I was released from the ceremony quite quickly. Along the way, I was equipped with a mission to find another Sith artifact in the backwaters, roughly speaking. After all, I intended, or rather blurted out, that upon becoming a Knight, I would head to the Outer Rim. Damn my tongue... As a result, I have to go to Rishi. A tropical planet where some pirates have settled, who, according to the information given to me, have acquired an ancient Sith artifact. As usual, no one knows what the Jedi Archaeologist dug up on some planet in the Outer Rim. But the result is this – he was shot... The artifact was taken from the corpse. And lo and behold – at the same time – a pirate crew, bearing the unsubstantiated name "Shot," another figment of someone's dark genius – appeared on Rishi. And before that, it was reported that the crew had been hanging around the archaeologist's work sector.
Naturally, the Council wished to resolve the situation. Why did this cause me to grind my teeth? For one thing, because I intended to fly to the Outer Rim to start creating my "shelters just in case." One must be prepared for everything, especially that Sidious will outplay me. Especially Sidious. And not only him... Even the Dathomirian Witches should not be underestimated. And yet, I once thought that they, with their Magic on par with the Force, didn't really matter. But no... There will always be someone who can kill me with something other than the Force. And it would be better for me to be prepared for any situation. There is nothing shameful or disgraceful in fleeing...
In the end, it's better to be a living coward than a dead hero, in the form of a Force Ghost, messing with the minds of some avengers to kill my enemies... No... Gifted individuals with my character don't become Ghosts. And that's not important now... I became a Jedi Knight! What any boy dreamed of. I have a lightsaber, the Force, a ship, and a droid. As well as a carte blanche to explore the galaxy. I will have to interrupt it for Order missions, though. But it is assumed that the Shadow mainly operates separately from the entire Order, searching for dark artifacts, gifted individuals, bringing the former to the Temple and destroying the latter. Now the room in the Temple, where Lorne and I used to live, and then gave to Kuro and left to me – is given only to me. Kuro certainly, considering her meager belongings that she levitated telekinetically in front of her, wasn't going to stay.
"Mentor," I turned around. The Dark Woman entered my room, as always, quietly.
"Leave that address for Master Yoda," the woman chuckled, the hood she always preferred to hide part of her face, thus creating an aura of mystery, this time did not hide her face. "Now you are a Knight, which means you are my equal. By rank, if not by skill."
"Certainly not by skill," I grunted.
"I hear a reproach in your voice," the woman's lips curved into a mocking smile, "is it that old grievance of yours that I didn't teach you teleportation?" She sat down on the sofa.
"I'm no longer offended by you for that. Besides, who better than you," I sat down opposite her, "knows how to teach it. And whom..."
"Have you really grown up?" Kuro said in disbelief. "Although, considering your entire journey... Perhaps something has changed in you. But you know," she put on a thoughtful expression. "What still connected you to that girl? Sweet Karnur..."
"You promised not to ask," I said, slightly coldly, causing Kuro's pupils to widen in surprise. Did I answer too rudely?
"Hmm," she scratched her chin, "I promised. But then you were just a Padawan. Now you are a Knight. And I remember how wistfully you looked at your ship's engine when it was nearby. And I noticed how you look at her holophotos..."
"Alright... I had a Force connection with her. Spontaneous. Will that answer satisfy you?" I even said loudly.
"Don't shout and don't make a scene," Kuro replied calmly. "I just want to help you. To sort out your feelings. A spontaneous Force connection, you say. Did you fall in love with her, yes?"
I just looked at her coldly.
"How formidable you've become since they made you a Knight, Light, it's a joy to behold. Pride and confidence have come. Well. I understood the essence of the problem... And it's far from unique in our Order. Such things happen from time to time. You know, I would advise you to let all this go. I know, I know, I know..." she raised her hands in a protective gesture. "It's not for me to say. But you know what the essence is – a Jedi Knight shouldn't grieve over such things for long."
