''Dr Kirbley, we are approaching the Yavin system.''
He looked down at the chronometer on his wrist. It was a circular dome that followed the Galactic Standard Time, the galaxy's timekeeping system. The chronometer displayed the GST in hours and seconds with a hologram, and they ticked by agonisingly slow. Kirbley looked up again and the shades of Hyperspace flooding the cockpit were fiercely blue, burning on his retina. The pilots in front of him were silhouettes, their faces lit up by the overhead lights. He looked down again. They'll arrive at any moment.
The captain in front of him suddenly tilted his head up to speak.
''Doctor,'' he said. ''May I ask, what you exactly study?''
Kirbley looked up and twisted his arm around, letting the chronometer on his wrist not distract him anymore, and he cleared his throat.
''I study human psychology,'' he answered. ''I study how the brains of children and teenagers work.''
The captain nodded. The headset on his head wobbled a little. ''I assume you work at the Center of Psychological Research on Coruscant?''
''Yes, I do,'' Kirbley answered.
''I have a 16-year-old daughter who is looking for a place at an academy,'' said the captain, and he turned a bit around on his seat. ''You know, she isn't exactly jumping to join the military and wants to do something with humans so she's taken an interest in psychology. Do you perhaps have an academy in mind?''
Kirbley looked away and thought of a good reply. There were many academies he visited, but there was one that jumped out, the freshest academy in his mind.
''The Pantoran Psychological Academy,'' he answered. ''They are very prestigious and they accept outsiders too.''
The captain nodded. ''I'll keep that name in mind, thank you.''
Then, his eyes drifted away and the captain turned around to face the controls of the shuttle. He tapped on his headset and Kirbley watched as the captain and his first officer focused on what they were being told over the radio. Though he couldn't see their faces, Kirbley made out from the silent atmosphere that the walls were creeping in on them. Something was wrong and he frowned. The first officer shifted his head to his captain and pressed his lips tightly.
''That's not good,'' he said.
The captain shook his head and gazed at his yoke.
''Copy that,'' replied the captain, and he tilted his head up to speak. ''Dr Kirbley, we were just informed that the debris field has shifted its position. It is now in front of our Hyperlane, so we might experience some turbulence.''
Kirbley let out a faint sigh. Great. Debris and turbulence, this is going to be an adventure, which I rather experience in my bed.
''Six greens. Stand-by for exit,'' said the first officer.
''Copy,'' replied the captain.
He moved his hand to the throttle in the middle of the control panel and moved it all the way down until it hit the bottom. Kirbley felt the floor vibrating through his leather shoes as the blue shades disappeared and the trails of stars became visible until their speed dropped. They jumped out of hyperspace and the long, white trails that replaced the blue shades became dots in the void. But as Kirbley looked outside through the cockpit, he saw they weren't stars. The dots that filled the black void were far more terrifying and his heart sank in his chest. They were chunks of debris, floating everywhere he looked. It was all scattered across space. They flickered as they rotated around their axis, reflecting the light of a nearby, orange gas planet below them. He felt a shiver down his spine as Kirbley looked at the graveyard. He bent forward and put his hand on the backrest of the captain's seat in front of him as the debris hypnotised him with shock.
''Are these the remains of the Death Star?'' he asked with a shiver in his voice.
The captain let out a shivering sigh. ''I'm afraid so.''
His voice was soft as he too, was hypnotised by the debris that floated around his Lambda shuttle. Kirbley gazed around, scanning the steel chunks flying past him.
Such a big weapon, declared as the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, intended to be the ultimate solution, hoped to be the end of terrorism, but ended up as the biggest field of debris in the galaxy. What a failure.
The first officer scanned the debris around him and looked out of the canopy.
''So this is where all of our tax money went,'' he said, gazing out the window. ''All of it is floating around here.''
Kirbley knew from his father that the Death Star had a hefty price tag no one would even dare to pay. Only a few were able to.
The captain nodded. ''Can't even begin about the casualties. A million were stationed there. Have you found the Eagleclaw's signal yet?''
The first officer looked away from the windows and gazed at his computer screen at the control panel in front of him.
