I watched with interest as the action unfolded on the holoprojector. Delon's estate turned out to be a three-story house, built in a classic style reminiscent of our own back on Earth. Except that this three-story mansion was packed to the gills with the most modern electronics. Overall, it reminded me of the Monarch's palace on Naboo, the one I saw in the first episode. The building doesn't really look like the modern style. But it's stuffed to the brim with the newest technology. The main entrance led us into a hall. Along the walls of the hall stood statues of famous members of House Leyros. Also, a staircase started right from the hall, leading up to the second floor. But we stayed on the first. Delon led us straight through the corridor, giving only a nod to the protocol droid that was playing the role of a servant.
This time, the same group of aristocrats tagged along. In general, I was only interested in Bael Antilles in terms of making an acquaintance. But the situation is such that I can't get close to Antilles without getting close to the others as well. So… Delon Leyros. The heir of House Leyros, which is only slightly inferior in power and wealth to the Antilles and Organas, the two recognized hegemons of Alderaan. Next… Amella Doyn. Again, an aristocratic house that recently underwent a generational change. The heir of the deceased head of the Doyns died right after his father, leaving only one son. Amella's father, the heir's brother, became regent for his nephew. Though, according to the information I was sent, the Doyn heir, Ehar, is a bit of a playboy and a rich brat who couldn't care less about ruling. So Amella's father, Olen, is likely in charge of the House for the long haul. Rulana Torsat comes from House Torsat, which is friendly with the Leyroses. She has been engaged to Delon since she was four years old. And finally, Miya Delir. She comes from House Delir, which 'bought' its aristocratic status. Roughly speaking… I thought that was impossible, but the result was right in front of me.
"Well?" Bail asked me. "What do you say, 'Jedi specialist'?"
On the holovid they showed me in the spacious, bright hall of the Leyros estate, which was intended for fencing lessons, I watched as Bael Antilles unsuccessfully lunged at a man of mature age. In the fight, they used training swords that looked like simple clubs. In the Jedi Order, we use training-format lightsabers from the very beginning. Such sabers sting the point of impact, marking a hit on the body. Here, it wasn't even a lightsaber, just an ordinary stick serving as a sword. The man calmly deflected Bail's strikes, moved little, held the sword in one hand… And when he did move, the movements were smooth, graceful… More focused on defense… It's a synthesis of Makashi and Soresu. Although there are more movements from Makashi in him, the logic is Soresu. He waits for an attack, mostly defends, and does so using Makashi movements.
"Hmm…" I scratched my chin, "if I recall my uncle's lessons, your instructor uses two styles at once."
"Two styles?" Delon asked in surprise.
"No self-respecting fencer will ever use just one style purely. Fencers can weave elements of one into another, just to find their own form, their own fencing technique. For example, I use Ataru and Soresu. Although combining attack and defense is very difficult in an ideal ratio, I've learned to incorporate elements of one into the other. For instance, from a Soresu stance, I can deflect a couple of strikes, and then suddenly deliver several strikes in the Ataru style. Or vice versa, make the opponent get used to me mostly dodging, and then suddenly start parrying and counterattacking in the Soresu style… In general, there are many options." "This man's actions are, in principle, sound. He doesn't use the Force against you. He doesn't even accelerate with its help. Under such conditions, you can defeat him."
"For you to train me, you need to show me what you've got first!" Bail said arrogantly.
"Right," Delon nodded and handed me a training sword.
"Does it always have to come down to a fight?" Amella chimed in.
"Shut up," I cut her off rudely. "If they want to get it, let them get it. But… Attack, both of you, at once, because otherwise this fight will be boring."
"Hmph," Bail snorted, twirling the sword in his hand. "Deal with me first."
Right. I need to impress them as much as possible, but not overdo it. Defeating both at once would be impressive enough, but first, I have to defeat Bail. Since they don't believe me. And on the other hand, why should they believe me? Plus, I looked at the sword, this will be an interesting test of my abilities. No Force… No precognition… And an ordinary training sword instead of a lightsaber…
"Wait, Bail," Delon stopped him. "And you, Taivi. Don't forget to put on protection. Otherwise, you'll give each other bruises."
