The path to the underwater yacht began from the pier. Which was in the domain of House Organa. And I arrived as a guest of House Antilles. Which automatically lowered my reputation by a hundred. However, this circumstance hardly bothered me. In general, lately, I've felt as if something has settled within me. In my mind... What didn't fit before: character, worldview, views on many issues – has come together like a mosaic. Perhaps it's the effect of studying at the University? After all, here I seriously threw myself into my studies and began to understand many things... Before, I was constantly swayed from side to side. And my views were simply terrible, there's no other way to describe them.
But now, as if a veil had been lifted from my eyes. And in parallel, I experienced a qualitative leap in mastering the abilities of the Force. Specifically the Force, I trained, meditated, learned to apply techniques with less concentration. Character, by the way, can directly influence Force abilities. After all, much depends on the emotions of the Force-sensitive: the Dark and Light Sides of the Force. However, here I began to develop a more scientific approach. While studying the philosophy of the Celestial River, which effectively copied that of Earth, from which I originated, I concluded that analyzing the Force through the prism of the sides' colors and the Force-sensitive's emotions is possible, but it's not for me.
So, "a view on the Force and its abilities" was also added to my agenda. Becoming interested in such a question, figuratively speaking, in January, I delved into the Archives of the Order, or rather into historical chronicles that contained information about all the currents of Force-sensitives in the galaxy. Those that have survived, naturally. I was looking for descriptions of how other currents viewed the Force, what they wanted, how they directed it, and what they achieved in the end. The Matukai, as some of the first I met, were the first to be studied. I was interested in this Order at least because of their abilities. After that, I switched to the Dathomirian Witches and the Sith. The most important thing a Jedi must observe when studying such knowledge is never to try to involve emotions in the study. It will end badly.
And I explored their views, recalling facts from my past life. However, there is a difference. In my past life, I didn't have fourteen thousand midi-chlorians and a talent for the Force. And in my past life, I didn't experience all that I have in this one. So, my formed views from my past life could influence my conclusions, but not in the first or even the second place. As a result, I still haven't made progress in forming what could be called a new view of the Force itself. But it sounds interesting: to try to develop my own concept of the Force and possibly get a chance to become much stronger than all known Force-sensitives. However, there's a chance that my own kind will kill me, or that what I deduce will turn out to be useless nonsense expelled by a diseased mind...
Knowing about these chances, I still couldn't help but try to do something. Before, remembering the thousands of attempts by Jedi and other Force-sensitives to reinvent the Force for themselves, as well as their failures, I would have stopped. Why bother? Everything is already known, history is long written, I just need to add something to stay afloat myself, not to die. But now I know that this is the position of an idiot. I have a second chance, a second life. I don't know where it will lead me. Maybe to a battle with Palpatine on a tropical planet, as I dreamed? Or I'll die much earlier, in a fight with some new Dark Force-sensitive, or at least with our current enemy. Perhaps only the Force knows: when and where I will end my journey in this galaxy. But what does it matter that this is a long-written history? One should try, no matter how it is written and where it leads. Do everything I can and even more. Therefore, no excuses, such as: "well, this is already known, so...". There are moments that I definitely won't want to change. And there are those that literally beg to be changed.
And for the latter, I will need everything I can do for myself. A new view of the Force, a new fencing style, the skills of a politician, a commander... I need to learn a lot, if not everything. I need to discover and reconsider – a lot, if not everything. And only then, by doing what I must, will I be able to achieve the best result. Which I will never regret... Organa's guards looked unpleasantly at Antilles, who was walking in front of me. And near us walked Antilles' guards. The coast of Apalis was represented by a small port town, entirely under the rule of House Apalis, which, in turn, was a staunch supporter of House Organa. Even the guards here were from House Organa.
A light sea breeze refreshed us. The city looked beautiful, built of stone that, according to information, was quarried by the first colonists in the surrounding mountains, which rose not far from the city itself. I was dressed in a silver three-piece suit and a black shirt. I took the lightsabers with me... In a special format. Taking them out of Larik's statue in the morning, I placed them in the VV-7; inside the droid was a storage compartment made of neuraneum. Getting this metal was quite difficult, but possible for someone in my position. As a result, I was given another couple of hundred grams of this substance, metal. Using Force forging, for many weeks, during my meditations, I diligently lined the internal "pockets-grooves" of the VV-7, which I had designed so that it could hide my lightsabers, additionally. Because of the neuraneum with which I lined these pockets, scanners were unable to detect anything that was in the pocket. On the scanners, everything was perceived as part of the droid's structure. Thanks to Grandpa Sidious for the idea. After all, it's better to learn from others than from your own experience. Who else but me can understand this?
