My training term had finally come to an end. Two years in the company of a Noghri had flown by—not exactly quickly, but they were intense enough. I won't lie to myself and pretend that at first Irbis and I weren't ready to kill each other. But now… after all this time, I see him as, if not a teacher, then a good acquaintance. Maybe even a friend. Someone who showed me a lot and told me a lot, despite all the difficulties I so diligently provided him with.
Passing the wanderer exam wasn't difficult for me. Since Irbis was, first and foremost, a humanities type, the examining board—one Temple Master and a couple of masters from his field—grilled me along those lines. Maybe not brilliantly, but I passed: the qualification was accepted, the status was issued, and, in general, I was no longer Irbis's student.
During the exam itself, that Noghri almost wiped away a tear of emotion when I answered the questions. Yeah—he remembers what we had to go through for me to absorb all of it. But all the same, he earned my respect: a very stubborn and, frankly, smart man who just got unlucky with a student. Hm… I'm being too self-critical, but what can you do—we're not even close to considering ourselves ideal.
And now, when everything had been settled—when he'd been given a couple of days off to rest at the Qigong Kesh temple, and I'd gained independence—we could stand calmly on one of the temple balconies and look out over the Silent Desert stretching into the distance. An invisible barrier separated us from it, and it also dampened excessive manifestations of the Force by academy students in order to reduce the impact on Tython.
"So, Irbis… looks like it's time for you and me to go our separate ways. And when, two years ago, I looked at this day, not only did I think it was far off, I practically prayed for it to come sooner."
"Yeah… me too," the Noghri gave a joyless snort. "But you know, I'm still glad the Force brought us together."
"Mm-hm. Sorry I punched you back then?"
"What am I hearing?" The Noghri recoiled, eyes wide, clutching at one of his hearts. "Say that again, please—I must have misheard?"
"Yeah, you misheard. I didn't apologize. You imagined it."
"Heh. Good that you imagined it, or I would've gotten scared for you. What are you going to do now?"
"I'll wait for my friends. We agreed that when we finish training with our masters, we'll meet here and then go on pilgrimage together. It's safer—and more fun."
"Yeah… it's always more fun with friends," Irbis smiled at something of his own. "I remember when my team and I went temple to temple in our youth. There were three of us then. How many are there of you?"
"Me, Vess, Gris, Ramiry, Zeng, and Feng."
"I remember last year we crossed paths with a Twi'lek… what was his name…"
"Vaal."
"Right, Vaal! Wasn't he your friend? It seemed to me you were on excellent terms."
"He died—crashed with his teacher in a ship."
"Oh…" The Noghri flared with shame and sympathy beside me. "Sorry. I didn't know."
"Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who died these past two years. Lina—our Miraluka and the common sense of our battered company—also became one with the Force. I heard from the guys that they died here, on Tython. Someone else from ours stepped off this path; someone couldn't endure it and fell to one of the sides of the Force and is now on one of the moons." I raised my eyes to the sky. "So… everyone who's left from my group is who'll gather."
"I…" The Noghri wanted to say something, but didn't. He only lowered a hand to my shoulder.
"It's all right, Irbis."
"You're not upset?" teacher… Master Irbis sounded surprised.
"I am, of course. More than that—it hurts just thinking about it. But… I understand what kind of world we live in. I understand how dangerous it is here. And that this will come for all of us. Besides, Mom always told me that Jedaii don't die. We go into the Force. And that we can always ask for help from the friends who left us. I don't know. I can't say whether it's true or not, and I don't even want to find out. But I believe it, Irbis. Just because I want to believe that somewhere out there my friend found peace in the Force."
"With confidence, I can say yes. It's true. Jedaii really do go into the Force, Shade. But…" I looked at Irbis. "Ahem. Yeah… I'd better keep quiet."
We stood in silence, looking at Ashla. It's hard not to notice the huge dark blotch in the sky. Bogan is somewhere out there beyond the horizon.
"Shade."
"Hm?"
"I'm proud that I got you in particular, and that I managed to give you something. I know heavy trials await you ahead. It's simply a fact—one will be harder than the next. I've meditated on it for a long time."
"Irbis, maybe you can teach, but you need to work on your farewell speeches."
"Heh, no. I mean that along with those trials, new amazing things are to be expected from you. Your sword alone is worth something—if you can bring it to completion. And I've seen it: you can. And that's only one example."
"If you've seen so much, maybe you'll tell me something else?"
"Alas, I can't. The images are blurred and inaccurate—I simply can't convey them to you."
