Like a speeder, I flew into the hall where the Council chambers were located. As always, it was empty. With one exception. The very one who manifested her temper so much that at times I wanted to give her a good thrash— Okay, exhale. One must not break children over one's knee. For now.
But to quench my dissatisfaction with the actions of the apprentice, who informed me via comlink that she had gone to the Archive, where she quite accidentally (yeah, tell that to my trousers) met Ahsoka, with whom she got to talking… and then suddenly and abruptly a small war began in the Temple, which cost the lives of several Jedi.
"What the Hutt are you doing?" Grabbing the girl by the lapel of her robe, ignoring her protests, I jerked this future mutton-weight from the bench onto her feet. "I told you not to be anywhere near Ahsoka!"
"I... I was bored..."
"Do you understand what kind of hellish nightmare you've caused?" In the complete silence of the hall, though I tried to speak quietly, it turned out... poorly. More like the hissing of a snake before it is ready to sink its teeth into a victim. "She was guarding the Archive! During military actions! And you compromised her, and right after she was punished! What will the consequences be?!"
"I didn't think..."
"Olie, I am warning you one last time. Either you get your head on straight and do what I command," with my index finger I poked the girl accusingly in the forehead. "Or we part ways. And fatally so. Is everything understood?"
"Yes, yes, Master," with eyes overflowing with terror, the girl seemed to fall into a stupor. Well, naturally, she likely imagined I would mince her into pieces. And, I admit, I very much wanted to.
"And now—march to your room," I growled at the girl. "And don't show your nose outside without my permission! Clear!?"
"Yes, Master," the girl said in a completely defeated voice.
Hanging her head on her chest, she trudged toward the stairs.
At first I wanted to catch up with her and explain everything...
"Adik, you're stupid!" a bearded KVN sketch came to mind. Except the Adik is me.
She must be kept in an iron grip. And no other way. Otherwise, the girl will surely be the cause of my death. As well as of everything I'm tearing my rear into a Republic flag for here.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the Council chambers.
Already on the way, Windu had informed me of an emergency session. So urgent that my legs should be burning from the speed I should use to be in the Council tower.
"I offer my apologies for being late, Masters," hurriedly muttering apologies, I, casting a quick glance at Skywalker and Tano standing in the center of the room, took my seat.
And, judging by the tense faces of everyone present here, they were either suffering from collective constipation, or trouble had come from where it wasn't expected.
While the well-known pair stood in complete silence in the middle of the room, with "Snips" casting her eyes to the floor and showing with her whole appearance how uncomfortable she was to be here, the "knight without fear" was drilling me with a heavy gaze. It seemed his friend, Obi-Wan, hadn't bothered to tell him about the changes in the Council.
Oh, Skywalker's rear must be burning like a supernova. Well, let it—a Jedi in the galaxy does not live by a seat on the Council alone.
Meanwhile, practically all the Jedi present here were whispering quietly to one other. Only those represented by holograms, like Plo Koon, maintained a proud silence.
"What is happening?" I asked Piell in a whisper.
The Lannik, casting a glance at Windu whispering with Yoda, leaned toward me.
"The Temple was attacked. The communications center was blown up, the holocron vault plundered."
"What?! How could that even happen?!" Well, I knew the canonical events, but, once again, I was convinced that my actions affect those around me like ripples on water.
"That's why Skywalker and Tano were called—to explain. They messed up more than anyone. But the situation is lousy..."
"Silence!" Windu interrupted the conversations between Council members. "Sad news has reached us from Devaron."
"Master Ropal has been killed," Yoda continued. "The kyber crystal is missing."
Those present looked at each other in surprise. It seemed this news had become another unexpected and unpleasant one for them. Yeah, keepers of the peace who were caught with their pants down in their own home. And these sentients are teaching me how to be a Jedi? Not even funny. The Council does not see further than its own nose.
Of course, I also understood what the notorious trinket from Devaron was, and how it was used, but...
"Pardon me, Masters, but who is Master Ropal and why is this crystal dangerous?"
"Master Ropal was the keeper of the kyber crystal for the holocron on which information about all the children in the galaxy particularly sensitive to the Force is recorded," Plo Koon clarified. "Its loss is irreparable."
"As is the loss of the holocron vault in principle," Kit Fisto reminded. "To think, I was there this morning..."
"I apologize," your humble narrator interrupted the flow of the Nautolan's consciousness in a characteristic "Skorokhod" tone. "But somehow they forgot to enlighten me on what happened."
"As with most of those present here," Yoda explained. "But this gap we will correct now. A vision I had of an intrusion into the Temple. Skywalker and Kenobi I sent to check everything."
"Anakin and I were inspecting the ventilation when we discovered that one of the deflector shields on the Temple's upper level had been breached. We descended the air duct shaft and found ourselves in the immediate vicinity of the communications center. My fault, for I decided the goal of the intrusion was the information stored there."
"Do not blame yourself, Obi-Wan," Yoda advised. "To be mistaken anyone can."
"In any case, Anakin and I made our way through the ventilation to the communications center—just when a droid with a bomb jumped out before us. We managed to dodge the explosion, but literally in the same second I lost consciousness, stunned by an electrical discharge."
"As did I," Skywalker added. "And when I came around, I discovered my lightsaber was missing."
"As was mine," Obi-Wan added. "We both lay in shock-cuffs, which, as is known, are designed against Jedi. However, pretending still to be lying unconscious, we were able to see the attackers..."
"And who were they?" Plo Koon's hologram inquired.
"Mandalorians," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I would know their armor from thousands of variants. And those jetpacks... no one else in the galaxy uses such equipment."
"What did Mandalorians want in the Temple?" I asked the question. No point in showing off my awareness.