Protection? They have that too. Although it's clear why Bail, given all those circumstances where he was getting thrashed by his instructor, walks around without bruises. And there, on the holovid, he got hit pretty hard. The protection consisted of simple leather armor that covered the chest, stomach, head, hips, and arms. It was worn over clothes and didn't restrict movement at all. Of course, it's nothing compared to my main suit. I was simply more comfortable in mine because it fit me perfectly in terms of size. Having put on the armor, we walked to the center of the room. Bail, the sly one, deliberately took a position with his back to the star's light. The other aristocrats scattered to the sides. My opponent took a Makashi stance, its variant for ordinary, non-lightsaber swords, while I took the classic Soresu stance. This is going to be very interesting. I decided not to use the Force. Not to enhance my physical abilities, not to predict the future, not to analyze a weak point. Just my pure fencing experience, against Bail's knowledge and what that man was able to drill into him.
"Begin!" Delon said, and Bail immediately launched into an attack. With a triumphant face, he tried to hit my supposedly open torso, since I was holding my sword hand above my head in the Soresu stance, like Kenobi would. He also hoped that by attacking from the western side, hiding his movements behind the star's light, he could fool me. That's a bit unfair on his part; he initially thought I was bluffing when I talked about my experience. Which means I'm a novice, and using such a trick against a 'novice'. But what am I complaining about? My sword hand dropped down, cutting off Bail's attack. His strike went into the floor… He froze in surprise. Wasn't expecting that from me? So who's the novice here? When your attack is interrupted, you don't just stand there like you've shit your pants.
I closed in on him and struck his cheek with my left hand. Bail leaned slightly from the blow and didn't have time to regain his balance before I lunged and hit him in the chest, and an instant later, I slashed him in the side. I would have liked to finish the fight with a kick to the head, but I thought better of it. A training sword strike would be softer, but the leather armor didn't fully cover his face, and a kick could have broken his nose, along with a couple of teeth, because it would land on the exposed part of his face. So I ended the bout with a powerful, slashing blow to the armored part of his face.
"Well, have you had enough?" I asked the heavily breathing Bael Antilles, who was sitting on the floor. The powerful, slashing blow, even against the leather armor, had sent him to the floor. I twirled the sword in front of me. The lightsaber is lighter, that's true, but I had no trouble getting used to the balance of this blade.
"That was… Ha…" Bail breathed heavily, "fast. How can you move like that?"
And I wasn't even enhancing my physicals with the Force. How fast would I be in his opinion when I'm fighting at full power? Would he even see anything at all?
"Physical development is important in fencing too," I offered him my left hand and helped him up. "Your instructor doesn't use the Force against you, but he's still faster and stronger. Not only because he's an experienced man who's clearly been through many fights, but also because he's developed a good physical form. And I'm not talking about a regular morning workout. Even a fencer focused on speed, who seemingly shouldn't have a pile of muscle, still must be physically developed. Based on what I've seen, you've reached your limit in fencing with your current physical body. But you haven't reached the limit of developing your physical characteristics." Actually, Bail doesn't have a well-developed, muscular body. His body is… how should I put it… standard. Unlike him, my body is muscular, even though physical strength isn't my main advantage. "You lack reflexes and speed. All of this is possible when you are sufficiently physically developed."
"I saw your blows!" Bail hissed angrily. "But I didn't have time…"
"To react, right?" I asked him. "That's right. You can see your opponent's attack, but seeing isn't everything. Reflexes are important, acting based on what you see. Look, a sentient, for example, might have super-reactions. Like the Gifted with their Force. They'll see everything in slow motion and so on. But what then? If they only have correspondingly developed senses, but don't have a corresponding body, then it's all useless. Yes, they will see all the opponent's attacks, like you saw mine," he really did see them, he's not lying. "But what's the use if your body can't keep up with the information you're seeing? Mmm? To parry or dodge, it's not enough to see the attack. You have to know how to do it, have the corresponding base in terms of physical development, because the body's speed might not be enough. I could teach you what my uncle taught me, but first you need to develop your body accordingly, otherwise you won't learn anything."