Amella Doyn, walking beside me in her favorite green dress, tried to stay close to me. Miya clung to Antilles, and Rulana and Delon were already on the "Alderaan's Blue" and were supposed to meet us there.
"Taivi," Bail said quietly, slightly pushing Miya aside and taking advantage of the noise our procession was making, as well as the fact that it was quite loud near the port where we were. "What we talked about..."
"I delivered your message to the intended recipient," I said. For the first time in three months, Jonnal hadn't chewed me out over the holocomm... How he irritates me in such moments, Master Jonnal Ezar is definitely a Master of Dun Moch. "The Shadow was sent," or rather, I myself, being close to him, had to take everything Bail had. "When she arrives on the planet, you'll find out."
"How?" the Antilles heir asked me.
"Oh, believe me. When he arrives, you definitely won't forget it. Or you will forget it, depending on how you look at it..."
"Do you know who was sent here?" Bail asked me. "Who is he?"
"Are you serious?" I said, even loudly, looking at Bail. "I told you: the Shadow. Doesn't the title mean anything to you? This guy won't want you to expose him. You wouldn't ask your House's spy, in any situation, to reveal their background, would you? Let's just agree that asking about his identity is not the best idea, I'd say – even dangerous."
"Can he kill me?"
"He's one of my uncle's acquaintances and taught me at his request. And yes – he can enter your mansion, slaughter everyone with a lightsaber, including your fencing master, leave, and then repeat the same with Organa."
"I wouldn't mind the latter," Bail chuckled.
"But you have some idea of his strength?" I asked him.
"Did he teach you to fight like that?" Bail replied with a question.
"Uh-huh," I said grimly.
"I wonder if he can teach me too..."
"That's unlikely. The Shadow, you know, is too busy a Jedi to teach a pampered aristocrat the art of fencing," am I imagining things, or did the universe itself chuckle? No, I'm doing this solely for the mission. If you think about it, I generally find it interesting to communicate with aristocrats. At least Bail is smart... Delon is straightforward and honest, noble. And among the girls, Rulana, Delon's chosen one, is calm, though sometimes. Her character is more like Amella's. Only if Amella is burning, non-stop, twenty-four-seven. She can flare up from anything, by the way. Because her views often don't align with the objective reality around her, Rulana is usually a meek sheep next to Delon. But without him – she's a real devil. Miya, who is actively rubbing against Bail – is so calm that I think if her hands were cut off, she wouldn't even squeak. The purchase of an aristocratic title by her family is a disgrace for many. Well, Miya's father decided that his daughter was simply obliged to justify such investments from the House. So they simply molded her into a beautiful statue, an ice statue. Cold and calm... Well, and Amella... That's Amella, and that says it all.
"And what if I offer him money?"
"Jedi aren't very interested in all this, especially Shadows. However, he might agree. But understand one simple thing. He can't hold back. In my first lesson, he almost cut off what makes a man a man with a lightsaber," Bail swallowed. "He," I closed my eyes. "Won't hold back. He'll use the Force even with non-Force-sensitives. As he says: in battle, I always give my all, and then whatever happens, happens."
"I see, so I'll just prepare all the promised information for him," Bail said, finally focusing on what lay ahead. Right at the pier was a real procession, where I could spot Oderis Yoluk, Bail's sister Breha, and Bail's father, Olaren Antilles. Oderis was a refined, short human male, dressed in standard Jedi attire. The man had white hair and briefly nodded to me, then greeted Bail. Olaren Antilles was an older version of his son. Roughly speaking, he was the embodiment of what Bail would look like in twenty years. And Breha was a twelve-year-old girl, just beginning to develop into a young woman. She had hair as black as pitch and regular facial features.
"Father, Master Oderis, sister," Bail greeted them.
"Son," Olaren nodded. "And his friends. I'm very glad to see you here," the man smiled. "I hope you have a good rest on the Blue."
"Are you coming with us, Father?" Bail asked him.
"No," the man shook his head. "I have business here, on the surface. Urgent," he looked at his son. "So you'll look after Breha. Your boat is leaving soon. Hurry up."
The man stepped aside, and Oderis stepped aside with him.
"How are things, Breha?" Bail asked his sister. "I heard you're shining at the Academy for young ladies."
