After the first sex, Amella (Author's note—previous chapter 57.5) seemed to have broken loose. The next couple of days ended in bed, from which we could not get out even by noon. It can be said that the girl finally found a way by which I began to pay attention to her and began to actively use it. And I… What did I feel from our passionate nights? Freedom… The chains that bound me after I witnessed Mila's death began to break.
I myself didn't notice when one morning I got out of bed, kissed the peacefully sleeping Amella on the cheek, and already under the cold shower realized that my mind seemed to have been freed from the burden it had gained after what I had witnessed on the prison planet. True, eternal grief and whining are certainly not the best solution. Therefore, having recovered from all the consequences, I simply continued to live. Truly: wounds inflicted by one woman can be healed by another woman. And even if the actual meaning of this statement, in my understanding, is slightly different, I realized that it was Amella, her straightforward actions and feelings, that made me finally move away from what had happened then.
It is all the more regrettable that I will, after all, have to leave her. Perhaps I am still a hypocrite? After all, love, dreams… I intended to nullify all of this for Amella by leaving. Am I not simply using her? It seems so, but it depends on how you look at it… After all, it will be better for Amella herself if I leave, perhaps I will even explain some things to her. Yes. But until then, I can still enjoy the warmth. There is no time to regret that I will abandon someone. Yes, partly hypocritical… But such is my path. It appeared long before Amella Doyn entered my life. And it will not disappear. After all, as I have already decided—I intend to do at least something in this Far, Far Away Galaxy. I don't believe that everything I will do is exclusively correct. Only communists and Nazis sincerely believed their actions to be perfectly correct. And both were met with a sad fate for such an opinion. The countries they represented were destroyed, somewhere by war, and somewhere by dry economics.
But whatever the outcome, I will accept it. And depending on the outcome, so will my fate. I might not even live to see the consequences of my actions. Such are the realities of my new Homeland, so to speak. By the weekend, the liner "Blue of Alderaan" was sailing over the Abyss, a so-called hole, whose depth was a good two thousand meters. And this abyss had a special secret—glowing, deep-sea crystals that gave the water a light blue color. They were not cyber-crystals, but they still managed to glow at such a depth. If you believe the booklet, the crystals contained a substance unique to them, which accumulated heat energy from the magma beneath them. By accumulating this energy, the crystals could sparkle blue, illuminating many kilometers of water. Hence the name of the underwater liner: "Blue of Alderaan." There were an infinite number of crystals, making it as bright underwater at a depth of five hundred meters as it was during the day. Only the light was blue.
The crystals are famous for sparkling at a certain time of year, in summer. It was in the summer that the most expensive tours on the ship, the most prestigious events, and guests were available. The panoramic windows, located on the upper deck and around the perimeter of the ship, were surrounded by sentient beings. Everyone wanted to study the deep-sea fauna of Alderaan. And it was truly rich. Jellyfish, fish, rays. Of course, they had their own unique names, not like those on Earth. An incredibly beautiful sight… And the coolest thing, in my opinion, was that you could sign up for a special excursion, during which you would be dressed in a super-strong diving suit and allowed to swim around the ship for thirty minutes, admiring everything you could. The ship created a special shield around itself, which enclosed a part of the space with swimming visitors, and even local shark analogues could not prey on sentient beings. However, sentient beings could swim within three meters of predators with powerful teeth, ten centimeters long, growing in three rows.
Such a monster could bite a person in half with one "chomp." And naturally, I signed up among the first, although the price for swimming was set at a thousand credits, but for me, it was an affordable price. In addition, thirty minutes, at such a depth, and next to huge predators. I haven't fought in a long time, so it had become boring lately. No, I wasn't planning to fight local predators; the lightsabers were still with BB-7. I just wanted to feel at least a little adrenaline.
"So that's it!"
A lot of sentient beings, about a hundred, gathered in a special compartment of the ship, either wanting to swim or accompanying those who did. In front of us stood a man in a gray uniform; he was the captain of the liner.