And any Jedi knows this. The quality of Force enhancement directly depends on the physical development of the Gifted. The quality of a sentient's combat characteristics directly depends on their physical ones. A soldier, a warrior… It doesn't matter who you are, you must be able to withstand physical stress. After all, the battlefield is a special place where everything is decided by combat characteristics. Surely, Bail's father ordered that Jedi to deliberately sabotage his ward's training, so that there wouldn't even be a hint that Bail would go to that Arena. To teach him swordsmanship just enough to make him a decent fencer who could defend himself with a vibro-sword, but only once all the foolishness was out of his head. A reasonable approach from the father's side. But personally, I partly don't care about all this… I have to complete my own assignment. And what the father thinks, or the outcast from the Order, rarely bothers me.
"So what should I do, master?" Bail asked sarcastically.
"At least get your body up to Delon's level," I nodded towards his friend. "I'm sure he would show even better results than you. If he were training, with his current physical development, like you do, he would have been able to participate in that Tournament long ago. But you… no."
"Like you're so muscular," Bail glared at me. "You must have used some trick…"
I just shrugged, unbuckled the armor, and then unbuttoned my shirt.
"Any questions?" I looked at Bail.
"Wh… what are you doing?!" asked Amella Doyn. "How… How… Put your clothes back on, you pervert!"
Miya and Rulana, on the other hand, were shamelessly staring at the exposed part of my body.
"Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist," I smirked slightly, buttoning my shirt. I deliberately wear it two sizes too big so it hides my physical conditioning. And during physical education lessons, I wear baggy clothes. Which, naturally, provokes mockery from that notorious group of aristocrats from the Tapani sector. But has the opinion of sentients about me ever bothered me? Even back in my first life, I was heavily bullied. In this world, the galaxy far, far away, I've transformed a bit, dividing sentients into two types: those whose opinion matters to me and those whose opinion I can safely ignore. There's no point in showing off and making myself the center of the universe before nobodies. Or those who won't affect me at all. Although, it would seem the Mecettis can influence me, just like the Calypsos. Pretty significant aristocrats. And still, I wasn't too worried about them treating me 'a little wrong.'
"Can I try?" Delon asked me. "I really wasn't taught much fencing, but you said I'd do better than Bail."
"Hm?" I looked at him. "Yes, you are physically better developed. But fencing with swords isn't just about physical development; it's also about a set style, a philosophy. What I showed against Bail is called the Jedi Style Soresu, also known as Form III, the defensive combat form. In other words, I focus more on defense and an instant counterattack when I see an opponent's weakness. Thus, my fight with this style will follow that logic. And you and Bail are like two sides of the same coin. In one, I noted the fact of having a set style," Bail attacked with strikes from Makashi, just like his instructor, "but his physical development for combat is a bit weak. The second has excellent physical development, but in the context of fencing styles, you don't have the technique. Bail doesn't have the strength, but he knows how to apply it correctly. You have the strength, but you don't know how to apply it correctly. That's why I told you to attack me together. I thought you would compensate for each other's weaknesses and learn something. Although, during a battle, there's usually no time to learn. You either defeat the enemy or you lose. Only the heroes of second-rate HoloNet novels can learn anything in the seconds of a fight. Usually, if the fight isn't a training one and you haven't learned something, your fate is sealed," I said sadly. "Pray to all the gods and the Force that you can escape with your life. But in most cases, it can end with you not escaping on your own two feet, but being carried out. To your funeral."
"You speak as if you know something," Miya said, tossing her black hair.
"And why shouldn't I know?" I asked her, looking at the girl. "I killed my first sentient when I was ten," I began telling the legend. Taivi's parents died because of an organized crime group, according to the legend. And the boy Taivi was left completely alone until his Jedi uncle came for him. "My parents died when I was seven; that's when my uncle found me and started teaching me to defend myself, specifically teaching me the Jedi styles. Even though I'm not Gifted, I can even play around with a lightsaber. And as for the first sentient, I remember it like it was yesterday: he broke into my house. I slashed him across the belly with my vibro-sword, spilling his guts. The blood covered a good area of the room. His insides spilled out."
