Hatred Unleashed

He could feel the ship vibrating under his feet as it flew at high speed over the sunlit desert, navigating its way between rocky outcrops shooting up from the ground. With one hand gripping the overhead support, the other gripping his blaster, he looked out through the open hatch on the side, waiting with bated breath for them to reach their destination, one where he'd likely have to fight to survive. As he watched the ground fall away behind him, he could feel that strange sensation that he sometimes felt in stressful situations, a sort of vibration spreading throughout his body, always with a sense of foreboding that if he did not resist it, it would consume him.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself, then looked to his side where he found Jared looking back at him, a reassuring smile on his face. He could feel the vibrating sensation ebb away, and his breathing calmed down as he returned the smile and looked back out of the ship. Jared had always been able to calm him down, ever since they were children playing in the suburbs of the major trading outpost where they had grown up. Whenever this sensation had come over him in the past Jared had been there to diffuse it, keeping him away from the edge that he so feared. Having him by his side steadied him as they quickly lost altitude during the descent that carried them towards their destination.

The ship decelerated sharply, making the soldiers sway in their compartment, and the whistling sound of the vents opening joined by the thud as they touched ground signalled them to jump out of the open hatch and onto the ground. No sooner had they taken a step out of the ship than they were under fire – it seemed to come from all directions at once, and all he could do was to rush to the nearest rocky outcrop while ducking his head as their commander yelled out orders, the incoming fire singing the air over his bent shape. He collapsed against the rock, laying tightly against it, and was relieved to see Jared dive down next to him a moment later. They looked at each other, panting from the exertion and adrenaline, then gave each other a curt nod and raised their blasters above the rock to return fire.

The area was in complete chaos. The ship had stirred up a layer of sand and dust that hung in the air, making it impossible to see further than a few meters ahead, the reflections from the blaster shots ominously illuminating the sand cloud in their wake. They began laying down covering fire, trying to pin down where the fire was coming from, ducking down whenever a blast came too close for comfort. Every now and then there would be a bright flash together with a deep booming sound as an explosion went off somewhere nearby. Their commander had stopped shouting orders, and it was impossible to tell if it was because he was too occupied or already dead. The skirmish seemed to drag out for an eternity as they exchanged shots over and over again, his clothes becoming completely drenched with sweat in the warm desert air.

A silhouette emerged from the haze and hurtled towards them, and he raised his blaster to shoot when he realised it was one of their squad members just in time to halt his finger. The latter threw himself down on the ground beside them. "You have to move forward!", he shouted over the deafening sounds of battle. "The commander is wounded; you must cover our retreat!", he continued as he motioned towards an area ahead of them. "Move out, damn you!"

The soldier got up and ran off into the haze. They looked at each other, Jared taking a deep breath before giving a quick nod, and they ran out from behind their cover. As he ran forward, he raised his blaster and shot blindly into the haze, but only made it a short distance before stumbling over something laying on the ground and falling. He could feel the rush of wind from the blaster shots that flew right above him where he had just stood, and as he looked back to see what had tripped him up, he could only make out the legs of a person laying still before he turned forwards again, now crouching as he made his way forward. He found a natural depression in the ground and threw himself down into it, laying tightly against the ridge for cover. The air was clearer here, the sand having partially blown away or settled, but as he looked back, he could not see Jared anywhere. The vibrating sensation in his body bubbled up once more, making his mind feel unfocused, all the lights rushing around him making his head spin. He blinked to try to rid himself of the dizziness, but it would not relent. He could feel the vibrations growing stronger, and his control over it was faltering. "Jared!" he yelled out in panic, an almost guttural roar escaping him. "Jared!"

"I'm over here!"

Jared's voice came from somewhere to the left of him, yet it could barely be heard over the battle. As the haze drifted sideways by the shockwave of an explosion, he could see the shape of Jared laying behind a rock, waving at him. As he watched, Jared got up and started sprinting towards him, and it was as if time suddenly slowed down to a crawl. Everything happened seemingly in slow motion – the grenade that landed near Jared, Jared's wide-open eyes as he watched it, the explosion that threw his body backwards and out of sight. Horror-struck he watched it all happen, his ears suddenly turning deaf, the vibrations in his body intensifying to an almost painful degree. He was unaware that he had stood up, and with no regard for this own safety he ran towards where Jared had gone.

He found him lying on the ground, his legs spread at odd angles, his eyes staring blindly up at the sky. He dropped to his knees beside him and stared down at his vacant face. He could not believe it. He could not believe it. He had no idea how long he sat there, unable to comprehend the reality facing him. Jared was gone.