''Negative,'' he replied. ''The radar is not picking up anything. Transponder is active but-, nothing.''
The captain nodded. ''I fear the debris is disrupting our channels.''
Oh, joy. They're unfindable. Kirbley felt his heart speed up in his chest with nervousness as the chunks of debris flew past him, reminding him of the tragedy that had unfolded here. He knew he was flying through a graveyard and not just a debris field. This is where many died and it made him feel uneasy and nervous to shriek through the area.
''Switch to visual scanning,'' said the captain. ''You have the controls now.''
The first officer took hold of the yoke. ''Affirmative, I have control.''
The captain shifted his position on his seat and moved his head around. Kirbley sat back on his own seat and looked around too, looking for the Star Destroyer. He knew it was somewhere, but the debris floating all around him didn't make it easy. As Kirbley scanned, his eyes were constantly drawn to the debris flying past him, flickering in the dark void. They kept distracting him. His eyes then landed on the torn-off body of a dead, frozen officer. The body floated through space and as the shuttle flew towards it, Kirbley kept tracking it with his eyes.
This is what war does, raining bodies everywhere. Not even space is free.
He kept tracking the dead officer with his eyes until they flew past it, disappearing in the cockpit's blind spot. He felt a shiver down his spine as he looked back at the backrest of the captain in front of him, trying to shove aside the image he had just seen. Suffocating and freezing in space was a horrible way to die, and Kirbley couldn't imagine what the officer thought when his last seconds ticked away.
''Found the signal,'' said the captain suddenly.
The captain looked back at his control screen, leaned forward and tapped a button, opening the comm channel. He sat back and tapped on his headset, pressing it closer to his ears.
''Eagleclaw Flight Control, this is PC-446, do you copy, over?''
Kirbley looked up at the captain as he watched him talking over the radio.
''Understood, vector 878 to Centax and maintaining speed,'' said the captain. ''We should see you soon,'' and he turned his head to his first officer. ''878, maintain speed.''
''Affirmative,'' replied the first officer.
He pulled the yoke towards himself and Kirbley felt himself pushed into his seat. He felt the shuttle rapidly climbing, rising higher and higher and he wondered why. Looking out of the cockpit window, he saw nothing straight ahead, and he wondered what they were evading.
Suddenly, a massive, dead-grey structure appeared as the light of nearby stars flooded it with a yellow-white hue. His eyes were drawn to it and he noticed two, spherical domes. They were deflector shields, blown up with force with rods of steel sticking out of them and torn open from the inside. As they flew further, Kirbley recognised the structure as the bridge of a Star Destroyer. He noticed it was filled with cracks and holes and it seemed like the Star Destroyer was directly hit by the flaming debris of the Death Star when it exploded. The totalled wreckage of the Star Destroyer hypnotised him as he felt an eerie vibe flooding him. He tracked the bridge with his eyes, and he could sense death that resided within the wreckage as it was probably filled with the bodies of the crew, unable to make it out in time until the Death Star got them. The shuttle flew on and shrieked past the bridge, and Kirbley's eyes immediately fell on other Star Destroyers standing in line next to the wreckage. With his heart pounding with shock, Kirbley realised that the first Star Destroyer he saw was part of a large row of other destroyers that were totally wrecked by the Death Star explosion. Not just one Star Destroyer was fatally wounded. An entire fleet was destroyed. Some Star Destroyers were even missing their entire bridge. It was a shocking sight to see.
Kirbley shifted his head and his eyes fell on a Class-4 container ship steering through the debris field. It flew past the sharp noses of the Star Destroyers with searchlights scanning the field. Spacetroopers flew out of one of the open containers with jetpacks and they flew to a wrecked TIE Fighter. He saw it was missing one of its wings and the cockpit was cracked, and as they flew by, Kirbley saw a spacetrooper holding a blowtorch and cutting through the cockpit window. The bright sparks whirled away like a rain of fire, and before they disappeared out of view, Kirbley saw the TIE pilot floating out of his cockpit and grasping the spacetrooper who freed him, tightly clinging to him with shaking hands. It made clear that not even the elite pilots of the Navy could withstand such a cataclysmic event, a disaster no one experienced.
