The Borderland Of The Expansion Region And The Mid Rim, Wayland System
The small fleet of the Aligment of Powers continued to orbit over their most important planet in this system, Wayland. A planet that, looking through the porthole, still reminded the Lord Regent remarkably of his former home, or rather the home of the being he once was.
In the past, or perhaps in the future or in a parallel reality, it doesn't matter much. The fact is, however, that what was had gone forever, but what remains here and now in its place? Lanz thought while aboard his chosen personal Lambda shuttle Trojan as he landed on the planet's surface accompanied by several Death Troopers. I feel that my survival instinct has been more or less saturated, and yet how can I continue when the path forward is so uncertain? If it weren't for the presence of other ambitious individuals, the specter of war and opportunity, I would probably continue to obey the Emperor's orders. Following orders is simple and there is something pleasant about it, standing at the top of social and political structures, especially with full awareness of responsibility, is simply difficult.
He didn't need any intelligent conclusion to know this, he simply felt it, almost instinctively, that any sane person must have felt on their back or shoulders the burden of power and the resulting responsibility for others. Especially those who serve me, who are ready to give their lives for me. However, how do I go through this life. Theoretically, I could destroy the Imperial Remnants from within in favor of restoring liberal democracy, but what good would that do?
His thoughts turned to these issues and he felt almost instinctively that this was not something he should pursue. I saw how the system that should bring people the greatest happiness, peace, freedom and security began to slowly degenerate into a mindless dictatorship of the majority. The only thing that started to matter was who would give more to ordinary people, often uninterested in state affairs.
At this, he felt a great need to chuckle as a slightly random, but still, thought appeared in his head. At the time of my death, was the liberal world of the broadly understood West at the same point in time as the Old Republic before the Clone Wars and its transformation into the Galactic Empire? Well, isn't the time when institutions and the entire system simply stop working the best moment for the birth of dictatorships and the rise of populists, ready to pour out simple answers from their mouths, vodka giving relief to the aching hearts of souls looking for simple and uncomplicated answers? Doesn't this whole cycle, one great circus, tend to repeat itself constantly, as if in one senseless loop? Isn't it better to just end it, cut this Gordian knot and annihilate everything so that not even ash remains?
Lanz shook his head, trying to forget what he had just thought. Never mind. I must not think this way.
He decided to tap into the Force through his power and natural talent, but without seeking comfort or peace. He reached out to the Force, demanding obedience and a response to his call, which came much faster and easier than expected.
The Dark Side of the Force, that sweet call that promises the unfettered ability to impose my will on others and destroy my enemies, while remaining untouchable myself. Words making prophecies of conquest to the ends of the universe and influencing beings and the environment. Lanz easily recognized this sweet call every time, with some difficulty at first, and after some time and getting used to it, without any major complications or doubts. And yet, how can I submit to something that would fundamentally suppress my individuality, everything that I am as a person. Even if the memories of what I once was are becoming more and more blurred into one. Even though everything I was and what surrounded me seems more and more like a distant and unrealistic dream, I refuse to surrender to any power that rules the universe. How much would my life be worth if I rejected my individuality? Wouldn't I just become a slave of circumstances and surroundings, and fate would actually become binding on me?
The more he thought, the more he tried to stimulate his thoughts to arrive at any sensible answer, the more questions and doubts began to plague his mind. It was as if reality and his own mind denied him even a hint of explanation, even a measly and small spark that could simply show him the way to something more. How long will I have to ponder and, in the process, lose my mind, go crazy and mentally destabilize, before I finally reach any desired, sensible conclusion?
He felt that his head was slowly starting to hurt, so he decided to use one of the meditation techniques known to the former owner of this body, which allowed him to find temporary peace, so that he could focus on his current problems. Speaking of which.
Soon, the commander of the death troopers present here, Lieutenant Hort, approached the seat on Lanz where he was sitting. "Lord Inquisitor, we will soon land on a planet near a specially prepared zone."
Lanz even smiled under his helmet, looking forward to exploring and seeing a planet so similar to his old world. "Good, is Commander Tagge already on the planet?"
"No, my lord, the Commander is flying her shuttle in parallel with us, so the pilots estimate that we will land at approximately the same time. Irony, sir."
"Clearly." Lanz muttered with mild amusement. "Fate or something else, it doesn't matter what exactly."
"If you say so, my lord." The elite stormtrooper didn't seem inclined to argue or openly disagree with his superior.
For this reason, Lanz decided to move on to other topics. "Are Captain Yang or Major Kolotay reporting any changes on the surface?"
"No, so far the construction of a base near the target is going quite smoothly and without complications, even though the local fauna is not the most friendly to them. They lost several people, but appropriate safety procedures were implemented. Additionally, no traces of intelligent life have been found on the surface, apart from the remains of the former research complex at Mount Tantiss."
Intelligent life forms. Lanz was well aware that it was quite an ambiguous word within the imperial vocabulary. This could mean either a virtual lack of civilization or living, culturally developed creatures, or simply the classification of the natives as primitive savages. However, the Lord Regent was much more inclined towards the first option, because his people had already become accustomed to the fact that he expected them to answer in accordance with the facts.
"Well, have any remains of intelligent life been found?"
Lieutenant Hort nodded. "Just some ruined and apparently abandoned laboratory for many years, but nothing of value was found there. Other than that, nothing."
"It's unfortunate, but it was to be expected." Lanz wasn't really surprised by this.
"My lord, what exactly should we expect in that place?" Lieutenant Hort asked him, and although the modulators suppressed at least some of the emotion in the tone of his voice, Lanz still had the Force.
"You are yet another person who asks me this, and I can only answer one thing, and that is always that I don't know." Came his honest answer. "It could be anything, especially when it comes to the security of this facility, but what exactly is an even more uncertain question."
Out of pure curiosity, I ordered a thorough scan of the planet from orbit, but any examination of the object in this way was disrupted. Lanz recalled one of his last orders the day he arrived on the planet. Still, it was worth trying.
