Chapter 9: The Gang's Back Together
AN: Sorry for the wait. Been pretty busy these past few weeks. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!
While the Empire's Fury was jubilant at their reunion, they realized that they all needed some time to rest themselves.
"I don't know whether it's just our luck, or the Force having a laugh at us, that we all end up at this hotel." Samael stated.
The others took a glance at the big bold letters that spelled out Empire Hotel
"Honestly, I can't even tell the difference anymore." Hadrian replied.
"Does it even matter?" Ike remarked.
Samael took a few moments to look at his friends, before his eyes turned on Agetol.
"Hmm, while we're glad to be back together again, we do have to take certain measures when it comes to this planet. Especially when it comes to Agetol and his...well..."
Agetol sighed. "If you're talking about my species traits, isn't it a bit late for that? A lot of people have already seen the blue man with red eyes walking around Menagerie and Vale. I would have activated my holographic disguise, but it wasn't responding to my commands. I fear it's broken."
Samael hummed. "I can fix your spinal disguise implant, but you are correct. Far too many people know about you now."
"I may actually have a solution to that problem." Hadrian replied.
As the others turned to face him, Hadrian grew a small bit flustered.
"Not now. We'll talk about it in our room. Lead the way, Sam."
Samael shrugged, before walking into the hotel. The opulence on display barely phased the team.
"For people that only became recently familiar with the planet, you and Ike seem to have done very nicely for yourselves."
Samael laughed. "Well, I only got a room here because I mugged a man."
Ike whistled. "Mugging? The great Samael Hord, leader of the Empire's Fury and the Empire's Wrath himself, is now a mugger? Somebody call the press, I think the Hutts might be beginning to fly now!"
"Kriff you too, Ike." Samael replied, a smirk on his face.
Ike laughed. The others chuckled along with him.
"Aw, I missed you guys. I was beginning to miss our collective sense of humor." Ike remarked.
"We were separated for less than a day, old friend." Agetol replied.
"Exactly! Any time we spend apart is time spent in misery!" Ike responded.
"How you were able to function highly enough to get to where you are now is something I will never understand." Hadrian remarked.
"On a foreign planet with no space travel?" Ike asked.
Hadrian chuckled. "I was thinking more along the lines of how you ever become a Mandalorian."
Yang and Ruby were taken aback by the luxury of the hotel they were apparently going to reside in.
"Oh wow. I don't even want to imagine how much it costs to stay here. Are you sure that this is okay?" asked Yang.
"It's alright, Miss Xiao Long. The rooms are spacious enough for us to be split into two groups. Me and my friends will reside in my room. You, your sister, and Miss Belladonna will reside with Ike's charge. If you need anything, we're a Scroll call away." Samael replied.
Yang looked at Samael, confused. "But I don't have your Scroll number."
Samael sighed. "Of all the things to forget…" he muttered to himself. He took out his Scroll. "Apologies."
The two exchanged their Scroll numbers, before heading back to their respective groups.
"I trust that you've already warned your charge about the three girls coming up to her room, yes?" Samael asked.
"Yep. She knows." Ike replied, while hastily sending a text message to warn Weiss of the incoming company.
Let's hope she doesn't freak out over this.
"Hmm" Samael remarked, somewhat unconvinced. The group walked into the elevator, taking it up to their floor.
"Across from us, Ike? Must be a stroke of fortune." Agetol remarked.
Suddenly, a silver-haired girl walked out of the room.
"We need to talk." the girl growled, before grabbing Ike by the arm and dragging him away.
The others shrugged, before walking into Samael's hotel room.
P.O.V Switch - Ike
Weiss dragged him to a small corner. Looking to her left and right, she turned to Ike.
"Explain yourself." Weiss growled.
Ike shrugged. "Hey, they needed a place to stay for the night, and I thought we might as well oblige. What's got you in such a twist?"
"I will not share my room with a bunch of random strangers whom I have never met before!"
Ike sighed. "Come on, they're not that bad. Do you really think I'd let 'em come to your room if I felt you were in danger? Newsflash, I'm gettin paid a fortune to keep you alive."
"Well….why my room?! Why not get them their own?!"
"This place ain't exactly cheap."
Noticing that the girl's eyes were narrowing in anger, Ike tried to think of another reason on the fly.
"Besides, I thought you might want some friends."
Weiss looked at him, confused. "Friends?"
Ike nodded. "Yeah. You seemed a little lonely, if I'm being honest. They seem like a good sort, and everybody needs friends. I don't think I'd have made it this far in life if not for my friends."
