48. Damaged

===Maximus===

Maximus slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurry at first. The familiar weight of the Bacta tank's healing fluid was all around him, and he could feel its soothing embrace, but something felt… off. His body felt both sore and stiff as though the weight of a thousand battles had been borne upon him all at once. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the haze in his mind. The harsh fluorescent lights above him flickered once before steadying, and as the world around him began to solidify, his heart sank into a pit of uncertainty.

Something was different—something was wrong. A hollow emptiness gnawed at him, deep and indefinable. He felt… distant. His mind raced for an explanation, but he couldn't quite place it. The Bacta fluid had worked its miracle on his wounds, but there was an absence within him that wasn't physical.

Reaching up slowly, he found his mask, still affixed to his face, and pressed the release. A soft hiss echoed through the tank as the liquid began to drain away, exposing his body to the air once more. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he stared at the dimly lit interior of the medical bay. The Bacta tank opened, its cool, moist surface slipping away from his skin as the healing process wound down. He stepped out cautiously, testing his legs as if expecting them to betray him.

The moment his feet touched the cold metal floor, his knees buckled. The disorientation hit him like a wave, and he collapsed to one knee, his head spinning.

"Lord," a voice called, sharp and concerned. He looked up to see a Mandalorian warrior, stationed at the far end of the room, rushing toward him. The Mandalorian's heavy footsteps echoed against the sterile metal, but as soon as the warrior's gloved hand brushed against Maximus's exposed skin, the man recoiled as though he had been burned.

A sharp, involuntary cry almost escaped the Mandalorians lips as he staggered backward, his eyes wide with a primal fear Maximus couldn't understand. The warrior's breath came in quick gasps, freezing where he stood.

Maximus grunted, his hand shooting out to grab the edge of the nearby table for support. "Report," he commanded, his voice low and firm despite the overwhelming sense of confusion.

The Mandalorian trembled, clearly unnerved. He stood there for a long moment, his eyes shifting nervously between Maximus and the exit, before running out of the room. The sound of his boots quickly faded into the distance.

"Fool," Maximus muttered under his breath, pushing himself up with renewed determination. His fingers clenched into fists as he strode out of the medical bay, ignoring the strange feeling that lingered within him. He didn't have time to dwell on it now. He needed answers.

As he walked down the corridor, the faint hum of the Battle Barge's engines reverberated beneath his feet. His mind remained clouded, but a sense of urgency drove him forward. He spotted another Mandalorian ahead and called out, his voice gruff but authoritative. "You, report."

The Mandalorian turned to face him, her posture stiff with respect. "Lord Maximus," she said, her voice thick with tension. "Lords Sebastian and Raxor are on their way. Please, return to the medical room. You've been unconscious for some time."

Maximus eyed her for a moment before taking a step toward her. "What happened?" he demanded, his tone growing sharper.

The Mandalorian shifted nervously, her hands twitching as she hesitated. Then, as if steeling herself, she stepped forward to guide him back. But the moment her hand made contact with his arm, she recoiled sharply, as if struck by an invisible force. Her face turned ashen with shock under her helmet. Before Maximus could react, she had drawn her blaster with a swift, reflexive motion, the barrel aimed squarely at his chest.

Maximus's training kicked in before he could fully process the situation. With a swift, practiced motion, he slapped the pistol from her hand, sending it skittering across the floor. His other hand moved instinctively to backhand her, knocking her off balance. The woman crashed to the ground, her helmet clattering against the metal floor as it was dislodged.

She lay there, wide-eyed and trembling in terror, her hands instinctively holding her head, as though protecting herself from an unseen threat. Maximus stood there for a moment, gazing down at her. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable. It was the kind of terror one might feel when faced with something impossible, something that defied all understanding.

"What is happening?" Maximus demanded, his voice dangerously low, filled with authority but also a strange sense of disbelief. His clenched fist was ready to strike if necessary.

"Stay away!" she cried, her voice a sharp, panicked plea. She scrambled backward, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to get to her feet, her body trembling like a leaf caught in a storm.

Maximus hesitated, confused by the raw, unrestrained terror pouring off of her. He watched her with a growing sense of unease. What was happening to him? Why were people so afraid of him?

Before he could say anything more, a voice called out from behind. "Brother!"