It must've been scary for that pilot to float aimlessly through the void of space without a way to escape. He must've lost all hope.
Suddenly, the captain pointed out with his finger. ''Visual on the Eagleclaw.''
Kirbley shifted his head and his eyes landed on a bright Star Destroyer, flying like a dagger through space. That was his father's ship, and the two symbols on the belly confirmed it as it carried the Eagleclaw insignia. It was a sea-blue pentagon shape with claws of the Song Eagle, a subspecies of Coruscant's Song Sparrow. It featured three claws piercing the blue pentagon, indicating the Eagleclaw's power. It was flying in a straight line and passed a Class-4 freighter that was pulling a wrecked Star Destroyer to be parked in the row of other wrecked Destroyers.
''Watch out for those chunks,'' pointed out the captain.
The debris floating around obstructed their flight path towards the Eagleclaw and Kirbley could see them flickering in the light. The first officer saw them too and gently moved the yoke, steering away from the chunks of debris they would otherwise crash into. Kirbley felt his weight shifting through his body as the first officer steered the shuttle sharply away from the debris. He grasped the handgrip at the back of the captain's backrest to keep himself on his seat. The shuttle flew below the belly of the Star Destroyer so close Kirbley could see every bit of detail. Turrets, viewports, sensors, searchlights, airlocks, and everything else he couldn't identify. They approached the massive hangar bay and as they decreased their speed, the shuttle slowly flew into the hangar bay from below. The captain reached out for the control panel and pulled down a lever, followed by the sound of machinery below them. It was the landing gear, and as they landed, Kirbley felt the shuttle shaking as the landing gear touched the floor. While the pilots shut down the systems manually, following a tight post-landing procedure, Kirbley gazed out of the cockpit. TIE Fighters stood on the floor with stairs giving them access, Stormtroopers walked around, and mechanics worked on the craft to keep them operable. He felt his heart racing in his chest. It was the presence of the military that made him nervous. He shouldn't be here and he felt out of place. He was not someone who supported the Empire's war effort, but his father did. He was in charge of the Eagleclaw and it was time to meet him. He didn't feel fond of it, but he said he was coming.
''Your father is in the office.''
Kirbley held his suitcase in his hand as he walked through the corridors of the Eagleclaw. He was led by an Imperial officer through the ship and he passed many officers. Kirbley's white uniform stood out amidst the grey, naval uniforms that kept the Star Destroyer running and battle-ready.
''He's in a mood,'' said the officer.
Kirbley nodded. He knew what he meant. Whenever Racing Point lost the podracing grandprix of Corellia due to a crash or something else, his father experienced some sort of blockade in his mind. He wasn't upset, disappointed or anything else. His mood was simply 'down'.
''I know what you mean,'' said Kirbley.
The officer led him to the private offices of the Star Destroyer which high-ranking officers used to do their administrative jobs or to cool down from the heated moments that sometimes transpired within the ship. As the door opened in front of him, Kirbley's eyes landed on his father, sitting in his chair behind a grey desk. He immediately stood up.
''Son,'' he said, and his chair slid back.
Directly behind him was a big, rectangular window with round edges. It showed a minuscule part of the entire debris field the Death Star left behind, and his father's dark grey outfit blended in with the rest of his room. Everything was as grey as the rest of the civil war.
Almost a thin smile formed on Kirbley's face as he entered the room. It was nice to see his father again after so long because of their different jobs, but he didn't feel fond of what was coming.
''Hello, Father,'' he greeted.
His father walked around his grey desk sitting at the end of his office room. The ceiling light cast a white ray of light down on the floor,
''Greetings,'' he said. ''It's been a long time since we've seen each other again.''
Kirbley nodded. He approached a pair of chairs in the middle of the room and put his suitcase on one of them. The officer walked into the room as well and stood next to the door, waiting for additional orders.
''How are you doing?'' his father asked, meeting Kirbley in the center of the room.
