Even in regions relatively close to the center of the Galaxy, there are places that are poorly studied. Otherwise, the Jedi would have long ago cleared all smugglers and pirates from the Galaxy. Imagine that along the Perlemian Trade Route, on the path of one of the main hyperlanes – there is a slave redistribution center. What did we learn more precisely? The Tyrann System, containing the planet of the same name, through which the Perlemian Trade Route passes. There are several planets in the system, including – unstudied and even uncolonized ones. More precisely – a long time ago, the planet where this slave traders' transit point was located – was colonized as a resource base. Only all the resources were extracted, the atmosphere was killed, meaning there were no reasons for the planet to be inhabited. The economy quickly declined, a war broke out, and the System's government decided: if there are no resources there anymore, and the atmosphere is polluted, then why should we have these problems? As a result – the population, as best they could, was evacuated, what they could be dismantled, and what they couldn't – they just left. A terribly irrational action. As a result, pirates settled there, although, officially, the transit point of the cargo-transporting "Zerta Transport Company" is located there. Only the cargo is of a completely different kind. Without further ado, for the mentor, this word is sometimes an insult – we decided to show up on this planet, find Mila Karnur, and at the same time clean up the atmosphere of Galactic Garbage. The only problem could be that the Zerta company is a respected enterprise that pays taxes.
And it was a problem even for a Jedi to conduct an official investigation against a company that had a transit point in the Tyrann system but was registered on Chandrila and, apparently, was covered by the senator from Chandrila, Virp Leid. Another master of life, considering the information I found. A typical deputy of a well-known party in the parliament of a well-known country. Arrogant, spoiled, selfish, a great lover of women. My father will earn less in his entire life than one of his parties costs, which he regularly throws in elite apartments on Coruscant... And it would seem – this is the life of a Senator. Shand Motma, the ruler of Chandrila, is obliged to deprive him of such a status. But the problem turned out to be democratic elections. Virp won according to all the rules and must be a Senator. The ruler of Chandrila only approves the candidate who officially won the election.
Here's the downside of democracy. Such people can slip through and officially rule. The Imperial ambitions of the Sith look more adequate? Not always... A caste society also has its drawbacks. Among the Sith, a caste society is built on strength. That is – whoever is stronger. At least it was almost always like that. Therefore, it is not shameful for them to challenge the ruler, kill him, and become the ruler themselves. But what if this ruler, although he did not possess enough charisma and strength to teach a barbarian good manners, but possessed some strategic, tactical thinking and political acumen? Ruled wisely, as much as possible for the Sith. And then he dies in a duel at the hands of not the smartest... Sentient being. The law of the strong? Correct, but will it be a plus for the state formation? One can argue...
In general – reflections on politics took away my already small free time. Lorm Dezer taught me, as always, everything, having broken loose, forcing me to study the Force Techniques... He also taught me the history of the Jedi, as a historian he was well-versed, the history of the Sith. Aspirations, ambitions, dreams... Through the examples of various heroes of the Galaxy, I learned how the Celestial River treats them. Whom it loves, whom it honors, and whom it hates.
We arrived in the Tyrann system, celebrating my fifteenth birthday right in flight. The course to the planet was known to us, so, without notifying the government of our purpose, without even contacting the spaceport – we headed to the outskirts of the system to that very planet, it was called Kes and was located farthest from the planet Tyrann itself, the capital of the System... Did no one find it suspicious that the trading company has its base farther from the System Capital? However – perhaps it did, but it's not a fact that those who found it suspicious could share their suspicions.
"What kind of signal is that?" my mentor asked in the cockpit.
"Evidence of energy activity nearby, in the planet's asteroid field."
Indeed, the gray ball of Kes was surrounded by asteroids of various sizes. But it was not them that interested us.
"Energy?" I asked, activating the scanners in a more active mode. "It's Zerta company's station. Hutt! They're launching fighters!"
"Scanning gave us away," Lorm gritted out. "We should have activated stealth mode and slipped onto the planet, ignoring the radar signal, Light! After everything that's about to happen, I'll have to have a serious talk with you!"