Maximus turned sharply, recognizing the voice immediately. Sebastian came rushing down the long corridor, his heavy footsteps quickening as he approached. Raxor followed closely behind him. Both of them skidded to a stop in front of Maximus. Raxor immediately knelt beside the woman, who was frantically clawing at his arms, her eyes fixed on Maximus as though he were some sort of malevolent apparition.

Sebastian's eyes flicked from Maximus to the woman, his expression hardening. "What's happened here?" he asked, his voice a low growl.

Maximus's gaze remained cold and steady. "The moment she touched me, she recoiled and drew her blaster on me," he explained, his tone even but filled with an underlying frustration. His fists clenched again.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. His anger flared, and the air seemed to thicken with it. He turned to the woman, his body tense with suppressed fury. "You drew a weapon on my brother?" His voice was laced with cold menace, though his optics bore a deeper, simmering fury.

The woman flinched at the question, her face turning pale. She was clearly trembling, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.

"Hold, brother," Raxor interjected, his voice calm and authoritative, though tinged with an edge of warning. He placed a hand on Sebastian's arm, halting the Black Templar before he could do anything rash. "Let her explain herself."

Sebastian's fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles white, but after a tense moment of silence, he nodded once, his fury still bubbling beneath the surface. He took a step back, giving the woman the space to speak.

"Explain yourself. Now," he commanded, his voice like steel, cold and unyielding.

The woman's voice trembled as she spoke, her eyes locked on Maximus with a mixture of fear and confusion. "I… I don't know how to explain it," she began, her words coming in jagged gasps. "He… he came out of the medical room after another Mandalorian had run from it. I called you over the comms, Lord Sebastian, but when I touched—L-Lord Maximus, to help him back into the medical bay…"

She paused, shuddering as though recalling a terrifying memory. Her eyes glazed over with panic.

"It felt like I was touching a void. Like I was being cut off from the world around me." She gasped for breath, her hands trembling as she wiped at her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek, her fear palpable. Then, more tears began to well in her eyes, streaking down her face as she tried to continue.

"It was like… there was nothing. Just emptiness. Like I was touching a black hole." Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with raw terror. "It was as if I were… gone."

Sebastian's anger faltered. Confusion slowly replaced it, his brow furrowing deeply as he turned his gaze back to Maximus. "Gone?" he repeated, his voice softer now, searching for some kind of understanding.

Maximus stood in silence, his mind racing. The woman's words struck a deep chord within him. There was something more to this. Something wrong. He felt it in the core of his being—the absence. A deep, gnawing emptiness that he couldn't explain.

"Gone…" Raxor muttered, his voice filled with the kind of quiet disbelief that spoke volumes. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

The woman swallowed hard, her hands still shaking as she wiped away her tears. "I don't know how to explain it… It felt like… nothing. Just vast emptiness."

Maximus's heart began to beat faster as the weight of her words settled over him. He could feel it. That terrifying emptiness. It was him. He had become an absence. He had become something… other.

He couldn't place it, but the idea, the realization, sent a tremor through his mind. He had been… changed. What had happened to him?

"I don't know what happened," Maximus said quietly, his voice distant, almost hollow. He reached up and clutched his head, as if trying to hold onto whatever part of him remained. "I woke up, and everything feels different. But I don't know why. Something is wrong. Something…"

Sebastian stepped forward, placing a hand on Maximus's arm. But as soon as his fingers brushed Maximus's skin, Sebastian jerked back violently, his eyes wide with shock.

"What's wrong?" Raxor asked, his voice filled with suspicion.

Sebastian stared at his hand, his expression faltering as if he had been struck. "It… it's true," he whispered, his voice thick with confusion. "His body—it's like touching nothing. No warmth. No presence. Just… a void trying to devour my very being.."

Maximus stood frozen, his gaze distant. The coldness of the room seemed to intensify around him, but it wasn't the air that chilled him. It was something inside him. An absence.

Sebastian muttered, his brow furrowing as he looked at Maximus with growing unease. "I felt as if I'd become cut off from everything around me. Like you're a… A blank."

Maximus felt a pang of shock shoot through him. He knew what they were talking about. The Blank. The Pariah.

He had become a void. He was something that didn't belong in the universe.

