Like a speeder, I flew into the hall where the Council chambers were located. As always — it was empty. With one exception. The one that showed her temper in such a way that sometimes I wanted to give her a good sp— Okay, breathe. You can't break children over your knee. Not yet.
But I had to quell my displeasure with my apprentice's actions. She had told me over the comlink that she was going to the Archives, where she had completely by chance (yeah, tell that to my pants) run into Ahsoka and gotten to talking... And then, suddenly and without warning, a small war had broken out in the Temple, costing several Jedi their lives.
"What the Hutt are you doing?" Grabbing the girl by the lapel of her robe, ignoring her protests, I yanked this future sack of bantha fodder to her feet from the bench. "I told you to stay the hell away from Ahsoka!"
"I... I was bored..."
"Do you have any idea what a hellish mess you've caused?" In the complete silence of the hall, even though I was trying to speak quietly, it wasn't... working out. It sounded more like the hiss of a snake just before it sinks its fangs into its prey. "She was guarding the Archives! During a military operation! And you set her up, right after she'd been punished! What are the consequences going to be?"
"I didn't think..."
"Oli, I'm warning you for the last time. Either you get your head on straight and do what I order," I jabbed my index finger accusingly at the girl's forehead, "or we part ways. Permanently. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, Master," with eyes full of terror, the girl seemed to have gone into a stupor. Well, no surprise — she'd probably imagined me chopping her to pieces. And I'll admit, I really wanted to.
"Now — march to your room," I growled at the girl. "And don't you dare stick your nose out without my permission! Got it!?"
"Yes, Master," the girl said in a completely defeated voice.
Hanging her head, she trudged toward the stairs.
At first, I wanted to catch up and explain everything...
"Adik, you're an idiot!" an old KVN sketch came to mind. Except Adik was me.
She needed to be kept on a short leash. No other way. Otherwise, the girl would definitely be the cause of my death. And of everything I was busting my ass for here under the Republic flag.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the Council chambers.
Windu had already informed me on the way about an emergency meeting. So urgent that my feet should be on fire from the speed I needed to use to get to the Council tower.
"My apologies for being late, Masters," I mumbled a hasty apology, cast a quick glance at Skywalker and Tano standing in the center of the room, and took my place.
And judging by the tense faces of everyone present, they were either all suffering from collective constipation, or trouble had come from where we least expected it.
While the not-so-famous pair stood in complete silence in the middle of the room — Snips staring at the floor, her whole demeanor showing how uncomfortable she was here — the "knight without fear" was boring a heavy glare into me. Apparently, his friend Obi-Wan hadn't bothered to tell him about the changes in the Council.
Oh, Skywalker's ass must be burning like a supernova. Well, let it — a Jedi lives in the galaxy by more than just a seat on the Council.
Meanwhile, almost all the Jedi present were quietly talking among themselves. Only those represented by holograms, like Plo Koon, maintained a proud silence.
"What's going on?" I whispered to Piell.
The Lannik glanced at Windu, who was whispering with Yoda, and leaned toward me.
"The Temple was attacked. The communications center was blown up, the holocron vault was looted."
"What?! How is that even possible?" Well, I knew the canonical events, but I was once again convinced that my actions were affecting everyone around me like ripples on water.
"That's why Skywalker and Tano were called in — to explain. They screwed up the most. But the situation is lousy..."
"Silence!" Windu interrupted the conversations between the Council members. "Sad news has reached us from Devaron."
"Master Ropal has been killed," Yoda continued. "The kyber crystal is lost."
Those present exchanged surprised glances. Apparently, this news was another unexpected and unpleasant one for them. Yeah, the guardians of the peace, caught with their pants down in their own home. And these beings are teaching me how to be a Jedi? Not even funny. The Council can't see past its own nose.
Of course, I also understood what that infamous thing from Devaron was and what it was used for, but...
"Forgive me, Masters, but who is Master Ropal and why is this crystal dangerous?"
"Master Ropal was the guardian of the kyber crystal from the holocron that contains records of all the children in the galaxy who are particularly sensitive to the Force," Plo Koon clarified. "His loss is irreparable."
"As is the loss of the holocron vault itself," Kit Fisto reminded. "To think, I was there this morning..."
"I apologize," I, your humble narrator, interrupted the Nautolan's stream of consciousness in my characteristic "fast-talker" tone, "but I seem to have been left out of the loop on what happened."
"As have most of those present here," Yoda explained. "But we will fill this gap now. I had a vision of the invasion of the Temple. I sent Skywalker and Kenobi to check everything."
"Anakin and I were inspecting the ventilation when we discovered that one of the deflector shields on the upper level of the Temple had been tampered with. We went down the air duct shaft and ended up in close proximity to the communications center. My fault, because I assumed the target of the invasion was the information stored there."
"Do not blame yourself, Obi-Wan," Yoda advised. "Anyone can be mistaken."
"Be that as it may, Anakin and I made our way through the ventilation to the communications center — just as a droid with a bomb jumped out in front of us. We managed to dodge the explosion, but literally the same second, I was knocked unconscious by an electric discharge."
"As was I," Skywalker added. "And when I came to, I found my lightsaber was missing."
"As was mine," Obi-Wan added. "We were both lying in shock restraints, which, as you know, are designed specifically against Jedi. However, pretending to still be lying unconscious, we managed to get a look at the attackers..."
"And who were they?" Plo Koon's hologram inquired.
"Mandalorians," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I'd recognize their armor out of thousands of variants. And those rocket backpacks... no one else in the galaxy uses that kind of tech."
"What did the Mandalorians want in the Temple?" I asked. No need to show off my knowledge.
