When the celebration ended and people began to drift away, Vessira was waiting for me in my cabin. Rumpled, suspicious, angry, and hurt. Really hurt—though why, I couldn't tell at a glance.
"So?" she crossed her arms over her chest the moment I stepped over the threshold. I shut the door behind me, sighed, and used the Force to set my helmet on the little "nightstand" that protruded from the bulkhead beside the bunk.
This was going to be a hard fight…
"Take it however you want, Ves. Soon I'm flying away from Tython in one direction, and I'm sending you in the other."
"You want to break up?" That question made me rethink my own words—and mentally smack myself hard. Only… looking at Ves, at her serious face, and feeling her emotions, she didn't believe her own conclusion either.
"Oh… my wingless angel, what nonsense is that?" I flared a little with indignation, hugged my kitty, and felt a faint resistance. "Of course not—you can hear my echo yourself," and to back it up, I raised warmth for her from my soul. Outwardly Ves didn't show it, but inside she clearly felt relief.
"Then what?"
"I just need to deal with some family… small problems that go back to my father. Don't worry, kitten." I put my hands on her shoulders.
"Shade…" she looked at me reproachfully.
"What?"
"Don't try to dump me somewhere else. I can clearly hear the echo of your fear for me—don't bother hiding it. Where are you going?"
"To solve a problem."
"Where. Are. You. Going?"
"Vessira, don't make that serious mug—you're not Hadiya, it doesn't suit you. And don't try to press on pity either. I still won't tell you, and you're either staying here, or I'm sending you in the opposite direction… Yeah, I probably will send you—especially since you haven't been home in a long time, either."
Ves didn't answer. She stood there drilling me with her gaze, then—giving up—exhaled.
"Shade, I understand you perfectly. Do what you want, but I won't leave you alone."
"But I'm not alone! Mom will be with me."
"All the more!" she flared up with renewed Force.
"You have that little faith in me?"
"No, I believe in you. And even more, I believe in your teacher and her talent for finding trouble. I still haven't forgotten how we crashed on Krev-Kyor!"
"C-crashed?" I actually recoiled.
"Oh…" She winced. "Anyway, not the point. I believe in your talent for finding trouble."
"No-no-no, hold on—details!" I lightly caught the startled Cathar by the ear.
"Well… about 'crashed,' I overstated it. More like… we made an emergency landing."
"And still!" I pinned her with my eyes.
"What details? There was a pirate outpost that a research group stumbled across by accident—and we stumbled across it too. But we landed fine, later we even managed to take off and make our way under our own power to a space transfer station and wait there for help."
"Ves…"
"We agreed to keep quiet! So you wouldn't get nervous. And anyway, I'm the one doing the dressing-down here, hear me?" She knocked my hand off her head and dug into me with clawed fingers, blazing with righteous anger. "Look at you—talked to all kinds of smart types, and now you're switching su-u-u-bjects."
"Heh."
"Now tell me where you're headed before I call Hadiya!" She shook me a little.
"She already knows."
"How?!"
"Well… as an accomplice," I shrugged. "A tangential one," and at her stunned look, I added, "You know—funding, providing equipment, little stuff."
"And you still tell me not to worry about you?!" She pressed Force-soaked claws into me, tore the fabric right between the plates, dug into skin, and pinned me back against the door. "You're talking about problems your mother is involved in, and Hadiya is sponsoring all of it. And that's not even mentioning that the leader of the Star-Seekers sect—a terrorist organization the Order is hunting—is your father's student, and you and your mother supposedly flew off to 'talk' to him. Yeah, sure, why would I worry—pff, nothing, happens every day, RIGHT, SHADE?!"
"Ves…" I caught her hands as she slid toward hysteria.
"How can I not worry about you? Tell me." Tears appeared on her face, and her grip loosened.
"Ves, I'm sorry." I cupped her head, pulled her to me, and hugged her. "Sorry for making you worry…"
"Don't decide… hear me? Don't decide for me… when you try to protect me," she whispered with a quiet sob. "It's my choice to be close. Your mother regretted her whole life that she let your father go. I won't make her mistake."
"Ah… Ves. What am I supposed to do with you?"
"Accept it. Or drive me away."
I scooped the Cathar up, carried her to the bed, sat down, and settled her on my lap.
"All right, little angel, all right. I just don't want you getting dragged into trouble because of me. Even if you're on the other side of the system, you can still get hurt because of me—indirectly—as can the others. Just because they're my friends, and you're family."
