The moment Amir and Pax reached Level 10, they saw several researchers escorting five children as they waited for the elevator. Two stormtroopers stood guard beside them.
The elevator was constantly ferrying troops up to the upper levels, stuck in continuous use. The researchers were getting bored, flipping through their test records again and again.
The five children ranged in age. The oldest looked twelve or thirteen. The youngest looked only four or five. Heavy shackles clamped around their thin wrists, all linked together. Their exposed skin was covered in scars—some areas even showed signs of burns and scorching.
Amir tightened his grip on his lightsaber.
Five kids. Why only five?
There should have been six.
Amir tried to locate the sixth child through nearby life-signatures in the Force, but before he could, the two stormtroopers spotted him.
They were too far for Amir to reach instantly, so he chose the fastest method.
He yanked his blaster pistol from its holster. In under a second, two shots cracked out. The stormtroopers' hands had only just touched their blasters when holes appeared in their helmets.
The children panicked, clutching their heads and squatting in fear. The researchers saw Amir and Pax approaching and started shouting for support. They abandoned the children and ran.
Amir extended a hand and gave a light pull. All four researchers were yanked by the Force in the opposite direction of their escape, slammed to the ground, and tumbled back.
One researcher, head throbbing, managed to open his eyes—only to see a palm sweep in front of his face.
"Tell me where the children's experiment records are."
The researcher's gaze went unfocused. Calmly, he answered, "The latest data is on the datapad. The earlier records are on the computer on Level 101."
"There should be six children. Where's the other one?" Amir asked.
"One test subject died today. Disposed into the scrap pit."
Amir heard that, and his eyes went red immediately.
The scrap pit.
He remembered standing over that blood pool—remembered seeing a body drop from the pipe.
That had been not long ago.
Pax's face turned to frost. He stepped forward and fired three shots, blowing the heads off the other three researchers. Then, forcing his fury down, he conjured a smile and walked up to the children.
"Don't be afraid. Uncle isn't a bad person. We're here to rescue you."
As he spoke, he pried open one researcher's hand and took the datapad.
The children stared in terror.
Even if you say that… you look terrifying.
Pax realized he wasn't going to explain it in a few words. He simply said, "I won't hurt you. Follow me."
The command tone actually steadied them. They stood up and gathered in front of Pax.
Pax let out a silent breath and looked toward Amir, who had just finished dealing with the last researcher.
"Their records…" Amir forced his emotions down and spoke as evenly as he could.
"Level 101 is too far, and it's the central hub. Security will be heavy. We should go back," Pax said coolly, seeing the direction Amir's thoughts were turning.
"You go back and help Obi-Wan. I'll wait here for an elevator car. It'll be quick," Amir said.
Pax hesitated.
The children they had rescued on Coruscant still hadn't fully recovered precisely because they hadn't had complete records. They'd only managed to keep them alive by forcing that captured researcher to continue the same procedures. Pax hated that. He feared these children would end up the same.
But pushing up to Level 101 carried too many unknowns.
"If it gets dangerous, I'll pull out," Amir said. He had already decided. He gave Pax one last reassurance, then turned to the elevator.
Pax gritted his teeth, patted Amir's shoulder, then grasped the chain of shackles linking the children's wrists. He didn't tug hard. He said, "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe. We'll find your families."
The children—who had been tense and guarded—immediately began to cry. That sentence struck the deepest wound they carried. They remembered the last time they saw their parents. They couldn't remember how long ago it was, but they still remembered warmth in an embrace, words filled with love, and the look of pain and despair on their parents' faces as they were taken.
Could they really see them again?
"Move," Pax said again.
This time, the children stepped forward—unsteady, stumbling, but determined—following behind him.
Amir walked to the elevator. Climbing a hundred-plus flights of stairs would exhaust him to death, so the elevator was his only option.
The display read 57, moving upward.
Amir reached out with the Force, sensing the complex structure within the walls.
He wanted to try something.
Could he control the elevator with the Force?
He had attempted to influence mechanical systems before—flicking switches and the like. But as his control and power grew, he increasingly felt he could do finer work. He could "see" tiny circuits, see gears turning, even see magnetic fields flowing. And he could alter the trajectory of everything he "saw."
That required not only precise mastery of the Force, but also an intimate understanding of machinery—internal structure, operating principles, and how the whole system functioned.
And machinery happened to be Amir's specialty.
The Force flowed along the wiring. It guided, diverted, interrupted, redirected current—rewriting the preset logic and forcing it to follow Amir's intent. Small arcs of electricity snapped along the wall, and the floor display panel began flickering too.
Amir opened his eyes. The rising number halted abruptly at 66.
Less than half a second later, 66 ticked to 65—then the numbers began dropping continuously, accelerating to more than twice the speed of the earlier climb.
Amir smiled.
So it really works.
And now he had a whole new way to cause trouble.
BD-4, perched on the pack behind him, was frozen in pure metal-shelled shock.
The elevator kept descending. As it neared Level 10, it slowed, then stopped.
The doors slid open.
Five stormtroopers, dizzy and disoriented, stared straight at Amir—and then at the ignited lightsaber.
They were victims of a disaster out of nowhere. They'd been riding up to reinforce the top floors. Who knew that after only a few levels, the elevator would suddenly go berserk and plummet downward? The weightless drop had made them think the car was crashing. When it finally stopped, they thought they'd survived.
Then they saw a man waiting at the door with a weapon.
Amir had no sympathy.
His lightsaber struck rapidly. In the cramped elevator, the stormtroopers had no room to evade or counter. With the blade coming at them, all they could do was struggle and die.
After several harsh, slicing sounds, the elevator went quiet.
Amir extended a hand and pulled. The five bodies were dragged into the corridor and stacked with the researchers.
He stepped into the elevator and maintained his Force control, sealing the doors. The car shot upward again at extreme speed.
Amir set the destination to Level 101.
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STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST
🌌⚔️ STAR WARS: RELICS OF THE PAST ⚔️🌌
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📢 THE FORCE CALLS AGAIN! 📢
Star Wars: Relics of the Past has 100+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 🌠🛰️
Ancient secrets, forgotten relics, Jedi echoes, and buried truths wait in the shadows of the galaxy.
✨ Some things were lost for a reason.⚔️ Some powers should never be awakened.🌌 And some stories begin long after history tried to erase them.
Follow the trail of ancient relics before the rest of the galaxy catches up.
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🛑 ALSO AVAILABLE ON PATREON:
🌃 Cyberpunk: Dogtown Legend🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless👩👦 Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator🤖 My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
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