We flew past Ryloth without stopping in the system. A shame... Many would dream of going there. Why? The answer lies in the Twi'leks, whom many consider extremely attractive. They're not asari from Mass Effect, of course. The asari analogue here is the Zeltrons. But still... Twi'leks actively traded their fellow tribeswomen left and right — it was a sector of their economy. Though they weren't the only ones trading girls from their own tribes. They'd been moving away from that lately, actually. Mostly Twi'leks were captured by other slavers. The same Zygerrians... Though the latter captured everyone they could reach. In the cartoons they seemed evil, but nothing more. But now, living in the GFFA and reading about them — my attitude toward them was trending toward: bring a couple of ISDs into orbit and conduct a Base Delta Zero.
Though, those aren't Jedi thoughts... Though I didn't rule out that I would carry out cruel actions... Very cruel ones. Hypocritical, but walking my own path, I clearly understood that I wouldn't come out clean. On the contrary — I'd swallow it all up to the crown of my head. And accept the consequences of my future actions. Jumping into Wild Space, the S-19 system, which the Matukai called the Tsai Kingdom System, I fell into some strange state. A... shitty feeling. Star Trek rushed forward through hyperspace... With every moment we approached the Tsai system. And with every moment, my inner anxiety grew.
Could this foreboding mean we're expected?
"Are you all right, Light?" Theodor asked, sitting in the copilot's seat of my ship. I preferred to distract myself by checking the ship's cloaking system, but I couldn't hide my unease.
"I have a shitty feeling," I said, looking at the man. "Something's going to happen. Something not very good."
"Ha," Sheygen snorted, standing behind his mentor, "scared of something? You're a Jedi Knight. You're not supposed to be afraid of anything."
I looked the Matukai straight in the eyes, channeling a bit of the Force into my own eyes. It's a simple trick to create something resembling a terrifying aura. In some of my mentor's records that he left me, I found mention of a special ability — showing intention. Sentients with sufficient skill, even without particular Force pressure, can "lean" on their enemies, showing them that it's better not to mess with them. And it's more of a psychological technique tied to words, actions, body language, than to using the Force. The Force can only slightly... "add atmosphere." A useful ability to ward off unwanted attention from certain "especially pushy" sentients... And non-sentients too — the latter, animals, follow instincts and perfectly sense danger, threat, and moments when it's better not to mess with someone they've just met.
The famous video of an ordinary man driving off a gorilla roughly twice his size, simply by showing he wasn't afraid of it. A similar trick works with dogs. And it was this element of that "ability" that I applied to Sheygen, looking him in the eyes without blinking, slightly seasoning my "unfriendly gaze" with the Force. The Matukai student looked away.
"Only corpses aren't afraid," I replied coldly. "Fear is something that can help in battle. You shouldn't give in to it completely, but you can't forget about it either."
"Light is right, Sheygen," Theodor sighed. "Fear — or rather, the understanding that difficult events await us. How strong are your feelings, Light?"
"Thinking about it," I closed my eyes, "the last time I felt something similar was when I encountered Teyron Jarps and a Dathomirian Witch on the same planet. My first mentor and I confronted them. My mentor didn't survive."
"Teyron Jarps?" the elder Matukai asked.
"You know him?"
"Naturally," Theodor nodded. "He was widely known even among my Order. Many considered his skills exceptional. However — he disappeared about two years ago."
"Correct," I nodded, "I killed him."
"You killed Teyron?!"
"Sheygen," Theodor said sternly.
"Yes. On a prison planet that once belonged to the Zakuul Empire, back when Vitiate was still active." I looked at Theodor. "Is something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine," the elder Matukai sighed. "It's just that Teyron is the reason Sheygen became my student. I mentioned, I recall, that Sheygen is the son of a successful warlord. And that's true." He looked at his student.
"And Teyron Jarps is the reason I became the orphan of a successful warlord. He was my target."
"News of his death spread long ago..."
"But we've been knocking around the backwaters of the Galaxy and didn't hear about it," Theodor sighed.
"And now you won't be able to take revenge," I looked at Sheygen.
"Hmph. Revenge interested me only insofar as — in the end, the old man wasn't worth me avenging him. He planned out my life from birth and, I'd bet, up to death. He even found me a wife when I was eight months old. Revenge was just a pretext to get away from my 'homeland,'" the younger Matukai snorted. "The fact that you killed Teyron doesn't move me."
"And that," Theodor said, "exactly explains why we hadn't heard. Though I would have liked you to treat the one who sired you with respect."
"Who I treat with respect — I'll decide for myself," Sheygen said, turning away, while Theodor just sighed heavily. Meanwhile, a signal came that we had arrived at the coordinates.
I returned to piloting the ship and, pulling the lever, brought it out of hyperspace.