"Forgive me, mentor," did I get too lost in thought and get distracted? Strange visions, reflections on politics. "But won't they ask us to leave?" I asked. "After all, we just violated their borders, but they can aggressively ask us to leave, can't they?"
"I wouldn't be so naive. It's easier to destroy us, even if the Order tries to investigate the circumstances – they'll simply be told that we violated corporate ethics and tried to penetrate their territory without their permission!"
And indeed, they launched a trio of "Bounty Hunters." They, as Lorm predicted, did not try to negotiate with us, although we sent them a signal. The fighters immediately opened fire on us. Asteroids and the frontal shield in combat mode prevented them from hitting us.
"Fighters!" the mentor exclaimed.
"I see! Hold on," I began to increase speed, relying on my Gifted senses. Unlike the Zerta company pilots, I wasn't going to shoot randomly, so I quickly closed the distance and, activating the ship's armament, shot down one of the opponents at close range. The other two flew past my ship, preparing to turn and attack the engines. A moment... The station also opened fire? Plus, fighters attacked from behind...
"If you don't do something – we're finished!" the mentor exclaimed.
I pulled the control stick again and began to maneuver between the asteroids.
"VV-7, activate the aft guns!" I ordered the droid. It obediently beeped its agreement and, connecting to the ship's system, began to fire back at the fighters. Their fire became less frequent, but the station remained, pouring fire on our shield and threatening to break through it. "We need to take down their shield generator," I said, finding the corresponding superstructure. Without it, they wouldn't survive in the asteroid field... Plus, I plan to drop something on them. Target acquired, I gained altitude and sent the ship into a steep dive. The station didn't expect this and didn't even have time to aim at my ship immediately. And then it was a matter of technique. The missile shot was at point-blank range, the shield superstructure was destroyed. I flew directly over the superstructure, mangled by the missile explosion, and a little gift for the slave traders fell out of the aft compartment...
"Seismic charge?" Lorm asked.
The wave covered the asteroid field, forcing the asteroids to move in a chaotic order. Some of them were already causing the station, resembling a mushroom with antennas – to burn. One of our opponents was unlucky, and it hit the charge wave exactly, cutting his fighter in half. The deaths of the station personnel were felt in the Force... But the second fighter – emerged with us from the asteroid field, but... It had a damaged engine, according to the scanners, as a result, it activated afterburner...
"What the..." my mentor and I could only exclaim, as this bastard, lightly, tangentially, grazed our engines with its wing...
"Engine system malfunctions," VV-7 reported. "Energy supply is disrupted, engine power is forty percent of the required. The integrity of the ship's braking unit is compromised."
"Forty?" the mentor asked. His face expressed horror. "The ship's landing unit?"
The ship swayed in the meantime, and I felt us begin to accelerate, and the planet began to approach.
"We've entered the planet's gravitational zone!" I exclaimed. "Hutt and his three wives! With such power, we won't be able to land properly! And without the control unit – the engines won't be able to compensate for the planet's gravity in time, and we'll crash in that case! VV-7 – deactivate all weapon systems, otherwise there's a risk of explosion!"
"Evacuate... It's just a ship."
"No," I shook my head. "We can still try to land properly if we make the ship enter at a normal angle relative to the ground."
"And if you can't do that?" the master asked. "It will gain speed, right? And the gained acceleration will make everything so that we enter at ninety degrees. That's certain death! Are you sure you can land?"
I listened to the Force, closing my eyes. The planet began to pull us towards it... Here the ship flies in the atmosphere, I pull the control stick towards me... It helps little, the engines cannot compensate for the load on the ship now. VV-7 will not be able to fix them in time... But evacuating is not an option... What to do... Should I die? Or lose such a ship? No, that's not possible... A trickle of blood ran from my nose to my lips.
"Light?" Lorm touched my shoulder. "What? What are you trying to do! Are you crazy?!"
