Even in regions relatively close to the Galaxy's Core, there are places that are poorly explored. Otherwise the Jedi would have long since driven all smugglers and pirates out of the Galaxy. Imagine, then, that along the Perlemian Trade Route, along one of the main hyperlanes — there is a center for redistribution of slaves. What did we find out more precisely? The Tyrann System, containing a planet of the same name, through which the Perlemian Trade Route passes. The system has several planets, including some unexplored and even uncolonized. More precisely — long ago, the planet that serves as a transshipment point for these slave traders — was colonized as a resource base. But then all resources were exhausted, the atmosphere was killed, so there was no reason for the planet to remain inhabited. The economy quickly collapsed, war broke out and the System's government decided: if there are no resources there anymore and the atmosphere is fouled, then why do we need these problems? In the end — the population was evacuated as best they could, they dismantled what they could, and what they couldn't — they just left behind. A terribly irrational action. Eventually pirates squatted there, though officially it's a transshipment point for the cargo-hauling "Zerta Transport Company." Only the cargo there is of a very different kind. Without thinking long — for my mentor, that word is sometimes an insult — we decided to show up on that planet, find Mila Karnur, and also clean the atmosphere of Galactic Trash. The only problem could be that the Zerta Company is a respectable enterprise that pays taxes.
And it was a problem, even for a Jedi, to conduct an official investigation against a company that had a transshipment point in the Tyrann System but was registered on Chandrila and, apparently, was covered by the Senator from Chandrila, Virp Leid. Another master of life, judging by the information I found. A typical deputy from a certain infamous party in the parliament of a certain infamous country. Arrogant, entitled, selfish, a great lover of women. My father would earn less in his entire life than the cost of one of his parties, which he throws with enviable regularity in elite apartments on Coruscant... And it would seem — there's the life of a Senator. Shand Mothma, the ruler of Chandrila, is obliged to strip him of such status. But the problem turned out to be democratic elections. Virp won by all the rules and must be Senator. The ruler of Chandrila merely confirms the candidate who officially won the election.
There you have the downside of democracy. Such types can slip through and govern quite officially. Do the Imperial ambitions of the Sith seem more reasonable? Not always... A class society also has its drawbacks. For the Sith, a class society is built on power. Meaning — whoever is stronger. At least that's how it almost always was. So it's not shameful for them to challenge the ruler, kill him and become ruler yourself. But what if that ruler, though lacking enough charisma and strength to teach a barbarian good manners, possessed some semblance of strategic and tactical thinking and political instinct? Ruled wisely, as much as possible for a Sith. And then he dies in a duel at the hands of not the smartest... Being. Right of might? Correct, but will it benefit the state entity? That's debatable...
In general — these political musings ate up my already scarce free time. Lorm Decer was teaching me, as always, everything, like a man possessed, forcing me to study Force Techniques... He also taught me Jedi history — he was impeccably well-versed as a historian — and Sith history. Aspirations, ambitions, dreams... Through the examples of various heroes of the Galaxy, I learned how the Celestial River treats them. Whom it loves, whom it honors, and whom it hates.
We arrived in the Tyrann System, celebrating my fifteenth birthday right in flight. The course to the planet was known to us, so without notifying the government of our purpose, without even contacting the spaceport — we headed to the outskirts of the system toward that very planet. It was called Kes and was located farthest from the planet Tyrann itself, the System's capital... Didn't anyone find it suspicious that a trading company placed its base far from the System's Capital? Well — maybe they did, but not necessarily those who had suspicions could share them.
"What's that signal?" my mentor asked in the cockpit.
"Evidence of energy activity nearby, in the planet's asteroid field."
Indeed, the gray ball of Kes was surrounded by asteroids of various sizes. But they weren't what interested us.
"Energy?" I asked, activating the scanners in a more active mode. "It's the Zerta Company station. Hutts! They're launching fighters!"
"The scan gave us away," Lorm hissed. "We should have activated stealth mode and slipped onto the planet, ignoring the radar signal, Light! After everything that's about to start, I'll have to have a serious talk with you!"