"BB, initiate black alert," I said, pressing the corresponding key. In an instant, the ship was supposed to disappear from all the Galaxy's sensors and even become visually undetectable. This was done so we could ambush our enemy, not the other way around. However, even knowing this — my foreboding didn't ease; it actually weighed heavier. But I did what I could to push the haze of bad feeling from my mind. You have to be afraid, but not give in to your fear. So, grabbing the yoke, I guided my ship toward the planet Tsai. It was yellowish and dirty-looking — according to the data that had come in on our sensors, traces of weapons of mass destruction had been detected on the planet, including nuclear warheads. It seemed the Matukai had thrown themselves quite a party at the end of their lives. Around the planet, in its orbit, there was enough debris — ship remnants that couldn't fully decompose in space, and so remained in the asteroid fields around the planet and in orbit itself.
"There were thirty-seven Matukai clans," Theodor said sadly, "and in the last generation there were roughly one hundred and seven heirs who simultaneously declared their claims to the throne of the Tsai Kingdom. After the death of Tsai San, the last King of the Kingdom that the Matukai created — they clashed in war. Each of them could command at least ten thousand warriors, and the strongest had armies numbering a million sentients."
"Holy crap, they had a Game of Thrones," I whistled. "What 'game'?! That must have been a real massacre, a slaughter of all against all."
"That's how it was," the man replied. "Only a handful of Matukai fled into the known Galaxy after the war began, wishing to return to their roots: to travel and pursue self-development. The rest were mired in politics and wars. But we are not a nation to engage in such things. We are those who paved the path of self-development. Alas, those Matukai who stayed to fight for the Jade Throne of Tsai — forgot that," the man said sadly. "And everything they created, developed, achieved — burned in the furnace of a war that no one needed. Burned in the flames of ambition."
"I'd applaud," I said, not taking my attention off piloting the ship, "your skill at versification. Too bad my hands are busy."
"Your participation is enough, Light," the man said. "Whatever the outcome, either I or Sheygen — but we will translate everything for you and pay for... your services."
"I emphasize again, Theodor," we entered the planet's atmosphere. Deserts of sand with sparse vegetation — that's what greeted us. "I'm not participating only for profit. You didn't really buy me."
If asked what it looked like, I'd answer: Korriban. That's how I remembered that planet from playing Star Wars games. However, unlike the Sith planet, this one had been literally trampled into this state by wars. We flew over enormous craters that simply radiated something vile... Most likely — the instantaneous death of a huge number of sentients. I had long since learned to shield my mind from these sensations. The sensations of death...
"This looks like a nuclear weapon strike," I said. The craters were perfectly, regularly shaped. The kind produced by a simultaneous release of colossal energy in all directions. Nuclear weapons... The Galaxy had abandoned them long ago, mainly because planets were preferred to be captured for resources, tax-paying populations, slaves, servants, and so on. A nuclear bombardment — that is, a nuclear strike — didn't contribute to that. Needless pollution of the atmosphere with the most unpleasant... consequences that could cause mutations in all kinds of sentients. Nevertheless — the Matukai were destroying cities, at the end of their state's existence, with nuclear strikes. "How many sentients died in them — even shielding myself from all this, after so many thousands of years, I can feel the echoes of their death."
"Yes," Theodor sighed, "a sad sight. The Sith... The Jedi... They fled from the Galactic wars that you waged. And still they started the same one, mainly because of the Aurodium Law, which forbade expansion beyond the Tsai System. Perhaps, if the state had developed other star systems, the forces of those who destroyed it would have been directed not toward destruction, but toward creation."
"That's an eternal dilemma," I said. "If you set priorities wrong — a state can devour itself. But on the other hand, how should priorities be set? Because it would seem: wherever you throw — everywhere is a wedge, respected Theodor. Everywhere has pros and cons... You never know which choice was wrong from the start. Because sometimes, by making a choice to avoid a terrible fate — we end up walking right into it."
"And what's the answer?" Sheygen asked me. "To choose a path, knowing you might fail, or not to choose, because you know you might fail?"
"Your mentor knows the answer perfectly well," I smiled as we flew up to the city that Theodor had marked on the hologram not long ago. The capital had survived the war, though it had been stormed by one of the throne claimants, who fought another claimant there. "Choose... Choose and go all the way — decide what truth is for you and go. Because — we don't have time to worry about being right. Only you must be ready to choose and accept all... the consequences of your choice."
"Worthy words, Light," the man said. "Remember them, my student. A Matukai chooses a path, rather than spending his whole life wondering whether it's right or not. Because it's better to die trying than to live doing nothing. After all, you are so proud of being a Matukai."
The city was situated at the foot of a huge mountain, and a staircase led up it, where buildings stood that clearly resembled a massive palace. A palace that seemed embedded right into the mountain itself.