"I know. I hear how much you want to keep me safe. But no. I'll be there. Period."
"Fine." I held her with one arm and pressed her hands to my chest with the other. "Have it your way."
"Sniff. Wh-where are you going?"
"To the Old City."
"?"
"There are hypergates there. We want to activate them. Well, not me—Dalien—but now I'm involved too."
"But why?!"
"Dalien needs someone to cover his back. And we need to test his theory about the hypergates in practice. I believe him, Ves—he's a very smart man, and he's spent almost his entire life on this. If everything goes well, we'll have a chance."
"A chance at what, Shade?"
"A chance at salvation. I had a vision. War will come to Tython, and in that vision Dalien was dead. He never reached his goal. The Order killed him out of fear of ancient technology. I remember the wounds on the phantom's body—those are made only by a Je'daii blade. And if it's all true—if Dalien is right—I want a back door in case things get really bad."
"But Shade… that's…"
"Yeah. For that," I let out a dry chuckle, "Mom and I will definitely be listed as enemy number one—not of the Order, but of the entire Tython system. Or almost the entire system. And since you're my… close ones, a certain percentage of that glory will fall on you too. But! You can always say, 'I didn't know' and use that as cover—because I really didn't let anyone in on it. That's better than what will be waiting for me."
"And you still tell me 'don't worry'?"
"Yes. You're right—girls' hearts are like that. They feel. And you're also connected to me," I sighed.
"Shade, can't you live normally? Like everyone else?"
"Sadly… And even if I did, you and I wouldn't have what we have."
"M." Ves bit her lip and looked away.
"Come on, my little angel…"
"'Don't be mad'?" she snorted.
"Uh… no, be mad—just in the other direction." I let go of her hands, put my palm on her head, and scratched behind her ear. "You have every right."
"You sure do…" Ves turned her frowning face to me. "I still think you don't need it. Je'daii live a long time, and you're very young to go looking for trouble like this…"
"You're still an idiot," she cut me off with a mournful sigh. "You've grown up, cooled off, even gotten smarter in places—but you're still an idiot. I told you, Shade. Cathar girls love one. For life." She took my right hand, moved it away from her head, and clasped it between her palms. "When your mom talked about how she… wandered, I didn't understand it. I mean, I did understand—but my very nature, my instincts, reject that kind of treatment of a partner you sleep with."
"And what about your… well, natural quirks?"
"It doesn't work like that at all. Until you find a partner, it expresses itself as a predator's instincts. A certain wildness, aggressiveness, sharpness. That's because when you're alone, you have to be able to take care of yourself, find food, protect yourself from others. But then, when you find a man, that duty shifts to him, and your body gets the command to restructure and prepares for childbearing. That's where the 'quirks,' as you call them, come from."
"Got it," I nodded, still soothing Ves.
The conversation fell quiet, and Vessira—eyes closed, leaning into me—simply listened to the Force inside herself.
"Shade… I don't want to," she broke the silence. "I don't want to wake up with pain in my heart. If you're gone, I'll feel it. And if you got yourself mixed up in all this, then I'll be there."
"And the Order?"
"What about the Order? I'm not concerned with the Force or understanding it. I'm concerned with you."
"That's not what I mean. If it comes to it, I won't graciously wait for them to kill me—I'll fight back. Could you raise your hand against those you now consider comrades?"
"I'll raise it against anyone who dares threaten my family."
"Ah…"
"What?"
"I just remembered Hadiya."
"And?"
"That one will drown the whole system in blood and bury it in nuclear ash."
Ves only smiled a little at that.
"By the way, it's not funny. I might be crazy, but not crazy enough to start a civil war," Ves shrugged. "Yeah… First my influence, then your mother's, now Hadiya…"
"Tell me about it—nothing but bad people, always teaching the worst," Vessira played along, hugging me tight, pressing me to her chest, and resting her cheek on top of my head. "Ah, Shade… how are you even going to do this? And when are we leaving?"
"In the next few days, once we settle things here. I need to wait for the Council's authorization to depart on assignment."
"What assignment is that?"
"I told you they assigned me to Hadiya, didn't I?"
"Oh, that."
"Right. So as soon as I get the order, we're off. And as for the plan… everything will be very quiet and extremely careful."
"Oh! So you're counting on coming back?"
"Actually, yes. I just described what happens if we don't die immediately, the hypergates don't explode, but we still get burned."
"They can explode too?"
"N-o-t i-m-p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e."
