"Focus," the mentor's voice was heard. "You're letting yourself go too much. Pyrokinesis – it's a neutral technique, yes, but fire itself is an aggressive element, so it can, in part, engage negative emotions. Remember: no emotions – there is peace," Lorm Decer said importantly. "Pyrokinesis is better than Force Lightning, if only because it doesn't require perfect control over emotions for Jedi to use, but still – don't forget about control if you want me to consider you worthy of mastering Force Lightning."
"I'm trying," I grumbled slightly, suppressing a weak flash of anger and directing my attention to a regular torch lying in front of me. Hyperspace jumps should be used wisely. We used them for Force training. We preferred to practice fencing outside my ship; even a relatively large cargo hold wasn't a solution. For fencing – we usually stopped on planets. It's impossible to jump straight to Chandrila. It belongs to the Central Worlds in the East of the Galaxy. We were in the exact opposite place – in the Unknown Regions, in the West. First, we jumped to the planet Bakura. This planet featured quite a lot in the True Canon. Take, for example, the battle with the ssi-ruuk; they managed to repel it themselves, and then even made their own model of a Star Destroyer – a class of ship that doesn't exist even now. After that, heading west, we moved to Kinyen, a planet located on the Corellian trade route. By the way, before that, we made a stop on Endor, where we conducted fencing training.
"And I see," the mentor nodded, "there's progress. But it's not enough, but should you be angry at yourself for that?" he asked me. "Anger will quickly lead you to fall."
"You're just like Master Yoda, mentor," I chuckled, looking at the sparks that appeared on the torch. "So wise and smart."
"Oh yes," Lorm Decer grinned wryly. "I contrast, right? Most of the time, filth can pour out of my mouth. I am perceived by other Sentient beings as a hardened cynic, a womanizer… In the perception of many, including some dogmatists from the Order," he said, and I remembered how, during our report, some Councilors looked at Lorm with dislike. "I am a mistake-Jedi. Taim Cerulian, my Master, was born on Corellia; they always interpreted the rules in their own way… But even his warnings and remarks couldn't prepare the enthusiastic boy Lorm Decer for what awaited him in this hellish place. Taim belonged to the explorers and, after brief briefings, rushed with me into the Unknown Regions. Now you are going through the same thing. And I flew, and I dreamed," he said unexpectedly. "Of beautiful and noble princesses, battles with great villains. After all, even explorers encounter all this, especially explorers… But," bitterness crept into Lorm's voice. "Most princesses are just whores driven by their ambitions, and not everyone they call a 'villain' will ultimately turn out to be one. Look what the Galaxy has turned me into… I, a Jedi, sworn to protect the Sentient beings – kill them more often than protect them. I threaten the death of their loved ones, and I also demand that you observe the code when I myself often violate it. I curse like the lowest scum that I can tear to shreds. The only things that distinguish me from him are the Force, my rank, and my lightsaber. The Council is one hundred percent right. There's less than half a percent of a Jedi left in me. And at the same time – I selfishly desire the prosperity of the Order… Who am I, if not a hypocrite, eh, student?"
"You are my mentor," I felt sympathy for this Sentient being after such a reprimand… He is no more than a victim. A victim of his dreams and desires, which turned against him and made him not a shining Jedi Knight, but someone whom he himself hates deep down. "And all this part of your personality, however vile it may be, still – teaches me something. And even if I don't want to become like you, perhaps it, that part, will also teach me something."
"Hmm," Lorm grunted. "True. Just as your naivety and innocence, perhaps, will bring back a little of that Lorm whom I buried long ago, at least something of him… Alright, that's all for today. Go, rest. I have a lot to think about… I have a bad feeling that something will happen soon, be ready for anything, Light."
"Always ready," I nodded seriously. "I have something to meet the enemy with, and I will continue to improve."