Then a blaster shot grazed his shoulder and he was violently dragged back to reality. He turned around, and the hatred that rose within him in that moment made the vibrations rise to such an intensity that he was visibly shaking. He stood up, his blaster forgotten on the ground, and walked shakily towards the blaster shots. He no longer had any clear recollection of what he was doing, all he knew was the burning hatred within that blinded him to all else, a hatred so strong that he felt like he was going to burst at the seams at any moment. The sensation that he had fought against his entire life was now consuming him, and he gladly let go of the reins to let himself be submerged in it.

. . .

He was panting heavily, standing over the body in front of him. The hatred inside of him still vibrated painfully, yet he regained more and more control over his senses. He looked around him and saw bodies lying all around him, the dust having finally settled. He had no recollection of how he had gotten there, nor how they had died. The hatred inside of him burned so strongly that he did not care who they were, as it still pulsated violently throughout his body making him shake, threatening to overtake him once more at any moment. As he watched the bodies around him his hatred rose. It was not enough. He felt his hatred continue to rise uncontrollably, and he could not keep it down any longer. He did not want to keep it down any longer. Every moment he kept it within was pure agony, and he had to let it out. He looked down at the body in front of him, raised his hands towards it and let all his hatred flow out of him towards it as he screamed out his hatred. The body contorted and twisted in a sickly fashion, yet his desire to destroy it only grew stronger as he channelled more and more of his hatred. When there was nothing more than an unrecognizable heap in front of him, he moved on to the next body, and then the next.

. . .

When he next came back to his senses he was standing at the edge of the field, countless distorted heaps strewn out in his wake. Night had fallen. The painful pulsating sensation had diminished somewhat, and he stood there for a while, allowing his panting to subside as his mind regained clarity. The throbbing, painful hatred gave way bit by bit, and was replaced by an intoxicating sense of power, a sensation that made him shiver with delight. He felt a stinging sensation all over his body, and raising his hands he saw that deep cuts had etched into his skin all over. A helmet, its previous owner indistinguishable amongst the surrounding heaps, laid on the ground nearby. It had a reflective visor and picking it up he could see his own reflection. Deep cuts were etched across his face, and his eyes were bloodshot, a slight reddish tint infiltrating his irises. He let the helmet fall to the ground, savouring the sensation of power that was still pulsating through his body. Any thought of Jared or his previous life was gone from his mind.

He began to walk slowly down the sand dune, the cool night air pleasantly caressing the cuts in his skin. He paid no mind to where he was going, his mind completely absorbed by this newfound sense of power, his hatred still vibrating underneath the surface. He could not tell how long he had been walking for when he suddenly stopped and looked up to the star-strewn sky. As he watched across the universe, he felt an uncontrollable urge to give in to the intoxicating wave of hatred once more, to feel that alluring sense of power flow through him again. He could feel it start to rise in him, overcome him. He leaned his head back, a wolfish grin on his face, as he greedily sank down into its depths once more.

"Who…are…you?"

A drawling voice, which seemed to come from inside his own head, brought him back to his senses, standing there under the starlit sky. His body was aching, the cuts stinging painfully, and it took a few moments for his surroundings to come into focus again. His hatred was still vibrating painfully within him, and he felt bereaved by having been brought back from the ecstatic sense of power by the voice. His hatred rose yet higher at this interruption, and this time he focused it entirely against the voice. He pushed harder and harder, allowing all his hatred to channel through him towards it, yet he could sense an impenetrable barrier barring the way of his onslaught, and now he could hear a cackling laughter, which infuriated him to the point of madness.

"Who…are…you?", the voice asked once more. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to destroy this interloper, and allowed his hatred to consume him completely, even though it felt as if he was tearing apart the very fabric of his being. He felt the barrier give way, yet instead of fulfilling his desire to disintegrate the owner of the voice, it was as if whoever it was had invited him in further.

And what he saw stunned him. It only lasted for a moment, but during that moment he glimpsed a power so immense that he felt as though it would swallow him whole.

Then it ended as suddenly as it began. He was once again in the dark desert, yet he had fallen to his knees. He could feel blood running down his face, and in that moment, he knew that he would not rest until he had seized this power he had now glimpsed. As he sat there panting with exertion and exhilaration, the voice spoke once more.

"Come…to…me"

He did not know where his words came from, yet when his hoarse voice uttered them, they seemed as natural to him as his own breath.

"Yes, master"