Ahsoka diligently practiced her strikes while trying to meditate. It was a real challenge—she needed to calm down…
Waking up that morning, she still couldn't find her balance. She managed to restrain herself, yet still reproached herself for giving in to emotion, for behaving in a way unworthy of the high rank of a Jedi. At the same time, the Togruta found some justification in the fact that she could do nothing about it. But the worst part was realizing that her Master had most likely sensed all of this. After all, there was a strong connection between them—sometimes all it took was a slight strain, and they could feel each other's emotions, even speak across a distance…
Ahsoka waited resignedly for the man to arrive, hoping the moment would come as late as possible. But—
"Are you training?" his voice rang out.
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka replied.
"I see you're early today. Then let's begin practicing the Force Barrier." The man pulled a training droid from the shelf.
Ahsoka deactivated her blades.
"Master…"
"What is it?"
"Well… I don't even know where to begin… Yesterday… I felt good. The celebration you organized… But it's all so unusual. Acquaintances. Friends. I'm not used to this."
"What's strange about it?" Vikt asked, genuinely surprised.
Ahsoka looked up in confusion. The Jedi was sitting on the edge of a table, casually tossing a training droid ball from hand to hand.
"Uh? But, Master, we're taught that attachments are bad!"
The man was silent for a moment, then began to speak.
"Well, you enjoyed the holiday. What's wrong with joy?"
"Jedi must control their desires and emotions! 'No emotions, there is peace,'" Ahsoka clung to the familiar line from the Code as if it were a lifeline.
The Jedi sighed and sat down on the floor, gesturing for her to sit beside him. The girl hurried to comply, settling opposite her Master. Then he replied:
"I'm not arguing with that. But the basis of this rule is not the denial of emotions as such, nor an attempt to rid oneself of them by forcing one's life into the harsh rationality of an insensitive being!" Vikt sighed heavily. "Not at all, Ahsoka. The rule merely demands reasonable control over emotions, so they do not play a decisive role when a Jedi must make an important and correct decision. But if this calmness in the Jedi's mind—meant to suppress emotional reactions—fills the entire consciousness and leaves no room for anything else, then it is not so much calm as ignorance."
"But… this is… And still, the Jedi must be above such things. Serve as an example…"
"The most dangerous quote ever uttered by a Jedi Master is this: 'A Jedi is not a creature of morality.' I believe it was Odan-Urr who said it. Unfortunately, these words have been misunderstood by many generations of Jedi, who take them to mean only that a Jedi has no right to make mistakes. But… a Jedi who believes himself above others merely shows that he should not be taken seriously."
"But… I felt emotions I'm ashamed of now… You felt them too…"
"A defining trait of almost all intelligent species in the Galaxy is the ability to feel. We are creatures of emotion, and to deny that is unreasonable. To try to lock emotions away within oneself is to make oneself weaker. You restrained them, yes—but they didn't disappear, because they are part of you. An integral part. One day, at the most inopportune moment, they may break free, and the consequences could be grievous both for you and for others. As for your situation…" He paused briefly. "You should understand that sex and attachment are… somewhat different things. It is perfectly natural for the body to require… a certain release from time to time."
The girl sighed heavily, yet at the same time felt a measure of relief. Her Master… He didn't seem to fully understand what her problem truly was. Well, perhaps that was for the best—she herself didn't yet know how to feel about one of the "gifts" she had received...
Rising to his feet, the Jedi glanced around.
"Well then, shall we continue training?"
"Of course, Master. Shall we spar?" Ahsoka agreed quickly, eager to change the subject.
"Let's do it!.."
As she practiced her combinations, the Togruta reflected on her Master's words and realized that he was right—at least in part. But the problem was not in the act itself, but in her. Because she didn't want to admit to herself that she… wanted to feel the same feeling. Again.
***
Well, the conversation with Ahsoka was strange—but I soon forgot about it. The reason was a peculiar dream I had that night…
…Night. A boundless desert stretching from horizon to horizon. Majestic dunes rose toward the stars—millions of them scattered across the sky. Not even a breath of wind disturbed the stillness. Only silence…
For a long time, I wondered what it could mean, but I never found an answer. Was it a premonition, or merely a dream? I never understood. Then… then there was a conversation with Ahsoka that could couldn't be postponed, and after that, I decided not to trouble myself with nonsense.
