Going Up

(I'd appreciate it if you read this, but if you truly don't care, skip a few pages. God I'm so fucking excited to write what I have planned for the next bunch of chapters. I'm not yet sure how many chapters it will be but I give you a money back guarantee that it is action PACKED. I hope you guys will love it all as much as I did when planning it. I've been waiting weeks to write it because of my injury. I didn't want to half ass it because of how amazing it could be. You guys already know that I scrapped an entire novel because I didn't think the quality was up to my standards. I promise I'm back. Even when I start publishing my new project sometime soon, I won't drop this nor will the quality go down. The release rate will probably be only 2-3 at most per week but it will continue until I feel that the story can conclude. Anyways, that's enough of my bullshit. Enjoy the action and look out for announcements regarding my new project, Freedom Online: A Dying World.)

Almost instantly after I left the wookiees behind, my heart rate lowered back to my normal 60-70 BPM. I kept a heart rate monitor visible in the corner of my wrist comm's display. It was a useful reminder to breathe and remain calm.

I moved around the sublevel, wantonly navigating through the labyrinth it truly was. Who the fuck even designed this? My engineering sense was cringing to no end. Perhaps they even did this on purpose.

For some reason, I didn't encounter a single guard or droid. This was somewhat unsettling. Why was there no one down here? Maybe it had something to do with the beast attack?

Eh, doesn't matter too much for me. This just makes it easier to move around and plant more explosives. If I was lucky, I'd be able to take out all of the base's COs in one go.

I had a few detonators left at this point. The placement would be quite important if I wanted to ensure that the entire building came down. Fortunately, this base was built with extreme haste. Despite the walls being made of concrete, the structural columns made of steel were visible. I had just enough to rig all but a few support columns with explosives.

Now that I had taken care of that, I needed to find my way up. There's gotta be a staircase or ladder somewhere, right?

I wandered for another couple of minutes and then found what I was looking for. Conveniently, the door was unlocked. This was some main character level luck.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, I stood before a door. There was no window in the door so I had no clue what lay on the other side.

I decided to put my ear to the door to see if I could hear anything. I placed my hands on the door and gently rested my ear on it. The chill of the metal coursed through my face, a slight shiver causing my cheek to twitch.

*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

A cacophony of footsteps, although dulled, were audible. It was definitely a squad of soldiers. Hopefully they'd pass soon.

*Thump* *THump* *THUmp* *THUMp* *THUMP*

*THUMP* *ThUMP* *ThuMP* *ThumP* *Thump*

As the sounds of their footsteps faded, I slowly opened the door. Peaking out, I caught the backs of the squad as they rounded a corner. I checked the other direction and there was nothing.

I smirked and then moved through the doorway. The best choice was to move in the direction that they came from. If they didn't keep a constant pace, I could accidentally catch up to them. No matter how many lightsabers I have, I couldn't handle a squad that was shooting at me from the same direction.

Left. Right. Right. Left. I let the force guide me as I moved through the building. My trusty ally kept me clear of any patrols, allowing me to advance unhindered through the ground level.

It felt like I had gone in a circle but I eventually found another staircase. Alright, take two. I went up the stairs and repeated my vigilance upon reaching the top. This time, there was nothing.

From the outside, it appeared that the building was only two stories. This was the top level. If this was in fact the command center, then it would be located on the second floor in order to provide a better view of the surroundings.

I exited the stairway and made a left. Something was pulling me in this direction. What was it? Only the force could possibly know.

*Thump* *Thump*

Another set of footsteps was rapidly approaching. It was as if they were sprinting. Why were they running?

I quickly lunged into the adjacent hallway, finding a door that didn't appear to be important. I quickly opened it, ready for anything. Luckily, it was just a closet with some mops and cleaning supplies.

Upon softly closing the door, I heaved a sigh of relief. There was just so much tension. A single misstep could spell my doom. While I would just respawn, three epic holocrons are just too good to give up. They'd be a huge boon to both me and the guild.

Speaking of, I didn't even know how the guild was doing. I literally owned it for fucks sake and I didn't even know anything about it!

I quickly shoved those thoughts down as now was not the time to ponder such things. I could easily ask later. There'd be plenty of time! I was 100% planning to take a break after this shit show.

After waiting for a whole minute of "meditation", I slowly opened the door of the closet. I was the calmest I had been since I breached the facility. I felt that the most difficult time was ahead of me.

I checked to the left. Then to the right. There was nothing other than empty hallways. I then exited the closet, returning to the hallway I had just fled from. There was something there. Just a bit further and I would discover it. I doubted I would like what I found, but I needed to follow it to the end no matter what. My gut was telling me that there was no other way.

Making a right, I continued down the hallway. Just a few dozen steps later, I arrived before a set of double doors with a keypad next to it.

I stretched my fingers, kneeling down as I prepared to crack it. I could feel it. What I seeked, whatever it would turn out to be, was just beyond these doors!

I slowly reached up towards the keypad to remove the front panel. These things are generally just snap-ons when it is set up as hastily as the rest of this facility.

*SHwwep*

Before I could even touch the keypad, the doors slid open. The instant they were open, I shivered as a torrent of cold energy shredded through the force that surrounded me. My expression quickly dropped.

I quickly stood up and tried to walk away. Hopefully it was just an accident!

