The ship exited hyperspace. The planet we were flying to this time once belonged to the Eternal Empire of Zakuul. That Empire in the Unknown Regions was founded by one of the greatest Sith in the history of the Force-Sensitive. It was there that the mentor suspected the medallion was located. Vitiate, who wanted to drink all life in the Galaxy, could not have ignored Force Ghosts. The Sith Medallion, an artifact that aids in their summoning. The fact is that the Sith ritual that summons them is very energy-intensive and tedious. You not only need to summon a Force Ghost, but also harness its energy. Which is not at all easy... And that's exactly why such an artifact was created. We were interested in it for obtaining information from the Ghost of Tulak Hord...
"What's out there?" the mentor asked, entering the cockpit. He looked rested, clearly well-slept and showered.
"We've exited hyperspace. But still, where are we flying?" I asked the teacher. "To Zakuul?"
"Zakuul? Oh no, we're not poking our noses in there yet," the man shook his head. "The information about the artifact that interested the Emperor said that one of his subordinates took it in his time. He supposedly wanted to use it to empower himself and overthrow the Emperor."
"Vitiate?" I asked skeptically. "Try to overthrow Vitiate?"
"Sith," the mentor replied laconically. "The self-preservation instinct is switched off from the start of training in almost every single one. He didn't succeed. Apparently, he botched the summoning ritual. Who he was trying to summon, I don't know. On the planet where the medallion was originally located, I was only able to get information about its presumed new location."
"And where was it originally located? Just out of curiosity."
"Lehon," the mentor answered briefly, making me almost choke.
"Rakata Prime?"
"Rakata," the mentor grinned crookedly. "An ancient race of Force-Sensitives who developed an incredible inclination for knowing the Dark Side of the Force. Those who once built the Star Forge. During the time of Revan and a few decades after his existence — it was literally paradise for Sith of all stripes. Various artifacts, knowledge. Alas, now only the climate is attractive. I've only found mentions of many things, and everything else has been carted away."
"Great, the more I learn, the less I like this self-imposed task of ours. A medallion made by the Rakata, stolen by a subordinate of Emperor Vitiate, who tried to perform a ritual and summon Force Ghosts to gain power comparable to the 'Dragon of Zakuul'" [Note: Zildrog — an ancient sentient superweapon created on Iokath back in the Manderon period (an era of the Galactic Republic that lasted from 7000 BBY to 5000 BBY). It had two forms: a giant supercomputer with three heads that could change colors when changing facial expressions, and a frigate called the 'Gravestone.' [Ability: draining and transferring the energy of living beings, leading to mass extinction.]
"Chin up, student!" the mentor chuckled. "You and I are not extras in some space combat simulator on starfighters. We are strong, aren't we?"
"Uh-huh," I nodded gloomily, the Imperial March stylized as a funeral march constantly playing in my thoughts.
"Calm your thoughts, student. I don't like what's coming through the Force Bond... Hey, wait. Should a scanner show that?" he asked me.
I turned my attention to the scanners. What the hell? Two ships were flying behind my ship, quickly closing in on us.
"Those are Z-95s [Manufacturer: Incom Corporation [Creator: Seti Ashgad (Human, designer from the Hyperdrive Development Department, later Senator of the Galactic Republic from Freesia). [Characteristics: length — 12 m, speed — 85 megalight, atmospheric speed — 1150 km/h, hyperdrive — class 2/3, armament (modifiable) — 2 laser cannons, 2 launch tubes, crew — 1.," I brought up information about the approaching fighters. "What are they doing?"
"They're going in for an attack!" Lorm exclaimed. And indeed, two products of the Incom Corporation took us in a pincer and attacked with turbolaser fire.
"Shields to combat mode," I immediately rushed to turn them on.
My ship had two types of defense. The first — passive, when the shields work at low power. It's designed to hold back the first attack. The second — active, directly for combat. The energy blasts didn't damage my ship's hull, because the shields first absorbed the impact, and then switched to an active, combat state. The shield generator here was 'the most up-to-date.' Father spared no expense and used the latest innovations not only for BB-7...