"Too bad. I wouldn't mind peeking into the future."
"Heh-heh-heh. Then your path leads straight to the meditation temple," Irbis laughed.
"And how long would that take?"
"I've been learning it my whole life. The result is right in front of you."
"Oof… no, I'll stick to the old-fashioned way—act according to circumstances."
"Heh-heh-heh-heh…"
After standing there a bit longer, we said our goodbyes. If anything, we still had contact info, so we could get in touch. Now all that remained was to wait for mine.
Whoosh! A blade flew over my head, and out of the shadows sprang none other than Master Bagh himself.
"Nope, Master Bagh!" I snorted without even paying him much attention. "I saw you come in."
"I don't understand… I refuse to understand—how do you do it?! Nobody sees, you see…"
"It's just a trait I have." I smiled. "What brings you here?"
"I heard you'll be staying at the temple for a while," he nodded. "Want to train?"
"Oh! I'm all for it."
***
Sitting alone at a table for the entire dining hall and lazily stirring the contents of my mug, I was wallowing in gloom. Yeah… waiting for the others takes a long time, and I'd already managed to pester my favorite teachers. Truly favorite—the moment they saw me, they practically slid down the wall, unable to believe their luck and my return. So I found myself an occupation, so I wouldn't sit around doing nothing. By the way, thanks to Master Bagh: since he'd trained at Stav Kesh, he could fight pretty well.
A familiar echo in the Force distracted me from lunch. Having gotten into the habit, I constantly send out waves of the Force—unless I'm deliberately hiding—and I always try to monitor the surroundings. During the time spent with Irbis, that habit saved me more than once. And now I felt a familiar response. Or rather—three responses at once.
"AEEERO-O-O-O!" a shout thundered across the dining hall. Turning around, I saw the twins and Ramiry. They stood there, smiling, looking at me.
"Training under a tracker-combatant definitely didn't bring them inner peace," I snorted to myself, watching my friends approach.
"Hi, guys," I said with a slight bow.
"Get over here, you maniac," Feng hugged me, and then Zeng. Yeah… it had been a while since I'd seen them; both Zabraks had managed to toughen up and acquire a chain of scars. Zeng had a huge slash across his whole cheek, while Feng had serious burns on his left arm. And they were missing horns, too.
"I'm glad to see you too, guys. Ramiry—" I was about to make a light bow, but stepping forward, I hugged her instead.
"Shade…"
"Yeah-yeah, I've already got a girlfriend, but I'm so damn glad to see you!" Pulling back, I looked at the three of them. "So—how did you manage to get yourselves like this?"
"Eh…" Feng waved it off.
"Same as always—climbed into places where the stars don't shine," Zeng added, taking a seat at the table.
"Literally."
"And we got what we got."
"Thanks to Ramiry," Zeng said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "By a quiet arrangement with her and her teacher, she was flying on our tail, so most of the injuries we got were stitched up by her," and the Zabrak kissed his beauty on the temple.
"Some scars annoy me," Ramiry clicked her tongue. "Lack of experience shows, so they look scary. But it's fine—we'll fix them in the healing temple with the Force."
"No, don't," Feng shook his head. "They don't interfere with living, and they look solid."
"You could've said earlier that the three of you were traveling together in secret," I snorted.
"Well, technically you're not allowed to do that, but…" Feng paused meaningfully.
"But with your job you can't go anywhere without a medic close by," I nodded.
"Shade."
"Yeah, Zeng?"
"Remember that conversation? When you… showed Ramiry in a different light for us?"
"I remeeem-ber," I winked at the flustered girl. Or was she already a young woman?
"Thank you. You were more right than ever back then," Zeng hugged Ramiry tighter. "Thank you. And thank you too, Ramiry."
"Oh, who else would watch you two besides me?" Ramiry rolled her eyes, blushing but not showing it.
"Exactly what I'm saying," Zeng kissed Ramiry on the cheek again.
"By the way, Feng. Where's Ayana? You were seeing each other, right?" I looked at the Zabrak. He darkened and lowered his eyes to the floor.
"She didn't make it. Lost her balance," he began, putting a hand to the back of his neck. "I don't really know what happened there, but something… drove her insane and she attacked her teacher."
"They were on Tython, right?" Feng nodded. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, Shade, where are the others? Where are Gris, Vess, Lina?" Ramiry switched topics, asking brightly.
"Gris and Vess are still flying in. Lina is one with the Force now."
"Oh…"
"Who else from ours?"
"Half."
We sat in silence, staring at the table. The positive atmosphere from the reunion dropped straight to zero.
