Veronica stopped her flying motorcycle with two gun barrels already extending from her left arm.
"Are the rebels you're talking about fighting against the Empire?" She turned to look at Amir.
Amir wasn't sure if he should tell her. Veronica had always harbored a deep hatred toward the Empire because of what happened to her parents. Combined with her stubbornness, Amir had no doubt that she would want to join the rebel army.
"Yes," Amir replied. He knew the dangers of war, but he also knew that hiding the truth would be pointless.
Veronica didn't say anything else, but began to carefully observe the surroundings of the Industrial Zone 34 Research Institute. The main gate was locked, but she quickly spotted a large hole in one of the walls, large enough for a person to pass through.
Amir looked at the stormtroopers lying in the room beyond the hole and confirmed that Hak and the others had entered through there.
He cautiously stepped into the room, first releasing his spider robot to scout the terrain and then pulling out his blaster pistol.
Soon, the spider robot transmitted a holographic map of the area.
"I didn't expect this place to be so big. It's connected to the lower level. There are three floors in total," Veronica said in surprise.
After confirming the map, Amir and Veronica walked out.
"It looks like the battle on this floor is over," Amir said, looking at the stormtroopers lying in the hallway.
Although this floor appeared to be a normal research institute conducting research on ordinary drugs, the presence of so many stormtroopers clearly indicated that this was no ordinary place. How could a regular research institute have an army stationed here?
Stepping over the stormtroopers' bodies, the two headed toward the passageway to the lower level. At that moment, Amir faintly heard gunfire.
"All the children have been transferred to the detention rooms on the lowest level. Hak, what should we do now?" a man wearing electronic glasses asked.
The entrance to the lowest level was guarded by a large number of stormtroopers.
"Reinforcements will arrive at any moment. We must decide quickly," said a T'lek man dressed in a neat suit.
Hak gripped his blaster tightly, torn inside. The Empire had secretly deployed twice as many troops as anticipated, trapping them and preventing them from advancing.
There were only two options now. The first was to force their way through the defenses, which would come at a heavy cost. Though they were seasoned veterans, the dozen or so of them were no match for the dense gunfire from the enemy lines.
The second option was to call for support from the ships outside, abandon the mission and the imprisoned children, and evacuate the planet.
Hak looked up at his companions' determined expressions and silently raised his gun. The others all understood.
Gunfire echoed in the distance, but Amir stopped in his tracks.
"Go help them. I might have to greet some guests," he said to Veronica.
Veronica turned to look at the person in black armor appearing behind her and shivered.
"Stay safe," she said before running toward the staircase leading from the second to the third floor.
Amir turned around and looked at the approaching Imperial Inquisitor. He pulled out the lightsaber without switching it on for the first time.
"I never thought I'd see you again. You're also a member of this resistance organization," the Seventh Sister said, revealing a cruel smile. "This time, you won't be able to escape. You'll pay for what you've done!"
She moved her newly installed mechanical right hand, spinning the circular, double-bladed lightsaber.
"Weng~" The lightsaber activated, but the sound didn't come only from in front of Amir. Behind Amir, another Imperial Inquisitor appeared—tall, with a black helmet shaped like an inverted triangle. It was the Fifth Brother who had fought Ashoka.
Amir found himself in a two-on-one situation. He slowly sensed the flowing Force around him and felt the intangible power passing through the lightsaber's traces.
"Weng~" The lightsaber activated, revealing a blue blade that emitted a quiet hum. This lightsaber's switch was located inside the hilt and was accessible only to those who could use the Force.
"I've heard that, during wartime, some Jedi modified their lightsabers like this to prevent enemies from using them after their deaths," the Fifth Brother said, looking at Amir's lightsaber. "So, who is your master?"
"Master?" Amir thought to himself. 'What master? I don't even know how to use this thing! I've never learned a single lightsaber move!'
No one noticed Amir's inner panic. Seeing Amir use the Force, the two Imperial Inquisitors moved forward with increased caution.
"Because of you, I lost my right hand! I will make you pay double!" When she reached a certain distance, the Seventh Sister roared and charged at Amir. Her double-bladed lightsaber spun rapidly, disrupting the air around her.
Amir assumed a defensive stance and watched her move. He thought silently, "She lost one hand, so now she has a mechanical one? That gives me a chance."
As he blocked Seven Sister's lightsaber, the Fifth Brother attacked from behind, slashing at Amir's back with incredible speed.
Knowing he couldn't take on two opponents at once, Amir deflected Seven Sister's lightsaber swiftly and rolled to the side, dodging the surprise attack.
He kept his eyes fixed on the right hand of the fifth brother, which held the sword, as if sensing something.
The fifth brother closed in first, skillfully using both ends of his double-bladed lightsaber to put constant pressure on Amir. He moved so fast that only the afterimages of the light blades could be seen.
Amir struggled to block the attacks. The fifth brother was much stronger than the seventh sister, and each strike pushed Amir toward the wall. Meanwhile, the seventh sister lurked nearby like a venomous snake, waiting for her chance.
Finally, after Amir blocked the Fift Brother's attack, Seventh Sister raised her lightsaber and charged at him, the crimson blade pointing straight at his arm.
"Why do you all like cutting off people's arms so much?" Amir's eyes flashed with a cold gleam as he quietly pressed a button on his wrist guard.
The spider robot, which had not returned to its original position, had somehow entered the battle zone. From the top of the passageway, the robot aimed at the Fifth Brother's head and released a high-voltage current. The powerful imperial inquisitor lost his balance in an instant.
But only for a moment. His meticulously crafted armor deflected most of the voltage, and he did not release his light sword. He continued to prepare to defend against Amir's attack.
However, Amir's target was not him.
The Seventh Sister had already swung her light sword toward Amir. Amir did not panic but simply extended his left hand and gently flicked it. Suddenly, the fingers of the Seventh Sister's tightly clenched right hand snapped outward, and the double-bladed, rotating light sword flew out of her hands.
"Weng~ci~"
Her right hand fell to the ground once again.
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