Amir pushed the briefcase forward. Steffen, staring intently at Amir's movements, quickly pulled the case in front of him and eagerly tried to open it.
Just as he unlocked it, the already dim lights in the room began to flicker, and then suddenly went out!
The Pykes panicked. Why did the lights go out? We couldn't have lost power, could we?
Steffen was even more frustrated. He was one second away from properly identifying the Lumni spice. Why did it suddenly go black?
"It seems your infrastructure isn't built well enough," Amir said with a laugh.
In the darkness, he reached out his hand. The digital credit cards on the other side of the table quietly flew into his grasp.
Steffen's mind unconsciously recalled Amir's "thank you." Why 'thank you'?
As if waking from a dream, he quickly reached out his right hand, feeling the table in front of him where the purchase funds he had just requisitioned were supposed to be!
But he felt every corner he could touch. There was nothing. It was all gone!
"Seize them!" Steffen finally understood. This was all a scam.
Before Steffen even spoke, Amir had already stood up from his seat. The pitch-black room became the perfect camouflage for him and Seneal.
Steffen began to panic in the darkness, but he wasn't worried. Before entering the chamber, he had arranged for dozens of fully armed companions to ambush them outside. They should be rushing in right now.
This transaction was their trap all along. After learning only two people were coming, the Pykes had no intention of paying. The plan was to lure them into the base, confirm the goods, and try to find the source.
If they could get the source of the spice, these two would be useless and could be disposed of. If they kept their mouths shut, they would be "invited" to a Pyke cell to "reflect."
But he had never imagined that he would be the one scammed. That these two would dare to make a move in their main base.
But the tables hadn't turned yet. It was hard to say who was the hunter and who was the prey.
Suddenly, a green light and a hum ignited beside Steffen. Following a beautiful arc, two Pykes screamed.
Steffen shouted again. Where are my reinforcements? He realized that after all this time, his ambush party hadn't come in! They should have been here long ago!
Just then, he felt a cold touch on the back of his head.
Steffen slowly raised his hands. He knew it was the barrel of a blaster.
"What... what are you doing? This is our base! You can't possibly escape after doing this!" Steffen screamed hysterically.
But the person behind him ignored him, silently patting him down. Finally, he took a card from his breast pocket.
"The Pykes won't let you go! You...!"
Before he could finish, a sharp blow hit the back of his neck. Steffen's vision went white, and he fainted.
On the other side, the lightsaber ignited again, slashing. The remaining Pykes were harvested.
This time, as the lightsaber deactivated, the surrounding lights turned back on.
"That's an amazing ability. I've seen many Jedi, but none like you," Seneal said with a smile, holding Steffen's access card.
"I'm just learning as I go." Amir hung the lightsaber back on his belt. There were only four Pyke soldiers in the room, and he had dealt with them. Amir showed no mercy to these criminals.
This infiltration plan, using the Lumni spice as bait, was what the two had cooked up. Yesterday, they had sought out all the fake spice dealers in the port and "bought" all their stock at a low price, just enough to fill a case. But the fakes were too easy to see through, so they put a tiny bit of real Lumni spice in a small vial for the inspection.
Lured by the spice, the Pykes—whether they wanted to trade or rob—would lead them to a more "convenient" location. This place would inevitably be inside the base, where they had full control.
Once inside, Amir and Seneal's plan was halfway complete.
The rest was up to Amir.
His success controlling the elevator at the experimental base had opened a new door for him.
After entering the chamber, he had begun using the Force to sense the environment, focusing on electronic components and wiring, including the lighting and door control systems.
It wasn't too complicated for Amir.
With the lights out, Amir could move unseen and take out the armed Pykes. Seneal, meanwhile, would get close to Steffen and grab the access card.
So far, the plan was a success. There was even an unexpected bonus.
Amir threw two of the credit cards to Seneal. 200,000 credits each. Enough to drive anyone mad.
Seneal looked at the cards, then at Amir. This was no small sum. Even if Amir had kept it all, he wouldn't have said anything. After all, he had asked Amir for help, and the infiltration relied almost entirely on Amir's abilities and resources. He had only provided the idea.
"Take them. Don't overthink it. Without you bringing me here, I'd never have seen this money." Amir saw Seneal's hesitation, but in his eyes, splitting the money was the right thing to do.
Seneal nodded. This wasn't a trivial few thousand credits. Even he couldn't refuse such a huge sum. Money was important to everyone, and he needed it right now.
"I owe you one," Seneal said, his usual sleazy smile replaced by a serious tone.
"Don't worry about it. Just remember to call me next time you find a good score," Amir said, laughing. He was also thrilled to get so much money.
These credit cards stored credits electronically, could be withdrawn at any time, or used directly. They were mainly used in the developed Core Worlds. Many places in the Mid and Outer Rims didn't use them.
If you pulled one of these out on Tatooine, you couldn't even buy a meal. People there didn't even like credits; they still recognized precious metals.
"What now?" Seneal asked, looking at the sealed room.
"We charge, of course." Amir picked up the case of fake spice and walked to a large door.
He was still controlling the door, keeping it powered down. If the people on the other side wanted in, they'd have to cut a hole.
Unfortunately for them, they didn't have that kind of equipment.
Seneal followed Amir, leaning against the wall by the door. He pressed the activation button on his Smart Combat Pack.
The topmost mechanical arm extended, the blaster barrel scanning the area in front. Seneal wasn't attacking, so the pack remained quiet.
Amir, holding the case, sensed the wiring. In a hidden corner of the wall, a disconnected circuit suddenly reconnected.
. . .
On the other side, a dozen armed Pykes were staring at the alloy valve that had them stumped. It was working again! They were all eager to charge. It had been so long since they received the boss's signal. What was happening inside?
If it was nothing, fine. But if something had gone wrong... they'd be done for. If they were thrown in prison for incompetence, they could say goodbye to their spice rations.
Just as the group was bracing, a briefcase flew at their heads.
In the doorway stood a robed figure, his right hand pushing forward, slow and powerful.
What is that?
The Pykes' attention was drawn to the flying case. The latch wasn't closed. As it flew, the golden powder inside scattered.
But, influenced by something, the powder and the case were hit by a strong wind, erupting in a golden torrent. The powder enveloped their bodies, flowing with every breath into their nasal cavities, tracheas, and lungs.
For them, this dust went straight to the soul.
With violent coughs, all the Pykes felt the world spin. Their vision doubled, slowly melting into bizarre scenes. Beautiful, illusory, intense sensations frantically stimulated their nervous systems.
In an instant, all the Pykes lost control of their bodies. They collapsed against the walls and floor, their dull eyes unfocused, their minds sent to who-knows-where.
At the same time, Seneal pulled the trigger. His blaster and the backpack fired in coordination, creating a dense web of fire that enveloped the Pykes.
Golden smoke and red blaster bolts intertwined, creating a fantastical, beautiful, and bloody image.
Having lost all ability to resist, the Pykes were just target practice. In two seconds, all of them had fallen.
"Hehe, that's potent. I doubt anyone in the galaxy has snorted a whole case of spice at once. You got a satisfying death," Seneal laughed, taking the filter Amir handed him.
The two stepped over the Pykes, walked through the yellow smoke, and quickly fled the scene.
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