Middle Ring. Hyperbernia System.
751DBY.
13 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
One month later.
Darth Doom.
Hmm... Finally, my Dumshtadt has taken on its new shape.
Yes, it was not the same city with medieval motifs of cosy European houses built in rows and yet much more modern than ninety-nine percent of the rest of the planet's dwellings. But this was cleverly disguised by the Latvians themselves, who, thanks to my explanatory work, understood perfectly well that if they openly boasted about their standard of living, they would attract much more unwanted attention with their actions.
And their ruler would not always be able to protect them, as he had his own affairs and plans.
That is why I used a similar tactic in this universe.
The houses were cosy and well-kept, but... ordinary. There was none of the dazzling and vulgar glitz of the upper levels of Coruscant, which, for some reason, were considered the pinnacle of technological achievement in the galaxy in this area... However, I had long since ceased to be surprised by the mental abilities of intelligent beings. Whether on Earth or here... The vast majority are fools who are mistaken even in the simplest things.
However, unlike the rest of the city, my castle was built in a very ancient style, as close as possible to what I was used to seeing in Latveria. There were certainly some changes, but the overall style... was the same.
That's why it caught the eye of those around me with its unusualness. Nothing. It's only now... Soon they will look at my castle with nothing but admiration. After all, all the good things they have will be associated with only one word...
Dum.
Who put an end to the tyranny of the king and the greedy aristocracy?
The Duma.
Who rebuilt the cities for the better?
Dum.
Who provided them with a comfortable life, for which it is not a sin to die?
The Duma.
Who protects them from pirate attacks, which are possible given the wealthy population?
The Duma.
Everything. Absolutely everything will eventually be associated with me. Remind people of me. And I didn't even have to use the Force or banal propaganda to achieve this. Just fulfil the duties of a worthy monarch, a ruler, after all.
So why are such people so rare, and why do the Latvians praise me much more than the Americans praise their own heroes, ha ha? Maybe because, unlike them, I have improved and continue to improve the lives of my people, while those smug fools only want to save them? Not prevent the causes, oh no. Just run around and deal with the consequences... Just like Jedi.
Speaking of them.
"So, my acquaintance Mon-Kalami and his intriguing student have decided to visit me?" — I asked again, tearing myself away from gazing at Dumshtadt.
"Yes, sir." — replied the first-generation Dumbo I had finally finished building in this universe.
The embodiment of pure firepower, concentrated in a human-like shell, which from a more or less distant distance could even be mistaken for me. However, this model was not intended to deceive anyone. For I have not yet found a reliable way to deceive the extremely basic sense of trained gifted individuals who can sense life itself and distinguish its forms. It will take time before Jedi, like heroes, can be deceived and defeat my copies instead of me.
As for the purely technical part...
It was undoubtedly the best variation of a droid in the galaxy. It had super-developed artificial intelligence by human standards, excellent fine motor skills that allowed it to use any weapon as well as an experienced intelligent being, and an extremely durable body capable of withstanding a tank shell.
Of course, it would be damaged in such an unfavourable outcome, but... It would be able to continue fighting and destroy infantry on an industrial scale. It's a pity that such Dumbots have to be assembled alone. No machine, no machine tool can assemble the individual parts of this technological masterpiece as precisely as an adept of the Force with our intuition.
And none of the other creations of my brilliant mind are capable of reproducing them. Otherwise, my armies would be churned out like hotcakes in countless Latverian factories, which I would have built in that case. And then the heroes would have a lot less fun.
On the way to our guests, the Dumboots were replaced by Dumdroids in order to conceal the true level of my technical skills and the capabilities of the army I am building. It is too early to reveal the fact that I am so great. I need time and the right moment to reveal it. In my time, I famously caught the Fantastic Four off guard.
"Welcome to my Hyperbernia, Master Jedi. Padawan." — I greeted the gifted ones who entered the guest room with a nod, habitually masking myself with a weak aura of the Light Side — as befits a half-baked apprentice, slightly trained in the techniques of the Force.
Well, for now, I'll have to put off my project to find Force-sensitive intelligent beings, which I came up with using Tulak Horda's knowledge. The Jedi mustn't have even the slightest suspicion.
"Hmm... Now I must call you Your Majesty? Like a rock, you tower over the ocean's surface." — Voonas Kapilar made some kind of maritime analogy, looking at me with yellow eyes full of obvious interest and goodwill.