"That's what I wanted to hear from you," the mentor placed his hand on my shoulder. "You're free for now," he turned away too sharply, and I left the warehouse where we were training. I headed to my room…
My fencing skills grew, Lorm thrashed me every time he drew his sword. If at first I was proud of my victory over him, then later, having received many beatings from him, I understood a couple of things… One should be proud when provoking an opponent while using Dun Moch, it adds to the atmosphere. Second – one needs to train between duels… No, not like that. TRAIN. No matter what anyone says, and no matter how I think about it – Lorm turned out to be an incredibly demanding teacher. He literally took my training to heart, deciding to teach me "everything he knows." Which he did. He taught me fencing, how to fight the Gifted, and also used training droids to practice deflecting shots. In short, I didn't relax.
During flights, he taught me the Force. He divided Force techniques, besides the dark/light categories, into simple and advanced. Simple ones included the basics that were studied in the Order. Telekinesis, simple meditation, basic healing, cruciatorn, which was also studied to some extent, sensory perception, enhancement, and tutaminis. This base needs to be DEVELOPED. Advanced Techniques – could only be passed on by a Knight-mentor, like him. What I didn't learn as a Youngling. For example – he still taught me the peculiarities of the Matukai. Of course – the enhancement he described to me turned out to be terribly cut short. Only the slightest bit was described… But, on the other hand, Lorm perfectly understood that "that Matukai with a cunning smile and favorite words like 'taki' and 'sho'" would not give him a complete guide, and he himself gave him little information on simple Jedi meditation, which Matukai wanted to learn. As a result, Lorm himself built some points on some kind of Matukai base and taught it to me. I already saw some points for improvement myself. Plus, he said he would help me master: pyrokinesis, control and manipulation of flame, Force Lightning, Force Flash – a special Technique that creates interference in tracking electronics, Force Blindness – an analog of the previous Technique, but only for striking the Sentient.
I also didn't sit idly by and trained one of the variations of Force Sensory Perception. Foresight always came easily to me, which is why I was one of the best at fencing. Even choosing a defensive style initially… Now I was pondering a completely different question… A huge warrior, in beskar armor stood before my eyes. Teyron Jarps and his employer became the subject of our analysis with Lorm. Naturally, we informed the Order about the existence of the tandem of a Dark Gifted Dathomirian, a strong Mandalorian, and their strange boss. The High Council, without much thought, decreed: the teacher and student, that is, us, should search for a Sith artifact. And for this, we need to find Mila from Chandrila, the younger sister of the smuggler Joyran. And Shilazh and Teyron – the Jedi Shadows will deal with them, since this tandem crawled out of its hole.
So what was I thinking about when I imagined, seemingly invincible Mandalorian with a large number of weapons, a beskar spear, projectile weapons, which are not very pleasant against a Jedi… About perfect defense? Soresu is my defense, but in confrontation with projectile weapons, it can play a cruel joke. The bullet will not melt completely, and its remnants, obeying inertia, can fly into me. Not the most pleasant sensations, which we thought to get rid of by flying to Coruscant, to the Temple, and asking for reinforced clothing. In the case of Shilazh – the best defense is defense. She is Gifted and has many tricks up her sleeve, it's unlikely that if I rush at her in the Ataru style – I will be able to win without being wounded. So in confrontation with the Witch, I will have to use Soresu. As for Teyron, the fight must be finished faster. All his possible tricks are known. I can only dodge bullets, the ideal for Ataru. But how to pierce beskar armor? A lightsaber does not take this metal. And then an idea struck me… Cade Skywalker, Mace Windu… Vulnerable Point! The talent to find vulnerable points using the Force was a rare gift and allowed one to discover weak spots in everything – in material objects, in people, in events, in organizations, and so on. A talent… Alas, to master it to its full potential, like Mace Windu, or Cade – requires predisposition. My predisposition is slightly different. In Force foresight in the middle of a fight. I will definitely not be able to master Vulnerable Point at the level of Mace Windu, or Cade, who saw the roots of Darth Krayt's illness with its help and immediately determined that he could not be cured. Figuratively speaking.