Weiss looked away for a few seconds, contemplating Ike's words.
Let's hope she bought it.
Weiss nodded.
"Very well. But...if they start to annoy me too much, then I reserve the right to kick them out of my room!"
Ike chuckled. "Whatever you say." he replied. "Now, would you mind letting go of my arm? I gotta sleep, too."
Weiss froze, before quickly taking her hand off Ike's arm. Her cheeks flushed a small tinge of red.
"Well, goodnight, then." she muttered, before quickly heading back to her room.
Ike saw her scurry away, before shaking his head.
I really shouldn't have taken my helmet off. Agetol always complained on our nights out that no one paid any attention to him whenever I wasn't hiding my face.
As he walked into Samael's room, he saw Agetol fast asleep, with several tools poking into his back.
Looks like Samael doesn't waste any time.
In a corner of the room, Hadrian was busy transfiguring objects out of a small bag.
"Ike, your trunk's over there."
Ike smiled. "Thanks, buddy. Say, do you still have that new armor I was working on?"
Hadrian nodded. "Yes. It's in the trunk. I haven't moved it."
"Sweet." Ike walked to the trunk. Opening the trunk, Ike's vision was greeted by a rope ladder.
"Think I'm gonna turn in for the day, guys. See ya tomorrow morning." Grabbing a hold of the ladder, Ike climbed into the trunk and seemingly disappeared.
P.O.V Switch - Samael
Samael made a sound of disapproval.
"Your implants are almost fried, Agetol! How did this even happen?" he muttered. Next to him, Hadrian began to prepare what seemed like a small ritual.
"So, what are you going to do about Agetol's racial identity?" he asked Hadrian. Hadrian always seemed to have a trick up his sleeve, no matter the situation.
Hadrian chuckled. "In my homeworld, there was a method where one could conceal their location. My family..." he spat the word out with vitriolic hatred. "...used it to hide themselves during a time when they were being hunted down by a terrorist they had angered. However, what they failed to realize is that this method could not only be used to hide a location, it could be used to conceal secrets of a much more...intangible nature. The only person who used this method the way I am going to use it right now was the terrorist hunting down my parents. He used it to conceal his true identity from the rest of the world."
Samael hummed. "It sounds like you admired him."
Hadrian laughed. "We never did get along, mostly because the three times we met, he tried to kill me. However, he did hold onto a philosophy that has always stuck with me throughout my life."
"What was it?" Samael asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer to that already.
"There is no good or evil. Only power, and those too weak to seek it. I never forgot those words."
Hadrian stood up. Suddenly, Samael felt it. A great pressure began to build in the room, almost suffocating him, bringing him down to his knees. A bright crimson light flared through the room, blinding and radiant.
As soon as it had appeared, it was over. The light disappeared, as well as the pressure that had been keeping him kneeling.
"What...what was that?" Samael asked, breathless.
"I have told you before, Samael. There are no limits to my power." Hadrian replied, picking up the object. Briefly examining it, Samael could see that it was Agetol's datapad. A small inscription was now etched upon the back of the datapad, glowing in the same crimson light Samael had seen moments ago.
"There. Until Agetol feels otherwise, no one on Remnant will know that he is a Chiss."
Samael hummed. "Is this the same ability that is related to those trunks we have, the ones you gifted us?" he couldn't help but ask.
Hadrian nodded. "Yes."
Turning away from Samael, he headed to his own trunk, opening it."It's been a long day. I think I'll be heading off to bed now."
"Alright, then. Good night."
"Good night." Hadrian replied, before climbing in and closing the trunk.
Samael sighed, before heading back to work on Agetol's implants.
It's going to be a long night.
P.O.V Switch - Agetol
The Next Morning
Agetol woke up with a start. Groaning, he quickly scanned his surroundings, noticing that he was in a luxurious bed. Next to him was Samael, who was still wearing his clothes from yesterday night.
Agetol winced. He knew that there was only one reason why Samael would be fast asleep without changing into his nightclothes.
Sorry, old friend. I'll make it up to you.
Agetol got off the bed. He could hear Hadrian and Ike eating downstairs.
Walking down the stairs of the penthouse, Agetol saw a small feast sitting upon the dining table.
"Ah, you're up. How's Samael?" Hadrian asked.
Agetol shook his head. "Still asleep. I have a feeling he pulled an all-nighter."
"Ouch." Ike remarked. "Well, if he went through that much effort to fix your implants, maybe you should use em?"