Soon, the Trojan shuttle landed on the planet and Lanz and his guard left the deck, only to be greeted by the sight of a lush planet as he watched through the viewfinder. The jungle forests were a sight more than pleasant to his eyes. In particular, his attention was drawn to various types of trees that were easily larger than anything he remembered from his old life.
After all, even though he had already personally killed many people, indirectly or otherwise, tears began to appear in his eyes, small and small, but still. How long has it been since I was last on the surface in such a natural environment without the interference of intelligent beings? It's just beautiful, others in my old world secretly longed to reach for the stars and see the wonders of the universe with their own eyes. I was one of them myself, and yet now, after exploring all these memories of the previous owner of the body, I enjoy seeing the wonders of the planets much more. Plus, fresh air…
Lanz couldn't hold back or suppress the urge to take off his helmet and thus expose his face enough to be touched by the wind and clean air that then seemed to flood his nostrils. For a moment he had the impression that he would start crying, partly from happiness and partly from the loss of his home, even if he was extremely disappointed with his previous life and a world that was simply decaying in his eyes and might as well burn to end the agony and meaninglessness of existence. that humanity.
He, as a Force user, tapped into this energy, which very quickly gave him the ability to literally feel everything living, at least within the next few hundred kilometers, but exact determination was not possible and Lanz could at best have more or less overlapping thoughts on the subject. the actual state of feeling. Despite everything, he did not trust this aspect of obtaining information, his previous experience and his trust above all in his own mind still influenced him despite the inquisitor's memories and experiences.
He wanted to indulge in these pleasant feelings and become at least partially one with the nature surrounding him on all sides, this natural aspect that intelligent life forms have partially lost with the development of their civilizations and technologies. It was sort of inevitable. Just like the departure from the typically Athenian, direct and total democracy, towards a direct, liberal one.
He was pulled out of his thoughts and admiration for the beauty of Wayland by a feminine and clearly modified voice.
"Lord Regent, the area leading to the gate has been secured and scouts have still found nothing." Adela reported to him, which on the one hand brought him back to reality, and on the other made him put his helmet back on.
"Then lead the way, Commander, we don't have all day." Lanz said bluntly and moved towards her, surrounded by his trusted guards.
At this point, the Force user noticed several dozen soldiers present in the area, although this affiliation was more than questionable. In fact, they were beyond any doubt ASB commandos, wearing black uniforms and armor made of durasteel, tinted black, with helmets and masks giving them anonymity.
Without further thought, Lanz accelerated and soon, after passing through a small and makeshift base with numerous tents and walkers that were currently unused, he reached his destination.
It was at the foot of one of the great mountains on the planet, covered with greenery and probably half of the local vegetation.
In front of the durasteel gates, at least 20 meters wide and slightly covered with moss, there was a mixture of several hundred stormtroopers, death troopers and commandos, equal in number to the companies. They all gave way to the Lord Regent and his attendants. Lanz could easily sense the respect emanating from most of them.
To most, two ASB commandos caught his attention briefly, it was clearly a man and a woman. They stood side by side, nervous, their concerns directed towards the Lord Regent. However, he, unable to read much of it and not sensing any great danger to himself, decided to ignore it and moved on, straight to his destination.
Right at the gate, Captain Yang was waiting for him, accompanied by 8 other death troopers.
"My lord, the area has been secured in accordance with your orders and Major Kolotay is still supervising reconnaissance operations and mapping of the next 20 kilometers, using some of the commandos for this purpose." The commander of the elite stormtroopers reported obediently as soon as he saw the Lord Regent on the horizon. "As for this location, despite our best efforts, we have not been able to find a console or at least a terminal that would allow us to open the gate. On the other hand, direct infrared scans indicated a quite significant number of concentrated heat sources. In addition, we managed to detect signatures indicating the presence of electronics."
Receiving no response, the Captain continued. "Should we start unloading the mining equipment to force our way in?"
Only then did Lanz decide to answer, and with that he moved to get closer to the object that - at least as the stimuli flowing directly from the Force seemed to tell him - could show him the direction he could strive for in life. A star shining so clearly in the starry space that he would never lose sight of it. The star that pointed and determined his journey through this seemingly endless void.
"There is no need, as this is not something that either of you could open on your own and using this type of equipment would be, so to speak, gross overkill." The lack of a terminal that would allow opening means only one thing in this case. "I will take care of it personally."
"With all due respect, but how?" In this case, the question was asked by Adela, whose modified voice still showed clear signs of amusement or mockery, which affected everyone present.
Now it's a matter of respect among my people, I can't fail, not now. Lanz wasn't angry, but rather amused by her boldness and confused, because influencing physical objects more precisely, apart from primitive thrusts, was not his specialty and he found it very difficult. Nevertheless, now I have to take up this challenge, because what kind of leader would I be without authority?
The young adult took a breath, trying to fully concentrate as soon as he stood directly in front of the great gates. Then his hands were shaped by him into a position pointing at the thick layer of durasteel and at the same time his fingers were extended forward. When he thought he had concentrated enough energy, he tried to force the order to move.
Lanz opened his eyes, and not seeing any significant results, he decided to close his eyes once again and devote himself fully to concentration on one and the same order, to move the large gates. Not hearing anything, thus not causing any effects, and even less not feeling that his actions had any effect, Lanz decided to try again, which took him about 2 minutes in total.
By this time he had already become frustrated with the lack of visible or any effects of the effort, which was slowly starting to burden him physically. To third parties it seemed certain that he would be unable to accomplish anything, and Lanz himself had visions of ridicule about him in his head, which irritated him even more. But then, and to his great surprise, he began to feel, but not other beings or living organisms on the planet. Instead, he seemed to connect with something metallic, cold, and he felt it so much that it made him shiver.
What is this? The Force User wasn't sure what he was currently dealing with, all he knew was that it was some kind of metallic surface or object, it took him a few seconds to connect the dots. So I started investigating this great gate? Well, I expected something much simpler, and yet I should have been aware that using the Force, especially these unknown techniques, would not be that simple.
