"Is it over?" came the voice of the commander of Royiss-VIII's forces. "Is the Sith dead? Did you defeat him, Jedi?"
I sighed, examining the upper part of Harth's body with the Force… A young teenager, maybe fifteen to seventeen, with white hair and yellow eyes — a sign of the dark side of the Force. Leaning down, I passed my hand over them, closing his eyelids. During my final attack, I had cut Seth in half at the waist. And he wasn't Darth Maul, who could survive such a thing.
In addition, he had tried to take over my body, and then even the bodies of his clones…
My body… Who hadn't tried to take it over — even a Sith from the time of Vitiate had been tempted. As for the clones… Apparently, Sheygen and Jacob had succeeded in destroying them. But I was relaxing too soon.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the commander.
"Nothing is over yet," the words came out with a slight rasp. Clearing my throat, I continued. "Cordon off the mansion, especially the part that was shelled. Only I and my forces may be there; no one is to touch ANYTHING in the mansion. There could still be dangerous objects here."
"Jedi!" a sob came from behind the backs of the sentient beings. I looked in that direction. Damn… "Help her! Help!"
The crowd parted, and a family appeared before me, the father holding a young woman in his arms. She tried to smile, but there was nothing to smile about — judging by her aura, she had been wounded by one of the blaster bolts I had deflected. And not only her… There were many wounded among the civilians… These were the consequences of my actions. I could have attacked Seth in secret, but instead I decided to "play it safe" and attacked him so that everyone saw it… And what did that lead to? Innocent people suffered, including because of my stupidity. It was only by a miracle that my first attack — throwing my lightsaber — didn't kill anyone near Harth… But afterward, we didn't hold back. I could clearly see several dead bodies… Was it even worth it?
"Step back," I demanded. In healing, I'm barely capable of sustaining myself — let alone others. However, that doesn't mean I didn't study this Force Technique, didn't try to improve my skills. I can't fully revive the girl, but I can sustain her life so she survives. I placed my hand on her chest and channeled the Force into her.
"This is all because of you," came a woman's voice from behind. "If it weren't for you, my daughter wouldn't have been hurt!"
"Deyra!" came General Lorin's voice. "Shut up. If you haven't noticed, Seth Hart was a Sith, a Dark Sider who was outlawed by the Republic, and he was within Jedi jurisdiction. But… attacking him like this, head-on, in a crowd… Jedi, this is somewhat…"
"I used the methods I considered necessary," sweat broke out on my forehead. The Force… Could I fight one more time, please? While I was playing the great healer, I realized that deciding to challenge a Sith was the easiest thing I had done today. In battle, everything is simple — there is you and your enemy. But what to do when the battle is over? Every decision has its consequences. A battle does too. And the main difficulty lies in those consequences — right now I have to accept the not-so-pleasant consequences of my fight with a Dark Sider. And thanks to Lorin, the consequences aren't that severe. He organized the sentient beings, making them hide and stay away from the raging "light-sabre-flailers." What if he hadn't been there? How many victims could there have been? Defeating evil is far from the end. If one swing of a blade could solve everything in the world, life would be a fairytale. But I've already been convinced many times that the Galaxy Far, Far Away doesn't tell fairytales. Why would it, when there's reality? And now everything is just beginning. And I'm not just talking about Jonal Ezar, who's sitting in the Temple on Coruscant and already knows that Seth Hart has lost, no.
I have no idea what the Shadow Master might pull — like the actions of all madmen vested with power, his actions are also not subject to any logical explanation. But it's safe to say that he has his own perspective that explains everything, all these deaths: of archaeologists, of Shadows, of Matukai, and many others, all because of his collusion with Seth Hart…
While I was thinking, the girl clearly felt better, but she still needed the help of a qualified specialist. Except… I took out a medpac that was in one of my pockets hidden under the armor.
"Here, it's not bacta, but kolto," I handed the packet of liquid to the girl's family. "This will help her survive. I've done everything I can on my part. After all, I'm more of a fighter than a healer."
