Amir could feel the pressure radiating from the Grand Inquisitor.
He was indeed powerful—far superior to the Fifth Brother, whether in his command of the Force or his lightsaber technique.
Facing a single opponent, Amir could no longer rely on redirection to make the two enemies interfere with one another. He had to meet strength with strength, and as the exchange continued, the pressure on him steadily increased.
The Grand Inquisitor clearly realized this as well. He warned the Fifth Brother not to rush in, but to wait on the sidelines for the right moment.
At this time, the Fifth Brother was sprinting toward his fallen lightsaber. For reasons unknown, the shaking of the ship had grown increasingly frequent and violent. He stared intently at the weapon lying barely a finger's width from the energy shield—one more violent tremor and it could be lost to space forever.
Once close enough, he stretched out his hand and began to pull the lightsaber back with the Force.
The weapon trembled and started to rise—
—but suddenly, a burst of rapid blaster fire erupted from the nearby ship!
The bolts weren't aimed at the Fifth Brother himself, but at the lightsaber. The shots were wildly inaccurate, but Mona wasn't trying to be precise—she only wanted to stop him from reclaiming his weapon.
By sheer luck, one blaster bolt struck the lightsaber squarely. Under the impact, it was knocked sideways, arcing through the air in a graceful curve. Under the stunned gazes of both Mona and the Fifth Brother, it landed near the edge of the shield—
—but did not fall out.
The Fifth Brother flashed a taunting grin and reached out again.
At that exact moment, the cruiser lurched violently once more.
He stumbled forward. When he regained his footing and looked up, he saw the lightsaber finally slip past the threshold and vanish into open space.
Mona's eyes lit up.
The Fifth Brother tried to react—but it was already too late.
Meanwhile, Amir strained to deflect the Grand Inquisitor's attack. The two had switched positions; Amir now stood closer to the Traveler. He stepped back twice, and the two combatants faced each other in a brief standoff.
Neither wished to continue fighting.
Red warning lights flashed rapidly—the shields were gone. Destruction was imminent.
"You go deeper into the ship. I'll board mine," Amir said. "We can both survive. That thing is moving toward us—no, it's already here."
Once again, he expanded his perception. This time, he felt an immense surge of life-force directly beneath his feet.
"You won't escape my grasp," the Grand Inquisitor snarled. Yet even he felt the urge to retreat—the cruiser beneath them was no longer safe. He wanted that freighter.
Amir continued backing away.
The Grand Inquisitor kept advancing.
Then, from the corner of Amir's vision, a boy emerged from the corridor.
Bare-chested.
Skin rotting and ulcerated.
Like a demon crawling out of hell.
Amir recognized him instantly.
That unmistakable dark-side aura could not be concealed.
Experiment 032.
His heart jolted.
If 032 was here, then the reason the space slug had drawn so close became clear.
In that instant, Amir made his decision.
Run. Now.
Without shields, this thin layer of alloy plating was meaningless before a creature of such scale. The space slug's next impact would tear the cruiser open.
And they were standing exactly where it would rupture.
Thoughts flashed through Amir's mind.
The first time he had sensed 032, the boy's life-force had been almost gone—death was imminent. That was why Amir had abandoned any thought of saving him.
But now—
Now 032's body contained a vast, overwhelming vitality, something no human-sized being should possess.
It was more like—
Like the space slug itself.
Their life-forces were nearly identical, as if the creature had infused its own essence into the boy.
This wasn't speculation anymore.
It was fact.
What kind of bond existed between the boy and the beast?
032 stared at Amir with clouded eyes. Within them, Amir sensed curiosity… and tension.
There was no time to think.
A violent premonition slammed into Amir's mind.
He gathered every shred of focus and unleashed the Force at full strength, hurling it toward the Grand Inquisitor.
The Inquisitor raised his hand and resisted the first wave—but the force that followed exceeded his expectations. His body began sliding backward.
Then—
IMPACT.
A deafening crash shook the hangar. The hardened alloy floor buckled upward, forming a massive bulge. The Traveler was launched off the ground.
The Grand Inquisitor was flung backward, carried along by Amir's Force push.
There was no time for anything else.
Empowered by the Force, Amir sprinted at full speed toward the Traveler's ramp.
Second impact.
Amir reached the hatch, grabbed Mona—who was reeling from the shock—and dragged her inside, slamming the door controls.
The first collision had only been a test.
Through the narrowing gap of the closing hatch, Amir saw a massive, ochre-colored body smash effortlessly through the floor. The energy shield vanished completely.
The hangar atmosphere was violently sucked into space.
The Fifth Brother clawed frantically toward another hatch.
The Grand Inquisitor rolled and scrambled, pounding on controls as his door sealed shut.
The Traveler's ramp finally closed.
In the last instant, Amir saw 032's calm expression.
A flicker of regret crossed his heart.
With more time, he would have saved him.
But now—
The boy was swept into the frozen void.
The Traveler was violently flung, spinning end over end as if hurled by an unseen hand.
Chaos.
Disorientation.
Most of the children had already strapped themselves in. Panic was minimal.
Amir hadn't.
He clung to a handhold, secured Mona, and forced his way toward the cockpit.
They weren't safe yet.
Through the forward viewport, Amir saw the stars—and the colossal ochre mass outside.
They had been torn free of the cruiser.
With the Force aiding him, Amir reached the cockpit, strapped himself in, and activated the controls.
Lights flickered.
The Traveler awakened.
Beside it loomed the colossal beast.
Amir poured thrust into the engines. The ship surged forward at blistering speed, weaving through the massive folds of the space slug's body.
Thankfully, the creature paid no attention to the tiny vessel. It remained near the cruiser, searching for something.
Once they had put enough distance between themselves and danger, Amir slowed and turned the ship around.
The cruiser's underside was catastrophically damaged. From the central hangar outward, dozens of meters of hull had collapsed. Shattered metal drifted as fire erupted again and again from the breach.
The space slug floated nearby, eerily still.
The sight was overwhelming.
Amir activated the ship's visual recorder.
Zoomed in.
Closer.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
Near the space slug's head, beside one of its massive tentacles—
A boy clung to its dry, rugged hide.
Calmly.
Silently.
Staring into the distance.
Staring directly at Amir.
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🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past
📢 The Force Calls! 📢
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