Honestly, the circumstances I'd found myself in had even left me a little drained. First I had to fly to Rishi, where I raised havoc with the local gang. And then — return to Coruscant. Where, after retrieving what the Order sought, I was supposed to set course for Alderaan and begin the investigation there. And while Alderaan fit into my plan — since I intended to study a great deal there — after that I intended to study military science, most likely at the Karid Military Academy, as one of the most elite. Or at the Corulag Academy, or at the Anaxian Academy. They taught the same specializations, more or less. Why did I need it? In the Order, younglings were taught military tactics — both space and planetary combat — terribly.
I remembered that from my own classes as a youngling. Diplomacy, negotiations, history — both of the Republic and the Order, survival theory for any terrain, studying all sorts of survival tools — you name it. In any volume. But anything related to military tactics and strategy, whether covering space battles or ground engagements — forget it. I suspect this is precisely where the "successes" of certain Jedi during the Clone Wars are rooted. There were excellent Generals among the Jedi, but the majority, according to common opinion, preferred to charge ahead of the clones with a lightsaber in hand, impressing them with their abilities. But should a General in modern warfare be doing that?
I'm not arguing — sometimes the General personally entering the fray gives the troops confidence. Shows he's not just hiding behind the soldiers' backs. But other times, the General should stay in the rear, studying the operational situation. It's very difficult to command globally on the battlefield. But when you're sitting somewhere in a bunker, directly observing the battle, seeing which units and ships are moving where, receiving intelligence on enemy formations — you can direct the troops more effectively. Accordingly — you can become not just a great blade-swinger, but an excellent General. Or an Admiral… That's what I'm striving for. Not just the Clone Wars — this Galaxy will face great upheavals in the near future.
And if all I can do is fence well and wield the Force, then I'm worthless. If diplomacy and the basics of statecraft are my oversight — though later I did find an excuse for why I didn't focus on those subjects, saying that during my Padawan years, skill with lightsabers and the Force would be more useful — well, military tactics and strategy are the domain of professionals. And to become that professional, it's not enough to just study the Order's military successes from any Sith wars, and not just those. Professionals teach at military Academies, which — even though they declined after the Ruusan Reformation. After all — with the destruction of Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness, we had no threats left, right? And as I'd noted — for six hundred, maybe eight hundred years, that was the case. But in reality, such carelessness is a bomb planted under the foundation. And someday, it had to detonate and turn the Galaxy upside down. It's no longer a question of interference by the Sith Order, which adopted Bane's Doctrine of the Rule of Two… No. The Republic, sooner or later, would have faced a similar upheaval. And again — long before the Yuuzhan Vong and other post-Endor crises. A lot of things in the Galaxy had begun to rot. No one can rein in the Megacorporations, which can control entire sectors. Pirates, who've also managed to find the right sentients in the Senate — are running rampant in the Outer Rim.
And I'm not saying that democracy in general and the Republic in particular are incapable of fixing the situation. Monarchical states don't have a monopoly on "imposing peace and order." The point is that in democracies, you can also properly build a vertical power structure, checks and balances — so effectively that everything is peaceful and calm. After all — Empires can have the same problems attributed to the Republic. Or are Empires so ideal that they never fell apart? Again — everything rots sooner or later… At moments like this, I often wonder — is it even worth doing anything? In the end — even if I succeed, even if I build something — someday what I've built will fall… And at the same time, I don't want to stop. Maybe I already can't. It doesn't matter where it all leads… I'll do it.
The ball of Coruscant appeared before the ship. I'd have to take control now.
"BB, transmit our identification code to the controller, have them grant privileged access," I told the droid out of habit. A few seconds later, a vector for atmospheric entry came to me. They also informed the Temple that I had arrived, and in the Hangar at my landing spot — which the technicians had allocated to me — Master Jonal was already standing. I'd arrived on the planet at sunset. And I myself felt a desire to get at least a little sleep. But I had a feeling I wouldn't be sleeping for a long time yet.
The Master greeted me right at the ramp.
"Knight Light," the man nodded to me.
"Master Jonal," I said, stepping down the ramp onto the floor. The technicians froze in waiting. After all — they had to wait until the Master and Knight moved away from the ship to start servicing it. The man waved his hand, and I followed him toward the hangar exit, weaving around fighters and other ships belonging to other Jedi. The technicians rushed to my vessel, beginning its maintenance.
