There was some time before the scheduled meeting, and it needed to be used wisely. So, as soon as the briefing—yet another pointless one—with the Council ended, I headed to a very familiar part of the Temple. Creating a fleet required specific resources that could be obtained, albeit not without difficulty, only here.
Walking unhurriedly through the empty corridors, I sank into thought.
Slowly but surely, the Plan was gaining momentum.
The fleet creation program was ready—all that remained was to forge the ships in metal. But that wouldn't be a problem—the New Forge was running non-stop. Just needed to sort out a few things—and out there, in Wild Space and the Unknown Regions, a force capable of wiping out both the Republic and the CIS would slowly but surely arise. Order would be restored to the galaxy.
The experiment with creating clones in Spaarti cylinders had exceeded all expectations. Malgus, in his typically terse manner, reported on their successful deployment—clad in the black-and-silver armor variant of the Wrecking Crew unit, the stormtroopers mercilessly wiped out all resistance in Sith Space. The first contingent of clones for my fleet was handling the Harrower-class ships—which were to become the backbone of the Imperial fleet—quite competently. This was good—the troopers were effective, meaning I should increase their production. The Dark Force desperately needed crews, as did the new ships. Of course, the clones currently on Yavin weren't enough—I should visit Kamino and requisition the remaining twenty thousand devices. Two legions a month... Compared to the number of clones the Kaminoans produced, it was a drop in the ocean.
Still...
Well, it seemed I knew how to increase the numbers of my second-echelon army. I just needed to time it right and not let Palpatine, the GAR, and the Council screw everything up.
The Council... The mere thought of that gathering of masters made my teeth ache.
Not that I had anything against them—except that they'd missed the return of the Sith. For a thousand years now. Otherwise, they were decent folks. Except that, as it turned out, one of them was no match for an ancient Sith. I wonder who they'll appoint to the High Council to replace the late Eeth Koth?
It would be interesting to watch a duel between Malgus and Windu. For all his abilities, including the infamous Vaapad, the Korun, in my opinion, was no match for the Sith.
Windu... The bane of my existence. He dared to needle me about the "gifts" from the Christophsians. What business is it of yours who helps me? Jealous that despite all my past accomplishments, there isn't a single planet in the galaxy that thanks me so generously for saving them? You need to work on yourself. Bitch. After he so incompetently lost an entire fleet of state-of-the-art ships trying to break the blockade of Ryloth (and I'm not even talking about the hundred thousand clones who died during the collapse of his command), that Korun still dares to object to a free fleet!
And that's just the part concerning me personally. If I look at his actions on a galactic scale...
Mace was the second-in-command in the Order — only the Grand Master's word carried more weight. And what did that lead to... When Qui-Gon brought Anakin to the Temple, Windu voiced the Council's opinion — the boy wouldn't be trained. Because he was too old.
Big news. Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was accepted into the Order with the same violations. And look, he grew up, even commands an army now. And he was allowed to marry — well, that's beside the point, there were demographic issues on his home planet.
Let's get back to the matter at hand.
As soon as Jinn died, the Council did a complete one-eighty. Was that a joke? Or was it a tradition? Like, he was a decent guy who died, so let's fulfill his last wish? In that case, maybe I should scribble a will, just in case, saying, "If I get killed, you all know the full story and don't screw it up like last time." Interesting thought, I'd have to think about it.
So, after they got Anakin, whose midi-chlorian count was even higher than Yoda's, the Council assigned him a mentor who was just a former Padawan, whose only major accomplishment was killing the first Sith in a thousand years. And some other small things.
Council, are you serious? You find out the Sith are back, which means it's going to be another slaughter and a pissing contest over who has the bigger lightsaber. You have a boy with extremely high potential, a vergence in the Force. There's a prophecy about bringing balance. And instead of entrusting the boy's upbringing to an experienced and knowledgeable master who has trained more than one student, you do this? Just for that, the Council deserves a death sentence. Obi-Wan, of course, isn't a bad Jedi — one of the best. But that's now. Eleven years ago, he was a nobody. And he learned his skills on the fly. What could he teach the kid? Not to look at the lightsaber's emitter when pressing the activation button?
As a general, Windu... Well, he's no strategist, definitely not Suvorov.
But the end of the war... Well, forgive me, but it was a complete circus.
Windu has a unique ability — to see weak points through the Force. In people, objects, animals. And as far as I remember the novelization of the third episode, the Master first used this ability on the Chosen One only when he was a step away from him. And Palpatine, lying on the floor, was pretending to be half-dead.