The fighters flew quickly past the cockpit and were clearly about to turn around for a second pass. Negotiations? Screw that! They attacked us, so we'll destroy them. Activating the weapon system, I opened fire. The turbolasers were located on both sides of my ship, on the wings. Several green flashes pierced the darkness of space, destroying one fighter and damaging the second. Firing along the ship's course is a very convenient thing. I didn't need gunners on board; all systems were slaved to fire forward... And if I needed to shoot backward, there were aft cannons that BB-7 could take control of... Too bad we didn't have time to do that just now. But it doesn't matter... I squeezed the trigger... The second salvo turned the last fighter into atoms...
"Phew," I slumped into the pilot's seat. "That was a bit unexpected. However... Bold people we encountered; they wanted to destroy us. Clearly destroy us," I shifted my gaze to the mentor.
"Yes," Lorm sighed, sitting down in the seat next to me. "They came specifically for us. I recognized the symbol on the wings of the fighters. The 'Crimson Kraken' syndicate..."
"You had time to see the wings?" I asked the mentor. "And what did we do to piss them off so much? And how did they know we were here?"
"It's very simple. The Crimson Kraken is a criminal syndicate that deals in drugs, slaves, and quietly sells Artifacts of the Force-Sensitive to private collectors. This is their territory; somewhere around here should be their relay station, which scans space. In my time, I crossed paths with them and... decomposed some of their guys into organs, and then deflowered the daughter of the Syndicate head on one of the planets," the man smiled slightly... The mentor, always the mentor. "Such a hot blonde... Mmmm... But I digress. In short, they've had it in for me for about three years now. And as for knowing... they didn't recognize me; they just wanted to destroy a ship that trespassed on their territory. This is a restricted zone."
"But the law doesn't apply to us," I said.
"Right," the mentor nodded. "You're catching on. However, they wouldn't agree with that statement. We destroyed their standard patrol; now we'll definitely have no end of trouble..."
"And why couldn't you have mentioned this earlier?" I asked the mentor. "Or am I supposed to consider this another training exercise again?"
"Well, fifty-fifty. I figure: if you know everything in advance — it's boring. So I... Forgot. But don't worry. I've already passed through Drism — that's what this little planet is called," he nodded at the globe of the planet. "Temperate climate, three continents. The residence of the Sith we need is located on one of the islands."
"Just tell me which one," I asked, discovering about a thousand different islands in the planet's ocean.
"The one closer to the central continent," he pointed his finger at the map, "here. Fly to it."
"And what were you doing here?" I asked. "Since you were here, why didn't you take the medallion?"
"Well... I had to evacuate the planet urgently last time," the Zabrak scratched the back of his head guiltily. "Alas and alack. About five hundred Kraken bandits don't exactly make for archaeological research. And the presence among them of a couple of Mandalorians, albeit worthless because they rejected their way, but by no means untrained, didn't allow for their quick elimination. Therefore, I had to 'pull claws.' But now everything is fine."
"Uh-huh. The base of the Crimson Kraken sends two fighters to intercept us, which get destroyed... What will they do next?" I asked.
"They'll send a stronger squadron to look for the insolent ones. But they didn't account for one fact. The Sith's residence is shielded from radars and scanners. And by a stroke of luck, I changed the password for access to the landing pad."
"It all sounds great, mentor, except for one thing..."
"And what's that?" asked Lorm Decer.
"The fact that you escaped from the planet, and they stayed, right?" The mentor nodded. "And that means they could have left planetary defense systems here."
"What makes you think there's a planetary defense system here?" the mentor asked me.
"The fact that, if my scanner is to be believed, and I'm inclined to believe a military-grade scanner — a planetary defense cannon is locking onto us!" I hissed, jerking the control yoke to the left, dodging a shot. It fires rarely, but if it hits, no shields will save us!
"Hutt's eggs!" Lorm exclaimed. "They've got nerve! I ordered them not to touch anything!"
"Do you think they'd have listened?" I asked my mentor, dodging another shot. My ship was small and maneuverable, plus I had Jedi reflexes, and their shots were few and far between.