The latter was also reflected on the face of the Zeltron.
Well, well. It was not for nothing that I gave the order to take all the Jedi through the prosperous streets of Dumshtadt. The genuine, unfeigned positive emotions of simple intelligent beings would have a much stronger effect on the temple guards than any promises or persuasion on my part. Even if I feel incredibly honest and noble in the Force, which is quite possible to fake, although I did not particularly focus on the empathic part of the Force, preferring other methods of influencing those around me.
"That's possible." — I shrugged, sitting down in a chair opposite the sofa with the Jedi. "But I assume you did not come to my kingdom as tourists."
"Unfortunately." — The man from Daka, the home water planet of his race, closed his eyes for a moment. As far as I know, this colouring is characteristic only of those who come from an environment that can only be found there. — I would like to use your resources to search for certain traces.
"What kind?" — Already understanding what he was talking about, I asked anyway. With the appropriate notes of bewilderment, surprise and interest, of course. The game must go on.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that for reasons of secrecy..." — The mon-calamari froze for a moment, blinked, but then reluctantly continued: "At least for now. But what we are looking for could have a negative impact on you. And on your kingdom.
Ah, so that's it. Decided to play on my feelings as a noble ruler? So you've drawn conclusions from Hyperborea's increased prosperity. Not a typical Jedi. Cunning... Quite clever. That means I'll have to plan his elimination sooner or later. But I need to organise it in such a way that it strengthens our connection with his Padawan, whom I have plans for...
"Well, if that's the case... May I refuse you?" — I pretended to hesitate and sighed heavily, giving nothing away about the plans forming in my head, and spoke with a hint of humility.
"Well..." — Voonas began, seemingly satisfied. It's a pity that the amount of Force I can pass through the Concealment without giving myself away does not allow me to use the empathy that is common among the gifted. Without it, it is very difficult to understand the facial expressions of non-human races. I have little experience. For now." "I have a number of requests that you can easily fulfil.
"And what can a provincial monarch do that a Jedi Master cannot?" — Knowing full well the influence of the Jedi on the Republic and their archives, which had been written about by Darth Bane's apprentice, Darth Zanna, who had been at the Temple on Coruscant, I asked quite sincerely.
"We would not like to reveal our affiliation with the Temple in this matter. It's..." — He hesitated, slightly opening his Jedi robes and showing that his lightsaber was hidden. "It might scare off the target. You know that criminals are very afraid of our brothers."
"Yes, I've heard..." — I replied, as if lost in thought. "Very well. It's always nice to have a Jedi in your debt..." — I continued, to the heavy sigh of the Mon Calamari and the embarrassed averting of the Zeltron's eyes. — Tell me what you need done...* * *
Middle Ring. Hyperbernia.
751 DBY.
13 years before the Mandalorian Purge.
Several hours later.
Padawan Himeko.
"Master... Is it okay that we're keeping quiet about this threat... And not telling King Duma about it?" — Breaking the silence that bound them, the pink-skinned girl cautiously expressed her opinion. "You yourself said that he is a good monarch, much better than many you have seen, teacher!"
"Oh..." — the mon-calamari sighed for the umpteenth time in the last few days, but this time Himeko looked at him firmly and did not avert her eyes. A few lessons with Yoda had given her confidence in her own importance... And she wanted to stand up for a friend who had helped her rescue intelligent beings from those fires after the terrorist attacks. "My student... It's not about whether he's a good or bad ruler. The point is that such knowledge could spread. And we don't want that. Rumours about the Sith or other cultists of the Dark Side will alarm intelligent beings. We have claimed that they have been destroyed, and it is better that it remains so. We will eliminate the threat in secret, for the Republic does not need unrest at this time.
"Mmm..." — To say that Himeko was dissatisfied with this position would be an understatement. Wouldn't it be better to tell everyone about the threat posed by the Sith? To explain their danger, as they do in the Temple... Not often, and you have to listen carefully... But still! However... She is probably still too young and does not fully understand her experienced teacher. After all, just two years ago, and even last year, she caused a lot of trouble to those around her, wanting, like most of her friends, to find and defeat such a Sith. But now they may have appeared, and she... does not feel the same passionate desire. "I see..."
