Capítulo 11: 11. Hyperspace
===Maximus===
Memories flooded Maximus's mind as he ingested the blood of his fallen foe. He saw himself in a dark corridor, standing before his master, who was accompanied by a towering metal giant. His hood obscured his face, preventing the red optics of the droid from identifying him. After a moment, his master turned and walked away, heading towards another room where he would soon meet with him.
The memory shifted, and Maximus now found himself studying plans for the invasion of Naboo. As he looked over the schematics, a hooded figure approached him. Only the lower half of his face was visible.
"Queen Amidala is essential to our plans. She must be captured, and forced to sign the treaty." the figure said, gesturing toward the plans spread out before them.
Maximus glanced up. "And the droid master?"
A thin, knowing smile curled on the man's lips, revealing yellowed teeth. "I have learned much from him. He is no mere droid but a man in armor. You would do well to steer clear of him—for now," Sidious replied, his voice laced with mystery.
The scene shifted again, and Maximus found himself aboard the Scimitar, descending toward the planet Tatooine. He watched as the ship's systems came online, followed by a flurry of memories detailing Maul's time on the planet. These were the most recent memories, vivid and clear.
He hummed quietly to himself as he turned to Raxor, who had been silently observing him. Maximus gestured toward the arm, and without a word, Raxor dipped his fingers into the blood, ingesting it in the same ritual.
"The ship is about a day's journey from here on foot. I assume it will only take you a few hours though." Maximus said, his voice low but firm. He turned back to his brother. "Go to the Scimitar and take it for us. Bring it to the wreckage of the battle barge, and salvage what you can, including the Weapon."
Raxor gave a respectful nod. "Yes, brother. Will you return here once you are done with the Queen?"
Maximus stood, his gaze unwavering. "Most likely not. By the time you reach the Scimitar, the repairs on the Nubian will likely be complete. We will connect the comms of both ships so we can stay in contact."
Raxor stood as well, extending his right arm in a gesture of farewell. Maximus gripped it firmly, their bond evident in the gesture.
"Emperor protect you, brother," the Blueberry said, his tone sincere.
Raxor gave a brief nod before turning and sprinting toward the Scimitar.
Turning away from his brother, Maximus walked toward Qui-Gon and the others, who wore expressions of shock and disbelief at the brutality they had just witnessed. Qui-Gon dismounted his Eopie and cautiously made his way toward the corpses still cooling in the scorching desert sand. He gently shifted the man's robes, revealing the hilt of the weapon he had wielded.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Qui-Gon stood with the lightsaber and turned, walking away from the body. He stopped beside Maximus, meeting his gaze.
"The being you just killed," Qui-Gon began, his voice heavy with thought, "was no Jedi, but something far worse. I'll need to speak to the Jedi Council about this when we reach Coruscant."
Maximus raised an eyebrow, his voice curious. "A Council of Jedi?"
Qui-Gon nodded, continuing to lead his mount forward. "A group of highly respected masters of the Jedi Order, all led by our Grandmaster Yoda."
Maximus walked beside him as he remounted, both men exchanging questions about their respective orders. Maximus sought to understand the various factions of this galaxy, while Qui-Gon pressed for more information about the metal behemoths that had arrived on the planet.
As they spoke, the Nubian came into view, and with it, a flood of new questions from the group that had stayed behind. Lyra scooped her daughter into her arms, the child animatedly recounting how she had seen Maximus tear a "bad man" apart. She also mentioned meeting one of his brothers—this one, green in color.
Lyra, gave a typical, half-interested response of, "Oh, wow. How nice," before her mind refocused on the gruesome sight her daughter had witnessed. She shot Maximus a glare that could freeze the very sun itself.
Fortunately, Maximus' heart blazed with the light of the Emperor, whose brilliance burned brighter than a thousand suns. Such glares had little effect on him.
Obi-Wan emerged from the ship and approached his master, who briefly told him of the events that had transpired on their way to the Nubian. Obi-Wan looked at Maximus with newfound scrutiny, though not with approval. He had witnessed the brutality of the one in black armor, and now, seeing all three of these Astartes willing to tear a man apart in front of children, he couldn't help but be disturbed. They were undeniably brutal, but efficient, he had to admit.
The fake Queen approached Maximus, demanding to know what had happened. Maximus didn't even spare her a glance as he walked past her, his expression impassive.
"Ask your handmaid," he said coldly, continuing on his path into the ship.
Inside the ship, he turned and pointed at one of the men who was piloting the vessel. "Show me how to connect the comms of this ship to another," he ordered, standing beside the console.
The pilot complied, explaining the ship's communication systems as he worked. Maximus listened closely, absorbing the details with a growing understanding. While his mind was sharp and focused on the broader strategic elements of his mission—memories of Sith training and tactics now flooding his mind—he found the finer details of ship operation to be more obscure, though still important. He needed only a basic grasp of how to operate the comms, enough to teach Raxor how to establish a link through the vox.
After a while, the vox crackled to life with Raxor's voice, confirming that he had reached the Scimitar. The Salamander seemed impressed by the craftsmanship of the vessel, though he noted a few glaring issues. The sheer lack of weapons aboard stood out to him, as did the absence of the Imperial Aquila on most of the ship's panels. He made a mental note of these discrepancies but pushed them aside for the moment.