A voice called out from behind me. "Oh, no no no. Come here, child."

My body stiffened involuntarily as I stopped walking. I wasn't able to move. My heart rate was soaring. 90. 100. 110. 117.

The voice called again. "Please, do not test my patience. Come here."

I felt it deep down that an attempt to escape would be futile. This person was extremely powerful. It was a mistake coming up here.

I slowly turned around and walked towards the open doors. Upon rounding the corner, my worst fear came true.

Sitting in a large chair on the other side of the room was a man. He was dressed in black robes that were torn in many spots. Since he was sitting down, I couldn't get a good estimate on his height but he was, without a doubt, taller than me.

However, his red skin and dangling appendages on his face made it quite apparent when it came to his identity as not only a Sith in name, but a Sith in blood.

The man smiled. "Ahhh, there you are. What kind of host would I be if I didn't even invite my guests inside?"

His amicable tone contrasted with his most striking characteristic. Those eyes, yellow and glowing with extreme malevolence, struck me endlessly and battered my very soul. This was no ordinary Sith.

The man sighed. "What can I call you, padawan?"

I almost started to wonder how he figured out that I was a padawan before I realized that my braid was an easy tell. "My name is Soryn."

He raised his brows. "Hooooh. Padawan Soryn. Believe it or not, I've actually heard about you. Quite the thorn in our side. It would be a disservice not to get rid of you. Oh! How rude of me. You can call me Cytharat. My master is Darth Malgus. I'm sure that you've heard of him."

I nodded slowly. "Ummm, Cytharat. I think there is some kind of mistake. I got lost. You see, I was looking for a snack as I had been wandering through this force-forsaken jungle for hours. I came across this base and thought to myself that the biggest building must have good snacks. Anyways, if you don't mind, I shall return to my mission!"

I turned around quickly, attempting to leave once again. Before I could even take a step, I felt a gargantuan force constrict around my body, lifting me into the air.

Cytharat laughed quite creepily. "HAHAHAHA! You… You are quite the comedian, aren't you? Sadly, that will be your last joke."

My body slowly rotated until I was facing him once again. The sinister smile on his face sent shivers running down my spine. This was the most scared I had ever been. I was powerless before him. This was a bonafide Sith! Not some player. A true practitioner of the force.

He stood up from the chair, moving his hands behind his back as he kept me suspended and frozen in the air with a mere thought. "You Jedi have been oppressing my people for millennia. Each and every generation of my ancestors have lived under the shadow of the Jedi Order hanging over our necks. Men, women, children, all of them the same in your oh so righteous eyes."

Cytharat spun around, walking in the other direction. "My mother used to tell me stories about how I had to always be careful and be a good boy. If I wasn't, a Jedi would come and take me away. It wasn't until years later that I understood that this wasn't a joke."

He then stopped and glared straight at me. "In fact, it was severely underexaggerated."

He suddenly raised his hand, slowly closing his fist. Along with the closing of his fist, I felt my throat begin to constrict. "The Jedi wouldn't just take me away if I was discovered, no matter the place. No, it would be much worse. I'd get slaughtered on the spot like an animal, like a worthless object that serves no other purpose than to die. Your order is cruel and unforgiving. We have never even had a chance to defend ourselves. Our only hope was power."

The yellow of his eyes pulsed as I felt the constrictive force grow stronger. His hand closed a bit as well. "The torment, the fear… THE HATE!"

He swung his hand and I was sent flying into the wall.

*Thud* *CRACK*

Although uninjured, I could not say the same for the wall. A spiderweb of cracks spread from the point of impact. Before I could even breathe, I was flung into the air again, frozen and at this man's mercy.

Cytharat grunted. "UGHH. I resent even dirtying my hands with your filth. The light in your eyes, I just want it to disappear. It corrodes the force. It pulls it away from what it could be. It takes away from my power. It takes away from the purity of the Sith."

I felt that the hold on the rest of my body was lessened as the force that constricted my throat grew stronger. There was only one option I had now. There was no other way.

He laughed suddenly. "HA! What are you trying to do? Call for help? No one is coming. No one can help you. There is NO ONE! Not… even… your… master. The glorious Ven Zallow, Master Jedi. Member of the righteous council."

I continued moving my hands together. I was so close. Just a few more inches.

He smirked. "Go ahead. Call if you want. Nothing… No one can save you."

I had barely been able to breath for the past minute and it felt like hours. Just these few inches. Then I could catch my breath.

My right hand reached my left wrist at last, causing a burst of adrenaline to rush through my veins. This was it.

Cytharat scoffed. "What could possibly give you hope? There is no one! THERE IS NOTHING! I am your end."

I struggled to speak but forced out a few words. "It's too bad."

Cytharat furrowed his brow, clearly confused by my words. "What do you mean? I presume that you are referring to your pathetic life that won't last much longer. If anything, it is a mercy that I kill you."

I forcefully shook my head. "N-no. Not that. It's just…" The lack of air truly made it hard to speak and even think. I managed to suck in a tiny breath. "I've always considered myself a badass. Sadly, I won't be able to look away from this one."

It was then, at that moment, that I tapped my comm with my right index finger. "And… Boom."

*BOOOOOOOOOM*

Everything instantly went white. The curtain had parted. The cast… had arrived. The show… oh yes… the show… had begun.