"Excellent." — Master Kapilar smiled contentedly, but Himeko, who had begun to understand other people's emotions, sensed something unsaid in his words... Or an unwillingness to talk about it. Something like that. "Any more questions about our case?"
"Well... Yes." — admitted the girl. "You said that there... Um... On Korriban, the Sith or others like them left no traces. I... I've wanted to ask about this for a long time... But I couldn't bring myself to..." — Himeko scratched the back of her head with an expression of great puzzlement. — How did you determine that this particular area of the galaxy could be home to followers of the Dark Side of the Force?
"It's not such a big secret." — The Mon Calamari shrugged lightly, now clad in light armour with the flag of Hyperborea, necessary for disguising himself as an authorised representative of that state. His Majesty had insisted on this, and the master did not see fit to refuse someone who was helping them. Besides, in his emotions, Master Himeko clearly felt guilty... After thinking about it more carefully, the Padawan came to the conclusion that he felt guilty that Victor von Dumm had not been found by the Jedi as a child and had not been raised in the Temple. After all, the former mercenary had great potential in the Force... And Himeko felt something similar when she gave him a few lessons.
But the flag of Hyperborea, which changed with the arrival of the new monarch, was still interesting. Something about it attracted the young Zeltron, even though she had never been particularly fond of combinations of green and black before.
Perhaps it was because these colours had become a symbol of something good for her? Apart from their main admirer, who turned out to be an extremely noble and intelligent being, a human being, that is... Apart from him, on her way to the large, unusual and old-looking castle, she saw how well the people lived there.
She had visited many worlds and many of their capitals, travelling with her master on the instructions of the High Council, but it was in this old but small colony, which had grown into its own kingdom (before coming here, she had looked in the Temple Archives), that she saw something that was almost nowhere else. The sincere, pure emotions of the local intelligent beings regarding their lives in general, their attitude towards their ruler... Thanks to whom, it turns out, this country had become so... Cosy, perhaps?
The architecture and friendliness of the locals created such an unusual atmosphere for Himeko that she had only ever felt in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
Even the slight egocentricity of her acquaintance, who named the capital after himself — Dumshtadt.
As the locals said in response to the words of the supposed tourists, for such an improvement in all aspects of life on the planet, they were willing to allow their ruler and the planet with the same name as their state to be renamed in his honour.
Then Himeko saw the master shake his head in amazement, almost for the first time in her memory, and look so surprised.
Speaking of the teacher...
Coming to her senses, the Zeltronka blinked both eyes and returned to reality.
"And if it's not a secret... Will you tell me?" — she remembered what they were talking about, tearing her gaze away from the window of the ship they were flying in, where her eyes had involuntarily wandered from the flag of Hyperbernia.
"I decided to be curious after all..." — The Jedi shook his head with a slight smile, obviously interpreting the pause in his own way. "Well, then listen. The High Council of the Order summoned all Jedi who were skilled in foresight and spatial perception. A general meditation was conducted, during which traces of the Dark Side were found in a certain area of the galaxy. They were unable to pinpoint its location, for the Dark Side is skilled at hiding, but... We did find something. And now we have been dealing with this issue for about a month. Many members of the Order besides us have come here... But apparently, their arrival scared away those who use the Dark Side. And so my proposal for camouflage was approved... Even considering that in other circumstances, a Padawan would not be exposed to such danger.
"I'm not a child anymore, Master..." — sighed the Zeltronka, who was already fifteen and not far from sixteen.
This meant that, according to the standards of her home world, Zeltros, she was already a fully-fledged adult!
"But your actions are sometimes completely childish." — Voonas chuckled softly. "But that's not what I'm talking about. Remember what I told you about meeting the Dark Side adepts?
"Yes, I've memorised everything," — less expressively than she would have two or three years ago, Himeko replied, once again noting the changes in her own character.
Perhaps this is what intelligent beings call growing up?
"Then repeat it again, to your old teacher with the first signs of dementia..." — smiled the native of Daka.
"Are you going to remind me of this for the rest of my life, master?" — If her teacher was expecting some kind of loud outburst, the pink-skinned girl disappointed him. She wasn't so young that she would react in such a way.
So the answer was given in a completely calm and balanced manner, without even rolling her eyes.
