Star Wars: From the Clone Wars to Starfaring Heroes

Chapter 163-165 - The Dungeon (Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

As the summit came to a fruitless end, everyone dispersed.

On the surface, Weng Delun appeared calm, but beneath this tranquil surface, undercurrents were churning.

“This place… really needs some renovations,” Raine’s voice echoed in the claustrophobic, damp passageway, tinged with obvious disgust. “At least don’t let it look so… oppressive.”

"You think so, sir?" Lieutenant Kavia Slen looked around in confusion. The rough stone walls were damp from seepage, and in the dim light, they seemed to exude a cold, damp atmosphere. "I think... it has quite an atmosphere, doesn't it?"

Renn snorted irritably, and with a struggle pushed open a heavy cast-iron prison door, the hinges screeching. "I think the 'guest' inside has a different mindset than you."

This dungeon is located half a mile underground in the high mountains of Ondron, and is part of a vast network of underground catacombs and abandoned mines beneath the ancient temple of Yunifal.

This place is perpetually dark, and some areas are completely devoid of light.

The polluted air was stagnant, carrying the stench of dirt and mold.

Apart from the occasional sharp cry of the 'sentinel bird' or the faint tremors coming from the distant depths of the earth, there was only deathly silence here.

Being imprisoned here means being thrown into a state of complete and desperate isolation.

Some prisoners were even forgotten in deeper, more remote mine tunnels, and when they were found weeks later, they had often died from suffocation or other causes.

Ryan entered a stone chamber that served as a makeshift interrogation room.

Three people were sitting inside, their wrists shackled to heavy stone chairs.

“Stilla, Dono, Hatch… are these your names?” Ryan’s gaze swept over them. “Relax, this isn’t an interrogation.”

Hatch managed to lift his chained hands, the chains clanging dully. "You saying that... is really reassuring!"

His tone was full of sarcasm.

"Where is my brother?!" Stella looked up abruptly, her eyes piercing Renn like knives, her voice trembling with anger and worry.

Ryan turned sharply to look at Kavia Slen, his brow furrowed. "Didn't I explicitly instruct them to arrange for the siblings to see each other one last time?"

“Sir, I did make the arrangements!” Kavia immediately straightened up, her face full of grievance, and her voice rose by half an octave.

"And then you forcibly dragged him away!" Stella tried to stand up from the stone chair, but the shackles on her wrists suddenly tightened, pulling her back onto the cold stone chair with a harsh scraping sound.

“That’s because he’s already been sentenced to death, madam,” Ryan said, sitting down in the chair opposite them and leaning forward slightly, his gaze calmly fixed on Stella. “As the core leader of the rebels, he will face the highest punishment… or would you rather go to the execution ground in his place?”

Stella opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just bit her lower lip helplessly, slumped back in her chair, and the anger in her eyes was replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.

“I knew it.” A friendly smile appeared on Ryan’s face, even though a strong sense of irritation was welling up inside him, making him almost want to end this unpleasant conversation immediately.

“Wait a minute,” Dono interrupted, puzzled, “shouldn’t all participants in the uprising be sentenced to death? Shouldn’t it only be the leaders?”

"For this, you have to thank your friend Hatch." Ryan casually pointed his thumb in Hatch's direction. "He made a deal on your behalf, on the condition that you lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully in exchange for everyone's lives."

"What's going on outside...?" Dono's voice was low and tinged with unease.

“Anyway, our current situation is not much different from being sentenced to death,” Hatch muttered sullenly, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the heavy shackles. “Our ‘lenient treatment’ is to be banished from Ondron forever and never be able to come back.”

"So you're just going to throw us into space like trash?" Dono's voice trembled with agitation. "And just cram us onto some wrecked ship that's about to leave port?"

"You can choose that if you wish, but it's definitely not a good choice for you, or for the planet that will receive you," Renn shrugged. "So, I'm offering you another option: join the Confederate Navy. You'll receive free room and board, a formal job, and a stipend... Although you'll have virtually no money to spend on the warship, if you achieve merit and earn a medal, according to Ondron's laws, our King must personally pin it on you and bestow generous rewards. In other words, you can return home with dignity."