"Listen, everyone. We're only letting you out for thirty minutes. The area is enclosed by a shield, and you can swim two kilometers from the ship in any direction. You won't be able to swim any further; the shield won't let you," Bail, sitting next to me and already dressed in a local diving suit, sighed. The life of an aristocrat is hard; he wants adrenaline, drive. And even here, he doesn't have it.
"The most important thing is that only those eighteen years old are allowed to swim... Legally adult according to the laws of their planet of origin."
I'm actually sixteen. But the Jedi managed to forge documents masterfully. They not only created the persona of Taivi Lanian but also completely forged all the certificates of his life. And they can do it whenever they want. If only it were always like this.
"It is strictly forbidden to interfere in any way with other swimmers."
The diving suit was the same as I had seen on Earth. It hugged the diver's body as much as possible. Except there was no oxygen tank for breathing, but there were "artificial gills." This is the very technology that the sentient beings of this galaxy can use for underwater swimming. The trick is that the gadget we attach to our nose automatically transforms water into a gas mixture suitable for breathing. In most cases, it's air. It's worth remembering that when asked what we use for breathing: air or oxygen, the answer should be "air." Because pure oxygen can only be used for breathing for about twenty minutes. Yes, from a physiological point of view, it is oxygen that is transported to the organs in the blood. But the nuance is that we inhale air, which differs from oxygen in composition, even though it contains the latter.
And while swimming, it was strictly forbidden to threaten any companion in any way. The slightest mistake with the artificial gills, and a sentient being could drown.
"I assure you that if you endanger anyone in any way during your swim, no matter who you are, what your motives were, or whom you endangered," the captain said, giving everyone a steely gaze and stopping at Antilles, "the Guard of House Apalis, and then Organa, will condemn you to the full extent of our planet's law! No one will get away with a fine, regardless of whether the victim survives or not. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes," I was the first to speak. The others sitting next to me also confirmed.
"Then I ask everyone to leave this compartment. It is floodable. We will close ourselves from the inside, and in the adjacent compartment, we will open this one, and you can swim out from here. But first, check your artificial gills. Also," five people stood up; they were in scarlet diving suits, "you will be accompanied by our ship's crew. They will help you if anything happens. Keep in mind that, yes, there are five of them, but their boots are equipped with portable engines that will help them catch up quickly."
I checked the gill mechanism. We had studied their functionality in survival classes. Even then, I decided to investigate whether it was possible to breathe underwater using the Force. And yes, theoretically, such a technique exists, but it is very exhausting. It requires constant control of the water transformation process. Essentially, it's hydrokinesis, like my pyrokinesis, which allows me to shoot fireballs, but controlling water. But water needs not just to be controlled, but transformed by the Force into a gas mixture that my lungs can accept. I studied this topic and know the optimal chemical composition of air, which means I should be able to transform it, or at least try. And I... I can do it, at a primitive level and with great concentration. Incredibly great concentration. The underwater breathing technique is incredibly exhausting. And I would prefer to use it only in extreme cases. Maybe someday I will train and be able to expand, so to speak, my living spaces, including underwater.
I recall that in the Clone Wars, there were a couple of episodes with a planet inhabited by aquatic races, and battles took place underwater. The problem is that one not only needs to be able to transform water into a suitable gas mixture using hydrokinesis. Water in the environment contains not only the necessary oxygen but also other elements necessary for air. The problem lies in the natural resistance of water. I am not Hoshigaki Kisame and cannot move as fast underwater as on land. This is the second problem. So, becoming a sephi-amphibian is out of the question for now.
It is necessary to master hydrokinesis better to apply the technique more easily. And also to come up with something about the natural resistance of water, because the usual mass of water will reduce my speed. And in my style, whether it's Soresu, Ataru, or Jar'Kai, speed is the cornerstone. Pirouettes, feints, dodges. Why did I even start thinking about all this? Because I need to be prepared for anything. The galaxy is incredibly vast, there are many planets, and who knows where my travels will take me and in what circumstances I will be forced to fight? Only the Force knows the answer to this question. Of course, one can point to elementary logic – don't fight in conditions that are unfavorable to you. But there are moments when you have no choice. You have to fight. And for survival in such moments, I must consider the conditions.