"You won't be able to dodge forever! We need to land somewhere!" Lorm exclaimed.
"Oh, really?" I replied with maximum skepticism.
"Yes! I didn't waste all this time just to cut and run again!"
"I got it!" I turned the ship and began descending. The forest around the residence gradually thinned until we emerged over a rocky beach. Cliffs separated it from the rest of the island.
"Set down here," my mentor ordered, pointing at the golden sand where waves were rolling in, and I landed the ship near the water.
The ramp lowered, and we slipped out of the ship with lightsabers in hand. We were ready for anything... The sound of the surf reached us. A light breeze rustled our clothes slightly. The smell was fairly fresh, oceanic.
"BV-7, guard the ship," I ordered. "Put it on maximum alert and engage the cloaking mode."
"Couldn't you have done that earlier?" my mentor asked, watching the ship "almost vanish from perception." It wasn't completely covered in stygium. For cloaking, it used something called a "stygian projection field." The ship used crystals that spread a field around it, rendering it invisible.
"And would someone have told me earlier that we were flying to Wild Space, to a planet that was once part of the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, belonging to one of the most brutal Sith Emperors in history? To a planet in a sector under the jurisdiction of a gang of bandits, pirates, killers, and smugglers?" I asked my teacher acidly.
"Fine, fine, I get it. My bad," Lorm Decer admitted. "BV-7, protect the ship."
"Shut up, you horned beast, I only follow my master's orders," the droid beeped, closing the ramp, which made the ship completely invisible.
"Cheeky donut..."
"Just don't get any ideas about eating him, Mentor. I like that droid."
"You're a pervert," my mentor stated. "Better find yourself a girl... Anyway, my young apprentice. Today we're starting a new lesson."
"I hope it's not the lesson 'Find the Crime Syndicate Leader's Daughter and Deflower Her'?" I asked him.
"He only had one daughter of marriageable age... Three years ago. Though her younger sister is seventeen now. If you want, I'll hold her down for you..."
"No thanks! It's bad enough they're hunting you — I don't want to be wanted by a criminal Syndicate either!"
"A shame, the daughters are beautiful... Oh well. Less skepticism toward your mentor, young apprentice! Today your lesson will be in confronting the most brutal, most terrifying living inhabitants of our Galaxy... Sentient beings. What sentients are capable of in battle — no creature, however savage, can match."
"You've been to Lehon. Surely a couple of rancors gave you trouble?"
"I'll tell you more — I've been to Dathomir too. And some crazy witch, Talzin I think her name was, sicced three on me at once..."
"Don't tell me you tried to get her into bed too?" I couldn't help joking.
"Of course not, she's as ugly as a human woman who hasn't washed in a month, going through her period and quitting smoking!" Lorm swore. "I was young, stupid, and naive. My first research was about the vanished Zeffo race. And there happened to be a temple of theirs on Dathomir. I tried to get in... But then I realized the Zeffo weren't all that advanced," yeah, in one game the whole plot revolved around them. Though all their artifacts were just puzzles in tombs and keys that opened the door to a vault where some Master hid a holocron with the names of Gifted children in the Galaxy. The Jedi had several such Holocrons. "Anyway, that's not important now. Something else is. My lesson. There are a lot of bandits and bad sentients on this island. So... Remember the most important phrase! Murder is the least effective way to achieve any goal. Let's go kill them."
"That's not a phrase, it's a contradiction," I noted. "Don't you think? And what's the point of the lesson?" We'd reached a huge cliff we'd have to climb. A big cliff, composed of gray stone.
"It's simple. Murder itself — can not only solve a problem but create a new one. Someone might come to avenge the dead. The dead sentient, even the most insignificant and worthless, could have changed history in a completely unexpected way if they'd survived. But we'll kill him, kill him for our own selfish purposes. That's why I always say murder is the least effective method of achieving a goal."
"And yet you've threatened death to several sentients," I observed.
"That was aggressive negotiation tactics! And anyway — don't ruin my chance to say dramatic little phrases!" Using grapple hooks — I had one on my vambrace, my mentor just pulled his from his belt — we climbed up... "So then..."