Think about it! In ten years of training, no one, NO ONE among the Masters pointed out to Obi-Wan that he wasn't keeping the kid on a short leash. Even though reference materials repeatedly stated that every now and then, one Padawan or another, or even a Jedi, would notice Anakin's inclination toward the Dark Side. But no one did anything. It felt like the Jedi didn't understand the meaning of the prophecy: "The Chosen One will bring balance to the Force." There were only two Sith. And about ten thousand of you, I don't remember exactly. Didn't it occur to anyone that the Chosen One might either help the Sith gather the same number of followers... or reduce the Jedi to zero, matching the Sith count? I can't believe that in all the years the prophecy existed, no Jedi ever thought about it. Seriously, the survival instinct can't be that dormant!
But foolishness and bravery were top priorities in the Order. Back on Geonosis, my hair was standing on end in the most inappropriate places when I saw Jedi running in the front lines against thousands of droids. And honestly, not much had changed since then.
But what angered me most about Windu was the arrest of the Chancellor. No, I get it — a Jedi, and not a minor one, who's close to the Chancellor, comes and says that he revealed himself to him, that he's a Sith. And Windu immediately gets all excited, grabs some tough guys, and flies off to Palpatine. We know the result — Windu's body was never found.
The question is, what was Windu smoking when he thought he could just come and arrest the head of state without any solid evidence? The same guy who was popular in the Senate and among the population of the galaxy. Palpatine was absolutely right when he said, "This is treason!" And he didn't even need to be clever — the Jedi tried to kill the Chancellor. Throughout history, that's always been punishable by death.
In this case, Windu played right into the Sith's hands. Of course, I can't believe Palpatine could have planned something like this in advance, but he was definitely ready for something similar. He didn't hesitate and used the situation to his advantage. Smart guy, I'll give him that. Four dead Masters out of four in one go. And he could reshape the galaxy however he wanted.
Palpatine.
Another headache of mine. Especially right now. He "needed" to conduct operations on Geonosis and Ryloth as quickly as possible. I don't believe for a second that this was the senators' initiative. More likely, he orchestrated everything as usual and let the senators make their demands themselves. The Chancellor knew perfectly well that every single sector army was drained dry — they barely had enough strength to hold the Mid Rim. His intelligence wasn't eating its bread for nothing, so the Chancellor undoubtedly knew that in the current situation, the only possible option was the ships of the Kamino defense force. I think if it hadn't been for my improvisation, the Sith would have hinted at that battle group himself.
Knowing the history of this galaxy, the answer to the question, "Why the hell does he need this right now?" is pretty straightforward.
The war needed balance. And with my successes, and according to rumors, other armies had also managed to give the Separatists a beating, Sidious needed to orchestrate an attack on Kamino. The same one led by the still-uncaught Grievous and Ventress. If you recall the plot of The Clone Wars TV series, the CIS droids did a pretty good job of trashing the cloning centers, and they even tried to get their hands on Jango Fett's DNA samples.
Of course, after the defeat at Bothawui, Dooku would undoubtedly send the cyborg on this mission. And since I'd taken Ventress out of the picture, Savage Opress would take her place.
I have to admit, the Zabrak's strength, the pressure and fury of his attack on the Monastery, shocked me. A worthy replacement for the Dathomirian. I think Dooku's new apprentice would give the Republic and the Jedi a real headache. The main thing was that my business on Mandalore went smoothly before he found his brother and took over most of the criminal underworld.
Another question — should I interfere in the events and try to save Adi Gallia? I liked the Master — like Shaak Ti, she was correct and reasonably proactive. I didn't know how loyal she was to the Order's cause, but that could be found out. Fortunately, Siri Tachi, Obi-Wan's teenage love, had survived and didn't die at the hands of a mercenary during the mission to protect the decoder. If Yoda granted my request, the girl, who I remembered being quite attractive and known for her willful character, would come under my command.
And I already knew how to use her.
Despite all his mistakes, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a very skilled Jedi. The very fact that he managed to dismantle Vader so thoroughly spoke volumes. And if that was the case, he was either a valuable ally or a very dangerous enemy. And he should be taken out of the equation. And there was no better way than an old flame.
At that thought, a smile played on my lips. Obi-Wan's interference could hurt me on Mandalore, where another of his former flames, Duchess Satine, ruled. Kenobi needed to be distracted from Mandalore by making him cross paths with Tachi more often. I didn't know which of them the Master had stronger feelings for, but the longer he vacillated between two fires, the more he would lose sight of things.
