The configuration in my visitor ship changed. And if VV and HK didn't require much space, they stayed in an inactive state in the hangar, and in an active state – HK in the kitchen, which was very small and located between the cockpit and two main cabins, and VV in the cockpit, then Jarro and Celeste, being sentient beings, required a slightly different approach. I settled Celeste in the second cabin, the captain's, and kept the first for myself, as is customary. Well, Jarro had to be content with sharing space with two droids in the storage room. And honestly – on the very first day of flight, the Lasat complained about HK. He justifiably believed that "this crazy droid wants to kill him"... All that's left is to ask: "and how did he guess?"
I really intended to use such a cruel thing as HK-47 in Padawan training. Only much later. At the moment – Jarro himself would die faster than he could do anything to HK. He needs to go through at least my training, and preferably much more training. After all, he didn't have my talent for comprehending the Force, and due to the lack of knowledge about the possible future, he didn't train as hard and ferociously as I did. And he trained one-sidedly. Jarro was and is a rebel who wants to become a Knight-Defender. In his imagination – he is a fighter guy who rushes to the front lines and resolves most conflicts single-handedly... Slicing everyone with a lightsaber.
It was precisely this approach, when someone acts without a shred of a plan, that I intended to eradicate from him. Even if you charge against someone in the style of: "one sentient being – an army" – you must have at least some plan. And Jarro, according to his profile – rarely thought. So I tempered his enthusiasm by making him engage in intellectual work, although we didn't forget about training. But here too, I showed creativity, demanding that he fight with Celeste. The girl was slightly disappointed by my pedagogical method, because "she doesn't want to waste time on a weak youngster." Just as Jarro himself wasn't particularly happy, because I was his mentor, not Celeste.
But for Jarro, I simply justified this decision by saying that it would be useful for him to fight with Celeste, as a Shadow, who is capable of all sorts of tricks. I am too, but I am at a much higher level than the girl, although her potential in the Force, according to her own admission and the data sent to me – has increased incredibly. Probably due to Carnes Muur's influence. And unlike Jarro, Celeste resisted my instructions much less. However, I wasn't going to completely detach myself from my duties, observing the fight between these two and studying the Shadow database on Veinay. Celeste, meanwhile, was exhausting Jarro, as if mocking him. Jarro's blows were powerful, I don't deny it, but he put too much into them. This would be more suitable if he were using a steel sword, not a light one. This way, he only exhausts himself... What about body balance? Shouldn't our trainers have instilled such a characteristic in him in the first place? How does he not cut himself with such stupid use of the fifth form? Finally, Celeste, with an elegant strike, knocked the sword out of Jarro's hands, and I sighed and approached them.
"Alright, that's enough for now, let's analyze the fight," I looked at the Padawan. "Your swordsmanship... is terrible," I stated. "Form Five, also known as Shien, and in duels – Djem So, you correctly assessed your size and physical power. But the way you move, even in the context of this form, is simply horrifying."
"I was the best at swordsmanship among everyone," Jarro said importantly, "and I even defeated some Knights!"
"Which Knights did you defeat, you didn't specify? Rekzo Uldan, is a consular, a negotiation specialist. A Niman practitioner. Or perhaps you are proud of defeating Dani Nogha? This Twi'lek is a professional in droid building and programming, but not in combat. You haven't fought real combat Knights who specialize in direct confrontation. Where does such pride come from? Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. And direct combat is not the strong suit of these two and others you've fought. You are arrogant, and that's bad. It's a direct path to nowhere, to the Dark Side. However, it's good that you fell into my hands as a Padawan. I will be able to bring you down to earth. And not just me. Look, Celeste could have ended the fight in the first ten seconds, but she played with you for a whole minute..."
"I wanted him to show himself," the girl said imperturbably, standing next to me. "But I was disappointed. Listen to your mentor's words, strongman. He's telling the truth."
