Admission to Alderaan University was conducted in the form of a standard exam in university lecture halls. Given the information Jonnal provided me with, applicants were seated in lecture halls for the exam, in front of computers, given a time limit, tasks, and that's it... Everything else depends on the applicant. How they cope. It's worth noting that you can finish earlier than the allotted time for the exam. I was applying for one of the most prestigious specialties at this university. Public Administration. This specialty prepared bureaucrats of various levels, from local to Republic Senate level. Graduates could receive job offers from local authorities as well as from various Republic committees and subcommittees. Of course, everyone understood that Sentients were equal, but some were more equal than others. And only those with enough money or connections got the most lucrative positions. But this did not detract from the prestige of the program. And, naturally, the passing scores are incredibly high. What needed to be passed? Within five days, the applicant had to take three exams: knowledge of Galactic Basic, galactic history, and mathematics, or rather, its transitional state into economics. It was also possible to choose an additional specialization, essentially an elective, for which exams also had to be taken. One could choose up to three electives. Without much thought, I enrolled myself in an elective on "political negotiations," which hid the "diplomacy" that I sometimes ignored, contrary to logic. And "in-depth state economics"... Well, I think that's clear. Essentially, in the first, I wanted to study negotiations between "respected Sentients from the political feeding trough." More precisely, Sentients who have or represent political power. And compare what is studied here with Rela's findings. And in the second, to better understand what this mythical superstructure of "state budget and what to eat it with" is. And to understand it so well that, in theory, only the state eats it in the future, not the damn corrupt officials who, in the Far, Far Away, have acquired a galactic, in the truest sense of the word, scale. Roughly speaking, here I will focus entirely on civilian specialties. And I should think about my lack of military education...
Even more so... I haven't served. A Jedi today is nothing more than an elite commando. A warrior... And it was like that even in the Clone Wars. Space combat could often be entrusted to an Admiral, or a Venator Captain. And you could sit behind the controls of a fighter and go chase down starfighter droids. The same with ground combat, where a Jedi General would rush to the front lines, swinging his sword. At times, this would boost the soldiers' morale. The General himself is with us. But coordination of all units should also pass through the General... And I doubt that while you're deflecting blaster fire, you'll have time to study a tactical map on a holographic projector. In short, my long-held opinion that it wouldn't hurt me to have an idea about both space and planetary combat. Maybe I'll even gain some practical experience, even before the Clone Wars, if they happen...
In short, I perfectly understand that without certain knowledge, nothing will work out for me. Or it will work out, but I'll be like a farmer who was entrusted to become president. It's one thing if the farmer had prior training and knew what he was getting into. It's another thing if he rose to power on a wave of populism, and then suddenly realized that shouting from the rostrum that the people will live well now and actually doing something in politics are two different things. As they say: we say one thing, and do another. The sad fate of populists of all stripes. And the main thing here is not to get carried away. The star named Alderaan, like the planet, illuminated Aldera. The initial shock from the prices in this beautiful city has passed. All that remains is the understanding that prices are prices, but the Order will pay for everything...
I had no doubts about my knowledge. The Force, as well as my mind, which I had trained by learning something since birth, demonstrated excellent results. If I want to get to Bail Antilles and get acquainted with him, I must get into the best group of students. Where people got in for two reasons: connections-money... I have no connections, because who could a merchant from Tustra know? If I were a Sephi aristocrat... Though, I am an aristocrat by Sephi standards, of course. After all, my mother's family of handmaidens is essentially a rather significant family that produces specialized courtiers. But to use my name and surname would be like shouting that I am a Jedi left and right. Which Jonnal and I decided not to do. In the databases, it says Light from the Flyingstar family. And even without a photo, everyone will be smart enough to put two and two together. And we are aristocrats only for Tustra. Yes, we have a title, but it's hardly enough to secure places among the cream of society. The second aspect of the first reason is money. And if, again, I start flashing the financial well-being of Taivi Lanian from Tustra, questions will arise. It's one thing to rent a place in Aldera, to show off a little. But to get into that elite group, you need to have incredible money, which is incredible for a simple merchant from Tustra. The second reason for getting into the elite group is passing scores. So the reason why I will get into the elite group is clear. Five days, and I will be admitted to a rather prestigious university. I will have to carefully analyze Bail, his circle, and gain his trust. In short, play the role of a spy. Though I am a Shadow, and the main goal of a Shadow is the ability to penetrate the impenetrable.