"...What did you say!?" Stella seemed to be pricked by a needle, abruptly raising her head from her dejection, her eyes blazing with renewed anger. "You captured us, wanted to execute my brother, and now you actually expect us to risk our lives for you? To fight this war that we risked our lives to end!?" Exile was indeed a long-standing traditional punishment in Ondron.

In fact, it was this punishment that gave rise to the later groups of wild beast riders and untamed people.

But precisely because of this "side effect," modern Ondron governments rarely use exile as a measure.

Who can guarantee that the exiled will not become stronger in the harsh environment and return with a heart full of hatred?
Cutting off the criminal's head is obviously much cleaner and more efficient than releasing the tiger back into the mountains.

“Stella is right,” Dono hesitated before agreeing. “Why should we fight for a war we’ve always resisted? I don’t want someone like Sanjay Rush to pin a medal on me.”

“You can fight for Ondron’s honor,” Kavia said with unusual sincerity, leaning forward slightly to try and close the distance. “Listen, what other way do you have to wash away the stain and regain your dignity? So Grella will find his honor in death, for in ancient tradition it is honorable to die for one’s beliefs.”

Do you want to follow in his footsteps, or do you want to go down the old path of the Beast Rider?

Struggling to survive in the vast universe, becoming mercenaries or bounty hunters, then returning to Ondron filled with resentment for revenge? Do you really think you can become the next Morden Kira and overthrow an entire dynasty?

These words clearly touched them.

Even Dono, who seemed the most rational, finally looked up and listened intently to Cavia's words, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.

Raine realized that appealing to the sense of honor among these Ondron people was indeed the most effective method.

However, if anyone dares to use this argument to persuade him, he will probably just pull out a gun.

"How long... will it take to earn a medal?" Hatch broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of practical calculation.

Kavia immediately turned her expectant gaze to Renn.

“Surviving one or two key battles and performing well enough,” Ryan waved his hand casually, “and fulfilling one’s duties during service, in my experience, is not too difficult. What’s more time-consuming is waiting for the next formal award ceremony.”

"...Why?" Dono finally couldn't help but ask the core question, his eyes filled with confusion. "Why give us this choice? What are you after?"

Rein took a data panel from Kavia and gently placed it on the stone table in front of the three of them. “The Confederation Congress has just passed the Militia Act. Each member star system must provide funds or personnel to the Confederation Armed Forces in a certain proportion. Ondron is neither wealthy nor has a large population, but we must all fulfill our obligations.”

Stella let out a short laugh that was a mixture of anger and absurdity, which was then interrupted by a cough. "So Ondron is going to pack up all the prisoners in the jail and send them to the Confederacy as cannon fodder? You're insane... I will never agree to that!"

“You know what the other options are.” Ryan didn’t argue, turning his gaze to Hatch and Dono. “And you two? What have you decided?”

"Just don't make me work with those cold, emotionless robots all day long," Hatch said, staring at Rein. He made his only request.

“Don’t worry, it won’t happen,” Kavia immediately assured him. “There are only about eight hundred of you in total. You will serve alongside the Royal Army’s volunteer recruits and will be trained by us personally.”

Hatch took a deep breath, not looking at Stella and Dono's expressions, as if he had made up his mind, "It's better than dying immediately, or rotting in some corner of the outer ring."

Renn nodded, stood up, and the chair legs scraped against the stone floor. "I'll give you two, and Stella, some time to think it over carefully. You have one day to make a decision: either stand on the guillotine in Yolan Square tomorrow, or board the first transport ship leaving the port of Izzi."

As soon as they finished speaking, Renn and Kavia turned and left.

The heavy iron door closed behind them, and soon the sounds of guards entering the room and escorting prisoners back to their cells, along with the clanking of chains, could be heard.

"Do you think... anyone else would accept this proposal?" As they walked through the dimly lit passage, Rein asked Kavia in a low voice for her opinion.

“They’ll figure it out, sir.” Kavia’s voice was full of confidence, and his steps became lighter. “I understand their way of thinking, and I understand the deep-seated importance that the Ondron people place on honor.”

"I hope your judgment is correct," Ryan said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.

(End of this chapter)