"I suspect," I continued, "that you were building up your physical form. Lasats, due to the structure of their physical bodies, are already many times stronger than other races in terms of physical strength and endurance. And you have further developed in this area. Even excessively. Because of such an imbalance, you have become too physically strong. And this is a problem, because you swing your lightsaber ignoring its peculiarities. Namely – that it is light, only the hilt weighs. You work like a drunken sentient being, using it like a steel sword. At least – such mistakes predominated in your style. You have no body balance and understanding of your own weapon. Next – you hardly use the Force in combat, besides the standard enhancement of physical capabilities, with which you try to push your opponent... And it's like a real surprise for you to encounter someone who knows such a concept as a 'sliding block'. I suspect that when you were a youngling – you didn't encounter those who can apply it in combat, not just know about its existence."
"And what should I do?" Jarro asked. "I have Form Five manuals... Will you teach me it?"
"I master every form, except the fourth and third – at a basic level," and except for Vaapad, also known as Juyo, also known as Form Seven. It simply doesn't exist yet. "The third and fourth," Soresu and Ataru – "are my main forms. Therefore, they are much better. In addition, I use Jar'Kai. At a certain stage, I will be able to help you with Form Five. And after that, I will probably introduce you to some acquaintance Knight who understands the specifics of Form Five better than I do."
Besides, Jarro Tapal from the game used a staff, a double-bladed sword, to put it more simply. And I'm curious: did he come to such a weapon while still a Padawan, or already as a Knight? Because now he had a classic lightsaber with a blue blade. Unless he got a pontite, which speaks of some potential. What should I do if he starts practicing such swordsmanship? That's something I'm an amateur at. On the other hand, I can introduce him to someone from the Temple Guards. They, as it happens, fight with such weapons.
"In addition to this – I will train you in Force techniques. As I've already noted – you use the Force only partially. Which is fundamentally wrong. The Force is something more than just energy for enhancing physical characteristics and predicting enemy attacks. The main weapon of any gifted being is precisely the Force. Yes, I love lightsaber dueling and more than you do, I assure you, but to use the Force as little as you do in combat – it's an insult."
The Lasat even made an offended face.
"I believe that such tricks don't help much in combat..." the Lasat said. Celeste giggled loudly. Well, who else but Morn knows what "tricks" are capable of? She certainly felt it herself.
"A rather marginal misconception for defender-brawlers," I noted.
"Didn't you say that there are no bad Jedi, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses?" Jarro asked.
"I don't know who raised you or how you grew up like this, but we'll re-educate you. The primary weapon of a Jedi is the Force, as I've already noted. You can attack me right now, and I won't even need to fight you in swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat... I'll simply crush you with Force techniques. It doesn't matter what a specific Jedi is strong in; the Force is their primary weapon, their primary tool. You haven't shown anything besides standard physical ability enhancement and precognition. Except for an attempt at clumsy telekinesis... This is not the level of someone who wants to fight 'on the front lines, playing the role of a defender.' This is also something we will fix. I will teach you not only swordsmanship, or rather, I will establish the right balance for you and improve your style, but also teach you Force techniques."
"And you know more than an ordinary knight?" Jaro asked. I shrugged and threw a Force lightning at him. Emerald lightning washed over his body, making him fall from the unexpected blow onto the ship's floor.
"As you can see, I know much more than many 'ordinary' Jedi," I grinned. "My understanding of Force techniques is anomalous; many have noted it. It's all due to my training and talent. You don't have as many midi-chlorians as I do, but that doesn't mean you can't achieve good results through training," Jaro stood up, fearfully glancing at my right hand. "This was also a kind of demonstration of abilities. I've already defeated you in direct combat, and now I've shown something that clearly goes beyond your ideas of a Jedi's strength, hasn't it? You were taught, if you weren't asleep, that Force lightning is more of a Dark Side technique, although here I am, a Jedi, and I can use it. If you show due persistence and prove your abilities, I will teach you this technique, even though lightning belongs to 'alteration' techniques and it's not advisable to teach it to padawans. But denying its usefulness would be foolish. Let's do this: at the beginning of each standard week, I will give you an essay assignment on a specific topic. You will have to use sources to create reports that you will present at the end of the week. The essay reports will cover both Jedi topics and general ones." Because I came from a world where "Star Wars" was a fictional story I studied, I had almost no gaps. This caused my dismissive attitude towards theoretical subjects, which I preferred to practice. This resulted in a severe imbalance: by my graduation, I was a strong fighter, but in some theoretical aspects, I could falter. Though not in all. Jaro also had a pronounced imbalance, but he had no knowledge of the "Star Wars" universe, unlike me. And I didn't want to share my knowledge with anyone at all, not even my closest ones. His imbalance was caused by his perception of Jedi and his initial physical strength, which was greater than that of ordinary sentient beings. Considering that Lasats are not much inferior to Wookiees, his upbringing like this, even with the Temple's education, is almost justifiable. "Every day, in the morning, before lunch, we will focus on training Force techniques, and after lunch, you will fight with me, or Celeste, or HK-47."