Only one thing worries me. What kind of creature are we up against... Until now, he has been undetectable. And now we know almost nothing about him. He manages to find Force artifacts, Jedi, whom he then finds them before him, or together with him – he kills. And it's very strange that the Shadows haven't been able to identify him for so long. And I'm not overestimating them. The Shadows, if they want to, can do a lot. We have excellent slicers in our service who can hack any computer and database, scouts, additional spies. And that's not to mention that Jonnal, as it turned out, simply loves to put his agents in situations where these agents, the Shadows, have to show ingenuity and miracles of cunning, that is, to grow above themselves. With all our punitive apparatus, our enemy is devilishly good at wriggling out... Either he knows the structure of the Jedi Order and its logic of functioning perfectly, especially the Shadows, which clearly suggests that he could, in theory, have been a Jedi... Or he has a mole who is leaking everything to him. It's worth noting that one doesn't exclude the other. And who is it? It's too early to suspect Xanatos, he's still in the Order. He's running around the Outer Rim with Quayle, as I understand it. Besides, the enemy appeared long before Xanatos himself.
However, we shouldn't forget to consider the Sith as culprits. Both Palpatine and Damask held all the Jedi, with their skills, knowledge, and structures, in contempt. They may or may not be involved here... And other Dark Cults may be involved. I, after all, have underestimated them until now. At least, I won't underestimate the Night Sisters of Dathomir now. I even feel like blowing them up with Delta Base Zero from some super-dreadnought. Especially in the first days, after the defeat that Lorne and I suffered... And not just the Dark Sisters. Prophets of the Dark Side, the Lost Tribe of the Sith... Many could emerge... Yes, a tough task. However, it's better to postpone this for now, until I penetrate the secrets of House Antilles, or rather, their hypothetical connection to our enemy. Even if they are not guilty, there should be some traces left. Well, it's time to get up.
In the morning, I performed a classic meditation, disassembling and cleaning my weapons. Weapons should always be kept clean. However, it's not worth taking them with me. So I hid them again in the statue of King Larik. Bracers... I took the bracers, hiding them under rather loose clothing. Maybe I should attach a hidden blade to them, like assassins? So that no one could notice... However, modern metal detectors will quickly figure out what's what. And my skills will be enough to fend off the non-gifted. My whole body is my weapon. Plus the Force... The main thing is not to doze off. VV woke up with me, and after my usual routine – disassembling and cleaning weapons, meditation, washing – the droid stood before me, as if awaiting orders.
"So, VV," I folded my arms across my chest. "You stay here. I have an exam. But so you don't sit around doing nothing, you can connect to the HoloNet and search for information about the Antilles of Alderaan. I need some curious facts."
The droid emitted an encouraging trill and rolled towards the terminal. I, on the other hand, headed for the exit of the room. Before going anywhere, I still need to have breakfast. So I first headed to the hotel's dining room. It was huge, well-furnished. And... Damn it, the prices were incredible. However, remember that I have good funding, so complaining is foolish. Taking a salad of local vegetables as an appetizer and a meat dish as the main course, as well as caf, I sat down at a table. The meal was relatively peaceful. Except that I only caught a complaint from one of the visitors about a hangover. However, another sentient's hangover is their problem, not mine. The street greeted me with warm weather. Alderaan, the star, shone brightly.
The exam is scheduled for ten o'clock local time. There are still two hours until then. But custom dictates: "It's better to arrive before the exam than at the last minute." So I showed up at the university when there was still about an hour and a half before being admitted to the lecture hall. I was stopped at the entrance, asked who I was. But after checking the database and finding out that I was Taivi Lanian, taking the exam, they let me through without any problems. The university premises were bright. I found almost no dark corners. And at the same time, incredibly huge, judging by the height, each room was at least ten meters high. Now, essentially, it was vacation time, with new students being admitted. So there were no crowds of students here. But I already noticed anxious applicants reading something. They were milling around the exam lecture halls. My lecture hall was number one hundred and one. Near it, future applicants stood, sat, and waited.
The contingent was mostly human. At first, my potential fellow students met me indifferently. And then they noticed my slightly pointed ears. Some widened their pupils in surprise. It was then that I noticed Bail Antilles. A young man in rich clothes. He looked no more than twenty years old. Tall and stately... He examined me with curiosity, and then shifted his gaze somewhere to the side. Hmm... It's not time to get acquainted with him yet.
"Listen," one of the guys who was lounging on the windowsill approached me. "Who are you?"
"A Sentient," I replied calmly. "I am Taivi Lanian from Tustra. A Sephi."
"Sephi?" the guy repeated.
"What, didn't you hear, Jaiko?" asked his companion, who was also sitting next to him. "These are the pointy-eared ones from Tustra. Not quite human."
"Not human," Jaiko grimaced slightly.
"Do you have any problems?" I asked pointedly. "Or has Alderaan become a human-centric planet? Yes, I'm a Sephi. So what?"
"Listen, don't get smart, Sephi. My father has people like you as servants, washing clothes and carrying champagne trays."
