The farewell was quite emotional. For me, my mom and dad here, along with my sister, were the family I lacked on Earth. Nevertheless, I was leaving. I had many ideas, goals, and tasks to accomplish. To do this, I needed to become stronger, smarter, which I intended to achieve in the near future... More precisely, there's nothing that will make me stronger and suddenly turn me into "the daddy of everything in the Galaxy." There's no such thing here, no specific level after which development stops. Even Vitiate was beaten to death... They even killed the so-called Daughter, who is supposedly a celestial, and even Abeloth was finished off, and she was an incredibly powerful Force-user. What did I learn from this? There is no absolute measure of power in this Galaxy that you reach and become completely invincible. Anyone can be defeated... The cliché: "every technique has a weakness." It's the same principle here. Everyone can be killed, the main thing is to be able to see the moment. And what can I do to prepare for the upcoming events? I won't become a God... But I can become stronger to reduce my... chances... of an unpleasant outcome. That's what I'll do on Drongar. Thanks to the bot, I'll be able to strengthen my already strong connection with the Force. Also, due to the bot and strengthening my connection with the Force, I'll be able to grasp new techniques faster. Thanks to the materials sent to me from Anaxis, I'll be able to study the military theory of this world and be ready for some conflicts. At least theoretically, because books won't prepare you for even the smallest skirmish. Thanks to the medallion, I'll be able to summon once-living Force-sensitives... I just need to get an important item for them. But where and from whom? Let's say – Lorm Decer for testing, and who else? I need a warrior, if I think about it. Mentor Lorm was excellent at understanding the properties of the Force and wielded powerful techniques. His teachings will help in mastering them. And a warrior... Tulak Hord comes to mind; he was the best of the best in swordsmanship, that's how he was characterized... But the problem is that Tulak is a Sith and once bore the nickname "Lord of Hate"... Not a very inviting nickname, is it?
A Force-sensitive with experience in warfare, who could explain it clearly, would be useful. There have been many such in the Star Wars universe. Successful, unsuccessful... But the most famous, in my opinion, is Revan. The Mandalorians caused quite a stir in the Republic long ago. The Jedi distanced themselves from battles, supposedly because they felt the approach of Vitiate's Empire. But Revan didn't give a damn about the Council's opinion, from a certain point on. He went to war and became a respected commander. He defeated the Mandalorians not as a Force-sensitive warrior, but as a commander... But how can I summon Revan? Or Tulak Hord, when I become confident in my abilities? None of the testimonies of these sentient beings remained... Hmm... Wait a minute. To hell with Tulak Hord... But Revan! I don't have a holocron, but I know about an object that contacted him, and I hope it's enough. It seems that on Mustafar lie either the remains or a complete HK-47. This is a droid created by Revan, a droid that Meetra Surik, known as "The Exile," also contacted. Both individuals are quite famous and possess a lot of knowledge. Maybe I can even reach Satele and Bastila Shan through them – also powerful Jedi. Or Darth Marr, a Sith whom I assessed not as a pure follower of the Dark Side, but as a statesman who prioritized the well-being of the Empire. In short, to pull many interesting Force-sensitives of that era back from the brink, and to arrange many training sessions for myself – that's not a right, but a duty. Yes, I will never become a God, I realize that. Even meditating throughout my incredibly long second life as a sephi, at most, well, perhaps, well, someday – I'll be able to withstand even Abeloth, and even then with huge reservations... But to become stronger, to have the opportunity to show my beliefs, to change something... For me, frankly speaking, that has become the goal. Who was I on Earth? An insignificant person, without character, purpose, without abilities or special powers. And now – who am I? A Jedi Knight, a Force-user. A sentient being, wielding a dangerous weapon. And what's yet to come? I got a chance to live another life, but this time I have far more talents and peculiarities. And it's my duty to develop them, not to run away somewhere... Yes. To develop... To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
I reached Sernpidal without incident. I also retrieved my artifact, with which I planned to study without much trouble. Honestly, I feared problems from the Order. A mission might come to assassinate another dark Force-sensitive, or to locate a dark artifact. The Shadow could be disrupted at any time of day or night, on any assignment. But the Force mercifully granted me free time... So I calmly reached Sernpidal, found a bank there, and took the artifact I needed, and then set course for Drongar. To get there from Sernpidal, I had to return to the Perlemian Trade Route and, following it, reach Quermia, and then aim for Drongar.