But that didn't mean I couldn't master at least part of this skill! To see a weak spot in beskar armor – means to see a chance for victory. And then I won't have to fear Teyron… On the other hand – Jedi from the "graveyard service," so to speak, Shadows, were sent to him. Shadows are the most skilled fighters for killing the Sentient. Not Defenders, but precisely Shadows, who have everything for killing. And any Jedi Shadow, at the moment, can kill me. And Vulnerable Point will not put me on the level of the Shadows, alas… Although it will increase my chances. So I again divided my time… Part of the time we practiced Techniques, which Lorm gave me. And part of the time I paid attention to Vulnerable Point. The problem is also that it's not enough to meditate, replaying the description of this technique in my head. I could see the points… But the layering was a problem. It's not enough to master the point, okay, I see it, what next? The problem is that experienced fighters make decisions in fractions of a second and it's not always possible to hit it precisely, any shift and I myself will be in a vulnerable position.
So I need to be able to apply Vulnerable Point together with foresight, which added problems in the form of literally emergency concentration. And it turned out, indeed, that in combination: either I use Ataru with foresight, Force enhancement, and attack as I planned the fight against Teyron. Or… Or… I use Soresu, standing still and concentrating as much as possible. Vulnerable Point works with foresight and Force enhancement… Unfortunately, while I am focused on the Ataru movement – I am not able to adequately apply the point to the mobile style. A vicious circle… One can, of course, connect the defense first, consider where Teyron's vulnerability is, and then sharply switch to an offensive style. Sharply, like a sickle strike to the balls, and hard, like a hammer blow. That's exactly how it will be unpleasant for any sentient when a Jedi, who seems to be standing still, exclusively defending, instantly closes the distance and starts delivering blows, quite fast and merciless. But such a change of style, especially in a fierce battle, and it will be, if we encounter this pair – will exhaust me too much. And Teyron will be my opponent, Shilazh, in case of a fight – will go to the mentor. He will finish her quickly, Lorm Dezer is too strong, he even told me how to get out of the spell with which she buried the gornum. The point is that Witches focus too much on it, and here one should throw her off balance. With telekinesis, lightning, a fireball, or a lightsaber and that's it – she won't succeed.
Why am I preparing, together with my teacher, to confront them? We have a common interest, and even if Shadows were sent after them, it's not a fact that we won't encounter those two. So we'd better be ready… And I'd better turn off the faucet of whining and pessimistic mood and be ready for battle with them.
***
Emerging near Kinyen, we entered the Corellian Trade Route, which led us to Coruscant. We decided to fly to the planet itself to refuel, resupply, and replenish our arsenal. I had to use two missiles to destroy a small ship with pirates at the previous hyperspace exit point. It exploded significantly, thirty sentient beings were caught in the crossfire… And it was a good training for Vulnerable Point… By the way, the mentor noticed that I was training alone, and upon learning that I was training and for what: he only praised my zeal and joined the training himself. Lorm did not use Vulnerable Point and decided to master it. A bit late, though, but as it is.
The planet's spaceport, belonging to the Gran race – was quite large and busy, which sharply contrasted with the picturesque nature of this planet. However, we didn't come here to admire, while our ship was being refueled, I decided to pay from my own pocket, thankfully I earned almost two million credits for the patent during this time, thanks to my father. And while our ammunition was being replenished and the ship was being inspected for damage, the Master and I went out beyond the capital city, to a park, where, having moved away from civilization, we had a real battle of the Gifted according to the scheme: everything we have. The battle lasted about five minutes, but during all this time – the teacher even used Force Lightning against me, thankfully the Jedi version of it. I responded with Tutaminis, not wanting to take it on a training sword, which is simply not designed for such energy. And then, I broke into an attack, using Ataru against him… But this time the mentor didn't play with me much, the result of the battle was a fireball of pyrokinesis, which he threw at my feet… I dodged, and the teacher closed in on me and disarmed me… But before that, I managed to hit him a couple of times with my lightsaber, leave a scratch on his nose, a conditional one, and even drag him ten meters with telekinesis to the nearest tree. In general, the fight turned out to be spectacular…
This only prepared me for what awaited me in the Temple. Traveling along one of the main hyperspace routes of the Republic is relatively safe. Relatively, compared to the Unknown Regions, where even scavengers can play pirates. Then we exited the Corellian Trade Route onto the simply Corellian Route. Yes, there is such a thing… Corellia – a trade zone and one of the richest worlds in the Galaxy. We didn't fly there, just set course for Coruscant. And in the Temple… The ship exited hyperspace and we were immediately contacted from the Coruscant Control Center, asking about the purpose of our visit. A standard procedure, in general… Upon learning that we were Jedi flying home, to the Temple, we were connected to the Temple Control Center. Which led us into the Temple Hangar… The ship landed calmly and the Temple technicians immediately rushed to inspect it, refuel it, replenish its arsenal, and so on.