"Sniff."
"Ramiry…" Zeng tried to comfort his close friend.
And then the forest ranger showed up and drove everyone off—by way of the Temple Master of Qigong Kesh.
"Hey, runts!" a new voice rang out beside us. "Why are you all looking so sour?!"
Turning, we saw Tsikuna.
"Master…" I forced a smile.
"Right—sit," she told me, "and you—go get ready! You relaxed too early. In two hours there'll be an exam intake for the wanderer rank."
"Uh…"
"I don't understand—why are you still here?!"
In an instant all three jumped up and bolted out of the dining hall to get ready for the exam.
"Yeah… you know how to raise a ruckus," I smiled sincerely now, watching them go. Tsikuna, without any embarrassment, sat down at the table.
"Experience speaks for itself. But I stopped by because… the rest of your group arrives the day after tomorrow. Gris and Vessira will be among them—Aala took her with her."
"And?"
"I mean that when you set off, be careful. Especially you. I understand your point of view on the Force, and I even approve to an extent. But others will put the question bluntly, so be cautious."
"I'll remember."
"Good. That's business. Now tell me about your adventures."
"What's there to tell? You already know everything from Irbis."
"He gave me the official version," Tsikuna parried. "And I want to hear the one that actually happened. For example: how did it happen that after your visit, an entire clan vanished from Shikaakwa, while the others stirred? Why did one of the cities almost collapse on Ska-Gora? And how did it happen that on Nox, one of the leading companies, after your visit, offered the Jedaii Council a simply fantastic deal—very, very advantageous for us?"
"That was all Irbis! He negotiated!" I immediately disclaimed.
"Yes. And you stood nearby and watched," Tsikuna nodded, though her look was like an actor's: skeptical. And even if I couldn't see it, I'd swear it looked exactly like that. "And I also want to know what the two of you were doing on Krev-Kyor, enough to rent one of the ships just for it."
"Uh…"
"What? I gathered references and reports. Irbis already ran, but you're still here."
"Kriff… Master, maybe we don't have to?"
"What do you mean, 'don't have to'? Come on—my office!"
"Sigh…"
Following Tsikuna to her quarters, I began telling the story. Briefly, I outlined each episode as it really was, not as Irbis reported it up the chain—and by silent agreement we stuck to that report. Simply because neither he nor I were sure the Council would take some of our… precedents well.
I also had to talk about the unplanned trip to Krev-Kyor. After I explained my idea of a lightsword to Irbis, we sat down, thought it through, and concluded we needed more crystals. And kyber crystals don't just lie around on the ground, so we had to detour and fly to where they grow and gather some with a reserve for further experiments. Now I carry not one stone, but two, and constantly run the Force through them, preparing them for later use.
Hearing about such an interesting weapon, Tsikuna took interest too, so I had to explain the project as well. And when the interrogation finally ended, I was released and even promised help if needed—by arranging things with the master of the science temple. So if they laugh at me (which I suspect they will), it won't stop me from bringing the project to life. Or at least trying.
And then, two days later, Mom arrived with Vess and Gris. We barely had time to exchange pleasantries before both were sent off to prepare for their exam. While they prepared, I hung out with my mother, discussing my adventures and theirs. We also did a couple of training spars, where I got used to wipe the floor and was reproachfully told that I'd relaxed and even lost a bit of form. If Irbis had been here, he would've flown to seventh heaven with happiness, looking at my sad face on the floor.
So I had to stay a few more days, during which I was driven hard. Just so I wouldn't relax, just so I'd regain my form a bit. The only consolation was that when I crawled back to my room, a relaxing massage, a cup of hot sweet vork, and very pleasant company were waiting for me.
One problem: Vess, just as before, kept feeling self-conscious about getting winded quickly, and she still does—constantly glancing at me with a mix of guilt, embarrassment, shame, and suspicion. Kriff… just what I needed.
But everything ends. My suffering ended too. The others finally recovered, said goodbye to their teachers, and now the road awaited us: to Akar Kesh, the temple of balance—the closest temple to us among the rest.
But before we departed, with Tsikuna's light hand, a small feast was arranged. It was a meaningful day, after all. We came to this temple as Padawans, learned Force use here, and now we were leaving its walls as wanderers. Master Garos even sincerely wished us luck on the road, though usually he was the one yelling at us. Mmm. At me, specifically—but let's not nitpick. But Uval, that rat, didn't come. Apparently I'll be showing up in his dreams soon.