This required a huge number of hyperspace jumps. Although with my new hyperdrive, the task of reaching Drongar was realized much faster than I initially thought. The journey that would have taken me almost two weeks, I covered in a little over a week. The hardest part was getting to the planet itself, bypassing the "Dark Sun" posts. This organization wouldn't have taken its place if it weren't powerful. But, thank the Force, the technology that could detect my ship in stealth mode – only the Jedi managed to get their hands on it. And I'm not aware of it falling into anyone else's hands, and the option of the High Council giving away a lidar technology that can detect a ship with a stygium coating – seems like a fairy tale. Therefore, emerging into the Drongar system and immediately activating stealth mode, I carefully guided the ship to the planet. A station was hanging alone in orbit around this planet, not very large; I could see it more visually because of the stygium coating, I couldn't use radar.
This must be a "Dark Sun" outpost. According to the plan, I will take the ship to the planet under stealth and land in the vicinity of the Jasserak Highlands. Alas, I cannot say exactly where the farms are located, or rather, they are called "deposits" of bot. Why deposits? Because, as I understood, the places where the valuable plant grew appeared exclusively spontaneously, and controlling bot was quite difficult. I will disembark with all my camping gear – a supply of canned food, a tent, I even have a fishing rod and a foldable lightning rod, so there are no problems with this element, and much more, necessary for setting up camp – like a generator that ran on a solar battery, which almost excluded its detection by sensors, and a computer, with which I could fully master the theory. All in all, I prepared myself thoroughly, as I thought. The climate on Drongar is tropical, with constantly changing weather.
There's more oxygen than normal, which can cause dizziness and hyperoxygenation. If I hadn't trained according to the Matukai system, hadn't learned to control my body with the Force and the processes within it with the Force – my stay on Drongar would have been quite... problematic. However, I mastered the Matukai techniques, especially actively during the hyperspace jumps before Drongar, and was confident in my success... But I don't plan to leave the "Star Trek" here. Due to the increased oxygen content, accelerated rusting of metals is possible. And I don't remember the stygium coating protecting against such things, and frankly, I'm not in the mood to experiment with it. So, when the ship drops me off on the planet – VV will take it into orbit and hide on one of the asteroids I saw while flying here. Completely shutting down the ship and going into hibernation mode myself, thus hiding the ship from the sensors, scanners, and radars of the "Dark Sun" station.
If it weren't for this atmosphere, I would have disguised the "Star Trek" on the planet. Oh well, not everything always goes according to plan. Besides, what won't you do for training?
From space, the ball of Drongar had a dirty green color; I would call it a "plague-like" color, associated with diseases. The gravity on the planet exceeded the norm by one point two times. This will also add to my training. But the greatest danger was, after all, the spores. They were in the upper layers of the atmosphere and caused terrible diseases that the first expedition to this planet encountered. Some spores even attacked the ship itself. A so-called spore rot was described, which affected even ships, forcing them to move in the atmosphere incredibly fast. Well, my ship, built for a saboteur and elite mercenary, was already quite fast, so I zipped through the atmosphere, landing the ship on a plateau a couple of minutes later. The stygium coating did its job; no one on the station even flinched.
On the station guarding the planet, there were likely sentient beings. On the "deposit" farm where bot was grown, there should definitely be only droids. However, if I'm careful, I won't encounter "Dark Sun" at all. I don't like encountering an unknown variable... And who is the Vigo in charge here, I don't know... Without knowing such important information, it's hard to plan anything. I finally stepped onto solid ground and cleared my throat... The air here felt like a knife cutting my lungs... The pricking sensation in my chest was unpleasant. I closed my eyes, remembering the Matukai techniques, and felt the Force in my body, and then, according to the description, I tried, filling it partially with my will-message, to direct it to my lungs and respiratory organs. It wasn't perfect, but it got easier.