"She will survive," said the father of the family. The girl's cheeks flushed.
"Of course," I nodded. "Though she will have to undergo treatment. Are there any other wounded here?" I asked loudly. "I can help. And I still have a little kolto left."
The crowd started murmuring, and I contacted Logun Irean.
"Logun," I said to the Rodian's hologram. "Sit down and provide assistance to any sentient beings who may have been injured during the fight. Also, we'll need to discuss your share. Jacob," the hologram of a Mandalorian in armor appeared beside me. "Report status."
"Part of Seth Hart's mansion was completely destroyed," Logun said, interrupting Jacob. "We blew up the hangar, living quarters, halls, and much more…"
"After that, we went down to the ground and entered the underground complex, just as you said," Jacob continued. "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. There were so many droids as guards… but that's not the main thing: we found three bodies — three clones that were in cryo-pods. Around each one was inscribed… a circle with strange symbols that my computer identified as 'ancient Sith language.' And Sheygen… He grabbed his head. I think he had something like an epileptic seizure." which was quite possible. You have to understand that we, the Gifted, perceive our surroundings through the Force, so an unprepared adept might experience sensory shock. "He simply ordered us to blow up, destroy everything related to those clones, which we did. Only then did he calm down."
"Good," I sighed. "I killed Seth Hart's main body…"
"Oh, everyone already knows about that," Logun said. "The broadcast you launched has already caused a stir in many sectors of the Republic. I even think I shouldn't take Seth Hart's treasures… if only because your actions have given us advertising for ten years ahead."
"Excellent," said Jarps, "then I'll take your share…"
"Stop, what?" Irean exclaimed. "Have you lost your mind, Mando?"
"You yourself said advertising is more important to you," Jacob said imperturbably. "So…"
"Quiet," I interrupted their argument. Irean and Jacob turned to me. "Logun, go down and provide assistance. Jacob, prevent any attempts on the treasures until someone from the Jedi Order arrives here. If you've forgotten — let me remind you. These are all the treasures of the Dark Sider Seth Hart, who in terms of power could pass for a Sith — in terms of techniques, definitely! So shut up and don't argue. On behalf of the Order, you will be given everything you are owed. That's it. Jacob, I'll come to you now to inspect the work site. Do it."
I cut the connection and walked toward the door leading out of the hall.
"Jedi," General Lorin approached me again. "The troops have cordoned off the area and are awaiting orders. Your instructions?"
"Have them patrol the perimeter. Let no one in, and let people out only after a THOROUGH CHECK. Please convey to the planet's citizens that regardless of their status, removing any items from here until further notice from a representative of the Jedi Order dispatched here is strictly forbidden. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes," the general nodded. "Everything will be done, Master Jedi."
"I'm only a Knight," I shook my head, "but… as you prefer. Now please don't disturb me. If my help is needed," I extended my left hand with a datapad to Lorin, "here is my number. Scan it and call if you need me."
"Understood."
I was about to head toward the exit when my datapad received a signal from the Star Trek.
"Yes, BB," a hologram of the droid appeared before me. I decided to talk to him on the way. Reaching the door, I used the Force to press the button and opened it. Part of the corridor was cut off and led downward — it had clearly been hit by a turbolaser.
"Sir, you are being called from the Jedi Order Temple… Also, you have been restored to the list of the living." They're quick. We only just finished everything.
"Transfer the call to my datapad, BB," I ordered the droid. A couple of seconds later, the Grand Master appeared before me, with Jonal and Dooku sitting next to him. I looked around… They were contacting me from the High Council Tower, and all Masters were present — even in hologram form.
"Masters," I swept my eyes over the holograms of those present. "Good day."
"Not a good day, judging by the news," Jonal snorted. "A Sith on Royiss, and one that had been hiding for a thousand years…"
"I disagree. Good day it is," said Yoda. "Alive Light is, and that warms my soul. And as for Seth Hart — we saw what happened to him. Congratulate you on your victory we wish."