"I thought – he shouldn't love," I noted.
"We are not forbidden to love," Kuro said, standing up. "We are forbidden to become attached, to descend to the level of passion. And you had a connection with that girl. Unexpected, beautiful, and so warm... First love. Just like in those cheap romances they sell on the HoloNet. The ads always recommend I buy them..."
"Mentor. Are you aware that HoloNet advertising always adapts to the most frequent search queries of an account?"
"Meaning?" she looked at me in surprise.
"You didn't know? If a sentient often searches for Twi'lek porn – then the ads offer porn sites. And if – 'cheap love novels,' then..." Kuro's face even turned slightly red. "Oh... Did I say something wrong? I never would have thought that my great mentor, An'ya Kuro herself, who is called almost the best among the new generation of Shadows – is looking for such things..."
"If you tell anyone," she growled, "I'll cut you to shreds..."
"Yes, yes," I nodded. "Rest assured, mentor. Wherever I die, I will not reveal your secret, even if my spirit is tortured by the most vile Sith executioners in the history of their Order. But regarding Mila... I've already dealt with it, mentor. I truly... I think it was a miracle to find such a girl for someone like me. Although it was more of a miracle that we found each other. The moments spent with her... Some might say we spent very little time, what kind of love... But for me, every second was like an eternity. Every moment I wanted to relive for ten years... But that didn't happen. And largely because, although my mind was ready for such a relationship, my powers were not ready for them. I learned a lesson. Or I think I did. But in any case," I looked her in the eyes, "don't worry about me, mentor..."
"You have beautiful eyes," she said unexpectedly, standing up. "I wouldn't want to make them dim, Knight Light Flaingstar. I'm leaving right now. I suspect you'll wait until the next day," I nodded, "so. May the Force be with you. Despite everything – I also learned something from you."
"And with you, Knight An'ya. May the Force be with you."
She smiled and, nodding to me, headed for the exit.
"Terry," her voice was heard in the corridor. "I'll make the Order fire you if my fighter isn't ready to fly right now!"
Well. There she goes again. Well, that's An'ya Kuro herself. According to canon, she constantly travels to the farthest outskirts, like a Shadow. And all Shadows are like that. As my mentor told me:
"Maximum asceticism"
"Elimination of any threats to the Jedi Order, at almost any cost."
These are the two main rules of the corps I joined. In general, Guardians, which includes Shadows, are a mixed bag of the entire Order. As is known, according to a simplified classification, Defenders focus on the saber. Consulars – on the Force. And Guardians... On anything, actually. Although it is believed that they are the ones who can "maintain a balance between the saber and the Force." And they are partly right. Perhaps many will say that I am more of a duelist than a Consular who uses the Force. And these sentients will be very wrong. After all, I actively use the Force in combat. True, mostly on myself, strengthening myself during jumps, movements, strikes, and spins. I also use the Force for sensory perception during combat. That is, my dueling and the Force complement each other, essentially being in balance. And I haven't even mentioned that I'm strong in telekinesis and can use pyrokinesis.
Well. The main thing now is not this. I glanced at the datapad, or rather at the dossier indicated in the mission. So, the leader... Lothar, a Rodian. A long list of crimes. Theft, murder, slave trading, rape... Damn it. How is such garbage still alive? With his record, a Defender should have been sent after him long ago, with support, however minimal, from the Judicial Corps. The current state of the Corps is various frigates and escort ships, which ideally should protect trade routes and chase pirates. The DP20 frigate, also known as the Corellian gunship, or Carrack, a gunship, although some call it a cruiser. No... For a very long time, the Republic has not been fulfilling its duties at all, not in the Outer Rim and even in rare cases – to closer planets. And the life of this pirate group of Lothar is a perfect example. Most likely, he also bribes those who need to, so they don't bother him.
Maybe I should take him out first? Although no.