I can resist the mass of water and the pressure it creates either thanks to the suit or the Force. And I will take the necessary gas composition for breathing from the water, from the chemical elements that can be dissolved in it. Of course, there is also a simplified version of this hydrokinesis, which I have been thinking about lately – breath control. Its essence was not breathing underwater or anywhere else, but precisely holding one's breath. With its help, one can, for example, inhale poisonous gas and survive. This is one of the techniques whose basics are studied by younglings. As for my reasoning about hydrokinesis, it's purely my own assumptions, to be honest. In theory, the Force could be used to turn water and dissolved chemical substances into a mixture for breathing. But in reality, it is still incredibly difficult, almost impossible. At least from my experiments in this direction, I have spat it out and received questioning trills from VV, who was genuinely bewildered: why is my master trying to drown himself in the bathtub?
But now I had to push my thoughts aside. I came here to relax, didn't I? As soon as we went underwater, out of the ship, I couldn't help but let out an admiring sigh. There was an additional protective field around my mouth so that people could communicate via comms, just in case. A stunning space opened up before me, flooded with blue... The crystals at the bottom literally illuminated our path, showing the richness of Alderaan's marine fauna. Schools of fish darted not far from our shield. There were also giant fish, rays, and even a life form resembling a whale. In principle, according to the encyclopedia, it was a whale, huge, about ten meters long. My friends swam next to me, and they immediately started fooling around. Although they can be understood – people are relatively young and also love impressions.
"Taivi! Taivi!" Amella's voice sounded in my ear. "Let's take some holophotos!"
The diving suit perfectly accentuated her figure. Many were openly staring at Amella in it, forgetting all decency. And I understand them. Nodding to the woman, I swam up to her and disappeared for about five minutes, during which she took about a hundred different holophotos with me. And then the rest of our company swam up, and we repeated the excursion with cameras for a good ten minutes. And then everyone swam off to have fun as they pleased. Delon and Bail had a race, Amella went to scold them, while Mia and Rulana cheered on their chosen ones. And I just swam to the edge of the shield and started looking at the fish swimming nearby. Many of them were different from those on Earth. That's what was fascinating. I gained more than enough impressions from such an underwater walk. It seemed like it wasn't even the bottom, just watching fish. But the lighting from the crystals made this walk unforgettable. Finally, when we returned to the board, full of impressions, we were shown the essence of the crystal that the crew had pulled from the bottom. There was a rumor in the media that it was a deception, not crystals, but that House Apalis had invented spotlights and was illuminating the bottom with them so that sentient beings would buy tickets to Alderaan's Blue more often. But no, I checked this matter in the Jedi databases; everything related to the word "crystal" has been studied as thoroughly as possible. It is a truly unique natural phenomenon, characteristic only of Alderaan.
And indeed, the blue crystal began to glow from heating, so brightly that it was almost blinding. Alas, such crystals are completely unsuitable for lightsabers. Because they can only emit light, no matter what energy is applied to them. Too bad, they would have made beautiful blades. However, not more beautiful than mine.
***
The fencing tournament began the following week. First, there were qualifiers, during which thirty-two participants were selected. There was no Battle Royale; there were simply duels. It was announced that there were only thirty-two spots in the Tournament, meaning only thirty-two sentient beings would participate. Naturally, there were many more who wished to participate. Therefore, all participants were given tokens and told to fight each other. Five wins, and you're in the Tournament; three losses, and you're out. And what started then... Literally on every deck, for twenty-four hours, candidates for participation in the Tournament began fights, challenging each other. I managed to complete the task quite quickly and was among the first thirty-two.
And among these thirty-two, there were already problematic opponents. The best of the best made it into this number, and some participants could make me think. In the very first round, I knocked out Delon, who pressed me with the persistence of a rhinoceros. He took many unpleasant blows from a more technical and faster me, but he still pressed on. In the end, breathing heavily, he admitted defeat, and I admitted that I got a little carried away and beat Delon too hard. My second opponent out of the thirty-two turned out to be a woman from the Togrutta people. She was an elite guard for some rich man present here, literally, and participated at his command. Most likely, this woman's specialization was a different weapon, judging by her lunges, something with a flexible base, like a whip. Because she spun her sword, which was the only possible weapon in the Tournament, too much and too fast.