"I'm happy for your father," I said softly. "But it has nothing to do with me. Excuse me, but I want to review the material that will be on the exam."
I moved to the opposite wall, sat on a free chair, and next to the walls were comfortable sofas, and began to review, opening my datapad. However, I also observed "Mr. Racist," who had Sephi as servants, out of the corner of my eye. Funny joke. Sephi can at most be mercenaries for his father, but not servants in the roles he described. Serving like that, in my people, is only done for other Sephi who have earned respect, or whose family has earned respect. So this sentient, Jaiko, is ridiculous. I glanced at his group again. Jaiko himself was tall and stately, with platinum hair and blue eyes. The correct facial features indicated that he was an aristocrat. The guy who rebuked him was red-haired with brown eyes. And there were two more among them. One of them sat hunched over, constantly looking at Jaiko, more like a leader. He was short and had gray hair. And the last one, with black hair, seemed to pay attention to nothing but the information on his datapad. A company of four, most likely, one of whom is definitely a rich aristocrat and the ringleader, the second, judging by his correct facial features, is also from an aristocratic family. The one who sits hunched over might be from a smaller family and considers himself almost Jaiko's servant. And the last one, who doesn't care about anything and, as a rule, the third is the true voice of reason in this company.
I opened the personal files of the applicants that the Order had given me. Hmm... All four are aristocrats from the Tapani sector. Moreover, Jaiko is a member of House Mecetti, one of the most influential houses in the Tapani sector. And the redhead comes from House Calypso. The one who looks at Jaiko like a loyal slave at his master is a member of House Alor, a vassal to Mecetti. And the last one is a member of House Rina from the Tapani sector. Who are these Tapanian nobles? They are, in essence, all the representations of nobles. They are a reflection of those very aristocrats: noble, but at the same time arrogant and vain. And Tapanian nobles have also developed their own lightsaber fencing style. There is a so-called group: "armed thugs." The essence is aristocrats who use lightsabers in their duels, albeit slightly weakened, because the quality of their crystals cannot compare to what we mine on Ilum... Let alone mine, which I got from the stomach of a krayt dragon. Those crystals, as Master Yoda himself noted, are among the most powerful that a Jedi can obtain in our time. And they have a temper, resonating exclusively with my Force. With another user, they might work differently than with me. Ah, it's a shame I left my weapon in Larik's statue. I was already used to them in my scabbards, which I attached to my shoulder, above my elbow. The scabbards were hidden in special folds of clothing. So, in theory, I could have gotten in here with my weapon too.
In any case, it's better to get back to reviewing. Finally, after almost an hour, a woman who had long passed her prime came out to us and invited us inside.
"My name is Dorna Zara!" she introduced herself. The lecture hall turned out to be huge, tiered. That is, the subsequent row was always higher than the previous one. And I counted about ten such rows, each with thirty seats. And the applicants filled them all. "All of you are applicants who wish to enroll in the most prestigious specialty of our Alderaan University," I deliberately sat closer to Antilles to observe him. He looked at everything with a bored expression. "You should know that we have only three groups per course, each with thirty Sentients. Orek, Besh, and Kresh, respectively. Admission to each group depends on the exam scores. And yes... There are three hundred of you Sentients here," there were far fewer Sentients in the corridor. Most arrived right before the exam. "And in lecture hall two hundred and one, there are also three hundred Sentients. A total of six hundred. But only ninety will be admitted to the specialty," what a selection process they have here. If you divide it, it comes out to almost seven Sentients per place. Six point six six repeating. But it's better to round it, so seven Sentients per place. And it's worth noting that the selection is already from the wealthiest and best. "We have a total of three entrance exams. This is an exam in Galactic Basic, on which most of your study materials are written. You probably know that it consists of two parts. A test and a free-topic essay. The essays will be checked by instructors, and the results of today's exam will be posted on the university website tomorrow!" Well, they are productive. Six hundred essays in 24 hours. But how many instructors are there and what exactly do they check? "You have two hours for everything! Keep in mind that using any additional sources of information will result in disqualification. If you complete the tasks for more than two hours, you will be disqualified..." Wait... And the timer... She started it when she began her speech. Hutt! I started the computer and the exam program. There were three of them now. Since I'm taking Galactic Basic... My neighbors looked at me with surprise, and then they understood, as did most of the audience.
I have already stopped paying attention to the audience, focusing on completing the tasks. It took me about an hour, but I was absolutely sure that I would pass perfectly. And I could have finished earlier if I hadn't thought about some questions. Within another week, I passed the remaining subjects… And Jonnal reported that my groups were supplementary, that the main mass had already been enrolled. And… In part, he was right. The aristocrats, who have money and connections, go through the exam purely formally. To create an appearance. But in reality, by the second exam, I already had access to the database where the admitted students were listed. There were my acquaintances from the Tapani sector, and Antilles. In total, about twenty sentient beings, all admitted to the Aurek group, the most elite group of the course. And by the end of the week, I also got into the same group.