He was a man nearing his retirement age, but his fighting spirit never aged, and Kirbley could see his father was still the same man. He knew from his own observations on patients that war was able to change the toughest men in the galaxy, from soldiers who dared to face death in the face to unstable people when they stood in the trenches of Mimban. The Clone Wars had more than enough of those instances, and he knew that the Galactic Civil War wasn't any different. So, he felt a little happy that his father remained himself.
''I'm fine,'' Kirbley replied. ''Until you pulled out of my class. For the first time, my students were actually interested in what I had to teach them.''
Father chuckled as he approached his son. ''My apologies, maybe I should work on my timing. Hey, sit down if you'd like.''
Kirbley nodded with a thin smile and sat on the chair. He put his suitcase on the floor next to his chair as his father turned to the officer.
''Captain Carter, leave us alone,'' his father ordered, and the officer nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.
His father sat down on the other visitor's chair next to him. They were alone in the room except for the occasional hums of the ventilation inlets above him.
''Kirbley, you'd like something to drink?'' he asked as he sat down.
Kirbley shook his head. ''No, thanks. Must be a heavy topic we'll be talking about.''
A smile formed on Father's face, but Kirbley noticed it was one of discomfort. There was something that made his Father feel uneasy, and he saw it in his smile that quickly vanished.
''I'm afraid it is,'' he replied, and he let out a sigh of unease. ''How do you feel about the Empire?''
Great introduction to the actual topic, father.
Kirbley exhaled deeply through his nose and put his finger on the armrest of his chair. The nervousness crept in on him as he knew that his feelings about the Empire and the war weren't in line with those of his father. But it was his father he was speaking to. It gave him more room to speak freely about the Empire, so he spoke.
''Admittedly, I'm not an avid supporter of the Empire,'' Kirbley responded. ''The Empire has a great idea of how to operate, how to rule the galaxy, but the way it's enforced is something that I'm not supporting. Absolute security is a great idea and I stand by it, but enforcing it through terror to keep them all in line with the Empire is not what I support. On the other side, the rebellion has key figures that aren't shy of implementing terror as well.''
''Saw Gerrera and Anto Kreegyr?'' his father asked.
''Yes,'' Kirbley replied. ''The Rebel Alliance isn't a friendly side either, considering the many attacks on military targets in the middle of civilian areas. They also want to bring back the Republic that was cracked from the point it was created. Authority wasn't centralised, the political system was too slow and corruption was everywhere within the Republic. It was inefficient and blind. The Empire is an improvement of what preceded it, despite its flaws.''
His father nodded. ''So, not much of an admirer of the Imperial ideology.''
Kirbley shook his head. ''Nope. I still haven't changed.''
His father let out a short chuckle. ''Perhaps, it is time to change.''
Kirbley let out a sigh. Okay, so this is where we're going.
''How so?'' he asked, tilting his head with intrigue.
His father leaned a bit forward on his seat. ''You said it yourself. The Rebel Alliance wants a new Republic that is just as broken as the earlier one, returning back to the past rather than moving forward. The Rebel Alliance is a terrorist movement that undermines the security and safety of the Empire and the people who are loyal to it.''
It seemed like his father was aware that not everyone who lived under the reign of the Empire was loyal to it. No mind was alike and each had a different view on what was good and bad. It was the terror that kept them quiet so the true believers could shout their allegiance. His father seemed to know that not everyone felt fond of the Empire.
''The Empire has promised peace and stability through order and security,'' he said, ''but we are losing our ground and we have been for nearly 4 years. It is clear that our current troops are unable to maintain what the galaxy needs. There have been weapon projects to develop all kinds of new technology to aid our troopers. Grand Admiral Thrawn's TIE Defender, Orson Krennic's Stardust, Tiber Saxon's walking Arc cannon, they have all been developed to aid our troopers in keeping the peace, but it is slowly becoming evident that they do not work. We've been upgrading technology for decades and the Navy has become the most innovative branch of the whole military, yet what we've been neglecting are our troopers themselves. Rebel troops are becoming stronger in flexibility, insight and firepower, while our Stormtroopers still follow their training that has already become obsolete. And there are many incidents that prove it. Aldhani, Steergard, Lothal, Fortress Inquisitorius, 2716, Jedha, Scarif, all incidents that prove our Stormtroopers need better training instead of better technology.''