"I'm sorry, mentor," had I been too deep in thought and gotten distracted? Strange visions, political reflections. "But won't they just ask us to leave?" I asked. "After all, we only violated their borders, but they could politely ask us to leave."
"I wouldn't be so naive. It's simpler to just destroy us. Even if the Order tries to investigate the circumstances — they'll simply be told that we violated corporate ethics and tried to enter their territory without permission!"
And indeed, they launched three "Headhunters." As Lorm predicted, they didn't bother communicating with us, even though we sent them a signal. The fighters immediately opened fire on us. Asteroids and the forward shield in combat mode hindered them from hitting us.
"Fighters!" the mentor exclaimed.
"I see! Hold on," I began to increase speed, relying on my Force-sensitivity. Unlike the Zerta Company pilots, I wasn't going to shoot at random, so I quickly closed the distance and, activating the ship's weapons, blasted one of the opponents at nearly point-blank range. The other two flew past my ship, preparing to bank and attack the engines. Wait a minute... The station was also opening fire? Plus the fighters attacking from the rear...
"If you don't do something — we're done for!" the mentor exclaimed.
I pulled on the yoke again and began weaving between the asteroids.
"BB-7, activate the rear cannons!" I ordered the droid. He obediently beeped agreement and, connecting to the ship's systems, began firing back at the fighters. Their fire became less frequent, but the station remained, pouring fire onto our shield and threatening to breach it. "We need to take out their shield generator," I said, finding the corresponding superstructure. Without it, they wouldn't survive in the asteroid field... Plus I planned to drop something on them. Target acquired, I gained altitude and sent the ship into a steep dive. The station didn't expect that and couldn't even target my ship in time. What followed was a matter of technique. The missile shot was almost point-blank; the shield superstructure was destroyed. I flew directly over the superstructure mangled by the rocket explosion, and a little gift for the slave traders dropped from the rear compartment...
"A seismic charge?" Lorm asked.
The wave engulfed the asteroid field, forcing the asteroids into chaotic motion. Some of them were already making the station — resembling a mushroom with antennas — burn. One of our opponents was unlucky and flew directly into the charge wave; his fighter was cut in half. The deaths of the station's personnel were felt in the Force... But the second fighter — emerged with us from the asteroid field, but... According to the scanners, his engine was damaged, and as a result he activated afterburners...
"What the..." we barely managed to exclaim with my mentor before this bastard, easily, at a tangent, clipped our engines with his wing...
"Malfunction in the engine system," BB-7 reported. "Power supply disrupted, engine power at forty percent of required. The landing brake block integrity is compromised."
"Forty?" the mentor asked. His face expressed horror. "The landing block?"
Meanwhile the ship lurched, and I felt us begin to accelerate as the planet started to approach.
"We've entered the planet's gravitational zone!" I exclaimed. "Hutt and his three wives! At this power we won't be able to land normally! And without the control block — the engines won't compensate for the planet's gravity in time, and in that case we'll crash! BB-7 — deactivate all weapon systems, otherwise there's a risk of explosion!"
"We'll evacuate... It's just a ship."
"No," I shook my head. "We can still try to land normally if we make the ship enter at a proper angle relative to the ground."
"And if you can't do that?" the master asked. "It will pick up speed, right? And the accumulated acceleration will make everything happen so that we enter at ninety degrees. That's certain death! Are you sure you can land?"
I listened to the Force, closing my eyes. The planet began to pull us toward it... The ship flies through the atmosphere, I pull the yoke toward me... Barely helps. The engines can't compensate for the load on the ship right now. BB-7 won't be able to repair them in time... But evacuating isn't an option... What to do... Could I really die? Or lose a ship like this? No, that can't happen... A trickle of blood ran from my nose to my lips.
"Light?" Lorm touched my shoulder. "What? What are you trying to do! Are you insane?!"
"There is no weight, only the Force... There is no weight, only the Force... There is no weight, only the Force..."