Besides, as I recalled, Tachi often scolded Obi-Wan for his thoughts of leaving the Order. That was back when they were in love with each other. They say old love never dies. Well, maybe I'd have to test that theory in practice.
Luckily, Kenobi wasn't as rabid a fanatic as Windu. The latter clearly had it in for me and definitely suspected something — more than once I felt waves of Force emanating from him. The bastard had definitely used his vaunted gift on me — the ability to sense weak points. But he couldn't get past my usual Light Side disguise. I had to thank the Sith for such a wonderful invention — in the history of this universe I knew, a similar Dark Side spell was used by Darth Zannah to infiltrate the Jedi Temple, seeking a way to cure Darth Bane of the orbalisk parasites.
I didn't want to annoy Master Yoda. After he lectured me about the Force Cloak I was using, I decided not to risk it, so I used the Sith's developments. Still using the Cloak to prevent Force-users from determining my true strength and affiliation with the Unified Force, I layered a masking spell on top of it — and now I appeared to those around me as a perfectly average Light Side adept. There were plenty of those around here — a dime a dozen. Accustomed to considering the midi-chlorian count a panacea for all questions related to the Force and the abilities of its adept, the Jedi, with pathological carelessness, attributed my victories to suddenly awakened tactical talents. There was nothing new about this — in one way or another, during the Clone Wars, a good hundred, if not more, Jedi had their tactical genius revealed.
Take Rahm Kota, for example. A perfectly ordinary, average Jedi. His distrust and bias toward the clones were completely justified — the man had some special cockroaches in his head. But with regular people, he was open and quite sociable. And the fighters of his brigade, the "Ruusan Rebels," reciprocated.
This unit had shown its high efficiency in a short time — there was no arguing with that. Their losses were minimal, much smaller than even those of the 204th Legion, which had become my "fist." They didn't have selfless devotion to the Republic — on the contrary, they hated both sides of the conflict equally. I hoped this wouldn't lead to a large-scale guerrilla war when my true forces entered the galactic stage.
"Master Dougan," a quiet but commanding address brought me back to reality instantly.
Turning to the source of the call, I was once again grateful for the circumstances that had placed a sealed mask on my face. Otherwise, my unexpected interlocutor would have had plenty of food for thought.
Had this meeting happened at the very beginning of my journey as Valkorion's apprentice, I would undoubtedly have panicked. Back then, I didn't have confidence in my own abilities, and Kun's knowledge wasn't yet one with my own. In that situation, I could have been read like an open book.
But everything had changed.
Now, before this Jedi in unorthodox robes, so black they seemed to absorb the surrounding light, stood a confident student of Vitiate, secure in his abilities. And no ordinary Force adept could worry me with any threat of exposure.
"Good evening, Master Kuro," I said, bowing politely as the woman came almost within arm's reach.
Of average height, with a shock of snow-white platinum hair and stern yet feminine features, An'ya Kuro, like any girl, had her own unique charm. But specifically in this universe, my interlocutor exuded a distinct tinge of the Dark Side through the Force.
To be honest, I knew relatively little about this particular Jedi. Just the general points — she was extremely demanding of her Padawans, even cruel. She possessed many extremely amazing Force techniques — she could bend the light around her to become invisible, could pass through solid objects. And even the ability to teleport — all of this was contained in a human body that, it seemed, couldn't pose any threat.
However, I had taken enough interest in the Jedi Order to know about the Jedi Shadows. This narrow, closed, and deeply secretive group of exceptional Jedi answered directly to the Council of First Knowledge, and in their activities, they would go to any lengths to eradicate any manifestation of the Dark Side. They were the Order's peculiar secret agents, one of whom was Master Abhira. And, to be honest, my predecessor in this body was also destined for this fate.
And if in my universe there was no end to the debate about whether Kuro was a Jedi Shadow, for me it was no secret. Abhira had mentioned her more than once as one of the most capable Shadows, someone he himself looked up to. Setting aside her personality traits, as a Shadow she was terrifyingly effective. She always achieved her goal — you wouldn't have enough fingers on one hand to count all the Dark Side cults she had slaughtered without any effort.
"I prefer to be called the Dark Woman," Kuro said dryly, falling into step beside me.
"As you wish. To what do I owe this meeting at such a late hour?"
"Nothing. I was just taking a walk through the Temple. Recovering from an injury," the woman said calmly.
With a gesture, she suggested we walk. Well, I didn't mind.
"Can you even be injured?" I smirked. No, seriously. Her Force aura was such that she could probably crack planets in half during her morning warm-up.
