Sitting on the Traveler's sofa, Amir's mind slowly relaxed, and he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
He had a long dream. Images flickered, one after another—scenes involving him, scenes unrelated to him, beautiful moments, painful moments—all flowed through his mind like water.
At the end of the dream, Amir saw a pale face.
It was his own. His past self.
The self before he came to this world.
He opened his mouth slightly, as if asking himself what his future self would become, if he was still lying in a hospital bed, quietly waiting for time to pass.
Amir tried to smile and tell him that everything had become wonderful, that he could roam the boundless galaxy freely, doing anything he wanted.
But he couldn't speak.
The past was the past.
But he remembered this scene, because that was him. It was his past self, asking the sky.
And his past self had already given him the answer.
Under Sidious's threat of death, Amir and his past self had reacted in the same way.
No resentment, no grief, no escape.
His heart was still burning. He was willing to leave with a love for the world, to return to the Force.
He had also wondered if he had already merged with the Force once before, but the Force hadn't accepted him, and had given him a new life...
His thoughts gradually faded. He fell into a deep sleep.
. . .
"Amir~ Amir~"
A voice by his ear woke him. It was muffled, as if coming through a jar.
Amir opened his eyes. Sensation slowly returned to his body.
He was in a medical tank.
"I have to say, this medical tank, lying flat... it looks a lot like a high-tech coffin," Amir grumbled to himself. He pushed open the lid and sat up, like a reanimated corpse... no, just sat up.
He turned his head and saw Milisen sitting by the tank, chin in hand, dozing off. Drool was trickling onto the datapad in her lap.
"Yo, studying?" Amir leaned over to look at the datapad. It was true. He thought, Since she's behaving so well, I won't cut her snack allowance.
The door at the far end opened, and Obi-Wan walked in carrying a bowl. "Milisen, time to eat."
Suddenly, he saw the awakened Amir and froze.
"You really can sleep. It's been three days," Obi-Wan smiled, joy spreading across his face. He seemed to have resolved a deep-seated worry. The gloom that clung to him had faded.
Amir smiled back. "A near-death escape. Of course I have to sleep for a few days to celebrate."
"How are the children?" Amir asked.
"They're all settled in. They're healthy for now. A few... but you don't need to worry. With the data you got, Ahsoka and the others will find a treatment soon."
Amir felt relieved. At least it wasn't all for nothing.
Milisen's right hand, which was propping up her head, suddenly slipped. Her little blue head Duang! hit the edge of the med-tank.
"Ah! Ow, ow, ow!" Milisen jolted. She tried to stand, but leaned back too far, and the chair flipped backward.
Just as she was about to hit the floor, Obi-Wan extended a hand. Her head stopped less than five centimeters from the ground, saving her.
Milisen, still in shock, stared at the ceiling. She saw Amir looking at her with a grin.
"Amir! You're alive! You're alive!"
Amir, who had been feeling touched, saw Milisen's "I've seen a ghost" look and decided he really should restrict her snacks.
"What do you mean, 'I'm alive'? I'm not dead. Even if I died, I'd come back as a ghost to see you," Amir said, making a scary face.
"Ah! Don't! Better not! Just don't die..." Milisen's eyes went wide with fright.
Amir put on the robe Obi-Wan handed him, climbed out of the tank, and walked toward the Traveler.
The Adrian base was already well-established. As soon as he stepped outside, Amir saw a large group of children being cared for by Gulina's tribe. The base was like a kindergarten now.
Amir suddenly spotted Din Djarin in his armor, sitting in a corner drinking porridge.
Mando's still here?
Amir quickly realized. He probably wanted to leave, but his Razor Crest isn't here. He had to wait for me to wake up, freeloading off us.
None of that mattered. Amir's eyes widened as he looked at a small, green creature by Mando's feet.
"Is that...?" Amir was stunned. Sometimes, coincidences in reality are more bizarre than fiction.
But this coincidence made sense. Since Gideon had appeared, "Baby Yoda" Grogu's appearance was a given.
And Mando just happening to be here?
Don't ask. It's the Force.
A crowd of people saw Amir come out and came over to greet him. Ahsoka, Veronica, Gulina, Lango, Chewbacca, Parks... they were all still resting at the base.
After a few brief replies, Amir ran to the Traveler to change. It was still cold in the valley.
Dressed, Amir felt completely awake. He walked back down.
At this moment, the Resistance group and the children were all sitting in the clearing, eating freshly made vegetable and meat porridge. Amir was also starving and hurried over to get a bowl.
The warmth flowed down his throat to his stomach. Amir felt alive again. This is the craftsmanship of the Adrian tribe. The birthplace of the Malaka fruit didn't disappoint.