"Honestly," the man told me when we stepped into the corridor, "I couldn't have imagined that you'd also run into 'that Force-Sensitive.' I mean the one I told you about by voice comm, after the destruction of Lothar's gang."
"Is he really so dangerous that you're afraid to send me on such a mission — specifically to find him?" I asked the Master in surprise.
"How can I put it. Three Masters, about seven Knights, and eight Padawans. All died in the Outer Rim. The gist is — they found Sith artifacts, or artifacts of another Force-Sensitive Order, ran into pirates; some defeated the pirates and reported that someone had hired them. When the Council ordered the Shadows to look into it — the Shadows found nothing, except that those who'd defeated the pirates were later killed. By bounty hunters, or… They were struck down by a lightsaber. That's why this case is dangerous. I personally tried to track down that offspring of Hutts, but couldn't. And since you're already tangled up in it, you'll have to play the role of bait." We entered a spacious office on the first level of the Temple. It was furnished rather ascetically. This was the Master's office, the head of the Shadows? I swept my gaze over the room. Plain walls, small windows through which light barely penetrated. To the right of the entrance was another door, clearly leading into a living space. Everything here was clean for work. In the middle stood an ordinary desk. The Master placed his palm on its surface.
"Security deactivated," a male, robotic voice sounded. Biometric security on a computer?
"Have a seat," Jonal pulled a chair to the desk with telekinesis.
I sat down and stared at the Master with curiosity.
"So, what did you bring?" he asked me.
I took out the Matukai scrolls from my inner pockets. Their creator had been a truly interesting person. She had noticed that in a Force-Sensitive's body there were several points where the Force accumulated. And she proposed a set of movements that later developed into martial arts for developing these points. There were five of them in total… The upper one was at the base of the neck. The right, upper one corresponded to the right arm, the left, upper one to the left. And points were on both legs accordingly. The next level was not just the use of martial arts, but "body strengthening." The points evenly distributed the Force throughout the body, granting incredible physical toughness to the practitioner, as well as amazing abilities in resisting physical impacts on the body. A true Matukai Master could endure pain, disease, even radiation! That was how incredible their art was. And I knew for certain that such a treasure could not be let slip.
So I quickly began weaving elements of the Matukai into my training. Of course, Theodor might not have fully translated all the materials. Or might have deceived me somehow… So all this training was playing with fire. But I was confident that my knowledge of the Force, as well as the structure of my own body, would be enough to understand whether I was making a mistake or not.
The man unrolled the scrolls with interest.
"As always — don't understand a damn thing," Jonal Ezar grumbled.
Well, I'd say the Matukai language for encryption was very reminiscent of Chinese writing with characters. And although I didn't know Chinese at all, I'd heard Theodor muttering during translation. And in my past life, I'd heard Chinese. Because who was I? A geek. And what do Geeks do? They watch anime, among other things. And watching without dubbing was my habit.
"Goddamn Matukai," Jonal Ezar continued. Maybe they wouldn't have been so hostile if they hadn't been slaughtered? Kuro, and Theodor himself, explained to me that Jonal was quite the fanatic who cut down anyone who disagreed with him. He'd even tried to push a resolution through the Council that would require cutting down anyone who wanted to leave the Jedi Order. Yes, leaving was relatively painless — they didn't even necessarily send Shadows after you. Jonal was one of those who believed that only "mass executions would save the Motherland." And… In principle, yes, the situation now was such that to save the Order and the Republic — actions had to be radical. "Hmm," he snorted, "all right." He rolled up the scrolls and clasped his hands in front of him. "Since I've dragged you into this, you'll have to continue. I heard you wanted to travel the Outer Rim. But you'll have to wait on that, Light."
"You don't want my death…"
"I don't want the death of any Jedi. And that carrion is already pissing me off terribly," the Master replied grimly. "He either escapes or destroys Liquidator teams. He cuts down Masters and Knights, and Padawans left and right! And he's been getting away with it for nearly twenty years! Now do you understand the scale of the problem? You had the misfortune of getting involved in this matter, though I confess I had no idea he was mixed up in it either. But however he's involved, we need to find him. Find him and punish him. And you'll be one of those who helps me with that. Remember what I told you a couple of days ago?"