We headed toward the forest. Enormous trees would have blocked any sentient's view, but not ours. Two Jedi could clearly sense twenty sentients who obviously wanted to put some unplanned holes in us.
"Are we supposed to wait until you breed kids?" Lorm asked sharply. "Or have you decided to surrender?"
"As if!" a male voice rang out from above.
I looked up. On a fairly large, thick branch of an ancient tree, covered in moss on seemingly every side, stood a man in distinctive armor and helmet. A Mandalorian...
"Well, well, look who's blown in," the Mandalorian said. "Lorm Decer himself. Jedi Knight, who so rashly wandered onto our territory a couple of years ago. Came back for round two? And you brought a pup," he glanced at me — I'd say more, but I can't, since I can't see his eyes behind the helmet.
"Hars Licht," Lorm smiled. "Long time no see."
"And you won't see me again, you bantha poodoo," the man said. "You bastard, you had the nerve to come back here after everything you did?!"
"Mentor, are we going to chat with him long?" I asked Lorm.
"Until we're done chatting," Lorm replied, barely moving his lips. "What do you think we're doing? This is an important pre-battle ritual — trading dramatic lines. Absorb it and understand."
"The kid's right," the Mandalorian noted. "I'm tired of talking. Kill them! But torture them first!"
And how did he imagine that working? Bandits, no matter how much they trained, simply didn't have any chance against us. Two lightsabers ignited instantly. I assumed Soresu stance. Better not to take risks with sentients. With animals, you could play around with Ataru, but against multiple opponents — it was better to methodically close in, defending with Soresu, which is what I did, deflecting the hail of blaster fire that flew our way. I deflected randomly — for the elements of the fifth form, Shien, where you can deflect a shot precisely back at the shooter, Lorm had promised to teach me, but only after I mastered Ataru, because he was afraid of interfering with my current progress in learning a second fencing style. Lorm, on the other hand, was demonstrating Shien... A dull thud rang out as a blaster bolt hit a sentient's body and threw him down from the tree branch... Suddenly my mentor lunged toward the nearest living opponent. Closing in, he dismembered him, then pulled in his comrade and repeated the procedure.
"Well, apprentice? What are you standing there for? Waiting for their power packs to run out?" my mentor asked. "If you're afraid to expose yourself using Ataru," he eliminated three opponents at once, "then pull them in with telekinesis and kill them in close combat."
Kill... Just like that... Someone might say, in the heat of battle. But I was Gifted and could feel a sentient's death perfectly... Which, by the way, hits you right in the brain. My teacher had, of course, told me the basics of a technique that allowed you to detach from the pounding sensation of death. But basics and practice were two different things... No... Stop! What was I thinking! The path I'd chosen — you couldn't walk it without getting your hands dirty. In my first life, I'd thought of intentional murder as savagery. This was a completely different world... So, picking a target, I pulled him toward me and pierced the man through the heart with a precise Shiak... For a few seconds, I watched his eyes glaze over; with a sweep of my hand, I threw him away from me and resumed Soresu stance, deflecting several shots. Yeah... No time for reflection. The fight was what mattered. These people might have goals, ambitions, dreams too. But my goals were far more global than an ordinary bandit's... Using the Force, I leaped high, deflecting shots right in the air. Landing right in front of a man, I cut off his head, deflecting two shots at once — one of them luckily ricocheted straight into a mercenary.
Pulling another one in with the Force, I pierced him with a Shiak again... Our opponents' ranks were thinning rapidly. I'd accounted for seven sentients, and my mentor himself was now deflecting shots at some insane pace from three bandits wearing Mandalorian armor, including shots from his old acquaintance. They were shooting from pretty ordinary blasters, but they used cover intelligently, periodically changing positions, so my mentor couldn't reach them... I needed to help him. Raising my left arm, I fired my grapple hook. Against pulling with the Force, a Mandalorian might try to escape with a jetpack, and he could also open fire on me in the process — it wasn't certain I could pull off this plan without taking a shot to the gut. The cable pulled my body, which I'd reinforced with the Force. The Mandalorian — the one shooting at my mentor was a woman — stood with her back to me and only sensed me at the last moment. She turned... I prayed to all the Gods and the Force that her armor wasn't made of beskar. If it was, my plan wouldn't work. But in the end... Where would a backwater Mandalorian bandit get beskar armor? I delivered a powerful slashing blow to her stomach... The lightsaber blade cut the woman in two.