The celebratory dinner, despite its grand name, passed quietly and peacefully—music and instructors' congratulations. Bagh told me in secret that at best only two-thirds of students make it to our stage, sometimes only half. Yeah…
But Tsikuna finished me off. Like everyone else. She told us plainly: if we feel we can't handle it, we shouldn't risk going further—and better yet, we should leave the Order entirely. At least we'd stay alive and healthy. For a Master, there's no greater sorrow than burying your own students. She's a good woman, truly very good… even if sometimes she acts harshly. I had time to be convinced of that on my own skin, when Uval ran out of imagination for punishments—but her heart is kind.
And the next day we set out. Packed and ready for new prob— I mean, adventures. Yes. I had a light backpack with belongings and supplies on my back, two blades on my belt, and a blaster on my thigh. "By the book," each of us was supposed to have a firearm; if you built it yourself, great; if not, they'd issue one. The thing is, your personal teachers were supposed to teach you to use it. And it so happened I was the only one in our company who didn't know how to shoot. Given my profile, Irbis thought about anything except teaching me to use blasters too. Mom somehow missed that too, relying more on the Force than on weapons. So I still had to learn.
The others didn't have that problem. Even Ramiry could aim and hit a small tossed pebble from ten meters. Gris even brought a piece from Ska-Gora. As a local lawkeeper, he'd been given a bigger gun—formally still considered a pistol. Yeah, for a Wookiee it really is a pistol, except this thing hits like an assault rifle.
Now we were walking through the desert in pairs: me and Vess at the head, Ramiry and Zeng in the middle, Gris and Feng at the rear. The sun blazed, not a breath of wind, and you could've glued your flippers right there—but thanks to the Qigong Kesh masters, who taught us to create a microclimate around ourselves with the Force. Yes, even under it we were uncomfortable, but there's a huge difference between "hot" and "we're about to roast."
"Hey, Shade," Feng called to me.
"What?"
"Where's your fun? Where's your optimism? You used to never shut up in a situation like this."
"Heh. You want fun? You'll get it. Ahem. In the green spring! Beneath the old pine. With her beloved Vanyusha, she says farewell. The chainmail rings, and softly she says: 'Don't cry, don't cry, Marusya—beauty!'" I sang at the top of my lungs, scattering the silence.
"Feng… who pulled your tongue…" Vess pressed her ears down.
"Gra-a-a-ak."
"Well, what? Admit it—it got more fun!"
"Ma-ru-sya! She's silent and weeps…"
"My ears are going to wither, Shade, stop," I got an elbow in the side.
"Heh-heh-heh. Then you do it?"
"Huh?"
"Vess-i-ra! Vess-i-ra! Vess-i-ra!" I began chanting under my friends' approving nods. "Come on—everyone!" I called back.
"Vess-i-ra! Vess-i-ra!" the guys began to egg her on.
"R-r-ruga-r-r!"
"All right, all right, fine!" Vess gave in. "Shade… I'll remember this."
"Remember it," I nodded with a lewd grin. "I can't wait."
"I'll remember it in your kidneys, smartass!" I got a light smack.
"Hm… no, not the kidneys. I'm afraid our medic won't bother resuscitating me," I glanced at Ramiry.
"And rightly so," she muttered, hiding a smile.
"A song… I don't even know."
"Any one. Whatever you want."
"Well… there's one. I used to hum it as a child."
"Well, well…"
"All right. Ahem… Along the knife's edge, you walk the Force's path. Balancing on the brink, you'll find meaning in the Force. Light and Darkness call to you, they come like ghosts, but you won't give in—you are Jedaii. And no matter how darkness tempts, no matter how light lures, you will stand…" Vessira sang softly, in that velvety, purring, enchanting voice. I hadn't passed the torch to her for nothing—when she wanted to, she could charm you with her voice alone, without any Force at all. And now, singing about the Jedaii and the path of the Force, she held us spellbound. All of us.
If you boil it down, the song said the Jedaii do not write their own fate. The Force itself lays their road, and all we can do is follow that trail to the very end. The song had a sad ending, but it was very beautiful. The Jedaii mentioned in it tried with all his might to change his fate, but failed. What must happen will happen, and all we can do is prepare as best we can for the coming trial.
"Vess, do you know who wrote it?" Ramiry asked.
"Darion Ar'nakal wrote it. He was a wanderer who graduated from the arts temple. A good Talid—his fate tossed him from one extreme to the other, but he kept his balance and went into the Force as one of the most respected Jedaii."
"Ur gr-r-ra argu-r-i-i."