"The King's Library is located under the mountain," Theodor informed me.
I cut the cloaking mode, because the ship needed to land, and for that I had to scan the area. If our enemy was here — and my foreboding seemed to say we were in danger, meaning he had arrived — then he'd probably left his ship. And he couldn't have scanned the area. We had flown over a huge territory in cloaking mode... Unless he spotted us visually right now, in which case all element of surprise would be lost. But what could I do? It was stupid not to take the risk now — we needed to land on a good platform.
"The scanner detects a landing platform in the superstructure next to the palace," I said. "We can land there. Looks like there's some kind of hangar section where ships could park."
"We'll land there," Theodor said.
"The radiation background in the capital... is normal," I said. "It's mostly elevated in other regions. Hmm... What? I detected fluctuations that suggest... we're not alone on this planet. Two hundred kilometers to the east, there's some kind of unidentified vessel. And it just communicated with someone... I can't determine its location."
"Have we been detected?" Sheygen asked.
"Too early to tell... Besides — two hundred kilometers to the east — we were still in cloak mode, though he could have tracked us when I just launched the scanner."
"Why the hell did you use it at all?" Sheygen asked.
"Land in a mountain blind?" I asked. "Look," I pointed at the platform where Star Trek was now landing. The platform was quite small, accessed through a tiny opening — my ship barely fit. "Even with the Force, landing here would have been incredibly difficult, if not impossible! Besides — without scanning, we wouldn't have known that we could go out here without spacesuits that would block radiation, and we wouldn't have known we weren't alone on this planet. Get it together — sooner or later we'd have been discovered. Even if we can't identify the ship we detected, we would definitely have met its owner. So — don't kick up a fuss, and get to work, Sheygen. The elevator is there," I pointed at the elevator that led to the first floor. Sheygen muttered something angrily in a strange language and trudged toward the exit.
"You were a bit hard on him," Theodor said.
"You treat him like a grandson," I noted, "but that's too much. I know from experience, Theodor — people like him, or me — need proper discipline. Otherwise you get god knows what instead of a worthy sentient."
"You underestimate yourself," Theodor said, heading toward the exit.
"I'll undergo psychoanalysis in the Order after this mission is over," I sighed. "A sure way to know whether I've gone off the deep end or not yet. BB," I addressed the droid, "listen carefully. If any sentient other than Sheygen or Theodor tries to board the ship — immediately take it out of the planet's atmosphere. You have enough fuel and authorization."
"But, master, what about you?" BB asked.
"This order is for the case where you, connected to my datapad, detect the fading of my vital signs. That is — my death." I understood perfectly well what was at stake. My life... My attempt to do something in this world... To win or be defeated. Whatever the case, even considering that I was afraid of this Sith Lord, I couldn't act otherwise. I had already survived so much, and I didn't want to back down at all. Enough... I'd already backed down enough, for the rest of my life! "In my captain's quarters there's an info chip with data. You can give it to only two sentients. Either Yan Dooku, or Yoda. Or better yet, both at once. If you detect my death and no other information comes in within five standard days — head immediately for Coruscant." BB had enough authorization to pull that off. "And give them everything."
What was on the info chip? Literally everything I knew about the GFFA. Future events, technological development — though I didn't remember many super-detailed specifics. Also — the coming crises, what role Palpatine and Damask played in them, information about the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Abeloth, the Family, and so on. And the laid-out futures of some Jedi, as well as the reasons for certain actions. Of course, I was covering my bases and perfectly remembered that I could slip into the same coma, hibernation, where my vital signs might be perceived by the droid as death. Quite possible... So I specified "five days" in the order.
"But in any case — take the ship out if you spot anyone who doesn't match the biometric parameters," I ordered the droid.
"It will be done, master." As a unit with a fairly advanced personality manifest, BB could even simulate something resembling emotional tone in its sounds. I patted the surface of its "head" and headed for the elevator. The pipe was calling, so to speak...
* * *
Walking through the corridor of the palace's hangar section, I carefully examined nearly every meter. Everything was so well preserved here — though I had seen far more ancient structures in decent condition. The corridor was lined with steel, or rather one of its variants. Along our path toward the center of the structure were hangars... Real hangars, mostly empty... However, in the very last one, right where our corridor intersected with a large hall — judging by the automatic doors that had once separated these hangars from the corridor — there was an ancient vessel. And quite well-preserved.
"Let's examine it," Theodor suggested.
"Hmm..." We entered the hangar. Indeed, right in the center sat a ship that resembled a starfighter.
It was single-seat, shaped like the tip of a sharply honed knife. The stern split into two sections, each with one laser cannon and a torpedo magazine for five — probably proton — torpedoes. The latter weren't loaded. But what really surprised me was that it had a hyperdrive, as far as I could tell. The ship was roughly fifteen meters long.