"Iza!" the second Mandalorian exclaimed, seeing the woman die.
"Distractions are deadly," my mentor, seizing the moment, quickly closed with the mercenary and cut off his head.
Besides Hars, the squad leader, four ordinary sentients remained, who in the last moments preferred to watch rather than try to kill us.
"How naive to think this gutter trash could handle us," my mentor adjusted his cloak. "We haven't even broken a sweat, and we've already destroyed most of your squad, Hars."
"You think that'll stop me, Decer? You bantha poodoo — after everything you did to my niece, you're not leaving here alive! I don't care if the pup runs, but you're dying today!"
"How sweet," my mentor grinned. "I just showed your niece what awaits her in adult life. And she wasn't exactly against it."
"Disgusting xeno, horned beast," Hars cursed. "I'll kill you at any cost."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Hars, but you can't do that."
Yeah, my mentor, as always, exceeded my expectations. He'd run afoul of a criminal Syndicate led by renegade Mando. Dishonored the Syndicate leader's daughter... Killed a bunch of people. Gathered intelligence, though too little, and didn't get the Sith artifact... But he just took off and left. They'd need to build a monument to him somewhere... He wasn't a Jedi, he was god knows what. Goes where he wants, fucks who he wants, kills left and right... Doesn't care about the Council or anything at all... "Gathering knowledge for the Order's power.".. Yeah, right.
"RAAAAARGH!" a roar suddenly came from the east... We'd come from the south. But what was there in the east? I saw some strange structures.
"Mentor?" I asked Lorm. "What's that?"
"That's..."
And suddenly one of the centuries-old, monumental trees was ripped from its roots and hurled at the tree I was standing on, next to the dead Mandalorian woman. I jumped down, dodging the trunk of the massive tree, and saw who had done it.
"What the hell is that?" I couldn't help myself, shifting to a shout.
Before us stood a monster with a stone face. At least, that's how I pictured it. A stone face, covered in some kind of markings. Looking closer, I recognized ancient Sith writing. My mentor had given me an "archaeological crash course" between raids into the jungle. The monster's body was covered in fur, which reminded me of a mammoth. Its paws had claws as sharp as razors...
RAAAAARGH!" the monster lunged forward, straight at me. Why me?
I leaped into the air, swinging my lightsaber, and when its face was right in front of me, I brought the blade down hard... The blade sparked against its ugly mask, leaving a gouge, but didn't wound it... What the hell! Impossible! Landing on its mask, I didn't wait for the monster's momentum to throw me off. Using the Force, I jumped down, landing next to my mentor.
"That's a gornum," Hars announced. He'd taken off using his jetpack's thrust. "The local ruler created it using your Force. It'll bury you, Jedi."
Hell, a product of Sith alchemy. Dangerous stuff.
"Mentor?!" I turned to Lorm.
"There was a mention in the records, but I thought it was dead — more likely it went into hibernation, and these idiots woke it up... But it can withstand a lightsaber strike. Don't worry, apprentice, I'm a master of improvisational tactics, so we'll..."
"Mentor, do you have a plan?!" I asked, watching the gornum turn its face toward us.
"I'm thinking... Thinking... We need to... RUN!" he exclaimed, deactivating his lightsaber, and took off. The mercenaries and Hars decided to bolt too.
"And that's your plan?" I asked, catching up to my mentor.
"Don't be a smartass, focus on running!" Naturally, I needed to focus! This thing was incredibly fast for its size. "Retreat is part of tactics too!"
"I just don't understand why, with you, I always run into some horrible creatures that are always, dammit, resistant either to the Force or to lightsabers!"
"This is the Way," my mentor shouted.