"Oh! So you've heard his other works?" Vess said; the Wookiee nodded. "Interesting. Shade—what about you?"
"I know who you mean, and I've heard his compositions too. I can't say I loved them, but… they're good. Just good."
"And what do you listen to yourself? Besides the stuff you invent," Ramiry raised a brow. "Yes, I recorded some of your 'compositions' on purpose, but I couldn't find them anywhere."
"Oh… I didn't invent them, actually. It's just… unpublicized creativity."
"Is that so?"
"Something like that. As for well-known compositions, I like 'Immortals in the Force.'"
"O-o-oh!"
Unfortunately, the conversation was cut short by sand heaving and flint lizards emerging from it.
"Sigh… and I'd already forgotten how much I missed you," I sighed, drawing my blades.
"Musical intermission postponed for an indefinite time," Vess added, darting her eyes from one opponent to another. "How do we work?"
"Gris," I called to the Wookiee, who'd already bared his axe. "You distract." A nod. "Zeng, Feng—you work the flank. Pick a target, hit the side, then the next. Vess—you cover Ramiry. I'll draw the main mass to me. Work carefully—we don't need to throw in a Force storm here for the full fun of it."
Everyone agreed in silence, and we split up. After striking several flint lizards, I drew their attention and simply led them around while Gris pulled them off one by one and the Bazex brothers chopped them up. In the end, seven flint lizards were smashed in a matter of minutes through coordinated teamwork. Before, we would've had to run from them…
I caught myself thinking that during this fight I hadn't even really swung my blades, if you don't count the light taps to keep the monsters focused on me. Vess and Ramiry didn't enter the fight either, and Gris and the twins looked like kids who'd taken a stroll through a park.
After dealing with the threat, we continued on. We teased each other, joked, and showed off tricks we'd learned while training under our personal mentors. Vess, for me, didn't show anything new; more than that—everything she demonstrated for our friends, I'd learned back when I was ten. On the other hand, comparing us was unfair: how much time I'd spent with Mom in home training versus her only two years, and even then most of that time they'd been traveling.
My situation was funnier. Since I hadn't learned any special techniques under Irbis, I had nothing to show off in the "woooow" department. I wasn't going to retell that mountain of paperwork that pacifist made me study.
But the twins helped me out.
"So that's why you're so calm!" Zeng jumped up. "Now it makes sense," Feng added. Turned out those two had been racking their brains for days over why I'd been so quiet. As Ramiry admitted, I'd changed even more than they had. Interested, I started pestering my friends, and learned a lot of new things about myself.
Apparently, who I was before and who I was now were two similar but different Togruta. I'd become sharper-tongued, more restrained, more cunning. If before I preferred to charge straight through, now I'd cooled off and turned my head on more often. And in general, I had noticeably fewer sudden fits.
Those assessments even threw me off… looks like Irbis's influence had been far greater than I'd imagined. Or maybe the lack of training mattered? While flying with him, I'd barely learned new Force techniques, and whatever I did learn I immediately reworked to suit myself instead of trying to repeat it as-is.
From there we moved from personal talk to general, listing how each of us had changed over the past two years. Ramiry, for instance, became more confident and serious; unlike her former self, she could make a responsible decision in seconds. A crowd of head-injured invalids…
A glance at the twins
…climbing where they shouldn't definitely encourages such practice. Vess became more cunning and bold, and a little sharper—Mom's influence was obvious. Gris stayed himself, with the one adjustment that he'd started taking an interest in tech. Turns out our Wookiee assembled his own weapon. Makes you wonder whether those fluffballs have mechanics in their blood or what.
The twins changed too. Their self-preservation instinct atrophied as a given, leaving them with a light sheen of madness. Even the most dangerous escapade didn't scare them—if anything, it attracted them—and the funniest part was they maintained balance just fine. If you could hand out medals for composure, I'd give one to each of them. They walk thin ice, those devils… horned ones.
With those thoughts and conversations, we reached Akar Kesh, the meditation temple. A couple of times we still had to deal with Tython's "cute" fauna, but nothing serious. Akar Kesh itself stood on the border between desert and Tython's sparse forests. And right nearby, along the boundary, a small river flowed.
From the outside, the temple was a chain of tall triangular structures built in a circle, points facing inward like pizza slices. And in the center there was a weak Force nexus that you could see with the naked eye: a small perfectly round lake, with a dim greenish glow rising from its bottom. And since we were on a small hill, we could see the academy clearly from the outside. And directly above it, the Tho Yor floated.
"So?" I snorted. "Welcome to Akar Kesh. Let's go see what's inside."