Dark Empire: A Star Wars Tale

Chapter 3: The Empire

In a matter of minutes, they had all been gathered on the main road, as per the protocol. This was not the first of the Empire's visits, and Eevielyn had heard horror stories of other towns by people who witnessed someone trying to hide from the metal legion. The sith had made sport of killing them, then torched the place they'd been hiding, and after all that they told the citizens that they were being... relocated for "work" related reasons. Was it now their turn to be taken from house and family? Eevie had moved out here to avoid the empire, but her parents were still in the capital. Would they even learn she was gone?

She could see Nyx on the other end of the crowd, who looked even more nervous than the locals. If Eevie was right, and he was some sort of smuggler, then she understood why. Having his limbs hacked off by a lightsaber did not sound all that pleasant.

It was only a small group of droids that accompanied the sith warriors, no more than twenty-five. Not an army, but a tactical kill squad. The thought made her heart race even faster. The sith were very clearly a master and apprentice, the smaller one, a human dressed in a black hooded cloak, and who looked only slightly older than Eevie, kept looking at the armored juggernaut that walked in front of him, following his lead.

They stopped about thirty feet away, and the two groups stood in silence for what felt like ages. Though the villagers outnumbered them four to one, none were foolish enough to think they could fight back if things turned violent. Hopelessness fell with silence, the sith staring at the crowd before the large armored warrior stepped forward.

"We come today because we have discovered a criminal in your midst." His voice was deep, and reverberated through the air. "A traitor to the empire, and a threat to all peace."

Another horrible thought sprung to Eevie's mind. 'Could they mean Ayato?' The only other possible person was Nyx, for he coincidentally arrived just hours before the empire. But "a threat to all peace"? If Nyx was just some sort of smuggler, would they be using that sort of language?

Before she could continue thinking, somebody stepped forward. "Alright, I surrender." But it wasn't Ayato who had spoken. It was Lance, the cantina owner. "I'll go peacefully, just leave these people be."

"Captain Lance Tsvarog, of the traitorous army of the republic," the armored sith lifted up a hand to touch the base of his helmet, which folded up to reveal his face, grey skin with yellow-red eyes, and completely bald. "You are charged with aiding and abbetting rebels with acts of terrorism. For your crimes-" He was far faster than Eevie would have believed, and she watched in stunned horror as he snatched his lightsaber from his waist, ignited it, and sent it flying through the air, impaling Lance in the chest. "I sentence you to die."

Some of the townsfolk let out screams, stepping back away from Lance's fallen body as the lightsaber was ripped away by unseen powers to return to it's armored master. "You monsters!" Someone cried out, which prompted fearful silence to take over. The man who had yelled out seemed stunned by his own words, and cowered back in fear.

Soon the sith master began to chuckle, amused. It was then his apprentice stepped forward to speak. "I suppose we forgot to mention the most important part. You have all been charged with harboring a fugitive of the law." His own lightsaber flew from his belt to his hand. "And we've all seen the sentencing for that." He held up his empty hand, and the droids leveled their blasters at the townsfolk. Some of the townfolk began to run, Eevie turning on her heels right as she heard the apprentice say "Open fire."

Blaster fire rang out, some of the villagers falling in the fleeing crowd. They didn't even know where else to run, just trying to get out of the line of fire. Another voice, Ayato's, managed to rise above the shouting. "There's an escape tunnel by the back walls near my house, hurry!" Another volley of lasers rang out, sending another group tumbling onto the ground, never to get up. Someone she didn't see was Nyx, neither in the running crowd or on the ground. Had he found another spot to hide out. She heard another blaster fire, alone, and briefly turned her head to look.

One of the droids was falling over, a smoking hole in it's chest. She thought she saw Nyx dart around a corner out of side as droids blasted where he had been standing moments ago. 'He's holding them back? For strangers?' She was now super thankful she gave him a ride into town that day.

The escape tunnel was only wide enough for only one person to enter at a time, and time was not on their side. So far, the droids were out of sight, which gave Eevie the time to run up to where she saw Ayato. "The sabers," she whispered. "In the drawer. Please tell me they are really yours?"

"Wish I could," Ayato whispered back to her. "... Eevielyn... I want you to take this." He shoved something small and circular into her hands. "When you get these people out of here, and I need you to do it, push that button. Hopefully an old friend of mine still has the other one... she can help you with your... problem."

"You make it sound like you're not coming with us."

"... should this be goodbye," Ayato said, starting to walk towards the middle of the little cauldasac, taking a deep breath. "Know that the hope of the galaxy may soon rest on your shoulders."

What was he talking about? Eevie didn't have the time to think about it before the droids flooded into the street, taking up defensive positions to corner them. The sith were close behind, but blaster fire could still be heard far away. Nyx must have been shooting it out with some of the droids still, the others following the majority of the crowd.

Ayato raised a hand, palm flat. "I will only say this once. Leave now, while you still can." He seemed a completely different person, no longer the mumbling drunkard.

The sith apprentice shifted, readying his red lightsaber.

"Have we met before?" The sith master leveled his blade at Ayato. "You seem... familiar."

"Don't say I didn't give you the chance." He extended his right hand back behind him, towards his house. A breeze blew through town, causing the weathervane atop his house to spin. Even once the wind died, it spun, faster and faster, until it snapped off the roof completely. Some of the metal arms and antenne fell away, the shaft of the weathervane flying straight to his hand. The moment he caught it, a yellow blade ignited from one end. A lightspear.

The sith master only smiled. "Oh, this will be most entertaining. Droids, execute the others, I have a jedi to kill."