"What?"
"This is OUR Way," he corrected. "Once you become a Knight, you can make the plans. You could even set up in a brothel."
"Don't lump me in with you!" We jumped onto the trees, leaping along big branches. The gornum let out another roar; the clearing was left behind as this thing trampled everything. A scream of terror rang out... Some bandit couldn't keep up the pace and was killed. "And anyway, how am I supposed to become a Knight if I keep getting into trouble?!"
"At the very least, you'll become the Knight of Getting into Trouble," Lorm replied, shoving me aside.
"Very funny..." I jumped down, letting the gornum's bulk pass over me... It leaped over me and turned around... The enormous, ten-meter creature stared at me, baring its teeth furiously... Many rows of razor-sharp teeth. Suddenly the creature was swept aside — Lorm had put everything into a telekinesis push, putting his "whole soul" into it. It didn't do any damage to the product of a mad genius's creation, though — just enraged it. So we decided to flee again. "Oh, right!" I remembered. "I've got my vambrace with a grapple hook — I could get away from it fast!"
"Bastard, only thinking about yourself! You want me to end up as this thing's lunch?! Selfish! All men are the same..."
We stopped to catch our breath. Hars had vanished without a trace, and his comrades had already managed to die.
"Maybe call BV-7?" I asked, catching my breath while standing on a thick tree branch. "The ship's guns could definitely punch through its hide." It was thick and resistant to a lightsaber not just on the front. Lorm had personally checked, throwing his saber with telekinesis.
"I have a better idea," Lorm nodded northward.
I looked and saw a pyramid. A classic pyramid, clearly resembling a Sith pyramid, built of yellow stone. It was surrounded by a powerful wall, on which I could clearly see fortifications and even artillery. But the biggest thing — a massive PDC that had been shooting at us. It stood behind the wall, but even so, I could see its enormous barrel pointing at the sky...
"They haven't spotted us yet," my mentor grabbed me and dove with me into a bush. "Look — the wall's pretty sturdy, there are a lot of enemies in the pyramid. We'll lure the gornum onto it, it'll distract them, and while there's chaos, we'll sneak into the place we need."
"I like your idea, Mentor. For the first time in all my training with you." As a line from a cult game series said, "hide in plain sight."
We could slip unnoticed into their hideout. And the gornum didn't let us down. With a wild roar, it burst from the forest onto the huge plain surrounding the residence. My mentor and I pointed both hands at it and blasted it with telekinesis as hard as we could. The creature flew toward the wall and... They panicked, opening fire on it. Couldn't have asked for better. The gornum successfully forgot about the Force that had sent it flying and, with another roar, charged at the wall, smashing through it easily. They didn't have time to raise a shield... My mentor and I, using Force enhancement, came around from the other side and climbed the wall. Finally, I saw the residence's inner courtyard... Bandits were frantically scurrying toward the breach where the gornum had broken in. The area around was a neglected garden.
"There it is," Lorm pointed at the open windows. "That's how we'll get inside."
Taking advantage of the man-made chaos courtesy of the gornum wasn't hard. Jedi focused on stealthy entry, plus sentients who weren't really paying attention to us. In the end, we got inside relatively quickly and immediately headed for the central hall, which, by all logic, should house either the artifact storage or the base leader, who could be interrogated. The residence's decor was rich — various statues stood everywhere, strange paintings hung on the walls. All of this contrasted sharply with the wires lying along the sides of the corridors.
We walked through the corridors until we hit a closed door.
"What now?" I asked my mentor. "Break through by force?"
The door was steel, modern — which slightly broke the ancient ambiance.
"No," Decer shook his head. "Listen! They're talking about a medallion. Something important? Someone's still looking for it, maybe Jedi Shadows will be needed, since a Gifted is searching for it."
Now that was serious. Any Gifted, with proper training, could cause problems. But they didn't know about us — we'd used Force concealment to the max, hiding ourselves as much as possible. If we'd used it earlier, we could have slipped past the ambush squad. But Lorm hadn't seen the need then — said we'd just chop up the bandits and have fewer problems. But now...