"Wha-a-at a de-e-elight," Ves shook her head with a smile. She didn't have the strength left to be outraged or surprised.
"Yeah… So our chances of total success…"
"About zero?"
"A bit below average."
"Shade, optimism and common sense are not synonyms."
"You say that because you don't know the plan. It's all perfectly calculated—after all, it was devised by the greatest tacticians of our time. The first has been considered dead for twenty years, hiding from the Order and leading an entire sect. The second is gradually taking power over Shikaakwa. And then there's us and Mom, for the силовые tasks. Everything will be fine, Ves…"
The Cathar sighed, shook her head, closed her eyes, and kissed me. Somehow the kiss stretched on, and when it finally broke, she whispered:
"It doesn't matter what happens in the future. Let me enjoy the present…"
***
In the Temple of Knowledge, Ves and I stayed for a full twelve days. I don't know what the Council was busy with—and I didn't care. By the third day, our friends began to leave. First I saw off the twins and Ramira. Gris left after them. That left Ves and me alone.
It's funny: throughout all my wandering, I never made any new friends—which isn't surprising, since I'm not exactly сахар. Ramira was beaten down, and her circle of acquaintances was forced to shrink to just me. I managed to interest Ves by standing up for Rami. The Wookiee already knew who I was—heh, after moving to Tython he'd seen me training with Mom. And the twins were drawn in by our Miraluka… Ah, may she be one with the Force. Basically, the group just gradually got used to my quirks. I did save Hadiya, and for several takeds she had no choice but to endure my company, and Irbis… he got stuck with me against his will, so that doesn't count.
On the other hand, I never had a complex about having no one to talk to. I always had something to do. Yes—lying down and brooding at the ceiling is also an activity.
So, after our friends left, so as not to waste time, we went to the library. I was looking for information on the Kwa and everything connected to them: who they were, where they came from, where they went, what they left behind, and so on. Ves helped actively—especially by pestering the librarians while I dug through the archives.
Completely by accident, while searching, fate dragged her to the lower levels of the temple—the Kwa catacombs the Kalet complex was built on. The oldest and least-demanded records were stored there. Some of those records were kept on such funny… let's call them "diskettes," that reading them required serious fussing with the proper device.
The goal of my search, besides general information, was also specific information about Kwa ruins: where they'd been spotted, what exactly stood there, things like that. The hypergates surfaced immediately—right away—and they had a very specific location: the Old City.
I also found references to other Kwa cities, but there was even less data on those. To be blunt, there were only four places on the whole planet where excavations had been actively conducted: Kalet; the Old City; Wur Tepe (turns out it stands on ruins too); and Ander'on, a city buried in the jungles of Tython. Everything else that had been found could be loaded onto a starship and moved to a research complex—one run, two at most.
But I'm getting distracted. While rummaging below, Ves noticed an ancient relic left on Tython. It was a Kwa holocron. A functional holocron, mind you, but for some reason it wouldn't yield to decryption. Since the discovery of a levitating blue crystalline data-carrier shaped like an octahedron, no one had been able to open it. So the holocron was stored in the library in the hope that someone would eventually unlock the secrets of the ancient device. But what caught us wasn't it—it was its shape.
The holocron was an exact copy of the Tho Yor. More than that, it bore the same symbols, which raised questions. Figuring that the ancient, mysterious, and somehow-flying ships—whose connection to the Kwa was anyone's guess—were at least worth attention, Ves went off to pester librarians specifically for data about those ships. Besides, those ancient things had been bothering me since my youth.
Only… up until our departure, Ves found almost nothing about them. Even the material they were made of remained a mystery and resisted analysis. The only thing known about them was that the ships radiated the Force like crazy. It felt like each ship was a Force Source on its own. And… that was it. No electricity. No devices. No recharging. No panels for collecting stellar energy. There was at least an approximate schematic of the Tho Yor, but…
But by that schematic, the ship couldn't fly. It didn't even have engines. And I'll say more: there was simply no space left for equipment. Yes, it had sealed sectors that were physically impossible to enter… at least according to the diagram, but all the remaining space was allocated for passengers!
The only conclusion I could reach was that the damn thing runs on the Force itself. Let's skip the questions of "how" and "why" and accept it as fact. What does that give us? Hm…
And then enlightenment struck. The Tho Yor generates the Force. The Unifying Force—not dark, not light, but, kriff it, Unifying. Even if you ignore what technologies you could build on that basis—how many answers would it give me about the Unifying Force itself?