"How long has it been here?" Sheygen asked.
"The Tsai Kingdom collapsed about seven thousand years ago," Theodor said.
"So this ship has been here for seven thousand years?" I asked in surprise. "How is that even possible? It looks almost like new!"
"Hmm," Theodor put his hand to his chin. "That's probably because the hangars in the Tsai Kingdom were built for long-term ship storage. Due to the adopted doctrine, the Matukai of the Kingdom rarely left the system. But ships were needed, so they were put... 'into long-term storage.' This specimen was apparently intended for long-range reconnaissance."
"Or escape," I said. "Let's get into its navicomputer and see what it's been through." In all likelihood, the reactor installed in the ship shouldn't have discharged. Fuel can remain in a reactor for quite a long time, even in an inactive state. I found a button next to the cockpit responsible for opening it. Using the Force to press it, I opened the canopy, and an unpleasant smell immediately wafted out. "Ugh, fuck," I winced and used the Force to pull out its source. A sentient's skeleton — many bones were already missing. But judging by everything — he'd been poisoned with something before death; the smell was just too unpleasant.
"This place needs decontamination," Sheygen coughed. The smell quickly reached us. Apparently the cockpit had been airtight.
"He died from poison," Theodor said, leaning over the bone fragments. "From all appearances, someone poisoned him, and he tried to escape in the fighter, but the poison was too strong — in the end he couldn't even start the reactor or begin pre-flight preparations. Besides," he looked up, "the hangar doors are closed. Which means no one planned to let him out. Disinfect?" Theodor patted his inner pockets and pulled out an aerosol can. "Here — this substance completely annihilates every conceivable and inconceivable living organism inside the cockpit that could have appeared in his body during the decomposition process after death. As for the poison — we need to figure out what he was dosed with; it might turn out that in gaseous form, the poison isn't dangerous."
"We can't figure that out," I objected. "We'd need internal organs at least, or better yet, blood. But all of that has been gone for a long time."
"Then we'll spray a standard neutralizer inside the cockpit and let whatever happens happen. On top of that, we might find a helmet with an air filter, too. An extra ship won't hurt… So… Sheygen, get your legs moving and spray both substances through the cockpit."
"Why me?" the Matukai protested.
"Because Light has way worse control of Matukai techniques than you do, and there could be some kind of incident with him getting poisoned," Theodor said. "But you, my student, are perfectly capable of handling the consequences. This sentient was a Matukai once — maybe even a better one than you. But after all this time, whatever kept him from being killed right in the fighter's cockpit — it's weakened."
"All right, mentor," Sheygen agreed with his reasoning and jumped inside to begin spraying.
"The ship has a hyperdrive," I noted. "Even if, from all appearances, it's an extremely weak class. You want to take it, don't you?" I asked the man.
"Yes, it'll come in handy around the place…"
"You want to give it to your student?"
The man pulled away from the skeleton and looked me in the eye.
"Is there some problem with that?"
"No," I shook my head. "I don't need this tub. I've got a ship that's a hundred times better, faster, and more powerful. It'll need some work," I pointed at the fighter. "I have the resources, but I don't need it. So — take it."
"Thank you," Theodor nodded briefly.
"But first we need to make sure it's in working order." Sheygen jumped down, and I hopped into the cockpit. What can I say about a seven-thousand-year-old fighter's cockpit? Everything was covered in dust. The smell of the two mixtures Sheygen had sprayed hit my nose. I examined the control panel and looked for anything resembling a 'Start Reactor' button… Damn it, everything here is in Matukai hieroglyphs… Still, I did find the button. Indicators lit up immediately, and information appeared on the display. But surprisingly, a form resembling a language selection screen popped up in front of me. I could choose either Matukai or Galactic Basic. Smiling at this foresight, I selected Basic on what turned out to be a touchscreen display. At least the information the onboard computer was outputting switched to something I could understand. I selected 'Pre-flight Preparation' from the menu and tapped it. Right away the roar of a warming engine came through, and a three-dimensional model of the ship appeared on the display.
'Hull integrity and seal — intact.'
'Engines — normal.'
'Hyperdrive — normal.'
'Fuel level — eighty percent.'
I should check how long it would take to get to Ryloth from here.
"Well?" Theodor's loud voice came through.
"Everything's fine here," I said. "Except —" I pressed a button and shut the ship down, then jumped down. "I checked how long it would take from the current location to Ryloth. Approximately five days in hyperspace."
"You're serious? We got here from Ryloth on your ship in half a day!" Sheygen exclaimed, way too loudly.
"By modern classification," I thought for a moment, "I'd say — eighth, maybe tenth class hyperdrive."