"Yes," I nodded, "I'm supposed to fly to Alderaan and investigate a possible connection between House Antilles and our enemy. From the data you sent me — the pilot our Knights caught served House Antilles and was fulfilling its order for delivery."
"Correct," the Master of the Order confirmed. "Your target is him." A holophoto of a young man appeared before me. "His name is Bail Antilles." Chestnut-haired, with an arrogant gaze from blue eyes. "In the Antilles family, there's something like a maturity trial. The father gives the heir some part of his business to manage and watches his progress. In this case — Bail received a stake in the House Antilles transport company. And it was that company's ship that was spotted in smuggling."
"If Bail Antilles is really involved in this, then given his position — he might well know the true identity of our enemy," I speculated.
"Correct," Master Jonal confirmed. "That's why I'm sending you to Alderaan. It's a fairly clear lead that could point to him."
"But what if the heir of House Antilles has nothing to do with it?" I reasonably asked the head of the Shadows. "If the smuggling was a private initiative by the mentioned pilot. Was he even interrogated?"
"Well, not exactly, no," the Master shook his head. "When that pilot was caught, too much noise was raised in the Core Worlds — saying the Jedi had gone completely crazy." He slammed his hand on the table with feeling. "We couldn't conduct a proper interrogation."
"Hmm, I understand. Bail Antilles," I read his file. "Seventeen years old. Currently the nominal head of the House Antilles Transport Company. And also… a student at Alderaan University?" I seized on the file. "What if I strike up an acquaintance with him casually? It doesn't take a great mind to show up at an aristocrat's palace and interrogate him. But again — what value does information obtained that way have? And applying some of our methods — is essentially forbidden, isn't it?"
"You're thinking of enrolling in Alderaan University? And how old are you?" the Master asked. "They accept from eighteen. Or those who turn eighteen this year, like our esteemed Bail."
"I'm sixteen," I said. "Too young? Well then — maybe I should create a disguise. Or — just pass the exam using the Order's connections. The Jedi are very respected on Alderaan — I'm sure they'll accommodate us, especially if I don't reveal my true mission. A Jedi decided to study at their University. A good precedent."
"Right," Jonal chuckled. "A Jedi enrolling in a University. Though there have been such precedents among us. But better — let's create a disguise for you. It'll take me a couple of seconds. So… Name, surname? Race is already preset."
"Doesn't my face appear in the database?" I asked the Master.
"We'll hide it," he replied simply. "A couple of seconds, and the Jedi named 'Light Flyingstar' won't have a photo even in the Jedi databases. Plus, I'll lean on some of my contacts and have it cleaned from data centers across the Galaxy. As long as you don't start flaunting your being Force-Sensitive, there won't be any problems. So… what's your name?" Jonal asked me.
"Well, I'm a Sephi. So I need to come up with a fitting name. And a different surname."
"So… We'll create credentials for you across the Galaxy, especially on Tustra. Born," he tapped the computer keys. "Eighteen years ago. Mm-hmm…"
"Write the name — Taivi Lanian," I requested.
"That'll do," Jonal agreed. "And now… Which department do you want to apply to? Bail applied for 'State Administration.' One of the most prestigious faculties. Plus — you can indicate an additional specialization, with supplementary courses."
"Am I going to be enrolled there for several years?" I asked in surprise.
"It all depends on how long you'll be interacting with Bail and how much time you need to uncover the whole story. But the course of study is supposed to be five years, ideally. Of course — the sooner you uncover everything, the sooner you'll get out of there. Or you could finish the course," the man shrugged. "I'm creating a parent profile."
"Yes, extra knowledge in state administration, politics, and economics certainly won't hurt."
"A nice bonus on top of your Order training," the Council Master smirked. "Though I heard you used to peacefully doze through all that."
"Because I was almost entirely focused on practicing fencing and wielding the Force. I didn't have any energy left to study theory."
"Well, you're an idiot then," Jonal summed up. "With your talent — you turned out to be a one-dimensional combatant. Although you could have become an excellent generalist. Now you'll have to catch up on everything. The best education isn't even at Coruscant University. It's Jedi training." As if the Jedi draw up budgets and govern the Republic. All our involvement in politics is diplomacy. That's really worth learning from the Jedi. Though not from all of them. "Alright, what are the parents' names?"