"It seems I'll have plenty of practice with everything," I smiled. The gravity, which was slightly higher than usual, was also felt. And I calmly resisted it. "So, VV, proceed with my plan."
According to which he will hide on one of the asteroids I've scouted, completely cutting off power for a full six months. Then he will fly to me on the planet, to this point, and I will be able to pass my exams for distance learning at the Anaxis Academy. In fact, the most important thing at the Academy was the in-person exam, but it was at the very end of the training, in three years. And before that, every six months, you had to pass an exam, which was in the form of testing. Distance learners were sent materials, and they could study them however they wanted, as long as they passed the test for a passing grade at the end of the semester. Convenient for those who don't want to bother with student life... Convenient for me – because I had to seriously change my routine on Alderaan. I had to train in the art of handling the Force less than usual. Which, as a "training maniac," irritated me to no end.
"The main thing is to remember – you must not be detected, and remember the order – exactly in six months you must fly to this point."
Droids navigate ships using a sensor that is jammed by stygium coating... It seems it won't be able to land the vessel adequately, but there's one thing. VV only needs to start the ship's systems, including the cloaking field, and the ship itself will execute the program I uploaded to the computer – namely – flight along a specific vector, calculated by me from a certain asteroid, or rather, calculated by the program, because my mind is not capable of such calculations. The system will guide the ship to the correct location... Although testing this feature wouldn't hurt. So, before finally going to search for the plant I need, to meditate, to grasp the Force, techniques, and so on, I made the ship perform such a trick. And it turned out quite well. After about thirty minutes, I watched my ship move away from me, becoming a distant speck.
Well... I surveyed the landscape that opened up to me. I disembarked from the ship on a hill not far from some rather large mountains. A breeze rustled the peculiar green grass. Not bot... Moths and insects flew in front of me, which I tried to push away with the Force. Although, if I recall the description from old expeditions – they weren't particularly dangerous. The greatest danger was posed by spores and the air with increased oxygen content. First, I need to find a place for the camp, and then I'll go explore the local areas, looking for useful bot...
I chose a spot for the camp near a cave, using the latter as additional protection from the local weather. By the time I found it, I had managed to get caught in a heavy downpour twice and witnessed lightning strikes in the forest. A fire even started, which quickly died down due to the rain. The planet's abundant weather was impressive… I moved carefully, studying every element of the environment with the Force. I saw a couple of animals that were definitely mammals. Once, a fanged predator, somewhat resembling a wolf, attacked me. However, after receiving a lightsaber to the face, which I used to burn through its head, destroying its brain, it died rather quickly. The cave where I settled was near a small clearing where the giant trees I noticed on my way here did not grow.
So, in the clearing, I was able to set up a generator that ran on the energy of the local star, or more precisely, I called this battery "solar." It was perfect for survival in the wilderness. I set up the tent with relative ease; the gusty wind couldn't fill the cave. Nearby, I placed a thermogenerator – a special device that replaced a campfire. It could also heat food, so after eating and resting, I headed out to explore the area, after first returning the energy generator to the cave and blocking the entrance with a boulder.
"Alright," I said, after completing all the simple actions to conceal the camp, I activated the map. "I landed at this point, about five kilometers from here. Shelter… Marked. Now I just need to find the bot deposit. It would be good to scan the entire area… But the 'Black Sun' station and base will know immediately if I use the ship's scanners… Which means… I'll have to search the old-fashioned way. I don't want to attract… Undesirable attention from my criminal neighbors…"
Back in the Empire, I could have, in theory, just brought a Star Destroyer here, blown up the bandits' station to hell, and destroyed their base on the surface… Or better yet, captured it… But these are not the times of Palpatine's Empire. And they are still far off, so it's better to act stealthily. Especially since I know how to do it. The weather changed… It started raining again, and judging by the flashes – with lightning. The air filled with the smell of ozone. I walked calmly; there were no other options. No matter how I went out, the chance of the weather changing was still quite high. The planet also had a tropical, hot, humid climate, which I wouldn't have been able to endure if I hadn't adapted my body with the Force.