"Alas, victory is not the end, Masters," I said. "Seth Hart was involved in the disappearance of the Jedi Shadows and the Archaeologists. And now we need to find out," I tried not to give away my suspicions directly right now — Jonal could be spooked. Accusing him outright now is not the best option. "who from the Jedi Order could have been helping him."
"Suspect brothers and sisters of the Order you do?" Yoda said seriously.
"For now, I don't suspect anyone, but we need to find out who helped him. No matter how hard it may be to feel that someone betrayed us."
"Light is right," Dooku sided with me. The man's hologram inclined. "Master Jonal, you will handle identifying the Order's traitor, correct?" He shifted his gaze to Ezar.
"I will begin immediately," Ezar promised. "And believe me, the traitor won't like the outcome of my investigation."
The main thing is not to expose ourselves in the process of the investigation. Though Jonal won't be able to simply weasel his way out of the investigation — he'll be forced to provide at least some results. And we could catch him on that, because no matter what results he presented (and I no longer doubted that he'd been feeding all the information to Harth), they'd be easy to "tear apart." Or else… drop the truth on him right now… No… Not the time. I looked at the holograms again. It was dangerous to make such a claim right now. The best course was to use the ship's Stygium coating, go to Coruscant, return to the Jedi Temple, and appeal directly to Yoda there. Yoda, of course, missed Palpatine… But overall he was for the Jedi — that much was absolutely clear to everyone. So it didn't matter what Jonal said. If we cornered him with Yoda's help, it would mean his absolute end.
"The Council has sent Magister Even Piell to you," reported Magister Poli Dapaten. Piell's hologram nodded. "He will oversee everything concerning the investigation of the Harth mansion."
"Should I begin work on studying the mansion?" I asked the Council.
"No, that will be under Magister Even's authority," said Oppo Rancisis. "You, however, are to return to Coruscant for now, submit a report, and undergo evaluations."
During dangerous missions, a Jedi's alignment can be tested, and not everyone can endure that trial worthily. That's why we have a whole battery of psych-tests that we undergo from the time we become younglings. Primarily, they check whether my confrontation with a Dark Sider of that level led me to something… wrong… Well… This wasn't the first and certainly wouldn't be the last Dark Sider I'd face. Still — tradition is tradition. I'd pass the psych-test, and all the other evaluations too. The hardest time was when Mila died. Breaking a Force Bond because one of the bonded died — not the most pleasant thing. But on the other hand, I've already made peace with it.
"As you command," I said with a slight bow. "In the course of my investigation, I was able to determine that Set Harth learned the mind transfer technique using Darth Andeddu's Holocron. It's quite possible he's somewhere in the mansion." I looked at Magister Even.
"Darth Andeddu's Holocron, Magister Even will find," said Yoda. "And now he knows what to look for."
"And one last thing, Magisters," I said, drawing their attention. "Until Magister Even arrives, I've ordered Royiss's army to surround the mansion. In addition, the mansion will be guarded by my allies, whom I managed to recruit during the operation. Captain Logun Irean, the group of the Mandalorian Jacob Jarps, and… the Matukai Sheygen. They showed loyalty and were a great help in the final destruction of the Sith. I'd like the Order to reward them according to their merits. Destroying a Sith, defeating him, should satisfy any Jedi… But my allies aren't Jedi — they're essentially mercenaries. It would be good to pay them…"
"Magister Even will handle that," Yoda ruled. "Your friends, the Order will reward according to their merits."
"A Matukai is your ally?" Jonal said unexpectedly.
"Magister?" I looked questioningly at Ezar. "Do you have something against that? It seemed to me that the Matukai don't belong to the Dark Siders — at least, Sheygen didn't use anything that deviated from the 'abilities of the Matukai' or that would give grounds to consider him an adept of the 'Dark Side of the Force.' So yes, he's my ally. In addition, my Order considered me dead, and to avoid breaking cover and better catch Harth, I decided to act independently rather than through the Order."