Maximus walked Raxor through the process of connecting the two ships via the comms, and after what felt like an hour of careful work, the connection was finally established. They were ready to depart.
"We'll be back, brother," Maximus said over the vox. "And I'll have Brother Sebastian with me."
"I look forward to it," Raxor replied. "I'll meet you on the planet Naboo." With that, he cut the connection.
Maximus stood and exited the ship, stepping onto the hot sands below. He gazed across the makeshift repair crew—small droids working tirelessly to get the Nubian back into shape.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out. Anakin, the young boy, sprinted past him, shouting, "The ship's ready!"
Finally, they could leave this Emperor-forsaken planet behind.
For now, at least.
===Obi-Wan===
As Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon sat in the cabin of the ship, they stole glances at Maximus, who had once again chosen to kneel, as no seat aboard the vessel was large enough to accommodate his imposing form. The two Jedi had discussed the events that transpired on Tatooine, but now they simply watched the towering Astartes in silence, both feeling a sense of unease.
"Master, I—" Obi-Wan began, but his words were cut off by a strange sensation that washed over him as the ship left Tatooine's orbit.
He turned his gaze toward one of the walls, feeling something tugging at him from outside the ship's confines. It wasn't the Force, but something else. Something… chaotic.
It felt dark, yet powerful, pulling him in with whispers of unimaginable power, coaxing him to give in, to embrace it.
Obi-Wan shut his eyes, trying to push the sensation away. The chaotic presence pressed against his mind, but before it could take root, something else intervened—something he recognized well.
The Force.
It surged through him, burning away the dark presence with its purifying light. Obi-Wan inhaled sharply, as if he had forgotten to breathe for a moment, his body trembling as the chaotic whispers faded.
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon's voice broke through the haze, his tone laced with concern. He reached out, shaking his apprentice gently.
Obi-Wan opened his eyes slowly, dazed. He tried to speak but couldn't form the words. His vision swam, and then his eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed to the floor.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon exclaimed, rushing to his side. He called his name repeatedly, shaking him, but Obi-Wan remained unresponsive.
Maximus, kneeling in his corner, glanced over with mild disinterest, choosing not to involve himself in the situation for the time being.
Qui-Gon quickly checked Obi-Wan's vital signs, finding nothing out of the ordinary. There was no immediate danger—no sign of injury or illness. But still, the Jedi Master's expression remained troubled.
With a soft grunt, Qui-Gon lifted Obi-Wan's limp body and carried him to one of the beds in the rear of the ship, still muttering his name under his breath as he did.
===
The journey to Coruscant was interesting, to say the least. Once the Nubian had left Tatooine's orbit, it seemed to slow for a moment before rapidly picking up speed. Maximus watched as the stars began to stretch before him.
He swore quietly, his mind briefly flashing with the terrifying thought that they were about to enter the Warp with no protection from its corruption. But as he looked out of the front of the ship, his eyes widened.
He slowly stood and walked toward the cockpit, kneeling at the doorway before removing his helmet.
"By the Throne…" he whispered, staring at the view before him. The stars danced before his eyes, a sight that left him breathless.
Padmé, who had been speaking with Captain Panaka in the cockpit, turned to him, her curiosity piqued.
"Never been in hyperspace before?" she asked.
Maximus shook his head, his gaze fixed on the endless stream of stars as his mind raced with the possibilities this could open for the Imperium.
"Ah, you're seeing the jump to hyperspace. It's what makes space travel so fast," the pilot explained, glancing back at Maximus. "Normally, you'd be stuck flying at sublight speeds, which would take ages to get anywhere. But in hyperspace, we break through to a separate dimension where the normal laws of space don't apply."
Padmé watched Maximus closely, her curiosity growing.
"You come from another galaxy. You don't have hyperspace travel?" she asked skeptically.
"No," Maximus replied simply, his gaze still distant. "We travel through the Warp."
"The Warp?" Padmé repeated, a shudder inexplicably running down her spine at the mention of it.
Maximus' eyes darkened as they met hers. There was a depth of loathing in them that sent an icy chill through her.
"The Warp is…" He paused, his voice turning grim. "Hell." He said simply.
He glanced back toward the stars outside the ship. "It's filled with Evils, daemons, and worse. A place where the laws of reality break down. Time, space—none of it works the way it does here."
Padmé's chest tightened as she absorbed his words, but driven by her thirst for knowledge, she pressed on.
"What kind of… Evils live in a place like that?" she asked, before she could stop herself.
The question hung in the air like a poison, and Maximus' posture stiffened. For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of breathing, the tension thick between them.
Then, with a cold, steady voice, he spoke, his words devoid of emotion but heavy with warning.
"Do not speak of them," he said, his eyes burning with an intensity that left Padmé's heart hammering in her chest. "You know nothing of what you speak. Never ask such things again. Do you understand?"
Padmé nodded, a chill spreading through her as she met his gaze.
Maximus turned his attention back to the stars. "We do not speak of them, for they are forbidden." He said simply before saying nothing more.
===
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