Focusing once again on what is important, the durasteel gate to the complex. As he moved around mentally and tried to find distinctions or features, after some time he began to notice something different, empty space and mechanisms, which he then correctly identified as gate locks, latches and internal mechanisms. A total of 3 gate locks and all similar but different in details.
Lanz, however, was unable to precisely define these details or at least indicate the shapes. But he knew they were there. He knew he had to move them to unlock the passage to get to Emperor Palpatine's secrets. To the power of this man, or at least a measly fraction, which for someone not very skilled in the Force - at least compared to powerful names like Bane or Tyranus - could mean a great increase in power.
Lanz tried to make movements and manipulate the position of the mechanisms, but it did not bring results for a long time. Slowly, however, he began to realize that he did not actually understand the exact specifications of the lock, and any attempt to understand the complex mechanism yielded nothing. It's like there's a system and yet there isn't. However, this was only one of the problems, because navigation also did not go as he would have liked.
Seeing no other option that could bring him any positive results at this point, he decided to stop trying to understand what he had to work with. This is one of those moments, I think, when reason fails and there is nothing else to do but rely on the feelings and stimuli coming from the environment and let them guide us, while we ourselves are more or less aware of it.
You'd like to think that when he thought, he did, but it's not that simple. Relying on the stimuli coming from the Force and letting them guide his actions. Years, especially youth, early socialization and learning to walk or talk, years of learning to consciously use those parts of the body that the individual could control, left their mark on it and made it impossible. At least for a while, because Lanz finally, after quite a long meditation, finally managed to rely on his own instincts and premonitions, on stimuli from the Force that led him to the desired result.
Lanz became partially aware of reality, for at least some of it came back to him, and he saw and heard the metal mechanisms begin to move, bang, and locks click. The movements and resulting vibrations were so strong that the rocks began to crumble and smaller or larger pebbles fell to the ground.
Eventually, however, the locks were unlocked, and Lanz could, consciously and using his still small but still ability to influence matter, start opening the large door, which began to part with the sound of metal scraping loudly against metal.
Finally, I had overcome the first major obstacle. Then, his senses turned to the men and women gathered behind him. They are afraid of something they don't understand and honestly don't need to understand or know much about it. All they have to do is simply follow orders.
Finally, after many minutes of struggling with one particular object standing in his way, Lanz managed to open the gate enough that he could easily get inside enough for the squad to enter quickly, and on the other side for the light to illuminate the beginning of the corridor, which from the Lord Regent's current point of view, seemed to go on forever. No matter what, I need to really commit to my telekinesis training, and commit thoroughly. Although this time I managed to complete it and bring it to fruition, there is no guarantee that in the future, under similar or similar circumstances, I will have the same amount of time or the same freedom of action.
Lanz turned around, only to see Yang and Adela, the latter of whom was distinguished from the other commandos by the red paint on her left shoulder pad. Their helmets did not reveal their facial expressions, but the information reaching the Lord Regent from the Force gave him quite specific information on this subject.
"Captain, Commander, we are going inside, but not all of us and definitely not at once." Lanz spoke to them firmly, determined to bring this escapade to an end as quickly as possible. "There can't be too many of us there, there must be a maximum of 30 of us in total and if the ASB commandos are really that effective, they should be the majority."
"My lord, with all due respect, I suggest we all move at once." Adela then came up with a counter-proposal. "In a group like this, we will be vulnerable to attack if this place has organic security guards or even droids. I won't even mention the time when something attacked us from behind."
Perhaps, however... In this case, Lanz had no intention of relenting. "if more than 100 men and women were to move inward in one rush, we would not only be exposed to the probability of higher casualties against the unknown. If I have to choose potentially between greater risk for myself and greater risk for high losses for my people, the choice becomes more than obvious.
No one responded to his words, only a short selection began. It didn't take long until the right group was gathered. Lanz, Captain Yang and Adela, 9 death troopers, and 18 commandos. It wasn't much, but it had to be enough for this action.
After giving appropriate orders to Lieutenant Horta to send another unit inside after 20 minutes, Lanz moved into the dark space, which was illuminated only by his lightsaber and the flashlights attached to his subordinates' blasters.
They walked through the dark corridor for some time until the walls and ceiling began to expand with each step. Their only company was the echoing footsteps until...
"Attention, prepare your weapon, someone is approaching!" Lanz detected living creatures, or rather, information about their presence was provided to him by their willingness to murder the intruders. "They are close!"
He himself took up a defensive position in Form III, but to his surprise, the commandos and elite stormtroopers did not react quickly, and some of them paid the price very quickly.
In the dim red light, but at the same time more than enough, Lanz saw one of the attackers rush violently, quickly and agilely at the two commandos, followed his example by two others, and soon both Adela's men were literally being torn apart.
Lanz could then - at least to a limited extent - look at the defender of the complex. They were tall and powerfully built males, most likely of the human species, in light and partial armor, and their weapons were claws that were an integral part of the gloves. The faces, however, were covered by masks, obviously based on the image of an animal.
These guards had no mercy, as they started digging their claws into both captured commandos almost immediately. It was more like the way wild animals handle their prey. They stabbed the commandos in their chests with such ease and intensity that Lanz concluded they must have been vibroblades, and as a result, the intestines, lungs, and other intestines of both unfortunate men were ripped out. The arms and legs were also torn off, causing pain-filled agony.
"Shoot at will, idiots!" Captain Yang gave a sharp order, and in response, everyone else, not wanting to share the fate of these two, began firing, and soon the entire room was illuminated by red bolts.
Despite all this, it was of little use and soon afterwards Lanz saw with his own eyes how one of the death troopers lost his arms, screaming in agony as he did so.
Unable to help him, the former inquisitor focused on protecting those who were still alive and not seriously injured, the first of whom was Captain Yang, who proved to be much more vigilant than the others. Before one of the defenders could reach him, he used his vibroblade to defend himself, blocking the attacks.
Lanz ran up to the two combatants, then plunged his blade under the attacker's rib, then slashed upwards until, with his lightsaber drawn, the complex's defender fell to the ground, his insides boiling.
"Thank you, my lord." Came the Captain's response, but Lanz only nodded before moving on, and the elite stormtrooper commander rushed to the aid of one of his men who was clearly losing against another bloodthirsty attacker.