"Your explanation is clear," said Jonal. "We'll discuss this when you return to Coruscant. Prepare a detailed report on everything that forced you to leave Alderaan."
"It will be done, Magister Ezar," I bowed. "Magisters," I took my leave of them all. "If that's all, I'll bid you farewell."
"Light," Piell addressed me, "introduce me to the participants of your operation."
"As you wish. I'll call you when I reach them." I headed off. The corridor ended at an elevator shaft, which had also been subjected to bombardment.
Sheygen and Jacob were down below. I jumped down and, using a grappling hook, slowed my fall. I had to go about twenty meters underground. The first thing I saw was droid wreckage. Lots of droids of various models, along with blasters, were lying scattered in the corridor.
"Ah, it's you," came Sheygen's voice from ahead. The teenager didn't look his best — covered in soot and burns. His glaive was stuck into one of the droids lying nearby. "I heard you killed that creature. My congratulations."
"You had quite a romp down here," I said, surveying the room. Severed droid parts were literally everywhere. "Where are his clones?"
"They were in that room," he waved a hand behind him. "We just blew them up. Light… There were some symbols there, and such an aura… I thought my brain would burst, the energy was so intense there…"
"Wrong? Alien?"
"Yeah," Sheygen confirmed. "Besides the clones, I managed to find a lot of artifacts — mostly Sith, but there are a couple of Jedi holocrons too. Should I hand them over to you?"
"No," I shook my head. "Magister Piell will take those treasures — he's already on his way here. Speaking of which, where are Jacob and the others?"
"They went to play with Harth's computer," Sheygen shrugged. Then he pointed to where they were.
"I see," I said. "Well, you've had your revenge. Or rather — you've delivered justice. What do you plan to do now?"
"Hmm…" the young Matukai pondered. "I want to go on a journey across the Galaxy with my sisters. There's a lot I should see… Without a mentor now. I feel like that's important."
"Is that so. Well, I wish you luck. Now let's go see our Mandos." Together we walked into the room whose entrance was on the right. It was the most intact. The Mandalorians were near a computer terminal and, judging by the looks of it, downloading information.
"Congratulations on the victory," Jacob looked up. "We're studying something here." He looked back at the computer display. "You have no idea what's in here. This Harth was aware of the so-called Sith Baneites. What's more, he suspected that one of them was somehow connected to the financial sector. He even managed to find evidence of his schemes… though circumstantial."
So he managed to find — even if not completely — leads on Plagueis? Now that's interesting…
"Show me," I said, walking over to the terminal. Jacob started scrolling through the data. "Interesting information, but the source… Do you know anything about this individual?"
The sender's address of the message was hidden. Not surprising — Set Harth preferred to hide many things.
"Why are you interested in him?" asked Hori.
"The information about someone being connected to the Republic's finances is only general here," I noted. "But this source —" I pointed at the computer screen, " might know a lot more than what was leaked to Harth. Set himself was from Darth Bane's line. But he probably didn't keep much of an eye on his former comrades, trying to stay under the radar. However, recently he decided to 'return to surveillance'… And who do we have here, smart and cunning enough to find hints of a Sith in the financial sector? And what else did he find? Finding and eliminating Sith is my responsibility. And I'd like to have a word with this individual."
It was unlikely to be Jonal Ezar. He definitely knew and had fed Set Harth to the Shadow strikes… For some reason of his own. But he probably didn't know about Sidious and Plagueis as individuals. So someone else was able to dig up information about the Sith… Maybe even a Force-sensitive — stranger things have happened. But who? Another riddle. I'd need to find out who it was and pay them a visit somehow… As for what to do about the Baneites in the end, I was torn. On one hand, it might seem that eliminating both would avert a huge number of casualties… But on the other hand — no, because the Yuuzhan Vong were coming! And the Baneite Sith, Palpatine, was precisely preparing for their invasion. Using Sidious's Imperial fleet and army against the carved faces would be a fine thing. But if I let Sidious take power… Tens, hundreds of millions — maybe billions of sentients would suffer. The Imperials would destroy an entire planet with a single strike. A beautiful planet… And I would be one of the unspoken guilty parties in that crime — because I knew how it would turn out and did nothing! I clenched my fists… Another reason I considered leaving Sidious and Plagueis alone was that the Galaxy would learn its lesson. The population of the planets would see what life was like under the Empire and then "joyfully rush" back to the Republic… Though that was a shitty plan — making sentients pay for their stupidity that way… Also, the Galactic Empire and its fall, the Republic's triumph — that was a subject I knew very well. But if I cut down Sidious and Plagueis now, or at any non-canonical moment, I'd be plunged into a completely unknown chain of events.