"The main thing is that it exists," Theodor nodded with satisfaction. "And then — ordering a new one and installing it — I'm sure it won't be a problem. It's yours, my student. You'll fly it."
"Really?" Sheygen asked in surprise.
"True as can be," the man nodded. "My old bones don't rate even this junk. But it'll be a useful aid for you once you get the tattoo."
"Th… Thank you, mentor," the younger Matukai said, shocked.
"Well, all right," I sighed. "I cracked the computer. The navicomputer is as clean as a baby's tear — it never flew beyond this system. As for ownership of the ship — I deleted the previous owner's codes. You can set your own."
The software there was six thousand years older than the current Republic. So hacking the whole system wasn't a problem — my datapad did it almost in real time. After that, pulling off the rest was simple.
"And remember — we're here to get into the Royal Library. So don't play around," I looked at Sheygen, who had already jumped into the cockpit, "too long."
* * *
Before leaving, we opened the hangar doors. We weren't planning to linger here at all. We reached the library after about twenty minutes of wandering. And that uneasy feeling… It kept growing. Even Theodor, the old Matukai, walked more and more tensely, as if preparing for something. His sensory perception outside of combat isn't as sharp as mine. I even foresaw Miya's death. But he feels it too… Feels the anxiety. And that's unsettling. Yes, Theodor isn't that much stronger than me. What can I say — with weapons, I could probably defeat him one-on-one using all my abilities at full power, and even if he did the same, victory could still be mine. But that's judging by bare abilities and skills. In reality — Theodor is many times more experienced than me and has beaten me only through experience, cunning, and understanding of combat. It's not enough to wield the kind of weapons I have or even that set of abilities. The most important thing is experience. And Theodor has plenty of it. I, on the other hand, have almost none. Yes, I've fought. Yes — to the death. But he's done it for far longer than I have. The library resembled a huge gallery, only instead of paintings, it was packed from floor to ceiling with scrolls. The room wasn't lined with steel and looked more like a cave. In the library hall stood worn-out couches, clearly for meditation. But what drew the most attention was a massive scroll lying against the wall opposite the exit. The library was lit by dim lamps and light filtering through windows near the ceiling. As it turned out, the palace was powered by 'solar panels,' and the system's star provided the planet with steady light.
It was about two meters wide, and its ends — which were meant to help unroll the page, where inscriptions were visible — were made of a green material I could identify as jade.
"Is that it? The fifth-level scroll?" Sheygen asked.
Theodor froze in shock, and I suddenly felt as though the room had gotten colder and something was pressing down on me. It can't be! I spun sharply to the left, threw myself toward Sheygen, leaped over him, activated my lightsaber mid-run, and struck at a dark corner… A crimson blade flared instantly and parried my attack.
"Well, well," a cheerful voice came through. "Your sensory perception is well-developed… Boy."
I leaped back and peered closer. It was him… That cold feeling, the premonition of disaster… The fear for my life. Everything was connected to him. And that sensation — created by only one sentient I'd glimpsed briefly, back when I was dealing with Shilazh for the last time. A Lord… A Sith… Yellow eyes stared at me. The Dark Side of the Force, which I'd already tasted once — literally pressed down on me.
"Strange allies you have, Shadow."
Sheygen and Theodor only now realized what was happening and took positions on either side of me, readying their glaives for battle.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Matukai. To be honest, I even thought I'd have to come back and hunt one of you down. But my slave, the Force, itself led those I need — to their master. I was counting on only the Shadow, but I got two Matukai who know the language of this Kingdom."
I tried to make out his face, but couldn't. Only those yellow eyes — a sure sign of someone gifted in the Dark Side of the Force, or someone with enough credits to afford those lenses — were visible. I could also see white hair; the man had a luxurious beard.
"You were counting on me? Who are you? And why were you 'counting on me'?" I asked.
"Boy, you own a unique, interesting ship — Stygium coating, isn't it?" he pointed his sword at me. "People have tried to kill me that way before, so I allocated significant resources to find technology that detects such ships and integrate it into my ship's sensors."
"But that technology — it's a breakthrough in scanning…"
"Do I look like an idiot to you, to hand out that kind of knowledge to anyone?" he asked me. "Anyway, enough talk. I need a Matukai to decipher the knowledge stored here. You… someone else needs you. You can't be killed, Light Flyingstar." He knows my name? Learning a Shadow's name if he doesn't give it himself… Did I mention it to someone unnecessary? Could it be Jorus C'Baoth? No, I'd recognize his aura immediately. Even after falling to the Dark Side — an aura can be very similar, just like a Sith's transition to the Light Side. This is someone else… That enemy, the Sith Lord who, from all appearances, has connections in the Jedi Order? But who could have passed information about me? A traitor who was leaking Shadows to him… "Though, that's his problem. Perhaps I'll make you the following offer. One of the Matukai dies — either by my sword or by suicide. You," he pointed at me again, "surrender voluntarily into captivity with the second Matukai."
