The cantina door opened before me. Kuro remained outside… The place turned out to be very lively. Sentient beings of various types, kinds, and tribes scurried in all directions, mostly carrying snacks and alcohol… A standard bar where they served drinks. A perfectly ordinary Twi'lek stood behind the counter, pouring drinks for everyone. As soon as I entered, some, I suspect not the most socially well-adjusted characters, looked over the person entering. From others, I felt wariness, even though I wasn't particularly strong in empathy. I lightly brushed off my suit but didn't remove my hood. Why did Kuro bring me to this cantina? A second later, a message arrived on my datapad… Ah, one of the groups that was going to hunt the krayt dragon was gathering here.
Very interesting. But apparently, she wrote the message with a suggestion, and it was written: "Perhaps a group for the krayt dragon is gathering here." Not by chance in this form, surely to make me find the group myself and make the decision — whether I would work with them or not. Glancing around the cantina again, I could see about twenty sentient beings, belonging to, you don't need to be a Jedi Master to know, different groups that could hypothetically participate in the hunt. A krayt dragon is not a house cat. Not everyone dares to challenge creatures that, in perspective, could grow up to thirty meters and cut through durasteel with their claws. Dangerous lizards…
Therefore, first, I should gather information about what is happening here. Communicate… and not only with the HoloNet, where they have surely embellished, increasing its size to a good kilometer… What can you do — the internet is a cesspool. In the sense that all sorts of rumors take root there. Okay… According to the laws of the universe, all rumors in a cantina, tavern, bar — accumulate at the alcohol vendor. Taking a calm breath, I approached the counter, walking through the entire room. Sitting down at the counter, I began to study the menu. Purely out of interest. Hmm… I think I should order something, for decency's sake. Only low-alcohol, or non-alcoholic at all… Do they have juice here? I wouldn't want to get drunk on a mission, although I can use Force techniques to remove toxins.
"They say," I began the conversation when the bartender approached me. The blue-skinned Twi'lek paid attention to me. "A krayt dragon was discovered here…"
"I don't work with droids," the bartender informed me.
"Droids?" I raised my eyebrows. "How did you determine that?"
"Show your face, kid. Order in my cantina is the same for everyone. As long as you're anonymous, you're not served…"
"How interesting," I smiled under my hood. "And what about those guys."
The only ones who paid any attention to me, and even then — scanned me with a brief, assessing glance — were the Mandalorians sitting near the exit. They sat in their helmets, not taking them off.
"They are an exception," the bartender remarked. "Mandalorians. And who are you? I don't know you."
"Tatooine is a cesspool where all sorts of scum gather," I noted with a heavy sigh. "Does it matter who I am? I asked you a question. And I'm even willing to give a little more, say, for the fourth item," I nodded at the drink menu. There was a juice from a fruit that tasted like an apple to me. I love apple juice.
"Maybe you'll give me more?" came an impudent voice from the left. "Your suit is expensive, and I could use some money."
"So what?" Ignoring the inappropriate person, I continued my conversation with the bartender.
He handed me a glass, and I began to drink.
"Billy, stop it," the bartender tried to rein in the brash man, then turned to me. "Those who don't like to take off their helmets — they were talking about going after the krayt dragon. Only you are all insane. It's an ancient creature from the Dune Sea. It even has a name… The Ghost of the Dune Sea. Who knows how many sentient beings have perished because of it."
"Is that so?" I asked, finishing my juice.
"Yes. Its length, according to rumors, is about twenty-five meters, and its height is fifteen meters! And it has been alive for about two hundred years. No one has survived an encounter with this creature…"
"If no one survived, then where do the rumors come from?" I asked a reasonable question. "In any case, thanks for the information," I slammed a generous tip for this place on the counter. It already feels like the planet is sliding towards the Hutts. That's why peggats were respected here. My mentor and I had converted some of our financial resources into peggats. Just in case. Hutts are extremely powerful gangsters… Perhaps such factions have no place in the Galaxy, as they significantly hinder the development of the Republic — through corruption, drug trafficking, slave trading, piracy, and smuggling. It's just that when the Jedi could have destroyed all their factions — there was always a "bigger" enemy in the form of another Sith Empire. And when the Sith Empire was finally dealt with again — the Jedi, for some reason, mostly didn't pay attention, or paid attention only to the too impudent ones.
"Listen, kid," Billy touched my shoulder, "don't you get it?" This man with an impudent, tanned face, dressed in not the most decent clothes, was clearly provoking me. "Don't you know that I asked you to share your money with me?! I am the best shot in the surrounding twelve systems!"
"You were," I merely said.
"What?" the man asked.
"I said: you were the best shot," a moment later, a green beam from a Lightsaber severed both of this idiot's arms. "If you don't find money for prosthetics, and I highly doubt that trash like you will, then you'll never be a shooter again. All the best, Billy."
