We met at the Imperial Academy. Bright, young, and hopeful, we were the top of the logistics class. I don't remember much before that. I was logged around on a freighter or two before an Imperial Captain raided it. Something about the pilot being a spice runner. Apparently, the only reason I came out alive is that I was the one who executed the pilot. Don't remember how, but the Captain deemed me "A natural asset".
I remember logistics. Officer Karn would always shout at me for disobeying the rules (I didn't like following dumb rules). Always a "misplaced delinquent" to him. But his voice didn't matter. You and I would always butt heads about who would get the better score on our exams, and who could perform better. A friendly competition which brought us two to the top. Soon, we graduated, and you and I joined the Ravens. Special Operations. Nothing too risky, but nothing too simple either. The mediocre of the best, Commander Lykin used to say.
Everything was simple for a year or two. Numerous ops which saved lives. Rescue Operations, sneaking past blockades to deliver supplies to Imperial citizens. We weren't the front line, but we were the stabilizers of the Empire. I remember our superiors decorated us with medals until we were covered in them. Service Medals, Marks of Loyalty, you name it, we had it. But I... I fucked it all up with Eriadu.
Another standard raid. Sneak past Republic personnel and grab an access code to open various Republic supply containers. We bet 100 credits on who could finish calibrating our stealth units faster. I calibrated yours, and you calibrated mine. I finished first by two marks.
The guard wasn't supposed to be there. All our logistic calculations said he shouldn't have been there. We were so close to getting the code, but... your stealth unit malfunctioned. An error in its calibration. The calibration I did. And there you were, in the guard's field of view. And from there, we had entered the devil's territory.
Chaos. Pure Chaos. I remember the alarms blaring. Every member of Raven Squad was swarming in, trying to eliminate all hostiles and disable the call for reinforcements. But we were scattered, dazed, disorganized. Our mission wasn't supposed to go like this. I remember that after we eliminated the guard that spotted you, we both ran to complete the objective. Once we had done so, we could evacuate. We cleared our way to the objective, and I said I would watch your six.
But while you were retrieving the code from the Republic Database, I heard a noise. Soft, but quick. I turned and saw the dash of a cloaked figure, the soft brown robes shifting the air. I aimed my weapon to eliminate him... but... I fucked it up. Again. It should've been the easiest shot. I had my finger on the trigger, the sights of my blaster aimed directly at him, all I had to do was pull it. But I doubted myself. I shifted my aim to the left, and when I shot... I missed. And I remember the sharp noise of his saber igniting... A noise I shouldn't have had to hear. The bright blue light which pierced through your silhouette. Time slowed down, and I stood paralyzed in shock as I watched you fall. Falling until the hard ground became the place where you died.
I didn't care about that damn Jedi. He just vanished into thin air, and I heard no more footsteps. I ran over as quick as I could... but you were already dead. Your soul, faded. Your body, a lifeless husk. I called for immediate evac, grabbed the code, took you in my arms, and walked to the Shuttle in the cold, dark, rain. Raven Squad had cleared the Republic compound of hostiles, but only two Ravens survived. Not even Lykin made it.
That damn bet before the mission. Those hundred credits. My miscalibrations. Everything that I was supposed to do, went wrong. The operation was my fault. Your death was my fault. If I hadn't miscalibrated, you would've never been spotted. We would've gotten in and out, like any other operation. If I hadn't doubted myself in that instance, you would've never... Those Jedi murderers... pretending to be heroes and the personification of justice. They're all murderers. Assassins. Enemies of the people we're saving.
After these events, I was reassigned. My hate for the Jedi awoke the force inside me, and I was forced by my new Sith masters to create a new identity before undergoing Sith training. I had chosen the name "Spectre", but immediately after basic training, a more prominent Sith demanded I changed names, as Spectre was his name. I thought back to other identities. I thought back to who I was when I was with you. And I knew my new name. Serin Peng. Serin was the nickname you had for me, and Peng was your surname. Funny how you had one of those.