"I'd like to find out more," my mentor said, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"We'll find out — look," I pointed at a grate. Among the yellow stone the residence was built from, a steel ventilation grate stood out.
"Good job," my mentor smiled.
Getting up there wasn't hard. I carefully removed it with telekinesis, and Lorm jumped in. Then I, still holding it with telekinesis without even aiming my hand, jumped into the ventilation shaft myself, putting the grate back. Lucky for us, they'd skimped on the equipment and it was removable. Walking through the fairly cramped ventilation duct, we listened to the conversation happening in the very center of the residence.
."..I don't care about your circumstances," a woman's voice came through. "You promised to deliver the medallion to me. And now you're telling me your courier stole it."
We approached another grate that opened a view into the room. It was impressive — more like a throne room than a regular room. In the center stood a chair resembling a throne. And the hall was filled with tables covered in numerous artifacts. Lorm practically caught his breath. Not all of them were artifacts of the Force, but some had a strong aura. I even glimpsed a couple of lightsabers, destroyed Holocrons, and ritual daggers lying around.
"Do you understand that my employer might be VERY DISPLEASED?" said a pale-skinned, bald woman dressed in crimson robes that clung tightly to her athletic figure. On her belt were two daggers. And the Force emanating from her — it practically radiated power. She wasn't even hiding it...
"That's..." Lorm sighed.
"Do you know that witch?" I asked my mentor in a whisper. "I don't like her." A strange vision flashed in my mind — a girl falling to the ground and a woman's awful laughter with a triumphant cry.
"A witch? No, I've never seen her before in my life," my mentor replied. "I meant someone else. Look."
I looked at who he was pointing at. Near the bandit talking to the Witch stood a formidable warrior in gleaming Mandalorian armor... Made of beskar! He was tall, about two meters.
"Teyron Jarps," my mentor identified the man for me. "That's big trouble — he's a legend of the Outer Rim, even heard of in the Core Worlds. A dangerous individual. Once, our people sent two Knights to put him down. No one ever heard from those Knights again, and he's alive and kicking. He's practically called the hope for Mandalore's revival, since rumors attribute about five Jedi kills to him, give or take."
The man stood in an imposing Mandalorian suit. On his belt hung a couple of powerful blasters and... even projectile weapons! I easily recognized an ordinary pistol. Plus a blaster rifle, a jetpack on his back, and even a beskar spear, similar to the one Din Djarin had gotten, and vambraces with rockets! He wasn't Gifted, but even so, I could feel his power. It wasn't the sensation of a Gifted's training level — it was a feeling I'd developed fighting predators. The feeling of a strong enemy, even one who wasn't Gifted. A beast, a predator...
"Is he with the Crimson Kraken?" I asked, watching the Mandalorian warily.
"If only. The Crimson Kraken is a Syndicate with a strict hierarchy, founded by renegade Mando. Everyone in the Crimson Kraken has the corresponding patch over their heart — he doesn't. He's probably here with the Witch."
"With all due respect, Lady Shilajj," the base leader stammered, "I can't do anything. Joyran has vanished without a trace. We honestly sent him to you on Eriadu with the medallion. But he stole it."
"Then you need to vet your personnel better!" the Witch snarled. "If my boss gets angry — you'll be in trouble."
"Me? In trouble?" the base leader asked her. "I don't care who your boss is, but if you threaten the Crimson Kraken..."
"Is the Crimson Kraken ready for what my boss can do to them?" the woman asked smugly. "One word from him, and a squad of Jedi will show up and destroy you all."
"Oh, so Dathomirian Witches work for the Jedi now?" the man asked.
"No, my master is far more dangerous than any Jedi you could possibly know, if only because at his word, Jedi will arrive faster than they'd decide to fly here themselves! So..."
"Lady Shillaj," the leader cut her off. "Let's handle this like sentients! I'll give you your money back — answering to the Leader is nothing. The Crimson Kraken values its reputation. A fair exchange... I'll also give you information about Joyran. And you — help us with the gornum and the two Jedi who showed up recently."