The entire space became a kind of chaotic space, as if the original state of chaos in most mythologies, before the creation of light, illuminated from time to time by red flashes of constant destruction and disorder.
Lanz, meanwhile, rushed into the fray, killing at least three by decapitation, cutting them in half at the waist, and cutting off four limbs, both arms and both legs.
In the next and the next case, Lanz literally severed part of the attacker's head from the rest of the body, cutting from the forehead to the lower jaw.
Although the commandos and the rest of the death troopers quickly got over the shock and started fighting, the defenders of the complex had the advantage over them. Their wild attacks and tenacity completely made up for their lack of any finesse. Soon, the entire dark space was strewn with many corpses, initially mostly of Lanza's men, most of whom were clearly inferior to the guards in terms of skill. Finally, one of them tried to attack the commando commander, but Adela put up strong resistance.
Initially, she tried to avoid the attacks, and although she had a vibroblade, in the form of a small knife, she found it to be insufficient and took one of those belonging to the fallen elite stormtrooper. Only then did they fight, showing their high level of swordsmanship, but even that was not enough against the wild and unpredictable guard.
He lunged at the young woman, knocking her to the ground and was about to dig his claws into her head, but then Lanz, at the last convenient moment, managed to slash her chest quickly and several times. As a result of these injuries, blood began to flow from one of the wounds and flowed onto the breastplate of the ASB commandos commander.
The Lord Regent threw the corpse back and he helped Adela to rise to her feet, but she staggered before stabilizing herself. At the same time, the fight was nearing its end and despite the arrival of additional complex guards, the mixture of death troopers and commandos managed to overwhelm them with intense blaster fire.
"Is everything alright, Commander?" He asked her, but Adela only managed to nod and Lanz felt the obvious shock in her, as if she hadn't expected anyone to knock her down or beat her.
At this time, another of the guards of the complex tried to run up to them, but he was literally shot by Captain Yang, who did not spare many bolts, which resulted in the death of another of the attackers.
"My lord, we lost over half of our men, but we managed to kill all of them." The commander of the elite stormtroopers reported obediently. "Should we wait for backup?"
Lanz looked around and thanks to the light from his lightsaber, he was able to see a mixture of corpses, the common denominator being dark colored clothing or armor. Then he looked at his men still alive and was not impressed, because there were 6 death troopers left - including Yang - and 9 ASB commandos, along with their commander.
"We're moving on, they should reach us sooner or later and if everything goes according to our plan, we will clear the way for them and save them losses among the reinforcements." His attention then moved to the complex's guards.
Lanz approached one of the fallen who had tried to kill them a moment ago. His face and mask were relatively intact, so he could easily recognize the shape, or at least what it resembled. Similar to what General Grievous replaced his face with after his transformation into a cyborg and what became a symbol of pure terror throughout the entire known galaxy for years to come. However, considering this armor, weapons, and my men's failure to detect any of them in time... Aren't they Terror Troopers?
However, he quickly stopped these thoughts. Whatever these… biomachines are, it doesn't really matter now.
"Let's move on, only now I advise you to be ready for literally anything, there may be more traps inside, much worse than this." He announced, and then without a trace of fear or hesitation, he moved forward, wanting to reach the right part of the complex as quickly as possible.
No one protested, so Adela and Yang confirmed his order. Soon, they were walking again, and after about a minute they reached a place where there was already working lighting.
"It's complete darkness there and something like this here?" One of the commandos asked a question aloud, the distorted tone clearly indicating disorientation.
"They most likely want to lower our vigilance." Adela answered him.
"Perhaps it is as you say." Lanz joined the conversation, meanwhile trying to locate any traps.
Several seconds of walking passed before the walls and ceiling began to become narrower and narrower until they finally reached a door made of durata and at least over 3 meters high, luckily with a console right next to it, on a flat piece of metal.
It seems that we have reached, if not the destination, then at least we are very close to entering the proper part of the complex. However, considering the earlier fight, it's far too quiet here.
After a while, and suddenly, a total of 4 turrets emerged from the floor and ceiling, having something like red eyes and indicating at least limited autonomy of their mechanisms. Regardless, however, a series of bolts were soon sent towards Lanz and his companions.
The Force User tried to deflect the incoming red bolts, but he simply couldn't send them all back, which didn't do much damage anyway.
At the same time, several of them hit three commandos and Adela herself was wounded. Meanwhile, the Death troopers fell to the ground quite consciously, and Yang ordered one of them, who was wielding a heavy blaster, to concentrate fire on one turret. This had an effect, because the target of such fire very quickly began to melt and explode. The remaining turrets fell just as quickly.
Lanz at the same time had to face a new threat, a group of 6 Terror Troopers ran out of the door in front of them, each of them moving on all fours like some animal. However, their undoing turned out to be single-minded pursuit of the goal.
So Lanz had little difficulty in cutting down and taking the lives of each one in turn while still moving forward. Only after eliminating the last one did he turn and ask.
"How many of us are left?" He asked as loudly as the voice modulator in his helmet would allow.
"All of my people, Lord Regent." Yang reported, as dutifully as ever. "But of the commandos, most of the rest are dead. Meanwhile, Commander Tagge…"
At these words, a woman moaned as one of the three other surviving commandos placed a bandage with bacta fluid on her wound on her hand.
Lanz walked up to her and knelt down close to her, on the one hand genuinely concerned, but on the other hand knowing full well that it was extremely unprofessional of him.
"Is everything alright, Commander?" He asked her, successfully hiding any emotion.
Meanwhile, she looked at him speechlessly for a few moments. Although Lanz sensed some confusion and surprise in her. "Yes, my lord. It's just a hand and I can continue."
"Excellent Commander." Despite her assurances, Lanz continued to worry, but preferred not to express it directly. "But if it's more than that, I advise you to back off. "I'm not going to risk losing an undoubtedly talented woman."
Despite everything, there are definitely too few of us at the moment and we have to wait. The Lord Regent tried to use his communicator, but as it quickly turned out, something was jamming the communication. Damn it. Well, that only leaves the options of waiting.