"Why don't you go shove it up a rancor's ass!" Sheygen exclaimed. "I'll fucking kill you!"
"Sheygen! Stop, don't attack alone!" Theodor said, but it was too late. The enemy aimed his hand at the young Matukai. Blue lightning shot from the man's fingers and sent the blond flying backward. He screamed in pain and flew about five meters. In an instant, the lightning turned toward us. We reacted quickly.
I channeled the Force through my lightsaber and set up a block, stopping the Force Lightning. And Theodor, seeing that I could block the Lightning and that the Sith Lord had decided to try pushing through my block — circled around and attacked from the side. At the same moment, I decided to counterattack and launched my second saber at the Lord using telekinesis. The man simply let go of his crimson blade and immediately redirected it with telekinesis at Theodor, parrying the elder Matukai's attack. Then his crimson blade shifted and deflected my saber — straight at Theodor. Such incredible precision in telekinesis! I barely managed to deactivate my second lightsaber to keep from killing the Matukai. He stopped shooting Lightning and spread his arms to both sides.
"This fight promises to be difficult," Theodor said, crouching slightly.
"Agreed." I returned the second saber to my left hand and took a hybrid stance. My left hand held the saber in a Soresu guard position, while my right held it with the blade pointing at the ceiling.
In an instant, we launched ourselves at the Sith, but he had no intention of standing still either. What happened next was indescribable in words. He was a monster. I examined his hilt and figured he was an adherent of Makashi, so I thought I could push through his defense with a barrage of attacks from all sides using the 'Rising Whirlwind' technique… But he parried it — simply and effortlessly. He moved faster than me! I, who among a whole generation was called the fastest. And even though I knew pride had no place here — he did it with such ease. After parrying all my attacks, more in the manner of Soresu, he broke my rotation — since the technique relied on landing constant strikes while spinning. But even then, using my speed, I only managed to catch a brief moment when I barely, just barely, touched his clothing.
"You're a talented boy." In an instant, I could no longer sustain the attack. "But it's not enough." The next thing that happened — a fast Shiak aimed directly at my head. It was so fast that my precognition failed me there — only my body, either from an excess of adrenaline or plain instincts and reflexes, managed to dodge the strike's path. The saber only slightly scorched my left cheek and completely tore through the hood. I aimed my left hand backward and used my grappling device to escape the attack. The opponent started to pursue me but was immediately attacked by Theodor, who struck him in the side. The Sith blocked the glaive's strike with a sliding block; Theodor yielded to the inertia. Hutt… I have to protect him, otherwise the Sith will attack Theodor now. Certain death… But the Matukai twisted away, dodging the attack that would have decapitated him at the last moment. Meanwhile, I closed in on the Sith and struck at two different points: his head and his legs. He blocked the leg attack with the saber in his right hand, and with his free left hand he caught my strike aimed at his head. Damn it…
I jumped and twisted my body, trying to land a kick to his chest. The man released my hand and stepped back. At that moment, Theodor tried to deliver a kind of 'Dragon Tail' with his glaive, striking at the Sith's legs, but he reacted to that attack too — jumping and letting the strike pass under him. I returned my body to a normal position and immediately used pyrokinesis. The man absorbed it with Tutaminis.
"RAAA!" Theodor charged in with a shout and started spinning his glaive — it looked very much like my own Blade Whirl, but… The Sith's speed and reflexes were enough to parry every single strike. Meanwhile, using the grappling hook, I latched onto the ceiling and leaped over the fighters, landing behind the Sith, and immediately hit him with pyrokinesis.
"It's useless," he said, absorbing my attack with Tutaminis without even turning around. Spitting, I closed in on him with a double strike. He spun around sharply, parried my attack, then dodged Theodor — who was striking at his back — and nearly reduced our number by one. He would have pulled off a Sai Tok, cutting the man in two at the waist, but Sheygen intervened, attacking from the side, and the man backflipped over me. Sheygen's strike only kicked up some dust but didn't change the outcome.
"Ha, that wasn't bad — I'm surprised you have such teamwork. But it's not enough. You simply lack the abilities. Plus, you're still not a perfect team and you're getting in each other's way a little," the Sith Lord said.
"Bastard," I said. "Who are you? What's your name?!"
"My name doesn't matter, boy. Just remember — you'll die today. He has his own plans for you, of course, but I've never cared about them."
"Who is he?" I asked.
"Think about it: that's a stupid question. I didn't tell you my name — why in the world would I tell you another name?" the man asked. "We'll decide how you want to die first. In battle? Or on your knees?"