"Plunder," Windu replied grimly. "A thousand years ago, during the Order's conflict with the Brotherhood of Darkness, the Mandalorians invaded the virtually defenseless Temple, killed many Jedi, and looted almost everything of value they could get their hands on. Most of the stolen items were eventually found and returned over time. Only the Darksaber — the blade created by the first and last Jedi Knight from Mandalore — has remained hidden from our sight to this day."
Ah, so that's when that blade with the black blade, which Pre Vizsla was so proud of in the series, had leaked from the Temple. A stylish lightsaber, by the way...
"I apologize, but what was stolen this time?"
"Holocrons," Windu replied curtly.
"Um... I know basically what they are — information storage devices — but there are different kinds. For example, I returned Ulic's holocron to the Order..."
"All of them," Windu interrupted me. "All the holocrons from the Archive vault were stolen — without Master Nu, we can't even say approximately how many were lost. But even now, we can say we've lost the holocron you returned, Asli Krimsan's holocron, and over a dozen other Jedi holocrons. In fact, the only thing we truly have left is the Great Holocron, and only because it's under constant guard by the Temple Guards."
"The Council, as always, prefers to see only half the problem," Piell grumbled. "The loss of the Sith holocrons poses a far greater danger!"
"What?!" Ahsoka blurted out. "Sith holocrons were kept in the Temple?"
"Do not interrupt members of the Council, Padawan Tano," Windu said in a venomous tone. "You have already done enough!"
The little Togruta fell silent, shrinking as if a Korunnai had slapped her.
And the saddest part was that no one dared to rein in the Afro-Jedi, to say it wasn't proper to treat a student that way. What happened to the rule — a soldier doesn't hurt a child?
Strange logic. Why the hell was she even standing here listening to the Council's deliberations? If the girl had screwed up, call her on the carpet afterward and tear her a new one separately. Why put on this circus? And even more so — discuss extremely sensitive matters in the presence of Skywalker, who wasn't exactly trusted much either, let alone his apprentice, who was basically just beginning to learn the ways of the Order.
"I apologize," I had to draw attention to myself. "But do we know exactly which Sith holocrons we've lost?"
"All of them that were in that vault, without exception, just like the Jedi ones," Fisto winced. "That was already said..."
"Forgive me, Master Fisto, but I've been on the Council for less than a day, and there's already a hellish coll— collapse going on here. Excuse my ignorance, but I personally don't know which holocrons were kept in the Order. That's why I'm asking."
"We possessed many, but not all, that the Sith ever created," Piell said. "Among them were those belonging to the Sith King Adas — the first to create a Sith holocron, and we were about to send it to the Tapani sector for safekeeping! The holocron of King Naggru — from the same source. Also lost was the holocron owned by Darth Nihilus — a fallen Jedi who had the ability to absorb the Force; the holocron created by Tulak Hord — an ancient Sith Lord. Also stolen was the Dark Holocron — a device of the ancient Sith in which the souls of hundreds of Sith were once stored. Exar Kun, a fallen Jedi who turned to the Dark Side, stole it from the ancient library on Ossus and used it to subjugate the bodies of many Jedi to his will. It was already attempted to be stolen in the recent past — by a Padawan named Lorian Nod, who was expelled from the Order. Speaking of which, Kun's own holocron is also missing. The holocron of Belia Darzu, which we discovered several hundred years ago, along with the holocron of Darth Andeddu — one of the many he created during his lifetime. The holocron of Darth Angral — a Sith from the distant past who nearly destroyed the Order. These losses are irreparable for the Order — no one has even begun studying the Sith holocrons since their discovery and delivery to the Temple. By the Hutt, even the holocron of Darth Bane — the founder of the Rule of Two — is lost to us! And the holocron of Ergast?! It takes two people just to lift that one! And how many times did I ask the Council for permission to study them!"
"Too dangerous these holocrons are!" Yoda objected. "We cannot allow the mistakes of the past to be repeated."
"Then why not destroy them?" I asked. "Why keep something so dangerous?"
The answer was silence. As if the Council, supposedly the wisest Jedi of their time, couldn't find an answer. It was amusing to watch Ahsoka's and Skywalker's expressions at that moment. They were puzzled by the same question.
Piell waited a few seconds, then continued:
"All the noeticons are lost — of secrets, of light, of science. As are all the infocrones," he cast a glance at Yoda, "on which the historical chronicles are recorded — the primary sources of what we have in the Archives. But perhaps the most mysterious of the holocrons was the one made not in the usual pyramid shape, but with a transparent crystal on top. The Council of First Knowledge was never able to determine its nature, beyond the fact that it was created by the Sith. There are dozens of them — the ones the Mandalorians took with them; without Master Nu, we can't say for sure. The vault was designed to hold a hundred holocrons — and now it's empty. But perhaps the greatest loss is the holocron of the Kwa race, which belonged to Master A'nen — the most ancient of all holocrons known to us. Its study began just over ten years ago, after the conflict at Naboo."
"May I be fragged with three-phase current," escaped my lips. They'd really gone all out. Taken everything that wasn't bolted down. "But that's a huge amount... How could one group of people carry all that? They'd have needed a speeder!"
"Padawan Tano," Windu snapped. "Would you care to tell us what happened in the Archives?"
"I... I got distracted from my duty of guarding the Archives," the girl looked crushed. "So I didn't notice in time that one of the Jedi in the library wasn't acting like a Jedi. Only after the explosion sounded and smoke started pouring out of the holocron vault did I realize something irreparable had happened."
"And where were you before that time?" Windu asked sternly. "Or rather — with whom?"