"With that mad droid?" he asked me.
"Yes."
"Hey, don't sign me up to babysit this big guy," Celeste replied. "I have much more important things to do!"
"It doesn't matter," I waved her off. "A standard 'teacher-student' pair can only achieve variety in opponents through different missions. Our situation is unique. We can train Jaro better without involving him in 'different missions.' After that, I'll take you to a planet. But for now... HK-47 is a ranged assassin droid. Celeste Morne is a standard Jedi Shadow, focused on agility and speed. I, by the way, am also focused on speed and agility, only I'm much faster. In addition, I can use all available lightsaber forms, so I can provide you with an even more unique experience."
"Are you deciding for me?" the girl asked.
"And for me..."
"Because you are my mission," I looked at Celeste, "consider this an opportunity to get used to new possibilities. Given your circumstances, they have changed. Well, and you are my student, and I know best how to train you. We will close your gaps first, and then focus on what you do best. And what you do best is Form Five... Then I'll talk to Drallig; he was the best in my group at using it." He was the best Wookiee overall, but he left the Order long ago due to certain circumstances. "But after we improve your foundation," honestly, I was disappointed. It's not that I was given mediocrity. Jaro did show something and was quite capable... But he knew much less than I thought and hoped for. And this is what I have to work with... On the other hand, there's no option to refuse. After all, I am a Jedi, one way or another, and I must live up to my title of Knight, not just talk and think smart things with a wise face. So, Jaro Tapal is my student, the first in this world. And I will make him the best Knight I can."
We arrived at Veinay a couple of days later, without stopping anywhere along the way. My task was to find the "Original," as he called himself. And I didn't dismiss my assumptions that he was the original Set Hart, whom the clone was hunting. Fortunately, this character himself attracted attention. After the defeat of Set on Royce, which I inflicted upon him, all his structures were divided into three types: those that were only formally dependent on him—firms and corporations—were sold off. Those who were completely loyal to him, like Rosamunda Atkari and some of his estate servants (not all of them were droids, after all), as well as some of his corporate executives, were mostly imprisoned. And those who managed to hide somehow, slipping into the shadows, but did not lose their functionality.
In particular, a couple of dark-siders served Set. Nothing extraordinary; my colleagues in the Shadow craft cleaned them up. But it was during the cleanup that they managed to find a thread leading to the so-called "Original." Set Hart was looking for him. By comparing information from Hart's records, which investigators managed to obtain and which were passed on to me, as well as the "nickname" that the murdered Set gave him, I decided that the sentient being on Veinay was the original Hart. And the one on Royce was a separate, detached clone... Although this is one hypothesis. It's quite possible I might encounter some crazy collector who loves to gather Force-related artifacts.
Or another dark Jedi. There have been too many of them lately. The Original was tracked when it was learned that he was receiving another Force artifact, supposedly someone's lightsaber. Using the Order's connections, particularly the Shadows, at the spaceport of this tropical paradise planet, we were able to determine the location of the artifact's transfer. The Original bought it at an auction held in the Tapani Sector; sometimes, incredible items were put up for auction there, and Jedi participated in this auction, removing gifted artifacts from circulation. However, this time, it was nothing short of betrayal. A consular Knight, who participated in the auction while in high society, blew through the money allocated for his mission and ultimately couldn't acquire all the planned lots. I would have simply confiscated the Force artifact, explaining that matches are not for children. But the unfortunate consul didn't have time to do anything; the buyer ordered the artifact delivered, and he left the auction. Fortunately, our sentient beings were able to correlate information about where the artifact would arrive. Of course, sometimes, actions like buying someone's lightsaber at an auction didn't get much attention. After all, there aren't that many truly unique lightsabers left. However, even a lightsaber would be useful to me, if only I knew whose it was.