I seriously considered how to steal a Tho Yor from Tython. But… it could wait.
After making the necessary notes, we had to end our research because, at last, an order came down from above. Or rather, the order came to me—Vessira was as free as the wind.
So, packing up our things, we left Tython. Ahead was Shikaakwa, in whose orbit Dalien's ship was hiding.
Probably for the first time in all my flying—and, really, since the moment I left home (there's probably dust lying in centimeters there by now)—I felt this good. Quiet, peaceful atmosphere; the steady hum of engines; a sense of safety; and Ves…
The Cathar moved around the ship like it was her home, completely ignoring the crew. In her eyes, we were alone, and no one could interfere. Barefoot, in a top and shorts, purring and glowing with happiness as she walked the ship, she made me feel like an addict again.
You're sitting in the galley, brewing yourself some vorka, and then the hatch opens and your любимая kitty walks in, radiant with happiness. Purring and humming something under her breath, tail swishing, she casually climbs into the refrigerator and pulls out something like sour cream. Seemingly nothing special—and she isn't even trying to "play" for me—but I instantly forget about the kettle and just наслаждаюсь the sight, melting into a puddle inside.
And then she strolls to the little table where the spoons are hidden—right where I'm standing—plants a quick kiss on me, hooks the drawer open with her tail, grabs the utensil, and marches out, still purring under her breath like nothing happened. Unifying Force, have mercy, I'm going to become one with you soon from this dose of cuteness multiplied by beauty.
The ship's crew, who'd already gotten used to us back on Tython, took it with stoic indifference. Their job was to watch the ship and carry out orders, that's it. What the owner and his woman did was none of their business. Although… in the evenings, people did gather in the mess hall now and then to listen to a story or two.
Otherwise, we spent a lot of time in the cabin, sitting opposite each other and meditating. Deep joint meditation is a very useful and effective thing, by the way. It not only lets you look into another's soul, but also learn their state in the Force, strengthen the bond, and practice a single technique together. Or simply exchange information directly, bypassing words. Color, taste, scent, touch—you essentially send the other person a full packet of data. The key is to keep it short; otherwise it's easy to "overload" them. During pilgrimage, we often sat like that before sleep, simply to open up to someone, to feel warmth and забота, to be alone together.
In general, joint meditation is difficult by itself. You need to trust the other person at least a little, and it grows stronger the more deeply you know each other. Over the years, we managed to establish a truly solid connection, with side effects: telepathy and a thread in the Force linking us. Now, to hear the other person—if they aren't закрываясь, like I did so as not to make her worry—you can learn their location, physical condition, and emotional state. But that was only the beginning. We decided to go further.
We tried, in a sense, to connect two minds—synchronize the flow of thought—so that two different bodies could act as one. This technique was called Battle Meld. Zeng and Feng use it constantly, but they're twins: they feel each other even without the Force. Besides, they don't have the problem Ves and I do—namely, in using the Force.
Mentally, we could hear each other, feel each other, hold onto each other with an iron grip. But synchronizing two completely different approaches to the Force was… problematic. When Ves tried to use my techniques, it twisted her up badly—both physically and mentally. To be honest, it looks creepy when your hand goes gray and cracks, and you sit there giggling, suggesting things to your partner that could never come into a sane mind. I had to save her—break the "mind merge" and bring her back to normal.
Something similar happened to me. Trying to split the Force into two streams and use only one caused me hellish pain—like being torn in half, like your very soul is being ripped apart. When we pushed too far, when tears were already coming out of my eyes, when control slipped away, and Vessira screamed and lost consciousness, the experiments were stopped.
So the rest of the trip we flew without training, simply enjoying pleasant company while watching something interesting together. The only thing was that Ves became interested in my "dress" suit. She had already seen how the fabric could tighten by itself, and she remembered what it felt like to wear it. She had her own set, but it was more traditional—sometimes you just wanted something different, something that stood out.
And so, quickly and almost unnoticed, we arrived at Shikaakwa.
"Oh…" Ves saw through the cameras what was waiting for us outside.
As usual, Hadiya had arranged a whole procession—two ranks of attendants—and this time they'd even rolled out a red carpet. The Tyrant of Shikaakwa herself, with bodyguards and a couple of advisers, stood right at the entrance to the fortress.
"Don't pay attention. It's all as usual."
"As usual?" the Cathar turned to me.