"Master, I..."
"Do not worsen your fate with lies, Tano!" the Korunnai raised his voice.
"Master," I leaned forward. "There's no need to yell at her. She's just a child..."
The answer was a glare full of rage from Windu, who, if he could, would have melted me on the spot. And a look full of gratitude from Ahsoka.
But I'll admit, what was happening sent chills down my spine.
I could feel the irritation of almost every Council member in my very skin — only Yoda and Piell remained calm. And you know, it's terrifying — being in the company of powerful people who were concentrating their anger on a defenseless girl... Yeah, the blow dealt to the Order was truly devastating.
"What happened after the explosion, Ahsoka?" Master Koon asked.
"When Padawan Starstone and I ran to the vault, we found Master Nu lying unconscious on the floor. Master Enisens — or rather, that shapeshifter hiding behind his appearance — had already opened the door to the vault."
"And that's when you saw the Mandalorians?" Kit Fisto asked.
"Yes, Master. They immediately opened fire on the shapeshifter and everyone nearby," the girl continued. "Oli and I tried to fight them, noticing they were hauling something out of the vault in containers on anti-grav, but one of them managed to wound her in the shoulder," well, damn! And she hadn't even told me anything. And I was just as bad — I hadn't even asked if she was hurt. "We hid behind the Archive shelves, and by then the guards had arrived."
"That's when the Mandalorians used heavy weapons?" Tiin asked.
"Yes. Missiles from their backpacks," the girl said in a choked voice.
"How did they manage to bring grav-containers into the Temple?" I asked.
"Most likely through the ventilation," Piell suggested. "At least, the air ducts are the only place in that part of the Temple where they could fit."
"I saw two of them loading a large glowing pyramid into a container," Ahsoka said quietly.
"A Sith holocron of Ergast," the Lannik identified. "You tried to stop them, didn't you?"
"Yes, but…" the girl began, only to be rudely interrupted by Mace Windu.
"But as a result, two guards are dead, four more are in the infirmary, and a good third of the Archives are destroyed," he said. "If I didn't know you were a Jedi, I'd think a Korunnai was practically radiating anger."
"Masters, I tried to…"
"Try not," Yoda interjected, pointing a clawed finger at the little girl. "Do or do not. That is what I teach the younglings. And you as well."
"I know, Master, but…"
"There can be no objections here," the Iktotchi cut her off. "Because of Padawan Tano's fault, the Order has lost a significant portion of its relics."
"Masters, the blame rests entirely on me," the Chosen One tried to intervene. But it was no use.
"Stop it, Knight Skywalker," the Iktotchi silenced the human in the same venomous tone. "If she had been at her post, not shirking her duties, she would have identified the werewolf. The alarm raised would have saved the Order from such a lamentable outcome."
"This is not just a violation of orders in battle, for which the Padawan has already been punished," Mace Windu observed. "This is a trampling of the very tenets of the Order. Disregard for our beliefs, denial of the foundations of hierarchy and unity of command. Such behavior is incompatible with membership in the Jedi Order…"
Once again, silence fell in the Council chambers. So shocking to those present that you could hear the ventilation system working in the room. Or the Lannik huffing as he shifted in his seat.
"I agree with Master Windu," Saesee Tiin said. "Ahsoka has no place in the Order."
What?! The realization of what I had heard made me gasp. For the love of all that's holy, let this be a stupid joke, a scare tactic…
"I second that," Kit Fisto said, this time without flashing his trademark smile.
"How can you!" Anakin burst out. "This is unfair!"
The Togruta was a pitiful sight. The girl looked like she'd been punched in the gut. Her gaze wandered over the Council members, but she couldn't find sympathy in any of them.
"I object," At least one is here. In my person. "Too severe a punishment for such a young…"
"Age is no barrier to monstrous offenses," Mace Windu countered. "On Tano's conscience are the lives of Jedi, years of work of previous generations, and all the consequences that could possibly occur in the galaxy if we don't get the holocrons back."
"Then maybe we shouldn't make a hasty decision," I suggested. "But first try to find what was stolen."
"Nearly impossible, that is," Yoda said sadly. "A ship awaited the Mandalorians, of a design unknown to us. As soon as they left the Temple, the ship vanished from the sensors, becoming invisible."
"A cloaked ship?" I asked again. "Forgive my disbelief, but where would Mandalorians get such technology?"
"Those were Death Watch fighters," Kenobi explained. "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's why they knew all our movements and ways to bypass the defenses."
"Wait," I leaned forward. "Are you telling me the Council took no measures to improve the Temple's defenses after it became clear that Dooku was our enemy?"
"There was no need for that," Shaak Ti's hologram said.
"Like a toad trying to swallow a boa," I groaned softly, leaning back in my chair. How are they even still alive? "Forgive me, Masters, but it's your fault the Temple's defense systems weren't updated. You can't blame a Padawan for that…"
"Nevertheless," Plo Koon said firmly. "Her guilt is undeniable. As much as it pains me to admit it, Ahsoka must be expelled from the Order."
"Masters!" With a cracking voice and tears in her eyes, the girl turned toward Yoda, but Skywalker stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder. From the clenching jaw of the Jedi, I could tell a huge wave of emotions was raging inside him. And, never more than at that moment, I was in solidarity with him.
"Tears will not help, Ahsoka," Yoda said. "With a heavy heart, but agree I do. Your place is not in the Order."
"I support that," Ti said.
"As do I," Oppo Rancisis joined in. That hairy rug, you too!
"And I object," the Lannik grumbled. "Especially voting in the absence of two members of the Order…"
"Their votes cannot affect the decision," Mace Windu declared. "The majority of Masters are for the expulsion of Ahsoka Tano."