Hmm… So I had two options. Or rather — two motives. First: act for the good of the Galaxy, with all that entailed — either preventing Palpatine from coming to power, or overthrowing him. Second: screw it all, everything's already been figured out for us. I'd affected the original events very little. Sure, I'd had a conversation with Palpatine about democracy and monarchism, but what had that changed or would change? He was an autocrat and would remain one. And I still hadn't decided what to do… I'd like to say: why don't you both go to hell, Sidious and Plagueis?! This is MY story, I know better what needs to be done, so let's transform the Order, and the whole Republic along with it, and I won't wait until you destroy everything! I'd like to… But then we're back to point two: I could just step aside, accumulate resources, and then step onto the already prepared, familiar field and hand out beatings to everyone who had one coming, so no one left offended, but…
Light, could you, after taking that option, look into the eyes of all those who would die because of your inaction? Your conscience would torture you… I could have saved them then. Or tried to save them. I, after all, supposedly know how it will turn out, what catastrophe awaits the Galaxy… And I would still have chosen to allow that catastrophe simply because it was convenient for me? So, my convenience is worth the deaths of so many sentients? The Force… What a piece of trash I am — walking around with thoughts like that. I slapped my cheeks and shook my head. Alderaan, Caamas… Dozens more planets that could suffer under the Empire. And what to do? The trouble was precisely that I could argue both sides: the benefits of the Empire's rise and the benefits of destroying Sidious before he gained such power… What to do…
Hmm… What do I want? Well, let's say I know — to transform the Jedi Order, the Republic — i.e., try to build a society that I'd like more. Yeah, I see the goal, I believe in myself, and I don't notice obstacles, sure! But seriously, I see two paths: let Palpatine transform the Republic into the Empire and build everything on a ready-made field, or fight Palpatine in a non-canonical situation. I fully understand that I'm unlikely to become a politician and schemer of his level, but… Should we stop because of that? I never planned to be a Jedi, but I became one. I wasn't a warrior at all, let alone a killer, but I became those too. With persistence, you can achieve something. I just need to come up with a plan… "Easy as beskar!" I'd like to say, but… we all understand that it's only smooth on paper.
"I'll download this information," I spoke up. What to do about Palpatine and Damask? Right now, I couldn't do anything to them — it simply wasn't advantageous. So, the Galaxy, by my leave, had upheavals ahead. No… I needed to wait for a better position. The plus was that my enemies didn't know about me or my knowledge. There were, of course, some concerns regarding Sidious's circle — Sly Moore, and the Prophets of the Dark Side weren't idle either… Ideally, I'd cut them all down, but there was no need to rush now. "Everything concerning Jedi, Sith, and Force-sensitives belongs to the Jedi Order, Jacob. I hope I won't have to repeat that."
"You won't," the Mando nodded. "I'll give you access to my datapad — you can study everything I downloaded for myself. It's only information about some of his agents and intelligence data unrelated to Force-sensitives. Including stock market insider information. Useful stuff for a financier."
"Planning to become one?" I asked the mercenary.
"Naturally. You know, I want to retire… And not the way my dear brother did," said the Mandalorian. "I want to buy myself a villa on some tropical planet and live the good life. Hori wants to return to Tustra, and Bombur…"
"I want some rest too," said the explosives expert. "But the one who wants our group disbanded the most is Vanda — she's finally going to marry the captain." He immediately got a cuff on the head from the Mandalorian woman.