"There is no weight, only the Force... There is no weight, only the Force... There is no weight, only the Force..."
"The ship is leveling out," I heard from the droid, but I didn't allow myself to get distracted, focusing on the nose of the ship, which I tried to guide with the Force.
"No weight... Only the Force!"
The ship leveled out relative to the ground. Although everything happened quickly. The engines, although switched to reverse to somehow compensate for the planet's gravity – were weak. Finally, our descent passed... We landed... We landed right on the water. The ship dragged along the water, I could literally feel the panels of my ship cracking, some of its most expensive parts, because it was on the panels that the stygium crystals were located and the armament was there... I clenched my fist, trying to erect a barrier around the ship. Everything in my head began to buzz, like with a bad radio signal. But then we sharply changed the landing site... The ship hit the ground and, since we were still at speed, even despite the seat belts – we were thrown forward. I was also maximally relaxed, focusing only on controlling the Force, so I hit the ship's control panel quite hard, cut my lip and broke my nose... The sound of the ship's systems shutting down was heard.
"I've deactivated the reactor for now, we won't need much energy now," VV-7 informed. "I'll run diagnostics, master, and tell you what's needed for repairs."
Lorm swore dirtily when the green droid left the cockpit.
"Hutt! What are you doing, student! Do you even realize how close you came to the line?"
"Mentor?"
"What mentor? Holding a ship with the Force, and one falling through the atmosphere... Do you even understand what could have happened to you?" he asked me. "You could have died from overexertion, because it's easy to repeat 'there is no weight, only the Force' – but what if the mantra didn't convince you? Or you fell from rage at your miscalculation? Jedi have fallen to the Dark Side for much more trivial circumstances..."
"Forgive me, mentor," I apologized. "I let you down... I almost killed you..."
"Me?" Lorm asked. "You fool! I'm a worthless Jedi, I'll die and who cares," he hugged me, "the main thing is – you become a Jedi. You have every chance to become much better than me!"
"Mentor? Are you alright?" I asked, looking at the teacher in surprise.
"You insensitive blockhead," the mentor grumbled. "I worry about you, like my student... Oh," Lorm sighed heavily. "Someday your actions will lead you to the brink... I hope I'll be there to help you. Losing you, after all that has happened, would be truly a pity. But okay... The ship is also important," he looked around. "With this level of engine power supply – we won't leave this planet. And to repair all the circuits," he brought up a projection of my ship on the control panel's holoprojector, "it's unlikely to work."
"Stuck?" I asked the mentor. "No, if we transfer energy to the engines..."
"That won't help, look," Lorm zoomed in on the power supply circuits. "They are damaged. The cable needs to be replaced, in at least nineteen zones. The collision caused a small explosion in the power supply system. If it weren't for the emergency system, we could have died. We don't have spare parts – they are bulky. We can't take off from the planet... Only one option remains..."
"Visit our new friends," I continued for the mentor. "As guests. Since this is a transit base, they can repair ships."
"Except they're unlikely to do that," the mentor remarked sarcastically, twisting his lips into a semblance of a smile.
"When has that bothered you, mentor?" I asked.
"For the first couple of years of my padawanhood it did, and after that I gave up. So, then, to the plan of finding out where Mila Karnur is now, we add the plan to repair the ship."
"According to the data Rondan had – Mila and many other girls and women have not yet been sold. They are going to organize an Auction 'Dream from the Core World' and sell them all at once. That is, she may still be on this base. How do we proceed, teacher?"
"If we had a ship in working order, we could have thrown a bloody bacchanalia for them at the base..."
"Unlikely," I objected, glancing again at the projection of my ship. The damage is medium-heavy, although, given the circumstances – possibly even heavy. "The base is built in such a way that if we attacked from the air, the barracks with the slaves would also be under attack. Rondan was there and knew it well."
"Master and horned cattle," V7 rolled into the cockpit. "Some sentient beings are trying to break into the ship," he projected the ongoing events outside onto the holographic display.