"My Lord." Captain Yang addressed him directly. "What do we do, do we move on or maybe…"
"In the current situation, we wait, or at least I think it is the least unreasonable thing to do." Lanz answered him. "Also, try scanning the room ahead of us. If there's anything there, I'd rather be aware of it."
However, as it turned out very quickly, the interference field even affected this function of their electronics, so Lanz could reduce it to one thing. "So we will be as blind as the children in the fog, am I right?"
"It seems so, except…" Yang didn't have a chance to finish because there were screams from behind.
Moreover, the darkness began to be illuminated very quickly by red light beams, which left no doubt as to what was happening there.
They shouldn't have arrived so quickly, what happened? But Lanz didn't think about it for long.
"We have to help them!" Captain Yang announced, thus declaring his readiness to rush to the aid of his companions.
Bad idea, at least in my opinion. Lanz did not share his enthusiasm, to put it mildly. "Captain, please hold off on this help, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."
"But my lord, they are dying there and being torn apart by these wild creatures, just like the last one!" The officer clearly allowed his emotions to guide his judgment.
"Captain, I appreciate your loyalty, but what do you think we could do there, shoot blindly and hope we don't hit one of our own?" Lanz asked bluntly. "We can't help them, we'd risk being attacked from the damn door. For now, all we can do is wait for them to arrive."
Lanz sensed his anger and desire to at least argue with his orders, but ultimately chose to remain silent, dissatisfied. Captain Yang was not alone in his feelings.
How easy and difficult it is to sacrifice those for whom you are responsible. The Lord Regent pursed his lips, disgusted and dissatisfied with his own helplessness. But then, necessity once again turned out to be the mother of invention. Well, if only I went there…
"Captain, guard this door so that none of these creatures threaten us." Lanz gave a quick order before shedding his cloak and moving forward towards the red flashes that were getting closer to them by the moment. "I will take care of helping our comrades myself."
Before anyone could protest, Lanz started running as fast as he could, regardless of what they thought. I'm probably doing something incredibly stupid right now, but then again, compared to them, I mainly have the Force, while they only have their blasters.
During the run, Lanz was as focused as ever and determined not to miss anything, any signals or stimuli. Although he tried to constantly train and develop in the use of the Force, and the memories and experiences of the previous owner of the body were invaluable, he was still far from even having a decent level of skill, at least that was his opinion. Especially since Second Brother focused more on the mind-affecting aspect, lightsaber fighting, and not much else.
And yet, I keep breaking through and overcoming the obstacles that fate puts in front of me, and as I do so, I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible for me. His thoughts were directed to a different course when the desire to help his soldiers, to save them from destruction, aroused a different feeling in him.
With each step, a weight seemed to lift from his shoulders and instead, a feeling of fulfillment filled his mind. As if what he secretly always wanted was right in front of him and yet it still seemed to be diametrically distant from his perception, thoughts, spirit, everything that he was and thanks to which he perceived reality.
Nevermind, there will still be plenty of time to think. He thought, trying to support himself with the Force so as not to lose strength too quickly.
However, a group of four soldiers stood in his way; Lanz easily sensed in the Force their desire to kill and at the same time defend, undoubtedly this complex. Still, something was wrong with them, and only then did the Lord Regent sense it. Although the identification of the exact thoughts and their character was beyond him - if at all possible - the direction or fraction of the character, along with the feelings, were identifiable.
As if I were dealing more with robots, programmed to carry out orders and, in this case, defend this god-forsaken complex. Although the Lord Regent initially assumed a defensive position in Soresu, he was completely confused by the dim red light and the sight of his opponents' lack of aggressive posture. So they want to delay me, or rather...?
Just then, he sensed two presences behind him and in one quick and decisive movement, he slashed into the seemingly empty space. At least that was until two humanoid clusters of sparks erupted in the air, and then the devices keeping both Terror Troopers in a state of relative invisibility stopped working.
Damn cloaking devices!? Lanz looked at the falling bodies of his enemies, who were barely clinging to life, and their arms fell off, followed by the lower parts of their torsos.
These two were wearing armor similar in design to those encountered, but the element that clearly distinguished them from the rest was the night-black color.
However, Lanz couldn't think about it for long, the remaining four soldiers were trying to mindlessly attack him, at the same moment they might have succeeded if not for the Lord Regent's quick departure from the trajectory of their attack. It jumped to the side, slashing the first one, which soon fell to the ground without any visible signs of life.
The others joined him a moment later, after a short but valuable experience for the Lord Regent.
After that, Lanz sprinted forward, and the shots were clearly audible, and the lights were getting closer, until he finally reached the place of the fight. Without thinking, and instead letting his anger and killing intent guide him, he launched himself at the nearest guard of the complex, and after dismembering him, another one, and then the rest.
Soon, all the Terror Troopers nearby rushed towards him, but he, taking a defensive stance, repelled their attacks, time and time again depriving his opponents of life, one of their limbs or life, and in the most mild case, inflicting more or less superficial injuries on the skin, which and yes they were extremely painful.
Finally, one by one, each attacker fell to the ground, either lifeless or moments before losing it.
Lanz, meanwhile, despite using the Force to support his body and having some experience in this matter, began to sweat, and soon almost a torrent of water poured from his hair. His muscles also began to feel tired, but he did not stop until the last of the remaining Terror Troopers lost his head. In total there were at least 40 corpses.
Only then did the full level of exhaustion dawn on him, and he began to breathe heavily. Moreover, he was disoriented by this state of rage, which he had some difficulty controlling. Even now, he felt a burning need to continue the slaughter and unleash his full emotions on those around him. Only his tiredness stopped him from doing so. However, he was roused from his state of rest by the sight of several dozen men and women, admiration and fear of his skills mixed together.
"Who's in charge here?" He turned loudly, almost with a growl, to the mix of commandos and regular gray-armored stormtroopers.
Only after a while, a female officer with a white shoulder board appeared from among their ranks. "My lord, I am Lieutenant Ilsa Whitesky. Major Kolotay, as soon as he learned that you had gone with a small bodyguard, immediately sent us to help. Even though some people warned him that it could end badly for him to defy your orders."
