Amir was a bit surprised. He had been maintaining his awareness through the Force, yet he hadn't detected these creatures' presence—only the
Amir was a bit surprised. He had been maintaining his awareness through the Force, yet he hadn't detected these creatures' presence—only the faintest traces of their movements.
"Iron-eaters?" he asked.
"Y-yes!" Guli Gena stammered, still shaken.
"They're definitely... unique."
"The scariest thing is how many there are—and they always show up in swarms," Harke added.
"And they bite," Guli Gena said in a low voice.
Just the thought of a swarm of rats rushing in and biting made Amir uneasy.
"Why didn't you bring more people?" he asked, puzzled.
"We've been stretched thin lately," Harke sighed. "There are so many people across the galaxy who depend on the supplies we deliver just to survive. Without our shipments, they'd starve."
Amir wasn't surprised. That was life in the Outer Rim under Imperial rule—so-called order maintained through military force.
People there were governed, but never benefited. Instead, the Empire bled them dry of their last remaining resources.
Nations and cities that had once been self-sufficient were reduced to poverty, surviving only with help from the Rebellion or local resistance groups.
Amir shook off the thought and refocused, shifting his attention from life signs to the movement of nearby objects.
"I'll take the lead," he said, stepping to the front. He clipped the glow stick to his belt and activated his lightsaber.
The blue blade doubled as a light source.
As they advanced, the walls around them showed signs of heavy corrosion.
"We're almost there. Let's see if we can restore power," Harke said, checking the map.
Peering through a hole in the wall, Amir saw chaos in the adjacent room.
Nearly everything was destroyed—tables, workbenches, and unrecognizable pieces of equipment lay scattered.
There were also faint rustling sounds inside.
"Come on," Harke urged them forward.
The three of them picked up their pace and soon reached another room.
"Lucky! The breaker hasn't been eaten," Harke said with relief as he rushed over to work on the tangled wiring.
Amir scanned the room. Surprisingly, much of the equipment here was still intact.
One damaged terminal in particular caught his eye. It looked like a data transfer station used by internal staff—meaning it might connect to the main control room. If the data hadn't been wiped, he might be able to access and copy the station's entire medical database.
And judging by the state of the station, it was possible the data was still there.
Even the backup energy reserves hadn't been reclaimed.
Click. A sharp sound rang out as Harke finished the wiring and flipped the switch.
The lights around them flickered, then hummed to life.
"Ha! Light at last. Feels safer already," Harke said, visibly relieved.
"You probably shouldn't feel that way," Amir replied calmly, lightsaber in hand. He eyed the rows of desks and storage crates ahead.
"Isn't it strange how well preserved this area is?" he asked.
"You mean…" Guli Gena's voice trembled. "Where I come from, herbivores avoid eating the plants near their own nests to stay hidden."
"Amir! No way!" Harke's eyes widened. He yanked out his blaster.
"That's right," Amir confirmed.
Through the Force, he could sense dense ripples of movement ahead—along with a rising wave of fear and fury.
"Get behind me!" Amir shouted.
In an instant, shadows burst forth from beneath desks, inside lockers, even from the walls. Black shapes poured out like a wave.
The swarm of iron-eaters charged, screeching and piling over each other.
"We're screwed! This is a nightmare!" Harke yelled, firing blindly at the floor. Guli Gena, though less practiced, fired her blaster pistol in short bursts.
Amir suddenly remembered something Obi-Wan once told him:
"Through the Force, you can sense animals' emotions—and sometimes even communicate with them."
He had felt it once, while riding a bantha—its emotions had been calm and compliant.
But these things... were nothing like that.
Their emotions were primal: only fear and rage.
And communication? Impossible.
Only the lightsaber would do.
Focusing on the nearest iron-eaters lunging at him, Amir slashed downward, then up—striking down two in quick succession.
The burnt remains flew aside with the acrid smell of scorched fur. Instead of retreating, the others became even more aggressive.
"Fall back!" Amir shouted.
Harke retreated while firing, Guli Gena squeezed between them for protection.
Amir swung his lightsaber in a continuous arc, cutting down more of the creatures. Soon, a dozen charred corpses littered the floor.
But it wasn't enough. There were too many.
Some of the rats had circled around him, rushing at Guli Gena and Harke's feet.
Amir spun and struck again, slicing three in half before they could bite.
They neared the doorway. Guli Gena leapt out behind Harke.
Amir held his ground at the threshold, watching the rats surge forward. He extended a hand—and with a powerful Force push, blasted them back like leaves in a storm.
The swarm tumbled into the room, crashing into walls and crates.
"Keep moving. Let's find the equipment," Amir said, still eyeing the room behind him.
Harke holstered his blaster and tugged at his pant leg. It had been gnawed into ragged strips.
Amir gave the data terminal one last glance. If he wanted to copy the files, he'd need to access the main control room—or another terminal elsewhere.
Harke took the lead again, with Guli Gena close behind.
Amir followed, still watching their rear. Now that the lights were on, they no longer had to creep forward in the dark.
"Here!" Harke called after a few minutes, pointing to a large alloy door. Several small holes had been corroded into its lower edge—just big enough for the iron-eaters to pass through.
He pressed the button. With a mechanical groan, the door split open sideways.
"Amir..." Guli Gena said nervously.
Harke froze in place.
Inside the storage room sat a massive, irregular hunk of metal, nearly three meters in diameter. It was riddled with tiny, interconnected holes.
From within those holes gleamed eerie blue lights—the eyes of the iron-eaters.
The whole mound pulsed rhythmically, vibrating with a strange, alien life.
"Stay calm. Don't go in yet," Amir instructed. "Do you see the equipment we need?"
"I think… yes," Harke said, squinting at a few machines in the corner. "But I'm not sure."
Guli Gena's hands were trembling.
Amir knew why.
The overwhelming anger and aggression radiating from the room were unmistakable.
And as a Force-sensitive, Guli Gena had undoubtedly felt it too.
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