The room fell silent. The three Astartes stood together, their thoughts heavy with the weight of what had happened.

Sebastian clenched his fists, his anger now tempered by something else—concern. "We'll figure this out, brother. We'll find a way to fix you."

Maximus shook his head again, the tremor of disbelief still running through him. "I don't think it's something that can be fixed," he repeated softly. His voice dropped even lower, as though speaking the truth aloud would make it all the more real. "I've lost something. I've become… soulless."

Sebastian's eyes softened, his fists relaxing slightly. "We will find a way. We will not abandon you."

Maximus stood motionless, his heart heavy with the truth he had just accepted.

"If you believe me unfit to lead," he said, his voice hardening with the familiar iron resolve, "say so now, and I will step down."

Sebastian and Raxor exchanged a glance, their resolve clear despite their concerns.

"I may not like what has happened to you, but I will not claim you unfit," Sebastian said firmly, folding his arms across his chest. "You are our squad leader, and it is the Emperor's will. I can feel it."

"Indeed," Raxor added. "Until it is otherwise deemed, you will continue in your role."

Maximus stood silently for a moment, then bowed his head humbly, his heart heavy but determined. He extended his hand to his brothers, a gesture of unity despite the gulf that had opened between them.

Raxor hesitated for a moment, but then, with a quiet resolve, he took Maximus's hand, resisting the urge to pull away. Sebastian did the same, though his expression was dark, his brow furrowed with a mix of worry and defiance.

"We are not so weak as to let this falter us," Sebastian said, his voice low but full of determination.

Maximus nodded slowly, the weight of their unspoken understanding passing between them.

"You collapsed nearly three months ago, brother," Raxor said quietly, his voice soft but filled with concern. "Can you tell us what happened?"

Maximus blinked in confusion. "Three months?" he murmured. The idea of being unconscious for so long sent a cold wave of disbelief through him. It didn't seem possible.

"Indeed. Much has changed. There is much to show you," Sebastian said, his tone grave as he turned toward the Mandalorian woman who still stood behind them, her presence an odd, lingering reminder of everything that had transpired.

"Leave us," Sebastian commanded, his voice sharp.

The woman didn't argue. She stepped back, retreating without another word, leaving the three Astartes alone to discuss the future.

Maximus raised an eyebrow, still processing everything. "You said much has changed?"

Sebastian nodded gravely. "Indeed. First and foremost, Tatooine is completely under our control. The Mandalorian, Bo-Katan, has seized control of the Hutt empire that the bloated, disgusting creature once ruled. The Mandalorians themselves have grown in number, too. Some, it seems, have taken note of our success and have requested to rejoin our cause."

He paused for a moment, his expression darkening. "But the biggest shift has been with the girl, Padmé. She pushed for a vote to rid Naboo of our presence, to cast us out. Fortunately, the people of Naboo resisted, and her attempt was thwarted. Still, we've been called to testify before the Senate on Coruscant regarding our… how did they phrase it… 'barbaric actions.'"

Raxor's voice cut in, his tone heavy. "It seems our methods are too harsh for them to understand."

"Indeed," Sebastian replied. "But we will face the Senate. It will be a good way to establish ourselves as a force in the galaxy."

Maximus took a moment to process this information, his mind still clouded. "Do you think that's wise?" he asked, his tone cautious.

His two brothers exchanged a glance before turning back to him.

"Walk with us, brother," Raxor said, gesturing toward the corridor.

The three of them began walking toward the exit of the Barge. As they reached one of the windows, Maximus's eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw.

A nascent city was beginning to take shape, with a massive circular structure standing off to the side.

"The natives have come to help settle the area around the Barge," Raxor explained, his gaze sweeping over the new city about a mile away. "Normally, we wouldn't allow this, but they started building a spaceport, which helped the Mandalorians dock and refuel their ships. It's not ideal, but it's better than the alternative—having them leave every other day to refuel."

"They will get no closer to the Barge," Sebastian said firmly, folding his arms. "That is something we cannot abide by."

"Come, brother. You need to rest," Sebastian added, his tone softening. "We don't leave for Coruscant for a few days. You'll need all the rest you can get."

Maximus nodded, his mind still reeling from everything that had happened. There was much to do, much to learn, and yet it felt like something inside him had already changed forever.

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