Veinay's spaceport was a complex of buildings where ships constantly arrived and departed. It was daytime on the planet, so it was quite warm. We arrived about a day before the target's arrival. The Original, our target, was of interest to the Order because Set Hart was looking for him, and the Council wanted to know what kind of sentient being he was. Also, it turned out that artifacts had been repeatedly taken from the auction knight "due to lack of funds"... He had already received his just punishment... To apprehend the Original, or his subordinates, red-handed, we prepared an ambush. Hangar number forty-one, where the meeting was supposed to take place, was a spacious room, rectangular in shape with a landing pad for a ship. According to the plan, I positioned myself in the suspended corridor for hangar workers. It was used to gain access to the ship's hull. Jaro, whom I had just begun to teach to hide his presence, was sent to guard the entrance to the spaceport itself. Celeste Morne was hiding behind shelves with empty fuel barrels. The girl almost disappeared from the world, using Force distractions around her. If not for my skills, I would have lost sight of her long ago. HK was located on the same level as me, taking a sniper position.
We coordinated our positions and plan a couple of hours before the enemies arrived. There was enough time to prepare properly. So when a very ordinary transport landed, and the most ordinary smugglers came out of it, and several armed sentient beings entered the hangar, we were ready. The smugglers were unremarkable and tense, while the Original's subordinates behaved relaxedly.
"Did you bring what we ordered?" the Nautolan asked without pleasantries. A green-skinned, lean man with a creaky voice. He had holsters with pistols on his hips.
"Your master need not worry," the smuggler man chuckled. "Galdini Auction House upholds agreements."
A case with its contents floated before him. The plan was to detain the Original's subordinates and interrogate them upon receiving the artifact. Of course, one could try to track them... But the problem was that this was my first visit to Veinay. I didn't know the planet very well. So tracking them would cause inconvenience. It was much easier to grab them, inject them with drugs, add Force suggestion, and interrogate them.
"We'll check that," the Nautolan snorted, opening the case. I looked closely. Inside lay a classic lightsaber, polished to a shine. The hilt was made of electrum, but the feeling... The Nautolan winced, which I didn't miss. Gifted? However, the sword radiated such darkness that it was unpleasant even to me. It was like an all-consuming abyss.
"Light," Celeste's voice came through the headset. "What is this garbage? It radiates so much darkness that... I've never felt anything like it, not even from Karnes."
"I understand," I interrupted her. "The trace of such an artifact can be felt even while on the planet. But how, damn it, did the Jedi who could contact it not feel it? Or why did that idiot let it through? Was he promised so much that even Karnes's sensations pale in comparison to this sword? And what did they use to shield this case that it hides such a thing? And whose sword is it anyway?"
"Well, how is it?" the smuggler said arrogantly. "Does it meet the stated requirements?"
The Nautolan twirled the hilt before his eyes, then put it back in the case and closed it.
"You have earned your reward," the sentient being said in a creaky voice, nodding to his subordinates. "Your money..."
He didn't finish speaking because the door leading from the hangar suddenly flew off with incredible force. It was literally thrown. The Original's subordinate managed to twist away at the last moment, but the couriers standing there were literally knocked off their feet by the door. Is this telekinesis? A figure entered. A powerful figure clad in black armor. A crimson blade ignited... It radiated the Dark Side of the Force... No, even better, something unique. But still, before us stood a dark-sider... Mostly.
"What the hell is this?" several sentient beings exclaimed at once.
"Good day," the man greeted. His voice was cruel and cold. "You didn't invite me, so I invited myself."
I looked at the sentient being's face and was stunned. A damn Sith! And I'm not talking about the Order, but about a sentient being of the Sith race! A red-skinned, pure-blood Sith with characteristic growths hanging down like a beard... The dark armor was intimidating. He was quite tall, and his scarlet eyes boded no good...
"Who are you?" the Nautolan asked and was immediately pulled towards the Sith, along with the case containing the lightsaber.
"I don't have time to talk to nobodies," he tried to kill him, but I appeared next to him, quickly covering the distance between us and protected the sentient being. "A Jedi, how predictable."
"But your appearance here is not," I noted, throwing the Nautolan aside and leading him out of the danger zone. "Who are you? And what are you doing here, Sith?"
