Having finally ended the intense battle, Veronica shook her overheated left arm and shouted to those around her, "Imperial reinforcements are on the way! My partner is holding them off—someone come with me!"
With that, she led the charge back the way she had come.
The Force choke—somehow it had become Darth Vader's signature move, and by extension, a hallmark of the dark side.
In truth, Force choking was a technique any Force user could master—provided their power exceeded that of their opponent, or they struck with enough surprise.
But using the Force came with limits. Excessive use in a short time could drain the brain, causing dizziness, fatigue, or even unconsciousness.
Amir had learned this the hard way. Whenever he pushed beyond his limits, he'd end up sleeping for hours afterward.
Likewise, after an enemy overexerted themselves with the Force, they'd experience a temporary power void. During that time, even a weaker Force user like Amir could choke them with ease.
Seventh Sister was clearly nearing her limit. Driven by rage, she had been recklessly burning through her Force reserves to boost her speed and strength.
Fifth Brother, while more conservative with his Force usage, had still spent plenty.
Amir, on the other hand, had barely tapped into his own power—only using the Force to predict attacks through its flow. Why hadn't he used it more?
Because he didn't know how.
How to use the Force to move at blinding speed, how to enhance his lightsaber, or even basic saber forms—all of these required a proper teacher. And Amir had none.
So he'd picked up whatever he could by trial and error, and Force choke was one of the few tricks he could manage.
Now, he made a gamble—to subdue both Inquisitors using the rawest form of the technique.
Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother, seeing Amir had lost his lightsaber, let their guard down, approaching slowly like hunters toying with their prey.
Seventh Sister raised her saber in triumph, a twisted smile on her face. "Give up and surrender. I'll take you back to the Fortress Inquisitorius and make you feel the pain I endured!"
But just as she said that, she saw Amir, clad in a clone trooper helmet, slowly raise his hands. Suddenly, an invisible force clamped tightly around her throat.
"Argh! Not this again!" she gasped, clawing at her neck.
She had dropped her guard completely after Amir lost his saber and had depleted the most Force. She was defenseless.
Fifth Brother, however, resisted fiercely. His dark side power fought back against Amir's choke.
Still, Amir had managed it. Both Inquisitors' feet left the ground, their legs kicking violently as they struggled midair.
"This is costing way more energy than I thought," Amir muttered. The exertion to choke both of them at once was pushing him to his limit.
Especially Fifth Brother's resistance—it was exhausting.
He couldn't muster enough strength to crush their throats. He wouldn't last much longer.
"Amir!" Veronica's voice called out from behind. Finally, relief.
A barrage of blaster bolts followed, Veronica's left-hand cannon unleashing a stream of fire. Five rebel fighters beside her all fired at the Inquisitors.
Sensing a threat to his life, Fifth Brother exploded with dark side energy, breaking free of Amir's grip. He snatched his spinning dual-bladed saber and turned it into a shield, deflecting all incoming blaster shots.
Amir released the chokehold. Seventh Sister collapsed behind Fifth Brother, coughing violently on the floor.
Seeing the overwhelming numbers, Fifth Brother made a swift decision. He grabbed Seventh Sister and retreated at full speed.
"You okay?" Veronica ran to Amir and helped him to his feet.
"Just a little dizzy," he said, rubbing the side of his helmet. "What about Huck?"
"They're rescuing the children—should be almost done."
Just as she finished speaking, Huck arrived with a group of children.
"Amir! If it weren't for you and your friend, we'd have suffered huge losses today," he said, dragging along a researcher in a white lab coat.
"Who's that?" Amir asked.
"I'll explain on the way!" Huck replied, leading the group toward the exit. "Imperial reinforcements are on the way."
Outside, a mid-size transport ship landed just as Amir and the others emerged. Huck and the rebels quickly loaded the rescued children aboard.
At the ramp, Guli Gina and her brother Lorin bowed deeply to Amir, holding hands.
Huck's team had jammed the signals beforehand, buying extra time by slowing the Empire's response.
Still, in the distance, several TIE fighters were rapidly approaching.
No time for goodbyes. Amir and Veronica jumped on their speeders and zoomed back down into the lower levels. After wandering the twisting undercity for a while, Amir finally removed his helmet, and the two returned to the Traveler docked at the port.
Battling intense dizziness, Amir stumbled into a bedroom and passed out.
The ship was quiet and dark, bringing him a long-overdue sense of peace.
He dreamed.
Twin suns set over Tatooine. A ten-year-old boy wandered aimlessly on a farm. On a distant ridge, a bearded man lowered his binoculars and sat to meditate.
A Bantha plodded across the endless dunes. The high-pitched chattering of Jawas, Tusken Raiders training with gaderffii sticks...
Darkness circled those dunes, slowly creeping in.
Meanwhile, Veronica sat in the lounge, browsing Outer Rim planets on the holographic star map.
These people had told her—they were still just a small resistance. Though somewhat organized, they had no central base.
They quietly aided resistance cells across various planets, supplying weapons and resources—often without revealing who they were.
It was all they could do right now. To bring hope to the oppressed on the Outer Rim.
But rebellion was not far off. Their intel network had received orders to secretly contact and unite independent resistance forces across the galaxy, preparing for the day they'd rise up.
She thought of the holorecorder she'd salvaged from the explosion. Maybe it would help them.
As she stared at the star map, her desire to leave this planet grew stronger and stronger.
.
.
.
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