Chapter 35: Another Life Day Miracle

"Master," Four-Twenty's voice crackled through the comm unit, a hint of that odd enthusiasm she always had when delivering news, good or bad. "The shuttle bearing the Kesyks has arrived."

"Finally," I muttered, moving towards the viewport, waiting for the shuttle to glide into the docking bay with predatory interest.

"However," Four-Twenty continued, her tone shifting into something more urgent, "sensors indicate the shuttle's hyperdrive is spooling up. It appears Duke Kesyk may attempt an escape."

A grin tugged at my lips, a mixture of amusement and malice. "Oh? He wants to run from me?" I let out a low chuckle. "Keep the guns trained on that shuttle, Four-Twenty. If they so much as flinch towards an escape vector, blast them to bits."

"Understood, Master," she replied, the satisfaction in her voice unmistakable. "The turbo lasers are as hot as a Chiss's cunt right after procreation." I sat there too focused on what I was doing to address the annoying droid.

"Okay," I spoke with defeat and then held my hand out, using all four of my Force-powered souls to grab the shuttle where it flew. "Oh," I laughed, surprised by my own strength. "Oh god, I am so fucking strong." The shuttle quivered like a cornered monkey-lizard in the grip of my Force hold, its engines whining in futility. With a flick of my wrist, I hurled it into the station's docking bay with ease. The sound of clanging metal reverbed through the station's hollow chambers.

"Nice try, Kesyk," I murmured. The taste of inevitable victory festered in my mouth like a nice brew from Café Sithé.

Stepping down from the command deck, my boots echoed on the cold durasteel floor as I approached the bay. The droids converged on the shuttle like a swarm of mynocks to a power cable, their mechanical precision a stark contrast to the chaos that bubbled just beneath my calm surface.

"Escort our esteemed guests to the main room," I commanded with an authoritative tone that left no room for disobedience. "And handle them with the care they deserve."

"Right away, Lord Relic," one droid chirped, gesturing to the others as they pried open the shuttle door. The Kesyks emerged, Duke Kesyk's facade of arrogance crumbling like the walls of a sand-blasted ruin, Ya-ta's eyes blazing with a fury that matched the core of a star. I studied them, a slow smile spreading across my face.

"Welcome," I said, my voice dripping with feigned warmth as we made our way to the main room. The dozens of droids flanked them, ensuring there was no opportunity for further tricks. There's something about having all the pieces fall into place that makes you appreciate the game even more.

I settled into the main seat, it's dark contours fitting around me like a second skin, and turned my attention to Artus Prime displayed on the viewscreen. "Resume firing," I ordered, fingers dancing across the armrest controls. The orbital defense system came alive, turbo lasers and ion cannons responding to my command with deadly eagerness.

From my new throne, I watched as fiery blossoms of destruction bloomed on the planet's surface, each explosion a testament to the power at my fingertips. The dark side surged within me as I could feel the flame of life being snubbed out of the planet that lay before me. Each life lost a tribute to never target my family again.

"Isn't this ironic?" I asked no one in particular aloud, and the humor of the situation was not lost on me. "Weapons designed to protect Artus Prime now carving its epitaph." My laughter filled the room.

Amid the cacophony of destruction, Duke Kesyk's voice clawed its way into my consciousness, his words tainted with disbelief and desperation. "We had an agreement, Relic! How can you do this?" he spat, his face a mask of incredulity and rage. "You promised to cease fire!"

I savored the moment like a fine wine, letting it linger on my palate before replying. I leaned forward, the corners of my grin wider than the fat pussy of a Chiss.

'Fuck, now I'm doing it too.'

"An agreement? Oh, my dear Duke," I chuckled, the sound dark and hollow against the staccato of destruction that played beyond the viewports. "Did you truly believe I would honor a deal with someone as insignificant as you? Watch closely, Duke," I whispered, almost tenderly, a sinister symphony accompanying my words. "This is the fate of all who dare attack me."

And with that, I gestured to the droids to silence him, my will commanding more than just machines. It commanded destinies.

The hiss of igniting lightsabers split the air, their purple light casting a sinister glow on Ya-ta's smug face. Her father, Duke Kesyk, stood beside her, his blade alive and humming with dangerous purple energy as well.

I laughed playfully. "Yes, good, good."

"Relic," Ya-ta spat my name like venom as she stepped forward, her eyes glinting with the rage of betrayal. "You think you can play us for fools?"

