Only Shadows in Coruscant

[Dark Link]

As the pair of Primes stepped through the portal leading to Coruscant, the black-clad warrior didn't have the faintest idea as to what to expect. The Nexus had presented him with many unfamiliar and wondrous objects and beings, only a fraction of which he had even begun to comprehend. In his limited knowledge and experience, the white pocket of space seemed as though it was brimming with life, so he wondered if whatever was on the other side would be the same......He was completely unprepared for what he witnessed as the cold sensation of the gateway's energies finally swept over him and he opened his red eyes once more.

Things.....so many things. Devices, creatures, plants, constructs...all too numerous to count and of greater variety than the human mind could fathom. One large pathway, polished to a mirror shine and adorned with white lights and decorative ornaments, stretched out into the distance towards a sizeable elevator. Connected to this avenue were countless side paths that lead into various directions and were decorated with plants and fountains. As one's gaze moved upwards, it saw massive structures of grey towering above the portal and a non-stop stream of moving hovering vehicles near their tops, seemingly infinite amount of lights illuminating all of them in the dark. And above it all, barely visible through the heavy traffic, was the vast night sky. One thing was certain...this was no void. It was an enormous world full of innumerable existences; in its grandeur, a single individual in it was but a mere speck.

The boy, who was already easily impressed, was practically breathless as he saw all this....so much so that he barely registered the girl's thoughts that were resonating in his mind and didn't notice what she was gesturing. His head was flailing around, the immense curiosity about practically everything around them making him unsure as to what to examine first. But it was then that he felt something on his shoulder, prompting him to turn around to look for the source. It was a hand..."her" hand. The girl's emerald eyes stared right at his red ones as she once again gestured with the hand she touched him with, first pointing at him and then at herself, while telepathically sending him a message: "Stay with me. Don't let them separate us." The meaning of those words were lost on the swordsman, but by the way she was looking at him, even he realised that the Ghost was trying to convey to him something important. At the very least, she did succeed in drawing his attention to her and not to the numerous objects around them.

Yet, she had barely gained his focus for a bit when the arrival of Simmons and the stormtrooper company interrupted her, though the grey-haired warrior listened to their conversation. While the soldiers moved on towards the garrison where they were stationed, the male teenager noticed something off to the side of where the portal was located. Though most of the platform leading to it was impeccably clean, a pair of droids were clearing out what seemed to be blackened metallic debris. Fascinated by their white and blue appearance, the way they moved around with their tiny wheels and the constant beeping that they emitted as they worked, the boy started walking towards them in order to get a closer look. His female companion was alarmed by this and wanted to telepathically call him back, but the commander beat her to it: "Hey! Stop!"

Distracted from his goal, the boy turned back to the man with a confused expression on his face. Simmons continued: "Don't run off on your own. I need to report to the CO and I need you two to come with me. Stick with us." But when the young man responded to this with nothing more than a perplexed stare, the commander became annoyed as his patience was really starting to wear thin. The stormtrooper walked to the swordsman. Grabbing him by the wrist, he dragged him back to the girl, the pale teenager not sensing any hostility and thus simply going along with it. Letting him go, Simmons told him sternly: "Just stay close to her, alright? I need to keep an eye on you two."

For the most part, the grey-haired warrior didn't understand what he was saying, but the phrase "stay close" rang familiar. It was what the girl had said to him before, which he managed to hear in spite of the abundant distractions. Thinking about it, the soldier told him this after pulling him closer to the young woman. It was then that he finally realised what they wanted to tell him...they wanted him to stay near the girl. Glancing at his female companion, the swordsman then turned to meet the commander's gaze. It was then that, much to the surprise and relief of the other two, he....nodded. The Ghost was relieved that he was starting to catch on, while Simmons was just glad to finally have some cooperation. With that, the stormtrooper nudged them to move on and the trio started to follow the group of soldiers, who went ahead of them.

Though the boy did as he was told and remained at the girl's side as he walked, his head kept turning left and right in an attempt to see everything that was around them. Not only were the pathways kept pristine, the decorations were also maintained in a neat and orderly fashion. The plants were all perfectly trimmed and placed in exact intervals. Even the security elements, such as the hidden turrets, cameras and guards were placed in precise positions and distances from one another. To the Ghost, the tyranny and corruption of the Empire was all too transparent and the glamorous and extravagant facade didn't faze her. But her naive companion was completely oblivious to the rot that laid underneath and continued gasping at the sight of this shiny exterior. Compared to the pockets of space he was in before, Coruscant came off as though it were paradise.

After walking down the main avenue and the various pathways for a short while, they finally reached their destination. Situated somewhere among the tall skyscrapers was a military base; though comparatively much smaller, it was nevertheless a large structure of impressive size. The pathway the group was coming from lead to a wide platform which further lead to a massive gate that represented the main entrance. As the company was already expected for quite some time, the gates began to slowly open well before the group of soldiers even reached it. Inside lied some sort of lobby, where various people, most of them stormtroopers or individuals in grey uniforms, as well as droids went about their business. The company in white marched into the building, placing themselves somewhere in the middle of the entrance hall before they came to a halt. There, they diligently waited as the trio caught up with them. "Stay put," Simmons told the Primes before he proceeded to step in front of his unit, the soldiers standing in perfect formation.

Holding his helmet with his left arm, he scanned all of his men with his dark hazelnut eyes. He took a deep breath before he addressed them: "I know how you all feel....I have that sinking feeling in my gut too. It's never pleasant to think that you've disgraced yourself. But being a soldier isn't just about fighting, but also knowing when is it necessary to fight. You've completed your mission and come back in one piece. So I don't want to see any of you leaving tonight with your head hung low." The commander paused for a moment, allowing for his words to sink in. "You've all done well and earned yourself some R&R. Once you've taken care of your armour and equipment, you're free for the evening. I'll see some of you later at the cantina. Dismissed!"

The stormtroopers hailed and saluted their commanding officer one more time before they dispersed, heading towards their respective changing rooms. It was then that Simmons returned his attention to the pair he was escorting. With a head gesture, he indicated to them to follow as he proceeded to one of the hallways. Noticing this, the red-haired girl quietly followed him. The grey-haired teen was distracted for a moment, having observed with fascination the massive doors that were then closing. But as soon as he noticed that his female companion had moved on, he quickly ran to catch up.

They walked right behind Simmons as the boy continued to look around. Though there was some activity in the hallway, it was quite apparent that it was getting late as most of the doors remained closed. However, they did see some of the soldiers that escorted them before enter one of the locker rooms, sighing in relief as they took off their helmets. They also caught a glimpse of the women's changing room as a fully equipped stormtrooper stepped out of it. Some were in their armour, some in the black suits they wore underneath it and at least two were happily chatting away in their sports bras and gym shorts. The male warrior was fascinated by the fact that there were other "hers" besides the one that was walking alongside him.

Located at the end of the hallway was a circular elevator: As with the room doors, its entrance automatically opened when someone appeared in its proximity. Simmons stopped and once again made a gesture with his head, indicating that the "guests" should go in ahead of him. The girl obliged and the boy followed suit. Once they were in, the commander stepped in as well; rapidly turning around, he issued a simple voice command: "Top floor." The lift responded immediately; closing its doors, the device powered up and lifted them from the ground level. The swordsman was taken aback, amazed that they were apparently moving while remaining completely still....and even moving upwards at that! However, the other two were well used to such means of transport and thus found it to be entirely mundane. Simmons used whatever little reflection he could get from the elevator door to fix his light brown hair, while the young woman in grey simply remained quiet as she felt too fatigued to say or do anything.

Very quickly, they arrived at their destination. As the device powered down and the door opened, they stepped outside the lift and found themselves in another hallway. Much like with the one on the ground floor, there wasn't a lot of activity at that time of the day, though the occasional person in a grey uniform would leave a room and go into another. The commander lead them onward. After another short walk, Simmons finally stopped at a door. "Wait here," he said briefly before pressing a button next to the entrance. A moment later, the door opened and the company leader disappeared inside. As the door slid back shut, there remained an almost eery silence as the two Primes waited for their audience with the CO. While the Ghost wondered what would happen after they meet the person in charge, her companion continued to observe his surroundings as usual. In the time they waited, only two people passed by that ended up noticing them; a male officer, who showed nothing more than a bemused smirk as he looked at them, and a female one, who audibly gasped as her gaze met that of the red-eyed swordsman. The boy didn't know what to make of those reactions while the girl beside him didn't care enough to explain.

Not that she would have had the time as the door sprung open once more and Simmons re-emerged from the office. "Come," he said briefly before returning back in. The pair followed him inside. What they ended up seeing upon entering was....not entirely expected. As was fitting for a high-ranking officer, the office in which he resided was fairly spacious and the wide window at the back provided a nice view of the highest tier of the city. But while the room certainly did not lack modern amenities and equipment, some of the decor came off as antique and anachronistic by comparison. The walls of the office were covered in wooden panels. The left side was adorned with a very large landscape painting, which depicted a coast at sun dawn. The wall opposite of it was covered with ornamental blades of various shapes and sizes, some of which seemed like the type of weapons Camelot guards would employ.

Sitting in a comfortable chair behind a shining mahogany desk was the man they had come to meet. He wore the same field grey uniform as the other officers they had seen, although his quite noticeably featured a greater number of stripes and medals. Though he had a sharp visage similar to his subordinate, his hair was of a light blonde colour and his eyes were sea blue. He had a beaming white smile, though it came off as sick and twisted rather than kind and heartwarming. In fact, the man as a whole had a rather unpleasant aura about him, almost as though he didn't even care about hiding his true nature. Nevertheless, he seemed determined to put on a genial face as he greeted the visitors in a pleasant tone: "Ah...Welcome! I have been expecting you!"

The teens came to a halt in the middle of the room, looking at their host. Meanwhile, Simmons positioned himself off to the side, quietly observing the conversation. Pointing at himself with one of his black gloved hands, the man behind the desk said: "Let me introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Colonel Brandt Herman and I have the privilege of being the commanding officer of the Coruscant Guard battalion, though some people like to call us the "Gatekeepers"." He then gestured towards his underling: "And, by now, I am sure you are well acquainted with my executive officer, Captain Oliver Simmons." It was at that point that he let out a chuckle: "Though he would have long been a major if he was willing to recognise the value of non-field work." Simmons clenched his teeth, but said nothing. It didn't take a psychic to know that he had heard that remark hundreds of times before and that he found it particularly grating.

The Ghost said nothing, her emerald eyes staring coldly at the battalion commander. Meanwhile, the young man's attention was drawn to the vast collection of blades on the right as this was the first time he had seen weapons similar to his own. Picking up a glass of cognac he had prepared on his desk, Herman laid back in his chair, gently swirling the yellowish brown liquid in the process. His wide grin completely unabated by the girl's icy glare, he inquired: "Based on what the Captain told me, you seem to have caused us a bit of trouble, Miss...?"