ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: A Face of Reality
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As the face of the republic, we walked with grace and leisure authority… and we trusted in our leaders…. And we walked… oh! How we walked... through our cities as kings… Gone were the empire and its heavy hand…
Now, our people… nay, our worlds! Walk through the stars with renewed hope. But then came the order… With its tragedy came the end of five worlds… the destruction…oh! the destruction… of the Hosnian system….
Left us leaderless… defenseless… at the mercy of crooks and warlords as they filled their spots… though peace was eventually restored… it didn't come without a price…. But even as more blood was spilled to reform… countless worlds still live under the thumb of new leaders! While what's left of the Jedi still hid in their temples…
Planning… waiting… but while they rebuild what was lost…forgotten… we now have to look to our own… through we signed into another republic…. It is but a shame of what it once was… The outer rim is more dangerous than what it was…
Though quiet and seemingly forgotten, the powers hidden within the crime syndicates go either ignored or unnoticed… buying time under a mask…. As if in waiting… waiting for something… I know… because I can feel it…
I see it… in their eyes… in their flags… though unspoken… I can feel it… As I see rebellious children running with the implication of a bird! A bald and ugly vulture that tries to hide its ugliness behind the beauty of the city… while the older generation does not understand the ways of the children… a divide growing… to what I fear may be another rebellion! A rebellion for what… I do not know…
→excerpt by a Republic guard←
As the vision ended, and the world returned to normalcy in Leon's eyes, he could not help the shakiness he felt. But while he pondered and looked up into the monitors, he saw the republic troops in black and white, while hearing their screams!
For as the members of Gold Team, stared into the fog, with their guns ready and willing, they felt a chilly breeze that came with it a gush of running water! Black and viscous it swamped their footing! With a pause, they looked at each other and made their secret talks!
And in those moments, they heard a loud screech! With eyes refocusing to a point, they heard the sounds of thumping… quiet with a metallic clank, as if something sharp was dragging itself across the floor! As it got closer, the fog grew in thickness and changed to black!
The stench of fresh sulfur was growing stronger and stronger—not even their helmets could keep out! With gaging and coughing, with tears in their eyes, they kept shouting their threats! But as their threats were ignored and more men came to fill the room, the waters began to rise, and sounds of crying and children's laughter filled their earpieces…
Is when they saw it! For in the fog was a pair of red eyes that breathed ash! Whose skin was as a molten rock…. With an expression that could kill, it smiled with a screech as its chest grew big with a breath!
Scared, the men went to push their triggers when sharp claws reached from their feet! Clawing into their legs and gushing their blood! The men panicked and fired at their feet, only to look up at a wall of fire! As they burned, they dived into the water only to realize it was like oil!
As Captain Fub looked at the scene and heard everything… his crew was just the same as him! Scared! But with a mind to call in more troops! But when he pushed the button, all that anyone heard… were the sounds of troops burning!
Their cries filled every room and every earpiece in the entire ship! Down to the last sizzle… scared, he looked to the monitor to see the face of an alien he didn't know. Locked in a staring contest, overshadowing the cries of dying men, Fub felt more rage than scared at that moment!
And with curses rising in his mouth, he blinked! When his eyes reopened the world around him changed! He was no longer on the bridge of the ship! But on his home world of Quarren!
A beautiful ocean world! Timing with life… and the life of his family…. And with love and complacency, he never notices the time flying by! Until thunderous cracks began to form with the flashing of his subordinate's faces! As they screamed at him!
But with a head shake, he continued to ignore, as the time kept flying by and by… until the flashing got stronger and stronger! Till the point he began to remember that he should be on a ship…that this can't be real… and with that shaken revelation, the ocean water began to boil!
As his mind pained him at the sight of his wife… of his son… boiling alive! Oh! The rage… the helplessness…. As he ran for help… but the moment he stepped outside… He felt it on his skin! The blisters, the pain… oh! The pain! Of his heart, as he watched his people, his species die…. And a world that became as dry… he watched it all as he fell onto his knees…
And as a broken man, he looked up to the sky... To his star and screamed why! There he saw the face of that alien again… that black-bird! And with another stare, he blinked! As his eyes reopened…
He was on the ship! But the bridge wasn't as he remembered it! The main window was broken and covered in blood… he felt a cool feeling below his knees…. He felt dripping water, and heard silence… a deafening silence…
As lights flickered above his head, with their sparks and the chilly winds… Fub looked to his right… there he saw a face he knew all too well…. The face of his subordinate! Dead and lifeless! With fresh blood gushing from his mouth, the expression on his face reminded Fub of his son's face when he died!
Filled with anger, Fub stood still facing the window overlooking the stars, with a fist dripping in blood…and with a deep breath and another blink, Fub turned around pulling a blaster from its holster!
But at that moment, which presented itself in slow motion, Fub saw his blaster's arm get sent flying! With a quick burn that paled to the pain he knew, Fub stared into the eyes of that damnable bird! As another saber enters his chest!