Lanz felt a bit stupid, despite everything and some gratitude to the Major, he preferred that the whole situation be forgotten as soon as possible. On the other hand, he preferred that a man who was ready to stand up to his superiors and do things as he saw fit would, on the one hand, be rewarded but, on the other hand, not get very far. After all, there is nothing worse in the military than an officer disobeying orders just because of his own premonitions. If such a person rises too high and becomes highly conflicted, it is a simple recipe for disaster, the price of which will be paid by someone other than him.
"I see, how many of you are left alive?"
"Including me, 21 Stormtrooper Corps members and 18 commandos, 39 total." The lieutenant reported truthfully. "There were 90 of us, but we lost most of us to this wild animal, and there are no among us seriously injured for the same reason."
"I understand, Lieutenant." Lanz was not happy with such losses, mainly due to purely human issues. "Then follow me, we need to get to the rest as quickly as possible. "I have no doubt that there must be hidden tunnels somewhere here that would allow the complex's guards to get around us and attack you directly."
No one protested, they all moved briskly behind him, alert but quick, and as the final moans of the dying guards of the complex faded away, only the sounds of many of their own, quick but heavy and careful footsteps echoed throughout the corridor.
Finally, they noticed a bright spot on the horizon, and after a long time they reached the people waiting for them.
"My lord, no one attacked us and the position appears to be safe." This time it was Adela who reported her condition to him. "As for the Captain, he and one of my electronics specialists are trying to bypass the door lock."
Lanz just rolled his eyes under his helmet, then moved forward and snorted. "They don't have to, just wait for me, I have a simpler solution."
After a moment, he stood in front of a metal door, and next to him a single death trooper and a single commando were working on electronics in order to defeat security.
Lanz meanwhile, without warning, plunged his blades into a point near the door frame, at the very end and as close to the bottom as possible, and began to move the blade upwards. However, due to the obviously considerable thickness of the durasteel object, it took quite a long time.
At the same moment, Lanz noticed the obvious confusion of the two men to his right, who clearly had not considered this option at all. How many times have intelligent beings, instead of looking for the simplest solution possible, instead chosen more complex ones. Apparently it is the curse of the intelligent to overcomplicate their lives, but on the other hand, the world is often too complicated for simple answers.
After a minute of tedious work, it was time to cut sideways, all the way to the end and down again. Once this was completed, Lanz made two cuts across it so that they formed an X.
"I advise you to move away." He announced to the crowd, all of whom, especially Captain Yang and the other death troopers, obediently followed his orders.
Lanz took a deep breath while trying to tap into all the emotions he was feeling, focusing primarily on one feeling he thought he had lost long ago, but which was reviving within him after years of being buried by his old world of decay, ambition. The ambition to leave behind some great work.
It was a certain paradox that, on the one hand, an ambitious person could fall into stagnation, nihilism and feel disillusioned with the world. However, as has been proven time and time again, there are things that are strange enough not to be talked about, but not so strange that they can't happen.
He then concentrated the energy of the dark side on his hands, demanding guidance from the Force, and received in his head the appropriate position that would allow him to achieve exactly what he wanted at that moment. He then thrust both hands forward, and an invisible force literally ripped the door open and divided it into quarters for good.
All this with a sound resembling wind hitting a metal surface. The durasteel gates were not the only thing that suffered damage, the terminal literally collapsed in on itself and several pieces of debris fell from the ceiling, but this did not cause a chain reaction.
Meanwhile, Lanz felt first-hand the enormous burden and effort that such previously unexercised accumulation of energy cost him. He almost fell to the ground, and if it weren't for the Force strengthening his body, he might have lost consciousness.
It took me too much effort to use my energy so much, and all this was only for a primitive and uncomplicated telekinesis. He took one deep breath after another as the muscles in his upper body felt like they were on fire and he had great difficulty keeping from screaming. I hope I can find something more here that will make this a lot easier. I could manage the gate and its mechanism, but this makeshift state of affairs cannot continue.
Taking a few more breaths, Lanz tried to get up, but it was so difficult that he almost staggered and fell on his face. But unexpectedly, two pairs of hands stopped him from doing so. After the initial disturbance, he sensed that it was Adela and Yang.
"Is everything alright, my lord?" The young woman asked him.
With each breath, the pain slowly began to subside until Lanz could finally speak again. "Yes, Commander Tagge, simply using the Force in such a way took a lot of effort, mostly physical, as you probably saw."
"This could be the price for using this energy?" The second question was asked by Captain Yang.
"It looks like it, Captain." Lanz responded once again, now in a state that could best be described as halfway back to normal. "A word of caution, if you think of anyone as being omnipotent or having unlimited power, remember this scene. Even the most powerful have their weaknesses, they can get tired and lose their strength.
After a moment, they both released their embrace and he took a few steps forward to look inside.
As it turned out, the rocky walls gave way to an interior made of durasteel, with numerous vaults made of as simply and unadorned as possible. The whole thing had a rather dark and slightly repulsive tone, not because of the darkness, but because of the specific feeling that Lanza got.
However, he could not think about it for long. The two nearest doors opened, indicated by a sudden and unexpected sound, and a pair of guards suddenly emerged from within, each carrying a heavy blaster, quite unusual. They were connected with cables to the limbs of their wielders, as if they were an integral part of their bodies.
"Stand back!" Lanz gave the order just before the defenders of the complex began to fire massively, sending dozens and soon hundreds of bolts at them.
However, the Lord Regent's order did not prevent losses and he felt that 5 of his men were fatally hit and another 3 wounded, but it was not certain that they would make it out alive.
Lanz activated his lightsaber once again and tried to deflect the projectiles, but without much success, forcing him to hide between the vaults, which were quite wide and reached down to the ground.
Frustrated by the lack of results, and also furious at the deaths of people for whom he felt responsible, he almost gave in to the desire to murder again. It was almost his emotions that led him again.
