Operation Skybreak, part 4/11 [Bonus]

The time seemed to slow down as Tia looked at the trio before her, her eyes slightly dilating. Her hands trembled, a cocktail of emotions surging through her as she faced the man, her own uncle, who betrayed her for nothing but personal profit.

Seeing her anger, the two people flanking the man retreated back without any care for him. Tia briefly suppressed her anger and smiled at the platinum-haired cousin brimming with youth who was waving at her.

'At least she is as kind as she used to be.'

Her eyes briefly paused at a young, dark-haired man sharing the same crooked nose and squinty eyes as the older man, her second cousin.

'He should be the collaborator the Empire wanted to inherit the company by killing the rest of my family. You almost caused the death of my sweet cousin, but I still need you.' After her parents' deaths and her imprisonment, the entire company was split between her two uncles and her aunt, splitting the shares evenly.

She thought her anger had subsided over the years, but she was wrong, and the moment her eyes landed on one of the perpetrators of her suffering, it erupted like a volcano.

"Uncle, look at me now. I'm not that naive, vulnerable child you manipulated anymore," Tia declared, her frozen smile unfaltering as she advanced, a step reverberating with her newfound power.

"How dare you side with the Empire, abandoning the principles of freedom!" The words struck her like a burning hot knife, the irony of someone who helped strip her of her own freedom calling her an enemy of freedom making her burst into laughter.

"Uncle, please die in pain."

Tia vented her fury—her outstretched hand unleashing a wave of telekinetic force that slammed into her uncle. His body contorted painfully under the pressure, falling to the ground with agonized screams reverberating in the space—his arms, legs, fingers, and ribs all twisted and warped, bones sticking out with blood pooling beneath him.

"I still remember what you said in court! You have called me sick, deranged, and a monster." It hurt her as if it happened only yesterday, as she was a young child, yet they took everything from her without any mercy.

The painful memories, compounded by the abrupt abandonment and betrayal by her family following her parents' deaths, fueled the inferno of rage within her.

A deep resentment for the family that discarded her, robbed her of her inheritance and left her life in ruins. The only bright spot in those dark times had been the support of her favored cousin until even those visits were forcibly halted.

With a flicker of concentration, flames erupted around her uncle, his figure consumed by fire, twisting and rolling in agony. The harsh, nauseating odor of burning flesh filled the air.

"Monster..." She heard whispers from around—the workers staring at the show paled, some even vomiting at the sight.

She took a step forward, and her heart pounded with exhilaration, a rush of vindication flooding her as she embraced the dark satisfaction of revenge.

A yell washed over her like cold water, settling down the flames of anger burning within her heart: "Die, imperial whore!"

An office worker in a black suit rushed at her, scissors gleaming in his hand, his eyes burning with blind fanaticism. In her sight, he moved slowly and pathetically, not even evoking any sensation of threat.

A pulse of purple energy shot past her, severing the man's head from his body in a split second.

The headless corpse fell to the ground, stillness overtaking the room as the imperial soldier behind her lowered his weapon, the terrifying visor of his helmet sweeping over the petrified employees, forcing some to their knees in sheer terror.

[+1 kill]

It was laughably pathetic, and the naiveté of the attacker's faith in a corrupt system nudged her into a wild laughter that reverberated ominously in the tense atmosphere.

"Haha, truly? Who else wants to die for the so-perfect Federation?" Her amused glare made the still-conscious employees avert their eyes.

In an attempt to maintain some semblance of order, Tia raised her voice, offering a lifeline to the terrified onlookers. "I told you, remain on your spot, and you will survive," she declared, knowing fully well that hysteria could easily engulf the room and complicate her mission.

The soldier's report on the intercom jerked her back to reality, replacing her frenzied joy with a sharp, urgent focus. "Mam, the military and planet's guard drones and dropships are quickly approaching; we are opening fire." 

Ignoring her suffering uncle on the ground, she waved at her two cousins, "My sweet cousin, and the other one I don't care about, I need your cooperation."