"Well, it's Hadiya," I answered, as if that explained everything. "Though, right—you aren't familiar with her quirks."
"Huh?"
"Hadiya loves PR and uses any opportunity to show off. And since I'm her husband—on paper, at least—she tries to arrange 'proper' receptions for me. I don't care, you know how undemanding I am, but it drives her crazy. 'My husband traveling by hitching rides?! Never!'"
"And that's why you were given the Curator?"
"Exactly. Though I'd have been happy with a fighter like a 'Hunter.'"
As I said that, I put on my mask, threw up my hood, and turned toward the exit.
"Shade, what are you planning?" Ves fell into step beside me as we walked out into the corridor.
"Nothing special. Just a small prank, as usual. Hadiya puts on a show, piles on the pomp, and I break it over my knee with my behavior."
"And that won't hurt her?"
"Hm?" I looked at the Cathar.
"Well… won't it damage her reputation?"
"It won't. I have a peculiar reputation, let's say—one Hadiya uses to scare others."
"Hm?"
"Let's put it this way: I'm something like the final argument. When the girl is in danger and she can't handle it herself, I show up and solve the issue radically. When Clan Shi tried to swallow her clan, I appeared. Now Clan Shi doesn't exist as such. When Clan Ryo tried to kill her, I showed up too—and where is that clan now? Yes, I clown around, I behave in a way unbefitting my status, but in the eyes of the initiated, I'm the shadow behind Hadiya—the one who'll take the head of anyone who dares cross her. And as for me acting strange—well, I have the right. She is my wife, after all… even if only nominally."
"And in fact?"
"There was no ceremony."
"Got it…"
Reaching the exit, I pressed the button that lowered the ramp with the Force.
"Hm… you know, it's easy to get used to this," Ves whispered.
"Wanna bet it isn't?"
"Why bet? I already know you'll win," she elbowed me and, tail swishing, went first.
With a snort, I followed.
"Welcome home…" Hadiya began, making her face a brick and setting a lofty tone, but—
"Hi, Hadi," Ves hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, shocking the Twi'lek girl. And the mask, it turns out, is a very useful thing—so convenient to hide surprise under it.
Letting the stunned girl go, Ves handed her off to me for the next hug.
"Hi, Sunshine." I squeezed Hadiya until she squeaked, then let her go and, arm around her waist, guided her into the corridor. At that moment the first adviser grabbed the second adviser—still stunned—by the arm and dragged him the opposite way, and the scholarly guards followed, pretending they hadn't seen anything at all.
"What was that just now?!" Hadiya came to her senses when the door closed behind us and looked at Ves.
"I'm just happy to see you. What's wrong with that?"
"…"
"Hadi?" I called to the frozen Twi'lek.
"Right…" She looked at me. Her brows knit and suspicion appeared in her eyes. "I think I know where this is coming from. Shade, how many times have I told you not to do that?!" She flared with anger. "And you talked Vessira into it too, didn't you?"
"Sunshine, you're accusing me of something I would never do." I took off my mask and, releasing it, made it float beside me. "How could I talk anyone into anything? I'll do it all myself!" And with that, I leaned in and kissed her on the lips, suppressing her new burst of outrage.
In the end I won, and Hadiya let the embarrassment go, giving in to pleasant sensations.
"Ahem, can I join you…?" Ves began—
"Ves…" The Twi'lek turned, subtly stepping between me and the Cathar. "You can't!"—though her emotions betrayed her amusement. "And what are you doing here?"
"She's taking part in the job," I sighed. "I couldn't talk her out of it."
"For some reason I thought so," Hadiya nodded.
"So you specifically saved a spot for her in the team?"
"Not specifically for her, but yes—I saved a spot."
"Thank you."
"Don't. Besides, I'll be calmer knowing my beloved has two Force-users at his side, not one and a half."
"One and a half?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Dalien's research team includes a couple of Force-users who are also his bodyguards. Compared to what I saw in Stav Kesh, the two of them together would hardly be able to do anything to Vessira. So I'm glad you're with us, Ves," Hadiya admitted sincerely, without a trace of sarcasm. Ves gave a small nod.
"Yeah… and where's Dalien himself?"
"Here, in the fortress."
"And Mom?"
"She'll arrive in about seven days. Come on—I'll tell you and show you what we've managed to do."
Before giving us a tour and introducing the будущие бойцы, we met with Dalien. Then, with him, we went to look at the equipment, the ship, the weapons, and the men Hadiya would provide for this job…
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan