Amir was also somewhat surprised. Despite maintaining his perception of the Force around him, he had not detected the presence of these creatures; he had only faintly sensed their movements.
"Iron-eating rats?" Amir asked.
"Yes, yes!" Gulina had not yet recovered from her fright.
"They are indeed unique."
"The most terrifying thing is that there are so many of them, and they often appear in groups!" Hak said.
"They bite people, too," Gulina whispered.
Amir felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of a swarm of biting rats rushing toward them.
"Why not call for more help?" Amir asked, puzzled.
"We've been too busy lately. Many planets need the supplies we're transporting to keep their people alive," Hak sighed. "Without the food we're transporting, they won't have anything to eat."
Amir wasn't surprised. Many planets in the Outer Rim were like that. Under the Empire's rule, there seemed to be some order, but it was mostly enforced by military might.
The people there only accepted management. They didn't enjoy any of the Empire's benefits and were constantly exploited for their remaining resources instead.
Countries and cities that could have been self-sufficient had become extremely poor and relied on resistance forces and spontaneous resistance organizations for survival.
Amir perked up and shifted his attention from the danger to the movement of objects around him.
"I'll lead the way." He walked ahead, hanging the light stick on his waist and activating his lightsaber.
The blue glow of the lightsaber provided some illumination.
After walking for a while, the surrounding walls showed signs of severe corrosion.
"It's just ahead. Let's see if we can get the power back on first." Hak kept an eye on the map.
Through a hole in the wall, Amir could see the chaos in the next room.
Almost nothing was intact: tables, chairs, workbenches, and some pitted, unrecognizable instruments.
There were also faint noises coming from inside.
"Let's hurry," Hak urged from behind.
The three of them quickened their pace and soon arrived at a room.
"Lucky! The circuit breaker wasn't damaged."
Hak rushed forward and began to deal with the complicated wiring.
Amir looked around. Surprisingly, the items here had not been damaged too badly.
There was also a machine that was slightly damaged. Amir recognized it as a device used by station personnel to transfer data. This meant that it might be connected to the control room. If the data had not been cleared, he could view and copy the database of this medical facility.
Judging from the condition of the space station, the data might not have been cleared yet.
After all, the built-in energy sources hadn't been recycled.
"Click!" A crisp sound rang out as Hak finished fixing the wires and flipped the circuit breaker.
The lights flickered a few times before turning on fully.
"Ha! Finally, it's lit. This feels much safer." Hak relaxed his posture.
"Don't get too comfortable," Amir said, assuming a fighting stance as he looked at the rows of tables and boxes in front of him.
"Aren't you curious why this place is so well-preserved?" Amir asked.
"Could it be..." Gulina said in a trembling voice.
"In my hometown, herbivorous animals don't eat the plants near their nests to hide themselves."
"Amir! No way!" Hak's eyes widened as he pulled out his blaster.
"That's right." Amir confirmed this, sensing through the Force that the area was filled with traces of disturbances. He also sensed an emotion—intense fear and anger were slowly rising.
"Get behind me!" Amir shouted.
In an instant, countless black shadows erupted from beneath the table, the storage cabinets, and even the walls like a gushing spring.
The rats trampled each other as they ran and rolled toward the exit. Many of them hissed as they charged toward the three of them.
"We're done for! This is terrible!" Hak, holding the blaster, didn't bother to aim and started firing at the ground. Gulina also fired her blaster awkwardly.
Amir suddenly remembered what Obi-Wan had said: "Through the Force, you can sense the emotions of animals and communicate with them."
He had tried it before, during his first ride on a Bantha. He had indeed felt the massive creature's peaceful and submissive emotions.
But the creatures before him felt completely different.
They didn't seem to have such complex emotions. Amir only sensed fear and anger.
Attempting to communicate was completely futile.
There was only one option left: the lightsaber.
Amir locked his gaze on the iron-eating rats charging toward him and swung his lightsaber downward and upward, precisely killing the two rats that had already reached him.
The two severed bodies flew to the side, leaving a burnt smell behind. This failed to make the surrounding rats retreat; instead, it sparked their ferocity. After a brief commotion, they charged forward in greater numbers.
"Back up!" Amir shouted.
Hak fired his gun while retreating toward the door with Gulina hiding between them.
Amir swung his lightsaber continuously to drive back the rats charging at him. Soon, there were over a dozen corpses in front of him.
Still, this was far too few compared to their total numbers.
Many rats bypassed Amir and ran toward Gulina and Hak's feet, ready to pounce.
The lightsaber's blade sliced precisely behind him, cutting three approaching rats in half.
As they neared the door, Gulina followed Hak out of the room.
Amir remained by the door, watching the iron-eating rats scramble toward the entrance. He reached out and pushed forward with all his strength.
The rats surrounding the door were flung backward like leaves caught in a gust of wind and landed in a chaotic heap.
"Keep going. Find the equipment," Amir said to the two behind him as he stared at the room.
Hak put away his blaster and tugged at his pants. He found that the cuffs had been chewed on, leaving ragged strips of fabric.
Amir glanced at the machine in the room. Copying the data would have to be done in the control room or somewhere else.
Hak led the way, running, with Gulina close behind.
Amir kept an eye on the rear and followed. At this point, the passageway became brighter, so they didn't have to move cautiously like before.
"Here!" After walking for a while, Hak pointed to a large alloy door with several small holes eroded into the bottom. The holes were just big enough for the iron rats to pass through.
After pressing a button, the door emitted a heavy mechanical sound and split into two halves, sliding open to the sides.
"Amir," Gulina called out uneasily.
Hak also froze.
In front of them was a huge, irregular metal lump with a diameter of nearly three meters and countless small, interconnected holes.
Blue light emanated from inside—those were the eyes of the iron-eating rats!
The metallic mass trembled rhythmically.
"Stay calm. Don't go in yet," Amir said, trying to soothe them. "Are there any instruments we need inside?"
"It seems like there are," Hak said, straining to look at the instruments arranged in the corner. "But I'm not sure."
Gulina's hands trembled slightly, and Amir knew why. He could sense the intense, violent emotions in the room.
As a Force-sensitive individual, Gulina should also be able to feel it, just like before.
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