SLAVES TO THE SYSTEM
"Here he comes."
Necros gave Waru a bewildered look. "Who?"
"Animus."
At that moment, the floor beneath them quaked as the massive tendrils of a sarlacc broke through the steel plates. They then began to shrink and merge together, eventually forming the shape of a burly, dark-skinned man.
"And so comes forth the hero," Waru said, a wicked grin on his face. "Which mighty feat do you wish to accomplish today? My death, perhaps?"
"Oh, no," Animus growled. "It's much more personal than that."
The large man cracked his knuckles and did the same to his shoulders and neck.
"I'm going to make you regret that you even existed in the first place."
Waru's grin grew wider. "Ambitious, indeed."
Before Necros' eyes, a pair of wings began to sprout out of the Avatar's back as the Watcher used his shape-shifting abilities to take on the form of a small, bipedal dragon.
"Allow me to quash your futile dreams."
* * *
The sound of lightsabers clashing rang in Anakin's ears as he began to attack proton charges onto the Star Forge's reactor. As he did so, he started to feel as if the reactor was emitting Dark Side energy, though perhaps it was simply coming from Darth Scythe, or perhaps-
Anakin did not finish the thought for the third charge he was about to attach was suddenly flying out of his hand. He turned around in time to see it meet Scythe's lightsaber blade.
"If you do not wish to die today," the Sith Lord said, "I would leave now."
"If you do not wish to kill us," Toah said, preparing to lunge at him, "then perhaps you should leave."
"I am as much of a slave as those who built this station," Scythe said. "I have no choice."
"Then neither do I."
Toah charged towards the Twi'lek and their duel resumed, allowing Anakin to take the opportunity to continue attaching the proton charges.
* * *
Animus, in the form of a reek, charged towards Waru, his cranial horn aimed for his opponents chest. Flapping his wings, the Watcher easily evaded the attack and Animus ended up crashing into a vat of some sort.
"Congratulations," Waru cackled. "You've just killed Commander Doran Krotan of the Imperial Remnant."
Animus reverted to his human form to gaze at the damage he had caused. "What...?"
"Oh, I failed to mentioned something." Waru grinned wickedly. "When the Star Forge was completed, I placed all of those who built it in vats all around this station, so that Valtheran could use their life forces to feed himself."
Animus turned to face him, snarling.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Waru said. "They were going to die anyway."
"Then how about you join them?" Altering his form into that of a reek's again, Animus let out a roar and charged again.
* * *
For the first time in his career as Supreme Commander of the Glorian Empire, General Starka was disquieted.
They had been winning. The enemy's numbers had been reduced from thousands to hundreds. Victory was assured. What could possibly be perturbing him?
"Sir," a bridge officer called. "An unidentified ship has just docked in the main hangar."
Starka half rose from his seat. "How did it get permission to dock?"
"It didn't," the officer said. "I don't even know how it got through our scanners!"
Turning to the guards stationed at the bridge's entrance, Starka ordered, "Ward off our visitor. Do not let them anywhere near this bridge."
"Too late."
Before Starka could figure out the source of the voice, the four guards screamed out and dropped dead, an axe-wielding crimson titan standing over them.
"Sorry about that," the newcomer said. "I didn't think the door was going to open."
Doing his best to keep calm, Starka brought out his blaster and aimed it at the stranger. "Who are you?"
"These days, they call me Atha Prime," the armored man said. "Who 'they' are matters not; you won't live to find out."
Starka rolled his eyes. "Meaningless words from yet another aspiring hero. Please put your weapon down so that I may kill you."
"Sure thing." Letting his axe clatter to the floor, Atha Prime charged towards the general and slammed his large fist into Starka's mask, shattering the false face and exposing the Glorian's pale, wrinkled visage.
"Ah, I recognize you," Atha growled. "You were a prominent critic of my enterprises."
Starka stared at him, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"
Instead of answering him, Atha threw another punch. This time, Starka reflexively dodged it and morphed his arm into a hammer. He swung it at the crimson titan but his attack was intervened by a massive fist seizing his arm.
"I'm really in no mood to play," Atha Prime murmured. "Forgive me for making this visit short."
With that, he threw Starka at the bridge's viewport and the general crashed through the transparisteel glass. Thinking quickly, he changed his form into that of a Givin's to survive the vacuum of space. From there, he watched as his men flew out after him, too busy panicking to do the same thing as he did, instead becoming lifeless husks in space.
Soon, much to Starka's surprise, only Atha Prime stood on the Doomsday's bridge. Even more surprisingly, he managed to carry out his voice to Starka, possibly by telepathy.
"Clever thinking, Starka. However, you forget one thing."
Starka barely noticed a dart shoot out from Atha's armored glove. As he recoiled in pain, he felt his skin begin to warp....
"Mammon Hoole is always one step ahead."
The general's eyes widened in realization as his body reverted to its default form. The name of his long-reviled rival was the last thing that passed through his mind.
*
Author's note:... And yet, said name was never mentioned at all by Starka until now. Ah, well.
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