The ship emerged from hyperspace. Taking the controls, I guided the Star Trek toward the green ball of the planet my teacher wanted to reach. The planet was quite far from the Center and had been discovered by Lorm Decer himself. At least, that's what the official records said. In reality, the jungle planet had long since been discovered by smugglers, who, as always, pursued their own selfish interests — it was their waystation. Lorm, by his own account, had once crashed there, found workers armed with cyber-knives and short polearms, eliminated them at the landing site, and used parts from ships undergoing repairs to fix his own flying (not without supernatural help) junk heap. The planet had only one continent, where the endless green forests had won the struggle. Among other things, part of the "Better than Death, Only Death" tourist package included craggy stone mountains, green rivers, and an unwelcoming fauna ready to tear, bite, and devour unlucky visitors.
The smugglers only had a shelter there for ship repairs, which is where we headed. The steel structures were overgrown with green moss, but the station was still functional.
"So," Lorm drawled, "where's the generator?"
"So you don't remember where it is?" I asked my Teacher.
"My young, promising student. I have dozens of different hideouts across the Galaxy, as a precaution. Remembering everything is too much of a burden..."
"Is he always like this?" BB-7 beeped, a trill I could now understand thanks to the Mechu-deru technique. I'd been mastering it for about four days, give or take.
"I can hear you, you metal donut," Lorm grumbled, finding the generator and pressing a button. The waystation powered up, and an energy shield shimmered into existence around us. "This planet is dangerous at night, which is why we need this shield."
The blue film of the shield protected the station's perimeter.
"Still, keeping it on constantly isn't rational — the shield generator has a limited lifespan. So I keep it off, which means some 'fauna specimens' break through to the station."
The station itself consisted of a large spire of steel reaching upward. Extensions were visible on the spire...
"Those are solar panels," Lorm explained. "Why do you think there's so much greenery here? Because the star is quite close to the planet. There's an oxygen atmosphere, and the star's proximity gives the plants the energy they need. So they grow. The solar panels collect that energy just like the plants do. But as I said, the shield is off when we're away, and that means..."
"That some 'fauna specimens' get in. You said so, Teacher."
"Right, my young, promising student. And those fauna specimens will be your first task. You need to clear the main rooms of our unwanted guests. Then we'll talk. I usually did this myself, but I figured this would be an excellent trial for you." He sat down in a meditation pose next to the ship. "So, you might encounter a zaris — it's a fast predator with sharp claws. It has four legs. It's very jumpy. There might also be snakes here. They're nocturnal hunters in general, but very sensitive during the day when they sleep. Their tails have a biological spring-like mechanism at the tip, and they have incredibly venomous, sharp teeth that can even pierce clothing made of thick, protective fabric. And last — the most dangerous things that could have gotten into the spire — the rinds. These are animals that are, to some extent, sensitive to the Force."
"To the Force?" I swallowed.
"Appearance-wise," Lorm nodded, "they're no different from wolves, only much larger. But the main thing is they always hunt in packs and use telepathy to communicate with each other. These... doggies can make even a Knight sweat."
"And am I ready to face them?" I asked my teacher. "Force-sensitive telepathic animals — are you sure I won't die? Besides, if they're telepaths, they could even contact my mind!"
"Yes, that's usually what rinds do," Lorm sighed. "The smugglers always kept some kind of staff here who watched over the shield. But now rinds have gotten into the spire. And yes, they are capable — weakly — of suppressing the will of an opponent they're fighting..."
"That's basically a weaker version of Battle Meditation!" I exclaimed, interrupting my teacher.
"Right," he confirmed. "Just keep in mind that your mental resistance is enough to fight their suppression. And without that suppression, the most they're capable of is synchronizing their actions. Something like that..."
"I think the list of predators is a bit short..."
"For what got in here?" Lorm asked. "I'm probing the spire with the Force and I've just told you about everyone I counted. At this moment, there are twenty-three living creatures inside. A pack of eight zaris. A pack of ten rinds. And five snakes of different species, but all with roughly similar properties. Naturally, other living creatures could have gotten into the station. The most dangerous creature that could have made it in here is a scaled dragon."