I'm in charge, no one else! He thought, before first successfully suppressing his anger, not wanting to lose control, and only after a while he allowed the feeling to return to him, along with the essence singing to him strangely sweet whispers of blood, fulfillment of desires, countless conquests and ambitions. I cannot allow myself to be overcome by a desire that would not make me no different from an ordinary and primitive animal.
Lanz, however, did not let his feelings and energy take over him, or at least he tried to. In fact, it wasn't easy and had a lot to do with taming a wild beast, not a physical one, but one that was and always would be inside him. Which is in each of us.
This did not bring the result he wanted for a long time, until the words he had once heard, known, and which at the same time seemed extremely distant to him, rang in his head. A few for many.
But then, he decided to modify it a bit, more under the influence of his reflexes and emotions. One for many.
Although he managed to gain at least partial control thanks to this, it was highly illusory, not to mention false. Emotions and dark essence still demanded release and this time for Lanz to submit to them. Much more aggressively than before, making him almost feel like he was being choked and like his insides were being squeezed so hard and intensely that he was almost on the verge of expelling them through his mouth.
A certain amount of self-discipline, first acquired through memories and experiences of the Second Brother, and then developed as his combat training progressed. He then realized that self-control is an absolutely essential element in duels, who can be provoked by the opponent and who cannot. Is this also the part that even the way of the Sith required, in all its liberality and promise of unfettered expression of one's emotions and drives?
Without giving it any further thought and feeling that his current level of self-control was still not enough to keep these feelings in check firmly enough, he wasted no time. He jumped right in the middle, which, however, did not make much of an impression on the opponents, as they simply tried to concentrate their fire on him.
However, the high level of prediction of the bullets' trajectories allowed him to deflect one after the other. The first 5 bolts flew into the walls while the next 6 bolts were deflected into the guards. Lanz successfully broke the defenders' masks, which then resulted in direct shots to the forehead or temple.
On this occasion, Lanz had a closer look at what each of them looked like under the hood and was not impressed with what he saw. Although he expected deformations or distortions, it did not even remotely reflect what he saw. Faces stripped of skin, bare flesh, bones and teeth, with numerous implants everywhere, plus small but visible wiring.
This simple truth was once again confirmed: seeing something on the screen is one thing, but seeing something with your own eyes and being a participant in related events is something completely different.
"My Lord." Captain Yang turned to him, and Lanz almost mechanically turned to face him. "We have another 7 dead, only one of the commandos, who was hit in the shoulder, has a chance to survive, if, of course, he is taken immediately to the rear."
Lanz decided to take a look and saw a man missing his right arm, clearly in shock and thrashing around while his companions tried to calm him down.
"Choose 6 men and have them take him to the rear, too many of our own have already died in this place." Lanz gave the order briefly, then motioned for 4 other death troopers to follow him. "Commander Tagge!"
"I am here, my lord." Adela turned to him with only a light blaster pistol in her hand.
"Are you able to move on?"
"I answer once again that I am able to stand, my lord." A confident reply came from her. "However, I suggest we take a few people, no more, and look for a terminal, we need to gain immediate access to the complex's schematics if we are to finish this as quickly as possible."
"Are you saying this from experience?" Her words make sense, but I doubt it will be enough.
"I've been to similar places several times, although none of them had this type of security." The young woman replied. "There must be a command center here from where someone or something runs this place. At least that's my conclusion, considering the fact that the guards remind me more of droids, programmed to defend and fight ferociously, which is a world away from intelligent beings."
"Let it be so, choose the ones you think are best suited for it and let's go."
It wasn't long before he and 18 other men were on the move, moving through a place that as yet didn't even remotely resemble a storehouse or treasure house. Instead, it appeared to them as a large and confusing maze.
Lanz was the one leading them, seemingly blindly, but he still used the Force to help him get to where he wanted to be. At the same time, it was surprising to him that they had not yet encountered any of the guards. Either we've already killed everyone, which I personally doubt, or someone decided to cancel them for some reason.
Finally, they reached the large durasteel doors with the imperial coat of arms, which slid open in front of them quite quickly.
Lanz was hesitant to enter because it looked like an obvious trap, but he sensed no threat, which confused him even more. For a moment he considered sending one of his elite stormtroopers or one of his commandos. He decided against it, instead going alone, guided by the words that echoed in his mind again. One for many.
The first thing he entered was an oval room with numerous monitors on the walls and screens displaying some data that Lanz didn't even try to identify. Above all, however, the Lord Regent's attention was drawn to the screens showing recordings from cameras, probably from all rooms.
"What is this?" Adela asked him, having entered just before, but the Death Troopers and her commandos remained outside.
"This is clearly a command center." Lanz replied while focusing on something else. "However, I don't see any console to handle all this."
But then, the floor in the very center moved apart, and then it was replaced by a round platform with numerous types of electronics. However, this was not what caught Lanza's particular attention, but another Terror Trooper who sat in front of all this equipment and, considering the gold decorations on his black armor, was very likely the person in charge of the complex.
"Hello, dear guests." He began, robotic and with such a deformed, inhuman voice that he might as well not have been a human being anymore. "How do you like it in my house?"
Then, the door closed behind Lanz and Adela, leaving them alone against him and everything else he had at his disposal.
"To call this dark place home is a bit inappropriate." Lanz replied dryly. "However, someone once told me that home is where your heart is."
The overseer then burst out laughing, but due to the voice modulators it sounded disturbing to say the least, and Lanz felt shivers run down his spine. He never considered himself a coward, but apparently he could terrify literally anyone if he found the right way to do it.
"Whoever said that was definitely wise, Inquisitor." Lanz could almost swear that the cyborg was smiling beneath his mask, as if he sensed the Lord Inquisitor's confusion. "Don't be so surprised, I have knowledge of many branches of the imperial structures, military, civil, intelligence and the more mystical. Including the Inquisitorius, although honestly I didn't expect any of you to show up here without risking the Emperor's wrath for robbing him and his treasures."
"The Emperor is dead, just so you know, and the empire he created is falling apart." One for many. "Currently, there is a civil war going on in the empire and the galaxy at large, and it is not going our way at all. What I'm looking for here is something that will enable me to finish it as quickly as possible, or at least point me in the direction of my search."