"Good point." Agetol replied. Closing his eyes and concentrating for a few moments, Agetol felt a shiver pass through him. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the vision of peach colored skin. Looking into a mirror across the dining table, Agetol could see that his irisless red eyes had been replaced by red-colored irises. The pupils, which had also been colored red, had instead been replaced with white.
Walking across the street, the only traits that would now stand out were his red eyes and blue hair. Considering the strange looks of the people of this world that Agetol had seen browsing the DustNet, Agetol realized that his unique features wouldn't really stand out that much. Nonetheless, he turned to his friends.
"So, how does it look? Should I change anything?"
Ike and Hadrian looked at him for a few moments, before shrugging.
"I think it looks fine." Hadrian replied.
"Same. You don't look half bad." Ike stated.
Agetol nodded. Sitting down, he turned to Hadrian.
"So, about our new friends knowing my species' traits..."
Hadrian waved dismissively. "It's fine. I took care of it."
Agetol frowned. "How?"
Hadrian chuckled. "You don't have to worry, old friend. If it bothers you so, then you can ask Samael what I did. I do not have the patience to repeat myself, even to you."
Getting up from the table, Hadrian began to walk towards the door.
"I have discussed with Ike what our plan should be. In the meantime, I am going to begin preparations. I will be back as soon as I can."
And with that parting statement, Hadrian walked out of the room.
Agetol sighed, before sitting down.
"And they say I'm dramatic." Agetol remarked. Ike laughed.
"That's Sith for ya. Still, if I had to get stuck with a Sith, I'm glad it's Harry and Sam that we're stuck with."
"Agreed." Agetol replied. For all of Hadrian's faults, he was a loyal friend. Agetol would have died many times over on their strike missions if it wasn't for Hadrian's talent at Force Healing.
"So, how's your combat training coming along?" he asked. It was only recently that the Empire's Fury had begun training in alternate styles of combat. Samael had begun training himself to dual wield lightsabers. Hadrian had, at Samael's insistence, begun to learn how to use a double-bladed lightsaber. Ike had decided to train himself in dual-wielding his blasters, and as for Agetol, he had begun taking lessons from fellow operatives on sniping.
Ike shrugged. "It's been going along pretty nicely. Samael's upgrades picked up a lotta the slack if I'm being honest. Unlimited ammunition's no joke."
Agetol hummed in agreement. It truly was a pity that Samael's time had to be split between being the Empire's Wraith and being a scientist. If he was able to dedicate his time fully to scientific progress, Agetol had no doubt that the Empire would have benefited greatly from his creations. As it was, Agetol and Ike's upgrades had been in the extensive prototype stages.
Taking a croissant and biting into it, Agetol leaned back into his chair.
"I'm not really sure what to do today if I'm being honest."
Ike rubbed his chin for a few moments.
"How about we wait for Sam to wake up?"
"No need." a voice called out.
Turning around, Ike and Agetol were greeted by the sight of a bleary-eyed Samael walking down the stairs.
"Well, look what the Nexu dragged in." Ike remarked. Samael scowled. "Kriff you." he replied, though there was very little venom in his voice.
Sitting down, he grabbed a loaf of bread.
"Alright, gentlemen. Today, we're going to meet a new friend of mine. His name is Junior, and he appears to be well connected to the underworld. Right now, we need proper identification, and he might just be able to grant it to us."
Ike nodded. "Okay. How're we gonna convince him to help us?"
Samael smiled. "Well, considering that I saved his manhood from being crushed like a grape last night, I have a feeling that getting him to help us will not be an issue. We'll go meet him as soon as possible."
At that moment, Samael grabbed his shirt collar. Taking a whiff, he grimaced and stood up.
"After I freshen up. Wouldn't want to give the wrong impression."
P.O.V Switch - Hadrian
Hadrian, standing over the corpse of a man similarly dressed to the ones that tried to kill him in the Dust Store, simply shook his head.
"Idiot." he remarked. How many of a man's friends did you have to kill before they took the bloody hint?
Ruffling the man's pockets, Hadrian was greeted to the sight of the man's Scroll, as well as his wallet full of Lien. Within the wallet was a portrait of the man and his son, a teenager with a green-colored mohawk.
Hadrian shook his head, turning to the dead man.
"You know, if you really did care about your child, you should've chosen another line of work. Ah well. Another orphan to be fed to social services."
Chuckling at his joke, Hadrian checked the scroll. Finding it unlocked, he searched up the number he wished to call.
After a few redirections, Hadrian was greeted by the voice of the man he'd been trying to reach.
"This is Ozpin. How may I help you?"