I didn't even flinch. Instead, I watched, almost disinterestedly, as she thrust her hand out, fingers splayed. Bolts of Force lightning crackled from her fingertips, dancing across the control consoles with wild abandon. Sparks flew, screens flickered, and the acrid scent of fried circuits filled the air. For a moment, the room was alight with the chaotic ballet of destruction, and I found myself oddly entranced by the display.

'Wait fuck, lighting is probably terrible for the computers.' I sighed. With an ease that contradicted the storm raging within me, I reached out with the Force. It responded instantly, a dark whisper that slithered through my veins and answered my call. The invisible tendrils of my will wrapped around Ya-ta and the Duke, squeezing tight until their movements stuttered and ceased. Their lightsabers clattered to the floor as they were bound by an unseen power, their faces twisted in shock and impotent rage.

"Your purple lightsabers are too disgusting to earn their way into thiccsaber you whip neck freaks." I accidentally channeled my inner Zenna as I yelled out the slur she taught me. She was always watching Holovids about how the Twi'lek were ruining the pure empire and how they were responsible for higher than human crime rates.

'I should tell her to cool it before she says the frogs are gay.'

"Master," came Four-Twenty's voice, formal yet tinged with a hint of glee. "The station's weapons are still operational."

'Thank Santa, I got nervous I'd only be able to kill most everyone and not exactly everyone for a second.'

"Perfect," I replied, allowing a cruel smile to play across my lips behind my mask. "Let them see how futile their resistance truly is."

Ya-ta's eyes met mine, wide with disbelief and something akin to fear. It was a look I'd seen countless times before, the dawning that today is your day.

"Your little lightning show?" I said, my voice dripping with scorn. "Impressive, but ultimately meaningless. You may be at the top of your class at the academy, but you're still just a child playing at being a Sith compared to me."

Darth Tempest was jumping, cheering me on from the side. "WOOOO YEAH GET THAT TWI-LEECH DARLING!"

'Awww.'

I refocused on the Kesyks. "Duke, you did something to target me. But I am a benevolent man." I lied. "I will give you each one chance to live." They stared at me with confusion lining their eyes.

"Fight," I command, my voice echoing through the chamber like the decree of a vengeful deity. "To the death. Prove your worth and earn your life. The winner will be allowed to live and will serve under me."

Their eyes flicker with something primal, a hunger for survival that cuts through the fear. The Force binds around their bodies fall away, and they sprung to their feet, both picking up and igniting their sabers in a blaze of fury and desperation.

It's a dance as old as time, the clash of old against young, each strike a tapestry of desperateness and familial betrayal. They move with the grace of the damned, their motions fluid yet frenzied, driven by the raw instinct to survive.

Ya-ta's form is better than it was in the tournament. She'd clearly been practicing. She channels the dark side, weaving Sith sorcery into her assault. Lightning crackles from her fingertips, a storm of purple energy that seeks to consume her father. But the Duke is no amateur. He blocks the lighting with the skill of a seasoned duelist, his own power surging in response to his daughter's onslaught.

I lean back in my seat, watching the spectacle unfold before me. There's an artistry in their violence, a brutal elegance that almost makes me forget I'm now responsible for more death than anyone else back in my original world.

'Eat your heart out Oppenheimer'

The duel spirals into chaos, their sabers clashing with a sound like thunder, searing the air with their heat. They are locked in a battle not just of bodies but of wills, each blow a relentless drive to emerge victorious.

"Show me who deserves to live!" I taunt, my words spurring them on like fuel to the flames. It's exhilarating, this display of power and savagery.

*****

Blood dripped from Ya-ta's brow as she stood heaving, her opponent crumpled at her feet. I leaned against my new throne in the command center and offered the slowest clap, each strike of my palm a punctuation in the silence that followed her victory. "Impressive," I drawled, the sound echoing off the walls, mocking the solemnity of the moment.

She barely managed a nod, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths, eyes still ablaze with the ferocity of battle. But beneath that fire, exhaustion pulled at her limbs, a silent testament to the ordeal she had just endured.

"Ya-ta," I called out softly, almost affectionately, as I reached up to unseal the mask that concealed my identity. The Darth Relic façade fell away, and Vex Eras stood before her barefaced.

A flicker of recognition, or was it resignation, crossed her features, but it was no surprise to her. She knew me, perhaps better than most.

"Shall we?" I invited, my smile condescending. My saber ignited with a familiar hiss, its crimson light casting an eerie glow on the bloodstains that marred the floor. I circled her slowly, like a predator taunting its prey, though this was no hunt. It was simply inevitable.