"Surely your vaunted informants in the Temple haven't told you about my mission on Devaron?" the Shadow inquired without a hint of irony.
Interesting. News traveled fast. No more than an hour had passed since my report to the Council, where I alone had talked about the mythical beings who told me about Siri Tachi's mission, which was supposed to be her last.
Did she find out on her own, or did one of the Council members tell her? I had an unpleasant feeling that Windu was involved somehow.
"I don't have informants in my own home," I objected. "It was just a coincidence."
"Really, Dougan?" The woman raised an eyebrow questioningly. She seemed to know more than she was saying, but didn't intend to be completely frank.
"Exactly."
"If that's the case, it's regrettable. You haven't learned your teacher's lessons," she stated. "I can't recall a time when he didn't have his own 'informants' on some planet. And the Order was no exception, by the way."
"It's not my place to discuss Master Abhira's actions."
"Indeed," the Dark Woman snorted.
A pause hung in the air. We walked silently down the corridor until she finally spoke again.
"Are you aware that Master Windu has ordered several new Jedi to be assigned to your army? Including me."
"This is the first I've heard of it," I said, and I was absolutely seething with rage at this fact. Had the green one decided to wash his hands of it? "I saw him not too long ago, and the Master didn't say anything."
"The decision was made after your meeting. You asked for reinforcements — the Council is giving you the opportunity to bring in fifteen more members of the Order for your army. Due to my injury, I happened to be in the right place at the right time, so Windu approached me with an urgent request."
"I see. So you're not just taking a walk here?"
"It took you a while. I'm surprised that with such intellectual abilities you managed to defeat even a single Dark Acolyte. Not to mention beating Trench twice and giving Grievous a good smack on Bothawui."
"Skywalker destroyed his dreadnought," I shrugged. "In my opinion, losing such a valuable ship is far more humiliating."
"Wrong conclusions lead to wrong actions," she said in a cold tone.
"Obviously, there's some great wisdom buried here that I don't understand due to my lack of life experience?" Looking at Master Kuro's impenetrable face, I realized my attempt at a joke had failed.
"Only when we become Masters do we truly begin to learn," I'd heard that somewhere before. Just in a slightly different interpretation.
"Well then, I should thank fate that you were on Coruscant when Master Windu decided to help me."
"You should be careful," she said unexpectedly. "Master Windu is suspicious by nature. I'd even say — overly suspicious. Sometimes it helps him find answers that, under other circumstances, he would never have reached with his own mind. And it depends only on me whether I will join your army or not."
"That sounds like a threat."
"It's a warning, Dougan," Master Kuro stopped abruptly and looked me straight in the eye. As if the mask on my face meant nothing. "Are you ready to see this through to the end? Knowing that you'll have to sacrifice too much for it? To step over yourself, and after what you've done, you'll never be able to remain who you were before?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about..."
My mouth went dry. Did she know? But how? How was that even possible? Or was she playing some kind of game of her own. Just bluffing, waiting for me to slip up?
Damn Shadows!
"You're a clever fellow," she smiled. And it sent shivers down my spine. "Don't play games with me — just because I don't say something out loud doesn't mean I don't know it. So, shall I repeat my question?"
"No need, my hearing is fine," my voice became serious. I could literally feel the danger emanating from her. I was sure she had plenty of tricks up her sleeve — in a direct confrontation, years of experience and practice could overpower even the most powerful Force-user. "Peace and order in the galaxy is my priority goal. Regardless of the methods used to achieve it."
"You think the ends justify the means?" the Dark Woman snorted.
"I'm sure they do."
The Jedi fell silent. Although she was looking at me, her detached gaze made it clear that her mind was elsewhere. If I decided to leave, she probably wouldn't even notice.
"I need time to take care of some business," the Dark Woman said, in the same even, calm tone. "At most, in a month, I'll join you."
"Glad to hear it, Master Kuro," I said, bowing respectfully.
"Say that again, and I'll drag you through the Temple wall, leaving sticking out only the parts your admirer will need to console herself after another heartbreak," the Dark Woman hissed. Was it my imagination, or did her pupils flash with an amber light for a moment? Even if they did, I didn't notice any changes in the Force.
"Now that's definitely a threat," I stated. "I'll try not to make such mistakes again."
The Jedi smiled. Like the smile of a corpse.
"I would appreciate it if you could suggest a few Jedi candidates who would suit my army," why not? She must have comrades who shared her views. And it would be better to attract them sooner rather than later.