In response, all three of us attacked him at once, but it changed next to nothing. On top of that — Sheygen turned out to be too weak, and Theodor and I ended up trying to protect him more than attack the Sith Lord, which the latter exploited — catching Theodor with a Force Lightning strike and throwing the old Matukai away. Though the old man recovered faster than Sheygen.
"Decided!" when our team was trying to catch our breath again after another failed attempt at victory. I was counting my wounds and applying Crucitorn after taking a direct hit from Force Lightning — the Lord suddenly made up his mind. I smirked bitterly. I'd been using all my abilities from the very start. Telekinesis, precognition, enhancement. We attacked together… And all I managed to do was leave a barely visible scratch on his cheek! Meanwhile, he had nearly decapitated me twice, hit me with Force Lightning, and nearly cut off both my arms and one leg. And that's just me. Sheygen's glaive had been cut through at the shaft. And Theodor had lost his left arm and was only spinning the glaive through the strength of his right and telekinesis. "I'll bury the extras alive. There's something mesmerizing about that kind of death!"
He aimed his left hand at us. Telekinesis? I returned my sabers to their sheaths and thrust both hands toward the wave… The next second, both telekinetic waves collided. An instant later, scrolls throughout the library flew up, and the three of us were thrown backward.
"You don't need to move to be buried," he said, immediately attacking us. I drew my lightsaber and tried to parry the attack. Then a second one… Theodor intervened in our fight. From him to the Sith was about five meters, but Theodor acted cleverly — he threw his glaive, making the Sith jump back from me in surprise. I closed in and tried to cut him in two. That attack was the most successful I'd made since leaving that scratch on his cheek. That had been a weak, barely noticeable touch. This time, I cut part of his clothing, and a button fell to the floor. My lightsaber definitely grazed his body — I felt it — though not deep enough… "AH, YOU BASTARD!" a loud cry came. The next thing I remember — blue lightning that hurled me to the far end of the cave. "DIE, HUTT-SPAWN!" The lightning struck the cave ceiling and started breaking it apart, knocking off sizable chunks.
The large scroll flew out from behind my back and landed in Theodor's hands. But I didn't have time to react to that — after the lightning, the Sith used telekinesis and used the rocks as projectiles. I had no chance to dodge; one boulder blocked my view of the library… And another was flying straight at me. It was big — a wall behind me, and boulders falling to the left and right too. It would crush me… Was this really the end?! No! I can't give up — I have to fight! But instead of trying to destroy the boulder descending from above, I drove my lightsaber into the floor up to the hilt, crouched down, and tried to use telekinesis to slow down this improvised coffin lid… Will it work or not? If I can somehow melt through the rock to take cover — I'll have a chance… And if not… Then I'll just be crushed. But I have to try. I decided long ago that I would see this through to the end…
"BB," I rasped, "take… take the ship into space. Don't… Fly to Coruscant," the droid picked up my transmission. "Go into hiding… I'll come back… Probably…"
* * *
"One down," the Sith announced. "So — who's next?"
Theodor and Sheygen stood against a true monster. He had overwhelmed all three of them, but now that Light was crushed — or trying to avoid that fate — they had no chance. Theodor clutched the scroll containing the creator's legacy.
"I can let you survive, but only if you help me master the techniques recorded on it," the Lord smirked.
"You think we want to survive?" Theodor asked sharply. "Do you understand our goals so simplistically, Sith?" Wrath burned in the old Matukai's chest.
"And why not?" he asked. "It's instinct. All living beings, one way or another — want to live. Even that boy. I can feel him right now, fighting against the boulder that's crushing him — against a whole mountain, with all his strength, trying to survive. You know, I've lived longer than you have, old man. And the fundamental law of life is survival. That technique you're holding in your hands — it's a genuine treasure, not because your mythical Tsai Lyn created it, but because it helps you survive. History, legacy, dreams, love, desires — all of that is bullshit. Surviving — that's the real point. So, Matukai, after everything you've seen — will you betray your ideals to get a chance to walk away from me alive?"
"You judge everyone by yourself, Sith," Theodor hissed. "I'd rather die than surrender." The Sith's barely visible lips twisted into a smirk. "Sheygen! This is my final order as your mentor. TAKE THE SCROLL AND RUN. Report to the Pathfinding Masters what happened here."
"Mmm?" The Sith turned his gaze to the younger Matukai.
"Mentor, but…"
"You don't have time to worry about me!"
Theodor threw the scroll to Sheygen, pulled his glaive into his only hand, and immediately charged into the attack. Straightforward and foolish — the Sith Lord parried the man's strike, throwing him back with telekinesis, and appeared before Sheygen, who was running toward the exit with the scroll.