"Jedi?" Teyron Jarps spoke up.
"Master and apprentice," the base leader explained, adjusting his red hair. "An old acquaintance: Lorm Decer, Jedi Archaeologist," a dull rumble sounded; apparently the gornum was still rampaging — "and his Sephi apprentice," damn it. Our holo-photo had come up. When did they even get it?
"Why do you assume the gornum didn't kill them?" Teyron asked. He hadn't taken off his helmet.
"I know Decer. That rat would survive even the epicenter of a Base Delta Zero..."
"Rat," Decer bristled slightly. "And I spared him."
"Fine. I can't promise anything about the Jedi. But I suspect the gornum is the biggest problem right now," the building shook again.
"Boss!" one of the bandits ran in. "The gornum is battering the building! We've tried everything! Even the PDC didn't take it down. It managed to destroy it!"
"Hutt!" the man cursed. "Anyway, you've heard the problem..."
"Of course." The woman turned and headed for the exit. Teyron moved like a shadow behind her.
"Let's go," Lorm said abruptly.
"Interrogate your acquaintance?" I asked my mentor.
"No," Lorm shook his head. "Don't expose ourselves. Better to wait until they deal with the gornum and eavesdrop. Trust me — Teyron, a Witch, plus some number of trained Mando — that's not something you should be facing."
* * *
Part of the base looked devastated. Scattered bodies... At least a hundred, maybe two hundred corpses! Gutted equipment... This gornum was a real monster! And... it lost to the Witch quickly. She aimed her hand at a group of survivors, and something like a green stream flowed from them toward Shilajj. Raising both hands sharply, she aimed at the gornum, reciting a strange incantation. The very earth split open; the gornum began to be swallowed by the ground, layers of soil piling higher and higher until the ten-meter creature was finally buried.
"Won't it get out?" the base leader asked warily.
"It will die within five minutes," Lady Shilajj replied. "Earth is already entering its respiratory tract. An aerobic creature can't survive that. And now," we were sitting in the bushes, unnoticed by the enemy — "we'll talk about Joyran. Tell me everything you know about him!"
"But what about the Jedi?" the base leader asked sharply.
"Are you sure the Jedi can cause you trouble right now?" Teyron asked, aiming his pistol at the Crimson Kraken officer. "I could kill you all right now."
"Hars!" the officer exclaimed. "Kill them!" so this Hars Licht had survived the Gornum attack after all…
"Find some other fools, boss," Hars shook his head. "This is Teyron Jarps. Whoever he's working for, I don't want to cross him!"
"A wise choice. You'll live a long life," the witch's voice came. "So, my dear, handsome Dorlan," she addressed the Kraken officer. "Either you carry out your part of the deal, or the Gornum will seem like the lesser problem — as will the Jedi, who have most likely already left the planet, or died under its claws…"
"Chandrila!" one of Dorlan's subordinates exclaimed. "He's from Chandrila! He would have gone there for sure. His sister lives there!"
"Excellent," the woman smiled, closing the distance in an instant and kissing Dorlan. Right before their eyes, he transformed from a fairly young, red-haired man into a gray-haired old man.
"Wh-why?!" he asked, coughing, as the woman, licking her lips, moved toward the man who had answered her.
"I don't like it when people try to deceive me," the Witch said with an insolent smile. Approaching the man, she kissed him too. "That's twenty years," she said. "Be glad you're so lucky."
"YOU FUCKING WHORE!" Dorlan screamed. "I'LL—"
He didn't get to finish. Teyron shot him in the head.
"We have nothing left to do here," Lorm said. "Let's fly to Chandrila."
We waited about twenty more minutes until the bandits had more or less dragged their friends' bodies elsewhere, then calmly walked through the forest and returned to the ship. I crashed into my cabin's bed after setting course for Chandrila and immediately fell asleep. The Crimson Kraken did send a couple of ships toward the planet — even one Consular-class cruiser and a bunch of fighters — but we simply slipped past them using the cloaking device, which we had to deactivate just before the hyperjump. They didn't even manage to get a word out before we vanished into hyperspace, heading for Chandrila.