"Remember me, Professor?" Hadrian asked.
"Mr. Kallig. I hope you have been on your best behavior since last we met."
Hadrian sighed. "You really do take joy in ruining my fun, don't you."
"If murder and mayhem are what you consider fun, then yes."
"Fine, fine. To answer your question, I have been on my best behavior." Hadrian turned around to look at the dead man.
Mostly.
"Hmm. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
"Remember when I asked for you to reserve three other spots in your academy? Well, it seems my friends have arrived earlier than I expected. I hope you will honor our deal."
"I will honor it. Our initiation will be enough of a test to see if they have what it takes to be Huntsmen, and if they are half as talented as you are, then they will have no problem passing it."
Hadrian laughed. "Get ready for a show then, professor. I look forward to seeing your reaction the day after tomorrow."
Hanging up the Scroll, Hadrian spun it in his hand a few times, before pocketing it.
Finders keepers.
Turning to the dead man again, Hadrian sighed.
"I was hoping to string you up like a gruesome little scarecrow to dissuade anyone from coming after me, but I suppose sending your ashes to your employer as a warning will have to do." Hadrian stated calmly, before black-red lightning began to surge across his arms.
A few minutes later, Hadrian walked out of the ally, whistling a jaunty tune. In his hand was a plastic sandwich bag filled with ash.
P.O.V Switch - Samael
Walking into the club, Samael took an experimental sip of the caf that Agetol had gotten him earlier.
Hmm. It's not Ike's blend, but it's serviceable enough, I suppose.
As he, Ike, and Agetol walked in, they were greeted by the sight of the club's bouncers busying themselves with moving various bits of equipment, most likely to clean and repair them before evening dawned once more.
In the distance, Samael could see the owner of the club noticing them. Perking up, the man began to walk up to them.
"I recognize you. You're the one that stopped that crazy Huntress from wrecking my club, right?"
Samael nodded. "Indeed. I was wondering if I could cash in on the goodwill I generated."
Junior chuckled. "Considering that whatever you ask for would probably have been cheaper than dealing with the insurance premiums? Yeah, we got a deal. Whaddya need?"
Samael gestured at his friends.
"Me and my friends require identification. I was wondering if you knew anyone that could forge our papers."
Junior hummed. "I can handle the forgery. I'll need pictures, though."
"Fair enough." Samael replied, taking out four photos and giving them to Junior. As he was inspecting them, he froze.
Samael frowned. "What's the problem?" he asked.
Junior's fingers shook. "H-how do you know this man?" he asked.
Samael looked to where the finger pointed, before sighing in frustration as he buried his face in his hands.
Dammit, Hadrian! What have you done now?!
"What did he do?" Agetol asked, his tone as exasperated as Samael felt in that moment.
"He killed over a dozen of my guys! Some of them had even been disintegrated to ash! Who the hell does that?!"
"If you have something to say, Junior…" a voice called out.
Speak of him, and he shall appear.
Hadrian began to walk down the steps, manic glee filling his tone.
"Say it to my face, please."
At that moment, Samael heard the activation of several dozen weapons. Laser dots appeared all over the group.
"Well, this is getting exciting." Hadrian stated.
Samael groaned. "Harry, please. We need them alive."
Hadrian turned to him, a frown most likely present underneath his mask.
"Why?"
"Because we need the proper identification. Papers, licenses, anything that will allow us to blend into this planet better." Agetol replied.
Ike nodded. "Believe me, I love a fight as much as the next Mandalorian, but this is one we can do without."
Hadrian sighed. "Ruin all my fun, why don't you." He turned to the criminals aiming their weapons at the group.
"Look over here, please." Hadrian stated, conjuring up a red orb.
As the criminals stared at the orb, almost hypnotized by it, Hadrian crushed it in his palm. A shockwave burst out from the orb, washing over the Empire's Fury and blowing dust everywhere.
Feeling his suit jacket flutter a small bit by the blast, the dust soon began to clear from Samael's vision. In front of him, the men and women that were previously pointing their guns at him were now putting them away.
Junior himself seemed to be waking up from a daze.
"Ugh...What...what happened? What was I talking about?"
Hadrian shrugged. "You were talking about how angry you were that Roman Torchwick got all the men that you loaned him killed by the police." he said, offhandedly. Samael noticed that Hadrian seemed to be inserting some kind of black powder from a sandwich bag into a cocktail shaker while Junior had his back turned around.