It is preferable to retrieve the Sith artifacts. And yet... One doesn't preclude the other – take out the trash, and then retrieve the artifacts. The main thing is to attack correctly. You don't have to go head-on. You can just strike from behind. After all, I've learned to hide. The main problem is that the planet Rishi is not just another tropical paradise. It's a paradise for smugglers and pirates of all stripes. A paradise that the Republic is not going to destroy, not at all. Although... I suspect, if you find a competent Admiral from the Judicial Corps – then... You can hear a lot of unpleasant things from him, because, as I saw online, "with the current tubs, fighting truly large formations is useless. They will be crushed into powder!" Although clearly, some "couch analyst" wrote there, who, as always – without smelling gunpowder, knows better than any, the most correct and competent Senators – how to govern the galaxy. And in addition... Don't show sentients what is in the Kuat Sector. That's for sure – an epileptic seizure, even for the healthiest individuals. After all, there is the first in the series, as I heard, "Procurator," a ship – two and a half thousand meters long, in fact – a precursor to Venators and ISD. A big toy for big boys, designed to make anyone who opens their mouth at Kuat think seriously. They say that Jedi Consulars in expanded composition flew to Kuat to ask them not to produce these ships. All they achieved was that the Kuatians would use the ship only for their defense. Well, we know... How corporations can "defend" their interests. But back to the pirate...
Most likely, someone simply benefits from his existence. On the other hand... You can study this planet for a possible refuge. Hiding among the dregs of society is not ideal. But on the other hand, if you want to survive, you'll go to such lengths. Sending the coordinates to BB-7, I decided to take a walk around Coruscant. After all, I still have a whole day to rest. And getting to this ecumenopolis is the dream of any self-respecting Star Wars fan. Or so I think? In any case, I ordered the necessary speeder and headed for the commercial districts. On the streets of Coruscant, it was exactly as I had seen in many works of the universe. Speeders zipped by at high speeds. The commercial district, one of many, located not far from the Senate building and the Jedi Temple, was quite elite and expensive.
The streets were filled with residents in rather rich clothing, if we consider the fashion of the Old Republic. My eyes widened in surprise at the prices. However, with an income from the license for the production of BB-series droids, which were in vogue at the court of King Sephi himself – I could afford some things. So... What to study first? The technicians in the hangar talked about the release of a new processor for datapads. Datapads can be disassembled, their components replaced. In particular, their processors can be changed. In general, most models are not disassembled... But mine has such a useful feature as "the ability to be disassembled with component replacement."
"Can I help you?" a question was heard. The seller turned out to be a human male. He even tried to peek slightly under the hood. However, his lack of culture didn't help him. What kind of manners are these – to look under someone's hood?
"I heard that a new processor for datapads has recently come onto the market," I said calmly. "I'm interested."
I brought my left hand to him and activated mine.
"Ha," the man nodded. "You're in the wrong place. You have something more powerful installed here. That is, I would say – you are clearly a Jedi. Because the series included in your assembly, frankly speaking... is not for everyone. And it came out," he pointed to the stands, "the civilian version of this processor. A cut-down version. It's enough for games, you can surf the HoloNet. But yours is still cooler. However, if you want to exchange..."
"Ah, you believe I'll exchange mine for yours, after all you've said?" I chuckled slightly.
"I have products straight from the factory. And your datapad, Master Jedi – has clearly seen better days. I think – the newer one will be better than the used one..."
"You contradict yourself again," I interrupted the man. "If the newer one is better than the used one, why do you want to take this used one from me."
"I want to see what they've customized at the request of the Judicial Corps. I've heard rumors that they're embezzling money there, Master Jedi, on their orders."