"Plunder," Windu replied grimly. "A thousand years ago, during the confrontation between the Order and the Brotherhood of Darkness, Mandalorians invaded a practically defenseless Temple, killed many Jedi, and plundered practically everything of value they could reach. Most of what was stolen we managed to find and return over time. And only the Darksaber—a blade created by the first and last Jedi Knight from Mandalore—is still hidden from our sight."
Ah, so that's when that very blade with the black edge, which Pre Vizsla was so proud of in the series, leaked from the Temple. A stylish lightsaber, by the way...
"I apologize, but what was stolen this time?"
"Holocrons," Windu answered shortly.
"Em... in essence I know it's an information storage device, but after all, they come in different kinds. For example, I returned Ulic's holocron to the Order..."
"All," Windu interrupted me. "All the holocrons from the Archive vault were stolen—without Master Nu we cannot even approximately say how many were lost. But already now it can be said that we have lost the holocron returned by you, Ashka Crimson's holocron, and more than a dozen other Jedi holocrons. In essence, the only thing we actually possess now is the Great Holocron, and even that only because it is under constant guard by the Sentinels."
"The Council as always prefers to see only half the problem," Piell grumbled. "The disappearance of the Sith holocrons represents a far greater danger!"
"What?!" Ahsoka blurted out. "Sith holocrons were kept in the Temple?"
"Do not dare interrupt Council members, Padawan Tano," Windu said in an embittered voice. "You have already done enough!"
The small Togruta went silent, cringing as if the Korun had slapped her.
And the saddest thing is that no one dared to check the afro-Jedi, saying it's not right to behave that way with a student. What happened to the rule—a soldier doesn't bully a child?
Strange logic. Why the hell is she even standing here and listening to the Council's reflections? Since the girl messed up, then call her on the carpet after everything and tear into her separately. Why stage this showy circus? And, moreover—discuss extremely delicate moments in the presence of Skywalker, in whom there's also not particularly much trust, not to mention the student who in essence has only just begun to learn the ways of the Order.
"I apologize," I had to draw attention to myself. "But which Sith holocrons we lost, is it known?"
"All that were in that vault, without exception, just like the Jedi ones," Fisto grimaced. "That was just said..."
"Forgive me, Master Fisto, but I've been on the Council less than twenty-four hours, and there's already a hellish nightmare... collapse happening here. Forgive my lack of education, but personally I don't know what holocrons were kept in the Order. That's why I'm asking."
"We owned many, but not all that the Sith ever created," Piell said. "Among them those that belonged to King Adas—the first who was able to create a Sith holocron, and after all they wanted to send it to the Tapani sector for safekeeping! King Nakgru's holocron—from there as well. Also lost is the holocron owned by Darth Nihilus—a fallen Jedi who possessed the ability to consume the Force, a holocron created by Tulak Hord—an ancient Sith Lord. Also stolen is the Dark Holocron—a device of the ancient Sith in which the souls of hundreds of Sith were once kept. Exar Kun, a fallen Jedi who went over to the Dark Side, stole it from the ancient library on Ossus and used it to subject the bodies of many Jedi to his will. They already tried to steal it in the recent past—a Padawan named Lorian Nod, expelled from the Order. By the way, Kun's own holocron is also gone. Belia Darzu's holocron, which was discovered by us a few hundred years ago, together with Darth Andeddu's holocron—one of many he created in his lifetime. Darth Angral's holocron—a Sith of the distant past who nearly destroyed the Order. These losses for the Order are irreparable—no one has even begun to study the Sith holocrons since their discovery and delivery to the Temple. Hutt take it, even Darth Bane's holocron—the founder of the Rule of Two—and that is lost to us! And Ergast's holocron?! It takes two people just to lift the thing! And yet how much I asked for the Council's permission to research them!"
"Too dangerous these holocrons are!" Yoda objected. "Errors of the past we cannot allow to repeat."
"Then why not destroy them?" I inquired. "Why keep something so dangerous?"
Silence was my answer. As if the Council, supposedly the wisest Jedi of their time, could not find an answer. It was amusing to observe the expression on Ahsoka's and Skywalker's faces at that moment. They too were puzzled by the same question.
Piell, having waited a few seconds, continued:
"All the Noeticons are lost—of Secrets, Light, Science. As are all the infocrons," he cast a glance at Yoda, "on which historical chronicles are recorded—the primary sources of what we have in the Archives. But perhaps the most mysterious of the holocrons is the one that was made not in the form of a usual pyramid, but with a transparent crystal on top. The Council of First Knowledge was never able to determine its nature, other than that it was created specifically by Sith. There are many dozens of them—those the Mandalorians took with them; without Master Nu, one cannot say exactly. The vault was designed to hold a hundred holocrons—and now it is empty. But perhaps the greatest loss is the holocron of the Kwa race, belonging to Master A'nen—the oldest of all holocrons known to us. Its study began a little over ten years ago, after the conflict at Naboo."
"Copulate with me with a three-phase current," escaped from my chest. They really tried hard. They took everything not nailed to the ceiling. "But after all, that's an enormous number... how could one group of people carry all that away? They'd have needed a speeder!"
"Padawan Tano," Windu barked. "Won't you tell us what happened in the Archives?"
"I... I was distracted from my duty of guarding the Archive," the girl looked crushed. "Therefore, I did not notice in time that one of the Jedi in the library was not acting like a Jedi. Only after an explosion sounded and smoke poured from the holocron vault did I realize that the irreparable had happened."
"And where were you until that time?" Windu asked sternly. "More precisely—with whom?"
"Master, I..."
"Do not worsen your fate with lies, Tano!" the Korun raised his voice.
"Master," I leaned forward. "No need to shout at her. She's just a child after all..."
My answer was a gaze from Windu full of fury, which, if it could, would have melted me on the spot. And a gaze from Ahsoka full of gratitude.