Junior coughed. "Right, right. Ugh. Fucking Torchwick. I swear, next time he asks for some of my guys, I'll tell him to go to the Grimmlands. Anyways, I'll get your papers done within the next twenty-four hours. Check back again during our business hours tomorrow, and I'll hand em' over."
"Splendid." Samael replied.
As the Empire's Fury walked out the door of the club, Samael whistled.
"Impressive! I've seen you perform Mind Tricks before, but what you did was rather… extraordinary, even by your standards."
Hadrian hummed. "There is much about my power that I have yet to tell any of you." he replied.
Agetol frowned. "Will you ever tell us?"
Hadrian laughed. "No. But I'll give you two hints."
The rest of the Empire's Fury stopped, drawn in by Hadrian's words.
"I hold a power that exists beyond the Force, and it is the reason why I have never used my authority on the Dark Council to research a way to attain immortality."
Samael looked at Hadrian, shocked. "Beyond the Force?! But...how?!"
Hadrian laughed. "A man has to have some secrets, old friend."
Omake: Reflection
As Hadrian rinsed himself with soap in the shower, he began to sing a song.
"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landside,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes,
Look up to the skies and see,
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,
Because I'm easy come, easy go,
Little high, little low,
Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to
Me, to me."
Humming to himself, Hadrian continued his singing.
"Mamaaa,
Just killed a man,
Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger,
Now he's dead
Mamaaa, life had just begun,
But now I've gone and thrown it all away
Mama, oooh,
I meant to make you cry,
If you're not back again this time tomorrow,
I'll carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters
Too late, your time has come,
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all
The time
Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, oooh
I want you to die,
I sometimes wish we'd never been born at all."
Turning off the tap, he chuckled. Wiping his face, Hadrian looked at the mirror once more, only to freeze in shock.
Staring back at him weren't the blood-red orbs of Darth Nox. Instead, he saw the eyes of a weakling. A fool who thought that he could be a part of a family that despised his very existence.
Hadrian slowly clasped the edges of the sink, glowering at the mirror.
"What are you looking at?" Hadrian growled, seeing those pitiful emerald orbs of his dim once more into a dark crimson.
Hadrian snarled. The boy was long dead now. He had shed himself of all weaknesses, all for power.
An old goat's words began to pierce through his head, bringing up unwanted memories.
"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us?"
"Go to hell, and take your ramblings of love with you." Hadrian muttered darkly. He did not need love. Ever since he was three years old, he had learned how to survive without it.
"Brother, brother! Look at what I can do!"
Hadrian dropped his towel, his body locking up.
"That's great, little sis! Just don't show mom and dad, alright? Jim would get pretty angry."
A loud ringing began to echo through his ears.
"What about Pyrele?"
"You can show Pyrele. She'll love it!"
Hadrian grabbed his head, clutching it as if he was in horrific pain.
"Why doesn't he love us, Harry!"
"He….he does. He loves us a lot."
"Then why doesn't he even talk to us?"
"I don't know, Cindy. I just don't know."
"I wish Mother was here."
"I wish she was here, too. Goodnight, Cindy."
"You….what….why?"
"Because I need to keep you safe, Harry. It's only temporary."
"Freak!"
"Abomination!"
"Your mother never understood the dangers of the world she wanted to become a part of. I will make you understand, even if I have to tear you apart for you to see it."
"Please, somebody help me."
"Oh Dear God!"
"Can we save his face?"
"I'm afraid a disfigurement this severe is well beyond my medical expertise, Inspector."
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
"He's gone Dark!"
"Look at that face!"
"Don't touch them!"
"I'm sorry, son. I can't keep you safe anymore."
"I'll drag you down to hell with me, Father! I swear, you will rue the day I was born! YOU HEAR ME!"
Hadrian roared, a feral scream tearing its way out of his throat. A violent blast of thunder shattered the mirror into nothingness, as the shards of glass were disintegrated by the lightning storm that had been thrown into it.
Hadrian breathed heavily, glaring where the mirror once stood.
"Never again." he growled.
There was only one universal truth in this universe.
There was no good or evil, no love or peace. There was only power, and those too weak to seek it.
AN: I love writing Hadrian. My Sith Inquisitor was the cruelest and pettiest character I played in SWTOR, so bringing him to life like this feels cathartic as all hell.
Throughout the chapter, we're seeing a few snippets of Hadrian's power OUTSIDE the Force. I have a feeling a lot of you are gonna guess who Hadrian really is (and if not, this small little omake should paint more than a decent enough picture) but the point of this little mystery is to see how long I can keep you guys anticipating when the reveal will happen, rather than the reveal itself, XD