"Actually, it's only six against," I noted. "Master Kenobi…"
"I am in solidarity with the opinion of the Grand Master," Obi-Wan replied, carefully avoiding the eyes of his former student and the Padawan with whom he had spent the last year side by side.
"Considering that the Grand Master's vote carries double weight," the Korunnai reminded those present of an ancient tradition, "the majority of the Council members are for the expulsion of Ahsoka Tano from the Order, stripping her of her Padawan rank and all privileges."
"Damn circus," I fumed. "Come to your senses! 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 sarcastically.
"In battle they lost their weapons," Yoda countered. "Cannot be blamed for that."
"Masters," I rose from my seat and addressed the assembly. "Come to your senses! Ahsoka is one of the most outstanding Padawans of our time! Her mistakes are only the result of insufficient supervision by Skywalker! You can't expel her for…"
"Sit down, Master Dougan!" Mace Windu said in a lowered tone. "The Council has made its decision! Ahsoka Tano, surrender your weapon to the guards," as he said this, the door to the chambers opened and two Jedi in white-and-gold robes with lightsaber pikes on their belts entered. They unceremoniously moved aside the former slave from Tatooine, who was in a daze. One faceless Jedi rudely tore off the thin chain symbolizing the Padawan's status on the Togruta. The second silently removed the weapon from the belt of the softly crying girl.
"Ahsoka," the Kel Dor spoke up. "You have two hours to pack your things and leave the Temple."
"I… I understand, Master Plo," the girl's answer was interspersed with sobs. "I have no belongings, I'll leave right away."
"Hutt take it!" Grinding my teeth, I covered the distance separating us in one long stride and found myself next to the girl. "Masters! I implore you, I beg you! Change the decision! I will take Ahsoka under my wing as my own Padawan! She will become the best Jedi…"
"You already have a Padawan, Master Dougan," Kit Fisto objected. "And not the best one to motivate the Council to entrust you with another to train!"
"If we're talking about Padawans," I nearly growled, "at least mine survived an encounter with an extremely gifted opponent. And before that, she made him work to set a trap. Yours, on the other hand, arrogantly rushed at General Grievous. And where is he now? Chopped into sushi in the cyborg's secret lair!"
"How dare you!?" The Nautolan jumped up from his seat. "I am outraged…!"
"SILENCE!" Mace Windu exploded, raising his voice considerably. "Stop it, immediately! This is the Council Chamber, not a place to settle personal scores! You are Jedi! Keepers of the peace!"
"Some keepers, who couldn't even save their own relics," Piell grumbled, rising from his seat. "And twice in a thousand years. If this keeps up, we'll die out, never knowing until the very last moment who our enemy is."
"Master Piell!" Mace Windu called after the shorty. "The Council meeting is not yet over!"
"This isn't a meeting, it's some kind of tribunal," the one-eyed warrior snapped back. "One I don't intend to take part in."
As soon as the halfling left the room, the little Togruta followed him out of the High Council chambers on unsteady legs. Skywalker, who tried to move after her, met a disapproving look from Mace Windu. For a moment there was a duel of stares, after which the young Jedi went limp, as if a rod had been pulled out of him, and obediently stayed put.
Damn it, he's just a wimp! Both in the canon of the series and now, he simply couldn't defend his own student, who, by the way, had saved his life! And this is who Sidious sees as the greatest Sith Lord? May Zidane gore me, you could use him to wipe the floors!
"Where are you going, Master Dougan?" Kenobi called after me when he noticed I was also heading for the exit.
"I don't want to take part in this idiocy," he heard my answer through clenched teeth. It seemed Windu wanted to say something else, but I quickly moved away from that contemptible room. What a pity that during the period of Order 66, there were younglings here, not members of this lousy Council.
* * *
Stifling her sobs, Ahsoka slowly trudged toward the turbolifts that would take her to the main part of the Temple. From there, half a dozen staircases, and she'd be in the Vestibule. A magnificent room with many colossal columns that she would see for the last time.
The Order, to which she had given her whole life, with which she had linked her hopes and dreams, had betrayed her. Thrown her out the gate like a stupid gizka. Without the slightest means of subsistence, without the opportunity to atone for her guilt…
Yes, she had lied when she said she had no belongings. She had managed to save a little over the past time. Just over fifty credits – enough for a while. Then…
The girl refused to think about whether there would be a 'then'.
The Council had seemingly ripped the solid ground out from under her feet. Deprived her of meaning in any future. What to do now? What did she know besides being a Jedi? She knew a little about tech, could pilot ships… But for all that in ordinary life, you needed documents, which, of course, no Jedi would give her.
Oh, Force, how painful it was to realize that she was no longer part of this huge family…
"Ahsoka!" She heard the sound of heavy approaching footsteps. Wiping her tears with a quick motion, the girl tried to pull herself together.
"Ahsoka," Master Dougan drew level with her and, taking her by the shoulders, turned her to face him. "Girl, I'm so sorry…"
"It's not your fault," the Togruta said with a sob. "I'm to blame myself…"
"Stop that!" The Jedi wagged a finger. "Or do you think I don't know that it was my own student who called you?"
"I… but…"
"You are a very brave and courageous girl," the Jedi crouched in front of her to look her straight in the eyes. "The Council didn't realize how much they lost in you. I don't know what came over them, but it shouldn't have been like this…"
"Thank you for defending me," the Togruta wiped her tears with the sleeve of her glove, as she had as a child. "I thought Anakin would support me…"
"Skywalker to the Sith!" The Jedi Master said with unexpected anger. "He never had a father himself. How can he raise a proper student?"