"There are a couple of candidates," Kuro replied meaningfully. "I'll contact them as soon as I finish my business. In the meantime, why don't you take a closer look at Secura? She's an excellent fighter. And she has a thing for you..."
"What makes you say that?" I frowned. No, I personally liked Secura, but what man doesn't like young and sexy women? But I was hearing the opposite for the first time. And she herself had never said anything like that...
"I heard plenty while she was digging me and Tolm out from under the rubble on Devaron," a smirk ran across the Dark Woman's face. "Don't waste such promising personnel. I almost threw up listening to her stories."
It was obvious that savoring the details, which put me in an awkward position and made me feel quite embarrassed, gave the Master great pleasure. Well, well. I understood why her students hadn't had a fun time — she was a master of teaching through humiliation, even worse than Troll himself. But if I intended to keep her under control, I shouldn't let this slide. Even if she was right.
"I'll think about your words," and another respectful nod. Kuro just smiled coldly.
"Since we've clarified everything, Master Dougan, don't keep me. I have business to attend to."
Without saying goodbye, the Master strode away from me. Proud, undefeated, unique. A Jedi whose abilities might be useful in the future. A person it was better not to be honest with.
"Master Kuro!" Almost ten meters of empty corridor separated us, so my shout echoed off the walls and reached the Jedi's ears.
She froze in place, then slowly, like an Estonian tank turret, turned her head in my direction.
Had my own teacher not been Vitiate himself, the expression on her face would have sent me running. But now, I withstood the gaze full of icy fire with honor. And as if nothing had happened, I added:
"Give my regards to Aurra Sing," what a pity she couldn't see the slight smile and amusement on my face.
"Certainly," the Master's dry voice was like the hiss of a snake. And even though she spoke without raising her voice, I heard her.
Then she dissolved into thin air, leaving me in proud solitude.
"Still, that bitch got me," I admitted defeat in the battle of authority, pursing my lips, and continued my journey.
* * *
As originally assumed, my journey ended at the Temple's storage warehouses.
Smiling, I remembered how I came here the first time. Full of desire to acquire everything necessary to save my own skin in the future. It was funny that what I got from the warehouses was still lying unpacked in the hold of my "Defender." No, it came in handy, so to speak.
But I knew exactly what the Nautolan could offer me now. And I would definitely find a use for it. And I wouldn't have to clutter up special containers in the far sector for years.
However, the moment I crossed the threshold of the warehouses, I realized the Force had once again thrown me a surprise. My intuition told me it wasn't a pleasant one.
I had never heard of the warehouse manager taking a day off or a vacation. Tasi practically lived at work — it was easy when your modest dwelling was in the back of the office.
But now the alien was absent from his workplace. Instead, behind the counter stood a silver-colored protocol droid.
"Oh, greetings, Jedi Knight!" he exclaimed, waving his arms. The precise, well-calibrated servo movements reminded me of C-3PO — the droid assembled by young Skywalker from junk on Tatooine, which now belonged to the Senator from Naboo, Padmé Amidala. "I am a protocol droid..."
"Where is the warehouse manager?" I asked.
Flashing his optical lenses, the "silver one" looked me in the face.
"I have been acting as the manager of the Jedi Temple warehouses for the past two months. If I can be of any assistance..."
"Where is Jedi Tasi Gree?" My intuition was unpleasantly whispering that this crap wasn't for nothing.
"You mean the former warehouse manager, whose place I am currently filling?"
"Yes."
"He no longer works at the Temple."
"What do you mean?"
"That is all the information I have. Can I be of assistance?"
Motherf—. Having a droid whose memory could be scanned at any time was not part of my plans. I could have come to an agreement with Gree — the experience of our cooperation spoke in favor of that approach. But how do you explain to a droid that I needed to take almost ten containers, each the size of a hover-taxi, out of the warehouse?
"Well, actually yes," since the circumstances had changed, I needed to adapt to the new ones. "I need some things from the warehouses. Can I go in and choose what I need?"
"I apologize, most esteemed Jedi, but no. The procedure for obtaining items from the Temple warehouses has changed. You need to fill out the appropriate forms, after which I will forward them to the Service Corps for review, and if your request is approved, service droids will deliver what you need."
Oh, for f—'s sake! Bureaucracy, in a goddamn democratic state! Who would have thought...
"And how long does processing a request take?"
"From one to three weeks."
"Just perfect," I muttered. "And what do I do if you happen to give me the wrong thing?"
"That is completely impossible! You select items according to the available manifest," the droid pointed to a massive datapad. "And after approval..."
