The Imperials could hardly believe their eyes. Those daredevils jumped into hyperspace seconds before two huge Imperial battleships cut them off. A moment of hesitation, and they would have crashed into the hull of the Imperial destroyer, which would undoubtedly lead to certain death.

From the command deck of the Fondor orbital station, an angry inquisitor demanded results from his subordinates.

Howlhell: - WHERE DID THEY GO!? - He shouted in his rage.

Officer: - It's... We're trying to determine its route... it's... -

The officer was barely able to give his report when he felt a strange force press on his neck. Everyone present was petrified with fear, as it was not the first time that something like this had happened at the Fondor facilities.

The poor officer who could do nothing, nor was he responsible for what happened, found himself seized by an immaculate anger that clung to his neck like the gallows of the condemned. His body rose into the air, being dragged by an invisible force towards the front of his superior.

Lacking air. Struggling in vain to try to free himself from an intelligible grip, the officer writhed while his cries demonstrated his agony. The rest of those present knew that it was unfair. They knew of his innocence. But none had enough courage to raise their voice in their defense. The officer was alone. Alone against uncontrolled fury. At the mercy of a being without mercy... or sanity.

Howlhell: - Where... are they? -

The officer writhed hard, struggling in vain to give an explanation that he could not express in words, since the lack of breath already prevented him from making even a measly sound of agony. Only the air in his stomach allowed him to express his last breath, and suddenly... his pain ended.

Those present felt a chill run through their bodies when they heard the brittle sound of bones and flesh. The officer's neck was twisted in such an abrupt and unnatural manner that those who were unlucky enough to be looking straight ahead were given a scene they could never forget again, and would haunt them in their worst nightmares from now on.

In his hands Darth Vader had enough control to only snap the spinal cords of those who showed incompetence in his presence, but not Howlhell. The inquisitor used force to turn the officer's head more than one hundred and eighty degrees, tearing not only his spine, but also muscles, tendons, trachea and everything in his path. If the skin were not such a flexible organ, the bloody spectacle would have dyed the ground under our feet red, as well as the shitavaven's demon irises. The question was:

Who would be next to experience his wrath?

Another officer: - Lord Howlhell, we detected the signature of the intruder ship. They head to the outer edge. -

Howlhell: - Coordinates? -

Another officer: - In the vicinity of Lasan, sir. -

Howlhell: - Prepare my destruction. We will leave in fifteen minutes. -

Meanwhile, inside the sentinel, total chaos was breaking out. Bly did his best to predict possible obstacles on the route, but traveling at the speed of light in the face of uncertainty was absurd. Delta did everything possible to maintain the ship's course, even when the controls themselves were not fully responding.

Bly: - RIGHT! -

There was no time for explanations. No time to react. Delta slid the controls as slowly as possible, for one turn too sharp and the forces at play would tear the ship into a ball of fire. Delta didn't need to know what he was dodging, he just had to follow the instructions to the letter.

Not having a set course, on their way it was not surprising that they would encounter a planet or asteroid, which would mean certain death. The computer right in front showed Bly the possible objects in its trajectory, but even the slightest mistake would be fatal, so the clone didn't take his eyes off the computer for a second.

¨Up, down, left and right.¨ Commands that the clone repeated over and over again, and that Delta did its best to follow to the letter. Icarus was connected to the ship's systems, boosting the scanners to their maximum capacity, while prioritizing mobility and the correct functioning of the electrical and hydraulic systems. Although only he knew that a small asteroid had pierced part of the right wing, causing the shuttle to lose a large amount of fuel. But that was not the best time to make a comment.

Kurt, Holdo, and the other clones held on tightly to their seat belts, unable to do much more than pray to the Force that they would make it to wherever they were going alive. Alpha was sitting right next to him, and in front of him, sitting on his lap and wrapped in an immovable metal cage, was Wag Too, who was still unconscious like Sev. The commando clone that the droids held so that no impact was caused by the shakes of the ship.

For Boss and Fixes it was curious to see how the droids protected their brother in arms, believing that it would be impossible to see something like that in their lives. After all, not even the Force itself would be able to know how many tinkers they shot down with their own blasters. But there they were, grateful to be by their side.

Bly: - ¡ALTO! -

It wasn't the time to ask why. Delta pulled the lever with all his might, pulling the shuttle out of hyperspace in a reckless act. The sudden drop in speed caused the metal to creak under the forces to which it was subjected, and would have thrown everyone forward into what would be certain death if they had not been securely strapped to their seats. Something that did not happen with six of the Punitive Guard droids, which flew and hit the fuselage of the ship, being destroyed instantly. Unfortunately, this also happened with Icarus.

The security droid, being connected to the ships' computer, had no point of support to hold on to. His body was thrown forward, breaking the arm that was connected to the computer and crashing into part of the controls, taking with it Delta's right arm and several of the shuttle's own controls.

The situation was critical, and it was only getting worse. The reason why Bly gave the order to stop was because right in front of them was a large planet that would be impossible to avoid at the speed at which they were traveling. A huge desert planet, purged of Imperial records and its own people. A planet that none of those present had ever seen.

Delta: - We have lost control of the stabilizers! Hold on! -

Once the ship managed to reach sublus speed, they were able to realize that they were already in the orbit of said planet, but time would not allow them to even contemplate it, as sparks were flying from all sides of the control panels.