"I don't understand," the girl frowned. "How can a teacher… how can Skywalker not have a father? He's a human, and physiology…"
"Ah," the man waved dismissively. "It's a long story. His mother got pregnant almost by the Holy Spirit. We had something similar in my homeland, but then the Magi came with gifts. Anyway, a murky story about women's ability to feed nonsense to simpletons. Right now, I'm more worried about your fate."
"Really?" The girl suddenly realized her worries had faded into the background. The goosebumps were gone, she didn't feel like crying, and her pride wasn't weighed down by resentment. In the company of Master Dougan, she somehow felt at ease. She didn't care how she would live outside the Temple, how to earn a living.
It was as if Dougan's very presence overshadowed all problems. As if he could solve them in an instant.
'Strange,' Ahsoka thought. 'I've never felt anything like this before. Even Anakin didn't seem so confident and strong-willed.'
But almost immediately, this thought vanished somewhere, giving way to an all-encompassing nirvana in which the girl was wrapped, feeling through the Jedi Master's touch a gentle warmth penetrating her, washing away all possible sorrows.
"You have nowhere to live, right?" Dougan asked.
"Yes," the girl replied, smiling awkwardly. She felt a little ashamed for sharing her problems with him.
"Then listen to me carefully," the last three words the Jedi spoke with a particular emphasis. Ahsoka herself didn't understand how her entire being turned into hearing. "I have an apartment on Coruscant. You'll live there for a while until we decide what to do with you. Of course, there are already tenants, but I think by the time you meet them, it won't be a problem. Agreed?"
"Of course, Master," the Togruta said with a slight hint of indignation. How could he think she would refuse? He was offering her shelter, protection, meaning he was going to share with her, a little half-trained Padawan, a part of his life, a part of monumental stability. How could anyone object to such a convincing man?
"Well, excellent," the Jedi stood up. Touching the comlink on his wrist, he said, "Oli? How are you feeling? Great. Get your ass in gear and meet me at the Temple exit. We'll deal with your unauthorized actions."
"Are you going to punish Oli?" Ahsoka felt a slight dizziness from the warmth flooding her. A little nausea, but nothing that would prevent her from continuing to walk alongside the armored Jedi.
"I haven't decided yet," the man admitted. "I really want to give her a good whipping for her deeds, but at the very last moment I feel sorry for her. That little brat established a Force Bond between us, and I couldn't show enough firmness to rein her in before. However, now I don't have that weakness, so your friend will see stars yet."
"Don't be too hard on her," Tano asked, while realizing she couldn't dictate terms to this man. For some reason, she wanted to obey him, unquestioningly, absorbing every word like precious moisture in a desert.
"That's one thing I can't promise," the Jedi replied.
* * *
Feeling the approach of the Lord, Atroxa instantly slipped out from under the blanket. Paying no attention to such formalities as the fact that she was dressed in nearly weightless and transparent lingerie, the Lethan left the room and headed toward the turbolift.
The master had warned her that he would be sleeping at his residence tonight, and the girl, without overcomplicating things, had prepared the master bedroom, warming the bedding with the heat of her own body.
"Emperor," as soon as the turbolift doors opened, the Lethan bowed. "I'm glad to see you."
"And I you," the master stepped over 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, glancing at the sleeping figure. Then her gaze shifted slightly, and she spotted a second girl, a human this time, standing behind the man. "You didn't mention we'd have guests."
"Unforeseen circumstances," the man grunted, striding quickly deeper into the "stronghold." "Atroxa, meet — that little brat with black hair is my student, Oli Starstone. Put her up in the bedroom next to mine for the night. Shei isn't here, is she?"
"She hasn't returned from the mission," the assassin called out, raising her voice slightly. "She sent a message that she's delivering cargo to the capital."
"And yours too?"
"Yes."
Standing opposite each other, both representatives of the fair sex studied each other critically, boring their gazes from head to toe. Then, ending their mental comparisons, both headed into the depths of the penthouse.
"You're beautiful," the girl said with a hint of envy, never stopping to examine the rich furnishings of the dwelling.
"You're cute too," the Lady Sith smiled. "I'd bet my lightsaber that when you grow up, you'll become a very attractive young woman."
"Lightsaber?" The human child's eyebrows shot up. "Are you a Jedi too?"
The Lethan smiled, showing pearly white teeth.
"Little one, I'm a Sith," she explained. "But we both serve the same man. I hope you're not thinking of picking a fight with me?"
Oli was silent for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, sighing, she answered:
"No, I'm above that crap," she glanced again at the slender body of her interlocutor, and added, "I know what's going on and I'm on my teacher's side."
"All the better," the Twi'lek smiled again. "And who is that little Togruta?"
"My friend, Ahsoka," the girl explained. "She's good, but because of me she was kicked out of the Order today…"
"What did she do?" Atroxa asked politely, gesturing toward a small hall on the other side of which were three identical doors. "Yours is the one on the right."
"She disobeyed an order," the girl sighed, approaching the indicated door. "She was ordered to guard the Temple Archives, but she got distracted hanging out with me. As a result, we couldn't stop the raiders who stole the Order's relics. Several Jedi were injured, some killed…"
"Oh, the Lord told me about that," Atroxa nodded understandingly, following the girl into the bedroom. The light panels, reacting to movement, filled with energy, dispelling the semidarkness. The Lethan examined the interior critically. A spacious bed that could easily fit five beings, a massive desk, a wardrobe with a vanity table, soft carpets on the floor, lavishly made furniture… Yes, few Coruscant hotels could offer their clients such accommodations. Until recently, two other Jedi, the Lord's Hands, had lived here. But they too had left the fortress, sent on a mission.