"DRAGON?" I repeated, an image of a flying monstrosity forming in my head.
"About ten meters long, about five meters tall. It has sharp teeth, similar claws, and wings. The dragon is the king of predators on this planet. And its teeth and claws can withstand three or four blows from a lightsaber, same as its scales. The pinnacle of defense. But the biggest danger of the dragon is that it's completely invisible in the Force. It's the perfect weapon for killing the Gifted. But they're rare. In all my time on this planet — and I've come here many times — I've only seen two dragons. The first almost sent me to merge with the Force, and the second I barely managed to kill. They're very agile and quite intelligent."
"So back to my question," I said. "Is this planet really suitable for my training?"
"This planet," Lorm smirked, "is the most brutal of all the planets where I have hideouts. You, my young, promising student, are currently equal in skill to Knights. Some Knights," Lorm Decer corrected himself. "So you have a chance to become stronger in this green hell... Oops!"
I turned around, looking behind me.
"It seems a pack of rinds decided to greet us. While we were chatting, they sensed us. Unfortunate — I wanted to leave them for you to deal with..."
Ten rather tall wolves, baring their teeth, were preparing to attack. Though I'd call them "direwolves." Just like in the canon of A Song of Ice and Fire — they were much taller than ordinary wolves. The rinds had brown and black fur. But the most impressive was the massive rind. While the other animals that had shown up for a meal featuring me were no more than a meter and a half tall, this giant, in my strictly non-professional opinion, reached two to two and a half meters at the shoulder.
"Need help?" the teacher asked as the alpha let out an incredible roar that made me swallow, taking a step back.
"The Force gave these creatures something akin to a quasi-mind. If the Scaled Dragon is only 'smart' in battle, the Rinds are the closest thing to intelligent beings on this planet. They have a clear, social hierarchy within the pack. Rule of the strongest. You just killed their leader, so they recognize you as the new strongest one," Lorm Decer explained.
"They recognize me as the strongest?" I asked him.
"Such is the nature of the Rinds. Perhaps someday they'll evolve into intelligent beings. Or maybe they once were intelligent and degenerated into animals. Anything is possible. I have my own... pack of Rinds too. When you kill a pack leader, the remaining members establish a mental connection with you — or rather, they attempt to establish one. Right now, considering those that died, you have five individuals in your pack. Two females and three males..."
I relaxed slightly, and then it hit me. A feeling that I could command them and they would carry out any order I gave. I deactivated my lightsaber, though keeping it in my hand, and walked up to one of the Rinds... My left hand touched its snout, and it started rubbing against me on its own... Unbelievable, it was nuzzling me like a dog.
"What does this mutt think it's doing?" BB-7's chirp reached me.
"You can use them to defeat the Zarises..."
"Eight Zarises," I said thoughtfully. "And only five Rinds. Wouldn't it be logical to hold the pack back?"
"Fool," Lorm landed beside me, making the Rind I was petting growl. "Whoa-whoa, easy there!" the mentor raised his hands. "They are directly dependent on their leader — more precisely, on his connection to the Force. The stronger and better the leader understands the Force, the stronger the pack. The Zarises were no match for the Rinds even before, and now that you've established the 'leader-pack' bond with these — they've become several times stronger. So go ahead. Though, of course, it's entirely your choice — whether to clear the Spire alone or with friends..."
* * *
Clearing the Spire took a good two hours. All because I was hunting the snakes. They caused trouble, reducing the number of male Rinds to two... I literally watched a wolf convulse, poisoned by venom, while the severed head of a snake lay nearby. What made it even worse was that the snake had been aiming for me from the start, and he shielded me... And that attack was too fast and unexpected... In any case — may the wolf rest in peace. As for the Zarises themselves, they attacked with such ferocity and rage that they even managed to bite my arm. My right arm was now wrapped in bandages... After clearing the Spire, Lorm summoned his own pack. It turns out that this... mentor-son-of-a-bitch — had ordered his pack, which consisted of twenty-eight individuals, to leave the spire shortly before our arrival, so that the spire could be populated by other fauna! I just knew that a son-of-a-bitch like Lorm Decer had definitely left something in the Spire to prevent other living creatures from settling in it. Because there were too few different individuals inside the structure. Which meant it had been guarded for a while.