But I admit, from what was happening, a chill ran through me.
I could literally feel with my skin the irritation of practically every member of the Council, except that Yoda and Piell continued to maintain composure. And you know, it's frightening—to be in the company of powerful people who were concentrating their anger on a defenseless girl... Yeah, a truly horrific blow had been dealt to the Order.
"What happened after the explosion, Ahsoka?" Master Koon asked.
"When I and Padawan Starstone ran to the vault, we found Master Nu lying on the floor unconscious. Master Enicense, or rather that shapeshifter hiding behind his appearance, had already opened the door to the vault."
"And then you saw the Mandalorians?" Kit Fisto asked.
"Yes, Master. They immediately opened fire on the shapeshifter and everyone who was nearby," the girl continued. "Olie and I tried to oppose them, noticing that they were moving something out of the vault in containers on antigravs, but one of them was able to wound her in the shoulder," well now! And she hadn't even said anything to me. And I'm a fine one too—I hadn't even inquired if she'd been hurt. "We hid behind the Archive shelves and at that time the Sentinels arrived."
"Then the Mandalorians used heavy weaponry?" Tiin asked.
"Yes. Rockets from their jetpacks," the girl said in a stifled voice.
"How were they able to bring grav-containers into the Temple?" I inquired.
"Most likely—through the ventilation," Piell suggested. "At least air duct pipes are the only place in that area of the Temple where they could fit."
"I saw how two of them were loading a large glowing pyramid into a container," Ahsoka said quietly.
"Sith Ergast's holocron," the Lannik identified. "You tried to stop them, correct?"
"Yes, but..." the girl continued, however Windu unceremoniously interrupted her.
"But as a result, two Sentinels died, four more are in the infirmary, and a good third of the Archive is destroyed." If I didn't know I had a Jedi before me, I could have decided the Korun was literally exuding anger.
"Masters, I tried..."
"Try not, do or do not," Yoda objected, pointing a clawed finger toward the small girl. "Either do, or do not. This I teach the Younglings. And you—including."
"I know, Master, but..."
"There can be no objections here," the Iktotchi cut her off. "Through Padawan Tano's fault, the Order has lost a significant part of its relics."
"Masters, the fault lies entirely with me," the Chosen One tried to intervene. But no such luck.
"Cease, Knight Skywalker." With the same voice full of venom, the Iktotchi shut the man up. "Had she been at her post, had she not shirked her duties—she would have recognized the shapeshifter. The raised alarm would have saved the Order from such a sad result."
"This is not even just a violation of an order in combat, for which the Padawan has already been punished," Windu noted. "This is a trampling of the Order's very postulates. A disregard for our beliefs, a denial of the foundations of hierarchy and unified command. Such behavior cannot be combined with membership in the Jedi Order..."
Once again silence hung in the Council chambers. So shocking to those present that one could hear the ventilation system working in the room. Or how the Lannik wheezed, fidgeting in his seat.
"I agree with Master Windu," Tiin said. "Ahsoka has no place in the Order."
What?! From the realization of what I'd heard, my breath even hitched. For the sake of all that is holy, let this be a stupid joke, a scare tactic...
"I support," this time Kit Fisto did not demonstrate his signature smile.
"How can you!" Anakin flared up. "This is unfair!"
The Togruta was a pitiful sight. It was as if the girl had been struck in the gut. She let her gaze wander over the Council members, but in none of them could she find empathy.
"I am against," however, there is one here. In my person. "A far too severe punishment for such a young..."
"Age is no hindrance to monstrous transgressions," Windu objected. "On Tano's conscience are Jedi lives, years of work of previous generations, and all the consequences that might only be in the galaxy if we do not return the holocrons."
"So perhaps it is worth not making a decision in the heat of the moment," I advised. "But first to try to find the stolen items."
"Practically impossible it is," Yoda said sadly. "A ship was waiting for the Mandalorians, of a design unknown to us. As soon as the Temple they left, the ship vanished from sensors, becoming invisible."
"A stealth ship?" I asked again. "Forgive my disbelief, but where would Mandalorians get such technology?"
"They were Death Watch fighters," Kenobi clarified. "I saw the emblems on their armor. Considering the rumors that Mandalore is negotiating to join the Confederacy, Count Dooku had a hand in this raid. That is why they knew all our actions and ways to bypass the defenses."
"Wait," I leaned forward. "You want to say that the Council did not take measures to improve the Temple's defenses after it became clear that Dooku is our enemy?"
"There was no necessity for that," Shaak Ti's hologram said.
"A toad had a boa constrictor," with a quiet groan I leaned back in the chair. How are they even alive still? "Forgive me, Masters, but it is your fault that the Temple's defense systems were not updated. You cannot blame a Padawan for such a thing..."
"And yet," Plo Koon said decisively. "Her guilt is indisputable. As regrettable as it is for me to admit, but Ahsoka must be expelled from the Order."
"Masters!" in a breaking tone, with tears in her eyes, the girl moved toward Yoda, but Skywalker stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder. From the working muscles in the Jedi's face, I understood that a huge wave of emotions was raging inside him. And, never more than at this moment, I was in solidarity with him.
"Tears will not help, Ahsoka," Yoda said. "With a heavy heart, but in solidarity I am. No place for you in the Order."
"I support," Ti said.
"As do I," Rancisis joined in. Cursed hair rug, you too!
"And I object," the Lannik grumbled. "Moreover, to vote in the absence of two members of the Order..."
"Their voices could not affect the decision," Windu declared. "The majority of Masters are for the expulsion of Ahsoka Tano."
"In fact, only six are against," I noted. "Master Kenobi..."
"I am in solidarity with the Grand Master's opinion," carefully hiding his eyes from his former apprentice and the Padawan beside whom he had spent the last year side-by-side, Obi-Wan replied.