"So this was your last job," I summarized.
"Hmph, if your Order pays us decently for our participation — yes," said Jarps. "I'm tired, Light. Just plain human tired."
"Well, it was bound to happen someday," I shrugged. "Magister Even Piell will be arriving here. You'll hand everything over to him too. Speaking of which, BB," I contacted the droid. A hologram of the droid appeared before me. "Connect us with Magister Piell."
The droid beeped in acknowledgment. Fortunately, Piell happened to be outside hyperspace. Signal reception in hyperspace only became possible around the Clone Wars, I think? I don't remember. Either way, this technology hadn't been invented yet or was well hidden.
"Magister Piell."
"Light," said the lannik's hologram.
"Meet those who helped me in my attack on Set Harth. Mandalorian mercenaries, their captain Jacob Jarps, and the Matukai Sheygen."
The Magister's hologram swept his gaze over them.
"The Order has appreciated your contribution — each of you will receive five million credits." Jacob whistled. "I've also heard about Captain Logun Irean. He'll get the same. And, of course, all material and monetary trophies you find are yours as well. Everything related to Force-sensitives — intelligence data, artifacts, technique descriptions — becomes the property of the Jedi Order. Removing them from the mansion is strictly forbidden. We'll settle payment when I arrive on site. As for you, Light… I have five jumps left — I think I'll be here in three days. You fly to Coruscant. They're waiting for you there with a detailed report."
"I'll do just that, Magister," I bowed slightly. The hologram disappeared. "Well, you heard him. I advise you, by the way, not to try to deceive him or scheme against him. Magister Even is a formidable fighter, one of the best in the Jedi Order and the High Council. He'd cut you down in seconds if anything happened."
"I wasn't planning to deceive him, especially after what he said," Jacob said with satisfaction. "Good luck on your path, Light. I take it you're leaving us."
"Yes, I need to return to Coruscant. BB," I called the droid. "Prepare the ship. All the best to you."
"I'll send you the coordinates later, where we'll settle down," Jacob shared. "You can visit us if you want. You're always welcome."
"Thank you," I said.
* * *
Coruscant greeted me with sunset. My ship flew through an exclusive corridor right into the Jedi Temple… How glad I was to be back here after everything that had happened to me… And unlike my peers, I had returned here alive. No one met me in the hangar — they just informed me that Grand Master Yoda was expecting me. The old Jedi was resting in one of the meditation rooms. Entering, I lowered my hood.
"Light, alive you are," said Yoda.
"Good evening, Magister. I sent you my report two days ago," I said.
"Read it I have. Interesting I found it. You say, of other Sith Harth suspected?"
"Yes," I agreed. "Though there's no direct evidence. Most likely, Shilazh was also working for one of those Sith that Harth suspected. After completing my current assignment, I intend to head to the Outer Rim to track down that information source that supplied Set Harth with his intel."
"Trust your intuition and feelings," said Yoda. "Help you they will in your investigations. But have you not finished your current mission? By defeating Harth? Or… Know you who from our Temple was connected to him?"
"I know," I confirmed. "But you won't like this information." A wave of ionization emanated from me. Grand Master Yoda tensed and opened his eyes. The green dwarf's gaze wasn't filled with its usual cheerfulness — no, it was heavy and serious. I rarely saw him like that. Leaning close to Yoda's ear, I spoke the name.
"Impossible this is," he said, placing a hand on his heart.
"Listen to your intuition, Magister," I echoed his own words. "And you'll realize it's true."
"Serious accusations these are."
"And the evidence is serious," I replied. "I intend to play a game with him. Make him reveal himself. And you… Please, play along."
"If it is as you say, then investigation and meditation can help…"
"That's too slow," I interrupted loudly. "Investigations… Meditations! Magister! I fully understand your position, but we need to act, not let things slide. I didn't show it then, during the report, that I'd figured out his betrayal. But now, if we can't expose him… He might escape, he might even join forces with those two Sith that Harth was looking into!"
