Amir felt a chill run down his spine.
Jedi mind tricks only worked on those with weak wills. But this method… this could subtly influence anyone, even without their guard up.
It was like boiling a frog in warm water. Even the most determined mind, if exposed long enough, could have its ideas eroded—reshaped into what the user wanted.
If Amir hadn't been wary of the Ishi Tib from the beginning, he might've simply thought the alien was calmly explaining things. The strange, rhythmic speech would have drawn him to focus, and in doing so, he might've fallen right into a silent brainwashing trap.
Now that he understood what was happening, Amir maintained an expression of polite attentiveness while focusing inwardly to resist the mental assault.
Fortunately, once the mechanism was revealed, the technique became far less dangerous.
Even so, Amir continued to listen carefully. Often, in order to brainwash someone, they had to mix lofty promises with kernels of truth—real, useful information hidden within.
"You must've seen the other children living here too," the Ishi Tib said. "There's no need to worry about them. Most of us researchers here have raised them from birth. They're just like you—our children. We teach them, provide them with comfort, enough food, entertainment..."
Yeah, right. Trapped on this cramped starship, subjected to live experiments—and you call them your children?
Amir forced down his revulsion and kept listening.
"Let me tell you about our results. Over a decade ago, we collected genetic sequences from over ten thousand Force-sensitive individuals. Decoding them took countless hours, but we succeeded. Through comparison and statistical analysis, we discovered sequences commonly shared among Force-sensitives that are rare in normal people."
Before I was even born... That was before the Clone Wars. When the Jedi Order was still a powerful force in the galaxy. They were already researching Force-sensitive genes back then… I wonder if those samples came from children—or actual Jedi.
"At first, we isolated over a hundred thousand segments. Obviously, most were useless. The real challenge was identifying the effective ones."
"After a year of refining, we narrowed it down. We found thousands of previously undocumented gene fragments. And we eliminated the meaningless ones. These alone could've made headlines in any academic circle—but we cared nothing for empty accolades."
"In the end, we were left with 5,342 key sequences."
"To validate them, we created thousands of clones, inserting different combinations of the sequences. Then we measured how well they could perceive the Force."
"After extensive testing, we identified a hundred optimal combinations that significantly improved sensitivity. But altering clone DNA always led to mutations and rapid aging. So we performed our final experiment."
Amir kept his expression flat, but inside he was seething. Each sentence from the Ishi Tib represented thousands of lives. Clones were still living beings—just as real as anyone else. But to these researchers, they were nothing but disposable tools.
At least this alien—Tullio—truly believed that. Amir could even sense it: the way Tullio would gladly sacrifice even his own body for the sake of research.
"We chose one hundred sequences from various Force-sensitives and simulated womb conditions for two years. But no miracles occurred. The results mirrored those of the clone tests—severe defects. Only two survived... and neither lasted long."
"We thought all hope was lost. There were only supposed to be a hundred subjects. But in truth, there was one more. Boris secretly created you."
Tullio's voice swelled with emotion. "After nine months, you were born. Weak… barely clinging to life."
"But Boris hid you. He never asked us for help. When war reached our base, he took the chance and fled with you."
"He gave up on saving you. And yet, you lived. Do you understand what a miracle that is?"
Tullio was nearly trembling now, his voice a quivering high-pitched croak.
"We recovered Boris's notes. Tried to replicate his work. He was our leader—the one who understood the experiment best. We searched his data for clues. Tried to follow in his footsteps. But every attempt… failed."
"You are the miracle, Amir. The Chosen One. You are the only hope of our experiment!"
Tullio was shaking with fervor, but then suddenly stopped mid-sentence, shivering and closing his eyes like something had startled him.
Only then did Amir notice the small black device on the Ishi Tib's audio-receptive organ—an earpiece.
Tullio composed himself. "Forgive me. I've said too much. I'll explain more tomorrow."
Amir nodded, pretending to absorb the information. He had to carefully choose his reaction. For a regular person, all of this would trigger overwhelming emotion, a sense of belonging and purpose.
So Amir looked up, took a deep breath, and began his performance—mimicking Tullio's own fervor.
"I understand now, Tullio. Thank you for explaining. I'll… take your words to heart."
Tullio left the room.
Amir didn't stop. He acted like he was still lost in thought, raising his hands to inspect his body—contemplating his origin, his potential. After a long pause, he sat back on the bed, carefully sculpting his expression: anxious yet hopeful, excited yet restrained, as if longing for the future.
Even Amir thought he deserved an award for that.
In the command center, Gideon watched the live feed and nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Give it a little more time, and he'll be ready for full cooperation."
"Sir, aren't we heading back to the base?" his officer asked, sensing his good mood.
"No. We'll stay here and enjoy the asteroid belt view. Let the Inquisitors enjoy their little journey."
-
-
-
🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 The Force Calls! 📢
This series has 100+ chapters ahead on Patreon! 🌠
Uncover ancient Jedi relics before the galaxy does.
🛑 Also on Patreon:
Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore
Cyberpunk: The Relentless
Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System
My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator
My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?
Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
Dragon King of Ice and Fire
The Rebirth of Harry Potter
R18: Reincarnated in Her World
🔗 www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 SrMagnus🐦 https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ Let the Power Stones guide future updates!