In the Temple itself, we were only supposed to rest before traveling along the Perlemian Trade Route to Chandrila. The mentor went to sleep. According to the information obtained: Mila Karnur, the younger sister of Joyran Karnur, hired herself as a mechanic on a ship. What kind of ship – was not mentioned, apparently the ship's captain was not far from Mila's older brother – meaning he decided to follow the path of a smuggler. The officer who recorded the ship's registration was dismissed from service two months ago for dereliction of duty. And where could a ship with Joyran's sister fly – no one knows, there were no records of it thanks to this Officer… And they treated him too softly, they didn't even put him in prison. Mila is important. Shilazh and Teyron are hunting her, because the sister definitely knows her brother's habits and where he might be hiding. That's why my teacher and I chose finding the girl first as our goal.
"Light!" a voice was heard, and I flinched from the sharp noise. I was walking in the corridor, not far from the dining room. Many Jedi walked along it. Knights walked with dignity and importance, some were talking, some were writing messages on their datapads. You could also find padawans in the corridor, with pigtails. Mostly they gathered in groups by their clans, discussing knights… And younglings, who almost always walked in groups. As for the voice… Turning around, I saw him. A huge man, two heads taller than me, dressed in light clothes, like me. Long, black hair fell to his shoulders. His muscular figure should have attracted girls… My height – plus or minus one hundred seventy centimeters and it will likely remain so forever… Cin Drallig grew even taller.
"Light Flaingstar, long time no see."
"Cin," I greeted my former clanmate, briefly nodding to the Jedi who turned their attention to us because of Cin's loud voice, so they would go about their business.
"It's really been a long time. Two years have passed?"
"That's right," he said.
"So you're back at the Temple?"
"A brief stop," I explained.
"We'll rest a bit and then rush off on our mission. And you?" I asked him.
"How are you doing?"
"Oh," Cin sighed, "everything's fine. Except for the mentor. I only dreamed of such a mentor, but what did I get in the end? I'm sitting in the Temple, because Knight Roan, as you correctly remember, is a mentor for younglings."
"Well, of course, he is the master of all styles except the seventh. So what's surprising about that, Cin?" I asked him.
"What? At least you… Everyone else, even Rele, is carrying out missions in the Galaxy, and I'm sitting in the Temple and studying styles… I'm tired of it."
"Cin Drallig is tired of fencing?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I'd sooner believe that a talking raccoon with a big rocket launcher is saving the Galaxy with his plant friend, fighting the most terrible threats."
"You find it funny, don't you?" Cin asked sharply.
"Come on, let's fight, since you're here. Two years have passed since the Tournament, now I'll definitely beat all the shit out of you!"
"Don't swear," a smack on the back of the head came from behind him. Knight Roan Lancestfield himself reprimanded his student. Younglings crowded behind him.
"Mentor!" Cin exclaimed in surprise.
"But how did you…"
"See, children, why you should study sensory perception," Roan said importantly.
"Look at Light," he pointed at me.
"He examines every detail, probes space with the Force. That's how a Jedi acts. To protect the Sentient, you must always be ready to protect them not only with words, but also with deeds. Did you all understand?" he asked the younglings.
"Yes, Mentor Roan," the children, who looked about seven or eight years old in my opinion, replied in unison.
"Good," he nodded importantly.
"I'm glad to see you alive, Light Flaingstar," he addressed me.