"The ship is leveling out," came from the droid, but I didn't allow myself to be distracted, focusing on the nose of the ship, which I was trying to guide with the Force.
"No weight... Only the Force!"
The ship leveled relative to the ground. Though everything happened fast. The engines, even set to reverse to somehow compensate for the planet's gravity — were barely coping. Finally our descent passed... We landed... Splashed down right onto the water. The ship was dragged across the water; I could literally feel the panels of my ship cracking — some of its most expensive parts, because the stygium crystals were located on the panels and the weaponry was there too... I clenched my fist, trying to erect a barrier around the ship. Everything in my head started to noise up, like a bad radio signal. But then we abruptly changed surface... The ship hit ground and, since we still had speed, despite the safety harnesses — we were thrown forward. I was also completely relaxed, focused only on controlling with the Force, so I hit the ship's control panel pretty hard, split my lip and broke my nose... The sound of the ship's systems shutting down echoed.
"I've deactivated the reactor temporarily; we won't need much energy now," BB-7 reported. "I'll run diagnostics, master, and tell you what's needed for repairs."
Lorm swore foully as the green droid left the cockpit.
"Hutt! What are you doing, apprentice! Do you even realize how close you cut it?"
"Mentor?"
"What mentor? Holding a ship with the Force, and one falling through the atmosphere at that... Do you understand what could have happened to you?" he asked me. "From overexertion you could have died, because it's easy to repeat 'no weight, only the Force' but what if the mantra hadn't convinced you? Or if you'd fallen to rage over your miscalculation? Jedi have fallen to the Dark Side over far more trivial circumstances..."
"I'm sorry, mentor," I confessed. "I let you down... Almost got you killed..."
"Me?" Lorm asked. "You fool! I'm an insignificant Jedi, I die and who cares," he hugged me, "the main thing is for you to become a Jedi. You have every chance to become far better than me!"
"Mentor? Are you alright?" I asked, looking at the teacher in surprise.
"You insensitive blockhead," the mentor grumbled. "I worry about you, as my apprentice... Oh," Lorm sighed heavily. "Someday your actions will take you to the brink... I hope I'll be nearby to help you. Losing you, after everything that's happened, would be truly regrettable. But enough... The ship is important too," he looked around. "With this level of engine power supply — we won't leave this planet. And repairing all the circuits," he projected an image of my ship onto the control panel's holoprojector, "is unlikely to be possible."
"Stranded?" I asked the mentor. "No, if we redirect power to the engines..."
"That won't help, look," Lorm zoomed in on the power supply circuits. "They're damaged. The cable needs to be replaced in at least nineteen zones. The collision triggered a small explosion in the power supply system. If not for the emergency system — we could have died. We don't have spare parts — they're bulky. We can't take off from the planet... Only one thing remains..."
"Visit our new friends," I continued for the mentor. "Pay a call. Since it's a transshipment base, they'll be able to repair ships."
"Only they're unlikely to do it," the mentor noted sarcastically, twisting his lips into something resembling a smile.
"Since when did that ever bother you, mentor?" I asked.
"The first couple of years of my Padawanhood it bothered me, then I stopped caring. So, to the plan of finding out where Mila Karnur is now, we add a plan for repairing the ship."
"According to the data Rondan had — Mila and many other girls and women haven't been sold yet. They're planning to organize an auction, 'Dream from the Core World,' and sell them all at once. So she could still be at this base. How do we proceed, teacher?"
"If we had a working ship, we could throw them a bloody bacchanalia at the base..."
"Unlikely," I objected, glancing again at my ship's projection. Medium-heavy damage, though given the circumstances — perhaps even heavy. "The base is built so that if we attacked from the air, the slave barracks would also come under fire. Rondan was there and knew it well."
"Master and horned beast," BB-7 rolled into the cockpit. "Some beings are trying to break into the ship out there," he displayed what was happening outside on the holoprojector.