"Considering that the Grand Master's voice has double weight," the Korun reminded those present of the ancient tradition, "the majority of Council members are for the expulsion of Ahsoka Tano from the Order, depriving her of the rank of Padawan and all privileges."
"Cursed circus," I was indignant. "Think! She's just a child! Who disobeyed an order because she was poorly trained by her mentor!"
"Are we going to expel Obi-Wan and Skywalker from the Order for losing their lightsabers too?" the Lannik noted snidely.
"In battle they lost their weapons," Yoda objected. "This cannot be held as a fault against them."
"Masters," rising from my seat, I addressed those gathered. "Think! Ahsoka is one of the outstanding Padawans of modern times! Her mistakes are only the result of insufficient control by Skywalker! One cannot expel her for..."
"Sit down, Master Dougan!" Windu said, lowering his tone. "The Council has made its decision! Ahsoka Tano, hand over your weapons to the Sentinels." At these words the door to the chambers opened and two Jedi in white-and-gold robes with lightsaber pikes at their belts entered. They unceremoniously pushed aside the former slave from Tatooine who was in a state of prostration. One faceless Jedi unceremoniously tore away the thin braid symbolizing the Togruta's status as a Padawan. The second, in complete silence, removed the weapons of the quietly weeping girl from her belt.
"Ahsoka," the Kel Dor spoke. "You have two hours to gather your things and leave the Temple."
"I... I understand, Master Plo," the girl's answer was interrupted by sobs. "I have no things, I will leave immediately."
"Hutt take it!" Gritting my teeth, with one long stride I covered the distance separating us and was beside the girl. "Masters! I implore you, I beg! Change the decision! I will take guardianship over Ahsoka as my own Padawan! She will become the best Jedi..."
"You already have a Padawan, Master Dougan," Fisto objected. "And, not the best one to motivate the Council to hand over anyone else to you for upbringing!"
"If we're talking about Padawans," I almost growled, "then mine at least survived a meeting with an extremely gifted opponent. And before that—made him work hard to set a trap. Yours, however, presumptuously rushed at General Grievous. And where is he now? Minced into sushi in the cyborg's secret lair!"
"How dare you!?" the Nautolan jumped from his seat. "I am indignant...!"
"SILENCE!" Windu exploded, noticeably raising his voice. "Cease, immediately! This is the Council Chamber, not a place for settling your personal grievances! You are Jedi! Keepers of the peace!"
"Fine keepers they are who could not even save their relics," Piell grumbled, rising from his seat. "And twice in a thousand years, for that matter. If it continues this way, we will die out, until the very last moment not knowing who our enemy is."
"Master Piell!" Windu threw after the shorty. "The Council session is not yet over!"
"This is not a session, but some kind of trial," the one-eyed warrior snapped. "In which I do not intend to take part."
As soon as the halfling left the room, the small Togruta followed him out of the High Council chambers on stiff legs. Skywalker, who had started to move after her, met a disapproving look from Windu. For a moment a duel of gazes occurred, after which the young Jedi went limp, as if a rod had been pulled out of him, and submissively remained in place.
Mother of..., he's just a rag! In the canon of the series, as well as now, he simply couldn't stand up for his own student, who, by the way, saved his life! And this is how Sidious sees the greatest Sith Lord? Zidane take me, one could just mop the floors with them!
"Where are you going, Master Dougan?" noticing that I too had headed for the exit, Kenobi threw after me.
"I do not wish to take part in this insanity," he heard the answer through clenched teeth. It seemed Windu wanted to say something else, but with a rapid pace I got far away from the wretched room. What a pity that during the period of Order 66, there were Younglings here and not members of this lousy Council.
***
Carefully stifling her crying in her throat, Ahsoka slowly trudged toward the lifts that would take her to the main part of the Temple. From there—half a dozen stairs, and she would be in the Grand Entrance. A luxurious room with many colossal columns which she would see for the last time.
The Order to which she had given her entire life, with which she had linked her hopes and dreams, had betrayed her. Thrown her out the gates like a stupid gizka. Without the slightest means of existence, without a chance to atone for her guilt...
Yes, she had been less than truthful, saying she had no things. Something she had managed to save up over the past time. A little over half a hundred credits—should last for a while. Then...
The girl refused to think what would be then.
It was as if the Council had pulled the solid surface from under her feet. Deprived her of meaning in the future. What to do now? What does she know how to do besides being a Jedi? She understands technology a little, knows how to pilot ships... But for all this in ordinary life, supporting documents are needed, which, naturally, no one among the Jedi will give her.
O, Force, how painful it is to realize that now she is not part of this huge family...
"Ahsoka!" the sound of heavy approaching footsteps reached her. With a quick movement wiping away her tears, the girl tried to pull herself together.
"Ahsoka," Master Dougan caught up with her and, taking her by the shoulders, turned her to face him. "Child, I am so sorry..."
"It's not your fault," the Togruta said with a sob. "I am to blame myself..."
"Drop that!" the Jedi wagged a finger. "Or do you think I don't know that it was my apprentice who called you?"
"I... but..."
"You are a very brave and courageous girl," the Jedi crouched before her to look her straight in the eyes. "The Council did not understand how much it lost in you. I do not know what came over them, but everything should not have been this way..."
"Thank you for defending me," as in childhood, the Togruta wiped away her tears with her glove sleeve. "I thought Anakin would support..."
"To the Sith with Skywalker!" the Jedi Master said with unexpected anger. "He never even had a father. How can he raise a normal student."
"I don't understand," the girl frowned. "How can a teacher... how can Skywalker not have a father? He's human after all and physiology..."
"Ay," the man waved it off. "It's a long story. His mother conceived him almost from a holy spirit. In my homeland there was something similar, but then Magi came with gifts. In short, a murky story about a woman's ability to talk nonsense into the ears of simpletons. I'm more concerned about your fate now."