The girls covered their mouths with their hands. Truth be told, I killed a sentient much later than ten years old. When my mentor and I started the epic chase for the Sith artifact of Arrogant and ran into sentients who considered us their mortal enemies, I learned one simple truth — in battle, there are no right or wrong views. There is only one view: either you or them. So I killed, almost without a twinge of conscience. And now I would kill if the situation demanded it… We don't live in a fairy tale.
"You guys grew up in a greenhouse. Tustra is a great planet too, I won't argue," there was no banditry whatsoever in the palace quarter where I was born as Light Flyingstar. The Royal Guard and the quarter's police suppressed such things with maximum brutality. Besides, only the most loyal and devoted, the most upright families live there. But crime does exist on Tustra. Just not on that scale. Mostly further from the capital and in the form of criminal organizations. Lone criminals don't survive on Tustra; after all, we have an incredibly stable state. But groups have a chance to survive. "However, the further from the capital, the less control there can be. My parents had the misfortune of crossing the wrong… sentients, and they paid for it. And some of those sentients were trying to get to me as well. And you must understand why they haven't killed me yet. So, do you still look down on me?"
"You didn't have the happiest childhood," Amella said sadly.
"I don't need your pity, Amella," I said, looking into the girl's blue eyes. "Just remember that not everyone has the same conditions you do. And there are billions in the galaxy who have been in even worse conditions than me. Isn't it your duty, as the richer and more powerful ones, to remember those sentients and try to change their lives for the better? And certainly not to laugh at them, and even more certainly not to pity them. Sentients don't need pity. Sentients need action. If you say you feel sorry for someone, you are only insulting them with your hypocrisy. Don't pity them… do something."
"Well then," Bail summarized. "So what do we do?" he asked me.
"You need to start going to the gym, Bail Antilles. Raise your physical stats. Let's start right now: do the following complex. Twenty squats, twenty crunches, and twenty push-ups. Three sets of each exercise each. As for you, Delon — you'll be choosing a style for yourself. Honestly, I only know the basics of Jedi styles, and even those are adapted for vibro-swords. Based on your physical fitness, Shien would suit you best. A classic combat form focused on brute strength. Unless you don't want to learn swordsmanship?"
"No," Delon shook his head. "I'll learn. I want to beat you."
Ha, not in this life. I smirked…
"And what are we supposed to do?" Rurana, the redhead, asked.
"Do you want some pastries?" I asked the girls.
"Pastries?" Amella asked. "What pastries? We want to learn swordsmanship too…"
"And why would you need that?" I interrupted Amella. "These guys — it's obvious. They want to get into some Tournament or other. But what benefit would you get from learning Jedi fencing? Do you want to be useful in combat? Learn to shoot a blaster. If you want to get in better shape, maybe you could hit the gym with Antilles too?"
"Taivi…" Amella hissed. "You…"
"Calm down, Amella," Mia said softly. "Taivi probably just has that kind of personality."
"Yep," I said caustically, "handsome face, but a personality like bantha shit."
"And who told you you were handsome?" Amella flared up again.
"Your eyes. You watch me secretly almost the whole time I'm around." The girl blushed. "I can sense other people's gazes. After the training my uncle put me through, that's pretty easy for me. So I know you're watching me. Let's get back to that question, Doyn. Which one of us is the pervert?"
"Sh-shut up," she said haughtily.
"Or what?"
She closed the distance between us quickly, for a pampered aristocrat, and tried to slap me. I caught her hand and twisted it.
"Let go!"
"First 'let go'… then 'shut up'… You're weird, Doyn. You can't do anything, you meddle in everything, but you've got as much arrogance as the Empress of the Galaxy. Memorizing every paragraph from the first letter to the last won't make you important. Go do something useful." I released the girl and demonstratively walked away, moving closer to Antilles, who was breathing heavily and trying to do push-ups while Delon cheered him on. They weren't wasting time.
"Don't you think you were overly harsh?" Delon asked, tearing his attention away from watching Bail.