Mmm... Well, such a thriving existence of smugglers and pirates, as it were, hints that there is a carve-up. After all, if the police don't get a cut of the money... Then crime is pressed to some extent. Although—there are some things in the Republic that the Order itself controls. And here, it's very difficult to carve something up... Maybe it will all end with them sending a Jedi Investigator, who also belongs to the Guardians, and they will bring all the corruption data to light. And if that's not enough—they might send a Shadow, just to simply destroy the impudent one. Although we are usually sent after the Gifted. But... As they say: why not? Especially if the corrupt official greatly angers someone like Ezar. According to Kuro, he always keeps his finger "on the pulse" of such matters, and every now and then, the Shadow cuts down one of the most odious embezzlers of state property.
"No," I shook my head. "What won't be, won't be."
"As you wish," the man said indifferently, returning behind the counter.
Just don't pretend to be world-weary. As soon as I left the store and walked a couple of meters, I almost collided nose-to-nose with a green-skinned Twi'lek.
"You need to be more careful!" the girl snorted.
"You should train your own sensory perception, Rela," I grumbled.
And I should be ready for such situations. Otherwise, next time, it won't be Rela who runs into me, but someone with a vibroknife. And that's it... Goodbye, Light.
"Light," the girl exclaimed. My ears pricked up. How unpleasant and a little unexpected. Rela was dressed in standard Jedi attire this time.
"Well, hello," I nodded to the girl.
"Light," the voice of another sentient reached me. A woman, about forty years old, dressed in brown-hued Jedi clothing. So, this is Rela's master? The woman's face was moderately beautiful, with "Asian notes," I would say. The hilt of a standard lightsaber was on her belt, to the right. "I am Knight Mira Adari," the woman introduced herself. "Your friend, Rela?"
"Yes," I nodded slightly to the woman. "As of this morning: Jedi Knight Light Flaingstar."
"Hmm," the woman examined me with curiosity. "And you're also a Knight, then."
"What? Light, you became a Knight?" Rela didn't change her loud tone. For which she received a smack on the back of the head from her mentor.
"If you keep yelling at every sentient like this, you'll never become a Knight."
"Ouch," Rela rubbed the back of her head, under her lekku.
And she's still the same. Although... I glanced again at Rela's figure; even in Jedi robes, she'd make a great diplomat. At least—she could learn to negotiate excellently with men.
"Are you strolling?" I asked the teacher-student pair.
"We're working," the woman replied businesslike. "Rela, she's decided to prepare something for an upcoming mission. And it will be serious, where all your abilities will be required," she looked sternly at the girl. "And it seems someone has problems with sensory perception."
Right. I have problems, if, even in a crowd, I bumped into a sentient nose-to-nose. Or is it because I don't particularly use techniques outside of combat? Bad, Light! Not a passing grade! A Jedi must always be vigilant!
"Sensory perception is Light's prerogative," Rela tried to justify herself.
"And so what? Is that a reason not to train it?" under the gaze of her serious mentor, Rela faltered. "However—perhaps your friend can help you with training, since my instructions aren't helping."
I myself feel that I've slipped a bit. Although the issue here is not the quality of mastering the Technique, but its application. At least to maintain a weakened version, to be ready for anything. Although Jedi are already sensitive to their surroundings... But why not train myself in this aspect to develop better.
"Hmm," I thoughtfully scratched my chin. "I'm flying out tomorrow. But..." I looked at Rela, "I agree to help her a little. I have an interesting method—how I developed my sensory perception."
"That's all good, but first—Rela will buy what she wanted for the mission. The person we are going to see values precious stones. And since we need to negotiate with him, for the maximum benefit of the Republic—then, as my student thought, it would be right to present him with a gift that corresponds to our interests. Right, Rela?"
"Yes," the girl nodded.
"And the Order accepted this proposal?" I asked the Knight. "It should allocate funds then."
Instead of an answer, the woman took a credit chip from her pocket with a barely visible marking of the Jedi Order.
"And this is how it works in our Order. Funds—there are. Rela—knows this person's favorite materials and tastes," she nodded to her student. "Diplomacy—is about compromises and, sometimes, concessions, sometimes gifts... The worst thing is some... incredible sacrifices that must be made. Although—the more talented the negotiator, the fewer sacrifices, concessions, compromises, and gifts are required from them. I suspect you are listening with interest," the woman looked at me.