Bly: - We lose energy! Fuel reserves are reaching critical levels! The planet's gravity is pulling us towards the surface! General, what should we do!? - But there was no answer - Icarus! -

Delta: - The general has fallen. -

Bly couldn't believe what her ears were hearing. He turned around suddenly, taking his eyes off the controls to see it with his own eyes. Icarus's body had hit the controls, right next to Delta, and did not show any type of response, except for short circuits that it was impossible to define if they came from the droid's body or from the destroyed control panel itself. Whatever the case, they didn't have time to find out.

Delta: - To all units! Prepare for a collision! I repeat! Prepare for a collision! Prioritize the lives of organics! - He exclaimed over the speakers.

Holdo, Boss, Fixer and Kurt didn't know what was happening, but the droid's words were not encouraging at all. Suddenly, they couldn't even react when the rest of the Punitive Guard commando droids unbuckled their belts and pounced on them. I didn't know whether to be afraid or worried when I saw those droids painted black on top, but what they could see was how they buried their metal hands against the fuselage of the ship, creating an improvised roll cage with their metal limbs.

At the same time, another droid approached Alpha, and together they made a cage for Wag Too, at the same time three of them lunged at Sev. Bly was also unable to react as three other droids scrambled into the cockpit, taking him by surprise as they wrapped themselves around him to protect him. His hands couldn't do anything. He was a prisoner of his own metal minions. And all he could do was watch as Delta fought with every drop of oil in his metallic body to keep the ship stable.

Suddenly, the sentinel caught fire, a victim of the force that the planet's atmosphere exerted on it. The ailerons were not responding correctly. Delta struggled with his only remaining arm to keep the ship stable. The fuselage was shaking vigorously, while in the back everyone was shouting at each other.

They were long seconds. Very long seconds where everyone, even the most veterans, were prey to fear and desperation. The helplessness of being prey to fate and luck was not a pleasant feeling, but there was nothing they could do about it.

The heat generated was unbearable, which suffocated the crew because the insulating layer had been consumed by the fire itself that was consuming the ship. The little fuel that remained had ignited, and now most of the fuselage was burning under the ferocity of the highly volatile chemicals that propelled the spacecraft through the cosmic void. A brilliant fireball illuminated the planet's skies, and disappeared behind the horizon.

Delta: - ¡SUJÉTENSE! -

Then... Everything was consumed by absolute silence.

-------------------------O----------------------

BAM

A door to the Oasis suddenly slammed against the wall. From inside a dark room a being emerged who was unable to wait for said door to open automatically, and whose desperation was visible to all those who saw him with his rapid walk through the streets of the rufugio.

Icarus seemed to be possessed. Programmed. He didn't look anywhere, not even at those who greeted him. I couldn't do it... I didn't have time for that.

Icarus: - Lieutenant Helgait...! Do you receive me!? - He shouted through the communicator on his forearm.

Helgait: - I receive it, general. What happen? -

Icarus: - Prepare the Muníficent! We will leave immediately! Tell Mirana and Li Mu! -

Helgait: - Yes, sir! -

Loyal to the core, Helgait did not ask a single question. Solo rushed to comply with the order as quickly as his organic body would allow him. Icarus continued walking quickly towards the hangars. He had no time to waste. But a voice brought him out of his quick walk. A voice he couldn't simply ignore.

Miraj: - Icarus? - The droid stopped dead, looking at the Zigerrian with regret. - What happen? The Munificent is mobilizing. -

Icarus: - We have lost contact with the infiltration group. And I stopped receiving signals from my other side. -

Miraj: - No... - He said in a choked voice thinking about the worst.

Icarus: - Be strong. We will leave immediately. -

Miraj: - I... I don't know... I'll go with you. - He said more on impulse than by his own decision.

Icarus: - No. You must stay here. -

Miraj: - But... But... -

The Zygerrian's voice was muffled when she felt the weight and cold metal resting on her shoulder. Miraj raised her gaze, which was doing its best to contain its helplessness at the thought of what could have happened. And with crystalline eyes he looked at the piercing red light of the droid's optical sensors. Light that shone brighter than ever.

Icarus: - I'll bring him back. No matter what happens. -

You didn't have to be very smart to know who he was referring to. One person's friend, another's partner. A single being that was not even able to imagine how important it was to the rest. The one who showed more than numbers and calculations to a droid. And the one who restored happiness to a broken soul.

Miraj: - Bring him... Bring back my Wag Too. -

Icarus saw it. He saw a face that no one had seen more than six years ago. The face of the true queen of Zygerria. An angry and authoritarian face. One who wouldn't accept failure as an answer. One that even managed to shake the logical thinking of a droid like Icarus. Then, his communicator rang.

Icarus: - Captain Li Mu. What's going on? -

Li Mu: - General. The Kandosii... is ready. -

If Icarus had a face he would surely have let out a smile. A very satisfactory one. With the same intuition, Miraj, queen of Zygerria, saw in the droid an authoritarian aura even stronger than her own. One that showed confidence and determination. One that its midichlorian core expelled without control. An unbreakable resolve. That of a... living being.

Icarus: - Excellent. Prepare everything. We left immediately. -