He leaned back against his chair's backrest and clenches his fists together.
''Sadly, there is no such program and only small adjustments happen at the Academy, and the Imperial Army, the Stormtrooper Corps and High Command have no plans whatsoever. I usually stay out of experimental programs like these to upgrade the troopers of the Eagleclaw Fleet with the limited funding I have from High Command. But when the Death Star exploded, I changed my mind faster than it blew up. The security that is slowly wearing off is becoming more evident, and now we have to pay for it. Millions of Imperial officers aboard the Death Star have been wiped out because we've been hypnotised too much by fancy, sparklingly new technology.''
Kirbley cleared his throat. ''But-, the creation of the Death Star is what got them killed in the first place, isn't it? If I was a Rebel and knew a million soldiers were serving aboard a single space station, I would've done the same.''
''I know what you're thinking and I agree,'' said his father, nodding. ''Stardust was a mistake and we now have to pay for it. We like to call it Tarkin's Stupidity since the money spent on the Death Star should've been used for upgrading existing naval forces. However, it's not just the Death Star that is the problem. It's security and it's slowly wearing off. Our Stormtroopers need better training to better secure our military stations and the people we protect. I have a plan on the table to improve our troops. This plan will put the Rebel Alliance in a tight corner, but I don't have the knowledge about human psychology this plan so heavily requires.''
Then, Kirbley realised why he wanted him here and why his father wanted him to change. It was because he needed him. He pulled Kirbley out of his class, had him travel from Pantora to an Imperial checkpoint of the Navy somewhere in Bothan Space, and had his shuttle nearly crash into the Death Star because his father wanted him on his side. Kirbley felt his heart speeding up with frustration as he raised his eyebrows.
''You wanted to ask me to work for you?'' he asked.
His father nodded. This is why he was so uneasy in the beginning. This is why Kirbley saw the discomfort in his father's eyes because he asked him to do what felt unnatural.
''So this is why you wanted me here,'' Kirbley said. ''You want me to work for the Navy.''
''That is correct,'' his father replied. ''I know it's against your feelings, but I hope you can put them aside for the greater good.''
''Against my feelings?'' Kirbley asked. ''Father, I swore every day and night that I would never join the military. I know you're working for the Navy to maintain security and order, but all I see is bloodshed from both sides.''
His father suddenly stood up from his chair and walked towards him. He bent down and looked Kirbley closer in the eyes.
''Son, the war continues to escalate and we need every hand to keep the peace in our hands.''
Kirbley stood up as well, forcing his father to step back with the frustration brewing within him.
''Father, you wanted me to follow your footsteps into the Navy, but I didn't want to. I chose to become a scientist, to research life because I don't want to be part of the bloodshed. I want to do something good, something everyone can profit from, no matter their political taste. I want to bring more knowledge to the galaxy, to teach our children what they can and can't do with their brains. I speak, I stand in front of class when they ask me to, but I don't stand here to help any military machine. I want to help people, not kill them. And you got so many other scientists who I think are jumping to join a fleet admiral in his works, but instead, you asked me.''
Father turned his head to the window behind his metal desk and pushed his son towards it.
''Son, look out of the window,'' he said, pushing Kirbley towards the window. ''What do you see?''
Kirbley followed his father to the window with reluctance and looked through the thick glass. As he gazed, he saw millions of pieces of debris floating around, the remains of the Death Star that had to enforce security and order through sheer terror. But Kirbley saw something else, and as an Imperial civilian, he couldn't stop himself from complaining about it.
''My tax money,'' Kirbley spat out, shifting his head to his father. ''That's what I see, my tax money wasted on a new weapon.''
He knew from the stories his father told him years ago that the Death Star cost more money than an entire star system. Extract the raw resources from fifty planets and sell it for high prices and you still wouldn't even have a percent of the entire construction costs of the Death Star. The amount of Credits that now floated before his eyes through the void could've been distributed to many other things that could truly benefit the people of the Empire. Healthcare, education, public transit, high costs in supermarkets, inflation. Kirbley thought it was a disservice to the people of the Empire that their tax money was spent this way.