"Transport," Lorm squinted at the version of a speeder that could carry a squad of ten beings. It somewhat reminded me of a motorboat. And it had a machine gun mounted, pointing toward our ship. "A machine gun. Any hit on the ship now could only worsen our situation. Here's what — we lower the ramp and immediately start cutting them down. They're all Zerta Company mercenaries. You'll be the cornerstone of the plan, Light. Your task is to jump out first and draw the machine gunner's attention. Your Soresu will handle it, and while they're distracted by you — I'll deal with the machine gunner."
"Just don't destroy the transport. We may not be able to," we descended to the first floor, leaning against the wall — the ship had landed slightly "at an angle" — "use the 'Star Trek' for fire support. But we can get to their base relatively quickly."
"Don't take me for a fool. Who do you think I am... Just don't let us down yourself, Light," the ramp creaked down and I instantly rushed into the attack, activating my lightsaber. Pulling two opponents toward me with telekinesis, I delivered two swift, fatal blows. My philosophy hadn't changed. They were slave traders, rapists, and murderers. So hesitation is harmful. Throwing aside the corpses, I, having enhanced my body to the maximum, rushed straight at three beings. One even managed to fire, but I deflected the shot with my sword and immediately severed his arm at the shoulder. Grabbing him with telekinesis, I applied pyrokinesis to his clothes and threw him into his two comrades. Their clothes also caught fire; distracted by this circumstance — they didn't have time to react to my swift strikes. The machine gunner finally reacted.
"JEDI!" he snarled, aiming the machine gun at me. The man's face reflected malice. "DIE, HUTT-SPAWN!"
I assumed the classic Soresu stance and noted with satisfaction how the man's rage-filled eyes filled with despair. The machine gun shots flew everywhere but not at me.
"Ugh," the cyan blade severed his hands. The mentor threw the man onto the grayish sand. Perhaps this place was once a beach. But now I looked closer — even the sand here was gray, and the water was greenish. We dealt with the remaining four opponents quickly, completely wiping out the squad.
"How dare you, bastards?! Do you even know who we are? AAAAH!" the mentor had just cut off... His manhood.
"I know, goddamn slave traders, rapists, and murderers. Do you think just because a Senator covers you — that justifies you? Pitiful wretch," he cauterized the man's torso with his lightsaber, making him scream, and loudly at that. "What do you think I hate the most? Sith? Or bandits? What I hate most are slave traders. These vermin should have been wiped out long ago, and the harshest punishments introduced for slave trading. But look — these creatures have even infiltrated the Core Worlds! Never mind, you'll tell us everything, won't you?"
"Go to hell, you monster! You'll pay for..."
"I see," the mentor said with a heavy sigh, having cut off his head. "He wouldn't have said anything anyway."
"Yeah," I grunted. "Either way — it doesn't change anything."
I jumped onto the transport and glanced at the control system. Computerized, even with a yoke… Interesting. In the simple computer — which I hacked in a couple of seconds — I found a map of the area and even a log with descriptions of flora and fauna. This planet was practically destroyed; vile creatures had replaced the animals. Though — they lived far from the base, their survival instinct was highly developed.
"The base is pretty big," Lorm snorted, studying the map. "We'll infiltrate stealthily. Find Mila Karnur first, repair the ship, and get out. Before that, we also try to steal ship parts."
"And the slaves?" I asked my mentor.
"We won't have enough room to take them," he countered. "Though I understand you perfectly. As soon as we get out of here — we contact the Jedi Council. They'll send protectors here. We'll gather all the evidence, and that'll be enough to knock everyone who knows about this place out of their positions and put them away for life."
"Sounds like a plan," I noted. "Shall we begin implementation?"
"Immediately," Lorm nodded.
We can't contact the Council right now. The communication is jammed. Which means — we have to get off this planet. And preferably have Mila Karnur with us by then. Well, and when the protectors show up here after all our misadventures — the pirates are done for.
* * *
The base was located in a sizeable crater. And it looked much more like a military camp than a transit point. Especially with how many landing platforms and weapons they had. If decent shuttles like the one Mila Karnur left in were landing on each of the twenty platforms, and each one held candidates for slavery… The number of slaves was simply monstrous! Bastards!