"Alas, I underestimated diplomacy a little," I sighed. Building a Republic, damn it, founded on a new social contract. Yeah, right, I'll build it without understanding the basics of diplomacy. "Now I need to improve it."
"So that's it. It seems we've found how Rela will pay for her training today," the woman said with satisfaction. "You will help train my student in sensory perception. And she will give you her notes, which she kept from when she first became my Padawan."
The girl just nodded at her master's proposal.
Sitting and meditating in the training hall, I waited for my friend. I didn't find anything interesting in the shopping district anyway. Except for a couple of games, which I bought in abundance. I was also interested in a promotional booklet from the Caridian Military Academy. And not only that. They were showing advertisements for Alderaanian University... And I realized. The gaps in knowledge, which I, out of my own stupidity, ignored, dreaming only of becoming stronger, can be filled not only through self-education. Self-education can be unsystematic. But also by studying the systematic programs of universities in the Galaxy. After all—the fact that I am a Jedi Knight—does not prohibit me from enrolling in these universities. It seems I have another interesting point in my plan... I didn't even know what to do after creating shelters on the planets.
Although, I suspect—studying at universities will be easier. Shelters must not only be created but also developed. For this, it is necessary to buy many manufactured goods, and preferably—in secret. And only then fly to the chosen planets. The doors opened... Among many Jedi, the mentor of Rela finally entered, accompanied by the girl herself.
"Let's begin training," I stood up, raising my hand. Exactly in the Twi'lek's palm was a helmet, which we used for training to deflect blaster shots, levitated.
"I will learn to deflect shots?" Rela's pupils widened in surprise.
"No," I shook my head and raised my hand.
Before coming here—I found many small rubber balls.
"I will launch all these balls at you using my telekinesis. And I will control them with the main goal—to beat you with them. Your goal will be, using sensory perception—to dodge."
"Can I use my lightsaber?"
"Yes," I nodded, "but use a training one so as not to destroy the balls. Your goal will be—to reach me, taking minimal damage. Using sensory perception—analyze the path, obstacles, dodge attacks, deflect them with your lightsaber. I am, however, a novice in training other sentients. But, I believe, it will work."
"It will work," the woman nodded. "I wasn't mistaken when I assumed you could come up with something interesting. This training will test not only sensory perception but also the physical condition of the body. Otherwise, Rela has recently become addicted to pastries..."
"I haven't become addicted to anything! And anyway! Let's start the training!" she pulled a training lightsaber to herself, putting on the helmet.
"Let's start," I nodded, "with thirty," I immediately raised thirty balls into the air.
Rela rushed into the attack... And... Honestly, her situation wasn't the worst. At least she reacted confidently to the attacks... If we don't talk about blind spots, like her legs. She was usually used to using her lightsaber above her stomach. As a result, her legs remained unprotected, although she tried to dodge, but not with my telekinesis. I mercilessly punished the girl with the balls, which flew quite fast. As a result, despite all my cruelty in her training—she managed.
"Well," her teacher concluded. "That was an interesting method. Rela will send you the materials, I hope," she smiled, "you'll understand something from her notes..."
Her Padawan lay at my feet, sweaty, breathing heavily. On some exposed areas of her skin, there were shining marks of hits.
"The training was effective," I agreed.
"That's why I'll start using it too," the woman picked up Rela with telekinesis.
"WHAT?! NO! Not this," the Twi'lek wailed.
"Yes. Otherwise, we've neglected the combat aspect too much. Diplomacy is good, but sometimes a Jedi simply has no other choice. All the best, Knight Light. May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you," I nodded in return, returning the balls to the bag I brought them in with telekinesis. Well... Tomorrow I'll head to Rishi—to take out the trash and get acquainted with the work of the Shadow. And after completing the mission... I'll have something to do.