"A transport," Lorm squinted at the version of the speeder that could carry a squad of ten sentient beings. It somewhat resembled a motorboat. And it had a machine gun mounted on it, pointing towards our ship. "A machine gun. Right now, any hit to the ship could only worsen our situation. Here's what we'll do: lower the ramp, and immediately start cutting them down. They're all mercenaries from Zerta's company. You'll be the cornerstone of the plan, Light. Your task will be to jump out first and draw the machine gunner's attention. Your Soresu will handle it, and while they're distracted by you, I'll deal with the machine gunner."
"Just don't destroy the transport. Maybe we can't," we descended to the first floor, leaning against the wall, the ship had landed slightly "at an angle," "use the Star Trek for fire support. But we can get to their base relatively quickly."
"Don't take me for a fool. Who do you think I am... Just don't let us down, Light," the ramp creaked as it lowered, and I immediately rushed into the attack, activating my lightsaber. Pulling two opponents towards me with telekinesis, I delivered two quick fatal blows. My philosophy hadn't changed. They were slavers, rapists, and murderers. So, doubt was harmful. Throwing the corpses aside, I, amplifying my body to the maximum, rushed at three sentient beings at once. One even managed to fire, but I deflected the shot aside with my saber and immediately severed his arm at the shoulder. Grabbing him with telekinesis, I applied pyrokinesis to his clothes and threw him at his two comrades. Their clothes also caught fire, distracted by this circumstance, they didn't have time to react to my swift strikes. The machine gunner finally reacted.
"JEDI!" he roared, aiming the machine gun at me. Anger was reflected on the man's face. "DIE, HUTT'S BASTARD!"
I assumed the classic Soresu stance and with pleasure noted how the man's rage-filled eyes filled with despair. The machine gun shots flew everywhere but at me.
"Ugh," the cyan blade severed his arms. The mentor threw the man onto the grayish sand. Perhaps this place was once a beach. But now I looked closely - even the sand here was gray, and the water was greenish. We dealt with four more opponents quickly, completely crushing the squad.
"How dare you, bastards?! Do you even know who we are? AAAAAH!" the mentor had just cut off his... male organ.
"I know, you damned slavers, rapists, and murderers. You think because Senator covers you, it justifies you? Pathetic nothingness," he seared the man's torso with his lightsaber, causing him to scream very loudly. "Who do you think I hate the most? Sith? Or bandits? Most of all, I hate slavers. These creatures should have been wiped out long ago, and the harshest punishments should be imposed for slave trading. But look - these creatures have even infiltrated the Core Worlds! But it's okay, you'll tell us everything, won't you?"
"Go to hell, creature! You'll pay for..."
"Understood," the mentor sighed heavily, severing his head. "He wouldn't have answered anything."
"Yeah, well," I grumbled. "In any case, it doesn't change anything."
I jumped onto the transport and looked at the control system. Computerized, even with a steering wheel... Interesting. In the simple computer, which I hacked in a couple of seconds, I found a map of the area and even a log describing the flora and fauna. This planet is practically destroyed, and vile creatures have replaced the animals. However, they live far from the base; their self-preservation instinct is very developed.
"The base is quite large," Lorm chuckled, examining the map. "We'll infiltrate stealthily. We'll find Mila Karnur first, repair the ship, and leave. Before that, we'll try to steal some ship parts."
"And the slaves?" I asked the mentor.
"We won't have enough space to take them," he replied. "Although I understand you perfectly. As soon as we get out of here, we'll contact the Jedi Council. They'll send defenders here. We'll gather all the evidence, and that will be enough to remove everyone who knows about this place from their positions and imprison them for the rest of their lives."
"Sounds like a plan," I noted. "Shall we begin implementation?"
"Immediately," Lorm nodded.
We can't contact the Council right now. Communications are jammed. This means we need to get off this planet. And preferably with Mila Karnur by then. Well, when the defenders arrive here after all our misfortunes, the pirates will be finished.