"Truly?" the girl suddenly realized that her anxieties had receded somewhere into the background. Goosebumps no longer ran over her body, she didn't want to cry, and her pride was not weighed down by resentment. In company with Master Dougan, she somehow felt light. She wasn't worried how she would live outside the Temple, or how she would earn a living.
It was as if Dougan's very presence eclipsed all problems. As if he could solve them in a single moment.
"Strange," Ahsoka thought. "Nothing like this have I felt before. Even Anakin did not seem so confident and strong-willed."
But practically immediately this thought vanished somewhere, giving way to an all-consuming nirvana in which the girl was wrapped, feeling how through the Jedi Master's touch a light warmth penetrated her, washing away all possible sorrows.
"After all, you have nowhere to live, correct?" Dougan asked.
"Yes," the girl replied, smiling awkwardly. She felt a tiny bit ashamed that she had shared her problems with her interlocutor.
"Now, listen to me carefully," the Jedi pronounced the last four words with a certain special emphasis. Ahsoka did not understand herself how her entire being became all ears. "I have an apartment on Coruscant. You will live there for a while until we decide what to do with you. Of course, there are already residents there, but, I think, by the time of your acquaintance, that will cease to be a problem. Agreed?"
"Of course, Master," the Togruta said with a slight hint of indignation. How could he think she would refuse? After all, he was offering her lodging, protection—that is, he was going to share with her, a small half-trained Padawan, a part of his life, a part of monumental stability. How could one object to such a persuasive person?
"Well and excellent," the Jedi rose to his feet. Touching the comlink on his bracer, he said. "Olie? How do you feel? Excellent. Get your rear in gear and I'll wait for you at the Temple exit. We're going to deal with your freelancing."
"Will you punish Olie?" Ahsoka felt a light dizziness from the warmth overflowing her. A slight nausea, but nothing that could prevent her from continuing to walk beside the armor-clad Jedi.
"Haven't decided yet," the man admitted. "I very much want to give her the strap for her deeds, but at the very last moment I start to feel sorry for her. That brat established Force Bonds between us, and I couldn't previously show enough firmness to curb her. However, now I do not possess such a weakness, so your friend will yet see the sky in diamonds."
"Don't be too strict with her," Tano asked, while at the same time realizing she could not dictate terms to this man. Somehow she wanted to obey him, unconditionally, soaking up every word of his like precious moisture in a desert.
"That's one thing I don't promise and won't guarantee," the Jedi responded.
***
Feeling the Master's approach, Atroxa instantly flitted out from under the blanket. Ignoring such conventions as the fact that she was dressed in practically weightless and transparent lingerie, the Lethan left the room and headed toward the lift.
The Master had warned her that he would be spending the night in his residence today, and the girl, without further ado, had prepared the master's bedroom, warming the bedding with the heat of her own body.
"Emperor," as soon as the turbolift doors opened, the Lethan performed a bow. "Glad to see you."
"As am I you," the master crossed the threshold of the abode, holding the body of a thin Togruta girl in his arms. "Are you alone?"
"Yes," the Twi'lek replied simply, scanning the sleeper. Then, her gaze shifted slightly, and she noticed the second girl, this time a human, standing behind the man's back. "You didn't warn that we would have guests."
"Unforeseen circumstances," the man grunted, heading rapidly into the depths of the "stronghold." "Atroxa, meet—that little nuisance with the black hair, my apprentice, Olie Starstone. Arrange for her to sleep in the bedroom next to mine. Shae isn't here, is she?"
"She hasn't returned after the mission," the assassin shouted, slightly raising her voice. "Sent a message that she is delivering cargo to the capital."
"And yours too?"
"Yes."
Standing opposite each other, both representatives of the fair sex scrutinized one another, drilling with gazes from head to toe. Then, having ended mental comparisons, both headed into the depths of the penthouse.
"And you're beautiful," the girl said with a touch of envy, not ceasing to examine the home's rich furnishings.
"You're cute too," the Sith Lady smiled. "I can bet my lightsaber that when you grow up, you'll become a very attractive girl."
"Lightsaber?" the human child's eyebrows crawled upward. "Are you a Jedi too?"
The Lethan smiled, revealing pearly white teeth.
"Little one, I'm a Sith," she explained. "But we both serve the same man. I hope you won't think of fighting me?"
Olie was silent for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, sighing, she replied:
"No, I'm above all that crap." After once more looking at the slender body of her interlocutor, she added: "I'm aware of what's happening and on my Master's side."
"All the better," the Twi'lek smiled again. "And what about the little Togruta girl?"
"My friend, Ahsoka," the girl explained. "A good one, but because of me she was kicked out of the Order today..."
"Whatever did she do?" Atroxa inquired politely, indicating with a gesture toward a small hall on the other side of which three identical doors were located. "Yours is the one on the right."
"Violated an order," the girl sighed, approaching the designated door. "She was ordered to guard the Temple Archive, and she got distracted by hanging out with me. As a result, we couldn't oppose the raiders who stole the Order's relics. Several Jedi were hurt, some killed..."
"Oh, the Master told me about that," Atroxa nodded understandingly, following the girl into the bedroom. The light panels, reacting to movement, filled with energy, dispelling the gloom. The Lethan scrutinized the interior. A spacious bed that, if desired, could accommodate five sentients at once; a massive desk; a wardrobe with a vanity; soft rugs on the floor; luxuriously executed furniture... Yes, few Coruscant hotels could offer such things to their clients. Until recently, two other Jedi, the Master's Hands, lived here. Но и они покинули крепость, отправившись на задание.
"Truly? It seemed to me he was silent the whole way to this place," the girl frowned.