But with your name, I absolutely couldn't fail. I couldn't shame your legacy. I couldn't fail you. I was determined to climb to the top. All the way, I would gain as much power as possible so I could find the damn murderer, the Jedi bastard which killed you. I swore I'd find him, but I wouldn't kill him: I'd torture him until death had become a fading dream to him. Various mentors had found me along the way. I remember the best mentor. Artorias, or Ren, as some would call him. He taught me how the elegant sharp blade of a lightsaber opposed that of a sturdy, heavy, blaster rifle. The swings which would obliterate my opponents. All of that. I was foolish to think I could match him, the wrath of the Emperor, in terms of combat. I can't remember how many times he kicked my ass. Eventually, he disappeared. Something about a different path for him.
Then a disturbance in the force appeared. An abomination. The Dread Forces.
Everyone and I mean everyone, including the abominable Jedi Order, joined together. We couldn't survive the Dread Forces fragmented. But something felt extremely... off. About everything. Something felt familiar. I could feel a presence I hadn't felt since Eraidu. We all boarded shuttles to Vanqor... and as we got closer, the disturbance felt stronger. Some of our soldiers began to hallucinate. Fear paralyzed some. Others just collapsed... and we still don't know why to this day.
I hopped off the shuttle. We had gotten orders from the Leading Commander known as Shepard. I joined an attack squad, tasked with neutralizing two Dread Masters which we believed to be in a cave. As my blade ended the life of one, and the second fell to the others, I knew that the disturbance wasn't coming from the Masters. They were too weak for me to feel such a powerful danger lurking.
As the Masters fell, we approached the Fortress. And there, I realized it all. A Dread Emperor, one which claimed dominance over all. One which sought the absolute destruction of Jedi and Sith alike. A long, brutal, conflict ensued. We were there for quite a while, I recall. But finally, I saw an opening, and I plunged my blade through your heart. And everything became clear to me.
That was you, wasn't it? You were the Dread Emperor. Some... miscalibration of the force had brought you back to the world of the living. Or something. I just... couldn't comprehend what sort of sick joke this was, and why you were back. I remember you falling on Eraidu. I know you died. But I could tell that you weren't really... you. Just an abomination, a vile reanimated husk. As I pulled my saber out of your chest, I saw a dark red spatter on the saber. It wouldn't come off, even in the heat of the burning saber I held.
The disturbance wasn't gone, but Shepard ordered us to return to Endor, our meeting point between factions. Shepard sensed something within my saber and asked me to ignite it. I complied, and I saw that... my crystal had changed. It became a corrupted red saber, burning with a dark inner core. An artifact. First in the entire galaxy's history. Your heart... was the artifact. Shepard deemed my crystal a "Heart of Dread", but I didn't know what I feared. I don't know what I feared. The crystal was stronger, and I was stronger, with you helping me again. The force had brought us together.
From there, my climb to power resumed. I eventually, after months of trying, I became the Emperor's Wrath. Moxxi's Wrath. I accomplished my goal, with you being my partner. We carved through those Jedi and Zakuulans, and all those who would dare oppose the Emperor. But... I think something changed. Something within you told me that this was enough. I could sense it within the crystal. The swings all felt heavier. I didn't need to continue. There was enough bloodshed, enough murder, and enough death within the galaxy. And you were right. I've had it with all these politics and wars.
I took some leave from the Sith Empire. No longer would I be Wrath. That time was over. But... I also had to leave you behind. You and I, we really were the best. But it was time for me to... let you go. I couldn't have done what I did without you helping me, empowering me to fight on, but... others need you to help them. You've saved me, and it was time to save others. So I let you choose who you would help first, and you chose Croc. The figure of neutrality and... satisfaction within the three factions. And that was the end, of suffering and vengeance. It was time to go back to our roots of helping people.
No more harm. No more overthrows. I don't care who it is. Unless they're absolute evil and brutality incarnate, I won't ever participate in overthrows, attacking or defending. I won't do anything to murder someone to the point they can't be revived. None of those "glory duels". Just... peace. But I can't thank you enough.
Without you, I wouldn't be who I am. I owe you everything. Thank you, [REDACTED] Peng.