"I remember you as a little one, like them, but look at yourself now! You've matured, and this confidence. You've become stronger. Alright, kids. You know about my padawan, and I'll tell you that Light was not inferior to him in talent – he surpassed him, and this is not bragging – already at graduation, he was little inferior to a weak Jedi Knight in abilities. And now… You just need to solve a couple of problems, and Lorm will gladly recommend you for trials. Do you want to see how almost Jedi Knights fight? Cin is also not inferior to a Knight in abilities."
"Two such monsters?" one of the guys sighed heavily.
"Force, why?"
"Oh, calm down, Lud," they told the guy.
"It's so exciting."
"Knight Roan," I called to him.
"No refusals accepted?" I asked him.
"No," Roan shook his head unequivocally.
"Let's go to the training hall…"
And it turned out to be much more crowded than I would have liked. On the way, Roan gathered a couple more groups of younglings. And the question is – isn't it too much honor for us, padawans, considering that all younglings are shown the fight of two Knights. Cin, however, glowed with happiness… He wants to fight me like this?
"The rules are simple. Everything you know is allowed," Roan said.
"Fight!"
We activated training lightsabers. White blades ready to sting their opponents… I took the classic Soresu stance.
"Nothing changes, Light," Cin smiled, rushing into attack, in the Jem So style. His furious attacks immediately began to push me back… But I deflected every single one of his attacks aside.
Moving aside from another of his attacks, I counterattacked him on the flank, but he managed to react and block the blow. Then I jumped back, but Cin began to pursue me… We moved at incredible speed. It was noticeable how much stronger and faster he had become. But I wasn't a slouch either… After so much time, I learned to fight at a completely different level compared to what I showed at the Tournament. As soon as Cin got close, he was thrown back. I hit him with my foot in the chest, putting Force into the blow. Cin landed on his feet, twisting in mid-air and froze in surprise, I rarely used punches or kicks in a pure lightsaber duel. I started moving away from this concept in the Temple to avoid exposing my limbs to danger… But the jungle planet, where I spent a year, completely changed my perception. The whole body is a weapon, not just the Force and the lightsaber.
Smiling, I instantly closed the distance to Cin, already starting to use Ataru, against which he switched to Soresu… Cin Drallig and Soresu? He knows it well, but not as well as I do. It was not difficult for me to find gaps in his Soresu defense, which was far from mine, which I could use against real Knights, and not just younglings and padawans. Having received a couple of lightsaber slaps, Cin was not going to give up, he made an instant style change and began to respond to me in the Ataru style… Which finally removed any speed limitations. But even in it, he lost to me, if only because he, like Qui-Gon – is weakly predisposed to this style. Smaller, more agile and nimble, I darted around him, delivering wide, chopping blows, completely breaking his combat picture. But this is what he wanted from the very beginning! He grabbed my hand and, judging by the movement – he wanted to stop me this way and deliver a lightsaber strike. Not the most convenient blow, both for delivering and for the one who caught it. Ouch! He even stepped on my foot. Apparently, this was his planned combination… But he grabbed the exposed part of my body, I took off my bracer… In vain, there would be more options for maneuver, but to hell with all this. I simply heated my left hand using pyrokinesis. I can only ignite flames by concentrating, but I can heat a part of my body without harming my own body, but with harm to the one who grabbed that part – quite well.
"Ouch," Cin pulled his hand away, the blow completely failed, but my counterattack, consisting of a quick, chopping Ataru blow, "decapitated Cin"…
"What was that?" Cin asked, rubbing his neck where the blow landed.
"Your hand, it's like…"
"Pyrokinesis," I replied impassively, "the mentor taught me."
"Heartening," Roan approached us.
"That you didn't give up. Remember an important lesson! As long as you are alive – you can fight. Cin caught Light and was about to strike, but Light won because he didn't give up and found a way out. Every trick, even the most insignificant at first glance – can and should be used in battle. Where was only your bracer?" he asked me.
"I remember you made it before graduation."
"I left it in the room," I confessed.
"WHAT?!" it seemed his voice was heard throughout the Temple. Ah, younglinghood, a magical time under the jurisdiction of Roan Lancestfield.
"What audacity! Fifty laps around the hall at a run! Every little thing is a chance to win, I taught you this, Light. But you, apparently, won't understand until you get burned! Naive boy," and indeed – a mistake! To leave such a tool in the room… What will happen to me in the Temple? A foolish assumption, anything can happen!