The rest of the time — and I enjoyed (read: tried not to die) the local resorts for a whole year — was a true test of my endurance, agility, and nerves. He taught me everything over the course of a year! Because Lorm Decer made me run cross-country races. At first, he gave me simple tasks — run a couple of kilometers, parkour style. And I ran... I used various parkour elements: flips, jumps, slides, and even that wall-running from Prince of Persia. This advanced my mastery of Ataru. In fencing — he even gave me a second sword, because during Ataru training, at a certain stage, you use two swords... And using two swords, with my maneuverability — I actually managed to defeat Lorm Decer himself in a duel. At first, he used standard Djem So against me, and then even Niman, which leaned toward the fifth form, but still — Niman was his primary combat style... And then bam, using two swords — I managed to disarm him, something he didn't expect from me. For some reason he was so happy, Lorm, that he came up with obstacle courses involving 'fauna objects.' This time I had to not only run a distance, but also clear a certain area of monsters. And there were far more of them here than I'd encountered in the Spire. Lizards whose bites could crush rocks, snakes that jumped out from underground... Wild cats hiding in the trees.
And the most terrifying thing I encountered — a Scaled Dragon. I fought again, this time stumbling upon a pack of Rinds. Mine were resting in the Spire itself, 'rebuilding their numbers'... One year changed me. My clothes were so shredded in the first few days that I refashioned them into shorts and a short-sleeved shirt... Though I was afraid to go into the forest, remembering that thing called a tick. I asked the mentor and found out that ticks do exist here! And they are truly horrible here... The immune system of some living creatures destroys them, but if it fails — the tick uses the living creature's body as a resource for reproduction. In the end, the creature's stomach literally bursts, spewing new individuals of these ticks out. The smugglers who set up a transshipment point here — are crazy as hell... Though there was a reason they did it. The thing is, the planet apparently has a landmass covered in stygium crystals [Note: a very rare crystal, officially mined on only 2 planets in the Galaxy. After the era of the "Stygian Fever," the reserves of this crystal were greatly depleted, leading to a shortage in the Galactic market and subsequently a sharp price increase. [Application — cloaking devices, lightsaber construction. [Notes: a lightsaber made from this crystal does not emit light in the visible spectrum. Only experienced Force users capable of fighting blind could stand against fencers with such blades. [Color spectrum: none.] Although my mentor didn't find it and probably didn't even try to look for it... And even the bunch of smugglers only managed to find small deposits of this valuable crystal. Getting back to the ticks, the teacher listened, nodded, and then made me learn a simplified version of a Force Barrier, which he made me maintain around my body constantly... And it helped — I could run around the jungle completely naked if I wanted; the ticks wouldn't infect me.
There were also carnivorous plants here that could capture their victims and literally digest them. They were scary; I almost soiled myself when an 'innocent flower' trapped me... But I always had my lightsaber, so I chopped that damn flora object to pieces... And now it was the same... After chopping up a carnivorous plant, of the 'all-devouring sundew' class, I tumbled out into a clearing to catch my breath... And then I heard an incredible roar, unlike any before... Behind me was a void in the Force. Like a black hole... Oh no... No, no, no... Not this... Slowly turning around, I saw it... A massive, green-shimmering, Scaled Dragon... Its maw was filled with several rows of razor-sharp teeth. It stood on its hind legs, and its wings ended at the front with equally sharp claws... The wings seemed to emerge from its arms.
What to do?! I definitely can't handle this! Run, that's the only option! The Scaled Dragon is far too dangerous for me... Turning around, saturating myself with the Force as much as possible, I bolted away. But the dragon wasn't about to let me go. It took off and dive-bombed straight at me. At the last moment, I jumped aside, avoiding the strike of its claws, but not its teeth, which, barely touching my right arm, carved a bloody furrow... The pain I felt in that moment, I had never felt anything like it before. It had only accidentally grazed me with its tooth; I miscalculated my maneuver...
