MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Chains of the Past
The desert night grew colder, but the heat of battle still lingered in the blood-stained sands.
Harry sat beside the wounded bounty hunter—Crimson Blade—her breath ragged, her blood seeping into the ground. Despite her injuries, defiance burned in her sharp, amber eyes. She was no ordinary mercenary. There was discipline in her stance, even in defeat, and something else—fearlessness.
Harry tightened the makeshift bandage around her shattered arm, his newly acquired double-bladed vibrosword resting across his lap. He could feel its dark energy humming, almost as if it were alive, feeding on the echoes of the battle.
Or maybe that's just me.
[INTERROGATION MODE INITIATED]
• Objective: Extract information from Crimson Blade.
• Bonus Objective: Recruit her as an ally.
• System Tip: Choices will affect alignment (Light/Dark Side influence).
Harry wiped the sweat from his brow, his green eyes—now tinged faintly with crimson from the lingering effects of Force Rupture—locking onto hers.
"Start talking," he growled, his voice colder than the night air. "Who sent you?"
She chuckled, coughing up blood. "Like I'd betray the hand that feeds me."
Harry's jaw tightened. The dark side whispered seductive suggestions—break her mind, crush her will. It would be easy. The Force was a tool, after all.
But Harry wasn't a Sith. Not yet.
Instead, he leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"If I wanted you dead, you'd be ash by now. But here you are. Still breathing. Why do you think that is?"
She hesitated.
Harry felt the shift—the slight crack in her armor. Not physical, but mental. The defiance was real, but it was layered over something deeper: survival instinct.
[DIALOGUE CHOICE – SELECT RESPONSE]
1. [Threaten]: "I'll rip the answers from your mind, piece by piece." (+Dark Side Influence)
2. [Persuade]: "Help me, and you'll live to see another day." (+Neutral Influence)
3. [Empathize]: "I've been used before too. Don't die for someone who doesn't care if you live." (+Light Side Influence)
Harry sighed, choosing the path that felt right.
"I've been used before too." His voice softened, but his eyes remained sharp. "Don't die for someone who doesn't care if you live."
She stared at him for a long moment, then exhaled sharply.
"The Empire," she whispered, her voice weak but steady. "Inquisitor Valen. She put a bounty on you—alive. Said you're some kind of… anomaly. More dangerous than any Jedi."
Harry's fists clenched.
Valen.
"Why does she want me alive?" he pressed.
Crimson Blade winced, her broken arm twitching. "She didn't say. But… she's afraid of you. That much was obvious." She met his gaze again, this time without mockery. "Anyone who scares the Inquisitors is worth more than credits."
[QUEST UPDATE: Shadows of the Empire]
• Objective: Discover why the Inquisitors are hunting you.
• New Lead: Inquisitor Valen holds classified data on your origins and connection to the Force.
Harry stood, pacing for a moment as the information settled.
Valen wasn't just hunting him for sport. There was something else—something about him she feared.
The Force pulsed around him, dark and intoxicating.
"What's your name?" he asked suddenly.
The bounty hunter blinked in surprise, then muttered, "Zara."
Harry nodded. "You're coming with me, Zara."
She laughed bitterly. "You think I'm your prisoner now?"
Harry activated the vibrosword, its crimson glow reflecting off his scarred face.
"No. You're my insurance."
[NEW COMPANION ACQUIRED: Zara (Bounty Hunter - Elite)]
• Status: Wounded
• Skills: Stealth, Tracking, Melee Combat (Vibrosword Mastery)
• Affiliation: Neutral (Trust Level: Low)
Later That Night
They made camp inside an abandoned moisture farm, its skeletal structures half-buried under dunes. Harry patched Zara's wounds with stolen medkits, the silence between them heavy but not hostile.
As he stared into the dying fire, the System flickered to life.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Memory Fragment Detected]
• Trigger: Prolonged exposure to Force Nexus remnants (Tatooine Desert)
• Downloading Fragment…
Suddenly, Harry's vision blurred.
The world around him dissolved into darkness—replaced by flashes of distorted images.
A cloaked figure in black armor. A red lightsaber igniting.
A voice, cold and familiar: "The Force is strong with this one."
A child screaming—his own voice.
[MEMORY UNLOCKED: UNKNOWN ORIGINS]
• Clue 1: A figure resembling Darth Vader.
• Clue 2: A connection to the Force far older than the Jedi or Sith.
Harry gasped, snapping back to reality.
What the hell was that?
Zara glanced over, her expression wary. "You okay?"
Harry didn't answer.
Because for the first time since arriving in this galaxy… he wasn't sure who he really was.
Meanwhile, Aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer
Inquisitor Valen stood before a massive holoscreen, her face illuminated by red light.
A distorted voice echoed from the shadows.
"You've failed to capture him."
Valen bowed her head slightly. "He's stronger than we thought. He's… evolving."
The voice responded, cold and mechanical.
"Good. Let him grow stronger. The Emperor wishes to see his full potential—before we break him."
The screen flickered, revealing the faint silhouette of Darth Vader.
To be continued…