"Ah, you mean that," the Lethan laughed quietly. "I, like most of the Hands, have a mental connection with the Master."
"You communicate with thoughts?" the Padawan's eyes rounded.
"Exactly so," the Lethan nodded. "He speaks, we listen."
"Convenient," the young Jedi admitted. "If only I could too."
"That is a very complex Sith technique," Atroxa warned. "Some have gone mad before achieving results."
"Well, I'm strong," the girl shrugged, settling on the bed. After jumping on the mattress, she apparently appreciated the product's quality, as she practically immediately began pulling off the semblance of a Jedi robe she was wearing.
"Then why don't you talk to the Master," Atroxa suggested, settling on a small sofa near the bed. "I think he won't refuse."
"He's very angry with me," as soon as the girl removed her blouse, the Lethan instantly noticed a burn on her shoulder that only a blaster could have left. "I don't think now is the time to approach him with such things."
"You were shot," the Sith Lady pointed with a manicured finger. The girl, as if frightened, immediately covered the burn with her palm.
"It's nothing," she muttered. "I treated it with bacta spray. It'll heal in a couple of days."
"Allow me," not at all embarrassed by her revealing appearance, the Lethan sat on the edge of the bed facing the girl, who, incidentally, was herself naked except for her underwear.
The Lethan, placing a hand on the wound, habitually turned to the Dark Side, stirring within herself memories of the last battle. Rage flowed through her veins in a red-hot stream, subjecting the Force to its mistress. Turning to a meager arsenal of Sith healing abilities, Atroxa allowed the Force to scoop up a part of her own life forces and, through physical contact, transfer them into the Master's apprentice's wound.
The touch lasted a little over a minute, after which the Lethan, taking away her palm, looked with a satisfied air at the pinkish skin in the place of the recent burn.
"Wow!" Olie exclaimed with admiration. "I didn't know Sith could heal wounds! You strive for destruction after all..."
"You know very little about us," the Twi'lek smiled, running a palm over the girl's cheek. "In essence, our Orders are not so different. They simply have a deep intolerance for each other. The Emperor intends to correct this, returning Force-sensitive sentients to the philosophy of the Balance of the Force in each of us."
"And are you succeeding?" Olie said with doubt. "Controlling both sides of the Force?"
"It is more familiar for me to turn to the Dark Side during a fight," the Lethan admitted. "But I have also mastered many Jedi techniques over the last four thousand years."
"How much?" Olie's eyes rounded. "You are four thousand years old?"
"Biologically, yes," the Lethan nodded. "But most of the time I and the other Hands spent in carbonite freezing. So currently I am a little over thirty standard years old. A child's age for my people."
"So many years in carbonite," the girl said, stunned. "I read in the Archives about poisoning by that substance due to long freezing. That's why it isn't used on humans..."
"You will be surprised to learn how many technologies of the past turned out to be lost during times of endless wars," Atroxa stroked her lekku. "In particular, I and the other Hands, before freezing, took a special substance that absorbed carbonite poisoning. Therefore, it can be said that I froze my beauty."
The girl broke into a smile, seeing how the Lethan revealed her teeth. She wanted to say something in response, but her teacher appeared on the threshold of the bedroom.
"Right, team of bare-bottoms," he said crossly. "Everyone to bed; children's time is up. And, Olie, tomorrow I fly off on a mission early in the morning; you remain in Atroxa's care. You will have a responsible assignment, although I don't want to send you on it. Don't you dare fulfill it in your own way too."
"Yes, Master," Olie said submissively, bowing her head.
"Well, then get in bed," he growled. "Atroxa, you're not her mommy; no need to read a lullaby at night."
"As you command, Master," the Lethan bowed her head. The Jedi, standing for a second in the doorway, moved aside.
Olie, submissively fulfilling her teacher's will, climbed under the blanket, spreading her luxurious hair over the pillows.
"He's in a very bad mood," she said, biting her lip.
Casting a glance at the empty doorway, the Lethan leaned toward the girl's face so close she could feel the light, practically ghostly scent of her perfume.
"And yet the apprentice is not as simple as she wants to appear," the Lethan thought. Jedi dogmas forbade them from preening themselves. And over millennia, not one of the postulates of the ancient enemies of the Sith had changed; consequently, the ban on cosmetics continued to operate. So why at night was a little girl trying to use perfume with stimulating Zeltron pheromones?
"I know how to soften him," she said in a whisper. "But you, little rascal," the Lethan affectionately ran her fingers over the girl's cheek, "will remain in my debt."
The apprentice, clearly embarrassed by such unethical proximity with a member of her own sex, only blinked. Atroxa noted with a smile how blood rushed to the girl's cheeks and her breathing quickened. Ah, that period of puberty. So many races in the galaxy, and practically all pass it the same way.
Atroxa could not deny herself a small temptation. Her lips lightly touched the slightly full but soft and sweet-tasting lips of the Jedi apprentice. Allowing her hand to make a stirring journey over Starstone's young but already toned and, for her age, quite attractive body, the Lethan, finishing her little unnatural intimacy, could not restrain herself, slipping her tongue between the girl's half-open lips, stirrengly tickling the girl's palate with its tip.
When the kiss ended, the Sith Lady observed with internal delight how the girl's lips still reached toward the kiss, and her eyes were closed in blissful ecstasy. It seemed this was her first kiss—if not in life, then with a woman—certainly.
"Don't you dare allow anyone to spoil you," she winked roguishly when Olie finally opened her eyes. "I'll kill anyone who tries to pluck your flower of innocence before I do. Of course, if the Emperor himself does not beat me to it."
Swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat, the girl, in a single impulse, bit into her lips with her own, clumsily trying to embrace the Twi'lek and repeat the stimulating caresses with her hand that the Lethan had demonstrated to her before.