"So what happened?!" Veronica asked. Everyone looked at Amir.
"I went to steal the data, and the Sith Emperor just showed up..." Amir explained briefly. He was helpless, too. You're an Emperor! Shouldn't you be sitting in your palace enjoying your power? Why come bother a little apprentice?
A pilot nearby said guiltily, "It must have been that black ship that flew from the cruiser. It was moving too fast. We couldn't hit it, and we were entangled with the TIEs and couldn't pursue..."
"It's not your fault," Ahsoka interrupted. "None of us expected this to happen. But the result is what matters."
Parks finally spoke, unable to contain his excitement. "We've prepared the broadcast station. We can show the entire galaxy the results of this operation at any time, expose the Empire's evil deeds! Everyone can hear it on their receivers!"
Everyone grew excited. This meant a great deal to them.
"Should we start the broadcast tonight?" Parks asked tentatively. He couldn't wait either.
The proposal was unanimously approved.
Veronica volunteered for the broadcaster's job. She cherished this victory more than anyone. Ever since her parents were killed in an anti-Imperial protest, she had dreamed of this day.
She thought, if I could have heard this news back then, known that people were still resisting, fighting the Empire just like my parents... and winning... how excited I would have been!
That way, even if my body was in agony under the Empire's oppression, my heart would have been healed, no longer dead silent!
She wanted to be the one to deliver that message.
. . .
Outer Rim. An unknown planet. On the barren, dry, yellow earth, there was a mound with faint light coming from within.
It was a hidden underground house. A dozen people were resting inside.
In the corner, a person lifted a heavy cloak. Beneath it was a young face. It was a girl. Her gaunt, dry skin had unique freckles. She was young, but her eyes held a resolve, a conviction that didn't belong to her age.
Night fell again. She turned on the old but precious signal receiver, connected it to the radio, and tuned to a familiar frequency.
This channel was an open secret. People often came to speak on this frequency, all voices against the Empire. Sometimes inspiring speeches, sometimes warnings about the Empire's next move. Sometimes there was even information for a specific planet, telling the people to go to a certain place to pick up supplies.
This was a bold declaration under the Empire's nose. The Empire was always trying to shut it down, but was always helpless.
So, this became their spiritual nourishment.
Every time she heard that so many people were fighting alongside her in distant places, she would feel a heartfelt thrill.
Sure enough, the voice came on time. The whole room went quiet, as if listening to an elegant concert.
A girl's voice came from the broadcast. She seemed nervous, but quickly became proficient.
"Ahem... Kssht~... People in every corner of the GALAXY. I am here today to report on an operation. Three standard days ago, our Resistance, in the Mid Rim, Renata sector, on the planet Mugul, discovered and destroyed an evil Imperial human experimentation base."
The first sentence caused a confused murmur in the room, but it quickly quieted down as they listened more intently.
"The crimes of this base are as follows: ..." Veronica began to list the Empire's crimes, one by one. From the wanton capture of children as test subjects, to the cruel experimental process, to the disgusting disposal methods... everyone couldn't help but be outraged! Those were children! Pure, innocent children! What kind of monster could put them on a cold operating table and subject them to years of torture?!
Finally, the list of crimes was finished. Veronica paused.
At this, the room was terrifyingly quiet. The freckled girl's hands trembled. She remembered when she was a child... that pain, that despair... even now, she couldn't bear to recall it. And these children had faced an even more tragic experience!
Finally, the girl's voice on the broadcast returned: "Through this action, our side destroyed the foundation of the experimental base. The entire building is completely derelict. With high-intensity pulse bombs, it is estimated that all electronic facilities have been destroyed, the experimental data burned, and the fire... cremated tens of thousands of clone bodies."
"A total of 17 children were rescued and are all safe."
The voice finished. Everyone in the room was stunned. They looked around at their companions in disbelief, hoping to see confirmation on their faces, to confirm this was all real!
The freckled girl pressed her lips tightly together, nodding at her companions. For the first time in so many years, tears streamed down her face.
In an instant, the room erupted. People shouted, laughed, or cried, releasing all their pent-up emotions.
The freckled girl silently wiped away her tears. She couldn't help but wonder... which companions carried out this victory? Will we ever get to meet them...?
Similar scenes played out in every corner of the galaxy. For countless people, this would be a sleepless night!
---------------
You can read +100 advance chapters on my Patreon
Patreon(.)com/izan24
TIER 1 you'll get +15 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 2 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 3 you'll get +60 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
TIER 4 you'll get +100 ADVANCE CHAPTERS