His father let out a sigh. Kirbley could see he agreed with what he said, but it wasn't the only thing he could see that was floating around.
''Not just tax money,'' his father said. ''This is a sign of what's to come - all-out war. The Clone Wars was the last one and we'll be thrown into a new one very soon. If there's one thing that harms the people, it's full-scale galactic war and we're on the brink of it. If our Stormtroopers are unable to protect the people and our installations from Rebel insurgents, we need to act quickly to upgrade their capabilities to fight the new all-out war, and I need your help.''
''My help to shed blood?'' Kirbley asked, his lips pressed together.
''The people need to feel assured that they're safe,'' his father replied.
Kirbley scoffed. ''Father, who are you fighting for? The people or the Emperor?''
''I've sworn my allegiance to the Emperor. I do what he says, but whenever I can, I fight for the people who make our blasters and assemble our TIE Fighters,'' he replied. ''I fight for the people of the Empire. They need security, and I want your cooperation. Please, son, give us a helping hand, the people need it. And it's not just them who need it. You need it too.''
''Father, I'm an innocent civilian working for my well-deserved money,'' Kirbley replied. ''I live on Coruscant, when do you think my life will ever be at risk?''
Father looked away and gazed at the debris field floating outside the window. Kirbley could still see the unease in his eyes as the flickering debris reflected in his eyes, and his father let out a sigh.
''You know what I do, right?'' he asked, the discomfort brewing in his eyes as he looked around at him.
Kirbley nodded. ''Of course, I do, you're in charge of a naval fleet.''
His father nodded too. ''Then you know the danger I am in. When High Command mobilises all the Imperial forces, the Rebel Alliance will be put in a corner that gets tighter each day. I am a highly-ranked officer in the Navy, and soon enough, they'll come after me to plot their next act of terrorism against the Empire and its people.''
Kirbley looked away and gazed into the void with frustration. He couldn't bear what his father told him. He knew he tried to get him over the line, but he didn't want any of it. The lecture his father gave him made him want to bolt out of the door and leave his ship, but he decided to stay. As a psychologist, he couldn't turn away his listening ear from his own father, so he stood and let his father speak, but each word made his frustration rise all the more.
''I'll never let any bit of information get out of my mouth when they got me, and I'll kill myself when they ask me any question,'' continued his father. ''They'll come after you and get the intel they need this way.''
Kirbley turned his head to him and scoffed. ''Father, do you even listen to what you're actually saying? You think they're sadistic demons, ready to torture a civilian at any moment. I am convinced they're not or else they wouldn't have had people to support them anyway.''
''Son, look at what's happening,'' his father said. ''The Rebel Alliance is a terrorist movement growing bigger every day. They're a threat to all of us, even to the son of an admiral.''
''Then again, why do you need me?'' Kirbley asked. ''I am the least likely person in the galaxy to work for the military.''
''I asked you because you're safer with me. I couldn't bear to see you being tortured by the Rebels from the afterlife.''
''Father, I told you I would never work for the Imperial war machine. Stop trying to convince me and ask someone else.''
He almost started to shout at his father, but before he could, Kirbley caught himself and looked away from his father into the starfield. He put his fist on the wall and let out a sigh, trying to relieve the frustration out of his body, but it brewed too much within him. He couldn't believe his father was asking him to do what he had sworn to never do. At the time he studied at school like any other teenager, he wanted to look away from the glory of the Imperial military. He couldn't handle the bloodshed, even when it was for something good such as the safety of the people. He understood the soldiers were fighting for something they believed was right, but Kirbley couldn't stand being one of them. He couldn't raise a blaster and aim at an enemy insurgent. He couldn't see himself doing it, because he believed enforcing security and order through terror was wrong. What the Empire tried to achieve was right, but their methods were wrong. He didn't want to be a part of that, so he had sworn to never follow his father in his footsteps and decided to become a psychologist, to study the human brain to propel knowledge and education. He didn't like sitting at a desk writing resumes and scientific reports, but sitting with a blaster in his hand would be his sin. He would never work for a war machine, but now, his father tried to get him over the line. He wanted to get him to work for the Imperial war machine. It made his blood boil with frustration, but before it could scorch him, Kirbley turned away from the window and stepped away. He needed space to cool down his mind. He couldn't bear standing here with his father.