The Academy for young ladies on Alderaan is a special institution where girls of various statuses were taught. Despite its name, it was essentially a girls' boarding school. And after it, they entered the University of Alderaan. For example, all the girls in our group were graduates of this Academy.
"Brother," the girl beamed. "I haven't seen you in a long time," Breha really only appeared at Bail's house on weekends. And not always. I only saw her twice in one year of my stay on Alderaan. "And about the Academy – I finished the current year with top grades in almost all subjects."
"Is that so," the groupmate said.
"And even in etiquette?" Amella asked. "And who teaches it there?"
"Mizla Desh," Breha named her teacher, turning to Amella.
"Mizla?" Amella clenched her fists. "That old woman never wanted to give me top marks, considering me too unrestrained. She never gave anyone top marks in my memory! But especially me! In what way am I unrestrained?!"
"What an incredibly wise and intelligent woman," I remarked, Bail chuckled and nodded.
"Taivi," Amella turned to me.
"What?"
"You could use some etiquette lessons, that's what! It seems your sense of tact died..."
"Yeah, at birth, along with my conscience," I continued to tease Amella. "But well done, Breha. Maintaining the bar of top grades in all disciplines is a task on the level of 'impossible'."
"Said the one who successfully does it," Miya interjected.
"Thank you for the praise, Taivi," the girl beamed. Yes, I've interacted with her very little, but in principle, I liked the girl. Warm, kind, and smiling. "Oh, our boat has arrived."
Indeed, a submarine appeared at the edge of the pier. It was this submarine that was supposed to take us to "Alderaan's Blue." The boat looked like a transport bus, with windows practically on all sides.
"Everyone on board with a ticket!" a man's booming voice rang out.
The assembled people rushed towards the boat, but Oderis approached me and touched my shoulder.
"A word," he said barely audibly.
"What?" I asked him, slowing my pace and watching as the others boarded the ship.
"Are you aware of the conflict between Organa and Antilles?" the man asked me.
"Half the galaxy is aware of it," I replied.
"Then you should know that lately, the Antilles security service has been observing strange movements on Alderaan itself regarding their House."
"Strange movements?" I asked with curiosity. Will I have to get involved in Alderaan's politics? "What are we talking about?"
"According to the House's intelligence report, someone is very carefully probing the situation around House Antilles and, in particular, around Bail," the man looked at Bail, who was talking to his sister.
"Is Organa doing this?" I asked directly. "Alderaan's politics are not my problem. So, one way or another, I'm not going to get involved."
"No one is asking you to get involved in confrontations with Organa," Oderis shook his head. "I understand that your mission is something else."
"Then what do you want from me?" I asked the man. "Speak directly, without half-hints. You understand yourself, what kind of environment I've been in for a year and how tired I am of these half-hints and convoluted phrases. I'm, like, not a Consul, but a Guardian. And you probably understand – which kind."
The man glanced at me warily.
"Just protect Bail, as much as you can," Yoluk asked me. "Unfortunately, Olaren only has one former Jedi – me. And I need to stay close to him. Ideally, he wanted to send a whole platoon of guards with him, but I said it was excessive."
"Did you reveal me to him?"
"No," the man shook his head. "I just believe that all possible contradictions and stirrings are weak probes of the ground. And everything will resolve itself after the negotiations between Olaren and Mazicia. But until then, Bail needs to stay away and not get in the way of anyone from Organa, or their allies."
"And why not transfer him to the House's estate, far away from Aldera?" I asked a perfectly logical question.
"Reputation," Oderis answered concisely. "For aristocrats, it comes first. What will they think of me? What will they think of my family? And so on. It makes them neglect logical decisions at times. In any case, I hope you heard me."
"Yeah, protect him from 'possible encroachments,' which may or may not happen on an elite underwater yacht," I said grimly. "You know – Alderaan's political situation and games are not my concern."
"But Bail's good health is your concern. I don't know what you need from him, but you clearly don't want him to be harmed. So," he grinned, "you'll do everything in your power. Besides, isn't it a Jedi's duty to protect the weak?"
"Weak? Him?" I asked in surprise. "I've never seen a weakling who can buy a whole city. But... Do you think something might happen on the Blue?"
"Until Olaren and Mazicia reach an agreement, in principle, it's better to be prepared for anything. Have a pleasant rest, young Jedi."
"Have a pleasant rest?" I grumbled grimly, looking at the back of the receding Oderis Yoluk. "Are you kidding me? You've ruined it for me!"