The base was located in a decent crater. And it resembled a military camp much more than a transit point. And the number of landing platforms and weapons they had. If each of the twenty platforms housed decent shuttles, like the one Mila Karnur flew away in, and each contained candidates for a life of slavery... The number of slaves was simply monstrous! Creatures!
"Calm your emotions, student," Lorm said, lying next to me. "They interfere with the task," he studied the perimeter of the defense. "I see. So we won't infiltrate from different sides. The opposite side is the most heavily guarded, apparently because of that tower," he pointed. "Either slaves or the main boss are there. Activate cloaking and don't forget about Ionization, student. After infiltration, your task will be to find anything that could help us repair the ship. I will free Mila Karnur."
"Understood, mentor..."
Trying to move unnoticed, we carefully jumped down to the base fence. The shield was deactivated. We moved carefully, in short bursts, not even taking down the guards. Not yet... After a short dash, we hid behind a tank...
"What are they doing?" I asked. According to the sensors in the main area, which resembled a parade ground, there were too many people, including... I shuddered... Thin, slender, beautiful - girls of different races, in rags. They were standing in formation...
Suddenly, several sentient beings came out of the building adjacent to the "parade ground." But the most attention-grabbing was a tall man in gray and black clothing. Each guard bowed slightly to him. His face was stern, with a prickly black beard. And a terrible scar crossed his right eye.
"LISTEN TO ME!" he suddenly said loudly. "And you, Jedi, listen too! Do you think I'm an idiot? Our radars detected our transport near the base, the one we sent to your ship, Jedi! You killed my men, but they managed to report who you are, and also that your ship is damaged, you won't be able to fly away, which means you've already arrived at this base! Hahaha!" he suddenly laughed. "An honest and noble Jedi, coming to save pathetic and worthless slave girls, whom we will sell in the Outer Rim. And do you know what I'll buy myself in a couple of years of hard work? I'll buy a planet, build a palace there, and for every position, I'll buy slave girls from the Core Worlds. Like all of you, right, people!"
"YEEES!" the pirates shouted, some even firing their weapons into the air.
"But the Jedi intends to interfere with us! This creature is surely trying to free our company's merchandise. Well, try it, Jedi. But know this - for every hour you exist on my base without surrendering, I will kill one woman, a girl! We have many slave girls, and more will arrive soon," the slave girls trembled in horror, many cried, bowing their heads.
"What a creature," we grumbled together with the mentor.
"Either surrender, Jedi. I might even let you go, because we can negotiate!"
"Understood," Lorm whispered. "I see..."
"Mentor?" I asked.
"Light. I'll surrender," the teacher said simply. "We can't let him do whatever he wants."
"But this means everything falls on me..."
"Quiet," Lorm hissed. "He's from the Core Worlds, they know you're too young for a Knight. Plus, the Padawan braid. They'd start asking where your mentor is. A Padawan traveling alone? A rare sight. But I am a Knight. And lone Knights, without students, are quite common. So, your tasks are now a bit different. First, you must find a way to free the slave girls. They have slave chips implanted, only the base commander can remove them, so start by finding a way to get to him and take his control panel. And after that - free me, and we'll act according to the situation."
"Understood," I sighed heavily. "But I don't like your plan, Master Lorm."
"Me neither, but I don't see any other options. Okay, move to another hiding spot," he nodded towards another tank, which I did, taking advantage of the moment when Lorm began to surrender and everyone was distracted by him. "As you wish, slaver," Lorm emerged from cover, raising his hands. In one, he held a lightsaber, which he threw aside... Lorm Decer's character suggests acting according to the plan "the end justifies the means." Only he categorically disagrees with sacrificing the lives of innocent slave girls, who were brought out in front of us... They will pay for this audacity...
"So, what's your name, Jedi?" the base commander asked him, when Lorm was brought to his knees and handcuffed.
"Lorm Decer, Jedi Knight," my teacher grinned. I know that tone.
"How noble, and how foolish. You Jedi are so easy to predict."
"Naive idiot," Lorm spat. "You are easy to predict. Soon this will backfire on you, and you will lose!"