''I need to get out of here,'' Kirbley said, and without a glance at his father, he turned away and bolted towards the door.
He left his father behind, grasped his suitcase from the floor and walked towards the door. He tapped on the button, but the door wouldn't open. He pressed again, pushing his thumb with force into it, but it wouldn't work. He then realised his father trapped him here, in his room. He leaned with his hand on the locked door as he felt his anger rising in his chest. He needed some space so much but his father wasn't letting him go and it made his frustration rise all the more. But he knew he couldn't let his decisions be clouded by emotions. He couldn't let it steer him, so Kirbley raised his chest and took deep breaths to cool his mind. While he did so, he heard his father walking towards him.
''Please, Kirbley, let me speak,'' he said.
Kirbley didn't say anything, but in his mind, he let him talk. It was better than telling him to shut his mouth, so he turned around to his father to hear what else he had to say.
''The Rebels aren't sadistic demons, you're right about that,'' he said. ''What they are is desperate. The Alliance is a minority, and they'll do everything they can to gather intel. I assume you know how risky desperation can be.''
Kirbley gazed at the steel door in front of him. His father was right. As a psychologist, he understood how desperation can steer a person's mind into chaos. There was a police report he read at his desk about a student whose dream was to become the best Stormtrooper of the Empire. He thought the Academy was too slow so he took things into his own hands. A few weeks later, he got himself killed in a mishap with a blaster. Desperation was a true trickster. At times, it could get dangerous, and although it was pretty harmless in casual scenarios, desperation could be a risk to everyone in war. He had no doubt the Rebel Alliance was desperate too. A cornered hound makes strange leaps, they said. A cornered rebel movement would do everything to get out of it. They'd stumble upon his father, the admiral of the Eagleclaw Fleet. According to protocols, his father would take his own life to protect intel, but being the father he was, Kirbley knew some of the information too. They'd find him, manipulate him to exceed his limits to make him answer because he was the son of an admiral. He was the only civilian in the galaxy who knew about the Death Star, and there was no other person who knew it. Kirbley realised he was a valuable target for the Rebels, even when he was just a civilian taking the train each day on Coruscant to get to his work. The chance that really happened was small, but Kirbley felt it wasn't small enough. The realisation suddenly crept in on him and he felt the fear rushing through his veins. The atmosphere felt suffocating as Kirbley stood before a pathway he didn't want to follow. It felt heavy on his chest.
''Then you know the danger you are in,'' his father said.
And he did. He held information he would know when his father would take his life. Though there were many others who knew military information, Kirbley understood he was an easy target. He was a sitting Mynock in the cavern of the Krayt Dragon. The Rebel Alliance was desperate, and they wouldn't let an easy target drift away. He was in danger too. Only the military could protect him. Only his father could. He had to take his father's offer and help him with his plan to improve the elite soldiers of the Empire. He already understood that it would make the people of the Empire feel more safe, but now he understood it would protect him and his father better than before. It felt strangling to do something he had sworn to never do. He wanted to stay away from his father to never be involved in the bloodshed of the Galactic Civil War. However, he figured he had no other choice. Staying away wasn't an option. The war didn't stay away either, and its risks stepped towards him instead. He had to take his father's offer. He had no other choice.
Kirbley slammed his fist on the wall and let out a sigh. He faced a decision he didn't want to make, but he figured it was fate that made the decision. It was made for him. With his heart pounding, he reluctantly turned around to his father with the frustration in his chest and he took a deep breath to form the words he didn't want to say.
''I'll cooperate,'' Kirbley stammered.
There was no other choice. He had to.
A thin smile formed on the face of his father now that he convinced his son to change for the greater good of the Empire.
''So, this plan needs my help in the field of psychology?'' Kirbley asked. ''Then what do you got?''
''Night Force,'' Father replied. ''The night of the war has fallen and soon we'll wake up with the Rebel Alliance shattered in pieces and a galaxy in peace. I call it, the Night Force Program. The next phase of Academy training of soldiers on the frontlines.''