With blood drooling from his mouth, and eyes filled with hatred that matched the Sith, Lucifron started into them calmly and said:
{Ah…yes… that's the look… I know that look…. Tell me… when you look at me… can you see it?}
To his question, Fub spat what blood he had at Lucifron! But not angered by the gesture, No! It only made his smile all the bigger!
{perhaps not… then….} thought Lucifron as a great idea popped into his head!
[Ah! I know… maybe that will help you understand… yes… that's it! Now! hopefully, the life you have left in you will be enough…. Yes, I shall show you what happened to your crew! Maybe then… YOU WILL UNDERSTAND!} said Lucifron with a smile as he closed Fub's eyes for another vision!
Captains' men POV:
[Medic! How's the captain? Did you get him moving yet!] screamed the Second Lieutenant while she pushed the blaster door closed.
[no mam! The captain… I…. I don't know… I don't know what's wrong with him! Everything indicates that his fine! I… don't know what to do…] replied the Medic in a sickening panic
[Dammit! Coles!]
Yelled Back the Lieutenant, as the inner comms wouldn't shut up with the screams of crewmembers going mad!
[gosh dammit Coles! I told you to take out your earpiece!]
But when she reached Coles' ears, the Lieutenant noticed that Coles didn't have an earpiece! But that was when she heard it… the screaming coming over the station speakers!
[that can't be right… I know I destroyed the controls myself….] said the Lieutenant
While shocked at the impossibility, she glanced at the video monitors… there she saw in multiple cameras, the sight of her crew being burned, drowned, eaten by birds, or coughing out their blood! But through all the eye-catching scenes, the one place that stood out to her the most was the sight of two burning blades!
A creature cloaked in shadows who walked like a man, slaughtering all in his way! Dragging and scarring the floor with his blades, he killed indiscriminately as he walked…even while people hid or planned their ambush, he knew where they were…
He scorched through their chest…. through doors…. through armor… and through other soldiers! They couldn't stop him… even as he cut them in half, or tore through limbs… begging didn't work nor was numbers ever an advantage…
And while he walked, the lights seemed to dim to nothing… as if he was draining them of their light… keeping his face hidden and his body in the shade, only showing two burning red blades! But as captivating as that scene was, she noticed….
The walls… the computers…. The floors…. And everything else around her started to change! As if they were aged by sand! Scared, she ran to the captain! Shaking him and screaming at him… Hell even punching him! But nothing would work…
He just kept the same dead eyes! No matter what she did! And in that moment of hopelessness, Coles screamed uncontrollably with his hands on his ears! Screaming the words:
[stop it! Stoooppp it! I don't want to hear it anymore! Please! Just turn it off… please]
Rushing and with her hands over Coles, the Lieutenant tried to calm him down like a child, as the rest of the bridge crew took out their weapon! Turning to look at them, the Lieutenant was confused as to why they pulled them out… but that confusion didn't last as she heard a noise, she feared the most! The sound of burning metal!
The blast doors were beginning to turn red, and she knew why. So, with solace in her heart, she glanced at her crew… and saw their fear… With a head nod in respect, they lined up at the door with blasters in hand.
They knew they were going to die, and that was alright, they accepted it… even as those doors were nearly opened! But strangely enough to the crew, the sabers stopped just as they burned a hole! But not daring to get close, the crew waited… and waited…until the lights above their head blew out with the quietening of the engines and the generators!
When all was quiet, and the eerie emergency lights turned, the crew lowered their weapons, as they listened to a strange sound….
[what is that…]
[I don't know... But it sounds like something scratching… but I don't think it's coming from the door]
As the men questioned each other and listened, the door opened to an inch of water and a Frozen breeze!! Scared, but with resolve, the men dare not even blink! Even as the red emergency light spun above the open door. With tightening grips, they waited as a flash of blue filled the room!
Knowing what that light was and recognizing the sound, the crew turned around to their Lieutenant! To see her shocked expression as she stared at Cole! Seeing her face that screamed why, Cole simply laughed… while he dropped his blaster.
Screaming their lungs out, the crew pointed their guns at the laughing Cole… only for the door behind them to burst open in feathers and red eyes! As their blood splattered all over Coles, he just stood there…. With slight chuckles…
And through his Chuckles, Lucifron walked through the blood-soaked floors as feathers covered his steps so, as to not dirty his feet with republic blood. And with a hand on Cole's shoulder, he said:
[as I promised… the voices will end…]
With words that sounded heaven-sent, Cole celebrated as Lucifron stabbed him through the chest with a burning blade! With a smile covered in blood, Cole was truly happy! For he was free…. And when its lights went out, Lucifron laughed at the sight of Cole's as he force-pushed him against the window!
{Ha! The human species… is so weak!} said Lucifron with half-joyous laughter that quickly became serious.