"I understand you," it was useless to argue with it. And I couldn't bypass the procedure on the fly either. If I acted without a plan in this case, I could easily get caught. And I didn't think I'd just get a slap on the wrist — there could be serious consequences. It would be hard to explain why I needed the Order's entire stock of low-power lightsaber crystals. And I couldn't think of anything legal to obtain such a huge amount of crystals.
The plan to equip the new dreadnoughts with cloaking screens was beginning to fall apart at the seams.
"Esteemed Jedi, can I be of service?" the droid asked again.
"No," I needed a different solution. And so far, I didn't see one.
Suddenly, a familiar feeling of danger touched my perception. I wondered what the hell was going on.
Without saying goodbye to the droid, I left the room and headed to the opposite part of the Temple. The Force was telling me something interesting awaited me there.
* * *
The time spent on Coruscant was making Ahsoka feel despondent.
After the triumphant victory on Muunilinst, the Council had recalled them to the Temple. Her teacher was darker than a storm cloud — there was nothing worse than recalling a general in the middle of a battle. If Obi-Wan, emaciated, gaunt, but alive and well, hadn't arrived to relieve Skywalker, he would never have obeyed the Grand Master's will.
During the time spent with her teacher, Ahsoka had studied him enough to know not to get under his feet. Skywalker was, without a doubt, a brilliant commander, a brave warrior, and a gifted Jedi. And his lessons suited Tano just fine.
He wasn't boring like many instructors in the Temple, he didn't try to lecture her like Obi-Wan did every time she messed up. He taught her through action and personal experience. Which the young Togruta absorbed like a sponge soaked up moisture.
But upon arriving on Coruscant, her teacher had left her alone, letting her spend her time as she saw fit.
At first, she thought she could find something to do by interacting with the numerous padawans at the Temple. But after a few days, she realized that the students who had lost their masters had no desire to socialize with a young commander just returned from the front.
It wasn't enmity between those who had sat safely in the rear and one who had led an army to bring peace and tranquility back to the galaxy. Simply... a wall of misunderstanding had arisen between them.
They envied her. The student of Skywalker himself, and on top of that — at war every day, commanding clones, piloting fighters or a bomber. She participated in almost every one of Anakin's missions, and they invariably ended in success. Meanwhile, the padawans left on Coruscant were forced to stay away from galactic events, waiting for the day a Jedi would come and take them under their wing.
And that injustice troubled her far more than the fact that she wasn't currently taking part in a battle.
Night was already falling on Coruscant when the girl decided to train with her lightsaber. Obi-Wan grumbled quietly about her reverse grip on the hilt; Anakin diplomatically tried not to notice such handling of the weapon.
Honestly speaking, her teacher had little interest in lightsaber training. He, an acknowledged master of Form V, didn't need to constantly hone his skill in sparring with his student — he did that on the battlefield. Ahsoka, with her Ataru, generally had enough practice during combat as well... But her hot blood and heritage demanded constant practice and skill refinement from the young Togruta.
Besides, she was impressed by Anakin's ability to deflect blaster shots back at his opponent, and because of that, she was gradually weaving elements of Djem So into her fencing style. Of course, she was still far from her teacher's level, but she tried. At least she was spending her time productively.
The training halls where younglings practiced lightsaber techniques during the day shut down after sunset, when the younger Jedi went to sleep.
So it was all the stranger to hear the hum of Jedi weaponry from behind one of the hall's doors.
Realizing that "the Troll" might be free at any time, delighted at the sudden stroke of luck, the girl briskly walked toward the sound so pleasant to her ears.
During the day, Drallig was overly busy — the more Jedi died on the battlefields, the more orphaned padawans there were who needed something to do. Besides, the approach to youngling training had changed — gaps in lightsaber proficiency, as practice had shown, cost Jedi their lives.
However, as soon as she approached the entrance to the training room, and the double doors slid apart, she had to admit her mistake. The lightsaber combat instructor wasn't there.
But a girl was. About fourteen or fifteen years old, with long, curly hair black as pitch. Clad in gray-black armor, she moved with astonishing speed, landing dozens of quick strikes against her opponent — a training droid.
They had never crossed paths before, so Ahsoka thought it best not to distract the stranger from her fight.
Besides, there was something to watch here.
Using a classic standard grip, the dark-haired girl was a firm adherent of Ataru. With a practiced eye, Ahsoka could pick out several elements of Soresu — they helped the girl switch to a full defense when the droid, as always unexpectedly, launched a counteroffensive.
But there was something else there too. Even despite the armor, the stranger moved very lightly and effortlessly, which told Ahsoka that her physical conditioning was at an acceptable level.