"Titosi Lanian and Jeyni Lanian," I blurted out. "Let it be that."
"Good. Let's say — Titosi, a modest owner of a modest shop — the Order will help with that cover — and Jeyni, his wife. Though I doubt they'll dig that deep."
"Just write that they died, and the son decided to become something more, so he enrolled in the University for State Administration."
"Done," the man nodded. "Now, as long as you don't whip out your lightsabers and start waving them around — no one will guess you're a Jedi. I admit, the idea with such a cover is interesting and will definitely work. Though that doesn't absolve you from formalities. I can't just push you into the University like that. You'll have to pass the exams, which are still ongoing… You'll head to Alderaan tomorrow."
"Wait, how was Bail enrolled then?"
"He's a Prince by birth. He doesn't need exams to get into Alderaan University. But who are you? Taivi Lanian from Tustra? The son of a deceased entrepreneur? The exams are still going. I've added you to the list of examinees. I think you can get there in five days. And remember your primary mission. And also — that you must act delicately."
* * *
Alderaan. A beautiful planet, located in the Core Worlds. A planet that contained both the beauty of nature — which the locals hadn't particularly marred — and the luster of luxury and wealth. The cities here were built by ecologists, in the literal sense of the word. Because the foundation here was care for nature. No one wanted the unique nature of this planet to be destroyed. And this time I was to settle here… Most likely for a long time. Because to make advances on Bail Antilles, I'd have to spend more than one day. And I'd have to work with him carefully. Whether he worked for the Sith or not — it didn't matter. He was the heir of a Noble House in the Core Worlds. One of the possible rulers of an entire planet, a rich planet. And just charging in blindly would be the height of stupidity. So everything had to look perfect, and I myself had to be careful. To get to Alderaan, I didn't take my own ship, leaving it in the Temple Hangars. I only took BB and my lightsabers, which this time I hid inside a statue made of bronze. The statue depicted Larik, the father of the current King — Alaric. He was famous for restoring Tustra after the last war with Kaan's Brotherhood of Darkness. The entire Republic had been recovering with difficulty then. Under him, many factories were opened, the economy was restored, and so on. I planned to put it in my room. Why not? Authentic — as a Sephi, I wouldn't look strange honoring a sentient of my own race. Especially since Larik was truly very respected by our people. The transport ship arrived on Alderaan at noon. Later, my own ship would be transferred to this planet separately, to avoid questions. Getting through customs was fairly simple. The statue wasn't particularly inspected, and I was ready to hit the customs officer with a Force Suggestion. But it wasn't needed… All I had to do was play the part of an impressed fool who spent five minutes telling the border guard about the great achievements of His Majesty Larik.
Aldera. It was a beautiful city, located on an island in Lake Aldera. Ordinary mortals traveled there on a special boat. Which happened at that moment with me too. The ship landed at the spaceport, where I had to go to the terminal for the "ferry." And even then — I had to separately specify why I was heading to Aldera. Though around me were many young people, who also wanted to enroll in the University like me, and strict "men and women" sat there, who genuinely studied each one personally and only then let them on board. As a result — boarding stretched for four hours. And the majestic city, which I had only observed from afar, I finally saw up close. The buildings were white, gleaming in the rays of the star setting behind the mountains. There were almost no speeders in the city. But there were interesting "horizontal escalators," which helped tired people move along the streets.
But what amazed me more were the green zones, the forest parks that bordered entire districts. And also the prices… I'd been given a lot of money, courtesy of Jonal. The Order possessed a truly bottomless treasury. But as soon as I walked into a hotel to spend the night, I felt the tips of my black hair start to turn gray. Although students did live in dormitories. But for some — a look at the prices in the city gave a very clear hint that there was no place for you here, even if you got in. And the scholarship, according to the Master, was needed just to "break even." In practice, with such prices, they gave it only to take it all back for services, food, and so on… Yeah. It was an expensive pleasure — getting an education at one of the most prestigious universities in the Galaxy. But it was worth it… Grudgingly, I booked a room for a week, even though it cost that much.
From the window of my room, I had a view of one of the capital's forest park zones. A beautiful view… But that wasn't the main thing.
"BB, help me," I took off my shoes and sat on the bed. "I need to prepare — tomorrow's the exam… Eh, back to the first day of school again. But… I wanted this myself, didn't I? Combining business with pleasure."