Finally, by the end of the second day, we reached the midpoint of our flight—Christophsis. It lay on the border between the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Sector Armies and belonged to the latter's zone, known as Red Tails. The headquarters was on Ryloth, and as far as I knew, the Sector Army was commanded by a Twi'lek Moff—the only non-human Moff among the twenty in service.
However, a small surprise awaited us in the planet's orbit… in the form of a large squadron of Republic ships—twenty Acclamators and eighty frigates and corvettes. Naturally, they contacted us immediately.
The commander of this armada turned out to be Master Adi Gallia.
"Knight Vikt, you're just in time. We have a task for you."
"Um, but I—"
"I know you're flying to Luminara's aid. I'm heading there myself. However, the situation requires our immediate intervention. Moff Swa-Lu Orailus reported a few hours ago that the CIS has attacked Excarga. We need to retake this planet at once."
"Excarga?" I asked in surprise, since I didn't recall such a world.
"Yes—the planet Excarga, in the Excarga system, Herios Sector."
"And why is it important?"
"Weren't you on Jabbaim?" the magistrate countered with a question.
"Ore? Minerals?" I replied resignedly.
"Exactly, Mikore, exactly. That's why we're leaving immediately. The Moff has allocated forces from the Sector Fleet: the Fourth and Seventh Squadrons—a total of fifteen additional Acclamators and thirty frigates and corvettes. The ground operation on the planet itself is their responsibility; we'll handle the space battle. They're already preparing for the jump, so there's no time to delay. Even though our route is shorter, we're already ten minutes behind schedule. First we'll fly to Rodia, then to Excarga. In fact, it's directly on our path—there's a straight route from Excarga to Rotana, where Unduli is currently based."
"All right. Let's go," I replied.
"We're transmitting the jump coordinates!"
***
Grievous stood motionless in the hangar of a brand-new warship, a model that had only just begun to roll off the slipways—the Providence-class carrier/destroyer. Through the hangar's protective field, the planet his squadron had recently captured was clearly visible.
The defenders had been literally swept aside by the sheer force and power of the droid army. In addition, elite units and the best ships took part in the battle. In addition to the flagship, the squadron included six Recusant light destroyers, thirty-two Munificent frigates, and eight Lucrehulks. The general personally led the attack in his new starfighter, literally smashing enemy combat craft from the sky. The organic pilots provided by Count Dooku had fully justified his expectations.
Inside the dreadnought's hangar, rows of Poraks-38 starfighters stood in perfect order. These formidable machines—twelve meters long and just as wide—were armed with two powerful blaster cannons, reinforced armor, and a strong deflector shield. They were Grievous's own contribution to the CIS Army. Though he hadn't exactly purchased them—rather, he had seized them.
This type of fighters had originally been in service with the Utapau Self-Defense Air Force. The R-38 featured a simple yet reliable design, powered by two ion engines mounted in massive nacelles at the wingtips. Several hundred of these machines, slightly modified for their new owners, had been acquired for the CIS even before the war began. Yet the conflict demanded ever more combat units. The 'Vultures' had proven inadequate, effective only when deployed in large numbers. Even then, they were nearly useless against Jedi, and bringing one down was little short of a miracle.
Operating in the Outer Rim, Grievous launched a secret, large-scale attack on Utapau. The planet—and its modest production facilities—fell quickly, and now R-38s were rolling off the assembly lines, steadily replenishing the ranks of the Separatist LAU.
Aboard the Providence were four strike wings of these fighters. The First Strike Wing bore yellow-painted hulls; the Second Strike Wing was painted black; the Sixth Strike Wing carried red stripes along the fuselage. Each consisted of four squadrons. Then there was the Thirteenth Strike Wing, made up of only two squadrons. All pilots of the air wing were MagnaGuards, assigned to accompany and protect General Grievous himself.
"General," a B-1 series OOM droid hurried up to him. "Enemy ships are emerging from hyperspace. A large number of them…"
"Prepare for battle," Grievous commanded coldly. "Launch the fighters and bombers. Destroy the Republic scum!"