The Togrutta lost, although I suspect the male part of the crowd would have sincerely liked to see me beaten by a beauty with a perfect athletic body. In the third round, I ran into a Twi'lek, who was also quite agile, but it didn't help him. In the penultimate round, only four participants remained. Me, Bail Antilles, a participant who participated in the mask under the strange name "Josur," and Jaiko Meceti. He managed to get this far... Josur was paired with Antilles, while I had to fight Jaiko.
"Now I will finally destroy you!" Meceti spat maliciously as we both entered the arena, surrounded by spectators.
It was Thursday, and there were about three days left until the end of the cruise. Meceti attacked, using something similar to Makashi's style, with the caveat that he didn't use a lightsaber. I easily deflected his attacks, quite straightforward. Delon acts less straightforwardly. After Meceti even retreated a little, recoiling from me, I launched a series of rapid attacks, almost driving him into the ground. But a real difficulty awaited me in the battle with a certain Josur. Bail somehow quickly managed to lose to him...
The battle took place the day after the final. Josur was a tall man who hid his identity behind a mask. Dark hair peeked out from under his hood. I saw his fight with Bail; it consisted of Josur toying with Antilles, driving him crazy, and then mercilessly punishing him for any mistake, acting even too cruelly. In the end, Bail, beaten and angry, decided to surrender. To which Josur just laughed and said that a ruler would come out of Antilles like a piece of shit, because a ruler doesn't surrender. Because of which Antilles walked around gloomy for the rest of the time.
"I know you," Josur said, his voice loud and arrogant. "You are one of Antilles' friends."
"And you are Josur, right?" I sized him up. "My name is Taivi Lanian," I nodded to him. "Shall we fight?"
I stood in the Soresu stance.
"Pfft," Josur snorted. He quickly closed the distance and attacked me. "Do you think you can defeat me? Just as weak as your friend."
This... Josur's speed was a surprise to me. His movements, his swings... It was even a bit beyond human limits. Implants? No, most likely Gifted. He uses the Force sparingly, improving specific physical characteristics. But who is he? And what is he doing here? Should I use the Force to suppress him? I rolled back, avoiding Josur's quick lunges... No, I shouldn't reveal myself. Interesting... I licked my lips and stood in the Ataru stance.
"Hmph... This stance... Who did you decide to copy, weakling?"
You can use the Force to improve perception. Nothing more. My physical reflexes are enough to react to his attacks. And with foresight, I can predict them perfectly.
The picture of the fight changed. This time I showered Josur with a huge number of blows; he didn't lag behind, but I attacked more decisively and more often. Although I won't last long at this pace. Using the Ataru concept without the Force is not the right thing to do. Soresu, which is a defensive style, would be more convenient. But Ataru, with the need for constant movement, is quite difficult when fighting without the Force. After all, the movements I learned require constant movement around the opponent, jumps, somersaults, pirouettes. Of the entire variety, I could only perform the latter. Josur was surprised by my onslaught and even missed a couple of blows from me. However, I didn't cross the line and actively use the Force, only slightly accelerating my perception.
"It's not often you find a worthy opponent," he said arrogantly. I ducked slightly, letting a blow aimed at my head pass over me, and then began my attack, hitting his arm with my left leg, hoping he would drop his sword. He didn't drop it, then I delivered a powerful blow to his head. He ducked and tried to stab me in the stomach. Spinning, I moved out of the line of attack and immediately counterattacked his shoulder. The blow landed perfectly. He jumped back, hissing curses.
"Bastard. I'll have to be more serious."
Yes, he is definitely Gifted. And he controls the Force perfectly. Considering his style and Force augmentation... A Jedi. Josur's dark eyes bored into me.
"I forfeit the fight," I raised my hand. "I don't think I can defeat the esteemed Josur."
"Taivi Lanian forfeits the fight!" the judge announced into the microphone. "The winner is the esteemed Josur."
"Cowardly bastard," the man said maliciously.
