The Abiding Force: A Knight of the Empire (Star Wars)

4: Growing Pain

"Are you certain I'm allowed to be here?" Val asked, looking around the restricted records section of the Imperial Archive. This place was usually reserved for the most well-trusted and impartial of the Imperial government. Even Val's father, the governor of the very planet itself had to request access in advance of a visit. Korta spared his student a reassuring glance.

"You are, as long as you are with me." the old Knight replied, stepping into one of the private studies and gesturing for Val to follow before disappearing through the doorway. As he rounded the corner, Val's attention was immediately drawn to the console at the far side of the small room. A comfortable looking plush chair sat in front of the console. Korta came to rest beside the chair waving his left hand at it before addressing the system tritely.

"Auth code 04190-Allegiant." Korta stated into the microphone. The screen immediately came to life, the keypad illuminating as Val took the seat. "Locate reports 108, 121 and 231 under subject Adrass." he said, the screen changing to honor his request. Eventually the flashing ceased and a readout appeared. Val skimmed the first paragraph, the preface left him momentarily stunned.

"What is this?" Val asked Korta, his eyes fixed to the screen but unable to comprehend. The next paragraph prefaced the covert hiring of mercenaries from nearly a dozen known systems and... Val blinked. "Unknown systems?" Val's eyes left the screen, but Korta was no longer beside him. He turned just in time to see the man round the corner out of the room. Val thought of following him but knew that his teacher wanted him to see this without interference. He picked up where he had stopped, the revelation of extra-Imperial forces just as disturbing as it had been a moment before.

As he delved deeper into the reports, a picture began to develop. With each word a bit more of the overall image was illuminated. Training methods, weapons and even contracts carried out in exchange for credits and supplies. His eyes fell upon a name that set his heart racing with curious dread. The description of her training forced Val to stop reading. He sat back in the chair, staring blankly at the desk for a few long minutes as he recounted the details in his mind. He saw her pale face in the red light, the eyes that burned with hatred and it all fell into place.

"Did you see what you wanted?" Korta asked, breaking Val from his trance without prelude. The young man was startled momentarily, but settled quickly. He hadn't any desire to know this about her. Doubt clouded his mind as he imagined one of the procedures described in the text, the slow removal of skin from the back and neck, one strand at a time as punishment for the most minor of failures.

"No." He growled, resenting the man for forcing this momentary compassion for her upon him. "It changes nothing." Val said, his anger flaring as he remembered the smile Ben had given him before she had cut him down. "All you've done is show her to be an animal-" he said, rising from the chair, "-and I already knew that."

Korta made no attempt to stop him as he fled the room. His heart hammered, the frustration waning slowly as he grew farther from the terminal. A dangerous thought crossed his mind, one that scared him more than anything. He wondered who she might have been if not for the way she had been- NO. His heart rebelled, seeing his brother again in a flash of clarity. It didn't matter who she might have been, that person would never exist. Val was perfectly satisfied to kill the one that did, the pale-faced demon that had slaughtered his brother.

Zeya had nearly had him. She was prodigiously gifted in acrobatic maneuvers for her age. The spinning slash she had executed was quick, the immediate thrust carried through by her momentum was even quicker. Her failure left her open, however and Val capitalized. Striking at her wrist.

"Damn!" she screamed, dropping her sword. Val nearly chided her on her language, but thought better of it, nobody was around to hear her anyways. She bent to pick up the weapon, but Val stepped on the blade. The look in her eye was murderous as he pulled the weapon into his grasp, then tossed it across the room.