The old Jedi pondered.
"Very well," Yoda said after a couple of minutes. "Help you we will. I and Dooku will accept your plan."
"My plan?" I asked in surprise.
"Your merit this all is," Yoda replied calmly. "But if not a traitor he turns out to be…"
"I will accept the punishment," I answered gravely. "Let's go."
About ten minutes later, I entered the opening door that led to Jonal Ezar's quarters. The man was sitting at a desk, his hands clasped in front of him, his head resting on them. He was in his usual attire…
"Light."
"Magister," I said, sitting down in the chair across from him.
"Report," he demanded. I could feel irritation… He was trying to mask his feelings with the Force, but it wasn't helping much.
"Hm… On Alderaan, two Matukai approached me: Sheygen and Theodor Loy," I began my story. "We headed to the planet Tsai, to the system where the Matukai tried to establish their own state a couple of thousand years ago. There we first encountered Set Harth and… He defeated us. But I survived, and I received information that I'd been listed as dead."
"Yes, that is interesting," Ezar said thoughtfully. "After all, if that planet is essentially in Wild Space, how could we have known you were dead?"
"And you couldn't trace where the information came from?" I asked Jonal.
"One of the Shadows brought it," Jonal answered. So he didn't report it? No… Yoda, while we were walking here, noted that it was Jonal Ezar who entered the information about my death into the database. He was the one who deleted my account… Though that doesn't rule out the possibility that the traitor isn't Jonal… Actually no… How could it not be Jonal? Who else, besides the one in charge of the Shadows, could assign us missions? Jonal Ezar was directly responsible for the Shadows. "In any case, that's a twentieth-priority matter now," Ezar declared. "What happened next?"
"Next… Next I went to Kuat, where a certain Rosamunda Atkari, Harth's mistress, was located at the time, and I interrogated that woman. She gave me the details…"
"And instead of reporting this to the Order —" I crossed one leg over the other, " you decided to personally go after the one who almost killed you?"
"There was someone in the Order," I looked into the eye slits of Jonal's mask through which he viewed the world, "who was working for our enemy. I couldn't risk exposure — one wrong move and everything would have been ruined. I had to take a risk, and the risk paid off…"
"And Set Harth," Jonal said quietly, "told you who the traitor was?"
I leaned forward slightly.
"He hinted… And I think I know who it is." A lightsaber slid into my right hand, which he couldn't see.
"Is that so…" The next second, I was lifted from the chair and slammed into the wall above the door.
"I thought so." The saber from my left hand slid out, activated, and flew toward Jonal Ezar. This broke his concentration on holding me, and I managed to jump down to the floor. Jonal deflected my blade, and I pulled it back into my hand. "Honestly, I should have figured it out sooner, Magister."
"Figured what out?" Ezar asked me. "What?"
"That you are the traitor who was feeding your subordinates to Set Harth," I said loudly.
"Traitor?" the Magister asked me. "Light, who gave you the right to call me that?! You don't understand the reasons for my actions!"
"What reasons, Magister?!" I exclaimed, perhaps too loudly. "Reasons to send your own people to their deaths? In the name of what? Did you decide to save the Order this way? Is this another overcomplicated plan to shake the Jedi out of their stagnation — am I right?"
The man stared at me.
"Yes, you're right. I can tell you about it. I'm not the only one who can save the Order — you can too… You and I — together. You're a talented knight, capable of much already. So why not join me? Or… I'll simply declare that you've completely fallen and kill you…"
"And what's your plan?" I asked with a smirk. "Probably, by butchering Jedi, you wanted to demonstrate the weakness of the current High Council and push through your reforms?" I asked the man. "That's the first thing that comes to mind."