***
It was late at night, satisfied with second place, I returned to my chambers. In fact, another day, a little more, and the tournament would end. Well, I had fun, and the trip was full of good impressions. In the room, I turned on the light and walked a little forward. VV rolled up to me; the droid greeted me. Bail took third place, angry and tired, he went somewhere towards the dance clubs. Hmm? I felt a sentient being's presence behind me; a moment later, a lightsaber shot out of VV into my right hand, which I aimed towards the bathtub.
"I didn't invite you, Josur," I said, looking at the man.
"This weapon. Where did you get it?" he asked me. "Who are you? A Jedi?"
"First, introduce yourself, you are in my house, not I in yours."
"Don't play these games with me, Taivi Lanian!" he hissed, a barrier radiating from his body. "I will kill you if you don't answer my question!"
He drew and activated his lightsaber. A green blade pointed at me.
"Alright, I hope you understand," I sighed, "I am a Shadow."
The man's eyes widened in surprise.
"A Shadow?! What are you doing here?"
He was in no hurry to deactivate his sword.
"Contact Master Jonnal Ezar, and you'll find out," I shrugged. "The essence of my mission is secret. I cannot tell you."
"I am a Jedi Knight!"
"So am I," I replied calmly. "So what? We are both Knights. I am a Shadow, I have a mission here concerning Bail Antilles. And who are you?"
"Hmph. My name is Jorus C'Baoth,"
I flinched. He was on Alderaan? Well, of course... The Alderaan Crisis broke out at a certain time before the Clone Wars, and he was the one who resolved this crisis diplomatically. Right now, the political confrontation between Organa and Antilles has reached unprecedented heights. And this is with Queen Mazicia and her husband alive. What did Jorus do? He arranged a marriage between Breha Antilles and Bail, the Organa. And then they became Queen and Vice-King of Alderaan. Thus, representatives of each House ruled. A reasonable decision. But Jorus himself was always an extremely arrogant person. He considered his talents a Gift of the Force, and those deprived of the Gift of the Force... Well, let's just say, low creatures.
"If we're talking about my real name, I am Light Flaingstar," I introduced myself to the Knight.
"So you just revealed your real name?" he asked with a smirk.
"No, not just like that," I shook my head. "Don't forget that I am a Shadow. And I am aware that you were sent here and for what mission. I was warned that a Consul would be sent to resolve the brewing conflict between Organa and Antilles. Our missions only indirectly affect each other."
"I see,"
the man deactivated his lightsaber.
"And yet, I don't understand why you beat Antilles so badly?"
"Befriended the subject of the mission?" Josur answered my question with a question. He's starting to annoy me.
"I wouldn't say so," I returned the lightsaber to VV, and then walked over and sat on the bed. "I'm just curious: why did such a proud and strong Jedi Knight suddenly start using the Force against the non-Gifted? It's somehow... Wild."
"I don't care what you think of me, Light," Josur said arrogantly, crossing his arms. "Don't interfere with my mission, and I won't interfere with yours."
"Again, my task is Bail Antilles," I shook my head, "and you, judging by all appearances, have already decided something for yourself."
"Your friend," the man headed for the exit. "A pathetic coward and weakling! I easily broke him. Do you know what I was doing here? I was evaluating the future of both Houses: Antilles and Organa. Bail Organa is also here," ah, he just turned thirteen. "And I am carefully studying this future, the heirs."
"And what did you find out, after beating a sentient being, having a colossal advantage over him?"
"Don't try to shame me!" Josur glared at me menacingly. "And my conclusions are none of your business. Remember what I warned you about, Light!"
He left the room, leaving me alone.
"And how did he get in here, VV?" I asked the droid. "Why don't you know? How did he get past you? Show me the sensor logs..." Ah, I see," I nodded, having studied the readings. "He used a variation of Ionization that deceives all of the droid's electronic sensors. An interesting technique. I can't do that."
I looked at the door again. Jorus C'Baoth has unique abilities. And now he is using them, having found a solution to Alderaan's problems. Despite the apparent ease, the issues of succession have become very acute. The Antilleses were pushed away from the trough by Mazicia too carelessly. But it is Jorus who is the reason why I did not consider the conflict between the Houses of Alderaan my problem. In fact, I don't have much time left here. Although I want to finish university... I'll probably have to take exams externally.