately," he said.
Niera scrambled up from the seat and nodded.
“Thank you," he said. The man nodded and walked off.
Niera had served on the Death Star for years, knowing he was on the same station as the Emperor himself, but he never expected to see him, let alone get a private meeting. He'd heard rumors of the man's mystic power. He figured if he ever even saw him, things would either be going very well or very, very wrong. He wasn't sure which this situation was.
He made his way out into the hall, where he turned toward the main elevator. He stopped as he caught a familiar scent and rounded the corner to come face to face with Captain Lethra.
“Captain," she said.
“Captain," he replied.
“I hear you've been summoned to see the Emperor," she breathed.
He nodded, not sure what to say.
“I suppose this is likely the last we'll see of each other, regardless of what happens," he said. His stomach twisted as he said this and there was a bad taste in his mouth.
“I wish you well, then," she said.
“It's been a pleasure, Captain," he said, holding out a hand.
“If this is the end of our professional relationship," she said, “you might as well call me Rava."
“Rava," he said. “Right."
“It has been a pleasure, Niera," she said, shaking his hand. He smiled and nodded, and with that, turned toward the elevator. The door opened, then slid closed, allowing one final glimpse of her. Then it began to ascend.
***
After what felt like hours of the big cylindrical elevator climbing higher and higher, it slowed to a stop. The change in motion did nothing to help his already turning stomach, but he forced himself to breathe, get a grip.
And then he felt it. Raw power, a wave of apprehension that rolled over him and almost made him stagger with how potent it was. A chill ran through him. It was the Force, the power of the Emperor. It had to be.
The door slid open and he quickly straightened. He saw a long hallway, a pair of guards in red cloaks standing on either side of the doorway at the end, their faces hidden under red masked hoods, each holding a long electrostaff. He stepped forward, making his way down the hall. He got nothing off of these guards; he could barely even hear their heartbeats, beating a steady march, and he was sure that if they found it necessary to attack him, that beat would not change.
The door slid open and he stepped into the throne room. It was immense and intimidating, bearing the same solid, cold metal walls and floors found throughout the Death Star, yet somehow it was different, the cold more intense. There were a series of steps leading up to the throne itself, a window looking out to the stars beyond. And in the chair sat a figure draped in long dark robes. Niera started up the stairs, moving quickly, promptly, as he'd always done when approaching a figure of authority, and hoping he didn't trip. When he reached the top, he knelt down before the Emperor himself.
“Captain Corex," the Emperor said. The sound of his voice, let alone that voice saying his name, was like cold claws dragging down his back. The Emperor's age held no frailty. Niera had never felt more tiny.
“Stand," the voice commanded, and Niera did.
“You still have the jedi's lightsaber?"
“Yes, my Lord." He couldn't keep the slight tremor from his voice.
“Show me," the Emperor said.
Niera reached to his belt and took the shining hilt of the fallen jedi's weapon. Almost immediately, it was torn from his grasp, flying into the Emperor's open hand. The hands were bony, but the simplicity of the gesture made it clear this little trick was nothing next to what the Emperor was truly capable of. Niera saw a crooked smile under the old man's hood.
“Good," he said, sounding pleased. “Tell me… How did it feel?"
Niera thought back to the jedi, remembering the lightsaber in his hand, the blade sliding through the wolf like nothing. He felt that same surge of hatred he'd directed toward the jedi, the satisfaction at bringing him down.
“Good," he answered. “It felt good."
“Yes," the Emperor chuckled. “I can feel your hatred for the jedi, for the Rebellion. The dark side of the Force flows through you."
“I didn't know," Niera said. “Before today, I—"
“You did," the Emperor said. “You have always known. The jedi merely revealed it to you."
He was right. Even before the Empire had come, he had always had a sense for danger his kin couldn't match. It had kept him alive. Now, it would grow and blossom into something greater.
The Emperor cackled, a sound that echoed through the large chamber.
“I can sense the potential in you," he said. “You will help our Empire grow across this galaxy, and your own, and then to those beyond. We will bring order."
Niera closed his eyes and envisioned it, planets, star systems, galaxies, once full of chaos, falling in line before the combined might of the Empire.