"Give it back. It's not yours." The Sith knocked the scroll out of Sheygen's hands and was about to kill him, but his lightsaber was stopped by Theodor's glaive. "You still want to fight."
"Sheygen," Theodor said, breathing heavily, "run to… to your ship. I'll hold him off."
"But…"
"Don't argue, just once in your life." The veins on the old Matukai's body bulged. "I didn't want… to use this Technique, but…" his eyes filled with blood, and his skin turned red. "It seems I'll have to stake everything!"
"Oh," the Sith jumped back. The Force inside the Matukai's body had simply gone berserk. "The Tyrant Technique? I've read about it. Release all of the body's resources in a brief moment. Reflexes, muscles. Literally everything that was, is, and will be. However, the cost for that is death," the Sith smirked. "What an incredible technique. Well then, this will be interesting. Attack, old man. I'll gladly show you how vast the chasm is…."
Theodor attacked him, while Sheygen, with a sob, ran toward the exit.
"I wonder, old man," the Sith said, blocking the attack with his glaive, "how many seconds will you last? The last Matukai who used this technique against me held out for twenty seconds and almost killed me. But he was one of your Pathfinding Masters. And you're clearly weaker than him."
Theodor wasn't listening. He knew the fifteen seconds he'd been given were far too few, so he attacked. From different angles, with all his strength… And it didn't help… The Sith blocked, dodged, and counterattacked. Theodor's reflexes were sufficient, but… He'd been too badly wounded before that, so on the thirteenth second, the Sith ran his lightsaber straight through him.
"Rest in peace, old man. Your student will serve me, or someone else will." Theodor fell onto his stomach.
Was this really it? Even staking everything — he still couldn't defeat this creature… How… unfair… His life flashed before his eyes. Victories, defeats… Moments of bitterness and joy… Finally… He saw… A boy with golden hair… The way he'd seen him the first time. Cheerful, restless, forever disobeying his mentor. But so persistent… Talented… Clever… That creature was going after him now. It would torture him, force his beloved, eternal student to reveal secrets… Secrets that would help it gain power close to immortality! Would that be what Theodor's teacher wanted? For him to give up now, even after using the Tyrant Technique? No… The shadow of his mentor… A silhouette — stood before him… No… He had taught him not to give up, no matter how much it hurt. Theodor reached his hand forward and grabbed the Sith by the shin.
"Still alive?" he asked lazily. "I thought I wouldn't finish you off — let you breathe a little longer… What?!"
"For the sake of the Galaxy! The Matukai Order, our legacy, and my student — I WILL NOT LET YOU LIVE!" Theodor shouted, gathering his last strength for one final technique. Black symbols slithered like snakes across his body.
"That's… No, you'll destroy your soul, your mind…" The Sith's eyes widened.
"Tyrant Sacrifice."
In the library where the Sith and the Matukai were — an explosion erupted, shaking the entire room. Thousands of scrolls crashed to the floor; many were destroyed instantly by the blast's force. The dust settled…
"Bastard!" the Sith screamed, staring at a handful of ash. His clothes were torn. He felt several internal injuries, and his beard had been singed by the blast. He hadn't been able to completely neutralize the explosion with Tutaminis. "He destroyed his soul, using it as fuel for the explosion! And he destroyed the fifth-level scroll of his Order! How dare you, you filthy carrion!" The Sith deactivated his lightsaber and spat blood. Stones began falling from above… The explosion had shaken the already damaged room of the Royal Library. It hurt so much… He'd never been caught in this technique before. Had he been playing around too much? Definitely… But what could he do — that was his nature. When you live long enough, just dealing with enemies gets boring. He'd played around and played too far… "My body… Hutt-spawn. I'll find your student," he promised, heading toward the exit. "I'll find him and kill him!"
He ran out of the library as the room began collapsing from above. It wasn't completely buried, but it formed a kind of ravine, burying everything… All the legacy the Matukai had gathered for centuries. The Sith rushed outside…
"Master," a voice came through his comlink. His droid was hailing him. "Two ships have launched from the planet. The first — the one with Stygium coating — left about three minutes ago. And the second just exited the atmosphere."
"A second? Where did they get a second?!"
"By classification — it belonged to this planet's Matukai army. An interstellar fighter of the 'Stiletto' class. They had hyperdrives installed…"
The Sith cursed foully. The bastards had ruined his plans. But two were definitely dead. One blew himself up, and the other was buried alive. His favorite spectacle — burying sentients alive. Too bad he couldn't personally watch the suffering.
"Put me through, khah, to the contact in the Jedi Order. I need to inform him that his plans will have to be adjusted."
"It will be done, Master," the droid's voice came.
"And put a bounty out for information on the Stiletto's location! I want to lynch that creature's student!"