"Hmm... I don't think that will have much of an educational effect." — Just as the zeltron woman's words came as a surprise to Kapilar, his words came as a surprise to Himeko, who opened her eyes wide and her mouth slightly at such directness. " — So I won't say any more. However, you didn't answer my question.
"Ha-a-a..." — This time, the girl couldn't help but sigh. — There wasn't much there. Don't go ahead of you, report to the Temple immediately. Don't talk to the Dark Gifted, don't react to his words, because they are full of lies and a desire to deceive. In case of a forced battle, go straight into defence and wait for you... In short, teacher, I remember those paranoid rules.
"I would say that they were learned through blood... But you are not stupid, my student, and you will understand that the rules that arose after Ruusan have not yet been tested, for we have not yet encountered the Sith. And there weren't that many Jedi who fell to the Dark Side..." — The teacher blinked his large eyes and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "But still, understand... Unlike us, the followers of the Dark Side do not care about the lives of others. Even mercenaries care about their reputation, and they don't need a resume as a mass murderer. Fallen Jedi, Sith, and all the rest of them... They don't care about that. They will deliberately attack peaceful and unarmed intelligent beings in order to gain an advantage in battle. And speaking for myself, I would say that this can be... distracting." — The mon-calamari wrinkled his large forehead slightly, involuntarily scratching his right hand.
Himeko knew that there was a mark on his forehead from the lightsaber of a fallen Jedi, and her teacher refused to talk about his encounter with him.
"Okay, I get it. I won't chase the glory of a Sith victor or whatever..." — The Zeltronka waved her hand. "Everyone will find out that I was involved in that anyway." Not letting the slightly choked mon-calamari finish, she continued sharply: "By the way, we're getting close to our destination, teacher."
"Yes, the Force has led us to Metalorn again. For the second time... This is no coincidence, no coincidence. Perhaps even... Perhaps the cultist we are looking for was responsible for those terrorist attacks..." — said the master, frowning sharply and mentioning the cultists once again.
Kimeko even began to suspect that her teacher did not really believe that the extinct Sith had returned from oblivion.
Reaching out to the planet with the Force, in whose system their ship had just emerged from hyperspace, the Padawan shuddered unexpectedly.
For she had never before felt such suffocating and withering malice and rage. As a Jedi and as a Zeltron, she felt a sharp aversion to such feelings, feeling a whole legion of goose bumps running through her body.
"Master...
"So you felt it too." "Yes. It's what you think it is. There's an adept of the Dark Side. Fierce and angry at something. But... He's not very well trained. According to the archives, powerful Sith were able to keep their emotions under control for a time, without succumbing to us.
"So..." — Himeko's eyes widened.
"No. There are no similarities with us here." The mon-calamari said this rather sharply, which made the apprentice not quite believe her teacher. "There are fundamental differences. But we'll talk about that later... We need to get there before they notice us. Use your skills to hide your Force and don't use it now. Not even in the slightest, understand?"
"Yes." — The Zeltronka replied briefly, deciding to put thoughts of her master's sudden behaviour aside for later. Now was not the time for them.
"Then stay close to me. Hey, pilot, land the ship at the spaceport closest to..." — he began to give instructions to the droid pilot, who had been assigned to them along with the ship by Doom himself. His Majesty was even overly generous, in Himeko's opinion. However, she was once again grateful to him for not having to run all over the planet looking for a non-Jedi ship, which the former Jedi would surely recognise.
The ship landed in the northern region of the side of the planet that was visible to them, and almost immediately, both Jedi, without using the Force but still moving quickly thanks to their trained bodies, headed for the part of the city where the Dark Side was felt.
Unfortunately, the element of surprise was lost, and they were met on the street. Fortunately, in this part of the planet, day had long since given way to night, although the stars were almost invisible due to the pollution in the local atmosphere.
Himeko stared at the Dark Gifted One with interest, not forgetting to turn on her blue lightsaber. However, the master had already done so.
"Jedi... Well, yes... Who would have doubted it..." — croaked the fair-haired young man with some inscriptions on his face, looking at them with simple eyes the colour of molten gold and magma.
The blazing red blade clearly showed them that the Force was not deceiving them, and that this intelligent being was a natural enemy of the Jedi Order.