"I am kindness and innocence itself, an angel descended from heaven," I said. "Don't believe me?" I asked Delon, hearing his skeptical snort. "Do you think I couldn't have beaten Jaiko Mecetti and his hangers-on with maximum cruelty? I would have broken every single one of their limbs, most of their bones. But I didn't. And you know why? Because I am kind. And I'm working with you."
"A likely story, hard to believe," Leyros said. "But I suppose I'm not one to judge. I can feel that you'll definitely be able to pass on some new experience to us."
"Oh yes, the main thing is that you can handle it… and keep the girls in line."
"I can vouch for Rulana, let's say. We've known each other practically since we were in diapers. But Amella and Mia are out of my jurisdiction. Still, I get the feeling Amella is being kept in line by you."
I understand why. She's a girl, and even if she doesn't fully realize it yet, she finds me attractive. She has a quarrelsome, hot-tempered personality. Every single girl, in every universe, reads romance novels — that's an axiom beyond refutation. And if she likes me on a purely superficial level, the character I'm showing isn't the one she's used to seeing in her 'handsome princes.' So the poor girl is stuck in an 'expectation/reality' loop. Of course, I could take advantage of the fact that she likes me. But I clearly understand that kind of relationship isn't permanent… Besides, I feel strange after Mila. Like something was ripped out of me. I don't know if I can build anything in that regard.
* * *
Everything blurred into a single thread of events… One month followed another. I started hanging around Bail, Delon, Amella, Rulana, and Mia more and more actively. At the same time, I was preparing Bail, plus I was working on him, creating the impression that we were very alike. He really did love everything described in his personal file. And knowing his preferences, becoming friends with him was pretty easy. Even if my friendship was just a mission — I didn't feel any particular remorse about it. I guess I just understood what was at stake. I was interested in Bail's work at his family's transport company, which I sometimes asked him about, justifying it by saying that I, too, would be running my own companies in the future, or working in public service, and needed to know how to manage. And he had experience.
The group gradually split by interests. Before, the only stable little group inside our so-called class was Jaiko Mecetti's crew. But after three months, Bail Antilles's crew appeared. At the same time, Mecetti finally backed off from me, apparently realizing there were sentients here who matched his level. Though I did occasionally catch his hateful gaze. And along with it, the thoughtful one from that girl, Linda — the Gifted one. But nothing more.
I finished the first semester with top grades, earned an increased scholarship, and got up to speed in many subjects related to politics. In the second semester, I repeated the feat of the first and even got offered to write academic papers on several subjects. After thinking it over and deciding it wouldn't hurt, I agreed, which earned me extra reputation points with the teachers. When you've been through schooling and have a fully formed view of your life, studying isn't a burden. Besides, if before I studied public administration just because I knew I had to, now I was genuinely fascinated by the subject. How to properly organize document flow, build a practically rational bureaucracy and manage it? Allocate resources, fund projects, negotiate, learn the basics of state jurisprudence (the latter runs for all three years of study). You can never have too much of that… Understanding the processes of public administration, the basics of which were instilled in us in our first year, freed me from many naive notions about governance. Legislation amazed me especially. A single comma in one sentence could radically change the entire meaning of the law. Create loopholes. And absolutely any sentient could use them.
Perfect laws don't exist — that's exactly what an old man of about eighty told us. There are laws close to perfect, also called 'successful.' There are average ones, whose practical benefit is barely above zero. And there are completely unsuccessful ones that can plant baradium charges under the very system of the state. All in all, I liked studying here. I even ran into the outcast who was teaching Bail Jedi fencing. After five months of my training, Bail showed unexpected progress, and the old man tracked it. Then he singled me out, figured out I was Gifted. Oderis Yoluk, Jedi Knight, 'tired of the Order' at first he panicked, thinking I'd come for him. But after getting assurances that I wasn't interested in him personally but in something else, he backed off and even started being tougher on Bail during training. Which only added to his enthusiasm and zeal… Which is good. Only the last few weeks were tense — it was like Jonal remembered me and started asking about results, which there weren't yet… And I honestly didn't know. Bail controlled himself perfectly, and even though I'd gotten closer to his whole crew, he always spoke cautiously about his work at the House's company. And that was alarming…