The compound's overseer leaned back in his uncomfortable seat, as if relieved and unmindful of the former inquisitor's next words. "So my orders and my procedures have become obsolete."
At the same time, Lanz felt quite significant changes in him, as if his mind and the burden overwhelming his consciousness that was present in him, upon hearing the news of the Emperor's death, seemed to disappear from moment to moment. Something like relief appeared in this place.
"What exactly do you mean?" Adela asked him, not understanding much of it, much like Lanz himself.
"Let me tell you a story, ma'am. Once upon a time, there was a young boy living a quiet, boring but fulfilling life on a planet whose name had long been forgotten in my mind. One day, however, an elderly man dressed in black, accompanied by guards in crimson armor and guards of soldiers in white and red, came to the village where he lived. The old man demanded that the boy be handed over, but even seeing his power and the people with advanced technology serving him, no one agreed. The family ties on the planet were too strong and encompassed entire villages, for better or for worse, no matter what. The result was one, everyone was murdered, houses burned, farm animals and farmlands as well. Meanwhile, the child was taken by an old man for murderous training that lasted many years until he reached adulthood, and then...
The overseer grabbed his mask and forcefully almost ripped it off his face, ripping out several cables in the process. He thus revealed his disfigured face, similar to that of other Terror Troopers. This time, however, Lanz and Adela could see with their own eyes how this de facto cyborg moves his mouth and how his implants move with each word, how his flesh undulates and how his facial muscles tighten and relax.
"... And then the time came to undergo the trial that imposed on him orders, duties and a treasury that became his home, which he had to guard even at the cost of his life!"
Lanz felt like he was constantly getting a little warmer, but he wasn't and he quickly realized it was just his reaction. But that didn't change the fact that he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"So why don't you guard it, why don't you keep fighting us and why are you talking to us?" Adela asked him, her voice shaking slightly, as if she couldn't believe that any civilized human would commit such an atrocity.
"Because the man who took my life, the Emperor, is dead." He replied, although Lanz had the feeling that he hadn't told the whole truth yet. "When he died, the procedures I had been given during my preparation to become an overseer no longer applied to me."
Lanz raised an eyebrow under his helmet. "And you didn't try to object…"
"Even an attempt to object would mean a choice." The overseer replied. "The orders and procedures instilled in me, I could not oppose them. Even if I didn't want to be here, even if I hated this man with all my heart, even if I wanted revenge. None of this could have happened, because I had undergone an indoctrination process, less radical than those organic half-droids, but still present. But now, it's over."
Lanz couldn't help but smile. "Don't you have orders such as the destruction of the entire complex in the event of the Emperor's death? Apparently this man really didn't expect to die."
"I think so too, and my only regret is that I couldn't kill him myself, I would like to repay him as generously as he took everything from me." The complex's overseer sighed, and Lanz, through the Force, easily read his sadness, his longing for his old life.
"Why is the Emperor interested in you, why would he murder so many innocents just for your sake?" Adela was shocked, her voice was trembling and everything was complemented by her trembling right hand, which she only controlled when she clenched it into a fist.
"For the same reason that subsequent inquisitors were recruited and trained." He then looked at Lanz. "The Force."
This raises more questions than answers. Lanz was confused by this, very confused. "So if you're Force sensitive, why didn't you sense the Emperor's death?"
"Truthfully, I never dared to imagine that someone with such power could ever die. When he revealed to me the extent of the power and power he wielded, I could never even bring myself to imagine it."
"You're not the only one, overseer." Lanz replied dryly that even the helmet and the voice modulator did not suppress the obvious but unspoken message. "What exactly is here? What treasures required the Emperor to create guards like you?"
He just shrugged. "I never tried to figure out what he had accumulated here. Even if I wanted to, there was still protocol. In addition, the Emperor often sent his agents or even advisors. Sometimes they took something away and sometimes they added something new. There were only three objects that stuck in my memory: a thick book, an old robot and a small metal object with a pyramidal shape.
The book, the droid and maybe the Holocron, interesting. Lanz easily guessed what the last of the three items might be, but there was another thing to consider. "If you're not going to continue defending this place, what exactly are you going to do?"
On this occasion, the Lord Regent sensed Adela asking herself a similar question. At the same time, she also seemed to imagine herself in the position of overseer of the complex. Another paradox, although she is a seemingly cold agent who has probably seen death many times, inflicted it or tortured other sentient beings, and at the same time she has a lot of empathy. Her gift and curse in one, which I understand all too well.
However, focusing on the creature that was closer to a cyborg, he heard the answer. "With your intrusion and defeat of most of the guards, I planned to blow up the entire complex to prevent anyone from looting the treasures, per protocol."
Lanz then became terrified, especially since he hadn't felt anything yet. No threat to him or his people.
The overseer clearly sensed his fear, and something resembling a smile formed on what was once his face. "The bomb has not been armed yet. Given your status as an obviously experienced Force user, I had no doubt that you would sense an imminent threat."
The supervisor then grabbed the datapad in his left hand and pointed his finger at the screen. Lanz, meanwhile, sensed danger and almost activated his lightsaber. Only his words and curiosity stopped him.
"All I have to do is press the button and the bomb will arm itself and bury everyone in this forgotten world." The overseer stated.
Meanwhile, Adela swallowed nervously, showing no emotion and preparing to ask him a question. "If you're not going to kill us, what are you actually going to do?"
"In this datapad are the access codes to all the consoles throughout the complex and their functions. You can do whatever you want with it and the loot, I don't care." The overseer stated. "In return, I ask you for only one thing that will give me relief, and which I would never be able to do on my own."
Lanz understood this and so did Adela, but they both remained silent. Neither of the two said it out loud.
"Kill me." The overseer added calmly.
AN: Here's the next chapter, feel free to comment and share your thoughts if you think it's worth it.
I also want to let you know that I'm considering finding a Beta Reader. If there is anyone interested among you, please write me a private message.
That's all and see you in the future. -King's Snake