Tano was especially surprised by several elements clearly borrowed from the Persistence Form. Moreover, while the Togruta's own similar transitions were extremely rough, "Curly" as Tano had mentally dubbed the stranger — did everything more smoothly. This indicated that she wasn't yesterday's youngling, but a well-trained Jedi. And one with an excellently polished fencing style.
Meanwhile, "Curly" executed several combinations that ended with the training droid being disarmed. The yellow-bladed saber clattered away, and the sentient machine went still. The training program had ended, and the stranger's blue blade disappeared into the hilt. Hanging her weapon on her belt, she finally turned to face the Togruta, and the two girls could see each other.
"Curly" could be called attractive by human standards. Feminine features, a sharp chin, sensual lips... Her face was vaguely familiar, but the girl couldn't quite remember the name. Ahsoka caught herself admiring the stranger. If she were a boy, she'd definitely invite her to the cafeteria for some sweets and a chance to get to know each other better.
"Hi," Tano waved.
"Um... hi," "Curly" said, flustered.
"You fight well," praised Skywalker's student.
"Thanks," came the quiet reply. "I have a good teacher. By the way, my name is Oli Starstone."
"And I'm Ahsoka Tano," the Togruta responded cheerfully. "Padawan of Anakin Skywalker."
"I've heard of you," the girl grunted, shaking her hair. For a moment, Ahsoka felt irritation and hostility radiating from her conversation partner. But the next instant, it all vanished. Which made the girl wonder if she'd imagined it.
Now she remembered her new acquaintance.
When Master Plo Koon had brought her to the Temple, she'd seen the girl several times in the Archives. She was the padawan of Jocasta Nu. Who would have thought the Archives could teach anything like this?
Ahsoka herself wasn't very fond of reading ancient texts. Her lively mind absorbed visual lessons better, which was why she loved Anakin's teaching style so much. Obi-Wan, with his boring lectures, wasn't even close to her teacher. But Ahsoka never forgot that Kenobi had once made her mentor into who he was.
"Nice to meet you," Starstone replied somewhat coldly. She walked in complete silence to a bench standing not far from the entrance. Only then did the Togruta notice a neatly folded black robe with silver trim hanging there. And something about that piece of clothing seemed strangely familiar to the girl.
"Do you train here often?" An unpleasant silence hung in the air, and Ahsoka, for the first time in all her time at the Temple, had met someone interesting. Sentients who had something to learn from had always been something of an unattainable goal for her. Since, aside from Anakin, few could tolerate her pushy personality and sarcastic manner of communication, which she, still a youngling, had picked up from Master Drallig. After all, how could you not emulate someone who possessed such vast knowledge about lightsaber combat? Unfortunately, "the Troll" himself hadn't wanted to take her as his student. He'd even mocked her when she dared to bring it up.
"Every evening," the girl grunted. She deftly slipped on the robe, and her entire demeanor showed that she intended to leave the training hall.
"Oh, I come here in the evenings too," Ahsoka shared. "Though today I came earlier than usual. That's probably why we never ran into each other here before."
"Maybe," Starstone uncorked a bottle of juice and took a big gulp. "If you don't mind, I'll be going," the girl checked her chronometer.
"Yeah, sure," Tano said distractedly, letting the girl pass.
But as soon as she'd moved a few meters away, the Togruta quickly caught up and fell into step beside her.
"Do you mind if I come with you?"
"You were going to train," the girl caught a note of irritation from her new acquaintance. Stronger than the flash that had struck "Curly" when they first met.
"Oh... later," the commander waved her hand. "Anyway, my Shien and Ataru combinations come out crooked. Not like yours..."
"Doesn't your teacher help you learn new things?" Oli asked in surprise.
"Not really..." Tano hesitated. She didn't want to lose face in front of her new acquaintance. Especially when you're the student of the "Knight without Fear" himself. "My mentor thinks self-learning is the best way to grasp something new."
"Mine has different principles," Starstone shrugged.
"And Anakin keeps telling me not to lose my lightsaber," the Togruta said angrily. "He keeps saying, 'It's your life, Ahsoka.'"
Oli let out a barely audible giggle. Yes, the situation was funny. If Tano didn't give her mentor reasons. And judging by her new acquaintance's easygoing demeanor, she wasn't a victim of such mishaps.
"You have interesting armor," she noted, trying to change the subject.
"Yes," the girl nodded. "Master thinks it's useful in battle."