Squeezing my eyes shut from the pain, I made a mistake... Never close your eyes when facing an opponent. The dragon opened its maw, wanting to devour me... What to do? My body leaped upward, and I landed squarely on its snout... The lightsaber blade sprang into my left hand; in my right, I only felt pain... A strike, and the dragon roared in fury, losing an eye... It beat its wings, and its muzzle rammed me, sending me flying... I crashed into a boulder, and all the air was knocked out of my lungs... Is this it? Am I going to die like this?! After all that hellish life on this planet, I'm just going to die... The dragon soared up and opened its maw, ready to devour me, when suddenly it was swept aside mid-flight... I barely had the strength to look to the right... The teacher stood there, not even having activated his lightsaber.
"Get out of here, you fucking monster," Lorm Decer snarled, pointing his hand at it. A green lightning bolt shot toward the dragon, slamming into its bulk. For the first couple of seconds, nothing happened, but then the dragon roared in pain. Force Lightning... Or rather — its light aspect... The dragon took off and simply flew away, and my consciousness sank into darkness...
* * *
"Awake?" the mentor asked me... I found myself lying on a bed in my room on the ship.
Lorm Decer had given me the 'captain's quarters,' without much argument. I just reminded him of how he'd treated Officer Dizzy on Tustra. And he, in the finest traditions, had 'courted her' and then declared that he was 'leaving, possibly forever.' And the officer herself wanted a serious relationship. After all, among my people — marriage is a rather serious institution. Of course, there are 'establishments of pleasure.' And having multiple partners is not forbidden. But the point is that Officer Dizzy, according to my father's message, is no longer young. She's eighty years old, and she wants children. Lorm seemed like a worthy candidate to her, and her requirements — honestly, are ridiculous. And then he says 'sorry, thanks, and goodbye'... In short, I used blackmail against my beloved mentor, thus getting his cabin. But what can you do... The threat that I'd return with him to Tustra is quite serious...
"You scared the hell out of me, my young, promising student. You ran into a dragon. And I warned you. For just over a year, you were lucky."
"Lucky," I echoed. "Didn't you say they were rare?"
"Oh, yes, rare. Actually, I don't even know roughly how many dragons there are on this planet. They all live closer to the center of the continent, and we're on the outskirts... Phew," he exhaled. "But you marked him — imagine that, you gouged out an eye."
"He almost killed me!" I exclaimed, immediately starting to cough.
"It happens," Lorm chuckled. "I won't lie, the formed Force Bond with you means we are true teacher and student, and I would have mourned you. However, nevertheless, I am proud. You, who from the very beginning would have definitely died if you'd encountered a dragon, managed to hold out, even if partly by instinct, against it until I arrived. As I already told you — the Scaled Dragon is one of the most terrifying monsters I've ever faced. You have potential."
"I've heard that before," I remarked, "when I was almost killed by a Varkh," an analog of a bear from this planet, "and what about the Myrts from the swamp?" I asked about the crocodiles. "And the bat, just slightly smaller than a dragon? I fell from a height of twenty meters! And landed right on an Aliraf," contrary to its name — an analog of an elephant, with tusks even sticking out of its back. "This is some kind of hell!"
"Yes, yes, cry me a river," Lorm hissed. "Calm down, you hear me?! You survived, and you did well. Happy? I'm praising you in plain text. You demonstrated mastery of Force techniques. In the fight with the Varkh, you showed proficiency in Force healing. On the Myrts, you honed your Ataru jumps, understood the importance of movement in battle, and the Lirma?" Lorm asked about the mouse. "You figured out how to fight in unconventional situations. You stabbed it in mid-fall, and its meat was tasty. Calm down, student... Haven't you noticed? You've grown stronger living here. You've hardened yourself over this year. Now you're ready."
"And ready for what?" I asked. "I'm almost fourteen years old, a Padawan to a Jedi Knight, but all I do is sit on this planet without a break, swatting at various animals."
"To confront the most terrible animals in our Galaxy. To confront intelligent beings... This training, lasting a year, was necessary so that you could hone what in you responds to battle. And although your character is still far from that strength you've gained, in terms of ability — you are ready to stand beside me, my young student."