"Calm your emotions, student," said Lorm, who was lying next to me. "They're getting in the way," he studied the defensive perimeter. "I see. So we won't infiltrate from different sides. The opposite side is the most guarded, probably because of that tower," he pointed. "Either the slaves are there, or the top guy. Activate your Cloaking and don't forget about Ionization, student. After infiltration — your task will be to find anything that could help us repair the ship. I'll free Mila Karnur."
"I understand, mentor…"
Trying to move unnoticed — we carefully jumped down to the base's fence. The shield was deactivated. We moved carefully, in short dashes, not even taking out the guards. Not yet… After crossing another open stretch, we hid behind a tank…
"What are they doing?" I asked. According to the sensors on the main square, which resembled a parade ground — there were too many people, including… I flinched… Thin, slender, beautiful — girls of various races, in some kind of rags. They were standing in formation…
Suddenly, from the building adjacent to the "parade ground," several beings came out. But the one who drew the most attention was a tall man in gray-black clothes. Each guard bowed slightly to him. His face was hard, with a prickly black beard. And his right eye was crossed by a terrible scar.
"LISTEN TO ME!" he suddenly said loudly. "And you, Jedi, listen too! Do you think I'm an idiot? Not far from the base, our radars detected our transport, which we sent to your ship, Jedi! You killed my men, but they managed to report who you are, and also that your vessel is damaged, you can't leave, which means you've already arrived at this base! Ha-ha-ha!" he suddenly laughed. "An honest and noble Jedi, coming to save the pathetic and worthless slave girls we'll sell in the Outer Rim. And you know what I'll buy myself after a couple years of hard work? I'll buy myself a planet, build a palace there, and for every position I'll buy slave girls from the Core Worlds. Just like all of you, right, people!"
"YEEAAAH!" the pirates roared, some even firing into the air with their weapons.
"But the Jedi intends to stop us! That bastard probably wants to free our company's merchandise. Well then — try it, Jedi. But know this — for every hour you exist on my base without surrendering — I will kill one woman, one girl! We have plenty of slaves, more are coming soon," the slave girls trembled in terror, many crying, heads bowed.
"What a bastard," we both muttered with my mentor.
"Either surrender, Jedi. I might even let you go, because we can negotiate!"
"I see," Lorm whispered. "I understand…"
"Mentor?" I asked.
"Light. I'll surrender," the teacher said simply. "We can't let him do whatever he wants."
"But that means everything falls on me…"
"Quiet," Lorm hissed. "He's from the Core Worlds — they know that for a Knight you're too young. Plus the Padawan braid. They'd start asking where your mentor is. A Padawan traveling alone? A rare sight. But me — I'm a Knight. And Knights alone, without students — that's common enough. So — your tasks are a little different now. First — you have to find a way to free the slave girls. They have slave chips implanted; only the base leader can remove them, so start by finding a way to get to him and take his control remote. After that — free me and we'll act according to the situation."
"Understood," I sighed heavily. "But I don't like your plan, Master Lorm."
"Neither do I, but I don't see any options. Alright, roll to another hiding spot," he nodded toward another tank, which I did, seizing the moment when Lorm started to surrender and everyone was distracted by him. "Have it your way, slaver," Lorm came out of hiding, raising his hands. In one he held a lightsaber, which he tossed aside… Lorm Decer's character assumes action according to the 'the end justifies the means' plan. But he categorically refuses to sacrifice the lives of innocent slave girls, who were brought out before us… They'll pay for this insolence…
"So, what's your name, Jedi?" the base commander asked him, when Lorm was forced to his knees and handcuffs were put on him.
"Lorm Decer, Jedi Knight," the teacher grinned. I know that tone.
"How noble, and how stupid. You Jedi are so easy to read."
"Naive idiot," Lorm spat. "It's you who's easy to read. Soon it'll play sabbacc with you, and you'll lose!"