"I agree, Knight Roan. But I am no longer your student…"
"Wow," Roan seemed surprised by something.
"Well, I'll be… But… ONE HUNDRED LAPS," he replied, hitting me on the crown of the head with his fist.
"Remember all of you. You can become Great Masters. But you will not stop being my students because of that. All of you! And you, Light – you will run," he said in an unyielding voice.
"Or – a duel with me. Under the same conditions as with Cin, since you are so smart."
A duel with him? No, I definitely wouldn't survive that.
"A hundred is a hundred," I grumbled, walking to the wall of the hall.
"And you, children – thirty laps," he swept his gaze over the younglings, "for a warm-up. And as for you, Cin – two hundred laps."
"Yes, mentor!" Cin replied and even overtook me on the first lap. Took a high pace right away? He'll look like a beaten dog by the seventieth. However, his problems…
My thoughts were already on Chandrila, I wanted to return to space faster and start carrying out our mission…
***
She approached the holoprojector, the connection was long and through an encrypted channel. They couldn't reveal themselves yet and talk on an open channel. Kneeling, she waited for the Sith hologram to appear.
"Lord Plagueis," she said to the hologram of a Muun in a hood. His face was not visible, but she knew the Sith's identity.
"Shilazh," Plagueis's voice was calm and cold, like the weather on Hoth.
"The medallion was stolen by a former smuggler who worked for the Crimson Kraken, Joyran Karnur…"
"This is unpleasant," the Sith hissed, and Shilazh literally felt the air grow cold.
"But what's more unpleasant is that you didn't notice the Jedi who were following you. Shadows will be sent after you."
"My Lord, but I…"
"Silence!" the Sith sharply interrupted her speech, she felt something squeeze her throat.
"Your task was to get the medallion and perform a trial ritual, and what did you do? You lost the medallion, and you didn't even notice two Jedi," she was lifted up, and the air became slightly less.
"You have disappointed me, Shilazh. Disappointed me for the last time. Find the medallion, try to perform the ritual, and then, if it turns out to be what I was looking for: bring it to me. You also need to see someone 'from the other side,' don't you? For the opportunity to kill your beloved one more time, this time definitively, you promised me anything, but you can't even get a medallion to facilitate the ritual," the secrets of which the Sith had lost, and Plagueis himself wanted to use ghosts for enhancement. And then the rumor about this medallion, corresponding to an ancient image, from the era of Vitiate!
"I… KHA!" she coughed as she collapsed onto the steel floor of their ship.
"I swear, My Lord! I won't fail again… KHA!"
"I'm glad to hear that," Plagueis said insinuatingly. "As for the Crimson Kraken," he mused, scratching his chin. "They shouldn't have deceived our expectations. The betrayal of a servant is the fault of his master. Sidious," another figure appeared next to Plagueis, also in a dark cloak, only the chin of a young man was visible https://c.radikal.ru/c39/2110/7a/fd4333f5bd88.jpg. "Go to the Crimson Kraken's Territory, using any available resources – destroy them all. Too much is at stake, we cannot let the Crimson Kraken live after all they have done. That's all. I expect positive results from you, Shillaj. True," the visible part of the Sith's face contorted, apparently into a smile. "Now it will be harder. The Jedi Shadow is on your heels, I wouldn't underestimate An'yu Kuro if I were you. Plus those two. But these circumstances don't change your goal. I await your report," the Sith's hologram disappeared, and the door behind opened. A Mandalorian in imposing armor entered the room.
"What did the Boss say?" Tyron asked.
"Nothing new," Shillaj grumbled. It was her mistake, she hadn't noticed those two Jedi, and as a result, their activities were exposed. She would fix it, she would kill both the master and the student, and the Jedi Shadow. "Nothing new... Except that three Jedi will be hunting us now," Tyron was wearing a helmet, but she knew her partner too well and knew for sure that he was smiling right now, and emotions were coming from him... Anticipation. "Course to Chandrila, we must find this bastard!"