Atroxa responded to her with all the affection and passion she was capable of. But, remembering her duty, unobtrusively interrupted the Master's apprentice, giving her a light bite on the neck for a parting shot. "A Twi'lek kiss of passion," as her ancestors called this element of foreplay.
"Do not hurry to learn the new, my good one," the Lethan stroked the girl's cheek with a smile. "We will still have time. Strange that the Master does not appreciate such a charming specimen of a human woman as you."
"At times," Olie whispered, breathing fitfully. "I am in bewilderment myself. What have I not tried. He says I am still too small for such things."
"Ancient prejudices," Atroxa smiled. "I will talk to him about it, if you truly want that."
"Very much," the girl said, swallowing convulsively.
"Then, he and I will have something to talk about after everything," the Twi'lek smoothed Olie's unruly hair.
"Oh, so you...," struck by the realization, the girl covered her mouth with her hands.
"And I have never once regretted it," the Sith Lady giggled.
Giving the young beauty one more parting kiss, Atroxa exited the guest bedroom with a rapid pace, slipping into the master's bedroom.
The Master, having cast off his worn armor, was already lying under the blanket, covering his eyes with his hand. The Lethan nimbly crawled under the blanket, pressing her charms against the young body.
"Did you miss me, Master?"
The man took the hand with which he was shielding himself from the artificial light away from his face, looking at his lover with eyes in which an amber fire splashed.
"Don't tell me you've set your sights on my apprentice," he said with a touch of threat.
"The girl is no less than fourteen," the Lethan noted, making relaxing passes with her hands over the Master's chest. "And, in case you didn't know, from that age in the galaxy intimacy is already allowed. Of course, with the consent of parents or guardians."
Now her fingers felt the lumpy ripples of muscle fibers of the chest and abdomen barely covered by skin. Of course, someone looking at his face without a mask might even have been horrified. Now, after so much time since the defeat by Force Lightning, the skin had gradually covered the muscle structure, making his face partially repulsive and unpleasant. Misshapen cartilage covered in skin, burnt lips, facial features that had become more predatory as a result of the skin burning away—Atroxa, on the contrary, found this attractive. A man should be slightly more handsome than a rancor. And her man, in the context of this ancient saying, was truly beautiful.
"She's a child trying to crawl into her teacher's trousers," the Jedi parried. "Though I am partial to the fair sex, I'm somehow not striving to add 'pedophile' to my service record. And, I certainly won't be looking for her relatives to ask permission for a sinful connection."
"Actually, being her Master, you are also her guardian," Atroxa chuckled. "So, considering the girl is exceedingly good-looking and not against..."
"Hell, stop it!" the Master cut her off. "She's a child, and that's it! Better tell me how it went with Bodo Baas."
***
"Everything as you planned," Atroxa lay beside the man in such a way as to be able to look at her Master's face. "Lured him to a deserted place, disarmed him, took the holocron, and froze him in carbonite gas. Then, placed him in stasis aboard Vizla's Fury. I think he is currently halfway to Zakuul. Together with all the Jedi and Sith holocrons that I and her pet Mandalorians were able to obtain."
"Yeah, the haul is undoubtedly significant for our new Order," the Emperor agreed. "Practically everything the Jedi were able to accumulate over many years. Plus Baas's holocron... You have worked excellently."
The Master rewarded her with a kiss.
"Although, I cannot but note that I did not order Vizla to blow the Archive to smithereens using rocket weaponry. Unnecessary victims and destruction."
"What do you expect from a wild horde of Mandalorians?" Atroxa chuckled. "They simultaneously settled scores with their ancient opponents. And, they served both you and their cause."
"Oh, yes," the man smiled. "Framing Death Watch is priceless. Now the Council will speed up events related to Mandalore. Which will play into my plan to conquer the entire sector and all worlds that adhere to Mandalorian neutrality. Such warriors as Mandalorians will be very useful to the Empire, and MandalMotors is capable of producing the heavy equipment we so need in enormous quantities—the Canderous tanks alone are worth it."
"Do you believe Shae, that she isn't trying to play her own game of Pazaak?"
"In no way," the man chuckled. "I believe no one, not even you."
"A truly Sith way of thinking," the Lethan smiled. "Was the Togruta girl also part of your plan?"
"In general yes, but her recruitment wasn't planned for now," the Master admitted. "But I couldn't miss such an opportunity either. She was far too vulnerable at that moment. So, nudging her toward the thoughts I needed turned out to be very, very simple. She is sleeping now while her mind absorbs my mental implants. I think tomorrow morning it will become clear whether I managed to break and subject her completely or not."
"And what awaits her in the latter case? Like Master Ikrit and Baas, will she become fuel for the New Forge?"
The man was silent for a few seconds before he answered.
"No, she has great potential. If it didn't work today, then we'll place her in stasis and send her to Zakuul. I plan to head to the capital as soon as I finish with the mission on Scipio."
"That's why you ordered all the Hands to head to the capital upon completion of assignments," the Twi'lek guessed.
"Exactly," the man nodded barely perceptibly. "Tomorrow you and Olie are to contact Baron Papanoida, the representative of the planet Pantora. If I'm not mistaken, his daughters should be kidnapped tonight. If so, one of them will be on Tatooine—a mercenary for Jabba named Greedo is to participate in the kidnapping and will lead you to the place. The second daughter is being guarded by the Trade Federation aboard a battleship hanging in Pantora's orbit. You will head to Tatooine and deal with Greedo and his thugs. Direct Olie and the senator from Pantora, Riyo Chuchi, to the Neimoidian ship. And, as usual, don't show your Force sensitivity. When you're finished—return here and wait for me."
"Is this planet so important to you?"
"It is located in the relative rear of the active army. By placing a base of troops loyal to me there, repeating the ritual of Force Corruption as was done on Christophsis, I will obtain another world ready to provide hundreds of millions of its citizens for my army. Once we're finished there, we'll have to deal with Ryloth."
