"Honestly, there are fewer people here than I expected," Amir said.
"There definitely should be more. You probably blocked them behind us. Of course, the diversion tactic must have also worked," Seneal said.
. . .
Spice Base.
Kaiyin stood on a distant peak, watching through macrobinoculars as countless fighters dogfought in the sky. The base below was already a sea of fire. Beyond the planet's atmosphere, a massive cruiser hovered, releasing its children like a beehive to defend its property.
The Pyke fleet was stronger than he imagined. Kaiyin, a ship enthusiast, could tell at a glance that the technology used in the Pyke fighters was the Empire's latest. Compared to TIE fighters, they just had a different shell.
These Pykes were definitely colluding with the Empire.
Kaiyin sighed. When he first left the Empire, he still felt a twinge of reluctance. Despite what Amir had told him about the Empire's actions, becoming an Imperial soldier had been his childhood dream.
He was a Coruscanti. He had always felt the peace and prosperity of the Core Worlds, mistaking it for the Empire's truth.
After leaving the military, he came to Tatooine. The only thing he wanted was to see everything with his own eyes, to look closely, just as Amir had said: seeing is believing.
He had to confirm for himself what this world was really like, and what the Empire was like.
During this time, he had traveled to several planets as a bounty hunter, visiting over a dozen cities, mostly just traveling.
At this moment, watching the frenzied scene before him, his heart calmed.
Only half an hour had passed since the battle began, but hundreds had already lost their lives. The terrifying part was, Kaiyin saw no fear on their faces; there was only madness.
Everyone's goal was the base ahead. Even though the spice here wasn't top quality, if they could just grab a few pounds, they wouldn't have to live with their heads on the line anymore!
They were all desperados, willing to risk their lives for money.
And those who truly valued their lives had already fled the moment the Pykes arrived, including Boba Fett, whom Kaiyin knew.
So what remained was a battlefield of true desperation.
Why are they risking their lives for this?
Kaiyin thought of Amir. When he got the news about the spice base, there wasn't a trace of joy in his eyes. Instead, there was only deep helplessness.
Where will this spice go after it's stolen?
It would still end up in the hands of countless civilians. Maybe a dejected vagrant, or a father struggling for his family, or a child full of future. They would trade their money, their future, and their lives for a false, illusory dream.
Kaiyin didn't know if he had made the right decision this time.
"But it's better than doing nothing. These criminals deserve to die," Kaiyin muttered.
He already knew what the galaxy was like under the Empire's rule. And, as it happened, he had recently met an interesting group of people.
His future path was set.
. . .
The Pykes on the other side of the corner were closing in.
Amir took out his lightsaber and pulled a metal sphere from his bag.
"What's that?" Seneal asked.
"This is a collector's item," Amir said with a hint of nostalgia. "It's a modification of the best thing I swiped from an Imperial warehouse. It's the only one in the galaxy."
Seneal's eyes lit up. "You've got guts, stealing from an Imperial warehouse."
"They're the ones who sent me to move supplies." Amir held the metal ball in his hand and walked toward the corner.
The next moment, all the lights went out, plunging the entire space into pitch blackness!
"Fire!"
Faced with the sudden darkness, the Pykes panicked, but under their commander's order, they still fired in an orderly fashion toward Amir's corner. The dense blaster bolts replaced the lights, illuminating the room in a bloody, translucent red.
The gunfire lasted for more than ten seconds. Finally, the blasters stopped, and the room was dark once more.
No one noticed a metal sphere rolling rapidly along the corridor into their midst.
This ball was their death warrant.
The hall was silent, but everyone heard a beep-beep-beep. Before they could react, a dazzling white light filled their vision, followed by unbearable heat and a violent shockwave!
Under Amir's Force control, the explosion occurred in the most crowded part of the room. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. The flames spread wildly. The Pykes who weren't killed instantly roared in pain, running and spreading the fire and agony to their comrades!
Amir had already taken the opportunity to enter the fray. The smoky environment and scattered fires created a mass of chaotic shadows. The mix of light and dark was even more disorienting than pure darkness.
Amir's lightsaber had become the Grim Reaper's scythe.
With the sound of his lightsaber, figures fell in the firelight. When the saber deactivated, he vanished from sight.
Amir was crouched low, weaving through the crowd at high speed. This was the only way he could avoid everyone's sight. His lightsaber would ignite intermittently, and a few enemies would lose their lives.
This had become his home ground.
Some Pykes at the edge of the room realized the situation was bad. They raised their blasters and fired in the direction the lightsaber flashed. But this was all within Amir's perception.
In the confined, crowded environment, Amir didn't even need to aim when he deflected the bolts. They always hit the Pykes themselves.
Time ticked by. The Pykes were rapidly dwindling.
The fires faded, and the shadows on the walls grew fewer.
Finally, a desperate cry came from the darkness.
"I surrender!!! Don't kill me!"
Seneal came out from the corner, sniffing the burnt air, looking at the bodies barely visible in the firelight. He swallowed.
The lights came on. Fewer than ten Pykes were left. They had long since thrown down their weapons, kneeling at the farthest door, peeking up at Amir.
"You've changed, Amir. The old you never killed anyone, not even the most heinous criminal," Seneal said.
"After you fire the first shot, it gets easier. These people deserved to die, by any law." Amir walked up to the surrendered Pykes.
With the lights on, the scene looked even more like hell. Seneal's sleazy smile returned. "By the way, when did you get so strong?"
---------------
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