"Really? It seemed to me he was silent the whole way here," the girl frowned.
"Ah, that's what you mean," the Lethan laughed softly. "I, like most of the Hands, have a mental connection with the Lord."
"You communicate with thoughts?" The Padawan's eyes widened.
"Exactly that," the Lethan nodded. "He speaks, we listen."
"Convenient," the young Jedi girl admitted. "I wish I could too."
"It's a very complex Sith technique," Atroxa warned. "Some went mad before achieving results."
"Well, I'm strong," the girl shrugged, settling onto the bed. After bouncing on the mattress, she apparently assessed the quality of the product, as she almost immediately began pulling off the Jedi robe she was wearing.
"Then why don't you talk to the Lord about it?" Atroxa suggested, settling onto a small couch next to the bed. "I don't think he'll refuse."
"He's very angry with me," as soon as the girl took off her blouse, the Lethan instantly noticed a burn on her shoulder that could only have been caused by a blaster. "I don't think now is the time to approach him with something like that."
"You've been shot," the Lady Sith pointed a manicured finger. The girl, as if frightened, immediately covered the burn with her palm.
"It's nothing," she mumbled. "I treated it with bacta spray. It'll heal in a couple of days."
"Allow me," without any embarrassment about her revealing appearance, the Lethan sat on the edge of the bed facing the girl, who, incidentally, except for her underwear, was also naked.
The Lethan placed her hand on the wound, habitually turned to the Dark Side, stirring within herself memories of the last battle. Anger flowed like a hot stream through her veins, bending the Force to its mistress. Drawing on the meager arsenal of Sith healing abilities, Atroxa let the Force draw a portion of her own life force and, through physical contact, transfer it into the wound of the Lord's student.
The touch lasted a little over a minute, after which the Lethan removed her palm and looked with satisfaction at the pinkish skin where the burn had been.
"Wow!" Oli exclaimed in admiration. "I didn't know a Sith could heal wounds! You're supposed to strive for destruction…"
"You don't know a lot about us," the Twi'lek smiled, running her hand over the girl's cheek. "Essentially, our Orders aren't all that different. They just have a deep intolerance for each other. The Emperor intends to fix that, by bringing Force-sensitive beings back to the philosophy of Balance of the Force within each of us."
"And can you do it?" Oli said doubtfully. "Control both sides of the Force?"
"I'm more accustomed to turning to the Dark Side during combat," the Lethan admitted. "But I've also mastered many Jedi techniques over the last four thousand years."
"What?" Oli's eyes widened. "You're four thousand years old?"
"Biologically, yes," the Lethan nodded. "But I, and the other Hands, spent most of that time frozen in carbonite. So now I'm a little over thirty standard years. A childhood age for my people."
"So many years in carbonite," the girl said, stunned. "I read in the Archives about poisoning from that substance due to long-term freezing. That's why it's not used on people…"
"You'd be surprised how many past technologies were lost during the endless wars," Atroxa stroked her lekku. "Specifically, I and the other Hands took a special substance before freezing that absorbed the carbonite poisoning. So, I could say I froze my beauty."
The girl smiled, seeing the Lethan bare her teeth. She was about to say something in response, but her teacher appeared in the doorway.
"Alright, you bare-assed team," he said angrily. "Everyone to bed, child time is over. And, Oli, I'm leaving early tomorrow on a mission, you'll stay in Atroxa's care. You'll have an important assignment, even though I don't want to send you on it. Don't even think about doing it your own way."
"Yes, Teacher," Oli said submissively, bowing her head.
"Well, then get to bed," he growled. "Atroxa, you're not her mommy, no need to read lullabies at night."
"As you command, Lord," the Lethan bowed her head. The Jedi stood in the doorway for a second, then left.
Oli, obediently carrying out her teacher's will, climbed under the covers, spreading her luxurious hair over the pillows.
"He's in a really bad mood," she said, biting her lip.
Glancing at the empty doorway, the Lethan leaned so close to the girl's face that she could smell the faint, almost ghostly scent of her perfume.
'So the student isn't as simple as she wants to appear,' thought the Lethan. Jedi dogma forbade them from embellishing themselves. And for millennia, not a single tenet of the Sith's ancient enemies had changed, so the ban on cosmetics was still in effect. So why would a little girl use perfume with arousing Zeltron pheromones at night?
"I know how to soften him," she whispered. "But you, little minx," the Lethan gently ran her fingers over the girl's cheek, "will owe me one."
The student, clearly embarrassed by such unethical intimacy with an individual of the same sex, just blinked. Atroxa noticed 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, yet it goes the same almost for all.
Atroxa couldn't deny herself a small temptation. Her lips lightly touched the slightly full, yet soft and sweet-tasting lips of the Jedi student. Letting her hand take an exciting journey across the young, but already toned and for her age—quite attractive body of Starstone, the Lethan, finishing her little unnatural intimacy, couldn't resist sliding her tongue between the girl's half-open lips, tantalizingly tickling the roof of her mouth with its tip.
When the kiss ended, the Lady Sith watched with inner pleasure as the girl's lips still reached toward the kiss, and her eyes were closed in blissful languor. It seemed this was her first kiss—if not in life, then with a woman, certainly.
"Don't you dare let anyone spoil you," she winked slyly when Oli finally opened her eyes. "I'll kill anyone who tries to pluck your flower of innocence before I do. Of course, unless the Emperor himself beats me to it."
Swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat, the girl, in a single impulse, pressed her lips to hers, clumsily trying to hug the Twi'lek and repeat the exciting hand caresses the Lethan had shown her before.
Atroxa responded with all the tenderness and passion she was capable of. But, mindful of her duty, she unobtrusively broke off the master's student, giving her a final light bite on the neck. The "Twi'lek kiss of passion," as her ancestors called this element of foreplay.
"Don't rush to learn new things, my dear," the Lethan smiled, stroking the girl's cheek. "We'll have time. It's surprising that the Lord doesn't appreciate such a lovely specimen of human woman as you."
"Sometimes," Oli whispered breathlessly, "I myself am bewildered. I've tried everything. He says I'm still too young for that."
"Ancient prejudices," Atroxa smiled. "I'll talk to him about it, if you really want."
"Very much," the girl said, swallowing convulsively.
"Then he and I will have something to talk about after all this," the Twi'lek smoothed Oli's unruly hair.
"Oh, so you…" Struck by the realization, the girl covered her mouth with her hands.
"And I've never regretted it," the Lady Sith giggled.
Kissing the young beauty once more in farewell, Atroxa quickly left the guest bedroom and slipped into the master bedroom.
The Master, having shed his worn armor, was already lying under the blanket, covering his eyes with his hand. The Lethan nimbly slid under the blanket, pressing her charms against his young body.
"You missed me, Master?"
The man took his hand away from his face, which he'd been shielding from the artificial light, and looked at his lover with eyes in which amber fire flickered.
"Don't tell me you've set your sights on my apprentice," he said with a hint of threat.
"The girl is at least fourteen," the Lethan remarked, making relaxing passes with her hands over the Master's chest. "And, if you didn't know, intimacy is already permitted in the galaxy from that age. With parental or guardian consent, of course."
Her fingers now felt the bumpy ridges of barely healed muscle fibers on his chest and abdomen. Of course, someone looking at his unmasked face might have been horrified. Now, after so much time since the Force Lightning strike, the skin had gradually covered the muscle structure, making his face somewhat repulsive and unpleasant. Ugly cartilage wrapped in skin, burned lips, facial features that had become more predatory due to the skin burns — Atroxa found this, on the contrary, attractive. A man should be only slightly more handsome than a rancor. And her man, in the context of that ancient saying, was truly beautiful.
"She's a child trying to climb into her teacher's pants," the Jedi retorted. "I may be fond of the female sex, but I'm not exactly looking to add 'pedophile' to my record. And I certainly won't be seeking out her relatives to ask permission for a depraved relationship."
"Actually, as her master, you are also her guardian," Atroxa smirked. "So, considering the girl is exceptionally beautiful and not opposed..."
"Fuck, would you stop it!" the Master cut her off. "She's a child, period! Better tell me how it went with Bodo Baas."
"Exactly as you planned," Atroxa lay down beside the man so she could look at her lord's face. "I lured him to an isolated place, disarmed him, took the holocron, and froze him in carbonite. Then I placed him in stasis aboard Vizla's Fury. I think he's halfway to Zakuul by now. Along with all the Jedi and Sith holocrons that I and her tame Mandalorians managed to acquire."
"Well, it's certainly a worthy prize for our new Order," the Emperor agreed. "Practically everything the Jedi managed to accumulate over the years. Plus Baas's holocron... You've done excellent work."
The Master rewarded her with a kiss.
"Though, I must note, I didn't order Vizla to blow the Archives to splinters with missile weapons. Unnecessary casualties and destruction."
"What do you expect from a wild horde of Mandalorians?" Atroxa chuckled. "They settled old scores with their long-time enemies all at once. And they served both you and their own cause."
"Oh, yes," the man smiled. "Framing Death Watch — priceless. Now the Council will accelerate events concerning Mandalore. Which plays right into my plan to conquer the entire sector and all the worlds that adhere to Mandalorian neutrality. The Empire will greatly need warriors like the Mandalorians, and MandalMotors can produce the heavy equipment we so desperately need in enormous quantities — just the Canderous tanks alone are worth it."
"Do you trust Shay that she isn't playing her own game of pazzak?"
"Absolutely not," the man chuckled. "I trust no one, not even you."
"A truly Sith-like way of thinking," the Lethan smiled. "Was the Togruta girl also part of your plan?"
"Generally speaking, yes, but her recruitment wasn't planned for now," the master admitted. "But I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. She was far too vulnerable at that moment. So pushing her toward the thoughts I needed was very, very easy. She's sleeping now while her mind absorbs my mental implants. I think by tomorrow morning it will be clear whether I managed to break her and subdue her completely, or not."
"And what awaits her in the latter case? Will she, like Master Ikrit and Baas, become fuel for the New Forge?"
The man was silent for a few seconds before answering.
"No, she has great potential. If it didn't work today, then we'll put her in stasis and send her to Zakuul. I plan to leave for the capital as soon as I finish the mission on Scipio."
"Is that why you ordered all the Hands to head to the capital upon completing their assignments?" the Twi'lek guessed.
"Exactly," the man nodded almost imperceptibly. "Tomorrow you and Oli are to contact Baron Papanoida, the representative of the planet Pantora. If I'm not mistaken, his daughters are supposed to be kidnapped tonight. If so, one of them will be on Tatooine — a mercenary of Jabba's named Greedo is supposed to be involved in the kidnapping and will lead you to the location. The second daughter is being guarded by the Trade Federation aboard a battleship orbiting Pantora. You'll go to Tatooine and deal with Greedo and his thugs. Send Oli and the senator from Pantora, Riyo Chuchi, to the Neimoidian ship. And, as usual, don't flaunt your Force sensitivity. When you're done, return here and wait for me."