"And what about 'promising'?" I asked.
"My young, student, who has partially lived up to my expectations," the teacher corrected himself. "From the very first day until today, you've become better. Although I couldn't understand if you were ready to go out on a journey with me further. Now I understand that you are ready... When you recover, we'll go into space..."
"Mentor," I called to him.
"Well, what?" he asked me.
"Since we're looking for the legacy of Tulak Hord, why not visit the moon Yavin IV? His ghost appeared there during the Second Great Galactic War, right?"
"Yes, I remember, there was a recording that Hord's ghost appeared there. But he appeared for a brief moment, and whether he'll appear for us is a big question. Although Yavin IV — is of great archaeological interest; I found a couple of fragments there from what was once his Holocron."
"And what if we try to use those fragments as an anchor and summon his ghost again?" I asked.
"You're saying the right things, but you don't understand one thing — such techniques are clearly beyond the power of the Jedi. It's not under the jurisdiction of the Light Side of the Force, but rather — the Dark Side, if not the sorcery of the Dathomirian Witches, which also belongs to the Dark Side of the Force. The Dark Side of the Force, my student, is incredibly dangerous. The savage Sith naively believed they could control it. Control emotions to gain power, and many demonstrated 'adequate application of this Force,' but how long did they last? Every single one of the 'adequate Sith Lords' ultimately went mad. Vitiate, Malgus, Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, Exar Kun, and Ulic Qel-Droma. It destroyed their minds. So I am wary of it, and if I see that a Force technique is clearly from the dark side, I either try to understand if there is an analog on our side, or... The fewer intelligent beings who know about it, the better."
"I see... So that's how you used Force Lightning..."
"Emerald Lightning," Lorm corrected me. "No one knows that I've mastered an analog of Force Lightning. I'm already on bad terms with the Council; only Yoda understands some of my reasoning, but three councilors, at the very least, look at me like an enemy of the entire Galaxy: for 'rudeness, disrespect, and careless attitude toward the Force,'" he hissed. "As for your proposal... Hmmm... I know for sure that there is a Sith rite by which they could summon ghosts and use their energy for their own benefit. The point is that in some places I've encountered data about a medallion with which one could, without much intricacy, summon a Force Ghost, if we have a part of Tulak Hord's legacy and the corresponding Sith medallion..."
"But you're contradicting yourself, mentor!"
"Yes, I am," Lorm agreed. "But in that case, we wouldn't have to hire a Dathomirian witch, or perform the dark ritual ourselves, which would guaranteed send both of us to the Dark Side. The medallion is an artifact, nothing more. Artifacts of the Dark Side of the Force — I've used them; moreover, I experimented with some of them, saturating them with the Light Side of the Force. They worked... Some worked," the mentor shook his head. "But finding this medallion will be difficult, since I've only encountered records about it. So get ready, student. You still have much to learn, and at the same time, if we're lucky, we'll get clues from the strongest duelist among the Force-Sensitive in all our history..."
"Yeah," I grunted. "Like I need this..."
"Steel yourself and learn!" the mentor replied only, leaving my cabin...
* * *
The pack... My pack of Rinds had grown over the year, reaching a number of thirteen individuals... Before departure, I ordered them to guard the Spire and made sure the mentor ordered the same from his... But the most important thing — my body. I'd grown a bit taller, bulked up with muscle, but the scars...
My body was simply crisscrossed with scars, various bites... On the front, there was a claw mark running from my chest to my stomach. That was a gift from the Varkh; I lost a lot of blood then. And a mutated Zaris, which was taller than its kin! It tried to tear my throat out. And the most terrible scar — a furrow running the entire length of my right arm, left by the Scaled Dragon. I will return to this planet, I will definitely return and kill that scum! Scars from other animal attacks had a chance to heal. Although, I won't lie, the scar the Varkh left on me — looks stylish. But the scar left on my right arm — will never heal. That's what Lorm told me, showing me the scar on his own back left by a similar dragon. Ugly dragon! Well, fine... Calm, calm, Light. You've been through hell, so it can't get any worse...