“You will go to Mustafar to train your abilities with Lord Vader," the Emperor said with a smile.
Niera had heard of the dark lord Darth Vader, the mystic cyborg in black. Some said his power rivaled that of the Emperor.
“Yes, my Lord," Niera said with a nod, brimming with new confidence.
He reached for the lightsaber at his belt, the scorched hilt with the crystal that had somehow turned from green to red. He figured the Emperor might want that one as well. It flew from his hand as he held it out, but it was less of a surprise this time. This time, though, the blade ignited in the Emperor's grasp, the red glow illuminating the throne.
“Ah," the Emperor said, examining the weapon. “I see you have left your mark on this lightsaber. The kyber crystal that powers it has been infused with your anger, your hatred."
He held out the weapon and Niera put up his hand, the weapon flying back into his grip, where he deactivated the blade.
“Keep it," the Emperor said. “It is yours now."
“Thank you, my Lord."
“Go," he said. “Go and bring order to the universe."
***
“A mining planet?" he muttered, staring out the cockpit window at the blazing molten world. “This is where Lord Vader trains…"
And then he felt it, a deep chill that washed over him, ran through him. It was like a winter wind that blew through his fur, beneath his flesh, into his bones.
“Oh," was all he could manage.
It was a cold he recognized, one he'd grown used to but which had been absent after he disembarked from the Death Star. He had felt it when he first took his post, upon approaching the massive battle station five years ago. At the time, he'd thought it was just his deep awe at seeing the Death Star itself, but he knew now it was the presence of Palpatine, that he'd sensed it even back then. This, here, was a subtly different kind of cold. Different, but no less clutching.
He felt it only increase as his ship pulled down through the atmosphere, swooping toward the towering black fortress, and despite having been granted a coolant suit, he felt he might not need it. But the inner chill he felt was very different from the sweltering heat of the planet itself. He immediately regretted not putting on the suit the moment the ramp descended. He'd thought walking around on the Death Star had been bad before, with his dark imperial uniform compressing his fur and the ambient temperature being meant to keep the furless humans comfortable, but this was a heat he had never felt before.
He hurried to put on the pieces of the coolant suit, a silvery gray resin material plating the outside, with a blue padding on the interior. It was similar in design to the armor worn by the stormtroopers, but sleeker, the helmet shaped to fit around his muzzle and with space for his pointed ears. The breathing filtration system kept him from inhaling the noxious fumes of Mustafar, releasing each exhale with a soft hiss and a cloud of white from the mouth cover. It reminded him of his early days as a soldier.
He was greeted by two troopers with black armor and oddly shaped helmets, likely a part of Vader's personal guard.
“This way, Captain," one said, his muffled voice deeper than that of the average stormtrooper. Niera nodded, glad they couldn't see his face.
They led him down black angled corridors, and his hand reached down and felt the lightsaber hilt at his belt. The gloves of the suit were somewhat bulky and he didn't unclip the lightsaber for fear of fumbling and dropping it. The suit, like his trooper armor from ages ago, made him uncomfortable in that it left him without his teeth and claws, covering them with the gloves and a mask. But he reminded himself he was here to train in the use of another type of weapon. He walked, the coolant itself flowing around him. The air had been burning hot without it, but now he felt too cold.
They turned a corner and a door slid open with a hiss. Beyond was an expanse of brown rocky terrain and a flowing river of lava. There, a dark figure waited for him. The troopers turned at the door and proceeded no further. Niera stepped onward.
The door slid closed and Niera heard a sound, a deep, mechanical breathing with a steady rhythm. He felt frozen solid inside the coolant suit. The figure turned, looking at him with dark eyes, the sound of his breath interrupted as he spoke.
“Captain Corex," said the low voice of Darth Vader. “I have been waiting for you."
Star Wars Chapter 2
Niera reports to his superiors after the unexpected events of the previous mission.
Chapter 1: https://www.sofurry.com/view/2110517
Chapter 1: https://www.sofurry.com/view/2110517
1 year ago
99 Views
1 Likes
Estimated reading time
29 Minutes
Supporters of SoFurry
No comments yet. Be the first!