The man fell to his knees, looking at his hands and sobbing like a child.
"He provoked it himself, I'm within my rights," I told the bartender, putting the Lightsaber back in place.
"Y-yes, Master Jedi…"
Why wasn't the Lightsaber detected initially? Because I acted smarter, and while we were flying, I not only trained with Lorm but also made myself a second bracer for my right hand. On it, I placed a mount for the Lightsaber and hid the mechanism with the Lightsaber — with an additional sheath, like a sleeve. So it turns out that until I summon the Lightsaber with the Force, and then activate it — no one will know that I am a Jedi. Chuckling, I moved towards the Mando. This time, the cantina was more… cautious in monitoring my movements. It's one thing — some random sentient being who put on a hood. But it's another thing — a Jedi, or not a Jedi, but clearly a Force-sensitive with a Lightsaber. There were four Mandalorians. Each of them sat in a helmet, although each had a drink, but, as usual — "to go," that is — they would drink it somewhere else. Far from everyone. Their armor didn't differ much. Among them was one woman, judging by the protruding part of the armor, and three men.
"Mando…"
"What do you want, Jedi?" the woman asked. Her voice was as neutral as possible.
"I heard you guys want to go after the krayt dragon, I wanted to offer you my help…"
"Just like that," one of the men chuckled. "And can you do anything besides cutting off the hands of drunks in cantinas?"
"Apparently, you need 'something substantial'…"
"Listen, boy," the woman spoke again, "each of us has ten years of combat experience. We've killed and protected everyone. And you, apparently, are a teenager, albeit with a funny toy."
A funny toy? Not all of their armor elements are made of beskar. In general — beskar is quite a rarity. Only the elite among Mando could afford such armor. I haven't yet reworked Teyron's armor for shields and a Lightsaber hilt. The author — I've already spoiled that the protagonist will be a two-handed fencer. But the protagonist himself doesn't know this yet, so he speaks of the hilt as singular. But… any Force-sensitive is much stronger than an ordinary person. And although almost everything can be achieved through training, I can take apart their squad almost completely.
"I'm not looking for a fight," I raised my hands. "Only allies. With a fair division of spoils."
"If you want allies, talk to them," the man who had been silent until then nodded at the other sentient beings in the cantina, "we work separately from all these conceited brats." His armor had the most beskar elements.
"So, I'm not worthy?"
"You can buy us… But it will be expensive," the woman chuckled.
"You didn't agree to work with me on a partnership level," I shook my head, "because you think I'm not worthy of you. And tell me, please," I grinned. "Have you heard of such a Mandalorian — Teyron Jarps?"
"Let's say so," the man who spoke last summarized. "Many have heard of him."
"And have you heard that he died not so long ago on some planet? And do you know who sent him to the other world?"
"You mean you?" the woman's laughter rang out.
"And you don't believe me, my dear lady?" I asked sarcastically. "I can show you his helmet."
"I don't understand what you're getting at, boy," the Mandalorian stood up. "So, you have some of Teyron's property. Surely someone from your Order chopped him to pieces. But what does that give us?"
"You forgot what started the conversation," I parried. "My dear lady said: you killed and worked for ten years. And you called me a child with a funny toy. Isn't Teyron Jarps proof that I am a serious ally?"
"As I said, someone else could have killed him. And yes, what makes you think that I, his younger brother, will work with the one who killed my brother?"
"Well, that's awkward," I said.
"However, you didn't know about me, and I hated my brother from birth. And his philosophy of beast and warrior — what's that worth," the Mando summarized. "Alright. What do you want from the krayt dragon, Jedi?"
"A pearl," I simply answered. "Do you know about the Force, Jarps?"
"Jacob…"
"Jacob Jarps," I corrected myself. "So, the Force shows me that on Tatooine I need to find something for my Lightsaber. There haven't been any Kyber Crystal deposits here since the creation of the Galaxy. But krayt dragon pearls are suitable for this purpose. I'll take a little: all those that resonate with my Force. It's easy to understand even for those who are not Force-sensitive. You'll simply see how the crystals shine brightly next to me. At least, that's how the pearls react. I'm taking them… maybe I'll take a little krayt dragon hide for my cloak. It's rumored to be twenty-five meters long and fifteen meters tall. The rest is yours: fangs, claws, remaining hide, organs, pearls I don't need."
"He speaks smoothly, Jacob," the last member of the group said.
"He killed your brother," the woman stood up.
"Vanda, not now," Jacob interjected. "You wanted to kill Teyron yourself."
"I wanted to kill him! But certainly not for some Jedi… or his mentor to kill him."