"Does it matter so much?" he asked. "If you don't get out of my way, I'll kill you," he pointed his sword at my chest. "Or do you think you can defeat me?" he unleashed the Force, preparing for battle. Damn it... He is far stronger than anyone I've seen... Perhaps only Plagueis, whom I noticed when he contacted Shilazh, can be compared to him. And even then, conditionally. I'm not ready to contend with such a monster yet.
"Depending on your motives," I observed, "I might not engage in combat with you."
"So you don't want to fight me," he noted. "That's wise. Neither your sniper toy, nor you, girl," he blocked Celeste's attack when she tried to get around him and behind him, "nor even you are my rivals. I would prefer not to attract undue attention from your Order. All I need is to take the lightsaber. Or does your code forbid you to hand it over? Your death will attract excessive attention to my person. I couldn't calculate some circumstances and broke my incognito, but there was no other choice."
"Why do you need this lightsaber?" I asked him. "Is it because of its power?"
"You're trying to find out more than you should," the Sith noted. Meanwhile, the Nautolan tried to escape, pulling the lightsaber towards him. "STOP!" I said, and so did the Sith. With my left hand, I blocked the strike with which the Sith intended to finish off the Original's subordinate, and then immediately cut off both of the escapee's hands. Meanwhile, Celeste Morne attacked the Sith; after two or three moves, he disarmed her and put her in the line of fire of HK, who opened fire on the Sith. As if in slow motion, I saw the blaster bolt approaching Celeste. I had to act quickly. I used two charges of Heavenly Palm at once, swapping places with Celeste, and then, leaving a grenade in my place, which I brought under HK's shot, I moved aside. An explosion sounded...
"Ready?" Celeste asked.
The smoke from the explosion dissipated, revealing the Sith's figure. Part of his armor was damaged. If not for HK's shot directly at Celeste, I would have attacked him with my lightsaber; the situation could have been advantageous.
"That was not bad," the Sith commented. "Well, I'll have to kill you."
Who the hell is he? How can the Order let him slip away? After all, he's a pure-blood Sith and clearly a dark-sider. And he came for such an artifact... I felt the approach of different auras. Is security reacting to the chaos? Gunshots were heard, and HK began firing at the Original's subordinates.
"HK, don't kill them, we need to take at least someone alive!" I gave the order, focusing on the Sith.
Suddenly, I felt again that the case had been opened. One of the Original's subordinates took advantage of the situation and decided to bolt. The Sith paid attention to him, as did I. Running into the spaceport corridor, following the man, I found the spaceport guards.
"Halt!" the guards ordered. "You have violated the law..."
He didn't finish speaking. A strange sound was heard, and I ducked, along with Celeste, letting a whip strike pass over us. The Sith blocked the blow and almost lost his life, as it was a lightsaber in the form of a whip. The crimson blade almost slashed his belly. Another subordinate of the Original? Meanwhile, judging by his aura, Jaro tried to detain the subordinate at the entrance but also encountered a gifted being. How many more of them will be here? They are professional enough to hide from me, or Celeste, and interfere with my operation! The mistress of the whip turned out to be a pretty girl with light-brown hair. She was a dark-sider. What an unusual weapon. And I had used up my charge, and Jaro was clearly weaker than his opponent, and he let the Original's subordinate escape... He reached the speeder section.
"Damn you all," I spat, rushing aside.
"Oh no, little knight," said the lady with the whip. "I won't let you go anywhere!" Her lips on her beautiful face curved into a semblance of a smile. "You really want me to play with you a little," she swung her whip.
"Go to hell," I said sharply, pointing my right hand in her direction. The girl was literally swept away by telekinesis and thrown a good ten meters.
"Not bad," the Sith praised me. "Very good."
I took a stance, preparing to fight him.
"No, you can't defeat me," he noted, "not even as a team. But I shouldn't be your target. You want to track the boss of these losers who bought the lightsaber, and I want to destroy this artifact."
"Destroy? Sith? A dark artifact?" I chuckled. "I wasn't born yesterday."
"Perhaps," he agreed. "But for now, that's how it is. My name is Scourge, and what your target bought is what once belonged to Tenebrae."