"Is this planet so important to you?"
"It's in the relative rear of the active army. By placing a base of loyal troops there and repeating the Force Seduction ritual, as was done on Christophsis, I'll gain another world ready to provide hundreds of millions of its citizens for my army. Once we're done there, it'll be Ryloth's turn."
"Do you want to conquer all the girls from my historical homeland?" Atroxa smiled.
"Don't be jealous, my dear," the man drew her to him and kissed her. "Actually, I'm more attracted to the one and a half billion Twi'lek citizens who, according to reports from Nadia on Zakuul, are very capable warriors and will make a wonderful addition to my growing army."
"You have far-reaching plans, my lord," the Lethan assessed. "I think my kin will consider it an honor to serve you."
"As will the Christophsians," the man laughed quietly. "It's a shame I couldn't get the Adegan crystals from the Order's stores. That could have significantly increased the number of dreadnoughts equipped with cloaking systems."
"Do you want every Harrower in the fleet to be able to disappear before its enemies' eyes?" the Twi'lek asked languidly, deftly getting rid of one of her two remaining items of clothing.
"No. I intended to increase the number of ships in the Emperor's Ghost squadron, which I plan to use as my personal fleet later. However, that can wait until a certain point."
"Malgus isn't very happy with the missions you assign him," Atroxa tried to hint as tactfully as possible that the ancient Sith could pose a threat. Even being completely under the Master's control. History had more than one or two examples of the Dark Side helping Force-users shake off the shackles of Sith magic.
"I can feel his rage in the Force during communication sessions," the man chuckled. "At our next personal meeting, I'll have to make clear to him how important what he's doing is."
"And will you grant me such an honor?" Atroxa asked testily.
"Yes," the Master replied without any pretense. "You are the only one of the Hands so deeply entangled in my mental manipulations that even if you wanted to, you could never betray me."
"That's true, my lord," having freed herself from the rest of her clothes, the Twi'lek, driven by primal instinct, began preliminary caresses, throwing the blanket aside.
"Well, perhaps it's also because, my dear," the man placed his hands on her head, controlling her movements, "that your mind is an open book to me. One from which I erase all my secrets whenever I see fit."
"And how often do you do that, my lord?" the girl pulled away from her task, wiping saliva from her lips.
No, the Emperor's admission that he did whatever he pleased with her mind didn't frighten or offend her at all. After all, she was his property. The Emperor had the right to use his Hands as he saw fit.
"Whenever I see fit, my dear," with an insistent motion, he returned her head to its place. "Tomorrow you won't remember that you captured the holocron and Master Baas himself for me. Nor will you remember our night conversation about how those two you poached from Kuat Drive Yards are the most outstanding scientists in the field of superweapon creation. 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 Malice is just a child's toy. The other scientists are also good at their work. The creator of the 'Hyperspeed Cannon,' capable of firing projectiles that travel through hyperspace. Although, now he's tasked with creating 'World Devastators' indestructible automated factory-ships that can clear junk planets and asteroids and process dead planets and dead stars, simultaneously producing finished goods. I need the cyberneticist to protect the brains of my droid army from possible interference. The major will become famous in the future as the creator of outstanding small arms. Frap Radicon — fate, in my person, has prepared work for him creating interdictor ships that can pull enemy vessels out of hyperspace, or conversely, hold them on the battlefield, preventing them from escaping. As for Darth Maul," the man hummed with satisfaction, "that guy will subjugate the entire criminal underworld for me. Unfortunately, money in accounts, like reserves of precious metals, has a tendency to run out. And I can't allow that. Black Sun, the Pykes, the Hutts — the three most influential criminal organizations in the galaxy. The resources of the Follins and the Pykes alone will be enough to provide the Zakuul Empire with fabulous profits."
"Do you have a neutral force that could operate in secret from the Republic and the CIS to pull that off?" Atroxa asked in surprise, moving on to the "main course."
"Jabba will gladly get rid of his competitors," the man smiled. "And he'll provide me with the necessary army and fleet of criminals to restore the Jabiim mines, so carefully 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. "I doubt anything is left of them."
"Perfectly done," the man praised her. "I never cease to be amazed at how easily you manipulate idiots."
"That's what they lack intelligence for — to serve those who are stronger and smarter than them."
"Expendable, sadly," the man stroked her lekku, touching erogenous zones, causing the girl to let out a long moan.
"But how do you plan to capture the sectors whose senators you promised to free from the CIS?" at the Master's demand, the girl moved, lying on her back on the bed, allowing the man to set the pace of their union.
"Jabba won't miss his chance. It's no coincidence I offered him those 'restoration works' and 'refugee aid.' The criminals will destroy the CIS forces, while also significantly depleting their own ranks. The Hutts will do all the dirty work for us before the need for their services disappears. And then, the sectors, whose defensive power won't be able to compare with our army and fleet, will secede from the Republic, first in secret, and then openly join us. And in the rear of both the CIS and the Republic, centers of resistance to both armies will emerge, which will force both opponents, in the event of an open conflict, to stretch their supply lines. Which will ultimately lead to my victory. And peace will reign over the galaxy once more."
"Your plan is magnificent, master," the girl licked her dry lips. "I'm glad to be part of the mechanism for its implementation."
"And I'm just as glad, Atroxa," and before she could say anything in response, the man silenced her with a kiss.
And though she wouldn't remember everything he told her that night, deep inside she would know firmly that throughout their entire mission, it was she, the miraculously saved lady Sith, who turned out to be the most devoted servant of the Eternal Emperor Dougan.
* * *