"But I prefer freedom of movement in battle," Ahsoka boasted. "I hate it when something restricts my movement. Not that armor isn't useful," she added hastily, afraid of scaring off her conversation partner. "Master Skywalker and General Kenobi also wear armor elements. But to go fully..."
"I don't wear a helmet," Oli admitted. "It restricts my field of view, even though it has a lot of electronics that compensate for the drawbacks."
"That's right!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "I know one Jedi — he's covered head to toe in armor. Of course, you don't talk that way about good warriors, but this one is just an insufferable type. He acts like he knows everything and nothing can touch him. He drives me crazy, even though we've only met once."
"I know one like that too," Oli said evasively. Ahsoka, delighted to discover they might have something in common — even in the topic of discussing another Jedi — happily continued.
"Master Skywalker doesn't like him either," she reported, appealing to the fact that her opinion aligned with a more senior and experienced Jedi's. "He says he can't stand that kind of person. You know, my teacher spent his childhood on Tatooine and says that when he was little, he often put guys like this Jedi in their place. You know, like, knocked them down and poured sand down their collars. I don't know what it's like, but I think it's very, very unpleasant."
"So your master was a bully," Oli snorted.
"I don't think he's changed one bit," Ahsoka admitted. "He's so cheerful, we're always joking with each other. I don't know what it's like for the padawan of that arrogant guy, if he even has one. I'm sure that if the Council even allowed it, the first thing that Jedi's student should learn is humility and patience."
"Why do you think that?" Oli asked in surprise.
"How else can you stand such an arrogant person?" Both girls burst into cheerful laughter.
Meanwhile, Ahsoka didn't notice that during their friendly conversation, both padawans had reached the entrance of the Temple's spacious cafeteria.
"Do you like a bedtime snack, friend?" Tano couldn't resist teasing her new acquaintance.
"A little bit," Starstone said somewhat embarrassed. "But actually, my master and I often have dinner at this time and talk."
"Don't you have enough time during the day?" Commander Tano's eyebrows shot up.
"We almost never see each other," Oli admitted with a sigh. "Master spends every hour of the day on business."
"I know how you feel," Ahsoka nodded sympathetically. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed several Jedi appear in the far part of another corridor leading to the cafeteria. "Anakin, ever since we got back from Muunilinst, is always busy talking to the Council."
"My teacher was in a meeting with Grand Master Yoda today," Oli said quietly. "And he has another meeting this evening. With Chancellor Palpatine himself."
"No kidding," Ahsoka said in surprise. "Anakin meets with him often too. Wait, is that him coming into the cafeteria?"
Looking closer, the Togruta regretfully noted that among the Order members she'd spotted in the corridor, her master was not present. However, among the approaching Jedi, she noticed Knight Aayla Secura, walking unhurriedly in their direction, accompanied by Archivist Jocasta Nu, who was deep in conversation with...
"Remember that Jedi I told you about, the one I and my teacher don't like?" she asked, much quieter.
"Of course," Oli frowned. "What is it?"
"That's him," the Togruta nodded almost imperceptibly toward the trio of Jedi, now only a couple of dozen meters from both padawans.
"Aayla Secura?" Starstone asked in genuine surprise. "But she's so sweet and kind..."
"No, not her," Ahsoca said with annoyance. "Master Secura is the best of everyone I know. After my teacher, of course," she added hastily. "We fought together on Maridun — she did a lot to make sure my master survived. No, I'm talking about the one talking to your teacher now..."
"Master Nu?" There was not only surprise but also slight anger in Oli's voice. Ahsoka noted this, as well as the fact that the girl still didn't understand her. Meanwhile, the Jedi trio had approached close enough to hear their conversation. So she switched to a whisper.
"No, the third one, the one in armor. A really nasty type..."
"Master Dougan," Oli stated her guess in a normal tone.
"What a klutz! He heard everything! He's definitely coming over to us. Well, we're in trouble for sure. Oh, if only Anakin were here, he'd give that bucket-head a piece of his mind!"
"Good evening, Padawans Tano, Starstone," the Jedi's voice came muffled from under his helmet, but clearly cheerful. The archivist and the Twi'lek, politely greeting both girls, together walked into the cafeteria.
"Hello, Master Dougan," Ahsoka replied in the most innocent voice she could muster.
"Good evening, Master," Oli greeted calmly, bowing slightly to the man.
"Damn Hutt!" Tano cursed mentally, meeting eyes with her friend, whose face clearly showed that she now understood exactly who the Togruta had been talking about for the past half hour.
"Now I'm definitely going to be punished," the Togruta said in despair, anticipating trouble.