The sea of Alderaan was beautiful, clean. For millennia, Alderaanians invested in ecology, trying to avoid the need to locate polluting industries on their planet. And they succeeded... In fact, the planet is incredibly clean. The submarine traveled for only about ten minutes before beginning its dive. For me, it was as if nothing had changed, but Breha was clearly uncomfortable with such a sharp change in environment. She eyed the armored windows warily, surrounded by lanterns that illuminated the surrounding space. All so that we could enjoy the views. The attendees gazed with delight into the water, studying the passing fish... Finally, when, according to the captain's report, we had submerged to a depth of a hundred meters, a huge cruise liner appeared before us. The liner was about nine hundred meters long.
It naturally illuminated everything around it and truly resembled a huge liner from Earth. Only underwater.
"The Blue was formerly a deep-sea vessel for studying the planet's hydrosphere. A couple of thousand years ago," the captain said, "when it completed all its tasks, it was bought by House Apalis and converted into a tourist vessel. It has two casinos, four pools with saunas, jacuzzis, massage parlors, rooms... with specialized services," he glanced at the girls.
"And what kind of services?" Breha showed curiosity. "Are they somehow related to those establishments where my father forbade me to go?"
"And what did he forbid?" Bail asked.
"He forbade me to go to "dance clubs"," the girl said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are these dance clubs? Is there something in dancing that I'm not allowed to do?"
"I think," I said, putting my hand to my chin, "the problem here is more that you still know too little. You are one of the best, Breha," I can use "you" with her, as we are officially and formally acquainted, "in terms of knowledge. But here you need the knowledge of your older schoolmates."
The girl looked at me with interest.
"I think Amella, Miya, and Rulana will gladly enlighten you regarding knowledge," Doine looked at me with anger, while Breha began to stare at Amella with interest.
Bail gave a thumbs-up with his right hand, which is unequivocally interpreted as me having performed a feat. And me? Do I have nothing better to do than explain to a minor what they dance to and what other services dancers can provide between numbers?
"Ahem," the captain cleared his throat, noticing that we had solved the problem. "There are also several top-class restaurants, as well as observation decks. The liner will travel a hundred miles over two weeks and will end its journey in Shorlako-city. You are among many passengers arriving there now."
The interior of the liner was indeed simply incredible. Expensive finishes, carpets, chandeliers, everything was stylized like a castle. As if a castle had been moved onto a ship and sent underwater. Our living cabins were among the best. Bail had gotten them through his father. A couple of minutes after arriving, I noticed Jaiko Meceti and company here, as well as someone from House Organa. The journey promises to be interesting and clearly heated.
"Taivi, Bail," when we went up to the second floor, where our cabins were located, Delon met us, accompanied by Rulana. "You've finally arrived, otherwise Meceti's sour face was already getting on my nerves."
"Delon," Bail shook his friend's hand, and then I repeated the gesture. At the same time, after the handshake, Delon bowed to Miya, Breha, and Amella. "Any news? Have you planned the future cultural program yet?"
"Of course! Over the next two weeks, so many interesting events will happen here! A card tournament, opera, dancing every evening, ahem," he looked at Breha, "for everyone, yes. And also – there's a fencing tournament here!"
"A fencing tournament?" Bail asked.
"That's right!" Amella looked at Delon with anger, but he didn't care. "I've already signed up. And I bet you and Taivi will want to participate too. Especially Taivi. He'll tear everyone apart there."
"If I were interested in that," I chuckled, "I have nothing better to do than beat up ungifted humanoids in fencing... Although, wait. "Alright. That sounds interesting."
"So you're going to participate?" Bail asked. "And what did your first sentence refer to?"
"What?" I stretched out thoughtfully. "Just a few seconds ago, I thought I could find a much more interesting pastime than beating up aristocrats with a training sword, but now I remember. This is excellent training. And I love training..." Bail and Delon smiled. Finally, I approached my room.
Definitely, it will be fun here. I opened the room and looked at the interior. A large, double bed, a holoprojector, my own separate refrigerator, which definitely contained alcohol, a separate bathroom, to which a door from my room led. Judging by the description, it had a jacuzzi with five different massage modes. Well, when else will I be able to indulge myself so lavishly? Let's party... VV-7, who arrived with me, nimbly rolled into the room. At first, it caused a fit of tenderness in the girls when they first saw VV. But my droid quickly ceased to be interesting to them, largely because he usually rolled behind my back and tried to hide behind me from humanoids whom he did not consider enemies.
"We have two weeks to let loose, VV," I said. "And then we'll get back to work."
"Does the Master plan to complete the Order's mission?" VV inquired.
"Of course... And not only..."