In general, if you think about it, the standard logic of many works where you have to train to become stronger was at play here. Often, the places for training in them are quite difficult to access, with their own entry conditions. Although the result obtained from such training is many times higher, that's a fact. I didn't find the "Black Sun" during my first day on Drongar. I had to hide from one of their reconnaissance droids… They can be a problem. Droids can detect an energy trail and find me. The droid didn't detect me now; I hid in a ravine… But it could discover my shelter… On the other hand, it's good that they only use droids, trying to deploy fewer living forces here. Droids are easy to reprogram, the main thing is to find their main computer, which is definitely located at the base itself. Why not on the space station? Due to the abundance of weather phenomena, such as lightning and storms, the signal can reach the droids with delays and errors. Therefore, I was confident in finding the main computer on the planet's surface.
Alas, I haven't found the "Black Sun" shelter yet. I didn't follow the droid, only sketching a map of the area around my shelter within a ten-kilometer radius, and making notes about the encountered flora and fauna. Of my goal, bots, I haven't found anything yet… But it's foolish to be sad; I'll be here for a long time, and I'll definitely find what I need. I stumbled upon the "Black Sun" base only on the fourth day, this time not chickening out of following the droid. And I must say, they have built a rather impressive structure. The building was designed entirely for droids, meaning there were no windows for light to penetrate, except in one place where I noticed them – an orangery with bot seedlings. The greenhouse for bots was made entirely of glass, with open windows. The base perimeter was fenced, and it seemed like electricity was running along it. In addition, there were several turrets, and combat droids were visible. In short, they have everything serious here… By their standards.
But I have one important strategic advantage. They don't know I'm here… Otherwise, the entire base would already be on high alert. This means I can infiltrate their base and upload a virus, take control, and "diplomatically persuade the local 'Black Sun' branch to share useful resources with me" … Briefly and to the point, so to speak. But before I infiltrate anywhere, I need to scout the place. And for that, I decided to conduct a special operation to obtain the base schematics. What do I need for that? Catch a reconnaissance droid and upload a virus to it so that it sends me the base schematics. Of course, I could try to upload the entire virus to the base system using the reconnaissance droid… Only I'm not sure if the scouts are fully connected to the central computer, rather than some remote server where data is filtered and then sent to the system. However, it's worth a shot, so I allocated not only the spy program but also the system control program and prepared to wait.
To prevent anything bad from happening, I didn't create a targeted ambush according to the "something suspicious – must check" scheme. The logic of machines is such that they might send a few more droids for reinforcement. Which I didn't need, so I just picked out one of the droids and, following it, attacked it from above, pinning it to the ground. The reconnaissance droids here were wheeled modifications. Therefore, it was not difficult for me to make the system believe that the reconnaissance droid, which consisted of a single sensor mounted on a wheel, had accidentally "stumbled" and fallen on its side. Gaining access to the connector, I activated the program on the datapad and began transferring data into it, then jumped aside. The droid used its stabilization system, returned to its normal position, rotated its head with sensors, and moved on.
Pleased with my successful actions, I returned to the shelter, which I opened with a stone. It was dark inside, which was not surprising – it was a cave. The first thing I did was eat, and then I sat down at the computer and turned on the data viewing program; the droid had just reached the base. It was time to check how strong the base's security protocols were… After all, there was a risk that my programs, which I had uploaded to this droid, would be detected. Well, mine? Those were leatherman programs from the Jedi, which the Shadows had access to. I couldn't be perfect at everything; my hacking skill was at a basic level: I could open something simple. Mostly, I relied on programs that were uploaded to VV. But he wasn't here now, but I had my new, unexpected ally. Who, in theory, could give me the entire "Black Sun" base… Alas, he couldn't do it. The controller program self-deleted when the data from the droid began to be downloaded to the server. Apparently, I'll have to go in the old-fashioned way. Well, fortunately, my newfound spy gave me an approximate base schematic, though not the whole thing.
And when was it ever simple? I sighed… Alright, I need to prepare for infiltration, but not now. It's better to meditate and practice other techniques for now. And then sleep… "Planning grand plans for the beaver's victory over the donkey," I quipped in my thoughts…