"Enough," Jacob interrupted her. Apparently, he was the leader of the group. "Alright. The support of a Force-sensitive might be useful to us. Although I wouldn't mind seeing the full spectrum of your skills to know what to expect. I am Jacob Jarps, the woman's name is Vanda, she's nice when she doesn't remember my little brother. To my right is Hori, he loves anything related to bladed weapons," he nodded at a rather tall man in armor. "To the left is Bombur. He can generally be described by the phrase: I'll blow up a block to kill one sentient being."
"Hey!" exclaimed the man who had been silent until then. "It's not my fault in that situation! Hori didn't scout properly. Who knew they had a fuel depot there too."
"Shut up, it was your miscalculation, by the Great Winds," Hori replied.
"Great Winds?" I asked.
"Heard of that religion?"
"I was raised… in their environment," I lowered my hood.
"Oh, almost a compatriot," Hori nodded.
"And yet you are a child," Vanda summarized.
"It doesn't matter what you think I am," I said. "I've stated what I want. Do you agree to unite with me, or not?"
"Besides us, and you, two more groups are leaving from this city," Jacob replied to me, "And besides this city, they say hunters are also gathering in Mos Espa. After all, they decided to attack a real relic."
"Why such a fuss?"
"The whole problem was with the Hutts," Hori replied. "Apparently, they had a gang war among themselves: in one of the families over inheritance. And a brother, or sister, whoever he considers himself — was killed by his brother/sister. The body was dumped in the Dune Sea, and then it was announced that he died on a hunt, because of the dragon."
"They want to preserve their reputation?"
"At least a visible one," Hori nodded. "Killing relatives, you know, is frowned upon by many peoples. Unless the relative has gone completely off the rails… In short, the Hutts promised a huge sum of money for the krayt dragon's head."
"The head, let's say, doesn't interest me at all," I remarked.
"All the better," Jacob clasped his fingers in front of him, "but I hope you will be ready to kill sentient beings who become so brazen as to interfere with our prey."
"The Force, if it reveals something, usually only reveals what you are ready for," I replied vaguely. "It can't be otherwise. But I have vague doubts. There are only five of us."
"Our squad bets on quality and mobility," Bombur's voice came from the side. "So I hope you won't be a burden, since our leader decided to accept you. What's your name, by the way, Jedi?"
"Light. Light Flaingstar," I introduced myself. "From the planet Tustra," I looked at Hori.
"I noticed a braid on you. You're a Padawan. Where is your Master?" Jacob asked. "Or are you a runaway?"
"No," I shook my head. "My first master was sent to the other world by your brother with kinetic weapons," I looked into the visor of the younger Jarps. "My second master adheres to the principle of maximum freedom. She might intervene if she sees that we are in trouble."
"Understood. Then be ready. We depart tomorrow, at dawn. Meet me on the southern outskirts of the city, Light Flaingstar, Jedi Padawan," Jacob concluded, getting up from the table. This time, all his comrades left with him. "And here is my contact," he showed me a way to connect. "Set the communicator for the mission duration so I can contact you. As for our plan — we'll figure it out on the way."
"See you later," I glanced at the datapad and looked at the time of sunrise in Mos Eisley tomorrow. "Hey, bartender," I called to the Twi'lek. "Can I have the fourth item again? And more? And something meaty, with a good sauce."
"Yes, yes, we'll bring it now, Master Jedi!"
Sitting in the Mandalorians' place, I began to scour the HoloNet for any information that would help us win.
"So," the Dark Woman appeared directly in front of me. "You immediately found yourself allies."
"Hmm," I looked calmly at my mentor.
"Me too," she asked the service droid.
Droids aren't served, but there are droid waiters. Double standards even on the outskirts of the Galaxy.
"Mandalorians," I savored the name of the people. "Warriors almost by birth. If you're going to take allies, it should be them. At least they know how to fight best."
"I have a couple of complaints," Kuro pursed her lips and then pulled her hood further down. "Especially about their numbers. Although Mandalorians have proven more than once that quality is important. A krayt dragon is not an opponent where quality can win. Besides you, two more companies will be operating from this city. One of them has as many as thirty heavily armed mugs… You've already managed to cut off one of them's hands…"
"Then twenty-nine," I smiled, closing the page on the holonet, read for the twentieth time, and starting to eat.
"And here there will be mercenaries who directly work for Jabba the Hutt…"
"It won't be good if we come into conflict with them," I remarked.
"That's why I want you to be more attentive and not make mistakes. It seems the Galaxy has already shown you what happens if you don't take everything seriously…"
"Yes," I said bitterly. "What the Galaxy certainly knows how to do is deliver lessons."
"All the better. I will follow your progress," she grinned, disappearing. Teleportation? Stop? A note? What does "I'm paying" mean? That won't do!