For you to start communicating with someone, you must study their interests. So I ordered descriptions of Antilles from the Order before the mission. Bale is a classic aristocrat. His intelligence indicator is above average. He showed himself well in the House's transport company. His hobbies include hunting and fencing. Probably some ceremonial one.
The academic year began for many unexpectedly. At least, on the first day of the first year, I met my fellow students frantically searching for their classrooms. Upon admission, I immediately announced myself by simply scoring the highest points, without much doubt receiving the right to enter the Aurek group. And I studied the university map, so finding the group's room was not difficult. It was a classic classroom, with three rows, each with ten desks. The classroom was already filled with my groupmates, who were chatting, some even too loudly.
"You passed too?" Dajko from House Meceti asked me. "I thought they wouldn't take someone like you into our group. At least because of the length of your ears."
"Hmm?" I glanced at his company. This time, among them, besides the standard four idiots, there was a short, black-haired girl with hair reaching her shoulders. "Well, the length of your ears is not an indicator of intelligence and knowledge."
"I'm not talking about that. I thought they wouldn't take non-humans into our group."
"Cut out your jokes," a voice came from behind Dajko. The speaker was one of the aristocrats of Alderaan, if I recall his personal file. House Leyros, Delon Leyros. The man was broad-shouldered, with a developed, muscular physique and black hair. "Alderaan offers equal opportunities for everyone."
"Well, I don't know," said Renard Calypso, Dajko's sycophant, "personally, I wouldn't mind if, in his place," he nodded at me, "a beautiful, sexy, and dumb Zeltron or Twi'lek was admitted. Knowing their place," he added.
"It's bad that you don't know your place," I said calmly. "Looking for a 'beautiful, sexy, and dumb' Zeltron or Twi'lek? Go work as a cleaner in a brothel," I walked past the group and sat down at the last desk, right behind Bale.
"You think I should work as a cleaner in a brothel?!" Renard asked.
"Again, it wasn't me who said that," I grinned in his face.
"Ah, you..."
"Renard," Dajko interrupted him. The red-haired man looked at the "leader" and calmed down. "And you should be careful, Sefi. You are insulting someone who is above you."
"If I stand on the desk, I will be higher."
"You're either stupid or looking for trouble. Linda," he looked at the only girl in the company.
She got up from her desk and walked a little closer to me.
"Please, apologize to the young gentleman and his friends. Or I will have to beat you," she said without ceremony. Well, I'll be… I clearly feel this girl's Force. Yes, she is Gifted. True, weak.
So, what did I read about the Tapanian? They once had a thriving Order of Mekroza. A peculiar order of assassins that recruited from the Gifted. The Order was long destroyed. More precisely, their core, consisting of the Gifted. Later, they seemed to start recruiting non-Gifted as well. However, maybe they recruited Gifted too. What am I leading to? This girl is clearly trained, she controls the Force. Which means it's quite likely she was trained in such an Order. Or someone else… Interesting.
"You too? Beat me?" I asked her. "Don't talk nonsense. You won't do anything to me…"
"Linda…"
"So," a loud voice came from the podium. "Everyone to your seats! It's time to get acquainted."
And this is one of the reasons why we won't escalate the conflict into a sharp phase right now. The head of the course appeared. I recognize him. This is that lanky old man who was our examiner in galactic history.
"First year, Aurek group, major – public administration, right?" he asked us, and then surveyed us all with a critical gaze. "It could have been worse. Alright. Let's start the roll call. I'll get to know you. Yes… You remember me. I am Norman Doltan, lecturer in the political history of the Galaxy. In my classes, you will analyze the main political systems of the Galactic states, their peculiarities, advantages, and disadvantages. But now it's not my class, but an introductory one for the group. I am also your curator. And I want to explain a couple of rules. First – order above all. We are not in a military academy, of course," he stared at Dajko. "But you must understand that insulting anyone, threatening to beat them, provoking them," he now stared at me, "is not fitting for students of Alderaan University. At least if you want to show your aristocratic arrogance, then not on the territory. Rule two – exams above all. Results above all. Study and you will pass the semester exams. If you don't learn anything… You won't answer anything… And it doesn't matter who your father is, how many credits he has, what he owns. You will be kicked out of here like a cork from a bottle!" – a serious statement. "Did I make myself clear?" he swept his gray eyes over the entire audience. "On our website, you can find the schedule, as well as the University charter. Any questions? No. Then now I will teach you how to access your personal account, and also tell you how to find the University's electronic library and download your study materials from there. Let's begin…"