"I will only say this once." — said the Mon Calamari in a confident tone, standing in the Ataru stance, or Fourth Form of Fencing, focused on somersaults, dodging attacks, clean strikes, and fast movements in general. Himeko herself felt for a special device with her left hand that sent a signal over long distances, which had been given to her by the Jedi Shadow. At least, she considered this mysterious subspecies of the Order to be intelligent. "Surrender, and we promise you a fair and just trial."
"Ha! The Breath Guardians, from whose moralising I fled, said the same thing, but in different words!" — Without a second thought and completely calm, the fallen intelligent being revealed his origins. "However... However, in this world, I found something you could never dream of... I found a teacher! And he taught me what the Guardians could not... And you... Jedi... Yes, you... You will be an excellent test of my new skills!" — he cried, aggressively rushing towards the master.
Finally giving the signal, Himeko threw the Jedi's device far away so that it would not be destroyed in the heat of battle, and began to circle around the intelligent beings locked in combat with their lightsabers.
She understood perfectly well that Ataru was an aggressive fighting style based on a very unusual combination of power, speed and grace. Like any adept of this style, the defence master always preferred attack, launching himself at his opponent with wide, fast and powerful blows.
To execute his movements and attacks, he constantly needed to be in contact with the Force. This allowed the master to momentarily exceed the physical capabilities of his body and gave him the important ability to perform unimaginable acrobatic tricks, which he now used both to attack and to dodge the swings of his opponent's scarlet lightsaber.
Alas, the two fighters would only get in each other's way in a simultaneous attack, so she decided to join the fight only when the master somersaulted backwards, cutting a shallow wound on the Dark Side adept's chest with his lightsaber, thereby only angering him.
So the Zeltronka only tried his new power with a dozen swift strikes, then retreated in the same manner...
"Oh!" she exclaimed when she felt the foreign Force break through her, and the Padawans tried to pull her back.
"Come here, you insolent little brat!" — their opponent growled furiously.
Fortunately, Himeko had placed her trust in her teacher, and soon the feeling of the foreign, furious and burning Force disappeared.
Distracted, the dark-skinned gifted one did not have time to react to the master's sudden movement, who used the Speed of the Force... And simply, without any problems, cut off the enemy's head.
"Ha-a-a-a..." — The girl landed on the ground and sighed. "And that's... everything?"
"He wasn't really that strong." — said the master, turning off his lightsaber. "My first attack almost killed him, and he only survived thanks to the help of the Dark Side... Which quickly blinded his mind and made him switch his attention to you, who attacked him recklessly..." "As always, you didn't forget to reproach her, mon-calamari." "And forget about me. A typical mistake of fallen gifted ones who think they are omnipotent. His self-confidence cost him his life..."
"Oh, what shall we do next, Master?" — Getting to her feet and dusting herself off, the Padawan glanced nervously at the dead Dark Adept, who had repelled all her attacks with remarkable ease... If it weren't for the Master, then... It would have been dangerous, yes.
"Let's take the body and check the place for witnesses. And I'm afraid we'll have to use the Force to make them forget the last few minutes. It's for their own good." — Kapilar shook his large head, experiencing a range of conflicting emotions that Himeko was unable to recognise at the moment. Maybe later...
"All right, master." — The Zeltronka agreed without protest.
The meeting with the fallen gifted one only strengthened her conviction that she had done the right thing when she taught one mercenary, now a king, some of the ways of the Light Side. She would not want such a noble person to turn into such... an aggressive animal.
"Was that necessary?" — asked the ghostly figure.
"It was necessary. It was an unaccounted factor." — The now steel-like figure shrugged its powerful shoulders. "I don't need sudden allies. They betray too often.
"Personal experience?
"Extensive personal experience. This one was also too ambitious... Besides, a sudden fall to the Dark Side cripples the mind. And idiots, as you know...
"You don't like traitors anymore. Yes, I remember exactly.
"It will also divert suspicion even further. The most experienced Jedi won't believe that it was the author of the ritual on Korriban. But a significant portion of the younger generation will think otherwise. Especially since the winner was an experienced Jedi Master, not some snotty Padawan. This will convince most of the Knights of the strength of the fallen.
"So, he was strong, but the Jedi Master was stronger?" — the ghostly figure chuckled.
"Yes. That's enough for now. We shouldn't do anything more yet. We'll have to lead them to my hand-picked Sith Order later. Speaking of which... Enough chatter. It's time to finish our project." — cut off the dialogue, the steel figure. At least on this topic, that was certain.
***
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