"Hey, bartender," I called to the Twi'lek ten minutes later, having finished my meal, which consisted of a steak of local fauna and something resembling tomato sauce. "The payment for me…"
"Ah…"
"For the lady — send the bill to hangar sixty, ship 'Star Trek,' in the name of 'Jedi Knight An'ya Kuro'… And if she says there isn't one, she also goes by the name 'Dark Woman.' That's all. All the best," I left the establishment and went to explore the city. I was particularly interested in the southern outskirts, as well as the location of our competitors… Exactly! And why not spoil their lives? The Mandalorians won't mess with them because they are noisy. But I have already used my abilities to infiltrate objects stealthily.
So. Mercenaries… I decided to start with Billy's mercenary company. I cut off both hands of one of them, Billy himself. Now there are twenty-nine of them. And none of them will attack me now, because they were planning to go after the dragon tomorrow. And that means — they don't have time for me. And besides — I'm a Jedi. Why would they mess with me? So, I've tracked the patrols. The mercenary camp is located on the southern outskirts. I could, of course, kill the remaining twenty-nine people. But why cause unnecessary trouble? Besides, in the process of killing, there's a high chance that I could be detected in a relatively open area. And raise a huge fuss. And do I need that? It's better to quietly enter the territory and… organize sabotage. Naturally, none of them were going to walk to the Dune Sea, right. In the center of the improvised camp stood a rather large tent, surrounded by smaller tents. Not far from the camp was a cargo ship with an excess of weapons in the form of turbolasers and missile launchers. Pirates? Most likely mercenaries who are sometimes pirates, sometimes mercenaries, sometimes smugglers… In short — skilled in everything a little. The mercenaries were busily loading some boxes onto speeders resembling motorboats. So that's how they planned to get to the dragon's habitat. I also had a speeder, or rather — a 'Star Hawk' grav-cycle. It was recently launched into mass production. A useful thing, especially if Jacob Jarps, despite the clearly felt hatred emanating from him when he spoke of his brother, decides to betray me. Although he certainly understands the usefulness of a Force-sensitive in a team. But if even the Mando decide to betray me, I can always use my grav-cycle and try to reach the Dune Sea on it. Why not use the ship? If only because the ship could damage many valuable resources. And besides — romance. Even as a group, to defeat such a monster. Although I am planning to use my starship, controlled by VV, if things get really bad. It will take him about five minutes to reach the Dune Sea. In short… A good idea comes later. Using the ship is a good idea, but no one will do it. Everyone will go hunting the old-fashioned way.
As for the group of the former best shooter in the surrounding twelve systems, I decided to do everything quietly. The gang seemed calm, when suddenly someone's scream was heard, then someone's curse. Judging by my feelings – Billy reached his own, and naturally – everyone urgently needed to forget about unloading the ship to see what was happening with the newly-made invalid, which caused the noise and clamor. Not to say that they are amateurs, but not professionals either, otherwise how to explain the fact that everyone rushed to watch, and what's with Billy? Although I'm lying, two should have stayed, but a slight suggestion with the Force and they also joined the watchers.
"Well, well, well," I approached the equipment.
"Congratulations, you've entered the mechanical workshop named after Master Fix-It. What am I a master of?" I thoughtfully examined the five transports. Each should have had six sentient beings. Two even had beam weapons.
"In breaking. What is this?" I glanced at the engine element, "looks like a generator. Not needed," and how convenient that their main propulsion system seems to be hidden from view. They are surely confident in their speeders. I crumpled the part, carefully, so as not to detonate it.
"Oops, I think I dropped a couple of bolts into the engine. And accidentally cut the ignition wires. What a mishap," I shook my head.
"Well, now I'll fix four more machines, and we can safely check the Hutt group, and then go to sleep. Oh, yes," I grabbed my head. They might decide that if not by speeder, then they'll fly to the Dune Sea by their own ship. I can't seriously damage it, unless... I clapped my pockets and pulled out a tracker. I'll program a missile from "Star Trek" onto it in a couple of clicks. As soon as their ship takes off, VV-7, launching mine, will fire at their ship, calmly playing on the element of surprise. I attached it directly to the hull, slightly above the engines. This way they won't be able to detect it, and VV will send a missile at it, not just one, but two, or three.
***
But I decided wisely not to mess with the Hutts. Their security was just terrible. All bounty hunters, and not the least experienced ones. Not up to Mandos, but they looked dangerous and almost caught me during an attempted infiltration. And one even decided to follow me… I led the girl into a dark alley and applied the Force so hard that she lost consciousness, having previously crashed into the wall. Well, whatever. In principle, eliminating one of the competitors is even good. But just in case, I left an order for VV-7 to watch me with another tracker that I took with me, and if anything happens – my "Star Trek" will show everyone. This is not an ISD, of course, but its speed is one of the best, and it's speed that will decide.