Each of my strikes was calculated, deliberate, not meant to harm but to demonstrate the chasm between our skills. She parried and dodged with admirable tenacity, but her movements were sluggish, her counters a beat too slow.

"Come now, Ya-ta," I teased, my blade dancing effortlessly around her defenses. "You fought so valiantly for this?"

Her answering growl was guttural, fueled by the last embers of her strength, and yet it was clear the duel was mine to end whenever I chose. The promise of her life was nothing but a shadow, an illusion cast by my own hands. Ya-ta's eyes were wide with the realization of a second betrayal.

"Please..." she pleaded, her voice barely more than a whisper, her pride crumbling like the ancient ruins that surrounded us at school.

My blade moved with a precision born of countless hours of training and a deep-seated need for retribution. The hum of ignited plasma was the only warning before her arms fell, severed, the sound of her screams echoing off the walls of the chamber.

'I've gotten way too good at cutting people's limbs off lately.'

She collapsed to her knees, her indigo blood seeping into the cracks of the durasteel floor, her face contorted in agony. The fire of vengeance that had been kindled in me on Korriban, the memory of her sly smirk as she left me weakened, vulnerable.

"Did you think I'd forget, Ya-ta?" My voice was calm, almost soothing, belying the storm that raged within. "You embarrassed me!"

The Force flowed through me, darker and more potent than the space between the stars. With a mere thought, I unleashed it upon her, tendrils of power wrapping around her mind, squeezing until her terror was palpable, a tangible thing that filled the room with its intensity.

"Feel it," I whispered, the words slipping from my lips like a lover's caress. "Feel the fear that you once sought to instill in me." Darkness enveloped us.

Her body writhed on the ground, her eyes wild with the horrors that only Sith sorcery could conjure. It was a cruel irony to turn her own weapon against her, to watch her drown in the sea of terror she had so often used to control others. But hey, that's what I did with the turbo lasers, too.

"Vex... please..." Her voice was broken, a shard of glass beneath the heel of my boot.

"Relic," I corrected her coldly, the name a declaration of the chasm between who I had been and who I had become. "Darth Relic."

And as she trembled before me, a puppet whose strings I held firmly in my grasp.

Ya-ta's body lay crumpled and twitching on the cold metal floor, her screams now muffled gasps as she writhed in the grip of induced terror. My shadow loomed over her, a specter of vengeance, and with a swift motion as precise as it was pitiless, I brought an end to her torment. Her head rolled away, eyes frozen wide in eternal fear as I struck her neck with a quick slash of my vermillion blade.

'Damn, this all felt so great.'

I turned to Four-Twenty, her metallic form standing impassive amidst the carnage. "Ensure Artus Prime becomes a dead world," I instructed, my voice resonating with the certainty of a man who knew no boundaries. "Keep those turbo lasers firing until nothing breathes upon its surface. And Four-Twenty remember no one escapes." I spoke softly. The droid is weird but extremely competent. If I rule someday competency will be incredibly important to me.

"Understood, Master Relic," she replied, her tone laced with that unsettling enthusiasm she reserved for tasks of slicing and droid command. "It will be quite the showcase of firepower, an unrelenting storm until all is silence." I waited for a moment anticipating for her to relate it to Chiss pussy somehow, but she didn't this time.

"Make it so," I commanded, turning my back on the grisly scene. As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of... something. Not regret, never that. But the adrenaline was fading, leaving behind a whisper of emptiness.

'I don't really feel bad. Ya-ta and the Duke both kinda played stupid games.' "You play stupid games."

"YOU WIN STUPID PRIZES!" Darth Tempest reminded me of her lovely presence.

"Yes thank you sweety." I laughed as any trace of guilt fell away as I looked at the one I sought to protect the most. I picked up my helmet off the ground.

The mask of Darth Relic clicked into place, shielding my face and pressurizing the air around me. I could feel the weight of it pressing against my skin, a barrier between Vex Eras and the monster I had become. With each step toward the Sleepy Cosby, the whispers of a strong future clawed at me.

"Our fate is looking bright." I spoke.

"Indeed it is." Darth Tempest replied, interlocking our arms together as we boarded our ship. Ready to go home after a long day of genocide."Oh and I'll release the edited holovid of your mission today to the Imperial News Network as we discussed yesterday."

I nodded as we boarded to leave for home.