"You're smarter than you look," said Jonal. "Look around you, Light. We are obedient dogs on the Senate's leash. On a leash held by pathetic non-Force-sensitive nothings who don't even know how to rule properly! You studied at the University of Alderaan; you studied state governance! You must see this whole trash heap they call the Republic! Do you think this is right? Do you think this fucking democracy works? It might work for a country, but not for our Order. We are not peacekeepers — we are an army… We must become a structure with a clear system of governance… And my plan will give us that structure. Everything will be under my control! And then we'll deal with the Senate… We'll root out those worthless corruptionists and create our own Republic, where the Jedi will be the true guardians. The Republic will be governed through the Order, through its leader! A wise and intelligent leader — a worthy individual."
"I understand you," I said. Partly, I agreed with him, though… there were nuances. "And you will be that very individual, right?" I asked. "I can see: you don't just want to change something. For you, this is merely a struggle for power, not for change itself."
"He who has power can change everything, Light! And the time has come to change our lives. Are you with me?" he asked. "Or against me? Don't count on the door opening and you escaping. Until I activate the mechanism…"
Suddenly, two lightsabers — one green, one blue — pierced through the door. Dooku and Yoda got tired of waiting? Honestly, I was going to give them a signal so they could make a dramatic entrance and handle things. I was one hundred percent sure I wasn't even close to Magister Ezar's level yet. But there was nothing for it now — I'd have to stall as long as I could.
"You bastard," Jonal said angrily.
"Now I understand — the Temple is riddled with cameras, but your room is virginally clean of any electronic devices except your computer. That was done on purpose, because you rightly considered all Jedi your enemies until you could rule them, Jonal Ezar. That's why you didn't notice the two Magisters standing behind the door under a Force Cloak… It's over. They know everything, Magister. I told them everything and proved it… Surrender, and you'll be treated fairly."
"Fairly?! Fairly?!" Ezar cried out. "I will not surrender until I lead the Order to a new dawn."
He rushed toward the window, intending to smash through it. I leaped over the Magister, cutting off his path.
"If you so desperately want to prove you're right, why are you running?"
"Out of my way!" Jonal activated both sabers and tried to cut me down.
I blocked his attacks. My second battle with Set Harth had taught me a few things — mostly about movement. But I still couldn't handle a duel with a true master of Jar'Kai. Jonal attacked fast and precisely. I retreated. My attempts to counterattack ended badly: during one such attempt, the Magister knocked the saber out of my left hand, and then, a moment later, out of my right.
"It's a shame to kill you — you're talented," said Jonal, while I concentrated and focused the Force in my right eye. A trickle of blood ran down my face. He raised his saber… A moment, and the world became black and white, and a shining point appeared on the chair behind him. A second later, I was standing behind him, and Jonal himself had cut his own chair in two. Another instant, and I returned the saber to my right hand, then delivered a quick strike. Jonal turned, but didn't manage to block the attack properly, and I ended up cutting off his right arm. "YOU BASTARD!" I was thrown back by telekinesis and, thanks to the grappling hook, barely managed to dodge the lightsabers of Dooku and Yoda. My right eye burned with fire…
While I was flying to Coruscant, I worked on refining my own version of teleportation. The technique I managed to use just now — I decided to call it "Heavenly Hand," by analogy with the one Sasuke Uchiha had in the anime and manga Naruto/Boruto. The technique allows me to place a special mark on a target and swap places with the marked object. Instantly. The downside — I have to see the target. I can also only use this technique twice, and at the moment it puts too much strain on my body, especially my eye, which takes on most of the load. It's very difficult to use the technique in battle because it's so exhausting... And I would have been a corpse if I hadn't accounted for the fact that the Magisters had just finished hacking the door and burst into the room.
Jonal Ezar, missing an arm, was like a wounded beast that Yoda and Dooku fell upon without a shred of conscience. Closing my eyes, I sank into Force meditation and began observing the Magisters' fight. It lasted about twenty seconds. It ended with Dooku cutting off Jonal's second hand just above the wrist. I breathed a sigh of relief and decided that now was a fine time to pass out... Still, this technique is seriously underdeveloped...
One way or another, this strange, chaotic mission and the adventures tied to it — all of it... was over...