"Do you want to conquer all the girls from my historical homeland?" Atroxa smiled.
"No need to be jealous, my good one," the man drew her to him, kissing her. "Actually, I am more attracted by the billion and a half Twi'lek citizens who, as Nadia's reports from Zakuul show, are very capable warriors and will be a wonderful addition to my growing army."
"You have far-reaching plans, Master," the Lethan evaluated. "I think my kinsmen will consider it an honor to serve you."
"As do the Christophsians," the man laughed quietly. "A pity only that we didn't manage to get the Adegan crystals from the Order's stores. That could significantly expand the number of dreadnoughts equipped with a cloaking system."
"Do you really want every Harrower in the fleet to possess the ability to vanish before the eyes of its enemies?" the Twi'lek inquired languidly, with a deft movement getting rid of one of her two extra items of clothing.
"No. I intended to increase the number of ships in the 'Emperor's Wraith' squadron, which I subsequently plan to use as my personal fleet. However, one can wait on that until a certain moment."
"Malgus is not very happy with the missions you assign him," Atroxa tried to hint as tactfully as possible that the ancient Sith could represent a threat. Even being completely under the Master's control. History has had more than one or two examples of how the Dark Side helped Force-users shake off the shackles of Sith magic.
"I feel his rage in the Force during communication sessions," the man chuckled. "At a personal meeting I'll have to clarify to him how important what he does is."
"And will you show me such an honor?" Atroxa inquired probingly.
"Yes," the Master replied without any posturing. "You are the only one of the Hands who is so deeply mired in my mental manipulations that even if you strongly wanted to, you would never betray me."
"That is true, my Master," having freed herself from the remains of her clothing, the Twi'lek, led by a primal instinct, proceeded to foreplay, casting the blanket aside.
"Well, and perhaps the reason is, my good one," the man put his hands on her head, controlling her movements. "That your mind is an open book to me. From which I erase all my secrets when I deem it necessary."
"And how often do you do that, Master?" the girl pulled away from her occupation, wiping saliva from her lips.
No, she was not at all frightened or offended by the Emperor's admission that he does whatever he pleases with her mind. In the end, she is his property. The Emperor has the right to use his Hands as he deems necessary.
"When I deem it necessary, dear," with a firm movement he returned her head to its place. "Tomorrow you won't even remember that you captured the holocron and Master Baas himself for me. Just as you won't remember our night conversation about how those two you lured away from Kuat Drive Yards are the most outstanding scientists in the field of creating superweapons. Lemelisk would have built battle stations for Palpatine capable of destroying planets and fleet groups. Wessex—the one with the computer interface in her head—is currently creating a flagship for me compared to which the separatist Malevolence is just a child's toy. The other scientists are also good at their craft. The creator of the 'Hypervelocity Cannon' capable of firing projectiles traveling in hyperspace. Although, currently he is occupied with the question of creating 'World Devastators'—indestructible automatic factory-ships that can clear dump-planets, asteroids, and reprocess dead planets and extinguished stars while simultaneously creating finished products. I need the cyberneticist to protect the droid army's brains from possible interference. The major will become famous in the future as the creator of outstanding small arms. Phrap Radikon—fate in my person has destined him for the work of creating interdictor-ships that can pull enemy vessels out of hyperspace, or conversely, hold them on the battlefield, not allowing them to escape. As for Darth Maul," the man groaned with satisfaction. "That boy will subject the entire criminal underworld for me. Unfortunately, money in accounts, like reserves of precious metals, has a tendency to run out. And that I cannot allow. Black Sun, the Pykes, the Hutts—the three most influential criminal organizations in the galaxy. The resources of the Falleen and Pykes alone will be enough to provide the Eternal Empire of Zakuul with astronomical profit."
"Do you really have a neutral force that could act in secret from the Republic and CIS to pull such a thing off?" Atroxa was surprised, moving to the "main course."
"Jabba will gladly get rid of his competitors," the man smiled. "And provide the army and fleet of criminals I need to restore the Jabiim mines so thoughtfully blown up by those two idiot Mandalorians you recruited for that mission. By the way, what happened to them?"
"They went out the airlock in hyperspace," Atroxa smiled. "Unlikely anything is left of them."
"Excellently done," the man praised her. "I never cease to be surprised how easily you manage to manipulate idiots."
"That's why they are devoid of intellect, to serve those who are stronger and smarter than they are."
"Expendable material, as regrettable as it is," the man stroked her lekku, touching erogenous zones, from which the girl could not contain a long groan.
"But how do you expect to capture the sectors whose senators you promised to liberate from the CIS?" at the Master's demand, the girl shifted, lying on her back on the bed, now allowing the man to set the pace of the union.
"Jabba won't miss his chance. It's not for nothing I offered him these 'restoration works' and 'aid to refugees.' The criminals will destroy the CIS forces, while significantly thinning their own ranks. The Hutts will do all the dirty work for us before the need for their services falls away. And further, the sectors whose defensive might cannot be compared with our army and fleet will leave the Republic, first in secret and then openly joining us. And in the rear of the CIS and Republic, pockets of resistance to both armies will arise, which will force both opponents in the event of open conflict to stretch their communications. Which, in the end, will lead to my victory. And peace will once more reign over the galaxy."
"Your plan is magnificent, Master," the girl licked her parched lips. "I am glad to be a part of the mechanism for its implementation."
"And I am ever so glad, Atroxa," and before she could say anything in response, the man closed her mouth with a kiss.
And let her not remember all that he said to her this night; deep inside she would firmly know that throughout their entire mission it was she, the miraculously saved Sith Lady, who turned out to be the most devoted servant of the Eternal Emperor Dougan.